Google has released Android Auto API for developers that will allow developers to start creating apps for smart cars.Android Auto currently only supports two types of third-party apps viz, audio and messaging.
Cars dashboards can now show incoming notifications, accept replies through voice, let users browse music or other audio content and control playback. Over dozens of third party developers like TextMe, textPlus, Kik, and WhatsApp are working on the app. Google says the Android Auto APIs let developers easily extend their existing apps targeting Android 5.0 (API level 21) or higher to work in the car. Once ready, the apps will work directly though the car’s radio deck as well as through connected steering wheel controls.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctiaVxgclsg
iHeartRadio, Joyride, MLB.com, NPR, Pandora, PocketCasts, Songza, SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher, and Umano are first batch of audio apps that will enable browsing audio playback from the car.Android Auto requires an Android phone to be plugged into power the interface. Apps installed on the phone that have support for Android Auto built-in will show up in the Auto interface.
"To help you get started with Android Auto, check out our Getting Started guide. It’s important to note that while the APIs are available today, apps extended with Android Auto cannot be ...
Google has released Android Auto API for developers that will allow developers to start creating apps for smart cars.Android Auto currently only supports two types of third-party apps viz, audio and messaging.
Cars dashboards can now show incoming notifications, accept replies through voice, let users browse music or other audio content and control playback. Over dozens of third party developers like TextMe, textPlus, Kik, and WhatsApp are working on the app. Google says the Android Auto APIs let developers easily extend their existing apps targeting Android 5.0 (API level 21) or higher to work in the car. Once ready, the apps will work directly though the car’s radio deck as well as through connected steering wheel controls.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctiaVxgclsg
iHeartRadio, Joyride, MLB.com, NPR, Pandora, PocketCasts, Songza, SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher, and Umano are first batch of audio apps that will enable browsing audio playback from the car.Android Auto requires an Android phone to be plugged into power the interface. Apps installed on the phone that have support for Android Auto built-in will show up in the Auto interface.
"To help you get started with Android Auto, check out our Getting Started guide. It’s important to note that while the APIs are available today, apps extended with Android Auto cannot be ...
Karbonn ST72, the company's latest tablet is now available from online retailer Snapdeal. It has a 7-inch (1024 x 600 pixels) display, powered by a 1.3 GHz dual-core processor and runs on Android 4.4..2 (KitKat). It has a 3.2-megapixel rear camera and a front-facing camera. It comes with dual SIM support and has 3G connectivity.
It has 512MB RAM, 4GB of internal storage with expansion slot and a 2800mAh battery. Karbonn launched the Titanium S20 budget Android smartphone and the Titanium Wind W4, the company's first Windows Phone 8.1 smartphone back in September.
Karbonn ST72 specifications
7-inch (1024 x 600 pixels) display
1.3 GHz dual-core processor
512MB RAM, 4GB internal storage, expandable memory up to 32GB with MicroSD
Android 4.4 (KitKat) OS
Dual SIM with Dual Standby
3.2MP rear camera
front-facing camera
Dimensions: 184.5x100x8.9mm; Weight: 290 grams
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS
2800 mAh battery
he Karbonn ST72 comes in White, Black and Grey colors and is priced at Rs. 6,800.
Apple has been ordered by a federal jury to pay $23.6 million for illegally using pager patents in its products. The company will have to pay the fine to a Texas based firm, Mobile Telecommunications Technologies.
Apple has been using SkyTel pager technology on its iPhone and other devices without a permission. Mobile Telecommunications was considered a wireless messaging pioneer in the 1990s, when its SkyTel 2-Way paging system was the state of the art for mobile communication. Now, MTel is a licensing company controlled by United Wireless Holdings,which operates the SkyTel paging system for use by first responders and doctors.
Apple denied the allegations of patent infringement and said MTEL was trying to take credit for everything from emoji to calendar invites. It argued the patents were invalid when they were issued in the 1990s. This is a second case where Apple was accused of pager patent technology but the company did win that case.
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Samsung has lost its bid to a US Judge about putting the Microsoft smartphone patent royalties suit on hold. The U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff said the lawsuit would proceed despite the arbitration.
In August Microsoft sued Samsung accusing it of breaching a collaboration agreement by initially refusing to make royalty payments after the U.S. company announced its intention to acquire Nokia’s handset business in September 2013. The software giant claimed that Samsung still owed $6.9 million in interest on more than $1 billion patent in royalties.
Earlier this month Samsung claimed that Microsoft has violated their deal after acquiring Nokia as it now makes the software company a direct hardware competitor. Samsung filed the request for arbitration with the Hong Kong office of the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce.
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Huawei launched the Honor Holly smartphone in India recently. We brought you the photo gallery, battery test results and the benchmarks of the smartphone recently. Here we have the camera samples from the smartphone. It has a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, f/2.0 aperture and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. Unlike Huawei smartphones like the Ascend Mate, this has a MediaTek camera UI seen on several MediaTek-powered Android smartphones. You get HDR, Panorama, Face Beauty and several modes. Check out the camera samples (Click the image to view full resolution sample).
Daylight
Macro
HDR
[caption id="attachment_122962" align="alignnone" width="574"] HDR OFF[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_122963" align="alignnone" width="574"] HDR ON[/caption]
Low-Light and Flash
It can record videos at 1080p full HD resolution at 30fps. Since it has a secondary microphone, it supports stereo recording. Check out the 1080p video samples below.
httpv://youtu.be/arVSVGjdKjk
Overall the smartphone has a decent camera. We will discuss more about the smartphone's camera in detail in the complete review soon.
Celkon has launched Millennia Epic Q550, the company’s latest smartphone in the Millennia series. It has a 5.5-inch 720p screen based on One Glass Solution (OGS) technology, powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat). It has a 8-megapixel rear camera with flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
It has 1GB RAM, 16GB of internal storage with expansion slot and packs a 3500 mAh battery, compared to 2GB RAM and 2500mAh battery one the Celkon Millennium Ultra Q500 that was launched few months back.
Commenting on the launch, Y Guru, Chairman and Managing Director - Celkon Mobiles, Said,
At Celkon we have always believed in upping the ante, each time we launch an offering. With the new Celkon Millennia Epic Q550 we have raised the bar one more time. At just 143g weight and 8mm thickness, we have been able to pack a powerful battery for longer life in a uni-body design all at an astounding price tag. We aim to become one of the largest in the country and with many such exciting offerings lined up we are sure to achieve significant growth this fiscal.
Murali Retneni, executive director, Celkon, said,
Millennia Epic will give its users an experience that is ...
Alcatel One Touch unveiled the Alcatel One Touch Flash smartphone back in September. Today Flipkart has started teasing the launch of the Alcatel One Touch Flash smartphone in India. It packs a 5.5-inch HD display, powered by a Octa-Core MediaTek MT6592M processor and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat). It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
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Alcatel One Touch Flash specifications
5.5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS Full lamination display
1.4 GHz MediaTek MT6592M Octa-Core processor with Mali 450 GPU
1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
Android 4.4 (Kitkat)
Dual SIM with dual standby
13MP autofocus camera with LED Flash, 1080p Full HD video recording
5MP front-facing camera
Dimensions: 152.1 x 76.2 x 8.1 mm; Weight: 150g
3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi direct. Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
3200mAh battery
The Alcatel One Touch Flash comes in Black, White and Gray colors. It was launched in Thailand for 6,990 Thai Baht (Rs. 13,200 approx.) We should know the pricing of the smartphone in India soon when it launches on Flipkart.
Royal Mail on Wednesday warned that online giant Amazon's own delivery service and increased competition from rival couriers has hampered progress and impacted revenues. The former state-owned British company said that Amazon's plans to launch their own delivery service would cut the growth in the British parcel market for it and its rivals from 4-5 percent down to 1-2 percent.
Amazon is planning to deliver more of its own packages through its own delivery service and as the former state-owned courier's biggest customer (accounting for six percent of total sales), Amazon will impact on both Royal Mail and its rivals in the near future. Alongside shipping via Royal Mail, the online retailer also delivers via other couriers such as DPD, TNT and Yodel and its decision to bring its deliveries in-house is likely to have a major impact on the parcels market in the UK.
Moya Green, chief executive at Royal Mail, told Reuters:
When an online retailer of the size and scale of Amazon decides to build out its own delivery network, that changes the market for everybody.
Motorola has launched Keylink phone and key finder. The Bluetooth accessory connects to your keychain and works with a companion app to let you find your keys from up to 100 feet away.
Priced at $24.99, the little device needs to be paired with the smartphone into the Motorola Connect app via Bluetooth. If you loose your keys, the Connect app can be used to make the Keylink beep or if you misplace your phone, a button on the Keylink will let you ping your phone. Motorola added that the battery will last for a year and can be replaced with a standard coin battery.
Motorola Keylink works with both Android and iOS devices. It is listed on Motorola's website but is out of stock and also available on T-mobile.
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Samsung has launched a new service that allows users to share videos easily. Dubbed as Milk Video, the service is an expansion of the Milk Music service that was rolled out by Samsung earlier this year in March.
Milk video will aggregate variety of sources, including YouTube, Conde Nast, Vevo, Vice, CollegeHumor, BuzzFeed and AwesomenessTV and presents them to users in an endless stream. The app will learn from user's usage and recommend videos, people and brands to follow. Users cannot add a video they like to the app.
The app gets a "Following" feed that features videos from brands and content makers liked by a user and they can browse categories such as gaming, comedy and technology. Users will need to sign in with Facebook or another account if they want to follow other users and share videos.
Milk Video is exclusive to Samsung Galaxy devices(Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note Edge, Galaxy Mega, Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4 mini, Galaxy S3 mini and Galaxy S5) and available only to users in the U.S. The app is now live in the Google Play Store.
Lenovo launched the Vibe Z2 Pro smartphone in India back in September . We reviewed the smartphone recently, here are the benchmarks of the Vibe Z2 Pro. It is powered by quad-core Snapdragon 801 28nm HPm Krait 400 CPU clocked at 2.46 GHz with Adreno 330 GPU clocked at 578 MHz. It has a 6-inch ( 2560 x 1440 pixels) Quad HD display and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat) OS with Vibe 2.0 UI on top. Several flagship smartphones have a Snapdragon 801 SoC, but very few smartphones feature a Quad HD display. Let’s check out the performance in a range of synthetic benchmark tests.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnFSD6mm6Wg
Quadrant Benchmark
It scored 23894 points in the Quadrant Benchmark.
AnTuTu Benchmark 4
It scored 37563 points in the AnTuTu 4 Benchmark.
AnTuTu Benchmark 5
In the AnTuTu 5 benchmark, it scored 44100 points and lies behind the Note 4.
Linpack Single Thread
It clocked around 427 MFLOPS and grabs the third spot in the Linpack Single Thread benchmark.
Linpack Multi-Thread
In the Linpack Multi-Thread benchmark, the Vibe Z2 Pro clocked around 641.3 MFLOPS.
Vellamo 2.0 HTML5
It managed to score 1732 points in the Vellamo 2 HTML5 browser benchmark.
Vellamo 2.0 Metal
It scored 1299 points in the Vellamo 2 Metal CPU subsystem performance test.
NenaMark 2
It clocked 59.9 fps in ...
Amazon has rolled out dedicated Android apps for Echo virtual assistant and Fire TV. The apps launched act as a remote for both the devices.
Launched earlier this month, Echo, is a virtual assistant in the form of a speaker. The Echo app displays weather info, lists, music and search content. All these things can also be controlled via voice commands. However, if you are not in the range of the device, the app gives you access to Amazon’s cloud and all the information stored in it.
The Fire TV remote app lets you control the device. It comes with a Fire TV Stick but cannot take voice commands as it does not have a microphone. Users can enter text with the device's keyboard.
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HTC may have produced some of the nicest-looking Android smartphones on the market to date but the one area where many felt handsets like the One M8 were let down by the Ultrapixel camera that has a 4MP sensor. HTC showed they listen and the new HTC Desire Eye comes with a 13MP camera both on the back and on the front. Interested in learning more about the HTC Desire Eye? Join us for a Live Q&A.
There are numerous reasons to be interested in the Desire Eye and not least the outstanding 13MP selfie camera that is market-leading. The Desire Eye also features stunning design and marries HTC's design with an impressive specs list to create a smartphone that is marketing leading.
Three UK are the exclusive network launch partner for both the Desire Eye and the RE Camera in the UK and we've been invited to join them for a live Q&A to discuss HTC's new devices. I will be joining Brendan from Three (@wildlime on Twitter - he's the Devices Manager) and a few select other online names to talk about both of HTC's new devices and you can get involved.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mQCHLif7J0
The Live hangout kicks off at 7:30PM UK time on Nov ...
Huawei and Russian operator MegaFon have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the development of 5G technology with a view to a potential launch in time for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The MoU builds on a partnership between the two companies that stretches back to the deployment of GSM in 2002. The MoU is likely to mean 5G services could become available to participants and guests at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and as part of the MoU, the two companies will work together to plan, build and deploy 5G network infrastructure.
Another by-product of the MoU is the creation of a team to conduct 5G trials ahead of the global football event. A 5G test area will be set up and pilot projects targeted to be complete by the end of June 2017 and it is hoped that this will then lead to the creation of a 5G network ahead of the games the following summer. According to a statement, the MoU will see Huawei introduce
the latest mobile technologies such as SCMA, full-duplex, and cloud base station into the 5G network, as well as providing testing 5G terminals in trial zones.
Ryan Ding, President of Huawei Products & Solutions, ...
Apple will add Beats Music to the core iOS operating system with an update due "early next year", according to a latest report from the Financial Times.
Apple acquired the popular Beats Electronics that has a music streaming service called Beats Music for $3.2 billion in May. Citing "people familiar with the situation," the report claims the Beats Music subscription service will become a pre-installed app in an iOS update. The report does not specify how Apple plans to add Beats Music to iOS, but is possible that it will be launched as a pre-loaded app.
Beats will be probably be rebranded under iTunes, and will continue to operate on a paid subscription model, stated the report. Beats Music has failed to compete with the likes of Spotify and Pandora. A different report from The Wall Street Journal in October said that Apple will shut down Beats Music and integrate it to iTunes.
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When considering the performance of a handset, attention is inevitably turned towards benchmarking applications such as GeekBench 3, 3D Mark and AnTuTu (to name a few). When comparing performance across iOS and Android, the number of compatible benchmark applications are limited but both GeekBench 3 and 3D Mark reveal some interesting facts. Comparing the iPhone 6 Plus and the LG G3, we can see some interesting facts about the optimisation achieved by Apple and LG in each handset.
Apple is unique as they control both the hardware and software elements of their handsets whilst LG (and other Android OEMs excluding Google) have to compensate for a lack of deep integration with the core OS by using much higher specs. To compensate, LG have included a premium specs list including a quad-core 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and 2GB RAM with 16GB storage (our version) or 3GB RAM with 32GB storage. In comparison, the iPhone 6 Plus has a dual-core Apple A8 CPU, 1GB RAM and 64GB storage (there’s also 16GB and 128GB iPhone 6 Plus variants available). Will the iPhone 6 Plus win this benchmark comparison?
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55OgId4gR3Q
Well that's interesting - the iPhone 6 Plus beats the LG G3 in all the tests. In the Geekbench test, the ...
Qualcomm has announced its new Gobi 9x45 fifth-generation Category 10 LTE cellular multimode modem that supports global Carrier Aggregation (CA) for download speeds of up to 450 Mbps, upload speeds of up to 100Mbps, and CA across the TDD and FDD spectrum, compared to 300Mbps download speeds in the 9x25, 9x30 and 9x35 Gobi modems. It is based on the second-generation 20nm technology node and supports up to 60 MHz 3x CA in the downlink and up to 40 MHz 2x CA in the uplink.
It has DC-HSPA, EVDO, CDMA 1x, GSM and TD-SCDMA for global support and supports all major RF bands and band combinations. It also provides global position support for all major constellations including GPS, Beidou, Glonass and Galileo. In addition, it has integrated support for LTE Broadcast, VoLTE and LTE Dual SIM.
Qualcomm has also announced QFE3100, next-generation envelope tracker, optimized for 30% smaller board area and enhanced power efficiency compared to the previous generation. It offers improved battery life by reducing power amplifier (PA) power consumption and heat generation. Paired with the 9x45 modem, the QFE3100 is designed to enable the mobile industry’s most advanced system-level modem and RF platform with support for 2G, 3G and 4G cellular modes, says Qualcomm.
The combination ...
Samsung introduced its first version of Simband a while ago and the company revealed new details about its health monitoring wearable at its recently concluded annual developer conference in San Francisco.
Samsung at their keynote presentation announced that they are opening up the platform to developers. The global market leader in association with some early partners previewed a fully functional Simband. We had a chance to spend some time with the device and here’s our first impressions.
For starters, the Simband looks quite similar to the company’s Gear S smartwatch and as a matter of fact, the Simband is based on the Gear S design language. There’s a curved touchscreen display and a thick rubber strap. However, do not confuse Simband to a smartwatch - because it’s not at all one and at this point in time it’s not even a consumer device.
[gallery ids="123215,123216,123217"]
Samsung calls Simband a modular reference platform for wearable sensors. So, if you are wondering what Simband is all about? Well, it is intended to be used within the medical industry, medical researchers and to develop new applications for sensor technology.
The Simband brings six sensors and since it comes with a modular design, developers can add ...
Google has acquired iOS app prototyping company RelativeWave for an undisclosed sum. RelativeWave is the company behind the mobile app prototyping software Form.
"We've just scratched the surface with prototyping. With the help of Google, we'll be focused on improving the state of design and development tools".
posted RetaltiveWave on a company blog.
As a result of the acquisition, RelativeWave is making its flagship Mac app free which earlier costed $79. The Form app allows designers and developers to create rich interactive app prototypes for iOS that runs on Apple devices and have full access to the camera and other sensors. Developers can run prototypes on multiple devices in real-time and update compositions instantly as they work.
Currently, Form Viewer is supported on iOS only however, RelativeWave suggests that users “stay tuned” for the app’s availability on other platforms.
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Lenovo has launched a new REACHit app that will allow users to access, organize, search and share files no matter where they are stored. The app is an addition to Lenovo's DOit suite of apps.
REACHit connects a user’s PC, Android or Apple iOS device and multiple cloud storage accounts from Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox and Box. It will come preloaded on all Lenovo systems starting in early 2015. Lenovo stated that the app's simple GUI as manageable for most users, as well as its customizable views for data filtering and sorting. For Windows users, REACHit integrates into Windows File Explorer for searching storage locations within the Windows operating system.
REACHit allows users to move files from a phone to PC or between storage locations by dragging and dropping the files within the app’s interface. Users can also edit word documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in the cloud using the ZOHO document editor. Documents, pictures, videos and other files can be shared with friends and family via the SHAREit app, email, downloadable link and on FaceBook or Twitter.
The app is now available for free download on Lenovo.com, the Google Play store and the Apple App Store.
