NenaMark 2 scores for Sony Xperia C360X appear, promise Xperia T-level specs

We’ve been seeing a steady stream of leaks about the next crop of Sony Xperia Androids but this one is about a new model – the C3602 (since the last digit indicates the region, let’s just call it the C360X).

We’ve already seen the low-end C1 series (Xperia E and E Dual) and the high-end C6 series (Odin and Yuga with their 5″ 1080p screens), so this C360X should be our first look at the mid-range offerings.

The model number appeared in NenaMark 2 results database, which gives us info on the Android version – v4.0.4 as tested – and the GPU and the screen.

The Xperia C360X has a 720p screen (not bad for a mid-ranger) and on-screen buttons (the reported resolution is 1196×720, the missing 84px are for the virtual keys).

The GPU is an Adreno 225, which means we’re talking about a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, possibly the same MSM8260A chipset as on the Xperia T (which has two Krait cores at 1.5GHz).

Thanks to Sushil Goyal for the tip!

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Roku adds universal search for Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, HBO GO, and more

Definitely useful when getting ready to stream a movie or TV show, Roku is rolling out a new search function that can help you find exactly what you want.

Announced on the official Roku blog earlier today, the streaming hardware company has developed a universal search application that incorporates content from the most popular streaming video applications. Similar to Google’s search function on Google TV or Boxee’s search function on the Boxee Box, movies and television shows from Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, Vudu, HBO GO and Crackle will appear within the search listings. Beyond the title of the content, users will also be able to search for the names of specific actors, actresses and directors in order to find the correct video.

This will be particularly useful as users won’t have to jump between applications in order to search for a specific piece of content. After a user selects a specific television show or movie, Roku will show the user all options for watching the content. Hypothetically, a user could be ready to purchase a movie rental on a premium service like Vudu, but may happily find that the movie is already included in their monthly subscription price to Netflix Instant. 

According to Roku, the company is going to continue adding partners in the coming months and there are already 130,000 different movies and television episodes included within the search application. If a user also owns an Android or iOS smartphone, the free Roku application includes a keyboard option to type out a specific search query instead of using the remote to type one letter at a time.

In regards to compatibility, Roku Search will work with the Roku Streaming stick, Roku LT, Roku HD and Roku 2 devices. However, Roku Search won’t be available to first generation Roku owners due to hardware limitations. The new Roku Search application will be pushed out to compatible hardware over the next week. However, users can force the update by checking the “Software Update” section within the settings menu. After the device is updated, the user will need to download the search application to get started.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

1 in 10 Viewers Watched Debates on TV Plus 1 Additional Screen

Image credit: Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo

 Take a look at the constant stream of tweets during the debates (there were 10 million within two hours of the first debate between Obama and Romney), and it’s  obvious that not only are people watching the feuding candidates on TV but  also on their phones, computers  or tablets.

According to a study released by the Pew Research Center for the Press and the People, 85 percent of those who tuned in to the debate last week watched  it on live TV, but 11 percent  followed it online, either on a computer, phone or tablet. That means that one in 10 Americans used the two- or double-screen approach, watching TV while also holding a mobile device (phone or tablet) or computer.

Most of those who were following online were younger. Thirty-two percent of those younger than 40 said they tracked the debate online. The post-debate survey was conducted after the first presidential debate in a series of phone interviews with a national sample of 1,006 adults.

Pew also has some interesting stats when it comes to the social media activity. Only one-third of that 5 percent who followed the debates online said they shared their reactions online via Facebook  or Twitter. Interestingly, there wasn’t a major difference along party lines in technology usage.

More details on the survey can be found on the Pew website, but it’s pretty clear that while the majority continues to stick to the boob tube for these major political events, the smaller, more portable screens are starting to provide another avenue for at least 10 percent.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

How Miracast could finally make your smartphone run your home theater

AirPlay and WiDi made big promises of screen mirroring made easy, but both were too closed to succeed. New Miracast technology could finally give consumers an easy, wireless way to stream content from a laptop or smartphone to a TV.

Few things make me feel like I’m living in the future as much as wirelessly beaming movies and music from a mobile device to a big-screen TV or home audio component. Oh, you haven’t heard that song yet? Let me stream it right through your speakers! Missed the latest episode of Top Chef Masters? I have it here on my laptop, let’s pop the high-definition video up on your TV — no wires necessary. That’s right up there with hoverboards and robot butlers in my book, folks.

One problem: It’s not that easy yet. The two major wireless media streaming technology options available today — Apple’s excellent AirPlay and Intel’s, um, improving WiDi — struggle with major flaws that majorly limit their usefulness.

The best hope for a wire-free mobile future rode in this week in the form of Miracast, a new standard backed by the same organization that watches over Wi-Fi itself. It’s an innovative technology that’s backed by a bunch of big-name players and breaks many of the chains holding WiDi and AirPlay back, but Miracast has some hurdles to leap before it becomes a household name.

The problems with WiDi and AirPlay

The biggest issue with WiDi and AirPlay is that they’re proprietary and available on very limited hardware. Only Apple devices broadcast AirPlay signals, and only the Apple TV set-top box or select home theater equipment can receive that signal. WiDi’s restricted to select laptops and notebooks with Intel Core processors inside, plus you have to pay about $100 for a WiDi adapter for your TV. Bleh.

On the positive side, that adapter allows WiDi broadcasters and receivers to talk to each other directly; AirPlay has to piggyback on an external Wi-Fi network. If you don’t have a Wi-Fi network set up, you can’t use AirPlay. (Apple’s rumored to be working on “AirPlay Direct” to ditch the reliance on outside Wi-Fi, however.)

Another issue lies in actually using the wireless streaming technologies. AirPlay’s a model of clean engineering and pretty much works like a charm every time you use it, but WiDi is another matter completely. Intel’s technology frequently suffers from horrible lag, and it didn’t support 1080p video or Blu-ray streaming until earlier this year. A scheduled October update could help things, but we won’t know until we see it.

Finally, WiDi and AirPlay are only kinda wireless. Both require the use of a box that connects to your TV via an HDMI cable, if you want to stream video from your phone or tablet.

Miracast basics

Miracast, on the other hand, requires no additional hardware or external Wi-Fi networks. It uses the Wi-Fi Direct standard to create a direct wireless network between the sending device and the receiving device. In other words, just pair your mobile device with your TV or stereo and you’re good to go. Both devices need to be Miracast certified for the technology to work, but if you want to stream music and movies to a non-certified device, there will be Miracast adapters available that plug into HDMI or USB ports.

Even better, the Wi-Fi Alliance has ensured that the protected content woes that plagued WiDi’s launch won’t happen to Miracast; anything you can see or hear on your mobile device can be streamed to your television. That includes full 1080p HD video and yep, even DRM-protected media like DVDs or Blu-rays.

Everyone can join this wireless party

Like Wi-Fi itself — and unlike WiDi and AirPlay — Miracast is an open, optional certification that any manufacturer can apply for if their products meet the standard. That alone gives it a big potential leg-up over already-established technologies.

In fact, a number of big-name technology manufacturers are already onboard the Miracast bandwagon. Samsung — the world’s most prolific smartphone maker — is signed up, and Nvidia has pledged to certify its Tegra mobile processors — found in scores of smartphones and tablets — to the Miracast standard. Sony, LG, Texas Instruments and Qualcomm have all publicly issued statements of support.

Even Intel wants in on the action: All WiDi products have already been Miracast certified, as have LG’s Optimus G smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S III, the Samsung Echo-P Series TV, and a number of various chips and adapters.

The sending and receiving gadgets don’t have to be from the same manufacturer, either. A Samsung phone should stream content to a Sony TV just fine, provided both are Miracast certified. Spiffy.

An AirPlay rival at last?

Things look pretty good for Miracast. Many would-be technologies die on the vine due to a sheer lack of adoption, but with the Wi-Fi Alliance and its assorted manufacturer partners on board, that doesn’t seem likely to happen to Miracast.

The biggest potential pitfall, as I see it, lies in customer confusion; it’s great that Intel certified its WiDi devices, but some of WiDi’s more advanced features won’t work if one of the two devices is “only” Miracast certified. That could confuse some people, but I don’t foresee it becoming a major issue because frankly, Intel’s WiDi isn’t in the hearts, minds or laptops of most people yet. A successful Miracast very well could kill it off in short order.

WiDi-esque lag could slow Miracast adoption as well; we’ll have to see how well the first wave of devices play together.

Will Miracast be successful? That’s the million-dollar question, but all signs point to yes. It’s more flexible and more universal than current wireless display technologies, and even better, you don’t need to pay extra for additional adapters or wires unless you want to stream content to a non-certified TV. With the big names backing the standard, Miracast should theoretically pop up in a large number of TVs, smartphones, tablets and laptops in short order.

If you ask me, Miracast is here to stay. Folks who haven’t bitten into Apple will be able to get a taste of mobile display mirroring that’s hopefully as easy-to-use as AirPlay. Who knows? If Miracast takes off, maybe Macs and iDevices will one day ditch the proprietary AirPlay and embrace the open-standard goodness. (Hey, it could happen.)

Now, someone needs to start working on those robot butlers.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

The xx collaboration with Microsoft visualizes music spreading virally

In an collaboration with Microsoft, The xx is streaming its full album "Coexist" in a visual map representing how its stream is going viral throughout the world.

The XX’s highly anticipated sophomore album, “Coexist” has finally launched in stores nation-wide, and the band, in conjunction with Microsoft, got creative leading up to the album’s debut. The Microsoft team developed a visual representation of how The Coexist Website is going viral throughout the world.

Microsoft was able to exercise its HTML5 capabilities while showcasing just why a feature like this is best suited for an Internet Explorer 10 browser. The desktop app is plug-in free – you don’t have to worry about flash crashing midway – and is the only place you can find a stream of the complete album from beginning end before Coexist hits the shelves.

White threads (or “curves” as Microsoft refers to them) set against a black background and a silhouette of a global map illustrate how fans are sharing the site with friends through the in-app sharing feature. “With The xx, it was about blending music, art, and technology – creating beauty in simplicity,” Steve Lake, Microsoft’s marketing manager, wrote on Microsoft’s blog.

What’s intriguing about the way the app became viral however was that the site began with one person, and as you can see from the app itself, the white curves have carpeted the United States and Europe. “Each curve begins with a Tweet, e-mail, or Facebook post or e-mail and ends with the location of a new listener,” the site states.

When we first noticed this yesterday, much of the sharing was concentrated in the United States, and after returning to the app today, we’ve noticed how in just over two days the stream has been shared heavily throughout Europe. You can also scroll through the sharing history beginning from September 3, when the site began with its first listener.

The Coexist website is one example of artists that are turning to technology (granted that they have the resources) to develop intriguing new strategies to market their album in an industry saturated with musicians who can simply take to YouTube and become a viral hit in an instant. This app in particular was a success as it showed up on the front page of Reddit.

Do you have plans on purchasing The xx’s latest album now that you’ve listened to the tracks in the app? Let us know in the comments below.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com