Monday, August 20, 2012

Samsung Galaxy S Duos launches in Europe next month


The Samsung Galaxy S Duos may share much of its design philosophy with the Galaxy S3, but it bests the 2012 flagship phone in one way: the number of SIM cards it supports. As a member of Samsung’s Duos lineup, the handset is privy to dual-SIM cards to go along with a 1GHz process, 4-inch display, and Ice Cream Sandwich. Even better, both SIMs can operate simultaneously to make transitioning between networks a totally seamless experience. The Galaxy S Duos will launch in Europe next month with pricing to be disclosed at a later date. Head over to Samsung’s blog post about the phone to learn more.
[via Samsung]

Samsung and Apple CEOs to attempt settlement talks one last time before trial goes to jury


If there is any hope to see a settlement reached in the blockbuster patent trial of Apple v. Samsung, it lies in a final round of talks between company CEOs Tim Cook and Kwon Oh Hyun occurring today before the case goes to jury. Per yet another request by Judge Lucy Koh for the two parties to come to some sort of agreement, the heads of Apple and Samsung will hold a phone call to discuss the viability of settling out of court.
Previous attempts to reach a deal have been hindered by Apple’s demand for absurdly high royalties and Samsung’s insistence that the patents in question are not as valuable as the iPhone maker believes. Signs again point to the two sides not reaching an agreement, at which point the trial will go to jury on Wednesday. There is still a very real possibility that a deal is reached at a later point, but it would likely involve settlements in other cases between Samsung and Apple around the globe.
[via Bloomberg]

Sony gives official details on Xperia SL


Sony is ready to give their Xperia S a slight refresh with the upcoming Xperia SL, a phone that was quietly outed on the company’s site over the weekend. The handset is shown as “coming soon” as rumored specs have been confirmed. The most significant difference between the Xperia S and Xperia SL is a bump in processing power to 1.7GHz (Snadragon S3) from 1.5GHz. The SL will also launch with Ice Cream Sandwich instead of the Gingerbread build found on the standard S. Otherwise, expect similar features such as a 720p display and 12.1MP camera. You can check out more over at Sony’s site.
[Sony via Engadget]

Motorola Xyboard WiFi receiving Ice Cream Sandwich in the US


The Motorola Xyboard might be oft forgotten by some, but Motorola isn’t letting their latest tablet go the way of the dinosaur any time soon. As of today, the update to Android 4.0.4 is available for both the 10.1-inch and 8.2-inch WiFi models. The new software should reach users as an over-the-air update, and features a host of changes stemming from the upgrade to the new, but not newest, version of Android. Highlights include Face Unlock, a better browsing experience, multi-tasking and an improved launcher, as well as general stability improvements. For the complete list and more info, head over to the Moto link below.

Tegra 3-powered LG Optimus Vu: available globally this September


After launching the phone back in March in their native Korea, LG is ready to bring the phablet stylings of the Optimus Vu: to new regions around the globe. The phone landed in Japan this month and will make its way to select markets in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America in September. The global launch comes with a bump in processing power through the switch to NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 platform while retaining other hardware elements including the device’s 5-inch screen with 4:3 display ratio.
Rumors also have the Optimus Vu: launching in the US on Verizon at some point in the near future, but no official announcements have been made on the matter at this time. Check out the press release below for the details as we have them now. Specifics should be coming closer to the actual retail availability of the phone.
LG ANNOUNCES GLOBAL AVAILABILITY OF OPTIMUS VU: 
Largest LG Smartphone to Be Launched in Europe, Asia, Middle East/Africa and Latin America
SEOUL, Aug. 20, 2012 - On the heels of its successful debut in Korea and Japan, the Optimus Vu: will make its global debut starting in select markets in Europe, Asia, Middle East/Africa and Latin America starting in September. With the world’s first 5-inch 4:3 aspect ratio display, the Optimus Vu: blurs the line between traditional tablets and smartphones for a truly unique smart device experience.
Since its March debut in Korea, the Optimus Vu: has sold over 500,000 units, demonstrating public acceptance of its form-factor. The reception the device received in Korea prompted LG to launch the Optimus Vu: in Japan this month, where it has also been received positively by Japanese consumers.
For the global roll-out, the Optimus Vu: will be equipped with NVIDIA? Tegra? 3 mobile processor, the super 4-PLUS-1™ quad-core with 5th battery-saver core, that offers a superb balance of performance and power requirements. 4 cores are used for high performance tasks such as games and multitasking. For voice call, email, music and video playback, only 5th battery-saver core is enabled and it consumes very less power.
When paired with the high-resolution 5-inch, 4:3 ratio IPS display, the Optimus Vu: becomes something special - a device that’s both pocketable and spacious. The Optimus Vu: will come with an upgraded version of QuickMemo™ and Notebook, two features which make great use of the large display real estate.
"The different form factor makes Optimus Vu: unique even in the 5-inch smartphone category which we expect will catch on once they become more widely available," said Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company.
Key Specifications:
  • Operating System Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
  • Network 3G
  • Display 5.0-inch 4:3 ratio XGA IPS with 768 x 1024 pixels
  • Memory 32GB
  • Cameras 8.0MP rear / 1.3MP front
  • Size 139.6 x 90.4 x 8.5mm
  • Weight 168g

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Motorola goes on the attack, sues Apple for iPhone & iPad patent infringements


A new day, a new lawsuit to report on. Not too long after Judge Posner famously threw out their other case, Motorola and Apple will once again go head-to-head, though this time it’s Motorola who made the first move. It’s the first time the company has gone on the offensive since the completion of Google’s takeover, and hence might be the first time Google has used the patents it owns aggressively (I’m not totally sure of this, if anyone can point to a previous occasion, or confirm this, please do so in the comments).
Motorola is demanding a ban on the imports of the iPhone and iPad for alleged infringements of intellectual property used in Siri, E-Mail notifications, location reminders and music/video players. Ideally, most of us would like to see the end of this nonsense, but honestly, considering the known animosity Apple has towards the Android platform, I’m going to be cheering Motorola on.
What are your thoughts on the case? Do you think Motorola/Google should have gone on the offensive?

Samsung pulls out weapons, asks Apple for $421.8 million for patent infringement



The spotlight is on Motorola right now, as the Google owned company goes on the offensive trying to ban Apple imports. Samsung is pulling out its weapons too, though, and may be getting $421.8 million if Apple is proven guilty.
Sammy has brought three non-major patents to the table, related to e-mail, photo browsing and music playback. As Samsung is not losing sales due to said infringement, Apple would only have to pay for royalties. This means that it will be the same as if they had signed an agreement from the start, adding to $22.8 million in total.
Things get a bit rough once we look at Samsung’s standard-essential patents, which are not cheap to take care of. These patents would account for about 2%-2.75% of net profits, or between $290 and $399 million.
This war is far from being over, so both companies will want to juice each other out as much as they can. There is a possibility Motorola may be discriminating Apple due to their history of rivalry. Apple believes that Motorola should be more reasonable about standard essential patents and offer a sweeter deal. Plus, Cupertino doubts Motorola is charging other companies as much.
But then again, Apple’s demand of over $2.5 billion is also claimed to be an over-estimated figure. So both companies are to be blamed of getting dramatic. We should be seeing a conclusion soon(ish), so be sure that we will be here to let you know what happens.
[Via: The Verge]

Saturday, August 18, 2012

ASUS TF500T surfaces in FCC filing, might be next Transformer tablet


A mystery tablet from ASUS has appeared at the FCC with model number TF500T, a designation that suggests it could be a new tablet in the coimpany’s Transformer line. Other members of that product family use a similar numbering scheme, including the budget-oriented Transformer Pad (TF300) and pricier Transformer Pad Infinity (TF700). In this case we have extremely little to go off of in terms of features of the TF500, but its model number suggests it could fall somewhere between the two concerning specs and pricing, possibly making this one a sequel to last year’s Transformer Prime.
As far as what the FCC listing does reveal, the tablet will feature WiFi, HDMI, and a microphone. Other than the Nexus 7, ASUS hasn’t shown off a new tablet since Mobile World Congress, so we’d say a new tablet geared towards a holiday launch makes sense. Given that timeframe it again seems likely we may be dealing with a successor to the Transformer Prime.
[FCC via Engadget]

Motorola launches device unlock site


Motorola’s finally making nice on their promise to allow unlockable bootloaders, and while there are no phones ready to take advantage just yet (the Motorola Photon Q will be the first) it’s nice to see that the site is up and ready to go. You’ll need fastboot and the Android SDK, as well the Motorola drivers. Those things are simple enough to get, and from there Motorola will instruct you on how to get started. Bookmark the site if you’re planning on buying any future Motorola devices. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Dead Trigger updated to version 1.5.0, brings new weapons and arenas


Zombie shoot-em-up DEAD TRIGGER has received a bump up to version 1.5.0 today, an update that brings about plenty of new content while improving over all gameplay. Players will be treated to new weapons, arenas, and items for the paid game turned freemium. Speaking of freemium, those that purchased the game before it became a free download are in line to receive some in-game swag as a thanks from the folks at MADFINGER. Here is everything you can expect:
  • 2 new Arenas: STADIUM OF DEAD & DEADLY CORRIDORS
  • Reward for everyone who had purchased DEAD TRIGGER before the game became for free (ALIEN GUN, 25 GOLD, 10 CASINO CHIPS)
  • New story missions
  • New weapon: ALIEN GUN
  • New items: LASER TURRET & MINI-MORTAR
  • Improved gameplay of protect objects missions, players can repair damaged objects now
  • New tutorial for beginners
  • Improved MINIGUN and COLT-M4
  • Increased reward in the Arenas (Players can also win CASINO CHIPS)
  • More chance to win at the Casino (including items)
  • Auto-aim works better when more enemies nearby
  • Better ammo drops for everyone who use more than one weapon
The new version of DEAD TRIGGER can be downloaded from the Google Play Store now.
Google Play Download Link: DEAD TRIGGER

Lenovo shows off K860 ‘Music Phone’ with quad-core Exynos CPU,5-inch display


Lenovo is the latest company to jump into the bigger-than-big phone game with the announcement of the K860 “Music Phone.” The phone, which for now seems destined for the Chinese market, features an impressive spec sheet boasting a 5-inch 720p display, 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos 4412 CPU with Mali-400MP graphics, and 8MP camera. The Android 4.0.4 phone isn’t the thinnest ever, but manages to measure in at a serviceable 9.6mm while retaining a 2,250mAh battery.
Exactly why it is being dubbed the “Music Phone” isn’t quite clear, but the assumption is it will feature some enhanced audio features. No word on exact pricing or availability yet, but, again, expect to see this one in China first before (if it even does) spreading out to other locations around the world.
[via Engadget]

Google’s Voice Search Supports 13 New Languages.


Google is looking to bring search to more more users across the globe but not with the old fashioned, inefficient way of typing out searches with our fingers. What is this, 2009? No, sir. With our voice. That’s why ‘ol Googs took to their official Android Blog tonight to let Android users around the globe know that Voice Search can now recognize 13 new languages. Which ones were added? See below.
  • Basque
  • Bulgarian
  • Catalan
  • European Portuguese
  • Finnish
  • Galician
  • Hungarian
  • Icelandic
  • Norwegian
  • Romanian
  • Serbian
  • Slovak
  • Swedish
This now brings the grand total of 42 languages around the world who are able to search using their voice, spanning across 46 countries. The update is still in the process of rolling out and while it may not be available in your native tongue just yet, Google is promising a full rollout by next week. Google also mentioned that only 1 language can be spoken into the Voice Search app at a time, and you may need to mess with your language settings to use one of the newly added languages.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Black Samsung Galaxy S3 confirmed, in stock in the UK in 4-6 weeks


The folks at UK retailer MobileFun just dropped us a line confirming a series of rumors that surfaced last week pointing to a black color variant of the Samsung Galaxy S3. The latest version of the phone is now listed on the MobileFun website and retails SIM-free for £499.95. The phone isn’t immediately available, however. It should be in stock within 4-6 weeks. Other than a darker coat of paint, the phone remains identical to the already available Pebble Blue and Marble White Galaxy S3 models in the specs department, which includes a quad-core Exynos processor, 4.8-inch display, and Android Ice Cream Sandwich.
[via MobileFun]

Sony Xperia S gets new color: Dark Silver


The Sony Xperia S may not be the newest kid on the block, but Sony’s still behind it 100%. They’ve showed their commitment by announcing a nice new color for the device: Dark Silver. It’s a fancy way of saying “black/carbon”, and despite the need to use fancy color names it does look very nice. The bottom bar, and the back and sides of the device all boast the new color. The only thing I can’t get over is that ugly Xperia logo on the back. It sticks out like a sore thumb in a cast. But it’s there, and if you don’t mind it then you can look forward to the new colorway in the next few weeks. [Sony]

LG Optimus 2X to receive Ice Cream Sandwich after all



When it comes to Android 4.0 and the LG Optimus 2X, signals have been mixed. After initially promising Ice Cream Sandwich for the device, LG seemed to backtrack by posting to the Twitter account of their Canadian branch that the handset would not receive the new Android version. Now the company’s main  branch in Korea is telling us the opposite, informing us that the Optimus 2X’s ICS update is currently in the testing phase.

We’ve said before that there is a chance that some regions won’t see the update while others will, hence the conflicting reports from different local LG contingents, though it’s hard to imagine LG would put the resources towards creating the update only to not send it out to as wide a group of Optimus 2X owners as possible. Regardless, the news should provide some hope for those hoping to see Android 4.0 on the device. When that might actually happen is another matter altogether.

Motorola to lose 4,000 jobs as efforts refocused in wake of Google acquisition



In an effort to achieve “sustainable profitability,” Google will cut 20 percent of Motorola’s workforce in the wake of the company’s acquisition by the internet search giant. The result is a loss of about 4,000 jobs, with Moto’s US operation shouldering one third of the hit. The cuts also come as Motorola plans to reduce its efforts in India and Asia while cutting R&D spending virtually across the board.
CEO Dennis Woodside told The New York Times that Motorola will refocus their efforts on producing a smaller number of high-quality devices, a move that mirrors the approach of other cell manufacturers with recent struggles such as HTC and LG. Google says the cuts were influenced by the trend of monetary losses that has surfaced over the past few years, and warns of “significant revenue variability” for the foreseeable future.
[via TheVerge]

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Sony Xperia TX is reportedly the final name for flagship LT29i phone


Android Central
There's been no shortage of leaked information about Sony's upcoming international flagship, the LT29i (also known by its codename 'Hayabusa'), but one aspect that's remained shrouded in mystery has been the name of the device. According to "trusted" sources for XperiaBlog​ the phone, which is a dead ringer for the JapaneseXperia GX, will come to market under the name 'Sony Xperia TX.' The TX name will clearly position the phone as superior to its mid-range equivalent, the Xperia T (LT30p).
According to the abundance of info that's already leaked out, the phone has a 4.6-inch 720p display, a dual-core Snapdragon S4 CPU, 1GB of RAM and a 13MP rear camera, along with on-screen buttons and Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. Design-wise, it's the spiritual successor to last year's Xperia Arc.
The LT29i, or Xperia TX, is expected to appear alongside the Xperia T and Xperia Tablet at Sony's IFA press conference in Berlin on Aug. 29. We'll be there to bring you live coverage of all the day's Android news.
Source: XperiaBlog

LG Eclipse stops at the FCC on the way to Sprint


The FCC report has been published on the LG LS970, otherwise knows as the LG Eclipse, which should be headed to Sprint soon. The details confirm as much with support for CDMA 820 / 850 / 1900 and LTE band 25. The 3G/4G is complimented by Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi a/b/g/n, and NFC. The phone is rumored to sport a quad-core Krait CPU with Adreno 320 graphics and 2GB of RAM. A potential 4.67-inch display fits the phone’s reported dimensions of 5.2 x 2.8 inches.
[FCC via Engadget]

Friday, August 10, 2012

Current Caller ID by White Pages makes caller ID social


The folks at White Pages have released their new app for Android. They’re calling it Current Caller ID and it aims to bring everything you’d want in a caller ID service as well as everything you didn’t think you’d want.
White Pages pulls information from its database of 300 million phone numbers to give you information on who’s calling you as the phone rings. For the occasional instance where it doesn’t have any information it’ll at least offer up the area the number originates from.
The app also gives you interesting information such as how many times you’ve called or accepted calls from a particular number. That’s the standard stuff — what about that extra stuff?
It’ll show recent status updates from whoever’s calling from Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and it will also show the same info as you’re calling them.
Other information can be fed to you like the weather and news in the caller’s area in case you want to get that “how’s the weather” small talk out of the way, and more.
The best part is that all of this — even the caller ID stuff — is free. You might as well give it a try and see if you like it in the Google Play Store. Read on for full press details.
Seattle, WA, August 8, 2012 - The era of caller ID simply being a name and number has officially ended with today’s introduction of Current Caller ID by WhitePages (www.whitepages.com). Available in the Android App Store, Current Caller ID not only displays recent status updates by friends and social contacts from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, but it also identifies nearly any incoming or outgoing call or text instantly for free. Taking innovation even further, Current Caller ID includes live local info from the caller or texter’s location, such as weather and news, as well as fun infographics that provide instant insight into the communication relationship between users and the people they contact the most.
"Between Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, consumers are overwhelmed with too many connections and status updates, said Lori Roth, director of mobile products at WhitePages. "By marrying call and text ID with social status, we created a single useful service that makes it easy for people to stay up-to-date with the people they communicate with the most.”
According to an online Harris Interactive Study commissioned by WhitePages in May 2012, 88 percent of smartphone owners use an app like Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter to stay in touch on their smartphone with their contacts. About 76 percent of the smartphone owners who were surveyed claimed to use two or more mobile applications. In fact, of those smartphone owners who use mobile apps/functions to stay in touch with contacts on a mobile phone, nearly 60 percent use these apps at least five times a day, which suggests that an increasing number of smartphone owners are trying to avoid a communications breakdown of missing important updates from real friends in an era where online friends outnumber real friends 7 to 1.
Current Caller ID: Staying in the Know with People You Call and Text the Most (Real Friends) In one easy-to-use app, Current Caller ID effortlessly streams social status updates just as people are about to communicate. Users can then ignite highly engaging phone and text conversations about relevant topics such as social events, travel, accomplishments like promotions and graduations, or a recent concert attended. The app seamlessly integrates Android’s call log and text history with the user’s social graph to provide timely, relevant statuses for most callers and texters - all without having to lift a finger. Through a clean interface, the app provides users with a detailed snapshot of callers and texters connected to their social networks, including recent status posts on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, as well as profile photos, job description, workplace, weather and news. For example, on an inbound call, Current Caller ID users could see a recent Facebook post about a friend discovering a baby boy is on the way, falling for a new love, or notice that a friend is attending a party, and decide to answer the call immediately.
For business contacts, a user might discover a former colleague is attending the same conference, recently changed jobs, or will be in the area via a LinkedIn status, and build a stronger relationship by knowing this information before returning a call or text.
Current Caller ID also features game-like infographics in real-time that displays communication patterns between users and their contacts, including how often and when they most frequently engage with their contacts, and number of calls and texts accepted, missed and made. For example, users can easily see a fun consolidated view of call and text interactions with their contacts to learn the best time of day to call or text them to get a response.
WhitePages’ new social caller ID capabilities build on the company’s long-standing leadership in helping mobile users identify nearly any unknown call or text, including hard-to-find mobile and some VoIP numbers. WhitePages was the first to bring caller ID to mobile in 2008 for Android phones and has been the market leader in caller ID ever since, having identified over 700 million calls to date. With the survey results showing that more than 70 percent of those who screen their calls on their mobile phone don’t answer the phone because they don’t recognize a number, Current Caller ID helps users overcome the unknown and decide on the spot whether or not to answer a call or text. In addition, Current Caller ID makes it easy to update missing contact information using the WhitePages contact database of over 200 million U.S. adults.
Customers of existing WhitePages Caller ID apps can easily upgrade to the new Current Caller ID app for free. To learn more, watch the video or follow the new app on Twitter @currentID. For more information about all WhitePages mobile products visit: http://www.whitepages.com/mobile.
Survey Methodology This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of WhitePages from May 22-May 24, 2012 among 2,208 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables please contact Liz Powell at lpowell@whitepages.com.
About WhitePages WhitePages is the leading provider of contact information for people and businesses in the U.S. With over 40 million unique monthly users and powering over 2 billion searches per year on over 1,500 sites including MSN and the United States Postal Service, only WhitePages offers consumers one-click access to more than 200 million adults, also providing them with the ability to edit and control their own listings. The company’s suite of mobile products includes a top-50 mobile website and popular Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, webOS and Windows 7 applications with over 7 million active monthly users. For more information, please visit www.whitepages.com or check out the WhitePages blog at blog.whitepages.com.
WhitePages and their respective logos are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of White Pages. Other products and company names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective owners.

Samsung GT-P8110 Tab– Possible with 11.8-Inch 2560×1600 Resolution Display?


This image has no alt text
While tablet lovers are anxiously awaiting the arrival and of the Galaxy Note 10.1 launching sometime this month, another mysterious Samsung tab has just made an appearance at the FCC. Filed on Tuesday, the FCC doc doesn’t reveal too much (they rarely do) other than 16GB of internal storage, typical WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, and NFC. What’s most interesting is the design of the tab. A clear departure from what we’ve seen on current Samsung tabs like the Note 10.1 or Tab 2 10.1, this one looks like a new line altogether. Rounded corners, camera shape and placement — looks almost like a big square Galaxy S3, doesn’t it?
You may remember an exposed internal document during Samsung n’ Apple’s patent spat revealing a tablet going by the codename P10. That tablet is said to feature a 11.8-inch super high — don’t-you-dare-call-it-Retina — 2560×1600 resolution display. P8110, P10… close enough. Of course this is pure speculation, so don’t hold us to it. We’ll let you guys know when we hear more.

Google launches experimental trial to include Gmail results in Google searches


Google has announced an ambitious new project that could greatly enhance the Google Search experience for all. They’re aiming to launch a feature that will allow you to pull in relevant Gmail conversations whenever doing a Google search.
For instance, a search about Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 at Google’s search engine emails related to that game will show up in a right sidebar. It’s a natural extension to the search experience that attempts to be more personal to the user.
“But if I wanted to search for emails about Black Ops 2 why wouldn’t I just do it in Gmail,” you ask? Well, that’s a good point. Gmail already boasts a nice built-in search option, and its search box also gives you the option of repeating that query in Google Search.
We’re not quite sure where Google’s going with this feature, and all indications suggest they aren’t 100% sure either, but that’s why it’s little more than an experimental field trial for the time being.
You can sign up for the trial, but Google isn’t promising that everyone will be able to get in. In fact, you’ll need to be using Google.com in English, and you won’t be able to sign up for it using a Google Apps account (meaning your email address has to end in @gmail.com in order for you to be eligible).
Once those prerequisites are taken care of you can sign up to participate here. From there, just wait on an email to see if Google thinks you’re good enough to get in on this early. Does this sound like something of worth to you or does it seem like a feature that won’t add much to the Google Search experience?

Samsung’s New Exynos Dual 5 To Mop The Floor With Current Generation Quad-Cores


It’s been awhile since we heard from Samsung’s beefy Exynos 5250 processors. In fact, it was November of last year when we first told you guys that the dual-core A15′s would be making their debut in Sammy devices starting Q2 of this year. Right on schedule, the Samsung Exynos 5 Dual CPU’s are making an appearance today in a white paper detailing all their features and they’re impressive to say the least. Samsung’s Exynos Dual 5′s are based on A15 architecture clocked to 1.7GHz, but don’t let the “dual” fool you — when paired with the all new Mali-T604 GPU, these will mop the floor with current quad-core A9-based processors, such as the Tegra 3 or the quad-core Exynos found inside the Galaxy S3.
The aforementioned Mali-T604 GPU is capable of supporting 2560×1600 WQXGA resolutions and other features include WiFi Display support, LPDDR3 RAM 800MHz RAM, USB 3.0, Panel Self Refresh for reduced power consumption — all of this built using Samsung’s 32nm HKMG (High K Metal Gate) manufacturing process. Better. Smarter. Faster. 30% less power consumption. I think I need a cold shower…
I have blind hope we’ll see the Exynos Dual 5 inside the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 2, but it looks like the first round of these are reserved for more full sized tablets, like the rumored 11.8-inch Samsung P10 tab.

Will the Motorola RAZR (international) receive Android 4.0 today?


It seems like August is the month that most will finally be getting Android 4.0, and if new rumors are correct it looks like Motorola RAZR owners could soon be joining the party.
An unconfirmed report by GSMArena suggests the device will be getting Ice Cream Sandwich today, but there haven’t been any reports from users corroborating this fact just yet.
I should clarify that this is not regarding Verizon’s Motorola DROID RAZR, but rather the international version without the DROID moniker.
But none of that will matter if this rumor doesn’t end up being true so let’s wait until we can get some confirmation before getting all giddy and whatnot. If you have the device be sure to check for the update throughout the day and report back if you’re able to pull anything down.

Wednesday, August 08, 2012

Nikon to release Coolpix S800 as first camera powered by Android


Several Android-powered camera concepts have launched to varying degrees of success, and the trend doesn’t look likely to end any time soon. Now Nikon, one of the most popular manufacturers of digital cameras, will release their first foray into the world of “smart” cameras. The Coolpix S800 is rumored for announcement later this month and features a 25-250mm lens, 3.5-inch OLED display, and built-in GPS and WiFi. Signs point to Android 2.3 being the operating system of choice, and it is said that the camera will have access to Google Play. The Coolpix S800 would be part of Nikon’s point-and-shoot range.
[via NikonRumors]

No Motorola Droid RAZR HD this Friday, according to Facebook clue


So Motorola has been playing a little game this week, giving us a clue on their Facebook page each day leading up to a “big” handset reveal on Friday. Except today’s clue pretty much takes all the fun out of things. While we were expecting (and hoping) that Motorola might finally unveil the long in gestation Motorola DROID RAZR HD, it sounds more likely we will be hearing about a Motorola Atrix HD launch for other parts of the world.
Today’s clue reads, “I browse the Web, multitask and power through emails with my 1.5 GHz dual-core processor. And just a note, I’m in market in the U.S. from Motorola already.” Sure sounds like the ATRIX HD to us, which is already available from AT&T and features the same processor spec. Cue the sad trombone.
[via UnwiredView]

The IDC's quarterly numbers show Android leading in market share and shipments


Android Central
The International Data Corporation (IDC) released its Q2 2012 data today, which shows Android maintaining a firm lead in both market share and overall shipments between April and June. Android’s market share has grown to 68.1%, up from the 46.9% it held at this time in 2011. iOS holds the number two spot with 16.9% of the market, while Blackberry continues its decline with 4.8%.
In terms of overall shipments, Android pushed 104.8 million during the three months. The surge, says  Ramon Llamas, a senior research analyst at the IDC, can be attributed to the release of flagship devices across multiple manufacturers (i.e. the HTC One series and the Galaxy S III from Samsung) as well as the rising prominence of Ice Cream Sandwich.  
The market was entreated to several flagship models from Android's handset partners, prices were well within reach to meet multiple budgetary needs, and the user experience from both Google and its handset partners boosted Android smartphones' utility far beyond simple telephony.
To put it in perspective, only 50.8 million Android devices were shipped during Q2 2011. A full breakdown can be found at the source link.
Source: IDC

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

South Korea to usher in Voice over LTE with Samsung Galaxy S3


Voice over LTE is the next frontier for mobile providers. Carriers such as Verizon have been experimenting with the technology that would eliminate the need for separate voice and data networks by taking advantage of the extra bandwidth provided by the 4G LTE spectrum, but it will be South Korea that first sees what is being dubbed “HD Voice.” SK Telecom is launching the service tomorrow, which will be available courtesy of the LTE edition of the Samsung Galaxy S3. Not only will new customers get access to voice over 4G, but an update will be made available to current GS3 owners enabling the new option.
Most future LTE devices from the carrier will feature HD Voice as it becomes more widespread. Eventually the system will be adopted in the US as older wireless networks are decommissioned. Viva la LTE!
[via TheVerge]
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