Android · Did You Know? · Lame · Windows Phone

Microsoft Acts Cowardly: Android 4.0 Beats A Windows Phone In Challenge At Santa Clara (update!)

  • March 26, 2012

In a rather interesting report by Sahas Katta from SkatterTech, he heads to a Santa Clara Microsoft Store to participate in the “Smoked By Windows Phone Challenge” created by Microsoft. It is simple: perform a task faster than a Windows Phone device, and you get the bragging rights. Keep in mind that all the tests are in Microsoft’s favor, but when the brave Sahas stepped in and beat a Windows Phone device by fetching weather from two different cities faster on his Android 4.0-powered Galaxy Nexus (by turning the lock screen off), it infuriated the staff members, and they denied his victory. Personally, I find this rather distasteful, as they had Sahas pose in a photo stating “My Android was smoked by a Windows Phone”, before he left the store.

Really, Microsoft? Are you so desperate for one victory that you need to do this? Tell you what, release the Lumia 900 and then you can go around bullying society into thinking your mobile OS is superior. Via: SkatterTech

Update: Now they’ve offered the true victor a free laptop and phone. Classic PR move.

Roundups

This Week On LaptopMemo: Hot iPads, Lots Of Tweets, Future Promises, And A Review

  • March 25, 2012

So, this week we had hotter-than-normal iPads, lots of tweets for Twitter’s birthday, the promise of a “premium suite” of apps for the Galaxy Note in the second quarter of this year, Shogun 2: Fall of The Samurai, new AC3 screenshots, Windows 8 will support “Retina” displays, and last but not least, a camera from MIT that can see around corners. Also, we love the Galaxy Nexus.

Good stuff for the week that was of March 25th, 2012.

Android · Mobile · Reviews · Samsung · Verizon

Galaxy Nexus Review: Everything Is In Sync

  • March 25, 2012

This is Android 4.0. The first time I ever laid eyes on it in person, I was intrigued by how Android changed so much, so quickly. Only then did I realize that the Galaxy Nexus was built perfectly around it, for instance, having no touch capacitive buttons to perform functions; everything is done using the 720p HD, 4.65-inch Super AMOLED screen. Then it was soon realized that the 1.2GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM was more than adequate to keep the system running at full speed and smoothly transitioning with all the animations and effects seen in Ice Cream Sandwich. Then came the 10MBps+ 4G LTE speeds on Verizon. And then lastly, I soon found out that the cameras (both the front 1.3MP and 5 megapixel back-facing) were both built perfectly around the software, to the point where recording 1080p HD footage can be taken with speed, all the while taking photos while recording, thanks to Android 4.0.

If only all Android manufacturers could perfectly sync the software to the hardware, per the way Apple has for so many years. This is why I will say right off the bat, that the Galaxy Nexus is one of the best Android phones ever produced, and it deserves the 9.5/10 I’m bestowing upon it Read the full review after the break!

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Did You Know? · Gaming

Gaming Memo: New Assassin’s Creed III Screenshots

  • March 25, 2012

Great news, fellow assassin’s! Some new screenshots have been released for our Assassin Creed III hero, Connor. In this case, he’s killing redcoats during the American Revolutionary period, hiding in plain sight, and other stuff assassin’s are good at. Check out the source link for all the (beautiful) shots. An interesting note to make is that in this time period, camouflage was for cowards, which probably explains why Connor is still wearing the white assassin’s attire seen on Altair and Ezio, the previous stars of the Assassin’s Creed series.

Via: PC Gamer

Android · Apps

Instagram for Android sign-up page now live…

  • March 25, 2012

Oh my. It’s Instagram for Android!

A sign-up page of all things! It’s not incredibly important, but if you sign-up with your email address on the popular photo-sharing service with 27 million users using the iOS app, then you will be granted a “first in line” privilege, either for a beta or for just as a alert for when the app is available. Check it out for yourself at the source link.

Via: Instagram, TNW

Android · Apple · Apps

U.S. Army Software Marketplace debuts for iOS approved apps, Android coming

  • March 24, 2012

Since the United States Army has been trying to create their own smartphone for soldiers on the field, it is only mandatory that there be an app store with Army approved applications inside. Introducing, the U.S. Army Software Marketplace, a mobile website with links to approved iOS apps on the App Store. An Android version is in the works. The approved apps so far are 12 apps, including the Soldiers Blue Book (the initial training guide for all members of the Army), a benefits guide, and a social media handbook. On the flipside the army is looking into third-party submissions, and the marketplace is available to the public, as well.

Via: U.S. Army, The Software Marketplace

Did You Know? · Gaming

Now Available: Shogun 2 – Fall Of The Samurai

  • March 23, 2012

In the past few months (and then some), the Total War team has created multiple worthwhile DLCs for their best game yet, Shogun 2: Total War. It has become a history lesson for gamers and nearly a means of teaching for history professors on the Feudal Periods of Japan. Nearly all times of “feudal Japan” has been covered using the base game, or DLCs: the Gempei war, which allowed for the rise of the samurai class, the Sengoku Jidai (which is where the Tokugawa Shogunate claimed victory), and now lastly the fall of the samurai: enter the Americans and the Gatling gun. It is highly explosive and the most modern Total War game, to date. It’s available starting today on Steam, at $29.99. Best of all, due to its size, you do not need the base Shogun 2 game to play it, so Fall of The Samurai is a game all its own.

Microsoft · Windows

Whoa: Windows 8 Will Be “Retina Display” Ready = Epic Pixel Density

  • March 22, 2012

This — well, I did not expect this. In fact, no one has. Perhaps? Whatever.

Microsoft has made (or will make, rather) the upcoming Windows 8 Retina display ready, or at least ready for a screen that’s 2560 x 1440 resolution and as small as 10.1 inches. That translates to a deliciously detailed 291 pixels per-inch. Keep in mind however that graphical elements have to be meticulously scaled and detailed to fit the size, so what Microsoft has done is use 100 percent of available pixels for standard density displays, 140 for HD and 180 for quad-XGA panels. Best of all, there are SVG files as UI elements, meaning that density and resolution independence is pretty close for devs.

Want to know more? Check out the source link. Via: Building Windows 8

Apps · Internet · Social Media

Tweetdeck Updates Their App With Inline Media, Better Lists, Etc.

  • March 22, 2012

So, the first of the Tweetdeck updates arrive: a better Tweetdeck for Chrome, Windows, and Mac. The update brings inline media, better list management, a new “Edit & RT” in replacement of the “Quote” feature, new activity and interactions columns, and more. You can see all of this in play after the break as part of a video, or just download the app yourself, for free, of course — which is xcellent.

Via: Tweetdeck

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Android · Mobile · Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Note Receiving Premium Suite Upgrade In Android 4.0 This Q2

  • March 22, 2012

The Samsung Galaxy Note over-the-air upgrade has been delayed till the second quarter of this year — for good reason. This new update will add the Premium Suite of apps, which are centered around the new S pen that the device comes with, which we reviewed earlier this year. The “GALAXY Note continues to delight customers all over the world with its incredible versatility and unique user experience. With the Premium Suite upgrade, we wanted to add features that enrich users’ Note experience even more, including the great advantages of Android 4.0 and innovative applications for S Pen,” said JK Shin, Samsung’s president of IT & Mobile Communications. “We are committed to providing extraordinary experiences for consumers, and we will continue to provide new features and upgrades to enrich our offering.”

So overall, the Galaxy Note is only getting better. Nice. Video after the break.

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