Voice Share: Send Voice Messages via SMS and Facebook

by George Heymann | @techeadlines

technology-headlines.com

Our friends at Base 2 Applications, LLC have released their latest creation Voice Share. Voice Share is a smartphone app that simplifies sharing “voice notes” with your friends and family through SMS messaging and Facebook available for Android and Windows Phone.

Using the app is a breeze, you tap on the big microphone icon to record your voice message, then tap another to share via SMS or Facebook. You can also attach “gifts” (colorful icons) both free and premium versions to your voice recordings to send with your recordings. Please note you are limited to 1 of each type of gift per day. Premium gifts require you to unlock Voice Share premium a 99 cent in app purchase.

Filed under: Android, General technology, Google, Microsoft, Quick look, Services, Software, Windows, Windows Phone 7, WP7, @VoiceShareApp, Android, Audio, Base 2 Apps LLC, chat, contacts, Email, Facebook, gift, Google, Google messages, Google Voice, greeting, Paul Benjamin, push, push-to-talk, record, SMS, talk, URL, voice, Voice message, voice messaging, voice messaging for Facebook, voice messaging via SMS, Voice Share, VoiceShare, VoiceShare app, Windows Phone, WP7

According to a Purdue University study 65-75% of energy in free apps is spent in third party advertising modules.

by George Heymann | @techeadlines

technology-headlines.com

Smartphone battery not getting you through your workday? According to a Purdue University study published in conjunction with Microsoft Research approx. 65-75% of energy used in free apps is spent in third party advertising modules.

So if you’ve been wondering why your smartphone battery has been running down prematurely the answer could lay with the free apps you have installed and are running on your smartphone.

The study utilized a specially designed “energy profiler” (Eprof), on two mobile platforms, Android and Windows Mobile to detail how apps use energy by analyzing its power behavior.

Filed under: Android, General technology, Google, Hardware, Microsoft, Services, Software, Windows, Abhinav Pathak, Android, Battery, case study, Energy, energy bugs, Eprof, feature, featured, Indiana, Microsoft Research, Ming Zhang, mobile software, mobile software profiler, Purdue University, Smartphone, smartphone energy profile, Source code, wakelock, Windows Mobile, Y. Charlie Hu

Instagram Officially Coming to Android, Will AT&T ever launch the Nokia Lumia 900? iPhone 5.1 Update Brings 4G To iPhone Users?

Smartphone Briefs

By Chris Coleman|@PhoneKnack

Instagram, the beloved iOS app that has 27 million registered users has been officially announced for Android. Co-founder Kevin Systrom took to the stage at South By South West (SXSW) to announce that after two years of being an exclusive iOS app that Instagram will be making its way into the lives of Android users.

Systrom gave a brief preview of what Instagram would look like on Android, and had went on to say that, “in some ways, it is better than their iOS app.” The app should be hitting the Google Play store soon.

Filed under: Android, Apple, General technology, Google, iOS, Iphone, Media, Microsoft, Photo, Services, Software, Windows Phone 7, WP7, 4G, Android, announcement, Apple, apple 4s, AT&T, Google, HSPA+, Instagram, iOS, ios 5.1, iPhone, Kevin Systrom, lte 4g, mobile industry, Nokia, nokia lumia 900, official, photo app, release date, rumors, Smartphone, South-by-Southwest, sxsw, US, Windows Mobile, wireless.  3g

AT&T outlines data throttling, Windows 8 consumer preview available

Smartphone Briefs

By Chris Coleman|@PhoneKnack

After losing in court to an angry customer who’s data was throttled, AT&T has decided to outline their unlimited data throttling process to its customers. Customers lucky enough to be grandfathered in for the unlimited data plan and using 3G or 4G (HSPA+) smartphones, your data will be throttled after 3GB of usage. Customers who are using 4G (LTE) smartphones, data throttling begins at 5GB of usage.

Filed under: General technology, Media, Microsoft, Services, Software, 4G, AT&T, Chris Coleman, consumer preview, data throttling, HSPA+, live tiles, LTE, metro, Microsoft, Microsoft Windows, Mobile World Congress, Smartphones, throttling process, unlimited data plan, Windows, Windows 7, windows 8, windows 8 consumer preview, Windows Phone 7, windows phones

Samsung Galaxy III, Skype & InstaCam for Windows Phone, Blackberry Resurrection?

Smartphone Briefs

By Chris Coleman|@PhoneKnack

Reports have surfaced that the latest edition to the Samsung Galaxy family, the Samsung Galaxy III will measure in at a relatively slim size of  7 mm. The Droid RAZR, which is currently one of the thinnest phones on the market measures in at 7.1 mm, so you can imagine how thin we are talking.

The Samsung Galaxy III is rumored to be released this upcoming May and will feature a 8megapixel rear camera and 2megapixel front-facing camera. Look for the device to run on Google’s latest operating system, Android 4.0(Ice Cream Sandwich). Multiple reports have cited that the Galaxy III will sport 2GB of RAM, have a quad core processor, and will also be 4G LTE compatible.

If this news is all true, the Samsung Galaxy III will be a hard phone to beat this year.

Filed under: Android, Blackberry, General technology, Google, Hardware, Media, Microsoft, Services, Software, Windows Phone 7, WP7, BlackBerry, BlackBerry London, Instagram for Windows, London, Mobile World Congress, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy, Samsung Galaxy S III, Skype, Skype for Windows, Windows Phone

Titan II and Lumia 900 set launch date, Xbox games coming to other platforms? Google Music Updated

Smartphone Briefs

By Chris Coleman|@PhoneKnack

AT&T is hitting the ground running in 2012, opening the year with two Windows Phones. Both the HTC Titan II and the Nokia Lumia 900 are hitting shelves on March 18th. The HTC Titan II can be yours for $199.99 on a new two-year contract. It features a whooping 4.7 inch screen, a 16megapixel camera, 1.5 GHz processor, and will run on AT&T’s LTE(4G) network. The Nokia Lumia 900 on the other hand will be only $99.99 but still gives the Titan II a run for it’s money. The Lumia has a slightly smaller 4.3 inch screen, with a 8megapixel camera on the back, and a 1.4 GHz processor, however, it has a larger battery compared to the Titan II. Like the Titan II, the Lumia is also compatible with AT&T’s LTE(4G) network.

This year is starting off very well for Microsoft and their Windows Phone line, look for them to continue to make a push in the smartphone market throughout the rest of this year

Filed under: Android, General technology, Google, Hardware, Media, Microsoft, Preview, Services, Software, Android, AT&T, CB Xbox, GHz, Google, Google Music, HTC, HTC Corporation, HTC Titan II, iOS, Microsoft, Windows Phone, Windows platform, Xbox, Xbox LIVE

Microsoft completes purchase of Skype

by Anna Schmidt

Technology Market

Microsoft has closed its acquisition of Skype Global. Negotiations of the definitive agreement under which Microsoft would acquire Skype, an Internet communications company, for $8.5 billion were led by investor group Silver Lake and the transaction was originally announced on May 10, 2011. Boards of directors of both Microsoft and Skype previously approved the acquisition.

Microsoft and Skype will remain focused on their shared goal of connecting all people across all devices and accelerating both companies’ efforts to transform real-time communications for consumers and enterprise customers. The completion of the acquisition also marks the official introduction of Skype as a new business division within Microsoft.

Filed under: Media, Microsoft, Services, Anna Schmidt, boards of directors, business division, CPP Investment Board, current products, Czech Republic, definitive agreement, Ebay, enterprise customers, global negotiations, Hong Kong, http://technology-headlines.com, internet communications company, investor group, Microsoft, microsoft ceo, microsoft products, new ways, peer-to-peer network, phenomenal product, real time communications, silver lake, singapore hong kong, Skype, Steve Ballmer, technology headlines, Technology Market, Tony Bates, United States

Adobe Flash Player 11 and Adobe Air 3 hits the Android Market

by George Heymann

techeadlines@gmail.com

Adobe Flash Player 11 and Air 3 hit the Android Market today. With the launch, Adobe is introducing its next generation ‘Stage 3D’ architecture that promises 1000x faster rendering performance over Flash Player 10.

This release incorporates features that support theater-quality HD video, native 64-bit optimizations, and high quality HD video conferencing. The architecture is designed to leverage native device and platform capabilities including Android, iPhone, iPad, Blackberry Playbook, Windows, Mac as well as select TVs.

According to the Adobe Flash Platform blog, The next generation console has arrived! “Today, approximately 70% of web games are powered by Flash, along with 9 of the top 10 games on Facebook, about 70% of the games on Google+, and the top social games from companies like Zynga and EA. Games at their best are fluid, immersive experiences, and the unmatched consistency of Flash Player allows game developers to focus on making great games rather than fight fragmented technology. Games just play. And play big: Flash Player brings an audience over 11 times larger than that of the best-selling current generation game console.

Filed under: Android, Apple, Blackberry, General technology, iOS, Ipad, Iphone, Media, Microsoft, Services, Software, Windows, ActionScript, Adobe, Adobe Air, Adobe Air 3, Adobe Flash, Adobe Flash Platform, adobe flash player, Adobe Flash Player 11, air, Android, API, Blackberry Playbook, Blackberry Tablet, Flash, Flash Platform, GPU, HD video, http://technology-headlines.com, iOS, IPad, Mac OS, Stage 3 APIs, Stage 3D, technology headlines, Technology Market

Rearth Ringke smartphone protection and style on a budget

by George Heymann

techeadlines@gmail.com

Rearth manufacturers a variety of protective cases for a wide range of devices from laptops and smartphones to a variety of MP3 players. The Rearth case that I’m reviewing today is the Ringke which is a high polymer case incorporating a 3 layer design.

The design consists of a silicon layer, an etching layer and a high polymer layer. The hybrid case provides the soft touch properties of a silicon case, with the smoothness and dust resistance of a hard rubber case while retaining much of its flexibility.

Filed under: Android, Apple, Hardware, Ipad, Iphone, Microsoft, Review, Android, Business, Consumer Electronics, Cover version, Design, easy button, fashion cases, MP3 player covers, Notebook covers, protective cases, QWERTY, Rearth, Rearth smartphone covers, Rigz audio/USB covers, Ringke, Ringz, Shopping, Smartphone covers, smartphone protection, Universal Serial Bus, USB covers

Mobile security software will be essential for smartphone users in the near future

by George Heymann

techeadlines@gmail.com

It’s unfortunate but the time is rapidly approaching where installing some type of mobile security software will be essential to the operation of a smartphone. Several well publicized security breaches in the news recently including attacks on Sony, Citibank, Discover have security and malware on the radar for many consumers.

On the mobile side, Google has had to remove dozens of malware applications that were introduced to the Android Market. iOS has been affected to a lesser degree but hasn’t been immune from Malware. Security experts Stonesoft and McAfee are both forecasting that sophisticated malware attacks to iOS will increase as mobile continues to grow and additional attention is focused on popular smartphones.

Filed under: Android, Apple, Blackberry, General technology, Google, Hardware, Ipad, Iphone, Media, Microsoft, Palm, Services, Software, Symbian, WebOS, Windows Phone 7, WP7, A-GPS, Android, Android Market, Anti-Virus, Anti-virus software, Apple, BlackBerry, Download blocker, essential smartphone software, Google, Google Wallet, GPS, gps tracking, iOS, kaspersky, KasperskyLab, Malware, McAfee, McAfee family protection, mcafee security, McAffe mobile security, mobile anti-theft software, mobile antivirus software, mobile security essentials, Personal computer, phone tracking, phone-finder, remote wipe, sim card, Smartphone security, Symbian, Symbian OS, uninstall protection, virus, Website filtering, Windows, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, Windows Phone 7