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- Android 'smishing' vulnerability discovered by NCSU researchers; Google has a fix incoming
- Boingo app for Mac and Windows adds VPN, keeps public WiFi sessions a secret
- ComScore: US smartphone share leveled off in September, Android and iPhone continued their reigns
- Yes, there is already an iPad Mini installed in a car dashboard (video)
- Rogers and CIBC kick off Canadian NFC-based mobile payments with mini event (update: full details)
- Google explains how its Android 4.2 malware scanner guards the side door
- Nexus 10 review
- Nexus 4 review
- Five iPhone 5s in five days: win an iPhone 5 gift card, courtesy of Heatma.ps!
- iPad mini goes on sale today -- will you be buying one?
- MIT prof and student discover algorithm for predicting trending Twitter topics
- Korean Audi and BMW drivers can relax, LG v. Osram LED patent dispute settled
- Distro Issue 64: Is Apple's iPad mini the next big thing?
- Sony Xperia TL review: the company's second US flagship is much improved, but still imperfect
- Doxie One portable scanner rolls in for $149, plays well alone and syncs with Mac, PC and iOS
- JBL SoundFly Air ships, delivers AirPlay to your wall socket for $199
- Google's Music Explorer hits the Play store, recommends artists based on...
- Here's Apple's newly printed apology to Samsung, in case you missed it
- Watch Space Shuttle Atlantis' final journey to the Kennedy Space Center visitor building (video)
- Mophie Juice Pack for Samsung Galaxy S III now available for $100
- Google Translate gets new features, makes sure you choose the right words
- Tokyo University of Technology's Pinch interface creates ad hoc video walls from mobile devices (video)
- Nikon nudges Q2 net earnings to $203 million, DSLRs and Nikon 1 get all the credit
- Hexxeh ports Chromium OS to the Nexus 7 simply because he can (video)
- Kobo's Glo and Mini readers on their way to Japan as the Touch gets a discount
- WSJ: Microsoft testing homegrown handset designs with suppliers, may not see mass production
- Red gets Epic price cut, drops M, X and Scarlet brains by up to 45 percent
- Google Wallet checkout gains support for mobile websites
- IDC: Android claims 75 percent of smartphone shipments in Q3, 136 million handsets sold
- Samsung: Galaxy Note II has sold 3 million units worldwide
- Mad Catz Tritton Pro+ True 5.1 Surround Sound Headset now shipping for $200
- Shatoetry iPhone app lets you put... words... in... William Shatner's... mouth
- Stanford researchers create 'world's first' all-carbon solar cell, do it on the cheap
- Apple files anti-theft patent that uses accelerometers to detect theft-like movement
- Windows 8 upgrade diary: multiple monitors make my mouse mad
- Evernote 5 for Mac beta is here to keep you on the bleeding edge of hyperorganization (video)
- Google Wallet update purportedly leaks plans for a real-world card, transfers and transit passes
- Time-lapse map shows internet outages as Hurricane Sandy makes landfall (video)
- Google pulls back the curtain on its new voice search, sums it up in this graph
- Amazon brings Cloud Drive Photos app to Android, keeps your shots safe
| Android 'smishing' vulnerability discovered by NCSU researchers; Google has a fix incoming Posted: 02 Nov 2012 11:08 AM PDT
The art of smishing (SMS-Phishing) has been practiced for some time, but a discovery by the wizards at NC State University has uncovered a new vulnerability that could bring the aforesaid act back into the spotlight. Xuxian Jiang's research team recently identified the hole and confirmed that it impacts Gingerbread, Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean. Put simply, if an Android user downloads an infected app, the attacking program can "make it appear that the user has received an SMS, or text, message from someone on the phone's contact list or from trusted banks." This fake message can solicit personal information, such as passwords for user accounts. The team isn't going to disclose proof until Google patches it up, but the school has said that Google will be addressing it "in a future Android release." For now, however, Jiang recommends additional caution when downloading and installing apps from unknown sources, while also suggesting that folks pay close attention to received SMS text messages. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boingo app for Mac and Windows adds VPN, keeps public WiFi sessions a secret Posted: 02 Nov 2012 10:29 AM PDT
Some of us have important data on our laptops -- some more important than others -- which can make the idea of connecting to a public WiFi hotspot sound like an invitation to disaster. Boingo thinks it can make those hotspots nearly as safe as a clamped down work connection by porting its Boingo VPN from iOS to the Wi-Finder app on Macs and Windows PCs. The option gives habitual hotspot users an encrypted connection from a close-by server, preventing someone else at the coffee shop from casually snooping on their files while they sip on double-shot espressos. VPN access is considered a free perk of having an account and doesn't even require latching on to a paid Boingo hotspot. As such, we'd strongly advise grabbing the update to keep that secure option available, especially if you're a Russian spy. Boingo Adds Personal VPN to Wi-Fi App for Windows and Mac Boingo's Encrypted VPN Protects Laptop Users Against Public Wi-Fi Hackers LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Boingo Wireless (NASDAQ: WIFI), the Wi-Fi industry's leading provider of software and services worldwide, announced today the availability of its latest Wi-Finder app for Macbook and Windows laptop and netbook users. The updated version of the award-winning app includes the Boingo VPN (virtual private network) to help protect users against security exploits in public Wi-Fi hotspots. Boingo's VPN – previously launched on iOS apps – provides an easy-to-use security solution that can help users protect themselves from common security exploits. With one click, users can encrypt their Wi-Fi connection and protect their personal data. The Boingo VPN uses nearly a dozen VPN servers worldwide to improve performance by delivering service in closest proximity to the user. The VPN uses a customer's Boingo account to authenticate in one simple step, and the service is free to all Boingo Wi-Fi users who have set up an account. "Since we launched the Boingo VPN for our iOS customers this summer, we've seen nearly 20 percent of all iOS sessions protected with our simple security solution," said Dawn Callahan, vice president of consumer marketing for Boingo Wireless. "Nearly a third of the devices seeking Wi-Fi in our venues are laptops, and we want to ensure that these users can also take advantage of our intuitive VPN and feel secure connecting at any Wi-Fi location." Security threats on open, public Wi-Fi networks continue to increase, and many people report feeling unsafe when surfing unsecured online. A recent study conducted by the National Cyber Security Alliance found that 90% of Americans do not feel completely safe from hackers, viruses and malware while online, and more than a quarter of those surveyed reported that they'd been notified that their personal data had been exposed in the last year. In addition to the Boingo VPN, the Wi-Finder app for Mac and Windows maintains the ability to connect to Boingo and partner hotspots with a single click. The app's location directory also includes more than 150,000 free, crowd-sourced hotspots that have been validated by Wi-Finder users, helping users find a reliable hotspot when they need a connection the most. The enhanced Wi-Fi location directory provides a color-coded rating system for hotspots, providing an at-a-glance assessment of a hotspot's quality. Boingo's Wi-Finder app received the 2012 About.com Reader's Choice Award for "Best Travel" app, and the company has twice received the award for "Best Wi-Fi Service" from Global Traveler magazine. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ComScore: US smartphone share leveled off in September, Android and iPhone continued their reigns Posted: 02 Nov 2012 09:59 AM PDT
We're so used to constant flux in smartphone market share that it's a surprise when things don't move. Yet that's what we're facing today. ComScore found that the US smartphone field in September was virtually unchanged from where it was in August, even down to smaller players like Symbian and Windows Phone. Accordingly, Android still ruled the roost at 52.5 percent, while 34.3 percent were iPhone adopters. It's difficult to say whether or not the iPhone 5 had a tangible impact -- while Apple had banner sales in the last several days of September, we don't know to what extent that was offset by people holding off from buying an iPhone 4S. Overall cellphone sales showed some of that more reassuring give and take. The positions remained the same, but the US was once again a painful market to be in for anyone that isn't Apple or Samsung. Apple crept up to within a stone's throw of toppling LG at 17.5 percent to its rival's 17.7, while Samsung's successful shift to smartphones helped it keep exactly 26 percent of the mobile sphere. We're most curious to see how October shakes out: between a full month of iPhone 5 sales and the Droid RAZR HD, we may learn that the calmness of September was just a momentary illusion. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yes, there is already an iPad Mini installed in a car dashboard (video) Posted: 02 Nov 2012 09:47 AM PDT
What's that? You had dreams of being the first person in the world with an iPad Mini installed in your 2012 Toyota's dashboard? Well consider those dreams dashed, as Tampa, Florida's Soundwaves is way ahead of you. Like, "they already did it" ahead of you. That regular old iPad you've got in your car? Boooring. The folks at Soundwaves had a dashboard setup fabricated ahead of the Mini's launch this morning, and filmed themselves performing the installation (see for yourself below the break). Beyond having a freakin' iPad embedded in the dashboard being sweet unto itself, this installation also works in concert with the in-car speakers and a separate music control device. Now all the guys at Soundwaves have to do is install, like, six more iPads in the car and Xzibit will be totally on board. [Image credit: Soundwaves / Thanks Rob!] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rogers and CIBC kick off Canadian NFC-based mobile payments with mini event (update: full details) Posted: 02 Nov 2012 09:15 AM PDT
Rogers and its banking partner CIBC have been making much ado over bringing NFC mobile payments to Canada since the spring, but the companies have been mostly silent on actual availability and let a rumored October 15th launch date pass by without fanfare. The two partners are at last ready to swing into action, at least symbolically -- a photo-op at a Tim Hortons in Toronto on Friday will officially represent the first instance of their payment system being used in the wild. What we've seen officially and otherwise hasn't changed, which means that event star and triathlete Simon Whitfield will be using one of two NFC-equipped BlackBerry phones with a special SIM card while he buys a meal that we imagine involves coffee and maple-glazed donuts. Rogers hasn't said how soon the less sporty among us will be making payments, although the limited choices of phones (two) and carriers (one) will only give a handful of Canucks a chance to join in. Update: Just as Whitfield's coffee is cooling off, Rogers has given out full details: the CIBC mobile payment option will roll out later in the month to at least 2,300 Tim Hortons restaurants across Canada, with 3,000 more joining in by December. It's called Suretap, as the earlier leak confirmed, and there's no surprise support for Android, Windows Phone or other platforms. Canadian first: Mobile payments using smartphones now accepted at Tim Hortons Largest national restaurant chain ready to accept CIBC credit card payments directly from enabled Rogers smartphones OAKVILLE, ON, Nov. 2, 2012 /CNW/ - Tim Hortons helped make history today, playing host to the first Canadian mobile credit card transaction. Canadian Olympic Triathlete Simon Whitfield purchased a Tim Hortons coffee at a downtown Toronto restaurant using a Rogers BlackBerry smartphone and CIBC credit card account. Now Tim Hortons guests, who are clients of CIBC and Rogers, will be able to pay for their favourite coffee, breakfast or lunch without ever opening their wallet. "Tim Hortons invested in new payment terminals for nearly all of our Canadian restaurants to allow contactless and mobile payments," said David Clanachan, Chief Operating Officer, Tim Hortons. "We are always looking to bring innovative options that offer our guests more convenience and faster ways to pay. We believe Canadians will increasingly embrace the opportunity to make mobile payments and we are excited to be at the forefront of this technology with this milestone transaction today." Tim Hortons' new all-in-one PIN pad technology supports all methods of payment on one device, including chip and pin, tap and swipe payments for acceptance of Tim Card, debit cards, credit cards and now mobile payments. Approximately 2,300 Tim Hortons restaurants in Canada are already equipped with the new technology, with more than 3,000 restaurants expected to participate by December. Later this month, using the CIBC Mobile Payment App, Canadians will be able to hold select Rogers smartphones up to the Tim Hortons contactless PIN pad and make purchases quickly and securely directly onto their CIBC Visa or CIBC MasterCard. More information can be found at www.rogers.com/suretap and www.cibc.com/mobile. The availability of mobile transactions builds on Tim Hortons recent introductions of a variety of payment options. Earlier this year, Tim Hortons introduced Visa and Interac Flash to complement MasterCard, MasterCard PayPass and Interac Debit payment options. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Google explains how its Android 4.2 malware scanner guards the side door Posted: 02 Nov 2012 08:36 AM PDT
Sideloading apps on Android implies a whole set of security holes, but the new malware scanner included in Android 4.2 could provide a much-needed plug. Talking to Computerworld, Android VP of Engineering Hiroshi Lockheimer revealed that Google's been analyzing APKs that crop up online, regardless of whether they're official market apps or not, in order to maintain a growing database of good and bad code. The scanner -- shown above -- then works in a similar way to the Bouncer on the front gate, comparing all the apps on your phone to that database. The new sentry helps Google build upon other Android 4.2 security features such as an improved app permission screen and a block against apps sending premium SMS messages in the background. On the other hand, some might say that collecting samples of existing malware will never be as powerful as truly understanding its DNA. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 02 Nov 2012 08:00 AM PDT
When Google unleashed the Nexus 7 upon us earlier this summer we were caught completely off-guard. A $200 tablet that was legitimately good in every regard? It was unheard of at the time, and even five months later it's still a really nice slate. Now it has a big brother, the Nexus 10, this time coming courtesy of Samsung. At $399 it arrives with less fanfare and a higher price, but it also comes with a very distinctive selling point: a stratospherically high resolution. This 10.1-inch panel has an eye-watering 2,560 x 1,600 resolution -- the very same as the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display but in a much smaller package. Is Google's second reference tablet the ultimate Android 10-incher at a bargain price, or is it simply another big tablet with a lot of pixels? Your answer awaits after the break. HardwareThe Nexus 7, with its rubberized back and chunky profile, always felt very good for a budget tablet -- but mostly it just felt very good. The Nexus 10 feels like a completely different beast, which isn't entirely surprising since it's from a different manufacturer. ASUS got the nod to build the first reference tablet from Google, a development process that required a very close partnership with the manufacturer. Now it's Samsung's turn, continuing the tradition of Google spreading the Nexus love around. The Nexus 7 felt very good for a budget tablet -- but mostly it just felt very good. The Nexus 10 feels like a completely different beast, which isn't entirely surprising since it's from a different manufacturer. It's a fair partnership, since Samsung has long been the biggest supporter of Android on the tablet front, and of course since Google has long had an affinity for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 -- giving away 5,000 of the things at Google I/O a few years back. We've been wondering when Samsung would release a new stylus-free 10-incher, staying mostly quiet since the underwhelming Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. We're happy to say this one fares better. Mostly better. It starts with a design that definitely looks like an evolution of the Gal Tab 2 10.1, itself very similar to the controversial Galaxy Tab 10.1N, whose most notable feature was a pair of front-facing speakers. That bit of design language carries on here, grilles embedded into the left and right bezel and extended further down than before, running through nearly the entire vertical extent of the tablet. Those speakers are hard to distinguish, though, in what is a sea of very dark materials all blending together into an interestingly rounded shape. Yes, this is still largely a rectangular piece of glass with a mind-boggling number of transistors stuffed in behind it, but the corners have big, lazily rounded profiles. Even the sides are subtly curved, bowing outward to eliminate any straight lines. This makes for a tablet that is incredibly comfortable to hold in any angle or orientation, but it also makes for a tablet that looks even bigger than it is. It's slightly larger than Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, measuring 10.39 x 6.99 inches across (263.9 x 177.6mm) compared to that tablet's 10.11 x 6.9. But, it's well thinner, just 0.35 inches (8.9mm) vs. 0.38 (9.7mm) for its predecessor. That does make it thicker than the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 (which is 0.33 inches thick). Meanwhile, for those keeping score across ecosystems, that makes for a tablet that's slightly taller (0.8 inches), narrower (0.4 inches) and thinner (0.6mm) than the latest generation iPad. It's lighter, too, at just 1.33 pounds (603 grams) compared to 1.44 (632 grams). That relative lightness is likely due to the difference in materials, a plastic back dominating the flip-side of this device. It's covered with a soft-touch coating that feels unusually tacky, almost to the point of being sticky. It's nowhere near as nice feeling as the spun aluminum on the TF700 and a definite, and unfortunate, change from the dimpled cover on the back of the Nexus 7 that both looks and feels good. Mind you, a trace of that lineage remains here, a rubberized strip across the top of the back that has the same sort of perforated leather pattern -- just with a slightly tighter dispersal. We wish Google would start mandating such covers to hide garish carrier branding on Android handsets. That strip is punctuated by the five-megapixel camera (capable of 1080p recording), which is inset next to its friend the LED flash. If you'd like to see more of these two you can actually remove that plastic strip altogether, which also reveals the tablet's FCC designation and all sorts of other internationally mandated brandings that are, printed here, cunningly and tidily hidden away, leaving the back nearly blemish-free. We wish Google would start mandating such covers to hide garish carrier branding on Android handsets. On the top edge of the slate you'll find the only two physical controls, a volume rocker and a power/lock button. Travel around the corner to the left and you'll find a micro-USB port and 3.5mm headphone jack. On the bottom there's a six-pot pogo pin connector and, on the right, a very welcomed micro-HDMI port for streaming all your legitimately-acquired video content to a bigger display. There is, contrary to our expectations, no way to wirelessly stream that video from this tablet, but more on that later in the review. On the face of the device, again it's those big, beautiful stereo speakers. Inside the upper bezel of the display is a 1.9 megapixel camera (capable of 720p video recording) and, in the bottom bezel, an RGB notification LED. Your proclivity toward such blinkenlights probably directly correlates to the volume of email you receive, but still we're glad to see one here. And then, of course, there are the juicy bits on the inside. Powering this slate is a 1.7GHz chip of the A15 Eagle variety. That processor architecture is capable of quad-core duties but this particular processor sits in a dual-core configuration. Sitting next to that is a Mali T604 GPU and 2GB of RAM matched with either 16 or 32GB of storage, depending on whether you paid $399 or $499. Neither is expandable. Go crazy and Beam yourself in either direction. This tablet won't miss a beat. There are no cellular models just yet, so WiFi will be your only link to the world. As such this slate is reasonably equipped with dual-band and MIMO and HT40 support over b/g/n. (Sorry, 802.11a hold-outs.) You also have GPS, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC on both the front and the rear. So c'mon, go crazy and Beam yourself in either direction. This tablet won't miss a beat. Display and sound We'll type it again just because it's kind of neat: 2,560 x 1,600. That's an awful, awful lot of pixels in just a 10.1-inch PLS LCD panel -- way more than a 1080p HDTV contains. That it's in something that comfortably can be carried around, and that can be acquired for under $400, is quite a marvelous feat. It's good to live in the future. And, indeed, things look fantastically sharp here. Text is rendered incredibly crisply and the UI looks better than ever. The first-party icons are all crisp and clean, though many third-party app icons do look like they could use a new, higher-resolution rendering. Thankfully, the apps themselves overwhelmingly look fine. We tried dozens of apps, including third-party browsers like Dolphin, and we didn't spot a hint of blurry text. Remember when the new iPad shipped and everyone was scrambling to update their apps to support it? There's no need here. The way Android is structured, apps just natively support the higher resolution. We tried dozens of apps, including third-party browsers like Dolphin and lots of different random utilities and games, and we didn't spot a hint of blurry text. Of course, some feature graphics and assets that could use a higher degree of polish now that they're being consumed at such a preposterous resolution, and those with less than 20/20 vision may be squinting at some occasionally tiny text, but on average it's a big step above the blurry messes that many tablet apps were on the Retina iPad when it first launched. (A state that, we're happy to say, has long since passed thanks to the quick work of all those devs.) The brightness of the display is fair, though not quite as searingly bright as the 600nits the Infinity can pump out. Colors are well-rendered and viewing angles are very good, but we were a bit disappointed by the contrast. Blacks were a bit on the murky side, sometimes appearing more purplish, and we couldn't help but notice some distracting light leakage around the lower corners of the display, something we verified on a second Nexus 10. And we'd also like to point out that this display is protected beneath a sheet of Corning's Gorilla Glass 2. This is a nice change over the Nexus 7, which sheathed in some other type of cover that we've found to be quite prone to easy scratching. We have some misgivings about the speakers too, but we're happy to say they're among the best we've ever heard on a slate. Where so many other tablet makers relegate the speakers on the back or, at best, the sides facing outward, here they're exactly where they should be: to the left and right of the display and pointing front and center. Their sound is reasonably warm, too, packing a lot of punch for a tablet. But, the most important part of that sentence is "for a tablet." Sound is adequate at best, and you'll want to augment more serious viewing experiences with a set of headphones or external speakers. Performance and battery life Again we're talking about a dual-core 1.7GHz A15 processor paired with 2GB of RAM and a Mali T604 GPU. The quantity of RAM is certainly healthy but, when compared to the quad-core 1.7GHz Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 or with Samsung's recent Galaxy Note 10.1, on paper it sounds like no contest. As they say in motorsports, that's why they run the races, and in practice the Nexus 10 feels snappy and responsive. Apps load quickly and are quite responsive and web pages too pop into existence about as quickly as your data connection can suck them down.
Even in 3D gaming the Nexus 10 will hold its own, a result backed by an average GLBenchmark 2.5 score of 33. Unfortunately, we've not run the TF700 through the latest version of GLBenchmark, so we're unable to directly compare, but others online report scores of roughly 15fps from the ASUS tablet. So, if you're looking to do a lot of intense 3D gaming, this could be a much better partner.
The TF700 also managed a higher battery life, nine hours and 25 minutes compared to a relatively paltry 7:26 here. That's on our standard run-down test in which we loop a video on the tablet endlessly while screen brightness is fixed. We figure the blame for this performance must lie largely in the hands of that display, as even the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 did notably better, at 8:56. Camera Samsung certainly knows how to make a good imaging sensor -- the Galaxy S II still shines -- so we were cautiously optimistic coming in here despite knowing that the company's tablets have historically had miserable shooters. This one, we're sorry to say, follows in their footsteps. The five-megapixel camera on the back failed in virtually every case to take a compelling shot. Complex images were too soft and simpler images were often rendered with curious color temperatures that had little to do with reality. That unfortunately dynamic color handling continues to the video shooting. The tablet is capable of recording at 1080p but, as you can see in the sample video, it's over-active when it comes to choosing a color temperature, constantly cycling from cool to warm. Similarly, the camera exhibits some distracting focus hunting during filming. Granted, we find photographing or filming anything on any tablet a chore, regardless of sensor quality, so the lack of a good quality shooter here isn't too much of a detraction. But, we figure if you're going to bother putting a camera sensor on a tablet, you might as well throw in a good one. Software It's Android 4.2 here, a tenth higher than before but still called Jelly Bean. As such don't expect any life-altering improvements, but there are some nice additions. KeyboardThere's a new keyboard here, but you probably wouldn't notice it if you didn't know better. You can now swipe your way from one letter to the next to spell out words quickly. The experience isn't as polished or powerful as the third-party alternative, Swype, but it's a nice addition for those keen to keep the stock keyboard. Additionally, there's a far more comprehensive predictive text mode here that does a better job of figuring out what you're going to say before you've had a chance to tap or swipe it in. It's no SwiftKey, but it makes for a nice addition. Camera The camera has received a lot of attention, including a fancy new UI that is very minimalist. The biggest new addition here, though, is a 360 degree photo capture mode called Photo Sphere. An incredibly slick interface guides you through capturing enough pictures to effectively surround yourself, generating floating blue dots that you must hit like targets while the software stitches all the pictures together. That's when everything falls apart. The resulting spherical images look awful. We took many and not a single one was created that didn't have glaring seams. Even if they were blended perfectly, it'd still be easy to pick out the individual photos. The camera is constantly adjusting exposure for each individual picture, so when they're all blended together some shots are bright, some are murky -- and some are simply a blurry mess. It's a very cool idea that, sadly, is poorly done here, but we're not sure whether to blame the camera or the implementation at this point. The returning side-to-side panorama mode is a bit better, operating much like Apple's in that you just sweep the tablet from left to right and it does the rest for you. The stitching here is far better than in the Photo Sphere mode, about perfect as far as we can tell, but there's still that same exposure issue, with darker sections of the surroundings actually appearing brighter than those areas that should be light. MiracastMiracast is the Wi-Fi Alliance's standard for wireless streaming of video, and its addition to Jelly Bean made us very excited -- Android finally has a response to AirPlay. Imagine our disappointment, then, upon learning that Miracast isn't supported in the Nexus 10, at least not yet. It is there in the Nexus 4, a perplexing state of affairs that Google wasn't able to give us much clarity on, but it does appear that this is not a hardware limitation, since all the communication takes place over WiFi. If Miracast isn't going to be software-enabled in every Android 4.2 device then we're struggling to see how it's actually part of the OS, and we're definitely feeling let down about its potential to improve the platform as a whole. Other tweaksThere's a new quick settings menu that appears should you drag down from the upper-right side of the bezel. It gives you access to the brightness and things like toggling WiFi, Bluetooth or Airplane Mode. There's also a shortcut to the rest of the settings. If you want the notification bar, you swipe down from the left side of the bezel. It's intuitive enough once you've done it a few times, but as there's no visual indicator at the top of the screen to help the newbies. Jelly Bean 4.2 also brings support for multiple users -- but that wasn't enabled yet. We're told it's coming on November 13th. In theory it could be a boon for corporate adoption of Android, and it could also make letting your kids use your tablet an awful lot safer. ("Who deleted all my email!") But, we're sadly unable to tell you just how useful that is at this moment. The competition At under $400, the Nexus 10 is a compelling package, but despite that display it can't quite muster best-in-class performances across the charts. In fact, other than a relative lack of resolution (1,920 x 1,200 vs. this guy's 2,560 x 1,600) the Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 is, we think, an overall better package. It's thinner, lighter, faster, has a much better camera, offers better battery life (particularly if you opt for the keyboard dock) and, frankly, we'd take the brightness and contrast of that 600nit, Super IPS+ panel over this one with its extra pixels. What does ASUS's offering lack? Well, Android 4.2 for one thing, but as we've shown above you're just an aftermarket keyboard app away from getting the best that has to offer right now. And, the Nexus 10 does have a lower starting price of $399 for a 16GB model. The cheapest we were able to find the TF700 currently is $477 -- but that's for 32GB, so it's actually $20 cheaper than the 32GB Nexus 10. Plus, the TF700 offers expandable storage. There's also the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, which right now is $349 for 16GB (again, user-expandable), so you're saving a little money, but it's bigger, heavier, has a 1,200 x 800 display, offers worse performance and has a similarly poor camera. It does, though, manage better battery life. And, of course, if you're thinking about crossing the aisle to the iOS side, there is the fourth-gen iPad. That tablet's 2,048 x 1,536 display is lacking a fair few pixels in both dimensions but it more than makes up for it in other regards (namely contrast and saturation), its battery life is far better (over 11 hours on our test) and it of course offers up access to the zillions of tablet-optimized apps in the App Store -- for a starting price of $100 more. Wrap-up The Nexus 7 impressed us on nearly every front. What few flaws there were we more than forgave thanks to its bargain-basement price. At $400 to $500, the Nexus 10 is actually on par with many other 10-inch Android competitors -- even a little more expensive than some -- and, with average performance in most areas and sub-par battery life, it's relying on that incredibly high resolution and fresh Android build to set it apart. Sadly, neither is enough to distance this tablet from the competition. The resolution is indeed quite nice but in many ways, the Super IPS+ panel on the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 is even nicer, and other than that new keyboard there's nothing much in Android 4.2 to get excited about right now. Of course, the true beauty of the Nexus line is that when 4.3 rolls around this slate will be the first to get it, and that is certainly worth something. But is it worth enough to make up for this tablet's other shortcomings? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 02 Nov 2012 08:00 AM PDT
Movie sequels often don't live up to the hype of the original blockbuster, but the same isn't always true of smartphones -- on the contrary, they typically get even better. The Nexus lineup, initially thought of as a "playground" for Android developers to test their apps on, has continually gotten better at its craft (and popularity). Not only that, it's picking up momentum: in less than five months, Google has crafted two Nexus tablets as well as its latest and greatest smartphone known as the Nexus 4, and the attractively priced devices are now facing more interest than they ever have before.
Hardware The Nexus line has always been a solid indicator of the state of the smartphone industry. While these phones aren't guaranteed to have the absolute best components available, they're still highly competitive and, in recent times, have offered some the best value, dollar for dollar. This leaves us even more impressed, then, that the LG-made Nexus 4 has been endowed with state-of-the-art silicon and is backed up by some of the best components on the market. Once it's available, Google's newest Android smartphone flagship will be one of the most exquisite devices you can buy. In many respects, it's the lovechild of a Samsung Galaxy Nexus and an LG Optimus G: it features the sleek curves of its predecessor along the edges, along with a unibody back cover and scratch-resistant glass. At 4.9 ounces (139g) and 0.36 inches (9.1mm), it's slightly lighter and thicker than the Optimus G (5.2 ounces and 0.33 inches, respectively), but the difference in these two areas doesn't make it any more or less comfortable -- what does help your hand-holding experience, however, is the tapered edge that adds an extra place for your fingers to naturally rest. You may be wondering why we've talked so much about the Optimus G already, and it's because it shares many commonalities with the Nexus 4; both use a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset, 2GB RAM and sport the same 4.7-inch True HD IPS PLUS with 1,280 x 768 resolution. They even pack the same 2,100mAh battery. Indeed, a close look at the two devices side by side should be enough to convince someone that the two are blood brothers, perhaps even fraternal twins. If it weren't for the Nexus 4's gentle curves, we'd wager they were born of the same chassis. Keep in mind that this isn't a harsh comparison: we were quite fond of the build quality and materials used in LG's top-of-the-line smartphone, and having a similarly specced device with comparable build and a vanilla version of Android 4.2 sounds like a killer combination. The left side houses a volume rocker, while a secondary mic and headphone jack sit up top. Moving over to the right, you'll see the power button just barely above where your index finger naturally rests -- this is nice because you won't accidentally bump it every other second, but it's still within easy reach. The bottom is where you'll find the micro-USB / Slimport socket. Moving on to the back, we already mentioned briefly that it's covered by scratch-resistant glass. It's not a removable cover, which means you won't be getting access to your battery unless you're willing to be adventurous and start removing screws. On the top left you'll see the 8MP rear camera and LED flash aligned vertically, with the famous Nexus logo sitting just below. LG added its own stamp to the bottom of the back, right next to a speaker grille on the right side. But the most interesting part of the whole thing is its checkerboard-like decor that looks like a cross between The Matrix and the iconic tile-like live wallpaper made famous by the Nexus One. When we first saw the device in leaked photos, we worried that it might look too tacky -- on the contrary, it not only adds to the subtle aesthetics, but it helps the Nexus 4 stand apart from all those other bland, rectangular phones. With all of our praise about the phone's design and build, there is one potential hazard: that glass-laden back. We haven't had any terrible luck in that department yet, but it's worth noting that this part of your phone -- while sleek and gorgeous -- should probably avoid the concrete at all costs. Finally, the Nexus 4 also fully supports the Qi wireless charging standard, which means you can use any Qi-capable charging pad to refill your battery -- we even took it for a spin on the Fatboy recharging pillow sold by Nokia, and it worked like a charm.
Display A quick review of the above spec list should indicate that the display is essentially identical to the one used on the recently released LG Optimus G, the Nexus 4's close sibling. Looking backward, it's also better than the HD panel the Galaxy Nexus bears. What we're looking at (literally) is a 4.7-inch, 1,280 x 768 True HD IPS PLUS display, with a sheet of Gorilla Glass 2 covering it. With the Nexus 4, however, the Corning-furnished glass plays a much more critical role than it does on other smartphones. LG has developed a technology that integrates the display's touch sensor into the outer layer of the glass. This not only makes for a thinner phone, it brings the pixels closer to the display itself. (If this sounds familiar, it's because Apple has done something similar to this with the iPhone 5 and Microsoft's Surface for Windows RT.) Additionally, its WXGA resolution translates into a pixel density of 320ppi, but its RGB subpixel arrangement means it actually packs more of a visual punch than the PenTile Super AMOLED HD screen on last year's Nexus. There's less pixelation -- if that's even possible -- and the viewing angles are fantastic, providing us better opportunities to read articles and watch movies than most other devices we've used. Also, it's one of the nicest displays we've ever viewed in the midday sun. We could see everything clearly at right around 50 percent brightness, and it was still at least relatively easy to read with the settings down to about 30 percent. Android 4.2 Aside from the inaugural Nexus (the HTC-made Nexus One), each subsequent version of the Nexus has ushered in a new era of Android firmware along with it -- Gingerbread for the Nexus S, Honeycomb for the Motorola Xoom, ICS on the Galaxy Nexus and Jelly Bean on the Nexus 7. And as we've come to expect from this precedent, the Nexus 4 comes loaded with Android 4.2. But there's something drastically different this time around: despite the new version number, this upgrade is still considered Jelly Bean. This is the first time we've seen such a move since Eclair was bumped up from 2.0 to 2.1. First, we mentioned briefly that you'll see a larger difference on the tablet side than on the phone. This is because the Nexus 10 sheds both the settings box in the lower-right corner and app menu access in the top right. Instead, it offers two pull-down menus on the top: the left side acts as your standard notifications menu, while the right side features the new Quick Settings menu (more on that shortly). It also uses the standard set of three virtual navigation buttons that you'll find on the Nexus 7 and Galaxy Nexus.
Lastly, Android 4.2 also brings multi-user capabilities to the tablet, in which different members of the family can have their own private set of apps, settings and files -- in other words, the same experience you can have on a standard PC or Mac. Unfortunately, this isn't available for smartphones, so the Nexus 4 doesn't get to take advantage of this. (We have a hunch this feature may be added to phones at some point, but we have no inside information to confirm this.) The new and improved Jelly Bean also features native widget support on the Lock Screen and even offers multiple panels for additional widgets. Our units didn't come with the feature, as it likely won't be available until the Nexus devices start shipping out, but this may very well be one of our favorite additions to Android. We love the idea of being able to view emails, calendar appointments and other notifications without entering the home panel -- it may sound like we're too lazy to take an extra step and unlock the screen to see our widgets, but the ability to quickly glance at crucial information without entering your phone should not be underestimated. Voice search, which we used with mixed results in 4.1, has been bestowed with an improved set of queries. You're now able to schedule meetings, check to see your next appointment and launch apps ("open app [name of app]" will do the trick). Google also says that when you ask questions that may not have a definitive answer, the service will do a comprehensive search for your inquiry, see what the general consensus is and provide you with an answer based on what it found. Additionally, we found that it was able to pull up more information than before. For instance, we asked what year "Back to the Future" came out, and were given the specific release date as well as a card with information about the movie. Indeed, Google's made a decent amount of effort to make the voice search experience more of a natural interaction, rather than let it feel like a machine dictating search results. Google has also thrown in "Gesture Typing" to the stock keyboard which makes it much easier -- and appealing -- to use. Taking a page out of Swype's book (and, perhaps, some of the wind out of its sails), 4.2 now lets you swipe from one letter to another, rather than using the traditional hunt-and-peck method of typing. It's incredibly accurate, too, as the keyboard rarely had a hard time understanding what we were trying to type. It's even capable of predicting which word you're attempting to type via the swipe gesture. As you start spelling your word, a box will appear next to your finger with a word prediction. If you lift your hand off the screen, that predicted word will pop right into place and you can continue with the rest of your message. The experience is now much more intuitive and enjoyable to use. The Daydreams feature is also new to the stock Android experience. This is the smartphone equivalent of screen savers. It displays content on your screen when the phone is docked or charging. You can view a selection of images as they float around, check out the latest feeds coming through Currents or even burn time by flicking around jelly beans. (Unfortunately you won't find any flying toasters. Yet.) It adds very little in the way of functionality, but it's a clever trick if you aren't using your handset and want to have something to peek at while it sits on the coffee table. We briefly mentioned earlier that Miracast is now natively supported in Android 4.2, which means you'll now be able to wirelessly stream movies and music from your phone to the TV or other Miracast-certified device. Here comes the tricky part: if your TV or monitor isn't certified for the standard, you'll need to make sure you grab a Miracast adapter, which isn't super cheap -- a brief Amazon search brings up one result that costs $70. Still, if you can find one or if you already have equipment capable of picking it up, you'll at least have one more solid reason to pick up a Nexus 4. Camera We'll admit that we always hold Nexus devices up to the highest of expectations -- each one carries the burden of being the latest Android flagship, and they're held up by Google as an example for other Android manufacturers. That's why we were extremely disappointed in Samsung's decision last year to include a paltry 5-megapixel sensor in the Galaxy Nexus. A year later, LG made sure to stick an 8-megapixel camera into the Nexus 4. On the spec sheet, it's not the best in the market -- but remember, megapixel count never tells the full story. There is one other neat camera mode you can take advantage of with Android 4.2, and that's Photo Sphere. You could call it a type of "Panoramic Mode 2.0" -- instead of simply snapping images horizontally, you can add another dimension by going vertically as well. Then, after a minute or two of stitching, your picture is ready for viewing and it shows up with a natural sphere-like curvature; when looking at the finished product, you get a sense that you're actually looking from left to right as if you're really there -- often, you'll need to scroll around the entire image in order to see the whole thing, which adds a stunning amount of depth to our pictures of scenic vistas. And, for an even nicer touch, the phone is capable of doing the scrolling for you so you can just sit back and enjoy the scenery. There's only one concern: we noticed that the phone had some problems stitching photos together. In one shot, the right half of a window was noticeably higher (and had more reasonable exposure) than the left half, a picture frame looked as if it had been sawed in half and one side of the bookshelf had far more exposure than the other. This issue is more with the firmware itself, most likely, as we noticed similar problems on the Samsung-crafted Nexus 10. We hope to see this resolved in a future 4.2.x update. We did some comparison tests with the Nexus 4 and the Galaxy S III, one of the best 8-megapixel mobile cameras we've had the pleasure of using. There are a few areas in which the Nexus 4 bests the GS3, and others in which it's still very good, but loses to its Samsung competitor. The Nexus appears to be slightly better in close-ups and when zooming in at full strength. We also prefer HDR on the Nexus. Colors, however, seem to be more naturally saturated on the GS3 and the sky shows a more realistic blue hue. Lastly, the shutter speed seems to vary, depending on if it needs to focus before the shot is taken, but it still comes in under less than two seconds most of the time. There were a few occasions in which our subjects came out blurry because they moved before we could finish taking the shot. Overall, it may not be the best performer among its peers, but the camera is still an asset to the Nexus 4, whereas it was a detriment to the phone's predecessor. And that's exactly what we were hoping to see. While we always prefer to have the best possible performance -- we're just picky that way -- it's nice to at least see more love and attention being paid to this aspect of the Nexus lineup. The camcorder is capable of taking 1080p movies in MPEG-4 format, and records footage at an average of 22 fps with a 9 Mbps bit rate. This resulted in noisy, slightly choppy videos that didn't really convince us that what we were watching was of true HD quality. One positive takeaway is that you're still able to take images as the same time you record video, much like you could on the Galaxy Nexus. Performance and battery life The performance of the Nexus 4 is a curious thing. The phone has a complete beast of a chipset running things behind the scenes: it's the same 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064) as we saw in the LG Optimus G, paired with an Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB of RAM. In our initial tests between the aforementioned LG flagship and the Samsung Galaxy Note II (which sports a 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos chip), the S4 Pro comes out on top. And in our real-world use tests, we were overall satisfied with the zippiness of the Nexus. For the most part, it was responsive and fast, multitasking was smooth and we only rarely had any lag. In side-by-side use, it does feel slightly slower than the Optimus G; most of the time this difference is rather infinitesimal, but there are a few times that it stuck out like a sore thumb. For instance, we noticed that when dialing a phone number -- a rather trivial task in the OS -- we'd have to wait for the numbers to catch up with us, whereas the Optimus G passed this simple test with flying colors.
Before we dive in, we'll get one thing out of the way: benchmarks don't always tell the full story, and we understand that they often don't replicate real-world usage. But this is one of those cases in which it's helpful to have a quantitative measurement after running the same kinds of tests. Since the Nexus 4 and the Optimus G are so similar in their chipsets and other components, the two's metrics should be easily comparable -- or at least in the same neighborhood as each other. But as you can see in the table above, some of the numbers are the complete opposite of what we expected. In fact, some of these results (most notably, Quadrant and Vellamo) are even lower than what we typically get out of dual-core Snapdragon S4 processors. To be fair, CF-Bench and GLBench didn't veer as far away from our expectations, and were quite respectable. We would be tempted to shrug it off and choose not to give this concern much thought, but we also ran into the same exact problem with another Nexus 4 review unit and multiple Nexus 10 devices as well. It's also easy to blame the benchmarks for not being optimized on Android 4.2, but we've never seen these tests exhibit this same problem with other versions of the mobile OS when they were brand new. That said, our units may very well have been loaded with a non-final firmware build that could be contributing to our dilemma somewhat. We'll receive a final pre-launch update that will enable lock screen widgets, so we're keeping our fingers crossed that a few more optimizations are included. (We'll update our review if we notice any uptick in performance or test results.) Still, you're going to get a pretty nice bang for your buck, and we doubt most power users will come away disappointed. We ran Riptide through its paces and it didn't skip a beat; the graphics were fantastic and we didn't have any problem. When we played Need for Speed: Most Wanted, an even more graphically intensive game, we saw a few frame skips and stutters throughout each level we played. These issues didn't interrupt the flow of the game, but they were still noticeable. Aside from these hiccups everything worked well, as there weren't any problems in rendering all of the details, such as the reflections cast onto the car and the fine quality in the surrounding buildings and other landmarks within the game. Pricing and availability Wrap-up The idea that a Nexus quad-core smartphone is hitting the market with a starting price one dollar shy of $300 is simply stunning. Even more so is that it's available without any contract or carrier locks, which means you can use it virtually anywhere in the world. Adding yet another layer of amazement is the fact that this particular device will always be among the first (if not the first) to get the latest version of Android for the foreseeable future. What once was a smartphone series designed for developers has been decked out with top-notch features and priced so attractively that consumers will take notice of it; there's nothing comparable that comes close to it in that price range. This is a smartphone that we'd normally expect to be much more expensive unlocked, but Google set a precedent by lowering the cost of the Galaxy Nexus, keeping the Nexus 7 at $200 and is now continuing the trend with the Nexus 4. The price of freedom has never been more reasonable. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Five iPhone 5s in five days: win an iPhone 5 gift card, courtesy of Heatma.ps! Posted: 02 Nov 2012 07:39 AM PDT
You have to admit, this was a great way to start off the week, and it's just as enjoyable to finish it off this way as well. The fifth day of our five-day giveaway campaign is coming to a close, but not before we hand out one final prize to a lucky winner: a gift card good for the price of one iPhone 5 at full retail price. This comes to us courtesy of Heatma.ps, a Polish startup that created the first heat map analysis of mobile apps. Heat mapping can certainly come in handy for developers who are trying to figure out the best way to enhance their app's UI experience. So take a peek at the link above and -- while you're here -- make sure to enter this week's contests, okay? Our sponsors:
The rules:
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| iPad mini goes on sale today -- will you be buying one? Posted: 02 Nov 2012 07:29 AM PDT
Unless you've been hunkered in a cave for the past few weeks, you've probably heard about that new iPad mini thing. Many of you will also be aware it goes on sale this very day -- well, the WiFi-only version anyway, starting at $329 for the 16GB variant. Apple's taking its first steps into an uncharted territory, launching a 7.9-inch slate that might tempt customers who weren't keen on the 9.7-inch offering we're all familiar with. It's coming a little late to smaller-tablet game, but if history tells us anything, it's that people go crazy for Apple products. That being said, many may have already invested in tablets of a similar size when the iPad mini just wasn't an option, so might be less inclined to grab one now. Whether it'll have the staggering uptake of Apple products that preceded it remains to be seen, but we'd love to hear your thoughts on it, including if you plan to buy one or not, in the poll and comments below.
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| MIT prof and student discover algorithm for predicting trending Twitter topics Posted: 02 Nov 2012 07:21 AM PDT
Predicting the future of Twitter's trending topics is, as of right now, an impossibility. But two folks at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology may have cracked the code with an algorithm they're saying predicts -- with 95 percent accuracy -- the topics that will trend in the next hour and a half. The prediction has even been calculated as high as four to five hours ahead of time with the same level of accuracy. Not too bad! Of course, beyond impressing friends with the predictions, the algorithm has direct implications for the likes of Twitter itself -- being able to sell ads against trending topics could benefit the social media company enormously in its ongoing quest to monetize. At any rate, it's distinctly less dangerous sounding than the last idea we heard involving Twitter and predictions. The algorithm will be presented next week at MIT's Interdisciplinary Workshop on Information and Decision in Social Networks, should you wish to dig into the nitty gritty of the math behind the madness. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Korean Audi and BMW drivers can relax, LG v. Osram LED patent dispute settled Posted: 02 Nov 2012 06:51 AM PDT
Though it seems like some patent disputes never go away, at least an ongoing tiff between LED makers LG and Osram has been settled amicably. Details were kept under wraps, other than a statement that "the parties have reached a license agreement for their respective patents" and that all the disputes worldwide were dismissed. That means that a threatened Korean ban of Audi and BMW vehicles using the LED tech won't happen -- but we doubt teutonic car-lovers there were terribly worried about that unlikely-seeming proposition. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distro Issue 64: Is Apple's iPad mini the next big thing? Posted: 02 Nov 2012 06:30 AM PDT
Among the truckload of devices that Apple unpacked at its press event a few days ago was a gadget that we had heard rumblings about for a long time. The iPad mini graces the cover of our weekly and we put it through the full review treatment to see how it stacks up with other slates that sport a smaller stature. If Cupertino's latest doesn't grab your eye, we also take a good, long look at Windows 8, ASUS's PadFone 2 and HTC's 8X before offering in-depth analysis. Weekly Stat recaps earnings season, Eyes-On visually fondles a pair of Slingboxes, and video producer Freddie Wong visits the Q&A. The usual download repositories are just below, so mosey on to yours and snag a copy. Distro Issue 64 PDF This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sony Xperia TL review: the company's second US flagship is much improved, but still imperfect Posted: 02 Nov 2012 06:00 AM PDT
As Sony's second stab at the US mobile market, the Xperia TL arrives with a major corporate synergistic push: a 007 movie franchise tie-in. But an awkward distinction as the official Bond phone and a smattering of pre-loaded "Skyfall" multimedia content alone won't drive consumer adoption; the specs and pricing will. Following in the footsteps of the company's first stateside flagship, the Ion, this AT&T 4G LTE exclusive is priced aggressively at $99 on two-year contract, packing a 4.6-inch HD Reality display (1,280 x 720) powered by Mobile BRAVIA Engine, a dual-core Snapdragon S4 clocked at 1.5GHz, 16GB of storage (expandable up to 32GB via microSD), 1GB RAM, NFC, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, as well as an integrated 1,850mAh battery. With Ice Cream Sandwich running the show and a planned upgrade to Jelly Bean in the works, it has all the makings of a current-gen high-end offering. So will the Xperia TL help Sony build much-needed buzz for its mobile division here in the states? Can a sub-$100 price tag effectively lure consumers away from the bigger, faster and flashier Android phones AT&T has to offer? Or is this mainly one for Sony loyalists? Find out after the break as we put the TL through its paces. Hardware
Despite a clear design nod towards the arc S, the Xperia TL is, for all intents and purposes, an evolution of the Ion; a second chance at getting its US flagship status right. Fans of the Sony Ericcson-made arc S will find that this device is more spiritual successor than next of kin, as the TL still carries on that curved body legacy, but at 129.4 x 67.3 x 9.35mm (5.1 x 2.6 x 0.4 inches) it's more than half a millimeter thicker. Contrast those dimensions with the Ion and you have two handsets, separated by a generational leap, that measure and weigh nearly the same all around -- though the TL is a hair lighter at 139 grams (4.8 ounces). Stacked side by side, it doesn't initially appear that way, thus is the deception made possible by the TL's scooped back. While we're on the topic of the TL's posterior, it merits mentioning that this particular facet lays claim to the entirety of Sony's industrial design finesse. Overall, it has an appealing, muted quality about it, with a matte finish that's divided by seams for the two non-removable caps, a covered port for micro-SIM and micro-USB ports on the upper left, and a circular cutout for NFC contact just beneath the 13.1-megapixel camera. Regarding that camera, it's the same Exmor R sensor Sony found in the Ion (though here the module gets a slight resolution uptick) and is housed within a gently protruding bump. And in a genius move by the company's designers, it's also somewhat recessed so you won't have to worry about smudging the lens with grease. Lastly, the prominent Xperia logo is situated just above the speaker at the device's base. We have a minor gripe with the way Sony chose to arrange the hardware keys and ports here. It may just be an issue for right-handed people, but the buttons for power, volume and camera all lie on the lower half of the phone's right edge and are buried in the palm. Again, it's a small issue that's mostly remedied by switching to the opposite hand -- lefties, you're at an advantage. Head-on, the Xperia TL is rather plain; its edges are interrupted only by a raised 3.5mm headphone jack on top and a sloped chin down below. Otherwise, the only visual standouts are corporate logos flanking the scratch-resistant 4.6-inch screen, including the AT&T globe at the bottom and Sony's own branding, which sits beneath the earpiece and to the side of a 720p camera. Despite its $99 on-contract pricing, the TL offers up a higher-resolution screen than similarly priced competitors. This is Sony's latest flagship, after all, and like the Ion before it, it boasts a 1,280 x 720 HD Reality TFT LCD display. In practice, we've found the panel produces bright colors, but is lacking in contrast. Next to the 720p screen used on the Droid RAZR HD, the difference is obvious. The TL's screen just seems pale, a fact not helped by the poor viewing angles and tremendous washout, evident from a slight 15-degree angle. We tested the handset outdoors and even in overcast conditions, you'll still have to bump brightness to near-maximum levels for clear visibility. Further, after a few days of testing we decided to disable the setting for environmental dimming, as that just left the screen too dim for most situations. Sony's moved on from the "HD Everywhere" mantra of the Xperia Ion, and is now emphasizing sharing via NFC instead -- even going so far as to include one SmartTag in the box. That said, the handset hasn't shed its predecessor's built-in media connectivity, given that an MHL connection with any compatible TV will trigger the same app carousel and ability to mirror content. Again, there's no option to wirelessly stream your library of movies, TV shows or music, so you'll need to have the appropriate cable handy. SmartTagsNestled within the Xperia TL's box is one very sleek-looking SmartTag. If you'll remember, Sony announced these NFC accessories way back in January at CES and now, nearly a year later, they're ready for mass consumption. Since Hurricane Sandy impeded our access to the tag bundled with our review unit, we went ahead and ordered a pack from the company's online store. For $20, you get four of these attractive and distinctly hued tags that are compatible with any NFC-equipped smartphone. Used in conjunction with this official Bond phone and, well, we're sure you know where this is headed. Hover the TL just above any SmartTag and the phone's SmartConnect apps springs to attention instantly loading the James Bond theme via Walkman or Google Play Music, in addition to directing the browser to the 007 website. You can, of course, set device actions that are handset-specific, so multiple users can enjoy the use of these tags and delete events as necessary. The SmartConnect interface is pretty straightforward and even the least tech savvy of users should have no problem configuring events. Simply fire up the app and you'll be prompted to create a new event, associate it with a specified device (e.g. SmartTag or headphones), set an (optional) trigger time and, finally, any initial or closing action(s) like placing a call, opening an application or sending a text. There are also presets for different profiles, such as Home which enables WiFi, Car for active Bluetooth and Navigation, as well as an Office setting that launches your Calendar -- all of which can be reconfigured to your liking. Software You'd think, at this point, that a late fall launch for an Android handset would guarantee it ships with Jelly Bean out of the box. You'd think that, and you'd be wrong. Regardless, we won't ride Sony too hard for unleashing the Xperia TL into the marketplace running the 4.0.4 build of Ice Cream Sandwich. The company's done loyalists well by being as transparent as possible about Xperia software upgrades and then actually delivering them (for the most part). So we have no doubt the TL will one day see Android 4.2 -- we're just not sure when. Unfortunately, the company's playing coy and won't commit to a hard release date. We've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: the Xperia TL is the device the Ion should have been when it was released six months ago. It's got a contemporary dual-core S4 processor and runs on Ice Cream Sandwich (not the penultimate version of Android, but still). But we can't help shake that feeling of déjà vu; that this is another handset behind the times. Sure, other high-end smartphones outfitted with the same CPU setup exist, but they differentiate by offering either an extra GB of RAM, greater battery life, unparalleled optics, higher resolution, near-stock Android or Jelly Bean, even. Here, all we get is the addition of James Bond "Skyfall"-related multimedia content (pre-set as the default wallpaper, ringtone and notification sound) and one SmartTag included in the box. Is that enough to make the TL stand apart? If you're shaking your head, you've already answered the question. With that aside, Sony's lightly skinned take on ICS is pleasant, unobtrusive and offers up a mostly consistent experience with just a few tweaks. For starters, the company's augmented the way users can customize the handset. Typically, a long-press on any of the home screens would trigger a dialog box in the middle of the screen, but on the TL, a transparent pane appears up top with two circular icons on either side: one for wallpapers and themes, the other for widgets. Sony's also baked quick settings access into the drop-down notification tray, letting users easily toggle data, notification sounds, Bluetooth and WiFi. Building upon the trend the company started with the Xperia Tablet S, this Sony-made smartphone also features three of the company's core media apps: Album, Movies and Walkman. The apps function much like they sound, with Album offering up a slew of editing options that encompasses a variety of color, FX, crop and filter options, in addition to map view for geo-tagged shots. Meanwhile, Walkman gussies up the intuitive MP3-playing experience with a visualizer option, SensMe for categorizing tracks according to theme and an equalizer for sound adjustments. Of the three applications, Movies is the most bare-boned, containing nothing more than four pre-installed Bond clips. Additionally, you get an Xperia link baked into settings, allowing you to tether the TL's network connection to other Xperia tablets or VAIO PCs and small "floating" apps for calculator, notes, voice memos and timer, accessible via the task manager, which hover above open applications. It's not a Nexus (although we hope to see the day), so you know there's bound to be bloatware galore. Excluding common apps like Calendar, Clock, Messaging and Calculator, you'll find 26 third-party applications -- 10 of which belong to AT&T -- that cannot be uninstalled, merely disabled. That means unless you root your device, these apps will live on behind the scenes, hogging up your allotted 16GB of internal storage. At the very least, you have the ability to clear them out of your app drawer. Performance and battery life Much to our delight, the TL is quick, fluid and, best of all, dependable. In all of our time with the handset, we never once encountered a force close, frozen app or evidence of lag. The dual-core S4 inside just flies, handling a multitude of tasks with ease. As you'd expect, navigation through the five home screens and access to the app drawer are effected without a hitch. Applications load quickly, while games like Need for Speed Shift run smoothly without a drop in framerate. In practice, then, the TL appears to be on par with similarly-specced handsets, but how does it fare in synthetic benchmarks? In the interest of a fair fight, we pitted it against two other devices with S4 chips: AT&T's Galaxy S III and One X variants. As you can see from the table below, all three handsets equipped with that MSM8960 processor pull nearly identical scores, with the TL notching a clear victory in AnTuTu and CF-Bench. Though we mentioned the TL's sole gigabyte of RAM as a con earlier, you can see here that having double the memory doesn't necessarily give the GS III a competitive edge. In fact, that extra helping of RAM barely gives the GS III an edge in Quadrant testing.
The Xperia TL's short battery life is by far its biggest drawback. With moderate use, we were able to eke out nearly a full working day of use from the non-removable 1,850mAh battery. And that was with fastidious attention to the charge level. Put under the duress of our formal rundown test -- that's with Twitter set to sync at 15 minutes, one push email account active, brightness set to 50 percent and radios for WiFi and GPS enabled -- the device notched just under six hours, which is similar to what we found with the TL's European counterpart, the T. It's a disappointing showing given the more robust battery life of its S4-based rivals. If you purchase this, then, be sure to have a charger handy at all times. Network speeds As we've highlighted in prior reviews, AT&T's 4G LTE network is no longer the spring chicken it once was. That is to say, awe-inspiring speeds in the upper 20 Mbps to 30 Mbps range are increasingly the exception, though they do still occur from time-to-time. We did, however, record a max of 31 Mbps / 11 Mbps over the course of our testing. In general, though, we recorded downlink speeds that ranged between 12 Mbps to 16 Mbps, while uploads hovered around 5 Mbps to 10 Mbps. Clearly, LTE adoption amongst AT&T's subscriber base is becoming more and more predominant. Camera If you've ever used the Ion's camera, you'll know what to expect from the TL. Many things are the same: that same fast capture functionality, accessible via the dedicated dual detent hardware key, along with the company's Exmor R sensor. Still, Sony chose to increase the resolution to 13.1 from 12 megapixels. In practice, though, that minor spec bump doesn't have an overwhelming impact on image quality. Unless you're possessed of a keen eye and a deep understanding of optics, it's unlikely to make much difference to the average consumer. The interface is also similar this second time around, with options to customize the UI using assorted menu icons. By default, the camera is set to Auto mode, but by toggling it to Normal, you can select from among the usual array of scene modes. The same goes for the standard resolution setting, as the TL will capture images in a 4:3 aspect ratio at 13 megapixels. For 16:9 widescreen shots, you'll have to step down to 10 megapixels. There are also options to configure capture method (onscreen button, dedicated key or touch), quick launch, geotagging, focus (touch, face detection, multi auto and single auto), exposure, ISO, white balance and image stabilization. We'd have liked to test the TL's camera in a variety of settings, but our unit arrived just before Hurricane Sandy did and, as this editor is based in New York, that translated into less-than-ideal weather conditions (to put it mildly). Without abundant sunlight, we were left to conduct our photo tour under mostly grey, overcast skies. And, as our corresponding gallery will attest, this Xperia handles that particular environment admirably. That's not to say we didn't encounter certain circumstances where the overall shot was just too dark and lacking clarity -- we did -- but, on the whole, the TL's sensor (set to auto) was able to adjust for the variety of scenes accordingly, culminating in crisp shots with a great depth of field and natural color reproduction. The same, however, cannot be said for images taken in patchy sunlight. Within that particular setting, we noticed a conspicuous oversaturation that was especially evident in the bumped-up hues of the blue sky and surrounding buildings. Further, the TL seems to manage white balance inconsistently, as multiple captures of the same scene result in wildly different color temperatures. Note that this is without Sony's Mobile BRAVIA Engine turned on. Enable that feature from within settings and the color enhancement only increases. Low-light shots, on the other hand, were a mixed bag. The TL seemed to handle diminished ambient lighting best when set to auto, as opposed to the available night scene modes. Left in that latter mode, our resulting images seemed both oversaturated and softly focused. Shots taken at full zoom were incredibly grainy, but we found that pulling back to about 50 percent yielded acceptable images with a tolerable level of noise. Of particular note is the panorama setting, which delivered seamlessly stitched shots that were a breeze to take.
On the other hand, 1080p video did not fare as well as static images. Sure, the recorded audio comes across clear and distinct, especially given that we were in the midst of an NYPD chopper, but playback is marred by the constantly shifting focus and shaky image stabilization. It's not entirely terrible, but it's also not ideal. Wrap-up It took Sony half a year to get the Xperia Ion from its CES reveal to retail shelves. By the time it arrived, it was outdated, not least because it shipped with Android Gingerbread. Does the TL suffer the same fate? Not quite, considering this Xperia made its public debut just two months ago, and was announced with ICS. So, we have to commend Sony for at least getting it out to market in a timely fashion -- the lack of Jelly Bean notwithstanding. When you review its specs on paper -- 720p display, 1.5GHz dual-core S4, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage and 13.1-megapixel rear camera -- the TL would seem to be a high-end phone, a device fit to compete against the Galaxy S III and One X on AT&T's lineup. But where Samsung's handset crams in a multitude of sharing functions and HTC's sports a gorgeous screen and innovative unibody design, the Xperia TL falls a bit short. With a display prone to washout, a derivative chassis and middling battery life, the TL fails to meet the expectations we'd have for phones in this class. Which is probably why Sony's gunning for budget-minded consumers with $99 on-contract pricing, putting it on even ground with the One X, Ion and Atrix HD. Positioned that way, the Xperia TL reads as a pale alternative to its S4 cousin, the One X. That's not to say it isn't a decent option for subscribers shopping on a shoestring -- it is. Yet, for all its pluses, the TL just can't hold a candle to the superior battery life and gorgeous Super LCD display on HTC's equally priced device. Ultimately, the choice is yours: shell out a $100 premium for the bragging rights of a luxury Android experience (i.e., the GS III or Optimus G) or think wisely with your wallet when choosing between this economy-plus Xperia and the less-fresh One X. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Doxie One portable scanner rolls in for $149, plays well alone and syncs with Mac, PC and iOS Posted: 02 Nov 2012 05:50 AM PDT
Doxie has added another portable scanner to its heart-logo'd lineup, the Doxie One, which can digitize documents and images to an included SD-card with nary a computer in sight. Doxie says that'll let you travel light with the "paper-towel roll sized" device to scan and automatically generate Abbyy OCR-read PDFs, then sync up later with a Mac, PC, iPhone or iPad. From there, you can use the included app on a Mac or iDevice to transfer the scans to Dropbox, Evernote or iMessage. The device eschews the WiFi option of its recent Doxie Go sibling, but carries a lesser $149 sticker -- check the PR for the full dope. Scanning made simple. Paperless made personal. Say hello to Doxie One – just $149. RALEIGH, NC, USA (November 1st, 2012) – Apparent today unveiled Doxie One, the simple and affordable new personal paper scanner for homes, families, and small businesses. Doxie One scans anywhere in your home or office – no computer required – and syncs with your iPad, Mac, or PC1. Doxie One ships worldwide in late November for $149. Scanning made simple. Paperless made personal. Doxie fits your life. Sync to iPad via Lightning or 30-pin connector. Amazing sharing features. Doxie One is the newest member of Apparent Corporation's award-winning Doxie® mobile scanner family, and includes the Doxie One standalone paper scanner, Doxie 2.3 software with ABBYY® OCR, 2GB SD memory card, and a worldwide power adapter. Doxie One ships worldwide in late November for $149. Sync to iPad with $29 adapter, sold separately. Initial availability in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Continental Europe, and Australia. Doxie One web site: www.getdoxie.com/product/one Accessories, sold separately, include Lightning to SD Card Reader (import Doxie's scans directly to iPad or iPad mini), Doxie Color Skins (customize Doxie with 7 swappable colors), Doxie A4 Case (carry and protect your new Doxie), and eneloop® rechargeable batteries for scanning when you're away from wall power. About Doxie® brand paper scanners | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JBL SoundFly Air ships, delivers AirPlay to your wall socket for $199 Posted: 02 Nov 2012 05:07 AM PDT
JBL's SoundFly lineup is one of the rarer breeds of wireless speaker we've come across: it's much like an earlier AirPort Express made solely for audio, designed to be as unintrusive as possible while it kicks out the jams. Those who find that stealthy sound appealing will be glad to hear that the more advanced of the two SoundFly speakers, the SoundFly Air, is now shipping. The 20W box will play audio streamed from any AirPlay-capable device on the same WiFi network while it sits demurely on a wall outlet. JBL is counting on a few tricks to set itself apart from the rest of the similarly Apple-oriented pack, such as linking up to four of the speakers for whole-home audio and offering an iOS app to tailor the output to the room. About the only reservation is a $199 shipping price for something that isn't as portable or universal as a Jawbone Jambox, but that may be the price to pay for a speaker that can offer longer range and syncing while it very nearly blends into the furniture. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Google's Music Explorer hits the Play store, recommends artists based on... Posted: 02 Nov 2012 04:43 AM PDT
When we got a look at the new Nexus 10 running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, we expected Google's Music Explorer feature would slot into the Play store alongside the OS update. As it turns out, the feature has been quietly implemented, so you can now check out similar artists from within another's catalogue. We had a fiddle with it, but weren't particularly impressed -- you can only see three similar artists in the bubble-like UI at any one time, with no explanation of why they are linked together, or how the recommendations are decided. Some people will probably appreciate the casual browsing experience, but we found it a little too uninformative. Of course, you can make up your own mind by grabbing your tab and heading for the Play store. Just don't be surprised if the whole experience ends up bursting your bubble. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Here's Apple's newly printed apology to Samsung, in case you missed it Posted: 02 Nov 2012 04:11 AM PDT
While Apple's still rewriting its online apology, the printed versions, detailing that Samsung's tablets did not infringe on Cupertino's iPad designs, have finally started to appear. Spotted on page five of The Guardian today, it doesn't look much like the Apple advertising we're used to -- we actually glossed over the admission when we first picked up the paper. Oh, and good luck typing up those links. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Watch Space Shuttle Atlantis' final journey to the Kennedy Space Center visitor building (video) Posted: 02 Nov 2012 03:46 AM PDT
It's always bittersweet when we see great vehicles on their way to becoming museum pieces, after all, they represent something pretty special. Space Shuttle Atlantis landed in Florida back in July, where it's been locked inside the vehicle assembly building at the Kennedy Space Center -- which is where we got a chance to look inside. Now it's making its final journey, a 10-mile cruise along the road to the visitor center, where it'll hopefully inspire generations for many years to come. If you'd like to watch the operation as it takes place, then head on past the break to watch the livestream. Broadcasting live with Ustream | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mophie Juice Pack for Samsung Galaxy S III now available for $100 Posted: 02 Nov 2012 03:04 AM PDT
Mophie told us a couple of months back that it would be bringing its GS3-friendly Juice Packs to market sometime around late October / early November, and, well, today's the day the handy add-on is finally up for grabs. As you can see above, the battery case will be available in white and black livery, with the company promising its 2,300mAh peripheral can "virtually double" battery life on the Galaxy S III without adding too much heft to the device. GS3 owners can snag one of Mophie's renowned Juice Packs now for $100 -- and to do just that, all you interested folks have to do is head over to the source link below. New mophie juice pack Lets Samsung Galaxy S® III Users Do More with their Device SANTA ANA, Calif., Nov. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The mophie™ juice pack, which has kept millions of iPhone's "in the green," is now available for the popular Samsung Galaxy S® III, providing double the battery life on one charge as well as complete device protection in an ultra-thin, lightweight, low-profile design. The juice pack for Galaxy S III marks the company's continued expansion into the Android market, with the new case joining mophie's existing universal line of external rechargeable batteries. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Google Translate gets new features, makes sure you choose the right words Posted: 02 Nov 2012 02:19 AM PDT
Google has added functionality to the web version of its Translate service, now making it even easier for us to use and understand foreign tongues. Instead of a single result, you'll be presented with a list of the most common translations, ordered and labeled by how frequently each one is used. What's more, synonyms are also displayed next to the assortment of results, but this particular feature only works when translating into English, although more languages are expected to be supported soon. We've had a quick play around with it, and suggest you head over to the Google Translate page and try out the new elements for yourself. Now, if only the website translator could make those Japanese pages a little easier to read. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 02 Nov 2012 01:27 AM PDT
Most video walls would be just a tad too large for the average living room, but the Tokyo University of Technology might have a clever technique to make them travel-sized. Its new Pinch interface joins mobile devices (currently iOS hardware) into a single display simply by making the namesake gesture between at least two gadgets: WiFi keeps them in sync and recognizes the relative size and orientation. While we probably wouldn't resort to a wall of iPads in place of a large TV, there's clear practical uses like extra-large creative apps, communication and very local multiplayer games. The best news may be that the university isn't keeping the technology to itself. It wants developers to borrow Pinch for their own apps, which could lead to a legion of smartphones and tablets getting extra-cozy. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nikon nudges Q2 net earnings to $203 million, DSLRs and Nikon 1 get all the credit Posted: 02 Nov 2012 12:34 AM PDT
Nikon might be treading water in Q2 2013 (its fiscal year is time-shifted) with a slight gain to $203 million from Q1, but in the current imaging market climate, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Revenue fell $200 million to $3 billion for the period, which Nikon chalked up to a "sluggish" economy and poor performance in its business, chip and science divisions, along with a rapidly shrinking compact camera market (smartphones, anyone?). Fortunately, the company fared better in the interchangeable lens game, singling out the Nikon 1 mirrorless brand as a "solid performer" as well as its popular DSLR line. Nikon predicts more of the same for the rest of the year, with interchangeable lens camera sales growing while other divisions waffle, resulting in a $750 million profit for the year -- a mirror-image of 2012. [Image credit: Wikimedia Commons] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hexxeh ports Chromium OS to the Nexus 7 simply because he can (video) Posted: 01 Nov 2012 11:31 PM PDT
Coder extraordinaire Hexxeh earned much of his reputation from porting Chromium OS to just about everything, some of his targets more audacious than others. It's about time he come full circle and port a Google platform to another Google platform, and he just recently did that with a very early Chromium OS conversion for the normally Android-based Nexus 7. Details are scarce other than that WiFi and touch input are working, although that's really all that's needed for something so web-centric, isn't it? We'll cut Hexxeh some slack when he says he's in no rush to produce a more easily installed build for Jane and Joe Modder -- when he mentions spending hours hacking the OS into the tablet just for fun, he probably deserves some leeway. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kobo's Glo and Mini readers on their way to Japan as the Touch gets a discount Posted: 01 Nov 2012 10:53 PM PDT
Looks like Kobo's leveraging some of that Rakuten-infused love. The e-reader maker announced today that it'll be bringing its new pair of devoted readers to Japan over the next couple of months, courtesy of its parent company. The e-literati in that country can pre-order the new Kobo Glo now for ¥7,980 ($100) through Rakuten for a projected ship date of November 15th. The 5-inch Kobo Mini, meanwhile, is due to arrive in December for ¥6,980 ($87) -- the same price as the recently discounted Kobo Touch.
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| WSJ: Microsoft testing homegrown handset designs with suppliers, may not see mass production Posted: 01 Nov 2012 10:02 PM PDT
Until very recently, Microsoft wasn't known for making hardware. Sure, it put out the occasional Zune, but most of the tech running Redmond's desktop and mobile operating systems traditionally comes from its partners -- the Surface being the exception, of course. According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft might consider making that exception a rule: some of the firm's part suppliers say that the company is experimenting with a smartphone design of its very own. Folks familiar with the matter say the device in question is between four and five inches, putting it in a sweet-spot that's larger than the iPhone 5, but not quite as daunting as a Samsung Galaxy Note II. Don't get too excited, however, sources aren't sure the if the device will go into mass production, and Microsoft is expectantly tight-lipped about the rumor. Still, we wouldn't scoff at a smartphone with a build quality to match the Surface -- though it might rub some of Redmond's hardware partners the wrong way. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Red gets Epic price cut, drops M, X and Scarlet brains by up to 45 percent Posted: 01 Nov 2012 09:02 PM PDT
Competition is heating up in the high-end digital cinema market, and Red is responding with a slew of massive price cuts. According to CEO Jim Jannard, this "attitude adjustment" is simply a benefit of scaling up production, yielding a decrease in component and assembly costs, and an enormous reduction in assembly time -- the first Epic took 12 hours to build, while current models require just 13 minutes. As a result, the Epic-M has dropped to $24,000 (from $39,500), the Epic-X is now $19,000 (formerly $34,500), the Scarlet is $7,950 (from $9,700) and the EOL'd One MX is priced at $4,000 (once $25,000). The Dragon sensor upgrade will not be included with any new Epic models, and will remain priced at $6,000. Red customers who took the plunge on cameras with former pricing within the last month (on or after October 1st) will receive a discount off future accessory purchases of $4,000 for Epic and $1,000 for Scarlet. With this latest round of discounts, Red cameras are by no means inexpensive, but they're certainly more affordable. If you were already planning to pick one up, Christmas just came a couple months early. [Thanks, Mike] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Google Wallet checkout gains support for mobile websites Posted: 01 Nov 2012 08:15 PM PDT
It wasn't long ago that Google Wallet delved into the online payment sphere, but as of today, the Mountain View juggernaut has extended its checkout service to mobile websites. According to Google, 97 percent of mobile shoppers abandon their carts, which is primarily due to the litany of information that needs to be manually entered. Now, when you stumble upon a mobile website that supports Google Wallet checkouts, you'll merely need to click the buy button, enter your login credentials and then complete the order. The immediate downside is the paltry number of outlets that support the service: 1-800-Flowers, Rockport and Five Guys. Then again, we suppose you could have a pretty nice evening with flowers, new shoes and a couple of burgers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IDC: Android claims 75 percent of smartphone shipments in Q3, 136 million handsets sold Posted: 01 Nov 2012 07:30 PM PDT
Android devices already counted for a lion's share of phones shipped during Q2, and now fresh IDC figures show Google's OS claiming the top spot with a hefty 75 percent marketshare in the third quarter. In total, 136 million Android handsets were shipped during the time frame, a new record in a single quarter. Even with the help of new hardware, iOS lagged behind in second place with a 14.9 percent stake of handsets. Both Blackberry and Symbian clung to their respective 3rd and 4th place spots, making up 6.6 percent of total shipments. Windows-based phones (both WP7 and Windows Mobile) fell to 2 percent, keeping Microsoft in fifth place just above smartphones running Linux. However, with Windows Phone 8 devices making their debut, we wouldn't be surprised to see Redmond's numbers get a boost when IDC's next report rolls around. Android Marks Fourth Anniversary Since Launch with 75.0% Market Share in Third Quarter, According to IDC 01 Nov 2012 "Android has been one of the primary growth engines of the smartphone market since it was launched in 2008," said Ramon Llamas, research manager, Mobile Phones at IDC. "In every year since then, Android has effectively outpaced the market and taken market share from the competition. In addition, the combination of smartphone vendors, mobile operators, and end-users who have embraced Android has driven shipment volumes higher. Even today, more vendors are introducing their first Android-powered smartphones to market." "The share decline of smartphone operating systems not named iOS since Android's introduction isn't a coincidence," said Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. "The smartphone operating system isn't an isolated product, it's a crucial part of a larger technology ecosystem. Google has a thriving, multi-faceted product portfolio. Many of its competitors, with weaker tie-ins to the mobile OS, do not. This factor and others have led to loss of share for competitors with few exceptions." Mobile Operating System Highlights Android, having topped the 100 million unit mark last quarter, reached a new record level in a single quarter. By comparison, Android's total volumes for the quarter were greater than the total number of smartphones shipped in 2007, the year that Android was officially announced. Samsung once again led all vendors in this space, but saw its market share decline as numerous smaller vendors increased their production. iOS was a distant second place to Android, but was the only other mobile operating system to amass double-digit market share for the quarter. The late quarter launch of the iPhone 5 and lower prices on older models prevented total shipment volumes from slipping to 3Q11 levels. But without a splashy new OS-driven feature like Siri in 2011 and FaceTime in 2010, the iPhone 5 relied on its larger, but not wider, screen and LTE connectivity to drive growth. BlackBerry's market share continued to sink, falling to just over 4% by the end of the quarter. With the launch of BlackBerry 10 yet to come in 2013, BlackBerry will continue to rely on its aging BlackBerry 7 platform, and equally aging device line-up. Still, demand for BlackBerry and its wildly popular BBM service is strong within multiple key markets worldwide, and the number of subscribers continues to increase. Symbian posted the largest year-on-year decline of the leading operating systems. Nokia remains the largest vendor still supporting Symbian, along with Japanese vendors Fujitsu, Sharp, and Sony. Each of these vendors is in the midst of transitioning to other operating systems and IDC believes that they will cease shipping Symbian-powered smartphones in 2013. At the same time, the installed base of Symbian users will continue well after the last Symbian smartphone ships. Windows Phone marked its second anniversary with a total of just 3.6 million units shipped worldwide, fewer than the total number of Symbian units shipped. Even with the backing of multiple smartphone market leaders, Windows Phone has yet to make a significant dent into Android's and iOS's collective market share. That could change in 4Q12, when multiple Windows Phone 8 smartphones will reach the market. Linux volume declined for the third straight quarter as did its year-over-year growth. Samsung accounted for the majority of shipments once again, but like most other vendors competing with Linux-powered smartphones, most of its attention went towards Android instead. Still, that has not deterred other vendors from experimenting, or at least considering the open-source operating system, as multiple reports of Firefox, Sailfish, and Tizen plan to release new Linux-based experiences in the future. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Samsung: Galaxy Note II has sold 3 million units worldwide Posted: 01 Nov 2012 06:50 PM PDT
Just over a month removed from launching its latest phablet, Samsung is reporting the Galaxy Note II has already racked up sales of 3 million units. The 5.5-inch stylus-enabled smartphone is selling at more than three times the rate of the original Note, a figure which probably won't be hurt by rolling out on multiple carriers including Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and US Cellular in the US. This supersized device can't quite match the mainstream appeal of Samsung's own Galaxy S III -- which cracked 20 million just 100 days after its debut -- but it should quickly surpass its predecessor, last seen cresting the 10 million mark back in August. Still not sure if squeezing this one into your skinny jeans is a good idea? If our review wasn't convincing enough, Samsung has a few hands-on videos of its own to show off some of its more unique capabilities, and is pushing the Note II with an ad campaign featuring LeBron James (insert joke about needing a 6' 8" basketball player to make it look normal here.)
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| Mad Catz Tritton Pro+ True 5.1 Surround Sound Headset now shipping for $200 Posted: 01 Nov 2012 05:47 PM PDT
If you spend more money on gaming than you do groceries each month, allow us to give you another reason to stock up on cases of ramen noodles: Mad Catz' Tritton Pro+ True 5.1 Surround Sound Headset is now shipping. Priced at $200, the Tritton Pro+ is compatible with the PS3, Xbox 360 and PCs. Sporting a flexible lightweight design, this triple threat rocks individual subwoofers in each earcup and "true Dolby Digital 5.1 surround" through eight separate drivers (four per earcup). In addition to its potentially deafening output, the Pro+ features an in-line remote and Selectable Voice Monitoring, which gives users the option to hear their own voice through the headset's speakers -- in case you wanna play multiplayer with the other people in your head. Also, you might wanna see a doctor. Mad Catz® Ships The TRITTON® PRO+™ True 5.1 Surround Sound Headset Featuring Dolby® Digital Technology Flagship Multi-Format Headset Arrives With Advanced Speaker Separation and Upgraded Specification San Diego – November 1, 2012 – Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. ("Mad Catz") (NYSE MKT: MCZ) announced today the shipping of the TRITTON PRO+ True 5.1 Surround Sound Headset, an upgrade to the Company's award winning TRITTON AX Pro™. Compatible with both the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system from Sony®, the TRITTON PRO+ True 5.1 Surround Sound Headset is available for purchase today. "The AX Pro pioneered multi-driver Dolby Digital surround sound gaming headsets. We believe the PRO+ will be an important part of our growth and enable us to maintain our leadership position within the high-end gaming headset market," said Darren Richardson, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz. "The PRO+ innovation in audio and design further demonstrates our commitment to the category and is part of our strategy to bring market leading products to passionate gamers." The PRO+ is capable of delivering an authentic Dolby Digital 5.1 experience though the use of eight individual drivers (four in each earcup). Advanced speaker separation and improved bass response drive precise audio effects to the gamer, ideal for competitive gaming. The PRO+ features a redesigned in-line Remote and Selectable Voice Monitoring (SVM), allowing users to choose if they hear their own voice through the headset, as well as sporting a new lightweight and flexible design. Additional information and purchase options are available at: www.trittonaudio.com/proplus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shatoetry iPhone app lets you put... words... in... William Shatner's... mouth Posted: 01 Nov 2012 04:47 PM PDT
William Shatner and technology go way back, but it's taken him until today to get his own smartphone app. Then again, he is a man known to take long pauses. Dubbed Shatoetry, the new app (iPhone-only, for the moment) lets you string together a variety of pre-recorded words -- each with three different versions -- and have the resulting "Shatism" read aloud by Shatner himself. You're then able to send the message to your friends through all the usual means, or even take advantage of a co-op mode that lets you collaborate on a phrase. Of course, spoken word Shatner on-demand doesn't come free -- the app will set you back $2.99. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford researchers create 'world's first' all-carbon solar cell, do it on the cheap Posted: 01 Nov 2012 04:12 PM PDT
Harnessing the awesome power of the Sun isn't just dependent on the efficiency of solar cells, but also on making them affordable. Current techniques aren't exactly cheap, but researchers from Stanford University think they've made a bit of a breakthrough by producing a relatively inexpensive photovoltaic cell using nothing but carbon. We're sure other scientists might disagree with the 'world's first' claim, but those at Stanford think it's a matter of language, and that these other pretenders are "referring to just the active layer in the middle, not the electrodes." The team selected a trio of carbon types to use in their cell: a mixture of nanotubes and buckyballs make up the light-absorbing layer, while graphene is being utilized for the electrodes. The carbon amalgam can be applied from solution using simple methods, meaning the flexible cells could be used to coat surfaces, although you won't be seeing it smeared over anything too soon. The prototype only touts a "laboratory efficiency of less than 1 percent," so it can't compete with traditional solar cells just yet. Also, it only absorbs a sliver of the light spectrum, but the researchers are looking to other forms of the wonder element which could increase that range. They are hoping that improving the structure of the cells will help to boost their efficiency, too. They might never generate the most energy, but the all-carbon cells can remain stable under extreme conditions, meaning they could find their calling in harsh environments where brawn is a little more important than status, or looks. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Apple files anti-theft patent that uses accelerometers to detect theft-like movement Posted: 01 Nov 2012 03:38 PM PDT
What kind of movement does a theft entail? Apple's in the process of figuring that out, today filing a patent application for a, "acceleration-based theft detection system for portable electronic devices." Apple pickers: you've just been put on watch. According to the patent filing, said device would activate an alarm of some form after determining, "whether a theft condition is present." It'll apparently figure that out based on the accelerometer built into many of Apple's mobile devices -- the same thing that figures out which way you're holding your phone. Beyond just the hardware, said theft protection system would work in concert with software to determine if the movement matches a pre-determined "profile characteristic of theft." Of course, Apple's not the only one worried about mobile device theft, as Google already patented just such a device pertaining to its Project Glass concept. But the you'd have to be pretty brazen to steal the glasses off of someone's face without "accidentally" socking them in the eye. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Windows 8 upgrade diary: multiple monitors make my mouse mad Posted: 01 Nov 2012 03:00 PM PDT
Tune into the chatter around Windows 8 and it won't be long before you start hearing about keyboard shortcuts. Instead of forcing us to replicate long swipe gestures using a mouse (which would be cruel to all concerned), Microsoft is putting forward these little key combos as the primary means of navigation on traditional desktop PCs that don't have touchscreens. Right now, I'm in the middle of trying to adapt to this -- and like our Windows 8 review concludes, the curve is steep. In my case, matters are complicated by the fact that I use a triple-monitor setup for work, which perhaps makes me more sensitive to UI issues. But regardless of how many displays are hooked up to it, there genuinely are some interface niggles in this OS. Despite having mastered the basic shortcuts, I'm still having to reach for my mouse way too often, and the arm ache is starting to dampen the good vibes left over from my last diary post. So, join me after the break and at the very least you'll get to observe someone flailing around in search of answers. The image up top shows how I'm currently arranging stuff in Windows 8, and it's already quite effective. I use my left-sideand central monitors as the primary work space (simply known as the 'Desktop' in Windows 8), for which mouse navigation is both proper and essential. Then I put Metro (i.e. the new UI which officially has no distinct name) on the right-side display, where it deals with all incoming information -- email, calendars, Twitter and other glance-worthy stuff that shouldn't require any mouse activity. Notwithstanding the criticisms I'm about to hurl in the next paragraph, Metro is much neater, calmer and indeed more keyboard-friendly than Windows 7 ever was. The right-hand side of my old desktop used to be a chaotic jumble of desktop "gadgets" and Chrome windows that were forever obscuring each other or getting accidentally minimized. In contrast, I'm now cycling between full-screen Metro apps (by hitting Windows Key + Tab) and live tiles on the Start screen (toggled by the Windows Key), which share one unified design. To make best use of the Metro panel, I often put the email app into split-screen mode on the far right, as you can see below (done using Windows Key + Period). These shortcuts are already natural enough that I never need to do anything remotely swipe-like with the mouse. The problem is that this separation between mouse navigation (for the two Desktop panels) and keyboard navigation (for the Metro panel) keeps breaking down -- either because a particular Metro app refuses to respond to the keyboard, or because Metro is just unable to do everything I want to do on that panel. Whenever there's a hiccup in my Metro flow, I have to rack up around a foot (30cm) of total mouse movement to get my cursor over to the Metro panel and put things back on track. Here are the main issues I've encountered so far, some of which are fixed and some of which are still potentially an RSI hazard:
That's it for now! In the next update, I'll switch the focus away from work to more fun stuff -- HTPC and gaming. I'll also start trying out a bunch of peripherals to see if I can solve some of my mouse-arm problems that way. (My current rig, for the record: a Sandy Bridge i5 running on a Gigabyte Z68 motherboard; NZXT Switch 810 case; Gelid Tranquillo Rev. 2 cooler; Seasonic 600-watt PSU; Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 7970; 8GB Crucial XMS3 RAM; ASUS Xonar Phoebus sound card; three 1080p ViewSonic VX2336S LED monitors; 240GB SanDisk Extreme primary drive; 1TB 5,400 rpm media drive.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Evernote 5 for Mac beta is here to keep you on the bleeding edge of hyperorganization (video) Posted: 01 Nov 2012 02:24 PM PDT
Evernote 5 for Mac is finally here ... sort of. At least the beta is here, but that's totally out now. Of course, you may not wanna jump into the madness of a beta -- Evernote's warning users that they could suffer data corruption, data loss, or other such calamities. Should that be the case, you'll only have to wait "a bit" for the public release of the final software. Also, if you snagged Evernote via Apple's App Store, your local notebooks may be endangered by the beta; "if you install the beta, you will lose all of your local notebooks," Evernote says. Should you be bold enough to participate, instructions are right here. What does Evernote's latest release contain, pray tell? Smarter search with TypeAhead, for one, not to mention a more graphics-heavy note interface. The fine folks at Evernote have a full video rundown of new features in Evernote 5, which we've dropped below. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Google Wallet update purportedly leaks plans for a real-world card, transfers and transit passes Posted: 01 Nov 2012 01:54 PM PDT
Google Wallet hasn't had much uptake in the real world. When most of its use has revolved around one carrier, few payment points and even fewer phones, most of us have had to sit on the sidelines. If an Android Police source really did come across a leaked future build of Google Wallet as he claims, though, we may know how Google surmounts that problem: going old school with a real-world card. Screenshots in the app supposedly show a mail-in option for plastic that could completely replace credit and debit cards without turning to NFC. Any charges after a typical swipe of the magnetic strip would simply go to whatever payment source is set as Wallet's default, letting minimalists slim down their actual wallets while sharing in the same discounts as their phone-wielding counterparts. Digital-only purists would still get something out of the deal, as the update could also bring person-to-person money transfers and support for mass transit cards. How soon the as yet unconfirmed app would appear is still a mystery, but it dovetails with Google teasing a Wallet revamp that's rumored to take mobile use beyond its Android-only roots; we just didn't anticipate that the company might bypass our phones altogether. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Time-lapse map shows internet outages as Hurricane Sandy makes landfall (video) Posted: 01 Nov 2012 01:17 PM PDT
It's no secret that Hurricane Sandy has worked a number on communications infrastructure, but now a time-lapse video created by Renesys gives us a clearer picture of when and where internet outages occurred as the storm made landfall. Green squares on the map above indicate that 99.95 percent of networks in the area are reachable, while red squares denote that more than five percent of networks are down. In Manhattan's case, Renesys estimates that there was only a ten percent failure, which it considers impressive since power was cut to much of the island. Ten percent may not sound like a huge outage, but the firm points out that population density makes it equivalent to taking a country the size of Austria off the grid. As for the 90 percent of networks in the borough that stayed online, they survived thanks to generator power. If you'd like to witness the playback of outages between October 29th and 30th, head past the jump for the video. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Google pulls back the curtain on its new voice search, sums it up in this graph Posted: 01 Nov 2012 12:47 PM PDT
Google has revealed just how it harnesses your idle curiosity on every subject imaginable to supercharge its voice search. A database of 230 billion googled words was fed into a language model that can then work out the probability of what you're going to say next. Mountain View researcher Ciprian Chelba explained that one example of this is if you say "New York," you're statistically more likely to say "Pizza" than "Granola," regardless of any new year's resolutions. If you'd like to learn more, you can find the algebra-packed original paper down at the source link. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Amazon brings Cloud Drive Photos app to Android, keeps your shots safe Posted: 01 Nov 2012 12:19 PM PDT
Looks like releasing its first in-house-built mobile game for Android (and other platforms) wasn't quite enough for the online retail giant. Amazon announced earlier that its Cloud Drive Photos application is now available on Android for both handset and tablets, giving users of Google's OS a cloud-based hub to use for uploading, saving, sharing and viewing pictures -- of course this also includes the retailer's kind handout of 5G of free storage, though folks could easily upgrade to 20GB for a $10 per-year fee. The Cloud Drive Photos app is up for download now, so hit that Google Play link below if you're looking for yet another place to keep all those awesome shots you snap with your device. Amazon Cloud Drive Photos App Now Available on Android Phones and Tablets Never worry about having stranded or lost photos again – Cloud Drive easily and securely stores customers' photos in the Amazon Cloud SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 1, 2012-- (NASDAQ:AMZN) – Amazon.com, Inc. today announced the launch of Cloud Drive Photos for Android app, making it even easier to upload, store, share and enjoy photos from Android phones and tablets. Android phone and tablet users can download the free Cloud Drive Photos for Android app to take advantage of Cloud Drive's 5 GB of free storage, and have thousands of their photos at their fingertips in the Amazon Cloud. Users can purchase additional storage for as little as $10 a year for 20 GB. The Cloud Drive Photos for Android app is available in the Amazon Appstore or from Google Play, and you can learn more about the app at www.amazon.com/androidclouddrive. "Customers rely on their mobile devices more and more to capture the memories that matter to them," said Russell Dicker, Director of Cloud Drive. They are taking photos at birthday parties, soccer games, and kids' recitals every day on their Android phones and tablets. The Cloud Drive Photos for Android app makes it simple to save these memories into Cloud Drive and have them automatically available on your Kindle Fire or Android Phone or Tablet." It's easy to save your photos from your Android device to Cloud Drive. Simply press and hold on a photo album on your Android phone, and select "Upload to Cloud Drive" to save existing photos from your device to the Cloud. Amazon Cloud Drive uses the same reliable and fast data storage infrastructure used by Amazon to run its own global network of web sites. Android Cloud Drive features include: All Your Photos, Wherever You Go: Save your entire photo collection in Cloud Drive and your photos will be available to enjoy on your Kindle Fire, Android Phones and tablets, or with any web browser. To learn more about Amazon Cloud Drive, visit www.amazon.com/clouddrive. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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