Second Gen Nexus 7 Is Still The Best Android Tablet

Google has beat Apple at its own Retina-display-thumping game. Meet the Nexus 7, the eye-popping 323-pixels-per-inch wonder.

It is, in a way, the (rumored) iPad Mini Retina wrapped in Android 4.3.

Here's the deal: If you can find most of the apps you need on Google's Play Store and would like a small tablet with the highest resolution display on any tablet to date (i.e., higher than the 9.7-inch Retina iPad and way higher than the iPad Mini), then the second-generation Nexus 7 may be a good choice.

How did this happen? Well, Google, Asus (the device manufacturer), and Japan Display Inc. (the display maker) have managed, for the first time, to slap a smartphone-density display on a small tablet.

Without getting too technical, the second-gen Nexus 7 uses a display technology (called low-temperature polysilicon, for those keeping score) from Japan Display that has been used, to date, only on phones like, ironically, Apple's iPhone 5 (which has a pixel density of 326, just slightly more than the new Nexus 7).

Maybe more ironically, Apple is considering the same technology for a future Mini Retina, according to Richard Shim, an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch. When that Mini would appear ranges from sometime in October (optimistic) to early next year (pessimistic).

Analysts have told me that the 7-inch 1,920x1,200 display on the Nexus 7 may be the upper size limit for Japan Display's ultra-high-resolution technology -- at the moment. In other words, JDI's tech is not quite ready to scale up to the larger 7.9-inch screen on the Mini.

Whatever the case, you can pick up the new Nexus 7 for $230 at some Best Buy stores as of Friday. That's about $100 less than Apple's cheapest Mini (which I also own) but with a much better screen and a faster (quad-core) processor.

That's a really tough hardware/price proposition for Apple to beat, in my opinion.
I like the Mini a lot. I'm not sure yet but I may like the second-gen Nexus 7 better. (I have to be careful, though. I've only had it for about 18 hours so the out-of-box wowness may be impairing my judgment.)

I will say this, though. Apple has its work cut out for it.

Could This Packaging Confirm Apple's Rumored Budget iPhone?

An image of what appears to be plastic retail packaging for Apple's rumored budget iPhone has surfaced on Chinese discussion forum WeiPhone.

There is speculation that the so-called iPhone 5C is the budget, plastic-encased device that would join the updated iPhone 5 — expected to be called the 5S — as part of Apple's fall product reveal. The image was first noticed by French gadget site Nowhereelse.fr.

What's more, some sites are reporting that the C could stand for "color," as the budget phone is reported to come in a variety of hues..

Nowhereelse notes that the user who uploaded the image on WeiPhone also mentioned the device in an earlier forum post.

Based on previous rumors that has covered, the budget handset is expected to look like a combination of the iPhone 5, the latest iPod touch and the iPod classic.

Apple has not confirmed reports about the rumored budget iPhone.

Foursquare Starts Showing Ads After You Check In

Next time you check in to a location on Foursquare, you may see an ad pop up right after.

AdAge reports that brands like Toys 'R' Us and Captain Morgan have started placing ads that appear after users check in to locations on Foursquare. Users who check in at a bar may see a Captain Morgan ad encouraging them to order specific drinks, while users who check in at a park may be shown a Toys 'R' Us coupon.

A Foursquare rep confirmed that the ads started rolling out over the last several weeks. According to the rep, Foursquare charges on a cost-per-action basis rather than a cost-per-click basis, meaning Foursquare only makes money if users click the ad to get more information or check in to an advertiser's physical location (such as a Toys 'R' Us store) within a certain period of time.

The post check-in ad product is Foursquare's latest attempt to boost revenue. Multiple reports claimed that Foursquare was on pace to generate just $2 million in revenue last year. Earlier this year, Foursquare raised $41 million to prove its business model can work.

What Controlled Robots of Pacific Rim?

In the movie Pacific Rim, humans build giant robots to fight enormous monsters that emerge from the ocean depths. Only they're not strictly robots: Each enormous machine is controlled by the brains of two pilots, since the mind of a single pilots can't properly control something so gigantic. It turns out that idea isn't as far-fetched as the rest of the movie.

The movie uses the dual-pilot interface as a source of character conflict and growth as the bond it creates between the two people links their minds in an intimate way. The more compatible the two minds are, the better the link, and the more effective the machines are at kicking giant monster butt.

Using minds to control machines is already a reality. Today's brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) allow people to perform some basic tasks such as moving a mouse, or even typing, just by thinking. The technology is based on the well-known medical technique electroencephalography, although today's applications comparatively crude to the fast, real-time movements shown in Pacific Rim.

As the movie depicts, a cooperative link could yield better results, and IEEE Spectrum found two studies that point in that direction. A study from the University of Essex showed that people were much more effective at controlling a simulated spaceship through a BCI when they were paired with a collaborator. Since working with a BMI is an "intense" experience, lapses in attention are compensated by the other person, Discovery reported.

The other study, published in the journal PLoS One, went beyond two-person control and looked at the effect of having groups of 5, 10, 15 and 20 people cooperate in controlling a BCI. The results showed substantial improvement in both the response time and the accuracy of a movement by the machine.

So are collectively controlled giant robots in our future? Probably not, but a collective BCI could lead to faster and better collaboration with digital tasks such as analyzing databases, or even gaming. But if giant monsters begin leveling cities, who knows?

'Glee' Star Cory Monteith Found Dead in Hotel Room

Cory Monteith, the 31-year-old actor best known for his role as Finn Hudson on Fox's Glee, was found dead Saturday afternoon on the 21st floor of the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in downtown Vancouver, the city's police department confirmed Saturday night.

"Mr. Monteith checked into the hotel in July 6th and was due to check out of the room today," Vancouver Police's Acting Chief Doug LePard said during a live streamed press conference. "There were others with Mr. Monteith in his room earlier last night, but video and fob key entries show him returning to his room by himself in the early morning hours and we believe he was alone when he died.

"When he missed his check-out time, staff went to the room at noon and found his body."

No cause of death has been determined, although rumors about a possible drug overdose quickly spread online before the press conference.

Monteith has had a history with drugs, having checked himself into an addiction treatment facility in April, which wasn't his first stint in rehab.

An autopsy is planned for Monday and the coroner will issue a cause of death after that. He was dead for several hours before being found. LePard said, however, "all indications are that there was no foul play."

Monteith's final tweets — sent July 12 — were about Syfy's TV movie Sharknado

Foursquare Targets Feature-Phone Users With New Nokia App

Foursquare unveiled a new app designed for feature phones on Tuesday, specifically targeting Nokia's range of Series 40 handsets.

S40 is a software platform used on the Finnish company's line of mid-range feature phones, as well as on its Asha series, which are marketed as low-end smartphones. Foursquare will be preloaded on new Asha devices worldwide when they hit the market in several months.

"Hundreds of millions of people around the world use Nokia S40 phones, and now they'll all have access to Foursquare," the location-based social network said in a blog post.

In fact, last year, Nokia said it sold 1.5 billion units of its S40 phones. With mobile consumers in developing markets opting to buy feature phones over costlier smartphones, it seems the Finnish company is tapping into the lucrative low-end handset market.

Last week, Nokia debuted two 3G-capable feature phones — each selling for $68 — that are specifically designed to provide users with quick Internet access.

Foursquare launched its original S40 app back in 2011. Those who own an S40 phone can get Foursquare's updated app in Nokia's Ovi Store.

Android's Jelly Bean Usage Surpasses Gingerbread for the First Time

Jelly Bean, the latest version of Android, has surpassed Gingerbread as the dominant operating system for the first time.

According to the Android Developers' Dashboards section, 37.9% of users are running Android version 4.1 and 4.2 on their smartphones, while Gingerbread (2.3) slips into second place with 34.1%. Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) takes third place with 23.3%.

As for Android's less popular versions, Honeycomb (3.2) clocks in at 0.1%, while Eclair (2.1) and Froyo (2.2) have 1.4% and 3.1%, respectively. Donut (1.6), the OS' earliest version, still maintains 0.1% distribution.

Gingerbread has proven to be an enduring platform. Last month's Dashboard report said 2.3 was present on 36.5% — the majority — of Android devices, according to 9to5Google. At the time, Jelly Bean had 33%.

These stats confirm that Android remains fragmented, especially in comparison to Apple's closed ecosystem for iOS. However, judging from its trajectory, Jelly Bean may soon eclipse all other OS versions.

Data for the most recent Dashboard report is based on the number of Android devices that visited the Google Play store within a 14-day period that ended on Monday.

Andy Murray wins Wimbledon, ends 77-year British drought

WIMBLEDON, England — No need to chin up, England. Wimbledon is yours again.

On a brilliantly sunny Sunday afternoon, No. 2 Andy Murray knocked off top-ranked Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4, ending 77 years of British anxiety.

Scotland's Murray, 26, is the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry won the last of three consecutive in 1936.

One year after a crushing defeat to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final, Murray returned to the All England Club lawns to capture his second Grand Slam title after last year's U.S. Open, where he beat Serbia's Djokovic in five sets.

Murray also won last year's Olympic gold medal at Wimbledon, and ran his unbeaten string on grass to 18-0.

Meeting in their fourth major final — and third in less than a year – the world's top two players and defensive standouts exchanged many grueling groundstroke rallies. A few went 30 shots or more.

Murray was steadier, taking advantage of the Djokovic's lackluster serving and bouts of error-prone play.

He seemed energized by the nearly 15,000 fans on sold-out Centre Court and thousands more watching the big screen from the grounds, storming back from a 1-4 second set deficit to put six-time major winner Djokovic on the ropes.

After dropping his first four Grand Slam finals, Murray, who skipped the French Open with a bad back, ran his record to 2-6, having lost to Djokovic in January's Australian Open final.