Hasta La Gadget!

Adding to the flurry of Mountain View-born announcements today, Google’s just released an updated version of Search to the Play store. Available for devices running Jelly Bean 4.1 and up, this boost in functionality adds Gmail integration to the prescient Android software, in addition to tracking info related to flights, reservations for hotels and restaurants, scheduled events and even the delivery of packages. The company also bundled in a host of new cards for nearby attractions, movie openings, as well as expanded voice control that’ll allow users to launch applications, check the calendar and set up future meetings. It’s live now, so click on the source below to start your download.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Software, Mobile, Google

Google Search updated with Now improvements, available on Play store for Jelly Bean devices originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 14:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Two years ago, the mobile landscape was quite different than what it is today. Android flagship phones sported 1GHz single-core CPUs and were in the process of upgrading to Froyo, the iPhone 4 was the Apple phone of choice and the word “phablet” was sure to be followed by a “Gesundheit.” (It still is, arguably.) This is just a brief glimpse at the world in which Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 was born. Destined to be the replacement solution for an obsolete Windows Mobile 6.x platform, WP7 did its best to disrupt the industry by offering its unique Metro user interface and slick performance across the board.

There was one growing problem, however; the mobile industry was rapidly changing, and the Windows Phone honeymoon didn’t last as long as Microsoft would’ve liked. Today, the company enjoys less than 5 percent of the world’s smartphone market share as it prepares to launch its next major revision, Windows Phone 8. The new firmware promises to resolve concerns surrounding hardware limitations and the platform’s ecosystem, add a plethora of long-awaited features and integrate the OS with Windows 8. It’s a hefty task for Microsoft to undertake, to say the least, but we’re hoping that two revolutions around the sun were enough for the software giant to impress us with its struggling mobile platform. Did it pull it off? Take a look at what makes Windows Phone 8 tick after the break.

Continue reading Windows Phone 8 review

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Microsoft

Windows Phone 8 review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 14:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alongside the official launching of the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 tablet, Google also took the wraps off its latest Android operating system which adds a new flavor to Jelly Bean. Android 4.2 Jelly Bean brings a new mode to its camera interface and a smarter keyboard interface that now supports gesture typing. Android 4.2 features a Photo Sphere camera that will allow users to capture pictures in different direction while combining them together to form “photo spheres.” Users can view photo spheres right on their phone, share them on Google+, and even add them to Google Maps.

On the other hand, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean also makes writing more easier, thanks to gesture typing. Now users can glide their fingers over the letters they want to type without having to worry about spaces. Google adds that Android’s dictionaries are now more accurate with better text-to-speech capabilities and offline support. Other nifty features of Android 4.2 include support for Miracast wireless displays, expandable notifications, the capability to add multiple users and switch between them instantly from the lockscreen, and a new Daydream feature that will enable devices to display useful information when idle or docked.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Android 4.2 Preview with the Google Nexus 4, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean: New features and apps,

Short version: Livescribe is refining its smartpen once again. The two major changes are the addition of WiFi and Evernote integration. Now, the pen uses and depends on Evernote for syncing and archiving notes.

Features:

• A ball pen
• Microphone
• WiFi
• 2, 4 or 8 GB
• $169.95, $199.95 or $249.95
• Product page

Pros:

• Record and take notes at the same time
• No USB syncing needed
• See your notes on your computer, phone and tablet

Cons:

• Large and tiring pen body
• Evernote is mandatory
• Expensive

Long version:

Like or hate it, the new Livescribe pen is all about Evernote. When CEO Gilles Bouchard came to work for Livescribe, the company was already working on a WiFi version of its smartpen. He met Evernote CEO Phil Libin ten days after starting his new job. It was the best way to bring Livescribe to a tablet.

“Tablet is the best thing that has happened to us. What was missing was filling the gap between paper and tablet,” Bouchard said.

Yet, the Oakland-based company’s focus hasn’t changed. The core idea remains using the qualities of paper to take notes and bringing them to a computer, a tablet or a phone. It’s just now easier to take advantage of Livescribe’s key feature.

As a writer, I’m a natural user for this kind of device. When I do an interview, I usually take notes and record the audio with my iPhone. Listening to the audio file is the most painful process when it comes to writing a post afterwards.

The Livescribe pen, the notes and the recording are not only handled by the pen, but are synced together. When playing back your notes on your computer or tablet (the player uses HTML5), you can click or tap on a certain sentence to jump instantly to the corresponding audio part of the interview. It’s a timesaver.

For avid Evernote users, it will be the perfect evolution. After receiving the new Livescribe pen, I tried using Evernote as my main note taking app for about two weeks. A few days ago, I switched back to Simplenote and Justnotes, because I couldn’t handle Evernote’s bulkiness and slowness.

Livescribe notes don’t count toward your Evernote quota as you can upload 500 MB of Livescribe content before starting eating up your quota. It represents around 50 hours of audio and written notes. The most expensive Sky WiFi comes with one year of Evernote Premium — a $50 value.

Evernote is now only my Livescribe repository. Those who deal with hundreds of notes and tags in Evernote will be glad to find their Livescribe notes in it. But it won’t be the case for me.

More integrations and services will be released in the coming weeks, such as Dropbox and Google Drive integration. The company will release an SDK so that mobile app developers will be able to take advantage of the pen’s data. Bouchard was excited by the possibilities and evolutions that will become available to Sky WiFi owners.

The battery is quite good. As an occasional user, I only had to plug the pen every couple of days.

Finally, you still have to use Livescribe’s paper. The pen comes with an A5 notebook and new notebooks aren’t expensive. But I like to be able to use whatever paper I want with my pen without having to look for my “device” (in this case, a notebook and a pen). I usually keep my pen in my pocket, an inexpensive Pilot Hi-Tec-C that I throw away when there is no ink left. I wouldn’t do that with a Livescribe pen. The simplicity of pen and paper is lost along the way.

Heavy note takers and/or Evernote users should consider using a Livescribe pen, because it’s a great device. I may continue using it occasionally for interviews, but for my personal notes, I’ll keep using a simple pen.

If you do a lot of interviews without your computer, attend math classes or like the novelty of a digital pen, then you are a potential customer. The initial investment is high, but the flexibility of paper brought to the digital environment is impressive and actually useful. I look forward to seeing the potential third-party apps and services that will pop up in the coming months.

Click to view slideshow.

Today T-Mobile announced their holiday lineup of new devices, and it includes a plethora of different phones from different manufacturers. T-Mobile named off devices such as the Nokia Lumia 810, the HTC Windows Phone 8X, the Google Nexus 4 from LG, and the Samsung Galaxy Note II. These devices and more will be available from T-Mobile during the holiday season.

On top of this, the carrier will also be bringing the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, LG Optimus L9, and Google’s Nexus 7. The Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, Lumia 810, Windows Phone 8X, and the Nexus 4 will be available at T-Mobile starting November 14. The Nexus 7 will be coming November 5, and the Optimus L9 will available on October 31.

The Galaxy Note II has been available on T-Mobile for a few days now, but the carrier is putting it in with their holiday lineup, and the same thing goes for Samsung’s flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S III. Both of these devices will be at the forefront of T-Mobile’s offerings along with the aforementioned devices.

Prices for devices start as low as $79.99 for the Optimus L9, and go as high as $369.99 for the Galaxy Note II. T-Mobile is actually selling the Note II $70 higher than other carriers, who are charging only $299 for the 5.5-inch phablet-style smartphone. If you’re in the market for a new device this holiday season, you may want to look into treating yourself with a brand new smartphone.

T-Mobile unveils holiday lineup with Galaxy Note II, Nexus 4, and Windows Phone 8 devices is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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