Nokia's Here Maps application is now available for the Iphone - Inquirer

FINNISH PHONE MAKER Nokia's Maps application called Here is now available to download on the Apple Iphone and Ipad.

Nokia unveiled its Google Maps challenger at an event in the US last week where it touted Here as one of the key features of its Windows Phone 8 handsets. However, the Finnish firm also announced plans to bring Here to IOS in a bid to save Idevice users from the misery of using Apple's home-grown Maps application.

The app, which is now available to download for free from the Itunes Store, trumps Apple Maps with its ability to offer live traffic information, voice-guided walking navigation and the ability to give public transport directions.

Nokia explained, "Here Maps helps you feel like a local anywhere you go. See where you are, search and discover nearby places, and get a feel for the place.

"Collect places to remember or for later discovery. Explore new destinations and know instantly how to get there on foot, by car or on public transport. Here Maps is based on the world-class Navteq mapping data used in 90 [percent] of in-car navigation systems in the world."

It might have been in the Itunes Store for little more than a few minutes, but it's already received good reviews from those frustrated with Apple Maps. One user says, "Amazing, just like Google Maps. 100 times better than Apple Maps," which will no doubt leave the Finnish phone giant feeling pretty smug.

If you're not so keen on Nokia's Here Maps, Google Maps is set to arrive on IOS any day now. A Google insider last week revealed that the firm was just putting the "finishing touches on the app" before submitting it to the Itunes App Store. µ

Microsoft integrates Kinect Fusion project into SDK - Inquirer

SOFTWARE HOUSE Microsoft has announced that it is integrating its Kinect Fusion project into its software developer kit (SDK) for Kinect for Windows.

First developed as a research project at the Microsoft Research lab in Cambridge, UK, Kinect Fusion allows users to create 3D models of real world objects or environments by combining a continuous stream of data from the Kinect for Windows sensor. As the data is streamed from the cameras, it's combined into a 3D representation of an object or environment.

"As soon as the Kinect for Windows community saw it, they began asking us to include it in our SDK," Microsoft said in a developer network blog post. "Now, I'm happy to report that the Kinect for Windows team is, indeed, working on incorporating it and will have it available in a future release."

Microsoft said that Kinect Fusion can successfully read data either by moving the sensor around an object or environment or by moving the object being scanned in front of the sensor. The longer the object is placed in front of the camera, the more accurate the model becomes.

"Kinect Fusion takes the incoming depth data from the Kinect for Windows sensor and uses the sequence of frames to build a highly detailed 3D map of objects or environments," the blog post explains.

"The tool then averages the readings over hundreds or thousands of frames to achieve more detail than would be possible from just one reading."

Microsoft added that this allows Kinect Fusion to gather and incorporate data not viewable from any single viewpoint, saying, "Among other things, it enables 3D object model reconstruction, 3D augmented reality, and 3D measurements."

Microsoft is expecting developer communities and business partners to make good use of the tool now that it has been made available, and has high hopes that it will be used in areas such as 3D printing, industrial design, body scanning, augmented reality and gaming. µ

First shipment of Microsoft's 32GB tablet sells out - ITProPortal

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If the Microsoft Surface is on your holiday wish list, you might want to place your order now.

According to the Microsoft online store, the RT tablet's £399 32GB model (without the Touch Cover) sold out in a day. It is now scheduled to ship "within three weeks."

Pre-orders for the two remaining devices - the £479 32GB and £559 64GB, both with the black Touch Cover - are still expected to deliver by 26 October.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the shipping delays, and provided no further details on its website.

Microsoft started accepting pre-orders for the RT version of the Surface tablet this week. Touch covers are available separately for £99.99 each in black, white, magenta, cyan, and red.

The pressure is on for the company, which will release its Windows 8 operating system on 26 October. Several days later, it is hosting a Windows Phone 8 launch event in San Francisco. ITProPortal will be covering both events, so stay tuned for all the details.

Limited pre-order supplies are common amongst highly anticipated products. Last month, the iPhone 5 sold out of its initial inventory in just one hour, topping two million orders within a day and pushing delivery dates to two weeks. Many iPhone 5's ended up arriving earlier than expected, though.

Meanwhile, the 16GB version of Google's Android-based Nexus 7 tablet was out of stock less than a month after its release, leaving only the smaller 8GB available for purchase through the Google Play store. About a week later, the Asus-manufactured tablet was back on shelves.

Published under license from Ziff Davis, Inc., New York, All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2012 Ziff Davis, Inc

Nokia releases 3D-printing instructions for Lumia 820 Shell - Gizmag

One of the selling points for Nokia's Lumia 820 smartphones is that their shells are available in a wide range of colors. The company is now expanding the customization potential of these phones by making 3D printing instructions available.

3D printing seems ideal for customizing gear, but companies haven't exactly raced to embrace the option, perhaps believing that their brand recognition will suffer if customer-designed accouterments become common. As a result, the dimensions and design of even a case back are usually treated as confidential and proprietary.

In counterpoint to this attitude, Nokia has just released a 3D-printing Development Kit (3DK) that provides users with the files and information they need to print a custom Lumia 820 back cover. The 3DK can be found on the Nokia developers site.

Possible modifications suggested include incorporating belt clips, bicycle clips or winding posts for headphones into the design.

As 3D printing becomes more affordable, self-customization of all varieties of user gear will accelerate rapidly. Nokia has made a modest start, but has announced its intent to support more use of 3D printing technologies.

"In the future, I envision wildly more modular and customizable phones," Nokia Community & Developer Marketing Manager John Kneeland wrote in a blog post. "Perhaps in addition to our own beautifully-designed phones, we could sell some kind of phone template, and entrepreneurs the world over could build a local business on building phones precisely tailored to the needs of his or her local community. You want a waterproof, glow-in-the-dark phone with a bottle-opener and a solar charger? Someone can build it for you—or you can print it yourself!??"

Source: Nokia via Wired

Samsung Says It Will Not Release Its Windows RT Tablet In The US - TechCrunch

Samsung's Windows RT tablet, the Ativ Tab, will not be sold in the U.S. Mike Abary, head of Samsung's PC and tablet business in the U.S., told CNET at CES that his company shelved the release because its retail partners do not see enough demand. (Abary did not specify if the Ativ Tab will be launched in non-U.S. markets).

The Ativ Tab is powered by Qualcomm chips, and the announcement comes, rather unfortunately, just days after Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, with an Ativ Tab on hand, joined Qualcomm Chief Executive Paul Jacobs during his CES keynote address to extol their partnership.

Abary also said that the amount of investment it would take to educate consumers about the benefits of Windows RT was another factor. As he told CNET:

There wasn't really a very clear positioning of what Windows RT meant in the marketplace, what it stood for relative to Windows 8, that was being done in an effective manner to the consumer. When we did some tests and studies on how we could go to market with a Windows RT device, we determined there was a lot of heavy lifting we still needed to do to educate the customer on what Windows RT was. And that heavy lifting was going to require pretty heavy investment. When we added those two things up, the investments necessary to educate the consumer on the difference between RT and Windows 8, plus the modest feedback that we got regarding how successful could this be at retail from our retail partners, we decided maybe we ought to wait.

This is another stepback for Windows RT, which is floundering in the face of competition from Windows 8 and Android tablets, and may be dealt a further blow once Intel Atom Bay Trail tablets are released later this year. Abary said, however, that Samsung may re-consider Windows RT devices if a strong enough market develops.

Sony Xperia E announced - Know Your Mobile (blog)

Sony has taken the wraps off a new budget model in its Xperia Android range of smartphone handsets, known as the Xperia E.

A quick glance and you can immediately see the inspiration behind this latest device - a smaller, more affordable cousin of the Xperia T flagship 'Bond phone'.

It's got a very similar design to the outer shell, reviving the old Xperia Arc's titular concave back panel but in a sharper, more angular chassis and with Sony's re-designed aesthetic. Contoured edges and silver trim are the order of the day here.

The display is a 3.5-inch HVGA 480x320 pixel resolution LCD, which should result in a pixel density of around 165 pixels-per-inch (ppi).

Power comes from a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 MSM7227A single-core processor with 512MB of RAM and an Adreno 200 graphics processing unit (GPU).

Android 4.0 is currently listed on the device specs on Sony's website but reports indicate 4.1 Jelly Bean will be on the handset when it ships.

Of course it also has the re-branded TimeScape UI, now known as the Sony UI, layered on top.

There's a rear-facing 3.2-megapixel primary camera but no secondary to be found and the device has 4GB of internal storage space with MicroSD expansion, presumably allowing for up to an additional 32GB.

A 1,530mAh battery pack sits under the bodywork, which Sony says will last up to 530 hours on standby or six hours of talk-time.

It's not clear just how much this 'affordable' handset will cost at the moment, though with that spec competing against the low-priced Nexus 4 it'll have to be pretty economical indeed.

Available colours will include black, white and pink.

 

iPhone 5 out on 2 Nov in India, starting price Rs 45500 only! - Firstpost

Apple iPhone 5 launch in India has been delayed by a week to November 2, but several Apple partners in India have confirmed that the starting price for the much-awaited phone will be  Rs 45,500.

The prices have been shared by Redington, one of  two distribution partners of Apple in India. According to Redington, the basic 16GB version of the iPhone 5 will be priced at Rs 45, 500, the 32GB and 64GB will be priced  Rs52500 and Rs 59500 respectively. On Friday, Ingram, the other Apple India retailer,  confirmed that Apple is set to launch the iPhone 5  on November 2, 2012. Redington and Ingram Micro already distribute iPad and iPods in the country.

Both black and white versions of the phone are expected to go on sale. But still stocks are extremely limited considering the global demand for the device.

The iPhone 5 is coming to India on 2 November. AFP

Online retailers like Infibeam and Saholic have already started accepting the preorders for the 16GB variant of iPhone 5 with an advance payment of Rs 5,000. Saholic is listing the 16GB version for Rs45500 with an estimated shipping date of 4 November.

Apple's iPhone 5 has been one of the fastest selling smartphones ever as the company sold nearly 5 million devices in the first weekend itself. India might not be on the top of the list as far as Apple is concerned but the launch of the iPhone 5 has been much awaited.

Key features of the iPhone are: a 4 inch screen with a higher screen resolution of 1136×640 pixel which comes to around 326 ppi. That's Retina Display quality for you.

The iPhone5 has the dual-core A6 chip, an 8 megapixel rear camera with a sapphire crystal lens cover for 'clearer pictures' and a 1.2 megapixel front camera. The dock connector is now called Lightning, and is an eight-pin plug.