Vodafone UK introduces the modestly-priced Smart II

 

Vodafone UK today introduced the Smart II, its budget-friendly Android smartphone priced at a cool £70 on pay-as-you-go plans. Targeted at first-time smartphone buyers, the Smart II is the successor to Vodafone’s original SMART. The Smart II comes spec’d in line with its price tag, and includes a 3.2-inch display at 480 x 320 HVGA resolution, an 800 MHz processor, a 3MP camera, and Gingerbread underneath the hood. The Smart II is available now at the source link and in stores in both dark grey and white. Vodafone's promotional video can be found after the break.

Source: Vodafone UK

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/c3klMy3myIE/story01.htm

SANDISK SALESFORCE COM SAIC ROCKWELL AUTOMATION

Hands On With Windows 8 Release Preview: It’s All About the Apps

Windows users are one step closer to getting a major system facelift -- and if today's release of Microsoft's latest OS build tells us anything, it's that the company is putting the system's strongest focus on lean and mean Metro apps.

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/05/hands-on-with-windows-8-release-preview-its-all-about-the-apps/

EMS TECHNOLOGIES EMC ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING ELECTRONIC DATA SYSTEMS

Deal of the Day – 15.6″ Dell Inspiron 15 Core i3 Laptop for $379.99

Tuesday’s LogicBUY Deal is the 15.6″ Dell Inspiron 15 Core i3-390M 2.66GHz Dual-core laptop (N5040) in Obsidian Black for $379.99.  Features:  1st generation Core i3-390M 2.66GHz Dual-core CPU, 4GB DDR3 memory, 500GB hard drive, 8X DVD+/-RW, 802.11n WiFi, VGA webcam, 6-cell battery, 3-in-1 card reader, Intel HD Graphics, MS Office 2010 Starter Edition, and Windows [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/05/29/deal-of-the-day-15-6-dell-inspiron-15-core-i3-laptop-for-379-99/

EPICOR SOFTWARE EMULEX EMS TECHNOLOGIES EMC

Enyo's End Is Not Nigh

Most of HP's webOS team, including Matt McNulty, head of the project, is moving to Google according to a report by The Verge citing several unnamed sources. The departing team is said to be almost wholly responsible for Enyo's code. Enyo replaced Mojo as webOS's software development kit in 2011.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/1fd148ba/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C752360Bhtml/story01.htm

IBASIS HYPERCOM HEWLETT PACKARD CO HEARTLAND PAYMENT SYSTEMS

$10,000 iPad Prototype Was ‘Most Likely’ Stolen Property, Says eBay Seller

Selling Apple prototypes is tricky business. There's always the chance that Apple will shut it down and ask for the device back. The seller of the dual-dock iPad prototype knew this when he posted his Ebay auction. "I wasn't expecting the auction to finish, I was expecting Apple to take it down."

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/05/10000-ipad-prototype-was-most-likely-stolen-property-says-ebay-seller/

ELECTRONIC DATA SYSTEMS ELECTRONIC ARTS ECLIPSYS EASTMAN KODAK CO

Google Play Now Selling Galaxy Nexus Accessories

Google's online storefront, Google Play, now sells accessories alongside the Galaxy Nexus smartphone.

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/05/google-play-now-selling-galaxy-nexus-accessories/

RF MICRO DEVICES RED HAT RADISYS RACKABLE SYSTEMS

Windows 8 now available to OEMs via Microsoft Connect

Select Microsoft Connect partners -- major players like HP -- have been given their first taste of Windows 8. According to various sources, the build string currently sits at 7971.0.110324-1900, which is the third milestone build of the successor to Windows 7.

So far, there haven't been many details revealed about Windows 8. An actual System Restore -- which is being referred to as History Vault -- has been reported, and the feature will allow users and administrators to completely roll back a system to a previous state. A factory reset option is also said to be included.

We've also seen Windows Live integration taking shape on the desktop. It's believed that you'll be able to log in to Windows 8 using your Windows Live credentials, not just a traditional offline Windows username and password.

All that's left now is for a leaked Windows 8 build to show up on a torrent site. Feel free to tip us if you see that happen.

Windows 8 now available to OEMs via Microsoft Connect originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/31/windows-8-now-available-to-oems-via-microsoft-connect/

ATandT AUTODESK AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING AVNET

Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android

Google, in an interesting but not entirely unexpected twist, will not be open-sourcing Android 3.0 Honeycomb for the foreseeable future.

Historically, Android is usually open-sourced via the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) a few days or weeks after the code is finalized. While this departure from the norm won't affect OEMs like HTC and Motorola that have access to internal builds of Android, small-time developers will likely have to wait months before rolling their own distributions.

As to why Google is holding back Honeycomb, its reasons are actually rather rational. Honeycomb, while originally intended to run on all mobile form factors, is only ready for deployment on tablets. "To make our schedule to ship the tablet, we made some design tradeoffs," says Andy Rubin, the head of Google's Android group. "We didn't want to think about what it would take for the same software to run on phones. It would have required a lot of additional resources and extended our schedule beyond what we thought was reasonable. So we took a shortcut."

In other words, Google wants to prevent OEMs and homebrew developers like Cyanogen from rolling their own smartphone versions of Honeycomb -- it doesn't want to see the same bitter-tasting tabletified bastardization that occurred with Android 2.1 and 2.2 last year.

Continue reading Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android

Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/25/google-holds-back-on-open-sourcing-honeycomb-heralds-shift-android/

LAM RESEARCH L1 IDENTITY SOLUTIONS KINGSTON TECHNOLOGY COMPANY KEY

Google demands veto on OEM Android changes, stretches definition of 'open source'

Google, according to reports from "a dozen executives working at key companies in the Android ecosystem" is finally locking down the open source and easily-fragmented Android operating system.

As it currently stands, Google hands over the 'final' code for each version of Android, and OEMs and developers then spend some time customizing the OS to fit their hardware, and to create a unique and marketable flavor. That's all set to change, however.

Over the last few months, according to several people familiar with the matter, Android licensees such as HTC, Motorola and Facebook, have been asked to sign 'non-fragmentation clauses.' This new contract caveat will give Google the right to review and pass judgment on all changes to the Android OS. Two executives at Facebook say that they're unhappy that Google gets to review its changes to Android -- which is understandable, given Facebook and Google are direct competitors -- and there have also been allegations that Google is preventing some Verizon devices from shipping because they include Microsoft's Bing instead of Google search.

Continue reading Google demands veto on OEM Android changes, stretches definition of 'open source'

Google demands veto on OEM Android changes, stretches definition of 'open source' originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 07:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/31/google-demands-veto-on-android-changes-stretches-definition-of/

FAIR ISAAC FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS F5 NETWORKS EPICOR SOFTWARE

Lenovo K800 Intel phone launches in China

Back at CES in January, we went hands on with the first consumer Android device powered by Intel. While it can no longer claim to be first -- the Lava Xolo beat it to market -- the Lenovo K800 has now finally made it on sale, albeit in China for now. 

Powered by a 1.6GHz Intel processor over a 4.5-inch IPS display with 1GB of RAM, the K800 should stack up quite nicely. It does launch running Gingerbread, but as Intel demonstrated themselves, this is a highly optimized version of Gingerbread. The K800 is available for RMB 3299 ($524) but as yet there is no word on availability elsewhere. 

There is still no sign of any Intel powered Android devices hitting North American shores, but the UK market is set to receive its first in the near future. Orange UK will be releasing their own brand device, codenamed Santa Clara, which on specs at least is a match for the K800. Orange will be pulling the wraps off the Santa Clara on May 31 in London, and of course Android Central will be there to go hands on. 

via The Verge

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/NQFsBTlGMvg/story01.htm

SI INTERNATIONAL SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY SCIENTIFIC GAMES SANDISK

Tim cook speaks about running Apple and the legacy of Steve Jobs

Tim Cook's interview at the D10 Conference returned several times to Steve Jobs, his legacy at Apple, what he meant to Cook, and how Apple may or may not be changing since Jobs passed away.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/_exY5-4f4L8/story01.htm

AMKOR TECHNOLOGY AMPHENOL ANIXTER INTERNATIONAL APPLE COMPUTER

TweetDeck to launch as HTML5 Web app, now accepting beta testers

When TweetDeck landed in the Chrome Web Store, it seemed like an indication that it might eventually evolve into a pure HTML5 Web app. Now it looks as though that's exactly what's going to happen, with TweetDeck announcing that a new, not-just-for-Chrome Web client is ready for beta testing.

It's a natural progression for TweetDeck, especially since its originally Adobe Air app is practically all Web code. TweetDeck Web will sport a feature set which is nearly identical to the Chrome app, with the notable exception of Twitter streaming.

Initially, TweetDeck is targeting Firefox 4 and 3.6, Google Chrome, and Safari. Opera and Internet Explorer 9 won't be invited to the dance until a bit later on.

If you'd like to get in on the TweetDeck Web beta, head on over and register -- or sign up using your existing TweetDeck account.

TweetDeck to launch as HTML5 Web app, now accepting beta testers originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/06/tweetdeck-to-launch-as-web-app-now-accepting-beta-testers/

PROGRESS SOFTWARE PLANAR SYSTEMS PEROT SYSTEMS PALM

Dealextreme 22000mcd LED Keychain Light Review

With the annual Dance Eisteddfod coming up, I needed to replenish my supply of small LED flashlights.  Trying to read a program to see when the boys are dancing in a dark concert hall is a pain, you can’t use a light that’s too bright and these 22000mcd LED Keychain Lights from DealExtreme fit the bill perfectly. Gadgets don’t [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/05/26/dealextreme-22000mcd-led-keychain-light-review/

VEECO INSTRUMENTS VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATES UNITED ONLINE UNISYS

Google Chrome now uses SPDY HTTP replacement, halves page load time

We're not entirely sure of the time line here, but it looks like Google has now rolled out the SPDY HTTP replacement to its full bevy of Web services, including Gmail, Docs, and YouTube. If you're currently using Google's Chrome browser you're probably already using SPDY.

We originally reported on SPDY way back in November 2009, when Google introduced it as yet another experiment in making the Web faster, like Go, Native Client and speculative pre-connections. Over the last 18 months, though, SPDY support has found its way into the stable build of Chrome.

SPDY is basically a streamlined and more efficient version of HTTP. At its most basic, SPDY introduces parallel, multiplexed streams over a single TCP connection -- but at the same time, SPDY allows for prioritization, so that vital content (HTML) can be sent before periphery content (JavaScript, video). All in all, the SPDY protocol can halve page load times, which is obviously rather significant.

The best bit, though, is that SPDY is an open-source project. HTTP 1.1 is a lumbering beast that needs to be replaced before low-latency real-time computing really becomes a reality, and SPDY is one of the best options currently on the table. To be honest, we're not sure why SPDY hasn't received more coverage -- it's awesome in every way. At the moment, though, the only way to help speed up SPDY's proliferation, is with an experimental Apache mod.

As far as actually 'trying it out,' your best bet is downloading Chrome, hitting up some Google sites, and then checking chrome://net-internals to see your active SPDY sessions. SPDY is a transparent replacement for HTTP, though, and as such it's rather hard to see its effects. Google's sites definitely feel fast in Chrome, but there are more technologies than just SPDY at work.

Google Chrome now uses SPDY HTTP replacement, halves page load time originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/11/google-chrome-now-uses-spdy-http-replacement-halves-page-load-t/

MANHATTAN ASSOCIATES LSI LINEAR TECHNOLOGY LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL

Satechi Bluetooth Multi-Media Remote for All Apple Bluetooth Devices

With the Satechi Bluetooth Multi-Media Remote, you can control any iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, MacBook Air or Pro, Mac Mini, or iMac.  The Bluetooth Multi-Media Remote supports the Bluetooth 3.0 HID, Class II profile. You’ll be able to control media playback while your device is connected to a TV, dock station, or even your car’s [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/05/26/satechi-bluetooth-multi-media-remote-for-all-apple-bluetooth-devices/

EASTMAN KODAK CO EARTHLINK DST SYSTEMS DISCOVER FINANCIAL SERVICES

Sergey Brin Finally Lets Someone Else Wear Google Glass

Sergey Brin has once again hit the town with Project Glass -- but this time he let someone else wear Google's augmented reality headset. California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom wore the specs on his own talk show -- and told Wired all about it.

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/05/sergey-brin-finally-lets-someone-else-wear-google-glass/

NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS MOTOROLA MOODYS MISCROSOFT OFFICE

Samsung Galaxy S III now available from Three UK

It's the day after the official launch of the Samsung Galaxy S III, and here in the UK it's the day that many eager consumers were hoping to lay their hands on Sammys prized new flagship device. We're well aware of the issues, which sadly may find you waiting a while longer or looking a bit harder to find one. It might though be worth heading over to Three UK, who has launched the device this morning, and is now available -- in white at least -- online, and in Three retail stores. 

The Galaxy S III can be yours on a new 2-year contract at Three, for the low low price of free on the One Plan, which will run you for just £34 a month. For anyone not familiar, the One Plan delivers truly unlimited data, and tethering to boot. You'll find the presser after the break. 

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/UGnnd2rA9Xg/story01.htm

SYNTAXBRILLIAN SYNOPSYS SYNNEX SYMANTEC

Mobile Nations 16: People who do things

Kevin from CrackBerry.com, Phil from Android Central, Derek from webOS Nation, Daniel from WPCentral, Gary from Mobile Nations, and Rene from iMore talk iPhone 5 and iOS 6, BlackBerry 10, Samsung Galaxy S III and Jellybean, Windows 8, ecosystems vs. best of breed, and... the Facebook Phone. This is Mobile Nations!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/X0PTcijpsTU/story01.htm

ROCKWELL AUTOMATION RF MICRO DEVICES RED HAT RADISYS

Digital Flux Live Wallpaper [Live Wallpaper Review]

Continuing our live wallpaper reviewing extravaganza is another from masterful wallpaper developer, D'Keesto. This entry in the "digital" series is called Digital Flux Live Wallpaper, and while it's definitely cool, I have no idea where the "flux" comes into play. (That's okay, though.)

Instead of embers or honeycombs or anything of that sort, you've got rectangular prisms that move up and down, seemingly at random. Touch the screen and they'll either be pushed down or pulled up (depending on what you pick in the settings). It's all very mechanical, and reminds me of that crazy complicated choreographic dance that happened at the Olympics in Beijing. (You know, the one with the people underneath the boxes!)

The settings menu is a bit simpler than some of D'Keesto's other offerings, limiting you to a mere two colors (and utter dominance by your color in slot one), but you can still pick from all sorts of different single colors or have the colors go off of the battery level.

There's also some performance options, like adjusting the camera zoom, turning anti-aliasing on or off, or enabling accurate shadows. Depending on your device, you might change these settings around, but with close camera zoom, anti-aliasing off, and accurate shadows on, I didn't see any performance issues as I slid and swiped from screen-to-screen. Of course, your mileage may vary.

If bouncing boxes are you thing, Digital Flux Live Wallpaper is the wallpaper for you. It's inexpensive, runs well, and has just enough customization to keep things interesting. I'm not quite sure where the digital aspect comes into play (especially compared to Digital Hive and Digital Embers), but maybe it's just a name continuity thing. Regardless, as far as live wallpapers go, this one certainly doesn't disappoint.

Digital Flux Live Wallpaper is a mere 99 cents in the Google Play Store. We've got download links, screenshots, and video after the break.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/aRhKig6Vu5o/story01.htm

MEMC ELECTRONIC MATERIALS MICROSOFT MILLICOM INTL CELLULAR MOBILE TELESYSTEMS

In-app payment support arrives on Android

Right on cue, Google has launched in-app payment support for Android applications. Developer testing began last week, and now many popular apps -- like the ones pictured above -- can begin charging users for add-on functionality, content, or whatever the heck else they feel is worthy of additional bits of your pocket change. If you were wondering, Google will take the same 30% cut that Apple takes from in-app purchases.

At last we can buy individual issues in Comics with minimal fuss!

In-app payment support arrives on Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/30/in-app-payment-support-arrives-on-android/

SYBASE SUN MICROSYSTEMS STANDARD MICROSYSTEMS SRA INTERNATIONAL

How to take irresistible photos of your pets with your iPhone

If you don't have kids, your iPhone Camera Roll is probably filled with pictures of your pets. If you do have kids, your iPhone Camera Roll is probably filled with pictures of your kids with your pets. That means, unless you don't have pets at all, you'll want to take absolutely the best pictures you can of them. Not surprisingly, a lot of the iPhoneography tips we've covered previously also applies to pets, but there are some specific things to keep in mind -- and in frame!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/c-qWMkfD2TI/story01.htm

IXYS ITRON IRON MOUNTAIN INORATED IOMEGA