Thursday, August 23, 2012

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Gen10 XS Tablet Line Announced by ARCHOS, Introduces ‘Coverboard’ Feature

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 12:50 PM PDT

 

If you remember, we previously showed you a brief glimpse of ARCHOS’ new Gen10 tablet earlier this month. Today, ARCHOS has officially unveiled the new Gen10 XS line of tablets which is the successor to last year’s G9 tablets. First out of gate to carry the Gen10 XS name will be the 101 XS, which will be their flagship tablet and come with a 10.1 inch (1280×800) display, a 1.2GHz dual-core OMAP 4470 processor, 16GB of storage and a near-stock Ice Cream Sandwich experience. The 101 XS is also to expected to get improved software as ARCHOS also says that the Jelly Bean update will be released sometime in Q4 2012.  The 101 XS also has a slim profile as it weighs only 21 ounces and measures .31 inches thin which is almost 12% lighter and nearly 40% thinner than last year’s 101 G9.

The tablet will also feature some noteworthy innovation too. The main draw to this tablet will no doubt be what ARCHOS is calling the “Coverboard”, which is a magnetic keyboard that acts as the tablet’s protective cover when it’s not in use as well as a stand when viewing media. As you’d imagine, this Coverboard is proprietary and docks with the tablet giving it a full-keyboard experience yet customized for Android 4.0. The Coverboard will be a standard feature on all Gen10 XS tablets providing protection while only adding .2 inches to the tablet’s size.

The 101 XS will be available for purchase in mid-September for $399.99 with two other models (97 XS and 80 XS) to follow later in 2012, though no pricing information on the other two models is available at this time.  You can read the full press release when you hit past the break.

 

ARCHOS Unveils Gen10 XS Tablet Line

Redefining the Tablet

ARCHOS' new Gen10 XS tablet line offers super-fast web-browsing, an extra slim design, and a unique magnetic Coverboard for protection, docking and easy typing

Denver, CO – (August 22, 2012) – ARCHOS, an award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, is pleased to announce the unveiling of its Gen10 XS tablet line. The ARCHOS 101 XS, a 10.1-inch tablet that weighs only 21 ounces and measures 0.31 of an inch thin, will be the first of this new line of extra slim Android™ tablets to debut mid-September followed by the release of the ARCHOS 97 XS and ARCHOS 80 XS later in 2012.

In addition to creating a new standard of thin for tablets, ARCHOS continues to push the technological boundaries with the innovative Coverboard, a unique magnetic keyboard conceived for each tablet model that will offer protection, a kickstand, docking and easy typing. The Coverboard is included in the box with each tablet.

The entire Gen10 XS line is Google™ certified, features Android 4.0 and allows full access to Google Play™ featuring over 600,000 apps. The range will be upgradable to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in Q4 2012.

"As the pioneer in the Android tablet market, we strive to continually push the technological boundaries of tablets and user experience," says Henri Crohas, ARCHOS Founder and CEO. "We are taking our tablets to the next level by releasing an entirely new design that will redefine thin while providing more functionality and a better price than any current Android tablet in the market."

Magnetic Coverboard: 4 Steps Ahead

The ultra-thin magnetic Coverboard included with all Gen10 tablets enables users to protect, stand and dock the tablet as well as type with a full-size QWERTY keyboard.

Protect

The 0.2" thick protective cover is secured to the tablet with magnets. To open, the Coverboard simply twists to separate and reveal the full keyboard and magnetic kickstand.

Stands

The magnetically guided docking system enables perfect alignment on the keyboard, eliminating the need for clips or stands. The integrated magnetic kickstand holds the tablet to the Coverboard as one solid unit, allowing users to sit back and enjoy their music and movies comfortably.

Docks

When docked the Coverboard is powered by the tablet providing hours of productivity. The Coverboard also has a DC in, so when it's plugged into a power outlet the keyboard functions like a dock and charges the tablet.

Types

The Gen10 XS series come fully equipped with a chicklet-style QWERTY keyboard and a complete version of OfficeSuite Pro 6, a $14.99 value. This critically acclaimed application allows you to view, create, edit, print and share Word, Excel and PowerPoint files as well as open attachments and read PDF files. Combine that with a full QWERTY keyboard that also has integrated Android shortcut keys for direct access to main tablet functions for the ultimate in productivity.

Play Anything and Share Wirelessly with the ARCHOS Media Center

ARCHOS Gen10 XS tablets come with tailor-made Media Center apps for full HD video, complete codec and format support, jackets & meta-data for your music, videos and wireless sharing over your home network. In addition, each tablet features a Video Carousel for a video library experience like no other including automatic jacket download and an easy to use search tool for finding title, series, actor, subtitle or other information. Other media center functions include:

• Wireless streaming, home file sharing and read media from external storage

• ARCHOS remote control app

Pure Android experience

Certified by Google, ARCHOS Gen10 tablets include full access to Google Play™, including DRM support for downloading books, music and movies.

• Play Apps and Games: Over 600,000 apps and games

• Play Music: Access millions of tracks and artists

• Play Books: Over 4 million books to choose from

• Play Movies & TV: Thousands of movies including HD titles, new releases, award-winning films or your favorite classics.

Powered by an unskinned version of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, ARCHOS Gen10 tablets deliver a pure Android™ experience and will be upgradable to Android's next OS, Android 4.1 or Jelly Bean. Additional features include:

• 1.5 GHz smart multi-core processor and 1GB of RAM

• Google's suite of mobile applications including Gmail™, Google Talk™, YouTube™ and Google+™.

• Google Maps™ with Street View and Navigation

• Google Drive™ with 5GB of free cloud storage

Gen10 XS Series Accessories

The ARCHOS Gen10 XS series has an assortment of designed accessories including a Speaker Dock, Docking Station and protective carrying Pouches.

ARCHOS Speaker Dock: The perfect musical companion for your Gen10 tablet easily combines a sleek design with remarkable sound and quick charging station.

Archos Docking Station: An ingenious little product allows you to charge your tablet while providing a great viewing solution. It also includes USB ports and audio ports for easy connectivity to a hard drives and existing stereo system from your tablet.

ARCHOS Pouches: Provide protection and an easy carrying solution for tablet and Coverboard. They will be available in a large selection of colors and finishes.

Availability

The first tablet in the Gen10 series to be released will be the ARCHOS 101 XS. The 101 XS tablet, which is 15 percent thinner than the new iPad3, weighs only 21 ounces and measures 0.31 of an inch thin and will be in stores and online in North America starting in November with a suggested retail price of $399.99.

Additional specs for the ARCHOS 101 XS include:

• OMAP 4470 CPU with PowerVR SGX544 GPU

• 10.1-inch screen with 1280 x 800 resolution

• 16GB Flash Memory

• Micro USB, MicroSD (SDXC up to 64 GB), Mini HDMI

• WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0

 

source:  ARCHOS

 

First out of gate to carry the Gen10 XS name will be the 101 XS, which will be their flagship tablet and come with a 10.1 inch (1280×800) display, a 1.2GHz dual-core OMAP 4470 processor, 16GB of storage and a near-stock Ice Cream Sandwich experience.

HTC One V arriving at Cricket on September 2nd

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 11:42 AM PDT

Cricket customers can start expecting the HTC One V next Sunday, September 2nd. The One V is HTC’s entry level phone and is the lowest tier of their 3 One series of phones. The One V packs a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, 512MB of RAM, a 5MP camera at the back and powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich all skinned by HTC’s Sense 4.0.

Sadly, Cricket has yet to announce the price of the device. Any Cricket fans out there interested in this device? You can read the full press release after the break.

HTC One™ V becomes the first HTC product in Cricket’s Smartphone lineup

BELLEVUE, Wash. and SAN DIEGO, Aug. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, and Cricket Communications Inc., a leading provider of innovative and value-driven wireless services, today announced the availability of HTC One™ V, part of the critically acclaimed HTC One series of smartphones. The introduction of the HTC One V marks the first time an HTC device is available at Cricket. The HTC One V will be available at Cricket company-owned stores, dealers and www.mycricket.com for $269.99 (SRP) starting Sept. 2.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120620/SF27968LOGO)

“Delivering the HTC One V to Cricket customers marks another milestone in the HTC One series,” said Mike Woodward, president of North America, HTC Corporation. “The amazing camera and authentic sound of the HTC One V are combined with a top-end design that gives the smartphone a premium mobile experience with broad appeal.”

“Cricket looks forward to a strong relationship with HTC. The HTC One V serves as a great first device in a soon-to-grow portfolio of premium devices at great value,” said Matt Stoiber, senior vice president of devices for Cricket. “At Cricket, we’re excited to provide our customers with a great value in a high-quality smartphone such as the HTC One V that offers award-winning design, top imaging and audio solutions.”

The HTC One V is Cricket’s first device with Android™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich; it is a premium smartphone that offers high-quality features to Cricket customers at a great value. The device comes with a 3.7-inch WVGA touch-screen, Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ S3 1Ghz processor, Wi-Fi capability, Beats Audio™ and 3G Real Web Browsing. With the latest enhancements to the Android 4.0 (ICS) OS such as customizable home screen folders, improved text input, and advanced people and profile management, customers will enjoy an improved experience overall. As a standout among Cricket smartphone device options, the device is destined to be a favorite for those who thrive on hearing authentic sound and sharing top quality images and video to their social networks.

Authentic Sound

Beats Audio allows listeners of the HTC One V to experience authentic sound as the artist intended.  Whether listening to music, watching a movie or playing a game, you can now experience rich and premium sound capabilities on the HTC One V.

Muve Music Integration

The integration of Beats Audio in the HTC One V is the perfect complement to Cricket’s Muve Music service. Cricket’s innovative Muve Music service is available on the HTC One V when a Cricket customer signs up on an all-inclusive rate plan that includes Muve Music. Muve Music subscribers have access to unlimited downloads of their favorite music and access to exclusive artist commentary, music and video through Muve Music’s Muve First and Muve Headliner monthly artist programs. With millions of songs at their fingertips, customers will never pay per song, and no contracts are required.

Amazing Camera

The HTC One V, featuring HTC ImageSense™, offers an amazing 5-megapixel camera that delivers fast image capture and better image quality under adverse conditions, thanks to the f/2.0 lens with back- illuminated sensor. An easy-to-use display with side-by-side photo and video capture buttons means the HTC One V can serve as both camera and video recorder with HTC Video Pic™. With quick activation directly from the home screen, superfast autofocus and continuous shooting, customers are able to take as many as 30 photos simply by holding the shutter button. HTC Sense 4 also integrates Dropbox™, with up to 25 gigabytes of free space for two years, enough storage for more than 10,000 high-quality photos.*

Premium Design

Utilizing the classic, award-winning design of the HTC Legend™, the HTC One V offers a sleek unibody design and offers entry-level users a high-quality, high-performance model that they’ll want to show their friends. The timeless, simple aluminum unibody architecture and slightly curved chin allow the HTC One V to fit smoothly in the palm of your hand.

About HTC

Founded in 1997, HTC Corporation (HTC) is the creator of many award-winning mobile devices and industry firsts. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC pushes the boundaries of design and technology to create innovative and personal experiences for consumers around the globe. HTC’s portfolio includes smartphones and tablets powered by HTC Sense®, a multilayered graphical user interface that vastly improves user experience. HTC is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE: 2498). For more information, please visit www.htc.com.

About Cricket

Cricket is the pioneer and leader in delivering innovative value-rich prepaid wireless services with no long-term contracts serving approximately 6 million customers. Cricket offers nationwide wireless voice and mobile data services over high-quality, all-digital wireless networks. Cricket’s innovative products and services including the award-winning Muve Music® - the first music service designed for a wireless phone, are available nationwide at Cricket branded retail stores, dealers, national retailers and at www.mycricket.com. For more information about Cricket, please visit www.mycricket.com.

For more information about Cricket’s dynamic service and newest device lineup and to check for availability, visit www.mycricket.com. To follow Cricket’s latest news and updates online, visit Facebook at www.facebook.com/cricketwireless and Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cricketnation.

*Customers sign up using your device. Dropbox is provided by a third party.

 

 

SOURCE HTC Corporation
PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1ls9C)

Android 4.0.4 Update Hitting Dutch and German HTC One S Phones

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 11:15 AM PDT

Reports are coming out of Germany and the Netherlands of an over the air update for the HTC One S, which show the device getting bumped up to Android 4.0.4 and HTC’s Sense getting bumped to version 4.1. This update brings a number of bug fixes, and since it reduces Sense’s footprint, things should be a little speedier.  It also comes with a couple of new features such as the EA Gamebox gaming hub and something described as “a remote control unit to repair by HTC,” which is likely a diagnostics tool.  It’s still unclear as to when other One S users around the world can expect to receive the update, but hopefully sooner rather than later.

source: theverge

Gameloft’s Wild Blood Trailer Released, Coming to Android ‘Very Soon’

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 10:25 AM PDT

Gameloft just released the first gameplay trailer for Wild Blood which will arrive on Android “very soon.”  This will be the first Gameloft title based on the Unreal Engine and the bloody action-packed trailer surely doesn’t disappoint.

This second trailer is a follow up to the teaser trailer that popped up a few weeks ago. Don’t forget Gameloft has another Unreal Engine-based game in the works called, March of Heroes, but it won’t be released until sometime after Wild Blood gets released.

Gameloft gives some clues about the game on its official Facebook page and the gameplay trailer reveals a new hint about the story if you watch closely. Hit the break to check it out.

Click here to view the embedded video.

 

ZTE Blade III Leaked By Finnish Retailer, Includes Modest Internals & Android 4.0

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 10:18 AM PDT

 

You may not have heard of the ZTE Blade III, but thanks to Verkkokauppa.com, you’ll know that it’s the real deal and on its way to European markets. The website recently revealed promotional images of the phone and highlighted it will feature a 1GHz Snapdragon processor with 512MB of RAM, a 3.5-inch WVGA display, 5MP camera + FFC and of course, Android 4.0. It’s also reported the device will run customers a modest €199.90.

Now that the phone has been outed, it shouldn’t take ZTE too long to come out and release an official statement regarding the device.

source: Esphoneblog
via: Android Central

Details emerge in Motorola’s new patent lawsuit against Apple

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 10:17 AM PDT

Last Friday Google's Motorola Mobility unit filed a new lawsuit against Apple alleging a variety of patent infringements. Filed with the U.S. International  Trade Commission (ITC), Motorola is seeking a ban on imports of most of Apple’s product portfolio. Any device that "utilize(s) wireless communication technologies to manage various messages and content" is covered by the lawsuit. This covers not just mobile devices like iPads and iPhones, but computer devices like the iMac or MacBook Pro as well.

The ITC made the full complaint available on-line so we are now able to review which seven patents Motorola is claiming Apple has infringed upon:

  1. The 580 patent (5,883,580) which relates to "selective call messaging devices that process messages logically for a user in the context of space and time." It appears Motorola is claiming the iPhone 4 and 4S infringe upon this patent due to the location reminders function.
  2. The 047 patent (5,922,047) which describes a "control apparatus…for control over a plurality of media applications including telephony, video conferencing, analog video, digital video, and AC power line signaling." Motorola is claiming every iPad and iPhone device infringes on this patent.
  3. The 002 patent (6,425,002) involves "message manager programs for accepting and dispatching messages, one or more application programs for handling and presenting messages; and one or more message client programs that receive messages from the message manager program and provides them to the application program. The message manager program accepts a registration from each message client program and sets rules, and message attributes to which the rules are to be applied for new messages."
  4. The 370 patent (6,983,370) covers systems that enable continuity between messaging clients on multiple devices, which would seem to cover any application that keeps messages synced between devices. All Apple devices except the iPod line and Apple TV are allegedly violating this patent.
  5. The 673 patent (6,493,673) describes a method of providing interaction with a communications device using audible user input, which is converted into a text string. The patent also seems to describe a "prompt" (think "what can I help you with?") that is delivered to the user audibly. It would appear this patent targets Siri.
  6. The 064 patent (7,007,064) describes wireless communication systems and how content is obtained and managed by wireless devices.
  7. The 983 patent (7,383,983) covers management of content between devices in different "domains." It generally describes a system and method to play content on one device, pause or stop it, and then resume playback of the content on another device.

The ITC is scheduled to issue a ruling in an earlier patent case between Motorola and Apple on Friday, August 24th. In that case, Motorola had also asked for an import ban on some Apple products.

source: TechCrunch

Nikon Officially Announces the Android-powered Coolpix S800c Camera

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 09:20 AM PDT

We first told you about the rumor of Nikon releasing an Android based camera a couple of weeks ago, and today Nikon made it official. For camera buffs it’s a 16 megapixel point-and-shoot with a 10x optical zoom and NIKKOR lens. Other features include:

  • 25mm to 250mm shooting
  • Vibration reduction (VR)
  • Built-in flash
  • 8 frames per second still shooting
  • 1080p video recording
  • 2GB on-board storage

For us Android nerds, it’s the first officially announced Android camera! The s800c is powered by Android 2.3 Gingerbread, which seems to be a slight variation of stock Gingerbread. There are app icons for camera, browser, email, music, and others.

Will you be willing to dump you boring old shooter for an Android powered camera? Hit up the comments and let us know what you think!

Source: Nikon

While Samsung and Apple duke it out in the courts, Samsung invests $4 billion towards Apple iPhone and iPad chip production

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 09:07 AM PDT

Samsung recently opened a plant in Austin, Texas that is responsible for manufacturing the A5X CPU for Apple’s iPhone and iPad. We all know that Apple is expected to announce the new iPhone and most likely an iPad Mini next month so Samsung is going to invest another $4 billion into the plant. That is on top of the original $3.6 billion investment to get the plant opened. This investment will obviously go towards making the plant more efficient.

I find it absolutely amazing that two companies can be such great partners on one hand, but on the other, they’re arch enemies. As we all know, the jury will start deliberating today on what is one of the biggest cases in tech history.

source: reuters

 

Three Android App Websites Seized in the U.S. For Copyright Violations

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 08:56 AM PDT

 

Looks like the apps of the Android ecosystem has become much more pure, thanks to collaborative effort among various agencies. U.S. law enforcement officials announced yesterday they have identified three Android app websites involved in copyright violations and distributed illegal copies of copyrighted Android cell phone apps. The identified websites— applanet.net, appbucket.net and snappzmarket.com were the target of an international sting that involved the FBI, Justice Department and various Dutch and French law enforcement officials as well and have since been seized by the law enforcement officials.

The elaborate scheme worked in a fairly straightforward way too. Generally speaking, the servers storing the pirated apps in the “alternative online markets” were hosted by other countries. To confirm this, the FBI led an operation where agents downloaded thousands of copies of popular and copyrighted apps, all without permission from developers. It’s expected this may have taken some time as the FBI needed to gather and eventually, confirm the vast amount of evidence given to them. As a result of this, not only were the websites seized, but nine search warrants were also executed in six different districts across the country on Tuesday as part of the operation.

Software developers worldwide can now breathe a sigh of relief as it has one less thing to worry about.

source: PC World

Featured Play Store Review: Alchemy Classic HD [Brain & Puzzle]

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 07:22 AM PDT

Alchemy Classic is far from new to Android, but they recently released an HD version for tablets. Alchemy Classic, developed by Niasoft, is a puzzle game in which you create elements. Imagine the way it was many moons ago when everything began with just four elements: air, fire, water, and earth.  Eventually life evolved to what we know today, but the concept of Alchemy Classic is that every particle, invention, machine, or animal is in some way a product of those original four elements.

I’m a huge fan of puzzle games, but this isn’t an ordinary puzzler because there is one element (no pun intended) that makes it so special. It’s that you actually learn a little something while you’re progressing and evolving through these creations.

Upon launching the game for the very fist time, you will see a bunch of elements that need to be solved along the left side, which are designated by a question mark in their respective icons. The only elements that are completed are the original four elements mentioned above: air, fire, water, and earth. Eventually you will be able to make 462 elements starting from these basic elements. The play area is to the right and this is where you combine elements. You simply drag completed elements on top of each other and if your two chosen elements make something, it will unlock that element by removing the question mark. At the bottom you will find groups where you can see all the elements both opened and unlockable according to their category. For example, nature, chemical substances, and metals. All 462 elements won’t be visible to you at the very beginning since you need to make other elements in order to make other elements. In other words, the game will only show you elements that can be made based on what you’ve unlocked.

So what can you make with the four basic elements to get things started? Well you can combine water and fire for alcohol. You can also combine air and water for fog. You will use these newer elements to make even newer ones. For example you can combine fog and water to make clouds. It’s pretty easy at the beginning, but it will get a lot harder as you go on.

Thankfully there’s a hint option. As you solve elements your hint score goes higher and you can eventually use some of these points to “buy” hints. When you tap on the “i” icon you can see a list of elements that are solvable. For each item you will see how many other elements are needed to make it up, but you can get further information by using some of your hint points to find out what one of the elements is and/or what group the matching element comes from. You can also gain 100 hint points by tapping on any of the ads at the bottom and waiting 5 seconds.

I found Alchemy Classic HD to be very addicting and thought provoking. It’s not only a cool game to play alone, but it’s also great to play with friends and family because it generates so much discussion. As far as the gameplay, it couldn’t be easier. You simply drag items onto your play area and combine them. You can easily remove particular elements from the play area with a simple drag or clear the entire area with a simple tap. I did find that at times dragging and/or scrolling wasn’t all that smooth, but it wasn’t bad enough to ruin the enjoyment or addiction I got from playing it.

If you haven’t tried this one yet, you definitely have to. The original version has been downloaded over one million times and has an overall rating of 4.7, while the HD version has already been downloaded over 50,000 times in just two weeks, and has a 4.9 rating. Just in case my word isn’t good enough, those ratings should do the trick. I included their demo video to give you a better idea of how it works, but make sure to hit one of the download links below to get started.

 

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Click here to view the embedded video.

 

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