Galaxy Nexus officially coming to Telstra
Posted Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at 7:36 am by Jason Cartwright
This morning Telstra has officially confirmed the Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be coming to their network. One of the fastest phones is set to be on the fastest network in Australia from tomorrow (select stores). The phones go on-sale at Telstra’s flagship stores in Melbourne and Sydney tomorrow, as well as selling direct via their online store.
This is the first Android 4.0 (Ice cream sandwich) device to be launched in Australia and on Telstra. The Galaxy Nexus will also be sold on Optus and Vodafone.
Pricing is fairly standard for smart phones today, ranging from $69pm for the small 1.5GB plan up to $129pm for the 3GB XL plan. No real shockers here.
The My Xbox app doesn’t go far enough
Posted Thursday, December 8, 2011 at 6:54 pm by Jason Cartwright
This morning Microsoft (or Apple rather) released the My Xbox app for iPhone and WP7 owners. It’s great to see Microsoft recognise that a lot of Xbox owners are also iOS owners. This also evidenced by the array of 3rd party Xbox companion apps already available. Without official support from MS and no way to ensure authentication is treating your credentials securely, it’s always been a ‘hold your breath’ experience when entering your Windows Live info.
With an official Xbox companion app now available, those fears (and other apps) can disappear. The My Xbox app allows Xbox owners to message friends, customize your avatar, check achievements and get beacon notifications. Beacons arrived as part of the latest Xbox 360 Dashboard update (still rolling out), these allow you to set notifications when friends are playing games or participating in activities that you’re interested in.
Basically it works like this. You set a Beacon for a Forza 4, you then go about your housework until your the My Xbox app buzzes in your pocket with a notification that friend is now playing Forza 4 and wants to race against you. You ditch the vacuum cleaner for the next 3 hours on the couch. This is technology helping our disconnected worlds become connected, for gaming, as in the example, but potentially to watch movies, TV shows, listen to music or even video conference.
All this sounds great, and sure the app looks great and is buttery smooth, but lets take a second to consider the future of the app and Xbox. With an internet connected device like the Xbox 360, wake-on-LAN should be on option. This means being able to wake up and shut down your Xbox using your phone. What if you could also control the Xbox interface using gestures on your phone. When using your phone for entertainment and potentially some gaming, this would replace or be a complimentary control.
Of course there is already the ability for games information to transfer from the Xbox to your WP7 device, but this requires an awkward QR-code scanning process (Kinectimals as an example). With a true Wi-Fi connection between the Xbox and your phone, this transition should be much more seamless.
Apple gives Samsung design options, apparently not just trolling
Posted Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 10:43 am by James Murphy
Samsung is in dire need of some advice regarding patents, it seems. Another play in the ongoing patent struggle between Samsung and Apple has resulted in Apple giving Samsung some ‘workarounds’ in order to finally appease Apple’s demands. While this may seem like a good idea, it almost seems like Apple is just deliberately trolling Samsung for a laugh – though it is entirely possible what they’re asking for could result in a change in Samsung’s design choices.
The first set of recommendations relate specifically to the Galaxy S2 smartphone, including having a front surface that isn’t black, non-rectangular in shape or without rounded corners, non-horizontal speaker slots and no front bezel at all. Most of these suggestions describe most modern smartphones, so it would be interesting to see if Apple goes after other major manufacturers if they were to win this battle, like HTC.
The Verge noted that Apple also listed alternative options for Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1, namely:
- overall shape that isn’t rectangular, or doesn’t have rounded corners
- thick frames around the screen
- front surface that isn’t flat
- profiles that aren’t thin
- cluttered appearance
Apple believes the changes that Samsung made with its 10.1N version of the Galaxy Tab weren’t enough, and recently asked a German court to ban the new version. We’ll see if Samsung takes any further notice of Apple’s suggestions, and whether Samsung can ever finally get a break.
More @ The Verge
Telstra browsing packs (data blocks) for Mobiles
Posted Friday, December 2, 2011 at 10:23 am by Jason CartwrightFor years we’ve had the ability to purchase additional data blocks on home internet (some providers), now that’s available for mobiles. If you have ever gone over your allocated amount of data in a month, you’ll know that carriers charge like a wounded bull. While there’s still no speed shaping option like home internet, but now you do have a choice.
Telstra have now added the ability to purchase Browsing Packs or Data Blocks for your mobile plan. Prices start at $5/m for an additional 30Mb, but things start to get interesting at $10/m for an additional 1GB of data. The options go like this..
If you’re a data hungry demon, then the top end of $69/m for an extra 12GB is actually a pretty good deal all things considered. There is one condition for purchasing these Browsing Packs, that is, you need to have a mobile on an eligible post-paid plan.
More information @ Telstra
Microsoft Tellme is NOT the same as Siri [video]
Posted Thursday, November 24, 2011 at 7:45 pm by Jason Cartwright
Over the past 24hours there have been a lot of posts about Microsoft’s Chief Research and Strategy Officer, Craig Mundie, claiming that “Microsoft has had a similar capability in Windows Phone for more than a year… All that is already there, fully functionality for years.”
With Siri, Apple managed to humanise the synthesized voice with comedic responses. With more functionality like setting alarms and geo-fenced reminders, scheduling meetings and more, Tellme is really not the same thing. WP7 voice functionality still feels like last generation voice commands, regardless of how Microsoft try and sell it.
The problem isn’t with marketing as the video suggests, but rather the lack of a response to Siri. Tellme was probably on-par with Apple’s voice controls like “Play Artist xyz” in iOS4, but with Siri, Apple takes it to the next level. Microsoft needs to respond by releasing an update and not only match the functionality of Siri, but surpass it to draw attention and be a point of difference for potential smart phone buyers.
Also its worth keeping in mind that Siri is still in beta. While we are yet to see an update, when it arrives, it’s likely to add even more voice controlled functionality. Make no mistake, the race is on to be the first to deliver an OS-wide voice command API that 3rd party applications can integrate with. When that happens, it will be a game changer.
The video below graphically demonstrates the difference between the two voice systems, you be the judge.
Update
More than 500,000 people have now watched this video, you’re an opinionated lot. Below is a video responding to some of the comments.
Start your car with your phone! Introducing VIPER SmartStart
Posted Friday, November 11, 2011 at 6:13 pm by Jason Cartwright
In one of the coolest uses of technology, VIPER SmartStart from Directed Electronics allows your to unlock and start your car’s engine remotely. Using either iPhone, Android or Blackberry, the VIPER app communicates with your car to lock and unlock your doors, pop the boot, sound a panic alarm and even start your engine !
Just to show off, the guys at Directed Electronics recently set a world record by starting a vehicle remotely from 16,000kms away ! Why you would ever want to do that is beyond me, but hey if it impresses your friends, good for you.
To get this magic to work we clearly need hardware in the car to communicate with the vehicle electronic systems and your smart phone app. This is done with the purchase and installation of a SmartStart DSM250i module into the vehicle. Unfortunately there’s a yearly subscription to pull off this futuristic functionality.
The Viper SmartStart module will be available in early November 2011, available from selected retail outlets for A$399 plus installation. Subscriptions start at $69 per year up to $129 for the GPS tracking, so as usual, being on the bleeding edge of technology comes at a premium. Still this is kind of awesome, if you get a Christmas bonus, you may want to consider the VIPER StartSmart and impress your friends.
More info @ vipersecurity.com.au
