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Apple Rumored to Unveil Revamped 3D Maps in iOS 6
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Apple Rumored to Unveil Revamped 3D Maps in iOS 6
Apple is expected to introduce a revamped Maps application in the next major update iOS 6, ditching Google Maps service as a backend to provide its proprietary solution that will feature 3D mapping technology.
AllThingsD reported that the new feature is expected to be unveiled at Apple’s WWDC which will be held June 11 through 15 in San Francisco
“Sources describe the new Maps app as a forthcoming tent-pole feature of iOS that will, in the words of one, ‘blow your head off,’” Paczkowski wrote. “I’m not quite sure what that means, and the source in question declined to elaborate, but it’s likely a reference to the photorealistic 3-D mapping tech Apple acquired when it purchased C3 Technologies.”
Apple’s proprietary mapping solution has been a long time in the making after the company acquired Placebase, C3 Technologies, and Poly9.
The most important thing in the new Maps application is a powerful new 3D mode provided by C3 Technologies:
C3 Technologies is the leading provider of 3D mapping solutions, offering photo-realistic models of the world for search, navigation and geographic information systems. Since 2007 when it was spun out of the aerospace and defense company Saab AB, venture-backed C3 has redefined mapping by applying previously classified image processing technology to the development of 3D maps as a platform for new social and commercial applications. The Sweden-based company’s automated software and advanced algorithms enable C3 to rapidly assemble extremely precise 3D models, and seamlessly integrate them with traditional 2D maps, satellite images, street level photography and user generated images, that together are forever changing how people use maps and explore the world.
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Google Reveals Project Glass, HUD in Your Eyeglasses
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Google Reveals Project Glass, HUD in Your Eyeglasses
Google finally revealed Project Glass, an augmented-reality experiment with HUD interface in an eyeglass-like frame that brings the Internet to a small screen above the right eye, the gadget streams data to the wearer’s eyes in real time. You can watch the demo video below showing what you can expect from wearing such gadget from the perspective of someone wearing the glasses, receiving up-to-the-minute updates as information streamed into his glasses:
Google X Labs, which incubated Project Glass, is starting to see the light of day. We first saw the driver-less car and now Project X experience that was exclusive to Sci-Fi movies. Here is what Google had to say about the experiment:
We think technology should work for you—to be there when you need it and get out of your way when you don’t.
A group of us from Google[x] started Project Glass to build this kind of technology, one that helps you explore and share your world, putting you back in the moment. We’re sharing this information now because we want to start a conversation and learn from your valuable input. So we took a few design photos to show what this technology could look like and created a video to demonstrate what it might enable you to do.
Is a HUD interface with such type of user experience anything you may be interested in or you don’t need more distractions?
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iPad’s A5X Benchmarked Against Nvidia’s Tegra 3
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iPad’s A5X Against Nvidia’s Tegra 3
During the new iPad announcement Apple’s VP Phil Schiller made it clear that Apple’s new A5X chip was much faster than the latest Nvidia’s Tegra 3 chipset. which believed to be the cutting edge of mobile technology.
Australian tech blogger Ritchie has put the claim to the test by doing a side-by-side video comparison of the new iPad and the Tegra 3-powered ASUS Transformer Prime.
The results, while not as dramatic as Apple’s claims of 4 times the graphics processing power of the Tegra 3, do show conclusively that the A5X chip that sports dual-core CPU and quad-core GPU trounces the quad-core, 12-core graphics Tegra 3. Apple once again showing that raw specifications don’t necessarily make for a better experience.
Watch the results for yourself below:
[via TUAW]
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The new iPad 3rd-generation Teardown
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The new iPad 3rd-generation Teardown
The guys at iFixit have managed to get their hands on the new iPad to tear it down and reveal its guts, here are the entire specs of the new iPad.
- Dual-core Apple A5X processor with integrated quad-core graphics
- 9.7 inch LED backlit in-plane switching LCD with 2048×1536 pixel “Retina Display.” The tested unit is made by Samsung; Sharp and LG may be supplying panels as well.
- 16, 32 or 64 GB Toshiba NAND flash memory
- 5 MP HD rear-facing camera
- 1 GB DRAM comprised of two 4Gb Elpida LP DDR2 parts
- Broadcom BCM4330 802.11a/b/g/n Baseband/Radio with Integrated Bluetooth 4.0+HS
- Qualcomm MDM9600 3G and 4G wireless modem
- Qualcomm RTR8600 multi-band/mode RF transceiver for LTE bands
Using suction cups to lift the panel
The new iPad battery
Getting inside the iPad was a tough job as expected, the front panel was glued to the frame. But using a heat gun and some heavy duty suction cups did the trick.
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