Thursday, 11 July 2013
Control Center Shamelessly Duplicates The iOS 7 Control Center On Your Android Device
It's pretty common for Android apps to playfully emulate hot new features from the iOS platform, but rarely have the done so as completely as Control Panel. This app apes the iOS 7 Control Panel feature, a swipe up settings toggle and shortcut screen. It even lacks substantial configuration options, thus completing the iOS illusion.
You access Control Center with a swipe up gesture, but it's actually just an invisible button at the bottom of the screen – that has the potential to be a bit awkward. The panel has toggles for WiFi, Bluetooth, rotation lock, Airplane Mode, cell data, and various other settings and shortcuts.
Control Center even has the same frosted glass look dominant in iOS 7. The swipe up gesture might prove troublesome on devices with on-screen buttons, but you can scoot the active area around a bit. This app is free, so it's worth a look if only for a laugh.
Microsoft hints it could make phones
Microsoft has just announced a radical overhaul of its whole organization structure and there is one huge takeaway that we’d like to emphasize. Describing its vision of one family of devices, Microsoft hints that it could make phones in the future.
First, Microsoft makes it clear that its future ‘family’ will consist of “both partner and first-party devices” and then it clarifies that the family would include not just tablets and PCs, but phones as well.
While this is not clearly saying that a Microsoft-made (‘first-party’) is coming, but we definitely take this is a hint in that direction.
Not just that, later on the Redmond company says its family will include “other devices to be imagined and developed,” and if we think hard about devices yet to be developed we can definitely envision smartwatches, glasses and other wearables.
If Microsoft does indeed decide to make a phone, it definitely sounds strange announcing this on the same day as its most important partner Nokia is launching its long-anticipated flagship, the Nokia Lumia 1020. Is that how you interpret the words of Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer right below?
(emphasis ours everywhere)
source: AllThingsD
First, Microsoft makes it clear that its future ‘family’ will consist of “both partner and first-party devices” and then it clarifies that the family would include not just tablets and PCs, but phones as well.
While this is not clearly saying that a Microsoft-made (‘first-party’) is coming, but we definitely take this is a hint in that direction.
Not just that, later on the Redmond company says its family will include “other devices to be imagined and developed,” and if we think hard about devices yet to be developed we can definitely envision smartwatches, glasses and other wearables.
If Microsoft does indeed decide to make a phone, it definitely sounds strange announcing this on the same day as its most important partner Nokia is launching its long-anticipated flagship, the Nokia Lumia 1020. Is that how you interpret the words of Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer right below?
Our Family of Devices
No technology company has as yet delivered a definitive family of devices useful all day for work and for play, connected with every bit of a person’s information available through one cloud. We see tremendous room for innovation in software, services and hardware to bring the consumer this new, more complete and enveloping experience.
Our family will include a full spectrum of both partner and first-party devices. We believe we need all of these categories to drive innovation, fulfill market desire for diversity of experience, and achieve volume.
Our family will include phones, tablets, PCs, 2-in-1s, TV-attached devices and other devices to be imagined and developed. No other company has such strength across so many categories today, and yet this strength is essential to being relevant and personal throughout people’s lives. Our devices must share a common user-interface approach tailored to each hardware form factor. They must deliver experiences based on a common set of services such as the same account login or a common understanding of people and their relationships. They need to share the same services infrastructure so that the information an individual has shared on one device can be available and carry across all the devices in the family. Our devices must support the same high-value activities in ways that are meaningful across different device types. Developers must be able to target all our devices with a common programming model that makes it easy to target more than one device.
We will continue to reinvent the core “shell” of our family of devices and build upon what we have started with Windows 8. We will keep evolving our new modern look, expanding the shell so that it allows people and their devices to capture, store and organize their “stuff” in new ways. Our UI will be deeply personalized, based on the advanced, almost magical, intelligence in our cloud that learns more and more over time about people and the world. Our shell will natively support all of our essential services, and will be great at responding seamlessly to what people ask for, and even anticipating what they need before they ask for it.
The experience we will deliver across all our devices centers on the idea of better connecting people with the things they care about most. This includes their files, documents, photos, videos, notes, websites, snippets, digital history, schedules, tasks, and mail and other messages, combined with real-time information from our devices and services. It is more than what we think of as the shell today, and no current label really fits where we are headed. Neither the desktop nor the social graph describes this new experience, and neither does the search box, the pin board or the file system. The shell will support the experiences layer and broker information among our services to bring them together on our devices in ways that will enable richer and deeper app experiences.
With these innovations in software, hardware and services, we will develop the only ecosystem that promotes variety in hardware but coherence in the user experience. Other companies do one without the other. Only we can bring it all together to create one experience for everything that’s important in people’s lives.(emphasis ours everywhere)
source: AllThingsD
Microsoft major reorganization memo leaks
We had heard that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was working on a major reorganization plan at Microsoft, which would fundamentally change how the company was structured, and bring the Windows desktop and Windows mobile teams closer together. Today, AllThingsD has published an internal memo by Ballmer that explains the plan before the official announcement.
The Vision
Ballmer starts out the memo by patting himself on the back for his "three screens and a cloud" vision, and reiterates that must be the plan for Microsoft, saying "our products and services should operate as one experience across every device." This is what we've long expected from Windows because of the much marketed "shared core" between Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, and the unified UI, but it looks like we're really going to see the convergence from here on.
According to Ballmer's memo, the "key guiding principles" behind the new reorganization plan are:
• A business model based on partner and first-party devices with both consumer and enterpriseservices
• Optimization for activities people value most
• A family of devices powered by a service-enabled shell
• Design for enterprise extensibility and enterprise needs
Ultimately, Ballmer wants the company to "strive for single experience for everything in a person’s life that matters", and expects that the reorganization will help the company innovate faster and more efficiently. To do that, Ballmer is calling for Microsoft to rally "behind a single strategy as one company." Basically, Ballmer is echoing ideas that we've heard in the past from Apple, Google, and Sony, saying that the company can't just be a collection of teams and divisions, but a unified group working towards a common goal. We thought this was the plan from the announcement of Windows Phone 8, but apparently not. Ballmer expressly says that "All parts of the company will share and contribute to the success of core offerings, like Windows, Windows Phone, Xbox, Surface, Office 365 and our EA offer, Bing, Skype, Dynamics, Azure and our servers."
The reorganization
That kind of cross-pollination is difficult with the current structure, so the plan is to organize the company by function, rather than by product. The functions being: Engineering (including supply chain and datacenters), Marketing, Business Development and Evangelism, Advanced Strategy and Research, Finance, HR, Legal, and COO (including field, support, commercial operations and IT). For our purposes, we're going to focus solely on the Engineering because that is really the entire product line.
Engineering will be split into four divisions: OS, Apps, Cloud, and Devices. Current teams will continue to focus on what is in the pipeline right now, but Ballmer expects the full transition to the new organization by the end of the year.
At that time, Terry Myerson, currently the corporate vice president of the Windows Phone Division, will head up the Operating Systems Engineering Group, which will cover work on all Microsoft platforms from Windows Phone to Windows and Xbox.
Julie Larson-Green, who has been the head of the Windows division, will take over the Devices and Studios Engineering Group, which will deal with all hardware and supply chain issues (this is the Devices part) as well as the entertainment services (Studios) like Xbox Live, Xbox Music, etc.
Qi Lu, who has been president of Microsoft's Online Services Division, will become head of the Applications and Services Engineering Group, which will focus on Microsoft's software library in "productivity, communication, search and other information categories." This seems to mean the group will include Office, Bing, Skype, etc.
And, Satya Nadella, who has been president of Microsoft Corporation's Server and Tools Business, will take over the Cloud and Enterprise Engineering Group, which will focus on "back-end technologies like datacenter, database and our specific technologies for enterprise IT scenarios and development tools."
Obviously, there are a lot of other groups being created, but as we said, we're just focusing on the ones that most directly affect what we report on a daily basis here. There will also be some high profile employees moving around in and leaving the company. Kurt DelBene, now the former president of the Microsoft OfficeDivision, will be leaving the company. Craig Mundie will "devote 100% of his time" to working on a special project directly with Ballmer. Rick Rashid will move away from his role as head of Microsoft Research to work in the OS group.
End Goal
Ultimately, Ballmer doesn't see the "what" of Microsoft's plan changing, merely the "how" of actually getting it done. Ballmer expects that this reorganization will help the company to be more nimble, more collaborative, while making communication, and decision-making easier processes. The end goal is still to build a convergent experience for users where they will get the same experience from a Windows Phone device as they do a Windows desktop, and all apps from Bing to Skype have a cohesive vision behind them as well. Microsoft also seems to be focusing more on hardware, so we should definitely expect more than just Xbox and Surface tablets from the company in the future, as Ballmer is focused on offering a "Family of Devices", which sounds quite a bit like there has been some Nokia influence there.
Ballmer is going all out to get his troops excited for this new structure, saying, "One strategy, united together, with great communication, decisiveness and positive energy is the only way to fly." Ballmer is an excitable guy, and he definitely seems amped up for this plan. Microsoft has a clear vision of where it wants to go, and now it has a new process to get there. We may not see the fruits of this new corporate structure until next year at the earliest, but it should be interesting to watch.
For the full memo from Ballmer, check the Press Release section. Be warned, it is a looong one.
Nokia Amber in testing on Vodafone
Vodafone Australia has posted on their blog that the PR2.0 Nokia Amber update is currently in testing for the Nokia Lumia 820, and that testing will soon begin for the Nokia Lumia 720.
An update is also in testing for the HTC 8X.
The testing phase tends to last less than 2 weeks, suggesting we can expect to see the OS roll out at the end of July or early in August, at least on this carrier.
The Nokia Amber GDR2 update brings back support for the FM radio, brings Datasense to all handsets, an Always ON Clock, Double Tap to Wake , Nokia Smart Camera App , CalDav & CardDav support , and a host of other features, including Bluetooth 4.0 support for the Nokia Lumia 720.
Thanks brent3000 for the tip.
Sprinkle Sequel 'Sprinkle Islands' Splashes Into The Play Store
Sprinkle attracted quite the following when it debuted in 2011, using its realistic water physics to show people what Tegra 2-equipped tablets were capable of. Players controlled a wooden water cannon mounted on a crane and fought fires across a diverse assortment of stages, with water pushing rocks and giant blocks of ice around in order to save houses in hard to reach places. The fire itself was as pretty to watch as it was a pain in the rear, spreading from house to house as gamers discovered that maybe, just maybe, they weren't cut out to be firemen. Now Sprinkle Islands is available in the Play Store, a sequel packed with 48 new levels spread across four tropical islands.
There are many lessons buried in Sprinkle Islands. The world of Titan is set ablaze when trash rains down from a lost space ship sent from Earth, showing the possible repercussions of refusing to deal with our trash here at home. Players have to rescue the implausibly adorable Titanese with a water supply that is strikingly limited, and they are rewarded for finishing a level with as little water as possible. The poor little wooden huts burn faster than perhaps any structure known to man, reminding us why we don't all live in one anymore.
Sprinkle Islands adds a little spice to the original's solid formula. The touch controls have been revamped, and there's more water to show off the game's physics engine. There are pools of it, oceans, and objects floating about. But your supply is still limited, and players are still rewarded for being frugal with their water cannon. The graphics are more vibrant this time around, and the fire truck now moves within levels, making each area feel less static. The setting's more diverse, and there are boss battles waiting at the end of each island.
The free version of Sprinkle Islands contains zero ads, but it only provides the first eight levels. The full game is available for just $1.99. Both versions are completely free of IAPs. Now that's a water distribution model Mediocre should be rewarded for.
Google's One Today Charity App Now Available Without An Invite, Still Limited To The United States
Google's charity-minded One Today app launched three months ago, inviting users to give away a dollar a day to a different deserving cause, sort of like a philanthropic version of Woot.com. The initial rollout was very limited, only opening to U.S. residents who had applied for and received an invitation. Now the invitation is no longer necessary: you can download One Today on just about any Android device, so long as you're in the United States.
One Today presents a new cause every day - today it's Water.org's Water For Life project, providing clean drinking water to remote villages. You're not limited to $1, of course; users can give as much as they like. Donations can be made public, and you can offer to match the money given by those who see and respond to your donation on Google+, up to $10 worth. What's more, you can track your charity donations linked to your Google account within the app itself. Non-profit organizations can sign up for consideration for free, and all of user's donations (minus a 1.9% transaction fee) go straight to the cause.
There's no word on when One Today will be made available to more territories. International expansion is always tricky with a service like this, so I wouldn't expect the app to be available to more countries any time soon.
Google+ App Updated With The Option To See What Your Friends Have Plussed In You Stream
Just like the web version of Google+, the Android app will now show you at least some of your friends' "+1" activity in the main social stream. The new functionality (which has more than a little in common with the way Facebook does things) should allow Google+ to be even more social - you'll be able to weigh in on more of your friends' activity, or at least the activity that doesn't include full posts. The updated app went live yesterday.
The tiny changelog reads as follows: "Discover posts that your friends have +1'd." Google stresses that people who have added you to their circles won't be able to see anything they couldn't before just by clicking on your profile - the public and private options for new posts are intact. If you want to change who can see your +1 activity (or at least who will see it in their stream) head to this settings menu and click the "Edit" button.
Of course, this will increase the volume of your primary stream based on how many people are in your circles, and not everyone is thrilled about that. But if Google+ is to step up to its rivals in engagement as well as raw user numbers, this sort of thing is essential. The functionality should be expanding to iOS before too long
Rovio Stars' Tiny Thief Steals Its Way Into The Play Store
Rovio Stars' Tiny Thief is the story of an adorable bite-sized Robin Hood. The entire world is corrupt, with palace guards, rogue pirates, and shameless cooks hoarding their wealth to themselves. They even trap innocent little forest creatures for no reason other than to harass them. The only way to stand up for the little guys, gals, and vermin of the kingdom is to steal from the rich what, presumably, isn't theirs. That much isn't clear. Like I said, the entire world's corrupt. Regardless, only you can save the kingdom.
Tiny Thief is a point-and-click puzzle game. It's not the usual adventure game, as levels are chopped up and served in fun-sized chunks familiar to anyone who has played Angry Birds or basically any mobile game released since. Players guide the tiny thief around each stage tasked with stealing from an unwitting guard, freeing an animal, or saving a damsel in distress. There are six quests here, with levels ranging from the idyllic countryside to dark castles and pirate ships at sea.
Rovio may not have developed this game, but it is rich with their distinctive charm. Each stage begins with a short comic providing loose context, and the thief's every step would look at home in an animated cartoon. The game is endearing, and while it's formula isn't as immediately accessible as Angry Birds, the thief just looks like he wants to be a stuffed animal sitting in Walmart's toy section someday.
In the short time I've spent with the game, I've yet to see a single IAP or ad. That said, Rovio includes the following note to parents on the game's Google Play page:
Make of that what you will. Unlike Angry Birds, Tiny Thief is currently not available for free, but you can get it for $2.99 below.
Why You Should Wait for the iPad mini 2
At the moment, there are a number of big name 7-inch tablets on the market including theKindle Fire HD, Nexus 7 and of course, Apple’s iPad mini. Rumors suggest that all three will be replaced with a Kindle Fire HD 2, Nexus 7 2and iPad mini 2 sometime this year which likely has some consumers wondering whether to wait for the successors or buy a tablet right now.
Last year was a good year to be a consumer in the market for a 7-inch tablet. In July, Google released the Nexus 7, the first Nexus-branded tablet that combined powerful software, beautiful software and a cheap price tag that made it one of the big surprises of the year.
The iPad mini 2 is rumored for later this year.
Later in the year, Amazon took its turn and released the Kindle Fire HD, a 7-inch follow up to the original Kindle Fire that boasted all of Amazon’s services with a better quality display. Like the Nexus 7, the Kindle Fire HD was one of the best 7-inch tablet options for those looking for something more portable than a regular sized tablet.
After the Kindle Fire HD launch came the finale which of course saw Apple announce and release the long-rumored iPad mini, a 7.9-inch slate that came without a Retina Display but with solid battery life, an aluminum design and Apple’s iOS 6 software. The iPad mini quickly established itself as a competitor to the Kindle Fire HD and Nexus 7 and remains one of, if not the best tablets on the market.
Unsurprisingly, all three companies are rumored to be coming out with sequels to their popular 2012 tablets. With Google, it’s the Nexus 7 2. With Amazon, the Kindle Fire HD 2. And with Apple, it’s the heavily rumored iPad mini 2. All three are looking like worthy successors, particularly Apple’s new iPad mini.
We’ve already looked at the pros and cons of waiting for the Nexus 7 2 and now, it’s time to dig in deep and take a look at why some consumers should be waiting for the iPad mini 2.
Why You Should Wait for the iPad mini 2
Retina Display
The iPad mini does not have a Retina Display.
The iPad mini that’s on the market right now does not have a Retina Display. What this means is that while content will look good, it’s not going to look as crisp as it does on a tablet like the iPad 3 or iPad 4, both of which employ Retina Displays.
To break this down, the current iPad mini boasts 1024 x 768 resolution at 163 pixels per inch (ppi). If the iPad mini 2 does come with a Retina Display, and there is little reason to doubt that it will, the iPad mini 2 display would likely feature 2048 x 1536 resolution at around 324 ppi. That is an incredible difference in both numbers and quality.
So while the iPad mini might look like a tempting buy, especially since an iPad mini 2 release date hasn’t been nailed down yet, a Retina Display is going to be one reason to wait for the iPad mini 2 instead of buying something right now.
As far as the other devices are concerned, both the Nexus 7 2 and the Kindle Fire HD 2 are expected to displays comparable to the iPad mini 2 so it will be other things that Apple’s device brings to the table that should motivate prospective customers to wait.
Won’t Be Any More Expensive
Those looking to buy the iPad mini right now will be staring a $330 price tag in the face. Later in the year, consumers will more than likely be staring at the same exact starting price tag for the upgraded iPad mini 2.
That’s because Apple tends to keep its pricing year-over-year. The price of the iPhone and larger iPad have remained unchanged for years now and considering how well the iPad mini sold, consumers should expect the company to retain a starting price tag of $330 meaning, consumers will get all of the bells and whistles of the iPad mini 2, with any extra cost.
Better Camera
The iPad mini 2 could boast an improved camera.
While tablets don’t necessarily make the best cameras, the iPad mini is much more suitable as a camera than the full-fledged 9.7-inch iPad. And while an upgraded camera might not be the first thing that iPad mini 2 customers are going to be looking for, those that do cherish the camera on a tablet will likely find a good one on the iPad mini 2.
One of the features that Apple tends to upgrade year after year, across all of its devices, is the camera sensor. While the camera upgrades aren’t as significant as they are on the iPhone, Apple still offers improvements to those that like to shoot photos and video with their tablet.
The iPad mini’s rear camera is nothing to write home about and the iPad mini 2′s may not be either, but we do expect there to be some kind of an upgrade. It won’t be drastic but those looking for a better camera experience would be wise to wait for the iPad mini 2.
Chance for Full iOS 7
iOS 7 is going to be coming out sometime this fall and when it does, it will deliver a number of new features for both iPhone and iPad owners. In particular, the iOS 7 update for the iPad mini will be a big one though it will be missing a couple of features at least.
Apple says that Panorama and the Filters in Camera from iOS 7 will not be coming to the iPad mini. In fact, none of the iPad models will be getting these features. That doesn’t bode well for the iPad mini 2 but it’s possible that Apple will save them for the iPad mini 2 in an effort to make it unique.
Further, the iPhone 5S is thought to have a few unique software features of its own and given that the iPad mini 2 may launch around the same time or after the new iPhone, it could be that Apple delivers some of the iPhone 5S’ unique features to iPad mini 2 users.
This isn’t set in stone, but for those that want a chance at a full version of iOS 7 rather than one that is a bit scaled back, the iPad mini 2 is worth waiting for.
802.11ac
At WWDC, Apple announced new MacBook Air models. And while the talk of the town was the battery life (and since then, Wi-Fi issues), the company quietly tacked on the 802.11ac networking standard, something that isn’t found on the iPad mini or iPhone 5.
While it’s not confirmed, it’s likely that Apple will include it on its products moving forward as the company claims it will enable internet speeds that are up to three times faster. That’s huge for a portable device like the iPad mini 2.
So for those consumers that do a lot of reading, gaming or work on-the-go, the possibility of 802.11ac, and thus the iPad mini 2, is probably going to be worth the few month wait.
Improved Gaming
In addition to the camera upgrade, Apple typically introduces a new processor in its successors. Currently, the iPad mini uses the A5 dual-core chip, the same chip that was found in the now aging iPad 2. And while it’s nice, the iPad mini is certainly in line for an upgrade.
Since the arrival of the A5 chip, Apple has released iPads with the A5X and A6X chips so it’s possible that one of those chips, or perhaps even something newer could arrive inside the iPad mini.
Whatever the case may be, a new CPU is likely and that will more than likely mean improved performances in areas like gaming, multitasking and quite possibly battery life, all of which are affected by the on-board chip.
The iPad mini 2 should sport both a higher-octane display and processor making it a wise choice for those looking to play games on their 7-inch slate.
Longevity
Apple’s products are supported for years.
Simply put, the iPad mini 2 is going to outlast the iPad mini in terms of support. The iPad mini is nearing its first birthday and while Apple devices typically get several years of support, it will, because of its age, likely stop receiving software updates a year before the iPad mini 2. It’s worth the four month wait for a future operating system that the iPad mini likely won’t get.
As far as the Nexus 7 2 and Kindle Fire HD 2 are concerned, Google typically updates Nexus devices for about two years which means that the Nexus 7 2 could potentially see support dry up a year before the iPad mini 2 since Apple typically updates devices for three years.
Amazon’s tablets typically run a heavily customized version of Android and don’t get the major Android updates that owners of other Android tablets do. While there is no telling how it will all play out, Apple and the iPad mini 2 are the safest bet amongst the bunch.
Ecosystem
The Apple ecosystem is undeniably strong which should make the iPad mini 2 an extremely attractive option to those that value a wide range of applications, tons of accessories and fantastic support.
By waiting for the iPad mini 2 rather than buying the Nexus 7 2 or Kindle Fire HD 2, users will have access to the App Store which is chock full of tablet specific applications. The Google Play Store does have its fair share of applications but Apple’s marketplace simply has the edge when it comes to applications specifically made for tablets. Amazon’s Appstore simply can’t compete.
The iPad mini 2 will likely boast an arsenal of accessories.
The iPad mini 2 will also have a wide assortment of accessories, more accessories than both the Nexus 7 2 and Kindle Fire HD 2. Things like cases and docks will be more widely available for the iPad mini 2 thanks to the success of Apple’s previous products. The Nexus 7 2 and Kindle Fire HD 2 will have their fair share but it likely won’t come close.
And finally, the support. iPad mini 2 users will simply be able to bring their device into an Apple store and get their problem fixed whereas users of the Nexus 7 2 will have to send their device in and wait for it to return. While Apple’s customer service may not be hassle-free, it’s much more streamlined.
If You Want the iPad mini
Finally, those who don’t need the iPad mini 2 and want to buy the iPad mini should wait for the iPad mini 2 simply because of the price drop that will occur when the new model comes out.
Since the iPad mini is a new device, it’s unclear how much the price will drop but Apple likely won’t kill off the iPad mini and simply will drop it down to a price like $199 to compete against the likes of the Nexus 7 2.
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