Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
You can do those numbers easily by streaming/tethering HD content breh. EASILY.
And if you're on newsgroups and you use your cell to tether for some of those BRRips you would could hit that in an hour or 2.
Redbox Instant leaked for Android along with subscription pricing and expected launch date
Competition is good. It’s almost always good. And while you wouldn’t be able to convince Apple of this, it seems the streaming movies space is about to get a little more crowded thanks to Redbox. Brought to you by Verizon (but not limited to only Verizon subscribers) Redbox Instant is the company’s latest joint venture, and it looks to challenge Netflix as the online streaming king.
Tonight we get our first peak at what the Android app will look like, thanks to a few images dug up by GigaOM, as well as the web version (at the source). Let’s address the biggest questions, already running through your mind: when and how much?
How Much
There’s a bare bones option starting at $6 a month and covers streaming of Redbox’s smaller-than-Netflix’s online catalog, although you can see there are a few movies offered that Netflix doesn’t (let’s hope it’s also better curated). The $8 a month package includes all the streaming you can… stream, along with 4 free physical Redbox rentals (no roll over) at one of their kiosks located in every convenience store, grocer, and back alley you can find. Both the $6, and $8 plans include streaming on up to 5 devices, of which apps will be available on everything from smartphones, tablets, Blu-Ray players, televisions, and consoles.
If you’re looking to rent something a little more recent, Redbox instant will also offer online VOD rentals of newer titles for — wait for it — 99 cents. (Thank, geebus!) It’s this part alone that I find the service the most enticing. As someone who shuns the outside world, I’ll no longer be forced to wait in line at another kiosk in my bunny slippers with 2 minutes left before I’m charged for another day. (Happy dance).
When
Already in private beta, the service could go live as early as December 17th. While that hasn’t been confirmed, it’s entirely possible it could launch a little later in the year if bugs or other issues are discovered. You can either mark December 17th down on your calendar, or sign up to be notified when the service goes live over at RedboxInstant.com.
What do you guys think? If Rebox (and Verizon) can successfully offer low-priced, 99 cent movie rentals, will you bite? For $6 a month, will you really drop Netflix to save yourself 6 cents a day?
Latest Google Drive app update brings native spreadsheet editing, home screen shortcuts and more
If you're the sort of person who likes to edit spreadsheets on the go, then you'll be pleased to learn that the latest version of the Google Drive app for Android allows you to do just that. A new update to the Drive app released today introduces a half-dozen fairly significant features that should make mobile document editing a little easier.
Previously limited to a slightly janky web-based interface, spreadsheets have gotten their own native UI, complete with the ability to zoom, directly edit formulae and resize and re-style cells. The same applies to tables in the Google Docs editor, which can now be similarly manipulated.
There are also a few minor changes, like the ability to maintain formatting when copying and pasting within Docs, and the ability to add home screen shortcuts to specific files or folders.
To grab the new version of Google Drive, you can use the Google Play shortcut at the top of the page. We've got the full changelog after the break.
- Edit Google spreadsheets in new native editor
- Edit contents of tables in Google Docs editor
- Formatting is maintained when copy/pasting within Google Docs
- Single tap to enter edit mode in Google Docs editor
- Add a shortcut to Drive files/folders to your homescreen for quick access
- Send Link now supports copying link to clipboard
Google reportedly looking to launch own-brand Chromebook in early 2013
Reports from the Far East starting to emerge are suggesting that Google is looking to further expand its Chrome OS device portfolio with an own-brand offering in Q1 2013. A report in the China Times claims that Google has approached Taiwanese manufacturers Compal Electronics and Wintek to handle the hardware. The kicker -- this Google branded Chromebook is said to be a 12.85-inch device with a touch based input.
Google is of course in the midst of another round of Chromebook pushing at the moment, with low-cost offerings currently on the market from both Acer and Samsung. The reports of touch input are interesting, especially considering Google's recent push into the tablet space with both the Nexus 7 and the Nexus 10. A touch based Chromebook would offer a different experience to an Android tablet. It could be seen more as a move to compete not against Google's own products, but more so against the likes of the Microsoft Surface and the other Windows 8 based touch-input laptops and tablets.
Touch input alone may not be enough to increase adoption of Google's cloud based OS, but price could have a much bigger effect. We've seen with the recent launches of the Nexus 4, 7 and 10 that Google is capable of offering a premium experience at an attractive price point. If Google were to offer an own-brand Chromebook, sold exclusively through the Play Store, margins could be stretched as thin as they wanted with a potential for an attractive price for consumers.
Latest numbers suggest Android could overtake Apple for tablet lead sooner than expected
A Gartner study from April of 2011 predicted that Android would hold a 38 percent share of the tablet market by 2015. A new report from ABI research suggests Google’s OS could surpass that figure much sooner. According to the latest data, Android devices accounted for 44 percent of all tablets shipped last quarter, just 11 percent shy of Apple’s lead.
The numbers may speak only for a particular period in time, but they show a continuing trend. While Apple maintains its lead thanks to the popularity of its iPad lineup, the margin between those tablets and the one’s made by Android manufacturing partners such as ASUS and Samsung is closing quickly.
The surge in Android tablet popularity can no doubt be attributed to the successful launch of low-cost devices such as the Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire. Both look to be hot ticket items this holiday season, further bolstering Android’s overall share.
The general consensus from a year or so ago was that it would take some time for Android to completely catch and eclipse Apple. At the time, it seemed a fair assessment. Most Android options were clunky and expensive and didn’t benefit from a built-in customer base like that of Apple. Thanks to OS improvements, rapidly progressing hardware, and a focus on pricing, Android tablets have become viable competitors.
Now estimates are shifting from 2015-2016 or later to as soon as mid-2013 for Android to overtake Apple in the tablet market. Such an achievement would be quite the accomplishment for Google and its partners.
ZTE Apache 8-Core smartphone with 28nm ARM15 Mediatek chip inside in the works for the next year
You thought quad-core smartphones are impressive? Wait until the next year.
The latest rumor from Asia is that ZTE is working on a smartphone codenamed “Apache”, equipped with 8-core CPU from Mediatek. According to MyDrivers.com, Mediatek beat Qualcomm and NVIDIA in the battle for the heart&brains of the next ZTE flagship with, as yet unannounced, ARM15 MT6599 chip manufactured with TSMC’s 28nm tech.
Other ZTE Apache specs include 1080p HD resolution display, 13 megapixel camera and WCDMA/4G LTE/TD-SCDMA support.
If the rumor is correct, it means we are already in the round two of an attempt by Chinese vendors to breakout of the cheap/domestic market supplier category, onto the world stage. Round one this year was more or less a flop. Both Huawei and ZTE increased their smartphone market shares by a lot. But most of that happened on the backs of their low margin, cheap devices most of us expect to get from those brands. While top of the line smartphones like Huawei D-Quad, announced with such fanfare in February at Mobile World Congress, failed to make an impact.
But, the one failure doesn’t matter. It just makes the challengers more hungry. Chinese are just following the playbook of Japanese and Korean giants like Sony and Samsung. Which were scrappy and cheap suppliers in their early days too. And, with the help of its compatriots, Mediatek seems to be getting ready to take on Qualcomm and NVIDIA in chipsets, too.
Will it work this time? I don’t know. Huawei’s device sounded very impressive in February too, until they failed to deliver it for more than 6 months. Let’s wait and see.
But sooner or later ZTE and Huawei, maybe even Meizu, Oppo and Xiaomi, will figure it out. And smartphone wars will get even more interesting.
After A Few Days Of Use, The Google Nexus 4 Proves A Very Strong LTE Smartphone
Last Friday, I told you how to get your Google Nexus 4 working on LTE networks in Canada. All through this past weekend and today, Ive been using that device as my primary phone on the LTE band the entire time. And despite some definite reduction in battery life, I couldnt be happier with the Nexus 4 now that its playing nice with Rogers LTE network.
To be clear, the Nexus 4 was a strong contender to begin with. I agree with Chris Velazcos review: Googles done a great job creating an untouched Android experience in an attractive hardware package thanks to OEM partner LG. But the lack of LTE was a sore spot, and one that didnt sit well with me, especially since, as primarily an iPhone user, I just got access to next-gen mobile networks on my daily device via the iPhone 5. And the speed difference isnt inconsequential: you can see from my network tests in the original how-to post that the LTE network here is orders of magnitude faster than the standard HSPA+ 3G one.
In terms of practical use, that means lightning fast loading of web pages, effortless media streaming and just less time in general waiting for any kind of content grabbed from the web to display. The LTE network was consistently available and strong in my home network of downtown Toronto, and despite the lack of official support from Google or LG, I noticed no unusual drop-outs or failures to connect, in general.
The one sore spot for the Nexus 4 initially was that for some reason, being on a true 4G network disabled Google Now from refreshing. Since this is actually one of my favorite things about Android Jelly Bean, I was more than a little disappointed. Switching to 3G or Wi-Fi got it to refresh, but otherwise, it would just spend a lot of time trying to load and then produce its most recent results instead, ignoring my current location.
Luckily, as of Sunday night, Google now works fine on LTE connections, with no changes to system preferences or updates conducted on my part. Its almost as if a benevolent fairy at Google flipped a switch and turned the feature back on, knowing it would make all of us Canadian amateur hackers very happy. Regardless of why, Google Now has been working consistently on 4G since.
The last remaining anxiety I had about using the Nexus 4 on LTE full-time was around battery life. But those fears have proven to be mostly unfounded. When Chris reviewed the Nexus 4, he found that it wasnt all that strong on battery life: it was doing 5.5 hours on a testing loop. When being actively used on LTE, especially for data-intense tasks like streaming video, the Nexus 4 consumes power at a fairly rapid, almost alarming rate. But used normally, it still manages to conserve juice well when in standby mode, and Ive found that I can at least make it from morning til night with my usual usage habits, which as you might imagine can be fairly demanding.
All in all, my experience with the Nexus 4 as an LTE device gives me plenty of hope that Google will officially support it in an update, and possible release LTE versions compatible with U.S. and international networks down the road, too. Even without it, a $300 smartphone this good is a triumph, but with LTE included, its a nearly unbeatable package.
