Sharp is unveiling 2 new Android phones with 3D capable screens. The screens don’t require glasses of any kind to get the 3D experience, but if you get the phone too far or too close then the image will appear blurry instead of 3D.
Skyfire is coming to iOS devices on Thursday, including the iPhone, iPad and iPod. It allows users to watch Flash videos on their devices which is a welcome addition, since Apple refuses to support Flash.
How it works is that it intercepts the video, converts it to HTML5 (Apple’s video format of choice) and then streams it to the user. One problem is that HULU has found out about this and put up firewalls to block mobile users from watching their videos, unless you have the paid version which allows mobile users.
The mobile browser app is going to be available Thursday morning for $2.99. Here is a demo video showing the app in action:
Scientists at the University of Manchester have developed facial recognition software that has the possibility of bypassing passwords completely and using the user’s face to provide access.
The project, which was funded by the EU-based Mobile Biometrics project, allows the phone to track the user’s face real-time. This is different than current methods which rely on taking snapshots of the face and then trying to match them. The new software is much more efficient and faster than any developed before.
The software relies on the phone’s forward facing camera and tracks 22 different facial areas allowing for a very accurate match. New systems such as the Xbox 360 Kinnect use similiar technology, but this is the first time it has been adapted to a smartphone.
Windows Phone 7 has had a big launch with over 10 phones announced already that will run on the new OS. The baseline processor that Windows requires is 1GHz, and 5MP minimum camera resolution is another.
With these specs Windows is trying to raise the bar with their OS, and we’ll have to wait and see if it can compete with the likes of Android and iOS.
We’ve updated our smartphone comparison database with 10 of these new phones.
Well it’s finally here, the New York Times announced Friday that a source from Apple told them that they will launch an iPhone on Verizon early next year on their new LTE network. The LTE (long term evolution) is faster than 3G and handles all usage including phone calls as data packets, so it’s also more efficient.
Last year Apple ended up having some issues with Google after it rejected their Google Voice app, which led the FCC to investigate the matter. Meanwhile, Apple did let Google Voice support apps feature in its App Store. Now according to Techcrunch, Apple has approved the official Google Voice app for iPhone.
If the rumor mill is correct then HP is planning two new smartphones based on the WebOS platform. This is no surprise since HP bought Palm not too long ago, and there have been several test models spotted in the wild. We just hope HP does a better job with WebOS than Palm did.
Verizon’s CEO threw a wet blanket on rumors that a CDMA iPhone would be launching on their network in Januuary.
The long awaited 2.2 update is ready for download to your Droid X this morning. From the home screen hit menu- settings-about phone and check for updates. It will find one and then you just download, wait for it to reboot and unpack for about 10 minutes and then you have 2.2 on your phone with Flash support and blazingly fast speed.
The Samsung Craft will be the first LTE smartphone to be released. LTE (long-term evolution) is a next generation phone similiar to 4G technology. It uses an “all-IP” technology that handles everything including voice as data packets, and it’s faster than 3G.
The Craft will be first released on the MetroPCS network who is also simultaneously launching their LTE network in Las Vegas. The Craft features a 3.4″ AMOLED screen and a slide out keyboard. It runs a Samsung-developed OS that a spokesperson described as a blend between Samsung TouchWiz and BREW, and is not Android based.
