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2013 is shaping up to be a great year for Sony’s mobile division. The Xperia A has slid through the FCC, and it appears to be a cousin of the Xperia Z, except for one key difference; a removable battery. Aside from that, the rest of the device looks the same, including the five inch screen and the sturdy power button, as well as most of the internal specs, including the 13 megapixel shooter and 16 GB internal storage. It’s obviously a bit thicker to allow that removable battery, but close enough. One thing that wasn’t mentioned, however, was the processor. I’d be a little surprised to see Sony launch a flagship variant like this with the Xperia Z’s S4 Pro, especially if they’re trying to compete with Samsung, HTC, and LG. Regardless, as soon as anything shows up on the radar, we’ll be sure to let you know.

source: FCC

via: Engadget

Come comment on this article: 5-inch Sony Xperia A drops by the FCC with a removable battery

Allegis Capital has begun raising a special opportunities fund, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm did not offer a target size for Allegis Special Opportunities Fund or list which partners will be associated with it. The fund has not yet had a closing, the document states.

Here is a link to the filing.

The post Allegis To Raise Special Opportunities Fund appeared first on peHUB.

The “Why Pay More” value menu for Taco Bell could be seeing the exit soon, if the fast food company decides to take their “$1 Cravings Menu” beyond the testing stage and into Taco Bells across the country. The new menu is currently being tested in Kansas City and Sacramento, with the results potentially leading to a nationwide change.

The menu looks to cover most of the major Taco Bell food groups – burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and sweets. One distinct change to keep in mind is that the Cravings Menu would replace the tiered value menu that saw some items at $0.79, $0.89, and $1. Below is a promo image of the potential menu change.

Rob Poetsch, a spokesman for Taco Bell, said this of the impending change, “At Taco Bell, our value menu is our entire menu. So when consumers are looking for what they get for what they pay – whether it be Fresh Mex with our Cantina Bell Menu, signature beverages or snacks with our Happier Hour Menu, or a dollar menu with our $1 Cravings Menu – Taco Bell can’t be beat”

With hectic schedules, it can be hard to keep track of everything in your news feed. That’s why we created the TalkAndroid Daily Dose. This is where we recap the day’s hottest stories so you can get yourself up to speed in quick fashion. Happy reading!!

Reviews

Boulder Dash XL [Brain & Puzzle]

Apps

Rovio updates Bad Piggies with 15 new levels, 2 new items

WeatherBug gets a new update that brings redesigned user interface, hourly forecasts, and more

Google Earth for Android receives update, adds Street View

Google I/O Android app updated with new features for 2013

Carriers

AT&T adds more LTE markets, on pace to reach 250 million Americans by end of year

T-Mobile revenues dip, but customer base growing

Verizon offering “Red Hot Deal Days” until May 12 on select devices for Mother’s Day

Google Glass

Google Glass sensors revealed, expect a lot of augmented reality apps soon

Phones

AT&T offers the HTC First smartphone for under a buck

ImaGination Begins on May 30 at LG event

New color of the DROID RAZR M and DROID RAZR HD on the way to Verizon stores

Release dates for Galaxy Mega, Galaxy S 4 Mini, Galaxy S 4 Zoom, and Galaxy S 4 Activ Leaked

Sharp unveils AQUOS Phone Xx SoftBank 206SH with 5-inch 1080p CG-Silicon display and two-days of battery life

Vivo announces high-end, pricey phablet coming in late May

ROMs

Release candidates for CyanogenMod 10.1.0 start making their way to select devices

Updates

New build of Sense 5.1 surfaces for HTC Butterfly smartphone, tries to give a little taste of Android 4.2.2 in the process

Miscellaneous

Ouya console gets high ratings from iFixit, easily disassembled and repaired

Apple wants source code records in Samsung trial and looks in Google’s direction in the process

Samsung sitting on over $28 billion in cash at the end of March

Come comment on this article: TalkAndroid Daily Dose for May 8, 2013

Google I/O season is upon us, and to celebrate, Google has updated their I/O app for 2013. The app’s aesthetics have been made Google Now-esque, with cards and swiping abundant. Once you install the app and input your Google+ credentials, you are asked whether or not you are attending the event. If you are, the app sets up your WiFi access for the Moscone Center, and lets you schedule your events.

We’ll be at I/O next week, so keep your browser at TalkAndroid for all the coverage you need. The full changelog and download link for the app is after the break.

What’s new in Version 1.0.1:

• NEW! Scan attendee badges via NFC
• NEW! Schedule changes are immediately synchronized between devices
• NEW! Lock screen widget for viewing your agenda on the go
• NEW! Vector-based maps with session info
• NEW! Dedicated HDMI video output for livestreams
• NEW! Automatic WiFi setup for attendees
• NEW! Off-site attendee mode for livestream-only viewers
• Use Google+ for login
• Support for viewing Office Hours sessions
• Improved support for devices with RTL locales

Play Store Download Link

Come comment on this article: Google I/O Android app updated with new features for 2013

According to the Wall Street Journal, Samsung has run into a problem at the end of March; they almost have too much money. Samsung’s net profit rose 42% in March 2013, and after calculating debt and everything, they’re left with about $28.5 billion. That is an extremely large pile of money. That figure has tripled in the past year. Samsung’s mobile division accounted for about 74% of that rise in profit, which is a pretty staggering statistic when you consider all the televisions, components, and appliances Samsung makes.

Analysts expect Samsung to put that money into investing in different areas of its businesses, and possibly give shareholders higher returns. Samsung has stated that they will make ”investments sustainable for areas like facilities, R&D, and marketing that will help the company solidify or boost competitiveness,” which I think is a pretty typical, safe answer. Rest assured, I think we can all say Samsung is likely going to beef up it’s Galaxy line of mobile devices, as it’s the biggest cash cow for the company right now.

source: Wall Street Journal

Come comment on this article: Samsung sitting on over $28 billion in cash at the end of March

Depending on your thoughts concerning Michael Bay, Megan Fox, trampolines, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, your feelings about this story could vary. However, there’s no denying this fact, Megan Fox will be jumping on a trampoline during some portion of Michael Bay’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live action/CGI film.

From the photos below, we can discern a few things. First, Megan Fox will most certainly be playing April O’Neill, the Channel 6 reporter of TMNT fame. Also, Will Arnett’s role will be a cameraman, and has the potential to play a shady character in the TMNT series. Perfect for Will Arnett.

The use of Megan Fox in TMNT sparked interest among the industry and those who keep up with movie news, due to the falling out between her and Michael Bay during the Transformers series. Apparently, the scars have mended, as the two are back together with trampoline jumping action!

Enjoy, or roll your eyes at the photos below. Your choice. Choose wisely.

[Images/Story Credit: USMagazine]

Google Earth for Android received an update to version 7.1.1 today which brings three important new features. The biggest of these is the addition of Street View to Google Earth. The Google Maps app already had Street View, but now Google Earth users can join in on the fun. Google Earth has always been meant for exploring, and this new feature, which allows users to zoom in all the way from a satellite view of the earth to Street View, takes exploring to a whole new level.

This update also adds improved directions and search for visualizing transit, walk, bike, and drive directions in 3D.  In addition, an improved interface is implemented, with sliding menu panels on the left and bottom of the screen.

The official changelog and download link can be found after the break.

New in Google Earth 7.1.1:

• Google Maps Street View: With Street View, you can explore the world at street level.
• Improved directions/search: Updated directions let you can visualize transit, walk, bike and drive directions in 3D while update search result list will let you browse search results quickly.
• Improved interface: Easily browse and enable different layers through use of new left hand pane

Play Store Download Link

Come comment on this article: Google Earth for Android receives update, adds Street View

WeatherBug is, without question, one of the Play Store’s best weather apps and the recent update makes it even better with new features like these:

• NEW! Slide-side navigation – Get all your forecasts, conditions, and alerts with our new one-touch navigation right from the home screen!
• NEW! Spark Alerts – Spark, an exclusive WeatherBug feature, turns your smartphone into a personal lightning detector. Only WeatherBug can bring minute-by-minute, mile-by-mile lightning strike alerts to you, in real-time, based on data from the WeatherBug total lightning detection network!
• NEW! Photos Section – We’ve collected magnificent photography from our users for your viewing pleasure. Come see what others are sharing and enjoy the scenery!
• NEW! Enhanced Pinpoint Hourly Forecasts for Domestic and International Locations – 25% more accurate forecasts for the next 24 hours when compared to other forecasts! Know Before™ you head out!
• NEW! Home Screen Customization – Customize your home screen with new background themes and rearrange your live tiles to get the info that matter the most to you at-a-glance.

If you haven’t tried WeatherBug yet, you should. Now would be the perfect time to try it and check out these new features. I personally like the new Spark Alerts. There is an ad supported version and a paid “Elite” version to chose from. I have the ad supported version loaded on both of my devices and it comes in handy here in the Colorado Rockies. Click on the link of your choice below, and then come back and tell us what you think of it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Play Store Download Link – Free

Play Store Download Link – Elite

Come comment on this article: WeatherBug gets a new update that brings redesigned user interface, hourly forecasts, and more

Plenty of companies have been looking at software for analyzing private large data sets and combining it with external streams such as tweets to make predictions that could boost revenue or cut expenses. Walmart, for instance, has come up with a way for company buyers to cross sales data with tweets on products and categories on Twitter and thereby determine which products to stock. Here’s another possible data source to consider checking: Wikipedia.

No, this doesn’t mean a company that wants to predict the future should take a guess based on what a person or company’s Wikipedia page says. However, researchers have found value in page views on certain English-language Wikipedia pages. The results were published Wednesday in the online journal Scientific Reports.

The researchers looked at page views and edits for Wikipedia entries on public companies that are part of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, such as Cisco, Intel, and Pfizer, (pfe) as well as wikis on economic topics such as capitalism and debt. Changes in the average number of page views and edits per week informed decisions on whether to buy or sell the DJIA. In other words, a major increase in page views could have prompted a sale, followed by a buy to close out the deal, or vice-versa (decreases in page views, say, would cause a buy, followed by a sale).

The researchers compared this investment strategy with a random investing strategy. What they found is that returns based on views of the DJIA company Wikipedia pages “are significantly higher than the returns of the random strategies,” to the tune of a 141 percent return, according to a news release.

How returns on strategies based on Wikipedia view and edit data for Wikipedia entries on companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, courtesy of Scientific Reports.

There was also a significant difference between returns from the random strategy and the returns on the strategy tied to page views of economic topics. The yield would be 297 percent higher than what was put in in that case.

Returns on strategies based on view and edit data for Wikipedia entries on economic topics, via Scientific Reports

To check that there wasn’t a hidden variable in the data on views of company and topic pages, the researchers compared the earnings on Dow Jones investments tied to page views of actors and filmmakers, which had just as many page views as the pages on the DJIA companies. Indeed, they found no statistical significance there. And that makes sense in theory — who checks out Matt Damon’s Wikipedia entry before making an investment? But checking a Wikipedia page on Cisco might be a more reasonable action before investing in Cisco.

Incidentally, some of the researchers behind this project have also investigated connections between the Dow Jones and the use of certain financial search terms on Google. Other researchers have previously found connections between Google search patterns on stocks and stock price changes over time.

While predictive analytics has become a hot area — with applications from social media conversations to crime, from the flu to retweets — data scientists often acknowledge that people need to be sure the data they want to use for analysis is solid and reliable. Edit data from Wikipedia isn’t inherently reliable in the sense that anyone can edit it — and it turns out to be not statistically significant. Page views could perhaps be manipulated by a computer pinging Wikipedia again and again, which could throw off an algorithm pulling page view data in real time.

And tweets can be all over the place — there’s no style guide or fact checking for Twitter. So getting a good read on sentiment based on tweets from, say, Stocktwits can be hit or miss. And Google’s Flu Trends feature, heralded as an early use of crowdsourced data, reportedly overestimated flu breakout late last year.

Clearly, there are caveats to these data sets. Still, it’s neat to see new models emerging on the uses of public data, and some people who want to make money off Wikipedia metadata might want experiment with it. Just don’t blame us if the experiments backfire.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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• What’s driving the next phase of the e-commerce evolution
• GigaOM Research highs and lows from CES 2013
• How HR can make the case for workforce analytics

Sure HTC has been kicking some keister with some of its recently released flagships but well— they tend to feature not-so-current Jelly Bean builds loaded up, despite the sleek and appealing Sense 5.0 running the show. Fortunately it appears that HTC is working behind the scenes to change that notion. A leaked video recently surfaced which showcases the latest iteration of HTC’s unique skin— Sense 5.1 for the HTC Butterfly smartphone. Among the interesting things among the new build is a slightly revamped appearance and an attractive and familiar notification shade— giving the clear sign that Sense 5.1 will feature Android 4.2.2. Unfortunately there is no other aspect of this leaked build to see for now, so there’s no word on if there will be items like a new lock screen or updated icons, etc.

Here’s hoping we see more of this intriguing new update (and hopefully a port or two on American devices). You can find the video for yourself at the source links below. .

source: RootzWiki | XDA

Come comment on this article: New build of Sense 5.1 surfaces for HTC Butterfly smartphone, tries to give a little taste of Android 4.2.2 in the process