Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 now available to pre-order in the UK for £649
Brits won’t have to wait long to (barely) get their hands on Samsung’s Galaxy Note Pro 12.2. A WiFi-only version of the massive tablet is now available for pre-order in the UK at an equally large price of £649 ($1,076), with shipments due to start on February 4th. That’s certainly expensive compared to what many are used to paying for Android devices, although Samsung is tossing in a free gamepad to sweeten the deal. As for cellular models or an American launch, the company isn’t talking just yet — however, we won’t be shocked if either of them comes relatively soon.
Via: Phone Arena
Source: Samsung (1), (2)
Chrome apps will soon arrive on Android and iOS devices
Last month, we discovered Google was working on a tool that would port Chrome apps to both Android and iOS. Today, the folks in Mountain View released a developer preview that does just that. Like the early rumblings suggested, it’s based on open-source Apache Cordova, which leverages the software’s native HTML, CSS and JavaScript. This means that the software will get wrapped in the stylings of a native app and can be submitted to each app store for distribution. There’s also a slew of Chrome APIs available that you’d expect to see in mobile apps, including the ability to build in payments, notifications and alarms on top of those offered by the Cordova platform. Now that the tools are in the hands of devs, we’ll have to bide our time until the finished Chrome apps begin to surface.
Filed under: Software, Mobile, Google
Via: The Verge
Source: Chromium Blog
Samsung’s Galaxy Grand Neo melds ultra-basic specs with a mid-size screen
Let’s say you like the idea of a big-screened Samsung smartphone, but even the Galaxy Grand 2 is too rich for your blood. Are you stuck? Not at all — the company has quietly released the Galaxy Grand Neo, a more frugal take on an already cheap handset. The new device keeps the Grand 2′s quad-core 1.2GHz processor and 8GB of expandable storage, but scales down to a 5-inch 800 x 480 display, a 5-megapixel rear camera and a VGA front shooter. Few will be blown away by the hardware, then, although there is a healthy 2,100mAh battery inside. Let’s just hope that the pricing becomes more competitive. As of this writing, the Grand Neo sells for a relatively high €260 ($355) after tax in the Netherlands; we can think of a few smartphones that offer considerably more for your money.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Via: GSM Arena, GSMinfo.nl (translated)
Source: Samsung, Belsimpel.nl (translated)
Google Bringing Chrome Apps to iOS and Android [iOS Blog]
Google today launched Chrome apps for iOS and Android, which will see Chrome-based apps encased in a native application shell that allows them to be distributed through the Apple App Store and Google Play. Currently, Chrome-packaged apps are written in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, but are able to launch outside the browser, access APIs and work offline.
Developers can access an early developer preview of a toolchain based on Apache Cordova, an open source platform for building native mobile applications with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Using the toolchain, developers can wrap existing Chrome Apps with a native shell, which transforms them into apps that can be sold on the App Store.
Example of a Chrome To-Do app running on OS X and Android
We provide a simple developer workflow for packaging a Chrome App natively for mobile platforms. You can run your Chrome App on a device or emulator using the command-line or an IDE. Alternatively, you can use the Chrome Apps Developer Tool to run your app on an Android device without the need to install an IDE or the mobile platform’s SDK.
Google has made multiple core Chrome APIs available to Chrome apps that are designed to run on mobile devices, including automatic sign-in via OAuth2, push messaging, storage, alarms, file system syncing able to store and retrieve files backed by Google Drive, and more.
In addition to the Chrome APIs, developers are also able to access APIs supported by the Cordova platform.
Chrome mobile apps come following the September launch of Chrome apps that work offline by default and function as native applications. In December, Google brought Chrome apps to the Mac, following a beta testing period that began in May. Chrome apps on the Mac are designed to function like native Mac apps, working offline, updating automatically, and syncing on any computer where a user is signed into Chrome.
Developers have the opportunity to begin working with Apache Cordova and their Chrome apps beginning today, but it may be some time before consumers see Chrome apps in the App Store.
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Rumors suggest Amazon’s game console project is still alive
No matter how many times Amazon denies that it’s developing a set-top box, the rumors continue to pop up once every six months or so. VG 24/7 is reporting that the company is still working on an Android games console that’ll retail for “below $300.” Based on gossip from game publishers, the latest indication is that Amazon’s product team, Lab 126, has designed a grey oblong similar in size to the PSOne, designed to play both games and Instant Video / Lovefilm content to your HDTV. With rumors of a pay TV service and a future product that’s “bigger than Kindle” currently swirling around, we can see how this looks plausible. That said, $300 seems an unlikely price for Amazon to target, when Apple TV and the Roku 3 are so much cheaper, and when other Android consoles are showing only lukewarm demand, so there’s still plenty of room for skepticism.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Amazon
Source: VG 24/7
Twitter update now lets you crop, rotate photos on Android
Love sharing photos on Twitter? If you’re an Android user, it just got a little easier. The microblogging service’s latest app update adds a simple photo-editor that allows users to crop and rotate images without the aid of a third-party program. It also flashes a reminder to @mention friends whenever you upload pics with people in it, emulating Facebook’s photo-tagging feature. Pulling down on the timeline reveals other new features: if there aren’t any tweets to load, the app will show recommended tweets, trending topics and will suggest users to follow. In the US, that list also includes news, sports, TV and events updates. While these new additions to the Twitter feed are only available for Android right now, the company promises that they’ll soon arrive on iOS.
Source: Twitter
Kantar: Samsung sales stall in China and Europe despite Android’s overall growth
Thanks to its latest earnings report, we already knew that Samsung’s market share dropped last quarter. But the latest report from analytics outfit Kantar now shows mainly where: the all-important Chinese and European markets. Its figures show that the Korean giant has slipped 2.2 percent in France, the UK, Italy, Spain and Germany over last year while remaining flat in China during the same period. Since overall Android market share increased five percent in China, that means Samsung has lost ground to local companies like Xiaomi, which is now the market share leader in that nation.
Meanwhile, though Apple’s iOS dropped in most markets over last year, it held strong in key markets China, UK and the US, counting up 44 percent of holiday handset sales stateside. Cupertino is also king of Japan with 69 percent of total smartphone share, due in large part to Japan’s largest operator, NTT DoCoMo finally carrying Apple handsets. As for the rest of the pack, Windows Phone has picked up significant market share in every region over last year and is even the number two smartphone OS in Italy. That’s mostly at the expense of Blackberry, which now holds a miniscule 0.4 percent of the US market and has declined precipitously everywhere else — to the point that its not a given that it’ll appear on any charts soon.
Filed under: Cellphones
Via: Techcrunch
Source: Kantar World Panel
Google and Samsung agree to license each other’s patents for 10 years
It’s no secret that Google and Samsung need each other given that Samsung dominates Android device sales. It only makes sense, then, that the two companies have just struck a deal to license each other’s patents for the next 10 years. In addition to accelerating product research, the agreement should reduce the chances for future patent lawsuits; anyone attacking one company now has to consider the other company’s licensing arrangements. The move also suggests that Samsung isn’t keen on burning any bridges — even if it starts drifting away from Android, it should remain in Google’s good books.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, Google
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Samsung Tomorrow
SoundHound’s music search app turns its focus to the Grammys with real-time updates and more
Awards nights tend to give rise to slews of app tie-ins, and for this year’s Grammys, SoundHound’s tossing its hat in the ring. In addition to being able to recognize songs by “listening” to them, the refreshed app comes with a dedicated page for the event that currently lists performers and nominees. Anyone who clicks SoundHound’s orange button during the live broadcast on Sunday night, though, will see real-time info, the list of winners and relevant Twitter posts instead. Chances are, music lovers don’t exactly need SoundHound to identify “Just Give Me A Reason” and other nominated songs. Those who find these special features useful, however, can download the app from the source links below.
Source: Google Play, iTunes, BlackBerry World, Windows Phone Marketplace
Android 4.4 KitKat update for HTC One hits U.S. carrier labs, certification expected next week
HTC took to the Twitterverse Thursday to announce that One owners in the U.S. should be seeing the update to the latest and greatest version of Android soon.
The company said that the final KitKat software has entered carrier labs for final testing and certification is expected next week.
The unlocked, developer and Google Play edition’s of the One have already received the update.
Over at the software update page, it also indicates that the KitKat updates for the AT&T HTC One mini and Sprint and Verizon HTC One max are in the integration phase, the Verizon HTC Droid DNA is in the certification phase and the Virgin Mobile HTC Desire 601 is in the integration phase.
For more information about the KitKat updates, check out the source links below.
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