Sunday, October 6, 2013

Android World Update # Samsung HomeSync now available in the US

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Samsung HomeSync now available in the US
Oct 6th 2013, 18:10, by Jerry Hildenbrand

HomeSync

Build your own cloud for $300

The Samsung HomeSync can now be yours, provided you live in the US and have $300 to spend. We first saw the media-center slash network storage device back at Mobile World Congress in February, and we're a bit intrigued. 

Picture a Chromecast crossed with a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device, like a Drobo, that's attached directly to your TV. You can play all your Google Play content, like movies and music, as well as upload your own media to the device's 1TB worth of storage. It runs it's own version of TouchWiz, and has full support for other apps via Google Play.

You use your Samsung Android device as the remote, and you have your stuff on your big screen. The HomeSync can synchronize with up to eight different accounts as well, so you don't have to add your wife's Celine Dion songs to your Google account. 

The HomeSync retails for $299.99 at Amazon. It's a bit expensive, but it looks very convenient for folks who aren't into fiddling around with network devices and hard drives. We've got one on the way and we'll take a long hard look at it.

Buy the Samsung HomeSync from Amazon


    






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Android World Update # Forum Top 5: Swype, Asus 10, "real" smartphone uses, launchers

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Forum Top 5: Swype, Asus 10, "real" smartphone uses, launchers
Oct 6th 2013, 18:00, by Loie Favre

Have you missed the conversation this week? AndroidPIT’s forum holds a wealth of various topics about anything and everything under the sun about Android and even some other non-related stuff, like what music you are listening to.

top5 forum
 © AndroidPIT

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Android World Update # Starting with Chrome 32, Chrome OS may be invading Windows 8′s start screen

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thumbnail Starting with Chrome 32, Chrome OS may be invading Windows 8′s start screen
Oct 6th 2013, 16:06, by Andrew Grush

chrome-os-in-windows

Google recently unveiled "desktop apps for Chrome", a new initiative that runs special Chrome OS apps independent of the Chrome browser. This important change meant that Chrome OS would finally have an experience that was a bit closer to a traditional operating system. Alongside the announcement, Google also announced they were bringing a Chrome app launcher to Windows, which would allow Chrome apps to launch outside of the Chrome browser – just like a native Windows app.

This move basically allows Google to bring its web apps and Chrome OS features directly to the Windows world, but it’s only the icing on the cake. Soon you may be able to experience Chrome OS right from within the Windows 8′s Start screen UI!

Soon you'll be able to experience Chrome OS right from within the Windows 8's Start screen UI.

Chrome users currently have the option of using the Chrome browser within the Start UI, but it is really nothing more than a fullscreen version of the standard Chrome browser.

In the current dev release of Chrome 32 for Windows, the Start screen version of the browser has evolved dramatically by adding the Chrome OS taskbar, as well as the ability to run "Chrome desktop apps" and web apps. While not everything from Chrome OS is present (such as changing the wallpaper), it’s pretty darn close.

How well does it work?

For a relatively early test version, the new Chrome OS-like experience actually handles rather well. It's fast, fluid and I have already found myself forgetting that I’m really just running a browser app within Windows.

That said, Chrome 32 is a dev release and it occasionally shows. While typing in Google Docs I personally ran into an issue with my cursor showing up in the wrong place from time to time, and there seems to be a few other minor stability issues. Overall though, as someone who really hasn’t spent much time with Chrome OS, I'm liking what I see here and have a feeling that I won't be the only Windows PC user that feels the same.

It’s not impossible to think that this limited Chrome OS-like experience could be enough to convert some disgruntled Windows users over to a Chrome OS-powered device in the future. For now though, it’s unclear exactly when Google plans to bring its Chrome OS experience over to the stable version of Chrome. Keep in mind that these features could also be scrapped from the final version of Chrome 32, though we somehow doubt it.

Want to try to give it a try now? Getting started is as easy as downloading the dev version of Chrome for Windows – just remember that you can’t expect a perfectly stable experience, so proceed with caution.

What do you think of Google's plans to bring a Chrome OS experience straight to Microsoft's Start UI? Could this move be what’s needed to finally win over a wider range of new users?

Media files:
chrome-os-in-windows
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Android World Update # Galaxy Note 3: Eight of the coolest S-Pen features

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Galaxy Note 3: Eight of the coolest S-Pen features
Oct 6th 2013, 16:13, by Sterling Keys

Samsung has shown all the other manufacturers how to do a phablet right with the Galaxy Note 3. Along with the large screen, the S Pen is one of the features that distinguishes the Note 3 from the rest of the pack. With the digital pen, you can do almost everything that you would otherwise do with your finger and sometimes even more! Here’s a look into eight cool S Pen features that you’ll need to try out for yourself.

galaxy note 3 test 5
 © AndroidPIT

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Android World Update # From the Editor's Desk: Working hard? Or hardly working?

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From the Editor's Desk: Working hard? Or hardly working?
Oct 6th 2013, 15:25, by Phil Nickinson

Hammock

A  busy year gets even busier — and we've got lots in store for 2014

At some point earlier this year — probably back in February, between trips to  San Francisco, New York City and Barcelona — I made a conscious decision to not travel as much this year. Things haven't quite worked out as I planned, of course. That's a good problem to have. Being busy means business is good. And this is a great business to be in.

That was as apparent as ever last week in Miami, where I and the other Mobile Nations editors met up for a few days. Day 1 was spent cannonballing and hair-flipping and shooting a wrap-up video for Talk Mobile 2013. Believe it or not, it took about 11 months from inception to being damned near finished.

Days 2 and 3 last week were spent working on strategies to take us well into 2014. If you thought 2013 was ambitious, well, we're just getting warmed up. This is going to be fun — and extremely challenging. If we accomplish even just half of what we've been talking about internally, it'll be a great year.

And now I'm off to London for a few days' worth of meetings with some great folks. And chances are we'll have some Nexus-type news pretty quickly upon my return, to say nothing of any number of expected releases this fall. So we're not done yet.

As always, thanks for coming along for the ride. It makes all the travel and time away from home and family worth it.

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Android World Update # Android Community

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Tracking the Android Platform Revolution 
ZTE nubia 5 hands-on: Houston Rockets edition
Oct 6th 2013, 14:29, by Robert Nelson

ZTE recently announced the US availability of the Grand S and nubia 5 smartphones. These were announced alongside the partnership with the Houston Rockets. Both handsets are available for pre-order at this time and they will begin shipping in mid-October. But for now, courtesy of ZTE, we got to spend a bit of hands-on time with the Houston Rockets branded nubia 5.

nubia-5-hands-01

This particular handset has some special branding and some special wallpaper, however the hardware, specs and features are the same as the model currently available for pre-order. In this case that means a 5.0-inch FHD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and quad-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor. The display also has a ppi of 443 and that S4 Pro processor has been paired with 2GB of RAM.

nubia-5-ho-05

ZTE is pushing the nubia 5 as being for those looking for a bit more advanced features in terms of the camera and entertainment portions. Needles to say, the handset has a slim body and what we would describe as relatively good looks. The nubia 5 measures in at 5.43 x 2.71 x 0.30 inches. The handset is matte black on the back, has a silver ring around the exterior and otherwise, the basics in terms of controls.

nubia-5-ho-06 nubia-5-ho-07 nubia-5-ho-08 nubia-5-ho-09 nubia-5-ho-10 nubia-5-ho-11

You can find the SIM card slot and headphone jack up top and the microUSB on the bottom with the volume rocker and power rocker sitting on each of the sides. The front of the handset has a 2 megapixel camera and flipping over to the back you will find a set of speakers sitting towards the bottom. The handset also has Dolby Digital technology. Aside from the audio, the other highlight here is the camera. The nubia 5 has a 13 megapixel camera on the back with LED flash. The camera hardware is Konica-Minolta and ZTE has added a Sapphire Lens.

nubia-5-ho-16

In addition to the camera specs, ZTE has some software features to go along with. There is the basic auto mode, which should work quite well for most users, however there is also a Pro and Fun modes. The Pro mode will give users a bit more control in terms of adjustments and the Fun mode brings some filters. The gallery below has a few image samples that we took while at the Rockets game.

n5-cs-01 n5-cs-02 n5-cs-03 n5-cs-04 n5-cs-05 n5-cs-06

Rounding out the specs is 16GB of internal storage space, a 2300 mAh battery and Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. That all being said, the nubia 5 (as well as the Grand S) are currently available for pre-order with Amazon. The handsets are expected to ship in mid-October and the nubia 5 is priced at $449.99. The Grand S is priced at $399.99.

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