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All posts tagged "video"


Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Word Lens Augmented Reality Translation App Released for Android

Posted by Craig Horlacher in "Android Software" @ 09:30 AM

http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/0...eptic-hands-on/

"The beauty of an app like Word Lens is it is really fast to use since it uses the camera and updates the image live. It also completely replaces words it sees instead of just adding overlays, all while trying to match the same font, color, background, and text size."

This looks like a pretty amazing app to me and one of the most practical uses of augmented reality I've seen. Watch the video above and see what you think. It actually replaces text you would otherwise see through the camera of your phone with the text in the language of your choice. Right now they offer Italian, Spanish, and French. Everything is done locally so no network connection needed. You basically pay $5 per language pack.

Check out the Hands-On mini-review after the break for more demonstrations and information.


Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Status Symbol: HTC Status Reviewed

Posted by Karey Westfall in "HTC Android Phones" @ 02:00 AM

http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/12/...tatus-hands-on/

"As you can imagine, AT&T was eager to show off its newly minted HTC Status at its holiday preview event, right up there along with a blue Xperia Play and the HP Touchpad 4G."

Another great phone has hit the market for AT&T! The HTC Status is AT&T's first Android 2.3 phone and delivers some great features. Check out the video and review for a comprehensive look!


Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Get Your Popcorn Ready: WiFi Xoom Gains Access To Google Movies

Posted by Jason Lee in "Android News" @ 11:00 AM

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/17/...s-just-in-time/

"Hard to say why Google chose to roll its Movies app out first to 3G-packed tablets sporting Android 3.1 (a smaller testbed, perhaps?), but it looks as if it won't matter for much longer."

This is good news indeed. I was super excited when I saw the update show up for my Xoom. I haven't rented a movie yet but if there is ever anything I want to watch that isn't on Netflix this is the way I would prefer to do it. There are other video and movie rental services online but I'd rather not enter my credit card into yet another web page or online service. I already have Google checkout setup. I'm not sure exactly how much I'll use this as I haven't rented a movie in over 10 years but I like having the option. Anyone rented anything yet from this new service?


Saturday, May 21, 2011

Cartoon Network Video App - To Download Or Not To Download?

Posted by Karey Westfall in "Android Software" @ 03:30 AM

https://market.android.com/details?...rner.cnvideoapp

"Get Cartoon Network any time with the Cartoon Network Video app for Android."

Cartoon Network programming has arrived to your phone with the Cartoon Network Video app. Now you can watch your favorite shows on the go via streaming video! But be aware, reports indicate that video quality lacks and most shows are kid friendly. And it's also been reported that even though it should, the app won't run on certain phones. But on the upside, it allows you to browse the CN tv schedule and Adult Swim shows may be available soon via a separate app. In the meantime or unless you are a die-hard Cartoon Network fan, it might be a good idea to skip this app until they get the kinks worked out!


Wednesday, May 4, 2011

OTA Update of Android 2.3.4 Released for the Nexus One but it's Missing Something

Posted by Craig Horlacher in "Android News" @ 05:30 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/03/...gtalk-video-ca/

"Good news: Android 2.3.4 is en route to your Nexus One. Bad news: it lacks the Google Talk video and voice chat options that Nexus S users will get to enjoy in their slice of the same Gingerbread iteration."

This is too bad! I really wish they would give video and audio abilities to all versions of Google Talk, front facing camera or not. Sometimes you want to show something going on rather than yourself anyway. Really, even if you have no camera's the voice chat could be very handy when you're out of minutes on your phone or for some other reason conventional calling will not do the trick. Did you get the official 2.3.4 update on your Nexus One? What do you think?


Monday, April 25, 2011

Remove Unsightly Media With These Simple Steps

Posted by Jason Lee in "Android Articles, Resources & Developer" @ 01:00 AM

http://www.addictivetips.com/mobile...ndroid-gallery/

"The quick and smooth loading of your picture Gallery lasts only while your Android device is new or freshly wiped. After you've filled your device with apps, music and picture albums to your heart's content, it begins to take more than its due share of time to scan your SD card for images, loading everything from pictures taken from the camera to wallpapers, album art and extracted icon packs."

This is something I run into quite often on my device. Install that new game and all of a sudden you have tons of extra pictures in your photo gallery or worse yet hundreds of sound effect files littering your music library. Gunfire and explosions aren't really something you want to hear when you hit shuffle all. I personally, have a folder full of ringtones that I really don't want showing up in the music player. The good news is that there is a very simple fix. All you need to do is drop a ".nomedia" file into any directory that contains the stuff you don't want showing up. It's that simple. The instructions in the linked article tell you how to crate one of these files but odds are that you probably already have a few on your SD card. Many other Android apps use these files to hide their media data, the Weather Channel app for instance. I just dig through a few folders until I find one then copy that file to the folder I want to hide. It is also worth noting that media from folders that begin with a "." is also ignored. I wouldn't rename any of your app folders, that will break the app, but if you have some images or audio/video files stored on your card that you don't want to see you can simply rename the folder to ".ringtones" for example. Happy media hiding all!


Thursday, April 7, 2011

Fring Beta Brings Four-Way Video Chat

Posted by Craig Horlacher in "Android Software" @ 11:00 AM

http://gizmodo.com/#!5789230/frings...es-down-in-beta

"Fring's testing out a mobile video party line, connecting four people at once, on video, for free. Free!"

Fring has a beta version available that allows for group video calling of up to four people at a time. It support Android as well as iOS. If you're interested in trying the beta you can sign up on their blog. For those not familiar with Fring it supports calling video calling, text chatting, Google Talk, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and SIP calling as well as voice calling to other Fring users all for free. You can also use Fring for calling any regular phone number for prices as low as a penny per minute. Are there any Fring users out there who are trying this beta? I'd love to hear what you think of the group video calling.


Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Hulu For Android Coming Soon -- To "Select" Devices

Posted by Kevin Jackson in "Android Software" @ 02:00 PM

http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2...ly-coming-soon/

"Android users who have been waiting for Hulu to release an app for their devices now have an official light at the end of the tunnel."

Do you want to watch the latest episodes of The Office, House, or Saturday Night Live on your phone? Your chance may soon be here -- if you have one of the "select" 2.2 phones that Hulu will be releasing the app for. Honestly I wish I could be more excited about this news, but if the Netflix announcement we saw recently is any indication, this will only be available for devices with hardware DRM, which likely leaves out a large portion of current devices.

How about you? Are you excited about this announcement? Do the DRM-blues have you down? Do you think the current stable of devices will be largely Hulu and Netflix free? Would you upgrade just to be able to watch videos on the go? Let us know in the forum (just click the "Discuss" link).

Tags: video, drm, hulu, netflix

Sweet Home! Makes Automatic Backups of Photos and Videos Easy

Posted by Kevin Jackson in "Android Software" @ 05:00 AM

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehack...to-your-network

"The free Sweet Home! app uploads photos and videos taken with the camera of your Android device to a shared network location of your choice. It can do this automatically-as soon as you get home and connect to your wi-fi network-or manually if you prefer."

Here is a cool and useful new app for those who take lots of pictures and videos with your phone. If you've ever used an Eye-Fi enabled card with your camera your familiar with the basic concept; when your device connects to a pre-determined wireless network it automatically uploads the photos and videos to a location of your choosing. Unlike Eye-Fi, this currently only works with a local network share, so no auto-uploading to Picasa, Flickr, or Facebook, but seeing as this is currently an early release, maybe we could see some of those features in the future. Either way, the ability to automatically, wirelessly back up your photos and videos is great.

Set up is dead simple, as you can see from the screen-shot above, and it works as advertised. Quick, simple, and a great concept. Let us know at the "Discuss" link if you have tried the app and what you think about it.


Saturday, February 19, 2011

2011 MLB.com At Bat Now Includes Streaming Video For Android

Posted by Karey Westfall in "Android Software" @ 07:30 AM

http://gigaom.com/video/mlb-tv-read...all-on-android/

"Spring training may not start for another month, but for baseball fans eager to follow their favorite teams on nearly every connected device, the season has officially begun."

The 2011 MLB.com At Bat application for Android will include broadcasts of live games for the new baseball season. So instead of just listening to the game, you can watch the game as well. But the bad news is that it will cost you the hefty price of $99.99 to $119.95 for the MLB.tv license for the season plus possibly buying the app for $14.99. But include with the license is the ability to watch games on other compatible devices. The app will be available once spring training starts, which isn't that far away!


Tuesday, February 15, 2011

LG Optimus Pad 3D Video In Action

Posted by Jason Lee in "Android Slates/Tablets & Accessories" @ 11:30 PM

http://androinica.com/2011/02/14/lg...video-hands-on/

"Does the world really need 3D mobile devices? No, but companies are going to keep putting them out. That's why the LG Optimus Pad, announced at MWC 2011, garnered so much attention today."

3D video recording on a tablet/phone may just be the ultimate in "Why? Because I can". Personally I cannot think of a single situation were recording video in the old school red/green 3D would provide any real benefit. Would I do it if I could? Probably. Would I go out of my way to buy a device capable of it? Probably not. The capability of recording true 3D video on a mobile device is very cool for sure but it may be just a bit too gimmicky to really sell a device. What about you? Any of you guys who can't wait to get some 3D on your next mobile device? Click through for a video of the device in action.


Monday, February 7, 2011

Hidden Messages, Walkie-Talkie Communications, and Video Calling On Your Android Phone With These Apps

Posted by Craig Horlacher in "Android Software" @ 08:30 PM

http://andgeeks.com/google-android/...egdroid-882840/

"It’s called StegDroid, and it sends a hidden message along with an audio recording to anyone else using the app. It might sound like a harmless voicemail, but contained is a message that is for your eyes only."

"What do you get when you put voicemail, phone calls, and text messages into an Android App blender? You get HeyTell for Android, which will turn your smartphone into a Walkie Talkie!"

Android phones can truly cover all your communication needs. Here are some apps to help you out. First, if you ever have the need to send secure messages and want them to look like they're not of a sensitive nature now you can. StegDroid will let you record an Ogg Vorbis audio file and hide your message inside it. Just have the person on the other end open the Ogg file using StegDroid and they'll be able to decode your message.

Any ex-Nextel people out there? Do you use those 2 or 5 mile range walkie-talkies to stay in touch with family in other vehicles on a long trip? Take a look at HeyTell. It's an app that gives you instant walkie-talkie communications with another HeyTell user.

Last but not least is Tango. Tango is a free video calling app. It's simple to set up and you can even use it for Android to iPhone calling. Oh yeah, it doesn't require WiFi;)


Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Samsung Taunts Us A Second Time: Galaxy S 2 Teaser Video Released

Posted by Jason Lee in "Samsung Android Phones" @ 12:00 PM

http://www.androidguys.com/2011/02/...released-video/

"Samsung has something big planned for MWC this year, be it the Galaxy S 2 or even the next generation Galaxy Tab."

What, oh what does Sammy have in store for us at MWC this year? Some crazy dual core goodness? Some Super Extra AMOLED + 3 screen? An integrated coffee maker? Who knows but if the original Galaxy S is any indicator it will for sure be cool. We only get a few glances at the powerful new device in the teaser video including the small FX oops pictured above. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Anyone else excited to see this new device?


Saturday, January 15, 2011

YouTube Improves Music Video Features

Posted by Craig Horlacher in "Android Software" @ 08:00 AM

http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/...be-app-for.html

"Starting today, we’re welcoming VEVO’s extensive library of official music videos from artists like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Kanye West and U2 onto the YouTube 2.0 app for Android, available around the world. To watch these videos your mobile phone needs to be running Android 2.2 (Froyo)."

If you watch a lot of music video's make sure to update your YouTube app! If you have Froyo you'll have access to a ton of music video's from VEVO. YouTube also has some very handy new features for finding similar bands, accessing the artist bio while watching the music video, finding more songs by the same artist, and every music video is now easy to pick out due to a new music note "badge".


Saturday, January 8, 2011

Atrix 4G Does Its Dance For You On Video

Posted by Jason Lee in "Android News" @ 02:00 PM

http://phandroid.com/2011/01/06/mot...kthrough-video/

"Motorola just dropped possibly the most impressive press conference of CES yet right on us, but they did one better by opening up their line of new Android handsets for some hands-on time with the writhing masses. Of course we snapped up some video for your viewing pleasure - which will follow below - but what about the Atrix 4G?"

Wow... I mean really... WOW. This is somewhere slightly beyond pretty freakin sweet. When I first heard about the Atrix 4G's desktop dock and webtop dock I thought that was pretty cool. Then I heard that once you dock it you will get access to the full desktop version of Firefox running the full version of Flash. Woah... I wondered exactly how that worked. Well now I know. Docking the Atrix seems to launch some sort of Linux environment where you can run the full version of Firefox. Extremely awesome!

Now, why this is some custom Linux environment running Firefox versus Chrome or better yet just Chrome OS we may never know. I also wonder if Firefox is upgradeable or are you stuck with what every security holes exist in the version your phone ships with? What ever the case this may be the most exciting thing to happen to Android in a long time. I absolutely hate carrier phones but I will be keeping my eye on this one.


Friday, January 7, 2011

CES and More: News Bits You May Have Missed

Posted by Jon Westfall in "Android News" @ 07:30 PM

On the go? Just need the facts? That's why I'm here! I've been dishing out news assignments to our editors here and over on Windows Phone Thoughts, and figured I'd pop my head in with the headlines that didn't make it (Not for lack of merit!). Here we go...

Not too bad huh? And it's really only from the last 48 hours!


Friday, December 31, 2010

Video Demos Coming to the Android Market

Posted by Craig Horlacher in "Android Software" @ 09:00 AM

http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2...ff-demo-videos/

"Right now, there are about 2,000 apps with newly-added videos in the Market but they aren't being displayed just yet. They're also available via the Market API, so some sites like Appsfire have already begun integrating the video demos into their own listings via the Market API."

Video demos will be a great addition to the Market. Especially since return time was shortened to 15 minutes. While I don't think this is a replacement for a longer return time this should help reduce the returns needed. Have you bought an app lately that you returned or wished you would have? Would a video have been enough to keep you from wasting time and/or money?


Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Might Google Video Chat Be Coming To Android? I Sure Hope So.

Posted by Jason Lee in "Android Software" @ 06:00 PM

http://www.androidguys.com/2010/12/...ingerbread-sdk/

"It was only a matter of time before some of you craftier readers started digging into the Gingerbread SDK. Just hours after its announcement, the first hidden gems are starting to come to surface."

Well looky there. Looks like some of those crazy people out there have already started ripping apart the new Android 2.3 SDK. Guess what they found? Yep, icons for audio and video chat status. This doesn't mean that voice and video chat are coming to Android but is is a pretty strong hint that someone is at least working on it. All I can say is that it is about time. Voice and video chat over Google Talk is great from your PC. How awesome would it be from your phone? Anyone else super excited about this possibility?


Friday, October 1, 2010

Samsung Galaxy Tab Unboxed...In Italian!

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Other Slates & Tablets" @ 11:03 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgYM...player_embedded

What's that? You want an unboxing in a lyrical language that you can't understand about a gadget that you really want? BOOM. Here you go. It's an unboxing of the Samsung Galaxy Tab, and it's in Italian. My Italian is about as good as my Atlantean (as in, non-existent), but boy, that's one nice looking Android tablet!


Thursday, September 16, 2010

Looxcie - Social Networking, Now With Video

Posted by David Tucker in "Android News" @ 12:30 PM

http://www.looxcie.com/

"Heres a neat concept - take a bluetooth headset and throw in a camera that see's everything you see. Now add an Android app that allows you to turn your phone into a viewfinder, remote control, and editing tool for creating clips (up to 30 minutes in length), and you may as well be on your way to becoming a hybrid cyborg! This neat little device from Looxcie is perfect for those who are into almost-live vlogging (video blogging), or just want to take out the effort of transferring video and editing it on a computer to share with family and friends."

Definitely an interesting idea in our always connected world that we live in now. I personally wouldn't want to do this all the time but when I'm on vacation I think it would be a neat way to share some of the things I was doing. Combined with easy updating from an Android phone, this is at least a well implemented idea! The headset, which doubles as a normal BT headset for talking as well, looks very similar to the Plantronics Voyager Pro that I own. There's no confusing this with anything sleek though. Its going to be rather obvious on your ear so fashionistas need not apply! Of course there is that $200 price to get past...


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