GSM Dome - Mobile Phone News » Mobile Software

Siri Now Able to Run on Android, iPad, Mac… Anything Thanks to Hack

James A. — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:37:38 +0000

The folks of Applidium have managed to make a breakthrough as far as the famous Siri virtual assistant is concerned. They’ve cracked the security controls that made Siri only work on the iPhone 4S, based on some special identifiers. The same hackers also released some tools for messing around with the software in order to get it to work on other platforms.

Right now, the virtual assistant is able to function on the iPad, Mac and even Android. Last I heard, Siri was spotted running on the iPhone 3GS and the iPhone, but this is an entirely different ball game. There’s always the option that Apple will fix the crack or simply change the identifiers to something else to ban the already connected the device. The caveat here is that Siri needs the Apple servers to work…

The problem here is that you need a UDID of an iPhone 4S to get the crack working and Apple can block that if they sense anything suspicious. Applidium claims that Apple uses a lot of info that communicates from the iPhone 4S to the Apple servers and back. The handset sends raw audio data compressed with the Speex audio codec that’s used specifically for VoIP.

Be careful with that blacklisting of identifiers if you want to try out the crack!

Future of Productivity Detailed by Microsoft Office in Short Clip (Video)

James A. — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 15:54:31 +0000

If you ever envisioned the world as your interface with everything digital, the following video will confirm that this is where we’re headed. Microsoft Office has a nifty vision of the future, that shows us in permanent connection with cloud services, computers and sharing systems.

Tablets and smartphones will be able to share info via touch or simply by being next to each other, while everything will be stored in the cloud and accessible on any device. 3D projections are included and there’s an interface available on every glass surface one can think of. From windows of buses to those of skyscrapers, to coffee tables, everything is a computer.

And you can even mess with projections and 3D graphics when working and communication with colleagues. Everything is touch and gesture-based and everything loads up and syncs really fast. If this is the future I wonder what Microsoft will do to influence it… We have a long way to go till this happens.

Alibaba W800 New Generation Aliyun Handset Unveiled, As Well As New Cloud Tablet

Radu Iorga — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:20:50 +0000

July was the month when we first saw Aliyun OS, the product created by the famous Asian e-tailer Alibaba. AT that time, the handset running this platform was the W700, that now gets a follow-up, the W800. This model is pictured below, with a tablet that relies on cloud solution, according to people close to the source.

The W800 has the same looks as the original model and it comes with the 1GHz Tegra 2 processor by Nvidia. The difference between the W800 and the W700 stands in the 4.3 inch display, while other specs remain unknown. As far as the unnamed tablet above goes, this is clearly based on Nvidia tech, if we’re to judge by the Nvidia branding it sports.

This is not a Kal-El device, else we would have known that from a while ago, when Nvidia decided to detail its future chipset. Price and release date are unknown by both Alibaba products, but sometime before the end of November is a safe bet, according to Engadget Chinese. Of course, their launch is limited to Asia…

HTC Wants Its Own OS, Could End Up Buying webOS

Radu Iorga — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 21:19:16 +0000

We’ve been saying for a while now that HTC would deserve its own OS, considering the fact that the HTC Sense experience feels likely a totally unique thing, aside from the Android world. Well, they could follow the example of Samsung, that’s been successful with the Bada OS and create their own platform… or buy one.

A good candidate would be webOS, that’s been left aside by HP, or so it seems, since the PC maker has been going back and forth on its decision. Samsung is rumored to be interested in webOS, but HTC seems more suited to take it over, as the Galaxy S creator has more options on its hands. There’s always the option of joining the MeeGo bandwagon and I imagine that a MeeGo with HTC Sense would be a killer these days.

The problem with HTC is that although they deny it, they’re most likely affected by the Motorola buyout by Google, meaning that future Android hardware will be heavily based on Motorola. Also, HTC was not very happy when Nokia received some perks from Microsoft, in order to tweak WP7. Thus, they could go on their own and use the experience achieved over the past decade to create a new OS.

What do you think it’s more likely a webOS buyout or a brand new HTC OS?

Make Music Through Loops and Beatboxing With Loopy 2 iPhone App (Video)

James A. — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 09:43:53 +0000

When an artist such as Dub FX has such a great experience (video below) with an iPhone app, it’s clear that something’s going on. If you’re the kind of iOS user who likes to create music on an Apple device, Loopy 2 is the app for you. Going for $2.99 as the special launch price, this looper allows you to record and loop sounds.

You can sing, beatbox or play an instruments and then use touch input and various options to combine the loops you recorded. Count in and count out are supported, as well as an audio and visual metronome, merging tracks, importing loops from your computer, audio copy and paste, full stereo audio and live, dynamic controls.

Of course, there’s a social networking side to the app, but more on the features and a demo courtesy of Dub FX:

Nokia 3D World Gaze Beta Gives You a Look at the Surrounding World… in 3D (Video)

James A. — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 20:27:26 +0000

Nokia Beta Labs is proud to show you its latest achievement, a mixed reality application for Symbian^3 devices. This software offers a 3D real time perspective of the entire world, in first person view. You can look down to the Earth and view all the cities, plus info and even pictures.

You just point your phone to a certain direction and the physical reality around you will become a sort of 3D first person map with landmarks. Nokia 3D World Gaze is the app we’re talking about and this one’s aimed at exploring the world from the safety of your smartphone. You can use the software anywhere on the globe and its use is encouraged especially when traveling.

This is a mere beta version for now, but the future will bring improvements and enhancements. Feedback is crucial at this stage and the creators of the software want to hear from you what kind of content you’d like to see in the app in the future. Keep in mind that this is not associated with Nokia Maps or Ovi Maps 3D Beta, so no confusion here!

ooVoo HD Video Chat App Rivals Facetime and Skype (Video)

Radu Iorga — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 18:32:23 +0000

There’s a new player in town on the market of video chat apps and it’s called ooVoo, being created by the company with the same name. This new software is a multi-platform app capable of HD video chat, that was tested during Uplinq 2011, with the aid of a LTE network available at the show.

The folks of Android and Me tested the app on a Samsung Droid Charge, but there seems to be a full desktop app available out there as well, competing with Skype. iOS is also a platform where ooVoo will be available, so we really could have a hit on our hands. The video below shows what this app can do, that is support the connection between 6 users in a single chat session.

3 of these will connect for free, while the others have to pay the fees mentioned here. Soon the number of participants to a video session will grow to 12, according to ooVoo. An interesting fact is that Snoop Dogg is the official celebrity spokesperson for this software, making it look cool and appealing to the audience.

Among the devices supported by the software there’s HTC EVO 3G and 4G, Samsung Epic, Samsung Galaxy S, Dell Streak 5 and a bunch more models.

SHOUTCast Radio Streaming Available on Windows Mobile

James A. — Thu, 26 May 2011 09:20:03 +0000

Well, although some of you must have forgotten about Windows Mobile already, the OS still exists and now there’s a SHOUTcast Radio streaming app for it. Created by XDA forum member hlov, the software is in beta phase at the time.

The same guy behind this project also created the famous SIRIUS XM application for Windows Mobile, but now he moved on ot SHOUTcast. hlov mentions that the app shows the Categories screen, allows you to choose one from the list and wait until the list gets populated. Then you have to choose the radio to play and it will start.

It will also try to display the album art in a thumbnail at the bottom of the screen. This software is compatible with Windows Mobile 5.0 and newer versions. Check out the application thread right here.

Soc.Io is an Android Mall…. Bigger App Store That Is

Radu Iorga — Mon, 16 May 2011 15:06:06 +0000

With the increasing number of app stores out there, it’s hard to differentiate one service from the other. Seavus Group tries this, by launching the Soc.Io Mall. Just like the name says, instead of being an App Store, this service is an applications mall for Android.

Aside from software, you’ll find here ebooks, audio books, music and much more. The difference between this and other similar app stores? Well, Seavus CEO Igor Lestar claims this Mall is selective and only provides quality content, not focusing on quantity so much. Soc.Io Mall should also be appealing for developers, too, who will get revenue according to the 80/20 model instead of the industry standard 70/30.

Soc.Io Mall is set to debut soon, with over 7.000 apps available right from the start and 37.000 e-books included as well.

Windows Phone Devices Become USB Drives – Here’s How!

James A. — Mon, 16 May 2011 13:14:50 +0000

Usually Windows Phone handsets can’t be used as simple USB storage devices and if you’re familiar with Zune hardware, you should know that the same rule applies to them. However, there’s a registry edit that will allow you to implement this feature and make a Samsung Omnia 7 or HTC HD7 your USB stick.

XDA Developers forum member MarcHoover created an app called USB Storage Enabler Tool, that makes the Windows Phone 7 gain access to its memory freely and use it as a USB stick. Details can be found in the source link and this is a mere first step in customization that WP7 is going through. Let’s see what more Mango OS will add to it…