Android 4.0 to flavor Raspberry Pi CNET Those of you who like a little Ice Cream Sandwich with your Raspberry Pi seem due for just such a treat. Raspberry Pi is a $35 credit card-sized device that functions as a tiny computer. Outfitted with an Ethernet port, an HDMI port, two USB ports, and an SD ... See all stories on this topic »
Is Samsung Leaving Android for Windows Phone 8? Forbes Samsung is planning to release two Windows Phone 8 devices in 2012, signaling the end of a near-exclusive relationship with Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android platform. (Read about Verizon Wireless being fined $1.25 million for blocking tethering apps ... See all stories on this topic »
Google Bans Third-Party Android Billing Escapist Magazine Android developers are now required to use Google Play's billing system for app and in-app purchases. There's a bit of a trade-off when it comes to an open-source platform. On the one hand, there's lots of creative freedom to experiment with software and ... See all stories on this topic »
Amazon brings Instant Video app to iPad. Android next? — Mobile ... By Kevin C. Tofel Amazon takes another step on Apple's digital media turf: Amazon Instant Video is now available for iPad, bringing another media option for movie purchases, rentals and television shows to Apple's tablet. For now, Amazon is keeping this away ... GigaOM
Android 4.0 is coming! | Raspberry Pi By eben Naren has been working on a port of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) to Raspberry Pi, and as you can see from the screenshots and video below, he's been making great progress. Hardware-accelerated graphics and video have been up ... Raspberry Pi
Google Cracks Down on Deceptive Android Apps By Samantha Murphy Google Play is undergoing some policy changes to crack down on shady behavior occurring within the Android app store. Mashable » US & World
It’s a question that has come into prevalence with the rise of digital media. Do we actually own apps, music, ebooks, and other content we use, and can we legally resell them individually, or along with our devices?
As one medium of information gives way to another, the question of ownership of content will usually come into place. This is especially important with the popularity of digital media. In one way, the analog medium has given way to digital, mostly due to convenience. It’s more convenient to buy digital music than physical CDs. It’s quicker to purchase and download e-books than go to the bookstore or wait for a hard copy to be shipped. You can buy apps with a tap of your finger — no more need to run to the store to buy a DVD installer.
But as formats have changed, the way we own the content is also changing. This has led to a variety of questions over ownership and transfer-ability. Do we actually own the music we buy? Do we own the software we download, or the music we listen to? Do we own that copy of Cut the Rope or Minecraft? Or are we merely borrowers at the mercy of the developer and platform provider?
As a corollary, questions also arise whether we can legally transfer these content to another person when we dispose of our devices. Can you sell your Samsung Galaxy S2 along with downloaded apps when you upgrade to the S3 (without including your Google Play credentials, of course)?
Licensing vs. ownership
It all boils down to ownership. When you buy a physical book, you obtain the rights to that copy, which includes both the medium and the content. However, e-book distributors would want to differ. For instance, Amazon’s Kindle terms of service only grants you a license to read the book, but you do not actually own it.
Digital Content is licensed, not sold, to you by the Content Provider.
Moreover, Amazon explicitly says you cannot transfer these rights. “You may not sell, rent, lease, distribute, broadcast, sublicense, or otherwise assign any rights to the Digital Content or any portion of it to any third party.” This severely limits the ways you can dispose of the Twilight Saga Collection you purchased on a whim with 1-Click.
It’s the same with Android applications, or at least to some extent. Google Play’s terms of service is also explicit about not allowing you to “copy, sell, license, distribute, transfer, modify, adapt, translate, prepare derivative works from, decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble or otherwise attempt to derive source code from” applications, unless otherwise given specific permission by the developer (such as free and open-source apps, of course).
If Android has restrictions, then Apple is even stricter, and users cannot “rent, lease, lend, sell, transfer redistribute, or sublicense the Licensed Application.” In fact, Apple even requires users to “remove the Licensed Application from the Mac Computer or iOS Device” before selling a device, such as an iPhone, iPad, iPod or Mac.
Of course, there are always ways of circumventing the restrictions of copyright and licensing agreements. In creative works, this mostly falls under the doctrine of Fair Use. This concept is mostly related to republishing portions of existing copyrighted works for academic and personal use, though. For instance, I can say that my quoting of the terms of service above will fall under fair use, since I am citing the content for educational purposes.
In terms of re-selling a medium containing creative works, such as music, applications and literature, the courts of law use the First Sale doctrine when determining the legality of an act of re-selling media.
However, even this doctrine is changing in nature, given the rise of digital media and broadband connections.
For almost a century, this doctrine has allowed individuals (or entities) who buy copes of copyrighted work to resell, rent or lend these out, in order to maximize public access. This is the very precept that allows public libraries and video rental shops to operate.
A 2003 Boston College Law Review paper by Ruth Anthony Reese suggests different approaches to different kinds of content, especially with the rise of digital networks. With the Internet offering split-second transmission of ebooks, multimedia files and applications, the validity of the first sale principle comes into question. With physical media, First Sale benefits secondary markets, rental businesses and lending facilities (such as libraries), because the public gains access to copyrighted content at a lower cost than buying a new copy of the physical medium.
There is a limitation to the First Sale doctrine, though, which is that transfer can only be made of the legitimate copy involved (such as the book you bought), but not additional copies.
It is argued that once digital content is copied from one device to another, this already constitutes reproduction, which may already be illegal in itself. It is difficult to re-sell digital media without first making a copy, which is like photocopying an entire volume of your grandmother’s Collier’s Encyclopedia and selling it to a friend at cost.
But what if you’re selling your Kindle, which contains books bought and downloaded from your personal Amazon account? Or, what about your iPod? If you sell your 160GB iPod Classic brimming to capacity with 40,000 songs, can you leave the songs intact for the next owner to enjoy?
Secondary market for digital goods: the case for ReDigi
Even with these issues in the air, there are a few startups that venture to support the secondary market for digital goods. ReDigi, for one, is a cloud storage for digital media. It is also a marketplace that offers iTunes users the ability to resell the tracks they no longer want. The system includes a verification engine that checks whether you have actually legally bought a track from iTunes.
ReDigi actually deletes the track in question from the user’s hard drive, in order to comply with the “first sale” principle of selling your copy but not being able to keep a duplicate copy in your possession.
Earlier this year, a U.S. District Judge has actually turned down the request of record label EMI for a preliminary injunction against ReDigi, saying a full trial will shed light to the “fascinating” technological and legal questions that involve such secondary markets.
Are cheap apps and e-books the solution?
The Boston College Law Review paper recommended for the content to be “sold” — or actually licensed out — at a lower cost, which will help improve access and therefore encourage demand. Subscription services are also a good alternative to outright purchases. Regular micro-payments over time assure the consumer access to the content and updates, while assuring the copyright owner a stream of income.
In effect, our ability to buy apps at $0.99 and ebooks at less than five bucks apiece and get these almost instantaneously is already the more economically viable and more gratifying alternative to rummaging for a copy of the book at the second-hand bookstore seven blocks away. With prices this low, there should probably be no incentive to buy a second-hand e-book, piece of software, or music track if it’s already so cheap and accessible on Amazon, Google Play or iTunes, anyway.
The only incentive for secondary markets would be for a person who has downloaded tons of ebooks or music tracks and want to recoup his investment in these when selling a device.
Should we be able to resell?
The short answer is no. You don’t actually buy an app, music track or e-book. You buy rights to use the software, listen to the music and read the e-book, and you cannot resell this right. At least not at this time.
But given the non-exclusive license that the publishers give you, you can play the music in a room full of friends, read an e-book aloud to your child, and play multi-player Fruit Ninja on your tablet with a friend. This is different from transferring the rights to another person altogether, and is within the fair usage principles.
The long answer may be a bit more complicated.
The difficulty here is the nature of the medium. It’s not tangible, and content can easily be copied (sans DRM, of course). And so who’s stopping a potential large-scale pirate from downloading a single copy of Justin Bieber’s As Long As You Love Me from iTunes and re-selling the track for 50 cents apiece? Oh, wait, why not even distribute it for free?
Getting back to the ideals (if not the exact spirit) of the fair use principle, there’s probably no harm in lending or selling your Kindle to another person with the e-books intact, especially if you’re not charging for each and every book on the device. You can sell the medium (which is the e-reader), which so happens to already contain a few electronic books.
Are you liable? Yes. The question is whether a copyright owner will actually spend thousands in tracking you down, filing a lawsuit and sustaining this litigation. On a user’s part, it’s a matter of using discretion and moderation. Can you sleep soundly tonight knowing you left a copy of A Dance With Dragons in your Kindle when you sold it to a friend? Probably. Will a litter of kittens die if you forget to clear your iPod after handing it down to a relative? Maybe not. But charging a dollar for each music track is probably going too far, when the third party can simply buy these on their own.
New perspectives in “ownership”
It’s a matter of changing perspectives in the use and ownership of media. Physical books let users own both the medium and the copy of content in a tangible form. But with electronic formats, you buy access to the content, which can come in different forms: streaming, web access, mobile, cloud-based, and the like.
There are already calls for distributors and publishers to offer the ability to transfer licenses, although it will take someone to start with a really innovative business model for distributors to even consider allowing this. For now, there’s simply no economic incentive to let end-users resell their licenses. Amazon, Google, Apple and everyone else may as well offer full refunds for the content we have consumed and enjoyed as long as we “return” these. For now, perhaps we can be thankful for the fact that we have access to cheap songs, apps and music tracks even without having to buy them second-hand.
We are seeing the growing trend of consumers moving from their “old” feature phones to smartphones. Of course, this trend should not be surprising to anyone, with the increased functionality, features, and apps available to you. Even though it is an upgrade, it’s not the easiest switch to make, to the more “complicated” smartphone. Navigating new operating systems, and getting the most out of your device, is difficult for some.
What if there was a “starter” phone that could help with a smooth transition? Now there is, with the Pantech Marauder, coming soon to Verizon Wireless.
Specifications of the Marauder include:
4″ capacitive touch display
full QWERTY keyboard (slide-out)
1.2 Ghz dual-core processor
1GB RAM
microSD support
5MP rear camera
4G LTE capable
The best feature about this device is the choice between “Starter” and “Standard” modes. The Starter Mode provides a “more simplified and intuitive experience” and features only four home screens with preset widgets, and a simple, uncluttered lock screen. The mode makes the device very easy to use and is a great way to start with the Android OS.
Of course, if you already know your way around, you can use “Standard” mode with its fully customizable 7 home screens, and a customizable lock screen with access to your frequently used apps. You can also switch between modes without losing any information.
Unfortunately, the Pantech Marauder does not feature the best specifications, but this is reflected in its low price tag. Granted, this is not a bad thing, as this device is meant to be an entry-level phone, and is ideally suited for anyone looking to move into the world of smartphones and the Android OS. And of course, you’ll be able to enjoy everything Android has to offer at blazing fast speeds thanks to Verizon’s extensive 4G LTE network.
The Pantech Marauder will be available from Verizon Wireless from August 2, for only $50 (with a $50 mail-in rebate) with a 2-year contract.
What are your thoughts? Would you recommend the Pantech Marauder to anyone looking to switch to a smartphone? Are you thinking about buying this device? Let us know in the comments section below.
Show full PR text
BASKING RIDGE, NJ and HAUPPAUGE, NY — Verizon Wireless and Pantech today announced the 4G LTE-powered Pantech Marauder™ is coming exclusively to America's largest 4G LTE network starting Aug. 2. The Pantech Marauder provides first-time smartphone customers with a dual-interface option, allowing customers to fit the device to their lifestyles or specific needs.
Brought to market by Personal Communications Devices, LLC (PCD), the Pantech Marauder offers customers the option to choose between Starter Mode and Standard Mode. Starter Mode is a simplified and more intuitive experience that is perfect for those who are new to the smartphone world. This option eases first-time customers into the smartphone experience with the help of four easy-to-learn home screens featuring preset widgets and an uncluttered, easy-to-use lock screen. Starter Mode also features a quick dialer icon that allows customers to make phone calls directly from the home screen. Standard Mode is a general smartphone setting for those who are familiar with the Android™experience. It offers up to seven fully customizable home screens and a customizable lock screen with quick access to frequently used applications. All settings are maintained when switching between modes so customers do not have to worry about losing information.
The Pantech Marauder features a virtual keyboard as well as a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, making it the perfect choice for messaging aficionados and for those who want an excellent messaging experience. With the 5-megapixel camera, customers can take pictures, capture high-definition video, and easily share them as well as video chat with family and friends, using the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network.
Additional features
Notification Curtain that displays quick on/off settings, phone settings, connectivity and sync, social media and email
On device help section provides guided tours for first-time smartphone customers to help learn the tips and tricks of their new device
1.2 GHz dual-core processor and 1 GB RAM
Support for Google™ Mobile Services, including Gmail™, YouTube™, Google+, Google Search™and Google Maps™, as well as access to the Google Play Store
Share media with friends and colleagues wirelessly to DLNA®-enabled devices
Bluetooth® Version 3.0 Support Profiles: headset, hands-free, object push, advanced audio distribution (stereo), audio/video remote control, file transfer and phone book access
Daily Life Assistants such as clock, calendar and weather
Easy access email that is compatible with Microsoft® Exchange, Yahoo!® Mail, Windows Live®, AOL®, Gmail
microSD™ card slot with support for up to 32 GB
Mobile Hotspot capable to share 4G LTE connection with up to 10 Wi-Fi-enabled devices
The Pantech Marauder will be available online at www.verizonwireless.com starting Aug. 2 for $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted. New customers that purchase a Pantech Marauder smartphone will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Share Everything plan. Customers can purchase unlimited talk and text messaging with 1 GB of data for $90 monthly access. Customers can visitwww.verizonwireless.com/shareeverything for additional information on data plans.
For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.
About Verizon Wireless Verizon Wireless operates the nation's largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 94.2 million retail customers, including 88.8 million retail postpaid customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 78,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
About Pantech Pantech Co., Ltd., is one of Korea's top three mobile handset makers. Pantech has received wide-ranging industry recognition for its innovative handset designs, and has also introduced a significant number of breakthrough technologies in the mobile phone industry. Established in 1991, Pantech collectively has approximately 3,000 employees and 4 regional sales offices worldwide. For more information on Pantech, please visit www.pantechusa.com.
With the imminent release of the Windows 8 OS, Microsoft is doing a major overhaul on its services. Next up on the chopping block is its Windows Live (or Hotmail) web-based e-mail client. In a move designed to distance itself from the Hotmail name, Microsoft announced todaya public preview of the new Outlook e-mail client, which is not just a re-design of Hotmail, but a service built completely from the ground up.
Many of you, like me, may have been surprised to be greeted with the new interface while trying to access your existing Hotmail account. The interface of Outlook is clean and clutter-free, and also, somewhat surprisingly, completely devoid of ads, and is very easy to use. Why are we talking about Outlook on an Android site? Because Microsoft’s first target with its new e-mail service is of course, Gmail.
If you don’t believe me, all you have to do is watch the Microsoft Outlook ad spot that has just been released, which clearly takes aim at Gmail, although without explicitly stating so. Let’s take a look:
As you can see, the first chalkboard drawing of “Oldmail” is the exact same as the Gmail interface. After pointing out various faults such as “cluttered”, “redundant”, and “creepy ads”, the spot goes on to introduce the numerous new features of the Outlook service. These features include connectivity across Facebook, Twitter, and LinkdIn, as well as video chatting using Skype. Microsoft calls checking e-mail a “chore” with other e-mail services, and hopes to provide an overall improved user experience this time around.
I mentioned earlier that I found Outlook to be very easy to use, with the best features easily being the ad-free environment and Skype integration. Granted, using Gmail isn’t close to difficult either. Gmail boasts over 425 million users and has recently announced Hangouts to enhance its video-chatting experience. After years of use, I think it’ll be difficult for a lot of Gmail users to make the switch over to Outlook. This might be a good opportunity for Google to “clean up” its own e-mail service if needed. For now, we’ll keep an eye out to see how this latest competition between the tech giants plays out.
What are your thoughts? What do you think of Microsoft Outlook? Should Google be worried about Gmail? What did you think of the ad? Let us know in the comments section below.
Music has always been a great source of entertainment. Whatever your calling in life is, music plays many roles many aspects of your public and private life.
If you want to take full control of how your music sounds, then you’ve arrived at the right page.
In this post, we feature some of the best sound and audio equalizer apps for Android. These apps can help you improve your listening experience by letting you change the sound level settings of your phone or tablet’s sound output.
Equalizer offers different options to customize the music or audio from your phone. It has its 5-band level equalizer that allows you to adjust the audio just the way you want it. It doesn’t matter what type of music you want to customize. You can choose rock or hip hop, and the same feature can be readily used.
The app also has 11 stock presets. Some of these are the Classical, Dance, Flat, Folk, Heavy Metal, Jazz, Pop, and many more. These presets are also given additional options other than the 5-band level equalizer. All you have to do is long press on the preset of your choice to check additional customization options.
Equalizer is equipped with the Bass Booster, Virtualizer, and Reverb Presets features, which allow you to see and adjust the intensity of the sound. If you want to get the best results, then using a headset would be a great help.
To add more color and life to your music experience, the app provides users with beautiful homescreen widgets. You can either choose to use the available widget skins on your device or download additional skin types. Moreover, Equalizer also supports various music players like Winamp, WIMP, PlayerPro, and many more.
Armed with the Smart amplifier and Headphone amplifier, Voodoo Sound gives users the luxury to set the volume of a certain sound to whatever degree they like.
This app only works if your device uses a custom Android kernel that implements Voodoo patches. The app is intended for earlier devices such as the Galaxy S, Nexus S, Galaxy Tab, and Asus Transformer. The paid version, called Voodoo Sound Plus, does not require a custom kernel but requires root.
Voodoo Sound has a Bass Boost option which allows you to amplify low frequencies of a sound. You can either choose to amplify a sound at a Sub-bass, Standard, Medium, or Small Speaker level.
Since the app is equipped with bass options, Voodoo Sound can output loud volumes and quality sound of your chosen audio. Sound improvement options like the Microphone Gain Preset makes it a perfect match for people who enjoy loud and clear audio streaming.
With over 4 million installations, the Music Volume EQ app proves to be a great companion any time you feel like listening to your favorite music. The app is equipped with a media volume control and a 5-band equalizer for easier sound adjustments. Bass Boost and Virtualizer effects are also available, allowing you to amplify and spatialize audio channels.
The app gives you a live reading of your current music volume. This means you can fully monitor how loud your music is, and control the exact volume you’re comfortable with.
Music Volume EQ app has a stereo led VU meter which looks like a bar graph and displays audio readings from your phone. Additional features of this app include homescreen widgets, saving custom presets, 9 equalizer presets, and lock media volume feature. The app also works with several music players like Winamp and Google Music, Poweramp, and many more.
With the Volume Equalizer app, you don’t need to worry about spending a couple of minutes adjusting the audio of your device. By going into the settings screen, options like music, incoming call alerts, notifications, talking, alarms, and system volume can all be accessed with just one tap. You don’t need to go to several pages to modify the entire audio settings of your phone. This app provides an easier way to do that in one go.
Say, for example, you are waiting for an important call, but have to put your phone on silent mode while in a meeting. Typically, you’ll need to set up several pages into silent mode to make sure that none of your previously programmed sounds, like the alarm, would ring. Otherwise, you might cause unnecessary interruptions.
In situations when you can’t turn off your phone, Volume Equalizer will allow you to manage your phone volume to normal, silent, or vibration mode, in the easiest and fastest way possible. All you need to do is to set up the app’s widget on your phone’s homescreen beforehand, and you can already change your phone’s audio setting anytime you want. You also have the choice to show either one or three speakers on your widget icon.
Winamp is one of the world’s favorite media players, and it is available for Android. In relation to the topic of this app list, one of Winamp’s very powerful features is its 10-band equalizer through which you can set and adjust the sound levels of your phone’s audio output.
Apart from that, it supports access to online radio stations with SHOUTcast allowing users to choose and download the music of their choice. This app also doesn’t have any ads, so that is a very big plus point.
Winamp supports free music downloads with Spinners’ MP3 of the day. You can choose which among these songs you’d like to adjust.
Core features of Winamp include free wireless syncing, access to over 50 SHOUTcast radio stations, persistent player controls, lock-screen player, and many more.
You can also browse for your favorite songs, artists,albums, and playlist shortcuts. If convenience is what you’re looking for, then Winamp will surely be one of the best picks.
If you need bass boost, equalizer, and 3D experience on headphones, check out the MusicFX app.
Audio enhancements are automatically activated after you install this app, and you can immediately perform app customization.
MusicFX is actually an extension of the stock Android music player, which supports a rich set of presets for its equalizer. Examples of these presets include Classical, Rock, Pop, and many others. The presets increase the quality of the phone’s default player’s audio, which makes it everyone’s music buddy. The app also has a 5-band equalizer.
The app requires access to the Bluetooth configuration in order to perform the enhancements you desire. You will also need to have access to the Internet to get the latest updates from the developer.
jetAudio Basic is a music player which supports up to 32 equalizer presets. It’s equipped with Wide, Reverb, X-Bass sound effects, and an Automatic Gain Control that prevents fluctuations between tracks.
As a music player, the app can play almost any type of digital music file formats like MP3, WAV, MOD, FLAC, WV, and many more. This means a wider choice of audio files which you can explore and adjust using the app’s built-in equalizer.
Complementing the app’s 32 equalizer presets is its 20-band graphic equalizer which can be used to customize your whole music experience. This, in turn, gives you the feeling of being in control of everything you do to your audio files.
The fun doesn’t end there. With the app’s advanced playback functions, like playback speed control, crossfading, and Automatic Gain Control, you’ll surely savor the wide options you’ll have in enhancing the audio quality of your devices.
Some additional features include 2 new lock screens and 6 new app widgets for a more enjoyable way of customizing your music page.
Another way to make easy sound and audio adjustment is by using AnEQ Equalizer Free. Like some of the other equalizer apps, AnEQ Equalizer Free is equipped with a 5-band equalizer which is displayed in full screen to provide better view of your current music’s audio levels.
You don’t need to do anything other than to install the app for you to start exploring its features. Once installed, the equalizer will automatically run in the background and process your global audio output. The EQ presets can also be viewed on a different page. Presets include the Low Pass, High Pass, Sony, Mids, High, Low, Peak, and Edelstahl. These presets will let you store and later recall any settings you’ve set on a certain function or audio file.
AnEQ Equalizer surely is a mixture of simplicity and great sound quality all packed in a single free app.
A music player equipped with a 5-band graphic equalizer with default or customizable presets, PlayerPro Music Player Trial will make you enjoy everything about your audio files.
Do you want to try crossfading one music file with another? With this app, you can easily manipulate your device to crossfade either manually or automatically. The app also has the Bass Boost control, Volume control, and an optional Virtualizer control, which allows screen widening.
The app gives users a fun way of exploring the possibilities that they can do with their audio files through providing more choices. For instance, if you’re looking for the latest song hits in Asia, you can always check the app’s Smart Playlist Editor. This will guide you to several criteria which might help you in your choice. Artists? Albums? Titles? Everything can easily be sorted. From these criteria comes a wider choice of music you’d like to apply audio adjustments to.
PlayerPro DSP Pack is armed with features you’ll probably never get tired of using. It has a 10-band graphic equalizer with 15 default presets. You can customize these presets by editing, renaming, or deleting them. You can even create a new preset if you like.
The pack, however, is not a standalone app. It is a free plugin app for PlayerPro Music Player.
PlayerPro DSP Pack provides quality performance in audio enhancements. It is equipped with a Bass Boost Control, Visualizer control, and Volume control that works perfectly with other tuning parameters. It is even claimed to provide better decoding performance than Android’s native decoding of music files.
The app supports various file formats like MP3, MP4, WMA, FLAC, and many more. Since it is dependent on the Android Media Scanner and Media Store for playback, it will only play files that are native to your phone.
PlayerPro DSP Pack also supports gapless playback and crossfade. Crossfading can be done either automatically or manually, depending on your choice.
Android phones and tablets have become adequate, even better, replacements for standalone media players. By using sound and audio equalizer apps, you gain firmer control of how your Android’s audio sounds like. Check out some of the best sound and audio equalizer apps for Android that we’ve featured in this post. Which of these are you currently using? Or are you using another one not on our list? If so, share to us your experience of using that.
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.
Another day, another Nexus 7 commercial from Google. Today’s Nexus 7 commercial centers around the Android Jelly Bean 4.1.1 popular features and a few useful tips and tricks.
In Jelly Bean, you’ll have a hard time circumventing the face unlock feature after you enable ‘blink check’ which asks the user to blink, determining if a human is being used to unlock the phone instead of a photograph. Next, they highlight Google Now, arguably one of the best features of Jelly Bean. Google Now gives you just the right information to you when you need it, automatically. Next, they demo Voice Search, also known as the “Siri competitor” which just happens to blow that iOS gal out of the water. Lastly, the commercial demonstrates beautiful new home screen widgets and the revamped notification system.
The FCC reached a settlement with Verizon Wireless that will result in customers being able to download and use tethering apps from the Google Play Store. This act will also allow customers to WiFi tether without incurring the $20 fee for enabling your phones mobile hot spot feature. In addition, Verizon Wireless, the nations largest carrier, will have to pay the U.S Treasury $1.25 million and implement a compliance plan to ensure this does not happen again.
Under the terms of today's settlement, Verizon Wireless will make a voluntary payment to the Treasury in the amount of $1.25 million, and has committed to notifying the application store operator that it no longer objects to the availability of the tethering applications to C-Block network customers in the operator's online market. Verizon Wireless has also agreed to implement a compliance plan, requiring that:
employees will receive training on compliance with the C Block rules;
future communications with application store operators regarding the availability of applications to Verizon Wireless customers will be reviewed in advance by legal counsel; and
Verizon will report any instances of noncompliance with the rule at issue that might occur during the two-year term of the plan.
In addition, the company recently revised its service offerings such that consumers on usage-based pricing plans may tether, using any application, without paying an additional fee.
The FCC’s ruling is a result of the 2008 C block auction in which Verizon bid on and won use of the 700mhz spectrum, which they use for LTE service. If you remember, Google was also in the running for this air space. Google decided to back out of the auction if and only if the FCC put a stipulation on the final purchase agreement. That stipulation was to allow customers to freely use devices and applications of their choosing while accessing this frequency, thus keeping the network ‘open’. Verizon has been blocking tethering applications for quite some time from the Google Play store, which is against the spectrum purchase rules. The FCC did what they had to do.
With that said, rarely in life do we find things that are truly free. The FCC ruled that Verizon Wireless was not allowed to block the download and use of 3rd party tethering applications. Just because you can run easily launch and run these applications now does not mean that Verizon Wireless isn’t cooking up a scheme in the background to monitor tethering usage. Please proceed with caution before racking up the MB’s and GB’s on your data plan until we get full clarification.
Those of you that can't wait to experience Google's latest mobile OS version, Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, on Samsung's latest flagship handset, the Galaxy S3, should know that the Jelly Bean AOSP port is already available for the international version of the Galaxy S3 version, the GT-I9300 model.
AOSP is short for Android Open Source Project, which means the Jelly Bean version developed for the Galaxy S3 GT-I9300 model is based on the Jelly Bean open source code, and therefore does not include any custom user interfaces or crapware apps.
All the hard work has been performed by xda-developers recognized member Faryaab, and there's a detailed tutorial already available for anyone interested in installing Jelly Bean AOSP on the Galaxy S3 and enjoying a pure Google Android experience:
This ROM is built entirely from Google’s JellyBean source code. I’m actually working on my upcoming ROM “SuperNexus”. So I just compiled a pure AOSP JellyBean for the Galaxy S3 so i know that I can add support of it in my SuperNexus ROM. This ROM might only get 1-2 more updates because I will release SuperNexus very soon.
This doesn't mean we're encouraging you to go down this path – installing custom ROMs on your devices – and it's up to you to decide whether you want to go down this way. But just in case you are interested in doing it, remember you bear full responsibility for whatever happens, and make sure you follow the available instructions at the xda-developers Forum thread found at the Source link below.
Only a few days ago, we mentioned that the Google Nexus Q, the “first social media streaming player,” was up for grabs from the Google Play Store. If you weren’t sure if this surprising addition to the Nexus lineup would work, especially considering its hefty $299 price tag, you should know the device sold out in less than a day after being available, with new orders getting a 2-3 weeks shipping estimate. Unfortunately, if you were hoping to get your hands on the device, there’s more bad news.
It looks like it’s back to the drawing board as far as the Nexus Q is concerned, with Google delaying the launch until further notice. In an e-mail sent to anyone who pre-ordered the device, Google mentioned that they are going to postpone the launch of the Nexus Q due to disappointing feedback from existing consumers related to the overall functionality of the device. You can read the entire e-mail here:
“We have an important update about your Nexus Q pre-order.
When we announced Nexus Q at Google I/O, we gave away devices to attendees for an early preview. The industrial design and hardware were met with great enthusiasm. We also heard initial feedback from users that they want Nexus Q to do even more than it does today. In response, we have decided to postpone the consumer launch of Nexus Q while we work on making it even better.
To thank you for your early interest, we’d like to extend the Nexus Q preview to our pre-order customers and send you a free device. If you had other items in your order, your credit card will be charged for those items only.
Your Nexus Q will be on its way soon and you will receive a notification and tracking number from Google Play when it ships.
The Nexus Q Team”
As you can see, it’s not all bad news, as whoever did pre-order the Nexus Q will be receiving a “preview” device for free, which is the same device that was handed out to Google I/O attendees. If you were hoping to score a last pre-order to receive the device for free, you should know the Nexus Q and all its accessories have been taken down from the Google Play Store.
Now we’ll just have to wait for Google to announce the launch of the “new and improved” Nexus Q, which should be very soon.
What are your thoughts? What additional functionality do you think Google is going to add? Will this affect the price tag in any way? Were you one of the “lucky” ones who pre-ordered the Nexus Q? Let us know in the comments section below.
The MIPS-based Ainovo Novo 7 was the first tablet to run Android 4.0 and now another MIPS-based tablet will be among the very first to come out with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on board. That tablet is called the Smart Tab 1 and it’s made by Karbonn Mobiles. We’ve recently received news that MIPS is working hard to bring Jelly Bean to all the tablets based on MIPS processors, and it seems we’re already seeing the results with the Smart Tab 1.
Google’s recently announced PDK tool for OEMs may also have something do with this, although I imagine it’s mostly possible thanks to MIPS own work. MIPS processors are not made by different companies, which can lead to innovation but also some incompatibilities, so the company has a lot less to worry about when porting a new version of Android to devices that use its own chips.
The Smart Tab 1 is a 7 incher like the Nexus 7, but costs almost half as much – $125. The processor on the Smart Tab 1 is a MIPS JZ4770 SoC, running at 1.2Ghz – so it’s not as fast as the Tegra 3 CPU in the Nexus 7, but it should run well enough, especially with Jelly Bean. Other specs include a 2 MP camera, 3G support via USB dongle, HDMI connectivity and microSD expansion up to 32GB. There’s no word on internal storage, so I assume the Smart Tab 1 doesn’t offer that much built-in memory.
The device actually came out in July running ICS, but it’s already being upgraded to Jelly Bean, and all the new models will be sold directly with Jelly Bean on board. However, the Smart Tab 1 is only available in India right now.
Earlier today, the U.S. Apple vs Samsung trial was officially kicked off by Apple's opening statement, in which the counsel of the iPhone maker started showing the nine jurors – one member of the jury was dismissed just before Apple's opening statement – how Samsung copied the look and feel of its iPhone and iPad mobile products.
After one hour and a half, it was time for Samsung's legal team to step up to the plate with its opening statement. From the get-go, Samsung clearly specified that it didn't copy the iPhone or the iPad. Instead, the company is simply competing against Apple in a market where touchscreen-based devices are currently in demand. Hence, that's what Samsung is producing. The Verge reports:
Samsung counsel Charles Verhoeven stressed numerous times to the jury that Apple had not told the entire story, and that Samsung was a company that prided itself on providing consumers the products that they want — and if consumers want touchscreen devices, that’s what the company would provide. “Samsung is a major technology company that develops its own innovations,” he told the 9 jurors, stressing that Samsung is a company that competes — and not copies — in the marketplace.
CNET offers a few more quotes from Samsung's opening statement:
“We’re not standing here telling you ladies and gentleman of the jury that the iPhone wasn’t commercially successful. It was an inspiring product to everyone, including the competition,” Samsung’s lawyer Charlie Verhoeven said. “But being inspired by a product and seeking to make better products is competition.” “It’s not copying,” he said.
[…]
“Evidence is going to show that Apple didn’t invent the rectangular shaped form factor. Apple didn’t invent having a touch screen,” Verhoeven said.
Samsung went on further to show how its mobile products are different from Apple's from design, home screens and the way these devices act when turned on. Samsung's case is that Apple does not have a "'monopoly' over the rectangular design with rounded corners, as it was invented before the iPhone," Reuters reports.
“Samsung is not some copyist, some Johnny come lately doing knockoffs,” Samsung attorney Charles Verhoeven told the jurors.
Among the evidence shown to jurors, we find an early iPad design that looks nothing like the iPad that eventually hit stores and that sports a design protected by an Apple patent – according to Samsung’s attorneys. That patented Apple design is allegedly infringed by the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
Image Credit: The Verge
At the same time, Verhoeven took apart Apple's patents that are in play in this lawsuit one by one showing previous patents and/or prior art that covered the same technological principles. Among the patents disputed by Samsung we find various features that are found on the iPhone and other Android devices, including smartphones and tablets made by Samsung. Such features include touch scrolling, pinch-to-zoom, tap-to-zoom, or the "bounce-back" scrolling feature.
But Samsung did not only defend against Apple attacks. Instead it made sure the jury understands its stance on the FRAND standard essential patents used to attack the iPhone maker.
Verhoeven also put out initial defense against Apple’s claims that such patents were in violation of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)’s guidelines, one of which requires its members to disclose intellectual property related to potential wireless standards.
“What you were not told is that the duty to disclose does not apply to ETSI for confidential information.” Verhoeven said. “The applications, the patent applications Apple is pointing to were confidential. They were confidential Korean patent applications.”
Verhoeven described the patents Apple uses against Samsung as "neat little things you can do on a touchscreen," arguing that the 3G patents Samsung claims that are infringed by iPhone and iPad are more important since they deal with more important phone features.
Samsung's counsel also reminded jurors that it's Samsung that makes various components found inside the iPhone, and therefore "apparently Apple thinks Samsung invented something, because it's buying products for its own devices.
We'll be back with more details from this complex legal fight between giants, as the U.S. Apple vs Samsung trial is going to be a source of hot iOS vs Android debate for at least four weeks or so.
