Archive for 09/05/14
Acer Aspire One AOD250 notebook runs both XP and Android, lacks Google integration
There was always talk of using Android as a netbook OS (a
“smartbook”) but until that comes along we’ll have to settle for Android
as an instant-on OS. In today’s example – the Acer Aspire One AOD250
dual-boots Android and Windows XP. The Android experience is sub-par but
the important thing here is that Android runs on a x86 CPU at all.
The main issue with this version of Android is that it’s an unofficial port, at least as far as Google is concerned. That means no Gmail and no Android Market. Since these are the two major disadvantages, it all seems a little pointless. Oh, and it seems that Acer couldn’t pull off what HTC did – bring Flash support to the Android browser – they opted for Firefox. Yep, you read that right – Firefox.
Or rather a port of an alpha version of the Linux Firefox – these early versions don’t even come with the Firefox title, they use “Minefield” instead (that should be an indication enough that it’s not ready for prime time-yet). At any rate, Android seems to handle native-code applications well, but we wouldn’t get our hopes up for Firefox ever making it to mobile phones.
So, it’s not all perfect, but you get Google Contacts and you can use Gmail through Firefox, which reportedly ran without hiccups. Still, the whole thing looks undercooked but thanks to the backup/update utility you get in XP, updating the Android OS should be pretty painless.
Booting into Windows XP, turns the AOD250 brings the familiar netbook experience, so there’s not much to say about that.
The main issue with this version of Android is that it’s an unofficial port, at least as far as Google is concerned. That means no Gmail and no Android Market. Since these are the two major disadvantages, it all seems a little pointless. Oh, and it seems that Acer couldn’t pull off what HTC did – bring Flash support to the Android browser – they opted for Firefox. Yep, you read that right – Firefox.
Or rather a port of an alpha version of the Linux Firefox – these early versions don’t even come with the Firefox title, they use “Minefield” instead (that should be an indication enough that it’s not ready for prime time-yet). At any rate, Android seems to handle native-code applications well, but we wouldn’t get our hopes up for Firefox ever making it to mobile phones.
So, it’s not all perfect, but you get Google Contacts and you can use Gmail through Firefox, which reportedly ran without hiccups. Still, the whole thing looks undercooked but thanks to the backup/update utility you get in XP, updating the Android OS should be pretty painless.
Booting into Windows XP, turns the AOD250 brings the familiar netbook experience, so there’s not much to say about that.
The Kohjinsha AMD Neo netbook has a dual display… Say what?!
We’ve seen lots of “dual-something” products (did somebody say
dual-SIM phones?) but who would guess that there will be a dual-display
netbook? Well, there is – the Singaporean company Kohjinsha has just
announced one. And we have it caught on video.
OK, a
dual-display 17-inch multimedia laptop sounds impressive. But a 10.1″
NETBOOK with two screens… that doesn’t even qualify as odd. What’s the
point? Instead of a large enough screen you get a second 10.1-inch
screen so your initial display becomes twice as wide.
Anyways, the swivel netbook seems cute and
some might find this idea nice. The Kohjinsha seems well equipped – it
runs Windows 7 and packs a promising 1.6 GHz AMD Athlon Neo MV-40
processor, up to 4GB RAM and 160GB of storage. When not in use, the
second screen is under the other and to start using it, you just have to
pull it out. As a result, when folded, the netbook is considerably
thicker than the others of its species.
And there is another deal breaker – the
frame. It would’ve been great if there was no frame at all between the
two displays or if it was almost invisible. The Kohjinsha netbook isn’t
frameless so the displayed information will be separated by the black
frame in the middle.
The price of approximately 750 euro (that
makes around 1100 US dollars) sounds steep but keep in mind that this is
the first netbook of its kind and being unique comes at a price. We
expected it to hit the shelves in Japan by the end of the year.
Toshiba announces 14 megapixel back-lit image sensor for mobile phones and digicams
If you’ve been loosing your sleep about the megapixel war coming to an end – rest assured it won’t be anytime soon. Toshiba just announced their 14 megapixel 1/2.3” back-lit CMOS image sensor, intended for use in mobile phones and digicams.
Back-side illumination (or BSI as Toshiba likes to call it) boosts light sensitivity by 40%, which should make up for the constantly shrinking pixels. That is because lenses are deployed on the rear of the sensor, not on the front, where wiring limits light absorption.
Sampling of the new sensor will begin in December and mass production will follow from the third quarter of 2010. A 14 megapixel camephone as a present for Christmas next year sounds pretty good, right? Oh yeah, given enough processing power that thing is also capale of 1080p@60fps video recording.
Source
HTC makes a switch in brand identity, it’s up to YOU now
Today HTC launched their brand redesign choosing “Quietly Brilliant”
as a slogan in favor of their old “HTC Innovation”. The new HTC brand
identity is more easy-going with light-colored backgrounds and
handwritten fonts. The thing that I enjoy the most is that their once
pitch-black film-noir website color scheme is redesigned as well with a
more lively feel in mind. I would have liked it even better if they went
for something more colorful instead of simply switching from black to
white overnight, but I’ll take it as it is.
HTC will use the new “Quietly Brilliant” brand message as a part of their world-wide advertising campaign that puts “YOU” (the user) in the center of the advertising message. The slogan in all marketing materials will be something along the lines of “You don’t need to get a phone. You need a phone that gets you.”
Here, you can watch one of their new videos:
HTC will use the new “Quietly Brilliant” brand message as a part of their world-wide advertising campaign that puts “YOU” (the user) in the center of the advertising message. The slogan in all marketing materials will be something along the lines of “You don’t need to get a phone. You need a phone that gets you.”
Here, you can watch one of their new videos:
All the important stuff you need to know about Windows 7
Now that the latest Microsoft desktop OS is officially out in the stores, I guess many of you will be taking the upgrade route. Vista was hardly up to scratch and the good thing is that Windows 7 took all of its good features (yes, there were some) and delivered it in an even more eye pleasing package with a lot of improvements. The most important aspect that have been taken care of is performance.
Some of us (the GSMArena.com blog team) have been using Windows 7 as primary work/leisure OS ever since it came out as a public beta. And let us tell you, we’re quite pleased with what Microsoft have put forth this time (unlike Windows Mobile 6.5). In case you’re on your way to upgrading, here’s a rundown of all the nitty gritty Windows 7 features and hacks that deserve your attention.
Lifehacker have compiled all their blog posts about the new Microsoft OS in one seriously massive list. But just going through the titles will get you quite far. You will have a bird’s eye view of all the key Windows 7 features plus all the hacks available that allow tweaking the system to your liking. Happy munching…
Apple announces the touch sensitive Magic Mouse – works wirelessly
Apple finally went ahead an added a true wireless mouse to their arsenal. Meet the Bluetooth-based Magic Mouse. Since it’s definitely not the first, or not even the hundredth wireless mouse on the market, you may wonder what’s the fuss all about. Well, the thing is that the Magic Mouse is itself touch sensitive supporting touch gestures much like the touchpads of most recent mobile computers.
The Magic Mouse has a unibody design that has Apple written all over – but in the good sense, you know. I say that since up until now the mouse peripherals by the company have always been a little less than stellar, to say the least.
The guys over at Gizmodo have a really nice review of the little white thingy, so jump on and have a good read
