Video footage of the new version of the Google Android music app has leaked, revealing a revamped and colorful user interface.
First posted on XDA Developers and spotted by Engadget, the 50 second footage provides a demonstration of the new features of Android's default music app.
The updated app is much easy on the eyes that its predecessor. The vibrant colors of the album covers captured our attention, while the elegant transitions and album stacking strike us as being more like the iPhone's iPod music player. It's more readable as well.
Our guess is that you'll see the new music application launch with Android 3.0, aka Honeycomb. The Android interface has long needed an upgrade to keep it competitive with the design of the iPhone UI. We've heard that Android 3.0 will bring much-needed graphical and usability updates to the OS. The leaked music app is likely a preview of what we can expect.
PlayStation Phone Coming in Spring 2011
Sony's long-rumored PlayStation Phone could soon become a reality. The company will launch a device blending the features of a PlayStation Portable and cell phone in the spring of 2011, according to a report in Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper on Tuesday.
The device will be based on the PSPgo and will retain the PSP's familiar gaming controls, the report said.
The PSPgo is a smaller version of the PlayStation Portable and went on sale in late 2009. It links to Sony's PlayStation Network service and relies on a Wi-Fi link for downloads of software, music and movies. Despite extensive promotion by Sony, sales of the PSPgo have been weak and the company has been looking for a way to boost demand.
The new device is being developed by Sony Ericsson and will go on sale first in Europe and the U.S., according to the Asahi Shimbun.
"The report isn't based on anything that we have announced," said Ayano Higuchi, a spokeswoman for Sony. "We do not comment on rumor or speculation."
Sony has been avoiding comment on rumors of the PlayStation Phone for several months. Development of the device has been reported by several media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, and earlier this month a video appeared on YouTube that purports to show a development handset from Sony Ericsson.
Speaking to reporters last week in Tokyo, Kaz Hirai, head of Sony's gaming business, said that if Sony was to compete in the cell-phone gaming market it would be with a device that appealed more to core gamers.
He said the device would carry the PlayStation's DNA and match Sony's vision of gaming, which is different to those of companies developing Android and iPhone games.
Should Sony be about to launch the phone in the U.S., it could make an appearance at next week's International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Sony typically uses the annual event to debut products and services that it plans to launch in the U.S. market in the first half of the year.
Martyn Williams covers Japan and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Martyn on Twitter at @martyn_williams. Martyn's e-mail address is martyn_williams@idg.com
The device will be based on the PSPgo and will retain the PSP's familiar gaming controls, the report said.
The PSPgo is a smaller version of the PlayStation Portable and went on sale in late 2009. It links to Sony's PlayStation Network service and relies on a Wi-Fi link for downloads of software, music and movies. Despite extensive promotion by Sony, sales of the PSPgo have been weak and the company has been looking for a way to boost demand.
The new device is being developed by Sony Ericsson and will go on sale first in Europe and the U.S., according to the Asahi Shimbun.
"The report isn't based on anything that we have announced," said Ayano Higuchi, a spokeswoman for Sony. "We do not comment on rumor or speculation."
Sony has been avoiding comment on rumors of the PlayStation Phone for several months. Development of the device has been reported by several media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, and earlier this month a video appeared on YouTube that purports to show a development handset from Sony Ericsson.
Speaking to reporters last week in Tokyo, Kaz Hirai, head of Sony's gaming business, said that if Sony was to compete in the cell-phone gaming market it would be with a device that appealed more to core gamers.
He said the device would carry the PlayStation's DNA and match Sony's vision of gaming, which is different to those of companies developing Android and iPhone games.
Should Sony be about to launch the phone in the U.S., it could make an appearance at next week's International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Sony typically uses the annual event to debut products and services that it plans to launch in the U.S. market in the first half of the year.
Martyn Williams covers Japan and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Martyn on Twitter at @martyn_williams. Martyn's e-mail address is martyn_williams@idg.com
Electrolux Bio Robot concept refrigerator stores your food in green gel
This concept design by Yuriy Dmitriev uses biopolymer green gel to keep your food fresh.
The non-sticky gel essentially absorbs the heat from food items and radiates it again at different wavelengths, a process called luminescence. Because of the pods, food will stay fresh and odorless while in the fridge. The device has no door and does not ever need to be washed. While this product may be a few (or many) years from production, we wouldn’t mind storing all our food in this eco-friendly green goop.
Celsius LeDIX watch phone costs $300,000
The new LeDIX watch phone by Celsius X VI II costs more than many houses and does less than many free phones, but looks pretty amazing doing it.
Upcoming Technology Promises Improved Mobile TV
The GSM Association is getting behind the emerging mobile broadcast technology IMB (Integrated Mobile Broadcast), it said on Wednesday. The technology opens the door for more mobile TV channels and better picture quality, according to chip maker IPWireless.
The GSM Association (GSMA) got involved at the behest of some of its member operators, according to its director of technology, Dan Warren. The standards work had reached a blocking point between Ericsson and IPWireless and the GSMA helped solved those issues, which were about frame formats and "very technical and quite trivial", Warren said.
The name of the technology was also changed from Downlink-Optimized Broadcast (DOB) to IMB. "There was quite a lot of stigma attached to the previous name as a result of this quite acrimonious, at times, standards work," said Warren.
GSMA's endorsement comes with a white paper that provides a guide to IMB technology for mobile network operators on how the technology can be used.
For users, the adoption of IMB will mean better mobile TV picture quality, since the technology makes it possible to use more bandwidth per channel. It also lets operators offer more channels and send them to more users, according to Bill Jones, CEO at IPWireless, which is currently developing chipsets and software for IMB.
But mobile TV isn't the only application that IMB can be used for. Any application that needs to send lots of the same data to a large number users is a good fit for IMB. Other uses are digital radio, application and content downloads, and the distribution of common content on Internet services such as Spotify, which is a streaming music service, and on YouTube. Currently, 20 percent of all data sent over 3G networks duplicated traffic that can be distributed using IMB, according to Jones.
For IMB to work, a phone needs to be equipped with an IMB chipset. But instead of trying to get mobile-phone vendors to include an IMB chipset, Jones foresees that technology will first be rolled out using a separate accessory.
"We are looking for services to be supported in Q3 or Q4 next year," said Jones.
Operators backing the technology include Orange, SingTel, Softbank, Telstra, T-Mobile and Vodafone, according to the GSMA.
IMB is a complement to the existing MBMS (Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service) standard, according to Jones. The goal was to make use of what had already been done and make it easy to integrate with already deployed networks, but at the same time take advantage of a number of new features, he said.
One of the major advantages is that operators can start taking advantage of previously unused TDD (Time-Division Duplex) spectrum, which most operators in Europe received when they were awarded 3G licenses, according to Warren. Spectrum is also available across Asia and most parts of Latin America and North America, he said.
Whereas before TDD and FDD (Frequency-Division Duplex), which is used by WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) 3G networks, were viewed as separate standards, IMB can be used to merge the two, according to Jones. The data is sent using TDD, authentication and digital rights management, and any interaction with the user is sent over the existing 3G network, Jones said.
The GSM Association (GSMA) got involved at the behest of some of its member operators, according to its director of technology, Dan Warren. The standards work had reached a blocking point between Ericsson and IPWireless and the GSMA helped solved those issues, which were about frame formats and "very technical and quite trivial", Warren said.
The name of the technology was also changed from Downlink-Optimized Broadcast (DOB) to IMB. "There was quite a lot of stigma attached to the previous name as a result of this quite acrimonious, at times, standards work," said Warren.
GSMA's endorsement comes with a white paper that provides a guide to IMB technology for mobile network operators on how the technology can be used.
For users, the adoption of IMB will mean better mobile TV picture quality, since the technology makes it possible to use more bandwidth per channel. It also lets operators offer more channels and send them to more users, according to Bill Jones, CEO at IPWireless, which is currently developing chipsets and software for IMB.
But mobile TV isn't the only application that IMB can be used for. Any application that needs to send lots of the same data to a large number users is a good fit for IMB. Other uses are digital radio, application and content downloads, and the distribution of common content on Internet services such as Spotify, which is a streaming music service, and on YouTube. Currently, 20 percent of all data sent over 3G networks duplicated traffic that can be distributed using IMB, according to Jones.
For IMB to work, a phone needs to be equipped with an IMB chipset. But instead of trying to get mobile-phone vendors to include an IMB chipset, Jones foresees that technology will first be rolled out using a separate accessory.
"We are looking for services to be supported in Q3 or Q4 next year," said Jones.
Operators backing the technology include Orange, SingTel, Softbank, Telstra, T-Mobile and Vodafone, according to the GSMA.
IMB is a complement to the existing MBMS (Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service) standard, according to Jones. The goal was to make use of what had already been done and make it easy to integrate with already deployed networks, but at the same time take advantage of a number of new features, he said.
One of the major advantages is that operators can start taking advantage of previously unused TDD (Time-Division Duplex) spectrum, which most operators in Europe received when they were awarded 3G licenses, according to Warren. Spectrum is also available across Asia and most parts of Latin America and North America, he said.
Whereas before TDD and FDD (Frequency-Division Duplex), which is used by WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) 3G networks, were viewed as separate standards, IMB can be used to merge the two, according to Jones. The data is sent using TDD, authentication and digital rights management, and any interaction with the user is sent over the existing 3G network, Jones said.
Paper-Thin Rechargeable Batteries Provide Bendable Power
One of the biggest components in any of today's portable devices is the battery. However if researchers can commercialize their latest innovation--paper-thin lithium-ion rechargeable batteries--that could all change.
According to a report on the Chemical Engineering News web site, Stanford University scientists took a regular sheet of paper, coated both sides with a layer of carbon nanotubes and then a thin layer of lithium compound to create a functioning, rechargeable battery. These thin, flexible batteries outperform other super-thin power sources and the prototypes handled at least 300 recharges.
With thin batteries, super-tiny components and possible flexible displays, paper-based and even rollable cell phones may not be that far away.
Sony Unveils Flexible E-Paper
In a past life, I worked in a lab, helping design and test thin-film circuitry that would hopefully allow people to create devices that had flexible displays that could be mounted on clothing or on other malleable surfaces like backpacks or briefcases. Now Sony has unveiled a 13.3-inch flexible electronic paper device at the Eco-Products 2010 tradeshow that does just that.
The gadget is designed to be a prototype for a gadget that could display images and text in high resolution and possibly someday replace traditional paper in a thin, flexible, and portable way. According to a post at TechOn, Sony didn't want to give details about the prototype, stating that it is, after all, just a concept and a showcase of what's possible, but the working device used E Ink's technology, which is already available in other devices.
Sony also didn't note whether the technology would be coming to any future product, but we can assume they wouldn't put it on display if they weren't thinking about it.
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