BARCELONA, MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS — Chip maker Qualcomm has teamed up with DoubleTwist, the creator of one of the most popular media players for Android, to develop a new media streaming service called MagicPlay. The open source protocol will allow any Android device to stream media — including music, movies, and photos — to anything with a Qualcomm chip running the AllJoyn protocol, competing with existing streaming services like DLNA.
I can’t remember the last time I picked up a proper camera and took a photograph; every picture I take these days is on a smartphone. The problem with that is, I usually end up transferring them to my Mac, and then that’s where they stay. Forever. Making good quality prints isn’t as easy as it should be.
Polaroid is hoping to change that. The company has announced that is to open a bunch of new Fotobar stores across the United States that are dedicated to printing your smartphone snaps. You can pop in, upload your pictures, edit them, and then print them.
Once a staple of any vacation, the postcard has since faded into obscurity due to the advent of technology and instant sharing. One company meshing the best of both worlds, Touchnote Ltd., has a popular app on both Android and iOS that allows users to turn photos into personalized postcards and have them sent for around a $1.49 per postcard. In celebration of the 2012 Olympic Games, both Touchnote and Samsung want users to have the luxury of sharing their amazing moments via a postcard without having to visit a local London gift shop. That’s why Samsung is sponsoring a promo that will allow users to send free Touchnote postcards up until August 31st.
When HTC unveiled their future lineup of top-tier smartphones at Mobile World Congress, they heavily boasted about the phone’s camera. They claimed it would rival any digital camera and that it would deliver a camera experience in a way never seen on phones before. They made a pretty big deal over their new ImageSense software as well as the custom ImageChip, f/2.0 lens, HDR technology, and super fast capture. The incessant hype led to a wave of praise and anticipation. Users instantly began dreaming of the professional headshot profiles they’d be posting to Facebook. Kidding aside, they did make it sound awesome, and when they posted a set of pictures from the HTC One X to Facebook, it validated our praise.
Google has recently filed for a patent that may just have early navigators rising from the dead to sue for royalties. This new patent would allow a user to have their location determined by landmarks around them. It would work by having a user take a picture of a landmark, upload it to Google, and then receive information about their location. The whole idea sounds impractical considering you can just fire up your Google Maps/Navigation but Google claims it can come in handy when in a foreign country and finding signs or assistance in your native language could be difficult. I’m not buying that and I have my own theory.
At this year’s Mobile World Congress, HTC unveiled their future One series lineup of smartphones boasting some impressive camera specs. HTC improved every part of the camera from lens to software, and even went as far as to integrate their own custom HTC ImageChip. With a new f/2.0 lens, HDR technology and their new ImageSense camera suite, HTC set out to create a smartphone camera that could quickly capture any moment, in any condition, with superb results. The claims were grand, the results… well, see for yourself.
Sony Ericsson will have a strong presence this year at CES and they’re already stirring up some excitement. Over on their Facebook page they’ve posted a small collage of shots showing off a mysterious device(s) that will be unveiled at CES. We’re hoping to see the Sony Ericsson Nozomi or Xperia Arc HD revealed at CES, and some astute Xperia fans have pointed out that the camera button in this pic is on par with what could be an Xperia Arc successor (the HD perhaps).
If you’re on Google+ and looking for a little Android fun, Google has just the thing for you. They’d like you to share your Android adventures by taking a photo of your Android (not your phone but the little green guy) out and about. Maybe you and the little guy just got back from some deep sea diving off the coast of Australia, or perhaps you and your green pal just finished climbing Mt. Everest. Of course we all can’t be Mr. Adventure, so think of any creative or funny place to bring your trusty Bugdroid and snap a photo.
BARCELONA, MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS — Chip maker Qualcomm has teamed up with DoubleTwist, the creator of one of the most popular media players for Android, to develop a new media streaming service called MagicPlay. The open source protocol will allow any Android device to stream media — including music, movies, and photos — to anything with a Qualcomm chip running the AllJoyn protocol, competing with existing streaming services like DLNA.
![Google Joins Early Navigators On Quest To Determine Location By Visual Landmarks [Patents]](http://cdn.cultofandroid.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/googleimagelocationpatent.jpg "googleimagelocationpatent")
![Google Wants You To Share A Pic Of Your Android Out And About [Google+ Fun]](http://cdn.cultofandroid.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/androidaroundtheworld.jpg "androidaroundtheworld")
