BlackBerry is working on a top-secret phone that does something unheard of

We first heard about Boeing's top-secret new smartphone called the Boeing Black earlier this year but this is the first time we've heard of BlackBerry's involvement in the project. Reuters reports that BlackBerry CEO John Chen said late last week that he was "pleased to announce that Boeing is collaborating with BlackBerry to provide a secure mobile solution for Android devices utilizing our BES 12 platform." Chen added that this was literally all he was allowed to say about the project, so we shouldn't expect to learn anymore details about it from him in the near future.

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Posted in 2014 at 09:20PM, December 22

Apple Renews Rights to Liquidmetal Technologies' Alloys for Consumer Products

Apple has renewed exclusive rights to use Liquidmetal Technologies' metal alloys in consumer electronics items, according to a filing with the SEC.



The rights were originally purchased back in 2010, to run through February 2014. The new renewal extends the agreement through February of 2015.

On May 19, 2014, Liquidmetal Technologies, Inc. (the “Company”) and Apple Inc. (“Apple”) entered into an second amendment (the “Second Amendment”) to the Master Transaction Agreement that was originally entered into on August 5, 2010 (the “MTA”) and amended on June 15, 2012 (the “First Amendment”). Under the MTA and the First Amendment, the Company was obligated to contribute to Crucible Intellectual Property, LLC, a special purpose subsidiary of the Company, all intellectual property acquired or developed by the Company from August 5, 2010 through February 5, 2014, and all intellectual property held by Crucible Intellectual Property, LLC was exclusively licensed on a perpetual basis to Apple for the field of use of consumer electronic products under the MTA. Under the Second Amendment, the parties agreed to amend the MTA and the First Amendment to extend the February 5, 2014 date to February 5, 2015.

According to a report from earlier this year, Apple is interested in using Liquidmetal's alloys for home buttons, touch sensors and tamper-resistant screws. The allows possess a number of unique properties including high strength and corrosion resistance while remaining relatively light and able to cast into a variety of forms.

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Posted in 2014 at 09:20PM, May 21

PlayStation Plus a big hit for Sony despite initial backlash

There was a minor uproar from the PlayStation crowd last year when Sony announced that PlayStation Plus would be required for online gaming on the PlayStation 4. After years of free multiplayer support on the PS3, Sony's subscription service becoming a necessary purchase was a hard pill to swallow. But despite the initial backlash, Sony CEO Kaz Hirai has confirmed that "more than half" of PS4 owners have already signed up for PS Plus.



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Posted in 2014 at 09:20PM, February 10

This iOS 7 controller makes your iPad feel like an Xbox One

Many of the game controllers that have been announced for the iPhone and iPad have doubled as cases, but standalone controllers are the new trend emerging from CES this year. On Monday, SteelSeries showed off the Stratus Wireless Gaming Controller, a device with fairly compact design featuring a full array of buttons and two joysticks for a gaming experience comparable to playing on a console.



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Posted in 2014 at 09:20PM, January 07

Qualcomm has special new processors for your 4K TV and smart car

Qualcomm on Monday at CES 2014 announced a couple of new processors that will equip different kinds of devices, including 4K TV sets and cars with smart features. These are the Snapdragon 802 (for TVs) and Snapdragon 602A (for cars), and are extensions of their respective families of processors found in many smartphones and tablets.



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Posted in 2014 at 09:20PM, January 06