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App allows citizen scientists to track monarch butterfly migration
If you've ever pulled out your phone to take a picture of a butterfly, researchers want your help. A team from the University of Maine is using an app that lets citizens scientists along the East Coast take photos of monarch butterfly migration sites and log details about where they're found. The responses will be compiled in an online database and help researchers determine if their monarch migration predictions are accurate.
Apple's rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro may ditch the flaky keyboard
Apple may ditch the butterfly mechanism keyboard on its laptops sooner than expected. The rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro -- predicted to ship this year -- may arrive with a scissor mechanism instead of the long-troubled butterfly design. According to MacRumors, historically accurate Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo shared his prediction for this change with investors today.
Analyst: Apple will soon ditch its butterfly keyboard design
After years of controversy and technical difficulties, Apple could be about to give up on the butterfly mechanism keyboard in its MacBooks. According to a report authored by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo -- who has a decent record in accurate Apple predictions -- the company is on track to release a refreshed MacBook Air later this year, this time with a keyboard design based on scissor switches.
Butterfly wings are the key to glare-free phone displays
Butterflies have proven to be a surprising source of inspiration for technology, and that trend isn't about to slow down any time soon. German researchers have discovered that irregular, nanoscopic structures on the glasswing butterfly's namesake transparent wings eliminate most reflections at any angle -- perfect for phones, camera lenses and most any other device where display glare is a problem. The scientists have yet to completely recreate this surface in the lab, but they foresee a future where you're not struggling to read your smartphone outdoors. And the kicker? Prototypes are already self-cleaning and water-repellant, so you wouldn't need extra coatings to keep your screens largely smudge-free. [Image credit: Radwanul Hasan Siddique, KIT]
HTC's latest J Butterfly is a supercharged One M8 in a waterproof body
Japanese carrier KDDI has just announced a new HTC J Butterfly, a handset which resembles the HTC One in specs, but with features aimed at KDDI's home market. Like a lot of other Japanese devices, the 5-inch, full HD handset is waterproof in case you feel like taking fish photos. And to do so, the latest from HTC has brand new cameras: a 13-megapixel rear dual-camera model with a selfie-friendly 5-megapixel front shooter. That differs from the One M8's 4-megapixel Duo "Ultrapixel" camera. KDDI instead calls it a "Duo Effect" camera, with the secondary 2-megapixel module giving depth-of-field adjustment and other features. Filling out the spec sheet are a Snapdragon 801, 802.11ac WiFi, LTE-Advanced, 150Mbps 4g, 2GB of RAM, Android 4.4 KitKat, JBL audio profile (plus bundled earphones) and a Dot View case. All of that sounds pretty nice, but will it come to US shores? Hard to say, but the last J Butterfly model did eventually arrive as the Droid DNA (to Verizon), so we wouldn't be surprised to see the new model here too.
HTC Butterfly goes pink for Mother's Day in Taiwan
Fancy a phone that's been styled after Molly Ringwald's prom dress? HTC has decided to celebrate mother's day by releasing a Butterfly in a lovely shade of #DDA4B4 -- but only for the Ducky Dales of Taiwan. The re-tinted handset is said to drop on April 30th, carrying the same 5-inch display, 1.5GHz dual-core APQ8064 CPU and 8-megapixel camera we've seen on the other regional variants. At least we know what Sergey's getting for his mom.
HTC Butterfly said to be getting a sequel, thanks to strong sales in Asia
It's anyone's guess how the HTC One will fare in the West. After all, quality doesn't guarantee success. If we look across to Asia, though, we can see that the One's counterpart in that hemisphere, the Butterfly, has already gained some traction. Supply has failed to meet demand in its Taiwanese homeland and, according to Focus Taiwan, the phone has enjoyed "brisk sales" in Japan too -- at one point toppling the iPhone 5 to become KDDI's bestselling handset. There's been sufficient interest, in fact, that HTC's marketing boss Ben Ho has been quoted as promising a successor to the Butterfly, which will carry the same brand name. He didn't say when a Butterfly II might arrive, or what new "innovations" it might deliver, but it's an encouraging sign nonetheless.
HTC Droid DNA vs. J Butterfly vs. Butterfly: fight!
HTC made quite an impression when it launched the Droid DNA with Verizon a couple of months ago, and we're happy to say that its Butterfly variants on the other side of the world -- namely Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), India and China -- have achieved similar success, with some areas struggling to keep up with the surprising demand. Still, if you're in the market to pick up one of these 5-inch quad-core beauties, it's worth noting the subtle physical and technical differences between them. At HTC's Frequencies event this week, we had the rare chance to get all four (yes, four!) models side by side, so read on for our detailed comparison. %Gallery-178314%
HTC 8X, 8S and Butterfly to reach China in mid-December
HTC isn't going to let Nokia keep the Chinese limelight for long: the phone maker has just launched three variants of its late 2012 flagship phones for China's mainland, all of which should reach local stores by mid-December. Those looking for sheer brawn will want the Butterfly. While it's ultimately a slight variant on the J Butterfly (Droid DNA to Americans) that should reach China Unicom, the 1080p smartphone should come to the country in rarer brown and white hues alongside the black we've already seen in the US. Localized models of the Windows Phone 8X and 8S are similarly inbound, but their aces in the hole should be sheer ubiquity -- variants are on the way for WCDMA (China Unicom), CDMA2000 (China Telecom) and TD-SCDMA (China Mobile) networks. We don't immediately have pricing for the two Windows Phone 8 handsets, but the Butterfly should cost a suitably large ¥4,799 ($771) contract-free.
KDDI unveils HTC J Butterfly (HTL21), the first phone with 5-inch 1080p display
We've been hearing about a certain 5-inch HTC phablet for Verizon since July, but it looks like its Japanese counterpart may actually hit the market first. Unveiled by KDDI as the HTC J Butterfly (HTL21), this Android 4.1 device is the first announced phone to feature a 5-inch, 440ppi full-HD "Super LCD 3" panel, and it's fittingly complemented by a 1.5GHz quad-core APQ8064 underneath, making this the latest member in the small family of Snapdragon S4 Pro phones. There's an eight-megapixel camera that naturally handles 1080p video at the back, accompanied by a 2.1-megapixel front-facing imager. Other details include 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, microSDHC expansion, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 (LE), NFC, LTE and CDMA/GSM/UMTS/GPRS radios -- that's right, it's a global device. Not bad for a 140g package, and it's waterproof as well, rated at IPX5. But the question is how well will the 2,020mAh battery last under that super dense LCD and high-end processor? Only time will tell -- even KDDI has yet to finalize this part of the specs. Folks on the KDDI network can grab hold of this powerful phone in early December, with a choice of red, white or black. Update: HTC confirmed to us that this phablet will use panels supplied by Sharp and JDI.
Crapgadget: 'after school special' edition
School can be tough, especially when you're different. So what better way to keep the bullies at bay than to get your craptastic accessory freak on. In this special back to school bonanza of creeper tech, Hong Kong-based watchmaker o.d.m. mashes E.T. with a gummy bunny for a wrist-rocking return to infancy, Strapya World takes you by the baby's hand for iPhone 4 case comfort, while Dane-Elec's E-Razor USB stick goes undercover in a block full of erasing rubber. And if you're looking for a soundtrack throwback to match the solar-powered butterfly you've stuck in your Jansport, Brando's got you covered with its USB Cassette Capture & Player. Take a gander at the roundup below and make sure to vote for the crapgadget most likely to not succeed.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: hydrogen-powered space plane, Japan's solar surge and urban farms of Ze Future
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Green transportation took off for the stars this week as Inhabitat reported that the European Space Agency has approved of a new hydrogen-powered "Skylon" space plane, and we spotted a hot Star Wars-inspired electric chopper that wouldn't look out of place on the Death Star. We also learned that NASA plans to rejoin the space race with a new MPCV craft fit for deep space flights, while here on Earth we saw GE harness the power of the sun to charge Volt EVs before they hit dealerships. Speaking of solar power, Japan unveiled plans to construct 10 new solar power plants in the wake of the Fukushima Nuclear Crisis, while Switzerland announced that it will completely phase out the use of nuclear power. We also showcased a stunning chandelier made from 500 fluttering photovoltaic butterflies, and we saw Nevada kick-start construction on the US' first molten salt solar plant, which will generate energy long after the sun has set. We also brought you several incredible feats of architecture this week, from a restaurant made from a recycled Soviet airplane in Zurich to an innovative cocoon-like building made from sugarcane that recently won an AIA competition. We also showed how Plantlab is making vertical urban farms a reality, and we spotted a sky-high proposal for an energy-generating city on stilts that would hover over Manhattan. Finally, this week we rounded up some of our favorite eco apps and services that can help you green your consumption.
Solar-powered butterfly chandelier is a fluttering mass of art and light
Look closely at that blue blob up above and you'll realize it's made up of 500 butterflies, each one meticulously cut from photovoltaic cells. The hundreds of insects collect the sun's rays as they flutter around a giant glass bulb that turns into a churning mass of light after dusk. The Virtue of Blue chandelier is a stunning work of art by Dutch designer Jeroen Verhoeven that draws connections between the beauty and power of nature and the importance of sustainable energy... or, you know, just something trippy to stare at while you sip a few cocktails at the Blain|Southern gallery in London. %Gallery-124262%
MSI Butterfly and Angelow all-in-one PC concepts, eyes-on
MSI's new tablets felt like prototypes, but the device pictured above is truly far out -- it's the MSI Butterfly, one of several whimsical concepts the company teased about a week ago. We actually ducked into MSI's booth right before it covered the whole display with a giant plexiglass box and got some reasonable snapshots, but nothing remotely resembling a proper hands-on, so you'll have to make do with the gallery below and whatever dreams may come. %Gallery-113326%
MSI details Sandy Bridge, Fusion all-in-ones ahead of CES, teases a sliding screen
We just finished reviewing a feature-packed MSI Wind Top, but come CES next week we'll have three more to try: the AE2410, AE2210 and AE2050, each with the very latest silicon inside. Notebook Italia reports that the Taiwanese computer company's using Intel's new Sandy Bridge CPUs in each of its 24- and 22-inch rigs, and grabbed a low-power AMD Brazos APU for the likely budget 20-inch model -- which will reportedly still include a Blu-ray drive like its Core 2 Duo cousin. All three will sport 1080p touchscreen displays and USB 3.0 ports, but also a spiffy new feature called Super Charger that will charge attached USB gadgets even when the computer is off. Innovations, to be sure, but perhaps not as exciting as the concept items pictured above and below -- up top is the MSI Butterfly, which reportedly has a sliding multitouch screen with ten points of contact, and after the break, see the luxurious MSI Angelow. Here's hoping for prices, specs and high-res pictures once we get to the show.
GE lands $6.3 million DARPA grant to develop 'bio-inspired' sensors
Do butterflies hold the key to the next generation of chemical sensors? DARPA apparently thinks they might, and it's just awarded GE a $6.3 million grant to further develop a project that the company's research division began three years ago. That project was sparked by the discovery that the nanostructures from the wing scales of butterflies have acute chemical sensing properties, which GE has since been working to replicate in a sensing platform that could instantly detect a wide variety of chemical threats. What's more, GE says that it's sensors could eventually be made in "very small sizes, with low production costs," which would let them be used for everything from emissions monitoring at power plants to food and beverage safety monitoring at home. Full press release is after the break.
ChouChou Electric Butterfly flutters to life inside a jar
Most robot pets may not be easily mistaken for the real thing, but that's not likely to be the case with the ChouChou Electric Butterfly, which might even have a few people reaching to free it from its jar. Unfortunately, it's the jar that keeps the butterfly "alive" -- it has some AA batteries in its lid that apparently allow the butterfly to respond to vibrations and flutter about. That may not sound like much, but the effect is pretty striking -- see for yourself after the break. Of course, just because it's simple doesn't mean its cheap. You'll have to shell out a hefty $76 to bring this one home.
Lumines website updates, showcases more music videos
The Lumines II website has entered Phase II. In this stage, it will develop chrysalis around its body, to protect itself during metamorphosis. It will also showcase music videos in the new Video Hub section. Artists you can preview include the Black Eyed Peas, Fatboy Slim, Beck, The Go! Team, The Chemical Brothers, and more.Lumines II flutters to store shelves on November 7th.
Indie dev speaks about Virtual Console
The VGM podcast was able to snag an interview with Shayne Guiliano of Autonomous Productions, a developer who's primary focus has been games for the mobile market (see: cellphones). In moving to Xbox Live Marketplace and Virtual Console distribution, his company's debut title is Butterfly Garden, a game that didn't have any details revealed in this episode of the podcast, but there is to be more installments that will shed light on the game. Instead, Shayne talks about improving games that are ported over to Nintendo's service (adding multiplayer to Metroid?!) and sees Nintendo backing more and more indie developers such as his company in the future.