Author: Shivaank Rana

Screenshot Of 1080p Windows Phone 8 UI Leaks

Evleaks has today added fuel to the Windows Phone GDR3 1080p HD support rumours with a leaked screenshot from the Nokia “bandit” device. The image is 1080×1920, a resolution Windows Phone does not currently support, but it’s reported to be from the Lumia 1520 “phablet”, possibly packing GDR3.

The image shared by @evleaks this morning shows a Windows Phone start screen with an extra Live Tile column than the Windows Phone 8 layout that we’re accustomed to. That extra column enables users will be able to place a large Live Tile and medium Live Tile right next to one another without issue.

The leaked screen shot also reveals what appears to be a new application called Story Teller.

It is expected that larger “Phablet” style Windows Phone devices will be released soon, with Nokia supposedly working on a device which will be called a Lumia 1520 which will have a 6 inch screen with a resolution of 1080×1920. this has apparently been codenamed “Bandit” which you can see below.

The rumour mill has suggested that Nokia is planning to hold an event on Sept. 26 that will be used to show off the Bandit as well as a new Windows RT-powered tablet. There’s no word yet on when either device might arrive on store shelves.

September 3, 2013
Lenovo CEO Shares $3 Million Bonus With Workers

Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing will share $3.25 million of his bonus with the company’s workers, this is the second year in a row that the Lenovo boss has decided to share his annual bonus with his staff.

Around 10,000 Lenovo employees will receive a share of the $3.25 million bonus, and each employee will get around $325 in 20 countries around the world, according to a memo written by Gina Qiao, senior vice president of human resources.

“Employees who receive the bonus are mostly those in manufacturing paid on an hourly basis, who are not eligible for other bonus programs or sales commission,” said the company in a canned statement.

“This payment is personally funded by Yuanqing,” Qiao said. “He believes that he has the responsibility as an owner of the company, and the opportunity as our leader, to ensure all of our employees understand the impact they have on building Lenovo.”

It’s the second year running Yang has shared the wealth – last year he handed out $3m to his staff.

Lenovo posted revenue of $34 billion and PC shipments of 52.4 million units in the 12 months ended March 31 as the company gained market share and expanded sales of smartphones and tablets.

It’s worth noting that Yang won’t exactly suffer too much as a result of his generosity, since his last annual bonus was reportedly worth US$5.2 million, and his net personal income for the year totaled US$14 million. It still is a really nice gesture!

September 2, 2013
IFA 2013 : Acer DA241HL All-In-One Android PC Introduced

Acer has unveiled interesting all-in-one computer that fans of the Android operating system may find very interesting. The DA241HL is the AiO in question, packing a NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor.

The Acer DA241HL is being touted for its combination of the Android Jelly Bean 4.2 operating system and Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core CPU. By opting for Android instead of Windows, the DA241HL offers an experience that Android-tablet users will find familiar, complete with apps and media from Google, easy syncing with smartphones and tablets, and a more powerful processor than those found in most tablets and phones. The Android All-in-One is also family-friendly, supporting up to five separate users, complete with personal customization and apps.

“It’s designed to offer users the same familiar experience as with tablets and smartphones,” the company said. “The Tegra processing power provides access to the top sold [sic] games and features on Google Play that are not supported or slow to play with other processors.”

Interestingly, Acer has not mentioned how much storage the Acer DA241HL will have to offer, which is certainly something potential buyers may be interested in.

Other features include MHL connectivity (for smartphone connections), HDMI and USB support and a tilting angle of 20 to 75 degrees for “comfortable touch experience.”

The Acer DA241HL can connect to Windows 8 PC via HDMI or USB, in which case it becomes a monitor with 2-point multitouch. Pricing and availability for the Acer DA241HL are unannounced at this time.

September 2, 2013
PS4 Will Support Voice Commands, Facial Recognition Via PlayStation Camera

Sony last night addressed whether the PS4 features voice command capabilities through the PlayStation camera, but the company’s statement may not reveal as much as it initially seems.

The rumour that the PS4 would feature voice command capabilities popped up when video of a presentation made by SCEA’s group manager of retail training and advocacy Sean Coleman at this week’s GameStop Expo in Las Vegas was uploaded to YouTube on Thursday.

At the 5:30 mark a slide is shown for the Eye that says: “From navigational voice commands to facial recognition, the PlayStation Camera adds incredible innovation to your gaming.”

Speaking to gaming site Polygon a Sony spokesperson said: “Sony Computer Entertainment can confirm that PlayStation Camera allows for voice recognition and we will look forward to sharing more details in the lead up to the launch of PS4 on November 29.”

SCEA’s group manager of retail training and advocacy Sean Coleman outlined some PlayStation Camera features at the GameStop 2013 Expo in Las Vegas this week. “From navigational voice commands to facial recognition, the PlayStation Camera adds incredible innovation to your gaming.”

The PS4 PlayStation Camera will have some unique functionality with the new DualShock 4 controllers. It will be able to use facial recognition to detect who is holding which controller, and apply that player’s preferred controller profile.

September 2, 2013
More iPhone 5c Images Leak Along With Packaging

Apple is heavily rumoured to launch a couple new smartphones on September 10th – the low-cost plastic iPhone 5C and the new iPhone 5S. Apple has yet to confirm this date or these products, but the leaks have been a plenty.

The newest low-quality pictures to arrive online is from an overseas sites who claim to have snapped retail packaging of the “iPhone 5C” that includes the shipping box, manual and SIM card ejection instructions and tool.

The photos comes from website iApps.im, and it says that the pictures show iPhone 5C units in packaging.

It’s difficult to tell if the pictures are real, but they do seem to lineup with Apple’s past patterns. As with the 2012 iPod nano, the iPhone 5C seems to have a matching cover and wallpaper cover.

Two accompanying images show the rest of the stuff that’s allegedly found inside the iPhone 5C box, including the documentation and a SIM card ejector tool fastened to one of the sheets of paper inside.

These pictures lend more credence to the overall leak, but they’re still not enough to pass it as 100% legit.

Noticeably absent from this leak are the phone’s cable and headphones, along with the charger. However, this is hardly a surprise, since the phones themselves most likely lack their internals (i.e. logic board, battery, etc.).

Lastly, the photos indicate that the iPhone 5C will ship with iOS 7 pre-installed, something that was pretty much a given, since Apple has scheduled the iOS 7 launch for fall 2013.

[Via]

September 2, 2013
Scientists Create Flexible, Transparent Speaker Which Runs On Ions

A working transparent speaker has been produced by a research team at Harvard, that uses ions, rather than electrons, to carry the electrical charge.

The transparent speaker, created at Harvard University, is made from two layers of polyacrylamide gel swollen with salt water, which act as electrolytes, sandwiching a thin rubber membrane that vibrates as a high-voltage signal is run across its surface. However, this is not any ordinary electronic device, as the electrical charge is carried by ions, not electrons.

This bendable, transparent speaker could be a step in the direction of wearable tech that blends seamlessly with our bodies. What do ionic conductors have that other electronic systems don’t? They can be stretched to many times their normal area without an increase in resistivity, for one. This resistivity is a problem common in stretchable electronic devices. In addition, they can be transparent, which makes them well-suited for optical applications. Thirdly, the gels used as electrolytes are biocompatible, so it would be relatively easy to create ionic devices such as artificial muscles or skin.

“Engineered ionic systems can achieve a lot of functions that our body has: they can sense, they can conduct a signal, and they can actuate movement. We’re really approaching the type of soft machine that biology has to offer,” project co-lead author Christoph Keplinger tells Harvard.

The findings are published in the journal Science. We just hope that this transparent speaker has good bass.

[youtube id=”5K5KSDL1gXE” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

August 31, 2013
Nokia : WP8 Amber Update Will Roll Out To All Devices By September End

Nokia has promised that its Lumia Amber update will reach all Windows Phone 8 devices by the end of September.

The Finnish phone maker is rolling out the update for its Lumia 920, Lumia 820, Lumia 720, Lumia 620 and Lumia 520 as well as their variants.

Amber introduces a number of new features to the Lumia range, including new photo-editing tools and improved camera capabilities. The Nokia Smart Camera app also introduces motion sequence shooting on its high-end Lumia 920, 925 and 928 handsets.

The Amber update also has “Glance Screen,” a tool that makes your phone’s inactive state more interesting. When your handset is inactive, it will display a clock and battery information. So, you can more quickly interact with your phone without having to do anything at all. You can turn off Glance, of course, or have it switch off after a set amount of time.

Unfortunately the negative news includes that some of the most desirable features are not coming to all handsets.

In the post Nokia confirms that the ‘double tap to wake’ feature is not supported on Lumia 720, Lumia 625, Lumia 620, Lumia 521, Lumia 520.

Also Nokia confirmed the FM Radio feature will not be coming to the Lumia 620, Lumia 810 and Lumia 928 as they “do not have the FM radio chip.”

Nokia recently launched its new Nokia Here Auto in-dash navigation system.

August 31, 2013
Sony Smartphone-Mount “Lens Cameras” Leak

We’ve previously covered the recent rumours of the 20 Megapixel Sony Wifi ‘smart lens’ which will attach to Android and iOS smartphones and connect to the phone via Wifi. Theoretically, you’ll be able to take much better pictures with the bigger CMOS sensor and Zeiss glass.

A new rumored gold iPhone now has a rumored gold lens attachment from Sony, according to a report from SonyAlphaRumors which has also posted an image. Until now we’d only seen leaks of a black device, and while a white version was perhaps to be expected, how about gold? Would be a perfect match for that rumored gold iPhone 5S.

“For the first time you can shoot top quality images with your smartphone. Forget these iPhone or Android lens kits!” said SonyAlphaRumors.com, which posted images of the new devices.

But the lenses won’t have screens or camera controls, and can be attached magnetically to the smartphone, from which they can be controlled, it added.

The two new ‘lens-camera’ devices will launch as the DSC-QX10 and DSC-QX100, the idea being that they mount onto a smartphone and contain a built-in imaging sensor, Bionz processor, Wi-Fi/NFC, SD card slot and battery.

The QX10 is rumoured to have a 1/2.3 inch 18MP CMOS sensor and f/3.3-5.9 lens. In terms of pricing, the more expensive QX100 is expected to be priced around the $450 mark. The lenses will be able to capture HD video at 1080/30p.

Does this interest you shutterbugs?

August 31, 2013
Google Acquires WIMM To Help Its SmartWatch Program

Google just purchased a company, WIMM Labs, to give its burgeoning smart watch business a boost.

The Android creator has been rumoured to be working on a smart watch for at least six months, but it appears that there has been activity within Google’s walls from early 2012.

According to GigaOm, plus a message on their website, WIMM employees were absorbed into Google’s Android team, as the eventual retail product will inevitably run a form of the OS. Sony’s Smart Watch, and Samsung’s upcoming Gear device, run Android as well.

WIMM had already been working on a smart watch running Android, and had developed a small set of “micro” apps that enhanced functionality between the wrist and smartphone, but worked largely on their own. The company posted a note on their site stating “During the summer of 2012, WIMM Labs entered into an exclusive, confidential relationship for our technology and ceased sales of the Developer Preview Kit.”

Judging from the WIMM One smartwatch, WIMM’s platform, as neat as it was, still needed work: The watch was thick and ungainly, and its battery struggled to eke out more than a few hours of usage between recharges.

Whether or not Google intends to release a smartwatch of its own, it certainly would like to see Android running on all sorts of wearable gadgets, which was the big idea behind WIMM in the first place.

August 31, 2013
Xbox One Voice Commands Won’t Work For Everyone

After slashing the number of countries getting the Xbox One this year to just 13, Microsoft’s website shows that voice command for the Xbox One will only be available at launch in five countries – the US, UK, Canada, France and Germany.

As Videogamer spotted, the Xbox One website’s footnote reads: “Xbox voice commands will not be available in all markets on the product release date. Voice commands will be available at launch in US, UK, CA, FR, and DE.”

Microsoft’s tiny disclaimer doesn’t explain why the limited launch of voice interaction is necessary, but it might be related to the voice localization issues that previously resulted in delays for eight other European countries. Although, it could also be server load or production volume related.

Microsoft at E3 demonstrated how the Xbox One can be turned on by simply saying, “Xbox on”. And while Microsoft has since stepped back a bit from the lofty aspirations it carried into E3, there’s no question that voice controls feature largely in its plans for the future of the console. In fact, the Xbox One “Get the Facts” page specifically states that “advanced voice and motion control open up new game experiences like never before,” and that it can be turned on, off and controlled in various ways using voice commands.

While the Xbox One will still be usable in all of its launch markets, players simply won’t get a reaction if they buy the console from outside of the five supported regions.

Hindi voice commands soon please!

August 30, 2013
Samsung Starts Mass Production Of Advanced DDR4 Memory

Samsung announced today that it is mass producing DDR4 RAM modules in 16GB and 32GB capacities, following news that 16GB modules were being sampled back in July 2012. Samsung boasts that its modules support up to 2667Mbps transfer speeds, and that the 4Gb DDR4 memory chips used by the modules lower power consumption by 30 percent relative to comparable DDR3 chips.

The chips are expected to deliver a data transmission rate of 2.667 gigabits per second, which is 1.25x the speed achieved with 20nm-class DDR3 RAM.

“The adoption of ultra-high-speed DDR4 in next-generation server systems this year will initiate a push toward advanced premium memory across the enterprise,” said Young-Hyun Jun, executive vice president, memory sales and marketing, Samsung Electronics. “After providing cutting-edge performance with our timely supply of 16GB DDR3 earlier this year, we are continuing to extend the premium server market in 2013 and will now focus on higher density and added performance with 32GB DDR4, and contribute to even greater growth of the green IT market in 2014.”

In late 2012, JEDEC finalized the DDR4 specification, which promised more performance, reliablity and efficiency compared to current DDR3 modules. DDR4 DRAM will be capable of 1.6 GT/s (gigatransfers per second) to 3.2 GT/s per pin, while running at a lower 1.2 volts, down from the 1.5 volts required for DDR3 memory.

Samsung hasn’t specified when their DDR4 RAM modules will be available to purchase, or how much they’ll cost, but the company claims that through using their 4 Gb DDR4 chip, they’ve developed “industry’s largest lineup of products tailored to applications from servers to mobile devices”.

August 30, 2013
HTC Fetch : A Tiny Device To Help You Locate Your HTC One

HTC has unveiled a small Bluetooth 4.0 LE-powered accessory, aptly named HTC Fetch, that helps users find their lost phones or prevents them from leaving it behind.

It works via Bluetooth 4.0?s Low Energy protocol, which allows devices to stay paired for months at a time with no battery drain. The HTC Fetch itself can attach to a keychain or be slipped in a bag, and has only one button, which sounds an alarm on your phone if it is within 15 metres. It has a six month battery life, with a small user-replaceable battery compartment.

The whole thing sounds like a less network-connected Tile, which we wrote about earlier this year and has since raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. Fetch does have the advantage of pairing with your HTC phone via NFC, so no fumbling in the Bluetooth settings, but is otherwise a strange product that may not gain much traction.

HTC Fetch also sounds an alarm if you leave an area that your phone is located, and if the device does get lost or stolen, HTC Fetch updates the phone’s last location, which can be pinpointed through HTC’s website.

The keychain accessory is expected to retail for around $35, though no word on whether it is coming to India.

August 30, 2013
Nokia 515 Announced : 2.4″ Display, Aluminum Body

Nokia today announced the Nokia 515 feature phone, with an Aluminum body.

The new phone is a candybar “wrapped in lightweight aluminum,” and reportedly “combines the best of Nokia – contemporary design, high quality materials and top performance.”

The Nokia 515 uses Nokia’s Series 40 UI, and features: a 2.4 inch QVGA display with Gorilla Glass 2, HSDPA, Mail for Exchange, Nokia Slam sharing service, Nokia XpressBrowser, 5MP rear camera with the ability to shoot in Panorama mode, MicroSD card support, and a 1,200 mAh battery.

The battery life is being touted as an unbelievable 38 days for the single sim variant. The price of the Nokia 515 has been set at $150. No word yet on Indian pricing and availability. We’ll let you know soon.

August 29, 2013
Skype Developing 3D Video Calls

Skype has said that it has developed a method for making 3-D video calls–but is being held back by the tech found in consumer devices.

Microsoft’s corporate vice-president for Skype, Mark Gillett, told the BBC this week that the company had recently achieved the futuristic-sounding scenario in a lab, although it could be many years before the technology is rolled out to businesses.

“We’ve done work in the labs looking at the capability of 3D-screens and 3D-capture,” Gillet said.

“We’ve seen a lot of progress in screens and a lot of people now buy TVs and computer monitors that are capable of delivering a 3D image, but the capture devices are not yet there. As we work with that kind of technology you have to add multiple cameras to your computer, precisely calibrate them and point them at the right angle.

“We have it in the lab, we know how to make it work and we’re looking at the ecosystem of devices and their capability to support it in order to make a decision when we might think about bringing something like that to market.”

That might even be a barrier to ever seeing 3D video over Skype, as technology manufacturers might decide that there is not enough interest in the format.

Gillett also told BBC that Skype will likely offer 1080p ”super-high definition” video call resolution to devices other than the upcoming Xbox One.

August 29, 2013
Android Vice President Hugo Barra Leaves For Xiaomi

Hugo Barra, VP of Product Management for Android, is leaving his post at Google and heading to Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi. This news was first reported by AllThingsD, then later confirmed by Google.

Hugo Barra confirmed the news himself on his Google+ account.

“In a few weeks, I’ll be joining the Xiaomi team in China to help them expand their incredible product portfolio and business globally — as Vice President, Xiaomi Global,” he wrote.

Xiaomi is considered to be the “Apple of China” and makes mobile devices that run off the Android platform, so Barra won’t be completely distant from the OS he helped enthusiastically build. There’s no word yet on what the specific role Barra will play at Xiaomi.

Android, indisputably one of the most important endeavors at Google, has been undergoing some upheaval. In March, Andy Rubin, who guided the mobile software to be the world’s most popular over Apple, stepped down to “start a new chapter at Google.”

A Google spokesperson stated that “We wish Hugo Barra the best. We’ll miss him at Google and we’re excited that he is staying within the Android ecosystem.” Hugo Barra has been with Google since March of 2008. That’s a big position Google has to fill.

August 29, 2013