Microsoft’s Ranveer Chandra has taken the stage at MIT Technology Review’s Digital Summit, taking San Francisco’s breath with what could become one of the most important projects regarding battery life. Our current devices force us to plug in every night, with some more unfortunate users having to charge their smartphones multiple times a day. Microsoft aims to change this, throwing around the idea of 1-week battery life.
Today’s main concern in the matter is that smartphones, tablets and other devices are smart about everything but how they use battery power. Gadgets are simply not very resourceful or efficient when eating away all that juice. This is mostly because smartphones are becoming exponentially more powerful by the day, whereas battery technology is essentially staying the same.
Does this mean we need bigger batteries? Do we simply wait for the next battery technology to come around? No, there are many ways in which hardware and software can be optimized for better battery efficiency. We can take LG’s 3A technology as an example, in which the Korean manufacturer slows down display frame rate and processing power when the device doesn’t need it.
Likewise, Microsoft has a few tricks up its sleeve, and they have chosen to share a few with us. One of the most interesting experiments is one in which instead of having one large battery, two smaller ones are put in place. One battery would handle more powerful processes (such as gaming), while the other would keep the phone with enough juice to take care of background work when idle, for example. Prototypes have proven to increase battery life by 20%-50%, which is a huge step up.
Most other battery-saving techniques do involve software improvements. One of Microsoft’s projects is called E-Loupe, and it monitors resource-demanding apps, slowing them down when the program deems it appropriate. The team has also developed a tool for developers, helping them predict how demanding their app will be. It also helps them easily reduce it.
We are not sure if it’s possible, but we don’t expect to see such battery life in a long time. We have seen LG do wonders with the G3. With all its amazing specs and 5.5-inch QHD display, the device still manages to stump over the competition (according to Phone Arena’s tests).
I have personally experiences 2-day battery life with the LG G2 (with light usage) and must say it’s an amazing experience. It’s also the main reason why I miss the LG G2 so much. One week is a long time, though, especially for such complex devices. I see it very hard to accomplish in the near future.
LG’s new tablet series is meant to fill in the gap between cheap and premium tablets. The LG G Pad 7.0, 8.0 and 10.1 aim to find a spot in the mid-tier market with capable components and variable sizes. Not to mention, very accessible prices.
We heard very little about the new LG G Pad series since its May 12th announcement, but today we are finally getting some details on the tablets’ release dates. LG plans to roll out the smallest of the G Pad trio this week, with the 8-inch and 10.1-inch versions launching within the next few weeks.
Most specs in these three tablets are identical, with differences only to be found in battery capacity, internal storage, cameras and, of course… screen size. Hell, even the screen resolution is the same across the spectrum! Let’s take a look at the specs.
Of course, you also get all the awesome tricks LG has to offer with its unique software. Features like Knock On, Knock Code, Dual Window, Q Slide and the others will be on board. These tablets will be as full-featured as possible, and performance should be more than fair for most use cases.
LG’s new tablets should make for great gadgets for casual or money conscious users. They are expected to come at affordable price points, though we still don’t know jsut how much cash LG is asking for. We will definitely hear more about that this week, when the LG G Pad 7.0 is released in Europe. Also unknown is the USA release, but we expect to learn more about that soon, as well.
There have been countless attempts to bring Android over to existing Windows devices in recent years. This includes emulation software attempts like BlueStacks, WindowsAndroid and even manufacturer projects that bundle Windows and Android together with efforts like Intel’s failed DualOS platform.
All of these efforts have at least one thing in common: they are rather limited. For DualOS the limitation has more to do with corporate politics, while the former solutions like BlueStacks are somewhat buggy or don’t provide the ‘full’ Android experience. If you are truly looking for something better, up-and-coming Console OS promises to be the alternative you’ve been looking for.
At the moment, Console OS isn’t yet available but it is working to secure funding via KickStarter. To get in on the action, you’ll need to pledge at least $10, which will get you the Console OS software with free upgrades for life. You’ll also get voting privileges for deciding what devices you want Console OS to support.
The startup promises an Android 4.4-based fork that lets you toggle easily between Windows and Android
As for what Console OS does? The startup promises an Android 4.4-based fork that lets you toggle easily between Windows and Android, giving you an option that will run either as a secondary OS alongside Windows (or Linux) or as a standalone OS. While the desktop-optimized fork won’t run Google Play (at least not without tinkering), it will support third-party stores like the Amazon AppStore.
Console OS’ creators claim the platform will work with many Intel-powered Windows tablets like the Dell Venue 8 Pro, and several laptop/desktop PCs. The platform will also work both with touch or the mouse/keyboard, and reportedly runs smoother since it doesn’t need to virtualize anything.
Console OS sounds like an intriguing idea, but it’s not without limitations of its own. For one thing, there’s no Google app support. For another, only a select number of devices will be supported from day one. Still, if you’re interested in the idea of running full Android on your x86 hardware with the ability to switch back to Windows in as little as 10 seconds, this project might be worth your consideration.
For more details on Console OS, you’ll want to hit up their official Kickstarter page.
The Galaxy F just can’t stay under wraps. Of course, that’s assuming that all the recent images that supposedly show the premium version of the Galaxy S5 are real. Today we have another alleged spy shot of the Galaxy F, and this time the device is shown side by side a Galaxy S5.
The image above was supplied to Phone Arena by an anonymous tipster, so we wouldn’t put too much weight on it. With that warning out of the way, what’s striking about the device pictured alongside the S5 are its thin bezels and high screen-to-footprint ratio.
According to @evleaks , the Galaxy F will come with a 5.3-inch screen and a body size that’s similar to the 5.1-inch Galaxy S5. Other leaks and rumors claim that the Galaxy F will feature a metal body, a Snapdragon 805 processor, and 3GB of RAM.
While the benefits of ultra-thin bezels are questionable, there’s no denying that they look amazing. LG really pushed the limits when it comes to this design trait, and that’s one of the reasons the G3 was received so enthusiastically. With average device sizes already testing our willingness to do hand gymnastics, shrinking bezels remains the only option for Samsung and other OEMs to deliver bigger screens.
With free two-day shipping, free ebooks, unlimited movies, and other perks, Amazon’s Prime service is a great deal at $99, especially if you shop frequently online and you don’t mind waiting a bit for your orders.
Now Prime becomes even more attractive with the addition of Prime Music, an unlimited, ad-free streaming service that Amazon took the wraps off today. Only available in the US for now, Prime Music offers over a million songs, which sounds like a large catalog, but is actually small compared to the catalogs of Spotify and other competing streaming services.
However, Prime Music shines when it comes to the freedom it gives users – there are no restrictions on what songs you can play or on the number of skips, there are no ads to pester you to upgrade, and you can download all your tracks for offline listening. The service is available across platforms – Kindle Fire tablets, Android devices, iOS devices, PCs and Macs.
At no additional cost, Prime Music is another perk that Amazon’s using to draw users to its subscription service. The service lacks the rich catalog of competitors and many recent hits are not available for streaming. Still, for many users, especially those who prefer older tunes, it may be good enough. Amazon is trying to compensate for the smaller catalog with hundreds of handmade playlists, with themes as diverse as “Bollywood Oldies”, “Chemically-Altered Country”, and “Hard Beats, Hard Body”. And there’s always the option to buy tracks that are not available for streaming.
Amazon re-launched its iOS Cloud Player app as Amazon Music, and we expect to see a similar rebranding for Amazon’s Android music app. Head over here to sign up for Prime or start listening, if you’re already a customer.
Earlier this week OnePlus fans were disappointed to learn that shipments of the OnePlus One would be delayed due to software issues. Such delays happen all the time in the industry, and normally it wouldn’t be a huge deal. But OnePlus seems to be exhausting its reserves of public goodwill, after several controversial episodes and a heavy teasing campaign that built huge anticipation for the “2014 flagship killer.”
Now it looks that OnePlus is finally able to give fans what they want. The software issues that reportedly caused the last minute delay are now solved, and devices should begin shipping soon. Here’s the statement we received from OnePlus:
We did choose to delay the shipment of the first phones in order to make sure the software was secure and provided the best possible user experience. The CyanogenMod team worked very quickly and efficiently and the Open SSL issues have already been fixed. The first OnePlus Ones ship to early users with invites as early as tomorrow.
So, if you ordered a OnePlus One, there’s a good chance you will receive your device soon, though the wording of the statement leaves room for interpretation as to when exactly customers in the initial invite batch will get their phones.
As for what exactly caused the delay, CyanogenMod community manager Abhishek Devkota explained on Reddit that vulnerabilities found in the Open SSL encryption protocol on June 5 prompted the team to issue a last minute patch to the OnePlus One CM11S firmware. Any patch requires a period of QA testing and re-certification, so the decision was made to delay shipping.
With software problems behind it, the OnePlus One is finally ready to ship to customers. As for those who didn’t score an early invite, OnePlus says it will continue to roll out invitations “on a continuous basis.”
In case anyone needs a reminder Father’s day is on Sunday June 15, 2014. With just days remaining, we put together a little list of some of the hottest tech products that will be sure to please your dad.
