Just barely giving us a chance to look upon the Nexus 10, a new five-second video has been posted to tease the masses. The tablet was supposed to be announced on Monday, but this will suffice for now.
We’re not sure why this video wouldn’t be extended into something mildly satisfying, but as it is, we have a five second video of the Nexus 10 in action. The latest Nexus tablet was set to be announced at Google’s event on October 29, since cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy.
BriefMobile, an organization responsible for previous Nexus 10 leaks, posted the video. It doesn’t show much, but exists more as additional proof to the 10-inch tablet’s existence. Unfortunately, it’s still kind of goofy looking with an overly rotund appearance. The video’s length is definitely odd (we can’t get over it) and if anyone knows why it had to be this short then please tell us.
Said to be manufactured by Samsung, the Nexus 7′s sequel will logically feature some bumped up internals. The oddly round design isn’t our favorite, but there’s no denying a 10-inch Nexus tablet is a good idea if competing with Apple is the goal here (it is). Specifically, the Google Nexus 10 is rumored to run on a dual-core 1.7GHz Samsung Exynos processor with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. The screen is an impressive 2560×1600 pixels, being called “retina-grade.”
NFC is on-board as is typical of a Google device. The camera is allegedly 5-megapixels and Android 4.2 will be preinstalled, still carrying the Jelly Bean title. We covered some rumors surrounding Android 4.2 earlier, said to bring multiple user accounts and quick settings in the notification tray.
What do you think of Google’s latest Nexus tablet? Do you prefer it to the iPad?
SmartGlass now available on Android as well as Windows 8
Microsoft has pushed out the Xbox SmartGlass app for Android, somewhat earlier than expected.
The second-screen application, which arrived on Windows RT on Friday, allows users to control features like Internet Explorer and Bing by typing and zooming on the handset, rather than the awkward gamepad.
Users can navigate around the user interface with swipe and tap gestures and select from the vast arsenal of entertainment content now available to enjoy on the Xbox 360.
The app also acts as a remote control, allowing users to play, pause, rewind and forward audio and video content, while it can also be used to track achievements, edit profiles and message Xbox Live friends.
Surprise launch
The timing of the launch is somewhat surprising as it had not been expected on Android until early 2013.
Xbox SmartGlass will be a piece of the Windows Phone 8 operating system, which will not be available until early next month, so Android users get a head start over Microsoft's own mobile user-base.
Microsoft also plans to launch the SmartGlass app for Apple's iOS platform, but that is yet to see the light of day.
The Samsung-made Google Nexus 10 tablet managed to get itself caught on camera yet again, after its video appeared the other day. The video is very short but does, briefly, show the new lockscreen layout and takes a quick look at the homescreen.
The Nexus 10 underneath an Ace Iconia A100
Sadly the video itself isn't properly set up so we can't have a good lock at the screen but perhaps the previously leaked photos can be of some help.
The Google Nexus 10 will sport a 10.1" display of 2560 x 1600 resolution, which amounts to the impressive 299 pixels per inch and even outdoes Apple's iPad's "Retina". Under the hood the Nexus 10 will be driven by a dual-core Exynos 5250 SoC with two Cortex-A15 cores clocked at 1.7 GHz and the potent Mali-T604 graphics processor.
The Nexus 10 was supposed to make an appearance tomorrow at Google's New York event but sadly it has been postponed due to Hurricane Sandy.
The threat caused to the U.S east coast by Hurricane Sandy has caused Google to postpone Monday's Android launch event.
The company was expected to announce its latest line up of Nexus products as well as improvements to Android Jelly Bean in New York at 10am ET (2pm UK time).
However, with the megastorm moving its way up the eastern seaboard throughout the weekend and public transport services suspended in New York City, Google has decided it's better to be safe than sorry.
As yet, the company is yet to announce when the event will now take place.
The brief statement read: "We are canceling our Monday morning event in New York due to Hurricane Sandy. We will let you know our plans as soon as we know more."
Longer wait
It means a longer wait for the LG Nexus 4 smartphone, which was set to go on sale on Tuesday.
A Samsung Nexus 10 tablet has also mean heavily tipped, while a 32GB 3G-capable Nexus 7 tablet is a near certainty also.
TechRadar will bring word of when the event will now take place as soon as it is announced.
Tablets are the hottest thing in mobile and everyone has one to announce. Apple and Microsoft laid out offerings this week and Google will follow next week. Just don't try to jailbreak one because it's against the law now. All this and the best apps and games in the Weekly Mobile Wrap.
Voters in swing states are going to have it bad for the next few weeks. Between the phone calls, mailers, and emails from campaigns looking to secure a vote that may help decide the outcome of the election. People that don’t yet own a tablet may have just as bad. Between Apple and Microsoft’s announcements this week, Google next week, and Microsoft again just because they can, every major player is looking to secure those last few tablet-less folks to vote with their wallets. It’s all about grabbing headlines at this point in a campaign, so here’s all the news from the week that was October 21-26, 2012.
New iPads in all sizes
In a completely unexpected and out of nowhere announcement that hasn’t been rumored for months, Apple finally made the iPad Mini a reality this week. Perhaps the greatest achievement of Apple with this product is its ability to make a 7-inch tablet that they don’t have to call a 7- inch tablet. The idea of such a pointless device was loathed by Steve Jobs, so Apple CEO Tim Cook made sure this wasn’t just any 7-inch tablet–it’s a 7.9 inch tablet. Speaking of innovation no one asked for, Apple also gave the bigger brother iPad a little refresh as well. Owners of the third generation iPad will notice a slightly improved processor, camera, and another $500 missing from their wallet. We have a feeling no matter how much we crack wise at Apple, it will get the last laugh in its profits.
Microsoft announces Windows 8 to whoever will listen
Microsoft had perhaps the biggest announcement that got to live in the Apple-shaped shadow that was cast this week. It’s Windows 8 operating system was officially introduced to the world. This should be a moment of great excitement for the company. Bill Gates sure seems happy about it and there are definitely people rooting for Windows 8 to be the next big thing. What could possibly go wrong? What’s that? Microsoft over thought the naming process of the tablet OS choices and it requires far more explaining than it should? There’s a shocker. Growth of the Windows Phone Store is slowing with the new OS cycle starting? That’s promising. Despite being the maker of the flagship offerings for Windows Phone 8, Nokia just announced a new handset running Windows Phone 7? Seems like there would have been some sort of memo for that. Well it’s getting good reviews at least, right? Oh. Maybe Windows 9 will be the real winner.
Everything good is illegal
The man’s always trying to keep you down. Things haven’t changed a bit with the new rules in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Everything cool that you like to do to your phones and tablets will be made illegal. If you plan on unlocking your phone without permission from your carrier, do it soon. As of January 2013, it’s going to be against the law. Here’s the irony: Most people unlock a phone to take it to another carrier. Odds are good that your current carrier won’t sign off on that. Adding to the irony is the fact that it’s still legal to jailbreak a smartphone, but doing so to a tablet will get you slapped with a fine. They also qualify everything from laptops to mobile gaming devices as “tablets,” so good luck trying to explain that your phone with a 5-inch screen isn’t a tablet. Maybe we shouldn’t allow people who barely know how to define technology make laws about it.
Fresh New App of the Week
Dragon Mobile Assistant (Free, Android) – Siri who? Dragon Mobile Assistant essentially a direct answer to the popular iOS assistant. For Android devices running Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean, this app will allow you to dictate commands to your phone and have it perform tasks without having to do the work yourself. From making calls or sending texts to receiving directions while driving, this app aims to give you all the help you need. Dragon has been behind tons of voice communication apps, so we expect good things from this one as well.
Xbox SmartGlass (Free, Android) – A must for any Xbox gamer, the SmartGlass app turns your Android device into an extension of your Xbox experience.
RedditNote (Free, iOS) – You already waste all your time on Reddit so you might as well make it a pleasant visual experience. Browse the site in style with this app.
Fresh New Game of the Week
Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 ($3, iOS/Android) – The third installment in a game based on a web comic that talks about games has made its way onto the mobile platforms. Packed with to the brim with humor and inside jokes for readers of the comic and adventure and old-school gaming action for fans of throwback RPGs, this is a must-have game for fans and newcomers alike. It’s like taking your favorite RPG from the Super Nintendo and being able to carry it around with you everywhere you go. Prepare for a nostalgia overload.
Zombiewood (Free, iOS/Android) – It’s a game with zombies in it. You know what to do, right? Kill them. The game takes you across movie sets that have been infested by the undead. Lights, camera, shoot ‘em.
He-Man: The Most Powerful Game in the Universe ($1, iOS) – Brawl your way across Eternia and through Castle Grayskull as He-Man. It’s a dream come true for every child of the 80′s.
Having access to a camera 24/7 doesn’t mean you have to use it. In many cases, the world would actually be a better place if you just left it in your pocket.
On a recent episode of Leo Laporte’s podcast This Week in Tech, panelist Dwight Silverman spoke briefly about a concert featuring David Byrne and St. Vincent. Prior to the performance, Byrne told the audience that smartphone photography was encouraged, but that they should put down their iPads.
As anyone who has ever seen a 10-inch screen held aloft in a concert can attest, iPads can be a severe distraction, making Byrne prescient as ever. However, I don’t think he goes far enough. As great as ubiquitous camera access is, we might all be better off if we used our camera phones less often. Here’s why – whether you’re at a concert or just out for a walk in the woods.
It distracts others
Getting close to one of our favorite performers can make us want to document that experience. But no one wants an iPad screen blocking their view. Concerts are best enjoyed when there is little inhibiting the interaction between performers and audience. An iPad between you and the performer on stage will be a significant impediment to appreciating a performance. Bravo, David Byrne, for dissuading the inconsiderate from ruining things for the rest of the audience.
I would actually encourage him to go further, and ban all mobile devices. Phones may not be as large a disruption as a tablet, but they are a distraction nonetheless. Plus, where do you draw the line? “Phablets” like the 5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 2 make the distinction so difficult, it would be far better to simply ban them all.
It distracts you
Not only is shooting video at a performance going to distract others, it will distract you as well.
You only have so much attention to go around. If you want to record a quality video, you have to shift too much of your attention to making that recording good. That leaves little attention left to appreciate what’s happening on stage — and that’s not even considering the distraction of tired arms at the seven-minute mark of a nine-minute song.
Shooting video also prevents you from physically engaging with the performance. If you go see The Hives, you will want to dance or jump around far more than you will want to have a camera in your hands. Trust me.
Audio is better
Nobody wants to see that grainy cell-phone video that you shot from the 40th row. Bootlegging communities for bands like Phish and The Grateful Dead indicate that someone may want to hear an audio recording, though. In that case, you will need better microphones than those in your smart phone.
The $100 Mikey Digital (which attaches to an iOS device) and the $270 Zoom H4n are great for bootlegging. Both will create far better recordings than you can make with a phone alone. The Zoom H4n is especially feature rich, and sounds great as well. I use one regularly and have really enjoyed the recordings it creates.
Bonus: When recording audio, it’s actually a bad idea to move around, and in most cases you won’t change the settings on your recording device, either. This means no bright screens to distract others and less oversight to distract you. Everybody wins!
Just make sure to get performer consent before creating a bootleg, and make sure that they are aware of and approve any releases of the recordings you create.
It trivializes an experience
An emphasis on documentation can also cheapen other experiences by reducing them to a few still frames.
Hiking is a good example, even though I admit I don’t go much myself. Snapping cell-phone shots of a hike trivializes the experience of hiking. Is hiking about a photograph of a far off mountain, or is it about removing yourself from a higher-frequency world to one more tranquil, and moving through a different environment in an enjoyable, strenuous way?
Photos prioritize destinations. Hiking seems to be more about the journey. Plus, is your camera phone really going to do that view justice? If you want an excellent photo, bring a DSLR and some good lenses. Absent that, concentrate on enjoying the view while there, and don’t distract yourself with poor facsimiles of the view to enjoy later.
It intrudes on the experience
One of the most important things about hiking or camping is that it takes you away from technology. Sorry, Tom Haverford, you don’t need DJ Roomba. You need to unplug for a minute and get away from the radiation of the city.
Your Instagram of the campfire does prove that you slept in the woods, but it also hopelessly detracts from that experience. You should be focused on roasting smores, not creating second-rate pseudo-Polaroids with what amounts to a tiny computer. Using high-tech devices to memorialize an experience that is largely defined by getting away from high-tech devices seems to miss the point.
It creates clutter
Our ability to easily capture photos, video, and audio anywhere we go with nearly unlimited storage adds a nearly impossible amount of clutter to our lives. Take photos, for example. You aren’t going to take one photo of that rad piece of graffiti. You will probably take several and then use the best one. You still have to do something with those other photos, though.
If you take hundreds of pictures, then those are hundreds of pictures that you need to deal with. You have to pare them down to the few best ones. They may need to be processed, resized, or cropped. If you want to be careful, the ones that you like most should be backed up somewhere.
This can add a lot of overhead, and most non-photographers don’t have good workflows to get it done. For example: Why do I have a photo of the last pork tenderloin sandwich I had when last in Indiana? There was no reason to take it in the first place. Now it is a useless piece of digital clutter. Plus, it made my phone greasy when I took it, and now I really want a pork tenderloin sandwich — both big negatives.
It makes us worse people
Yes, your friend’s compound fracture is fascinating in a horrifying sort of way, but I might be better off if I didn’t have opportunities to see things like that online. There would be a lot less fodder for /r/wtf (not to mention even less-savory sub-Reddits) if we didn’t all have decent-quality phones in our pockets. And that’s to say nothing of the feelings of the injured party.
We may be at our very worst as a species when we’re rubber-necking for a longer glance at the suffering of others. Ubiquitous camera access feeds this behavior directly, as we take more time to get photos and personally appreciate them later, and vicariously, as we encourage others to enjoy another’s pain with us. Sites like Reddit make this even worse, as the most gruesome injuries will also be rewarded with viral attention.
If we were more restrained with our camera phones, perhaps there would be a little less celebration of the terrible things around us.
Conclusion
David Byrne would never get away with banning cell phones from his performances. The uproar would be too great. This one has to be on us.
The next time you are at a concert, put down the camera phone. Focus more on the performance and you might just enjoy it more. If you are hiking or camping, leave your phone in your pocket. Don’t miss the point of the whole endeavor. And, for goodness sake, if you happen to be at the scene of an injury, accident, or tragedy, have some decency and don’t snap a shot to share online. We might just all be better off.
LauncherPro enables you to add extra functionality to your home screen
Smartphones represent the pinnacle of mobile technology, but they're not without their flaws. For example, we still communicate by texting when really we should be doing it another way. Although most people are happy to accept convention, that doesn't mean we're doing things as well as we can.
Enlightened types, however, understand that the great thing about smartphones - Android phones in particular - is that they can be upgraded to address certain bad habits. A phone's usability can be dramatically improved with a few minor changes to the way we do things.
One great way of cutting down on the amount of typing you have to endure each day is to download the nifty Swype app for Android. Once installed, it integrates with your keyboard settings and replaces the standard Android keyboard with Swype's own, enabling you to - as the name implies - use swipes of the keyboard to form words, instead of having to press individual keys.
It's much faster and surprisingly accurate. Swype is still in beta so it's not yet available on the Google Play store. It comes pre-installed on some Android phones.
Security pattern
Unfortunately, Swype doesn't play nicely with the Android lock screen, so if you want to use its swiping text predication to unlock your screen each time, you'll have to look elsewhere.
Thankfully you won't have to go too far, because you can set a Swype-esque security password using Android's own settings, which enable you to use a pattern instead of a PIN.
In the Settings menu, go to 'Location & security' and tap on 'Change screen lock'. If you already have a password for your phone, enter this and then choose 'Pattern' from the menu. Tap 'Next' and 'Next' once more, then draw your chosen pattern and repeat it to confirm it.
Now, each time you wake your phone from sleep you can simply draw the lock pattern you chose instead of typing words and numbers.
Voice search
If the thought of using your fingers to type more than a couple of words makes you want to hide, there are ways to cut down on your tapping time.
By using Voice Search - which, again, is built into your Android phone - you can do away with your current method of text input and use speech instead.
It's easy to use, and can be used in a variety of situations. For example, when you're searching for something online, just tap the voice button and say what you want to find.
When you're composing a text message, you can say the recipient's name.
You can even dictate sat nav directions to the Navigation app, enabling you to get from A to B quicker.
If you're looking for a more visual way of searching, Gesture Search is the perfect app.
Instead of looking through various menus to find the file or app you want, you simply draw the name of what you're looking for.
Obviously, it's easier to find what you want if you know the full name, but if you don't, the app will learn what you search for regularly, so you'll get more accurate results over time.
Similarly, SwipePad gives you easy access to all the rest of the apps on your phone no matter where you are - whether you're browsing the web, playing a game or adjusting your settings.
Just swipe from a preset corner of your screen towards the centre and your apps magically appear on top of whatever you're doing.
To select one, simply release your finger while you hover over its icon.
Control your talk time
Beyond simple ways of speeding up common tasks on your phone, there are many things you can do to make life with your smartphone easier.
If you find yourself regularly picking up your phone to handle incoming calls, an app called Super Missed Call can seriously cut down on the amount of time you spend dealing with a ringing phone thanks to the way it enables you to control your talk time.
When you want to ignore a caller, you can simply rest your phone on its screen. When you pick it up again, Super Missed Call will automatically phone that person back for you, meaning there's the bare minimum of intervention on your part.
You can even schedule missed calls so that you'll get a reminder to call people back - which is useful if you tend to be forgetful or you just lead a very busy life.
Another way of dealing with all notifications - not just phone calls - is to channel them away from your actual phone to another device so that you can deal with them more efficiently.
When you use Android Notifier, which sends your messages, phone calls or emails from your phone to your desktop or laptop PC, there's no need to get your phone out while you're busy at work - you can deal with everything on one machine.
If you really must have your phone in front of you at all times, Smart Screen is a neat way of making it easier to check what's on the screen. This app enables you to wave your hand over the screen to turn it on or off.
No, it's not a Jedi trick - it works by using the phone's built-in proximity sensor. In case you were wondering, you can adjust the sensitivity of the app so you don't accidentally set it off while it's in your pocket.
Get a handier home screen
The standard home screen on an Android phone isn't really designed with usability in mind. Apps and functions are hidden away in off-screen menus, so there's no way of getting quick access to the things you need.
With a couple of modifications you can make your home screen work the way you want it to. For starters, you can move your favourite apps to the home page so you can access them without delving into the main menu.
If that's not enough, you can go a step further and install LauncherPro, which enables you to fully customise your home screen for maximum usability. This tool enables you to do some really useful things, such as categorising your apps by type (much like on the iPhone). Moving applications into specific folders makes them much easier to find - especially if you have a lot of them installed.
X-plore
Widgetsoid is another great tool that enables you to add functionality to your home screen, giving you access to tools such as Aeroplane mode at the top of the screen.
When you need to manage all the files stored on your phone, X-plore is another great app to speed things up. It shows you all the files and folders as if you were looking at them in Windows Explorer on a PC, making it easy to move things around, rename files or delete folders. You can even open up files and choose which program to access them with.
How to install Swype
1. Get the beta
Go to the Swype website and click on the 'Register' button. Enter your details and shortly afterwards you should receive a confirmation email. Make a note of your one-time account activation code and copy the download URL into your phone's browser to go to the Swype Beta download page. The Swype app will automatically download to your phone - once it's done, find and open it.
2. Unknown apps
Swype will now start the installation process. If you get an error message saying that the app has been blocked, you need to go to 'Settings>Application settings' and check the tick box next to 'Allow installation of non-Market applications' underneath Unknown Sources. Press 'OK' when asked if you want to allow non-Market applications to be installed - you can trust Swype not to damage your phone.
3. Download Swype
Now that you've completed this step, you can install the Swype beta. Go back to the installation screen and tap 'Install'. When it's finished, tap the 'Open' button followed by 'Log in', using your Swype email and password to sign in. On the next screen enter the five-digit key from the registration email and tap 'Submit', then tap 'Download Swype' on the following screen.
4. Final install
Once again, tap 'Install' to complete the installation process and then tap 'Done' to be taken to the app. Tap 'Enable Swype' and then select 'OK' at the next prompt. Check the tick box next to Swype Beta in the following menu. A warning prompt appears where the Android OS informs you that the app might be collecting password data, but the Swype website assures you that this will never happen, so tap 'OK'.
5. Almost done
Hit the back button on your phone to return to the main menu. Tap 'Select Swype' and tap 'OK' at the prompt. Choose 'Swype Beta' from the input method menu, and that's it. Tap 'Finish' if you want to try Swype immediately. Otherwise, tap 'Swype settings' to change your preferences, such as vibration on keypress, or connecting to services such as Facebook.
6. Use it
You can now write with just one hand. Simply swipe your thumb over the letters that make up a word and it'll appear - you don't even need to press the space bar each time. Swype can help you write even faster once you learn its shortcuts, such as swiping from a single letter to the space bar to capitalise it, or copying text by swiping from the Swype key to [C].
With the storm clouds closing in overhead, Google has opted to cancel its Monday event in New York City as Hurricane Sandy approaches. The storm is expected to make landfall on Monday. Google hasn't given word on a replacement event yet.
Google has decided to cancel its Android event in New York City that was planned for Monday October 29. The move came in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy, which is currently looming off the east coast of the U.S. and threatening to make landfall in the New York and New Jersey area by Monday.
One can’t really blame Google for backing out given the hype that Hurricane Sandy is receiving. It’s been described as “unprecedented,” “historic,” and “that storm from The Day After Tomorrow.” Assuming the last prediction is correct, just take cover in a library and you’ll be totally fine. The fear surrounding the storm isn’t from Sandy itself, but the fact that it will likely connect with a cold front and create a nor’easterner/hurricane hybrid. No matter what Sandy turns out to be, it’s enough for Google to close down the playground until a later date.
In its statement, Google didn’t offer much detail, simply stating, “We are canceling our Monday morning event in New York due to Hurricane Sandy. We will let you know our plans as soon as we know more. Stay safe and dry, The Android Team.” There is no word yet on a replacement event, which means we’ll have to wait to get a look at everything rumored to be on display at the October 29 event — unless you find a Nexus 4 in a bar.
Microsoft rejoiced knowing they would finally have the entire spotlight on them, as it plans to show off Windows Phone 8 on Monday in San Francisco. That will have to tide mobile fanatics over until Google reschedules. Until then, and to echo the Android Team’s regards, stay safe if you’re on the east coast.
