DeviceMAG

Flexible Displays Ahoy! LG Set for Mass Production of Bending Screens

Sanjeev Ramachandran — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 08:13:28 +0000

Flexible glass and flexible screens are not new. Though we haven’t been able to lay our hands on them as yet, we have been hearing a lot about flexible displays in smartphones, as of late. And now, latest reports say that LG is all set to kicks start mass production of flexible display panels, which promise not to break or even crack. If things go as per plan, by the fourth quarter of this year, LG will start shipping these displays. According to the Korea Times, LG has completed the development of its first flexible displays and is now planning to mass produce the flexible displays. The company has been looking to produce around 12,000 display panels in one month. A 4.5th generation glass-cutting technology for its OLED flexible displays is to be thrown into the making process We just heard LG spokesman Frank adding that, in the near future, there would be a rapid need for flexible displays, and that’s why the company is planning to for mass production. Tech giants like Samsung, Nokia, and Apple are also reportedly working on flexible smartphone displays, but none of them has confirmed anything on that. Have a look at how Nokia would want to elaborate on that. It is beyond doubt that flexible displays will be a new enhancement for future electronics devices and LG wants to be the first company to enter this new business arena. LG has also plans to introduce a flexible smartphone in this year. Compared with normal LCD displays, the flexible display screen will be thinner, lighter, and more flexible. Reportedly, smartphones with flexible displays could curve as per a user's body movements, so that it can comfortably fit in pockets. However, the flexible displays have their own disadvantages too. Although flexible glass can withstand drop tests, they are not completely scratch proof devices. As in the case of normal smartphones in long term usage, they are also vulnerable to breaks. Also, it might be possible that the first bending displays will be covered by plastic instead glass, because of its durability concerns. Glass screens have their own advantages such as superior image quality and effective touchscreen properties. Also, glass is impermeable to elements such as oxygen and water, which can damage your smartphone. The fact is that no one still has any idea about the internal components that would go into a flexible smartphone! No one knows about what kind of essential elements such as battery, processor and camera would be part of such devices. Don’t you think the companies working on such devices would need to elaborate more on all these aspects?

Amazon Intros Facebook Service for Birthday Gifts

Sanjeev Ramachandran — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:41:57 +0000

Amazon has launched a new feature named Amazon Birthday Gift for Facebook users that lets users to purchase gift cards from Amazon.com. The company also, thereby, allows customers to purchase gift cards for as low as $1 and you can even invite your friends to donate money for the gift purchases. And when a birthday arrives, the recipient will receive the gift card along with greetings from all the contributors. This is not the first time Amazon is participating with social network giant Facebook in such an initiative. In December last, Amazon had introduced a Friends and Family Gifting feature just ahead of the holiday season. It allowed users to generate Facebook-enabled gift suggestions, send out reminders, and share gift ideas through emails and social networks. In 2011, Amazon’s online competitor Walmart too had launched a Facebook-based gift recommendation service. Last year, Facebook had also rolled out its Gift Service that enables users to add a gift along with their birthday wishes. The social network also introduced its branded Facebook Card that allows purchase of real time gifts for friends and family members. However, instead all these efforts by online retailers and Facebook, gifts services are still struggling to generate revenue. Hope a new strategy could be charted out without delay.

Sun Power for Free on the Street: AT&T Street Charge Project is What We Want

Sanjeev Ramachandran — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:11:06 +0000

How often have you had to encounter a dead smartphone in an emergency situation? All of us can remember at least one time when our smartphone ran out of power when we needed it the most, right? But this is going to be change very soon, at least for New Yorkers. Okay now think solar! We say this because carrier AT&T has unveiled a pilot program that aims at providing free, solar mobile charging stations in five major areas in New York. The public will be able to charge their mobilephones and other battery powered equipments at these charging stations, for no cost whatsoever. The pilot program comes about as a direct impact of Hurricane Sandy. During last fall, when Sandy swept through New York, cell phone network provider AT&T powered the city’s distribution centers with commercial generators. But it wasn’t enough and many people lost power for days and also lost communication to the outside world. In order to eliminate such a situation in the future, AT&T has now teamed up with solar technology company Goal Zero to develop solar powered battery chargers for residents. Brooklyn based design firm Pensa has also participated in this initiative. According to info we have stumbled upon, AT &T will implant at least 25 AT&T Street Charge solar mobile charging units across the New York city, by the end of summer. The project, named Street Charge, would power up any handheld device with a microUSB, USB, lightning port or a 30 pin connector. The entire mobile charging stations feature advanced design and technology, so that it can charge any smartphone, tablet or mobile device out there. The design would be such that solar panels are attached to the top of the charging station and will provide power during the day. And for the night, it includes built-in lithium batteries that run the stations at night, so that people around the city can enjoy their service, round-the-clock. AT&T’s Street Charge project is expected to deploy about 25 charging units in five, high traffic areas, including Manhattan, Coney Island, Brooklyn Bridge Park and Riverside Park, by the end of this summer. You can search the full list of locations here. You may also find out via Twitter your closest location Going by what Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg believes, the new AT &T service would definitely improve connectivity and access to wireless technology, which is an important part of our lives. And we like the solar angle to it too. The carrier seems to think that solar mobile charging stations would be the next natural step towards providing innovative services to people to lead a more sustainable life. Aren’t you excited too?

Geak Wearable Finger Ring Sports Android OS; To Roll Out in China

Sanjeev Ramachandran — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:14:24 +0000

These days, we have been hearing a lot about wearable technology, such as smart watches and eye wear. It seems like almost every other tech firm is working on something of that sort. Adding to the list, a new Chinese firm has come up with a surprising product - a wearable finger ring. China-based mobilephone maker Geak recently pushed out of its labs a Geak Watch and Geak Ring, along two new Android smartphones. The handsets are named the Geak Mars and Geak Eye. The surprise element in the list, the Geak finger ring, is reportedly compatible with the smartphones. However, in appearance, it doesn’t have any indication that it is a smart device. There’s no exact information on the details of this finger ring, but reports suggest that it has three major functions. The device can be used to unlock the Geak handset. And, it allows sharing your contact details to someone with a similar device. This bulky finger ring also keeps awake your handset when you are holding it. However, right now we are unable to explain the exact system the device uses to work that way. Available information suggests that the ring is an Android based device and is said to have a stand-by battery life of 99 years! On the connectivity front, the Geak Ring supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. This accessory also helps your smartphone to show information like weather updates, and acts as a fitness tracker to tell you your pulse and heartbeat rate. Both the handsets from Geak are Android powered and come with Geak’s own OS. Unfortunately, all these devices are intended only for the Chinese market. Anyways, let’s tell you about the price details of these devices. The Geak Watch is priced at £200, whereas the Geak Ring comes with a price tag of £20. Would any of our friends in China throw some more light on the device?

Microsoft Speech Recognition Hits Speed Track: Going Faster and Accurate for Windows Phone

Sanjeev Ramachandran — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:23:14 +0000

Who doesn’t know Microsoft has been trying hard to beat rivals Google and Apple in the OS scenario. A fair amount of success has also come its way in recent times. As if not to rest on its laurels, the company’s research unit is now going for more! The latest on the block is a new technology that promises to help improve voice recognition and speech features in Windows Phone devices. Bringing to the fore this new addition is Microsoft’s Bing team, who has announced that voice search and voice-to-text features in Windows Phone are now twice as fast as in the past. The engineers in the team have claimed that the accuracy of these features have been improved by 15 percent. According to Microsoft’s Bing team researchers, this new technology comes thanks to a computation model that mimics the way human brain works. Now that is awesome, indeed. If you are looking deeper into it, see this is what we found. Folks at CNET say that some kind of deep neural network technology has been applied to speech recognition so that it further helps users to search or compose text message with their voices. To implement speech recognition features in a computer device may not be that easy. It is difficult for a computer device to recognize voice in real time, especially in noisy environments. Moreover, when the device needs to translate speech into text, the whole process is almost spontaneous. For a smartphone, it might take just one or two seconds to convert voice into text. Errors could be natural and would depend on various factors, such as the background noise and the quality of the microphone in your smartphone device. Putting an end to all such doubts, Microsoft has claimed that by using this new speech recognition technology, the word error rate could be reduced to 13.5 percent from 16 percent. Contemplating on that, you may want to run through this document done some time ago. What does that mean to a normal mobile phone user? The accuracy and speed gains may seem very much disappointing. But for those who work in the speech research, this is a significant development and it promises other speech related applications such as real time language translation too. All said, the new technology could, in future, let you translate your voice into some other language. By the way, we saw that sometime ago, when it was reported that the English word could be translated into Chinese Mandarin. The video I have for you here from Microsoft Research would throw ample light on that. However, we needn’t look forward to that happening in a large scale at least in the near future. Till then we will be able to enjoy a much improved voice recognition feature in our smartphones, because Microsoft has already replaced the acoustic model in their speech recognition technology and even started rolling out the update to data centers for the customers in the United States in April. Though the tech giant has not revealed the exact time of roll out of the update internationally, it is expected to complete the process within the upcoming weeks. Awesomeness seems to be on its way. What do you have to say about this?

Apple Game Controller Image Leaks

Sanjeev Ramachandran — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 06:37:48 +0000

At the WWDC a few days ago, Apple had announced that its iOS 7 will support third party game controllers. That meant users would also get play iOS games with buttons similar to game consoles. And, now a new leak reveals that Logitech is currently working on a game controller that will support the larger iPhone 5 with a 4-inch display, and may be the other iPhones. The leaked image has been posted by Kotaku and it shows the first game controller that will support the new iOS 7 feature and indicates compatibility with the current generation iPhone. The image shows four buttons to the right and joystick to the left. There's also a Lightning port on the device, where all the connectivity will inevitably go down. Though Apple has not announced its official game controller, it won’t stop the third parties from taking the advantages of iOS7 now. Of course, if the image we see is real, it would be inspiring for others to jump into the game. However, if you have a close look on the image, you may feel that it lacks elegance, which is usually an important feature of Apple devices. But it seems that Logitech’s game controller is pretty solid. At the moment, there's no word on a release date or pricing of this game controller from Logitech. But as you know, Apple is expected to release the iOS 7 this fall, and probably Logitech’s game controller will be released around the same time. Stay tuned.

So Long, Symbian: Nokia Handsets Running the OS Bowing Out this Summer

Sanjeev Ramachandran — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:25:43 +0000

Nokia has made it clear some time ago that it is placing hopes on Windows Phone. You too are aware of that, I guess. But then, who isn’t? Once upon a time the Symbian OS had ruled the gadget space and the time has now come for Nokia to bid goodbye to the operating system. Ever since the Windows deal happened, Symbian was on its way out. And now finally, Nokia has decided to stop shipping Symbian smartphones. Going by what the Financial Times reports, Nokia has not confirmed when it will stop selling Symbian devices. But we are sure that the shipping of these devices will end before the end of summer. As we mentioned earlier, Symbian was once the biggest of the mobile operating systems in the world, and still remains popular in some emerging markets such as Asia. It has been estimated that Symbian held a market share of about 1.8 per cent in the European market, while in the Chinese market, it still accounts for about 2 per cent of the market. And, according to research firm Gartner, Symbian made up just 0.6 percent of the global smartphone market in the Q1 of 2013 , and in the last year it was about 8.5 percent. It clearly indicates that the sales rate of Symbian devices have fallen in the last year. Going by the available stats, Nokia sold just 500,000 Symbian handsets during the Q1 of 2013. So, that also means Nokia is all for Windows Phone. During Q1, the company reportedly sold around 5.6 million Windows-based Lumia smartphones around the world. The last Symbian smartphone from Nokia launched in mid-2012 and was named the Nokia 808 Pureview. It had a large 41-megapixel camera and considered as a camera oriented smartphone. But due to its old fashioned OS and high price tag, the device failed to move the mobile market. But according to a Nokia, the Nokia 808 Pureview acted as a bridge for the next innovating device from the company. Though all are now abandoning Symbian OS, this platform once ruled the mobile market. Even the arguably the first smartphone named Ericsson R380 launched in 2000 came up with Symbian OS. Nokia itself had a line-up of Symbian devices in the past. History tells us that the first Symbian handset from Nokia was introduced in June 2001. This handset was named the Nokia 9210 Communicator,and was the first phone in GSM markets with a multimedia experience in full color and a full-keyboard. Later on , in 2002, Nokia launched another device named Nokia 7650 and it was Nokia’s first real Symbian phone with its S60 user interface. It had the first integrated digital camera and polyphonic ringtones. Further on, Nokia’s first touch screen was introduced in 2004 and was dubbed the Nokia 7710. This handset ran on Symbian OS Series 90. Now that the phone maker has decided to put a halt on the OS, it is indeed time to say goodbye.

Google K900 Image Surfaces; Said to be the Next Gen Nexus 7 Slate

Sanjeev Ramachandran — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 07:14:30 +0000

Those of you who have the habit of checking out Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) would by now have known that guys over there have put on display an image of Google’s next-generation tablet Nexus 7. Before you jump to conclusions, let’s tell you the picture does not claim itself to be the new Nexus 7. What we see is an image that has a caption K900. The slate is expected to launch in July, and going by what the page says the image is sure an LTE-capable Nexus device and has been endorsed by the FCC. From Bluetooth SIG’s view point, K900 features a 7-inch LED-backlit capacitive multi-touch screen, which enables users to carry the device and enjoy a memorable multi-media experience on the go. Wireless networking ensures easy connection to internet. The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core CPU. The screen resolution is expected to be higher than 1280 x 800 pixels. The OS is Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, and the rig sports a 5 megapixel rear snapper and a 1.2 MP front-facing camera. Power juice is provided by a 3,950mAh battery. From the image, the bezel around the display appears a tad thinner than on the current Nexus 7. These specs are good enough to come to a conclusion that this tablet is the next-generation Nexus 7. The next-generation Nexus 7 might be put on sale for cost starting at $229. What is your take on this?

Microsoft Office App Heads for iOS Terrain

Sanjeev Ramachandran — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 10:35:30 +0000

Microsoft has finally released its Office Mobile suite for Apple touch screen devices, making it the first dedicated Office app for iOS devices. From now on, Apple iPhone users can edit and view Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents on their smartphones. The new Office app for Apple iPhones comes sporting the same format that Microsoft Office has following for years together. The app targets users of Microsoft’s cloud-based service, Office 365. That means a user needs to sign in with an Office 365 account, or else won’t be able to use the program. For this latest app, Microsoft charges $99.99 for a year and has thrown in new updates to the new Word, Excel and PowerPoint software. It also offers 20GB of extra cloud storage space in Microsoft's Cloud SkyDrive service, and provides access to the software in up to five computers. You can sign in with your account and can have access to any of the documents in Microsoft’s SkyDrive. You can view or edit any existing documents. Also, it lets you create new documents and then save them to your SkyDrive. The app also enables its users to easily email a document from the interface. The Office Mobile app is currently available for purchase via the App Store in the United States. And, for the rest of the world the app will be available in the near future. The new app is compatible with the iPad3 and 4, iPhone 4, 4S and 5.

Gaming Consoles as Home Entertainment Devices; More Than Just Gaming

Sanjeev Ramachandran — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 09:35:41 +0000

Gamers rejoice. The E3 video game conference in Los Angeles has brought forth gaming consoles from Microsoft and Sony - yes, those very consoles we were all looking forward to lay our hands on. Though both companies had announced their consoles earlier, we had only a little knowledge about them. If everything goes right, then the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 will start shipping before the holiday season and will join Nintendo’s Wii U, which is already available in the market. One significant fact about the three machines is that they offer more than just gaming. Apart from gaming, they come with entertainment services like television, movies and music. Taking a closer look into the details, you would know that Japanese gaming company Nintendo had launched the Wii U in November last year. This popular gaming console features a tablet-like controller with a touch screen, dubbed GamePad, used to control games on the TV set or you can play it like a regular tablet. The Wii U GamePad also acts like a remote controller that helps to navigate a TV-watching feature called TVii. The service includes the favorite shows and sports teams together, including the Internet video service Hulu Plus. The Wii U also offers chat services on social media. Unlike its predecessor Wii, the Wii U comes with high-definition graphics.. But in spite of all these features, sales of the Wii U have been not up to the mark. Though Nintendo had expected to sell about 5.5 million units, the Wii has originally sold just 3.5 million units until the March 31. At E3, Nintendo introduced new titles, including the racing game Mario Kart 8, and "Donkey Kong Country. Those who have interest in the Wii U, can own it for $300. Meanwhile, Sony, at the E3, shared a few details about its upcoming PlayStation 4. The company showed off its slick new game machine at E3 along with many new games and an attractive price tag that is lower than Microsoft's Xbox One by $100. According to Sony, the PS4 would have a new design, which makes it easier for developers to create games. But with the new console you won't be able to play games created for the other three previous PlayStations. Sony has offered that players can stream older games over the Internet. The new PS4 would have features like social networking and remote access. You can also broadcast video of your game play. Sony’s PlayStation online network will also provide access to Sony's video and music services, along with Netflix (NFLX), Hulu, Amazon and Facebook. Like the PS3, the PS4 would also sport a Blu-ray disc drive for movies. As per reports, this game console will start shipping this holiday season and will be priced at $399. The most anticipated devices of them all is by all means Microsoft's new game console named the Xbox One, which is expected to deliver a bunch of home entertainment features. It is an all-in-one device that allows its users to play movies, watch television, listen to music and even lets you browse the Internet. You can use voice commands to switch between watching TV and playing games. Microsoft’s new camera-based Kinect controller delivers better motion and voice detection than the previous game console from the company. And this time, the Xbox One will require Kinect. At the E3 podium, Microsoft showed off games such as Ryse: Son of Rome, Killer Instinct and Titanfall. The Xbox One will launch this holiday season and will be priced at $499. What we see here is a major shift in strategy from the console makers. Gaming, of course, is the prime driver in all these machines. But then, it isn’t just gaming that would make the three devices saleable stuff. And, that’s interesting. Home entertainment on gaming devices could be making its entry from now on. That apart, social networking too would get a boost on the game arena too. So guys, what more would you ask for from gaming consoles that come your way in the future?