My Crappy Life | Syed ™

Tom Dickson and his mighty Blendtec blender has destroyed dozens of new shiny devices in his Will it Blend? series. So how about the “indestructible” Nokia 3310? Watch the video to find out. As pointed out by some video commenters, the blendtec container appears to have some crack lines, indicating that the Nokia 3310 is a tough nut to crack blend.



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Samsung Germany used its Facebook page, to share some valuable info, regarding the Samsung Galaxy S Advance Jelly Bean update. The device will receive Android 4.1.2 in January. The update will be supplied both through the Kies software and over the air.



The company has also committed to delivering Jelly Bean to a long list of devices in the "coming months".



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New benchmarks for a pair of Samsung smartphones have landed online, adding a bit of mud to the water that is Galaxy S 3 successor. Could one of these end up as the Galaxy S4? Based on model numbers alone, the GT-I9400 makes sense. Looking at the early specs, however, it sounds as if the GT-I9525 might be more along the lines of what we’re looking at for the new flagship.



NenaMark details for the GT-I9400 include a 1.2GHz processor with a Mali-400 GPU, and WVGA (800×480) display resolution. Certainly not the stuff you’d expect for the followup to this year’s top-seller, and actually more what you’d see in the Galaxy S II.



As for the GT-I9525, this Samsung looks to have Android 5.0, a 1.8GHz processor with an ARM Mali-400 MP GPU, and a 720p display. Previously rumored specs seem to match up a littler closer to this model and have also included 2GB RAM or more. Then again, some outlets have been saying that the Galaxy S4 will feature a 5-inch 1080p HD display. With a good six months before we expect the announcement of the new Samsung phone, we fully anticipate a host of conflicting reports and leaks to surface.

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According to the Korean Media, LG electronics has started the development of LG Optimus G2. The device release date set to May,2013 and it will pack a 5" Full HD LCD panel with 440ppi pixel density.



Optimus G2 Specifications:

• Android 5.0 Key lime
• 2.0Ghz Quad Core MSM8974 Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Prime CPU
• 5-inch Full HD LCD developed by LG Display with 440 pixel Density andresolution of 1920*1080
• 4G LTE Supported
• Camera with backlight prevention technology



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A Samsung device bound for the Korean market showed its papers to the FCC, called the "Samsung Galaxy Grand". It is not a flagship device based on the display Specs, yet the display does happen to measure 5-inches. On the Galaxy Grand, we are seeing an LCD display that is only 480x800 resolution compared to the 1080p that we might get with the Galaxy S IV.



Galaxy Grand Specifications :

- Exynos 4412 Quad-Core 1.4Ghz
- WVGA 5-inch LCD(800x480) display
- Android 4.1.1 Jelly bean
- Supports NFC
- Wifi 802.11 a/b/g/n
- 2100mAh battery
- LTE Supported
- Appearance similar to Galaxy S III



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Did you thought about using your Galaxy Note II as a PC computer ? ColdFustion has posted a video showing the Galaxy Note II connected to a 29-inch Samsung LED monitor using a Samsung HML adapter and an HDMI cable, Also, the Note II was connected to an Apple wireless QWERTY keyboard and Magic Mouse, and a number of tests were performed to see if the Samsung GALAXY Note II could make it as a PC.

Multitasking is smooth and the GALAXY Note II supports a full-featured floating browser with pop-up video too. Looking to tax the processor, two flash videos were started at the same time, still runing great... With four flash videos running simultaneously with two native apps, things finally started to lag and break down.



One test that failed when tried with the Samsung GALAXY Note, involved a copy and paste test using the Dolphin Browser and a picture of a cat and lettuce. The picture was successfully copied and pasted thanks to the 2GB RAM on the Note II. The 1GB of RAM on the Original Samsung GALAXY Note could not handle this test. S Note became a whiteboard-like tool, allowing the user to use the S Pen to scribble notes that could be seen nicely on the larger monitor.



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It looks like Research In Motion (RIM) is now finally ready to show off its next-generation of mobile operating system - the BlackBerry 10 - to consumers in its completed form. Just moments ago, RIM has announced that the company will be launching the new OS on 30th January 2013 which will fulfill RIM’s commitment to launch BlackBerry 10 within the first quarter of 2013.

According to RIM, the launch event will be held in several countries throughout the globe and will also be showing the first two BlackBerry devices that are made for the operating for BlackBerry 10. No name were mentioned but if you have been following BlackBerry rumours, these new devices might be those that were leaked out back in September.

Officially, RIM has stated that more details about both devices will be revealed at the launch itself and in addition to that, several cities throughout the world will also have their own BB10 launch event. No actual list of cities is available for the time being though – hopefully, Kuala Lumpur will be one of it so that we are able to check out the new OS as well as its devices (maybe) right on their global launch day.

For the meantime, do check out our early look at BlackBerry 10 during our time at the recent BBJam Americas and BlackBerry World just few months ago if you are wondering what is the new BlackBerry operating system is all about.

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So far we’ve seen drop tests involving iPhones, iPads, Galaxy S III and Note II. So what about Windows Phone? The Nokia Lumia 920 with its polycarbonate unibody design should be a tough contender when it comes to daily abuses.



True enough, it managed to survive drops from different heights including a toss by a toddler. The large 4.5″ HD screen still manages to function well even after being dropped with major impact to the sides. Looks like the Lumia 920 is living up as a successor to the “indestructible” Nokia 3310.



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New information and images surfacing over the last few days suggest HTC will be deploying the rumored “DLX” smartphone to a wider audience this fall. According to reports, the 5-inch 1080p HD device will head to China and Taiwan in addition to Verizon. Locally, we’re expecting to see the device debut this week under the Droid DNA moniker.

It should come as no surprise that HTC might want to have a large-scale release for their new device. Considering how it’s uniquely different from anything else they’ve put out thus far, we’d expect to see this touch down in all the important markets. No knock on Japan, but they aren’t worthy of keeping this thing (J Butterfly) all to themselves.



As it stands, ePrice tells us that China will get the brown and black iterations of the DLX while Taiwan will get their hands on those colors and a white one as well. It’s worth pointing out that these look to be a touch thinner than the renders we’ve seen for Verizon, suggesting a smaller battery might be in the cards. In terms of timing, Taiwan might see their flavors arrive as soon as December 20.

If you’re new to all of this DLX and DNA stuff, here’s a quick primer: HTC has a smartphone coming that includes a 5-inch HD display (1080p), 2GB RAM, a quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor, and a 12-megapixel camera. Battery is listed to be 2500mAh however it may be different for various markets. Verizon has scheduled a press event in New York for Novmber 13 where it’s expected they will officially announce the Droid DNA.

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Samsung Galaxy S III is Now one of the Best Top-selling Android smartphone this year, packing a 8MP camera sensor. Even if Samsung denied the rumors about releasing the 4th Generation Galaxy S next year, that will be Named "Galaxy S4" or "Galaxy S IV", a 13-megapixel camera module has been leaked from Samsung documents that is reported to be included on Samsung's Upcoming Galaxy S IV.



Moreover, more megapixels also make it more challenging for a device to perform well in low light conditions due to the simple fact that pixels get smaller and noise gets in easier. Expectations around Galaxy S IV to bring some big camera improvements to the series after 2 generation packing the same 8MP sensor.

The 13-megapixel sensor is said to have been originally intended for the third-gen Galaxy S and the second Galaxy Note, but never made it to those devices. If such a camera arrive in the S IV, it'd capture images with 4208 x 3120 pixel resolution which will require more processing power and more RAM too.

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If you’ve been waiting for the next Angry Birds adventure, the app is finally here. Angry Birds Star Wars is now available today as teased earlier on. The Star Wars theme game features a bunch of rebel birds that goes against the evil Imperial Pigs.

Download now for Android, Android (HD version) and iOS devices.



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Shooting an air ball on the last two predictions from all the speculation on the internet, we now have it on good merit that third time is indeed lucky. According to our inside sources from a certain telco, the iPhone 5 preorders are pretty much confirmed for the 23rd of November, much later than initially planned and the launch will likely come on the 30th November (in line with the Friday device releases that was the case for most other devices).

The forums are also rife with threads speculating the same thing with give or take a day's accuracy. We can safely say that the date of 23rd November and 30th November is extremely likely and that if we were to put a percentage on the possibility, it would be in the high 90's.





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Tom Dickson, our favorite fun loving, mad scientist from Blendtec is back and he’s brought some new friends with him. Last time around we saw what happened when you put an iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S3 against each other inside a blender and this time he’s pitting the all new Apple iPad Mini against Google’s Nexus 7, and the Amazon Kindle Fire HD.

You know how this works. All the tablets go into Blendtec’s heavy duty blenders and are grounded up until they reach a smooth, carcinogenic powder. Less of a stress test (the tablets have to broken in half to fit inside the blenders) and more of some good old fashioned entertainment, I think it goes without saying — don’t try this at home.



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Sony hasn’t been sitting quietly while the competition is busy churning out newer models with faster internals. What you are seeing here is the purported upcoming C660X flagship device that carries the codename Yuga. So far there isn’t much details except for its purported quad core spec and a bigger display. A European tech site Android Scheweiz managed to get a quick snap of the device along with details of its specification.

According to the source, the Yuga will be running with a quad-core 1.5GHz processor, 2GB of RAM and mated to a full HD (1920×1080) 5″ display. This puts it in the running against the HTC J butterfly/DLX that boasts a high pixel density of 440ppi (pixels per inch). In the imaging department, the camera is a 12MP shooter as opposed to a 13MP unit that was speculated earlier.

From the leaked photos, Sony is still taking the squarish slab look with a unibody design. The front has a clean all black look with on-screen buttons being used like the Galaxy Nexus. Being a unibody build, the battery is non user replacable but there’s a microSD slot and HDMI port. The surprising bit is the back of the design which is reported to be using glass material similar to the iPhone 4/4S.

The power button located on the right is now placed lower which presumably to make it more reachable in this mammoth 5″ size. In the leaked photos, the power button stands out like a sore thumb with a striking chrome finish. Hopefully this is just a prototype and we reckon the final button design would blend in better.

While the final details are yet to be confirmed, it looks more realistic that the Sony Nexus hoax we saw earlier. The Yuga is expected to be running on Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean as indicated in the screenshot.





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Freemium apps free apps that have in-app purchases are experiencing impressive revenue growth worldwide, far outpacing premium apps in both iOS and Google Play stores.



Over the last 24 months, worldwide revenues for freemium apps on iOS have more than quadrupled. In 2012, worldwide freemium revenues on Google Play have grown 3.5X. Meanwhile, Premium revenues for both app stores (Play & iOS) remained relatively flat in these time periods.



Meanwhile, revenues from such apps on Android have more than quadrupled worldwide since the beginning of this year, while premium app revenues have barely increased. Japan is showing big growths while the US seems to have stabilized, with focus shifting to freemium apps.

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Leaked images reveal that Apple has added more functionality for Siri in iOS 6.1. Combined with the knowledge of some developers who are beta testing the latest build of Apple's mobile OS, it would appear that Siri will be able to purchase your movie tickets with iOS 6.1 and it will all be done in conjunction with Fandango, whose own app lets you purchase movie tickets online.



To buy movie tickets using the voice activated virtual personal assistant, all you need to do is to speak to Siri to tell her to buy you the tickets for the movie you want to see. When you mention that you want to buy tickets to a particular movie, the theater information and showtimes will be displayed.



Apple will release this feature on the iOS 6.1 update which is expected to be Next year.

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Owners of the original Samsung Galaxy Note are not being left behind as Samsung is purported working on a Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for the device as well. The new firmware has been leaked with screenshots of the Note running on Jelly Bean with the nature inspired TouchWiz.

Apparently the new update will also bring a host of Galaxy Note II features such as Multi-View and even Air-View. Obviously we would expect some shortcomings as the original Note’s S-Pen is a notch down compared with the new S-Pen on the Note II. With half the amount of RAM (Note: 1GB, Note II: 2GB), performance might take a hit with the new features running. No roll out dates we’re mentioned but this is certainly good news for Galaxy Note users.



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Don’t you just love leaks which promise goodies for older smartphones? A new leak has found the full Jelly Bean ROM for the Samsung Galaxy Note, bringing with it the awesome new features found in the new Galaxy Note II such as Air View and also Multi View.

Naturally, a video popped up soon after with someone using the ROM, and GSMarena states that since the video shows the user using the ROM and texting, it suggests the ROM is fully functional. Unfortunately, the ROM isn’t yet available on the XDA website, but it appears this ROM may not be the final ROM to be released to the public, since it was dated 9th October – suggesting that Samsung may be testing a newer unleaked ROM internally.



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Which will survive? The aluminium clad iPad mini or the plastic build Nexus 7? Android Authority does it again with another round of drop test in Hong Kong. One of them didn’t even work at all after the second drop test while the other survived despite some minor dents and cracked glass.



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Drop tests have become a bit of a cultural necessity in the mobile tech kingdom, and another interesting test has been uploaded to YouTube for all to enjoy. This one comes from SquareTrade, the biggest provider of third-party warranties in the land. They obviously have some interest in tests like these considering they’ll be the ones replacing broken tablets for many of you, and what they’ve done here is interesting.

SquareTrade pitted the Nexus 7 up against the iPad Mini and the iPad 3 in what it calls a “drop and dunk” test. The drop test is actually performed using its “drop bot,” a machine that drops each device at the exact same angles and velocities. It’s pretty neat, actually, considering many people struggle to get devices to drop exactly the same in conventional drop tests.

In that portion of the trials the Nexus 7 seemed to have a considerable advantage over the two iPad devices. The first drop only saw a corner of the slab crack, though it couldn’t best the iPad Mini which only suffered some nicks on the edges. The iPad 3 was completely out of it.



The second drop — a face-down planche, if you will — proved devastating for both iPad devices, and while the Nexus 7 wasn’t completely in the clear its cracks were only minimal and didn’t do much to hamper the experience.

Finally, the “dunk” test had all 3 tablets submerged in water for the same amount of time to see how they stood up against water damage. None of the tablets seemed to malfunction, though SquareTrade erroneously suggest the Nexus 7 was unresponsive. Had they waited until it fully rebooted we would have a more accurate account of what ended up happening, but since it was turning on we assume things were OK.

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In essence, any card or digital payment source you enter into Google Wallet could be used when you pay with this physical card, the Google Wallet Card. This means that Google Wallet would suddenly be usable in any store that accepts credit cards which in the U.S. is nearly all of them.



It also means that the Google Wallet app wouldn't have to be tied to phones that have NFC; while you couldn't tap to pay without NFC, as long as you can manage your accounts from the app you would be good to go. Even for those with NFC-packing handsets the physical card could be a handy backup in case your phone's battery died, or in case your device was lost or stolen. Likewise if the card was lost or stolen it could be shut down right from your phone (or a computer) without having to contact a major credit card company.

The shift beyond NFC to a physical card would also deprive Verizon from its excuse to keep Wallet off of its phones due to NFC-based security concerns. Moving beyond Verizon Android users, it would mean that Google Wallet apps could be released for iOS and Windows Phone 8 as it wouldn't be tied to needing NFC to work. And while international availability isn't known at this point, it would seem like this sort of system could be rolled out essentially anywhere that an app like Paypal is legal.

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Google care about the security and safety of its Android paltform users, So that Google has introduced a new feature on Android 4.2 that aims to reduce the instances of malware running on Android device.



In their previous attempt, the company had added a feature on the Play Store called Bouncer, which checked apps on the Play Store for malicious content. This time, the service will be running on the device itself and will be checking sideloaded apps instead. Although by default Android does not let you sideload apps, this restriction can easily be removed by enabling "Unknown sources" installation option from the Settings menu (For example trying to install Riptide GP apk).



Once you enable sideload Apps, you can install any application on your Android device, which could at times also include malicious content. What this new feature in Android 4.2 does is it checks the application being installed with a list on Google's server to see if it matches with any of the malicious apps out there. If not, you can continue with the installation or else the installation is aborted.

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Rovio’s latest YouTube video for its upcoming Angry Birds Star Wars is out and it features Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader in a classic showdown. Okay, so not really – it’s just a short teaser clip that shows us how the Jedi bird handles his business on a typical level. Should we call him Obi-Wan Kenobird?



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HTC has just announced the Desire SV, a mid-spec device with dual-SIM (micro-SIM) support. It comes with a 4.3″ Super LCD2 display that does 800×480 resolution and it is powered with a dual-core 1GHz Qualcomm processor that’s mated with 768MB of RAM.

On-board it comes with 4GB of storage (2.2GB usable) which is expandable via microSD up to 32GB. Despite being a mid-spec device, it comes with a decent f/2.2 8MP camera shooter with image sense. The camera comes with a BSI Sensor for better low light performance. Over at the back, it comes with a removable 1,620mAh battery and out of the box, it runs on Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. Just like other HTCs, it comes with 25GB Dropbox for 2 years.

The HTC Desire SV comes in 2 colours – Stealth Black and Yellow as pictured here. Overall, it has a thickness of 10.7mm and weighs 131 grams. No details of pricing and Malaysia availability yet. More details of the HTC Desire SV here.

Apart from the Desire SV, HTC also has announced the similar looking One SV which comes with single SIM slot, a higher clocked 1.2GHz Qualcomm S4 processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB of storage, larger 1,800mAh battery and has variant with LTE support. The One SV is also thinner and lighter too at 9.2mm thick and 122 grams heavy. The only shortfall of the One SV is that it uses a lower 5MP camera. Availability of the One SV in Malaysia is not known yet. More details of the One SV over at HTC’s product page.







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Earlier in October, we heard about the Sony’s new upcoming flagship device codenamed as ‘Odin’. Recently, a Japanese tech site posted a leaked shot of a Sony phone, and they claimed it that it’s the Sony S650X Odin, though we still need some more solid evidence. Now according to Sony Veit the image below is the official render image of the Sony Odin.

It’s rumored that it will feature a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro and a 1080p screen, 13 MP camera on the back, 2 GB of RAM and 32GB internal storage, so with such bells and whistles under the hood, I am sure this device will give some hard time to all the competitors.

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The official Galaxy Note II dock has already landed on Samsung's U.S. web page and adds a few goodies, such as a full-sized HDMI output with 1080p video support, 3.5-millimeter audio output, and 3 standard USB ports for hooking up peripherals to the device.



Basically, hook this baby up to an HDTV, grab a keyboard and a mouse and you'll end up transforming your Galaxy Note II into a mini multimedia computer.



However, don't reach for your wallets yet as the accessory is not in stock, at least not for now. It is expected to become available through Samsung's internet store within 2 weeks, but that's not so bad after all, especially considering that some U.S. subscribers won't get their Samsung Galaxy Note II smartphones before late November. Getting one of these will cost you $100 only.

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