Android developers can use the Google Nexus 10 as a testing device
If CES 2013 and other major trade shows are of any indication, a plethora of Android devices are launched on a frequent basis, sporting different display configurations. For consumers that may not mean much (aside from which device to get next), but developers have to verify if apps are rendered properly across different resolutions and pixel densities. But buying all available smartphones and tablets is not a financially-sound decision, when a Google Nexus 10 gets the job done by itself.
The Samsung-made tablet sports a large 10.1-inch display featuring a whopping 2560 by 1600 resolution and a 300 ppi density. As a result, according to Adam Powell, working as Android framework engineer at Google, the Nexus 10 can be used by app developers to test user interfaces in "pretty much all environments". The question is: "How?"
Malwarebytes Chameleon can remove malware from an already-infected PC
If malware somehow manages to penetrate your PCs defenses then it’s easy to assume you’ll simply download some other antivirus tool to remove it. But life may not be so straightforward. Once installed, some malware will try to prevent you from reaching big antivirus sites, and downloading or running their tools, making the problem much more difficult to tackle.
Unless, that is, you have a copy of Malwarebytes Chameleon to hand.
The Pirate Bay documentary gets a trailer, racks up over 1.3 million views in days
While other file sharing sites have come and gone, closed down by the authorities or voluntarily removed by the owners, The Pirate Bay remains a constant. Sure, if you live in the UK your access to it is now blocked by court order, but the site is still up on the web, still serving links to infringing content, and seemingly unstoppable -- even though plenty of people have tried to stop it.
A forthcoming documentary, TPB AFK, charts the "away from keyboard" true-life story of The Pirate Bay and is set to be released this spring, timed to coincide with a "major film festival". The new trailer for the film, up on YouTube, has already racked up over 1.3 million views, and its success has spurred Simon Klose, the director, into trying to make a little money from it.
Samsung Galaxy S III tops 40 million sales
Little over four months ago Samsung revealed that the company's flagship Android smartphone, the Galaxy S III, had sold more than 20 million units since its introduction in late May, last year. But while that is an impressive feat for any device, more so when it doesn't sport a bitten apple logo on the back, it pales in comparison to the latest Galaxy S III sales numbers announced by the South Korean manufacturer .
In the seven months on the market since the May 29 release, the Galaxy S III smartphone has sold over 40 million units, doubling the previous 20 million figure announced in early September of last year and adding 10 million to its tally since November 2012. According to Samsung, that equates to 190,000 units sold every day, or to put it differently, a little under 132 units per minute, or almost 2.2 Galaxy S IIIs sold every second.
ASUS announces the MeMO Pad, a 7-inch Jelly Bean tablet for $149
ASUS waited until after CES to take the wraps off its MeMo Pad, and what it lacks in specs the Nexus 7 lookalike makes up for in price. With a wallet-friendly MSRP of $149, the MeMo Pad runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and is powered by a 1GHz VIA WM8950 CPU and Mali-400 GPU.
The device sports a 10-point multi-touch LED-backlit display with 1024 by 600 resolution, 8 or 16GB of internal storage, and a microSD card slot which will let you boost capacity by an additional 32GB.
Microsoft's stealth presence at CES
Microsoft pulled out of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas for 2013 and beyond. Maybe. Maybe not so much. The company was not entirely absent and some of the presence was not even stealthy. It started with CEO Steve Ballmer's surprise appearance on stage during the pre-show keynote address -- an event that Microsoft once owned, but this year belonged to Qualcomm.
In the middle of the presentation Ballmer walked on stage and proceeded to, not only endorse the Snapdragon chips, but to also show off some Windows Phone 8 devices and Windows 8 tablets. It may have seemed like a passing of the torch from the old guard to the new, but the Redmond, Wash.-based company did not stop there. Oh no.
Who is Aaron Swartz?
I am not a geek, hacker or programmer but simple storyteller. Some stories are unbearable to write, such as this one -- about an amazing geek and hacker who died suddenly, sadly on January 11. The world lost someone special two days ago. As you prepared for your weekend fun, he contemplated the last moments of life before taking it. You can blame the US government, as his family does and I do. A bright star has gone dark on the Internet firmament, and we'll never know what won't be seen because of it.
I didn't know Aaron Swartz, just of him. I followed some of his accomplishments and legal woes, which surely were catalyst for his final decision. Around the InterWebs, the 26 year old is described in many ways: "programmer"; "hacker"; "activist"; "advocate". His work almost certainly touches your daily life. Swartz co-authored RSS 1.0; he helped architect Creative Commons; he was serendipitous Reddit cofounder via acquisition of his company Infogami; and he was one of the most vocal, active and successful SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) opponents.
Hold your weekend! Dropbox has an update for your Android
It may be Friday evening and, according to Jimmy Buffett it is always five o'clock somewhere, but Dropbox has not finished its work week, pushing out one final update. So put away the beer or wine and pick up your Android. Late today the company announced an update that "makes it super easy to share collections of photos with friends and family".
Dropbox has been busy lately, given the stiff competition the cloud service is suddenly receiving from all sides -- Box, SkyDrive, Google Drive, Amazon Cloud Drive and others. This update is all about photo sharing. From the Photos section, users can now tap a button and choose the pictures they wish to share with friends and family. You can add them to a shared album or even do it via an emailed link. In fact, you can even utilize Facebook or Twitter for the process.
Best Windows 8 apps this week
Eleventh in a series. Microsoft has updated two of the native apps that Windows 8 ships with this week. The News and Finance apps have received updates that enhance performance, improve network connectivity and add support for additional regional sources.
A total of 24,749 apps are listed in the US Windows 8 store this Friday. Of those, 20,019 are free to download and install, while 4,730 are paid applications. That's an increase of 961 apps this week.
Google tracks the flu and the news is not good
This is not the first year that Google has tracked the spread of the flu, but it may be the worst, from what the search giant's tracker is showing. Speaking for BetaNews, if I can, we have certainly felt the flu's effects so far this season, and we are spread out across the world, so that alone is telling.
The Google Flu Trends for the 2012-2013 season shows an alarming swing, with the graph heading steeply in the up direction beginning in early November and skyrocketing from there. In fact, most of the 50 states are now depicted in red -- 42 red versus 8 in orange. And orange is not much better.
View the world from space on your desktop (sort of) with Desktop Earth
Let’s be frank: the regular Windows wallpapers are a little dull. And setting up a more dynamic system can take quite some time, as for instance you research different wallpaper changers, and try to find a source which provides images you like.
If you’re looking for a simpler way to liven up your desktop, then, you might prefer Desktop Earth, a small but simple tool which generates and regularly updates some gorgeous images showing the Earth from space.
Archos slaps a price-tag on its Titanium tablet lineup
In late December, French consumer electronics company Archos unveiled the 97 Titanium HD, an Apple iPad 4-like tablet running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but failed to release any pricing information. Nearly three weeks later, at CES 2013, Archos has finally revealed the missing detail.
The French firm places the 97 Titanium HD as "an alternative to the new iPad" but without the intimidating price-tag. The 9.7-inch tablet will run for a more sensible EUR249, $249, or £199, depending on the market, half of what the newest iPad goes for. Archos also released pricing for the remaining Titanium lineup.
Switchblade 0.70 troubleshooting toolkit revamps programs, adds Process Hacker
It’s a week since we covered Switchblade, an interesting portable troubleshooting toolkit which was a little flawed by its selection of programs. While there were some excellent choices, the package was distinctly short on system monitoring tools. And we weren’t entirely sure that most people would want to install a copy of Apache on a PC they were investigating, either.
With further questions soon emerging over licensing issues for some of the programs, it wasn’t long before the author removed the SourceForge download. It’s just reappeared in a new Switchblade 0.70 build, though, which appears to address at least some of the previous issues and concerns.
232 years in the making, Ordnance Survey launches its first maps app for iOS
Shortly after Apple launched its disastrous maps app, Google’s CEO Larry Page made a comment regarding how it had taken Google seven years of hard work to get to where it’s at now. Seven years sounds like a long time, but it pales into insignificance when compared to the 232 years that British mapping agency Ordnance Survey has been making and refining its maps.
It’s rather surprising that it’s taken this long for the OS to put its work on iOS, but the agency has at last come up with an official app. OS MapFinder isn’t a straight alternative to Google Maps or Apple Maps though. Rather, as Ordnance Survey puts it, the app is "aimed at walkers, ramblers, runners, cyclists and generally anyone looking to enjoy the outdoors".
Skype 6.1 for Windows improves account management, adds Outlook integration
Microsoft has released Skype 6.1 for Windows and Skype 6.1 for Mac. Despite the same version numbering, both builds are effectively separate developments, with the key changes coming in the new Windows desktop build in the form of a toolbar refresh and integration with Microsoft Outlook 2010.
The new release comes hot on the heels of Microsoft’s announcement that its older messaging service -- Messenger -- is being retired worldwide (with the exception of mainland China). Contrary to original reports, the service will not go offline on March 15, but that is the date when Microsoft will begin to migrate Messenger users over to Skype ahead of its planned switch-off.
Most Commented Stories
© 1998-2025 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. About Us - Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy - Sitemap.