Android and Me |
- Build your summer blockbuster movie list with IMDb
- Motorola and Sprint revive the high-end QWERTY Android phone with the Photon Q
- Google Fiber Internet, TV become reality
- NVIDIA announces support for Miracast wireless display
| Build your summer blockbuster movie list with IMDb Posted: 26 Jul 2012 06:20 PM PDT  Summer is here and all the Hollywood studios are releasing their blockbuster movies. So what’s the best Android app to feed your movie addiction? There are a ton of movie apps out there and I’ve tried most of them, but the one that has a permanent place on my home screen is IMDb (Internet movie database, for the few that have never heard of it). The site IMDb.com has always been one the most comprehensive and authoritative source of information on movies, TV and celebrities, so it was great news when they release their first Android app a couple years ago. Since that time it has received numerous updates and it continues to add new features and improve the user experience. The GoodMost detailed movie database ever: Movie listings have showtimes, reviews and commentary, trailers, photo galleries, genre, release date, plot summary, synopsis, top billed cast, trivia, quotes, goofs, soundtrack, filming locations, related movies, community message boards, and news. Detailed stars database: For every actor you can view complete fimography, mini biography, trivia, quotes, related news, photo gallery, and birth information. Watch HD trailers: Movie trailers are provided in standard resolution, 480p, and 720p HD. Build your watchlist: Sign in to IMDb and you can add upcoming movies to your watchlist. Personalized recommendations: As you build your watchlist and browse movie listing, IMDb will start to create a list of recommended movies you might enjoy. Notifications: Mark your favorite movies and stars to be notified of trailers, photos, showtimes, and news. Metascores for critics and user reviews: Quickly browse reviews from critics and other users. Critics reviews are compiled into a single metascore from metacritic.com. Tons of movie charts: Check out lists for coming soon, US box office results, showtimes, Top 250 movies, most popular movies of the day, new on DVD and Blu-ray, and best picture winners. TV listings and recaps: IMDb provides a list of popular TV shows with their air time and channel. They also offer complete episode recaps for most popular shows. Celebrity news: Browse who’s hot in the STARmeter, see celebrity birthdays in Born Today, and ready the celebrity message boards Browse history: Complete stream of all movies you reviewed and every listing you view. Multiple language support: Available worldwide in English (US/UK), Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese. Tablet optimized layout: Looks great on a 7 or 10 inch display. The Not-so-goodAd supported: Most pages have small ads at the bottom. It would be nice to see a paid version without the ads. No social stream: It would be nice if I could see what movies my friends are watching in a unified activity stream. No desktop widgets: Not really needed, but it would be nice to see some widget support. Can’t purchase movie tickets: Some services allow you to buy movie tickets directly in the app. Can’t identify movies: Now I’m just requesting features. I’d like to see a movie ID feature similar to Yahoo’s IntoNow. Final WordsIMDb for Android is not only the best source for movie info, but it is one of my all time favorite apps. Other developers should look to the app for inspiration on what a great experience feels like. If you are a fan of movies, this is a must have app.
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| Motorola and Sprint revive the high-end QWERTY Android phone with the Photon Q Posted: 26 Jul 2012 04:17 PM PDT  If you love physical QWERTY keyboards on your Android phones, then Motorola might have the device of your dreams. Recently we have seen QWERTY keyboard relegated to low-end Android phones, but Sprint just announced the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE and it measures up with most of the high-end phones on the market. The Photon Q features a 5-row QWERTY keyboard, 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 4.3 inch ColorBoost display, 1 GB RAM, 3G/4G LTE support, world-wide GSM roaming, and an 8 MP camera. The qHD 540×960 display, 8 GB internal storage, and 1 GB RAM are less than recent flagship devices like the Galaxy S III, but some might be willing to make those sacrifices to get a physical keyboard. Sprint did not announce availability or pricing, but they did say the device is “coming soon.” When additional information is available, Sprint should share it at www.sprint.com/photonq. Motorola also revealed they will offer an unlockable bootloader on the Photon Q, which will make this appealing to those that like to hack their phones. Highlights of the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE include:
Overall it looks like a pretty nice device for those that prefer the physical keyboards. If you think the Photon Q 4G LTE might find a spot in your pocket, let us know in the comments below. Gallery
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| Google Fiber Internet, TV become reality Posted: 26 Jul 2012 03:41 PM PDT  Google’s 1000Mbps fiber Internet service has been in the works for years now. After miles of red tape, costly construction fees and more than a few obstacles along the way, Google Fiber has finally launched in Kansas City, Missouri. And it’s everything you ever thought it would be. With real world speeds sitting at around 1000 to 800 Mbps up and down, Google Fiber is the future of Internet access in America. With no data caps and no overage fees, Google aims to make Fiber the most forward-thinking connectivity solution available. While processor speed and data storage have rapidly advanced in the last several years, Internet speed has slowed to a crawl. Not only have speeds barely improved in the last decade, but prices have steadily gone up. The US is far behind other places in the world when it comes to Internet speed, pricing and availability. Google Fiber will change that.
In order to get service at your location, you’ll have to pay a $300 construction fee, or sign a two-year contract. After that, you can get access to much slower Internet (5Mbps) for free or pay $70 a month for the real deal. For $120 a month, subscribers can add in another service announced today: Fiber TV.
We should see homes in Kansas City using Google Fiber as soon as this fall. If you’re wondering when Google Fiber will rech your city, it may be awhile. But with the amount of money invested in the project, rest assured it will make its way out into the rest of the country eventually. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be looking for apartments in Kansas City for the rest of the afternoon, and dreaming of the Google Cellular plans I’ll be using while watching Fiber TV and surfing the web at insanely fast speeds.
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| NVIDIA announces support for Miracast wireless display Posted: 26 Jul 2012 03:35 PM PDT  Today NVIDIA announced they will embrace the upcoming Miracast open standard for wireless displays. Over the next few months we should see the Wi-Fi Alliance finalize its certification program and then we should see Miracast support rolling out to various Android devices by the end of the year. Miracast make use of a Wi-Fi connection to deliver audio and video content from one device to another, without cables or a connection to an existing Wi-Fi network. Pretty much any of the current crop of Android devices could potentially see Miracast support, but they will need to receive a software update to enable it. Previously, we have seen Qualcomm announce Miracast support for devices powered by their Snapdragon S4 chips and Texas Instruments has said they will support it on their OMAP4 and upcoming OMAP5 chips. Current HDTVs and other displays will be able to directly connect to Miracast devices with the addition of small dongle that plugs into a HDMI port. We expect most of these dongles will retail for $80-100, but prices should dip to as low as $50 once the Miracast standard gains popularity. Google has not announced native Android support for Miracast, but I expect it will be included in the next release of Android (Key Lime Pie). Android 4.x already has support for Wi-Fi Direct, which Miracast builds on. Check out the video below to see an early Miracast demo from NVIDIA. They also released a whitepaper (pdf) that details the benefits of their Miracast architecture.
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