Sunday, April 15, 2012

Update - 224



Posted: 16 Mar 2012 02:15 AM PDT


One of the exciting things about the post-PC era market today is the fact that it’s still a young, emerging market forging ahead in often bold directions. The tablet, as a post-PC device, is not even two years old yet, and the landscape is already changing fast! So where are things going? What will the next few years mean for Android and for us as mobile device users? According to a study from Gartner, the five mega-trends that will mark the way we use technology in the future are consumerization, virtualization, cloud computing, app-ification, and the shift to mobile.
Clearly, the biggest trend will be the continuing shift of Android devices to normal consumer products rather than tech gadgets or business tools. People from every generation are starting to use post-PC devices. Kids are growing up using them and the older generations are embracing them. Android tablets are now available in supermarkets and chain stores, you can pick one up along with your weekly groceries!
As tablets become more pervasive, they become a standard platform for content delivery to consumers of all ages and all demographics. This continuing “consumerization” will change the way content producers (music, films, books, games, etc.) make, distrubute, and sell their products. It will also affect pricing. Most radically, we have seen this happening with the pricing of apps. Who thought that a company could thrive on games selling for just $0.99? It will take a long time, but the same will happen with films, books, and music. It will also happen with the actual devices themselves.

Virtualization and the cloud

Before tablets and post-PC devices became the buzzwords of the tech industry, the big ticket item was virtualization, the technology that allows many independent virtual machines to run on a single piece of hardware. Of course, it wasn’t a new idea, but it was the consumerization and fulfillment of a vision that had started with IBM way back in the 70s. The key to virtualization is that software and hardware are no longer tied together.
So, what does this mean for my humble Android tablet or phone? What it means is that Android becomes a way to access processor intensive tasks which don’t run on the actual device, but the results are seen on the device. The best Android specific example of this concept is Amazon Silk, the web browsing service incorporated into the Kindle Fire. When a user browses the web, Amazon's virtual servers grab the web pages, render them, and then send them down to the tablet. All the hard work happens on the remote servers, with the Fire taking the role of a view port.
cloud-android
Closely linked to virtualization is the cloud. The amount of digital content that each user is consuming is growing, and the trend is to store and manage this content away from the device and download it only when needed. This trend is set to continue, with every aspect of our digital lives being stored and managed online. The current solutions aren’t yet perfect. Storage is limited. Bandwidth can be a hampering factor and, of course, the worries over privacy are a constant issue. However, tablets don’t come with 2 TB hard drives, and, to truly function in a post-PC, the massive amounts of user-generated data needs to stored somewhere. Add in services related to the data stored (like photos, music etc) and you have the cloud. More storage, more services, greater expectations.

Apps and mobility

Combine virtualization and the cloud and you get a new way in which software programs, are designed, delivered, and consumed — in short, “the app.” Android devices tend to have small screens (compared to a PC) and less resources, so apps need to be designed accordingly. This move to the app, rather than to retail box suites (like Microsoft Office), is in itself a generator of innovation, with new ways to do complex tasks on a smaller screen being invented constantly. Remember those who said you could never do movie editing on a mobile device?
The final trend is the continuing shift to mobility — whatever you want, whenever you want, wherever you want. With 3G and, now, 4G, Android devices are always fully connected, allowing users to continue their virtual life away from the PC. The biggest barrier to this shift is price. At home or at work, the Internet is generally unmetered and traffic unlimited. This isn’t yet true of 3G or 4G. This does limit what can be done when out and about. However, for those with enough money (for the monthly subscription), and in the right country (those with good 3G and 4G networks), there is little difference to using a Wi-Fi hotspot at home and using a data connection while away – everything is still there and still accessible.

Conclusion

The trends of how we use our Android (and other) devices aren’t based so much on the devices themselves but on the infrastructure around them. As these devices become true consumer items, and as users demand more services, the supporting infrastructure will grow and innovate to accommodate the demands. And as long as the service providers can make money, there will be innovation!

This article, 5 mega-trends of the post-PC era , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Posted: 16 Mar 2012 12:27 AM PDT

Sharing files from an Android device to a computer or vice-versa often requires the use of a USB cable.  Though relatively faster, such wired connections are also more cumbersome in comparison to wireless file sharing.
As for wireless file transfers, there’s Bluetooth, which you can use among phones/tablets, and between a phone/tablet and a computer, provided the computer is Bluetooth-enabled.
Here comes another way to share files wirelessly: X-Link, an Android app that lets you share files remotely with other Android devices and even to a computer.
X-Link is a file sharing tool developed by XDA Developer member joschi70. Based on users’ reviews of the app, it could be considered one of the simplest and fastest remote file sharing tools, as long as you  have a fast Wi-Fi connection.
The developer has also created a desktop counterpart so that desktops and notebooks can join in the file transfer frenzy–for as long as they are on the same Wi-Fi network.  Sharing a file only requires a simple drag-and-drop procedure that allows you to share files very fast.
The desktop client is based on Java and has been tested on Windows and Linux machines.
What makes this app outstanding is that it does not require setting up.  Install the app and share away.  This is so because the app uses multicasting for searching for clients within the same wireless network.
Another feather in this app’s cap is its ability to copy whole directories from one device to another.  So, you can send all those files in just one go.

Using X-Link

When you launch the X-Link app, you will see a large switch for toggling the visibility of your device on the network. When someone shares a file to your device, you are asked to allow the connection invitation.  You will also be prompted about where you want to save the received file.





When you want to share a file to another device, you go to the X-Link option found in the file sharing menu. Then, you have to select the device that you want to share the file with, just like using Bluetooth. One thing that you need to note is that in order to share or receive a file through X-Link, the app must be running on your device.
While the device-to-device function is working perfectly, some functions for the desktop client still need to be worked out a bit, especially for Windows 7.  This OS version seems to have a problem with multicasting (according to some test runs), which is basically what X-Link utilizes to share files.
According to the developer’s test runs, none of the Android devices was detected by the desktop client and vice-versa. X-Link is still in beta stage, which means that a lot are still being worked on, although we can expect the software to stabilize and mature over time.
Here’s a video demo of X-Link:
name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/nzpVlg2ljnM?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0″ />name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true” />value=”always” /> type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowscriptaccess=”always”allowfullscreen=”true” />
If you want to try hassle-free wireless file/directory transfers, get the X-Link app free from the Google Play Store.  And, if you want to be able to share files to or receive files on your desktop, install the X-Link desktop client.

This article, X-Link App: Sharing Files Wirelessly Among Multiple Android Devices and PC , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Posted: 15 Mar 2012 07:26 PM PDT

There are times when we get too busy with other stuff that we tend to forget and misplace our phones and tablets. The worst case scenario is that someone takes advantage of these busy moments and steal our device.
To address this need for additional security, Avira has developed an anti-theft Android application that allows the device owner to perform several anti-theft operations remotely. Read on to know more about how this app can secure your Android device.

Features of Avira Free Android Security App

There are numerous security applications in the Google Play Store geared to protect your device from malicious content like viruses and malware.  There are also several Android security apps that can remotely control your device in case your device gets lost. Avira Free Android Security belongs to the latter.
Dedicated to protecting your Android device from theft, the security app features several anti-theft options packed in it. Using this app, a user can locate the device on which the app is installed, wipe data on the device, lock the device, or sound a loud alarm (called a “scream”) on the lost Android device.  All these are done remotely.
The great thing about this app is that you can monitor and control several devices as long as those devices are registered with your email address. Aside from those features, you can also monitor the operations of a device through the Avira Web Console, through which you can view device information such as the brand, model number, IMEI number, operating system version, current battery status, and some details about the SIM card.

Getting Started

When you first start using the app, you will need to register your device using your email address. Once that is done, you can now avail of all the app’s anti-theft features through Avira’s Android Web Console.



Once you log in to the Web Console, you can now opt to check the location of your lost device through GPS, lock your device with a 4-digit PIN, wipe data on your phone, make your device scream (sound a loud alarm), and check the history of the device’s operations.
Also, if your device lands in the hands of a good Samaritan, he or she needs some information to be able to return the device to the owner. You can send a custom text message to your lost device with your email address and another phone number so that the person who finds it can reach you.



There’s nothing better than being alert and careful when it comes to safekeeping your device, but if the odds are against you, you can rely on Avira Free Android Security and be assured that if your device gets lost, there is still some hope of retrieving it.
If you want to give this app a try, you can download Avira Free Android Security from the Google Play Store.

This article, Protecting Privacy and Preventing Theft with Avira Free Android Security App , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Posted: 15 Mar 2012 03:15 PM PDT

International brand consultant Clear has released its annual list of the most desirable brands and companies in the world. For the 2012 desirable list, the study covers 22,000 respondents in 6 countries, with 555 brands vying for the coveted top slots. But of course, we are only interested in knowing how two particular tech titans have fared on the list, Google and Apple.

So, what exactly makes a brand desirable? According to Clear, desirability is measured by the ability of a brand to do three things: provoke people to think, feel, and act. The brand should influence how you THINK by commanding respect and attention, how you FEEL by creating a strong emotional attachment, and how you ACT by being able to inspire action.
From the list, both Google and Apple had no problem commanding respect and attention from consumers. Google is seen as the brand that matters the most, while Apple is deemed as the most attractive brand.  When it comes to brands that have successfully created a strong emotional attachment, consumers see Google as the most irreplaceable brand. Apple, on the other hand, is seen as the greatest brand.

It seems that Google and Apple are on equal footing on Clear’s desirability list. Not quite. Apple swept clean the Act category by becoming the most talked about brand, the brand that people would love to use in the future, and the brand that people want to hear the most about.
What can we say? Apple does excel at creating an attractive image for every gadget it sells, a reputation gained since the introduction of the iPod (counting this century only). It wouldn’t be completely inaccurate to say that, in many cases, people buy Apple products because of the image and emotion that they convey, rather than for their specs.
What's your view on the study? Do you think Google is irreplaceable? Do you think Apple is all gloss and hype? Sound off your comments below.
No related posts.

This article, Google users think, Apple users act: brand report , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Posted: 15 Mar 2012 02:42 PM PDT
archos-g10-xs
Although French consumer electronics company Archos has been in the Android tablet business since September 2009 (when they released the Archos 5 Internet tablet), they are not a name that you would normally associate with top-end devices. The Archos business model was, at least up until now, to provide cheap Android tablets for the lowest possible price. Obviously, the fruits of this philosophy weren't exactly the slimmest or the best performing tablets around, but that's sort of about to change, with the imminent release of the Archos G10 xs series of tablets, which will feature a super-thin profile of only 7.6mm. Let me do the math for you: that's an impressive 20% thinner than Apple's new iPad.
Unfortunately, that's the only spec Archos officials were kind enough to share with the public regarding the Archos G10 xs, and no release date was announced either. Sure enough, we'll get back to you when there’s something to report, but, judging by the announced price point (between $260 and $520) and by the fact that Archos officials talked about it as a "family" of tablets, I'm guessing that there will be multiple versions of G10 xs. Here goes hoping some quad-core love bleeds into at least one of them!
Archos G10 XS
Here's an official video that showcases how thin the Archos G10 xs (for eXtra Slim) will be, as well as its dedicated keyboard dock (ASUS Transformer-style):

At the same event where the Archos G10 xs was unveiled, Archos officials have also announced their intention to further improve their presence in the low-cost and mid-end markets, via their Arnova tablet family (cheap, not Google certified) and the (mid-range) Elements series.
It's nice to see other mid-range Android manufacturers following in ZTE's and Huawei's footsteps and entering the high-end device markets. If the variety of devices running Android has taught us anything so far, is that it's always better to be offered more hardware to pick from.
Are you interested into buying a high-end tablet from Archos? Is 7.6 mm slim enough for you? Drop us a line below and tell us what you think!

This article, Meet the Archos G10 XS: the slimmest tablet to ever go into production , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Posted: 15 Mar 2012 01:47 PM PDT

In a world of increasingly odd Android-powered devices, including the Apresso, the Android-running espresso machine, and the Touch Revolution Android microwave, the Miselu neiro seems almost normal by comparison. Yet, it manages to stand out as unique.
The Miselu neiro, dubbed by its makers "a portable, net-enabled social music device with a musical keyboard and a wide multi-touch display, and a variety of musical apps and cloud services” was introduced at the SoundCloud open house, during the recently concluded SXSW festival held in Austin, Texas.
The group behind neiro is Miselu, a self-styled "passionate team of entrepreneurs, musicians, designers and engineers in Silicon Valley" that aims to "design innovative products to create the next generation of musical experiences."

neiro: keyboard + tablet + Android

The neiro features a 25 key touch-sensitive MIDI keyboard attached to a wide capacitive touchscreen display which will run custom apps and solutions. This device has all the characteristics of a standard MIDI keyboard, including 2 MIDI ports, 2 USB ports, an HDMI port, RCA audio In/Out, and an SD card slot.
The neiro is powered by the NSX-1 AudioEngine sound chip from Yamaha, which promises to deliver sound quality on par with real musical instruments. Miselu also teamed up with Onkyo Corporation and Trigence Semiconductor to deliver powerful, energy efficient digital speakers for the device.  In case your not an audiophile, Onkyo Corporation is a leading manufacturer of high quality audio/video products and home theatre systems, while Trigence Semiconductor is credited with the invention of the Dnote digital audio signal processing technology.
The device features an open platform environment which will give developers and users the ability to come up with their own custom apps. At the product’s launch, Miselu showcased apps created by Retronyms, the creators of the popular iPad music app Tabletop.

                                             Neiro running Retronyms software
There have been many complaints about the Android platform not being suited for running music software, mostly due to latency issues in device audio systems. Primarily because both the hardware and the software of the neiro have been designed specifically for creating, sharing and consuming music, this innovative device does not suffer from latency issues.
With musicians and the general public embracing electronic instruments, and genres like house, transcendental, and dub-step gaining popularity, the neiro may be the next step forward in the musical revolution.
A short introduction video of the device:



This article, Miselu Neiro: the first Android-based musical instrument , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Posted: 15 Mar 2012 11:47 AM PDT

IdeaPadA1-600x631

What’s good:

A well-rounded tablet for the price. The Lenovo IdeaPad A1 has everything you could need from a slate, including a decent screen, GPS, Bluetooth, and a front and back facing camera. It’s a fully-functional, ultra-portable, and very affordable tablet.

What’s bad:

The specs leave something to be desired. Almost all of the hardware and software on the tablet is from the top of the line phones of 2010. While, today, the A1 will do almost everything you want it, it’s definitely not future proof.

The short of it:

The Lenovo IdeaPad  A1 is a great entry-level 7″ tablet. Its lightweight, durable, and versatile. While there are other tablets out there with better screens, they don’t have half of the features the IdeaPad A1 has.

Video Review


 The Lenovo IdeaPad A1 7″ Tablet

Today’s tablet market is cut-throat. With low priced Android tablets such as the Kindle Fire cornering the 7-inch market, it can be hard for a company such a Lenovo to enter the scene. Lenovo labels the IdeaPad A1 the tablet that “Comes with everything. Except a hefty price tag.” But does that low price tag mean low quality?

Specs

The A1′s specs are not cutting-edge, but they are adequate for all intents and purposes. You will definitely be able to play Angry Birds or watch a movie on Netflix without any problems. If you are looking for something a little more cutting-edge, I recommend you look else where, but, remember, you will be paying for it.
IdeaPad A1 specs:
  • 1GHz Processor
  • 512 Ram
  • 2GB internal storage, expandable to 16GB
  • 3350 mAH battery
  • Assisted GPS
  • 7″ LED Display 1024×600 pixels (170 PPI)
  • Multi-Touch Display
  • 802.11 b/g/n Wifi
  • Bluetooth 2.1

Form Factor

When I first held the Lenovo IdeaPad A1, I noticed a few things right away. First it was light, weighing in at under a pound. My arms never felt fatigue from holding it, and sometimes, when I got absorbed by using it, I even forgot I had it in my hands. Next, was the IdeaPad A1′s shape. I really liked how the bottom and the top of the tablet take a different shape as you run your fingers across it. When holding it horizontally, this curvature on the top and the bottom of the tablet make the A1 easy to grip. Plus, the shape really complements the thin profile of Lenovo’s tablet. With other slates, I’ve felt them as being too thin, due to the form factor and build. This is not the case with the IdeaPad, because all the design elements come together nicely. I really appreciated the IdeaPad’s design when I watched a movie on a hours-long road trip down to Minneapolis — not once did I have to put it down or re-adjust its position.

External ports and controls

The IdeaPad A1 has all the standard ports and controls you would expect from any Android tablet – a headphones jack, a microSD card slot, plus a mic, volume rocker, and power switch on the top of the right side. While there is nothing special here, I am happy to note that the power switch is positioned in an appropriate spot, and I rarely hit it on accident. Overall, the IdeaPad A1 has everything you need to transfer media files from your PC to the tablet, and, of course, to listen to music through headphones.
Side

Screen/Speakers

The screen is considered by many to be among the most important parts of a tablet or phone, which is obvious when you consider that it provides the primary way to interact and consume content on your device. A slew of aspects have to be taken into account when gauging a display, including viewing angles, screen technology, pixel density, and others. Until the Nook Tablet and Kindle Fire came along, under-$200 tablets had long had a bad name, particularly due to their poor screen quality, which is something that, today, is no longer excusable. Everything about the screen of the IdeaPad A1 is OK. The viewing angles are ok, but when watching videos with my fiancee, I had to make sure I held it just right, so both of us could see. The resolution is identical to the Nook Tablet’s or the Kindle Fire’s, but the screen itself just doesn’t deliver the same “wow” effect. On another note, the touchscreen  did not seem to be quite as sensitive on the edges as it was in the middle, which, at times, made typing difficult. However, this was just an annoyance, and most of the times, the touchscreen was quite responsive.
Next, we have the speaker, which is located on the bottom-side of the tablet. I think that this positioning is much better than having the speakers on the back, like some other tablets do. It makes it much easier to listen to music or movies, without straining my ears. The sound is crisp and clear, but it does lack bass. If you are looking to get better range and sound quality from the IdeaPad A1, I would recommend picking up some nice earphones.

Battery Life

Like all portable devices, the battery life of the Lenovo IdeaPad A1 depends on what you are doing with it – the spec sheet says 6 hours of watching videos, 7.5 hours of playing 2D games or using an app, and 8 hours of listening to music. The battery is fairly capable, and easily lasted as long as Lenovo claims. You will have no problem watching a movie on the A1, as well as doing a bunch of other things, with a single charge.

Software

The software on the Lenovo IdeaPad A1 is nothing exciting, but this is a good thing. The OS is stock Android 2.3.4, with some very minor User Interface (UI) modifications.  These minor UI changes provide some extra functionality to the home screen, although, I would have liked to have the option to remove the launcher. I did install Go Launcher on the A1 after a day or so, customized it a bit, and got rid of the Lenovo launcher. On a good note, I found little bloatware on the Lenovo IdeaPad A1, and even that was easy to remove.

The Verdict

After spending some quality time with the Lenovo IdeaPad A1, the only thing I can say is that I like it, for the price. I recommended one to my mom when she was looking for a small tablet in the $200 price range. I would get one to let my kids watch movies during a road trip, and I would even consider one for myself, if I needed a tablet that is more portable than my Xoom. The bottom line — the Lenovo IdeaPad A1 is a solid and functional, even if not dazzling Android tablet.
No related posts.

This article, Lenovo IdeaPad A1 7″ Tablet Review , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Posted: 15 Mar 2012 10:13 AM PDT
optimal screen size
According to Freud, size definitely matters to women, but it matters far more to men. Although I'm positive that you have heard this stuff before, it probably had nothing to do with your smartphone. But as it turns out, a recent study proves that this psychological axiom holds true even when applied to your smartphone’s screen size. Predictable? Maybe, but it's always better to have some facts and numbers we can wrap our heads around. According to the Strategy Analytics Wireless Device Lab, smartphone customers basically want two things from their next smartphone: thinness and a large display.
According to Strategy Analytics, most smartphone users would want their next smartphone to have a screen size somewhere between 4.0 inches and 4.5 inches. This "optimal" screen size could have very well been defined by the fact that users simply want devices with bigger displays than the gadgets that they currently posses. Strategy Analytics says that "almost 90 percent of existing smartphone owners surveyed chose a prototype smartphone with a display larger than their current device".
Bigger (and thinner) is better
The same study suggests that, when compared to women smartphone users, male smartphone users are inclined to buy smartphones with bigger displays. I'm guessing that has a great deal to do with the fact that women simply have smaller hands. Now imagine your girlfriend being able to properly wield the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note with one hand
tied behind her back
!
The report suggests that, although smartphone users are generally considering a device with a bigger display for their next purchase, they will also take into account how thick (although thin is a better word in this context) the device is, as well as how much it weights. Fortunately, over the past year, we've seen Android smartphones (and even tabs, really) getting close to their “theoretical” minimal thickness, considering the fact that mobile devices should also feel comfortable in your hand. I'm guessing anything less than 10 mm should certainly be thin enough for most Android shoppers.
As expected, iPhone users were less inclined to want a bigger display on their next smartphone (as all versions of the iPhone showcase a 3.5-inch display). Of course, as we discussed before, the 3.5-inch form factor does have a huge benefit – the fact that almost the entire screen real estate can be reached with a swipe of the thumb.
iPhone-vs-Galaxy-SII
However, not everyone seems to agree that you must be able to use your smartphone with only one hand. A big proportion of Android users answered that they would like bigger displays. A big part of all users want their smartphones to be increasingly thin. For your reference, here's a list of the three Google Nexus smartphones, side by side with their corresponding iOS competitor:
  • Google Nexus One – 3.7 inch display – 11.5 mm thick
  • iPhone 3Gs – 3.5 inch display – 12.3mm
  • Google Nexus S – 4.0 inch display – 10.9 mm thick
  • iPhone 4 – 3.5 inch display – 9.3 mm thick
  • Google Galaxy Nexus – 4.65 inch display – 8.9 mm thick
  • iPhone 4S – 3.5 inch display – 9.3 mm thick
Clearly, Google has acknowledged that Android users want bigger screens, but it's not like Android OEMs did not follow the same pattern. Here is a list of the previous 3 top smartphones from Samsung:
  • Samsung Galaxy S – 4.0 inch display – 9.9 mm thick
  • Samsung Galaxy S2 – 4.3 inch display – 8.5 mm thick
  • Samsung Galaxy Note – 5.3 inch display – 9.7 mm (obviously not actually a smartphone, but it did sell like crazy so you see my point here, right?)
Do you agree with the study? Is 4 – 4.5 inch the sweet area for Android display sizes? Are mammoth devices like the Galaxy Note (or the Optimus Vu for that matter) the answer? Or maybe you're inclined towards more pocketable screen sizes? Let us know what you think in the comment section below and vote in the poll!
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

This article, Report suggests optimum size for a smartphone’s display: between 4.0 and 4.5 inches , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Posted: 15 Mar 2012 08:41 AM PDT

Pantech, the number two smartphone manufacturer in South Korea, is set to release its flagship device, the IM-A830S. While details of the upcoming smartphone haven't been officially announced, the specs of the phone appeared on GLBenchmark website.
In fact, this phone is virtually identical to the Pantech Vega, pictured above, that was released in Korea in late October. The two contain very similar specs, so it’s likely that Pantech has just manufactured this one for European and North American carriers.  Here’s a video from mid October, demonstrating the latest motion control technologies they embedded into the phone in Korea.

Anyway, back to the IM-A830S. The benchmark website provides some revelation about the innards of it, which apparently includes a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 processor running at 1.5GHz, and a 1280 x 720 HD resolution. While the screen size at this point is still unknown, it is likely to be 4.5 inches, much like the already on the market Vega. The model on the benchmark runs Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich, so we can expect the phone to ship with it out of the box, too.

We last heard from Pantech when they released the Pantech Burst smartphone and Pantech Element tablet. Two devices that didn't exactly set the Android world alight, but packed enough punches to deem them memorable. Seeing that the Pantech Burst comes with a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, we can expect the new model to have a bigger screen.

As has been the case with Pantech previously, there is no word yet on the release date of the Pantech IM-A830S in North America, as the company is reportedly focusing on local markets for now. Personally, I think that Pantech could be one of the best manufacturers to produce a high on features, and high on value oriented handset that could be a big seller, if it were priced right.

This article, Pantech to release dual-core 1.5GHz smartphone with 4.5 inch 720p display , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Posted: 15 Mar 2012 06:23 AM PDT

This just in! Apple has been hit with a class action lawsuit for inaccurate portrayal of Siri in advertisement. In other news, movie goers are suing the producer of "The Never Ending Story" when they found out the movie only ran for 1 hour and 34 minutes. In all seriousness, though, it appears that honeymoon time is over for Siri – as the intelligent voice assistant that resides on Apple iPhone 4S has been hit by several minor setbacks in recent days.
The class action lawsuit against Apple is as real as it gets. A guy by the name Frank Fazio, representing other disgruntled buyers, has filed for the lawsuit because Siri apparently failed to work as advertised. According to court document that was posted online, the Siri ads are "misleading, false and reasonably likely to deceive, have deceived" buyers who were mostly interested in the Siri feature when they purchased the iPhone 4S.
Trouble has also emerged on the other side of the pond, where it was reported by Apple Insider that Siri is having a difficult time responding to a more advanced request in Japanese.

In the video, you will see how Siri was pitted against Syabette Concier, another voice recognition software. Siri failed to respond to requests, such as "Is it cold outside?" and "I have a stomach ache", while the local counterparts were able to provide weather data for the first request and information of the nearest hospital for the second one.  The report concluded that Siri was only able to understand requests using simple and universal Japanese.
It's worth noting that glitches and imperfections are a part of any beta software, which Siri is still one, as Apple admitted. Hopefully, the same fate won't befall Android's upcoming Assistant.

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