Firefox OS getting interface revamp, lots of spit and polish
Firefox OS is still very young and about to endure something of a growth spurt. In the coming months Mozilla’s fledgling mobile platform will see a pretty dramatic reinvention of its UI. A core piece of that reinvention is EverythingMe, a contextual search interface that delivers results from the phone and the web simultaneously. Pulling down slightly from the title/address bar will open the search dialog that doubles as an application launcher. That new launcher will provide an entirely new way to interact with the phone, while bringing a welcome level of polish and modernity to the OS. The company also aims to banish the app store model and the ubiquitous install button. Instead searching for an app will offer you a direct link to launch it (which is made possible by Firefox OS’ heavy reliance on the web).
Additionally, a number of UI elements will be shifted around. Now, instead of opening the notification drawer, pulling down all the way from the top of the screen will initiate a task switcher. For quick and fluid app switching, simply swiping left or right from the edge of the screen will toggle between open applications, just as it does on Windows 8. The notification drawer will find a new home at the bottom of the interface, and opens with an upward swipe.
Subtler changes are also being made under the hood that will make Firefox OS faster and more responsive. Especially when scrolling and panning. The on-screen keyboard will also use predictive algorithms to guess what letter a user will enter next and will invisibly enlarge the touch target. There wont actually be any visible cues for the person typing, but it should lead to less mashing of backspace.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile
Source: CNET
Robot research firm Willow Garage closes its doors
Rumors of Willow Garage’s death may have been very premature, but they’ve come true all the same. Businessweek reports that company founder Scott Hassan shut down the robotics research pioneer in January to become the dedicated CEO of Suitable Technologies, Willow Garage’s telepresence-focused spinoff. The closure means that you won’t be seeing follow-ups to machines like the PR2 or TurtleBot 2. However, the firm may have created an enduring legacy through its open source robotics platform — when Baxter and numerous other automatons are using the code, you could be hearing about Willow Garage’s work for some time to come.
Source: Businessweek
Huawei unveils MediaPad X1, the lightest 7-inch tablet in the market
If you are a mobile industry enthusiast such as me then you’ve got to love MWC. Three days of pure mobile madness. The Chinese manufacturer announced four products during its press event; the MediaPad X1 and M1 tablets, 4G powered Ascend G6 and TalkBand B1 accessory.
The device that draws us in first is the MediaPad X1; the lightest and narrowest amid the 7-inch form factor. Well, at 239g of weight, and 103.9mm width the statement seems legit. In addition, the tablet features 7.18 mm thin bezels. Woah.
As far as connectivity goes, beside WiFi and Bluetooth the MediaPad comes with LTE compatibilty and is capable of conducting calls; so it’s a phone at the same time. Specs wise, the tablet houses Huawei’s own HiSilicon Kirin 910 chip, with four cores each clocked at 1.6GHz. The processor comes along with Mali-450 GPU and 2 GBs of memory.
To run the juice Huawei included a 5,000 mAh brick that can keep the device alive for 21 days on stand-by and 5 days of continious usage. The X1 provides the user with a 13MPix primary sensor on the back accompanied by a LED flash and 5MPix front-facing camera for high quality selfies.
Huawei’s new tablet sports a 7-inch IPS display of 1200×1920 pixels resolution with a pixel density of 332 ppi. The screen-to-body ration is 80%, hence the bezels are phenomenally thin.
The right compartment on the back houses the SIM and microSD card slot. The internal storage of the tablet is 16GB.
Huawei will be shipping the device with Android 4.3 Jellybean with Emotion UI 2.0 on top, though there is still chance of hitting the shelves with 4.4 KitKat on board. Price wise, the X1 will set you back 399 euros, approximately US$480.
What do you guys think of Huawei’s newest entry to the 7-inch market? Sound off in the comments below.
The post Huawei unveils MediaPad X1, the lightest 7-inch tablet in the market appeared first on AndroidGuys.
LG G2 Android 4.4 KitKat update hitting UK in March
Great news for the LG G2 owners in the UK, as LG have announced that they will begin rolling out Android 4.4 KitKat to its users as soon as March.
The company says the update, above anything, significantly increases performance over the previous version of Android, and they’re touting it being as much as 17 percent faster.
In addition, the update will bring various other 4.4 KitKat features to the LG G2 such as cloud printing.
With LG responding relatively quickly to rollout the 4.4 update, it can only spell good news for current G2 owners and the upgrade path they have bought into.
The post LG G2 Android 4.4 KitKat update hitting UK in March appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Hands-on with HP’s Pavillion x360 touchscreen convertible laptop (video)
HP just announced its Pavillion x360 convertible laptop, and was in the mood to show it off here at MWC 2014 along with its gigantic new VoiceTab phones. As we noticed earlier, the new devices bear a strong resemblance to Lenovo’s Yoga convertibles, but start at a cheaper $399 price point. For that, you’ll actually get a nice-looking device in dark silver or red that has a solid-feeling, mostly metal build. You can use it in regular laptop mode or flip the screen around and perch it on the table tent-style to use it in a more tablet-like fashion. As for performance, it’s hard to tell with the brief time we had, but the Intel Bay Trail processor, lowish 4GB of RAM and mechanical 500GB don’t exactly spell “speed.” Nevertheless, it seemed to work well on basic tasks, and the 1,366 x 768 IPS touchscreen was bright and responsive. The red model will hit shelves on February 28th starting at $399 — for more, see the gallery and video below.
Feedback Loop: Breaking down fitness trackers, Magic Mouse alternatives, 4K projectors and more!
Welcome to Feedback Loop, a weekly roundup of the most interesting discussions happening within the Engadget community. There’s so much technology to talk about and so little time to enjoy it, but you have a lot of great ideas and opinions that need to be shared! Join us every Saturday as we highlight some of the most interesting discussions that happened during the past week.
This week, we compared wearable fitness trackers and discussed which ones are the best for you. We also looked for some viable alternatives to the Magic Mouse on a PC, asked about 4K projectors for our home theater, shared the best cameras for recording sporting events and posted about our favorite apps that make a game out of being productive. Click past the break and read what fellow Engadget users like you have to say.
Wearable Fitness Trackers
Yashendra2797 is in the market for a new wearable fitness tracker but is a bit overwhelmed by all the options. He wants to know which fitness tracker will be best for him. What are fellow Engadget readers using to track their own activity and is it working out for you? Sound off in the Engadget forums!
Magic Mouse alternatives for PCs
Engadget’s own Philip Palermo is looking for new mice suggestions for a PC that are similar to Apple’s Magic Mouse. His criteria is pretty simple: left-right buttons with trackpad like functionality, as well as something that just fits his hand a bit better. What are his options? Help Philip out and share your own favorite mouse!
4K projectors
While there may not be a lot of content available, 4K televisions seem to be all the rage right now.
Didavies12230 has been using a projector for nearly a decade to watch movies and television shows. Now, he’s ready to look for a new 4K projector to compliment his home theater setup. Give him some advice about the best 4K projector that he can get. Ready? Go!
Best video camera for recording sports
Videos aren’t just for capturing memories. Coaches and athletes use them to track and improve their game. Engadget reader jaybndjay’s son is a budding athelete and he wants to know the best video camera for capturing sports. Do you have a recommendation that will hit it out of the park?
Gamifying productivity
We fancy ourselves ambitious and driven people, but sometimes all these get-things-done apps, to-do lists and productivity hacks really cramp our style. So, it’s time to change things up. What are some fun apps you utilize to gamify your productivity?
That’s all this week! Do you want to talk about your favorite gadget or have a burning question about technology? Register for an Engadget account today, visit the Engadget forums and start a new discussion!
Weekly Roundup: Facebook acquires WhatsApp, tablet buyer’s guide and more!
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Do we need 4K smartphones?
Handsets with a 2,560 x 1,440 (QHD) displays have already been announced, but do we really need that kind of resolution in the palm of our hand? The answer is complicated. Read on as Engadget’s Steve Dent weighs the pros and cons of 4K smartphones.
Facebook acquires WhatsApp
Earlier this week, Facebook acquired the instant messaging platform WhatsApp for $19 billion. Sure, the app is a direct competitor to Facebook Messenger, but what makes it worth that kind of money? Read on as Engadget’s Michael Gorman explains Facebook’s interest in WhatsApp’s 450 million global users.
Tablet buyer’s guide
With numerous models and operating systems to choose from, we understand that picking the right slate can be a tough job. Fortunately, you’ll find everything you need to know right here in our 2014 tablet buyer’s guide.
Early upgrades: should you take the bait?
No one likes waiting two years for a new smartphone, but are plans like T-Mobile’s Jump and AT&T’s Next all they’re made out to be? Our own Brad Molen tallies the pros and cons of early upgrade programs from the major US carriers.
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Filed under: Misc
Galaxy S5 Shown in Image with the Gear 2?
With MWC 2014 in full effect, many of us are watching for anything Galaxy S5 related. I am surprised that evleaks hasn’t posted a render yet, and I am really surprised just how secretive the phone has been. We’ve gotten a slew of images for the “All New One” and that phone is not supposed to be unveiled for another month. SamMobile found something today though.
Above is an image of the newly announced Gear 2 smartwatch from Samsung, and wouldn’t you know it; they posed it next to what looks like three Galaxy S5s. This comes from Instagram where someone decided to video the Gear 2 smartwatch in action. The videos have since been removed, which indicates that the three phones shown are in fact the Galaxy S5, and that person got a little heat from posting the video. There was mention that Samsung planned on releasing a gold version of the new flagship alongside the normal black and white color options, so I think we are looking at the back of three Galaxy S5 phones. Let me know your thoughts about the image.
Source: SamMobile
The Galaxy S5 Box Photographed Showing its Faux-Wood Finish
The Galaxy S5 will be unveiled tomorrow, but today, it have already spotted it on an Instagram video, and then we have the box it will come in posing for pictures. This comes from SamsungGalaxyS5Abonnement.com, and they got their hands on a few pictures of the Galaxy S5 box showing us that faux-wood finish. Samsung has apparently decided to use this box design again, because both the Galaxy S4 and Note 3 came in similar looking boxes. No need to change the style I guess.
The Galaxy S5 will be unveiled tomorrow during Samsung’s Unpacked 5 event at MWC, so keep your eyes peeled for more images of the phone.
Source: SamsungGalaxyS5Abonnement.com
Via: Phone Arena
Google and LG are reportedly working together on an Android smartwatch
Rumors of a Google-powered smartwatch just got a little more tangible — both CNET and the Wall Street Journal claim that the search firm is teaming up with LG to make the Android-based wristwear. We still don’t know much about the hardware’s capabilities, but CNET believes that Google would follow the Nexus model and create a reference device that would launch at Google I/O in June. The WSJ notes that other manufacturers could also join the fray. None of the companies involved have commented on the rumor so far, so you won’t want to start budgeting for the gadget just yet. However, a Google-badged, LG-made smartwatch would make sense when the two companies have enjoyed success making phones like the Nexus 5, and LG is already designing wearables like the Lifeband Touch.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Mobile, Google, LG
Source: Wall Street Journal, CNET
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