Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Lasso app update includes crowdsourced bargains

Lasso app update includes crowdsourced bargains

Lasso app update includes crowdsourced bargains

Aussie price comparison site Lasoo has updated its iOS app to include a way to share the bargains its users find.

Dubbed Lasso.it, the new feature lets users photograph and price an item in store, plus scan its barcode to match it with the same product located by other users in the network and identify the location with the cheapest price or stores with value-adding bonuses.

Currently the update is only on iOS, but Android and Windows Phone versions are on the way.

Richer shopping experience

It's not just about price matching either, according to Lasoo's Daniel Salter.

"We also see it as a way for consumers to find out more information about the products they are purchasing," says Salter, describing how Lasso app users can mod ify its database of products with additional information about a product, or create a new database entry if a product doesn't exist already.

Having users scan products will also help Lasoo assess what is popular amongst shoppers, and it will dedicate a new section of the app to the most scanned items.

This new fucntionality will sit alongside the tools from previous versions, including an extensive list of current catalogues from many of the major Australian retailers.

     


Samsung doubles down with world's first 4GB LPDDR3 mobile DRAM

Samsung doubles down with world's first 4GB LPDDR3 mobile DRAM

Samsung doubles down with world's first 4GB LPDDR3 mobile DRAM

Samsung is further narrowing the gap between mobile devices and PCs thanks to today's announcement that it will begin producing the world's first 4GB LPDDR3 mobile DRAM.

The memory, comparable to that of a desktop computer, not only trumps the company's 2GB LPDDR3 mobile RAM unveiled seven months ago, but reduces the size from 30nm to 20nm.

"Our 20nm-class 4GB mobile DRAM provides another example of our ability to deliver well-differentiated, high-performance, high-density memory to customers in a timely manner," said Samsung Executive Vice President Young-Hyun Jun in a press release.

"By providing the most efficient next-generation mobile memory with a very large data capacity, we are now enabling OEMs to introduce even more innovative designs in the marketplace."

4GB LPDDR3 mobile DRAM comparison

The 20nm-class process technology behind the 4GB LPDDR3 DRAM chips makes for a 30 percent improvement in performance and 20 percent savings in power consumption over LPDDR2 DRAM.

It can transmit data up to 2,133 megabits per second (Mbps) per pin, which is more than double the performance of an 800Mbps LPDDR2 chip.

"This makes it possible to transmit three full HD videos, collectively 17 GBs in length, in one second over the new Samsung chip embedded in a mobile device," claimed Samsung.

The South Korean manufacturer's 2GB LPDDR3 mobile RAM announced seven months ago could run at a total of 12.8 Gbps and 1600 per pin.

And that performance bested the single LPDDR2 chips in just 10 months.

DRAM the torpedos, full-speed ahead

Samsung's announcement was coupled with hopes that this speedy new RAM will be an attractive solution for multimedia-intensive features on next-generation mobile devices.

"We're focusing on LPDDR3 right now. That's really what's being adopted in the marketplace," Samsung Mobile Memory Group product marketing manager Stephen Lum to TechRadar.

"We're planning to roll this technology out into mass production into devices in the second half of this year."

"We're production ready. Our customers will be launching their devices over the course of the next couple of quarters."

Next-generation mobile devices

"Last year, I think there was only a single device that launched with LPDDR3, so you're going to see a whole slew of new devices with the capabilities built around this technology," Lum told TechRadar.

This means that Samsung's 20 nm-class 4GB LPDDR3 memory should make its way into next-generation mobile devices over the next couple of months.

The company's fast-paced memory division was able to put the 2GB LPDDR3 mobile RAM, announced last fall, into its Galaxy S4 smartphone, which launched this month.

Samsung was reportedly also able to retain Apple as a chip-buying customer last fall, outfitting the iPhone 5 with 1GB LPDDR3 chips.

However, there's no guarantee that Apple will use the South Korean manufacturer's newer LPDDR3 chips in the iPhone 5S or iPhone 6.

Apple reportedly wants to ditch all of its Samsung-marked components. This includes swapping Samsung parts for Intel processors like the A7 system-on-a-chip.

With industry-first announcements from the Smasung every seven to ten months, it's going to be a difficult task for any company to avoid using the world's largest memory manufacturer.

    


Will Twitter let tweeters tweet with a twitch on Google Glass?

Will Twitter let tweeters tweet with a twitch on Google Glass?

Will Twitter let tweeters tweet with a twitch on Google Glass?

If you thought the only thing lacking from the vision of Robert Scoble wearing Google Glass in the shower was the ability to tweet the vision direct from the device itself, then it looks like you're in luck.

After creating his own basic Twitter for Glass app, developer and self-proclaimed Glass hacker Jonathan Gottfried noticed a photo tweet from an account with the hashtag #throughglass that was marked as coming from the Twitter for Glass app.

As All Things D explains, that's significant because only Twitter themselves can include the word 'Twitter' in a Twitter app.

Not a pane-ful leak

More evidence that supports the official Twitter app theory is that the account that tweeted the image, @MoGroothMuddler (which has since been deleted), bears a significant resemblance to Twitter mobile engineering manager Shiv Ramamurthi, who tweets from the handle @MoGrooth.

Of course, it makes sense that Twitter would be working on its own dedicated app for Google's Glass device, and given the public nature of the tweet in question, you could even assume that the leak was intentional.

So far, Twitter's maintained radio silence over the legitimacy of the app. But realistically, who's going to buy a pair of these glasses if the only social network they can use is Google Plus?

Via TechCrunch, AllThingsD

    


iPhone 5S may celebrate its independence in July

iPhone 5S may celebrate its independence in July

iPhone 5S may celebrate its independence in July

As we draw nearer to the start of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, reports of what the Cupertino company is bringing to the table have been escalating.

It just so happens that rumors about the iPhone 5S have been plentiful these past few weeks, with many sources pointing to the updated smartphone making a showing at WWDC.

We've already heard Apple may be readying the iPhone 5S for a summer launch, with s ome sources indicating the iPhone 5 successor is already well into production.

Those claims became a little more grounded on Monday, when marketing materials for Japanese telecommunications company KDDI leaked possible pre-order and release dates for the iPhone 5S.

Summer blockbuster

According to the leaked documents for KDDI's au wireless service, pre-orders for the iPhone 5S will begin on June 20, with the smartphone arriving at some time in July.

The leaked info also indicated the iPhone 5S will feature a 13MP camera, a fingerprint reader, and iOS 7, which are all certainly specifics we've heard touted at least once before.

French website Nowhereelse.fr uncovered the paperwork, w ith Apple Insider pointing out docs like this are used by the staff at official carrier stores as cheat sheets of a sort.

The June 20 pre-order window certainly jibes with what we've heard previously, and fits in with the timeline of an announcement of the 5S at WWDC during the week of June 10-14.

Releasing the iPhone 5S relatively soon after the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 rather than later in the year would help Apple keep pace with its rivals, but rumors about iPhone release dates are about as common as the phone itself.

Until some more concrete evidence arrives, we won't be waiting for the summer winds to blow in the iP hone 5S.

    


Monday, April 29, 2013

Sony Xperia Tablet Z available for preorder, ships May 24

Sony Xperia Tablet Z available for preorder, ships May 24

Sony Xperia Tablet Z available for preorder, ships May 24

If you fancy a super-thin, 10.1-inch Android tablet bearing the Sony brand, the company's online store is now serving up preorders for its latest and greatest.

On Monday, Sony's online store began accepting preorders for its latest 10.1-inch Xperia Tablet Z, available in 16GB or 32GB configurations with a tentative ship date of May 24.

Starting at $ 499.99 (UK£399, AUD$ 649) for the 16GB model (available in black only), Sony bills the X peria Tablet Z as the "world's thinnest tablet" at a mere 0.27 inches thick and weighs just a hair over one pound (1.09 lbs. to be exact).

Powered by a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 Cortex-A9 quad-core processor, the Xperia Tablet Z includes Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and a full HD 1920 x 1200 "Reality Display" the manufacturer says is capable of sharper, more vivid images than previous models.

Exclusive bundle available

Users who need extra space have the option of spending an additional $ 100 for a 32GB Sony Xperia Tablet Z, which comes in your choice of black or white.

The Sony Store is also offering an exclusive bundle for the 32GB white model including a free charging cradle, a $ 44.99 value (also available separately).

Sony has built a couple of bonuses into the latest Xperia tablet, including universal infrared remote functionality and the ability to withstand dust or even being submerged in as much as three feet of water for up to 30 minutes.

Thinner than a pencil, preorders for the Sony Xperia Tablet Z are now available from the Sony Store for an estimated May 24 ship date with free two-day delivery.

    


//PART 2