Techubbub : March 2012

Sunday 25 March 2012

Spotify announces 12 new applications

After having launched a platform to offer third-party applications for its streaming music system, Spotify announced twelve new applications that will give more visibility to labels such as Warner, Def Jam, Domino, Sony, Universal y Matador Records which have invested heavily in the streaming music service. Spotify got record companies support since it is regarded as an alternative to piracy. Since its launch in 2008 it has paid $ 250 million to rights holders. Only in 2011 it paid 180 million.

Among the new applications we can find Tweetvine which searches and tracks all Twitter hashtags #NowPlaying to show what is being listened around the world, Filtr another application that lets you create automatic playlists, in this case based on the tastes of your friends on facebook, and Classify that organises all the music by genre, instrument, composer and other factors.

Spotify has 16 million songs and operates in 13 countries, especially in Sweden where it was created and a third of the population has it. In Europe is the second in its category behind Apple's iTunes.

Thursday 15 March 2012

Sony announces no-need-to-touch smartphone

On Tuesday Sony announced the new Xperia Sola, this device could revolutionise the touch screen technology as it integrates for the first time “floating touch” navigation which allows users to browse the web without physically touching the screen, just by placing the finger above it. The finger acts as a mouse pointer in the air, once the desired link is highlighted a quick tap loads the page. "It's a fun new way to surf the web, with the latest technology," says Calum MacDougall, director of marketing for Sony Xperia Mobile Communications.

The new Xperia Sola also incorporates NFC SmartTags that allows users to change settings and applications instantly, the two SmartTags included can be personalised with up to 10 commands.

The handset features a 3.7-inch Reality Display, a 1GHz dual-core processor and Android 2.3 Gingerbread with an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich. The Xperia Sola will be available in black, white, and red in the second quarter of 2012.

Monday 12 March 2012

NASA collaborates on Angry Birds Space

NASA collaborated with Finnish company Rovio on the new version of Angry Birds, the popular game that has reached approximately 700 million downloads. With the new version “Angry Birds Space” players can learn about physics and space exploration in a fun way, David Weaver associate administrator for communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington said “Games are fun and entertaining, but they also can be inspirational and informative”.

In this version the developers have incorporated the concepts of weightlessness of space and gravity wells of nearby planets. NASA released a video in which the astronaut Don Pettit on board the International Space Station explains microgravity, something that players will have to take into account to catapult the birds in the game.

The marketing director of Rovio, Peter Vesterbacka, said “We focused on every detail in development of Angry Birds Space to build a special experience for our fans”. Angry Birds Space is coming to IOS, Android, PC and Mac on March 22nd and it will feature 60 new levels and 6 brand new characters. A collection of 30 extra levels "danger zone" will be released as an in-app purchase.

Sunday 11 March 2012

Windows 8 new features

The new Windows 8 has a new graphical user interface called metro, it is a touch interface which the user can use to access information and manage the content in a very simple way, this new version of Windows is a radical departure from Windows 7, "We reimagined windows" said the president of the Windows and Windows Live division Steven Sinofsky. Windows 7 showed a great improvement but Microsoft claims that Windows 8 is much better due to the kernel for the cloud, ARM processor support (for tablet), optimisation for mobile devices and the extensive menu for system settings.

One of the most important features of the new system is the Windows store which allows developers to sell their applications all over the world, the way users purchase software is changed since licenses are associated with the Windows Live account and all devices that we link to that account can use the software purchased.

Another important aspect is the cloud storage and the remote access to your hard drive through the SkyDrive service. Microsoft explains that “it keeps all the content from the cloud services you use most (photos, email, calendar and contacts) up to date across all your devices”.

Among the most prominent changes we can mention the desktop environment as an interface designed for mobile devices is the default interface, security is also inspired by mobile technology so Windows 8 introduces a gesture recognition system to login to the system. The new start menu shows 21 programs without moving the view, users can choose and see their programs which are organised by groups rather than alphabetically. Windows 8 has a new task manager and a new Windows administrator very similar to Microsoft Office design.

Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 8 is designed for last generation hardware and being compatible with a wide range of devices from tablets to laptops.

Saturday 10 March 2012

The new iPad, a disappointment?

Last Tuesday in San Francisco, Apple finally released the new iPad, prior to release date the press speculated that the name would be iPad 3 or iPad HD but it was launched as "The new iPad" a name that has been criticised for being too generic. The vice president of product marketing at Apple, Phil Schiller, confirmed that due to rumours circulating in recent weeks they decided to follow another strategy regarding the name, so Apple chose the simplest one.

But the name was not the only thing that caused criticism; although the new tablet exceeded its predecessors, it has been criticised by specialists from around the world for lack of originality and the element of surprise that the late Steve Jobs made a habit.

The New York Times spoke about “modest changes" and on several specialised Blogs they wondered if the release of the tablet had been disappointing.

Apple updated the device with a high definition screen resolution, Siri voice assistant, a faster and more efficient processor and the latest 4G LTE connectivity technology.

The new iPad Specs:

• 2048 x 1536 resolution, 264 pixels per inch
• A5X processor, quad-core
• New iSight camera of 5 megapixels with the same optical sensor as 4S iPhone and backlight
• It includes iPhoto software to edit photos with touch control
• HD video recording
• Speech Recognition
•4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) connection
• Battery life: 10 hours. (Same as in other models despite the increase in power)
• Dimensions: 9.4 mm wide and about 652 grams
• Will be available in white or black