Qualcomm teases Snapdragon efficiency, 100% bug powered smartphone [Video]

Yes you read the title right, that says 100% bug powered smartphone and that is exactly what we have. Today Qualcomm has presented us with the “Bug Circus Generator” where they’ve neatly gathered a few speedy Praying Mantis and tossed them on unicycles and a Tarantula on a treadmill and rigged them to generate tiny amounts of electricity. What do you get? A 100% bug powered smartphone thanks to the extremely efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon processors.

Qualcomm recently unveiled details about their upcoming S4 mobile processors and how extremely powerful, yet efficient they will be compared to current generation mobile processors and SoC’s. The new Qualcomm S4 is built using a much refined and smaller 28 nm processing fabrication that allows for smaller more efficient chips, that also use less power and output less heat. All of this combines into an extremely great performing mobile chip and we can expect to see Qualcomm S4 chips in our smartphones soon.
This video we have for you today is just so awesome I don’t even know where to begin. Unicycles being ran by Praying Mantis and beetles running on ping pong balls all wired to produce electricity. This is actually very clever and extremely amusing if you ask me. I’ve seen a flea or ant circus but this takes things to a whole new level. Each “generator” is fixed to a capacitor that is then wired to what appears to be an HTC Sensation that is being fueled by the circus. Without further ado — I present you with the Qualcomm Bug Circus Generator:


I must say that ending is pretty epic — nailed that landing and I’d give her a solid 9.8 score for great form. Surely that canon blast was CGI effects though, no one risks the wrath of the ASPCA these days, even for bugs. Right? For all the details and information on Qualcomm, Snapdragon, or their new S4 mobile processors head over to facebook.com/snapdragon to see and hear more. I must say, the unicycle and praying pantis was by far my favorite of the bunch, that and the death defying shot at the end — Well played Qualcomm.

What does everyone think about this, a neat video or do bugs creep you out?

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ViewSonic ViewPad 10e has a 10-inch IPS screen to show off Gingerbread

In its latest entry into the tablet market, ViewSonic seems to be doing everything right. The ViewPad 10e (an update to the previous model) has a 9.7-inch, 1024 x 768 IPS display that should please just about everybody, a 1GHz processor, ample expansion jacks including HDMI, MicroSD and a standard MicroUSB port. It’s got a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera for video chat, and if ViewSonic’s previous Android tablets are anything to go by, the Wi-Fi slate should be priced to move as well.


But wait, why does a Honeycomb tablet need capacitive buttons on the front? Oh, right. The ViewPad 10e is running Gingerbread, much like other non-Google-blessed Android tablets out there. That means you won’t get access to the Android Market or apps like Gmail and YouTube, either. ViewSonic is nice enough to include the Amazon Kindle app, their custom ViewScene 3D user interface and the 1Mobile Apps Store for your software needs.

Other specs include a spacious 5400 mAh battery, 4GB of on-board storage, a microphone (not always a given) and  Bluetooth 3.0. The tablet will be able to output 720p video, but that might put the single-core processor and 512Mb of memory to the test. ViewSonic is claiming an impressive 200 hours of standby battery life from the 9.1mm device, which should make e-readers happy. No pricing or availability has been announced, but expect it in Europe soon with a possible North American release to follow.

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Samsung executive confirms Nexus Prime is releasing soon

Samsung’s United Kingdom sales director Andrew Glass was on hand at the T3 gadget awards to accept the award for Phone of the Year on behalf on the Galaxy S II. While there, he let slip some fascinating information, confirming the Nexus Prime handset (and its much-argued name) and that the device would be “coming sooner than you think.” This lines up nicely with an announcement expected in the next 2-3 weeks.


Glass’ exact words were:

You will have an announcement of the Nexus Prime very shortly and will be seeing it in shops sooner than you think.

Whether that means the rumored October 27th announcement, the other rumored November 3rd announcement or another date entirely is still up in the air. It does mean that we won’t have to wait long after the initial unveiling to get our hands on the Nexus Prime’s drool-worthy hardware or Ice Cream Sandwich software. Even without any concrete details, it’s a major relief to have some sort of confirmation from a Samsung representative.

The Nexus Prime AKA Galaxy Nexus is the next Google developer phone and should be the very first Android Ice Cream Sandwich device. Specification speculation is rampant, but a 4.3-4.65-inch 1280 x 720 Super AMOLED screen is the star in every rundown so far. We’ve hot a pretty good idea of what the device and the software looks like, thanks to a teaser video from Samsung, a leaked video of the front of the device and screenshots from Ice Cream Sandwich. Carrier info is all over the map, with Verizon supposedly already having their hands on the device but an FCC listing showing AT&T and T-Mobile bands.
It would seem that it’s all over bar the actual announcement, which was delayed from today to an unspecified future date after the death of Steve Jobs. There is still no official date set for the Samsung Unbox event.

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Asus EEE Transformer 2 could be coming November 7th

We know that a successor to the Asus EEE Transformer is in the works, and now there’s some concrete evidence that the new tablet is coming soon. A UK online shop has a listing for the “Asus TF201″, which is probably the model number of the Transformer’s successor – the original’s official designation is TF101. A November 7th release date lines up nicely with previous rumors of a Q3/Q4 debut.


The original Transformer is one of the most popular Android Honeycomb tablets out there, so it’s no surprise that the update is on its way. According to previous leaks and the store listing, the Transformer 2 will feature a Tegra 3 processor (probably the much-anticipated Kal-El), a full gigabyte of RAM and (at least in this listing) 32GB of storage space. Unfortunately no further specifications or a photo is included. The price in the listing is 448 British pounds before taxes, which comes out to about $700 USD. Keep in mind that retail prices for computers and gadgets are often much higher across the pond. No mention is made of software, but if it really is coming so soon, Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich both seem possible.
The device is keeping its 10.1-inch screen, presumably with the current 1280 x 800 resolution intact. The store listing refers to the tablet as “gold”, but that could be a rather fanciful description of something like the current Transformer’s amber metallic hue. Keep in mind that stores often list products with estimated specifications and release dates, but the listing itself is a strong indicator that the Transformer 2 is coming sooner rather than later.
[via Tablettwo]

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Premium phone number scams and malware on the rise, says Symantec

Android is taking the world by storm, and unfortunately, that means that scammers and hackers are coming along for the ride. Security firm Symantec released new research today detailing the biggest threats faced by Android users, and while most of it is familiar information, there are some fiendishly innovative new forms of malware and other malicious apps that users should be aware of. Chief among them is the “Premium rate number billing scam”.

It works like this: users download an app from an untrusted source and manually install it on their Android phone. The phone then covertly calls or texts a premium number that’s been specially created for the app. The premium number then uses established carrier billing methods to charge customers’ phone bills directly, and they’re none the wiser until the billing period is up. For an example of this scheme, check out the malicious QR codes discovered in September.
More traditional forms of malware are on the rise, too, including the kinds of junk you cleared off your grandmother’s Pentium III. Familiar schemes like adware and search engine redirects are common, as are straight-up spyware that actively searches for usernames, passwords and banking information. Pay-per-download and pay-per-click apps are common, and are still the kind of thing that savvy users should avoid.
In most cases, you’ve still got to manually install apps from non-Android Market sources in order to compromise the security of your phone. As a security company Symantec has a vested interest in keeping people wary, but that doesn’t mean they’re wrong. Remember, on Android as on all operating systems, never install software from a source you don’t trust.

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Samsung Transfix budget slider heads to Cricket for $179

Cricket’s latest addition to their Android lineup is a budget slider from Samsung. The new Transfix is just $179.99 on the carrier’s pre-paid phone plans, and should be available from both the online Cricket store and retail locations later today. The company announced the new phone via a press release this morning.

The Samsung Transfix might not catch the eye of those looking for the biggest and baddest in the Android world, but for shoppers looking for a prepaid phone that covers the basics and has a full QWERTY keyboard, it should fit the bill nicely. The 3.2-inch screen is matched by a 3.2-megapixel rear camera. Cricket didn’t mention how much on-board storage is included, but the MicroSD card slot tops out at the standard 32GB. Gingerbread 2.3 and access to the Android Market are thankfully included, and the small screen resolution shouldn’t be a problem for the 800MHz processor.

Eagle-eyed readers will note a passing similarity to the Samsung DoubleTime announced by AT&T yesterday. While that phone’s QWERTY keyboard flips out from the bottom like a Motorola Backflip, this one has a standard sliding keyboard. Budget-conscious Android fans can pick up a Samsung Transfix on Cricket starting today.
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Samsung DROID Charge is just $.01 at Amazon Wireless

For Android users, the hits just keep coming over at Amazon Wireless. Samsung’s DROID Charge, a top-of the line 4G LTE phone when it was released just five months ago, is now one single, solitary penny at the online retailer. The usual caveats apply: you’ll need to sign up for a new or recurring two-year agreement with Verizon in order to qualify.


While it won’t hold up to the most recent of Verizon’s superphone offerings, the DROID Charge is a downright steal at just north of free. On the Verizon website it’s still a full $199.99 on-contract. Its specs are still pretty high-end, including a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display, an 8-megapixel camera, a 1.3mp front-facing camera, all running on a 1GHz Hummingbird processor. Android 2.2 Froyo and only 2GB of onboard memory are a little hard to swallow, but Gingerbread is coming (right, Verizon?) and what more do you want for a penny? And if that’s not enough, Amazon’s offering $15 of credit to spend on its digital offerings, including apps from the Amazon app store, MP3s or Kindle books.

As of right now, the DROID Charge is the cheapest 4G phone you can get for Verizon, provided that you buy from Amazon. If HTC is more your style, existing customers can get in on a $50 Thunderbolt. Amazon Wireless continues to deliver some stellar deals on Android phones. Just last week the brand new HTC Rhyme was discounted from $199 to $79, including all those color-matched accessories. If you’re in the market for a new phone (and your current contract is up), you might consider waiting a couple of months to see what kind of deals Amazon cooks up.

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BlueStacks App Player brings your Android apps to Windows

Have you ever used a particularly great app and thought, wow, I wish I had this on my computer? No? Well, now you can anyway. Kidding aside, the applications for the new BlueStacks App Player are pretty enormous: more than a simple Android emulator, it allows just about any Android app to run full-screen on a Windows computer. Even more compelling, users can sync selected apps between their computer and their phone or tablet.


The uses today aren’t all that obvious. After all, Android is a touch-based environment, whose support for precise mouse and keyboard input is sometimes tenuous. But as touch interfaces find their ways onto more and more full-sized machines, the usefulness of BlueStacks will increase. Consider that with the BlueStacks App Player installed, the touch-enabled all-in-ones from Dell and HP instantly become 20-inch+ Android tablets capable of running Honeycomb apps… all without affecting the flexibility and power of Windows. Think about it: if implemented correctly, an $800 Windows 8 tablet could have access to hundreds of thousands of touch-based apps on day one.








Unfortunately, BlueStacks doesn’t have direct access to the Android Market. Instead you download apps from the company’s database or “push” them from your phone or tablet.The service is still in its early stages and does not have paid apps or an OS X version. The company is focusing on games and RSS reader-style apps and marketing its software directly to computer makers, no doubt hoping that a built-in selection of Android apps will help spur consumers as more and more Windows-based tablets hit the market. You can download the early version of BlueStacks for free right now.

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Alleged picture from Samsung Galaxy Nexus surfaces at Picasa

How about a name change, folks? It looks like we will be leaning toward the name Galaxy Nexus instead of Nexus Prime, for now. The guys at AndroidNext did a search for pictures taken with a Galaxy Nexus device on Picasa and were able to find a couple of them taken by Google employees. Every digital camera carries its own EXIF (Exchangeable image file format) data which is almost like a unique tag/signature that helps specify the formats for pictures and attributes of the systems used to take them.

The two Googlers in question are Roman Kirillov and Chris Yega and both pictures were taken on October 8, there were then uploaded via Google+ app. The Galaxy Nexus has been rumored for a November 3 release which is less than a moth away.
It looks like the pictures were taken down which means that we’re really into something here guys.
Source AndroidNext
via Android Communtiy

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