Showing posts with label mobile-news. Show all posts

Moto X's camera UI leaks, reveals swipe-driven UI and slow motion mode

[Image: moto-x-camera-ui-leak.jpg]

We learned a couple of things regarding the Moto X's camera interface therein leaked Rogers promo video, however we have a tendency to did not learn everything. automaton Police is over willing to fill in those blanks by posting screen captures that reportedly show Motorola's new camera computer code in action. the pictures recommend a minimal, swipe-driven UI paying homage to a Google Play Edition phone, however with an additional little bit of polish. additionally to the flick-based launching and tap-to-hold burst shooting that we have seen, the Moto X depends heavily on a hidden settings carousel with a couple of options higher than and on the far side stock automaton, such a picture mode. whereas the screenshots say very little regarding the cameras themselves, it's cheap to suspect that we'll learn additional regarding those at intervals a couple of days.

Uber intros fare splitting for cost-conscious ridesharers

Few party-goers forestall to the maths involved paying for a shared cab ride home. currently that Uber supports fare cacophonic, they will not have to: the company's updated humanoid and iOS apps let passengers divide the value equally. whereas friends should be Uber members to give, they solely have to be compelled to provide their permission if somebody has already hailed a automobile. The new apps will not essentially get tightwad friends to pay, however they might avoid a couple of headaches at the top of a protracted night.


Geeksphone preps upgraded Peak+ Firefox OS phone, 25GB of cloud space for new users

Geeksphone's Firefox OS-based Keon and Peak phones have principally catered to developers; the corporate is currently widening that audience with an upgraded phone for the general public, the Peak+. whereas Geeksphone is not speech precisely what is been tuned, it guarantees "new hardware upgrades" in response to community feedback. The firm is additionally giving 25GB in cloud storage to first-timers for all their net syncing desires. Reservations for the Peak+ can begin within the days ahead, and would-be customers can probably need to sign in quickly -- Geeksphone is teasing a reduction for the primary wave of consumers.


Nokia Cinemagraph update brings 720p, improved desktop quality and color pop feature





Lumia users have no need for low-quality-GIF makers, thank you very much. Why? Because they can now use the new version of Cinemagraph to create animated images in full 1,080 x 720 glory. What's more, HD cat mems made with the updated app -- not to be confused with the similar Cinemagram -- can be viewed as short high-res video clips instead of GIFs when accessed on computers. As a nice bonus, the developers also threw in a new color pop feature that lets you highlight one hue and render the rest of the image black and white. Sure, the style's been overdone, but we'll bet many WP8 users are thankful the app's expanding its filter offerings in the absence of Instagram.

Dual-SIM HTC Butterfly S certified for China, comes with removable back cover

It's a given that HTC will eventually launch its new Butterfly S in China, but will it be a dual-SIM version like the One Dual variants offered over there? The answer is yes, according to a filing in TENAA's database. This particular "9060" device comes with WCDMA radio, meaning it'll be picked up by China Unicom but will also work in many parts of the world.

According to a source of ours, the entire back cover (black or white; with NFC antenna) is removable to give access to the two micro-SIM card slots, as well as a microSD slot as featured on the One Dual. The trade-off, however, is the increased 10.89mm thickness from the original 10.6mm. That said, the listed 158g weight is a little below the original 160g, so we're not sure if the battery capacity is still at 3,200mAh.

The rest of the phone should otherwise be identical to its single-SIM sibling: 1.9GHz quad-core processor (so should be the same Snapdragon 600 SoC), 5-inch 1080p LCD, UltraPixel main camera, BoomSound stereo speakers and Android 4.2.2. As always, we shall keep an eye out for a price and date.



HTC One Mini shows up as 601e in Chinese certification database

Why hello again, One Mini! While HTC has yet to make this metallic 4.3-inch phone official, the closest thing we have right now is this certification in China's TENAA database. What's new is the "601e" model name, which positions it in a similar tier as the other slightly bigger 600 series devices destined for China, namely the Desire 606w (aka Desire 600 Dual SIM globally), Desire 608t and Desire 609d. But unlike these models nor the Chinese variants of the larger One, it appears that this 601e with WCDMA radio is just a single-SIM device. With the appearance of this filing, it shouldn't be long before the One Mini finally hits the shelves around the world.



VLC returns to iOS after two-year hiatus, brings AirPlay and Dropbox integration

VideoLAN's original VLC for iOS had a brief and rocky history: open source licensing quirks led to the media player being pulled from the App Store just months after launch. More than two years later, it's back with a compatible license -- and it's bringing a slew of new features in return for the wait. VLC 2.0 supports all the file formats of its desktop counterpart while throwing in AirPlay, background audio, network streaming and numerous smaller tweaks. It's also better suited to sharing with support for Dropbox, the iOS sharing prompt, web downloads and WiFi uploads. The revived VLC app is gradually rolling out now, and its source code should be available for tinkering by July 19th.





Download:- Apple Store

Halo: Spartan Assault debuts on Verizon Windows Phone 8 devices, also released for Wi

Starting today, Verizon customers and Windows 8 users will be able to get their Halo fix. For folks with a VZW Windows Phone 8 device, the hotly anticipated Halo: Spartan Assault is finally available to download from the Windows Phone Store, and those with devices running full Windows 8 or RT can grab a copy from the regular Windows Store -- with either version costing $6.99. Sadly, should you not be on Big Red, 343 Industries announced at Comic-Con that fans who aren't with Verizon will have to wait until August 16th to get their hands on the game. So, if you're a Windows Phone user that'll have to wait another month to get a copy of your own, tide yourself over with our hands-on.

BlackBerry confirms one BB7-based phone shipping later this year






BlackBerry may see BB10 as the future of the company, but it isn't breaking with the past quite yet. Thorsten Heins just told those at BlackBerry's annual shareholder meeting that there will be one BB7-based phone this year. While he didn't elaborate further, there's a good chance he's referring to the Bold 9720 that reportedly leaked just hours ago. Don't expect a wide resurgence of BB7 devices, however. Heins mentioned that BlackBerry won't have more than six devices on sale at a time, and most of those slots will be occupied by BB10 hardware.

Samsung ATIV Odyssey now available on US Cellular for $50 after rebate





The obscure ZTE Render's had its fair share of good times as US Cellular's Windows Phone, but the carrier's now ready to add its first WP8 device to the lineup: the Samsung ATIV Odyssey. The smartphone, which has been available on Verizon for several months, finally launches online today and in stores this Thursday for $50 on contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate. The device offers a WVGA display, a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 chipset, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage with microSD expansion, NFC, a 2,100mAh battery and 5MP rear camera with 1.2MP front-facing cam.


U.S. CELLULAR LAUNCHING FIRST WINDOWS PHONE 8 SMARTPHONE

The 4G LTE Samsung ATIV Odyssey™ will be available online today and in stores July 11

CHICAGO (July 9, 2013) – U.S. Cellular® (NYSE: USM) has announced availability of the 4G LTE™ Samsung ATIV Odyssey™ beginning online today and in stores July 11. This is the first Windows® Phone 8 device for U.S. Cellular, and it is $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate.

The Samsung ATIV Odyssey is the latest device to join U.S. Cellular's 4G LTE line-up that now consists of 15 devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S® 4 and several additional smartphones and connected devices. Currently, 61 percent of customers have access to 4G LTE speeds and 87 percent will have access by the end of the year. Customers who purchase the ATIV Odyssey from U.S. Cellular also receive a valuable rewards program that recognizes customer loyalty.

"We're excited to offer a Windows Phone 8 smartphone so our customers and potential customers have another option when looking for a device that meets their needs," said Joe Settimi, vice president of products, pricing and innovation for U.S. Cellular. "At U.S. Cellular, we want to provide a better wireless experience, and the smooth interface on the 4G LTE Samsung ATIV Odyssey makes and easy to stay updated and share meaningful moments with friends, family and colleagues."

The Windows Phone 8 operating system uses live tiles so you can personalize your Start screen, allowing easy access to the most important content in real-time, whether it is photos of your family, Office documents or your favorite app. The interface is similar to the Windows 8 experience on computers and tablets, so accessing your information is seamless across devices. With a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and a 4-inch Super AMOLED™ touchscreen, the Samsung ATIV Odyssey displays vivid photos while movies and games play sharp and fast.

Additionally, the ATIV Odyssey includes several unique features that are exclusive to Samsung smartphones.

One of those features, Now, provides easy access to weather, news, stocks and more, so users stay up to date on important information all in one app. Shutterbugs can use the 5-megapixel camera and the built-in Photo Editor to apply filters, frames and stickers in addition to resizing, rotating and cropping photos. Once a picture has been edited and saved, users can share with friends or post to social media sites. The Mini Diary lets users keep track of daily activities through entries of pictures, drawings, location and audio, and it can be easily shared.

Highlighted Device Features:

Xbox Live® Integration

5 megapixel rear-facing camera; 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera
8GB internal storage, can be upgraded with up to a 64GB microSD card
NFC capable

Locket puts ads on your Android homescreen, pays you a penny to unlock

Take a look at your Android phone. See that background shot? It's probably kind of cute, but hardly inspiring. In fact, is is bringing you any joy whatsoever? Is it helping you to make rent? Believe it or not, there's now an app for that. Locket has just launched into the Google Play Store, enabling a limited (for now) selection of advertisers to place ads on your lock screen and then paying you one cent for each time you unlock. Of course, it's capped at $0.03 per hour (so every other unlock is just making the company money), and you'll be allowed to cash out, toss the funds on a gift card or donate your earnings to a charity. Don't worry, we already did the math -- you can earn $262.80 by unlocking your phone's screen three times each hour, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Or you can just mow some grass.







Why The Amazing New Flagship Windows Phone Will Fail?


Why The Amazing New Flagship Windows Phone Will Fail?


Nokia's new Lumia smartphone has amazing hardware (especially its unprecedented 41-megapixel camera). And it doesn't matter at all, because its software lags so far behind its hardware.



 When HTC released a gorgeous, powerful, innovative, distinctive Android phone a few weeks ago, we realized Android was suddenly an option for everyone, even the very rich. But yesterday, Nokia unveiled its newest flagship smartphone, a gorgeous, powerful, innovative, distinctive Windows Phone, and I suspect it won't sell any better than the Lumia 920, the last flagship Nokia Windows Phone (which in its first quarter sold 4.4 million units, compared to the iPhone 5's 27.4 million). Or the Lumia before that. Or the one before that. That's because Windows Phone has a serious problem: its hardware is improving rapidly, but its operating software is not.

Two years ago, we reviewed Windows Phone 7.5, the first major update to the then-new Windows Phone operating system, and said we were still "waiting for it to really live up to its promise." One year ago, we reviewed the Nokia Lumia 920, with the Windows Phone 8 update, and said "Windows Phone has huge problems. That doesn't mean it's bad, but we're two years into this operating system, and it still has basic issues that impact daily use."


The new Lumia looks great--I was very impressed with the camera technology when I saw it last year, and the aesthetics of the Lumia line have always been stylish and playful in a way that's totally different from anything else on the market. But that doesn't matter at all, because Microsoft is not improving the Windows Phone operating system at anywhere near the pace it needs to.

Here's a brief list of major problems Microsoft has yet to address:

  • Multitasking is sometimes inscrutable, in that you never know which apps will show up in the "currently running" list of apps.
  • Email threading often doesn't work, especially with Gmail accounts.
  • Lots of features, including Rooms (sort of a mobile, multimedia chat room) are Windows Phone exclusives, meaning they can only be accessed with Windows Phones--cool, but it's pretty unlikely all your friends have Windows Phones too.
  • Speech recognition is lousy, nowhere near as good as Google's Android voice control or even Apple's Siri.
  • There's no place to see notifications at all; if you get an alert on an app that you haven't pinned to your homescreen, you'd never know.
  • Bing Maps doesn't have public transit directions, let alone bike directions.
  • It's not easy to share photos to services like Twitter and Facebook; Android and iOS let you do that in one touch, but not Windows Phone.
Microsoft can fix all that stuff. Microsoft needs to fix all that stuff. But the biggest problem might be the hardest to fix: there aren't nearly enough good apps available for Windows Phone.


App developers are often low-budget and understaffed, even wildly successful ones, and it's expensive and time-consuming to assign people to port apps to another platform, like Windows Phone. They'll do it, sure, if they have the resources and it seems like the userbase is big enough to make them some money... and therein lies the problem.
It's a cyclical issue. Developers won't make apps for a platform nobody uses, and nobody will buy a phone with no apps. No customers leads to no apps leads to no customers.


What should Microsoft do?

Note:
Microsoft can break the cycle, though. All it has to do is take advantage of the fact that it's one of the biggest and most powerful companies in the world: take a cannon, fill it up with money and talented developers, and aim it south from the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington straight at Silicon Valley. (Or wherever else the developers call home.) Aim the cash cannon east, at London, and give King.com, the makers of massive hit Candy Crush, a couple hundred thousand dollars and a team of developers to port the game over to Windows Phone. Do the same for Instagram (which is still not available on Windows Phone), Snapchat, Dots, or whatever else people are using on other platforms.
Microsoft has the clout and capital to fix its own problems--it just needs to actually spend the time and money it'll take to do it.

Samsung Galaxy NX mirrorless camera

Samsung Galaxy NX mirrorless camera official: Interchangeable lenses, Android Jelly Bean and 4G LTE Mobile 





 True to JK Shin's promise, Samsung is indeed introducing a new Android-powered mirrorless camera: the Galaxy NX. Although it runs Google's mobile OS (version 4.2.2 Jelly Bean) and bears LTE radios, the NX is not quite a direct sequel to the Galaxy Camera, the company's glorified point-and-shoot for all comers. Rather, the Galaxy NX is what Samsung calls an interchangeable-lens CSC (or Compact System Camera), featuring a 20.3-megapixel APS-C sensor, as well as 3G / 4G LTE, WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity -- making it worthy of that Galaxy moniker.


As you can tell from the above image, the Galaxy NX also packs a large 4.8-inch HD LCD display on its rear and is powered by a 1.6GHz Pega-Q quad-core setup and separate DRIMe IV Signal processor for imaging. The UI should look pretty familiar to anyone who's used an Android device before, with the common apps and widgets submenus, as well as the wheel interface for its 30 Smart Modes -- employed when selecting imaging settings. And if you happen to own any of the company's other NX cameras, you'll be able to swap out lenses (13 in all) as the Galaxy NX is fully compatible with that range. It also incorporates a hybrid AF, culled from the best of DSLRs and compacts, with a shutter speed of 1/6,000th of a second and 8.6fps shooting.


Samsung's been pretty forthcoming about all the tech and software it's put into the Galaxy NX, but there are two key bits it's still withholding: pricing and availability. For now, it appears UK residents will have first crack at the Galaxy NX, as PR pegs its release for that territory as sometime this summer. The same, however, can't be said for a US launch. Regardless, as the Galaxy NX is more a proper camera for experienced photogs and less Android phone like the Galaxy Camera and S4 Zoom, you can bet on its price tag being relatively high when it launches. In the meantime, check out our Galaxy NX hands-on for more detailed impressions.