Categories

Archives

Apr
17

Samsung Galaxy S III may not be a major update over the S II

big Samsung Galaxy S III may not be a major update over the S II

The successor of the Samsung Galaxy S II - let’s call it the Galaxy S III though that might not be its final name – has been a hot topic of conversation for months now. Now a new rumor suggests that all the imaginative rumors are wrong and the S III will be a relatively minor update.

An anonymous source talking to CNET claims that the S III will be to the S II what the iPhone 4S was to the iPhone 4 – a boost in processing power and a cool-sounding (though not necessarily useful) interaction feature.

The source pointed towards the HTC One X as what to expect from the Galaxy S III’s specs – so a quad-core CPU (likely an Exynos rather than Tegra), 1GB of RAM and a 4.7″ screen.

The bigger screen is supported by the leaked images of the S III that show a five column UI, rather than four columns on the S II and its 4.3″ screen.

The new interaction feature is reportedly dubbed Human Interaction by Samsung and will use the front-facing camera to keep track of where your eyes are pointed – and it will lock the screen when you look away.

Samsung has an event scheduled for May 3 and the most likely phone to be announced at it is the Galaxy S III, so that’s when we’ll see if the source is right or not.

Source

Apr
09

Microsoft pays AOL $1.1 billion for 800 patents (and Netscape)

AOL logo Microsoft pays AOL $1.1 billion for 800 patents (and Netscape)

I’m sure a lot of people still associate AOL with free CDs, instant messaging, and being their ISP back in the days before broadband. But while the company is now focused on making money online through portals and content, it has quite the hoard of patents. Or at least it did. 800 of some 1,200 patents the company holds have just been sold to Microsoft.

The deal is good news for both companies. AOL is receiving $1.1 billion and a perpetual license for all the patents it has sold. Microsoft gets a big pile of potentially very useful patents in return.

We’ve all seen how Microsoft has used patents to make money from Android, so spending $1.1 billion to secure these new patents surely means they have similar plans to claw back the cost of the purchase.

The patents fall within the categories of advertising, content generation, content management, social networking, mapping, streaming media, search, and security. Most of those categories could certainly be applied to Google’s services, and if Microsoft can find a way to utilize them against their biggest rival, I’m sure it won’t take long for the paperwork to be sent to Mountain View providing licensing terms.

Alternatively, Microsoft may view this as a buy for protection. If anyone attempts to sue the company for patent infringement, they now have more ammunition to fire back in defense. It seems increasingly like owning patents is what you need to fight patent lawsuits, and Google has demonstrated this recently with its $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola.

One thing AOL doesn’t mention as part of its press release is where all there patents come from. Well, back in 1998 AOL made an acquisition in the form of Netscape Communications. The patent sale includes stock from an AOL subsidiary, which is thought to be Netscape. So Microsoft now effectively owns Netscape in all but name, as AOL has apparently held on to the brand and the businesses.

One potential beneficiary from this patent deal is Facebook. AOL could have used the social networking patents against them, but Microsoft owns part of Facebook so that will no longer happen.

More at AOL, via TechCrunch

Apr
09

Raspberry Pi passes CE and FCC regulations

raspberry pi beta 001 580x317 Raspberry Pi passes CE and FCC regulations

At the end of March the Raspberry Pi Foundation hit a major roadblock stopping them actually shipping the beta version of the $35 PC. Both distribution partners, RS Components and element14/Premier Farnell, refused to ship the device because it hadn’t obtained CE marking.

That CE mark confirms the device in question conforms to European Economic Area directives and legislation. There are also equivalents to it for other regions such as the U.S., Canada, and Australia, which the tiny machine hadn’t been tested for. The Foundation had assumed, wrongly, that the unfinished version of the Raspberry Pi didn’t need such standards on the box, but it has since been confirmed otherwise.

So a week of hard work and the loss of one Easter weekend in the lab later, and the Raspberry Pi now has passed the relevant tests to gain CE marking. Not only that, but the team managed to pass FCC regulations, CTick for Australia, and the relevant requirements for Canada, too.

All the testing was carried out in a Panasonic lab located in South Wales with the help of Gainspeed and EMC consultants. The result is a lot of successful tests, but now a lot of paperwork to do and get signed off by both RS Components and element14/Premier Farnell.

Once that is out of the way I am really hoping that Raspberry Pi units will start shipping and we can finally get our hands on the tiny PC. To say this has been frustrating for everyone involved, especially those at the Raspberry Pi Foundation, is an understatement.

Read more at Raspberry Pi

Apr
09

Unlocking AT&T iPhones Now Possible from April 8

Unlocked ATT iPhones Unlocking AT&T iPhones Now Possible from April 8 AT&T finally blew their longstanding policy for not unlocking Apple iPhones. Customers who have completed the two-year service contract with AT&T will now be able to unlock their iPhones to use any SIM from Sunday, April 8, 2012. Users still in the contract can also unlock, but paying a termination fee. Now users can unlock their AT&T gadgets for international use.

Why Unlock?

Unlocking iPhone can allow you to switch to any local GSM network- and this is very useful if you have to go abroad. Another thing to note here is that unlocked AT&T iPhones will not work with Sprint or Verizon because those services rely on CDMA. It will work on T-Mobile but data speeds are not better than 3G.

Why AT&T, Changed Heart

AT&T, until now, did not allow its users to unlock iPhones and jailbreaking was the sole option. AT&T, sites still show the iPhone is not eligible for unlocking, but reports confirm that if your AT&T account is in good standing you could unlock your iPhone.

This change of policy puts AT&T with the likes of Verizon Wireless and Sprint, which has always allowed the unlocking even while in the contract. It is great that Apple has been selling full price unlocked iPhones from mid 2011.

 

Mar
31

Step Up Revolution Trailer Official 2012 [1080 HD] – Exclusive

Step Up Revolution In theaters July 27, 2012.

STEP UP REVOLUTION is the next installment in the worldwide smash STEP UP franchise, which sets the dancing against the vibrant backdrop of Miami. EMILY (Kathryn McCormick) arrives in Miami with aspirations of becoming a professional dancer and soon falls in love with SEAN (Ryan Guzman), a young man who leads a dance crew in elaborate, cutting-edge flash mobs, called “The Mob.” When a wealthy business man threatens to develop The Mob’s historic neighborhood and displace thousandsof people, Emily must band together with Sean and The Mob to turn their performance art into protest art, and risk losing their dreams to fight for a greater cause.

Step Up Revolution Trailer Official 2012 HD Courtesy of Summit Entertainment

Tags: “step up revolution trailer” “step up 4 trailer” step up new official movie trailer HD 2012 “STEP UP REVOLUTION” “film trailer” “official trailer” “exclusive trailer” “hd trailer” “high definition trailer” dancing sequel “Kathryn McCormick” “Ryan Guzman” today “this week” “this month”

Go back to top
Social Media Icons Powered by Acurax Web Design Company