Samsung Electronics plan to provide the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for GALAXY devices. The platform update for Galaxy Line will start in the Q1,2012 as we reported Before.

 

The current ICS-upgradable devices are the GALAXY S II, GALAXY S II LTE, GALAXY Note, GALAXY R, GALAXY Tab 10.1, GALAXY Tab 8.9, GALAXY Tab 7.7, and GALAXY Tab 7.0 Plus.

 

Other GALAXY devices (e.g. Galaxy S) will soon follow during 2012.

For upgradable models, Samsung will make separate announcements on details of OS updates schedule for each market according to market situation and carriers requirements.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Samsung GALAXY Nexus, the first Ice Cream Sandwich powered smartphone, were first unveiled at a Google/Samsung joint news conference in Hong Kong on October 19th.

Ice Cream Sandwich brings an entirely new look and feel to Android. It has a redesigned user interface with improved multi-tasking, notifications, Wi-Fi hotspot, NFC support and a full Web browsing experience. Ice Cream Sandwich also features a new People App which lets users browse pictures, messages and social network updates from friends, family and co-workers.

 

 

 

Adobe kept its promise to the Galaxy Nexus users, After releaseing the Adobe Flash player 11.1 for Android Ice Cream Sandwhich. Adobe has just release a New version of the AIR 3.1 that support Android ICS, If you are lucky enough and have a Galaxy Nexus you should get the adobe AIR 3.1 as its a must on any Android device. Click the AIR logo below to Download!

 

Current Runtime Release Version(s)

• AIR Android: 3.1.0.556

• AIR SDK (Android): 3.1.0.488

 

New Features 

• ICS (IceCream Sandwich) support for AIR Android

 

 

 

Google has improved its Google+ social network, tackling circle overflow with new graphic-equalize controls over what shows up in your stream, tweaking notifications and photos, and improving how brands can control their business pages on the site.

 

Up to 50 administrators can now be assigned control over a Google+ brand page, rather than just one as originally allowed, with an improved notifications system that keeps all managers up to date.

As for handling circles, Google has responded to the ever-increasing number of alerts, posts and photos from those in circles with more granular control over which circles show up most often.

 

Stream Volume Demo Below!

 

 

It has been just a day since Google released the Android 4.0.3 update and the folks over at xda-developers have managed to get it working on the original Motorola Xoom already.

 

While this may sound like exciting news, it is still pretty much a work in progress, which means things are not working quite as well as they should. The camera is not working and there is a green overlay from time to time.

 

 

 

Google will begin promoting what could be the first official Nexus tablet within the next six months, according to chairman Eric Schmidt, the latest stage in the brutal competition between it and Apple. In the next six months we plan to market a tablet of the highest quality Schmidt told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sea, while also confirming that Google plans to leverage its voice recognition technology to better challenge Apple Siri.

Schmidt was at pains to praise Apple co-founder Steve Jobs for his work in transitioning the tablet from vertical and enterprise markets to a consumer-centric product. "Steve Jobs was the Michelangelo of our time" he told the newspaper, "realized the revolutionary potential of the tablet and has created an amazing product like the iPad." However, "our companies compete" he continued, "it is capitalism."

 

 

Facebook recently went public with an awesome new feature called Timelime, a brand-new interface for profiles. That feature launched for the mobile web view of Facebook for iPhone but until today has not been available in Facebook's native application on the App Store.

Today Facebook app update for Mobile Timeline is iPhone and iPod touch exclusive, but Facebook is promising Timeline support on the iPad "soon." Some other new features work across the iOS ecosystem, though, including Friends Lists, better photo management, and subscriptions support.

 

 

 

There is already a lengthy list of companies that want a piece of the search giant healthy income and we just heard there is a new addition to it.

British Telecommunications has filed a lawsuit with the Delaware US District Court, claiming that Google is infringing six of its patents with its services and the Android platform.

British Telecom is demanding triple damages for willful and deliberate infringement of its patents as well as an injunction against the violating services. The patents in question concern Google Music, Google Maps, Google Search, Google+ and even Google Offers.

 

 

 

GTA 3 was optimized for common Androids and their paltry graphics. Luckily, it turns out that the game supports much better graphics, you just need to enable them through slightly unconventional means.

 

It is as simple as replacing the right file with a customized one and you can get much improved visuals from the game if your phone GPU is up to it.

 

Here is what you need to do: hookup your droid phone (or tablet, of course) to a computer and using a file explorer find a file called gta.set in /sdcard/Android/data/com.rockstar.gta3/files/GTA3 and back up that file in case something goes wrong. Then, just replace it with the extracted file from gta3_full_effects.rar and you are DONE!

 

 

Nokia N8 i currently running Symbian Anna OS officially, but a Belle update is Coming very soon. A second Belle firmware has leaked and this time it is reportedly running much better.

 

The ROM is version 111.030.609, newer than even the leaked ROM for the C7 that we saw a while back. There is a good deal of new widgets and the transitions run very smoothly even on the aging 680MHz processor.

 

 

 

Demo Below!

 

 

The first month after the launch of a new smartphone, especially one running a new version software as well, is when we start learning about the bugs and glitches in the system from the users, and the Galaxy Nexus is no exception to this phenomenon.

Now that people have got the phone in their hands and have started using it we have started hearing about the issues and the first one is regarding the multi-touch functionality of the display.

As it happens, certain apps makes the multi-touch functionality fail, especially in the bottom-right corner of the display. Curiously, though, the problem continues even when these apps are closed and then is seen in all the other apps too. The only way to solve this for now is by switching off the display and back on.

 

 

 

Samsung Galaxy S II I9100 has just got another Android ICS 4.0.1 ROM, this time its the BETA 2 release. This ROM was made by samsung on 8,December and was leaked today by Sammobile.com, We tried it on our Galaxy S II and it seems alot faster than the BETA 1 version (exactly as sammobile states) that was released last week.

 

However, it has a lot of new bugs in addition to the BETA 1 old bugs that was not fixed yet.

 

The Official final ICS 4.0.1 ROM is said to be releaed by the End of january,2012 in a series of Updates to the Galaxy S II users all over the world

I9100XXKP2 DOWNLOAD

Pass: samfirmware.com

 

 

Video Demo Below!

 

 

 

 

Google Wallet is now unofficially available for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. This is truly ironic considering all of the bad turmoil that has been going on for the past few days, which allegedly has Big Red blocking the payment service.

 

 

 

Thanks to the hard-working Android community people are able to get their hands on the Wallet service, but only if you are willing to root your phone and follow a relatively simple guide.

 

 

 

Cricket added a NEW tablet to its Portfolio. However, this is about to change with the carrier now offering the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 across its stores.

Unfortunately, their website still does not have a page dedicated to the Android Honeycomb tablet.

 

 

 

 

 

NAVIGON updated its Windows Phone 7 app, allowing users to download maps by state, while also including other features to the mix. Here is whats new:

• NAVIGON MyMaps separates the app from the maps so you can only download maps you will need, saving some space on your device in the process.

• Active Lane Assistant – reflects the current lane configuration and enables drivers to see ahead with orange line indicating the way the driver should follow.

• Live Weather – current weather conditions along the route and at the destination in real-time.

• Optimized positioning

 

 

The Kindle lineup has made Amazon proud over a million Kindle devices are flying off their virtual shelves every week, three weeks in a row now. That includes the eInk readers, of course, but the droid tablet, the Kindle Fire, is doing very well too.

Amazon did not give any specific numbers, but said that the Kindle Fire was the bestselling product on all of Amazon for the 11 weeks during which it has been on sale. It is also the most gifted and most wished for product on Amazon lists.

 

 

Sony Ericsson and Box delivered on their promise and have started offering 50GB of cloud storage to the Xperia users for free. The promotion runs from today to the end of next year and all Xperia users have to do to take advantage of it is download the free Box app from the Android market and create an account or simply log in if they happen to have one.

 

The Box cloud storage allows uploading of all kinds of files, including multimedia content and documents.

 

 

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 has just passed through the FCC, but this time around it is packing support for Verizon 4G LTE network. We first saw the device back at IFA 2011, where it was yanked from the show due to Apple legal claims. Despite being missing since, it has recently re-emerged and hopefully goes on sale soon.

The tablet is dubbed with the model number SCH-i815 and sports CDMA 800/1900 and LTE radios, indicating that it is heading to Verizon. The WiFi-only and HSPA+ versions of the tablet have already passed through FCC testing before and with this model finally getting approval.

 

Ainol Novo 7 is a 7-inch tablet with Android 3.2 Honeycomb pre-installed that retails for 145USD at many online retailer.

What you get for your money is a 7-inch WVGA (800 x 480) resolution multi-touch display, a single-core Ingenic JZ4770 Xburst 1 GHz processor, 512 MB worth of RAM, 8 gig storage, 2 MP back and VGA front cameras and, most notably, Android Honeycomb 3.2 preinstalled.

The tablet is reasonably thin and light at 12mm and 370g. It is a pretty good deal for newcomers to the tablet game.

 

 

Android 4.0.2 is the newest version of the ICS. The next update for Ice Cream Sandwich, named Android 4.0.3 brings a few new features, a handful of bug-fixes, as well as a whole new API level.

The Android Developers blog highlighted a few new APIs that you will find in 4.0.3:

Social stream API in Contacts provider: Applications that use social stream data such as status updates and check-ins can now sync that data with each of the user contacts, providing items in a stream along with photos for each. This new API lets apps show users what the people they know are doing or saying, in addition to their photos and contact information.

Calendar provider enhancements. Apps can now add color to events, for easier tracking, and new attendee types and states are now available.

New camera capabilities. Apps can now check and manage video stabilization and use QVGA resolution profiles where needed.

Accessibility refinements. Improved content access for screen readers and new status and error reporting for text-to-speech engines.

Incremental improvements in graphics, database, spell-checking, Bluetooth, and more.

Android 4.0.3 will begin to roll out in the "weeks ahead" for the Galaxy Nexus and will also be the base version of Ice Cream Sandwich going forward.

 

 

 

Google announced today via Twitter that the Samsung Nexus S Update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is NOW Rolling-out. This news was already announced back in October that the update is coming but google kept her promise and Rolled-out the update.

 

Unfortunately, only users on a GSM network will get the software update. Nexus S 4G CDMA (Sprint) users will have to wait to the end of this month.

 

 

MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) first showed up as default on Android devices with Honeycomb. It is a bit of a change from the normal USB Mass Storage (UMS) file transfer that we are used to, where you plug in your phone, hit "USB mode" and start moving files. And because it is become the standard in Ice Cream Sandwich on the Galaxy Nexus, it is time to have a look at it. 

 

What is MTP?

 

MTP is a set of custom extensions for PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol) that is beefed up to allow files and their associated metadata to be transferred across USB. It is not new, but it is new to Android as of Honeycomb, and it is about to be seen by a lot more eyeballs in Ice Cream Sandwich.

 

How to Connect your Galaxy Nexus?

 

PC Users

 

 

You may Need to download some an additional software provied by samsung for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus 4G I515 Link Below, After installing this software Restart your PC and connect your Galaxy Nexus through USB then choose "MTP" from your the option menu that will appear and you will see something similar to the screenshot above.

 

Download Verizon I515 Drivers

 

 

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Mac Users

 

 

Google provides a Software to manage Android drivers on any MAC OS X (10.5 or later) computer, Download and Instructions are detailed on the Link below.

 

Android File Transfer for MAC

 

 

 

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Linux Users

 

We have a Separated tutorial for Ubnutu users on how to connect their Galaxy Nexus to a Linuz operating system in some easy steps.

 

Connectiong Galaxy Nexus to Ubnutu

 

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If you still having problems with your PC or MAC, Try a wireless trasfer App and I recommend this FREE app from the Android Market AirDroid .

 

 

 

 

Before you begin, try plugging your phone in and see if it works straight away. At the time of writing, the only official Android Ice Cream Sandwich phone is the Galaxy Nexus and it may not work. But future ICS phones might work, depending on whether they have an SD card slot or not, and whether they support exporting the card as USB mass storage. If it works, you should be good to go.

 

First up, install the necessary tools:

sudo apt-get install mtp-tools mtpfs

Now, connect your Galaxy Nexus to your computer. On your phone, open up the notification drawer, and click on “USB Connection type”. Make sure that MTP is selected.

 

Then, run these commands:

mtp-detect | grep idVendor

mtp-detect | grep idProduct

You shall get an output like this:

Note down the numbers written in front of idVenfor and idProduct, you’ll need those later on.

Now, run this commands:

gksu gedit /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules

A gedit window should open up. Type this text in it, all in a single line:

SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”VENDORID”, ATTR{idProduct}==”PRODUCTID”, MODE=”0666″

Replace VENDORID with the idVendor you had noted down earlier. Similarly, replace PRODUCTID with the idProduct you had noted down. In my case, they were 04e8 and 685c respectively, but they might have been different for you. Also, remember to re-type the quotes in the line after you’ve copied and pasted it, otherwise udev may output an error. If you’re in doubt, you can copy the same line from this pastebin instead and then replace PRODUCTID and VENDORID as needed.

Save and close the file. Then, disconnect your phone and run these commands:

sudo service udev restart

sudo mkdir /media/GalaxyNexus

sudo chmod a+rwx /media/GalaxyNexus

sudo adduser YOURUSERNAME fuse

Replace YOURUSERNAME with your Ubuntu user name. Now, run this command:

gksu gedit /etc/fuse.conf

In the Gedit window, remove the # at the beginning of the last line (the one that begins with “#user_allow_other”) like this:

 

You’re almost done! Now, restart your computer, and then run these three commands :

echo “alias android-connect=\”mtpfs -o allow_other /media/GalaxyNexus\”" >> ~/.bashrc

 

echo “alias android-disconnect=\”fusermount -u /media/GalaxyNexus\”" >> ~/.bashrc

 

source ~/.bashrc

Again, do re-type the quotes in each command after you’ve copied, otherwise the command won’t work.

Connect your phone again, and then make sure your phone is using MTP, then run this command:

android-connect

Voila! You can now browse your Android phone contents using Nautilus. Just fire up the file manager, and then in the side bar click GalaxyNexus to browse your phone contents just like you would do with a USB stick. You can also add, remove and modify files just like a normal file system.

You might have noticed that you cannot use the Nautilus eject icon to disconnect the phone. Instead, to safely remove the phone, just run the command:

android-disconnect

From now onward, you just need to run android-connect to mount your phone and then android-disconnect to safely remove your phone. Everything else should be handled automatically. I tried many ways of getting the mount and unmount to happen automatically on cable connect, but this was the best solution I could come up with.

 

 

 

 

It is official, the long-waited Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be released on the last week of January in India. The news comes straight from Samsung India official Twitter account replying to Android fans who are waiting to their hands-on the ICS.

 

 

As you can see the exact date is yet to be announced, but that bit of info should come in a few weeks. Price is not set yet!

 

 

 

BlackBerry App World has been updated to version 3.1. The biggest feature is the ability to ask for and give apps as gifts, but there is also an age rating system, so you can tell if apps are appropriate for general audiences, teens, mature folks, or adults only. Awhile back, RIM was talking about being able to gift airtime, which would have been a nice addition, but probably a fair bit more work to pull off.

 

 

As part of Amazing Every Day, Nokia Germany seems to have put a Lumia 800 device in a block of ice. Passers by are intrigued and are eventually try to free the Lumia 800 from the ice, with some getting the Lumia 800 later as a prize.

 

A Note (in German) Below says: "If you can Free me, Exchange me at any Nokia Store with a New Lumia 800!"

 

Video Below!

 

 

Just hours after it was launched at Verizon Wireless stores, some of them are reporting that the Samsung Galaxy Nexus has been sold out. But there is a silver lining to the story Amazon and Best Buy still have the Galaxy Nexus for Verizon available. It goes for 149.99 USD and 299.99 USD respectively on a two year deal with the carrier.

Keep in mind that shipping may vary, Amazon lists two days free-of-charge shipping but that could be stretched due to limited availability, while BestBuy quotes 2-5 business days.

 

 

 

 

Back a few months ago there was a discovery made by an intrepid developer inside Android Honeycomb OS in which changing the LCD density to a smaller value than the tablet it was running on had revealed a smartphone interface for the otherwise tablet-sized OS one day after the USA-based Galaxy Nexus has been revealed here in the USA and our pal Michael Crider from Android Community has discovered that essentially the same thing happens in reverse with Ice Cream Sandwich.

 

What Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is meant to do for the Google mobile OS is create one single OS that works just as well for handsets as it does for tablets.

 

 

Sports Tracker is an award-winning app that got its start on Symbian several years ago and has since spread to all major platforms. It has now landed on Windows Phone including Nokia Lumia phones.

The app does not feature all the goodies of the versions for other platforms, but there is all you need to start using it right away. It supports tracking, recording that info in your training diary, which can be synced with the sports-tracker.com service and shared on Facebook and Twitter.

Features:

• Tracking Distance

• Tracking Duration

• Tracking Speed

• Tracking Average speed and pace

• Tracking Max speed

• Tracking Energy spent (kCal)

• Training Diary for workout data analysis

• Diary sync to sports-tracker.com service for further analysis

• Sharing of workouts to Facebook, Twitter and the Sports Tracker community

 

Today the new Timeline Facebook layout has been rolled out to the general public to mixed reviews, and that launch includes mobile. The official Facebook app for Android now sports the new look, as well as the mobile site for iOS devices. This is not to say the iOS Facebook app will not be getting Timeline at some point in fact, the original launch showcased an iPhone running the feature just fine.

 

If you have not had a chance to check it out, the new layout offers a nice big banner image behind your profile picture, then blasts through your updates in a chronological order. The main idea is to present your whole life as a timeline, which in the long run actually makes a fair bit of sense, given how much people use Facebook.

 

Download Facebook Timeline

 

 

Samsung has sent its Galaxy Note for the States across the pond and it carries model number SGH-I171. The device is apparently different than the international version of the Note that we are familiar with already. Whereas the international version gets the Exynos processor in dual core flavor, the US version is getting a Snapdragon.

That Snapdragon is still a dual-core unit and snapdragon chips have been used on other Galaxy devices for the US already. Apparently, the Snapdragon chip handles the 3G HSPA+ networks that T-Mobile and AT&T operate better than the Exynos processor. The US version does have 4G LTE radio inside as well. The LTE version of the Note went official in November.

 

 

Adobe has Just Announced the Adobe flash is Now support ICS devices (Galaxy Nexus). It is definitely nice to see that new Verizon Galaxy Nexus owners did not have to wait that long before they could cruise the interwebs with Flash in tow. With Adobe abandoning Flash in favor of HTML5, this may well be one of the last few updates we see for Android. Either way, support for Ice Cream Sandwichwas imperative and it is cool to see that Adobe wastes no time getting it out.

Adobe Flash Player ICS Features:

• StageVideo using On2 and Sorenson does not work on ICS devices.

• PHDS content plays with audio pops.

• OS does not prioritize incoming call - audio remains playing before and after call is received.

• Enter key does not work on the multi-line text input field.

 

 

 

 

Evernote for Android got another update to improve sharing options. For one thing, the sharing screen has been completely redesigned. Now, when you share a single note, the URL appears at the top of the sharing screen. If at any point you decide to stop sharing, tap on the "Disable URL" option and the link will stop working for everyone that you shared with.

 

Moreover, there are now several ways to access the sharing menu from the note list and when viewing a note.

 

 

 

 

Once you have your Galaxy Nexus up and running for a couple of hours, an update will become available that brings you to Android 4.0.2 and build ICL53F.

This is the update we showed you yesterday that does not include anything extremely noticeable up front, but it will improve your 3G/4G and WiFi connections, tweak the lockscreen somehow, and improve visual effects while using the front camera. The Update is About 10MB Enjoy!

 

 

Please, Note that the DivX support will be removed after Upgradeing and will be added back on Future Updates (4.1.0).

 

Update Instructions (.PDF)

 

Soruce

 

Google Senior Vice President of Mobile Andy Rubin today let us know that you willl be able to pick the Galaxy Nexus up complete with 4G LTE capabilities from Verizon US or your local Best Buy or Radio Shack store. You will be able to pick this device up in Canada, the UK, Germany, Italy, Korea, and Japan during this week (beside USA).

 

He also said that the following countries are next to get the Galaxy Nexus: Australia, France, Russia, India, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Whether or not that will be the end of the list is still up to debate.

 

 

Microsoft is believed to have replaced the design architect responsible for the Xbox 360 user-experience Dan Coyner the general manager of Design and Planning within the Xbox team, has been replaced with Emma Williams, who led this month Xbox dashboard update.

Williams will now lead design on the next-gen Xbox, tongue-in-cheek referred to as the "Xbox 720", which a source in the team has confirmed is on the roadmap for a 2013 release as per earlier rumors. Microsoft is working on two new consoles, one hardcore gaming flagship and a second, slimmed-down model with a focus on casual gaming and multimedia use.

 

 

 

After One Note, Microsoft is now releasing an official SkyDrive app for iOS and their own Windows Phone. but No Android version AGAIN!

 

 

You have the ability to view all your files and folders saved on your SkyDrive account, create more folders, delete them or upload files from your device to them. You can also share the files or folders with others, whereby it mails a link to the file or folder to your recipient and you can choose whether the viewer can just view it or edit it as well.

 

WP7 Demo Below!

 

 

Microsoft has announced plans to automatically upgrade older versions of Internet Explorer, such as the much-maligned IE6, from January 2012. The decision is intended to bring Windows XP, Vista and 7 users up to date with safer, more efficient versions of the browser, though Microsoft is keen to point out that nobody will be forced to upgrade if they don’t actually want to.

Previous arguments for keeping IE6 and other earlier releases of the browser have been generally related to enterprise browser-based tools not updated for newer iterations. Microsoft is respecting that, and says that not only will its existing IE8 and IE9 Automatic Update Blocker toolkits stop new versions from being installed, but anybody who has declined an update through Windows Update will also be left alone.

 

 

As promised, Rockstar made Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary Edition available to the two most popular smart platform today. The Jubilee edition of the popular game is now listed in both the Android Market and the iOS App Store and you can get it for 4.99 USD Only.

 

The Game requires a device with iOS 4.3 or higher, Android 2.2 or Higher.

 

Market Link

 

 

ASUS has announced that buyers of the Eee Pad Transformer Prime will have to wait until the end of January,2012 before they can pick up the tablet however, it will likely be released running Ice Cream Sandwich as standard. The OS news lends further weight to the rumors that ASUS will have the Android 4.0 upgrade ready next month.

The Transformer Prime currently runs Android 3.2 Honeycomb, with only the Galaxy Nexus fresh to Verizon today getting Google latest platform so far, at least officially. Android 4.0 brings with it an improved UI, better multitasking control and many other improvements.

 

Microsoft has outed a new keyboard, the Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 5000, targeted at mobile professionals hoping to do some serious text-entry on their iOS, Android or Windows tablets. On sale later this month, the wireless peripheral offers the hardware division familiar Comfort Curve design along with low-profile keys and a few helpful shortcuts such as volume.

 

Power is from three AAA batteries Microsoft even throws in a set with the keyboard itself. The Mobile Keyboard 5000 is compatible with Windows XP/Vista/7 machines, as well as iOS 4.2.1, 4.3.1, and 4.3 devices whether iPad or iPhone. It will also play nicely with Android 2.2, Android 3.0 and Android 3.1 phones and tablets. Cost is only 49.99 USD !!

 

 

 

Microsoft has officially unveiled So.cl, and contrary to Facebook-challenger expectations it is a hybrid system pulling together social networking and search and targeted at students. Found at so.cl, the new tool allows "montages of visual web content" including photos, video and text to be constructed and shared for collaborative editing and discussion, as well as video parties for real-time conversation.

 

Students are expected to build communities with similar research goals, and Microsoft is targeting those on social media courses who may lack the collaborative tools that other disciplines have. "So.cl might even give students the ability to create their own social tool" Microsoft suggests, "customized for their own community."

 

 

The Siri hacks continue, with the latest mod for the iPhone 4S granting voice control over settings like WiFi and Bluetooth, as well as the ability to summon verbal feedback on things like battery status while your phone is in your pocket or bag. Handiwork of Hamza Sood, this latest tweak allows Siri users to toggle wireless settings with their voice, set screen brightness to different levels, and even send dictated messages using emojis.

Sood tells us that by using MobileSubstrate, a framework that allows third-party developers to access system functions, he is able to add the settings support to Siri without requiring a proxy server. That has benefits in terms of stability and privacy, since you are not relying on a third-party server to be online 24/7 or passing your spoken commands and dictated messages through someone else systems.

 

 

 

When Sony Ericsson explained how hard it is to release a major software update, we got the feeling that we are in for a pretty long wait. it seems that the company developers are progressing faster than expected as they just released an alpha preview, which can be used by devs to start working on apps for Android Ice Cream Sandwich right now.

Anyway, there is a good deal of things that are already up and running and here goes the complete list:

• New "Roboto" font

• New "Holo" theme is supported (you are able to test apps written to make use of the Holo theme)

• Music player control from lock screen

• Updated UI in the Settings menu

• Updated UI in the web browser

• Updated UI and interaction with the new messaging action bar

• Updated UI for improved multitasking

• Swipe to dismiss notifications, tasks and browser tabs in the Notification menu

 

Video Demo Below!

 

 

Facebook Timeline has gone live worldwide, the social networking giant has announced, with all users now being notified that they can activate the life-tracking activity log Mark Zuckerberg announced back in September.

 

A chronicle of your interactions, events, photos and video from your time on the social network, Timeline has been available to beta testers, celebrities and those following sneaky hacks for a few months now.

 

Demo Below!

 

 

 

 

Today is December 15th in the US which means that the Galaxy Nexus is now available to purchase from Verizon. It will cost you 299.99 USD on a two-year contract but you already knew that.

You also know that it is probably the best Android smartphone available anywhere thanks to the pure Google experience of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Amazon Wireless has its page up as well with a 199.99 USD takeaway price. Verizon ships for free overnight.

 

FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY

TWICE THE DATA. SAME LOW PRICE.

Order Yours NOW!

 

 

As we Anounced before, The Samsung Galaxy S II an Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) beta ROM leaked for the international version of the phone today. Official release is due to Jan,2012 for all I9100 users.

The ICS ROM is still a work in progress and has some minor bugs but it is an interesting look of what we can expect when Samsung finishes up it work. It is interesting because you can hardly tell the phone made the jump from Android v2.3.X to v4.0.1 as its still fast!

 

 

The most impressive part is the new task switcher actually, you can dismiss apps with a single swipe, which turns it into a task manager. The web browser has been slightly redesigned and there is a face unlock feature too like on the Galaxy Nexus.

 

Note: This version is a BETA version of a Samsung-customized ROM of the Android 4.0.1 and not the final end-user version, We Do NOT recommend to use it for your daily normal usage, its Only for testing the ICS on your device.

 

Video Demo Below!

 

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DOWNLOAD LINK

Password: samfirmware.com

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Google has started pushing out a new Market update with version 3.4.4, which upon quick inspection operates faster than before and brings a setting for auto-adding and Updating any applications widgets to your home screen. 

 

 

Note: If the Market starts force closing, just open Settings > Applications > Manage > Market, and "clear data".

 

Download Here

 

 

Nokia has just announced that they have made the beta version of their Live View app available to their MeeGo smartphone, Nokia N9. The augmented reality app was so far only available for Symbian devices, but it obviously gathered enough interest to warrant its porting to Qt.

 

As you know Qt apps are compatible with both MeeGo and Symbian and allow easy porting of apps between the platforms. One cannot help but wonder, though, why did not the Nokia software engineers write the app for Qt from the beginning.

 

Demo Below!

 

 

Twitter account @Swisscom_Care was setup to help customers who use the Swiss operator network. A twitter user asked a simple question: "When is the Nokia Lumia 800, the Lumia 900, and the HTC Titan going to be made available via Swisscom". The Answer was simple: The Lumia 800 comes out in January, the Lumia 900 comes out in February, and the HTC Titan is not going to be stocked by us, so check out the HTC Radar instead. That one tweet revealed two very important things.

 

Lumia 900 special compared to the Lumia 800, rumors circulating around the internet suggest that it is going to have a massive 4.3 inch screen, 1 GB of RAM, NFC, and that it will be one of the first devices to run Windows Phone Tango, which is supposed to be a minor update to the current version of Windows Phone 7.5, known as Mango.

 

 

 

Apple is readying a super-high resolution MacBook Pro update for Q2 2012, supply chain sources claim, with displays running at a whopping 2880 x 1800. The new notebooks the screens of which would well exceed Full HD resolution would be the first of a fresh breed of highly pixel-dense portables, DigiTimes sources say, and clock in higher than the current 1920 x 1200 maximum on the existing 17-inch MacBook Pro.

 

 

The decision to throw in extra pixels is part of Apple strategy to better differentiate the MacBook Pro line-up from Windows-based notebooks, the insiders reckon. Apple has for some time now used the same Intel processors and AMD/NVIDIA GPUs as its PC rivals, relying on OS X and its distinctive industrial design to hold the MacBook Pro apart.

 

 

Google brought some good news to its Gmail users in the US and Canada. The search giant is extending the availability of the free calling service that Gmail offers by another year.

That means that you will be able to place domestic calls in the US and Canada through the whole 2012 completely free of charge. That is the second extension of the free calling service as it was initially expected to only last until the end of 2010, which later changed to the end of 2011.

 

Nintendo of Japan has revealed that the following Game Boy Advance games will be available to download as part of the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Program in Japan from this Friday:

• F-Zero: Maximum Velocity
• Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island
• Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap
• Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
• Kirby & The Amazing Mirror
• Mario Kart: Super Circuit
• Mario vs. Donkey Kong
• Metroid Fusion
• Wario Land 4
• WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames

Also, Nintendo Europe confirms that the same games will be available on Fri. Spotpass notifications will be rolling out today. This takes the full Ambassador Program up to the following games:

• NES Ambassador Games
• Super Mario Bros.
• The Legend of Zelda.
• Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
• NES Open Tournament Golf
• Donkey Kong Jr.
• Balloon Fight
• Ice Climber
• Mario & Yoshi
• Wrecking Crew
• Metroid
• GBA Ambassador G

 

 

A picture of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Y Pro Duos, a dual-SIM version of the Galaxy Y Pro leaked today.

Unfortunately, there is no additional information regarding the phone price, specs or releae date. The only difference spotted from the picture, other than the presence of the Duos logo above the display, is a front facing camera for video calls.

 

 

Nokia sale rumors continue with a prediction that the company will sell its smartphone unit to Microsoft in a deal will be announced as early as the first half of 2012. The Finnish company share price rose over 3-percent over the speculation, Bloomberg reports, though Nokia itself remains adamant that a deal is not in the offing.

 

Danske Bank analysts maintain that a sale of the smartphone segment at least "makes sense", with Microsoft the likely buyer. Nokia, though, is keen to move past speculation of a sale. "We put these rumors to rest a long time ago" spokesperson Doug Dawson insists.

 

 

The Skype app for Android has received an update and the big new feature is the ability to send photos, videos and files across to your contacts.

Skype has also made the auto sign-in and sign-out easier, improved the look and feel of the app, added voicemail improvements and improved the video quality on Tegra 2 devices.

Get Skype 2.6

 

 

Nokia has introduced the Lumia 800 Dark Knight Rises (Extremely) Limited Edition. It is going to launch with the third Batman movie and there will be only 40 pieces available.

 

The Lumia 800 Dark Knight Rises Limited Edition is the same as the standard package but two things the Lumia 800 inside has a laser-etched Batman logo at the back and the whole retail package comes in an additional black Batman-themed paper box.

 

Video Hands-on Below!

 

 

 

Google has posted the final stable release version of Chrome 16. This update to the Chrome browser was mainly focused on supporting multiple account sign-ins so that more than one user can share the same browser. This way you can access your own bookmarks, extensions, web apps and more while also being able to bring this personalized experience to all your devices.

New user accounts can be easily created under the Options and Preferences section by clicking Add new user a new instance of Chrome then appears with a badge at the top left indicating which user the instance belongs to.

 

 

 

Facebook and Google may have fallen out over contacts sync, Google stripping support for adding Facebook friends into the Android address book back in the Nexus S days, but that has not stopped modders from adding it back into Ice Cream Sandwich. A newly released MoDaCo ROM includes contacts sync support once more, along with some relatively low resolution contact photos that show up for each user.

By default, although the Facebook app is available for use on Ice Cream Sandwich handsets, it does not support integration of Facebook friends with the new People app in Android 4.0. Officially, that is down to Facebook not falling in with Google data policy, with the fact that the previous behavior created a false sense of data portability as contacts were updated with information but those details could not then be exported off the handset.

 

 

Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich hero device, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, may be heading to Costco in a 289 USD bundle. An Costo ad revealed the special pricing along with a release date that supports previous rumors for a December 15 launch.

 

The 289 USD Galaxy Nexus bundle at Costco manages to include a leather pouch, car charger, and screen protector, and still beat out what is believed to be the official on-contract Verizon pricing of 299 USD for the device. The unsubsidized device itself is expected to be 649 USD.

Verizon has yet to confirm any details, but so far reports point to a 32GB capacity model to hit the carrier stores at the same time as when the Costco special kicks off. It is possible that the Costco version has a smaller storage capacity of 16GB, which could explain the value pricing.

 

 

 

With the mystery surrounding the Sony Ericsson Xperia Nozomi now almost completely gone, the rumor mill is focusing on the next smartphones by the company. And the one, which just appeared on some leaked shots should be some way off in the future as it is only carrying the Sony branding.

Sony Ericsson is to become just Sony in mid-2012 so we probably won't see the smartphone pictured below until then. And if its rumored specs sheet turns out correct, we are not sure the waiting will be worth it.

 

 

 

A bit earlier this month the folks at Qualcomm had an analyst summit with about 50 industry analysts from both North and South America to show off their developing technologies and in particular one device which had us raising our eyebrows a new Snapdragon S4 developer tablet running Android 2.3 Gingerbread news today from Qualcomm shows off how this tablet is now prepped to be running the newest OS, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. You will remember the MDB Qualcomm handset we had earlier this year, that one of the last developer-centric devices the chip manufacturer had out for purchase.

 

 

Though details are not especially numerous or expansive at the moment on this build, Qualcomm themselves have provided the images you are seeing above.

 

 

If you are in the UK and have your eyes set on getting yourself a shiny new iPhone 4S, but you do not want a long contract or a big upfront cost, O2 has a new deal for you. The company has announced new lease plans for the iPhone 4S that will not cost you anything upfront. There are two plans that both include the iPhone 4S and a contract for a year.

 

 

The first plan will get you the iPhone 4S in 16GB guise with 750 minutes monthly for the life of your lease, unlimited text messaging, 500MB of monthly data, 20 UK picture messages, and unlimited access to O2 WiFi hotspots and insurance to protect the phone. That plan will cost users £55 monthly. You can upgrade to 1GB of data and 50 UK picture messages for another £4 monthly.

 

 

The folks at Microsoft appear to be taking several opportunities to give away Windows Phone devices on Twitter with a clever usage of the hashtag term #droidrage thus far the response has been a mixed bag of respondents having real problems and a gigantic collection of obvious user errors gone wild.

Taking the opportunity to gather in those Android users who are not able to fix problems on their own into the Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone Mango fold is Microsoft latest tactic in showing off how simple the platform can be what we will be waiting for here is the response from the people who though they were not able to figure out how to use an Android phone were then able to use a Windows Phone without a hitch.

 

 

 

Currently, when you take a picture on an iOS device, Photo Stream (a feature in iCloud) automatically syncs it with all of your Apple devices. With iOS 5.1 beta 2 onwards, you can manually delete an image on a device running this update and it will automatically get deleted from other iOS devices running this update. Older images, however, will have to be deleted manually from all the devices.

 

In other news, Apple has also released iTunes 10.5.2 update that brings "several improvements for iTunes Match" and "fixes an audio distortion problem when playing or importing certain CDs".

 

 

 

iPhone users have been using One Note on their phones for a while now but with the latest 1.3 update Microsoft has also released a special version for the iPad. its compatible with iPhone4/4s iPad1/2 and iPod touch iOS 4.1 and later.

What's new in this version:

• Support for iPad and iPad 2

• Localization into several new languages and markets

• Tabbed user interface

• Quick note creation in the Unfiled Notes section

• Table rendering

• Improved Windows Live sign-in experience

• Option to sync notebooks only over a Wi-Fi connection

• Integrated upgrade option

 

 

Gameloft has come up with an interesting promotion for their Facebook page. The famous software development studio will give away four of its titles for free, when it collects enough likes on the event dedicated page.

 

So the quicker you go to the Gameloft Facebook page and click the giant LIKE button, the sooner the names of the four games will be revealed. And knowing the quality of the stuff Gameloft usually does, we can bet you will not be disappointed.

 

Gameloft Facebook page

 

click to enlarge

 

 

Apple recently requested that Samsung start designing its tablets differently. So as not to infringe on the iPad precious design.

This is what Apple lawyers proposed to Samsung:

•  Overall shape that is not rectangular, or does not have rounded corners.
•  Thick frames rather than a thin rim around the front surface.
•  Front surface that isn’t entirely flat.
•  Profiles that aren’t thin.
•  Cluttered appearance.

That translates to Samsung making a fat, "cluttered" tablet with a thick bezel in the shape of an octagon.

Apple told Samsung to make the worst tablet imaginable. As Thomas Baekdal eloquently describes on Baekdal, Apple did not design the iPad, it undesigned it. The iPad is the "core essence" of what a tablet device should be. Apple asking Samsung to make something totally contradictory to common sense is pompous and condescending.

What do you think about it ?

 

 

 

After Adobe announcement last month to cease its development they released another update soon afterwards and now we have another one sitting in our Market app.

According to the release notes on the latest v11.1.111.5, it brings performance updates and bug fixes. Delving a little deeper on the Adobe website reveals that the update fixes the video streaming issue on the Samsung Galaxy S II, enables 1080p video playback for Nvidia Tegra 3-based devices and video playback fixes for video decoding.

This update, however, fails to bring support for Google latest mobile operating system update, Ice Cream Sandwich. With support for ICS being ignored in two updates in a row, one tends to wonder whether Adobe plans to bring Flash Player to ICS at all.

 

Head to the Market and Update!

 

 

 

 

While we liked the Amazon Kindle Fire as a simple media tablet, some have been complaining that the device is not as responsive as it should be. Well, Amazon is promising a software update soon which should bring many improvements.

According to a report in the New York Times, Amazon said the Kindle Fire update will improve the multitouch response, enable users to edit the last-seen menu and more. I think that the Amazon tablet has some decent hardware inside of it but the software is not getting as much out of it as it can.

 

 

Toshiba quietly launched its 7-inch Thrive tablet, running Android 3.2 Honeycomb on sale today. The manufacturer has made good on its promise for a December launch, which it made back at the device announcement.

The pricing of the rugged looking, NVIDIA Tegra 2 packing tablet starts at 379.99 USD for the 16GB version. In case you need more built-in memory, you will have to spend 429.99 USD for the 32GB option.

 

 

 

Google just introduced another one of the cool side-projects of its software developers to the world. Dubbed Schemer, the new service aims to let you make better use of your spare time by sharing fun ideas with people around the world.

Here is what Schemer should, ideally be all about, according to the developers:

"Whether it’s exploring a new city, checking out a friend’s movie recommendations, or just finding new activities for your weekends, Schemer lets you discover new things to do, share schemes with friends, and make the most of your day."

 

 

Microsoft has just added some improvements to its SkyDrive service, making it play nice with 3rd party apps. SkyDrive, which is one of the key selling points of Windows Phone platform, now grants non-Microsoft apps full access to SkyDrive, allowing them to upload and share all kinds of files.

This should allow the development of much richer WP apps that do not take a lot of space. And since the Microsoft platform refuses to allow user replacement of the microSD cards, storage is quite valuable there.

 

 

The rumors about the next-generation iPad are coming quickly. Another source is claiming that the new iPad 3 will land in the next 3-4 months. We heard a very similar rumor early in December that the iPad 3 was due to launch in February. That is a bit sooner than the latest rumor claims. According to the latest rumor, the makers of components for the iPad 3 have started to ship the parts to OEM contractors for assembly.

At the same time, the production and shipment of parts for the current generation tablets have been reduced according to the sources. Production of the iPad 2 is continuing at a brisk pace with 14-15 million units of the iPad 2 expected to be produced in Q4. The production will decline significantly for Q1 2012 according to the sources with only about 4-5 million units made.

 

 

 

HTC UK have confirmed that the 2.3.5 update has been released in the UK for the Incredible S and Desire HD, which will get some good Sense 3.0 loving along with all the bug fixes and optimizations in the update.

While the update has been confirmed for the UK only we have received reports from other European countries as well, so be sure to check your Desire HD for an update even if you live outside the UK.

 

 

 

 

HP could return to webOS to make new tablets in 2013, using the freshly open-sourced platform for larger mobile devices though smartphones are still off the menu. Having announced that webOS will be an open-source platform moving forward, and then confirmed that there are no immediate plans for new webOS devices.

2012 will see HPs Windows 8 based tablets reach the market, the company has previously suggested, using Microsoft freshly updated platform with its finger-friendly Metro UI. The OS has obvious advantages for HP, being directly compatible with its laptop and desktop hardware, and thus applicable both to a consumer market looking for iPad/Android tablet alternatives, and enterprise/vertical markets needing something that can integrate with an established ecosystem of Microsoft-based PC hardware.

 

 

Amazon has recently updated its Kindle app for Android with few important features. Perhaps most notably is the support for PDF documents, allowing users to have a single app for all their reading needs. But wait it is not that cool actually. You see, when you read PDF file in the Kindle app, you cannot use bookmarks, highlitghts or make notes like you would in ebooks bought from Amazon.

In addition, Kindle Android client now supports Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich phones, which at this moment means only Galaxy Nexus. Plus, there is a new option to control margins and line spacing when reading a book on your smartphone.

 

 

HP is preparing another fire sale for its HP TouchPad tablets just in time for the holidays. The limited time sale will begin at 6PM Central time on Sunday, December 11, and is only available through HP eBay store. Both the 16GB and 32GB models will be available, but quantities are limited.

Also, this time around, the tablets offered will be refurbished models and there is a limit of two per customer. Sales are final and there is only a 90-day warranty. The 16GB model will be priced at $99 while the 32GB model will be priced at $149. An additional 3-piece accessory bundle will also be offered that includes a case, charging dock, and wireless keyboard for $79.

 

 

T-Mobile USA and HTC have started rolling out a new software update for the Sensation 4G. Do not expect Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich rather this is a Gingerbread-based bug-fixing update that will fix a bunch of issues and improve battery life.

In addition, firmware version 1.50.531.1 also improves the Trace dictionary, screen responsiveness, icon pixelation, camera app, lock screen and Wi-Fi connectivity.

 

I know many of you like Nokia one and only MeeGo smartphone N9. I like it too but somehow I cannot justify the price it is just too expensive considering the hardware and also there are not that many apps available for MeeGo OS.

 

 

A spokeswoman for Samsung has confirmed the tablet will be launched in Australia in time for Christmas in the wake of the High Court decision in Sydney on Friday.

 

The three judge panel dismissed Apple application for special leave to appeal a Federal Court decision overturning a ban on the sale of the Samsung product.

 

The ban had been in place since October, when Apple was granted an injunction preventing the sale of the tablet in Australia on the grounds it infringed upon Apple iPad2 touch screen patent.

 

It was overturned on November 30, when Samsung won its appeal against a ban on the sale of its Galaxy Tab 10.1. The High Court last week granted a one-week stay to allow it to consider whether to accept Apple application.

 

Chronic Dev Team is putting finishing touches on what is set to become the world first untethered jailbreak solution for iOS 5 and 5.0.1. Team member and French hacker pod2g just released this video showing off the jailbreak, which appears to be near-complete and functioning properly.

Unlike tethered, untethered jailbreak does not require that the device be connected to a computer each time it needs to be booted.

Video Below!

 

 

Google announced today via its YouTube blog that it has purchased New York-based startup RightsFlow to manage its music licensing efforts. This move could help boost YouTube as a hub for music videos, adding to the content that it already offers through its partnership with Vevo. This could also speed up licensing for Google own music store.

RightsFlow, which already has a 30-million-song database, has been at the forefront in handling the complex licensing business to ensure proper copyrighting and payment to artists and labels. With this acquisition, Google will have a dedicated team to help accelerate the growth of its own licensing and premium content offerings.

 

 

Coby Electronics announced today that it is preparing to offer five new tablets running Google latestAndroid 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich platform in early 2012. The company promises to show the devices at CES in January, making it one of the first companies to have such an extensive lineup of Android 4.0 tablets.

The Coby tablets will have a range in sizes, including a 7-inch (MID7042), 8-inch (MID8042), 9-inch (MID9042), 9.7-inch (MID9742), and 10-inch (MID1042) models. All the tablets will have capacitive touchscreens and be powered by a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor with 1GB of RAM. They will also support WiFi, HDMI 1080p output, and expandable storage up to 32GB.

 

 

 

The long silence regarding webOS has been broken but in a different way than what most people expected. Instead of shutting down the project once and for all, HP has announced that they will be contributing webOS to the open source community.

This means that HP will make the underlying source code of the OS available to developers under an open source license. You can take it, customize it and use it for free as long as you give back to the open source community. This is similar to the way Linux and Android operate. HP itself will also be investing and supporting the project, so those with webOS devices right now can breathe easy.

 

 

 

 

Android gamers were expecting to get a special treat on Cyber Monday that never materialized. Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots was previously announced to be Amazon free app of the day, but was replaced by a word game called Dabble HD. It turns outFruit Ninja: Puss in Boots for Android has been delayed for a little while.

 

The Twitter page for Halfbrick, the developers of all things Fruit Ninja, clarified why the it is now hoping to release Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots for Android in late December.

 

 

Samsung UK announced three weeks ago via its Twitter feed that the Galaxy S II will be updated to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It is hardly a surprise since the Galaxy S II lineup is based on top-notch hardware and the latest Android Gingerbread.... but the Story developed even more since then!

 

There is still no actual ETA for the Galaxy S II (I910X) ICS Update but all we have confirmed that its coming on Early-2012... Early as Q1,2012.

All rumored and leaked ROMs/documents/tweets about the Galaxy S II ICS 4.0.1 confirm that the Update coming on Q1,2012 and specifically during January,2012. Gaurav Hasabnis, an industry analyst & Editor posted on his Twitter that the Update Coming on January,2012 and that confirm the same info we (YouMobile.org) has got before. Its not clear yet but the Update is already here and ready to be pushed to KIES servers, so Jan2012 seems like a quite reasonable date!

 

The Galaxy S II ICS 4.0.1 Update change-log was officially announced:

"Features on board the tasty new OS include a UI redesign, enhanced multitasking similar to that on Honeycomb, a new screen unlock mechanism that uses face detection technology, updated versions of native apps and much more.", Samsung

Stay tuned for our Samsung Galaxy S2 ICS 4.0.1 Update Country Release Status Page that will start at the End of this Month.

---

UPDATE!

 

SamMobile has tweeted yesterday about the first ICS ROM for Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100, that will be Avaiable as BETA release by the end of Next week.

 

So, the final versions of the I9100 ICS ROM are just few more weeks far from now and that confirm out News even more, Hope samsung don't make any delays this time!

---

 

Soruce1, Soruce2, Source3

 

Owners of the Nokia N8, E7, X7, C6-01, C7, Oro, E6, and 500 will have to wait a bit longer for the Symbian Belle update because as it turns out, you won't be getting it any time this year.

 

Nokia said that these devices will be treated to Symbian Belle sometime in early-2012. Earlier it was expected that the update will be released before the end of this year but that clearly does not seem to be the case anymore.

 

Nokia Official Statment:

"Nokia Belle is the latest Symbian software release with all-new user interface, improved user experience, and dozens of improved and new features. We have already shipped Nokia 603, 700 and 701 with Belle software this year, and have received great feedback on the new user experience.

We will make Nokia Belle available to consumers globally by rolling out the Belle software for the existing Nokia range of smartphones such as N8, E7, X7, C6-01, C7, Oro, E6, and Nokia 500 in early 2012. With that, millions of consumers around the world will get a totally fresh experience on their Symbian Smartphones"

 

 

 

Motorola Mobility which is now a Google company has won a wireless patent case against Apple in Germany this morning, meaning unless Apple can secure a stay until an appeal can be heard the iPhone and iPad could be blocked from sale in the country.

 

A Germany court ruled that Apple cellularly-enabled devices infringe European Patent No.1010336, detailing a "method for performing a countdown function during a mobile-originated transfer for a packet radio system" FOSS Patents reports, and deemed an essential component of the GPRS data standard. However, Motorola will have to cough up a €100m bond if it wants to chase a sales injunction.

 

 

Nokia is now shipping the Lumia 710 Worldwide, Nokia announced it along with the Lumia 800 at Nokia World 2011 in October, the Lumia 710 is expected to be priced at around 270 EURO pre-taxes and offers a 3.7-inch WVGA ClearBlack display, 5-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording and a 1.4GHz single-core Snapdragon processor.

 

There is also 512MB of RAM and 8GB of user storage, though no way to augment that as Microsoft still prevents Windows Phone devices from having accessible memory card slots. Nokia will add to WP7.5 Mango with its own apps, Nokia Drive and Nokia Music, offering turn-by-turn directions and free streaming music respectively.

 

Video Below!

 

 

 

T-Mobile and Nokia announced a special press event that will be held on December 14th at 7:00 p.m. The event could result in the first carrier launch of a Nokia Windows Phone in the United States, it will be a version of the Nokia Lumia 710 that launched in Europe a few weeks ago. Its the first Nokia Lumia Windows phone to Hit US and it will be T-mobile branded exclusive version of the Lumia 710.

 

 

 

 

If you are looking forward to getting your mitts on a new Asus Transformer Prime tablet and live in the UK, you can get your pre-order in right now. The Transformer Prime is up for pre-order on Clove in the UK. We reviewed the Transformer Prime not long ago and it is a very nice tablet and will be one of the best Android tablets to hit the market.

Clove has two version of the tablet up for pre-order. You can get the 32GB version with the keyboard accessory or the 64GB version with no keyboard accessory. Both of the devices sell for the same price at £459. The kit with the keyboard is the more appealing to me, that keyboard accessory greatly increases the battery life of the tablet.

 

Pre-order Now

 

 

 

Samsung Electronics has today launched Galaxy S2 White HD on which the color of ceramic white is applied to the front and back side, delivering clean, simple and elegant looks and feels.

An official from Samsung Electronics said "With the release of Galaxy S2 LTE White, customers now can add another choice to Galaxy S2 LTE Series. We expect the white version would be loved by female and young customers."

The HD LTE comes in all of its 4.65-inch Super AMOLED 1280x720 glory with a dual-core 1.5 GHz and, naturally LTE connectivity speeds. The Galaxy S II LTE has a 4.5" WVGA (480x800) display, which is about the only difference between the two. They should both be available on SK Telecom as previously told but on HSDPA and LTE, sans the CDMA.

 

 

HTC has just started seeding the latest firmware update for their Incredible S Android smartphone. It is quite a major bump, bringing the Android version up to 2.3.5 and the Sense UI 3.0.

Reports about the over-the-air update have been coming from several parts of Europe, though it is not a global thing yet and some regions are still left in the dry. We also do not have an exact changelog so we do not know if anything changed backstage.

 

 

Qualcomm has announced its S4 Snapdragon range. The new parts are the MSM8625 and the MSM8225. Both of the chipsets are dual-core units that operate at up to 1GHz and use the Adreno 203 GPU. The also both pack a 3G modem inside. They are designed to be software compatible with the MSM7x27A and MSM7x25A.

The new parts add more capability for these device makers to expand smartphone lines and 3G possibilities. The QRD program is intended to let the device makers develop smartphones that can be sold in high volumes at lower costs.

 

 

Nokia has announced that over the course of the next two weeks it will be rolling out a new software update for the Nokia Lumia 800 to fix the battery issue among other things. The update is starting that staggered 2-week roll out today in the countries where the phone is available. The update adds in things other than that battery fix too. Nokia says that the number of downloads at a time is fixed, which is why the update is staggered.

Nokia says that the update will be through Microsoft Zune, The update adds charging improvements to the Lumia 800 and voicemail notification improvements. Replying to email is improved for Microsoft Exchange 2003 users and the display switching in bright light has been improved. In addition, the update tweaks audio quality on the smartphone.

 

 

 

 

Gaming device manufacturer Razer has confirmed it will be offering pre-orders on its $2,799.99 Blade uber-notebook within days, with the laptop that has a touchscreen for easier in-game control expected to ship in time for Christmas.

 

There also been a quiet feature change, CEO Min-Liang Tan informed Kotaku, with a 256GB SSD taking the place of the originally specified 320GB HDD.

 

Otherwise specifications remain the same, which means a 17-inch display, 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-2640M processor, and 8GB of 1333MHz DDR3 RAM. Graphics are courtesy of NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M with NVIDIA Optimus, paired with their own 2GB of GDDR5 video memory.

 

 

 

Samsung Galaxy Nexus has made its North American debut but, unfortunately for those hoping for some Verizon LTE action, it is the Canadian carriers who are next to grab the Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone. Both Virgin Mobile Canada and Bell Canada are now offering the HSPA+ version of the Galaxy Nexus that we reviewed last month, priced from 159.99 CAD with a new, three-year agreement.

Alternatively, you can grab the HSPA+ Nexus for 649.99 CAD, if you want to use a SIM you already have. It is a pentaband model supporting the 850/900/1700/1900/2100 UMTS/WCDMA bands so if you decide to take a quick trip up from the US to grab one in Canada, you will then be able to use it on T-Mobile USA or AT&T when you get home.

 

 

 

Starting from today, a new feature on Google+ which works inside the photo app that will make it much easier for you to tag the friends in your photos that Google recognition engine believes match those you have already tagged.

This feature is completely opt-in and wont tag anyone unless you flip the on-switch, and as is natural this day and age, Google has made it abundantly clear that they do not mean to try to swallow your identity up with a barrage of I KNOW YOU alerts. You will upload your photos as normal, see that Google+ has some suggestions for you, and say yes or no to each of them.

 

 

 

Microsoft began rolling out the latest dashboard update for Xbox 360 consoles everywhere yesterday, bringing a new look and a number of new features to the platform.

As well as the metro-style UI, Kinect support for controlling the dash and voice search powered by Bing, the update coincides with simultaneous launches of companion apps for both iOS and Windows Phone.

My Xbox LIVE centers around control of your Xbox profile with support for Xbox Live messaging. The app also gives you access to your community of friends and the achievement browser. What really impressed us, though, is the way the Metro UI-styled application fits into iOS without looking like it is artificially stitched onto Apple platform. This is probably partly due to the immersive full screen interface, but is definitely something you would notice.

 

The Xbox Companion for WP7 is much richer in functionality and that's understandable as Microsoft wants to keep some of the flare for its own platform. Basically, the app turns your Windows Phone handset almost into another Xbox remote control allowing you to navigate in the dashboard and inside applications, launch games, control media playback, and search with Bing. The app works via Wi-Fi and cellular data, and if you have a solid connection the experience promises to be really smooth.

 

 

Twitter is rolling out a significant redesign (#letsFly) starting today with a simpler interface that will make it easier to find tweets about topics you are interested in, connect with other Twitter users, and further personalize the service.

 

 

A new profile section, for example, will gather all your tweets, lists, favorites, and so on. This Me tab, Twitter update page says, is "your opportunity to introduce yourself to the world". Video Demo shows the New layout below!

Official Twitter Blog anouncemnt:

"Today we introduce a new version of Twitter. We’ve simplified the design to make it easier than ever to follow what you care about, connect with others and discover something new. You’ll see this new design both on Twitter.com and mobile phones, so that you’ll have a familiar experience any time, anywhere. We’ve also updated TweetDeck to be consistent with this new version."

 

How to Get Acces to the New re-designed Twitter ?

Download the latest version of Twitter for iPhone or Twitter for Android to get access to the re-designed Web version of Twitter on your computer.

 

New Twitter For Android

 

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