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Video: Texas Instruments wants you to remember that more cores aren’t necessarily better

2012-02-23T07:30:44Z

Next week you’re going to hear everyone in the mobile industry trumpet NVIDIA’s quad core Tegra 3 as the best thing since sliced bread. Why? Because four cores simply have to better than two cores, right? Texas Instruments, in what can best be described as a public service announcement, just uploaded a video to YouTube showing how their dual core ARM Cortex A15 chip compares to NVIDIA’s quad core ARM Cortex A9 chip on EEMBC’s BrowsingBench testing tool. The benchmark is really easy to understand: 20 web pages get loaded up, one right after the other, and the time it takes to load all of said pages gets recorded. TI’s chip did the test in 95 seconds. NVIDIA’s chip took 201 seconds. In other words, the Texas Instruments OMAP5 is more than twice as fast as a Tegra 3, despite having half the cores. How is this possible? Because processors can’t be measured by how many cores they have or how many gigahertz they can achieve, instead they need to be measured by how many instructions they can execute per clock cycle. In this case, the ARM Cortex A15 is hellishly faster than the ARM Cortex A9.

There’s a catch to all of this of course. The NVIDIA Tegra 3 is going to be shown off next week and will end up in consumer hardware that’ll be on store shelves by the end of the first half of this year. The Texas Instruments OMAP5 however will barely make it into products out by the end of this year, and realistically speaking there’s a good chance it’ll end up in early 2013 devices. By that time we’ll likely hear about NVIDIA’s Tegra 4, currently codenamed “Wayne”, which is rumored to utilize Cortex A15 cores.

Now all this being said, the whole NVIDIA vs. Texas Instruments thing, at the end of the day we’re cheering for Qualcomm. Their dual core Snapdragon S4 was recently benchmarked and it murders everything on the market, including the Tegra 3. Best of all it’ll end up in devices coming out in Q2 of this year!

[Via: AnandTech]

Video: Texas Instruments wants you to remember that more cores aren’t necessarily better originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-02-23T07:30:44Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Never question an app again with Appreciate – The personal Android Market

2012-02-23T07:02:59Z

The Android Market’s road to getting where it is today was a rocky one, and even though it’s never looked better and is miles better when it comes to discoverability, some people may want more. We’ve seen some attempts at making the Android Market a more personable experience but none have come close to Appreciate. Not only is Appreciate a great application to have on hand when trying to find Android apps, it looks good doing it, too.

Appreciate breaks down applications by the amount of downloads, whether its relevant to you (by analyzing your installed applications), which gender is downloading the application more, and many more different ways of showing you if the applications you’re looking into is right for you. The experience also doesn’t skip on UI design, which is one of the main parts of the latest version of Appreciate. It’s slick, and will likely make you actually want to use it – functionality notwithstanding.

The new and improved Appreciate includes the following enhancements:

Major UI Upgrades – What upgrade would be complete without a nice, new layout?

Daily Personal Recommendations – Every day you get a personalized, top-12 list of apps chosen for who you are and what you like.

Personal App Overview Pages – Each app now starts with an “overview” tab with a collection of relevant stats and facts on each app, including the total number of downloads, relevance score, a gender gauge, and your social media friends using the app.

It’s learning – Appreciate gets to know you. The more you use it, the more it knows what you’ll like. The A.I. behind Appreciate is now better than ever at suggesting the perfect app for you.

From using Appreciate for just a couple of minutes, you get a feel for just how well it was made. Going to different categories is as simple as a swipe and is a very smooth experience from end to end. Categories range from trending, to apps for guys, girls, top apps, top games, tablet, and even a category for root-only applications. Appreciate also hooks into Facebook, and once you add your credentials in, you’ll have the option of seeing what applications other Facebook users are using if they have Appreciate installed.

There’s a lot to like about Appreciate but you really can’t get a feel for it unless you download it yourself. Head over to the Android Market to grab it now!

Never question an app again with Appreciate – The personal Android Market originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-02-23T07:00:41Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Several major tech companies sign privacy agreement with California

2012-02-23T04:50:37Z

Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Research In Motion, and Hewlett-Packard signed a privacy agreement that requires each company and its developers to disclose how they will use private data before an app is installed on a device. This agreement is the result of six months of talks between these leading tech companies and California Attorney General Kamal Harris.

Harris pushed for stronger privacy requirements on mobile devices and said at a San Francisco press conference that “Most mobile apps make no effort to inform users about how personal information is used. The consumer should be informed of what they are giving up.” Harris will monitor these companies for compliance with these new rules and told Reuters the state has the right to sue if they don’t act in good faith.

This new privacy requirement comes hot on the heels of a major faux pas by Path, a new social network with apps for iOS and Android. Path was caught uploading address book information to its servers without the consent of users. The company explained it was doing this to help its users locate friends and was not using this information for malicious reasons. Path issued and apology and ceased the practice when the tech world jumped on this story.

[Via Reuters and The Washington Post; Image via Shutterstock]

Several major tech companies sign privacy agreement with California originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-02-23T04:50:37Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

NVIDIA dubs Tegra 3 architecture: 4-PLUS-1

2012-02-23T04:18:37Z

We all know that the Tegra 3 packs a ton of power with a quad-core processor but it actually has a fifth core which is aimed at handling battery life. Well, NVIDIA decided it was tired of this being called a “ninja core” or something, so it has officially dubbed this “4-PLUS-1.”

The name is interesting but it’s mostly a branding issue. What should excite you is what NVIDIA says the 4-PLUS-1 architecture will mean for devices utilizing it:

What this revolutionary architecture does is simple: It provides both exceptional processing power and great battery life. It does this by using four powerful CPU cores to handle demanding tasks, such as gaming, and a fifth low-power, battery-saver core to manage less strenuous tasks – like processing e-mail or operating in standby mode.

It also strongly hints that we’ll be seeing some 4-PLUS-1 smartphones at Mobile World Congress 2012, so be sure to keep an eye on IntoMobile for the latest news.

[Via NVIDIA]

NVIDIA dubs Tegra 3 architecture: 4-PLUS-1 originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-02-23T04:18:37Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Forrester: Mobile broadband users will exceed PC-based users by 2016

2012-02-23T02:51:16Z

It’s a good time to be a wireless carrier. According to Forrester Forecast analyst Susan Huynh, the number of mobile broadband users will exceed the number of PC broadband users by 2016. This bold prediction is based on the current number of mobile phone owners which will total 4.3 billion or half of the world’s population by the end of 2012.

Developing nations are the biggest untapped market for mobile phones and will fuel this growth in the upcoming years. Not surprisingly, these areas tend to have a low penetration of landline internet connections and cheap mobile data prices. Combined, these factors make it easy for customers to choose a mobile connection over a landline one. It will be slow, but eventually, Huynh believes the number of mobile connections will eclipse the landline ones.

If this prediction plays out as expected, then we are only at the beginning of the mobile revolution. We can look forward to a lot more phones, even more apps and a surge in everything related to mobile.

[Via Forrester; image via Shutterstock]

Forrester: Mobile broadband users will exceed PC-based users by 2016 originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-02-23T02:51:16Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Create.Work.Inspire – Dell and Intel head back to NY

2012-02-22T22:30:58Z

This Thursday, Dell and Intel head back to New York for their third Create.Work.Inspire event. This time the XPS 13 Ultrabook™ is a key player in the creation of a music video.

Curious about the XPS 13 Ultrabook™? Visit the event this weekend in New Yorks’s hip Williamsburg district at Create.Work.Inspire to see it for yourself. Get more information and RSVP here.

The last Create.Work.Inspire event at the Carte Blanche Gallery San Francisco was very inspiring. Dell and Intel used photography as a creative inspiration to show how the forthcoming XPS 13 Ultrabook™ is the optimal tool for the creative professional on the go. There, we had the opportunity to get some hands-on with the XPS 13 Ultrabook™. See our full coverage of that event here or watch the video below.

–Sponsored by Dell, Intel

Create.Work.Inspire – Dell and Intel head back to NY originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-02-22T22:30:58Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Droid Fighter and LG Cayman: two new Android phones headed to Verizon?

2012-02-22T21:42:29Z

Droid-Life got the scoop from their sources that Verizon Wireless will soon release two new Android handsets: the Droid Fighter and LG Cayman.

The image above is supposedly a schedule for different phone and tablet workshops for the carrier’s employees. The majority of devices on the list are ones that are already on the market such as the Motorola Xyboard and LG Spectrum. The last two, however, have yet to be announced. The LG Cayman has a scheduled workshop on March 29th and the Droid Fighter has one a couple of weeks later on April 12th.

The Droid Fighter curiously does not have a manufacturer associated with it in the image. The Droid 4 has “by Motorola” listed next to it, but alas this upcoming Droid Fighter stands alone. Motorola is the primary manufacturer of the Droid line, but Samsung and HTC have each made their own contributions, e.g. the Samsung Droid Charge and the HTC Droid Incredible line. The Droid Fighter could be made by any one of these vendors at this point.

LG isn’t exactly the strongest player in the Android game, so don’t get overly excited over the Cayman, particularly since the LG Spectrum was just released. If high-end is what you seek, the Droid line usually delivers. Oh, and if anyone representing the Droid Fighter’s manufacturer is reading this, keep in mind that the tech world always screams for Ice Cream.

The dates next to each device above, although not release dates, should hint that the respective devices should be released around those times.

[via Droid-Life]

Droid Fighter and LG Cayman: two new Android phones headed to Verizon? originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-02-22T21:42:29Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Employee steals 25 iPhones worth $16,000 from Apple Store

2012-02-22T21:10:24Z

Well, it looks like an Apple store in Charlotte is the latest retail location to suffer from theft, as a total of 25 iPhones valued at over $16,000 was reported stolen, according to The Charlotte Observer. These iPhones were taken from Apple’s Northlake Mall retail store in Charlotte, North Carolina, and it’s believed to be orchestrated by an inside man.

“The iPhones were stolen from the Genius Room located inside of the store,” a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police report says. “The suspect did have access to the Genius Room.” The stolen phones, which are valued at $16,425, include 22 16-gigabyte iPhone 4S models, one 64-GB 4S model, one eight-GB iPhone 4 model and one 32-GB 4S model.

Charlotte’s local news channel confirmed that the suspect was a store employee and that the 25 phones were stolen over a period of time between December 1 and January 11. Police are reportedly searching for the suspect. It’s really not surprising to see this kind of thing happen, as iPhones are targeted more than most priced possessions, according to an internal New York City Police report.

My thing is, how in the world did this person believe in its mind that they’d get away with this? This is Apple we’re talking about, you know, the same company who hires ex-FBI agents and other highly trained pros with backgrounds in intelligence and law enforcement — to handle these types of things. That said, I’m sure this person will be apprehended soon.

[via MacRumors, pic]

Employee steals 25 iPhones worth $16,000 from Apple Store originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-02-22T21:10:24Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Viggle app pays users to watch TV

2012-02-22T20:51:53Z

Calling all couch potatoes! Viggle is a new app for iPhone and iPod touch that actually pays you to watch television. The app determines what you are watching when you put your iOS device up to the TV and then gives you points to accumulate and unlock rewards.

Viggle works similarly to IntoNow, an app acquired by Yahoo last year that uses the microphone on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to listen in on the TV show or movie and share what you are watching with friends. Viggle utilizes similar technology and does have basic integration with Facebook and Twitter but it instead of focusing on social aspects. Telling Viggle what you’re watching is for your own personal gain.

Once Viggle knows what you’re watching, it rewards you with a certain number of points for each minute you watch. When you get enough points over time, you can redeem them in the Rewards section of the app. Some of the prizes include a $5 gift card to Burger King, Best Buy, or iTunes, a $10 gift card to places like Sephora, or a movie ticket courtesy of Fandango.

Does this all sound too good to be true? Well, there is a bit of a catch. The minimum amount of points needed to redeem a reward on Viggle is 7,500 and it apparently takes a very long time to get there — think 60 hours of television-watching. Bonus points can be acquired by tagging live TV shows, special events, or watching ads within the app, but I have to wonder if all this work is worth it for a measly $5 gift card.

That said, Viggle is a dream come true for ultimate television enthusiasts. The app is free in the iOS App Store.

[via The Mac Observer]

Viggle app pays users to watch TV originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-02-22T20:51:53Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Asus releases bootloader unlock tool for the Transformer Prime

2012-02-22T20:19:29Z

Asus dropped some great news earlier today, as the company released the bootloader unlock tool for its wildly popular Android tablet: the Transformer Prime.

This release only came about because of the outrage people displayed over the company launching the slate with the bootloader locked, as it prevented avid hackers from uploading custom roms onto the device. You can grab the unlock tool for the Transformer Prime (TF201) here.

But before you get too excited and do something you may regret later, you must first understand that if you mess up in attempts to customize your tablet, it’s going to be all on your fault. The tablet maker is not going to accommodate users in anyway if something goes wrong.

ASUS explicitly states that using the unlock tool instantly voids your warranty. Forever.

Before you download, install, and use the Unlock Device App you acknowledge and assume complete risk to the quality and performance of this App, including but not limited to the following: once you activate the App you will not be able to recover your ASUS product (“Original Product”) back to original locked conditions;the Original Product with the activated App will not be deemed the Original Product; the Revised Product will no longer be covered under the warranty of the Original Product; the software of Revised Product will no longer be deemed the software of the Original Product and can no longer receive ASUS software updates; your purchased digital content may also be affected.

So, if there is any brave folks out there looking to unlock their Prime’s, please let us know if you were successful. And oh, we are not responsible for anything that happens to your Transformer Prime tablet, so try this at your own risk.

[via ASUS]

Asus releases bootloader unlock tool for the Transformer Prime originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-02-22T20:19:29Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j