Ouya still exists, will ship developer prototypes on schedule

Though many doubted we'd ever actually see the Ouya gaming console, the people behind the machine announced this morning that development prototypes will begin shipping at the end of the year.

Though it hasn’t yet hit store shelves, the Ouya gaming console already boasts an unexpected, bizarre existence. Developed specifically to target a presumably extant “cheap console” niche, the Ouya is powered by Google’s Android operating system and is decidedly less powerful than current (or upcoming next-gen) consoles like this on offer from Sony and Microsoft. While the idea of a purpose-built sub-$100 gaming system seems decidedly at odds with modern techie culture (in which “worthwhile” is a synonym for “expensive”), the Ouya immediately attracted a following among prospective owners. Over the course of the console’s 45-day Kickstarter fundraising effort, the concept of the Ouya managed to pull down over $8.5 million and secure a spot as the site’s second most-funded project up to that point.

Once all of this money was raised, the Ouya still had a huge swath of doubters. “People aren’t going to want a casual gaming machine,” they’d argue. “The developers are just going to take the money and run,” shrieked more cynical detractors. Everyone else (outside of the media, anyway) largely forgot they’d tossed money at the idea on Kickstarter, but the developers behind Ouya ignored the haters and simply focused all their efforts on building the best possible gaming console they could. Now, the end is in sight, and the Ouya is almost a tangible reality.

In a blog post published earlier today, the firm shows off an image of its latest developer prototype version of the Ouya (see above). This prototype, the blog claims, is the first solid indication that the firm will be able to maintain its previously-announced schedule for the console’s completion. Come December 28, this prototype and others like it will be shipped to the “hundreds” of developers worldwide who contributed enough through the Ouya Kickstarter to earn an early-access dev kit. 

The blog post then goes on to explain that while this iteration of Ouya is just a prototype, the final version of the console will be very, very similar. Owing to the open-source roots of the Android operating system, every Ouya sold will effectively be a dev kit, with full access to all of the special accoutrements that are normally only found in machines owned by game developers. That said, the blog post also includes a vague hint that these first prototypes may host unique features. “… the advance dev consoles you ordered are pretty special – you’ll know what I mean when you open yours. They’re rare drops,” it reads.

Interesting, right? It’s too bad you can’t go back in time and donate enough to the Kickstarter to pick up one of these special prototypes, huh? While time travel is probably unrealistic on your budget, the developers of the Ouya have also announced a contest where you might be able to win an early developer prototype of your very own. You can find full details on the giveaway here, but the most important takeaway is that starting December 10, that contest will hand out a free dev kit every day for ten days. That’s not many consoles, so if you’re interested we’d recommend getting your credentials in immediately.

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New report says Apple iMac computers still on target for 2012 launch

Despite last week's report indicating production problems could delay the launch of Apple's new iMac computers until 2013, it seems the machines are still on target for a 2012 release, and may already be arriving at distribution centers around the world.

Concern amongst those waiting for Apple’s new iMac computers escalated last week, after a French blog reported the release had been delayed, possibly until 2013. While it was impossible to judge the validity of the report’s sources, talk of a delay regarding a new Apple product was hardly a surprise, given the problems it has seen with the iPhone 5 and the iPad Mini so far this year.

However, 9to5mac.com has refuted the site’s claims, saying its own sources tell them the 21.5-inch iMac is already arriving at distribution centers in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world; indicating the planned November release will go ahead after all.

As for the 27-inch iMac, Apple gave it a tentative December release date, which is not only likely to be met, but perhaps even improved upon, with the massive computers becoming available to order around the same time as the 21-5-inch iMac.

Apple’s new iMac’s are considerably slimmer than older models, and some high-tech manufacturing processes have been used to fit all the computer hardware inside. The trouble Apple has had manufacturing the iPhone, which has been described by Foxconn as the most difficult device it has ever assembled, only made the rumored iMac delay seem more likely.

So, while a delay in their launch may have been averted, the iMac computers could still be a rarity in stores and online. Apple CEO Tim Cook warned there would be a “significant shortage” of the company’s range-topping desktop machines during the first three months after launch, so it’ll be wise to get an order in early if you’re desperate. You know, just like every other recent Apple release.

The only good thing is there’s unlikely to be a huge run on the $1300-plus computers during the Christmas shopping season, as eager buyers rush to claim the last remaining iPad Mini tablets and new iPod music players instead.

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BlackBerry 10 L Series phone leaked again, still weeks away from launch

Research in Motion's touchscreen BlackBerry 10 handset, the L Series, has been leaked again, this time showing it compared to a BlackBerry Bold 9700. RIM will officially announce BlackBerry 10 and its hardware on January 30 next year.

The L Series BlackBerry 10 phone has been leaked again, this time appearing in CrackBerry.com’s forums, where a handful of pictures showed the phone up close, as well as being compared to a BlackBerry Bold 9700.

Research in Motion’s L Series handset is one of two phones on which it will launch the BlackBerry 10 operating system next year, where it will be joined by the more traditional QWERTY keyboard-equipped N Series.

In the snaps, the L Series — marked as an evaluation unit — looks the same as it did back in September, when both it and the N Series phone last appeared. The long, black chassis remains, while the front has the slight look of Sony’s Xperia range to it, thanks to the edgeless screen. Sitting next to the Bold, it also looks quite long.

The source of the leak hasn’t provided any more information on the specification, but if previous rumors are correct, that’s a 4.2-inch screen with a 1280 x 768 pixel resolution, and a dual-core processor should be hiding inside.

RIM has already announced when the L Series will be made official, as it will be holding an ambitious, global launch event for BlackBerry 10 on January 30 next year, where both phones and the new software will finally make their public debut.

There were concerns RIM would miss the first quarter release date, which it has continually stood by, but according to the company’s COO Kristian Tear, BB10 handsets will on sale within 30 days of that event. This means it’ll make its self-imposed deadline, but only by a whisker.

Despite the fact the OS is still a bit of a mystery, and there are several months to go until we get to try it out, the company’s stock has been performing well; perhaps assisted by BlackBerry 10 gaining government security clearance and RIM drip-feeding us details on new, interesting features such as BBM Voice.

Will the L Series be enough to tempt iOS, Android and even Windows Phone fans away and into RIM’s waiting arms? We’ll find out next year.

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AT&T announces Q3 2012 results, iPhone still dominate smartphone sales

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Reading magazines on Nexus 7, Phone functionality is still important [From the Forums]

Just in case you missed out on some of the Android news today, now is the time to go ahead and get yourself fully caught up. Here on the blogs and in the Android Central Forums there is plenty to talk about. Have some questions? Need some help or just looking to chat Android? You know where to go, check out some of the threads below to get started.

We've got nearly 1 million members helping members and nearly 2 million posts in our Android Forums. Are you one of them? Join today!

"Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada. Chris is fluent in all mobile languages and loves anything with a power button."

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Viber for VOIP now available for Windows Phone, but still exclusive to Nokia for now

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Open webOS ported to Raspberry Pi single-board computer, still needs a UI

If you'll recall, late last month we at long last saw the release of the first public betas for Open webOS. Surprisingly, the open source successor to webOS came in two forms: a version that ran as an app inside Ubuntu Linux, and a multi-processor-compatible version enabled by OpenEmbedded. The only problem with the latter, which is technically capable of running on a wide range of hardware, is that it lacks a user interface. And that presents a problem for an operating system in 2012 - people just aren't as comfortable tooling around in the command line today as they were in 1982 (Mac OS brought the first consumer graphical user interface in 1984).

While we wait and hope that the complete 1.0 version of the OpenEmbedded Open webOS due out later this month comes with a complete user interface, the fact that it lacks one hasn't stopped enterprising developers from going full steam ahead with porting Open webOS to their hardware of choice. Case in point, today the Raspberry Pi blog called attention to the work of developer aaa801, who has successfully booted Open webOS on the Raspberry Pi single-board computer.

If you're not familiar with Raspberry Pi, it's a fully-hackable credit card-sized ARM-powered computer that sells for just $25. The Raspberry Pi includes a 700MHz Broadcom ARM processor, SD card slot (it has no storage of its own), 256MB of RAM, two USB ports, an Ethernet port, HDMI, 3.5mm audio, and RCA video out, and a handful of other ports meant for developer types to build their own hardware. Spec-wise it's practically an original Palm Pre, though significantly more hackable (and though small for a computer, still notably larger than the motherboard found in said smartphone). At $25 a pop and small enough in size, the Raspberry Pi has proven to be highly popular with hardware hackers, allowing them to build all sorts of contraptions.

It's not too surprising to see that somebody's already ported Open webOS to the Raspberry Pi, given the aforementioned popularity of the mini computer. We're still glad to have seen it happen, and expect that it's just the tip of the iceberg as far as what Open webOS can boot on. Though it'll really need a user interface if it's to be useful… video of the oh-so-exciting white block letters of a black background booting process of the Open webOS OpenEmbedded beta on the Raspberry Pi.

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Windows Phone 8 latest SDK shows improved HTML5 benchmark, but still behind iPhone 5

Now that the Windows Phone 8 SDK is nearing full-public release and the OS is RTM, we can get a better idea of some of the HTML5 benchmarks.

We last compared these numbers a few months ago and while HTML5 compatibility has greatly increased from IE9 to IE10, it’s still not as robust as Android (ICS), iOS6 or BlackBerry 10.

The current build of Windows Phone 8 scored 319 (+ 6 bonus) on the HTML5 Test with iOS6 (via the iPhone 5) coming in at 360 (+9 Bonus). Of course all of that is ironically trumped by RIMs in-gestation BlackBerry 10, which has a super high score of 447 (+10 bonus) and while that is high, 3rd party browser Dolphin for Android (currently in beta) gets 450 (+3 bonus).

Some of the latest features in IE10

IE10 for Windows Phone 8 - 319 (+ 6)iPhone 5 - 360 (+9)BB10 (beta) – 447 (+10)Dolphin (beta, Android) – 450 (+3)

Does HTML5 mean that much? Yes and no. For one, the HTML5 feature list is in flux, although the test takes that into consideration when breaking down scores. In short, yes, having a higher score is better as it means when it comes to forms, data entry, rendering tables, etc. the more compatible the browser, the more accurate it will look. Does it mean that we will notice the difference? Maybe not but we wouldn’t lie in saying we wish Windows Phone 8 scored a little higher (even if it nearly tripled its IE9 score of 121).

Of course there are other browser benchmarks to consider, including speed and how the OS itself handles things. For that, we’ll have to wait a little longer. One thing though is for certain, the competition is not resting on its laurels when it comes to mobile browsers these days. And regardless of HTML5 tests, we're confident that IE10 on Windows Phone 8 will be a great improvement over its predecessor. 

Edit: A lot of people seem to be suggesting that the areas where IE10 on Windows Phone 8 is lagging are non-important, "experimental" features. This is quite far from the truth though. Most of the features missing compared to other platforms, including iOS6 are in fact 'Official HTML5 specifications'. Only 1 was experimental: Web Audio API.

Related and more information: iOS6 Safari currently beats out Windows Phone 8 for HTML5 features

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Viber for Windows Phone: voice calls months away, beta still going strong

Viber beta for Windows Phone has been available over in the Windows Phone Marketplace for some time but with some limitations. We are now getting indications that Viber is still working on the Windows Phone version and a full version is expected in the coming months.

For those not familiar with Viber, it is a cross platform app for messaging and voice calls. It is currently available for iOS and Android systems. The Windows Phone version, in beta, only supports the messaging portion of the equation.

In a Facebook response for when voice calls will become available for the Windows Phone version, Viber responded

"Although there are technical limitations inherent in the Windows Phone 7 architecture that makes it challenging to engineer the deep integration needed for voice, we have been hard at work on it and will release the full version with HD-quality voice support in just a few months."

There was some speculation earlier that the voice feature was already available but such is not the case.

Viber beta comes across as a simple to use, cross platform app that lets you connect with your friends who have opted for a platform other than Windows Phone. Viber beta synchs with your mobile phone number and contact list to instantly show who already has Viber.

Viber beta is a free, ad free app for your Windows Phone that you can grab here. Again, for the time being it is a beta and limited to messaging capabilities. There may be some bugs present and once voice goes online, we'll pass it on.

Thanks, Cyril, for the tip!

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Motorola and Intel, Nexus 7 3G and is the SGS 3 still worth it? [From the Forums]

Just in case you missed out on some of the Android news today, now is the time to go ahead and get yourself fully caught up. Here on the blogs and in the Android Central Forums there is plenty to talk about. Have some questions? Need some help or just looking to chat Android? You know where to go, check out some of the threads below to get started.

We've got nearly 1 million members helping members and nearly 2 million posts in our Android Forums. Are you one of them? Join today!

"Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada. Chris is fluent in all mobile languages and loves anything with a power button."

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ComScore reports Android and Samsung still on top of market share

ComScore has just released their July 2012 analysis of the U.S. phone market, and the results are about what you would expect. On the manufacturer front, Samsung has kept the lead with 25.6 percent of the U.S. market, although that is a 0.3 percentage point drop from April 2012. In the same period, LG dropped from 19.8 percent to 18.4 percent and Apple held down the 3rd place spot at 14.4 percent. No surprise here on the operating system chart, as Android and iOS continue to run away with the market at 52.2 percent and 33.4 percent market share, respectively. RIM took the biggest hit to market share in the period, dropping 2.1 percentage points to just 9.5 percent of the market.

No shocking numbers here, but we're happy to see Android continue to grow, getting more great devices into people's hands. Be sure to check out all of the granular analysis in the full report at the source link below.

Source: ComScore

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Kantar: Android still dominating Europe while Windows Phone maintains steady heading

Windows Phone has remained on a steady climb, according to data published by Kantar WorldPanel, and sits comfortably at 5% of the EU smartphone sales (for the last 12 weeks). We've previously covered Kantar data where Windows Phone was shown to be climbing in the US earlier this year. With Windows Phone 8 just around the corner, and the announcements of Windows Phone 7.8, we assumed sales would have stumped the past few months.

It seems this has not been the case and Microsoft's mobile platform is surviving just fine in the run up to the next major advancement in its roadmap. Dominic Sunnebo, global consumer insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, explains the situation of both Android and Windows Phone in the EU:

"Android continues to dominate the European market in the build up to the iPhone 5 release, increasing its share by 20.2% in the past year. Surprisingly, Windows has managed to maintain its 5% share despite a raft of new Windows 8 products being announced. However, this has been achieved through heavy discounting."

We have seen an increase in discounts and special offers for Windows Phones - though Nokia smartphones have continuously enjoyed attractive price tags at carriers and retailers since being launched. Although consumers would find Windows Phones more appealing with cheaper offers available, we couldn't help but wander if consumers were actually looking at the platform as a serious contender.

Analysing the data supplied by Kantar WorldPanel, it reveals that Brazil has seen the largest percentage increase in sales for Windows Phone in the last 12 weeks, at a whopping 10.3% (compared to August 2011). That's more than both RIM and iOS combined. With Symbian being the prominent platform, it makes sense that Nokia is working hard to ensure consumers in the region pick up low-end Lumia hardware to experience what Windows Phone has to offer at affordable prices.

Sunnebo continues to note that:

"However, bigger screens don’t just lead to an improved consumer experience; they also play a key part in customer retention. ComTech data shows that the more engaged consumers are with their device, the more likely they are to stay loyal to an OS/brand when they upgrade."

This is where Windows Phone shines as an operating system. Consumers enjoy the social integration, the UI, the uniqueness and speed of the experience that's present on each and every Windows Phone. While it's down to OEM partners to pump out great hardware, it's positive to see Microsoft hitting the nail on the head on the software side.

As well as Brazil, Kantar data also shows a slight increase in sales (compared to 2011) percentages in other EU countries, including Great Britain (2.1%), Germany (0.7%), France (2.0%), Italy (3.2%), but saw retraction in Spain (-1.0%). The US is also performing well in the competitive market at just -0.1% change from last year, now sat at 3.3% of total smartphone sales.

Depending on how accurate the data is, it shows Windows Phone is positively climbing in smartphone sales, and this is during the transition between Windows Phone 7.x and 8.x - not bad, eh?

What are your thoughts on the published figures? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Kantar WorldPanel

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