Category Archives: Mobile

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Apps

Bad Piggies

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Bad Piggies

Get ready to see pigs fly!

From the creators of Angry Birds: an all new game from the PIGS’ point of view!

“Extremely fun and very challenging” — Kotaku

“The best title Rovio has released yet” – IGN

“4/4 – Must Have” — Slide to Play

“Bad Piggies is awesome, and needs to be a part of your iOS game collection just as much as the rest of the Angry Birds series” – Touch Arcade

“If you can’t enjoy watching a pig drive a badly constructed car off a cliff and onto a pile of dynamite, you probably don’t have a soul.” – Yahoo/BGR

Create the ultimate flying/crawling/rolling/spinning/crashing device and pilot the pigs safely to the eggs!

The Bad Piggies are after the eggs again — but as usual, nothing is going according to plan! Can you create the ultimate flying machine and steer them safely to their destination? Those tricky pigs have a few objects they can use, but they need your help to turn these into the perfect transportation!

With more than 72 levels, and free updates coming up, you have hours and hours of pig-crashing, exploding, and flying fun! Get three stars to unlock 18 more levels! HINT: Sometimes you need to play the level several times to achieve all the objectives — try building a new device or steering in a different way to earn all the stars!

Mobile

Galaxy Nexus: Android with a soul

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Like the T-1000 standing in a sea of Arnolds, the Galaxy Nexus is better, faster and smarter than any other Android phone on the market.

Not that current Android phones fall short in machine power. Rather, much like the androids of the silver screen, the operating system has been the weak point. Previous versions of Android have lacked some intangible spark. A human element, perhaps — a missing je ne sais quoi that has been keeping many critics and users from fully engaging with the platform.

It’s a debatable point, but I’d argue that “special something” can be found in Android’s biggest competitor, Apple’s iOS. Siri, the voice-activated digital servant on the iPhone 4S, is a great example of a feature that marries technical prowess with a human touch: We speak to “her”, not to “it.”

Android, on the other hand, has always been sold on the strength of its robotic nature. Power, hardware specs and hackability were the reasons why we were supposed to buy an Android. It’s not a posh concierge, it’s a Swiss Army Knife.

But with the Galaxy Nexus, Google has put a little soul into the machine

Read more @ Wired

Mobile

Microsoft sued for tracking mobile users’ location without permission

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Lawsuit claims that tech giant collects data about customers’ whereabouts even they have opted out of location tracking

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Microsoft faces a lawsuit for allegedly tracking the location of users of its Windows Phone 7 software even after they had opted out

Microsoft tracks the location of its mobile users even after customers turned the software off, a lawsuit filed on Wednesday alleges.

The legal action claims that owners of Windows Phone 7 smartphonesare being unwittingly tracked when the camera on their phone is switched on.

The lawsuit, filed in a Seattle federal court, claims that Microsoft collects data about the whereabouts of its users even after customers have opted out of location tracking.

Microsoft declined to comment on Thursday morning.

The lawsuit follows mounting concern about how technology giants, including Apple and Google, record users’ private data. Microsoft, Nokia, Apple and Google were called before the US Congress in April to explain their privacy policies after security researchers uncovered hidden location-tracking software in iPhones. Google Android phones weresubsequently found to gather location data, but required users’ explicit permission.

The lawsuit alleges that Microsoft’s letter to congress, which claimed that location data is collected “always with the express consent of the user”, was “false”.

The claim, filed by Rebecca Cousineau, says that Microsoft transmits data including coordinates of a customer’s location when the phone’s camera is switched on. According to the lawsuit, hidden tracking affects smartphones using Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 software, such as the HTC 7 Mozart and the Samsung Omnia 7.

Microsoft is understood to be preparing a response to the claims.

In its representation to US Congress in May, the Redmond, Washington-based company said that tracking users’ location helps “deliver more useful and relevant experiences to users”.

It adds: “To provide these rich experiences, Microsoft collects limited information necessary to determine the approximate location of a device. Collection is always with the express consent of the user and the goal of our collection is never to track where a specific device has been or is going.

“We believe that, when designed, deployed and managed responsibly, the location-based feature of a mobile operating system should function as a tool for the user and the applications he or she elects to use, and not as a means to generate a database of sensitive information that can enable a party to surreptitiously ‘track’ a user.”

Mobile

Samsung launches Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tab 7.7

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Midsized Galaxy Note is pitched as replacement for pen and paper, while new Galaxy Tab offers Super AMOLED Plus screen

Samsung Galaxy Note

The Samsung Galaxy Note features the pressure-sensitive ‘S-Pen’ and is smaller than HTC’s Flyer

Samsung has unveiled two new tablets, one of which, the midsized Galaxy Note, is being pitched as a replacement for pen and paper.

The Android-based Galaxy Note features a pressure-sensitive “S Pen” that can be used to write, draw and annotate a variety of content types, including photos. The idea has been done before, with HTC’s Flyer, but that tablet’s stylus came as a pricey optional extra that had to be bought separately.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note’s 5.3in screen size is smaller than the Flyer and closer to the dimensions of a standard notepad. The tablet is 9.65mm wide and weighs 178g. The larger tablet announced at the IFA technology show in Berlin on Thursday is the Galaxy Tab 7.7, a slightly enlarged version of Samsung’s first Android tablet, unveiled a year ago.

According to Andrew Coughlin, head of account for Samsung Europe, the Galaxy Note comes with a memo application that can be quickly called up so the user can jot down ideas. “Any screen can be captured and annotated with detailed commentary in your own handwriting,” he said.

Samsung obviously sees a big future for pen-based input. The company will release a software development kit (SDK) so third-party developers can write apps for the stylus – reference apps that have already been created with partners include a multiparty whiteboard application for business use.

It remains to be seen how the device will be priced in the UK or when it will become available. The Flyer, which is already getting long-in-the-tooth by tablet standards, can be picked up for about £400.

Coughlin and other Samsung executives repeatedly referred to the Galaxy Note as a primary device, suggesting that it can replace both the smartphone and the larger tablet size exemplified by the market-leading iPad.

The Galaxy Tab 7.7 is a revision of the original Galaxy Tab, which featured a slightly smaller 7in screen. The new version is thinner, lighter and brighter, measuring 7.89mm in thickness, weighing 335g and featuring the same Super AMOLED Plus screen technology that is used in the extremely popular Galaxy S II smartphone.

Super AMOLED Plus allows wide viewing angles, a feature that Apple has been keen to promote with the IPS display on its iPad 2. Both of Samsung’s new tablets feature 1.4GHz dual-core processors, which is about the same processing power that can be found in netbooks. By comparison, Apple’s iPad 2 is relatively sluggish with its 1GHz processor.

Versions of the Galaxy Tab 7.7 will be made available with a variety of connectivity options, including “4G” LTE and the more-common 3G-based HSPA option found in most smartphones.

At the same event, Samsung unveiled its Wave 3 handset, which runs the new version 2.0 of the company’s Bada operating system. Bada is an OS that Samsung is putting into a range of handsets, from the low end to smartphones.

Although the high end of the market is almost entirely taken up with smartphone-specific operating systems such as iOS, Android and the BlackBerry OS, Samsung said at Thursday’s launch that it will do its utmost to make Bada “one of the top mobile platforms in the industry”.

Mobile

Bharti Launches sub 10k Tablet – Magiq

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Beetel Teletech, part of India’s Bharti Enterprises that controls top mobile carrier Bharti Airtel , launched a tablet computer priced at 9,999 rupees on Wednesday.

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The 7-inch tablet, branded Beetel Magiq, runs on Google’s  Android operating system and supports both 3G and Wi-Fi networks, Beetel said in a statement.

Key features :-

    • Processor Speed – 1GHz
    • Android 2.2
    • 7.0″ WVGA Screen
    • Dual Camera – (2MP + 2MP)
    • Comfy Stand
    • Track Pad
    • Android Market (Free Apps)

The tablet will come with data connection from Airtel*. Currently available only in Mumbai and Delhi

 

*The offer is applicable on the first airtel SIM that is inserted into a new Magiq Tablet. To activate 3G services, sms 3G to 121. Post expiry of free data usage, in-plan data browsing changes of 10p/10kb will apply till expiry of the validity. Once offer is over, standard data browsing charges of 10p/10kb will apply. Customers will get the offer only once. In 2G circles where airtel has not launched 3G, customers will get 2GB of 2G data per month for 6 months. Customers who avail the 2G offer, will not get 3G offer post launch of 3G network. Offer is valid till 20th Nov 2011. For T&C’s visit www.airtel.in

The connection will be activated on the Tablet by 24th Aug’2011.

Android, Gadgets

Reliance debuts 3G Tablet in India

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http://gigjets.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Reliance-3G-Tab-290x160.jpgReliance entered the tablet war with a 7 inch Android pad. It’s powered by an 800 MHz processor coupled with a healthy 512 MB RAM. It also supports voice calling and SMS; runs on Gingerbread or Android 2.3 and has a capacitive multi touch screen. It weighs only about 389 grams.

The device has two cameras — A 2 megapixel camera at the back and a VGA resolution camera on the front for video calling. The phone connects using 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth.

A WiFi Hotspot feature allows you to use the phone as a WiFi modem for up to five devices. It also has Mobile TV and YouTube, Google Search, Google Map, R World Online, Gmail, and FM Radio. It also plays multiple music and video formats. It’s powered by a 3400 mAh battery, which lasts for 300 hours on standby.

The tablet is manufactured by ZTE, which means we can expect decent build quality coupled with a bundled 3G data plan.

Mobile

Google Deal May Stabilize Patent Fights

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Google Inc.’s $12.5 billion bid for Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. was a welcome development because it may bring “stability” to a recent slate of smartphone patent disputes.

Verizon was the first U.S. wireless carrier to make a big bet on Google’s Android software, and it relied heavily on Motorola’s Droid smartphone lineup to combat the iPhone, which was exclusively distributed by rival AT&T Inc. for four years. Even though Verizon started selling the iPhone earlier this year, it has a lot at stake since it still distributes millions of smartphones from Motorola Mobility and other device makers that support the Android system.

By gaining Motorola’s roughly 17,000 patents in the deal, Google said it could more easily protect its Android mobile software from lawsuits. Apple, Microsoft Corp., and Oracle Corp. have sued Google, Motorola and device-maker HTC Corp. over allegations of intellectual property violations.

Android, Mobile

Android Highly Vulnerable to Attacks, Google Apprehensive

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http://cdn.itproportal.com/photos/android_sad_display.jpgTime and again it has been brought to attention that Google’s Android operating system is not secure enough and the latest announcement comes from a security expert named Riley Hassell.

The expert from Privateer Labs has revealed that there are more than dozen apps on Android that are quite dangerous and can leave the phones vulnerable to attacks such as phishing and hijacking.

Hassell was supposed to speak of the security issues with smartphone operating system at the annual Black Hat hackers conference, but he pulled out at the very last moment.

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Android

Google to buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion

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Google is buying cell phone maker Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion in cash in what is by far the company’s biggest acquisition to date.

Google will pay $40.00 per share, a 63 per cent premium to Motorola’s closing price on Friday.

The companies say the deal has been approved by the boards of both.

Google CEO Larry Page says that the deal with “supercharge the entire Android ecosystem.”

The deal gives Google direct control over the maker of many of its Android phones.

This post first appeared on The Hindu

Mobile

Could this be the iPhone 5?

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Leaked case designs have been a surprisingly good barometer for predicting the shapes of previous iPhones and iPods, and even the iPad 2. The thinking goes that iPhone cases are big business, and case-makers are willing to pay big bucks to get their hands on the details so they can have cases in stores on launch day.

Couple this with the fact that Apple is surely already building zillions of iPhone 5s to avoid any shortages at the expected September launch, and there must be some underpaid worker, somewhere, willing to sell the secrets.

So it is that MacRumors commissioned Italian designers Ciccarese to make a CG mock-up of the iPhone 5 based on already leaked case designs. Could this be the shape of the iPhone 5?

Read more at Wired