Google is reportedly planning to release the second generation of its 7-inch tablet – the Google Nexus 7 by July of this year according to reports from Reuters.

The Nexus 7 which was Google’s first entry to the now highly competitive tablet market has received mostly positive feedback from consumers thanks to its very capable Nvidia Tegra 3 chipset that packs a 1.2GHz quad-core Cortex A9 processor and ULP GeForce GPU. However, its most striking feature is its price.

The Nexus 7 was the result of the collaboration between Google and Asus. And unlike other Android tablets from Asus, Google’s influence on the Nexus 7 was not isolated on the software used by the tablet but rather the competitive pricing of the device.

Google was one of the few manufacturers who dared to challenge Apple’s iPad not only in terms of hardware specifications and software but also in the pricing category. With its $199 initial price it’s almost half the cost of an iPad mini of the same capacity and specs. So it’s very interesting how Google will follow this act.

For starters, reports suggest that the new Nexus 7 will ditch the Nvidia chipset in favor of a Qualcomm Snapdragon. Furthermore, the new tablet may also have a higher resolution display and a smaller bezel compared to its predecessor. And of course, in true Google fashion, the release of this new tablet may also coincide with a new Android version - Key Lime Pie.

In terms of pricing Reuters say the Google might choose to sell the new Nexus 7 for $199 at the same time giving a discount to the old model; or they might sell the tablet for around $149 which will effectively kick the old model out of the market. The next generation Nexus 7 is rumored for launch on July 2013.

Any thoughts about this rumor? Share them with us by leaving a comment below. For other Filipino lifestyle stories, subscribe to our blog or follow us on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook or Google Plus.

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Hello everyone, it’s another Tuesday and it’s time again to get ourselves updated with the latest news in the tech industry. And this week, the biggest news is about rumored phones; from the long awaited to the surprisingly fast to emerge.

Let’s start off with the Facebook phone. Last week the social networking giant sent out invites to press with a teaser saying that the company will have a new “Home” on Android. And today a developer build of the alleged Facebook phone was leaked on the internet. According to reports, the Facebook Phone will run on a device built by HTC (codenamed HTC Myst) and will sport a modified version of Android 4.1.2, a 4.3-inch screen, Sense version 4.5, a 5MP rear camera, a dual-core processor and at least 1GB of RAM.

The new phone will also come with a Facebook-oriented home launcher which will let users see Facebook news feeds and updates right on the home screen. There will also be a more standard clock screen, shortcuts for launching apps and search via Google. The home replacement app will also have a feature called Chat Heads that will allow users to use Facebook’s chat functionality anywhere in the device.

Rumors are also suggesting that Facebook may offer a toned-down version of the “Home” app to other OEM who run either the stock Android UI or on top of a skin such as Samsung’s TouchWiz UI.

Next on the list is the long rumored Amazon smartphone. Rumors about the development of the device were fanned again after the Ex-Microsoft Executive Charlie Kindel announced that he’ll be joining Amazon to work on a “secret” project. According to a post on his Google Plus account, he’ll be building a team in Amazon that involves a project that the company has little experience with.

Furthermore, a post on Kindel’s LinkedIn page reveals that the team he’s supposed to build will be compromised of developers, program managers and product managers. Charlie Kindel’s previous work in Microsoft involved the development of servers and the Windows 7 application platform so it doesn’t take a genius to establish a connection between Kindel and Amazon’s possible plan of developing its own smartphone that may complement the Kindle Fire tablet in the future.

Last on the list is Samsung with its Galaxy S4 Mini. According to reports, the S4 mini might debut within the week. The S4 mini is reportedly scheduled to be released by late May or early June. Earlier reports say that the phone might come in several variants.

These include a single-SIM, dual-SIM, LTE and a Chinese version with TD-SCDMA. The S4 mini may also have two variants when it comes to the processor. According to reports, the dual-SIM version of the phone may have a 1.6GHz dual-core processor while the single-SIM version will reportedly have a quad-core processor.

All version of the S4 mini will have an 8MP camera at the back, 1GB of RAM, a 4.3-inch display and will run on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

And that concludes this week’s edition of Tech Tuesdays on TFL. Which phone are you most excited about? Do tell us by leaving a comment below. You can also add on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google Plus. And please don’t forget to subscribe to our blog for other tech news and other stories about Filipino lifestyle.

It seems that wearable technology will indeed be the next frontier when it comes to consumer electronics as manufacturers scramble to get a piece of the pie when it comes to creating gadgets that cling to people’s bodies.

Although the concept of wearable technology has been with us since the dawn of the digital age, it’s only now that we’re seeing projects that might have the potential of actually making the concept come true. In fact, some of them such as the Pebble smartwatch have actually gone into production and are now being shipped worldwide.

Google on the other hand is already in motion in creating its Glass heads up display. The Glass project which was first mentioned around April last year and has continued to bask in the spotlight since then through various Google-sponsored events and conferences including Google I/O and a few very secretive Glass Foundry events.

Google has also unveiled a working prototype of a talking shoe at this year’s SXSW (South by Southwest) in Austin, Texas. The Talking shoe is composed of a pressure sensor, an accelerometer, a gyroscope that connects via Bluetooth to a phone or smart device and gives sarcastic comments or praises based on the wearer’s habits.

Sony also seems to have plans to create a HUD similar to Google Glass. A few days ago, the Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation filed a patent in the United States for a Head mounted display that features dual displays and movable screens.

Another product that’s getting a lot of attention these days are smartwatches. Thanks to the unprecedented success of Pebble’s kickstarter campaign, a lot of major brands are now considering the smartwatch as a viable product which they can earn profit from.

A smartwatch is a computerized wristwatch whose functionality is extended beyond time keeping. During its earlier days, most smartwatches can perform basic tasks including calculations, translations or playing games. However, with leaps in mobile technology development, a lot of the smartwatches we’re seeing today are basically extensions of other devices and are capable of running apps, media playback, act as mass storage devices or used as GPS devices to name a few.

Big names in the tech industry who have been rumored to be working on a smartwatch include Apple, Samsung, Google and LG.

To sum it all up, it seems that the time where fashion meets electronics is already upon us. Obviously, the technology to build such devices has progressed enough that the days where such objects are just a piece of a dream or imagination worthy of a science fiction movie. And based on the reaction of the general population and manufacturers, it appears that wearable technology is here to stay.

So how does wearable technology sound to you? Do share with us your thoughts by leaving a comment below. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google Plus. And please subscribe to our blog for more tech news and other Filipino lifestyle stories. 

We all know that Asus was the company that made Google’s recent 7-inch tablet. The Nexus 7 was one of the first devices in the market that boasts considerable performance without the steep price. And Asus is at it again with a new tablet made for the extremely budget conscious.

The Nexus 7 is currently priced at around $200 and its younger brother, the Memo Pad is priced almost $50 lower. Of course the lower price tag meant it had to throw away some things in terms of performance though.

For starters, unlike the Nexus 7, the Memo Pad is not powered by a Tegra 3 chipset, but rather by a VIA WM8950 chip. Moreover, this device had to make do with a single core 1GHz processor instead of the Nexus’ quad-core Cortex A9 processor. Storage options have also been reduced from the minimum of 16GB to just 8GB.

It is also a few millimeters thicker than the Nexus 7 and its display has been downgraded to an ordinary LCD panel as opposed to the IPS display that the former has. Resolution has also been downgraded as the tablet has a native resolution of 600 x 1024 pixels with a pixel density of 170 ppi. The Corning Gorilla Glass panel is also most likely to be replaced by an ordinary glass panel and battery life is expected to be lower in capacity compared to the Google tablet.

On the other hand, some things that will remain the same would be its Wi-Fi capabilities, Bluetooth, Android Jelly Bean OS, accelerometer, microSD cardslot and its messaging and browser features.

The Memo Pad is expected to be released before the month ends or early to mid-February in the Philippines. 

In the corporate world, the concept of buying, selling and merging different companies is no longer something out of the ordinary. As a lot of companies experience losses and other financial hardships, many of them will resort to selling their assets to other companies to stay afloat. On the other hand, more stable companies may acquire other businesses in order to either expand their product line or even lessen the competition.

And the tech industry of course is no exception from this practice. In the past we’ve seen different companies do the buy and sell process in order to be saved from bankruptcy or other financial woes while for others it’s more for strategy.

In this week’s edition of Tech Tuesday’s on TFL, we’ll be talking about two companies who have either bough something to strengthen its portfolio or sold something in order to prevent the business from going bankrupt. And as an added bonus, we’ll be talking about a much anticipated gadget that will soon reach Philippine shores these coming weeks.  

GOOGLE BUYS BUFFERBOX

The search engine giant is trying to take on Amazon with its latest acquisition – Bufferbox. For everyone’s information, Bufferbox is an online service that compliments your purchases online by allowing the users to order things online and then deliver the package to a locker in a local store. The locker can then be unlocked using a PIN code as a key.

This process is more convenient as users will have more time to claim their purchases in a more flexible time compared if it was shipped through a postal service. Amazon offers a very similar service called Amazon Locker which is available in 7-Eleven stores and is schedules to be available in Staples and Radio shack stores as well.

NOKIA SELLS HQ IN FINLAND

It seems that the Finnish mobile phone manufacturer is still not having a few financial hurdles And this is clearly evident when it just sold today its headquarters office in Finland for 170 million euros. According to Nokia, they are at present prioritizing other resources in order to keep the company’s normal flow of operations and at this time, investing in real estate is not really part of the Nokia’s core businesses.

However, Nokia will still use the 48,000 square meters of office real estate as they will continue their operations in the said building, but on a lease. The building has been housing Nokia’s HQ since 1997 and is located in Espoo, Finland.

APPLE iPHONE PHILIPPINE BOUND BY DECEMBER 14

Last but definitely not the least, the Apple iPhone 5 is schedule to hit Philippine shores by December 14 along with several other countries including Albania, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bolivia, Chile, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Panama, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Venezuela to name a few.

The fifth generation iPhone is already schedule to arrive at Samsung’s territory – South Korea by December 7. While a third wave of countries will experience the iPhone on December 21 including Vietnam, Egypt, Madagascar and several other countries from Africa.

So there you have it everyone. Join us again next week as we bring you the latest news on the tech world. You may also want to subscribe to our blog or drop by our Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google Plus account for more Filipino lifestyle stories about food, travel, fashion and of course technology.

Hello everyone. The tech world is once again buzzing with news tidbits, rumours and leakages especially now that the big three are preparing their respective events for this month to announce their latest goodies just in time for thanksgiving and of course cyber Monday. So in this week’s edition of Tech Tuesdays on TFL, we’ll be talking about the big three – Apple, Microsoft and Google and the events that they will be hosting in the coming days.

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HOST: Apple

DATE: October 23, 2012

VENUE: California Theatre, San Jose, California

What to Expect: Apple’s event tomorrow will likely feature the announcement of either the 13-inch MacBook Pro with retina display or the iPad mini which most people would probably expect. For several weeks now, numerous rumours and leaked images of parts and components of the alleged iPad mini has surfaced on the Internet which made the announcement of the device even more sensational.

Based on reports, the iPad mini will have a 7.85-inch screen, 3G and 4G cellular connectivity, at least 8GB of internal storage, a lightning connector, a battery rated at 4490mAh and will run iOS6. Prices are expected to start at $320.

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HOST: Microsoft

DATE: October 26, 2012

VENUE: New York City

What to Expect: Microsoft has sent out invites for its October 26 event in NYC where it will be officially announcing the launch of Windows 8 and probably Windows RT. The launch was already announced back in September by Microsoft’s Head of Windows Steven Sinofsky.

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HOST: Google

DATE: October 29, 2012

VENUE: New York City

What to Expect: Google is expected to announce the much anticipated next generation Nexus phone created by LG. Dubbed as the Nexus 4, the device is based on LG’s Optimus G and will feature a 4.75-inch IPS+ panel, a 1.5GHz quadcore processor – Qualcomm’s APQ8064 Snapdragon chip with at least 2GB of RAM. It will also most likely run on Android 4.2 which was first believed to be called Key Lime Pie.

Aside from the Nexus 4, Google is also expected to announce two new version of the Nexus 7, including the previously leaked 32GB version with 3G HSPA+.

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So are you excited with these events? If you are, then you’re definitely not alone. Which device are you most excited about? Tell us by leaving a comment below. You can also hit us up on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google Plus or better yet, subscribe to our blog for more Filipino Lifestyle stories.

Motorola has just announced a new handset this month to add to its growing list of Android devices. But unlike other RAZR phones in the company’s arsenal, The Motorola RAZR i XT890 is not powered by your usual ARM-based processors. Instead the RAZRi is powered by a 2 GHz Intel Atom processor.

This phone is one of a few handsets in the market that is powered by such a processor. This however, is not Intel’s first attempt to get a bite off of the mobile phone processor industry. You may have remembered in the past that Intel tried to win smartphone manufacturers over with various mobile platforms such as the McCaslin, Menlow and Moorestown, all of which had trouble keeping up with ARM’s SOC processors.

Although Intel has been known to produce very powerful processors in the past, this strategy have proven unsuccessful in the mobile processor wars. In contrast to ARM’s battery efficient processors, Intel’s were power guzzlers and it took the company a while to realize that.

Intel therefore went back to the drawing board and created a new processor that would fit the demands of smartphones and other mobile devices. And this is represented by the announcement of the RAZR i.

Other than the new processor, the RAZR i packs relatively the same features as other Android phones in Motorola’s lineup.  For starters, this phone runs on Android v4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, has a 4.3-inch screen with a resolution of 540x960 pixels. The screen is Super AMOLED advanced capacitive touchscreen protected by Gorilla glass.

It has 8GB of onboard storage with a microSD expansion slot capable of supporting up to 32GB cards. It has 1GB of RAM and supports Wi-Fi 802.11 s/b/g/n standards as well as v2.1 Bluetooth. The RAZR i has an 8.0 megapixel rear facing camera able to capture images at a resolution of 3264x2448 pixels and is equipped with autofocus and a LED flash. Software improvements in the camera include touch-focus, geo-tagging, face detection, image stabilization and HDR. The camera can also capture videos in high-definition at 1080pixels at 30 frames per second.

The phone also has a front-facing VGA camera, an accelerometer, A-GPS, proximity sensor and built-in compass. The RAZR i is available in Black or White and will sell for around US$545 or roughly PHP22,000+ in the Philippines (that is, if it arrives here at all).

So what do you think of the new Intel-powered RAZR phone? Does it have what it takes to get ARM a run for its money? Well, one thing’s for sure, the positive feedback of both smartphone manufacturers and consumers with the new Intel Atom processors will definitely ignite stiffer competition between Intel and ARM which can in turn drive prices even lower. Which is a good thing right?

Hello everyone, it’s time again for another episode of Tech Tuesdays on TFL. If you’ve been living under a rock, there are a few things that happened last week. For starters, the 2012 Olympics in London kicked off last week. But there were also some news makers from the tech industry last week.

So in this week’s edition, we’ll be talking about Apple’s new operating system, Google’s upcoming high speed internet network and Twitter’s decision to sever ties with another partner company.

TWITTER AND INSTRAGRAM

Social networking service Twitter has once again surprised everyone when they pulled their “Find Twitter Friends” off of Instagram last Thursday. Users began noticing a pop-up message saying that Twitter is no longer allows its users to access information in Instagram via the Twitter API.

This is the second time that the social network has decided to end a partnership with another company. It was late June of this year that Twitter stopped syncing updates to professional social network Linkedin.

According to company CEO Dick Costolo, Twitter’s decision to sever ties with Instagram and Linkedin was in line with the company’s goal of having companies to build into Twitter rather than building off of it. For now, it’s unclear whether the social network will continue to disconnect itself from other partners, but a lot of people are unsure if this is a smart move for the company.

GOOGLE FIBER GETS ANNOUNCED

Google is planning to expand its empire into the internet service provision industry. Last Thursday, the search behemoth announced its high-speed internet network that is to be called as Google Fiber. According to reports, the network is aiming to provide a connection speed of at least 1Gbps, which is 100 times faster than today’s average connection.

The service will be first made available to consumers from Kansas City into small communities called fiberhoods. In order for a fiberhood to get the service, a great majority of the residents in that community would have to pre-register. Only those fiberhoods with a high pre-registration rate will be the first to get the service.

Based on reports, the service will be available for about $70 a month or $120 for internet with TV. There will also be an initial $300 installation fee. Furthermore, it is reported that each subscription package will come with a Nexus 7 tablet that will act as a remote control.

MAC OS X MOUNTAIN LION

Apple releases the newest version of its operating system – Mac OS X dubbed as Mountain Lion. The new OS brings about more than 200 features to Mac users and fans. These features include improvements in accessibility, improvements in Facebook and Twitter integration and enhancements in the calendar, messages and safari app.

Mountain Lion also integrates Apple’s very own cloud service – iCloud. This enables the operating system to seamlessly share files and information to other devices such as iPads and iPhones, which in turn makes the OS easier to setup. Another feature that is improved in Mountain Lion is Airplay Mirroring, which allows users to share their screen to other devices with the same Airplay feature like an Apple TV.

The operating system is now available in Apple’s App store for under $20.

And that concludes this edition of Tech Tuesdays on TFL, your weekly roundup of news and updates from the tech world. And please, if you have the time, follow us on Twitter and be a fan on Facebook. Thanks and see you next week!

It’s another Tuesday and that would only mean that there’s a new episode of Tech Tuesdays on TFL! Last week, we talked about the gaming console Ouya, the security breach that happened on Yahoo! and Formspring and an Nvidia event.

In this week’s episode, the news is all about three big IT companies and the different events that transpired within the past 7 days that are related to them. First on the list is Google.

GOOGLE

American search engine giant recently acquired Sparrow. For those who don’t know, Sparrow is an email client for Mac OS X and iOS that offers an intuitive and streamline user experience to Apple consumers. Originally meant as a minor project, Sparrow went on sale in the Mac App Store on February 9, 2011 and immediately became the top grossing paid app in less than one day.

On July 20, 2012, Dom Leca, Sparrow’s CEO, announced in the company’s website that they will be heading to Google to work with the Gmail team. She also said that even though they are going to help Google with Gmail, Sparrow will continue to offer and provide support to their existing customers from Apple devices.

Google hopes that through the acquisition of Sparrow, their Gmail app can be improved in iOS and Mac and possible improve it further on the PC and on Android. Unfortunately for Apple device users, the acquisition means that development of the app for iOS and Mac will eventually stop to make way for projects from Google.

YAHOO!

After the disastrous hacker attack last week on Yahoo! voices, the Sunnyvale, California-based internet company has got itself a new CEO – former Google executive Marissa Mayer.

Mayer will be at the helm of the internet company as it tries to bounce back from financial problems and internal turmoil brought about by thousands of lay-offs and failed attempts of the past four CEOs of the company.

According to a document from the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States, 37 year old Mayer will be paid by Yahoo at an annual base rate of $1,000,000. She will also be eligible for an annual bonus under the Company’s executive incentive plan which will be at 200% of her base salary.

Furthermore, she will also be given $12 million worth of stocks (in grants and options) over the next three years and $14 million worth of restricted stocks to compensate for the money she would have gotten if she stayed with Google.  And on top of that, Yahoo will also give her an extra $30 million if she stays with the company for five years.

Not bad right, especially since she’s expecting a baby boy by October this year.

MICROSOFT

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s CEO, raised the curtains on the company’s latest update to its very popular suite of office applications – Microsoft Office.

Microsoft Office 2013 or MS Office 15, according to Ballmer will deliver unparalleled productivity and flexibility for both consumers and business customers.  The new suite, will sport the new Metro look and will be seamlessly integrated with the user interface of the upcoming Windows 8 operating system from Microsoft. It will also be touch-friendly, with support for tap to select and pinch-to-zoom functionality.

Also, it will reportedly be heavily dependent on Microsoft’s cloud service, with documents being saved by default to the cloud, allowing users access to content while on the go by using other devices like tablets and smartphones.

Office 15 will be shipped together with ARM-based windows 8 devices, which is scheduled to be released by October 2012. It will also be available as a stand-alone product, with pricing and availability to be announced.

And just like Windows 8, Office 15 is already available for download as a consumer preview via Microsoft’s website.

And that’s the latest updates on the tech world for this edition of Tech Tuesdays on TFL. Tune in again next week for your weekly dose of news, features and events in the tech industry. Also, please follow us on twitter and be a fan on Facebook. Thanks!

It’s Tuesday once again and it’s time for another weekly roundup of news about gadgets and technology. In this week’s edition of Tech Tuesdays, we’ll be talking about updates on two very influential social networking sites, alleged patent infringements from two popular brands and news about two smartphones.

If you’re ready, let’s begin.

Social Networks

Twitter’s fender bender a few weeks ago was the storm before the rainbow as the company announced a slew of improvements to its user interface. These new features include Smart search, related search and narrowed search.

Smart search acts very similar to Google’s instant search that autocompletes a query even before the user has finished typing. Related search on the other hand is also now available in the social network. According to company engineer Frost Li, people can now use search queries that match multiple terms and Twitter will provide relevant suggestions where the majority of those terms can be found in conversations happening on Twitter. Lastly, the site now also allows narrowing search results which will now be seen next to the regular search filter options.

On other social networking site news, Facebook has been reported to roll out a new mobile advertising strategy which makes use of a software that tracks the apps that are installed on consumer’s phones. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Facebook engineers have created a software that can track apps that a user has downloaded. By using this information, the company seeks to improve its mobile revenue by serving consumers with targeted ads based on their app purchases and downloads.

However, unlike existing advertising strategies employed in the past by Facebook, users will receive ads regardless if they liked the brand or not. If Facebook is indeed developing this software, it can possibly  get the social networking giant in a very precarious position as the implications of the development of such an app-tracking software can be very controversial since it may put consumers at risk in terms of privacy and security.

Infringements

Apple has been waging a patent war against almost all the big brands in its sphere of operation. Just recently, Apple paid Shenzen Proview Technology, a Chinese company, $60 million for the name iPad. And if that’s not enough, another Chinese company is claiming that the Cupertino Company is infringing one of its trademarks and is asking Apple approximately $80,000 in damages.

Jiangsu Xuebao is a Chinese household chemicals manufacturer that holds a registered copyright for the Chinese translation of Snow Leopard which is also the name given to Mac OS X version 10.6. Aside from the financial compensation that the Chinese company may receive if they win the case, they are also asking for a formal apology from Apple. The Xuebao’s case against Apple will be heard today – July 10, 2012, in Shanghai.

Nokia on the other hand has accused ASUS of using one of its patents on the recently announced Google Nexus 7 tablet without a license. According to Nokia, ASUS used the patent for IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi standard to include the said feature on the Nexus 7. The Finnish company also said that the licenses for the patents were given to around 40 mobile device manufacturers and Google or ASUS were not on the list.

However, unlike Apple, Nokia is not pushing any legal actions towards ASUS or Google. Instead, Nokia took the less expensive route and just offered the two companies to sign up for a license.

Smartphones

Android has once again proven itself as the top platform choice for manufacturers. The latest brand to jump into the bandwagon is Amazon. A report from Bloomberg talks about Amazon partnering with China-based factory Foxconn to build the new device.

Amazon has also been reported to have started acquiring patents related to wireless technology, possibly to protect itself from being legally attacked for copyright infringement. Furthermore, unconfirmed reports surfaced that the retail giant is developing its own mapping service with the acquisition of UpNext for an undisclosed amount.

The new device will be most beneficial to Amazon as this will strengthen the company’s Kindle line of 

products. The new phone will allow Amazon to reach more consumers for all their virtual goods and can even boost sales of Kindle Fire tablets and e-readers as users will then be able to seamlessly transfer content from phone to tablet and vice versa.

From good news to (sort of) bad news, Meego developers have left Nokia’s camp which is definitely not good for the only Meego device in Nokia’s arsenal – the N9. It is still unclear why the Meego team has left Nokia but the good news is that a startup company in the name of Jolla, will be taking over the Finnish company’s efforts in developing the platform.

And that’s all for this week’s episode of Tech Tuesdays on TFL. For comments and suggestions, the comment box below is always open for everyone’s voices. For more news and updates in the world of technology, tune in again next week! 

In part 1 of this week’s Tech Tuesdays we talked about everything there is to know about Google’s developer conference. The Nexus Q, the Nexus 7 Tablet, Project glasses and Android Jelly Bean all made news last week. But there are other headlines last week that’s as important as Google I/O.

Here’s another round up of last week’s gotta know things about gadgets and technology.

The Organic LED collaboration

Sony and Panasonic collaboration rumors turned out to be true as the two companies announced that they will be working together to manufacture OLED panels to develop a new generation of OLED technology which will enable the mass production of large, high-res OLED TVs and monitors.

If all goes according to plan, the two companies will share their resources and tap into each other’s expertise to fast track R&D efforts for OLED panels. The production of the first set of this new generation of OLED TVs is scheduled to start in 2013 and will be sold separately by each brand using different chipsets.

Lawsuits and Legalities

Facebook quietly pulls out their “Find Friends Nearby” feature and claims that it was just a test for a new feature they wanted to add in their mobile app. Friends Nearby, which was first called as “Friendshake” according to Facebook developers aims to use your device’s GPS to locate known friends that are near you which in Facebook’s mind will help people in setting up impromptu hangout sessions.

However, another company called Friendthem, who makes a similar app that uses the same GPS technology in finding friends, threatened Facebook with a lawsuit for possible patent infringement a day after the feature rolled out. According to Friendthem CEO, Charles Sankowich, the company is still planning to pursue legal actions against the social networking giant even though the feature was already removed in Facebook’s mobile app.

On other legal related news, Google’s thunder at Google I/O was abruptly stolen as US District Court Judge Lucy Koh, granted Apple the preliminary injunction in an ongoing patent battle with Samsung. This effectively blocks the sale of the Jelly Bean powered Samsung Galaxy Nexus in the United States. As a consolation prize for Google, the injunction is only temporary and was only made possible after Apple posted a $96 million bond to cover for possible damages Samsung might have incurred from loss of sales in case the ruling favors the Nexus.

Nevertheless, it just proves how Apple sees Google’s Nexus brand as a big threat to their iOS devices and their dead serious in winning this legal patent battle.

Profit Loss and Possible Collapse

Canadian smartphone and tablet manufacturer, Research in Motion (RIM), suffered once again a big loss last Thursday as their Quarter 2 reports showed a jaw-dropping 48% loss in sales compared to the previous quarter which also translates to a 28 cent loss per share.

And if that’s not enough, RIM CEO Thorston Heins, also announced that the release of their BlackBerry 10 smartphone line will be delayed until next year. And on top of that, financial analyst are also predicting that in order for RIM to get back on the game, an estimated 5,000 employees might need to be sacked in order to save enough money to keep the company afloat if their sales won’t change for the better.

Localization and Local News

On local news, Apple has made the iTunes available to several Asian countries including the Philippines. This localization has given iTunes users as well as iOS device users the power to download multimedia content such as songs and videos from iTunes itself. It also provides the iMatch feature that was once only available to iOS and iTunes users abroad.

HTC on the other hand officially welcomed three new models to its Android smartphone line. The product launch was held at The Block in SM North EDSA in Quezon City and featured the HTC One S which completes the current HTC One family alongside the One X and One V.

The Desire family also added new members to its roster with the HTC Desire C and the Desire V. All three models will come with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as well as HTC’s own Sense UI v4. The One S will have an SRP of Php25,000+, while the Desire C and Desire V will start at Php10,000 and Php16,000 respectively.

And that concludes this week’s episode of Tech Tuesdays! Tune in again next week for the hottest and latest news in the tech world. See you next week. Sayonara!

Google once again made headlines last week when they opened their developer conference – Google I/O. The conference became the venue where Google announced their latest updates and releases them to the tech hungry public. The news that the conference ushered in was so overwhelming that tech blogs and sites were still talking about the highlights of the event days after it ended. In fact, I decided to split this week’s Tech Tuesdays episode to accommodate all things related to the event.

In the first part of this week’s edition of Tech Tuesdays, we’ll be having a recap on what transpired in San Francisco. So if you’re ready, then let’s begin.

Google Nexus Q

Google is expanding its Nexus line to not only include smartphones and tablets. They will now be offering a cloud based media player known as the Nexus Q.

The Nexus Q is a cloud-connect jukebox that allows users to stream multimedia content such as music and videos using Google play’s music app. The device allows for multiple users to create playlists from different Android devices by queuing them up in Google’s cloud service.

Priced at $299, the Nexus Q features a micro HDMI port, NFC, micro USB, Bluetooth and of course Wi-Fi connectivity. It weighs around two pounds  and will be shipped in mid-July.

Android Jelly Bean

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean went official in Google I/O. Unlike previous Android releases, Jelly Bean will only come as an update to ICS powered smartphones as it is supposed to be just a more polished version of Ice cream sandwich.

Some of the improvements that Jelly bean brings in to Android devices include a smoother and faster UI courtesy of Project Butter, improved notification center with expandable and actionable notifications, improved keyboard behaviour, offline voice recognition and typing, an improved Google Voice search functionality and an updated Google search user interface.

It also brings about new features like USB audio output and HDMI multichannel audio output and the very useful Google Now which automatically adds information feeds to your device like weather information, traffic news, sports features and the like by remembering pages that you visit and apps that you use.

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be the first and only smartphone as of the moment that will pack the latest release of Android while the only other device that will get JB as standard would be the Nexus 7 tablet. OTAs on the other hand will be made available to Motorola Xoom and Galaxy S owners come mid-July.

Google Glasses (Project Glass)

Another announcement that was made in Google I/O was that for Google glasses. Announced by one of the company’s co-founder – Sergey Brin, Google Glasses was first introduced back in April through a YouTube video. By using the reality-enhanced glasses, users will be able to record video, get weather updates and view messages from your friends to name a few.

Google was quite mum on the release date for project glasses, but Brin announced last Wednesday that the company plans to bring the technology to consumers by 2014. Developers will get to experience the glasses in advance as the Explorer edition of Google Glasses will be made available to them in 2013 at a whopping $1,500 each.

Google Nexus 7

The biggest newsmaker in Google’s arsenal for I/O would probably be the Nexus 7 tablet.

The company’s Nexus branded tablet will be made by Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Asus. It will come in either an 8GB or 16GB version, will feature a 7-inch back-lit IPS display with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels protected by a scratch-resistant Gorilla glass display, a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, a 1.2MP front-facing camera, NFC technology and a 4325mAh battery.

The best thing about the Nexus 7 is probably the price. Pricing starts at $199 for the 8GB version while the 16GB version is priced at $249. Google is already taking pre-orders of the Nexus 7 and will soon ship the tablet in the coming weeks.

And that’s Google I/O in a nutshell. For tech news not (totally) related to Google and its developer conference, stay tuned for part 2 of this week’s Tech Tuesdays