Posted: 23 Feb 2012 02:36 AM PST  Why is this patent application newsworthy? Because we know that Google is trying to extend the reach of Android into the realm of traditional PC operating systems. A recent report even suggests that Android 5.0 might integrate portions of Chrome OS (currently used in Chromebooks, like Samsung's Series 5) so it can run on notebooks and netbooks. According to the same source, Android 5.0 may share bunks with Windows 8 on dual-bootable machines. Moreover, Chrome OS hasn't seen the spotlight for a while, so it's very possible that Google decided to merge Android and Chrome OS at some point in the future.  As CNET's Josh Lowensohn notes, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich already supports mice, keyboards, styluses, and other input device. But using a mouse to control an app that was designed for multi-touch input is awkward and, at times, painful. It makes sense for Google to make Android more computer-proof by harnessing the capabilities of a multi-touch trackpad. Operating systems turmoil Google's recent application is important when considering the bigger picture. The OS landscape is in the midst of a revolution. Just yesterday, we noted that Canonical is preparing Ubuntu for Android, which will put a dormant Ubuntu (the full desktop version) on your Android smartphone, ready to pop up whenever you plug your phone to a monitor. Other tidbits of news indicate that Google may improve Motorola's Webtop technology and add it to Android 5.0, again, to make Android computer-ready. Microsoft and Apple, as well, are working hard on unifying their operating systems. With the boundaries between the PC and the mobile device slowly blurring, Google, Canonical, Apple, and Microsoft all scramble to unify the user experience of their operating systems across multiple screens. Android is already the leading operating system for smartphones. However, by attacking the PC OS market, Android has a good chance at the biggest prize – becoming the number one operating system, across all platforms. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
This article, Patent Hints That Google Is Preparing Android for Desktop , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 23 Feb 2012 01:40 AM PST  Gone are the days when writers used to scribble their thoughts on a rugged piece of paper with a pen and ink on the side. Thanks to the wonders of technology, the pen is now replacing the stylus, and the paper? Well, apps for PCs, smartphones, and tablets are now the best and fastest ways to write down ideas, notes and blogs. If you are both a writer and an Android user, check out some of the best Android apps we've prepared for you. Evernote Indisputably, one of the most downloaded apps on the Android market is Evernote. This app lets you record almost anything, from notes to pictures and from videos to even your own voice. It allows you to write important notes, pin photos, create to-do lists and set voice reminders so you won't misss anything. And the best thing is that it will save you a subtle amount of time by syncing all your notes to your PC or tablet in a snap. Evernote is free for a limited amount of storage. Of course, you'll have to pay for more space. Springpad Another awesome Android app for writers is Springpad. This award-winning app allows you to take notes, record a voice-reminder, create to-do lists, and search for products, movies and places via its extremely user-friendly interface. Also, you can use the integrated web clipper to save stuff from the Internet and search the details of any product through the barcode scanner provided within the app. It's innovative and sublime, something which would take your writing to the next level. The best part is it's free. Notepad Simple just got simpler. SE Notepad is a simple, lightweight and fast app that lets you to create and edit notes on the fly. To experience the sheer pleasure of writing on an Android device, try this ingenious app! It comes pre-loaded with a number of themes and you can even tweak the font style and font size, pin a note to the home screen, backup and restore your files, sync your data and even password-protect it. Notepad is also free. FreeNote Considered as one of the hottest note taking apps in the Android Market today, FreeNote is a notetaking app that features a unique solution by combining manual handwriting and keyword typewriting. Users love the app for its flexible features. You can even draw illustrations using this app. Additional features include voice, photo and video support, calendar, alarm and a to-do list. This app works perfect with stylus pens. Writer Another notable Android app is Writer. James Mcminn was able to develop an extremely sleek word processor that has a clean interface. The app also has markdown support and statistics view. The Writer app is so simple and clean we dare not add anything to it if given the chance to work on its development. And our favorite part? You got it – it's free! Write: Tablet Tablet Notepad/ Journal If you use your Android tablet a lot than your smartphone, then we’d like to introduce to you Write: Tablet Tablet Notepad/ Journal app for Android. It has tons to amazing features that you will surely love. It’s basically a minimalist text editor for tablets. Writers will love this app for its word count feature and full screen mode. It also features automatic saving, character count, onscreen keyboard and support for physical keyboards via Bluetooth. What’s more is that you can view your notes in a last-edited-first order with a tap of your finger and share or send those notes of yours to blogs, emails and other apps such as Evernote and Springpad. But the only catch is the price. Learn more about the app in the Android Market. Wikipedia This app is the official Wikipedia app for the Android platform. As a writer, you must have used Wikipedia a lot in your writing. Am I right? Wikipedia brings you the world's biggest encyclopedia at your fingertips. With more than 20 million articles in over 280 languages, Wikipedia is your one source for finding information and facts. You can search and browse wiki pages as well as read featured articles, view random pages, send articles and locate Wikipedia articles based on your GPS location. Wikipedia for Android will always be free. Mindjet The most fundamental principle of being a top notch writer is clear-cut organization of one's thoughts. However, more often than not, thoughts are hard to find and there is a strong need to map out those ideas first before actually penning them down. Mindjet is a free app that provides mapping tools including notes, links, colors and various icons to help you get the job done. Hence, you can plan and organize those rough ideas, before actually writing them down. Kindle To improve writing skills, writers continually need to read exceptional content, so as to enhance one's skill and creativity. And what can be a better way to do that by using Kindle. With Kindle for Android, you can search, download and read all your favorite books in your smartphone and tablet. What's more is that you can sync all your Kindle books to your desktop via Amazon's cloud space. Kindle for Android allows you to bookmark your pages as well as highlight them for future writing use. The books are not for free of course, but the app is. Google Docs We’d also like to include your favorite Google Docs in the list. If you are a huge fan of Gmail products, then you are no stranger to Google Docs. Now you can read and edit your saved documents straight from your Android device via this app. Although the UI/ UX still lacks some improvements, it is still a very useful app especially when you save your documents a lot in Google Docs. Documents To Go Another awesome alternative to Google Docs is Documents to Go. This app is an all in one app that allows you to view and edit Microsoft Office files (Word, Excel & PowerPoint) from your Android toy. There’s a reason why it’s one of the best selling office apps in the Android Market. The app is available in two different versions – the free limited version and the full version which has more features. Advanced English and Thesaurus A thesaurus/ dictionary is equivalent to a bible for an aspiring writer. Well, no need to flip through the pages of Dictionary anymore. This app pays homage to over 1.4 million words and lets you search almost any English word on it. Interestingly, this app also provides noun forms, verb forms and adjective forms of the searched word, apart from enlisting hyperlinked entries of their synonyms. You can get this for free in the Android Market. Urban Dictionary As a writer, it is very important to stay in sync with the current lingo. Perhaps you've already used Urban Dictionary. Too bad for me, I was actually forced to use the app because I had to update my vocabulary. But hey, Urban Dictionary has an updated list of words and terms that will sound out of this world at first, until you found out its actual meaning. With this innovative app, you can stay akin with the definitions of all those terms often used by teenagers today which you won't find in any regular dictionary. Thanks to Tim Clark, Urban Dictionary for Android is now here for free. Classic Text to Speech Engine Any piece of writing, no matter how dexterously and diligently written, would indubitably require proofreading. Using this app, you can convert your writing into a naturally audible voice file. The Classic Text to Speech Engine app supports phrasing of words in over 25 different languages. Reading your content aloud would let you know precisely if the content is relevant or not. Yes, it is also free. Spell Checker The best writers definitely have perfect grammar and vocabulary. But they are not perfect. They do commit mistakes – a lot. There is always a mere possibility of typos in one's work every now and then. So that's why writers have to edit and proofread their work all the time. Now you can check your work while on the go with the Spell Checker app. You can run your content to make sure that your work is free from any errors in spelling and grammar. What's more is that you also input text via voice recording. Wunderlist Perhaps you are wondering why we included Wunderlist in our list. Well, I have one reason. The reason is that I use this app a lot in keeping track of all my writing tasks. As a writer, it is very easy to get lost in the sea of assignments and topics. I found my solution in Wunderlist. Now available for Android, Wunderlist helps me manage my writing tasks better so I won’t have to miss that deadline. Wunderlist is no doubt the best task manager out there. Plus, the developers are very responsive and supportive too. And hey, did we mention that it’s free? Best Wisdom Quotes Another must-have is the Best Wisdom Quotes app. As a writer, it is very important to stay inspired and motivated. This app features a coveted collection of over 3000 finely chosen quotes from the best renowned leaders and philosophers of our time. You can search by category or the author name and you can even share quotes via popular social networking sites. I love this app, especially because it's free. Voice Recorder It's not all the time that we carry along with us a pen and paper. So often in your daily life, we usually come across some random thoughts and ideas which we like to pen down. If journalists and bestselling authors use voice recorders to help them stay on track, then why not us? Thanks to the Voice Recorder app for Android, you can now record those thoughts in the form of voice memos, so that you can write and deal with them later once you are in a comfortable position to write. Read Later for Instapaper Suppose you read an interesting article on the Internet and you wanted to continue reading it but don’t have the time. The solution? You read it later. But how? Try the Read Later for Instapaper app for Android. We use this app a lot to store interesting news topics to write about. It is fast, free and very easy to use as well. Penzu I’ve been using Penzu for a year and so far it’s the closest thing to a real journal or notebook. When the developers finally released Penzu for Android, I was thrilled because I can now write my daily journal from my Android smartphone. Overall, I am thankful. But I think the Android app needs more work. Also, you will have to go PRO just to sync your notes. It's a little frustrating. But if you already have a Penzu account, then I recommend getting this app from the Android Market. Don't expect too much though. Dropbox Lastly, we’d like to include Dropbox. Dropbox allows you to easily synchronize your files and notes in your PC, smartphone and tablet via the app. Essentially this app is perfect for storing all your documents so that you won’t have to bring them all along with you. With Dropbox, you can upload and download files anywhere anytime, save photos and videos for your blogs, and save email attachments to your Dropbox account. By default, Dropbox will give you a free storage capacity of 2GB. It’s also a great way to back-up your files. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
This article, The Best Android Apps for Writers , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 22 Feb 2012 11:06 PM PST  Wondering what the mad geniuses at Google have been cooking up in the secretive Google X labs in Mountain View? How about some nifty smart glasses, Terminator-style? A New York Times report claims that the rumored Google glasses, smart eyewear that integrate mobile technology and a heads-up-display (HUD), are indeed real, and are coming later this year. The report, which cites the customary anonymous sources inside Google, is full of juicy details, including a price range that is close to the cost of current smartphones ($250 to $600), some technical specs, and insight into Google's plans for the new device. Who needs smartphones when you have smart glasses?According to 9 to 5 Google's Seth Weintraub, who first wrote about Google's secret project back in December, the smart glasses will look like regular eyewear, but will include a small, non-transparent screen in one of the lenses. The tiny screen will display information in an augmented reality (AR) view (remember Terminator?), in other words, it will be superimposed on the user's field of view, rather than displayed in a separate "window". The glasses will also integrate a camera that will be used for AR apps, but it will also take pictures and maybe even record video. The user will be able to navigate the HUD interface using subtle head tilts, which tells us that the gadget will integrate a gyro or other type of motion sensor. Most likely, the device will also listen and talk back to you, a la Siri (Apple, dust off those patents). Speaking of sensors, the smart glasses will also integrate a GPS receiver, which will play nicely with Latitude, Google's mapping/location service. Moreover, the device will be Android-based and might come with Google Maps, Google Goggles (think visual search), and possibly other services. How will all that technology fit in the relatively small rim of a pair of glasses? Weintraub has written in the past that the smart glasses will look like a pair of Oakley Thumps. So, yes, you will be able to wear them without causing people to call the police.  The next paradigm in computing or just a gimmick?Last week, our Lucian Armasu wrote that the smart glasses may signal then next big shift in computing paradigms. The smartphone era is in full swing, but Google's device may be pioneering the next generation of computers – the wearable ones. In a side note, Apple is working on some type of wearable device too, so expect other developments in the area to follow.But will the smart glasses gain enough traction? Will regular people "click" with this new, and rather intrusive (for the standards of someone born in the 20th century), type of using a computer? The potential is there, and judging from the Web's reaction to the news, the Google smart glasses might be The Next Big Thing. But there's no telling how the average public will react. We'll have to wait and see. For now, we know that the smart glasses project is headed by Sergey Brin himself, who is reportedly spending most of his time at Google X. Let's hope that, with such powerful tutelage, the smart glasses will take a central place in Google's showcase of successful products. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
This article, Google Smart Glasses Are Real and Coming Soon , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 22 Feb 2012 07:12 PM PST  If you’ve grabbed the opportunity to upgrade your Samsung Galaxy S2 to Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich build XXLPB, you’ll be happy to know that it’s also easy to root. Android 4.0.3 XXLPB firmware is a recent unofficial update for the Samsung Galaxy S2, offering a more improved firmware compared to earlier updates. If you applied the update to your phone, you would have lost your root access, but read on to know how to regain root on your Galaxy S2. Before you root your device, make sure to backup of all your phone data and files. System tools such as Samsung KIES, firewall programs, and antivirus software may block your computer from communicating properly with your device. Disable such software for the meantime to ensure a successful root. Lastly, pump-up your battery to at least 60% to keep your device running throughout the entire rooting process. The instructions in this guide are for the Samsung Galaxy S2 GT-I9100. These may or may not work with variants. Also, the method here applies only to the Galaxy S2 running the XXLPB firmware. If you're ready, you may now proceed to rooting your Samsung Galaxy S2 running Android 4.0.3 build XXLPB. InstructionsAfter following these instructions, your Galaxy S2 will be rooted, the Superuser app will be installed, and ClockworkMod Recovery will also be flashed on your phone.
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This article, Root Your Samsung Galaxy S2 Running on Android 4.0.3 ICS Firmware XXLPB , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 22 Feb 2012 04:52 AM PST  Next week, at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Canonical will show the world Ubuntu on Android, its next move in the strategy to expand the reach of Ubuntu Linux across multiple devices.The Ubuntu on Android project aims to unleash the computing power of modern smartphones, by enabling them to act as fully-fledged PCs. Just think about it. Any Tegra 2 device has enough brainpower to compete successfully with older laptops. And the upcoming quad-core chips will put even more computing oomph right into your pocket. So why not take advantage of your Android device and use it as a PC? All you need is a dock to connect to a monitor, plus a Bluetooth keyboard and a mouse. A full Ubuntu desktop on your Android phone Рthis is precisely what Canonical plans to do. Dock in your Android device, and Ubuntu instantly pops up on your monitor. Dock it out, and Android takes over. Adding a PC operating system on top of a mobile OS may seem a little counter-intuitive, but remember that Android and Ubuntu originate from the same Linux kernels, so they are more compatible than you think. How it works and why it's brilliant What Canonical tries to do with Ubuntu on Android is brilliant in its simplicity. In fact, it kind of makes you wonder why they didn't think of it sooner.The full Ubuntu desktop OS will run on your phone, side by side with Android, both powered by the same kernel. Depending on the context, one of the operating systems will take over. But here's the catch РAndroid and Ubuntu will talk to each other. So instead of having two contact lists, two email inboxes, two calendars, and two sets of documents, you'll enjoy a single cohesive computing experience. No more syncing and switching. Just two ways to use your device. Canonical clearly pitches Ubuntu on Android to professionals and business users, which makes perfect sense if you think about how cumbersome it is to carry laptops around, connect to VPNs, synchronize multiple devices, and, in general, to work on the go. For mobile professionals, an Ubuntu-running Android device can replace not only the business laptop and Blackberry, but also the day-to-day office computer. Canonical already signed up Citrix, VMware, Adobe, and others to give professional users all the tools they need to work on the go, including the cornerstone of enterprise productivity, the Microsoft Office suite. A better computing experienceProfessionals may be the target group for now, but Ubuntu on Android has the potential to be game-changing for everyone. Imagine a future in which every hotel room (and every office and class room) is fitted with a wide monitor and a docking station. Instead of installing your laptop or checking your mail on your smartphone, you just plug in your device and your trusty desktop OS is there, waiting for you.Marketers have been abusing the "PC in your pocket" concept for years, to the point where it became a clich̩ that no one really believed in. Ubuntu on Android can finally breathe life in the idea. Yes, for now, smartphones still have some catching up to do to reach the level of performance provided by a modern laptop. But we're getting there. Add some 4G goodness to the mix, and you have everything you need to turn the vision of a truly mobile PC into reality. |
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Update - 42
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