REAL TECH NEWS from The Real World

My Galaxy Nexus Homescreen

2012-01-19T17:04:00.001+11:00

Metal Gear Rex is so cool

Stop SOPA

2012-01-18T16:51:00.001+11:00

Down with SOPA

Metal Gear Rex from Metal Gear Solid 4 Sons of Patriots Model Toy

2012-01-16T15:47:00.001+11:00

Porn. Robot. Must buy

See the full gallery on Posterous

The Vergecast via Ustream app on Galaxy Nexus is Sweet High Def @verge

2012-01-11T19:17:00.001+11:00

Awesome.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus Unboxing

2012-01-10T03:32:00.001+11:00

I have just received it today.

The glory of Android 4.0 in a 4.65inch screen.

The specs are well known. So, here are the photos.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Restoring apps from my Samsung Galaxy SII took about 15 mninutes. Installation over WiFi was blazingly fast.

Bad thing about the freshly installed Market, it created shortcuts on my home screen. Terrible setting to be set "ON" as default. Think Google should turn it OFF as default instead. Some are just Themes and Widgets. No need for them on the home screen.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Some macro shots of the glorious 720p screen. It is curved! Yay. But, I am sure you all know that already.

Storage Features

When connected to the PC via a USB, the Nexus is immediately recognized as a media device. There is an option to choose between this and the Photo Transfer function but either one allows you access to the Nexus's storage. This is quite weird since the folders are so clean. There doesn't seem to be anything in it. I have just restored around 180 apps and they are nowhere to be found.

Eventhough the USB is connected, you can still access everything on the phone. This is not the same if you have an SD card since you won't be able to use it when connected via cable.

At this time, I cannot find the folder hierarchy apart from the media device connection or the camera connection. Seems to only allow access to the media folders on the Nexus. More tinkering required.

4.0.1

Sadly, it is only this version. Eventhough I think 4.0.3 is out, I might not be getting it so soon considering I am NOT in the USA.

Camera

Holy crap. The camera is super fast. Faster than any phones I have used. Quality? Not so good but good enough for a damn 5 MP phone. Seriously, I ain't a damn professional shooting for a million dollar shot, so, mug shots, some cars, pretty gadgets look damn awesome on the Galaxy Nexus and I think that is super.

More updates later.

Wikipedia Links to Books I Do Not Intend To Read #2012life

2012-01-04T18:59:00.001+11:00

I think Wikipedia reading is enough:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reamde

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robopocalypse

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs_(book)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Trilogy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_Z

Google Kicks Gmail App for BlackBerry to the Curb Nov 22nd --RIP RIM and BlackBerry #RIMisDead #BBsucks

2011-11-10T17:19:00.001+11:00

In a short and not so sweet post on their blog yesterday, Google announced that as of November 22nd, support for the native Gmail app on BlackBerry phones will be discontinued. The Gmail app will also be taken off of BlackBerry App World. People who already have the app will still be able to use it, but tech support will not be offered, and there will be no further updates available to download.

Google’s explanation for the sudden move was light on details. The tech giant said that they will be focusing on the Gmail experience provided by mobile web browsers, which represents a heavy investment in HTML5. As of November 22nd, Android phones will be the only major mobile OS to have a native, supported Gmail app, after the iOS version was released and retracted in quick succession last week.

For BlackBerry users, the native BlackBerry email aggregator will still work with Gmail. This move only affects users of the native, dedicated Gmail App for BlackBerry.

via chipchick.com

Google yanks support for BlackBerry Gmail app -- Everyone knows that #RIMisDead #BBsucks

2011-11-10T17:17:00.001+11:00

Google is ending support for its BlackBerry email app, effective immediately, Google reps said in a statement today. Current users will not be blocked from accessing the app, although Google is also ending downloads, and you can pretty much wave goodbye to any kind of customer service.

So what gives? Why is Google cutting loose the Gmail for Blackberry app?
Well, over at Bloomberg News, Roger Entner, founder of market research firm Recon Analytics, speculated that the move could have something to do with a little company called Motorola Mobility. Horizons readers will remember that earlier this year, Google announced it would acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion in cash, in an effort to make further inroads into the mobile market. (The deal has not yet been finalized.)
RELATED: Google's 16 biggest purchases – the good, the bad, and the ugly
"Google is sticking it to RIM because RIM has become more and more of a competitor, from an ecosystem perspective and, pending the Motorola acquisition, from a device perspective," Entner told Bloomberg. Which makes some sense. Although it's worth noting that RIM is ailing these days − market share is slipping, jobs are vanishing, and that much-vaunted PlayBook has pretty much been a bust.
It's also worth noting that Google recently launched a Gmail app for iOS devices, even though Apple is also a competitor. Not that the launch went particularly well: the iOS Gmail app was error-prone and full of bugs, and not long after it hit the Web, Google was forced to issue a new version, and an apology.
For more tech news, sign up for the weekly BizTech newsletter, which ships every Wednesday.
RELATED: Is the BlackBerry era coming to a close?

Related stories

Android now dominates US smartphone market. (Don't ask about RIM.)

Droid Pro brings BlackBerry feel to Android phones

BlackBerry Playbook 2.0 delayed, no new Messenger app

via csmonitor.com

RIM's BBX Phones Won't Look Like Bold, Will Support BES | NOBODY CARE!! #RIMisDead #BBsucks

2011-11-10T17:12:00.001+11:00

inShare1

RIM's new BBX phones may not look like the BlackBerry Bold, but they will support BlackBerry's core enterprise email features, Alec Saunders, RIM’s vice president of Developer Relations and Ecosystem Development told PCMag.com.

That's because the first phones based on RIM's new OS will have the same screen resolution and aspect ratio as the BlackBerry PlayBook, which has a 16:9 ratio and 1024-by-600 screen. That's a screen resolution we haven't seen before on small mobile-phone screen panels, which are typically 800-by-480, 960-by-540, or now 1280-by-720 with the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Nexus and HTC Rezound.

"Look, if you build [an app] for the PlayBook, then it will run on BBX. We have maintained aspect ratios, BBX also has the ability to upload multiple dimension graphics … [and the standard resolutions] are the same as PlayBook," he said.

This jibes with recent rumors about the "BlackBerry Colt," supposedly RIM's first BBX phone. That device has a large, 16:9 touch screen and no physical keyboard. The mention of "multiple dimension graphics" (which in context referred to sizes, not 3D) also opens up the possibility of different screen sizes in the future, maybe some compatible with a traditional BlackBerry form factor.

Saunders' description of the first BBX phones also agrees with what RIM CEO Mike Lazaridis said at a meeting all the way back in January when we asked him what the then-unnamed, QNX-based phone OS would look like. He held up a PlayBook, and said, "like this."

Saunders also confirmed that BBX phones would have all of the platform features that the PlayBook has when they launch, including native email and BES support. "I think you're seeing an evolution of a platform … you should not expect [BBX] to be behind the PlayBook," he said.

RIM has officially set February 2012 as the launch date for the next version of the BlackBerry PlayBook OS with native e-mail and Android app support, among many other new features. The company has said the first BBX phones will also be coming out early next year.

RIM Invites Nokia Exiles
Saunders came to New York to promote RIM's developer tools and strategy. He said the BlackBerry platform has 70 million subscribers, and there are currently 46,000 apps in BlackBerry App World. BlackBerry developers are making money, too: 13 percent of BlackBerry developers have made more than $100,000, Saunders said.

To attract developers, RIM is pouring on the dev kits. Since the PlayBook is POSIX-compliant, RIM has been porting over as many development environments as it can, including Sencha, Boost, and most notably Qt.

Qt was Nokia's preferred developer framework before the company switched to Windows Phone, and there's a population of disgruntled Symbian developers with Qt skills watching their potential market decline as Nokia switches over to Windows. RIM isn't targeting Symbian developers specifically, but the company is reaching into Nokia's traditional home turf.

"We have folks on the ground in Europe, Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, China, Asia-Pacific … We're not specifically targeting the Symbian community, but Qt is obviously there," Saunders said.

Gaming will also be a big priority for RIM, Saunders said, with "tons of [high-end games] coming to the store" and the possibility of enhancing gaming by using BlackBerry Messenger as a back channel for multiplayer game data.

The ability to hook into BBM—possibly RIM's most attractive consumer service right now—has made some apps tremendously successful, Saunders said.

"It's caused a social, viral explosion in app distribution," with 10 percent of the downloads from RIM's App World in any given month being the 200 BBM-connected apps, he said.

Whether they're writing Java apps, native apps, using RIM's WebWorks kit to create HTML5-based apps, repackaging Android apps for the upcoming Android emulator, or using one of the third-party app frameworks, ultimately developers can make money on the BlackBerry platform, and that's going to draw more apps, Saunders said.

"There's a market for BlackBerry software there, if you're a developer. There's a 70-million-strong customer base you can target with your applications," he concluded.

For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter at @PCMag.

via pcmag.com

Barclays knocks RIM shares down a peg • RIM, close down please. Shut it. #RIMisDead #BBsucks

2011-11-10T17:10:00.001+11:00

The shine has been taken off BlackBerry-maker RIM's shares after the firm's stock was downgraded by Barclays. The reassessment of the Canadian biz comes after a string of problems that more than halved its stock price in the last six months.

The bank lowered the level of RIM's attractiveness to investors by one notch to equal weight, saying it expects to see Research in Motion continue to lose market share in the US and internationally.

"While near-term BB7 demand looks healthy, an uneven BBX/QNX migration including delays in Playbook 2.0 and likely push-out of BBX smartphones to mid-2012 is likely to prevent RIM from shaking its low multiple," Barclays said in a note to clients, according to Reuters.

In other words, the smartphone and tablet firm is in trouble mainly because its promised PlayBook update still hasn't gone out. The tablet shipped without a native email client, a situation the company promised to rectify soon, but now won't be sorting out until February next year. Even then, the update won't include BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), the most popular aspect of any BlackBerry package.

The recent massive outage in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, which kept users off the internet, email and BBM for three days, has also had its part to play in sinking the Canadian firm's stocks.

Shares were trading just under $19 at 3pm GMT (7am Pacific) today, down from nearly $46 at the start of May. ®

via theregister.co.uk

RIM: BlackBerry services affected, but not another outage - Stop using BlackBerry. it is Shit #RIMisDead #BBSucks

2011-11-10T17:07:00.001+11:00

IDG News Service - Research In Motion said on Wednesday that it was investigating reports from some users who were experiencing delays.

"There is no system-wide outage, however we are investigating reports that some users in EMEIA (Europe, Middle East, India, and Africa) have experienced delays," RIM said in a statement.

The company said in an update later on Wednesday that services were operating normally in EMEIA, but did not provide details of what had caused the problem.

The service issue comes about a month after the company had outages of up to four days across North America, Latin America, and EMEIA.

RIM said last month that the service interruption was caused by a failure of a core switch within its infrastructure. Although the system was designed to failover to a backup switch, the failover did not function as previously tested, creating a large backlog of data that RIM had to clear.

The company faces a possible class action suit in Canada, demanding a refund of users' data plan charges during the outage.

A number of users on Wednesday reported problems with the BlackBerry service. One user said she and four other friends were getting slow responses, particularly on BlackBerry Messenger (BBM). Another user said "BlackBerry is disappointing right now" as BBM wasn't working properly.

The development comes a day after Google said it was pulling the plug on a native Gmail app for BlackBerry. The Internet giant said that from Nov. 22 it will end support for the Gmail App for BlackBerry, and has focused its efforts on building a great Gmail experience in the mobile browser.

Users may continue to use the app, if installed, but it will not be supported by Google, or available for download from Nov. 22. BlackBerry users can continue to access Gmail through the mobile web app at gmail.com in their BlackBerry web browser, Google said in a blog post on Tuesday.

John Ribeiro covers outsourcing and general technology breaking news from India for The IDG News Service. Follow John on Twitter at @Johnribeiro. John's e-mail address is john_ribeiro@idg.com

via computerworld.com

Singapore men go for good looks in partners | Just what I have always said. We are ALL superficial. #realityhurts #facefacts

2011-11-10T16:28:00.001+11:00

By Daryll Nanayakara
my paper
Thursday, Nov 10, 2011

A PRETTY face is what Singaporean men want of the fairer sex, while women rank confidence and a strong sense of character as their main considerations for potential partners.

Three in 10 men also said that they would dump their partner if she became overweight, while only one in 10 women here said they would do likewise.

These were the findings of a regional survey of more than 1,800 respondents, of which 600 were from Singapore. The others were from Malaysia and Hong Kong.

The survey was done by dating agency Lunch Actually, and sought to provide an insight into the dating trends and preferences of singles in these territories.

It was conducted over a three-week period in August through online platforms, such as dating and social-networking sites.

Men also indicated a preference for partners who are gentle and confident.

Undergraduate Faris Malik, 23, explained that dating a pretty girl would have a positive impact on men. He said: "It would be a confidence boost for a man, if other people see him dating a pretty girl.

"It is like driving a sports car, compared to driving a normal car. People will definitely look at you in a much better light."

Women, on the other hand, were less shallow. They said that they would date someone who is funny, kind and adept at making and maintaining conversation. The survey also showed that men were more open on the issue of height.

Of the male Singapore respondents, 42 per cent said that they have no qualms about dating a taller partner.

Lunch Actually founder Violet Lim said that, in most cases, height becomes the deal breaker for women.

"Sometimes, we have female clients who turn down potential love matches the moment we tell them that the man is slightly shorter than they are," she explained.

She added that women are more hard-wired to buy into the stereotype that taller and well- built men make better partners.

Findings from the survey also indicate that females here still place importance on the income and education levels of prospective suitors.

Almost half said that they would not date a man who earns less, or who has lower educational qualifications, than them.

However, men were more practical: Almost 80 per cent of the male Singapore respondents indicated that they had no objection to dating someone who is smarter or earned more.

One aspect both genders agreed on was that they would date someone from another race or nationality. The survey also found that almost half of the Singapore respondents said they have gone online to search for a partner.

Ms Lim attributed this trend to the rising pervasiveness of social media.

"The Internet is becoming a huge part of our lives and people today are more savvy when it comes to using it, even in dating."

For more my paper stories click here.

via news.asiaone.com

We are all humans. Humans only like beautiful things. Beautiful photos, cars, beautiful women, pictures. If it is beautiful or pretty, we humans, like it.

So, it is of no surprise that this survey proves it. Come on. Have you ever seen an advert on TV, magazine or billboard with that has a fat, ugly woman as the spokesperson? Is M.A.C's ambassador a hairy, ugly girl with eye bags? No.

We like beautiful people. So, why are we being criticized as being "superficial"? Those people criticizing are ugly and as such, they feel discriminated. Too bad. You are ugly, live with it. Ugly people get nowhere. Just accept it.

The Verge Has Login for Facebook on Full Site but Not Mobile Site? @vergesupport

2011-11-03T18:06:00.001+11:00

See the full gallery on Posterous

This is odd.

Using Dolphin Browser on Android 2.3.4, with agent as Android default, the mobile site does not provide for login via Facebook.

RIM is Almost Dead...YAY!! #RIMisDead #BBsucks

2011-11-03T11:58:00.001+11:00

"Bloomberg reports that Rim hit $18.66 at 1:31 today, below the company’s book value of $18.92."

http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/11/rim-skids-redux/?utm_source=twitterfee...

Love The @Verge and it's mobile site!

2011-11-02T21:25:00.001+11:00

via twidroyd

The Verge is Live!!! @verge #theverge

2011-11-01T20:27:00.001+11:00

Now. Live. UK. India.

The Verge is incoming! Theverge.com #verge

2011-11-01T19:30:00.001+11:00

via twidroyd

Verge Verge The Verge The Verge!!! @verge #verge @joshuatopolsky

2011-11-01T13:53:00.001+11:00

Kudos!!! It is almost here!!

Ever since Engadget, The Engadget Show, and with Thisismynext, the band of editors consisting or Topolsky, Patel, Miller, etc were the best source for insights, reviews, random jokes and fun.

Now, with Vox Media (used to be SB Nation), I think they will take over the world! World (niche) of tech news, that is.

I am eagerly waiting for its debut. Biting my nails incessantly.

Theverge.com

Come on now!

http://allthingsd.com/20111031/on-the-verge-of-a-new-tech-site-which-finally-...

HTC Number 1, Samsung then Apple with RIM Dead Almost Last #BBsucks #RIMisDead

2011-11-01T11:52:00.001+11:00

Boy, count the ways I hate BlackBerry. Now, USA hates BlackBerry too. Yay!

"RIM had another tough quarter in its largest market, where its volumes declined 58% from a year ago and its US market share slipped from 24% in Q3 2010 to just 9% in Q3 2011. It continues to face unfavorable press there and its volumes have dropped significantly despite a refreshed product line that includes its flagship BlackBerry Bold 9900.

‘RIM’s market share has fallen below 10% for the first time, and the current outlook for it in the US is certainly bleak,’ said UK-based Canalys Senior Analyst, Tim Shepherd. ‘While Apple can for now get away with not having a 4G smart phone, no other vendor in the US can. RIM must deliver a competitive high-end 4G smart phone in early 2012.’

‘The picture for RIM in other parts of the world is clearly more positive. It grew 59% in EMEA and 56% in APAC over a year ago, largely driven by the continued popularity of BBM, its BlackBerry Messenger service. The Middle East and Africa and Southeast Asia were particular bright spots, and while October’s outage, focused on EMEA particularly, has hurt RIM’s reputation for reliability we do not expect it to have a substantial impact and expect a decent Q4 performance there.’

‘But undoubtedly RIM needs to deliver new, fresh, exciting products to the market and increase its pace of innovation and execution if it is going to have any chance of reasserting its position in North America. It badly needs to deliver on its potential with its new BBX platform,’ said Shepherd."

http://www.canalys.com/newsroom/htc-takes-lead-us-smart-phone-market

STUDY: Skinny Women And Overweight Men Earn The Most #fatties It is quite obvious. Fat women #FAIL

2011-10-31T15:34:00.001+11:00

It is quite clear that being fat is not good. Being fat is bad and being fat kills you.

The study just confirms what everyone suspects and it should be taken as mantra for fat people. If you are a fat woman, you will have less money, be less successful, be less attractive and overall be a fat loser.

Lose some weight why don't cha?

http://www.businessinsider.com/skinny-women-make-more-money-2011-6#ixzz1cHMei7kp

Nintendo Wii U to Launch After March 2012 | Wii U is bound to fail. Wii wee on U is what I think. #nintendoisdead #wiiushit

2011-10-28T16:36:00.001+11:00

Nintendo said Friday its new Wii U game console will go on sale during the next fiscal year that begins in April, and the company will look to avoid the problems it has had with its latest handheld.
"Based on the bitter experiences we have had with the Nintendo 3DS, we are making every effort to prepare so that the Wii U will not stumble during its launch," said Nintendo president Satoru Iwata.
Iwata said the final version of the console will be on display at the E3 conference which is set for June in Los Angeles. That suggests the company will begin shipping the Wii U after summer but in time for the 2012 holiday season, in keeping with past launches.
The Wii U has a set-up box similar to the current Wii, but also has a small tablet-like gamepad that is linked wirelessly and has dual thumb-controlled joysticks and control buttons. The tablet can be used together with the main box to play games shown on a TV, or independently on its own smaller screen.
Nintendo has said the high-definition game system will have strong third-party developer tools and will launch together with well-known titles. But the company rankled game fans when it showed footage from other game systems at presentations for the Wii U during last year's E3.
Iwata spoke about Nintendo's results for its first half that ended in September, which it released Thursday. The company slashed its outlook for the fiscal year through March and now expects a ¥20 billion (US$263 million) net loss, after saying just three months ago it could make an annual ¥20 billion profit. In May the company had predicted a net profit of ¥110 billion.
He said the losses were due in part to large price cuts on the 3DS the company made less than six months after its launch, but he expected a strong holiday season based on the large number of games for the handheld that are due over the coming months.

via pcworld.com

Samsung surges past Apple in smartphones, upbeat on Q4 | Whoopidoo. Can't believe it but crazy indeed #samsung #iphone

2011-10-28T16:34:00.001+11:00

via reuters.com

I can safely say Samsung is kicking some real iPhone ass. I like my Galaxy SII but man, the battery life sucks.

Nintendo bleeds profits, banks on strong holiday - Finally, humans understand DS is shit #3DSsuck #NintendoIsDead

2011-10-28T13:10:00.001+11:00

Nintendo Co., whose Wii and DS consoles fueled the video game industry's almost meteoric growth between 2006 and 2008, is rapidly falling back to earth.

The Japanese game company on Thursday posted a $925.6-million loss during the first six months of its fiscal year ended Sept. 30. That's up dramatically from last year, when Nintendo lost $26.5 million.

Sales were also down as demand for its games and consoles have cooled worldwide, leading to a 41% drop in revenue for the period. Nintendo had sales of $2.8 billion in the first half of its fiscal year compared with $4.8 billion the year before.

The company's newest product, the handheld 3DS console, has struggled to gain traction among consumers since its launch in March, leading Nintendo to drastically cut its price in August from $249.99 to $169.99.

As a result of the price cut and slowing sales of its games, Nintendo lowered its forecast for its fiscal year ending March 31, 2012. Instead of a $263-million gain the company had expected for the year, Nintendo now expects a $263-million loss. Revenue, meanwhile, is projected to hit $10.4 billion, down 12% from an earlier forecast of $11.8 billion that the company issued in July.

But the game's not completely over for Nintendo, analysts cautioned.

"There's no question that the Wii and the DS are at the end of their life cycles," said J.T. Taylor, an analyst with Arcadia Investment Corp. in Portland, Ore. "But there will be a flourish this holiday when Nintendo comes out with promotions and gift bundles. After that, Nintendo's long-term outlook depends on how successful their next console will be."

Even if Nintendo's next generation game console, dubbed Wii U, succeeds in bouncing back the company's market share, many question whether dedicated game consoles can compete with a plethora of connected devices that can funnel all sorts of entertainment options to consumers, from games and movies to television shows and music.

This is especially true of people who play games on a casual basis, the kind of audience on which Nintendo has traditionally thrived.

"Most people interested in playing games casually seem happy to play on their phones for free or close to free," Taylor said.

Still, Nintendo's ability to survive over the years has boiled down to the popularity of its game franchises, including Super Mario, Zelda, Pokemon and Metroid, all of which can only be played on Nintendo devices.

As a result, analysts believe that Nintendo has a solid future in the games business, just not one that will be as large as it once was.

"There is room for them in the market," said Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Securities, who estimated that Nintendo's business could shrink between 30% and 50%. "But the blue ocean just became very red."

RELATED:

Nintendo unveils new Wii model

Once-hot Wii now struggling for sales

Video game console's dominance is crumbling

-- Alex Pham

Photo: Two Nintendo characters, Luigi and Toad. Credit: somegeekintn via Flickr

via latimesblogs.latimes.com

Untitled

2011-10-21T19:00:00.001+11:00

Untitled

2011-10-21T00:00:00.001+11:00