Author Archives: Stefan Etienne

Founded tech site LaptopMemo. 16-years-old, loves tea, tennis, reading, tech, gaming, + more.

Android 3.2 Honeycomb Will See “Zoom Mode” For Smartphone Apps

July 12, 2011 12:42 PM ⋅

A feature long overdue, Android 3.2 Honeycomb will be the dawn of a new feature in the mainstream Android tablets’ arsenal: a zoom function for smartphone apps not yet optimized for larger, tablet-sized screens. The zoom function works exactly like it does on the iPad — the app becomes very pixelated, but still usable. 

The stretch to screen function has already been in use for Honeycomb for quite some time now, but with Android 3.2 devs will have the urge (hopefully) to better optimize their smaller apps for bigger screens due to the zoom function looking like an absolute shame. This definitely helps Android tablets in the quantity issue of apps (only 200-350 Honeycomb apps actually exist), however quality of apps still remain a problem on the Android Market. At least this is a step in the right direction. 

Via: Android Developers Blog

Posted in: Android, Mobile, Tablets ⋅ Tagged: ,

myTouch 4G Slide To Be Released For $199.99 On — July 27th

July 12, 2011 12:33 PM ⋅

 Hey, it’s an amazing phone from what we’ve heard and seen so far. And it turns out this dual-core slide-out QWERTY beast is getting released on July 27th for a pleasant $199.99 on 2-year agreement with T-Mobile USA on their 4G HSPA+ network. Oh, and for those of you who are very eager, pre-orders start July 19th. Via: T-Mobile

Posted in: Android, HTC, Mobile, T-Mobile ⋅ Tagged: , ,

iOS 5 Beta 3 Hits Developers

July 11, 2011 5:31 PM ⋅

Available for nearly all the iOS devices, iOS 5 Beta 3 has been seeded to developers. There are many bug fixes, improvements, and so on to be found, but all of that is rather subtle. Ask your dev friend to let you in on the .ipsw download along with iTunes 10.5, or if you really are a dev, just get downloading right away. Full changelog after the break. Via: Apple

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Posted in: Apple, Breaking, Mobile ⋅ Tagged: ,

MSi GX660R Review: Pew, Pew, Pew On Extreme Settings

July 10, 2011 10:33 AM ⋅

This isn’t the pinnacle of new tech — it’s the aging MSi GX660R, which uses a first-generation Inter Core i processor clocked at 1.73GHz with TurboBoosst, has 6GB of DDR3 RAM, an AMD HD5870 mobile graphics card, a 15.6-inch screen at 1920×1080 resolution, 2 megapixel webcam capable of recording 720p HD video, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, and finally two 320GB hard drives in RAID 0 configuration clocked at 7,200RPM, making for 640GB of total storage space. It’s no slouch at all, and can still combat with today’s onslaught of new Sandy Bridge systems.

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Posted in: Gaming, Laptops, Reviews, Windows ⋅ Tagged: , , , , ,

Motorola DROID 3: Still Uses 3G, Costs $199, But Is Still Totally Awesome

July 7, 2011 2:08 PM ⋅

 The Motorola DROID 3 anyone? This is the best Droid on paper (forget the Samsung Droid Charge, despite its amazing 4G LTE data speeds). The DROID 3 packs a dual-core 1GHz processor, 4-inch qHD (960 x 540 pixels) touchscreen display, a full slide-out QWERTY keypad, an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video capture support, front-facing camera, 16GB of storage,  3G mobile hotspot, global roaming support, and Google’s Android 2.3 Gingerbread with Motorola’s user interface enhancement skin on top. It will cost $199.99 on 2-year agreement and requires the new tiered data plans for new customers as well. PR after the break.

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Posted in: Android, Breaking, Mobile, Motorola, Verizon ⋅ Tagged: , , ,

Amazon Cloud Player Has Dedicated iPad Web App And Unlimited Storage For $20 A Year

July 6, 2011 11:09 PM ⋅


It’s a big change in the rather new cloud music land. Amazon lead the pack first with the Cloud Player, then Google followed with the less interesting Music Beta. In the latest developments on Amazon’s end, the Cloud Player now has full support for the iPad (in the form of an iPad web app) along with a new plan, besides the free one: $20 a year gets you unlimited storage of your .mp3 and .m4a files, including all music bought on Amazon. However, this offer is available for a “limited time”, according to Amazon. But who cares? Amazon Cloud Player and cloud music competition just got a lot more fierce — and better. Via: Amazon

Posted in: Apps, Internet ⋅ Tagged: , ,

Spotify Coming To The United States Soon, So Sign-Up For An Invite

July 6, 2011 5:28 PM ⋅

The music service that has made Europe oh-so-happy for so long is finally coming to the United States, and invites to the service are available now at the source link. Keep in mind Spotify is a music streaming service that works on a desktop or on your smartphone, with different streaming tiers available. At the same time I guess our UK readers don’t care about this post. Via: Spotify

Posted in: Apps, Internet ⋅ Tagged:

Notch Publishes The New Minecraft Adventure Update Logo Along With New Features

July 5, 2011 5:54 PM ⋅

 This time on “The Word of Notch”, Markus’ personal Minecraft blog, Minecraft Beta 1.8 has been detailed more than ever, including a new logo for the Adventure update. According to Notch, 40+ new things are pl111anned for Minecraft Beta 1.8, some of which may get leaked and some which will stay unknown until the release date, which also is being kept under wraps.

New features which have been outed in Minecraft Beta 1.8 are:

  • NPC villages
  • Randomly generated dungeons
  • New biome code
  • Fully working Creative Mode (and individual admins can enter Creative Mode on a Survival Mode server if they choose)
  • Critical hits
  • Sprinting
  • More farming options

Posted in: Gaming ⋅ Tagged:

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Review

July 5, 2011 12:58 PM ⋅

Is this — the PlayStation Phone? Yeah, pretty much. Although I think an actual PlayStation Phone from Sony (not Sony Ericsson) would have been a better idea, the Xperia Play is “PlayStation Certified” by Sony and built by Sony Ericsson. Running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, dedicated PSP-like controls, CDMA 3G service on Verizon Wireless, a 4-inch WVGA LCD, and front with back-facing cameras, the Xperia Play should have been the gaming phone of the year, right? Not so much. Let’s see why in the review, after the break.

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Posted in: Android, Mobile, Reviews, Sony Ericsson

Verizon Wireless Is Killing Unlimited Data This July 7th, New Tiered Pricing From $10 To $80

July 5, 2011 12:25 PM ⋅

Today’s confirmation with FierceWireless is a sad day for data hungry users of today’s age of 4G LTE and 3G smartphones. Verizon Wireless will be killing unlimited data for all new customers on July 7th, while existing customers will be able to upgrade and continue using their current unlimited plans without issue. Keep in mind Verizon has been saying for almost a year now that they would pull the plug, but it is until today that details have openly been discussed about the matter.

There will be four tiers of pricing: A mere 75MB for $10, $30 for 2GB, $50 for 5GB, and $80 for 10GB. Tethering will cost an extra $20 and includes an additional 2GB of data monthly. So while you will be paying the same amounts (or more) for less, it was all expected, so don’t say VZW didn’t tell you so (hopefully). On the flipside, Sprint and T-Mobile still offer unlimited data plans on all their 3G and 4G smartphones and tablets.

Posted in: Did You Know?, Internet, Verizon ⋅ Tagged: ,