Qualcomm announces new Snapdragon S1 and S4 chipsets

Qualcomm is expanding its Snapdragon lineup - adding chipsets to both the entry-level S1 line and the Krait lineup. Krait is a brand new design that will scale to up to 2.5GHz with one, two or four cores. It promises better power efficiency than current architectures.

The S4 badge will be carried only by the best of the best Snapdragon chipsets with Krait CPU architecture and next-gen Adreno graphics (dual or quad core GPUs).
There are eight new chipsets, which are joining the already announced MSM8930 and MSM8960 (single and dual-core CPUs respectively) and the Snapdragon APQ8064 (with a quad-core CPU and Adreno 320 GPU), which will supposedly power the rumored HTC Zeta.
The first products with Snapdragon S4 chipsets are expected to show up in early 2012 - starting with the single and dual core versions but we'll be seeing quad-cores later on too.
Qualcomm also announced four S1 chipsets, which are aimed at entry-level smartphones but have been upgraded to offer better performance than we're used to see in this segment. Specs for the S1 line are scarce but we can expect up to 1GHz CPU clock speed and Adreno 200 GPUs. There's a focus on 3G connectivity too, to bring entry level smartphones out of the 2G era.

Anyone can steal a Subaru Outback with an Android phone

Don Bailey and Matthew Solnik from iSec Partners demonstrated how to break into a car and hack into its remote control system.

Their research was shown at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, and they unlocked a Subaru Outback and started the engine from a distance using an Android handset and the so-called 'war texting'. You need to set your own GSM network around the car for that, and then intercept the password authentication text messages between the server and the car, all in just a few hours.

Actually the researchers are not worried about stealing cars, but rather that the same remote control systems with text messaging updates are in traffic lights and security cameras, as well as the power grid and water supply infrastructure. If anyone with skills, an Android handset and some relatively inexpensive wireless network equipment can hack into the remote control system of popular car brands, what's to stop someone from doing it on a grander scale, they argued.

"I could care less if I could unlock a car door. It's cool. It's sexy. But the same system is used to control phone, power, traffic systems. I think that's the real threat.", said Don Bailey for CNN.

source: TGDaily via Engadget

Nokia N8 was used to shoot at the world's biggest stop-motion animation set

The Nokia N8 is still the best king in smartphone cameras with its 12-megapixel Carl Zeiss lens. But is it fit enough to shoot at the world's largest stop-motion animation set spreading on over 11,000 square feet? Answer is yes, but it took not one, but three Nokia N8s to produce this breath-taking minute and a half production called Gulp. The marine-themed stop-motion film Gulp narrates the story of a fisherman going out in the sea only to meet adventure.

Interestingly, when shooting the film the three Nokia N8s were used only for capturing stills, not video. The numerous images were then stitched together giving the illusion of motion in a 25fps video. Aardman and Nokia, which are behind this film, have previously broken the record for the world's smallest stop-motion animation with the movie Dot.

So heeeeere's Gulp :



source: Nokia

Angry Birds for Windows Phone 7 is updated and even packs 90 new levels

Hello ! Good news for Phones Land Readers and for any Windows Phone 7 owners out there that quickly went through all the available levels with Angry Birds! It's because the popular game from Rovio is being updated to version 1.1, which brings forth 90 new exciting levels.

With a total 225 levels now, up from the previous 135, gamers will now have access to episodes 10 and 11, which were branded as “coming soon”.

Additionally, the other new difference with this updated version is the new load screen. For $2.99, the price is very reasonable.

And even though the number of levels with the update is still behind the iPhone’s mark of 270 levels, we’re sure that mobile phone owners are still nonetheless going to be entertained and delighted with the new update.

source: WP Central via WMPoweruser

Apple iPhone 5 could be coming with an "Assistant"?

A leaked screenshot obtained by 9 to 5 Mac shows a voice control called Assistant that is not part of the iOS 5 beta version. This would make it a possible feature for the allegedly upcoming Apple iPhone 5. Based on the leak, it would appear that Assistant does more than just convert the spoken word into written text on the handset's display.

A source for 9 to 5 Mac said that the feature is still being developed and might not be completed in time for inclusion into the next-gen Apple iPhone. Based on some SDK info, it would appear that Assistant would work similar to the Siri technology that Apple recently acquired. Assistant would integrate with the OS on your iPhone to allow certain tasks to be completed by uttering a simple sentence. For example, you could say, "Setup movie with Robespierre" and the app would check your location, offer you tickets to a movie from the closest theater, and send good ol' Robespieere an email apprising him of the information.

The service would be crowd-sourced and Apple will give users the option of sending their data securely to Cupertino so that the manufacturer can improve the service. The Assistant feature is expected to "talk back" to the user. And even when your Apple iPhone is locked, an option will allow you quick access to the feature.