The Ice Cream Sandwich software kicks off

June 5, 2012 By

Sony announced on April 13th the start of its software update for the 2011 Xperia smartphones. The software update will include the upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for the Xperia smartphones.

The first phase of the update will be available for the Xperia arc S, Xperia neo V and Xperia Ray smartphones. The first countries that will be using this new software update on their smartphones will be consumers from Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland. For the smartphones mentioned above the software update rollout will span over the next 4 to 6 weeks. Sony announced that they will announce when the software update will be available in other global markets.

The rollout timings will be announced on their website. The ones that are eager to see what this software update will change in user experience and functionality, should be patient and keep in mind that the availability and scheduling of the software update will vary by market and carrier requirements. The same goes for specific models which are upgradeable to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

The software kit, which will be customized for each operator and handset, will be listed on the Sony mobile website. Sony will post instructions for the update on their website as well. Users of the Xperia smartphones will need to connect to a PC or Mac, in order to download the update.

The other range of 2011 Xperia smartphones will benefit from the new software update only towards the end of May or early June. The smartphones will include Xperia arc, Xperia PLAY, Xperia active, Xperia neo, Xperia mini, Xperia mini pro, as well as the Sony Ericson Live with Walkman.

Sony mobile expressed their gratitude towards their consumers and said that they will ensure proper communication to guarantee the improvement of their smartphones operational systems.

Source: Sony Xperia Product Blog

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Nokia Lumia 900 will hit the market

April 12, 2012 By

The soon-to-be-launched Nokia Lumia 900 has been named “Best of CES” for all smartphones. It is also one of the first 4G LTE Windows Phones to hit the market. Nokia Lumia 900 will provide an exceptional mobile experience. The 4G LTE speed, outstanding design and Windows Phone 7.5 make for a perfect choice for customers looking to access their emails, social media profiles and music files quickly. The design will also be an eye-candy for customers. The Smartphone will first be available in a unique cyan blue and a matte black at the beginning of April. Towards the end of April a high-gloss white version of Nokia Lumia is expected to be launched.

The Nokia Lumia 900 is a masterpiece of design, with clean lines and perfectly chosen colour patterns. It will also be equipped with a camera that could put to shame most stand-alone digital cameras available on the market. Add to this the 4G speed and Windows phone experience and you will get one of the best phones that customers can find.

The Nokia Lumia 900 will have a 4.3-inch Clear Black AMOLED display for razor-sharp and clear images, both indoors and outdoors. The long-lasting 1830 mAh battery will allow Nokia Lumia’s users to enjoy content and not worry about the battery running out when they need it the most.

This phone will include Carl Zeiss optics for an 8 megapixel camera, with large aperture (F2.2) and wide angle focal length, 28 mm, for high-quality photos even in low-light. The front-facing camera will ensure a high quality of video calling, as it will provide sharp and bright images through the help of the large aperture and wide angle lens.

For the music lovers, Monster will launch the “Nokia Purity HD on Ear Stereo Headset“in April. Nokia Lumia 900’s customers will be able to enjoy their favourite music and videos wherever they are.

The Nokia Lumia 900 will also integrate Nokia Drive, which is available to download from Windows Phone Marketplace. The feature will provide users with free voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation and in-car user interface. This will turn Nokia Lumia 900 into a GPS navigation device.
The Nokia Lumia 900 provides an overall pleasant experience and is expected to do very well in sales.

Source: AT&T

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Google cutting the price for its 7-inch tablet PC’s

April 2, 2012 By

Google will join hands with Asustek Computer to launch an inexpensive 7-inch tablet in May-June of 2012. This step is meant to put pressure on Amazon and other vendors such as, Acer, Samsung Electronics and Lenovo. This will also diminish the gross margins for the supply chain makers that are based in Taiwan.

Google will set a price of US$199 for its tablet PC, in order to compete with Amazon’s Kindle Fire, which will have a cost of US$199 to US$299 and will be launched in the third quarter.

The ongoing price war between Google’s and Amazon’s 7-inch tablet PC’s will force the other vendors to lower their prices as well, as the market will enter a ruthless price competition.

Acer and Lenovo have already dropped their prices for the 7-inch tablet PC’s to around US$279. This leaves Asustek Computer’s MeMO 171 and a part of Samsung’s 7.7-inch and 7-inch tablet PC’s still priced above US$500. But with Asustek planning to launch its newest tablet PC MeMO 370 for a price of US$249, Samsung may be forced to lower its prices as well. Second-tier white-box vendors are lowering the tablet PC prices to below US$159, in order to maintain some market share.

Currently, tablet PCs have gross margins that average 10-15%. But as tablet PC become cheaper, while the specifications are rising, the gross margins will continue to drop. This will force vendors and component makers to compete over the already slim profits.

Source: DigiTimes

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Nokia Lumia 800’s battery will be enhanced

April 1, 2012 By

Nokia BatteryNokia has been focused on continuously providing enhancement to Nokia Lumia 800 through software updates. This update is the third already in a time span of only four months.

The new software update, 1600.2487.8107.12070, will improve battery performance and power management for the Lumia 800. The software was supposed to be launched on the 18th of April, but Nokia managed to finish it earlier.

But customers should not rush to connect their Lumia 800s to their Macs or PCs, as the update will not be available for the whole world simultaneously. Beginning with the 28th of March, the update will be queued up for over four weeks. The next update phase will begin on the 4th, 11th and 18th of April.

Customers should not be worried if they don’t see their country or operator listed in the first phase of distribution, or even the second one for that matter. The reason for this is that every update for Windows Phone has to pass through Zune or Windows Phone 7 Connector, on the Mac.

Being a Windows Phone partner also has its restrictions, such as: the balance must be kept between what one can do and what one would like to do and between what can be done now and what can be offered later. Because of the fact that there is an urgency to bring the update to the customers, Nokia managed to speed up the process and bring the schedule forward, even if not all at the same time.

As soon as the new software will pass the mandatory testing and approval of every operator, the version of the update will be released. But enough about release schedules. Let’s pass on to the most important part of the software- its functionality and what impact will it have on user experience.

Nokia keeps an open ear to understand the needs and wants of its customers. Thus, Nokia aims to improve battery performance for its Lumia 800. The software passed a series of tests that showed that it improves battery life, whether it’s for browsing over Wi-Fi, talk time in 3G networks or music playback. The tests also showed the advantage of Nokia Lumia 800 in comparison to other smart phones with the same battery capacities of 1450 mAh.

For the regular user, which is not a power user, nor a lightweight user the Nokia Lumia 800 will provide more than expected. Assuming one uses the phone for numerous phone calls , text messages, browsing the web, listening to music now and then, the battery life would be somewhere between 20 and 30 hours.

The bass audio features have also been enhanced to provide better voice quality and enjoyment out of Nokia music. The soft keys will be illuminated at all level settings for brightness.

Nokia also announced that it is in the stage of developing the Wi-Fi tethering feature and that it will be available in the near future. For the moment, Nokia focused on providing enhancements that will bring the most enjoyment to customers of the Lumia 800.

The software updates for Nokia Lumia 800 will surely bring in the expected results.

Source: Nokia

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The new iPad has sold more than three million units

March 29, 2012 By

Apple is defining once again the future of computing mobile devices with the newest iPad. It follows a long path of innovations for the personal computer, mobile phone and operating systems market. Macbook, iPhone, iPod, iTunes are all brands created by Apple.

Since the launch of new iPad on Friday, March 16, the device has been sold in excess of three million units. Featuring the amazing Retina display, A5X chip with quad-core graphics, the 5 megapixel iSight camera which can capture stunning photos and 1080p HD video, the iPad still remains very thin and light and has the same 10 hour battery life. The built-in Wi-Fi combined with the 4G technology supports ultrafast 4G networks not just in the United States and Canada, but it also support fast networks around the globe, including networks based on HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA.
According to Philip Schiller, senior vice president of Apple’s Worldwide Marketing, the new iPad has the strongest launch yet, having sold more than 3 million units in just a matter of days. Customers seem to love the new features of the iPad, including the Retina display. Apple is expecting even more sales as the word-of-mouth gets spread.

US, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, UK and the US Virgin Islands have been the first countries to have the new iPad in stores. According to Apple on the 23rd of March at 8.00 am local time 24 more countries will get the chance to buy the new iPad through the Apple Online Store, Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. The added countries will include: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

Source: Apple

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AT&T iPhone’s Unlock Service is Fake

March 28, 2012 By

AT&T iPhoneUnlocking an AT&T iPhone is quite a hot service and everybody wants it. In past weeks you can easily find many sites offering the unlock service for AT&T USA iPhones. Unfortunately all these services are scam.

In general there are 3 different ways to unlock an iPhone:

Carrier Granted iPhone Unlocking
This is the only official, safe and permanent way to unlock an iPhone. Basically the network who locked the iPhone will official ask the Apple to mark the iPhone as unlocked in iTunes database hence the iPhone got permanently unlocked. Unluckily this service is not available on all networks and sometimes you need to pay release fees ($25 – $250). You can easily see these networks which allow official iPhone unlock at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1937 Just locate the country, your iPhone is locked to and see status of “Carrier offers authorized unlocking” column.

As mentioned before this is the only way to safely and permanently unlock your iPhone. The AT&T clearly states on their website:

iPhones are Not Eligible for Unlocking
iPhone cannot be unlocked, even if you are out of contract. If you are traveling internationally, iPhone is a quad-band phone and will work in many countries across the globe.

Therefor there is no way that AT&T units can be ever unlocked.

Illegal Factory Unlocking
The other way to unlock iPhone locked to any network is so called “factory unlock”. Such service is available only time to time when some Apple employee gets access to Apple’s intranet resources and illegally changes the lock flag for your phone within Apple database.

Such service is of course illegal and costs $150 – $350. You have to pay in advance with chargeback free payment option like Western Union, TT etc. In most cases you will end up cheated without money and nobody will even try to unlock your phone. In a case you are “lucky” enough to get your iPhone released this way you will be happy for quite short time only as each time this “factory unlock” service was available when the involved person was stopped from providing the service, the Apple BLACKLISTED all involved iPhone IMEI’s. That means in the end you will end up with completely useless phone blocked from accessing the iTunes!

Always make sure you are purchasing Carrier Granted Official Unlock and never use fraudulent “factory unlock”. It’s very easy to distinguish between Carrier/Network Granted Official unlocking and the fraudulent one – simply see if the unlock supplier offers unlocking for limited networks only – if he offers AT&T or any network unlocking then its fraudulent service unless he says it’s via USB (anyway the sites which claim to unlock iOS 5.1 devices are fake too).

iPhone unlocking via USB

iPhone unlock via USB is not available for all iPhone versions. Only the older versions are supported and you can easily cripple your phone forever. For more info use Google; D

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Sony’s Xperia sola is out of this world

March 25, 2012 By

Sony Xperia SolaSony Mobile Communications announced that it will be adding Xperia sola to its range of Xperia smart phones operating on Android. The Sony technology integrated Xperia sola, with premium entertainment, NFC features and innovative floating touch navigation comes with Xperia SmartTags, which enables consumers to change their Smartphone’s settings in an instant. Consumers will be able to buy the Xperia sola in black, white and red in the second quarter.

Some call it magic … Sony calls it the floating touch

Xperia sola is the first Smartphone to have such capability out of all of Sony’s smart phones. Xperia sola’s floating touch lets users navigate the web by moving their finger above the screen acting like a curser , without having to actually touch the screen. Once a user has found what he was looking for he can highlight the link and a quick tap on the screen will load the page. The floating touch feature will evolve through software updates and engagement with developers to ensure new and improved user functionality.
Powered by Sony and having a magic feeling to it, Xperia sola gives consumers a fun and new way of navigating the web through the floating touch feature. SmartTags and access to the latest content through Sony Entertainment Network, make Xperia sola a perfect Smartphone for the consumers that are looking for ease of use and the best in entertainment.

 

SmartTags make your life easier

Xperia sola comes with two NFC Xperia SmartTags aimed at making everyday Smartphone experiences easier for consumers. Just by touching an NFC Android Smartphone’s SmartTag, a default profile will launch. Consumers can personalize the two SmartTags with up to 10 commands. They can turn the Wi-Fi on and launch Google News or weather applications in the living room or turn the alarm mode and switch to silent mode when being in the bedroom. Xperia sola also has the ability for NFC pairing; enabling users to enjoy connectivity with other NFC enabled smart phones, apps and services by tapping the smart phones together.

A special entertainment experience

Equipped with Reality Display powered by Mobile BRAVIA Engine the Xperia sola delivers a razor sharp clarity. The xLoud and 3D surround audio technology deliver clear, high quality and loud sound. The super fast performance of the Xperia sola comes from the 1GHz dual-core processor. Xperia sola also makes it easier to take photos. It comes with a very fast capture as you can switch your camera from sleep to snap mode in little over a second by pressing a single key.

Source: Sony Mobile

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Android ICS (4.0) That Suits Samsung Galaxy S2

March 13, 2012 By

Android Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) aka Android 4.0 operating system was released which suits Samsung Galaxy SII phones now available online. You can upgrade your phone to Android Ice Cream Sandwich via KIES 2.0 or FOTA.

To upgrade your mobile to Ice Cream Sandwich, you have to upgrade KIES to the latest version. For upgrading your mobile OS through FOTA, large firmware file you have to download it on your mobile. So it’s strongly recommended to use high speed WI-FI connection while upgrading your mobile to ICS through FOTA.

Major Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Improvements:

  • Platform upgrades Android 2.3 Gingerbread → Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
  • Face Unlock and Android Beam are added
  • Mobile Network Data usage function is added
  • Usability of multi-tasking and some applications is improved
  • Because of ICS OS feature, Adobe flash and Bluetooth 3.0 HS will not be supported in ICS OS (Bluetooth 3.0 is supported still)

Source: Samsung GSPN

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Apple launches the latest IPad

March 9, 2012 By

Apple launched the new IPad, the third generation that defines mobile devices. It features a Retina display, Apple’s newest A5X chip with quad-core graphics, 1080p HD video camera and 5 megapixel iSight cameras with advanced optics for capturing amazing photos. The IPad has Wi-FI + 4G and can connect to fast networks worldwide, including AT&T’s and Verizon’s 4G LTE networks. It delivers the same 10 hour battery life while being very light and thin. According to reliable sources the new IPad will have an even more affordable pricing.

The new IPad is redefining the category that apple created 2 years ago. It will feature the highest resolution ever seen on a mobile device – 3.1 million pixels, providing razor sharp text and an amazing detail quality in photos and videos. It aims at becoming the most amazing experience people have ever had with technology.

The integrated Retina display delivers four times more pixels than IPad 2, so dense that the human eye wouldn’t be able to distinguish pixels at a normal distance. This makes web pages, videos, photos and text incredibly realistic. The 3.1 million pixels of the new IPad are more than 1 million more pixels than a HD TV set, and with a 44% increase in the color saturation the new IPad displays colors more vividly and rich. For the movie lovers the new IPad’s 1080p HD deliver and extraordinary viewing experience on a mobile device.

The new A5X chip has double the graphics performance of the A5 chip .It was specifically designed by Apple to deliver a fast user experience and to support the Retina display. The A5X chip keeps a balance between its stunning performance and power efficiency. Users will be able to enjoy the superb graphics and display while experiencing a wonderful and smooth Multi-Touch interface, amazing visual depth, and immersive game play while delivering the all-day battery life that the IPad has been known for.

The 5MP ISight camera provides the ability to capture amazing photos and shoot stunning high quality videos. You can now take great photos in low-light because of its backside illumination. And the new video stabilization feature removes the bumps and shakes typically observed when shooting a video with a hand-held device. Users can enjoy the images on the large Retina display and can easily share them with friends and family thanks to the built-in IPad Photos App.

The iPad delivers high download and upload speeds so web pages load quickly and emails with large attachments can be sent and received easily. You can use Personal Hotspot to share the fast network connection of your iPad with up to 5 other devices using Wi-Fi, USB or Bluetooth. All of this thanks to IPad’s integrated 4G LTE that is the most comprehensive support for fast networks worldwide including HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA. Even CDMA and GSM users will be able to easily roam internationally.

Thanks to the new iOS 5.1, the IPad delivers a wide range of very useful features and enhancements, which include: support for dictation in English, German. French and Japanese; ability to delete photos from Photo Stream; a redesigned camera application with video stabilization technology and Personal Hotspot. iOS 5.1 works in conjunction with iCloud which provides a set of free cloud services which include: iTunes in the cloud, Photo Stream and Documents in the cloud. It works on IPad, IPod touch, IPhone, Apple and Mac or PC to automatically and wirelessly store your content in the cloud and push it to your devices. When the content is changed on one of your devices, the other devices are updated automatically.

The dictation support of the new IPad makes it easier for you to write messages or update your Facebook status. You don’t have to type – just tap the microphone button on your keyboard, say what you want and IPad listens. To convert your voices into text just tap done on your IPad. IPad will convert your words into text. You can use this feature to browse the web, write messages or make notes.

The newly introduced iPhoto App includes Multi-Touch features so that you have the ability to use simple gestures to sort through hundreds of photos and find your best shots, enhance and edit your photos using fingertip brushes and share stunning photo journals through iCloud. With the updated iMovie App you can create amazing Hollywood-type trailers as you record HD video, and the Garage Band application introduces Jam Session, an innovative and fun feature – it allows you and your group of friends to wirelessly connect to play instruments and record music together live on their iOS devices. To also take advantage of the new iPad Retina display, iLife and the iWork apps, Pages, Numbers and Keynote, have all been updated.

You can run most of the 585,000 applications available on the new IPad, from categories ranging from books, news, business to travel, sports, games and health. The ITunes store puts at your disposal a catalog of over 20 million songs, 90000 TV episodes and 15000 movies. The iBooks created with Apple’s newest iBooks Author offers books with interactive photos, videos, diagrams, incomparable navigation and much more that help to create an entirely new eBook experience that is dynamic, interactive and engaging.

Source: Apple

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Apple iOS Update 5.1 Ready for Download

March 8, 2012 By

The latest iOS update 5.1 is available for the following devices:

  • iPad
  • iPad 2 WiFi, GSM, CDMA
  • iPad 3 WiFi, GSM, CDMA
  • iPod touch 3G, 4G
  • iPhone 3GS, 4 (GSM), 4 (CDMA), 4S
  • Apple TV 2G, 3G

The 5.1 iOS update brings your following improvements and features:

  • Japanese language support for Siri (availability may be limited during initial rollout)
  • Photos can now be deleted from Photo Stream
  • Camera shortcut now always visible on Lock Screen for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch (4th generation)
  • Camera face detection now highlights all detected faces
  • Redesigned Camera app for iPad
  • Genius Mixes and Genius playlists for iTunes Match subscribers
  • Audio for TV shows and movies on iPad optimized to sound louder and clearer
  • Podcast controls for playback speed and a 30 second rewind for iPad
  • Updated AT&T network indicator
  • Addresses bugs affecting battery life
  • Fixes an issue that occasionally caused audio to drop for outgoing calls
To update your iOS devices simply follow steps from How to update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Source: Apple

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