App for safer driving wins 11-year-old creator $20,000 prize

An 11-year-old girl from California has bagged a $20,000 prize for creating an app designed to stop drivers texting when behind the wheel.

Though not old enough to drive herself, 11-year-old Victoria Walker is still aware of the dangers posed by texting while behind the wheel. Take a journey on any busy road and you see plenty of drivers checking for new messages on their mobile device while occasionally glancing out of the windshield to see where they’re going. The consequences for some unsuspecting pedestrian, or driver of another vehicle, can be disastrous.

Attending AT&T’s ‘It Can Wait’ hackathon in Los Angeles recently, Walker decided to enter a competition to design an app that would make people think twice about texting while driving. Judges were so impressed with her creation that they awarded her the top prize of $20,000, some of which will go towards bringing the app to market in the coming months.

According to the LA TImes, Walker developed the app, called Rode Dog, with help from David Grau, creative director of an interactive agency called WLDG.

The idea is that smartphone owners with the app link up to form a ‘pack’ – getting friends or family to sign up would be the easiest way to get started. Members of the pack can then check on each other to see if they’re texting while driving. If they are, an audible “bark” can be sent to the texter, which won’t stop until they acknowledge it and turn it off.

Grau confirmed that the continuous barking noise can get “really annoying,” hopefully forcing the driver to discard their handset and get their eyes back on the road. Let’s just hope they don’t have an accident while they’re dealing with the barking noise.

Sixth-grader Walker told the LA Times she got the idea for the app after remembering the racket created by her three dogs when they all kick off together, thinking that the noise they make would probably be bothersome enough to get drivers to think about what they’re doing and stop texting.

Walker and Grau are currently looking at ways to further develop Rode Dog, with plans to create a virtual pet store allowing users to buy other animal noises – like a roaring elephant, perhaps. On second thoughts, a sudden noise like that might be enough to send a startled driver careering off the road. Best stick with the dogs.

If you’re interested in getting hold of the app, head over to its webpage where you can sign up for updates regarding availability.

[Image: lightpoet / Shutterstock]

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/app-for-safer-driving-wins-11-year-old-creator-20000-prize/

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ASUS Padfone 2 will break cover on October 16

ASUS has sent out "save the date" notes for the launch of its Padfone 2 hybrid device. The second generation of the quirky smartphone with a tablet suit will break cover on October 16 at events in Taipei, Taiwan and Milano, Italy.

The specifications of the upcoming device are yet to be known. Rumor has it that the newcomer will pack a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset, 2GB of RAM and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich - a significant boost over the hardware of the original.

While the ASUS Padfone 2's chipset is likely spot-on in the rumors, we doubt that we'll see the device launch with Android 4.0. Given that ASUS is the maker of the Google Nexus 7, it will be a surprise not to see Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on the company’s upcoming flagship.

Source (in Italian) | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/asus_padfone_2_will_break_cover_on_october_16_-news-4837.php

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Maps mess: Apple says it’s ‘just getting started’ with new mapping app, appreciates feedback

Following widespread criticism of its new Maps app, an Apple spokesperson said Thursday that it's "just getting started" with its Google Maps replacement and that "the more people use it, the better it will get." The app was rolled out on Wednesday as part of the Cupertino company's latest mobile operating system, iOS 6.

After reading about Steve Jobs’ robust management style in Walter Isaacson’s biography of the late Apple boss, one can well imagine that if he were alive today the walls of the Cupertino campus would be shaking violently as he vented his anger regarding the iOS Maps fiasco, with a tirade of abuse directed at the team responsible for the new app. The words, “it just doesn’t work,” would probably be bellowed somewhere along the way.

Within hours of iOS 6 launching on Wednesday, tweets, blog posts and news articles started appearing criticizing Apple’s new Maps app – which replaced Google’s equivalent offering – for being, well, not particularly good.

There was mention of an entire city ending up in the sea, a farm being labeled as an airport, and the Sears Tower being shrunken down. And Shakespeare’s home city, Stratford-upon-Avon, had somehow been replaced with a hospital. That’s right, a hospital the size of a city. The Guardian called Maps Apple’s “first significant failure in years.”

Responding to complaints about its new app, Apple spokesperson Trudy Muller told AllThingsD, “We are excited to offer [Apple Maps] with innovative new features like Flyover and Siri integration, and free turn by turn navigation. We launched this new map service knowing that it is a major initiative and we are just getting started with it. We are continuously improving it, and as Maps is a cloud-based solution, the more people use it, the better it will get. We’re also working with developers to integrate some of the amazing transit apps in the App Store into iOS Maps. We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better.”

So there you go, the excuse is that it’s early days. But did they launch it too soon? No doubt at some point in the future, Maps will be a great product and will have little difficulty telling the difference between a farm and an airport, but the question is, how long will it take?

DT’s Molly McHugh outlined the main fixes Apple needs to make with Maps that might allow users to start saying, “It just works.” At the moment, it seems that “it only just works.”

The advice is that if you have an Apple device and rely heavily on navigation in your daily life, don’t make the move to iOS 6 just yet. If you do, the more useful Google Maps app currently on your device will disappear and at the time of writing, Google has no Maps app in the iTunes app store – though this could be about to change. When it does, you’re clear to upgrade to iOS 6.

[Second image: The Amazing iOS 6 Maps]

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/maps-mess-apple-says-its-just-getting-started-with-new-mapping-app/

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Facebook tests Photo Sync, updates Messenger, starts charging for Offers

A spate of Facebook updates to illuminate your Thursday

Facebook has pounded out a handful of updates and trials over the last few days, least of which is a test-run of a new "Photo Sync" service for its Android app.

The Photo Sync functionality, currently open to a select group of users, automatically uploads a photograph to Facebook as soon as it's snapped by a user's smartphone camera.

All photos remain in a private folder named "Synced from Phone," rather than the alternative of potentially compromising pictures appearing directly on the Timeline.

Facebook hasn't revealed if and when the feature will be rolling out to all users.

Messenger and Android apps get a facelift

Beyond Photo Sync, the company has also updated its Facebook for Android and Facebook Messenger apps to enable a new text message-like conversation view for messages.

The apps have also received a significant speed and reliability boost, while users of the standalone Messenger tool can now simply swipe to the left to see who's online.

The Messenger update also lets certain smartphone users - those with HTC's Evo 3D and One X, LG's Optimus Black and Optimus Hub, and Samsung's Galaxy Ace, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy S3, and Galaxy Y - to send texts to their contacts inside Messenger.

As for Facebook for Android, it now has a button in the News Feed's upper-right hand corner that shows which contacts are available to chat.

The app will also show who's active in order to gauge a message's response time.

Users can pick up the updates in the Google Play store.

The update comes about a month after Facebook significantly updated its iOS app - making it twice as fast as its sluggish predecessor

These Android updates aren't as severe, but CEO Mark Zuckerberg has promised a native Facebook for Android client is on the way.

Offers also updated

Meanwhile, in a bid to secure some shareholder-pleasing profits from its mobile app, Reuters reported that Facebook is about to start charging businesses to use Offers.

The Groupon-like Facebook Offers service launched last year and allows local businesses to tempt Facebookers with deals from within their vicinity.

To establish the service, Facebook had offered it to businesses for free, but now they'll have to pay "at least $5" (£3) to run the ads, according to Reuters.

As part of the update, businesses will also have the opportunity to include a QR code into their deals, meaning transactions are now likely to take place outside of Facebook itself.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/software/applications/facebook-tests-photo-sync-updates-messenger-starts-charging-for-offers-1098837

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Facebook adds in-app SMS messaging and makes design changes in latest Android app update

Facebook's latest update to its standalone Messenger and main app for Android users, adds in-app SMS messaging and updates to the user experience.

Facebook is hitting its mobile stride with several new feature announcements today. In addition to offering photo syncing for Android devices, the social network is rolling out an additional update to both the Android Facebook app and Android Facebook Messenger app. Among the updates included is an in-app texting feature.

For Android smartphone owners, the Facebook Messenger app now has the option to text friends directly from within app itself. It’s the latest in a recent line of steps that Facebook has taken to house all forms of communication under its own roof. Now on Facebook Messenger, users can send or receive SMS messages, native Facebook messages, and even emails using the @facebook.com addresses that were allocated to every user months ago.

It’s no secret that Facebook has been trying hard to transform it’s platform into the destination for communication; users already spend hours upon hours doing using it for these means as is. Of course the motivation for Facebook here is that the longer users spend on the site, the higher the chances that Facebook has to earn advertising revenue from its users. Of course, migrating all things to mobile is priority number one over at Facebook, so this new implementation makes all too much sense. 

Before you get ahead of yourself, this specific feature won’t be available on every phone. Currently the list of supported phones, according to TechCrunch, includes the HTC One X, HTC EVO 3D, LG Optimus Black, LG Optimus Hub, Samsung Galaxy Ace, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Samsung Galaxy S3, and Samsung Galaxy Y. Facebook is working on bringing the in-app texting feature to other Android phones.

You’ll recognize some user experience design updates on the Android Facebook Messenger including the ability to quickly access your Friends list simply by swiping your finger anywhere on the left side of the screen. And the look of the Messages page has been updated to a more conversational interface, similar to what you’d see on a native iOS SMS app or any other messenger app.

If you have a handful of Facebook friends that you regularly talk to, you can also now add them to a “Favorites” list.

Facebook’s main Android app has been updated to reflect most of the changes that users would find in the Messenger standalone app.

Facebook has also announced that an update to the iOS version of Facebook Messenger will arrive for Apple users shortly, but it’s highly unlikely that iOS device owners will use Facebook’s in-app SMS feature. Currently it’s not possible for developers to create scripts to read SMS messages from Apple’s native SMS app and display the messages in a third-party app.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/facebook-adds-in-app-sms-messaging/

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Microsoft scores another victory against Google/Motorola in German court

The patent wars are getting apocalyptic

Another ongoing patent war rages on, and once again, things aren't going well for Google-owned Motorola Mobility.

Microsoft won a reported third victory in a German court Thursday, this one granting the Redmond, Wash. tech giant the option of banning several Motorola smartphones and tablets.

All Microsoft has to do is pay a $61.4 million (£3.78) bond, which the company may well consider worth it.

Google has the options of licensing the infringing technology from Microsoft, as Android makers like HTC and Samsung have already done, accepting the ban, or appealing, an option the search firm has said it's considering.

Microsoft and Google/Motorola release statements

The patents in question involve "a method and system for receiving user input data into a computer system having a graphical windowing environment."

No matter how vague that may seem to laymen, the court has sided with Microsoft, and other Android makers have already conceded and begun paying Microsoft royalties.

Only Google (through Motorola) is holding out, and has released a statement that reads, "We are waiting for the written decision and are evaluating our options, including an appeal."

Microsoft, meanwhile, seems quite happy with the ruling: "We're pleased this decision builds on previous rulings in Germany that have already found Motorola is broadly infringing Microsoft's intellectual property," said Dave Howard, Microsoft's deputy general counsel, in a statement.

"We will continue to enforce injunctions against Motorola products in Germany and hope Motorola will join other Android device makers by taking a license to Microsoft's patented inventions," he continued.

Who will scorch the sky?

Global legal battles between companies including Microsoft, Google, Apple, and countless others are becoming increasingly muddled, and it's next to impossible to keep track of them all.

In Germany alone this year, Motorola made considerable strides toward getting Microsoft's Xbox 360 banned from sale; Motorola suffered another loss, this one at Apple's hands, with that coming mere weeks after Motorola and Apple had reportedly reached an agreement in that country.

Meanwhile, the balance between Motorola and Microsoft has tipped in Microsoft's favor in the U.S. as well, with Motorola devices banned by the International Trade Commission in May for an entirely different patent than the one in the German dispute.

Nevertheless, that ITC-ordered injunction didn't stop Motorola from selling infringing Android devices over the summer, and who's to say a similar ban in Germany will be any more effective?

As in the apocalyptic human-A.I. war in The Matrix, it's unknown who in this great battle struck the first blow. The question that remains, though, is who will ultimately scorch the tech market's sky?

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/microsoft-scores-another-victory-against-google-motorola-in-german-court-1098824

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Nokia leaps on Apple Maps app criticism, claims superiority

Nokia tries to score points over Apple

Nokia has used its official Conversations blog to take a thinly-veiled shot at Apple's new Maps application.

The new in-house solution, which replaces Google Maps in iOS 6, has come under fire from some reviewers and users, who've pointed out inaccuracies and shortcomings.

Nokia has taken the opportunity to pounce on the criticism by playing up the strengths of its own Nokia Maps application, which itself has been six years in the making.

The blog post benchmarks Apple Maps against Google Maps and Nokia Maps, drawing attention to Apple's lack of public transport information, offline support, and the presence of turn-by-turn navigation in only 56 countries.

Pretty isn't enough

"Unlike our competitors, which are financing their location assets with advertising or licensing mapping content from third parties, we completely own, build and distribute mapping content, platform and apps," wrote Pino Bonetti of Nokia Conversations.

"In other words, we truly understand that maps and location-based apps must be accurate, provide the best quality and be accessible basically anywhere.

"That's been standard practice at Nokia for the past six years, and we also understand that "pretty" isn't enough. You expect excellence in your smartphone mapping experience."

In other words, brains, not beauty, count when you're trying to get somewhere.

Generally very good

It appears that Apple's new Maps app isn't 100 percent complete at the time of release, a point made clear by a Tumblr blog poking fun with poorly rendered maps and incorrect location data, and other online criticisms.

Despite the criticism, our TechRadar iOS 6 review, found Maps "generally very good," though the reviewer did "encounter a number of errors."

Flyovers - Apple's answer to Street View - are "superb where they're available" although they're limited to a few cities at the time of writing.

Our reviewer found that the level of detail offered in Google Maps will be what most users will miss when using Apple's solution.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/software/applications/nokia-leaps-on-apple-maps-app-criticism-claims-superiority-1098809

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