21
Oct
2011-10-21 16h47_12

New Proof-Of-Concept 'BrandTable' Lets You Order KFC With NFC Right From Your Phone

Posted by in News, Videos

So, imagine this: you're walking through the mall, heading to the food court to munch on whatever greasy, artery clogging slop you can find. You sit down, pull out your mobile, tap it on the table, order your food, pay, and wait for your phone to notify you that your meal is ready. No lines, no feeling rushed because you have no idea what you want -- just you and your phone. Sounds awesome, right?

That's exactly what Australian design firm S-Digital wants for the future of the food court, and to prove how badly they want it, they made it happen.

19
Oct
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Ice Cream Sandwich Feature Closer Look - Android Beam Proves That NFC Isn't Just For Credit Card Payments

Posted by in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

Everyone has been making a big deal about NFC lately - which phones have it, where it can be used, etc. Until last night's announcement, many (including myself) didn't see much on the horizon except a fun way to pay for things using your phone. That perception has changed, however, thanks to Android Beam.

Beam utilizes NFC technology to quickly, seamlessly transfer data from one device to another. As demonstrated last night, one has only to touch the two devices together to send just about anything from web pages, to photos, to apps.

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Just touch the devices back-to-back, tap the confirmation, and that's it.

15
Oct
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New FCC Filing Hints At Samsung Galaxy S II LTE HD Coming To The USA

Posted by in Galaxy S II LTE HD, News, Samsung

A phone with model name SHV-E120L recently passed through the FCC. Despite our initial excitement that it could be the Galaxy Nexus (née Prime),  it turned out to be none other than the Samsung Galaxy S II HD LTE, king of lengthy titles.

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We originally saw this phone announced last month in Korea, where Samsung wowed with a spacious 4.65" screen, 1280 x 720 resolution, and disappointingly restricted geographical range. Still, if you're itching for a phone with specs to compete with the upcoming Nexus, plus TouchWiz on Gingerbread, this filing could be the good news you were hoping for.

11
Oct
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Exclusive: Details Of The Verizon Galaxy Nexus Ice Cream Sandwich Phone (Sorry, "Prime" Is Not Likely)

Posted by in Exclusives, Galaxy Nexus, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News
Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

At this point, it's pretty clear that we've all been knee deep in Ice Cream Sandwich goodies all week long. We've already given you the Music 4.0.1, Google+ 2.0, and ICS Clock widget APKs, but that's not all - now we have some details regarding the CDMA Verizon Nexus Prime. At least that's what we thought it was called before Google and Samsung decided on the Galaxy Nexus as the final name, according to our reliable source who goes by Geek Vundotra (remember the leaked apps above?).

A few days ago, we heard two variations of very different specs for the Prime: one from BGR, which stated that it should have a 1.2Ghz OMAP processor, LTE, and be exclusive to Verizon; the other came from GSMarena, which stated that the next Nexus (should we call it "Nextus" as one of our readers suggested?) would be packing a monstrous 1.5GHz Exynos and a Power PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU.

08
Oct
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T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II Initial Impressions

Posted by in Galaxy S II, Hercules, Samsung, T-Mobile
Last Updated: August 2nd, 2012

The FedEx man brought me a lovely little gift yesterday: The T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II. This is the last stateside arrival of the Galaxy S II family. The review will take a bit to get out the door, so until then I figured I'd whet your appetite with some initial impressions.

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First of all, this thing is big. Really big. I have to say though, I love the design of it. It feels sturdy and very well made. Like Samsung really knows what they're doing. The plastic back has a wonderful texture to it that almost makes it feel like leather.

26
Sep
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Broadcom Announces New Family Of NFC Chips - Smaller, More Efficient, And Versatile

Posted by in News

Broadcom, an innovative player in the communications semiconductor business, announced yesterday their new family of NFC chips, affectionately called BCM2079x.

The corporation seeks to aid in making NFC as widespread as technologies such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi by introducing the 40nm chip which is said to consume 90% less power than current NFC chips, and utilize "field power harvesting" to gain power from the environment.

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Making the chip even easier for manufacturers to integrate, Broadcom's new line has slashed the number of components needed to build the chip, and reduced board space requirements as well.

The new line of NFC chips also adds some innovative features making it a versatile element, including the ability to pair with Broadcom's Bluetooth and Wi-Fi components, integration of transaction-based Application ID routing, and multiple single wire protocol interfaces.

26
Sep

Here's What Google Is Cooking Up For Ice Cream Sandwich (And Beyond!)

Posted by in Android OS, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0
Last Updated: August 2nd, 2012

With Ice Cream Sandwich on the horizon, we at AP thought it would be a good idea to give you a roundup of what Google's been cooking up in Building 44. We actually know a good deal about the future of Android; I'm talking real, solid facts. These are features Android engineers have demoed or talked about, and acquisitions Google has made related to Android technology. We even have pretty clear timelines for most of them. A quick note before we get started: most of these videos are like, an hour long -- you're only expected to watch about 30 seconds of them, so pause whenever it gets boring.

25
Sep
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Superuser Updated To Version 3.0 - Major Overhaul Brings PIN Lock, NFC Tag Writing, App Backup, And More

Posted by in Applications, News

Superuser, the preferred app to "hook into your phone's power," has at last been updated to version 3.0, bringing a huge overhaul both in terms of design and functionality.

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The release of version 3.0 into the Android Market brings with it many bug fixes and new features, perhaps the most notable of these being the ability to write NFC tags, the ability to backup apps and preferences, and PIN capabilities (available with Superuser Elite).

The update also brings an automatic malware scanner, making Superuser an app that does much more than simply remember root preferences for your apps.

For a full list of changes and bug fixes, check out Superuser's full changelog.

20
Sep
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Yale Locks To Introduce NFC-Enabled Residential Locks - One More Reason NFC Will Be Awesome

Posted by in News, Videos

In addition to replacing your wallet, it looks like your Android device may eventually replace your key ring as well. Yale Locks and Hardware showed off their Real Living line of motorized locks this year at CEDIA Expo, promising that your NFC-enabled phone will soon be able to open your front door digitally.

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The new line of locks is also compatible with Zigbee and Z-Wave home automation systems and offers support for Assa Abloy's existing Mobile Keys system which allows users to securely store all their digital keys on their phone.

Little else is known about these locks for now, but they serve as one more sign that NFC is set to make a significant splash in the world of electronics, allowing your Android handset to effectively replace even more of your belongings.

19
Sep
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It's Official - Google Wallet Is Here, Handy App Can Tell You Where To Use It

Posted by in News, Nexus S 4G (Crespo4g), Sprint

True to last night's rumblings, Google and Sprint have announced the launch of Google Wallet, a revolutionary new tap-to-pay service that allows customers to store credit card information and make payments from one app on their Android phone.

For now Google Wallet is only available to those with a Nexus S 4G and a Citi MasterCard. Google plans on adding support for various other card companies, and more Android devices with NFC capabilities are on the horizon.

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A critical element to Wallet's success will be the presence of PayPass terminals capable of accepting payments via NFC. The terminals are not particularly widespread in the US at present, but if you're itching to try out Google's awesome new wireless payment system, you can find businesses with PayPass terminals using the Google Wallet webpage or by downloading MasterCard's PayPass Locator app (from the widget below).

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