Ubuntu 12.04 Git'ed With Intel Ivy Bridge
As the Intel Ivy Bridge benchmarks being delivered on Phoronix and coming up in the coming days are frequently using the latest Intel Linux graphics development stack, for those curious here is a comparison between the stock Ubuntu 12.04 packages and when running the latest Linux kernel / Mesa /...
As the Intel Ivy Bridge benchmarks being delivered on Phoronix and coming up in the coming days are frequently using the latest Intel Linux graphics development stack, for those curious here is a comparison between the stock Ubuntu 12.04 packages and when running the latest Linux kernel / Mesa / libdrm / xf86-video-intel Git DDX.
Windows Phone Edging Out iPhone in China, says Microsoft
Windows Phone has inched past the iPhone at ekeing out market share in the lucrative Chinese market. [Read more]...
Windows Phone has inched past the iPhone at ekeing out market share in the lucrative Chinese market. [Read more]
Samsung’s Galaxy S III Reportedly Racks Up Over 9 Million Pre-Orders Worldwide
As if anyone needed any more proof that the Samsung’s Galaxy S III would sell like (slightly more expensive) hotcakes, a report from the Korea Economic Daily reveals that the long-awaited handset racked up over 9 million pre-orders from mobile carriers across the globe. To put that number in a bit of perspective, the tremendously popular Galaxy S II was officially unveiled at MWC in February 2011, and managed to rack up 3 million global pre-orders by the end of April. Its successor, on the other hand,...
As if anyone needed any more proof that the Samsung’s Galaxy S III would sell like (slightly more expensive) hotcakes, a report from the Korea Economic Daily reveals that the long-awaited handset racked up over 9 million pre-orders from mobile carriers across the globe.
To put that number in a bit of perspective, the tremendously popular Galaxy S II was officially unveiled at MWC in February 2011, and managed to rack up 3 million global pre-orders by the end of April. Its successor, on the other hand, managed to garner triple the number of pre-orders in the three weeks since it was revealed in London.
The news comes from (what else) an anonymous Samsung representative, who also pointed out that production was in full swing at the company’s facility in Gumi, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. At that pace, Korean analysts expect that the consumer electronics giant is capable of churning out nearly 5 million Galaxy S IIIs each month.
Given the months of hype surrounding it and the scores of carriers across the globe that have already committed to carrying it — 296 at last glance — the Galaxy S III seems well-equipped to shatter the records set by its forebears. It wasn’t long ago that Samsung announced that the Galaxy S II had tiptoed over the 20 million sales mark, an accomplishment that came roughly 10 months after the device launched. Nine million units potentially in the bag is a strong start, and it doesn’t even include U.S. customers — our LTE-enabled models are slated to hit our shores well after the first international batches are sent out.
DealBook: Live Blog: Facebook's Market Debut
No other market debut has matched the frenzy created by Facebook. DealBook’s live blog will be tracking reactions to the company’s I.P.O. throughout the day.
No other market debut has matched the frenzy created by Facebook. DealBook’s live blog will be tracking reactions to the company’s I.P.O. throughout the day.
Analysts: Nokia On Track To Burn Through Its Whole $6B Cash Pile In Next 2 Years
The Facebook IPO is expected to usher in a day of massive trading volumes on the markets, and some believe that might translate to a lift for some tech stocks. But one that could really use some help has just been served another course of bad press: Nokia is apparently burning through its cash reserves — fast. The company, for years the biggest mobile phone maker in the world, has fallen on very tough times, as competition from companies like Samsung, Apple and a barrage of inexpensive device makers, have translated into declines in sales, market share and profitability. That’s now translating into what has been identified as another issue: the burning of the cash pile. In the last five quarters, Nokia has burned through €2.1 billion ($2.7 billion) from its cash reserves. Analysts polled by Reuters on average believe that at the rate Nokia is going, it will go through another €2 billion ($2.5 billion) in the next three quarters, with the total current cash pile of €4.9 billion ($6 billion) gone within two years. To put that in some context, in 2007 Nokia had cash reserves of €10 billion in 2007 ($12.7 billion). That points to its cash pile burn accelerating — a result of...
The Facebook IPO is expected to usher in a day of massive trading volumes on the markets, and some believe that might translate to a lift for some tech stocks. But one that could really use some help has just been served another course of bad press: Nokia is apparently burning through its cash reserves — fast.
The company, for years the biggest mobile phone maker in the world, has fallen on very tough times, as competition from companies like Samsung, Apple and a barrage of inexpensive device makers, have translated into declines in sales, market share and profitability.
That’s now translating into what has been identified as another issue: the burning of the cash pile. In the last five quarters, Nokia has burned through €2.1 billion ($2.7 billion) from its cash reserves. Analysts polled by Reuters on average believe that at the rate Nokia is going, it will go through another €2 billion ($2.5 billion) in the next three quarters, with the total current cash pile of €4.9 billion ($6 billion) gone within two years.
To put that in some context, in 2007 Nokia had cash reserves of €10 billion in 2007 ($12.7 billion). That points to its cash pile burn accelerating — a result of the fact that the company has been trying to transform its business, which requires investment, while at the same time seeing massive sales drops.
HTC Evo 4G LTE Shipments Now Delayed at Best Buy
The retailer is now alerting customers that their orders for the Evo 4G LTE are being delayed indefinitely since Sprint has changed the release date. [Read more]...
The retailer is now alerting customers that their orders for the Evo 4G LTE are being delayed indefinitely since Sprint has changed the release date. [Read more]
MK802 Micro-PC Runs Android 4.0 and Linux for $74
The computer is the size of a USB stick and features a 1.5GHz Cortex A8 processor with 512MB of RAM and a MALI400 GPU. It can decode 1080p video via its HDMI output and has two USB connectors...
The computer is the size of a USB stick and features a 1.5GHz Cortex A8 processor with 512MB of RAM and a MALI400 GPU. It can decode 1080p video via its HDMI output and has two USB connectors
Google, Microsoft Said to be Creating New Cloud Services
The two rivaling software giants are rumored to be in a run-off to introduce new Infrastructure as a Service platforms for the cloud, which could mean trouble for Amazon. [Read more]...
The two rivaling software giants are rumored to be in a run-off to introduce new Infrastructure as a Service platforms for the cloud, which could mean trouble for Amazon. [Read more]
Delayed HTC EVO 4G LTE Might Finally Get Here May 23
HTC's One X and EVO 4G LTE are both held up in customs right now. Patent trouble. But according to updates folks who preordered the Sprint phone, the EVO 4G LTE has a tentative date of May 23. More »...
HTC's One X and EVO 4G LTE are both held up in customs right now. Patent trouble. But according to updates folks who preordered the Sprint phone, the EVO 4G LTE has a tentative date of May 23. More »
Judge tells Apple and HTC to Start Talking Settlement
The order comes after two key HTC smartphones are stopped at the border as a result of their ongoing dispute. [Read more]...
The order comes after two key HTC smartphones are stopped at the border as a result of their ongoing dispute. [Read more]
Android: What, Me Fragmented?
There are nearly 4,000 different types of devices running Android, OpenSignalMaps has found. More than 1,300 of them have custom ROMs that tweak the android.build model. Android brands are almost as diverse as the models, OpenSignalMaps discovered. Further, the application programming interface level, meaning the Android version, has also become...
Rocks Releases Mamba
The latest version of Rocks cluster distribution – an open source toolkit for real and virtual clusters – has been released.
The latest version of Rocks cluster distribution – an open source toolkit for real and virtual clusters – has been released.
Android Skins Refuse to Go Away
After years of trying and failing to discourage manufacturers from adding user interface (UI) layers to Android, Google appeared destined for success with the visually refined Android 4.0 ("Ice Cream Sandwich"). Despite predictions that ICS would kill off the "skins" for good, however, HTC's Sense and Samsung's TouchWiz have not only arrived in new Android 4.0 versions, but they have met with positive reviews.
This week, these top two skins were joined by LG’s Optimus UI 3.0, yet another feature-rich interpretation of Android 4.0. Debuting soon on the new LG Optimus 4X HD and Optimus LTE II, the latest Optimus skin features great customization and the ability to take photos via voice command. Along with a growing list of third-party launchers and custom ROMs, vendor-supplied UI layers continue to both complicate and energize the Android standard.
Ranging from cosmetic modifications to more fundamental UI modifications and feature suites, UI layers offered some advantages in the early days of Android. Yet, as Android evolved, the skins have hindered more than helped, burdening users with sometimes cartoonish interfaces and awkward feature alternatives. More to the point, the UI layers often reduce performance and battery life, while cluttering the screen and wasting storage with "bloatware." Skins have also been criticized for delaying products and OS updates, and making it harder for Android app developers to reach a broad audience.
Some vendors have retreated from the skin game. Notably Motorola began scaling back its MotoBlur interface in 2010, and the latest, MotoBlur-derived Motorola Application Platform hews close to stock Android. HTC and Samsung, however, have stubbornly pushed out major Android 4.0 updates of their Sense and TouchWiz skins, respectively.
Their persistence was recently explained in a Laptop story by Drew Bamford, HTC's lead designer for Sense 4.0. HTC's goal with Sense, he said, is to "create that continuity of experience and that bridge of an identifiable HTC experience across our products."
Glowing reviews
Although some critics contend the new skins hide ICS' best design improvements, most reviews have been quite positive. Even the techies on the Android forums have had nice things to say, and some have even suggested they may keep the layers instead of rooting and replacing them with custom ROMs.
In the case of Sense 4.0, which debuted on the HTC One X, the praise focuses on the more refined interface. HTC has scaled back many of Sense's previous excesses, removing features that ICS already excels at. Its subtle matte-finish interface is far less cluttered, and new customization features include personalized widget sets, customizable lockscreens, and optional overlays.
Despite Samsung's addition of a nature-themed cosmetic overlay to the ICS-ready TouchWiz Nature UX, the UI layer is less dramatically altered from the previous TouchWiz 4.0 than Sense 4.0 is from Sense 3.5. Yet Samsung has loaded up TouchWiz with a bevy of innovative features, making it more of an application suite than a skin. Like Sense 4.0, Nature UX builds upon ICS enhancements with new lockscreens and improved camera controls, but it goes much further.
As demonstrated on the Samsung Galaxy S III, TouchWiz adds the somewhat Siri-like "S Voice" concierge service, as well as a picture-in-picture function. Various enhancements make use of sensors and cameras. For example, the "direct call" feature lets one switch from a messaging to a voice session by holding the phone to one's face. "Smart stay" uses face recognition to send the phone into a blank power-saving mode when one's glance is averted. And for the ultimate gee-whiz effect, tapping on a familiar face in a photo instantly pulls up the subject's contact info. 
Uninstall isn't an option
Clearly, Sense and TouchWiz have both been greatly improved. Yet, a chief criticism of both UI layers remains the same: neither are easily removed. There's no uninstall function, and especially in the U.S., locked bootloaders dissuade users from modifying the vendors' branded experiences.
This is no big deal for Android techies, most of whom will continue rooting their devices to replace the latest skins with custom ROMs. An increasing number of stock Android 4.0 firmware alternatives are available from CyanogenMod, XDA-Developers, and others, and some let users switch between modded versions of vendor skins in addition to stock ICS.
For most consumers, however, the risk of "bricking" one's device into a coma makes rooting the phone with a new ROM an unwelcome option.
As Ryan Whitwam notes in a May 8 story in ExtremeTech, there are less risky ways to nudge a skinned phone toward Android purity. Installing an ICS-ready launcher like Apex and ADW adds home-screen customization options that approximate a stock Android experience. Whitwam also points to alternative browsers and other apps that can help restore a stock experience. These solutions, however, do not necessarily remove bloatware or address potential performance, storage, or battery problems.
Despite the drawbacks of fragmentation, vendors should be encouraged to make Android anything they want -- even if they go as far as Amazon with its partial fork of Android 2.3 for its Kindle Fire tablet. And in the interest of providing users with an open platform, too, perhaps the next versions could offer the option to uninstall.
Android Rules the Smartphone Market, and Samsung Rides the Wave
It's official: Android smartphones are dominating the overall smartphone market. Researchers from Gartner report that Android phones represented 56 percent of the global smartphone market in the first quarter of this year, while Apple's iPhone was next in line with only 22.9 percent of the market. And, if you've been underestimating Samsung's force in the mobile phone market consider some key data about its leadership in the market for Android phones. According to Gartner: "Samsung became the world’s top mobile handset vendor during the quarter, displacing Nokia which had held the No. 1 spot since 1998. Samsung’s mobile phone sales reached 86.6 million units, a 25.9 percent increase from last year. Samsung took back the world’s No. 1 smartphone position from Apple, selling 38 million smartphones worldwide. In addition, Samsung’s Android-based smartphone sales in the first quarter of 2012 represented more than 40...
It's official: Android smartphones are dominating the overall smartphone market. Researchers from Gartner report that Android phones represented 56 percent of the global smartphone market in the first quarter of this year, while Apple's iPhone was next in line with only 22.9 percent of the market. And, if you've been underestimating Samsung's force in the mobile phone market consider some key data about its leadership in the market for Android phones.
"Samsung became the world’s top mobile handset vendor during the quarter, displacing Nokia which had held the No. 1 spot since 1998. Samsung’s mobile phone sales reached 86.6 million units, a 25.9 percent increase from last year. Samsung took back the world’s No. 1 smartphone position from Apple, selling 38 million smartphones worldwide. In addition, Samsung’s Android-based smartphone sales in the first quarter of 2012 represented more than 40 percent of Android-based smartphone sales worldwide; no other vendors achieved more than a 10 percent share of the market."
Wow, Android only began to gain momentum in 2009, and since then, HTC and Motorola built significant brand strategies around the open source mobile OS, but it's very clear that Samsung has the biggest lock on the Android phone market. However, there may be some reversion to the mean for Samsung ahead, especially since Gartner researchers warn that all phones, including Android-based models, are becoming commoditized and similar:
Which Devices Have Ice Cream Sandwich?
It's mid-May -- do you know where your Ice Cream Sandwich update is? Six months after Android 4.0 made its debut on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, millions of owners of legacy Android devices are still anxiously awaiting the day the new firmware gets downloaded on their own electronic real estate. At least the scene today is much more pleasant than it was just a few months ago, as ICS is finally rolling out to several popular devices. But if you're...
It's mid-May -- do you know where your Ice Cream Sandwich update is? Six months after Android 4.0 made its debut on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, millions of owners of legacy Android devices are still anxiously awaiting the day the new firmware gets downloaded on their own electronic real estate. At least the scene today is much more pleasant than it was just a few months ago, as ICS is finally rolling out to several popular devices. But if you're shopping for a phone or tablet, how can you possibly keep track of which device has what version?
Amidst the confusion, we've put together a handy list of the legacy devices that have already been updated to Ice Cream Sandwich, as well as the ones that are promised an upgrade at a future date. Of course, many phones and tablets have ICS ROMs, leaked builds and other unofficial versions of the new firmware available, but we'll only discuss official downloads here. We plan to amend the list as the update rolls out to more devices, so be sure to check back from time to time. Head past the break to see how much of a reach Ice Cream Sandwich has.
Continue reading Which devices have Ice Cream Sandwich?
Which devices have Ice Cream Sandwich? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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