Paranoid Android teases Halo: It's like Facebook chat heads, but for any app with notifications

One of the most interesting features of Facebook Home for Android is the Chat Heads notification system. Instead of showing an alert in your status bar every time you get a new message from someone you're chatting with, a picture of that person will pop up on your screen and stay on the screen no matter which app you're using.

This lets you continue chatting without exiting your web browser, video game, or other app every time you want to read or send a message. When you're done with the chat you can just dismiss the notifications.

But why should Facebook Home users get all the fun? The developers behind Paranoid Android are working on a tool that will let any app on your system use a Chat Head-style notification.

The feature is called Halo, and it will be baked into future builds of Paranoid Android. That's a custom ROM for Android phones and tablets that have unlocked bootloaders.

Halo will offer an always-visible notification for any app you want to use it with. That includes Google Talk, text messaging, Facebook, Skype, or even apps that have nothing to do with messaging, including music player notifications, image uploads, or just about anything else.

While Halo will be built into upcoming versions of Paranoid Android, like most of the team's software, it will be optional. You can disable it if you don't want to use it. But if you do opt-in, you can always dismiss a notification just by dragging it over to a red X on the screen.

The Paranoid Android team has a reputation for rethinking the Android user interface. The development team first gained attention for letting users decide on a per-app basis whether a device should show an app's phone or tablet user interface.

Then the team introduced PIE controls which let you access Android action buttons and notifications with a gesture. Most recently Paranoid Android started showing off its new concepts for multitasking in Android, and it looks like Halo represents a part of that picture.

via reddit

Paranoid Android teases Halo: It's like Facebook chat heads, but for any app with notifications is a post from: Liliputing

Lilbits (4-30-2013): The web turns 20, Google Glass tries to make it obsolete

It's been 20 years since the first website went online. It's a bit underwhelming by today's standards, with nary an animated GIF in sight. But without that first page we probably wouldn't have Amazon, Facebook, Google, Instagram, Pandora, or any number of other companies that have come to be such a big part of our lives in the past two decades.

Or maybe they all would have just hosted really popular FTP sites.

In other news, now that folks are starting to pick up their Google Glass Explorer Edition kits, more information, opinion, and prognostication is emerging about the next 20 years of computing.

Here's a roundup of some of the day's top stories.

• Engadget reviews Google Glass Explorer Edition
  Now that developers, journalists, and early adopters with $1500 to spare have gotten their hands on the first Google Glass kits, they're sharing their experiences and opinions. It's a bit early to do a full review of a product that's not available to the general public yet. But that hasn't stopped the folks at [Engadget]
• Mashable's Lance Ulanoff describes why Google Glass is the future
  Others are taking a more measured approach by discussing not just what Glass can do now, but also what it represents for the future of mobile computing. [Mashable]
• This is where Mele makes its Android TV boxes (video tour)
  Ever wonder what a factory that makes cheap Android TV boxes looks like? Wonder no more. [Charbax]
• NOOK products get a price cut in the UK, eReaders as cheap as £29
  B&N is running a sale in the UK. You can pick up most of the company's eReaders and tablets at very low prices today. [The Verge]
• GameStick promo video does a good job of highlighting the tiny Android game console in under 2 minutes
  The GameStick is a $79 video game console-on-a-stick. If that description doesn't make sense, check out this video. [PlayJam on YouTube]
• Lightworks video editing software for Linux now available as public beta
  Lightworks is a powerful video editing app for Linux, and it's now available for anyone to download and try (as a public beta). [Web Upd8]
• World Wide Web turns 20, first website is back online… doesn't contain cats pics or gifs.
  20 years ago the first website went live. Now it's back online at its original web address. And it sure looks quaint. [The Verge]

You can keep up on the latest news by following Liliputing on Twitter, Google+ and Facebook.

Lilbits (4-30-2013): The web turns 20, Google Glass tries to make it obsolete is a post from: Liliputing

Coby MID8065 8″ Android tablet review

Coby has made a name for itself by offering consumer electronics at dirt cheap prices. What's interesting is that they're not all that bad. I was kind of impressed with how much tablet you got for the money with last year's $200 Coby Kyros MID9742 9.7 inch tablet. And this year Coby has stepped up its game a bit.

All of the company's 2013 tablets feature dual-core processors, Android 4.0 software, and they're the first tablets from Coby to be Google Certified — which means they ship with the Play Store and other apps such as Google Maps and Gmail.

The star of the show is the 10.1 inch Coby MID1065, which is the only model in the lineup to feature an IPS display with wide viewing angles. But that's not the tablet Coby loaned me to review.

Instead I got a chance to spend some time with the Coby MID8065 8 inch tablet. It offers decent performance, a pretty good price, and an underwhelming display.

You can pick one up for as little as $156.

Overview 

The Coby MID8065 features an 8 inch, 1024 x 768 pixel display, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of built-in storage. It has a 1.2 GHz AMlogic AM8726 ARM Cortex-A9 dual core processor.

There's a 5MP camera on the read of the tablet and a 0.3MP front-facing camera. It supports 802.11b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1 and features stereo speakers and a microSD card slot for extra storage.

Coby ships the tablet with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and while Google is already up to Android 4.2, the vast majority of apps that can run on Google's later versions of Android can also run on version 4.0.

Most importantly, Coby no longer ships its tablet with GetJar or other third party app stores. Instead you get access to the full Google Play Store, which makes it easy to download and install hundreds of thousands of apps.

The Coby MID8065 also features a stock Android experience. Coby hasn't dressed up Google's software with a skin in any way. The settings, notifications, home screen, launcher, and notifications on this tablet all look pretty much exactly as they would on a Google Nexus device.

Design

Coby's 8 inch tablet has a display that's just a bit larger than the one on the Apple iPad mini. And like the iPad mini, the Coby MID8065 has a 1024 x 768 pixel screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio.

But while Apple's tablet measures 7.9″ a 5.3″ x 0.28″ and weighs less than 11 ounces, Coby's tablet is a bit on the chunky side. It measures 8.3″ x 6.25″ x 0.45″ and weighs a little over a pound.

That still makes it smaller and lighter than most tablets with 10 inch screens. But clearly this budget tablet is no iPad mini.

In some ways that's a good thing. Unlike Apple's tablet, the Coby MID8065 has a mini HDMI port which you can use to connect the tablet to a TV or monitor. It also a microSD card slot which you can use to add extra storage for music, movies, or other files.

The ports, including a micro USB port, headphone jack, and power jack are on one of the tablet's short sides. On the opposite end you'll find stereo speakers which are reasonably clear, but not very loud.

The front of the tablet features an edge-to-edge piece of glass covering the display which meets the strips of plastic covering the tablet's sides.

There are power and volume buttons on the side next to the power jack.

On the bottom you'll find a plastic panel which curves up to meet the edges — so the tablet's actually a bit thicker than you'd expect if you only measured the flat plastic on the sides.

The microSD card slot is built into that sloped rear panel, and covered by a small plastic door. When it's open, you can get a better idea of how thick the tablet is.

Don't get me wrong — at less than half an inch thick and

Deals of the Day (4-30-2013)

With a starting price of $299, the Asus Transformer Pad TF300T is one of the cheapest 10 inch tablets available with an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor. But if you're looking to save some money, you can now find refurbished models for even lower prices.

Woot is offering refurbished TF300T tablets for just $239.

Here are some of the day's best deals.

• Refurb Asus Transformer Pad TF300T 10″ Android tablet w/Tegra 3 for $239 – Woot
• Refurb BlackBerry PlayBook 7″ tablet w/16GB for $119 - DailySteals
• Skytex 9.7″ Windows 7 tablet w/Atom N550 for $300 - Rakuten
• Toshiba Satellite U845W 14″ ultra-wide ultrabook for $560 – Groupon
• Pre-owned Amazon Kindle Touch w/3G for $40 – CowBoom
• Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM for $80 - Newegg (coupon: EMCXSTX22)
• Acer 23″ 1080p HD monitor for $110 – Newegg
• Patriot 32GB Class 4 SDHC card for $15 after rebate – Newegg
• Now Playing music player for Android for $1.49 (half price) – Google Play

You can find more bargains in our daily deals section.

Deals of the Day (4-30-2013) is a post from: Liliputing

Chromebook with a Haswell chip on the way

Google is apparently testing Chrome OS on a new device that's code-named "Slippy." According to commits to the Chromium source code, Slippy is a notebook with a keyboard, an SD card slot, 2 USB 3.0 ports, and an Intel Haswell processor.

That's about the source code can tell us. There's no information on the manufacturer, screen size, battery life, or price — all features which would probably help you decide whether you really want to buy this model or not.

It's not even clear if it's a real device that will go on sale one day. Slippy could just be the code-name for a Haswell-based reference device used for testing purposes only.

What we do know is that Haswell is the code-name for Intel's 4th-generation Core processor family. They're expected to offer better performance while using less power than today's Ivy Bridge chips. And the first Haswell processors are expected to ship this summer.

So we should start to see computers with Haswell chips hit the market later this year. And it looks like some of those computers might run Chrome OS, Google's web browser-centric operating system.

via Chrome Story

Chromebook with a Haswell chip on the way is a post from: Liliputing

Acer introduces 11.6 inch touchscreen notebook with AMD Temash chip

Acer is introducing a new notebook with a small screen and a relatively low price. The Acer Aspire V5-122 is a Windows 8 notebook with an 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display and an AMD Temash processor. It's expected to have a starting price of $450, which makes it one of the most affordable touchscreen notebooks around.

While the Acer product page for the Aspire V5-122 doesn't provide many details about the laptop, French site MiniMachines is helping to fill in the blanks.

The notebook reportedly features an AMD A6-1450 "Temash" quad-core processor with Radeon HD 8280 graphics, 2GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, WiFi, Bluetooth, VGA, HDMI, USB 3.0, and gigabit Ethernet.

Acer's notebook has a 3 cell battery and weighs about 3.3 pounds.

The Temash processor powering this notebook is a successor to the AMD Z-60 dual core chip AMD offers for tablets and hybrids. The new AMD A6-1450 is expected to offer twice the graphics performance and significantly more processing power than its predecessor. But it's still a relatively low power chip… which helps explain the relatively low price tag of this notebook.

Asus also offers a low-cost 11.6 inch touchscreen notebook called the Vivobook X202E. That laptop has an Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive and sells for as little as $449.

Acer introduces 11.6 inch touchscreen notebook with AMD Temash chip is a post from: Liliputing

Sony Xperia Tablet Z up for pre-order for $500, won't ship for nearly a month

As promised, Sony is getting ready to launch its new 10 inch Android tablet this spring. The Sony Xperia Tablet Z won't actually be available until May 24th, but you can pre-order one now for $499.99 and up.

While that's a relatively high starting price for an Android tablet, the Xperia Tablet Z has a few special features that help it stand out from a crowded field.

At just 0.24 inches thick, the Xperia Tablet Z may be the thinnest Android tablet released to date. Despite the slim size, Sony says the tablet has a case that's resistant to water and dust.

The tablet is also light, weighing just 1.1 pounds.

If you pre-order by

The Sony Xperia Tablet Z features a 10.1 inch, 1920 x 1200  pixel display and a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 quad-core processor with Adreno 320 graphics. It has an 8.1MP rear camera and a 2.2MP front-facing camera.

Sony is charging $499.99 for a model with 16GB of storage. A 32GB model is also available for pre-order for $599.99. If you pre-order from the Sony Store you can also get a free cradle with your purchase.

via Android Central

Sony Xperia Tablet Z up for pre-order for $500, won't ship for nearly a month is a post from: Liliputing

Lilbits (4-29-2013): Acer's next Windows 8 tablet?

Intel's next-generation Atom chips are expected to start shipping soon, and they'll likely power the next-generation of low-cost Windows 8 tablets and convertibles. Rumor has it that one of the first could be an Acer tablet called the Acer WT5, a 10 inch tbalet with a 1080P display, 2GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage.

Here's a roundup of recent tech news stories you might have missed.

• Rumor: Acer to reveal WT5 Windows 8 tablet with 1080p screen, Bay Trail CPU
  There aren't a lot of details to go on here, but Acer may be working on a new Bay Trail tablet with a full HD display. Actually, I bet they are. I just don't know if it's called the WT5. [Techblog.gr]
• Using a Raspberry Pi and a Wall Box for a Jukebox-style music controller
  Ever wish you had a '60s style jukebox controller for your media center? Apparently you're not alone. [Wall Box SONOS Controller]
• Is HP working on a Slate 21 all-in-one desktop with Android?
  Let's put this one in the rumor category for now, but benchmark results suggest HP could be working on an Android device called the Slate 21 with a Tegra 4 chip. It could be an all-in-one desktop with a tablet mode. Maybe. [Mobile Geeks]
• Nandroid Manager lets you explore, extract files from nandroid backups on rooted Android devices
  There are plenty of tools that let you create a full backup of your Android device or restore from that backup. Nandroid Manager is a tool that lets you explore your backup and access just the bits you need. [Android Police]
• Upcoming Arndale Octa dev board to feature Samsung Exynos 5 Octa chip
  Arndale's Exynos 5 dual-core dev board is one of the most powerful around, but it sells for $249, so it's not exactly cheap. Now the compay is working on a model that uses Samsung's new Exynos 5 Octa chip. It'll probably cost even more… but it'll also be one of the fastest ARM-based dev boards around. [CNX Software]
• Asus FonePad reviewed
  While you might not be interested in a 7 inch phone, the Asus Fonepad is cheap enough to buy as a 7 inch tablet that happens to have 3G capabilities built in… if that's the sort of thing you're likely to want. [Carrypad]

Want to make sure you don't miss the latest news? Follow Liliputing on Facebook, Google+ or Twitter!

Lilbits (4-29-2013): Acer's next Windows 8 tablet? is a post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day (4-29-2013)

The Samsung Galaxy note II is a smartphone with a 5.5 inch 720p display, a Samsung Exynos 4412 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and a large battery, and a digital pen which you can use to write or draw on the screen.

If you want an unlocked version of this phone you typically have to pay $550 or more. But today you can snag one for $499.99.

Here are some of the day's best deals.

• Unlocked Samsung Galaxy Note 2 for $500 - BlutekUSA (via eBay)
• Sony Vaio S 13.3″ notebook w/Core i5 for $550 – Woot
• Acer Aspire One D270 10″ netbook w/Atom N2600 for $230 – Rakuten
• Pre-owned Samsung Ativ Smart PC Win8 tablet for $350 – CowBoom (coupon: SmartPC50 = $350)
• Refurb Coby Kyros MID7012 7″ Android tablet for $40 – JustDeals
• PNY 128GB USB 2.0 flash drive for $60 - TigerDirect
• 5 Hip Hop albums for $10 – Sound Supply

You can find more bargains in our daily deals section.

Deals of the Day (4-29-2013) is a post from: Liliputing

Fuduntu Linux is dead, bulk of team moves to FuSE project

It was just a few weeks ago that the developers of the Fuduntu Linux operating system announced plans to cease development and move on to other things by the end of the year. Now the team has moved up the schedule, and Fuduntu is effectively dead.

Much of the team behind the operating system has moved onto a new project called FuSE. But if you're currently using Fuduntu, don't expect any more software or security updates. If you want to continue using the operating system indefinitely, the Fuduntu team plans to offer  one last update that will let you disable access to the stable repository so that you don't constantly get notifications letting you know that your apps are out of date.

Fuduntu is based on Fedora Linux and features the GNOME 2 desktop environment. It's gained a bit of a reputation for offering a stable, easy-to-use Linux environment for folks that aren't enamored with more recent software such as GNOME 3 or KDE.

The developers have also done some nifty things in the past year, such as adding support for Steam gaming and Netflix video playback.

But GNOME 2 isn't as well supported as it once was, and it's apparently more work than it's worth to continue trying to keep everything running smoothly on a platform that uses it.

Since announcing plans to shut down later this year, the Fuduntu team saw a mass exodus and there are now reportedly fewer than 2500 active users. So this weekend the team decided to pull the plug early.

Team member Lee Ward reports that the successor to Fuduntu will likely be called FuSE Linux. It'll be based on OpenSUSE instead of Fedora.

The name isn't set in stone yet (which is a good thing, since searching for "Fuse Linux" brings you to a project for the FUSE filesystem, and will probably continue to do so for a long time). But the goal is to offer a Fuduntu-like experience by developing a powerful but easy to use operating system.

Fuduntu Linux is dead, bulk of team moves to FuSE project is a post from: Liliputing

Lenovo IdeaPad U310 is a 13.3″ Touch Ultrabook

Computer geeks have it that the computer world is sinking; in fact, drowning so hard as the tablet industry goes up unstoppable. They even say that there could be no chance for two queens to reign. One has to stay and the other has to go away, far and beyond. Yet again, most analyst keeps firm to their assessment that soon enough, tablet industry will run stability but computer world will retain its crown.

For neutrality, some provide a track of keeping tow giants. They think that such case could be compared to the reign of different states in the world. There are variety of persons ruling and leading several and distinct states, yet they manage to retain whatever has to be retain.

Withal, we could have and eventually enjoy the blessing of both the might of the tablet industry and the computer word as well. As a follow through, Lenovo is keeping a good track as it introduced its IdeaPad U310 Touch which is touch-enabled.

Lenovo IdeaPad U310 Touch is featured to sport an ultra-portable system equipped with a 13.3-inch 1366 x 768 multi-touch display, a 1.8GHz Intel Core i5-3337U processor, an Intel HM77 Express Chipset, a 4GB DDR3 RAM, a 32GB SSD, and a 500GB hard drive.

Also, it has a 720p webcam, an SD card slot, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, an HDMI port and runs on Windows 8 64-bit OS. At the moment, the price and release date of said device is still to be known.

via

Lenovo IdeaPad U310 is a 13.3″ Touch Ultrabook is a post from: Eee PC

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Samsung NP300E5E-A02US 15.6″ Laptop for $429.99 at BestBuy

What the old days have for keeps, will always be retained, reminisced and remembered. Time may past, new things may be cast, but always and always that good things will be kept and retained. It may not be the same, but it will come by to be that no matter what.

To translate in the technological language, it may be that computers nowadays are quite at a low mark, but the greatness it have will never fade; Developments of what it is will always be smiled at. With that, saying that we have to say goodbye to the blessings of the computer world is a big "oh no", right?

Having this through, Samsung is making the most of what it can as it introduced the NP300E5E-A02US.

The Samsung NP300E5E-A02US is made to be equipped with a 15.6-inch 1366 x 768 LED-backlight display, a 2.5GHz Intel Core i3-3120M processor, an Intel HD Graphics 4000, a 4GB DDR3 RAM, a 750GB hard drive.

Additionally, it has a 720p HD webcam, a DVD Super Multi Drive, a 3-in-1 media reader, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, a 6-cell battery and runs on Windows 8 64-bit OS. This is said to be another affordable laptop as this could be brought home for only $429.99 at BestBuy.

via

Samsung NP300E5E-A02US 15.6″ Laptop for $429.99 at BestBuy is a post from: Eee PC

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Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 coming this summer

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 600 processor powers some of the highest-performance mobile devices available today including the HTC One and the US version of the Samsung Galaxy S IV. But it's only the second most powerful processor Qualcomm plans to launch in the first half of 2013.

Earlier this year the company also started showing off the Snapdragon 800 processor, and now the Engadget reports it'll be ready to enter mass production in May. We could start to see it in phones, tablets, and other devices by June.

The Snapdragon 800 chip is a quad-core processor based on Qualcomm's Krait 400 architecture and Adreno 330 graphics.

It'll be able to run at speeds up to 2.3 GHz and handle 4K video playback at 30 frames per second.

In a software demo at CES in January, Qualcomm demonstrated a reference tablet with a 1.5 GHz version of the chip rendering 3D graphics in real-time, with support for complicated visual effects including wind, shadows, and camera angles.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 coming this summer is a post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day (4-26-2013)

The Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 is an Android tablet with a 10.1 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel display, a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor, and 16GB of storage. It also comes with a keyboard dock that extends the tablet's battery life and makes typing a lot easier.

Lenovo has a list price of $549 for the tablet, but you can usually get it for much cheaper. Today you can get it for much, much cheaper.

Here are some of the day's best deals.

• Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 10″ Android tablet + keyboard for $299 – Lenovo (coupon: USPSE430425)
• Lenovo IdeaCentre Q190 mini-desktop w/Celeron 887 for $249 - Lenovo (coupon: USPQ500425)
• Refurb Toshiba Excite 10 Android tablet w/Tegra 3 for $250 after rebate – TigerDirect
• Refurb Sony Xperia Tablet S 9.4″ Android tablet for $230 – Woot
• Refurb Toshiba Thrive 10″ Android tablet for $180 – All4Cellular
• Pre-owned B&N NOOK Color for $60 – CowBoom
• NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight for $80 – Best Buy
• Samsung USB 3.0 slim external DVD writer for $24 – Newegg (coupon: EMCXSVP23)
• PNY 32GB USB 2.0 flash drive for $15.19 – Newegg (coupon: EMCXSVP29)
• Official Iron Man 3 video game for Android for free - Play Store

You can find more bargains in our daily deals section.

Deals of the Day (4-26-2013) is a post from: Liliputing

Google Glass is hackable (ADB debugging, unlockable bootloader)

This week the first people who don't work for Google started to pick up their own Google Glass wearable computers. Google is making a limited number of Google Glass Explorer Edition devices available to developers and others who signed up for early access… and who paid $1500 to basically be guinea pigs and beta testers.

So what happens when you give next-gen technology to enthusiasts? They start to pick it apart and see what makes it tick. And it looks like Glass will be pretty hacker-friendly.

Like Google's Nexus phones and tablets, the Google Glass Explorer Edition has an unlockable bootloader. All you have to do is enable ADB debugging, reboot into the bootloader, and run the same "fastboot oem unlock" command that you'd use to unlock the bootloader on a Nexus device.

Developer Jay Lee also used the ADB access to get a look at the hardware and software behind Glass, and discovered that it's based on Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich and features a TI OMAP 4430 ARM Cortex-A9 processor. Glass also reports that it has 682MB of available RAM, but the actual number may be closer to 1GB.

At this point developers are just starting to write apps for Google Glass and early adopters are getting used to wearing a tiny computer/navigation system/camera above their right eye. But eventually we could start to see custom ROMs and other advanced hacks for Google's wearable device.

via 9to5 Google

Google Glass is hackable (ADB debugging, unlockable bootloader) is a post from: Liliputing

TheLittleBlackBox: An ARM-based, open source XBMC media center

XBMC is a media center application that started its life as a project to turn the first-generation Xbox into an audio and video powerhouse. The project has since been ported to run on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and other platforms, and we've even seen it running on low-power devices with ARM processors such as the  Pivos XIOS DS Media Play.

Now there's a new XBMC box on the way, and it's designed specifically for running XBMC. It doesn't run Android apps at all, just an embedded operating system to support XBMC.

It's called TheLittleBlackBox, and the first units are expected to ship by the end of May. It's available for pre-order for 100 Euros, which is about $130 US.

The box features ann Amlogic 8726-M3 ARM Cortex-A9 processor, Mali 400 graphics, 1GB of RAM, and 4GB of built-in storage. It has 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, 2 USB ports, and HDMI output.

You can hook it up to your TV to play videos from a shared network drive, from a USB flash drive, or stream content over the internet using some of the plugins available for XBMC. It supports 1080p HD video playback. It also comes with a multi-function remote control with a QWERTY keyboard on the back.

TheLittleBlackBox measures 3.9″ x 3.9″ x 1.2″ and weighs just over a pound.

The project comes from a team of developers including J1nx, who has a history of working with hackable gadgets to get XBMC and other software up and running.

via AndroidPC.es

TheLittleBlackBox: An ARM-based, open source XBMC media center is a post from: Liliputing

Want to help create a database of Android TV sticks?

It's been about a year since the MK802 Android TV stick hit the market and changed the way many of us think about tiny computers. Since then we've seen dozens of little devices with low power ARM-based processors and Android software arrive.

Some have dual or quad-core chips. There are models with built-in cameras. Others come with wireless remote controls. And while they all tend to ship with Android, some can even run full desktop Linux software like Ubuntu.

Liliputing has been covering these devices pretty regularly over the past year, but one thing that readers regularly ask for is some sort of comparison chart. I've sort of put off that idea because I know how much work it takes to create a good comparison chart and keep it up to date.

But if y'all are willing to help out, there may be another way. Ian Morrison posted a link on Google+ to a tool called SocialCompare that lets anyone with an account contribute to a crowd-source comparison table.

There's already USB-dongle computer chart that's a work in progress. While I'm not in love with that name, I'm also not looking to reinvent the wheel here.

So this afternoon I took a few minutes to update the chart with an entry for the Tronsmart MK908 which is sitting on my desk. The process is pretty fast and simple (if you're doing one device at a time). Entering dozens of devices would be a bit more time consuming.

But if you've been following this space for a while and have a minute to update the chart with a device that's missing, all you have to do is register for a free account or login with Facebook to start editing.

And if you notice any mistakes, you can edit the chart as well.

That means its accuracy will depend on user contributions. We're also relying on a third-party service that may not be around forever, which is something I'm always a little wary of doing. But right now this may be one of the best tools available for folks looking to compare new Android TV sticks against existing models to find out which best suits your needs.

If this takes off, I'll think about adding a permanent page to Liliputing featuring the comparison chart.

In the meantime, I've embedded the work in progress here. Just hit up the main page if you want to start contributing.

Want to help create a database of Android TV sticks? is a post from: Liliputing

Lilbits (4-26-2013): AirDroid 2.0, Ubuntu remixes, NOOK HD+ sale

Facebook recently launched a beta program where a limited group of folks using its Android app could get new features first. To do that, Facebook started sending update notifications to users within the Android app itself, asking users to download and install an update without going through the Google Play Store.

It doesn't seem like Google's fond of that way of doing things. The company's new developer policies prohibit developers from pushing updates outside the Play Store to apps that were originally downloaded from the Play Store.

Here are some of the day's top tech news stories from around the web.

• Google Play policy change prohibits apps from auto-updating outside the Play Store (looking at you Facebook)
  Remember when Facebook started pushing software updates to users without going through the Play Store? Google thinks it could be dangerous to let app developers do that, so the company is updating its terms. If you want to distribute apps in the Play Store, those apps can only push updates through the Play Store. [The Verge]
• AirDroid 2.0 hits the Google Play Store, control your Android device from a web browser
  AirDroid is an app that lets you manage and control your Android phone or tablet from a web browser. You can even snap photos with the camera, find your missing phone, and more. Best of all, it's free. You can read more at [Android Police]
• Overview of Ubuntu 13.04′s alternate versions: Lubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, and Ubuntu GNOME
  Ubuntu 13.04 is out. But if you're not a fan of the Unity user interface, there are other options available. Here's a look at the four most popular remixes. [The Register]
• 30 B&N stores are selling the NOOK HD+ for $149 (in-store only)
  If you're lucky, you may be able to walk into a B&N retail store and walk out with a 9 inch, full HD tablet for just over half the price the bookseller normally charges. [The Digital Reader]
• Creative Airwave Bluetooth speaker hits the FCC, pair with your phone via Bluetooth/NFC
  Creative appears to have a new wireless speaker in the works that's designed to pair with an Android phone or other mobile device. [FCC]
• Custom ROM for the Cube U30GT2 tablet based on Android 4.2
  This week the first official Android 4.2 firmware for Cube's 10 inch, quad-core full HD tablet hit the streets. Now there's a custom ROM which takes Cube's software and strips the Chinese-language apps to make it a little more friendly toward users outside of China. The ROM is also pre-rooted. [ArcTablet]
• Lenovo's promo video for the IdeaPad Yoga 11s Windows 8 convertible
  The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S looks a lot like the Yoga 11. But this model has an Intel Core processor and Windows 8 software instead of a Tegra 3 chip and Windows RT operating system. [YouTube]
• Google Drive now lets you automatically sync docs for offline access
  Want to view or edit your Google Drive documents when you don't have an active internet connection? Now you don't need a Chromebook to do that. [Google Drive]

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Lilbits (4-26-2013): AirDroid 2.0, Ubuntu remixes, NOOK HD+ sale is a post from: Liliputing

Paranoid Android team bringing multi-window mode to Android

Paranoid Android is a custom version of Android that's been pushing the boundaries of the platform for a while. The developers were among the first to let users decide on a per-app basis whether to use the tablet or smartphone version of various apps. And Paranoid Android's PIE menu reinvents the Android button and notification scheme.

Now the team is working to change the way Android handles multitasking, by adding support for apps that don't run in full-screen, and which can be viewed on top of your currently running apps.

Right now the software is very much a work in progress, and the Paranoid Android Team says the demo video shows less than 10 percent of the planned functionality.

What you can see in the video is a system that lets you open an app in normal full-screen mode, or open that same app in a small pop-up window that partially covers whatever you're already looking at.

This lets you interact with an app (say a music player, Facebook or Twitter app, or chat app) without really exiting the other apps you're using. You can see the background app while using the foreground program, and when you're done you just minimize the pop-up and it goes away.

CyanogenMod already offers the same sort of pop-up view for incoming text messages. But Paranoid Android wants to make it available to all sorts of different apps.

But pop-up windows are just the start. Eventually the plan is to put together a complete system for multi-window management which could let you run more than one Android app at the same time on the same screen.

via reddit

Paranoid Android team bringing multi-window mode to Android is a post from: Liliputing

Hisense Sero 7 Lite tablet hits the FCC

Chinese consumer electronics company Hisense has been showing off some interesting tablets, eReaders, and other portable devices at CES and other trade shows for the past few years. But I haven't really paid much attention since the only tends to sell televisions and related products in the US.

But it looks like that could change. A Hisense Android tablet showed up at the FCC this week, which indicates Hisense may be seeking regulatory approval to sell its first tablet in the United States.

The tablet is called the Hisense Sero 7 Lite, and it features WiFi, HMI output, a microSD card slot, a micro USB port, and headset jack.

The Sero 7 Lite appears to have a 7 inch display and judging by the lack of a camera on the back (I think there's one on the front), it's likely this will be a low-cost tablet.

You won't find any details specs for this tablet on the FCC website, and there's no mention of the Sero 7 Lite at all on the Hisense website. But a picture from the partial user manual indicates that the tablet will ship with Android 4.0 or Android 4.1, but not the more recent Android 4.2 operating system.

It does seem to be a Google certified device with access to the Google Play Store and other Google apps including YouTube, Goolge Maps, Google Music, and Gmail.

The tablet features 802.11b/g/n WiFi and a multitouch display.

There's no information about the processor, screen resolution, storage memory, or price.

While the tablet is officially labeled the Hisense Sero 7 Lite, it also has the model number E270BSA.

Hisense Sero 7 Lite tablet hits the FCC is a post from: Liliputing