Windows Phone Store boosted by 75,000 new apps in 2012

Can we finally put to bed the old adage about Windows Phone not having enough apps? Microsoft thinks so after adding 75,000 new apps to its store in 2012.

In a post on the Windows Phone developers' blog, the company said it had scrutinised and published enough apps to double the pre-existing catalogue during this calendar year.

Microsoft said that it had also published 300,000 updates to existing apps, pointing out that Windows Phone users can now rely on having the latest, safest versions of the software faster than before.

Microsoft revealed that, on average, Windows Phone customers are downloading 54 apps to their handsets, aided by the improved catalogue and new Windows Phone Store shopping experience.

Live Tiles apps preferable

"Over the last year we've made a lot of discovery enhancements including Bing-powered search and smart lists, as well as new collections and recommendations for Windows Phone 8 customers," wrote Todd Brix, senior director of the Windows Phone app team.

Brix also mentioned that 85 per cent of Windows Phone users preferred applications with functioning Live Tiles, which bring information directly to the Start Screen, than those without.

This, or course, would make perfect sense as the presence of Live Tiles is perhaps Windows Phone's most convincing selling point, especially with their new, customisable sizes in Windows Phone 8.

Toshiba's new mobile camera tech allows focus after the fact

Toshiba is working on a new camera sensor module, which will allow smartphone and tablet users the opportunity to change the focus of photos and videos after they're shot.

Reports from Japan on Thursday revealed the tiny module, which measures up at about 1mm on each side and houses a 5mm x 7mm sensor with 500,000 0.03mm lenses layered on top.

Each of these lenses captures a slightly different image and, using Toshiba's homegrown software, will allow users to alter the focus of the image if the background proves more interesting than the foreground.

The sensor has the ability to accurately measure the distance between the objects (a la 3D cameras) and can focus on near and far elements of the image by combining the best results from the different lenses.

Blur-free photos

If a user so desires, they could use the tech to create an image that is perfectly focused and blur-free throughout the frame.

Toshiba also says the technology is capable of working with videos shot on a smartphone or camera.

The new technology is similar to the Lytro Light Field camera, introduced last year.

However, whereas the Lytro was housed in a four-inch box, the Toshiba module is small enough to fit into a smartphone or tablet.

The tech is still a work in progress, but according to Japanese site Asahi Shimbun, Toshbia plans to commercialise it in 2013 and is currently pitching it to smartphone and tablet manufacturers.

Via Engadget

Toshiba's new mobile camera tech allows focus after the fact

Toshiba is working on a new camera sensor module, which will allow smartphone and tablet users the opportunity to change the focus of photos and videos after they're shot.

Reports from Japan on Thursday revealed the tiny module, which measures up at about 1mm on each side and houses a 5mm x 7mm sensor with 500,000 0.03mm lenses layered on top.

Each of these lenses captures a slightly different image and, using Toshiba's homegrown software, will allow users to alter the focus of the image if the background proves more interesting than the foreground.

The sensor has the ability to accurately measure the distance between the objects (a la 3D cameras) and can focus on near and far elements of the image by combining the best results from the different lenses.

Blur-free photos

If a user so desires, they could use the tech to create an image that is perfectly focused and blur-free throughout the frame.

Toshiba also says the technology is capable of working with videos shot on a smartphone or camera.

The new technology is similar to the Lytro Light Field camera, introduced last year.

However, whereas the Lytro was housed in a four-inch box, the Toshiba module is small enough to fit into a smartphone or tablet.

The tech is still a work in progress, but according to Japanese site Asahi Shimbun, Toshbia plans to commercialise it in 2013 and is currently pitching it to smartphone and tablet manufacturers.

Via Engadget

Original Samsung Galaxy Note to get Android Jelly Bean

Good news for owners of the original Samsung Galaxy Note: The Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update is coming your way soon.

Samsung announced the forthcoming software bump on its Galaxy Note microsite as part of a new Premium Suite upgrade.

The move to Android 4.1 will bring owners of the pioneering and surprisingly popular 5.3-inch phablet access to features like the Google Now personal assistant and Project butter.

However, the company is yet to reveal when the update will drop and, initially, it will only be available to unlocked devices.

Going Premium

Beyond Android Jelly Bean there's a host of new features, many of which featured on the Galaxy Note 2, are coming with Samsung's second Premium Suite update for the device.

Those additions are undoubtedly headlined by the neat Multi Window feature, which will allow two open apps to be running on the screen at the same time.

The Popup window multi-tasking feature for Notes, Video and Browser is also coming to the device, while handwriting will also be enabled within the email app.

Via UberGizmo

Toshiba's new mobile camera tech allows focus after-the-fact

Toshiba is working on a new camera sensor module, which will allow smartphone and tablet users the opportunity to change the focus of photos and videos after they're shot.

Reports from Japan on Thursday revealed the tiny module, which measures up at about 1mm on each side and houses a 5mm x 7mm sensor with 500,000 0.03mm lenses layered on top.

Each of these lenses captures a slightly different image and, using Toshiba's homegrown software, will allow users to alter the focus of the image if the background proves more interesting than the foreground.

The sensor has the ability to accurately measure the distance between the objects (a la 3D cameras) and can focus on near and far elements of the image by combining the best results from the different lenses.

Blur-free photos

If a user so desires, they could use the tech to create an image that is perfectly focused and blur-free throughout the frame.

Toshiba also says the technology is capable of working with videos shot on a smartphone or camera.

The new technology is similar to the Lytro Light Field camera, introduced last year.

However, whereas the Lytro was housed in a four-inch box, the Toshiba module is small enough to fit into a smartphone or tablet.

The tech is still a work in progress, but according to Japanese site Asahi Shimbun, Toshbia plans to commercialise it in 2013 and is currently pitching it to smartphone and tablet manufacturers.

Via Engadget

New Asus P1801 tablet shows up at FCC

A new classification from the Federal Communication Commission indicates Asus may be readying the release of an 18-inch tablet for 2013.

Though concrete details on the tablet are sparse, the P1801-T model number given to the tablet may be indicative of the device's size.

Asus' Eee Slate EP121 ended up being a 12-inch tablet, and the company's Nexus 7 tablet was a 7-inch device created for Google.

Engadget speculated the P1801-T may be the finalized version of Asus' Transformer AiO, which debuted at Computex back in June, and hasn't been seen since.

Dual-wielding OS

The Transformer AiO is a massive tablet which was created to run two operating systems, with Android as one, and either Windows RT or Windows 8 as the other.

As if the FCC filing wasn't enough indication of the mysterious tablet's existence, GLBenchmark also debuted some specs for a P1801 device.

According to the benchmarking, the P1801 will run Android 4.1.1, and will include a Cortex A-9 processor powering a 1920 x 1032 display.

Just how and when the device would use either of the operating systems isn't clear from the information available now, and likely won't be cleared up until the P1801 is formally announced by Asus.

With CES 2013 set to kick off on Jan. 6, the wait might not be that long until Asus divulges more on its mystery tablet.

Via Engadget

Original Samsung Galaxy Note to get Android Jelly Bean

Good news for owners of the original Samsung Galaxy Note: The Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update is coming your way soon.

Samsung announced the forthcoming software bump on its Galaxy Note microsite as part of a new Premium Suite upgrade.

The move to Android 4.1 will bring owners of the pioneering and surprisingly popular 5.3-inch phablet access to features like the Google Now personal assistant and Project butter.

However, the company is yet to reveal when the update will drop and, initially, it will only be available to unlocked devices.

Going Premium

Beyond Android Jelly Bean there's a host of new features, many of which featured on the Galaxy Note 2, are coming with Samsung's second Premium Suite update for the device.

Those additions are undoubtedly headlined by the neat Multi Window feature, which will allow two open apps to be running on the screen at the same time.

The Popup window multi-tasking feature for Notes, Video and Browser is also coming to the device, while handwriting will also be enabled within the email app.

Via UberGizmo

Toshiba's new mobile camera tech allows focus after-the-fact

Toshiba is working on a new camera sensor module, which will allow smartphone and tablet users the opportunity to change the focus of photos and videos after they're shot.

Reports from Japan on Thursday revealed the tiny module, which measures up at about 1mm on each side and houses a 5mm x 7mm sensor and features 500,000 0.03mm lenses layered on top of the sensor.

Each of these lenses captures a slightly different image and, using Toshiba's homegrown software, will allow users to alter the focus of the image if the foreground proves more interesting than the background.

The sensor has the ability to accurately measure the distance between the objects (a la 3D cameras) and can focus on near and far elements of the image by combining the best results from the different lenses.

Blur-free photos

If a user so desires, they could use the tech to create an image that is perfectly focused and blur-free throughout the frame.

Toshiba also says the technology is capable of working with videos shot on a smartphone or camera.

The new technology is similar to the Lytro Light Field camera, introduced last year.

However, whereas the Lytro was housed in a four-inch box, the Toshiba module is small enough to fit into a smartphone or tablet.

The tech is still a work in progress, but according to Japanese site Asahi Shimbun, Toshbia plans to commercialise it in 2013 and is currently pitching it to smartphone and tablet manufacturers.

Via Engadget