Qualcomm had a single Android development prototype on the CTIA Wireless 2008 show floor this week, on an edge-of-booth stand with little to no signage. We stopped by to check out the progress of the Google-backed platform and see how far the reference design had come; in the process, we came across what appears to be confirmation that the device was running Android firmware version 1.0. Since this version hadn’t yet been spotted in the wild, and some of the apps have only been seen in images, we thought we’d shoot video walkthroughs of the settings, browser, IM client, H.264 video player, and Quake which is now playable on the handset.
Seven demo videos of what looks to be Android Firmware 1.0 after the cut
The reference device was working in a worst-case scenario: primarily, it could not lock onto a 3G signal, and so all the browsing you see is being done at EDGE speeds. It was also a relatively generic Qualcomm prototype design, with non Android-specific buttons. That led to a few usability problems, which could be blamed on the hardware design rather than the Android OS. Finally, although the prototype we were using had a touchscreen, the driver was temperamental and as such we had to use the D-pad to navigate most of the time.
Despite being relatively small, the screen is VGA resolution and Android looks fantastic. Menus load quickly, and everything seems consistent across apps. We weren’t allowed to properly load up the IM client, which will out-of-the-box support GTalk, AIM, MSN Messenger and Yahoo! IM accounts, and the browser (which Google have already confirmed is based on the same underlying technology as their recently-announced Chrome desktop browser) did not have the Flash plugin needed to play YouTube videos.
However, we think you’ll agree that these are evidence that Android is almost ready for prime-time. None of the Qualcomm people we spoke to knew any information on absolute release dates, but based on our hands-on experience, we certainly don’t doubt that the most recent September 23rd prediction could easily come true.
More information at Android Community.
Live Demo of Android Browser pt.1
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Live Demo of Android Browser pt.2
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Live First-Look of Android IM Client
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Working Version of Quake on Android
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Android Phone calling iPhone
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YouTube interface on Android Phone (no Flash)
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Android Firmware 1.0 (?) Full Settings Menus
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Written by Chris Davies on September 13th, 2008 with no comments.
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AT&T has unveiled the latest update to their U-verse IP system, Total Home DVR. The system will allow the playback of recorded content - in standard and high-definition - not only on a U-verse DVR but up to seven connected TVs. Playback can follow viewers around the house, pausing on one screen and resuming it on another, or alternatively multiple, independent viewings can be watched on separate TVs.
Check out the demonstration videos of U-verse Total Home DVR after the cut
Up to four recorded shows can be played back simultaneously, three of which can be HD, while two live HD programs are also being viewed. Recordings can be scheduled not only on the DVR itself, but over the internet through the AT&T Yahoo! Mobile Remote Access portal either on a PC or cellphone. Four recordings per DVR are supported, with a total capacity of 37 hours of HD content or 133 hours of SD content per box.
Usability has been improved as well as flexibility. Shows can now be grouped by series, streamlining playback options, and “soft padding” automatically adds a buffer to the start and end of pre-scheduled recordings to avoid missing any content.
In the future, AT&T plan to integrate the unified control into its non-DVR receivers, allowing users to remotely schedule, pause and control live TV no matter which receiver they are using.
The update will be installed automatically, using customers’ existing equipment. Total Home DVR is currently being rolled out as a no-cost upgrade to customers in the San Francisco Bay Area; it’s expected to extend to all U-verse TV customers by the end of 2008.
Note: Demo video coming up as soon as YouTube is back in full swing.
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Written by Vincent Nguyen on September 9th, 2008 with no comments.
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If you read the first part of our Microsoft Surface Blogger Day report, you’ll know that SlashGear has been hanging out with the Seattle company’s nifty MultiTouch table. You’ve hopefully had a chance to watch the videos of Surface in action - exploring cellphone details, playing multi-user games, exploring media and more - and, if you’re anything like the rest of us, are getting more and more curious about how Microsoft plan on integrating what they’ve learnt from the project into Windows 7.
Multiple videos from the event after the cut!
We’ll have to wait to find out those exact details, but Vincent has been spending more time exploring the app functionality on Surface as well as meeting the team members behind the project. As we’ve said before, the system really comes into its own when working with media; the geotagging video and the photo app demo are particularly impressive.
Microsoft are playing their cards close to their chest with regards the upcoming OS, but their enthusiasm for MultiTouch and the sample apps they’ve been showing speaks volumes about what the software will be able to do. Vincent tells me he has plenty more video from the event that is currently going through editing and processing, so we’ll be bringing you more hands-on footage later.
Previous coverage on Microsoft Surface here.
Pete Thompson welcomes bloggers to Surface Blogger Day (apologies for the poor light video on this one):
Microsoft Surface Paint demo:
Surface Photo App demo:
Geotagging demo:
Microsoft Surface Team Members:
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Written by Chris Davies on June 20th, 2008 with no comments.
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Vincent has been hanging out with Microsoft at their latest Surface Blogger Event, getting hands-on with the company’s MultiTouch table. All of the user experiences we’ve heard about over the past few months were out on show, including the Rio iBar gaming, entertainment browser and virtual mini-bar, and AT&T’s in-store use of Surface as a phone information and accessory tool. They also demonstrated some of the table’s other talents, including its ability to photograph and display, in real-time, anything placed onto it - whether that be money, a drink or even a blogger’s face!
Check out the exclusive hands-on video with Microsoft’s Surface after the cut
While the glitzy stuff is all very impressive, what’s most interesting to me is the general use of MultiTouch - that’s what gives hints as to how it might be implemented in the Windows 7 OS. The virtual dial used to browse through multiple photos is particularly neat, and while the ability to zoom and pan with fingers is already in use on the iPhone, it really seems to come into its own on a larger-scale display.
Of course there are plenty of questions: what sort of hardware and minimum spec will recreating this sort of MultiTouch experience in the home require, and what do Microsoft consider the “killer app” to persuade the many doubters that the technology has a place in the home? This is only day one of the event, and Vincent is promising more video and hands-on photos of what Microsoft have up their sleeves for Surface.
Remember, you can click over to YouTube and select “watch in high quality” to see the full-resolution version
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Written by Chris Davies on June 18th, 2008 with no comments.
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Nintendo’s Wii Fit has finally launched in the US today, and we practically snatched it from the hands of the mailman (he’s pretty used to it) to shoot a video unboxing for you. We’ll be attempting to recover our sense of balance and put the innovative controller through its paces for a review later, but hands-on first impressions are good. Rated for up to 300lbs, the Wii Fit may be plastic but it feels sturdy and reassuring and the four non-slip feet are promising for use on wooden floors.
Check out the Wii Fit unboxing video after the cut
Nintendo include the necessary batteries and a copy of the Wii Fit companion game, together with a thin printed manual. It hooks up wirelessly to your Wii, and when you first start you need to enter your height, tell it whether you’re wearing particularly heavy clothing, and then go through a weigh-in and a test for your centre of gravity. After that, the software works out your BMI (Body Mass Index) and tells you whether you’re fat or not (Nintendo are keen to point out that this is aimed at adults, and that children’s bizarre and lumpen bodies may not be correctly represented by the calculated BMI).
Tell Wii Fit what weight you want to lose, and how long you’ve got in which to achieve it, and it’ll set you weekly goals and offer up the different exercises. They’re broken down into four categories: yoga, muscle workouts, aerobic exercises and balance exercises. Aerobic, for instance, includes a virtual hoola-hoop, a “step” class and jogging on the spot; under balance there’s a particularly tricky game in which you have to guide a virtual ball around a table covered in holes, by shifting your weight on the board. All the achievements are recorded under your Mii profile, and doing particularly well at a certain activity unlocks new exercises.
We’ve not long had the Wii Fit in the office, but already we’re impressed. It’ll be interesting to see how long the batteries last, and whether it’s actually a good way to lose weight or more of a gimmick, but - misrepresented BMI aside - anything that gets kids off the couch and moving around has to be A Good Thing. If it does some good for some lazy tech journalists too, all the better…
We’ll bring you more on the Wii Fit when we’ve put it - and ourselves - through its paces.
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Written by Chris Davies on May 21st, 2008 with no comments.
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Filed under: Transportation
We’ve heard some pretty zany claims when it comes to alternatively-powered vehicles, but Daren Luedtke is suggesting this his homemade electric van can propel itself some “500 miles” on a single charge. He also noted that it can be fully recharged in just eight hours, and he has apparently filed for a number of patents on the technology. The prototype Caravan, which took a few hundred thousand dollars to convert, is filled with batteries and also sports a computer that “monitors inputs such as amperage and voltage (his words, not ours).” Luedtke Enterprises is purportedly looking for manufacturers to help bring the technology to the public, and if you’re interested in hearing more, you can hit the read link for a video interview with the head honcho himself.
[Via CNET]
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Written by Darren Murph on October 3rd, 2007 with no comments.
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