Android Community |
- Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon hands-on with BlueStacks for Android gaming
- Samsung tipped to launch a “Brown Black” Galaxy Note 8.0 in mid-June
- LG Optimus G Pro lands at AT&T stores today
- Viber for Android update brings Holo interface and desktop integration
- AOL and Verizon partnership will bring a new browser bookmark
- Sony Xperia SP pre-orders go live for the US market
- Samsung GALAXY S 4 Zoom tipped to arrive with 16MP camera
- T-Mobile GALAXY S 4 software update rolling out today
- Rovio unveils Accounts for cross-device game play
- RunKeeper Pebble support arrives with latest Android app update
- Starz Play, Encore Play, and Movieplex Play apps hit Android
- Snoop Dogg Snoopify app hits Android for shizzle
- Sharp AQUOS 206SH rocks a five-inch screen and two-day battery life
- Auralux Game on Android updated with support for all devices
- Samsung focuses on features in latest GALAXY S 4 ads
- Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7 discounted for Mother’s Day
- HTC One in Red appears again, and no it isn’t for Verizon
- Adobe entering the hardware space with Project Napoleon and Mighty
- Intel ‘Silvermont’ processors look to take on Qualcomm
- Motorola may have “abused its position” during Apple patent fight
| Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon hands-on with BlueStacks for Android gaming Posted: 07 May 2013 11:15 AM PDT The Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon recently began shipping and while this “table” PC is running Windows 8, those making the purchase will find something Android related. The IdeaCentre Horizon comes pre-installed with a copy of BlueStacks. Basically, this means you can turn your 27-inch Windows 8 PC into an oversized Android tablet. The table PC ships with a wireless keyboard and mouse, however it also has a touchscreen display.
Anyway, given we focus on Android here, the IdeaCentre Horizon coverage will be limited to BlueStacks. By default BlueStacks will offer access to four sections; AppSearch, GetJar, Amazon Appstore and 1Mobile. Users can also sideload the Google Play Store. The one catch with apps coming from the Play Store, you will likely see some mixed results in terms of support for the large display.
Given the setup for the IdeaCentre Horizon, using this as an Android gaming device could be rather interesting. As you will see from the video below, some of the games look rather nice. Alternatively, despite some not looking the best in terms of quality — the seem to have been made for the larger size. As you will see in our hands-on video below, pinball is an example of an app that seems to be good for a larger display. The search functionality is also worthy of a mention. With this you can use the search interface to get results from multiple app stores. We used Ironman as the example in the video and from the initial search results, once you pick the item that matches your search, you will be given the option to pick which app store the download actually comes from. Otherwise, while we wouldn’t expect many people to be walking around with this 27-inch device, Lenovo did put some thought into mobility. Take the kickstand for example. With this, Lenovo has the obvious in that it will prop the computer up for table use. On the flip side though, when that kickstand is pushed in, you will be presented with a touch based interface.
The IdeaCentre Horizon is currently shipping and Lenovo has it priced from $1,699. While we left the focus on the Android side, our friends at SlashGear will be diving in a little deeper and offering a fell review to include both the hardware aspect and Windows 8. This Lenovo table PC aside, those who happen to be curious about BlueStacks, remember that is available as a free download for both Mac and Windows computers.    |
| Samsung tipped to launch a “Brown Black” Galaxy Note 8.0 in mid-June Posted: 07 May 2013 10:30 AM PDT Samsung introduced the Galaxy Note 8.0 tablet back in late-February during Mobile World Congress. At the time they were showing the tablet as being available on one color — white. Since that point we have seen a few bits and pieces about additional colors coming available and as of today, we are now seeing details that another color will be released in a few months.
The important part here, we have yet to hear anything direct from Samsung. Basically, that is to say this should be treated as rumor for the meantime. With that warning out of the way, lets get into the good stuff. The new color is expected to be “Brown Black” and as of now it looks like a release will be coming around the 25th week of the year. Or in simpler terms, sometime in mid-June. Week 25 actually begins on June 17th. There hasn’t been any images of this Brown Black Galaxy Note 8.0 just yet, however according to the folks at SamMobile, the details of the release are coming by way of an insider at Samsung Benelux. This new color is expected to be available for both the WiFi only and the 3G-equipped models. Aside from the new color, the specs and features will remain the same. The Galaxy Note 8.0 has an 8.0-inch display at 1280 x 800, quad-core 1.6GHz Exynos processor, 2GB of RAM, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera and 5 megapixel rear-facing camera. The tablet is also running Jelly Bean and as one would expect with a Note branded product, it has support for the S Pen. Those looking for more information on the Galaxy Note 8.0 may benefit from some of our previous coverage which includes everything from benchmarks to an unboxing and early hands-on to a full review. With that in mind, check out the Story Timeline below for the links. |
| LG Optimus G Pro lands at AT&T stores today Posted: 07 May 2013 09:52 AM PDT If you’re a fan of LG or have been eying a new device to replace that aging smartphone over on AT&T, we have an excellent new LG worthy of your attention. Today the LG Optimus G Pro is available in stores and online from AT&T, and will bring you up to speed in terms of the latest hardware and software in the mobile space. With a 5.5-inch screen and more read on to see what it’s about.
LG announced the Optimus G Pro back in March, but earlier this month it was revealed for the US and coming to AT&T, and now it’s available. With the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 series quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM as the GALAXY S 4, only with a bigger 5.5-inch full 1080p HD display this device could be your next smartphone. The Optimus G Pro is pretty decent from our hands-on time with it last week, and you can expect a full review coming later today from us here at Android Community to help you make up your mind. The device will only run you $199, so it has the same screen size as the Note II yet comes in for less cash. It’s the same price as the 16GB GALAXY S 4, but offers 32GB of internal storage and a bigger screen. So you decide. With a 5.5-inch 1080p FHD display, quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM, as well as a 13 megapixel camera, 3,040 mAh battery, micro-SD slot and more it has most boxes checked for a top-tier device. You’ll only be on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but it’s available as we speak from AT&T stores and is shipping to those who pre-ordered as well. Stay tuned for more details and let us know if you picked one up, or plan on doing so this weekend. Device Info
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| Viber for Android update brings Holo interface and desktop integration Posted: 07 May 2013 09:28 AM PDT Viber had been available as a mobile app that allowed users to make voice or video calls as well as send text or picture messages. As of today however, Viber is now available for the desktop. As part of the version 3.0 update, the company has introduced a desktop app for Mac and Windows. And in addition to the desktop apps, the Android app has also gotten an update.
The Viber for Android update has already made its way into the Google Play Store. Current users will likely notice some changes immediately upon launch. Basically, Viber for Android now has a new look and feel which has arrived in Holo form. Aside from the new and more modernized look, Viber for Android has also been given some new features. To coincide with the release of the desktop apps, Viber for Android has desktop integration. For example, Viber users will be able to transfer calls between the desktop and mobile apps with one click. The cross platform integration also deals with notifications and message management. Basically, while Viber will show new and sent messages on all devices, it will only beep on the device you are using at that time. Furthermore, the messages and conversations that you delete on one device will also be deleted on other devices. Otherwise, the Android app update also brought an online status indicator, the ability to send video messages, some new stickers, the ability to caption images and video messages and a new voice engine that is said to improve sound quality. With that in mind, current Viber users will be able to get setup on the desktop by entering your existing mobile number and a confirmation code that is sent to your mobile device. [via SlashGear] |
| AOL and Verizon partnership will bring a new browser bookmark Posted: 07 May 2013 08:53 AM PDT AOL and Verizon Wireless have announced a new partnership. This is one that will have the AOL.com portal coming to Verizon Wireless smartphones. In addition to the smartphones, the portal will also be available on “certain” tablets. Verizon hasn’t specified which tablets, however they have said it will include some running Android.
This is set to go into effect sometime “this summer” and basically means quick and easy access to the AOL.com portal. This means access to everything from breaking news to maps and weather as well as popular videos and live streaming events. The portal is also able to be customized which will allow the user to narrow things down to the information and details they want to see. Basically, if you are using an Android device with Verizon Wireless — at some point this summer you will likely notice the AOL portal access. Verizon didn’t offer much in terms of specifics here though. As of now the details include how “customers will have the AOL portal bookmarked on their smart phones and tablets' web browsers.” Given that it seems the AOL portal access will be nothing more than a new bookmark in the browser. In other words, those who find this to be unwanted should be able to delete the bookmark without much trouble. While we prefer our handsets to be free of carrier influence, this addition seems to be rather mild. [via Business Wire] |
| Sony Xperia SP pre-orders go live for the US market Posted: 07 May 2013 08:10 AM PDT Sony introduced the Xperia SP smartphone back in mid-March. At the time they had said the handset would be available during the second quarter, however they didn’t offer much in terms of where it would be available or how much it would be selling for. Well, flash forward till today and we now have word of Xperia SP pre-orders for those in the US market.
The pre-orders are available by way of the online Sony Store and at the moment, they are reflecting a shipping date of May 20th. The price of the handset is $489.99 and as we often see with unlocked Sony smartphones — that includes free two-day shipping. Sony seems to think high of the design of the Xperia SP. In this case they are referring to the handset as having the “brilliance of Sony in a stand-out design.” You can get a look at the handset in the above image and judge that claim for yourself. In the meantime, lets talk specs so you can decide if the $489.99 price point is something you would consider fair. The Xperia SP specs include a 4.6-inch display at 1280 x 720, a dual-core 1.7GHz Qualcomm MSM8960 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot. The handset will also arrive running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Remaining specs include a front-facing camera as well as an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera with an Exmor RS for Mobile image sensor. Network support includes HSPA+ on 850, 900, 1900 and 2100 MHz bands as well as LTE on bands I, II, IV and V. Of course, Sony also has the Xperia Z and Xperia ZL smartphones selling unlocked for those in the US market. [via Sony] Device Info
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| Samsung GALAXY S 4 Zoom tipped to arrive with 16MP camera Posted: 07 May 2013 07:42 AM PDT We have heard details about how Samsung is working on a rugged version of the GALAXY S 4, which at the moment is known as the Active. Coming a bit more recently though, we are now seeing details of another version of the GALAXY S 4. This one is focused on the camera and at the moment, has been dubbed the GALAXY S 4 Zoom.
The details for this one are still on the light side, however there does seem to be enough to attract some attention. Basically, the GALAXY S 4 Zoom would be sporting a 16 megapixel camera on the backside. This would be a step up from the 13 megapixel rear-facing camera currently found on the regular GALAXY S 4, however aside from the megapixels though, the sensor details remain a mystery. There is the bit about the Samsung Galaxy Camera also sporting a 16 megapixel camera, so there is some speculation that could be a similar setup. Other details for the GALAXY S 4 Zoom include the handset having a 4.3-inch qHD display, 8GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot. The handset is expected to arrive with Jelly Bean and Samsung’s Touchwiz Nature UX interface. Additional specs look to include the basics such as A-GPS, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0. Details for the processor and RAM haven’t been mentioned just yet. For now the handset is using the codename of SM-C1010 and is expected to arrive in two colors (black and white) sometime in either June or July. [via SamMobile] |
| T-Mobile GALAXY S 4 software update rolling out today Posted: 07 May 2013 07:14 AM PDT The T-Mobile GALAXY S 4 has only been available for a short time, however it looks like the carrier has already announced a software update. In fact, said update is available as of today and those with a T-Mobile GALAXY S 4 will be able to grab the update over-the-air or by way of Samsung Kies.
The changelog is on the smaller side and while the handset will stick with Android 4.2.2, the baseband version is going to change from M919UVUAMDB to M919UVUAMDL. Otherwise, aside from the baseband version, this update brings improvements for two items. Those two items include the ISIS app and the Visual Voicemail app. T-Mobile has said the update will measure in at 168MB in size, which sort of sounds large given the small changelog. Needless to say, those with a T-Mobile branded GALAXY S 4 now have a few options to consider — sit back and wait for the update notification to arrive or fire up Kies and take the manual update approach. Bottom line here, this seems to be nothing more than a small update to fix a few bugs. Basically, that is our way of saying that unless you are having issues with either the Visual Voicemail or ISIS app you may just want to take the casual approach and wait for the update notification to arrive. [Update] Looks like the update has begun to show up and as a result, we do have some news on the file size. It seems the update is actually a bit under 20MB. Our first user report (thanks Dustin) has the update as being 19.58MB. [via T-Mobile] Device Info
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| Rovio unveils Accounts for cross-device game play Posted: 07 May 2013 06:52 AM PDT Rovio has recently announced a new feature that will be rolling out across their line of games. The new feature is called Accounts and it will likely arrive as good news for those who have multiple devices. Basically, Rovio Accounts will allow you to stop playing on one device and pick up where you left off on another device.
In addition to simply being able to play on multiple devices, this should also beneficial for when it comes time to upgrade your phone — you can now upgrade without having to lose the progress of your favorite Rovio game. That of course is the good, there is a slight catch at the moment though. For now, the support is limited to just a few games. At the moment, Rovio Accounts are supported on the iOS version of Angry Birds for those in Finland and Poland and also on a global basis for those playing The Croods. While a specific timeline has yet to be given, Rovio has said they plan to “gradually introduce Rovio Accounts into more areas.” Otherwise, these Rovio Accounts will be able to save your game data from the time you create your account. They will also be able to combine progress from several devices the first time your login on a particular device. All said and done, now seems like as good a time as any to begin looking (or hoping) for an update to your favorite Rovio game. [via Rovio Blog] |
| RunKeeper Pebble support arrives with latest Android app update Posted: 07 May 2013 06:24 AM PDT RunKeeper became the first confirmed Pebble app a little more than a year ago and while news on that front has been a bit quiet, there is a bit of news for those who may have been waiting. In short, the RunKeeper Android app has been updated and it has brought support for the Pebble smartwatch.
The Pebble support comes along with RunKeeper version 3.3 and in addition, there are a few other features that have been added. The Pebble support is on the simpler side, here you basically have a secondary display that will show your current RunKeeper stats. Basically, you can now look towards your wrist to see the pertinent data from your run (or other exercise session) as opposed to having to look at your smartphone. Shifting away from the Pebble and we also have talk of widgets and easier data entry for select details. Those select details include your weight and entry of indoor (non-GPS) activities. When entering details manually, you will see a popup that has the option to choose Indoor Activity or Your Weight. The other addition here was the widgets. RunKeeper v3.3 is now sporting a homescreen and a lock screen widget. These widgets should make it a bit easier to see your current progress (to include time, distance and average pace) without having to fully unlock your smartphone. Of course, the lock screen widgets may not be as important to those rocking a Pebble. As one would expect, the latest RunKeeper app update can be found in the Google Play Store. [via RunKeeper Blog] |
| Starz Play, Encore Play, and Movieplex Play apps hit Android Posted: 07 May 2013 05:36 AM PDT Most major subscription cable channels have been offering apps that allow users to stream movies and their original programs to their mobile devices for a while. The caveat to these apps includes the fact that you do have to subscribe to the movie networks via a participating cable provider to be able to use them. However, if you do subscribe to a cable provider that offers the networks you can watch streaming versions of your favorite shows and movies at no additional cost.
The big problem for many Android users was that some of the most popular a movie networks on cable didn’t have apps available for the Android platform. That has all changed with Starz offering three new video streaming apps that are available now for Android users. The available apps included Starz Play, Encore Play, and Movieplex Play. The apps offer access to all of the original series that the networks air allowing you to catch up on episodes you missed and past seasons in many cases. You can also watch movies that the network is offering that particular month. There’s nothing surprising about the video streaming apps and they appear to have common user interfaces rebranded for each of the three Starz networks. Currently, the apps support only Cox, AT&T U-verse, Directv, and Verizon cable subscribers. [via Android Police] |
| Snoop Dogg Snoopify app hits Android for shizzle Posted: 07 May 2013 05:26 AM PDT If you’re looking for a new photo sharing app and happen to like rapper Snoop Dogg, you’ll want to check out Snoopify. The app is a photo sharing offering from the rapper that allows you to take photos and enhance them with stickers of some of the things Snoop is famous (or infamous) for.
The app was made in conjunction with a retailer called Upper Playground and marketing agency Kashmir Agency. The app is available as a free download for Android users. The app isn’t a social network on its own and is designed to let you tweak photographs with virtual stickers. The app will let users save the photographs and the photographs can be shared on any social network that supports photo sharing. In fact, the people behind the app want users to use the tag #snoopifyapp when they share their photographs on social networks. This is the second app we’ve seen from the Snoop Dogg camp in 2013. The previous app offered fans a look behind-the-scenes of the rapper’s latest album. That app was called Snoop Lion Reincarnated: Track Notes and was available for the iPad. Snoop is also working on a fighting game called Way of the Dogg so we will hear more from the musician this year. [via Guardian] |
| Sharp AQUOS 206SH rocks a five-inch screen and two-day battery life Posted: 07 May 2013 05:09 AM PDT Sharp has unveiled a new smartphone packing a five-inch display. The new smartphone is called the AQUOS 206SH and that five-inch screen offers full HD resolution. Screens of that resolution and size aren’t new, but Sharp’s new smartphone does have one trick up its sleeve you won’t find elsewhere.
Sharp promises that the battery on the phone is good for two days of use. The smartphone will be coming to Japanese carrier SoftBank this summer. Other than the massive battery, the five-inch screen uses Silicon TFT LCD technology. The battery has 3080 mAh of internal power. To get the most battery life out of the device, users do have to activate Sharp’s special Eco-Tech settings. The settings apparently involve throttling the 1.7 GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro quad core processor. It’s unclear exactly how much the throttling of the CPU will affect performance. The five-inch screen has a pixel density of 443 ppi. It naturally supports touch interaction and sounds to me like an all-around good performer. The smartphone will be available in white, black, or blue colors. The phone is expected to hit its Japanese carrier in late June and will have a 13.1-megapixel camera on the back, support for live streaming TV, LTE, and the Android 4.2 operating system. The phone is also said to be waterproof. [via SlashGear] |
| Auralux Game on Android updated with support for all devices Posted: 06 May 2013 03:41 PM PDT Games these days are full of HD graphics, explosions, and lately lots of zombies but today we have some excellent news about something completely different. Back in July last year we reviewed an awesome and extremely relaxing and addicting game called Auralux, but it was limited to Tegra 3 devices only. The game is full of calming ambient sounds and offers an abstract, simplified real-time strategy experience. It’s worth checking out so read on past the break.
There really is no way to describe how awesome and relaxing this game is, you just have to try it for yourself. Back in July they launched for Tegra 3 devices only, and sadly it has taken them nearly an entire year to bring this to all Android devices. Today Auralux was updated with support for all Android devices, and it’s excellent news. Their listing in the play store mentions it being a work of art, and not just a game, and uses words like abstract, essentialized, and simplified when explaining the gameplay. It’s simple. Use strategy to take over other worlds in this game, all to a calming tone and sounds as you battle other waves of enemies. It’s simple, minimalistic in design, and surprisingly loads of fun. Take a peek at our initial hands-on below. I’m not sure if it’s how simple the game is, the neat little sound effects, or simply the fact that you really have to try multiple different approaches to win each level. It truly is an work of art blend into a real-time strategy game. You’ve seen it on PC, and now it’s available for all Android devices and even has a new map pack. The game is completely free, and you can purchase more maps should you choose. Don’t take our word for it. The game looks average at best but is surprisingly fun, challenging, and addicting. Let us know what you think by getting it from the link below. [via Play Store Link] |
| Samsung focuses on features in latest GALAXY S 4 ads Posted: 06 May 2013 02:11 PM PDT In case you aren’t a fan of the NBA and haven’t seen Samsung’s latest round of GALAXY S 4 commercials this weekend, they’ve been pretty direct at poking fun at the iPhone. This week however, Samsung decided to leave out the iPhone and play nice with two brand new ad spots showcasing features of their GALAXY S 4 flagship smartphone. We enjoy watching the funny commercials, but these are good too.
Instead of making fun of those iDevices and having people question their old iPhone purchases. Or just going crazy like Microsoft’s latest attempts to lure buyers, they opted to keep these two newest TV commercials short and sweet. The first was 90 seconds long and called “Grad Pool Party” but below you can enjoy their two latest, and shorter commercials. Below you’ll find the new 30 second ad spot called Grad Photo, where Samsung decided to stick to showcasing impressive features of the smartphone instead of talking smack on the competition. Here they simply show off the “Eraser Shot” mode on their 13 megapixel camera. Letting users quickly remove unwanted people and photo-bombers from an image. Check it out. Then, since we don’t all want to watch a minute and 30 second clip of a smartphone commercial while trying to enjoy some competitive NBA playoff games, this one below is quick and to the point being just 15 seconds long. It’s safe to say Samsung is doing the same thing as they did with the Galaxy S III, and that is releasing a slew of commercials. This is the first of many. Expect plenty more to follow just in time for the summer, and even more around the holidays. It looks like Samsung, HTC, and Windows Phone are going big with commercials this year. Interesting approach but one we know works, and works well. Device Info
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| Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7 discounted for Mother’s Day Posted: 06 May 2013 01:59 PM PDT Barnes & Noble lowered the price of the NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ for Mother’s Day and it looks like Amazon will be having a sale of their own. The Amazon sale is for the 7-inch Kindle Fire HD and will be in effect through May 12. Basically, those shopping (and using the appropriate coupon code) will see a savings of $20.
This offers applies to the 16GB and 32GB models and it will bring the price down to $179 and $209 respectively. Additionally, those choosing the Without Special Offers route would see prices of $194 for the 16GB model or $224 for the 32GB model. Otherwise, the offer is simple, just use FIRE4MOM as the coupon code during the checkout process. As a refresher, the Kindle Fire HD brings a 7-inch display with a screen resolution of 1280 x 800 and dual-band Wi-Fi along with a dual-core 1.2GHz OMAP4460 processor. Perhaps more important though, the Kindle Fire HD has access to the wide variety of content available from Amazon. Basically, that is to say apps and games as well as books, magazines, television and movies. Looking back on the Barnes & Noble offer. They have the NOOK HD and HD+ selling at a discount until May 12. The price for the NOOK devices will be $179 or $209 for the 16GB or 32GB model. In the end, a decent deal on both models and it pretty much comes down to whether you want to live in the Amazon or the Barnes & Noble ecosystem. Of for that matter, which one you are already living in. Device Info
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| HTC One in Red appears again, and no it isn’t for Verizon Posted: 06 May 2013 01:37 PM PDT If you were following along here at Android Community when HTC announced their new flagship smartphone, the HTC One, you probably saw the smartphone also will be coming in red. Since then however, we haven’t heard or seen anything regarding this option but today one UK retailer has it listed for sale.
Initially the Red HTC One appeared on HTC’s US website but was quickly removed and we’ve been waiting for more details ever since. The Galaxy S III had an AT&T exclusive in red, so we thought HTC might do the same, there were also many rumors (and dreams) that it was for Verizon. So far there’s nothing indicating this will land on Verizon, sadly. Now the popular online retailer Handtec has the 32GB red HTC One available on their site, and it looks pretty snazzy. Instead of just black or silver you can break the mold and rock a bright red handset. The listing has a price, but shows out of stock, so we’re not fully sold yet.
This could be another mistake as HTC is still saying black and silver versions are all they have, but we have a feeling this red model is coming eventually. There’s been back and forth regarding an HTC One for Verizon, and even today we received a few comments on the possibility, but nothing concrete. I wouldn’t mind an HTC One in red from Verizon Wireless. What about you guys? [via Phandroid] Device Info
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| Adobe entering the hardware space with Project Napoleon and Mighty Posted: 06 May 2013 01:17 PM PDT When it comes to Adobe the first thought of many is likely to be something software related. Up until now, that would have been the case. Moving forward though, it looks like Adobe will have Project Napoleon and Project Mighty. Both of these are hardware items and yes, they will both work together. Napoleon deals with a digital ruler and Mighty deals with a cloud connected pen.
Beginning first with Project Napoleon, and for those who caught the play on the name, it seems Adobe did that intentionally. That bit aside though, the ruler will be able to create a projected edge that you can use to draw shapes and lines. The ruler is more than just the shapes and lines that you can see on the page though, it can also snap to a vanishing point that is well off the screen. Napoleon is also able to snap to the horizontal or vertical on the page. Simply put though, the Napoleon ruler will have six different modes and it will be used with tablets as well as touchscreen monitors.
Shifting over to Project Mighty and we have the tool that will work side-by-side with the ruler. Mighty is described as being a “cloud pen” that is triangle shaped. The triangle shape was taken from inspiration of childhood. Adobe has said the inspiration for the shape of the pen was taken from the triangular grips that are often used by children. Other than the shape, Adobe mentioned the pen is pressure sensitive, which “helps it draw a natural and expressive line.” Some of the features include easy access to a variety of tools and colors. Mighty also works with the cloud to store previous drawings and because this is all stored in the device memory and in the cloud, the user is able to jump from device to device. While all this seems interesting enough, there wasn’t anything mentioned in terms of when Adobe plans to have these available for purchase. What they have offered are teasers such as how these items “leverage the best from both the digital and the analog worlds” and how they could help to “enable whole new levels of creative productivity and artistic confidence.” [via Adobe] |
| Intel ‘Silvermont’ processors look to take on Qualcomm Posted: 06 May 2013 01:08 PM PDT Today Intel has announced and unveiled their new processor platform that they hope will take on the folks from Qualcomm and NVIDIA in smartphones and tablets. The brand new micro-architecture is called Silvermont, and is a completely revamped and improved Atom chipset with some pretty bold claims.
Intel’s dive into mobile hasn’t been too successful, at all, and we still aren’t really sure what to expect from the silicon giant moving forward. The big claim mentioned above however, has us somewhat excited. What is that claim? Intel is boasting that Silvermont will offer 3 times the speed and performance of their past Atom processors, yet use 1/5th of the power consumption of their previous models like Clover Trail and more. Intel expects to get these new Silvermont processors into smartphones, tablets, mobile gadgets, cars and infotainment systems and more. Silvermont will be based on their new 22nm processor fabrication so it will be extremely efficient, and if their performance claims are accurate it could offer some serious competition to other mobile chipsets. Not just competition with Qualcomm, but all low-power processors. Silvermont will be used in their upcoming Merrifield mobile processors for smartphones and tablets, and hopefully we actually see some arrive in smartphones across the US. Sadly we can’t expect to see Silvermont until late this year, and their Merrifield better have some serious 4G LTE integration to even be considered an option for U.S. based smartphones. Hopefully we learn more soon as this will be the first mobile processor to be built on the 22nm fabrication and it could offer some serious performance and battery life results. [via Reuters] |
| Motorola may have “abused its position” during Apple patent fight Posted: 06 May 2013 12:33 PM PDT EU officials have recently gone after Motorola Mobility saying they may have abused their position when they filed a patent injunction against Apple. Basically, the EU Competition Commission has said Motorola went after the injunction even as Apple made attempts at working towards an agreement.
Apple had indeed made offers, however the two companies never came to an agreement on the price. This all stems back to a February 2012 patent case that ultimately resulted in the iPad and iPhone being removed from the Apple website (in Germany) for a short time. The patent in question deals with the GPRS data transmission standard used by GSM cellular networks across the world. More to the point here, this is what is known as an SEP (standard-essential patent). These SEP patents are ones that have been determined to be essential and those holding these patents (in this case Motorola) are obligated to license them based on Frand (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) terms. Basically, Motorola should have been obligated to license these patents for use by Apple at a fair price. This is where the EU comments are stemming from as Apple was said to have made the appropriate offers. The EU Competition Commission has said Motorola went after the injunction despite the offers and Apple’s “apparent willingness.” Further comments from the EU talk about how protecting intellectual property and competition are both important. The end result at the moment, for now this is a “preliminary view” and Motorola still has a chance to defend themselves. [via BBC News] |
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