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Nissan Brings Self-Healing, Scratch Proof Technology to iPhone Cases

Administrator — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 07:03:01 +0000

Nissan, a name that you won’t expect to be associated with
, announced an iPhone case that isn’t just scratch resistant, but is also the world’s first “self-healing” iPhone case, using innovations from the automotive world.
The company, in collaboration with a Japanese university, had developed this “self-healing” paint technology a few years back. It’s already being used in a few Nissan cars, and the
case is the first application of this technique outside the world of automobiles.
Apart from mending scratches, the case’s “tactile gel-like” surface lends a better grip to the device. Nissan’s presser describes a few features of the case and also explains the self-healing technique:
[T]he case itself is made of ABS plastic – a high grade substance widely used in the automotive industry which is more rigid and robust than other plastics. The outer ‘paint’ is made from polyrotaxane, which means that when damage occurs to the coating in the form of a fine scratch, the chemical structure is able to react to change back to its original shape and fill the gap – ‘healing’ the blemish.
The healing process, Nissan says, can range from an hour for small scratches, up to a week for severe ones. It also notes that, the technology fails to work for deep scratches that penetrate the outer layer.
The case is named “Nissan Scratch Shield,” and is compatible with the
. It’s being handed to beta testers presently, and would be available to general public later this year. There’s not word on the pricing, though.
Nissan’s “self-healing” paint, when combined with
, would make future iPhones extremely tough and resistant to cracks or scratches.
Nissan’s executive outlines an interesting trend in the press release – taking innovation from one industry, and applying it in another.
Nissan has currently produced only prototypes of the case, which are being beta tested by some journalists and customers. Nissan plans to start selling the case later this year if the demand is strong.
We would definitely not mind checking it out. What about you?

From Nissan, a self-healing iPhone case

Administrator — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:51:32 +0000

Nissan’s Scratch Shield iPhone case is made from ABS plastic and coated with a polyrotaxane paint.

(Credit:
Nissan)

Ever gotten a shiny new iPhone case, only to drop it and see it get scratched up within days? The same self-healing paint used to keep some Nissans blemish-free could be the next big thing for protecting iPhones.

Scratch Shield paint developed by Nissan can repair small scratches on a surface in a few hours. Made from polyrotaxane, the chemical structure of the paint enables it to react to small chips and fill in the gaps. It’s currently used on the Nissan Murano, 370Z, and X-Trail, but the auto manufacturer has found a much larger market for its smart paint in iPhones.

Nissan is testing its Scratch Shield iPhone case with beta customers and some journalists, although this automotive writer was left out of the loop. Its iPhone case is made from ABS plastic to create a tight and rigid case, and its coated with Scratch Shield paint.

In addition to being able to repair small scratches, the Scratch Shield Paint is more scratch-resistant than conventional paint and provides a better grip to keep the phone from slipping out of your hands in the first place.

The paint is already used in Japan on the NTT DoCoMo Style Series N-03B mobile phone, and if current testing goes well, the case will be a… [Read more]

iPhone Self Combusts on Australian Flight

Administrator — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:50:31 +0000

In a bizarre incident, an Australian airline had to deal with a “self combusting” iPhone as it landed in Sydney. Quick action by a crew member saved the day.
Regional Express, an Australian airline, issued a press release a few days ago covering an exploding iPhone . After landing, a passenger’s iPhone “started emitting a significant amount of dense smoke, accompanied by a red glow.” A nearby crew member quickly followed the recovery actions and extinguished the device, and no passengers or crew members were hurt.
, though it’s not clear which. The back glass is shattered and the scorch marks seem concentrated on the lower portion where the battery is located.
The event was reported to both the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the Australian Transportation Safety Bureau, the latter of which has taken the device for investigation. This isn’t the first time a smartphone has
, and 2009 had
. Apple has not commented on the matter.
It sounds quite scary as the last place you want the iPhone to explode is on a flight.
,

Apple Store’s new self-checkout feature: useful or not?

Administrator — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:45:37 +0000

Apple 's new EasyPay lets you check out your own items at the Apple Store.

(Credit:
Apple )

Apple ‘s new EasyPay self-checkout feature lets you pay for your own items at the Apple store, but I ran into one bump in the road as I tried to check out a couple of products.

The EasyPay feature requires you to download the latest 2.0 version of the Apple Store app. To buy an item, you’re supposed to scan its barcode with your iPhone ‘s camera, at which point it’s added to your shopping cart. You then pay for your goods using the credit card associated with your Apple ID and iTunes account.

Beyond letting you pay for your own items, the app allows you to order a product online and then pick it up at your nearby store. But it was EasyPay that I was especially keen to try out.

Over the weekend I headed off to an Apple store where I picked up two accessories for my iPhone –an AC adapter and a car charger. An Apple rep asked if I wanted her to ring up the items, but I told her I was interested in trying the self-checkout.

I fired up the Apple Store app, expecting to find an EasyPay button or option somewhere … [Read more]

Apple Store’s new self-checkout: Nice, but not flawless

Administrator — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 12:48:05 +0000

Apple 's new EasyPay lets you check out your own items at the Apple Store.

(Credit:
Apple )

Apple ‘s new EasyPay self-checkout feature lets you pay for your own items at the Apple store, but it doesn’t yet have all the kinks worked out–at least in my experience.

Beyond letting you pay for your own items, the app allows you to order a product online and then pick it up at your nearby store. But it was EasyPay that I was especially keen to try out.

I fired up the Apple Store app, expecting to find an EasyPay button or option somewhere easil… [Read more]

Apple Store app now offers in-store pickup and self-checkout

Administrator — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 05:48:50 +0000

You can now order Apple items online and pick them up at the closest store.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET)

Apple iPhone users can now order Apple store items online and pick them up at the nearest outlet and even avoid the checkout line by paying for those items themselves.

Those two new options come courtesy of the latest update to the Apple Store app for the iPhone , iPad, and iPod Touch. Debuting today, version 2.0 of the Apple Store app is the company’s latest effort to make the shopping experience, both online and offline, easier and quicker.

The personal pickup option lets you order and pay for an item through the app itself. But rather than waiting for it to ship, you can simply make plans to hop on down to your closest Apple store and pick up the product yourself. The app lets you choose the store and tells you if the item is in stock. From there, you just check out and pay for the item using the credit card assigned to your Apple account.

Apple is promising that most in-stock items will be available within an hour of placing the order. You can easily track the status of new orders directly through the app to determine when your item will be available.

Apple Store app now offers in-store pickup, self-checkout

Administrator — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:57:08 +0000

You can now order Apple items online and pick them up at the closest store.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET)

Apple iPhone users can now order Apple store items online and pick them up at the nearest outlet and even avoid the checkout line by paying for those items themselves.

Apple Store App To Be Updated With Self-Checkout Option?

Administrator — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 23:16:27 +0000

Apple ‘s retail store iOS app already does some pretty cool stuff. It lets you buy Apple products and get them delivered right at your doorstep.
, more specifically which Apple store, and lets you know workshop schedules and can get you genius appointments.
? Self checkout.
sources claim, which does make a lot of sense. Apple has more than 200 million iTunes users whose accounts are tied with their credit card information, which gives the company a head start in this space.
Apple is planning to launch an update to its retail store iOS app that will allow consumers to utilize self-checkout for purchases of accessories and other shelf-stocked items at the company’s retail stores. According to our source, self-checkout purchases will be charged via the Apple Store app to the customer’s iTunes Store account.
Now obviously you can’t just walk off by checking out with the app, you would have to show a confirmatory email (receipt) from Apple to one of the retail employees to let them know that you have indeed paid for what you’re taking away.
would reportedly be updated on the third of November, and would come bundled with these new features.
. Although this rumored feature doesn’t directly compete with Square, both products fall in the (offline) payment space.
We see this as Apple setting up the stage before the launch of NFC enabled devices. Back when rumors about an NFC enabled iPhone started floating around,
Although NFC has been adopted by big companies like Google, Samsung and Nokia, barring Google Wallet we haven’t seen any useful application of NFC, at least in the US.
account for real world purchases, NFC would just be another technology that works behind the scenes.
Apple Store is a good start, and with time we can expect Apple to start talking to other brick and mortar stores as well. In short term, you can expect the duration of your Apple Store visits to reduce using the self-checkout option.
in the payment space? Peer to peer payments? A Paypal rival? Discounts?

TigerText iPhone App Lets You Self-Destruct Your Text Messages

Administrator — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:37:43 +0000

that can come pretty handy under these circumstances. The iPhone app lets you set a time period for which the message will exist. Post this time limit, the contents of the text message will ”
” making it virtually impossible to track the contents of the message.
To use the iPhone app, both the sender and the receiver need to download and activate the application. The application is designed to retain the look and feel of iPhone 's native Messages app and is hence pretty intuitive to use. However, the sender needs to customize the iPhone app settings to specify a time limit between 60 seconds and 30 days post which the message should be deleted. Contents of the text messages exchanged via the iPhone app are wiped off the TigerText servers once this time limit elapses. Since these messages circumvent the carrier's server, there is no threat from the conventional service providers.
) for free for 15 days with a limit of 100 messages. If you like it, you can either pay $1.49 per month for 250 messages or $2.49 per month if you want to send unlimited messages.
Check out a video demo of the iPhone app below and let us know if you found this iPhone app useful.