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Apple iOS head Forstall is out, but a new division for chips and radios is in

Publié: octobre 29, 2012, 11:36pm CET par Tim Conneally

In a statement announcing an executive reorganization, Apple on Monday announced that its senior vice president of iOS software, Scott Forstall, and its head of retail, John Browett will both be leaving the company.

The executive shuffle is being done to "encourage even more collaboration between the Company’s…hardware, software and services teams," according to Apple.

Jony Ive, head of industrial design, will also take on work in Human Interfaces. Eddy Cue, senior vice presiden of Internet Software and Services, will also work on Siri and Maps. Craig Federighi, currently senior vice president of Mac Software Engineering, will lead both the iOS and OS X groups.

This executive shift also shows the growing priority placed on CPU and baseband radio development at Apple. The consolidation of application processor and wireless baseband divisions has been something of a trend across semiconductor companies since Intel acquired Infineon's wireless group two years ago, and Apple had to switch to Qualcomm baseband chips.

Bob Mansfield, a Senior Vice President who has overseen development of both the MacBook Air and iMac lines, will be the head of a new group simply called "Technologies," which will combine all of Apple’s wireless and semiconductor teams into a single organization, "fostering innovation in this area at an even higher level."

Photo: IQoncept/Shutterstock
Phillips Hue wireless lightbulbs exclusive to Apple Store, work with Android

Publié: octobre 29, 2012, 9:41pm CET par Tim Conneally

Phillips Electronics on Monday announced a new home automation accessory called Hue, which lets its users control home light fixtures wirelessly from a smartphone application.

Hue pairs a ZigBee LightLink local communications network with your home Wi-Fi network and mobile app. The LED bulbs communicate with the "bridge" device via ZigBee LightLink, and the bridge communicates with your router, which in turn communicates with your Wi-Fi enabled smart devices. From the application, users can control the color of their Hue lights in any of 16 million shades, program timers, and schedule settings for optimal light and energy management. A single bridge can control up to 50 individual lightbulbs.

The starter kit, which includes three standard LED bulbs and the ZigBee LightLink wireless bridge, will be available exclusively through Apple stores beginning October 30 and will cost $199. Additional bulbs will cost $59 each, but since these are LED replacement bulbs, they promise as much as 15,000 hours of usage at just one fifth the energy footprint of regular lightbulbs.

We actually first started hearing about these lightbulbs two years ago when Phillips called us out of the blue to talk about what they'd developed.

When they debuted this generation of LED bulbs, they said they'd have a lifetime of 25,000 hours at just 12 Watts of power. Of course, that was long before commercial availability, so the real-world performance has been whittled down quite a bit, and instead of 12 watts, these are 8.5W.

Perhaps the best part of this announcement is the fact that these starter kits will be available exclusively through the Apple Store, but Phillips says Hue will work with Android smartphones, too, so it's really only retail exclusivity.

Hue is unique in the home automation space because Phillips is letting users control the insides of the bulbs, so to speak. Other lighting automation systems like the ones we saw from Monster early in 2012 simply control electricity and not the actual LEDs within the lights.
Nexus 7 32GB is real and for sale now

Publié: octobre 29, 2012, 1:31am CET par Joe Wilcox

I just hauled back from the local Office Depot, which has Nexus 7 32GB in stock -- well, one left, for $249.99. The 16GB model is now $199.99, replacing the 8 giger at that price. So the rumors were true, and not all that surprising. I didn't check the local Gamestop, but online the 16GB tablet is $199.99. So it's not rocket science what's coming.

Something unexpected: With all the rumors about Android 4.2, I expected that version. But the spec sheet has 4.1. So it's anybody's guess what to expect and when. The real question: What new product pops next and where. Google may have cancelled the New York Android event because of Hurricane Sandy, but that may not stop retailers from going ahead with plans to offer product. The channel isn't easily stopped, particularly when there is chance to get in front of competitors with a hot product. Retailers don't share Google's priorities.

So keep a watchful eye for the rumored Nexus 4 smartphone and Nexus 10 tablet, which could drop anytime -- and before Google can reschedule. Why postpone at all? Just hold a last-minute virtual event, streaming from YouTube. Send out review units to grubby A-list tech sites. Why wait?

Confession: I really wanted to buy that last Nexus 7. I'm in process of going all digital magazines, and my 8 giger just doesn't have enough capacity to handle the torrent of fat, sassy downloads. But I waited. Budget is tight, and maybe Nexus 10 will be better choice. Anyway, if you held out for Nexus 7 32GB, don't wait to be next in line. My guess is that supplies are limited.

Photo Credit: Joe Wilcox