Google+ app update welcomes iPhone users to Hangouts

Looking for someone to hang out with today? Grab your iPhone and slurp up the latest update to the Google+ app. Released on Friday, this refresh introduces Hangouts functionality to the iOS crowd, bringing them up to speed with Android users. The app’s Huddle feature, meanwhile, has been renamed as “Messenger,” and supports photos, as well. Plus, iPhone wielders can now +1 comments from their handsets, while using a slate of more granular controls to customize their notification settings. Intrigued parties can grab the update now, at the source link below.

[TUAW via Engadget]

 

Why Is Carbon Fiber So Expensive?

When carbon fiber was first trotted out in solid rocket motor cases and tanks in the 1960s, it was poised to not only take on fiberglass, but also a whole host of other materials.

What happened?

50 years later it’s still an exotic material. Sure, Batman’s got it in his suit, expensive cars feature smatterings of it in their dashboards and performance parts, but at $10 a pound on the low end, it’s still too pricy for wide-scale deployment. We’ve been using this stuff for decades. Where’s our materials science Moore’s Law to make this stuff cheap? Why is this stuff still so expensive?

Turns out that even half a century later, this stuff is still a major pain in the ass to make.

 

Evoz Baby Monitor Lets You Spy on Your Kid from Anywhere Your iPhone Gets a Signal

Worried that your bundle of joy might get up to no good during your weekly Hatha class? Not with this monolith by his bedside, he won’t. It’s called the Evoz Baby Monitor and it takes its job very seriously. All you have to do is place this WiFi-enabled device next to Junior’s crib, download Evoz’ app on your iPhone and the monitor will automatically provide you with alerts (via text, e-mail or phone call) whenever your kid cries. Once you sync this watchdog with your phone, you can even use it to remotely listen in on your prince, just in case he utters his first words while you’re out on the links. Best of all, the system isn’t restricted to a fixed range and promises to work in any area where you’ve got cellular coverage — whether that be in the backyard, at the gym, or at Child Protective Services. Evoz won’t start shipping the Baby Monitor until October 4th, but gravely concerned parents can pre-order one now for $120, at the source link below. Otherwise, just crawl past the break for more information, in the full PR.

 

[Engadget]

 

One Reason Why You Shouldn’t Use Your Wife’s iPad

“You’re going to be a Dad” is probably the last thing this unsuspecting husband expected to find on his wife’s iPad when he fired it up to play Angry Birds.

And if that isn’t shocking enough, he now faces the most difficult task of his married life. No, it’s not becoming a father, it’s telling his wife that her surprise is ruined. [Imgur via Reddit via Gizmodo]

 

Apple to hold media event on October 4th, Tim Cook to unveil iPhone 5 [REPORT]

We have yet to receive official word on this, but All Things Digital is reporting today that Apple’s next big media event will be held on October 4th, where freshly minted CEO Tim Cook is expected to unveil the iPhone 5. Sources close to the situation say Cook will be the main presenter at the event, with execs Phil Schiller, Scott Forstall and Eddy Cue playing supporting roles. This would mark the first time that Cook has actually led an Apple event, adding an extra wrinkle of significance to an already highly anticipated occasion. The site’s sources went on to say that the next-gen iPhone will be available for purchase “within a few weeks” of the announcement, though All Things Digital acknowledges that the exact date of its unveiling is still subject to change. As always, we’ll be sure to keep you posted as soon as we hear more.

[Engadget]

 

ParkBud for iPhone: Awesome way to remember where you parked.

Crap! Forgot where you parked again? There are few things more frustrating then aimlessly wandering around a parking lot looking for you car.

Enter ParkBud. It bills itself as a Car Locator and Parking app. Simply fire it up when you park, click a button and ParkBud will remember your car’s GPS location. It then gives you a cool map and detailed directions back to your car. The app also monitors your parking meter, showing minutes remaining and then sounding an alarm when you meter is almost expired. There are even options to take a pic of your parked car and add notes to the location, ensuring you’ll never lose your car again.

The app is dead simple to use and the design is gorgeous. You’ll want to use this app and show it off to your friends.

[gizmodo]

 

iPad 3 Isn’t Coming Until 2012 [REPORT]

The next generation iPad won’t hit the market until 2012, according to J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz’s research.

Although several rumors pinpointed the release of iPad 3 — a possible name for the upcoming device — in time for the 2011 holiday season, we’ve also seen indications that it won’t arrive until in the new year.

Apple announced the iPad 2 in March, 15 months after the launch of the first-generation iPad. Therefore, an early 2012 launch would be more consistent with Apple’s product launch cycle.

There’s always the possibility of Apple releasing an iPad HD — a device with only minor changes from the current iPad 2 — this fall, with the next major version coming out in 2012.

What do you expect to see from Apple this fall, the next generation iPad, a minor update or no tablet at all? Please share your opinions in the comments.

[via AllThingsD via Mashable]

 

Leaked Image Shows Faster A5 Brains Inside Next iPhone’s Guts

This allegedly leaked image shows Apple’s A5 processor—the brains of the iPad 2—firmly inserted into the next-generation iPhone electronic guts. While we suspected this was going to be the case, this would be the first visual confirmation.

If it’s a photo of the real thing, that is. You can also see a new higher-capacity battery pack next to it, which could mean a sightly longer battery life.

The shot also confirms the larger speaker grill on the top.

[Weibo via Phonearena via MacRumors via Gizmodo]

 

Samsung Plans to Sue Apple as Soon as iPhone 5 Arrives [REPORT]

Although the next generation of Apple‘s iPhone hasn’t yet been released, and no details about the device have been given, Samsung already plans to try to ban its sales in Korea, the Korea Times reports citing unnamed industry sources.

The legal battle between the two companies has been raging for months, with Apple managing to ban the sales of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab as well as some variants of the Galaxy S smartphone in several countries, including the Netherlands and Australia.

The companies also sued each other in Korea: Apple on the grounds of Samsung copying the iPhone and iPad product range, while Samsung’s countersuit has been more technology-based.

“For as long as Apple does not drop mobile telecommunications functions, it would be impossible for it to sell its i-branded products without using our patents. We will stick to a strong stance against Apple during the lingering legal fights,” said a senior Samsung executive.

For now, Apple is winning the patent lawsuit war, but the next generation iPhone is one of the most anticipated gadgets of the year. If Samsung should manage to delay its launch — even only in Korea — it would be a nasty setback for Apple.

[Mashable]

 

iPhone Latest: Two Models, Production Delays [RUMOR]

The iPhone 5 is likely to make its debut in the next few weeks, but could production and design issues make it a difficult device to find?

Apple is expected to hold a press event to unveil its next-generation smartphone in the next few weeks, The New York Times is reporting. This isn’t news — Sprint pretty much gave the date away, canceling store employee vacation for the first two weeks of October.

Meanwhile, 9to5mac‘s sources say that two Apple phones will be launching in the near future. This fits with the rumor that Apple intends to launch a cheaper iCloud-based iPhone that will include prepaid plans and look similar to the iPhone 4.

The second phone, the iPhone 5, is apparently “a sight to behold” because it is “impossibly light, yet much firmer than Samsung Galaxy phones.” We’ve heard that the new iPhone will sport a wider screen and a curved aluminum back, much like the iPad 2.

Getting your hands on the new iPhone may be easier said than done. One of the major assembly lines for the iPhone is apparently experiencing “continued design and production delays,” which could result in iPhone 5 shortages well into 2012.

[Mashable]