Mereja

Author: Roy Alugbue

  • Sony Xperia Z gets put through the underwater test and passes with flying colors

    Sony_Xperia_Z_Talk_Android_

     

    You already know that the Sony Xperia Z is going to be pretty durable thanks to its dust and waterproof casing, but some casual nonbelievers wanted to take some time and see how the device would hold up in some extreme conditions like a public pool. As you can see in the video below, the Xperia Z’s camera not only holds up well when recording video, but the quality of the video and audio is as astounding as the quality of the device itself. Of course it should be pointed out that while recording the video while being underwater was a cinch, the on-screen buttons are not functional underwater, so users will need to actually hit the record button before actually putting the smartphone through its courses underwater. Still you gotta admit that it’s pretty cool seeing Sony’s claims of the Xperia Z’s durability holding up pretty well.

    Still a nonbeliever of the Xperia Z’s potential? Hit the break to check out the video for yourself.

    Click here to view the embedded video.

     

    source: Xperia Blog

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  • Ubuntu preview (finally) arriving on February 21st

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    If you’re like me and a lifelong Linux user— then you were probably stoked to hear that Ubuntu was coming to Android devices soon… very soon. As exciting as the news was– many of us were on edge because we didn’t have an exact idea of when the coveted port would arrive on select Android devices. Fortunately— the Ubuntu team has officially come out and given up the details of what we have been eager to hear about: the Ubuntu preview will be available from next week, February 21st. The developers behind the Android port are making all the files which includes the full images and source code available through their internal site— giving select users a chance to dabble and fool around with the cool OS before the masses can. As exciting as this is— the port is only limited to two devices as of this time: the Galaxy Nexus and venerable Nexus 4 smartphones— so if you don’t own either phone, you’re outta luck at this time. Here’s hoping other devices will eventually get to be treated to some of that GUI Linux goodness as well sooner than later.

    Hit the break to check out the full press release and try to contain yourselves in the meantime.

    Touch Developer Preview of Ubuntu to be published on 21 February 2013

    Touch Developer Preview of Ubuntu for Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4 will be available
    Daily update mechanism to follow progress in Ubuntu
    Canonical will flash phones at MWC for industry, developers and enthusiasts
    Preview SDK and App Design Guides already available for developers building touch apps for Ubuntu

    London, 14th February 2013: Images and open source code for the Touch Developer Preview of Ubuntu will be published on Thursday 21st February, supporting the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4 smartphones.

    They are intended for enthusiasts and developers, to familiarise themselves with Ubuntu’s smartphone experience and develop applications on spare handsets. Tools that manage the flashing of the phone will be available on the same day in the Ubuntu archives, making it easy to keep a device up to date with the latest version of the Touch Developer Preview.

    Attendees of Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, 25th – 28th February can have their phones flashed to Ubuntu by Canonical team members at the Ubuntu stand, booth number 81D30, App Planet Hall 8.1, where Ubuntu will be shown on a range of devices.

    The code release is a milestone in the development program for Ubuntu’s phone experience, and enables developers to port the platform to other devices. “Our platform supports a wide range of screen sizes and resolutions. Developers who have experience bringing up phone environments will find it relatively easy to port Ubuntu to current handsets” said Pat McGowan, who leads the integration effort that produced the images being released. “We look forward to adding support for additional devices for everyday testing and experimentation.”

    The install process and supported device list are maintained at wiki.ubuntu.com/TouchInstallProcess and will be updated as new devices are added.

    The release also marks the start of a new era for Ubuntu, with true convergence between devices. When complete, the same Ubuntu code will deliver a mobile, tablet, desktop or TV experiences depending on the device it is installed on, or where it is docked. Ubuntu 13.10 (due in October) will include a complete entry-level smartphone experience.

    Canonical has published a Preview SDK and App Design Guides to allow developers to create applications for the full range of Ubuntu platforms. The toolkit provides a range of documented templates to enable native applications to be created quickly and easily. The App Design Guides explain how these templates can be used to design and build beautiful and usable apps. Blackberry Touch developers will be familiar with the Qt/QML environment, which supports rich native touch apps. Developers will not need to cross-compile or package applications differently for phone, tablet, PC and TV. One platform serves all four, a single application binary can do the same.

    On Ubuntu, native and web or HTML5 applications sit as equal citizens and so those developers already developing HTML5 applications will easily gain support for Ubuntu.
    “This release marks the threshold of wider engagement – both with industry and community.” says Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu. “For developers, contributors and partners, there is now a coherent experience that warrants attention. The cleanest, most stylish mobile interface around.”

    Availability:
    Go to wiki.ubuntu.com/TouchInstallProcess to download Touch Developer Preview of Ubuntu from Thursday 21st February.
    Go to developer.ubuntu.com to download the SDK to develop applications for Ubuntu.
    Go to http://design.ubuntu.com/apps to read the Apps Design Guide giving advice about designing and building beautiful and usable apps for Ubuntu on the phone.
    Visit Canonical at Mobile World Congress: Booth Number: 81D30, App Planet Hall 8.1.
    About Canonical & Ubuntu

    Canonical is the company behind Ubuntu and the leading provider of services for Ubuntu deployments in the enterprise. With global teams of developers, support staff and engineering centres, Canonical is uniquely positioned to help partners and customers make the most of Ubuntu. It also operates Ubuntu One, a cross-platform personal cloud service for consumers. Canonical is a privately held company.

    Ubuntu is a free, open-source platform for client, server and cloud computing. It is the most widely used Linux on the top 1000 websites by traffic, the reference platform for OpenStack deployments, the most popular guest OS on public clouds, and ships on PCs from Dell, Lenovo, HP and other brands. Since its launch in 2004, it has become the preferred choice for open desktop and scale-out computing, from Fortune 500 companies to hardware makers, content providers, software developers and consumers.

     

    source: Engadget
    via: Droid Life

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  • eBay listing shows Nexus 7 bundle which includes earbuds and Visa gift card for $259.00

    eBay_Nexus_7_bundle_deal

     

    Let’s face it— we know that there’s more than a few of you who still haven’t gotten the awesome Nexus 7 tablet— but there’s a deal out there right now that’s really itching to grab your attention. There’s a eBay listing out there from user buydig that highlights a sweet little Nexus 7 bundle which includes the powerhouse tablet, some earphones, a $30 gift card and a $30 Visa gift card— all for $259 bucks. Oh and to top it all off— buydig is even going to toss in free shipping for those of you who want to save an extra buck or two. Pretty sweet, right?

    There are limited quantities of the bundle left, so interested parties will want to head on down to the source link and grab one for themselves ASAP.

    source: eBay
    via: Droid Life

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