Posted: 25 Mar 2012 12:55 AM PDT  We live in a world where modern communication technologies have reached a collective tipping point – where we can communicate in a near instantaneous fashion across mountains, oceans and valleys, all through our mobile devices. As such, it has never been easier to provide and access the information we need – whether for pleasure, business, or more serious matters. While we live and operate in this world, this has not always been the case for military personnel, often whom of which are living in less-than-ideal conditions in the field. Going that extra step to make things just a tad easier, the US Army yesterday announced the launch of their Software Marketplace, giving soldiers easy access to training manuals and other handbooks in the form of download-friendly native and web-based apps. Still in its prototype phase, there are currently 12 such apps available on the website, created by the Army’s Connecting Soldiers to Digital Apps (CSDA) program. Only available for iOS devices at the moment, soldiers are able to download these apps onto their personal iPhones, iPads, and even the iPod Touch. The Software Marketplace name is a slight misnomer, functioning more as a list that links to the apps on the Apple App Store, similar to Tablified, but of course, on a more national security-esque level. As the CSDA program advances, support for Android devices will be added, assuming with apps download-able from the Google Play Store, and will also include more web-based apps. Some of the apps available now are: The Soldier's Blue Book (initial entry training guide), Army Values, Army Social media handbook, and Developing a Performance Work Statement, among others.  In a press release, Lt. Gen. Susan Lawrence said that the Apps Marketplace is at the center of the Army’s efforts to radically reduce the time to deliver applications across the force. She continued, stating that the prototype was the first step in establishing and exercising new submission and approval processes that would eventually enable Army members, organizations, and third-party app developers to release applications for Army-wide distribution. This might not seem as much of a big deal, but I thin we can all certainly appreciate anything that makes things easier and more comfortable for the people in uniform. If you have access to an iOS device, you can visit the site at www.marketplace.army.mil This article, US Army announces Software Marketplace for iOS, will arrive for Android shortly , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 24 Mar 2012 10:14 PM PDT  We all have our own unique interests and explore them via different sources. Think about it for a second – how do you find the things you want? For more and more people, services like Tumblr, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter are how they connect themselves with the kind of information and media they are looking for. If you’re the type that loves ‘motivational’ typographies, beautiful nature photographs, stunning illustration and design, and pretty much anything niche oriented, then – without a doubt – you have become a fan of Tumblr. What if you could view amazing pictures in these categories with just a few clicks and without much effort at all on your Android device? We would like to introduce you to Stumblr, the Tumblr Image Viewer which is a great application that you can get for free via the Google Play store.  Google Play Store This wonderful little app hasn’t received the amount of attention is deserves, and is among the best image viewing apps for Tumblr that you can find on the market, I mean Google “Play”, for free. When I say little, I am simply referring to its file size – a small and convenient 1.3 MB download. However, when it comes to the features, the app offers it is anything but "small". While Stumblr is very easy to use, it may take you around 10 minuets of exploring the different options that the app provides. The Stumblr SettingsAs you may have expected, you can log into your own Tumblr account via this app thanks to the Tumblr API. However, you can still manage your own bookmarks, downloads and favorites Tumblr blogs without an actual account. For the account averse, like me. |
Posted: 24 Mar 2012 01:59 PM PDT  With the ever increasing popularity of 3D movies and the ability to view entire movies on your smartphone, have you ever thought about combining the two? Well, you aren’t the first – LG brought the Optimus 3D, the first 3D phone, to market in April, last year. We now have an heir-apparent to the Optimus 3D, LG announcing the arrival of the Optimus 3D Max (with naming variations of Optimus 3D 2 and Optimus 3D Cube, for different markets). Does it deserve to be called “Max”, you ask? Let’s see. It features a larger 4.3-inch screen and the 3D video shooting dual cameras have been upgraded to 5MP each. The Optimus 3D Max also matches to some extent the look and feel of other high-end phones soon to be available on the market, being thinner and lighter than its predecessor. Other specifications include:
 With Google recommending the three capacitive menu buttons layout, another somehow expected (considering it is launching with Android 2.3), but unwelcome feature is the four capacitive button strip, which will make optimization for Android 4.0 even harder. The LG Optimus 3D Max has just received GCF (Global Certification Forum) approval and an eventual FCC approval is only a short while away. While there is no official announcement on a release date or price, a Q2 2012 release is expected. The phone is definitely an upgrade from the Optimus 3D, with better form factor and specs, but it does not match up to the variety of quad-core Android 4.0 smartphones expected to be released soon, with its toughest competitor probably being LG’s own Optimus 4X HD. Unless, of course, you prefer 3D phones. Then this phone is the best. Here is a short video of the LG Optimus 3D Max hands-on at this year’s Mobile World Conference, courtesy of IntoMobile. Your thoughts? Is 3D that important on a mobile phone so as to ignore the almost disappointing specifications? This article, LG Optimus 3D Max is GCF approved; Q2 release expected , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 24 Mar 2012 12:11 PM PDT  One of the more fascinating aspects about the movie Minority Report (2002) (apart from the futuristic cars and inner city road system) was how billboard advertisements did a retina scan of passers by and tailored the ad to suit the watcher’s requirements. The movie takes place in the year 2054 A.D., but with Google’s latest patent application, we may be closer to this future than most would think. The patent is titled “Advertising based on environmental conditions.” A short summary of the patent: information about the environmental conditions of a remote device is received, then an advertisement is identified based on the environmental conditions and is provided to the remote device. The filling goes on to describe a system that allows advertisers to target online ads based on environmental factors detected on the end user’s devices. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to ambient noise, movement, temperature, humidity, light, sound, and air composition, which are picked up by sensors on the device. A simple example of this is, say, when you are at a location with a temperature above 90F, you will likely receive an ad about the closest store selling air-conditioners. And this example is just a basic application of how this concept can be applied. The applications of the patent are not limited to phone-based advertising only. They can go as far as to determine environmental conditions from a user’s remote device, such as a phone, and post advertisements on other nearby “digital billboards” such as a tablet, screen, or vending machine. Yeah, pretty much what we’ve seen in Minority Report, minus the retina scan. But who knows?  Google states that usefulness of this system is two-pronged. One, advertisers could create specific advertisements to suit only certain types of users, locations, or environments. Second, users would receive more relevant and accurate advertising according to their needs. With privacy advocates having a field day with Google’s email client, Gmail, providing contextual advertising based merely on “scanning your messages”, this patent filing, with procedures that are far more invasive, will likely leave the same people in a tizzy. While being exposed to more relevant, accurate, and personalized ads sounds like an advantage, it will be enough for users to ignore the huge privacy concerns is yet to be seen. Till then, rather than the user-specific ads (as shown in the movie), can we just have the Lexus Concept Car instead? This article, Google wants to listen to everything you do, so it can deliver nicer ads. Creepy? Naaah… , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 24 Mar 2012 10:52 AM PDT  Do you like robots? Of course you do! In fact, most tech fans love them! And it’s no wonder, they are really amazing. Some say that we can monitor the advancement of our technology and society by monitoring how fast we are developing robots. But Android robots? Surely, it must be a joke? It’s no joke! These amazing little robots and cars are controlled by an Android device via Bluetooth. It’s amazing to see what enthusiasts and tech experts have come up with (perhaps even a bit scary). While you shouldn’t expect to see the Terminator, some of these will really blow your mind! Let’s get started, shall we? The Android RobotWhat better way to start this list than by showing an actual Android robot? Or should we call it a droid? Nonetheless, this little guy is super cute and really cool! It can make quite a few movements of its own and the robotic sounds it chirps are really neat. Maybe one day Google will put them on sale so we can all enjoy playing with this little guy.Toy car controlled by Nexus OneThere have been quite a few of these RC cars controlled by iPhone devices, but if the iPhone can do it, then surely Android can do it better! That’s exactly what the video bellow shows – an amazing toy car controlled by a Nexus One. The connection between the devices is created via Bluetooth. Looks fun… It brings out that child we all have inside of us, doesn’t it?Mindstorm NXT Android RobotAndroid is advancing rapidly and there is no denying that. But, who would have thought we would also see Lego toys being controlled via Bluetooth with our Android phones? If there is anything these awesome Android robots tell us, it’s that anything is possible!Android PlenIt looks like it may take some practice to master the controls of this little robot, but it sure does look like it’s a lot of fun. Robots are really popular in Japan and it seems Android is growing in popularity as well. Only 50 of these nifty Android-controlled robots were made, with a price tag of$3,000. Be sure to check it out (if you can afford it)!Android Hexapod RobotAnd last, but not the least, is this amazing hexapod that is remote controlled via a HTC Hero (or an iPhone) and a Bluetooth connection. It’s really neat and works like a charm. This is probably the only thing with six legs that you would want to have at home!So, which one’s your favorite? I am sure that there are many other examples, so feel free to suggest us some other nifty Android controlled robots! This article, 5 Amazing Android Controlled Robots , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 24 Mar 2012 09:59 AM PDT  [We updated the title from "to receive" to "to request" to avoid confusions]When Oracle sued Google back in 2010 about alleged Java-related patent violations, many were stunned by the move, especially considering the fact that Oracle is a founding member of the Linux Foundation. Given the fact that the respective patents were used in a Linux-based mobile OS (Android, of course), it was quite surprising that Oracle was going after a member of the ecosystem that they claimed to defend. When the trial first started, Oracle expected to gain somewhere between $1B to north of $6B (yes, SIX BILLION) from Google as compensation, but now, that seems to have been just a passing shimmer in Larry Ellison’s eyes. Following recent developments, Oracle is now aiming to obtain a less than impressive (judging by the size of the two companies) $100 million, presumably barely enough to cover legal expenses.  Although Google was initially incriminated of violating six Oracle-owned patents with the Android OS, following the search-engine giant's request to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to re-consider the situation, Oracle withdrew some of their claims, and four of the patents Google has supposedly broken were invalidated. So, at the time being, only a couple of patents are on the lawsuit's table of orders. Interestingly enough, these are not patents filed by Oracle themselves, but rather ones that they inherited back in 2009, when they have acquired Sun Microsystems. In my point of view, the best statement regarding the case was made by Java creator James Gosling, when the trial first started: "Oracle finally filed a patent lawsuit against Google. Not a big surprise. During the integration meetings between Sun and Oracle where we were being grilled about the patent situation between Sun and Google, we could see the Oracle lawyer's eyes sparkle. Filing patent suits was never in Sun's genetic code". In what was possibly the decisive move, Google has reissued a 2007 statement made by Johnatan Swartz CEO of Sun Microsystems at the time, in which he endorsed Google's use of the license. Although not an official agreement, unofficial endorsement is still a big factor in this kind of lawsuits. In the other corner, Oracle counter-attacked with a number of emails from Google employees, in which it was pointed out that Google was knowingly breaking the Java license. Oracle's own expert, Boston University professor Iain Cockburn initially claimed that Oracle might receive up to $6.1 billion, if Google was found guilty in the Android/Java lawsuit. However, in a major turn of events, Cockburn now estimates a maximum compensation of $37.5 million. At the end, Oracle might end up receiving north of that sum, somewhere around $100 million, but it's definitely a huge blow for the owners of the Java license, considering their initial claim. Aren’t you guys sick of all these patent lawsuits? I know I am… This article, Oracle to ask around $100 million from Google over the Android / Java lawsuit. , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 24 Mar 2012 09:11 AM PDT  The folks at Android and Me have made an interesting discovery that seems to lend credibility to the rumored existence of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 11.6. A purported picture of the supersized tablet was spotted, of all places, on the Exynos product page of the company's website. To make it clear, there's no marking whatsoever that gives out the picture as the mysterious Samsung Galaxy Tab 11.6. What the picture does show is a slightly bigger looking Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with minor design differences. Of course, we shouldn't always take things at face value. Prior to the Mobile World Congress in February, the air was thick with rumors about Samsung releasing details of a certain Galaxy Tab with WXQGA resolution and a dual-core 2GHz Exynos 5250 processor. Do you see the connection now? The picture was found in the product page that details the Exynos 5250 processor.  On an unrelated note, one oversized Android tablet that's definitely been seen and touched is the Toshiba AT330, with its gargantuan 13.3 inch display and 1920 x 1200 resolution. Still in prototype, the Toshiba AT330 packs Nvidia’s Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 32GB storage, a regular SD card slot, and Ice Cream Sandwich. This gives some indication that manufacturers will be more creative with the dimensions of the Android tablets they release, perhaps forced by the over saturated market in the sub 10-inch tablets category. It wouldn't be too much of as stretch to think that Samsung is readying a tablet that can match or surpass the resolution of the new iPad and one up it even more by making it 11.6-inch in size. Plus, we think it'll be a good exercise for the hands. This article, Legit picture of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 11.6? Decide for yourself , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 24 Mar 2012 08:27 AM PDT  Over the past few years, major chip manufacturers seemed to focus more and more on providing the best bang-for-the-buck-per-power-consumption ratio. I wouldn’t go as far as to call it a defining trend, but it is definitely a shift from the strict performance-based orientation chip makers had a decade ago. While yesterday, we've talked about the most power efficient CPU architecture out there, the ARM Cortex M0+, today I'm here to introduce you to the most power efficient GPU architecture out there, the newly uncovered Nvidia Kepler. With Kepler, Nvidia hopes to conquer all three major GPU markets: desktop, notebook, and smartphone/tablets.It's not a novelty that desktops PC components are the most power-hungry ones out there. After all, desktops don't run on a battery, and are, thus, freely able to suck as many watts from the power grid as it’s needed to feed the high-performance chips inside. One step down the mobility lane, you'll find that, while notebook CPU's are somewhat comparable to their desktop counterparts, mobile graphic cards are heavily outpaced by top-class desktop video cards. Take another step down that same lane, and you'll find that smartphone GPUs are no match for PC video cards (desktop or notebook), as are smartphone CPUs when compared to the Intel Core i7 architecture, for instance. This entire hierarchy is defined by two things: chip size and power consumption. Kepler: the architecture for every deviceLeaders in the GPU race, Nvidia used to design and manufacture different GPUs for different devices: from the performance-based, power-hungry desktop chips, to the GeForce ULP inside their Tegra 3 SoC. All this multi-orientation hassle is about to end though, as Nvidia has recently announced the new scalable architecture called "Kepler", one they tout as being the most power-efficient GPU design up to date. According to Nvidia officials, the Kepler architecture is, in fact, so power-efficient that we should expect it to reach smartphones in the not-so-distant future.The interesting part is that, although the Kepler GPU showcases an impressive performance-per-watt ratio, it does so without any major performance compromise, up to the point where the first desktop-variant of the Kepler chip – the GeForce GTX 680 – is considered the best performing GPU in the world, period. The first notebook Kepler variant is called the GeForce GT 640M (you'll find it inside the upcoming Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3-581TG) and promises to enable notebook gamers to play even the most demanding video game titles, at decent frame rates. If you're wondering when the Kepler architecture will reach flagship superphones, however, I'd advise against holding your breath, unless you can live without oxygen for at least a couple of years. If you're interesting in finding out the exact hardware specs, check out this PCMag article. On a side note, it is apparent that Nvidia officials are so pleased with the development of the Kepler architecture that their CEO, Jensen H Huang, has issued a thank you email to Nvidia employees, congratulating them for all the hard work they've put into the Kepler project. To conclude, the Kepler architecture is major warning sign for other smartphone GPU manufacturers, especially Qualcomm, the makers of the Adreno-series of GPUs. If Qualcomm doesn't want to end up struggling as an underdog (much like AMD-ATI are doing now in the desktop GPU market), it's time for them to step up their game, and do it fast! This article, Kepler, Nvidia’s latest GPU architecture, will probably come to smartphones as well , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 24 Mar 2012 07:21 AM PDT  Electric Pig Bigger is better. That seems to be the conclusion of a recent survey that says the majority of smartphone owners want their next phone to have a bigger screen. While the 3.5-inch display of the iPhone was distinctive at the time of its introduction, which was five years ago, Apple seems adamant in keeping it, on the basis that a 3.5-inch display is the optimal size for operating your phone with one hand. Is Apple about to have a change of heart by introducing a bigger and sharper display for its iPhone 5? Welcome to another edition of the iPhone 5 rumor mill. Reported by the Maeli Business Newspaper from South Korea, an anonymous industry source has spilled the beans on the possible bigger display of the next iPhone. The source said that Apple has asked its suppliers to start producing the 4.6-inch Retina display for the iPhone 5, with a release date set for the second quarter of the year. Yet, another fresh rumor coming out from iMore seems to suggest otherwise. The iPhone 5, apparently, will only come with a new 4G LTE radio and a smaller dock port, but the display size will be kept the same. Conflicting rumors are nothing new when it comes to the iPhone – or any other hot smartphone for that matter. If the iPhone 5 does come with a 4.6-inch display, it'd make for a very interesting showdown with the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S3. The 4.7-inch display of the Samsung Galaxy S3 would still best the supposed bigger display of the iPhone 5 though.  From a worldwide sales figure standpoint, the Samsung Galaxy series is one adversary that Apple is keeping a very close watch on. Their designers probably curse Samsung for every inch or two that the Galaxy S phone is gaining in display size with each new version, but we think that the rumor of a 4.6-inch display of the iPhone 5 seems more like a wish list of a hardcore fan. What do you think? This article, The Galaxy S3 effect: iPhone 5 rumored to have a 4.6-inch display , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 24 Mar 2012 04:24 AM PDT  Zynga’s Words With Friends took both the Android Market and the App Store by storm just last year. And now, the gaming giant has brought Scramble With Friends to the Google Play store. The gameplay of Scramble With Friends is very similar to that of Boggle. Simply slide your finger over adjacent letters to form words in all directions. In addition, in the later rounds, Zynga has thrown in word and letter bonuses (Triple Letter, Double Word, etc.). Upon starting a game with one of your Facebook friends, a random person, or anyone else with a user name, you can start the first round. There are 3 rounds to every game and each round is 2 minutes long. Zynga has also added “Power-Ups” to make the game more interesting. Freeze stops the clock so you can get more time to search for words, Inspiration gives you three words for when you get stumped, and Scramble switches the letters up to give the player a different perspective and new possibilities. The game is absolutely free but comes with a catch – to start each round, you will need one token. The game starts you out with about 15 tokens. Once you run out, you get a new token every 20 minutes or you can buy them directly. Furthermore, the tokens can be used for a second power-up. The first power-up is free for every round, but the second will cost you an extra token. Scramble With Friends requires Android 2.2+ and boasts a very nice design, especially for the new high resolution screens found on the Galaxy Nexus, Skyrocket HD, etc. Download Link: HereNo related posts. |
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Update - 293
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