A version of the Nook SimpleTouch is now equipped with front-lighting, Barnes & Noble announced Thursday. The new Nook SimpleTouch costs $40 more than the standard version with the light being the only difference; other features remain the same.
Built-in lighting has become the next logical step for e-ink readers. On April 6, TechCrunch found that Amazon had acquired patents for a front-lighting design in 2010. The company has offered Kindle cases with built in lighting for some time, but on this count Barnes & Noble has beaten Amazon to this feature.
The new Nook benefits from "Flex Lighting," a thin LED lighting film that sits like a skin on top of the e-ink display. The lighting relies on one or two LEDs, according to The E-Book Reader, and its brightness is adjustable. The standard battery life estimate for a Nook SimpleTouch is two months of one hour of reading per day. Barnes & Noble states the device will still last "over one month" if the reader is using the lighting.
Hilariously, Barnes & Noble is marketing the Nook SimpleTouch toward couples beleaguered by a specific situation—where one person wants to read later than the other ("End bedtime reading debate—when you want to read & your partner wants to sleep," reads the features list). We expect the Nook SimpleTouch will find a much wider audience, though the $139 price tag is a bit steep compared to the $99 regular Nook SimpleTouch. We'd point out that it's also only $60 less than the Kindle Fire; which reader you'd choose depends on your dedication to e-ink. The device is available for pre-orders today and will ship May 1.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2012/04/new-nook-simpletouch-adds-built-in-front-lighting.ars?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+arstechnica%2Findex+%28Ars+Technica+-+Featured+Content%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
You may recall Samsung's amazing concept video released last December for a mobile device consisting entirely of a flexible AMOLED display. The translucent device translated languages on the spot, projected images in 3D and performed other awesome tasks.
While a super-phone like that one may still be a ways off, flexible displays seems to be just right around the corner -- and Samsung has given theirs a name: "YOUM."
According to The Verge, the company filed an application to the US Patent and Trademark Office on March 16 for YOUM's stylized logo, shown below.
LOOK:In addition, Samsung's YOUM flexible display now has its own page on the Korean Samsung Mobile display website. The site features a diagram (below) demonstrating the differences that exist between Samsung's flexy display, an LCD display, and an OLED display.
Samsung Announces YOUM Flexible Display
The Huffington Post | By Courteney Palis Posted: 04/10/2012 11:31 am Updated: 04/10/2012 1:45 pm
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Samsung Youm
You may recall Samsung's amazing concept video released last December for a mobile device consisting entirely of a flexible AMOLED display. The translucent device translated languages on the spot, projected images in 3D and performed other awesome tasks.
While a super-phone like that one may still be a ways off, flexible displays seems to be just right around the corner -- and Samsung has given theirs a name: "YOUM."
According to The Verge, the company filed an application to the US Patent and Trademark Office on March 16 for YOUM's stylized logo, shown below.
LOOK:
In addition, Samsung's YOUM flexible display now has its own page on the Korean Samsung Mobile display website. The site features a diagram (below) demonstrating the differences that exist between Samsung's flexy display, an LCD display, and an OLED display.
Slashgear explains that what could make Samsung's YOUM display thinner, lighter and unbreakable, as the company claims, are its "film-based encapsulation and TFT layers," which replace the usual glass layers featured in LCD and OLED displays and "make them more resilient to damage along with allowing more flexibility in device design."
Samsung first showed off a prototype of the display at CES 2011, which, according to CNET, was 4.5 inches wide, less than .33 mm thick and had a screen resolution of 800 x 480 pixels.
And, just a few days after Nokia released a prototype of its bendable Kinetic Device last October, Samsung Investor Relations VP Robert Yi said the following in a quarterly earnings call: "The flexible display we are looking to introduce sometime in 2012, hopefully the earlier part. The application probably will start from the handset side."
So far it seems Samsung's plans are pretty much on track. Hopefully, we'll be meeting its YOUM displays in person by the end of this year. What do you think of these flexible displays? Would you buy a bendable device? Let us know in the comments!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/10/samsung-youm-flexible-display_n_1414484.html
Toshiba has introduced its new line of quad-core Android tablets, including a giant 13-inch model with a high-resolution display and quad-core processor. The company is also phasing out its 7- and 10-inch Thrive tablets, which will be replaced with the new Excite line of tablets running Android 4.0.
The 13.3-inch Toshiba Excite sports a high-res display, which at 1,600 by 900 pixels is sharper than typical Android tablets, but still below the third-generation iPad’s display of 2,048 by 1,536 pixels. The only comparable resolution in Android land would be the Asus Transformer TF700T, which sports a resolution of 1,900 by 1,200 pixels.
Make no mistake though, the 13-inch model is big: it weighs 2.2 pounds, it’s 0.4 inches thick and is practically the size of a serving tray. But with the size, you get a range of ports, including a full-size SD card slot, a microUSB port and a microHDMI port. Toshiba also claims the battery can last up to 13 hours, and there’s an included (separate) tablet stand for when the tablet gets too heavy for users.
The giant Toshiba tablet also packs some powerful specs inside: it runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on a Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM, and sports dual cameras, 1.3-megapixel on the front and a 5-megapixel on the back. There’s no 3G/4G connectivity on board though, and the Excite 13 is set to arrive on June 10 for $650 for the 32GB model and $750 for the 64GB model -- around $50 more than the equivalent iPad models.
With a 13.3-inch tablet, almost double the size of the popular Amazon Kindle Fire, Toshiba hopes to appeal to those who use their tablet mostly at home. With the large screen and loud SRS Surround speakers, it’s easier on the eye to watch videos (as long as you use the aforementioned stand), and it could be better for video calls as well.
But if you’re looking for some more regular-sized tablets from Toshiba, the company also introduced 7.7- and 10-inch Excite tablets, also running on quad-core processors and Android 4.0. The Excite 10 is set to go on sale in May for $450 for 16GB, $530 for 32GB or $650 for the 64GB model. The Excite 7.7 will arrive in June with the Excite 13, at $500 for 16GB and $580 for 32GB.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/253508/toshiba_unveils_133inch_android_tablet.html
Wireless carriers and the Federal Communications Commission are working together on a plan to make stolen cell phones worthless.
Together with law enforcement, they plan to create a database of phones reported as stolen. Wireless carriers would then disable voice and data services for these stolen phones, making them a lot less attractive on the black market.
When a phone is stolen today, users can cancel their service through their wireless carrier, but that doesn't stop thieves from reactivating the device under a separate service plan. Verizon and Sprint already block stolen phones from being reactivated, but GSM-based carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile, whose phones use swappable SIM cards, do not.
The database will consist of Unique Device Identifiers, or UDIDs, so if carriers are blocking a specific UDID, inserting a new SIM card won't work. GSM carriers will roll out their own database by Oct. 31, and a common database for all LTE smartphones will be in place by Nov. 30, 2013. Although thieves can modify a UDID, some lawmakers are working on legislation to outlaw the practice.
For users whose smartphones are stolen, a bigger concern may be what happens to the information on the device. As part of carriers' agreement with the FCC, they'll encourage users to password-protect their devices, and will educate users on the remote wipe features of smartphones.
“Our goal is to make a stolen cellphone as worthless as an empty wallet,” Senator Charles Schumer of New York said, according to the New York Times.
The plan isn't perfect, however. As the Wall Street Journal notes, stolen phones are often shipped overseas. Some countries have their own databases, and the FCC is calling for interoperability, but there's no guarantee that the FCC's plan will be enforceable everywhere. Besides, criminals who sell stolen phones on the black market may not have qualms about modifying UDIDs, even if it's against the law.
There are also other issues to consider, such as what happens if the phone's owner recovers the device after reporting it as stolen. Officials haven't said how long they'll need to clear the database of a recovered phone's UDID, or what safeguards they'll put in place to prevent false claims -- say, by an angry ex-spouse. It's also unclear how much information will be collected in the database beyond UDIDs.
That's not to say the effort isn't worthwhile, but hopefully the FCC and wireless carriers will have more to say on specifics before the database program begins this fall.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/253509/fcc_plans_stolen_phone_database_to_discourage_theft.html
Want to unlock your off-contract AT&T iPhone to use with competing GSM carriers such as T-Mobile? As reported last week, now you can, the only hitch is it may take up to a week for AT&T to process the request even though AT&T claims it only takes minutes.
Here are the hassles I'm dealing with trying to unlock my old AT&T iPhone 3GS. And judging from other iPhone owners seeking to unlock their AT&T iPhones I'm far from alone.
Getting Started
The minute I heard AT&T officially allowed me to unlock my iPhone I wanted to go for it. Better yet, AT&T said it would walk iPhone users through the process, making the entire procedure easy. With AT&T itself unlocking my iPhone this allows me to avoid trying alternative back alley unlock hacks that could open the device to malicious attacks. Better yet, since AT&T sanctions the unlock it does not invalidate my iPhone’s warranty.
To get started, you have three choices to perform the unlock process: you can call customer care, use AT&T’s online support system, or walk into a retail AT&T store.
After AT&T receives your unlock request it confirms the phone is off contract and that your account with AT&T is in good standing. Next, AT&T forwards your unlock request to Apple which activates the unlock command through a restore feature in iTunes. Now, in theory, just plug your iPhone into iTunes and Apple sends an unlock command to the phone, and you're done.
According to an AT&T representative, the unlock should take about two to three minutes to process.
Problems Begin
I first tried a local AT&T store near Philadelphia this past weekend to unlock my phone, but was quickly discouraged when a representative told me he had no clue what I was talking about. Next I turned to the Internet.
I visited AT&T online and waited 45 minutes to talk to an online support representative to ask for the unlock. Once connected to a representative, named Coleen, I was told I needed my phone's IMEI number, a numerical code that identifies your device (you can find yours by tapping Settings > General > About, then scroll down to the bottom).
Coleen then said I would receive directions shortly on how to unlock my iPhone via e-mail. She then told me that she needed to file a "case" and asked for my e-mail. It's unclear what a "case" is. I assumed it was a record of my request. Coleen assured me the entire process would only require a few more steps and I'd soon have an unlocked iPhone.
After disconnecting with Coleen I was shocked to receive an e-mail from AT&T stating it was going to take eight days (not "minutes") to process my request. In the e-mail AT&T stated: “Resolution date is 04/17/2012 in the morning. You will receive an email with the unlock instructions.” That is a full eight days from the time I put in the request last Monday.
Some Wait Days, Others Minutes
A search around the Web indicates I am not the only one. Oddly, however, other AT&T customers are reporting their iPhones are being unlocked almost immediately. Whatever the holdup is, it is not affecting everyone.
Comments in AppleInsider’s forum show others facing similar long wait times. Commenter "itsole" wad told “5-7 business days,” while over on TheNextWeb commenter Joost Schurr was told “3-5 days” after attempting to unlock through AT&T on Sunday.
When I asked AT&T press representatives what was causing the discrepancies in unlock times on Monday I was told no comment.
It's not the end of the world that I have to wait eight days. But it begs the question; is AT&T being flooded with requests and needs to slow the pace of unlocks? Either way, if you are interested in unlocking your AT&T iPhone it will be good to keep your expectations in check. You may want to plan on it taking days, not minutes.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/253517/atandt_starts_unlocking_iphones_customers_gripe_over_long_delays.html
Sony Mobile has posted a video online showing the new floating touch screen technology on the SM Sola smartphone. The new technology allows you to hover over the screen to move a virtual mouse pointer around and when links (as an example) highlight, you can then tap the screen to click on it.
The new technology allows you to interact with your smartphone up to 20mm away from the screen.
Feature of the Sony Mobile Xperia Sola include a 3.7 inch reality display which runs with the BRAVIA engine that Sony is famous for. It does run Android 2.3 gingerbread and it will come with that OS installed although Sony has promised an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich although it will technically be close to an Android Jelly Bean launch which will make it about 18 months behind at launch with 2.3 originally being released in December 2010.
The technology is still impressive. Take a look below to see a demonstration of what can be done with Floating Touch technology:
http://www.gadgetvenue.com/floating-touch-screen-technology-from-sony-mobile-demonstrated-03152447/
Tough economy? Apple wouldn’t know it. Around half of all U.S. households own at least one Apple product, whether it’s an iPad, iPod or Mac, according to a CNBC survey. It’s estimated that some 55 million homes have at least one Apple gadget, and one in 10 of the non-Apple households plans to purchase a fruit-branded product in the next year.
The results on Apple’s penetration in U.S. homes are hardly surprising. The company’s stock recently rose above $600 per share to reach record highs, as over the past decade the company’s profits went from $65 million to $33 billion. At the same time, Apple has sold tens of millions of iPods, iPhones and iPads, dominating almost every market it has entered (besides PCs, of course).
The survey shows the main buyers of Apple gear tend to be male, college-educated, younger and richer: 77 percent of those earning more than $75,000 a year own at least one Apple product, compared with 28 percent of those making less than $30,000 per year. Age is not a barrier though: 63 percent of respondents between 18 and 34 as well as those between 35 to 49 called themselves Apple users, but the percentage goes down to 50 when you look at those aged 50 to 64.
The biggest legion of Apple fans reside in the West, where 57 percent of homes own around two Apple products, compared with 47 percent on average in the rest of the country. People own the least Apple devices in the South, the survey found. Also, regardless of political inclinations, around 56 percent of both Republicans and Democrats own at least one device with the fruit logo on it.
The survey however, does not say which devices the households own, as Macs, iPads, iPods and iPhones are lumped together. The number of people polled in the survey is also relatively low -- 836 Americans, and the survey lacks context such as comparison figures with ownership of PCs or Android devices. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points
source:http://www.pcworld.com/article/252833/apple_devices_reside_in_half_of_all_us_households.html
For those who think there's no market for phone-tablet hybrids like the Galaxy Note, Samsung would like to offer 5 million counter-arguments.
[Updated at 2:20 p.m. 3/28 to reflect 5 million sales of Galaxy Note handsets.]
That's how many Samsung Galaxy Note handsets have sold over the last five months, the company announced. Earlier this month, Samsung said it had moved 2 million Galaxy Notes, but since then it has shipped another 3 million units.
The phone must be selling well if Samsung sent out millions more units this month. In the United States, AT&T currently sells the Galaxy Note for $300 with a contract.
Why Popular?
The Galaxy Note's standout feature is its 5.3-inch AMOLED display, which makes other large phones look puny in comparison. Having tested the Note, I think its display is a glory to behold, but its size has drawbacks: It's nearly impossible to operate with one hand because your thumb can't stretch the full span of the screen, and it looks a bit silly when making phone calls.
But for a niche of users who want a tablet-like device that makes phone calls and fits in a pants pocket---yes, it does fit if you're not wearing tight clothes--the Galaxy Note makes sense. For those users, the Note's sales milestone is good news, increasing the odds that Samsung and other companies will keep experimenting with phone-tablet hybrids in the future.
As for garish Super Bowl ads, I have a feeling this year's will be the last.
Follow Jared on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for even more tech news and commentary.
See more like this: samsung, android
source:http://www.pcworld.com/article/252764/samsung_sells_5_million_galaxy_note_devices.html
IDG News Service - LightSquared suffered another blow to its hoped-for wholesale 4G mobile business on Wednesday as budget carrier Cricket announced it will use Clearwire to flesh out a planned LTE service.
Cricket was LightSquared's first well-known carrier partner when it signed up with the carrier last March, and it becomes the second would-be customer to turn to Clearwire since the U.S. Federal Communications Commission acted to block LightSquared's hybrid network plan last month. Concerns over interference with GPS shot down the proposal.
Cricket, the operating company of Leap Wireless, plans to deploy its own LTE network across about two-thirds of its coverage footprint over the next two or three years, starting with LTE coverage for about 25 million U.S. residents by the end of this year, it said in a press release. But under the five-year agreement announced on Wednesday, it will use Clearwire's LTE network for capacity offload from its own network.
Cricket has not cancelled its canceled its partnership with LightSquared, Cricket spokeswoman Amy Wakeham said. That deal has not cost Cricket anything yet, and Cricket has always envisioned having multiple LTE offload partners, she said. However, with Clearwire set to deploy LTE and offer it wholesale, carriers have gained another wholesale option even as the future looks increasingly bleak for LightSquared.
LightSquared hopes to launch a high-speed mobile data service over a terrestrial LTE network, which would complement a slower but more widely available satellite offering. Its plan is to sell other carriers capacity on either or both networks. The company has announced more than 30 wholesale customers, but some are now turning to Clearwire, which now also plans to build an LTE network and sell capacity on it.
In moving to Clearwire, Cricket joins FreedomPop, a startup that plans to offer free mobile broadband to some subscribers, which likewise had signed up as a LightSquared wholesale partner but announced a deal with Clearwire last month. Worse news could come as early as Thursday: Sprint Nextel, LightSquared's main wholesale partner, has given the company until mid-March to win FCC approval for its network. Under the companies' 15-year deal, LightSquared would pay Sprint US$9 billion in cash and Sprint would host the startup's spectrum on its Network Vision infrastructure.
Meanwhile, LightSquared appears to be gearing up for a major legal battle to gain permission to build its network. On Wednesday, the company confirmed it has brought prominent Washington lawyers Theodore Olson and Eugene Scalia, both of the firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, onto its legal team. Olson represented George W. Bush in the Bush vs. Gore case following the 2000 presidential election and later became solicitor general under Bush. Scalia has argued several important cases involving federal administrative rulemaking, according to Gibson Dunn's website.
source:http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9225199/Cricket_leaps_to_Clearwire_for_LTE_offload
The new iPad runs a little warmer than previous generation models. This has caused some concern for users who are saying that their own iPads are getting far too hot. Apple was contacted about this and has responded with the following:
“The new iPad delivers a stunning Retina display, A5X chip, support for 4G LTE plus 10 hours of battery life, all while operating well within our thermal specifications. If customers have any concerns they should contact AppleCare.”
I personally have seen a difference between the temperatures of the older and new iPad models although it certainly doesn't get "hot"... it just warms up a little and seems to happen after using it for a couple of hours.
Tweakers.net has used a thermal camera to see exactly what the temperature difference was on their test unit. Under average use it runs 4.3 degrees C warmer.
source:http://www.gadgetvenue.com/apple-responds-to-question-about-the-ipad-running-warm-03201443/
The Justice Department has thrown a wet blanket on Apple’s iPad announcement week, warning Apple and the five biggest publishers that it will sue them for e-book pricing collusion. The threat has been on the horizon for months, but today’s news was the first formal statement from the government.
What Apple Did
Apple’s e-book controversy began in late 2009, when it finalized plans for the upcoming iBookstore. Here's how it unfolded:
Apple made a deal with Simon & Schuster, Hachette Book Group, Penguin Group, Macmillan, and HarperCollins to use the “agency model." This means that publishers set the price at which retailers must sell the book.
Amazon and other bookstores traditionally use the “wholesale model.” This means the retailer sets the final price, giving it flexibility to offer sales and provide deep discounts. It also means publishers’ profits are ultimately affected by retailer decisions. Amazon famously kept its e-books priced at $9.99 for years.
In 2010, Apple used the controversial agency model to attract the big five publishers to its then-new iBooks platform. Amazon retaliated by threatening the publishers and, momentarily, making publisher Macmillian’s books unavailable on the number one online retailer.
Bending to pressure from publishers, Amazon allowed more flexibility in e-book pricing. E-book titles are selling near the initial $9.99 price point Amazon established.
The DOJ's Charges
The Justice Department claims that Apple's agency model approach is essentially collusion, according to a Reuters report. Here's the DOJ's evidence:
The agency model leaves retailers unable to discount books, inflating the price.
As a dominant platform, Apple has enough influence to drive up book prices across the board.
Having established the agency model through Apple, publishers could (and did) force Amazon to change its pricing method
The result is that consumers lose, since they're left with higher prices and lukewarm competition. A parallel class action lawsuit is also occurring through the Seattle law firm Hagens, Berman, Sobol, Shapiro. Announced in late 2011, the lawsuit argued the same points and may have put the issue on the Justice Department’s radar.
See more like this: apple ipad, apple, e-books, amazon
source:http://www.pcworld.com/article/251529/apples_alleged_ebook_price_fixing_what_you_need_to_know.html
The artificial-intelligence assistant from Apple's iPhone 4S now speaks six languages, with the addition of Japanese in the refreshed iOS.
By Philip Michaels, Macworld Mar 7, 2012 6:53 pm
Japanese-speaking iPhone 4S owners will now get a chance to chat with Siri. Apple on Wednesday rolled out iOS 5.1, which adds Japanese language support for the iPhone 4S’s artificial-intelligence assistant.
Announcing the iOS update during a press event, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the 5.1 update would be available Wednesday, with Siri support rolling out in Japan over the next few weeks
With the addition of Japanese, Siri now supports six languages. Previously, the voice-activated feature recognized English, British English, Australian English, French, and German.
Support for Japanese wasn’t exactly unexpected. Last month, Siri included Japanese among its supported languages when asked by iPhone 4S users, according to reports.
During Wednesday's press briefing, Cook didn't indicate any other features added in iOS 5.1.
We'll update this story as we find out more details.
Samsung is mass producing flexible OLED displays for products still on track for release in 2012, the company has confirmed, though the exact extent to which they actually bend will depend on more than just the panels themselves. Samsung Mobile Display’s assistant president confirmed the sales plans this week, Asia Economy Park News reports, insisting that “flexible displays will be commercialized within a year.” The initial implementations are expected to include smartphones and tablets.
According to the SMD exec, exactly how flexible the displays end up being will be a matter of the substrate selected, among other things. Although the dream of bendable screens has been a pull-out panel that can offer both a large viewing area and a small gadget size, there are also potential implementations in devices that have wraparound panels or touchscreens that contort to suit the shape of a device.
In fact, Samsung has already experimented with curved screens, with its so-called Contour Display technology as seen on the Galaxy Nexus. That has a slight bend to the lower portion of the screen, intending it to be more easily used with a single hand.
However, what we’d really like to see is something like Nokia’s GEM concept, a phone clad entirely in touch-sensitive display panels, or indeed a production version of Samsung’s own folding MID concept from earlier last year. The company has been pushing the envelope with AMOLED screen sizes in recent months, such as the huge Galaxy Note, and is expected to use another large panel for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S III.
source:http://www.slashgear.com/samsung-flexible-oled-gadgets-incoming-this-year-29216189/
It appears that the HTC One X will be released in the UK on April 5th. The One X follows on in the new series of One devices from HTC and at launch, it will be the companies most powerful smartphone available. It runs a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 chip inside.
As for launch details, Amazon has it listed at £529.99 which is a little higher than the £500 we have seen in other places. But, what we could be looking at here is speculation on prices which will likely be adjusted to match closer to release date.
Along with the One X, HTC will also be launching the One V and One S in the UK. We assume that the launch dates of each device will all match with each other. Remember that we are looking at unlocked and SIM free smartphones here. Carriers will also be offering these new smartphones at a reduced price if you are willing to sign a contract of 12 - 24 months. As of yet, we don't have any of those details though.
source:http://www.gadgetvenue.com/htc-one-x-release-date-for-uk-revealed-02282626/
Nokia has now launched the Nokia 808 PureView for pre-order in the UK. The new 41 megapixel smartphone has been given a possible release date of April 23 although this isn't set in stone just yet.
Price wise, the new device will be sold at around £465 when it launches which is of course, the SIM free price. When networks get hold of it, expect the price to be drastically lowered if you sign up for a 24 month contract.
The device is impressive to say the least. When we say impressive, we are talking about the camera here as it does have a big downside... it runs the Symbian operating system. Either way, nobody can ignore a smartphone that more than triples the megapixels of a previous generation model.
Technical specs show it has a 4 inch screen along with a single-core 1.3GHz processor. It has 512MB of RAM and 16GB of storage. Thankfully a microSD card slot is also included allowing another 32GB of capacity to be added.
Back to the camera... as it's 41 megapixel it allows extremely large and detailed pictures to be captured. One of the main features is that it allows for 4x lossless digital zoom. The reason for this is that there's so many megapixels on the sensor that it can easily zone in on a section of the picture at a lower megapixel equivalent and still produce a sharp image as there is no need to algorithmically change around and make up pixels to fill in the gaps.
This is one smartphone I am looking forwards to testing!
source:http://www.gadgetvenue.com/nokia-808-pureview-41-megapixel-camera-price-and-release-date-revealed-for-uk-02284248/
Big smartphone vendors such as High Tech Computer (HTC) and LG Electronics are trying to get their mojo back after some challenging times, and they hope to do so by putting quad-core processors and big, high-definition screens in the products on show at Mobile World Congress.
Here are five of the major hardware trends at this year's show:
Quad-core processors
If you want to be a contender in the high-end Android smartphone game in 2012 it seems a quad-core processor has become a must. Last week LG launched the Optimus 4X HD, which is on display in Barcelona. On Sunday it was HTC's turn, with the One X, and on Monday ZTE revealed its Era: all three devices use the Nvidia Tegra 3 processor.
Huawei Technologies has developed its own quad-core processor, the K3V2, for use in its Ascend D Quad and Ascend D Quad XL phones, which the company hopes will help it compete at the high end of the market.
While the use of quad-core processors will result in better performance on computing-intensive tasks such as full-motion video games, the power is not always needed, so there are also low-power modes to increase battery life. For example, the Tegra 3 has an extra processor that is used for simpler tasks such as calls, emails and music playback to increase battery life, LG said.
Big, high-definition screens
Alongside a powerful processor, a big screen also seems a must-have, to judge by the high-end devices that were announced at Mobile World Congress. The LG Optimus 4X HD and the HTC One X both have 4.7-inch screens with a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels.
Huawei decided to go with a slightly smaller screen for the Ascend D Quad and Ascend D Quad XL, which both have a 4.5-inch screen, but the resolution is still 1280 by 720 pixels.
The additional width of the One X's screen is not enough, though, to explain why the phone is 70 millimeters wide compared to the Ascend D Quad's 64 millimeters wide.
Besides the traditional smartphones, a growing number vendors are also testing the waters to see if there is consumer interest for products that have still larger screens. At Mobile World Congress, LG is showing the Optimus Vu, which has a 5-inch screen in the 4:3 format.
NFC
For mobile payments using NFC (Near-Field Communications) to become a hit, consumers must be able to choose between a large number of compatible phones, and they are slowly starting to become available. At Mobile World Congress, Acer, Huawei, LG, Nokia, Orange, Samsung and ZTE all announced smartphones that can come with NFC.
The availability of more phones will help drive NFC applications, first non-payment and simple apps including marketing, advertising, coupons, then payment, according to Sandy Shen, research director at Gartner. The biggest hurdle to NFC payments is to change user behavior, which takes much longer than deploying the infrastructure or devices, she said.
LTE
Just like NFC, smartphones with LTE are becoming much more common. New products include two phones from ZTE, the N910 and the PF200, and two from LG, the Optimus Vu and the Optimus LTE Tag. LG's goal is to have the widest variety of LTE smartphones in the industry in 2012, it said.
However, LTE is not even an option on some smartphones, because of the processor they use. For example, smartphones based on Nvidia's Tegra3 quad-core processor will at first not get LTE. As a result of this, the U.S. version of the HTC One X will have a dual-core processor. But Nvidia has announced partnerships with modem chip makers GCT Semiconductor and Renesas Mobile to change that.
While LTE has become a must-have in the U.S., Europe is still lagging behind, and vendors are less interested in launching phones in the few markets where commercial service is available. But as more countries get on board, interest will grow. LG said it will launch smartphones with LTE in Europe during 2012.
Cheap smartphones
While the expensive smartphones get most of the attention, there is also a big battle over buyers that can't afford or don't want a quad-core processor and a 4.7-inch screen.
At Mobile World Congress, Nokia announced the Windows Phone-based Lumia 610, which will cost €189 (US$254) and be available in the second quarter. Nokia will have to compete with the ZTE Orbit, which will also be a cheap alternative for users that want a Windows Phone.
Intel is also interested in getting a piece of the action, and announced the 1GHz Z2000 processor. The first smartphones based on the processor will start shipping in the beginning of 2013, and should cost less than US$150 without subsidies, according to Intel's CEO Paul Otellini.
source:http://www.pcworld.com/article/250870/five_smartphone_trends_at_mobile_world_congress.html
BARCELONA -- After introducing what it called the world's slimmest phone at the 2012 CES in January, just one month later at Mobile World Congress here Huawei announced the Ascend D quad and quad XL phones, which the company bills as the “world's fastest.” Whether these units are indeed the absolute fastest is a claim we can't vet just yet, but after getting some hands-on time, we'll confirm at least that this model feels snappy in use.
Like the Huawei P1 S introduced at CES, the Ascend D quad XL has a smooth, slightly rubberized back, and a slight bump for a grip toward the bottom back of the phone. I found the phone comfortable to hold in my small hand. It measures 8.9mm by 64mm by 129mm for the quad (the quad XL is a tad thicker, at 10.9mm); those measurements beat the 6.9mm P1 S by a shade. Not bad, given that the Ascend phones have a slightly larger display (4.5 inches to the 4.3-inch P1 S).
The display looked bright when I used it, with vivid colors -- none of which was surprising given the IPS+ screen and a graphics processor that supports 32-bit color. Text looked smoothly rendered and lacked pixelation, with a better than usual 330 pixels per inch.
The D quad and D quad XL both have a 1280-by-720-pixel touchscreen. Inside, both use Huawei's K3V2 quad-core 1.2-GHz and 1.5-GHz processors, have 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of ROM memory. Like the Ascend P1, the official spec sheet makes no mention of a micoSD card, an unfortunate omission. Also unfortunate: The location of the micro-USB adapter, which was awkwardly situated at the at the upper left corner of the phone. However, performance indeed felt zippy as I moved among screens; and the handset kept up with my fast touch-typing thumbs.
The integrated Dolby Mobile 3.0 Plus produced pulsating audio. The front-facing camera is 1.3 megapixels, while the rear camera is 8 megapixels and capable of 720p video. The XL has the larger battery of the two quad-core models, 2500mAh to the D quad's 1800mAh.
The device has two other noteworthy inclusions. For one, Huawei integrates Audience's earSmart dual-microphone noise reduction technology. EarSmart separates out sounds, to identify which sounds belong to which talker, for example, to help improve the clarity of sound. For another, Huawei's micro-USB port doubles as an MHL-HDMI connector.
Both models are loaded with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The phones have Huawei's custom launcher, though, with icons for phone contacts, messaging, apps menu, and browser.
A third Ascend series phone, the dual-core TI OMAP4460 D1, was also announced today as well.
These models support five UMTS bands and four GSM bands, but no LTE yet. That, Huawei says, will come later this year, in the third quarter or beyond. The phones will first come out in China, then in Europe and North America.
source:http://www.pcworld.com/article/250723/huawei_ascend_d_phone_hands_on.html
Following up the budget friendly Samsung Exhibit II 4G that went live in the US in October, Sammy and T-Mobile have teamed up again for another bash at the maturing LTE market - the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G.
The Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G, apart from a ridiculously long name, also has a 3.97-inch (so, 4-inch then) Super AMOLED display and is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 processor.
No Ice Cream fun yet, the Blaze runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread, but it packs all the Big G fun such as Google Maps, Calendar, Gmail and, of course, the Android Market. The Samsung Media Hub is also on board. T-Mobile's 4GPro App Pack will also be pre-loaded offering an aggregation of key business applications, such as DropBox, Evernote, Square, TripIt, Camscanner and LinkedIn.
It has a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera that can also shoot 720p and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat.
"The Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G is loaded with rich features and services to keep consumers entertained and connected virtually anywhere they want to go," said Andrew Sherrard, senior vice president, marketing, T-Mobile USA. "Paired with T-Mobile's fast 4G network and our unlimited data plans, we're making it easy for consumers to enjoy the benefits of 4G experiences at a price they can afford.
The Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G will cost $149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate card, with a two-year service agreement and qualifying voice and data plan. No word on a UK release, and don't hold your breath waiting for one.
source:http://uk.news.yahoo.com/samsung-galaxy-blaze-4g-hits-t-mobile-stateside-143742291.html;_ylt=AhedSpzfNXGDKdJdVtYvlUzxfMl_;_ylu=X3oDMTNwYnZwY2wwBG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBUZWNoU0YEcGtnAzQyM2RjN2RjLTQ0MTgtM2I4NC05ZGE3LTkzZmJhZjUxNTgxZQRwb3MDMgRzZWMDdG9wX3N0b3J5BHZlcgM0ZDYxYjQyMC01ZDZlLTExZTEtYjViNy0xY2U4NGY0NGU2NTk-;_ylg=X3oDMTFvcnJyOTJzBGludGwDZ2IEbGFuZwNlbi1nYgRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAN0ZWNoBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25zBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3
Researchers from security vendor Symantec have identified a new premium-rate SMS Android Trojan horse that modifies its code every time it gets downloaded in order to bypass antivirus detection.
This technique is known as server-side polymorphism and has already existed in the world of desktop malware for many years, but mobile malware creators have only now begun to adopt it.
A special mechanism that runs on the distribution server modifies certain parts of the Trojan in order to ensure that every malicious app that gets downloaded is unique. This is different from local polymorphism where the malware modifies its own code every time it gets executed.
Symantec has identified multiple variants of this Trojan horse, which it detects as Android.Opfake, and all of them are distributed from Russian websites. However, the malware contains instructions to automatically send SMS messages to premium-rate numbers from a large number of European and former Soviet Union countries.
In some cases, especially when security products rely heavily on static signatures, detecting malware threats that make use of server-side polymorphism can be difficult.
"As with malware that affects traditional computing devices, the level of sophistication of the polymorphism used can affect how easy or difficult the threat is to detect," said Vikram Thakur, the principal security response manager at Symantec. "More complicated polymorphism requires more intelligent countermeasures."
In the case of Android.Opfake the level of polymorphism is not very high, as only some of the Trojan's data files are being modified by the distribution server.
"If antivirus vendors place their detection on the executable and non-changing sections, all files would be successfully detected," said Tim Armstrong, malware researcher at Kaspersky Lab. However, if the Trojan's executable code were also polymorphic, the challenge of detecting it would be more difficult, he said.
According to Armstrong, server-side polymorphism is not very widespread on the Android platform at the moment because most users get their apps through official channels and the current structure of the Android Market does not allow for a malware distribution scheme like this one.
However, he agrees that polymorphic Android malware could force antivirus vendors to step up their game in the future. "I think many of the features that are currently available on traditional platforms will start to arrive on these mobile platforms out of necessity as the criminals change their attack methods," Armstrong said.
There have been many new developments on the mobile threat landscape recently and increasing their attention towards smartphones is a logical move for malware writers, because they usually go where the money is, said Jamz Yaneza, research manager at antivirus company Trend Micro.
Users should become more aware of this fact and the capabilities of their mobile devices, which are now similar to those of mobile PCs, Yaneza said. "They should treat app downloads with the same caution as they do on desktops," and install or make use of whatever security add-ons they can as this creates another protective layer.
source:http://www.techworld.com.au/article/414311/symantec_warns_android_trojans_mutate_every_download
Over the last 24 hours some details of the new Windows Phone 8 operating system have appeared online. The info comes from PocketNow and goes over a number of things such as the hardware as well as integrating with the Windows 8 operating system and how the whole eco system will connect together.
Starting with the hardware, PocketNow suggests that the new version (codenamed Apollo) will support multi-core processors as well as different screen resolutions. Up to 4 resolutions will be made available although it isn't clear how high those resolutions will be. The next iteration will also have microSD for storage (which will be accessible). NFC is being added so that the device can delve in to the world of contactless payments.
Moving on to Windows 8 integration, what will make this new Windows Phone a lot better is that the desktop and smartphone OS versions will each be able to use the same code in areas. For example, a function written for a desktop app could quite easily be pulled in to Windows 8 Phone. The kernel, networking stacks, security and multimedia functions are what overlap the most.
It appears that ActiveSync might make an appearance as the Zune sync software looks to be phasing out. If not ActiveSync it will work on the same principles in that it will be the way that devices connect together.
100,000 apps are expected to arrive in the app store by the launch of Windows Phone 8 later this year. Although it will likely launch this year, it will be the last quarter meaning Oct, Nov or December... hopefully in plenty of time for the holiday season.
PocketNow has several other details on the OS and what else stands out.
Starting with the hardware, PocketNow suggests that the new version (codenamed Apollo) will support multi-core processors as well as different screen resolutions. Up to 4 resolutions will be made available although it isn't clear how high those resolutions will be. The next iteration will also have microSD for storage (which will be accessible). NFC is being added so that the device can delve in to the world of contactless payments.
Moving on to Windows 8 integration, what will make this new Windows Phone a lot better is that the desktop and smartphone OS versions will each be able to use the same code in areas. For example, a function written for a desktop app could quite easily be pulled in to Windows 8 Phone. The kernel, networking stacks, security and multimedia functions are what overlap the most.
It appears that ActiveSync might make an appearance as the Zune sync software looks to be phasing out. If not ActiveSync it will work on the same principles in that it will be the way that devices connect together.
100,000 apps are expected to arrive in the app store by the launch of Windows Phone 8 later this year. Although it will likely launch this year, it will be the last quarter meaning Oct, Nov or December... hopefully in plenty of time for the holiday season.
PocketNow has several other details on the OS and what else stands out.
source:http://www.gadgetvenue.com/details-about-windows-phone-8-appear-02033354/