Posted: 25 Mar 2012 03:57 PM PDT   T-Mobile customers have probably heard of Web Guard. This is a web filter meant to prevent the kiddos from accessing adult content. But it seems it is not perfect, as OONI has come to find. The service seems to be restricting a plethora of websites that are not related to blocked categories. Such categories include the following: Alcohol, Mature Content, Violence, Drugs, Pornography, Weapons, Gambling, Suicide, Guns, Hate, Tobacco, Ammunition. And while these categories seem pretty clear, Magenta’s system seems to have some issues recognizing the nature of certain sites.  OONI has found that sites like cosmopolitan.com, newgrounds.com, sportscn.com, bbcprofit.com and livesports.pl are restricted from users under 18 with Web Guard activated. The list goes on to include other women advice, sports, finance, music, news and computer security websites. As expected, parental controls are not always perfect. T-Mobile’s system probably picked up certain keywords that classifies these as adult sites. And maybe a few exceptions like these may not be very worrisome, but what if we turn the tables around? Certainly, a system with such notorious flaws probably doesn’t restrict all sites that are, in fact, for the adult audience. It is unknown if T-Mobile will be doing anything about the matter. After talking to a customer service representative, OONI found that T-Mobile’s solution was to deactivate the service. Something that may leave both children and parents in a difficult situation, regardless of the decision. Hit the source link for more details and the full list of restricted un-naughty sites. Also, don’t forget to hit the comment section to let us know if you have experienced this issue with T-Mobile’s Web Guard. Do you have a good solution for it? [Source: OONI Via: The Verge] |
Posted: 25 Mar 2012 03:12 PM PDT   NVIDIA has recently released Kepler, arguably among the best in GPU technology. The product is not falling short, and the company has some high hopes for this technology. In an e-mail, NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang states that their plan is to extend Kepler’s influence to multiple platforms and even “superphones,” in the future. “Today is just the beginning of Kepler. Because of its super energy-efficient architecture, we will extend GPUs into datacenters, to super thin notebooks, to superphones.” -Jen-Hsun HuangThis 28nm GPU technology is characterized by its performance and efficiency. It runs some of the most demanding graphics in a breeze. The first product with Kepler architecture happens to be the newly released GeForce GTX 680 GPU, which is for desktop PCs. But as this technology moves on to the mobile world, we could be seeing what brings mobile gaming the closest to console-quality gaming. This may not be the easiest of tasks, but with some luck, we might be seeing this technology embedded into Tegra 4 or 5 chipsets. Take a look at the embedded video to see what this new processor is all about, and let the drooling begin. [Source: Anandtech Via: The Verge] |
Posted: 25 Mar 2012 02:16 PM PDT   The HTC One X was possibly the most hyped device of Mobile World Congress. It happens to be the first quad-core Android smartphone, with an NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor. But soon after, we found out that the US version (HTC One XL) would not feature a Tegra 3 chip, but a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Krait processor, instead. Needless to mention that this became a large topic of discussion within the Android community. Some users want their 4-plus-1 cores while others stated that Snapdragon S4 Krait processors outperform NVIDIA’s chipset. We have seen that such statement is true, benchmarks prove that Krait processors are much stronger. And one of the few HTC One XL testers has give us a bit of light about the matter.   We have already seen these processors being compared before, but this seems to be the first time it is done with an HTC One XL, specifically. The user, Phonegeek, put the device to the test with Vellamo and Quadrant benchmarks. The HTC One XL outperforms the ASUS Transformer Prime (Tegra 3) by a handful, and it more than doubles the score of the Galaxy Nexus on both tests. This comes to show that Qualcomm’s 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S4 is no small competitor. It is yet unclear how great the device will operate. Benchmarks and real-life performance many times do not go hand-in-hand. But it certainly isn’t the worst downfall to see HTC drop the Tegra 3 processor in favor of some 4G LTE compatibility. The processor is still awesome, and it looks like it could be much better. [Source: Android Central Forums Via: Android Central] |
Posted: 25 Mar 2012 01:38 PM PDT   Being a root user can offer some of the best customization options for Android devices. One of the many things a hacked device owner can do is change the boot animation, which is the cool (or not) splash screen that shows up after turning a device on. Those that are used to doing this may have multiple ways of doing so. It can be manually pushed, or one can use certain apps to carry out said task, but Bootanimation Manager looks like the simplest and most convenient method. Bootanimation Manager v4.1 is a simple Windows program. One simply needs to turn on USB Debugging, plug in the device to your computer, drag and drop your animation of choice (which will be previewed) and simply push the splash screen onto the device. One can also make a back-up of the current boot animation, just in case. Seems like a breeze, but of course, one needs a rooted device. Other requirements include Windows OS, Java, having the phone drivers installed and being “human or similar.” And if the simplicity isn’t enough to convince you, the developer has some rather sweet plans for coming features. Once these are implemented, users should be able to create their own animations from GIF and PNG sequence. Users will also be able to modify the size of the animation to better fit its specific resolution. If you have been thinking about playing around with your boot screen animations, this might be a great chance to get on it. It is simple and convenient, and its upcoming features make it a very promising program. Just head over to the XDA Developers thread for more details and download links if interested. Just out of curiosity, how often do you guys change your boot animations? I rarely do so, even though I have rooted multiple of my devices. [Source: XDA Developers Via: XDA Developers] |
Posted: 25 Mar 2012 12:44 PM PDT   CyanogenMod has grown past the point of being just another ROM. The successful third-party developer has become the most popular alternative for those that do not like manufacturer UIs. It’s stability and support can be many times better than official software, and many use it as a complete replacement. This is why CyanogenMod 9 is the first iteration of the ROM to offer root management. This is not something new, but most users have not seen what it looks like. One can set the device to have full root access (both ADB and apps), Apps only, ADB only or none (disabled). This allows for the security conscious user to modify root access as they please. The team has really made the ROM a viable option as an alternative ROM, even considering those that would not like to mess with root applications and tasks. Root access is something that was included by default in past CyanogenMod versions, which may have intimidated a big percentage of the users. On a related note, CyanogenMod has just uploaded its first video. It is fairly basic, but there will be more to come, going deeper into the custom OS. In summary, it is a brief overview of some of the settings within CyanogenMod, including the layout, anonymous statistics, system update and changelog settings. Check it out and let us know what you think. Are you liking the road CyanogenMod is taking? [Via: Reddit] |
Posted: 25 Mar 2012 12:03 PM PDT   The industry has seen a big leap from streaming and cloud services, especially the past year. According to a study held by IHS Screen Digest, about 3.4 billion movies will be legally streamed during 2012, more than double compared to 2011′s 1.4 billion. A phenomena that could very well be making physical media like Blu-rays and DVDs obsolete. According to the same research, 2012 will see a 7.7% drop in physical media, with an estimated 2.4 billion blu-ray and DVD movies being watched. This means that streamed movies will officially be crossing the threshold as the most used form of watching movies. This comes as no surprise, as more devices become compatible with services like Netflix and Hulu. Streaming and cloud services are starting to make media more accessible and affordable. One can watch a movie or show via netflix on most tablets and smartphones, gaming consoles, smart TVs and (of course) computers. Not only that, but such services are synced among all platforms, making the experience much more seamless. According to the IHS, unlimited services are also much more popular, accounting for 94% of streaming viewership. Only 1.3 percent comes from pay-per-view services like iTunes. Something that may have the industry worried, as customers are paying much less for streaming media, on average, compared to physical media ($0.51 compared to $4.72). But one must also take into account that streamed media does not need to be physically manufactured. Meaning that profits could very well be better as more users start joining such services. And with such services become more popular, the shift will become eminent. I have not purchased a DVD or Blu-ray movie in many years. Last one was Pan’s Labyrinth, back in 2007. Since then, I have relied in services like Netflix to take care of my needs. This was before smartphones and tablets reached their full boom. Now, such services are available from most devices with a screen, making it even more convenient for the consumer. One no longer has to walk anywhere to stream a movie. And it can be done from the comfort of one’s bed. Or while riding the bus, taking a road-trip and even while sitting at the almighty throne. And it is just as easy to switch from device to device, as many services now remember where one left off. Why would I purchase a more expensive DVD or Blu-ray disc? It costs about the same (most times more) as my monthly Netflix subscription and is far from offering the convenience that streaming services feature. Certainly, there must still be a market for it. Especially considering the fact that streamed movie quality is nowhere close to Blu-ray movie quality, in terms of high definition. Which may still be a great incentive to continue to purchase Blu-ray movies. But as technology advances, we may see this changing. Very soon, Blu-ray discs will become the new VHS tapes. Old, obsolete and something completely extraneous to the newest generations. But we would like to know what our audience thinks of this topic. Please take a few seconds to participate in our poll and let us know what you think. Take Our Poll [Source: IHS Screen Digest Via: The Verge] |
Posted: 25 Mar 2012 10:49 AM PDT   Most Android users have probably kept themselves occupied with Draw Something, lately. The app quickly raised to the top of the free and paid featured apps in the Google Play Store. But while the app is insanely fun and addictive, it is not perfect. Those that have been playing the game probably received an e-mail last night, stating all the new features and changes tat are to come soon. This would be a rather significant update. And it is probably made possible by Zynga’s recent acquisition of OMGPOP (the game’s developer). New features and changes:
Fixed Bugs:
I have not experienced the mentioned bugs, but it seems like they are out there. If you have, this is something that will get a fix, as well. And as mentioned above, one doesn’t need to worry about current coins, colors and bombs. If they do not show up now, you can be sure they are still there. Just playing hide and seek. There is another feature that is not listed, but we have been hearing of it for a while. Draw Something players will also be able to chat at some point. A feature that has proven to be necessary. Users rely on other forms of communication to make comments; sometimes even writing in the drawing space. It would be great to be able to chat with other users within the app. This drawing game is very popular, and Zynga spent about $200 million to acquire it. You can be sure that the app will continue to improve as time goes by. So stay tuned and get your inner artist out there. Hit the comments to let us know what your favorite listed features are and what else you would like to see added. Google Play Store links:Draw Something (Free)Draw Someting (Paid) [Via: Droid-Life] |
Posted: 25 Mar 2012 10:35 AM PDT   Friendly reminder (primarily because I forgot about this): Google I/O registration is day after, starting 7 AM PDT on the 27th of March Come 27 June 2012, and some 5,500 lucky people are going to be at the Moscone Center in San Francisco as Google shows off their latest and greatest work. Although it really is all about the developers, everyone is excited to see what would be unveiled. If you want to be inside the Moscone Center, in the thick of all the action, you gotta be quick: tickets always sell out in a really short span of time. And even though Google’s increased the cost substantially to $900 per person ($300 for students or academicians) I really suggest you’re on the site ready to pay up right at the start. |
Posted: 25 Mar 2012 10:11 AM PDT   Select customers of the Motorola Xoom WiFi have been receiving E-Mails, inquiring regarding their desire to help test out the latest update for their tablet. It should be a simple minor release, with a few bug fixes here and there, and some smidgens of performance improvements. What we can’t say, though, is whether the build number will move to 4.0.4 or 4.0.5 (there have been some rumors regarding the latter), but that doesn’t matter that much, does it? [DroidLife via PocketNow] |
Posted: 25 Mar 2012 09:55 AM PDT   The main excerpts:
He’s also shared screenshots of the benchmark scores, which are, as expected from the Snapdragon S4 powering it, awesome. It’s sad that he’s only posted a single image taken from the phone, which was kinda meh. HTC have really hyped the camera on the phone, so I’m hoping he gives it a really good test. Here are the snaps that he’s posted. Note, the phone size comparison is with the HTC Inspire 4G. The last image is the one taken from the One X’s camera.     |
Posted: 25 Mar 2012 08:43 AM PDT  Something seems to be cooking in the UK: Phones4U, who had the pleasure of being the exclusive Galaxy Nexus retailers across the pond at launch have put up the huge advertisement below on their store windows in London announcing some Samsung related event for the 30th of March.  Now, the question is, what could it possibly be? I’m quite certain it has nothing to do with the Galaxy S III, and so far no signs have pointed to an imminent tablet release. The curtains, though, seems to point towards something cinematic, and the Galaxy Beam, hence, fills that criteria with its projector. Does anyone have an alternative theory? Fire away in the comments. [EuroDroid] |
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Update - 300
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