While Google has no qualms releasing their products as apps on Apple’s iOS ecosystem, it seems that they aren’t too eager at giving Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform a helping hand. This has led to third-party alternatives, some of which are […]
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If you’re a BlackBerry 10 user, you might be pleased to find out that TomTom has recently announced an updated agreement with BlackBerry in which they will be providing real-time traffic information to the native maps app found on the […]
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Spanish open hardware phone platform manufacturer Geeksphone, which created the first developer preview devices for Mozilla’s Firefox OS (aka Peak and Keon), has announced it’s now taking pre-orders for a new beefed up consumer version of its Peak smartphone that it’s called Peak+.
Geeksphone’s original two developer-focused devices sold out a few hours after going on sale – doubtless helped by their low prices of $194 and $119 respectively. The Peak+ looks likely to garner similar levels of demand, thanks to a similarly low pre-order price, although there is now more competition for Firefox devices — with Telefonica selling the ZTE Open in Spain (and elsewhere) for as little as €69/$90. (Albeit, the more expensive Peak+ does offer beefier, mid-range specs vs the very budget ZTE Open.)
Geeksphone has created a pre-sale reservation list for consumers wanting to buy the device for a “one-time, limited promotional price” of €149/$196 (excluding taxes) — after which it will be sold at a “standard price” via the startup’s online store, from September. Geeksphone would not confirm exactly how much the phone will ultimately retail for, saying only it would be “slightly higher”.
On paper, the Peak+ is a slightly beefier version of the original Peak, with double (1GB) the RAM and the latest version of the Firefox OS (v1.1). Other specs are the same as the original Peak, including its dual-core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm 8225 chipset, 4.3” qHD IPS multitouch screen, 8-megapixel rear camera (with flash), 2 megapixel front camera, and tri-band UMTS / HSPA, plus a 1800 mAh battery. But Geeksphone says it has improved battery management and graphical performance.
It also says it has “enhanced” the external materials and inner construction for “a more polished finish and pleasant touch, as demanded by our users”. Storage wise, the Peak+ has 4GB of internal storage which can be expanded up to 32 GB via MicroSD. It will also come with 25GB of cloud storage (from Fiabee).
Geeksphone said the vast majority (93%) of buyers of its earlier developer devices came from outside its home country. Demand was apparently especially high in Germany, France and Japan. Several other Asian and Latin American countries were also said to be very keen on the devices.
Mozilla’s Firefox OS is aiming to provide an open alternative to Google’s Android OS, especially at the budget to mid-tier smartphone handset price range, and has signed up considerable carrier support for the initiative. This contrasts to Canonical’s high end approach, with its circa $600 Ubuntu Edge smartphone — currently seeking $32 million in crowdfunding backing to build an open source-based smartphone that can double as a PC.
Update: A Mozilla spokesperson has been in touch requesting a “correction” that the Peak+ is not a Firefox OS phone, but rather is “based on Boot to Gecko technology” — aka Mozilla’s original codename for the Firefox OS Linux-based open source software project.
“We want to clarify that this new phone that was announced is based on Boot to Gecko technology with pre-release software, but is not a certified or supported Firefox OS device,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
This is basically an issue of brand control. It’s worth noting that Mozilla has been criticised by others in the open software movement for the lengths it goes to to defend its branding. And Firefox OS is a key new brand for Mozilla, which it’s clearly keen to protect and control.
As to why Geeksphone’s Peak+ does not have Firefox OS branding, TechCrunch understands the Firefox OS branding scheme is currently only available to carrier-backed devices. We’ve reached out to Mozilla for clarification on what mobile makers have to do to achieve Firefox OS certification/branding and will update this post with any response.
Are you a Cablevision subscriber with a Galaxy S III (T-Mobile, US Cellular or unlocked), Galaxy S IV or Galaxy Express (AT&T) handset? Awesome, because now you can watch live and on-demand TV from your phone via the company’s Optimum app. More than that, Optimum can do double duty as a clicker for your screen as well as manage recording schedules and content. The cable provider also announced that its cloud-based Multi-Room DVR would triple the storage capacity for recorded video — jumping to 300 hours of standard-def, 75 hours of high-def or some combination of the two. Maybe what’s most exciting is that now you can record 10 shows or movies at once. This should give even the most avid time-shifted TV-watcher a ton of freedom and eliminate a potential Sophie’s Choice between Law & Order: SVU, 2 Broke Girls and Antiques Roadshow. Yeah, our tastes are what you might call “diverse.”
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile
Via: Optimum (Twitter)
Source: Google Play
KTVU, the San Francisco news station that reported fake, racist names of the Asiana Flight 214 pilots has reportedly fired several employees.
Blogger Rich Lieberman first wrote Wednesday night that investigative producer Roland DeWolk, special projects producer Christina Gastelu and producer Brad Belstock had been let go, and that more could follow them.
The San Francisco Chronicle then said it had confirmed the news with the station. The paper wrote that news director Lee Rosenthal had informed staffers of the decision earlier in the day, and that the initial fake names had been provided to the station by a trusted source.
In 1840, Joseph Petzval invented an optical portrait lens, which for the rest of the century would be used to take loads of photos. Now, the retro-fanatics at Lomography have reengineered the lens from the ground up for today’s Canon and Nikon cameras. And the photos are incredible.
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Rugged cameras have their appeal, especially with the more action-oriented crowd who needs a device that will be able to withstand their rugged activities, such as skateboarding, kayaking, dirt biking and etc. Well if you’re in the market for a […]
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