Intel – Page 4

Friday Grab Bag- Major Apple iOS 7 Revamp on the Way?

May 3, 2013 by Greg Quick Leave a Comment

Google has started providing its developers with the Glass Explorer edition of the product and they have started to create some of the first generation apps for the eyewear. It already comes with voice recognition software to help users navigate and display data but one developer has taken it a step further.

According to a piece by CBS News an app has emerged that cuts out the need to inform the glasses verbally to take a photo or need to touch any sort of button, all you need to do is wink and the action has occurred. I wonder what happens on a windy day, possibly a flash card collection of your day?

Next Gen Samsung Galaxy Note specs leaked
Samsung, which appears to be in an escalating war of smartphone features with Apple, has had the details of its next generation offering released according to SamMobile. The Galaxy Note III is expected feature a 5.99” full Super HD display and a 13 megapixel camera.

The real wow might be the fact that it could be powered by an eight-core CPU and feature an eight-core GPU as well, which should make it one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful handheld device available. It is expected to ship in the August/September time frame.

Google I/O Schedule Released
If you are waiting breathlessly for mid-May when the Google I/O conference is being held, or even if you are just mildly interested, the kind people at Google have released the schedule so that you can plan your day around the events.

There is a three hour keynote so bring your pillow and over 120 sessions. It will be interesting to see how they top the Google Glass skydiving event from last year. Sail a blimp around San Francisco Bay?

Intel and Samsung the latest to invest in Expect Labs
I hope you like Suri and the related speech programs appearing on devices because it looks like more are coming soon. Intel Capital, Samsung Venture Investment and Telefonica Digital have all invested in Expect Labs, a company that develops technology that analyzes and understands conversations in real-time.

The latest investors join Google and IDG Ventures. The company already has an app available called MindMeld for Apple’s iPad tablets.

Will Apple’s expected iOS 7 cause upheaval
Jonathon Ive, the knighted Apple design guru recently took over Apple’s latest efforts to deliver a new version of the operating system and early reports are that it will appeal to new users but may appall experienced ones.

If this sounds familiar it is what has happened to Microsoft with its Windows 8 release. It is reported that Ive will be taking a minimalist approach to the redesign and is expected to remove a good many of the icons and symbols that adorn the OS today in search of a simpler look.

Filed Under: Android, Apple, Apps, Galaxy Note, Google, Intel, Intel Capital, iOS, Samsung, Smartphone Tagged With: Apple Google, Intel, iOS, Samsung

Malware Growth a Threat to Mobile Users-Even Sports Fans

April 16, 2013 by Greg Quick Leave a Comment

Almost every sports fan that I know has a host of different sports-centric apps on their tablets and smartphones covering everything from leagues wide news to ones that simply focus on an individual team or even player, but there are dangers lying in wait for them.

Everybody is aware that computers can get viruses and malware, annoying applets that do everything from track web sites that are visited to trying to steal passwords, address book and financial information. Now that threat is increasingly coming to mobile devices as well.

A report from antivirus detection company McAfee shows that malware for mobile devices is experiencing a tremendous upsurge and that it is primarily focused on one specific operating system, the Android platform.

The report shows that the rise in malware attacks is experiencing tremendous growth, coming from a relatively low of 792 samples in 2011 to 36,699 in 2012. Of those attacks 97% were against Google’s Android operating system.

While as far as I know no known sports apps have been the focus of a Trojan or any other attack but it is worth noting that it will only be a matter of time. Often scammers will use a tragedy to get past normally skeptical people and have them download an infected app.

The report shows that there are growing numbers of methods to gain complete control of a smartphone, and with the growing use of smartphones as banking and financial tools this could represent a great deal of danger to the average user.

Android, due to the openness of the platform, makes an obvious target for the mobile malware developer. Relatively closed platforms such as Apple’s iOS are much more secure, at least at this point in time.

Filed Under: Android, Apple, Apps, Google, Intel, iOS Tagged With: Android, Apple, iOS, Malware, Sports Apps, virus

Friday Grab Bag: The Cost of Hot Dogs and New Nexus Coming?

April 5, 2013 by Greg Quick 4 Comments

If you cannot get enough of Facebook on your mobile devices this will be very good news. The company has delivered an app called ‘Facebook Home’ that is an Android program which replaces your normal Android home screen.

Scheduled to be launched within the next two weeks the app will also come preinstalled on new HTC First Phones that will be available from AT&T. Facebook is working to launch a version for tablets in the near future. Head over to TechCrunch to see what the new features will be.

Next Gen Nexus rumored for July
The latest in the tablet rumors is that Google’s popular Nexus tablet will be seeing a platform refresh this coming July, according to a report in Reuters, and from the sounds of the report the company plans to be very aggressive in its pricing.

The new Nexus would feature greater screen resolution, a thinner bezel and a new processor, dropping Nvidia in favor of Qualcomm. It is reported the company will be seeking to sell 8 million tablets in the second half of the year.

Speaking of Google rumors another has it building an Android powered notebook that it is planning to launch as early as in the third quarter of this year.

Amazon Kindle Phone on the way?
Computerworld is reporting that Amazon is looking at developing and delivering a smartphone that it would deliver later this year. It is not clear of Amazon would make it a type of Kindle phone or if it would be a more traditional Android device.

Amazon recently hired Charles Kindel who had formerly headed up Microsoft’s Windows Phone application and platform developer relations. Apparently Kindel has been blogging that he was hired by Amazon to ‘do something secret” I am sure blogging will help keep it a secret.

Ematic delivers low cost Android tablet
If you are looking for a low cost tablet, possibly as a single use device or one that you are not afraid to have damaged you might want to look at the latest offering from Ematic and its $79.99 7-inch Genesis Prime tablet.

While certainly not designed to set the world on fire with its features it does have a 1.1GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 4GB on-board storage, 5GB cloud storage, 512MB of RAM, front-facing VGA camera and 4.5 hours of battery life.

No peanuts or crackerjacks here
Sports fans are always competitive and now they can see how they rank in two very important categories- how much they are spending on beer and on hot dogs at the ball yard, thanks to a survey by CNN Money.

I have to say I surprised at the differences. You can buy six hot dogs at Cincinnati’s Great American Park for the price of one at the New York Met’s Citi Field, for instance. Beer is most expensive in Washington D.C. and cheapest in Cleveland.

Filed Under: Amazon, Android, Apple, Apps, AT&T, Baseball, Google, Intel, iPad, Kindle, Major League Baseball, Microsoft, Smartphone, Tablets Tagged With: Amazon, Apple, AT&T, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Nexus

PCs Sales Suffer as Tablets and Smartphone Sales continue to Soar

March 27, 2013 by Greg Quick Leave a Comment

A recent press release from market research company IDC highlights the growing importance of tablets to users seeking to stay connected with a smart device as they have become a driving force in a huge and growing market.

The latest results from IDC’s Smart Connected Device Tracker shows that overall shipments of smart connected devices grew 29.1% last year and that units edged past the 1 billion shipped level for the first time, with a value of $576.9 billion.

Tablet sales grew 78.4% compared to 2011, reaching 128 million units for the year. Smartphones continued to also see strong growth, increasing by 46.1% while the big loser were PCs, both desktop and notebooks, with drops in sales of 4.1% and 3.4% respectively.

And the forecast is rosy for tablets and not so good for the old stalwarts in the PC market. As the tablet space starts to mature sales will slow as a percentage of growth, dropping to an estimated 48.7% this year and 10.6% by 2017 while smartphones will drop to 27.2% growth this year and 9.8% in 2017. On the flip side of the coin desktop PC sales will continue to drop, seeing a 4.3% decline this year and a 1.0% in 2017 while notebook sales are expected to see some rebound to an increase of 0.9% this year and a 3.7% increase in 2017.

Part of notebooks’ issues can be seen in that tablets are now emerging as the go-to device in developing markets, but IDC estimates that users will often move onto, or add, notebook computers at some point in the future.

IDC estimates that worldwide shipments will continue to remain very strong overall and should reach 2.2 billion units and $814.3 billion by 2017.

Filed Under: Android, Apple, Intel, iPad, Market Research, Smartphone, Tablets Tagged With: IDC, Personal computers, Smartphone, Tablet

Friday Grab Bag: Intel Disappoints, New Linux Tablet on the Horizon?

January 18, 2013 by Greg Quick 4 Comments

A half year after formally showing off its Google Glass technology at its developer show the company is now holding a pair of developer events that will center around glasses that will be held at the end of the month, according to Slashgear.

Both coasts will be represented, with one held in New York City and the other held in San Francisco. The event will center around developing for its Mirror API for the Glass technology and both will be two day affairs. The San Francisco event will be Jan. 28 and 29 while the New York one will run Feb. 1 and 2.

Other news around Project Glass involves a virtual touchpad that can be projected onto any surface and used to control the glasses. The company has applied for a patent that would call for a small laser that would be mounted on the glasses, according to Engaget.

Intel’s earnings disappoint
Intel has released its fourth quarter earnings with less than expected results and has predicted a soft year in 2013. Revenue was $13.48bn, down 3% from the same period a year ago. For the quarter it reported net income of $2.47bn, down from $3.36bn, in the year-ago period.

Revenue was $13.48bn, down 3% from the same period a year ago. Intel in October projected fourth-quarter revenue of $13.6 billion, plus or minus $500 million. Its core PC business was down 6% at $8.5bn from the previous year. It said that the PC is transitioning into tablets. The company said that it expects to increase its capital spending to $13bn in the current year.

Samsung Rumor predicts 8-inch Galaxy Note
Samsung appears ready to provide any size tablet a user could want and now the rumor mill is predicting that the company will soon be offering an 8-inch Galaxy Note as it expands that popular product family, according to Digital Trends and first reported in a Samsung News Blog called Sam Mobile.

It calls for the company to introduce the device to the world at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It is expected to have a 1280 x 800 resolution screen and be available in two models, a16GB version and a 32GB model.

DaVinci Prepares Linux Tablet
Add one more contender to the slowly growing market of tablets that are capable of running the Linux operating system as DaVinci Mobile Technology is reported to have an offering that is a month away from the market. The tablet, called ‘Kite” is expected to be a dual operating system according to PC World.

It will be capable of running either Android 4.0 or Ubuntu 12.04 and will include a 10.1-inch display with 1920 x 1200 HD resolution and will be powered by a Samsung Exynos quad-core 1.4 GHz processor. It is expected to have WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0, 2 GB RAM and 32 GB of internal storage.

Filed Under: Android, Google, Intel, Samsung, Tablets Tagged With: Google, Intel, Linux, Samsung

Asus Goes Small With 7-inch Memo Pad Tablet

January 16, 2013 by Greg Quick 3 Comments

Asus avoided the glitter of CES by waiting until after the show had closed its doors before quietly expanding its tablet offerings with the Asus Memo Pad ME172V, a 7-inch tablet that will be priced just under $150.

The tablet will have a 1GHz processor powering the device that will include the Android 4.1 operating system and will feature 1024 x 600 dpi screen resolution and will initially be available with either 8GB or 16GB of storage. It has a 1MP front facing camera and has the ability to expand its storage by as much as double via the use of a 16GB microSD card and also includes a microUSB port for additional peripherals.

The company has not given a definitive release date for the tablet in the United States but has said that it will release it in select markets later this month. It has been speculated that this means the US, but that is not clear yet. It will be available in three colors

It will be in a very competitive space where rivals are more entrenched including the Nexus 7 which has a better screen and a more powerful processor. However the move by Asus has been long anticipated, and is just its first move into the 7-inch space. It came after a flurry of additional tablet news from earlier in the month.

A Pair of Tablets Unveiled at the Show
This follows a bigger splash from Asus at the CES show, where it took the wraps off a pair of tablets as well as an ultrabook. The first of the tablets was the Vivo Tab Smart, one of the first tablets that will be available running Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating systems and powered by an Intel Z2760 dual core Atom processor. The 10-inch tablet features a 1366 x 768 dpi display and includes an 8MP rear focus camera as well as the 2MP front facing camera. So far the company has not revealed when it will be shipping or at what price.

The company also revealed additional details of its Transformer AiO tablet, a large form devices that it has designed to run both Windows 8 as well as Android. It features a 18.4-inch screen with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. As befits a device designed to run dual operating systems it has both an Intel Atom and an nVidia processor, one to run each OS apparently. Delivery date is still unannounced but an entry level device is expected to start at $1,300.

Filed Under: Android, Asus, Intel, Microsoft, Tablets, Windows 8 Tagged With: Android, Asus, Microsoft, Tablet, Windows 8

Friday Grab Bag- Major Apple iOS 7 Revamp on the Way?

Malware Growth a Threat to Mobile Users-Even Sports Fans

Friday Grab Bag: The Cost of Hot Dogs and New Nexus Coming?

PCs Sales Suffer as Tablets and Smartphone Sales continue to Soar

Friday Grab Bag: Intel Disappoints, New Linux Tablet on the Horizon?

Asus Goes Small With 7-inch Memo Pad Tablet

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