Electricpig » Apps & Software

Sony video editing lands on Android: How long until we see an Android Handycam?

Ben Sillis — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 10:35:31 +0000

The Sony Video Connector Android app has just hit the Market this week. It’s another curious addition to Sony’s Android app portfolio it’s been quietly growing in the last few months, and it’s aimed at delivering iMovie style video editing on your Google phone.

For £2.49, the Sony Video Connector will let you splice separate video clips together, although it’s rather limited in that they all have to be of the same resolution. When paired with Sony’s recently released Video Trimmer Android app, you could start piecing together your own movies on the go.

Combined, they sort of make an iMovie rival, but it’s still a strange move for a company supposedly trying to stop departmental warfare and work in harmony. Why are there two apps (So you pay twice), and has Sony not noticed there’s a movie editor in Android Honeycomb (Which powers its tablet) and in Ice Cream Sandwich, which will presumably power its new smartphones now it’s bought out Ericsson?

Regardless, you can check out how it works in the video below, and hit the link at the bottom to download it if you’ve got an Android 2.1 device or up.

Today also sees the release of a Sony Photo Editor Android app, which for £1.99 lets you add silly stencils and other nonsense

Sony Video Connector Android app

Sony Photo Editor Android app

Google fights Siri with underwater voice search

Ben Sillis — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:31:32 +0000

Siri on the iPhone 4S has got everyone jabbering about mobile voice search and control. Apple’s natural language interface may be the most intuitive we’ve seen so far, but Google’s voice search for Android is still mighty impressive: to prove the point, Google’s released a series of videos showing it working with thick accents in the unlikeliest of places – even under the ocean.

In a series of videos released this week, Aussie Google engineers are shown testing voice search on Android phones in the outback over a distance of 50 metres, and even underwater at the Great Barrier Reef. The search giant says the aim is to show Australians the power of voice search due to its unpopularity down under, though we don’t for a second imagine its timing so soon after the release of the iPhone 4S is a coincidence.

“Siri, can you do these stunts?”

(via Google Mobile Blog)

Zombies, Run: iOS audio adventure is Runners vs Zombies

James Holland — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 09:54:15 +0000

Zombie games are everywhere. From Dead Island to bonus missions in COD: Black Ops and the all-conquering Plants vs Zombies. But how about Runners vs Zombies? Here’s one that’s more exciting than any of the aforementioned moaning, groaning shuffle-a-thons put together, and it’s not even released yet.

Zombies, Run! is an iOS game which gets you out on the street, pounding the pavement and running real-life challenges to comple missions and battle zombies you can only hear through your headphones. It uses GPS to track your exercise, and hordes of the virtual undead to keep you moving. Sounds creepy, doesn’t it? And you can help make it a reality.

Zombies, Run! is looking for funding from fans, through Kickstarter. It’s already doubled its goal, and is on track for release in the first quarter of 2012. Check out the video below to see a player dodging fictional zombies around London’s Camden. Makes a change from barging past hoodied emo kids and hipsters in ironically uncomfortable clothing.

8 reasons Windows 8 has us excited

James Holland — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:53:38 +0000

Late yesterday, Microsoft whipped the covers off Windows 8. It’s still early days: We won’t get our hands on it, or see it on shelves, for around 12 months, but here are eight reasons Microsoft’s next OS is shaping up to be nothing short of awesome.

1. It’s one Windows to rule them all
Many tech pundits have claimed that Windows 8 is Microsoft’s attempt at beating the iPad. They’re wrong. With Windows 8, Microsoft is redefining computing on every platform. The reality is that the Windows 8 that runs on a tablet is exactly the same as the Windows 8 that runs on a desktop. At the moment, Microsoft’s keeping schtum about mobile phones, but it’s pretty obvious to us that Windows 8 will soon find a home there too.

Windows 8′s new Metro interface is a boon for touchscreen devices, but it’ll also work with a mouse and keyboard, as shown off in this great demo from ThisIsMyNext below.

2. Finally, Windows comes to ARM
ARM processors are by far the most popular in the mobile world. Apple’s iPhone 4 and iPad run on variants of ARM’s architecture, and Microsoft’s decision to support ARM hardware with Windows 8 is a huge leap forward. It means manufacturers will be able to create low-power devices using ARM hardware that still run Windows 8. Windows 8 won’t let you run Intel apps on an ARM device, so it’s far from a seamless transition, but it’s a step in the right direction and Microsoft, along with developers, have a year to iron things out and make sure everything you’d need to work on an ARM device, works on an ARM device.

With ARM support confirmed, expect lots of Windows 8 tablets and, yes, smartphones. Apple and Google have a new competitor to worry about.

3. It’s fast. Really fast.
Windows 8 runs on very weak devices. According to Microsoft, it’ll cope with an Atom processor and 1GB of RAM, meaning even older netbooks can join in the fun. The upshot for beefier laptops and tablets, however, is that it’ll simply fly. Check out this video of Microsoft’s Windows 8 booting in just 8 seconds, and prepare to pick your jaw off the floor.

4. It redefines tablet multi-tasking
We love the iPad, but multitasking is still a chore. We’re sick of double clicking the home button every few minutes, just to check our e-mail. Windows 8 promises an end to that annoying feeling of running one app at a time, by letting you snap two into the screen at once. On a smaller device, it’s going to feel cramped, sure, but on larger tablets you’ll be able to surf the web, play games, and still keep an eye on an all-important twitter, e-mail or Facebook app while you’re doing so. Check it out in action below.

5. A better breed of app store
The Windows 8 app store might not be a new idea in itself, but there are lots of fresh goodies inside. Our favourite is the ability to trial any app, without paying for it first. It’s a feature already present in Windows Phone 7′s App Store, but on tablets and the desktop will change the way we buy apps. No more limited or ‘lite’ versions. Just full apps, and the ability to truly try before you buy.

6. Connected standby
While Apple’s iOS is limited to fairly simple push notifications and some background multitasking, Windows 8 boasts Connected Standby. It’s a system designed mostly for ARM-powered devices running Windows 8, and enables the OS to operate for long periods of time, but using very small amounts of power. Some apps will run while your Windows 8 tablet is effectively “asleep”, so when you fire it up, all your latest updates are waiting. E-mails will automatically download, as will attachments. What’s more, some apps can continue to function while you’re catching up on your beauty sleep.

It’s closer to Android’s functionality than iOS, actually, but with Windows 8 running desktop-class applications as well as mobile apps, there might actually be a few bits of software we’d want to leave running all day and all night.

7. A proper file system
We can’t overstate the importance of this one enough. If you’ve ever tried to copy files off an iPad, or been forced to go hunting through an Android device to find a file to add as an e-mail attachment, you’ll share our pain: Mobile computing has advanced at terriffic speed, but somehow our tried and tested file management systems got muddled up along the way.

Apple’s approach is incredibly simplistic, and while tablet newcomers will be reassured that they “can’t break anything” in Apple’s ecosystem, anyone used to using a desktop PC will fast become infuriated. Likewise, Android’s file system is better, but far from easy to use. Windows 8 looks likely to strike a happy medium at last.

For those using a more traditional desktop or laptop, the experience is being cleaned up too. Check it out in the video below.

8. It points us toward the future…
Microsoft has just given developers their first taste of Windows 8, but it’s far from finished. There’s no mention of support for some of Microsoft’s most exciting technologies yet: Kinect, voice recognition and facial recognition are all notable by their absences. Make no mistake though, Windows 8 will include all these goodies, and the countdown to a new age of interacting with our PCs has already begun.

Unseen BitTorrent ads give iTunes a slap

James Holland — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 09:06:38 +0000

BitTorrent Inc, the company responsible for the BitTorrent protocol and technology favoured by music, video and software pirates all over the world, has never publicly condoned their illegal actions.

However, these newly-discovered ads appear to take a swipe, quite literally, at Apple and iTunes. Never before seen, they were scripted by Alvir Navin, brother of BitTorrent Inc’s co-founder Ashwin Navin, and for the first time put forward the company’s own view on their digital rivals.

Revealed by TorrentFreak, they ape Apple’s own Get a Mac adverts from 2006. However, rather than highlight an operating system or hardware, they go head to head with iTunes, pointing out that BitTorrent gets quicker, the more popular content is.

The ads stop short of mentioning the sort of content you can download using the technology, but by aligning themselves with iTunes, seem to infer that everything available there is also available through BitTorrent. It’s a fine line, but one the BitTorrent guys stay just the right side of.

See more ads (there are three in total) at TorrentFreak.

Lifesize Angry Birds takes over town square [Video]

Ben Sillis — Tue, 17 May 2011 14:45:04 +0000

We’re not sure where Angry Birds has left to go: we broke the news of the board game and card game, and showed you how to make an Angry Birds cake. Now Deutsche Telekom (parent company of T-Mobile) has constructed a real life level, several storeys high, complete with sound effects and a brass band playing Rovio’s now famous theme tune. Read on to see the insane video.

The bonkers level, caught by Hasta Los Juegos in the Spanish city of Terrassa, is part of an advertisement being shot by the network. We’re not actually in awe of the scale of the event: it’s a logical progression for a mobile game that’s taken over popular consciousness like no other. We’re actually just shocked at how few observers there are. REAL LIFE ANGRYS BIRDS, people. We’d have jumped on a plane to come see it. Anyway, watch:

What Stewart Lee thinks of Angry Birds Rio

Ben Sillis — Mon, 09 May 2011 16:26:43 +0000

While Angry Birds Rio might have seemed like the nadir of “brand synergisation” to Twentieth Century Fox, British comic Stewart Lee sees things differently. Check out this clip in which he takes down social media consultants for terrible iPhone tie in games – would you play Angry Stew?

In the clip below, a plug for Lee’s new Comedy Vehicle show on the Beeb, Lee bemoans the typical “social media” promotions that go with new shows and movies, from terrible apps involving putting your face in other things to, well, more terrible apps involving putting your face in other things.

The unseen social media strategist, in case you were worried, isn’t real – it’s comic actor Kevin Eldon, of Big Train, Brass Eye and other classic series. Still, he’s pretty well versed in Birt Speak 2.0, isn’t he?

Oh, and yes, we’re aware of the irony of posting about this. You can’t out-meta us.

(via Creative Life)

iPhone concept video: what iOS notifications should look like

Mic Wright — Wed, 04 May 2011 10:16:32 +0000

Even some of the most ardent iPhone and iPad 2 lovers hate iOS notifications. They’re among the biggest bug bears for Apple fans and something that must surely be at the top of the list for an overhaul in iOS 5.

We’ve seen lots of iOS notification concepts in the past but none that really tapped into Apple’s current design style effectively. But now Swedish designer, Andreas Hellqvist, has put together a really appealing iOS notifications concept for the iPhone. Click through to see it on video and find out what he has in mind…

Hellqvist’s iOS notifications design consolidates them all into a single app which you could put in the launch bar, position on a home screen or keep hidden in a folder. A single badge would show you the total number of messages from apps on your device. Open the app and you’d see a complete list of notifications with the ability to filter messages by app. Tapping on a notification would launch the appropriate action on the device.

The iOS notifications concept also handles incoming alerts on the lock screen. Rather than letting them pile up as the current system does, Hellqvist’s concept provides a short list of recent messages with a “slide-to-read” function (a take on “slide to unlock”) to avoid pocket dialling or sending a text full of gibberish.

Take a look at the video above and tell us: should Apple be taking notes?

Out TBC | £TBC | Apple/Andreas Hellqvist (via TUAW)

The future of cereal boxes? New Autonomy AR app on video

Ben Sillis — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 09:28:29 +0000

We’ve seen plenty of fun augmented reality apps for smartphones – hell, we’ve even recommended a few – but rarely do we see ones we could envision using on a daily basis. Enterprise giant Autonomy’s new Aurasma demo uses an iPhone 4‘s camera to detect images on a page, and play related videos in their place. Read on to see it in action…

As you can see, the Aurasma app perfectly fits related videos to the frame of the image, or overlays it entirely with slick animation. We’re not sure we want to watch adverts for Corn Flakes whilst eating said corn flakes, but it could certainly give a whole new lease of life to newspapers and magazines, letting you see the goals on the back page while you read about them.

There’s no word yet on a release for this impressive bit of software, and Autonomy doesn’t sell directly to consumers – but it’s always possible we’ll see the tech appearing in apps from clients. Fingers crossed.

Out TBC | £TBC | Autonomy

Android 3.0 Honeycomb: Google shows all in first preview video

James Holland — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 21:51:55 +0000

UPDATE: We’ve added more screengrabs! Get your fill in the gallery above.

Android 3.0 Honeycomb is here. Check out the video after the break, we’ll be updating with more as we learn it on Google’s first version of Android, built specifically with tablets in mind. Bonus points: crank up those speakers to enjoy Google’s techno Android soundtrack.

Android 3.0 Honeycomb: What we know so far

Google eBooks inside
Android 3.0 Honeycomb goes head to head with Kindle and Apple iBooks by including an eBook reader, and Google books download service. Google says there will be “millions of books” available on the go, complete with tasty page turn animations.

E-mail re-think
Just like the iPad before it, Android 3.0 Honeycomb includes a completely redesigned e-mail client, serving up messages in landscape mode.

New YouTube
Fancy new YouTube viewer to make the most of Honeycomb tablets’ bigger screens? You got it. Google’s new interface seems to show video search results as a grid, with neat 3D curve effects. Expect bigger, simpler playback controls too.

gTalk takes on FaceTime
The Android Honeycomb update included video chat using gTalk. FaceTime and Skype just got an extremely powerful new competitor and 2011 looks set to host a full on video conferencing showdown.

Google Maps in 3D
True to form, Google’s Honeycomb update has full 3D mapping tucked away inside Google Maps. That’s 3D rendered buildings alongside all the usual satellite imagery.

Brand new browser
Google has re-tooled the Android browser, packing minimalist controls to really make the most of bigger screens packed by Honeycomb tablets.

It’s not ready yet
Google hasn’t released any official details yet, and the video has just been yanked from the Android Developers YouTube channel. Looks like the Big G slipped up and revealed all a little early.

Thanks to Devin Coldewey at TechCrunch for the extra screengrabs!