EE announces next wave of 4G-imbued cities

It's the future, but it's now. FUTURE.

The UK's first 4G network has announced a raft of impending improvements to its superfast network, as well as improving 3G services.

A total of 17 new towns and cities will be getting the LTE service, which offers speeds around five times faster than 3G.

The new 4G zones are Bradford, Chelmsford, Coventry, Doncaster, Dudley, Leicester, Luton, Newport, Reading, Rotherham, St Albans, Sunderland, Sutton Coldfield, Walsall, Watford, West Bromwich and Wolverhampton, as EE looks to extend around the launch cities.

The 4G networks in these areas will be turned on by March 2013, with the full 98% coverage rollout set to finish by the end of the following year.

On the up and up

In addition to the new 4G locations, EE has announced that it will be improving the services in the current faster-speed cities, meaning a better signal and even speedier connections for those using LTE phones in the likes of London, Birmingham and Manchester.

And don't worry if you care about, you know, having money and don't want to shell out on 4G just yet; EE has announced it has managed to gain 40% of the population covered with DC-HSPA 3G signal, meaning you can get up to 42Mbps speeds on the go.

If all of this seems like total gibberish, don't worry as we've potted it down for you: 4G is the fastest mobile signal out there, but costs a rather large amount and you'll need a special phone. DC-HSPA is the 'normal' data connection you're used to, but about half the speed of 4G. Simple, eh?

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/ee-announces-next-wave-of-4g-imbued-cities-1118727

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Google Maps returns to iOS after three-month absence

There's good news for frustrated users of Apple Maps: Google Maps is back.

It’s got voice-guided turn-by-turn driving directions. It’s got live traffic information for cities around the world. It’s got Street View imagery. It’s even got Mildura in the right place.

Google Maps returned to the iOS platform late Wednesday night after a three-month absence.

 The app was removed by Apple in favor of its own (much-criticized) Maps app with the launch of iOS 6 in September.

Google’s all-new free app is compatible with the iPhone 3GS, 4, 4S, and 5; the iPod Touch (3rd/4th/5th generation) and iPad, and requires iOS 5.1 or later. This link takes you to Google Maps in the iTunes store.

And here are the details from Google:

Description

Navigate your world with Google Maps, now available for iPhone. Get comprehensive, accurate and easy-to-use maps with built-in Google local search, voice guided turn-by-turn navigation, public transit directions, Street View and more. Use Google Maps to discover great places to eat, drink, shop and play, with ratings and reviews from people you trust. Sign in to save your favorite places and quickly access all your past searches and directions from your computer, right on your phone.

Search

* Find addresses, places and businesses around the world with Google local search.

* Discover places to eat, drink, shop and play, with ratings and local reviews.

* Sign in to sync your searches, directions, and favorite places between your computer and your phone.

Directions

* Get voice guided, turn-by-turn driving directions.

* Find your way by train, bus, subway or walking directions.

* Access live traffic information in cities across the world.

Street View and imagery

* View 360-degree panoramas of places around the globe with Street View.

* See inside more than 100,000 businesses worldwide.

* View high resolution satellite imagery of locations around the world.

Simple and easy to use

* An entirely new Google Maps experience on your iPhone.

* Newly designed and streamlined interface for even easier navigation of your world.

* Use gestures to explore the map and browse results.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/google-maps-returns-to-ios/

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Google Maps application arrives on the iPhone

It's finally here, folks. After taking an exit from the iOS platform with the arrival of iOS 6, the Google Maps application started journey as a standalone app that had to be downloaded from the App Store. And although it did take some time coming, the app is now finally available for download.

Google did take their own sweet time but the app seems every bit as good as the Android version on paper and is even better than the one you previously had on iOS. Not to mention the current Apple Maps.

Among the key new features is the presence of turn-by-turn voice navigation, something that was missing from the built-in Google Maps on iOS. You also get local search, public transport directions, Street View and a lot more.

As you can expect from Google, the app is free to download. Unfortunately, it is only available on the iPhone right now but hopefully an iPad version will arrive later.

Download

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/google_maps_application_arrives_on_the_iphone-news-5198.php

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Report: Google Maps for iOS is queued up for release tonight

Possibly launching on the App Store within a few hours, iPhone 5 users will finally be able to use a Google Maps app instead of Apple's mapping software.

According to a report from All Things SD, Google will launch a Google Maps application on the Apple App Store tonight. Representatives for the two companies have declined to comment on the pending release. According to a report that was originally published by the Wall Street Journal during mid-November, the application has been in the final testing phase and the app has been distributed to people outside of Google’s headquarters for further testing. The launch of a Google Maps application means iPhone 5 users will finally have an alternative to Apple’s mapping software. 

According to Apple, the company shifted away from Google Maps after Google decided against including turn-by-turn directions and voice navigation with Apple’s version of the software. Alternatively, Google does include those features within the Android version of the application.

It’s possible that Google will end up including those features within the iOS application in order to compete more effectively against Apple’s internal mapping software. However, Google representatives haven’t confirmed those features will be available in the standalone version of the iOS application. 

The launch of Apple’s mapping software has only been problematic for the company. Recently, Australian police have warned residents and visitors not to use the application since travelers have been getting stranded by faulty directions. Prior to that report, CEO Tim Cook issued an apology for the launch of iOS Maps and the manager in charge of the project has been fired from his position at Apple. 

However, the launch of Google Maps for iOS does require the approval of Apple. In addition, iPhone users will have to manually install the application as well as launch the application when searching for directions. Alternatively, Apple’s mapping software is already installed on all mobile devices running iOS 6. In addition, the default mapping application is directly tied into many popular applications. For instance, a Yelp user can click “Open Maps App” in the Yelp application in order to bring up driving directions to a local business and Apple’s mapping software will automatically launch. 

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/report-google-maps-for-ios-will-be-released-tonight/

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Microsoft Surface tablet now available through Best Buy and Staples

Microsoft has announced that it will expand sales of its Surface tablet to third party retailers.

Some analysts have blamed the Surface tablet’s slow start on its limited retail availability, but now Microsoft is looking to change that. On Tuesday, the longtime PC-software maker announced that it plans to bring the Surface to third party retail locations in addition to its own stores.

“The public reaction to Surface has been exciting to see,” Panos Panay, general manager for Microsoft Surface, said in a statement. “We’ve increased production and are expanding the ways in which customers can interact with, experience and purchase the Surface.”

Microsoft will start rolling out its tablet to stores in the U.S. and Australia beginning in mid-December. On Wednesday, the Windows RT tablet officially made its debut on Best Buy’s website and is expected to hit the company’s brick and mortar locations on Sunday. Staples has also begun offering the tablet through its online store.

“Our plan has been to expand the retail presence for the Surface after the first of every year,” Steve Schueler, corporate vice president for Microsoft Retail Sales and Marketing, said in a statement. “Based on interest from retailers, we are giving them the option to carry Surface with Windows RT even earlier.”

This move directly echoes the words of brokerage firm Detwiler Fenton from earlier this month. In its research notes, the company blamed poor reception of Microsoft’s tablet to a lack of availability and distribution. Detwiler specifically cited Best Buy, saying that the tablet’s minimal exposure at outlets such as these could have been “severely depressing sales.”

In addition to adding the Surface to Best Buy and Staples’ holiday gadget lineup, Microsoft will be extending its holiday pop-up stores into the new year. These retail locations will be made into permanent Microsoft stores or specialty locations, the company said in its statement on Wednesday.

Before today, the tablet was only available through Microsoft’s online store, the company’s 31 retail stores and 34 previously temporary locations. A wider availability could be what Microsoft needs to give the Surface an edge going into the new year. Tablet shoppers will have the chance to get their hands on the device, get a feel for it, and compare it alongside other similar gadgets in person.

Microsoft has not commented on retail availability for its Surface tablet beyond the US and Australia.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/microsoft-surface-tablet-best-buy-staples/

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Contactless payment comes to London's buses

Bank cards at the ready, folks

Mastercard has agreed a deal with Transport for London to stop you wasting money on travel.

From today commuters can pay for their bus travel using a PayPass bank card, which will cost considerably less than paying for the same trip with cash.

Buses across the capital are already equipped with the contactless readers for Oyster Card payments, but this move means travellers won't have to have a topped up travelcard prior to boarding the bus.

Given it's going to be an eye-watering £2.40 to pay by cash for any journey in 2013, compared to the £1.40 if using an Oyster PAYG card, the fact PayPass bank cards will mirror the lower charges will be a godsend to those who travel the bus infrequently but like the idea of paying a pound less.

Invisible transactions

The balance is taken straight from their bank account instead of needing to queue in a newsagent to top up an Oyster card first.

And there's also the extra bonus of not being stared at angrily by the bus driver when you try to pay for a jaunt to the shops with a £20. They don't like that, trust us.

Similar schemes are planned nationwide, and the likelihood is that the technology, which is already present in phones, will be added to the roster of bus payment mechanisms in the near future – we're chasing Mastercard for an answer on this at the moment.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/contactless-payment-comes-to-londons-buses-1118723

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Google isn’t developing Gmail or anything else for Windows 8

A Google executive has confirmed that it will not develop any apps for Microsoft's Windows 8 platform.

Less than two months after the launch of Windows 8, Microsoft continues to bolster its app store for its brand new platform. However, one crucial company has already declared that it will not be on board. On Wednesday, Google announced that it doesn’t plan to develop any apps for Windows 8, including its widely popular email provider Gmail.

Due to lack of interest in the platform, Google is deciding to pass on creating applications for Microsoft’s new software. Clay Bavor, Google’s product management director for Google Apps, said that the search engine giant is “very careful” about where it invests its time and resources. As Slash Gear reports, Google said it only plans to go where the users are, and users “are not on Windows Phone or Windows 8.”

Although Google hasn’t expressed interest in developing for Windows 8 at the moment, the company could change its mind if its user base grows, Bavor said. Much of Google’s time and resources are put toward improving its existing Android and iOS products, and the company is expected to further that notion come 2013. Bavor said that the new year will mark a time when Google makes “big investments” in its mobile properties. Bavor also added that the company’s current apps are merely “first versions” of what’s to come.

While Windows 8 users will still be able to access Gmail and other Google apps through their Web browser, they will not get the same user experience that comes with a native application. Windows 8 sales haven’t been phenomenal thus far, as Microsoft analyst Paul Thurrott has written that some of his sources said the new OS isn’t hitting Redmond’s targets. According to the Windows aficionado, Microsoft is putting some blame on the OEMs for not delivering more inspiring hardware for its new platform.

Microsoft’s Surface tablet hasn’t exactly been flying off the shelves either. Earlier in December, brokerage firm Detwiler Fenton estimated that sales of the company’s first self-branded tablet would fall below one million units this quarter. Windows Phone 8 may be seeing the most positive reception of Microsoft’s recently launched platforms. Analysts predict that by 2016, Microsoft’s mobile platform will account for 11.4 percent of the mobile market - a major jump from its current 2.6 percent ownership in the market. This is a 71.3 percent increase, and the projected percentage only falls a few numbers below Apple’s iOS standings at 18.8 percent.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/windows-8-google-doesnt-plan-on-developing/

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Gmail 2.0 for iOS hands on: It’s not perfect, but it’s getting there

Gmail has finally made the jump to version 2.0 on iOS, much to the joy of users of the Google-made email service. A whole new look and some much-needed feature additions like multiple account support make this a worthy upgrade for most, though power users may find the navigation troublesome.

Google has been making it a point to show its apps some more love these days. After an update to Gmail on its native OS of Android, Google decided to give iOS users a gift of a major update to its mobile mail client. The previous versions of the app on Apple devices left a lot to be desired and led to a lot of third party solutions, one of the best of which being Sparrow, which is now owned by Google. After six months of reworking its in-house offering, it’s clear Google made something worth using – as long as you don’t compare it to it’s Android equivalent.

After getting the update to the new look Gmail app, the first thing users will notice is an entire redesign to the interface. The previous theme of Gmail included dark colors and somewhat boring, rounded corners, and so-so fonts. Now bright colors, crisp texts, and sharp boxes. Even pulling down the menus to refresh or loading a message displays a multi-colored, animated ball that offers just a second of extra brightness to the experience. 

It’s not a deal-making feature or anything, but it’s just a nice little touch that adds a bit of class to browsing mundane emails. That or it’s a very clever cover up for some in-app lag, in which case it worked because it’s distracting.

The threaded message view now includes a nice icon, subject, sender, and message information taking up all available space. There’s a bit more in the iPad version, taking advantage of the extra screen space, but on the iPhone it’s a little sparse. It’s also a bit more difficult to collapse an expanded thread on the iPhone. This is just the start of issues with message movement. You have to back out of each message and re-navigate your inbox to go to the next message. It seems like a little thing, but it really does change your browsing experience – especially if you’re used to Sparrow or other major third party options.

Integration with other Google products like Google+ and Calendar are welcome improvements that make things a lot easier. Direct replying to events with Calendar is great for creating a more universal Google experience. Seeing Google+ notifications right in your Gmail inbox is also nice, especially if you’re a heavy user of the social network that, with the bigger push by Google through other tools like Gmail, now seems like an inevitably perpetual presence than a forgotten option.

A heavily requested feature that has finally made an appearance in Gmail 2.0 is the ability to include multiple accounts in the app. You can link up to five Gmail identities to the Gmail app and switch between them. It’s nice, but if you’re a power user it probably still isn’t quite what you’re looking for. Changing between accounts is a multi-tap process. It’s not painful or anything, but it’s a little cumbersome and less than efficient – more just required to get to where you need to go. Perhaps we should just be glad it’s here but when you’re used to things like Sparrow, it’s hard to accept less.

All things considered, Gmail 2.0 for iOS is anything but a disappointment. For people using Apple’s Mail app or other free alternatives out there, Gmail is definitely a big enough step up to act as your go-to mail client. It looks great, the ability to manage multiple accounts was much needed, and the overall Google integration is very useful for people that already call other tools from the search giant their defaults. If you spend a lot of your day communicating from inside your inbox, Gmail 2.0 probably still leaves a bit to be desired. Navigating the app can be cumbersome and there’s a bit of a lag issue. It’s too clunky to be as quick and easy as one would want, it’s not quite up to par with Sparrow or the Gmail Android app – technically making Google it’s own biggest competitor no matter how you look at it. Gmail 2.0 is a huge jump from its previous version, but it doesn’t quite land it in the big leagues yet.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/gmail-2-0-hands-on-ios/

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Flickr goes all Instagram on us, introduces filters and boosts social integration

Yahoo unveiled its newly redesigned Flickr iPhone app. Users can now take photos and add color filters using Flickr's app.

Mobile-first is the first strategy on Marissa Mayer’s mind in resurrecting Yahoo from its state of decay. Next on the list to be revamped, which sorely needed an upgrade, is the photo-sharing platform Flickr. That’s right, Internet, you may be getting your wish. And now that filters have hit the big time, Yahoo has jumped on the bandwagon and released an updated iPhone Flickr app today that integrates filters and completely reimagines the user experience.

At the height of its popularity and pre-Yahoo acqusition, Flickr was hands down the best desktop photo sharing and publishing app. Now Yahoo is struggling to catch up in the wake of newer, more social, more mobile-friendly tools. Adding filters and transforming Flickr’s iPhone app into an Instagram clone might be a move in the right direction, but there’s also a good chance that it may not sit well with existing users, many of whom have been loyal users and prefer the professionalism and traditionalism of the site. 

While there aren’t too many changes to the app’s design – Flickr has kept its gray gradient on a white navigation bar – the app has been retooled from the ground up to look more like today’s photo-sharing apps. 

There are now two sections dedicated to discovering new photographs on Flickr. The far left button in the navigation opens up a page for photos that your contacts and groups are sharing. Like Instagram and other apps, you can scroll through the photos in a vertical swiping motion. Or to see more of an individual contact’s photos on the same screen, like viewing images on Facebook, you can scroll left and right. And of course users can favorite, comment, or share the images they’ve discovered in these sections.

The button next to it that looks like a globe opens up a page of recommended images from around Flickr, labeled “Interesting” and “Nearby.” “Interesting” shows you cool photographs that deserve your attention, but it’s not clear if the photographs are personalized recommendations based on your interests, or if it’s simply photographs that are trending on Flickr. “Nearby” uses your current location to display the photos published by users around you.

The central button is the in-app camera and the focus of the update. We have to hand it to Flickr for adding a zooming feature, which Instagram sorely lacks, but aside from that there’s nothing else with the app that would pull us away from Instagram. Yahoo’s 16 filters, like Twitter’s, are sourced from Aviary. We went hands on with comparing Instagram’s filters Twitter’s filters, and Instagram wins out by a mile. The same conclusion goes for Flickr’s Aviary filters.

Flickr’s app also offers users their own profile page called “Photostream” where you can view your own photos and photos by groups or contacts you’re following, and the photos that you’ve favorite.

Has Yahoo sold out with this update? The addition of filters will no doubt attract a crowd of smartphone photographers, which amateur and professionals might have to come to grips with. But if you’re looking for a new platform to display your professional photographs that hasn’t been influenced by Instagram and the rest of the trend-hopping photo apps out there, we’d recommend that you sign up for 500px. Hopefully, Flickr is still able to hold on to its cherished spot as a hub for professional photo-sharing, but this deviation will certainly test that. 

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/yahoo-updates-ios-app-looks-like-instagram/

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O2 adds 3 per cent to contract prices, despite service outages

O2 says it has held off on raising tariffs

O2 customers, dismayed by two high profile service failures in the last few months, will be even less enthused to hear their monthly tariffs are going up.

The network has announced that contracts prices for existing users will be going up by 3.2 per cent as of February next year.

Users on one of the company's £36 a month contracts (with 1GB data, unlimited texts and minutes) will be paying £37.15 on their first bill after February 28.

"We've always done everything possible to give you great value. And keep your bills down," the company said on its website.

"To date, we've held off putting our tariff prices up for as long as possible. Even when our competitors raised theirs. But now, because of inflation, we need to change the price of your tariff."

Small print

Within the O2.co.uk/prices page, the company claimed it was within its rights to raise the prices on existing users under Clause 5 of their service contract.

This piece of small print gives O2 the right to adjust prices, providing it gives customers 30 days notice and means that users don't have grounds to cancel their contracts due to the price hike.

The company is still attempting to repair the damage caused by two lengthy service interruptions in July and October and was forced to hand out a substantial compensation package for the former.

With that in mind, it's an interesting time for a price hike, especially with EE's massive 4G leg up.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/o2-adds-3-per-cent-to-contract-prices-despite-service-outages-1118704

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The Samsung Ativ S will hit the UK tomorrow, Ativ Tab on friday

The Samsung Ativ S will be available and in stock in the UK starting tomorrow, December 13, while the Windows RT-running Ativ Tab could be bought on Friday.

The Ativ S became available in Austria yesterday and will soon come to Sweden as well.

Clove UK has priced the Ativ S at £442.80 with VAT included and the Ativ Tab at£538.80.

You can get the WP8 smartphone for less from Unlocked-Mobiles, where it costs £424.98 SIM-free. Currently, the phone can be pre-ordered but stock is expected to arrive tomorrow.

Finally, Phones4U has the Ativ S listed for pre-order with a Vodafone or O2 contract which lets you get the smartphone for £30 or even free. Expected delivery there is December 21.

The Samsung Ativ S shares the 4.8" Super AMOLED HD display, 8 MP camera, general apearance, etc. of the Galaxy S III but runs on a dual-core Krait processor. The Ativ Tab is a direct Surface RT competitor and runs Windows RT, features a 10.1" 1366 x 768 display and a dual-core Krait processor.

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/the_samsung_ativ_s_will_hit_the_uk_tomorrow_tab_on_friday-news-5196.php

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Google's Eric Schmidt rubs in Android smartphone dominance

Merry Christmas, war is (almost) over, claims Google's Schmidt

Google chairman Eric Schmidt has stoked the fire of the ongoing Android vs iPhone smartphone rivalry by claiming the battle is almost won.

Speaking to Bloomberg, Schmidt said the dramatic swing towards Android handsets is reminiscent of Microsoft's Windows sweeping aside Apple's computing platform in the early 90s.

Android's market share rose to a formidable 75 per cent in the third quarter of 2012, compared with the iPhone's 15 per cent, prompting Schmidt to rub a truckload of salt into the wound.

He said: "This is a huge platform change; this is of the scale of 20 years ago - Microsoft versus Apple."

"We're winning that war pretty clearly now," he added, claiming 1.3 million Android devices a day are being activated.

Mmmmm pie

However, while Android is destroying the iPhone in terms of OS market share, Apple rakes in unprecedented profits on hardware sales, while Google simply gives away its operating system.

Schmidt says the openness of Android gives Google the chance to push users towards its other services and cash in further on ad sales.

He added: "The core strategy is to make a bigger pie,"

"We will end up with a not perfectly controlled and not perfectly managed bigger pie by virtue of open systems."

Schmidt is obviously feeling super-confident about the future, but perhaps his bravado went a tad too far when he claimed Google+ "is a viable competitor to Facebook."

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/googles-eric-schmidt-rubs-in-android-smartphone-dominance-1118695

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Photos of Samsung Galaxy S II Plus and Grand Duos surface

Two rumored Galaxy smartphones have taken a step closer to reality, as both got pictured and have had their specs leaked. Both will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of box, and both take after previous Galaxy designs.

The Samsung Galaxy S II Plus I9105 is for all intents and purposes a rehash of last-generations' flagship, featuring the same WVGA 4.3" screen, 8 MP camera (2 MP front-facer), and connectivity features.

This wouldn't be the first time Samsung has released a "Plus" version with almost identical specs to the original (check out the Galaxy S vs. the Galaxy S Plus), but using simple deduction we can say that what's new here is either a bigger battery or a the processor being of the Krait variety, or both.

The Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos GT-I9082 packs a 4.5" screen (also of 480 x 800 pixels), as well as the 8MP and 2MP camera combo. As you may have guessed, the Duos part of the name indicates that this is a dual-SIM device.

No word yet on when these devices will go up for sale or for how much, but likely we'll see them go official in China before anywhere else.

Source 1 (Japanese) | Source 2 (Japanese) | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s_ii_plus_and_grand_duos_get_leaked-news-5197.php

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Butterfly sells very well, HTC has to increase shipments

HTC became the first manufacturer to out a 5 inch FullHD-display wielding smartphone, and it seemed to have caught everyone by surprise, including themselves. While other companies are busy announcing 5" 1080p devices of their own, HTC is already running out of units to sell.

The Butterfly, which retails as the DROID DNA for Verizon in the US, was launched on HTC's homeland, Taiwan, yesterday. At the launch event, the president of HTC North Asia Jack Tong said the company will ship "a large number" of devices by the end of this month, due to the success of the HTC Butterfly J in Japan.

According to Tong, HTC will also be changing its marketing strategy in two key ways. The first involves having less flagship reboots (like the One X+), letting their high end models stay on the market longer.

The second includes creating more affordable devices, belonging to the $175 to $350 range, which HTC hopes will appeal to younger audiences and those looking to upgrade from a feature phone.

Here's hoping we'll also see the HTC Butterfly in Europe soon.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/butterfly_sells_so_well_that_htc_has_to_increase_shipments-news-5194.php

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YotaPhone to bring E-Ink and LCD in one smartphone

The upcoming YotaPhone smartphone will feature a rear-facing E-Ink display to compliment the LCD display on the front of the device.

With E-Ink's ability to display notifications and such at very little energy cost, the YotaPhone claims to increase battery performance by as much as 50%.

Both displays will have a 4.3" diagonal and Gorilla Glass protection. The LCD resolution will be 720 x 1280 pixels, while the E-Ink will have a density of 200 dpi.

A dual-core 1.5GHz processor will power the YotaPhone, alongside 2GB of RAM and 32/64GB of storage (no microSD though). It'll all run on a 2,100mAh battery, and there's even LTE connectivity and a 12MP shooter (plus 720p front-facing unit) as well.

Two displays might theoretically increase the overall thickness when compared to a single-screen device, but Yota has managed to keep it less than 10mm thick, with a weight of just 140 grams.

No word yet on pricing or availability, but Yota has confirmed its participation at MWC this coming February, so expect to hear more about the YotaPhone then.

Source 1 | Source 2

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/yotaphone_to_bring_eink_and_lcd_in_one_package-news-5193.php

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BlackBerry 10 L-Series appears in high-res snaps

The L-Series, or is that Leak-Series? (credit: Tinhte)

RIM's upcoming, fully touchscreen BlackBerry 10 handset looks like it's been snapped again, and this time the photos are actually pretty good.

We've seen previouslyleakedpictures claiming to show the L-Series handset, but quality has been the usual level of blur – but now Tinhte has got hold of clearer images.

Apparently coming from Vietnam, the pictures once again show the handset which has appeared in previous leaks, but this time we're able to get a proper look at what is potentially the first fully touchscreen BB10 device.

The device isn't switched on so we can't be sure it's running BlackBerry 10, but there are still a number of points to garner from these snaps.

Features galore

First up is the rather chunky bezel which adorns the top and bottom of the phone, which adds extra length to the device – think iPhone 5.

Round the back there are slots for a microSIM and microSD card, both of which will be hidden by the rear cover, with the latter accessible without having to remove the battery.

There's a camera lens and flash hiding in the top corner, while on the right sits the play/pause toggle – similar to the switch on top of the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Connectivity fans rejoice, as according to the snaps the BlackBerry 10 L-Series handset will sport NFC technology as well as microUSB and microHDMI slots.

RIM is keeping quiet on its upcoming handsets, and while it is happy to tell us it will be launching full-touchscreen and a QWERTY keyboard handsets on January 30, no further details are being revealed.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/blackberry-10-l-series-appears-in-high-res-snaps-1118622

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Samsung Galaxy Note 2 upgraded to Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean

Now with Android 4.1.2

Samsung has started pushing out the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update to the Galaxy Note 2.

It's only reached Poland so far, according to the table over at SamMobile, but is rolling out in phases. So keep hitting the update button and hopefully you should see it soon enough.

So what's new? Well there's a host of new features. You get new additions in Notification Toggles, you can customise the Notifications Panel, and the brightness slider in the Notifications Panel can be disabled.

Multi-View can be disabled as well, the browser is smoother than before, and the Status Bar is now black instead of grey. You can type on the keyboard just by dragging your finger across it (like Swype or Android 4.2 Jelly Bean), there's a new ink effect on the lockscreen, as well as a new Group Cast app.

So no world-changing features, admittedly, but they all count.

S3 leads the way

Samsung recently started rolling out the same update to the Galaxy S3 smartphone.

The Galaxy Note 2 is one of Samsung's flagship devices, along with the S3, so it obviously wants to keep both up to date. Neither have Android 4.2 Jelly Bean yet though, as found on the Nexus 4.

Via Omio

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-note-2-upgraded-to-android-4-1-2-jelly-bean-1118620

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Mobile device protection: Amazon granted patent for mini-airbag system

We first heard about Jeff Bezos's patent for mini-airbags on mobile devices last year. On Tuesday, it was approved by the US Patent and Trademark Office, but whether that means we'll one day be able to enjoy watching the company's e-readers and tablets bouncing majestically off the ground is, quite frankly, anyone's guess.

Whether the idea was the result of a boozy night out or masses of market research is largely immaterial; the fact is that a patent for mobile device airbags submitted by Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos and company vice president Greg Hart has just been granted to the e-commerce giant by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

News of the patent first emerged in August 2011, though it was actually submitted by the pair over a year earlier in February 2010. The USPTO approved it on Tuesday.

Offering some background to the idea, the patent cites a report that claims “1 out of 3 cellular phones are damaged or lost in the first year of ownership. With the number of cellular phones in use exceeding several billion and repairs typically exceeding $25, the costs of damage and loss of cellular phones amounts to billions of dollars per year.” The patent also lists other portable gadgets which might benefit from the mini-airbag system, including e-readers, laptops, tablets and cameras.

Bezos and Hart’s proposed “damage avoidance system” appears to work much in the same way as a car-based airbag, except that these bags will protect your mobile device instead of your body.

Drop your gadget and in a split second its on-board sensors, such as a gyroscope or accelerometer, will detect what’s happening and deploy the mini-airbags, saving your beloved smartphone or some such device from sustaining a cracked screen or scratched back. The device’s internals would also be protected from a potentially damaging impact.

The patent even talks of “propulsion elements” whereby a mechanism would “expel a gas from the portable device to reduce the speed of the portable device as it travels toward an impact surface.”

Of course, just because the patent has been granted, it doesn’t mean Bezos will be turning up at work on Wednesday morning and ordering the boffins at Amazon to get started on installing the system on the company’s e-readers and Kindle Fire tablets. But the boss of the e-commerce company may certainly turn his mind back to the idea now that the patent has been granted by the USPTO.

Can you imagine the Seatlle-based company taking this one all the way?

[via engadget]

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/amazon-mini-airbag-patent/

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HTC One SV price and release date uncovered

This year or next year? Your guess is as good as ours

Depending on who you want to believe we could see the 4G enabled HTC One SV arrive before the end of year or early in 2013.

Yesterday HTC announced that the One SV would be coming to the UK, bringing with it LTE connectivity, a 4.3-inch display, 5MP rear camera, 1.2GHz dual-core processor and NFC technology.

Within hours of the One SV being unveiled, pre-order pages popped up on the web, with Unlocked-Mobiles posting a tentative SIM-free price of £329.98, with stock expected to arrive on January 2.

Or is it?

However, Expansys has told TechRadar that it reckons the HTC One SV will make a special appearance before the year is out - on Boxing Day of all days.

We're not overly confident with either of the prospective HTC One SV release dates, as both sites have changed arrival times for products in the past.

All we've heard from HTC is that the One SV will be available in "the coming weeks", with no further detail on price or availability as of yet.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/htc-one-sv-price-and-release-date-uncovered-1118598

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Leaked photos and video give us a good look at the BlackBerry 10 L Series phone

A leaked picture and video has provided us with out best look yet of Research in Motion's L Series smartphone, one of two devices on which it will debut BlackBerry 10 next year.

If you’re excited about Research in Motion’s new BlackBerry 10 hardware, due to launch at the end of January, then you’re in for a treat as a we’ve been given a good look at the L Series phone. The L Series will be RIM’s full touchscreen model and it will be released alongside the QWERTY keyboard-equipped N Series.

Earlier this week, a close-up shot of the phone appeared on BlackBerry’s own BB10 website, and although it didn’t show much detail, it did confirm the new phone will have a textured rear panel. Up until that point we’d only had the Dev Alpha phone to go on, which has a rather dull, featureless design.

RIM’s teaser shot has now been joined by a leaked picture of the whole device, showing the complete textured back and a large, central BlackBerry logo. A keen developer found the image hidden inside a Dev Alpha software update, and as it’s suitably high resolution, we can also see a set of metallic buttons running down the left-hand side of the device too.

Previous leaks have shown the L Series phone to be quite long, and it’s rumored to have a 4.2-inch, 1280 x 768 pixel resolution screen, plus a dual-core processor is expected to power the new device.

As for the front of the phone, a leaked video showing a little more about BlackBerry 10’s gesture control system features a phone which looks very similar to L Series handsets seen before. It could be that by putting the phone featured in the video together with the rear panel seen above, we’ve got our best clue yet as to how the new L Series phone will look. Research in Motion recently published its own video showing BlackBerry Flow in action too.

Research in Motion will reveal BlackBerry 10 and its two new phones at a global event to be held on January 30.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/blackberry-10-l-series-phone-leaked-in-pictures-and-video/

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London’s iconic black cabs set to become free Wi-Fi hotspots

London's black cabs are set to offer free Wi-Fi to passengers from early next year. The service will be supported by an ads-for-access model requiring users to watch a short ad prior to connecting.

 Jump into one of London’s iconic black cabs from early next year and the chances are you’ll be able to fire up your mobile device and hook up to its free Wi-Fi service.

London-based tech start-up Eyetease has just been given the green light by Transport for London to launch the service. The company said it’s been working on the project for two years and plans to have it up and running in the coming months once various sponsorship deals have been finalized.

The free service, called CabWiFi, will be supported by an ‘ads-for-access’ model where users will have to watch (or you could just look out the window) a 15-second ad in exchange for 15 minutes of free Internet access. Sounds straightforward enough, right?

“Tourists and business travellers can now access their emails, talk on Skype or surf the web without the fear of being hit with high data roaming charges when they return home,” Eyetease founder and CEO Richard Corbett said in a statement announcing the news.

Cab drivers will also be able to make use of the service, enabling them to “off-set the high cost of data charges incurred from using taxi apps, which some drivers claim have doubled their phone bills in recent months,” Eyetease said.

The start-up is reportedly already in advanced talks with several major consumer brands – including a global credit card company and a leading mobile phone manufacturer – to sponsor the rollout of the free service.

Londoners have already been enjoying free subway-based Wi-Fi for a while now, after stations on its sprawling network introduced the service in time for the visiting masses that descended on the UK capital for the Olympics in the summer.

This week the supplier of the service, Virgin Media, announced it had just increased its reach by 20 stations, bringing the total number of web-connected stations to 92. While not available on the trains themselves, passengers can connect in ticket halls, walkways and platforms.

Virgin Media’s service will be free to all users until the end of January 2013, after which customers with providers other than Virgin Media, EE and Vodafone will be required to pay a fee.

[Image: Rob Wilson / Shutterstock]

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/london-cabs-free-wi-fi/

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Droid-baiting, 1080p, quad-core Oppo Find 5 smartphone made official

Upcoming smartphone manufacturer Oppo has launched the Find 5, an Android 4.1 smartphone with a 5-inch, 1080p resolution touchscreen and an impressive 13-megapixel camera. It's almost certainly coming to the USA too.

After many months of teasing, the Oppo Find 5 has finally been made official at a special event held in Beijing. The device’s debut follows the appearance of a website offering the phone for sale in the U.S., although it’s still not clear whether this is an Oppo-sanctioned release.

Oppo made a name for itself recently with the Oppo Finder, which bagged the title of world’s thinnest smartphone, measuring a ridiculous 6.65mm thick. The Find 5 is one of the first state-of-the-art phones with a 1080p resolution screen, but it cannot claim any titles this time, having been beaten to stores by several devices including the Droid DNA. Early reports did say the Find 5 would still be super-slim though, potentially measuring less than 7mm thick, but Oppo hasn’t provided any dimensions or the weight of the Find 5 to confirm its stats yet.

The Find 5’s spec is quite similar to the Droid DNA, as its 5-inch display has the same 1920 x 1080 pixel count and 441ppi pixel density, plus the 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chip is identical too. There’s also 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. It’s not all the same though, as Oppo has given the Find 5 a very special 13-megapixel primary camera and equipped it with some interesting software features too.

The press release calls it, “the most advanced 1/3.06-type sensor available,” and talks of its f2.2 aperture and four layer coating. It’s also said to be the first smartphone to use hardware supported HDR stills and video recording, plus it has a burst mode that shoots 100 stills in five seconds and 1080p video recording at up to 120 frames per second.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean has been selected as its operating system, plus there’s everything from DLNA connectivity, NFC and Wi-Fi Direct to a 1.9-megapixel video call lens and Dolby 3D surround sound onboard too. There’s no denying Oppo has gone all out to provide the Find 5 with a truly exciting spec sheet. Oppo has even managed to squeeze in a 2500mAh battery too.

It’s not all good news though, as like the Droid DNA there’s no microSD card slot to increase the phone’s storage capacity. It’s also strictly a 3G HSPA+ device with no 4G LTE support. Oppo says it will release the Find 5 in selected markets early next year, but doesn’t go as far as to say exactly which ones. According to the aforementioned U.S. website, it’ll be priced at $499 SIM-free.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/1080p-oppo-find-5-smartphone-made-official/

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Oppo Find 5 with 5" 1080p screen and S4 Pro SoC unveiled

Oppo has just made its latest Android smartphone official and it's one hot-looking device. The Oppo Find 5 is built around a 5" 1080p IPS display, which matches the 441 ppi density of the HTC DROID DNA, and is powered by the Qualcomm S4 Pro monster of a chipset.

Featuring a 1.5GHz quad-core Krait CPU, the Adreno 320 GPU and 2 gigabytes of RAM, the Oppo Find 5 should be blazing fast, while the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS and its Project Butter guarantee excellently smooth UI. The internal storage is 16GB, but there's no microSD card slot so expanding it is not an option.

The Oppo Find 5 offers a 13 megapixel primary camera with high-speed 120fps video recording, HDR support and bright F/2.2 lens. There's also a front-facing 1.9 megapixel shooter for video-chats.

Oppo Find 5 official photos

There's quad-band 3G/HSPA and quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support, but there's no LTE radio on board. Local connectivity is covered with Wi-Fi, GPS, as well as Bluetooth and a standard USB port.

Oppo Find 5 official photos

The Oppo Find 5 is powered by a 2500 mAh non-removable battery. The smartphone owes its sleek looks to the steel front frame, which takes 4 hours and 12 manufacturing processes to make, and the 8.8mm slim waistline.

Oppo Find 5 is set to launch in early 2013 across selected markets. Pricing is yet to be confirmed.

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/oppo_find_5_with_5_1080p_screen_and_s4_pro_soc_unveiled-news-5192.php

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