Sponsored
Engadget News |
- LG VS930 pops up at the FCC, may be world-roaming Optimus LTE II for Verizon
- Kinetis L Series MCUs use ARM Cortex-MO+ to sip least power, cost 49 cents each per 10K order
- Windows 8 in-app advertisements get their own preview
- Samsung Galaxy S III is hot: bursts into flames and melts through its own casing
- T-Mobile Galaxy S III pricing plans revealed, and they aren't exactly 'cheap'
- Visualized: Nokia Lumia 900 running Windows Phone 7.8 (update: full eyes-on!)
- Jolicloud launches Android app, keeps all your favorite services in one place
- Augmented reality browser Junaio offers less 'clunky' apps, new API for developers (video)
- NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 review roundup: a $99 card that fails to keep Kepler's promise
- iCloud down for many, iMessages not going through (update: back online!)
- iFixit rips open new 15-inch MacBook Pro and 13-inch Air
- Windows Phone Marketplace has 100,000 published apps, counts Words with Friends and Draw Something among 'em
- Windows Phone 8 updates coming over the air, early access to 'registered enthusiasts,' 18 month support program announced
- Windows Phone 8 to start on HTC, Huawei, Nokia and Samsung devices with support for 180 countries
- Nokia to bring range of new and updated apps to existing Lumia lineup
- Microsoft brings true, background multitasking to Windows Phone 8
- Microsoft partners with Audible to enhance Windows Phone voice recognition, available for WP 7.5 and up
- Microsoft details deep Skype integration in Windows 8
- Windows Phone 8 will finally deliver in-app purchases
- Microsoft demos support for NFC-enabled ads, business cards in Windows Phone 8
- Microsoft confirms no upgrade path to Windows Phone 8, unveils 7.8 for legacy devices
- Windows Phone 8 introduces new Start screen
- Windows Phone 8 to use Nokia map data with built-in turn-by-turn navigation (update: deals too)
- MS teases Windows Phone 8 enterprise features: Company Hub, encryption, secure boot, IT management
- Microsoft brings NFC payments and loyalty cards to Windows Phone 8
- Microsoft unveils Internet Explorer 10 for Windows Phone, very similar to the desktop
- Windows Phone 8 to support multi-core CPUs, HD resolutions, SD cards and NFC
- Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 share lots of code, NT kernel
- Microsoft introduces Windows Phone 8 for fall release, incompatible with current devices
- Live from Microsoft's 'sneak peek' at Windows Phone!
- Mischo Erban breaks skateboard speed record, captures the run with camera-equipped Recon
- Fujitsu outs a trio of similar looking Lifebooks that carry Ivy Bridge over troubled waters
- Dolphin launches Engine browser beta, claims it's got what it takes to be number one in speed stakes
- Firefox shows its curvy Australis tabs for upcoming unified version
- Layar chief exits CEO spot in favor of print guru, edges closer to augmented reality magazine dreams
- Amazon plans for European Appstore launch, coming this summer
- Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 review: Android media player that needs more of a voice
- ICS coming to Samsung Galaxy Tabs 10.1, 8.9, 7.7 and 7.0 Plus starting in July
- Dutch court rules in favor of Samsung in 3G patent case against Apple, could lead to compensation
- Google I/O 2012 app unveiled for Android, keeps attendees and outsiders looped in
| LG VS930 pops up at the FCC, may be world-roaming Optimus LTE II for Verizon Posted: 20 Jun 2012 01:46 PM PDT Verizon may be getting into a regular habit of carrying high-end LG smartphones. If the FCC is anything to go by, the Optimus LTE II could be next to get the Big Red treatment: a filing has just emerged for the VS930, a likely successor to the VS910 (Revolution) and VS920 (Spectrum). While it's been showing up only in bits and pieces through certifications and tests, the more complete picture we're getting now shows a world-ready roaming device. It has the requisite CDMA and Verizon-specific LTE frequencies, but also GSM and HSPA as bonuses -- on AT&T-friendly bands, no less. LG is understandably shy about showing photos or other clues, but anything resembling the Optimus LTE II would flaunt a 4.7-inch 720p screen, a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 and that all-important 2GB of RAM. To us, the real question is one of timing. Verizon has been making a habit of offering one 4G-equipped LG flagship every year, but early 2013 would be a long time to wait for what's more of an iteration than a... wait for it... revolution. |
| Kinetis L Series MCUs use ARM Cortex-MO+ to sip least power, cost 49 cents each per 10K order Posted: 20 Jun 2012 01:28 PM PDT Freescale aims to drag 8- and 16-bit manufacturing into the modern era with a 32-bit MCU that's cheaper than a cup o' Joe. The ARM Cortex-MO+ based Kinesis L series MCU is now available in alpha to interested parties, it's capable of sipping a scant 50 µA/MHz of power and will cost just $0.49 when you buy 'em in lots of 10,000. While the cheap chips will no doubt go on to help power the internet of things, the associated debut of a $12.95 development board coming in August will also be a boon to developers and hobbyists. The platform will allow "quick application prototyping and demonstration" according to the company, and provide a GUI tool for generating start-up code and device drivers. So, if you've gotta have that new beer dispenser mock-up running at a full 32-bits, check the PR after the break. Freescale Debuts Kinetis L Series, World's Most Energy-Efficient Microcontrollers New 32-bit MCUs designed to transform consumer and industrial applications currently using legacy 8- and 16-bit architectures As machine-to-machine communication expands and network connectivity becomes ubiquitous, many of today's standalone, entry-level applications will require more intelligence and functionality. With the Kinetis L series, Freescale provides the ideal opportunity for users of legacy 8- and 16-bit architectures to migrate to 32-bit platforms and bring additional intelligence to everyday devices without increasing power consumption and cost or sacrificing space. Applications, such as small appliances, gaming accessories, portable medical systems, audio systems, smart meters, lighting and power control, can now leverage 32-bit capabilities and the scalability needed to expand future product lines – all at 8- and 16-bit price and power consumption levels. "In our view, 8- and 16-bit development has reached the end of the road. Those architectures simply can't keep up as the Internet of Things gains traction," said Geoff Lees, vice president and general manager of Freescale's Industrial & Multi-Market MCU business. "Kinetis L series MCUs are ideal for the new wave of connected applications, combining the required energy efficiency, low price, development ease and small footprint with the enhanced performance, peripherals, enablement and scalability of the Kinetis 32-bit portfolio." Extreme energy efficiency The ARM Cortex-M0+ processor consumes approximately one-third of the energy of any 8- or 16-bit processor available today, while delivering between two to 40 times more performance. The Kinetis L series supplements the energy efficiency of the core with the latest in low-power MCU platform design, operating modes and energy-saving peripherals. The result is an MCU that consumes just 50 uA/MHz* in very-low-power run (VLPR) mode and can rapidly wake from a reduced power state, process data and return to sleep, extending application battery life. These advantages are demonstrated in the FTF demo, which compares the energy-efficiency characteristics of the Kinetis L series against solutions from Freescale competitors in a CoreMark benchmark analysis. The Kinetis L series is also part of the Freescale Energy-Efficient Solutions program. Kinetis L series energy-saving peripherals do more with less power by maintaining functionality even when the MCU is in deep sleep modes. In traditional MCUs, the main clock and processor core must be activated to perform even trivial tasks such as sending or receiving data, capturing or generating waveforms or sampling analog signals. Kinetis L series peripherals are able to perform these functions without involving the core or main system, drastically reducing power consumption and improving battery life. Built using Freescale's innovative, award-winning flash memory technology, the Kinetis L series offers the industry's lowest-power flash memory implementation. This improves upon the conventional silicon-based charge storage approach by creating nano-scale silicon islands to store charge instead of using continuous film, improving the flash memory's immunity to typical sources of data loss. "The Internet of Things needs very low-cost, low-power processors that can deliver good performance," said Tom R. Halfhill, a senior analyst with The Linley Group and senior editor of Microprocessor Report. "As the first 32-bit microcontrollers to use ARM's Cortex-M0+ processor core, Freescale's Kinetis L-series MCUs will bring the energy efficiency and prices typically associated with 8- and 16-bit MCUs to a broad range of consumer and industrial applications." Development simplicity The Kinetis L series addresses the ease-of-use requirement critical for entry-level developers through innovations including: The Freescale Freedom development platform, a small, low-power, cost-efficient evaluation and development system for quick application prototyping and demonstration. It combines an industry-standard form factor with a rich set of third-party expansion board options. An integrated USB debug interface offers an easy-to-use mass-storage device mode flash programmer, a virtual serial port and classic programming and run-control capabilities. Integration and scalability Each Kinetis L series family includes scalable flash memory options, pin-counts and analog, communication, timing and control peripherals, providing easy migration paths for end product line expansion. Features common to the Kinetis L series families include: 48 MHz ARM Cortex-M0+ core The first three Kinetis L series families: Kinetis L0 family – the entry point into the Kinetis L series. Includes eight to 32 KB of flash memory and ultra-small 4mm x 4mm QFN packages. Pin-compatible with the Freescale 8-bit S08P family. Software- and tool-compatible with all other Kinetis L series families. The Kinetis L series is pin- and software-compatible with the Kinetis K series (built on the ARM Cortex-M4 processor), providing a migration path to DSP performance and advanced feature integration. Availability and pricing Kinetis L series alpha samples are available now, with broad market sample and tool availability planned for Q3. Pricing starts at a suggested resale price of 49 cents (USD) in 10,000-unit quantities. The Freescale Freedom development platform is planned for Q3 availability at a suggested resale price of $12.95 (USD). For more information about Kinetis L series MCUs, visit www.freescale.com/Kinetis/Lseries. *Typical current at 25C, 3V supply, for Very Low Power Run at 4MHz core frequency, 1MHz bus frequency running code from flash with all peripherals off. About the Freescale Technology Forum Created to drive innovation and collaboration, the Freescale Technology Forum (FTF) has become one of the developer events of the year for the embedded systems industry. The Forum has drawn more than 48,000 attendees at FTF events worldwide since its inception in 2005. Our annual flagship event, FTF Americas, takes place June 18-21, 2012, in San Antonio, Texas. About Freescale Semiconductor Freescale Semiconductor (NYSE:FSL) is a global leader in embedded processing solutions, providing industry leading products that are advancing the automotive, consumer, industrial and networking markets. From microprocessors and microcontrollers to sensors, analog integrated circuits and connectivity – our technologies are the foundation for the innovations that make our world greener, safer, healthier and more connected. Some of our key applications and end-markets include automotive safety, hybrid and all-electric vehicles, next generation wireless infrastructure, smart energy management, portable medical devices, consumer appliances and smart mobile devices. The company is based in Austin, Texas, and has design, research and development, manufacturing and sales operations around the world. www.freescale.com Freescale, the Freescale logo, Energy Efficient Solutions logo, Kinetis and Processor Expert are trademarks of Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off. ARM is the registered trademark of ARM Limited. Cortex is the trademark of ARM Limited. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © 2012 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. |
| Windows 8 in-app advertisements get their own preview Posted: 20 Jun 2012 01:11 PM PDT Microsoft's own advertising blog (yes, it exists) has revealed how its going to frame ads inside incoming Metro-themed apps. While announcing partnerships with six different ad design teams, Microsoft threw up an example, above, that ties together a Seattle Sounders FC app with a panel showing off a pair of Adidas' latest Predator cleats. The adis located at the far edge of the apparently scroll-able app and clicking / tapping on the side will launch into a dedicated page, with a back button visibly ready to swing you back. While it looks relatively unobtrusive at the moment, the background of the app will also be up for advertising grabs, able to integrate videos, text and other media. Let's hope it doesn't ruin those delicate Metro lines when Windows 8 finally arrives. |
| Samsung Galaxy S III is hot: bursts into flames and melts through its own casing Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:54 PM PDT It doesn't look good. This Galaxy S III apparently malfunctioned while in an in-car holster, causing some substantial melting and burn marks across the lower half of the device. The global HSPA+ iteration of Samsung's new flagship apparently sparked into white flames, followed by a bang. While it's certainly not the first smartphone to implode in transit, the damage -- along the base but separate to the charging port -- looks pretty substantial and although the screen still apparently worked, reception was dead. The phone has been whisked off to a repair center through phone retailer Carphone Warehouse for the full autopsy. User dillo2k10 was left unscathed, but it's apparently left some nasty molten plastic remains on the inside of his car. Hit up the gallery link below for some more scorch-marked close-ups. [Thanks Dillon] |
| T-Mobile Galaxy S III pricing plans revealed, and they aren't exactly 'cheap' Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:46 PM PDT Not interested in paying $200 on contract for a new Galaxy S III over at Sprint / AT&T? Fret not, lost souls -- T-Mobile USA will soon be willing to sell you one for more. Much more. We just landed our hands on an internal pricing sheet for the forthcoming Android superphone, with the 16GB model listed at $229.99 on a Value Plan contract, or $279.99 (after $50 mail-in rebate, no less) on a Classic Plan contract. Those on the latter can snag it for $449.99 if you're eligible for an early upgrade, while those who'd rather not extend their contractual relationship can pay $629.99 for a (still carrier locked) off-contract handset. The notice also states that no sales can occur prior to June 21st (that's tomorrow, folks!), but of course, it'll be even later if you aren't in one of those "top 29 markets." [Thanks, Anonymous] |
| Visualized: Nokia Lumia 900 running Windows Phone 7.8 (update: full eyes-on!) Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:32 PM PDT It may not be the mysterious prototype Joe Belfiore showed off at today's Windows Phone Developer Summit keynote, but it's a nice treat nonetheless: we had the opportunity to sneak a peek at an AT&T-branded Nokia Lumia 900 running Windows Phone 7.8, complete with the brand new Start screen. Because it's at such early stages in the development game, we weren't able to get our own grubby hands on the device and play around with any of the highlighted features, but it was still great to see it working on a real, honest-to-goodness device. What other secrets this software holds will remain that way for now, but we can certainly look forward to an action-packed summer full of interesting revelations. Update: We were able to snap a few extra images of this very same Lumia 900, but we weren't allowed to touch the screen or interact with the software in any way, since the build we saw of Windows Phone 7.8 is just a special version highlighting the Start screen and is nowhere near final production quality. For what it's worth, we had the opportunity to view a demo of the tiles being resized, and we couldn't detect any flaws in its execution. Check out the full gallery of precious pics below!
|
| Jolicloud launches Android app, keeps all your favorite services in one place Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:16 PM PDT In case those famed Pinterest and Flipboard apps just weren't doing enough tricks for you, Jolicloud's here to save you from your application wretchedness. Essentially, the Jolicloud Android offering will allow you to bring services such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and Flickr together into one place (much like its ME beta), with the cloud service saying others are expected to be added at some point in the future. Of course, this means the Jolicloud app will show you content you've pinned, tweeted and liked, as well as giving you multiple searching options -- all without the need to ever leave out of the new application. Even better, Jolicloud won't ask a dime out of you, and it's up for download now via the Google Play link down there. Worth a shot, no? |
| Augmented reality browser Junaio offers less 'clunky' apps, new API for developers (video) Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:00 PM PDT Remember Metaio? Back in February we reported on the company's rather neat brand of markerless augmented reality, and now it has some fresh news: a major revamp to its Junaio AR browser for iOS and Android, which incorporates the markerless algorithms and a lot more besides. The browser is an open platform for a myriad of smaller AR apps coded by independent developers, and the new version includes both a new UI and API to give those devs additional tools in HTML5 and JavaScript. Right now, the app is worth a peek for the various curiosities demo'd after the break -- such as the ability to see other people's Instagram photos overlaid on the view from your rear camera, showing the direction and distance to the point where they were snapped. In time, though, we're really hoping that developers will latch on to platforms like this and take AR to where it needs to be: something that let's us recognize and augment people and objects naturally and instantaneously, without pre-conceived markers. In fact, Junaio really needs to have coffee with Project Glass.
Metaio adds new look, new feel, new API to junaio, bringing mobile browsing closer to reality "Life should be as browsable as the web", says metaio MUNICH / SAN FRANCISCO, June 20, 2012 – metaio, the worldwide leader in Augmented From a new API that opens up the creation of AR experiences to HTML5 and JavaScript Augmented reality apps in the past have been clunky, unintuitive and almost impossible to "This is junaio at its best. It's never been easier to find fresh, relevant content in the world around you," said Daniel Gelder, VP Commercial & Consumer Platform Strategy. "This is a huge step for mobile Augmented Reality to have an application that practically anyone can use for the first time." With over 10000 active developers, junaio is one of the most successful open development For over a year, junaio has already provided smartphone users the ability to scan QR codes, "Mobile users should be able to browse life like the web," said Trak Lord, head of US Marketing & Media Relations for metaio. "This latest version of junaio is the first major step to making that a reality." GPS, image recognition, visual search and other AR features can be found in a variety of apps, but junaio is the only one that combines them all in a single, free application. With a clean new look and technology that will empower the next generation of mobile interactions, junaio is the mobile companion for an Augmented World. |
| NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 review roundup: a $99 card that fails to keep Kepler's promise Posted: 20 Jun 2012 11:49 AM PDT
NVIDIA blew reviewers away with its flagship GTX 680, but building cards for the low-end is a whole different challenge. The GT 640 hits the $99 price point, where it sits right between the AMD Radeon HD 7750 at $109 and the last-gen Radeon 6670 at around $80. As it turns out, these rivals pull off something of a pincer movement, leaving NVIDIA's card little room to retaliate. The GT 640 contains a 28nm Kepler chip, but it's a cutdown version of the silicon with just 384 CUDA cores, a poor memory bandwidth of 28.5GB/s and no GPU Boost feature -- which means the card can't boost its 900MHz to make use of thermal headroom. These limitations have a significant impact on the benchmarks, as you'll see in our little review roundup after the break. Tom's Hardware found that the GT 640, as sold on an Afox board, trailed the Radeon HD 7750 (the old one, not even the newer 900MHz version) severely in Battlefield 3, with an average of 25fps versus 44fps at 1920 x 1080. It did better at Skyrim with the same settings, beating the cheaper 6670 and achieving a 32fps average -- but still lagging way behind a 48fps score from the 7750. Diablo III and DiRT 3 showed big disparities too, although both were still very much playable on the NVIDIA. The card ran cool and quiet, but overall this site concluded the card was "too expensive" and would need to drop to $85 in order to be competitive. AnandTech came to a similar conclusion regarding a Zotac GT 640 card, praising temperature and power consumption but finding it to be a lot noisier than other alternatives and seriously tardy when it comes to actual gaming. The Radeon HD 7750 was around 10-30fps ahead at various resolutions in a number of titles, including Metro: 2033, DiRT 3, Shogun 2, and Arkham City. Overall, the GT 640 was condemned as "unremarkable if not flat-out bad" for gamers, but commended as one of the best low-end cards for HTPCs, thanks to its low-power credentials and ability to decode and output 4K. We'll add links to more reviews as they trickle in. |
| iCloud down for many, iMessages not going through (update: back online!) Posted: 20 Jun 2012 11:33 AM PDT Something's afoot at Apple's massive North Carolina data center -- or perhaps just on the various pipes and tubes leading to it. We've received many reports of iCloud and iMessage problems and, looking online, plenty of other folks are issuing the same complaints. Seeing something amiss on your end? Add your experiences in comments below -- while you still can. Update: Luke wrote in to let us know that Apple has acknowledged the issue. "Normal service will be restored ASAP." Update 2: "All services are online." That's as of 4:06 ET. |
| iFixit rips open new 15-inch MacBook Pro and 13-inch Air Posted: 20 Jun 2012 11:24 AM PDT You've got to admire the ferocity with which iFixit tears into a new gadget. Sure, there might not be much new to look at inside the non-Retina-packing MacBook Pro or updated Air, but that didn't stop the site's dedicated hackers from ripping open the laptops and spreading their guts around a table. So, how does the standard Pro differ from its pixel-packed sibling? Well, in almost every way imaginable. In fact, there's not a lot separating the mid 2012 Pro from the 2011 model. Sure it's got some mildly updated internals, but it's still got the original MagSafe connector, a single Thunderbolt port and it is much easier to upgrade or repair than the spotlight-hogging version. The Air, on the other hand, does get a slight physical facelift, though it also remains largely the same as last year's model. The SSD has a tweaked connector and a new Sandforce controller, but otherwise, it seems like the biggest visible changes are some rotated labels and stickers. To see the full teardowns check out the source links. |
| Posted: 20 Jun 2012 11:07 AM PDT It's not quite App Store numbers, but the Windows Phone Marketplace has finally managed to break the six-digit published apps barrier (making good on the promise of all those app submissions) as Microsoft just announced that its mobile users now have over 100,000 apps to choose from. And, while it may not be as big a deal as multi-core proccessor support, a new Start screen, or turn-by-turn navigation, Microsoft just told of two more apps that'll be popping up in the Marketplace soon. That's right, a duo of Zynga's most popular titles, Words with Friends and Draw Something, are coming to Windows Phone. Congratulations, all you Microsoft mobile aficionados, your time-wasting can now reach levels previously seen only by your iOS and Android-toting friends. |
| Posted: 20 Jun 2012 11:05 AM PDT Tired of plugging your Lumia 900 into your PC or Mac in order to apply software updates? Tough luck -- you'll still be doing it while future buyers snack on Windows Phone 8. Harshness aside, Microsoft made clear at today's Windows Phone Summit that all WP8 updates will be delivered over the air, with an available program to give "registered enthusiasts" early access prior to broad consumer pushes. The real kicker, however, is this line: "Devices are supported with updates for at least 18 months." For those keeping count, the Lumia 900 shipped here in the US on April 8th. Two months later, it's already confirmed that the flagship WP7 handset in America won't get Windows Phone 8. We'd also like to take this opportunity to remind you just how poorly an identical promise from Google went over in May of 2011. You may remember Andy Rubin confessing that an 18 month Android update program was being put into place at Google I/O 2011, and here we are -- halfway through 2012 -- and we've still heard zero details on how that's being policed. Pardon our skepticism, but we'll need to see it to believe it. To check out the latest updates from Microsoft's Windows Phone event, visit our liveblog! |
| Windows Phone 8 to start on HTC, Huawei, Nokia and Samsung devices with support for 180 countries Posted: 20 Jun 2012 11:02 AM PDT When Windows Phone 8 arrives in the fall, it will have a relatively narrow slice of hardware makers: HTC, Huawei, Nokia and Samsung will represent the first wave. That's excluding some significant partners that have surfaced even over the past year, including ZTE. When they do ship, though, all of them will be using new Qualcomm processors; we have a hunch that's code for Snapdragon S4 variants. There certainly won't be any shortage of regional support with apps available over 180 countries and 50 languages accounted for -- more than Apple mentioned as attached to iOS 6, Microsoft is keen to add. While the number of hardware launches isn't likely to come that close anytime soon, it does mean that phone designers will have considerable more flexibility as to where they launch. To check out the latest updates from Microsoft's Windows Phone event, visit our liveblog! |
| Nokia to bring range of new and updated apps to existing Lumia lineup Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:58 AM PDT That Nokia would be joining Microsoft on this day of Windows Phone 8 revelations is no surprise -- the companies long ago inked their blood pact on the back of Mango. Now, at today's summit in San Francisco, Espoo's Kevin Shields just announced a slew of new and updated apps to currently available Lumia handsets starting next week. Spreading the love to Mango and above, existing users will be treated to a new DLNA app dubbed PlayTo that allows for video, music and photo sharing wirelessly, Nokia Counter to monitor and manage data usage, My Commute which utilizes Drive to compute travel time and arrange routing and a 3.0 update to Nokia Music. And, given that this is the company behind PureView, current Lumia devices running Windows Phone will receive an imaging facelift of sorts, augmenting the baked-in optics via Camera Extras. This suite of apps will effectively upgrade the core photo-taking experience with the addition of a self-timer, action shots, panorama and a Smart Group Shot setting (likely built upon Scalado software). So, while your eagerness to adopt that cyan Lumia 900 may not pay off with an upgrade to WP 8, at the very least Nokia is adopting a policy of no Lumia user left (that far) behind. To check out the latest updates from Microsoft's Windows Phone event, visit our liveblog! |
| Microsoft brings true, background multitasking to Windows Phone 8 Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:47 AM PDT Well, Microsoft has officially left Apple as the only player in the Mobile field to not support real multitasking. With the next version of Windows Phone, background multitasking will be opened up to all devs, thanks to libraries provided directly by Redmond. During today's presentation two different background tasks were demoed, VoIP and location. The VoIP integration allows users to have calls come in, preferably via Skype if Microsoft has its way, without having the app running in the foreground and have them appear the same as a standard phone call. While watching for incoming calls is nice, a more commonly used feature is location monitoring. Now apps will be able to monitor location in the background while you perform other tasks. One by one, Microsoft is checking off boxes on our list of complaints about Windows Phone.
|
| Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:44 AM PDT Siri, S Voice -- well, now Microsoft's got its own answer to those rival voice services (sort of) and it's coming in the form of a partnership with Audible on the Windows Phone platform. The company's very own Kevin Gallo took to the stage at today's Summit in San Francisco to demonstrate the enhanced feature running on Windows Phone 8. Though the Redmond-made OS has supported voice commands since the platform's seventh iteration (née Mango) by allowing users to launch applications, it can now also help users search, as well as play audiobook files. In the demo, Gallo was able to skip a chapter ahead, pause and resume listening to his selected Game of Thrones title. And lest the WP faithful feel left behind with the seemingly endless spate of Apollo-only features, the company's making this integration available to handsets running WP 7.5 and up starting later today. To check out the latest updates from Microsoft's Windows Phone event, visit our liveblog! |
| Microsoft details deep Skype integration in Windows 8 Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:41 AM PDT Microsoft's been letting loose all of Windows Phone 8's secrets this morning, and the latest tidbit is all about VoIP calling. Turns out, the team in Redmond's really putting that money it spent on Skype to good use by integrating the video chatting/VoIP service deeply in its new mobile OS. From a user perspective, incoming Skype calls are treated like cellular communications, meaning that they appear as regular calls and are integrated with standard phone features -- like call waiting -- to maintain a seamless calling experience. The VoIP apps continue to run in the background, of course, thanks to WP8's new multitasking capabilities, and VoIP integration will be available to all developers. To check out the latest updates from Microsoft's Windows Phone event, visit our liveblog! |
| Windows Phone 8 will finally deliver in-app purchases Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:24 AM PDT Everyone else already does it, so it was about time that Microsoft jumped on the in-app purchasing bandwagon. With the debut of Windows Phone 8, Microsoft will now offer developers the ability to deliver additional content, upgrades and media via an integrated purchasing tool. The feature was demoed as part of the new wallet feature, which will protect you from accidentally completing an in app purchase with a PIN. What does this all mean? That you can finally have FarmVille on your Windows Phone. Cause that's what we've all been waiting for, right? Guys... where are you going?
|
| Microsoft demos support for NFC-enabled ads, business cards in Windows Phone 8 Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:05 AM PDT Microsoft spent plenty of time talking about its NFC-based mobile wallet for Windows Phone 8 today, but it has more than just payments and loyalty cards in mind for the technology. It's also showed off how a Windows Phone 8 device can be used to scan NFC-enabled advertisements or business cards. In the case of ads, Microsoft's Joe Belfiore used a recent issue of Wired to demonstrate how you can simply tap an ad in a magazine and have content pushed straight to your phone -- something that could also be used with posters or other ads out in public. With NFC-enabled business cards, you'd have the ability to automatically import a person's contact information simply by taping their card to your phone which, incidentally, is something that can also be done directly between two Windows Phone 8 devices (a la Android Beam). |
| Microsoft confirms no upgrade path to Windows Phone 8, unveils 7.8 for legacy devices Posted: 20 Jun 2012 09:55 AM PDT The debate can now be laid to rest: devices currently running on Windows Phone 7.5 will not be on the receiving end of the long-awaited Apollo update (aka Windows Phone 8). But that doesn't mean those smartphones are at the end of the line. It's long been speculated that the reason Microsoft would want to restrict WP8 to new phones is primarily due to improvements in hardware support and the change in platform architecture, and this conjecture appears to be right on the money. After all, how can single-core devices with WVGA screens take advantage of multi-core and additional resolution support? That part makes sense, but that leaves the software side. So here's the plan to ensure current Windows Phone users stay happy: a few software benefits will be included in WP8, and a hearty helping of these killer features (such as the new Start screen) will be available to legacy devices in the form of Windows Phone 7.8. There'll be support for three tile sizes, with the smallest being fingertip size (a quarter of the standard square). The update will be delivered directly to users, sidestepping carriers, and can be done over WiFi. Update: While Microsoft was keen to announce that 7.x apps will run on Windows Phone 8, ZDNet has just confirmed, via a statement from Redmond, that apps built for the new platform won't be backwards compatible: "New applications compiled specifically for Windows Phone 8 will not be made available for Windows Phone 7.x devices." To check out the latest updates from Microsoft's Windows Phone event, visit our liveblog! |
| Windows Phone 8 introduces new Start screen Posted: 20 Jun 2012 09:45 AM PDT Yes, Windows Phone 8 is coming later this year, and it introduces some important changes to the user interface. The most noticeable is probably the new Start screen, which offers more customization and makes more efficient use of its real estate. As a user, you'll be able to choose any tile and tweak its appearance to suit your sensibilities. Sizing can be configured with a resize arrow while in customization mode and offers the option of small, medium or double-wide tiles that span the entire width of the display. All current applications will be automatically designed for small and medium versions by default and devs will be able to dive in to add support for the larger options should they feel the need to do so -- something that until today was reserved for Microsoft and its partners / carriers. What's that? You want more colors? Yeah, you'll get those too. To check out the latest updates from Microsoft's Windows Phone event, visit our liveblog! |
| Windows Phone 8 to use Nokia map data with built-in turn-by-turn navigation (update: deals too) Posted: 20 Jun 2012 09:44 AM PDT You won't have to use a Lumia phone any longer to get Nokia's mapping expertise: Microsoft just announced that Nokia's map technology is being built into Windows Phone 8. Along with the requisite NAVTEQ map information, it'll carry many of the things that Nokia Drive users love so well, including offline map support, developer control over maps, and (you guessed it) turn-by-turn directions. That makes three major mobile platforms that have or will have driving directions baked in from the start -- it's now becoming par for the course rather than an advantage to lord over others. Update: Along with core navigation, there will also be support for Microsoft's new deals feature as part of the mapping update, so you'll know when the coffee house around the corner is discounting cappuccinos. To check out the latest updates from Microsoft's Windows Phone event, visit our liveblog! |
| MS teases Windows Phone 8 enterprise features: Company Hub, encryption, secure boot, IT management Posted: 20 Jun 2012 09:43 AM PDT At today's Windows Phone Summit, Microsoft alluded to some of the next-gen OS' enterprise features, including a trusted shared Windows core, encryption, secure boot and IT device management. Company VP Joe Belfiore recognized that some business users haven't been satisfied with the operating system's previous suite of enterprise features, and that definitely appears to be one focus of Windows Phone 8. BitLocker Drive Encryption will provide support for device security, while IT administrators will have have the ability to push apps to handsets while sidestepping the Marketplace. Office will also have a greater presence in Windows Phone 8, though we don't know exactly how that will play out just yet. Enterprise clearly hasn't been a primary target of Microsoft's mobile OS to date, but that could very well change beginning this fall. There's also a new Company Hub feature, which will allow companies their own app distribution pipe, as well as giving IT administrators the ability to highlight specific things depending on what's important to their organization. With so many Windows machines in the workplace, it's pretty smart for Microsoft to take a serious dive into this stuff, and it's honestly really slick. There's also a Microsoft IT app, which the company claims will be provided in template form so that outfits can tweak it to fit specific needs. To check out the latest updates from Microsoft's Windows Phone event, visit our liveblog! |
| Microsoft brings NFC payments and loyalty cards to Windows Phone 8 Posted: 20 Jun 2012 09:35 AM PDT Well it looks like Google Wallet and Apple's Passbook have some new competition. Today at the Windows Phone Developer Summit, Microsoft shared its plans to bring NFC payments and loyalty cards to Windows Phone 8 with its very own mobile wallet feature. It's promising that it will be the "most complete wallet experience" on any phone. That of course includes support for tap-to-pay, the ability to link credit and debit cards, integration with third-party apps and, more uniquely, secure elements on the SIM card rather than the phone itself. You'll also have a PIN code option to protect all purchases on the phone. As for partners, Orange France is the only one that Microsoft has announced today, but it says that it expects to have a "good solution" with the US carrier-backed Isis initiative sometime next year (though not in time for launch). What's more, the wallet will come loaded on every Windows Phone 8 device, regardless of whether the carrier supports the SIM-based security, which will let folks use at least some of the features. Check out the latest updates from Microsoft's Windows Phone event in our liveblog!
|
| Microsoft unveils Internet Explorer 10 for Windows Phone, very similar to the desktop Posted: 20 Jun 2012 09:28 AM PDT How do you perfectly compliment a brand new mobile operating system? Why with a brand new browser designed to handle the modern web. Microsoft just took the wraps off Internet Explorer 10 for Windows Phone, and it looks to be a significant upgrade over the version that came bundled with Mango. In fact, it borrows quite heavily from its desktop sibling. The SmartScreen anti-phishing filter has finally been ported to the mobile space and performance is through the roof. Javascript performance has improved four-fold compared to Mango and HTML5 performance has doubled since Windows Phone 7.5. Microsoft was even willing to put the browser through its SunSpider paces on stage, hitting a blindingly fast 1,200ms. By comparison, the Galaxy S III only managed 1,460ms in our review. Perhaps most importantly for a primarily touch-driven device, though, IE 10 now includes touch support for HTML5 apps. We'd say that Microsoft has more than closed the mobile browser gap. |
| Windows Phone 8 to support multi-core CPUs, HD resolutions, SD cards and NFC Posted: 20 Jun 2012 09:28 AM PDT Microsoft is on stage at the Windows Phone Developer Summit offering us a bite of what's to come in Windows Phone 8, and one of the tastiest morsels may just be the noticeably more diverse hardware it will support. The new platform won't just support dual-core processors -- it will support as many as 64 cores, should such massively parallel chips come to exist in the platform's lifetime. Also gone is that long-criticized 800 x 480 display resolution ceiling: if phone builders like, they can either opt for the increasingly common 1280 x 720 or a rarer 1280 x 768. A few subtler feature parities are coming with the upgrade, such as NFC for tags and payments as well as a long, long requested support for SD cards beyond the crude initial expansion. All told, Microsoft just brought Windows Phone right up to hardware parity with its biggest rivals, and possibly a bit beyond. To check out the latest updates from Microsoft's Windows Phone event, visit our liveblog! |
| Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 share lots of code, NT kernel Posted: 20 Jun 2012 09:20 AM PDT It's not a complete surprise, but it's still a little bit shocking that it's actually happening -- Windows Phone 8 will be borrowing much of its code base, including the kernel, from Windows 8. At the heart of the latest mobile OS from Microsoft is the full-fledged NT kernel. It's not just a kernel though, the so-called "Shared Windows Core" extends to the file system, security infrastructure, etc... The obvious benefit here is to streamline the creation of a coherent ecosystem. Developers will be able to easily create apps and drivers that can jump from the phone, to the tablet and to the desktop. Only having to write a driver once should also simplify the process of building hardware, meaning manufacturers won't have to tailor GPU code to a phone and start again on the desktop. They OSes even share a substantial chunk of browser code, finally bringing Windows Phone up to parity with its desktop IE progenitors. For enterprise users and IT departments, Microsoft has brought over Secure Boot, BitLocker and some serious encryption. We'd say it's about time that Redmond finally brought all its Windows power to the mobile space. Thanks to the sharing of C and C++ libraries, Direct X components and SQLite support, developers can actually write an app once and move it from one platform to another with only a few code tweaks. In fact, thanks to the Shared Windows Core, pretty much the only major difference for coders is screen resolution and size. Obviously, a 4-inch 720p display isn't the same as a 1080p 10-inch tablet, but the Direct X graphics engine is -- and that, friends, can make all the difference. |
| Microsoft introduces Windows Phone 8 for fall release, incompatible with current devices Posted: 20 Jun 2012 09:18 AM PDT Microsoft has finally and officially removed the wraps from the OS formerly known as Apollo. It's now just Windows Phone 8 and, at their "sneak peek" event we're learning a good bit about that OS, and some of the great new hardware support that it offers. But, there's one thing we want to make clear right away: if you're currently holding a Windows Phone device you won't be getting a taste of this action. Well, not unless you buy a new phone, that is. That back and forth about upgrade paths has been proven to be incorrect, as the hardware requirements for WP8 preclude its running on any current WP device -- even that hot blue Lumia 900 you got for a steal. And what are those hardware requirements? As detailed here, multi-core processors (up to 64) are now allowable, displays up to WXGA (1280 x 768) and external storage on SD. This better, faster hardware will enable new, faster games and other demanding apps which, for the first time, can be written in native code. (Well, it's C/C++, which at least lets developers get out of CLR land.) All this will run on a kernel shared with Windows 8 and Windows RT. In other words: yes, Microsoft has managed to get one platform running on desktops, laptops, tablets and phones, the idea being that apps can be more easily ported from one to the next, promising "games we've never seen before" running on your phones. There's also a new wallet functionality thanks to the NFC support, as detailed here, but reliant on an augmented SIM, not hardware on the phone itself. This means carriers won't have to remove apps (as we've seen with Google Wallet in the past) but they can block support altogether. Nokia maps is now built into the OS, including offline map support. This is a big step forward on many levels, but Microsoft is naturally sticking to its roots, promising enterprise-ready security and support, enabling admins to deploy and restrict apps on corporate-provided phones and manage them remotely. There's also encryption and secure booting integrated. It's all set to arrive this fall, which just so happens to be when Windows 8 (and those fancy new Surface tablets) will start shipping, too. Follow the liveblog of the event here!
|
| Live from Microsoft's 'sneak peek' at Windows Phone! Posted: 20 Jun 2012 09:00 AM PDT |
| Mischo Erban breaks skateboard speed record, captures the run with camera-equipped Recon Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:55 AM PDT We know Quebec well for its maple syrup, poutine and fresh mountain air, but the French Canadian province also has a more sprightly side, renewing our neighbor to the north's status in the athletic arena from time to time as well. This month, it's BC native Mischo Erban, who broke a Guinness World Record for the "fastest skateboard speed from a standing position" with a 129.94 km/h (80.74 mph) downhill run. Better yet, Erban caught the record-breaking journey with his custom-built Recon heads-up display / camera combo mounted inside a rather beastly jet-black helmet. The Android-powererd HUD theoretically enabled Erban to know he broke the record before he even came to a stop, while also motivating him to keep pushing as he approached that 130 kilometers-per-hour top speed. There's no way to replicate the feeling of flying down a hill aboard a skateboard at 80 miles-per-hour without hopping on some wheels of your own, but you can get a taste of the action in the new record holder's POV video after the break.
Mischo Erban sets the Guinness World Record for fastest skateboard speed at 129.94 km/h (80.74mph) MOUNT ÉBOULEMENTS, QC – June 20, 2012 Recon Instruments, award winning innovator of Heads-up Display (HUD) technology, is excited to announce that World Champion downhill skateboarder, Mischo Erban, 28, has broken the Guinness world record, achieving the fastest skateboard speed from a standing position while wearing a custom made Heads-up Display. The groundbreaking HUD prototype built by Recon Instruments provided Erban with real time readings of his speed, distance, time, navigation and more during his record breaking attempt. Erban obtained the speed of 129.94 km/h (80.74 mph) shattering the previous Guinness World Record, which had stood at 113 km/h (70.21mph) achieved by Douglas da Silva (Brazil), at Teutonia, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, on October 20, 2007. The prototype HUD used for the record was custom built by Recon Instruments and features an innovative gooseneck design giving Erban maximum flexibility to set the display in the most unobtrusive, optimum position, just above or below his eye line. Like Recon's award winning HUD for alpine goggles, this custom display is also modular, allowing him the ability to use the HUD within either of his aero helmets during the attempt, as it features a clip that slots around the foam supports on the interior of his helmets. Picking up the sport in 2003, Erban has since raced all around the World and has always strived to push the boundaries of just how fast he can go. On breaking the World record Erban stated, "Getting the official Guinness world record is huge. It's the culmination of 2 years hard work and planning, and I'm totally stoked". "Having Recon on board with me, breaking this record, it's insane. When I first found out about Recon's technology, I thought that somebody had read my mind. With their tech I have been able to eliminate any inaccuracies when training, racing and now, breaking records". "With this amazing HUD I can see all my vital stats in real time, on screen, and combine this info with what I'm feeling on my board. From here I know instantly whether I can push to go faster," he said. For additional information about Recon Instruments please visit www.reconinstruments.com or follow us on twitter @ReconInstrument and facebook.com/reconinstruments. |
| Fujitsu outs a trio of similar looking Lifebooks that carry Ivy Bridge over troubled waters Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:41 AM PDT Fujitsu has whipped out three matching Ivy Bridge laptops of various sizes for the business-end of your life. Each of the trio comes with wither Core i5 or i7 processors, optional SSD and a nifty modular bay that lets you swap in batteries or optical drives depending on need. The 15-inch E752 desktop replacement will set you back $879, while the 14-inch thin-and-light S752 is aimed at business pros on the go, costing $899. Finally, the 13.3-inch subcompact S762 will blow a $999-sized hole in your departmental purchasing budget -- which you can start doing from today. Fujitsu Introduces Trio of LIFEBOOK Business Notebooks From Subcompact to Full-Size SUNNYVALE, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 06/19/12 -- Fujitsu (http://solutions.us.fujitsu.com) today introduced a trio of commercial LIFEBOOK(R) notebooks -- the full-size 15.6-inch LIFEBOOK E752; the 14-inch thin, light and economical LIFEBOOK S752; and the 13.3-inch high-performance, subcompact LIFEBOOK S762 notebook. Powered by the new 3rd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i5 or i7 processor, all three LIFEBOOK notebooks feature optional SSD cache or SSD drives with Intel(R) Rapid Start Technology for powering up with the speed of an Ultrabook(TM) device. In addition, the notebook trio offers a versatile modular bay allowing users to remove the optical drive to lighten the load when travelling or to install a second battery, which along with the high-capacity standard battery provides up to 15.5 hours(1) of operation. With an optional anti-microbial keyboard for protecting against harmful bacteria, the notebook trio is ideal for deploying in shared environments such as schools, reception desks, and libraries. All three notebooks are also equipped with a webcam LED indicator to signal when the webcam is operational. The LIFEBOOK E752 desktop replacement notebook, designed for business professionals and office workers, offers a highly flexible platform that can be configured to meet diverse business needs. Available with an optional high-resolution full HD display (1920 x 1080), and a separate 10-key keypad, the LIFEBOOK E752 helps businesses reduce costs and improve efficiency. Designed for mobile professionals, the affordably priced 5.4-pound LIFEBOOK S752 notebook offers optional Intel(R) Core(TM) vPro(TM) processor for improved security and remote manageability, WWAN support, an optional second battery, and an LED backlit HD display for producing sharp images, saturated colors and deep blacks. Both the LIFEBOOK E752 and LIFEBOOK S752 notebooks support up to three active displays with the Optional Port Replicator -- increasing productivity for multitasking users. The 3.7-pound high-performance LIFEBOOK S762 subcompact notebook, perfect for business travelers, offers an array of full-sized features in a thin and light system. Easily handling the most compute intensive tasks, the LIFEBOOK S762 notebook features a magnesium-alloy cover, hard drive shock sensor, WWAN support, an HD WXGA LED backlit display, and optional NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GT 640M LE with NVIDIA Optimus(TM) technology for longer battery life. "The trio of new LIFEBOOK notebooks are all built to order, allowing business professionals to design systems that meet their exact requirements for maximum productivity," said Paul Moore, vice president, PC product marketing and product management, Fujitsu America. "Every customer wants a reliable, well-built system that incorporates the latest technology -- which is exactly what Fujitsu delivers in its LIFEBOOK family." |
| Dolphin launches Engine browser beta, claims it's got what it takes to be number one in speed stakes Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:20 AM PDT Dolphin reckons the beta version of its new browser is the fastest HTML5 browser on Android. While the app looks largely unchanged, its creators have added in a raft of enhanced features behind the scenes, including text rendering, GPU accelerated canvas rendering and optimizations for CPU and GPU team-ups. They claim that Dolphin Engine runs up to ten times faster than the default Android browser, while it'll also perform 100 percent faster than Chrome, if the timing's right, with the beta peaking over 450 on a web-based HTML5 test, leaving rival Android browsers choking on its rich web fumes. You can give it a try yourself now -- the APK can be plucked from the source link below.
|
| Firefox shows its curvy Australis tabs for upcoming unified version Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:01 AM PDT Mozilla is busy sprucing up and unifying Firefox, and an oven-fresh test build will see how users feel about ditching square tabs. The new curved element will be part of a future multi-platform version codenamed Australis, and Mozilla threw the build up on the designer's blog, asking downloaders to comment on the new look. Active tabs will get the rounded corners, and those not in use will have no background, appearing as just text against the titlebar. If you've been eyeing Chrome's sleek chamfers enviously and want to scope the Fox's new curves, check the source for the link. |
| Layar chief exits CEO spot in favor of print guru, edges closer to augmented reality magazine dreams Posted: 20 Jun 2012 07:43 AM PDT Layar previously signaled that it wants to get into augmented reality print media, and its founder Raimo van der Klein is putting his money (or at least, his title) where his mouth is. He's leaving the CEO position in favor of Quintin Schevernels, who comes from the print publishing world as VNU Media's COO. Van der Klein will hang around as Creative Director to keep the company pushing forward in new directions, but he sees most of the money-making coming from print-friendly tools like Layar Creator -- it only makes sense to have someone who's well-steeped in the medium (and who can turn a profit) running the show. Schevernels hasn't signaled any grand strategy changes in his first few hours on the job, although he might not be in any rush following the launches of apps like Stiktu. We'd just be ready for a whole lot of augmented reality magazines and cereal boxes in the near future. |
| Amazon plans for European Appstore launch, coming this summer Posted: 20 Jun 2012 07:22 AM PDT It looks like those rumors were right on the money. Amazon has announced that developers can now start submitting apps for several European countries, ready for "distribution" this summer. While there's no news whether this will tee up a European launch for the Kindle Fire in the following months, it's good news for those who have jealously eyed up those daily specials from the other side of the Atlantic. Distribution is currently pitched at the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, while more are likely to join "in the near future." Amazon Opens Portal for International Mobile App Distribution Developers around the world are invited to start submitting apps today for international distribution later this year, beginning with the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain Change in developer agreement simplifies revenue share model and increases flexibility for developers SEATTLE, Jun 20, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) - Amazon.com, Inc. today announced that developers can now submit apps for distribution this summer in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, with plans for further global expansion in the near future. Developers can get started by visiting the Amazon Mobile App Distribution Portal. The Amazon Appstore in the U.S. has grown to tens of thousands of apps and games in just one year. As a result of features like 1-Click purchasing and Test Drive (which allows customers to try apps before purchasing them), developers report strong monetization from the apps they offer through Amazon. Amazon recently introduced an In-App Purchasing service that is simple for developers to integrate and helps monetize their apps and games even better than before, while still offering customers a seamless and secure 1-Click purchasing experience. Many developers have seen revenue skyrocket as a result of Amazon In-App Purchasing and are excited to offer their apps to even more customers outside the United States. "We've seen that Amazon gamers are hungry for great content and are willing to open up their digital wallets to pay for it," said Niccolo de Masi, CEO and President of Glu Mobile. "Our latest title launched on Amazon, Frontline Commando, has seen both revenue per daily active user and lifetime value metrics exceed averages as compared to other devices and platforms. Taking a successful platform like Amazon's and expanding it across the globe is going to give us an even broader customer base and create an opportunity to generate even more revenue--something we are very excited about." "We are delighted with the strong relationship that we've cultivated with the U.S. Amazon Appstore since its launch, and Kindle Fire has been hugely successful for our titles," said Peter Vesterbacka, CMO and Mighty Eagle of Rovio. "As a strong global brand with an international fan base, we are very excited to expand our offerings to Amazon's customers worldwide." "With fan-favorite games like Plants vs. Zombies and SCRABBLE topping the charts, the U.S. Amazon Appstore has been a fantastic avenue for EA to reach an entirely new segment of consumers," said Bernard Kim, Senior Vice President of Global Social & Mobile Publishing for EA. "Amazon's international expansion marks an exciting opportunity to bring our interactive entertainment experiences to even more consumers around the world." "Amazon is a key distributor for us, delivering users who prove to be loyal and prolific in their usage," said Evan Conway, OneLouder Apps President. "International adoption is critical to our business and we are excited to broaden our reach through Amazon's new global channel providing great mobile experiences for customers around the world." "Allrecipes.com Dinner Spinner is the #1 cooking app for the U.S. Amazon Appstore and Kindle Fire, and our community engages with our apps 45 percent more on Kindle Fire devices than any other device, so we know they love and trust the Amazon app platform," said Lisa Sharples, President of Allrecipes.com. "Allrecipes is a trusted global brand with successful international apps and we are very excited to have Amazon help us connect with new international home cooks." "We are thrilled at the success our developers have experienced on the Amazon platform in the last year," said Jim Adkins, Vice President of the Amazon Appstore. "Some developers have seen revenue double since the launch of In-App Purchasing. We're excited to open the door to even more opportunity by expanding app sales outside the U.S. We see tremendous potential for current developers in our distribution program to grow with the international expansion. We also encourage new developers to join and participate in the platform's growth." Developers should visit the distribution portal to learn about localizing apps with localized resource files for different regions, as well as other tips on how to prepare their apps for international distribution. Developers have the ability to select the countries where they would like to sell their apps. They can also set their list prices by marketplace. Those already participating in the program will automatically have their apps made available for sale internationally by default. And developers can easily change international availability for their apps via the distribution portal if they don't wish to sell in select countries. Developers who are new to the program can sign up at the Amazon Mobile App Distribution Portal. |
| Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 review: Android media player that needs more of a voice Posted: 20 Jun 2012 07:00 AM PDT More InfoIt wasn't all that long ago that one of the pinnacles of the gadget world was the PMP. How many gigs has yours got? Mine plays FLAC. Whoa, iPod video! These are sentences that are largely consigned to the digital mists of time. Now that your phone, watch and pretty much any other gadget can fill the shoes of the media player, its days among gadget nobility are numbered, and its rank slipping ever lower. There will always be a corner of the gadget realm for them but it's more of a country cottage, compared to the sprawling manor of yesteryear. Why all the nostalgia? Samsung's Galaxy Player 4.2 is the latest descendent of the Android media player lineage, and the company's rightful heir to its PMP kingdom. As you can see, a full-fat media player in 2012 wears a very different uniform than its forefathers, and definitely fights a different battle. Can what is essentially a phone-without-a-phone, hold its territory and prevent the mobile bandits from scaling the walls? We spend some time with it in the trenches to find out. Hardware
Make no mistake: this looks like a phone. Specifically, a Samsung-made Android phone. Why, more than once during our testing period we were asked if this was that new Galaxy handset. Makes sense to us -- the similarities are endless. There's the plastic body, the "home" button, the capacitive buttons at the bottom, even the top and bottom speaker grills. The only notable differences are under the battery cover. Whereas you might typically expect to see a SIM slot, there is, of course, nothing. Well, not nothing, exactly, as there is a 1,500 mAh battery and microSD slot (to augment the on-board eight or 16 gigs by up to 32GB). Still, you get what we mean. While it shares much of the DNA of the Galaxy line of cellphones, it does seem to lack a little of their flare. It's by no means ugly, just serviceable. Screen, button, ports, done. As you'd expect, that display is a 4.2-inch WVGA affair. That screen is ringed by a thin band of chrome, which adds a dash of variety to an otherwise generic device. If you take a close look at the player's profile, there's a tiny lip created by the chrome band, but fortunately it's not enough to catch the dirt and fluff that might circulate in your pocket. The home button, however, manages to stand ever so slightly proud of this, making it protrude just a touch above everything else on the front face. This didn't cause any functional issues and it sits nicely under the thumb. However, the button's placement might expose it to a little more wear than if it were less pronounced. The devil is in the details.
The only other punctuation marks on the device are the volume rocker / power buttons flanking the right, a 3.5mm headphone port down the bottom, the micro-USB port next to it, and the front (VGA) and back (two-megapixel) cameras. Unlike the Galaxy Player 4.0, the speakers are around the front (those grills we mentioned earlier). The end result is a device that looks better than some of its PMP siblings, but lacks the visual character of some of its mobile cousins. If you've ever clasped one of the larger Samsung Galaxy phones in your palm, you'll have a good idea of what this is like: well-built, from ho-hum materials. Performance and battery life Given that it's expected to perform many of the same tasks you'd want from a higher-end phone (media, apps, games, etc.), it's odd Samsung only saw fit to bless the Player 4.2 with a 1GHz OMAP processor. To be fair, navigating menus, viewing videos and listening to music all seemed to be taken well in its stride, so no complaints there. But as you add more apps, and things get more demanding, we can imagine cracks starting to form. And what about the battery? Well, the product page on Samsung's website promises six hours of video playback time. That honestly matches pretty closely with our own testing. In fact, we actually got six hours and 43 minutes out of it when playing a looped video at 50 percent brightness, so better than expected. As for everyday use, the runtime will naturally depend on your usage habits. As we played with it, occasionally web surfing or firing up some tunes, it tended to hold out for the better part of two days, which seems average. While it might have one less radio to deal with compared to a phone, it's also burning through the battery when playing back your media, which has its own power demands. Speaking of which, we know you love a good benchmark, so we thought we'd run a few just out of curiosity. The Player 4.2 rolled through SunSpider with a lowly 6748.6 score, down in Samsung Stratosphere territory. Vellamo ranked it just behind the Nexus S, however. Meanwhile, it managed only 9fps in GLBench. A mixed bag at best. Audio qualityMaybe we're foolish, maybe we just like to get in the zone, but the Galaxy Player 4.2 is simply not loud enough. If you like your music at more pedestrian levels, then it will likely suffice, but more than once we found ourselves mashing the volume rocker in an attempt to eke out a little more juice. Sure, you don't want it cranked up all the time, but when your favorite song comes on, it's nice to pump it up a touch, right? To be fair, it's about as loud as the Galaxy Nexus, so it's not as if Samsung's notched it down on this device. Still, though, the OG iPod shuffle handily trounces it when it comes to straining those eardrums.
The sound you do get, however, is fine. This is of course assuming you binned the accompanying headphones for something much more suitable. We took a holistic approach to critiquing the audio, which is to say we did nothing more scientific than spend lots of time listening to it. We assume this is likely what you will be doing with it too, so it only seemed apt. In this regard, the Galaxy Player 4.2 is most definitely adequate. It would be unfair to call the sound bad, so we won't. In fact, it's only when you directly compare it to another player that you realize it's a bit flat. We loaded up the same track on an iPod, let the two play and swapped the headphones back and forth. The Galaxy Player initially sounds okay, but when you switch over to the iPod, you can suddenly hear the mid and high frequencies poking through, and bass sounds feel more, well, bassy. There are EQ controls, which might help you tweak the sound to your taste, but it's far from ideal. If anything, we were more inclined to just jack all the sliders up to milk a little more volume out of it. We also tried another music app -- Jet Audio, from Cowon -- for playing back tracks to see how it compared to Samsung's stock application. The result? Well, more of the same really. You get a little more control over the sound, and even a little workaround for the volume issue, but it's a kludge, rather than a fix. As for those front-facing speakers? They'll suffice for providing sound on the occasions you want to share a video with someone next to you etc, but for prolonged amounts of time, they're just going to annoy. Camera It's only fitting that something that can play media should be able to create it too. The pair of cameras on the device will allow you to do just that. The VGA camera up front is really only there –- we hope at least –- for any applications, like Skype, that might necessitate it. You're never going to get anything more than an okay picture out of it, at best. And, to be fair, Samsung likely wouldn't claim any different. As for the main camera? Well, at two megapixels, we weren't holding out for anything sensational either. And it seems we were right. First of all, the camera is slow –- an issue we experienced in the Galaxy Player 4.0 before it. Secondly, the camera struggles in anything other than the optimum conditions. Photos on a cloudy day? Forget it. Trying to shoot a moving target? Good luck. In short, forget about the camera, unless you really need to grab a shot of something and this is your only option. The same goes for video. It's good for grabbing those candid moments, where quality isn't an issue, but it's unlikely that the results will find their way beyond the device itself, for watching later. It's fair to say that the addition of cameras here is merely to round out the spec sheet. In fact, the 2-megapixel camera is technically a downgrade from the Galaxy Player 4.0, which has a slightly less feeble 3.2 megapixels to play with.
SoftwareGingerbread, Gingerbread, Gingerbread. Repeat that word over and over in your mind. If you do it for long enough, the word might start to lose the sense of disappointment that somehow lingers around it. Okay, so it's hidden under TouchWiz 4.0, and isn't all that bad in and of itself. But by now you'd hope that Android 4.0 might be finding its way to this product line out of the box. Otherwise, the main differentiator between this device and its siblings is largely the display size. Everything we threw at it ran fine, games were responsive enough, and Google Maps, for example, was perfectly functional. Still, as you flick around the screens, you get the sense that while it's not lagging, it's not far off. The software that comes bundled with the player is a bit of a mix. There's a stash of games included, which the product landing page on Samsung's global site is very keen to show off. There are also some Samsung utilities, such as the Music and Video apps which take center stage (inasmuch as they're on the home screen). There's not a lot to talk about here other than they do what's asked of them without getting in the way. If you have a Samsung TV, then there is an app that lets you use it as a remote control, which is cool in a sort of novelty way. It works well, but unless you've lost your remote, or want to annoy your partner, you likely won't be needing it much. There's also the AllShare app, which lets you stream the media on the device to a compatible TV easily. This works well, and is a quick and easy solution, especially if you're not generally familiar with DLNA. As we're dealing with Android here, you can obviously enjoy a whole world of different apps from the Play store, and this is likely what will really help you set the Galaxy Player 4.2 up just how you want it. It's worth noting that if you are running Windows, you can use the Emodio software to manage and sync your media library, but you're out of luck if you are using Mac OS X. In this case, you will have to either use another solution like DoubleTwist or, of course, plug it in and manually drag media over in mass storage mode. Wrap-up By now, you have probably gathered that while there isn't much wrong with the Galaxy Player 4.2, we feel Samsung could have tried harder. As we've noted throughout this review, 100 percent of the functionality of this device is available in any recent smartphone. Therefore, for this device to shine, it really should smack its core features. It doesn't. If the music player had been exceptional, or the screen wonderfully crisp, then we could see how this might stand alone as a media player. But Samsung chose not to do any of those things, and instead turned out something that sadly feels like the spare parts left over from various phones. Given that the 8GB model stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the iPod touch price-wise (the latter being older, granted), you'd have thought there would be a few features to swing any decision in its favor. As it happens, it really comes down to whether you prefer Android, want GPS, and the option to expand the memory. Unlike dedicated music players, even those offering basic video playback, the Galaxy Player has two thorns in its side. Firstly, smartphones will make this a superfluous purchase for most, and secondly, there's the competition. Not only from Apple, but companies like Cowon, who have the advantage of specializing in this area. But perhaps the most frustrating thing of all is that it's not even terrible. It does everything just fine –- certainly for a mainstream user –- and that's almost worse than if it was just plain bad. Enough time and effort went into making it perform to this level. If only Samsung could have tweaked something, or thrown in a killer feature, then it could have a corner of the market to call its own. As it stands, however, it'll blend in with its Galaxy Player colleagues, doing very well at not offending you. We suggested earlier that this device was heir to Samsung's PMP throne, but the truth is the market has become more of a democratic republic than a monarchy. |
| ICS coming to Samsung Galaxy Tabs 10.1, 8.9, 7.7 and 7.0 Plus starting in July Posted: 20 Jun 2012 06:42 AM PDT Ice Cream Sandwich has been in the cards for Samsung's older Galaxy Tabs for a while, but impatient owners can soon wind down their foot tapping: the rollout date is indeed on the horizon. According to SamMobile, Android 4.0 will make its way to the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Tab 8.9, Tab 7.7 and Tab 7.0 beginning in July. Yes, that's next month -- though the site clarifies that most devices will see the switchover in August. If you've held out this long, what's a month or so more, right? |
| Dutch court rules in favor of Samsung in 3G patent case against Apple, could lead to compensation Posted: 20 Jun 2012 06:22 AM PDT Remember that Apple versus Samsung case? You know, the one with the patents? Okay, well while these disputes are not rare, they do occasionally finally get decided upon. A District Court in the Hague, Holland, has ruled that some of Apple's older iPads (versions one and two) and iPhones (3G, 3Gs, and 4) violate one of the Korean firm's 3G patents. This comes after the same court shot down two of Samsung's other patent claims. Today's ruling regards European Patent EP1188269, which protects "Apparatus for encoding a transport format combination indicator for a communications system." Dutch site WebWereld.nl reports that the court ruled that the two tech giants try and reach a compensatory deal. Despite this, Samsung will still have to pay up €800,000 in costs to Apple for the two cases it lost. There is no talk of a sales ban at this time. |
| Google I/O 2012 app unveiled for Android, keeps attendees and outsiders looped in Posted: 20 Jun 2012 06:21 AM PDT Hardly any self-respecting conference can do without a companion app these days and Google has pulled out all the stops with an updated app for I/O 2012. Now available on Google Play, this year's iteration is formatted to work equally well on phones and tablets, and allows users to easily sync events with their calendars and find sessions they're interested in, as well as share them on Google+ or in other apps. The social integration doesn't stop there, as a Google+ stream of the #io2012 hashtag is built right in. The app reaches all the way back to Froyo devices, but there are advanced features like I/O Live session video streams (Honeycomb and above), and automatic synching of schedules / NFC beaming (Android 4.0+). Of course, even if you're just going to observe the event from afar, a few eagle eyed users are already wondering if one of the screenshots (above, left) is giving an early peek at the next version Android, Jelly Bean, due to the oddly styled search box. Whatever the case is, we'll find out for sure June 27th, hit the source link below to grab the app and get ready. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Engadget News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment