Google Maps for Indoor navigation
Google Maps is a useful little app which helps people find their way. However when you get indoors where GPS reception is impossible, it is hardly of any use to navigate around. Now Google has attempted to solve that with new Google Map Indoors Beta.
It comes with floor mapping solution by levels and it even knows which floor you’re on. Accuracy is said to be within couple of meters and it is likely that Google Maps Indoors rely on WiFi location information to pin point your rough location.
For a start, they currently support major airports and shopping malls in United States and Japan. Currently this works only Android 2.2 and above with Google Maps 6.0. Wouldn’t it be cool if this works at shopping mall basement car parks?
To learn more, head over to Google Map’s Start Here.
Head after the break for introductory videos including submitting a floor plan.
Galaxy Nexus tear down by iFixit
To see what goes inside the Galaxy Nexus, we leave it to the professional guys at iFixit. This time they have given the Samsung Galaxy Nexus a nice little tear down treatment which reveals its innards and just how challenging it is to open up this nifty little gadget.
Overall, the components internally are easily replaceable but the main case which covers the motherboard was a challenge to open. iFixit had to pry the screen off using a couple of guitar picks. In addition, the glass is fused together with the Super AMOLED screen which means replacement could be costly.
Head after the break for step by step disassembly.
Cluzee: Siri’s closest competitor on Android?
With Siri being the centre of attention for the iPhone 4S, there’s always room for competition in Voice Assist. So far the closest competitor we’ve seen is Vlingo and Google Voice Actions, which works pretty well for our local Malaysian accent.
On paper, Cluzee appears to be impressive and even claims to help you multitask better with its features. Some of the key highlights include a travel planner to book trips, a health planner to keep track of your calorie intake and even a daily brief which reads out the latest news headlines. Just like Iris, the knowledge engine is powered by True Knowledge.
So is it any good? It offers some extended features but we found that some of the basic commands like facebook or twitter updates to be broken. On certain Android models, Cluzee simply won’t work and keeps on crashing repeatedly. On the Samsung Galaxy Note, the screen appears to be truncated without filling up the entire screen. So it’s slightly better than Iris but no where near Vlingo at this point.
If you’re still interested to try it out, you can download from the Android Market.
Watch the intro video of Cluzee after the break.
Galaxy Nexus in Korea comes with Extended Battery Kit
In Korea, Galaxy Nexus owners are getting some extra goodies. They have thrown in additional extended battery which is quite similar to Samsung Galaxy S II Extended Battery Kit. This gives a total of 2 battery and 2 back covers off the shelf.
The extended battery has a capacity of 2000mAh, which is a slight 15% extra over its original 1750mAh battery. That extra life of battery comes with a slight bulk which they have provided a new back cover to support it. For a large screen device, it could have been better if they offered a massive 2500mAh battery which is currently used on the Samsung Galaxy Note.
We wonder if Samsung would be generous as well when the Galaxy Nexus is launched here.
More pics after the break.
Galaxy Nexus ad shows off Google+ Hangouts in action
Google has released another new video ad for the Galaxy Nexus which appears to be a continuation of its “Calling All” ad. This time, it shows off its Google+ Hangout feature which lets you connect up to 10 people simultaneously.
This brings video calling to the next level, but nevertheless mobile data network performance has gotta be up to par to deliver ideal experience.
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VIDEO: ASUS Transformer Prime gets another hands-on
The ASUS Transformer Prime is seen once more in yet another hands-on video. While pre-booking of the tablet has started in US/Canada, here’s something for the anticipated users out there to enjoy. In this video, we get to see more live angles of the tablet including the keyboard dock.
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LG to release Android 4.0 ICS roll out roadmap
For those that are still doubting LG’s roll out of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, here’s the latest update. Today LG has posted on their LG Mobile Facebook page that they are rolling out ICS update to all LG Optimus phones released this year.
The models getting some Ice Cream Sandwich loving are:
- LG Optimus 2X
- LG Optimus Black
- LG Optimus 3D
- LG Optimus LTE
At the same time, they are evaluating if this update can be extended to other LG Optimus phones and they are trying to make it available to as many models as possible. So when is all this happening? LG has added that the roll out schedule and list of supported models will be made public next month on their facebook page.
Currently LG is rolling out Gingerbread update for LG Optimus 2X, Black and 3D beginning with users in Europe. Hopefully this marks a new trend for LG to stay up to date with its rivals in terms of Android OS versions.
Samsung Galaxy Note back cover is flexible too!
Earlier on, we’ve managed to fold a Samsung Galaxy S II back plate and we wonder if the Samsung Galaxy Note could do the same.
We are glad to report that the Galaxy Note back cover is flexible as well and this time we even folded it at the opposite direction. So there you have it, The Galaxy Note cover may look flimsy but rest assured that it is quite durable. We wonder if we could do the same on the Galaxy Nexus.
HTC Ville – HTC’s upcoming smart phone under 8mm
HTC hasn’t been doing remarkably well recently and their HTC Sensation isn’t exactly flying off the shelves as we had hoped. However HTC isn’t resting on their laurels as they are said to be working on the next big thing.
What you see above is the HTC Ville which rumoured to be running on dual-core 1.5GHz processor, 4.3″ Super AMOLED qHD display and better 8MP camera with 1080p video shooting support. From the photo, the phone still has the usual 4 capacitive buttons which means it is running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread instead of debuting with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
What’s worth mentioning is that the HTC Ville is said to be under 8mm thick which puts it between Motorola RAZR’s 7.1mm and Samsung Galaxy S II’s 8.49mm. In terms of availability, it is expected to be announced at the Mobile World Congress in February with shipping to start in April.
Earlier on, it was reported that HTC is working on a Quad-Core smart phone identified as the HTC Edge. This year HTC is having a tough time in the high-end Android segment which strong contenders such as Samsung. We shall see if HTC can catch up in 2012.
How about a Motorola RAZR with a slide out keyboard?
Before we had the RAZR, Atrix and Defy, the Motorola Droid or known as the Motorola Milestone (GSM) here was an iconic android smart phone. After the first Milestone, there wasn’t really a high-end Motorola with a sliding keyboard in Malaysia. We had the Motorola Charm, Backflip and Flipout with QWERTY keyboards but came with mid-tier specs.
For those that are craving for a proper high-end Android smart phone with QWERTY keyboard, Motorola is about to release its 4th generation Droid. It features similar RAZR-like design, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 4.0″ qHD screen and a sliding 5 Row LED backlit keyboard. However unlike the Motorola RAZR, this QWERTY keyboard version has a back plate where it covers your microSD and micro SIM slots. This would be appealing for those that prefer to type on a proper keyboard instead of a capacitive screen.
With the sliding keyboard, it is thicker at 12.7mm and it weighs 178 grams. From the pics, it doesn’t get that sexy Kevlar back that’s found on the RAZR. The Droid 4, like the Droid RAZR is a 4G LTE smart phone which is exclusive to Verizon in the US. But hey, who knows they will release a “Milestone” version for GSM markets like Malaysia.
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