My Crappy Life | Syed ™

Sony Tablet S Malaysia launch date and price

2012-01-27T21:18:00.001-08:00

Sony has revealed more details of its Tablet S Android tablet with pre-order package details. The pre-ordering info on their website is still quite sketchy at this point but the Tablet S models and pricing are revealed as follows:

Sony Tablet S (16GB WiFi) – RM1,499
Sony Tablet S (32GB WiFi) – RM1,799
For those that pre-order, they will get an exclusive ST Slip Case worth RM139. At the bottom, it is stated that estimated shipping time for Sony Tablet S pre-order package will begin tomorrow 28th January 2012 but no ideas what does that mean right now.

According to a tip from Fizie, My Sony & Sony Store members are being notified that they can get a Tablet S at Sony Store KLCC and at The Curve on 12-13 February 2012 with their exclusive booking numbers. That’s just couple of days before Valentine’s Day which falls on the 14th February.

Just a little recap on the Tablet S, the 9.4″ tablet runs on dual-core 1GHz Tegra 2 processor, comes with 1GB of RAM and weighs 598g. In terms of thickness, it is between 10.1mm at the thinnest point to 20.6mm at the thickest. When announced, it was running on Android 3.1 but it is upgradable to Android 3.2. For imaging, it comes with a 5MP camera at the back and a 0.3MP VGA camera in the front.

For more information, head over to the Sony Tablet S page.

HTC TITAN II hands-on review

2012-01-27T21:15:00.001-08:00

Truth to be told, the Consumer Electronics Show is not really HTC’s turf. So, it is not surprising that the company was rather quiet at the event but its presence still matters though as HTC brought along a new device to the show that boosted Microsoft’s Windows Phone campaign at CES'12 in its own way.

Essentially, the HTC Titan II is almost similar to the original HTC Titan that was launched last year with its single-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm processor, 512MB RAM, 16GB internal storage and 4.7-inch display. However, the new Windows Phone device is equipped with a 16-megapixels camera which is double of what the original Titan has. In addition to that, the Titan II also is equipped with a higher capacity battery at 1730mAh as well as the support for LTE network.

Being a LTE device, don’t expect to see HTC Titan II in Malaysia anytime soon. Then again, HTC might have something to show off at the upcoming Mobile World Congress next month. So who knows…there might be a new HTC Windows Phone for non-LTE market very soon.

(lowyat.net)

iPhone 4S Siri VS Google Voice Actions

2012-01-27T21:12:00.001-08:00

The Woz says his favourite Android phone at the moment is not the Galaxy Nexus but the Motorola DROID RAZR. That was probably what inspired Motorola to do this video comparing Siri with Google Voice Actions.

Biased, maybe, but sill worth a look.

What’s also worth a look is this article from The Daily Beast about what Steve (Wozniak) thinks about Android. Here’s an excerpt about what he thinks about Siri.

Then there’s Siri, Apple’s new voice-recognition software. Woz says he’s been using Siri for a long time and used to love it when it was an independent application created for the iPhone.

But ever since Apple bought Siri and built the software into the iPhone 4S, it doesn’t work as well as it used to.

“I used to ask Siri, ‘What are the five biggest lakes in California?’ and it would come back with the answer. Now it just misses. It gives me real estate listings. I used to ask, ‘What are the prime numbers greater than 87?’ and it would answer. Now instead of getting prime numbers, I get listings for prime rib, or prime real estate,” Woz says.

Worse, a lot of the time Siri says it can’t make a connection to the back-end servers that power the system. “With the iPhone 4 I could press a button and call my wife. Now on the 4S I can only do that when Siri can connect over the Internet. But many times it can’t connect. I’ve never had Android come back and say, ‘I can’t connect over the Internet.’”

The Android system also delivers better results, he says. “I have a lower success rate with Siri than I do with the voice built into the Android, and that bothers me,” Woz says. “I’ll be saying, over and over again in my car, ‘Call the Lark Creek Steak House,’ and I can’t get it done. Then I pick up my Android, say the same thing, and it’s done. Plus I get navigation. Android is way ahead on that.”

Full article here.

[LEAKED] BLACKBERRY 2012 PRODUCT ROADMAP

2012-01-27T21:11:00.000-08:00

RIM may have had a shakeup at the helm, but thats not stopping them from having a grand ol' plan for 2012. BGR has gotten their hands on what looks like the RIM roadmap for Blackberry as well as a bunch of slides that has some details for the upcoming products. Of note, it looks like there will be a HSPA+ enabled PlayBook in the work with both NFC and a 1.5GHz CPU as well as a bunch of Curves for the entry level segment. Making its way onto the handsets is a dedicated BBM button which is welcome for all heavy users of the service. Also, it looks like the first BB10 device will be delayed and won't land until at least Q3 of the year.

Amazon Wireless Offering Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX $200-$230

2012-01-27T21:05:00.000-08:00

Amazon’s posted another great deal for another great Android phone. The all-day battery having DROID RAZR MAXX is normally $300 in Verizon stores but Verizon’s willing to let it go for just $200 if you’re a new customer signing a new two-year contract. Existing customers will naturally have to pay more, but even your discount is quite desirable compared to the MSRP.
You’ll be able to get it for just $230. The device boasts all of the same features from the original – dual-core processor, 4G, 1GB of RAM, 4.3 inch qHD display and more – but has a 3300 mAh battery that Verizon claims will get users 21 hours of talk time.

Is GT-i9300 the NEW Samsung Galaxy S III?

2012-01-27T20:38:00.000-08:00

If Samsung doesn’t make any drastic changes to their model numbering conventions, the Samsung Galaxy S III may very well have just appeared on the company’s official support site. Listed among Samsung’s various smartphones is the GT-i9300, a model number that sequentially follows the GT-i9xx series (Galaxy S), GT-i91xx (Galaxy S II), and GT-i92xx ( Galaxy Nexus and Note). There is always the possibility that this turns out to be some other upcoming handset or a variation on a current design, as clicking on the device model doesn’t reveal any further information. We may not have an answer as soon as we’d like, as Samsung is rumored to be shelving the announcement of the GS3 until sometime after Mobile World Congress. The annual trade show for the mobile industry was expected to serve as a coming out party for the new flagship handset.

[Rumor] 2GHz Exynos 5250 Tablet would be display by Samsung on the 2012 Mobile World Congress

2012-01-27T20:36:00.000-08:00

While some are wondering what’s going on with a quad-core Exynos processor of some sort, most of us know that Samsung still has yet to push the boundaries of dual-core. Their Exynos chipset series is one of the most efficient, fast and capable chipsets around and the Exynos 5250 will take things a step further.
It’s an ARM Cortex-A15 chipset that will boast a 2GHz clock speed, all the while sucking even less power than some of their earlier chipsets. The chip has begun sampling, according to Samsung, and will hit mass production sometime in Q2’12.

This gives them a good timeline to put the chip into an early device and showcase it at a recent event. Taylor Wimberly from Android & Me says that recent device could be a new Galaxy Tab and that the show could be Mobile World Congress in a new rumor.
The device they’re looking to bring out is reportedly bigger than 10 inches. Yes, I know – it’s hard to imagine anything bigger than 10 inches to be considered wieldy enough for practical use. “Well what if the device is just 10.1 inches,” I asked myself. That’d be plausible if not for the belief that it will come with a WXQGA display (2560×1600), something that the Exynos 5250 will indeed support.
Wimberly reportedly saw a prototype device of the same cloth but was unable to take photos of it. We’re not sure if his rumor stems from that device alone but we can’t say excitement will drape all over us if it did.
Prototypes and development devices are usually specced well beyond what is usually necessary for consumer use. We do hope to see a device of some sort with the Exynos 5250 at MWC, though.
I can confirm that Samsung System LSI was indeed on-hand at CES showing off top secret prototypical Exynos devices, however I was not ultimately granted permission to take a look myself.
In my meeting with them they sounded like they had a product ready to show off in the very near future. We’re hoping this rumor holds true and we’ll be at Mobile World Congress to see whatever they’re willing to show.

Verizon-bound ZTE V66 SHORT REVIEW

2012-01-27T20:35:00.000-08:00

It wasn't long ago that we first crossed paths with the ZTE V66 tablet, though at the time we were unfortunate to only meet its dull black-and-white renders. Those of you unfamiliar with the tab won't have your jaws dropped by its innards, which are expected to be missing out on the Ice Cream Sandwich treatment. Aside from the OS letdown (still, it's not as bad as shipping with Gingerbread), the V66 is pretty standard fare for a modern tablet. It'll be running on Verizon's speedy LTE network, sporting a 7-inch (1,280 x 800) display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and a 4,000mAh battery will help keep it chugging along. We've yet to hear an official word from the Big Red about price and availability, so we'll let you know how deep into your wallet you'll have to dig as soon as we find out.

Options for Galaxy S3 still reviewed by Samsung

2012-01-27T20:32:00.000-08:00

The Samsung Galaxy S III truly is the next big thing in Android land right now, even though the device has not been officially announced. Many of us expected Samsung to unpack their next flagship phone during Mobile World Congress in late February, but the latest rumors suggest it will not make an appearance at that show.

This week during Samsung’s earnings call, a company executive named Mrs. Younghee Lee actually acknowledged the existence of the Galaxy S III. In response to an analyst question about the Galaxy S III launch date, Mrs. Lee responded, “We are still reviewing several options when to launch. We will let you know when it’s decided.”

Also discovered this morning on a Samsung support site was an upcoming model number GT-I9300. This is one of the highest model numbers we have seen yet (Galaxy Nexus was i9250), which leads some to believe this could be the model number of the Galaxy S III.

While most companies have already announced their MWC press events, Samsung has yet to send out an invitation to theirs. With every passing day, it looks more likely that Samsung will not be announcing their Galaxy S III next month.

Other recent rumors suggest there are multiple versions of the Galaxy S III in testing, so Samsung could still be debating which model to go with. It is widely believed that Samsung will use their own quad-core 1.5 GHz Exynos 4412 processor, but there’s also a small chance they could go with the next-generation dual-core 2.0 GHz Exynos 5250.

We already saw the Exynos 5250 in action at CES and Samsung revealed during their earnings call that mass production would begin in Q2. The chip is likely to appear in a tablet first, but it should also power smartphones later this year.

Personally, I’m rooting for Samsung to push back the release date of the Galaxy S III and go with the Exynos 5250. The chances of this are slim based on the availability of the chip, but Samsung could boast the first smartphone based on ARM’s Cortex-A15 CPU core.

Mobile World Congress is exactly one month away and I’ll be making the long trip to check it out, so hopefully we can uncover the true story soon.

Prada LG 3.0 phone hits UK tomorrow, with UK price and review

2012-01-26T19:42:00.001-08:00

The fashionable stylings of the PRADA phone by LG 3.0 (most convoluted handset name ever?) will grace UK shores starting tomorrow courtesy of retailer Phones 4u. The handset features a greyscale custom interface and “Saffiano leather feel back” to match a feature set that includes a dual-core processor, 8MP camera, and ultra-bright NOVA display. The perfect accessory for any runway show, the latest Prada handset is headed for Vodafone and O2 and will be free when purchased on a two-year contract with a £31 tariff. It should land on T-Mobile UK in February.

PHONES 4u WILL BE FIRST IN THE UK TO RECEIVE STOCK OF THE NEW PRADA PHONE BY LG
London, 26.01.12 - Phones 4u is proud to announce that it will be the first retailer in the UK to stock the new PRADA phone by LG 3.0. The first batch of designer PRADA phones will go on sale for the first time in the UK tomorrow, on Friday 27th January.
With its sleek black design, unique PRADA customised black, grey and white user interface, and PRADA’s signature Saffiano leather feel back, the PRADA phone by LG 3.0 is every gadget-smitten fashionista’s dream. But what it exudes in style it also oozes in substance.
Currently one of the slimmest phones on the smartphone market at 8.5mm, the PRADA phone by LG has a high brightness 800-nit NOVA display to view all those crystal clear photos taken on the 8MP camera. With 1.0GHz Dual-Core/Dual-Channel processor and dual-band Wi-Fi for high-speed performance and internet browsing, it also comes with an internal memory up to 8GB, all wrapped up in a deluxe PRADA branded box with PRADA branded stereo headset included.
Scott Hooton, Phones 4u Chief Commercial Officer commented: “Our customers value their mobile phones highly, and so seek not only a powerhouse of technology, but aspirational design also. The PRADA phone by LG 3.0 delivers on both fronts, and we’re excited to be putting it into the hands of our customers before anyone else.”
If you take out a contract on the PRADA phone by LG 3.0 at Phones 4u before the end of February, you’ll also get 12 months free unlimited* 4u Wi-Fi. The new 4u Wi-Fi offering from Phones 4u allows you access to Wi-Fi from your mobile phone whenever you’re in one of The Cloud’s 6000+ hotspots across the UK. What makes 4u Wi-Fi even better is that you only have to register for Wi-Fi access ONCE. Each time you then enter one of The Cloud’s Wi-Fi hotspots, you will be automatically connected to wireless internet.
The PRADA phone by LG 3.0 will be available from Phones 4u stores and online FREE from £31 a month on a choice of networks from Friday 27th January. You can watch a hands-on review of the glossy new PRADA phone by LG 3.0 on the Phones 4u website now, and order yours from tomorrow.

Lenovo ThinkPad X130e US price and review

2012-01-26T19:40:00.000-08:00

The last time we heard about the inexpensive and student-friendly ThinkPad X130e, it was being snatched up by the eager school districts. That move ultimately pushed back the rig's planned ship date, but fortunately Lenovo seems to have caught up with the demand for its rugged miniature. In case you need a mind refresh, the X130e is sporting an 11.6-inch HD LED display, 250GB for all your storage needs, four gigs of RAM and your choice of an AMD Fusion or i3 processor at its Core (see what we did there?), just to mention a few goodies. Those of you who've been counting the days to get your hands on the $429 entry-level ThinkPad can finally do so at the source link.

Nikon D300s and D700 is the next generation

2012-01-26T19:39:00.000-08:00

There comes a time when you must clear out the old and make way for the new, and that's exactly what Nikon has in store for its D300s and D700 shooters. According to Electronista, the Japanese camera giant added both of its aforementioned DSLRs to the "old products" section on its motherland site. Given how often we see products get refreshed, it shouldn't come as a huge surprise -- especially when we've seen the D700's expected successor hanging out in the wild many times before. Keep in mind that Nikon recently took the wraps off its D4, so perhaps it's just a good ol' sign the new more-compact flavors are looming just around the corner. Needless to say, we'll let you know as soon as it happens.

Sprint $100 offer on ZTE Optik dual-core tablet contract

2012-01-26T19:38:00.000-08:00

Underwhelmed by the ZTE tablet spotted yesterday? Perhaps the promise of a Honeycomb-decked seven-incher from Sprint will win your tablet hungry dollars. Advertising materials leaked over at Android Police, revealing that the previously unseen slab will arrive next month both on contract ($100) and off ($349). The 1.2GHz dual-core Optik wields a 5 megapixel camera on the back, paired with a front-facing 2 megapixel shooter, while there's a respectable chunk of storage (16GB), expandable by microSD. Although there may be more eye-opening propositions when it comes Android tabs, those on the hunt for one that won't claim a heavy chunk of your paycheck and still pack some respectable technical specs may have found an interesting new contender.

Amazon $100 Galaxy Nexus package

2012-01-26T19:33:00.001-08:00

Wanna grab the hottest new Android experience but without burning a hole in your pocket? Head to Amazon and pick up the Samsung Galaxy Nexus for $100 with a two-year service agreement. The promo price is only good with any new Verizon Wireless contract, family or individual. We're not sure how long this deal will last so don't waste time wondering if the price will get better. It hasn't yet and we don't suspect it will anytime soon.

As a reminder, the Samsung Galaxy has the following specifications:

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED Contour Display
Dual-core 1.2 GHz processor
1 GB of RAM
5-MP camera; full HD 1080p camcorder
Front-facing video chat camera
Bluetooth stereo music
32 GB memory
4G LTE-enabled

Jailbreaking And Rooting on iOS device ILLEGAL AGAIN !

2012-01-26T19:31:00.000-08:00

If you've got an iOS device and are halfway proficient in all things tech, chances are you've either jailbroken your device or have stumbled across it somewhere or another. In the early days, Jailbreaking was considered a terrible act, second only to kitten punching and unicorn farming,but in July 2010, the US government deemed jail breaking and unlocking as legal as long as they are not violating copyright law. While it was never technically Illegal, Apple had some strict policies that prevented third party apps from being installed on their devices.

It turns out, the exemption that Jailbreaking and Rooting of phones has enjoyed from the Digital Millennium Copyright Act is coming up for a review and if it does run out, it means that jail breaking your iOS device or rooting your Android phone will once again be Illegal. Currently the exemption doesn't cover tablets, so technically jail breaking the iPad is a big nono.

What can you do to have your voice heard, and pitchforks felt? Head over to the EFF page to show your support on the petition and to learn more about the situation.

EFF needs all android user to keep rooting, jailbreaking legal

2012-01-26T19:29:00.000-08:00

Could you imagine being throw in jail or fined thousands of dollars just for rooting or jailbreaking your own device? If the US Copyright Office doesn’t renew rooting and jailbreaking’s status as exempt from the laws of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), it could happen.

Back in 2010, the US Copyright Office ruled that jailbreaking phones doesn’t violate the DMCA, letting the user take full control of their device without violating any copyright laws. Unfortunately, that ruling is about to expire. The EFF is looking to extend jailbreaking’s exemption from copyright laws and add coverage to tablets and video game consoles along with phones. But they need your help.

The EFF is reaching out to anyone who jailbreaks or roots their devices to utilize independent software and is asking them to submit a comment to the Copyright Office that addresses the following questions.

Which jailbreaking exemption are you supporting—smartphones/tablets, video game consoles, or both?
What’s your background (i.e., are you a developer, hobbyist, academic, independent researcher, user, etc.)?
What device do you want to ensure you have the legal authority to jailbreak?
Please explain why you want to jailbreak this device. What limitations do you face if you aren’t able to jailbreak it? Is there software you couldn’t run, computing capabilities you wouldn’t have, cool things you couldn’t do, etc.?
If you’re a developer, did an online application store or console manufacturer reject your app or game? If so, what reasons did they give?
Is there anything else you want to tell the Copyright Office?
The EFF is also suggesting that anyone interested in keeping jailbreaking legal sign the petition found here.

It’s been awhile since I’ve rooted and installed custom software myself, but I can’t imagine it being made illegal. I’m sure there’s plenty of you out there who read Android and Me and feel exactly the same way. Now’s your chance to make your voice on the subject heard.

For more information on the EFF’s fight for your digital rights, along with how to submit your comments to the US Copyright Office, visit EFF.org.

Android Qualcomm's software review

2012-01-26T19:25:00.001-08:00

Earlier this month Qualcomm launched their GameCommand application into the Android Market to showcase all the titles that are optimized for their Snapdragon devices. The app couldn’t be installed on non-Snapdragon devices and the design of the layout was rather uninspiring, but Qualcomm is investing a lot of resources to make sure that GameCommand is a success.

Recently we had the opportunity to sit down with Dave Durnil, Director of Advanced Content and Gaming at Qualcomm, who provided a quick walk-through of the app and talked about the future of the program. He told us that the next version of GameCommand is already in development and it should launch next month around the time of Mobile World Congress. New features include the ability to add custom RSS feeds to the news reader, a landscape layout for tablets, and new filters to sort games by category, publisher, and more.

Dave also told us that Qualcomm now has an in-house studio dedicated to making Android games for Snapdragon devices. We don’t know the exact size of the team, but we were told their goal is to release one flagship title per year. Their first game will be a full blown sequel to the mini-game Desert Winds.

GameCommand already boast over 100 titles, which is more than NVIDIA’s Tegra Zone. Not every game is a blockbuster, but Qualcomm has already made deals with Gameloft and EA Mobile to release exclusive titles. Both Gameloft and EA Mobile were originally listed as partners for Tegra Zone, but we never saw any games come from that.

Qualcomm actually shipped more mobile GPUs than anyone else last year (thanks to the integrated Adreno GPU found in Snapdragon), so developers have a lot of reasons to target Snapdragon devices. GameCommand has yet to crack 5k installs, but if Qualcomm refines the app and pumps out some exclusive titles they might be able to catch up with NVIDIA’s Tegra Zone (currently 1 million+ installs) this year.

Eyes-on review on Fujitsu K supercomputer

2012-01-25T19:55:00.000-08:00

Fujitsu's K supercomputer was on our radar before it was even completed, and naturally, we let you know when it smoked the competition and became the supercomputing speed king. So, when we had the opportunity to see a piece of K at Fujitsu's North America Technology Forum today, we couldn't pass it up. In case you forgot, K is a massive machine powered by 864 racks with 24 boards per rack housing SPARC64 CPUs. We got to see one of those boards, and Yuichiro Ajima -- who designed the inter-connection chips (ICC) on them -- was gracious enough to give us some more info on this most super of supercomputers.

Each board has extensive plumbing to keep the SPARC silicon running at a manageable 32 - 35 degrees Celsius (90 - 95 Fahrenheit) under load. Underneath that copper cooling system lies four processors interspersed between 32 memory modules (with 2GB per module) and four ICCs lined up next to the board's rack interconnect ports. Currently, the system takes 30 megawatts to do its thing, though Ajima informed us that K's theoretical max electricity consumption is about double that -- for perspective, that means K could consume the entire output of some nuclear power plants. When asked if there were plans to add more racks should Fujitsu's supercomputer lose its crown, Ajima-san said that while possible, there are no plans to do so -- we'll see if that changes should a worthy opponent present itself.

(endgadget)

AT&T Bringing in Galaxy Note launch date and price

2012-01-25T19:54:00.001-08:00

Even more rumors from BGR suggest that AT&T will be bringing three different devices on February 18th. Despite AT&T’s affection for Sunday launches, that falls on a Saturday. The first of the three devices is the Galaxy Note. The 5.3 inch Android handset is said to be coming for $300. The device is already available over in Europe and other parts of the country and it’d be remarkable to see it coming to AT&T so soon after its overseas counterparts considering Samsung’s history of US launches. We’re also said to be getting the Samsung Rugby Smart on this day, an entry-level Android handset for $100. We’ll see if these rumors are true when that time comes. The Sony Tablet P is also said to be coming to AT&T as the Sony Crystal Tablet.

[Leaked] Sony Tapioca and Nypon short review, and launch date in asia

2012-01-25T19:52:00.000-08:00

We're beginning to catch more and more devices from that leaked Sony roadmap in the wild. Just days after we saw the leaked Sony Xperia U, PocketDroid has once again gotten their hands on some unreleased Sony devices. First, the Sony LT21i, referred to as the Tapioca, is reportedly rocking a 3.2-inch HVGA display, an 800MHz single-core processor, 4GB of internal storage, 512MB of RAM, Bluetooth, WiFi, and a 3.2MP rear camera. The Tapioca is rumored to launch on a few WCDMA networks in Asia. According to the roadmap, the Tapioca will be released around July.

Moving on, they also got a shot of the LT22i, better known as the Sony Nypon. Unfortunately, no specs are listed for the Nypon, but we have to admit that it does look quite standard compared to recent devices. The leaked roadmap puts the Nypon at an April release. That's all we've got for these two Sony phones, but we'll be sure to keep you in the loop if anything new pops up.

2012 NEW camera tech by SONY for smartphones

2012-01-25T19:48:00.000-08:00

Sony announced on Monday two new camera technologies that they will be embedding into their devices, most notably their smartphones. The first uses "RGBW" coding to make low light pictures as colorful and grain-free as possible, a difference that you can definitely see in a comparison between the two pictures below. There's definitely more detail and much better coloring in the RGBW-infused picture.

The second technology, "HDR Movie," relates to taking video, as the name implies. Traditionally, one exposure is used when taking video, which leads to either overly dark or bright areas when shooting in inconsistent lighting. With Sony's new technology, two exposures are used instead of one, which offers the video the opportunity to properly process both light and shadow properly. In the video below, there's a notable difference in the detail of the fizzy champagne and the sky in the background.

All in all, both of these seem like a very impressive example of evolution to current camera technologies. While proprietary I'm sure, we should be able to look forward to some huge leaps in camera tech going forward.

Samsung Galaxy S III is MISSING Mobile World Congress

2012-01-25T19:47:00.000-08:00

Here’s an interesting rumor. Chris Ziegler of The Verge along with several other German sites are reporting that Samsung will not be announcing their flagship Galaxy S III smartphone at the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona.

This comes as a surprise because Samsung unveiled their Galaxy S II and Galaxy Tab 10.1 last year at their Unpacked event, the day before MWC kicked off. Many were expecting a repeat performance at this year’s MWC show that starts February 27th.

Ziegler speculates that Samsung was “uncomfortable with another long lag between the global launch and US availability” of the Galaxy S III, which is an interesting theory.

The absence of the Galaxy S III from MWC could also support my own speculation that Samsung might delay the device until their next-generation Exynos 5250 is ready. It is widely believed that Samsung System LSI is already manufacturing Apple’s quad-core A6 processor (based on the Cortex-A9 CPU core), so Samsung might try to one up them with the first mobile processor to use ARM’s Cortex-A15 core.

Earlier this month at CES, I saw the Exynos 5250 in action and I believe it could arrive sooner than expected. Most were expecting the first Cortex-A15 parts at the end of 2012 or early 2013 (like OMAP5), but I think Samsung LSI could deliver the part by early Q3 2012.

At this point we have no real clue what the exact specs of the Galaxy S III will end up becoming, which makes it fun to speculate. MWC is only a month away and I’ll be traveling to Barcelona to dig a little deeper, so hopefully we will learn more soon.

Sony Xperia S camera quality review

2012-01-25T19:42:00.000-08:00

We’re bringing this topic back because we felt there’s something not quite right with the sample shots we took from the Xperia S at the APAC launch in Shanghai earlier this month.

In our previous post we commented:

With the 12MP Exmor R camera, you’d expect the Xperia S to decimate the competition but once again pixel count is by no means a measurement of how good a camera is. Truth be told, we’re kind of disappointed with the picture quality coming from Xperia S, even in conditions where there’s ample light to produce a good shot you can see a large amount of noise and loss of detail.

We’re perplexed. This is not like the Xperias that we know. The arc, arc S and ray all have decent shooters and naturally we’d assume that the Xperia S will continue where the older Xperias left off. Turns out, this is not the case. Having said that, we only had limited time with the Xperia S at the launch, we’ll test the camera again once we get a review unit.

While we await the availability of a retail unit for review, we scoured the web for other sample shots taken using the Xperia S. We found a few both from CES and Shanghai and have compiled a selection here for you to view for yourselves.

We found that there seems to be a telling pattern with the test shots. Pictures taken using Xperia S units at Shanghai seem to display much more noise and detail loss than pictures taken using Xperia S units at CES. The CES units displayed much better picture quality and detail, something more consistent of what we expect from a Sony (Ericsson) device.

Our theory behind this is that there were possibly not enough production Xperia S units available to go around and the best examples where sent to CES while the units that we tested in Shanghai could very likely be pre-production prototypes or perhaps even earlier versions. This explains the major disparity in picture quality between the two samples.

So what conclusion can we draw from this? Judging by the samples taken from the CES units, the 12MP camera on the Xperia S holds promise but we’re not going to conclude anything until we have a final production unit to thoroughly test. What is apparent is that the units we got our hands on are very likely not the final units that will go to store shelves.

Pictures taken using Xperia S at Shanghai

Sample 1

100% Crop

Sample 2

100% Crop

Foe more picture, check out here

(Soyacincau)

[Leaked] Motorola RAZR Android 4.0

2012-01-25T19:39:00.000-08:00

Based on the latest ROM leak, it looks like the Motorola RAZR may be one of the first devices in Motorola’s lineup to be updated to Android 4.0. The leaked build shows off some of the customizations Motorola is planning to implement on top of the new UI elements from Ice Cream Sandwich. So far, the camera and lock screen have been skinned, but we’re a bit surprised that the only changes to the home screen include MOTOBLUR icons. While we would like to see Motorola scale back their custom UI, it’s probably safe to assume that the leaked build simply didn’t include an updated version of Motorola’s launcher application.

Acer A510 tabblet Europe launch date, price and review

2012-01-25T19:36:00.000-08:00

This bad boy was one of the most exciting things we saw at CES. The Acer Iconia Tab A510 was an unannounced tablet then, and it was not a bad one. Well, the tablet has finally been announced at a pre-CeBIT event in Germany. It’s being released in Europe the following April at a price of €500.

When we saw this tablet at NVIDIA’s booth, it left a rather good impression on us. The representatives were not able to tell us anything about the unannounced 10.1-inch tablet (1280x800p). We now know that it packs a 1.3 GHz Tegra 3 processor (quad-core), 1 GB of RAM and 16/32/64 GB of internal storage. Ports include a microSD card slot, a mini-USB port and a mini-HDMI port.

Acer has also announced a version with 3G connectivity, called the Acer Iconia Tab A511. It was not mentioned whether this tablet would be released along with the WiFi models or not.

We know 500 Euros is not very cheap, but the tablet should not feature the same price when it hits the States. The tablet market is in the middle of an interesting transition here in the US. Acer has been offering the same specs as ASUS for about the same price, and we assume this tablet will come at a price similar to the $500 Transformer Prime. But it is hard to compete with ASUS offering its 7-inch Tegra 3 MeMo 370T for only $250.

Galaxy S III rumor says quad-core CPU, 12MP camera, HD display for April launch

2012-01-24T18:38:00.001-08:00

Industry insider Eldar Murtazin claims to have gotten his hands on the Samsung Galaxy S III and hasn’t been shy about dishing on his new handset, taking to Twitter to offer confirmation of previous rumors and to throw a few new ones into the pot. The Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone is likely a month out from its official unveiling at Mobile World Congress, but in the mean time Murtazin tells us the device will feature an HD display and 12MP camera in addition to its quad-core chipset clocked somewhere in the range of 1.5GHz to 1.6GHz. It’s hard to imagine the next Android flagship from Samsung would feature less — the hardware specs seem almost standard for the next generation of Android superphone. Perhaps the most revealing bit of information Murtazin provided was a potential April release. That timeframe would most likely apply to the international version of the phone only. Unless Samsung breaks from tradition, US versions of the device won’t come until several months later.

HTC EVO View 4G joins EVO 4G on Sprint launch date

2012-01-24T18:36:00.000-08:00

Sprint has updated their “Expected Upcoming EOL” list to include two members of the EVO family. These end-of-life lists are subject to change (as stated in the above image) and definitely do. This is at least the third time the HTC EVO 4G has appeared on the list, and until the phone is pulled from Sprint’s stock we can’t say it will be the last. Making a new appearance is Sprint’s version of the HTC Flyer, the HTC EVO View 4G. The EVO 4G is slated to be phased out by the end of the week, while the EVO View 4G will hang around through the week of January 29th.

Samsung Galaxy S III specs

2012-01-24T18:35:00.001-08:00

The Samsung Galaxy S III is the most anticipated next Android phone, so it’s no surprise the buzz is building up as we near an official announcement. To date we have seen an anonymous 4chan description of the device, an alleged leaked slide, a fake teaser video and now a supposed hands-on report from an industry insider.

Earlier today, Russian blogger Eldar Murtazin started tweeting that he had received a Samsung Galaxy S III. We have covered some of Eldar’s rumors before and found he sometimes gets things wrong, but he is spot on other times. For example, Eldar was one of the first to confirm that the Galaxy S II had a dual-core processor back in 2010.

This time Eldar is claiming the Galaxy S III will run Android 4.0 with software tweaks (TouchWiz anyone?), be powered by a 1.5-1.6 GHz quad-core processor (likely the Exynos 4412), feature a HD Super AMOLED Plus display and include a 12 MP camera. When it comes to design, Eldar says the SGSIII is the “same in most aspects” to the SGSII.

Overall these specs sound pretty believable and match up almost exactly with what I speculated last year.

One interesting thing to note is that Eldar claims there are two versions of the phone – a quad-core model and a dual-core model. The quad-core model is almost certainly the Exynos 4412 that has previously leaked, and it’s possible the dual-core model could be the next-generation Exynos 5250.

A quad-core 1.5 GHz Exynos 4412 would likely put the Galaxy S III on par with other quad-core phones based on the ARM Cortex-A9 CPU core (like all the upcoming Tegra 3 phones). However, the dual-core 2 GHz Exynos 5250 would offer next-generation performance with its ARM Cortex-A15 CPU core and ARM Mali-T604 GPU core.

I’ve already seen the Exynos 5250 in action at CES, and I’ve speculated that Samsung could use this chip for their flagship Galaxy S III smartphone. The only flaw with that theory is the timing of the release. Most insiders still expect the Galaxy S III will be announced next month at Mobile World Congress and then be released around April (similar to the SGS2 path). Samsung doesn’t expect the Exynos 5250 to be available until the second half of 2012.

Whatever specs Samsung decides to go with, I’m sure it will be one of the best selling phones of 2012. Knowing Samsung’s never-ending battle to compete with Apple’s iPhone, I suspect we will see the quad-core Galaxy S III model sometime in Q2. Hopefully the dual-core 2 GHz model arrives in time for Christmas.

Sony Tablet S, P and Xperia Phones Ice Cream Sandwich update launch date

2012-01-24T18:32:00.000-08:00

Sony has mentioned to The Verge that Ice Cream Sandwich is well on its way to their userbase. In Spring, owners of the Tablet P and S can expect the upgrade in tablet form while those on the Xperia side of the pond will also be getting some love. As we get close to that season we hope the window will be narrowed even further, but at least we know you all won’t be waiting long.

2013 New Xbox 720 Short review

2012-01-24T18:30:00.000-08:00

Xbox 720, Xbox Loop -- whatever Microsoft ends up calling it, that hot rod of a console looks to be on deck for a late fall 2013 release. According to IGN's sources, this successor to the Redmond gaming throne is purported to pack a GPU based on AMD's 6000 series of chips and will boast silicon circuitry that catapults its performance past Nintendo's upcoming Wii U by 20 percent. If you're looking for a more apples to green X's comparison, this next-gen console's graphical capabilities are also reportedly six times greater than its 360 progenitor. While MS is likely holding back its monstrous new platform for a big E3 reveal, it appears the company's still whittling down its spec list, with dev kits to be issued later this August. No mention was made of its rumored Kinect 2 integration, but we're more than certain that famous hacking tech will be front and center.

NEW Casio G-Shock Smartphone leaked picture and review

2012-01-23T20:25:00.001-08:00

Is it a landmine? A taser? Or both? Say hello to the latest in a line of rugged smartphones from Casio, the official G-Shock smartphone. Featuring looks that only a mother could love, the G-Shock phone mirrors heavily Casio’s successful line of durable wrist watches. Gone are the usual set of Android capacitive buttons along the bottom instead, replaced by physical buttons around the perimeter of the device. You know — on its… muscles.

Like a G-Shock watch on steroids, Casio’s upcoming device incorporates the usual sets of weather resistance you would expect from a device this pumped up, featuring:
Shock resistant to 10 feet
Water resistant to 1.0 bar (10m)
Pressure resistant to 1.0 bar
Metal case back
Plastic/resin construction
Testosterone. Lots of testosterone (may be subject to change)
I never thought I’d say this but — the G’zOne Commando actually looks pretty timid after viewing this beast. Still no word on carrier, pricing 0r availability (or the type of ammo the G-Shock phone will using) but we’ll keep you guys posted.

Sony ST25i Kumquat may launch as Sony Xperia U?

2012-01-23T20:22:00.000-08:00

As much as I love the potential for wordplay with the Sony ST25i’s Kumquat codename, it’s probably for the better that the handset won’t launch under that banner. However, a newly leaked listing from Indonesia’s Postel (their government body most closely resembling the FCC) may provide us with the street name of the device we first saw in a leaked image last week. All signs point to the new Android smartphone launching as the Sony Xperia U. The name certainly lines up with the recently announced Xperia S, a handset from which the ST25i takes many of its cues. While Xperia U certainly lacks razzle-dazzle (and sounds more like the name of some marketing campaign focused on college students), it definitely lacks the embarrassment factor of the Kumquat moniker.
“Hey dude, is that the new iPhone?”
“No, bro. This is my Xperia Kumquat.”
Yeah, we are liking Xperia U more and more.

(phandroid)

Motorola DROID 3 Verizon Price and short review

2012-01-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

It’s almost as if we’re watching leaves fall off of a tree throughout the autumn months. The Motorola DROID 3 recently got a price drop to $100 and we, of course, assumed that the DROID 4 release date was close – a simple case of Verizon wanting to clear store shelves to make room for the next man up. Well it looks like they’re really trying to get the ball rolling on that now as they have knocked it down another $50. You can grab the device for $50 on contract through February 6th. Any relevance to that date? We can’t say, but Verizon should be just about ready to go with a DROID 4 launch as there have been too many signs to suggest otherwise.

Leaked On The Possible LG Optimus 3D Successor

2012-01-23T20:19:00.000-08:00

Information regarding another unannounced Android handset has plopped into the laps of the guys at PocketNow. This time we’re hearing of a device being called the LG CX2, a successor to the LG Optimus 3D. The device will reportedly feature a 1.2GHz dual-core OMAP4 processor, dual 5 megapixel rear cameras, 8GB of internal storage, an NFC chip and your usual host of connectivity options. As we saw with the Optimus 3D of yesteryear the CX2 is expected to be unveiled at Mobile World Congress

Galaxy S III sneak preview on processor manufacturer

2012-01-23T20:15:00.002-08:00

Everything is bigger in Texas. Take for example Samsung’s 1.6 million-square-foot manufacturing complex in Austin. The plant first opened in 1996, but Samsung just finished a $3.6 billion upgrade that added a 300mm automated S2 fab, capable of producing 40,000 wafers per month.

Rumors suggest that Samsung has been producing Apple’s A5 chip at the Austin fab, but earlier this month we learned that they are making other application processors there as well. Richard Yeh, Senior Director of System LSI Marketing, told me the S2 fab was now producing chips on their latest 32nm High-K Metal Gate (HK/MG) low-power process.

Apple’s A5 chip is produced on a 45nm process, but Samsung has several upcoming Exynos processor that will be built with the more efficient 32nm process. Those 32nm models include the already announced Exynos 4212 and 5250, and the rumored 4412.

This month at CES I met with Samsung System LSI, where they had the Exynos 4212 and 5250 on demo.

The move from 45nm to 32nm reduces power consumption.

The Exynos 4212 is an enhanced version of the 4210 found inside most models of the Galaxy S II. It features two Cortex-A9 cores running at 1.5 GHz that offer a 25 percent increase in processing power and an enhanced GPU that promises 50 percent higher graphics performance over the previous generation.

Also on display was the Exynos 5250, Samsung’s first processor to use ARM’s latest Cortex-A15 core. This demo featured a development kit that was hooked up to a HDTV to show off the support for WQXGA 2560×1600 resolution. They also had a Exynos 5250 tablet running Android 4.0.x, but I was politely asked to delete the pictures I snapped.

Exynos 5 could be the first mobile processor with the Cortex-A15 core.

Next to the demo area with the Exynos 4212 and 5250 was a second display closet that was covered with a large black cloth. The blogger in me wanted to peek behind the curtain, but I decided not to get myself in trouble. I asked if Samsung could share any information about the Exynos 4412, but I was told that they are not ready to talk about their quad-core plans quite yet.

I found all this very interesting because many of us have speculated which mobile processor Samsung would use in their flagship Galaxy S III smartphone. If history repeats itself we should see Samsung reveal the highly anticipated device at next month’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but nothing is certain.

Samsung is endlessly trying to top the Apple iPhone, so I think we can rule out the dual-core 1.5 GHz Exynos 4212. I see that part as more of a minor bump of the 4210 in the Galaxy S II and doubt it will get used. Most likely we will see Samsung adopt the quad-core 4412, since Apple is also rumored to go quad-core with their upcoming A6 processor.

One not so far off possibility for the Galaxy S III could be the Exynos 5250. This part is slated for the second-half of 2012, but Samsung could leap-frog the competition with the first mobile device to feature the next-generation ARM Cortex-A15 CPU and ARM Mali-T604 GPU. This would require a delay of the Galaxy S III from its normal summer release schedule, but it’s the choice I’d make if I was in charge.

Hopefully we won’t have to wait too much longer to find out the mysteries of the Galaxy S III. Mobile World Congress kicks off on February 27th in Barcelona and Samsung has traditionally help their Unpacked events on the day before the big show.

Can RAZR DROID MAXX last 24hours on a single charge?

2012-01-23T20:15:00.001-08:00

We have seen it and touched it at CES. The Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx is just another RAZR, albeit with a larger battery, and a bit of a thicker body. But Motorola is hitting a rather large market with this improved RAZR. Pretty much all of us complain about battery life, and we ask for at least a full day of heavy use. Could the Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx be the first to give us this privilege?

Motorola has released a new advertising video for the Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx, boasting it as the “all day and all night” 4G LTE smartphone. In the video, multiple frustrated smartphone users express their bad experiences with short battery life. They are shown the Droid RAZR Maxx, which causes great awe (as usual, with commercials).

Is this really the device to take us through a whole day of use, though? Motorola is boasting that it can, and last week Engadget got word of a rumored event that is meant to last for 24 hours. This event, rumored for February 6th, is meant to put the Droid RAZR Maxx to the test, so we assume Motorola believes (or knows) that this smartphone can go for a full day (literally) on a single charge. [1]

To see if this is possible, we have to take a look at the Original Droid RAZR’s performance, as well as the battery differences. Users will sacrifice thinness for juice, when purchasing a Droid RAZR Maxx. It really does not make a huge difference, though. The thicker device measures 8.99 mm, just a bit under 2 mm more than the original Droid RAZR. And the battery? Well that bad boy is a 3,300 mAh monster, with much more power than the OG RAZR’s 1,780 mAh battery.

Our very own Anthony Domanico wrote a review of the Motorola Droid RAZR. According to his experience, the device lasts from 6-8 hours under default settings. But once he started using Motorola’s Smart Actions, he managed to still have 30% of his juice after a 14-hour day. And yes, this included continuous 4G LTE usage.

This means the device went down about 5% per hour. If we do the math, this means that the device would probably be able to reach 20 hours. But even if we pretend Anthony is not using the device enough, Motorola should be able to break the 24-hour threshold.

Let’s say we can make the Droid RAZR last 16 hours on a fully charged 1,780 mAh battery. The Droid RAZR Maxx’s 3,300 mAh battery is about 85% bigger. This means that (theoretically) it should last just a bit over 12 extra hours, adding up to a full 26 hours of glory. And let’s not forget that we would be sleeping for about 8 hours (on average). In which case, the phone would be on standby, lasting even longer.

If you ask us, it is definitely possible that this device will be able to go a full day (even perhaps slightly over 24 hours), under moderate circumstances. Use Smart Actions and turn off features when not needed, and you should do as great as Anthony did. There are many factors that can interfere, as always. So let’s just wait and hold judgement until we can get our hands on this bad boy and test out its battery life.

New ASUS B23E 12.5-inch laptop review

2012-01-22T20:30:00.000-08:00

ASUS was plenty busy at CES last week, but it held back at least one product on us -- the B23E. This 12.5-inch business laptop packs a Core i5 or i7, up to 8GB of RAM and a maximum 750GB hard drive in a magnesium-aluminum alloy case. Other expected Pro-series niceties are also in tow, including a fingerprint reader, spill-proof keyboard and an anti-shock mounted hard disk. Looking at the spec sheet though, it's not all gravy for this 3.4-pound PC. For one ASUS doesn't state how long it will last on a charge, but we can't imagine the three-cell 4,400mAh battery is going to impress with its longevity. We're also sad to see resolution top out at a pedestrian 1366 x 768. For more details hit up the product page at the source link.

Absinthe A5 Jailbreaker for iPhone 4S / iPad 2 Windows Download and tutorial

2012-01-21T19:42:00.000-08:00

When the Absinthe A5 untethered jailbreak solution hit yesterday it opened Apple's iPhone 4S and iPad 2 for more creative uses by their owners -- as long as they were on OS X. Now the team has returned with a version of the tool built for Windows users who enjoy iLife mixing and matching. All the usual restrictions, warnings and directives apply, but you know what you're here for -- hit the source link below to download a ZIP file straight from greenpois0n's servers here.

Notion Ink Adam II Android tablet review

2012-01-21T19:40:00.000-08:00

Notion Ink has finally revealed a little more information regarding their upcoming Adam II Android tablet. Apparently the slate will be powered by a Texas Instruments 4400 series dual-core processor, complimented by a PowerVR SGX5xx GPU and running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
In an unexpected twist to their announcement, Notion Ink will be featuring a slightly tweaked version of the OS using a restructured Modular Based Software Architecture. These “Application Authoring Tools” will give developers and would-be programmers the ability to customize apps via a new drag-and-drop system. Notion Ink explains,

“This System will help consumers, professionals and students become productive as they will be able to use the tablet as a logic analyzer, medical imaging device, signal acquisition and processing, 3D modeling and multi-media.”

Still no word on when Notion Ink Adam II will be ready to ship. Notion Ink mentioned in a video earlier this week that they plan to design many of the parts in-house, after learning from the company’s previous pitfalls of outsourcing.

Huawei Honor Hands-On review

2012-01-21T19:35:00.001-08:00

Phone makers love to take pride in the extravagant names they give their products, but it's likely that the Huawei Honor is more to its creator than just a decently-specced handset. After all, the introduction of the Honor -- followed by last week's announcement of the super-slim Ascend P1 S -- appears to represent a shift in the OEM's overall product placement strategy. Huawei has done a great job finding customers in emerging and prepaid markets, but now it has its sights set on cranking out noteworthy phones that will gain the attention of anyone looking for a high-end device.

Huawei Honor shipping in December to select markets
Huawei Mercury arrives on Cricket
Huawei Honor gets Ice Cream Sandwich
Based on its laundry list of specs, the Honor isn't a high-end handset compared to some of its LTE and dual-core competitors. And yet, it's still the best device Huawei's offered to date, and it's clear the company's upcoming phones are only going to get better. So we're really eyeing the Honor as a step closer to the OEM finally realizing its ultimate goal. Does it live up to its name? Can the Honor play with the big boys, or is it nothing more than just an outward indication of the company's future? Read on to find out.

With specs like these, you can tell Huawei, best known for its budget devices, is making a push into higher-end devices, but the Honor isn't quite there. Nor does it pretend to be. It has some quality components, but there's no way it could be viewed in the same light as the HTC Rezound or Samsung Galaxy Nexus. That said, it easily fits into the upper end of the mid-range tier: it sells at select retailers for roughly $350, while its Cricket iteration, known as the Mercury, goes for $250 with no contract involved.

Let's start off with the display. It takes advantage of a 4-inch TFT display, but the Honor uses a thinner and longer screen that helps it become much easier to grasp. Since it offers FWVGA (854 x 480) resolution, the panel's pixel density stands at roughly around 245ppi; it's not high-res by any stretch, but we certainly can't call it a lightweight either -- to give you an idea of where it sits in comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket's WVGA display is 207ppi, whereas the iPhone 4S Retina Display is 326. The colors look good in normal conditions, but they appear distorted in direct sunlight. Viewing angles are about average, meaning you'll have a difficult time reading text or watching movies when looking at it from the side.

We also enjoy the look and feel of the Honor. It doesn't try to be too flashy, though anyone who enjoys something other than basic black will be happy to know the back cover comes in six different choices. Our tester unit was white, and when we tilt it just the right way, we can easily see tiny sparkles all over it, reminding us of something we'd normally see in some types of car paint. It's not a huge surprise, but the battery cover is made of plastic and is a bit slippery. This wasn't ever a concern to us since we never had issues gripping the thing, but we'd still prefer some sort of textured or soft-touch plastic regardless. We're happy to note that the device weighs 4.94 ounces (140g) and, as a result, feels incredibly light. With its rounded corners, slightly tapered battery cover and minimal array of buttons, the Honor did a fantastic job at offering an elegant appearance without looking too loud or noisy.

Taking a tour of the phone, the top is adorned with the standard 3.5mm headphone jack on the right and a power / screen lock button on the left, which is bad positioning for anyone who holds the phone with their left hand. The buttons, by the way, are raised up high enough from the body of the phone to be easy to press, but not so high that they interfere with our personal enjoyment of the device. A volume rocker sits on the left side and the micro-USB charging port is conveniently located dead-center on the phone's bottom side, next to the microphone just a few millimeters to the right. On the right side you'll find nothing -- it's completely smooth, devoid of any camera buttons. A 2MP front-facing cam resides just above the display, while the standard four capacitive navigation keys hang out below.

And let's not forget that back cover of which we've made mention of already: you'll see a snazzy 8MP rear camera with an LED flash to the left and speaker to the right. Underneath lies the SIM card and microSD slot, though it doesn't come included with one -- since you only have 4GB of internal storage at your disposal, it may not be such a bad idea to grab as much external space as you can.

The Honor uses a quad-band GSM / EDGE radio for worldwide compatibility and 900 / AWS / 2100 UMTS / HSPA with a max speed of 14.4Mbps. This is great for Europe and Asia, but in the US, your only bet for bringing down respectable 3G download speeds is with T-Mobile; if you have AT&T service, you're going to be limited to its turtle-slow EDGE network. Better than nothing, of course, but if you've been thinking of plunking down a few benjamins for the Honor, it's best not to have any cruel surprises when it shows up in the mail. However, there is one other option for US folks: Cricket, a prepaid carrier, offers a variant of the Honor called the Mercury. In addition to taking advantage of a CDMA / EVDO Rev A radio rather than GSM, the Mercury's front-facing camera has been downgraded to VGA resolution.

For more review check out here

(endgadget)

RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION 3D Official Teaser Trailer

2012-01-20T20:38:00.001-08:00

U Mobile Samsung Galaxy Y bundle offer price and review

2012-01-20T20:36:00.000-08:00

If you’re looking for an affordable Android smart phone with an affordable plan, U Mobile is now offering the Samsung Galaxy Y on its new postpaid plans.

The Samsung Galaxy Y is a decent entry level device at its price point below RM500. It runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and a modest 832MHz processor which retails at RM499. On U Mobile, it is offered at RM399 on U28 plan, RM199 on U58 and FREE on U88.

To recap on the plans (U28, U58, U88), they come with 1GB, 2GB and 3GB mobile internet quota respectively with either free calls/sms or both. To make it easier to purchase, U Mobile is also offering 6 months easy payment programme as well. When signing up, U58 and U88 requires some advance payment of the subscription fee while U28 requires no upfront payment. The device bundle is tied with a 24 months contract.

For more information, head over to U Mobile Phone Deals page.

NEW SAMSUNG STAR 3 AND STAR 3 DUOS SHORT REVIEW

2012-01-20T20:34:00.000-08:00

So, Samsung may have launched some very affordable smartphones like the Galaxy W and Y for example but that doesn’t mean the company will stop making budget phones all together. The company recently announced the Samsung Star 3 and Star 3 DUOS, successors to its tremendously successful Star and Star 2. It may not be a smartphone and may not run on Android but because it is aimed at those who are constantly connected to friends, it feature various apps like Samsung’s very own ChatON communications, various IM services, integrated Facebook, Twitter and emails to keep users connected anytime and anywhere.

“We are pleased to launch the Star 3 and Star 3 DUOS, a further enhanced version of the bestselling Samsung Star series. With the new Star 3 touch phones, Samsung continues to offer the best social networking experiences and opportunities for our feature phone users.” -- JK Shin, President of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics.

Both the devices are generally the same, they are packed with all the basic stuffs a 3.2MP fixed focus rear camera, a 3” display, and 20MB of internal storage (expandable via microSD card slot). What’s missing is 3G connectivity and GPS capability. The Star 3 DUOS comes with a Dual SIM system that allows users to use two separate numbers concurrently. Both devices are scheduled for release in Russia in late January and will gradually roll out to CIS, Europe, Latin America, Africa, Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Head on to Samsung for more information.

(lowyat.net)

Sony Ericsson ST25i(Kumquat)Hands-On short review

2012-01-20T20:32:00.000-08:00

Sony [Ericsson] looks to be sticking to the design trends set with the Xperia S for the rest of their 2012 lineup, as evidenced in this leaked image of the handset currently codenamed Kumquat. The Sony Ericsson ST25i may have a goofy placeholder name, but it carries the sleek styling that had us praising Sony’s newly unveiled handsets at CES. Also present is the clear bar housing the antenna of the device. Specs include a 3.5-inch display at 480×854, a 1GHz dual-core CPU, and a 5MP camera with 720p video recording. There is no info on when we might see the device launch, but we suspect Sony will have some things to show off at Mobile World Congress in February.

iPhone 4S iOS 5.0.1 jailbreak RELEASED (Absinthe A5)

2012-01-20T20:25:00.000-08:00

Well folks, the moment you have all been waiting for has finally arrived! The iPhone 4S Untethered Jailbreak was released today in the form of Absinthe. The Dream Team, consisting of Pod2G, P0sixNinja, MuscleNerd, Planetbeing and even Saurik have managed to fix the remaining errors with this A5 Untethered Jailbreak and it is now ready for public distribution. With the A5 Untethered Jailbreak ready for distribution, this means you can simply download Absinthe and Jailbreak your iPhone 4S Untethered running the iOS 5.0, iOS 5.0.1 (9A405 and 9A406) firmware. Now you can gain the missing functionality of tweaks and themes you have been longing for

With the iPhone 4S Jailbreak now available to the public this will not only mean great things for owners of the iOS device. It may also mean a fully functioning Siri port is possible without the need for iPhone 4S keys; meaning older generation iOS devices will be able to take advantage of Siri. Are you still not sure if Jailbreaking your iPhone 4S is for you? Are you wondering why you should Jailbreak your iPhone 4S? The answer to this question is simple!

When you Jailbreak your iPhone 4S you are opening yourself up to a whole new world of possibilities. You are no longer shackled by Apple’s vigorous restraints. If you want to change the background of the Notification Center you can. If you want to change the slide-to-unlock text you can. Heck, you can even completely re-theme your iPhone 4S to resemble an Android or Windows phone. So what are you waiting for? Download Absinthe from one of the download links below and Jailbreak your iPhone 4S Untethered running the iOS 5.0, iOS 5.0.1 (9A405 and 9A406) firmware.

Download iPhone 4S Untethered Jailbreak

Download Absinthe for Windows

Download Absinthe for Mac OS X

Download Absinthe for Linux (coming soon)

We will have how to guides available for Jailbreaking your iPhone 4S Untethered with Absinthe in the near future. Until that time please leave any questions or thoughts about this Untethered iPhone 4S Jailbreak in the comments section below…

Update #1: Download Absinthe 0.1.2.-1 A5 Jailbreak Tool To Jailbreak iOS 5.0, iOS 5.0.1 Untethered On iPhone 4S, iPad 2

Update #2: iPad 2 Untethered Jailbreak Released For iOS 5.0.1 [Download Chronic-Dev Absinthe Now]

Update #3: P0sixninja: Absinthe For Windows Will Be Out Soon!

Update #4: How To: Fix “Error Establishing A Database Connection” When Using Absinthe Jailbreak Tool

Acer Iconia Tab A200 vs A500 AND PRICE IS US

2012-01-20T20:22:00.000-08:00

The Acer Iconia Tab A200 was announced earlier this month, and while we expected it to be released last January 15, it is just now hitting Best Buy stores. When announced, the tablet seemed like just another A500, but the difference seems to lie on its software.

The specs are pretty much what we are used to from any 2011 Honeycomb tablet. It comes with a Tegra 2 dual-core processor, Honeycomb OS, 16 GB/8 GB of internal storage, a 10.1-inch (1280×800) display, 1 GB of RAM and a 2 MP front-facing camera. Not to mention the fact that this device comes with a flurry of ports, which is typical of Acer Android tablets (USB, micro USB, 3.5 mm headset jack, proprietary power port and microSD card slot).

What really makes this better than the A500, though, is the customization that Acer has integrated into this bad boy. If you remember, last week during CES we covered the Acer Iconia Tab A510, which was a Tegra 3 tablet with Ice Cream Sandwich. This tablet had a UI overlay that really caught our attention. And whether you like custom manufacturer UIs or not, it actually brought some rather cool functionality.

The A200 has the same features we saw with the A510, and a bit more. Aside from the virtual command center, Acer has decided to include an HTC Sense-like lock screen. It includes accessible shortcuts that one can activate by dragging the unlock “bubble” to one of the icons. To see what this is all about, check out the video that the guys from Android Central have put together.

The Acer Iconia Tab A200 does not come with Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), but Acer promises that it will be getting its tasty upgrade in February. If you are interested in purchasing this bad boy, the 16 GB version is now available from Best Buy at $349.99.

LG X3 with Tegra 3 Short review

2012-01-20T20:20:00.000-08:00

If you were at all disappointed by the handsets shown at CES earlier this month, just wait until Mobile World Congress. Flagship devices will be on display from every major player on the market. Including LG, whose crown jewel for the first half of 2012 has just been leaked and detailed by PocketNow.

According to Evan Blass of PocketNow, the X3 will be LG’s next big device launch – and it certainly has the rumored specs to fit:

Android 4.0
Quad-core Tegra processor
4.7-inch 1280×720 display
1.3 megapixel front-facing camera
8 megapixel rear camera
16GB of expandable storage
Bluetooth 4.0
NFC
2,000mAh battery
The LG X3 is slated to come with HSPA+ 21, but don’t count an LTE model out just yet. An LTE version could very well be in the works for areas that can utilize the network.

While these specs blow any device currently available out of the water, they’re going to be commonplace at Mobile World Congress this year. The HTC Edge, or Supreme (or Endeavor), is also rumored to launch with a quad-core Tegra 3, and the Galaxy S III may just steal the show with whatever Samsung has in store.

As for when the LG X3 will be released, look for it to hit retail sometime in late spring or early summer.

Malaysia Nokia Lumia 710 and Lumia 800 Hands-On review

2012-01-19T19:18:00.000-08:00

Almost a year after Nokia announced that it will align with Microsoft and use the software giant’s Windows Phone platform on its future mobile devices, we see the arrival of the Nokia Lumia 710 and Lumia 800 to Malaysia.

Still a few weeks away from the local launch, Nokia has invited us for a sneak preview of the device. While we finish up our review of the Lumia twins – as we would like to call them – take a look at our hands-on video giving you an overview both the Lumia 710 and Lumia 800.

Nokia is still tight-lipped on a launch date but have mentioned that it will happen after the Chinese New Year holidays. We have a hunch that the launch is going to happen within the first half of February. No word on operator tie-up but Nokia says it is possible.

Pricing for the two devices is a big secret as well at the moment but if Singapore’s pricing – where both devices are already on sale – can be used as an indication, we’re looking at the premium Lumia 800 to be priced around RM1,900 to RM1,700 and the Lumia 710 to be selling for below the RM1,000 mark. Of course these are our estimates at the moment, we’ll have to wait for a few weeks more to know how much the two devices will cost.

So what are our thoughts on Nokia’s first attempts at making Windows Phone devices? In one word – positive. We will go into more detail in our review but it appears that Nokia and Microsoft have the right mix to bring Nokia back as a desirable brand for the masses in Malaysia. At the same time Nokia’s hardware expertise combined with the fresh innovation of Windows Phone give the relatively unknown mobile OS a much needed awareness boost in the country. Definitely worth a look.

Bonus: In the video, we also talk about the possibility of the Nokia Lumia 900 coming to Malaysia as well.

(soyacincau)

Maxis NEW Value Plus Internet Plans review and price

2012-01-19T19:14:00.002-08:00

To use the Internet on your mobile, there are usually 2 routes. Get a data plan which is usually expensive or go on Pay-As-You-Go basis. For light users, a monthly data plan is usually costly and sometimes too much for just the occasional social networking updates and web browsing on your mobile phone. On the other hand, the normal 3G pay-as-you-go rates of 10sen/10KB are just too expensive because 1MB of data will cost you RM10.

So where’s the middle ground? Here’s where the Maxis Value Plus Internet plans come in giving you low commitment plans that also come with mobile internet, calls and SMS.

The Plans

For those that spend a little, you can start off with Value Plus Internet 50 (RM50/monthly) which comes with 250MB of data, 100 minutes of calls and 100 SMS. All bundled calls and SMS are applicable to all local numbers in Malaysia, except of course if you’re on roaming. Additional phone calls are charged at 12sen/minute to Maxis numbers while calls to other networks are charged at 20sen/minute. For SMS, they charge 5sen to Maxis numbers and 15sen to other networks.

For Maxis Value Plus Internet, all additional usages are charged at 30sen per MB which is considerably cheaper than the usual RM10/MB on the normal pay-as-you-go rate. At 30sen/MB, an additional 50MB on your Value Plus Internet plan would cost RM15 as opposed to RM500 if you are to follow the 10sen/10kb pay-as-you-go rate.

If 30sen/MB is too much for you, there’s a cheaper option. The Maxis Value Plus Internet plans also offers time sensitive mobile internet quota upgrades from as little as RM2/hour or RM8/day or RM10/GB for 3 days. This gives you the flexibility to stay connected cheaply when you need the data the most.

According to Maxis, an SMS notification will be sent if you hit 80% of your quota, giving you ample time to plan your quota upgrade purchase. In addition, Maxis does not throttle your data connectivity if you exceed your data quota.

If you need more talk time and use more than 300MB a month, there’s the Value Plus Internet 80 (RM80/monthly) which comes with 500MB data, 300 minutes of calls and 300 SMS.

For just RM30/month extra, you get double the data and triple the number of calls/SMS of the Value Plus Internet 50. Calls to other networks are cheaper too on the Value Plus Internet 80 at 18sen/minute as opposed to 20sen/minute on the Value Plus Internet 50.

Supplimentary Line
Supplementary lines users can get on the mobile internet bandwagon too with the Maxis Value Plus Internet 30 for supplementary line plan. At RM30/month the Value Plus Internet 30 for supplementary lines come with 250MB of data, 50 minutes of talktime and 50 SMS. You also get free 15 hours of talktime and 1500 SMS between family lines.

These new plans from Maxis are great alternatives for light browsers and those who want to stay connected casually but don’t want to commit to expensive data plans. No doubt there are cheaper plans out there in the market but Maxis boasts on having superior voice quality and 3G coverage nationwide. It’s something you can consider if you’re not a hardcore mobile surfer.

For more details click here

(lowyat.net)

LG Spectrum today sales impression and price by Verizon

2012-01-19T19:14:00.001-08:00

The LG Spectrum is the latest LTE device to be released amidst a sea of LTE devices on Verizon Wireless. The Spectrum is the follow-up to last year’s LG Revolution and is aimed at the mid-range market (that hole that exists between the Galaxy Nexus/Droid RAZR and the Pantech Breakout/Samsung Illusion). I’ve had my hands on the LG Spectrum for a little over 24 hours now. What follows are my initial impressions of the device after a day’s worth of use.

The Spectrum is a highly spec’d device, with a 4.5-inch True HD (720p) IPS display, 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S3 and an 8 megapixel HD camera capable of taking 1080p video. LG’s Spectrum runs Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread with LG’s custom UI overlay. By now, you probably know how I feel about the UI skins manufacturers and carriers are putting on devices, so I won’t bore you with another rant about why we need more stock Android devices.

In my opinion, LG’s skin has taken MOTOBLUR’s spot at the bottom of my list, specifically when it comes to the app drawer. LG’s app drawer separates apps into unhelpful categories and by default has a whopping 8 categories you’ll have to expand and shrink to get to whatever app you want to choose (though you can remove 6). I prefer the standard app drawer, and the better solution to LG’s skin is to simply install a launcher replacement application from the market (GoLauncher, ADW, and LauncherPro are my faves).

When it comes to how most people use their devices, the display quality and screen resolution are key points of focus. Though the display on the LG Spectrum is certainly not bad by any stretch, the color output appears dull in comparison to the Galaxy S II (with Samsung’s Super AMOLED Plus technology). Since the LG spectrum features a 720p display, it has a standard resolution of 1280×720 which, though awesome for displaying multimedia (videos) on the device, often has me squinting to do some of the more basic functions like reading/responding to email.

The Spectrum feels incredibly solid in the hands, and though the plastic backing renders the phone a bit slippery, I’m really liking the overall form factor of the device. The black with chrome accents motif has always been a favorite of mine, and the LG Spectrum wears this finish quite well.

Overall, the LG Spectrum is a good choice for those who don’t want to spend the $300 Verizon asks for its top-of-the-line LTE devices. As with all large purchasing decisions, we highly encourage you to go to a Verizon store and check the Spectrum out for yourselves before making the purchase decision. We will have a full review in the coming weeks.

The LG Spectrum goes on sale today, January 19, at Verizon Wireless stores for $199.99. Anyone out there planning to pick up the Spectrum?

NOKIA LUMIA 800 Malaysia Hand-On Review

2012-01-19T19:09:00.000-08:00

Yes, it is true - just like what we pointed out two days ago, the Nokia Lumia series is indeed coming to Malaysia. Now, we don’t have any release information such as actual release date and pricing for the time being but Nokia Malaysia indeed confirmed that both Lumia 800 and 710 will be released in our country within the first quarter of 2012.

In addition to that, Nokia has also been kind enough to let us to go through both Windows Phone 7.5 devices at a preview session earlier today.

As a refresher in case you already forgot about its technical specifications, the Nokia Lumia 800 comes with a single core 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 processor together with 3.7-inch AMOLED ClearBlack display, 512MB of RAM, 16GB internal memory and 1450mAh battery. Of course, there is also 8-megapixels auto-focus camera complete with Carl Zeiss lens, LED flash and 720p MPEG-4 video capability recording at 30fps. Just like Nokia N9, all the hardware above are contained within its polycarbonate body.

(lowyat.net)

The Nike+ FuelBand short review and price in US

2012-01-19T19:07:00.000-08:00

While Nike might have beat competitors like the MotoACTV and Jawbone Up to the active bracelet market over two years ago, its original endeavor, the Nike+ SportBand, was getting long in the tooth. That changes today with the introduction of the far sleeker Nike+ FuelBand. It's much in the vein of the original, except boasts a more attractive 20 LED dot-matrix display and can measure activity in a new unit the company calls NikeFuel. That latter bit is a normalized score that unlike calories "awards equal points for the same activity regardless of physical makeup." We'll have to see about that, but we're definitively smitten with its design and that row of colorful LEDs that progressively fills as one gets closer to reaching their intended goal. The $149 pre-orders go live on the company's online store at 5PM ET, but those interested ought to peep the PR and video after the break.

Leaked Blurred Picture of the New Casio Android Handset and review

2012-01-19T19:05:00.000-08:00

We have news from someone in the Android community who was fortunate enough to spend some time in a Casio focus group recently. He came away with a spec list for a new Casio phone that may be of some interest. It was also mentioned that most of these devices were headed to Verizon.

The phone that stood out the most we'll call "Kahoona".

It’s possibly:

-7.9mm in thickness -4.5″ - 4.7″ Super AMOLED display
-quad-core processor, NFC
-4G LTE
-8MP rear camera
-2MP front camera
-2000 mAh battery
Rumor has it running the “latest Android” version (possibly ICS). The USB port was on the top left, headphone jack on the top right, micro SD on the left side of the phone, and the volume rocker and lock switch were on the right. Those were the only physical buttons, meaning this could have on-screen soft keys like we have seen on the Galaxy Nexus. The reader described the phone as “beautifully simplistic” and mentioned that the top and bottom were slightly curved.

Other Phones:

*The reader saw 4 different clam shell devices that act as any other device does. You are able to fully multi-task between the screens, drag and drop from one to the other, etc. He did mention that they were ultra-slim as well. *A new G’Zone phone was also there, as big as the “Kahoona”, similar to the previous G’Zone phones as a ruggedly built machine.
* 5″ Phones: There was a mockup of a big 5″ white phone. Our reader said that it looked nice, but didn’t feel all that great in hand. Could have been the mockup though.

Android vs iPhone up to date result

2012-01-19T19:03:00.000-08:00

According to the latest research from Nielsen, "the high-profile launch of Apple’s iPhone 4S in the Fall had an enormous impact on the proportion of smartphone owners who chose an Apple iPhone", stated by the ratings company.

What does this mean.... Well, 44.5 percent of those surveyed in December said they chose an iPhone, compared to just 25.1 percent in October and more than 50 percent of iPhone users said they snatched an iPhone 4S.

Android continues to hold the lead among all smartphone users, needless to say I'm in this group of Android lovers and won't crossover!

FREE Premium Account for 19/1/2012

2012-01-19T04:23:00.000-08:00

To all out there that enjoy downloading.

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Such as site that includes rapid share, its slightly complicated as you have to use the cookies hacking function to bypass their site.. So you have to ask me directly on that..

SO APE GI, MEHHHH DOWNLOAD PUAS2 !!

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SONY 2012 PHONES LAUNCHING

2012-01-18T21:59:00.001-08:00

Shortly after the Xperia S gets announced, it looks like the future of Sony phones has been leaked all over the internets. In a sales report for Sony Mobile Communications India, it looks like there is a list of the slated releases in 2012 for Sony from April to September. Aside from nicely mouth watering code names, it's worth noting that the prices shown are always going to be higher than when the phones actually come here. For example, the MINT_1 has a list price of INR36,500 which is roughly equal to RM2,250.

(lowyat.net)

Samsung Galaxy Note Canada launch date

2012-01-18T21:57:00.000-08:00

With the Galaxy Note set to make a splash in United States with a launch on AT&T, folks north of the border have reason to be excited as well. Samsung’s website is teasing a mid-February launch for the behemoth device and its 5.3-inch display. A specific carrier is not mentioned but the device may land on more than one in due time. News of a Canadian release comes fresh on the heels of rumors that Sprint and Verizon may also be looking into releasing the device in the US.

Casio Developing NEW Quad-Core LTE Handset for Verizon

2012-01-18T21:55:00.000-08:00

Casio recently held a focus group to gauge interest in a number of new phone models and technologies, and as things normally go the information discussed behind closed doors isn’t staying a secret. The most interesting development is an interest from Casio to produce an Android 4.0 handset with all the bells and whistles of a top-of-the-line smartphone. The unnamed device was described as having a Super AMOLED display in excess of 4.5-inches, a quad-core CPU, and 4G LTE. Other specs would include an NFC chip, 8MP rear camera and 2MP front-facing camera, and a 2000mAh battery. Mock-ups of the device depicted a minimalistic design lacking in Android buttons, meaning the device would most likely rely on Ice Cream Sandwich’s software buttons.
Other potential devices shown to the focus group included a series of clamshell designs, a device featuring a 5-inch scree, and a new g’zOne handset for Verizon featuring a large display and the familiar rugged look of the series. New technologies such as extended waterproofing and shock resistance were also discussed.
It sounds like Casio wants to take the next step with their Android offerings, continuing to produce their niche g’zOne series while attempting to take on the elite offerings from manufacturers such as Samsung and HTC. A quad-core, 4G LTE handset certainly has my attention.

White Motorola RAZR UK launch date and price

2012-01-18T21:53:00.000-08:00

Clove is back with another Motorola presale. This time, the white Motorola RAZR is being offered up. It’s the same 4.3 inch qHD device with Android 2.3 and a dual-core processor, but it now has a white bezel. Not necessarily the most significant paint job we’ve seen but it’s a paint job nonetheless. First stock will be here mid-late February and it will come with free MOTOROKR EQ3 folding speakers, worth £20. The phone itself will be £430.80 including VAT. Head here to order yours.

Quad-core Nvidia Tegra Gaming Performance Review on Transformer Prime

2012-01-18T21:51:00.000-08:00

We were in attendance for the NVIDIA press conference at CES last week and while the $249 Asus MeMO stole the show a bit at the end, it was the capabilities of the Tegra 3 processor powering the MeMO and of course the Transformer Prime that were highlighted for the majority of the presentation.

If you missed the livestream of the presentation you can watch the videos now on NVIDIAs Youtube account.

While some other apps were covered, along with the new DirectTouch capabilities tied to that 5th “Ninja core,” there was a big focus on gaming which along with media consumption still seems to fall high on the list of priorities for tablet owners.

The first demo was of Shadowgun’s multiplayer streaming over WiFi and it looked really solid. (The game did anyway, the guys that happened to be playing were completely unable to find, let alone kill one another.) I’ll be interested to see how it does in a less controlled setting, over 4G for example, but it bodes well for multiplayer mobile gaming on Android coming into its own this year.

Splashtop Remote Desktop HD is a Tegra optimized version of the standard Splashtop screen sharing app that is generally available in the Market. What exactly the optimizations entail wasn’t clear and probably isn’t a huge concern to most users, but the basic claim was that running the app on a computer with any NVIDIA processor paired with the mobile app on a Tegra based device would result in superior performance.

Huang demonstrated the basic screen sharing capabilities before offering up the ultimate test of playing Skyrim and as you’ll see it seems to handle it with ease. (How many times did he say “it just works?”) Now everyone isn’t probably going to have a setup capable of running Skyrim so that specific application is a little more niche, but it’s fun to see what’s possible.

For the time being NVIDIA remains just a scrappy upstart in the mobile market, but they appear to be making the right moves to turn that around. Based on your reactions here Tegra 3 devices are at least hovering at the top of your lists. Based on the demonstrations at CES, we can’t wait to see how they perform in the real world.

Sony 2012 NEW Android devices

2012-01-18T21:49:00.001-08:00

Only a week after SONY unveiled the Xperia Ion and Xperia S at CES, a leaked image has hit the web which lists twelve Android powered smartphones from Sony which are expected to hit the market between March and Setpember. Full specifications for all twelve phones are not currently available, but we do have price points and launch months for each device.

The list kicks off withthe Sony Xperia S, which we saw at CES. The handset is pegged with a March release date, matching what we heard from Sony last week. The next three devices are listed under their code names (Kumquat, Nypon and Pepper) and should hit store shelves in April. Not much is known about these three handsets, but Nypon is rumored to sport a 4-inch “WhiteMagic” display while the Pepper is said to feature a 3.7-inch Reality Display.

If the list holds true, Sony’s summer releases should include the Olive I, Hayabusa, Tapioca, Tapioca DS and Lotus. Based on the price points of their devices, we can expect the Sony Hayabusa (listed at $632) to be the company’s summer flagship device while the Tapioca and Tapioca DS (listed at $188 and $208) could be this year’s replacements for the Xperia X10 Mini and Mini Pro, which Sony unveiled nearly two years ago.

The Atlas I, AFFM and Mint I are scheduled for a September release and are the last three devices to make the list.The only one to really stand out is the Sony Mint I which is listed with a $720 price tag. To give you a little perspective on the price, that’s about $50 more than it would cost you to import a penta-band GSM Samsung Galaxy Nexus or $30 more that the Samsung Galaxy Note. We’re not sure what Sony has planned with the Mint I, but we’re expecting something truly amazing for $720.

We’re expecting most of these phones to launch in Europe, Asia and Canada, but we may get lucky as see a few of them make their way to the US market as well. After spending some quality time talking with a few different people at the Sony booth at CES, we got the feeling that Sony will be working extra hard this year to change their approach with US service providers.

Samsung 2012 Promise for BETTER BATTERY LIFE

2012-01-18T21:43:00.000-08:00

One of the biggest concerns for Android users is battery life. We’ve taken many routes to make our devices last as long as possible. Viable options include carrying charging accessories, external battery chargers, use of multiple batteries and extended batteries (usually bulky).

The latest phones are rolling out with bright, large displays, stronger processors, 4G connectivity and specs that are getting closer everyday to matching a PC. All these specs and features come with a substantial battery drain. Some of these smartphones cannot even make it a few hours without needing a charge.

Along with all the tips and tricks we already know, manufacturers are starting to include larger batteries in order to solve this issue. Take the Droid RAZR MAXX and its 3300 mAh battery as an example.

While Samsung does plan to include bigger batteries, that is not the only solution to be included in its future devices. Samsung also plans to improve battery life by better managing the way our smartphones act. Optimizing the way the device searches for WiFi connection and more efficient 4G LTE management are included in the list. After all, Samsung devices are known for being thin. Many users would like to keep that feature.

This does not mean that every user will be able to enjoy a full day of juice, though. Packingham emphasizes the fact that power users will probably need to rely on ulterior methods for keeping their smartphones alive. But Samsung’s plan is to have the average and moderately heavy users covered for a full day.

As mentioned by our colleague Android sites, it is hard to define what an average or moderately heavy user is. Many factors contribute in the equation. Samsung has not had a bad start, though. Reports are proving that most Samsung Galaxy Nexus users are going through a full day without needing to resort to battery-saving/charging tactics.

The Galaxy Nexus does use 4G LTE and all the other great features. And we have to remember that having Vanilla Android makes quite the difference. The fact that the offered extended battery is not as huge of an impact in size is also great.

2012 BEST GAMING MOUSE CONCEPT: Thermaltake Level 10M Mouse

2012-01-18T00:55:00.000-08:00

Themaltake and BMW's DesignworksUSA are apparently a design-team match made in PC gaming heaven, will be launched in Spring 2012 in US. After previously partnering up for the elegant (and functional) Level 10 modular PC case, the two are back it again -- this time with a focus on peripherals. While details are sparse, the Level 10 M mouse concept you're looking at is the first of the bunch to be revealed, and it's said to arrive sometime during the spring. It's not exactly a shoe-in for MadCatz's Rats, but considering the wire and an aggressively breathable design, it's clearly aimed pro-gamers. Sadly, key specs like its DPI rating and details about any macro functionality are currently non-existent, however, it does appear to be of the optical variety. Here's to hoping it'll perform just as good at as looks to the eyes, and for now, hit up the press release past the break for a totally vague description.

RUMOUR THAT IPAD 3 LAUNCHES IN Q1 OF 2012?

2012-01-17T21:47:00.000-08:00

Nothing gets the world talking like Apple rumors do, no matter how ludicrous they may seem. The latest buzz revolves around the idea that Apple will be prepping the next generation iPad for a launch as early as the beginning of February. Reports have been coming in that Apple is in the process of making the next generation iPad 3 in anticipation of a Q1 launch. The next iPad is said to be sporting LTE connectivity which is pretty much useless in Malaysia so its kind of hard to tell what that means for Apple fans here. They have also reported that the next iPad will have a high resolution display that will be much better than the previous iteration.

Japanese blog Macotakara has been pretty on point with predicting the releases of the previous tablet, but we're not sure if that is any indication of being able to predict the next one.

Nissan Scratch Shield iPhone case short review

2012-01-17T21:45:00.000-08:00

Well hey there, butterfingers. Do your smartphone cases often slip from grip, hitting the deck and resulting in a bevy of tiny nicks that leave you self-conscious about your inability to maintain a firm grasp? Well, Nissan (yes, that Nissan) may just have an answer, in the form of a self-healing iPhone case. Naturally, the Scratch Shield -- which we first heard of back in 2009 -- protects your device from garnering unwanted blemishes, but it also features a polyrotaxane-based finish that helps maintain the case itself, covering over small scratches in as little as an hour. Nissan is keeping its magic paint on home turf for the time being, licensing the material to Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo, though the Leaf-maker is also said to be considering a commercial launch later this year. Until then, you'll need to stay strong (gripped), though a self-mend solution may well be in your future.

Alienware X51 small gaming PC price and review in US

2012-01-17T21:41:00.000-08:00

Alienware may have just upgraded its Aurora gaming rig, but that's not to keep the company from giving more diminutive form factors some love. Just this evening, the subsidiary of Dell announced the X51, a slim gaming PC that's designed to orient itself either vertically or horizontally on the desktop -- complete with an Alienware logo that properly rotates depending on positioning. The system includes both Core i3 and i5 options, and features a slot-loading optical drive with an option for Blu-ray. While it's no shocker, the X51 can be upgraded to 8GB of RAM and a full 1TB of storage. Further, the case accommodates a single, full size NVIDIA GeForce GT 545 graphics card, (with the GTX 555 available as an upgrade), and features an external power supply that's available in 240W or 330W versions. Users can also expect HDMI 1.4, on-board WiFi, USB 3.0 and digital 7.1 surround sound. As a nifty trick, the computer's accent colors can be conveniently modified with the Alienware Command Center software. Touting immediate availability, customers can place orders for the X51 right away, with configurations starting as low as $699. For the complete set of specs that make up this Mini-ITX gamer:

Alienware X51 Product Specifications:
Intel Core i3 Dual Core (standard) and Intel Core i5 and i7 Quad Core Processor Options
Intel H61 Express Chipset Architecture
Mini-ITX Motherboard
Powerful NVIDIA Graphics Card Options
1GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GT 545 (Standard)
1GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 555
Configure with up to 8GB of DDR3 Memory (4GB Standard); 2x 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM Slots
Fast 7,200RPM 1TB Hard Drive
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
Slot-Loading Dual Layer DVD Burner (Standard) or optional Blu-ray Disc Reader
Internal High-Definition 7.1 Performance Audio with Waves MAXX Audio Software
Integrated 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet NIC and Integrated 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Wireless LAN (standard)
USB 2.0 (6x); USB 3.0 (2x); Microphone In; Headphone/Speaker Out; HDMI 1.4 Output; RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet; Front, Rear and Center Speaker Ports; SPDIF Digital Output (TOSLINK); SPDIF Digital Output (Coax)
Alienware 240 Watt Power Supply (Standard) or optional 330 Watt Power Supply
Dual-orientation tower system dimensions: h: 13.5" (343mm) x w: 3.74" (95mm) x d: 12.52" (318mm)
Starting Weight: 12.1 lbs. (5.49 Kg.)

LG Optimus Pad LTE short review

2012-01-17T21:38:00.000-08:00

You've already seen this little guy in the wild, but LG has gone ahead and made its first LTE tablet very official -- ladies and gentlemen, meet the Optimus Pad LTE. The 9.3mm thin slate packs a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm CPU and an 8.9-inch 1280 x 768 IPS display, along with an 8 megapixel camera on the rear and a 2 megapixel option up front. Users can expect an SD card slot that supports modules up to 32GB, and there's also HDMI connectivity and DLNA certification for good measure. It's powered by a 6,800mAh battery, but out of the gate, it'll ship with Android 3.2 -- no word on when the latest Pad hopes to grab a bite of Ice Cream Sandwich. The Optimus Pad LTE's scheduled to arrive first in LG's home territory of South Korea.

Maxis 2012 Samsung Galaxy S II bundle plan

2012-01-17T21:36:00.000-08:00

In a surprise turn of events, Maxis is now re-offering the Samsung Galaxy S II on its bundled plan options. It goes for as low as RM1,099 with 24 months data add-on of 1.5GB or 3.0GB. For those that rather commit less for shorter period of time, it can be yours for RM1,499 with 12 months contract of 500MB data plan.

Surprisingly the data plan rates are still showing the old rates with 500MB plan at RM58/month which was recently revised.

With Maxis now re-offering Samsung devices, hopefully they would be bundling the Galaxy Note and Galaxy Nexus as well. For more information, head over to Maxis Android page.

Maxis 2012 Chinese New Year Offer on BlackBerry

2012-01-17T21:35:00.001-08:00

For this coming Chinese New Year, Maxis is doing a buy 1 and get another 50% off promo on BlackBerry. However it is limited to the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and you have a choice between a Curve 9300 and a Curve 8520 for discounted purchase.

To entitle for this promo, you would need to get the Bold 9900 bundled with 24 months. The Bold 9900 goes for RM1,630 on BIS 55 which comes with 500MB (with free 500MB extra) and RM1,390 on BIS 90 which comes with 3GB of data. Then you have a choice to get a Curve 9300 at RM434 or the Curve 8520 at RM299. From the site, it appears that the additional device is contract free with no additional subscription required.

For more information, head over to Maxis BlackBerry Page.

Is This Galaxy S III?

2012-01-17T08:46:00.000-08:00

This one’s been going around the wire for a few hours now and I’m just going to go ahead and chime in on it. First, a quick rundown of the story: Samsung had a CES 2012 keynote and, as you’d expect from these keynotes, played some clips. In one of these clips was a device that Samsung used to illustrate someone using a phone to wirelessly control a WiFi-enabled camera. Skip to 7:10 in the video below.

Well, it seems like everyone on the internet wants that device to be the Samsung Galaxy S III. It could be, but it probably isn’t. To me it look more like a Galaxy Note, though people are quick to note that the camera on the device in the video is on the same side as it is on the Galaxy S II. They also note a much thinner bezel, but I chalk that up to bad mock-up work.
It’s not uncommon for OEMs to create random mock-ups that may or may not look like a past, present or future device in their lineup. It’s really foolish to assume that this is the Galaxy S III when the device pictured could be a stretched out Galaxy S II.
I mean, it’s not like their flagship phones look that much different. If not for its size I’d probably have trouble telling the difference between the Galaxy S and S II at a quick glance.
At the end of the day, we’re probably going to see the next Galaxy S flagship device at Mobile World Congress next month.

Liquipel technology for Waterproofing ur devices review and price

2012-01-17T08:43:00.000-08:00

Waterproofed devices made a big splash at this year’s CES with companies like Fujitsu showing off smartphones and tablets that could be completely submerged in water all while never missing a tweet or status update.
A few months ago, we told you about Zagg’s new venture in HzO, a company with waterproofing technology that protects a device on a molecular level, shielding sensitive internal components by blocking the harmful effects of moisture and liquid. Now, I don’t understand all the technicals behind it (I don’t need to) but I immediately went for my wallet, ready to give Zagg a fist full of cash. The only problem is during CES last week, Zagg revealed that the process wouldn’t be as simple as shipping off your current device for weather proofing and instead would be shopping around for big name device manufacturers (like Samsung and Apple) to incorporate their technology in upcoming devices — some of which could debut later this year.

That’s all fine and dandy but what about the smartphone currently in your pocket? Well, Zagg wasn’t the only company showing off their waterproofing skills at CES. Another company called Liquipel stepped into the ring with some waterproofing tech of their own and unlike Zagg, it’s not only available right now but pretty affordable as well. For only $60, you can ship off your device to Liquipel who, after a few days, will ship your device back to your completely waterproofed.

Motorola Defy+ with JCB-treatment UK review and price

2012-01-17T08:42:00.000-08:00

Everyone loves diggers: Motorola's let that natural fascination get the better of it by teaming up with digger-maker JCB to produce a ruggedized version of its Defy+ "life proof" phone. The limited-edition handset comes pre-loaded with branded-applications for the construction site including a spirit-level, theodolite, decibel meter and a DIY store locator: although we're more interested in seeing if you can use the tough device to hammer in nails. The Gingerbread-with-Motoblur operating cellular telephone has a 1GHz processor, 2GB internal storage / 2GB microSD card (up to the usual 32GB) and a 3.7-inch Gorilla Glass display. There's also a five megapixel camera for snapping pictures of diggers and digger-related items -- best of all, you can use the handset as a walkie-talkie with group call functionality. It'll be available in the UK (sorry, America) for £260, meanwhile you can pneumatically drill-down into the PR we've got after the break.

Samsung Galaxy Note coming to verizon and sprint?

2012-01-17T08:40:00.000-08:00

The Samsung Galaxy Note was a hit for Samsung and AT&T last week during CES. This device was advertised all over the city. While many would believe its 5.3-inch display to be overbearing, others see it as a great feature. Regardless, it would be great to see it placed on other carriers’ shelves. And according to a recent rumor, this bad boy is headed to both Verizon and Sprint.

According to Daryl Deino, Los Angeles Gadgets Examiner, an Industry Analyst confirms that this device will “certainly” come to both Sprint and Verizon. He goes on to mention that it will possibly be named the Samsung Galaxy Journal.

The Galaxy Note will very likely be offered by other carriers in the US, but we have to take this specific rumor with a grain of salt (or a spoon-full). Daryl’s source, Paul Mueller, has been wrong before. Mainly when Mueller mentioned last July that Verizon would be the first US carrier to offer the Samsung Galaxy S II (as the Samsung Function). That rumor proved to be wrong. In fact, Verizon was the only main carrier in the US to not see the Galaxy S II.

Taking the Industry Analyst’s past rumors into account, we will recommend that you don’t hold your breath on this one. This does not mean this device will not be coming to other carriers, though. In fact, we hope it does. The device may be a bit large, but it works great, and its bigger screen offers a lot of functionality. It definitely creates a great balance between a phone and a tablet. And while it looks uncomfortable, it actually feels surprisingly great in the hand. (Its weight and thinness definitely help).

There’s also the fact that there’s no CDMA version of the Galaxy Note. It is definitely not impossible to make one, though, and it has been done before. Verizon has mentioned that smartphones will only be released with 4G LTE connectivity from now on, though. If this rumor happens to be true, we might be able to rock the Galaxy Note on Verizon’s 4G LTE network. That would be quite the lure.

For now, let’s stay put and hope we get more information about the future of the Galaxy Note. Would you guys sign up for this bad boy if it hits carriers other than AT&T? I definitely would, if it happens soon enough.

Samsung WiMAX Galaxy S II Japan review

2012-01-17T08:39:00.000-08:00

Check out this WiMAX Samsung Galaxy S II developed for use on Japan’s KDDI au network in Japan. Aside from the additional WiMAX radio, this variant of Samsung’s hottest selling device also gets a processor bump from the 1.2Ghz dual-core in the standard S II to a 1.4Ghz dual-core in the WiMAX version. The display has been uprated too, from the 4.3-inch Super AMOLED that we get here to a pretty awesome 4.7-inch Super AMOLED HD pushing 1280×720 pixels display. Other specs include an 8MP and 2MP cameras, full 1080p HD video recording as well as NFC.

The WiMAX Galaxy S II has all the makings of a very desirable smartphone. If we’re not mistaken Japan’s WiMAX network run on the 2.5GHz frequency band while the ones in Malaysia run on 2.3Ghz. With a little tweak and testing, it’s very possible for Samsung to make a version of this WiMAX S II that can run on Malaysia’s WiMAX network.

There’s definitely a market for this WiMAX Galaxy S II in Malaysia. Of course we’re simplifying things here and there’s a lot of things that a local WiMAX operator needs to do to make this device work in Malaysia but the point of the matter is that it can happen and we have a WiMAX operator that has proven itself to be able to make amazing things happen.

Maxis 6GB Broadband Plan with FREE MiFi

2012-01-17T08:37:00.000-08:00

If you carry lots of gadgets on the go such as an iPad or WiFi only tablets, a portable wireless router or MiFi is rather useful solution. Now Maxis is giving away a Free Huawei MiFi if you subscribe for its 6GB Broadband package of 12 months. The 6GB Broadband plan goes for RM98/month but existing Maxis subscribers can get it cheaper at RM88/month. That’s a pretty decent deal to have your very own mobile WiFi hotspot as long as you are within the 3G coverage areas.

There’s a RM100 activation fee and if you terminate before the 12 months are up, there’s a RM200 penalty charge. If you need more data, you can top up more quota from RM8 for 500MB/day up to RM28 for 1GB that’s valid for 30 days.

For more information, head over to Maxis.

Maxis Free iPhone 4S package review and price

2012-01-17T08:35:00.000-08:00

For this Chinese New Year, Maxis is offering the iPhone 4S 32GB for free if you subscribe its iValue 4 plan of RM375/month for 24 months. Actually this isn’t new as it is an extension of its earlier promo which ended on 15th January 2012. Normally the iPhone 4S 32GB is offered at RM350 for 24 months on iValue 4.

For more information, head over to Maxis iPhone 4S page.

Nokia Lumia Malaysia launch date and review

2012-01-17T08:33:00.000-08:00

It’s official, the Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 are coming to Malaysia. We’re working on preliminary information at the moment but it looks like the devices are expected to hit store shelves before March.

Details on pricing and operator plans are scarce but we heard there is at least one operator that will be offering the Lumia twins at launch.

DIGI VS CELCOM GALAXY NEXUS PLANS, AND DIGI NEW REVISE PLANS

2012-01-15T20:12:00.000-08:00

Pay as low as RM28 a month and you could get your hands on the new Samsung Galaxy Nexus from DiGi. The telco recently revised its Galaxy Nexus plan, further reducing its monthly repayment to as low as RM28. However, don’t be too happy yet because the price of the phone is now RM1,999; previously, it was RM1,399 with a slightly more expensive monthly repayment.

With this new rate and touted as an “Online Special” deal, it looks like the “Buy Online” option has gone missing, you’re only allowed to click on “Where to Buy” and have a list of DiGi stores shown to you; I wonder what the FREE delivery is for when you’re not allowed to purchase online. The good thing about buying it from a DiGi store is you will get to enjoy Easy Payment Plan (EPP) at RM128.85 a month.

Moving on, it looks like there are only two options available now:

24 months DG Smart Plan 48 – RM28/month + RM1999 phone price

Total cost of ownership is RM2671

24 months DG Smart Plan 68 – RM38/month + RM1999 phone price

Total cost of ownership is RM2911

But is this a cheaper deal overall compared to the previous offers? Hit the break to find out and also a price comparison with Celcom’s Galaxy Nexus bundle.

	DG Smart Plan 48 (24 months)	Celcom Exec 50 + Mobile Internet Basic (18 months)
Phone Price	1,999	1,668
Monthly	28	88
Data	1GB	1GB
Calls/SMS	15sen/min 10sen/sms	15sen/min 12sen/sms
Total	RM2,671	RM3,252

	DG Smart Plan 68 (24 months)	Celcom Exec 50 + Mobile Internet Advanced (18 months)	Celcom Biz P48 + Business Broadband Basic + SMS Pack (24 months)
Phone Price	1,999	1,628	1,438
Monthly	38	108	118
Data	3GB	3GB	3GB
Calls/SMS	15sen/min 10sen/sms	15sen/min 12sen/sms	10sen/min onnet 15sen/min offnet 2sen/sms onnet 10sen/sms offnet
Total	RM2,911	RM3,572	RM4,270

Do note that Celcom offers up to 30% discount for its Celcom Exec 50 plan if your total monthly usage is RM150 and above.

(lowyat.net)

Motorola Droid Razr Maxx hands-on review

2012-01-15T20:07:00.001-08:00

Its showing wasn't as noteworthy as it was last year, but Motorola still at least brought a few new goodies to put on display. The latest major addition to Verizon's Droid Razr family, the Razr Maxx, was on hand, as were the white and purple variants of the original version. So what makes the $300 subsidized Maxx so different from its predecessor? Simply enough, the name is a direct reflection of the phone's battery life, as it sports a thicker (translating to a thickness of 8.99mm, a couple millimeters thicker than the original) 3,300 mAh juicepack that promises an out-of-this-world 21 hour talk time. Sadly, we didn't have 21 full hours to dedicate to testing this claim, but we did have enough time to get a few pictures and a video of the entire Droid Razr family together at last below the break.

(endgadget)

White Galaxy Nexus REVEALED !

2012-01-15T20:05:00.001-08:00

We knew a snowed-out version of Samsung's Galaxy Nexus was on pace for a February release, and while we've still got a few weeks left, it looks as if one or two have slipped through the cracks. The fine folks over at HDBlog.it managed to get a hold of the prized possession, and for anyone who has managed to pass their eyes over the white Galaxy S II, there's not a lot to be shocked by. The bezel along the front remains black, but hey -- beggars can't be picky, right? Tap that source link for a gallery's worth of eye candy.

Huawei Ascent P1 LTE Hands-On Review

2012-01-14T19:31:00.000-08:00

Huawei may not be a name you think of when you’re in the market for a high-end Android smartphone, but that could all change with the introduction of the Huawei Ascend P1 LTE. If you’re looking for a phone that runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and has all bells and whistles, the Ascend P1 will probably fit the bill.

The Ascend P1 features both LTE and GSM connectivity and comes equipped with a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core 1.5 GHz processor (MSM8960), 1 GB or RAM, 4GB of internal storage, and a microSD slot that supports all the way up to 64 GB. The Huawei Ascend P1 LTE also sports WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS, 2000 mAh battery and a half dozen of the standard sensors included in today’s Android phones. The handset has an 8 megapixel camera with LED and is capable of shooting 1080p video at 30 frames per second.

Measuring in at 132 x 65 x 9.9mm, the Ascend is thin, but if you’re looking for the thinnest smartphone in the world, we suggest you check out the Huawei Ascend P1S. The handset’s thin body and curved edges give it a solid feel, the the plastic back and chrome finished edges make the Ascend P1 look a lot cheaper than it actually is.

Huawei Ascend is running on Android 4.0.1. Surprisingly, Huawei was the only large maufacturer at CES to show off phones running on Ice Cream Sandwich. The Ascend P1′s build of Android 4.0 is mainly stock, but Huawei has tweaked the lock screen a little, adding more direct launch applications to the unlock circle.

As usual, pricing and exact availability for the Huawei Ascend P1 LTE are not available, but we should have more details once we get closer to the handset’s spring launch

Verizon Droid RAZR MAXX Lauch date and Price

2012-01-14T19:29:00.000-08:00

Verizon was a bit cagey about pricing or a release date for the new member of the RAZR line at CES, but Motorola apparently decided that we’d had enough waiting and slapped a January 26th release date on their Droid RAZR MAXX page.

Interestingly the “Specs” page is the only one that gives the January 26th release date today, the rest all merely indicate that the Droid RAZR MAXX will be “available soon.”

Regardless of which is to be believed it is safe to say that we are weeks and not months from this thing releasing so if you were eyeing the Droid RAZR and value battery life highly then I’d counsel patience. The Droid RAZR MAXX should be slotting into Verizon’s lineup at $299 with the original Droid RAZR dropping to $199.

Just in case you missed the Droid RAZR MAXX amidst the madness of CES it is basically an extended battery version of the Droid RAZR. They stuffed an enormous 3,300 mAh battery into it versus the 1,780 mAh found in the original RAZR. This results in a slightly more standard 8.99mm thickness versus the virtually anemic 7.1mm of the Droid RAZR, but that trade off gets you over 21 hours of talk time, 15 hours of movie watching or 7 hours of web surfing.

Apple iPad 3 review and launch date by Bloomberg

2012-01-14T08:14:00.000-08:00

Bloomberg says the next iPad (iPad 3) will sport a HD display, a faster processor, run on LTE and go on sale this March citing “three people familiar with the product”. The sources also claim that Apple’s manufacturing partners in China have started ramping up production of the new iPad this month to meet what Apple expects is a huge demand the new tablet and also to make up for the massive Lunar New Year exodus where factories in the country will halt production. Mass production for the new iPad started this month with factories running 24 hours a day, one of the Bloomberg sources said.

Bloomberg requested for comment from Apple on the matter but a spokeswoman said the company doesn’t comment on rumor and speculation.

The new iPad is expected to feature a high resolution display with pixels so small and packed in so tightly that it makes images appear like printed material. According to information found in the iOS 5 SDK, the new display could have a resolution of up to 2048×1536 pixels.

Assuming Apple will stick with the 9.7-inch screen form factor, that gives the display on the iPad 3 a pixel density of around 264ppi – well below the 300ppi threshold where Apple claims the naked eye is not able to discern individual pixels. In comparison, the Retina Display on the iPhone 4 and 4S pushes 326ppi.

The iPad 3 is expected to feature a slightly thicker case to accommodate the HD display and a larger battery. The larger battery is said meet the higher power requirements of LTE allowing Apple to make the iPad 3 its first LTE device. For countries outside of the US where LTE is not prevalent, users can expect the iPad 3 to deliver considerably better battery performance, possibly double that of the iPad 2.

In addition to the bigger battery and higher resolution display, the iPad 3 is said to feature a quad-core processor and possibly a new GPU as well. One of the Bloomberg sources said that the new processor will bring faster multitasking capabilities and allow video playback to happen instantaneously.

Apple rumours are a whole different animal altogether, there are so many flying around it get difficult to separate the truth from the fluff but when a credible news source comes in with information that is in line with some of the many rumours that has been going around, then you know something is up. This is going to be interesting.

Sony Xperia S UK and Malaysia price

2012-01-14T08:12:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: UK Pricing is normally inclusive of 15% VAT which is often rebated for tourists. We’re looking at RM1750 after tax rebates.

The Sony Xperia S which was revealed recently is now open for pre-orders in Europe and the UK. In the UK, the Xperia S is priced at £429.99 while in Germany, Italy & France it is priced between €449 to €499.

The lowest £429.99 UK price tag is actually similar to the Galaxy Nexus UK pricing at £429. If converted directly that’s about RM2,059 in today’s currency which is quite close to our Galaxy Nexus RRP of RM2099. However do note that it is usually cheaper for us since the UK charges VAT of 15% which means that it costs around RM1,750 after tax rebates. Meanwhile Italy & France is pricing it from €449 which is approximately RM1,784.

This gives some indication for our local pricing and we are expecting the Xperia S to be priced somewhere around the RM1,900-RM2,200 range. Ideally, we hope Sony Ericsson would price this locally below the RM2,000 mark. As comparison, the Xperia arc was launched in Malaysia last year at RM2,099.

New 13-inch VAIO Ultrabook review

2012-01-13T21:23:00.000-08:00

There seems little doubt that CES 2012 will go down as the year of the Ultrabook, and like clockwork, Sony's getting in on the action, as evidenced by that 13-inch laptop on display behind a plate of glass. Granted, it's not quite as sexy as the further-off hybrid devices we saw the other day -- or even, say the Acer Aspire S5 and HP Envy Spectre, but Sony certainly knows how to design a handsome laptop. And, heck, there's no telling how much the final version will look when it's released later this year -- Sony's not really letting up a lot of information at the moment.

As you can see for yourselves, that notebook has a silver color, but even then, Sony tells us that might change before it actually hits the market. The cover has a brushed aluminum texture, with a shiny stylized VAIO logo stamped in the center. When closed, it's not the thinnest Ultrabook, from what we can tell. It also has a glossy 13-inch display and Sony's signature chicklet keyboard. Above the keyboard, you've got a row of small physical buttons, denoting power on / off, VAIO, Web and Assist -- familiar functions, all. In front of the keyboard is a seamless clickpad, with another VAIO logo sitting to the left.

Along the left side of the unnamed Ultrabook, you'll find an Ethernet jack, VGA and HDMI output, a memory card slot and a headphone jack. On the other side, sits the power port, a fan and two USB ports.

Singapore iPhone 4S without cameras price

2012-01-13T18:04:00.000-08:00

Thinking of getting an iPhone 4S but your work doesn’t permit anything that take pictures? You might want to check out Singapore as they are offering iPhone 4S with its front and main camera removed.

In Singapore, military staff are prohibited from bringing in any form of camera devices into their bases. Aimed at catering for these folks, telcos in Singapore are offering special iPhone 4S bundles which include “Camera removal service”. On M1, the 32GB version is going as low as $49 on iPhone Max Plans or as high as $649 on their iPhone value plan.

It is interesting to point out that such modifications performed by telcos will automatically void the standard Apple warranties. As a result, the telcos are reported to offer warranty coverage of their own. In Singapore, the iPhone 4S is not the only device with “camera-less” options as we’ve found out that M1 is also offering a similar version for its BlackBerry Bold 9780. This certainly goes to show that the military market is rather substantial for Singapore and this ruling doesn’t necessary have to restrict them to dumb feature phones.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 Malaysia launch late and price

2012-01-13T18:03:00.001-08:00

Update: Samsung says the price for the Galaxy Tab 7.7 will be less than RM2,500.

Samsung Malaysia in a reply to a question on Facebook has mentioned that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 is slated to launch in Malaysia somewhere between late Jan to early Feb.

Details are still sketchy at the moment so don’t treat this as the final word from Samsung. In any case, many will just be happy to know that the Tab 7.7 is coming.

In terms of pricing, we can only guess at the moment but expect the device to go beyond the RM2k mark thanks to that 7.7-inch 1280×800 Super AMOLED Plus screen. It’s probably the largest Super AMOLED Plus display to date. So expect a premium on that but expect operators to come up with plans for the device as well.

Verizon and Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx launch date and price

2012-01-13T18:01:00.000-08:00

Motorola didn't provide a launch date for the Droid RAZR Maxx when it officially announced the consonant-heavy phone at CES earlier this week, but it's now filled in that little detail on its website. Assuming it's not a mistake of some sort, you can look for the latest addition to the RAZR family to be available on January 26th from both Verizon and Motorola itself. If you missed the announcement, the Maxx is mostly identical to the existing Droid RAZR, with the notable exception of a longer-lasting battery that promises 21 hours of use on a charge, and 32GB of storage instead of the standard 16GB. It'll also set you back $100 more than the standard RAZR.

ViewSonic ViewPhone 3 hands-on review and price

2012-01-13T17:58:00.000-08:00

No trip to CES 2012 would be complete without spending some up close and personal time with ViewSonic's new phone for the Americas, the ViewPhone 3. Known internationally as the V350 -- which we scored a hands-on with at last year's MWC -- this model retains its dual-SIM heritage and brings a few upgrades such as an 800MHz CPU and Android 2.3. Along with a 3.5-inch HVGA, TFT-LCD display and a 5 megapixel camera (sans LED flash), the phone features 802.11b/g/n, quadband GSM and 7.2Mbps HSDPA with unknown bands (save for 850MHz, anyway). The handset has a plasticky feel, but is also well-proportioned and fits comfortably in the hand. We were less impressed with the quality of the LCD screen, which is rather low-res and distorts easily when viewed from angles.

While the hardware is rather passable as a budget phone, the software is cluttered with superfluous features and effects that detract from the user experience -- both in terms of performance and navigation. Given the dual-SIM nature of this phone and its availability as an unlocked device for $279, it's actually somewhat of a rare breed. Loaded with a proper ROM, it could certainly appeal to the right crowd. For some further insight into the ViewPhone 3, be sure to check the video after the break.

Apple iPad 3 rumor review and launch date

2012-01-13T17:56:00.000-08:00

On one hand, it's just another iPad rumor. On the other, there's an interesting wrinkle here that hasn't been confirmed -- let alone talked about seriously -- in past reports. Bloomberg is reporting that the iPad 3 will go on sale as early as March, boasting a higher-resolution screen, a speedier processor and support for "next-generation wireless networks." According to the all-common "unnamed sources," the outfit's manufacturing partners are purportedly "ramping up production" of the device this month, with full volume to be hit by February. Within, you'll supposedly find a quad-core chip and support for LTE, but it's unclear whether or not both AT&T and Verizon's 4G networks will be supported.

As it stands, the iPad 2 can be purchased with a Verizon 3G or AT&T 3G module within, and we highly doubt Apple would prefer to launch the next iPad with LTE support on just one or the other. Moreover, the solidification of LTE within the iPad is the best confirmation yet that the wireless spec will also be a part of the iPhone 5; granted, that's far from written in stone, but if Apple has managed to get battery life to a comfortable place, there's no reason to not give prospective buyers an avenue to hop on the faster mobile superhighway.

(engadget)

Toshiba Portege M930 hands-on review

2012-01-13T17:52:00.000-08:00

And the hybrid devices keep on coming. Sitting high on a shelf in Microsoft's booth, hidden among the earthly clamshell laptops, is the Toshiba Portege M930, a prototype whose 13-inch screen slides down to completely cover the keyboard. All told, it's awfully reminiscent of the ASUS Eee Pad Slider -- complete with a propped-up display and squat keyboard. The keyboard is so narrow, in fact, that Toshiba had to forgo a traditional trackpad and instead put a touch sensor and buttons over on the right edge. Though it's a bit heavy for an Ultrabook, at 4.2 pounds, it has some Ultrabook-grade innards, including a Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, Intel HD 3000 graphics and a 256GB solid-state drive. Take a tour around the device and you'll also find the usual array of ports: dual USB 2.0 sockets, HDMI, an Ethernet jack, an SD reader and separate headphone and mic ports.

Even when we previewed the Slider we weren't keen on sacrificing that much deck space in the name of bold industrial design and here, too, the keys feel unnecessarily crowded. The good news is that the hinge mechanism feels smooth and controlled -- not too tight, but rigid enough to inspire confidence in its build quality. That 13.3-inch screen also looks bright enough, though we imagine that 1280 x 800 resolution will be a turn-off for more than a few of you. Unfortunately, the M930 is so early its development that the touchscreen wasn't even working, though it responds just fine to the pen, which stows in the back of the laptop.

HTC Ville thinnest phone review

2012-01-13T17:51:00.000-08:00

If you were feeling let down by T-Mobile’s weak showing at CES this year, it’s time to turn that frown upside down. According to Evan Blass of PocketNow, T-Mobile will begin carrying HTC’s thinnest phone ever created, the HTC Ville, this spring.

Expected to be unveiled at Mobile World Congress, rumored specs on the HTC Ville have been around since early November, 2011. Along with Android 4.0 and Sense UI 4, the Ville is expected to launch with:

1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4
Adreno 225 GPU
4.3-inch Super AMOLED qHD display
Beats Audio
Backside-illuminated 8 megapixel camera capable of rivaling point-and-shoot quality
1650mAh battery
As exciting as the Snapdragon S4, Android 4.0 and Super AMOLED display are, the Ville’s crowning achievement is its sleek metal construction and staggering thinness. At just under 8mm, the Ville will be thinner than both the iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy S II.

Along with information on the Ville, Blass also detailed a new service coming to HTC known as HTC Family. HTC Family will be integrated in the latest version of Sense, and features new ways for families to communicate, along with geolocation tools for staying connected. HTC Family is also rumored to be announced at MWC. Look for the T-Mobile branded Ville to on display at CTIA.

Celcom Samsung Galaxy Nexus plans review and price

2012-01-12T20:08:00.001-08:00

Celcom has finally unveiled its Samsung Galaxy Nexus plans today with bundled device pricing from RM1,368 for consumer plans and RM1,348 for Biz plans. The plans are the same as the unconfirmed plan details posted last week. However there’s no mention of the RM60 extra rebates on Celcom website.

For consumer plans, you get a choice from monthly RM88 to RM250 commitment plans with 12 months and 18 months contract options. The highest commitment plan of Celcom Exec 250 at 18 months will let you pick up a Galaxy Nexus for RM1,368 while the lowest and shortest commitment of Celcom Exec 50 + Mobile Internet Basic of 12 months will let you have it for RM1,708. On BIZ Plans, you’ll have 2 monthly plan options at RM118 and RM150 but tied to a 24 months duration.

On Celcom, there’s an upfront payment between RM300 – 600 and this will be rebated back to your bill over 12 months period. For cancellation of contract midway, Celcom charges a penalty of RM500.

ASUS Transformer Prime Malaysia price and launch date

2012-01-12T20:07:00.001-08:00

The RM2,199 pricing is likely to be the WiFi version.

ASUS Malaysia has mentioned that the Transformer Prime will launch in Malaysia before Chinese New Year (January 23) but they didn’t say how much it’s going to cost. If a price list from an IT reseller is anything to go by, ASUS might not have to say anything at all.

Commenter CWK alerted us on this price list available here (under the “laptop” section) and it appears that the Transformer Prime is going to sell for RM2,199 for the 32GB 3G WiFi version — the same price as the iPad 2 32GB 3G. As reference, the original Transformer has a RRP of RM1,799 for the 16GB WiFi-only version including the keyboard dock.

The list didn’t specifically indicate if the price includes the keyboard dock but it’s pretty much safe to assume that RM2,199 will get you the keyboard peripheral as well. Aside from that, we still don’t know if Malaysia will be getting the earlier TF201 or the recently announced TF700T. Realistically however, it’s an almost forgone conclusion that we will get the TF201

Galaxy Nexus Unboxing review

2012-01-12T20:05:00.000-08:00

So here it is the unboxing video of the Galaxy Nexus. It may not be as cool as the official Galaxy Nexus unboxing video but it should answer most of the questions you have about the device right out of the box, so to speak. And we added a few interesting snippets in the video as well.

Sony Xperia S video quality review

2012-01-12T20:03:00.000-08:00

The videos are really nothing to shout about and the 720p sample from the front camera is particularly inferior. For comparison, take a look at this 720p video we took using the 1.3MP front camera on the Motorola RAZR.

Also do take a look at our iPhone 4S v Samsung Galaxy Note v Samsung Galaxy Note SII v Motorola RAZR v Nokia N8 v Sony Ericsson Xperia ray camera megatest, it’s not a direct comparison but it gives you some indication as towhat the current crop of 8MP shooters in the market are capable of.

Keep in mind, the Xperia S units that we used to take these videos are most probably pre-production units with a few bugs still in them that needs sorting out. Let’s hope that the final retail units can muster up much better pictures and videos.

1080p sample using 12MP rear camera

720p sample using the 1.3MP front camera

AcerCloud base storage service review

2012-01-12T20:00:00.000-08:00

Acer unveiled so much hardware this week that it's easy to forget it also teased a cloud-based storage service. In brief, AcerCloud, allows you to remotely access whatever's on your Acer laptop, even if it's asleep or in hibernation mode, and even if you're not connected to the same WiFi network. Storage is unlimited, and you can upload music, photos, videos and documents. Also, it's free.

So how does this work, if not over WiFi? Whenever possible, AcerCloud will try to create a peer-to-peer connection between your laptop and phone, but when that fails a security token inside the laptop allows the cloud service to play matchmaker between the notebook and the app, which is of course tied to your account. At launch, there will be separate mobile applications for music, photos, et cetera. It will be Android-only, though Acer reps tell us they intend to to create versions for Windows Phone and even iOS (assuming Apple approves it). They also say they're considering developing a file manager where you can access all your content, and not just music or pictures. For now, at least, the discrete apps are intuitively designed, and the best part is that you can play back media inside of them. Good news for anyone not satisfied with their Android phone's native music player.

Expect this to start rolling out in North America and China in the second quarter, followed by a worldwide release sometime in Q4. It'll also become an eventual staple on Acer PCs, including things like all-in-ones, but in the beginning it will be exclusive to Acer's Ultrabooks. Until Q2 rolls around, though, you can head past the break for a short demo of the music app

BlackBerry Porsche P9981 hands-on review and price in UK

2012-01-12T19:56:00.000-08:00

Porsche Design's executives use BlackBerry religiously, so when the time came for the luxury brand to consider adding smartphones to its portfolio, Research in Motion was a natural -- and perfect -- fit. Problem is, BlackBerry phones don't necessarily exude the luxury look and feel necessary to attract Porsche Design's customer base, so CEO Juergen Gessler got in touch with RIM to see if the two companies could collaborate on a phone that would take the best of BlackBerry and combine it with Porsche's premium design. Presto, the device now known as the P'9981 was born. We had the chance to behold the phone with our own eyes and hold it in our hands, so go past the break to read more about what we thought.

Since the smartphone was meant to be a niche product focused heavily on beautiful design and the best materials at Porsche's disposal, the P'9981 isn't going to be mass-distributed. The phone, as you'd expect, is essentially a BlackBerry Bold 9900 in a body crafted with forged stainless steel and a leather-wrapped back. On the bottom you'll find a plastic material that allows for better reception without worrying about interference. The keys, much like the rest of the phone, are made of metal and offer a decent amount of give. We enjoyed the keyboard because it felt solid, but the frets were angled differently and the typing experience wasn't as smooth or fluid as the 'board found on the 9900, but it was by no means a horrible experience.

The P'9981 offers many of the same innards as the BlackBerry Bold, complete with a 1.2GHz single-core CPU, HD video recording capabilities, 640 x 480 display, 8GB of onboard memory, a microSD expansion slot and an inbuilt NFC module. Frankly, the largest difference is the absence of a touchscreen. The 9900's optical pad is replaced with a camera that lays beneath the glass and senses the movement of your thumb. Aside from this and the other external design differences, the software won't look quite the same. While the phone runs BlackBerry 7.0, it uses an exclusive Porsche Design theme and every PIN begins with a P, which makes it easy to identify other high-end users -- just like you're part of a swanky, exclusive club -- and you can BBM your fellow P'9981 buddies while they're finishing up their 18 rounds.

Let's get this out there: it's an elegant phone that's wonderfully crafted. Its premium materials and attention to detail definitely makes this a top-notch phone for anyone who can afford it. Now, keep in mind that this is an extremely niche product that isn't meant for everyone; think Vertu for the BlackBerry brand. Currently available in the Middle East and select stores in the UK for "around $2,000," and will be making it to the US and Canada sometime in the coming months.

The first liquid battery (Hydromechanical) watch review and uk price

2012-01-12T19:54:00.000-08:00

Vincent Perriard and crew have apparently gone from overseeing the Concord C1 QuantumGravity watch and its fluorescent liquid battery gauge to designing another high end watch that combines mechanical action and fluid measurement with the HYT H1. This hand-wound timepiece has a 65 hour power reserve and displays the time via pumping bellows that push bright green fluorescine past the time markers. A rendered video embedded after the break does more to explain how the watch works, but may not help you figure out its rumored $45k price tag.

Acer Aspire S5 hands-on review

2012-01-12T19:47:00.000-08:00

Aspire S5, Acer's sophomore Ultrabook, your favorite reviews editor was throwing elbows to get a first look. The company's press conference here at CES was packed to the gills with journalists and industry analysts, dozens of whom were jostling for some hands-on time after the event wrapped. It didn't help that there were two S5s on display, and that the demo area was tricked out with green mood lighting.

So when we had a chance to play with the S5 again, this time in a quiet, sunny room, we knew a second look was in order. For the most part, our early impressions haven't changed. Its all-metal chassis still feels solid, and we continue to be wary of that shallow keyboard. That 15mm-thick chassis is as impressive as ever -- maybe even more so, now that we know half of this year's Ultrabooks are likely to be larger. But man, is this thing even more beautiful in the light. We already concluded it had a more uniformly premium design than the older Aspire S3, but in a brightly lit room it's easier to appreciate the slightly brushed texture on the lid and palm rest, the seamless, spartan design and how well that black paint job complements the thin chassis. Below, find a few extra hands-on shots added in with the old, and continue on past the break for a video tour, complete with a demo of that motorized drop-down port cover -- something we didn't get to show you the first time around.

(endgadget)