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Motorola Droid Bionic spy shots confirm new design [photos]
Motorola XT531 dual-SIM smartphone delivers Android Gingerbread on a budget
Acer founder believes tablet PCs and Ultrabooks are a short-term fad
OmniVision eight-megapixel camera sensor announced: Is this the iPhone 5 camera?
Logitech tablet mouse improves Android 3.1 Honeycomb productivity
Nokia N9 release date: t-minus 49 days and counting
HTC snaps up web company to take on iCloud
Halo history: Bungie documentary hints at the future
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Wii coming from Treyarch
Chrome OS security cracked: researchers reveal exploits

Motorola Droid Bionic spy shots confirm new design [photos]

Posted: 05 Aug 2011 10:35 AM PDT

Ah, another update on the elusive Motorola Droid Bionic. After showing up on the MotoDev website with its list of official specs, the 4G LTE flagship is back in the headlines but this time with two new photos. Standing alongside the Samsung Droid Charge, the Droid Bionic looks slightly taller though both phones offer 4.3-inch displays.

The key differentiator between the displays on the Droid Charge and Droid Bionic is the resolution: WVGA versus qHD. The source of the photos, Droid-Life, believes the screen might be 4.5-inches. Based on our history with Motorola smartphones, we're inclined to agree the MotoDev website's 4.3-inch display specification.

Looking at the second photo of the Droid Bionic reveals a rubberized grip and hump for the rear camera. With any luck the casing will do a better job staying on the phone than that of the original Motorola Droid (Milestone). So there you have it, the Motorola Droid Bionic live and in the flesh. Based on the photos do you think the redesign was worth the delay? Sound off.

via PocketNow

Motorola XT531 dual-SIM smartphone delivers Android Gingerbread on a budget

Posted: 05 Aug 2011 09:30 AM PDT

According to the latest Android developer data a mere 24.3 percent of Android smarpthones run Android Gingerbread 2.3 or higher. This fall the Motorola XT531 joins that exclusive group when it goes on sale as the Motorola FIRE XT in Europe and Motorola SPICE XT in Latin America. This budget-minded dual-SIM smartphone packs a punch.

Under the hood is an 800 MHz processor and 512MB of RAM. A 3.5-inch HVGA capacitive multi-touch display is the centerpiece of the XT531. Connectivity options are plentiful: dual-band HSDPA, quad-band EDGE, Wi-Fi b/g/n, GPS, and aGPS are standard. A front-facing VGA camera and 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with auto-focus and flash round out the key highlights.

According to Motorola, the XT531 offers best-in-class battery life thanks to a 1540mAh battery which provides up to eight hours of talk time and 28 days of standby mode (3G). The XT531 will be sold in single and dual-SIM versions. Before launching in Europe and Latin America this fall, the XT531 will be released in China. No word on a price, but Motorola has described the device as a "budget-friendly Android smartphone" and "an affordable device".

Fall 2011 | Motorola | TBD

Acer founder believes tablet PCs and Ultrabooks are a short-term fad

Posted: 05 Aug 2011 08:00 AM PDT

That iPad or Honeycomb tablet you're holding, guess what? Acer founder Stan Shih believes it's a fad and ultimately a short-term phenomena. Mr. Shih is urging companies in the notebook supply chain to come out with more value-added products through innovation.

Let's be clear, Stan Shih didn't exactly throw the iPad under the bus today. In fact he praised Apple and believes the iPad achieved success "through its outside-the-box thinking, which is an attitude that all notebook player should learn."

The praise for the iPad does not stop there. Mr. Shih confirmed the iPad‘s "great impact on PC demand", but also pointed that PCs are the base of the IT industry and tablet PCs are developed from that base. Therefore all future products will still need to go through the PC platform to create even more "add-on value".

via DigiTimes

OmniVision eight-megapixel camera sensor announced: Is this the iPhone 5 camera?

Posted: 05 Aug 2011 07:14 AM PDT

Speculation over the camera sensor used in the upcoming iPhone 5 is at an all time high. Today, OmniVision announced its new OV8850 eight-megapixel sensor which delivers, "a 20 percent improvement in peak quantum efficiency in all color channels, a 35 percent improvement in low-light sensitivity and a 45 percent increase in full-well capacity in an extremely compact and power efficient package." Did we mention it manages to do so in a 20 percent slimmer design than existing eight-megapixel modules?

The current camera module inside the iPhone 4 is 6.5mm. The OmniVision QV8850 sensor fits in an 8.5mm x 8.55mm autofocus module with a build height of 4.7mm. It has been widely speculated that the iPhone 5 would shave some thickness — the QV8850 would help Apple achieve this goal. Other highlights to the new camera module include an on-chip temperature sensor, alternate row exposure for HDR capabilities and a full field of view 1080p video recording mode.

Sampling for the QV8850 begins this month with mass production expected for the first quarter of 2012. Since the fifth generation iPhone is presumably launching in late September or early October, the OmniVision module looks to be an addition to the next year's model. That's not to say Apple will not use an eight-megapixel sensor in this year's iPhone — it's unlikely OmniVision will produce it.

via iLounge

Logitech tablet mouse improves Android 3.1 Honeycomb productivity

Posted: 05 Aug 2011 06:25 AM PDT

Hoping to step up productivity with your Android Honeycomb tablet? Logitech has just unveiled its first tablet mouse designed specifically for large Android 3.1 slates. The Bluetooth laser mouse works on nearly any surface and operates at a maximum range of 30 feet.

Replacing a laptop with a tablet can be a strenuous transition, even for the most touch-friendly souls. Logitech has realized the market for an Android tablet mouse and attacked full-steam with today's announcement. The Logitech tablet mouse includes two AA batteries and comes bundled with a travel pouch for protection.

The Android 3.1 Honeycomb update expanded support for Bluetooth and USB-connected peripherals and accessories. A dedicated tablet mouse might not seem like a necessity for some, but it sure might come in handy the next time you want have a bite to eat without rubbing your hands on your tablet.

Out Now | Logitech | $49.99 (£30.68)

Nokia N9 release date: t-minus 49 days and counting

Posted: 05 Aug 2011 05:57 AM PDT

Nokia Sweden has launched a timer which counts down to the impending release of the Nokia N9. In just 49 days, Sweden will become the first country to land the 3.9-inch FWVGA resolution all touchscreen MeeGo smartphone. Undoubtedly a sign that launches will follow shortly in the more than 23 additional countries.

Sweden has been at the helm of N9 marketing. As a major proponent of the MeeGo smartphone, Nokia Sweden will be giving away 30 N9's. It seems only fitting that Sweden should be ground zero for the N9 launch. With more countries like South Africa, Italy and Brazil being added to the N9 launch list, maybe there is room in the world for the MeeGo platform.

Anyone planning on picking up the Nokia N9 at launch? If so, why choose MeeGo over Android, iOS, BlackBerry 7 OS and Windows Phone 7? Sound off.

via Engadget

HTC snaps up web company to take on iCloud

Posted: 05 Aug 2011 04:54 AM PDT

HTC has bought Dashwire, a Seattle-based company which builds back up, remote access and device syncing. While HTC already has HTCSense.com fighter.

The deal gives HTC an easy way to share documents, music, video and images between PCs, Macs and Android devices. Dashwire’s software can also sync a whole lot of other data including contacts, messages, calendars and voicemail. While HTC hasn’t revealed what it plans to do with Dashwire yet, we expect to see some of its technology baked into future versions of Sense.

There’s another interesting element to the acquisition. Dashwire bought up a batch of patents related to mobile syncing back in April. Adding those to its war chest could help HTC in its ongoing lawsuits with Apple. So while the purchase may just be all about making future HTC phones better, there’s that other level to consider.

Out TBC | £TBC | HTC

Halo history: Bungie documentary hints at the future

Posted: 05 Aug 2011 03:08 AM PDT

Here’s a nice bit of Friday entertainment: Bungie has released a documentary, O Brave New World, charting its twenty year from packaging copies of Pathways Into Darkness by hand to conquering gaming with Halo.

The 55 minute film, which you can watch after the break, commemorates the studio handing over Halo development to 343 Industries and includes some glimpses of Bungie at work on its next game, an MMO for Activision.

A new symbol which seems to relate to that new Bungie universe pops up throughout the documentary and appears again at the very end to tease us. Click through to take a look for yourself and hit the comments to share your Halo memories and what you want Bungie to do next…

Out now | £free | Bungie

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Wii coming from Treyarch

Posted: 05 Aug 2011 02:45 AM PDT

We’re just over three months away from getting out hands on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and while PS3, Xbox 360 and PC players have all been satiated with news, Wii owners have been waiting for word on their version. Now we’ve got it. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on the Wii is being handled by Treyarch.

The news was revealed by Infinity Ward’s Robert Bowling on the One of Swords podcast. He bigged up the studio’s previous experience porting its own work on Call of Duty: Black Ops to the Wii as an example of its ability to translate warfare to the world of the Wiimote. No other details on the Call of Duty: Modern Wafare 3 Wii version have been revealed yet.

Out November | £TBC | Call of Duty (via One of Swords)

Chrome OS security cracked: researchers reveal exploits

Posted: 05 Aug 2011 02:35 AM PDT

Security was one of three major benefits flagged up by Google when it first announced) Chrome OS (alongside speed and spimplicity), so it’s not surprising that security researchers have been putting it through its paces.

Now a few months after the first Chromebook was released, a pair of hack happy academics have demonstrated how to crack open Chrome OS security onstage at the Black Hat conference. Read on for details on what on what they showed and what Google had to say about it…

Matt Johanson and Kyle Osborn of the White Hat Security Research Center told the audience at Black Hat that they spent months digging through Chrome OS. That diligence allowed them to discover a flaw in ScratchPad, a Chrome OS extension that lets you save notes to Google Docs. From there they were able to access emails, documents, contacts and Google Voice messages.

The pair informed Google of the vulnerabilities they discovered and the company has already addressed some of them. However, they say that some of the underlying weakenesses they found in Chrome OS security remain. That said, Chrome OS is not alone in facing those issues and other OS makers face similar problems.

Google responded to the presentation with a statement. It says: “The conversation is about the web, not Chrome OS. Chromebooks raise security protections on computing hardware to new levels. They are also better equipped to handle web attacks that can affect browsers on any computing device, thanks in part to carefully designed extensions to Chome OS and the advance security available through Chrome that many users and experts have embraced.”

While Google is bullish about the security measures it has built into Chrome OS, no system can ever be totally safe and relying on the cloud creates as many questions as it answers. We can definitely expect to see more security researchers putting Chrome OS through its paces in the future.

Out now | £free | Google (via VentureBeat)

Made for Life

Saturday, 6 August 2011

Electricpig.co.uk - tech news fast!

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