Saturday 9 June 2012

Xperia mini pro receives the Android 4.0 update

By on 10:03

The tiny Sony Xperia mini pro is being treated to Ice Cream Sandwich. Sony has now started rolling out the Android 4.0.4 update to this phone worldwide.

If you have Xperia mini pro, you should get a notification on the screen asking you to update it. At this point you will have to connect the phone to the Sony PC Companion or Bridge for Mac and install the update.

Motorola Droid RAZR HD for Verizon leaks out in blurry shots

By on 01:23

It looks like the Motorola "Dinara" which we told you about a few hours ago won't be the only star in Motorola's lineup this summer. The LTE flavored Motorola Droid RAZR HD for Verizon Wireless has emerged in a couple of shots. When it hits the shelves in the coming months, the Android smartphone is bound to be one of the best heeled devices on the US market.
 

Friday 8 June 2012

A quad-core LTE-enabled Galaxy S III with 2GB RAM to hit Korea

By on 09:20

After the Galaxy S III was announced, a lot of people were displeased that it fails to provide a RAM upgrade over the S II. You see 1GB of RAM is more than enough for just about every use case, but more is always better when talking memory.
Later Samsung announced the US Samsung Galaxy S III version, which does pack 2 gigs of RAM, but drops the quad-core CPU. Now though, we learn of a new S III edition, which combines the best of both world.
The model number of the new Samsung Galaxy S III units will be SHV-E210S, but sadly it's only going to be available in Korea. We suspect that this version is an insurance against the LG Optimus LTE2. LG was keen to brag about its new smartphone the day after the Galaxy S III announcement, focusing marketing attention on its 2GB of RAM. The Optimus LTE2 is also a Korea-only device.

Lamborghini to launch luxury phones and tablet in Russia

By on 09:09

Lamborghini has announced their new range of luxury phones and tablet for the Russian market.

The first of the bunch (above) is a simple feature phone called the TL688 Spyder that has a 2-inch QVGA display, 3 megapixel camera with video recording, front facing camera, 4GB internal memory and GPRS/EDGE connectivity. Being a luxury phone, however, it has a hand-made leather body and a leather back. It also has a rather unique shape that looks more like a TV remote than a regular phone.

Nokia sold 2.2 million Lumia smartphones in Q1, analysts say

By on 08:52

Nokia is stubbornly refusing to give us exact numbers on the Lumia lineup, but the analysts from IDC have stepped in to provide some guidance. According to their calculations, the Finns managed to move 2.2 million WP-powered smartphones in the first quarter of this year.
There are two ways to look at that number. The first is by realizing that 2.2 million units is an absurdly small number for a company that has WP as its single hope to get out of the hole it has put itself into. With Symbian doomed and MeeGo abandoned, the WP sales are the only ones that actually count for Nokia in the long run and 2.2 million is barely enough to put the company on the map, let alone suit its world's leading status.

Samsung outs a dual-touchscreen Android flip phone for China

By on 06:02

Samsung has announced yet another dual-touchscreen Android flip phone, this time exclusively for China's second largest carrier China Unicom.
Carrying the GT-B9120 moniker, the peculiar Android flip phone is practically the same as the previously announced dual-SIM Samsung W999. It features two 3.5-inch Super AMOLED touchscreens with a resolution of 480x800 pixels each. Inside, there's a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in storage.

IDC says WP will overtake iOS by 2016, Android to falter too

By on 05:56

The analysts at IDC have done yet another smartphone market forecast, trying to predict the development of the smartphone race over the next five years.
The numbers are substantially different from last time, which shows that the very idea of trying to make long-term predictions for such a dynamic market is not too great, but obviously they are not giving up. Here's IDC's table showing how they think the smartphone market will evolve by 2016.

Nokia 808 PureView is now on sale, unboxing pictures are inside

By on 05:49

It appears that the 808 PureView has finally started leaving Nokia's factories and making its way to retailers.
Even though Nokia hasn't mentioned a word about it, we've received several tips in the last few days that the monster cameraphone has appeared in various stores, mostly in Asia. We even got in touch with a seller from Singapore, who was able to confirm the availability of the smartphone and send us the following photo as proof.
Obviously this isn't an isolated case as the guys from Pureviewclub.com managed to obtain no less than three 808 PureView units and treated us all to a bunch of unboxing pictures.
   
Nokia 808 PureView unboxed

Thursday 7 June 2012

Nokia Lumia 900 for AT&T updated, bugs get fixed

By on 06:25


The new update concerns only users owning the Nokia Lumia 900 from AT&T in the States. The model has been available there since March of this year and reportedly, has been selling really well. The success has been attributed to the amazing hardware and build quality, the sleek software and nonetheless, the low price and yet, wide advertising campaign.
The newly released update is available through the Zune software. The changelog is not really detailed but this seems like a bug-fixing release.
The official source mentions this:

A supposed leaked back panel sheds more light on the iPhone 5

By on 06:23

We've already seen a similar back panel leak. Unfortunately that doesn't make these parts any more authentic. However, if we assume these are the real deal, this leak brings a few new facts to the table:
  • The 3.5mm audio jack will be moved to the bottom of the device.
  • The new panel is a unibody unit and includes both the back panel and the middle plate, which houses all the electronics components.
  • The SIM tray on the new iPhone will actually be smaller, so Apple might be moving to a new SIM standard.
  
iPhone 5 has the audio jack at the bottom and a more compact connectivity port

HTC announces ICS-based dual-SIM Desire V and Desire VC

By on 06:22

HTC has just announced its first dual-SIM phone – the Desire V alongside a dedicated dual-mode version for China called Desire VC.
The Desire V and Desire VC have identical specifications but for the network support – the Desire V supports tri-band GSM on its secondary slot and quad-band GSM/EDGE + dual-band HSPA on the primary SIM-1 slot. The Desire VC on the other hand is a CDMA/EVDO phone with a SIM card slot for tri-band GSM support.

AT&T HTC One X gets update to fix Wi-Fi connectivity bug

By on 06:20

The AT&T version of the HTC One X is now receiving a firmware update that brings the phone to version 1.85.502.3. The update weighs in at 64.55MB and is now rolling out over the air.


The main change here is fix to the Wi-Fi connectivity issue that some users were complaining about. Other changes include increase in Wi-Fi throughput, which means you will get improved speeds over Wi-Fi and AT&T address book fixes, where the contacts no longer get formatted when synced to AAB.

Sprint's upcoming LG LS730 leaks out

By on 06:13

It looks like the recently leaked LG LS970 "Eclipse" and LG LS860 "Cayenne" will have an entry level sibling on Sprint's network. The entry-level LG LS730 "Snapshot" has emerged in a curiously looking spy photo, which reveals the blurry front, and perfectly clear backside of the upcoming device.

HTC lowers Q2 expectations, poor US and EU sales to blame

By on 06:12

Obviously, HTC still hasn't got through its streak of bad market performance. After the company announced a 70% year on year drop in profits and a 35% year on year decline in revenues for Q1 2012 the forecast for Q2 brings more bad news.
This morning the company informed that it has decreased the revenue expectations by 13.3% with the new revenue target for Q2 2012 set at $3.03 billion.

Wednesday 6 June 2012

Xperia mini pro ICS update is now available, others to follow soon

By on 09:35

Sony has just released the Android 4.0 ICS update for the Xperia mini pro. It is available almost everywhere already, so if you own one of those – go ahead and check for an OTA update.


In case the update is still unavailable for your unit, this list should help you track the roll out.

7.9mm iPhone 5 to come with 4.1" screen, 1136 x 640 resolution

By on 09:33

A familiar rumor is back - the new confirmation coming from KGI analyst Mingchi Kuo, who is said to have sources close to Apple's supply chain.
The next incarnation of the Apple iPhone could turn up with a 4.08-inch display of 1136 x 640 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio and a brightness of 500 nits (matching the iPhone 4S). This, despite not technically being HD worthy, would result in a density of good 319 pixels per inch, preserving the Retina moniker, and moving away from the familiar 3:2 aspect.

AT&T Galaxy S III pre-orders start, shipping June 18

By on 09:21

As promised AT&T is already taking pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S III. It will cost you $200 with a 2-year contract, while the no commitment price is $550.
Both the Pebble Blue and the Marble White colors of the Galaxy S III are available on pre-order, which means that the AT&T-bound batch wasn't affected by the production hiccups.
The Galaxy S III on AT&T is LTE-enabled so it will be based on a Snapdragon S4 dual-core chipset and will pack 2GB RAM, instead of the quad-core Exynos ticking in the international version (which lacks LTE support).

Nokia introduces the Asha Touch range with three new handsets

By on 09:20

Nokia announced the first three members of the newly created Asha Touch family of handsets. The Nokia Asha 305, Asha 306, and Asha 311 bring the range of feature phones even closer to smartphone territory, while still maintaining seriously low price tags.

   
Nokia Asha 311

Windows Phone Marketplace reached 100,000 app submissions

By on 00:59

Windows Phone OS is now officially part of the major league, folks. The Marketplace for Microsoft's mobile OS has made it past the mark of 100,000 application submissions, thus joining the likes of Android and iOS as part of the elite club.
It took the platform the relatively short 20 months to reach the magic number - that's quicker than Android (24 months), but slower than iOS (16 months).

PS Suite to hit non-Sony devices, HTC calls first dibs

By on 00:52

At the E3 conference, Andrew House, president of SCEE, announced that PlayStation Suite has a new name - PlayStation Mobile. In addition, the platform will no longer be confined to Sony devices.

Microsoft to unveil Windows Phone Apollo on June 20

By on 00:49

Microsoft is sending invitations for an upcoming Windows Phone Summit event in San Francisco. The date is June 20 and the occasion – “a sneak peak of the future of Windows Phone”.
The next major release of Windows Phone (8.0, codenamed Apollo) should be the focal point of this year's Summit.

AT&T will open the SGS III pre-order books on June 6 as well

By on 00:17

There is hardly an element of surprise here, given the fact that most US carriers announced it a few hours ago. AT&T Wireless will also begin taking pre-orders of the Samsung Galaxy S III on June 6.

Tuesday 5 June 2012

Opera Software top shareholder: board not strong enough

By on 10:35

Norwegian mobile browser maker Opera Software's board is "not strong enough" and lacks ambition, a top shareholder said on Tuesday.

"The board lacks knowledge and that has to have consequences," Opera founder Jon von Tetzchner, who holds just above 10 percent of the company, told Reuters on the sidelines of the annual general meeting.

"I think this board shows lack of ambition," he said.

Shares of Opera Software soared last week on market talk Facebook Inc. was in discussion to acquire the firm for its advanced mobile phone software technology.

Apple faces delay in seeking U.S. ban of Samsung tablets

By on 10:30

Apple Inc is facing delays in renewing its request that a U.S. judge ban Samsung Electronics' Galaxy 10.1 tablets, a key battleground in the worldwide patent wars between the technology giants.A visitor looks around behind Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet displayed for customers at a registration desk at South Korean mobile carrier KT's headquarters in Seoul December 9, 2011. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Apple sued Samsung last year, accusing the South Korean electronics maker of "slavishly" copying the iPhone and iPad. Samsung denies the claims and countersued.
By on 10:24

Windows 7 operating system software are shown for sale at a Microsoft retail store in San Diego January 18, 2012. REUTERS/Mike Blake
Discovery of the Flame virus that mainly affected computers in the Middle East, has prompted Microsoft Corp to strengthen the security of a Windows program that helps customers secure their PCs and update software.

Mike Reavey, senior director of the Microsoft Security Response Center, said in a blog post that the world's biggest software maker plans to boost security measures on the Windows Update software that is included with the operating system that runs the majority of the world's PCs

Pre-order the US Samsung Galaxy S III on June 6, get it on June 21

By on 09:49

The Samsung Galaxy S III will hit the shelves in the US around June 21 but the carriers will start accepting pre-orders this Wednesday, June 6.
First to offer the Samsung flagship is Verizon, and pre-orders will open at 7 AM EDT tomorrow. The asking price with a two-year contract is $199.99 for the 16 GB version and $249.99 for the 32 GB one.

Samsung Galaxy S III to launch on five US carriers this June

By on 08:51

Samsung has announced that it will be launching the highly anticipated Galaxy S III smartphone in US on not two or three but five major carriers. The phones will go on sale beginning this June and will have a starting price of $199, although the exact launch date and price will be announced separately by the individual carriers later.

Corning launches ultra-slim and flexible Willow Glass

By on 08:38

Today Corning announced a new display surface called Willow Glass. It retains the rigidity of the Gorilla Glass while adding more flexibility, lightness and cost-effectiveness.
The new Willow Glass is extremely thin at just 100 microns, but it manages to remain as tough as its Gorilla Glass counterpart. Corning says the new type of display will be used for both LCDs and OLEDs on smartphones, tablets and verious other gadgets.

Monday 4 June 2012

iOS6 to offer Facebook integration and a revamped AppStore?

By on 00:35

Apple's WWDC is one of the industry's major events because in the past few years it has been the stage for some serious software announcements by the company. The event will probably offer a lot to developers too but from our user's point of view, we are dying to hear what Apple's been cooking this past year in terms of mobile software. A iOS 6 announcement is expected and the rumor mill is hard at work to catch some of the tasty morsels that we'll be offered come June 11.
A serious rumor making the rounds recently includes the unveiling of a new Apple HDTV - a smart, connected TV running iOS much like the similarly named Apple TV. But that aside, the mobile iOS will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the event in San Francisco.

Sunday 3 June 2012

Samsung Galaxy S II sales reach 28M, Galaxy Note scores 7M

By on 00:21

The Galaxy series has been a huge hit for Samsung - the Koreans recently announced that the line of Android smartphones has surpassed 50 million sales globally. What's even more impressive, the bulk of that is from the flagship devices.
The first one, the Samsung Galaxy S scored over 24 million sales in two years. Its successor, the Galaxy S II sold much faster - it reached 28 million sales in just 13 months, which made it the fastest selling device for Samsung. That's 8 million more unit sales since late February this year.

Samsung releases source code for the Galaxy S III

By on 00:10

When it comes to pleasing the Android developer community, Samsung has been ahead of the pack for a while now by giving out sample units to developers and making their phones generally easy to mess around with. They are also known for releasing the source code of their phones in a timely fashion and keeping with that tradition they have released the source code for the recently launched Galaxy S III.

Android 4.0 expands to 7.1 percent of total Android user base

By on 00:06

Google has updated the Android distribution figures on its developer website, which brings with it some good news. The Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich user base has grown to 7.1 percent, up from the 2.9 percent back on April and the 1 percent in January.