Sunday, April 15, 2012

Update - 108



Posted: 01 Mar 2012 05:20 PM PST
One of the best apps available for Android just got another major update. Data syncing wunder-app SugarSync has been updated to version 3.5 and now it does more than just let you access your files on your computers using your Android device. Sure, it introduced the ability to sync videos just a few months ago, but here are some of the items to look forward to in this latest update:

  • Get anytime, anywhere access to all of your files, photos, and music
  • Automatically back up and sync photos & videos to your computers
  • Share any file or folder, even if it's huge, over email, Facebook, Twitter, or even SMS.
  • Stream your entire music collection, even while you use other apps
  • Download files or entire folders for fast, offline viewing
  • Make edits to any file and will SugarSync automatically sync it to all your computers
The app is now available in the market for Android 1.5+ devices. The new version of SugarSync even includes the much-welcomed support for Ice Cream Sandwich! There’s no excuse for you all to not have this app, so be sure to grab it immediately (if you don’t have it already). You can find the QR code and Market link right after the presser— but first you have to hit the break.

SAN MATEO, CA–(Marketwire -03/01/12)- SugarSync, a free service that actively syncs your folders and files across all your computers and mobile devices, today announced it has updated its award-winning SugarSync for Android app. The new app gives you now even more control over your files while on the go, including the ability to share files and entire folders via social channels like Facebook, Twitter, and SMS.
Increasing Productivity, Sharing, and Free Space
SugarSync’s Cloud service already enables users of all mobile devices to access, sync and share all of their files and folders — not just one folder — while on the go. And SugarSync’s Android app was the first to provide automatic syncing of your photos, folders and videos from your mobile device to your computer via SugarSync’s AutoSync technology almost a year ago.
Today, SugarSync is announcing that it has added several new features that enable you to be as productive on your mobile device as you are on your computer, including:

  • Enhanced Sharing – SugarSync has always enabled you to share with your contacts, and now you can also share files or entire folders from the app directly with your friends and family on services like Facebook and Twitter. You can now easily share that large folder of videos from your vacation to all your Facebook friends and Twitter followers. Or send those photos to your email contacts. You can even SMS files or entire folders to anyone in your address book. Sharing what you want, how you want, where you want has never been easier.
  • Managing Files and Folders on the Go – You’re used to being able to organize and manage your files and folders on your computer. Why not on the go? SugarSync for Android now lets you copy, move and even delete files or folders, making the mobile app experience more similar to that of the desktop or Web client experience. It’s like having a remote control for your computers via the Cloud.
  • Easily Earn More Free Storage – On SugarSync.com, we’ve always made it easy to get more free storage by referring friends. Today we’re making it just as easy to earn free storage from the Android app. Just tap the present button on the top right section of the app’s home screen and choose where to share your referral link: Facebook, Twitter, email, SMS, or more. For each friend who joins SugarSync for free, you both get 500MB of additional free storage on top of the 5GB we start you with. And for friends that use your referral link to sign up for a paid account, you both get an additional 10GB free!
“The proliferation of today’s powerful smartphones and tablets is drastically increasing the demand for robust Cloud services that can enable you to be more productive while on the go,” said Laura Yecies, CEO of SugarSync. “SugarSync continues to lead the way in mobile Cloud innovation, and with these enhancements to our SugarSync for Android app, we are making it easier to accomplish the tasks you frequently do on your computer — like sharing, managing and controlling your files and folders — all from your Android device.”
Availability & Pricing
The free SugarSync for Android app is available now and can be downloaded from SugarSync’s site or from the Android Market. SugarSync offers a free 5GB version of the full service, with larger plans ranging from 30 GB to 1TB and starting at just $4.99/month. To learn more, please visit our pricing plan page.
About SugarSync
SugarSync is a free service that helps you sync your life. With a simple download on your computers and mobile devices, you have access to all the Cloud has to offer. Need access to all your files from any computer or mobile device? Check. Need to sync your stuff across all your devices? Definitely. Need to share large files or folders with your friends? Yep, we do that too. We’re truly a one-stop shop for the best of the Cloud.
Launched in 2008 and based in San Mateo, CA, SugarSync currently has millions of users worldwide. Brands such as Samsung, Lenovo, Fujitsu, SanDisk, France Telecom-Orange, Korea Telecom, SoftBank Mobile, Best Buy and more have selected SugarSync as a partner to bring Cloud services to their customers. For more information, please visit www.SugarSync.com, follow us on Twitter @sugarsync (http://twitter.com/SugarSync) or on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SugarSync.
Contact:
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Robb Henshaw
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Email Contact
Posted: 01 Mar 2012 01:56 PM PST
If you’re looking for a 4G LTE tablet at Verizon Wireless, there’s a new player in town. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE was released today on Big Red and will go head to head with the DROID XYBOARD 8.2. While the basic specs are relatively close, Motorola wins with the bigger screen (extra .50 inches) and price ($429 vs $479) while Samsung wins with thinness (7.9mm vs 8.9mm) and weight (340 grams vs 386 grams).
The Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE features a 7.7-inch (1280 x 800) Super AMOLED Plus display, a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 3.2MP rear camera (with 720p recording), 2MP front camera, 16GB of internal storage, microSD for up to 32GB of extra storage, HDMI through an optional dock or adapter, Enterprise SAFE, and Android 3.2.
Look for our full review soon, but for now, check out our initial hands on.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Posted: 01 Mar 2012 01:19 PM PST
I don’t know if you’ve looked at any of the HTC One Series phones but if you have you may have noticed something peculiar. You can even see it in the promo videos we told you about the other day. You may not think that it’s peculiar given that this item has long been with most Android Devices before Android 3.0. I’m talking about the capacitive buttons of course.
While the Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich made them a thing of the past it seems as if every phone coming out of MWC this year has them in one form or another but I digress. The peculiar item I am writing about is the three capacitive buttons on the One Series phones without their missing menu button. While yes Google did say it was going away from the menu button entirely, this begged the question, how does one access an application’s in-app menu? 
Well the folks over at MoDaCo were able to find out for everyone and the results are rather, well, peculiar once again. A virtual button, much like those found on the Nexus appears on screen right above capacitive buttons (see above). I’m going to just ask what we’re all wanting to; Why not just forgo the capacitive buttons all together in favor for I don’t know, the virtual ones if you already have a virtual button anyway? It’s a question I’d love to know the answer to. Heck I’d even take the four capacitive buttons or at least an option to make the back or recent apps button, when long-pressed, show the menu. The whole idea of having an added virtual button seems like a waste of screen real estate.
Honestly, I’d say that Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich have put to rest the need for capacitive buttons all together here on out and while Sense 4.0 may be becoming streamlined they made a boo boo with this button style. What do you guys think? Hit us up in the comments section below or join us in the forums to discuss it.
source: MoDaCo
Posted: 01 Mar 2012 12:53 PM PST

Seconds out, Round 10! Another day, another few haymakers thrown in the ongoing court battle between Apple and… well, everyone! Apple and Motorola seem to have a permanent residency within the German courts and today has seen Apple awarded an injunction against all Motorola products that violate on a patent related to photo management. The patent injunction specifically relates to the scroll animations within Motorola’s photo gallery.
The doors had barely shut at the Munich Regional Court in Germany before Motorola came forward with the following statement :
Today's ruling in Munich, Germany on the patent litigation brought by Apple concerns a software feature associated with performing certain functions when viewing photos in a 'zoomed in' mode on mobile devices. We note that the Court ruled that performing the functions in a 'zoomed out' mode does not infringe on this patent. We expect no impact to supply or future sales as we have already implemented a new way to view photos on our products that does not interfere with the user experience.
So there you have it, Apple have seemingly won an injunction that prevents Motorola devices from doing something they don’t actually do. The litigation roller-coaster continues and you can bet your mortgage that there will be more fun and games to come over the next few months. I think this particular round is a split decision on the judges scorecards.

source : FOSS patents
Posted: 01 Mar 2012 12:34 PM PST
LG has noticed the wireless charging dilemma, and taken action. Wireless charging is great for avoiding a messy tangle of cables, but in the past, the positioning of the phone left us mostly unable to use our phones while charging. At MWC 2012, LG revealed its WCD-800 wireless charging cradle that will get rid of the wires, and let you use your phone while it’s getting juiced up. The cradle will work in landscape or portrait mode, so you can browse the internet or squeeze in a round of Angry Birds while your phone is charging.
The WCD-800 will work with the new phones that LG has announced at MWC 2012, along with devices that will work with the Wireless Power Consortium’s Qi standard. Its predecessor, the LG WCP-700, had a much smaller charging contact area with the phone, so it charged slower. This new cradle will be just as fast as a conventional wall charger, according to LG.
At first, the WCD-800 will only be available in Korea, but North America should see this gadget in the first half of 2012. LG has not released any pricing.
source: Phone Arena
Posted: 01 Mar 2012 11:50 AM PST
I am sure many of you are familiar with Dr.Dre’s Beats Audio line and that HTC bought exclusive rights to integrating the audio improvement software in their devices. I’ve heard people say that their HTC/Beats device provides a sound that is unmatched to other devices they have owned and I’ve also heard folks say the improvement isn’t even noticeable. While I am still on the fence on whether or not this software actually makes a noticeable difference, at the same time I have yet to couple the experience with a quality pair of headphones. Either way, the Beats Audio software is no longer tied to just HTC devices and is now flashable for non HTC owners to enjoy. Now you can be the judge on whether or not HTC spent their money wisely.
Since Beats Audio is nothing but software, thanks to XDA members fuss132 and willblake13, we now have an easy way to flash Beats Audio to any rooted device running a Gingerbread ROM. It’s pretty simple really, all you need to do is hit up the XDA link at the bottom of this post, download the .zip file, and flash through CWM. Not much to it. The real question is whether or not you will notice a difference. Although fuss132 takes a similar stance as I do and says “I think at some ponts beats audio is only a audio marketing strategie,”  he also claims ”The sounds will be more natural, playing with more clarity.” However contradicting that may sound, he includes some test results that clearly show that there is some level of improvement to be gained. So if you’re the flash-happy type of person I think you are, you should check it out and decide for yourself. Test results after the break.
Beat on my friends… Beat on
source: XDA

Without Beats 
With Beats (more red is good)
Posted: 01 Mar 2012 11:03 AM PST
Here at Talk Android, we love to envision what our mobile devices will look like in the future. Imagine if your cell phone wasn’t simply a rectangle, but was bent for you to wear as a watch. This seemingly crazy idea isn’t as far in the future as you might think, according to Samsung. An executive at Samsung has confirmed the mass production of flexible OLED screens in the next year, meaning some time in 2012, or early 2013 at the latest.
These crazy looking displays have quite a few advantages other than their novelty. They do not contain any glass, so shattering your phone would be a thing of the past. Another advantage is the freedom this technology will give to cell phone designers. The possibilities are endless, including phone watches, tablets you can fold and paper thin displays. It is likely, however, that the first devices featuring a flexible display will be the rounded displays that were not otherwise possible. Even if the screen is flexible, though, the battery and CPU will have to be taken into consideration. How would you use a flexible AMOLED screen? Shout out in the comments.
flexible amoled flexible amoled 2 flexible amoled 3
source: OLED-Display
Posted: 01 Mar 2012 10:55 AM PST
We had a chance to see the Splashtop THD app at CES back in January. We were totally excited then and today we’re even more excited because it’s now officially available in the Android Market.
With Splashtop THD you can play 3D PC games from your PC on your Tegra 3 tablet. We are talking 60 frames per second. Other things you can do include:
  • Fully access your applications on your tablet such as PowerPoint, Keynote, Outlook, Excel, Word, etc.
  • Watch videos / Flash content streamed from your computer in any format
  • Listen to music on your computer in any format
  • Access your full computer browser (IE, Firefox, Chrome, Safari) including your bookmarks, favorite plug-ins, and extensions (Flash, Java, etc.)
Splashtop specificially says that this is only compatible with Tegra 3 tablets running Ice Cream Sandwich, but in the “about app section” they have it listed as requiring Android 3.1 and higher. We suspect that you will indeed need ICS, which makes this only compatible with the ASUS Transformer Prime. The cost is $6.99 and seems well worth it. Hit the break for our CES video and download links.

Click here to view the embedded video.
Posted: 01 Mar 2012 10:55 AM PST
While most folk feel that quad-core devices are the in thing this year, as made apparent at MWC this year by companies like HTC, Huawei, LG, and Toshiba, a few companies are holding off and sticking with the dual-core architecture. Sony, has made it clear that they are perfectly comfortable with it, at least until next year at the very earliest.  Stephen Sneeden, Product Marketing Manager for the company, had this to say:
“We’re going to join quad-core when we feel that the performance matches the battery efficiency. Because right now we don’t feel that is there. What we are going to be doing in the second-half of the year is moving to the Cortex A15 architecture, which we feel outperforms the current quad-core architecture.” 
He continued: 
“You’ll see in 2013, as we’re evaluating the quad-core performance where it makes sense, where you’re not suffering in quality and the performance truly is there, and there really is something that demanding applications need. That’s when we make the right move to quad-core.”
While this isn’t the expressed view of the company as a whole, he does bring up some valid points. Given his position he is afforded a unique view on where the company is heading. Also given that Sony was late to the dual-core move this move certainly does make sense. Personally I’m more than okay with this move. What about you folks?
source: CNET Asia
via: pocketnow
Posted: 01 Mar 2012 10:52 AM PST
Recall the impressive demo we saw at CES 2012 with the Onlive Desktop in action?  Well, it’s finally made its way to the Android platform.  Sharing your PC desktop with your tablet is about to get a whole lot easier.
OnLive® Desktop is a service that provides a seamless, no-compromise, instant-response cloud-based PC desktop, wherever and whenever you want it. OnLive brings to your Android tablet a high-performance PC experience, regardless of the content, even when interacting with fast-action media.
Features:
• Instantly view, edit and create documents using actual Microsoft® Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Easily transfer files between OnLive Desktop and other devices
• Experience high-performance, instant-response PC applications
• Interact with lag-free animation and video
• Works with most Bluetooth keyboards and mice (left-click only)
The technology works in part due to Onlive Inc’s groundbreaking video compression technology.  ”OnLive harnesses the power of cloud computing to deliver a seamless, no-compromise remote PC desktop solution.”  For more information, head on over to the Android Market where you can download the application or sign up for free if you don’t already have an account. Feel free to let us know what you think of the service in the comments below.  
Click here to view the embedded video.
Onlive_0 Onlive_3 Onlive_1 Onlive_2








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