Project Volta is Google's effort to improve Android battery life and it seems to be off to a good start as early tests of the Android L feature show a huge battery life improvement. Project Volta provides a few tweaks to the operating system including better task scheduling, which saves …
Read More »Canon and Microsoft sign broad cross-licensing agreement
Microsoft Corp. and Canon on Wednesday said that they have signed a broad patent cross-licensing agreement. Thanks to the new pact the two companies gain licenses to each other’s highly valued and growing patent portfolios. Theoretically, Canon’s licensing of Microsoft patents may indicate that the company is preparing a family …
Read More »Android L confirmed for Nexus 4 and original Nexus 7
The list of devices set to receive Google's new Android L update has expanded to include all Nexus devices after the Nexus 4. This means that the update will roll out to the Original Nexus 7, Nexus 10 and the Nexus 4 handset. This is all thanks to Google releasing …
Read More »Ouya announces new subscription model trial
The Ouya is getting a new all encompassing game pass, allowing those who own an Ouya access to over 800 of the console's games for a $59.99 one of annual payment. However, the company is still somehow going to manage to pay developers its 70 per cent cut of the …
Read More »Less than 1/4 of Android devices compatible with Android Wear
While Google and its partners introduced several attractive smartwatches powered by the Android Wear operating system at Google IO this week, this does not mean that they are going to revolutionize the market shortly. Apparently, less than a quarter of all Android-based smartphones are compatible with Android Wear devices. Android …
Read More »Asus to launch affordable Android Wear smartwatch in September
Asustek Computer was expected to reveal its plans concerning wearable electronics at Computex 2014 earlier this month, but for some reason the company decided not to do that. This does not mean that Asus has decided not to enter the market, or significantly delay its products. According to unofficial information, …
Read More »Microsoft Mobile reveals Android-based Nokia X2 with new software
Microsoft Mobile on Thursday introduced Nokia X2, its new smartphone based on a modified version of Google Android operating system aimed at customers in budget. The new handset weds Windows Phone-like experience with Google Android applications. The device features numerous software and hardware enhancements compared to the original Nokia X1. …
Read More »Google: Android has one billion active users
Google’s Android operating system for mobile devices passed one billion of activations in September, 2013. While the number of activations is important, it does not indicate how many customers actually use a platform. On Wednesday Android and Chrome chief Sundar Pichai revealed that over a billion of people used Google’s …
Read More »Amazon unveils Fire smartphone: an ultimate tool to sell you things
Amazon on Wednesday unveiled its long-awaited smartphone. The device is called Fire and it comes with free cloud storage for photos, an auto stereoscopic 3D screen, the Dynamic Perspective software that allows to control the smartphone without touching it as well as the Firefly application that recognizes everything the owner …
Read More »AMD: wearable devices today are mostly a fad
While Intel Corp. is clearly interested in making chips for wearable computing devices as well as smart home appliances, Advanced Micro Devices plans to take a wait-and-see approach. The company believes that while wearables will have a lot of practical applications going forward, developing chips for them today is too …
Read More »ZTE wants to sell more high-end smartphones
It is not a secret that Apple and Samsung are the most profitable smartphone makers in the world thanks to sales of their high-end lines, whereas the competition of other manufacturers has pushed margins so narrow that their low-priced handsets are barely profitable. In a bid to earn more money …
Read More »Google unveils project Tango tablet: Tegra K1 inside, $1024 price-point
Google this week introduced a new tablet for software developers that belongs to its family of devices supporting the project Tango technologies. The mobile device has Nvidia Tegra K1 application processor inside as well as advanced sensing capabilities that help it to create a 3D model of the environment around …
Read More »Amazon might finally reveal its smartphone this month
Amazon might finally reveal its long awaited smartphone later this month at an event in Seattle on the 18th of June. The company launched a short teaser video showing customers eyeing up an unannounced device but while Amazon hasn't officially said anything about its smartphone plans, it seems likely that …
Read More »Samsung unveils Tizen-based smartphone with Intel chip inside
Samsung Electronics on Monday introduced the world’s first smartphone based on the Tizen operating system. The new Samsung Z smartphone will help the company to lower its dependence on Google Android platform that powers the majority of Samsung’s handsets and tablets. The Tizen will also aid Samsung to offer unique …
Read More »Audio technologies from Beats will continue to be available to HP
Even after the acquisition of Beats Electronics by Apple will be closed later this year, Hewlett-Packard will be able to use technologies (developed by Beats) and place the Beats logo on its products for a limited amount of time till the end of 2015. Apple also has no plans to …
Read More »Intel teams up with Rockchip for low-cost quad-core SoFIA chip
Intel Corp. on Tuesday announced that it has entered into a strategic agreement with Rockchip, a developer of low-cost system-on-chips for mobile devices. Under the terms of the agreement, Rockchip will design an entry-level Intel Atom-based application processor for inexpensive tablets featuring Google Android operating system. At present not a …
Read More »Nokia X2 smartphone may feature two operating systems
It is not a secret that Microsoft Mobile is working on the second-generation Nokia X smartphone that was originally expected to be based on the heavily modified Google Android operating system and was projected to be sold mostly in developing countries. Apparently, the new Nokia X2 smartphone will not be …
Read More »HP begins to sell media tablets for $99 in the U.S., £99 in the U.K.
Ever since Apple started to sell its iPad media tablet four years ago, many observers have wondered whether and when slates from well-known brands be available for $100, an important psychological price-point. This week Hewlett-Packard finally started to sell a tablet that costs only $99.99 in the U.S. Separately, HP …
Read More »Asus MeMo Pad 8: First 64-bit Google Android tablet debuts
Asustek Computer this week unveiled the world’s first media tablet that is based on a 64-bit version of Google Android operating system. The new Asus MeMo Pad 8 media tablet is powered by a quad-core Intel Atom system-on-chip that promises to provide increased performance in select applications. Initially, the slate …
Read More »Google facing antitrust lawsuit over search engine monopoly
Google has been hit with another anti-trust lawsuit, this time over its apparent search engine monopoly on Android devices. Law firm, Hagens Berman, filed the suit on behalf of two Android phone users who are claiming that Google illegally monopolised its search engine on its mobile OS in the US. …
Read More »Nvidia ships Tegra K1. This time only to software developers
Nvidia Corp. on Thursday said that it had started volume shipments of its Jetson TK1 development kits, which are based on the company’s highly-anticipated Tegra K1 system-on-chip with four ARM Cortex-A15 cores, Nvidia Kepler-based graphics and a variety of other hardware. The development kit is aimed at designers of software …
Read More »Motorola to unveil new entry-level Moto E smartphone in London
Motorola, the company that is about to become a part of Lenovo Group, plans to introduce its all-new smartphone – Moto E – on the 13th of May, 2014, in London. The handset will be positioned below the Moto G and will be very affordable, yet, rather powerful for everyday …
Read More »Sales of Nokia Lumia drop for second consecutive quarter
Nokia Corp. this week announced financial results for the first quarter of 2014. While the company did not provide a lot of information regarding performance of its handset businesses, it clearly stated that there was a major decline. Apparently, as Nokia transits its devices and services division to Microsoft Corp., …
Read More »64-bit Google Android devices will only emerge by Christmas
Although Intel Corp. already offers 64-bit microprocessors for ultra-mobile devices that are compatible with Google Android operating systems and a number of ARM partners plan to reveal their 64-bit system-on-chips featuring ARMv8 architecture in the coming months, actual 64-bit Android-based devices will only emerge by end of 2014. “We have …
Read More »Nvidia already testing Shield 2 portable video game console
Although Nvidia Corp.’s first-generation Shield video game console has not managed to become popular, the company is not giving up and is already working on the second-generation system. One of the first prototypes of the new Shield based on Tegra K1 system-on-chip has even been spotted in AnTuTu benchmark database, …
Read More »First photos and specs of Amazon smartphone revealed
Amazon is expected to formally announce its highly-anticipated smartphone only in June, but the first details as well as pictures of the device were revealed already on Tuesday. The final specs and design of the handset are unknown, but from what we do know, it seems that the product will …
Read More »Intel aggressively drops prices on system-on-chips for tablets – report
In a bid to boost its share on the market of media tablets, Intel Corp. has aggressively lowered the price on some of its system-on-chips designed for media tablets. While the chips are most probably outdated, it looks like Intel is extremely serious about winning designs in the tablet space, …
Read More »Amazon to unveil smartphone in June, begin shipments in September
The world’s largest e-tailer Amazon is on the finish line with its long-awaited smartphone, a media report citing people familiar with the matter claims. The company reportedly intends to unleash the smartphone and services associated with it in June and plans to start shipments in late September. Unfortunately, it is …
Read More »Google is planning an Android TV
Google is reportedly planning to release an Android TV, the new service will go head to head against Amazon's recently launched Fire TV as well as the rumoured revamped Apple TV. However, this isn't Google's first time releasing a TV service, previously the company released Google TV but it failed …
Read More »Survival of the fittest: Galaxy S5 vs. Galaxy S4 drop/crash test
One of the most important features of modern smartphones is, without any doubts, their ability to survive during drops, falls and other incidents. The new Samsung Galaxy S5 is clearly better than the Samsung Galaxy S4 from 2013 when it comes to performance and design. But which one is more …
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