ATT laucnhed the 4G LTE switch on Sunday. This is not the first time thought and it ill not be the last as ATT is planning to spread the 4G Network to many places in the US.

 

 

However, if you were expecting a lot more areas to get LTE after the official launch then you will be a bit disappointed as currently its only available in five states. AT&T has chosen Dallas-Forth Worth, San Antonio, Houston, Atlanta and Chicago to be the first to get their LTE network although they do plan to expand it to 15 major metropolitan areas by the end of 2011. See the Map above!

 

 

 

LG has announced another Android based Optimus smartphone. The Optimus LU2300 Q2, as it is called, has a full QWERTY sliding keypad below the display. This is the same phone we wrote about a couple of weeks ago but back then it was known as the Optimus Note. We are guessing LG had to drop Note as a name for their phone because Samsung managed to reserve it before them.

 

Other features include a 4-inch WVGA IPS display with 700 nits of brightness, a dual-core 1.2GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, a 5 megapixel camera on the back and a VGA camera on the front. The phone will be just 12.3mm thick and weigh 147g.

 

 

 

Windows 8 could support voice calls, its been suggested, after a Metro UI tile for phone functionality was spotted during a BUILD 2011 session last week. The slide, istartedsomething caught, has a Windows Phone 7 style "Missed Calls" dialog complete with times and dates of recent incoming voice calls. However, its also possible that this could be a VoIP service, or indeed some form of wireless call management when pairing a Windows 8 tablet or phone with a Windows Phone 7 handset.

The information comes from the screenshot above, which features a missed calls pane in its Metro UI. And that could be used for some VoIP services, so you should not get all too enthusiastic about it just yet.

 

 

 

The Long waited Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 Honeycomb tablet will be going on sale in BestBuy stores this Thursday. Reportedly, shipments have already arrived in the US and now we are just waiting for them to be distributed to stores around the country.

According to BestBuy some stores will have to wait until 25th to get their retail units, but the company did not specify which ones. The Galaxy Tab 8.9 is currently listed at $399 on the seller official website, which sound like a great deal for the Tegra chipset and the 1280 x 800 PLS TFT screen.

 

 

 

Samsung is preparing a patent suit against Apple that should BAN the next-gen iPhone sales in Korea. This was shared by a senior Samsung executive with The Korea Times Newspaper.

The soon-to-be patent suit will involve Samsung wireless technology patents, which will supposedly be used by Apple in the iPhone 5 (or 4S).

The Samsung Executive Also reported :

"For as long as Apple does not drop mobile telecommunications functions, it would be impossible for it to sell its i-branded products without using our patents. We will stick to a strong stance against Apple during the lingering legal fights."

 

While perusing the ATT customer service system, someone has come across a rather interesting tidbit of information. As you can see on the side, there is mention of a certain iPhone 4s White, along with the current iPhone models.

If you look at the list closely, you will notice that it shows the second page with the last five items on a sixteen item list. What you do not see are the ten items on the previous page. Out of those ten, six are bound to be the iPad 2 models that AT&T sells.

This leaves us four models that are currently unknown. They may be of the iPhone 5. They may even be the 3G version of the iPod touch that were rumored, although that seems far less likely.

 

 

Coming from Asus itself it seems that the Eee Pad Slider will finally be available. The Eee Pad Slider will come with Android Honeycomb 3.2 with a starting price of $475 for the 16 gig model and about $100 more for the doubled capacity 32GB model.

 

 

 

 

Ricoh has launched a new high-end point and shoot camera, called the GR Digital IV. This new camera features a 10 megapixel sensor and a 28mm/F1.9 lens, the latter is something you do not often see on point and shoot cameras.

 

The GR Digital IV also adds an image-sensor shift type image stabilization, a first for the series. There is also a new Hybrid AF, which uses an external AF sensor with 190 AF points coupled with the conventional CCD contrast AF gives an auto-focus time of just 0.2 seconds, approximately half of the GR Digital III.

 

 

Some of the Leaked Specifications of Nexus Prime:

 

• The phone looks similar to the Sprint version of Galaxy S II but also has a curved glass like the one on the Nexus S. The device is fairly large in size. It will weigh around 130-140g and will use metal for the body. It is said to be just 8.8mm thick and will have a 2000mAh battery.
• Verizon will be getting exclusive rights to the Nexus Prime, which is why they gave up on the US version of the Galaxy S II.
• 4.65-inch, Super AMOLED Plus display with a 1280 x 800 resolution
• It will be running on Samsung dual-core Exynos processor, clocked at 1.5GHz and will have 1GB of RAM and 16GB internal memory, with the option to expand it further.
• The phone was said to be blazing fast and felt very smooth. This obviously has a lot to do with the powerful processor and we believe ICS will also bring some performance improvements.
• There was no mention about the camera on the device but we think it is fairly clear to everyone by now that it will have an 8 megapixel camera with HD video recording.

• It looks bit similar to the current Gingerbread but a lot more polished. The UI has a glassy look, same as the one in Honeycomb.
• The version of the OS on the demo unit was 2.4.1. It is unlikely that this will be the final version of the OS for a simple reason that the current Honeycomb tablets are running on 3.2 and if Ice Cream Sandwich is 2.4 instead of 4.0 as is widely believed then it will seem as a step down for current Honeycomb users, at least as far as the version number is concerned.
• Just like in Honeycomb, the application drawer has categories on top. We have seen this before in the leaked screenshots. Apps and widgets seem to be the default but the good thing is that you can make custom categories and put apps in them. The demo unit had categories such as 'Games', 'News', 'Sports', etc. It remains to be seen whether these have to be created manually or if the OS can create them automatically as well, if you have more than one app from a certain category.
• A cool new feature is the ability to preview widgets from the app drawer.
• There is a new Gmail app. In landscape mode, it splits the screen in two, with the inbox on the left and a preview of the mail on the right. This is similar to the Gmail app in Honeycomb. This would be useful on the 4.65-incher of the Nexus Prime but probably not so much on phones with asmaller display.

 

YouMobile.org got some info confirmed the the Samsung Upcoming Flagship Galaxy Device that will be called "Galaxy S III" is currently under developing and will be relase due to Q2, 2012. As we said the device is currently under development and these specs (Below) may change at any time but it will still be very close to the device that will be out to the market.

 

Samsung Galaxy S III Main Specs:

• Samsung Quad-core 2.0GHz processor.
• 1.5GB RAM, expandable memory (MicroSDXC) with 32GB built-in.
• 4.65-inch Super-clear AMOLED display developed specially for this phone with 1280 x 1024 resolution with pixel density of 352-PPI, Which is the highest on the smartphones market so far.
• Gorilla Glass curved-display (Same design as Nexus prime)
• 10.1 megapixel camera capable of recording 1080p@60fps video.
• 9mm body thickness and a 2,000mAh battery.
• Built-in NFC, Wifi-hotspot (n/b/g), Bluetoogh 3.0 with A2DP

In Addition to these specs, the device will be running on Ice Cream Sandwich 2.4 with a TouchWiz 5 on top. This new version of TouchWiz will be a bit different from the current versions as it will feature only minor changes to the OS. This will allow Samsung to provide quicker software updates in the future.

 

 

Facebook has brought new feature to millions of users to simplify the process of following people and whoever you like to follow. Facebook adds subscribe button next to "Add Friend" button at the top right corner of the "Page". Allowing subscribers is a simple way to Watch your conversation on Facebook, while reserving personal updates for people you know well.

From that point your Facebook profile page visitors will see another button next to your Facebook "Add Friend" Button. This allows anyone to subscribe to your News Feed updates without connecting to you as friends. In this way you can manage your facebook wall privacy updates in much better way. Sharing really becomes much secured with Subscribe feature enabled.

Benefits of Facebook Subscribe!

How to Deactivate Facebook Subscribe ?

 

The Xbox Live game that called Lore Runner X is coming to Android but exclusively on the Xperia PLAY, Sony Ericsson will release it to their other Xperia phones but it will hit the Android Market soon.

Lore Runner X on the Xperia PLAY has the same 3D graphics as its console sibling and will be controlled by the Xperia play playstation-like hardware buttons.

 

 

Google is now working on a social news reader app for both the iPad and Android tablets, which will be the compititor of Flipboard app which was named in 2010 "app of the year" by Apple.

The rumor first emerged from Google+ by Robert Scoble, who said "I heard from someone working with Google that Google is working on a Flipboard competitor for both Android and iPad."

Flipboard Demo Below!

 

 

WebOS is dead, but some poeple want to keep it alive and CardSwitcher is one who started. For those of you who has a jailbroken iPhone (4.1 or higher), CardSwitcher offers WebOS visual multitasking in all its glory amd its famous UI for onyl 1.99 USD.

 

Demo Below!

 

Manilla the free personal account management service, is going mobile. It has just launch its iOS and Android application. Users can manage accounts and receive reminders to pay bills while on the go using this application. Also anyone can create a Manilla account from the Application itself and start using it right awaya without the need for a computer.

 

You Can Also add service providers as well as to view/pay bills, statements and account data.

 

 

Archos definitely has the best-priced Honeycomb tablets coming out and, thankfully for you, it will not take long to head to store shelves. They have just announced September 20th availability with final pricing plans for two of the G9 tablets.

First up, we have got the 8 inch model. This one has a 1GHz dual-core OMAP4 processor and 8GB of internal storage for just $300. They 8 inch line is topped out with a 1.5GHz dual-core OMAP4 and either 16GB or 250GB of internal storage for $329 and $369, respectively.

 

 

Today Samsung Illusion for Verizon had its first official press photo. As you can see from the image above, its a Galaxy S II but with some modifications and a Verion logo above, with a 800Mhz processor, 3.2-megapixel camera, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, GPS and all other features.

 

Verizon Samsung fans will be able to thier hands on this device on mid-october with the carrier plans.

 

 

Taking a leaf out of Google+ book, Facebook has added a couple of new and useful features. First is subscriptions. Earlier, you had to be friends with someone to read their posts on Facebook unlike on Google+ or Twitter where anyone can read anyone post.

Smart Lists:

Managing lists is boring. Thats why smart lists do the work for you. To start, we will offer you smart lists for:

• Work
• School
• Family
• City 

 

 

For instance, if you list Boston College as a school you have attended and your friends John and Sarah do too, then you would instantly have a smart list called "Boston College" with John and Sarah on it. This means that if you're having a grad party or a college reunion, you can easily share photos with just your college friends, without bothering other people you know.

 

You can also add or remove friends manually to make the lists even more accurate.

 

 

Close Friends and Acquaintances Lists:

• Close Friends list - Add your best friends to your Close Friends list and you will see everything they post in News Feed. You can even jump straight to a view of your News Feed that only shows their photos and news. You can also receive notifications when they post updates, so you do not miss anything important.

• Acquaintances list - Add friends like old classmates or business contacts to your Acquaintances list and you will see less of them in your News Feed. We will still show you important things they post like when they get married or move to a new city so you do not lose touch completely.

 

 

 

Sprint Motorola Photon 4G gets an OTA Update. When you Update your Photon 4G it will run Android version 4.5.1A-1_SUN-154_6/45.2.7.MB855.Sprint.en.US. Update will include improved Wi-Fi performance and some bug fixes.

If you want to check whether there is a new firmware available for your Photon 4G, go to "Settings" -> "About phone" -> "Software updates" then "Update" button.

 

 

Here is the First Motorola Android Device released after google has aquired the copmany back in August, The New Device leaked with name "Admiral" and it looks pretty close to a blackberry but with the famous lovely Android Gingerbread 2.3 OS

 

The Motorola Admiral has been leaked in the form revealing the device itself along with its specifications. it has a Qualcomm MSM8655 chipset clocked at 1.2GHz on a 3.1-inch VGA display. Including a 5MP camera with flash and capable of doing a 720p video, Best part is the 1860mAh battery that last longer than any current android device on the market, GPS, and Wi-Fi-hotspot functionality. Also the leaked form shows that Admiral was built to military specs (810G), which includes resistance to dust, shock, solar radiation and extreme temperatures.

 

 

 

The Finnish company Rovio has built an empire around the popular bird game, selling t-shirts, lunch boxes, speakers and other goodies. With its Three titles of the game the original "Angry Birds", "Angry Birds Seasons" and "Angry Birds Rio" the game have reached about 350 million downloads on all cross platforms (iOS, Android, Symbian, Desktop).

Thats impressive, but that is not all according to Rovio the mobile device users play the game for more than 300 million minutes each day collectively.

 

 

Sandisk just announced the world first 64GB microSDXC card, which is designed for use in smartphones

According to the manufacturer it should provide class 6 performance, which means a minimum write speed of 6MB/s in fragmented state. In best case scenarios, the card should be able to achieve the impressive 30MB/s (200x) transfers. Note that the current gen smart mobile devices can go that high.

Video Below!

 

 

The rumored HTC Runnymede has appeared on a UK retailer website with a different name, Its now Called the "HTC Bass". its on the Upcoming handsets on the website with no price or pre-order dates!

HTC Bass will have a Dual-core 1.5 GHz processor, 4.7-incher at the front, 8-MP camera with Android Gingerbread 2.3.4 and Ofcourse with Beats Audio Enabled inside. HTC Bass will also offer Wi-Fi, GPS, multi-touch support, Bluetooth 2.0.

 

 

 

Google Voice Actions is a series of commands you can use on your Android smartphone to send texts, call someone and more. The service has finally crossed the Atlantic and has landed on European shores. Its now available in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain and Italy.

 

 

 

Speak any of these commands to perform a Voice Action on your phone:

• send text to [contact] [message]
• call [business]
• call [contact]
• go to [website]
• navigate to [location/business name]
• directions to [location/business name]
• map of [location]

 

Demo Below!

 

 

 

 

As you probably know, Internet Explorer 10, the version of the world most popular browser that will ship with the Windows 8 and it will come in two different flavors Desktop and Tablet.

Unfortunately. the Tablet version of the Internet Explorer 10 will NOT support any plug-ins and that includes the Adobe Flash Player. According to Microsoft getting rid of plug-ins will lead to improved battery life as well as security, reliability, and privacy for consumers, so the company chose to do an Apple and put performance over functionality.

 

The UK phone retailer "Phones4u" made some exclusive launch deals with HTC new phones with Great prices due to 1, October, the Deals are:

 

• HTC Sensation XE: The newly announced Beats audio-powered Android smartphone will be available from on 1st, October, which is before any other retailer or carrier gets it. The device will be available for free on contracts starting at 36 GBP per month.

• HTC Sensation in white: white version of the original Sensation will too be available from 1st, October, free from 31 GBP a month on a choice of networks.

• HTC Radar in white:  Windows Phone device start selling at some point in October. It will be available for free from 26 GBP a month on a choice of networks.

 

Nokia Flagship Store in Helsinki, Finland started taking pre-orders for the first MeeGo-based Nokia N9. but all available pre-orders in the last three days for the 64GB N9 version are already reserved.

N9 will be available in two versions 16GB and 64GB, The 16GB unit is the only option left in Finland. Whatever stock Nokia is preparing for its Flagship Store in Helsinki, it seems it will not be enough for N9 and MeeGo Fans!

 

 

 

Is this the first Nokia Windows Phone handset naming confirmed? Apparently, there was this developer that was using Remote Device Access to mess with a Nokia N9 and when he entered Bluetooth connections he saw "Nokia 900 Windows Phone" in the list of nearby devices.

 

FYI, the video that you are about to see is not that hard to fake it. but its still a Questionable about Nokia Upcoming plans.

 

Video Below!

 

 

RIM announced an update to the BlackBerry PlayBook, which will include a new Video Store that will offer around 10,000 movies and TV shows for buying or renting, often available on the same day as DVD releases. RIM moving into selling movies is not a huge surprise, considering they have already struck up a partnership with 7digital to sell music on the PlayBook. The tablet handles high-res video very well, and HDMI-out makes it viable for watching on a home TV.

 

The BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 update will include other long-promised features, like stand-alone native e-mail and productivity apps, the Android App Player, BlackBerry Balance compatibility, some smaller improvements to Bridge and the browser and some prodctivity additions.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 pre-orders in the US have begun, as BestBuy started listing two versions of the Android 3.1 Honeycomb slate. The 16GB Wi-Fi-only version of the 8.9-inch droid goes for $470, while the units with 32GB of storage cost $570.

The estimated arrival time of your Order to reach your house door is 25-26 September.

 

 

Nokia Confirmed on this Tweet that First Windows phone Deice Made by Nokia wil be shipping on Q4, 2011 and will be available on volumes on the markets all over the world in 2012. Latest News we got that Nokia WP7 will carry a Windows phone 7.5 aka Mango and 1Ghz Dual-core CPU, We are so close to the release so lets wait and see!

 

 

The Samsung Epic 4G Touch is the Sprint version of the Samsung Galaxy S II that comes with bigger display 4.52-inch Exactly and a faster 4G connectivity is now available for purchase over at Sprint website and is due for delivery in 2-5 business days.

The Epic 4G Touch cost 199 USD on a 2-years contract or 499 USD without any commitment. Shipping is free.

 

 

 

With Microsoft latest operating system looking like a great fit for tablets and Apple iOS still No.1 on the market! So here we give you a 10 minutes video showdown of the iOS 5 and Windows 8 for you to Choose you Fav one.

 

Video Below!

 

 

Samsung announced yet another exclusive service for their Android smartphones. The Korean company has launched Premium Samsung Apps, which is the second Samsung app store for Android.

The new store, which offers a multitude of free and premium apps, currently only allows credit card billing but there are plans to have purchases tagged onto your monthly bill or from SIM credit in the near future.

Samsung Offers for Galaxy S and Galaxy SII users a great collection of paid apps and games for FREE!, so head to the store and get your Free copy!

 

Qualcomm has just revealed its Snapdragon roadmap, showing us the chipsets that we should be looking forward this year and things are looking pretty exciting. Apparently, we are just a few months away from mobile chipsets with 2.5GHz quad-core CPUs.

The S4 class of the Snapdragon family, which will be used in next-generation devices, will be using 28nm architecture for much better power-efficiency than the current crop of mobile chipsets. It will offer single-core, dual-core, and quad-core processors clocked all the way up to 2.5GHz plus a new GPU.

 

 

A lot of people are waiting for the MeeGo-running Nokia N9 to hit the shelves, but only those living in Switzerland had an actual date to look forward to until now. Luckily, Amazon comes to the rescue with its Nokia N9 listing, which promises to fulfill all orders on September 23rd.

All three color versions of the Nokia N9 are listed, but there is no price mentioned so you might want to take this with a pinch of salt. It might end up a publicity stunt by Amazon or some of its sellers.

 

Microsoft has just released a new ad about the upcoming Mango update of its Windows Phone smartphone platform. This one is targeted more at developers than users, but it is still a nice way to learn why its worth picking WP 7.5 for your next smartphone.

 

Microsoft Summed it all up on a 1Min Video Below!

 

 

 

Apples implementation of Intel Light Peak technology is going places. Intel has now announced that they will be bringing the technology to Windows-based computers as well, with companies like ASUS and Acer joining the bandwagon and getting their products ready for a 2012 launch.

Being the same essential technology, Thunderbolt on these other devices will work the same way as it does on the new range of Mac computers. It will have the same specifications and features that Apple touts for its new range of Macs and will work with the same set of accessories.

 

 

Google has just announced a new version of their Goggles app for initiating searches with camera photos. Version 1.6 brings a cool new opt-in feature, which works in background to analyze every image you take and gives you notifications of anything it recognizes in it.

So now you do not actually need to start the app and then shoot something to start a search you just run the camera as usual and your Android smartphone will inform you if there is anything recognizable in your photos. You can then either do a Google search to find out more about it, or just dismiss it and continue as usual.

 

 

The number of RIM PlayBooks sold in the first full quarter of the tablet has just been revealed. The Number is 490,000 PlayBook units has been sold Only over the past three months, which less than expected as it did not Make it to the 1M.

This year alone BlackBerry will sell just over 1.5 million units of its tablet, which is quite modest compared to the 39.2 million iPads that will fly off the shelves and even the 7 million slates that Samsung will ship.

 

 

Verizon has the nation fastest 4G LTE network, comparable or even faster than most home broadband connections, but it is not going to rest on its laurels. As it continues to deploy LTE networks across the U.S., with plans for a complete overlay by the end of 2013, Verizon is also working on LTE-Advanced. The carrier says its too early to tell what the implications and potential are, but that its long-term plan is to use the next-generation LTE technology.

Light Reading Mobile said:
"But thats all the carrier has going on with regard to the true 4G LTE network. Praveen Atreya, director of network technology and Verizon LTE Innovation Center, says it is too early to test LTE-Advanced or even research potential speeds and features of it. That being said, Verizon is definitely going that route in the long term"

Currently, Verizon is still focused on deploying its 4G LTE network across the nation. With itsnewly announced areas of coverage, Verizon will cover 143 total markets by September 16, bringing the total population covered to over 160 million, which is over half of the U.S.

 

Ever wanted to have the MAC OS X experience on your iPhone 4? Ok, this latest iOS mod that we found is one great start. Dubbed Ultimatum and naturally only available to jailbroken iPhones, it mimics the Lion OS X quite successfully.

The mod is still BETA, but you can gain access to it by making a $3.50 donation to the developer. There will be some bugs, for sure, but it still seems like a good deal, considering the effort it took to create such a mod.

Demo Below!

 

 

 

A mystery screen protector has just popped up on the web, supposedly tailored for the next generation iPhone. Its noticeably wider than the current-gen iPhone 4 and has a prolonged, wider hole for the home button.

First of all, the next iPhone has been rumored to be the same size but with a smaller bezel around the display, making it no more than 3.8-inch. Second of all, the wider area for the New Wider home button, BUT what the logic of making the home button wider? And finally its probably just a prototype design as its unlikely that a screen protector maker would know the form factor given Apple view on secrecy. Though Steve Jobs himself has been quoted saying that he dislikes the way accessory makers leak blueprints for new devices.

 

 

Some argued that the working conditions Foxconn put their employees through caused them to take their lives, meaning Foxconn is to blame for the deaths, not Apple. Thats debatable, especially since Apple is known to inspect each and every part of their supply chain, from component sourcing to product manufacturing to the retail stores that sell their hardware. Now Nokia is different. They own their own factories and hire their own people, opting to have their goods made as close to, or even in, the countries where they will eventually be sold. This makes logistics far simpler.

No suicides have taken place in Nokia factories, as far as we know, but the Finnish handset maker is being accused of paying wages that are far below what's required to live in India. The human rights group Finnwatch says Nokia employs 11,364 at a factory in Chennai, India that produces more than 300,000 devices per day. The average salary for a permanent employee, meaning not part time or a contracter, is around $125 per month. According to the Asia Floor Wage Campaign, you need $170 a month to live a decent life in India.

 

Yesterday HTC unveiled the powerhouse that is the Sensation XE, but it seems that the Taiwanese company is not done. It appears that they will have an even hotter handset to show us at their NY event next week.

The Android-running Vigor looks like one of the hottest smartphones of the season as its rumored to sport a dual-core 1.5GHz CPU and a 4.3-inch S-LCD display of 720p HD resolution (1280 x 720 pixels).

The Vigor will be sporting the Beats audio tweaks and headphones too.

 

 

 

The HTC Sensation XE has just been announced,The new flagship HTC handset comes rocking Beats Audio and an upgraded processor. The onboard processor is now a dual core 1.5GHz model and an HTC agent told us the RAM had been increased to 1GB as well, although its listed as 768MB on HTC website.

 

Here is Some Hands-on Photos of the New Sensation XE!

 

 

 

 

 

While in China negotiating business with major operators there Stephen Elop has went on record in an interview saying that the first Nokia Windows Phone devices will become available in Q4 this year 2011. He also added that availability will occur in a rollout that Nokia will sequence one country after another.

This is great news and certainly clarifies yesterday pseudo-official rumor that wewill have to wait until Q1 of 2012 it now looks as though that concerns Australia only.

 

 

 

 

HTC just added another device to the support list of their bootloader unlocking web tool. The Flyer is the third HTC droid to embrace custom ROMs with the blessing of its maker after the revision of the company bootloader policy.

 

 

So, if you happen to own an HTC Flyer and you always wanted to customize it beyond what the HTC Sense could offer you, hit this link and follow the simple instructions. According to HTC, though, unlocking the bootloader itself might void your warranty (you should double-check to be sure) so only proceed if you really need it.

 

We know that the iPhone 5 should be coming to Sprint in October but the third-largest mobile operator may also be getting the Apple tablet to go along with it.

According to 9to5Mac, Apple has prepared a 3G iPad which will be compatible with Sprint network. This is different than the Verizon 3G iPad but the report does not mention whether there will be WiMax 4G support or not. I do not picture Apple being the biggest fan of WiMax but I think that having 4G in an iPad could be a very cool thing.

The AT&T version has a 3G iPad but I would not be surprised to see the next version have AT&T 4G. The issue is that having 4G on each network will require different radios and Apple generally does not like to alter its devices too much for carriers.

 

 

According to the first mobile media rankings based on audience measurement data from metered Android smartphone usage, aside from the Android Market app itself, Facebook, Google Maps and Gmail were the most used among U.S. Android users 18 years and older. To determine each apps "active reach" the percentage of Android owners who used an app within the past 30 days Nielsen analyzed the data from on-device meters on thousands of Android smartphones.

 

While many of the top 20 apps, including the streaming music service Pandora and two versions of the popular game Angry Birds, showed similar usage by both men and women, there were notable differences in active reach for social apps. Facebook mobile app saw an active reach of 81 percent for women compared to 69 percent for male Android users. Twitter also had slightly higher active reach among women (16.5%) than men (13.4%). However, Google+, Google new social network, had more than twice the active reach among men (15.8%) than women (7.2%).

 

Mystery solved the- the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II was just confirmed to come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, featuring a 1.5 GHz dual-core Scorpion processor. The news came from the Galaxy S support Twitter account, so the smart money is on it turning out true.

 

The chipset that powers the T-Mobile-bound Samsung Galaxy S IIhas been identified as Qualcomm APQ8060. Thats the board that you can find inside the HP TouchPad, except that this time its dual-core CPU is clocked much higher. Its main advantage over the Samsung Exynos platform is the faster network data it allows network downloads with up to 42 Mbps, compared to half of that on the Exynos.

The Exynos on the other hand has an edge in performance - the speedier CPU clock of the Snapdragon inside the T-Mobile Galaxy S II will probably negate the advantage of the Cortex-A9 cores, but the Adreno 220 GPU isn not quite a match for the Mali-400MP.

 

 

 

 

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the UK has just declared the Apple iPhone 4 as slimmer than the Samsung Galaxy S II for all marketing purposes. ASA is the UK independent regulator of advertising across all media, even on the Internet.

This action was prompted by a complaint received over an iPhone ad, which states the iPhone to be the thinnest smartphone in the world. The Galaxy S II has, however, claimed to be slimmer than its arch rival since day one. So the ASA had to go in a straighten things up.

The Samsung Galaxy S II at its slimmest point is just 8.71mm, while at its thickest point measures 9.91mm. Contrarily, the iPhone 4 has a constant thickness of just 9.3mm throughout its entire body. In its product defense Apple gave the argument that users would care more about the overall thickness of the product they're buying, as it affects the way you carry it in you pocket and not its slimmest point.

 

 

 

Nearly every technology journalist in North America attended Microsoft BUILD conference yesterday to catch a glimpse at Windows 8, including over very own Marin Perez, but that came at the expense of providing coverage from Intel Developer Forum. There is a reason for this. The chip company has been talking up Intel based smartphone for years without actually delivering, Luckily for the internet, Anand Lal Shimpi of Ananadtech was in attendance and he was able to record three videos. Two showing off an Intel Medfield based Android Gingerbread smartphone thats less than 10 mm thick and one that demos an 8.9 mm thick Android Honeycomb tablet.

Intel says they expect to see devices with their silicon running Android out on the market during the first half of 2012, and while before we would have no problem calling bullshit on that statement, therecent announcement that Google is going to optimize future versions of Android for both x86 and ARM has us mildly excited. Make no mistake, Intel is in a position to dominate the market since they will be able to offer hardware vendors everything they need to build a device. There's the x86 application processor of course, the Intel graphics, which these days is built on the processor itself, and thanks to Intel acquisition of Infineon Wireless Division, they will also be able to supply cellular connectivity.

Videos Below!

 

 

Major Nelson is the Xbox guy at microsoft that cover all things Xbox, Kinect and LIVE. After the BUILD conference Larry posted on his blog that next year Xbox LIVE will be appearing on Windows 8.

"Xbox LIVE brings your games, music, movies, and TV shows to your favorite Microsoft and Windows devices. Bringing Xbox LIVE to Windows 8 is part of our vision to bring you all the entertainment you want, shared with the people you care about, made easy."

 

We as a race have always had a fascination with speed, making faster cars with better aerodynamics, pushing the global network faster and faster with fiber optic broadband and for power users, a PC needs a lightning fast brain to deal with those heavy duty tasks.

But what about trying to squeeze the greatest clock speed you can out of a stock CPU, just for the sake of it. Thats exactly what AMD set out to do to show off their latest Bulldozer-based FX chips and so they brought in the best they knew from the overclocking community to attempt a world record. Using a desktop PC with a new 8-core AMD FX chip, the team managed to push the clock speed to 8.429GHz, with a little help from some liquid nitrogen and helium cooling of course, but this smashed the previous record of 8.30GHz and propelled AMD to the top spot, winning the Guiness World Record title.

 

Video Below!

 

 

Canada Rogers Wireless will be adding the LTE-enabled version of the Samsung Galaxy S II to its portfolio. Starting from September 28th, customers in Toronto and Ottawa will be among the first ones to get their hands on the super-fast and super-awesome Android smartphone. Yep this includes our very own Simon Sage, who will undoubtedly try to get a review unit and let you know what he thinks about it.

Alternatively, the carrier will also offer the LTE Rocket mobile hotspot, Rogers LTE Rocket stick, with other LTE products including some HTC smartphone and a tablet to follow shortly.

 

 

lifehacker.com have sammarized the full 3 hour keynote from Microsoft BUILD event and condensed all of the must-see features of Windows 8 down into a handy 8-minute video.

There is some nice stuff in here like picture password, the revamped task manager and control panel, and the enhanced dual-desktop support, but really the test is how stable will it be when it becomes available to all.

 

8min Video Below!

 

 

HTC just announced the Sensation XE the new monster gathering everything the company has to offer in a single shell. You get a 4.3-inch nHD S-LCD display, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, an 8 megapixel snapper, Beats Audio and the latest Android and Sense software.

 

The HTC Sensation XE is based on the same Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon chipset dual-core 1.5GHz CPU. Same Ram (768 MB) and Samw GPU (Adreno 220). You also get the same software package Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread with HTC Sense 3.0 UI.

 

 

 

The HTC Sensation XE is the first smartphone to carry the Beats Audio logo in the Taiwanese company lineup. It will come with new Beats headset and some of the Beats audio magic under the hood, which should bring a dramatic improvement in the sonic experience.

 

 

 

Camera-wise the Sensation XE can offer 8-megapixel and 1080p video recording @ 30fps. There is also a dual LED flash and a front-facing VGA camera on board.

 

See Full Sensation XE Specs

 

 

 

 

We have been itching to get our hands on Windows 8 which is still just a working title, by the way ever since the first screenshots surfaced. But when Microsoft officially unveiled it to the public yesterday the itch turned into a proverbial rash.

 

 

Now we have three different files here to download. The first is the full blown 64-bit version that comes with the OS as well as developer tools. If you are a developer wanting to get a feel of the Windows 8 SDK then this is the version to download. You will have to perform a clean install with this version.

Click here to download this version (4.8GB)

 

The second version is 64-bit just like the first version but comes sans the developer tools. You can retain your accounts files and settings if you choose by opting for this version.

Click here to download this version (3.6GB)

 

The third version is identical to the second one but is 32-bit.

Click here to download this version (2.8GB)

In each case the download is an ISO file that you will have to burn on a disc or a bootable thumb drive. You will need a dual-layer DVD for the developer version, as well as a drive that supports burning and reading them. System requirements for running Windows 8 Developer Preview on your PC are as follows:

• 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
• 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
• Multi-touch display for using the touch-based functions

Do remember this is a beta software. There can and will be bugs and certain apps may not work correctly. Issues are part of testing a beta software and as usual, should you choose to download a beta software you instantly lose the right to complain about the bugs and issues that you may face while using it. DO NOT install it on your primary computer, especially if it is your work PC.

 

 

Introducing the Latest MeeGo tablet from ASUS, The X101 powered by MeeGo OS, This Tablet appears to have enough arguments to put the yet to become popular OS back to relevance. The netbook will be powered by an Intel Atom CPU, clocked at 1.33GHz. There will be 1GB of RAM along with an 8GB SSD. The storage will be further expandable through a microSD card, as well as web storage thatoffered by ASUS and the rest of the netbook package includes a 10.1-inch screen with 1024×600 resolution, Wi-Fi, 2xUSB ports, and 4 hours battery.

 

 

 

 

It seems these days if you are a tablet manufacturer other than Apple, the only way to get your device noticed and start flying off the shelves is to give ridiculous discounts on the price.

After the HP TouchPad fire sale a few weeks back, Fusion Garage, who were planning on announcing their Android-based Grid 10 tablet this month has decided that their original $499 and $599 price tags for the Wi-Fi and the Wi-Fi + 3G model was perhaps a bit too ambitious. Fearing they may have another JooJoo on their hands, they have announced a rather generous price-drop.

$299 makes the 10-inch, 16GB Android tablet with Tegra 2 processor.Unfortunately, the launch date of the device has been pushed back by a couple of weeks, and it will now be coming out on October,1.

 

 

 

 

Nokia N9 is heading to Australia where all major carriers and phone retailers should get it. It is almost there, with one of the companies already accepting pre-orders. Do not get too excited though, cause you will have to pay a small fortune to grab the first MeeGo-powered device. Retailer Harvey Norman asks a whopping AU$829 for the unlocked phone which translates in about $854. That is way out of line for any phone, no matter how cool it is. We can only hope that once it hits more stores and carriers, the price will go down, eventually hitting the magic price point of free.

 

 

Today Nokia introduced a new application for their Symbian smartphones, designed to make them easier to use when you are driving a car. Called Nokia Car Mode, the standalone app features an optimized user interface simplifying the access and use of Nokia Drive (voice-guided car navigation with Nokia Maps), traffic updates, music and voice calls while driving.

Nokia Car Mode also supports the MirrorLink standard, which lets your smartphone integrate with supported car audio, video and navigation systems. Thanks to MirrorLink you can control your smartphone via the car dashboard and use the handset navigation on the car display its as cool as it gets.

 

 

 

Microsoft just unveiled some more details about its ambitious Windows 8 operating system at Build 2011 and we have been playing with a prototype tablet for almost 24 hours and we must say that there is a lot of promise with Microsoft new platform.

 

Windows 8 is not the company tablet-specific OS, as it is the next generation of its platform and its meant for screen sizes from 7 inches to 70 inches. Of course, the success of devices like the Apple iPad are definitely a factor in this, as the whole thing has been rethought with responsive multitouch in mind and a big focus on apps.

 

As for the Samsung tablet, its not quite what was rumored; but its still quite a powerful machine with an 11.6-inch screen with an 1366 x 768 resolution, a second-generation Intel core i5 processor, integrated 3G from AT&T, 64 GB of on-board storage, 4 GB DDR3, multiple dock sensore and two cameras. Microsoft specifically said this should not be considered an iPad killer, as the device is meant to be a developer preview machine and when it finally lands in the market, it will run Windows 7.

 

The point of the tablet is to show off Windows 8 and its multitouch capabilities and its worth crowing about. Once you boot it up, you Windows Phone 7 fans will recognize many elements: from the live tiles on the start screen to the loading animations and even the sounds and look of the virtual keyboard, Windows 8 builds upon the visual aesthetic of Microsoft latest smartphone platform.

 

 

Nokia first Windows Phone 7 device may be coming in Q1 2012 missing the deadline Nokiatop management was hoping for the Nokia World show on October 20th. The information supposedly comes from Nokia Australia branch, which admitted to Wp7r.comthat a WP7 Nokia will not be released until Q1 of next year.

Now this does not exclude the possibility of a 2011 announcement as the new info concerns the actual market release in Australia. We will have to wait to see, but we know for a fact that Nokia has a WP7 prototype already in teh works and it will probably have similar, if not identical, specs to the Meego-flaunting N9.

Those specs include a 1GHz processor single core as WP7 still has not crossed the dual-core line, a 3.9-incher of FWVGA resolution, an 8 MP Carl-Zeiss optics camera with dual-LED flash, NFC and a gig of RAM. Its almost certain too that WP7 Mango will be the OS version of choice.

 

We can imagine Apple wo not be particularly happy about that, but the CEO of Orange might have just spilled the beans on the availability of the iPhone 5. He said that if he believes what he hears, the next iPhone will be out by 15th October on his network.

Since CEOs of major carriers like Orange rarely get their information from anywhere else, but the manufacturer itself, this one seems rather trust-worthy. Stephane Richard also went on to say that they will be special packages on offer for the iPhone 5, but thats hardly a surprise, considering the importance of the smartphone to carriers.

Earlier today, we also heard an interesting rumor about the availability of the iPhone 5 in the UK. This information, however, comes from O2 customer service center so its a bit harder to believe. And there is little sense in Apple releasing the smartphone in France, before they bring it to UK, so its unlikely that both of those are true at the same time.

 

 

 

An O2 sales rep has let slip that the iPhone 5 will be landing on October 21, which lines up quite nicely with earlier rumours we had heard from Best Buy. In addition to that, a Vodafone page temporarily listed 16 GB and 32 GB models in both black and white, which are some details we had not heard much of yet. While neither of these hints are anything conclusive, it reaffirms most speculation that we'll be seeing an announcement in the next couple of weeks.

The iOS 5 device software is just about ready to roll, and with it a handful of new features, like an unobtrusive notification system, while the hardware may include an 8 megapixel camera and a larger screen. Even those details are on shakey ground, though  at this point, pretty much all bets are off when it comes to what exactly the iPhone 5 will bring to the table. Even carrier partners on this side of the pond are a bit of a mystery. There's been a lot of talk about Sprint getting it, and AT&T and Verizon seem likely targets, seeing as they both have the iPhone 4, and its still unclear if T-Mobile will get to join in.

 

 

As far as hardware mods for the Apple iPhone 4 go, this is one of the coolest we have seen. And the considerable boost in the exterior is achieved by modifying just the apple logo at the back.

Thanks to the UK-based company iPatch, you will be able to make that logo glow, just like it does on the MacBook lineup. And you won’t be sacrificing anything in terms of thickness or usability.

Unfortunately, the creators say that the mod is quite hard to apply by someone without good knowledge of the iPhone internals, so you’d need to go to a repair center for that. The other bad news is that the tools and materials required for the mod will cost the hefty £50 – £100, when they are made publicly available next month.

 

 

 

The HTC Runnymede is one of the most anticipated Android offerings to hit the market this Fall. After all, the droid is expected to be the first product of the recently announced partnership between the Taiwanese manufacturer and the Los Angeles based Beats Electronics.

Today, we have the first press shot of the music oriented droid. In terms of specs, we already know that the smartphone will be closely related to the recently announced, Windows Phone running HTC Titan. The features include a single-core CPU, clocked at 1.5GHz, a massive 4.7" screen with WVGA resolution, and a high quality 8MP camera unit. The device will come with either 16 or 32GB of built in memory and 768MB of RAM. There will be no memory card slot on board. Like we mentioned above already, the smartphone is expected to feature some serious audio performance, as well as a pair of Beats by Dr. Dre headphones bundled in its retail package.

The rumored price tag of the droid is £530 ($838) for the 16GB model, and £30 more for the version with 32GB of on-board memory. You will surely find droids with better specs than the HTC Runnymede out there, but sans the Beats Audio credentials. We surely hope that the latter are worth the expected price tag.

 

See Full Specification

 

 

 

Dear Samsung Galaxy S I9000 Users A firmware update is Coming on your way with many performance improvements, Its the Android Gingerbread 2.3.5.

Many SGS users are complaining of issues and bugs on their phones since the 2.3.3 Update so Samsung are listing to all of their problems and decided to give them the latest GB Version 2.3.5, The Update is currently on the testing Stage but it will be Rolling-out on Q4, 2011 with no further delays.

 

The Update Changlog will include:

• Support Adhoc WiFi network
• Advanced Power menu with options to restart and display options
• Enhanced auto backlight mode
• Facebook Contacts Integration
• New GUI icons Added
• Improved picker Widget
• Performance & Reliability Improvements
• SIP calls over 3G
• Camera Enhances
• VoIP Calls of 3G Network (2.3.4)

 

 

Windows Phone 7 could soon receive its Mango update and we mean next week-soon and that it will be available to existing WP7 devices. This was brought on by the popular WP Developer Podcast, claiming next week to be BIG because "Mango will be dropping" along with the final tools for developers.

Now this is not a definite confirmation but Lewis and Ryan Lowdermilk are relying on "various sources". And we should take into consideration that the same WP7 Dev team has given us reliable information before.

 

 

 

HTC, maker of some of the most popular Android smartphones and designer of Sense UI, is considering purchasing its own mobile OS. No hard decisions have been made, but it is interesting that it is under consideration, especially with the ease with which Android can be slapped onto any of its future smartphones.

Ever since HP decided that it would halt all webOS hardware production, and effectively kill of the OS, rumors started floating that Samsung or HTC would purchase it. For HTC, there is no urgency or rush. As Focus Taiwan reports:

"We have given it thought and we have discussed it internally, but we will not do it on impulse," [HTC Chairwoman Cher] Wang said in an interview with the Economic Observer of China.

"We can use any OS we want. We are able to make things different from our rivals on the second or third layer of a platform," Wang said. "Our strength lies in understanding an OS, but it does not mean that we have to produce an OS."

Purchasing a mobile OS like webOS might not be a bad idea, and HTC is correct in saying that it has deep understandings of the workings of a mobile OS, hence its very popular Sense UI. It would be nice to diversify its handset portfolio from the current, arguably boring army of Android smartphones.

 

 

 

 

ATT has just announced its new lineup of WP7 smartphones and unveiled a couple of new Samsung-made smartphones in the process. The Samsung Focus S and Focus Flash are both Mango-running devices that come with the sweetly deep blacks of SuperAMOLED tech.

 

Samsung Focus S

The Samsung Focus S builds on the success of the award-winning and highest selling Windows Phone in the U.S., the Samsung Focus. Featuring a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 1.4GHz processor, 4G-capable speeds and a thin profile at 8.55 millimeters. It includes front facing 1.3-megapixel and a rear facing 8-megapixel cameras. The Samsung Focus S will find its way into a lot of pockets this fall.

 

Samsung Focus Flash

Designed to hit the market packed with value, Samsung Focus Flash 3.7-inch Super AMOLED screen will both fit in pockets and be light on pocketbooks with the full power of Windows Phone 7.5 inside. As fast and lightweight as it is compact, it runs a 1.4 GHz processor and a 5-megapixel camera plus front facing camera.
Strangely enough, though, AT&T, failed to provide images of the newly announced devices. We'll be updating this article when their PR department gets round to uploading them on their website.

 

 

At this point Windows Phone 7 is only compatible with the Qualcomm Snapdragon smartphone chipsets, but it appears that Microsoft promises to extend the platform reach will finally be delivered on. A leaked roadmap suggests that Nvidia will be entering the WP7 game in 2013.

To achieve this, the company will be introducing a whole new branch to its System-on-a-chip lineup. The new chipsets are codenamed Grey and they will be combining processing silicone from the Tegra range with radio solutions provided by Icera.

The Tegra 2 is a huge success with the Android software platform, powering the first broadly available dual-core smartphone and a huge number of devices (both tablets and smartphones) after that. We are now holding our breath expecting to see the arrival of its bigger brother, Kal-El, which should be the first quad-core chipset on the market bringing a 5x performance boost.

 

T-Mobile made somewhat of a strange appearance at the Samsung Galaxy S II US event. The carrier did confirm that it will be getting its own version of the flagship device, but that's about as much as they gave us. We were denied a detailed specs sheet or any information about availability and pricing.

 

So we were left waiting for either Samsung or T-Mobile to give us more bits before we can solve the puzzle. And today we got a quite important one from the Samsung Telecommunications Marketing Manager Philip Berne, who confirmed that the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II wo not be using the company home-made Exynos chipsets.

Mr. Berne did not say what System-on-a-chip will be replacing Exynos, but the Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8060 seems to have the upper hand over NvidiaTegra 2. Despite the minor performance advantage that Tegra has, the Qualcomm chip supports 42 Mbps HSDPA, while the Nvidia silicone only does 21 Mbps, just like Exynos. And if network performance is a vital marketing spec for T-Mo, the Qualcomm chipset seems a better bet than the rest even though the Exynos platform is more powerful general performance-wise.

 

 

 

 

Want to grab the Samsung Galaxy S II from ATT?

 

Its not available yet, but you can at least sign-up from a dedicated page and be notified when it starts selling. The carrier is obviously pressured by Sprint which got the head start for the device, hence they decided to do something about it. The mentioned page also features basic information about the Galaxy S II which is something you probably already know but it shows you that the AT&T version is the Same Europeon version.

 

 

Apple has just signed a 10-year deal with the MTA to open the largest Apple Store ever in New York City Grand Central Terminal. The maker of the iPhone and iPad have a few locations in NYC already, including the iconic cube store on 5th Avenue, but the coming Apple Store location at Grand Central is poised to be the most trafficked and possibly even the most attractive, given previous rumors regarding Apple plans for the 23,000 square-foot store.

 

Here are some quick facts presented by the New York Post:

"Apple will initially pay rent of $800,000 a year, nearly half a million more than Metrazur paid.

After 10 years, the rent will balloon to more than $1 million annually.

The company will also pay to refurbish the space.

The MTA is estimating that the deal will bring it a minimum of $5 million in profits."

 

 

Instant messengers are a dime a dozen in all mobile platforms. When it comes to Android, you do not even have to download and install one to begin with.

 

Why bother getting Another IM?

Well, there might not be much of a difference between the popular chat protocols like MSN, Yahoo, GTalk etc, but it is not uncommon to have multiple accounts for business and personal uses. Moreover, our friends tend to have accounts on various platforms or social networks too. The best way to stay in touch with all of them at the same time is to have a chat client that can handle multiple chat accounts and protocols. BeejiveIM is a well known chat client and is available for almost all leading smartphone platforms, including Android.

Availability

BeejiveIM might be well known and feature rich, but it does not come cheap. But just in the case of Android, the app comes with a lite version, so users can evaluate the app before opening their wallets. BeejiveIM Lite is limited to three instant messaging accounts. To add unlimited accounts and remove ads, check out the original BeejiveIM. However, users with older handsets might be out of luck, as the app runs only on devices powered by OS version 2.1 and upwards.

Getting Started

 

Without much ado, the app launches to a screen from which you can select from nine different networks (AIM, MobileMe, MSN, Windows Live, Yahoo!, GoogleTalk, Facebook, MySpace andJabber). As expected, the login credentials page shows up next as soon as you choose the chat network. In addition to the standard description, username, and password fields, you can add the resource (device) name and set a level of connection priority for each account.

 

 

For some reason, the connection status of my Gtalk account was ‘offline’ after integration and my profile picture did not show up either. So I tapped on the Offline status message and a screen with a number of status options showed up. It is good to see that every status can have a custom message of its own.

 

Initiating Chats

Before beginning the chat, I noticed that, unlike a couple of IM apps I have used earlier, BeejiveIM does not log you out of any existing chat sessions from your other clients. Nor did I get any warnings about having logged in to another app and so been logged out by GTalk either.

 

 

A tabbed interface makes navigating through the app smooth and streamlined. From the Buddiestab, you can access the friends contact list from all the chat networks you have added to the app. To make things simple, buddies are listed under only two categories online and offline. A tiny logo of each chat network accompanies the display name and the profile pic to help identify the network they are logged into. All your ongoing chats can be accessed from the Chats tab.

 

 

Thanks to a cute and color coded bubble interface, messages sent back and forth are easy to read and reply to. The compose window has just three icons to send, add emoticons to, or cancel the message which preserve the scarce screen real estate in phones like my HTC Wildfire. While there are not many, emoticons are available for all popular moods and they are pleasant to look at too.

 

 

Are you someone who receives a lot of loaded chat messages? Fret not; there is hyperlink support which automatically parses links for web pages, YouTube videos, email addresses, Twitter usernames, and phone numbers. You can also send files and voice messages to your buddies by bringing up the menu options. I particularly liked the feature that lets you send a Google Maps link of your exact location to your friends.

Connectivity Options

Even if the connection drops, BeejiveIM automatically reconnects and picks up where you left off. The app also lets you move from carrier data and WiFi connections seamlessly. Even when you close the app, it runs in the background bringing you messages as they are received. However, to stay connected even after you close the application and be notified when you get a new message with push notifications, the device should be running OS 2.2 or above.

 

 

New numbers from the bean counters at IDC have been released and they show that finally, after the first smartphone, the Nokia 7650, was introduced in Q2 2002, the smartphone category has ended the reign of the dumbphone. The defeat was not really a landslide, 21.8 million smartphones versus 20.4 million million dumbphones that shipped in Q2 2011, but its a historic event since we have reached the end of an era and are about to enter an age of enlightenment thanks to more and more people have access to the world information from a piece of metal and plastic thats always within arm length. Now on to the nitty gritty details, who shipped the most smartphones? If you are guessing Nokia, you are wrong. The title goes to Samsung, who was responsible 33% of all smarpthones shipped in Q2 of this year. Nokia comes in second at 21%, Apple in third at 11%, and HTC and RIM tie for fourth with 7% each.

The numbers go on to say that 48.5% of those 21.8 million smartphones run Android, which is a figure that's difficult to wrap your head around when you realize that Android is soon going to turn 3 years old. Google's operating system has blown Symbian out of the water in Western Europe, and Samsung's wide portfolio of Android devices that span nearly every point has proven to be an amazing success.

 

 

 

Samsung announced that all of its Wave smartphones will get the bada 2.0 update, including those phones that do not have WVGA displays. The timeline is not precisely defined and all we have is Q4, which means anything from now to the end of the year.

Of course, the number of features will vary depending on the phone hardware specifications i.e. you cannot have contactless payments without an NFC chip.

 

 

We all thought that Google will be restricting their Music Beta service to Android users but we have been proven wrong. Google has now made the service, which is still in beta, to iOS users as well. There is a catch, however. The catch is that unlike Android, iOS does not get a native application. Its available in the form of a web app, which can be accessed from the web browser on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Aesthetically, the web app is not on par with the native Android app but as far as functionality is concerned you can do everything that you can on an Android device, including running it in the background while you use other apps.

To those who do not know what Music Beta by Google is, it is a service, currently available for free, that allows users to upload up to 20,000 tracks to Google servers, which can then be streamed anytime, anywhere from a compatible device.

I guess it makes sense from a business point of view to offer the service to iOS users as well so that when it comes out of beta and becomes a paid service Google will have a lot more prospective customers on their hands.

 

 

 

HTC has been sending various members of the press an invite for an event that is due to take place on the 20th of September in New York City. The invitation reads "Come celebrate in style with HTC", which makes us think that they are going to show off the long awaited Bliss smartphone. When we first heard about the Bliss back in May of this year, we were kind of taken aback as to why HTC wanted to create a device specifically tailored towards women. Its not that we do not love our lovely lady readers out there, but we fail to see why creating a smartphone in a particular shade of blue and with a few bundled accessories that scream progesterone would be good for the market. HTC should be trying to make devices that appeal to both genres.

What we are all really hoping for however is more information on the HTC Ruby and HTC Vigor, the latter is supposed to be a 1.5 GHz dual core beast with a 720p resolution screen and Verizon 4G LTE connectivity, the former a beefed up Sensation with a faster processor, more RAM, and a 42 Mbps HSPA+ radio that will take full advantage of T-Mobile 4G network. Less than two weeks ago, at IFA in Berlin, HTC showed off the Titan and Radar, two Windows Phone Mango devices that we frankly have no idea when or even if they will end up in the United States.

 

 

 

If you missed out on the first Crysis game because you did not have a powerful enough PC or are primarily a console gamer then you have a reason to rejoice as the award winning game is now coming to the PlayStation 3 as well as the Xbox 360 and you won’t have to wait for it for long.

EA has announced that they will be launching the console version of Crysis next month. The game will be distributed online as DLC through the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace.

EA has remastered the game to be able to run on consoles and it now features new lighting. They have also optimized the controls to make this FPS more playable with a controller. Lastly, an option to play it in 3D has also been added. The basic gameplay and story of the campaign mode remains identical to the PC version, though.

I hope EA follows this game with Crysis Warhead for the consoles, which I personally found more enjoyable than the original game despite its shorter play time.

 

 

 

just days after the Galaxy Note announcement, we meet another Note only this time its a member of the LG Optimus lineup. Its a QWERTY slider with 4-inch WVGA NOVA display and based on the Tegra 2 chipset with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor.

 

The rest of the specs we know so far include a 5 megapixel camera with HD video recording, a VGA front camera, 8GB internal storage, an HDMI port and Wi-Fi Direct support. The LG Optimus Note is reportedly, just 12.3mm thick, and is running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

 

If you recall, this is an entry-level device with a familiar all-touchscreen form factor. Specs wise, it comes with a 3-inch QVGA display, 2-megapixel camera, HSDPA and Wi-Fi connectivity, 832MHz processor, microSD memory card slot, while Android 2.3 Gingerbread is running the show with Sammy own TouchWiz UI singing on top.

 

 

We stumbled into this video of a mysterious BlackBerry device, carrying a radically different look from what we are currently used to seeing from RIM products, and decided to share it with you. The device is rumored to be a member of the Bold Touch family, with 9980 as its moniker.

The highlight of the yet to be announced BlackBerry is its design a sharp departure from everything we have seen from RIM so far. The keyboard of the smartphone is made to look metal, while the back sees the return of the faux leather cover. Hardware wise, the handset appears to be identical to the BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900.

Video Below!

 

 

You may want to print more than a single photo on one sheet of paper but your iPhone does not support that capability out of box. Luckily, there is a app for that.

 

Called "PhotoPrint LT" Made for Printing, it allows you to use any AirPrint ready printer to print from your photo library and create 4×6 in postcards in minutes. But that's not all, you can also scale, mask and rotate photos straight from the app. Then, once you are done with editing you can either print your work, save it as PDF, or beam to someone as a PDF file.

 

The free version enables printing of a single photo per page, but if you pay $1.99 through in-app purchase, you will be able to push up to 4 photos on a single page. Simply select which photos you want, tap print and voila... you are done. When it comes to photo sizes, you can choose between 3.5×5 inches (9×13 cm), 4×6 inches (10×15 cm), 5×7 inches (13×18 cm), US Letter.

 

 

 

Compatibility has only slowly been opening up since, but has now come to support a much wider variety of handsets since launch. However, the Netflix team have just announced that their app will now be able to work with any Android device running Froyo 2.2 or Gingerbread 2.3.

Originally, those without official support could easily instil their droid with Netflix goodness once the .apk had been uncovered but this news means that for most, they can keep it all above board from now on and access their content on-the-go with Netflix blessing.

Of course this is not quite as good news for those who have been hoping for some Netflix action on their Honeycomb tabs, but all in due time, baby steps and all that.

 

 

Download Below!

 

 

 

 

Sharp has announced a new 3D Android smartphone in Japan, the Aquos SH8298U. This is the same phone whose images were posted a couple of months back on the FCC website.

The specifications of this phone are mostly identical to what we reported earlier, a 4.2-inch, qHD resolution, stereoscopic 3D display, Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with single-core 1.4GHz CPU and Adreno 205 GPU, 512MB RAM, 2GB internal memory, dual 8 megapixel cameras on the back for recording in 3D with a single LED flash, 1240mAh battery and Android 2.3.4. The model launching in Japan has GSM radio instead of the CDMA version that we saw earlier in FCC images.

 

 

 

Citrix is bringing its popular GoToMeeting application/service to the Android community. Available as a free download, it provides Android device users with access to the popular mobile collaboration service, allowing users to join online meetings while on the go.

Once downloaded, GoToMeeting will allow you to join meetings in seconds by clicking a link in an email or clicking the GoToMeeting icon and entering the meeting ID. And its not just the talk you will also be able to access all of the conference materials and zoom content up to 200% by pinching the screen.

 

 

 

Sprint Wireless has been trying to slowly reverse its fortunes for a couple of years now. According to the latest rumors, the wireless operator might get even closer to being a serious contender in the highly profitable U.S. market this Fall.

 

 

According to Bloomberg, Sprint Wireless will be offering the yet to be announced iPhone 5, along with its highly popular unlimited data plan a sharp departure from the practices of Verizon Wireless and AT&T. The aforementioned current iPhone vendors in the United States are well known for their tiered data plans.

 

 

 

It looks like Adobe is finally bringing Flash to the Apple iPhone and other iOS devices but do not think Apple has had a change of heart now that Steve Jobs is gone. Adobe Flash Media Server 4.5 and Adobe Flash Access 3.0 products will bring Flash content to iOS devices but not through the traditional means Adobe has been used to.

 

In general, Adobe Flash on mobile works by using an app that uses the handsetprocessor to render the content. Jobs hascriticized this by saying its way too resource-intensive and can damage battery life and overall system performance. The latest Adobe products take care of that processing on the server side so iOS users can access this and Apple cannot really block it without going through extreme measures which would likely be more trouble than its worth.

The new Adobe Flash products are aimed at content producers and it will enable them to utilize their existing work flows to target iOS users as well as other mobile users without having to transition too much. This includes the ability to do live streaming, as well as include digital rights management.

 

 

Patent after Patent... Apple is trying to ban Samsung products to be sold all over the world, We Found that its not fair to control the market as you want to or stop someone from buying another Company product. Suing is not the solution - it makes the situation even more complicated.

We Decided to act and reveal the Truth with a "Photo" and a "Hash Tag" #SamApple.

 

Help us by tweeting the Photo below (Click to tweet)!

 

 

What do we know about Jelly Bean is Not much, actually. Other than the name itself, the only thing that is known is that some "game-changing" features that were supposed to land in Ice Cream Sandwich have been pushed to this update. Obviously we do not know what these features may be but apparently they were ambitious enough for Google to want to spend more time on them. Whatever these features may be, we can imagine they will be worth the wait.

 

 

Sprint will be the first in the US to have a variant of the Galaxy S II among all the carriers, with the official launch for the Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch being slated for September 16.

Sprint is now giving you a chance to get to be one of the first to get your hands on the device, that too for free. All you have to do is enter a contest and you stand to win a Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch. To enter the contest, you have to send a reply to Sprint Twitter handle (@Sprint), explaining why would you like to win a Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch with the following hashtag: #IWantAnEpic4GTouch.

 

 

Motorola has already started pushing Android 2.3 Gingerbread updates to the Droid 2 and Droid 2 Global users, but what about the DROID R2-D2? Will it too get the same treatment?

Apparently members of the Motorola Feedback Network community have started receiving emails about a "confidential project for Droid R2-D2 owners." We do not have this officially confirmed, but its kinda safe to bet they are talking about the latest version of Android OS for smartphones. In that sense, I am sure we will hear more from both Motorola and Verizon Wireless in the days to come.

 

 

HTC has sent out media invites for their upcoming event held in New York on September 20.

The invite does not elaborate regarding what it could be about and a 'Come celebrate in style with HTC' is all we get. But it is being said that the event could be regarding the launch of the women-centric HTC Bliss handset.

 

 

The event could also be about any of the other HTC phones that have been leaked recently, including the HTC Vigor, the HTC Ruby or the HTC Holiday. Whichever it is, we will find out on the 20th.

 

 

Apple scored a pretty big victory in their ongoing court battles with Samsung in Germany. The Dusseldorf court just confirmed the ban on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 shipments in Germany, as the slate was found guilty on infringing Apple patents.

If you need a memory refresh, the German story started with Apple winning an injunction against the sales of Galaxy Tab 10.1 across all of EU. Later the court lifted the ban outside Germany because it suddenly realized that it has no jurisdiction over the Korean-based company.

Samsung problems continued when the German court extended the ban to include the freshly announced Galaxy Tab 7.7. Just a day after it was announced at the IFA in Berlin, the 7-inch tablet disappeared from Samsung booth because the court ruling prohibits not only the sales, but also promotion of the infringing devices.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is already banned in Australia and Apple is already on its way to Japancourtrooms. Apple also managed to secure a preliminary injunction that bans Galaxy S II, Galaxy S and Galaxy S in Europe starting at October 13 for infringing a single Apple patent a gesture one.

 

 

Norton announced several new offerings under its "Norton Everywhere" initiative that aims to protect consumers and their families across multiple devices and platforms. The new products/services include:

• Norton Tablet Security
 Available in the next few weeks, it is designed specifically for Android tablets to protect the device, privacy and all other important data against loss, theft, viruses and other threats.

• Norton Anti-Theft Beta
Free to download, this web-based service allows users to quickly and easily lock, locate and possibly get back a PC, laptop or Android device, along with the information on it in the event it is ever lost or stolen. Among the cool features included in this product is the so called Sneak Peek, which allows you to remotely activate the Web cam to see who has your smartphone or tablet.

• Norton Online Family for Android and iOS users Now out of beta, this free mobile application allows Norton Online Family users to view their children online activities and manage each child House Rules from their iPhone, iPad and iPod touch or Android device.