Saturday 16 July 2016
Tuesday 1 September 2015
Sunday 15 March 2015
Upcoming Apple iPhone May Have Force Touch-Equipped Display!
The launching of the Apple Watch and the new Apple MacBook on March 9 has brought forth a new pressure-sensing technology from Apple which is called Force Touch, reports the Hindustan Times.
Force Touch is a pressure-sensitive input method that allows for a deeper press to be recognized by the device as a secondary type of input whichenables the device to open a lot of options. It’s different from a mere single press on the device.
Apple showed this input method with the Apple Watch and also in the trackpad of the new Apple MacBook. In the latest laptop from the American tech company, the trackpad has built-in sensors that enable the users to customize the trackpad based on the pressure exerted on it.
As much as the new technology looks operationally good and sound with the Apple Watch and the new Apple MacBook, it is likely that the company may use the Force Touch technology in its upcoming smartphone to be launched later this year.
Apple has been rumored to be launching the iPhone 6S in September this year, in light of the two-year cycle for its iPhones. Having an iPhone 7 would put the cycle in disarray so now, many are thinking that the American tech giant would indeed roll out the iPhone 6S later this year.
Performs other function
In the new Apple MacBook the Force Touch trackpad appears to be quite similar to the typical mechanical Mac trackpad but technically when it is pressed, it shall supplant the downward motion with a very fine side-to-side motor agitation that is impossible to register as anything else than a press.
This enables the user to press once for a normal click and make the second deeper press to gain access to secondary function or perform other actions, without having to right-click or open a menu, details Tech Crunch.
Using this pressure-sensitive technology on the iPhone, the Force Touch would open up new control capabilities for games and could also allow for more sophisticated input response from a variety of Apple apps.
In particular, the Force Touch can really work best on app like Garage Band because its ability to differentiate between a light and a hard press could result to different sounds being produced by the a virtual keyboard.
Complementing VR display?
The Force Touch may actually go well or complement the rumored virtual reality display feature of the next iPhone.
Rumors about the virtual reality display stemmed from reports that Apple has recently been given a patent grant by the US Patent and TrademarkOffice on virtual reality headset and display technology.
Apple filed the application for patent with the US Patent and TrademarkOffice in 2008 where the company insisted that it cannot use a wired connection since that would be very inconvenient to the user.
Apple filed the application for patent with the US Patent and TrademarkOffice in 2008 where the company insisted that it cannot use a wired connection since that would be very inconvenient to the user.
Thus, the companysettled for a system that merges both mechanical and electronic head-mounted device with a portable electronicdevice where users can adjust the frame to level with their line of sight.
Friday 13 March 2015
Here’s the full Android 5.1 changelog
Android 5.1 Lollipop is officially in the wild and it comes with a metric ton of changes. However, most of them are under the hood and the actual interface only saw a few minor tweaks here and there. Let’s take a look at what’s different in 5.1.
Quick Settings tweaks
The Quick Settings in Android 5.1 Lollipop saw a couple of tweaks. They include:
- You can now connect to WiFi and Bluetooth devices without being required to go into the Settings app. Simply click the down arrow and continue from there.
- There is a new animation for the portrait mode toggle (more on that later).
Screen Pinning improvements
Screen Pinning is a feature (under Security in the Settings) that allows you to lock someone into a single application. This is great for kids or if someone is borrowing your phone.
- The verbiage in the Settings has been changed for clarification purposes.
- When you pin an application, Android now shows you which buttons to press in order to leave Screen Pinning mode. Otherwise, the feature works exactly as it did before.
Contacts app improvements
The Contacts app has undergone a couple of minor improvements:
- There is no longer any color overlays on contact pictures.
- Google+ photos are no longer used for contact pictures.
- Other minor tweaks here and there.
System Volume tweaks
The lack of silent mode is a sore spot for many Lollipop users, although HTC and Samsung have managed to (generally) re-add the feature in their skins. With Android 5.1, Google didn’t give us silent mode back but they did make some other tweaks:
- The icons of Priority Mode and No Interruptions Mode now appear in the selection window. This is so people new to the OS understand what the icons mean when they show up in the status bar (shown in the gif above).
- No Interruptions Mode will now still deliver notifications and you’ll still see the notification light blinking. It’s no silent mode, but it works pretty much the same. The only real gripe is that alarms still don’t go off so you’ll still need to create a tweaked Priority Mode (where alarms are okay, but everything else is turned off) in order to get a “truer” silent mode.
- You can now access system volume even while watching video, listening to music, or otherwise engaging in media. Simply click the bell icon on the right side (see video for a demonstration) and the media volume will disappear, replaced by the system volume.
- Other small tweaks are there, including the ability to better manage Priority Mode.
New animations
A few new animations have made their way into Android 5.1.
- The four icons at the top of the Clock app are now animated.
- The Portrait/Landscape toggle in Quick Settings is also now animated.
Other various tweaks
Some of the other highlights from the Android 5.1 update include:
- NuPlayer officially takes over for AwesomePlayer as the default streaming player.
- When you receive a heads-up notification (when they appear at the top and are clickable), you can swipe up to hide the notification but it will remain in the notification drop-down for you to check later. In Android 5.0, swiping up on the heads-up notification dismissed the notification entirely.
- Device Protection mode is now a thing that exists. This nifty new feature keeps your device locked down even if it has been factory reset, preventing thieves from getting around your security. Sadly, this is only available on the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 as well as, according to Google, all Lollipop devices launched going forward.
- HD Voice Calling is now included. Devices on compatible carrier networks that support HD Voice will be able to use the feature. Reportedly, this only works with the Nexus 6 for right now.
- Dual-SIM support is now baked right into the OS.
- Unless otherwise stated, we believe the memory leak has finally been fixed.
- There were over 14000 additional tweaks, fixes, and other changes that came to Android 5.1 that improved everything from performance to battery. To see them all, here’s the full changelog.
The new “no SIM card” icon.
What we’re still waiting on
While the 5.1 update was huge in its own right, it didn’t bring everything. Here are a few features many people are still waiting on.
- A true silent mode where notifications come in, alarms act as normal, but the device doesn’t vibrate or ring.
- T-Mobile Nexus 6 users are still waiting for WiFi Calling but that should be coming soon.
- There is still no reboot option. When long pressing the power button, you still only have the option to Power Down.
Overall
Overall, the update is a big step forward for Lollipop and dare we say, the Lollipop we probably should have had to begin with. Performance on the Nexus 5 (at least) has been noticeably better and the inclusion of the new features gives a more full and complete feeling to the UI and experience overall. Let us know what you thought of the Android 5.1 Lollipop update. Did Google address all of your concerns or are there still some things you wish they had?
Vaio Phone (VA-10J) With Android 5.0 Lollipop Launched
Vaio, the former Sony laptop unit, on Thursday launched its first smartphone in Japan.
The Vaio Phone (VA-10J) smartphone has been priced at JPY 51,000 (approximately Rs. 26,350) for the unlocked model while consumers in Japan can also buy the handset at JPY 4,000 (approximately Rs. 2,070) which comes with unlimited data plans from the Japanese telecom carrier B-mobile. The first Vaio smartphone will go on sale starting March 20 and there has been no word on global availability.
(Also see: Vaio Phone (VA-10J) vs. Panasonic Eluga U2)
For specifications, the Vaio Phone (VA-10J) features a 5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) IPS OGS display. It is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core (unspecified chipset) processor coupled with 2GB of RAM. Engadget Japan however reports that the Vaio Phone (VA-10J) packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor.
The Vaio Phone (VA-10J) sports a 13-megapixel rear camera accompanied by an LED flash while there is a 5-megapixel front-facing camera also onboard. The rear camera can record videos at 1080p resolution.
The smartphone includes 16GB of inbuilt storage, which is further expandable via microSD card (up to 64GB). It is a single-SIM device and supports Micro-SIM cards. The Vaio Phone (VA-10J) will be available in just Black colour and runs Android 5.0 Lollipop with almost no customisations, according to Engadget Japan. It packs a 2500mAh non-removable battery offering up to 13 hours of talk time and 500 hours of standby time. It measures 141.5x71.3x7.95mm and weighs 130 grams. The Vaio Phone (VA-10J) supports 4G LTE apart from Bluetooth, GPS/ A-GPS, Wi-Fi, and Micro-USB.
Notably, the Vaio Phone (VA-10J) smartphone features an almost identical design to the Panasonic's recently unveiled Eluga U2. As far as specifications go, the Vaio Phone comes with the exact same innards as the Panasonic Eluga U2, which was launchedlast month in Taiwan at TWD 7,990 (approximately Rs. 15,700). As yet, there is no information of its global release.
WhatsApp Voice Calling Now Open to All Android Users: Report
WhatsApp appears to have opened its voice calling feature to all Android users, with the invite window now open for several hours. The world's most popular messaging app has been gradually rolling out this feature by opening the invite window only for a few hours at a time. This time however, WhatsApp may have opened the floodgates, reports Android Police.
The report says that many people have been receiving the WhatsApp calling feature on their Android smartphones. To activate the feature, all you need is the latest version (v2.11.561) of WhatsApp (via APKMirror) and a WhatsApp call from someone who already has the feature. After you get the call, you will see WhatsApp's interface switch from just showing recent chats to three tabs - calls, chats and contacts.
This move appears to have come on the back of another milestone for WhatsApp - over 1 billion installs via Google Play. The app's Google Play page now shows that it has between 1 billion and 5 billion installs. These numbers of course don't reveal the actual number of WhatsApp users because anyone who installed the app once is counted in this number. The number isn't reduced if the person proceeds to delete the app. Even then, the number shows just how popular the messaging app is.
Earlier, the voice calling feature was rolled out to some users, but the invite window was closed before most people could get the feature. WhatsApp still has not announced the voice calling feature officially on its website or the release notes on Google Play. WhatsApp for iPhone still doesn't have this feature even though a voice calling button appeared in the app some time ago.
Having established itself as the world's most popular messaging app with over 700 million monthly active users, WhatsApp seems to be augmenting its offering by adding features available in competing messaging apps. WhatsApp for Android users also recently got a Web version that works well. Both these features have been available for some time with competing messaging apps such as iMessage (calling via FaceTime), Line, Viber, among others.
http://gadgets.ndtv.com/apps/news/whatsapp-voice-calling-now-open-to-all-android-users-report-669693?pfrom=home-gadgetstop
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