Electricpig.co.uk - tech news fast! |
- Google says Froyo is not for tablets, will Gingerbread be the Android tablet OS?
- Google Maps updated, new street view functions
- Chrome to phone: instant push to your Android device
- Google Navigation: walking gets a satnav upgrade
- New iPod touch review
- Apple plans iPod touch zoom lens accessory
- New iPod touch unboxed: see the photos!
- New iPod nano unboxing photos
- Electrolux Design Lab: jelly fridges for your ceiling and psychically controlled robot chefs
- New iPod shuffle unboxed: photos
| Google says Froyo is not for tablets, will Gingerbread be the Android tablet OS? Posted: 09 Sep 2010 03:41 PM PDT   Google has said today that Froyo, the Android OS headed to tablets such as the Galaxy Tab, is not built for tablet devices. Hugo Barra, Google’s director of mobile products, warned that the Android Marketplace might not function or might not be present on some devices, and apps might not run correctly on tablets running Froyo
Barra said that although tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab will be running Froyo, the Android Froyo OS “is not optimised for tablets”. He said that if Google were to run Froyo as a tablet OS, it would be a "disservice to users”, because apps bought through the Android Market might not function properly.  Barra said that the way the Android Market works means it won’t be available on tablets that don’t allow devices and applications to run correctly. Android apps built for the Android Market and compatible with Froyo are built for smartphones, and while the hint was that the Galaxy Tab is safe (because it’s pitched as filling a form gap between a smartphone and tablet), other devices may cause problems, and apps might not work on Android tablets, or the Android Market might not be available. When talking about where an incompatibility might lie, Barra said: “It could be anything. From the form factor, or the screen resolution, to the APIs the developer expects to access.” What do you think? Is this paving the way for Gingerbread: the tablet platform Related posts:
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| Google Maps updated, new street view functions Posted: 09 Sep 2010 12:58 PM PDT 
The little orange street view man is where the new functions lie. He has been given a new lease of life, new flexibilities, and can travel around a panorama. The Google street cars, when filming, also collected information about the 3D structure of a scene, which means that you can skip to view the facade of a building, and street view recognises the angle of the building. The update is launching today, and will be available within a few hours. Related posts:
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| Chrome to phone: instant push to your Android device Posted: 09 Sep 2010 12:54 PM PDT 
So, for example, Google the phone number of a restaurant. highlight the restaurant, and click the add on Chrome to phone icon in your browser, and it’ll push that phone number to your device, ready for one click to place the call. Use it with Google Maps and it will push the entire map, with any routes or locations mapped too. If you push a YouTube site, the video will start up within seconds of you pushing the site from Chrome to your device. The app syncs from your Chrome browser to your Android device through your Google Account log in. Today, Chrome to phone only works on Android, and requires Android Froyo 2.2 – it won;t run on Android Eclair 2.1. When asked about whether the app would be coming to other platforms, Google said: “We would like to bring it to other platforms we just need to work out the best way to do it” Related posts:
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| Google Navigation: walking gets a satnav upgrade Posted: 09 Sep 2010 11:20 AM PDT 
Google said it has found that while people used turn by turn navigation whilst driving, they also use the service whilst walking. To fill the gap in its service, it’s launched turn by turn navigation that’s been tweaked for walkers.
The Google Navigation update will help you avoid hills, and will also turn on satellite view automatically, (which can be switched off if you’re a rambling purist). The Google Navigation guidance has been adjusted for foot-stomping pedestrians too, because you’re walking and might not want to have directions shouted at you every few minutes. Google Navigation for walking can also be switched to vibrate, so that every time you need to pay attention it will buzz in your pocket. The new version of Google Navigation is launching today, so should be available within the next few hours. Related posts:
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| Posted: 09 Sep 2010 10:37 AM PDT  The new iPod touch 4G almost has an easy ride of things. Here we are in 2010, and no other media player has even come close to touching the jack of all trades capabilities of previous models, even if there are better sounding tune chuckers out there to be had. And yet Apple has still seen fit to up the ante once again, with a new screen, new camera, and even slimmer body. Is it worth the extra price? Find out in our full new iPod touch review right here.
Read our iPhone 4 review We’ll be upfront: there are no surprises to be had with the new iPod touch, but that’s no bad thing, and three years into the series, we’re still no closer to seeing a rival media player for the mass market that comes even remotely close for convenience and all around pleasure. First, to the build. The new iPod touch 4G inherits the problems we had with last year’s model (The metal backing attracts fingerprints like nobody’s business), but still manages to make itself utterly beautiful. It’s hard to believe it’s possible to make anything thinner than the last two iterations of iPod touch, but Apple’s done it, in style. Now, it’s just impossible to conceive of anything being thinner than the new iPod touch. The metal band that bulged out around the sides of older iPod touches is gone: instead, you’ve got a sheer, smooth front face. The volume rocker stays on the left hand side (with isolated keys now), while the lock button moves to the top right. It’s just a little bit hard to press when you’re looking at the screen, but it’s a minor quibble – especially when compared to the screen on the new iPod touch. New iPod touch unboxed: hands on photos Like the Retina Display on the iPhone 4, the panel on the new iPod touch is absolutely stuffed full of pixels – so much so that you can’t see them. It uses the same 960×640 resolution as the iPhone 4, and side by side, we struggled to notice any difference in viewing angle. The new iPod touch’s screen is ever so slightly less rich when it come to colour and contrast, but its crispness makes it one of the best we’ve ever seen regardless. The camera on the new iPod touch meanwhile is a mixed bag. The long lost piece of the iPod touch puzzle, it’s emphatically not the same sensor as that found in the iPhone 4 (For more on that beauty, see the sample gallery in our iPhone 4 review). Stills top out at a maximum of just 960×720, so you will not be printing these off. The samples we took were horribly mottled, and rather disappointing. We don’t think all that many people will be without a phone with a better still camera at any point they’d be holding an iPod touch – the fixed focus doesn’t help matters. But that slick A4 processor powering the new iPod touch means the same sensor is still capable of using that sensor to power through 720p HD video, and compared to most of those same phones, it’s rather splendid. You can see a sample video below: It’s not spectacular but motion is smooth, and the fixed focus much less noticeable than we first expected. Said processor also helps burning through games and apps. Performance was on a par with the iPhone 4 (Which is to say, er, speedy) and the pace at which it bumped HD videos onto YouTube (A new option in iOS 4.1) was frankly frightening for a handheld device. We did notice some strange sticking in two of the big software additions, Games Center and FaceTime, but based on the slickness of everything else, we’re inclined to think these are bugs which will be ironed out in no time. It’s too early to tell how Games Center will pan out, with just a handful of games on it right now, but FaceTime worked just fine on the new iPod touch, with the same camera rotating options as on the iPhone 4. Your account is tied to an email address, and all it takes is a one time verification and you’re up: we rang through to an iPhone 4 owner in just the same way. While video chat is nothing new on phones, it is slickly done here, and more to the point, FaceTime feels more natural and useful on an iPod touch – we can see long distance couples snapping these up as an easy solution which doesn’t require Skype and USB webcams. Other than that, little has changed with iOS on the new iPod touch. Multitasking is the same as before, but of course, codec/format support (Apple, please add native AVI and MKV support) and iTunes’ limitations are too. The videos you can play look great, it’s just not everyone likes to source their videos through iTunes. Audiophiles too will still resent the max capacity of 64GB (And the eyewatering accompanying price), and the lack of FLAC file support. But audiophiles (and TV torrent addicts) should know by now that Apple isn’t gunning for these markets with this iPod. The sound quality is good enough (indistinguishable from last year’s), supported videos look beautiful, and the user experience unsurpassed. That’s the secret to Apple’s winning combination, even if magic isn’t the best way to describe it. What the new iPod touch should do, is convince those lugging around a mid-range phone or lower, but with aspirations to come aboard the iOS train, to slap down the cash – even if Apple’s jacked up the entry price at the same time. This really is a masterful, all rounder of a music, media and gaming machine. Read our iPhone 4 review Related posts:
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| Apple plans iPod touch zoom lens accessory Posted: 09 Sep 2010 08:02 AM PDT 
In the Apple patent application, it outlines several methods for attaching a zoom lens accessory to the new iPod touch. The preferred approach uses an advanced magnetic array coupling. The plans even include a way of personalising the arrangement of the magnets to stop someone from swiping your lens. Apple also puts forward a range of other ways of hooking up accessories to the new iPod touch including mechanical fastenings, clips, adhesives and Velcro. The patent application goes even further with a vision of a successor to the new iPod touch including a port to hook up a wider range of external accessories. It describes the potential for not just additional camera lens accessories but speakers and sensors. The latter would definitely encourage further use of the iPod touch as a handheld device in places like hospitals. There's not guarantee that Apple will be granted a patent based on this application or that it will put the plan for attachable iPod touch accessories into action. But we're excited by the possibilities of a range of additional lens for the iPod touch and iPhone as well as other magnetic add-ons. Let us know: what attachable iPod accessories would you like to see? Activate your imagination and hit the comments. Out TBC | £TBC | Apple (via Patently Apple) Related posts:
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| New iPod touch unboxed: see the photos! Posted: 09 Sep 2010 07:28 AM PDT  We’ll just say it. The new iPod touch is out and out stunning. It wowed us last week at Apple’s iPod unveiling, and it’s wowed us again today. It’s stupidly thin, with the speed and beautiful display resolution of the iPhone 4. We’re going to give the new iPod touch the full review treatment for you of course and hunt out any hidden flaws, but for now, have a peruse through the unboxing photos right here! Related posts:
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| Posted: 09 Sep 2010 07:13 AM PDT  The new iPod nano had us puzzled last week when it was unveiled. It’s plenty pricey and plenty snazzy, but we weren’t sure it was actually any easier to control than previous models. Now we’ve got our hands on our own, the Electricpig staff is divided on the new iPod nano’s touchscreen and its usefulness. What we can say though is that a lack of track controls on the headphones, again, is a big booboo. Check out the tiny little tune chucker here in our gallery and stay tuned for a new iPod nano review, coming right up. Related posts:
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| Electrolux Design Lab: jelly fridges for your ceiling and psychically controlled robot chefs Posted: 09 Sep 2010 07:05 AM PDT 
Which shortlisted concept would you most like to be brought into reality? Drop us a line in the comments and let us know! Related posts:
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| New iPod shuffle unboxed: photos Posted: 09 Sep 2010 07:00 AM PDT  There’s not a great deal to say about the new iPod shuffle, but that’s by no means a bad thing. It’s tiny, and combines the looks and earphone track controls of last year’s model with the clickwheel of older generations. No compromises, no fuss, just music. Everyone wins. We’ll have a full new iPod shuffle review soon, but in the meantime check it out here in our gallery stacked up against the older models. Related posts:
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Google Maps is getting an update today, which includes new street view functions. The updates are subtle but mean that via your Android mobile, you can get a lot more in depth with the street view you’re exploring.
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