HTC One S vs Apple iPhone 4S

Here we go, folks, the battle of the “S”-es – the new HTC One S in the blue or black corner, and the iPhone 4S in the black or white corner. This may leave us with two black corners, though, and it's exactly the dark metal ceramic version of the One S we have now, so the fight will be based entirely on merits, rather than color preference.

We kid, since one thing is missing from HTC's phone to go head-to-head with the iPhone 4S in terms of specs, and it is pixel density, while it exceeds in other geeky stuff like processor clock and operating memory. The iPhone's iOS and Android have different resource needs, though, so we'll judge mainly on design, interface performance and camera quality, leaving the application stores aside.

With the new trend of higher-end Android devices coming with sealed batteries and non-expandable memory, just like the iPhone has been from day one, another Android differentiation is lost compared to it, so who will take over the ARM wrestling match? Read on our comparison to find out...


Design:

Apple's iPhone 4S has a unique steel-and-glass casing, which is yet unmatched by other manufacturers, even though this chassis is the same as the previous iPhone edition from 2010. It leaves a very premium feeling in the hand, with the downsides being that it makes the phone comparatively heavy, with sharp edges, and more prone to shatters and scratches than run-of-the-mill materials.

The HTC One S, on the other hand, sports two very distinct chassis materials – a blue-grey version with the more ordinary anodized aluminum, and the black version we have. Blacky is coated in a metal ceramic fusion obtained by zapping the aluminum frame with 10,000 volts, which results in oxidized metal that is three times stronger than stainless steel. This is making the phone very rigid and durable, but have no doubts that if you key it with a vengeance, marks will be left, this is no adamantium.

In terms of comfort, both phones lie well in the hand, with the iPhone leaving a more “edgy” feeling than the rounded corners and tapered back on the One S. HTC's handset is one of the most compact 4.3” phones we've handled, and is thinner than the iPhone 4S, but for smaller palms one-handed operation with the iPhone will come much easier since its screen size is 3.5”, and the whole phone is shorter and a tad narrower than the One S, so your thumb can reach everywhere.

Displays:

The displays on both phones are pretty different in both size and tech. We have the 3.5” Retina Display on the iPhone 4S, with its IPS-LCD technology and 640x960 resolution, meaning 326ppi pixel density, good colors, wide viewing angles, and high brightness.


The 4.3” AMOLED display on the HTC One S sports 540x960 pixels of resolution, which not only results in lower pixel density than the 4S, but since it is done with the PenTile matrix arrangement, the honeycomb structure of the dots makes some elements appear pixelated. Nothing you'd notice unless deliberately looking for it, though.

What they will notice are the oversatured colors on the display, which go way above the standard gamut, and the cold images, making white appear blueish compared to the iPhone 4S. AMOLED has other advantages, like wider viewing angles and deep blacks, hence extremely high contrast ratio. This comes in handy when watching movies, and the AMOLED screens draw much less energy then, compared to displaying white backgrounds during browsing, while for LCD ones this doesn't matter.

Source : phonearena

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Lumia 900 data connectivity fix now available for download

Earlier this week Nokia admitted that AT&T's Lumia 900 was suffering from data dropouts apparently brought out by memory management issues, promising a firmware update by next Monday — but they've beat their goal, it seems, pushing the update out to Zune (for Windows) and Windows Phone Connector (for Mac) today. After the update, you should theoretically be able to connect consistently on HSPA, LTE, and Wi-FI, but don't worry: you'll still be getting your $100 bill credit for your trouble as long as you buy (or have bought) your phone prior to April 21st.

Here's Nokia's full statement:

Earlier this week, Nokia communicated about a memory management issue with the recently launched Nokia Lumia 900 at AT&T that, in some cases, was leading to a loss of data connectivity.

When this news was issued on Tuesday, Nokia had identified that a software update would be available for consumer download on or around April 16th. Today, we'd like to share with you that the update is now available. Consumers now have the opportunity to update their AT&T version Nokia Lumia 900 software through Zune and Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac earlier than anticipated.

Consumers are still able to swap out their Lumia 900 for an updated Lumia 900 in an AT&T store if they'd prefer. And, of course, the $100 credit offer will remain in effect through Midnight PST on April 21st.

Source : theverge

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An iPhone User Tries Nokia’s Lumia 800 For Two Weeks

There’s a lot of talk right now about Nokia and its Windows Phone 7 handsets. Specifically, it is the newly released and much hyped Lumia 900 which is seeing most of the headlines and clicks right now.

The handset itself is expected, or at least hoped, to signal a return to form for Nokia and to offer Microsoft a way back into the minds of US smartphone buyers who have been happy to lean towards iOS, Android or even BlackBerry over the last few years.

While the Lumia 900 is the subject of many a review right now – not all of them good, just ask The Verge’s Joshua Topolsky about that – that isn’t the model I’m here to tell you about. I’m here to tell you about the handset that brought Windows Phone 7 to the world of Nokia, and is currently the top-of-the-line Lumia that is available outside the United States.

Those paying attention will have realized I am talking about the Lumia 800, Nokia’s first Windows Phone 7 device. Arguably the Lumia 900′s older brother, the handset has one big thing in common with the Lumia 900 – it was seen as nothing short of the second coming of Nokia, and just the same as the 900, it disappointed while still being a very good smartphone.

But let me back up a second before I qualify that statement.

First off, and to put everything into context, there is something you should know about me. If you’ve been reading closely over the last year or so, then you’re probably already aware that I own an iPhone. I’ve had every iPhone bar the 3GS, and I’m very happy with my current 4S. I like iPhones.

I’ve had Android phones in the past, too. The most recent was a Nexus S from Samsung, and it was OK. Not great, just OK.

I’ve even had Windows Phone 7 handsets before, with the HTC HD7 the pick of the bunch. Again, it was OK.

So, I waiting for the Lumia 800 to arrive with great intrigue. The HD7 had whetted my appetite for Windows Phone 7, because in all honesty, I enjoyed the OS. It was a breath of fresh air, especially on the back of my Nexus S experience. The hardware, however, left a lot to be desired.

When the Lumia 800 arrived I decided to go full bore with my little experiment. My SIM card came out of my iPhone and went into the Lumia, with the aim of it not returning to its home for a full two weeks. Off I set on my mini adventure, Nokia wunderphone in hand.

Now this is not going to be a full, 5,000 word review of the Lumia 800 because, frankly, everyone’s read enough of them since the handset’s original release. It got good reviews for good hardware, but the software was lacking. This sounded like the opposite of my HTC HD7 experience, so I was looking forward to spending some time with the Nokia.

The first few days were pretty good. The novelty factor was certainly in full effect, and I can honestly say this is the best Windows Phone 7 handset I have ever used. I would possibly go so far as to say it is better than any Android handset I have ever used, but seeing as I’ve not had my hands on any of the latest Ice Cream Sandwich smartphones yet, then I’m not going to imply that stands for much.

My real problem, and I feared this would happen, is that it’s not my iPhone.

I’ll explain that a little further. Having used iPhones for years, I have built up an almost symbiotic relationship with it. I know all my apps, I know how they work, and they work how I want them to. I have an app that will allow me to do just about anything that I could do with my MacBook, should the need arise, including managing a home server over SSH, FTP or VNC. There may be apps that do such things for Windows Phone 7, but I didn’t find any good ones, if any at all.

That may sound like a very narrow example, but it is an example nonetheless. My main issue, working my way through those two weeks without an iPhone, was that I just didn’t feel as if I was connected to everything. I missed Instagram. The Facebook and Twitter apps felt alien to the point of not wanting to use them. These Live Tiles I hear so much about didn’t do what I had hoped and the Metro interface grew old once the novelty of all those transitions wore off. In short, the whole experience felt gimmicky, but with little substance.

All this is a real shame. Nokia’s hardware is undoubtedly gorgeous, and the Lumia 900 is no different by all accounts. The issue is that despite throwing itself into Windows Phone 7, Nokia is still lacking a real mobile OS that will claw people away from iOS and Android. Apps speak volumes for a platform these days, and Windows Phone 7 just doesn’t have them in large enough quantities and of enough quality to really compete.

The end result was a disappointing one. I didn’t get through my two weeks with the Lumia without having to admit defeat and return to my iPhone. As much as I wanted to love the Lumia 800, I just couldn’t live with it, and that was the end of that.

One thing that is worth nothing though, is that I am what people would call a power user. Most smartphone owners won’t be doing the things I do on a daily basis, and with that in mind I do wonder whether Windows Phone 7 may have a home in the market yet, just not in my home. Less nerdy types may enjoy all those transitions, and Nokia’s own apps add value to be sure, just not for me.

To be clear here, the problem I have with the Nokia Lumia 800 is not so much with the handset itself, but with the software. Windows Phone 7 has improved greatly since the early days, but has it improved enough to really compete? I fear not.

If you are a Windows Phone 7 fan though, the Lumia 800, and I suspect the 900 too, are well worth a look. If you’re an iOS or Android owner though, you’ll probably want to look elsewhere.

And that’s the real shame.

Source : redmondpie

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iPhone 5 to have a Larger 4 inch Screen

If you think, the iPhone 4S is sizzling, iPhone 5 will be much better if rumors are to be believed. The new generation of the iPhone, gadgets yet to be released will have a larger 4-inch screen coming with a brand new and sleeker design.

What is New?
The sleek and new design will be the main attraction of the iPhone 5 and the 4G connectivity support will be an added advantage. Customers are expected to ‘dwarf’ iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S when the new iPhone is launched- that in itself is and achievement in itself considering that present iPhones have been hugely successful. The built-up to the iPhone 5 launch is the same if one looks at what happened before iPhone 4 debuted
.
Unlocked Old iPhones
Finally, AT&T allowed unlocking iPhones- and that is terrific news for Apple users since the wireless network has a vast network. T-Mobile has long been an ardent supporter of old iPhone users. The T-Mobile network has about one million unlocked and or jailbroken iPhone gadgets.
T-Mobile, however, has a less attractive connectivity solution compared to other networks like AT&T or Sprint- the 3G network is still not the best, and the 4G HSPA+ network will only be introduced this year.

Source : newgadget

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Teardown Shows Nokia’s Lumia 900 Costs $209 to Build

As smartphones go, the Lumia 900 has a lot of hopes tied up into it. It represents the collaboration of Microsoft, the software behemoth on the PC that has struggled in recent years to make a go of the smartphone business, and Nokia, once the king of wireless phones, period, now struggling to get back in the game versus Apple and Google.

So far, the launch hasn’t gone quite so well. First there was a lackluster review. Then, days after going on sale on Easter Sunday, the company has admitted to a software glitch and is offering people who bought one a $100 credit in addition to a software patch. The credit makes the phone free to buyers willing to take a two-year service contract.

Now the market research firm IHS iSuppli has taken a Lumia 900 apart and, in a report shared with AllThingsD that will be released later today, has determined that it costs Nokia about $209 to build. And, judging from the parts being used, it’s not exactly built like the most cutting-edge phone on the market.
In fact, it seems like Microsoft and wireless chipmaker Qualcomm are both making an effort to showcase how efficient Windows Phone 7 for mobile can be; at the same time, they seem to be aiming to entice other hardware manufacturers by demonstrating that a full-featured smartphone can be built using components that are about a generation behind the current high end, and therefore cheaper, says Andrew Rassweiler, the iSuppli analyst who supervised the teardown.

For example, the teardown found that the Lumia 900 uses a single-core Qualcomm chip that costs $17 as its main applications processor; a phone with similar features running Google’s Android OS, such as Samsung’s Galaxy SII Skyrocket, uses a higher-end dual-core processor that costs $22.

“It appears what Microsoft and Qualcomm and Nokia are trying to do here — and this is being driven by Microsoft more than anyone else — is streamline the OS so it can run on a lighter processing platform,” Rassweiler told me. “The point being is to undercut the higher end phones.”

The choices don’t end with the processor. The phone contains only 512 megabytes of DRAM memory, where most phones would use one gigabyte. And the trend is expected to continue, as the next generation of Microsoft’s mobile OS will require even less memory.

Another example: The Bluetooth chip. Nokia is using a slightly older chip from Broadcom, and not the latest, greatest Bluetooth part. The difference between them is only $2.50, but it serves as another example showing that Nokia is aiming to compete on price.

For Nokia, the strategy seems to be one of aiming to compete against other phones on price, while offering similar features. The Lumia is thought to sell for $450 at retail without a subsidy, or about $200 lower than Apple’s iPhone 4S, which starts at $649 without a contract, depending on model, and costs between $188 and $245 to build.

Microsoft is also thought to be helping Nokia out, says iSuppli’s Wayne Lam, who also participated in the teardown analysis. While software costs are not considered in a teardown analysis, he says Microsoft is thought to be making less than $5 per phone in licensing fees on the Windows Phone 7 operating system, far lower than the $15 per device it is said to want. That would be line with the $3 per phone price that Nokia is thought to have paid in licensing fees for the Symbian OS it used previously, and of which it was a partial owner. “Nokia is getting a fantastic discount,” Lam told me.

One place where Nokia didn’t skimp? The gyroscope chip, which determines how the phone is being moved. It contains the same gyroscope chip from STMicroelectronics that goes into the iPhone 4S. There are, apparently, some things on which you simply can’t compromise.

Source : allthingsd

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Alternatives to the iPhone

Q:
I’ve been using the iPhone since it came out in 2007. And while I’m satisfied with the way it works, I’m considering changing phones just to have something different—in particular a larger screen. What, in your opinion, are the best alternatives to the iPhone? I use mine primarily for email, along with checking stocks and weather.
A:
I would go with an Android phone, which has plenty of apps that are similar to what you are used to, and which typically these days come with larger screens, some exceeding 4.5 inches. There are always new models coming out, and there are so many that it can be hard to recommend one. But, in my tests, I’ve been especially impressed with the Samsung Galaxy models.
Q:
I’m a Verizon user currently on 3G and we’ve been promised 4G in our area by end of 2013. Do you have any indication Verizon is actually going to continue with LTE service or is this just a smoke screen? Are they really going to roll out new 4G (LTE) service or is this just chosen markets?
A:
I don’t know where you live, or when or whether Verizon Wireless plans to offer LTE, the fastest cellular data network, in your particular area. But I can say that, for Verizon, LTE is anything but a “smoke screen,” and I’d be stunned if the carrier didn’t continue rolling it out. Verizon has deployed it in over 200 markets and says it plans to cover 400 markets by the end of 2012. It’s a key part of the company’s competitive strategy.
Every carrier that deploys a new network starts with a few “chosen markets,” and there are always some areas left out, even years later, for various reasons. But from everything I know, Verizon is planning a broad national LTE network.
Q:
I run Windows 7 on a Mac using Parallels Desktop. Can I use the normal Windows update process to keep Windows 7 up to date or will it compromise the Windows setup through Parallels?
A:
Your virtual copy of Windows inside the Parallels software is designed to work just like Windows on a physical PC. That includes the Windows update process, which I have used many times on Windows via Parallels. This is separate from any updates made by Apple to the Mac operating system, or updates to the Parallels program itself.

Source : allthingsd

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Angry Birds Space plays a disappearing act on the BlackBerry Playbook

You gotta love those Angry Birds! Well, they simply can surprise us all in many ways with their antics and smug sense of humor. In any event, we’re certain that there are plenty of people across the world getting their game on with the latest installment – Angry Birds Space.

Interestingly, BlackBerry PlayBook owners got a surprise very recently, but then, it seems as though those birds executed yet another prank joke on them. Specifically, Angry Birds Space was briefly made available to download from the BlackBerry App World very recently, but in a surprising twist, it pulled off a disappearing act of some kind.

From the looks of it, someone over at RIM jumped the gun just a tiny bit and just couldn’t wait to let the game out, but it’s has been taken down. Still, we can only hope at this point that it’ll be coming back very shortly, where it’ll be available for purchase at $4.99.

In the meantime, PlayBook owners will only need to wait it out before experiencing Angry Birds Space, but for those lucky enough to snag it while it was up, we’re sure they’re making good use of it.

Source : phonearena

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iPhone and iPod Touch Rumors Collide in Apple Rumorpocalypse

What’s better than a blog post based on a single sketchy iPhone rumor? A blog post about three iPhone rumors, of course, with a side of iPod Touch speculation for good measure.

First up is 9 to 5 Mac, which states that Apple is testing a new iPhone prototype. This device apparently uses a variation of the A5X processor that debuted in the new iPad and has 1 GB of RAM. If this rumor holds up, Apple will essentially be following a pattern from the last two years, where the specs of the latest iPad wound up in the iPhone later that year.

As for design, 9 to 5 Mac says Apple’s prototype uses the same case as the iPhone 4/4S, but that’s probably just a defense against leaks, not the final design.

That brings us to rumor number two, via AppleInsider: Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White is parroting the popular notion that Apple’s next iPhone will have an all-new design, with a 4-inch display instead of the 3.5-inch screen in all previous iPhones. White, who’s basing his report on a tour of suppliers in China and Taiwan, believes the next iPhone will have a “sleek” unibody design and support for 4G LTE networks.

Contrary to dubious reports that the iPhone 5 would launch in June, our third rumor claims that Apple’s next phone will launch in October 2012, a year after the launch of the iPhone 4S. You can thank South Korea’s Maeil Business News (via Kotaku) for lending credence to what seems like a pretty safe bet.

Finally, we come back to 9 to 5 Mac for rumor number four. Apparently, a bit of code inside iOS 5.1 hints at a new iPod Touch, with the internal product label “iPod 5,1.” Seeing as Apple hasn’t refreshed the iPod Touch since September 2010, I’d be surprised if a new model isn’t on the way. The question is timing, since I don’t think the company will go back to holding September events specifically for the iPod and iTunes.

None of these reports contain any earth-shattering revelations, but as my colleague Harry McCracken noted, the most accurate iPhone rumors rarely do. Manage your expectations, and you won’t be disappointed when new iPhones and iPod Touches do come along.

Source : techland.time

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New iPhone Will Reportedly Have A Unibody Design, Will Launch In October?

It may only be April, but reports of iPhone rumors are already beginning to crop up, and the latest happens to come straight from the horse’s mouth.

Kotaku, translating a report by a Chinese newspaper, is reporting that one Foxconn official has been speaking of Apple’s plans for the new iPhone, and he’s even gone so far as to predict a possible release date.

Foxconn currently produces Apple’s iOS devices, including the iPhone, and the company’s Head of Human Resources has been telling Chinese paper, Maeil Business Newspaper, that Foxconn has received an order from the Cupertino outfit.

"We just got the order," the Foxconn human resources head reportedly told the newspaper. "[The release] will be around October."

Reportedly for a new iPhone, the order has led Foxconn to begin a massive recruitment drive to ensure that enough hands are on deck in order to meet Apple’s release schedule.

That release schedule, at least according to the source, pegs the new iPhone for a release during October of this year. Since Apple launched the iPhone 4S last October, hence our money rests on the fact that Apple will stick with their release cycle and launch the next iPhone this October. Foxconn’s new order simply adds a little meat to the bones of all our assumptions.

Real hard facts about the new iPhone release are hard to come by, but with Foxconn employees seemingly more eager to speak up than usual, we wouldn’t be surprised if that changed over the coming months.

The new iPhone itself is also the subject of rumors surrounding its impending design features. Again, as was the case with the iPhone 4S, rumors are abound that the new handset will feature a new, sleek body. With the iPhone 4S sporting the same shell as the iPhone 4, it is a safe bet to assume that the new handset will see a redesigned body.

Unibody designs are becoming the norm for Android handset makers, with HTC recently producing the impressive One X handset. Apple is expected to offer a similar unibody design, too, and that could prove to be the basis for another Jonny Ive classic, according to reports.

Foxconn has been in the news often, of late. Stories of poor working conditions and low pay have been cropping up for years, but with big media interest lately, Apple CEO Tim Cook took time to check out the situation at Foxconn himself recently. Undoubtedly a PR move, as much as a genuine desire to improve conditions, the visit did draw even more attention to a situation which is notoriously shrouded in secrecy.

Apple will be hoping that people will stop talking about Foxconn and focus on the products, but the story just won’t go away. Even if the products become the subject of all the talk, of late that talk has been about claimed defects and problems.

Testing times for Apple?

All that money will probably take their minds off it.

Source : redmondpie

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Are some iPhone users looking for an Instagram alternative, following the Android launch?

The release of Instagram for Android has, understandably, been met with a great deal of fanfare, with 1 million downloads in under 24 hours. The release has also been accompanied by a surprisingly vile backlash from a group of iPhone users who are annoyed, to say the least, with the appearance of Android users in their previously exclusive space.

The comments on Twitter were filled with complaints about the app losing exclusivity, among other things:

Cnet took an in-depth look at the reaction which it labels as classist, adding:

“…which smartphone we own has begun to inform our identities. In our gadget-filled lives, our phones have become another way for us to organize ourselves into separate groups, to label each other as “other” and “apart.” Our tech has come to define us.”

So what has this meant for Instagram’s competitors who remain available only on iOS? One iPhone only app we’ve covered in the past, PicYou, says that it has seen an influx of new users in the past few days.

In the four days following the launch of Instagram for Android, PicYou received over 125,000 downloads, a huge boost from its average 1,000 to 4,000 daily downloads.

Are some iPhone users actually abandoning Instagram in favour of other iPhone-only apps out of a sense of betrayal?

Members of The Next Web noticed a sudden increase in followers on PicYou, starting on April 4, exactly one day after the Instagram for Android launch, despite not having used the app recently.

While there’s no hard and fast proof that the two are connected, it also makes for quite the coincidence. After all, while we saw a renewed set of flamewars sizzling their way to the forefront, we never would have imagined such an angry outburst from some iPhone users.

Keeping that in mind, ditching Instagram, if even just for a while, until they get over themselves, seems pretty par for the course, at least for those who felt the burning desire to speak out against the introduction of the Android app.

Source : thenextweb

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How To Add Widgets And Dynamic Backgrounds To Your Windows Phone Lock Screen

The general consensus is that the Windows Phone 7.x operating system is a winner with the beautiful Metro styling, but that doesn’t mean that it is going to keep everyone happy all of the time. One thing we know for sure is that mobile smartphone users have unique tastes, meaning that one mans trash is most definitely another mans treasure.

The main home screen of any smartphone tends to be the area that users pay the most attention to, mainly because this is where the app icons or tiles live are and this is where the user spends most of his/her time flicking between screens and browsing installed apps. Users of smartphones that are powered by Windows Phone 7 could be forgiven for thinking that the whole lock screen experience is extremely bland, with Microsoft opting to carry the Metro minimalistic tiled look over to the device’s locked area.

If Windows Phone 7 was the only OS around, this wouldn’t be to much of an issue, but considering the Android operating system allows for adaptive, content-rich lock screen setups, Windows Phone users are right to be a little bit envious of their Android counterparts. As you might expect for a smartphone, the lock screen on WP7 does allow for the display of the standard notifications and missed called alerts, but it certainly doesn’t offer the same experience as some of the other mobile OSs around.

If you are one of the many Windows Phone 7 users who love the Metro styling and experience that it brings, but hate the simplistic lock screen offering, then the work being undertaken by developer jaxbot should provide some comfort to you going forward. The release of his Lock Widgets app does exactly as the name suggests by allowing users to slap a number of widgets onto the lock screen that bring differing functionality such as RSS feeds, weather information and how much RAM is available at that point. The widgets can also be tweaked further to automatically update themselves every thirty minutes, ensuring that they are accurate and dynamic.

One of other pieces of work also includes the ability to set dynamic backgrounds on the Windows Phone device using the Dynamic Background app. Backgrounds such as the Bing background of the day or a custom slideshow can be set which will then automatically alter themselves offering a fantastic dynamic experience. The two apps offer a great experience for WP7 users who may be tired of their bland lock screen experience, but it does come with a few pre-requisites such as needing the phone to be unlocked as well as being rooted via WP7 Root Tools 0.9.

Once you have the root access on your device, either by installing a custom ROM, WP7 Root Tools , or by any other way, then simply head over to Windows Phone Hacker site to download and deploy the required .xap files (Lock Widgets, Dynamic Background) on your device.

Source :  redmondpie

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Sony introduce android 4

Sony has now officially announced that it plans to introduce the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS version upgrade for some of its select smartphones, starting as early as next month. The devices receiving this upgrade would include the Xperia arc S,Xperia neo V and Xperia ray in mid-April. This upgrade rollout, Sony mentioned, would take place gradually and would take about 3 to 4 weeks to complete the process.
Sony further mentioned that this upgrade would not be available over-the-air as is been the case most of the time with other upgrades. In order to install the said upgrade, hence, users would have to use their PC or Mac and then connect their device to transfer the entire process. It is expected that the Xperia PLAY, Xperia mini, Xperia mini pro, Xperia pro and some other smartphone would receive their upgrades by the end of May or in early June this year.


I personally am very excited about this latest announcement from Sony. The Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which is filled with many features and functionalities, is now long overdue. I suppose there will be a large number of Sony Xperia users who will be awaiting this release with bated breath as well.
The exact date of availability of this software upgrade will depend upon the specific Xperia model and also on the market location and carrier specifications in that particular location.

Source : newgadget

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iPhone-5-ios-6-A6 processor aluminum unibody

It’s beautiful iPhone 5 with iOS 6.0 prototype. Beautiful iPhone 5 with iOS 6.0 and 4.3 Retina display. Beautiful iPhone 5 with new iOS 6.0 version. IPhone 5 – aluminum unibody. This iPhone 5 has chip dual-core A6 processor. Cool design. Cool usability. Cool iPhone 5.

Apple iPhone 5 supports WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS, plus it comes with an 8 megapixel camera with flash and support for 1080p video capture. Its display is an IPS screen with multitouch, a 4.2 inch diagonal and 1280 x 720 pixel resolution. The memory is either 32, 64 or 128GB and the device lacks a Home button, replaced with a new touch sensitive area.

This is probably the most accurate design fitting all rumours about the iPhone 5, but Apple is likely to add that “little extra something they always do”. Real release date – this Summer.

Source : gdeluxe

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How Can We Disrupt The Cell Carriers?

Every time I pick up my iPhone lately, I’ve been asking myself: Why do we call this a “phone”?

If my “phone” habits are any indicator, we shouldn’t be calling this a phone at all. On the iPhone, I don’t like taking phone calls. I’ve moved the green phone application button away from the bottom tray and replaced it with other apps I use frequently. If Apple allowed us to actually delete the phone app, I’d bet some of us would do it right away. In our evolving relationship with mobile phones, I wonder when we are going to stop calling it a “phone.” It’s semantics, but the words are important and affect our mindset. If we’re using precise language, these devices are really computers with data-collecting sensors and processors that happen to have voice capabilities as a feature.

Part of the mindset problem is unfortunately highlighted by the carriers business models and pricing plans. Carriers charge 80% of monthly fees for voice and the rest for data when, in fact, for many of us our usage patterns are actually the inverse. As a result, carriers segment our data usage and stifle innovation and worse, consumer adoption, at the application layer. If you’re not lucky enough to be “grandfathered” into an unlimited data plan, you have to monitor your data pull for fear of paying exorbitant overage fees.

This is the result of a structural issue in the wireless carrier industry. The carriers are running a series of systems today — a voice network, a voicemail system, a SMS platform, and a data network — when the reality is that all they truly need is a data network with “phone” as well as asynchronous messaging applications that already exist. The carriers’ legacy architecture is artificially placing a large cost on consumers and, worse, stifling adoption at the application layer.

There is too much pressure on these antiquated pricing models. For instance, will applications who monetize our usage end up paying a carrier like an 800-number would? Or, could applications subsidize our data costs in different ways? For instance, if I’m on Twitter for 80% of my mobile usage, which goes against my data plan, would Twitter offer some payment back to the carrier? Or, could an application pay me directly for using it after a certain threshold, which I could use to offset my monthly costs? There are more questions than answers here, but it will be interesting to see which carrier has the foresight to work with handset makers and application developers to make this more sustainable for end-users.

There’s much that needs fixing here. The handset makers are doing their part. The app developers are doing great work. We are all paying through the nose for these great experiences and utilities. But, the party won’t last. The carriers have to carry their weight. The first thing we have to do is stop thinking about a device like the iPhone as a “phone.” It’s really a computer that just happens to make calls over cell towers. And, when we start using the right language, we will start to change our mindset, our demands, and hopefully, the carriers will take notice. In fact, they may have no choice but to do so.

In my view, the root problem is that there is no competition in the wireless carrier industry. They have no incentive to properly keep up with innovation in the hardware platforms and the application ecosystem. It would be nice to see entrepreneurs focus on disrupting this industry. Conceivably, a company (or set of companies) could emerge to redefine the device away from being a “phone” to something new.

My gut tells me that if someone could offer a $50/month plan with the core set of applications including messaging (voice, data, and video) off of a data-centric network, it could present a great value proposition for consumers. Consumers don’t want to think about blowing through their data plans every time they download a video or upload a photo. I don’t think building such a company has to be very capital-intensive proposition, given all the online mechanisms that available to acquire customers and vast ecosystem of applications that already exist.

What do you all think? How can we force the carriers to change or build something new?

Source : techcrunch

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AT&T iPhone Owners Can Unlock Their Phones, After That Two-Year Contract Anyway

AT&T said Friday it will begin unlocking iPhones for customers, but only after they are no longer under contract.

Customers also have to be in good financial standing, an AT&T representative told on Friday. Engadget reported AT&T’s policy change earlier in the day.

While the move won’t help many iPhone owners, it could help folks in certain circumstances.
In particular, the move could help boost the resale value for people looking to sell their no-longer-on-contract iPhones. In addition, the move could help longtime iPhone owners traveling overseas, who can get their phone unlocked and buy a local SIM in the country they are visiting.

AT&T, of course, is more than happy to let you call and surf on its network while travelling, but its steep roaming prices add up quickly.

Those looking to travel overseas earlier in their contract could benefit from going with Sprint or Verizon. Verizon’s iPhones, for example, ship with a SIM card locked to Verizon and its international roaming partners, but those who have been customers for 60 days and are in good standing can have their phones unlocked.

Source : allthingsd

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Jobs biographer and Larry Page clash; what did Jobs really think about Android?

In his recent interview with Bloomberg, Google CEO Larry Page indicated that he felt that Steve Jobs didn’t really mean all of his talk of “stolen product” and going “thermonuclear” against Android, implying that it was more for show, to rally the Apple troops. Jobs biographer, Walter Isaacson, doesn’t agree, and is hitting back. In a lecture at the Royal Institution Isaacson claimed that Page was attempting to "revise history", and said that during the many interviews Isaacson conducted with Jobs his anger was palpable.

Isaacson believes that much of the anger stemmed from similarities with what happened with during the PC wars. Jobs had always wanted to control both software and hardware to create specific user experiences, and when Microsoft “stole” the idea of a graphical interface (note: you can’t patent the broad concept of a “graphical interface”) that was bad but, according to Isaacson, what really upset Jobs was Microsoft’s “promiscuous licensing habits”, wherein they let any company that wished to build generic PC clones running their software.

That of course lead to Windows becoming dominant for more than a decade, and Jobs being forced out at Apple. On his return Jobs once again created a closed system with iOS and the iPod, iPhone, etc., only to see (according to Isaacson) Android copy iOS “verbatim”. Isaacson went on to explain that “…then they license it around promiscuously. And then Android starts surpassing Apple in market share, and this totally infuriated [Steve]. It wasn’t a matter of money. He said: ‘You can’t pay me off, I’m here to destroy you.’”

We wouldn’t recommend Isaacson as a patent lawyer – he seems to believe that Apple should have been able to patent the idea of a responsive touchscreen device – but we have no reason to doubt his impression that Jobs was legitimately angry about the situation when they spoke. At the same time, we’re not quite ready to accept that Larry Page was simply making things up, since he also spoke personally with Jobs, shortly before the tech giant’s death.

Instead it’s probably worth paying attention to the details in both accounts. Larry Page is basing his statements on what Jobs told him as well, but that relationship didn’t really take off until after Page became CEO last year, after many of Isaacson’s interviews were conducted. Isaacson did much of his research when Eric Schmidt, Google’s previous CEO, was at the helm; that’s an important fact, as Steve Jobs expressed personal betrayal at Schmidt, who had sat on Apple’s board of directors when the iPhone and iPad were in development. As recorded by Isaacson, Jobs believed that this influenced the direction that Android took – and Jobs extended Schmidt's perceived betrayal to Android creator Andy Rubin, who was an Apple employee before creating Android.

Larry Page was apparently not held personally responsible, as he and Jobs reconciled in meetings that Jobs personally asked for; Jobs famously told Page he needed to decide what Google wanted to be "when it grew up". There were no reports of Jobs demanding that Page kill Android (which obviously wasn’t going to happen), or otherwise haranguing him with the vendetta he felt against Schmidt.

In the end it’s not difficult to believe that Jobs anger over Android was real, but that it may have been based more on personal relationships and perceived slights than a simple mirroring of PC history. In that sense Page is partially correct – Jobs hatred was not so much at Android per se; instead it was directed at the people he thought ripped him off. On the other hand, we have to agree with Isaacson that the original statements Jobs made about destroying Android were probably made in earnest, reflecting his genuine intention at that point in time. It wasn't for show, it's just that Jobs was hating the players rather than the game.

A careful reading of Isaacson’s book and Page's interview doesn’t suggest that either is making stuff up or trying to revise history. Instead, they paint a more complex picture of Steve Jobs. A Steve Jobs whose outrage wasn’t just for show, but in the end wasn’t so much a death wish for a competing platform as much as it was about the feeling of being betrayed by those you trust. We don’t take sides on whether or not Jobs was correct to feel betrayed, but in the end it suggests he was more concerned about individual relationships than unquestioned market dominance, which is an interesting insight into a legend whose myriad accomplishments often overshadow the man himself.

Source : phonearena

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Instagram now available on Android

It should have been an application only an iOS user can be proud of but that isn’t the case anymore. Instagram, one of iOS most famous camera application has decided to expand its platform support to another famous one which is the Google Android. This comes to no surprise because the Android community had been trying to get their hands on the application and now with Instagram fulfilling their wish, iOS users has one less thing to be proud of.

Instagram for Android was released in April 3, 2012 and as of the time of publication, it managed to reach 1 million to 5 million downloads in Google Play. In fact, in just a day, there are already 62,000 reviews made by users with an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars. Some of the users have complained of a few bugs but that didn’t stop the application from being one of the fastest growing in the Android world.
The best thing about Instagram is that it is free and its filters make the photos taken look incredibly good. With Android having millions of users worldwide, you can expect that the number of downloads to be increased significantly with the days to come.

Source : newgadget

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Battle of the 99$ Phones !!!

The Nokia Lumia 900 officially declared the price battle on: the handset has a daring price of only $99.99 with a two-year contract on AT&T, brings LTE connectivity and is Nokia’s current top model. It’s also blue, if that wasn’t enough.

But does it hold ground against the iPhone and Android heavyweights? And which of the $100 phones would you get? Why? Is the Nokia Lumia 900 a worthy competitor and will it “smoke” the rest, as Microsoft and Nokia claim in their campaign? Does its color matter? What about the OS? And what’s the meaning of life?

Oh, nevermind the last question, what we’re asking you to do is pretty simple. Without having to actually spend money, you can earmark a phone and make it virtually yours. Right here, right now. A $100 phone only, on AT&T. So, with no further ado - which of the three handsets would you get right now? Your opinion matters. Actually, the future of a certain universe probably depends on your answers. No less. So just go ahead and save the world - vote!

To make it fair, we've picked phones only on AT&T where the Lumia 900 will be available come April 8th. All of the phones are currently listed as retailing for $99.99 with a two-year contract agreement.

Source : phonearena

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Zynga’s Draw Something Slingshots Past Angry Birds in App Store

MGPOP’s Draw Something is once again the top-selling iPhone application, after being knocked off just two weeks ago by the launch of Angry Birds Space.
The top ranking will go a long way in quieting the critics who believed Zynga was foolish to acquire OMGPOP for $180 million on the day of Rovio’s big launch, only to see it fall to second place the next day.
In addition to climbing its way back to the top, Zynga also disclosed that the game has now been downloaded more than 50 million times in 50 days, making it the fastest-growing mobile game ever — or so it believes.
In other words, that would be like everyone in England downloading the app in less than two months.
While it still may end up being true that Zynga overpaid for OMGPOP, there is little doubt that the game is an overnight success.
If you are one of the few people who haven’t already played it, Draw Something challenges players to use their finger to draw a picture of a person, place or thing; for example, “hoodie,” “golf cart” or “Rihanna.” The completed picture is handed off to another player, who must guess what is being drawn, sort of like Pictionary.
Inside the game, players can pay for additional features, such as new colors that can help make the illustrations easier to guess, new words if they don’t like the choices that are presented to them, or bombs that will eliminate some of the letters to make guessing an illustration easier. The free version has ads; users can pay 99 cents to get rid of them.
Zynga also said that since the game launched, more than six billion drawings have been created (that’s 120 for every resident of England), and that at the game’s peak hours, it generates 3,000 drawings per second. The most popular words are “starfish,” “pregnant,” “six-pack,” “Hangman” and “boom box.” The least popular word is “latrine.”
The mobile game also registers as the most popular game on Facebook, because it allows people to login to the game on the phone using their credentials.
However, people do not have to register using Facebook, so the number of players using it is actually bigger than what’s being reported by AppData, which tracks application usage on Facebook.
Still, AppData reports that the game has 14.4 million daily active users, where it has plateaued for the past week. The next most popular game, also owned by Zynga, is Words With Friends, which draws about eight million daily users, slightly more than half of Draw Something’s crowd.

Source : allthingsd

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iPhone apps look a lot better on the new iPad

Through some close inspection it’s been observed that the new iPad is able to use Retina display assets when playing an (non-iPad compatible) iPhone app. Sounds confusing? Basically what this means is that the new iPad runs iPhone apps better then the previous two iPads were able to.

The new iPad introduced a fourth resolution to the iOS family. With the introduction of the iPad Retina display there is now: 320×480, 480×960, 768×1024, and 1536×2048. Apple’s plan all along was for these resolutions to play nicely together — the aspect ratio was maintained from one generation to the next and by using pixel doubling an iPhone app worked on the iPad (although it didn’t look great). Where this broke down was when the iPhone 4 came out with its Retina display. These apps couldn’t be doubled to work on the iPad… not that pixel doubling was ever a great solution.

If you look at the pixel count you’ll notice that you don’t need the Retina display to do this: the iPhone 4/4S’ 480×960 will fit perfectly fine into the iPad/iPad 2′s 768×1024. The problem is that Apple didn’t allow it — users had to get a jailbreak only app called Retina Pad to get it to work. That’s right, Apple was still using the 320×480 even if the Retina assets were available. While the new iPad will display the better version, the first two tablets will not. It’s not clear if this was by design or if the new iPad’s GPU is what makes this all work.

With the release of the third generation iPad Apple opened the iPhone Retina-compatible app floodgates. This means that iPhone apps (that is to say, non-universal apps) will look at lot better on the iPad 3 than they do on the iPad 2. Interestingly this makes for a number of different possible quality levels (so long as there are a corresponding number of app versions available). Some of these include iPhone Retina on iPad, a standard iPad app, and then iPad Retina apps.

Unless you are a major app geek you probably won’t stress out about these too much, but it’s worth noting that non-universal iPhone apps just became a much more viable option for iPad 3 owners. They won’t get the full-on visual appeal of an app in 1536×2048, but things will be noticeably better than before.

TouchArcade noted that the quality level of an iPhone Retina app and a native iPad app are close to equal on the new iPad. Once more iPad apps have been updated to Retina display compatibility it will give buyers a reason to pay more for the HD version.

Source : geek

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