Daily News Courier

Google Play Store launches end of summer promotion, several big titles participate

Even though Google has yet to officially unveil its latest promotion in the Google Play Store, it appears many major Android App developers have lowered the price on their apps for a limited time.

The End of Summer Sale, which coincides with Labor Day Weekend, is taking place as a search in the Play Store for “****End of Summer Sale” yields 53 results of discounted apps.

Drought and Heat Disrupt Energy This Summer

Weather and drought have caused disruptions to power generation, made oil drilling harder, and could affect corn ethanol production.

High temperatures and drought have made the business of energy harder this summer, affecting everyone from grid operators to oil drillers and corn farmers.

Drought and Heat Disrupt Energy This Summer

Weather and drought have caused disruptions to power generation, made oil drilling harder, and could affect corn ethanol production.

High temperatures and drought have made the business of energy harder this summer, affecting everyone from grid operators to oil drillers and corn farmers.

Jet Set Radio skating onto Android ‘this summer’

Here's a blast from the past for everyone. Sega has been pretty good at bringing us some of our favorite games from yesteryear to play on our Android devices, and this summer we get to play another one. It's been announced today that the HD remake of Jet Set Radio, due to land on consoles, will also be coming to Android. 

Anyone who owned a Sega Dreamcast will quite possibly remember, fondly, Jet Set Radio from the first time around. In my case, I've still got a copy. The mobile version will have some mobile-centric features too, one of which is Openfeint integration. Apparently, players will also be able to use pictures taken on their device as the in-game graffiti. Now that's a nice touch. Just don't do anything rude with it, OK, kids. 

We're really looking forward to this one, and despite no more accurate date than "this summer," we're sure it's going to be worth waiting for. Check out the full press release after the break. 

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Claims Emerge of Apple Planning iPad Upgrade this Summer

DigiTimes reports on a new story printed by the Chinese language Apple Daily, which says that Apple is planning to launch an upgraded, normal-sized (9.7-inch) iPad as soon as this summer. Apple Daily says that this upgraded iPad will be even thinner than the latest version of the iPad, thanks to being fitted with indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) panel technology. According to the report the panels will be supplied by Samsung instead of Sharp, and the new iPad will have a longer battery life as well.

This claim comes rather out of the blue; although there have been widespread reports that Apple may be planning to release a smaller version of the iPad, or ?mini? iPad, this fall, there have been very few reports until now of Apple refreshing the standard iPad range, especially so soon after the release of the newest iPad. Even DigiTimes refers to the story as ?highly doubtful,? so take it with a huge grain of salt! Worth noting all the same, stranger things have happened so you never know.

Source: Apple rumored to release upgraded iPad in summer, says paper

TiVo Streaming for iOS to Launch in the Summer

ZDNet?s The Apple Core blog reports that TiVo streaming will soon be coming to iOS. This follows on from an announcement during the 2012 NCTA Cable show, when TiVo launched its new TiVo Stream, which enables TiVo content to be transcoded so that it can be viewed on mobile devices such as the iPhone and iPad. The Apple Core says that TiVo first demoed a prototype Stream in several private meetings that took place at CES back in January of this year. The Stream is actually an external box that can be connected to a TiVo Premiere or Premiere Q box, in order to then stream content to your mobile device. According to the report, TiVo Stream is said to be the first device of its type to enable content to be streamed to multiple devices at the same time, and without interrupting what is being shown on TV.

Source:
TiVo streaming coming to iOS this summer | ZDNet

Four current Verizon smartphones will boast global capabilities by the summer

The Motorola DROID 4, DROID RAZR MAXX, DROID RAZR, and the HTC Rezound were previously rumored to feature global capabilities in the near future in order to be used overseas.

Virgin Media UK to stock the Samsung Galaxy S III ‘this summer’

Just when you thought it was safe to step outside, another UK carrier comes forward with plans to stock the Samsung Galaxy S III. We already know the plans of the major carriers, and some of the unlocked SIM-free prices. Step forward Virgin Media though, who have announced their own decision to carry the latest Samsung flagship. 

Pricing and availability are yet to be announced, beyond coming "this summer." Where Virgin stand out though, is their range of discounts for customers of their other services like TV and Broadband. Virgin Media customers could potentially be on to a winner with this one, so if you're one of them, it could be worth watching out for. 

via Pocket-Lint

Android tablets running on Nvidia Tegra 3 to hit $200 this summer

Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said in a recent interview that their recent cost reductions on the Tegra 3 processor will enable manufacturers to launch Android tablets with $199 pricetags, and that we'll see them as soon as this summer. As Huang explains, this can seriously lower the barrier for entry. 

“We took out $150 in build materials, things like expensive memory. At $199, you can just about buy a tablet at a 7-Eleven.”

$200 is a sweet price point, as proven by the success of the Amazon Kindle Fire, and now others, like the ZTE Optik, are trying to follow up. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more decently powerful Android tablets that also happen to be reasonably priced, but maintaining quality at those lower tiers is going to be a challenge. 

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Verizon expects to introduce shared data plans by this summer

Verizon will likely introduce shared data plans by mid 2012, CFO Fran Shammo said at an investor conference on Monday. Shammo didn’t give many details about the oft-discussed introduction of family data plans, but he did confirm that such options will be an important part of Verizon’s LTE network strategy.

FierceWireless obtained a transcript of Shammo’s comments at the conference, and quoted him as saying:

“This is going to be a long-term migration into where we want to get data plan sharing, but this will be more of a 4G play for us and I think it will be critical for us. And you’ll see something launched–even [Verizon CEO] Lowell [McAdam] alluded to it–you’ll see something launched mid-year this year from us.”

Shared data plans would allow customers to pay for one data package and split its use among various devices. A family of four could then have a combined 20 GB of data that everyone could share rather than limit each phone to 5 GB. That way, the Mom and Dad who only use 1 GB each could donate their remaining data to kids who are more likely to watch Netflix, video chat, stream music, and do other activities that consume more data. (I’ve been on family plans on Sprint where I accounted for the vast majority of data consumed.)

It could also come in handy for single-plan users with multiple devices. I currently have a Galaxy Nexus on Verizon and tether when I need to use data on my Galaxy Tab 10.1, but I limit that activity because I don’t want to consume too much data. I would never sign-up for a contract on my tablet, but if Verizon had a reasonable price for combined devices, I’d be more willing to consider it.

AT&T and Sprint have also flirted with the idea of shared data plans, but Verizon is the first to explicitly state when it will introduce it. Expect to see offers made to new and existing subscribers in late spring or early summer.

 

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