TechFan Roundup: Our Must-Have Apps for BlackBerry 10

Later this month we’ll be introduced to the next version of the BlackBerry OS- BlackBerry 10- and the devices that will run BB’s much storied OS. Like webOS of days past, this is gearing up to be one of the most anticipated announcements in the tech world to date. Heck, some may even compare it to webOS itself, as the rumored (leaked) phones set to run it ditch the keyboard and go completely gesture-based.

Will this be the #3 player in smartphone-based operating systems we’ve been waiting for? Or will it see the same demise as our beloved webOS and go the way of the history books? Our own Andrew Allen makes a couple of key points in his article- the BlackBerry name is known world-wide and its user base has held strong, but for how long? This is BlackBerry’s time to shine, no doubt.

A popular brand name and large user base aside, a smartphone OS is nothing without key apps to keep users interested in the platform. For this Roundup, we went around the table to find out what key apps would get us interested in using BlackBerry 10 full time. For me, key apps would include easy access to my cloud-based storage in Dropbox and Google Drive. Evernote is critical, since I record almost everything with it. For navigation, Google Maps must be a sure thing. And forget on-board storage for music- give me access to my music in the cloud with a solid Spotify and Google Music app and I’m in 100%.

Tony Robinson: Pocket, Flipboard, Instagram, Tumblr, and a great Dropbox app.

Greg Madhere: I would definitely need Google+, Google Voice, Tumblr, and apps from major banking institutions.

Andrew Allen: I'm pretty easy when it comes to essential apps, and I think most will be there at launch. My five would have to be: Spotify, a podcatcher, well done Twitter client, some sort of parcel/package tracker, and a good Google reader app.

Shanice Richardson: Instagram, Level Up, a good navigation app, Good Reads, and Zinio.

Patrick Campanale: Instagram, a good Twitter client, Google+, a good YouTube app, and an official Google Talk client.

Andrew Clausen: When I was on Blackberry, there were several apps (or good versions of said apps) that were noticeably absent now that I've been on Android for a while. A decent Facebook that is native is simply unparalleled. Even new to Android, it is just faster than any other versions of the app. That bundles in Twitter apps as well. Twitter for BlackBerry was fine, I guess, but there's a reason I went searching for other apps: true push. Finally, there needs to be a good news aggregator. Whether Google Reader, Flipboard or some variant, it needs to be easy, fluid and pretty.

Chris Spells: Twitter client, Instagram, Google Music, Google Drive, Chrome browser.

What mobile apps would you need to make BlackBerry 10 your daily driver?

See all of our TechFan Roundup articles here.

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Samsung Mobile announces the Galaxy S II Plus

Today, Samsung added another phone to the Galaxy S family with the announcement of the Galaxy S II Plus running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean powered by a 1.2GHz dual core processor. Also on board is a 4.3” Super AMOLED Plus display, 8GB of memory, 1GB of RAM, NFC, 1650mAh battery, 8 megapixel rear camera, and a 2 megapixel front facing camera. From the Press Release:

Seoul, Korea - January 10, 2013 - Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced today Samsung GALAXY S II Plus, which combines the performance that have made the GALAXY S II one of the world’s most recognized phones, together with nature-inspired user-interface and intuitive features that greatly boost its usability and functionality.

The GALAXY S II Plus runs on Android™ 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean) enabling faster and smoother screen transitions, and providing an enhanced user interface featuring a new, easier-to-use notification panel. It is powered by an impressive 1.2 GHz dual core processor that enables easy multi-tasking, smooth screen transitions and superior graphics for some of the most demanding applications and games.

The GALAXY S II Plus’ nature-inspired user-interface is complemented with intuitive features that make the phone really easy to use. Direct Call enables users to automatically dial a call by taking the device to the ear. Smart Stay recognizes whether the user is looking at the screen to dim the screen accordingly; while Smart Alert lets users know about missed events or status updates just by picking up the phone.

The GALAXY S II Plus also sports a range of additional features that boost performance and the overall experience in entirely new ways. Popup Video allows a video to play anywhere on the screen in a resizable pop-up window while simultaneously running other tasks, eliminating the need to close and restart videos when checking new emails or surfing the Web. S Voice lets users control the phone using their voice; and Voice Unlock lets users unlock the phone using their own voice.

A 4.3” WVGA Super AMOLED Plus display offers a generous viewing experience and enables photos captured with the powerful 8MP camera to be enjoyed in true clarity.

The rear camera features a zero-lag shutter speed that captures moving objects easily without delay. The innovative ‘Buddy photo share’ function also allows images to be easily and simultaneously shared with friends pictured in an image directly from the camera or the photo gallery. Additional features include Group Facetag and Face Zoom to deliver a complete photographic experience. The device is packed with the latest Samsung content services including AllShare Play, which lets users share content across Samsung devices using a single account and password. Users can also enjoy all the benefits of Samsung Hubs, including the latest versions of Readers Hub, Video Hub, Game Hub and Music Hub.

More details along with full specs can be found here. Source: Samsung Mobile[gallery ids="10548,10549,10550"]

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CES 2013 Favorites: Day 1

Well, the Consumer Electronics show is off and running in Las Vegas this week. Although Tuesday is officially day one of the show, the parties began over the weekend and hinted at what was to come as the show went into full swing.

As expected, day one brought with it a stream of exciting news from the show floor. Here are a few of our favorites.

Asus Qube with Google TV

Ausus has jumped into the Google TV fray with the announcement of the Qube, coming to the US around March for around $150. It sports USB ports all around, HDMI in/out, RJ-45, and a couple of IR recievers. It is powered by a Marvell Armada 1500 chipset, 1GB of RAM, and 4GB of flash storage. Besides the standard buttons on the remote control, the flipside contains a QWERTY keyboard. If you feel like ditching the remote altogheter, apps are available for the Nexus 7 and other Android devices.

Source: Engadget

Time Warner brings the love to the Roku box

Time Warner cable subscribers will be able to receive up to 300 live TV channels on existing Roku boxes at no extra charge.This will enable customers to ditch their cable boxes and the monthly fees that come with them. The TWC TV app is already available on iOS, Android, Mac, and PC’s, and will be available in Roku’s ever growing app store in the first quarter of 2013.

Source: CNet

Huawei one-ups the Galaxy Note with massive 6.3 in. Ascend Mate

Chinese-based Huawei has taken the covers off of one of the largest smartphones seen to date- the super-massive Ascend Mate sporting a 6.1 inch, 720p display. The phone runs Huawei’s Emotion UI over Android Jelly Bean and features a 1.5GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, and an 8-megapixel camera. This thing is huge, folks! How much bigger can these phones get?

Source: The Verge

Lenovo goes big with 27-inch Table Computer

While we’re on the huge devices kick, how about Lenovo announcing a giant, 27-inch “table PC” - or at least that’s how they describe it. It weighs 17 pounds and runs Windows 8 on a third-generation Core i7 processor. The “table tablet” is also adjustable so it can be viewed at various angles. One giant tablet for the entire family to enjoy on the table at breakfast time.

Source: All Things D

Fitbit Flex activity tracker gets stylish

Fitbit has announced the Flex- the 3rd product in its lineup of fitness monitors along side the Fitbit One and Fitbit Zip. Along with tracking calories like its Fitbit brethren, the water-resistant Flex counts steps taken and distance, transferring data to a personalized website wirelessly via bluetooth. The Flex is $100 and available for per-order today with a release sometime in the Spring.

Source: Engadget

Here are a few of our writers favorites from Day 1 of CES

Greg Madhere: Sony Xperia Z with 5 in. 1080P display

Likes: 1080p display resolution, 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor, LTE connectivity, and a 13-megapixel Exmor RS camera sensor. 3 color options. Water resistant and includes a microSD card slot.

Dislike: Not sure how I feel about the glass back trend and the video HDR sounds gimmicky. Also 5 inches might be too big for my paws.

Source: The Verge

Marc Zeffren: Samsung’s “worlds first curved OLED TV”

Samsung claims its curved TV will provide a more immersive viewing experience and improves viewing angles. The massive 55 inch TV is due in the second half of 2013.

Source: The Verge

Andrew Allen: I really like what the auto industry is doing. They seem to be headed towards an app revolution of sorts and heavily courting the idea of opening the car infotainment networks up to developers and 3rd party applications. This will make for interesting times ahead to see what type of apps are brought forth for on the road use and what kind of current apps may get heavy integration upgrades.

Source: All Things D

TeckieGirl: I am personally loving the new line up of Vizio's new tablets. They make fabulous TVs, I own one. They look great and you can use the remote or the touchscreen. The tablets look a little thick from the photos;  and I would love to see the tegra 4 chip running on them. I am happy TV's are getting smarter.

Stay tuned to TechFanatix as we bring you more from the show floor in the coming days!

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What I'd like to see at CES 2013 this week

The Consumer Electronics Show is taking place this week and is one of the tech worlds biggest events of the year. Open to those in the industry only, the event showcases products and services that companies hope will make it to consumer homes in the current year- or at least in the near future. Some products do... many don’t. It’s always exciting to see what may end up on store shelves this year.

After attending CES in 2012, there were quite a few surprises I was looking forward to seeing hit the market that year- few did; most were duds.

Here were a few notables:

Nokia Lumia handset with Windows 7.5

Nokia unveiled the Lumia 900 handset with LTE support at CES 2012, and we saw the Nokia Lumia 710 hardware for the first time at the event. The Lumia 900 wound up with the much coveted Best Smartphone award at the show and both handsets went on to become big sellers in 2012.

Lenovo K800 Smartphone

Lenovo sold its mobile phone division in 2008, and then paid $200 million to buy it back in November 2009 in order to focus on smarphones and tablets. The Lenovo K800 was unveiled at CES 2012 running Gingerbread and sporting a 4.5 inch 720P display. The phone was only released in China.

Ultrabooks!

Ultrabooks were BIG at CES 2012. Many of the Ultrabooks you see on store shelves today were unveiled at the show. Many, however, have failed to make a dent in the home with tablets, and the iPad, being the #1 choice for consumers computing needs.

Motorola Droid Razr Maxx

The Droid Razr Maxx was unveiled to the public at CES 2012 sporting 4G LTE on Verizon and a massive battery at 3300 mAh. It promised the longest battery life on a phone at the time and it failed to disappoint in that respect.

Original Galaxy Note

The Galaxy Note was first introduced to the world at IFA 2011 in Berlin and was released to the public first in Germany in late October 2011. The US version of the Galaxy Note made its debut at CES 2012 in all of its 5.3 inch goodness. We either love the Galaxy Note, or hate it. Many loved it and it went on to become a big seller. Its successor, The Galaxy Note II, is on its way to becoming a big seller along side the Note I.



See The Gadget Moms review of the Galaxy Note II

So, what would I like to see come out of CES 2013?

Smartphones

While phones aren't the headliner at CES (most manufacturers hold separate events later in the year) I would like to hear more about innovations in battery technology when it comes to extending the battery life of phones. Also, Corning will surely be showing off Gorilla Glass 3 at the show, promising to reduce visible scratches by 40 percent and retain 50 percent of its strength compared to previous versions.

Home Automation

I believe smartphones and tablets will be at the center of home automation systems. Whether its checking your laundry, or checking off items in your refrigerator to help your grocery shopping, tablets and smartphones will do it all. Although there are many items already on the market to support home automation, I hope to see more of this integrated into homes as they are constructed.

TV and Media Streaming

Hundreds of TV’s will be showcased at CES again this year. I would like to see more options for streaming media, including additional partnerships that can expand content on streamers like the Roku (a personal favorite).

Fitness Gadgets

Being a fitness nerd myself, gadgets that can help log your workouts or day-to-day activities can be of big help to make sure you’re keeping up with your fitness goals. Of course, there is discipline involved to make sure your gadget doesn't end up in the junk drawer. I’d like to see improvements on the technologies that go into fitness gadgets like the Fitbit or Nike Fuel Band.

We hope to bring you more of all the goodies coming out of CES this week, so stay tuned!

Sources: CNet.com, PCWorld

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Facebook Messenger Rolls out Voice Messaging Feature

Facebook has begun to roll out a new feature in its iOS and Android Facebook Messenger app that allows users to send short voice messages to each other. The update is rolling out now and should appear in the app list shortly.

Facebook is also testing Voice calling through the messenger app using the VOIP (Voice Over IP) protocol (think Skype), although it will only be available in Canada at the moment. We can pretty much bet this is going to cause big waves in the phone carrier landscape should it go world wide.

New in Messenger 2.2:

• Send a quick voice message when you have more to say


• Call friends for free right from Messenger (Canada only)


• Other improvements and bug fixes

How is it working for you?

More updates as we get them along with a test drive!

Source: The Verge, The Next Web

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