Nook HD and Nook HD+ impressions: The Kindle Fire killer

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We go hands on with the new 7-inch Nook HD and 9-inch Nook HD+. Our full impressions.

Today Barnes & Noble has unveiled the Nook Tablet HD (7-inch) and Nook Tablet HD+ (9-inch), two completely new tablets. If there’s one thing I learned from B&N representatives when I spent some time with the new Nooks yesterday, it’s that the Amazon Kindle Fire HDs are inferior to the new Nooks in every way. While companies are typically shy of their competition, Barnes & Noble is not quiet about its competitors. According to the traditional book retailer turned digital seller, its new Nook tablets are faster, lighter, more feature rich, and easier to hold than any Kindle Fire. But is it true or is it a clever marketing gimmick? Judging from my first experiences with the new Nook HD and HD+, B&N may have good reason to go on the offense.

Lighter, faster, and easier to hold

The first device I held was the Nook HD, a new 7-inch tablet. From the moment I picked it up, I was impressed by how comfortable and easy to grip it was. Instead of going with an entirely flat glass front screen like almost every tablet these days, Barnes & Noble has surrounded its screen with a pleasantly grippy plastic, which is supposed to make it easier to hold and cut down on unwanted fingerprints. The grippy plastic curves right around to the back of the tablet, which now resembles the Nook E Ink e-readers more than the old Nook Color. The new tablet is not only easier to grip, it’s much nicer on your arms, weighing only 11.1 ounces (315 grams), much lighter than the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD. The Nook HD also beats its competitors in pixel count with an impressive 1440 x 900 pixel screen, exceeding the 1280×800 pixel norm.

The Nook HD+ is a larger tablet, but also feels very lightweight and more comfortable to hold than a typical tablet, an important point for Barnes & Noble, which still says these devices are made for reading, when push comes to shove. The HD+ takes on the iPad and Kindle Fire HD 8.9 with a unique 9-inch screen with an impressive 1920×1280 pixel resolution. Placed vertically atop an iPad, it seems to be about the same thickness (maybe a hair more) and height, but because it employs a 3:2 aspect ratio, it’s much narrower. This aspect ratio, again, makes it resemble and feel more like a book. In fact, B&N believes the HD+ is also well suited for magazine viewing, video, and comic books. So well suited that Barnes & Noble has opened up a new video store and expanded its magazine offerings to be more interactive and robust. You can now create scrapbooks out of your downloaded magazines. A new HDMI peripheral even lets you stream 1080p movies to your HDTV.

Neither tablet will blow your britches away in the spec department, but they hold their own against Amazon’s offerings (maybe not the Nexus 7, however). Both Nook HDs have microSD slots, 8-32GB of internal flash memory storage, and dual-core OMAP 4470 processors (1.3/1.5GHz) with 1GB of RAM, which B&N points out is faster than the Kindle Fire HD’s OMAP 4460 processors. Both devices also run on a heavily modified version of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), which I’m told has helped B&N’s ability to court developers and improved the quality of apps available. Its store now carriers more than 10,000 apps.

Did I mention the battery life? Amazon estimates that the HD will get 10.5 hours of reading and the HD+ will manage 10 hours. Not bad, especially considering that the batteries have not grown in size since the Nook Tablet. Somehow B&N has been able to improve all of its specs, even the screen and improve battery life without increasing the size of its batteries.

Multiple logins for the family

One of the coolest new ideas B&N showed off is the idea of having profile accounts for everyone who uses a tablet anyone, with a family twist. No Android tablet has gotten multiple logins right, but Barnes & Noble seems to have figured it out. Families can create profiles for everyone complete with separate email, apps, and content. If you’re a parent, you can even restrict your kids to certain books or features and secure your login with a passcode. Finally, no one will have to know how many times you read Fifty Shades of Gray on your HD Nook.

Nook Channels

Another of my favorite new features is Nook Channels. Barnes & Noble has been selling books for many decades and this feature takes advantage of that expertise. Instead of simply recommending new e-books based on genre or what other, similar, customers purchased, B&N is using real humans to create and curate ‘channels’ of content specially tailored to you based on the books you read. In a sense, it’s like a simplified version of Pandora, which also uses actual music experts to categorize songs. 

Slow interface

Unfortunately, it’s not all roses for the new Nook HD and HD+. I’m hoping that what I saw were developer units, but the interface featured looked a bit cartoony and animation lagged significantly. Sadly, it reminded me of the one thing that would make a B&N executive cry: the Kindle Fire. Amazon’s first tablet (and the Nook Color, if we’re going to be fair) was underpowered and felt slow compared to higher-end tablets. Judging from the specs, there really isn’t a reason why these tablets were so slow. Hopefully it is a software issue that’s already been fixed. I’m also hoping that a bit more work goes into the design of the interface. While completely serviceable, it doesn’t match the sleekness of the Kindle Fire HD or Nexus 7 user interfaces, though the bubbly, brightly colored interface may appeal more to moms and families, who B&N is obviously pining for. Still, even moms don’t want laggy tablets.

Good pricing

I’m hoping Barnes & Noble doesn’t launch a line of laggy tablets. Assuming these issues are fixed before the new tablets launch in late October, the Nook HD and Nook HD+ are two extremely capable and competitive consumption devices. The Nook HD will retail starting at $200 for 8GB of storage. The Nook HD+ will start at $270 for the 16GB model and $300 for the 32GB model. At about half the price of an iPad, the 9-inch version should be especially compelling. Overall, I’m excited to try out the new Nook models. It’s easy to forget that Barnes & Noble is a player in the tablet space, but it showed today that it’s not going anywhere. Amazon, watch out! You can pre-order the Nook tablets at Nook.com and check them out at Barnes & Noble and some other select retailers around the U.S. and UK. 

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/nook-hd-and-nook-hd-plus-hands-on/

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RIM execs serenade BlackBerry developers with ‘Keep on Loving You’ music video

Has Research In Motion finally lost the plot? Or is it merely showing everyone it has a sense of humor? A new music video starring company executives thanks BlackBerry developers for sticking with its mobile platform, promising better days ahead.

Research In Motion (RIM) may be experiencing the toughest time in its 28-year history, but it hasn’t forgotten how to have bit of fun.

At its BlackBerry Jam developer conference in San Jose on Tuesday, the mobile company decided to entertain its attendees – or possibly horrify a few of them – with a slickly-produced music video featuring three RIM executives singing a developer-focused version of the classic REO Speedwagon hit, Keep on Loving You.

The video is apparently RIM’s way of expressing its appreciation for developers that have stuck with the BlackBerry platform.

“This video is a thank you to all developers supporting the BlackBerry platform. Your Developer Relations, Alliance and Developer Tools teams appreciate your enthusiasm and loyalty! We’re Going To Keep On Loving You,” reads the accompanying blurb on YouTube.

The three-and-a-half-minute production kicks off with the lyrics:

We’ve all seen these are challenging times, baby,

‘Cuz we’re in transition.

A whole new mobile computing platform may be

one tough proposition.

So don’t be misled,

The launch is just ahead,

We’ll have BlackBerry 10 both in full touch and QWERTY editions.

In a message to BlackBerry developers, vocalist Alec Saunders – RIM’s VP of developer relations and ecosystem – sings, “We’re gonna keep on loving you,” at the same time reassuring them that “our updated SDK is really cool.”

Check it out at the end of this piece and let us know: epic fail or good laugh?

Besides serenading the developers, RIM is also hoping to hold on to existing ones, or even attract new ones, by offering $10,000 per BB10 app submitted to its app store, provided it meets certain quality requirements.

The video was screened on the same day that RIM boss Thorsten Heins announced some better news for the Ontario-based company. Against expectations, BlackBerry subscriber numbers rose to 80 million for the quarter ending September, an increase of two million from earlier this year.

RIM’s future rests heavily on its next mobile operating system, BB10, which is set to launch early next year, together with a number of new handsets. Hopefully the Keep On Loving You video released on Tuesday won’t have scared off too many developers, and the phones can come to market with plenty of BB10 apps to choose from.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/rim-execs-serenade-blackberry-developers-with-music-video/

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Report: China's Huawei considering native OS as fail-safe

Huawei WeeWa. Very nice!

Huawei, the emerging smartphone maker in China, could become a serious challenger in the mobile OS landscape dominated by the United States' iOS, Android, and Windows 8-powered devices.

The telecommunications company told Reuters that it could add its name to the big list of small device OS manufacturers if "other companies won't let us use their system one day."

Huawei is clearly referring to Google and Microsoft in this case. It currently produces phones and tablets that run either Android, like the Huawei Ascend P1, or Windows 8, like the Huawei Ascend W1.

The Samsung vs. Apple lawsuit is cited as one of the reasons Huawei is sinking R&D money into this OS backup plan. Another reason may be Tuesday's report that suggest Google forced Acer to cancel an Alibaba-powered smartphone.

Huawei OS one of many emerging operating systems

A potential Huawei OS may never materialize, but if it does, it could face worldwide competition beyond U.S.-manufactured systems like iOS, Android, and Windows 8.

Canada's RIM is poised to launch BlackBerry 10 in 2013 and the company may go through with plans to open the BlackBerry OS to other phone manufacturers.

In South Korea, Samsung has its own Bada OS on select devices like the Samsung Wave 3 and many see potential in a full-blown Samsung OS. The Samsung vs. Apple lawsuit was a reason cited here, too.

Back in the U.S., everyone's focus is on the big three, but there's another browser heavyweight getting in on the action in a way that directly affects Huawei. Mozilla is teaming up with Huawei Chinese rival ZTE to produce a line of phones running the forthcoming FireFox OS.

Then there's HP, which isn't completely out of the picture with a chance that it may resurrect the long-written-off webOS.

Combine these emerging rivals with the fact that Android, iOS, Blackberry, and Bada all saw growth in the Chinese market last year, and Huawei would have its work cut out for itself.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/report-chinas-huawei-considering-native-os-as-fail-safe-1099781

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How is selling 5 million iPhones not enough for Wall Street?

Apple's iPhone 5 launch is the biggest in the company's history, but it's being chalked up as a "disappointment." Why?

Apple’s iPhone 5 is thinner, lighter, and packs a high-performance Apple-designed processor, a taller display, and 4G LTE connectivity. Unsurprisingly, it’s also racking up monstrous sales. After tallying 2 million pre-orders in 24 hours, Apple managed to sell 5 million iPhone 5′s in its first weekend of sales.

The figures represent Apple’s strongest iPhone launch to date. And yet the technology and financial press are painting these initial sales figures as a disappointment and a sign that the shine may be wearing off Apple’s stellar growth and profitability. How can selling more phones in its first weekend than ever before — and more phones in the first weekend than any of its competitors have dreamed — be a sign Apple is in trouble?

The launch numbers

Apple is well-known for reporting sales figures for its iPhone and iPad product lines during its financial results each quarter, along with sales figures from it’s iPod and Mac lines. Apple only calls out extraordinary sales milestones separately, such as when the iTunes App Store hits a sales milestone (like 25 billion) — and, before that, when the iTunes Music Store hit a major figure.

Since the launch of the iPhone 3G, Apple has devoted special announcements to iPhone sales — and the iPhone 5 was no exception. CEO Tim Cook announced that the company had sold 5 million iPhone 5s during the first weekend of sales in nine countries — internationally, that’s the broadest iPhone launch Apple has ever attempted.

How does that compare to previous iPhones? The iPhone 4S sold 4 million units during its first weekend, while back in 2010 the iPhone 4 sold 1.7 million units during its first weekend. Previously, the iPhone 3GS sold more than 1 million units its first weekend, and the iPhone 3G sold a million its first weekend before that.

What’s really remarkable about these first-weekend sales figures is the leap between the initial sales of the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S. The difference between selling 1.7 million units in an opening weekend and 4 million is 135 percent. In comparison, the opening weekends for the iPhone 3G and 3GS were relatively flat, and the iPhone 4 was 70 percent higher than the iPhone 3GS. In contrast, Apple’s 5 million-unit weekend for the iPhone 5 represents only a 25 percent increase over the iPhone 4.

Apple CEO Tim Cook essentially apologized for not having enough iPhone 5s for everyone who wanted one at launch, noting the company is working as quickly as it can to make more and stores continue to receive iPhone 5 shipments. Nonetheless, current iPhone 5 orders now carry shipping estimates in October as Apple tries to work through the backlog. The company will be facing more waves of launch demand as it brings the iPhone 5 to 22 more markets this week, and 100 additional countries by the end of the year.

The analyst numbers

Researchers working for market analysis firms had generally estimated first-weekend sales for the iPhone 5 at substantially higher levels. Many estimates were in the 6- to 6.5 million-unit range, with Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster leading the pack with a range of 6 to 10 million units for the first weekend, characterizing 6 million units as a “worst-case scenario.”

Looking at the chart above, it’s easy to see where these analysts came up with their figures. If you take the iPhone 4 as an infection point and the iPhone 4S as representative of Apple’s market trend, then in a perfect linear universe, Apple’s iPhone 5 sales ought to have about 200 percent higher than the iPhone 4S, or about 12 million units sold during the first weekend. However, most analysts will admit there are many factors in play, including Apple’s ability to manufacture and source components for the new devices, as well as logistical hurdles getting the devices to retailers, carrier partners, and customers. So no analysts actually thought Apple would be able to sell 12 million iPhones the first weekend. That’s a feat that (to my knowledge) has never been achieved in the history of consumer electronics, let alone mobile phones. So analysts did some curve-fitting and came up with figures between 6 and 7 million units.

How Apple counts sales

So here’s the funny part: The analysts looking for between 6 and 7 million iPhone 5′s sold during the first weekend might not have been that far off. Apple differs from almost all of the technology and consumer electronics industry in that it only considers a unit to be “sold” when it’s in a customer’s hands.

Apple’s definition of “sold” seems pretty straightforward, but most of the rest of the electronics industry considers a unit “sold” when it leaves the factory. This is the source of the distinction between units sold and units shipped that have gotten many companies — including Samsung — into trouble over the years.

In business circles, units shipped from a factory are sometimes described as a product’s “sell-in” — units into the retail channel — where products in consumers’ hands represent “sell-out” — out of the retail channel. Both numbers are valuable in looking at a product’s success. For a new product, sell-in figures often represent retailers’ and partners’ confidence in a product. The more units they’re willing to commit to carrying up front, the more potential they think the product has. So sell-in can be an early indicator of a product’s potential success. Sell-in units also represent a bit of a risk to a manufacturer: In many industries, they have to agree to buy back any unsold inventory.

Of course, sell-out is the better arbiter of a product’s sales success, especially when combined with product returns. That figure loosely represents how many consumers bought the product and actually kept it.

Ideally, the ratio of a product’s sell-in to sell-out should one one to one. Companies want to sell as many units of a product as they can make, have no unsold products sitting in retailers’ inventories, and (of course) have no products returned due to defects or customer dissatisfaction. A product with a sell-in disproportionate to its sell-out — like, say, the Logitech Revue — can represent a significant misstep.

In Apple’s case, nearly every analyst forecasting iPhone 5 sales was forecasting sell-in figures — including online orders that have not yet been fulfilled. Conversely, Apple’s reported figure of 5 million iPhone 5′s sold represents a sell-out figure: Devices that are actually in customers’ hands.

Although Apple admits demand for the iPhone 5 exceeded the initial supply of the device, more iPhone 5′s have left the factory than Apple considers sold. Apple indicates retailers will continue to receive shipments “regularly” and the company is gearing up to launch the iPhone 5 in 22 more markets this week. Apple has made far more than 5 million iPhone 5′s — although we don’t know how many more. But the company is only counting 5 million as “sold” on the first weekend.

Demand is still unknown

What do these figure mean for the launch of the iPhone 5?

At a basic level, just as with the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, Apple was essentially able to sell every iPhone 5 it had available on launch day. On some levels, this is an almost ideal situation: there’s no inventory sitting around waiting to be sold, and Apple generates revenue from every product it builds very quickly. With the launch of the iPhone 5, those initial sales will do nice things for the company’s bottom line. Apple’s current fiscal quarter ends on September 30, and all those 5 million iPhone 5′s — and all the iPhone 5′s it sells between now and the end of the month — will go directly into the company’s next financial results.

On the other hand, it does mean Apple is failing to meet demand for the iPhone 5 — and business common-sense is that frustrated customers will take their business elsewhere. It’s possible that some customers who want an iPhone 5 are simply unwilling to jump through hoops — like immediately jumping on online ordering or waiting in line outside an Apple Store — to get one quickly, so they’re opting for devices like the Samsung Galaxy S III because, frankly, they’re really easy to get.

What would Apple have to do to meet initial demand for a new iPhone? Nobody knows. Apple has radically increased its capacity to build and deliver new iPhones to customers — nobody does mobile phone launches that compare in scale to the iPhone 5 launch. And yet Apple was still unable to meet initial demand. The true market demand for new iPhone is still unknown: it might be just a smidgen larger than what Apple can handle…or it might be double the current demand. That means Apple still has room to grow its iPhone business — and there’s still no ceiling in sight.

Leaving money on the table

The market’s disappointment with Apple selling a mere 5 million iPhone 5′s during its first weekend boils down to two factors.

First, it represents only a 25 percent increase over first-weekend sales of the iPhone 4S, which strongly suggests Apple is reaching the peak of how many iPhones it can sell at launch. That’s not because consumers don’t want more iPhones, but because Apple isn’t currently able to deliver them the first weekend. Despite Apple’s famous logistical and supply-chain efficiency, the company may be starting to hit the limits of what’s possible with a mobile-device launch. That, in turn, will constrain the revenue Apple can generate with a new device launch — and investors hate any restraint on revenue, since it means lower short-term gains. Apple may pull a rabbit out of its hat, but it’s possible most of the gains Cook and company can wring from the iPhone supply and manufacturing process were realized between the iPhone 4 and 4S.

Second, investors are upset that failing to meet initial demand for the iPhone 5 — or any iPhone, for that matter — means Apple is leaving money on the table. Consumers are literally camping out overnight with money in their pockets to set hands on Apple’s latest and greatest, and Apple is not able to meet that demand. Although the iPhone generates massive profits for Apple, investors see that it could be making even more money for Apple — and hence, more money for them. So, in a way, they feel ripped off.

What’s next?

Apple is going to stick to its guns: The company will continue to report on the number of units sold (not shipped), and in October will report substantial revenues boosted by the launch of the iPhone 5. Apple’s forecast for the final quarter of the calendar year will be a little conservative, but given the end-of-year holidays, Apple can be expected to post record sales numbers in January.

In the meantime, Apple is almost certainly looking at ways to have a huge supply of new products on hand when it announces a new device — like the rumored iPad mini.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/when-selling-five-million-iphone-5s-is-not-enough/

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Windows 8 won't be fully ready upon release, according to Intel chief

Windows 8 might be a little buggy at first

Developers, users, and Microsoft, perhaps most of all, are eagerly awaiting the Oct. 26 release of the Windows 8 operating system, what could be the biggest thing for Washington-based company since Windows 95.

However, what we see that Friday might not be a fully-baked version, at least according to Intel's CEO.

Speaking before employees in Taipei Tuesday, Otellini reportedly said the OS is launching before it's ready, with improvements still needed.

According to Otellini, Microsoft is anxious to get its operating system out in the world, especially as others companies' devices, like the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2, and its own, namely the Surface tablet, need it in order to function.

Bugs for the holidays

Although the Windows 8 OS won't be quite ready by Halloween, Otellini reportedly told the gathered group that Microsoft's strategy revolves around getting the system into computers and tablets before the holidays.

It's actually the right move, Otellini said, allowing Microsoft to grab some market share and release improvements after the fact. Intel is Microsoft's closest partner, according to Bloomberg.

However, critics like Michael Cherry of Directions on Microsoft, a business that provides independent analysis of Microsoft technology, licensing, and strategy, have expressed concerns about an incomplete OS.

Cherry reportedly said that although the system is fundamentally sound, it lacks "robust applications" that prevent PC makers from fixing problems in "drivers," or the devices that connect hardware to software, such as printers.

Another critic wrote a research note on Sept. 13 addressing similar disquiet.

"We are concerned at the level of bugs and fine tuning that appears necessary to get the beta systems we demoed ready for prime time," Alex Gauna, an analyst with JMP Securities, wrote in response to versions of Window 8 shown at a recent Intel developers' forum.

Success is still in the cards

Although, by all appearances, Microsoft is confident in moving forward with its scheduled release, history has shown that launching unfinished OS's can backfire, as was the case with Vista in 2007.

That company launched a late version of Windows that flopped as it initially didn't work with many applications and drivers.

Meanwhile, a Microsoft spokesman told Bloomberg that, thanks to over 16 million active preview participants, Windows 8 has undergone rigorous testing and review and is "[the most] ready operating system in Microsoft's history."

With a host of devices set to launch along with the OS, no matter what state of readiness it finds itself in, Microsoft stands to at least cash in on the excitement of an operating system that isn't iOS or Android hitting the market.

TechRadar has reached out to Microsoft for further comment and will update this story if and when we receive information from the company.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/windows-8-wont-be-fully-ready-upon-release-according-to-intel-chief-1099755

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Garmin tries to snatch iOS users with new features, including updated Street View

Garmin is trying to sway you from Apple's Maps app

Apple's Maps app is still catching a lot of flack in its early stages, and that has opened the door for competitors.

Both Nokia and Google have taken time out to claim their navigation products are superior to Apple's new first-party offering.

Now even Garmin is getting in on the action, as the company released a new update to several of its navigation apps on the iTunes store Tuesday.

Though Garmin charges for some of the apps' new features, it's not ashamed to tout new additions like Google Street View and Panorama View 3D.

Garmin adds support for iOS 6, iPhone 5

The latest versions of the Garmin apps add compatibility with iOS 6 and the iPhone 5, making this a particularly timely update.

By adding that support, along with the free addition of Google Street View, Garmin is effectively hoping to capture the disappointed users turned off by Apple Maps.

Additionally, the updated Garmin apps will allow users to purchase Urban Guidance in-app, which "considers public transportation options, such as subways, trams, busses and water taxis, when calculating pedestrian routes."

That feature costs $2.99 (UK£1.85, AU$2.87).

Panorama View 3D is also available for $9.99 (UK£6, AU$9.60), and offers "true 3D elevation views obtained from NASA's height and terrain data enable intuitive orientation and show users what lies ahead."

While Garmin is an industry leader in satnav technology, its Garmin U.S.A. app, for example, runs $39.99 (UK£24, AU$38), and that's not even the most expensive version.

Despite how barebones the Apple Map is, it's still free, and Apple assured its users that Maps' will lose its bugs and inaccurate listings as more people use it.

Although a report surfaced last week that Google was working on its own maps app for iOS 6, the hopes of many lost users were squashed as the company's CEO announced Tuesday no work has been done on any such app.

While it's not yet time to break out a compass, you might want to re-familiarize yourself with the North Star.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/software/applications/garmin-tries-to-snatch-ios-users-with-new-features-including-updated-street-view-1099731

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Garmin tries to snatch iOS users with updated Street View

Garmin is trying to sway you from Apple's Maps app

Apple's Maps app is still catching a lot of flack in its early stages, and that has opened the door for competitors.

Both Nokia and Google have taken time out to claim their navigation products are superior to Apple's new first-party offering.

Now even Garmin is getting in on the action, as the company released a new update to several of its navigation apps on the iTunes store Tuesday.

Though Garmin charges for some of the apps' new features, it's not ashamed to tout new additions like Google Street View and Panorama View 3D.

Garmin adds support for iOS 6, iPhone 5

The latest versions of the Garmin apps add compatibility with iOS 6 and the iPhone 5, making this a particularly timely update.

By adding that support, along with the free addition of Google Street View, Garmin is effectively hoping to capture the disappointed users turned off by Apple Maps.

Additionally, the updated Garmin apps will allow users to purchase Urban Guidance in-app, which "considers public transportation options, such as subways, trams, busses and water taxis, when calculating pedestrian routes."

That feature costs $2.99 (UK£1.85, AU$2.87).

Panorama View 3D is also available for $9.99 (UK£6, AU$9.60), and offers "true 3D elevation views obtained from NASA's height and terrain data enable intuitive orientation and show users what lies ahead."

Despite how barebones the Apple Map is, it's still free, and Apple assured its users that Maps' will lose its bugs and inaccurate listings as more people use it.

Although a report surfaced last week that Google was working on its own maps app for iOS 6, the hopes of many lost users were squashed as the company's CEO announced Tuesday no work has been done on any such app.

While it's not yet time to break out a compass, you might want to re-familiarize yourself with the North Star.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/software/applications/garmin-tries-to-snatch-ios-users-with-updated-street-view-1099731

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Samsung rumored to be looking to develop a custom browser for Galaxy phones

Chrome on Android comes packed with features

On the heals of Apple's iOS 6 release and a host of Windows Phone 8 device announcements, rumor has it Samsung is hiring WebKit developers to create its own mobile browser for Android Galaxy devices.

WebKit is the open source browser engine behind Apple's Safari and Google's Chrome browsers.

The report comes from the Korean website IT Times, which claims that Samsung's U.S. R&D center in Silicon Valley recently hired WebKit devs to begin work on a Samsung mobile browser.

If the reports can be believed, then the Samsung browser will be designed to compete directly with mobile Chrome.

On a collision course with Chrome

Google's Chrome browser debuted on mobile devices in February, and has since become a popular choice for both Android and iOS users.

By July, Chrome had reached 1.5 percent adoption with iOS users, an impressive feat considering how long those users have relied on Safari alone.

Chrome is more advanced than the default Android browser, and Samsung's rumored browser will have to step things up even further if it wants to compete.

As CNET pointed out, a Samsung-branded browser, if powerful enough, could help differentiate Samsung's Galaxy devices from other Android handsets.

In response to a TechRadar query, a Samsung representative reminded us that the company doesn't comment on rumors or speculation.

That said, the Samsung rep informed us that this is the first he'd heard of a Samsung mobile browser, so take that as you will.

Opera wins globally

Globally, Opera is the most-used mobile browser, according to StatCounter, a global online statistics firm.

According to the StatCounter site, Opera also barely beats Android's browser and "iPhone," which we're guessing means Safari.

Reports claim that most users of web-capable phones simply use their devices' default browsers, and Opera has come pre-installed on various phones from Samsung, Motorola, HTC, Nokia, Sony, and more.

With modern browsers like Chrome mobile coming packed with features, including the ability to switch rather seamlessly between desktop and mobile browsing experiences, Samsung had better have some aces up its sleeves if it wants to stand out.

For more, check out TechRadar's comparison of eight Android browsers' speed and features.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/web/rumor-samsung-looking-to-develop-custom-browser-for-galaxy-phones-1099710

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Nokia reportedly considering lawsuit over HTC 8X design

Another lawsuit between carriers could be brewing

Nokia may be ready to set its legal dogs on HTC over the design of the new company's newly announced Windows Phone 8X smartphone.

According to a Phone Arena source, the feeling emanating from Espoo, Finland is that the Taiwanese manufacturer has copied the look and feel of the recently-announced Nokia Lumia 820 handset.

Nokia "feels strongly" that the front panel and the curved sides of the Lumia 820 have been unfairly emulated by the HTC offering - unveiled just two weeks after Nokia's Sept. 5 reveal - according to the tipster.

The report suggests that Nokia will seek a sales ban on the HTC 8X in some territories.

Seeing double?

The Lumia 820, the smaller sibling of the flagship Lumia 920, offers a 4.3-inch Clear Black LCD screen and a polycarbonate body, which comes in an array of bright colours.

The HTC 8X is the HTC's top-of-the-line Windows Phone 8 offering and also features a 4.3-inch screen, a top-notch spec list and an equally bright array of colours.

Chris Weber, Nokia's head of marketing, also publicly called out HTC's new phones - which includes the lower-spectrum Windows Phone 8S - as "rebranded products," though he didn't say either design copied his company's products at the time.

It's the physical similarities listed above as well as HTC's status as the main threat to Nokia's Windows Phone-led comeback, that is likely to have irked Nokia, if the reports are to be believed.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/nokia-reportedly-considering-lawsuit-over-htc-8x-design-1099697

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Report: iPhone 5 shortage could stem from display production hiccups

Screen production at Sharp could be causing supply shortages

Apple reportedly moved five million iPhone 5 units in the device's first weekend on sale, but that seemingly impressive number actually falls below some analysts' low-end predictions, according to a recent report.

That may be due in part to an iPhone 5 shortage at some U.S. retailers like Best Buy, RadioShack, and Target, with some locations of which received less than a dozen iPhone 5's to sell on the handset's street date last Friday.

Now a possible explanation for that shortage has come to light, and it seems Sharp's display production line could be to blame.

New display, new problems

Apple turned to manufacturers LG and Sharp for the task of supplying iPhone 5 screens, but it seems delays at Sharp resulted in the apparent iPhone 5 stock shortage.

Sharp reportedly didn't begin producing iPhone 5 displays until the smartphone's debut earlier this month, which could certainly explain why it's in short supply at some retailer stores.

The iPhone 5's display is a half inch longer diagonally than that on previous iPhones, and reportedly costs $7 (UK£3, AU$6) extra to produce because of its larger size and in-cell touch screen technology.

That tech integrates the display and touch panel into one layer, making for superior colors but apparently also producing new production headaches.

iPhone 5 issues continue to stack up

This report comes primarily from an IHS iSuppli analyst cited by Bloomberg, but TechRadar has also reached out to Apple for comment.

The iPhone 5 is a huge launch not just for Apple but the entire consumer mobile market, which makes it a major target for critics.

However, it seems like Apple's latest money maker suffers from an unusual number of defects, even by Apple's standards (let's not forget the iPhone 4 reception debacle).

Reports of light leaks around the edge of the iPhone 5 began flooding in on Monday, and early adopters have complained of the smartphone's particularly scratch-prone chassis.

Apple may be gearing up to deal with these complaints while simultaneously battling against the iOS 6 "maptastrophe" and day-one iPhone 5 jailbreakers. Yep, that's right - it took less than a day for hackers to have their way with the iPhone 5.

Despite these issues, the iPhone 5 sales in the first weekend totaled a full million more than iPhone 4S sales in its first weekend last year.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/report-iphone-5-shortage-could-stem-from-display-production-hiccups-1099695

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Schiller says iPhone 5 scratches are normal as light leaks reported

Scratches and scuffs new iPhones are 'perfectly normal'

As reports of a scratch and chip-prone Apple iPhone 5 continue to surface, one Apple executive said the issue is "normal" for aluminium products.

Many new owners of the "Black & Slate" iPhone 5 complained of imperfections right out of the box after long waits to obtain the device last Friday.

The scuffs seem to centre around the antenna area and where the handset's body joins the display, revealing the aluminium colouring beneath the coating.

One befuddled iPhone 5 owner, named Alex, emailed Phil Schiller, Apple's Senior vice president of global marketing, to ask whether Apple was planning on fixing the issue, and received a somewhat unsympathetic reply.

"Any aluminium product may scratch or chip with use, exposing its natural silver colour," Schiller wrote. "That is normal."

Wasting light?

Meanwhile, scratches and scuffs are apparently not the only build issues affecting the device.

BGR reported that some iPhone 5 handsets, including one of its own test devices, are "leaking light" between the display and the antenna, just below the power button.

The problem is only visible in low light or in the dark, but it appears it could be endemic.

Users on the MacRumors forums have reported that even replacement devices they've received from Apple are still suffering from the same issue.

We've reached out to Apple for an official reaction to the reports, but perhaps we'd be better off emailing Phil Schiller?

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/apple/schiller-says-iphone-5-scratches-are-normal-as-light-leaks-reported-1099691

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RIM: submit BB 10 apps Oct. 10, but it'll come with these social media apps

One of the big 4 social media apps on BB 10

Developers can start submitting apps for RIM's BlackBerry 10 OS beginning Oct. 10, the company announced Tuesday.

While that's exciting news for those looking to add to the 100,000 apps currently occupying App World, users might be more enthused to know that apps for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Foursquare will come with the operating system at launch.

When that date is no one yet knows, though RIM CEO Thorstein Heins said carrier testing kicks off next month.

His company demonstrated what appears to be a native Facebook app, one reportedly developed by RIM and not Facebook itself.

Reports point to it being quite similar to the app for Apple's iOS.

Integrated messaging

The operating system's "main page," so to speak, is the BlackBerry Hub, where users can access their most time sensitive material.

Here, messages from Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are accessible.

All this plays into RIM's "BlackBerry Flow" user interface, a design the company hopes creates a seamless experience on all fronts.

Even the BlackBerry Balance feature, which allows for a delineation between work and personal parts of the phone, seems to strive for a practical yet polished user experience.

A new version of App World will also come with BlackBerry 10's launch. The update might even include music and video downloads through the service.

Here's hoping, for RIM's sake, that BB 10 is enough to woo back users and win some new ones.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/rim-submit-bb-10-apps-oct-10-but-itll-come-with-these-social-media-apps-1099681

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Samsung lays out Jelly Bean update plan in vaguest way possible

Monday brought the latest update of Google’s mobile operating system, Android 4.1, to Samsung Galaxy 3S owners. While owners of the arguably most popular Android device are already enjoying the update to Jelly Bean, other Samsung consumers will have their sweet tooth satisfied soon. Well, kind of.

The Korean manufacturer is ready to roll out Jelly Bean to at least fifteen of their phones and tablets. Included on the list are the following:

• Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus
• Galaxy Tab 2 7.0
• Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
• Galaxy S Advance
• Galaxy S Duos
• Galaxy S2
• Galaxy S2 LTE
• Galaxy Note
• Galaxy Note 10.1
• Galaxy Music
• Galaxy Chat
• Galaxy Ace Plus
• Galaxy Ace 2
• Galaxy Beam
• Galaxy Mini 2

When will these devices finally get to install the latest installment of the Android OS? As soon as, well… soon. Samsung has given us device names, but no official date or timeframe for the arrival of Jelly Bean. Rumor has it if you can guess how many jelly beans Samsung has in a jar in their office, they will give you an early update. But that could also be a rumor we just made up (and it is).

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/samsung-lays-out-jelly-bean-updates-plan/

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Amazon reveals HTC Windows Phone 8X market release date

The HTC Windows Phone 8X was announced at an HTC event last Wednesday, and now we have a date when you can expect to get your hands on one.

Amazon UK has the SIM-free variant up for pre-order, with an expected shipping date of November 8th. It can be had for the rather steep price of £531.43, or $863.

While this price – and the release date, for that matter – is not exactly official, a retailer as big as Amazon can't be far from the truth. Either way, we won't be seeing any Windows Phone 8 phones on the market until Microsoft officially releases the platform, expected in late October.

Meanwhile, Clove UK also have the 8X for a more reasonable £399 ($648). If you'd like to learn more about the HTC Windows Phone 8X, check out our hands on from the release event here.

Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/amazon_reveals_shipment_date_for_htc_windows_phone_8x-news-4858.php

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Hands on: BlackBerry 10 review

BlackBerry 10 is still heavily under development and still quite some way from being a finished product, but we've had some hands on time with an early release to get a feel for some of the new features.

Update: We've checked out an almost-final version of the user interface, which is pretty close to perfection, according to RIM: "we think we've nailed the user experience going forward," Vivek Bhardwaj told TechRadar - but we'll let you be the judge by checking out our findings below.

Delayed until early 2013, the first BB10 devices should land in January – although we're yet to see final devices running the new OS.

In fact it was the BlackBerry Dev Alpha device which has been handed out in its thousands to BlackBerry developers worldwide, so they can start working away on new apps ready for the launch of BB 10. We checked out an recent version of the device in London, and here's what we thought:

BB10 sees the implementation of a whole new user interface, with RIM doing away with the familiar BlackBerry system we're all used to, in favour of something which resembles the likes of Android and iOS, although with its own unique features.

With BlackBerry 10, RIM has merged homescreens, widgets, app lists and a unified inbox into one slick interface, offering up an easy-to-navigate user experience.

The main homescreen comprises of four widgets, technically mini-applications, which expand to fill the screen when tapped.

Scrolling down and you'll notice that this main display actually holds eight mini apps in total – displayed in order of use, allowing you to jump quickly between your recent applications.

Open up an application which isn't in top spot, or a completely new one from the app list, and when you exit it you'll notice that it now occupies the first, top left spot on the homescreen.

Swiping from left to right will bring you to the app home screen, with 16 apps on the screen at any one time, and you can access more by sliding up and down – the whole thing very similar to Windows Phone's Start Menu UI.

At the bottom of both the homescreen and app list you'll notice a shortcut bar, with quick links to the phone, search and camera applications – allowing you to quickly jump to these regularly used features.

Unfortunately these features had not been implemented on the version of BB10 we were using, so we'll have to wait and see how well they work.

Lock screen

The lock screen shows notifications for alarms and unread messages on the left plus your upcoming meetings as well as the date and time, with a button to launch the camera straight from the lock screen to grab a quick snap.

You unlock the phone by sliding your thumb up the screen. You can slide from anywhere on screen rather than needing to start at the bottom and the screen starts to draw in around where you slide so if you just want a quick peek at the information in one area of the screen, you can just drag to show it and then let go.

Return to the home screen and then sweep in the opposite direction and you'll be greeted by the unified inbox, which pulls in all your messaging and social network notifications into one easy to access location.

And when we say all, we mean all, as the unified inbox can deal with multiple email accounts, text messages, BBM, call history, third party messaging apps such as Whats App and a whole host of social networks including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Of course, with so many accounts feeding into the handset, the more popular among us will be quickly inundated with notifications from various different channels, however there's an easy way to check where your new messages are coming from, without clogging up the notification bar at the top of the screen.

RIM has developed the "peek" function, which sees the user drag slightly from right to left, which reveals a slender column on the right side of the display, with new message icons and counters for your respective accounts.

The reason for this is so you can quickly see which account has received a new message and jump directly to it if required, whether you're on the homescreen or within another application.

Update: Wherever you are, you can drag up on the screen to see notifications down the left of the screen. Pull up and slide across and you see the details of the new messages (from the unified inbox, so you get email, texts, BBM and social network updates or other alerts all together).

The further you slide your finger across, the more the top layer slides out of the way and the more of the layer underneath you see, so you can peek at new mail to see if it's important enough to read straight away and then go back to what you're doing, without ever actually switching out of the current application.

If you pull up and then across, you can even swap what you're peeking at underneath, swapping to a different email account or even the calendar in the message centre (by picking the icon or pulling far enough across to see the account name first).

Or you can jump straight into the clients for your cloud storage, like Box, Dropbox and SkyDrive. Start in the file manager and pull the screen back to see storage on your device or pick Dropbox instead. You can open, edit and manage files in cloud services as if they were on the phone.

The same level of integration applies to the new Remember note-taking app, which pulls in notebooks from EverNote or OneNote and tasks from Outlook accounts. Swipe sideways in the HTML5 browser and you see the list of favourites.

It sounds a little complicated, but once you have the hang of it, you can navigate around your information going straight to what you want without going back to the home screen and into different applications each time.

Having the 'peek' idea work the same way in so many applications helps you get used to it as well (though we don't yet know how well third-party applications will be able to do the same thing).

When you do get into a message or an appointment, you can see more information about the people involved in a way that will be familiar to BlackBerry PlayBook 2 users; you can see who you know in common, what messages you've exchanged or recent social network updates.

It's a new look for the 'flow' between different apps and information sources that BlackBerry has always been good at, but with a fresh modern look on a much larger screens, with a similar gesture showing you a pane of the apps that are currently running. And

If you drag down on the screen you see Personal and Work buttons that let you switch between the two BlackBerry Balance modes.

In Personal, you can install any apps you want, send any email, save any file and so on, working in a partition that's encrypted for privacy but not locked down in any way. if you use your BlackBerry for work though, you'll also have a Work partition that's also encrypted but completely separate and can be locked down if that's what the company wants.

Drag down on the screen, pick Work mode and all your personal apps disappear – so you can't accidentally copy a work file into your personal cloud storage account.

Then there's Cascades, a new navigation system cooked up by RIM especially for BB10, allowing for quick multitasking from within applications.

The example we've seen is in the messaging app - open an email it will display full screen, but drag your finger from left to right and the message will slide with you, revealing the inbox below.

This means if you get a new message in the middle of reading an email, you can check who it's from without having to close the application – similar to the notification bar on Android and also now iOS.

If you were to open an attachment from the email, a PDF document in the case of our demo, pulling to the side to view the cascade will show the app's layers stacked up – a more visual paper trail, if you will.

It's certainly an intuitive feature that we found to work smoothly on the development handset – but it will be interesting to see how this feature is embedded into other applications and if it will have the same pleasing results.

App world

There's a different version of BlackBerry AppWorld where your company can offer specific work apps – like an app that uses the NFC chip in your BlackBerry to unlock the door to the office

RIM is hoping this will keep companies happy with security but also keep users happy, because the security team at work can wipe all the company information off your device if they want but that won't delete your photos.

They can't even see what files you have on your phone when they're managing it, because your personal partition is encrypted.

As more of us take our own phones to work, this is much more sophisticated way of protecting both the company and the user's personal files that other smartphones – but again, it's a little on the complicated side and relies on your company having the appropriate BlackBerry management software.

Finally, the last feature which was available for us to play with on this early version of BB 10 was RIM's new full-touchscreen QWERTY keyboard.

BlackBerry handsets are famous for their physical boards and RIM is keen to bring this typing experience to its BB10 touchscreen smartphones with its own offering.

Visually the keyboard looks similar to the stock Android offering, but each row of keys is separated with a silver line – which is supposed to reflect the metal strips between buttons on the Bold range, such as the Bold 9790 and Bold 9900.

Next word prediction, auto-correct and spell check are all common features on smartphones today and RIM has spent some time developing its own system to offer an efficient typing experience.

It sees next-word suggestions appear above the character the word begins with, and if it's the word you want to use, you just need to swipe up over the word and it will be added to your sentence.

As with many offerings these days, the keyboard will learn your style of writing, meaning it will be able to suggest better words the more you use your phone.

We found the keyboard to be fairly accurate and relatively well spaced, but for those of you used to the physical buttons of a traditional BlackBerry it will take some getting used to.

Although the operating system is still very much in its early stages of development, we must say that we were impressed with how smooth and slick the interface felt under out fingers – seamlessly zipping around without fuss.

BlackBerry assured us that is smooth experience would still be present in the final product, thanks to the clever integration of the HTML 5 system, which optimises the performance of the software. We certainly hope they're right.

Find out more information on BlackBerry 10, including its release date, upcoming devices and the camera function with our BB10: what you need to know article.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/software/operating-systems/blackberry-10-1090522/review

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