Posts Tagged ‘TC/Gadgets’
TC/Gadgets Webcast: WWDC Expectations, E3 Excitement, And The Death Of The Spec
Author: Ian Simpson
Quite a bit hangs on the horizon in the world of gadgets. E3 is right around the corner, as is WWDC (Apple’s Developer conference), and while hardware gets cooler and cooler, the spec does not.
John, Matt and I discuss this and more in this week’s TC/Gadgets webcast.
As far as WWDC expectations go, the debate currently centers around docks and displays. Matt seems to think that a 4-inch display on a Droid X-sized iPhone is in the works, while I’m hoping against hope that a larger display can fit onto the same size iPhone. John, as usual, doesn’t really care. He’s more interested in the docks — rumors are circulating that suggest a microUSB port on the new iPhone rather than Apple’s standard 30-pin connector.
This would, of course, leave hundreds of speaker and charging docks out in the cold, with the exception that Apple releases John’s suggested $ 39.99 iDong.
We also discussed what we expect out of E3, which amounts to little more than nothing. No new Xbox, no new PlayStation. Basically, we’re getting our hands on the Wii U, which is exciting, but there’s only so much that can be upgraded in current hardware.
Which leads right into our next point: how important are specs?
Matt wrote a post recently harshing on the Nexus tablet for a lack of wireless connectivity, but more importantly, detailing the insignificance of performance testing and specs. To his first point, John and I both own WiFi-only iPads and are perfectly content, whereas Matt needs data to survive.
As far as specs are concerned, we seem to agree on the idea that specs are important in a few select areas, like camera and display. But without a solid understanding of what they mean, and how they can be unrepresentative, they’re just as worthless as a processor clock speed. For example, Nokia’s 808 Pureview 41-megapixel camera doesn’t take 41-megapixel pictures. It rather captures around 40 megapixels of raw data which is then compressed into an incredibly sharp 8-meagpixel image.
In the same vein, display resolution is only a worth looking at alongside display size. The idea is to have a high resolution on a smaller screen. The bigger the display, the less pixel dense the resolution is.
We spent a good deal of this webcast arguing, so feel free to join the fight in the comments.
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TC/Gadgets Webcast: Live From Disrupt NYC
Author: Eric Moss
This week we recorded live from the show floor at Disrupt NYC. We sat through 24 hours straight of hot-rod hacking at the Hackathon and now we’re preparing for the main show and, most important, the brand new Hardware Alley where we’ll have loads of great hardware start-ups for you guys to check out.
In this episode we talk about Disrupt, the new EVO 4G LTE, and the rumors of the four-inch iPhone. We also talk about the “thumb touches anywhere on the screen” iPhone chestnut, how good the battery life is on some Android phones, the late night Nerf wars at the hackathon, and my horrible sausage fingers.
Tune in today and look for another episode next week from the show floor.
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TC/Gadgets Webcast: The Avengers, Nerf, And Kickstarter Tips
Author: Mark Jeffries
Is The Avengers worth your money? Do the disc-blasting Nerf guns leave a welt? How do you pull a Pebble and reign in $ 3 million on Kickstarter?
In this week’s TC/Gadgets webcast, we answer all this and more. John and Matt argue over the value in one of this summer’s tent pole movies, The Avengers. John finds it boring, while Matt thinks “it’s fun for everyone.” And while I can’t say I’ll be buying a ticket to The Avengers any time soon, I can say with great certainty that I’ll be at one of the opening day showings of Prometheus.
Who doesn’t love space, right?
The gang also discusses Nerf’s disc-blasting guns, and how they may or may not be used at this weekend’s Disrupt Hackathon. Last year we saw a raucous group of hackers start an all-out war with bungee darts. None of the TC editorial staff was injured (nor were the hackers), but this year we’ll at least have some Nerf Vortex and Vulcan guns slung over our shoulders. You know… Just in case.
In the words of the recent Game Of Thrones trailers, “War is coming.”
Finally, but likely most importantly, Matt, Chris, John and I offer up some tips as to what we cover on Kickstarter. Matt is done with iPad cases, and though I echo the sentiment, I’ll probably be more willing to make exceptions than he. John prefers the “little tweaks” to things we already use and enjoy, like the automatic bike light that knows when you’re moving.
I encourage a strong video, as marketing is a huge driver of any business. But the geeky stuff has its place too — Chris thoroughly enjoyed the electron microscope project that significantly reduced the cost of looking at really, really tiny things.
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TC/Gadgets Webcast: CTIA, The Samsung Galaxy S III, And Jawbone’s Big Jambox
Author: Brian McKinnell
We’re back and ready to attack with another episode of our TechCrunch/Gadgets Weekly webcast. Matt, unfortunately, could not make any time for us as he was in the happiest place on Earth with his family, but we still managed to cover a range of topics including CTIA, the freshly announced Samsung Galaxy S III, and Jawbone’s Big Jambox Bluetooth speaker.
As far as CTIA is concerned, we came to the consensus that it is a snoozefest undeserving of most people’s time and attention. The Wi-Fi Alliance came up with some cool new technology to let you automatically connect to various hotspots around town sans the migraine of repetitive set-up, and of course there were a few new phones to chat about, including the HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE and the Samsung Focus II.
But when matched up against the Galaxy S III, we care very little about these other devices. Samsung’s Galaxy S line is the reason why it’s beat out Apple as smartphone king, and this third iteration is something we’ve been waiting for for a while now. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that the hardware has improved all that much, especially if the jump from a 4.3-inch display to a 4.8-inch display discourages you as much as it does me. The phone is still plastic, which I’m pretty much sick to death of, but we are somewhat excited by the pop-up play feature.
In other news, Jawbone recently released its Big Jambox, a 2.7lb Bluetooth speaker that can remember up to eight devices (not ten, like I said in the video), and actively pair with two at the same time. The big feature is supposed to be something called “Live Audio,” which basically takes a flat sound and gives it some extra dimension. You can’t really tell the difference unless you’re directly in front of it, but it’s certainly a step up from the usual tinny, Bluetooth sound we’re accustomed to. It costs $ 299 and is available May 15.
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TC/Gadgets: An Interview With Nest Co-Founder Matt Rogers
Author: Stacey Cook
The hottest and coolest thermostat on the market this year was clearly the Nest. This intelligent hunk of steel looks great on a wall and, more important, helps save energy in the home. The Nest learns as you use it, ensuring your home is comfortable year-round.
We sat down with Matt at CES 2012 and he ran through the product and, more important, gave us some great advice on starting your own hardware start-up and how sensors are going to be everywhere soon – in the home and on our bodies.
