Future

Apple did not say a lot about the MacBook Air, but it spoke volumes

Going into Apple’s “Hello Again” keynote on Thursday, speculation was rife with regard to how many new machines and product lines Apple would lift the veil on. The MacBook Pro seemed the safest bet, rightly so as it would turn out, but talk of a MacBook Air refresh or MacBook larger than 12-inch persisted until the very moment Tim Cook took the stage.

Fast forward the 80-minute short event and some of the MacBook Air hopeful watching, especially those on older machines clamouring for an overdue upgrade, will have found themselves slumped down in frustration on their sofa. Phil Schiller had just performed the precarious (and telling) balancing act of dismantling the MacBook Air’s right to exist live on stage, but bizarrely enough not without praising its virtues at the same time and throwing a lifeline to its large user base.

Irrespective of the kind words spoken and regardless of the promise to keep around the model Apple once used to proudly parade with the aid of an envelope, what really mattered was what Schiller didn’t directly say: the future of the MacBook Air looks bleak. Could there be a reason to buy one now anyway?

The Invisible iPhone Might Soon Become a Reality

Do you remember the iPhone 3Gi that the Onion joked about a few months ago? The "i" stood for "invisible" as the Onion staff were mocking the iPhone which they thought would one day become invisible. Believe it or not but an invisible iPhone might be available one day, according to a research project carried out by a few German researchers.

The project, dubbed Imaginary iPhone, allows you to use your iPhone without even taking it out of your pocket. So how does this work exactly?

How Sensors Could Help Shape the iPhone of the Future

Whenever we turn our phones sideways, the display changes orientation. This is common iPhone knowledge. These sensors track where we are, what direction we're moving in, and even which way we're holding our phone. But is this all they're capable of?

Benedetto Vigna, GM of the MEMS division of STMicroelectronics, recently said that we could expect the production of new types of sensors. Sensors will now not only be able to track location and direction, but also elevation.

Even better, there could possibly be sensors that monitor aspects of the human body. Heart rates, moods, and the like will now be monitored by sensors that could possibly be contained within our phones, or communicate with them...

Impressive iPhone 4 3D Demo, No Glasses Required

The 3D graphics effect has been done on iDevices before. Apps like Labyrinth for the iPad 2 and the Cydia 3DBoard tweak use the accelerometer in the device to manipulate graphics based on user movements. This is a neat circus trick, but the device must be moved to create the 3D effect.

Jeremie Francone and Laurence Nigay of the EHCI Research group have created an impressive tech demo of 3 dimensional graphics on the iPhone 4. Instead of using the accelerometer, they use the device's front facing camera. How's that possible?

What the World Will Look Like in 30 Years, Thanks to the iPhone

Have you ever wondered about what the future will look like? Specifically, how catalytic devices like the iPhone will shape the coming years?

We may very well already be living in an "iWorld," but The Freestyle Show has put together a quite satirical video showing what our world will look like in 30 years. Needless to say, it's filled with iPhones...

Is Square the Future of Mobile Payments?

Last week it was reported that Square, a mobile credit card reader, had opened its doors and was available for download in the app store. Square is the brainchild of Jack Dorsey, who is also co-founder of Twitter.

The app, when used in conjunction with a small card reader that plugs into the auxiliary port, allows anyone to process credit card payments. This takes "mobile payments" to a whole new level as now small businesses and vendors can process payments without the need for a wired or complex point-of-sale system.

All you need is a compatible device (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or one of select Android devices), the card reader, and a signal on your device.

So what does this mean for retailers and small businesses? Is it secure to use? And what about the cost? Will this be the new method businesses large and small use? Read more to find out...

Pay For the Subway With Your iPhone

I have always suspected that it wouldn't be long until our smartphones would replace our wallets. The ability to scan your iPhone to pay for groceries, postage and subway rides would make life much easier, right?

Well the New York City G Train has enabled their systems with payWave. Cult of Mac reports payWave lets your scan your iPhone in front of a kiosk in the transit station that allows users to bypass the metro card and such when you're paying for your subway ride...

Next iPhone Made to Morph?

It has been a relatively slow couple of days in iPhone land, however it's been brought to our attention that Apple is interested in some Terminator material. The newest SEC discovery states that the folks in Cupertino are in the market for some liquid metal. For what? Nobody is sure, however my imagination feels a morphable iDevice would do just fine.

In all seriousness though, the report states Apple has come to terms with Liquidmetal Technologies, whose speciality is amorphous metals. The alloy materials the company produces could have benefits that are, but not limited to, hardness, elasticity and acoustical features.

Not much more to report on this arrangement, but I will leave you with word for word filing. Just so you know, Arnold could not be reached for comment.

On August 5, 2010, Liquidmetal Technologies, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Liquidmetal”), entered into a Master Transaction Agreement with Apple Inc., a California corporation (“Apple”), pursuant to which (i) Liquidmetal contributed substantially all of its intellectual property assets to a newly organized special-purpose, wholly-owned subsidiary (the “IP Company”), (ii) the IP Company granted to Apple a perpetual, worldwide, fully-paid, exclusive license to commercialize such intellectual property in the field of consumer electronic products in exchange for a license fee, and (iii) the IP Company granted back to Liquidmetal a perpetual, worldwide, fully-paid, exclusive license to commercialize such intellectual property in all other fields of use (together with all ancillary agreements, the “Master Transaction Agreement”).