Days before Apple is expected to reveal details of an iPad Mini, a new video has appeared on the Web showing a mock-up of the device. Meanwhile, it's being reported that the Cupertino company is looking at the idea of launching a widescreen iPad.
With the iPhone 5 launch well and truly behind us, attention among Apple watchers is now turning to the expected unveiling of the iPad Mini.
There’s been talk for a while now about Apple releasing a smaller version of its hugely popular iPad device, with most people expecting an October launch.
As with any Apple product coming to market, rumors have been doing the rounds, with many claiming the tablet will have a 7.85-inch screen and a thinner bezel than the one found on the existing iPad.
A new video showing a dummy iPad Mini from various angles was posted on the Web on Friday by the Japan-based Mac Otakara blog (via Apple Insider). Unfortunately, much of the 60-second video is slightly out of focus, though it’s still watchable (check it out below), and gives us some idea of how the expected tablet will look in the hand/s (answer: comfortable).
Apple Insider says that if the mock-up is close to the real thing then the absence of the black plastic insert on the back of the device that serves as a window for cellular signals suggests that if this is the only device unveiled by Tim Cook next month, it’ll be Wi-Fi only. But would Apple really hold back from offering consumers a cellular version too?
There’s little known about what’s under the hood of the expected iPad Mini, though to keep it competitively priced alongside Amazon’s new Kindle Fire HD tablets, Google’s Nexus 7 and Barnes & Noble’s Nook HD devices, it’s bound to lack the power of the 9.7-inch version. Many predict it’ll sell for around $250, a price which is bound to interest many consumers looking for a more portable version of the Cupertino company’s big-selling iPad. Details of a ‘special event’ to unveil the iPad Mini are expected to be announced in the coming days, with the device set to hit stores in plenty of time for the holiday season.
Widescreen iPad?
Meanwhile, following the recent launch of the widescreen iPhone 5, one analyst has said that according to sources “close to Apple”, the iPad is also about to get the stretched-screen treatment. Cult of Mac reported industry analyst Paul Mueller as saying that “at least three people close to Apple” told him the company is prototyping a widescreen version of the iPad.
It’s easy to believe the claim, with Apple known to test out many variations of a device before deciding whether to develop it further. It’s not known whether it would replace the current version or be sold alongside it. Do you think a widescreen iPad would go down well with consumers? Or should Apple simply stick with the current 4:3 aspect ratio?
Those whose hopes were raised with the promise of a super-cheap Google Nexus 7 may want to come back down to Earth.
Digitimes reported Thursday that Asus and Google were working on a $99 (around UK£60, AU$95) 7-inch slate, plus a $199 (around UK£120 , AU$191) model upgrade.
The site cited industry sources, however it looks like someone who may actually know a thing or two about Asus' product plans has debunked those rumors.
According to Digitimes, Asus has denied the tab-tastic plans for a dirt-cheap Nexus.
Still true, maybe?
The $99 version was said to be an "entry-level model" while the $199 iteration apparently would've been an ultra-thin upgrade to the current model.
Though it now sounds like neither of them are truly happening, TechRadar has reached out to Asus to get to the bottom of this 7-inch mystery, and we'll update this story if and when more information becomes available.
If these devices do come - presumably in time for the holidays - then they'll give Amazon, Apple, and Barnes & Noble a run for the tablet money.
Amazon recently announced the Kindle Fire HD, which costs between $199 and $499 (UK£159 for the 7-inch model, AU$191 - AU$491) while Barnes & Noble's Nook HD 7-inch tab runs $199 - $229 (UK£159 - £189, AU$191 - AU$220).
There's clearly a space in the market for a cheap tablet from Asus and Google, so here's hoping they're at least inspired by these rumors to cook something up.
Apple's making it easier than ever to get you where you need to go - and, no, not by improving its own baffling Maps app.
The company, following an apology earlier Friday by CEO Tim Cook for Apple's much publicized navi-snafu, has bundled a bunch of third-party maps apps in the App Store, placing them all under a "Find maps for your iPhone" umbrella.
Click on the iTunes Store too and users will also see 13 Maps apps, from the free MapQuest app to Gokivo GPS Navigator ($0.99) to Magellan RoadMate USA (US$49.99, UK £30, AU$48).
Contrition is a funny thing
Cook, while urging users to give Apple's Maps time to mature, also suggested they download apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest, and Waze.
He also recommended using competitors Google or Nokia maps via their websites "and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app."
Apple.com's also featuring a "How to add a website icon to your Home screen" step-by-step so users can pin Maps web apps by Google and Nokia to the iOS home screen.
For now, many of these apps don't have iPhone 5 display support, though with no end in sight for Apple's geographic challenges, that could change fast enough.
Bit by bit, Jelly Bean is showing up on more Android devices.
The latest to reportedly get the roll out is the Acer Iconia Tab A700. Members of the XDA-Developers forum said Thursday they were seeing Android 4.1 show up on those devices.
"I just got the Jelly Bean update on a German ACER A700," a member wrote on the site.
Users in Holland and the U.S. are also reportedly receiving the update.
The Prime's update started out in Sweden, so having an international start for the A700 before jumping to other continents isn't far out of line for the update's rollout plan.
Acer hasn't officially confirmed the update yet, but it said in July Jelly Bean would descend on "several tablets soon."
The company is also reportedly planning a Jelly Bean-loaded Iconia Tab A110 release for later this year, so it's certainly got Android upgrades front and center.
Some issues with installation have been reported, though for those who've successfully downloaded the upgrade (on 332MB models), improved performance, an improved UI, additional photo features, and bug fixes are all part of the positive feedback.
Don't worry, world, Jelly Bean is slowly but surely coming to more and more mobile devices.
Samsung may finally get some good news in regards to the lengthy legal proceedings the company has been party to alongside Apple in an patent battle that's extending well beyond a jury's August decision.
A United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Friday granted U.S. District judge Lucy Koh the power to rule on a sales ban she imposed on Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1.
That means it's now up to her to decide whether the tab can go back on sale in the U.S., a ban that went into effect at the onset of the trial.
Koh, who presided over the 4-week courtroom tussle between the two tech giants, previously ruled she wouldn't lift the sales injunction on the slate, saying it fell out of her jurisdiction as the matter had gone to the federal appeals level.
With Friday's ruling, the ball's back in her court.
Now that Koh has been granted the power to lift the sales ban, experts believe she'll do just that, bringing the Galaxy Tab 10.1 back on the U.S. market soon.
Despite this new potential positive for Samsung, the company isn't quite done with Apple yet.
On Tuesday, Samsung asked for a new trial against Apple, with claims "no reasonable jury" would have sided with Apple's infringement claims.
For its part, Apple is also bringing another lawsuit against Samsung, claiming the South Korean company damaged the iPhone brand, and hoping to gain another $707 million (around U£435,AU$676) from its chief rival.
Both companies are set to appear before Koh again on Dec. 6 to discuss more post-trial motions, such as other possible bans on Samsung products found to be in violation of Apple's patents.
TechRadar has reached out to Samsung, and will update this story if and when the company responds to a request for comment.
DDaily has brought word from an "industry official" who said the mobile giant has decided to delay the production of the bendy AMOLED display due to "problems with the yield."
The source claimed that if Samsung can sort out the production issues by the end of 2012, there's a chance that the first flexi-smartphones may still arrive sometime during the first half of 2013.
This will, of course, encourage completely baseless speculation that the first device to boast the tech could be the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Key players
Samsung has been one of the key players in developing this bendable, twistable, and near-indestructible screen tech, along with the likes of Sony and Nokia.
This time last year a Samsung representative claimed that the first flexible devices would arrive sometime in 2012, but it now seems that pledge is not going to come to fruition.
In December 2011 the company released a concept video showing off its bendy AMOLED screen tech, while in May this year the company claimed there was "huge" demand for the tech from its partners.
"We will be mass producing flexible OLED displays from the latter half of this year as the demand from our clients is significant," Samsung Electronics' vice chairman Kwon Oh-hyun said at the time.
Motorola's Razr i is a good start for Intel's attack on the mobile chip market, but it'll need a few more big-name partners if it wants to succeed.
Recently, Motorola announced its first smartphone powered by Intel’s Medfield processor, the Razr i, and it’s an important device for both companies. For Intel, it represents the very first Atom-powered phone to come from a “big-name” manufacturer, and for Motorola it marks a return to Europe, a market it has neglected in recent years. Motorola signed a “multi-year, multi-device” partnership with Intel in early January and so far it has the best end of the deal, as the Razr i is not only good-looking, but it’s capable too.
Intel however, doesn’t seem to be making in-roads into the ARM-controlled mobile chipset market, and thanks to the Razr i’s limited initial release — it’s out in the UK, Germany, France, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico next month — the only Intel phone that people might actually want to buy may not be available where they live.
What Intel needs is a new best friend — someone who is also trying to break into a market with which it has lost touch. Right now, that company is Research in Motion, which is doing a decent job of talking up BlackBerry 10, but neatly avoiding the subject of the accompanying hardware. Both it and Intel have challenging times ahead and a partnership could be mutually beneficial.
A huge mountain to climb
One could argue that it’s still early days for Intel, but is it? Intel shouldn’t have missed the smartphone boat. We’re talking about the best known PC chip manufacturer on the planet, with decades of experience here. Medfield wasn’t announced yesterday either. Intel has been chatting about its Lenovo and Motorola partnership as far back as CES in January and MWC in February.
If Intel wants its processors to challenge the dominant ARM mobile chips, then it needs to get its act together, because the mountain it needs to climb is huge. ARM controls 95-percent of the mobile market and more than 270 companies are licensed to use its architecture. Its performance reflects this, and its 2011 revenue climbed 24-percent over 2010 to $785 million, exceeding expectations.
To make matters worse for Intel, ARM is slowly but surely pushing its way into the PC market too, thanks in no small part to Microsoft’s decision to support ARM architecture with Windows 8 RT. ARM’s CEO has stated he wants to own between 10 and 20-percent of the notebook market by 2015.
Unsurprisingly, ARM has played down Intel’s move into its primary business, saying it expects the company to take only about 5 to 10-percent of the smartphone market share “within a few years.” Intel has remained tight-lipped concerning its own expectations, but as forecasters are predicting a downturn in its PC business over the coming years, mobile is only going to become more important.
Intel dominates the PC processor market in the same way ARM does with mobile, with estimates putting Intel’s share at around 80 percent; however, analysts are predicting tough times ahead, with an Endpoint Technologies researcher quoted as saying “the outlook looks grim right now through the new year.” Smartphone and tablets though, are experiencing considerable growth.
So, it’s clear that one device from one manufacturer, plus a few others scattered around the globe, probably won’t bring the success Intel desires. Motorola is a great partner to have, especially because of its new owner, but Intel needs to split the Atom between a few other big companies too.
Samsung and LG were linked with Intel last year, but nothing has come of it, and HTC has remained quiet as well. Research in Motion has always used a variety of processor manufacturers, so why not Intel? After all, it needs all the help it can get right now.
Could Intel save RIM, and vice versa?
Research in Motion is nervously treading water ahead of BlackBerry 10’s eventual release. If it’s not in talks with Intel, or at the very least considering a switch, then it should be.
A long time ago, RIM used Intel 386 chips in its early BlackBerry 950 and 957 handsets, then in 2005 trumpeted another deal with Intel, where it would use its XScale architecture (which is ARM-based anyway) and “Herman” chips in future BlackBerry devices. BlackBerry 10 phones are expected to use ARM architecture and chips from Texas Instruments or Qualcomm, but imagine for a moment the impact of the news that RIM had switched to Intel.
The relationship is there, it just needs to be reinvigorated. The mobile industry thrives on partnerships, from Sony and Ericsson to Microsoft and Nokia. Right now, a new friend would go a long way to helping Research in Motion overcome public perception, and Intel to add another big name to its list.
It makes good sense for Intel too, as RIM is placed third — and rising — in terms of market share in India — an important emerging market — behind Nokia and Samsung. It also made it very clear during BlackBerry 10 Jam that emerging markets were high on its list of priorities, and as Intel has already partnered with Lava to produce the Xolo Android phone in India, we’re assuming it is for Intel too. The combination of both Atom-powered BlackBerrys and Android phones could see them on their way to a significant slice of the market.
RIM on the other hand, needs a differentiator, something to make its BlackBerry 10 phones standout in amongst iPhone 5s, Jelly Beans and Windows Phone 8. Packing in a 2GHz Atom chip could do exactly that. Plus, with Texas Instruments taking a step back from the mobile market, a gap has opened up at RIM into which Intel could neatly slip.
Yes it would be a risk for both parties, and would require plenty of adjustment on RIM’s side, but that could be exactly what’s needed to push forward in today’s fiercely competitive mobile market.
The palm-defying Samsung Galaxy Note 2 will be available a day early from the company's flagship store in London this Sunday, September 30.
The 5.5-inch, stylus-equipped smartphone / tablet hybrid doesn't go on sale across the rest of the UK until October 1, but visitors to the Westfield Stratford City shopping centre will get early bragging rights.
Samsung is also promising Sunday gadget worshippers an exclusive sales price, although that has yet to be revealed.
Jelly Bean on-board
The Samsung Galaxy Note 2, which is even larger than its popular predecessor will come with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean straight out of the box alongside the familiar Super AMOLED HD screen.
The device also boasts a 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos processor, 2GB of RAM and manages to squeeze everything into a 9.4mm thick frame.
Earlier this week we received the first information on contact prices for the Galaxy Note 2. Phones4U's cheapest tariff comes in at £31, but that involves a heavy outlay of £149.99 for the device itself.
SIM-free options start from £529 on Expansys for the 16GB model. Hopefully Samsung will offers Sunday shoppers in London a much sweeter deal.
Samsung and AT&T announced four Android devices which are bound to hit the carrier's shelves in the coming months. The bunch consists of three LTE smartphones and one tablet, which also packs the aforementioned network connectivity.
We begin with the Samsung Galaxy Express. The Android 4.0 ICS smartphone packs a dual-core CPU clocked at 1.5GHz and a 4.5" Super AMOLED Plus display (likely with WVGA) resolution. A 5MP snapper and 200mAh battery complete the list of known specs.
The Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro is next on the list. The successor of the Samsung Rugby Smart packs LTE and Android 4.0 ICS, tucked into a rugged body, which is built up to 810g military specifications. A 4" WVGA Super AMOLED display, a 5MP camera, as well as enhanced push-to-talk are also part of the spec sheet.
AT&T also announced its own version of the Samsung Galaxy Note II. The phoneblet's specs are no different than the ones found in the international version, save for the presence of LTE and AT&T's logo on the back.
Finally, AT&T announced the addition of the 4G LTE flavored Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 to its lineup of slates.
Pricing and exact availability for the devices is yet to be known. We'll update you as soon as we find out.
Apple might be breathing down Pandora's neck before long (credit: iTunes)
Rumors have been flying in recent weeks that Apple has been planning to take on Pandora with a music streaming service of its own - but those plans may have been scrubbed temporarily by a single music publisher.
According to reports published Friday, Sony/ATV Music Publishing has been named as the major holdout in moving the service forward.
Jointly owned by Sony and Michael Jackson's estate, industry sources claim Sony/ATV asked Apple to pay a higher per-song rate than competitors like Pandora.
The company recently bought EMI Music Publishing, granting it power over 2 million music copyrights for artists ranging from One Direction to The Beatles - rights Apple needs to offer a competitive playlist and a leverage point for Sony/ATV.
Opening Pandora's box
Generally, it looks as though Apple's music service, created in partnership with music labels, aims to be a more flexible alternative to Pandora, one that allows it to take users directly to the iTunes store while letting labels promote an artist, band, or brand at any given time.
Services like Pandora have traditionally paid music publishers a statutory rate for streaming web radio, rather than having to negotiate with each individual publishing company.
Apple's rumored service apparently goes a step further than Pandora, enabling users to play a selected artist more times than Pandora-like services are allowed.
Part of its plan requires Apple to negotiate with each individual rights holder and not just with the major copyright holders - and that's where trouble came into Cupertino's planned paradise.
Turning down the volume
Music label honchos are reportedly none too keen on Pandora's business model themselves as sources claim the service doesn't provide them with much revenue and takes away from sales.
While the music industry has its issues with Apple, particularly over the legal scramble created when Apple first attempted to announce 90-second song samples in 2010, the industry also doesn't want to see Pandora become too big to topple nor have Apple create an identical service.
Apple, it seems, offers an attractive alternative to the dominate Pandora.
The new service was supposedly set to debut alongside the iPhone 5 earlier this month.
As talks continue, iOS 6's iTunes Match offers songs that are fully streamable for now - eliminating the need to download to a device first.
TechRadar has reached out to Sony/ATV for comment and will update this story if and when additional information becomes available.
AT&T today detailed four new LTE-equipped Samsung devices will be available on its network including the Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Tab 2 10.1.
The list of 4G LTE devices that AT&T offers just got longer. Thanks to the equally exponentially expanding Samsung’s Galaxy line, AT&T is adding four new Android devices to its portfolio. The three new handsets and one tablet will be available over the coming months and will give consumers that many more decisions to have to make when trying to pick out their new Android device. Here’s a quick look at all four new AT&T devices.
Samsung Galaxy Express
The Samsung Galaxy Express fills the void on the middle-to-upper tier offerings in the AT&T line up. That’s right, they have so many phones that there are now tiers between tiers. The 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display will give users a great view of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and images captured on the 5-megapixel rear-facing camera. The 1.5GHz dual-core processor have the phone running fast and the 2000mAh battery will keep it going.
Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro
Designed for people with a more rugged outer shell while maintaining its smarts, the Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro is designed to take a beating. It’s probably best for people with a rough-and-tumble jobs. So on-site engineers or tax auditors or something along those lines, we’d imagine. We’re not really sure as we spend our days typing on keyboards. What we do know, is that it comes with a 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, and enhanced Push-to-Talk capabilities. No word on operating system (what version of Android), processor, battery, RAM, or any of the other details one would expect from a phone announcement. It will have full phone data encryption though, so add secret agents to the list of professions that would use this handset.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
If you’ve been looking for an Android tablet, you’re no doubt familiar with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 by this point. AT&T will be bringing the device onto their 4G LTE network soon. To recap what this tablet offers, it operates on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), features a 10.1-inch screen, and is run by a 1GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM. Check out our full review of the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 for our overall impressions of the tablet.
Samsung Galaxy Note II
While we’ve known that the Galaxy Note 2 is coming to major carriers, AT&T confirmed it’s presence in their upcoming lineup. The phone-tablet hybrid features a 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display powered by 2GB of RAM and a 1.6GHz quad-core processor. It’s the only device announced that will come running Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). Take a look at our hands-on with the Galaxy Note 2 for more information.
Apple might be breathing down Pandora's neck before long (credit: iTunes)
Rumors have been flying in recent weeks that Apple has been planning to take on Pandora with a music streaming service of its own - but those plans may have been scrubbed temporarily by a single music publisher.
According to reports published Friday, Sony/ATV Music Publishing has been named as the major holdout in moving the service forward.
Jointly owned by Sony and Michael Jackson's estate, industry sources claim Sony/ATV asked Apple to pay a higher per-song rate than competitors like Pandora.
The company recently bought EMI Music Publishing, granting it power over two million music copyrights for artists from One Direction to The Beatles, rights Apple needs to offer a competitive playlist and a leverage point for Sony/ATV.
Opening Pandora's box
Generally, it looks as though Apple's music service, created in partnership with music labels, aims to be a more flexible alternative to Pandora, one that allows it to take users directly to the iTunes store while letting labels promote an artist, band, or brand at any given time.
Services like Pandora have traditionally paid music publishers a statutory rate for streaming web radio, rather than having to negotiate with each individual publishing company.
Apple's rumored service apparently goes a step further than Pandora, enabling users to play a selected artist more times than Pandora-like services are allowed.
Part of its plan requires Apple to negotiate with each individual rights holder and not just with the major copyright holders - and that's where trouble came into Cupertino's planned paradise.
Turning down the volume
Music label honchos are reportedly none too keen on Pandora's business model themselves as sources claim the service doesn't provide them with much revenue and takes away from sales.
While the music industry has its issues with Apple, particularly over the legal scramble created when Apple first attempted to announce 90-second song samples in 2010, the industry also doesn't want to see Pandora become too big to topple nor have Apple create an identical service.
Apple, it seems, offers an attractive alternative to the dominate Pandora.
The new service was supposedly set to debut alongside the iPhone 5 earlier this month.
Though talks continue, for now, iOS 6's iTunes Match offers songs that are fully streamable, eliminating the need to download to a device first.
TechRadar has reached out to Sony/ATV for comment and will update this story if and when additional information becomes available.
AT&T puts control right at user's fingertips with MiFi Liberate, the first mobile hotspot with a touchscreen.
Not too many years ago, people would joke about how everything has a camera built into it. But since everything also has a touchscreen nowadays, wouldn’t it make sense if touchscreens were the new camera? Wouldn’t that be the gadget everyone needs to own? Well, that seems to be the rationale behind AT&T latest device: the MiFi Liberate, the mobile provider’s first ever hotspot device decked out with touchscreen capacity.
The MiFi Liberate, developed by Novatel Wireless, can connect up to 10 devices to AT&T’s 4G LTE network. Those devices can then be managed right from the MiFi Liberate’s 2.8-inch color screen. From the MiFi Liberate, you can control various functionalities, such as monitoring data usage, changing networks, and editing the device settings — straight from the touch interface. Users will also be able to add extra memory space with MicroSD cards. AT&T is promising about 11 hours of battery life in continuous use.
There are currently no pricing or availability information for the MiFi Liberate, and it’s something AT&T may want to move quick to announce. It’s only a matter of time before a company releases a WiFi hotspot with a larger touchscreen and more functionalities, which will prompt the competitive process to continue until someone realizes they’re just creating a tablet that acts as a WiFi hotspot.
BlackBerry 10 is a brand new operating system from RIM, which has been built to run on both smartphones and tablets, much like Android and iOS, and will be absolutely key in deciding the company's future.
Get it wrong and BlackBerry 10 could well sink the Canadian firm, so here's hoping that BB10 (and not BBX after a lawsuit was filed) will be the blockbuster revelation which RIM so desperately needs it to be.
Update: Research in Motion is pretty bullish about the chances of BlackBerry 10, with CEO Thorsten Heins saying: "We have a clear shot at being the number three platform on the market. We're not just another open platform on the market, we are BlackBerry." - powerful stuff.
BlackBerry 10 release date
Initially RIM was planning to launch BB10 before the end of 2012, with at least one flagship device running the operating system arriving in time for Christmas.
However CEO Thorsten Heins confirmed in July that BlackBerry 10 will be delayed until early 2013, as the company continues to fine tune the software, to ensure it launches in the best possible state.
Heins said: "We expect a successful launch of BB10 in the first calendar quarter 2013 – this is our number one priority.
"The timeline has shifted to [this date] and is related to the large volume of software code to work through over last few months.
"This is taking more time than anticipated. To be clear, the change in timeline is not related to architecture, but the integration challenge of bringing all this code our diligent R&D teams have created and get it ready for use globally."
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.
Although the operating system is still very much in early stages of its 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 this 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.
To find out more about the initial features make sure you read out hands on: BlackBerry 10 review.
Update: A particularly enticing new feature is BlackBerry Peek, which allows users to glimpse their hub screen from any application without exiting the program.
It's a one-finger feature, meaning all it takes is a thumb swipe to see what emails, texts, and other messages are waiting on a phone.
Update:BlackBerry Balance draws a line between professional and personal use, so company phones have a set of rules laid out by the boss on one part of the device while allowing workers more freedom elsewhere.
Update: If you need any more convincing RIM CEO Thorsten Heins has said: "we believe BB10 will advance the OS environment to the next level" - so yeah, watch out Android/iOS/Windows Phone.
BlackBerry 10 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.
RIM has developed its own keyboard, with a design which reflects the physical offerings on its Bold range and a new next-word prediction system which sees suggestions appearing above characters on the board itself.
It's critical that RIM nails the keyboard in BB10, as BlackBerry handsets are synonymous with typing on the go, and if dedicated fans can't easily transfer from physical boards then touchscreen BB 10 handsets may be hard to shift.
To find out more about the BB10 keyboard make sure you read our hands on: BB10 review.
BlackBerry 10 - BlackBerry Hub
The BlackBerry Hub will be the brain center of all BB10 devices, a one-stop shop to access email, Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, BlackBerry messenger, text messages, and other time-sensitive information.
BlackBerry 10 camera
A brand new camera application has been developed for BB10, bringing the operating system inline with the camera functions found on Android, iOS and Windows Phone handsets.
The new app allows for photographs to be "rewound" in case you've mucked up the image.
Say for instance your friend is blinking in a shot, with the new app you would be able to "rewind" the image to the point where they weren't and save it.
With the launch of Blackberry 10, RIM has also revealed a developer toolkit for the platform, which could mean that more photography and image-editing apps are in the pipeline.
BlackBerry 10 apps
Your current BlackBerry apps won't run on BB10, so you'll need to download/purchase a new set of applications onto your new device when they eventually roll out.
Apps are big business in the smartphone and tablet world and RIM is very aware of this, as it's guaranteed developers $10,000 of revenue in the first year of an app's life on BB 10.
The current PlayBook, and to an extent BlackBerry handsets, suffer from a lacklustre offering in the App World store – with the likes of Google's Play Store and Apple's App Store dwarfing RIM's offering and thus putting some consumers off.
As well as the revenue incentive for developers, RIM has also made it easy to port Android applications on the BB10 platform, with an easy to use API helping devs to do this - and hopefully boasting the portfolio of apps available at launch.
BlackBerry 10 devices
The first BlackBerry 10 devices are now expected to arrive in January 2013, and RIM has confirmed that it will offer both full-touchscreen and QWERTY keyboard handset options.
According to leaked BB10 roadmaps, the first touchscreen phone will be called the BlackBerry London, while the first to sport a full keyboard and the new OS will be called the BlackBerry Nevada – both pegged for a first quarter release next year.
The same roadmap also shows RIM isn't going to be giving up on the tablet market after the poor performce of its PlayBook, with another slate, codenamed Blackforest, scheduled for release in the middle of 2013.
It's thought that the Blackforest will also sport a larger screen than the 7-inch PlayBook – possibly putting it in contention to challenge the new iPad and 10-inch Android crowd.
Update: Heins said BB 10 phones will use the same HDMI and USB connectors as past BlackBerry devices, noting, "We all can save some money" - a cheeky dig at Apple and the new port on the iPhone 5 right there.
Update: RIM CEO Thorsten Heins reckons the display on the new touchscreen BB10 device is going to be top notch: "The display in full touch will be beyond what iPhone 5 launched with, it will actually be true HD."
However RIM has also ruled out any chance of us seeing the BB10 handsets before the end of 2012, with the Canadian firm determined to make us wait until the new year.
Update: But wait, what's this? We may have got our first peek at the fully-touchscreen L Series and QWERTY keyboard touting N Series, thanks to a leaked video claiming to be an internal promo clip for RIM.
BlackBerry 10 on PlayBook
RIM has already confirmed that the BlackBerry PlayBook will receive the update to the BlackBerry 10 operating system, and while there's no firm date for this to be rolled out, we'd expect it to happen pretty soon into the new year.
BlackBerry 10 in cars
The current PlayBook OS is based on the version of QNX built for car makers and "the next generation of QNX for cars is going to be built from BB 10," Alec Saunders told us; car makers are keen to use HTML5 for in-car information and entertainment.
That makes it easier to treat your car as another device, he suggested, and to share information. "Ultimately you will be able to transition from your smartphone to your tablet to your TV to your car. Sync will be important. I think you'll start to see devices do things like Bridge today, where it mirrors [on the PlayBook] what's on the BlackBerry handset.
"You'll use one device to access what's on another. QNX is made for these kind of scenarios, projecting information from one device to another. You won't have five devices and have all your content on everything; it's going to have to grow seamlessly across them."
BlackBerry 7 devices
There's bad news for anyone who currently owns a BlackBerry though, as all BlackBerry 7 handsets will not receive the update to the new BB 10 operating system, as RIM has completely rebuilt the platform from the ground up, which means the current crop of phones will be unable to run it.
A video showing the BlackBerry 10 L Series and N Series handsets has been leaked, giving us our first proper look at RIM's 2013 range.
A marketing video showing what’s believed to be the BlackBerry N Series and L Series phones was discovered yesterday, giving us our first, good look at the devices that are charged with bringing RIM back from obscurity next year.
Originally posted to Vimeo, the video has subsequently been removed, a move that more often than not proves its legitimacy. Crackberry.com managed to grab some interesting screenshots prior to this point, as did Pocket-Lint.com.
The touchscreen L Series phone, codename London, has been spotted several times before, and is similar to the Dev Alpha phones currently doing the rounds with developers. Previous leaks have pointed to the phone having a dual-core processor and a 1280 x 768 pixel resolution, 4-inch screen.
Far more interesting is the N Series, or Nevada, as it’s our first proper look at the BB10 QWERTY keyboard phone. Phones with keyboards are a BlackBerry trademark, and this one looks, well, it looks like all the others. Except that is, for one big difference — the disappearance of the optical trackpad.
The N Series will have a touchscreen of course — possibly with a 720 x 720 pixel resolution — but previous BlackBerry phones with touchscreens kept the handy optical trackpad too. It made single-handed use surprisingly easy, particularly when navigating the endless menus. The call send and end buttons have gone too, presumably to be replaced by touchscreen buttons.
The image you see above puts the pair together, giving us a preview of the early 2013 BlackBerry range, and it’s a little uninspired. Yes, there are BlackBerry fans who want keyboards, yes it’s harder to make phones standout these days, and no, the answer to BlackBerry’s problems isn’t flashing lights and a 3D display. But is a Palm Pixi-alike and yet another monolithic touchscreen handset the best it can do?
But, we’ll reserve judgment until the L Series and N Series are firmly in our hands, as like the iPhone, high-end BlackBerrys often feel better than they picture. When will this be? We’re still waiting for an exact date, with RIM only committing to the first quarter of 2013, although some are taking the January 21, 2013 deadline for entries into RIM’s developer contest as a distinct possibility.
After the pricing of HTC's Windows Phone 8 smartphones, the 8X and 8S, and Nokia's Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 were revealed, now it's time to see how much Samsung is going to ask for its ATIV S.
A Belgian retailer has priced the ATIV S, SIM free at €549 ($710). This puts the smartphone right in the middle of the Windows Phone 8 spectrum, as the HTC's WP8 flagship, the 8X will cost €499 and the Nokia Lumia 920 is going to retail for € 599.
Mind you, the pricing hasn't been officially confirmed yet, nor by Samsung, so take this with a grain of salt. Still, it gives you a general idea how the current line-up of Windows Phone 8-running devices stands against the competition price-wise.
It looks like the Motorola Razr i release date will be October 1, as several online retailers post stock information on their sites.
Both Clove and Unlocked Mobiles have revealed they will be shipping the Razr i on Monday, while Expansys claims it will have units in five days.
UK highstreet store Phones4U will also be stocking the Razr i, however it's yet to announce when it expects to receive the handset.
Edge to edge
The Motorola Razr i boasts an impressive edge-to-edge 4.3-inch display, 2GHz single-core Intel processor and super quick 8MP camera.
You'll be able to get the Razr i on T-Mobile, Orange and Virgin Media, with contracts starting at £23 per month with Virgin, but if you want to get the handset free opt for the T-Mobile/Orange £31 per month deal.
Motorola is still in talks with the likes of O2, Three and Vodafone about the possibility of ranging the handset.
In an unprecedented move, Apple's CEO Tim Cook published a letter on the company's website, admitting that Apple's new maps service isn't up to par with the competition.
In the letter, Tim Cook goes on to say that the Apple Maps app has reached more than 100 million iOS devices and in just over a week users have accounted for nearly half a billion searches. The latter is essential as it helps Apple improve its service.
But here's the shocking part, Tim Cook actually admitted that the app wasn't up to scratch and apologized for the frustration that it caused Apple customers. He even went on to suggest "alternatives".
While we’re improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app.
The company seems to be hard at work on revising the bugs and problems of its Maps service, but until then, iOS users have the official permission of Tim Cook go elsewhere if they feel unsatisfied with what Apple has done with Maps.
Follow the source link to read the whole letter of apology.
Apple CEO Tim Cook issued a rare apology to iOS 6 users today for not making Maps the best navigation app in the world from day one.
Well, would you look at that. In a letter to customers released this morning, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that he is “extremely sorry” that the company’s new Maps app for iOS 6 “fell short” of expectations. He promises that the app will improve, but suggests that users try out alternative apps, like Bing, in the mean time. Freakin’ Bing!
This un-Steve-Jobs-like display of humility comes just over a week after the release of iOS 6, which was drowned by a flood of reports about the various failings of Maps. The issue was so big that a blog about it popped up. Twitter and Facebook users predictably freaked out. The New York Times even jumped in to give the dead horse a few whacks.
And the most amazing thing is that this could have all been avoided. Since the release of the iPhone in 2007, Apple has included Google Maps — a far more mature navigation product — as a pre-installed app in iOS. But earlier this year, Apple and Google had a falling out over Google Maps. According to AllThingsD, Apple wanted turn-by-turn voice navigation in the iOS version of Google Maps, just like Android users have. Google said no. Apple pulled out of their contract a year early, ending the reign of Google Maps with iOS 6, which apparently caused Google to scramble to put together a new version — a development melee that is ongoing.
As Cook points out in his letter, the more “customers use our Maps the better it will get” — a process that will be accelerated significantly with today’s release of the iPhone 5 in 22 more countries around the world. Whether or not Cook will have to issue 22 more apology letters remains to be seen.
Check out Cook’s letter in full below:
To our customers,
At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.
We launched Maps initially with the first version of iOS. As time progressed, we wanted to provide our customers with even better Maps including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps. In order to do this, we had to create a new version of Maps from the ground up.
There are already more than 100 million iOS devices using the new Apple Maps, with more and more joining us every day. In just over a week, iOS users with the new Maps have already searched for nearly half a billion locations. The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get and we greatly appreciate all of the feedback we have received from you.
While we’re improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app.
Everything we do at Apple is aimed at making our products the best in the world. We know that you expect that from us, and we will keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to the same incredibly high standard.
Tim Cook has sent an open letter admitting the failure of iOS Maps, and even offers better alternatives from rivals.
The letter, posted on the Apple website, is apologetic about the new system despite the fact it has logged 500,000,000 mapping search queries already.
Apple has promised to improve the data through these cloud-sourced searches, stating:"the more our customers use our Maps the better it will get and we greatly appreciate all of the feedback we have received from you."
More cuttingly for the Apple fans of the world is Cook's suggestion that iOS users should look at alternatives while iOS Maps is being fixed:
"While we're improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app."
Losing its direction
It's a huge OH DEAR for Apple, with the statement essentially boiling down to 'We shouldn't have dropped Google Maps so early but we did it for you. We're always thinking of you'.
The consumer outcry over the substandard mapping app harks back to AntennaGate on the iPhone 4, where Apple was forced to tell people they were 'holding the phone wrong' and gave out free bumpers to mitigate the problem.
There will predictably be an outcry from consumers over the admission, with many likely to demand a refund or, in the more publicity-seeking cases, file a lawsuit against the Cupertino brand for 'loss of direction'.
RIM has released its financial results for Q2 2013 (the company has a shifted financial year) and despite reporting a loss of $235 million, it's not as bad as last quarter, when the loss of the Canadian company was double that.
Revenue was $2.9 billion, which is 31 percent down year-over-year. RIM managed to ship 7.4 million smartphones and 130,000 PlayBook tablets and has a total of 80 million BlackBerry subscribers.
The company reports $2.3 billion in cash and assets on hand. This is a slight increase from last quarter's $2.2 billion. The Canadian smartphone manufacturer says everything is going as planned for the future BlackBerry 10 launch early next year and is looking forward to better times once the refreshed OS hits the market.
Microsoft has officially announced the first details of Windows Phone 8 (which you may know better as Apollo) and confirming many of the rumours about the new operating system at the Windows Phone Summit.
However, don't get too excited - this is a 'sneak peek' rather than the full details of the new version and there's still a lot of information that we don't know.
Windows Phone 8 release date
We're still waiting to get our ears tuned into a proper Windows Phone 8 release date – we're currently being given the boring notion of 'autumn', which could be any time from October to Christmas for all we know. However, we expect it to be sooner rather than later as Microsoft won't want to miss the traditional holiday season gadget-buying rush.
That position has been thrown into doubt somewhat since Microsoft has started cosying up to HTC as well, and sources tell us we won't see a single Windows Phone 8 handset until the first days of November at least.
According to sources Windows Phone 8 will be officially launched on October 29, three days after the launch of the Windows 8 platform, so the November release date for handsets makes a lot of sense.
If you like the sound of all this, then the good news is you won't have to wait until your mobile network gets around to testing and pushing out updates in the future either.
There's going to be a way for users to get updates directly from Microsoft (perhaps labelled as beta releases) as long as they assume responsibility for anything that goes wrong.
In summary, Microsoft is adding the features that Windows Phone needs to succeed and that need new hardware.
It's also finally doing something to address the problem of upgrades that would work on your handset but you're frustratingly unable to get – listen up, Google.
Where Windows Phone still needs to catch up with the other smartphone systems on features it's doing that much faster. Now it just needs to sell more devices.
Windows Phone 8 - who's on board?
There aren't too many manufacturers on board just yet, but we do know a few that will be launching Windows Phone 8 handsets.
Samsung, Huawei, HTC and Nokia are the only confirmed manufacturers at this time - although ZTE told TechRadar it will be launching WP8-powered handsets in 2013.
During IFA 2012 in Berlin Samsung unveiled its first Windows Phone 8 handset, the Ativ S, which will pack a large 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, with the choice of 16GB and 32GB of internal storage.
Huawei will be bringing out a Windows Phone 8 handset by the end of the year too, with Shao Yang, chief marketing officer for Huawei, saying: "We are poised to end the year with a big bang – with the introduction of our first smartphone running on the Windows Phone platform."
Nokia has also unveiled its first two handsets to run Windows Phone 8 at a special event in New York.
The flagship Nokia Lumia 920 will head up the Finnish firm's range, sporting a 4.5-inch HD display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 8.7MP rear 'Pureview' camera, 32GB of internal memory and 1GB of RAM, helping it to run Microsoft's latest mobile platform.
Given the phones are officially called 'Windows Phone 8X/S by HTC' it's a curious move from Microsoft to make the Taiwanese manufacturer the flagship brand for the new version of the platform.
Both phones exhibit solid design, feel great in the hand, and while they're not as thing as the competition offer tapered chassis to add a better position during use.
The 8X and 8S both offer up Beats Audio for enhanced sound, but the 8X is the superior experience thanks to a larger 4.3-inch screen, compared to the 4-inch of the latter.
Windows Phone 8 apps
The problem for Windows Phone is less the existing users – who tend to be enthusiastic as well as demanding – and more selling the phones.
The partnership with Nokia is certainly helping, as will the announcement that the Windows Phone Marketplace is now up to 100,000 apps with more coming - from the PayPal support for Wallet to iPhone must-haves like Words with Friends and Audible, plus Zynga's newly acquired Draw Something.
All Windows Phone 7 apps will run on Windows Phone 8 handsets; but in future developers will have to choose whether to make an app that only uses Windows Phone 7 features and works on both, or one that uses Windows Phone 8.
This means supporting features like Wallet, VOIP, native code or being able to run navigation in the background (which should mean we finally see some full-featured turn-by-turn navigation apps that go beyond what Nokia Drive offers).
TomTom clearly sees the power of Nokia Drive too, as it reckons it will be looking at a Windows Phone 8 app in the future, despite saying it has 'a bit of a love hate relationship with Windows Phone'.
EA has come out in support of Windows Phone 8 platform too, with the powerful Windows 8 synergy seemingly enough to encourage the brand to state: "Anything that allows more platforms to be adopted quickly that have a gaming element is good for Electronic Arts."
However, BBC iPlayer isn't likely to appear on the platform due to the development tools used, meaning it will still lag behind iOS and Android in the VOD stakes.
There are other advantages, but with the interfaces to components like graphics, audio and sensors being far more similar to those in Windows 8, it's a lot easier to write Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 apps that share features.
Or, of course, they can make two versions, one for 7 and one for 8; how often that happens is going to depend both on how easy Microsoft makes it to share code between versions of apps in its developer tools and on sales of Windows Phone 8 handsets.
Windows Phone 8 interface
There is one feature of Windows Phone you will be able to get on current handsets (with an update that has the strikingly appropriate name of Windows Phone 7.8) and that's the new Start screen. This now uses the whole width of the screen, without the arrow to tell you to swipe sideways for more apps.
With the extra space you can fit in a lot more tiles, which can now be three different sizes. There's a new small size that you can pick for any app, so if you don't need the Office hub or the dialler to have a full size button because there's not that much useful information on them, you can shrink them down.
New start screen: With the extra space you can fit in a lot more tiles, which can now be three different sizes.
And as well as the current standard tile size, any app will be able to have an extra-large tile to fit more details onto the live tile. Along with some new colour schemes, that makes the Start screen look much more personal.
But the overall look of the platform hasn't changed dramatically – you're still offered a list of apps adjacent to the Start screen, and the panorama method of seeing more information by moving horizontally remains – after all, why change one of the best things about the old OS?
A few new features look set to still be unveiled - for instance, the mysterious Rooms to allow for shared calendars and photos - so we're still eagerly awaiting the official unveil later this year.
Windows Phone 8 – under the hood
Windows Phone 8 is a major new version, running the kernel from Windows rather than from Windows CE.
It isn't the same as Windows 8, or even Windows RT – even though that also runs on ARM processors – and it doesn't have the same look to the Start screen and Metro-style WinRT apps won't run on Windows Phone 8.
But under the hood it's a lot more similar to develop for and Windows Phone gets several key components from 'big' Windows as well as some significant new features and new hardware, which is good news for what developers can make apps do with the increased access they get to the phone system.
Don't expect the same do-anything, break-anything ethos of Android though; battery life and user experience are still priorities for Windows Phone and even native applications run in a sandbox.
Windows Phone 8 browser and security
Key features that Windows Phone 8 gets from Windows include Internet Explorer 10, complete with the phishing filter and SmartScreen application reputation service to make it harder for malicious websites to trick you into giving away personal information like credit card details or downloading malware.
Malware hasn't been a problem for Windows Phone so far, but any platform that becomes successful is going to get attacked.
Windows Phone gets other Windows security features like disk encryption and secure boot, so businesses will be happier to use it (especially as they can now manage devices and sideload their own business applications).
Windows Phone 8 media and gaming
Audio, graphics and media playback all work more like their Windows equivalents, which should make for more powerful games and entertainment apps.
However, this means that current games will need to be re-tooled to take advantage of the new platform – the likes of Rovio can leave their games as Windows Phone 7 versions, but they'll likely want to re-release a more powerful version of the game too.
But given the increased GPU support and power on offer, we'll at least start seeing some more 3D-rich gaming environments that start taxing the Windows Phone 8 handsets compared to their previous counterparts.
Video calling
There's one place where Windows Phone is jumping ahead of Windows; VOIP calls will look just like regular phone calls with all the same features and notifications. Obviously that's good for Skype but other VOIP apps like Tango will get the same support.
We're still waiting to see how deep Skype integration gets into the Windows Phone 8 OS, as given it's already available as an app on the Windows Phone Marketplace it should be shoved pretty deeply into the platform.
Will it lead to a surge in video calling? Probably not, but as there are strong rumours the Xbox platform will be getting a taste of video calling too it seems only fair that Windows Phone 8 devices, complete with their improved front-facing cameras, should be given priority.
Windows Phone 8 CPU
To make all this work well Windows Phone 8 will run on new hardware; still ARM processors, still the Snapdragon platform from Qualcomm but now with multicore processors, with a new generation of GPUs, and with NFC support.
Battery life is still priority for the platform, so we doubt Microsoft is going to allow any CPUs that get too amorous with the power pack – but more power is a big selling point in today's smartphone market, so this makes enormous sense.
Microsoft Wallet
The new Microsoft Wallet app will allow you to make payments by tapping your phone on a credit card reader the way Google Wallet does, and store credit card and membership details securely and tap your phone to send them the way iOS 6 will.
And you're not tied to using a Microsoft payment service; applications will be able to tap into the Wallet system to set up new payment services – which will include Paypal.
The app is a hub for digital coupons and debit or credit cards - plus you can add in loyalty cards and third party apps that will notify you when they become relevant.
NFC support
NFC is there for Microsoft's Wallet payment system, but has other options as well. The OS supports secure SIM, which means users' can swap from handset to handset and take their payment method with them physically.
There are other applications that Nokia is keen to utilise as well, such as being able to pair with its Bluetooth accessories with a simple tap of the phone – it's a trick we've seen on the old Symbian phones and one we expect to feature heavily here too.
Speech recognition
Microsoft has teamed up with Audible to bring speech recognition to Windows Phone 8, allowing users to shout a variety of commands at their handsets.
During the keynote presentation, we saw a demo of the speech platform – which allowed a user to play movies, browse audiobooks and perform searches.
It's also available for Mango devices, so pop over to the Marketplace today and search Audible if you fancy a go.
Windows Phone 8 upgrades
That's the reason that you won't be able to upgrade any existing Windows Phone handsets to 8, because they don't have the hardware to support the new features or deliver the multitasking performance that the Windows kernel and the improved VOIP support needs.
Only two of the rumoured new resolutions are being announced, both widescreen formats: 1280 by 768 and 1280 by 720 as well as the current 800 by 480, which should give phone makers more flexibility when it comes to choosing parts they can use in multiple devices.
And Windows Phone finally sorts out its SD card support; you'll be able to store media files on a micro SD card or install applications onto it.
Take a moment to check out our Windows Phone 8 round up video below.
The Sony Xperia T is a great looking flagship, although its rather high initial pricetag puts it at something of a disadvantage compared to some certain quad-core offerings (the T itself offers a dual-core Krait CPU).
Fortunately, Three UK is willing to sell you the smartphone for just £29 if you are willing to sign a £30/month Ultimate Internet 500 contract.
There's also a Pay As You Go offer, which comes with a heftier £399 initial fee plus an additional £15 for unlimited data, 300 any-network minutes, and 3,000 texts for 30 days.
"The Bond Phone," as the Xperia T is also known as in the UK, features some impressive build quality and Three is also throwing in two Xperia SmartTags for NFC connectivity, which were not present in the retail package of our review unit. Speaking of our review, you can find it here.
Note that the Bond Phone edition is only available from O2.
