'User friendly' XBMC for Android build rolls out for set-top boxes and mobile devices

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/18/xbmc-for-android/

If you've been waiting to try out XBMC on your Android, it appears now is the time. While beta and nightly builds were already available, the team behind it has finally readied a release it says is "end user friendly," ready to run on most any device. It achieves that feat by offloading video player duties to another app, in this case MX Player, in order to get around XBMC's lack of hardware support for many devices. After sideloading the two necessary APKs we were able to get it up and running without any trouble, tossing in add-ins and playing back locally stored media without a problem. There's a video to go along with the release (embedded after the break) but installing it yourself is probably the best way to get a feel for its video, picture and audio playback abilities.

Gallery: XBMC for Android

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: XBMC for Android

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TSMC to triple 28nm chip shipment this year, asserts confidence in 20nm demand

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/18/tsmc-28nm-process-2013/

At yesterday's investor meeting in Taipei, TSMC's chairman and CEO Morris Chang shared the good news that his company's 28nm chip shipment this year will triple that of last year, which should boost its annual increase in revenue to above the industry's average rate of seven percent. China Times reports that orders for TSMC's 28nm silicon are lined up to as far out as late Q3, courtesy of demand for ARM processors, baseband chips, graphics processors and x86 processors. This is no surprise considering the likes of Qualcomm (Snapdragon 600 and 800), Huawei (HiSilicon K3V2 Pro and K3V3), NVIDIA (Tegra 4), AMD (Temash and Kabini) and possibly Apple will be ordering more 28nm-based chipsets from the foundry throughout the year. TSMC did struggle with its 28nm supply for Qualcomm early last year, but it eventually caught up later on, and Chang stated that TSMC now owns nearly 100 percent of the 28nm process market.

Looking further ahead, Chang said his company's already seen enough clients and demand for the upcoming 20nm manufacturing process, which should have a more significant financial contribution in 2014. The exec also predicted that at TSMC, its 20nm production will see a bigger growth rate between 2014 and 2015 than its 28nm counterpart did between 2012 and 2013 -! - the fo rmer should eventually nab close to 90 percent of the market, said Chang.

[Image credit: TSMC]

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Via: The Next Web

Source: China Times (translated), MoneyDJ (translated)

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Line VoIP and instant messaging app reaches 100 million global users in 19 months

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/18/line-voip-and-instant-messaging-app-reaches-100-million/

The likes of WhatsApp and Skype might still dominate the west, but Line continues to soak up new users in Asia and across the world. Since October 2012, the ever-expanding messaging app has managed to add just shy of 30 million new users -- the biggest jump in new users yet. The total includes iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone and feature phone iterations, with Line now claiming the app top spot in 41 app stores worldwide. And to celebrate the milestone? It's made a charming video (embedded after the break) with a handful of its adorable characters.

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NHN 'line', the number of subscribers exceeded 100 million people

NHN subsidiary of NHN Japan's global mobile messenger line (LINE) '18, the service launched about 19 ​​months embroidery 1 billion people around the world join surpassed. communications lines through a PC or mobile device, voice calls and instant messaging features are available to subscribers with free service was launched last June 2011. Overseas users soared in regions such as East Asia, Middle East, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, in October 2011 after massive chugeo, free voice calls and features such as stickers, Russia and neighboring countries in 2012, in Spain, Chile and Mexico available in the region, including Spanish-speaking increasing t! he curre nt week about 300 new subscribers manmyeongssik is increasing. As a result, 19 months after launch services today (18 days), the world join embroidery 100 million mark was Twitter about 49 months * 1, the period spent 1 billion subscribers in achieving Twitter or Facebook and Facebook about 54 months * 2, line comparison of a rapidly growing and you can see that in 2012, 'Hello, Friends in Tokyo' conference held in Tokyo, Japan, in July a new platform service line channels (LINE Channel) 'was released. A solid user base line and 80.3 percent from the line channels' highest monthly active users (MAU, Monthly Active User) ratio, based on a variety of interlocking App service was introduced, and so far 24 species of interlocking App (wepaep except) surpassed 1 billion cumulative release, download , especially last year, 'line games' began in earnest in November, has surpassed 10 million downloads in the 12 days of service launches Pop 'line', as well as 12 games while providing. Line game is the current cumulative total of 70 million cases surpassed the other hand, the line number of subscribers exceeded 100 million people, which commemorates today (18th) from 7 days to users of daily one line of popular paid sticker free progress that event

Filed under: Software, Mobile

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Source: Line Blog

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LG's Optimus G Pro revealed in leaked image with 5-inch 1080p display, 3,000mAh battery and LTE

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/18/lg-optimus-g-pro-spec-leak/

LG's Optimus G won the hearts of our reviewers, while finding the barely-different Nexus 4 is a feat worthy of a mythological hero. A tipster has sent us the above leaked slide, revealing that there's a new(er) kid on LG's block in the form of the Optimus G Pro. The 5-inch handset comes with an upgraded 1,920 x 1,080 display and is packing a 1.7Ghz Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064, 2GB RAM, 32GB Memory, LTE and a 3,000mAh battery -- tallying with a separate leak we've spied on Blog of Mobile. Reportedly weighing in at 160 grams and measuring 139 x 70 x 10.1mm, there's talk of Jelly Bean, a 13-megapixel rear camera and 2.4-megapixel forward-facer for even better self portraiture. Naturally, as a Japanese phone, you'll also find One-Seg and NOTTV functionality baked inside -- which only adds to our complex that those in the Far East get all the best toys.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG

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Source: Blog of Mobile

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Raspberry Pi creator doesn't expect a sequel in 2013

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/17/raspberry-pi-creator-doesnt-expect-a-sequel-in-2013/

If you were hoping for a full-fledged Raspberry Pi sequel this year, you'll have to keep waiting. Designer Eben Upton tells ZDNet that, while there should eventually be a replacement, he doesn't expect one in 2013. Both software tweaks and upgrades like the Model B are reportedly doing the job -- and it wouldn't be right to "orphan" the 700,000 existing owners with a new platform, Upton says. He isn't worried about the Cubieboard and other current rivals, as they have yet to be as fast as their raw numbers suggest. We won't hide our disappointment at missing out on a quick revamp, but we know what they say about things that aren't broken.

Filed under: Misc

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Source: ZDNet

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