4.1

The rumored Samsung Galaxy Note successor is now expected to debut in late August at the annual IFA conference, according to MK Business News. Citing unnamed sources close to the publication, the next phone/tablet hybrid will reportedly run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and feature a larger display.

Whispers of a bigger, faster Galaxy Note surfaced a few weeks with rumors of a 5.5-inch, 1,680x1,050-pixel display and an Exynos 5250 dual-core processor running at 1.7GHz. The MK Business News report from today says that the handset may also include a 12-megapixel camera, up from the … Read more

Google Now is the Mountain View, Calif.-based monolith's apparent answer to Apple's Siri -- a voice assistant that responds to requests for information and other commands, while also trying to anticipate what bits of data you might want by digging into your search history and other interactions with the Googleverse. It's a buzz-worthy feature available only on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, which is only on Google's new Nexus 7 tablet and some lucky updated Galaxy Nexus phones.

At least, that was the only way to get it a week ago.

It didn't take long for the community on the XDA developers forum to come up with a port to bring Google Now to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich devices, with one caveat -- you need to have a rooted device running an Android 4.0 AOSP ROM like CyanagenMod. In other words, if you're running Ice Cream Sandwich on an unrooted phone from the one of the carriers, it's not going to work for you.… Read more

The world is annoyed with Facebook, but I'm stressed out over zombies:

Last week, Facebook automaticly changed the email address displayed in profiles to be the Facebook email that no one uses. Well the drama doesn't end there. Some smartphones that sync contacts with Facebook have auto-updated address book info with Facebook emails. Do yourself (and your friends) a favor and make sure the right email is listed in your profile. If you think you're missing emails because of this change-up, click on Messages in the left-hand column, then click on Other. That's where Facebook hides … Read more

Between Microsoft Office and other programs that come preinstalled on most Windows machines, Microsoft tends to dominate the market when it comes to the programs that we use the most. That doesn't stop competitors from presenting alternatives, though. SSuite Office - Advanced Edition is a surprisingly comprehensive collection of programs, with not only office software but also games, an e-mail client, a graphics editor, and much more. The programs are somewhat clunky and dated-looking, but we suppose that if you're not too demanding, they could be a viable option.

SSuite Office opens with a small menu interface that … Read more

I've finally had a few days to decompress from Google I/O 2012 and wrap my head around all of last week's big announcements. And with a tablet, a streaming media device, Google Glass, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, there was plenty to go around.

While I certainly love the power and performance of the Nexus 7 tablet, it's Jelly Bean, and specifically Google Now, that blows my mind.

Don't get me wrong, I've seen a number of Siri-like apps for Android over the last year or so, many of which have their own … Read more

Friday's show may start off grim, but there's cake at the end. No lie!

It's a bad day for BlackBerry maker Research In Motion. The company's earnings call was three layers of ugly. BlackBerry 10 devices will be delayed until the first quarter of 2013. The company is cutting 5,000 jobs (that's a third of its employees). And it suffered a huge operating loss for the quarter. (Hence the job cuts.) RIM's stock dropped 19% when the markets closed Friday.

Apple has a new stand-alone podcast app. It's a new a way … Read more

Caesium is a terrific little photo compression tool by Matteo Paonessa that makes your digital pics easier to store and share. This free tool makes quick work of compressing your JPEG, PNG, and BMP files to manageable sizes without compromising image quality. Caesium lets you preview changes even as you set them. It can process batches of images, setting a different compression level to each image to maintain a consistent level of image quality.

Caesium's user interface has an efficient rectangular layout based around a main list view, with a control panel beneath the main view and a right-hand … Read more

Thursday's big headlines still have us basking in the Google gadget glow:

Google co-founder Sergey Brin says he envisions consumers buying Google Glass by 2014, just a year after developers get to experiment with the version called Explorer Edition. Right now only bleeding-edge techies at the Google I/O conference get to preorder the augmented reality glasses for $1,500. But once those models ship next year, it wouldn't surprise me to see some being sold for high prices on eBay.

Already, someone from the conference is selling the attendee freebie Nexus 7 tablet on eBay, if you … Read more

Apple can breathe easy -- Google's new Nexus tablet poses little competition for the iPad. At least that's the opinion of Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White.

Most of the specs for the Nexus 7 are impressive -- Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, a 1280x800 pixel resolution, Tegra 3 quad-core processor, a nine-hour battery, a micro-USB port, GPS, a gyroscope, and support for NFC and Android Beam. The tablet is also price friendly, selling at $199 for the 8GB version and $249 for the 16GB model.

But White thinks the iPad will continue to reign as king of … Read more