Google's Chrome OS makes the jump to desktops

Google's Chrome OS is making the jump from netbooks to full-fledged desktop computers, with Korean firm LG building an all-in-one PC running the Internet-centric operating system.

 

In a news release, LG Electronics said it plans to unveil the machine dubbed "Chromebase" at the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January.

 

"The LG Chromebase (Model 22CV241) offers the highly efficient Chrome operating system for a fast, simple, secure and affordable computing experience. Along with the unique OS, a 21.5-inch widescreen Full HD IPS display and a raft of advanced features, this innovative new desktop computer comes packaged in a chic, space-saving design," LG said.

 

“Simple to operate for all types of users, the award-winning LG Chromebase computer represents the successful combination of simplicity, power and great design,” said Hyoung-sei Park, head of the IT Business Division at LG Electronics.

 

Park added the Chromebase is "the wave of the future for desktops, expected to be widely adopted not only at home, but especially in schools, hotels, call centers and other business settings.”

 

Caesar Sengupta, vice president of product management for Google, said the Chromebase "is an exciting new form factor that expands the options available to customers who want a fast, simple and secure computing experience for the home, school or office.”

 

“LG Electronics makes great devices that customers love, and we’re glad to welcome them to the Chrome family,” he added.

 

Google had initially installed Chrome OS, which resembles apps running inside a Chrome browserwindow, on its Chromebooks.

 

Since Chrome OS is Internet-centric, it can be updated automatically while online.

 

LG said "Chromebase" comes with several outstanding Google applications and "serves as a gateway to tens of thousands of web apps in the Chrome Web Store."

 

It said the Chromebase lets users "write emails and documents, read the latest news and ebooks, edit videos and photos and play entertaining games."

 

Security

 

LG said the "Chromebase" also offers robust built-in security, with "multiple layers of protection to keep users’ information safe."

 

It also has automatic built-in updates to reduce the hassle of manually having to conduct maintenance.

 

Full HD IPS

 

The Chromebase also features a 21.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS display and the fourth-generation Intel CPU to handle web apps, games and graphics with ease.

 

Also, it has a 1.3-megapixel webcam and a microphone for easy video calling, along with built-in 5W speakers.

 

Other features of the computer include 2 GB RAM, 16GB iSSD storage, HDMI-in ports, three USB 2.0 ports and one USB 3.0 port, and LAN. — TJD, GMA News

Apple’s Mac Pro

The Mac Pro, a cylindrical tower that gives it a radically different look than previous Apple desktops, is aimed squarely at the high-end of the market, with a $3,000 price tag.

Apple is highlighting the computer’s power as its main selling point, promoting how it could be useful for professional or semi-professional music producers, videographers and photographers in presentations about the computer. The new Mac Pro has a 3.7 Ghz quad-core Intel Xeon E5 processor, 12 GB of RAM, two FirePro D500 graphics processing units and 256 GB of flash storage.

Apple also has a $4,000 model with a different processor and more RAM. Users can also opt for upgrades to the processors, GPUs and RAM, and Apple offers the option to upgrade to 1TB of flash storage.

With so much power, it’s certainly not a device aimed at the casual or even regular home computer user, but it is a way for Apple to showcase its engineering prowess.

The computer will be available online, in Apple stores and at some authorized resellers starting Thursday. Apple did not immediately respond when asked if those ordering online can expect to get their new toys by Christmas.

Apple has pointed to the Mac Pro and its unique design as a counter to the notion that the firm is losing its innovative edge in a post-Steve Jobs era. It also has provided a way for Apple to highlight its efforts to bring some manufacturing and assembly work back to the United States. Each Mac Pro bears the inscription, “Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in the U.S.A.”

Samsung Launches Galaxy Tab 3

Samsung on Monday announced two additions to its Galaxy Tab 3 line: 8-inch and 10.1-inch models. Both run Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

Galaxy Tab 3 8-inch

There's some talk that the 8-inch tablet might cannibalize Samsung's previously announced 7-inch device.

However, Samsung's strategy is hypersegmentation -- that is, identifying and exploiting a need not addressed by existing devices, and that "has worked well for Samsung and has let it leave no stone unturned in ... the tablet market," Jeff Orr, a senior practice director at ABI Research, told TechNewsWorld.

The tablet market is in the differentiation phase, noted Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research. Vendors are coming out with different-sized models trying to figure out what niches they fit.

"Everyone's still trying to develop the market, feel out the market, and figure out the appetite for their devices," he told TechNewsWorld.

What's in Samsung's New Devices

The Galaxy Tab 3 8-inch tablet uses a 1.5 GHz dual-core Samsung processor. It's presented as an e-reader, an entertainment device and a travel assistant. It is designed to be held in one hand and has physical keys at the base of the bezel for what Samsung describes as a "smartphone-like experience in navigating."

It features S Translator, which provides instant translation through voice recognition and through text in applications such as email and text messages for both speech-to-text and text-to-speech. The preloaded S Travel Smart Travel Companion provides real-time local information and lets users make reservations at hotels and restaurants, as well as reserve tickets.

Other preloaded features on the 8-inch tablet include Story Album and Group Play. It also has Samsung's "reading mode" technology, which optimizes the display for reading in various lighting conditions.

The 10.1-inch device is the first Android tablet to use an Intel CPU -- the 1.6 GHz dual-core Intel Atom Z2560 processor, aka the Clover Trail+. It can double as a home media control device.

"That's a pretty big message to the market if Samsung's using Intel processors on a 10.1-inch tablet when its 8-inch version is using a Samsung processor," Orr said.

Both tablets have a WXGA TFT screen with 1280 x 800 PPI resolution. Both have the obligatory front and rear cameras, although the smaller device's cameras have a higher MP rating. The two have sensors common to all tablets. Both support WiFi and 3G as well as LTE; both offer audio and HD video support.

Galaxy Tab 3 10.1-inch

Samsung Hub; Samsung Kies, which is similar to Apple's iTunes software; and Samsung's ChatON global mobile communications service all come preloaded on both devices.

Both tablets also come preloaded with various Google services including Search, Gmail, Google Talk, YouTube, Google Now and Google Maps.

Observations About Samsung's New Tablets

The main differentiation factor in this coming generation of products will be screen size, said Tirias Research's McGregor.

"If they find different niches such as in gaming or other areas, you may see different solutions such as controllers -- but for now, there are going to be very similar products offering different screen sizes with different apps," he added.

Samsung is not the first tablet maker to offer an 8-inch device; Acer has just announced an 8-inch Windows tablet, while Archos introduced an 8-inch device earlier this month. Vizio also offers an 8-inch tablet with WiFi.

It could be that Samsung's launched a pre-emptive strike to steal the thunder from Apple, which is widely expected to announce a new iPad at its Worldwide Developers Conference, to be held later this month in San Francisco.

Microsoft Plans 7-inch Tablet to Compete with Apple, Google

Microsoft is said to be planning a 7-inch version of its Surface tablet to help it compete with similar size devices from Apple and Google.

The 7-inch version, which will go into mass production later this year, is part of a new lineup of Surface tablets planned by Microsoft, reported The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, citing people familiar with the company's plans.

The Redmond, Washington, software giant decided to get into 7-inch tablets to counter the iPad mini from Apple which has a 7.9-inch display and the Google Nexus 7 with a 7-inch display, according to the report. The company also plans cuts in the prices of its Windows and Office software to give a boost to sales of lower-cost touch-screen devices running Windows software.

Microsoft continues to test its own smartphone, although it isn't clear whether it will bring such a device to market, component suppliers told the newspaper.

The company could not be immediately reached for comment.

Microsoft started shipping in October its 10.6-inch Surface RT tablet, running on an ARM processor and the Windows RT operating system, to the dismay of some partners who were used to dealing with Microsoft as a supplier of software, rather than as a competitor in the computing devices market. The company also began shipments this year of the Surface Pro running an Intel processor.

IDC said in January that Microsoft needed to quickly adjust to the market realities of smaller screens and lower prices in the tablet market. The company entered the market during the fourth quarter with its Surface with Windows RT tablet, but failed to reach the top five among tablet vendors after shipping a little less than 900,000 units into the channel, the research firm said.

DisplaySearch analyst David Hsieh wrote in a blog post in February that in the first month of this year, there was a dramatic shift towards smaller screen sizes in tablets as the devices are cheaper and can be held in one hand instead of two.



Microsoft finds itself increasingly threatened in its PC business. The future of PCs is being questioned as users move to alternative computing devices such as tablets and smartphones, IDC said Wednesday while reporting that first quarter PC shipments totaled 76.3 million units, down 13.9 percent compared to the same quarter last year.

The decline was worse than the 7.7 percent previously forecast by the analyst firm, and the market could be headed into further contraction. Microsoft's Windows 8 did not help PC shipments grow, as fewer consumers are upgrading PCs to Windows 8, and businesses are largely sticking with Windows 7.

Google Smart-Glasses

Google hurting glasses 2013 Google revealed that "Propel Glaze," which takes all the functionality of a smartphone and places it into wearable eyeglasses, is something that a gnomish squad of their engineers have been excavation on for over two period now. The overtake lens could communicate anything from matter messages and reminders, to video charts and maps with turn-by-turn directions. They may also be open of action photos and recording videos; all through unsubdivided vocalist commands, according to the conception Google released originally this twelvemonth.Though the over creation is plant several way off, it's believed that we may see it on shelves sometime in Q4 of 2013.

Wireless Connection and Functionality

Plans include an Internet connection that will allow you to browse online content or watch videos right on your glass lens. The idea is that you will still be able to perceive what is ahead of you while you are wearing the glasses. Some plans for the glasses include built-in cameras, facial recognition software, GPS and more. Some smart glasses will connect via your laptop, tablet, smart phone or other source, and incorporate the information needed directly into your view. Others plan wireless bluetooth connectivity. Applications for use on these phones are already underway, some of which include reminders of people you’ve met using facial recognition software connected to a database.

Companies already working on this emerging mobile application include Google, Apple, Vuzix and more. Smart glasses will be Internet-ready, provide multiple camera options and create augmented and virtual realities, whether watching a movie, getting directions or playing a game. Vuzix, a leader in video eyewear technology, has plans for a fall release of a single lens version with multiple lens versions following months later. Vuzix plans commercial, industrial and consumer applications for its smart glasses. Vuzix will use the licensed Nokia Internet Protocol platform for wireless deliverability.

Voice Activated

Some smart glasses versions include head-tracking support as well as earpieces attached to the lens, and may have voice-activated action request functionality. At this point, smart glasses look like sunglasses similar to the ones worn in the movie “Terminator” by Arnold Schwarzenegger. While the Vuzix Corporation currently offers multiple augmented reality glasses and applications for the military and medical fields, including night vision glasses and more, rumors abound that Google has plans for a late year release of smart glasses as well.

The Google version, according to a “New York Times” report, is based upon the Android platform and has a heads-up display (HUD). HUD allows users to view the information on a transparent lens without looking away from a standard viewpoint, such as through a pair of glasses. Google’s smart glasses are reported to include a non-transparent screen in one of the glass lenses, a camera capable of recording video and navigation controls of the HUD interface by the use of head tilts through a motion sensor. The Google version is also reported to be voice-activated and provide vocal responses. Rumored to be the next big paradigm shift in Internet and wireless applications, smart glasses are just the beginning of what proposes to be an all-out plunge into multiple mobile peripherals beyond smart phones, tablets and laptops in the coming years.

Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie release date, news and rumours

Android 5.0 interface


While this is pure speculation, we're wondering whether Android 5.0 might bring with it a brighter interface, moving away from the Holo Dark theme that came with Android 4.0.


Google Now brought with it a clearer look with cleaner fonts, and screenshots of Google Play 4.0 show Google's app market taking on similar design cues. Is this a hint at a brighter, airier look for Key Lime Pie?


While we wait on more Key Lime Pie features to be revealed and scour the web for more Android 5.0 news, TechRadar writer Gary Cutlack has been thinking about what we want to see in Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie. Hopefully the new mobile OS will feature some of these things...
1. Performance Profiles


It's bit of a fuss managing your mobile before bed time. Switching off the sound, turning off data, activating airplane mode and so on, so what Android 5.0 really needs is a simple way of managing performance, and therefore power use, automatically.


We've been given a taste of this with Blocking Mode in Samsung's Jelly Bean update on the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Note 2 but we'd like to see the functionality expanded.


Something like a Gaming mode for max power delivery, an Overnight low-power state for slumbering on minimal power and maybe a Reading mode for no bothersome data connections and a super-low backlight.


Some hardware makers put their own little automated tools in, such as the excellent Smart Actions found within Motorola's RAZR interface, but it'd be great to see Google give us a simple way to manage states.


Another little power strip style widget for phone performance profiles would be an easy way to do it.






2. Better multiple device support


Google already does quite a good job of supporting serious Android nerds who own several phones and tablets, but there are some holes in its coverage that are rather frustrating.


Take the Videos app which manages your film downloads through the Play Store. Start watching a film on one Android device and you're limited to resuming your film session on that same unit, making it impossible to switch from phone to tablet mid-film.


You can switch between phone and web site players to resume watching, but surely Google ought to understand its fans often have a couple of phones and tabs on the go and fix this for Android Key Lime Pie?
3. Enhanced social network support


Android doesn't really do much for social network users out of the box, with most of the fancy social widgets and features coming from the hardware makers through their own custom skins.


Sony integrates Facebook brilliantly in its phones, and even LG makes a great social network aggregator widget that incorporates Facebook and Twitter - so why are there no cool aggregator apps as part of the standard Android setup?


Yes, Google does a great job of pushing Google+, but, no offence, there are many other more widely used networks that ought to be a little better "baked in" to Android.
4. Line-drawing keyboard options


Another area where the manufacturers have taken a big leap ahead of Google is in integrating clever alternate text entry options in their keyboards. HTC and Sony both offer their own takes on the Swype style of line-drawing text input, which is a nice option to have for getting your words onto a telephone. Get it into Android 5.0 and give us the choice.


UPDATE: Google heard us and this feature appeared in Android 4.2.


P-U-T T-H-I-S I-N A-N-D-R-O-I-D 5-.-0



5. A video chat app


How odd is it that Google's put a front-facing camera on the Nexus 7 and most hardware manufacturers do the same on their phones and tablets, yet most ship without any form of common video chat app?


You have to download Skype and hope it works, or find some other downloadable app solution. Why isn't there a Google Live See My Face Chat app of some sort as part of Android? Is it because we're too ugly? Is that what you're saying, Google?
6. Multi-select in the contacts


The Android contacts section is pretty useful, but it could be managed a little better. What if you have the idea of emailing or texting a handful of your friends? The way that's currently done is by emailing one, then adding the rest individually. Some sort of checkbox system that let users scroll through names and create a mailing list on the fly through the contacts listing in Android Key Lime Pie would make this much easier.


Make this a destination, rather than a never-used list



7. Cross-device SMS sync


If you're a constant SIM swapper with more than one phone on the go, chances are you've lost track of your text messages at some point. Google stores these on the phone rather than the SIM card, so it'd be nice if our texts could be either backed up to the SIM, the SD card, or beamed up to the magical invisible cloud of data, for easy and consistent access across multiple devices.
8. A "Never Update" option


This would annoy developers so is unlikely to happen, but it'd be nice if we could refuse app updates permanently in Android 5.0, just in case we'd rather stick with a current version of a tool than be forced to upgrade.


Sure, you can set apps to manual update and then just ignore the update prompt forever, but it'd be nice to know we can keep a favoured version of an app without accidentally updating it. Some of us are still using the beta Times app, for example, which has given free access for a year.


Let us keep older versions. Many people fear change



9. App preview/freebie codes


Something Apple's been doing for ages and ages is using a promo code system to distribute free or review versions of apps. It even makes doing little competitions to drum up publicity for apps much easier, so why's there no similar scheme for Android?


It might encourage developers to stop going down the ad-covered/freemium route if they could charge for an app but still give it away to friends and fans through a promo code system.
10. Final whinges and requests...


It's be nice to be able to sort the Settings screen by alphabetical order, too, or by most commonly used or personal preference, as Android's so packed with a huge list of options these days it's a big old list to scroll through and pick out what you need.


Plus could we have a percentage count for the battery in the Notifications bar for Android 5.0? Just so we know a bit more info than the vague emptying battery icon.