Mozilla reveals Firefox OS Developer Preview Phone

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/22/firefox-os-developer-phone/

Mozilla said it won't be launching its own hardware to run the in-development Firefox OS when it's finished, but the company has just announced a "Developer Preview Phone" for putting the OS through its paces. It's not quite the same as the mystery device we saw sporting Firefox OS at CES, but its specs seem almost as basic. The handset will feature a 3.5-inch HVGA touchscreen and 3-megapixel camera on the outside, with a 1GHz Snapdragon S1 CPU, half a gig of RAM, 4GB of microSD-expandable storage and WiFi, 2G and 3G antennae inside. Sure, that processor isn't a beast, but an 800MHz S1 does just fine in the Lumia 610. A 1580mAh battery will keep the carrier-unlocked phone running, and Mozilla is promising OTA updates to Firefox OS to keep devs, well, up to date. At the moment, we have no idea how much the phone will cost, but the first units are expected to be available next month.

The developer handset is called the Keon, according to creator Geekphone's website, and while not mentioned in the Mozilla Hacks blog post, it appears to have a more powerful cousin called the Peak. It's got a 4.3-inch qHD screen, 8-megapixel back-facing camera (with flash) and 2-megapixel shooter round the front. A 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 CPU and larger 1800mAh battery are within, but storage, RAM and connectivity specs are the same as the smaller Keon. Mozilla may not be formally promoting this as its own dev handset, but it was still included in the picture which accompanied the announ! cement ( see above: the Keon is in orange, the Peak in white). We're getting in contact with Mozilla to clarify, and will update you when we hear back.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Comments

Source: Mozilla, Geeksphone

Read More...

Summary only...

Adafruit Gemma stuffs a wearable Arduino platform into a one-inch disc

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/22/adafruit-gemma-stuffs-wearable-arduino-platform-into-1-inch-disc/

Adafruit's Flora wearable platform is barely a year old, yet it already has a little sibling on the way -- and we do mean little. The newer Gemma is Arduino-programmable over USB like its relative, but measures just over half the size of the Flora at an inch in diameter. It's even bordering on cute, as far as circuit boards go. Before developing any grand visions of wearable computers, though, be aware that Gemma's features scale down with its size: there's only three input/output pins, and a limited amount of memory won't let it handle more than about a dozen of Adafruit's NeoPixel lights. All the same, any aspiring tailor willing to trade flexibility for subtlety in a costume will likely want to sign up for notification of the Gemma's in-stock date at the source link.

Filed under: Wearables

Comments

Source: Adafruit

Read More...

Summary only...

The Firefox Phone Is Real And You Can Get One Next Month

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/firefox-mobile-os-developer-phone-2013-1

Mozilla, the company that makes the popular Firefox Web browser, is also working on a mobile operating system to rival Android and iOS on the iPhone. 

Before the final version of Firefox OS hits, Mozilla wants developers to start making apps, so it's selling smartphones running the new OS. (You can also install Firefox OS on your Android phone using these instructions.)

A company called Geeksphone makes the device. There's no price listed yet.

Like Android, Firefox OS is open sourced, meaning developers can download it for free and customize it. 

Ubuntu, another open mobile OS, will launch later this year.

Please follow SAI: Tools on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Read More...

Summary only...

LG Optimus G Pro official for Japan: 5-inch 1080p LCD, 1.7GHz S4 Pro and Jelly Bean

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/21/lg-optimus-g-pro-official-ntt-docomo/

Remember how the LG Optimus G Pro saw its biggest leak in Japan? We might just know why. Local carrier NTT DoCoMo has confirmed the new flagship's existence as part of a spring device lineup, and it's everything that was rumored just days ago. LG is adding to the rapidly burgeoning crowd of 5-inch, 1080p phones while freshening the formula we'd seen in the regular Optimus G: there's now a quicker, 1.7GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro chip, a heftier 3,000mAh battery and Jelly Bean (albeit Android 4.1, not 4.2) out of the box. Other elements are familiar carryovers, such as the 2GB of RAM, 13-megapixel camera, 32GB of built-in storage, a microSDXC slot and LTE. Japanese buyers will have to wait until early April to pick up an Optimus G Pro for themselves; as LG hasn't confirmed the phone separately, other countries' launches are still up in the air.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG

Comments

Source: NTT DoCoMo (1), (2)

Read More...

Summary only...

Intel Ivy Bridge now available in budget-friendly silicon

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/22/intel-ivy-bridge-budget/

After almost a year of Ivy Bridge implementation in everything from Windows tablets to miniature computers, Intel has finally rolled out its latest architecture to its budget line of silicon. According to CPU World, the chip giant released pricing and concrete specs for three Celeron CPUs, four Pentiums and a new Core i3-3210, all of which are available today. The Celerons all have 2MB of L3 cache, HD graphics and range from 2.3GHz to 2.7GHz. Meanwhile, the Pentiums rank a touch higher with 3MB of L3 cache, HD graphics and processors that clock at 2.5GHz on the low end to 3.2GHz on the high end. Last but certainly not least, the 3.2GHz Core i3 tops the lot with 3MB of L3 cache and HD 2500 graphics.

All the Celeron and Pentium models have two cores and two threads each, but the Core kicks it up to four threads with the help of Hyperthreading. They're all compatible with existing Socket 1155 motherboards and cost anywhere from $42 for the cheapest Celeron to $117 for the Core i3. Of course with Haswell on the horizon, Ivy Bridge won't be the latest and greatest for much longer, but that shouldn't derail budget-conscious silicon lovers from a good deal. If all of this CPU speak gets your heart thumping, be sure to peek at the sourc! e to get a more detailed pricing breakdown of each individual chip.

Comments

Via: ZDNet

Source: CPU World

Read More...

Summary only...