Firefox Phones Will Soon Be Available For $25 in Developing Countries

If there’s one thing most all of us in the United States know all too well by now, it’s this: smartphones are not cheap. And while they’re not cheap, there’s a reason most of us have them – and that’s because they’ve basically become an extension of ourselves. We do everything with our smartphones. They’re our video game consoles, our cameras, our mini-computers, and our lifeline to the rest of the world.

But sadly, not everyone can afford a smartphone. Some people can’t even afford a phone. You see, we’re used to paying high-dollar amounts both for smartphones and the data plans that come shackled to them – but a lot of people, in a lot of under-developed places around the world, can only imagine what it’s like to have a smartphone at their beck and call. All too aware of this issue, the folks at Mozilla are trying to do something about it and would like to level the playing field a little bit. That’s why they’re developing a $25 Firefox smartphone for individuals in under-developed countries.



Could This Be The Start Of A New Positive Trend?

Mozilla will be working with Spreadtrum Communications to make this low-end smartphone a very real possibility for people in the world who otherwise wouldn’t have the ability to own their own smartphone.

Read More

Get A HUD For Your Smartphone’s GPS

If you would like to have a futuristic navigation HUD on the windshield of your ride, then you should check out Sygic’s GPS app!  Almost all smartphones offer free GPS navigation nowadays, but unless you have a smartphone mounted to your dashboard, looking down at your phone for navigation can be awkward, not to mention, potentially very dangerous.

The very popular GPS navigation app Sygic, has a solution: Reflect the navigation data onto your windshield. Sygic is launching a heads-up display (HUD) interface on its iPhone and Android applications, with no external gadgets required.

You just need to place your smartphone underneath your windshield and the high-contrast HUD interface on Sygic’s app will be reflected on it, giving it the illusion that your car has a futuristic, smart windshield. The app highlights the most important navigation information, like the distance to your next turn, and it works in combination with the app’s voice navigation system.

Garmin has released a $150 gadget that enables a similar HUD feature on its $50 mobile app. Sygic’s HUD, in comparison, weighs in at just $5 (plus extra for more features).

Sygic is one of the most popular navigation apps in the world, with 33 million users and $18 million in revenue this year.  The Bratislava, Slovakia based Company has been around since 2004 and while the company has a 3 million+ user base in the U.S. it is not as well known as other GPS solutions fromTomTom and Garmin or the free apps from Apple and Google.

Unlike most GPS apps, Sygic downloads its maps onto your phone so you can use its navigation features even without a cellular connection, then the app just relies on your phone’s GPS. The company also differs from many of its competitors by taking a freemium approach: Basic navigation is free, but you have to pay $29 for voice guidance and other premium features. Michal Stencl, Sygic’s founder and CEO, said in a recent interview, “We have a different strategy [from competitors], our business model is very transparent…We don’t want to collect info about the users, that’s why we ask for micropayments.”

All in all, for only a few bucks you can get a pretty cool piece of tech for your transport.  I for one, may just give it a try.

Read More

Motorola Moto X first press images leaked

The press render images for the highly anticipated handset from Motorola are featured above after leaking online, tech site TheUnlockr reports.

as well as rumoured specs of a 720p 4.5-inch display, 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 2 GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage.

According to pocket-lint, Evan Blass - the man behind @evleaks has stated the Moto X is, "Designed not as an early adopter's phone, but instead as an everyman phone, the X is the new Motorola's first attempt to push some serious volume under the new-ish owner Google."

Motorola have sent out press invites this week for a private event in New York on August 1st.

The event for the Moto X, expressed as being "No sSage. No Crowds," will be held in five separate sessions and the news given at the sessions will be released from embargo at 3PM.

Read More

iPhone 6 to include fingerscanner in its screen?

It has been rumoured for several months now that Apple is looking to implement the technology. However, the rumours have rarely been backed up by hard facts, until now.

The US Patent and Trademark Office on Wednesday published a patent application filed by Apple. It identifies a way of scanning fingerprints using a sensor that is embedded into a device’s screen.

The technology is based on the work of mobile security firm AuthenTec. Apple acquired the company in July 2012.

The filing suggests that the scanner would be embedded into the LCD display and used as a secondary input method.

In recent months, Apple and the other major smartphone makers have all been requested by US authorities to make their devices less attractive to criminals.

The iPhone 5s is also rumoured to include a faster A6 processor, improved graphics, 2GB of RAM, an upgraded LTE radio and a 12-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash.

Read More

Apple buys two mapping companies

On Thursday, the company bought Locationary, a crowd-sourced local data company. Then on Friday, the company acquired city-navigation app HopStop.

Both companies were bought for an undisclosed sum by the the iPhone maker.

Apple has been criticised in recent months for its weak mapping app Apple Maps. It replaced Google Maps as the standard map app when the company introduced iOS6.Locationary focuses on ensuring that business listing data is accurate. That includes that the business listed is where it says it is, as well as that it is still open.

Its rivals currently acquire business listings from the likes of Yellow Pages and Yelp.

The company likely bought HopStop in order to improve Maps’ navigation and mapping tools.

Apple refused to comment on the acquisition, saying in a statement: “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans”.

Read More