Mobile Devices - Page 353

Google's upcoming Android 4.0 'Ice Cream Sandwich' will include "full support for stylus input events" in the OS - including features such as pressure sensitivity and the ability to distinguish motion events from different sources; as in a pen or your finger. The support hangs on hardware-level support from tablet and smartphone makers, but hey, the native support in the OS is a big, big start.

This is something Apple have yet to include, and could push ICS in a different direction for smartphones and tablets for people on-the-go. Windows 8 will most likely include the same kind of support, but ICS is here, now.

Google state in the exact words below:

iSuppli have torn the iPhone 4S apart to reveal the stock iPhone 4S 16GB modem carries a build of materials (BOM) of just $188 before factoring in manufacturing costs. Considering manufacturing costs for Apple are quite low because of where they're manufactured, Apple are making a tidy amount of money here.

The 32GB model is virtually identical with a BOM cost of $207 where the 64GB model's BOM is $245. NAND flash is the most expensive part of the iPhone 4S, so this is where the differerence comes into play.

16GB NAND will set you back $19.20 where 64GB is a hike up to $76.80. The electrical system is the most expensive subsystem sitting at $33, followed by wireless capabilities at $23.54 and the display at just $23. The A5 processor powering the iPhone 4S is just $15, while the camera subsystem is $17.60.

Kogan have just released a new low-cost tablet in the UK which is set to target the audience who are unable or unwilling to spend more on a mobile device. The pricing in the UK for the 8-inch tablet is at around the £120 price point where the 10-inch version is just £30 more at £150.

Kogan has a business model which requires no middleman, designing, assembling and delivering low-cost tablets directly to customers. This keeps the prices extremely low. Both tablets sport capacitive touchscreens and a 1GHz processor.

The Kogan Agora 8″ Tablet PC Features:

Well, that was fast, Google. Along with the announcement of the next-gen Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Google have announced their all-new version of their Android OS codenamed Ice Cream Sandwich. Android 4.0 continues the development, ideas and design of the tablet-based Honeycomb, but will go onto smartphones, too.

Android 4.0 is an open source release which means any hardware manufacturer that wants to tinker with it can download the source and sell it with Android 4.0 on top. This is something Honeycomb never offered.

We've talked a bit about Android 4.0 'ICS', but if you haven't seen the news yet, ICS sports unlocking the phone through facial recognition, syncing Chrome bookmarks is now default, built-in NFC powers the new Android Beam app which lets you share content, maps, contacts, app and more by tapping the back of your phone to another NFC-enabled Android device.

Apple have really stumbled with the iPhone 4S launch, yesterday I reported about the various screen issues, and today we have an issue with Siri. Siri, by default, can be activated even if the iPhone 4S is passcode locked. This is great if you are the one wanting to use it, but what if you leave the phone unattended, or, lose the phone altogether?

Anyone who gained access to your Siri-sporting iPhone 4S could take a look at your upcoming calendar appointments and know your every move over the upcoming days, weeks, months and it also gives access to send e-mails or text messages. Thankfully, there are limitations. While the iPhone 4S is passcode locked, you can't launch any apps, you can't send e-mail or text messages to anyone not on your contact list.

But still, the ability to gain access to e-mail, text messaging and your calendar is definitely not good enough. Of course, it can be disabled. In the Passcode Lock settings, you just have to switch Siri to "off". You will still be able to use Siri, just not when the phone is locked. Now as an iPhone 4S user, you have the choice between convenience and security. In my opinion, this should be the default setting: OFF.

Reports coming out of the United Daily News believe that Samsung and AU Optronics have sent 7.85-inch screen samples to Apple for consideration in future products, the rumored iPad mini. Rumors of a smaller iPad have made their way around the Internet a few times now, and are once again doing so. Steve Jobs was against the idea of a 7-inch tablet, being quoted in an earnings call last year that Apple won't make a 7-inch tablet because the screen is too small to express the software.

Jobs believed that developers wouldn't be happy writing app code to accommodate varying screen sizes in the same product line (what about consumers?). Now that new CEO Tim Cook is directing the Apple ship, this could change. An iPad mini would be even more portable than the current offerings as well as costing just a portion of the price, allowing Apple to gain more market share at an even lower price point.

It would also be great competition for Amazon's 7-inch Kindle Fire, as well as the varying GALAXY Tab devices from super-competitor and main threat, Samsung. Apple is expected to unveil the iPad 3 sometime in early 2012 based on the 9.7-inch display. Rumors have again fueled on the iPad 3, with most (including myself) expected it to sport a resolution of 2044x1536.

Motorola have unveiled the RAZR successor, sporting Android, 4G LTE, a 1.2GHz dual-core chip and is constructed from Kevar, is a nice piece of kit. The new RAZR is only 7.1mm thick, making it the thinnest of its kind.

It also sports 1GB of RAM, 16GB of on-board storage, 12.5 hours of talk time, a 1800 mAh battery, 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display with strengthened Gorilla Glass, a steel core and Kevlar fiber, which makes it both strong and lightweight.

On top of all of this, the entire phone, inside and out (including the electronics) have been coated in a water-resistant material, which makes the phone virtually invincible against spills and the elements. RAZR will also also dock with Moto's webtop, and the MOTOACTV, a smartwatch that can sync with the Droid RAZR for on-the-fly updates and functionality.

Samsung has had the advantage when it comes with Google's Ice Cream Sandwich/Android 4.0 OS, but it doesn't mean that other smartphone manufacturers have been left out of the race. HTC have released an official statement to confirm that its looking at Google's latest OS, and combing through its new features and functionality.

HTC say that they're figuring out how to make it happen without forcing sacrifices to the usability and performance of each HTC product. Whatever HTC cook up, it'll be good to see how they integrate their amazing Sense UI with the new Ice Cream Sandwich UI. HTC are careful not to commit to the new Android, and it has not given any particular timeframe or roadmap. The full statement is shown below:

Early adopters, and theres a lot of them (over 4 million reported) may be experiencing issues with their latest Apple-branded magical toy, the iPhone 4S. There is an open discussion on Apple's discussion forum where iPhone 4S owners are reporting issues they are having with their iPhone 4S' display.

The majority of complains are that the iPhone 4S has a yellow tint, especially noticeable when compared and placed next to an iPhone 4. There are other complaints too, with people saying they're experiencing color washouts and contrast in the same discussion thread.

This is the same issue that was experienced on the iPhone 4 when it was first released. The problem with the iPhone 4 display is that the smartphone shipped so quickly after it was built that screens continued to show signs of a yellow adhesive used during manufacturing. Eventually, the yellow residue from the adhesive disappeared leaving a normal looking display.

The Samsung and Google co-event to launch both the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Google's Android 4.0/Ice Cream Sandwich mobile OS has just happened and with it, brings a slew of news for Samsung/Google fans.

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus sports a 1.2GHz dual-core OMAP4460, a 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display pushing 1280x720, Android 4.0/Ice Cream Sandwich, 1GB of RAM, 16/32GB on-board storage, NFC, a 5.1-megapixel rear-facing camera w/LED flash and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. Very nice indeed. The biggest point of that is not actually hardware, but software. Google's Ice Cream Sandwich is set to be the stand-out star here.

The Galaxy Nexus also includes something different, a panorama mode for the camera, as well as Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, accelerometer, compass, gyro, proximity sensor and even a bloody barometer - you know, just in case you wanted to know the current atmospheric pressure.