Cosmos for Android lets you browse the web via SMS
In many parts of the world where LTE and 3G aren’t as accessible, something like the Cosmos browser for Android could be incredibly cheap and useful. This upcoming Android app, you see, doesn’t need data to work — you simply plug in a URL, and it sends back a simple, stripped-down version of the page via text messages. On the project’s GitHub page, its developers explained that once you input a URL, the app texts it to their Twilio number, which then forwards it to their backend. The system then gets the source code of the website and nukes the CSS and javascript to deliver a series of clean text messages to the user’s phone.
Obviously, this method will have a number of limitations: you’ll need an unlimited texting plan, for one. And, even if you do, you might experience delays and missing text messages if you’re requesting particularly long pages, like Wiki entries. It certainly can’t replicate the experience of a proper web browser, but as one of the developers told Fast Company, it’s one “way for people to get information when they’re in dire need of it.” The browser’s developers plan to release the app as soon as the end of September, but you can look at the project’s codes right now over at GitHub. If you can’t wait, though, you can try a similar, experimental app called Smozzy launched a few years ago, initially for T-Mobile subscribers.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Via: Fast Company
Source: GitHub
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Android’s new flatter design is taking over the Play Store app soon
Google may have already given Android’s Play Store a big makeover this summer, but it’s not done yet — there’s another revamp coming this year. Android Police has posted shots of a pre-release Play Store 5.0 update that’s very clearly guided by Google’s Material Design concept. While it’s not quite as dramatic an overhaul as what we saw a few months ago, it’s still a pretty noticeable change. Swaths of bright, solid color are everywhere, and there’s even more of an emphasis on title pictures. You should get some extra function to go with this form, too; code buried in the update hints that you’ll get to restore apps on a per-device basis, making it much easier to recreate your setup from an old phone. It’s not certain just when the new Play Store will go live, but it’s reasonable to presume that you’ll see it around the same time as the similarly-styled Android L update.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Google
Source: Android Police
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ZTE’s new supersized phone packs a two-day battery and a low price
If you like the prospect of a giant smartphone but find even LG’s G Vista too rich for your blood, ZTE might have something that’s more up your alley. It just unveiled the ZMAX, a 5.7-inch device that hopefully won’t crush your bank account. The 720p screen, quad-core Snapdragon 400 chip, 16GB of expandable storage and 8-megapixel rear camera are nothing special, but you’re getting a lot of battery for the money; the 3,400mAh power pack is estimated to last for two days, or more than enough for a busy weekend. You might also like the not-quite-stock (read: potentially very speedy) Android 4.4 interface. ZTE’s low-cost behemoth will only be available through T-Mobile when it ships on September 24th. However, you’ll only have to pay $10.50 per month over two years to own the ZMAX, or $252 total — not too shabby considering that other phones this big frequently cost two or three times as much.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, T-Mobile
Source: ZTE
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Microsoft gives OneNote the Android Wear treatment
Microsoft announced today that it has released a OneNote application for Android which includes support for Android Wear. The new app lets wearers dictate notes directly to their wrist and save them to their QuickNotes. To activate the feature one only needs to say, “OK, Google, Take a Note”.That is, of course, once you’ve downloaded the free app to… Read more »
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Samsung’s next big budget phone is made for selfies
Companies like Microsoft and Sony know that you don’t necessarily want to buy a high-end smartphone just to take selfies, and it now appears that Samsung knows this, too. In the wake of store listings and government filings, Thegioididong has managed to get its hands on the unannounced Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime (aka G530), a 5-inch budget Android phone that’s seemingly tailor-made for self-portraits. Its centerpiece is undoubtedly its 5-megapixel front-facing camera; while that’s certainly not the highest resolution we’ve seen, it’s unusually powerful for a device that’s likely to be cheap off-contract.
The rest of the phone won’t be much to write home about, although it shouldn’t be a slouch as far as low-cost phones go. While the 960 x 540 screen is disappointing, there will also be a respectable 1.2GHz quad-core processor (likely a Snapdragon 400 or 410), speedy LTE data, 8GB of expandable storage and an 8-megapixel rear camera. The Grand Prime is expected to reach Vietnam (and other countries, such as China) as soon as October. You probably won’t see an official launch in the US given that previous Grand phones haven’t made it stateside, but that shouldn’t be a problem for American selfie addicts — phones like the HTC One Remix (One Mini 2) are easily up to the job.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Via: TechRadar
Source: Thegioididong (translated)
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Ice Wear Watchface: Give your round smartwatch a colorful watch face [‘Watch’ This App]
If you’re lucky enough to own a Motorola 360 but hate the fact that there aren’t many choices of watch faces available on the market yet for round smartwatches, then get excited because the Ice Wear Watchface might just be your solution. The app allows you to pick from very simple watch faces that only… Read more »
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Microsoft OneNote comes to Android Wear, gets updated for iOS 8 and WP8
We’ll say this about Microsoft’s OneNote team: It’s clear they want to be on every device, even ones you might not be buying. Earlier this year, the company came out with an Amazon application in the wake of some truly awful Fire phone reviews. Now, Microsoft is releasing OneNote for Android Wear, Google’s still-nascent smartwatch platform. Starting today, if you happen to own a Moto 360, Samsung Gear Live or LG G Watch, you can capture a note by saying “OK Google, take a note.”
Meanwhile, OneNote’s other apps have also received updates. With iOS 8 coming out today, iPhone and iPad users can now save clips to the web, as well as save pictures and send file attachments — all without having to leave your current app. (“Extensibility,” as it’s called, is one of the big new features in iOS 8. You’ll probably see lots of apps get similar updates.) Finally, OneNote for Windows Phone will now let you save scanned photos as a Word or PowerPoint file. That’s all you need to know for now, but we’ve included Microsoft’s official blog posts below, where you’ll find download links and maybe a demo video or two.
Source: Microsoft (1), (2), (3)
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Google’s Android One project kickstarts in India with three new ultra-budget smartphones
As speculated earlier, first Android One smartphones have been launched in an event which was held in India yesterday. Google has launched the first set of smartphones under its Android One project in India at a starting price of INR 6,299 ($103). The first Android One devices which will be up for grabs in India are- Micromax Canvas A1, Karbonn Sparkle V and the Spice Dream Uno.
These dual-SIM smartphones have identical specs, a 4.5-inch IPS LCD display, 5-megapixel rear camera, 1700mAh battery, 1GB RAM and run Android 4.4 operating system. They are all are powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek (MT6582) Cortex A7 processor. Flipkart and Snapdeal are exclusively selling Android One smartphones from Spice and Karbonn, respectively, while Amazon is selling the Micromax Canvas A1 exclusively.
Karbonn Sparkle V, Micromax Canvas A1 & Spice Dream UNO Specifications
- 4.5-inch IPS LCD display, 854 x 480 pixels, capacitive multitouch
- Android 4.4 KitKat, upgradeable to Android L soon
- 1.3 GHz quad-core processor, MediaTek MT6582, 1GB RAM
- 4GB storage (further expandable up to 32GB)
- 5-megapixel rear camera and 2-megapixel front camera, 1080p video recording
- dual-SIM, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Bluetooth v4.0, GLONASS A-GPS, microUSB v2.0 port and 3.5mm headphone jack
- Accelerometer, G-Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Compass, Proximity Sensor
- 1700mAh battery
Through Android One, Google is attempting to mark its spots on the budget segment of the world’s fastest growing smartphone market. The Android One smartphones will come with a two-year software support from Google, which affirms that Android One phone users will definitely receive updates to the newer versions of the Android operating system.
Google has also made tied up with Airtel, a leading mobile carrier, to offer free of charge data usage for software upgrades. Also Airtel users can freely download from the Google Play Store without any charge being made for their data usage (up to 200MB per month).
In June, Google had announced the launch of the Android One project, which aims to increase the demand for low-end Android smartphones by improving their performance and reliability with consistent software upgrades. Presently, many affordable smartphones run different and kind of customized versions of the Android operating system, which along with the many differences in hardware make apps on those phones malfunction.
India is being projected as a lucrative market for low-cost smartphones because many people are buying these smart devices for the first time. Only 10 percent of the India’s population currently uses smartphone and according to researches, the figure is most likely to go up by twice in the next four years.
Google, however, is not the only company fighting for a share in the Indian smartphone market. There are at least 80 smartphone brands in India and analysts say the Android One phones should offer customers more than just feasibility if it wants to compete with likewise priced devices made by Samsung, Motorola and China’s Xiaomi.
It is not the first time that device makers have partnered with e-commerce firms for exclusively launching their devices. Motorola and Xiaomi have successfully launched their smartphones on Flipkart, while Spice, Micromax and Intex have launched their devices on Snapdeal. Apart from apparels, mobile phones are one of the highest selling items on e-commerce sites.
According to research firm IDC, smartphone sales in the country grew almost three-fold to over 44 million in 2013, buoyed by affordable devices made by local firms such as Micromax and Karbonn. In the second quarter of 2014, 18.42 million smartphones were shipped in India. Though Samsung is the leader with a 29 per cent market share, Micromax (18 per cent), Karbonn (8 per cent) and LAVA (6 per cent) are close competitors.
While Android is the most popular operating system globally, other operating systems such as Windows and iOS are also gaining momentum. Also, latest platforms like Firefox and Tizen may emerge as strong competitors to Google’s platform. Recently, Firefox (in partnership with Spice and Intex) launched two new smartphones, priced below INR 2,300 ($38), aimed at those looking to upgrade from feature phones to smartphones.
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Engadget Daily: Microsoft buys ‘Minecraft’ developer Mojang, Google unveils Android One, and more!
The rumors were true: Microsoft is buying Minecraft developer Mojang for $2.5 billion. Crazy, right? That’s not all that happened today though. Go ahead and spice up your Monday with Engadget’s news highlights from the last 24 hours. You know you want to.
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Chrome for Android starts answering your questions in search suggestions
Google’s as-you-type search suggestions have only offered the tiniest bit of help so far. They can handle basic math, but they won’t answer questions that require more than a few numbers. However, that might soon change. Chrome for Android now has an experimental feature that answers some of your queries before you’ve even finished asking. Switch it on and you can get the weather, historic dates and other valuable info without ever seeing Google’s usual results page. While the feature isn’t all that vital when you have access to Google Now, it may save you the trouble of switching apps (or leaving the page you’re on) when you just want to get a small factoid. There’s also no hint as to when Google might make the feature standard on Android or bring it to the desktop, but let’s hope that an upgrade comes soon — it could save a lot of unnecessary keystrokes.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Google
Via: Phandroid
Source: OMGChrome
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