Android Authority |
- Multitouch organic interfaces coming soon
- Google confirms Motorola job cuts, will offer ‘generous severance packages’
- First HTC One X+ unboxing video? Nope, sorry, just a big fat knock-off!
- Acer CloudMobile now up for pre-order in UK for £285, ships September
- Google acquires paper-based travel guidebooks to enhance travel, local-related services
- HP TouchPad gets Android Jelly Bean via CM10 Preview Release
- Chinese officials dispute child labor accusations in Samsung supplier facility
- New dark silver color option coming to the Sony Xperia S
- Amiga classic game Wings getting an HD makeover
- RIM Blackberry 10 is nearly ready for potential licensing agreements
| Multitouch organic interfaces coming soon Posted: 14 Aug 2012 03:00 AM PDT  Photo Credits: Disney Research That isn’t a typo. Multi-touch interfaces are nothing new, and we’ve been seeing them develop into flexible displays and flexible batteries, recently. Organic interfaces with capability than their original concept seem to be where the development is at right now as well. Enter Botanicus Interacticus. It sounds like a lost character from the hit cartoon series, the Transformers, but it’s not. It’s Disney’s newest glimpse into the possible future of interactivity with our devices and, more likely, animated theme parks. The video explains better but, in short, a sensor is attached in a non-harmful fashion to the desired organic interface (in this example, plants). Then programming begins so that when certain stimuli are sensed by the interface, a resulting action will occur. As you see below, touch is relayed into audio frequencies. Now imagine this: touching your shirt to initialize it so that you can charge your battery, insert a flexible screen in your shirt cuff where it meets your skin , and when it’s done charging, it will set off a notification sound/vibration to alert you. Sounds very Star Trek-esque doesn’t it? This article, Multitouch organic interfaces coming soon , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| Google confirms Motorola job cuts, will offer ‘generous severance packages’ Posted: 14 Aug 2012 02:09 AM PDT  Participants are seen in a Motorola stand at the 2012 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Google, which has acquired Motorola Mobility, has confirmed layoffs to streamline production, promising “generous severance packages” and outplacement assistance (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez). We earlier reported on Google’s plans to streamline operations at recently-acquired Motorola, which will include 4,000 layoffs and closure of a third of its facilities around the world. Google has just confirmed this through a SEC filing (actually submitted earlier this month). While thousands of employees will be getting the pink slip, it seems they won’t leave empty-handed. In a form 8-K filing with the SEC, Google says two thirds of its layoffs will be in Motorola facilities outside of the U.S. Employees who would be laid off are to be given “generous severance packages” by Motorola. Google also plans to help downsized employees find jobs elsewhere through an outplacement assistance program. Google expects to foot a total bill of $275 million from the downsizing activity for the third quarter of 2012 alone. The search giant says the amount could grow, depending on the actual turnout, and whether the downsizing will extend past Q3 2012. Google is doing all this to streamline its operations and focus on returning to profitability, after being in the red in the last 14 out of 16 quarters. The company wants to move “emphasis from feature phones to more innovative and profitable devices,” and thinks that being able to focus on fewer flagship devices will help Motorola’s profitability in the long run. This article, Google confirms Motorola job cuts, will offer ‘generous severance packages’ , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| First HTC One X+ unboxing video? Nope, sorry, just a big fat knock-off! Posted: 14 Aug 2012 01:29 AM PDT
Although it hasn't exactly managed to save the sinking ship, HTC's One X smartphone should at least be viewed as a partial hit. Seen by many as the number two high-end Android handheld these days — behind Samsung's Galaxy S3, of course — the 4.7-incher has definitely behaved better than HTC's latest "hero" devices. What is key now for HTC is how the company will follow up on the partially successful One X, as the users' expectation level has grown significantly. We've heard talk about a One X+ (or One XXL) for a while now, but the new flagship hasn't been confirmed or denied by HTC. There have also been a couple of rumors pointing towards a possible October release and "revealing" the phone's spec sheet, but there's still no way to know if any of those was legit. Imagine our surprise, therefore, when we bumped into a supposed unboxing video of the HTC One X+ on YouTube. And imagine our disappointment when we figured out that the star of the clip was just a cheap fat knock-off of the original One X, and not any kind of official follow-up of the phone.
The handheld shown in the video does in fact have the name "One X+" stuck to it under the battery, but unfortunately it's nowhere near a high-ender from tomorrow. The simple fact that the backplate comes off and that the battery is a removable one is an indication that this isn't an official HTC device, but the very obvious differences between this bootleg copy and the original phone don't stop there. This "One X+" is much bulkier, thicker and fatter than pretty much any other high-end handheld around. There are two SIM card slots fitted onto its back for some reason, as well as a microSD card slot. Don't get us wrong, we would love to see HTC offer microSD support on its future flagship, but if that means getting such a "beefy" device, forget about it! There's no way to tell from the video what kind of "oomph" this big guy is capable of, but we're betting it doesn't come with a quad-core processor or a dual-core S4. As far as software goes, it's actually kind of funny how the phone claims to be running Ice Cream Sandwich when it is clearly on to something entirely different. We're unsure exactly what that is, but it's clearly laggy and glitchy as heck. To wrap up, we don't exactly know what phone is starring in the below clip, we just know it's a knock-off and it surely isn't HTC One X's follow-up. Then again, HTC should take this video as a compliment, considering that you usually only see fakes of very successful phones (aka iPhone and Samsung Galaxy devices). Anyone interested in a cheap Chinese One X wannabe? This article, First HTC One X+ unboxing video? Nope, sorry, just a big fat knock-off! , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| Acer CloudMobile now up for pre-order in UK for £285, ships September Posted: 14 Aug 2012 01:20 AM PDT
Well, look who's back from the dead! It's Acer's CloudMobile smartphone, unveiled way back in February. Doesn't ring any bell? It's no wonder, as the 4.3-incher had a short appearance in a June report hinting at its price, and then disappeared from the spotlight altogether. The CloudMobile has now very quietly gone up for pre-order in the UK, where it's very likely to start shipping in only a matter of weeks. Expansys offers you a place in front of the line for the new Acer phone, and the best thing about this listing is the price. The phone that is now also known as the "Titane" will only be made available for £284.99 in a SIM-free "variation" without any carrier regtestrictions. That would translate into around $445, based on today's conversion rates, but you can bet this won't be the phone's price point if and when hits the States. One can therefore hope that American users will be able to buy the unlocked CloudMobile for as less as $350, which would be an absolute steal. Oddly enough, Expansys mentions nothing about CloudMobile's tech specs and features. We did hear a while back about the phone's (almost) full spec sheet and, while we hope that it hasn't budged, it's not out of the question for Acer to have tweaked a couple of things.
The CloudMobile we earlier heard about was supposed to be powered by a dual-core 1.5 GHz processor (possibly Snapdragon S4, but not confirmed) and to feature 1 GB of RAM, an 8 MP rear-facing shooter with LED flash, 8 GB of on-board memory and microSD support. With “under 10 mm thickness,” Acer's big guy was also said to sport a 1280×800 pixel touchscreen with 351 ppi pixel density. The CloudMobile was set to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. That sounded pretty much as good as it could get for such an affordable phone, but we can't help but want the envelope to be pushed a little further, seeing the CloudMobile's spec sheet isn't confirmed yet. Could we dream of Jelly Bean running from the release? Or a larger capacity battery to withstand the pressures of an S4 processor? We will definitely see about that soon enough, as Expansys is currently predicting a September 5 shipping start for the CloudMobile. Anyone thinking of pre-ordering? Keep in mind that if you are, you can do so with no strings attached, no financial obligations whatsoever, including any cancellation charges. This article, Acer CloudMobile now up for pre-order in UK for £285, ships September , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| Google acquires paper-based travel guidebooks to enhance travel, local-related services Posted: 14 Aug 2012 01:04 AM PDT  A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single flick of a touchscreen. (Street signs / Shutterstock) Google is known for its products that help the connected traveler navigate. Whether it’s the concrete jungle or actual jungle, you have apps like Google Maps and Google Transit, which have integrated local services that are also location-aware. For armchair tourists out there, there’s also Google Earth and Google Street View, which offer a view of various locales without even leaving your desk. Business View also lets users check out the interior of notable establishments through a 360-degree interface. But in the olden days, before customer-review sites like TripAdvisor, there were actual books published that would-be-travelers can check out before going on a holiday (oh, wait–there still are). It seems Google wants to go for a bit of nostalgia, and has announced plans to acquire Frommer’s line of travel guidebooks. The aim is ultimately to beef up Google’s already massive content base. It’s not enough to just point interested users toward other websites and apps that offer local-oriented services. With its acquisition of travel guidebook material, Google can incorporate additional quality photos and reviews of hotels, dining establishments and sights around the world. Frommer’s has amassed quite a collection of information in its 55 years of existence. This may also help Google in achieving their aim of brokering commercial transactions between online users and local businesses. To this end, Google has previously acquired other services that are locale-focused, such as Zagat. The company has actually announced plans to integrate Frommer’s content with Zagat. Google will continue to offer reviews and listings under the Frommer’s brand, though. There is no word whether Google plans to continue publishing the hard-copy version. Neither Google nor erstwhile Frommer’s owner, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., would disclose financial details. For mobile users, this means that more content will be accessible when we do establishment searches on Google Maps, which may include photos and expert reviews. Google ultimately wants to connect users with business establishments, so perhaps we can reserve a table straight from the Google search results page in the near future. This article, Google acquires paper-based travel guidebooks to enhance travel, local-related services , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| HP TouchPad gets Android Jelly Bean via CM10 Preview Release Posted: 13 Aug 2012 06:16 PM PDT
If you were lucky enough to get an HP TouchPad this time last year during their “fire sale” for $99 (16GB) or the $149 (32GB) your Android luck hasn’t run out yet. Remember, Android first came to the HP TouchPad via CM7, Gingerbread. A few months later, Android 4.0 came to the HP TouchPad, bringing a true tablet UI to the 10″ popular slate. The CyanogenMod development community continues to grace the HP TouchPad, this time with Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean showing up via an unofficial CM10 preview release. This preview released is exactly what it says it is. A preview of things to come. WiFi seems to be working great and many apps are working as you can see from the demo video below. As of right now, audio does not work and you cannot play videos via YouTube or from the Gallery. However, you can play videos via the MX Player app (without audio). Besides those minor hiccups, Jelly Bean is buttery smooth on the TouchPad as advertised and Google Now even works! If you’re itching to pull the trigger to give this preview release of Jelly Bean, CM10 a try, here’s how you can get started: The following is assumed you are familiar with installing CM7 or CM9 on your HP TouchPad. Please proceed at your own risk. Download the following 4 files: update-cm-10-20120801-UNOFFICIAL-tenderloin-not_ready_yet Place them in your cminstall directory on your HP TouchPad (the same directory you used to put Android on your HP Touchpad originally.) Download the NEW ACMEInstaller v3 for CM10 Connect your Touchpad to your computer via USB cable. Reboot your TouchPad into the HP Recovery. Launch a command prompt window. (CMD) Navigate to the location where your ACMEINstaller3 file is located. Type: novacom.exe boot mem:// < ACMEInstaller3 Your HP TouchPad will begin installing the CM10 preview release. YouTube and RootzWiki user RolandDeschain79 has provided the following demonstration video and hands on installation tutorial for all to see. Thanks Roland! Happy flashing! This article, HP TouchPad gets Android Jelly Bean via CM10 Preview Release , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| Chinese officials dispute child labor accusations in Samsung supplier facility Posted: 13 Aug 2012 06:02 PM PDT  A Samsung employee works at a Seoul shop in this file photo. A manufacturing facility in Guangdou, China that produces smartphones for brands like Samsung has been accused of employing underage workers. Government officials have issued a statement disputing these claims. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) Everything today seems to be made in China, from the clothes we wear to the smartphones we carry in our pockets and most other components in between. This happens to be so, not only due to the cheaper labor in the region, but also the Chinese industry’s flexibility and agility. Where else can you implement a redesign in components and manufacturing process and expect it to be ready to go within hours? However, there’s a downside to this, which usually involves a human resources question. Chinese manufacturing facilities are often accused of unfair labor practices, including underpayment, overworking, and even hiring of under-age employees. Even Apple is not immune to these accusations, and the company actually highlighted its “supplier accountability” effort earlier this year, in order to avert yet another PR disaster. This time around, another big company has been accused of sourcing out jobs to suppliers that are not exactly labor friendly. China’s HEG Electronics Co. has been criticized by New York-based China Labor Watch for supposedly employing laborers under China’s legal working age of 16. The organization also accused HEG of forcing these informal laborers to work 11 to 13 hours per day, but only paying wages 70% of the standard. HEG supplies mobile phones and other electronics products to brand-companies around the world, including South Korean firm Samsung. A statement by the southern Chinese Guangdong province said it found no labor-related violations after launching a formal inquiry into the matter, China.org.cn reports. In particular, government officials say the laborers cited by China Labor Watch were found to be aged 16 to 18, above the legal working age in the region. Additionally, the statement said HEG’s 3,100 workers were found to be compensated on-time, and were not tasked to work excessive hours. Samsung has already said it found no irregularities after prior on-site inspections, although it plans to “conduct another field survey” to verify reports. This article, Chinese officials dispute child labor accusations in Samsung supplier facility , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| New dark silver color option coming to the Sony Xperia S Posted: 13 Aug 2012 05:29 PM PDT
The Sony Xperia S first arrived back in March, making history as Sony’s first smartphone not to have the Ericsson branding. The phone may be starting to age now, but Sony hasn’t abandoned it by any means. In fact, it seems Sony intends to keep the Xperia S going for a while longer, with the recent announcement of the Dark Silver color option. This is a welcome addition to the existing black and white color choices on the Xperia S, and I honestly think it looks the sexiest out of the bunch. For those that need a reminder, the Sony Xperia S is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, a 4.3-inch 1280×720 display, a 12MP Exmor R camera, NFC technology, 32GB of internal storage and Android 4.0. As you can tell by the specs, the Xperia S might be nearly half a year old, but it has certainly aged well. When can you expect to get your hands on the new color? Unfortunately, Sony has yet to let us know the actual date it plans to launch the new color option. Instead, Sony simply tells everyone to “keep their eyes peeled.” This article, New dark silver color option coming to the Sony Xperia S , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| Amiga classic game Wings getting an HD makeover Posted: 13 Aug 2012 05:24 PM PDT
From movies to games, the trend of remaking classics for the modern world is certainly in full-swing. In the gaming world, we’ve seen quite a few ambitious projects such as an HD remake of Square Enix’s Final Fantasy III. The newest classic picked up for a modern remake is the Amiga classic, Wings. For those that don’t remember it, Wings for Amiga was a classic World War I game that featured dog fights, top down bombing, and more. While the game had an arcade style to it, there was quite a bit of depth and a reasonably solid story as well. The game’s original creator, Cinemaware, hopes to bring back the biplane dogfighter on both mobile devices and the PC. In order to attract funding, the project has hit Kickstarter, asking for $350,000 in crowd-funding support to get it off the ground. It is worth noting that this isn’t the first time that Wings has been updated with new graphics, with a Gameboy Advanced version in 2002. Unlike the GBA game though, the new version will feature HD visuals and affects. The company has already secured almost $9,000 in pledges with 28 days to go. A pledge of $15 will secure your copy of Wings for iOS, Android or PC. This article, Amiga classic game Wings getting an HD makeover , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| RIM Blackberry 10 is nearly ready for potential licensing agreements Posted: 13 Aug 2012 05:13 PM PDT
There is no denying that RIM is in trouble, even if RIM’s CEO wants to paint a different picture for investors and consumers alike. The delay of BlackBerry 10 means that current BlackBerry offerings are stuck with an OS that is truly behind the times. All is not lost, or so says CEO Thorsten Heins. Recently, rumors have popped up claiming that Samsung and RIM may be partnering up in the near future, despite Samsung’s denial of such a move. As a result of the rumors, RIM’s stock actually went up 13%. Regardless of what partners it may be working with, Heins reaffirms that BlackBerry 10 will be ready to license itself to other companies very soon. One area that RIM’s CEO suggests for possible licensing is in the automotive sector. For those not aware, RIM’s BlackBerry 10 is actually based on the older QNX OS. QNX is used in automotive, military and nuclear pursuits, so it might make sense that BB10 could be targeted at these same groups. The CEO has also talked about the possibility of BB10 running on handsets from companies like Samsung and Sony. Thorsten Heins has repeatedly suggested that the company isn’t in real danger. Instead, RIM is simply facing a slump that comes from the transition to a brand new OS. Once the transition is over, Heins claims that things will stabilize again. Considering how adamant the CEO seems to be on licensing out BB10, I’m not sure if I (or anyone) buys that this is just a small slump. From what we’ve seen, BB10 does look like it could have some pretty big strong points, and QNX is considered a rather stable platform. Can licensing out BB10 be enough to put RIM back on the right track? This article, RIM Blackberry 10 is nearly ready for potential licensing agreements , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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