Sony's VAIO Flip PC convertible laptops get priced in Japan

Sony was coy about its prices when the VAIO Flip PC series was unveiled at IFA, but now we have some figures from Japan -- where the same Haswell-powered notebooks are sold as the VAIO Fit 13A, 14A and 15A depending on their screen size. Starting in late October, customers with some spare yen can pre-order these convertible laptops, with the Fit 13A starting from ¥129,800 (about $1,340), the Fit 14A from ¥99,800 (about $1,030) and the Fit 15A from ¥104,800 (about $1,080). Of course, the devices will likely be cheaper when they eventually land in the US, but at least desperate Japan-based folks can grab one as soon as mid-November. For details…

Raspberry Pi celebrates a million boards made in the UK

The Raspberry Pi foundation has just announced its one-millionth board manufactured in the UK at Sony's Pencoed facility and said that 1.75 million total boards have been built so far. Production initially started in Asia in order to keep costs down and supplies up, but shifted to the UK in September last year thanks to Sony's "lean manufacturing techniques." The Pi group lauded Sony for the quality of the boards, and said the millionth unit will be kept in a gold-plated case at "Pi Towers" in Cambridge. Despite the success, Raspberry's Eben Upton told the BBC that many Pi boards given to kids end up "stuck in a drawer" and that the foundation is now focused on education, particularly for teachers. For moreinformation…

Gogo Vision teams up with Magnolia Pictures to offer films in-flight before theatrical release

Gogo the world leader of in-flight connectivity and a pioneer in wireless in-flight digital entertainment solutions, has partnered with Magnolia Pictures to offer their movies to airline passengers through Gogo Vision. The content will include pre-theatrical and theatrical release titles, which is a first for Gogo.

Gogo Vision allows passengers to rent movies and television shows and stream them to their own Wi-Fi enabled devices. Passengers can select from a library of more than 100 programs from major Hollywood studios. Renting videos through Gogo Vision starts at $3.99 for a movie and $.99 for a TV show. For passengers who don't finish their program onboard the aircraft, Gogo Vision has a resumption of play feature that allows passengers to finish watching their program on the ground for a 24-hour period on the same device on which they rented the movie or television show. For more information…

Samsung's new 13MP phone camera promises twice the stability, brighter shots 

Samsung has just unveiled a new, extra-stable sensor that may be considerably more forgiving. The 13-megapixel unit corrects angular errors up to 1.5 degrees off-target, or roughly twice the jostling that existing cameras can handle. While that sounds like a small number, Samsung promises big results -- the camera reportedly takes low light shots that are eight times brighter than its predecessor. The company won't mass-produce the new camera until early 2014, but it has been developing the technology in concert with "leading smartphone makers." In other words, you won't have to live in Samsung's Galaxy to see the benefits. For more information…

Google testing Chrome OS-like browser interface for Windows 8

Google unveiled its Chrome Apps initiative recently to launch apps that exist outside of the browser and extend its reach into more of a platform, but it looks like the company has a whole lot more planned. Over the past few weeks, Google has been updating its developer version of the Chrome browser to run what's essentially Chrome OS within Windows 8's "Metro" mode.

Chrome traditionally runs on the desktop in Windows 8, but you can set it to launch within the Windows 8 Start Screen into a special "Metro-style" mode. The new updates are very different from the existing stable channel version of Chrome in Windows 8 that simply presents a full screen browser. In the latest developer channel release the user interface and functionality is identical to Chrome OS. There's a shelf with Chrome, Gmail, Google, Docs, and YouTube icons that can be arranged at the bottom, left, or right of the screen. Like Chrome OS, you can create multiple browser windows and arrange them using a snap to the left or right of the display or full screen modes. An app launcher is also available in the lower left-hand corner. For details…

Sharp's first Windows 8 tablet has 10.1-inch, 2,560 x 1,600 IGZO display and water resistance

Kicking off this week's CEATEC show in Japan, Sharp has played to its strengths with its new Windows 8 tablet, the Mebius Pad, factoring in a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution display. That puts it pretty far ahead of the current crowd of 1080p Windows 8 tablets, including Microsoft's incoming Surface 2, although we admit, we'd have loved to have seen another incredible 4K tablet. Regardless, that's the highest resolution Windows 8 tablet we've seen yet. Alongside the company's 10.1-inch IGZO panel (known for their low-power credentials), the Mebius Pad runs on a slightly less-exciting Intel quad-core Atom processor (the Z3370), which we've had mixed feelings on when it comes to the Windows tablets it’s powered in the past. The basic Windows 8.1 model will arrive with Office for free, although you'll have to pay extra if you want it for the Pro edition. Also, following Japanese trends for practically any device, the slab is both water and dust-proof (it's in the midst of being certified for IPX5, IPX7, IP5X), while you'll be able to buy it with LTE radios on board, at least for Nippon, as the device is unlikely to leave Japanese shores once it launches in early 2014. For more information...

Samsung is now locking all new devices to a region, making life hard

Samsung is implementing a new policy from the end of July 2013, which basically dictates that all Samsung-branded devices from that date on will come locked to a respective region. Samsung's Germany arm has already commented on the new policy, confirming that this is indeed the case and that, at this point, the new rules cover all new Galaxy SII, Galaxy SIII, Galaxy S4, Galaxy S4 Mini and Note 3 devices produced after the end of July. Moreover, while the geographic regions themselves are pretty big (e.g. the American model includes the North, South and Central Americas, along with the Caribbean), Samsung won't provide any sensible workaround for those of us who have/like to travel. The only “option”, right now, is to never activate the phone with a SIM from the region the device was intended for and go to an authorized Samsung service partner that will be able to unlock it for use in a different region. For details…

ION smart glasses keep you up to date with your phone, control your devices, and ask for your money

Smart glasses are a technology of the future that is not there yet, but that everyone wants to try to make. ION Glasses is a new smart glasses project that keeps the glasses low-profile while still delivering some smart functions. ION does not have the tiny screen of Google’s Glass - instead there’s an LED light that you can customize to notify you about new calls, messages, mails and social updates, and there are two keys to control your devices wirelessly. The main functions are

1. Don't miss notifications 
2. Control your techs 
3. Don't lose your glasses or smartphone 
4. Customize

The big plus of ION is just how unobtrusive and inconspicuous the frame is. It’s stylish, and does not look awkward at all - actually, it’s hard to distinguish the ION frame from regular glasses. For more information...

Samsung overtakes Google in 2013 in Most Innovative Companies list, Apple still on top

Every year Boston Consulting Group makes a list of the most innovative companies and for 2013 Samsung has beaten Google and has taken its second spot. This leaves Google in third position, after maintaining the second spot for seven consecutive years since 2006. Apple is sitting on the top of the list for ninth year in a row, which is quite impressive. Nevertheless, the consultancy company points out that Samsung has impressed it with its “leadership commitment” and the work the company’s chairman Lee Kun-hee has done. Fordetails… 

Sony's new 4K, HD projectors unveiled with prices all the way up to $28,000 

Sony has just announced three new SXRD projectors, including two 4K models and one for the 1080p crowd. If you must have the highest res video output, only the new VPL-VW1100ES and VPL-VW600ES will do, with both tossing a DCI-approved 4,096 x 2,160 pixel count at the nearest display surface. The VPL-VW1100ES updates the VPL-VW1000ES introduced two years ago and remains at the top of Sony's projector line, bringing a bundled 4K player for a tidy $28,000. The VPL-VW600ES arrives with similar specs to the model introduced in Europe last month, offering that high pixel count with lower brightness and contrast levels in a smaller frame. As a result its $15,000 price tag is lower too, although an option to bundle the FMP-X1 4K player and tablet controller will add an extra grand on top of that. Read more…