Microsoft launches web site translator bookmarklet

Translating a web site from another language to your own can definitely be a hit-or-miss process. You never really know if the translation software is giving you an accurate overview of the site. Now Microsoft has come up with a new bookmarklet that should make that transition easier for users of Internet Explorer as well as Firefox and Safari browsers. The Translator Bookmarklet can be found onMicrosoft's Translator web site.

Getting the bookmarklet to work on the supported browsers is pretty simple. User just have to select their native language on the Translator web site and then move the "Translate" link on the screen into your web browser's bookmark bar.

After that, all you have to do is click on the "Translate" selection in the bookmarks bar when you visit a foreign language web site. The bookmarklet then automatically switches the web site to your native language.  There's a wide selection of languages available to choose from including English, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and Russian.

While many users have accessed third party web sites to translate other web pages, including Babel Fish, this effort from Microsoft seems to be a pretty easy way to do the same thing. It certainly will be much easier to look at news items from other countries via the translator bookmarklet to see if what they report actually translates into the same thing in your native language.

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Google: 200 million Android devices activated worldwide

Google's Android operating system is pretty much everywhere you go in the smartphone and tablet world with a large number of devices from many different manufacturers. Today The Verge reports that during Google's press event (where it revealed its Google Music service), the company announced that the number of Android-based device has jumped up considerably in just a few months. In May Google said that "just" 100 million Android devices had been activated worldwide. Today that number has doubled with over 200 million Android devices now officially activated.

These numbers compare very well with Apple's iOS devices. In October, Apple said it sold a total of 250 million iOS products since the launch of  the first iPhone in 2007. Anyway you look at it the iOS and Android mobile operating systems are the two dominant forces in the smartphone industry. It also  means that app developers have two huge audiences for their creations.

Since Android activations have doubled in just six months, one wonders how many will be activated in the next six month time period, especially since Samsung is about to release the first Android 4.0 smartphone, the Galaxy Nexus. Meantime Apple is still having issues with keeping iPhone 4S units in stock. Barring a massive economic disaster (which isn't out of the question) we could see the iOS and Android audience expand even faster in the next year.

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Microsoft now taking pre-orders for next gen Surface

If you haven't ever seen or used a Microsoft Surface, you are missing out. By far one of the coolest things to come out of the company in some time is the Surface product and today Microsoft is announcing that pre-orders for the next generation of the Surface are now open.

The product is being built by Samsung and its model number is SUR40. The next generation product builds upon the first generation with Samsung's Pixelsense technology, vertical mount options, and of course a new form factor.

While there is no official posting on price, Long Zheng tweeted that the street price will be $8400 in the US but the price will fluctuate regionally. While this may sound high, it is far cheaper than the first iteration of surface which hit the cash register at $12500.  

Microsoft also wrote on its blog that we should start to see these units in public early next by stating; "Many new and existing customers, such as Aéroports de Paris, Dassault Aviation, Fujifilm Corp. and Royal Bank of Canada, have big plans for the Samsung SUR40 and are preparing to deploy units in locations early next year." The video below was released at CES 2011 but does show the new Surface in action. 

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Android soars to 52% global share as rival platforms stumble

Market research analysts Gartner have released worldwide smartphone sales data for the last quarter, and it seems that the only platform that’s going to be celebrating these results will be Android. In a nutshell (and if you can’t be bothered to read through the breakdown below), the figures tell a simple story: Android up; iOS, BlackBerry, Symbian down; Windows Phone flat.

“Android benefited from more mass-market offerings, a weaker competitive environment and the lack of exciting new products on alternative operating systems such as Windows Phone 7 and RIM. Apple’s iOS market share suffered from delayed purchases as consumers waited for the new iPhone. Continued pressure is impacting RIM’s performance, and its smartphone share reached its lowest point so far in the US market.”

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Sony Xperia 2011 phones to get Android 4.0 update

Sony Ericsson's Xperia line of Android-powered smartphones have some of the more unique designs in the industry. Now come word directly from Sony that the Xperia smartphones will be getting a nice free software update sometime in the near future.

According to a post today on the Sony Ericsson blog, "We can today confirm that we plan to upgrade the entire 2011 Xperia portfolio to the next version of Android known as Android 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich. We are working on merging our current Xperia experience with the new features in Android 4.0." The blog entry didn't give a time frame on when this update will actually happen.

The specific smartphones Xperia that will be updated to Android 4.0 include the Xperia PLAY, otherwise known as the Playstation Phone for its game pad and its exclusive game downloads. Other smartphones on the update list include the Xperia arc and arc S, the Xperia neo and neo V, the Xperia mini and mini pro, the Xperia pro, the Xperia active, and the Xperia ray. The Android 4.0 update will also be applied to the Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman smartphone.

It looks more and more like a large number of Android-based smartphones will be getting the Android 4.0 treatment at some point. It will be interesting to see how the Xperia PLAY, in particular, with its gaming emphasis, will integrate Android 4.0's features into its hardware.

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iOS 5.0.1 Update Fixes iPhone 4S Battery Problems

Apple is taking its new over-the-air update system for a spin today with iOS 5.0.1. The company expects the update to squash battery-draining bugs in the iPhone 4S and add multitasking gestures to the iPad.

The battery drain issue has stumped users for weeks, with lots of people offering advice but no tried-and-true fixes. Apple acknowledged the battery problem last week, andpromised a software update "in a few weeks."

The update also is supposed to fix a security glitch that allowed anyone to bypass the iPad 2's lock screen and password protection using only a Smart Cover. This exploit provided access to the home screen or the currently open app, along with the iPad's search function.

The software update also includes improvements to voice recognition for Australian users and resolves bugs with Documents in the Cloud

Additions as Well as Fixes

But iOS 5.0.1 isn't all about squashing bugs. It also adds multitouch navigation gestures for the original iPad. Users can now swipe up with four or five fingers to open the multitasking menu, swipe left or right to move between open apps, and pinch to return to the home screen. To activate these gestures, go to the "General" section in Settings, and look for the "Multitasking Gestures" option.

As the first software update since the launch of iOS 5, this was also Apple's first opportunity to try over-the-air updates. Users can check for the update by going to the "General" section in Settings, then tapping on "Software Update." A listing for the new version should appear. Apple recommends connecting to a power source to conserve battery, but it's not required.

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Xbox 360 Dashboard preview update now rolling out

Xbox 360 owners who signed up to check out the preview update of the long awaited new update to the game console's Dashboard user interface can now get started. Microsoft released the update for the new UI today. This will be the third version of the Xbox 360's user interface since Microsoft launched the console back in 2005.

The new Xbox Dashboard has a tile-themed UI similar to what Microsoft make for its Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system. It also resembles the Metro look of the upcoming Windows 8 operating system.

The new update adds more support for Microsoft's Kinect motion controller camera. Kinect's voice recognition feature allows users to navigate though the new user interface or you can simply move and wave your hand to interact with the new dashboard. Yet another new feature is a new Bing-based search option that will enable users to look up anything available for the Xbox 360 via the controller or with Kinect via the voice feature.

Other new features in the new Dashboard update include players highlighting their various Xbox 360 game achievements and then sharing them via their Facebook or Twitter account. There are also new "beacons" that let players send an open ended invite for friends to play a specific game online.

There's no word yet when the final public version of the Dashboard update will go live, although the safe bet is that it will be made available for all Xbox 360 users sometime in November.

Image via Microsoft

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Microsoft creates a video to show the power of Kinect

Anyone who has ever used a Microsoft Kinect knows that the potential for the platform is nothing short of game changing. While the implementation on the Xbox 360 has been incredible, this is only scratching the surface as Microsoft has shown in a newly created video.

Not only is Kinect breaking down barriers, but it is also one year old today. The platform had explosive growth when first announced and its future looks bright if the video below is anything to judge the product by.

The video shows all of the alternative uses for the platform in a well composed video that encompasses the potential and future for the add on device. It is expected that Windows 8 will natively support Kinect which will open the doors even further to the potential of the platform. Kinect is the future for interacting with technology; Microsoft knows it and is working hard to make it a reality.

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Nokia World 2011 announcement round-up

Nokia World 2011 has come and gone, and with it brought some major announcements from the company. If you missed anything from the two day show, check below for all the news from both days.

Nokia announced the Lumia 800

This is the company’s first Windows Phone, and is very similar to all the leaks. Below is an image of the device and its specifications

• Polycarbonate shell available in three colors: black, cyan and magenta
• 3.7-inch curved ClearBlack AMOLED display at 480 x 800
• 1.4 GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 single-core processor
• 512 MB of RAM
• 8MP rear camera with F2.2 Carl Zeiss lens, flash and 720p video recording
• 16 GB of internal user storage
• WiFi b/g/n
• HSPA 850/900/1900/2100
• 116.5 x 61.4 x 12.1mm; 142g
• Price point: 420 euros

Nokia announced the Lumia 710

Along with the Lumia 800, Nokia also announced another cheaper Windows Phone device known as the Lumia 710. Below is an image of the 710 and its specifications

• 3.7-inch LCD ClearBlack Display at 480 x 800
• 1.4 GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 single-core processor
• 512 MB of RAM
• 8 GB of user storage
• HSPA 900/1900/2100
• WiFi b/g/n
• 5 MP rear camera with 720p video recording
• Exchangeable back covers
• Price point: 270 euros

We have a spec shootout of both the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 against some other new Windows Phones on the market.

Nokia announced four new Asha featurephones

Along with the Windows Phone devices announced, Nokia also showed off four new featurephones running S40 in a new line called “Asha” . The Asha 200 and 201 are cheap QWERTY devices; the 200 is dual-SIM where the 201 is not. The Asha 300 is a resistive touchscreen/numpad combo with a 1 GHz processor, and the Asha 303 is the flagship Asha device with QWERTY keypad and capacitive touchscreen.

Along with these devices, Nokia announced that Angry Birds will be coming to some Symbian devices, so all those with cheap Nokia phones can now fling birds at pigs whenever they like.

Nokia announced new exclusive Windows Phone apps

Along with the new Windows Phone devices shown off, Nokia also demonstrated some new applicationsthat will be available exclusively on their Nokia Lumia device range.

Nokia Drive is a fully-fledged and free voice-activated turn-by-turn navigation system powered by Nokia Maps with 3D maps and everything. While Bing Maps does include some navigation features, it looks like Nokia’s version is much more solid and packed with features.

MixRadio is available as well, which creates “mixes” of songs from Nokia Music’s massive song library, and streams them directly to your phone. You will also be able to download mixes straight to your phone, free of charge, to use when you are out of 3G/WiFi coverage.

Finally, Nokia showed off their new ESPN app, that allows direct access to all of ESPN’s data on sports around the world. You can even pin leagues, sports and teams directly to your start screen as live tiles for on-the-go access to sporting information.

Nokia shows off flexible, controllable displays

Nokia showed off something called the “Nokia kinetic device” that allows you to twist and bend your display to control the content on it. It’s a very cool concept that is shown off in more detail in the video below.

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Microsoft Research working on "HoloDesk" project

Microsoft is adapting its Xbox 360 based Kinect motion controller camera to be used for more than just console gaming. A new post on the Microsoft Research site  shows that the Kinect device is part of a new project that Microsoft is calling the "HoloDesk". The name suggests something similar to Star Trek: The Next Generation's HoloDeck. Indeed, the HoloDesk is about as close as you can get to creating real, interactive 3D environments with today's technology.

The HoloDesk uses a screen that sits above a flat surface. In between the screen and the bottom is a beam splitter which helps to create the 3D effect when you view the objects through the beam splitter's surface. The Kinect camera is used for both face tracking of the person using the HoloDesk along with the hands. In short, the combination of all these elements as well as others allows the HoloDesk user to appear to be touching and moving the 3D objects on the screen.

The video below shows off the HoloDesk's various uses. While it certainly can be used to create cool 3D games (imagine the alien chess game in Star Wars: A New Hope come to live) it could also be used for more practical applications . One possible use is being able to make and then operate virtual prototypes of hardware devices to see if they will work before an expensive real world hardware prototype is built. It could also be used for physics simulations and even for teleconferencing.

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Iris voice control app for Android like Siri

Apple’s Siri system is one of the flagship features of the iPhone 4S, but a team of Android developers reckoned they could match the voice command system – or at least rival it – with just eight hours work. Dexetra  came up with Iris for Android , a tongue-in-cheek reversal of the Siri name, and pulling together Android’s existing voice input and text-to-speech capabilities with some online search and a dash of arch humor.

Unfortunately, Iris’ speedy construction means there are still some rough patches, and in a brief trial this morning I had more problems than I did with Siri. It started well: asking “What is Android?” brought back a potted definition from online, read out loud to me; asking what time it was in Hong Kong pulled up the time, though Android’s text-to-speech mangled the numbers (the on-screen version was fine).

After that things went downhill. Iris decided that “12 + 3″ came to 144, and when I asked “What is 10 UK pounds in US dollars?” – something that Siri also struggled with – Iris misunderstood the question and then told me “It’s a bird.” As far as I’m aware, there’s no Cockney slang for “bird” and cash. Finally, asking Iris to “Open SlashGear.com” failed to load the site in the browser, with the app instead saying the cryptic “Open-source.” Siri may have got questions wrong too, but it at least gave those wrong answers speedily. Iris took a while to do its online searching.

It’s worth remembering that this was just a quick test with a system that took 8hrs to put together and is released as an early alpha  in the Android Market. The takeaway message is that Apple can’t afford to stand still: if a small team of developers can create something like Iris in less than a day, the combined mass of Google’s developers is capable of much, much more. Ice Cream Sandwich is just the start of it.

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Google TV 2.0 screenshots leak out

Google is still trying to get its Google TV project to become more attractive to mainstream consumers. The effort to merge televisions with a Google-developed operating system has so far only brought in two hardware partners. One is Sony, who put Google TV inside three models of its Bravia TV line. The other is Logitech, which created the Revue set-top box with the operating system inside. Sales for both companies have not been up to expectations. Google has been promising a major update for Google TV  devices for a while but so far it has yet to be released.

This week, Zatsnotfunny.com has posted up some new screenshots showing off the new user interface of Google TV 2.0. As promised, this new version is based on Google's Android 3.1 operating system, also known as Honeycomb. It will allow Google TV owners to download and use a number of new apps, including the Wall Street Journal and more. Google TV owners can also rate the apps they use just like their Android app counterparts.

Google has announced it is seeking more hardware partners for Google TV, but so far the company has yet to reveal any new companies that will offer Google TV on their products. There's also no word on when the big 2.0 update will actually be released, although it should be any day now. Google's executive chairman Eric Schmidt recently affirmed the company's support for Google TV, saying, "We're absolutely committed to staying, to improving Google TV."

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Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich announcement round-up

For Google and Android fans around the world, yesterday has been a big day, as Google teamed up with Samsung to announce the Galaxy Nexus and Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich”. Many new features were shown off today at the event, including the Galaxy Nexus, so i have compiled a list of everything to know from the Google event in case you missed it or were asleep.

The Galaxy Nexus specifications were fully leaked an hour before they were unveiled at the event in Hong Kong. They include:

• A 4.65-inch 1280 x 720 HD Super AMOLED display
• HSPA+ or LTE (depending on region)
• 1.2 GHz dual-core processor (TI OMAP 4460)
• 1 GB of RAM
• 16 or 32 GB of internal storage
• 5 MP rear camera with flash; 1.3 MP front camera
• Full HD 1080p video recording at 30 FPS; zero shutter lag
• Bluetooth 3.0 and dual-band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n
• NFC and a barometer
• 8.94mm thin; 135g light
• 1,750 mAh battery

We also have a convenient comparison table between the Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy S II, iPhone 4S and HTC Sensation. In most cases, the Galaxy Nexus is the victor.

The Galaxy Nexus will be available in the United States, parts of Europe and Asia starting in November; more regions to follow. You can register your interest in the device at Google's Nexus website.

Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich”

Google announced a plethora of new features in Android 4.0, and while many improvements are visual, there are still core enhancements being made. Below we have listed some of these new features so you can quickly get an idea what Google has introduced in Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS).

• Honeycomb-styled interface
• New Roboto typeface used throughout the UI
• New lockscreen featuring quick unlock to camera and notification pane access
• Improvements to multitasking and the notification pane
• Resizable widgets
• Quick SMS responses when rejecting incoming calls
• Improvements to text input, autocorrect and copy & paste
• Real-time voice-to-text input
• Full control over data usage, including usage notifications
• New contacts app featuring better social integration and “Me” profile
• More advanced Calendar and Gmail apps
• Improved Gallery featuring a photo editor
• Improved Camera app including panorama mode and easy sharing
• Cloud connectivity with automatic Google Chrome bookmark sync
• Offline access to emails (past 30 days by default) and web pages (when you save them)
• Face unlock using facial recognition technology
• Android Beam for NFC sharing of loads of content
• Integrated visual voicemail and appropriate APIs
• Integrated screenshots from hardware button combination
• Support for high-density mobile displays such as the Galaxy Nexus’ 720p display
• Many, many new APIs

For developers out there, the Android 4.0 SDK with all the improved and new APIs is now available from Google’s developer website.

The first device to be loaded with ICS is, obviously, the Galaxy Nexus, but the OS is also heading to the Nexus S at some point. It is unclear, however, if ICS will make its way to the older Google Nexus One. It is also unclear whether smartphone manufacturers will update their devices to ICS, or which devices will end up being updated. Hopefully carriers and manufacturers will announce their intentions soon.

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