tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74863711478217222422023-11-15T19:40:54.181+01:00Mobi PressAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-61461858526598802412012-07-17T22:45:00.003+01:002012-07-17T22:45:23.540+01:00Firefox OS: will it be safe?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Mozilla recently revealed manufacturer
support for their new <b>Firefox OS</b>, with ZTE and TCL /
Alcatel announcing that they will make handsets available for the
platform in 2013.
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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But what exactly is the Firefox OS? At its heart it runs on a
version of Linux, just like Android and very similar to Apple iOS
which (like Linux) is derived from Unix. Joining them in the Unix/Linux
based OS world are Maemo, Moblin, LiMo, MeeGo, Tizen and Bada. So
clearly, this platform seems to be a good one to run mobile devices
on.<br />
Piled on top of Linux are various layers including Gonk (which
supports the software/hardware interface layer), Gecko (which is
the main software layer) and Gaia (which is the pretty bit that
runs on top). This is a pretty standard arrangement familiar to
computer scientists everywhere.<br />
What makes the Firefox OS a little different is that the operating
system is designed to let web-based applications to directly access
all the features of the phone - in Mozilla's own words:<br />
<i>The Firefox OS for mobile devices is built on Mozilla’s
“Boot to Gecko project” which unlocks many of the current limitations
of web development on mobile, allowing HTML5 applications to
access the underlying capabilities of a phone, previously only
</i><a href="http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5480397/Linux_and_Unix_Based_Mobile_OSes" target="_blank"><img align="right" alt=" Unix and Linux based mobile OSes " border="0" height="264" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/media/firefox-os/unix-linux-oses.png" vspace="8" width="364" /></a><i>available to native applications. Telefónica’s Digital
unit joined forces with Mozilla earlier this year to take this
work and showcase a new phone architecture where every phone
feature (calling, messaging, games, etc.) is an HTML5 application.</i><br />
This is all very cool, because potentially these HTML5 applications
can do far more than a web application could do on another phone,
and it largely removes the need for downloadable applications completely.<br />
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But here's the problem - there's a reason why rival vendors aren't
doing this already, and that reason is <b>security</b>. The modern
approach to browser and operating system design is to "sandbox"
the browser as much as possible from the operating system to protect
it from malicious web-based code. At any one time there are thousands
of infected legitimate websites online, waiting for unsuspecting
visitors.<br />
<img align="right" border="0" height="375" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/media/firefox-os/smartphone.jpg" vspace="8" width="250" />Now, the folks at Mozilla have probably thought of this and they've
implement this and that to try to stop it happening. But history
shows us that this is very difficult to do. Microsoft's ActiveX
platform and Oracle's Java environment were both designed to extend
the capabilities of web browsers, but they both introduced huge
security holes that are now regularly exploited by the bad guys.
ActiveX died a death when Internet Explorer started to lose market
share to the Firefox and Chrome browsers, and Java is so fundamentally
broken that the opinion of many IT security experts is that you
should simply get rid of it.<br />
Smartphones are being increasingly targeted by hackers and criminal
elements because they are essentially fully featured pocket computers
that can be used for almost everything that a laptop or desktop
computer can do. Do you do your banking or shopping on a smartphone?
Then you could be at risk. Hackers can access your email and social
networking sites to spam junk email to your friends and family.
And because smartphones are usually always connected to the internet
via 3G or WiFi then they could even be used to host illegal material
or attack other computers.<br />
Right at the moment smartphone only have a limited risk of infection
from this sort of attack, but increasingly internet usage is moving
to smartphones and tablets and away from traditional PCs. Increasingly
there are rich pickings for the bad guys, and perhaps Mozilla's
Firefox OS might just make it too easy for them to get their way.<br />
</div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-57118060519942656502012-07-17T22:44:00.003+01:002012-07-17T22:44:49.173+01:00Samsung Galaxy Chat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/samsung/samsung-galaxy-chat/samsung-galaxy-chat-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img align="right" alt=" Samsung Galaxy Chat " border="0" height="395" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/samsung/samsung-galaxy-chat/samsung-galaxy-chat-1.jpg" vspace="8" width="200" /></a>The <b>Samsung Galaxy Chat</b> is an Android 4.0 ICS smartphone
with an unusual feature: a physical keyboard, which makes it the
only QWERTY-equipped Android 4.0 device from a major manufacturer
that we know of.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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The BlackBerry-style keyboard means that the screen on the Galaxy
Chat is a relatively small 3" 240 x 320 pixel touchscreen panel.
On the back is a 2 megapixel camera, and inside is an 850MHz processor
plus 4GB of flash storage.<br />
It's hardly a high-end device, the Galaxy Chat seems to be targeting
con<b></b>sumers who may be moving from a BlackBerry Curve. As a result,
we would expect to see this sell for something in the region
of €250 in retail channels.<br />
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<img align="left" alt=" Samsung Galaxy Chat " border="0" height="397" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/samsung/samsung-galaxy-chat/samsung-galaxy-chat-2.jpg" vspace="8" width="200" />All
the standard features are here including GPS, WiFi, 3.5G support,
Bluetooth and USB connectivity, plus the Galaxy Chat has an FM radio,
microSD slot and it also supports the GLONASS positioning system.<br />
As well as the standard Android 4.0 operating system, Samsung
have bundled QuickOffice and their own S Planner and Game Hub applications.
Of course, you can pick from thousands of other applications in
the Google Play market.<br />
Inside is a 1200mAh battery quoted as giving up to 5 hours talktime
and 15 days standby time. The Galaxy Chat measures a fairly standard
119 x 59 x 12mm and weighs 120 grams.<br />
The Samsung Galaxy Chat is a useful choice for a particular market
segment, although we would prefer to see an Android 4.0 device with
a slide-out QWERTY keyboard as another choice (something like
an updated Motorola Milestone).<br />
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Samsung say that the Galaxy Chat should be available in July
in Spain followed by most other markets except North America after
that.</div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-85160669146613511452012-07-17T22:43:00.003+01:002012-07-17T22:43:33.966+01:00Motorola MOTOSMART<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The <b>Motorola MOTOSMART</b> is an entry-level Android smartphone
aimed at first time buyers and those on a budget.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
It's a generic but smart-looking not-quite-black device with
a 3.5" 320 x 480 pixel touchscreen display on the front and
a basic 3 megapixel camera on the back. Inside is 512MB of RAM,
although Motorola haven't said what speed the processor is. There's
a pretty minimal 165MB of storage available, so most customers will
probably opt for a microSD card. In addition to the built-in media
player, the MOTOSMART also has an FM radio and 3.5mm audio socket.<b></b><br />
<img align="left" alt=" Motorola MOTOSMART " border="0" height="400" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/motorola/motorola-motosmart/motorola-motosmart-2.jpg" vspace="8" width="187" />The
operating system is Android 2.3, and we doubt very much that it
will ever see an update to Android 4. Motorola have tweaked
the software to make the MOTOSMART easier to use, especially when
it comes to contact management and social networking.<br />
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Because this is an Android smartphone then it does all the things
that all other Android smartphones do, including WiFi, Bluetooth
and 3.5G connectivity, plus GPS with turn-by-turn navigation and
access to thousands of applications from the Google Play store.<br />
The MOTOSMART measures a fairly typical 116 x 64 x 11mm and weighs
115 grams. The 1400 mAh battery is quoted as giving up to 6 hours
talktime and 20 days standby time, although first-time Android users
may be surprised to see how quickly the device can drain the battery
under heavy use.<br />
What is most appealing about the MOTOSMART is the price - in
the UK, T-Mobile prepay customers will be able to get one for just
under the magic £100 mark, and the MOTOSMART is free on the
very basic £7/month contract. At the moment this end of the
market is pretty well covered by Samsung, so it is good to see a
bit of competition going on. Motorola say that the MOTOSMART should
be available in Europe from the end of July onwards.</div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-18649480963896852342012-07-17T22:42:00.002+01:002012-07-17T22:42:50.399+01:00Motorola ATRIX HD<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/motorola/motorola-atrix-hd/motorola-atrix-hd-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img align="right" alt=" Motorola ATRIX HD " border="0" height="415" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/motorola/motorola-atrix-hd/motorola-atrix-hd-1.jpg" vspace="8" width="220" /></a>The <b>Motorola ATRIX HD </b>is a big-screen dual-core Android
smartphone that ships with Android 4.0 ICS, coming into Motorola's
range at one step above the Motorola RAZR.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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Initial indications are that the ATRIX HD will ship to AT&T
in the US and Bell in Canada, but there is nothing in the phone's
specifications that would prevent it from working with other carriers.
The ATRIX HD supports quad-band UMTS/HSPA and GSM and dual-band
LTE, so it should work worldwide.<br />
The main features of the ATRIX HD are the 4.5" 720 x 1280
pixel display enhanced with ColorBoost technology that Motorola
says gives the handset more vibrant and sharper images. On the back
is an 8 megapixel camera with 1080p video capture capabilities,
plus a 1.3 megapixel video calling camera on the front. Inside is
a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU coupled with 1GB of RAM. The ATRIX HD has
a<b></b> microSD slot, although it isn't clear how much flash memory it
has internally.<br />
The ATRIX HD has inherited the Kevlar back from the RAZR, although
it's a little thicker than the RAZR at 8.4mm thick with a footprint
of 134 x 70mm. The ATRIX HD weighs 140 grams and comes with a 1780
mAh battery.<br />
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<img align="left" alt=" Motorola ATRIX HD " border="0" height="418" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/motorola/motorola-atrix-hd/motorola-atrix-hd-2.jpg" vspace="8" />This
is an Android 4.0 device (although remember that Android 4.1 is
now available on some rival devices) and as such it has dispensed
with the physical buttons on the front, reserving an area of the
screen for them instead. All the usual Android features are here
such as WiFi, 3.5G support, GPS, Bluetooth and USB connectivity.
There's a media player but no FM radio, but there is an HDMI port
and when combined with the 720p HD display this should be a very
decent portable media player.<br />
Motorola have added several business-friendly features such as
VPN support, although we suspect that the big-battery RAZR MAXX
might be a better choice for many customers. There are also a wide
range of accessories available including vehicle docks, media docks
and netbook-style "Lapdocks".<br />
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The ATRIX HD will be available from AT&T this month, and
on Bell Canada during the summer. If you're in the market for one
of these SIM-free then at the moment you are out of luck, although
our guess is that it will be around €500 to €550 when (or if) it
gets generally released worldwide. </div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-49046240106021419042012-07-17T22:31:00.002+01:002012-07-17T22:31:17.031+01:00O2 Network Failure Shakes Small Business Confidence<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.mobilegazette.com/media/o2-network-failure/phone-broken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img align="right" alt=" O2 Network Failure " border="0" height="450" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/media/o2-network-failure/phone-broken.jpg" vspace="8" width="300" /></a>More than one in four small business owners would consider switching
to a rival mobile network provider after O2’s recent major network failure.<br />
The survey by <a href="http://www.officebroker.com/" target="_blank">officebroker.com</a>,
who work with thousands of small firms each year, found that 28%
of small business owners and sole traders had lost confidence in
the telecoms giant and would consider switching.<br />
More than half (51%) said they would be heavily inclined to switch
to an alternative network of the failures were repeated.<br />
<a name='more'></a><i></i><br />
The results come after key features including incoming and outgoing
calls and text messaging failed for more than a day – leaving hundreds
of thousands of users without their number one means of contact.<br />
Interestingly of those polled 82% said their mobile phone was
their number one number for business calls and as such a loss of
signal for a prolonged period could significantly hinder their business.<br />
Of the 200 business owners polled one in five (21%) said they
still had faith in the network and would not consider moving to
other providers.<br />
One small business owner said being without his primary form
of contact for his business had left him struggling to stay on top
of urgent tasks.<br />
He commented: “As a small business owner working in a fast paced
industry it’s essential that I am reachable at all times – something
I primarily do using my mobile. Having been out the office for several
hours I noticed that I’d received no calls or texts regarding an
urgent project and started to worry.<br />
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“Thankfully the problem on my phone now seems to be resolved
but there’s no doubt that my confidence in O2 has been knocked –
if the same happened again in future I’d be tempted to look elsewhere
to ensure my business dealings could continue smoothly.”<br />
Chris Meredith, head of UK sales at <a href="http://www.officebroker.com/" target="_blank">officebroker.com</a>,
said the results show just how much of a reliance business owners
placed on their mobile devices.<br />
<i><img align="left" alt=" O2 Network Failure " border="0" height="240" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/media/o2-network-failure/o2-network-failure.jpg" vspace="8" width="320" /></i>He
said: “There have never been more ways to communicate with others,
whether it be email, Skype, even over Twitter or Facebook but it
seems for the majority of small business owners the mobile phone
is still the method of choice.<br />
“They often spend long periods of time out of the office and
often work unconventional hours, so it makes sense that many want
to be and expect to be contactable at all times, so when this breaks
down it can immediately set pulses racing.<br />
“Many work to tight schedules and by not being able to make contact
with colleagues, suppliers and clients they may be missing deadlines
and ultimately losing out on money – even if the fault lasted less
than two days.”<br />
He concluded: “It seems the majority of those polled are willing
to give O2 a second chance but our data indicates that if the same
were to occur again in the near future there would be a high likelihood
that they would look elsewhere which would be extremely costly for
the firm.”</div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-2430984282410185692012-04-20T16:31:00.002+00:002012-04-20T16:31:32.383+00:00HTC moving away from QWERTY keyboards in future smartphones<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b><span class="image center"></span></b><br />
<b><span class="image center"><img alt="HTC One X" height="314" src="http://www.mobileburn.com/media/htc/onex/page_IMG_3129.jpg" width="600" /></span></b><br />
<b>Speaking today at a limited press event in Seattle, HTC creative director Claude Zellweger said that HTC is moving away from smartphones with QWERTY keyboards.</b><br />
<b><em>"As a company, the QWERTY keyboard we're moving away from in general."</em></b><br />
<b>Zellweger then went on to say that the future of QWERTY on smartphones will likely revolve from newer haptic technologies that are being worked into software based, on-screen keyboards. He also feels that hardware-based keyboards, while still somewhat in demand, would not allow HTC to move forward the designs of its smartphones.</b><br />
<b><em>"We feel that putting too much effort into that [QWERTY] would take away from our devices."</em></b><br />
<b>This is likely to upset a hardcore base of QWERTY keyboard lovers, but when consumers are demanding thinner and lighter phones with ever larger displays, it is entirely understandable.</b><br />
<b><span class="image center"><img alt="HTC One X" height="314" src="http://www.mobileburn.com/media/htc/onex/page_IMG_3129.jpg" width="600" /></span></b></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-76751046299611431332012-04-20T16:30:00.003+00:002012-04-20T16:30:51.537+00:00Sony Xperia S offers great camera and software, but lacking hardware<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mobileburn.com/media/sony/midscan/xperias_review.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.mobileburn.com/media/sony/midscan/xperias_review.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><b>The Sony Xperia S is the first Sony branded Xperia smartphone, having been launched after Sony officially bought out Ericsson's share of the Sony Ericsson joint venture that had been building phones for over ten years.</b><br />
<b>The Xperia S is also the first member of the company's NXT series of devices, and it features high-end specs like a 4.3-inch, 720p HD resolution Bravia touchscreen display, a 12.1 megapixel camera with flash, and a speedy dual-core processor with 1GB or RAM. It also bears the NXT series' iconic clear body section below the screen, which makes it especially easy to recognize.</b><br />
<b>But while the Sony Xperia S features a very beautiful industrial design, and offers users some tempting Sony-developed software, the device falls quite a bit short in a few regards - especially when you consider the phone's position at the apex of the Xperia food chain.</b><br />
<b></b></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-73055078356099503532012-04-20T16:30:00.000+00:002012-04-20T16:30:14.187+00:00Apple tries to muddy the definition of 4G on the new iPad in Australia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b><span class="image center"></span></b> <br />
<div class="advert" style="float: left;"> <b><ins style="border: none; display: inline-table; height: 280px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 336px;"><ins id="aswift_1_anchor" style="border: none; display: block; height: 280px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 336px;"><a href="http://www.mobileburn.com/media/apple/newipad/page_IMG_3090-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="http://www.mobileburn.com/media/apple/newipad/page_IMG_3090-2.jpg" width="600" /></a></ins></ins></b> </div><b> Apple has had quite a battle over the advertised "4G" capabilities of the new iPad in Australia, as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has accused the company of false advertising, since the new iPad does not support Australia's LTE networks. In response, Apple is arguing that the HSPA+ networks that the iPad does support in Australia offer fast enough speeds that they too can be considered 4G networks. </b><br />
<b> "The descriptor '4G' ... conveys to consumers in Australia that the iPad with WiFi + 4G will deliver a superior level of service in terms of data transfer speed (consistent with accepted industry and regulatory use of that term), and not that the iPad with WiFi + 4G is compatible with any particular network technology promoted by a particular mobile service provider in Australia," said Apple in response to the complaint. </b><br />
<b> Essentially, Apple is trying to argue that "4G" does not refer to any specific technology, but that it applies to the data transfer speeds that a device is capable of. Carriers in the U.S., such as T-Mobile and AT&T, have been advertising their own HSPA+ networks as "4G" for some time, even though they are not considered "true 4G" networks by many. In fact, Apple recently updated the AT&T version of iPhone 4S to display a "4G" indicator where it once said "3G," even though the technology inside the iPhone 4S did not change. </b><br />
<br />
</div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-42514810950791681242012-04-20T16:28:00.002+00:002012-04-20T16:28:48.429+00:00Samsung's Gusto 2 for Verizon is your grandmother's next phone<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b><span class="image center"><img alt="Samsung Gusto 2" height="150" src="http://www.mobileburn.com/media/samsung/gusto2/thumb_Gusto-2_H4Web.jpg" width="54" /></span></b> <br />
<b> Samsung and Verizon Wireless have just announced the Gusto 2, the successor to the basic Gusto flip phone that was introduced in 2010. </b><br />
<b> Like its predecessor, the Gusto 2 keeps things simple, which should make it appeal to those looking for a no-frills, basic flip phone. The Gusto 2 has a 2-inch color display and a large numeric keypad. It features a 1.3 megapixel camera - an improvement over the VGA shooter on the original - and it supports SMS, MMS, and mobile email messaging services. There is support for Bluetooth hands-free headsets, and buyers can also use Verizon's VZ Navigator service with the Gusto 2. </b><br />
<b> The most interesting feature of the Gusto 2 is the "Fake Call" feature, which "allows users to set up a pseudo-call to help them escape unwanted social situations." Apparently those in the target demographic for the Gusto 2 have trouble leaving the bridge table on their own. </b><br />
<b> Verizon will offer the Samsung Gusto 2 in the coming weeks for $79.99 after rebate with a new two-year agreement. </b></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-37316658946710423512012-04-20T16:26:00.000+00:002012-04-20T16:26:58.552+00:00Motorola RAZR MAXX XT910<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><img align="right" alt=" Motorola RAZR MAXX " border="0" height="411" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/motorola/motorola-razr-maxx-xt910/motorola-razr-maxx-xt910-1.jpg" vspace="8" width="220" /></b></div><b>The </b><b>Motorola RAZR MAXX is a almost identical to the RAZR Android smartphone, but with a <i>much</i> bigger battery. The RAZR MAXX is based on the <i>DROID RAZR MAXX</i>, available on Verizon Wireless in the US, however this particular RAZR is heading for China with no word of a European version at present.</b><br />
<b>Although many people will recognise that the RAZR name has been used before, there was also another RAZR MAXX too back in 2006. More confusingly, the RAZR MAXX shares the "XT910" designation with the standard RAZR smartphone that is sold worldwide.</b><br />
<b><img align="left" alt=" Motorola RAZR MAXX " border="0" height="410" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/motorola/motorola-razr-maxx-xt910/motorola-razr-maxx-xt910-2.jpg" vspace="8" width="154" />The key selling proposition here is the battery. Motorola haven't confirmed the size of the cell, but with the US version it is a huge 3300 mAh unit, with nearly twice the capacity of the standard RAZR. The battery adds a couple of millimetres to the handset's thickness and about 20 grams in weight, but it's a good trade-off in our view as you can never have enough battery capacity with an Android phone.</b><br />
<b>Just in case you're not familiar with the specification of the RAZR, this is a powerful device with a dual-core 1.2GHz CPU, it has a 4.3” 540 x 960 pixel display covered with Gorilla Glass, an 8 megapixel primary camera plus a 1.3 megapixel video calling camera, it has a water resistant coating and it retains the RAZR's signature Kevlar back.</b><br />
<div align="center"> <b><ins style="border: none; display: inline-table; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"><ins id="aswift_2_anchor" style="border: none; display: block; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"></ins></ins></b></div><b>This is an Android 2.3 device, presumably with an upgrade to Android 4.0 in the works. Because this is an Android phone then it does everything that every other Android phone can do, plus it comes with a few software extras thrown in by Motorola.</b><br />
<b>Motorola have omitted a few key points from their press release - we don't know what carriers the RAZR MAXX will be available on, we don't know what bands or even cellular standards it uses and we don't know how much it will cost. Still, these facts are probably not all that important if you don't live in China.</b><br />
<b>We very much hope that there will be a version of the RAZR MAXX in Europe and elsewhere. It might just be the perfect cure for smartphone battery anxiety syndrome..</b></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-91011523191437449522012-04-20T16:24:00.002+00:002012-04-20T16:24:59.109+00:00Nokia 103<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b><img align="right" alt=" Nokia 103 " border="0" height="428" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/nokia/nokia-103/nokia-103.jpg" vspace="8" width="357" /><a href="http://www.mobilegazette.com/mobilegazette.xml" target="_blank"><br />
</a></b> <br />
<b>Reportedly costing just €16 before tax, the </b><b>Nokia 103 is Nokia's cheapest phone ever, and is aimed at customers who need minimal functionality but maximum value.</b><br />
<div align="center"> <b><ins style="border: none; display: inline-table; height: 90px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 200px;"><ins id="aswift_1_anchor" style="border: none; display: block; height: 90px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 200px;"></ins></ins></b></div><b>Launching first in Nigeria, and then following in other markets later, the Nokia 103 is a simple device with some useful features. As well as being a dual-band GSM phone, the Nokia 103 has an FM radio (which requires an optional wired headset) and a flashlight, plus some preloaded games.</b><br />
<b>Because people in emerging markets often share phones, there's a call tracker and support for different phone books. There's also a calendar and alarm clock and polyphonic ringtones, and the Nokia 103 can store up to 250 SMS messages.</b><br />
<b>It's a lightweight device at 77 grams and it measures 107 x 45 x 15mm. The keymat is dustproof, and the 800 mAh battery is quoted as giving enough power for 11 hours talktime and 27 days standby time. There's a simple 96 x 68 pixel 1.36" display and really not much else, but then at these prices it is amazing that anyone can make a phone at all.</b><br />
<b>The Nokia 103 should be available from Q2 2012 in Nigeria, followed by other emerging markets.</b><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-20611860766323847422012-04-20T16:23:00.000+00:002012-04-20T16:23:18.174+00:00BlackBerry Curve 9220<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b><a href="http://www.mobilegazette.com/mobilegazette.xml" target="_blank"></a></b> <b><br />
</b><br />
<b>The </b><b>BlackBerry Curve 9220 is a low-cost addition to the Curve range, heading exclusively to the Indian market.</b><br />
<div align="center"> <b><ins style="border: none; display: inline-table; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"><ins id="aswift_1_anchor" style="border: none; display: block; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"></ins></ins></b></div><a href="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/blackberry/blackberry-9220/blackberry-curve-9220-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img align="right" alt=" BlackBerry Curve 9220 " border="0" height="355" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/blackberry/blackberry-9220/blackberry-curve-9220-1.jpg" vspace="8" width="200" /></a><b>You might guess that this is a step down from the old Curve 9300 from the name, and indeed this is a very basic device that probably wouldn't appeal to most other markets. </b><br />
<b><img align="left" alt=" BlackBerry Curve 9220 " border="0" height="360" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/blackberry/blackberry-9220/blackberry-curve-9220-2.jpg" width="161" />This is a GSM-only handset with no 3G support, but it does support WiFi connectivity. The display is a 2.44" 320 x 240 pixel panel, and on the back is a basic 2 megapixel camera. There's an in-built FM radio, but the 9220 lacks GPS. The internal memory is a useful 512MB of Flash paired with 512MB of RAM, plus there is a microSD slot. The Curve 9220 also supports Bluetooth and has a 3.5mm audio socket.</b><br />
<div align="center"> <b><ins style="border: none; display: inline-table; height: 90px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 200px;"><ins id="aswift_2_anchor" style="border: none; display: block; height: 90px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 200px;"></ins></ins></b></div><b>The operating system is the latest BlackBerry 7.1 OS, and of course the Curve 9220 does everything that BlackBerry devices are good at, including BlackBerry Messenger (with a dedicated button) and excellent email support. The lack of 3G isn't much of an issue for these services, most messaging functions work adequately on GPRS/EDGE and WiFi.</b><br />
<b>RIM say that the battery on the Curve 9220 is good for up to 7 hours talk time and 18 days standby time. It is available to buy now in India for around 11,000 Rupees. </b></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-74349920700800249192012-04-08T14:35:00.003+00:002012-04-08T14:35:51.844+00:00Time Warner cable promises streaming app for Android soon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span class="image center"><img alt="Time Warner Cable for Android" height="356" src="http://www.mobileburn.com/media/apps/timewarnercable/page_ics_tab_live.jpg" width="570" /><br />Time Warner Cable for Android</span></b>
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</div>
<b>
Time Warner Cable (TWC) customers that own iOS devices have been able to enjoy streaming live television to their smartphones or tablets
(when on their home Wi-Fi network, of course) for some time, but those
that prefer Android have been waiting for streaming capabilities to come
to their app. The cable company has provided some further guidance into
its Android app development, and described some of the differences
between developing for iOS versus developing for Android.
</b><br />
<b>
According to Time Warner Cable, the Android version of its app will gain
streaming capabilities in just a few weeks, "definitely by Memorial
Day." Unfortunately, only devices that have Android 4.0 Ice Cream
Sandwich or higher will be able to use the feature, as TWC says that
older versions of Android are just not secure enough for it to offer
streaming television services.
</b><br />
<b>
Additionally, TWC noted that developing its app for iOS devices was
"much easier" than creating it for Android, noting that with iOS there
is only one OS to write for and relatively few differences in hardware.
By contrast, TWC says that making its Android app was akin to "tweezing
one's eyebrows while using a disco ball for a mirror" and that "we're
going to get there, but it's going to happen one facet at a time."
</b><br />
<b>
That isn't too consoling to the 97.1 percent of Android users that don't yet have Ice Cream Sandwich
on their devices, but as far as TWC is concerned, that is out of its
control. Those that are fortunate enough to have Android 4.0 on their
smartphone or tablet should be able to start streaming television from
TWC in the near term.
[a
href="http://www.twcableuntangled.com/2012/04/twc-tv-with-live-video-coming-to-android-devices-soon/">Time
Warner Cable via</b></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-61969055478775379312012-04-08T14:34:00.003+00:002012-04-08T14:34:43.772+00:00Samsung's Galaxy Note propelling the company to record Q1 profits<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span class="image center"><img alt="Samsung Galaxy Note" height="337" src="http://www.mobileburn.com/media/samsung/galaxynote/page_DSC00236.jpg" width="600" /><br />Samsung Galaxy Note</span></b>
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<div class="advert" style="float: left;">
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</div>
<b>Samsung has released a prediction for its Q1 2012 financial report
that is due at the end of the month. The company says that this was a
record quarter, with double the profits over last year thanks to the
popularity of the smartphone-cum-tablet Galaxy Note.</b><br />
<b>
Samsung estimates that profits for January through March of this year
were 5.8 trillion KRW (US$5.15 billion) with sales pegged to land at 45
trillion KRW (US$39.83 billion).
</b><br />
<b>
Just last week, Samsung said that global sales of the Galaxy Note were more than 5 million
since its launch in October of last year. According to the company's
figures, three million of those sales happened in the month of March
alone.
</b><br />
<b>
Samsung is expected to announced the next version of its Galaxy S line
of smartphones in the near future. Its full Q1 2012 earnings report will
be released on April 27. The company does not normally release specific
smartphone or tablet sales figures in its quarterly reports</b></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-46472503751934572732012-04-08T14:34:00.000+00:002012-04-08T14:34:16.783+00:00HTC sees big drop in revenue, profit during Q1 2012<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span class="image center"><img height="180" src="http://www.mobileburn.com/media/logos/page/page_htc.jpg" width="600" /></span></b>
<br />
<div class="advert" style="float: left;">
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</div>
<b>
HTC has revealed its Q1 2012 financials and things are looking pretty dismal for the company. Following its rough Q4 2011
where the company saw its first decline in profits in two years, HTC
posted a 35 percent decrease in revenues and 70 percent decline in
profits in Q1 2012 over the same period a year ago.
</b><br />
<b>
According to HTC's figures, the company brought in 68 billion TWD
(US$2.3 billion) in revenue in Q1, a 35 percent drop from the 104
billion TWD it earned in Q1 2011. Profits were a mere 4.5 billion TWD
($152 million), down from 14.8 billion TWD that it saw a year prior.
</b><br />
<b>
This past quarter, HTC launched the One series of smartphones, which it
hopes will turn its fortunes around this year. The One X and One S have
already hit shelves in Europe, and are due to land in the U.S. in the
near future. The company has also promised to streamline its offerings
in 2012, and release fewer devices than it has in previous years.</b></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-80783535061790440232012-04-08T14:32:00.006+00:002012-04-08T14:32:46.302+00:00Google activating 850,000 Android devices every day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span class="image center"><img height="232" src="http://www.mobileburn.com/media/logos/page/page_google_android.jpg" width="600" /></span></b>
<br />
<div class="advert" style="float: left;">
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</div>
<b>It has been a year since Larry Page took over as CEO of Google. In a
letter he posted recently, Page listed off a number of figures
pertaining to the performance of several Google products, including
Android. Page revealed that there are now over 850,000 Android devices
being activated on a daily basis, saying that the OS was "on fire."
Don't confuse that with Nokia CEO Stephen Elop's famous "burning platform" letter, though.</b><br />
<b>850,000 daily activations represents an increase of 150k activations per day from the 700,000 figure that Page revealed in January of this year.</b><br />
<b>The Google CEO also said that Android devices are being offered by 55 manufacturers and over </b></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-79888020123039524382012-04-08T14:32:00.003+00:002012-04-08T14:32:14.640+00:00LG planning "future thinking smartphone"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span class="image center"></span></b>
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<div class="advert" style="float: left;">
<b><ins style="border: none; display: inline-table; height: 280px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 336px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.mobileburn.com/media/logos/page/page_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span class="image center"><img height="175" src="http://www.mobileburn.com/media/logos/page/page_lg.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
</ins></b></div>
<b>Speaking to Korea's iNews24,
LG executive Kwon Bong-suk, the managing director of LG Mobile
Communications, said that his company is working on the next big thing,
what he referred to "the thinking smartphone." He says that his company
is in the early planning stages of a device that would intelligently
adapt based on its user's needs. An example cited would have an alarm
go off earlier than normal if traffic were extra heavy on a user's
morning work commute.</b><br />
<b>Kwon Bong-suk also claimed that his company was considering
manufacturing a $100 smartphone, but that the company wanted to ensure
it could be done without sacrificing too much of the end user experience
before it started.</b></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-64901954850189009062012-04-08T14:31:00.000+00:002012-04-08T14:31:37.707+00:00AT&T to unlock Apple iPhones starting April 8<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span class="image center"></span></b><br />
<b><span class="image center"><img alt="Apple iPhone 4S" height="287" src="http://www.mobileburn.com/media/apple/iphone4s/page_apple_iphone_4s-img_1332.jpg" width="600" /></span></b><br />
<b>AT&T has announced that, starting tomorrow, April 8, it will
offer unlock codes to Apple iPhone owners who have satisfied their
contracts and have accounts in good standing.</b><br />
<b>
AT&T customers that meet the criteria will be able to call the
carrier to request an unlock code for their iPhones. Once they receive
an unlock code, users will be able to utilize SIM or micro-SIM cards
from any carrier and use their iPhones on networks other than
AT&T's, provided that network has the right frequency support, of
course.
</b><br />
<b>
The carrier's statement on the new policy is below:
</b><br />
<b><i>
Beginning Sunday, April 8, we will offer qualifying customers the
ability to unlock their AT&T iPhones. The only requirements are that
a customer's account must be in good standing, their device cannot be
associated with a current and active term commitment on an AT&T
customer account, and they need to have fulfilled their contract term,
upgraded under one of our upgrade policies or paid an early termination
fee.
</i></b><br />
<b><span class="image center"><img alt="Apple iPhone 4S" height="287" src="http://www.mobileburn.com/media/apple/iphone4s/page_apple_iphone_4s-img_1332.jpg" width="600" /></span></b></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-45981788353514986602012-04-08T14:29:00.000+00:002012-04-08T14:29:00.522+00:00Motorola RAZR MAXX Europe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div align="center">
<b><ins style="border: none; display: inline-table; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"><ins id="aswift_1_anchor" style="border: none; display: block; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"></ins></ins></b></div>
<b><a href="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/motorola/motorola-razr-maxx/motorola-razr-maxx-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img align="right" alt=" Motorola RAZR MAXX " border="0" height="411" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/motorola/motorola-razr-maxx/motorola-razr-maxx-1.jpg" vspace="8" width="220" /></a>Very simply, the RAZR MAXX is the RAZR with
a battery that is almost twice as big, but only a couple of millimetres
thicker and about 20 grams heavier. Motorola say that this battery </b><b>should
give the RAZR MAXX up to 17.6 hours talktime.</b><br />
<b><img align="left" alt=" Motorola RAZR MAXX " border="0" height="411" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/motorola/motorola-razr-maxx/motorola-razr-maxx-2.jpg" vspace="8" width="154" />Apart
from the battery, this is basically the same RAZR that hit the market
a few months ago, with a dual core 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM,
a 4.3" 540 x 960 pixel display, a 8 megapixel main camera plus
a 1.3 megapixel video calling unit and all the usual Android features
are here too.</b><br />
<div align="center">
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<b>Some other features include a Kevlar-clad back, a water resistant
coating and Corning Gorilla Glass to protect the display. Motorola's
built-in "Smart Actions" allow you to do clever things
with your phone depending on location, caller or any one of a number
of other triggers.</b><br />
<b>There are also a range of accessories available such as docking
stations and vehicle mounts, even including a Lapdock that turns
the RAZR into a mini laptop.</b><br />
<div align="center">
<b><ins style="border: none; display: inline-table; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"><ins id="aswift_3_anchor" style="border: none; display: block; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"></ins></ins></b></div>
<b>Out of the box the RAZR MAXX looks like it runs Android 2.3,
although there should be an upgrade to Android 4.0 ICS in the works
soon. Motorola say that the phone should be available in the UK
and certain other European and Middle Eastern markets from May 2012.
Although no price was given, we would expect the RAZR MAXX to retail
for something in the €500 region.</b></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-69286879658231488982012-03-27T13:54:00.003+00:002012-03-27T13:54:29.215+00:00Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4.2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><a href="http://www.mobilegazette.com/mobilegazette.xml" target="_blank"><br /></a></b>
<br />
<b><img align="right" alt=" Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 " border="0" height="378" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/samsung/samsung-galaxy-s-wifi-42/samsung-galaxy-s-wifi-42-1.jpg" vspace="8" width="405" /><i></i></b><br />
<b>The </b><b>Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 looks like a mobile phone,
but it is actually a compact Android tablet that follows on from
last year's Galaxy
S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0.</b><br />
<div align="center">
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<b>In essence, this really <i>is</i> a smartphone with the 3G /
GSM circuitry and supporting software removed. That makes it much
cheaper to make, although these days we suspect that the bulk of
the cost is in paying licenses for the technology rather than the
hardware itself. So if you don't want to use mobile cellular networks
then this is obviously a good thing.</b><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<b>The Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 itself has pretty straightforward specifications.
Inside is a 1GHz processor with 512MB of RAM, the display is a 4.2"
480 x 800 pixel panel, on the back is a basic 2 megapixel camera
with a secondary 0.3 megapixel camera on the front for video calling.
WiFi, Bluetooth and USB connectivity are included, but obviously
not 3G or any other cellular network. One unusual feature is
a built-in remote control application for various types of TV (we
guess Samsung ones).</b><br />
<div align="center">
<b><ins style="border: none; display: inline-table; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"><ins id="aswift_2_anchor" style="border: none; display: block; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"></ins></ins></b></div>
<b><img align="left" alt=" Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 " border="0" height="250" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/samsung/samsung-galaxy-s-wifi-42/samsung-galaxy-s-wifi-42-2.jpg" width="250" />Internal
memory is 8 or 16GB plus a microSD slot, and the handset comes with
a 1500 mAh battery and measures 124 x 66 x 8.9mm and weighs 118
grams. The Samsung GALAXY S WiFi 4.2 runs Android 2.3 with the usual
Samsung add-ons, and it will do everything that any other Android
device will do.. apart from phone calls of course.</b><br />
<div align="center">
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<b>Although Samsung have been selling these mini tablets or media
players for a while, we're not entirely clear who the market
is meant to be, and it doesn't look like these things have
exactly been flying off the shelves.. you probably wouldn't want
one of these if you already have a decently powerful smartphone.</b><br />
<b>We don't know when the Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 will be available
or how much it will cost, but the existing versions retail for €170
(for the 4" version) and €230 (for the 5" version) so
we would expect this new tablet to cost something roughly in the
region of €200 when it comes to market.</b></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-39406474880921875012012-03-27T13:53:00.003+00:002012-03-27T13:53:44.132+00:00Apple iPad 3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="left">
<b>The </b><b>Apple iPad 3 is Apple's third-generation
tablet, and it improves on what was already the tablet to beat with
an impressive specification set. It is not as revolutionary
or outlandish as some rumours were suggesting - this latest iPad
is more of a logical evolution of the previous device, but it must
leave competitors wondering how they are going to catch up.</b></div>
<div align="center">
<b><ins style="border: none; display: inline-table; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"><ins id="aswift_1_anchor" style="border: none; display: block; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"></ins></ins></b></div>
<div align="center">
<b><img alt=" Apple iPad 3 " border="0" height="404" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/apple/apple-ipad-3/apple-ipad-3-1.jpg" width="600" /></b></div>
<div align="left">
<b>The biggest change is perhaps not noticeable until
you start using it - the iPad 3 now has a 1536 x 2048 pixel 9.7"
display, with four times the pixel of the old iPads. As with the
<a href="http://www.mobilegazette.com/apple-iphone-4-10x06x07.htm" target="_blank">iPhone 4</a>
and <a href="http://www.mobilegazette.com/apple-iphone-4s-11x10x04.htm" target="_blank">4S</a>,
Apple call this a "retina display", meaning that the pixels
are too small to see. The first iPad had a pretty much off-the-shelf
panel that must have been very cheap to develop, but Apple can be
sure that this new iPad will sell in enough quantities to justify
creating a completely new class of display.</b></div>
<div align="left">
<b><img align="left" alt=" Apple iPad 3 " border="0" height="400" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/apple/apple-ipad-3/apple-ipad-3-2.jpg" vspace="8" width="515" />Inside
is a dual-core Apple A5X processor with a four-core graphics GPU. We
don't know how that will compare with some of the monster four-core
CPU Android tablets coming up this year, but we suspect that Apple's
design will be very competitive. Raw processing power is nice, but
there's more to making a tablet than that.</b></div>
<div align="left">
<b>On the back is a 5 megapixel camera (Apple call
this the "iSight" camera) with a secondary "FaceTime"
camera on the front for video calling. The <a href="http://www.mobilegazette.com/apple-ipad-2-11x03x02.htm">iPad
2</a> had just 0.7 megapixels at the back but it could capture 720p
HD video. The iPad 3's camera can capture 1080p video, but then
Apple are also making a big deal of being able to edit digital images
right on the iPad. Yes, the iPad 3 makes a really bulky camera,
but it does mean that you can manipulate them straight away before
emailing them off somewhere, and there are a number of other interesting
built-in imaging features with a mass of related apps available
to download as well.</b></div>
<div align="left">
<b>Surprisingly, the iPad 3 is actually thicker than
the old iPad 2, coming in at 9.4mm thick compared to 8.8mm for the
iPad 2. In reality it isn't a big deal, but it is also about 10%
heavier which is definitely going the wrong way, coming in at between
652 and 662 grams compared to 601 to 613 grams for the iPad 2.</b></div>
<div align="center">
<b><ins style="border: none; display: inline-table; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"><ins id="aswift_2_anchor" style="border: none; display: block; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"></ins></ins></b></div>
<div align="left">
<b><img align="right" alt=" Apple iPad 3 " border="0" height="240" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/apple/apple-ipad-3/apple-ipad-3-3.jpg" vspace="8" width="450" />As
before, there's either a WiFi-only version or one that also supports
cellular networks - we used to call that the 3G option, but (in
the US at least) the new iPad is a 4G device capable of running
on AT&T or Verizon's LTE networks. These versions are different
from each other inasmuch as the Verizon one also has support for
CDMA/EVDO in addition to the GSM/EDGE/HSPA+ support found on the
AT&T one.</b></div>
<div align="left">
<b>The operating system is iOS 5.1 which is just like
iOS 5 except better. As well as countless improvements to the operating
system, the iPad 3 also comes with a speech-to-text dictation
system, but not the excellent Siri feature found on the iPhone 4S.</b></div>
<div align="left">
<b>The iPad 3 is available with 16GB, 32GB or 64GB
of internal flash memory. Inside is a 42.5 watt-hour battery capable
of giving up to 10 hours of web surfing time on WiFi. The whole
package measures 241 x 186 x 9.4mm.</b></div>
<div align="left">
<b>Prices for the iPad 3 vary in the US, starting at
$499 for the 16GB WiFi-only version, going up to $829 for the WiFi
plus LTE 64GB version, that is about the same at the iPad 2's pricing.
The good news is that the very capable iPad 2 is dropping in price
by $100 and is now starting at $399. </b></div>
<div align="center">
<b><ins style="border: none; display: inline-table; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"><ins id="aswift_3_anchor" style="border: none; display: block; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"></ins></ins></b></div>
<div align="left">
<b>Officially, Apple are calling this just the
"new iPad" and not the iPad 3, although we suspect that
the iPad 3, iPad HD or iPad 4G names will become a common way of
differentiating it. The iPad 3 should start shipping in the US,
UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Japan and some
other territories from March 16th with many more European countries
by the end of the month.</b></div>
</div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-53456629717819473422012-03-27T13:52:00.002+00:002012-03-27T13:52:59.739+00:00Samsung Galaxy Pocket<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><img align="right" alt=" Samsung Galaxy Pocket " border="0" height="321" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/samsung/samsung-galaxy-pocket/samsung-galaxy-pocket-01.jpg" vspace="8" width="180" />Expected
2012 <br /><i>14th March 2012 </i></b><br />
<b>Some years ago - before touchscreen phones were all the
rage - the trend with mobile phones was that they kept getting smaller
and smaller with every generation. That was OK because most phones
used to be pretty basic, but recent smartphone are more like computers
and because you can do a lot more with them, then the display sizes
have been getting bigger and bigger.</b><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div align="center">
<b><ins style="border: none; display: inline-table; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"><ins id="aswift_1_anchor" style="border: none; display: block; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"></ins></ins></b></div>
<b>But not everybody likes big smartphones, and that's why Samsung
have come up with the </b><b>Samsung Galaxy Pocket, which is being
marketed as a more pocket-friendly way to carry around an Android
device.</b><br />
<b><img align="left" border="0" height="323" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/samsung/samsung-galaxy-pocket/samsung-galaxy-pocket-02.jpg" vspace="8" width="234" />The
Galaxy Pocket has a 2.8" 240 x 320 pixel screen, an 832 MHz
processor and a 2 megapixel camera on the back. It measures 104
x 58 x 12mm and weighs 97 grams, all running Android 2.3 and coming
with all the usual Android features. </b><br />
<b>But wait.. don't those specifications sound familiar? Yes! It
turns out that the Galaxy Pocket is almost identical to the <a href="http://www.mobilegazette.com/samsung-galaxy-y-11x09x10.htm" target="_blank">Samsung
Galaxy Y</a> except it comes with a smaller (and cheaper) screen.
In fact, the Galaxy Pocket is almost identical in size and weight
to the Galaxy Y, so it is certainly not more pocket friendly. To
be blunt it is the Galaxy Y, only <i>worse</i>. </b><br />
<div align="center">
<b><ins style="border: none; display: inline-table; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"><ins id="aswift_2_anchor" style="border: none; display: block; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"></ins></ins></b></div>
<b>Given that you can get a Galaxy Y SIM-free for about €110, the
Galaxy Pocket seems a bit pointless. Yes, it <i>might</i> be a bit
cheaper but it's no more compact and is less usable than the Galaxy
Y, and you can get the Galaxy Y right now rather than waiting for
it to come out. Our opinion? If you want a budget Android phone,
give this a miss and get the Galaxy Y instead.</b></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-10558092278116604962012-03-27T13:51:00.003+00:002012-03-27T13:51:53.860+00:00JCB Launch their next generation Toughphones<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>JCB have been dabbling in the phone market for a while,
sometimes in partnership with others as with the Motorola
DEFY+ JCB Edition and sometimes under their own brand,
as with the original JCB
TOUGHPHONE which was built by Sonim.</b><br />
<b>Their recent range appears to have been sourced from Power
Idea Technologies of China who sell the same handsets to
a variety of resellers worldwide. These simple but rugged devices
have gained a pretty good reputation with users, and it's no surprise
to see that at least two of the three new phones announced are from
the same firm - the </b><b>JCB Toughphone Sitemaster 2 and </b><b>JCB
Toughphone Sitemaster 3G.</b><br />
<div align="center">
<b><ins style="border: none; display: inline-table; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"><ins id="aswift_1_anchor" style="border: none; display: block; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"></ins></ins></b></div>
<table align="center" border="1" cellspacing="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="740">
<div align="center">
<b><img alt=" JCB Toughphone Range " border="0" height="424" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/media/jcb-toughphone-range/jcb-toughphone-range-1.jpg" width="730" /><br /><span style="font-size: 8pt;">Left
to right: JCB Toughphone Sitemaster 2, Sitemaster 3G,
Pro Smart.</span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>The Sitemaster 2 is an IP67 certified GSM-only "candy bar" phone
with a 2 megapixel camera, a torch and an FM radio. The Sitemaster
3G adds 3G support but is only specified to IP54, which is still
pretty darned tough. These are both fairly basic devices, but
certainly with enough features to get the job done in most cases.</b><br />
<div align="center">
<b><ins style="border: none; display: inline-table; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"><ins id="aswift_2_anchor" style="border: none; display: block; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"></ins></ins></b></div>
<b>The most interesting device is the </b><b>JCB Toughphone Pro Smart,
an IP67 certified Android 2.3.5 device with a 3.2” display, 5 megapixel
camera and an 800 MHz processor. From the press photo we've seen,
this is a pleasingly chunky device and is one of a very small number
of rugged Android devices on the market. Again, JCB have bought
this in from somewhere else (we don’t know where) and the exact
same handset it also going to be available in other markets as the
<i>Caterpillar CAT B10</i>.</b><br />
<b>These handsets look pretty good for a niche market. But do they
go far enough? We feel that there's a real niche market for smartphones
that are even <i>more</i> rugged than this. What about a rugged
smartphone with a big screen and proper buttons or a tethered stylus
so you can use it while wearing gloves? With a battery that will
actually last a day on a charge? Yes, we know there are a couple
of tablets like this, but something that can slip into a coat pocket
would be nice. How about it, JCB?</b><br />
<div align="center">
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</div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-15435255657689172062012-03-27T13:50:00.001+00:002012-03-27T13:50:02.319+00:00Retro: Apple iPhone<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<b><img align="right" alt=" Apple iPhone " border="0" height="416" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/media/retro-apple-iphone/apple-iphone-1.jpg" vspace="8" width="220" /></b><br />
<b>It is perhaps hard to believe that the </b><b>Apple iPhone has
been around for five years. Announced in January
2007 and then shipping in the US during June of that year, the
iPhone is one of the most iconic and influential mobile phones ever
made.</b><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div align="center">
<b><ins style="border: none; display: inline-table; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"><ins id="aswift_1_anchor" style="border: none; display: block; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"></ins></ins></b></div>
<b>Apple's involvement in the mobile phone market had been rumoured
for years, although Apple largely managed to keep the specifications
of the iPhone as a closely guarded secret before launch. But
this wasn't Apple's first attempt to enter this particular market,
back in 2005 Apple and Motorola co-operated on the short lived and
pretty much universally derided Motorola
ROKR.</b><br />
<b>After its announcement, US customers had to wait a full six months
for the iPhone to become available - these days there are only weeks
or days between Apple's launch and the devices going on sale. European
customers had to wait ten months or more.. and back in those days,
Apple's exclusivity deals with carriers meant that the device was
restricted to just one carrier per country.</b><br />
<b>In Europe at least, the iPhone wasn't a huge sales success because
not only would most customers have to swap carriers, but it was
expensive as well. And then there were the other shortcomings -
the iPhone didn't support 3G data, it didn't come with GPS, it couldn't
capture video clips and you couldn't remove the battery to replace
it, all things that you could do on the rival <a href="http://www.mobilegazette.com/nokia-n95-11x06x07.htm" target="_blank">Nokia
N95</a>.</b><br />
<b><img align="left" alt=" Apple iPhone " border="0" height="319" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/media/retro-apple-iphone/apple-iphone-2.jpg" vspace="8" width="250" />There
were also very few applications available for the iPhone. The AppStore
didn't launch until mid-2008, and until then it was difficult and
clunky for users to get hold of those few apps that were available.
Of course, the AppStore changed everything and since its launch
has clocked up an incredible 25 billion downloads.</b><br />
<div align="center">
<b><ins style="border: none; display: inline-table; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"><ins id="aswift_2_anchor" style="border: none; display: block; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"></ins></ins></b></div>
<b>Despite what Apple's lawyers might have you believe, touchscreen
smartphones had been around for years by the time the Apple came
to the game. For example, the <a href="http://www.mobilegazette.com/sony-ericsson-p990i-051010.htm" target="_blank">Sony
Ericsson P990i</a> was a pretty capable device that came to market
in 2006. And although the iPhone did set the pattern for those black
slabby devices that we see all over the place, the <a href="http://www.mobilegazette.com/lg-prada-ke850-07x01x18.htm" target="_blank">LG
PRADA</a> was announced at almost the same time as the iPhone but
came to market months before Apple did.</b><br />
<b>So how exactly did the Apple iPhone influence what came afterwards?
Well, for a start smartphones started to look much sleeker and better
designed.. and it showed that people were prepared to pay for
more for a premium product such as this.</b><br />
<b>The iPhone also popularised the capacitive touchscreen display
(used with a finger) over the older resistive type (used with a
plastic or metal stylus). It didn't seem like a big deal at the
time, but if you try going back to a device with a resistive display
these days (perhaps an old smartphone or satnav) then you really
notice the difference.</b><br />
<b><img align="right" alt=" Apple iPhone " border="0" height="305" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/media/retro-apple-iphone/apple-iphone-3.jpg" vspace="8" width="450" />The
capacitive display also allowed for a completely different type
of user interface. Because they are so sensitive, it is possible
to lightly brush the screen to “flick scroll”, or you can use two
fingers to “pinch zoom” and you can easily drag or move objects.
The iPhone's user interface was designed to support that, rather
than older smartphones that were still trying to be scaled-down
desktop operating systems. For example, before the iPhone you used
to use desktop-style scroll bars if you wanted to move up and down
through a long document.. something that seems quaintly old-fashioned
today.</b><br />
<b>But it is perhaps it is the iPhone's successor, the <a href="http://www.mobilegazette.com/apple-iphone-3g-08x06x09.htm" target="_blank">iPhone
3G</a> which was when the product started to become really useful.
The second-generation iPhone added 3.5G support and GPS, and along
with it came the AppStore which opened up a mass of applications
to users. By the time the iPhone 3G was launched, Apple could be
reasonably assured that they would have a success on their hands
given the good reception that the original iPhone had.</b></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486371147821722242.post-4290990815373924252012-03-27T13:47:00.004+00:002012-03-27T13:47:59.190+00:00Motorola RAZR MAXX XT910<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><img align="right" alt=" Motorola RAZR MAXX " border="0" height="411" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/motorola/motorola-razr-maxx-xt910/motorola-razr-maxx-xt910-1.jpg" vspace="8" width="220" /></b><br />
<b>The </b><b>Motorola RAZR MAXX is a almost identical to the
RAZR Android
smartphone, but with a <i>much</i> bigger battery. The RAZR MAXX
is based on the <i>DROID RAZR MAXX</i>, available on Verizon Wireless
in the US, however this particular RAZR is heading for China with
no word of a European version at present.</b><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div align="center">
<b><ins style="border: none; display: inline-table; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"><ins id="aswift_1_anchor" style="border: none; display: block; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"></ins></ins></b></div>
<b>Although many people will recognise that the RAZR name has
been used before, there was also another RAZR
MAXX too back in 2006. More confusingly, the RAZR MAXX
shares the "XT910" designation with the standard RAZR
smartphone that is sold worldwide.</b><br />
<b><img align="left" alt=" Motorola RAZR MAXX " border="0" height="410" hspace="8" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/motorola/motorola-razr-maxx-xt910/motorola-razr-maxx-xt910-2.jpg" vspace="8" width="154" />The
key selling proposition here is the battery. Motorola haven't confirmed
the size of the cell, but with the US version it is a huge 3300
mAh unit, with nearly twice the capacity of the standard RAZR. The
battery adds a couple of millimetres to the handset's thickness
and about 20 grams in weight, but it's a good trade-off in our view
as you can never have enough battery capacity with an Android phone.</b><br />
<b>Just in case you're not familiar with the specification of the
RAZR, this is a powerful device with a dual-core 1.2GHz CPU, it
has a 4.3” 540 x 960 pixel display covered with Gorilla Glass, an
8 megapixel primary camera plus a 1.3 megapixel video calling camera,
it has a water resistant coating and it retains the RAZR's
signature Kevlar back.</b><br />
<div align="center">
<b><ins style="border: none; display: inline-table; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"><ins id="aswift_2_anchor" style="border: none; display: block; height: 15px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"></ins></ins></b></div>
<b>This is an Android 2.3 device, presumably with an upgrade to
Android 4.0 in the works. Because this is an Android phone then
it does everything that every other Android phone can do, plus it
comes with a few software extras thrown in by Motorola.</b><br />
<b>Motorola have omitted a few key points from their press release
- we don't know what carriers the RAZR MAXX will be available on,
we don't know what bands or even cellular standards it uses and
we don't know how much it will cost. Still, these facts are probably
not all that important if you don't live in China.</b><br />
<b>We very much hope that there will be a version of the RAZR MAXX
in Europe and elsewhere. It might just be the perfect cure for smartphone
battery anxiety syndrome..</b></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550906134999087356noreply@blogger.com