Welcome to Square Marbles.
Our Web site is not so much under construction as under design.
Our ambition is to produce software which is not only functionally innovative, but also visually, artistically innovative.
In that vein our first graphic involves a famous sailing ship, the last of its kind – the Cutty Sark.
The Cutty Sark re-opens 26.04.12, so watch this space as the graphics develop.
Derwent Pencil Extenders
I love Derwent Pencils, and find their pencil extenders excellent for getting the best out of every last inch of a pencil.
But, I’ve just found a feature, I bet even they didn’t intend.
I was just checking out the Paper app on my iPad from FiftyThree when I needed to make a note. During mid ‘Thunk’ I was mindlessly tapping the end of my pencil extender on my iPad when I noticed the screen moving.
Investigating some more, I went into a Paper journal and realised I could write, draw etc., just as if I’d been holding a stylus.
You don’t have to hold the pencil end perpendicular, and as far as I can see, it doesn’t scratch the screen – I don’t use a screen protector so I don’t know if it works with them.
Be interesting to know if anyone else can repeat this phenomenon.
Electronic Paper Display from LG
Today LG unveiled the world’s first plastic e-paper display, which the company claims will “revolutionize the E-Book market.”
The 6-inch E Ink display features 1,024 x 768-pixel resolution and can bend at an angle of up to 40 degrees.
“With the world’s first plastic EPD, LG Display has once again proven its reputation for leadership and innovation with a product we believe will help greatly popularize the E-Book market,” said Mr. Sang Duck Yeo, Head of Operations for LG Display’s Mobile/OLED division.
credit: BGR Media – Thursday 29 March 2012
In App advertising, a popular method of income generation for developers, for Apps on the Android and Windows operating systems has been shown to adversely affect battery life.
Researchers monitored energy being used by several Apps and in one case 75% of the Apps energy consumption was spent on powering advertisements.
The App sensation “Angry Birds” only uses 20% of its energy consumption to actually play the game! 45% is used to gain your location to serve targeted advertising.
Tests were run using the Apps over a 3G connection.
Developers, energy optimisation is the new black.
credit: BBC – Wednesday 21 March 2012
The long running saga of when Windows 8 will be released may finally come to an end this October when the OS is due to hit shelves, along with a range of supporting tablets.
This will be the biggest interface overhaul for Windows yet and will introduce the interactive panel system seen on Windows 7.5 phones.
The October deadline is crucial if Microsoft stand any chance of making headway on the new iPad. “If they miss the September-October time frame, they’re going to be stuck without being able to ship anything in 2012″, Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg told Bloomberg.
Windows 8 will deliver a similar experience to those of you using Windows 7.5 phones. Colourful menus and live tiles will display realtime information, notifications and application updates.
With over 3 million new iPad’s being sold since its launch less than a week ago, is it a case of too little too late for Microsoft? The pressures on.
credit: Channel 5 – Wednesday 21 March 2012
A globe trotting garden gnome has been used to demonstrate why Britons weigh more than Mexicans.
Kern has been packed off with a set of super-accurate scales of the same name to show how an object’s weight varies around the planet.
He has visited scientists across Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. Wherever Kern is sent, researchers are warned: “Although made from special chip-proof resin, he is an instrument of science so please handle with the utmost care.”
So far the bearded model weighed more in London than anywhere else on Earth apart from the South Pole. In Antarctica’s Amundsen-Scott Research Station he weighed 309.82g, while in London he tipped the scales at 308.66g.
But he was a svelte 307.62g in Mexico City and just 307.56g in Mumbai, which are both closer to the equator.
British scientist James Nester, who helped conceive the Gnome Experiment said: “Most people don’t realise the strength of the Earth’s gravitational pull differs around the globe. This is mainly due to variations in the shape and density of the planet. Believe it or not, the Earth is actually slightly potato-shaped so you’ll weigh up to 0.5 per cent more or less, depending on where you go. Areas near the poles are closest to the Earth’s core and subject to stronger gravity. Next on Kern’s itinerary are Snolab in Canadam which at 2km (1.2 miles) underground is the world’s deepest laboratory, and Cern’s Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland.
credit: Metro – Monday 19th March 2012
A new app, to be released next year, will translate sign language into text. The Portable Sign Language Translator is set to transform the way 100,000 British sign language users communicate with non-sign language users.
Sign language can be used in front of a camera built into a laptop, tablet or phone and the app will instantly translate gestures into text on the screen. It will hit the market in the second half of 2013 and its makers say it will be affordable for the average person.
It will work on all types of phones – no matter how cheap they are, as long as they have a camera. Dr. Ernesto Compatangelo, the founder developer of Technabling, said it had the “potential to change the lives” of many thousands. “Most people can’t understand sign language”, he said. “So they are unable to talk with the deaf and it’s not so simple to work together, but now it will be. The deaf recognise it’s a big problem and, therefore, the reaction has been very positive, especially when they tried the prototype, they were happy with it.”
The app has a built-in customisation tool allowing users to add their own abbreviations and cater for regional variations in sign language ‘accents’.
credit: Metro – Monday 12th March 2012
Supersize phones with 5in screens, “life-proof” handsets which can be submerged in water and the battle for processing power are the biggest trends at the show, as rivals seek to seize ground from Apple and continue the rapid spread of Google’s Android operating system.
The pace of technological advances over the past 12 months has led many to call this new generation “superphones” rather than “smartphones” and it’s not hard to see why. Quad-core processors more powerful than your PC, 41 Megapixel cameras and movie projector handsets will all be within your reach this year.
The supersize market was kickstarted by Samsung last year after they launched the Galaxy Note, which blurred the lines between phones and tablets. The giant phone or “fablet” market is one to watch, with LG and Panasonic producing high spec competitors.
With a 5in screen and a body so large you need both hands to type on it, the LG Optimus Vu is designed for work and play, with a stylus and HD IPS display.
The Panasonic Eluga Power is similar but adds waterproof tech to its USP’s. Water damage being the No. 1 cause of phone deaths in the UK.
Budget phone makers Huawei launched a flagship quad-core Android handset called the Ascend D Quad.
Doro, which makes handsets for older users announced the PhoneEasy 740 which aims to introduce silver surfers to mobile social networking through its own easy to use apps.
Nokia revealed the 41 Megapixel, 808 Pure View.
As Android continues to be the dominant operating system driving the “superphones”, Google chairman Eric Schmidt says he believes smartphones will be as cheap as ordinary phones by 2013.
credit: Metro – Tuesday 6th March 2012
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