Apple gadgets that time forgot
All around Apple's Cupertino campus there are people working on the Next Big Thing: it could be the iPhone 5 or an iPad 3, a proper Apple TV or a new kind of Mac.
It may even be something you could never imagine. And that happens all day, every day. And it's been going on since Apple was founded in the 1980s.
Of course, not all of the products Apple has come up with over the years have been successful. For every iPhone there's been a G4 Cube. Or even a Flower Power iMac come to that. But it's by experimenting with new ideas, coming up with different kinds of products, and learning from each failure that has made Apple the company it is today.
It's only by delving into its past that we can understand its present and future. As Apple proudly declared ahead of the iPhone's launch in 2007: the first 30 years were just the beginning.
Here is a selection of some amazing Apple gadgets that time forgot: touch-sensitive tablets that are obvious precursors to the iPad, portable, internet-connected phones and pioneering digital cameras. There's even a games console lurking in there somewhere… one thing's for sure - there are plenty of surprises in store.
1. Touch tablets
Name: Apple Newton Bic (codename), Apple Cadillac (codename)
Price: Not applicable
Description: Pen-based portable tablets
When: 1985-1997
Modern equivalent: Apple iPad
We all know that Apple was working on an iPad-style tablet long before the iPhone arrived in 2007, but as far back as 1992-93? Surely not, right? But that's exactly what Apple was thinking about when it came up with two touchsensitive tablets, codenamed 'Bic' and 'Cadillac', running the Newton OS.
The Bic was letter-sized and featured two PCMCIA cards, a removable battery and built-in microphone and speaker. The Cadillac (pictured) was similar, but had a smaller display.
According to Jim Abeles, who owns both Bic and Cadillac prototypes, Apple eventually dropped the tablets because it couldn't find a market for them. How times have changed.
2. Printers
Name: Apple ImageWriter, LaserWriter, StyleWriter
Price: From $675 (£428)
Description: Dot-matrix printer, laser/inkjet printer
When: 1985-1997
Modern equivalent: All-in-one colour printer/copier/scanner
The company that kick-started the desktop publishing revolution in the 1980s also made printers. It's an idea that only seems surprising in retrospect.
At the time you could barely move for the assorted Apple ImageWriters and LaserWriters, many of which were used to churn out pages from programs like Aldus PageMaker. ImageWriters, using dot-matrix printing technology, arrived first in 1984, with LaserWriter laser printers appearing a year later.
Apple's first consumer-oriented inkjet, the StyleWriter, arrived in 1993. Like a lot of other products, Apple's entire printer range fell victim to Steve Jobs' austerity cuts on his return in 1997.
3. Scanners
Name: Apple Scanner, Apple OneScanner
Price: Unknown
Description: A4 flatbed scanner
When: 1988-1996
Modern equivalent: All-in-one colour printer/copier/scanner
Hand in hand with the desktop publishing revolution and Apple-badged printers were these: desktop scanners that enabled designers, photographers and other creative types to capture images and text and then use them in their PageMaker pages.
The original Apple Scanner made its debut in 1988 – an A4 flatbed model that was capable of capturing 4-bit images in up to 16 shades of grey and took around 20 seconds to complete a full scan. The first colour model, the ColorOneScanner, made its debut four years later. Apple was still selling scanners when Steve Jobs arrived back in 1997, but by then its days were numbered: the last one to roll off the production line was the Color OneScanner 1200/30 in 1996.
4. Wi-Fi
Name: Apple AirPort
Price: $199 (£126)
Description: 802.11b Wi-Fi base station
When: 1999-2003
Modern equivalent: Apple AirPort Extreme/Apple Time Capsule
Famous for being the 'one more thing' revealed by Steve Jobs during his Macworld Expo keynote in 1999, the AirPort sparked a wireless revolution that continues to go from strength to strength to this day.
Although Wi-Fi technology already existed, it was too expensive and esoteric for most people to get their heads around. That all changed when Apple challenged Wi-Fi co-creator Lucent to come up with a sub-$100 version that could be included as an optional extra in the first-gen iBooks Apple was working on.
PC-friendly versions of the technology eventually arrived a year later, but by then history had already been made.
5. Games consoles
Name: Apple Bandai Pippin Atmark/ Katz Media Pippin
Price: $599 (£379)
Description: Games console / low-cost computer
When: 1995-1997
Modern equivalent: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360
Cast your mind back to the great console wars of 1995 and what do you think of? Sony Playstation? Certainly. Nintendo 64? Definitely? Sega Saturn? Sure. The, erm, Pippin? Not really…
The charmingly named machine was a desperate attempt to cash in on the gaming boom. It was a PowerPC-based console that Apple built for Bandai in the US/Japan and Katz Media in Europe, but it was horribly hobbled from the off, being vastly underpowered, overpriced and lacking in any sort of credible software.
By the time production stopped in 1997, Bandai had managed to sell a paltry 42,000 units, while Katz had offloaded 5,000.
Six more forgotten Apple gadgets 6. Netbooks
Name: Apple eMate 300
Price: $800 (£316)
Description: Ultraportable laptop/netbook
When: 1997-1998
Modern equivalent: 11-inch MacBook Air
Designed as a tough, compact 'computer' for schools, the 1997 eMate 300 is arguably the ancestor of the netbook PC and MacBook Air, but was got rid of by Steve Jobs just one year into its lifespan. The eMate 300's big standout feature is its innovative industrial design, which includes a curvy 'clamshell' body, carrying handle and the use of translucent plastics.
Although the stock model only came in one colour – aquamarine – several prototypes were also produced in red, orange, red, purple and clear plastic. Often credited to Jonathan Ive, the eMate 300 was actually designed by Thomas Meyerhoffer who was allowed to go 'hogwild' by Apple executives (Businessweek, 1997).
However, the eMate's legacy survived its untimely demise – its design clearly influenced the original iBook, which arrived in 1999.
7. PDAs
Name: Apple Newton MessagePad
Price: unknown
Description: Pen-based personal digital assistant (PDA)
When: 1993-1998
Modern equivalent: Ink handwriting recognition software, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch
Before the iPad, the iPhone, iPod touch, even before the Palm Pilot there was this: the world's first touchscreen PDA. First launched by Apple in 1993, the Newton MessagePad was in many ways ahead of its time.
It introduced the idea of using a touch-sensitive screen and stylus to consumer devices and even included handwriting recognition, although it didn't work that well at first. The original Newton MessagePad didn't even include a way to sync the device with a Mac or PC.
Luckily things steadily improved with each new iteration, while the Newton operating system included features that are now familiar to us, such as a popup on-screen keyboard. Although it was eventually banished by Steve Jobs in 1998, the Newton MessagePad still has its fans. Smart, tough and beautiful, it arguably inspired the templates for the iOS devices and smartphones that we use today.
8. Portable CD players
Name: Apple PowerCD
Price: $499 (£316)
Description: Portable CD-ROM drive
When: 1993-1997
Modern equivalent: iPod
When Apple dropped the word 'Computer' from its name in 2007, it finally fulfilled an ambition it had been working towards for years. It wanted to grow beyond its computing origins and become a consumer electronics company, hence devices like the QuickTake digital camera and this, the PowerCD.
Dreamed up by short-lived Apple design group Mac Like Things, the PowerCD was actually one of Apple's more successful attempts, remaining in Apple's line-up from 1993 to 1997. It chiefly served as an external CD-ROM for the optical drive-less PowerBooks of the time, but could also be used as a portable music player by slotting batteries into its base and teaming it with a pair of AppleDesign Powered Speakers.
It was also compatible with Kodak photo CDs, images from which could be viewed on the Mac using the PowerCD's built-in SCSI connector or on a TV using its video output. Although the PowerCD's slick design was Apple's own, the mechanics inside weren't: Philips, co-creator of CD technology alongside Sony, made them.
9. Digital cameras
Name: Apple QuickTake
Price: $749 (£474)
Description: Digital compact camera
When: 1994-1997
Modern equivalent: Digital camera in iPhone, iPod touch and iPad
We may take digital photos for granted today, but back in the 90s, the technology was a frontier town full of all kinds of exciting possibilities – and Apple was at the very forefront. It became the first company to launch a consumer digital camera in the US in 1994 with the QuickTake 100.
Built by Kodak, the binocular-style camera had a fixed lens and could store up to eight VGA-resolution images at a time on its 1MB of internal memory, with photos transferred to the Mac using a serial cable. The QuickTake 100 was followed by another Kodak-made model – the QuickTake 150 – and then the Fujifilm-made QuickTake 200 (pictured) but none of the cameras sold well, chiefly thanks to Apple's lack of photography heritage and stiff competition.
Again, Steve Jobs canned the cameras when he returned to Apple in 1997.
10. Portable phones
Name: W.A.L.T. (codename)
Price: Not applicable (prototype)
Description: pen-based portable communication tablet
When: 1990-1993
Modern equivalent: iPhone, iPad
If Apple had launched the iPhone in 1990 instead of 2007, this is what it might have looked like. The W.A.L.T. – or Wizzy Active Lifestyle Telephone – was a portable communications tablet jointly developed by Apple and US phone network BellSouth.
Key features include a touch-sensitive screen with stylus input, handwriting recognition and a built-in address book, message pad and fax machine. Sadly, the W.A.L.T. project was not to be. It mysteriously ground to a halt in 1993.
11. All-in-ones
Name: Paladin (codename)
Price: Not applicable (prototype)
Description: All-in-one computer, scanner, fax machine and phone
When: 1993
Modern equivalent: Unknown
This was another attempt to marry computers with the world of telephone communications. This time the gadget appeared in the shape of an all-in-one Mac, phone, scanner and fax machine aimed at small businesses.
The whole thing was controlled by an application called Complete Office, which enabled easy switching between its various modes.
Best Ultrabooks: 15 of the best
Is 2012 going to be the year of the Ultrabook?
The term Ultrabook is a marketing term dreamt up by Intel but like Centrino and unlike Viiv, it's starting to stick as a catch-all term for thin and light laptops, or ultraportables as they're sometimes classified.
The best way to think of an Ultrabook is a MacBook Air that isn't made by Apple, a netbook that isn't underpowered or a laptop that's been on a crash diet. It will have a Core i3, i5 or i7 processor.
According to Intel, Ultrabooks also have "ultra-capabilities" - security features, battery power, instant-on and standby. They'll provide a lightweight alternative to tablet devices for people who just can't work without a full QWERTY keyboard. There are also other high-end features such as SSD storage and USB 3.0 connectivity.
Intel has announced a massive $300m (£185m) fund to help develop Ultrabook hardware and software, and it's confident that Ultrabooks will make up 40% of the market by 2012.
The first models will ship with Sandy Bridge Core processors, followed by Ivy Bridge chips in 2012 and Haswell processors in 2013. Intel set an initial price target of $999/£999 for Ultrabooks, though many have been more expensive - expect serious in-roads on the cheaper £600-£800 market this year.
But what's the best Ultrabook to buy? Check out the best Ultrabooks we've reviewed, as well as some we got hands on with at CES 2012.
1. LG Z330 and Z430 Super Ultrabooks
Rather than a tapered design, the chassis on the 13.3-inch LG Z330 Super Ultrabook is 14.7mm thick from front to back. It runs Windows 7 (for now) and has a bigger brother, the LG Z430, which comes with a 14-inch display. Why is it 'Super'? Because LG says so.
Read our Hands on: LG Z330 and Z430 Super Ultrabook review
2. Asus Zenbook UX31
Asus has done a terrific job with the Zenbook's design - even if you have to acknowledge that the designer took more than a sneaky glance at Apple's ultraportable first.The 13-inch Zenbook is fantastic to look at. When closed, the wedge-shaped laptop measures 17mm at its thickest point and a mere 3mm at its thinnest.The same design thinking even stretches to the Intel Core and Windows 7 stickers. We wonder who it was that proposed they were silver and black - Intel? Asus? - but whoever did has made a difference.
Read our Asus Zenbook UX31 review
3. Samsung Series 5 Ultra
Packing an Intel Core i5 processor, the Samsung Series 5 Ultra is small but perfectly formed. Available in 14-inch or 13-inch models, the 13 incher is 17.6mm at its fattest point, narrowing to 14mm.
It comes with a 128GB/256GB SSD or a 500GB hard drive and incorporates an LED SuperBright screen. The only worry? Battery life is pegged at around 6.5 hours, which is about 2 hours too short in our book.
Not to be confused with the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook. Which is definitely not an Ultrabook.
Read our Hands on: Samsung Series 5 Ultra review
4. Samsung Series 9
While the original Series 9 was one of the world's thinnest laptops, the new Samsung Series 9 Ultrabook is even thinner.
The design team has shaved off another 4mm, giving this 13-inch (1600 x 1200) laptop a waistline of only 12.9mm. Inside, a 1.7GHz Core i7 chip does all the hard work, ably assisted by up to 8GB of memory and SSD storage.
Read our Hands on: Samsung 9 Series review
5. HP Folio 13
As the moniker suggests, the HP Folio 13 is yet another 13-inch Ultrabook. It's not much of a looker and, at 18mm around the middle, it's not the slimmest Ultrabook at CES.
But HP is claiming a 9-hour battery life for the Folio 13, which will be ideal for regular mobile workers who value staying power over pretty design.
Read our Hands on: HP Folio 13 review
6. Lenovo IdeaPad U300S
Lenovo hasn't obsessed over aesthetics, and this laptop is no Apple MacBook Air clone. It seems chunky next to the wafer-thin Asus Zenbook, which features a wedge-shaped design that tapers off to a thin, blade-like point.
The Lenovo IdeaPad U300S retains its 16mm thickness across the chassis, giving it the impression of being squat. The body is aluminium, and weighs 1.4kg, the same as the Acer Aspire S3, but much heavier than the Toshiba Portege Z830 and the Toshiba Satellite Z830-10U. If you're looking for an ultrabook that will turn heads, you will most likely look elsewhere, but can the Lenovo IdeaPad U300S impress with power?
Read our Lenovo IdeaPad U300S review
7. HP Envy 14 Spectre
The HP Envy 14 Spectre is a little bigger than your average Ultrabook and a little fatter because of it. Intel specifies a sub- 18mm chassis for 13-inch models, but 14-inchers like this can bulk up to 21mm.
With a Core i5 (or i7) processor and 128GB HDD inside, HP claims a 9 hour battery life for the Spectre. And... that's really the only appeal.
Read our: Hands on: HP Envy 14 Spectre review
8. Dell XPS 13
The Dell XPS 13 might be a little late to the Ultrabook party, but it's one of the prettiest portables we've seen.
Amazingly, Dell will squeeze an Intel Core i5 or i7 inside the trim chassis, along with 4GB of memory and a 128/256GB SSD. How thin is it? 6mm at its slimmest point.
Dell isn't among the first manufacturers to put an Intel Ultrabook on the streets, but it isn't exactly late to the party.
Read our Hands on: Dell XPS 13 review
9. Asus Zenbook UX21
The Asus Zenbook UX21 is the first 11-inch ultrabook to hit the shelves. Of course, comparisons will be immediately drawn with the Apple MacBook Air, which is one of the best ultra-portable laptops money can buy, and these two 11-inch portables are very closely matched. The Asus Zenbook UX21 matches the Apple MacBook Air in every respect. It's just as well-built, made out of a single piece of aluminium, just as light and oozes the same head-turning style and class that makes people cast admiring glances while you work in public. It also has the same Intel Core i5 low voltage 1.6GHz processor, and a 128GB solid state hard drive, which keeps the system really responsive and fast.
Hands on Asus Zenbook UX21 review
10. Lenovo IdeaPad U310 and U410
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The Lenovo IdeaPad U310 has a distinctly MacBook Pro vibe to it but these Ultrabooks are expected to be at the cheaper end of the scale, around £600 or so. Packing a 13-inch display, the U310 tips the scales at 1.7kg and is squeezed into an aluminium chassis that's 18mm thick.
A Core i5 chip is expected to provide the processing grunt, with the choice of a 64GB SSD or 500GB hard disk for storage. There's also a U410, boasting a 14-inch display.
Read our Hands on: Lenovo IdeaPad U310 and IdeaPad U410 review
11. Toshiba Satellite Z830
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The Toshiba Satellite Z830-10U, priced at £999 in the UK (the US price isn't yet available).
At its thickest point, the Satellite Z830-10U measures only 16mm across, but Toshiba has still packed in Sandy Bridge power and given us one of the best trackpads we've yet seen on an ultrabook. It's not without niggles, however, and we found parts of the chassis to be inferior to stronger machines such as the Asus Zenbook.
It's the lightest Ultrabook chassis we've yet seen, but also an excellent battery life, this could be the answer for frequent travellers who need a long-lasting machine full of performance for under £1,000.
Read our Toshiba Satellite Z830-10U review
12. Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga
We're loving the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga. This flexible, foldable Ultrabook also converts into a 16.9mm thick tablet with a 13.1-inch (1600x900 pixel) touchscreen.
Running Windows 8 you get the best of all worlds - a QWERTY keyboard for heavy duty working and a tablet experience for after hours net sessions on the sofa. The downside? It probably won't be cheap.
Read our Hands on: Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga review
13 Acer Aspire S3
The 13.3-inch Acer Aspire S3-951 is an appealing prospect for regular travellers. The Intel Core i7 2637M version we tested is priced at £900 in the UK and costs $1300 in the US (where it has the more specific name of Acer Aspire S3-951-6432), which is enticing, considering the impressive specs list.
A less powerful Core i5 model can be bought for £700 in the UK, while in the US there are three cheaper Core i5 machines, two of which cost $900, while one retails at $1199.
Read our Acer Aspire S3 review
14. The Intel Nikiski concept
While not technically an Ultrabook, Intel tells us that a Ultrabook version of the oddball Nikiski is on the cards for later this year.
What makes it stand out is the glass touch pad that turns into a touchscreen layer to enable you to browse a slimline view of key information such as new emails.
15. Acer Aspire S5
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Thin (15mm) and light (1.35kg), the new Acer Aspire S5 isn't much of a design departure from the older Acer Aspire S3.
But it takes advantage of its Ultrabook DNA with a 13.3-inch display, Thunderbolt technology, SSD storage and a fast (but as yet unspecified) Intel CPU. Are we excited? Meh.
The winners and losers of CES 2012
Now that our jetlag is subsiding, it's time to take a look back at the utter madness that was, and always is, the Consumer Electronics Show.
CES 2012 didn't have a huge amount of absolute stand out kit, but for a time of financial uncertainty, there sure were a lot of launches and the industry certainly hasn't been shy in terms of coming forward with expensive designs.
This was the biggest CES ever, with 1.861 million square feet of exhibit space, beating the previous record from 2008. 153,000 attendees dragged themselves to Las Vegas to traipse the miles around the show and Sin City's infamous megaresort hotels.
So let's look at some of the key themes and check out who did well and who did rather less well.
Ultrabooks are great, but there's a problem
Much to our chagrin, Intel is succeeding in making the Ultrabook moniker stick. Ultrabooks were one of the dominant themes of this CES with so many jumping on the bandwagon to make something that, in basic hardware terms at least, is comparable with the MacBook Air. Trouble is, Intel has a big problem - not that Intel's Mooly Eden would admit it (below). Ultrabooks may be desirable, but they are too expensive. And because of the spec that Intel has put together is tight, it doesn't leave manufacturers much wiggle-room. Hence we're going to see cheaper Ultrabooks, but they'll be lower spec. Core i3 and smaller SSDs won't be uncommon. It's a shame, but inevitable.
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Intel does phones
It was also a massive show for Intel as it announced bone fide partners for its Atom chip in smartphones. Lenovo and Motorola have taken a big punt, the latter especially considering its ARM heritage. We can only assume a huge sum of cash was involved. We can't wait to see how this one develops next month at Mobile World Congress 2012 in sunny Barcelona.
Microsoft's move seems odd….
While it's pretty understandable that Microsoft would want to withdraw from doing a keynote talk every year (the last few have been super dull), it seems bizarre that Microsoft would withdraw from having any presence at the show. Still, that's what is currently happening, and the company's massive booth space has already been sold elsewhere for CES 2013. Microsoft's strength is in its partners and it will be happy enough that people like Nokia, Samsung and Lenovo will carry the fight for Windows and Windows Phone – although we'd have expected to see more from the next Xbox by this time next year…
….but they won't be alone
While Microsoft will join Apple has a CES absentee in 2013, we reckon they might join the growing band of companies eschewing a stand in favour of suites at a Las Vegas hotel. Asus and Acer had a presence elsewhere, for example. But while meeting space is allowed, we've seen the CES organisers try and restrict actual exhibiting elsewhere in the past. Dell, who had a massive product and meeting room presence in a separate hotel in 2011, weren't there in 2012 – their key product, the Dell XPS 13, was launched in Intel boss Paul Otellini's keynote.
Nokia is back. Kind of
While the Sony, HTC and LG phone launches at the show were all very nice, Nokia grabbed the headlines. Nokia is beginning from a standing start in the US, but the Lumia 900 was very well received at the show and the when Stephen Elop was joined on stage by Steve Ballmer was a bright moment in a turgid day of press conferences. What's more, a lot of people actually really like Nokia's latest generation of Windows Phones. Even us. The big question, of course, is whether Finland's finest can translate its successful buzz into sales and market share – not only in the US, but elsewhere too.
OLED is still way off mass market
We loved the Samsung and LG 55-inch OLEDs we saw at CES. LG's effort is a ridiculously thin 4mm thick. But while the sets will launch this year, the cost is set to remain probative. $5,000 is the latest estimate for Samsung's Super OLED. Wow. Also interesting was Sony's prototype display technology called Crystal LED, though the company says this new technology is "parallel to its continued development and commercialization of OLED displays." Odd.
The future's in the cloud
Yes, so we've heard it all before. But the OnLive Desktop for iPad really does give us an insight into how we might be using remote computers for tasks more complex than our thin and light portable devices can handle. Here it's about bringing a full desktop experience to the iPad. Clever stuff.
Windows 8 blurs the lines
It's an Ultrabook but it's also a Windows 8 tablet. That's the mantra of one of the finest pieces of hardware we saw at CES 2012, the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga. It sets the tone for what is set to be a massive year for mobile computing. Windows 8 will drive a whole raft of devices that don't conform to the usual laptop-tablet designations and Intel is also talking about touch-based Ultrabooks too. But, once again, cost will be a massive issue with all of these options. These kind of devices won't undercut the iPad. Broadly-speaking though, we can't wait for 8.
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Google TV is getting better
The Sony NSZ-GP7 set-top box and LG G6 Google TV show what Google's TV platform is capable of. And, while it's still not a brilliant solution, it is better than a lot of the existing smart TV platforms that remain slosw to start up and tedious to use.
Pie-in-the-sky prototypes
CES remains the place to show off your prototype kit. But is Razer's Project Fiona gaming tablet (pictured below) really worth bothering about? Despite all the buzz, it's a hugely thick tablet that we're betting won't ever see the light of day. We also thought Intel's Nikiski see-through notebook was just plain weird. It has a clever glass touchpad that doubles up as a touchscreen when you close the lid. Sadly though, What Laptop magazine editor James Stables reminded us of its resemblance to Windows Vista's Sideshow tech. Which was rubbish. In TV, Sharp's prototype 8K panel boasted 7,680 x 4,320 pixels. That's 16 times the resolution of HD. Remember that we hardly have any content for 4K displays as yet let alone 8K…
Well done, Lenovo
Our company of the show comes from an unlikely quarter. It may seem surprising, but Lenovo is all set to be a superpower in consumer electronics. Lenovo started the way they meant to go on, previewing laptops and tablets aplenty at the first CES event for press last Sunday. It even had the token secret device, in the form of the IdeaPad K2. But it didn't stop there. At another event on Monday it showed the awesome IdeaPad Yoga mentioned above. But then on Tuesday, Intel announced Lenovo as the first partner for Intel Atom smartphones before Lenovo uncovered the K800 handset at yet another event. It was a nightmare to cover for us journalists but, in the words of Sir Bruce, didn't they do well?
Apple has the ebook market in its sights for its media event on Thursday, with the latest leaks suggesting that it has 'GarageBand for ebooks' in the works.
By that, we mean a one-stop ebook formatting shop that allows easy creation of interactive, iBook-compliant interactive ebooks. Doesn't that sound fun?
What it may mean is an end to all those horribly formatted, cheaply produced ebooks that are occasionally ripped verbatim from Wikipedia and seem to pop up no matter what you search for in the Apple ebookstore.
They'll still be ripped verbatim from Wikipedia, but at least they'll look a bit better and, perhaps, feature swizzy interactive stuff.
Digital destruction
But it's digital textbooks that will be the headline news at Apple's New York event, with expected announcements to include textbooks on iBooks and improvements to the iTunes University.
Ars Technica's source adds that this digital textbook mission was Steve Jobs' pet project in the final years of his life, and was set to be announced alongside the iPhone 4S in October 2011, but pushed back due to Jobs' grave health.
Sony has released a new teaser video touting 'Dot Switch' as a form of 'new entertainment' from the company.
It doesn't give much away – which, to be fair, is the point of a teaser – but shows a Sony Ericsson handset being used to control a TV, a gramophone, some glitter cannons and a robotic arm that lifts a cover off a small black box.
While we're not sure about real world use for the glitter cannons or the robotic arm, the video seems to hint at smartphone control of external devices, and perhaps sharing content between the handset and the TV, just as the Sony Tablet S can.
Mystery box
With that in mind, is the small black box some kind of media hub?
Then again, perhaps the small black box is a red herring – some are speculating that the teaser could be for the 'new kind of TV' that Sony hinted at in late 2011.
Basically, we dunno. For all we know it could be that box from that film The Box where you get a million dollars if you press the button that kills someone.
What we do know is that all will become clear on 21 February – that's a bit early for Mobile World Congress 2012, so we're not pinning our hopes on a new Sony smartphone but it does seem clear that phones will be involved in some way.
Although with the teaser and its surrounding text and web address all in Japanese, we may not be privy to this 'new entertainment' over in the UK and US. Check out the video for yourself below:
YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVCB-iJMPd4
A new treatment called HZO could soon appear in phones, making them waterproof inside and out.
The technology was shown off at this year's CES show in Las Vegas as the manufacturer dunked phones in a fish tank to demonstrate the treatment's water-repelling properties.
Mobiles in the testing line-up included an iPhone and models from Samsung and Motorola.
Unlike other waterproof measures, HZO doesn't just waterproof the outside of the phone. The treatment is applied to the phone during manufacture, coating the internal electronics, right down to the smallest "nook and cranny", according to the promotional video.
Invisible nano magic
The company claims that its "invisible vapor coating" protects electronics at the molecular scale with HZO nano-sized molecules.
If it's as effective as claimed, the treatment could end the need for most waterproof cases, protecting gadgets from accidental dunkings or sweat damage when exercising.
"We showed the Samsung Chairman the technology with a Samsung Galaxy S that we had coated with HZO and he couldn't believe his eyes," a representative of the company told Pocket Lint. "Samsung is really excited by the tech."
HZO says it has been in talks with Apple and that some of next season's phone's could well be waterproofed with the technology.
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