3d illusion arts: Walyou

Walyou

Yotaphone 2 Makes a Case for Dual Screen Smartphones
Self-Destructing Phone Will Keep Your Darkest Secrets
Google I/O is Just Around The Corner
Samsung Chromebook 2 Priced at $319.99 Is Coming Out in April
Google Projected Mode and Apple CarPlay Are the Future of In-Car Systems

Yotaphone 2 Makes a Case for Dual Screen Smartphones

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 06:00 AM PST

For some people, one smartphone screen just isn't enough. Yotaphone put an E-Ink display on the back of their phone and it was at Mobile World Congress.

One issue at the forefront of Smartphone design—both software and physical—is notification presentation and management. The Yotaphone 2 had its debut at CES and continues to push a niche handset in a direction that many mainstream phones might want to find a way to emulate.

Notification LEDs are older than smartphones, as are second screens. Both were initially ways to make important notifications easier to access, but neither translated well to smartphones. Obviously most smartphones have notification LEDs, but with so many apps trying to get your attention, it makes a single blinking light pretty inadequate at communicating anything other than "turn on the screen," which—let's be honest—is something we all do every 30 seconds anyway.

The problem is, anything more drastic than a blinking LED is a major battery drain. Samsung and Motorola have both made huge jumps forward on this front with the creative use of their AMOLED displays, which allow them to light up individual pixels without the need of a full backlight, allowing for minimal screen usage to deliver live (and specific) notifications without a need for the phone to even be touched.

Yotaphone goes the extra mile and makes the entire backside of their Android phone an E-Ink display. This allows for the presentation of full text messages and other notifications without even putting as much strain on the battery as Motorola's Active Display notifications.

The Yotaphone itself doesn't offer much as the handset is not very impressive outside of this individual feature, but it does serve as an amazing proof of concept phone. The use of an E-Ink display to show not just text message and social media notifications, but live stock quotes, weather, and a plethora of other bits of data that many people will check multiple times an hour will go a long way towards improving multi-tasking and saving battery life simultaneously.

Maybe Yotaphone will evolve to this place on its own, or maybe it will take another company to come along and innovate on their concept, but Yotaphone has proven that there are still more ideas to be explored in mobile tech.

Source: TechAdvisor

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter

Self-Destructing Phone Will Keep Your Darkest Secrets

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 05:00 AM PST

Smartphones are pretty incredible, but over-reliance on them might turn into more than inconvenience if you happen to loose them. This phone provides quite a solution to such predicament.

This model in question is called Boeing Black, and it is a smartphone designed by Boeing themselves for government use: 100% designed to keep private stuff private. If someone who is not the owner tampers with it, the Boeing Black proceeds to delete all its data and brick itself. We were really expecting it to blow up, but no such luck.

Onto the technical side of things? The phone runs on the latest Android os, with a 5.2-by-2.7-inch screen (that’s larger than an iPhone, mind you), and uses dual SIM cards to operate several lines.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter and read more on Walyou at Samsung Galaxy S5 is Official and Coming Soon, Artemis Brings Much Needed Change to Old Cellular Technology

Google I/O is Just Around The Corner

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 04:00 AM PST

Although it’s months away, rumors are already cropping up left and right about 2014s Google I/O.

Ever since Google made a big splash in 2012 by kicking off their annual I/O developers conference with a Google Glass announcement that included skydiving and various other extreme sports, rumors start to buzz months in advance regarding what new software, hardware, or other initiatives will emerge during the next meeting of the Googlers.

The Google I/O 2014 dates were dropped recently in a Google+ post by Sundar Pichai, Google's Senior Vice President of Android, Chrome, and Apps.

It's too early to know for sure what to expect, but there are several rumors already, as well as some safe assumptions as to what we will be seeing at this year's Google I/O. In the past, I/O has been used as a platform to announce new editions of Android, but that hasn't been the case for the last few iterations, so it's not a given that we will receive a new version of Android at Google I/O this year either, but last year we did get the announcement of the spin-off of Google Play Services, so just because there's no Android 4.5/5.0 version released doesn't mean we won't be seeing any Android improvements announced.

One such rumored improvement is Google Babble. Google Babble would be the unification of all Google's messaging services, specifically Google Hangouts and Google Voice, bringing all messaging services under one roof for Google, not too different from Apple's iMessage, although it would play a much more significant role in Google's ecosystem.

Google's first Nexus 7 tablet was announced at Google I/O 2012, but I/O 2013 skipped the announcement of a new tablet and instead launched it a few weeks later in July, so, while we won't necessarily see this unveiled at the conference, it may not be trailing far behind.

We likely won't see a new Nexus phone this year, since it'll be around 8 months since the release of the Nexus 5 and Google typically releases Nexus phones in the fall. The Nexus 7 and 10 are both due for a refresh, though, and rumors of the inclusion (or substitution) of a Nexus 8 are persistent.

While Google has traditionally gone with a 7" tablet, most major competitors, such as Samsung and Apple, have tablets closer to 8". Google isn't the type to launch two products that are so similar, so if there is a Nexus 8, it will likely be at the exclusion of a new Nexus 7; however, the Nexus 7 has proven to be so popular that Google may not feel the need to add an 8" tablet to combat Apple and Samsung's lineups.

The original Nexus 10 was launched in the fall of 2012 and hasn't had a replacement issued yet, so it is high time for a new one. There were quite a few rumors surrounding Google launching the device at Mobile World Congress, but that didn't end up happening, leaving many to wonder if it will happen during Google I/O

Some rumor state that HTC will be the hardware partner for the Nexus 10, which would be interesting, given HTC's Boomsound is such a significant part of their current hardware, and the original Nexus 10 was one of the only other devices to sport stereo speakers on the front like the HTC One lineup does.

One big change last year was the inclusion of Google Play Edition devices. The Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition was announced at I/O and the HTC One GPE followed shortly after the conference. With the Galaxy S5, the All New HTC One, and new devices from LG and Sony, we may see more announcements on this front as well.

The other long rumored device we could see is a Google smartwatch. Many rumors suggesting this have emerged, some saying that LG will again be Google's hardware partner for this initiative; however, there was a smartwatch project at Motorola Mobility dubbed "The Google Watch" by some Motorola employees, so don't be surprised to see a Motorola watch. This device could also be an in-house Google device if they kept it in the advanced research division of Motorola, which is one of the few things Google is holding on to in the Lenovo acquisition.

Much of what happens at Google I/O is not headline making news, though, as the conference is targeted primarily at developers. There are always lots of small bits of news, such as design standards, and the release of additional APIs, or SDKs that go into enabling developers to improve Google devices and services. We are likely to see improvements to Google Play Services, Chromecast, and Chromebooks come through the conference as well, but most of those details probably won't draw as much attention.

We still have months before Google I/O, so anything can happen by then. Be sure to keep an eye out as we are bound to have many more Googley leaks and rumors for you to read about before the end of June rolls around.

Source: Into Mobile, PCMag, Android Police, GottaBeMobile

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter

Samsung Chromebook 2 Priced at $319.99 Is Coming Out in April

Posted: 03 Mar 2014 12:30 PM PST

Next month we’ll get to see the second generation of notebooks running Chrome OS made by Samsung, which is not only faster, but also better looking.

Since Samsung and Acer launched the first Chromebooks three years ago, Google’s line of products running Chrome OS expanded to include all-in-one Chromebase desktop computers, as well as business videoconferencing Chromeboxes. The search giant figured that the mobile devices could use a reboot, as well, so it gave Samsung the green light to manufacture a new iteration of the Chromebook.

Mike Abary, senior VP of consumer IT product marketing at Samsung Electronics America, stated that “Since we introduced our first Chromebook in 2011, Samsung has been committed to continually developing our designs and features to meet our users’ ever-changing needs, while staying true to the core Chromebook attributes of simplicity, speed and security. Samsung has been the top selling consumer Chromebook brand for the past three years and we’ll continue to grow our leadership position in this space with the launch of the Chromebook 2 Series.”

Tod Pike, senior VP at Samsung’s Enterprise Business Division, explained the main focus of the new Chrome OS laptops made by the South Korean tech company: “Chromebooks are particularly important in the education space – according to Futuresource, one in four devices now sold into K-12 schools in the U.S. are Chromebooks – so we’ve designed our latest models with students and teachers in mind, including features like rapid start times, longer battery life and an easy-to-grip design.”

Samsung Chromebook 2 will be available in two sizes, 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch, costing $319.99 and $399.99, respectively. In terms of improvements, the new Chromebook comes with a faster Samsung Exynos 5 Octa CPU which should provide an overall better experience than the previous generation, a better battery capable of keeping the notebook alive for up to 8.5 hours, and a 720p or 1080p display, depending on the diagonal.

As far as the exterior design goes, Samsung Chromebook 2 will feature a cover that resembles stitched leather, something the South Korean manufacturer got from the Note 3 phablets. Overall, the updated specs and the new looks are worth the price, but it remains to be seen how the new Chromebook stacks against the previous generation in terms of performance.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Google Chromebook 11 made by HP that charges over microUSB and the possibility of cohabitation of Chrome OS and Windows 8 on your desktop.

Google Projected Mode and Apple CarPlay Are the Future of In-Car Systems

Posted: 03 Mar 2014 11:00 AM PST

Both Apple and Google are looking to turn cars into iPhone and Android accessories, and they even have partners among automakers to help them, as proved at the Geneva Motor Show.

The 2014 edition of the Geneva Motor Show opened today, and automakers weren’t shy to reveal their new rides and the technological upgrades that came with them. Among the most important announcements made today was the implementation of Apple CarPlay (previously known as iOS in the Car) by three important car makers: Volvo, Ferrari and Mercedes Benz. Mind you, this doesn’t mean that people will have to wait for months to get a vehicle featuring Apple’s in-car entertainment system. On the contrary, all three automakers announced that CarPlay-enabled vehicles will start shipping this week.

Of course, Apple won’t settle for only three companies, as this tech company wouldn’t mind at all taking over the entire auto world. Some of the other automakers that will soon ship vehicles with CarPlay include Honda, Hyundai and Jaguar in the short term, and MW, Chevrolet, Ford, Kia, Land Rover, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Open, Peugeot-Citroën, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota in the long term. A short glimpse reveals that Fiat’s Chrysler and companies from the VW Group are missing from the enumeration, possibly suggesting that these automakers might turn to Google for an in-car entertainment solution.

Apple CarPlay will make use of iOS devices to deliver content on a display and in your car’s speakers. Vehicles that feature such smartphone integration systems from the moment they exit the factory’s gates simplify things a lot, as they make third-party solutions unnecessary.

As far as automakers are concerned, Mercedes Benz likes to play on both sides. A recent job advert suggests that Daimler, the owner of Mercedes Benz, is looking for a software engineer to implement Google Projected Mode, the search giant’s own version of an in-car entertainment system. As the name suggests, this system will mirror Android devices, while featuring itself a simplified version of Google’s mobile OS. Knowing this tech company, it probably has something more otherworldly for us than what the name lets us assume.

It’s anyone’s guess that Google Projected Mode and Apple CarPlay won’t be available by default on any car (with the exception of Ferrari, maybe), and will only come as a (very expensive) extra, but if you can afford buying a luxury car, the price of an in-car entertainment system will surely seem insignificant.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Opel Adam, the first European car featuring Siri Eyes Free, and the integration of Google Glass in the 2015 Hyundai Genesis.