Sony takes over the Xperia S AOSP project, previews it

Sony announced that it has taken the lead on the Android Open Source Project for its popular Xperia S smartphone. The exercise began back in August when Jean Baptiste Queru, Google’s Technical Lead of the AOSP announced it. The current progress on the Sony Xperia S has been demonstrated in a video, which appeared in the Sony developer’s blog. See it below.

Sony has taken the lead because from Android 4.2 Jelly Bean on, the Xperia S will not remain as the target handset of the main AOSP branch. However, the current progress on the Xperia S will not go to naught – Sony will maintain the AOSP for the device at GitHub, where developers are encouraged to step in and help.

Stock Android 4.1 Jelly Bean has worked out quite well for the Sony Xperia S with most of the hardware functioning properly, including the SD card, Wi-Fi, and all sensors. The audio and modem are also working, but Sony won’t release its binaries right now for proprietary reasons. The next planned step is to bring Android 4.2 to the smartphone.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_takes_the_lead_on_the_xperia_s_aosp_project_shows_it_off-news-5059.php

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HTC Opera UL could be the first Facebook phone

Don't get your hopes up just yet though

The HTC Opera UL will be the first official Facebook smartphone, so says a "very reliable source".

According to Pocket-Lint, an unnamed insider spilled the beans on social network's first handset, claiming that it was indeed in development and that we'd already got the first glimpse of it in a benchmark test.

It's claimed the HTC Opera GL is the name for the handset which is being developed specifically for Facebook, although little else is known about it at this time.

Delays

The benchmark result which the informant refers to reveals the Opera UL sports a 1.4GHz processor, 720x1280 HD display and comes running Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean.

The source did reveal the Opera UL has been subject to delays, it's not clear what the reason is behind this, or indeed how long the handset has been pushed back.

There have been many, many rumours about a potential Facebook phone, none of which have come to fruition, so we're taking this latest news with a heavy dosage of salt.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/htc-opera-ul-could-be-the-first-facebook-phone-1109585

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This cellphone makes a better use of a sugar rush than you ever will

A concept phone utilizes sugary drinks as the power source for a cellphone, making the battery biodegradable.

I’ve been trying to quit soda for the past few weeks thanks to too many hours on Reddit and constant streams of photos that displayed how much sugar was in a can of Coke. As a result, there are untouched cans of soda sitting my fridge with no one to claim them, but it felt irresponsible if I just gave them to the kids next door. If only this eco-friendly concept cellphone existed. The design, by China-based Daizi Zheng, claims that a Nokia phone could be powered solely on sugary drinks. Now there’s an interesting use of leftover Coke that’s much more excitable than cleaning the rust off my pennies.

According to Zheng’s thesis, the phone would contain a chemical board that can form a reaction to utilize sugar enzymes and carbohydrates and convert them into electric power. The phone would work with most sugary drinks; in fact, more sugar means longer battery life. When the sugar and carbs are all used up as battery, you’re left over with a liquid that’s biodegradable, and the phone can be cleaned, refilled, and reused once again.

“Bio-batteries are fully biodegradable and have, on a single charge, a potential life-span three to four times longer than conventional lithium batteries,” Zheng writes on his website. Keep in mind, however, this design would be used with a basic, barebone phone, so no sticky touchscreen and apps here.

Since the design aims to be environmentally-friendly, it’s probably better to use straight sugar water than Coke or other packaged sodas, considering how they tend come in plastic bottles or cans — both of which are already pretty expensive to recycle. Still, it would be cool if the phone doubled as a drink bottle so you can choose to either gulp your soda or conserve it for more phone battery. This rationale would force the user to pick between drinking an unhealthy beverage or forgo it for the sake of your gadget’s usability. However, since the sugar disappears as the phone uses up the battery, it is unlikely that the soda you do end up drinking from the phone would taste any good. We also have to wonder if the fizzy noise would interfere with your sugar high calls.

It’s an interesting approach at multi-purposing a notorious food item, and such a gadget would make a neat science experiment for kids to learn about the wonders (and potential harms) of what sugary drinks means to them, and the chemical world.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/coke-powered-cellphone-concept/

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Jolla to demo MeeGo-based Sailfish OS at Slush Conference next month

Open-source OS codenamed Sailfish to embark from Finland

Jolla's MeeGo-based OS is official saying "me too" in the crowded world of mobile operating systems.

The Finnish smartphone start-up was rumored to introduce its new OS, codenamed Sailfish, as reported by TechRadar yesterday. Now the company is saying when and where.

The Slush start-up conference in Helsinki, Finland will be the venue for the first Sailfish demo. With the event running Nov. 21- 22 - the unveiling is expected to take place on one of those two days.

Jolla is made up of ex-Nokia employees who worked on the Nokia N9 - the only smartphone to run MeeGo despite Nokia's prior commitment to iOS and Android rival.

The new company is promising to continue with a highly scalable, open source version of the OS and UX for smartphones, tablets, TVs, and vehicles.

MeeGo-based Sailfish goes to China

Jolla expects to license its Sailfish operating system to other device manufacturers, design houses and service companies in spring 2013.

One advantage that Jolla has already is a partnership in China with phone retailer D.Phone Group.

"China is a game changer in the technology industry," said Jolla CEO Jussi Hurmola in a press release. "The next big mobile change will come from China and Jolla wants to be enabling it. There are massive resources and competence to transport the whole industry."

Plenty of Sailfish competitors in the sea

Sailfish remains an unproven OS, despite the commitment in China and Jolla's game plan to keep the mobile OS open to community participation.

Google's Android and Apple's iOS are making tremendous gains throughout China, and BlackBerry 10 is set to launch in 2013, around the same time as Sailfish.

What's more, Firefox OS is also throwing its hat in the ring, targeting "budget phones." Samsung could easily do the same with Bada, and Chinese phone manufacturer Huawei is working on a fail-safe OS just in case.

Still, it will be interesting to see what new features this open-source mobile OS has to offer next month, especially knowing that it will continue MeeGo's unique community involvement initiative.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/jolla-to-demo-meego-based-sailfish-os-at-slush-conference-next-month-1102082

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Lumia 822 and HTC 6435 pop up in Verizon's catalogue

The carriers' internal documents have always been a good source for various leaks and so is today's case. Two interesting phones were found in the Verizon's device management system.

The first one is Nokia Lumia 822 (in Gray and White), which might be the Verizon's version of the newly announced Lumia 820. There is nothing really in the entry, just a 4G indications and the database insertion date.

It's the same case with the HTC 6435 – an LTE phone added recently into the carrier's database. HTC is holding a press conference in New York on September 19 and perhaps this would be company's new flagship. According to another leak today, it might be a 5-inch Galaxy Note II competitor.

Source 1 • Source 2

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/lumia_822_and_htc_6435_pop_up_in_verizon_catalogue-news-4770.php

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