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Android 4.2.2 is on its way

In IT News / By Pui Leng / 6 February 2013
The Android 4.2.2 is on its way. Android Authority reported that the much awaited Android Jelly Bean will be coming out in February or March, last stop ahead of Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie launch.

Last week, iDigitalTimes reported that Google employees were secretly testing an update to Android Jelly Bean, which contains mostly bug fixes. It may contain more than simple enhancements to the existing OS, but Google normally waits until the official release of any update to publish any notes summarizing the changes in the update, in order to prevent leaks.

IBTimes notes:

According to our inside sources at the company, who asked not to be named, Google employees with Nexus devices, including the Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and the Nexus 10, as well as the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, all have an opportunity to test out Android 4.2.2. They’ve been using their mobile devices normally, including trying out popular apps, but no one has really found any major changes to the user experience.

We will be waiting for more details of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean upon its release.

Read more:
http://www.ibtimes.com/android-422-release-date-may-hit-mid-february-key-lime-pie-precursor-found-galaxy-nexus-1059554
What’s new in Android 4.2 Jelly Bean?

In Google / By Pui Leng / 31 October 2012
While many of us are still waiting for the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update, Google has announced the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. It is an incremental Android update that will offer users a variety of new features. Let’s check them out!

Photo Sphere camera feature

Android 4.2 will offer users a new camera feature, dubbed Photo Sphere, which will let them create interesting panoramic photos that will have both a horizontal and a vertical component. After all, Google had this technology all along, used so far in its Street View Google Maps feature.

Swype-like Gesture Typing keyboard

Gesture Typing is one of the new keyboard-related Android 4.2 features: “just glide your finger over the letters you want to type, and lift after each word. You don’t have to worry about spaces because they’re added automatically for you.”

In other words, Android 4.2 will have a Swype-like default keyboard for you to “power through your messages like never before” complete with text predicting features and more accurate Android dictionaries. Naturally, the text-to-speech capabilities have also been improved.
Read more...
Adobe ceased supporting Flash on Android

In IT News / By Pui Leng / 17 August 2012
Started from August 15th, Android devices that do not have Flash Player already installed are increasingly likely to be incompatible with Flash Player and will no longer be able to install it from the Google Play Store. Adobe will use the configuration settings in the Google Play Store to limit continued access to Flash Player updates to only those devices that have Flash Player already installed.

Flash is not certified for use with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Devices which have been upgraded to to Android are recommended to uninstall Flash Player as the current version of Flash Player may exhibit unpredictable behavior.

The Flash Player is being abandoned because of two reasons: 1) Premium experiences on mobile devices are typically being delivered through apps and 2) Mobile websites mostly rely on HTML5 based video delivery.

Adobe announced that they will be focusing their work with Flash on PC browsing and mobile apps packaged with Adobe AIR, and no longer continue their develoment of the Flash Player for mobile browsers. Adobe AIR allows developers to create and deploy Flash based content as stand-alone desktop and mobile applications across personal computers, operating systems and devices. So SWFs compiled as apps for mobiles via Adobe AIR will still be arriving on Android and other platforms, they aren’t reliant upon a Flash plugin being installed on the system.

Read more at:
http://blogs.adobe.com/flashplayer/2012/06/flash-player-and-android-update.html
Pinterest apps for Android, iPad and iPhone

In IT News, Mobile Devices / By Pui Leng / 16 August 2012
A week after dropping its invite-only policy, social-bookmarking service Pinterest has made another move into the expansion for mobile. It debuted three new Pinterest apps- for Android, iPad and iPhone.

Pinterest is a visual bookmarking tool for collecting and organizing content you find online by theme. Users mark, or “pin,” sites they like and make carefully crafted collections that other people can view and share. Since it launched last year, Pinterest has only been available on the Web and through its popular iPhone app.

However, Pinterest’s goal has never been to keep users online. Instead, they want to inspire users to go offline and do things that they love. Thus, they are providing new apps which are now available for download at Apps.Pinterest.com. The new apps allow you to pin, discover, and access your account from wherever you choose.
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Honeywell First Android-Based Enterprise Digital Assistant – Dolphin 7800

In Mobile Devices / By Pui Leng / 5 August 2012
Honeywell has introduced its first Android-based enterprise digital assistant named the Dolphin 7800 Android. The device is a rugged handheld computer with fast and accurate data capture and navigation capabilities.

Dolphin 7800 Android is ideal for demanding mobile workforce applications that require multiple tasks be completed in a limited amount of time because it delivers multi-purpose computing, communication, and data collection at desktop-like speed, empowering workers to get the job done, regardless of location.

With a magnesium inner chassis and engineering grade plastic housings, the Dolphin 7800 provides the durability needed to withstand daily use in challenging environments and meet the requirement of mobile workers who need compact, lightweight devices that are designed for durability and usability.
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Pebble Watch Connects to iOS or Android phone

In IT News / By Pui Leng / 30 July 2012
The Pebble smartwatch’s popularity is escalating! Demand for the e-paper watch that talks to your iPhone or Android phone over Bluetooth has been so high that the Pebble team has had to put back its planned September release date.

What’s so special with the Pebble watch?

The Pebble, is an e-paper smartwatch that connects to iOS and Android devices. The watch sports a 144 x 168 black-and-white e-paper display and also includes a vibrating motor, four buttons, a 3-axis accelerometer, and Bluetooth 2.1+ EDR, which facilitates wireless connection to an Android or iOS device.

- Connection to iOS or Android phone:
Once it’s connected to your iOS or Android phone, the watch can display incoming caller IDs, notify you when you get an e-mail, provide weather and calendar alerts, and more. Android users can even view SMS messages on the watch

-Built-in apps

Pebble also comes with a few built-in apps of its own. Using the GPS on a connected smartphone, cyclists and runners will be able to see their speed, distance, and pace data on the watch. A music app makes it possible to control songs playing on your smartphone. There’s even a golf app that supports more than 25,000 courses, and lets golfers see their distance from the green.

If you want total control over the smartwatch, you can access Pebble’s open SDK to create more apps and notifications. For those of us who don’t know how to code, Pebble does offers a web-facing endpoint as well as If This Then That support so you can set up simple alerts through either service.

Reference:
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/04/pebble-e-ink-smartwatch-connects-to-your-ios-or-android-phone/
The Android 4.0 Walkman~Sony F800

In Brands / By Pui Leng / 23 July 2012
Have you owned a “Walkman” years ago? Though Walkman has been a very famous devise those days, it is slowly being rendered obsolete by improvements in phones and tablets.

However, Sony has just unveiled s new F800 Walkman which packs Android 4.0 Icre Cream sandwich under the hood and full support for FLAC music files with the hope to SAVE THE WALKMAN!

The F800 series is Web-enabled. The Android operating system and Internet connectivity via Wi-Fi allow the user to access apps on Google’s Play Store. Three capacities are offered, 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB, promising 4.5 hours of video playback and 20 for music. Inside, the F800 features a 1GHz dual-core CPU.

Sony ships the device with preinstalled apps from e-mail to maps and media offerings. The players can connect to the Internet using Bluetooth as well. The screen is a 3.5-inch multitouch unit, and Sony promises that the devices have plenty of processing power for smooth response. The F800 series has S-Master MX Digital Amplifier technology and an integrated xLoud speaker system.

Sony will launch a 16GB model in August for about $270, while a 32GB version will run about $300.With the brand new outfit, is the new Walkman which rather looks like a small smartphone going to bring back the trend? The F800 is certainly one of the most interesting new products Sony has unveiled. But, it’s up to you whether it is worthy to own or not!

More information at:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/259571/sony_hopes_android_40_will_save_the_walkman.html
Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD

In Mobile Devices / By Pui Leng / 22 July 2012
The Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD, which was first unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona will be released in late August. The tablet was said to be initially available in China for “less than 3,000 yuan,” which translates into $471 or 385 EUR.

The MediaPad 10 FHD is one of the highest-specced Android tablets ever made – which is why that price is especially decent. The tablet runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, packing a 10-inch 1920×1200 Full HD IPS touchscreen, 1.5GHz Huawei quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 8-megapixel rear camera, 1.3-megapixel front-facing one, Wi-Fi and HSPA+ (optional) connectivity.

In terms of battery life, Yu Chengdong, Huawei’s head of the Consumer Business Group and Senior Vice Presiden says the tablet will last for 8-9 hours of continuous 720p video playback, and 6-7 hours of 1080p content. Standby rates are quoted as 83 days on Wi-Fi, and 33 days on HSPA.

Let’s watch the Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD’s breezy demo video!

More information at:
http://www.intomobile.com/2012/07/18/huawei-mediapad-10-fhd-available-late-august-less-than-500/
21.5″ Frontier FT103 Android Tablet

In Frontier / By Pui Leng / 14 July 2012
Technology seems incredible! Have you ever thought of the size of the largest android tablet? It is 21.5 inches. Manufactured and launched by a Japanese company Frontier, the huge tablet is named Frontier FT103 Kouziro.

It’s best to think of it as an all-in-one PC that happens to have an ARM-based processor and Android operating system instead of an x86 chip and Windows or OS X.

It also has an HDMI input port, so you can make FT103 as a display for a separate computer — which is probably why some of the marketing materials refer to it as a “Smart Display.”

This whole thing comes with dimension of 512.8 x 24.8 x 353 mm & weighs 5Kgs. 24.8mm makes this tablet really thin. This tablet can be powered only by an AC adapters. So obviously this is not a portable tablet and it can only be used as 21inch television screen or TRON like table touchscreen.

Frontier FT103 Kouziro Tehnical specifications
- 1GHz TI OMAP 4428 dual core processor.
- 1GB of RAM.
- Internal storage 8GB.
- A microSD card slot.
- It also includes 2 USB 2.0 ports.
- microHDMI port.
- microUSB port along with Ethernet.
- WiFi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR as connectivity options.
- 1.2MP camera and built-in 1W+1W stereo speakers.
Chrome for Android available for iOS

In Mobile Devices / By Pui Leng / 2 July 2012
Chrome was most welcomed by iOS users. Less than a day Chrome app has been announced for the iOS platform at Google’s annual I/O event, it has already gotten far, with downloads placing it high on the top free apps charts. The most popular browser in the world promises a similar experience to its desktop variant and it functions exactly like Chrome for Android does.

Some of us may have experienced Chrome for Android on our Ice Cream Sandwich Android devices previously via a rooted Galaxy Nexus. Today, Google removed the “beta” tag that has followed the Chrome app for the past few months, and declared it ready for mass usage. Unfortunately, the new mobile browser is only available for devices running Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) and above.

Have you experienced the features of Google’s Chrome for Android?

Speed

Browse fast

Pages load in a snap and hardware-accelerated page rendering lets you fly through long pages. Experience the mobile web, Chrome fast.

Search fast

Search and navigate from the same box. Choose from results that appear as you type, getting to what you want in a snap.

Simplicity

Unlimited tabs

Open and switch between an unlimited number of tabs. On your phone, flip through tabs the way you would fan a deck of cards. On your tablet, swipe from edge to edge to switch tabs.

Easy navigation

Navigate with a simple, streamlined browser. Link Preview zooms in on links to make selecting the right link easier. Use Find in Page to locate specific words and scroll to see each match.

Signing In

Sign in to Chrome to bring your open tabs, bookmarks and omnibox data from your computer to your phone or tablet. That way, you have your Chrome, on all of your devices.

View open tabs

Access the tabs you have opened on your computer on your phone or tablet and pick up where you left off.

Syn bookmarks

Sync your bookmarks on all of your devices. Quickly go to your favorite sites, no matter where you are.

Get smarter suggestions

Spend less time typing. Visit a site on your computer and Chrome will auto complete its address in the omnibox on your phone or tablet.

Send to mobile

Send pages from your computer to your phone or tablet with a single click. You can read them on the go, even when you’re offline.

Auto sign-in

Automatically sign in to Google sites, like Gmail, for fast and seamless access.

Read more at:
Chrome for Android Out of Beta, Comes with Google Nexus 7 and Available for iOS Devices (Update)
Chrome for Android devices
Siri vs. Google Search (Jelly Bean)

In Apple / By Gordon / 30 June 2012
Siri is how Apple persuades consumers to buy the iPhone 4S, and in iOS 6, the voice assistant promises to get a whole lot better. But before the new and improved Siri arrives, Google is unleashing an upgrade to its search that, well, blows Apple’s tech right out of the water. Built from the ground up in the new Android Jelly Bean update, the new search engine accepts and answers questions with aplomb.

The following is a review from Jon Rettinger,

When we first booted it up and gave it a go, it seriously blew us away with how quick it returned results, and the technology’s voice is much more fluid than Siri’s robotic pipes. We pitted the two against each other to see just how great Google’s enhanced search is, and why Apple’s new Siri may already be behind before she even arrives.
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

In IT News / By Pui Leng / 29 June 2012
A mere 0.1 ahead of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, we are being formally introduced to next major update to Android, known as Jelly Bean (Android 4.1). It’s going to usher in incremental improvement and new features for users to enjoy.

Project Butter

Google has unveiled project butter, a major effort to squash Android’s frequent problems with device lag, as well as Systrace to help diagnose performance. Project Butter lets the CPU and graphics run in parallel, rather than crash into each other, and has a big impact on both real and perceived speed: the entire interface runs at 60 frames per second on sufficiently fast hardware.Graphics are now triple-buffered to keep scrolling and transitions humming along, and the processor will swing into full gear the moment you touch the screen to keep input lag to a minimum. Systrace, in the meantime, will help developers stamp out what performance hiccups remain. The tracing tool will be a part of the Jelly Bean SDK, so every coder can get an app running in tip-top shape.

Enhanced Predictive Keyboard & Offline Voice Typing

A refined dictionary and an improved predictive keyboard will also speed up typing as well – with expanded language support including Persian, Hindi and Thai and Braille adapters, the keyboard looks set to improve the typing experience exponentially. Not only that, Jelly Bean will feature a new offline voice typing feature – you can type with your voice even without a working connection – and will be launching with US English first with more languages to follow up later.

Home screen tweaks

Jelly Bean update makes a home screen that’s easier to get along with. It will automatically accommodate your apps and widgets and you may get rid of unwanted apps and widgets with a quick swipe up and off the home screen.

Google Now

Jelly Bean provides you a personal assistant called Google Now. The feature uses personal data in your smartphone and retrieves helpful and informative data to help you in your day-to-day life. This combination will aid you in different areas of your life – for e.g., it can provide public transit information when you are close to a station, update you on sports teams in real-time, study your commute habits and retrieve location data like restaurants and so forth.

The Google Now extends its intelligence even to flight details – it will update flight details with terminal and gate information as you are about to board your flight. It doesn’t just stop there – while in a foreign country, it will offer helpful information on currency exchange and so forth.

Voice Search

Harnessing the power of its existing Knowledge Graph - simply put, it is “a huge collection of the people, places and things in the world” -, Google Search will be much quicker, intuitive and fluid. Responses will be screened on answer cards – and this extends to their newly-introduced voice search assistant which is rather similar to Siri or Samsung’s S-Voice. Simply ask Google a question (searching for images is also possible, as seen from above) and answer cards will also be shown.

Notifications

Jelly Bean adds a couple of touches that will make it easier for users to get to where they want and what they want to do in fewer steps. The notifications tray will spot a new look with more information and features; take for example, you will be able to call back or message straight from the notifications tray when there’s a missed call.

Users can also take a quick look at updates on apps without having to go into the apps – the information can be selectively viewed by opening and closing with a two-finger swipe.

Camera Updates

Jelly Bean enhances Ice Cream Sandwich’s fast image capture by making it much easier to view, delete and retrieve deleted photos. Android 4.1 allows you to simply pinch while viewing photos to activate the film strip view feature. This will enable users to view your photo roll quickly by simply swiping left or right. Similarly, swipe up or down to delete your photos. Another good thing is these deletes can be easily undone, so there’s no worries of accidentally deleting a precious shot with no chance of retrieval.

More information available at :

http://www.hardwarezone.com.my/feature-google-io-2012-android-41-jelly-bean-detailed

http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/28/android-4-1-jelly-bean-review-a-look-at-whats-changed-in-googl/