A New Flexible Phone Prototype by Nokia

Written by Doug Puccetti(Me) on www.techhog.com:

At the Nokia World Event, Nokia not only showed their new line of Windows Phones but they also showed off a prototype of a flexible phone. Kind of like an accelerometer used inside phones to correctly orientate the device, shuffle a song or drive a car in a game; this flexible phone has points where pressure can be added.

Adding pressure to specific sides of the device will do different things. Twisting/bending the phone left or right edges will either change the song, photo or switch applications depending on what application/setting you are in. Bending the phone in and out will make it zoom in or zoom out and bending it in the middle of the left or the right side will either open/play an application or go back to the previous application/screen.

The screen is obviously a type of plastic. So that means its not scratch resistant. In my opinion, there is nothing worse than a bunch of scratches on my screen. But, the screen is a nice WVGA OLED display with wide viewing angles.

Will this UI ever catch on? or will it just stay a prototype? Bending your phone takes more effort and one more hand than just taping on the screen to open an application or scroll through a list. We will have to see where Nokia goes with this prototype.

Source: GSMarena

Steve Ballmer Announces 4 New Features for Windows 8

 

 Written by Doug Puccetti(Me) on www.techhog.com:

At the Dell Conference last Friday, Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer revealed 4 new features to the new Tablet OS Windows 8. These 4 features are lock screen, Metro start screen, Metro live tiles and Windows 8 servers. I understand that these things have been talked about before but at the recent conference these were the four main features he highlighted.

Lockscreen: Even tho the lock screens are pretty standard, this is one of the things you see most often. When you’re away from your device, it locks like it should. However, even tho its locked, you still receive notifications, emails and social media updated right on the screen for when you get back (sounds like every other mobile OS?).

Metro UI Start Screen: Many people have complained about this start screen and the Metro live tiles. Windows developers have been doing their best to keep up and fix these issues as Ballmer reminds everyone that this is an early version of Windows 8, not the final product.

Windows Metro Live Tiles: Windows developers have stuck with the simplistic live tiles. But with Windows 8 they are showing off something new. You can make custom live tiles that display specific information from news or stock. So any information you might need could be instantly available. Now I can see that being a feature people use often.

Windows Server 8: This feature was available back in 2008 however, it was not perfected. Now with windows 8 in the works, Microsoft plans on perfecting this virtual server for IT administrators making it faster and smoother. I know not many people are worried about this but I’m sure there are developers and tech workers who are very excited.
Well that’s an update of Windows 8. One main feature that most of us are excited about is porting programs and information from Windows 7 to Windows 8. Will this be the next best step for Microsoft?

Porting Android Applications to Blackberry Made Easy

Written by Doug Puccetti(Me) on www.techhog.com:

Recently Blackberry released a packager for Android apps that will allow Android developers to redesign, format and submit their application to the Blackberry platform using the SDK and ADT plug-in's provided by RIM. This tool kit will package all your information, sign and prep everything you will need for a successful submission. This is mainly for porting games and applications to the new Blackberry Playbook and such. Devices that will make user experience very enjoyable on both platforms (less likely on phones but, still available).  But is this a good idea? As we know, Blackberry is pretty much a dying market for most mobile users. Most of Blackberry's revenue comes from company's who use Blackberry's as company phones due to contracts. So are company's going to want to play your android games or use your apps? Applications ported to Blackberry that may be useful will be programs company's can adhere to and use on a daily basis.

Will this move help Blackberry out of it's slump?

One of the Biggest Release Events for Android to Date

Written by Doug Puccetti(Me) on www.techhog.com:

So tomorrow is the day. The day we finally see the Motorola Droid RAZR in person, the day where Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus is revealed and, most importantly (in my opinion), the day we are introduced to Android 4.0 ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich). At noon eastern time the reveal of the Motorola RAZR for Verizon Wireless will begin. But Samsung and Google take the stage at 9:30 pm EST to begin the most anticipated release for Android users to this date. You can watch this event live tomorrow night on Youtube at www.youtube.com/android. I know we will do all we can to watch this event live. So I hope everyone does the same. This will be one release event you do not want to miss!