Better LTE than never, Apple rolled out its free iOS 6.1 update today so that more users around the world can access their carrier's high-speed network on the iPhone 5 and newer iPads.
"iOS 6.1 brings LTE support to more markets around the world," said Apple in a press release.
New regions include Italy, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland, the Philippines, and several Middle Eastern countries now have LTE capabilities.
Today's LTE expansion adds 36 additional iPhone carriers and 23 new iPad carriers.
Silver screen Siri
Downloading iOS 6.1, users will also discover that Siri has learned a new trick: buying movie tickets.
Yes, waiting in a movie theater line - at least in the U.S. - has finally become a thing of the past thanks to Fandango and Apple's voice controlled assistant.
The integration is even more enjoyable when you command Siri to buy you movie tickets next to a really long ticket line on a jam-packed Saturday night.
This incremental iOS update is rounded out by iTunes Match, which lets subscribers download individual songs to their iOS device via iCloud.
Apple TV updated too
iPhones and iPads weren't the only Apples devices to get a software update today. Apple also pushed Apple TV firmware 5.2 out to users of its "hobby" set-top box.
Second- and third-generation Apple TVs are now a little bit easier to control thanks to Bluetooth keyboard support, something we knew was coming since the Apple TV beta.
Also in the new Apple TV update is an "Up Next" feature that displays which song will play next, and support for browsing and playing iTunes music from iCloud.
While these updates aren't enough to send Apple's fallen stock price back up, iOS 6.1 and Apple TV 5.2 should give dedicated users a little faster speed and an easier way to control their devices.
Different depending on how you look at it (credit: iLounge)
Rumors of a low-cost iPhone were only borne a few short weeks ago, but the whispers are starting to gain some steam, especially as more details seemingly emerge.
Following a report from last week that contained details on the iPad 5, iPhone 5S, iPad mini 2 and a so-called plastic iPhone, iLounge is back at it again with what it claims are some specifics for a lower-end handset.
"Reliable sources" are saying the phone will be predominately plastic, and while we've heard that before, it also won't merely be an iPhone 3G or 3GS packed with Retina display or sparked by Lightning. Nor will it simply be an all-plastic cutout of the iPhone 5.
Instead, this device will supposedly be a mashup between the 5, the fifth-generation iPod touch and the iPod classic. Yes, as in the music player from 2008.
It's alive!
According to the publication's sources, the phone will truly be a hybrid: its screen will fall in the iPhone 5's 4-inch display, while its bottom will take a cue from the iPod touch. As for overall shape, the phone will look much like the iPod classic.
Getting eyebrow-raising specific, iLounge details how the phone will appear almost identical to the iPhone 5 from the front. The sensor, camera and button arrangement will be the same, though the screen will only have a resolution of 1136 x 640.
Unlike the 3G and 3GS, the glass (likely made by Corning) will protrude ever so slight as it does on the 5 and iPod touch.
The phone is said to be about half a millimeter taller and half a millimeter wider than the iPhone 5 though it will be about a full millimeter thicker (you can totally feel that extra half).
Different views
From the side, the phone will take its cues from the iPod touch and pre-iPhone 4 phones. In other words, no circular volume buttons but instead squeezed out, pill-shaped pushers.
Aside from the materials used to make it, the housing of the new phone should be similar to the iPod classic in shape. The sides and back will be flat, unlike the "soft curves on all sides" found on the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.
This design element apparently allows the SIM card tray to sit in the center on the right side of the phone (like the iPhone 5's) while the buttons and ports are housed in flat surfaces.
Flipping to the back, the phone will look like the iPod touch 5th gen with the camera, a circular microphone and rear flash featuring similar proportions. The lens, however, won't poke out.
The bottom will be a mix of the iPhone 5 and fifth-gen iPod touch - there will be fewer holes than the iPhone 5 but a headphone port, Lightning port and bottom microphone will all call to mind the iOS 6 handset. A second microphone will supposedly sit next tot he headphone jack.
According to iLounge, the phone won't be much of a departure from the designs Apple has already given us with the real shocker coming in the price, of which we still don't have details.
Without official word from Apple, we can't confirm these details just yet, but sit tight. We doubt this is the last we'll hear of the less and less mysterious budget phone.
Vine is in hot water after displaying porn to its users. It’s now doing everything it can to contain all pornographic content on its network. But will it be enough for Apple not to ban the app from the App Store?
It seems that Vine is determined to pretend that the Web wasn’t made for porn. After bringing the Internet practically to its knees with news that one of its editors liked a six-second pornographic video, the young platform is now doing all it can to block searches for NSFW content.
Our collective panic comes only four days after Vine’s illustrious debut in the App Store, as many wondered if this was the next big thing. This morning, however, things took a turn when Vine users were greeted with an explicit video featuring a woman and a sex toy at the top of Vine’s Editor’s Picks. Sacre bleu! Twitter, quick to defend its budding new social platform, blamed “human error” for the video surfacing and quickly deleted it. However, the damage was done, and Vine has since gone into damage control-mode to prevent content containing tags like “porn,” “nsfw,” and “nsfwvine” from popping up in any searches.
In truth, no one should have been surprised. Vine’s users were simply abiding by Rule 34: If it exists, there’s probably a porn version of it. However, what’s most upsetting about the slip is that all users were exposed to the video – we’re talking children, t00 – and that puts the app squarely in violation of Apple’s stringent App Store regulations. Thus, Vine’s developers were forced to self-censor content in a way that smacks of puritanical shaming so they won’t have to the app being pulled from the store outright.
Apple, for its part, was likely beside itself when news broke. Though Vine is still very much active in the App Store, it is no longer being actively promoted in the Editor’s Picks section. Apple’s own policy on pornography is as rigid as it is inconsistent. Apple only recently booted popular photography app 500px for displaying nudity, though apps like Tumblr (which is a hotbed for porn-lovers) and even Snapchat are alive and well.
We’ll keep you updated as the story unfolds. Or undresses? Either way, stay tuned.
In this tutorial, we’ve put together a list of the best free apps that’ll transform your Android device into a convincing iOS fake.
So here you are, trying to go against what the tech gods intended and make your Android phone look like an iPhone. Perhaps you’re getting home-screen-sick after recently making the switch or maybe you just like to tweak your phone and you think it’d be fun to make it look more like iOS. Whatever your reasoning may be, we aren’t here to question it. All we care about is helping you get the job done.
It’s tough to make your Android phone operate exactly like an iPhone in every way, but there are a few apps and tweaks that’ll get you close. If you’re just going for aesthetics, you might just want to get a faux-iOS launcher, but for those of you looking to get a more complete iOS experience on your Android device, we’ve also included a variety of lock screens, messaging apps, and keyboard skins that’ll transform your phone into a rather convincing fake. There are boatloads of iOS-copy apps on Google Play, and while most of them are paid, we’ve done our best to find all the good ones that are completely free.
Launcher
There are a handful of decent Android launchers that mimic the look and feel of iOS, but none of them are even half as good as Espier Launcher. We won’t even bother mentioning the others here. Espier is the one you want; it’s smooth, responsive, and strikingly similar to the real iOS interface. In addition to authentic-looking squarish icons, this launcher app even gives you the ability to create iOS-style folders by dragging apps onto each other. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and you’ll be presented with a list of your recently-used applications — just like you would on an iPhone. The only shortcoming is that it doesn’t come with a lock screen, but don’t trip, there’s a solution for that.
Lock Screen
Smart iPhone 5 lock screen: Although it doesn’t quite nail the look, this lock screen does offer the same functionality as the iPhone one and includes a working button for your camera app.
iPhone 5 Lockscreen: So this one isn’t a 100% faithful rendition of the iOS lock screen, but it’s close enough, and could definitely pass for a jailbroken iPhone that’s been customized.
iPhone Lock Screen: This one looks a bit more authentic than most. The app’s designers nailed the font and dimensions incredibly close to the real thing.
Messaging/calling
GO SMS Pro iPhone theme: The developers behind this app did an impressive job of mimicking the iPhone’s green and white conversation bubbles. As far as free apps go, this is about as good as it gets for iOS-like text messaging.
iPhone Notifications: Download this app and all of your notifications will look convincingly Apple-esque. Incoming phone calls don’t look as authentic, but they’re close enough.
InoMail: Looking for a mobile email client that feels like iMail? InoMail is just what you need. Not only does it look a lot like iPhone’s native mail app, but it comes with a number of impressive features as well.
Keyboard
New lockscreens and icons might trick your eyes into thinking you’re on an iPhone, but in order to fool your fingers you’ll need a convincing faux-iOS keyboard as well. A.I.type Keyboard is the only one that’ll do the trick. The keyboard looks and feels like you’re using an iPhone. If you’re willing to pay a few extra bucks, it also comes with some powerful typo correction and word prediction features as well.
Put all these together, and you should have a fully-functional iDroid, or Anphone, or whatever you want to call it now. If you know of any useful Apple/Android crossover apps or tweaks that we left out, let us know in the comments below.
Note the unusual strip on the bottom of the Sony C5303 Xperia (credit: Xperiablog.net)
Images of a new Sony Xperia phone, codenamed "HuaShan," reportedly leaked on a German forum site on Thursday, only now coming to light in the English-speaking world.
The photos were reportedly posted on the USP-Forum.de message boards anonymously, so their validity can't be confirmed by any means.
However, one image shows the purported Xperia handset's "About" page, with the model number C5303 and Android 4.1.2: Jelly Bean.
As the Xperia news site Xperia Blog pointed out on Monday, the Sony C5303 is part of the rumored C530X series, which also includes the C5302 and C5306. The C5303 is the LTE model.
Sony Xperia Rumors
The "HuaShan" smartphone that reportedly appears in these leaked images features the same side power button seen on the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL and Xperia Tablet Z, according to Xperia Blog, as well as a strange, metallic (or possibly transparent) strip on the bottom bezel, both front and back.
This new Xperia device isn't one that we at TechRadar have encountered before, but Xperia Blog claimed that it's rumored to rock Qualcomm's 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Pro MSM8960T processor and Adreno 320 graphics.
The site also claimed that the Sony C530X series Xperia phones will sport 720p displays, and beyond that nothing else is known.
But with Barcelona's Mobile World Congress going down in less than a month, it seems likely that we'll hear more about Sony's next Xperia successors soon.
TechRadar will of course be there in force, so keep an eye on the site to stay up to date on the latest Sony Xperia rumors and more.
Whatsapp’s feature that enables users to pull in contacts from their phone contact list, breaks privacy laws says Canadian and Dutch authorities.
Whatsapp automatically pulls phone numbers from your address book to find users who may have the app installed, a well known feature of the messaging app. But Canadian and Dutch authorities are just beginning to realize that this practice of seamless contact sharing is an invasion of privacy.
As a messaging app and SMS alternative, pulling in your contact list with a click of a button is convenient. There’s no need to message your friends and find out if they have Whatsapp in the first place, before requesting their user ID. But despite the convenience, The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) and the Dutch Protection Authority have published a report on the app’s violation of privacy laws, Reuters reports. The root of the offense stems from the user’s ability to pull in contact information stored on your phone into Whatsapp. What this means is that Whatsapp has been granted access to your friends’ phone numbers without your their permission.
Where Whatsapp crosses the line however is when the authority discovered that Whatsapp stores all phone numbers that the messaging app is granted permission to, including phone numbers of non-users. What the messaging app would do with this data is left up to speculation, although for a company that’s adamant on not selling out and a fervent opposition of advertising, you shouldn’t be concerned with brands getting a hold of your phone number.
“This lack of choice contravenes (Canadian and Dutch) privacy law. Both users and non-users should have control over their personal data and users must be able to freely decide what contact details they wish to share with WhatsApp,” Chairman of the Dutch Data Protection Authority, Jacob Kohnstamm told Reuters. Address book privacy has been an issue before, most notoriously when it was found that social app Path uploaded your entire contact list – as did a number of other apps. All of them soon changed this function.
If any further actions are taken, like a lawsuit, Whatsapp could have a privacy debacle on its hands. But the authorities have stated that Whatsapp has been working closely with the authorities based on these aforementioned discoveries and the messaging app is updating its policies and features to protect its user’s privacy. Some of the updates include better encryption of messages and the ability to add contacts manually.
Apple isn’t as hot anymore in Asia as it used to be, and now Samsung is steadily taking over.
The iPhone has a target on its back. After more than half a decade dominating the coveted smartphone on the market, Apple’s must-have novelty is wearing off in Asia, says Reuters.
According to the report, Apple’s phone has been so successful in Asia that areas of the region are suffering from “iPhone fatigue,” leading to “a desire to be different” from users that are looking for a phone that not everyone sports. You’ll be hard pressed not to find someone who doesn’t own an iPhone in China. The ownership of an iPhone has become so commonplace that smartphone owners are deciding on switching devices.
Android has been the primary culprit for the iPhone’s declining presence in Asia, and Samsung is to blame. The Korean company has been slowly but surely chipping away at Apple’s market share by pricing and launching its phones for the low-end, up to the luxury end of smartphones – and by luxury we mean $15,000 Samsung phones that you can’t find out in the West. At the same time, Samsung phones are riding the K-pop wave that was popularized before and after (especially Psy). This trend, Reuters reports, is especially prevalent in Thailand where Korean music and TV shows are popular.
Smartphone buyers are also discovering the value in a larger smartphone screen sizes that verge on being the size of a mini tablet. There’s a boon to larger screen sizes that make productivity a lot easier, and these devices also happen to be Android devices. In Beijing for instance, Samsung’s Galaxy Notes are the rage, followed by the Samsung Galaxy S3.
But Singapore is one indicator of this marked shift toward devices that aren’t related to Apple. Apple once had a 72 percent share stronghold among smartphone users last year January 2012 in the country, but dropped to 50 percent this month (and one year later) by January 2013. In Hong Kong, the total percentage of iOS devices hovers around 30 percent, down from the 45 percent of iOS devices that existed last year. And both countries are typically indicators of how devices will perform in the West.
The declining brand loyalty to iPhone devices isn’t a huge surprise. Apple device owners have expressed their discontent with the iPhone 4S, and iPhone 5, and have on occasion, said that twinkle in Steve Job’s eye, which converted fans into Apple fanboys, has been fading slowly as Tim Cook’s fingerprints begin to get on Apple devices. “After Steve Jobs died, it seems the element of surprise in product launches isn’t that great anymore,” Janet Chen, a Hong Kong based advertising professional, told Reuters.
Note the unusual strip on the bottom of the Sony C5303 Xperia (credit: Xperiablog.net)
Images of a new Sony Xperia phone, codenamed "HuaShan," reportedly leaked on a German forum site on Thursday, only now coming to light in the English-speaking world.
The photos were reportedly posted on the USP-Forum.de message boards anonymously, so their validity can't be confirmed by any means.
However, one image shows the purported Xperia handset's "About" page, with the model number C5303 and Android 4.1.2: Jelly Bean.
As the Xperia news site Xperia Blog pointed out on Monday, the Sony C5303 is part of the rumored C530X series, which also includes the C5302 and C5306. The C5303 is the LTE model.
Sony Xperia Rumors
The "HuaShan" smartphone that reportedly appears in these leaked images features the same side power button seen on the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL and Xperia Tablet Z, according to Xperia Blog, as well as a strange, metallic (or possibly transparent) strip on the bottom bezel, both front and back.
This new Xperia device isn't one that we at TechRadar have encountered before, but Xperia Blog claimed that it's rumored to rock Qualcomm's 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Pro MSM8960T processor and Adreno 320 graphics.
The site also claimed that the Sony C530X series Xperia phones will sport 720p displays, and beyond that nothing else is known.
But with Barcelona's Mobile World Congress going down in less than a month, it seems likely that we'll hear more about Sony's next Xperia successors soon.
TechRadar will of course be there in force, so keep an eye on the site to stay up to date on the latest Sony Xperia rumors and more.
Localytics has released a report detailing the market share of Android tablets in the United States,and Amazon’s Kindle Fire is enjoying an impressive lead.
Localytics, an analytics firm that specializes on the mobile market and its trends, has released its report on the current market share of Android tablet, and it spells good news for Amazon. According to the report, Amazon’s Kindle brand holds an impressive 33 percent of the U.S. Android tablet market, followed far behind by the Barnes & Noble’s Nook, Samsung’s Galaxy series, Google’s Nexus 7, and other devices.
The report was generated by recording the number of application installs across more than 500 million devices, and compiles the hard data both by nation and, for the United States, by device. While it is not completely comprehensive, it offers a fairly accurate picture of just who is selling Android tablets. As far as Localytics is concerned, Amazon’s Kindle is leading the charge for Android, holding 33 percent of the market among other Android Tablets. Distantly behind Amazon is the Nook with 10 percent, Samsung Galaxy series with 9 percent, and Google’s Nexus 7 with 8 percent. While these numbers do not include other devices like the iPad or Playbook, it still helps offer perspective to how far ahead Amazon is among other Android tablets.
As for Amazon’s competition, all three of its closest competition have some serious catching up to do. Google is showing some serious promise as a future contender to the massive e-reader and tablet seller. While the Nook and Galaxy series of devices have been around for some time, Google’s Nexus 7 is just one device that has been around a mere six months. If this kind of growth continues for Google, it will challenge Amazon in the near future. But with growing competition among both Android and non-Android tablets from dozens of manufacturers, the market is still anyone’s for the taking.
The Jan. 30 launch of BlackBerry 10 is just days away, and in preparation, Research in Motion unveiled a revamped BlackBerry App World on Monday.
Now merely dubbed BlackBerry World, the storefront will offer a wide variety of movies, television shows, and music all under one convenient umbrella.
Though physical BlackBerry 10 phones have yet to be actually revealed, making sure users can get all their media needs from one place is a smart move by RIM.
Several different BlackBerry 10 devices, like the L-series, have been leaked or spotted in FCC documents, but until the devices appear, those waiting will have to be content knowing merely what software awaits.
bbTunes
RIM has claimed BlackBerry World will offer "the most robust music and video catalogs" available on a mobile device, and to stay competitive with Apple and Android, it had better be.
BlackBerry World will offer most movies the same day as the retail disc release, and will initially be partnering with a dozen studios like 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios, and Walt Disney Studios.
Additionally, fifteen different television networks will have content available on BlackBerry World, including the likes of NBC Universal, ABC, and Warner Bros.
The videos will be made available for purchase or rental, though the service will only be available in the U.S., U.K., and Canada to start.
Fortunately, the music selection will be prominent in many more countries, with eighteen different markets (U.S., U.K., Germany, France, India, etc.) available at the start.
There's also a wider variety of publishers making their catalogs available DRM-free to BlackBerry World, giving users the opportunity to purchase Sony Music Entertainment, Matador Records, Warner Music Group, and more.
Dropping prices
Though RIM didn't disclose what it would be charging users for media on BlackBerry World, the company did just institute some new price reductions on the BBW store.
According to the BlackBerry Developer Blog, the changes are only being seen in countries that use the Euro and the U.K. at the moment, but should be rolling out to the rest of the world soon.
In the U.K. the minimum price has dropped from £1.00 to £0.75, with the Euro prices varying from country to country.
For any people with actual items already up for sale, the changes will take place automatically, with RIM notifying users in a country in advance.
That said, the price lowering will factor in currency exchange rates around the world to allow apps on BlackBerry World to remain competitively priced.
Apple has been sticking with a maximum capacity of 64GB for its iOS devices for some time, but a new report claims we may soon see a new model of the iPad 4 packing 128GB of storage within.
9to5Mac reported Sunday that Apple may be preparing to release a new configuration for the current iPad 4 with Retina display, which debuted in September, this time doubling the maximum storage capacity from 64GB to 128GB.
According to unnamed sources, the larger capacity model will be a new SKU added to the current lineup and not a new model altogether. It will come in the same black or white colors and have Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi + Cellular options.
The report also claims the new 128GB model with Wi-Fi only will retail for US$799, while the cellular-equipped version will take it to US$929. For comparison sake, the iPad 4 currently costs between US$499-US$699 for Wi-Fi only models and US$629-US$829 for Wi-Fi + Cellular versions.
Software support
Lending credence to Sunday's report is a new iOS 6.1 beta build Apple released over the weekend, which appears to contain code specifically referencing an iOS device with 128GB storage capacity.
Although early reports assumed the iPhone would be the device to receive the storage bump, 9to5Mac sources claim that a beefed-up iPad bearing the code name "P101 ULTIMATE" (for Wi-Fi only) and "P103 ULTIMATE" (for Wi-Fi + Cellular) could appear in the very near future.
The fifth iOS 6.1 beta also isn't the first place where a 128GB storage capacity has turned up in Apple's software recently - the company's iTunes 11 software for Mac and PC released back in November also featured code referencing the same capacity.
Whether a 128GB iPad is something that will see a consumer release (various reports have the iPad aimed at government or retail applications) or with subsidized pricing remains to be seen, if the device is in the works at all, that is.
Apple has just rolled out an update to iOS bringing it to version 6.1. The latest iOS brings LTE support for 36 additional carriers offering the iPhone and 23 offering the iPad.
Siri is also updated and allows you to purchase movie tickets right off the app. For now, however, this feature is available only in the US. iTunes Match is updated as well giving its users the ability to download individual songs off iCloud.
Finally, there's a new button that allows you to reset the Advertising Identifier in addition to lots of other minor, under-the-hood bugfixes.
Available as a free download, the iOS 6.1 update is up for grabs for owners of the iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 and the iPhone 3GS, the iPad (third and fourth generation), iPad mini, iPad 2 and iPod touch (fourth and fifth generation).
Apple has been sticking with a maximum capacity of 64GB for its iOS devices for some time, but a new report claims we may soon see a new model of the fourth-generation iPad packing 128GB of storage within.
9to5Mac reported Monday that Apple may be preparing to release a new configuration for the current fourth-generation iPad which debuted in September, this time doubling the maximum storage capacity from 64GB to 128GB.
According to unnamed sources, the larger capacity model will be a new SKU added to the current lineup, available in the same black or white colors and Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi + Cellular options.
The report also claims the new 128GB model with Wi-Fi only will retail for $799 (UK£679, AUD$899), while the cellular-equipped version will add the usual $130 USD premium to that price.
Software support
Lending credence to the report is a new iOS 6.1 beta build Apple released over the weekend, which appears to contain code specifically referencing an iOS device with 128GB storage capacity.
Although early reports assumed the iPhone would be the device to receive the storage bump, 9to5Mac sources claim the beefed-up iPad bearing the code name "P101 ULTIMATE" (for Wi-Fi only) and "P103 ULTIMATE" (for Wi-Fi + Cellular) could appear in the very near future.
The fifth iOS 6.1 beta also isn't the first place where a 128GB storage capacity has turned up in Apple's software recently - the company's iTunes 11 software for Mac and PC released back in November also featured code referencing the same capacity.
Whether the 128GB iPad is something that will see a retail release or perhaps a specialized offering remains to be seen, particularly when a fifth-generation version isn't expected until this fall.
In the seventh edition of Life and Tiles, Andrew begins to tire of how difficult it is to be an early adopter. Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 are still missing the apps and features of Apple’s ecosystems. Will it drive him mad?
Everybody likes a comeback story and everybody loves to root for the underdog. For me, that was part of the Windows 8 appeal. I was so used to worshipping the hero status of Apple, pumping money, praise, and time into its vast product line, basking in all the luxuries afforded to those who sit within the walled garden. All my friends perfectly understood what I meant when I talked about the iPhone 5 and some actually asked me to explain the latest rumors. If I wanted a certain accessory like a speaker or specific case, there were a multitude of options to choose from. New, notable apps in iOS are covered in most major publications and reviewed hundreds of times by users before they were even popular. Being with Apple was easy and really, really fun. But for a tech-crazed lunatic – me – I wasn’t satisfied with the best apps, incredible hardware, and an overwhelmingly pleasant experience. No, I had to get bored instead.
After rooting for the leader of consumer technology for so long, I turned to Microsoft, Apple’s once vehement rival that is now barely in the race. I wanted to feel what it was like to struggle again, joining the ranks of an uprising against the monolithic empire I once swore allegiance to.
At first it was interesting, fun even. Each quality app I found was a direct result of hard work and dedication, combing through the swill at the bottom of the barrel to find something worthwhile. Apps are rarely reviewed when you find them either and part of the fun is getting to be the first one to pass judgment. It’s exhilarating to feel like a part of something, a necessary piece of a puzzle, helping to build a successful ecosystem with enough excitement to draw a crowd. Apple doesn’t need more people to adopt iOS, but Microsoft needs people to move to Windows Phone. WP8 and Windows 8 are essential to its future. I appreciate the innovation present in my Surface tablet and Lenovo Yoga 13. A productive tablet is a dream come true and having a flexible laptop is useful… most of the time.
Unfortunately, fighting for the underdog gets old pretty fast. It’s been two months and I would kill for a top-notch app to be announced for Windows Phone 8. When I am searching for apps I would appreciate the opinions of any brave souls that tried it out before me. Hanging out in Microsoft’s world is starting to resemble trudging through mud in a rainstorm. I’m uncomfortable, tired, and annoyed.
For starters, that “flexible” Yoga 13 of mine has a lot of problems, which I broke down in detail earlier in the series. Since then, the speakers have started acting up, cracking and popping when I play music. Add that to the + = key that keeps popping off, an unreliable touchpad, and the overall flimsy build quality and we have a problem. Being an early adopter may have sounded like a good idea, but it’s certainly an uphill battle. Looking back, my naïve optimism toward putting more work into my digital life appears to be a serious folly. I miss the reliability of my MacBook with a touchpad capable of almost anything and an indestructible body (I dropped it on numerous occasions). I wouldn’t be surprised if the Yoga 13 snapped in half after a drop.
There’s also something to be said for the Apple slogan, “There’s an app for that.” On one hand, it is corny as hell, but on the other, Apple actually has the developers to back it up. It’s unbelievably convenient to have a banking app for whatever establishment you chose or access to cutting edge social media platforms like Vine, not to mention the pain of realizing that the Pebble watch does not have a Windows Phone app.
The appeal of rooting for the underdog comes from the progress you make along the way, the pleasure of watching your chosen team build up to an exhilarating victory. The problem with that is that since Windows 8 launched, I feel like the playing field has been static. Everyone predicted that official Twitter and Facebook apps would be available for the platform once it launched, but so far we haven’t heard anything from either service. Similarly, most of the experimental devices shipped for Windows 8 have earned lukewarm or scathing reviews by publications and users alike – not exactly fodder for inspiration. I’ve made my decision and it is much too late to back out now, but climbing the ladder to success looks a lot better when you’re looking down from the top.
Samsung's latest flagship, the Galaxy Note II, is one of the most popular devices currently on the market. The powerful 5.5" phablet normally carries a price tag of $249.99 but right now it is being offered for the way nicer $99.99 by Amazon.
The offer is currently available for new Sprint customers only and the requires a two year agreement with the service provider.
If the potential customer chooses to add a line of service with the smartphone, the price would be $169.99 and if any existing customer decides to upgrade his smartphone, the price is $199.99.
Amazon's latest deal is live from yesterday and it may expire soon, so act quickly if you are to take advantage.
In case you are looking to find more about the phablet, check out our detailed review.
A camera sample from a yet not officially announced Sony smartphone surfaced earlier today. The smartphone used for capturing them was the Sony C210X, a future entry level device by the Japanese company.
While the image itself is rather uninspiring, likely snapped and auto-uploaded to a Picasa account by an unaware Sony employee, it does tell us that Sony hasn't given up on the low-end Android market.
The model listed is the C2105, although specs-wise its almost the same as the C2104, which is why we collectively refer to them as the C210X lineup.
What we do know about the upcoming devices is that they'll feature a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor - the MSM8227 or MSM8627, complete with Adreno 305 graphics and FWVGA (480 x 854) screen. It'll run Android 4.1.2 out of box.
It turns out that when Lenovo's CFO Wong Wai Ming told Bloomberg that, "We are looking at all opportunities - RIM and many others" he didn't really mean that a RIM buy-out was on the cards.
The company has issued a statement to clarify that Ming was "speaking broadly about M&A [mergers and acquisitions] strategy" and that it doesn't comment on speculation such as this.
There's always a but
However, today's statement also reiterated that Lenovo is "very focused on growing its business, both organically and through M&A", presumably standing by Ming's comment that Lenovo would go for RIM "if the right opportunity comes along".
So it's not so much as a no as a maybe - and RIM's playing it cool too, adding in its own statement in reaction to the rumours that it is continuing "to examine all available options" although it has nothing new to add at this time.
To sum up: Lenovo might buy RIM, it might not. Carry on.
Today Sprint and Kyocera announced the Torque Android smartphone. The handset brings support for LTE, a Qualcomm MSM8960 chipset with dual-core 1.2 GHz Krait CPU, 1 GB of RAM, 5 MP rear camera and 1.3 MP front-facing one.
The Kyocera Torque will be running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It will be sporting Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC connectivity as well as a microSD card slot for expanding the built in storage by up to 32 GB.
Now comes the interesting part - the Kyocera Torque is both IP67 certified and is built to Military Standard 810G. This means that in addition to being able to withstand water up to a meter deep for 30 minutes the smartphone can operate for up to three hours at -4° to 122°F (-20° to 50°C). It can also handle drops from four feet, withstand heavy dust and exposure to salt fog, 95% humidity, solar radiation exposure, low pressures up to 4572 meters, etc.
The Torque can literally withstand more than its owner in some cases.
Kyocera has placed its Smart Sonic Receiver tech inside the Torque, which enhances the sound in the ear and eliminates the need for a traditional speaker in the device, helping achieve the remarkable element resistance. This is done by transmitting sound via vibrations directly to the eardrum.
Pricing and specific availability will be revealed this quarter and the device will hit the shelves in the Spring.
The Sony C530X HuaShan has leaked a couple of times before, but this is the first time it has been caught on camera. A photo of the Android software info screen puts the OS version at 4.1.2 Jelly Bean (which is what the Xperia Z will launch with).
Sony C530X HuaShan spy shots
The C530X HuaShan uses the same design language as the Xperia Z – rectangular with slightly rounded corners and the trademark metallic grey Power/Lock key. Results from GLBenchmark point to a 720p screen, while another leak (a photo uploaded to Picasa) revealed the camera to have a 5MP sensor.
A look at the Android OS version and dialer of the C530X HuaShan
The benchmark scores list the chipset as Qualcomm MSM8960T, which has a dual-core Krait CPU @ 1.7GHz and Adreno 320 GPU, along with support for LTE connectivity.
There’s still a lot we don’t know about the Sony C530X HuaShan, but there’s a good chance we’ll see it (in official capacity) at the MWC in about a month.
A leak of hydrofluoric acid in a Samsung semiconductor plant in Hwaseong, Korea led to the death of one maintenance worker and caused injuries to four others.
Yesterday, at around 11 local time a 500 liter tank of hydrofluoric acid started leaking and the plant contacted maintenance firm STI Service to deal with the leak. According to some reports not all five men sent to deal with the problem were wearing the required hazard suits, while the one that passed away due to exposure to the fatal gas reportedly only had a gas mask on.
The four other workers were taken to hospital and have since recovered completely.
Local authorities are investigating if Samsung plant operatives had fully informed the maintenance workers of the situation with prosecution pending new information.
An STI Services representative has revealed that the men sent over to the Hwaseong plant were under the impression the leak was minimal and covered it with a plastic bag.
It was even suggested that Samsung attempted to cover up the incident and contacted the proper authorities an hour after the worker had died. This however is yet to be confirmed.
Samsung has issued a statement to people living in the vicinity that the gas leak has been contained and there's no immediate danger to their health.
The UK's only 4G iPhone 5 option finally brings visual voicemail with it, as EE manages to add the advanced message service into the mix.
If you're rocking an iPhone 5 on one of EE's 4G plans, you can now enable visual voicemail by texting "iPhone visual" to 150.
It may take up to 24-hours for the visual voicemail to kick into action but the data it uses to download messages is free of charge which may be a relief to those of you on data-strapped 4G plans.
Aesthetic
Anyone buying a 4G iPhone 5 from EE from now on can have the visual voicemail service activated in EE stores or online.
There are currently no other networks offering commercial 4G in the UK, although Ofcom is currently raffling off the necessary spectrum to allow O2, Vodafone, 3 and others to offer the next-gen network from later this year.
Hopefully prices for 4G contracts will come down when the other networks launch their deals - in the meantime, those shelling out for EE's 4G iPhone 5 can peruse their voicemails at leisure.
HTC has launched the HTC Mini, a bizarre accessory for the HTC Butterfly – A.K.A. the Droid DNA – which replicates its basic phone functionality so you don’t have to bother using the big-screen mobile all the time.
Remember the kicking the Samsung Galaxy Note received when it was first announced? The upshot of all the whinging was it was too big to be taken seriously as a phone. Regardless, it went on to sell very well, spawn an even bigger selling sequel along with a wide variety of imitators, including the Droid DNA with its Full HD, 5-inch display.
Let’s not mess around, the Droid DNA and its HTC Butterfly siblings are quite cumbersome, plus like all its peers, can look a bit silly when you’re holding it up to your ear. The solution is quite simple – buy a Bluetooth headset. You run the risk of looking equally as silly if you never remove it from your ear, but it’s undeniably more convenient. HTC however, says convenience be damned! In China, where the HTC Butterfly has been recently released, its solution for the Butterfly’s awkwardly large size is to produce the HTC Mini – a phone accessory for your, um, phone.
It looks like a cross between a decade-old feature phone and a big Apple TV remote control, and it connects to the Butterfly using NFC, then thanks to the magic of Bluetooth lets you exploit a tenth of the Butterfly’s abilities. With your cool, expensive device hidden away in your bag or pocket, the Mini can be used to make or receive calls, tap out SMS texts on its alphanumeric keypad, see incoming messages and notifications, control your music and even activate the Butterfly’s camera shutter.
I’ll have a phone to go with my phone, please.
Yes, the Mini is your chance to buy a second, incredibly basic phone from HTC, after spending quite a lot of money buying an all singing, all dancing phone from HTC. If you listen carefully, you can hear the folk working on HTC’s Marketing 2.0 scheme banging their heads against the wall.
We can see where HTC got the idea, as people who own big, powerful and pricey cars often have a smaller, cheaper more sensible vehicle in their garage, However, the HTC Mini doesn’t make sense unless it’s always with you ready to use, so it’s like buying a Range Rover and towing a Smart ForTwo around on a trailer each and every day.
What HTC seems to be saying with the Mini is the Butterfly – and by extension, the Droid DNA and all the other smartphone/tablet hybrids out there – is simply too big to be used everyday. At the moment, it looks like it’s only going to be released in China, however with Mobile World Congress a month away, and talk of the big-screen HTC M7 as its new global flagship, are we about to see an HTC Mini of our own?
The still HTC M7 Android smartphone is once again the star of the Rumorland show. This time the back and front panels of the smartphonewere shown in front of Etrade Supply's camera and posted on YouTube.
From the video we can gather that the HTC M7, touted as the One X successor, will drop the curved design in favor of a more angular one with flat edges and back. It also looks very similar, shape-wise, to the DROID DNA and HTC Butterfly.
The screen will reportedly be a bit smaller at 4.7", but still of 1080p resolution, which aligns nicely with previous reports of 468 pixel per inch density.
There's no word when we might expect the HTC M7 but a good guess is at the MWC 2013 in Barcelona next month. The M7 will likely premiere Sense 5.0, the latest version of HTC's custom UI for Android.
The iPhone 5 may only be a few months old, but we're already hearing information about a successor, which may be known as the iPhone 5S.
The early arrival of the iPad 4 and the iPad mini - just eight months after the release of the iPad 3 in March - has meant that Apple still has the ability to surprise and we could well see an iPhone 5S appear earlier than expected.
iPhone 5S release date
That means the iPhone 5S release date could be as early Spring 2013. However, we believe it's still likely that we'll see another iPhone later in 2013.
But that's not what everybody thinks: the Chinese-language Commercial Times estimates that full commercial production of the rumored iPhone 5S will begin as early as Q1 2013. That's borne out by further rumors suggesting a March manufacturing start date, followed by a mid-year release.
Digitimes reckons the iPhone 5S release date will be a little later, citing predicted sales targets of relevant component manufacturers. "Apple is expected to introduce its next-generation iPad and iPhone series around the middle of 2013... Component orders placed by Apple, which climbed to high levels prior to the iPhone 5 rollout, will rise again between March and April, the observers indicated."
iPhone 5S rumors
Some sources claim that Apple has is ploughing ahead with the next iteration of the popular handset, due to low yield rates of the iPhone 5 on the assembly line at Foxconn.
Apparently, because of the fragility of the parts used to make the device, many break before they even see the light of day.
The leaked handset has already been referred to as the iPhone 5S, in keeping with Apple's naming convention for updates to the outward appearance of its iconic device.
iPhone 5S or iPhone 6 will include a Super HD screen display and camera according to new reports in December 2012. The China Times says a 'Touch On Display' panel is being developed by Taiwanese supplier Innolux with 10 point multi-touch and a 0.5mm thickness. Apparently the site spoke to sources inside Apple's supply chain.
iPhone 5S casing
According to further rumours, the iPhone 5S might not be the only Apple handset we see this year - rumours abound about cheaper, plastic iPhones, while Apple could be readying an even bigger smartphone to launch in June, apparently called the iPhone Math.
According to the hit-and-miss China Times wesbite the iPhone Math will carry a sizable 4.8-inch display and an 8MP camera.
In January 2013 iLounge received information that indicated the handset would sport the same design as the iPhone 5 with the key difference being a beefier camera and larger flash on the back.
That's hardly ground breaking upgrades from Apple, with the touted 13MP camera on the 5S hardly bucking the trend considering the Sony Xperia Z already has this and we'd expect the Samsung Galaxy S4 to offer up something similar.
Have we already seen the iPhone 5S?
It was reported on 6 December that images of a purported next-generation iPhone have surfaced on French website Nowhereelse.fr, revealing an exterior virtually identical to the current iPhone 5 but with slightly different internals.
It appears little will change inside the next iPhone [Image credit: Nowhereelse.fr]
Nevertheless, it's more likely that the iPhone 5S will hit stores in the latter part of 2013, following the trend set by the iPhone 5 and 4S. It's even possible that Apple will skip the iPhone 5S and hop right on to the iPhone 6.
Needless to say, TechRadar will be keeping a close eye on all the iPhone 5S rumors and will bring you the latest developments as they emerge - on this very page.
iPhone 5S wireless charging
According to CP Tech, Apple filed a patent application last month for Wireless Power Utilization, a wireless charging system with near-field magnetic resonance (NFMR). That means we'll get wireless charging at last.
Nokia has launched Nokia Music+, an enhanced subscription version of its free Nokia Music app for Windows Phone, which promises to offer unlimited skips and downloads for just $4 per month.
Nokia has taken the fight for supremacy in the online streaming music arena directly to the door of Spotify by launching Nokia Music+, an enhanced version of its free Nokia Music service, complete with new features unlocked by paying a monthly subscription. However, instead of the £10/$14 per month subscription that Spotify charges, Nokia Music+ will cost $4.
This is a very aggressive price point and Nokia knows it, saying in a blog post, “This is for people who care enough about music to pay something for more quality and choice, but don’t want to pay £10 monthly.” Big words indeed, but what’s it offering?
Nokia’s Mix Radio will stay the same, continuing to provide ad-free streaming tunes, online and offline, with the chance to skip a small amount of songs and download a limited amount of playlists. Once you pay that little bit extra though, the world of unlimited track skips, unlimited playlist downloads and higher quality streaming and downloadable music is opened up.
A standalone app will bring Nokia Music+ to your computer and smart TV, as well as what Nokia describes as, “Connected screens,” which we take to mean tablets. This indicates it has an HTML 5 web app ready to go, negating the need to create a separate mobile app for the iPad and Android tablets. Nokia Music is one of several reasons to chose a Lumia Windows Phone, and the introduction of a premium version puts it in direct competition with Microsoft’s own Xbox Music.
Nokia Music+ significantly undercuts the cost of Spotify, which is still without a dedicated Windows Phone 8 app, and with nearly 14 million Lumia phones sold worldwide last year, Nokia has a considerable audience already built-in for Music+, bringing it close to Spotify’s approximately 15 million – 20 million paying subscribers. In the U.S. it will face stiff competition from Pandora though, which also charges $4 to remove adverts from the stream, but it’s likely to take some time before it reaches Pandora’s 67 million active listeners.
If Nokia Music is already available on your Windows Phone, then an app update will provide the option to unlock Nokia Music+ over the coming weeks.
Pantech has unveiled yet another excitingly sounding smartphone from the Vega lineup. Unfortunately, just like most of its siblings the Vega No 6 as the new device is called will remain exclusive to South Korea. It packs a 5.9-inch 1080p display and is powered by a quad-core 1.5GHz Krait processor.
The Pantech Vega No 6 also offers 2GB or RAM and generous 32GB internal storage, which can be expanded further through the microSD card slot. A 13MP primary camera and a 2MP front-facing snapper take care of your photography and video-chat needs.
The connectivity department of the Vega No 6 has everything - from Bluetooth, NFC, Wi-Fi and USB for local transfers to LTE for high-speed internet access on the go.
Pantech Vega No 6 runs on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean skinned with Pantech's own Flux UX. It will launch on all three South Korean carriers in February. It will cost KRW849,000 (about €580/$780) SIM-free, but if you are willing to sign a long-term contract you might get a sweeter deal.
It turns out that you can't launch a video app in this day and age without the world and it's sister using it to share porn - and Vine has it in spades.
Having launched four days ago there are already hundreds of six-second snippets imaginatively hashtagged #porn on Twitter's video-sharing app and the situation is whipping the online community up into quite a frenzy.
The videos range (we're told) from home-made pornos to videos of professional films to (we imagine) subversive Fight Club-style flashes in otherwise inoffensive shorts.
While users have the option to report videos as offensive, Vine isn't actively moderating every upload to ensure they abide by its rules.
As it outlines in its terms of service, "All Content, whether publicly posted or privately transmitted, is the sole responsibility of the person who originated such Content.
"We may, but are not required to monitor or control the Content posted via the Services and we cannot take responsibility for such Content."
When you sign up to Vine you accept that "you may be exposed to content that might be offensive, harmful, inaccurate or otherwise inappropriate" - although there's no explicit age rating or parental control option so perhaps don't let your kids loose on there.
Vine covering its back is all well and good, but Apple took down a photography app last week on the basis that its users were posting photos of nudes - surely, in the interest of fairness, Vine can't be far behind.
We've asked Apple what's likely to happen here, although we'll be surprised if it tells us before Vine is whipped off the App Store pending review.
iPad becoming choc full of apps? Internal memory crisis on the horizon? Still miffed it has no slot for a memory card? Fear not, for according to a new report, you might soon be able to pick up a 128GB iPad 4.
It looks like there could be another iPad on the way, with this one sporting 128GB of internal storage. The news comes courtesy of Apple site 9to5Mac, which appears to be pretty confident in its claim.
According to sources at a “high-profile retailer,” Apple is prepping the release of an another iPad model to fit alongside the company’s existing 16GB, 32GB and 64GB offerings. Just to be clear, this would be an additional fourth-generation iPad, not an updated or refreshed version of the popular tablet.
A purported SKU (stock keeping unit) listing handed to 9to5Mac by the retailer appears to reveal the new iPad.
“The P101 and P103 names are Apple’s internal nomenclature for the Wi-Fi-only and cellular-compatible fourth-generation iPads, respectively,” 9to5Mac notes.
It goes on to explain that the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB storage sizes are known as “good”, “better” and “best”, respectively. It’s suggested therefore that “ultimate” refers to – you guessed it – a 128GB device. “A” apparently points to the black option while “B” is for the white model.
The website’s claim is backed up by an earlier report about the discovery of an apparent reference to a larger-capacity iPad among Apple’s latest iOS 6.1 beta code, released to developers over the weekend.
9to5Mac notes that its information points to a new addition to the larger iPad and not the iPad Mini, adding that it may be possible the new device is being lined up for government agencies, retail use or for “other internal uses.”
So as with all things Apple, it’s impossible to know about the veracity of these claims until the Cupertino company speaks, though based on the current tidbits of information, it seems likely that an iPad with double the capacity of the current priciest Apple tablet will be offered in the not too distant future.
A new price leak for Research in Motion’s forthcoming BlackBerry Z10 suggests it won’t cost as much as once feared, while another rumor gives the phone a very early release date.
There are just two days to go until BlackBerry 10 is finally announced, but that doesn’t mean the last minute leaks have dried up, as two more turned up over the weekend. Research in Motion itself has been instrumental in pushing out information on its new operating system, but these are of a far more unofficial nature.
The first concerns how much we’re going to have to pay for the pleasure of owning a new BlackBerry Z10 smartphone. A short while ago, a screenshot supposedly taken from a Best Buy Canada computer system suggested the Z10 would cost $799 SIM-free. This sounded high, but not beyond the realms of possibility. Now, a second screenshot, this time from UK retailer Carphone Warehouse, has turned up.
It prices a white version of the BlackBerry Z10 at £479.95, which equates to $755. Carphone Warehouse charges £509 for a 16GB iPhone 5, and £499 for a Samsung Galaxy S3. This makes more sense than pricing it at the same level as the iPhone 5, which is what converting over the Best Buy price gives us, and as always the phone will cost less in the U.S. than in the UK. An insider recently claimed a U.S. Z10 would cost less than $200 when purchased with a two-year contract.
There has been just as much speculation regarding the release date of BlackBerry 10 recently too, with February 28 and March 27 both being suggested so far. Now, a third possible date can be added to the list – February 5. Yes, according to BlackBerry fansite CrackBerry, the Telus and Bell networks in Canada will put the BlackBerry Z10 on sale just a few days after the January launch event. Sounds extremely unlikely to us, but you never know.
Research in Motion will be holding a global launch event for BlackBerry 10 this Wednesday, January 30, when we should get a firm answer to the questions of when it’ll be released, and how much it’ll cost.
The iPad 5 will be significantly thinner and smaller than all previous incarnations of the 9.7-inch tablet according to a new report.
Apparently the editor over at iLounge has been treated to a shifty look at the case for the upcoming iPad 5, although it's unclear how this opportunity came about.
If the claims are true than we can expect the fifth generation iPad to sport an almost bezel-free front, with just enough space above and below the display for the home button, sensors and front camera.
iShrunk
It's apparently considerably thinner than the bulky iPad 3 and iPad 4 – which put on weight when Apple applied its Retina display and larger battery post-iPad 2 - with a design which closely follows the iPad mini.
According to iLounge sources the new iPad 5 is codenamed J72 and won't be arriving in March as some have suggested, with the launch event actually pegged for October.
On the topic of smaller iPads there's also a brief mention of the iPad mini 2 which is also apparently set for an October launch, complete with Retina display.
Say cheese
As well as the iPad 5 rumours iLounge has also received information on the iPhone 5S, with the handset sporting the same design as the iPhone 5 with the key difference being a beefier camera and larger flash on the back.
That's hardly ground breaking upgrades from Apple, with the touted 13MP camera on the 5S hardly bucking the trend considering the Sony Xperia Z already has this and we'd expect the Samsung Galaxy S4 to offer up something similar.
The unknown sources "confirmed" the iPhone 5S release date is set for sometime this year, with July looking likely at the moment.
Budget iPhone rumours are also refusing to die with iLounge reporting that Apple is developing a plastic-clad handset in partnership with China Mobile.
It seems unlikely that the Cupertino firm would develop a handset specifically for China, so we're taking this and the rest of the rumours in this piece with the recommended amount of salt.
