Sony Xperia Z1 comes to China Mobile with more memory and minor hardware changes
Three months after the launch of the Sony Xperia Z1, the flagship smartphone is coming to China Mobile — but the handset as we currently know it isn’t making the trip. This particular device (shown above) boasts nearly all of the same features and specs — 5-inch 1080p Triluminous display, 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800, 2GB RAM, 20MP camera and 3,000mAh battery, for starters — but the new model, also referred to as the L39t, has been bumped up to 32GB internal storage (up from 16GB in the international model) and now offers TD-LTE and TD-SCDMA/GSM support for carrier compatibility. Additionally, the sides are now reportedly made of plastic instead of metal and the headphone jack is centered. These are minor differences, but the new Z1 looks very similar to the T-Mobile version first leaked by @evleaks in October, which means it’s quite possible we’ll see more of this design in Vegas next month. If the T39t is right up your alley, get ready to pay up: it’s 4,499 yuan ($724).
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Sony, Google
Via: AndroidCentral
Source: ePrice, XperiaBlog
Nielsen: users embracing smartphone apps while ditching traditional web services
‘Tis the season for year-end lists and summaries galore, and Nielsen is no exception to this rule. The company has just released its list of the top 10 web brands, online video brands and smartphone apps, and its findings reveal a growing trend that may not come as a surprise to anyone: more people are using smartphones, and they’re using them to access the most popular services out there, instead of their web-based counterparts. In these aforementioned lists, Nielsen also discusses how each brand has changed year-over-year; web brands have all decreased, online video brands are relatively flat and smartphone apps are skyrocketing in overall usage.
Let’s take a look at a few services in particular. Google was the top web brand for 2013, yet it saw a decrease in unique visitors by six percent from last year (and YouTube dropped by 14 percent). That said, these two brands represented five of the top 10 smartphone apps, with growth ranging from 14 percent to as high as 29 percent. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Facebook experienced a very similar trend, with a 16 percent decrease in web traffic versus a 27 percent increase in its smartphone app numbers, making it the most-used service of the year. In addition, social networks like Instagram and Twitter grew by leaps and bounds, earning each of them a spot among the top 10 apps; Instagram, in particular, was the fastest growing app on the list. (Also, here’s a shameless plug for our parent company as the seventh most popular web brand.)
Finally, Nielsen also reported that nearly two-thirds of US phone subscribers — 65 percent, to be specific — are now using smartphones instead of featurephones, which is a solid jump up from 56 percent at the end of 2012. Of those subscribers, 52 percent are now using Android devices, while 41 percent use iOS and seven percent use other platforms (BlackBerry is at three percent, while Windows Phone is at two). Head below the break to see all of the fine details for yourself.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Blackberry, Facebook
Source: Nielsen
Google VP dishes on future of Chromecast
Google’s Chromecast device has started off modestly, with approved service providers slowly being added since it’s launch earlier this year.
According to an interview of Google VP of Product Management Mario Queiroz on Gigaom, 2014 is going to be the year for Chromecast to grow.
The growth will come from both an expanded international rollout, and the launch of the final SDK. Up until now, developers have had access to a beta version of the SDK to incorporate Chromecast into their apps, but they’ve yet been able to share the implementation with the public.
The fact the SDK is coming out of beta, paired with international expansion is sure to bring more apps, and drive more implementation of Chromecast from developers into existing apps.
For more details around Google’s plans for Chromecast in 2014, be sure to read the interview in its entirety.
If you could request one app to being Chromecast support to it, what would it be and why?
The post Google VP dishes on future of Chromecast appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Weekly Roundup: Instagram Direct, Jawbone Up24 review, Samsung’s EMC lab 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.
Qualcomm’s Raj Talluri on wearables
Engadget sat down with Qualcomm SVP of Product Management, Raj Talluri, earlier this week to chat about the company’s Toq smartwatch. Click through to read the rest of the story.
Jawbone Up24 review
Jawbone’s latest fitness tracker, the Up24, touts much-needed upgrade: wireless syncing. But is that improvement enough to win back the hearts of those disappointed by the original Up’s performance? Click the link for our review and find out.
Instagram Direct announced
CEO of Instagram, Kevin Systrom, took the stage at a New York press event last week to announce Instagram Direct. This new feature allows users to limit certain videos and photos to groups of up to 15 friends. Follow the link for all the details.
Samsung’s EMC lab (video)
Engadget’s Mat Smith took a stroll through Samsung’s EMC lab where future products are tested for interference levels. Click on through for the video tour.
As Google slowly preps the Chromecast ecosystem, waves of new apps are on the way
HBO Go, Songza and Pandora are about to get more company on Chromecast, according to a Gigaom interview with Google’s VP of product management Mario Queiroz where he stated additional waves of apps are coming soon. A public release for the Chromecast SDK — which should allow developers to build and release their own apps at will — won’t happen until next year, but this week the team gave over 40 developers access to a preview version just to get their feedback. To ensure its elegantly simple user experience remains intact across all applications, the company also recently released a 14-page design guide that details the basic expectations for the development community. An impending international release next year is also encouraging publishers to make compatible apps — moves that should benefit everyone, regardless of where they call home. Quieroz’s “broader” goal is to establish Cast tech as a standard embedded into other hardware, but until that happens there’s still time to gift-wrap a few of Google’s HDMI dongles and look like a hero all year as their capabilities continue to expand.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile, Google
Via: Android Police
Source: Google Developers, Gigaom
One Step Closer: Google Acquires Boston Dynamics, Maker Of The ‘Wildcat’
This week in Skynet… I mean, Google news, the New York Times is reporting that Google has acquired Boston Dynamics, most famous for the development and testing of the Wildcat robot which mimics the running gait of a four legged animal. This follows the news from just over a week ago when we found out Andy Rubin, former champion of Android at Google, was now spearheading Google’s efforts in the robotics field. Today, Andy Rubin tweeted this to officially announce the news:
The future is looking awesome! http://t.co/iFA53b9qDC
— Andy Rubin (@Arubin) December 14, 2013
It was revealed that over the last 6 months or so, Google had in fact acquired multiple robotics companies to contribute to their project which is going to start off focussing on developing manufacturing robotics. How this latest acquisition fits into that picture remains to be seen, especially seeing as the Wildcat is a mounted gun away from becoming a killing machine, but we’ll just have to trust that Google isn’t going to go all SkyNet on us. I’m hope they’re building a fleet of cheetah-like robotic couriers to rival Amazon’s flying couriers, though that still scares me a little.
And just in case you don’t know what the Wildcat is, or does, check out this video:
Like I said, cheetah-like robotic couriers. What were your first thoughts when you heard ‘Google acquires Boston Dynamics’? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Source: The New York Times, Twitter via engadget
Google acquires Boston Dynamics, the robot builder behind Big Dog and Cheetah
The New York Times reports tonight that Google has acquired Boston Dynamics, builder of terrifying walking robots DARPA-related projects like WildCat/Cheetah, Atlas, Petman and Big Dog. Andy Rubin has moved over from leading Android to directing Google’s robotics efforts and tweeted a link to the story, commenting that “The future is looking awesome!” While we’re sure it does — if you always thought the T-1000 was just misunderstood — reactions from meatbags are ranging from slightly uneasy to completely freaking out that a company with robots that go anywhere is teaming up with a company that seems to know everything about us.
There’s no word on how much Google spent to snap up the robotics company, but its founder Marc Raibert is quoted by the Times saying “I am excited by Andy and Google’s ability to think very, very big, with the resources to make it happen.” When we interviewed Raibert during Expand earlier this year (included after the break) he specifically highlighted his company’s recent growth and the possibility of building consumer-focused robots in the future.
Google apparently does not plan to proceed as a military contractor itself, although according to the article, Boston Dynamics will honor its existing military contracts. Raibert confirmed the acquisition to us, but so far neither side has commented further or explained how search ties into robots that walk on two or four legs, jump, climb and crawl. So, which one do you think will arrive first — Amazon’s flying drone delivery service or a Google Now robot that shows up at places it thinks you will be with a backpack full of things you’ve recently searched for?
The future is looking awesome! http://t.co/iFA53b9qDC
– Andy Rubin (@Arubin) December 14, 2013
Filed under: Google
Source: New York Times
Google says Android app permission manager was released by mistake, removes it from latest update
Remember that “Apps Ops” feature Google snuck into Android 4.3? The company seems to have changed its mind. The feature was originally hidden, but when activated with a third party app it gave users the ability to pick and choose what data apps have access to — blocking seemingly harmless flashlight apps from accessing your call history, GPS data or address book. Now, users upgrading to Android 4.4.2 are reporting that the permission management tool has disappeared. According to Google, the feature was deployed by mistake; it wasn’t ready for consumers yet. Continuing to use the incomplete feature could reportedly generate errors in certain apps. It sounds reasonable, considering that the user had to download special software to activate the feature in the first place, but it’s always disappointing when updating removes features, rather than improves them. Hopefully, a complete and public version of App Ops will be available soon.
Filed under: Cellphones
Daily Roundup: New Nexus 5 hardware, Amazon Pantry, next-gen console sales and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Nexus 5 production tweaks
New Nexus 5 owners are noticing a few design improvements over the original launch day model. Follow the link for all the deets.
November’s next-gen console sales
The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 went head to head last month, and according to NPD, Sony’s sales came out on top. Click on through for the numbers.
Samsung promises ‘differentiated’ smartphones
By merging its digital imaging and mobile divisions, Samsung is taking a PureView-like approach to improve its smartphone camera technology. Click the link for details.
Amazon Pantry tipped for 2014
According to USA Today’s anonymous sources, Amazon may be expanding into the grocery business. Click through for more details on this intriguing online service. Watch out, Costco!
Moto X Touchless Control update lets you speak your unlock code
You no longer have to give up some of the Moto X’s voice commands if you want to rely on security codes. An update to the smartphone’s Touchless Control app lets you speak a PIN code to unlock the device; as long you’re not worried about eavesdroppers, you can check private messages without poking at the screen. You won’t even have to unlock the phone as often as before, since the upgrade expands the range of Google Now voice instructions that work while the handset is sleeping. You’ll need to be running Android 4.4 KitKat on your Moto X to use the improved Touchless Control, but it’s otherwise ready to download through Google Play.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google
Via: Droid-Life
Source: Google Play
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