Archos CEO Loic Poirier confirmed in an interview released on Saturday, that the manufacturer is taking a serious look at building a Windows Phone powered handset. Poirier told Trusted Reviews that "We will launch a Windows Phone handset when the time is right." The executive said that for now, Archos will maintain its focus on Android although he did say that the Windows Phone market is now mature enough to enter.
It might have been too premature to ask this question, but the interviewer did question the CEO on how Archos would divide its resources between Google's open source OS and Microsoft's mobile OS. "Before anything else we are focused on Google," stated Poirier.
One report from ABI Research indicated that Windows Phone saw the number of handsets shipped with the platform soar 104% on a year-over-year basis for the fourth quarter of 2013. Other recent reports, including one from Windows Phone mobile ad network AdDuplex, reveal that Nokia is delivering 93% of the handsets running the platform. With Nokia's control over both the low and high end of the Windows Phone market, and with Microsoft's soon to close acquisition of the Nokia Devices and Services division, it might not be that easy for Archos to shoehorn its way into the Windows Phone business. Bigger names like Samsung and HTC have tried and thus far, have failed to make a mark in Windows Phone handsets.
source: TrustedReviews via WMPoweruser
Want to make sure that the world around you smells like strawberry, rosemary or even coffee? Scentee is an odd little accessory for your Apple iPhone or (just one) Android device that plugs into the earphone jack on the phone. Using a third party app, you can have the Scentee spray out a pleasant smelling aroma based on timed intervals, an alarm clock setting, or whenever you feel like a spray is necessary.
The Scentee costs $35 and can be filled with different fragrances. Each one costs $5 and is good for about 100 sprays. You can choose from coffee, lavender, rose, rosemary and strawberry. The Scentee starter kit includes one scent cartridge, a manual, USB charger and a mount. The accessory has been around previously in Japan, and is now being offered to America via online sales. The app has been on iTunes since November, but has not been available in markets outside of that country.
The Scentee works for the Apple iPhone 4s, Apple iPhone 5, Apple iPhone 5s and the Apple iPhone 5c. It also works on the Apple iPad 2 and the third-generation Apple iPad. There is one Android handset that supports the aroma sprayer, the Samsung Galaxy SC-04E, which can be found only in Japan.
You can click on the rather long and convoluted video below to see the Scentee in action, or click on the sourcelink to view the accessory's web site.
Windows Phone 8.1 is now Bluetooth Certified. That's right, Microsoft can now hang up the actual certificate on the wall, or stick it to the fridge with a magnet. The Bluetooth SIG posted the certification with a listing date of January 31st, 2014. The listing notes that Windows Phone 8.1 is a mobile operating system (as opposed to the devices that usually receive Bluetooth certification).
The approval covers Bluetooth 4.0. This version of Bluetooth includes the Low Energy variant of the technology, which is used for short distance connectivity like that needed to connect a handset to a health related accessory like a heart monitor.
Windows Phone 8.1 is expected to bring virtual voice-activated personal assistant Cortana to the platform, along with separate volume controls, a quick settings menu and an enhanced notifications system.
Windows Phone 8.1 receives its Bluetooth certification, making Microsoft a proud parent
Thanks, Anonymous Tipster!
source: BSIG via NokiaPoweruser
Introduced in the summer of 2013 as a feature of iOS 7, Apple's new mobile notifications system iBeacon is being touted by big brands as the next great opportunity in advertising. Using tiny Bluetooth wireless transmitters affixed to buildings, iBeacon lets companies send iPhone owners specific pop-up notifications based on their location and proximity to stores and products. But privacy advocates are concerned it could also be too invasive. Follow the spread of iBeacon as more organizations adopt it in an effort to sway customers through their most personal of devices
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Huawei announced the upcoming availability of a new affordable Android smartphone called Ascend Y530. Succeeding the Ascend Y300and Y511 models from last year, the Ascend Y530 runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean customized with Huawei’s own Emotion UI.
The new handset features a 4.5-inch display with 480 x 854 pixels, HSDPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, 5MP rear camera with LED flash, VGA front-facing camera, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory, MicroSD card support, and a 1,750 mAh battery. The smartphone measures 132.5 x 67 x 9.3 mm, weighs 145 grams, and is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 (MSM8210) processor - the same that Sony is using for its new entry-level Xperia E1.
As you can see in the photos unveiled by Huawei, the Ascend Y530 has an interesting two-color design, and will be available in four versions: black with grey, black with red, black with yellow, and white with grey. According to Huawei, the Y530 is targeted at young users. It will be released in Germany first, starting March, for a suggested retail price of $200 (€149). The price will probably go down soon after launch.
Huawei Ascend Y530 official photosFullscreen
If you want a 7-inch Android tablet, you're about to get an enticing option from Huawei.
TENAA, China's telecommunications equipment certification body, has approved the Huawei MediaPad X1 7.0. It's a tablet with a 1,920 x 1,200 high-resolution display at 323ppi, meaning Google's Nexus 7 could have a legit rival.
Other specs include 3G connectivity, 2 GB RAM, Mali-450 GPU, and Huawei’s quad-core Hisilicon 910 Kirin chip clocked at 1.6GHz. It is based on ARM’s Cortex-A9 architecture, though it's unclear if the processor is better than the Nexus 7's Snapdragon S4 Pro.
As for size, the MediaPad X1 7.0 is just 238.1 grams and 7.5mm thick. That's makes it noticeably lighter than the Nexus 7 and Apple’s iPad mini. That said, there is one downside: this tablet runs Android 4.2. So, if you're hankering for some KitKat, you're out of luck.
Huawei hasn't officially confirmed the new MediaPad, though TENAA certification indicated an announcement is coming soon. There's also no word yet on pricing.
Via: The Droid Guy
Source: TENAA
In the creation of the next iteration of Apple's mobile operating system, it's said - and it's been suggested by Apple several times over the course of the last year - that they'll be pushing into the health and fitness arena. You'll have seen quite a few apps and devices doing this over the past year as well, the entire "wearables" industry making their way forward fully intent on taking advantage of the average citizen's wishes to stay in shape.
Apple's push will be, according to sources speaking with 9to5Mac, be an app ecosystem currently codenamed "Healthbook." This app and connectivity suite will allow Apple's products to collect fitness data. This data consists of bits like steps taken, miles potentially walked, and therefor calories burned.
These same pieces of data are already collected by a large cross-section of apps out today, but it'll be Apple's push specifically that connects it all to a new device: the iWatch.
The name iWatch is also, of course, just a code-name for the device that very well may be revealed before the end of this year. With Healthbook, Apple intends to make the connection to your healthy living regiment pre-installed, taking the rest of the health and fitness hardware market out to lunch without paying for the tip.
iWatch concept by Martin Hajek
It's suggested this week that Healthbook will be able to help collect and make use of vital signs from a user, this including blood-related items, hydration levels, heart rate, and of course, blood pressure. The entire suite of sensors will be accounted for in some more custom-made processor architecture, just as the iPhone 5s's M7 motion-coprocessor did, so too will new bits account for in the near future.
Also according to Mark Gurman, iOS 8 is code-named "Okemo" after a Vermont-based ski resort. It's here that the iWatch will be born, in a tie between the processor, it's co-processors, and the software which will make sense of all the data.
Apple's release of iOS 8 later this year will focus on mobile healthcare and fitness tracking,according to 9to5mac. Health is said to be the software's headline feature, along with an iWatch product that will feature health-tracking sensors.
iOS 8 won't be graphically enhanced, reports 9to5mac who has a great track record reporting on Apple, and will instead be a software update about health, performance, and improving Apple Maps. The software reportedly has a codename of "Okemo" after a ski resort located in Vermont, US.
An application called "Healthbook" is said to be released bundled in iOS 8 and will have a use similar to the Nike+ Move app released earlier this year. It will count calories, steps taken, and track weightloss through the iPhone's M7 motion tracking processor (presumably M8 in the next iPhone version). Additionally, with the help of the iWatch's sensors, users will be able to track vital signs like blood pressure and heart rate through the app that's said to carry a similar look to Passbook.
Apple executives Jeff Williams, senior vice president of operations, Bud Tribble, vice president of software technology at Apple, and Michael O’Reilly, part of Apple’s government affairs department, met with members of the United States Food and Drug Administration in December to discuss mobile medical applications. The New York Times reports the meeting was likely about Apple laying the groundwork for an iWatch release later this year.
Neither reports offer details about the iWatch's hardware. Previous rumours have said the Cupertino company has been testing different sizes of OLED displays. It was thought this was to find out the perfect size through testing on prototypes, but a November report from the Korea Herald said both 1.3-inch and 1.7-inch OLED panels were to be utilised to offer different size choices.
9to5mac says past health and fitness, the iWatch will also focus on mapping.
Speaking on a year-end conference call with investors in 2013, Apple CEO Tim Cook hinted at new product categories during 2014. Industry analysts and pundits have long pegged the smartwatch as the device to be released.
Source: 9to5mac
Source: The New York Times
Image Credit: Todd Hamilton
