smartphone

A pair of summer interns at Microsoft have collaborated on a project to create an Android application capable of interpreting photographs -- complete with the identities and activities of the individuals involved -- via a smartphone camera without ... any human input whatsoever. 'TagSense', as it's called, is the brainchild of Microsoft Research interns Chaun Qin and Xuan Bao. The software works by utilizing Android's accelerometers to determine the exact physical activity the person in the photograph is involved in. This is supported by built-in microphones that can determine whether the ... (view more)

According to reports, gadget gurus Sony are currently developing a smartphone and a portable computer to compete with Apple's iPhone and iPad devices. Sony is hoping to woo consumers by releasing a smartphone that will capitalize on what some ... experts might call its biggest strength: video gaming. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Sony is working on a phone that will play PlayStation Portable, or PSP, titles. Given that the level of development involved in the average PSP game tends to be more significant than that associated with an iPhone game/app, it's possible Sony's ... (view more)

With the limited number of hacks being reported for popular smartphone models like the Apple iPhone , many owners feel an added sense of safety when pressing the "on" button. However, according to a statement made by computer security firm F-Secure, ... people need not worry about protection against viruses, so much as protection against spying tools. F-Secure stressed their concern over the ever-increasing number of companies selling spyware products that target smartphones like the iPhone and BlackBerry, where users could manually install the spyware themselves. Phone Spyware: Infects in Two ... (view more)

Microsoft has waved the white flag of surrender and will not compete with Apple by building a smartphone of their own. Many people felt that the time was right to release a new smartphone, especially since Microsoft could have capitalized on the ... iPhone's numerous shortcomings. However, Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer feels that the iPhone is too popular right now. The combination of a struggling economy and the mentality that "everyone who wanted a smartphone now owns a smartphone" led to Microsoft's final decision. Ballmer says that the decision is the result of careful financial ... (view more)