News

Some love for Google TV

Google has been mentioned at Google I/O this year. Although not specificly in the keynote, they announced some cool new things for the service. First, Google is now sending out the latest Android 4.2.2/Jelly Bean to Google TV. This is a welcome upgrade and should get GTV users excited. Additionally, they are also sending out the latest version of Chrome as well. Now browsing on your Google TV should be even faster than before.
That’s not all. Google also announced they plan to bring updates to Google TV on a much more timely basis, specifically stating “weeks rather than months.” Here’s a quote below from the Google TV developer’s blog G+ account with all the details,

Quote:

Over the past few months Google TV has gathered momentum by launching powerful features for our users such as the highest quality voice search of any TV product and strong manufacturer adoption of the platform. At Google I/O, it’s time to talk about developers and enabling them to bring more great experiences to TV.
Today, Google TV is moving to the latest version of Android (Jelly Bean, 4.2.2), and we’ve refactored Google TV so that our TV OEM partners can update to future versions of Android in a matter of weeks rather than months. For developers, this means you can build TV experiences using the latest Android APIs, including the NDK.
Today Google TV is also moving to the latest version of Chrome, and from now on Google TV benefits from Chrome updates on the same six week cycle that you’ve come to expect from Chrome. In Chrome on Google TV, we’ve added support for hardware-based content protection, enabling developers to provide premium TV content in HD within their web apps.
Google TV-powered devices in market will start to receive updates in the coming months, and we expect to see new devices launched later this year. If you are attending Google IO, please check out the “Android: As seen on TV!” session and stop by the Google TV Developer Sandbox area.
https://developers.google.com/tv/

LG has already updated some of their new Google TV equipped LG HDTVs with the newest Android 4.2.2 version. Above is a video of the TV with the new update.

Posted by: Gareth

Samsung Galaxy S4 criticised by BBC Watchdog

There have been many complaints on tech blogs and forums about the amount of free storage on Samsung’s new Galaxy S4 but it seems to have got to the point now where the issue has hit the radar of mainstream media, appearing as an item on BBC TV’s Watchdog programme last night.

The issue surfaced almost immediately after the launch of the S4 just a few weeks ago with many new owners copying files and apps from their old S2 or S3 and running out of space, despite the advertised space being the same as the previous model.

As it turns out, on a 16GB model only around 9GB is actually free for the user to store their own apps and media. That’s pretty bad!

In a statement to CNET, Samsung said users have the option to add more memory with a SD card, something its rivals the HTC One and iPhone can’t do.

For the Galaxy S4 16 GB model, approximately 6.85 GB occupies the system part of internal memory, which is 1 GB bigger than that of the Galaxy S3, in order to provide a high resolution display and more powerful features to our consumers.

Although the S4 does indeed have an SD card slot allowing for additional storage space it’s not possible to install apps on the memory card so this leaves it useful for music and video only.

Interestingly Samsung have hit out at the iPhone and the HTC One in their statement saying that neither of the competitors have micro SD card capability, however, neither of the competitors use almost half of the available storage just for the OS!

Posted by: Matt

BBM to come to iOS and Android

The BBLive event is currently in full swing in Orlando at the moment and several announcements have been made during this mornings Keynote. Perhaps the most surprising news to come out of the Keynote is that BlackBerry will be making BBM, the BlackBerry to BlackBerry messaging app, available for FREE to users with devices running iOS 6 and Android ICS or higher via stand alone application.

The rollout will commence ‘this summer’ and will initially start with iOS followed by Android shortly after. To begin with only groups and messages will be supported with BBM Voice and BBM Video said to follow later.

As a former BlackBerry user that’s gone back to Android I think this is excellent news for consumers but have to wonder if it’s such a smart move for BlackBerry.

The full press release can be found below.

BBM for iOS and Android to Launch This Summer

WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwired – May 14, 2013) – BlackBerry(R) (NASDAQ:BBRY)(TSX:BB) today announced plans to make its ground-breaking mobile social network, BlackBerry(R) Messenger (BBM(TM)), available to iOS(R) and Android(TM) users this summer, with support planned for iOS6, and Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or higher, all subject to approval by the Apple App Store and Google Play. BBM sets the standard for mobile instant messaging with a fast, reliable, engaging experience that includes delivered and read statuses, and personalized profiles and avatars. Upon release, BBM customers would be able to broaden their connections to include friends, family and colleagues on other mobile platforms.

In the planned initial release, iOS and Android users would be able to experience the immediacy of BBM chats, including multi-person chats, as well as the ability to share photos and voice notes, and engage in BBM Groups, which allows BBM customers to create groups of up to 30 people.

"For BlackBerry, messaging and collaboration are inseparable from the mobile experience, and the time is definitely right for BBM to become a multi-platform mobile service. BBM has always been one of the most engaging services for BlackBerry customers, enabling them to easily connect while maintaining a valued level of personal privacy. We’re excited to offer iOS and Android users the possibility to join the BBM community," said Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President, Software Product Management and Ecosystem, at BlackBerry.

BBM is loved by customers for its "D" and "R" statuses, which show up in chats to let people know with certainty that their message has been delivered and read. It provides customers with a high level of control and privacy over who they add to their contact list and how they engage with them, as invites are two-way opt-in. iOS and Android users would be able to add their contacts through PIN, email, SMS or QR code scan, regardless of platform. Android users would also be able to connect using a compatible NFC-capable device.

BBM has more than 60 million monthly active customers, with more than 51 million people using BBM an average of 90 minutes per day. BBM customers collectively send and receive more than 10 billion messages each day, nearly twice as many messages per user per day as compared to other mobile messaging apps. Almost half of BBM messages are read within 20 seconds of being received; indicating how truly engaged BBM customers are.

Today, BlackBerry also announced BBM Channels, a new social engagement platform within BBM that will allow customers to connect with the businesses, brands, celebrities and groups they are passionate about. BlackBerry plans to add support for BBM Channels as well as voice and video chatting for iOS and Android later this year, subject to approval by the Apple App Store and Google Play.

If approved by Apple and Google, the BBM app will be available as a free download in the Apple(R) App Store(SM) and Google Play store. Additional details about system requirements and availability will be announced closer to the launch.

What’s inside Google Glass?

Previously, we shared Google’s release of the basic features & specs of Google Glass. The info they shared was a bit limited because it didn’t share some of the specifics of the internal hardware. Today, the full hardware specs of the current generation of Google Glass have been shared by one of the developers who has the device already. Here’s a quote followed by a full breakdown,

Quote:

I’m a geek and it’s still awesome to nerd out on the guts. +Liam McLoughlin (Hexxeh) also found the USB debugging setting and got ADB working (looks like it was broken on my primary machine). Once I got it working I pulled up some details about Glass. Key points are:
* It’s running Android 4.0.4 – Ice Cream Sandwich – just as Larry Page said
* It’s an OMAP 4430 CPU – Dual Core? – Having trouble finding exact mhz
* There’s 682mb of RAM (678052kb reported in /proc/meminfo). Kernel messages lead me to believe it’s actually 1gb but some is being used for other hardware purposes(?)

The next Xbox event May 21st

As the title suggests the new Xbox will (hopefully) finally be announced on May 21st at 6pm UK time and you will be able to watch it live on your Xbox 360 console as it is going to be streamed live, you could also watch the stream on the xbox.com website if you don’t currently own an Xbox 360.

With Sony getting a slight head start on Microsoft you would imagine that the announcement will come as no surprise to media and the millions of Xbox 360 fans across the globe, me included! So let’s hope that Microsoft don’t disappoint us and they give us gamers something worth waiting for! Plus let’s also hope that at this event we actually see the console itself.I’m looking at you Sony!

Check back on the site on the announcement days for further news.

Post by: Chris

HTC One gets first ROM update

For those of you lucky enough to have your hands on an HTC One already, today you will be able to download its first official ROM update.

If you head in to Settings > About > Software Updates you should be offered version 1.29.401.12 which is the latest ROM build.

According to the details the update includes:

• System Stability Improvements
• Location Service Update
• HTC Zoe: Sound Quality Improvements
• Camera: Parameter Fine Tuning
• Beats Audio: Sound Experience Enhancements
• Other improvements and bug fixes

The update is 229MB and once downloaded takes only a few minutes to install. The phone will reboot a couple of times during the process and nothing gets wiped but you should probably take a backup just in case!

Posted by: Matt

Apple starts ‘AntennaGate’ payout

Remember all that time ago when Apple released the iPhone 4? Remember there being a problem with the Antenna that had been built in to the aluminium body?

Well that was back in 2010 and following various lawsuits and free cases offered by Apple, the case was eventually settled in February 2012. This allowed iPhone 4 owners to claim compensation for the issues relating to Apple "misrepresenting and concealing material information in the marketing, advertising, sale and servicing of its iPhone 4 — particularly as it relates to the quality of the mobile phone antenna and reception and related software."

According to one TUAW reader: "My $15 Apple iPhone4 AntennaGate settlement check came today. It has been so long I forgot what it was for and had to look it up."

So any sign of these reaching the UK yet?

Oh and if you haven’t made your claim yet, then you are out of luck, you can no longer do so.

Posted by: Matt

ZTE Delivers 500 Millionth Handset

Chinese company, ZTE, have been around for a really long time (in technology terms) but only rather more recently have they been a name that the average consumer would recognise.

Yesterday ZTE reached their 15th Anniversary and also the 500 millionth handset sold milestone.

Full press release below.

Glass App pops up

Google has launched a ton of new and relevant stuff for Project Glass. First up, the beta explorer units are rolling out of the factories and will be shipped to early adopters very soon. Second, they already put their MyGlass app on the Google Play Store along with a setup page. Next, they revealed the full specs of the device. Here’s a bullet-point breakdown for you:

• 640 x 360 display – however, because of its location close to your eye, it simulates a 25-inch hi-def monitor from a distance of eight feet
• 5MP camera
• 16GB of internal storage supported by “Google cloud storage”
• Audio via bone conduction
• Battery life = “one full day of typical use” and will charge with a standard microUSB cable
• WiFi and Bluetooth

Google also released the Mirror API which will be handy for developers wanting to whet their appetite on the new platform. Just remember to take them off in the bathroom.

Posted by: Gareth