Wednesday, 4 June 2014
World's first Tizen OS -powered Samsung Z smartphone launched
Seoul: Samsung on Tuesday unwrapped its new smartphone using the Tizen platform, a move aimed at breaking away from Google`s Android and staking a claim to the "Internet of Things”.
The South Korean consumer electronics colossus showed off the Samsung Z, its first Tizen-powered smartphone, in a break from the majority of its devices which use the ubiquitous Android operating system.
Samsung touted Tizen as a platform not just for phones, but for a range of connected devices from home appliances to door locks and watches which may communicate with one another in the future.
The unveiling came a day after Apple -- a few blocks away in San Francisco -- unveiled a coming new version of its iOS mobile operating system with capabilities that could have iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch devices vying for that same spot in the middle of a what is billed as the booming Internet-of-Things.
The world`s biggest smartphone maker made its pitch at the Tizen Developer Conference, a forum that aims to help the platform become a rival to Android and Apple`s iOS.
Samsung showed off a line of Tizen-powered devices ranging from Tizen-Android cameras to its freshly announced smartphone powered entirely by the South Korean technology firm`s open-source operating system.Samsung even teased a prototype smart television that connects to rich online content using Tizen.
Along with being enticed with contests offering cash prizes for winning applications, the approximately 1,000 developers at the keynote presentation were urged to check out an Open Smart Home project for "monitoring and controlling devices in the home or on the body all together" whether from one`s living room or from half a world away.
"The goal of this project is to have it evolve into services for the entire Internet-of-Things," Samsung executive vice president and Tizen technical steering committee co-chair Jong-Deok Choi said during an on-stage presentation.
"We plan to have this project implemented through Tizen."
Samsung announced Monday the launch of a new smartphone based on its own operating system, in a step towards independence from the Google Android platform that dominates its popular handsets.
The Samsung Z, which has been specially developed to run on the Tizen platform, will go on sale in Russia in the third quarter of this year before reaching other markets.
The vast majority of Samsung`s devices, including its flagship Galaxy S smartphones, use the Android operating system.
Tuesday, 3 June 2014
iOS 8 Best Features to Kill Android 4.4.2 KitKat and Windows Phone 8.1 Perks
iOS 8 is now official that features new changes and improvements for iPhones, iPad and iPod devices. Know the killer features of iOS 8 against Android 4.4.2 KitKat and Windows Phone 8.1.
Handoff - OS X Yosemite Interaction
The feature is an expansion of AirDrop which allows sharing of tasks and data of iOS 8 running devices with OS X Yosemite such as phone calls, messages, data files and more.
Android KitKat: Google Drive represents similar functionality but limited to certain files only such as documents and media files. Some users will need to use third-party apps such as AirDroid in order to share phone records and messaging in real-time with computers.
Windows Phone 8.1: Microsoft's OneDrive only allow certain files and most of them are concentrated on data and multimedia files, viewable across all devices.
iCloud Drive
In addition to sharing feature with OS X Yosemite, iOS 8 exclusively features the iCloud Drive that allows syncing of applications across all of your devices running the latest iOS version. It is considered a unified storage which acts similar with Google Drive and OneDrive.
Android KitKat: No two Android devices can sync the exact apps at the same time. As per trick, you can install apps manually using the Play Store having the same Google account. Due to different manufacturers, a Samsung Galaxy smartphone cannot have certain apps from a Sony Xperia handset due to exclusivity.
Windows Phone 8.1: Microsoft's latest mobile OS is still limited on the application ecosystem and users may need to manually set the syncing via downloads using the same account. Certain restrictions on apps may also be applied depending on the territory.
More Interactive Action Centre
Apple revamped the Action Centre and now it is more interactive than previous iOS versions. You can now reply to text messages on the small pop-up on the top of the display instead of doing several steps and you don't have to leave the app where you're in.
Android KitKat: Certain Android devices can reply directly from the notifications bar but it may function as opening the messaging app instead of generating a pop-up. Third-party messaging apps feature such advantage.
Windows Phone 8.1: Microsoft improved other aspects of the Messaging Hub instead of delivering any pop-up features for Windows Phone 8.1.
Intuitive Keyboard
iOS 8 features a more intuitive keyboard that predict words efficiently and can even recognise which app you are using. It can tell if you are creating an email or simpy sending out a text message. Additionally, users can now install third-party keyboard apps that may allow usage of SwiftKey and Swype soon.
Android KitKat: By default, Android features a basic predictive input system which has been improved by brand manufacturers by installing their add-ons and user interface on top of it.
Windows Phone 8.1: Word Flow keyboard is so far the fastest and most intuitive in typing that allows completion of sentences using gliding and suggestive input. It is yet to be tested against iOS 8.
The Health Kit
Track down your activities everyday such as heart rate, fitness, workout and more. iOS 8 can monitor the data using tracking apps and accessories. Apple teamed up with popular health suites such as Nike and Mayo Clinic.
Android KitKat: Health monitoring is not a default feature of Android KitKat. Users will need to download apps or purchase compatible accessories or install Samsung's exclusive apps to use it.
Windows Phone 8.1: It is not yet found on the latest Microsoft mobile OS at this time. Third-party apps and accessories may allow the feature to be enabled.
New Messaging Prowess
iMessage on iOS 8 gained a major revamped and will become a competitor to the likes of WhatsApp and WeChat. It can now send audio and video messages without requiring third-party applications.
Android KitKat: You need to use Hangouts to get the similar advantage. If not, audio and video messages are considered MMS or you download WhatsApp, Viber, WeChat or KakaoTalk.
Windows Phone 8.1: Skype is the primary application offering the feature on all Windows Phone OS devices. However, you need to access it via the Dialler app or using Skype itself.
Photos and Gallery
iOS 8 running devices can now edit images and apply specific changes which will be stored across all devices using the iCloud Drive. If you edit pictures later on, they will be saved as well to all of your devices.
Android KitKat: You can set your Gallery app for automatic syncing to all your devices by modifying the Google account.
Windows Phone 8.1: Multimedia files for Windows Phone 8.1 are also synced across multiple devices such as phones, tablets and computers.
iOS 8 is still in beta stage which means there are more features to be added later on. Android 4.5 is not yet out and may contend to what Apple boasts now. Windows Phone 8.1 is also developing and encourages more developers to make their apps compatible with the new mobile OS.
Monday, 2 June 2014
Motorola’s new Moto E smartphone has nice price, but lacks features
Lots of cellphone users here and abroad still haven’t switched to smartphones, and Motorola hopes to lure them over.
Last month, the company unveiled the Moto E, the latest in its Moto series of phones. The device looks a lot like the flagship Moto X, but it’s smaller — and cheaper.
The Moto E costs just $130. That’s it. That’s not the subsidized price and not what you pay if you sign a two-year contract.
You can find smartphones for less. But they’re typically older models, used or manufactured by third-tier brands or they run relatively unpopular operating systems like BlackBerry 10 or Windows Phone 8. None of that applies to the Moto E. This is a brand-new model running the latest version of Android.
There are more things to like about the Moto E than just its price. For one, it’s well-built. Its plastic case is rounded in the back and feels solid and comfortable in the hand. Users can personalize phones by choosing from among nine different colors for the back cover.
Another plus is the Moto E’s bright and colorful display. Its resolution doesn’t match that of most flagship Android devices, but it’s still sharp. And while the phone is about the same size as Apple’s iPhone 5c, which costs hundreds of dollars more without a contract, its screen is a bit larger.
For a device of this size, the Moto E includes a large and powerful battery. With average usage, Motorola says, the battery should last about 24 hours before needing to be recharged. With intermittent usage, it lasted several days in my tests.
As with other Motorola phones, the version of Android running on the Moto E is the stock version. You won’t find any custom interfaces or annoying pre-loaded widgets.
One way Motorola is able to offer such a low-priced phone is by using a relatively underpowered processor. The Moto E has a 1.2-GHz dual-core chip from Qualcomm; by contrast, many of the latest Android phones have much faster quad-core chips.
For most tasks, you’re not likely to notice much difference. You can navigate through the interface without noticeable lag. Programs and Web pages load quickly, and you can play a wide variety of games.
But make no mistake about it: This is an entry-level phone. Motorola cut numerous corners to bring down the price. And many of those cost-saving choices diminish the user experience compared with other smartphones.
The Moto E doesn’t have a front camera, so you can’t easily use it to make video calls. Its rear camera has just a 5-megapixel resolution, which is much lower than what you’ll find on higher-end devices. The problem is not so much the resolution as the quality; it shoots crummy pictures. Some of the indoor shots I took look so blurry that they could have been painted with watercolors. The outdoor pictures I took are somewhat sharper, but the colors are washed out.
While many smartphones today can access the carriers’ high-speed LTE networks, the Moto E, in another cost-saving move, can access only the older 3G networks. The result is that Web pages and other data load relatively slowly when you are away from Wi-Fi hotspots.
They load faster when you are on Wi-Fi — but not as fast as on other devices. The Moto E’s Wi-Fi radio supports only the often-congested frequency band used by older versions of Wi-Fi and not the less-used — and thus faster — band used in newer versions.
Also, you’ll almost certainly want to buy an external memory card for the Moto E. It comes with only 4 gigabytes of built-in storage, of which only about 2.2 actually are available. Just one or two high-quality games or a two-week’s vacation worth of photos can easily exceed that amount.
And when it comes to convincing the holdouts to become smartphone users, there’s one big problem the Moto E doesn’t solve. What you pay for the device itself is only one part of owning a smartphone. What makes the devices so costly is the data plans you have to attach to them, which can easily bump up your monthly charges by $20 to $50. Over the course of time you own the phone, that difference is going to matter a lot more than the initial cost of the device.
If you can swallow the cost of a smartphone plan, you should probably look at buying a phone with more up-to-date features than the Moto E. It’s not a bad phone, but gadgets moderately more expensive will likely be more satisfying to use for a longer period of time.
Saturday, 31 May 2014
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