Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Apple Announces iPad 3 Event For March 7th In San Francisco

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It’s here! The long awaited iPad 3 Event has finally been announced. Apple just sent out invites to a special event that will take place at 10:00am on Wednesday, March 7th, 2012 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. The tagline on the event invite reads “We have something you really have to see. And touch.” Apple is expected to announce the iPad 3 that will have a better processor, improved graphics, and a new Retina Display.

Also rumored to be unveiled at the event is a new Apple TV that might be 1080p capable. CNBC tweeted earlier this morning that the iPad 3 will have a quad-core processor, but they also claimed the event will take place in New York City (which was proven false minutes later), so it’s doubtful that their information is accurate.
One curious thing about the announcement of the event is that it invites were sent out as Google’s Eric Schmidt took the stage for his keynote at Mobile World Conference. Coincidence? Or was Apple distracting the world while Android was trying to gain the spotlight?



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Xbox 360 Special Edition 4GB Kinect Family Bundle announced

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If you have read all the hype about Kinect technology on the Xbox 360 system, and have yet to actually make a monetary commitment to Microsoft’s best selling video game console to date, then here is another chance for you to do so. Microsoft has introduced the Xbox 360 Special Edition 4GB Kinect Family Bundle, whereby this will be a limited edition bundle that comes with the glossy white Xbox 360 4GB console, a glossy white Kinect sensor, a white Xbox 360 wireless controller as well as a copy of Kinect Sports and Kinect Adventures – where both of them are the two most popular Kinect titles on the Xbox platform. Not only that, your $299.99 purchase will also be accompanied by a three month subscription to Xbox LIVE Gold. Of course, some other folks feel that this price point is rather steep, and would much rather see a $249.99 sticker instead. What about you?


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Bell Mobility joins four other North American carriers in combating SMS spam

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Today Bell Mobility is announcing, along with Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T, a commitment to combat SMS spam through the GSMA’s Spam Reporting Service (SRS) powered by Cloudmark. Basically what the service does is provide users a recourse for reporting spam messages by forwarding them to shortcode ’7726′ (which spells ‘SPAM’ on most devices). The SRS aggregates the most virulent spambots and tries to cut them off at the source.
“Around the world, increasing numbers of consumers are falling victim to spam. Mobile network operators are working hard defending against these threats to continue to protect the quality of the mobile service and reinforce subscriber trust,” said Michael O’Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. “By having major mobile operators in North America actively participating in the service, spammers and fraudsters will find this region an even more difficult target for their malicious activity.”
The GSMA correlates live spam attacks, and provides the information to member carriers, who will be able to take appropriate action before proliferation gets out of control. They are also providing an Android app to monitor and follow existing spam attacks, depending on the carrier.
“Industry-leading network security is essential to an ongoing positive experience for our customers,” said Nauby Jacob, Vice President of Services, Products and Content at Bell Mobility “We are proud to work with the GSMA on this important effort to ensure Bell’s wireless networks remain among the safest and most secure in the world.”
There is no word on whether other Canadian carriers are going to join the fray, but it seems like a low-risk, high-return prospect for everyone involved. And when carriers work together, consumers win.
Source: GSMA

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Google search will continue to become more personalized said by Eric Schmidt

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Google’s former CEO Eric Schmidt spoke at the Mobile World Congress today about the future of technology in developing countries and how its services will play a role in ecosystems who rely solely on the Internet for business, information, and communication.

During Schmidt’s keynote, he didn’t speak specifically about Google products and services but during the question and answer portion of his talk, he was asked directly about the future of Google search and advertising. He gladly answered the question and he noted that he had tried to not make his talk a commercial for the search giant.

Schmidt noted that Google search will continue to become more personalized, getting away from the “10 link” approach that we see in search results today. He noted that thousands of Google engineers are currently working on beefing up search with artificial intelligence in hopes to find us the results we want right away.

One important piece of the future is Google+ and its latest social functionality, which Schmidt interestingly didn’t mention once during his talk or the question and answer portion.

Instead of talking social, Schmidt focused on the power of mobile and again reiterated that Android is in a leading position when it comes to mobile operating systems. The keynote even started out with a demonstration of Google’sChrome browser for Android, which was released in beta a few weeks ago. Schmidt also suggested that the company is heavily focused on getting Android’s latest OS version, Ice Cream Sandwich, on as many devices as possible.

When asked about privacy concerns, Schmidt stated that you could easily use Google products anonymously and the choice you make depends on the type of functionality you’d like to see as a result of your usage. Basically, if you search using Google anonymously, the company can’t learn about your tendencies and interests, thus making its results weaker and less relevant for you.

I was pretty surprised that Schmidt wasn’t pressed more during the Q&A on hot subjects such as privacy and patents, but he did mention that he’s no longer the CEO of the company and doesn’t get as much information as he once did. He did however get a dig in at Apple stating that Google doesn’t just go around suing people “like other companies do”.
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Dual SIM ViewSonic ViewPhone 4S with Android 4.0 ICS hands-on[MWC 2012]

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ViewSonic has a new dual SIM Android smartphone – it’s called ViewPhone 4S, and should be released in Europe starting June. It will be launched with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, likely becoming the first dual SIM ICS handset.
The ViewPhone 4S is currently being showcased at MWC 2012, so we played a bit with it. It’s not a big device, having just a 3.5 inch display. The good news is that the display is an IPS qHD (960 x 540) one, hence its quality is above average.
Other features: HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, 5MP rear camera with HD video recording, VGA front-facing camera, ARM Cortex-A9 processor clocked at 1GHz, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory, and “improved battery performance.”
The ViewPhone 4S also comes with ViewSonic’s own 3D Carousel UI, which can be activated by pushing a key on the homescreen. I’m not a big fan of 3D UIs, so I can’t say I was impressed. But others might be.

In case you’re wondering about that green light on the right side of the phone (surrounding the volume rocker), this just lights up when the battery is charging, and that’s it.
As mentioned above, we should expect to see the ViewPhone 4S in stores this June. ViewSonic hasn’t decided on the price of the handset yet, but we’ll let you know when we hear more about that.

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Vimeo 2.0 brings iPad support and Vimeo Music Store integration

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The video sharing service Vimeo has updated their iPhone app to also include support for the iPad. Additionally, the video editor now also has Vimeo Music Store integration, and you also have the ability to simultaneously watch a video while browsing other clips.


We packed all the best parts of Vimeo into one simple app, and now we’ve made that app better than ever. Upload, edit, manage, and watch your videos right on your iPhone, and, if you need inspiration, discover great videos based on your interests through our meticulously curated and eyeball-pleasing Channels.

I’ve played around with Vimeo’s new UI and it’s very nice, however, I did have to create an account before viewing any videos despite claims of being able to browse featured channels without logging in or signing up. Anytime I tried on the iPhone, the app would crash. Once I signed up, everything worked like a charm.

Free – Download Now


via- iMore

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Sony Unveils Seven New Cyber-shot Compacts

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Sony has introduced seven new digital compact cameras, including the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V, HX10V, WX100, HX200V, TX20, W690 and H90. The first four models boast Sony’s new 18.2-megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor, while the other three come equipped with 16-megapixel imagers. The flagship of the new Cyber-shot range is the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V, which sports a newly designed, compact Advanced Aspherical (AA) lens with 20x optical zoom and fast auto focus, as well as a built-in GPS module. Other cameras with “AA” lenses include the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX100, which is billed as the world’s smallest camera with 10x optical zoom, and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690, another 10x zoom model. The longest (30x) zoom is found on the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V (pictured), which additionally features high-speed AF, 3D shooting and Full HD 50p video. The TX series is joined by the 4x zoom Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20, an ultra-slim and stylish yet tough little shooter that is dust- and freezeproof, as well as waterproof down to a depth of 5m and shockproof to 1.5m. Finally, the HX10V and H90 both sport 16x zoom lenses, with the main differences being the slightly different pixel count and a higher-resolution screen and GPS module in the HX10V.
In addition to these seven models, which should be available worldwide, Sony has also announced three apparently US-only models, the Cyber-shot DSC-TX66 (an ultra-thin but not ruggedised compact with a 18-megapixel sensor, 3.3” OLED touchscreen and 5x optical zoom), the Cyber-shot DSC-WX150 with 18 megapixels and 10x optical zoom, and the Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V, which is almost identical to the HX20V except that it additionally features Wi-Fi connectivity.
Sony Press Release
Zoom in closer with this season’s new Cyber-shot™ cameras from Sony
28 February 2012
HX20V, WX100 and W690 feature advanced AA lens for powerful zoom in super-slim body
  * DSC-HX20V: compact, powerful and perfect for travel with 20x optical zoom and effective 18.2 megapixel Exmor R® CMOS Sensor
  * DSC-WX100: world’s smallest and lightest camera*1 with 10x optical zoom and effective 18.2 megapixel Exmor R® CMOS Sensor
  * DSC-HX200V: ultra 30x optical zoom with effective 18.2 megapixel Exmor R® CMOS Sensor and manual controls
  * DSC-TX20: water/freeze/dust/shock-proof with effective 16.2 megapixel Exmor R® CMOS Sensor
  * DSC-W690: slim and easy to use with 10x optical zoom and 16.1 megapixels
  * DSC-HX10V: 16x optical zoom and effective 18.2 megapixel Exmor R® CMOS Sensor
  * DSC-H90: 16x optical zoom and effective 16.1 megapixels
Big, bold close-ups don’t have to mean carrying a big, bulky camera. With this season’s latest Cyber-shot™ digital cameras from Sony, you can enjoy super-zoom performance and detail-packed images with less to carry.
Clearer, steadier high-zoom images from a compact camera
Making its debut in the Cyber-shot™ HX20, WX100 and W690, an Advanced Aspherical (AA) lens boosts zoom range while allowing a far smaller lens body. The precision optical design adds an extremely thin lens element, increasing maximum magnification without compromising image quality or optical performance. With the WX100, this results in an impressive 10x optical zoom range in a compact camera that’s just 17.5mm thin at its slimmest part.
By Pixel Super Resolution technology (except W690, H90) doubles optical zoom range without sacrificing image quality or resolution. You’ll enjoy detail-packed close-ups – with up to 60x Clear Image Zoom on the HX200V – without the artificial blockiness that mars conventional digital zoom.
Complementing the new cameras’ exceptional zoom performance, Optical SteadyShot now offers enhanced image stabilisation when zoomed-in, both for still and movies. A refined gyro is teamed with optimised processing, adding the right amount of shake compensation for each scene. You’ll enjoy clearer, blur-free stills and videos, even at long focal lengths where camera shake is greatest.
Powerful features to widen creative shooting options
Extra High Sensitivity technology*2 (except W690, H90) expands your photo opportunities, especially in dimly-lit conditions. Maximum sensitivity is now boosted to ISO 12800, giving more opportunities for spontaneous handheld shooting without flash. Thanks to the Exmor R™ CMOS Sensor and high-speed BIONZ processor, noise levels are significantly reduced compared with previous Cyber-shot™ models*3. You’ll see the difference with crisper low-light shots, from atmospheric portraits to interiors.
Spontaneous shooting options are widened further with high-speed autofocus that locks onto your subject in as little as 0.13 seconds in daylight (except W690, H90 and TX20). AF performance is also significantly quicker at 0.20 seconds in dim conditions (for WX100 at 3EV; actual AF speed depends on model and shooting conditions). You’ll be able grab even more of those special moments when other cameras struggle to focus accurately.
Superior Auto Mode (except W690, H90) takes the guesswork out of achieving professional results in virtually any situation. Detecting the current scene and shooting conditions, Cyber-shot™ automatically adjusts exposure and other camera settings for superb images with low noise and high dynamic range.
DSC-HX20V
The new Cyber-shot™ line-up is headed by the compact, powerful HX20V featuring the AA lens and packed with advanced shooting features in a stylish, easy to carry body, making it an ideal travel partner. The highly-efficient Exmor R™ CMOS sensor with 18.2 effective megapixels is teamed with the latest BIONZ processor that assures flawless, low-noise images, even in low light. By processing each area of an image to achieve the optimal balance between noise and details, the advanced noise reduction technology achieves a natural look with reduced noise. Ideal for action-packed scenes, fleeting portraits and close-ups, speedy shooting responses and quick autofocus (approximately 0.13 second in daylight and 0.21seconds in low-light at 3 EV) help you capture more split-second moments.
Other HX20V highlights include 20x optical zoom, AVCHD Full HD 50p video recording for super-smooth footage, artistic Picture Effect modes, 3D shooting and GPS. Advanced manual functions give exceptional creative control over producing beautiful Full HD video and stills.
Also available, the Cyber-shot™ HX10V is an even more accessibly-priced choice for versatile shooting with 18.2 effective megapixels and a 16x optical zoom range.
DSC-WX100
Just 17.5mm slim (at thinnest point), the beautifully styled Cyber-shot™ WX100 is the world’s smallest, lightest camera*1 to offer a powerful 10x optical zoom range. It’s an ideal travel partner, covering a huge range of shooting possibilities from wide-angle shots to detail-packed close-ups.
DSC-HX200V
With an ultra-powerful 30x optical zoom range and easy DSLR-style manual controls, the HX200V offers big-camera performance with the portability of a compact. It’s a showcase for latest Cyber-shot™ technologies like Full HD 50p video, Superior Auto, high-speed autofocus, Picture Effect, 3D shooting and quick AF speed (approximately 0.13 seconds in daylight and 0.21 seconds in low-light at 3 EV).
DSC-TX20
Ultra-slim and stylish, the TX20 is your perfect partner for everyday adventures, from skiing to trips to the beach or pool. Resisting water (to 5m), dust, freeze and drops from a height of 1.5m, it’s packed with advanced Cyber-shot™ technologies in a beautifully slim body.
DSC-W690
Slim and refreshingly easy to use, the W690 brings distant subjects closer with its impressive 10x optical zoom lens. Enhanced Optical SteadyShot now offers improved image stabilisation that’s effective with both stills and movies. 360 Sweep Panorama lets you grab exciting all-round images at the touch of a button, while iAUTO takes care of adjusting camera settings for great results without fuss.
DSC-H90
With a powerful 16x optical zoom range and 24mm wide angle, the Cyber-shot™ H90 handles a wide range of shooting situations, from landscapes to frame-filling close-ups. Your creative options are broadened further with enhanced Optical SteadyShot, iAUTO, 360 Sweep Panorama for exciting all-round views and Picture Effect for impressive in-camera image treatments.
Shoot faster, transfer quicker with the new Experience UHS-I 30MB/s & Expert UHS-I 94MB/s SDHC Cards
The rugged new range of SDHC cards by Sony are ideal for sustained burst shooting, Full HD video and 3D imaging. Resistant to water, x-rays, sweltering summer heat and freezing conditions, they’re perfect partners for the most gruelling photo or video assignment.
The range-topping Expert series can now achieve blazing transfer speeds up to 94MB/s*4 with the growing range of compatible UHS-I hardware, including the SLT-A77 Translucent Mirror camera. Also available for latest Cyber-shot™ models, the mid-range Experience series supports data rates up to 30MB/s*4. Both series come with free download of File Rescue software that allows recovery of accidentally-deleted photo/video files, even in 3D and Full HD.
Constructed with ‘SoRPlas’ Sony Recycled Plastic
The new Cyber-shot™ HX20V is partially constructed using ‘SoRPlas’ (Sony Recycled Plastic), a flame-retardant polycarbonate plastic that contains 99% recycled materials. SoRPlas exhibits excellent strength plus world-leading heat resistance and durability.
The new Cyber-shot™ HX20V, HX200VE, and H90 digital cameras by Sony are available in Europe from end April 2012. The Cyber-shot™ TX20 and W690 are available from mid-May 2012.
*1 WX100 is the world’s thinnest camera among compact digital cameras with 10x optical zoom. WX100 is also the world’s smallest and lightest in this class. Based on Sony data, as of announcement date. 17.5 mm (excluding lens) at thinnest part and 21.6 mm at thickest part.
*2 Realised by combining ‘By Pixel Super Resolution’ with pixel interpolation and superimposing technology. Effects and image details may not reproduce well depending on subject and/or shooting conditions.
*3 Simulated results when compared with Cyber-shot models that employ conventional noise reduction. Based on Sony testing.
*4 Maximum read speed with UHS-I interface.

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Asus Release Promo Video For Asus Padfone

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Yesterday we finally got to find out the specifications on the new Asus Padfone, which is a hybrid smartphone and tablet device that also comes with a keyboard dock, and now Asus has released a promo video for the device.

The video below shows how the Asus Padfone will work, with the tablet dock and also with the keyboard dock, which looks very similar to the keyboard dock on the Transformer Prime tablet.




As a reminder, the Asus Padfone is powered by the smartphone device which comes with a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED qHD display with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels, and it is powered by a 1.5GHz dual core Snapdragon S4 processor and also has an Adreno 225 GPU.

Other specifications include an 8 megapixel rear facing camera for photos and video and a front facing VGA camera for video chat, there is also HDMI, GPS, A-GPS and Bluetooth 4.0.

We still don’t have a release date or any pricing details on the Asus Padfone as soon as we get some more information we will let you guys know.

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Nokia 808 PureView Smartphone 41 Megapixel Camera Sample Images

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Nokia’s 808 PureView smartphone was announced yesterday, and the Symbian Bellesmartphone features one of the highest resolution cameras to be found in a mobile device with a 41 megapixel sensor.

Nokia has now released some sample photos taken with the 41 megapixel camera on theNokia 808 PureView, which you can see a couple of below.



You can see the images in full resolution over at Nokia’s website, and the full resolution ones look very impressive, they were just a bit large to put on the site as each one is around 10MB or more in size.




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Dell Tries To Remake Itself As An IT Vendor While Its PC Business Gets Clobbered By Apple

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Dell attempted today to rebrand itself as an end-to-end enterprise IT vendor amid slowing consumer PC sales. The company appears to be following in the footsteps of IBM, which sold its PC business to Lenovo, and HP, which came close to selling off its personal systems division last summer.
Dell won’t be getting out of the PC business completely, at least not yet. The company will continue to produce its XPS line of computers, which it cites as a success. It will, however, move away from less profitable markets including PC peripherals.
Dell used the launch of a range of enterprise technologies today to bolster its image as being primarily an IT vendor that happens to make some PCs as well.
The list of enterprise options that Dell announced today includes:
  • The twelfth generation of its PowerEdge server lineup
  • Next generation storage array options
  • Virtual network architecture
  • A lineup of desktop virtualization solutions
  • A data warehouse appliance aimed at business intelligence features
All of these are profitable technologies aimed at enterprise operations and they do meet some of the trends expected to shape IT decisions in large companies over the next year or so. Dell has, of course, been in the enterprise IT space for much of the past couple of decades. By refocusing on enterprise technologies, the company will probably be able to help maintain sales of PCs to businesses buying those technologies even if it has to completely abandon the consumer market.
That said, it’s impossible to look at this news and see anything other than a company that got caught with its pants down as the consumer and business technology world was reinvented by others, most notably Apple. The iPad and the latest generation of MacBook Air models proved that Apple could not only innovate but that it could do so at economies of scale that makes competition extremely tough for its competitors. The iPad has been taking bites out of the consumer PC market for two years now and is undoubtedly a factor in Dell canceling its netbook models.
Ironically, Dell’s attempt to focus on its most profitable markets while abandoning ones that are losing money or just breaking even is the polar opposite of Apple’s moves over the past year and a half, during which Apple has canceled its enterprise server products and focused on consumer devices.
One can’t help looking at the state of Dell today, scrambling to reinvent itself and remain a major player in the business world while abandoning much of its long-stranding consumer lines, and remember Michael Dell saying that if he were running Apple, he’d sell the company and give the money back to its shareholders. My inner cynic is wondering how he’d react to someone suggesting that he consider doing just that.


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Intel Announces New Mobile Chipsets for Budget Consumers

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Intel’s attempt to break into the mobile game seems to be somewhat successful with both Motorola and Lenovo committed to bring at least one phone to the market with their technology, but Intel’s not going to stop with one chipset.
First up is the dual-core Intel Atom Z2580. Alongside the added core (a step up from the Atom Z2460), they’ve also bumped the GPU from a PowerVR SGX540 to a PowerVR SGX544MP2. The second chipset can be described as a weaker version of the Z2460.


It’s the Atom Z2000 with a 1GHz single-core processor and a 320MHz GPU. The Atom Z2000 is said to be headed for phones which will cost only $150 off contract. While it remains to be seen whether or not it’ll pack a lot of punch for its cost, I’m sure those who are buying $150 off-contract phones won’t expect much to begin with.
The worst thing is that these won’t be in commercially available devices util 2013. Yep, while Intel is introducing their first dual-core in 2013, we’ll probably see TI, Samsung and Qualcomm join NVIDIA on the quad-core train right around that same time. Read on for full press details.
Announces Smartphone Device Engagements with Orange*, Lava*, ZTE* and Visa*

Discloses Range of New Smartphone SoCs and Communications Products

MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS, Barcelona, Spain, Feb. 27, 2012 - Intel Corporation President and CEO Paul Otellini today detailed a number of announcements and plans aimed at expanding the company’s smartphone product portfolio and customer ecosystem, including strategic new engagements with Orange*, Lava International Ltd.*, ZTE*, and Visa*.

“We are very pleased to add new, important customers and capabilities to our phone offerings today. We remain focused on delivering exciting new features and outstanding performance to smartphone customers around the world.” said Otellini.

Otellini made the announcements during an Intel news conference at Mobile World Congress. He also highlighted the company’s plans to expand its smartphone SoC and communications product roadmaps for the performance and value smartphone market segments.

New Smartphone Customer Engagements
Building on strategic engagements with Motorola Mobility Inc.* and Lenovo*, Intel detailed new device relationships with Orange, Lava International Ltd. and ZTE.

Yves Maitre, Orange senior vice president of Mobile Multimedia and Devices, joined Otellini to discuss a new Orange smartphone based on the Intel® Atom™ processor Z2460 reference design. Housed in a sleek body, the design enables rich entertainment experiences and Orange services, including Orange TV, Daily Motion, Deezer, Orange Wednesdays and Orange Gestures. The Orange smartphone will be available in the United Kingdom and France later this summer.

Intel also announced plans to enter the high-growth market for smartphones in India through an alliance with Lava International Ltd., one of the fastest-growing Indian mobile handset companies.Vishal Sehgal, Lava co-founder and board director, announced the launch of XOLO Smartphone by Lava. The XOLO X900 is based on Intel’s smartphone reference design and will be the first Intel technology-based smartphone in the India market. The device will be available from top retail outlets early in the second quarter of 2012 and will support major Indian cellular networks.

Similar to its previously announced partnership with Motorola Mobility, Intel also announced a multi-year mobile device collaboration across smartphones and tablets with global handset maker ZTE. Mr. He Shiyou, executive vice president and head of the Terminal Division of ZTE, discussed how his company’s alliance with Intel will enable ZTE to move faster and create unique and differentiated products for wireless operators. He also announced that ZTE’s first Intel-powered mobile device is scheduled to debut in the second half of 2012.

Expanding Smartphone SoC and Communications Roadmaps
Building on its ecosystem engagements, Intel announced plans for three new smartphone SoC products that expand the company’s portfolio from the performance-to-value market segments.

Extending the leading performance and energy efficiency of the Intel™ Atom® processor Z2460, formerly codenamed “Medfield,” Intel announced that the platform will now support speeds up to 2GHz.

Intel also announced the Atom™ Z2580 processor that doubles the performance of the Atom processor Z2460, and features an advanced multimode LTE/3G/2G solution. Intel will sample the Z2580 in the second half of the year with customer products scheduled in the first half of 2013.

Addressing the growing handset opportunity in emerging markets where consumers look for more value at lower prices, Intel disclosed plans for the Intel® Atom™ processor Z2000.

The Z2000 is aimed squarely at the value smartphone market segment, which industry sources predict could reach up to 500 million units by 20151.The platform includes a 1.0 GHz Atom CPU offering great graphics and video performance, and the ability to access the Web and play Google Android* games. It also supports the Intel® XMM 6265 3G HSPA+ modem with Dual-SIM 2G/3G, offering flexibility on data/voice calling plans to save on costs. Intel will sample the Z2000 in mid-2012 with customer products scheduled by early 2013.

Building on these 32nm announcements, Otellini discussed how the Atom™ processor will outpace Moore’s Lawand announced that Intel will ship 22nm SoCs for carrier certification next year, and is already in development on 14nm SoC technology.

In 2011, Intel shipped in more than 400 million cellular platforms. Building on this market segment position, Intel announced the XMM 7160, an advanced multimode LTE/3G/2G platform with support for 100Mbps downlink and 50Mbps uplink, and support for HSPA+ 42Mbps. Intel will sample the product in the second quarter with customer designs scheduled to launch by the end of 2012.

Intel also announced that it is sampling the XMM 6360 platform, a new slim modem 3G HSPA+ solution supporting 42Mbps downlink and 11.5Mbps uplink for small form factors.

Building Better Experiences on Intel Architecture
Intel’s strategy is to create and enable engaging, consistent, aware and secure user experiences across a range of mobile devices.
An emerging trend is the use of mobile devices to enable secure online and retail commerce. Otellini welcomed John Partridge, President, Visa Inc., who announced a strategic multi-year alliance to develop mobile commerce solutions tailored to consumers in developed and developing countries.
The effort includes collaboration across a range of Visa mobile services and Intel® Atom™-based smartphones and tablets to deliver compelling and secure user services. As a first step, Partridge announced that Intel’s smartphone reference design is now certified for Visa payWave* mobile financial transactions. This means that customer products based on Intel’s smartphone reference design will have time-to-market support of Visa mobile services.
Building on its collaboration with Google, Intel continues to work closely with ISVs to help ensure the majority of Android apps run on Intel Atom processor-based devices. Otellini discussed how Intel has all the right tools and expertise to support the robust mobile application developer ecosystem.


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Microsoft quietly sneaks Windows Phone ‘Tango’ update without naming it

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In the lead up to the Mobile World Congress, there were rumblings about a minor update for Windows Phone which would enhance support for low end smartphones called ‘Tango’. Yesterday, with the launch of the Nokia Lumia 610, Microsoft did exactly that, however with a small caveat – there was no word on the ‘Tango’ branding. As expected, the unnamed updated lowered the minimum requirements for Windows Phone hardware with Microsoft adding support for 256MB of RAM and Qualcomm’s 7X27’s 800MHz low-cost SoC. Besides this, the update brings enhanced support for MMS as now the OS will handle videos and multiple images. With this update, Microsoft has also added a new voice based note taking app.
With the lowered system requirements, it has been suggested that the apps support on Windows Phone could get fragmented, but Microsoft claims it has done a lot of work to optimize the software experience for the lower spec and 95 percent of the 65,000 apps in the Windows Marketplace will be compatible. Microsoft is saying that for the 5 percent incompatible apps, it will offer developers the option to optimize their apps for the lower hardware spec. There have been rumors suggesting the Tango update is being released in two separate releases, though Microsoft is not revealing anything.


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The Motorola Defy’s resilience put to the test at Mobile World Congress

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We’ve known for a while now that the Motorola DEFY is designed to withstand the rigors of everyday life, but at this year’s Mobile World Congress we got more than the standard water dunk test to prove it. Motorola is letting attendees have a go at wrecking the Defy by dumping sand on top of it, pelting it with coins, and dripping water on the screen.
The results of our attempts at trashing the handset were met only by the completely functional Defy staring back at us. We can’t say the phone was completely unscathed, particularly from the coin test. Its case had some dings but the screen remained without a scratch. Pretty impressive stuff.



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Android Takes IPhone Battle to Office, Narrows Security Gap

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Software companies attending the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week are displaying solutions designed to prevent corporate data from being compromised when employees use their personal phones for work. Samsung Electronics Co., the biggest maker of Android phones, says reducing that risk would give it a chance to overtake Apple Inc. in the enterprise business.

“We recognized that we need a new growth agenda for Samsung, which is going to enterprise,” said Bum-coo Cho, who heads Suwon, South Korea-based Samsung’s enterprise business team. “Samsung will put a significant amount of effort into generating business from the enterprise sector.”

Android, released less than four years ago, has since vaulted past Nokia Oyj’s Symbian and Apple’s iOS in popularity among consumers of smartphones and tablet computers. Yet many businesses are concerned about the security of its open-source software, leaving a market largely untapped by champions of the platform including Samsung, HTC Corp. and LG Electronics Co.

SAP Partnership

About 50 percent of tablets and 30 percent of all smartphones are already used for business purposes, said SAP Chief Information Officer Oliver Bussmann. In Barcelona, SAP unveiled a partnership with Samsung to make Android devices safer to use as corporate tools.

“I currently don’t see anyone on the Android side who’s as far advanced,” Bussmann said in an interview today. “When I see that the number of security functions they have is already as high as Apple’s and growing further, I think they have a real shot at this.”

More companies are evaluating their corporate handset strategy that goes beyond Research in Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry and the iPhone. Siemens AG, Europe’s largest engineering company, is considering options for a comprehensive solution on how to integrate not only personal computers, but also devices like smartphones and tablets into the company’s IT landscape, said spokesman Wolfram Trost.

Market Share

“Employees are coming to us with their private devices that they know from home and that they like to use, so we’re looking how we can make that happen,” he said. “It’s not always easy because security requirements need to be fulfilled.”

Android smartphones accounted for 50.9 percent of all smartphone sales to end users last quarter, up from 30.5 percent a year earlier, according to researcher Gartner Inc. Sales of iPhones also rose, while fewer people bought devices running Symbian or BlackBerry.

Enterprises are facing an increasingly technology-savvy staff and calls to let employees use their own personal device for tasks like sending e-mail, working on business presentations or accessing databases. That trend puts additional pressure on Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM, which has dominated the market for mobile business devices.

Still, a change may take longer. “There is no way the IT manager of a large investment bank is going to allow you to have such a myriad devices” as those running the Android platform,’’ said Shannon Cross, an analyst at Cross Research in Livingston, New Jersey. “It seems like a nightmare to manage. That’s probably going to be a problem for the foreseeable future.”

IT Virtualization

The key to successfully bringing private devices into a corporate environment is separating the business from the private information that’s on the phone, said Srinivas Krishnamurti, senior director of mobile solutions at VMWare, which specializes in virtualization of corporate IT.

VMWare is working with LG Electronics and Samsung to produce hardware that enables such differentiation and is in talks with three more Android manufacturers, he said in an interview. The software maker also partnering with operators Telefonica SA in Europe and Verizon Wireless in the U.S. to enable separate billing of private and business calls.

“One of the reasons why enterprises have not deployed Android in the enterprise is that a solution like this doesn’t exist,” Krishnamurti said in Barcelona. “Now they say, you guys have addressed a lot of the problems that we’ve had with Android. Now we’re actually going to deploy Android in the enterprise and feel safe and secure.”
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Monday, February 27, 2012

BlackBerry App World Integrated Carrier Billing gains momentum

11:04 AM Unknown No comments




Mobile World Congress kicks off today and while we have Simon Sage is there in Barcelona getting us goodies, though we're not expecting there to be huge news on the BlackBerry front. However, today RIM has announced that there are now over 40 carriers around the world that have integrated carrier billing for customers to purchase apps through BlackBerry App World.
Some of the carriers include:
  • A1 Telekom (Austria)
  • AT&T (United States)
  • Bell (Canada)
  • Digicel (25 markets in the Caribbean and Latin America)
  • Indosat (Indonesia)
  • Rogers Wireless (Canada)
  • SFR (France)
  • Telefonica (UK)
  • T-Mobile (United States)
  • Telus (Canada)
  • Telstra (Australia)
  • Vodafone (Spain, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, United Kingdom & Netherlands)
Carriers have seen an increase of 120% in app downloads by introducing carrier billing, so it is expected that more carriers will start to integrated carrier billing in the future, making it easier then ever for folks to purchases apps.



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Samsung Galaxy S Wi-Fi 4.2 is an Android-running iPod touch wannabe

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Samsung may not hold a press conference at MWC, they sure do have a hell of a presence. Apart from releasing a slew of smartphones and tablets, today the South Korean giant has announced an Android device, which focuses on music – the Galaxy S Wi-Fi 4.2. The device is powered by a 1GHz single0core processor and flaunts a 4.2-inch IPS display with a resolution of 800×480 pixels. In addition to the device also features a 2-megapixel camera, a 1500mAh battery, a suite of sensors, Samsung ChatON messenger and support for a myriad of audio codecs. As far as operating system goes the device utilizes Android 2.3 gingerbread.Admittedly, the device in our opinion is no iPod Touch killer, a fate also faced by its predecessor the Galaxy S player, though Samsung will surely try its hardest to make its mark MP3 business, something no one else has managed. So far there is no word on pricing or the official release date of the product, so stay tuned for more.

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Intel outlines its SoC roadmap, will move mobile chips to 14nm process in 2014

10:51 AM Unknown No comments

Back at CES 2012, Intel had announced its first real foray into smartphone market with its Medfield chip powering Lenovo’s K800 smartphone and also at the same time the chipzilla inked a deal with Motorola. Today, Intel CEO, Paul Otellini, took the stage at the Mobile World Congress and announced more partnerships for the company’s mobile strategy with partners like Lava, Orange, Visa, ZTE and China Telecom joining ship, but apart from this Intel’s supremo also outlined the company’s product roadmap till the year 2014.
Apart from showcasing the current generation Intel reference design device, Paul Otellini said that Intel will ship its next generation Atom chipset in 2013 which will be based on the 22nm processor heralded on the Intel Ivy Bridge platform which is coming later this year to PCs. Otellini highlighted that these chips will maintain ‘Moore’s Law’ and will essentially double the graphical and CPU performance of the current generation Medfield chip which tops out at 2GHz. In addition to this Otellini maintained that these chips will further integrate LTE radios and will further reduce battery consumption.
Apart from this, Intel also announced that it is working on a low cost version of its mobile chip, which will clock at 1GHz and will hit markets the same time as the high-end successor to the Medfield processor in 2013 and will be built on 22nm process. Intel showed a reference design model and said it was targeting a sub $150 price point for smartphones powered by these chips.
As far the company’s long-term road map went, Intel said that in 2014 it will ship mobile chips built on 14nm process and these chips will essential quadruple performance of the current Medfield platform. This is a really aggressive strategy which in theory does give Intel chips an performance advantage in the long term over ARM based rivals considering ARM chipset makers like Qualcomm and Texas Instruments are only starting to foray onto 28nm processes and by the time these chips capture substantial market share, Intel would have shifted to a much faster and efficient 22nm process.
Having said this, ARM based chips maintain their advantage of over Intel in terms of power efficiency and it remains to be seen how Intel’s Medfield chips fare up against ARM chips in this department. Looks like the mobile chipset market is set up for real slugfest between Intel’s performance advantage and ARM’s power efficiency. Truly, interesting times await mobile devices.
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Samsung Galaxy S III Full Specs “Revealed” – Quad-Core, 1080p Display and Ceramic Body [Rumor]

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 Seems the Samsung Galaxy S III specs have all but been leaked, spilling out like rainbow vomit onto the floor of the interwebs. The SGSIII will apparently see a simultaneous global launch but for now, let’s just jump right into what we’re looking at in terms of specs:
  • 1.5GHz quad-core Samsung Exynos processor
  • 4.8-inch "full HD" 1080p resolution with 16:9 aspect ratio display
  • A 2-megapixel front-facing camera and an 8-megapixel rear camera
  • Ceramic case
  • 4G LTE
  • Android 4.0
To be fair, more than half of this stuff was already a given. 4G LTE? Well, it’s not going to launch with yesteryear’s radios. Android 4.0? I’d sure hope so. 8MP rear/2MP front facing cameras sounds reasonable as well. I think HTC proved that we don’t need more megapixels, just better sensors.
What I found most interesting is the “ceramic body.” Not sure exactly what they’re getting at there, but maybe it has to do with a ceramic coating and not a phone necessarily made of ceramic. My screen cracking from a sudden drop is enough to stress over without having to worry about my whole phone shattering to bits.
What really throws me for a loop is the “report” that the device will launch with a 1.5GHz quad-core processor and not Samsung’s upcoming new and improved 1.5GHz dual-core processor. The new dual-cores were shown off in November, followed by shipping in Spring. If Samsung is barely previewing their quad-cores now, I wouldn’t expect them to ship in devices til late this year or early next. But I guess anything can happen if Samsung wants to stay competitive.
Oh, and 1080p display? Is that even possible right now? More than that, how necessary is that? I mean, I’m all for excessive specs. I’ll take what I can get. But this sounds more like an Android fanboy’s wet dream than real world specs.

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