Path hit with FTC fine, faces another privacy issue

Off the beaten path

Path is billed as a social networking app that allows you to remember all of life's moments, but this is one day that the company may want to erase from its timeline.

The Federal Trade Commission and Path announced today that they reached a settlement over the company's unauthorized collection of address book information on mobile devices.

The social networking start-up must establish a comprehensive privacy program and obtain independent privacy assessments every other year for the next 20 years.

Path also has to throw a little bit of money into the federal pot. It will pay $800,000 (around £509,000 AUD$768,000) in civil penalties for not rejecting new members who were under the age of 13.

FTC, Path issue statements

Outgoing FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz made sure to highlight this settlement as a victory for privacy-threatened consumers in the United States.

"This settlement with Path shows that no matter what new technologies emerge, the agency will continue to safeguard the privacy of Americans," said the resigning chairman in a press release.

"The FTC has been vigilant in responding to a long list of threats to consumer privacy, whether it's mortgage applications thrown into open trash dumpsters, kids information culled by music fan websites, or unencrypted credit card information left vulnerable to hackers."

Path, meanwhile, chalked this up to a learning experience.

"From a developer's perspective, we understand the tendency to focus all attention on the process of building amazing new things," the company said in a blog post addressing its Children's Online Privacy Protections Act violations.

"It wasn't until we gave our account verification system a second look that we realized there was a problem. We hope our experience can help others as a reminder to be cautious and diligent."

Path's blog post, curiously, didn't comment on its harvesting of users' address book data.

More Path privacy concerns

Path may need another "cautious and diligent" reminder, as the company's iOS app can still give away a user's location information without obtaining permission.

"Path's iOS app (yes, that same Path that was caught stealing users' entire address books last February) will use the embedded EXIF tag location information from photos," discovered self-described hacker and security researcher Jeffrey Paul.

This exploit happens when iOS Camera Roll photos are geotagged to Path posts, even when Location Services are disabled for the Path application.

Paul told TechRadar that he doesn't know if the issue also affects Android users, as he doesn't use the app on devices running Google's mobile operating system.

In a response to Paul's blog post, Path Product Manager Dylan Casey said that the company was unaware of the issue and has implemented new code to ignore the EXIF tag location.

A new version of the app has been submitted to the App Store for approval, according Casey, who notes that "this only affected photos taken with the Apple Camera and imported into Path."

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/path-hit-with-ftc-fine-faces-another-privacy-issue-1128945

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CEO gets giddy over M7, uses phone to take pics at company party

Hold it up so everyone can see

Proving there's nothing cooler than an HTC party, the company's CEO broke out the firm's unannounced upcoming handset, the M7, at a Taipei soiree today.

Set to debut on Feb. 19 during dual events in New York and London, the M7 is said to be HTC's new flagship phone. By the looks of it, it's ready and raring to go.

While leaks and rumors have surrounded the M7 for weeks, Chou used a silver version of the M7 (though also reportedly showed a black one) to snap pictures of the crowd during the company's year-end party.

"This event today is a great opportunity for testing [the camera]," Chou, as translated by Engadget, said. "I was still testing it just now."

Happy days

HTC Chairwoman Cher Wang also took the stage to rally the crowd and oozed enthusiasm over the phone's later-this-month launch.

Aside from the fact that he was so juiced he had gave the world its first real look at the M7, Chou's excitement came pouring out as he led the room in spirited chants of "HTC" and "M7." You can watch Chou let it all out in the clip below:

Although we see the phone, it's only the back, leaving many hard and fast specifications for the device amorphous for now.

What we have heard is that it will house a 4.7-inch 1080p display, a 13-megapixel camera, and Android 4.2: Jelly Bean, but Chou didn't get into the nitty gritty (clearly).

TechRadar will be at both Feb. 19 events, so settle in for comprehensive coverage when the day arrives.

That's not all folks

Though there's buzz building for the phone, HTC isn't stopping with the M7, not by a long shot.

According to leaked info picked up by Unwired View via @evleaks, HTC has two other phones in the works: one referred to as the M4 and the other the G2.

The M4 is described as a step under the M7, in much the same as the One S is related but junior to the One X.

On the spec side, the M4 is said to come with a 4.3-inch, 720p display and loaded with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and two cameras - a 13MP one mounted on the back and a 1.6MP facing front.

Its battery should be 1,700mAh while Android 4.2 Jelly Bean will course through its system. As for the processor, a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon looks to fill those duties.

As if that wasn't enough, the M4 could come preinstalled with the new Sense 5.0 skin we saw leaked last week while also supporting LTE.

The G2, which is not related to the company's other phone with the same retail name, looks like an entry level device.

A 3.5-inch HVGA display, 1.0GHz ARM Cortex processor, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage plus a microSD card are the major specs here. The leak also points to a 5MP rear camera and a 1,400mAh battery powering the Ice Cream Sandwich phone, while a 1GHz processor gives the G2 some oomph.

According to the report, neither device will debut alongside the M7 nor immediately after Mobile World Congress, but rather sometime in the spring. What's more, we could see the M7 start to leave warehouses before February runs its course, though another report has the phone's release date as March 8.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/ceo-gets-giddy-over-m7-uses-phone-to-take-pics-at-company-party-1128927

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CEO snaps pics with M7 at HTC company party

Hold it up so everyone can see

Proving there's nothing cooler than an HTC party, the company's CEO broke out the firm's upcoming handset, the M7, at a Taipei soiree today.

Set to debut on Feb. 19 during dual events in New York and London, the M7 is said to be HTC's new flagship phone and, by the looks of it, it's ready and raring to go.

While leaks and rumors have surrounded the M7 for weeks, Chou used a silver version of the phone to snap pictures of the crowd at the company's year-end party.

"This event today is a great opportunity for testing [the camera]," Chou, as translated by Engadget, said. "I was still testing it just now."

Happy days

HTC Chairwoman Cher Wang also took the stage to rally the crowd and oozed enthusiasm over the phone's later-this-month launch.

Aside from the fact that he was so juiced he had give the world its first look at the M7, Chou's excitement came pouring out as he led the room in spirited chants of "HTC" and "M7." You can watch Chou let it all out in the clip below:

Although we see the phone, it's only the back, leaving many hard and fast specifications for the device amorphous for now.

What we have heard is that it will house a 4.7-inch 1080p display, a 13-megapixel camera, and Android 4.2: Jelly Bean, but Chou didn't get into the nitty gritty (clearly).

TechRadar will be at both Feb. 19 events, so settle in for comprehensive coverage when the day arrives.

That's not all folks

Though there's buzz building for the phone, HTC isn't stopping with the M7, not by a long shot.

According to leaks picked up by Unwired View from @evleaks, HTC has two other phones in the works: one referred to as the M4 and the other the G2.

The M4 is described as a step under the M7, in much the same was as the One S is related but junior to the One X.

On the spec side, the M4 is said to come with a 4.3-inch, 720p display and loaded with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and two cameras - a 13MP one mounted on the back and a 1.6MP facing front.

Its battery should be 1,700mAh while Android 4.2 Jelly Bean will course through its system. As for the processor, a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon looks to fill those duties.

As if that wasn't enough, the M4 could come preinstalled with the new Sense 5.0 we saw leaked last week while also supporting LTE.

The G2, which is not related to the company's other phone with the same retail name, looks like an entry level device.

A 3.5-inch HVGA display, 1.0GHz ARM Cortex processor, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage plus a microSD card are the major specs here. The leak also points to a 5MP rear camera and a 1,400mAh powering the Ice Cream Sandwich phone, while a 1GHz processor gives the phone some oomph.

According to the report, neither device will debut alongside the M7 nor immediately after Mobile World Congress, but rather sometime in the spring. What's more, we could see the M7 start to leave warehouses before February runs its course, though another report has the phone's release date as March 8.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/ceo-snaps-photos-with-m7-at-htc-company-party-1128927

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Blackberry and Samsung tease us with previews of Superbowl Ads

Samsung and BlackBerry have released only short teasers of their upcoming Superbowl ads, hoping to garner interest and curiosity among viewers.

The Superbowl is America’s  biggest sports event of the year, as well as one of its most watched too. Whether you’re watching it for the game or not, companies of all shapes and sizes are preparing for the big game this year with witty and expensive advertising to shower you with. With only a few days remaining until the big game, both Samsung and BlackBerry are showing off teasers on what should come on Sunday.

Samsung decided to release a teaser on YouTube titled “El Plato Supreme,” poking fun at the NFL trademark of the Superbowl as Paul Rudd and Seth Rogan pitch an ad to Bob Odenkirk. The ad also feature Samsung’s ongoing theme that “The Next Best Thing is Here,” taking aim at Apple and their ongoing war to eat away at the iPhone maker’s market share. The teaser also hinted at participation by both Superbowl teams.

 BlackBerry, however, has chose to remain even more discrete with its advertising, sharing only a screen still of its anticipated Superbowl ad that we frankly can’t make heads or tails of. The ad will air less than a week after BlackBerry’s debut of BB 10, they’re company claims it will display the same revolutionary values as their new OS. While no other teasers have been released by BlackBerry, digital agency Pixelcarve has released their own BB 10 “Superbowl Ad,”  offering a very bold perspective of the company.  

While BlackBerry and Samsung both chose to remain discrete, a myriad of companies have already took to YouTube, releasing their Big Game ads in advance to the public. Some of these videos have already garnered millions of views, and feature everything from RAV 4 genies to gods of war. While the styles differ, all of these companies are getting immense attention through social media, and certainly doing their best to get their money’s worth.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/blackberry-and-samsung-superbowl-ads/

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Why the BlackBerry Q10 could be BlackBerry’s knight in shining armor

While the BlackBerry Z10 and its cool touchscreen is catching most of the headlines, the QWERTY-keyboard equipped BlackBerry Q10 could be the firm’s knight in shining armor.

The dust has now cleared following BlackBerry’s successful BlackBerry 10 launch, giving us all the chance to examine the new phones, compare them to the competition, and have a good read of all the hands-on reports. Perhaps due to it being the first to go on sale, or because it’s the cool full touchscreen device, it’s the Z10 that has attracted the most attention. But that’s no good.

The Z10 appears to be a solid phone, but it’s a little bit faceless and could easily get lost among the Apple, Samsung, Motorola, Google, and HTC smartphones of this world. That’s OK though. BlackBerry has a secret weapon: the unassuming, late-arriving BlackBerry Q10. Not convinced? Here’s a few reasons why if anything is going to stop (or at least significantly slow) BlackBerry’s descent into oblivion, it’s the Q10.

We’re always calling for smartphones to be different or to stand out from the crowd, and bizarrely as it sounds for a phone which could be viewed as staid, the QWERTY Q10 is the different phone we’ve all been harping on about. Here are some of the current choices for those who want a physical keyboard on which to type: The Samsung Galaxy Chat, with its single-core 850MHz processor, the Nokia Asha 302 which runs Series 40, or the HTC ChaCha, which is now two-years old (and has one of the world’s stupidest names for a smartphone).

Using one of these just to enjoy a physical keyboard would mean quite a sacrifice, as would returning to BlackBerry’s Curve or Bold; which is something we know nobody wants to do, as otherwise the firm wouldn’t be suffering. “We know there are a lot of physical keyboard lovers out there,” said CEO Thorsten Heins during the launch event, and luckily for BlackBerry, they’ve got almost nowhere else to go.

The Q10 looks familiar, but it’s all-new inside

By choosing the Q10, the physical keyboard – which just happens to be made by the QWERTY masters, don’t forget – is only part of the package. It’s accompanied by a dual-core, 1.5GHz processor and 2GB of RAM, a 3.1-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen with a 720 x 720 pixel resolution, an 8-megapixel camera and 16GB of storage space. As you can see from the above examples, that’s light years ahead of anything else on the market.

Anyone put off by the Q10 because of the unholy mishmash of touch and keyboard that was the last Bold 9900, should remember BlackBerry 10 has been designed to be operated by touch, and there’s no trackpad or any other way to bypass the touchscreen, leaving the keyboard only for typing messages. The Q10 runs the same version of BlackBerry 10 as the Z10, so the user experience won’t be diluted down or crippled by the presence of a keyboard, plus the design is a modern interpretation of the Bold, complete with a glass weave rear cover to funk it up a bit. If you’ve been holding out for a QWERTY phone, or have been struggling on with a Bold or, shudder, a Curve; the Q10 must surely be at the top of your shopping list.

Is the Q10 BlackBerry’s dark horse?

So, that’s all the physical keyboard faithful taken care of, but how difficult is it going to be to draw in users from iOS and Android? Very difficult is the answer, but then it’s the Z10 that’s aimed at that crowd, while the Q10 will fish in the pool of those yet to make the jump from a feature phone like the Asha. We shouldn’t forget how hard BlackBerry is pushing the new software in developing markets – China will get BlackBerry 10 before the U.S., remember – where there are still a lot of users in this situation.

If the Q10 is BlackBerry’s unique product, why the delay in its launch? The Q10 isn’t expected to go on sale until April and previously, Thorsten Heins said this was primarily due to carrier testing, but it also comes down to marketing and public perception. Everything is about the touchscreen these days, and if BlackBerry had sent BB 10 out on the Q10 instead of the Z10, it would have been accused of not staying with the times. No, it’s far better to get the Z10 out to push BlackBerry 10 into the public’s consciousness, before getting on with promoting the dark horse Q10.

In an interview with Bloomberg late last year, Heins estimated a three to one sales split in favor of the Z10 following launch. While it’ll almost certainly be this way to start, we wonder how those figures will look 8 to 12 months from now; as all those who abandoned the hateful BlackBerry OS 7 hardware for a touchscreen phone, suddenly remember how much they love a physical QWERTY keyboard, and realize there’s a decent one on sale again. The Q10 could be a real surprise. We think it has a lot of potential.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/blackberry-q10-knight-in-shining-armor/

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The Digital Self: What happens when your phone knows you better than you do?

A new “context aware platform” from Qualcomm is opening the doors to a future in which everything about our lives – from the apps we use to the places we go to even the sounds we hear – is harvested and shared.

Unless you’re a major Trekkie, you probably didn’t notice a new app for iOS and Android released this morning by Paramount Pictures. Named after the upcoming Star Trek film by director J.J. Abrams, “Star Trek Into Darkness” seems like just another fanboy app – but it isn’t. It’s a crystal ball, a peephole into the potentially terrifying future of mobile data collection.

“Star Trek Into Darkness” is one of the first apps available in the United States to utilize an impressive new “context awareness platform” from mobile chip giant Qualcomm called Gimbal. Announced last summer, Gimbal taps into every sensor in your smartphone – camera, microphone, compass, temperature sensor, light sensor, accelerometer, GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi radio – to collect information about intimate aspects of your life: what you see, what you hear, where you go, and what you do when you get there. Gimbal knows which apps you use, which websites you visit, which songs you listen to, the photos you take, and more. And all of this personal information can be made accessible to app developers, marketers, and advertisers.

“We’re taking the data from each one of these sensors, or set of sensors, that can be interpreted and used to understand the world that’s around you, and figuring out what it is that gets you to interact at a more human level,” says Ian Heidt, director of product management at Qualcomm Labs.

Now, none of this may seem particularly shocking, unique, or even new. Data miners have been collecting bits and pieces of information about us for years. The things you search for, the websites you visit, the brand pages you “like” on Facebook, the articles you tweet, where you go, the apps you use – all of this is already being collected. So why are we talking about Gimbal?

Because Gimbal puts all of these details about you together in a way that has never before been possible and, according to Heidt, in turn gives those who use it to collect data the ability to understand “real-world behavior” – what we actually do in our lives, in every situation – like never before.

“We’re right on the cusp on seeing a fairly big shift in mobile services,” says Heidt – a shift toward hyper-personalized advertising, hyper-personalized apps, and hyper-personalized services, hyper-personalized everything. And Gimbal is positioned to become one of the main mechanisms pushing us into this fully customized future.

For some, a future in which the technologies we use know almost everything about our lives that happens outside our own heads will come as a blessing. All the content you consume, from apps to advertisements, will be tweaked just for you. For others, however, the benefits of full “context awareness” may not be worth the costs, especially the toll it could take on privacy. After all, the entire purpose of Gimbal is to broadcast many of the details about your life to third-parties, who will use that information to their advantage, to boost their bottom lines. The purpose of Gimbal is, by its nature, the antithesis of privacy.

Qualcomm is fully aware of the privacy implications of Gimbal, and has gone out of its way to make sure the technology does not get attacked for violating our personal space. For starters, Gimbal’s data collection mechanisms are all opt-in – you must give it permission to eavesdrop on your conversations, or track where you go, says Heidt. It also requires that you explicitly allow applications to access the data collected by Gimbal, all of which is stored directly on your device, rather than in the cloud.

All of these efforts are well and good from a privacy perspective. It’s clear to me that Qualcomm is doing everything it can to make Gimbal palpable for users who might be uncomfortable with carrying around a sophisticated monitoring device in their pockets. So my concerns here aren’t with Gimbal specifically, but with the future Gimbal is set to help shape – with the prospect that we will soon be living in a state of constant surveillance, and that we will have brought on this state willingly.

I worry about such a future, not because I’m skeptical of new technologies, but because I’m skeptical of what people will do with our personal information. Qualcomm may be committed to data protection, but what’s to stop the next company that comes along with a “contextual awareness platform” from disregarding such safe measures, especially if we’ve all shown a willingness to participate? And what’s to stop companies, governments, or even individuals from using this data for nefarious means?

At this point, there is no good answer to those questions. By sharing every tidbit about ourselves, we are effectively relinquishing control of who we are to the world at large. That, in turn, means handing over that control to someone else, someone we likely know nothing about. And it is technologies like Gimbal, or even Google Now (a slightly less sophisticated “context aware platform” beloved by Android users), that will massively accelerate this power shift.

In all likelihood, the battle to maintain our private lives is already lost. The cat is, as they say, out of the bag. And there’s no getting that sucker back in. Hyper-personalization is the future, whether privacy advocates want it to be or not. This isn’t entirely a bad thing – the products and services we use will almost certainly improve because of the increasing amount of information we share. They will help us spend more wisely, stay safer, find more things to enjoy. But this does not change the fact that, every time you agree to reveal more about your life, you pay for those benefits with a piece of yourself.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/the-digital-self-qualcomm-gimbal/

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HTC's excited chairman shows off the upcoming M7 flagship

In a similar fashion to his peer from Huawei, HTC's chairman Peter Chou showed off the yet to be revealed M7 flagship during the company's year end party in Taipei, Taiwan. Mr. Chou also confirmed the smartphone's name quite originally - by repeatedly screaming it.

The smartphone makes a brief appearance while HTC's chairman took some pictures of the gathered crowd. Sadly, we could not see much of the device, save for its white back cover.

Here's the video of Peter Chou screaming the M7 name. Given his enthusiasm, we are all but certain that the upcoming HTC flagship will indeed be special.

HTC will take the cover off the M7 at an event in NYC on February 19. We will be live from the spot, so be sure to stick around for the full scoop on the device.

Source 1 | Source 2 | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/htcs_overly_excited_chairman_shows_off_the_upcoming_m7_flagship-news-5465.php

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Rumored HTC M4 and HTC G2 could be coming soon to join the flagship M7

A leak has given us the codenames of two other possible smartphone releases from HTC, named the HTC M4 and HTC G2. We’ve got a few details to tempt us, but no indication on when either will be made official.

We’re all expecting the future flagship phone known as the M7 to be launched during HTC’s February 19 event, but whether it’ll be joined by any other phones, or if HTC will hold something back for Mobile World Congress remains to be seen. A new leak has at least vaguely confirmed HTC does have a selection of other phones up its sleeve, but still leaves us guessing as to their arrival.

The phones in question are known by their codenames: The HTC M4 and HTC G2. We’ll start with the M4, which could be a small step down from the M7 judging by the potential specification. The 720p, 4.3-inch screen may be joined by a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor and 2GB of RAM. A 13-megapixel camera could be onboard, as could 16GB of storage and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

HTC has calmed down with the G2 though, as it’s said to have a 3.5-inch screen, a 1GHz processor and a 5-megapixel camera. The operating system may not be all that up-to-date either, as Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is listed. This puts the G2 on the same level as the Desire C and Desire V, while the M4 is similar to the Desire SV and One SV. The gulf in-between the two spec sheets indicates at least one other phone will turn up at some point.

HTC’s range is confusing at the moment, with many variations on the same theme, and all of them called the Desire something or the One something. Here’s hoping it’ll give it a complete overhaul in 2013 to make its individual models more recognizable.

The source of the rumor, Unwiredview, seems to doubt we’ll see the M4 and G2 at the February event or Mobile World Congress, but does suggest a spring release. We’re not going to speculate as to which gathering HTC will choose to show off these new phones, but we’d say it’s likely to be one of the two.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/htc-m4-and-mtc-g2-could-arrive-at-special-february-19-event/

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FTC chairman resigns after 4 years of online privacy battles

Outgoing FTC chairman famous for battling Google and others

An aggressive defender of online privacy, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chief Jon Leibowitz will be leaving his post later this month after vigorously battling everyone from generic drug companies to social networking giant Facebook.

The New York Times reported Thursday that FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz has resigned from his position, effective mid-February, ending a four-year battle for consumer online privacy protection.

Among them are alleged violations of the Children's Online Privacy Protections Act (COPPA) against social network Path, who reached a settlement Friday after addressing concerns over children under 13 being permitted to sign up for the service.

"I felt like this was a good time to leave because we got through a number of things that I wanted the commission to address," Leibowitz explained in an interview.

What's next

The FTC chairman's most recent high profile case put Google's search results under the microsocope, an effort which ultimately led to voluntary changes that fell short of what consumer advocates had been hoping for.

Advertisers claimed Google had been giving higher priority to companies whose interests aligned with theirs, at the same time reducing the presence of competitors.

Five FTC commissioners were unanimous in their decision that the company's actions actually benefitted users, even though some were considered less than helpful to the competition.

The departure of 54-year-old Leibowitz had been widely expected, and the chairman now plans a move into the private sector, where he'll continue his laser focus on privacy issues and anticompetitive practices.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/web/ftc-chairman-resigns-after-4-years-of-online-privacy-battles-1128875

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ASUS sells nearly 1 million Padfone 2 units

Asus Padfone 2 is one of the most innovative devices in the mobile market beyond any shadow of doubt. The second generation of the 3-in-1 smartphone, which can be converted into a tablet and later into a laptop with the help of dock has surely changed the way we look at buying smartphones and tablets.

ASUS, the manufacturers of the multi-featured smartphone has reportedly sold sold nearly 1 million Padfone 2 units, despite the fact that the availability of the smartphone has been very limited.

A more juicy bit of the DigiTimes report has it that ASUS will showcase an updated version of the Padfone at the upcoming Mobile World Congress, which will be held in Barcelona later this month.

Asus has been making lots of headlines recently with its recently launched VivoTab Smart ME400 and 7" MeMO Pad ME 172 tablets. The company is surely having a wonderful time in the tablet market, but it probably wouldn't mind extending that kind of performance to the smartphones as well.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/asus_claims_to_have_sold_nearly_1_million_padfone_2_units-news-5464.php

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Galaxy Nexus sales resume as court denies Apple's request

The rivalry between the Apple and Samsung had led to an injunction on the Samsung's Galaxy Nexus, which was reversed later by an appeals court. Apple had then asked the court to reconsider, but the case is now over as Apple's request has been demised.

The US court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, motivated its decision from today with the fact that all the nine judges of the Appeals Court reconsidered the sales ban.

The conflict was based on Apple's 604 patent, which was initially infringed by the Galaxy Nexus. The violation was by the unified search, which was implemented on the Galaxy Nexus and to justify its request, Apple had to demonstrate that the consumer demand was directly tied with the infringing functionality. Apple's task was cut out as it was a real ask given the features on the smartphones.

Apple can appeal to the Supreme Court, but it is very likely that the request would be dismissed again.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/galaxy_nexus_sales_ban_lifted_as_court_denies_apples_request-news-5463.php

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Sony Xperia Z release date and price: where can you get it?

Buy it. Buy it now. Oh, wait, you can't.

The new Sony Xperia Z has turned a few heads with a top-end spec list…so how can you go about getting it?

The handset caused something of a stir at CES 2013, mostly because it saw Sony finally releasing a phone that wasn't a couple of generations behind the competition.

This means a massive 5-inch full HD display, which pushes closer to the edge of the screen so you're not left with a comically huge phone dwarfing your hand.

It's also water and dust resistant, comes with top-end Bravia tech and offers an impressive camera too – so which networks will be stocking it?

Clove is offering the handset with a SIM free price of £528 - putting it squarely alongside the low-capacity iPhone 5 and other top-end handsets, and it's joined by Expansys at that price point too.

Sony itself has jumped into the selling game with the Xperia Z, and you can pre-order it from its own website for £529 - although it's only stuck a 'coming soon' tag on the release date.

O2

The effervescent provider tweeted at stupid o'clock in the morning to confirm it would be bringing the handset to market, and it's confirmed the February release date from its "coming soon" page.

You can pre-order it now with prices for the phone starting from free at a high contract price, or paying £480 for the handset and getting it for £13.50 a month - although you do get those £300 Sony headphones if you sign up 'while stocks last'.

Oh, it is coming in "Exclusive Purple". That may mean it's only landing on O2 in that colour, or it's the actual name of the hue - you know, like Ranging Green or Megalithic Blue.

Three

The numerical network also confirmed it would be stocking the Sony Xperia Z and it's now given us a LOAD more information. You can pre-order the new phone from today although the cheapest contract price will start at £34 a month with a £69 upfront cost, and will be available from 28 February.

You can also buy it on PAYG though, and it's at a relatively cheap £449.99 if you want to go down this route. Three is also throwing in a pair of Sony headphones worth £300 for the first 1000 customers to nab one, but chances are that deal will be sucked up faster than a Dyson hopped up on Red Bull.

Vodafone

Big Red has done a blog post outlining some of the specs you'll have read about loads already, but it's also managed to confirm via Twitter that it will be stocking the phone from 28 February. You annoyingly can't pre-order yet, but we're sure it will pop up pretty soon.

EE / Orange / T-Mobile

Nothing from this tri-headed behemoth as yet, but we've asked the question and it has promised to furnish us with details as they become available.

Phones 4U

The independent retailer is already open for pre-registration on this top-end phone, and has now updated its listing to reveal prices and a special gift* for those that sign up.

The Xperia Z will be landing on 28 February (if you're not seeing the pattern here, shame on you) and will start at £36 a month on a range of networks.

* It's those blasted Sony headphones again. The electronics brand must have a surplus it can't shift.

Carphone Warehouse

We're going to get a little quote-y on yo' asses now: "Carphone Warehouse, has confirmed that it will be stocking the brand new Sony Xperia Z from launch in February." Saves us from writing that.

The retailer also confirmed that the Z will be available in later February to purchase, so it could beat Phones 4U to the punch of actually getting it into the hands of consumers.

We're going to be updating this piece with prices and any more definitive release dates as and when we get them (plus the inevitable offers of more headphones for EVERYONE) – stay with us during this difficult time.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/sony-xperia-z-release-date-and-price-where-can-you-get-it-1123500

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HTC readying 720p JB M4 and budget ICS G2 for spring

It seems that HTC could announce two other smartphones alongside the 1080p M7 this month. The HTC M7 is expected to go official on February 19 and the M4 and G2 could debut at the same press event.

The information comes courtesy of a few specs and release information by @evleaks and UnwiredView.

The two devices should start hitting retail stores this spring, while the M7 will reportedly start shipping before this month's end.

The HTC M4 will sport a 4.3" 720p display and run on a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor (probably of the Krait variety) and have 2 GB of RAM. The specs highlights continue with 16 GB of on-board storage, a 13 MP camera with F/2.0 lens, a 1.6 MP front-facing snapper and LTE support. The battery capacity is expected to be 1700 mAh.

The HTC M4 should be powered by Sense 5.0 on top of and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

As for the HTC G2 - it will be a budget ICS offering with a single-core 1 GHz processor and 512 MB of RAM. The smartphone will be built around a 3.5" display of HVGA resolution (320 x 480 pixels) and will offer microSD card slot and a 1400 mAh battery. These specs look similar to those of the rumored HTC Golf and it might not just be a coincidence.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_readying_720p_jb_m4_and_budget_ics_g2_for_spring-news-5462.php

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Apple plans to make everyone your local ATM

What if you could use your phone to ask a stranger for some cash, and they actually gave it to you? A new patent application suggests Apple wants to make that happen.

We’ve all been there: When you least expect to need cash, you realize your wallet’s empty – the restaurant won’t accept cards, you’re catching a bus, you wanna tip the hotel maid – but there isn’t a bank or ATM around for miles. What do you do in that circumstance? According to a new patent published yesterday by Apple, the answer in the near future might be “pull out your phone and transmit a request for a stranger to give you some money.”

The patent is for what Apple calls an “ad-hoc cash-dispensing network” that would allow members to broadcast their location and amount of cash they desire. The requests are then visible to other members within a certain distance. Once an agreement has been reached between the borrower and lender, the two can arrange to meet at a particular location where the money will change hands, with their reimbursement coming in the form of a payment via the borrower’s iTunes account.

At least, that’s one of the variations on the idea listed in the patent application; others include loans via social networking, electronic transferring of funds, and GPS location of lenders/borrowers. The patent explains that “the ad-hoc cash-dispensing network includes a cash-dispensing server, a network, and a plurality of client terminals that connect to the cash-dispensing server through the network,” describing in detail the “embodiment” of the idea as detailed above.

“Most businesses accept payment through credit, check, or other forms of non-direct cash payments,” Apple says. Although there are benefits to using credit – i.e. fraud alert, theft protections, rewards programs – sometimes you just really need cold hard cash. “For example, some smaller businesses do not accept payment with credit cards because of the charges the proprietor of the business must pay to the credit card companies. Accordingly, there is a need for a cash-dispensing network that allows users to exchange cash as needed.”

The idea brings a familiar online notion – crowdsourcing – to a real world problem. There are obvious potential pitfalls (What if the borrower had an iTunes account that he or she had defaulted upon? What if the iTunes account was fake, or stranger still, the lender was fake and wanted to abuse the system), but the potential for change that it brings can’t be discounted. If Apple manages to make this model of crowdsourcing lending work, then it’d be interesting to see what will happen to banks as a result.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/apple-plans-to-make-everyone-your-atm/

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Huawei Ascend Mate pre-orders start at $575 in China

Huawei announced three phones at the CES in Las Vegas in January - the Ascend D2 1080p smartphone, the Ascend Mate 6.1" phablet and the Ascend W1 Windows Phone midranger. Usually the Huawei phones launch in their homeland - China - first and so this is the case here.

The 6.1-inch Ascend Mate droid will launch in about a month and at least one retailer is already taking pre-orders for it. The Chinese retailer Liaow, which offers international shipping charges exactly $575 for the smartphone.

Shipping would be another $23-$38, depending on the country you live in and you get to choose between DHL and EMS. Keep in mind though, that you'll also have to pay various import fees and, depending on the laws in your country, VAT.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_ascend_mate_preorders_start_at_575_in_china-news-5461.php

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Sony Xperia Z release date: when can you get it and where?

Buy it. Buy it now. Oh, wait, you can't.

The new Sony Xperia Z has turned a few heads with a top-end spec list…so how can you go about getting it?

The handset caused something of a stir at CES 2013, mostly because it saw Sony finally releasing a phone that wasn't a couple of generations behind the competition.

This means a massive 5-inch full HD display, which pushes closer to the edge of the screen so you're not left with a comically huge phone dwarfing your hand.

It's also water and dust resistant, comes with top-end Bravia tech and offers an impressive camera too – so which networks will be stocking it?

Clove is offering the handset with a SIM free price of £528 - putting it squarely alongside the low-capacity iPhone 5 and other top-end handsets, and it's joined by Expansys at that price point too.

Sony itself has jumped into the selling game with the Xperia Z, and you can pre-order it from its own website for £529 - although it's only stuck a 'coming soon' tag on the release date.

O2

The effervescent provider tweeted at stupid o'clock in the morning to confirm it would be bringing the handset to market, and it's confirmed the February release date from its "coming soon" page.

You can pre-order it now with prices for the phone starting from free at a high contract price, or paying £480 for the handset and getting it for £13.50 a month - although you do get those £300 Sony headphones if you sign up 'while stocks last'.

Oh, it is coming in "Exclusive Purple". That may mean it's only landing on O2 in that colour, or it's the actual name of the hue - you know, like Ranging Green or Megalithic Blue.

Three

The numerical network also confirmed it would be stocking the Sony Xperia Z and it's now given us a LOAD more information. You can pre-order the new phone from today although the cheapest contract price will start at £34 a month with a £69 upfront cost, and will be available from 28 February.

You can also buy it on PAYG though, and it's at a relatively cheap £449.99 if you want to go down this route. Three is also throwing in a pair of Sony headphones worth £300 for the first 1000 customers to nab one, but chances are that deal will be sucked up faster than a Dyson hopped up on Red Bull.

Vodafone

Big Red has done a blog post outlining some of the specs you'll have read about loads already, but it's also managed to confirm via Twitter that it will be stocking the phone from 28 February. You annoyingly can't pre-order yet, but we're sure it will pop up pretty soon.

EE / Orange / T-Mobile

Nothing from this tri-headed behemoth as yet, but we've asked the question and it has promised to furnish us with details as they become available.

Phones 4U

The independent retailer is already open for pre-registration on this top-end phone, but doesn't offer a price as yet. However, it is betting its boat on a March 1 Sony Xperia Z release date, so you can circle that date in your diaries if you've got nothing else on.

Carphone Warehouse

We're going to get a little quote-y on yo' asses now: "Carphone Warehouse, has confirmed that it will be stocking the brand new Sony Xperia Z from launch in February." Saves us from writing that.

The retailer also confirmed that the Z will be available in later February to purchase, so it could beat Phones 4U to the punch of actually getting it into the hands of consumers.

We're going to be updating this piece with prices and any more definitive release dates as and when we get them – stay with us during this difficult time.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/sony-xperia-z-release-date-when-can-you-get-it-and-where-1123500

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Intel to show dual-core smartphone chips at MWC, as the Acer Liquid C1 expands its presence in Asia

Intel will have its new dual-core Atom processor, destined for smartphones, on display at Mobile World Congress this year. In the meantime, it’s using low cost hardware such as the Acer Liquid E1 to expand its presence in Asia.

Intel has announced it will show a new dual-core, dual graphics smartphone platform at Mobile World Congress at the end of this month. While it’s not certain, this will probably be the Z2580 dual-core Atom processor announced during CES 2013, where Lenovo also demonstrated the first phone to use the chip – the Lenovo K900.

If you’re into Intel’s codenames, then the Z2580 is also known as the Clover Trail+, and it first showed up on a roadmap at last year’s Mobile World Congress show. It’s destined for range-topping devices like the K900, and provides 4G LTE connectivity, a necessity if Intel wants to eventually break into all markets.

For now though, Intel continues to push its devices in Asia, where more cost-effective phones are popular. Today we have the announcement of the Acer Liquid C1, a low-to-mid range Android smartphone which will launch in Thailand very soon. Believe it or not, the C1 is the ninth Intel phone to be released in as many months, but it’s one of the first to feature Intel’s new Lexington chip.

Intel’s Z2420 Lexington platform is designed to power more basic devices than the Medfield chip, and is especially suited to hardware with dual-SIM capabilities which are particularly popular in emerging markets. The chip made its debut in the Xolo X500 earlier this month, a basic phone headed for India. Xolo was responsible for releasing the first Intel-powered smartphone, the Xolo X900, back in 2011.

Intel’s working to capture important emerging markets

The Acer Liquid C1 has a 4.3-inch touchscreen with a 960 x 540 pixel resolution, while the single-core Lexington processor has been clocked at 1.2GHz. It also has an 8-megapixel camera (which is certainly higher than we’re used to seeing on a basic device), 4GB of storage space, a microSD card slot, GPS and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is its operating system. As for the cost, the Liquid C1 will wear a converted price tag of around $330.

So why has Intel chosen Thailand as it’s first port of call in Asia? According to ZDNet, Intel wants to capture the attention of the 67 million people living in the country, where six million smartphones were sold last year and 3G connectivity is about to take off.

Intel has a long standing relationship with Acer through its PC chip business, and both share a common goal of breaking into the smartphone market. Acer aims to triple its 2012 smartphone sales to 1.5 million this year, with a target of 5 million provisionally set for 2014.

While the Liquid C1 probably won’t make it to the U.S. or Europe, we’ve got high hopes for hardware like the Lenovo K900 and the Z2580 Clover Trail+. We’ll find out more about both at MWC.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/intel-will-show-its-dual-core-atom-smartphone-chips-at-mwc-2013/

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Super-fast 4G to get even speedier under proposed changes

More space, more coverage, more speed - yes please!

Ofcom is looking to further improve the UK's 4G network by lifting restrictions on 2G and 3G spectrums.

The plan is to allow carriers more freedom to do what they want with their airwaves, meaning the 900MHz, 1800MHz and 2100MHz bands could be used for voice, data or super-fast data though 2G, 3G or 4G.

If the proposal is successfully pushed through than consumers will benefit from improved mobile coverage, and with more capacity available to networks we could see faster data speeds as well.

Hold ya horses

This proposal is still very much in its infancy and considering the shenanigans which surrounded the (ongoing) 4G auction don't expect it to come into force anytime soon.

It isn't the first time Ofcom has removed barriers on spectrum, as it allowed EE to swap its 1800MHz spectrum from 2G to 4G last year which led to the firm being able to launch its super-fast service early.

The likes of Three, O2 and Vodafone unsurprisingly kicked up a bit of a stink when EE was allowed to switch its spectrum usage, and it's this fuss which as led Ofcom to publish its latest proposal.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/super-fast-4g-to-get-even-speedier-under-proposed-changes-1128828

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Sony Xperia Z to release on Feb 28, Three opens pre-orders

The latest in the Xperia family, the Sony Xperia Z, which was announced in the recently-concluded CES 2013, will go sale in the UK beginning in February 28 and Three has already started accepting pre-orders for the smartphone.

According to Three, Sony Xperia Z will be available for £34 a month with an upfront payment of £69, and the first 1000 pre-ordering customers will receive a pair of Sony MDR-1R Prestige headphones worth £299.

Three also offers the smartphone on a £36 per month plan with an upfront payment of £69 and 2 year contract.

Earlier, Sony's official online store in the UK had priced the smartphone at £529, but the carrier will be selling the waterproof device with a price tag of £499 on pay-as-you-go plans.

The Xperia Z smartphone will be available in Black and White color variants.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_z_will_be_released_on_february_28-news-5460.php

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BT Cloud brings at least 2GB online storage to broadband customers

Bit of an Apple bias there, BT?

Still need somewhere to store your music online? BT has joined the cloud locker party with BT Cloud, complete with iOS and Android apps.

The digital locker service allows BT Broadband users to store photos, videos, music and other digital bits and bobs for access from their smartphones on the go.

There are two packages available as part of your BT Broadband deal: a 2GB option and a 50GB one. BT says that's enough for 500 or 12,500 songs respectively.

Bits and bobs

If you're more of a film fan, the 2GB option only has room for (approximately) two films but the 50GB should store around 70 - probably not HD films though.

You'll have to log in to the My BT user site to find out which you're automatically entitled to, but you do have the option to upgrade to 100GB, 250GB or 500GB of storage - we've asked BT what sort of prices it is charging for these upgrades.

While it doesn't explicitly address the issue of pirated music and film files, BT is clear about how it "doesn't support activities which infringe the copyrights of the holder".

But whether it'll be checking up on you in this regard is another story.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/bt-cloud-brings-at-least-2gb-online-storage-to-broadband-customers-1128824

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Strategy Analytics: Apple top phone maker in US for Q4

Android and iOS are locked in a tug-of-war that has been going on for a few years and competing OSes are falling to the wayside. Samsung (the biggest Android player) and Apple (the only iOS gadget maker) are busy fighting it out too and Strategy Analytics is keeping score.

In the US, Apple became the top phone vendor during the Q4 – that’s a first for the company. It shipped 17.7 million phones for a whopping 34% of the market (a big jump from 25% in Q4 2011).

Samsung took second place in Q4 with 16.8 million phones shipped. Looking at the whole year, however, Samsung takes top place with 53 million phones over Apple’s 43.7 million. LG is third with 20.5 million (4.7 million of which were shipped in the last quarter of 2012).

United States Mobile Phone Shipments (Millions of Units) Source: Strategy Analytics	Q4 '11	2011	Q4 '12	2012
Apple	12.8	29.7	17.7	43.7
Samsung	13.5	52.3	16.8	53.0
LG	6.9	30.5	4.7	20.5
Others	17.1	74.3	12.8	49.7
Total	50.2	186.8	52.0	166.9

All three companies shipped more phone in Q4 last year than they did in Q4 2011 and the market grew 4% year over year. However, the previous three quarters were weak and the market contracted from 186.8 million phones for the whole 2011 to 166.9 million in 2012 (that’s for feature and smart phones).

Anyway, the smartphone wars are even more intense in China – there Android and iOS conquered 98% of the smartphone market in Q4. Of that, Android holds a dominant position with 86%, while iOS has 12%. Note that Android numbers include lots of modified versions specific to the Chinese market.

Source 1 | Source 2

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/strategy_analytics_apple_top_phone_maker_in_us_for_q4_-news-5459.php

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Sony Xperia Z price confirmed: would you pay this much for waterproofing?

Want it? Then you're going to have to cough up 500 smackers

The Sony Xperia Z price has appeared on the Japanese firm's official online store, with the SIM-free handset setting you back £529.

In terms of the Sony Xperia Z release date the listing doesn't offer us any clues, simply stating the handset is "coming soon" and providing you with the option to pre-register - although it's expected to arrive at the end of February or the beginning of March.

What the posting does reveal though are that three colour options will make their way to the UK, allowing you to dress your Xperia Z in black, white or purple.

Time to start saving

The hefty price tag sees the Xperia Z line up alongside the lowest-capacity iPhone 5, with the Samsung Galaxy S3 and HTC One X+ around £100 cheaper than Sony's new flagship device.

Luckily the Xperia Z has some decent features to help justify parting with such a large chunk of cash, sporting a full HD 5-inch display, 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 13MP camera, Android Jelly Bean - plus it's both dust and water resistant.

We were suitably impressed during our hands on Sony Xperia Z review, but we won't know if it's value for money or a bit of a rip off until we put it through our full review process.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/sony-xperia-z-price-confirmed-would-you-pay-this-much-for-waterproofing-1128815

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Temple Run 2 sprints into the record books – now the fastest growing mobile game ever

Temple Run 2 has clocked up 50 million downloads in just 13 days, making it the fastest growing mobile game ever.

Temple Run 2 has stormed into the record books, becoming the fastest growing mobile game of all time after clocking up 50 million downloads in just 13 days. The previous holder of the record was Angry Birds Spaced, which needed 35 days to reach the same milestone.

The magnitude of Temple Run 2’s success in such a short space of time hasn’t been lost on Keith Shepherd, co-founder of Imangi, the company behind the game. “Temple Run has evolved into something so much bigger than us,” Shepherd said in a release on Thursday. “The game has performed beyond our wildest dreams, and we are thrilled that gamers and fans have embraced Temple Run 2 in such a short period of time.”

The free game hit the iOS app store first, racing to the top of the iTunes chart last week within eight hours of its release. Within 24 hours it had chalked up an impressive six million downloads and after only four days the company was celebrating 20 million downloads.

A week after landing on iOS, Android users had a chance to load it up on their devices, helping it to sprint to its record-breaking 50 million download figure this week.

The addictive game requires you to build up points by running….endlessly. Lots of jumping and sliding while collecting gold coins along the way is also involved, and with the sequel you can swing on a rope and ride in a mine cart, too.

Just as with Angry Birds and all the merchandise it spawned, those who find themselves completely consumed by the game can now fill their lives with Temple Run comics, board games, shirts, mugs, water bottles and more. Last year Imangi’s original Temple Run game caught the attention of Disney/Pixar, with the companies teaming up to launch Temple Run: Brave, a 99-cent spinoff game involving, you guessed it, a whole load more running, jumping and sliding. 

All of Imangi’s offerings are the work of a three-person team comprising Keith, his wife Natalia Luckyanova and artist Kiril Tchangov. The company started out in 2008 and is currently based in Washington DC.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/temple-run-2-sprints-into-the-record-books/

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