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Sony Xperia Z gets put through the underwater test and passes with flying colors Posted: 16 Feb 2013 02:52 PM PST You already know that the Sony Xperia Z is going to be pretty durable thanks to its dust and waterproof casing, but some casual nonbelievers wanted to take some time and see how the device would hold up in some extreme conditions like a public pool. As you can see in the video below, the Xperia Z’s camera not only holds up well when recording video, but the quality of the video and audio is as astounding as the quality of the device itself. Of course it should be pointed out that while recording the video while being underwater was a cinch, the on-screen buttons are not functional underwater, so users will need to actually hit the record button before actually putting the smartphone through its courses underwater. Still you gotta admit that it’s pretty cool seeing Sony’s claims of the Xperia Z’s durability holding up pretty well. Still a nonbeliever of the Xperia Z’s potential? Hit the break to check out the video for yourself. Click here to view the embedded video. source: Xperia Blog Come comment on this article: Sony Xperia Z gets put through the underwater test and passes with flying colors Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!

Offline speech recognition for third-party apps discovered in Google Search update Posted: 16 Feb 2013 12:15 PM PST Developers of voice command app utter! have discovered a nice surprise included in the latest Google Search update that increases the usability of speech-recognition on Jelly Bean powered Android devices. Much of the focus since Google released the latest update has been on the new widget for Google Now. There has also been some interest in new partners and access to college basketball teams for sports cards. The change discovered by utter! may have a more far-reaching impact than those features. With the latest update, apps from third-party developers can now access the speech-recognition dictionaries on your device. Previously, only Google’s own apps could access the dictionaries. For end users, this means the speech-recognition function can run faster and is accessible even when no data connection is available. To add the dictionaries to your device so they will be available for other apps, go to your Google Now settings, look under “Voice” and find the dictionary you want to download. source: AndroidCentral Come comment on this article: Offline speech recognition for third-party apps discovered in Google Search update Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!

Is Sony testing a new device running Android 4.2 with a 1080p display? Posted: 16 Feb 2013 10:08 AM PST Sony may be testing a new device and if the latest findings are correct, it’s going to be an impressive device. With the model number C680x, Sony’s device will be running Android 4.2 and sporting a full HD screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. Due to the model number being higher than the anticipated Xperia Z, this might be an indication of yes another Sony flagship phone. Very little details are known at this point but check back with TalkAndroid for the latest reports. source: Xperia Blog Come comment on this article: Is Sony testing a new device running Android 4.2 with a 1080p display? Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!

Google releases images and details of Glass Foundry event Posted: 16 Feb 2013 09:57 AM PST Last month Google held a Project Glass hackathon event in San Francisco and in a recent Google+ blog post, the tech giant let us in on a couple of details and a handful of images of the event. Members of the event included those who had signed up for the Glass Explorer Program at Google I/O 2012. It’s no surprise there were a lot of people that signed up after the stunning demonstration of Project Glass at the same conference. According to the post, the event was called Glass Foundry and was held over the course of two days. From the two days, 80 new ways of using Project Glass were developed according to the post. Out of the eight teams formed, one was the grand prize winner for the hackathon and they won the cost of their Glass Explorer Edition kit while the remaining seven earned honorary pioneer credits for the final release of Project Glass. Google is still keeping quiet about the API’s themselves but were kind enough to include several images of the event. Google also says it hopes to hold more Foundry events in the future which means even more ways in which consumers can utilize Project Glass. Let us know what you think of the event and the possibilities that came up during the first Google Foundry event in the comments below. Source: Google+ Come comment on this article: Google releases images and details of Glass Foundry event Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!

HTC provides more clues about the HTC One Camera with cryptic teaser Posted: 16 Feb 2013 06:46 AM PST HTC is giving the public more to speculate over with the release of their latest cryptic picture on their Twitter page. The picture is of a camera lens that seems ordinary to the naked eye. Upon close inspection, however, the numbers “2, 19, 13″ are revealed along the lens’ outside rim. These numbers ordinarily would give indications of the camera’s lens quality but these numbers happen to line up with the date of the dual press events in  New York City and London. Oddly enough, the logo of the lens is blurred out. Why HTC decided to do this is a mystery but the lens build and quality gives off the impression that it could be a Canon lens. Is it possible that the rumored “ultrapixel” technology could be a feature made possible by a partnership between Canon and HTC? The last thing the image suggests is the possibility that the lens could be detachable, which could also mean that a number of camera accessories could be offered. We will find out on February so stay tuned. Source: Twitter