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FujiFilm XF10
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Panasonic LUMIX LX100 II
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9.0
Sony WH-1000XM3
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10.0
FujiFilm X-T3
Android said to have overtaken Apple in global mobile app downloads
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Applications downloaded to Android devices in the second quarter surpassed the number apps downloaded from Apple’s iOS App Store. New data from market research and intelligence firm ABI Research shows that Android overtook iOS by a substantial margin in the June quarter, having been responsible for 44% of mobile app downloads around the world compared to iOS at 31%. ”Android’s open source strategy is the main factor for its success,” said ABI researcher Lim Shiyang in a statement. “Being a free platform has expanded the Android device install base, which in turn has driven growth in the number of third party multi-platform and mobile operator app stores. These conditions alone explain why An...
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Google to be monitored by Feds for privacy for 20 years
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Google has accepted a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over various privacy issues, agreeing to be audited for its privacy practices for the next 20 years in a landmark case the agency says is the first time it has had to require any company to formally implement a comprehensive privacy program to protect users' personal information, TalkingPointsMemo reports. The case was prompted over issues related to the now-defunct Google Buzz service.
The FTC initially charged Google with engaging in unfair and deceptive practices in 2010 by claiming users could easily opt-out of Buzz when in fact the tools that limited sharing of information were difficult to find, confusing and ultim...
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Google music store may go live this week, share over Google+
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A handful of more details about Google's music store may have emerged on Monday. The service is now thought by unofficial WSJ sources to be going live within the next two weeks, and possibly this week. "At least two" major labels are unlikely to have signed on, however, with only EMI probably onboard and Universal in discussions that might not make the release date.
Independent labels are still the ones most likely to sign on. The rumors had Sony and Warner both anxious about preconceptions about piracy on the combination of a music locker and a store. Sony reportedly believes that the locker would greenlight piracy by not making distinctions between paid and unpaid tracks, even though some ...
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Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich includes support for gaming controllers
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Devs digging around in the Android 4.0 SDK have found something that fans of Android gaming will really appreciate. The devs have discovered that the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS will have integrated, native support for game controllers. That means you will be able to connect game controllers to the tablet to play your favorite games rather than relying on touch or motion control. That would be a really cool thing for controlling some of the old school arcade game ports that are out there.
I wonder what sort of game controllers will be supported. I would assume that Bluetooth and USB controllers would get the nod. That might allow you to just plug your Xbox or PS3 controllers in and pla...
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Google TV 2.0 Unveiled
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Google TV was not the most popular feature to be introduced to HDTVs. The main problem was with the content providers who constantly blocked Google TV from accessing their content. It looks like Google is making a new attempt to launch their platform as screen shots of the Google TV 2.0 have been unveiled. The platform will come with an updated UI and will have access to the Android Marketplace. But unfortunately that’s all the specs available at this time. Will the new version be more popular? Only time will tell.
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Google Drops Chromebook Subscription-Only Policy
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When Google launched its Chromebook initiative for business and education customers, potential clients weren’t given very much flexibility when it came to financing. Basically they either chose to agree to a three-year subscription fee, or they could look for something else. In a rather rare change of heart, Google has reversed the three-year requirement, and are now giving both sets of customers the option to buy the machines outright with one year of support instead. Clients will have the option to renew web-based admin, phone support, and hardware for years two and three, but it is no longer required.
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iOS developers said to earn more from app sales than Google makes from its mobile business
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Developers who build and sell apps for Apple’s iOS platform will collectively earn more money over the next year than Google will earn from its entire mobile business. Following Google’s third-quarter earnings report last week, David Barnard, founder of App Cubby, posted an interesting observation on his company’s blog. Google reported a run rate of $2.5 billion for its mobile ad revenue based on third-quarter earnings, up from $1 billion a year earlier. While that growth is impressive, Barnard noted that Apple paid developers about $500 million during the 89 days between July 7th and October 4th for a run rate of $2 billion. Add to that the money third-party ad networks like Milennial Media...
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Android's face unlock feature could be fooled by photo
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Face Unlock, one of the flagship features of the newly released Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" mobile operating system, enables users to unlock their phones via facial recognition rather than a PIN code or by using other security credentials. But there might be a security risk involved, if recent reports are to be believed, as the feature can apparently be fooled by holding a picture of the phone's user to the camera.
The new feature works by recognising pre-registered faces, though questions were raised during the Ice Cream Sandwich keynote address when the phone of Matias Duarte, Google's head of user experience, struggled to identify him and unlock the phone possibly due to poor backgr...
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Android Ice Cream Sandwich includes native stylus support
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Styli and Android haven't exactly been strangers as of late -- with devices like the HTC Flyer and Samsung Galaxy Note offering pen-based input -- but it looks like that option will soon be even easier to implement with Ice Cream Sandwich. As noted on Reddit, Google's recent overview of some Android 4.0 platform highlights includes a small tidbit towards the end that details the "full support for stylus input events" in the OS -- including features like pressure sensitivity and the ability to distinguish motion events from different sources (i.e. a pen and your finger). Of course, it still requires some hardware-level assistance from tablet and smartphone makers, but native support in the OS...
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Google linked to Yahoo bid
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Google could be ready to make a bid for Yahoo, with the Wall Street Journal suggesting that the current giant of the internet may purchase one of the behemoths of the past and is in talks with private equity companies
Yahoo recently reported better than expected financial results, but the waning impact of a company that defined search before the rise and rise of Google is clear.
However, the company remains a massive potential purchase, holding key IP and patents and still holding on to a significant proportion of the global search market – most tellingly in the US.
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Android 4.0 Includes Stylus Support
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One of the less reported features in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is going to be big for a certain subgroup of users. The new OS will support stylus input at the system level with features like pressure sensitivity, hover tracking, and detection of pen versus finger touch events. This should streamline implementation of this feature for OEMs, which seem to be chomping at the bit to roll it out.
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Google Engineer Says Company Will Release Ice Cream Sandwich Source Code
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How many licks does it take to get to the center of a delicious Ice Cream Sandwich? Not even smarmy owls know the answer to that question – yet. Android developers will have a leg up on Tootsie Pop-packing birds sometime soon, as a Google engineer has confirmed that the ICS code will be released once users are able to wrap their hands around Ice Cream Sandwich-enabled phones and tablets.
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All Sony Ericsson smartphones announced this year will get Android 4.0
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Sony Ericsson confirmed that all of its 2011 smartphones will get Android 4.0. The Dutch arm of the Swedish-Japanese handset maker turned to Facebook to announce the news, which will affect a number of devices such as Xperia Play, neo, neo V, mini, mini pro, Ray, Pro, active, arc and arc S. In other words, the new Android Ice Cream Sandwich is optimized enough to be able to run on phones with a single-core 1GHz processor or at least Sony Ericsson thinks so. The company will first release Gingerbread 2.3.4 updates, though.
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Nexus One takes a bite out of Ice Cream Sandwich, chews slowly
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The Nexus One, grandaddy of Android's latest pure-bred wonder, appears to have some fight left in it. Developer drl33tmd has managed to coax the old man into running an early port of Ice Cream Sandwich, although it's not perfect. The somewhat unstable build is a bit sluggish, and suffers from media playback issues and a distinct lack of WiFi. Check out the demo after the break to see the original Google smartphone struggle up some increasingly steep software stairs.
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HTC on Ice Cream Sandwich: "our goal is to upgrade as many HTC devices as possible"
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Folks over at HTC shocked customers last week when they replied to a question that they still have to “figure out what they had to do about Android 4.0.”
The uncertainty alone was on the verge to become the first chapter of the next Android update, but luckily for the company and HTC owners, HTC changed its stance pretty quickly.
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