NexPhone concept: An Ubuntu-based, Android ‘brain in your pocket’ !!

Canonical generated significant excitement earlier this year when it announced its Ubuntu for Android plans, which included dockable smartphones that can launch the full Ubuntu Linux desktop.

No specific names were mentioned at the time regarding manufacturer partners, but recently a new concept project appeared that seeks to bring that vision to life.

Billed as “the smartphone that becomes a tablet, laptop, or PC,” the NexPhone is now seeking funding on  Indiegogo for a planned launch in 2013.

“NexPhone will be one single device that can be used at home, at the office, or on the road without the need of synchronizing content or contacts with other devices,” explains NexCrea, the company behind the NexPhone. NexCrea is a subsidiary of VoIP provider Kosmaz technoligies.

PC, tablet, and laptop options

The vision is this: When connected to a monitor and a keyboard using a dedicated docking station, the NexPhone would provide a full desktop PC solution using Ubuntu for Android, complete with a full range of desktop applications includingoffice, Web browsing, email, media, and messaging.

Docked to the NexTablet, meanwhile, the device, if built, will offer a larger touch screen for apps, e-books, magazines, and Web browsing. When docked, the tablet uses the phone service for Internet access, so only one data plan is required for both devices.

Then, too, there’s the NexLaptop, which offers a full PC experience with a keyboard and track pad when the NexPhone is docked.

Last but not least, the wide-screen NexMonitor offers yet another office PC option complete with keyboard, number pad, and multitouch track pad.

‘Brain in Your Pocket’

NexCrea says it’s in contact with potential manufacturing partners in China, as well as with Canonical for software implementation. So far it has raised just $2,877 of the $950,000 being sought by Nov. 14.

Assuming funding is successful and all proceeds as planned, the NexPhone and NexDock will be priced at about $499; the NexTablet Dock will cost about $149; the NexLaptop Dock will be about $199; and the NexMonitor Dock with keyboard and trackpad will have an estimated price of $199.

“The ‘brain in your pocket’ concept is what people have been waiting for, and we envision a world where we carry only our smartphone and connect to any screen in the world to turn them into tablets, laptops, and PCs,” NexCrea says.

Chrome to drop Mac OS X 10.5 support !!!

  Just as Apple finished up OS X 10.8, aka Mountain Lion, Google said yesterday that its Web browser will stop supporting OS X 10.5, aka Leopard. Leopard debuted in 2007 after a long gestation period. Apple’s OS updates arrive more frequently these …

Apple seeks iPad3.com domain name !!

Apple wants an arbitration panel to award it the iPad3.com domain name.

Officially, there is no iPad 3. When Apple introduced the third iteration of its tablet computer, the company referred to it as ‘the new iPad.’ Now DomainWire reports that while Apple does not own the iPad3.com domain name, it has filed with a case with the World Intellectual Property Organization, under the uniform domain name dispute resolution policy. A company called Global Access in Isle of Man currently owns the domain, according to the post.

MacRumors notes that Apple last month gained control of the iPhone5.com domain.

As the usual caveat goes, Apple has bought up or taken control of numerous domains that aren’t necessarily products or future products. That is perhaps best illustrated with the company’s purchase of iSlate.com near the end of 2007, roughly two years before the company would unveil its slate-like device, the iPad.

Project Butter to make Android OS butter smooth!

Google has announced a new project called Butter with an aim to reduce latency and increase intuitiveness.

In the ongoing I/O conference of Google where the company revealed its latest operation system Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, sprang a surprise in the form of “Project Butter” which is meant to address an old problem of device lag associate with smartphones running on it.

Project Butter is a processing framework designed to speed up user interface responsiveness, reduce latency, smoothing user experience and graphics processing in smartphones running on Jelly Bean.

Google Nexus 7, the Android 4.1 Jellybean operating system based tablet will be the first one to benefit from this move when it is introduced for the consumers in the coming months.

According to Google’s Android developer website, Butter uses so-called “vsync timing” across all graphics drawing and animations to ensure a constant frame rate, allowing for a smoother operating environment that is supposedly “effortless” and “intuitive.” All graphical assets including application rendering, touch events, and display refreshes are synced against the vsync clock which runs at 16 milliseconds.What this means is that CPU and graphics run in parallel, rather than crash into each other. Graphics are now triple-buffered to keep scrolling and transitions work fast, and the processor will swing into full gear the moment you touch the screen to keep input lag to a minimum.Android 4.1 reduces touch latency not only by synchronising touch to vsync timing, but also by actually anticipating where your finger will be at the time of the screen refresh. How will that happen? Well, you generally get only few options on the screen for example you get a pop which asks yes or no, and therefore the chances are that you will touch yes or no only. This according to Google results in a more reactive and uniform touch response.

In addition there is a new tool called systrace, which collects data directly from the Linux kernel to produce an overall picture of system activities. The data is represented as a group of vertically stacked time series graphs, to help isolate rendering interruptions and other issues, and in turn help developers to iron out the problems in thier application much better and much faster than before.Google is also offering better international language support, apps can now display text or handle text editing in left-to-right or right-to-left script.

Google has now added user-installable keyboard maps, which allows such as for additional international keyboards and special layout types. By default, Android 4.1 includes 27 international keymaps for keyboards, including Dvorak. When users connect a keyboard, they can go to the Settings app and select one or more keymaps that they want to use for that keyboard. When typing, users can switch between keymaps using a shortcut (ctrl-space).Android 4.1 also brings a major update to the Android notifications framework. Apps can now display larger, richer notifications to users that can be expanded and collapsed with a pinch or swipe. Notifications support new types of content, including photos, have configurable priority, and can even include multiple actions.

Apple litigation and US delays in Galaxy SIII shipments hurt Samsung!

FRESH concerns are emerging about Samsung Electronics’ business outlook as the world’s biggest handset maker copes with delayed shipments of its new flagship smartphone in the US and intensifying competition in the low-end smartphone market in China. Until recently, there were few doubts over the South Korean electronics giant’s performance. In late April, Samsung, which makes consumer products as well as chips and other components, reported a record quarterly net profit of $US4.38 billion for the first quarter on robust sales of smartphones. Expectations have been high for the Galaxy S III, a new flagship smartphone with a 4.8-inch screen and voice and facial recognition capabilities. But the Galaxy S III launch, which represents Samsung’s latest effort to take on Apple’s iPhone, has been delayed in the US. The new smartphone, which runs on Google’s Android operating system, will be sold by all four major US carriers — AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA and Sprint Nextel– but availability has been limited so far.

Sprint had originally set the release date to June 21, but pushed back the launch to July 1 on Wednesday. Verizon hasn’t made the phone available yet and T-Mobile only has limited supply in its stores. AT&T cited “manufacturer supply constraints” for continued delays of pre-order shipments and won’t comment on when the device will be available in stores.

On Monday, Samsung shares plunged 4.2 per cent on heavy volume wiping about $US6.4 billion off the company’s market capitalization, after several South Korean brokerages cut their second-quarter operating profit estimates citing weaker-than-expected smartphone sales and a slow recovery in chip prices.

A Samsung spokesman said that the delayed Galaxy S III shipments in the US are not due to shortages of specific components such as chips and screens. “Our supply (of the Galaxy S III) hasn’t been able to meet the soaring demand, but the situation will improve soon,” he said.

On Wednesday, Samsung faced yet another potential setback in the US, when a California judge issued an injunction banning sales of the company’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 touchscreen tablet at the request of Apple. The US. is one of Samsung’s biggest markets, even though tablets account for a small portion of its revenue.

Some analysts are also citing uncertainties in the fast-growing market for low-end smartphones, particularly in China. Analysts at some of the South Korean brokerages that lowered second-quarter earnings estimates said that an increasing number of Chinese companies selling inexpensive smartphones could pressure profit margins for Samsung’s low-end models.

“Price competition has intensified in China recently, because low-end smartphone makers are rapidly penetrating the market with phones that cost under $100,” said Korea Investment & Securities analyst Seo Won-seok.

Still, despite the emerging concerns, most analysts continue to expect robust earnings from Samsung in the second half of the year thanks to full contribution from Galaxy S III sales.

As long as sales remain strong for lucrative high-end smartphones like Galaxy S III, the price competition in the low-end segment in China won’t be a major problem, because Samsung’s handset earnings rely far more on high-end models, analysts added.

Windows Phone 8 Will Be Bundled With Office 2013!

Last week Microsoft detailed the Windows Phone 8 along with its new and improved features and specifications like multicore processor support,NFC support 1080P video support and the new Start Screen which offers re-sizable Live Tiles.It was also announced that there …

Meet Shimi- The Smartphone-Enabled, Robotic DJ!!

Washington: A musical companion developed by researchers recommends songs, dances to the beat and keeps the music pumping based on listener feedback.

The smartphone-enabled, one-foot-tall robot, called Shimi, is billed as an interactive “musical buddy.”

“Shimi is designed to change the way that people enjoy and think about their music,” Professor Gil Weinberg, director of Georgia Tech’s Center for Music Technology and the robot’s creator, said.

Shimi is essentially a docking station with a “brain” powered by an Android phone. Once docked, the robot gains the sensing and musical generation capabilities of the user’s mobile device. In other words, if there’s an “app for that,” Shimi is ready.

For instance, by using the phone’s camera and face-detecting software, the bot can follow a listener around the room and position its “ears,” or speakers, for optimal sound.

Another recognition feature is based on rhythm and tempo. If the user taps or claps a beat, Shimi analyzes it, scans the phone’s musical library and immediately plays the song that best matches the suggestion.

Once the music starts, Shimi dances to the rhythm.

“Many people think that robots are limited by their programming instructions,” Mason Bretan, Music Technology Ph.D candidate, said.

“Shimi shows us that robots can be creative and interactive,” he said.

Future apps in the works will allow the user to shake their head in disagreement or wave a hand in the air to alert Shimi to skip to the next song or increase-decrease the volume.

The robot will also have the capability to recommend new music based on the user’s song choices and provide feedback on the music play list.

The robot will be unveiled at Wednesday’s Google I/O conference in San Francisco, where a band of three Shimi robots will strut its stuff for guests, dancing in sync to music created in the lab and composed according to its movements.

US judge grants Apple’s bid to stop Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 sales!

SAN FRANCISCO: A U.S. judge on Tuesday backed Apple Inc’s request to stop Samsung Electronics selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in the United States, giving the iPhone maker a significant win in the global smartphone and tablet patent wars. Samsung’s Galaxy touchscreen tablets, powered by Google’s Android operating system, are considered by many industry experts to be the main rival to the iPad, though they are currently a distant second to Apple’s device. Microsoft and Google are also preparing tablet offerings.

U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, had previously denied Apple’s bid for an injunction on the tablet and multiple Galaxy smartphones. However, a federal appeals court instructed Koh to reconsider Apple’s request on the tablet. “Although Samsung has a right to compete, it does not have a right to compete unfairly, by flooding the market with infringing products,” Koh wrote on Tuesday, adding the order should become effective once Apple posts a $2.6 million bond to protect against damages suffered by Samsung if the injunction is later found to have been wrong. Apple has waged an international patent war since 2010 as it seeks to limit the growth of Google’s Android system, the world’s best-selling mobile operating platform. A decisive injunction in one of the U.S. legal cases could strengthen Apple’s hand in negotiating cross-licensing deals, where firms agree to let each other use their patented technologies.

Opponents of Apple say the iPhone and iPad maker is using patents too aggressively in its bid to stamp out competition. “The relief being given to Apple here is extraordinary. Preliminary injunctions are rarely asked for and rarely granted,” said Colleen Chien, a professor at Santa Clara Law in Silicon Valley. “That this was a design patent and copying was alleged distinguish this case from plain vanilla utility patent cases. Cases involving these kinds of patents are based more on a counterfeiting theory than a competition theory, so I don’t expect this case to have ramifications for all smartphone disputes, but rather those involving design patents and the kind of product resemblance we had here.

” The injunction against Samsung comes less than a week after Apple suffered a serious setback when a federal judge in Chicago dismissed its patent claims against Google’s Motorola Mobility unit. Judge Richard Posner ruled that an injunction barring the sale of Motorola smartphones would harm consumers.