Splashtop brings Windows 8 Metro Testbed to Apple's iPad (video) - by aby benedict

This has gotta be uncomfortable for the iPad. Now, Windows 8 tablet developers -- or anyone, for that matter -- can test their apps and play with the Microsoft's Metro interface from within the confines of Apple's ubiquitous tablet. The functionality is made possible by Splashtop, which is known for its remote desktop apps that are currently available for Android and iOS. It seems that a good amount of effort went into this application, known as the Win8 Metro Testbed, which offers the same swipe capabilities that will be available on a native system. This includes the ability to swipe from the left to switch apps, swipe from the right to reveal the Charms menu, and pull down from the top to close an application. Splashtop's Win8 Metro Testbed is currently available for a promotional $24.99 in the iTunes App Store, whereafter it will sell for $49.99. You'll find the full PR and a quick video tour of the app's functionality after the break.

Intel VP: Ivy Bridge processor is built for ‘Retina display’ computers - by aby benedict

At the Intel Developer Forum that took place yesterday, Intel’s Vice President and General Manager of the PC Client Group Kirk Skaugen revealed (14:30 mark) that Intel’s upcoming Ivy Bridge Processor is built for Retina display computers, “if OEMs choose to use it.”

“Retina display” is a marketing term coined by Apple to describe a screen where one cannot discern pixels at an average usage distance with 20/20 vision. It is curious that Intel’s VP used an Apple term to describe high-density computer displays for the broader market.

Apple is set to use Intel’s Ivy Bridge processor in its next line Macs, making it an opportune time to introduce its Retina display technology into the Mac line. The Ivy Bridge processor, without help from discrete graphics processors, can power 2560-by-1600 displays (as Skaugen said), which is four times the current resolution found in the 13-inch MacBook Pro. That would look pretty good on 13-inch displays of Apple’s Pro/Air.

Apple’s bigger, high-end notebooks have typically had help from discrete graphics processors. To make bigger displays “Retina,” Apple would likely need to add more GPU processing power.

According to new reports today, the Ivy Bridge processor is set to launch by the end of this month. With the launch of Ivy Bridge, the timeline for new Macs looks to be shortly thereafter. There wereseveral clues found in OS X Mountain Lion that point to Apple introducing Retina graphics. Apple was also rumored to launch a thinner MacBook Pro and 15-inch MacBook Air later this summer.

Google Project Glass smart glasses revealed - by aby benedict

This week Google is showing off their next gigantic project, a pair of augmented reality glasses that connect with your whole Google experience: Project Glass. This “Project Glass” experience is part of the Google X offices for experimental projects and is certainly not an April Fool’s joke, though if it’d been released several days ago we may have tagged it as such. Instead this fantastical vision for the very near future is shown in a demonstration video that has us flipping over the prospect of this product being released in the very near future.

This project is not a prop, it’s not a joke, it’s the real deal – and Google is detailing it via Google+, of course. This project is being touted by Google X employees at a futuristic vision that could very well come to fruition very soon. They’re looking for your input, in fact, to drive the project forward from the very real place its at today. Have a peek at this demonstration (virtualized, of course) video to see what this is all about:

The actual device is a pair of wrap-around glasses with a clear display that sits in front of your eye (the left, for now), and leaks surrounding the glasses have been popping up for months. It appeared back then that these would be Terminator-tech, while now we’re seeing that it’s much more than that – it’s a fully integrated Google apps experience. What’s more than this, the project could potentially not just sit around your head – this tech could get as close to your body as a contact lens.

The image you’re looking at above is a contact lens being developed by Google X which Google X employee Babak Parviz notes allows pixels to be sitting right on top of your eye. Freaky prospects on the horizon! We’ll be following this project as closely as possible as it develops. For now, devour that video and check out these photos!

Facebook launches 'groups for schools,' keeps enrollment tight - by aby benedict

It's no secret that Facebook encourages users to spend as much time as possible on the site, doing things like sharing photos, playing games, chatting, and of course, sharing status updates. Now, the company is giving students a reason to visit that's actually related to academics. 'Groups for schools' creates a virtual venue for collegiate collaboration, letting students and faculty members share un-copyrighted files within the groups created for their sports teams, clubs and even individual classes. There is a file limit of 25MB in play, so consider those dreams of sharing videos and zipped up apps crushed -- you'll also need to provide a .edu address that matches the school before Facebook grants you admission. At first, online cliques will be limited to colleges in the US, though global institutions will eventually be permitted to join in on the fun as well. In the meantime, who knows -- perhaps Dropbox will also launch some kind of super-secret, exclusive club in the near future.

Sony SmartWatch launches, delivers 'Android power' to wrist - by aby benedict

The watch lets wearers read social updates, handle text messages, and manage calls directly from their wrist. It retails for $150.

Have you ever wanted a watch that can communicate with your Android phone? Sony sure hopes so.

Sony today launched its SmartWatch, a timepiece for the wrist that allows owners to read text messages, social updates and e-mail, manage calls, and control music. The SmartWatch connects to an Android phone via Bluetooth in order to deliver its functionality and capture what Sony calls "Android power."

The SmartWatch might be useful for those who don't want to continuously pull their smartphone out of their pocket, but it certainly won't win a fashion contest. The device's strap is rubber and comes in several colors, including white, pink, mint, and blue. However, the black strap comes standard, while the additional colors must be purchased separately. Sitting atop the strap is the watch's touch-screen OLED display measuring 1.3 inches. To alert users to an event or an incoming call, the timepiece vibrates.

Sony announced the SmartWatch at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. The company said at the time that the watch would work with Android phones from Sony, HTC, Motorola, Samsung, and others. Sony says the handset can run four days on a single charge and is both dust and splash proof.

This isn't Sony's first foray into the watch business. Back in 2010, the company launched LiveView, another watch that interacted with Android phones. Although it floundered after launch, the device is still for sale on Amazon for $54.99.

Sony's SmartWatch is available now for $149.99 on the company's online marketplace and in its stores. Sony says that it will "soon" announce availability at other retailers.

INSTAGRAM Breaking: Facebook's Buying Instagram for a Billion Dollars (Updating) - by aby benedict

Mark Zuckerburg just announced that Facebook has agreed to buy the mega-popular photo sharing service Instagram for $1 billion. Facebook's been on a buying tear of late, and has been beefing up its own already-ubiquitous photo sharing service lately as well.
Facebook is already one of the biggest photo sharing destinations on the web. Everyone's on Facebook, and so are all their pictures. But Instagram isn't just another photo sharing service: it's basically everyone's favorite little social network. And it's been growing. Its expanded its API to include uploads from competitors like Hipstamatic, and recently (finally) launched on Android.

Facebook's other recent buys include a load of patents from IBM, the staff behind a webcam eye-tracking software startup called GazaHawk, and the staffs from Momentus Media and Caffeinated Mind.

We'll fill you in on the details as we know more, but for now, here's the full announcement from his FB page:

I'm excited to share the news that we've agreed to acquire Instagram and that their talented team will be joining Facebook.

For years, we've focused on building the best experience for sharing photos with your friends and family. Now, we'll be able to work even more closely with the Instagram team to also offer the best experiences for sharing beautiful mobile photos with people based on your interests.

We believe these are different experiences that complement each other. But in order to do this well, we need to be mindful about keeping and building on Instagram's strengths and features rather than just trying to integrate everything into Facebook.

That's why we're committed to building and growing Instagram independently. Millions of people around the world love the Instagram app and the brand associated with it, and our goal is to help spread this app and brand to even more people.

We think the fact that Instagram is connected to other services beyond Facebook is an important part of the experience. We plan on keeping features like the ability to post to other social networks, the ability to not share your Instagrams on Facebook if you want, and the ability to have followers and follow people separately from your friends on Facebook.

These and many other features are important parts of the Instagram experience and we understand that. We will try to learn from Instagram's experience to build similar features into our other products. At the same time, we will try to help Instagram continue to grow by using Facebook's strong engineering team and infrastructure.

This is an important milestone for Facebook because it's the first time we've ever acquired a product and company with so many users. We don't plan on doing many more of these, if any at all. But providing the best photo sharing experience is one reason why so many people love Facebook and we knew it would be worth bringing these two companies together.

We're looking forward to working with the Instagram team and to all of the great new experiences we're going to be able to build together.

Bharti Airtel first to deploy LTE in India, launching in Kolkata this month - by aby benedict

It's beginning on a very limited basis, but Bharti Airtel is achieving a rather significant milestone in India: it's set to become the very first operator to deploy LTE service within the country. Having won spectrum for four markets nearly two years ago, the company will debut its ZTE-built 2300MHz next-gen network in Kolkata (Calcutta). There's no word on when the coverage will expand to the other three circles -- the operator's announced that Nokia Siemens will be heading up the effort in Maharashtra later this year, followed by Punjab and Karnataka -- but we imagine the initial deployment will be a good test to make sure Bharti's network is up to the task first.