Hasta La Gadget!

LG has lifted the veil on their Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update schedule that will target a bunch of smartphones, with the long awaited Jelly Bean update roll-out to begin from November onwards. The first of the LG smartphones to receive this update includes the Optimus LTE 2, where the LG Optimus G will follow a month after that – in December, of course. As for LG’s collection of phablet devices, the LG Optimus Vu and Vu 2, those will receive the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update in Q1 next year – which means you will have to wait until March 2013 at the latest. So far, nothing has been revealed for the Optimus 4X HD or L-Style series updates, but those ought to be in the pipeline for sure.

This is an improvement for a company like LG that did pick up some flak in the past for their rather disappointing software update record when compared to other Android smartphone manufacturers. LG has also been known to skip major operating system updates for their flagship devices even.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Android 4.2 tested on Xperia arc S?, Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update arriving on Nexus 7 and AOSP ,

If there is one thing the modern day wheelchair cannot do, it would be to climb up stairs. Of course, all of that might very well change for the better in the future, as the Chiba Institute of Technology saw a group of researchers led by Shuro Nakajima come up with a robot wheelchair which is capable of climbing over steps as seen in the YouTube video above. The robot wheelchair will not be able to work as fast as a Transformers transformation, but it does make full use of its four-wheel drive and five axes to overcome a previously insurmountable obstacle for regular wheelchair users.

As the user, you tell the robot wheelchair just where it is to go via a joystick, and the robot will automatically assess the surrounding terrain, making the relevant moves afterwards. Should you end up on uneven ground, the robot will control the seat in order to maintain a level field. It relies on sensors on its feet to figure out what’s on the ground, as well as “seeing” just how far it is from a step. Right now, the working prototype is classified as a conceptual wheelchair, but most of the motion has been worked out. The next step would be to fine tune the user experience, and this can only happen best via a live user test.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Robotic wheelchair offer independence to the elderly, Robo wheelchair trained to heel,

Remember when Texas Instruments revealed it was planning to dump its mobile processor business in favor of embedded systems? Israeli business sheet Calcalist is reporting that Amazon is in “advanced negotiations” to snap up that part of TI’s OMAP division, which currently supplies processors for the Kindle Fire and the Nook HD. The paper suggests the company is emulating Apple’s purchases of chip designers in order to lower the price of future hardware — which it currently sells at cost.

Filed under: Tablets, Amazon

Amazon eyeing up TI’s smartphone chip business, according to Israeli newspaper originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 04:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft has unveiled Xbox Music, its new all-encompassing streaming music service for Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows Phone 8, and Xbox 360. The new Spotify-rival will offer both free and paid plans and access to over 30m tracks globally, with ad-free playback for those who stump up $9.99 per month, and will go live from Tuesday on Xbox 360 and from October 26 for Windows PCs and tablets.

The number of tracks available in each country will vary – the US will get around 18m – though not all platforms will get the free plans. Xbox 360 owners will need to buy a pass (and have an Xbox LIVE Gold account). Those who pay the $10 for an Xbox Music Pass also get unlimited access to music video playback on their Xbox 360, and there’s the Xbox Music Store if you’d rather own an individual track or album rather than stream it. However, those with an Xbox Music Pass will also be able to cache tracks for offline playback, rather than buying them outright.

Windows Phone 8 support follows on after Windows PC/tablet support, though again there won’t be a free plan to choose; instead, just as Spotify demands, you’ll need to be a paid subscriber to access streaming music on the move. In the pipeline is support for other mobile platforms – Microsoft specifically mentions iOS and Android – and Social Music, the latter promising social networking integration.

The new Smart DJ feature of Xbox Music, meanwhile, bases a new playlist on a selected artist, with the promise of unlimited skips and full access to the upcoming playlist, similar to how Pandora works. Microsoft will also take on iTunes Match with its own Cloud Storage scan-and-match system, adding all of the tracks in your collection to its cloud, including those bought through iTunes and other services.

Microsoft’s key advantage over Spotify, Pandora, and other streaming services is likely to be its ubiquity: Xbox Music will be preloaded onto new Windows computers, including the Surface tablets, and that’s likely to encourage Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 8 users to give it a try as well (there’ll be a 30-day free trial period before they need to stump up for a Xbox Music Pass).

First to get access will be Xbox 360 users, from tomorrow, with the free trial and Xbox Music Pass on sale in 22 market.. Free streaming on Windows 8/RT hardware begins October 26 in fifteen markets; Xbox Music Pass will be available in 22 markets, for Windows 8, RT, and Windows Phone 8, and more regions are expected over the coming year.

Microsoft Xbox Music takes on Spotify and iTunes Cloud is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Japanese carrier Softbank has confirmed it is acquiring a majority share in Sprint, in a deal worth $20.1bn expected to be closed by mid-2013. The deal, rumored last week, will see Softbank pay $12.1bn to Sprint’s existing shareholders to snap up the struggling US CDMA carrier, with the remaining $8bn used to “strengthen Sprint’s balance sheet.” The acquisition will see Softbank attempt to bring some Japanese-style LTE magic to Sprint’s network in the US, with current CEO Dan Hesse remaining on in his position.

A new company, New Sprint – fully owned by a Softbank holding company, unimaginatively named HoldCo – will be created to actually purchase the carrier. Post-transaction, Softbank’s HoldCo will own approximately 79-percent of Sprint, and the formerly publicly-traded Sprint will own around 30-percent of New Sprint.

Sprint’s headquarters will remain in Overland Park, Kansas, and three members of the current board will be carried over to a new, 10-member board of directors. If the deal fails because Softbank’s financing doesn’t come through, it must pay Sprint $600m; the same sum must be paid if Sprint goes on to accept a better offer from another company. If Sprint’s shareholders don’t agree on the deal, meanwhile, the carrier must pay “up to $75m” in contribution to Softbank’s expenses.

“This is a transformative transaction for Sprint that creates immediate value for our stockholders, while providing an opportunity to participate in the future growth of a stronger, better capitalized Sprint going forward. Our management team is excited to work with SOFTBANK to learn from their successful deployment of LTE in Japan as we build out our advanced LTE network, improve the customer experience and continue the turnaround of our operations” Dan Hesse, CEO, Sprint

Post-transaction, Softbank will have “one of the largest mobile internet companies in the world” and have “one of the largest” combined subscriber bases between the US and Japan. Combined service revenue will be third highest in the world. Softbank says it will “leverage its deep expertise in smartphones and next-generation mobile networks, and its track record of success in competing in mature markets with large incumbents, to enhance Sprint’s competitiveness in the US.”

More details here [pdf link].

Softbank buys 70% of Sprint in $20.1bn deal is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.