Ben Lovejoy

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Samsung Mobile has posted to its YouTube channel a second teaser video for the Galaxy Note 4, due to be launched on 3rd September at IFA in Berlin, with satellite events in New York and Beijing. Both videos highlight the S Pen that sets it apart from other tablets.

The first video focused on the concept of saving handwriting from being a lost art, while this new one showcases some of the other uses of the pen, from annotating maps through playing games, editing photos to typing on a keyboard.

If an early posting on an Indonesian retail site is genuine, the Note 4 will have a 5.7-inch 1440×2560 Super AMOLED display, a quad-core Snapdragon 805 (with a second version substituting an Exynos 5433) and 4GB of RAM. A separate report says that it will have a 16MP camera with a capacitive touch shutter button.

We’ll find out for sure in nine days on 3rd September.

Jawbone UP activity tracker finds a new application – as an earthquake tracker

Ben Lovejoy Aug 25 2014 - 6:14 am PT

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Activity trackers can be a good way to monitor not only exercise but also sleep patterns – and now Jawbone’s UP device seems to have found a third application, as an earthquake tracker. The above graph shows the moment at which the magnitude 6 earthquake hit Napa, California, at around 3.20am …
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Nexus 6 rumored to be launched as Nexus X to avoid Blade Runner trademark, expected quiet launch around Halloween

Ben Lovejoy Aug 25 2014 - 5:41 am PT

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We heard last month that there was a new Nexus phablet on the way, code-named Shamu. The device is said to have a 5.9-inch 1440×2560 screen and a fingerprint sensor, and to be made by Motorola rather than LG – and seemed a good candidate for the Nexus 6.

PhoneArena is now citing anonymous Motorola sources as saying that the device will instead be launched as the Nexus X, to avoid trademark issues over the Nexus-6 androids in the Philip K Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep – later turned into the cult movie Blade Runner …
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Chromecast becomes even more of a no-brainer in the UK as price slashed to just £18

Ben Lovejoy Aug 22 2014 - 6:03 am PT

chromecast

There was very little reason for any self-respecting gadgeteer not to pick up a Chromecast stick at the full price of £30, but there’s even less excuse now that three online retailers – Amazon, Tesco and Currys – have discounted it to just £18.

Amazon is offering it with free delivery too. There’s no indication that this is a permanent price-cut (it’s still sitting at £30 on the Google Play site), so if you’ve been considering one, now would be the time to buy – especially with three free months of Google Play Music All Access thrown in.

Chromecast recently celebrated its first birthday, Google reporting that it had been used to cast content 400 million times in its first year. The capabilities of the devices have grown steadily, with Google last month adding mirroring from almost any Android device.

Via thenextweb. Image credit: softpedia.com

Want to get Android updates quickly? These are the brands & carriers to buy and avoid …

Ben Lovejoy Aug 21 2014 - 7:05 am PT

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arsTechnica has put together a handy look at which manufacturers & carriers are quickest and slowest to roll out an Android update on their older devices. Using the KitKat launch date of 31st October 2013, arsTechnica measured how long it took for the earliest available OTA update for devices originally sold with an earlier version of Android, starting with the previous-generation flagship devices.

The winner for update times is, of course, the Nexus line. Stock software and a head start from being Google got KitKat out the door in just 14 days.

As for everyone else, how quickly they update seems to depend on how complicated their skin is and how much they take advantage of the update mechanisms Google has created …

Google’s autonomous car without steering wheel or pedals to get steering wheel & pedals …

Ben Lovejoy Aug 21 2014 - 6:32 am PT

When Google showed off its built-from-scratch self-driving car with no steering-wheel or pedals, the world’s press weren’t the only people watching: California’s DMV also had its eye on the vehicle.

A new rule taking effect in California from 16th September says that self-driving cars are only legal on public roads if a driver is able to take “immediate physical control,” reports the WSJ. That means that Google is going to have to make a couple of small adjustments to the cars: fitting that missing steering-wheel and pedals.

[Google] said it plans to comply with the California rule by building a small, temporary steering wheel and pedal system that drivers can use during testing.

“With these additions, our safety drivers can test the self-driving features, while having the ability to take control of the vehicle if necessary,” Google spokeswoman Courtney Hohne said.

The company will initially be testing the fleet of 100 prototype vehicles on private roads.

Google had also wanted to test other types of autonomous vehicles, including motorcycles, but the DMV refused permission. California DMV official Bernard Soriano did, however, state that they are drafting rules that allow members of the public to operate driverless cars within a couple of years – and by that time, no steering-wheel or pedals will be required.

Only a handful of US states allow driverless cars on the road at present, but others are likely to follow California’s lead, and other countries likewise.

Acer announces $179 Chromebox appendage, launching late Sep in U.S. and Canada

Ben Lovejoy Aug 21 2014 - 4:52 am PT

Acer Chromebox CXI VESA Mount

Some of us are old enough to remember when desktop computers were large towers that you stored under your desk; these days, you can hide the desktop PC behind your monitor.

Acer has today announced a new Chromebox based on its C7 series Chromebook, the Chromebox CXI. The compact format makes it suitable for mounting on a monitor stand …
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Google adds “soul-enriching, breath-taking, life-affirming natural sights” of Iceland to Street View

Ben Lovejoy Aug 20 2014 - 6:28 am PT

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Google has added a gorgeous new set of Street View imagery, quoting Tales of Iceland author Stephen Markley in describing the views as “soul-enriching, breath-taking, life-affirming” …
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‘Right to be forgotten’ farce continues as BBC posts links to 12 stories removed by Google

Ben Lovejoy Aug 20 2014 - 6:08 am PT

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People who have asked Google to remove links to news stories under the controversial European ‘right to be forgotten‘ ruling are once again finding the move counter-productive. The BBC News site has posted links to stories removed from Google’s search, bringing back into the spotlight stories that are in some cases more than a decade old.

The BBC posted links to all 12 of the stories removed from Google’s search results. They range from the serious – three men accused of possessing bomb-making equipment in Ireland – to the ridiculous, a dispute over a lost dog …
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ASUS confirms smartwatch, unveiling at IFA on 3rd September

Ben Lovejoy Aug 19 2014 - 8:52 am PT

[tweet https://twitter.com/ASUS/status/501668895074181120/]

ASUS has officially confirmed that it will be unveiling its Android Wear smartwatch at the IFA next month, with a teaser tweet showing a smartwatch face displaying the quote “Time has been transformed and we have changed” …
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$149 muscle-sensing armband allows you to control Google Glass using hand gestures

Ben Lovejoy Aug 19 2014 - 6:34 am PT

Just in case you don’t feel sufficiently self-conscious using Glass, Thalmic Labs has the solution: a $149 armband that allows you to control Glass via hand gestures.

Myo is an an elasticated armband that detects hand gestures via muscle movements and associated electrical signals in your forearm. Developers Thalmic Labs see it as a potential user-interface for everything from computers to drones – and have now successfully interfaced it to Glass, as well as competing headsets Epson’s Moverio and Recon Jet …
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Amazon’s Fire Phone gets its first update, mostly things it should have had in the first place

Ben Lovejoy Aug 19 2014 - 4:59 am PT

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Amazon’s Fire Phone didn’t get off to the best of starts, with most reviews panning it, but it just got a little better thanks to its first over-the-air update – mostly providing things it should have had in the first place.

Fire OS 3.5.1 provides a quick means of switching between apps, app folders, pinning of favorite apps to the home carousel, improved battery-life and more. To install it, swipe down from the top of the home screen to open Quick Actions, select Settings, then tap Device > Install system updates > Check Now to download. Once it’s downloaded, tap Install System Update and wait for the restart.

If the improvements are enough to make you consider a Fire Phone of your own, it’s available direct from Amazon from $649 outright or from $0 to $299 on contract.

You can read chapter-and-verse on all the improvements below.
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Sharp Aquos Crystal shows what we can expect from next-gen near-bezel-less phones

Ben Lovejoy Aug 18 2014 - 7:49 am PT

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A mid-range phone powered by a Snapdragon 400 processor isn’t going to excite many people, but the Sharp Aquos Crystal coming later this year to Sprint does have one very appealing feature: a near-invisible bezel …
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Kickstarter campaign begins for smartphone-controlled Bluetooth padlock

Ben Lovejoy Aug 18 2014 - 4:40 am PT

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Locks always struck me as the perfect application for Bluetooth LE: walk up to the lock, it detects the phone in your pocket or bag, checks the code and unlocks. If you need to let someone else in, you authorize their app on a one-off or permanent basis. Simple, secure, convenient.

There are a bunch of Bluetooth door locks on the way, so why not a Bluetooth padlock too? Noke is a Kickstarter campaign for a $59 lock where you simply click the hasp to unlock. Provided your phone is with you, and the app code matches the lock, it opens without key or combination. The app is compatible with any Android handset or iPhone that supports Bluetooth LE.

Cleverly, you can also program the padlock with a Morse code-style pattern that you can click to open the lock if your phone battery is dead.

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The campaign has an ambitious $100,000 target, so it’s by no means certain it’ll get funded, but as with all Kickstarter campaigns you lose nothing if it doesn’t make it. $59 is the Kickstarter price, with a planned retail price of $99.

The campaign doesn’t say anything about the security credentials of the lock, so it’s probably best considered something for relatively low-security applications like gym lockers and ‘cafe locks’ for bikes (ones you use just to stop someone hopping on and riding off while your bike is within sight).

Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin latest high-profile tech players in ice bucket challenge

Ben Lovejoy Aug 15 2014 - 4:05 pm PT

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Whoever came up with the idea of the ice bucket challenge to raise awareness of the fatal disease ALS is a genius. Since former Boston College baseball player Pete Frates raised its profile, we’ve seen a succession of public figures accept the challenge to have a bucket of ice-cold water poured over them – many of them in the tech sector.

When Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella challenged Larry Page, it seems Page thought Brin should join in too – thanks to David F Watson for the video. Page appears not to have noticed a large piece of ice lodged in the collar of his t-shirt afterwards, adding weight to our theory that he’s actually a robot from the future.

With Apple CEO Tim Cook also having participated, that’s the head honchos at all three main smartphone platforms united in the awareness campaign.

ALS is short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease that results in loss of muscle control and which is fatal in two to five years. The ALS Association is raising money to try to find a cure, and so far the ice bucket challenge seems to be helping, donations so far more than six times what the charity raised in the same period last year. If you’d like to donate, you can do so here.

The Verge has collected together a whole bunch of ice bucket challenge videos and photos on one page.

Barnes & Noble teases new Samsung Nook e-reader a few days before official launch

Ben Lovejoy Aug 15 2014 - 7:31 am PT

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We’ve known since June that Barnes & Noble’s next Nook ebook reader would be a co-branded Galaxy Tab 4, set to be launched on Wednesday. Digital Reader notes that the company has now emailed out a 30-second teaser video, showing reactions to the device – including one from Grumpy Cat …
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Samsung and Apple will sew-up the smartwatch market, others will fail, predicts analyst

Ben Lovejoy Aug 14 2014 - 6:04 am PT

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Galaxy-Gear

Samsung and Apple will largely own the smartwatch market between them, predicts Jackdaw Research chief analyst Jan Dawson in a report being issued later today and seen by Re/code.

Dawson said that new players should “stay out of the market,” and existing players should scale back their plans.

“We do not recommend that existing vendors should maintain current levels of investment when market growth and the overall revenue opportunity remain poor,” Dawson said. “It is unlikely that more than one or two small vendors will be able to make a sustainable business out of smartwatches in the face of competition from Samsung and […] Apple” …

Lenovo reports phone sales & profits up as it focuses on international expansion with Motorola brand

Ben Lovejoy Aug 14 2014 - 5:14 am PT

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Chinese company Lenovo, which is in the process of buying the Motorola brand from Google, has reported a 23 percent year-on-year increase in first-quarter profits to $214M, reports Reuters. The company also said that worldwide phone sales were up 39 percent, in line with recent IDC numbers.

While Lenovo recently became the market leader within China, CEO Yang Yuanqing said that the company will in future be focusing on more profitable overseas markets …
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Amazon takes on Square and PayPal Here with $10 smartphone cardreader & lower fees

Ben Lovejoy Aug 13 2014 - 4:33 am PT

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Small businesses looking to take occasional card payments without paying monthly fees now have a third option as Amazon has launched Local Register to compete with Square and PayPal Here – as we predicted last month over on 9to5Mac. The $10 card-reader is currently only compatible with the Samsung Galaxy S3, S4 and S5, along with the Kindle Fire HD and HDX tablets, but more devices are expected to be added.

Amazon is undercutting both competitor services with a flat fee of 2.5 percent per transaction (vs 2.7 percent for PayPal Here and 2.75 percent for Square). Not enough? Amazon is sweetening the deal with a special introductory rate of 1.75 percent until the end of 2015, and will also credit the $10 cost of the cardreader in full against transaction fees …
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Android picks up five points from iOS in the enterprise market, reaches 32 percent market share

Ben Lovejoy Aug 12 2014 - 5:40 am PT

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The latest enterprise market share data from Good Technology shows that Android gained five points from iOS, hitting almost a third of the market at 32 percent while iOS fell from 72 to 67 percent. Windows Phone remains flat (and irrelevant) at just 1 percent. (BlackBerry data is not included as the company uses its own servers and activations are invisible to Good Technology.)

What’s particularly impressive about the numbers is that Good’s technology mostly connects mobile devices to Exchange servers and organizations that use Google services for enterprise, which are more likely to Android, aren’t being counted here…

Xiaomi apologizes for uploading address book data from smartphones without permission

Ben Lovejoy Aug 12 2014 - 4:57 am PT

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Former Android head and Xiaomi VP Hugo Barra has apologized to owners of its smartphones for “any concern caused” by collecting contact data from address books without permission.

A recent […] report by F-Secure raised privacy concerns by stating that Xiaomi devices are sending phone numbers to Xiaomi’s servers. These concerns refer to the MIUI Cloud Messaging service. As we believe it is our top priority to protect user data and privacy, we have decided to make MIUI Cloud Messaging an opt-in service and no longer automatically activate users […]

We apologize for any concern caused to our users and Mi fans. We would also like to thank the media and users who have been sending us feedback and suggestions, allowing us to improve and provide better Internet services …

Credit rating agency Fitch says Samsung’s market share will fall from 31 to 25 percent

Ben Lovejoy Aug 12 2014 - 4:01 am PT

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Samsung’s troubles are far from over, says credit rating Fitch, predicting that the company’s share of the smartphone market will fall from 31 percent last year to 25 percent next year, reports the WSJ.

Nitin Soni, a Singapore-based director of corporate ratings at Fitch, warned that Samsung had lost its edge with consumers as Chinese companies like Xiaomi, Lenovo and Huawei make cheaper and cheaper products that meet most consumers’ needs.

He added that innovations like wearable devices and curved screens – two of Samsung’s recent tricks – are “unlikely to change the trend” …

Android ‘smart motorcycle helmet’ gets crowd-funded, goes on pre-order

Ben Lovejoy Aug 11 2014 - 6:56 am PT

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If you’ve ever wished your motorcycle had better mirrors, or that you could get directions from your GPS without taking your eyes off the road, the Skully AR-1 may be the answer. Billed as “the world’s smartest helmet,” it incorporates a head-up display to show the view from a built-in 180-degree rear-facing camera as well as turn-by-turn directions from the integral GPS …
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Mini-review: StayblCam, the poor man’s Steadicam for smartphones & GoPro-style cameras

Ben Lovejoy Aug 11 2014 - 6:31 am PT