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‘Transparent Screen’ Android App Lets You Text And Walk Without Fear

admin2 — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:55:22 +0000

I used to scowl when I saw people walking down the street with eyes locked on their phones, but necessity has gotten me in the habit of doing it too. Thanks to a new app called Transparent Screen though, now I can do it free from the fear of falling into an open manhole or into a large fountain . No, that’s not a hastily Photoshopped image you see here, that’s more or less exactly what you’ll see when the app is running. I say “more or less” because while all of the Android UI goes translucent upon launch, you’re afforded with quite a bit of a control over how dramatic the effect is. It’s in your best interest to get familiar with the settings if you plan on using Transparent Screen for a while too, because you’ll soon have some choices to make. If you’re a fan of texting while sprinting for example (which I don’t condone, for the record), crank the camera resolution down to keep that forward view going as smoothly possible. Alternately, crank it up you’re more a fan of slow, meandering walks while you tweet about the wonders of nature. The big issue, as Android Police points out, is that you’d be hard-pressed to find a configuration that works well while bouncing between your favorite apps. Still, that’s a pretty minor concern — Transparent Screen seems like an app best used occasionally, when you absolutely have to fire off a message while on the move. Sure, there’s nothing that says you can’t have it running nonstop, just be prepared to watch your remaining battery life disappear in front of your eyes. Interested? Mosey on over to the Android Market , where Transparent Screen can be had for the low, low price of free.

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‘Transparent Screen’ Android App Lets You Text And Walk Without Fear

Can Startups Learn Anything From Linux?

blogger — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:51:13 +0000

Linux is the world’s largest collaborative software development project. People from all over the world have influenced the Linux kernel code, and it runs on everything from mainframe computers to wristwatches. Linux, and free software development in general, provides some tremendous insights into what makes a successful project. Can today’s startups learn anything from the history of Linux? The history of Linux proves that collaborative development speeds true innovation. If Linus Torvalds were left to work on Linux alone, there’s no way it would be the success it is today. A great many of the things that Linux does today are a direct result of people scratching their own itches , and then contributing their work back upstream to Linus. Many people focusing on their own little (and not-so-little) problems have made Linux the powerhouse that it is today. It might not make sense for every startup to develop their project in public, but they can certainly avoid reinventing many wheels by using existing free software projects wherever possible. Many smart people are working all day every day to improve the building blocks of innovation, and startups should be a part of that communal effort. Certainly startups should focus on their own “secret sauce”, but they can also participate in the larger free software ecosystem. For example, there’s no long-term competitive advantage to a startup if they make improvements to Apache, or MongoDB, or other “plumbing” aspects of the Linux stack. Any such improvements can — and, in my opinion, should! — be shared upstream to benefit everyone. In a similar vein, though, if there’s some home-grown technology that helps your startup but isn’t fundamental to its success, why not release it in order to leverage the global body of free software developers? Facebook releases free software . LinkedIn releases free software . Google releases free software . All of these releases are obviously used internally, but they’re not fundamental to the success of the company. I think there’s a lot to learn from the big players in this respect. As Ubuntu ‘s Technical Architect Allison Randal said , “Free Software is a fundamentally superior model for developing software.” Jim Zemlin, the Linux Foundation ‘s Executive Director, says, “Free your technology and see it spread and do things you never even imagined were possible.” Another lesson that startups can learn from Linux: when you disrupt the status quo you attract enemies. When Linux was gaining traction through the 90s, it was the target of intense attack from established industry players. Many of those early detractors are now contributing to the Linux kernel, as well as many other free software projects. Zemlin points to Facebook as a shining example of what “the Linux community has been practicing for years: first – don’t do it for the money, second maintain the hacker way. And, the money follows.” He goes on to observe that there “is no coincidence that one of the greatest entrepreneurial success stories of the last decade is deeply rooted in one of the greatest technology innovations of the last two decades: Linux and open development.”

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Can Startups Learn Anything From Linux?

Appoxee Raises Funding, Helps Mobile App Developers Boost User Engagement

vertical8 — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:40:27 +0000

Israeli startup Appoxee has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from early-stage investment firm Cyhawk Ventures . The company offers a service that helps app developers and publishers increase user engagement through rich push notifications and helps them with things like audience segmentation, targeting, analytics and reporting. Read more over at TechCrunch Europe .

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Appoxee Raises Funding, Helps Mobile App Developers Boost User Engagement

When Will The Post-PC Era Arrive? It Just Did.

Administrator — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:49:06 +0000

There has been much debate about what the post-PC era is, when it will arrive, or whether it’s already here. But key pieces of new data, emerging last week, are making the case that we crossed the imaginary line from the “PC” era to the “post-PC” era at the end of 2011. According to analysts at Canalys, two major computing milestones were achieved at the end of this year: smartphone shipments outpaced PCs for the first time ever, and Apple became the world’s largest PC maker, if you count iPads as PCs (as well you should). Combined, what these numbers tell us is that the post-PC era is happening now. Right now. And maybe we need to think about how we define “PC.” In Q4 2011, vendors shipped 158.5 million smartphones, up 57% on the 101.2 million units shipped in Q4 2010. For the year, there were 487.7 million units shipped, up 63% on the 299.7 million units shipped in 2010. Meanwhile, the global PC market grew just 15% in 2011 to 414.6 million units. The smartphones have won. The funny thing about that PC shipments number is that, on its own, it doesn’t paint the most accurate picture of today’s PC landscape. There weren’t 414.6 million desktop, notebook and netbook computers shipped in 2011 – those were at 112.4 million, 209.6 million and 29.4 million, respectively. The 414.6 million number includes 63.2 million in “pad” shipments, Canalys’s preferred term for tablets. That means 15% of the “PC” shipments in 2011 were tablets, largely Apple’s iPad. In Q4, tablets were 22% of the total PC shipments. And the tablet segment of the market grew 274.2% year-over-year. Also in Q4 2011, Apple became the leading worldwide “PC” vendor (if you count the iPad as a PC) with 15 million iPads and 5 million Macs shipped, representing 17% of the total 120 million client PCs shipped in Q4. It overtook HP (now #2), Acer, Dell and Lenovo in the process. Overall, the PC market grew 16% year-over-year, Canalys noted last month. Without tablets, it declined 0.4%. Of course, there’s still the question of whether or not tablets should be broken out into their own computing category, positioned against the traditional “PCs” when tracking device shipments. For what’s it worth, I think it’s fine to count tablets as PCs – after all, PC means “personal computer,” not “machine running Windows.” The fact that we still equate the word with a desktop, monitor, keyboard and mouse combo is a testament to the empire Microsoft built, and is now losing. Case in point: netbook shipments dropped 25.3% from 2010 to 2011. Desktops grew a paltry 2.3% and notebooks grew just 7.5%. This is end of the “PC” era in action. While the 209.6 million notebook shipments still make that the largest category of “PCs,” the growth trends here, if sustained, dictate that’s its only a matter of time before the shift to tablets becomes even more pronounced. Think about it: what’s the first “PC” you’re going to buy for your kid, as a new member to the post-PC computing generation? If you respond “ notebook ,” I’d say you’re lying. That kid is getting an iPad, even if they end up stealing yours. If not an iPad, then they’re getting a phone. And smartphones are PCs, too. The most affordable ones. This past quarter, smartphone shipments overtook PCs, a hugely important milestone that speaks volumes about the state of modern-day computing. The computer-in-your-pocket has moved from being “a niche product segment at the high-end of the mobile phone market to becoming a truly mass-market proposition,” explains Canalys of the change. In Q4, Apple broke records by shipping 37 million iPhones – the most ever shipped by a single vendor in a quarter. Previously, Nokia held the record with 28.3 million phones shipped in Q4 2010. What a difference a year makes. But Canalys cautioned that it expects to see smartphone market growth slow in 2012, as vendors exercise “greater cost control and discipline” to focus on profitability. This is the only discordant note to the report. Smartphone growth slowing? No offense to the analysts, but I’ll believe that one when I see it. Just watching Apple’s sales alone, it’s clear you can’t underestimate its power to deliver record-breaking numbers. In addition, just because vendors like HTC and Motorola are going to launch fewer smartphone models in 2012, that doesn’t (necessarily) mean they’ll sell fewer overall phones. If anything, the companies are hoping that their increased focus on “hero” devices will help them increase sales. One thing is clear, however: that post-PC era everyone’s been talking about since the day the phrase slipped off Steve Jobs’ lips has arrived. We’re living it. Anyone who wastes their time debating its existence (tablets are PCs! phones are PCs!) is arguing semantics. The shift itself, whatever you want to call it, is happening. So perhaps “post-PC” isn’t the best terminology. If everything’s a PC, then maybe what we’ve achieved is something more akin to “PCs Everywhere.” Not as catchy, though. Photo credit top: Lokesh Dhakar , flickr; bottom: agirregabiria , flickr

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When Will The Post-PC Era Arrive? It Just Did.

iPhone 4S Ranks #1 In Q4, But More First-Time Buyers Choose Android

ACMAir — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:26:43 +0000

According to new research from the NPD Group , Apple passed LG and Samsung to become the top-selling U.S. handset brand in Q4 2011. Combined, the three available models of the iPhone (iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS) accounted for 43% of the U.S. smartphone market. Android, however, continued to see larger market share at 48%. Together, iPhone and Android accounted for over 90% of U.S. smartphone sales, leaving little room for any up-and-comer like Windows Phone, or even the declining brand that is RIM’s BlackBerry. Android’s market share may continue to grow, too, given that more first-time smartphone buyers were choosing Android over iPhone this past quarter, the firm found. Based on NPD Group’s monthly Smartphone Track service, 57% of first-time smartphone buyers went with an Android device compared with just 34% who purchased iPhones. NPD suggests that the reason for these consumers’ Android preference has to do more with availability – Android has “wide carrier support,” the report says. Also helpful is Android’s large app selection and its support of LTE at Verizon. The overall portion of handset sales that were smartphones also climbed in Q4 2011, now accounting for 68% of the total U.S. phone market. That’s an increase of 18% from Q2 2010, said NPD. The average cost per smartphone, however, hasn’t seen as much movement, down from $149 in Q4 2010 to $143 in Q4 2011. Not surprisingly, Apple’s record-breaking quarter (its fiscal Q1, running September 25-December 31), led to the iPhone 4S coming out on top as the best-selling handset in Q4. It also earned the top three slots among the top five handsets for the time period: Apple iPhone 4S Apple iPhone 4 Apple iPhone 3GS Samsung Galaxy S II Samsung Galaxy S 4G Ross Rubin, executive director, Connected Intelligence for The NPD Group, said that consumers were attracted to the iPhone 4S’s ”faster processor, improved camera and the Siri speech-driven agent.” “The iPhone 4S outsold the iPhone 4 by 75%, and outsold the iPhone 3GS, available for free on AT&T, five to one,” Rubin noted.

Report: Samsung Planning A Full Line Of Galaxy S3 Phones, First Model To Hit This May

Achilles — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:13:55 +0000

Samsung’s next flagship smartphone needs to be huge, iPhone 4 huge. It needs to be as competitive as the Galaxy S II as its set to go head-to-head with the iPhone 5. But success won’t be found as easily this time. Samsung had nearly a full year to design and release Galaxy S II after the iPhone 4′s release. The company doesn’t have that luxury this time around. South Korean news outlet Electronic Times News just published a report that pegs the S3 as a superphone on a diet. The report states that printed circuit boards, chips and connectors allowed for an overall thickness (or thinness) of just 7mm. That’s 1.9mm thinner than the current Galaxy SII — not that several millimeters really mater. But even though the phone is thinner overall, Samsung is reportedly packing their next flagship to the gills. Inside the svelte body is a quad-core CPU of unknown pedigree or clock speed running Android 4.0. The new model will use the same 8MP camera as the S II, which will result in a slight extrusion on the phone’s backplate. Inside is the usually assortment of an LTE radio, WiFi, GPS, and, although not specifically mentioned in this report, NFC is highly likely. No word on screen size. But early adaptors might want to hold off. Samsung is reportedly set to launch a large line of Galaxy S3 phones in 2012. etnews states that Samsung is preparing several S3 flavors. One model will have a better camera and one will use a stylus (like the Note!). There will even be 3D variation. The exact release schedule is not mentioned but expect a steady stream of S3 phones this year and early next. The Samsung Galaxy S II was a massive success but it could have been better. The company announced the phone at MWC in late February 2011 but it didn’t hit markets until May/June. The company is seeking to eliminate that lag by not launching the S3 at MWC this year. The phone will instead get its own event closer to launch, and if etnews is to be believed, the phone will be released this coming May. The scene is set. The lines are drawn. The summer of 2012 is set to play host to a massive battle: the iPhone 5 vs the Samsung Galaxy S III. But don’t get caught up in the nonsense war. Stand on the sideline and watch as two, likely awesome, smartphones trade shots. In the end it doesn’t really matter. The consumer wins no matter what.

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Report: Samsung Planning A Full Line Of Galaxy S3 Phones, First Model To Hit This May

Pedestrian Map App, Lumatic, Raises $800K From Joi Ito And 500 Startups

A D M I N — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:10:45 +0000

All the major map apps like Google Maps, Bing Maps, and Mapquest have walking directions as a standard feature, but the folks at Lumatic don’t think they are good enough. It is creating mobile maps designed for pedestrians, cyclists, and people who use public transit. Originally a TechStars company called Omniar, serial entrepreneur Scott Rafer (MyBlogLog, Lookery, Mashery) joined as CEO a year ago. He recently raised a seed round of $800,000 from Joi Ito’s Neoteny Labs, 500 Startups, Chamath Palihapitiya, Allen Morgan, Ted Rheingold, and other angels. Lumatic has an Android app which works right now only in San Francisco. When it gives you directions, it chooses routes which are optimal for walking, cycling or public transport. As you walk through the streets, the app displays a street-view with photos and arrows pointing in the right direction. The app is built on top of Open Street Map , but the user experience is centered heavily on using photography, landmarks, and visual cues to help people navigate cities. Fighting Google Maps in this category is going to be a tough slog, but if the app can gain a following there plenty of money in local commerce and advertising to make it a worthwhile pursuit.

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Pedestrian Map App, Lumatic, Raises $800K From Joi Ito And 500 Startups

Retailer Selling Refurbished XOOM Tablets With Old User Data

user — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:24:21 +0000

The world’s first Android Honeycomb tablet, the Motorola XOOM was not as successful as the company would have liked it to be. There were a few issues with the tablet itself which eventually led to people returning tablets back to the manufacturer. And now a retailer, woot.com has apparently sold a few units of the tablet which weren’t properly refurbished. The new buyers of the refurbished tablets found data on the tablet. This is clearly an error by Motorola, failing to perform a factory reset of the devices before putting them up for resale as refurbished devices. Information from old users like passwords, images etc were all found on these tablets. Needless to say, Motorola has been quick to respond to the issue and has given out a press release. It is reported that the affected tablets belonged to the customers who returned the tablet between March and October 2011. On the brighter side, only 100 of the 6,200 devices returned during the period are said to be affected. Well, this is a rookie mistake from a company like Motorola and you might want to check with the company if you returned the tablet during the specified time frame. Motorola is offering 2 years of free Experian ProtectMyID for customers who have been affected by this. Instances like these could be avoided if users reset their device or back up the data before sending it over to the company. Contact Motorola by heading over to the Motorola XOOM Wi-Fi Return Submission page or simply contact Motorola via phone (1800-734-5870). [ Source ] Stories you may like: T-Mobile U.S Selling Refurbished Samsung Galaxy Tabs for $99.99 HTC to roll out 3 new tablets Motorola XOOM on Verizon starting from $600 This article, Retailer Selling Refurbished XOOM Tablets With Old User Data , was published at TechBuzz . Please don’t violate our copyright

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Corning And Samsung Strike A Deal To Make Lotus Glass

user — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:57:24 +0000

Corning is a well known name for smartphone manufacturers and users alike. The company’s proprietary Gorilla Glass is seen widely on most smartphones. But Samsung and Corning have taken it to a whole new level with a deal to make Lotus Glass for Samsung’s devices (including televisions). This new venture will be based out of South Korea, Samsung’s home. According to the press release, this glass will act as a shell for Samsung’s OLED displays and upcoming Samsung smartphones, mainly Galaxy smartphones. According to the press release, Corning and Samsung have been partners since the early days of television. When introduced into a high temperature atmosphere, a display/glass generally tends to expand a little. But that will not be the case with Corning’s Lotus Glass as it is engineered to expand as little as possible. The best part however is that the glass will consume very little power to display crisp images in higher resolutions. This deal is vital mainly due to the fact that Samsung makes most of its smartphones with OLED displays and is the only maker of Super AMOLED displays in the world. This could mean that future Samsung smartphones would be stronger and more durable. So accidentally dropping your phone face first would cause little or no harm to your smartphone. That’s great news right? It could however take some time to see smartphones with Lotus Glass in the market. Stories you may like: Samsung to launch 4 new Android smartphones for Asian markets Microsoft Demanding $15 Per Android Handset From Samsung Samsung’s latest entrant in the Galaxy series : The Samsung Galaxy SL GT – I9003 This article, Corning And Samsung Strike A Deal To Make Lotus Glass , was published at TechBuzz . Please don’t violate our copyright

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Corning And Samsung Strike A Deal To Make Lotus Glass

Nokia N8 Successor To Be The Last Of Its Kind : Rumor

Budowniczy425 — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:26:04 +0000

The Nokia N8 was one of the hotly discussed handsets of 2010. And Nokia has come a long way post the launch of the handset. Today the company’s primary focus is on making Windows Phone 7 smartphones. And the company has been successful to an extent in making an impact in the market. This however means that the Symbian platform is not the primary operating system for Nokia devices, even though the number of Symbian devices is more. Recent reports suggest that Nokia is looking to ditch Symbian once and for all after the successor to the Nokia N8 arrives. The alleged successor apparently will be the last Symbian smartphone by Nokia. We recently learnt that Nokia will be dropping off the Symbian name from its updates. So it could mean that future updates (like Carla and Donna) will have Nokia as the prefix. So this could just be the last Symbian branded phone, but not the demise of the platform itself. But the theories haven’t been confirmed yet, so we might have to wait to hear more about this from Nokia. It was reported last year that Nokia will be outsourcing Symbian development to Accenture. So Symbian still might have some fight left. Note: The image is a rumored render of the Nokia N8’s successor. Stories you may like: Nokia to Launch 40 New Phones in 2011; No WP7 phone till 2012 Three UK Reveals the New Nokia X7 Could Nokia embrace Android? This article, Nokia N8 Successor To Be The Last Of Its Kind : Rumor , was published at TechBuzz . Please don’t violate our copyright

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Nokia N8 Successor To Be The Last Of Its Kind : Rumor