Dear Veronica: Does Microsoft’s new browser have the Edge?
It’s a new Wednesday, which means I’m back to answer more of your questions! This week, we have Dana Wollman on to talk all about Microsoft’s new Edge browser and how it compares to IE. Read her full review here.
We also have some of your responses to our “are portable gaming devices dead?” question from a few weeks ago, plus some super-awkward social media problems!
Don’t forget that you can subscribe to the show on iTunes or via RSS, and keep sending in those questions on Twitter using #DearVeronica, or via email. See you next time!
Filed under:
Microsoft
Tags: dear veronica, microsoft, Veronica Belmont, video
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820’s GPU is primed for VR
Confirming earlier reports, Qualcomm announced today that the graphics processor in its next flagship mobile CPU, the Snapdragon 820, will be around 40 percent faster than its predecessor. And while that’s obviously going to lead to even more complex games, Qualcomm is also envisioning a much more diverse future for its latest Snapdragon and its Adreno 530 GPU. Specifically, it’s looking at “next-generation uses of virtual reality, augmented reality computer vision,” according to Qualcomm’s senior marketing manager Adam Kerin. That shouldn’t be too surprising, given the rise of mobile VR solutions over the past year, including Samsung’s Gear VR and even Google Cardboard. Even more so than mobile games, VR will push both desktop and mobile hardware to its limits — it might end up being a legitimate use for 4K screens on phones, for example — so it’s best to be ready.
Qualcomm also says the Adreno 530 GPU will also be around 40 percent more power efficient than the Snapdragon 810’s GPU. And, unlike the last flagship chip, the company also plans to bring the 820 into cars at some point. It’ll serve as the upgrade to the Snapdragon 602A, which launched over a year-and-a-half ago to improve connected cars. The big takeaway from the Snapdragon 820? It’s about a lot more than just incremental speed improvements.
The new processor will also feature a new Spectra camera imaging unit, which brings a wider range of colors, and a hybrid autofocus framework, allowing you to focus on specific portions of a scene faster. Qualcomm is also tapping into its new GPU to make digital zoom better, with better overall quality and a smoother zooming experience. Hopefully that means we’ll see better cameras from all Android phone makers, and not just Samsung and LG.
[Photo credit: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Filed under:
Mobile
Source:
Qualcomm
Tags: Adreno530, mobilepostcross, Qualcomm, Snapdragon820
Google’s Android Experiments show what your devices can do
Google has Chrome Experiments to showcase what’s possible in its web browser, so it stands to reason that there should be an equivalent for Android, doesn’t it? Sure enough, the folks in Mountain View have launched an Android Experiments gallery that demonstrates what Google-powered mobile and wearable devices can do. In many cases, the 20 inaugural experiments take direct advantage of sensors and remote connections. Tilt (above) uses motion sensors to recreate the classic put-the-ball-in-the-hole game, while IOIO Plotter draws flip charts through an Android-controlled board. On Android Wear, the Time Mesh watch face twists and bends based on your movement. The hope is that app makers will use these experiments as springboards for their own ambitious projects — if you notice that Android apps are markedly more creative in the near future, you’ll know who to thank. Slideshow-311828
Filed under:
Cellphones, Tablets, Wearables, Mobile, Google
Source:
Android Experiments
Tags: android, androidexperiments, androidwear, experiment, experiments, google, mobilepostcross, smartphone, smartwatch, tablet, video, wearable
PlayStation Plus members can vote for their next free game tomorrow
If you’ve ever been disappointed with the selection of “free” PS Plus games, listen up: Sony is giving you the chance to have a say over which titles make the next cut. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be able to vote on three games via your PS4 — action platformer Grow Home, the board game-inspired Armello and four-player brawler Zombie Vikings. The one with the most votes on August 24th will be crowned the victor and added to the September lineup. The other two will be discounted in the PlayStation Store, so you should still get a good deal regardless of how your preferred game fares. It’s not the same as being able to freely pick a title, but it’s certainly more choice than PlayStation fans have been offered in the past. Sony says this new “Vote to Play” initiative won’t be occurring every month, however, so there’s an extra incentive to use your influence this time around. If enough people participate, maybe the company will consider making it a standard perk.
Source:
PlayStation
Tags: sony
Twitter nixes 140 character limit in Direct Messages
Twitter’s push to make DMs a full on messaging service continues. Beginning today, the 140 character limit for Direct Messages has been lifted in the iOS, Android, Mac apps, Tweetdeck and on Twitter.com. The new limit of 10,000 characters pretty much gives you license to write as much as you want in a message. The company has been expanding Direct Message features to compete with Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Google Hangouts for some time. In January it introduced group chat support to DMs. Twitter had originally planned on removing the 140 character limit in July. But, I guess later is better than never.
Filed under:
Internet, Software
Source:
Twitter
Tags: DirectMessages, DMs, SocialNetworking, Twitter
Why Sony’s rumored Xperia Z5 Plus won’t feature a 4K display
The rumored Sony Xperia Z5 Plus could feature a 4K UHD 2160 x 3840 display and a Snapdragon 810 chipset, according to a user-agent profile. The device is codenamed E68XX (E6833, E6853 E6883), which is rumored to be a larger version of Sony’s H2 flagship. Unfortunately, this rumor has no credibility whatsoever.
The device is said to allegedly feature a 5.5-inch display packing a pixel density of 801ppi, according to Xperia Blog. Unfortunately, pushing this much power to the display could take a significant hit to battery life.
Most flagship smartphones today feature 2K displays, which already take up a large portion of battery life. It would no doubt be even worse on a 4K display pushing 801ppi.
Sony isn’t making a 4K smartphone
While Sony could be one of the first manufacturers to launch a device with a 4K UHD display, it really has no benefit to the device other than marketing tactics. After all, the human eye can only see so much detail on a smaller screen.
Secondly, it’s not likely that there will be much content available for a 4K display on your smartphone. It’s still a fairly new technology, and if you plan on streaming 4K content, chances are, the average person doesn’t have the bandwidth to support the ungodly amounts of data 4K content will chew through.
Keep in mind that this is merely a rumor. It’s highly unlikely to happen, given the cost of 4K technology. It’s also hard to believe that Sony will bring a 4K display to the rumored Z5 Plus considering that the Z4 didn’t even feature a 2K display. It would be quite a leap as far as technology goes, and most consumers would no doubt be able to afford that, especially with the risks that come with the Snapdragon 810 chipset.
Besides, Sony has said in the past that 2K is useless, so why would they have a 4K option in development? It doesn’t add up.
In other words, this is just another useless clickbait rumor making its rounds.
source: Xperia Blog
Come comment on this article: Why Sony’s rumored Xperia Z5 Plus won’t feature a 4K display
LG sticks to the curve: a new curved sound bar with Google Cast support
LG curved TV? Check. LG curved smartphone? Check. LG curved sound bar? Check!
If you’re looking for a great sounding, curved sound bar to go with your curved TV, then you’re in luck! LG just announced a new sound bar in its line of Music Flow speakers that not only has the curved part down, but also allows you to cast to it via Google Cast from your smartphone.
Music Flow HS8 Wireless Curved Sound Bar will be released in Europe next week and features something uncommon among sound bars: Google Cast support. So instead of needing to cast to your TV — then directing the audio to the sound bar — you can cut out the middle-man and pipe music directly to your speaker system.
The HS8’s specifications are as follows:
- 360W, 4.1 channel speaker system
- 1200mm x 43mm x 82mm
- Wall-mountable
- WiFi support
- Bluetooth support
- Tweeters at both ends of the sound bar
- (Again) Google Cast support
- Dynamic i-Sound system (this adjusts the sound settings for optimal playback of audio content)
- Multi-Room Mode (with WiFi and Bluetooth, you can connect all of your Music Flow speakers together)
- Advanced Home Cinema Mode (same as Multi-Room Mode, but in the same room to create a nice, surround sound experience)
LG did not state what the pricing would be or when the sound bar could be purchased outside of Europe.
You can check out the LG Music Flow HS8 at the LG booth during IFA 2015, which is September 4th through the 9th. Check TalkAndroid.com during that time for some of our coverage of that event.
Source: Korea IT Times
Come comment on this article: LG sticks to the curve: a new curved sound bar with Google Cast support
Deal: Purchase a 16GB Wi-Fi Nexus 9 from Expansys USA for just $290
If you’ve been looking to pick up a brand new Nexus 9 tablet for cheap, odds are you’ve stumbled across Expansys’ website. Over the past few months, the retailer has offered big discounts on the 32GB LTE Nexus 9, and now it’s time for the Wi-Fi model to drop down in price. Right now, you can purchase a brand new 16GB Wi-Fi Nexus 9 for just $289.99, which is more than $100 off the price Google is asking for the same tablet.
Don’t miss: Best Android tablets (July 2015)
Want something a little more out of your new tablet? The deal Expansys introduced last month is actually still going on as well. If you’d like to pick up a 32GB LTE Nexus 9 in Indigo Black, you can for the low price of $339.99 ($260 off). Not bad at all!
The Nexus 9 is a great tablet, but most folks tend to think it’s overpriced. It features an 8.9-inch LCD display with a resolution of 1536 x 2048, a NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor clocked at 2.3GHz and backed by 2GB of RAM. It also has a big 6700mAh battery, runs Android 5.1.1 Lollipop at the moment, and will be among the first devices to receive the Android M update once Google releases it to the masses.
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National Cyber Security Alliance adds BlackBerry to their ranks
BlackBerry got a start in the enterprise sector where security and privacy were major concerns for entities that were looking for mobile communications platforms. Over the years, BlackBerry has earned over 70 different government certifications or approvals which is more than any other mobile vendor. With this strong background in mobile security, BlackBerry seems like a natural fit for the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), but they are only just now joining according to an announcement made today.
NCSA’s executive director Micheal Kaiser says the organization welcomes “the unique perspective that BlackBerry brings to the NCSA, and we look forward to working with BlackBerry to solve cybersecurity challenges, particularly as they relate to mobility and the Internet of Things.” Meanwhile, BlackBerry’s Edward Hearst, vice president of U.S. Government Business Development, says BlackBerry hopes to share “knowledge and insights to further advance efforts to ensure that the mobile experience is safe and secure for users, no matter what devices they have or information they access.”
source: National Cyber Security Alliance (PR)
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Play Newsstand updated, brings auto download for magazine subscribers and more
Google has updated Play Newsstand to v3.4.3, adding a couple of user-requested features to the app. As per the norm, the update is being pushed out in stages and should get to everyone soon.
Play Newsstand now has a new feature where magazine subscribes can auto-download new issues. You can turn this new feature on in the Settings option under “Downloading.” If you have a lot of subscriptions, it might be wise to select the option to download over Wi-Fi only, otherwise, Play Newsstand will no doubt eat through your data plan.
Additionally, Google has added brought the unsubscribe button back to the Read Now overflow menu. The search giant removed the button entirely in the past for reasons unknown, but now it’s made a return, allowing you to be more choosy about what topics and websites you see content from.
If you haven’t received the update yet, you can get the APK here or hit the download link below.
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