Android Authority |
- Flipboard for Android gets performance, UI updates
- Apple offered to license patents to Samsung in 2010: $30 per smartphone, $40 per tablet
- Control your device remotely with the Tasker AutoRemote app
- MIPS releases Jelly Bean source code for MIPS-based devices
- Black Samsung Galaxy S3 appears on leaked Carphone Warehouse inventory listing
- Galaxy S3 vs iPhone 4S: Which will win the ultimate drag race scratch test? [video]
- Smartphones, tablets driving growth in the DRAM industry
- Sony LT25 ‘Tsubasa’ with Qualcomm S4 and ICS will be a global phone
| Flipboard for Android gets performance, UI updates Posted: 12 Aug 2012 12:38 AM PDT
Flipboard launched its much-awaited Android release in June, first as a Samsung Galaxy S3 exclusive, and then as a free download on Google Play. The popular social reader app has just been updated with new features, including UI improvements and performance tweaks. Version 1.9.6 offers improved performance and bug fixes, although the new version likewise provides added features. These include improved navigation within sections: a dropdown menu appears when you click on a section heading. The latest update also improves the handling of Google Reader RSS feeds, and will offer in-app hints that guide new users along the way. The update likewise new shopping cart features through Gilt Taste. Flipboard is a great social newsreader with roots in the iPad, and was among the first to popularize the magazine-style interface now found the likes of Zite and even Pulse. Flipboard is a free app compatible with Android 2.2 and above. Head on to Google Play to download. This article, Flipboard for Android gets performance, UI updates , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| Apple offered to license patents to Samsung in 2010: $30 per smartphone, $40 per tablet Posted: 11 Aug 2012 07:19 PM PDT  A screen grab from Apple presentation to Samsung claiming the Galaxy S copied the iPhone, and offering to license its design patents for $30 per smartphone and $40 per tablet. Apple and Samsung are currently in heated debates over design patents, and is currently undergoing litigation in a California court to determine liability. But even before Apple accused Samsung of “slavishly” copying its product designs, the Cupertino, CA company said it had offered cross-licensing agreements with Samsung to the tune of $30 per smartphone and $40 per tablet in 2010. In a testimony by Apple patent licensing director Boris Teksler last Friday, he said that then-CEO Steve Jobs and then-COO Tim Cook approached Samsung about their smartphones and tablets, and were actually surprised “how a trusted partner would build a copycat product like that.” In an October 5, 2010 presentation to Samsung, Apple offered to charge $30 per touchscreen smartphone and $40 per tablet for the use of its design patents. Apple likewise offered a 20% discount if Samsung were to cross-license its own design and technology portfolios back to Apple.
Given sales figures during that year involving Samsung’s Android, Windows Mobile and other OS phones, Apple said Samsung would have owed it about $250 million, which is a far cry from the $2.5 billion in damages that Apple is currently seeking. You can check out a copy of the Apple presentation via the Scribd link on the source citation. Meanwhile, testimony be Apple’s experts also brought up additional Samsung internal studies that show how the Korean company often does a feature-by-feature comparison of Apple’s products with its own, and subsequently recommending to improve its smartphones by making them more like Apple’s. In response, Samsung has repudiated these claims by criticizing Apple’s experts’ authority on the matter. Should Samsung have just gone ahead and licensed Apple’s patents in 2010? Would this have saved everyone a lot of headache — and a lot of money — from litigation-related efforts? This article, Apple offered to license patents to Samsung in 2010: $30 per smartphone, $40 per tablet , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| Control your device remotely with the Tasker AutoRemote app Posted: 11 Aug 2012 05:34 PM PDT
Fresh from introducing the Tasker App Factory, Tasker gets a new companion app that makes it an even powerful and smarter tool. The AutoRemote app lets you gain full control over your phone – even when it's sitting miles away. We're pretty sure you know what an awesome app Tasker is in providing that extra boost of intelligence. From something simple as setting your phone to automatically switch from 4G to 2G or WiFi when the screen is off, to something more elaborate, it's all within reach. The app comes with over 200 built-in actions and triggers to automate most tasks. With AutoRemote, you can now send message to your phone to trigger any preset actions. Once the app is installed, you'll be given a personal URL that you can access from your computer and tablet, one where you'll be sending the commands from. The developer has provided several scenarios of how the AutoRemote app can work intelligently in tandem with Tasker. As listed on the app's Google Play page, here are some of them:
The AutoRemote app is a separate download from Tasker and it will cost you $1.11. Note that AutoRemote won’t work on its own, so you need to have Tasker installed as well. This article, Control your device remotely with the Tasker AutoRemote app , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| MIPS releases Jelly Bean source code for MIPS-based devices Posted: 11 Aug 2012 05:20 PM PDT
Last month MIPS announced the $125 Karbonn Smart Tab 1 tablet with Jelly Bean, which runs on the MIPS-Based™ JZ4770 1.2 Ghz chip from Ingenic. Targeting the low-price market, the Karbonn tablet is the cheapest in India right now, and the only available tablet with Jelly Bean. Lower-priced tablets are more marketable in emerging economies like India, given users’ preference for cheaper devices. However, given the low price, the processors that run cheap devices will usually be underpowered, too. This often results in poor user experience. So if Indian customers want at least a decent tablet experience with a very cheap tablet like the Karbonn Smart Tab 1, they need to make sure it has at least Jelly Bean on it. Otherwise, they might become disappointed with the tablet’s performance. Of course there are still things like cheap displays with poor viewing angles that can reduce the enjoyment of using such a tablet, but the most frustrating would usually be processing performance. MIPS’ release of the Jelly Bean source code would benefit other tablet-makers that use the MIPS platform. Developers and manufacturers can already start using custom Jelly Bean ROMs for these devices. Now more of India’s tablets can benefit from the speed and smoothness that Jelly Bean offers. If you’re a developer, you can check out the Jelly Bean release notes, or MIPS’ Github account. This article, MIPS releases Jelly Bean source code for MIPS-based devices , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| Black Samsung Galaxy S3 appears on leaked Carphone Warehouse inventory listing Posted: 11 Aug 2012 08:34 AM PDT
When we reported about the possible sighting of a black Samsung Galaxy S3 on some promotional pictures for the Olympics, the general consensus seems to be that they're just badly taken or edited photos of the Pebble Blue model. However, some mentioned that they don't mind purchasing the black version of the phone. It looks like they may just get what they wish for. Android Police has received some newly-leaked information from UK retailer Carphone Warehouse, which suggests that the black variant of the Galaxy S3 will be available for purchase in the near future. The leaked screenshot shows the black Samsung Galaxy S3 on the retailer's internal product listing, alongside the white and blue version of the flagship phone.
If you're wondering about its accuracy, Carphone Warehouse does have a pretty good track record. Back when all sorts of rumors were circulating about the then-unannounced Samsung Galaxy S3, a similar listing helped confirm the two original color schemes of the phone: Ceramic White and Pebble Blue. But of course, until we hear it straight from Samsung, we'll file this one under the rumor folder. Feel free to scrutinize the blue/black Galaxy S3 picture once more, and please leave your thoughts and comments below. This article, Black Samsung Galaxy S3 appears on leaked Carphone Warehouse inventory listing , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| Galaxy S3 vs iPhone 4S: Which will win the ultimate drag race scratch test? [video] Posted: 11 Aug 2012 07:05 AM PDT
If you think hammer and drop test videos are so passé, you definitely want to check out the following video. Because really, who hasn’t thought about tying two expensive brand new smartphones — the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Apple iPhone 4S — to the back of a moving vehicle? These guys did what some only dare to imagine. So grab your popcorn now and hit play to see which phone survives being dragged face-down by a drag race car and which will crack to pieces. It's going to be a short, scratchy and bumpy ride. (Spoiler alert: Was there any doubt? The Samsung Galaxy S3 wins the drag race scratch test.) This article, Galaxy S3 vs iPhone 4S: Which will win the ultimate drag race scratch test? [video] , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| Smartphones, tablets driving growth in the DRAM industry Posted: 11 Aug 2012 06:17 AM PDT
Smartphones and tablets are the fastest growing markets in the electronics industry right now. As such, they also drive the growth of the DRAM market, which is estimated to hit $6.56 billion in revenues this year, up 10% from a year ago. It may not sound like much, but this is great news for the DRAM makers as this market has been stagnating in the past few years, due to the declining demand for memory chips for PC’s and laptops. In the meantime, mobile DRAM density has grown from 2.28Gbit to 5.85Gbit in the last two years. The expansion is higher in tablets, where it has grown to 8.33Gbit in the same period. Ryan Chien, analyst for memory & storage at IHS, highlighted how the popularity of smartphones and tablets area boon for the semiconductor industry, particularly memory chip-makers.
The standard DRAM market saw only a 3% growth over the same period, because of lagging sales of PC’s and laptops. Sales for standard DRAM are expected to be even weaker this year. While the standard RAM prices have been falling fast, mobile DRAM prices have remained relatively fixed, thanks to a number of factors such as high-demand for smartphones and tablets, fewer suppliers, and healthy density growth. Samsung is currently the dominating company in the mobile DRAM market, and it stands to gain the most from this growth. They supply mobile DRAM to Apple, and a bunch of other customers, while also serving the best NAND flash memory modules in the market. Of course, Samsung also uses its own memory chips in its Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets. ARM chips are expanding in performance, and will soon catch-up with higher-end Intel/AMD machines, and the demand for higher performance mobile RAM should likewise keep growing. This article, Smartphones, tablets driving growth in the DRAM industry , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| Sony LT25 ‘Tsubasa’ with Qualcomm S4 and ICS will be a global phone Posted: 11 Aug 2012 12:07 AM PDT
A few weeks ago some news popped out about a Sony LT25c phone, which indicated it will be a China Telecom smartphone for exclusive sale in China. But new benchmark leaks for a Sony LT25i prove that this will likely be a global phone, powered by a Qualcomm S4 chip, which is almost ubiquitous in high-end smartphones by now. The Sony Lt25i smartphone, codenamed “Tsubasa,” seems to have a dual core 1.5 Ghz version of the Qualcomm S4 chip with the Adreno 225 GPU, which is the same Qualcomm S4 processor we’ve seen in the HTC One X and Galaxy S3 in US.
The resolution appears to be 1280×720, although the benchmark is reporting it as 1196, with the rest of the pixels being used for software buttons utilized by Android 4.0.4 OS, which will power the phone. The Sony LT25 phone will also be available in Japan at NTT DoCoMo (SO-01E) and KDDI (SOL21). The international LTE version will be called Sony LT25i, while the international HSPA+ version will be named Sony LT25h. It seems the Qualcomm S4 chip with the integrated HSPA+ and LTE modems is making it very easy for Sony to make this a global phone.
Sony has been negatively influenced by the fact that they are releasing their phones a lot later in the western parts of the world, and that they are already obsolete upon arrival. Perhaps the used of Qualcomm’s S4 will help Sony launch the phones in sync in different markets, although they will really need to fix their logistics in the future, so that they don’t depend on Qualcomm’s integrated chips as much. The LT25 is a good start, but Sony will have to ensure the same efficiency in their entire product line to ensure that their models gain traction in significant markets. This article, Sony LT25 'Tsubasa' with Qualcomm S4 and ICS will be a global phone , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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