Samsung chose Memorial Day, when our minds are not on hot tech news, to roll out a teaser for an event on Thursday, June 20, in London.
The hints in their poster point to maybe new Galaxy and ATIV devices, which means Android and Windows 8 flavored announcements. Then we have images of some pretty thin devices that might could be a tablet, laptop and something that resembles a camera lens.
Samsung announced Windows 8 devices just under a year ago at a conference in Berlin, Germany, which included a two notebooks and a smartphone, called the ATIV S. Since the launch of these devices, the ATIV S has suffered several delays and has not gained much traction among carriers in the United States.
The Samsung ATIV smart PC is currently available from AT&T, while the Samsung ATIV Odyssey smartphone is available from Verizon Wireless.
Maybe the London event will bring new features to these devices. So circle June 20 on your calendar for the latest tech news from the Samsung camp.
The highly-anticipated Samsung Galaxy S4 is inching closer into the hands of Android fans, as C Spire Wireless becomes one of the U.S. carriers accepting pre-orders for Samsung's newest touchscreen smartphone.
The Galaxy S4 is packing more power than its predecessor, the Galaxy S3, in several areas. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera, compared with a 8 megapixel camera on the S3, and a slightly better front camera at 2 megapixels. Additional camera features include "LED flash, autofocus and 1080p HD video recording in dual-shot mode ... which allows the use of both cameras simultaneously so users can include themselves in pictures and videos."
The Galaxy S4 is lighter in weight and with a 1920 by 1080 Super AMOLED five-inch display, colors should really pop. The increase in display size from the S3's 4.8 display is significant, as smartphones trend toward larger displays.
Another significant feature boost is the Galaxy S4's 1.9 gigahertz Quad Core processor, compared with a 1.5 GHz in the Galaxy S3. To make sure there is enough juice for all the enhancements in the Galaxy S4, the removable battery size has increased from 2100 to 2600 mAh, with a standard 16 gigabytes of on-board memory.
The Galaxy S4 is shaping up to be a desirable upgrade to the S3 and worth the $199 cost under a new two-year contract.
After choosing between Black Mist and White Frost colors when the Galaxy S4 arrives this summer, C Spire customers will be ahead of the game when it comes to carrying a state-of-the-art smartphone. Fans of other U.S. carriers are not left out, as AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless also have the Galaxy S4 available for purchase.
So it looks like everyone will have a chance to carry Samsung's latest technological creation this summer. It's being called "the next big thing."
The technology in the medical industry is moving fast, as indicated by one of the latest innovations for remembering to take prescription medications.
The wireless pill bottle, developed by AdhereTech, a New York technology firm, will wirelessly transmit data to the patient as a reminder to take medications via a phone call or text message. The hi-tech bottle will also measure the exact number of pills or liquid left in the bottle.
By using built-in sensors and technology similar to a cell phone, the goals of the wireless pill bottle is to use a cellular network for secure data transfer to help patients adhere a schedule for taking their medication on time.
The wireless pill bottle technology recently won the grand prize at the Healthcare Innovation World Cup, funded by Boehringer Ingelheim, a group of the world's 20 leading pharmaceutical companies, and organized by HITLAB, a cross-disciplinary public health teaching and research organization.
The developers are in the funding stage and have plans for a trial at Walter Reed Army Medical Center this summer to test its technology with type 2 diabetes patients. Adhere hopes to have the wireless pill bottles in use at pharmacies for certain drugs and conditions in the near future.
As some of us contemplate whether to unfold our arms and embrace Google Glass, Google engineers and developers are once again at the annual developers' conference in San Francisco.
The Moscone West Convention Center will be abuzz with more than 6,000 developers to I/O 2013 that starts today. Google is touting that anyone looking for inspiration and more insight about future products can tune into live-streamed keynote speeches, announcements, along with recorded technology sessions. Anyone can follow along at the Google I/O homepage.
The Google product teams will be hard at work and I wouldn't at all surprised if hints of the "next big thing" are heard around the water coolers.
The Google Glass technology appears to be truly amazing. We have been hearing bits and pieces about this hi-tech device that you wear like glasses, but more information is starting to filter out about the capabilities and how this technology might fit into our daily routines.
This is what happens when a bunch of engineers and software developers get together to design something that we don't know we need. But as we learn more about the Google Glass device, I'm sure you'll want one. I know I do.
A room full of these guys gathered in Austin recently to listen to a Google guru explain the Google Glass concept and how to approach writing applications for the upcoming technological wonder.
If the final product actually works like the demonstration, it'll be revolutionary and Google will be an innovation leader in the mobile display of information. I hope they will be affordable, because I imagine they won't be cheap. But I like what I see coming down the pike.
The Google Glass device is designed to not be in the way of your normal vision. The apparatus that presents the information is in a heads-up-like display will be just above your right eye. You'll have to look up slightly and to the right to view a mini display.
Most of the controls will be along the right handle, which is significantly thicker than the left handle. That's where you'll tap and swipe back and forth like we do on smartphones and tablets. I assume there will be an option with the control handle on the left side for southpaws. Now the fun begins.
You will be able to give voice commands, such as "record a video" or "take a picture." This means that since you're already wearing the device, you can capture just about all your activities hands-free, such as recreational sports and other events.
Another voice command will bring back a Google search for information to be displayed as images or a text summary. This feature will be invaluable for doing research while on the go or if you're involved in something and not near a computer. So I assume the Google Glass device will have built-in Internet access with a data plan or Wi-Fi capability.
Receiving text messages and email will be a given and you'll reply by voice command, as will getting news headlines throughout the day, which can be read to you if you so desire. Yes, audio will be another feature that will be available, so maybe you'll be able to let the music play.
Google also says photos taken with Glass can be shared, with the popular online note-management site Evernote taking center stage. The idea is to use Skitch to interface with Evernote.
The Google Glass technology is still in the early stages of development, but the marketing has started and developers are hard at work building the future through managing technology and exploring how information is displayed.
This concept could be so cool that I can't imagine all the other technology heavyweights like Apple, Samsung and Microsoft staying on the sidelines very long, along with all the others that I didn't mention. I'm sure Apple will come out with something like iGlass to compete with the "Big G." While Galaxy S Glass from Samsung would have a nice ring to it, a name like Windows 8 Glass also could be a good fit if Microsoft jumped into this arena.
With the smart watches arriving soon, and smart glasses on our eyes at some point, we will truly be wearing our computers.
Samsung chose Memorial Day, when our minds are not on hot tech news, to roll out a teaser for an event on Thursday, June 20, in London.
