From the same astonishing visual UI carried over for its iOS counterpart, which was released just last week, Google development team has added a nice differentiator to the in-house mobile OS with the ability to initiate a video conference call “Hangout” right from the phone. Prior to this release, mobile users could only join to an on-going hangout session.

“To get started, tap “Hangout” in the new navigation ribbon, add some friends and tap “Start.” We’ll ring their phones (if you want), and if someone misses the hangout, they can ring you back with a single tap”

The new version also allows post editing and download photos from Google+ back to your Android phone and lastly the +1 button is more prominent.

The update 2.1 is available from Google Play

[Source Google]

iCloud has been available on the Web, but only displays contents such Calendar, email, iWork documents. It is not clear if users can display personal photos and videos on the Web interface in the next release. After all, Apple intention is to force users to buy their iDevices to take full advantage of these services.  Instagram does not offer a Web version neither.

Adding photo sharing capability is definitely a needed move to recapture the mobile users that currently use popular services such Instagram to share photos taken from iPhone and Android devices. Instagram was recently acquired by Facebook for $1 billion. Instagram’s most valuable asset was its mobile audience, which is last estimated at 50 millions. Open up photo sharing, Apple will instantly have 125 million users without much sweat.

Furthermore, the news paper also reports that Apple will open up iCloud to personal video, Notes and Reminders.

[Source WSJ]

The new version is focused heavily  on visual immersive appearance with large photos in the background and sleek user interface design, a great departure from Google traditional simplistic color scheme. The release timing is perfect to get ahead of the rival Facebook, which is admitting a weakness on its mobile side and the growing adoption of all visual and less-text focused services such Pinterest, TheFancy, Instagram, Flipboard, etc..

Once logged-in to your Google or Gmail account, the app greets you first with a quick Google flash page and switches immediately to your social Stream pulled from your circles. You can easily use the top center drop-down menu to filter What’s Hot, Nearby, or selected circles you might have defined on the Web version of Google+.

Top left menu provides your main personal menu including Home, Profile, Messenger, Photos, Circle management.

Top right pencil icon allowing to write your new status. On the status posting, flipping the keyboard by tapping on the icon located at the bottom right corner on the writing box, reveals the circle selection as well as option to add a photo from your smartphone camera or from the camera roll.

The new Google+ app carries over the auto upload photos feature from your smartphone. All your photos taken will be uploaded automatically in a private folder and ready to be shared.

All in all, it’s a very aesthetic experience when compared with Facebook mobile app. However, beside the eye pleasing design, many users already requested a text only version for more reading & browsing reading contents. The major design departure on the mobile platform when compared to the Web interface also creates an overwhelming feel  to casual users..

The app is available for free from App Store .

A try-to-buy program will be available starting in Dallas and Atlanta at an AT&T store or other AT&T affiliated distribution channel.

Instead of emphasizing on the specs, Samsung has added on many in-house software features along with an exclusive Flipboard version for Android that differentiate with other handsets. 

S Voice

Samsung introduces ‘S Voice’ on the Galaxy S III, a Siri-like voice command that is capable of taking commands without the need of pushing any button. To wake the phone up and activate the voice sensor, you simply say "Hi Galaxy!" and the phone wakes up; You can send email, text, check on the weather, launch camera app, volume controls, etc…

Motion Detection

When texting to someone, raise the phone to your ear, the handset launches the telephone app and automatically calls the person you were texting.

S Beam

The Galaxy S III comes with an NFC chip that allows you transfer photo or video to other Galaxy S III device by putting the phones together, S Beam uses a combination of the NFC technology and Wi-Fi Direct.
Samsung’s All-Share Cast, let user beam your screen to any DLNA-compatible

Pop Up Play

"Pop up plal" will allow you to play a video anywhere on the screen in a pop-up window while performing other tasks,

Burst Shot

The Galaxy S III’s 8 megapixel camera comes with fast burst photography: Holding down the shutter will take twenty photos in a row; you can then choose the best photo and the phone will automatically erase the other 19. Alternatively, user can select a burst mode, which takes 8 photos in a row and then automatically choose the best one,

Buddy Photo Share

The photography software comes with smart facial recognition: When you take a picture of a friend, it can recognize their face and will prompt you to send that photo to that person’s phone or email address.

Smart Stay

Essentially an eye recognition technology, the Galaxy S III can sense when you are and are not looking it: When you are looking at your screen, the display will stay illuminated; when you stop looking at your phone, the display goes dark to save power. The feature can be toggled on and off, if you prefer to just let your screen time out.

• Quad-core Samsung Exynos chip @ 1.4 GHz,
• HSPA+21 and LTE versions
• 4.8-inch HD SuperAMOLED 720×1280 screen
• 8MP / Front 1.9MP camera (720p video recording)
• 2100mAh battery
• 1GB RAM
• Wifi Channel Bonding
• Bluetooth 4.0(LE)
• Accelerometer, Notification light, Digital compass, Proximity sensor, Gyro, NFC, Barometer
• 1080p video playback
• Various multimedia codecs supported
• MHL/DLNA
• Dimensions: 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6mm
• Weight: 133 grams
• Available in blue and white
• The handset will be available first in Europe this month and in the US starting June.

The $199 accessory, comes with the custom fit pad that goes to the center console of Chrysler upcoming 2013 Dodge Dart  and a specially designed case for you mobile device. Simple placing your device on this secured pad will start charging your device. Phone use will go through your Bluetooth headset or your car.

There is no words whether this accessory will be available for other models and makes.  

[Via Gizmag]

The 4.7” Android ICS smartphone will differ with the HTC One Global by its dual core Qualcomm 1.5GHz CPU instead of the NVidia tegra 3 quad core and a visual red band along with a built-in kickstand in the back.

The device features a 4.7” display with 1280×720 resolution  using the company exclusive Super LCD 2 display technology; 1GB of RAM; 16GB of memory, expandable up to 32 GB via microSD; 2000mAh battery. The 8MP rear-facing camera features HTC ImageChip, which allows photo taking in 0.7 seconds. the lens features f2.0 aperture. The audio is enhanced with Beats Audio and HD Voice, a background noise cancellation technology.

The device will come with NFC (Near Field Communication)and Google Wallet for mobile payment.

Sprint starts taking pre-order on May 7th.

The 4G LTE enable Nokia features a 4.3-inch AMOLED ClearBlack display at 800 by 480 pixels. The device is using  polycarbonate casing in cyan blue or black color (the white version will come few weeks later); 8-MP rear camera equipped with Carl Zeiss lens plus dual LED flash. The lens sports f2.2/28mm aperture for better low-light shots. The camera supports video capture at 720p/30fps. There’s a second, front-facing camera for video chat, the front camera is a 1-MP with an f2.4 lens and 30fps capture. Video chat Tango app comes bundled with the device.

The latest iteration of Windows Phone will be added  Nokia Maps and Nokia Drive through the Windows Phone Marketplace. Nokia Drive offers free, turn-by-turn, voice-guided navigation everywhere.

Admit the uphill battle ahead, the three parties involved actually need badly for this phone to get enough mindshare to play among the greats.

All the ingredients are there including good hardware, good price, mature software and a big carrier.. However the timing is way off not mentioning about some delays in software updates might hinder the success.  

The Nokia Lumia 900 will not be the only Windows Phone at launch. T_Mobile already has the smaller sibling Lumia 710. Another high-end Windows Phone that AT&T will carry is the 4/7” HTC Titan 2 that will be available at $200 with contract.

Specs

• Networks: GSM/EGSM 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA 850/1900/2100, LTE Band 4 (1700/2100) & 17 (700)
• OS: Windows Phone Release 7.5 – Mango Commercial Release 2 (Mango + LTE)
• Memory: 512MB RAM
• Storage: 16 GB internal memory (14.5GB user memory) + SkyDrive cloud storage
• Volume: 90cc
• Weight: 160g (5.6 ounces)
• Dimensions: (max): 127.8 x 68.5 x 11.5 mm (5 x 2.7 x .45 inches)
• A-GPS
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n)
• USB 2.0 high-speed
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• 3mm headset connector

Instagram is a fun way to play with photos on the smartphone, it lets users apply artsy effects;  format to square aspect ratio, reduce resolution for fast uploading and share across popular social networking sites as well as Instagram’s own network. The service reportedly has over 25 million users, until now only available on iOS platform. Going to Android, we expect a major growth will certainly occurs.  

On the iOS version, Instagram recently adds some advanced editing features such Lux (MDR-like) and Tiltshift effects, as well as additional filters. The service promises even more will be added to the Android version.

This small appliance usually lasts years without the need to replace them. That is the reason that manufacturers are trying the way to force you in to a new upgrade.. And no, they can not afford a retina display.. Panasonic just made available world’s first smartphone-controlled rice cooker.

The Panasonic SR-SX102. can take order such type of rice, time, and cooking type, etc.. just when you wave your smartphone powered with a FeliCa-enabled (contactless RFID technology made by Sony)

On top of that, Panasonic offers a “Cooking Cloud Server” that let users access recipes via your smartphone.

[Source Panasonic Via Referret]

CardFlick just added a nice feature that let users to replace background of the available designed themes with your photos from your desktop, Instagram or Facebook accounts.  This feature is only available on the desktop browser.  You can create business card however, on your mobile phone with only stock templates.

To customize with your photo in background, just go to their Web site located at  http://cardflick.co/    and start designing your virtual business card to your liking. Download the app on your iPhone if you have not already done. Your card will appear magically once you signed in with your Facebook credential or Cardflick userid and password.

The full feature viewing requires a quick registration; but you can test drive, just to walk outside and take a picture of your home, using the HomeSnap app on your iPhone.

The app then uses a combination of mobile phone GPS, compass to determine location and orientation and pulls MLS along with public records data to show you information such:

• Type (single,condo,bedrooms,bathrooms, lot, sizes)
• Property history (buy/sell transactions)
• Estimated value
• Appreciation potential score
• Investment potential score
• Property taxes
• Surrounding schools and rating
• Similar homes for sale on the market (show listing details and photos from MLS Multiple Listing Service..)
• Similar homes sold (sold price, date, address, etc..)
• Map

For my first testing, I found the app is very accurate in its estimation. I snapped a photo of our home, but it shows information of my next door neighbor home. Luckily, the app lets you manually adjust if it doesn’t locate the correct address. It is a very informative and fun app whether you are thinking about selling or buying home.. Or just by curiosity!

You can browse the stream of recent snaps from other users anywhere in the US or near by.

The app is free and available in the App Store

[Sawbuck Via TechCrunch]

When you just turned of your Google Search History with the new privacy policy, sure enough, Google has found the way to make you think twice. The search giant just rolled out the recent search feature that allows you to search from your computer and find the search result on your smartphone later.

Google gives this example: you often use Google search from your computer to find information about a place before going there? Now, next time you go to Google.com on your Android phone or iPhone, information about that place will be conveniently available under the new “Recent” icon. Calling, getting directions or seeing details about the places you just searched for is now only one tap away.

The feature only works if you have Web History enabled and are logged into Google on the mobile browser, not from its mobile app when doing the search.

Information about previously searched places will be available under the Recent icon for about a day.

Next time you are heading to a place you have recently searched for, no need to worry if you can’t remember the address or phone number. Just go to Google.com on your smartphone and tap on the “Recent” icon. We hope you find this new feature useful!

[Source Google]

What is m-Commerce?
M-commerce is short for mobile commerce. Using the mobile phone to make purchases is not a new concept. There are several companies that use this medium to get people to buy their products. Targeting customers through different means of communication has become the mantra for businesses today. In this regard, m-commerce offers them a highly innovative yet feasible option to use. Like mentioned above, a majority of people use cell phones nowadays. There is a huge segment of the public waiting to be targeted through this medium.
Keep in mind that there are still a few kinks in the armor. Different networks carriers have different charges and policies for making purchases through your mobile phone. This is why there is a certain ambiguity about hidden charges you may have to pay. Yet, it cannot be denied that mobile phone technology has made m-commerce a reality.

How m-Commerce Works?
The process of making purchases through m-commerce is quite simple. You have to either send a text message or call a certain number. This has become quite common these days. A significant percentage of the advertisements aired on television provide a code at the end where you can download the jingle or video. This is a great way to promote products as well as provide the customers an easy way to make a purchase.
A common method used by companies engaged in m-commerce is asking people to subscribe to their products. They provide a short code that you have to text to a designated number. A fee may be deducted for every text message you send to that number. Here, you have to be careful about the charges because the fee may be decided by the carrier and not the company selling the products. You might end up spending a lot of money on subscription.
The subscription has to be renewed after every few days. This is commonly seen with network carriers. They allow you to have a certain song or instrumental as your ringtone. After a certain period, usually a month, you have to renew the subscription if you want to retain that music as your ringtone. Otherwise, it will be removed.
The other method used by businesses for m-commerce is by charging customers on a product by product basis. Only when the customer makes a purchase will he/she have to pay. You don’t have to pay a subscription fee or any other charges. You only pay the price of the products that you have purchased through this medium.
Like ecommerce, your credit card is your key to m-commerce. You have to provide your credit card details. Unless you are making purchases from your network carrier, you have to pay through your credit card. Buying a subscription or service from your network carrier will be charged to your bill at the end of the month.

Uses of m-Commerce
Mobile commerce is still a growing technology. Several businesses have started using it but it is some time before it goes into wide use. The most famous usage of mobile commerce up till now has been for the purchase of movie tickets. A chain of theatres allowed patrons to download tickets to their phones. All they had to do was show the phone at the entrance to gain entry. Among other uses of m-commerce till now are:

• Mobile content purchase and download
• Obtaining information (news, stocks, etc)
• Online shopping
• Mobile-exclusive vouchers and coupons

This is how mobile phone technology makes m-commerce a reality. Mobile commerce is the way of the future and is going to be a major force in technology-based commerce. To get the best of ecommerce and m-commerce, get an Optus mobile broadband connection and shop from home

Camera Awesome

The differentiators however are huge for a free app. Camera Awesome helps you to perfect your picture taking with burst modes, self-timer, stabilization (video), level, manual adjust expose and focus separately, big button mode (tap anywhere to snap photo) etc..

You can pull down the tab at the top to display tons of powerful compositional tools and effects. The same effects can also be used when taking videos..   Flip the camera to video mode and  Camera Awesome‘s pre-record feature catches the action 5 whole seconds before you hit the button.

Rest assured, the feature rich app also gives you one button to immediate awesomize your photo without getting into much tweaking. Just hit the magic want icon and the app lets you apply thousands of amazing effects that turn your photo into art: Note that only the first set of filters is free, additional filters on other pages cost $.99 per set, along with optional paid subscription to SmugMugs, should you want to use their Cloud service to store & share your media. That’s how the developer makes money for their efforts.

Your final media can be shared on popular social networking sites or saved back to your iPhone camera roll. You can read additional tutorial HERE!

As amazing as expensive cameras are, they can’t do at any price what Camera Awesome can for free:

Feature highlights

• Be so simple anyone can use it.
• Provide advanced features like a level for the horizon and an easy way to focus in one spot and set exposure in another.
• Apply effects designed by pro photographers (like Kevin Kubota) to transform your memories from forgettable into stunning works of art.
• Share instantly on all your favorite sites.
• Auto-archive photos and videos to your SmugMug account.
• Precord video so that when you tap the record button, you record the past.
• Be fun and whimsical and… did we say fun and whimsical?

Get it free now from the App Store and start Awesomizing your world.

As far as Android platform, this is what the developer has to say: “We’re working on Android. Promise. But it’s *very* hard. There’s a ton of different hardware, and then Google/Android give us pretty insane memory limitations. We’re working through all the issues, but it will still be awhile.  Turns out there’s a good reason why there aren’t any great camera apps on Android yet. They make it nearly impossible” Don MacAskill/SmugMug

[Source SmugMug]