Richard Sapp: February 2011

Monday, February 28, 2011

HTC Desire update: Gingerbread coming Q2

HTC has confirmed that a number of its legacy devices will be getting the latest version of Android.

The HTC Desire, Desire HD, Desire Z and Incredible S will all have the update shoved over before June, bringing a raft of improvements.

"We are excited to announce that the Desire HD, Desire Z, Desire and Incredible S will receive the Gingerbread update in Q2," HTC said in a statement.

Battery boost?

T-Mobile has also confirmed to TechRadar that it is working on bringing the update to its customers but, like Three, cannot give a timeframe for the update to deploy:

"HTC have confirmed that all handsets in the Desire range will be updated this year but no dates as yet for the branded release."

Android 2.3 (or Gingerbread) will bring a number of HTC Desire updates for the whole family - including improved processor speed and efficiency.

Crucially, this could mean an improvement to the HTC Desire battery situation - all members of the Desire family are quite poor when it comes to even lasting a day on a full charge.

The HTC Incredible S has only just had its UK launch, with the Taiwanese firm telling TechRadar it wanted the phone on the shelves as soon as possible as the reason for it coming with Android 2.2.

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Quote For The Day III

"And people talk about Ronald Reagan, but I remember Ronald Reagan very well. ? But Ronald Reagan would probably not recognize the description of Ronald Regan that is coming out of a lot of the tea party blogs. Ronald Reagan,...

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Kindle 3G to arrive in AT&T stores March 6

Amazon and AT&T have announced that the Kindle 3G will go on sale in AT&T retail stores as of March 6, offering would-be ebook readers the opportunity to check out the best-selling device in person. Priced at the same $189 as Amazon sells the Kindle 3G online, the ereader already uses AT&T’s 3G network in the US.

Those who want the WiFi-only Kindle, however, will still have to go online for it, as AT&T won’t be offering the cheaper variant in stores. It remains to be seen if Vodafone, who provides the 3G connection for the European Kindle, will be offering the ereader in its own stores.

Press Release:

Amazon Kindle 3G Coming to AT&T Stores Nationwide

Kindle is Bestselling Product in the History of Amazon

AT&T* today announced it will begin selling Amazon?s bestselling Kindle 3G in AT&T company-owned retail stores nationwide beginning March 6. Amazon?s Kindle 3G continues to be powered by the nation?s fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T. AT&T will include Kindle 3G in its connected devices displays throughout AT&T company-owned stores, offering customers the opportunity to test drive the device onsite. The latest generation Kindle has received rave reviews from the New York Times, Wired, CNET, PC World, PC Magazine, and more, and has recently become the bestselling product in the history of Amazon

?Amazon has without question pioneered the eReader space with Kindle, and it?s exciting to not only connect this device through our network, but now offer it in our stores to readers around the country ,? said Glenn Lurie, president, emerging devices, AT&T. ?As the first dedicated eReader offered in our stores, we are confident the Kindle will be an attractive addition to our in store connected devices lineup.?

Kindle 3G, which connects over Wi-Fi as well as AT&T?s mobile broadband network, wirelessly downloads books, magazines, newspapers, blogs and personal documents to a 6-inch, high-resolution electronic paper display that looks and reads like real paper.

?We?re excited to work with AT&T to offer Kindle 3G to AT&T customers across the country,? said Mike McKenna, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. ?Customers tell us they love Kindle 3G because of its light weight, battery life of up to one month, and advanced paper e-ink display that works in direct sunlight. Customers love being able to think of a book and be reading it in less than 60 seconds thanks to AT&T?s wireless network.?

The new Kindle 3G boasts the advanced paper-like Pearl E Ink display that is easy on the eyes and works outside in direct sunlight, massive storage of up to 3,500 books, up to one month of battery life with the wireless off, no monthly wireless fees or annual contracts, and light weight which makes it easy to take with you everywhere you go — all for only $189.

Kindle offers the largest selection of the books people want to read. The Kindle Store now has more than 810,000 books, including new releases and 107 of 111 New York Times Best Sellers. Over 670,000 of these books are $9.99 or less, including 79 New York Times Best Sellers. Kindle lets you ?Buy Once, Read Everywhere? ? on Kindle as well as on free Kindle apps for iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry, Windows Phone and Android-based devices. Amazon’s Whispersync technology saves and synchronizes your full Kindle library of books, bookmarks, last page read, highlights and annotations across all of your Kindles and Kindle apps so you never lose your place or are without your reading.

For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit http://www.att.com/.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

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Apple: Jonathan Ive quitting for the UK?

Apple could have real trouble on its hands: Jonathan Ive, Apple’s design supremo, is rumoured to be planning a move to the UK and Apple’s board is apparently not happy. The Sunday Times carried the rumour this weekend reporting that a friend of the family had spilled the beans. Ive and his wife are said [...]

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Review: Vye Jolibook

Vye is best known for its uniquely featured yet high-priced netbooks and is now the first to release a machine built around the Jolicloud operating system (OS). The Jolibook provides a great alternative to the current glut of Windows-based mini laptops.

The first thing that stands out is its garish style. With a gaudy cartoon design on the lid, it immediately sets the Jolibook out as a machine better suited to younger members of the family.

The lid is pleasingly hard-wearing and the contrasting black interior tones things down slightly, while hiding dirt and smudges well. Weighing just 1.3kg, the slim chassis is very easy to carry during the day.

Unfortunately, the large battery protrudes 25mm from the rear, which adds bulk to the machine and could easily be damaged by playful children. Despite its size, battery life is average at just over four hours.

Usability is excellent. The spacious, isolation-style keyboard is firmly fixed to the chassis and responds smoothly, quietly and accurately. The textured touchpad is equally responsive and usable, but we found the single, dual-click mouse button to be awkward to respond at times.

A real strength of this netbook is its vibrant 10.1-inch screen. The glossy Super-TFT coating is less reflective than others we've seen and brings images to vivid life.

Of course, the key selling point is the excellent Jolicloud OS. While the easy-to-use Linux-based software is not revolutionary in its design, the simple icon and tab-based interface is very easy to use and accessible for even the youngest (or oldest) laptop user.

Packed with free open-source software, including a full office suite, you have everything you need to get started. Hundreds more free tools can be added with ease via the online apps store.

Atom processor

In terms of hardware, a dual-core Intel Atom N550 processor runs the system with suitable, if unexceptional, speed, while the 250GB hard drive provides average storage space for your data.

Unfortunately we were unable to benchmark the Jolibook due to a lack of testing software for the Jolicloud OS.

802.11n Wi-Fi provides high-speed wireless connections and 10/100 Ethernet providing fixed connectivity. Bluetooth and an 8-in-1 card reader are also in place for easily sharing and accessing data wirelessly or via storage cards.

Overall, the Vye Jolibook is a comfortable and easy-to-use machine that is perfectly tailored to the less experienced laptop user.

It should be noted, however, that the Jolicloud OS can be downloaded free online, so if the price or garish design don't appeal, you could buy a netbook more to your taste or budget and create your own Jolibook with ease.

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Gmail crash: thousands lose their emails

Big and bad news for Gmail users. The Google email service suffered a serious issue over the weekend with thousands of users losing years worth of messages, attachments and chat logs after a period of significant downtime.

Gmail reports via the Google App Dashboard that “less than 0.08%” of users have been affected but that percentage [...]

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ASUS dates Eee Pad/Eee Slate tablet range

ASUS has confirmed availability for its 2011 tablet range, having brought the various slates out to play at CeBIT 2011 this week. We’re still most interested in the ASUS Eee Pad MeMO, the 7-inch HTC Flyer rival, which the company says will be out in Q3 2011.

Meanwhile, the Eee Pad Transformer and Eee Pad Slider – which we played with back in January – will arrive in the UK come mid-April. They’ll run Android 3.0 Honeycomb at launch, as will the MeMO, unlike the demo units we’ve seen so far that have been based on Froyo.

Finally, ASUS’ sole Windows 7 tablet, the Eee Slate EP121, will go on sale from early April; in the UK it will be sold through “selected” PC World and Currys stores. No pricing at this stage, though ASUS Germany has said that the Eee Pad MeMO is expected to kick off at ?499.

Press Release:

ASUS Tablet Computers ? Providing Choice through Innovation at CeBIT 2011

A wide range of innovative tablet computers provide
variety of choice for consumers and businesses alike.

CeBIT, Hanover, Germany ? ASUS today presented a live
demonstration of the four tablet devices announced earlier this
year: the Eee Slate EP121, Eee Pad Transformer, Eee Pad Slider
and Eee Pad MeMO. Designed for a wide range of users and
applications, the models will be available with three screen sizes,
and a choice of either Windows� 7 Home Premium or Google
Android� operating systems for the ultimate in mobile flexibility
and productivity.

Consumer choice is essential when selecting innovative and
technologically advanced personal computer devices. When it comes
to tablets, there is a clear need for devices that can deliver a full
multimedia experience using HD video, broad connectivity options,
gaming, plus the broadest range of media compatibility with
standards like Adobe Flash, all in a neat compact package. In
short, there is a demand for tablets that enable users to both
consume and create content in order to learn, work or play.

ASUS Eee Slate EP121
The Eee Slate EP121 is designed for users who require a highly
portable handheld device that can also run standard office software
while multitasking with other applications. Powered with an Intel�
Core? i5 dual-core processor, the Eee Slate features a 12.1? LEDbacklit display with a 1280 x 800 resolution and a wide 178� viewing angle, making it perfectly suited for both productivity applications and multimedia entertainment.

Windows� 7 Home Premium ensures full compatibility with a wide
range of popular applications controlled by flexible input options
thanks to the Eee Slate. The capacitive touch-screen responds
instantly to fingertip control for day-to-day use, while the
electromagnetic stylus offers fine precision input and control. An onscreen keyboard is also complimented by support for an external
Bluetooth keyboard for traditional desktop use.

The Eee Slate is available with 32GB or 64GB of SSD storage
(expandable via SDXC), and up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM. All models
have 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, a 2-megapixel camera, plus two
USB 2.0 ports that provide full support for a wide range of standard
PC peripherals, along with a mini-HDMI port that is ideal for
connecting to external displays.

The Eee Slate EP121 was recently honored with a CES 2011
Innovation Award in the Personal Electronics category, and initial
sales figures showed it reaching the 3rd best-selling item in the
Computers and Accessories category at Amazon.com.

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer
Slated for release in April, the Eee Pad Transformer comes with a
slim lightweight design and 10.1? capacitive touch-screen. It is the
perfect pad computer for people who want to enjoy multimedia on
the move, but still wish to have easy access to the web, email and
other productivity applications. A custom user interface provides
easy access to the many features of the Android� 3.0 HoneyComb
operating system, while the NVIDIA� Tegra? 2 chipset provides
full support for Adobe Flash, smooth HD video conferencing and
playback, a lightning fast web experience and incredible mobile
gaming performance.

An optional docking station turns the Transformer into a full-fledged
notebook with a QWERTY keyboard for desktop use, while extending
battery life up to 16 hours. As with the Slider, front (1.2MP) and
rear (5MP) digital cameras make for easy video chat and digital
photography, while a built-in mini-HDMI port makes for easy
connections to external displays for full 1080p HD video playback.

ASUS Eee Pad Slider
Mobile users who want the best of both tablet and traditional
notebook worlds will be well served by the Eee Pad Slider. This pad
computer not only features a 10.1? IPS touch-screen for fingerfriendly use, but also a slide-out QWERTY keyboard for comfortable,
use-anywhere typing. It is powered by the NVIDIA� Tegra? 2, the
world?s most advanced mobile processor with a dual-core CPU and
NVIDIA� GeForce� GPU for never-before-seen experiences on a
mobile device.

Built-in digital cameras on the front (1.2MP) and rear (5MP) of the
Slider allow for easy video chat and digital photography while the
Android� 3.0 HoneyComb operating system makes sharing photos
by internet, email and social media sites a breeze. The intuitive
interface provides user-friendly control via the capacitive touchscreen and optional onboard 3G allows for go-anywhere internet
access, making the Slider the ideal device for mobile professionals
with work-oriented needs.

ASUS Eee Pad MeMO
The Eee Pad MeMO provides the ultimate in mobile flexibility. Its 7?
capacitive touch-screen makes it small enough to slip into a jacket
pocket, yet still perfect for taking handwritten notes using the
supplied stylus pen. The Android� 3.0 HoneyComb operating
system with Qualcomm�’s dual-core Snapdragon? offers a wide
range of productivity and entertainment software, while a Micro
HDMI port means the MeMO can even connect to an external
display for full 1080p HD video playback. Built-in digital cameras on
the front (1.2MP) and rear (5MP) of the MeMO also allow for easy
video chat and digital photography, making it a convenient travel
companion.

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3D terrestrial spec gets DVB go ahead

The reality of broadcasting 3D over terrestrial TV just moved closer, with the Digital Video Broadcasting standards body (DVB) approving the DVB-3DTV specification.

This is by no means the last step in approval, as it has to now go to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) for formal standardisation, but it does mean that the UK is thinking seriously about its 3D future.

3D through terrestrial

The specification that has got the DVB's seal of approval is for both streaming 3D through an HDMI cable or straight from a built-in tuner and decoder.

The DVB is also sorting out the problem of subtitles over 3D in its spec.

For those who are all about quality control when it comes to watching 3D, you'll be a little irked to know that the 3D broadcast won't be in Full HD.

What the specification does confirm is that it is for 'frame compatible plano-stereoscopic' 3D, which is similar to how Sky currently uses for its Sky 3D channel.

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Next-Gen Windows UI previewed: Kinect, Windows Phone & bubbly tablets [Video]

Microsoft has previewed a next-gen UI for smartphones, tablets and PCs, which evolves the traditional windows and icons into bubbles of information which can be manipulated with motion-tracking hardware. The video, presented by Microsoft Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie, shows how gadgets like Kinect and multitouch displays like Surface can be used for more naturalistic interaction with data.

Videos after the cut

The demonstration follows Microsoft’s announcements for the Kinect SDK, which will be released later this year. In a second video, shown below, Microsoft demonstrated some of the potential interactions between Kinect and Windows Phone.

All of the UI work is being billed as experimental and described as “futuristic demos,” with Microsoft cautious not to set up too many ambitious expectations for Windows 8. Still, with the company’s desktop OS lagging in finger-friendliness on tablets, and the integration between Windows, Windows Phone and Xbox all still relatively rudimentary, the company could do worse than follow through on some of these concepts.

Microsoft Research UI predictions:

Windows Phone and Kinect integration demo:

[via Slashdot]

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Interview with Gearbox co-founder Brian Martel about Duke Nukem Forever

Well, it's been almost 13 years since we have last seen Duke Nukem but he is finally hitting store shelves on May 3rd. I have a chat with Gearbox co-founder Brian Martel about what took so long, the technology behind the game and what we have to look forward to.

Source: http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/InsideXbox/Interview-with-Gearbox-co-founder-Brian-Martel-about-Duke-Nukem-Forever

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Hot Apps: iBlast Moki, Life Lights, OK!, MonsterUp, Classic Valentine

Hot Apps will feature 5 of the hottest apps each week for the Windows Phone 7. In this episode Laura takes a look at:

Please leave suggestions for hot apps that should be featured in the comments section, thanks!

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T-Mobile takes a beating in Q4 2010; sheds 318,000 contract customers, post-paid churn at 3.6%

The fourth quarter of 2010 — the busy holiday quarter — was not all that fruitful for the U.S.’s forth largest wireless provider. In an earnings call today, T-Mobile posted a nearly flat revenue number — $4.69 billion in Q4 2010 versus $4.71 billion in Q3 of 2010, and $4.65 billion in Q4 of 2009 — and less than stellar customer retention numbers. T-Mo saw net losses of 318,000 customers in Q4, along with a churn rate rising from 3.4% in Q3 to 3.6%. One bright spot on the company’s balance sheet is the 25% jump in “data services revenue” year-over-year. ?I am pleased with the increase in smartphone adoption and our ongoing improvement in data ARPU.� Data growth in

Source: http://www.bgr.com/2011/02/25/t-mobile-takes-a-beating-in-q4-2010-sheds-318000-customers-churn-at-3-6/

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Sunday, February 27, 2011

Apple applies for trademark on ?Places? in EU, China; hints at social network?

Cupertino based Apple, Inc. has filed for a trademark on the word “Places” in both the European Union and China, reports Patently Apple. The original filing was submitted on February 23rd and covers international classes 009, 041, 042, and 045. The first three classes cover a hodgepodge of computer services, software, and hardware. But class 045 pertains specifically to social networking services; “providing a social networking website; assisting in the locating of people using a global positioning system (GPS).” Apple has already dipped its toe in the social networking pool with its Ping music discovery service, which, as far as we can tell, no one uses. For the past few years, the company has used the “places” name in its

Source: http://www.bgr.com/2011/02/25/apple-applies-for-trademark-on-places-in-eu-china-hints-at-social-network/

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Facebook simplifies its privacy policy

Facebook has announced that it has simplified its current 5,830-word privacy policy to make it clearer and easier for users to understand.

While non of the terms of the privacy policy have changed, a new format is being trialled to see if it helps users of the site understand how their data is being used.

Facebook has been often criticised for making its privacy policy far too convoluted, meaning that you would have to be a brave person to read the thousands of words on the site regarding privacy.

Privacy principles

Facebook has come up with three basic principles about the policy.

It should be easy to understand, even when the concepts are complicated, or it is of no use to anyone.
It should be visual and interactive, because that's the way people use the web today.
It should focus on the questions people who use Facebook are most likely to ask, because that makes it relevant.

If you want to take a look at the new-look, less wordy and not-as-scary privacy policy, then you can do so by going to www.facebook.com/about/privacy.

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Oscar Betting

Nate Silver lists tips for winning your Oscar pool. Among them: The Academy ? which can take itself very seriously ? is relatively unfriendly toward comedies. If two candidates otherwise seem tied, lean toward the more dramatic film. The exception...

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