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Saturday, 19 May 2012 01:44
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HP’s Vice President of Industrial Design Stacy Wolff discussed his company’s current design philosophy in Shanghai today and claimed its laptop styles were developed by research centers across 11 different cities. Despite his anecdotes, Engadget said one journalist asked Wolff if he feared being sued, because the new Envy Spectre XT looks strikingly like Apple’s MacBook Air.
The V.P. simply replied:
“I would go back to the TC1000 [Tablet PC] from about 10 years, and that’s a tablet. I think if you look at the new Spectre XT, there are similarities in a way, not due to Apple but due to the way technologies developed. Apple may like to think that they own silver, but they don’t. In no way did HP try to mimic Apple. In life there are a lot of similarities.”
Oh, but it does not end there: Wolff even addressed fanboys’ reaction to HP’s Apple-esque design approach:
“Yeah, fanboys are wonderful, right? You guys gotta be my fanboys, come on. [Laughs] I think the big thing for me is that we’re doing what’s right for the customers, so one of the things is by going with the isolated island style of keyboard, there’s only so many ways to do it, right? If I put it on a black surface you’d go, ‘Oh you didn’t copy.’ If I put it on a silver surface, ‘Oh you’re copying.” How can that be? You know, it’s a change of color, there’s no intent to mimic or to follow. What you have is a common theme of island style keyboard, use of silver, wedge design. So if I measure things on a macro level, well, you know, maybe you can judge it that way. I don’t.”
Related articles
- Judge dismisses Proview’s California version of iPad trademark lawsuit against Apple (9to5mac.com)
- New iPad launches in 30 countries this month starting May 11 (9to5mac.com)
- Apps & updates: Dolphin Browser, Watch ESPN, Evernote, Expensify, more (9to5mac.com)
       
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Saturday, 19 May 2012 01:44
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Click to view slideshow.
According to a report from Associated Press, orangutans at Miami’s Jungle Island zoo are taking a liking to Apple’s iPad in a new program that has six of them communicating with the device:
The software was originally designed for humans with autism and the screen displays pictures of various objects. A trainer then names one of the objects, and the ape presses the corresponding button… While other trainers have developed strong relationships with the orangutans, the iPad and other touchscreen computers offer an opportunity for them to communicate with people not trained in their sign language
Linda Jacobs, who is in charge of the mental stimulus program, explained the younger orangutans seem to immediately respond to the iPads:
“Our young ones pick up on it. They understand it. It’s like, ‘Oh I get this… Our two older ones, they just are not interested. I think they just figure, ‘I’ve gotten along just fine in this world without this communication-skill here and the iPad, and I don’t need a computer.’
She continued:
“They are sort of trapped in those bodies.. They have the intelligence that they need to communicate, but they don’t have the right equipment, because they don’t have voice boxes or vocal cords. So this gives them a way to let us know what they know, what they are capable of, what they would like to have.”
       
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Saturday, 19 May 2012 01:44
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Gameloft has done a pretty good job of promoting the latest title in its Halo-inspired sci-fi FPS franchise known as “N.O.V.A- Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance.” Yesterday, it launched a new trailer for the iOS game (above), and today the follow-up to the first two critically acclaimed games, N.O.V.A 3, is finally going live on the App Store.
With vastly improved visuals thanks to real-time dynamic lighting and shadows, “movie-like” depth of field effects, and improved ragdoll physics, the new game is even closer to console-quality graphics and one of best looking iOS titles we have seen since Unreal Engine-powered Infinity Blade. New features include 12-player multiplayer on six maps, enhanced vehicle gameplay, and a ton of new weapons and enemies.
The universal app is already live on the New Zealand App Store for $9.99 and should hit the U.S. store any minute now. We will keep you updated.
A full list of new features below:
-An epic storyline: Humanity finally returns to Earth after years of exile! Fight in 10 immersive levels across the galaxy, from a war-torn Earth to a frozen Volterite city.
-Multiple weapons and powers: Run, shoot, drive vehicles, and pilot a mech to defeat hordes of enemies.
-Join 12-player battles in 6 multiplayer modes (Capture the Point, Free-for-All, Capture the Flag, etc.) on 6 different maps.
-For the first time, multiple allies can jump inside the same vehicle and spread destruction on the battlefield.
-Discover the new FPS benchmark for graphics and gameplay on iOS (real-time shadow & lights, particle system, ragdoll physics, etc.)
       
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Saturday, 19 May 2012 01:44
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Google released a pretty substantial update to its Google+ for iPhone app this afternoon by adding a much crisper user-interface that actually makes the app a bit more enjoyable to use. The update is very welcomed, because the first version of the Google+ app was not very well received by the community. It was very bland and not the easiest to navigate. However, with the new update released today, that seems to have changed.
As you can see in the gallery below, the updated UI makes the app much more appealing and easier to use —perhaps now passing Facebook’s iOS app. Here is a run down of the features from Google:
- Whether you post photos or articles or text, we’re making ‘em look gooood.
- We’re adding crisper fonts, larger profile pics and a friendlier homescreen.
- We’re making the stream easier to scan, and easier on the eyes with overlays, gradients and other visual elements.
- Conversations fall into view as you move forward and backward in time.
- Optical cues (like parallax) help the mind linger on individual posts.
- Important actions like +1 now float atop the stream, making it easy to endorse all your favorites.
You can check out the update over on the App Store.
Related articles
- Google Maps for Android updated with high-res map tiles, new Navigation UI, and preferred transit mode (9to5google.com)
- Apps & updates: eBay for iPad, The Daily for iPhone, Google Currents Retina support, more (9to5mac.com)
- Google Offers for Android updated with fresher UI and more offers (9to5google.com)
       
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