Concept Series: Seabird – A Community-driven Mobile Phone Concept

Since Mozilla Labs launched the Concept Series with an open call for participation we’ve had thousands of people join in, share ideas and develop concepts around Firefox, the Mozilla projects and the Open Web as a whole. In response to our open call Billy May, in early 2009, produced a throw-away concept for an “Open Web Concept Phone”. Working directly off of that community feedback, Billy has since finished the exploration with his concept “Seabird”.
The following write-up is by Billy May and explores what an Open Web phone might look like:

Concept Series: Seabird

Also available in 3D on YouTube (cross-eyed/red-cyan/etc):

Overview

The Mozilla Seabird, part of the Mozilla Labs’ Concept Series, is an experiment in how users might interact with their mobile content as devices and technology advances. Drawing on insights culled from the Mozilla community through the project’s blog, a focus quickly developed around frustrating physical interactions. While mobile CPUs, connectivity and development platforms begin approaching that of desktops, the lagging ability to efficiently input information has grown ever more pronounced.

Interaction

The Seabird, then, introduces a few possibilities into how user interaction might evolve with the advancing motion capture and projector driven innovation in the market. First out, the Seabird imagines how a multiple use dongle might augment the crowded gestural interface with greater precision and direct manipulation of content in 3D space.

Pico Projector

With mobile phone companies such as Samsung, LG and Motorola moving towards display applications for projectors, the technology remains open for expanding user interaction and input at the same time. The Seabird, on just a flat surface, enables netbook-quality interaction by working with the projector’s angular distortion to deliver interface, rather than content. With the benefit of a dock, each projector works independently and delivers laptop levels of efficiency.

Design

The form development took its cues from various aerodynamic, avian and decidedly feminine forms. Its erect posture intends a sense of poise while its supine conformity to the hand reconciles that with the user’s desire for digital control. The curvature of the back also serves a functional role in elevating the projector lens elements when lying flat.

HTC Merge world phone is now available for pre-order in India for Rs. 35,000

A rather mysterious device that has been making waves since August 2010 as the Verizon or HTC World Phone, the HTC Merge is another QWERTY slider like the Desire Z, but, instead of being a solely-GSM device, is being called a CDMA world phone.
If you're wondering what being a 'world phone' means for the HTC Merge, earlier rumours of the device implied it would be a CDMA/GSM hybrid that is capable of operating on both types of providers, across the world. But now with it being called a 'CDMA world phone', we are a bit unsure if it will support GSM at all, or simply multiple CDMA bands. Dual GSM/CDMA support seems most likely though. Conflicting specifications from various sources, including LetsBuy.com and GSMArena.com, didn't help verify the claim however. Here's how a recent company press release described the device:

"HTC prides itself on creating unique solutions that meet the needs of different customers, and with features like a full keyboard and global 3G roaming, the HTC Merge smartphone is the perfect example of this commitment. Combining the functionality of Android with the HTC Sense experience, the HTC Merge is the perfect device for those customers who are looking for a reliable mobile experience with the features and functionality of a smartphone, whether it's at home or travelling around the world."

With a similarly sized 3.8-inch (480x800 pixel resolution) capacitive touchscreen, the HTC Merge also runs on Android Froyo, just like the Desire Z, and also bears a 5MP with LED flash, capable of 720p HD video recording. The phone is now destined to arrive in India soon, and LetsBuy.com has made the phone available for pre-order, priced at Rs. 35,000. Potential buyers should refer to the LetsBuy site, where they can get more information about booking procedure and payment methods.

 

Product Specification

General
Network
CDMA	800, 1900
GSM	850, 900, 1800, 1900
Design
Form Factor	Side-Slider
Antenna	Internal
Keyboard	Full keyboard (QWERTY)
Display
Technology	S-LCD
Resolution	480 x 800 pixels
Size	3.70 inches
Touch Screen	Yes (Capacitive)
Multi-touch	Yes
Battery
Type	Li - Ion
Software
OS	Android (2.2)
Processor speed	800 MHz
Memory	363 MB RAM
Games	Yes
Camera
Resolution	5 megapixels
Flash	Yes (LED)
Video capture	Yes
Resolution	1280x720 (720p HD)
Multimedia
Music Player	Yes
Supports	MP3
Video Playback	Yes
Supports	MPEG4
Streaming	Yes (Audio, Video)
Internet
Internet browsing	Yes
Supports	HTML
Built-in online services support	Facebook, Twitter
Memory
Built-in	4096 MB

 

Videocon d2h launches 3D DTH service, with new 3D HD-DVR and set-top box

Videocon d2h has launched what is India’s first high-definition digital video recorder (HD-DVR) with 3D capabilities. The new HD-DVR is supposed to act like a “bridge between the 3D television and the 3D channel feed,” and, Videocon has started airing its own active channel with 3D and HD (16:9) content to let customers enjoy the service right away.
Currently, the DTH service offers up to 288 channels with a wide variety of regional content. HD channels include National Geographic HD, Discovery HD, and Travel XP, apart from Videocon’s own Movies Now HD, HD Active Music, and HD d2h Movies channels
Videocon claims the new HD-DVR unit offers enhanced picture and sound quality, and apart from being able for pause and rewind live television, will also be able to record up to 200 hours of content. It will be priced at Rs. 3,990. Videocon is also offering a 3D set-top box without the DVR features, for a lower price – Rs. 2,490.

Samsung introduces a mid-range Android QWERTY phone - the Galaxy Pro

Samsung has announced a new Android phone, a mid-range device that offers a QWERTY candy-bar form factor and a 2.8-inch touchscreen. Called the Samsung Galaxy Pro, no information on release date, pricing or regional availability has been disclosed by the Korean giant.

The Galaxy Pro will sport Android 2.2 Froyo pre-installed, with a TouchWiz UI and Social Hub Premium on top of it. The phone is supposedly powered by an 800 MHz processor, further emphasizing the mid-range price bracket.
It will also have a 3MP autofocus camera, along with 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS connectivity. As is very obvious, the Galaxy Pro will take on the Charm when it hits the Indian market.

Apple Ipad 2.0- Thinner, Faster and comes with a camera...

Apple has just made its second-generation iPad official! It features a 1GHz dual-core A5 chip and,finally, cameras, both on the front and rear. The new CPU is said to be up to twice as fast, with graphics performance up to nine times better than on the original iPad, while power requirements have been kept the same. Battery life is, consequently, unaltered, with Apple promising 10 hours. Pricing, too, has been left unchanged, starting at $499 for a 16GB WiFi-only iPad 2 and stretching up to $829 for a WiFi + 3G SKU with 64GB of storage. The new tablet will come with an HDMI output capable of 1080p -- which will set you back $39 for the requisite dongle, called an Apple Digital AV Adapter -- but there will sadly be no rumblings of Thunderbolt connectivity here. What you will get is an enlarged speaker grille on the back, as expected, and the same 1024 x 768 resolution and IPS LCD screen technology as on the original iPad.

720p video recording at 30fps will be on tap from the rear-facing camera, which can also do a 5x digital zoom if you're into that kind of thing, whereas the front-facing imager will record at a more modest VGA resolution, also at 30fps.

There's a new cover for the device, which is best defined by Steve Jobs himself: "We designed the case right alongside the product. It's not a case -- it's a cover." Basically, it's a magnetic flap that protects the front and automatically wakes and puts the device to sleep according to whether it's open or closed. Guess we know what that proximity sensor was about now. These Smart Covers will cost $39 in plastic or $69 if you opt for leather.

The iPad 2 is 33 percent thinner than its predecessor, at a mind-melting 8.8mm, and a little lighter at just over 600g, while paintjob options have been expanded: you'll get a choice between white and black. It'll be available on both AT&T and Verizon, and all variants start shipping on March 11th. Apple Retail Stores will start sales at the unusual hour of 5PM, which will probably make online pre-orders the fastest way to get yours.
In terms of new software, Apple's launching iOS 4.3 alongside the new iPad and bringing with it much improved Safari performance as well as FaceTime, Photo Booth, iMovie and GarageBand (the latter two costing $4.99 a piece) apps specifically for the newly camera-enriched iPad. Personal Hotspot capabilities are also arriving in the latest version of the OS, but they'll be exclusive to the iPhone 4, so you won't be able to share your 3G iPad's connection. The minimum compatible version of iTunes for the new iPad 2 will be the freshly released 10.2.