Samsung might be developing a Google Glass competitor, lets you control devices using your thoughts

Comic book and movie fans have probably dreamed of becoming Professor X – without the wheelchair restriction – at one point in time, if only to get a taste of the mutant leader’s ability to control people and objects with his mind.

It seems tech companies have been listening to our childhood fantasies and are developing technology that will enable us to tap into the power of our brain – albeit not at the same out-of-this-world level. But it’s a start!

Patent Bolt has spotted several Samsung patent applications that will provide ways for users to control their electronic devices by using their minds, with the help of a neural activity detector. The technology that Samsung is developing will be able to detect neural activities — such as EEG, EOG, and EMG – and translate those thoughts into actions. This makes for a hands-free operation of a computing device.

Here’s what the rest of the description says: “The electrical signals representative of the neural activity are transmitted via wired or wireless to the control unit. If a predetermined signal is sensed by a detecting device, the same EEG readings may be monitored.” Once the signal hits the system, the control unit will then perform the intended action, allowing users to “open file”, “close file”, “clicking”, “paste”, “delete”, and others.

The other patent application is for a mini projector module, one that will allow users to control on-screen cursor and objects by tracking the movement of their eyes. As explained by Patent Bolt, the mini projector “beams two LED lights into the user’s pupils and detects the backlight of the user’s pupils to track the user’s gaze that could control the cursor or objects on the display.”

And as for the kicker, the two patent applications involve the use of a Google Glass-like “head mechanism” that provides “a see-through display visual effect”. Yep, it looks like Google has itself some competition from the Korean manufacturer — that is if the “inventions” ever make it outside the testing labs.

Do you think Samsung is on to something amazing here?

Source: AndroidAuthority

UK Retailers Offer Google Nexus 7 32GB with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

Having previously said that Asus will provide updates Jelly Bean 4.2 in the near future, this does not apply to customers in the UK. One retailer in the country of origin of the football, HMV offering a Google Nexus 7 with 32GB using Android Jelly Bean 4.2.

Unfortunately, in newspaper advertisements, HMV did not say when the tablet will be available. This is quite reasonable, because Google itself does not launch the source code Android Jelly Bean 4,2 to the public

In addition, Google also plans to launch two devices of Android Jelly Bean 4.2, the LG Nexus 4 and Samsung Nexus 10 on November 13. So, most likely the availability of tablets from HMV will be more than 13 November.

Google Nexus 7 is currently using Android Jelly Bean 4,1 itself is one of the the most wanted Android tablet on the market. Even a short time ago, Asus has cooperating with Google to build tablets revealed that they have sold nearly 1 million units in 2012.

Android 4.2 keyboard and clock available for Android 4.1 and 4.0

If you are a fan of Android and all its cool features, you would have already become a fan of the new Android 4.2 operating system, also called the Jelly Bean. The new version brings a lot of new features to the tablet, namely, gesture typing and the new panorama image capturing feature. If you are an Android tablet, you would for sure love the multi user functionality with the new lock screen which lets users login to their own accounts, just like on a computer. But some of these features are available only the new Android 4.2 operating system. For example, the new keyboard.

The new keyboard is of particular interest because of the new gesture typing, where you are not actually required to hit every single key to form a word, but you can just glide your fingers on the letters which form the word without lifting your finger. Yes, this is very, very close to what Swype offers. But Google claims it is not really the same.



But what if you are on Ice Cream Sandwich, which is Android 4.0, or the older version of Jelly Bean, that is Android 4.1? You don’t get to have this keyboard, officially, at least not yet. But if you are ready to get it unofficially, and are also ready to void your smart phone’s warranty for the same, there is a way.

Developers have been able to get the standalone .apk file of the keyboard and have been able to port it to Android 4.0 and Android 4.1. But as soon as the links came online, Google asked them to remove the links as the app is not completely ready to work on non-Android 4.2 devices. But that has not stopped users from removing those links.

But be told, you will have to root your smart phone and flash a custom Recovery module for this to work on your smart phone. Also, if you love the new Clock app on Android 4.2, you can install that .apk file as well on Android 4.1. But of course, you will be responsible for what you do with your smart phone.

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iPhone 5 vs Nexus 4 vs Galaxy S3: Why LG Wins

The Samsung Galaxy S3 has held the title of best-selling smartphone of 2012, so far. However Apple has released the iPhone 5 and LG and Google have just announced the LG Nexus 4. So the question is, can the S3 keep its title or will the iPhone 5 or Nexus 4 snatch it away?

At the moment the LG Nexus 4 isn’t in the shops and so a comparison can only be made from what we know about the device from the specs sheet.

Samsung Galaxy S3 vs LG Nexus 4 vs iPhone 5

The Samsung Galaxy S3 has been out since the summer and it comes with a 4.8 inch display. the device is 0.1 inch larger than the Nexus 4 diagonally, and it does come with the same resolution display as the Nexus. The LG Nexus 4 has the super bright display of the Optimus G and the display of the S3 is PenTile AMOLED. The display on the iPhone 5 is smaller at 4 inches and of course it has the Retina display of Apple. LCD displays tend to have brightness levels that are higher and so are better outdoors. The AMOLED displays are often hyper-real. The LG Nexus 4 has the right mix as it has colours that are more realistic than the Samsung Galaxy S3 and it’s larger than the iPhone 5.

The Nexus 4 from LG has the Snapdragon S4 Pro processor. This is one of the fastest for SoC, on any device on Android. Looking at it on paper it beats the iPhone 5 and it also beats the Samsung Galaxy S3, as it comes with a quad core processor and 2GB of RAM. The iPhone 5 has the A6 dual core processor and 1GB of RAM and the Samsung Galaxy S3 comes with in two different versions. One of these is the quad core with 1GB of RAM and the other a dual core with 2 GB of RAM. So once again, the LG Nexus 4 grabs the title.

When it comes down to design, the LG Nexus 4 rivals the iPhone 5 and is the first Android handset to do so. A lot of thought was put into the design of the handset, along with passion. This was one area where the Samsung Galaxy S3 was criticised, thanks to the plastic fantastic look. The iPhone 5 and the LG Nexus 4 draw here.

Connection wise the LG Nexus 4 is in last place and the Samsung S3 is the winner. The Nexus 4 comes with NFC but no LTE. The iPhone5 has support for LTE but no NFC. The Samsung Galaxy S3 however has both.

The cost of the handsets play an important role when deciding which to get. The LG Nexus 4 costs $299 retail for the 8GB version. The iPhone 5, along with the Samsung Galaxy S3 both have price tags of more than $500 if you want them unlocked.

Adding up the points above, the LG Nexus 4 comes out on top despite the lack of LTE and storage maxxing out at 16GB. So if you don’t need LTE and you can manage with 16GB of storage, then the LG Nexus 4 is the clear choice given that it has the best display and processor, a great design and a price tag that is half that of competitors. The Samsung Galaxy S3 scored the second highest number of points and comes in second place, followed on by the latest offering from Apple in the shape of the iPhone 5.

 

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New features of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean You should know

Along with the announcement of Nexus 4 and Nexus 10, Google brought the new advanced system Android 4.2 going by the same name of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. So what’s new compared to Android 4.1? Can it really draw people’s attention? Following just let’s have a look.

Multi-user support
If you use Android 4.2-powered tablets, you’ll be able to have multiple users. Each user will have his unique home-screen, background, widgets, apps and games. That means you can share your tablets with your spouse or friends but with different tablets experience. Unluckily, smartphones based on Android 4.2 cannot support multi-user at the moment.

Photo Sphere
If you like taking photos with mobile device, then Photo Sphere can be your addict. Photo Sphere is a panorama application that allows you to stitch images into a larger one not only in vertical orientation in full 360 degree. You can share them on Google+ with your friends and family, or even add them to Google Maps for the world to see.

Gesture Typing
Now you can write messages easier than ever with Gesture Typing. You can now just glides over the letters you want to type, and the new improved keyboard will find the word you want to type. With predictive input and a futuristich blueish trace your fingers leave on the screen, Gesture Typing seems more useful than Swype.The improved text-to-speech capabilities works even when you don’t have a data connection, so you can type with your voice everywhere you go.

Miracast
Android 4.2 let you through your screen to any TV, DVD-player, or other media device that supports Miracast. Miracast, an AirPlay-like protocol, is the trade name for Wi-Fi Direct or WiDi. You can stream Internet TV shows and movies from your smartphone or tablet to your TV via a compatible device or a Miracast adapter.

Improved Google Now
Without question, Google Now was already a killer Jelly Bean feature. With the inclusion of cards containing flight information, restaurant reservations, hotel confirmations, shipping details and more, you can live with ease .It uses Gmail to pick up data like flights ,hotel reservations , nearby movie times, attractions, photogenic locales, and concerts by your favorite artists and show them to you in a card just when you need them.

Daydream screensaver
With Daydream, you can display photo slideshows, news headlines, and the like when idle or docked. It is actually a smart screen-saver.

Expandable Notifications
Built upon the actionable notifications introduced in 4.1 Jelly Bean, Expandable Notifications let you expand notifications from more apps. It is partly a function of Google Now, where notifications are “cards” that can be acted upon from the drop down menu.

Android Beam
You probably have heard of NFC, a unique feature introduced in the Android 4.1.And Android 4.2 built Android Beam, the NFC that enables people to share photos, websites, music, directions, apps or videos with a single touch.

Android 4.2 will be released on November 13th for Nexus 4, 10.And I think these new features are indeed attractive and let’s just wait for its come.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini firmware now available online

Most of us probably aren’t waiting at the edge of our seats for the arrival of the relatively low spec’d Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini. That being said, if you are a developer you might be interested to know that the firmware for the S3 Mini is now available for download. As expected, the firmware indicates the presence of Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean.

Is the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini really that bad? Yes and no. The biggest disappointment is that the phone has the S3 branding and yet is nowhere near as capable as the larger-screened Samsung Galaxy S3.

The bottom-line is that if you simply want a low-to-midrange smartphone that has attractive styling and reasonable hardware, the S3 Mini could be alright as long as the contract pricing isn’t very high. For those that need a refresher on the hardware specs, the Galaxy S3 Mini has a 4-inch display with a 800 x 400 resolution and a dual-core 1GHz NovaThor processor. Other specs include 8 or 16GB of storage, microSD, a VGA front cam, 1500 mAh battery, NFC and a 5MP front cam.

What do you think of the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini? Interested or not?

 

Source: AndroidAuthority.com

iPhone 5 vs. Google-LG Nexus 4: Android or iOS Smartphone?

Google just announced its new line of hardware today through a blog post, after an event in New York was canceled due to Hurricane Sandy.

One of the devices announced by the company is its latest Nexus smartphone courtesy of LG. The Google-LG Nexus 4 is rumored to be equipped with 4.7 inch screen display with 1280x768 resolution, 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, 8 MP camera and 2100 mAh battery.

The upcoming Google-LG smartphone will run with Android 4.2 Key Lime Pie that will soon be unveiled by the search engine company.

According to the blog post, "Android 4.2 brings other great goodies like Gesture Typing, which lets you glide your finger over the letters you want to type on the keyboard-it makes typing fast, fun and a whole lot simpler. Android 4.2 also adds support for wireless display so you can wirelessly watch movies, YouTube videos and play games right on your Miracast-compatible HDTV."

Tech giant Apple also unveiled the new generation of its smartphone last September, which features a 4-inch screen, slightly bigger than earlier versions of Apple's device with 1136x640 pixel resolution, 4G/LTE connectivity, and iOS 6 mobile operating system.

Below is the comparison of the two devices. Note that the specs and features of the LG Nexus 4 are still unofficial.

Screen Display - iPhone 5 sports a 4-inch full HD screen display while LG Nexus 4 is rumored to have a 4.7-inch True IPS display with 1280x768 pixel resolution.

Processor - The Apple flagship phone is powered by quad core A6 chip processor. The LG Nexus 4 is rumored to have 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM.

Operating System - iPhone 5 runs with the company's own operating system - iOS 6. LG Nexus 4 is expected to be introduced with Android's new Key Lime Pie version, which is rumored to be unveiled on the same date.

Storage - iPhone 5 is available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB variants. Some tech websites claimed that the LG Nexus 4 will be released with 8GB storage option while others claimed that it will be equipped with 16GB of storage.

Camera - The iPhone 5 sports an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera. LG Nexus 4, on the other hand, is thought to have an 8-megapixel rear camera and 1.3-megapixel front shooter.

Battery - Apple's latest smartphone boasts 9 hours of battery life. The upcoming LG Nexus 4 is also speculated to come with 2100 mAh battery.

iPhone 5 is available in Apple Stores and through various carriers. However, more details are expected to be known about the LG Nexus 4 in the coming days.

 

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Google’s 32GB Nexus 7 tablet spotted at Office Depot

Google has canceled Monday’s Android event because of Hurricane Sandy, but it looks like a 32GB version of its Nexus 7 tablet is already in the wild. Droid Life and Beta News both reported on Sunday that Office Depot had begun carrying the higher-capacity Nexus 7.

It looks like the device will be priced at $249.99, and the 16GB will drop to $199.99. The Google Play store still lists the 16GB Nexus 7 model at $249, while the $199 8GB version is listed as “Coming Soon”.

The 32GB Nexus 7 was first confirmed by UK retailer Argos earlier this month, though it had been expected for some time.

Leaks have been pretty regular in the run-up to Google’s fall Android lineup announcement. A Nexus 4 smartphone is also set to arrive from Google and LG soon. A curious tale emerged over the weekend of a Nexus 4 test device that was left in a bar in San Francisco. It seems this whole prototype walks into a bar meme is becoming an annual occurrence.

So far, everything we expected Google to reveal at the now-postponed event appears to be checking out. A 10-inch Nexus tablet is also on its way, as apparently confirmed by a user guide leak.

Source: thenextweb.com

Google Nexus 10 tablet stars in awfully short video

After seeing plenty of leaked images that confirmed the existence of Google’s 10-inch Nexus tablet a few days ago, we’re now going to show you a very short video of the device in action.

Don’t get too excited though, because at only 5 seconds, the video is hardly going to reveal anything spectacular about the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean device. In fact you may want to look at the leaked images from a few days ago if you want to better check out design lines and potential software features, as they’ll certainly be more revealing.

Nevertheless, it’s pretty clear the device has been handled in the wild, several days ahead of Google’s upcoming Nexus event. And since Google had to postpone the October 29 event to a latter unannounced date, due to Hurricane Sandy, who knows how many more Nexus-related leaks we’ll get to see in the coming days.



Source: androidauthority.com

Hurricane Sandy Forces Google to Cancel Android Event on October 29th

With Hurricane Sandy on a possible course to slam the Northeast early in the week, Google is canceling an Android-related press event that had been scheduled for Monday morning in New York City. Among the possible devices Google was expected to unveil at the event: a new Nexus smartphone (made by LG Electronics) and a new 10-inch Android tablet, made by Samsung.

Google did not announce a replacement date for the event in the email sent out to invitees alerting them of the cancellation. "We will let you know our plans as soon as we know more," the Android Team wrote in the missive, adding that folks should, "stay safe and dry."

The cancellation comes in the aftermath of rival Apple's unveiling of a new 7.9-inch iPad mini, as well as a brand new 9.7-inch iPad model.

Microsoft Releases Xbox SmartGlass app for Android Smartphones

Finally, Microsoft announced that it has released the Xbox SmartGlass app for Android Smartphones via Google Play App Store. This Android app allows Android users to experience using their touchscreen devices to interact with the Xbox 360.

Reported by from Cnet, application developers can use the Xbox SmartGlass App to interact with TV shows, movies, sports and games. The app works with the recently launched Internet Explorer browser for Xbox 360, as well as Xbox Video and Xbox Music apps. Games that will work with SmartGlass in the coming months include Dance Central 3, Forza Horizon and Ascend: New Gods. Halo Waypoint, NBA Game Time, HBO GO, ESPN and other Xbox 360 apps will also work with SmartGlass.

In addition, there is also the social aspect of the trying to embedded into it, that is user can interact with friends on Xbox Live service, comparing the acquisition of rank in the game and dressed their avatars.

Xbox SmartGlass app requires Android operating system Ice Cream Sandwich and Xbox Live membership in order to be used. IOS version is also planned to be present, but is not currently available. For additional information, SmartGlass app is not currently compatible with Android tablets. You can get an This app for free from the Google Play App Store.

Google to release Swype-like ‘Nexus Keyboard’ for Android

One of the major rumors that is surrounding the upcoming Google announcement on October 29th is a new keyboard for the Android platform. The keyboard has been rumored to contain Swype-like features and be a complete replacement for the existing Android keyboard. If true, this will mark the third time Google has performed a major overhaul of Android’s virtual keyboard. With each release, the keyboard has improved dramatically, but the core functionality has never changed so drastically as the current rumors seem to suggest.

The team at Google is more than familiar with Swype. During the Android Fireside Chat at Google I/O this year, towards the end of the discussion (42 minutes into the YouTube recording), someone from the audience asked the team if they had considered buying Swype. The keyboard replacement, now owned by Nuance, is pre-loaded on a variety of Android handsets. The Android team explained that a lot of time and effort was spent on making it easy for users to choose their own keyboards, and it was pointed out that while there are no shortage of Swype fans out there, plenty of people still enjoy the stock keyboard.

It’s unlikely that Google would buy Swype, but there’s nothing stopping them from making their own version. Unlike Apple, who uses Nuance to power Siri, Google has never needed to license anything from the speech recognition company. In fact, in this arena, Nuance and Google compete directly. Nuance purchased Swype to improve their own keyboard, Flex T9. While Swype offered a vastly superior typing solution on their keyboard, Nuance’s voice controls were a key feature that Swype could really benefit from. The merger created a much more powerful keyboard backed by a larger company.

Swype is now so popular that HTC has implemented a knockoff on their One line of devices. If Google were to build a new keyboard, it is unlikely that they would go the same route as HTC.

It would make much more sense for Google to continue following their plan for their Nexus devices. Take Chrome, for example. While the Chrome browser is in many ways superior to the stock Android browser, Google does not force anyone to make it Chrome the default. When an OEM makes a device, they can choose to use Chrome, or they can implement the stock browser. On Nexus devices, Chrome is pre-loaded as the Google experience.

Following this thinking, if Google were to release a radically different keyboard, it would make more sense to release it as a separate app that can be installed by anyone and included on Nexus devices. This would enable the entire Android user base to take advantage of new software, and dramatically raise the bar for existing virtual keyboards, like Swype.

It seems like Google has a lot in store for everyone on October 29. If a new keyboard is among the news, it would make the most sense for Google to include it on the new LG Nexus 4, but release it as an app for anyone to use instead of replacing the stock Android keyboard.

 

Source :Geek.com

T-Mobile will launch the Samsung Galaxy Note II on October 24 in their networks

I believe the word from Samsung will make you so excited to hear it. What is it? Samsung's Galaxy Note II will be released on T-Mobile network, precisely on this Wednesday 24th October.

in fact the news of this release has been blowing hard since about 2 weeks ago via an internal T-Mobile screenshots, but many people assume that it's just a rumor until we got the good news came. T-Mobile stores have begun accepting shipments for release October 24th.

T-Mobile has big plans for this device. As far as pricing, seeing as the Galaxy S III is $279.99 on-contract, I think it’s safe to assume that we’re looking in the $300-$349 range, and possibly even more seeing as T-Mobile likes to offer a few pricing options based on the type of plan. Hopefully pricing will be announced very soon. What are your thoughts? Are you more likely to purchase this beast of a device this time around or stick with a more “conventional-sized” phone



 

Google Launches New Tool Android 4.2 on October 29th

Invitation for a Google event on 29 October finally slightly parted. According to the website The Next Web, Google distributes an internal video that gives details and confirms speculation about what will be revealed on October 29.

Quoted from Mashable, Monday (22/10/2012), the video report discusses the launch of Google Nexus 7 32 GB version with 3G support. Moreover, it also suggests that Google worked with Samsung to release a 10-inch tablet called the "Nexus 10" Android based 4.2 (Key Lime Pie), and a Nexus smartphone manufactured by LG.

Android 4.2 will have the option of a panoramic camera and the ability to "tablet sharing", which allows more than one user accessing the device, it is similar to switching between user settings on Windows computers.

As you know, earlier this week Google sent invitations to the media for an Android event held in New York City. This time though, the invitation did not specify what will be announced, but the tagline "the playground is open", indicating that the event has to do with Google Play.

Although Google claimed internal video has been circulating, but the Google has yet to give an official statement related to the product which will be announced on October 29, 2012.