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Showing results for tags 'Technophilia'.
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So there is now a rumoured spec list for the follow-up to the Samsumg i9000, the Galaxy S, called the Galaxy S2, the i9200. Here's the rumoured spec sheet: 4.3” 1280×720px Super AMOLED 2 display2GHz CPU, 1GB RAM/4GB ROM32GB of built-in flash memory, +32GB microSD card slot8 megapixel camera with FullHD video recordingA-GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi b/g/n3.5 mm headset jackAccelerometer, gyroscope, proximity and ambient light sensors That's right. A 2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 720p HD SCREEN! If this is true then now is the time when mobile phones exceed (normal, not gaming) computers of the early to mid noughties. And that was pretty quick. Rav
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ARM announced the other day that they are developing a new processor - A smartphone processor that is quad-core. Each of those cores runs at 2.5GHz. That's fast enough with one core! It's 2.5GHz dedicated to a single application, which will make it blazingly fast! Multitasking will be incredibly smooth, with a core for the task and three spares for background tasks. 2.5GHz alone is almost triple the average today (around 900 probably). Putting this in perspective, that's almost as good as an Intel Core i7 from last year. Those things can't handle being in netbooks, let alone smartphones. Moore's Law says that processing power doubles every 18 months; When the T-Mobile G1 came out it had a 512MHz processor, which was good for the time. Fast-forward 18 months, Android 2.2 is announced, and the highest power processor is 1GHz. Double 512MHz. When's 18 months from then? November next year. I'd expect a 2GHz processor, probably dual-core, by the end of 2011. The ARM A-15 (the name of this processor) comes out late 2012-early 2013. We'd expect 4GHz to arrive in May 2013, and thus the 2.5 would arrive at around January 2012. Maybe it isn't too impressive after all? The future will be awesome. Rav
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I've found two so far. Chromercise - First I thought it was a new Chrome Short, but it was pretty obviously April Fools. Quite funny. I'm not in the US so I couldn't try getting the finger bands, unfortunately. Gmail Motion - Frikkin' hilarious. Especially the words the motions produce. Top stuff. Anyone see anything else? Rav
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Google added a Cow to their body browser - another April Fools' joke, I think. Very good.
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I got some hands-on time for the 3DS today. IT IS AMAZING. AMAZING. Also, some info from my conversation with the staff guy at the event: - He told me to expect an 8th-Gen Nintendo home console at E3 2012 - He also said that 2012 will be a "big year in gaming" (emphasised on Nintendo) - The 3DS has a 200MHz GPU (I think it was GPU) underclocked at 133MHz - It's also got a (I think he said "low power", maybe dual-core) CPU, which is for MULTITASKING (YAY!) - 64MB of RAM - Browser is Opera-based, enhanced version of Wii's browser (He said Flash support was highly likely!). The browser MAY have the DSi's problem of not loading large pages fully, but he said it probably won't. - The 3DS will be a "3D Media Hub" - supporting all kinds of 3D content. He was a total gaming geek - I think he worked for Nintendo, but I'm not sure (I'll have to check). If he doesn't, take the first two with a grain of salt. It was seriously incredible to use. I hope I can get one! Rav EDIT: My Twitter has some more info (I think). EDIT 2: Just remembered! Twin ARM 9 (Not Cortex, he emphasised) processors, probably low-power too.
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You're probably all familiar with the PlayStation Phone - A Sony Ericsson phone with built-in PSP functionality: It's a cool concept - it runs Android 2.3, Gingerbread, with full slide-out DualShock-style controls, and a PlayStation app, which I assume will include a games library à la the PSP Go. I read an article the other day (yesterday, actually) which was complaining that the PSPhone ought to not be running Android, but instead, should be running Sony's own proprietary OS, because if it ran Android, the PSP would just be an app. This really bothered me, because it sounded as if they didn't know what they were on about while also being a massive Android hate article (well, it was an Apple blog, but still). Here are some excerpts: "So instead of a PlayStation Phone we get a phone that runs PlayStation. We get an app. And if you’re Sony and one of your highest value brands is reduced to an app on someone else’s platform you’re doing it wrong." "Can you imagine if instead of the iPhone Apple made an iPod app for Windows Mobile? If instead of webOS Palm had simply repackaged their emulator for BlackBerry?" "It’s bad for them in that it means their iconic PlayStation line, for the first time, is dependent on someone else’s platform." "[...] the next technological marvel from the company that once brought us Walkman, is actually… an Android app. No, that’s not a joke." That last one is good because it makes it seem so ridiculous that Sony would use an existing platform on a device that such a suggestion could be mistook as a joke, while at the same time implying that the games console/android phone that is pictured right above does not actually exist. I like how, in the second quote, they're stuck in the Apple mindset that if you don't make both the hardware and the software the device will be utterly horrible. And at the same time they're saying the app will be available on all Android devices, which is unlikely, and saying that Sony can only branch their line in one direction. It's not as if the PSP2 is not going to happen. The PSPhone is a spinoff. Apple could easily have released a WinMo or Android iPod app and still make the iPhone, and still continued making the iTouch. That would not have been a bad move, but they're control freaks at Apple and they would hate doing something like that. That's why no Apple software (except iTunes, Safari and Quicktime, essentially) is available on Windows, while OSX has the all three of the Windows equivalents available (Zune Player, IE [albeit discontinued, but that's a blessing more than anything], and Silverlight) as well as the entire Office Suite, and their Windows Live Suite, and even Windows (BootCamp). Did it kill Microsoft that it's own OS was reduced to nothing more than an app on the Mac? No. Because that didn't happen. In the same way, the PSPhone will be running an almost unidentifiably skinned version of Android 2.3 which will be deeply integrated with PSP capabilities while also having access to the myriad of advantages that the matured and familiar platform of Android brings (such as the productivity apps, and Angry Birds). And they're complaining that the PSP will be an app because of some video of a early alpha of the PSP games engine running on a beta build of an unreleased version of stock Android, and simply assuming that the integration stops there. In other Sony Console related news, also involving integration, this: See the little PS logo on the top left of the base? Yeah. The base of that TV is a PS2. This is Sony's Bravia KDL-22PX300, a 22-inch HDTV with a PS2 and DVD player glued to the bottom. Now that is pretty awesome. Rav
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First, let me start with this: Whenever I visit the shops, my trip usually goes like so: What I came for --> Tech shops --> Food or home. Since I get so much hands-on with gadgets, I think I might as well do some reviewing. They'll be rather short and probably not too extensive, but, I think, they'll cover the important bits. So, off I go! --- Specs: Underclocked 768MHz Snapdragon processor512MB RAM7-inch resistive touchscreen display at 800x480Kickstand2MP rear camera, Unknown MP camera on front (probably 0.7 or 1.3)SD card slot with 2GB card standardTelstra NextG support, GSM 850MHz (supports EDGE and AT&T 3G)Wi-Fi b/gBluetoothGPS recieverAndroid 2.1 with a Telstra custom UI Availability: On Telstra for AU$299, or US$295, with a prepaid SIM and 3GB data. Review: Simply put, the Telstra T-Touch Tab is one of the worst devices I've ever had the displeasure of using. It's sub-par hardware combined with it's even worse software makes for a bad experience. Hardware: In general, the Tab has a fairly low build quality. It's mainly plastic, with a plastic back, front, even the screen. Because of this, the weight is a mystery to me. The tablet weighs 500g, which, compared with the iPad's 730g, sounds reasonable, until you remember that it's less than half the size. This makes it heavy when it's compared to an iPad, despite the weight. As another comparison, the similar-sized Galaxy Tab weighs only 350g. The tablet does not feel nice in the hands. The buttons are situated on either side, and are deceptively physical. It took me a few moments to realise that simply tapping them would not suffice. The actual button is hidden under a layer of false brushed metal to make it perfectly flush, being seen only with it's icon. Considering that, on most devices, this means the buttons are not actually buttons, but capacitative, the intuition I got was to tap them rather than press them. This design will, I think, do nothing to help the device's popularity. As stated above, also, they are situated on either side, with the standard Android keys (sans search) on the left, and three others, call, hang up, and select, on the right. The redundant call and hang up buttons are ones I have found nothing but annoyances on most touch-based phones, as you usually have a phone button on the home screen, and hanging up is always possible on-screen too. But I can see the point of them on the T-Touch Tab, which I'll go into in more detail in the software section. The kickstand, as opposed to the kickstand of the EVO, or the HD7, is massive. It's a U-shaped strip of metal running from end to end of the device on the back. The kickstand adds more weight and could easily have been handled better. I wasn't able to test the functionality, however, because it was actually taped on to the device I was using. Also, the device was secured to a stand. The screen also leaves more to be desired. Compared to the iPhone 4's high-density display, the Nokia N8's polarised AMOLED screen, the Super AMOLED of the Samsung Galaxy S, or even the relatively low-density LCD on the Samsung Galaxy Tab, the screen of the T-Touch Tab is pitiful. It has a 800x480 screen, compared to the Galaxy Tab's (same sized) 1024x600 screen. The screen is, while approximately three times the size, the same resolution as the HTC Desire, Galaxy S, and most 3.7 to 4.3 inch phones. The lower resolution is noticable, certainly, and really lowers the quality. But that's not the main problem. The main problem is the colours. The screen looks very washed out. Every colour looks too light. It could be because of the plastic screen, but I doubt it. It seems to be just a bad quality screen. The best thing I can say about the hardware: The 7-inch form factor is a good one. This was my first experience of a device this size, and, contrary to Steve Jobs' espousal, it works. I quite like the size of the screen. It's good for portability, it's big enough that it's more useful than a phone. Software: The T-Touch Tab is running a heavily skinned version of Android 2.1. The skin is very strange. It manages to optimise the OS for a tablet, albeit badly, while also removing most of the familiar Android functions. The biggest change is the notifications. In Android, when you pull down from the top of the screen, a sort of 'curtain' drops down with your notifications on it. On the T-Touch Tab, the notifications are opened by tapping an 'i' button in the top right corner. This button only comes up when there's new notifications, and as far as I know, the notifications don't show up in the bar. The top bar has the normal right-side info, such as battery, 3G connectivity, Wi-Fi, etc. It also contains a totally redundant back button, which is right next to the physical back button. The notification bar is at least twice the size of the regular one, and takes up screen space, quite a lot of it, too, because it is landscape by default. The home screen, too, is quite skinned. Instead of 5 homescreens with very little on them, the T-Touch has some homescreens with custom widgets, and preset icons, and one blank screen. They are navigated not through swiping, but by pressing buttons, labelled "Home", "Entertainment" "Web", "Communications" and "Favourites". Favourites is blank, and the rest are full of icons, useless added widgets, and stock widgets that were cut off oddly. I found the swiping to be laggy, perhaps explaining the implementations to stop people doing it, but, I think, if people know Android at all, they'll swipe. The browser is unchanged. This is odd, because the extra screen real estate is a good reason to make the browsing experience easier, with tabs, back-forward, refresh buttons, etc. The unchanged browser puts it at a disadvantage, and makes it harder to use. The browser was probably the most important modification they could have made, and it's odd that they didn't. The other big non-change is the keyboard. This is an even bigger problem. The keyboard is stock Android, which is already critisised, and it isn't helped by the stretching, and especially the resistive touchscreen. The hard pressing required (no stylus is included) pretty much prevents fast typing. The keyboard is a pain to type on. As I said earlier, the physical call/hang up keys work on this device. This is because, for some reason I cannot fathom, they didn't skin the phone app. To answer a phone call in Android, you need to drag a slider along from the left to the very right, which, on this landscape screen, is over 5 inches. I was having trouble dragging my finger along to switch homescreens, so answering calls with the slider would be, I imagine, difficult at best. Overall The T-Touch Tab is a device that combines bad hardware with bogged-down software for the worst user experience possible. If this was the first experience I had of Android, my opinion of the platform would be significantly lowered, especially with two WinPho devices sitting next to me, blazingly fast. I would not recommend this tablet to anyone, ever. If you want an Android tablet on the cheap, I'd recommend the Nook colour over this. Really, don't get it. -- Well, that's that. Next, I think, either a WinPho or the Nokia N8. Rav
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I've been looking at getting a Kindle for a while now, and I noticed something very odd - the Kindle seems to be going for more on eBay than it is on Amazon. Why is that? Why can I buy a Wi-Fi only Kindle for $150 on Amazon but it costs $230 on ebay? The Kindle DX is selling for $500 on eBay but $300 on Amazon. I can only find a single Kindle that is below RRP, a Wi-Fi only Kindle 3. But it's an auction, so it'll probably end up higher. Why is this happening? Why is a site known for savings selling things for more than they're worth? Ah well. If I get a good price on my DSi I should get my Kindle three weeks from now or so. Rav
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Now this is simply unfair. The HTC Aria just got the new Sense, so now pretty much every HTC phone ever has a decent Froyo ROM except the Legend. Meanwhile I have a slow and dying phone with 2.1 and practically no developer support. Ugh. If only I could afford a new phone >.> Rav
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Wow. WinPho looks very very very nice. But unfortunately I fear it may be at the compromise of function. I can't wait for it, though. If I had money I'd pick up one, probably an HTC Surround, but I'd also pick up a Palm Pre 2, probably first, because I want WebOS! But before that I'd need to upgrade my Android, obviously. OK, Desire HD, Pre 2, Surround, that's the new list Too bad all the phones need to be expensive and high-end. Oh that's right, I just remembered! There's a company called Synapse-Phone that is making custom Android phones! They come with rooted 2.2, 1GHz and 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, with customisations like camera MPs, flash type, RAM (up to 1GB), storage, SD Card, Bluetooth version, Wifi version, and 3G type. It looks awesome, I want to check it out. Supposedly ships February 2011. Anyone here buy me one for my bday? Rav
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Yesterday I made the computer able to dual-boot Ubuntu 10.10, Maverick Meerkat. I'm quite liking it overall, but there are a couple of bugs I've found. I might use this as my main operating system, even. I'm also thinking of getting a Magic Trackpad, which hopefully would work on Ubuntu, and maybe even work on my netbook, because the actual trackpad is horrid on my netbook. Not much else going on. Rav
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Which one would you prefer? Spec-wise they match up quite well - the HD has more RAM, other than that, they're identical (although, the Z's processor is underclocked to 800MHz). There's two main differences: Screen size (4.3-inch vs 3.7-inch) and physical keyboard (none vs one). I'm not sure myself - I like the HD's screen, but I also like a keyboard. The trackpad on the Z would be nice, and the battery cover on the HD is the same as the Legend's (which is a feature I somewhat detest). So I guess the Z is my choice. What do you think? Keyboard or massive screen? And which do you think will be more popular? Rav
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Looks amazing. Sense didn't use to be this awesome. Cached maps, skins, remote wipe, and more! New phones! Desire Z: Qwerty 'slider', 3.7-inch, 800MHz Snapdragon with awesome GPU, and the new Sense. Desire HD: 4.3-inch, 1GHz Snapdragon with awesome GPU, and the new Sense. Images link to their respective pages. I want the Desire Z. It'd replace my Legend, the Galaxy S would be the other one. Which is something else I don't have. And a Galaxy Tab. Too much to want, no money! Rav
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I've got it. We all know owning Apple products make you cool, right? So: coolness = (amount of Apple products in house * avg. of last two digits of their release dates) / 10 Or in short form: C=AR/10 Problem solved. This equation is perfect. It's arranged so that owning a Newton is around 10 times cooler than owning an iPad, and 100 times cooler than owning a 1st gen iPod. Genius! My coolness is 5, btw. What's yours? Rav
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It's that time of the year again. Apple announced it's new iPods, which all look pretty awesome. The new Touch is basically an iPhone without a phone, in every sense. It's thinner than the old one, with an A4, a retina display, and two cameras, one shooting 720p video, the other front-facing. It runs iOS 4.1, and is just generally awesome. The new Nano is tiiiiiiiiny! It's got a 1.7" touchscreen, and that's about it. Three buttons (on/off, vol. up, vol. down), a headset jack, and a 30-pin jack. And the touchscreen. It looks to be running a heavily altered iOS 4. No app store, though. And the display isn't quite retina. Lost camera and video playback. Oh and it has a clip like the old Shuffle did. The new Shuffle got buttons back. Pretty much the same as second gen, but a little smaller. This is Apple's new shtuff. Oh booy. I might get a new iTouch, probably not though. I want my Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab now! Rav
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I just re-flashed Sense, to use the camera for a QR code, and I realised how much better I like Froyo. Stock Android needs no skin, all it needs before it's perfect is the FriendStream, Twitter, and Calendar widgets from Sense, or ones that function the same. Froyo rules! Also, I have three days to get a 1000-word assignment in that I haven't even done the research for. How will I get it done!? D= I thought I would be able to shake this blasted procrastination. Rav
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It's these sorts of things that make me NOT want to sell my Legend. Maybe. I said this in the Android topic, but Froyo's AWESOME! =D Yay! =D Rav
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Today, I successfully rooted my Legend. I just flashed my first ROM to it, 'L'espresso', an Espresso Sense UI for the new T-Mobile MyTouch Slide. It's working! =D Looks pretty neat so far, it's quite cool with all the -- WHAT THEY REMOVED TWITTER! Twitter integration on the MyTouch Slide is NON EXISTANT! No twitter app Not even an option to sync twitter to FriendStream. *goes looking for the HTC twitter widget, crying "No, come back, I love you!"* By the way the customisation options avaliable by rooting are amazing. Everyone should definitely root their phone. It's easy, too - Legend was supposed to be a more difficult process, but once I realised what I was doing wrong, it was literally a few words in the cmd. Rav
