The Android Games Console

Take an Android phone or tablet with a powerful Tegra 3 CPU, 1GB of RAM and a HDMI outout. Now, take out the expensive high-resolution capacitive screen, the camera, the Bluetooth, GSM radio kit and battery. You’re left with something which costs a lot less to build.
Put this inside a box and plug it into your TV. Add a wireless controller with a D-Pad, touchpad and triggers. Bingo, you’ve got yourself a games console.
The guys at Ouya have done just that, and shortly after listing the project on Kickstarter it’s netted more than double the amount they needed. A cool $2.5 million has been added to their funds, and the box could soon be in shops for less than $99. Existing Android games on a big screen will be playable through the touchpad on their controller, and a custom user interface will deliver further “free to try” games to Ouya owners.
The boys at Ouya tell us…

Smartphones and tablets are getting all the new titles – they’re “what’s hot”. The console market is pushing developers away. We’ve seen a brain drain. Some of the best, most creative gamemakers are focused on mobile and social games because these platforms are more developer-friendly. And the ones who remain focused on console games can’t be as creative as they’d like.

Against the likes of Microsoft and Sony, these guys have got quite a fight on their hands. Let’s not forget what happened when Sony Ericsson launched the Xperia PLAY.
But maybe, just maybe, this could do well. What do you guys think? Check out the video below…
Link – Ouya (Kickstarter)

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How to Use Twitter for Business

There are various ways Twitter can be used for business. It’s a great platform for potential customers to be introduced to a product and to gain affinity for the business.
People all over the world can read your tweets and learn more about your company. Twitter has the ability to make a company grow in popularity and success.
First let’s hear from Murray Newlands with some tips on how to tweet successfully:

A company’s presence on Twitter shows how popular they really are with customers. One of the easiest ways to grow in presence is by having a good profile with a clear picture and a personal description. This allows potential followers to know what your business does. Users can easily identify the company when they see it outside of Twitter and know who they are.
Active engagement with Twitter users is needed to keep a company’s presence popular on Twitter. Having conversations with users on the public timeline allows others to join and increases engagement for the company.
Make your tweets re-tweetable so others can share them with friends and re-tweet a user when they mention the company or it’s products. This shows followers that you are aware of their presence and respect their opinions.

Get More Tips in the GrowMap Twitter Best Practices Roundup
[TIP: Right click on that link and open it in a new tab
so you can read it AFTER you finish THIS post.]

Twitter is highly valuable when launching a new product. Tweets that promote contests or show sneak peaks of a product can create buzz. This can lead to more potential sales by fans that become invested in the company by tweeting and re-tweeting about a product.
The product can be a success months in advance of its release based solely on the conversations people are having about it on Twitter.
Highlights:
Gaining more followers on Twitter using simple methods.Interacting with users daily helps a company’s online presence.Businesses can create buzz for products by interacting with followers.

Be sure to click on this link to get your free white paper
on increasing and improving your business Twitter presence.
Click Here >>>  How to Get More Twitter Followers

Twitter chat Thursday July 12, 2012
4:00 EDT / 3:00 CDT / 2:00 MDT / 1:00 PDT
Using Twitter Effectively for Bloggers
(Tips ARE applicable to businesses, too.)

See the points to be discussed at BlogEngage
Use Tweetchat to join in and ask questions or just
search for #BlogEngage at the appointed time.

Tagged as: small business, smm, social media, Twitter

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Google Input Method: The New Translation Tool

Translations for words that convey the same tone and feeling aren’t always easy to achieve. Even translation tools such as a dictionary can’t give results to certain words, especially in regional lingo. If you’re lucky to get a result, the definition might fail to evoke the feeling you wanted.
It can be difficult for others to understand what a word means even if translation is possible at times. Google Input Method is offering a solution to translation and making it more effective to communicate across language barriers.
Translation is no longer a difficult task with Google Input Method. It studies the sound of a word rather than giving a direct answer.
First, you choose one of the 22 languages offered then a virtual keyboard for the region of the language you selected appears.
For example, if you chose to write in Russian then a virtual keyboard that matches it would come up.

The keyboard allows you to write in the foreign language
and it’s easier to find solutions to untranslatable words.

Google Input Method works by changing words from one language to another. The program performs by changing the sound of words you type from one alphabet to the other.
The word keeps the same definition but Google Input Method finds a word that conveys the same sound to it.
In this week’s episode of “The Future of Engagement,” Murray Newlands introduces you to Google Input Method and how you can use it.
Highlights:
Google Input Method takes translation to a new level by matching words with another region’s alphabet.The program allows you to translate in 22 languages.Find matches to words that were once untranslatable.
Click this link for a free white paper on social media monitoring.
Tagged as: google input, google input method, google translation, translation

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Initial Impressions – Hannspree HANNSpad SN70T3

So this week we got sent one of the new Hannspree HANNSpads by the kind people from Hannspree. When I initially heard that a new HANNSpad was going to be released I was quite excited. The original was quite a hit with the development community and we haven’t really had a cheap decent tablet like that in a while. When I saw it was a smaller 7? device and that it was only going to cost £99.99 I was a little dubious. What is there target market for this new device?

Upon searching through their website I found the following info under the title “Design Concept”:

The brand new 7” tablet from Hannspree is light and compact enough to fit in your hand, perfect for life on the go. It features the latest Android 4.0 platform with more intuitive touch control fun. The HannsPad 7” now makes mobility, entertainment and communications easier and more convenient than ever!
Experience it and enjoy it now.
The HannsPad SN70T3 has a 7 inch screen with 800 x 480 pixel resolution. It’s only 1.05cm thick, weighs just 330g and is equipped with the ARM Cortex™ A8 1GHz processor. It includes both Mini USB and Micro SD interface ports, and the five point capacitive touch screen technology puts all of your favorite games, music, videos, photos, books, websites and social media sharing functions at your fingertips.
The SN70T3 runs on the latest Android 4.0 ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system and provides a more user-friendly interface, including a face unlock system, integrated system monitoring, font personalization, and multi-tasking functions…etc. With the SN70T3, enjoy the freedom to do anything, anywhere.

So they are basically wanting the new HANNSpad to be a hit with bargain hunting home users. In an increasingly competitive lower end of the market is it possible to achieve this? During the next week or two I will give the HANNSpad a thorough test out and see if it can live up to its predecessor and it’s own hype.

Design

The HANNSpad has a leather back plate, yes I said leather. Or that’s what they say it is. I guess mine was just a bit more plasticy than leathery. The HANNSpad is put together well and doesn’t have any sharp edges or odd angles, being only 7? it fits in the hand well and you could easily fit it in a pocket. Around the outside of the HANNSpad there is a mini usb port, headphone socket, power cable socket, micro sd slot, power button and volume rocker. Seeing the micro sd slot on the outside of the unit is a pleasant surprise.

The HAANSpad and most other 7? tablets I have used feel more natural held in the portrait orientation. A smaller device in landscape never feels quite right, however the screen on the HANNSpad seems to distort text slightly when viewed in portrait.

The screen on maximum brightness also doesn’t seem to be as bright as other devices, I will need to look into this over the next few weeks.

Software

The HANNSpad comes with Ice Cream Sandwich, it also comes without any access to the Google Play Store. Whether or not this will be a killer blow I am unsure at the moment. Hannspree didn’t install the Play Store back in the day on the older models and have decided to continue the trend. I guess they do this to cut costs, but in the real world they are doing more damage than good. They have installed the 1Mobile market instead, which offers 200,000 apps. Most of the current popular apps are on there. New apps like Instagram and Flipboard even featured, even a selection of Google apps appeared as well. It does feel like someone has just created backups of the apps and are hosting the apks themself. It also has a LOT of dodgy looking apps in most of the app lists. I will test this out more in the next few weeks.

One thing that keeps catching me out is the stock keyboard, it keeps missing the odd keypress, I will be installing an alternative keyboard for the full review.

Initial Conclusion

After spending a day or two with the HANNSpad I keep coming back to the Play Store issue, is it a problem? At this price point I don’t think so, this sort of device is for leaving on the kitchen worktop for someone to grab and have a quick play with whilst waiting for dinner. As to how I get on with the alternative I’ll soon find out.

Over the next week or so I will be using the 1Mobile market and installing as many apps and games on it as possible, trying out some ebooks, watch a few films, listen to some music and just generally getting to grips with the HANNSpad. If there is anything you want me to try out then please leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to include it.

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Apple defeated in the UK

The high court has ruled that HTC have not infringed four Apple patents after a dispute between the two companies. The judge rules that the Apple “slide to unlock” feature, which has been used as ammo against other firms, was an “obvious” development and had actually been seen earlier on other handsets including Windows Mobile phones.
The four patents include unlocking a device by performing a gesture on an image, letting a user drag an image and have it bounce back, multilingual keyboards and a system for analysing screen touches.
HTC stated that..

(We) are pleased with the ruling, which provides further confirmation that Apple’s claims against HTC are without merit. We remain disappointed that Apple continues to favour competition in the courtroom over competition in the marketplace.

The sheer fact that the hotly-contested “slide to unlock” patent has been dismissed should help legal teams currently fighting Apple elsewhere, but there’s still a long road ahead.

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