Thursday, November 18, 2010

Mobile Buzz

Mobile Buzz

Google Sky Map Gets ‘Time Travel’ Feature

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 10:17 PM PST


No, you can’t actually go back in time. But hey, you can at least check out how the stars were aligned when Apollo 11 landed on the Moon, or Kennedy was assassinated. Google Sky Map’s new ‘Time Travel‘ feature allows you to go back or forward in time and check out how the sky will look at your location on any given day.

Google-Sky-Map-Time-Travel

Google Sky Map is a super cool augmented reality app that allows budding astronomers and sky gazers to learn more about the stars and constellations decking the sky. The user can simply point their Android phones towards the sky to learn about the celestial object they are pointing at.

Google-Sky-Map-Date-Selection

Google-Sky-Map-QR-Code The Time Travel feature allows the user to smoothly travel to his desired datr and time. He can even forward or rewind to see how the sky gradually changes with time. Use the attached QR code to download Sky Map from the Market.


Google Sky Map Gets ‘Time Travel’ Feature originally appeared on Techie Buzz written by Pallab De on Friday 19th November 2010 01:17:12 AM under Mobile News. Please read the Terms of Use for fair usage guidance.

HTC Merge Makes An Appearance On Verizon’s Website

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 09:14 PM PST


The Merge was supposed to be announced by Verizon and HTC at the Droid celebration party in Seattle, tonight. Sadly, that did not happen but the handset did make an appearance on Verizon's website. Though, the image was pulled back a few minutes later. The full 360 degree view of the phone was up on the site before being pulled.

Merge_360

This definitely means that the Merge is quite close to its release. The HTC Merge is the Verizon's version of the T-Mobile G2 or the HTC Desire Z. The handset sports a 3.7-inch S-LCD and is powered by an 800MHz Qualcomm Scorpio processor. The handset runs on Android 2.2 with HTC Sense UI on top of it. The Merge also packs a pop-out four-row QWERTY keyboard.

However, it is still unclear whether Verizon will be branding the Merge as a Droid device or just another Android handset in their portfolio.

(Source)


HTC Merge Makes An Appearance On Verizon’s Website originally appeared on Techie Buzz written by Rajesh Pandey on Friday 19th November 2010 12:14:47 AM under Mobile News. Please read the Terms of Use for fair usage guidance.

Lightweight Angry Birds for Lesser Android Phones is under Development

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 09:08 PM PST


Angry Birds for Android has been making a lot of Android users happy with its addictive and fun gameplay. It raked in 1 million downloads within the first 24 hours, and has been going strong ever since. Unfortunately, Angry Birds doesn’t work perfectly on some Android handsets. Although the game is not as demanding as some of the other games (especially the gameloft ones), it does require a decent processor. As a result, users with an old or a low-end Android handset, might experience performance issues.

Angry-Birds

The handsets that are not officially supported by Rovio Mobile (developers of Angry Birds) include HTC Hero, HTC Tattoo, HTC Wildfire and Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini among others. Fortunately for users of these phones, Rovio doesn’t intend on ignoring them. They are currently working on a lightweight version of Angry Birds, which will be optimized for devices with less processing power. Rovio has indicated that the light version will have the same number of levels as the original Angry Birds for Android.


Lightweight Angry Birds for Lesser Android Phones is under Development originally appeared on Techie Buzz written by Pallab De on Friday 19th November 2010 12:08:02 AM under Mobile News. Please read the Terms of Use for fair usage guidance.

Verizon Brings Back Microsoft’s KIN Phones

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 04:11 PM PST


It was only 7 months ago that Microsoft partnered with Verizon and launched 2 "KIN" devices, the KIN ONE and KIN TWO. A pair of almost smartphones aimed toward the teenage generation, priced competitively low and offering a slew of "social networking" features. Yet 48 days later, they were discontinued and cleared out after Microsoft admitted to disappointing sales.

Fast forward to today, and CNET is reporting that Verizon is now pushing the "KIN ONEm" and "KIN TWOm" to consumers, offered without the requirement for a data plan, for $19.99 and $49.99 accordingly. The new marketing for the devices focuses on them being feature phones and they can be had with many options of data plans including pay-as-you-go packages.

The KIN platform brings "social phones" to the masses, equipped with physical QWERTY keyboards, capacitive touch screens and cameras, KIN allows users to easily share pictures, locations and thoughts to your friends through the Loop, Spot and Studio.


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Verizon Brings Back Microsoft’s KIN Phones originally appeared on Techie Buzz written by Simon on Thursday 18th November 2010 07:11:19 PM under Mobile News. Please read the Terms of Use for fair usage guidance.

U.S Considering Disabling Mobiles Phones Inside Vehicles

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 03:38 PM PST


The United States government is optioning a requirement for cars to include technology that would disable a mobile phone while a vehicle is moving. Ray LaHood, the U.S Secretary of Transportation, said "…the technology is there and I think you're going to see the technology become adaptable in automobiles to disable these cell phones." He is concerned about the rampant distracted driving that has lead to the estimated 5,000 deaths per year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

LaHood states “nearly 5,500 people were killed and 500,000 more were injured in distracted driving-related crashes” and went on to discuss the possibilities of using technology to force drivers from having the ability to use their phones while in a vehicle, but did not confirm usage by passengers or the event of a collision and the ability to dial 911 for emergency calls.

Source: The Register


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U.S Considering Disabling Mobiles Phones Inside Vehicles originally appeared on Techie Buzz written by Simon on Thursday 18th November 2010 06:38:03 PM under Mobile News. Please read the Terms of Use for fair usage guidance.

Samsung Galaxy S Android 2.2 Update Schedule For Canada Released

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 09:59 AM PST


Today, Samsung Mobile Canada on their Facebook page has given a time-frame for the Android 2.2 rollout for the various carrier branded Galaxy S handsets. First and foremost, the Vibrant from Bell and the Samsung Captivate from Rogers will get the Froyo love by mid-December.

Samsung_Logo

Lastly, the TELUS branded Galaxy S handset – the Fascinate – will get its Android 2.2 update in early 2011. The Android 2.2 update for all these handsets will not be released in the usual OTA (Over-The-Air) form. Users need to use Samsung's KIES desktop software to get the update.

Samsung has already started rolling out the Android 2.2 update for the un-branded Galaxy S handsets in many different regions of the world including U.K and India.


Samsung Galaxy S Android 2.2 Update Schedule For Canada Released originally appeared on Techie Buzz written by Rajesh Pandey on Thursday 18th November 2010 12:59:25 PM under Mobile News. Please read the Terms of Use for fair usage guidance.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X12 (Anzu) Gets Slaughtered in its First Preview

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 02:22 AM PST


The rumors regarding Sony Ericsson Xperia Anzu were correct, for most part. The Anzu exists, and will be launched as Xperia X12 – Sony Ericsson’s next flagship model. The X12 is expected to hit the stores in early 2011, and will (probably) be sporting FroYo at launch. This is a deviation from initial reports that suggested that Anzu will launch with Gingerbread (Android 2.3) onboard. Now, it appears that Gingerbread will be made available as a separate update at some point during the summer of 2011.

Sony-Ericsson-Xperia-X12-Anzu

Mobile-Review managed to get their hands on an early development build, which was running vanilla Android 2.1. The reviewer found the device to be quite snappy. However, the real question is, how well will the X12 perform once the custom shell (UXP) has been plastered on top of the vanilla Android. The X12 will also feature an twelve megapixel camera with 720p HD recording at 30fps.

Possibly the biggest let downs in the X12 are its display and processor. It will have a 4.2" FWVGA (854×480) capacitive display with full multi-touch support. However, Sony Ericsson has decided to continue using traditional LCD displays instead of the AMOLED or SLCD displays used by HTC.

As disclosed earlier, the Xperia X12 will be powered by MSM7230. The processor (45nm) in X12 will most likely be clocked at 800 MHz, and in terms of performance will be quite similar to the current generation snapdragons (65nm). However, the MSM7230 uses Adreno 205 as its GPU unit, which is a significant step up from the previous Adreno 200.

On the whole, the Xperia X12 is a nice update. However, Xperia X12 looks poorly poised to be the flagship model, as its modest processor is no match for TI’s OMAP 4 and Samsung’s Orion.


Sony Ericsson Xperia X12 (Anzu) Gets Slaughtered in its First Preview originally appeared on Techie Buzz written by Pallab De on Thursday 18th November 2010 05:22:59 AM under Mobile News. Please read the Terms of Use for fair usage guidance.
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