iPhone screen guards scrapped by Apple

iPhone and iPod Touch owners will no longer be able to buy the hugely popular screen guards from Apple’s flagship stores, nor from its online retail outlet, after the tech firm decided to ban them completely.

It is not only the standalone film guards which keep scratches and scrapes away from the iPhone that are being axed, but also any case which integrates a film-based screen guard.

Apple fan site iLounge said that Apple will be outing all of these accessories from its official shops from May this year.

iPhone users have reacted with confusion to this news, as the film-based screen protectors are the most popular form of iPhone guard accessory out there, winning over more customers than full blown cases.

Some observers have suggested that Apple could be instigating the ban as part of a campaign to make the iPhone seem more rugged and resilient, with the implication being that the screen protectors are superfluous.

It has also been said that Apple might be banning these products because their use creates too many issues when questions over warranty are brought up as part of the repair and returns process. This conclusion sounds to be a more likely reason for the ban, although nothing official has been made public.

Third party iPhone accessory sites could see an influx of new customers if the ban goes ahead, as many Apple users stick to the official outlets for their latest add-ons. This would be a positive step in some respects, as it would allow many more businesses to benefit from the iPhone’s popularity.

3D TVs destined for pubs

It looks as though 3D sports games could be with the general public sooner than anticipated, after a deal between satellite TV firm Sky and electronics manufacturer LG was announced.

Sky has ordered 15,000 3D TVs with the intention of giving them to pubs, clubs and bars in order to get the 3D revolution going with live sporting events popping out of the screen at punters.

Sky 3D will be available for public display from April 2010 and it is the 47 inch versions of LG’s LD920 televisions that are under order at the moment. Over the next few weeks these could therefore be winging their way to one of your local drinking establishments.

The first 3D broadcast took place in February and the journalists and fans present were in two minds as to how well the technology worked in real life. However, Sky has obviously been given confidence by this test run and 3D TV is being geared up for a full launch next month.

LG will not be selling its first batch of 3D TVs to UK consumers until May, but with Sky supporting its technology it will soon become the brand most closely associated with 3D sport by football fans everywhere.

Anyone looking to get 3D television in their own homes could have to wait until 2011 if some pessimistic observers are to be believed, although Sky thinks that it can push through its first few 3D channels by the autumn. Anyone interested in 3D TV may want to start saving up now.

Miniature craft readied for space flight

NASA is in the final stages of sending a remotely controlled robotic space shuttle into orbit around the earth, according to the latest reports.

The X-37 is much smaller than the space shuttles that take astronauts out of the Earth’s atmosphere and its first unmanned flight into the final frontier will be monitored by experts on the ground in Florida.

The X-37 has been created not to travel into space on its own, but to become a kind of life craft for astronauts. It will accompany future shuttle missions and be attached to the International Space Station in order to provide its residents with a speedy escape route back home in an emergency.

Sources suggest that the total space available inside the craft could be a little as seven feet by four feet, but given that the passengers should only be on board for a short time this should not be a particular issue.

Observers believe the X-37 will be making its first ever voyage into the atmosphere on the back of an Atlas V rocket some time soon. This speculation has been brought about by the news that the X-37 has been transported down to Cape Canaveral, which suggests that a launch is imminent.

The X-37 project is shrouded in the typical kind of secrecy that any quasi-military US organisation applies to its latest developments, but it will be difficult to disguise the rocket as it launches into the clear blue skies over Florida.

Interactive horror film conceived

Using some clever voice recognition technology in partnership with standard mobile phones, a horror film firm has come up with a novel viewing experience for fans of frightening films: interactive audience participation.

The idea is simple enough. Flyers urging potential audience members to submit their mobile numbers to the service are distributed and then during the showing of a film, one member of the audience will be chosen at random to answer a call from the onscreen character.

That call will be controlled using software that can work out what the audience member is telling the character to do and the appropriate outcome relating to their instructions will be played out on-screen.

According to its creators, the software is capable enough to work out basic instructions, but it cannot hold an entire conversation with the audience member, because this would obviously require the film maker to record an infinite number of variations of the same scene.

The interactive horror movie idea does allow the course of a film’s plot to be changed. Presumably in a horror film this means that the hero or heroine will either live or die by the hands of the killer based on the audience member’s instructions.

There is no doubt that an audience member getting a call during a horror film will increase the level of tension, but it could equally break the level of immersion that those not involved in the call are feeling. The firm behind the idea will have to get some top quality productions on board to make it a worthwhile venture.

Portable gadgets grasped by Spiderpodium

Having a portable media player or smartphone with you can be an entertaining way to pass a long journey or a dull commute, but having to hold onto the thing for hours a day can leave you with aching hands. The Spiderpodium is a universal travel dock that intends to fix this issue for everyone.

The Spiderpodium is an eight-legged flexible beast, with each limb acting independently of the others to provide completely customisable angling and grasping of your most precious portable gadgets.

You will usually have six of the legs working to support the device on a flat surface, whilst two are flipped up to hold onto the device you are watching, so ideally you will need to rest it on a tray table for the best experience.

The creators of the Spiderpodium also suggest that when you are at home you can place your portable gadget on one whilst it charges, leaving it upright and visible, even when it is powering up via USB.

Because the legs are completely flexible, the Spiderpodium can be packed up into a portable form itself, making it possible to slip it into a pocket or bag and carry it without being weighed down.

Smartphones, MP3 players, handheld games consoles and even camcorders can be properly gripped by the Spiderpodium, which means that it should have a wide range of applications.

Each Spiderpodium is on sale for just under £15 and the product will hit UK shelves at the end of March. The only downside is that anyone who is mildly arachnophobic might be a little squeamish around this particular docking solution.

First prices for home 3D specs

Sony has released details and prices for its first range of glasses that will enable home cinema lovers to view their favourite films in 3D. You will still need a 3D-ready TV set and a Sony Blu-Ray player with 3D playback in order to enjoy the benefits of this emerging technology.

Sony is planning to package the active shutter 3D glasses with its LX900 Bravia television. This will be the only one of its 3D-ready TVs that will offer support for the new format straight out of the box, although wrangling over standardisation is still ongoing and it could be some months before this is settled.

If you happen to live in Japan, you will be able to buy the new active shutter specs individually and a price of around £90 has been suggested for the retail models. Since the LX900 will come with two pairs, a group of four people will need to fork out nearly £200 more if everyone wants to enjoy the 3D experience.

What makes the LX900 different from its other 3D-ready siblings is that it has the necessary emitter already built-in. If you want to get the active shutter specs synchronised with the 3D image using other Sony 3D Bravia models, then you will need to buy a separate emitter for another £30 or so, which increases the price of the package even further if you don’t want to pay for Sony’s top of the range model.

There is no official UK launch date set, as yet for Sony’s 3D-ready Bravia range, but with Sony’s rivals already revving their 3D engines, we should not have too long to wait.

Backpack doubles as booster seat

If you have young children, or have ever had to look after some during a car trip, you will be well aware of the necessity of booster seats to keep them safe and strapped in tight.

Now a new gadget has been created to turn children into snail-like carriers of their in-car protection, taking the burden from the parent and giving the kids a fun place to store their travelling accoutrements as well.

The BoostApak is an interesting concept that combines a comprehensive booster seat with a portable backpack for the kids’ trinkets and toys.

When it is folded into its seating position, it provides full support for the back of the child, as well as keeping them snugly secured by the car’s seat belt.

The BoostApak can then be folded away completely and has a couple of padded straps on the underside to make it comfortable for the smaller wearer. The styling is vibrant and the practicality is obvious, so kids will be sure to enjoy carrying their booster seat with them, as well as having a place to hoard treasures and keep a juice carton.

The creators of BoostApak say that the gadget is suitable for kids between 4 and 11 years of age and when it is released in April of this year it will be an exclusive to the UK market. If it catches on, there is no doubt that the technology will hit international markets to provide the same benefits for parents the world over.

Consumer jet-pack launched

If you have around £60,000 burning a hole in your pocket and if you have always dreamed of breaking the bonds of gravity, then you might consider picking up the Martin Jetpack.

Jetpacks have long been the preserve of fictional movie heroes, but now a New Zealand-based firm has created what is the world’s first commercially viable jetpack to take one person skywards at speed.

Incredibly Martin Aircraft has managed to give the Jetpack a full half hour in the air before it needs to land. With a 200 horsepower engine powered by good old-fashioned petrol, the jetpack is constructed of lightweight material comprised of Kevlar and carbon.

Martin Aircraft has been working on the jetpack for over a decade and it has taken a long time to develop and refine something that is safe enough to sell to the general public.

The biggest safety feature of the jetpack is a built-in parachute that acts as a failsafe to rescue the pilot if something goes catastrophically wrong. The parachute is fired out quickly to make sure that it is fully deployed before the ground intervenes!

The controls of the jetpack are organised in precisely the way you will have seen many times on the silver screen, with the pilot’s hands altering the pitch, thrust, yaw and roll.

There is a weight limit on the jetpack and only people between 140 and 240 pounds will be safely accommodated. However, this is a broad enough bracket for most of the super-rich. The one downside is that you have to wear a jumpsuit and a helmet, so tuxedo flight is out of the question.

Next Grand Theft Auto V game to be announced

The follow up to the world-beating Grand Theft Auto IV, which has since spawned two downloadable spin-offs that are coming to the PS3 and PC after enjoying Xbox 360 exclusivity for a while, could be unveiled in the run up to E3 in the summer.

This is according to games industry analyst Mike Hickey, who said in an interview recently that GTA five is almost certainly in the works and could be ready for previewing at some of 2010′s biggest gaming events.

Mr Hickey, who was speaking to IndustryGamers, said that developer Rockstar, which has worked on the GTA games since the beginning, will not actually reveal any information at E3. Instead it is set to announce the next GTA title before the event to stir up some publicity for its other upcoming releases such as Red Dead Revolver.

It is believed by industry insiders that GTA five, or whatever it is called upon release, will outsell its predecessors by a significant margin. Mr Hickey believes that this is possible because there is now an established group of dedicated fans hungry for next-gen gaming on the PS3.

The fourth game in the GTA series has now sold over 15 million copies worldwide and the imminent release of the two add-on packs will surely boost sales of the original even further.

The next GTA game will not arrive before 2011, as analysts believe that Rockstar will continue to milk the current game in the franchise for a little while longer.

Avatar 3D planned for November 2010 Blu-Ray launch

James Cameron has confirmed that his hugely profitable 3D flick Avatar will be coming to home cinema users with all three dimensions intact, but you will have to wait until November this year until it finally arrives.

Some had hoped that Avatar would be one of the first movies to arrive on Blu-Ray when the 3D revolution kicks off in the summer of this year, but the film’s landmark technical achievements will not be completely available to consumers until the winter.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Mr Cameron said that standard definition DVD and high definition Blu-Ray versions of Avatar would be released in April for US customers. However, by the time the 3D version arrives later in 2010, titles such as Cloudy, With A Chance of Meatballs will already have made their debut in 3D.

Some observers have expressed their annoyance at the decision, as it means that many consumers will pick up Avatar in 2D when it first makes an appearance and will then have to buy it again a few months later when the 3D version is released. Creating special collectors’ editions of movies is not particularly unusual, especially since the dawn of the DVD and the arrival of multiple endings, special features and director’s cuts.

However, Avatar will still be one of the first 3D Blu-Ray releases. It should be able to really show off the capabilities of the technology and hopefully generate enough interest to finally give Blu-Ray its killer app.

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