News & Technology: Latest News on Mobile Technology & Science

Thinking about getting an iPad mini now? Probably too late, not because there have been rumours about the iPad mini 2, but because the non-rumour Galaxy Note 8.0 is out!

Comparing specification is rather unfair, but it is worth noting that the Note 8.0 does have a better pixel density (800 x 1280, 8", ~189 ppi) than the iPad mini (768 x 1024, 7.9", ~162 ppi) and a microSD card slot allowing up to 64GB of external memory, as of almost all Android devices offer. It also comes with Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A9 instead of iPad mini's Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9, and needless to mention, it comes with an improved version of the S Pen just like the Galaxy Note 2!

GSMArena says that the Note 8.0 is expected to begin selling in the 2nd quarter, does that mean April?

Of could it be 14th March?

Image from Samsung

Samsung is known to offer surprises to the world since the Galaxy Nexus days. Last time when the Galaxy S3 came out, it rocked the mobile world entirely with highly innovative software package. The ripple lockscreen was once something I was dying to have, this time, "READY 4 THE SHOW" has the number "4", so it is definitely going to be the Galaxy S4. Could it be of flexible display as I have mentioned in Technology: The Next Big Thing Has Come.. Again!!!! ? The "READY 4 THE SHOW" words are embossed with neon blue lights glowing on the right side, together with the black background, does it look like the Samsung prototype Youm phone below?

Youm Flexible Display by Samsung
Image from The Verge

On one hand, I hope it does come with flexible screen, on another hand, I hope Samsung will give me even more surprises!! I'm quite sure they are capable of doing so. We'll see it on 14th March.

Flexible display on the phone is great, but there is still a problem of non-flexible battery which limits the creativity in smartphone designs. However, the first commercial stretchy battery may arrive sooner than we thought.

The team tested their battery by stretching
it 300% while it powered an LED lamp
Image and caption from BBC News

BBC News reports that Nature Communications has successfully produced a stretchy battery that could be recharged wirelessly for up to 20 recharge cycles. This doesn't seem anywhere near practical use but it is an amazing start. The following video talks about another fascinating rechargeable battery concept too!

The future generation of smartphones might just be another 5 years away, if not just 1...

Goku and Vegeta (wearing a device called Scouter)
Image from The Dao of Dragon

Why one year? First, I'd like to ask a question, has anyone seen this coming, that the device named Scouter used by Vegeta from Dragonball Z will one day become an actual product?

Scouter searches the database and sends information back to the user
Image from The Dao of Dragon

Oh no, this is not a joke! It is already here!

This pair of Glass looks even more comfortable than Vegeta's but not as fast and clever just yet, but with the staff from Google saying that the Google Glass could be available by the end of 2013, I dare say that this year is going to be an exciting year for mobile technology, really looking forward to it!



Vocabulary:
emboss -- (vb) [T] to decorate an object, especially with letters, using special tools which make a raised mark on its surface
stretchy -- (adj) Stretchy material stretches or can be stretched


Resources:

Hands on with the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RUrvid8auCk

GSMArena
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=5252&idPhone2=5061

Samsung Galaxy S IV coming March 14 @ CNN
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/25/tech/mobile/samsung-galaxy-s4/index.html

Technology: The Next Big Thing Has Come.. Again!!!! @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2013/01/technology-next-big-thing-has-come-again.html

Stretchy battery drawn to three times its size @ BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21585817

Charge Your Cell Phone In 5 Seconds @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/ZwiTIzkF4cw

Will Google Glass Lead to DBZ? @ The Dao of Dragon
http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/science/will-google-glass-lead-to-dbz/

I Used Google Glass @ YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6Tsrg_EQMw

Tonight's Full Moon Is a Snow Moon: How to See It Online @ Space
http://www.space.com/19942-full-moon-snow-moon-webcast.html

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/emboss?q=emboss
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/stretchy?q=stretchy+