via Sci/Tech - Google News on 01/11/11

TheStreet.com

Android outselling iPhone by two to one in the UK
CNET UK
Android is outselling Apple's iOS platform two to one in the UK, also trouncing BlackBerry when it comes to smart phone sales, according to a new survey. The study, conducted by the oddly named Kantar ...
Original Android Phone Resembled Blackberry, Not iPhonePC Magazine
Android Users Most Educated, iPhone Users Least Into MusicAccuraCast
Apple iOS owns mobile browser share at over 61%SlashGear
IDG News Service -The Loop -Phones Review
all 35 news articles »

via AndroidGuys by Scott Webster on 02/11/11

An upcoming Pantech handset, the Vega LTE, will be among the first Android devices to come with hand gesture recognition.  Using the integrated technology, it will be possible to answer phone calls, activate MP3 player, play games and more, simply by using hand gestures.  Think of all the time you've had a buffalo wing sauce on your hands and how difficult it was too clean up in time to take an incoming call and you can see the appreciation.

This is one technology we'd like to see picked up by other handset makers and tablet makers.  Being able to accept or decline a call by flicking your hand just seems like a logical, intuitive motion.

Pantech has made some inroads here in the United States, but we don't expect to see the Vega LTE anytime soon.  That's a shame though, because the specs are pretty nice and include a 4.5-inch (1280x720p) HD display, a dual-core 1.5 GHz processor, 1GB RAM, and 1860 mAh battery too. Currently only available in South Korea, we might be left to watch with envy.

eyeSight’s Gesture Recognition Technology to be Embedded in Pantech’s Android Smartphones 

New Pantech mobile phones integrated with eyeSight’s technology will be operated by simple hand gestures enabling touch-free control of applications, games and content.
Herzliya, Israel and Seoul, Korea, November 1, 2011 – eyeSight Mobile Technologies, a developer of touch-free interfaces for digital devices, and Pantech Co. Ltd., one of Korea’s largest mobile phone manufacturers, have announced the launch of Android-based mobile phones integrated with Hand Gesture Recognition Technology developed by eyeSight.

Pantech’s new Vega LTE smartphones will be equipped with eyeSight’s innovative technology. These groundbreaking devices are expected to reach the market later this month.

“Pantech users will enjoy a completely new user experience, controlling their device with natural and intuitive hand gestures,” said Gideon Shmuel, eyeSight’s CEO.

“The agreement with Pantech allows us to extend our reach in the fast growing South-East Asian market further emphasizing eyeSight’s leading position in the global field of gesture recognition technologies.”

eyeSight’s technology complements Pantech’s touchscreen user interface, enabling the easy usage of applications and content in situations in which touching the handset is not ideal, such as driving, cooking, using gloves, and so on.

Users of Pantech’s gesture-enabled devices will be able to answer incoming calls, activate their MP3 players, play games, and perform other tasks using simple hand gestures.

About eyeSight 

eyeSight Mobile Technologies is a leader in touch-free Interfaces for consumerelectronics. Its technology allows users to control mobile and portable devices with simple hand gestures by using the built-in camera, advanced real-time image processing and machine vision algorithms.

For more information about eyeSight, please visit www.eyesight-tech.com.

Company Contact:
Liat Rostock
Marketing Director
eyeSight Mobile Technologies
Mobile: +972 5404670162

About Pantech

Pantech Co. Ltd. is one of Korea’s top three mobile handset makers. Pantech has received wide-ranging industry recognition for its innovative handset designs and has also introduced a significant number of breakthrough technologies in the mobile phone industry. Pantech has also maintained its second-top position in Korea’s smartphone market. Established in 1991, Pantech has about 3,500 employees and six regional sales offices worldwide.

For more information on Pantech, please visit www.pantech.com. To watch the videos of Pantech new mobile device go to www.youtube.com/user/skyandroians.

Pantech Vega LTE to feature gesture recognition originally appeared on AndroidGuys.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

ArcSoft has released a 'Photo Makeover' application called Perfect365, that allows users to manipulate their pictures and portraits with a single button click. It offers cleanup options such as blemish removal and skin softening, alongside makeover features such as 'smile enhance' and 'cheek lift'. There's also built-in support for sharing via social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Perfect365 is available immediately as a free download for PC users, with iPhone/iPad, Mac and Facebook versions to follow.

via Android Phone Fans by Chris Chavez on 01/11/11

This image has no alt text

A couple of Android engineers, the Romain Guy and Chet Haase made an interesting post today on Android Developers. As if I needed another reason to drool over Android 4.0, turns out that for the first time ever — Ice Cream Sandwich will turn on hardware acceleration by default. This is the same hardware acceleration found in Android 3.2 for tablets but in that version, it required a developer had to enable GPU acceleration with a simple line of code.

So, what does this mean for the regular ‘ol end-user like you and me? Well, this will translate into an all around smoother and faster UI. Things like menu’s, scrolling and various animations should be more fluid and responsive in all apps regardless of whether a developer enables GPU acceleration or not. It’s one small step for man but a huge leap for Android.

If there’s one thing that’s always irked me about the Android UI, it’s the fact that in most cases, it’s choppy. Having a smooth and responsive UI is actually one of the (very) few things I envy about iOS or WP7. Just add this to the ever growing list of reasons why I absolutely cannot wait for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Hardware acceleration? Check! V’room v’room!

[Via Android-Developers]

via Android Phone Fans by Chris Chavez on 01/11/11

This image has no alt text

Pigs in Trees was released earlier this month in the Android Market and since I had so much fun with it, I wanted to make sure it got your guys’ attention. The game features a bit of a role reversal from Angry Birds, this time putting you in command of pigs in planes that you must guide along the playing field to shoot down the horde of birds trying to take over your HQ.

First thing you will notice are the visuals. Graphics are crisp and bright featuring cartoony hand-drawn sprites that compliment the game nicely. The developers PAN Vision AB really did a great job at adding personality and making Pigs in Trees attractive for all ages (or just big kids like me).

Gameplay involves you drawing a path with your finger while your plane follows along. Combos are the name of the game, so lining up the best shot will take equal parts precision and skill. When swarms of birds fill the screen you will have to take full advantage of the loads of power-ups to collect in order to take them all down.

Pigs in Trees features 4 campaigns with a total of 75 jam packed levels to battle on and you can find the game for free right now in the Android Market. The game has been a little glitchy on some devices although it’s been more than stable on my Evo 3D. Before you leave the developer a negative review make sure to email them first. Remember — the game is free after-all. Have fun!

[Market Link]

via Android Phone Fans by Chris Chavez on 01/11/11

This image has no alt text

The Motorola Droid RAZR launch is almost upon us and as we near its release, the device has already showed up in the hands of one lucky user on YouTube. While there’s not too much here we haven’t already seen, the lucky Razr user does give us a brief video tour of the device showing off the boot animation, Speedtests, Motoblur and a couple of profile shots. Have a look for yourselves in the video below.

The disgustingly thin Motorola Razr is gearing up to launch on November 10th for $300 with a 2-year agreement. What did you guys think? Does the promise of Android 4.0 and its nearly indestructible design make this a clear choice for any of you guys?

Thanks, ___!

via News Tom's Hardware UK on 01/11/11
IBM Files Patent For GPU-Accelerated DatabasesIBM has an idea how database access and data processing can be accelerated. IBM wants to take advantage of graphics processors to launch and execute database queries.


via Engadget by Joseph Volpe on 01/11/11
You have to hand it to the tireless folks toiling away within Microsoft's Research department. They're hard at the task of making tomorrowland today's province. Perhaps spurred on by the rapturous response to their HoloDesk, the Cambridge gang's previewing yet another virtual reality, and this time it's a handheld trio. The palm-friendly devices, split up into camera, room and SLAM models, incorporate pico projectors, coaxial IR cameras, inertial measurement units (IMUs) and the company's Kinect (for the latter two only) to project augmented visions onto surrounding surfaces. If you've been honing your shadow puppetry game over the years, that oft-used skill's about to get very useful. The environmentally aware (no, not the Go Green! kind) systems allow for shadow- and touch-based interaction with the CG overlays, offering pinch functionality, icon selection and even painting -- don't worry, it's definitely removable. This neat tech hat trick could one day soon spare you a trip to IKEA, letting you test out potential decorative pieces from the comfort of your home. Unfortunately, we can't get handsy with the futuristic projectors just yet, so the video after the break will have to suffice.

[Thanks, Pradeep]

Continue reading Trio of Microsoft projectors lets you get quasi-physical with AR interaction (video)

Trio of Microsoft projectors lets you get quasi-physical with AR interaction (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Microsoft News  |  sourceNext at Microsoft (TechNet)  | Email this | Comments

via Google Operating System by Alex Chitu on 01/11/11
Google Drive is just a new name for Google Docs, so you shouldn't expect a new service. What you can expect is a new software that synchronizes your files with Google Docs and more free storage.

Felipe Zorzo found an evidence (English translation) that Google Drive is also the name of a downloadable software. The clue is a new menu item titled "Download Google Drive" that's disabled by default. To enable it, Felipe opened Google Docs, then loaded Chrome's Developer Tools, switched to the Scripts tab and searched for cookieFetchElement. He clicked on the row number (365) to set a breakpoint, reloaded Google Docs, went back to the Developer Tools and pasted the following code in the console:

config.ed = true; config.ddu = '.';

After going back to the Scripts tab, he clicked the "pause" button (F8) and switched to the Google Docs tab.



At the moment, you can't download the Google Drive software, but it will be interesting to see if it's better than Dropbox.

{ Thanks, Rodrigo. }