Sunday, April 15, 2012

Update - 165



Posted: 08 Mar 2012 03:42 PM PST
As our need for more data grows, so does the need for more wireless spectrum. As a result, cell phone companies have been squabbling over the acquisition of the spectrum. The most recent development in this saga is a letter to the Federal Communications Commission by Verizon’s opponents, asking the FCC to halt the review of a purchase of spectrum for $3.9 billion by Verizon until certain documents are made public.
The center of this controversy is a deal that Verizon struck up last December to purchase Advanced Wireless Systems (AWS) spectrum licenses from SpectrumCo, LLC, a joint effort from Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks. Verizon would pay $3.9 billion for acquiring the spectrum, allowing them to expand their LTE network.
Other companies have been calling foul on this deal. T-Mobile had already requested that the FCC halt Verizon’s purchase of spectrum. They argued that this would give Verizon an excessive amount of wireless spectrum that they wouldn’t even use in the foreseeable future. T-Mobile claimed the Verizon/cable company deal would hurt competition and was not in the public’s best interest.
Verizon responded to these accusations by stating that their current spectrum holdings would no longer support the increase in LTE data traffic by the end of 2015.
There are several redacted sections in this response, however. Sentences marked “highly confidential” would seemingly contain information about Verizon’s plans to build out its networks.
This has caused several companies, such as Sprint, DirecTV, and T-Mobile, along with advocacy groups like Public Knowledge and Media Access Project, to request for those redacted segments to be publicly shared before the FCC can proceed in their review of Verizon’s deal.
“As an institutional matter, the Commission cannot allow Verizon and the cable companies to make unilateral determinations that certain information is not relevant to Commission’s public interest determination or is too sensitive to be sufficiently protected by Commission safeguards,” they wrote. “As a policy matter, the Commission cannot allow the applicants to deny production of evidence for the record without which interested parties would be unable to submit … fully informed analyses.”
We’re hoping at Talk Android that the FCC will require that all relevant information is made public, and that the ruling of this deal will be in the best interest of the consumer, not just large corporations.
source: IT World




Posted: 08 Mar 2012 03:39 PM PST
Nvidia just wants to send out a reminder, with all the hype about Apple’s new iPad and all, just who rules when it comes to the mobile core space.  The company touts their latest product, the Tegra 3 chipset and claims that the iPad’s CPU is no challenge.  And as proof, they’re pointing towards their Nvidia powered gaming options.  Using their site, the chip manufacturer shows off just how good the 4-Plus-1 CPU can be.  Check out the list of impressive games that have been released to compliment the powerful CPU.
Mobile app developers are beginning to realize just how far they can take mobile applications when utilizing NVIDIA Tegra 3 – the world's only 4-PLUS-1 quad-core mobile processor with the extra battery saver core that allows it to use less power than dual-core processors.
Here's a quick look at just a few of the top Tegra 3 apps:
  • Splashtop THD from Splashtop Inc. – allows you to seamlessly stream content from your desktop onto your Tegra 3 tablet.
  • Photaf THD Panorama Pro from Oren Bengigi – a new photo-stitching app that allows you to combine a sequence of photos to create a panoramic view of any scenery. This app accelerates image stitching time by using all four Tegra 3 processing cores.
  • Snapseed from Nik Software – one of the easiest, most intuitive photo editors available for your Tegra 3 device. Take a picture, customize it to your liking and immediately send to friends and family. Coming to Google Play this summer.
  • PowerDirector Mobile from CyberLink– this app was once a powerful desktop-based video editing tool. Thanks to the Tegra 3's high-performance and battery-friendly 4-PLUS-1 architecture, PowerDirector Mobile will give you the power to manipulate and edit videos on your mobile device. Coming to Google Play this fall.
source: Nvidia




Posted: 08 Mar 2012 02:41 PM PST

Caterpillar Inc, perhaps better reconginsed as CAT and most famously known for being the worlds largest manufacturer of construction and engineering equipment have entered the smartphone market. It will come as no surprise to find that the B10 is a mid-range Android phone that positions itself as a rugged, heavy duty device.
The CAT B10 is fully IP67 certified meaning it’s water, scratch and dust resistant. The tech specs are relatively modest, sporting Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, a 800MHz Qualcomm processor, 3.2″ display, 5MP rear camera and a front facing camera for video calling. The B10 is expected to go on sale worldwide from May with European pricing set at  €379 ($500).
All terrain phones aren’t new to Android. The Motorola Defy+ has been around for a while and Samsung recently announced the Rugby Smart. The interesting story here is to see if heavy duty experts but smartphone virgins, CAT, can challenge the Android elders.

source : THE VERGE




Posted: 08 Mar 2012 02:37 PM PST
Like the Galaxy Nexus before it, the One X by HTC is already seeing root thanks to superboot files released before well, the phone even sees a release thanks to MoDaCo. Basically it’s a script that you run on your Linux, PC or Mac computer when the device is connected via the USB cable. What the script does is push the necessary root files to your device without the need for all those fancy ADB commands. It’s not as easy as a one-click root method but it isn’t as much of a process as using ADB.
Given that Android 4.0 is running on the One X with an ICS kernel it shouldn’t be too difficult to get custom ROMs and recoveries onto the device. Even though the bootloader is still locked my guess is that it will be added to the HTCDev site sometime shortly after it gets released. So while we will have to wait for the phone to release here in April for the UK and Europe and on AT&T this summer for the U.S. it’s nice to know that you’ll be able to root the device right out of the box. Hit the break below to find the instructions to do so as well as the file to download. Enjoy!
Superboot r1 Download – Link
How to use Superboot – Windows, Linux and OSX
- Download the Superboot zip file above and extract to a directory
- Put your device in bootloader mode – Turn off the phone then turn on with the ‘volume down’ button pressed to enter the bootloader.
- WINDOWS – double click ‘install-superboot-windows.bat’
- MAC – Open a terminal window to the directory containing the files, and type ‘chmod +x install-superboot-mac.sh’ followed by ‘./install-superboot-mac.sh’
- LINUX – Open a terminal window to the directory containing the files, and type ‘chmod +x install-superboot-linux.sh’ followed by ‘./install-superboot-linux.sh’ 
source: MoDaCo





Posted: 08 Mar 2012 01:36 PM PST
I just did a review on the iFrogz Boost Near Field Audio Speaker, which amps up your speaker on your smartphone or digital media player. The folks over at iFrogz were gracious enough to provide three units for our loyal readers. We like to keep our contests simple so all you have to do is head over to our forum thread and tell us what your favorite song to listen to is lately. You will have until Sunday, March 11 at 11:59pm EST. We will pick three random winners and post them on March 12. Winners will receive an email in the account associated with your username. Only one entry per person please.
Click here to enter




Posted: 08 Mar 2012 01:31 PM PST
Just when we were getting used to the idea of having 4G LTE as commonplace in our daily lives the mobile industry of today is looking at the future networks of tomorrow. Even though 4G is just being pushed out, Verizon in the lead with its near 200 networks in the U.S., talks of 5G networks are now circulating. 5G wouldn’t be all about another big speed increase but rather a push for a more reliable network. As Tod Sizer, head of wireless research at Alcatel-Lucent’s Bell Labs puts it:
“5G won’t be about more speed, necessarily. It may be faster, but it will be more about meeting the expectation of service quality.”
Given that industry analysts believe that the amount of data traffic created by smartphones and tablets will be dwarfed by data generated from connected “things” like shoes, watches, appliances, thermostats, etc, by 2020, reliability is important. Heck, we’ve seen how frustrating it is when networks go down for just a few hours. But as carriers are brushing up against the limits of physics as they try to add network capacity a need to meet the growing data demands becomes that much more important. 
While we’re only just now starting to incorporate data usage into most of our “things” the need to have a stable network will only continue to grow. Even with LTE-Advance being the next big network upgrade to hit with its peak speeds of 1 gigabit per second, real life applications have it pegged at around 15Mbps. This isn’t much of an increase compared to the current 12Mbps 4G speeds. So with the amount of stuff accessing the LTE networks at the same time, connections could become bogged down. 5G would be an attempt to alleviate this problem as it would be used to prioritize data transmissions. For example, your 5G network would know that turning your thermostat up or down a few degrees would have to take a backseat to an incoming or outgoing phone call and so on. Sizer again explains:
“The trend of telephony is now headed towards machines that connect to the network. Networks will have to understand each application and know what quality means.”
As 4G LTE services are in their early stages these LTE-Advance and 5G networks may not come into play in the near, near future but as we throw more of our stuff onto the internet, and reach LTE capacity, we may see it sooner rather than later. As I am still waiting for Verizon 4G myself I won’t expect these fancy new networks to hit Montana at least for another 30 years. But with all jokes aside, I would take reliability over more speed anyway, what about you?
source: CNN
via: PhoneArena





Posted: 08 Mar 2012 01:13 PM PST
It seems tech sites aren’t happy these days unless they’re filming an elaborate test showing the endurance of the latest smartphones for our viewing (and cringing!) pleasure. In recent times we’ve seen our precious Androids subjected to scratching, dropping and with a plethora of waterproof Android devices on the horizon perhaps we should expect a new definition for soak test!
The good folk over at phoneArena have clearly been feeling creative this week and have invented a new form of phone torture to show the world. They managed to get their hands on a white Sony Xperia S and decided to test out that anti-stain nanocoating by introducing it to a permanent black marker.
I’d personally recommend keeping your pens, keys and tarmac away from your phone but in the meantime check out the anti-stain magic at work in the video below.

Click here to view the embedded video.
source : phoneArena




Posted: 08 Mar 2012 01:12 PM PST
A few days ago I posted part 1 of my 3 part series on the WIMM One smart watch highlighting the basics and setup. Today I bring you part 2 highlighting the WIMM companion app, which allows you to sync your WIMM One to your phone via Bluetooth. I found setup to be a breeze and straight forward. Once you’re synced (or paired), you will have the ability to checkoff, on your phone, if you would like new SMS text message alerts and/or incoming phone calls to display on your WIMM One.
Now you have the convenience of being able to decide if you want to take a phone call or if you need to quickly respond to a text message without taking your phone out of your pocket. In fact, it really works great for me since I own a Galaxy Nexus. I always leave my phone on vibrate, and the Galaxy Nexus has a very weak vibrator. I can’t tell you how many calls I’ve missed while it was in my pocket. The WIMM One companion app eliminates that. For now only SMS text messages and phone calls appear on the WIMM One, but I’m sure that in the future the ability to get emails, Tweets, and other notifications will be added.
It can be a little annoying going through texts two times for each one, but again you don’t have to always forward them to your WIMM One, it’s your choice. With the app on your phone, you can quickly uncheck SMS forwarding or phone calls for that matter.
The Companion app also allows you to browse the Micro App Store and select what apps you would like to install as well as browse the forums for additional support.
Check out my video and look for part 3 soon, which will highlight many of the apps that are already available in the Micro App Store.
Click here to view the embedded video.






Posted: 08 Mar 2012 12:02 PM PST
The battle for 7 to 9-inch tabs is getting hot and heavy lately as just about every manufacturer has one. When it comes down to it, you really have to weigh price with what each manufacturer is offering as far as differentiation goes. When I mean differentiation, I don’t mean UI enhancements, I mean the quality of the build and the overall hardware. Does the Toshiba Thrive 7″ offer anything other tablets don’t? This is my full review, but you can also check out my initial hands on video as well.
Design
The design of the Thrive 7″ might be the highlight of this tab. Although it’s not the thinnest around (11.9mm), the design of the body is very nice. The backside has an all rubberized feel that makes it very comfortable in your hands. My biggest complaint with all devices I review is shiny plastic that is slippery, but you won’t find any of that with the Thrive. It doesn’t feel as solid as other tabs, but It doesn’t feel like it’s going to fall apart either. I just wish it wasn’t so thick since most of the competition right now is much thinner. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus comes in at 9.96 mm thick and the Motorola XYBOARD 8.2 (WiFi version) comes in at 8.9mm thick.
Hardware
The Thrive 7″ features a 7-inch 1280 x 800 LED backlit LCD display, 1 GHz dual-core Cortex A9 processor, 1GB of RAM, 5MP rear camera (with 720p video recording), 2MP front camera, 16 or 32 GB of internal storage, microSD for up to an additional 32GB, micro HDMI, micro USB, Bluetooth 2.1, WiFi, and Android 3.2. Hardware-wise, I’m not seeing too much that that is a cut above the competition except for maybe the 2MP front camera. Hardly enough to get excited about.
Battery
The battery life isn’t the greatest. With mild use you can get through a day or two, but with any use like video, the Thrive performed poorly. I ran continuous video and I was only able to get about 5 hours. Most other tablets will get closer to 10 hours and even the DROID RAZR MAXX, a phone, was able to get 10 hours of continuous video while connected to 4G LTE.
Performance
Performance is adequate, but it’s not going to blow away the competition. It has a 1 GHz dual-core processor, which is low based on today’s standards, but should satisfy most people. The AnTuTu benchmark came in at 5138 which puts it just above the Amazon Kindle Fire and just below the LG Optimus 2X. Average specs yields average results.
The 1280 x 800 resolution is one of the highest for tablets in this size range. I must say, it’s really nice, but the Motorola XYBOARD 8.2 (WiFi version) matches it and is priced similarly at $399 with a little larger screen.
Software
About the best thing the Thrive 7′ offers is that it’s stock Android, which happens to be version 3.2 Honeycomb. Ice Cream Sandwich is promised for the Spring, but nothing official yet. A nice touch is the ability to easily lock the screen in either landscape or portrait, which is great when reading an e-book. You simply toggle a switch on the side.
As far as bloatware goes, you will find Backgammon, HW Games Euchre SE, HW Games Hearts SE, HW Games Solitaire SE, HW Games Spades SE, Kaspersky Tablet Security, Netflix, NFS Shift, PrinterShare, Quickoffice HD, Register (for registering with Toshiba), Toshiba Service Station (for managing updates), and User’s Guide.
Camera
I have said it in all my tablet reviews that a camera is nice to have, but that’s about it. It simply doesn’t make much sense except for a front facer for video chat. Toshiba gave us an average at best camera in the Thrive. The shutter speed is slow based on today’s standards and although the photos weren’t all that bad, you might need to take a few shots to get it right. I found this to be more the case when requiring flash. Here are some example shots (the last one was dimly lit and required flash)
Closing
There are many choices for 7-inch to 9-inch tablets, and I don’t think that Toshiba convinced me to recommend the Thrive 7″ over any of the competition based on specs and price. I do like the design and the display is nice, but other than that, it loses in just about every category. If you are in the market for a smaller form factor, I would recommend the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus or the Motorola XYBOARD 8.2 over this one. The Thrive 7″ goes for $369 for the 16GB version, but the 8.2-inch Motorola XYBOARD 8.2 (WiFi) 16GB goes for $399 and the 7-inch Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus (WiFi) 16GB goes for $318.




Posted: 08 Mar 2012 10:54 AM PST
I don’t know about you, but I have zero interest in listening to my music through my phone speaker. Up until now you had two choices: either you wire it into a stereo/speaker via the microphone jack or connect it via Bluetooth. There’s a newer third option which doesn’t involve wires, syncing, or Bluetooth. It’s called the iFrogz Boost Near Field Audio Speaker, and it features patent pending NearFA™ technology. All you have to do is place your smartphone or digital media device on top of the Boost, and it will sync the audio signal from inside your device and output it to two 2W x 2RMS speakers.
It measures 4.1825 x 2.625 x 1.50 inches so it’s compact enough to take with you, but was disappointed with the lack of a re-chargeable battery. Instead, it takes 3 AA batteries, but on the plus side, you will get up to 15 hours of play time or up to 6 months in standby mode. You also have the option of powering it with a micro USB cable. I found the iFrogz Boost worked incredibly well in not only adding volume, but also adding some bass. The real issue comes down to the quality of your smartphone or digital media player. If the speaker isn’t the greatest, the iFrogz Boost will only amp up your subpar speaker, which will result in subpar sound. However, if you have a decent sounding speaker, the output of the iFrogz will be pleasing. Check out my hands on video to see how simple and easy it is to use and look for a contest as we will be giving 3 away to our loyal Talk Android readers.
Click here to view the embedded video.
The iFrogz Boost costs $39.99 (with free shipping in the U.S.) on the iFrogz website, but you can find it elsewhere for closer to $30.00.


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