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Netronix ereader combines e-ink display with Wacom pen

If you've ever wanted a truly digital notebook without much of the excess baggage of full blown tablets, then you better start crossing your fingers that Netronix makes its latest wonder device a commercial reality. Its unnamed 6.8-inch slab boasts of an e-ink screen that you can read on as well as a pressure sensitive Wacom stylus to write with.



Netronix is most likely an unfamiliar name to even those who closely follow the mobile device world. That's probably because the Taiwanese company mostly designs or produces devices that other companies would then buy from them to customize and rebrand. One of its more popular designs, however, is probably more known to the world as the Kobo eReader.


The combination of eink and wacom digitizer is a rather unusual mix, but this Netronix device is pretty much unconventional all over. Inside, it runs on a Freescale i.MX6SL (Solo Lite), a single core Cortex-A9 processor capable of running up to 1 GHz only. The 6.8-inch display size is rather odd too, but perhaps not so much for an ereader. The resolution is also a strange and almost square 1440x1080, that's Full HD that won't be of much use for videos but should afford crisp text and images. It is said to be running Android 4.1, definitely an old version but that shouldn't be much of an issue considering what the device is designed for.


And that purpose is to really give a unique ebook reading experience, especially for obsessive note-takers. Use cases include not just jotting down notes in margins or highlighting important lines but also scribbling down comments or making illustrations for, say, a business meeting. Right now, however, the functionality isn't all there yet, as the demo ebook reader doesn't allow for annotations yet. But since it is running Android, that shouldn't also be a problem in the long run. The screen is also supposedly touch-enabled but has been disabled for that demo device. This is definitely an interesting device for e-ink lovers to root and wait for, and hopefully Netronix finds a willing customer to put this on the production line.




VIA: Liliputing


Attopedia is an encyclopedia for your Android Wear

Smartwatches are very useful for telling time, checking the weather, letting you know of your notifications, researching about history, etc. Wait, what? How can you possibly research about something on a watch? Well if you have a Samsung Live Gear or an LG G3 running on the Android Wear platform, then all you need is an app called Attopedia.



Basically, the app will make your smartwatch a walking (wearing?) encyclopaedia by bringing Wikipedia to Android Wear. So since the 3-centimeter screen limits what you can properly view, the app uses a 2-dimensional grid-based interface, removing all the bells and whistles and keeping it simple enough to look at and scroll through on your wearable device. You can now have access to all the information (although of course, whether it is accurate is another matter) found on Wikipedia, just by looking at your wrist and pushing a few small buttons.


Of course, it may seem a bit weird to be scrolling through an encyclopaedia of sorts on your smartwatch, but remember that when Internet browsing started on mobile devices, people were having difficult adjusting to it after switching from a desktop or laptop. But eventually, developers and designers were able to adjust web pages to fit into the smaller screens. This is the reasoning behind Attopedia’s developer, and this is the first step towards a future when we will be browsing more on wearables.


So if you feel the need to be a fountain of information with just a flick of the wrist, then you better get Attopedia on your Android Wear stat. You can download it for free from the Google Play Store.


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VIA: Dheera





Verizon responds to FCC concerns regarding LTE data throttling

The FCC accosted Verizon recently amid the news that it was planning to slow down data speeds of those on unlimited LTE data plans during times of network congestion. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler had voiced out his concern about the seemingly unfair nature of Verizon’s plan and asked the network to provide more information about their plan.



In a written response, Verizon said, “Rather than an effort to ‘enhance our revenue streams,’ our practice is a measured and fair step to ensure that this small group of customers do not disadvantage all others in the sharing of network resources during times of high demand.” Wheeler had earlier insinuated that Verizon was disadvantaging a segment of their users, quite maybe unfairly.


Verizon also pointed to links saying that AT&T and T-Mobile (here and here) were doing the exact same thing to their customers, and that the focus on them was if not entirely unfair. “I don’t think the FCC really understood what we were doing,” said Verizon Wireless Chief Executive Daniel S. Mead. The FCC have already confirmed that they have received Verizon’s reply to their inquiry and that they are “carefully reviewing” it.


We don’t know about you but there’s just something a bit wrong with Verizon’s reasoning. Why should a segment of its consumers – no matter how small – suffer from the ‘network management’ practices of Verizon, when in fact it is their infrastructure that is not able to handle the traffic? Shouldn’t the solution be to upgrade the infrastructure so that none are disadvantaged? The consumers paid for unlimited bandwith on LTE speeds, so isn’t it just right that they get exactly that? And who’s the wise guy who said that if the others are doing something inherently wrong, then anybody can do it?


VIA: Recode





US government might disallow in-flight calls after all

Airplane passengers in the US who would rather not know of the details of their seatmate's relationships or business transactions might soon be able to breathe a sigh of relief. The Department of Tourism is expected to weigh in on the issue of allowing cellphone calls while in flight, and the agency has hinted that it will be opposing the idea with a more formal and definitive policy.



Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) allowed the use of electronic and mobile devices during all phases of flight, but required mobile phones and tablets to remain in Flight Mode, The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), however, proposed to revise that decades old rule, calling it antiquated and unnecessary. Mobile and network technology has developed to a point that the technical and safety concerns that gave birth to those rules no longer apply. The FCC, however, is leaving the final word to government agencies and ultimately to airlines whether to allow text messaging and cellular calls during flight.


It is that latter the DoT, as well as many frequent fliers, are opposing. While text messaging is hardly a nuisance, provided the phone is on silent mode, based on experience, voice calls can be more disruptive and could inconvenience other passengers. The agency will try to once more use the "safe and adequate service" doctrine of transportation laws, which it has wielded successfully in the past, in order to enforce a ban on in-flight calls, should the policy be finalized. Interestingly, FCC chair Tom Wheeler himself revealed that he is no fan of in-flight calls, trying to appease the masses who have stormed the FCC's communication channels in opposition of its earlier proposal.


Although airlines aren't exactly lining up to offer their passengers this service, they do not want the DoT to set its foot down on the matter at all. They believe that they should be allowed the final say in the matter just as the FCC did. This would give them the opportunity to offer the use of cellular services in more restricted ways, like phone booths or segregated and sound proof sections. A DoT spokesperson said that the agency is indeed working on a notice for proposed rulemaking to be published by December but hasn't yet made up its mind about the matter.


SOURCE: Wall Street Journal

VIA: SlashGear





Talon for Twitter: new themes and notifications,GIF posting

Just a few months ago, popular Twitter client Talon had a major update, with a new UI tweak, support for multiple languages and allowing multiple image uploads. Just four months later, version 2.6.2 now brings even more changes that just might convince Twitter users to abandon the native client and switch on over to a client like Talon, since you can do so much more here than when using the native app.



Have you ever replied to someone on Twitter, but somehow in the middle of composing your message, you suddenly forgot what was originally said. Well your option before was to close the window and look at the original tweet and start over again, but Talon now makes it easier by letting you view the one you’re replying to while you’re in the compose window. The update also brings better notifications for mentions, direct messages, and favorites, as well as allowing GIF images to be posted.


In terms of the look and design, the update brings two add-on themes: Talon-L Light and Talon-L Dark. You can download the apk and then install it on your smartphone, then open Talon and choose it from the themes section. The fonts of the app have also been updated and the developer even added an Android “L” Roboto font. The looks of the compose window and several icons have also been changed with this latest update.


You can download the updated Talon for Twitter from the Google Play Store, if you haven’t yet. You just have to shell out $1.99 to be able to enjoy all these features.


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SOURCE: Talon





The Kogan Agora 4G is a budget LTE smartphone

Kogan is a brand more known in the Australian market, but it will be good to continue looking at the Android products they put out, especially as they are marking a new cooperation with Taiwan-based consumer electronics outfit BenQ for this new iteration of their Agora smartphone. The Agora 4G is the second quad-core phone from Kogan, and it is entering what is an already saturated low-end smartphone market.



The Kogan Agora 4G is an improvement from the earlier Agora 5.0, but not by much, it seems. The selling proposition for the newer phone is of course the 4G capability – giving LTE connection at the 700MHz, 900MHz and 1800MHz frequencies. The new phone will be running stock Android 4.4 Kitkat.


However, the Agora 4G brings back the internals that we saw in the Agora 5.0, namely – the same Snapdragon 400 1.2GHz quad-core processor, the same 5-inch 1280x720 IPS display, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage all carried over from its predecessor. The internal storage is expandable to 64GB via microSD.


kogan1


One of the most noticeable changes to the Agora 4G is actually aesthetic, the new iteration very different from the generic rubberized feel of the old Agora, sporting red accent marks around the camera area, and on the speaker grilles. The Agora 4G is now available for ordering at the source link, for around USD$250 plus shipping.


SOURCE: Kogan





Paranoid Android 4.5 Beta 1: new Recents ready to go

That was fast! Barely a week after 4.5 Alpha 3 was released, Paranoid Android is letting Beta 1 out of its cage. While this release contains mostly fit and polish on the redesigned Recents view, this version is important beyond the changes that it contains. It practically gives the signal that the new Recents is ready for prime time and will soon be available from the custom ROM's stable images.



PA's new Recents brings a foretaste of Android L aesthetics to the Android 4.4 version that sits cozily in the ROMs stable versions. PA developers have been iterating over it with the passion of a burning sun, releasing a new alpha almost every week. This release is no different from the others that it polishes up Recents, improving stability and fixing bugs, particularly one related to the "clear all recent apps" functionality.


Of course, there are other changes in this release unrelated to Recents. A patch to Google bug #13678484 was introduced. This "Fake ID" bug was a recently disclosed security vulnerability that would let malicious software masquerade as a legitimate app because Android does not check the chain of custody when it comes to identity certificates. Unrelated to security, a new patch also adds what PA itself calls "long-overdue" support for its own custom features into Android's multi-user feature. And of course, and you might be tired of hearing it already, Paranoid Android has synced its Theme Engine to the latest changes found in upstream CyanogenMod.


PA 4.5 Beta 1 represents a milestone in the ROM's development, as its new Recents feature has reached a point of stability. Though marked as "beta", the version is practically stable given the minimum number of disruptive changes involved outside of Recents. It will be interesting to see how quickly this beta period will end given how fast they've been releasing alphas. But perhaps it will be even more interesting to see what PA has planned next after this.


SOURCE: +Paranoid Android





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