Autonome demonstrates a wireless charging concept for all smartphones
Lets start off by saying this unique idea looks as if it has already gone into production. The concept completely rebuilds the way a manufacturer would design their product, and even looks like an improvement. Many of us struggle with making sure our smartphones can last throughout our busy day until we can finally plug them back into the charger. And with new 4G LTE smartphones, battery drain is probably your worst enemy.
What Francois Rybarczyk did was re-evaluate how smartphones should be tailored to our lives, rather than conform to their limited battery life. As you can see, his concept implements an easily removable external battery that can be removed and attached directly to an outlet – without affecting your smartphone at all. After it’s done charging, just slip it right back into the phone for extended battery life.
It seems simple enough, but would a manufacturer actually implement this into an initial design? I actually prefer using a USB cable to charge my device; it’s easy to find a power source, and still operational while charging. This concept would require one to plug the entire phone into an outlet for a complete charge. What do you think? Would you prefer a device with features such as these, or would that extra empty space bother you while the external battery is charging?
[via CNET]
Microsoft OneNote makes its way to Android
Isn’t it odd having to install third-party applications like DocsToGo to open Microsoft Word documents or Excel spreadsheets? Well, Microsoft has started porting over its entire suite of Office programs over to Android – one by one. First up, we’ve got Microsoft OneNote.
Bear in mind, these applications are more basic than their fully fledged counterparts. OneNote syncs with the documents located on Microsoft’s SkyDrive. You can still format text, images, and create bulleted lists – but the best part is it renders your projects perfectly. OneNote is also available free of charge in the Android Market
The application is not yet configured for tablet use, although it’s still possible to install – it’s just not tablet optimized. It seems they’d perfect a universal version of the Android app, considering how long its taken to see any member of their suite on the Android Market. Those interested in giving it a try, navigate here.
[via IntoMobile]
Android Community Evening Wrap-Up: February 7, 2012
We had quite a few great stories hit the feed today, especially when Google announced their Chrome browser’s Beta release! At this time it doesn’t have Adobe Flash support, but it is blazing fast – and offers a great tabbed browsing experience. You can check out our hands-on with it here. We give it a try on both the Galaxy Nexus and ASUS Transformer Prime.
Today, RIM claimed BlackBerry applications make more money than those on Android. I do agree with them on this issue, yet it’s important not to lose sight of the one billion apps that were downloaded from the Android Market from just December to January. So to clarify – per application, a BlackBerry app may create more revenue; but Android is profiting from many more applications and at a much faster rate.
Motorola’s DROID 4 will hit Verizon this Friday, and they’ll even offer BOGO RAZR’s upon its release in stores everywhere. Coincidentally, Verizon will also be bringing back their double data promotion the same day. It seems they’ve more than enough data to go around, so why not share the wealth?
And those of you HP TouchPad owners will be glad to know that HP has released the source code from its internal Android kernel to the CyanogenMod team! If only this was initiated a few months ago, it would have saved countless hours of work from many developers that were running the project.
Microsoft OneNote Now Available for Android
Microsoft is at it again — no, it’s not another new patent lawsuit — instead, they’re bringing OneNote to Android devices in their all new application launching on the Market today. Microsoft OneNote is one of many note taking apps for Android, the key benefit here is Microsoft is looking at users who are already using the desktop software, allowing them to sync and take their notes with them on-the-go using SkyDrive.
Standard note taking features can be found like typing out text, pictures, bullet points and check boxes. But there’s a catch — users are only allowed to store and edit up to 500 notes at which point you’ll have to pony up the cash in an in-app purchase for unlimited use.
Seems Microsoft is banking on the fact that maybe not everyone in the world has heard of more robust and full featured note taking apps like EverNote, Springpad or Catch. Still, if you want to give it a test run, you can find the app for free right now in the Android Market.
Autonome Concept Shows Us Cable-Free Charging Solution For Smartphones
It goes without saying that battery life is a huge concern in the Android space, where juice hungry devices gobble up mAh’s faster than data on Verizon’s LTE. Now, there have been plenty of ideas to help deal with this hard pressing issue, everything from extended batteries, solar powered devices, to the very distant future of devices that can charge themselves.
But this concept design from Francois Rybarczyk deals with the hassle of carrying a charger around with you, especially when we don’t always carry around purses or “murses” (man-purses) to stash them in.
It’s called the Autonome and the concept shows us an extended battery that comes with it’s own built-in fold out plug that eliminates the need to carry around the ‘ol ball and chain, otherwise known as USB charger and cable.
The module acts as a bonus battery, in addition to the standard that stays inside the device. Although the concept unrealistically hopes for a quick 30 second charge on the detachable battery module, a more realistic expectation would be somewhere in the ballpark of around 30-minutes using fast charge technology (coming soon to a Sony device near you). Need a bit more juice? Plug in the module and rely on the standard battery for a few minutes. Not using your device and want even more of a charge? Plug your phone into the wall where you can charge both the standard battery, and bonus module.
Concepts can be fun, although for the most part they leave techies like me in need a cold shower after fantasizing (too much info?). I guess for now, OEM’s should focus on making their devices thinner so that bigger, not just for looks — but so that 3,000mAh batteries could still fit into them, while leaving a relatively slim profile. Even still, concepts like the Autonome with it’s all-in-one solution could prvoe to be helpful for those days when you need to charge. What do you guys think?
[Yanko Design | Via Crave]
Motorola Could Receive 2.25% From Microsoft Products Thanks To German Court’s Favor
Hot on the heels of yesterday’s news that Motorola would be seeking 2.25% an iPhone after a patent win against Apple in Germany, it seems the Android OEM is picking up their patents and setting their sights on a new target. According to FossPatents, it seems the German court who sided with Motorola would most likely side with them again in their patent dispute with Microsoft, possibly gaining the same 2.25% for sales of their products like Windows 7, Xbox 360, etc.
The patents in question have to do with Motorola’s video compression and decompression technology, used for reducing bandwidth when streaming video online. We’ll have to wait to see how things turn out but I guess it’s only fitting after the royalties Microsoft has been receiving from Android OEM’s who caved in to their demands.
DreamBook Z97 brings ICS, Tegra 3 and 128GB storage to Australia
Pioneer Computers (not to be confused with Pioneer Electronics of car stereo fame) has had its hat in the Android ring for some time now, though you might not now it. Their latest entrie is a doozie: the DreamBook Z97, yet another high-end tablet with Nvidia’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor and a full gigabyte of RAM powering it. Combine that with Ice Cream Sandwich, and you’ve got yourself a contender – at least if you live in Australia.
The tablet comes in storage capacities from 8GB to an incredible 128GB, thanks to an SSD drive you can configure on the company’s website. The base model starts at $499 AUD, with the 128GB version running an extra $229 – not bad, all things considered. Externally the tablet has a 9.7-inch display with an unfortunate 4:3 1024×768 resolution, essentially mirroring the iPad for size and DPI. Communications options include the standard Bluetooth and WiFi, plus an optional 3G radio. You get HDMI, USB 2.0 (with host capability) and MicroSD card slots, though the proprietary DC-in jack is a bit of a let down.
While Pioneer isn’t a household name, it’s trying awfully hard to make itself one. The combination of a relatively low-resolution screen with Tegra 3 is puzzling, but no doubt someone will find the 4:3 aspect ration appealing. Their PR says nothing about Google apps, so we’re forced to assume that the DreamBook Z97 does not include native access to the Android Market. If you’d like one delivered to your neck of the Outback, you can check out their ordering page here for storage, wireless and accessory options.
HP releases source code for its internal TouchPad Android kernel to CyanogenMod
Right about the time that HP ran its now legendary TouchPad fire sale, a few lucky customers received TouchPads inexplicably running Android. Apparently the PC manufacturer had been testing Gingerbread builds on its tablet (which runs Palm’s WebOS natively). As a show of solidarity to the development community, HP has now released the source code for its own internal version of the Android kernel to the CyanogenMod team. CyanogenMod maintains the most popular TouchPad Android port, CyanogenMod 7 Gingerbread, as well as the new CM9 Ice Cream Sandwich. You can read all the juicy details over at RootzWiki.
Giving away the kernel source is in addition to moving the entire WebOS software platform to an open source model, granting HP some very real cred with aftermarket developers and modders. Though the supply of retail TouchPads is now effectively zero, it’s still one of the most popular tablets out there for bargain hunters and techies. While not a supertablet by any means (it’s roughly the equal of the original iPad as far as specs go) it makes a fine start for Android enthusiasts looking to try out the tablet form factor.
What can the CyanogenMod team do with HP’s help? For starters, they’ll probably use the kernel to iron out some of the most consistent problems in their custom Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich builds, including HD video and camera issues. Past that, they should be able to make changes to CPU and memory handling for a smoother and more stable experience – not that the ROMs are particularly bad now. The Gingerbread ROM is currently at the Alpha 3.5 stage, while the ICS ROM is still on Alpha .6. Adventurous modders can flash the ROMs without affecting their current WebOS partitions.
Story Timeline
- HP TouchPad Android Ports Already Under Way on Aug 21st 2011
- HP TouchPad with Cyanogenmod Benchmarked [Early Build] on Sep 16th 2011
- Download dual-boot Android on your HP TouchPad now on Oct 5th 2011
- A week with CyanogenMod on the HP TouchPad [Video] on Oct 25th 2011
- CyanogenMod for the HP TouchPad gets upgraded to Alpha 3 on Nov 25th 2011
- HP going open source with WebOS on Dec 9th 2011
- HP TouchPad Ice Cream Sandwich CM9 updated to Alpha 0.6 on Jan 30th 2012
Microsoft OneNote Mobile Hits the Android Market
Microsoft OneNote is part of the Office suite many professionals use on a daily basis. OneNote lets you create, store and share ideas or information in a single, easy-to-access location. According to the OneNote blog, it seems as though you fellow Android users have been begging to use this on your phones and tablets. Now you can while on the go from any of your Android devices.
Assuming you are already using OneNote, you’ll have full access to all that information wherever you are. Using your free Microsoft Skydrive account you can sync your “notes” to the cloud and easily share them with anyone.
Feature summary
OneNote Mobile for Android includes the following features:
- Text formatting, images, and bulleted lists
- To-do lists with clickable checkboxes
- Quick photo capture with your phone’s camera
- Quick access to recent notes
- Store and access multiple OneNote notebooks
- Sync to your free SkyDrive account for access anywhere
- Offline access to your notes
- Option to sync notebooks only over a Wi-Fi connection
- Built-in spelling checker
- Support for external hyperlinks
- Table editing
There is a caveat in all this “free” stuff from Microsoft.. Would you expect anything else? They are going to let you have up to 500 notes on your Android mobile application for free. After the 500 are used up, you will need to fork over a one time $4.99 to unlock the application for unlimited use. They claim you will not be able to edit or create anything past the 500 notes without upgrading, but will allow you to view, sync and delete them.
Find the application in the Android Market at the link below.
conversione applicazioni iphone android
Source:OfficeBlog
Microsoft OneNote Mobile Hits the Android Market originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
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Chrome for Android Beta hands-on [Video]
Google has released their first ever version of Chrome for Android today. Bringing their full-fledged browser to the world of Android smartphones and tablets. While currently only available for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich devices (and a beta) we were excited to give it a quick try. Below you’ll see our first impressions, hands-on pictures, video, benchmarks and more.
To start I’d like to mention again that this was only released today. It is still in beta although is widely available to the public right now in the Android Market. This is a great start but in some ways it does feel a little like a beta product, but we have a feeling it will grow into much more and soon replace our stock browser for Android. First the bookmark icons don’t display much and the UI is extremely ugly. On the other hand you toss it on a tablet and it looks amazing.
So yes this is very much still a beta (and you see what I mean when it crashes in my video) but for a first try and initial release it’s pretty freaking awesome. I’ll start with the video below in which you’ll see the Galaxy Nexus and ASUS Transformer Prime giving Chrome for Android a try. I cover a few neat new features, the “cards” style tabbed browsing and more.
Chrome for Android Beta hands-on
First, lets talk about Sync. The fact that we can now seamlessly sync from device to device, and from computer to device is awesome. I’ve waited for something this simple for a long time and so far it works great, but I don’t see any settings to tweak this option. In the video you can see it shows the sync between the Prime and the Nexus — showing it was just synced 5 minutes ago. This is awesome and highly impressive. Not only does it show me what I was browsing on the other device, but it loads them in the background and I just tap “devices” and chose what I want. You can run out of the office and be right where you were in a few seconds flat.
Other browsers offer this and Honeycomb sort of had this where it backed up bookmarks, but this real-time live sync is convenient to say the least. I’ve not found a way to get it to manually sync but it seems to check every few minutes. Hopefully more options will be adding to that later.
Next I want to compare a little between the stock Android 4.0 ICS browser, and Chrome. Both are very similar, and are about the same in regards to look, feel, and speed although both have their advantages and disadvantages. Here is a side-by-side comparison.
Chrome left, ICS right
For one, Chrome doesn’t support Flash as we mentioned earlier today, so that might be a concern for many users. HTML 5 support will continue to grow but in the meantime no flash here, so you’ll have to use something else on mobile if that matters to you.
We also ran a few Sunspider benchmark tests just to see how she performed and I was actually quite impressed. Between Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Chrome we scored under 1,900. Most devices in the past struggle to get under 2,100. The screenshot below again shows Chrome for Android on the left, and stock ICS browser on the right (full size images in the gallery below).
Chrome scored 1880 while stock ICS was at 1912. So pretty dead even. Performance across the board seems to reflect a similar result with actual real-world usage too. Overall the stock Android browser has a better and more friendly UI in general, but the few tweaks to tabbed browsing and the “cards” effect in Chrome are awesome. If we could have a nice blend of these two I’d be in heaven. I have a feeling that is exactly where Google is headed — so it’s only a matter of time.
Now to wrap things up I want to mention the lack of “Quick Controls”. A feature in the labs section of the Android browser that I’m missing dearly. Obviously Chrome is its own browser and not integrated into Android, but we have a feeling it will be the main browser in the future. Same goes for the UI. While it has some extra polish, smooth animations, and a decent design it doesn’t resemble Ice Cream Sandwich other than the menu layout. Hopefully this will get blended together.
We have a few issues and shortcomings so far but the awesome features and overall polish make this my new default browser. Syncing everything from my PC over really has sealed the deal for me. Once they work out the bugs, make things a bit prettier, and enhance the overall experience nothing will come close and all those 3rd party browsers will be permanently replaced for me.
Get the Chrome for Android Beta in the link below, and check out the gallery for the rest of our images. Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments below. Do you like Chrome? Will it replace your stock browser on mobile?
