Casinos Could Up Security With iPhone Touch App
Casinos around the world could soon be able to keep a better track of their customers thanks to a new app developed for the iPhone, iPod and iPad.A Las Vegas-based firm has managed to create a tool that acts as a scanner and enables staff to sign people up for membership in seconds.The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Playsoft Technologies’ app will be ready for use in casinos later this year. Download full version | Practice online It will be used to enrol gamblers on to players card programs, taking personal details from users in order to offer them deals, offers and information.Tony de Leon, president of the developer, told the newspaper: “I’ve been in this business for more than 20 years. I’m a tech guy and people have been asking for this.”One promotion that could have used the technology had it been launched earlier is that offered recently by the Cosmopolitan casino in Las Vegas, which promised to reimburse people who lost a certain amount of cash at its venue.

Sky Go gets on-demand movies for mobile devices
Sky has announced that its Sky Go mobile service has swelled to include streaming films on demand for movies subscribers.In a key step for Sky’s service, those people who access Sky Go on their iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone will now be able to stream movies when they are on Wi-Fi, with 3G functionality expected by the end of the year.On-demand movies is a key addition to a service that only offered linear film channels in the past on tablets and phones, although streaming movies was a part of the laptops and desktop Sky Go. Movies will not, however, be available for download as yet although the company has long indicated that this is something that they would like to do in the future. Little FockersSky Go will be available for no extra cost to those who subscribe to the movies package, and the first wave of headlining films include Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Little Fockers, Black Swan, Gulliver’s Travels and Limitless. "Sky Movies on demand is a great addition to Sky Go and gives customers complete control over how, when and now where they enjoy the latest movies," said Ian Lewis, Director of Sky Movies."Whether customers want to kick back at home and watch the latest movies in widescreen 3D or HD, catch a movie on the laptop while on holiday or at the office, or watch a blockbuster out and about on their phone or tablet, we’ve got it covered. "Alongside other recent additions to Sky Movies like Anytime+ and 3D, the launch of Sky Movies on Sky Go helps customers get even more value out of Sky."Sky Go on AndroidAnd, for those who are waiting for Sky Go on Android devices? Sky has confirmed once more what it told TechRadar on 1 November: that "Sky Go app is to launch on Android handsets in the coming months."Also on the horizon for next year is a plethora of Wi-Fi hotspots for customers following Sky’s purchase of the Cloud. "Next year the Sky Go experience will be supported by the ability for Sky customers to use at least 5,700 public Wi-Fi hotspots, spanning coffee shops, restaurants, pubs, transport hubs, hotels and gyms," added Sky’s statement.

HTC Titan Phone (AT&T)
Released for AT&T, the HTC Titan is one of the first smartphones to run on Windows Phone 7.5 software. It features instant access to Facebook and Twitter and offers a sleek new interface that groups contacts, communication threads and Internet Explorer 9.

Subscription Gaming Comes to IPhone
One mobile game publisher is offering its titles through a subscription service, as gaming companies explore new business models on smartphones.Apple is allowing Big Fish Games, a Seattle-based publisher, to offer a subscription service for users to access dozens of games for $7 a month. Games in the App Store from all other publishers are only sold one at a time at a flat rate.Big Fish founder Paul Thelen said he believes the idea of an “all-you-can-eat” service is a perfect model for smartphones. Rather than have several different games on a device taking up space, users can download one app from Big Fish and have access to all of the publisher’s games through the service.Big Fish has a free trial version of the service that comes with ads and lets users play for a half hour before deciding whether they should subscribe to play the games.Subscription services have been used for access to video content like Netflix and have also seen success with online magazines, but Big Fish’s level of success may determine if big changes are coming to mobile gaming.One challenge the program faces is that the company’s service only works over Wi-Fi, which will likely turn off many gamers who want to be able to play games wherever they go.In addition, when the service is engineered to work with wireless networks, gamers may get frustrated if games come to an abrupt end because they lost their signal, especially if they are about to beat a level they’ve attempted several times.The number-one factor that will determine Big Fish’s success is likely the quality of the games it produces. Users interested in playing games will likely put up with all other shortcomings if the content available delivers a good experience.Big Fish’s new service could be the start of a new model in mobile gaming, but if the company doesn’t execute its plan properly and overcome some technical hurdles, it may end up being a failed opportunity.Subscription Gaming Comes to IPhone originally appeared at Mobiledia on Wed Nov 23, 2011 4:42 pm.

HTC Ruby leaks, 1.5Ghz of dual-core loveliness ahead
Read the original article on MobileMentalism.com at HTC Ruby leaks, 1.5Ghz of dual-core loveliness aheadThis glorious looking beast is the HTC Ruby, a 1.5GHz dual-core 4G flagship phone from HTC. Yes, I know it looks like every other smartphone on the market, but there’s not many ways you can make a slab of touch-sensitive…Read the original article on MobileMentalism.com at HTC Ruby leaks, 1.5Ghz of dual-core loveliness aheadRelated posts:1.2GHz dual-core HTC Pyramid to debut at MWC 2011What happened to Samsung’s dual-core smartphone? Oh there it is!

Motorola Admiral Phone (Sprint)
Released for Sprint, the Motorola Admiral is the first Android-powered smartphone to offer Direct Connect push-to-talk capabilities. It is a rugged device designed to meet military standards for dust, shock, vibration, pressure and intense temperatures.

Samsung Exhibit 2 4G Phone (T-Mobile)
Released for T-Mobile, the Samsung Exhibit 2 is a 4G-capable smartphone designed for speeds of up to 21-megabits per second. The device features a fast 1-gigahertz Snapdragon processor for smooth performance, and runs on Google’s Android 2.3 software.

HTC Rhyme
Managing to look very different from other smartphones, the HTC Rhyme is a very attractive mid-market Android device with a good range of accessories.

Android’s Andy Rubin slaps down Siri
Andy Rubin, the head of Android at Google, has taken a swipe at the Siri personal assistant feature on the new Apple iPhone 4S.Following the launch of Android 4.0 in Hong Kong, Rubin today said that your smartphone shouldn’t be for talking into, but for communicating with people.”I don’t believe that your phone should be an assistant,” said Rubin during an interview.”Your phone is a tool for communicating. You shouldn’t be communicating with the phone; you should be communicating with somebody on the other side of the phone.”Projecting the futureRubin did applaud Apple’s foresight in bringing the tech to the market at the right time, but was keen to point out that Siri isn’t a new idea. “To some degree it is natural for you to talk to your phone. We’ll see how pervasive it gets,” he added.”This isn’t a new notion. In projecting the future, I think Apple did a good job of figuring out when the technology was ready to be consumer-grade.”Android Ice Cream Sandwich, like previous versions of the OS, does have excellent voice-to-text functionality and the Google Translate app, which now can be used in 14 languages, is also a godsend for many.

Motorola Xoom to be first Ice Cream Sandwich tablet?
The Motorola Xoom may be the first Android tablet to offer Ice Cream Sandwich, the imminent update to Android also known as Android 4.0. The Ice Cream Sandwich software, which Google is set to unveil at an event in Hong Kong on Wednesday, is intended to bring the mobile and tablet versions of Android together into one happy, tastily-named edition. Fudzilla reports hearing "repeatedly" that the Motorola tablet, which was the first to launch with Android 3.0 (Honeycomb), will be the first slate to get the upgrade. New toyAnd it could make sense, given that Google is in the process of buying Motorola and all its hardware-making elements. But then again, Motorola also has a media event planned this week; we’re pretty much guaranteed to see a new RAZR smartphone from the company given its razor-sharp teaser video, but could a new Android tablet also be on the cards? It’s been a little while since we last saw any spyshots of the fabled Xoom 2, but this week seems like an eminently sensible time to launch an Ice Cream Sandwich toting tablet We’ll find out for sure on Wednesday.Related StoriesCyanogenmod releases first Android for TouchPad editionApple Newsstand opens its doors in the UKExclusive: ViewSonic Viewpad 10e UK pricing revealedUpdated: US judge rules Samsung tablets do infringe Apple patentsUpdated: Windows 8 tablets: what you need to know