Friday, February 28, 2014

Game changer: why I'm excited for Project Ara, and you should be too

Game changer: why I'm excited for Project Ara, and you should be too
Ara borealis (credit: dscout.com/ara)

When Ransom Olds developed the modern assembly line (a little history lesson to liven up your day), it sparked a revolution of process that we still employ. Ford went on to perfect it, and since the early 20th century, cars and much more have been produced in a near-seamless fashion, all thanks to a change in manufacturing.

I don't know why, but Google's Project Ara has me excited in a way I haven't felt about technology in a long time.

No, scratch that, I do know why. The up-swell in my gut and tingling in my toes must have been what industrialists felt when the first four-wheelers started rolling out off assembly lines; this could change the way we do things forever.

For me, Project Ara isn't so much about the hardware, though there is magic in mixing and matching your phone parts, than it is about revolutionizing the way we produce and access means of communication.

Modern machines

In discussing Project Ara with someone whose opinion on tech I trust, he played advocate for the pre-fab phone, "Why not just buy something that has all the pieces right there [points to his iPhone], and that works?"

His point was fair and it's not like Project Ara and other modular gadgets will do away with integrated, self-contained smartphones forever. That'll never happen.

But the fact that we are so close to having choice, real choice, when it comes to what parts constitute the things that live in our pockets is undeniable. And undeniably exciting.

Google isn't the first or only company working on modular phones, but it's certainly the most prominent. The Advanced Technology and Projects group spearheading the project is quite serious about making modular phones work, and addressed many of the questions surrounding the tech in a recent Time profile.

For the questions it couldn't answer, like how do all the parts keep from scattering when someone drops their Ara on the train, ATAP assured that it's at least considering all the variables real life, not just lab tests, throws a phone's way.

Democracy, now

Still, innumerable question marks remain as to how this will all work, including making the components on a large scale and at a reasonable price. Google is working with a 3D printing firm to develop a system to crank out customized Ara parts, but developing and producing are two very different things.

Perhaps even more pressing, as a Fierce Wireless column from October 2013 addressed, is whether people want modular phones to begin with. Consumers were taken with the Moto X's Moto Maker, but then they were only picking out case colors and accents. Do consumers, not just enthusiasts, actually want to take the time and take on the stress of choosing their phone's nuts and bolts?

I can't answer that question, but I think once Google has a working model, it should sway many minds either way.

At the heart of Ara is the issue that has influenced some major moves lately; how to reach the next billion-plus internet users. Just as Facebook spent a ridiculous amount of money to acquire WhatsApp, Google seems to be going whole-hog on a solution to reach people it hasn't already with cellular technology.

What's more, Ara is about opening hardware in the same way Android has opened software - put it in the hands of the many as opposed to the grip of a few.

The assembly line of Industrial tycoons was about wresting control and turning greater profits for those in charge. Google will be far from a passive and non-profiting owner of Project Ara, but if it can bring more choice to consumers and more opportunity to get in the game to developers who want to make phone components, I say more power to you.

Power play

Of course, it can't be ignored that Project Ara phones would only further expand Google's reach, slipping its fingers into corners of the world still untouched by the technology prevalent in developed countries.

Gaining more Android, Gmail, Google Now, Google+, Google-whatever users would only stand to benefit Mountain View and its advertising partners.

The company thrives on hyping new tech may be years away from public release. Whether it's genuine good-will and enthusiasm or a way to keep antsy investors satiated or both, the fact that a company as big as Google dares put its name and money on the line bodes well for the modular phone future.

There's much bemoaning the lack of "wow" in today's smartphones, but from where I stand, a new kind of wow is right around the corner.

Can Google succeed where other modular phone makers have failed? It stands a better chance than most, though the hurdles are undeniable. Pieces are waiting to be fit, but Google has fit squarer pegs into rounder holes before.


Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/game-changer-why-i-m-excited-for-project-ara-and-you-should-be-too-1229889

Lenovo and Ashton Kutcher are about to Punk the smartphone industry

Lenovo and Ashton Kutcher are about to Punk the smartphone industry
Lenovo's most recent phone, the Vibe Z, appeared at CES 2014

Playing iPhone creator Steve Jobs in a film doesn't qualify you to design actual smartphones yourself, but don't tell that to Ashton Kutcher and Lenovo.

The actor who "Punk'd" people in the early oughts teamed up with the tech company in 2013, and now he's helping it design a line of smartphones that will come out later in 2014, Lenovo has announced.

Lenovo Chief Marketing Officer David Roman dropped this unlikely news on Re/code, telling the site that Kutcher is actually the real deal.

"I know on one level, it sounds corny, but it is real," Roman said. "He not only sees himself as an engineer, but he is an engineer. If he sees a problem, he wants to solve it."

If you say so

Kutcher signed on as a product engineer with Lenovo in 2013, appearing in ads and helping the company develop and promote its Yoga Tablet line.

When it comes to the new Lenovo phones Kutcher will have a heavy hand in designing the user experience, Roman said.

The actor who played Kelso on That '70s Show may not have any design credentials, but in fact he has been involved in the tech world for a number of years, having invested in start-ups like Foursquare, Airbnb and Uber and co-founder the venture capital group A-Grade.

He even gave a rousing speech about social media and tech investments at CTIA 2013.

Does that mean he can help design a decent smartphone to follow up Lenovo's Vibe Z? For that we'll just have to wait and see.

  • At least Kutcher isn't designing the iPhone 6 (as far as we know)

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/lenovo-and-ashton-kutcher-are-about-to-punk-the-smartphone-industry-1229890

Sony Xperia M2 pricing details revealed in Netherlands

Details on the pricing of the freshly announced Sony Xperia M2 made the rounds in Netherlands. The mid-range device is said to launch in April for €289.

The smartphone will be offered with free multimedia content when available. It will include three Sony Pictures movie downloads and a free month of Music Unlimited streaming which gives access to over 25 million songs.

Sony Xperia M2 features a 4.8” qHD display and Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SoC, tucked into a sleek-looking body with the same design as that of the company’s high-end Android devices. You can find out more about the device in our MWC hands-on.

Source (in Dutch)


Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_m2_pricing_details_revealed_in_netherlands-news-7951.php

The all new HTC One leaks out wearing AT&T branding

The highly anticipated HTC One successor made yet another unscheduled appearance on Twitter. This time around @evleaks posted a press image of the upcoming smartphone with AT&T branding.



The newly leaked image shows the HTC M8 with an aluminum finish and brings no surprises. It falls right in line with previous press photo leaks where the device appeared in gold, as well as black and gray.

HTC M8 will be released next month, on March 25, likely as the All New One. We will be attending the event, so be sure to tune in for the full scoop on the device.

Source


Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/the_all_new_htc_one_leaks_out_wearing_at_t_branding-news-7950.php

New HTC One price revealed?

New HTC One price revealed?
Touching down on March 25

The new HTC One is the next big anticipated phone of 2014, and the price of the handset might have just been leaked online.

Mobile Fun is pricing the phone at £579.99 (around $968, AU$1080), however the validity of this pricing is unfounded beyond the claims of the site itself.

A spokesperson from Mobile Fun told TechRadar that the price had been confirmed by one of the site's suppliers who will be shipping the phone the moment it goes on sale.

Less than a month to go

Given the lack of any other source information, we'll remain cautious about this one for now.

The HTC One went on sale for about £500 when it launched last year, so this price is a little higher than expected although not ludicrous enough to be totally unbelievable.

Not long to go now, anyway. The new HTC One will be revealed on March 25.

  • Everything else you need to know about the new HTC One right now

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/new-htc-one-price-revealed--1229806

Acer will make a Windows Phone after the OS hits 15% in EU

Acer's smartphone strategy is currently focused solely on making Android smartphones but that may change if Windows Phone reaches 15% market share in Europe. The company's VP of Smartphones Allen Burnes said in an interview that Acer wants to see more demand from consumers on WP before they take risks with Microsoft's OS.

The Acer Allegro is the only WP smartphone the company has made so far. Now, almost three years from its launch, the company still hasn't made a second one, but that may change sooner than you think.

According to a recent report by ABI Research, WP sales have more than doubled in a year. Reports from Strategy Analytics and Kantar World Panel also share similar data.

Not everyone shares Acer's vision on Windows Phone, though. Sony has been rumored to be currently in talks with Microsoft to make a Windows Phone under the Vaio brand. An official photo of an upcoming Samsung WP has also leaked just yesterday.

Source | Via


Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/acer_will_make_a_windows_phone_after_the_os_hits_15_in_eu-news-7948.php

Apple may stop iPhone 5S Touch ID 'forgetting' your fingers

Apple may stop iPhone 5S Touch ID 'forgetting' your fingers
Touch problems should hopefully fade to black

Not long ago, we reported that a number of iPhone 5S users were complaining of a "fade" issue with the iPhone 5S Touch ID scanner, causing it to forget your fingerprints over time.

Now a source "familiar with Apple's development plans" has said that the company is preparing to release a software update that could fix the problem.

The source, speaking to Appleinsider, said that Apple is aware of the problem experienced by early adopters of the 5S, and will release a free software update "relatively soon".

Give it the finger

It's unclear whether this will be part of iOS 7.1, which is expected to arrive mid-March, or its own standalone update.

Users who have experienced "fade" have temporary fixed the problem by reconfiguring their prints, however it's only taken weeks for the problem to appear again.

Touch ID: genuinely useful or a passing gimmick?


Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/apple-may-stop-iphone-5s-touch-id-forgetting-your-fingers-1229762

A smartphone odyssey: from MWC to the stars

A smartphone odyssey: from MWC to the stars
Mobile World Congress brought together most of mobile's major players (credit: Mozilla)

Sometimes we wonder if we had too much cheese before bedtime and we're dreaming of mad stuff such as Nokias running Android or Samsung making a smartwatch that isn't hideous and rubbish. But no! These aren't fromage-fuelled flights of fancy: they're real!

This week was all about Mobile World Congress, or MWC to its friends. It's where the great and the good of the mobile world come to strut their stuff, and that means it's possibly the most important trade show in the tech calendar.

Samsung was all over MWC, and while the Samsung Gear Fit wearable was pretty impressive the big news was the launch of the Galaxy S5. The launch wasn't a surprise, and neither was the phone: surprisingly, it turned out to lack any surprising new features.

It's the iPhone 5S to the Galaxy S4's iPhone 5, a device that "takes the DNA of [its predecessor] and improves on it in most areas," as Gareth Beavis reports. The gimmicks of the S4 are gone; this time "the phone has focused on what users might actually want." It doesn't reinvent the smartphone, but it has "a great camera, strong screen, impressive packaging, a waterproof casing and a blazingly fast engine pumping things along."

Making a splash

This year's trend appears to be waterproofing. The S5 won't be damaged by a dunk, and neither will Sony's rather nifty Xperia Z2. If you're thinking, "hang on! Didn't Sony release a flagship phone just a couple of months ago?" you're right - the Xperia Z1 has barely cut its first tooth.

"And yet here we are at MWC 2014 seeing the Xperia Z2, and it's a much better handset," Gareth says. If you thought the Z1 was pretty good, the Z2 is better still. The camera's better, the performance is fantastic and the screen's lovely.

Sony had another Z2 to show us too, the Xperia Z2 Tablet. Like its similarly named smartphone sibling, the Z2 tablet is a sequel, and once again there's more power, more RAM and a nicer screen. The speakers are better too. It's not going to set the world on fire, but that's because "Sony had already overachieved on that front in 2013." The Z2 is "a really great tablet."

Motorola had some nifty things to show us too. The firm formerly owned by Google had a "tigerish" MWC, Patrick Goss says: we "saw Moto variously hitting out at ugly wearable tech, announcing that a Motowatch was on the way, insisting that leaving Google was a good thing and laughing off questions of Motorola's demise.

Another big name came out swinging at this year's MWC: Nokia, which unveiled its Nokia X range of smartphones. The phones run a forked version of Android, which is interesting when you remember that Nokia's currently being acquired by Microsoft.

The phones are pretty nice, but don't expect to see them in your local smartphone emporium: they're aimed at the same developing market where ultra-cheap Android phones are selling in huge numbers, and the use of Microsoft services such as Outlook, Bing and OneDrive means they might act as an on-ramp for Windows Phone.

Android agitations

"Microsoft could actually benefit from Nokia's experimentation with Android," says Max Slater-Robbins: "all profits… go to Microsoft without having to spend money on building the features Android has and Windows Phone lacks." In a world where "Microsoft's services are its future, having hardware that supports that is no bad thing."

Remember HTC, which used to set the Android agenda? These days it can't even seem to get its product names right. HTC Desire 816, anyone? The name's a shame, because "there's plenty we love about it", says Hugh Langley: it looks nice, the screen's sharp and it has dual Boomsound speakers "for those spontaneous disco emergencies."

Ah, but can it survive in space? We strapped James Rogerson to a space rocket to find out. No, not really - but we did ask him to find out how well smartphones could cope in orbit. The answer, it seems, is not very well: thanks to space monsters, radiation and extreme temperature, space isn't the best place for a smartphone. No, not even a Samsung Galaxy.


Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/a-smartphone-odyssey-from-mwc-to-the-stars-1229295

If you're on Three then you now have 4G

If you're on Three then you now have 4G
4G 4 all (sort of)

All Three customers are now on a 4G tariff as the network's roll-out continues across the UK.

You shouldn't be paying any more money for the 4G connection but if you have a 4G-friendly phone and are in one of the 36 towns and cities that Three has hit the 4G 'go' switch on, then you should be browsing at 4G speeds.

Three says there should be 50 cities and over 200 towns rocking its brand of 4G by the end of 2014, with 98% of the UK covered by the end of 2015.


Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/if-you-re-on-three-then-you-now-have-4g-1229649