Google Earth for Android fragments into Phone and Tablet optimized versions
Google Earth for Android has been available for just over a year, giving mobile users an on-the-go access to the 3D mapping software previously only available for full desktop operating systems.
With an update to Google Earth for Android that rolled out on Thursday, Google unveiled a version of the software optimized for Android tablets running Honeycomb (Android 3.0) in addition to the existant version for smartphones running 2.1 and up.
Sony Ericsson shows off 2nd gen miniature Android phone, Xperia mini
When many companies were pushing the boundaries for bigger and higher resolution screens on Android smartphones, Sony Ericsson went against the grain and made a smaller Xperia X10 phone. Now that other companies have jumped on board and introduced their own more pocketable smartphones, Sony Ericsson on Thursday moved into its second generation with two new Xperia minis.
Like the previous generation X10 Mini, the Xperia mini line has two options: the standard version, and the "pro" version which has a slide-out keyboard. In many other respects, however, these devices have undergone quite a bit of change.
Chinese giants lock horns over mobile tech patents
Chinese mobile communications companies Huawei Technologies Ltd. and ZTE Corporation, amicable competitors in the telecommunications business, are now engaged in competing patent infringement lawsuits in Europe.
At the end of April, Huawei filed lawsuits against ZTE in Germany, France, and Hungary for patent and trademark infringement. Huawei accused ZTE of infringing on its data card and LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology patents, and that it had even used one of Huawei's trademarks on some of its products without permission.
Firefox 5 beta 1 now available after first 'Aurora' run. (Actually...)
Just over one month after the final version of Firefox 4 was released, first beta of Firefox 5 has become available. This newest version of the iconic Web browser is the first one to go through Mozilla's new release schedule.
Previously, Mozilla staggered Firefox releases in three different channels: nightly (most frequent, no quality assurance), beta (less frequent, more stable) and final release (least frequent, most stable).
Intel's new transistors mean smaller, more efficient chips this year
After more than a decade in development, Intel's three dimensional "Tri-Gate" transistor design will finally be used in a mass-produced microprocessor, the company announced on Tuesday.
Transistors are perhaps the most basic element of computer hardware. They are the physical mechanism that translates the ones and zeroes into "on" and "off" for the electrical current. In a basic transistor, the electrons flow in, encounter a "gate" that can act as a resistor if it has been told to do so, and then flow out.
7digital steps up to Amazon, opens Android MP3 store
UK-based music and video download site 7digital on Tuesday updated its Android music player application, making its MP3 download store available to Android devices in the US, UK, Canada, and 13 other countries.
Open source software users should already be familiar with 7digital, since it powers the Ubuntu One Music Store and is the default download store for media management software Songbird. Like Amazon, it offers DRM-free music downloads from all of the "big four" record labels, and the updated Android app lets users browse and preview all of the downloadable albums and songs.
Oracle updates Business Intelligence with iPad in mind
Oracle on Tuesday updated its enterprise performance management suite, including Oracle Business Intelligence (OBI) version 11.1.1.5, OBI Applications version 7.9.6.3, and Oracle Real-Time Decisions. Among the improvements to the platform with this release, Oracle has extended online analytical processing (OLAP) and in-memory platform support, improved real-time decision management, added new certifications, and has made it all available to iPad and iPhone users out of the box.
Oracle's eleventh generation of Business Intelligence middleware has expanded in two major ways: improved mobile access and usability and improved support for new data sources.
Adobe launches CS5.5, the first subscription-based Creative Suite
Adobe rolled out the Creative Suite 5.5 family of products on Tuesday, which focuses on development and content creation for the mobile and tablet realm, and introduces a new subscription-based pricing model for the software suite.
Though there were no major version updates to Creative Suite's flagship imaging products Photoshop and Illustrator, CS5.5 introduces new versions of InDesign, Dreamweaver, Audition, Flash Professional, Flash Catalyst, Flex Builder and Device Central. This update, therefore, is specifically targeted at Web and mobile app developers and designers above design professionals.
Microsoft certifications get more expensive
On the first of July, it is going to take a little bit more cash to become Microsoft Certified Professional in specific areas.
According to an announcement from Microsoft, the retail price of mid-range Microsoft Certification exams will increase worldwide. The exams slated for a price increase are:
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS), Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP), Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD), Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST), Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA), Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD), Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD),
and Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA).
Sony shows two Android 3.0 tabs, hints at Vaio-branded Windows tablet
Sony Corporation on Tuesday unveiled its first two Android-powered "Sony Tablets" codenamed S1 and S2, and referenced rumors from earlier this year about a Vaio-branded Windows 7 tablet.
Both devices will run Google's tablet-specific version of Android, "Honeycomb" (Android 3.0) and will be tied into Sony's various online media services: Qriocity for music and video, the Reader Store for e-books, and PlayStation Suite for gaming.
France Telecom employee burns self to death outside of workplace
A 57-year old employee of France Telecom-Orange reportedly committed suicide by self immolation at the company's Mérignac-Pichey branch in southwest France on Tuesday. This is the company's second employee suicide this year in a rash of suicides that has taken more than 50 of the company's employees since 2008.
France Telecom was formerly a state monopoly, and has undergone significant changes since 1998 as it shifted from the public sector to the competitive deregulated market. This means tens of thousands of jobs have been cut in the last eight years, both through terminations and through voluntary departure incentives.
'Dog Wars' dog fighting app for Android: Here is what people are upset about
Over the last few days, there has been a significant amount of controversy stirred by an Android exclusive app entitled "Dog Wars" (with a parenthetical "Beta" tag.) In the Mafia Wars-style game, users are encouraged to train and fight Pit Bulls to establish their reputation as the most cruel and ruthless individual in the game's quasi-fictitious urban setting.
Gamers can pick from among several different character types which all share a generally negative description, including The Professional Football Player ("Growing up in the hood gave you the courage to become great on the grid iron. It also exposed you to some dark sports. Now that the days of scoring touchdowns are behind, you're looking for a thrill to fill the void,") and The Politician ("You've got enough dirt on local officials to almost get away with murder - and you live like it. The booze and women are just getting played out. Maybe it's time for a new hobby...and new enemies.")
Can Nook Color be a decent Android tablet without being rooted?
Barnes and Noble rolled out a series of updates to its Nook Color platform on Monday, including the 1.2 software update to the e-reader, a new Nook Apps store, and a Nook app developer program. The total package means the Nook Color is now just a bit more like a full-fledged Android tablet than a simple e-reader.
The Nook Color's underlying Android OS receives the "FroYo" update today, and with it, it gets POP and IMAP e-mail support, improved Web browsing, Adobe Flash Player, the Nook Apps store, a social reading and book sharing app called Nook Friends, Nook Books Enhanced which supports in-book video, and Nook Kids.
Windows 7 speeds up in 2011, 350 million licenses sold
After a year and a half on the market, more than 350 million Windows 7 licenses have been sold, and Microsoft on Friday has claimed Windows 7 to be the "fastest selling Operating System in history."
Windows 7 launched with power in October 2009 and appears to have actually picked up momentum this year. Market analysts at NPD estimated Windows 7 launch sales were 234% higher than Windows Vista; and by September 2010, just short of a year after launch, Microsoft said 175 million licenses had been sold.
Kidnapped son of Kaspersky founders freed, say reports
The 20-year-old son of Kaspersky Lab founders Natalia and Eugene Kaspersky, who was reportedly being held for 3 million Euro ransom by kidnappers in Moscow, may have been released on Friday.
Kaspersky Lab issued an official statement which neither confrimed nor denied the reports of Ivan Kaspersky's kidnapping, and rather gently asked the media to hold back on its speculation, and not to report on rumors and allegations.
Tim's Bio
Tim Conneally was born into dumpster tech. His father was an ARPANET research pioneer and equipped his kids with discarded tech gear, second-hand musical instruments, and government issue foreign language instruction tapes. After years of building Frankenstein computers from rubbish and playing raucous music in clubs across the country (and briefly on MTV) Tim grew into an adult with deep, twisted roots and an eye on the future. He most passionately covers mobile technology, user interfaces and applications, the science and policy of the wireless world, and watching different technologies shrink and converge.
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