At the end of this year, your next Android device may not be a smartphone or tablet at all. According to some fairly detailed industry intel, not only is Google working on a set of digital heads-up display glasses... they are also very close to reality. In fact, it is very likely we will see a set of Android-powered digital heads-up display shades with 3G/4G & GPS tracking by the end of this year. The report indicated that this project is primarily just an experiment by the Google engineers; however, this particular "experiment" is actually being lead by none other than Sergey Brin and Steve Lee. If you will recall, Sergey Brin is one of the co-founders of Google, and Steve Lee is the engineer that is responsible for creating Latitude. Accordingly, if the experiment turns out to be a success, then Google will look at making the glasses for potential business model & revenue streams.

Regardless, the HUD glasses will supposedly be priced in the $250 to $600 range, and will also boast a low-resolution camera that can monitor things in real-time and provide location specific augmented reality information. It is interesting to note that Google is paying attention to any possible privacy implications that this feature might touch upon, and Google is developing the system so that it can "ensure that people know if they are being recorded by someone wearing a pair of glasses with a built-in camera."

Further info suggests that the glasses could be similar in styling to Oakley Thumps, and will also have built in motion sensors that help the user navigate through the interface. Seth Weintraub, a blogger for 9 to 5 Google, seems to have dug up some additional info on that navigation system. He said, The navigation system currently used is a head tilting to scroll and click. We are told it is very quick to learn and once the user is adept at navigation, it becomes second nature and almost indistinguishable to outside users.

All I can say is... if they make them look as cool as a pair of Oakleys, so that when I wear them I don't look like a reject from a bad eighties "Revenge of the Nerds" sequel, then sign me up for a pair! What do you guys think?

Source: DroidMatters

Here's a potential case of pure hypocrisy. Microsoft is now backing up Apple's stance, and is taking things a step further by filing an anti-trust lawsuit against Motorola Mobility in the EU. MS and Apple claim that Moto is "abusing its standard-essential patents, impeding fair access to patents that are fundamental to regular device function -- this time dealing with video streaming and wireless connectivity." Microsoft further elaborated that they have a problem with Motorola's current patent pricing scheme. Microsoft claims that Motorola is setting an impossibly high royalty of $22.50 for a $1,000 laptop, which only covers fees for H.264 licensing. Here's a quote from the Engadget article with some more details,

Microsoft Deputy General Counsel Dave Heiner has posted an appeal to the company's TechNet blog, outlining the issue and explaining that "Motorola is attempting to block sales of Windows PCs, our Xbox game console and other products," further claiming that "Motorola is on a path to use standard essential patents to kill video on the Web, and Google as its new owner doesn't seem to be willing to change course."

This is all coming from the company, mind you, that has been charging just about every Android OEM on the planet for its own patent licensing issues. However, just for the sake of fairness and clarity, we should definitely mention the flip side to this argument. While Microsoft's actions do smack of hypocrisy, it isn't to the degree that one might initially think. In fact, MS might actually have a legitimate complaint this time. Apparently, the patents for which Motorola is asking high royalties for are "fair-use standard-essential patents". These are fairly common patents, that are not anything very innovative, and typically other companies would be asking a much smaller amount for.

It definitely appears as though Motorola is using these patents to be "spiteful" against Microsoft for all of the patent licensing fees that have been extorted from them and other Android manufacturers in the past. Technically, it really is a possibility that these patents are being abused under the FRAND standard. FRAND stands for "fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms" licensing, and it was established to stop patent holders from unfairly abusing their patents to hinder market competition. (Hmmm... that sounds like Apple doesn't it?) At any rate, it is entirely possible that Motorola doesn't really plan on getting these exorbitant licensing fees from Microsoft, but is really just using their situation as leverage to force MS into working out some different deals of their own. Of course, this could back-fire on them, and several different folks in the industry are unhappy with Motorola, and by extension Google... Motorola for taking this aggressive stance, and Google for not getting them to back down during the buyout process.

Regardless, even if it... [Read More]

Although ASUS issued a strong warning against users unlocking the bootloader on their Transformer Prime, they just made it available for download. They also made it plainly clear that if you do so, and accidentally wreak havoc on your device, then they will not support you. Still, for the tinkerers among us, this is a cool thing coming from the manufacturer. Here is ASUS' statement on the issue,

You also acknowledge ASUS does not guarantee service satisfaction to any Revised Product, including events involving paid service requested by you to be performed to the Revised Product.

Furthermore, such repaired Revised Product will not be covered under the warranty of the Original Product; the software of the repaired Revised Product will not be deemed the software of the Original Product and will not receive ASUS software updates.

It is strongly advised that you avoid activating this App unless you fully understand and accept the risks that may arise.

Now, if you still want to proceed, feel free to head to the download link below on Asus' Support site. Also, don't forget to ask in the forums for assistance if you haven't done it before. Be very careful as you could potentially brick your device, and we don't want that!

Source: TransformerForums via Asus Support

If you were one of the many folks that were fans of the smash hit "Borderlands", from Gearbox Software, and also happen to own, or plan to own a Tegra 3 powered Android device, then today's news will pique your interest. Apparently, Gearbox software is coming out with a sequel for the PC, the Xbox and the PS3, called "Borderlands 2" that will be launched sometime this summer. Furthermore, they plan to release a port of the game on Tegra 3 powered Android devices as well. There are no specifics yet on whether it will be a full port or spin-off game, or whether it will release at the same time as the other versions. We will keep an eye out and inform you as more details emerge.

Source: DroidGamers

Motorola smartphone users have been privy to a fairly useful little feature called "webtop" mode for some time now. This mode allows the user to plug their Motorola device into an HDMI equipped display and bring up an Android-based desktop-like interface to use. Current industry "rumint" suggests that Google is working to add the same feature to Android 5.0/Jelly Bean, and of course since Google is in the process of acquiring Moto, there will be no legal licensing issues to slow them down. The implementation of the feature from Motorola isn't perfect, but with the right tweaks and enhancements from the Google engineers, we could see a whole new way of looking at computing devices.

Could we be seeing the infancy of another Android revolution in a completely new market? Several different internet publications have been discussing lately how Microsoft's new Windows Phone 8 could actually give Google's Android some decent competition within the next couple of years. However, what if what really happens is that Android sneaks around the back door and starts to compete with Microsoft on their home turf for desktop computing space? Since everything seems to be evolving toward touch and gesture based computing, it's entirely possible we could see Android become the dominant force amongst all visual computing mediums.

What do you guys think?

Source: SlashGear

Those infuriated feathered fowl are now taking their feud to unfathomable fields to continue their fiery fray. The makers of Angry birds just announced their newest iteration of the hilarious game, and they are taking it to extreme locations. It's called Angry Birds: Space, and will see the Birds vs Pigs battle it out in the zero gravity environments of other planets. They will have unique physics defying gameplay modes like slow-motion and lightspeed destruction. Here's what Rovios GM of North America, Andrew Stalbow, had to say, We think fans are really going to love it because weve already gotten amazing feedback on the physics of our games. Theyre so accurate and easy to grasp that some teachers use Angry Birds in their lessons about projectile motion.

The above is a teaser video, and sadly doesn't show off any of the new gameplay, but looks intriguing regardless.

Source: BGR

Google is launching their own version of FourSquare's check-in incentive, and it will be called Leaderboards. Furthermore, it may come to Google+ and eventually be tied to Google Offers. Obviously, Google's Latitude already has the check-in function, but it is rumored that the feature may be coming to Google+. The premise is just like FourSquare... when you check into a location you can increase your ranking in Google's Leaderboards based upon the number of times you have checked in.

The really cool thing about this concept is that it takes things a bit further than FourSquare. Instead of just becoming the Mayor of your local eatery or coffee-shop hangout that only really amounts to bragging rights, the service may end up tied to Google Offers. This means that as you increase your ranking you could earn perks from the local establishment that could give you coupons & discounts on services and products.

Hmmm.... this is such a good idea, it may be worth it to start checking in as much as possible and as soon as possible, just in case they make it work retroactively.

Source: TalkAndroid and Google Support

It was a little over a week ago that we received a new update for the Transformer Prime. That one was version 9.4.2.13. Today, an incremental update, which is version 9.4.2.14, is rolling out to users OTA. You can click on Settings -> About tablet -> System Firmware Update -> Check Update to manually check for it. Gary Key, Technical Marketing Manager at Asus had this to say about it just yesterday,

.14 will be released tomorrow (US/TW, WW/DE/Others early next we