Just Within My Reach

Mango is here!

2011-09-28T01:25:00.000+08:00

Most Windows Phone 7 users are looking forward to this BIG update - I myself looked forward to this. But (drum roll please), see this post here my friends - Windows Phone 7.5 “Mango” update begins and Where's my phone update (schedules).

[1:00 am GMT+8]
As of now, 1am in the Philippines, the Mango update notification has just popped up! Definitely excited for this. Updating now...

[1:30 am]
Second update went through. On this update, the previous provisioning update (Build 7712) was cleaned up. Zune software is now downloading update #3.

[1:40 am]
Update has been downloaded. This 3rd update is called "Samsung Update for Windows Phone". My phone has restarted and my heart pounds like drums rolling. Zune is backing data from the phone up.

[1:55 am]
All the updates went through like a breeze! Enjoying my Mango phone now. :)

New hype about Facebook

2011-09-25T15:20:00.001+08:00

Mark Zuckerberg, among others, has recently announced new features for Facebook during the f8 Developer Conference, which took place last September 22. These new set of features include:

Mark Zuckerberg

Timeline

This new feature aims to change the way users' profile are seen. Timeline will, in some sort, allow the customization of the profile page by placing relevant images by time. Check the official Facebook blog here. Users may sign-up for the upcoming feature here.

Music and Video Streaming

Facebook users will now be able to stream music, thanks to the free service from Spotify. The move aims to not just stop piracy, but to make listening to music a new social thing. Play buttons and 15 million tracks will be available to users shortly. Check the official Spotify blog here.

About Facebook - Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg with his college roommates and fellow computer science students Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes. The website's membership was initially limited by the founders to Harvard students, but was expanded to other colleges in the Bostonarea, the Ivy League, and Stanford University. It gradually added support for students at various other universities before opening to high school students, and, finally, to anyone aged 13 and over. However, based on ConsumersReports.org on May 2011, there are 7.5 million children under 13 with accounts, violating the site's terms.

About Spotify - Spotify is a Swedish-founded, UK-headquartered DRM-based music streaming service offering streaming of selected music from a range of major and independent record labels, including Sony, EMI, Warner Music Group, and Universal. Launched in October 2008 by Swedish startup Spotify AB, the service had approximately ten million users as of 15 September 2010; about 1 million of whom were paying members. The service is, as of July 2011, only available in Finland, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States and soon Denmark

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Modular Windows Phones?

2011-09-25T14:34:00.000+08:00

Modular design - Microsoft patents modularity for Windows phones

Swappable batteries and cases are common - especially for Nokia handsets. But how about swapping keypads with game pads? Hmm, seems Microsoft is planning to make Windows Phones as one of the most customizable handsets out there. On the other hand, modu, an Israeli mobile phone company that was founded in 2007 by Dov Moran, already have this "sort" of idea, by making the world's smallest phone and making "jackets" for it. The jackets of the modu phone expands the small phone's functionality by adding keypads, cameras, and speakers, among many other devices, while the main phone is literally inside the jackets (more like the cartridges of Nintendo's game consoles).

But hey, Microsoft isn't making most of the hardware for the phones. This got me thinking what Microsoft's plans are for the mobile handset wars. This could potentially block new innovations for the cellphone industry if Microsoft would just use this for patent trolling.

Anyway, here's the official patent application.

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Sony Xperia play update - 720p Video Recording

2011-09-25T12:48:00.000+08:00

New features came to Xperia Play - as the image suggests, the handset now boasts of 720p recording with continuous auto-focus, and automatic brightness adjustment. The Android 2.3.4 update gave these new features. Xperia play owners, go on and update your phones now. :)

Here's a sample video taken using Xperia Play (props to xda-developers):

Source

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Another Apple vs Microsoft video

2011-09-17T18:47:00.005+08:00

Watch this video featuring a match-up of Apple's iPad and Microsoft's Windows 8. Video is owned by winrumors.

64GB microSDXC card

2011-09-17T18:44:00.002+08:00

Sandisk has just released a first of its kind memory card for mobile - the 64GB Mobile Ultra microSDXC card.

Details taken from Sandisk:

Get faster performance and maximum storage for your photos, apps and Full HD† videos. With 64 GB** capacity and transfer speeds up to 30 MB/sec*, SanDisk® Mobile Ultra™ microSDXC™ memory cards are perfect for the latest microSDXC™-enabled high-performance smartphones and superphones - plus the included SD™ adapter lets you quickly transfer files from your PC or other SD™ enabled device - so you can get more out of your mobile device. Do more with SanDisk® mobile memory cards

Store more with 64 GB** storage capacity

Faster performance with transfer speeds up to 30 MB/sec*

Easily transfer files to and from your PC with the included SD™ adapter

Organize and transfer your photos, videos and music with included SanDisk® Media Manager software

Source 1 | about microSDXC

Videos and images are copyright of their respective owners .

Another JailBreaker going to Apple?

2011-09-17T18:32:00.002+08:00

It seems like companies are taking in their hackers nowadays. It has been reported that last May, Apple took in Peter Hajas (jailbreak tweak mobile notifier), Facebook took geohot (George Hotz, famous iPhone and PS3 hacker) in June, Samsung hired cyanogen (Steve Kondik, famous for the cyanogenmod) in August, and Apple hired comex (Nicholas Allegra, JailBreakMe developer).

MuscleNerd

Recently, another iPhone jailbreak expert MuscleNerd, was reported to be roaming around Apple's campus. MuscleNerd is part of the iPhone Dev Team, maker of the infamous Redsn0w and pwnagetool. Read more of the news here.

New videos for Windows Phone 7 Mango

2011-09-17T18:09:00.001+08:00

Hey there Windows Phone 7 user, thing is, you might want to check these videos about our beloved Mango.

Video chat on HTC Titan (WP7.5)

I hope you enjoyed them. Check out the official YouTube channel for Windows Phones here.

More patents for Google

2011-09-17T17:25:00.000+08:00

Amidst the patent war, Google bought Motorola for its patent-rich portfolio. Recently, Google took some more - this time, from IBM. Google bought 1,023 patents from International Business Machines Corp (IBM), a legend in modern computer systems. Last July, Google also bought patents from IBM, giving the Mountain View search giant 1,030 more patents.

In the recent battles for patents, Google handed over 9 patents to HTC to arm one of the biggest Android-device makers against Apple and Microsoft.

Source 1 | Source 2

Watch for: 2.5 GHz Quad Core for Mobile

2011-09-17T17:07:00.000+08:00

I've posted about a quad-core slate before and i was always fascinated how much processing powers are available in this small devices. Windows Phone 7s ran quite fast on 1GHz processors, but what if the OS will run on a 2.5GHz quad-core procie? Hmm, that would be something.

Qualcomm, one of the leaders in mobile processors, has confirmed that in early 2012, quad-core processors for mobile devices will be available. The S4 chipset will come with (aside from the 2.5GHz core speed) Adreno 305 GPU, steroscopic 3D capability, full 1080p video, near-field communications (NFC), and 3G and LTE connectivity. This chipset will pump up overall performance by roughly 150%, while lowering power consumption by 65%. Now that's green.

The chipset was announced last February here.

Source 1

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) is a world leader in 3G and next-generation mobile technologies. For 25 years, Qualcomm ideas and inventions have driven the evolution of wireless communications, connecting people more closely to information, entertainment and each other. Today, Qualcomm technologies are powering the convergence of mobile communications and consumer electronics, making wireless devices and services more personal, affordable and accessible to people everywhere. For more information, visit Qualcomm around the Web:
www.qualcomm.com
Corporate Blog: www.qualcomm.com/blog
Twitter: www.twitter.com/qualcomm
Facebook: www.facebook.com/qualcomm

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Joe B clarified Mango release

2011-09-16T16:34:00.000+08:00

Ohh the season for Mango is not here at all. Windows Phone 7 users will have to wait until fall before the Mango update falls on us - I just hope it will not be a "fail".

I had been waiting long for this date though, September 15 was rumored to be the golden date for WP7. But HTC WP7 users in Taiwan should be getting the Mango update today, September 16th - lucky them.

According to this, Fall would start on September 23. That will be a week from now, and I hope that the update will come on that day.

Dr. Dre and HTC - let the sounds play

2011-09-15T17:43:00.000+08:00

HTC has teamed up with Beats to produce a new experience for the mobile users. As a result, HTC came up with HTC Sensation XE, the "official" pioneer of a series of HTC phones to feature Beats technology.

This technology has brought in some pretty cool stuff like when a user plugs in a Beats earphone/headphone, the phone will automatically change to a Beats profile to enhance the listening experience and bring it to the next level. Buyers will also get a Beats By Dr. Dre In-ear earphones.

However, xda-developers have already released a rom for HTC Desire HD, making Sensation XE as the 2nd phone to have the technology. The rom is based on Runnymede. For HTC Desire HD users who want to experience Beats technology, you may read on this thread.

Now, back to Sensation XE. This phone boasts a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor that runs Android Gingerbread, and an S-LCD capacitive touchscreen measuring 4.3", sporting a 540 x 960 pixels resolution (resulting to a pixel density of around 256). That kind of specs could leave spectators awestruck because it is one of the fastest phones around. And the Beats technology? Aww, that would be fantastic! It would also feature an 8 megapixel rear camera with dual-led flash and 1080p video recording. Sensation XE will measure 126.1 x 65.4 x 11.3 mm, while weighing 151g. Check out other features at GSMArena.com.

Source 1

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Google and Motorola file for Merger Clearances

2011-09-14T16:22:00.001+08:00

Most of us may have heard that Google will be buying Motorola for USD 12.5 billion. And recently, the 2 companies have already filed merger clearances from countries like the US, the EU, Canada, Taiwan, Russia, China, Turkey, and Israel.

Motorola will merge with RB98, a wholly owned subsidiary of Google, which was primarily created just for this merger. After the merge is through, RB98 will then disappear, while Motorola will continue as a wholly owned subsidiary of Google.

Google's interest in patents and hardware led them to buy Motorola, which, by the way, own 24,500+ patents, plus some hefty machinery and factories.

However, this giant merger, one of Google's most expensive, has raised speculations about the future of Android. And then recently, Samsung released a barrage of Bada-powered phones, while HTC was rumored to be eyeing to buy HP's webOS. Samsung and HTC has apparently invested a lot on Android, and they had rejected the speculations.

Source 1 | Source 2

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Update for Windows Phone 7 USB driver

2011-09-12T15:26:00.000+08:00

A new update for Windows OSes is up - this time, it's a driver for Windows Phone 7. The update title is "Microsoft - Other Hardware - Windows Phone 7". The update won't come to users' attention unless the Zune software and the WP7 device is hooked to the PC. For what could this be? I wonder...Could this be Mango?

Anyway, WP7 users, start your Zune app and connect your WP7 device, then wait for the notification or manually start your updater.

Netflix on Android

2011-09-12T15:06:00.001+08:00

Official Netflix app for Android Froyo and Gingerbread is now available in the Android Market for free. However, the app is not available for Android devices running on the latest (atm) flavor - Honeycomb.

Here's the official description of the app on the Market:

Get Netflix on all Android 2.2 and 2.3 devices.
Just download this free app and you can instantly watch TV shows & movies streaming from Netflix.
• It's part of your Netflix unlimited membership. Not a Netflix member? Start your FREE trial today.
• Watch as often as you want.
• Resume watching where you left off on your TV or computer.
• Browse movies and manage your instant Queue right from your phone or tablet.
Netflix playback is supported on all Android 2.2 and 2.3 devices.

Currently, the app has received an average rating of 4.3.

New users should be warned, that though the app is free, the streaming service will come at a USD 7.99 price tag.

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Dropbox has been updated

2011-09-10T15:39:00.000+08:00

Just recently, Dropbox has updated their desktop clients to version 1.1.45 (download this version here). Also, their mobile website (www.dropbox.com/m), has been re-designed after 3 years. The mobile web interface has been duly focused for iPhone, Android (2.1+), and Windows Phone 7.

Here's an excerpt of the changelog of the desktop client, from v1.1.40

1.1.45 9/1/2011

Fix regression from 1.1.40 that caused tray menu to not update on Ubuntu Unity 11.04

Fix to bug that would cause Dropbox to not function correctly on some proxies.

1.1.43 8/23/2011

Lion-specific images for our initial tour.

Backport from 1.2.x that fixes very very rare Finder crash

1.1.40 8/18/2011

Integration support for Mac OS X Lion 10.7

Backport a fix from 1.2.x to a rare issue (from 1.2.x) where certain Mac OS X machines wouldn't upload files automatically.

Backport a fix from 1.2.x that caused the tray menu to become unresponsive on certain Linux machines.

See other changes on the software.

The new web interface features:

Search: Finally, you can search your Dropbox for that e-book that was such a pain to browse to!

File quick actions: Whether you are browsing or searching for files, now in addition to downloading a file, there is also a quick action menu dropdown that gives you access to additional things you can do to your files. For now, that means sharing and deleting.

Share: We’ll generate a link that helps you quickly share a file or folder with your friends. Simply copy a link to your device clipboard or email the link on.

Delete: Got a few minutes to spare? Try out our new delete functionality and clean up your Dropbox.

Account settings: For easy access to your basic account settings, go to the new account settings tab.

Internationalization: We now offer our mobile site in 5 different languages: English, Spanish, French, German, and Japanese!

About Dropbox (taken from their site)

Your life's work, wherever you are.
Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring all your photos, docs, and videos anywhere. This means that any file you save to your Dropbox will automatically save to all your computers, phones and even the Dropbox website. Dropbox also makes it super easy to share with others, whether you're a student or professional, parent or grandparent. Even if you accidentally spill a latte on your laptop, have no fear! You can relax knowing that Dropbox always has you covered, and none of your stuff will ever be lost.

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Nokia Symbian devices to get MS apps

2011-09-09T09:57:00.001+08:00

Owners of Nokia devices such as the N8, E7, 700, and other Symbian Belle devices (as well as those devices that will be updated to Belle), will be getting an update that will give them access to Microsoft applications. This has been announced by Nokia here. First half of the update would come in the last quarter of 2011, while the other half would be early next year.

The update would be focusing on productivity, and will give the following FREE apps to users on the first update:

Microsoft® Lync™ 2010 Mobile – for cost efficient IM, presence, audio and web meetings on-the-go.

Microsoft® PowerPoint® Broadcast – quick broadcast of presentations directly from PC to mobile.

Microsoft® OneNote™ – rich note taking with images. Syncs with Microsoft® SkyDrive®.

Microsoft® Document Connection – single view to documents stored on mobile, including email attachments as well as documents on Microsoft® SharePoint® 2010 sites.

The other half of the update, users can expect the following:

Microsoft OneNote sync with SharePoint (in addition to SkyDrive)

as well as adding Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint as native applications for the first time outside the Windows platform.

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Xperia users - get ready for some Ice Cream Sandwich

2011-09-08T20:15:00.000+08:00

Xperia Mini and Mini Pro

Sony Ericsson Xperia series of smart phones that were announced this year will soon be treated to Android's upcoming Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade. The upgrade should come this October / November, according to Eric Schmidt. The following are the ones announced just this year:

Xperia Arc S
Xperia Arc
Xperia Neo
Xperia Neo V
Xperia Mini
Xperia Ray
Xperia Pro
Xperia Mini Pro
Xperia Play

The news comes from somobile.co.uk. Here's an excerpt of the news:

Sony Ericsson has confirmed that its current-gen Xperia line-up, including the Xperia Arc and Xperia Ray, will be updated to Android 4.0.

Speaking to SoMobile, a representative from the London-based phone-maker assured that its 2011 Xperia smartphones all come with support for Android Ice Cream Sandwich – the next iteration of Google’s mobile OS. Of course, there’s currently no word as to when they’ll be receiving the update, although it’s expected to get official in ‘October or November’. Click this link to go to the original news from somobile.

Update (September 9):
Sony Ericsson press team has denied such decision. See the report from Slashgear here.

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Android Ice Cream Sandwich in October or November

2011-09-08T19:15:00.000+08:00

Ice Cream sandwich from Wikipedia

Android fans, rejoice!
One of the most exciting upgrades to the OS is almost in the doorstep. According to Eric Schmidt (Google's executive chairman and former member of the board of directors of Apple, Inc.) on the keynote below, the upgrade should come by October / November. One of the aims of this upgrade is to have a uniform look on the UI, meaning, home-brew UI's maybe out of the way. We'll have to wait to see that come into reality though. Previously, this was the same plan for the Honeycomb, which, I'm afraid, didn't come to light. Ice cream sandwich will also unite the Honeycomb and Gingerbread versions.

Here's the 65 minute keynote:

@30:27 “We have a new operating system, internally known as Ice Cream Sandwich for some reason, which is being released in October/November, which everyone’s really excited about.”

4TB GoFlex has just arrived

2011-09-07T16:28:00.000+08:00

Seagate has just broke the 4TB capacity on external drives, making them the first to do so. Now, users can have more digital photos, HD videos, music, and other files in an external drive. The GoFlex series of external drives from Seagate can be used for Windows, Mac, Linux, and maybe other OS's, but their backup and update software is only available for Win and Mac. The retail price for this drive is US$249.99. Check out this small yet uberly-large-in-capacity drive here. Connecting to this drive is available thru USB 3.0.

Here are the features of the 4TB GoFlex hard drive:

Features 3.0 plug–and–play connectivity

Ensures automatic continuous backup and protects your privacy with powerful encryption software

Lets you upgrade to a faster interface to increase your transfer speeds when paired with another GoFlex Desk desktop adapter

Includes an illuminated capacity gauge

The drive measures 158mm in height, 124mm in width, and 44mm in thickness (length), and weighs around 1080g (pretty heavy). The design shows the new industrial design concept of Seagate.

Source 1
Source 2

Copyright notice:
Videos and images are copyright of their respective owners.

1000 pageviews

2011-09-06T15:37:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I started this blog and I have come to a milestone - 1000 pageviews! Yay! A very big "Thanks" to everyone who helped me achieve this. Please visit regularly for more tech news and updates.

Next milestone - 5000 pageviews

"How to go to??" blog opened

2011-09-06T15:34:00.001+08:00

I have opened another blog site that aims to help people go places - How to go to?? Please visit it and post directions. Thanks!

A note about Samsung Galaxy Note

2011-09-06T14:53:00.001+08:00

Samsung has another bid for the smartphone war - the Samsung Galaxy Note.

Galaxy Note runs on Android Gingerbread, with TouchWiz UI on top of it for that Samsung Look and Feel. The uberly large Super AMOLED screen - for a smartphone though - measures 5.3" and features a resolution of 800 x 1280 pixels, which gives as a pixel density of around 285 ppi. Wow! This is almost at par with Apple's Retina Display, which gives us 326 ppi of pixel density. But the 5.3" of screen real estate should be more than enough, making iPhone 4's 3.5" screen seem very small.

Regular stuff follows, like Gorilla glass display, multi-touch, gyroscope, proximity sensor, microSD slot up tp 32GB, 1GB RAM, 1.4GHz dual core procie, 8 MP camera with 1080p video @30fps, WiFi a/b/g/n with DLNA, and other stuff like that.

Samsung Galaxy Note and the S-Pen

One notable thing here is the S-Pen stylus. It gives the user precision control on the screen. Samsung made a couple of apps to take advantage of the pen.Battery size also matters, as this good phone sports a 2,500 mAh removable battery, giving the users much more time to watch videos, talk, surf the webs, play flash games, and more. There is also and optional NFC support.

Watch this post for details on the latest pricing ~~(to be posted as soon as it is be announced).~~

Update 1 - there had been some reports that this phone would cost ~$1,060.00. Bam!

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Augmented reality in WP7

2011-09-05T09:27:00.001+08:00

AR, or Augmented Reality, has been a fantasy for a long time. From Sci-Fi movies to Sci-Fi novels, somehow AR is always a part of them. Recent technology advances has allowed us to view this magnificent Sci-Fi technology - from cars with AR windshields to cellphones and tablets to shades and glasses.

Microsoft, with their WP7 OS, has been racing up to this challenge also, just like the other players out there.

Andrew Long is now trying to make an AR app - read on his blogpost here. Microsoft's code samples for AR can be found here.

Check out his cool video:

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Windows Phone YouTube channel given a facelift

2011-09-03T10:18:00.000+08:00

Windows phone lovers, check out the newly re-designed Windows Phone YouTube channel video. The new video looks quite familiar, don't you think? Yeah baby, it's metro! Enjoy!

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