The Feed: Tech News You Probably Missed (Aug 18-22)
Tech news and commentary for the week ending August 12, 2004.
The latest iOS 8 beta gives some hints about upcoming iPhone screen sizes and resolutions. It suggests that the iPhone 6 (or whatever it’ll be called) will boast a screen resolution of 1472 x 828 pixels. On a 4.7″ display, that translates to 360 pixels per inch. On a 5.5 inch display (the ‘phablet’, if you will) that’s 308 pixels per inch. For reference, the iPhone 5 family comes in at 325. Link.
The Anker Quad Port Wall Charger takes a single wall outlet and turns it into four USB charging ports. Let me tell you, this thing is the greatest vacation charging hub ever. Link.
If you have to deal with a drowned iPhone and you think the cause is lost, there’s a ray of hope (two, actually) – rice and compressed air. Here’s the best guide I’ve found to resuscitating a waterlogged iPhone. Link.
Android has had the ability to take 360-degree ‘Photo Spheres’ for some time now. Essentially, they’re panoramas, just not limited to the x-axis. Now, Google has released Photo Sphere Camera for iOS, and it’s free. Great stuff. Link.
Steve Ballmer has left Microsoft’s Board of Directors. He writes, “I see a combination of the Clippers, civic contribution, teaching and study taking a lot of my time.” His decision to step down follows his purchase of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team. Link.
Massively popular cross-platform messaging app SnapChat will launch ads into its service in November, the WSJ reports. That’ll be an interesting gold rush. Link.
Apple’s next USB cables will be reversible, which means no more maddening flip-flopping of a USB plug trying to find the proper orientation. It’s the little things. Link.
What’s a sticker that’s Bluetooth equipped that you can put on anything and use it as a beacon? It’s a nearable. To see how these might be used, check out this video. The “Internet of Things” is real, and it’s coming quickly. Link.
Thanks for reading, everyone. See you next week.
