Sunday, April 15, 2012

Update - 214



Posted: 14 Mar 2012 05:45 PM PDT
This image has no alt text


As the saying so often goes, bigger is always better. Strategy Analytics proved this today after they released a report showing that the majority of smartphone users polled in the US and UK, want devices with a bigger screen. When presented with various prototype devices, 90% of participants chose a device with a larger screen as more desirable than what they were currently using. The more popular prototype devices were around the range of 4 to 4.5-inches in screen size.
Even though the ideal screen size fluctuated between men and women (men like ‘em bigger than women), Android and iPhone users (Android users also like ‘em bigger), generally speaking, everyone at least wanted a little more screen real estate than what was available on their current device. The one area that was unanimous, however, was that everyone wanted a slim device, regardless of screen size.
At one point, I found 4.5-inches to be ideal but after a week with the G-Note, I think 4.7 is my new personal sweet spot. What do you guys think? Are you happy with the screen size of your current device? Or do you think you could use a few extra fractions of a inch?
[BusinessWire | Electronista]

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 04:47 PM PDT
This image has no alt text

The world of convertible Android tablets is about to get a little more crowded once Archos bring their new G10 XS series to market. The Transformer competitor was teased in a video the company uploaded to YouTube today teasing the new tab, pretty much showing off the entire device while still keeping an air of mystery behind it.


Slides from a press briefing in Paris however, have brought a little more light to the tab, which is said to measure in at about 7.6mm thick alone, and 11mm when combined with the keyboard dock. No word on specs, but we’re thinking it will be something similar to the already released Archos G9 Turbo. The tablet is said to be releasing sometime this year for between 200 to 400 Euros. What say, ye? Hit or miss?

[ArcTablet | Via Engadget]

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 03:28 PM PDT
This image has no alt text

Another great new feature has made its way to Google+ today. Google’s Robin Schriebman posted the news on her Google+ page. Users in Hangouts can now collaborate on documents. Nothing’s different here from Google Documents itself except that you can now see your co-workers, schoolmates or whoever you happen to be working on a document with. You can use existing documents or uploaded/start new ones to get started on your work, play or what have you. No word yet on if this will be headed to Android. Head to Google+ to get started. [via Droid-Life]

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 02:16 PM PDT
This image has no alt text

If the Samsung Galaxy S III ever makes its way outside of Samsung’s headquarters, PhoneArena claims to have a photo of what the device could look like. As you’d expect, it’s near bezel-less, rectangle device. Oh, it doesn’t have hardware buttons for home, back, menu and search. Looks like it also has proximity sensors, a front facing camera and a speaker grill. I’m sure there are more goodies we’re not seeing packed into what looks like a very slim phone. Of course, this could just be a fan render tipped as being legit. It could also be real. But one thing I can bet is that the Galaxy S III will certainly look something like this.

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 01:37 PM PDT
This image has no alt text

An update to Google Earth has landed in the Google Play Store today. It introduces a lot of new features to make the experience more useful. The biggest feature is the Earth Gallery which are curated sets of layers giving you information such as wear earthquakes have occurred, real time flights and city tours. Other features include the ability to share your current view to Google+ (or any other social app), new gestures for pinch and zoom, and more. Get a look at the full changelog and get the download over in the Google Play Store.

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 12:43 PM PDT
This image has no alt text

Mojang’s just released a new upgrade to their Minecraft game in the Google Play Store. This update brings Survival Mode alongside the already existent Creative Mode. Pigs have been added to that aforementioned Survival Mode. We’ve also got new split touch control scheme and a new control scheme for flying. With that and the usual round of bug fixes, I’d say this is a pretty big update. Grab it in the Google Play Store.

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 11:52 AM PDT
This image has no alt text
While I think we’d all agree that pattern unlock isn’t the most desirable method for locking your phone down if you need the absolute highest degree of security, it appears that it has foiled someone. That someone happens to be the FBI. A pimp named Dante Dears was asked to turn in a cellphone that he once admitted never existed. The FBI, eager to find information that could help take him down, found that he’d locked his phone using pattern unlock, a method to unlock an Android phone using a pattern drawn on a 3×3 grid.

Normally, they’d be able to search through his phone then and there due to a waiver he signed which would give up his fourth amendment right as part of his parole term, but since the device was locked (which was apparently a violation of the waiver) they needed to obtain a warrant.
They did so, shipped the phone off to the FBI and intended to get to work… only to find it impossible to get inside the phone. They tried different combinations on the pattern unlock screen 20 times before they were hit with the infamous password prompt. The FBI has sent a subpoena to Google to get access to Dears’ Google account to obtain the following:
  • The subscriber’s name, address, Social Security number, account login and password
  • "All e-mail and personal contact list information on file for cellular telephone"
  • The times and duration of every webpage visited
  • All text messages sent and received from the phone, including photo and video messages
  • Any e-mail addresses or instant messenger accounts used on the phone
  • "Verbal and/or written instructions for overriding the ‘pattern lock’ installed on the" phone
  • All search terms, Internet history, and GPS data that Google has stored for the phone
We’re sure a few of these things won’t be found within his account, but I guess it doesn’t hurt to be thorough. This article isn’t intended to highlight the case, but Android’s use of security that even has law enforcement agents left scratching their heads.
I suddenly feel the urge to set one up myself even though I have nothing embarrassing or incriminating on my phone. Has Android’s pattern unlock been successful for you when absolutely needed? [Ars Technica]

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 11:07 AM PDT
This image has no alt text

O2 UK won’t take too long to bring Ice Cream Sandwich to their Galaxy S II users as they have promised to bring the update in mid-April. Samsung started rolling the update out to unlocked users this past week, with another wave of OTA updates going out Friday to those in the UK, Germany and more. As you know, updates to unlocked and unbranded versions of phones tend to come to carrier versions a bit later, but this will be a relatively quick turnaround. Vodafone has stated that they’re looking to bring the update out as quickly as possible, but they weren’t interested in providing any target window. Meanwhile, in North America… [via Electricpig]

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 09:47 AM PDT
This image has no alt text

Verizon 4G is about to reach over 200 markets in the United States as Verizon plans for the rollout of LTE coverage in eight new regions on March 15th. Coverage will also expand in 17 regions currently enjoying access to Big Red’s next-gen network.
New coverage will being in Dothan and Enterprise, Alabama; Naples, Florida; Greenville, North Carolina; Altus and Durant, Oklahoma; and Longview/Marshall, Texas. Expanded regions include Washington, D.C.; Elkhart, Indiana; Baltimore, Maryland; Columbus Mississippi; Northern New Jersey; Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; and more.
Verizon has also stated that it plans to double 4G coverage by year’s end, reaching over 400 markets in the process. To read more about future plans and a full list of 4G coverage expansions, head to the press release linked below.
[via Verizon]

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 08:53 AM PDT
This image has no alt text

Samsung isn’t blazing any new trails with the idea of Android running on a digital camera — Polaroid is one step ahead — but the concept is one that the company’s R&D team is considering. The move towards an “open” camera ecosystem based on the operating system that has seen great success with Samsung’s smartphone lineup doesn’t seem like much of a stretch, either. Just look to the Galaxy Camera trademark filed last month.
The idea is far from final. It’s not even certain that the Korean manufacturer has a prototype design in the early stages of development. What is clear is that the use of Android would allow for a greater range of capabilities such as quick and easy social photo sharing, the ability to seamlessly sync with an Android smartphone, and the possibility of third-party camera applications.
There is still a lot of work to be done in realizing the concept. As Polaroid’s Smart Camera demonstrates, it’s not enough to just slap Android onto a digital camera and call it a day. We suspect Samsung would do quite a bit of modification in terms of UI and functionality in order to achieve their vision of an Android-powere camera.
[via Engadget]

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 08:04 AM PDT
This image has no alt text

The LG Optimus L7 will be making its UK debut on May 1st, in SIM-free form at least. The mid-range Ice Cream Sandwich will be offered for £254.98 and is currently available for pre-order via Unlocked Mobiles. For the price you get a 4.3-inch display at 480 x800 resolution, 5MP camera with LED flashi, and a 1GHz CPU packed into a stylish frame measuring in at a mere 8.7mm thick.
The Optimus L7′s lower-specc’d sibling Optimus L3 will be available later this month. Availability of the middle-of-the-road Optimus L5 has not been released.
[via UnwiredView]

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 07:38 AM PDT
This image has no alt text

If the newly announced Sony Xperia sola’s floating touch input seems a bit too sci-fi, you might be surprised to find out that this bit of smartphone magic relies on technologies already commonplace in modern handsets. We are all familiar with multi-touch capacitive displays. In this type of display, mutual capacitance is utilized to plot the location of multiple input points on an X-Y grid of electrodes positioned below the surface of the screen. With floating touch — a technology that can read the location of a user’s finger as it hovers over the display — a second type of capacitive sensor is required, one which relies on self capacitance.
The electrical field generated through self capacitance is much larger than that of mutual capacitance and can register an input point up to 20mm from the surface of the display. The downside is that self capacitance cannot adequately detect multi-touch due to an artifact known as “ghosting.” Given the strengths and weaknesses of each technology, the team behind the Xperia sola relied on a combination of both to come to the almost mystical floating touch input found in the handset.
You can find out a bit more about the nitty-gritty technical details at an excellent blog post over on Sony’s developer portal. It’s definitely worth a read especially for devs interested in utilizing the new interface technology in games and applications.
[via AndroidCentral]

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 06:08 AM PDT
This image has no alt text
When the HTC One V brings the classic “big chin” design back to store shelves, it will do so in more than just the grey color scheme shown off at Mobile World Congress. Newly uncovered images show off the aluminum-bodied handset in black and purple variants. Given the phone’s lower-tier specs — a 1GHz CPU, 5MP camera, and 3.7-inch display — we doubt any of the new finishes involved the transformation of materials via the application of 10,000 volts of electricity, but that doesn’t mean they won’t compliment the One V’s good looks exceptionally well.
In other news, the handset just received its GCF approval, which is perfect timing considering the One V’s proposed April release. We’re looking forward to getting our hands on a fully functional model to test out the device’s camera and Sense 4.0 features. In the meantime, here is our look at an early unit from MWC.
[via Androinica]

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 05:42 AM PDT
This image has no alt text

If you have always dreamed of piloting your very own Evangelion mech…well, you’ll just have to keep dreaming. But NTT DoCoMo and Sharp may have just the thing to make it easier to suspend yourself in such a fantasy world. Set for a June release, the NERV edition Sharp SH-06D is designed to resemble something that would be issued to government employees in postmodern Tokyo-3 and features pre-loaded Evangelion content and UI elements designed by the folks behind the latest movie in the series, Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo.
Moving past the fancy packaging, we can expect the same hardware as the standard SH-06D, including a 4.5-inch 720p display. The handset currently runs Android 2.3, but this could change by the phone’s June launch. The NERV Edition SH-06D will be positioned as a tie-in to the latest in the Rebuild of Evangelion series. It will be previewed at the Anime Contents Expo in Chiba later this month.
[via The Verge]

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 05:10 AM PDT
This image has no alt text
With the release of the new iPad analytics firm IDC is upping their tablet forecast for 2012. Their unit forecast has been bumped up from 87.7 million to 106.1 million but the lion’s share of those devices are still predicted to run iOS. IDC’s current model doesn’t have slates running Google’s Android overtaking Apple’s tablet until 2016 despite strong growth in 2011. At the forefront of that growth was the Kindle Fire.
During the final quarter of 2011 Amazon’s $199 media tablet made up 16.8 percent of all tablets sold. To put that in perspective, Android tablets held 44.6 percent of the market in total. Other manufacturers buoying the Android cause included Samsung and Barnes & Noble. While Samsung’s Galaxy Tab series offers a more “traditional” tablet experience, the strong showing from Amazon and B&N suggests consumers can be won with the right combination of price and functionality. It isn’t all about quad-core processors and HD displays. Doing the math (and accounting for the slight blip that is RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook), that leaves a 54.7 percent share for the iPad.
Overall tablet growth was up, with a 155 percent increase in sales quarter-over-quarter.
[via TechCrunch]

No comments:

Post a Comment