The NEXTus 7

Images of the soon-to-launched Nexus 7 have leaked onto the web, only a few days before what is likely to be the device’s official launch.

The photos reveal that Google’s latest tablet will come with both front and rear facing cameras, as well as a new and improved display. We expect to see other features, which might include a SlimPort, wireless charging, and an LTE radio. The device is thought to run on the highly anticipated Android 4.3 OS.

It’s been reported that the Nexus 7 will come in two different models: a 16GB version priced at $229, and the 32GB model dropping in at $269. These features and price points are still unofficial, but we anticipate Google will confirm the rumors at their press event scheduled later this week.

Healthy Moves From A Sick Company

HTC is continuing its reorganization efforts with the shift of current president of global sales, Jason Mackenzie, who will now operate key American divisions.

HTC’s chief executive Peter Chou issued an internal email to employees yesterday which read “Effective immediately, in addition to his current duties in supporting me with global corporate strategy, Jason Mackenzie will lead HTC America, and Mike Woodward will lead Emerging Devices, a newly established business unit that will focus on innovative new HTC products and global distribution strategies.”

The move is likely coming as a result of HTC’s stock price which recently fell to its lowest point since 2005, despite glowing reviews for its flagship smartphone, the HTC One.

The company will most likely continue to reorganize and reassess their business strategies, as they face stronger competitors and a slowdown in the growth of the global high-end smartphone sector.

Like A Beefy Gameboy, or Something…

The updated release date for the Nvidia Shield, its new Android-based gaming system, has been announced. The handheld-console will begin shipping out next week, on July 31st.

Nvidia had originally pegged the launch date on June 27th, but unspecified mechanical issues with a third party component pushed the launch back a full month. Now that Nvidia has cleared up the issue, they’ll be pushing out the first device featuring their new Tegra 4 system-on-a-chip.

The device is basically a mashup of a console-style controller and a five inch touchscreen, that’s targeted to a small demographic of hardcore gamers and enthusiasts. A recent price drop of $50, down to $299, could give the device a more widespread appeal.

Apple’s Rotten Dev Center Spoils the Bunch

After three days of silence on the matter, Apple has just confirmed that they’re conducting an internal investigation of a security breach that resulted in the iOS Developer Center getting shut down.

According to an email sent to developers, Apple detected the breach on its Dev Center servers on Thursday. While most of the information was safely encrypted, Apple admits that the hackers may have had access to the names, addresses and email addresses of any developer using the system.

It appears that the hackers responsible for the leak are already trying to take advantage of the information, and since the servers were taken down on Thursday, we’ve heard dozens of reports of developers receiving unsolicited password reset requests.

Despite the negative news, the hack only seems to have affected the developer accounts, leaving standard iTunes accounts and credit card data safe and uncompromised. There’s currently no timetable set for the Dev Center’s return, but we will be sure to keep you updated as Apple releases more information.

Printing Sandy Batteries?

Deep within the halls of Harvard’s research labs, a team of professors and students using 3D printers may have come up with something that could change the future of mobile computing: a fully operational, and incredibly small 3D-printed battery.

When completed, the battery is about the size of a grain of sand, and at its thickest point, it’s no bigger than the width of a human hair. Jennifer Lewis, Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering, spoke about the project, saying “We knew that our research group’s 3D printing expertise could play a key role in the development of this next generation of batteries.”

The battery produces about the same amount per volume as a standard lithium battery, but the unique ability to print them makes it possible for these batteries to be much smaller than the alternative.

To create the power-packed sand-sized-batteries, the team at Harvard used a custom system that’s capable of printing accurately within two-millionths of an inch. By adding specialized lithium metal oxide and cathode ink to the materials, the high-tech 3D printer is capable of producing batteries of any size, and is only limited by the size of the printer itself.

While the current, grain-sized battery isn’t capable of powering your phone, or really anything bigger than a grain of sand, the new technology could likely change the future of how we think about batteries.

Futurama Warned Us About This

A research team at UC Berkeley has created the world’s first UI sensor network on flexible plastic.

The material is known as electronic skin, or e-skin, and current versions respond to touch by instantly lighting up. Engineers working on the technology believe it could be used to create things like smart wallpaper that could double as a touchscreen display, or a laminate that could allow users to adjust their home electronics with the wave of a hand. Other possibilities include medical uses, like a bandage that can double as a health monitor that continuously checks blood pressure and pulse rates.

The experimental samples of e-skin are only sixteen pixels wide, but within each pixel sits a transistor, an organic LED, and a pressure sensor. As they continue to improve the design, the team at Berkeley will continue to raise the e-skin’s resolution. The team plans on engineering the skin to respond to temperature and light, in future versions.

Dropbox Buys Nothing To So Something, Apparently

According to a blog post by the company, Dropbox just acquired mobile coupon service Endorse, one month after the app developers closed their doors.

Unfortunately for fans of the Endorse app, the acquisition won’t do anything to bring back their beloved app.

It seems Dropbox was interested in the crew behind the app, and not necessarily the app itself.

Currently there’s no official word on what Dropbox plans to do with the intellectual property or if they plan to use it at all.

Cameras That Know Who You Are

New VIP-identification technology designed by NEC IT Solutions could help retailers identify celebrities, as well as their shopping preferences.

The British-based company already supplies similar software to security agencies to help identify terrorists and criminals, but this would be the first time the software could be used for commercial purposes. The ID technology works by analyzing footage of people’s faces as they walk by and taking specific measurements to create a code known as a face template which is then checked against a database.

In a retail setting, the databases would include celebrities as well as valued customers. When the technology identifies a face match, the program sends an alert to staff which could include information on the customer’s size, favorite buys and shopping history.

The software is so advanced that it can even identify people wearing hats, scarves and sunglasses. Recent tests have found that facial hair, aging, changes in weight and hair color had no affect on the system’s accuracy.

The technology is being tested in a dozen undisclosed stores and hotels across the world, but don’t be surprised to see them popping up in more locations in the future as the technology becomes widely available.

And that’s all we have for today’s news. If you want to keep up with these stories or more, be sure to join us every weekday morning on NewsDesk with Kristin Feledy.

photo credit: Zanthia via photopin cc
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