Boot To Gecko: Mozilla’s Open-Source, Mobile Answer To ChromeOS

Straight from the heart of Mozilla’s developer newsgroup comes news of an ambitious new project: a standalone, web-based operating system. If that concept sounds familiar, I’ve also just described the core of Google’s Chrome OS which we’re beginning to see pop up on netbooks. The big twist?

It’s currently being developed for mobile devices. And it’s partially Android-based.

According to Dr. Andreas Gal, researcher at Mozilla, the impetus behind the Boot to Gecko project is to “make open web technologies a better basis for future applications on mobile and desktop alike”. A lofty goal to be sure, as the core underpinnings would ultimately extend beyond just mobile devices. Should Gal and his colleagues (and really anyone who wants to help) succeed, Boot to Gecko would have the potential to change how we interact with the web, regardless of platform.

Gal breaks the process down into actionable steps. First, the Boot to Gecko project aims to take the primary functions of a mobile device (i.e. “Telephony, SMS, Camera, USB, Bluetooth, NFC”) and create web APIs to handle them. From there, they intend to develop a way for web pages and applications to safely access those components as needed. They hope that by doing this, they (and other intrepid developers) will be able to create native-grade apps that run directly on the web instead of only being available on certain devices.

As I’ve mentioned, the open-source project is based partially off of Android — nothing terribly high-level though, just the kernel and the drivers so as to ensure that whatever progress they make can actually boot. It also doesn’t hurt that Android works (and in many case, has been made to work) on plenty of different hardware configurations, which is exactly what they need to see if the concept pans out. As it stands, development is in such a nascent stage that we have no idea what to expect visually, so no images yet folks.

Personally speaking, this idea has me on the edge of my seat. It will take a lot of work, and a lot of time, and there’s no guarantee that we’ll ever see a complete release. That’s the funny part though: I don’t think it really matters. If all they ever did was finish the API for telephony and SMS messaging, that would still signal a tremendous shift in how we use the web. Boot to Gecko will inevitably draw comparisons to ChromeOS (and I was guilty of this just a few paragraphs ago), but we stand to gain a much richer online experience if B2G comes to be. Only time will tell if these gentlemen succeed, but we’ll be certain to keep you up to date during the ride.

Thank you :
http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/25/boot-to-gecko-mozillas-open-source-mobile-answer-to-chromeos/

Best Buy offers $350, $380 Sandy Bridge notebooks

Intel's Sandy Bridge architecture has trickled down to the sub-$400 notebook segment courtesy of two machines from HP and Toshiba. Listed at Best Buy for $350, the 4.7lb Pavilion g4-1104dx is potentially the cheapest Sandy Bridge notebook around with a 2.0GHz dual-core Pentium B940, which carries a 650-1100MHz IGP (Best Buy's product page claims it's the HD 3000, but we're not sure if that's accurate).

It also features a 14-inch 1366x768 LED-backlit display, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 320GB 5400RPM hard drive, and a DVD burner. There's wired and wireless network connectivity, three USB 2.0 ports (no USB 3.0, but again, we're talking about a $350 notebook here), HDMI and VGA outputs, a card reader, a built-in webcam and mic, Windows 7 Home Premium, and a six-cell battery that offers up to 4.25 hours of battery life.

Meanwhile, the pricier $380 Toshiba Satellite L755-S5216 comes in a slightly larger 15.6-inch, 5.7lb package (same resolution) that gets up to 5.75 hours of battery life, but the core configuration is largely identical. Again, neither system is equipped for heavy media consumption or gaming, but they should prove adequate for basic productivity sessions, and it's no coincidence that the back-to-school season is underway.

Thank you :
http://www.techspot.com/news/44812-best-buy-offers-350-380-sandy-bridge-notebooks.html

Samsung Smartphone Sales May Pass Apple

Samsung Electronics Co., maker of the Galaxy mobile phone, may have surpassed Nokia Oyj and Apple Inc. in smartphone sales for the first time on demand for devices that run on Android software, a research company said.

Samsung is estimated to have sold between 18 million and 21 million smartphones globally in the April-June quarter, compared with 16.7 million for Nokia and 20.3 million iPhones, Neil Mawston, a London-based analyst at Strategy Analytics, a research company based in Boston, said in an e-mailed response to questions on July 22. The data exclude tablet-computer sales.

The estimates show Google Inc.’s Android is gaining ground on Apple in smartphones as Nokia, which is turning to Microsoft Corp. for software support, struggles to keep up with the pace. Samsung, which also produces low-end phones that aren’t capable of downloading applications, has said it aims to more than double sales of high-end devices this year.

“Samsung’s Android portfolio is selling strongly in most regions,” said Mawston. “Samsung stands a reasonable chance of capturing the top spot on a quarterly basis if it can continue expanding its Android portfolio across high-growth markets like China and Brazil. Samsung and Apple will be at similar levels in smartphones by the end of the year.”

Catching Nokia

Including basic phones, Samsung will probably have a 20 percent share this year, compared with Nokia’s 26 percent, closing the gap between the world’s two largest handset makers to the narrowest ever, he said.

Samsung wasn’t immediately able to verify the figures, said Nam Ki Yung, a Seoul-based spokesman for the Suwon, South Korea- based company. Steve Park, a Seoul-based spokesman for Apple, declined to comment.

Cherry Gong, a Nokia spokeswoman in China, didn’t immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

Samsung fell 0.4 percent to 847,000 won at the 3:00 p.m. close in Seoul, while South Korea’s benchmark Kospi index lost 1 percent. The shares have declined 11 percent this year.

Samsung’s global smartphone sales had lagged behind Nokia, Apple and Research in Motion Ltd. in the first quarter, according to researcher International Data Corp.

The South Korean company’s sales are accelerating after it began selling the Galaxy S II, a successor to its best-selling Android device introduced last year to counter Apple.

New Galaxy

Samsung planned to roll out the model in 120 countries through 140 operators from May, the company said in April. The latest Galaxy handset went on sale last week in five cities in China, including Beijing and Shanghai, as the company seeks to make a push into the world’s largest market for mobile phones.

The latest 4.27-inch Galaxy phone, unveiled in February, helped Samsung more than double operating profit at its mobile phone business in the second quarter, according to five analysts polled by Bloomberg News.

Apple reported net income that beat estimates on July 19, lifted by record sales of iPhones and iPads. In contrast, Nokia reported its first quarterly loss since 2009 as the Finnish company struggles to sell handsets based on its 10-year-old Symbian software.

Cupertino, California-based Apple plans to introduce a new iPhone in September that boasts a stronger chip for processing data and a more advanced camera, two people familiar with the product said last month.

Lawsuits

Apple sued Samsung in April, claiming the Galaxy products “slavishly” copied technologies and designs used in the iPad and iPhone. The suit against Samsung added to its patent fights with Android-device makers including Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. and HTC Corp., with the Google software gaining market share.

Android’s share will rise to 44 percent by 2015 from 39 percent this year, according to a forecast by IDC. Global sales of smartphones will soar 55 percent to 472 million units this year, according to the researcher.

Samsung is also tapping consumers looking for lower-priced models with devices using its own Bada software. It plans to introduce a new model based on the system in the second half, J.K. Shin, head of Samsung’s mobile-phone division, said July 20.

The debut of a new iPhone may slow the momentum for Samsung, Mawston said.

“Samsung will need to work hard to hold off that competitive threat,” he said.

Thank you :
http://thumbsup.in.th/tag/samsung/
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-24/samsung-may-have-surpassed-nokia-apple-in-second-quarter-smartphone-sales.html

Smartphone Review : T-Mobile G2x

The good: The T-Mobile G2x features a 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor that delivers great performance. It also has a sharp design, plenty of multimedia features, and HSPA+ speeds.

The bad: The T-Mobile G2x's photo quality did not meet our expectations. The call quality could also be slightly better.

The bottom line: The T-Mobile G2x's simple Android interface, blazingly fast speeds, and polished look make it the phone to beat in T-Mobile's lineup.

When LG introduced the world to the LG Optimus 2X late last year we were suitably impressed by its dual-core processor and multimedia capabilities, but because LG has a history of not importing its high-end devices into the U.S., we held out little hope that it would hop across the pond.

Fortunately, we were proved wrong. At CTIA 2011 in Orlando, Fla., LG introduced the T-Mobile G2x, which is essentially a T-Mobile USA-branded version of the Optimus 2X. Available now for $199.99 with a two-year contract, it boasts an impressive 1GHz Nvidia dual-core processor, great specs, support for T-Mobile's HSPA+ network, and all-around good looks. Sure, it's running Android 2.2 at launch, but LG promises it will be upgradable to version 2.3 in the future and Android fans will appreciate the stock Android interface.

Also notable is that the T-Mobile G2x is T-Mobile's first "G-series" phone not made by HTC (unlike the T-Mobile G1 and T-Mobile G2). This underscores T-Mobile's confidence in LG; we hope the G2x is the first of many excellent LG smartphones to make their marks on the U.S. market.


Design
When you hold it in your hands, there is no doubt that the T-Mobile G2x is a premium handset. At 4.9 inches long by 2.5 inches wide by 0.4 inch thick, the G2x features smooth, rounded corners and is clad in a matte soft-touch finish on the back, with a seamless piano-black face and attractive gunmetal-gray accents around the sides. At 5 ounces, the G2x also has a certain heft that gives it a solid and luxurious feel in the hand.

The T-Mobile G2x has a beautiful 4-inch WVGA display.

The 4-inch IPS touch-screen display is simply stunning. The WVGA resolution provides crystal-clear sharpness, with vibrant colors and impressive detail. This is especially evident when playing games and HD video. It's not quite as vivid as the Super AMOLED screen on the Samsung Galaxy S 4G or the qHD display on the Motorola Atrix 4G, but it still offers rich colors and great graphics.

The touch screen is really responsive, requiring only a simple tap for a touch to register, and thanks to the dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, we were also amazed by how zippy the navigation felt. Simple tasks like scrolling through a Web page or launching an application felt that much quicker. Even the accelerometer kicked in faster when switching from portrait to landscape mode. The G2x comes with a gyroscopic sensor as well.

Beneath the display are the usual Android shortcut keys in the form of touch-sensitive buttons for menu, home, back, and search. On the top right of the phone is the front-facing camera. There are a couple of external speakers on the bottom along with the Micro-USB charging port. The volume rocker is on the right, and the 3.5mm headset jack, HDMI port, and power/screen lock button are on the top. The microSD card slot is located behind the battery cover, but you don't need to remove the battery to access it. On the back of the phone are the camera lens and LED flash.

T-Mobile packages the G2x with an AC adapter, a USB cable, and reference material.

Features
The T-Mobile G2x's feature set is an embarrassment of riches, with plenty of advanced smartphone technology that promises to provide speed and multimedia prowess. As we mentioned, it has the highly praised 1GHz Nvidia dual-core Tegra 2 processor. It does have only 512MB of RAM, but we didn't notice any performance drawbacks in real-world tests. Transitions between menus felt snappy, and we jumped through different points in an HD video clip with zero jittering.

To prove the strength of the Nvidia Tegra 2 processor even further, LG has included the Nvidia Tegra Zone app with the phone. The app lets you easily find, purchase, and download games that take advantage of the Nvidia processor. The G2x comes with Nova and Need for Speed Shift, and we have to say that both games performed very well in our initial tests. Graphics were very smooth and we experienced zero lag time during gameplay.

Because of all this power, it's no surprise that the G2x comes equipped with multimedia features galore. It has a Micro-HDMI port so you can hook up the phone to a big-screen television, and with mirroring mode, you can see on the TV whatever is on your phone. If you want to go wireless, the G2x also supports DLNA, a technology that lets you share media on your phone with other DLNA devices wirelessly. The G2x also comes with T-Mobile TV, a T-Mobile service that gives you access to live and on-demand TV.

If you would rather watch your own movies, the G2x comes with 8GB of internal storage. This might not seem like a lot, but you can load additional media onto a microSD card--the phone supports up to 32GB of extra storage. To get content onto your device, you can treat the phone like a mass storage device by dragging and dropping media, or you can use the DoubleTwist software to sync content wirelessly.

The T-Mobile G2x has an 8-megapixel camera and LED flash on the back.

One of the other benefits of the dual-core processor is that the phone supports full HD 1080p video playback. In addition, the G2x can record video in 1080p with its 8-megapixel camera. The short video clips we recorded looked pretty impressive, considering they are from a phone. We don't think video quality quite compares to that of a professional quality camera, but for family videos or simple YouTube clips, it works great.

Thank you:
http://androidandme.com/2011/03/phones/t-mobile-g2x-confirmed-as-first-dual-core-phone-with-stock-android/
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12261_7-20044830-10356022.html
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/T-Mobile-G2x_id5272
http://www.gottabemobile.com/2011/05/25/t-mobile-g2x-pulled-from-shelves-due-to-quality-issues/
http://www.gforgames.com/gadgets/news-gadgets/tmobile-lg-g2x-optimus-2x-overview-release-date-specs-6827/
http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/t-mobile-g2x/4505-6452_7-34550510.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody#reviewPage1

Twitter's new plan: Commerce?

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo discusses the company's business model, the departure of its co-founders, and its future in advertising.

FORTUNE --Almost from the moment the first 140 characters were tweeted, people have been asking Twitter how it will make money. The initial answer has been "advertising," but company CEO Dick Costolo today suggested that "commerce" might be the next leg of Twitter's revenue stool.

During a keynote interview at Fortune BrainstormTech in Aspen, Costolo was pressed about his company's business model. After discussing its various advertising options -- including its plans to eventually offer self-serve ads -- he mentioned how conference organizers and sports teams had used Twitter to find buyers for unsold inventory. For example, the San Diego Chargers were able to quickly sell around 1,000 tickets to a game that otherwise would have been blacked out on local television. Twitter itself didn't make any money on those transactions, but may look to do so in the future.

"There's a commerce opportunity there for us to take advantage of if we want," Costolo said. "How can we remove friction from the process?"

He declined to explain exactly how Twitter might remove that friction -- or even that a plan was in place -- but did suggest that the Chargers could have sold their tickets even more efficiently were buyers not forced to visit an entirely different website to make their purchase.

Costolo added that advertising will continue to be the company's dominant revenue component, including sponsored tweets and sponsored trending topics. He declined repeated opportunities to disclose how much advertisers currently spend on Twitter, or any other company financial information.

Costolo joined Twitter as chief operating officer in late 2009, and was promoted to CEO 13 months later. Since then, two of the company's co-founders have departed and the third has returned to lead product. Costolo was asked about the management tumult, which was partially described in a recent Fortune cover story. He suggested that the focus on the co-founders has been misplaced, and that the current management team has been working together well for months.

"Jack and I, specifically, work very well together," Costolo said. "He speaks with the fluency of the inventor of the product."

Thank you :
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/07/19/twitters-new-business/

Motorola Dinara To Follow The DROID Bionic, May Be One Of The First Android Super Phones?

There is this empty space for devices in 2011 after the DROID Bionic that needs to be filled, and we haven’t heard a peep about any of it from any of our sources. Well until now. We may have just received word on Moto’s next super or “flagship” phone that is currently scheduled for a winter release and will surely fill up some “space” or at the very least, bring in some good chatter.

We’ve been told that the Motorola Dinara (codename of course) is the next big thing. It’s still under development, but currently has an “HD” screen, 13MP rear camera, VGA front, and an internal/non-removable battery. It will look almost identical to the Bionic in styling, but will end up as a much slimmer and lighter device. It’s running Gingerbread still since no one has Ice Cream Sandwich yet and should be here by this winter.

Update: A couple of additional details have been mentioned to us: TI processor, 1GB RAM, bigger screen than the Bionic (same device size, but screen closer to the edge), lock button on the side (a la Samsung), and the internal battery has not been a problem.

There is a chance that it could end up on multiple carriers, but it’s currently being tested on Verizon’s network. We weren’t told if it’ll be 4G LTE or not – how could it not be though?

Oh, and I should point out that “Dinara” is the name of a mountain range, something Motorola has been known to use on their higher end devices. Anyone remember the Olympus, Everest, and Etna?

We’ve definitely flagged this as a rumor, since these things all seem to change oh so regularly. The end of the year is pretty far away in mobile time.

The hypebeast machine has been turned back on.

Thank you :
http://www.droid-life.com/2011/07/19/motorola-dinara-to-follow-the-droid-bionic-may-be-one-of-the-first-android-super-phones/

Why Apple killed off the white MacBook

When Apple refreshed its line of MacBook Airs and Mac minis today, the company also quietly removed its $999 13-inch white MacBook from its store. Now the least expensive MacBook that Apple offers is the updated $999 11.6-inch MacBook Air.

Unfortunately, the two items are not as alike as you might think. Not only do you get less screen real estate with the Air, you also get a lot less hard drive space with only 64GB on the $999 Air’s SSD drive. But the Air makes up for this with more powerful performance, a backlit keyboard, and a lighter design with an aluminum chassis. Since the products have different audiences in mind and fulfill different needs, it seems a little curious that Apple would shutter the white MacBook.

But Michael Gartenberg, technology analyst for Gartner, isn’t surprised. He thinks the strategy is to reduce the number of products Apple has in its lineup while still offering a laptop for less than $1000.

“Given the appeal of the new MacBook Air, with better specs and a much more appealing design, I’m not surprised that Apple decided to retire the MacBook as an entry-level machine,” Gartenberg told VentureBeat. “Ever since the new Airs were introduced at the same price point, it was likely many consumers were choosing the Air over the MacBook.”

I’d venture another reason: the iPad. Apple’s staggering third quarter iPad sales indicate that many consumers are willing to sacrifice some of the better aspects of a laptop for the ease and accessibility of a tablet. I even know a few casual users who use their iPads entirely as a primary device.

Now that Apple has the iPad available at a base price of $499 and the MacBook Air available at a base $999 price, the company surprisingly has most of its consumer bases covered, and people can spend a little more if they want to upgrade from that level. And let’s not forget that Apple could easily release more products this year or next to continue hitting each level of consumer.

What do you think of Apple’s decision to kill off the white MacBook? Are you interested in the $999 MacBook Air?

Thank you :
http://venturebeat.com/2011/07/20/why-apple-killed-off-the-white-macbook/

Apple releases 64-bit, full-screen iTunes 10.4 and iWork updates

With Mac OS X Lion now unleashed on the Mac App Store, Apple has also introduced a new version of iTunes that is both 64-bit and full-screen capable, in addition to full-screen version of iWork that will also leverage several other Lion features [update: now available].

Updated: iWork Update 6 (90.2MB) and iTunes 10.4 (64.1MB) are now both available via Software Update. In addition, Apple on Wednesday also released Remote Desktop Client Update 3.5.1 (3.6MB).

The updates to both iWork and iTunes add features found in Lion, Apple's new operating system released on Wednesday. Both the iWork suite and iTunes support full-screen mode, while Pages, Numbers and Keynote will also gain Resume, Auto Save and Versions functionality.

Earlier Wednesday, AppleInsider was provided screenshots of pre-release downloads via Software Update, revealing ahead of time that Apple with iTunes 10.4 will also upgrade the media client to a full-fledged Cocoa application with 64-bit support.

Apple's internal release notes revealed that some iTunes plug-ins may no longer be compatible with iTunes 10.4. Users are advised to contact the responsible plug-in developer to receive an update that is compatible with the latest version of iTunes.

Apple began to push 64-bit with Snow Leopard, its previous-generation operating system, which featured 64-bit support in its kernel. While 64-bit support has been added to applications over the years, including the recently released Final Cut Pro X, iTunes became something of an anomaly without Cocoa and 64-bit support.

Set to be added to both iTunes and iWork, full-screen application support is one of the hallmark features of Lion. With a quick multi-touch gesture, users can quickly switch between active applications in Lion.

Lion also features Resume, which brings applications back exactly how they were left when restarting a Mac, or just quitting and relaunching the application. The new Auto Save functionality automatically and continuously saves iWork documents as users work on them.


Another new feature is Versions, which automatically records the history of a document as it is created. Using Versions, users can also easily browse, revert and copy and paste from previous versions of a document or file in iWork, or other Lion-compatible applications.

Mac OS X 10.7 also features AirDrop, a new built-in feature that finds nearby Macs and automatically sets up a peer-to-peer wireless connection. This makes transferring files and documents between Macs quick and easy.

Thank you :
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/07/20/apple_prepping_64_bit_full_screen_itunes_10_4_and_iwork_updates.html