| Android 4.4 update for LG G2 to arrive in December Nov 5th 2013, 07:18, by Juan Carlos Torres While a number of smartphone manufacturers have ridden on the Android 4.4 release frenzy and announced or teased their upcoming update schedule, LG has so far kept mum. But while the Korean manufacturer isn’t saying a word, French carrier SFR has spilled the beans and revealed that the LG G2 will be getting its Android 4.4 update around December. 
Google unveiled the latest iteration of the Android mobile platform last week after a long series of rumors and speculation on its release date. Android 4.4 represents an important milestone in the history of the OS as Google seeks to cement its hold on the mobile device market. Not only does the latest Android version bring in a revamped look and feel, it also tries to resolve Android fragmentation by creating a solid base that can be used even by less capable devices. You can read up more on the events and news surrounding Google hottest new products on our Android 4.4 and Nexus 5 tag portals. Various manufacturers have been quick to announce their support for the new Android version. Somewhat ironically, LG, who manufactured the reference Nexus 5 smartphone that was announced together with Android 4.4, has so far kept silent about when its flagship smartphone will receive an update. But thanks to a timetable that shows the update schedule for various devices from SFR, we’re getting a clue as to when, which the carrier puts down as November or December 2013. This schedule, however, most likely applies to LG G2 units sold from SFR, with no definite indication when it will take place for other carriers, much less those sold without contracts. But if this schedule pans out, that should probably happen around that same time period as well. VIA: Blog of Mobile!! |  | Qualcomm rumored to be preparing Adreno 400 GPU for CES 2014 Nov 5th 2013, 06:46, by Juan Carlos Torres As mobile devices get more powerful and use cases get more complicated, users start to expect more graphical sophistication not only in their games but also in fluid and responsive user interfaces as well. That is why Qualcomm, one of the leading system-on-chip manufacturers today, is continually working on improving its Adreno graphics chips, the fruits of which we may start seeing early next year. 
Adreno is the name given to the series of graphics processing units or GPUs developed by Qualcomm to go along with its processors. The most recent GPU at the moment is the Adreno 330 which comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chip that is found in most high-end smartphones today. The company is rumored to be working on a next-generation Adreno 400 that is set to unveil together with the next Snapdragon processor. There is very little detail on what the Adreno 400 will be bringing to the table, though it is only natural to expect that it will outdo the Adreno 330 to some extent. Currently the Adreno 330 has a 3.6 gigapixels per second fillrate, that is the amount of pixels it can render in one second, while the Adreno 320 before it was able to get 3.2 gigapixels per second. It is reasonable to speculate that the next chip could potentially reach or even surpass the 4.0 gigapixel mark. There are rumors, however, that the Adreno 400 will remove support for OpenCL, the Open Computing Language framework that allows programs to utilize the GPU, which is inherently faster than the CPU at number-crunching, as if it were a normal processor. That may, however, have very little effect on Android as the mobile platform does not inherently use OpenCL and has an equivalent framework called Renderscript instead. Much of the Adreno 400 is still shrouded in mystery but that might change in a few months’ time. Qualcomm is expected to unveil its next Snapdragon, and thus the next Adreno, at the Consumer Electronics Show in early 2014. VIA: GSMArena | | Tumblr app finally supports animated GIF and landscape mode Nov 5th 2013, 06:08, by Juan Carlos Torres Tumblr has just let out a new version of its Android app that brings in some much awaited features. Among other things, the update adds support on mobile devices for one of the most popular uses of the social networking and microblogging service: animated GIFs. 
The GIF image format has been in use for a long time and its popularity drives from its ability to show a short animated sequence of images without having to use actual video files or formats. While the use of animated GIFs as web page decorations has fallen out of fashion long ago, the use of the image format was revived in recent times as a popular way of sharing short clips of entertaining moments, especially those that involve cats. Although many image hosting services support posting animated GIFs, Tumblr has become a popular rendezvous point as the service focuses particularly on the sharing of such bits and pieces of media. Unfortunately, the Tumblr experience on Android has not been up to par. While it is possible to view animated GIFs on a per post basis, the animations do not show up on the dashboard, making the experience a bit inconsistent and inconvenient. With this new update to the Android app, however, animated GIFs on the home feed will automatically play for your enjoyment. But that is not the only improvement that has been added to this new version. Users will now also be able to create Photosets right from the mobile app. But perhaps more importantly, the app now works in landscape mode as well, pulling Tumblr into to the tablet age. The updated Tumblr for Android is now available on Google Play Store and should be rolling out to those who already have it installed. Or click the download link below if you haven’t tried it out yet. Download: Tumblr on Google Play Store
SOURCE: Tumblr | | Google Helpouts real-time video assistance service goes live Nov 5th 2013, 05:45, by Juan Carlos Torres As tipped last week, Google has launched its brand new project that injects a dose of real-time video chat with your usual help desk scenario. With Google Helpouts, users with a variety of problems or questions can, as Google puts it, get help from real people in real time. 
First teased way back in August, Google Helpouts is a way for regular people to connect with subject matter experts in order to seek help or instruction on a variety of disciplines and topics, ranging from computers, health, cooking, music, and even beauty and makeup tips. Helpouts utilizes Google’s Hangouts technology to provide live video chats with registered experts. It is pretty much like tech support on steroids, providing help via two-way video communication and not limited to specific products or topics. Google advertises Helpouts as a platform but it is pretty much a business. Although helpers can decided whether their services will have a price attached or be offered for free, Helpouts really revolves around a system of paying for the personalized assistance that you get, which is not unreasonable. That is why both helpers and users of the service are required to have Google Wallet accounts. Helpers can set their own schedule of availability and will be notified, via their computer or device or SMS, if there is a pending help request. If the helper is unable to reply to the user in under five minutes, the session will be offered for free. Below is a video of the different uses that Google Helpouts can be put through. Of course, there currently exists a multitude of ways people can get help on such topics, from chat to Twitter to social media or even to old-fashioned video guides on YouTube. Google is perhaps banking on a preference for a more personal, real-time, and interactive to drive Helpouts, but only time will tell if the system will be able to scale well to gather enough experts to answer the needs of hundreds, if not thousands, of users at any time of the day. SOURCE: Google Helpouts
VIA: TechCrunch | |
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