Samsung Phones

The HTC Ville S is not all that different from the One S.

(Credit:
BriefMobile)

Less than one day after HTC announced its Desire C for U.K. consumers, yet another “quietly brilliant” smartphone has landed on our radar.

BriefMobile obtained details of a handset with the code name of Ville C, which appears to be a cheaper, albeit lower-powered HTC One S.

Hardware details are nearly identical to the One S and include a 4.3 qHD AMOLED display, 16GB internal storage, 1GB RAM, and a 8-megapixel camera. The processor, however, is expected to be a Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon S3 instead of the 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 chipset. Though the image suggests a 1.7GHz CPU, the source advises it will be clocked at 1.2GHz.

Another difference with the Ville C is that it will come with Android 4.0 and HTC Sense 4.5 user interface. As you may recall, HTC only introduced the 4.0 version of its user interface back in February when it … [Read more]

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The latest version of Evernote for Android brings some much-needed improvements to the interface.

(Credit:
Evernote)

Much as I have mad love for Evernote, I’ve always found its apps to be a little, well, challenged in the usability department. Not much to look at, either.

With the newly released Evernote 4.0 for Android, all that changes. And as an iPhone user, I’ve rarely been more jealous.

The update brings a completely new look to the smartphone version of the app, starting with a beautifully overhauled home screen. It not only provides one-tap icons for creating a new note, snapshot, recording, or attachment, but also gives you quick access to your existing notes, notebooks, tags, and places. It’s a simple, effective, attractive design.

Navigation has been improved as well: you can now swipe from the home screen to your note list and back again — a fine improvement over the previous back-button method. Also, you can swipe between notebook, tag, and place views, another welcome tweak.

Evernote’s redesigned note list is a little cleaner, with a smarter, easier-to-”figger” toolbar, but I miss the high-contrast section headers. Now everything just sort of blends together. That’s one change I coul… [Read more]

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(Credit:

http://www.indiegamethemovie.com/)

Most of us conjure images of “Grandma’s Boy” when we think about video game developers, but a new documentary “Indie Game: The Movie” goes deep into the lives of a couple independent programmers, and today we’re joined by first-time filmmaking duo Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky.

They’ll take us through the experience of filming the developers behind Super Meat Boy, Fez, and Braid, and we’ll also discuss video games as art and the production similarities between film and the evolution of a video game.

Check out the “Indie Game: The Movie” homepage for screenings in your area, and be sure to follow its Twitter and Facebook pages for more information on the film.

Ep. 1055: Where we go indie for a day

Episode 1,055

Listen Now:
… [Read more]

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No more classic-style keyboard with the new Lenovo T-Series ThinkPads.

(Credit:
Lenovo)

Those of you who loved Lenovo’s classic-style laptop keyboards can wave bye-bye to them.

With the new 2012 T-series ThinkPads, Lenovo has put the final nail in the coffin of the classic keyboard once made popular by IBM.

Lenovo stuck with the classic keyboard for the current T420, T420S, and T520. But the new ThinkPad T430, T430s, and T530 due to launch early next month have been overhauled with the island-style keyboards that seem to be hitting almost every laptop these days.

The company had already switched to the island-style keyboards for all of its other laptops, so the change was probably inevitable. I have yet to try out the new ThinkPad keyboards, so I can’t weigh in on their user-friendliness. But I have to shed a tear for the loss of the classic keyboard.

Among laptop makers, Lenovo was virtually the one holdout to retain the classic keyboard, a carryover from the IBM lineup that the … [Read more]

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Facebook likes this jacket quite a bit.

(Credit:
C&A)

Why trust your own questionable fashion instincts when you can trust the questionable fashion instincts of everybody on Facebook? Brazilian retailer C&A has special clothes hangers that show how many likes each look has collected from the social-media community.

The counters built into each hanger, which are networked, update in real time to reflect the input of C&A’s Facebook fans voting with their virtual thumbs on photos of each clothing item. C&A calls the system “Fashion Like.”

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This technology could be helpful in several ways. If you have outsider tendencies, then you can choose the garments with the lowest numbers. If you desperately want to be accepted by your Facebook peers, then look for high counts.

These special hangers are firmly targeted at women. The advertising video plays on insecurities and the desire for a second opinion when shopping. Instead of having a tr… [Read more]

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Kodak ESP 3.2

(Credit:
Kodak)

The Kodak ESP line is meant for budding photographers and families that need a simple device to output family photos, collages, and personalized photo snapshots. The latest 3.2 all-in-one delivers print, copy, and scan functionality in a compact frame that still gives creatives access to a 2.4-inch color screen that accepts light photo edits.

You can set up the ESP 3.2 using a direct-USB connection, but doing it wireless gives you more access to the printer’s cloud capabilities by way of Google Cloud Print and Kodak’s own e-mail printing service. You’ll need a Google account to access both new features, but a connection lets you e-mail print jobs to the 3.2 using a customized address, from any device with messaging capabilities.

This June, Kodak will also debut its free Pic Flick HD App for the iPad that outputs photos from the tablet to compatible Kodak devices and assists users in developing creative projects like custom picture frames.

The Kodak ESP 3.2 multifunction printer hits shelves this June for $99.99.

[Read more]

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(Credit:
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET)

Gamers in the market for an Xbox 360 will find a deal waiting for them at the online Microsoft Store.

The Xbox 360 250GB console is now on sale for $249.99, a full $50 off the usual price. This console offers 250GB of space on a removable hard drive, the usual wireless controller, a black headset, and a one-month subscription to Xbox Live Gold. Buyers can also add a 12-month Xbox Live Gold membership for $44.99, $15 off the regular price.

Those of you willing to cough up more cash can get the Xbox 360 250 GB Kinect Holiday Bundle for $349.99, down from $399.99. This kit throws in the Kinect sensor as well as two free games and a three-month Xbox Live Gold membership.

And for people in search of adventure in a galaxy far, far away, the Xbox 360 Limited Edition Kinect Star Wars Bundle is selling for $399.99, also $50 off the usual price. This bundle offers a 320GB hard drive, custom-designed R2-D2 console and C-3PO controller, a white Kinect sensor, a wired headset, a copy of Star Wars Kinect… [Read more]

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Is the next iPhone due for a 4-inch screen?

(Credit:
Apple)

Will the next iPhone actually sport a larger screen? A new report from the Wall Street Journal suggests it will.

Citing “people familiar with the situation,” the Journal said today that Apple has been tapping into its suppliers for screens larger than the ones used in the current iPhone. The new screens are at least 4 inches, compared with the 3.5-inch displays used on the phone since its debut in 2007.

Assuming the sources are on the money, production of the screens could rev up next month, the Journal added. The most recent reports say Apple will unveil the next iPhone in early fall — September or October. An October date would match up with the launch of the iPhone 4S last year.

A larger screen could be a sign that Apple is trying to play catch-up with its Android rivals, particularly Samsung. The Korean handset maker has enjoyed a huge surge in sales and market share over the past year, Most research reports now cite Samsung as the top smartphone and mobile phone maker around the world.

Apple is reportedly ordering screens from several manufacturers, say some of the Journal’s sources. Those include LG, Sharp, and Japan Display, a new outfit formed by the Japanese government and three companies.

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Samsung's Galaxy S II is the most prevalent Android device, trailed by almost 4,000 others.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Eric Mack / CNET )

Open Signal Maps is a nifty free Android app and Web site that crowdsources where the strongest and weakest cell signals are. But along the way, it’s also managed to amass a ton of data about what kind of Android devices are out there in the wild and they pulled it all together into some visualizations that dramatically show the extent of Android fragmentation.

OSM started logging the Android devices that download the app six months ago and created the above visualization — the interactive version on the site is a little more informative — from a sample size of 681,900 devices. What it reveals is that Samsung’s Galaxy series, particularly the Galaxy S II, is far and away the top dog, followed distantly by the HTC Desire series. After that, it turns into quite a mess of devices ranging from other heavy hitters like Motorola’s Droids down to the Hungarian Concorde Tab, which showed up once.

Fragmentation might no… [Read more]

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Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 4620L

Even when used with the included double-capacity battery, the MiFi 4620L mobile router is still very compact.

(Credit:
Dong Ngo/CNET)

I can’t count anymore how many mobile routers I have reviewed, but that also means that I know the Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 4620L by Novatel Wireless is different.

And it’s not because of its crazy long name.

Instead, it’s partly because of its craz,y long battery life. The router is the first I’ve seen that comes with two batteries. The standard one offers about 5.5 hours of continuous usage on a charge, and the second one offers about twice that. Combine the two, you have about two days’ worth of charge, if you only use it during working hours that is.

Chances are, however, that you will use it all the time since it also offers one of the fastest 4G connection speeds I’ve seen. Throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, I was able to consistently get a solid 4G signal and download speeds of around 10Mbps, and upload speeds of around 9Mbps. That’s comparable to, if not faster than, many high-end home broadband services.

Related stories… [Read more]

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