Chinese groups slams Apple for environmental policies

Ouch. The Associated Press is reporting that three dozen environmental groups have jointly issued a report called "The Other Side of Apple" that accuses the company of ignoring their concerns about health and safety issues at Chinese manufacturing facilities. These plants that the company with components that are used to build iPads, iPhones and other apple products. The report cites the use of dangerous chemicals used in the manufacture of touch screens, and other hazardous materials that can make factory workers sick or endanger their lives.
The report comes just as Apple has opened stores in China and this week told investors that China was a vast and important market for the company.
The report noted that Apple was the least responsive of 26 tech companies doing business in China. An Apple spokeswoman in China, Carolyn Wu has said that the company is "committed to ensuring the highest standards of social responsibility," but had no direct response to this latest report. The groups have commended Samsung, Hewlett-Packard, Compaq Computer and others as the most responsive. Previously, Apple was embroiled in controversy after some employees at the South China Foxconn plant where Apple products are built committed suicide.

Larry Page takes over as Google CEO, Eric Schmidt now Executive Chairman

Google's Q4 financial results press release contains a bombshell: as of April 4, co-founder Larry Page (on the far right, above) will replace Eric Schmidt as CEO. That doesn't mean Schmidt is leaving -- he'll carry on as Executive Chairman and serve as an advisor to Page and co-founder Sergey Brin, focused on external things like deals, partnerships, customers and broader business relationships, government outreach and technology thought leadership." As for Sergey, he'll now "devote his energy to strategic projects, in particular working on new products," while Page assumes responsibility for day-to-day operations and product development and strategy.

Schmidt's clarified the change in a blog post, saying that the idea is to make leading Google as efficient as possible, and that "Larry, in my clear opinion, is ready to lead."

iFixit releases iPhone 4 liberation kit for Pentalobe screws

The good folks at iFixit have noticed that iPhone 4s taken in for service often return without their original Phillips 00 screws. Instead, they're being replaced with Apple's own proprietary Pentalobular screws. These are the same screws that are in the current-generation MacBook Air. Here's a close-up pic from an iPhone 4, courtesy Engadget editor Nilay Patel.

Don't call them Torx screws because they most certainly are not. To get the rare, expensive tool that's meant to extract them, you'll have to be a certified Apple tech (or know one).

While you're meant to use a special driver to extract those screws, you can get them out with something else. That something else is a part of iFixit's "iPhone 4 Liberation Kit," which contains replacement Phillips screws and a driver that will remove Apple's Pentalobular screws, as well as two Phillips replacements. No, it's not the official tool but a low-cost alternative. Note that there's a good chance it will damage the proprietary screws, but you're going to throw them out anyway, right?

Opening an iPhone 4 isn't something that just anyone should do. Be careful and know your limitations. If you're ready, the iPhone 4 liberation kit can be yours for US$9.95.

Check out the video explaining the issue and the kit after the break.

[Via Macgasm] Continue reading iFixit releases iPhone 4 liberation kit for Pentalobe screws

iFixit releases iPhone 4 liberation kit for Pentalobe screws originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Deals of the Day [Dealzmodo]

Today's deals include a 6 core HP desktop, a pack of 4 Plantronics headsets, and a free digital copy of Betty Crocker Soups Cookbook. It's not too early to start planning for Valentines Day. This sounds like a great deal. More »

Fujitsu unveils Esprimo FH99/CM, touts it as the world's first glasses-free 3D desktop

After seeing Sharp's 10.6 glasses-free 3D display last September, we left convinced that parallax barrier 3D technology was a long way off from being ready for prime-time, and then we reached for a bottle of aspirin. Demonstrations by Intel and Sony at CES this year proved, however, that a lot can change in four months, and we hope for Japan's collective eye sight that Fujitsu's Esprimo FH99/CM desktop PC follows this trend. That's because Fujitsu claims it's the world's first glasses-free all-in-one, and it's scheduled to launch in the country on February 25th with a whopping $3,100 price tag. All that dough will get buyers a naked-eye 23-inch full HD 3D display plus top-of-the-line features such as a Blu-ray drive with 3D Blu-ray support, a 2Ghz Core i7 processor, 4GB of memory, a 2TB hard drive, and two USB 3.0 ports. There's no word whether the computer will land stateside, but if it doesn't, Toshiba has hinted they could fill the void with a glasses-free 3D PC of its own by late 2011. Still, we wouldn't recommend stomping your 3D glasses just yet.

YouTube streams are down on Boxee but not blocked (update: fixed)

Last night Boxee users apparently noticed they were unable to stream YouTube videos via their app or Boxes as noted above by TheNewTVRepublic, leading to some speculation that we were seeing a repeat of licensing related blocking that once shut down access on Popcorn Hour hardware. Fortunately that's not the case, as the official YouTube account just tweeted out a notice that it's only a glitch which it is working to address "quickly." We'll return to DEFCON level 4 pending an actual fix, but until then the latest series of Vote 4 Bieber My YouTube entries will just have to wait.

Buffalo's PC-TV1/HD adapter brings Intel Wireless Display support to Japan

So, you did it. You went out and purchased a WiDi-enabled laptop. Congratulations. Trouble is, you have no way to get those wireless transmissions to your television, and that's where Buffalo comes in. We've already seen a handful of Wireless Display adapters hit the market here in the US, but mama always said that more made things merrier. Buffalo's PC-TV1/HD is fairly simple; just plug it into your television via HDMI or composite video cords, sync it with your WiDi computer, and enjoy the spoils of watching (mostly) lag-free HD content flow from your laptop to your HDTV. Check it this March for ¥12,500 ($150), or just do what everyone else does -- buy a $4 HDMI cable, and swallow the fact that living in the future simply isn't worth going broke over.

Hands-on with Magic Cube Bluetooth portable laser keyboard

The tech in laser-based keyboards has been around for a while, and when we first saw them we thought, "the future is here!" because what could be cooler than having a laser keyboard on any flat surface? I'll suggest something cooler: a keyboard that works. I spotted the Magic Cube from Celluon at CES and gave it a spin.

The Magic Cube connects to your Mac or iOS-powered device using Bluetooth and features a battery inside to power the laser and optical recognition systems. According to Celluon, you'll get 150 minutes of use from a charge. The device is somewhat large, occupying as much volume as two 1st-generation iPods, only slightly narrower. This gives it stability, but it also means you'll have to have the keyboard projector offset from your iPad or iPhone (why you would use it with your Mac is beyond me). The laser-projected keyboard is about the size of a MacBook's keyboard, complete with rounded keys. Unfortunately, it is a PC-centric keyboard complete with Menu and Insert keys, but that's not a big deal. The big deal is accuracy.

I type pretty fast considering I started typing on a computer when I was six (on an Apple II, thank you very much). If you type fast, you're going to have to slow down to use the Magic Cube. While their literature states it can detect up to 400 characters per minute, you'd have to be some sort of robotic ninja octopus to achieve such precision using this thing.
I found multiple attempts to track my speedy typing thwarted by two things: a lack of tactile feedback and the need to look at the keys while typing. In other words, your fingers will drift and the keyboard will cease to track all your key "presses" accurately. In some cases, the "press" didn't register at all. Others at the booth had similar issues. Check the gallery to see what came out when I tried to type "hi there my name is victor." Perhaps there's a learning curve?

While the Magic Cube is a nifty novelty, I wouldn't expect it to replace the dozens of physical keyboards we saw at CES. You can connect it via USB (PC-only it seems) or Bluetooth, and it comes in a variety of colors, but as a keyboard it just doesn't cut it. In the end, it felt about as useful as those old membrane keyboards (like the ones on the TIMEX Sinclair) with a resulting slowdown in typing and loss of accuracy. Here's hoping some day our magical tech dreams come true -- but until then, save your US$199.99 and spend it on a real keyboard.

Gallery: Magic Cube virtual keyboard

Hands-on with Magic Cube Bluetooth portable laser keyboard originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple stock rises to over $342 intra-day

On a day where the Dow Jones Industrial Average is down by US $38.20 and the Nasdaq composite is nearly flat, once again, AAPL is bucking the trend and going straight up. At this writing Apple stock is at $342.05, (a new intra-day high) and bouncing. So far the stock is up $5.93 or 1.76 percent on moderate volume. I'm sure that this is at least partially due to the anticipated Verizon (VZW) announcement tomorrow. Surprisingly enough, Verizon is about flat for the day trading at $36.01 or up only $0.08 so far. If the Verizon announcement goes as we all hope, I can see this continuing, but who knows?

Mercedes SLS AMG E-Cell hitting dealerships in 2013

You may disagree with the car's color and its powertrain choice, but you can't argue with 528 horsepower, 649lb/ft of torque, and AWD acceleration so good it should come with a neck brace. It's a legitimately hot car, and it's legitimately coming to dealerships. Mercedes today confirmed that the SLS AMG E-Cell will be available for order at dealerships in 2013, and while no price was given, expect it to be a lot. The gasoline-powered model cost around $200,000, after all. Oh, and that citrus color? It's pretty stunning in the flesh, a matte hue that makes you go "Mmm."

Gallery: Mercedes SLS AMG E-Cell

Hey, your iPhone's untied!

In the market for a shoe-phone? iShoes are funky little iPhone cases coming out of Asia that make your phone look like a tiny, somewhat flattened-out sneaker.

Recently available for purchase from Japan-based vendor Strapya, iShoes are made by Korean company Play Hello. These colorful cases seem to have been around since earlier this year but surprisingly without much foreign fanfare. Strapya is selling the iPhone 4 iShoes cases on site for 2380 yen (or about $28), and the company will take orders from outside Japan. Cases are available in an assortment of colors: black, blue, orange, pink, red, and white.

Play Hello has cases available for the iPhone 4 and 3GS, and even for the homegrown fave Samsung Galaxy S, though as far as I can see the company doesn't ship internationally.

If you do want to convert your iPhone into a cute l'il shoe-phone, then this might be for you. I can't help but think however that somewhere Don Adams is yelling down at us that we're doing it wrong.

Palm Voice Test portal foreshadows Verizon's LTE voice plans, quasi-affirms new pricing

See that image above? It's not a forthcoming Palm LTE phone for Verizon Wireless, but it could be a sneak peek into Big Red's plans for the future. If you'll recall, VZW's CTO Tony Malone hinted last week at CES that integrated LTE voice + data wouldn't come until 2012 or 2013 at the earliest, and for now, all LTE devices would be relying on 3G for voice and 4G for data. Heck, not even all of the first-wave LTE devices will support simultaneous 4G data + 3G voice. Of course, we all know that LTE voice is coming eventually, and a new test portal at Verizon's official website may be a clue as to how things will be arranged once it's live. We're guessing that an admin simply populated this page with information and images from the standard Pre Plus page -- there's no way an LTE-enabled Pre is planning to slink into VZW's lineup -- but it's pretty obvious that at least someone within the company is thinking about a world where voice calls are completed over LTE. Potentially more interesting is the "4G plan pricing on this phone" line -- during Verizon's second LTE presser at CES, none of the executives on stage would talk dollars and cents, but this makes it fairly clear that there will definitely be separate plans for 4G phones, most likely ones with higher prices. Feel free to hit the source link if you'd like to poke around, but we wouldn't expect it to remain online for much longer. One more look is after the break.

Apple will drop restocking fees on January 11

A rumor out of 9to5 Mac suggests Apple will drop its 10% restocking fees starting January 11th. These fees were assessed when a customer brought a product back within the 14-day return and could get quite expensive, especially for the high-end MacBook Pro notebooks or Mac Pro desktops.
The reasoning behind this rumored policy change was not divulged, but Apple may be following in the footsteps of Best Buy, which got rid of its restocking fees this past holiday shopping season.

This new no restocking fee policy may also explain why some Apple stores were covering their windows last night. Signage promoting this new policy would need to be setup by employees working under the cover of night. Coincidentally, this January 11 date is also the same day Verizon Wireless is hosting an event, we assume to announce the CDMA iPhone. 

Toyota debuts new Prius models, including family-friendlier Prius V

Toyota made no bones about the fact that more Prius models were to be unveiled in Detroit for the North American International Auto Show, even throwing advertisements up around town asking whether it's supposed to be Priuses or Priii. (We, as you can see, chose to side-step the debate.) Now we know what's coming, first being the Prius V. It's the MPV the company has been teasing, basically just a taller version of the four-door sedan with a hatchback and a whopping 60 percent more cargo space -- 32 cubic feet, which is more than most compact SUVs. It's to be rated 42mpg city, 38 highway, and 40 combined, which is a surprising 10mpg lower than the sedan model. That's perhaps a bit disappointing, but availability this summer is a pleasant surprise.

Tesla Model S takes off its clothes, shows us its motor

Oh, wow. Are you sure we're ready for this, Tesla? I mean, just last week you wouldn't even let us sit inside your Model S prototype and now... this. You sure we're not moving too fast? A fully naked Model S is on display at the company's booth, bare frame and bare aluminum separated by a Lucite riser, giving us a glimpse at the car's motor nestled between the rear wheels. Take a look at it, barely bigger than the exhaust of a modern musclecar yet powering this thing to 60mph in 5.7 seconds and up to an anticipated maximum 300 mile range. Unfortunately the tangle of wires and other components that'll actually make this thing go are missing, and the paint, but it's still a great view at the simple, obviously Elise-inspired frame that holds it all together.

Gallery: Tesla Model S Disassembled

iTunes celebrates its 10th birthday, still takes too long to sync your iPhone

If you've managed to use any piece of technology for ten years, it's safe to say that said piece has some serious lasting power in an era filled with flavors-of-the-week. It's a bit startling to think that Apple's iTunes has now fallen into that category, but sure enough, the music-turned-media-application is now a decade old. Fittingly enough, it just hit version 10.0 a few months ago, and it may very well be tweaked to play nice with an all new device later this week. Head on past the break for a look at the very first iTunes introduction at Macworld 2001, and then think about how many times you've hated your life as you watched that sync progress bar crawl along at glacial speeds. No, seriously, think about it.

Espert Identity Tab E301 and E201 hands-on preview

Android tablets aren't exactly in short supply at CES 2011, but the Espert Identity Tab stands out -- despite hailing from a manufacturer we'd never heard of before the show. Espert's got two slick 7-inch slates on the floor, and while the E201 mostly cribs from Samsung's WiFi-only Galaxy Tab -- right down to 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird chip -- the flagship Espert E301 pumps up the pixel density with a 1024 x 600 capacitive touchscreen, adds an all-metal case, a mobile DTV antenna, and 3G connectivity. We poked and prodded these tablets all over and got a peek at the full spec sheets, so after you peruse our gallery below, hit the break for details!

Gallery: Espert Identity Tab E301 first hands-on!

Gallery: Espert Identity Tab E201 first hands-on!

QNX Car concept with PlayBook integration hands-on (video)

Okay, we've seen an iPad on a dashboard. Ready for some in-car PlayBook action? Recent RIM acquisition QNX is all over it, showing off what it calls simply QNX Car. It's a basic reference implementation of some technology that will be running the infotainment systems of cars in the coming years -- though they'll surely look very different than this by then. QNX is showing how it can pull media from multiple sources, like an iPhone, use Message Access Protocol Bluetooth to pull data from a BlackBerry, and even use Terminal Mode to replicate the UI of something like the PlayBook. Plus, the PlayBook was able to change climate control settings in the car.

The company is also working on what it's called the Simple UI Protocol. It's basically a lowest-common-denominator smartphone integration -- something like Ford's AppLink that, in theory, will work regardless of the app or the hardware on the car. It's very limited, allowing just two lines of text and a few icons to be sent from the phone to the car, and just two buttons (left and right) to be sent back to the phone as controls. The idea is to remove any aspect of driver distraction and to provide AppLink-like functionality in a standard, non OEM-specific way, which we like. But, it's so limited in scope we're not sure just how useful it would be. See for yourself after the break.

Gallery: QNX Car hands-on

In the Maker Shed: Netduino Mini

Software, meet hardware. The Netduino Mini from the Maker Shed is an open source electronics platform using the .NET Micro Framework. The board features a 32-bit microcontroller and a rich development environment, making it a perfect solution for engineers and hobbyists alike.

Features

• 1.2" x 0.6" - tiny "DIP microchip" form factor with edge pins (Pb-free)
  
• Designed for breadboard use, production industrial/commercial applications, and robots/UAVs/etc.
  
• Same microcontroller as a standard Netduino - but smaller and with a bit more RAM available
  
• BASIC Stamp 2 pin-compatible - can be used with most BASIC Stamp 2 boards and kits.
  
• Can be programmed via RS232 like BASIC Stamp 2 or via 3.3V USB-TTL cable like Arduino Nano
  
• Can be powered via 9V battery, DC power leads, some USB-TTL cables, etc.
  
• Industrial temperature rated (-40 C to 85 C); RoHS compliant; Pb-free

Looking for a 'standard' size board? The Netduino is back in stock too!

A look at BPG Motors amazing, transforming, self-balancing Uno (video)

One thing we're learning at CES is that the future of transportation is, apparently, pretty weird looking. The EN-V or YikeBike not odd enough? Check out the Uno from BPG Motors, a tricycle that transforms into a self-balancing, two-wheeled... thing. It's gained a wheel since the last time we saw it, a front fork that folds in between the rear wheels and the whole thing starts balancing when you need to go through some tight spaces and then, when it's time to go faster (up to around 30 or 35mph) that wheel pivots out, the whole thing lowers, and away it goes. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to pivot the thing at the show, but we have a video of the transformation after the break along with a little walk-around of the thing. Trust us: you'll want to watch them both.

Gallery: BPG Motors Uno