Student catches Google’s eye with 30-second cellphone charger

by Jared Peters on
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The smartphone battery is one part of our phones that’s fallen a bit behind the technological curve. An Android device can give you answers before you even ask a question, it can register input without actually being touched, or it can make a visually appealing clip out of photos and videos with almost no work from you, but it’s you’re always going to have to worry about charging it at least once a day, with relatively few exceptions. Well, 18 year old Eesha Khare looked into a way to minimize that problem by developing a supercapacitor that can charge phones in under 30 seconds for this year’s Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

Naturally, something that impressive was bound to catch some attention, and Google has apparently contacted Khare about the technology. She hasn’t disclosed any specifics about what Google has talked to her about, but she has said that she didn’t want to sell her work just yet. The technology she’s working on right now is already built to hold 10,000 charge-recharge cycles, which is 10 times more than the standard battery in our phones today. Needless to say, it’s easy to see why Google would want to figure out how to implement that type of technology in their own devices. Hopefully this won’t be the last of Khare we see in the near future.

source: Slashgear

TalkAndroid Daily Dose for May 20, 2013

by Robert Nazarian on
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TalkAndroid_Daily_Dose

With hectic schedules, it can be hard to keep track of everything in your news feed. That’s why we created the TalkAndroid Daily Dose. This is where we recap the day’s hottest stories so you can get yourself up to speed in quick fashion. Happy reading!!

Guides

How to disable annoying Android notifications

Apps

Samsung’s annual Smart App Challenge has arrived, will focus on Chord SDK

Google+ Android app update includes photo enhancement and auto-backup features

Google Hangouts to seamlessly integrate Google Voice in the future

» Read the rest

HTC Butterfly S screen resolution revealed, will adopt many HTC One features

by Harrison Kaminsky on
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The rumored successor to the HTC Butterfly, the HTC Butterfly S, has been spotted in a User Agent Profile XML file. The document revealed its screen resolution, 1080 by 1920 pixels, the same exact resolution as on the HTC Butterfly.

There’s plenty of room for speculation on other specs as further details have not yet been revealed, but it has been rumored that the phone will come with many features found on the HTC One, such as BlinkFeed, an Ultrapixel camera sensor, and Boom Sound audio with stereo speakers.

We don’t have any information on when the phone may be released, but a Q3 launch wouldn’t be a total surprise.

Source: HTC (XML file)

Android 4.2 for HTC One only 2-3 weeks away?

by Jeff Causey on
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With rumors surfacing yesterday about a possible HTC One running a stock Android install, another rumor surfaced that may be more interesting for current owners of the device or those not willing to wait for confirmation of the “Google experience” HTC One. Over on Twitter, developer @LlabTooFer responded to an inquiry about Android 4.2′s availability on the HTC One with “2-3 weeks I think.” @LlabTooFer has been a reliable source of information about HTC software updates in the past.

Along with the rumor about Android 4.2 coming to the HTC One, @LlabTooFer also posted recently about an update that was in the works for last year’s HTC One X which would bring it up to Android 4.2 and Sense 5.0. If all the rumors are true, it looks like HTC is working to bring the Android 4.2 goodies to a large swath of their customers. If they succeed and establish a reputation of quick work to keep devices up to date with Android versions, that could be a positive step in helping them regain some lustre and marketshare.

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source: @LlabTooFar

TalkAndroid Weekly Recap for May 13 – May 19, 2013

by Robert Nazarian on
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We had another busy week at TalkAndroid so here’s a recap of all the top stories. Google I/O was this week, so it’s no surprise that it dominated the headlines. Google officially unveiled their new unified messaging service called Hangouts and their new gaming service called Play Games Services. They also unveiled their new streaming music serviced called Play Music All Access. The only hardware announcement was the Galaxy S 4 Google Edition. All in all, it was an exciting event that featured a lot of new stuff for development, which is what Google I/O is all about. Even though I/O was the focal point for the week, there was still a lot of other news, so it’s time to get caught up and get ready for another exciting week.

Guides

Best Android music playing applications [May 2013]

Reviews

Quiz of Seers [Brain & Puzzle]

WeVideo – Video Editor [Media]

Google I/O

Re-experience all three exciting hours of the Google I/O 2013 keynote right here

Google I/O 2013 Keynote: Android activations account for nearly 1/7th of the world’s population with 900 million total activations

Google I/O 2013 Keynote: Play Store will bring more personalized recommendation, apps that will be “Designed for Tablets” and new All Access music subscription service

Google announces unlocked Samsung Galaxy S 4 with stock Android coming June 26 for $649

Google Play Developer Console gets a major injection of new features

Google announces Google Play for Education at Google I/O 2013

New Google Maps makes the Map the UI just a little better and easier for all

Google Search gets expanded functionality for users, brings new cards and improved Voice Search abilities

Google Hangouts officially announced at Google I/O, now live in the Google Play Store

Google Hangouts requires permissions to receive, read, and send SMS messages, could support be added soon?

Google Hangouts “easter eggs” revealed, include ponies and dinosaurs

Gmail and Google Wallet can now help you get money to people in your life

Google TV gets bumped to Android 4.2.2 and the latest version of Chrome

Hands on with the Map Diving simulator

Hands on with NVIDIA Shield

Quick look at the Google Street View Trekker

Hands on with WeVideo’s video editing solution for Chromebooks

» Read the rest

HTC employee hints at an HTC One with stock Android

by Aditya Thawardas on
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HTC_One_Front_Main_TAAt the I/O, Google announced that a version of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 running stock Android will be for sale later this summer. Could a “Google experience” HTC One with stock Android follow? Leigh Momii, a Developer Evangelist at HTC posted a tweet possibly suggesting exactly that, stating “So you can pay $649 for a piece of plastic running stock or… You can wait.” Trusted developer LlabTooFer said on Twitter he was positive that the tweet meant that “this summer we will see HTC One Google Edition” or something similar.

HTC employee Jeff Gordon replied to Android and Me, who initially reported Momii’s tweet, saying “HTC is not currently planning a ‘Nexus Edition’ of the HTC One.”  The key word in that statement is “currently,” as confirming a new version of their flagship phone would definitely hurt current sales for HTC. » Read the rest

TalkAndroid Daily Dose for May 17, 2013

by Robert Nazarian on
tagged

TalkAndroid_Daily_Dose

With hectic schedules, it can be hard to keep track of everything in your news feed. That’s why we created the TalkAndroid Daily Dose. This is where we recap the day’s hottest stories so you can get yourself up to speed in quick fashion. Happy reading!!

Guides

Best Android music playing applications [May 2013]

Accessories

Samsung TecTiles 2 Now available to purchase

Apps

Fitbit adds Bluetooth 4.0 sync support for Samsung Galaxy S 4 in new update

Classic Sonic the Hedgehog by Sega launched to Google Play for $2.99

» Read the rest

HTC One $100 trade up program ends this Sunday, no extensions planned

by Robert Nazarian on
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If you’re thinking that HTC will extend their $100 trade-in promotion for the HTC One, then think again. Earlier in the month they extended it to purchases made by May 19th, which is this Sunday. HTC is reminding everyone that this is your final chance to get in on it, which means they don’t plan on extending it. Of course we never say never in this business, but if you’re thinking of grabbing the One with this deal, you might want to pick it up this weekend. Because there is always the possibility that you might want to return your shiny new phone, HTC is giving you until June 19 to get your paperwork in. Hit the source link and use code US001UVORE.

source:  HTC Trade Up

Samsung grabs 95% of global Android smartphone profits in Q1 2013

by James Gray on
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As we reported before, over 900 million Android-powered smartphones have been activated since the platform’s debut in 2007. While its no surprise that Samsung leads the herd over HTC, LG and Sony (among other competitors), it may come as a shock just how much they dominate by. According to a report by Strategy Analytics, Samsung captured 95% of Android’s profit in the first quarter of 2013.  » Read the rest

HTC sales increase for One and Butterfly, Butterfly to receive Sense 5.0 update

by James Gray on
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In a recent piece on Focus Taiwan, Jack Tong, president of HTC North Asia, said HTC will double production for its recent flagship, the HTC One. Tong also mentioned the company’s older device, the HTC Butterfly, has seen sales rise since the company lowered the price of the device in Asian markets. To help sales further, the Butterfly will soon receive an update to Sense 5.0, as featured on the aforementioned HTC One. The update will include the Sense 5.0 user interface, the BlinkFeed home screen feed and improvements to the camera, among other additions.  » Read the rest