So, Microsoft feels very confident about all of the new features in Windows Phone 8, but of course, there is a distinct lack of public optimism when it comes to legacy devices getting the upgrade this fall; Microsoft says it isn’t possible. So, what’s a multi-billion dollar manufacturer to do? Well, you could release Windows Phone 7.8, which has a couple of the features that WP8 has, like the redesigned Start Screen, which is demonstrated with as much upbringing as possible, by Microsoft in the video above.
There’s a new build of native Firefox rolling about the Google Play Store for Android, specifically version 14. It adds Flash support, speedier browsing, a new welcome page, those new Australis style tabs, and HTML5. Most reports make mention of the fast startup times and overall quicker browsing experience, so don’t mind me while I go load it up on our variety of dual-core Android handsets, like the Galaxy S III. Anyways, let’s not forget a better phone makes the experience even faster. Press release below.
The usual weekly roundup post, ’This Week On LaptopMemo’.
In other news, Nintendo announced a big 3DS, called the 3DS XL. What additional value this will add is unknown to me, but it will cost $199.99 and include a 4GB SD card. The 3DS XL sports a 4.88-inch top display and 4.18-inch bottom display, and launches on August 19th in red and blue. Oddly, Japanese and European models will ship sans their AC adapters in an effort to keep costs down, and it is unknown if North American models will follow in an identical fashion, but it would be a laughable proposition in this market.
So, while big players like Samsung and Apple have S Voice and Siri, respectively, as their voice control/assistant applications, HTC has been left out of this particular playing field, and it would be a shame for everyone not to see what HTC’s crack at a voice control app would work and look like. Anyways, HTC only produces some of the best hardware and software on the market, so it would be well-timed and a smart business decision for the Taiwanese phone manufacturer to give it a shot.
Flipboard, the best app when it comes to combining your favorite social networks, feeds, news sources, and websites into a magazine format finally debuted on Android. And while all that is nice and well, Samsung has a deal going with the team at Flipboard, where every new Galaxy S III in the United States has the app, pre-installed. And hey, it is a pretty great app anyways, so there’s no hard feelings right? Right.
While today was supposed to be the flawless debut of the Galaxy S III in the United States, consumers had other ideas: the SGS III is actually somewhat troublesome to find, as it is being pre-ordered more than any other Samsung device before it. T-Mobile is actually the only carrier with Galaxy S IIIs readily available — AT&T, Verizon, and U.S. Cellular all are releasing their Galaxy S III units “in the coming weeks”. Sprint, which was supposed to also launch their Galaxy S III today on 3G (with 4G LTE debuting later this year on the device), low supply has foiled their plans. Still, in only my 24 hours of using it, the Galaxy S III is the best Android phone on the market — but let me leave the real details for the upcoming review. Samsung’s press release is available below.
The explanation of Windows Phone 8 is incredibly lengthy, but here’s what matters, using as much brevity with detail as possible: Windows Phone 8, in all its glory, will not be headed to older devices (like the brand new Lumia 900). In fact, older devices will see Windows Phone 7.8, a sort of watered-down version of WP8, with only a couple of the new features (like the new Start screen). That being said…
We’re here in burning hot and sunny New York City, just in time to attend Samsung’s Galaxy S III launch event. The device itself is featured prominently throughout the venue, including the five different things it is capable of doing that other smartphones on the market cannot — namely AllShare Group Cast, which can be used to share data and images among co-workers, then there’s ShareShot, which links up to six other Galaxy S IIIs on Wi-Fi connections and allows for seamless, nearly instantaneous image sharing. Then there’s the usual S Beam NFC sharing feature, Smart Stay (which ingeniously detects usage and stays bright during web browsing sessions), and finally Pop-Up Play, which allows for simultaneous video watching and texting (among other things). And as it has been established for quite a while now, the Galaxy S III contains a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 2GB of RAM, an 8 megapixel sensor with 1080p HD “Blu-Ray quality” recording, the fantastic 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD display, and LTE in the States.
