Author: Shivaank Rana

Apple Releases iOS 6.1.2 Update, Evad3rs Release Evasi0n 1.4 Jailbreak Tool

Apple today released iOS 6.1.2, the latest iteration of the mobile operating system for iPhones, iPads and iPod touch devices, following widespread reports of errors caused by calendars connected to Exchange servers.

The affects of the bug also caused the battery life on the iPhone or iPad to suffer significantly.

Microsoft came up with a few ideas to prevent the overloading, such as switching off the calendar function altogether or simply banning all iOS 6.1 users from accessing the network.

Just a few hours after Apple released its latest iOS update yesterday, the Evad3rs team was out with Evasi0n version 1.4 designed to work with iOS 6.1.2 devices. An Evad3rs team member tweeted the news late yesterday.

Even the prior version of Evasi0n seemed unaffected by the iOS 6.1.2 update, at least according to preliminary testing. But Evasi0n version 1.4 makes it official.

Apple hasn’t spoken out about publicly about the Evasi0n jailbreak. But the company did update its jailbreak warning page a day before the tool was unleashed earlier this month.

The page cautions people about the side effects of the practice, such as instability, security vulnerabilities, shortened battery life, unreliable voice and data, disruption of services, and the inability to apply future software updates.

Unfortunately, Apple failed to address a security vulnerability enabling hackers to bypass an iPhone’s lockscreen and access core device functions.

February 20, 2013
Leaked : LG Optimus F5 and Optimus F7

We stumbled upon two leaked images of two upcoming smartphones that belong to LG’s new F-series. The Optimus F7 and Optimus F5 are a mystery as far as specs go but the F7 design looks like a mix between the Optimus 4X HD and the Optimus G.

LG is planning on announcing four new handsets at MWC, two of which, by the looks of it, will be the F7 and F5.

Posted on Twitter by EV Leaks, the pictures show the slightly larger F7 with a physical home key and the F5, which has a smaller screen, without a physical button. The F5 features a duller-coloured metal, although this could just as easily be plastic.

LG gave us a little little teaser treatment yesterday flaunting the upcoming L, F, V and G series ahead of their imminent Mobile World Congress 2013 unveil.

In a new 48 second teaser video LG shows off several angles of the G, L, V and F. We’ve seen the G with the Optimus G, plus the L-Series and the Optimus Vu, but the F is new. In the video LG highlight that the G stands for “greatness”, L is for “style,” V is for “view” and F for “freedom.”

We’ll “see the difference” unfold on March 25th from Barcelona. We guess there isn’t all that much time to wait – just remember to check back with us on Monday for the latest scoop of LG’s newest devices.

Check out the video below.

[EVLeaks]

February 20, 2013
Here It Is! HTC Launches The HTC One!

After numerous leaks and rumors, the newest member of the HTC One family has been officially introduced.

These haven’t been kind times for HTC. The Taiwanese handset maker’s phones are operating in the shadow of Samsung’s Galaxy devices, not to mention Apple’s popular iPhone.

HTC hopes to change that reality with the brand new flagship HTC One that the company unveiled Tuesday at events staged at the same time in New York and London.

The HTC One is made of a uni-body aluminium that looks incredibly solid and suave. None of this should come as surprise, as HTC is known for its stunning hardware to begin with, and the HTC One takes it above and beyond.

Running the show inside the HTC One is the new Snapdragon 600 SoC, Qualcomm’s new generation of mobile chips, which integrates a quad-core CPU, an Adreno 320 GPU, and an LTE modem. The only other device so far that comes equipped with a Snapdragon 600 processor is the LG Optimus G Pro, due to hit the first markets later this month.

The optical bonded display of the HTC One is super dense. At 468ppi (4.7 inch 1080p display), it easily beats the previous leaders, devices like the Sony Xperia Z and the Droid DNA. From the videos of the HTC One we’ve seen, the display looks breathtakingly sharp.

HTC is betting big on the One’s camera capabilities, which revolve around a custom-developed imaging sensor with enlarged pixels that can absorb roughly three times more light than those inside a conventional 8-megapixel camera. These UltraPixels, as the company calls them, will make for a major leap in low-light performance, however they do limit the resolution of any photos you take with the HTC One to 4 megapixels.

There’s also 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage as standard (a 64GB variant is planned for the APAC region), a 2300mAh battery, GPS and GLONASS, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, and even 802.11ac Wi-Fi. And if that’s not enough, the power / lock button atop the phone doubles up as an IR emitter, allowing you to use the HTC One as a TV remote control. That comes with an HTC Sense TV app that will provide interactive programs guides from many of the biggest broadcasters.

The HTC One also brings the new Sense UI along with Android Jelly Bean (4.1.2), which HTC calls a BlinkFeed. HTC has tied up with over 1,400 news organizations to enable an always-live, customized information for the user’s snacking needs. It introduces BoomSound by becoming the first smartphones with stereo speakers on the front.

HTC will be launching the HTC One in Black and White globally starting in March and will tie up with Reliance Communications in India for the sale of the device. Pricing is yet to be revealed.

We will go hands-on with the Indian version of the HTC One in a couple of days so stay tuned!

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INTRODUCING THE NEW HTC ONE®, A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON SMARTPHONES

HTC BlinkFeed™, HTC Zoe™ and HTC BoomSound™ Deliver HTC One’s Unprecedented New Smartphone Experience

London and New York City, February 19, 2013 –

HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, today announced its new flagship smartphone, the new HTC One. Crafted with a distinct zero-gap aluminium unibody, the new HTC One introduces HTC BlinkFeed™, HTC Zoe™ and HTC BoomSound™, key new HTC Sense® innovations that reinvent the mobile experience and set a new standard for smartphones.

“People today immerse themselves in a constant stream of updates, news and information. Although smartphones are one of the main ways we stay in touch with the people and information we care about, conventional designs have failed to keep pace with how people are actually using them,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “A new, exciting approach to the smartphone is needed and with the new HTC One, we have re-imagined the mobile experience from the ground up to reflect this new reality.”

HTC BlinkFeed: A personal live stream right on the home screen At the centre of the new HTC One experience is HTC BlinkFeed. HTC BlinkFeed is a bold new experience that transforms the home screen into a single live stream of personally relevant information such as social updates, entertainment and lifestyle updates, news and photos with immersive images so that people no longer need to go to separate applications to find out what’s happening. HTC BlinkFeed aggregates the freshest content from the most relevant and interesting sources, giving it to people at a glance, all in one place, without the need to jump between multiple applications and web sites.

To enable this new dynamic approach to the smartphone, HTC will provide both local and global content from more than 1,400 media sources with more than 10,000 articles per day from some of the most innovative media companies, such as the AOL family of media properties, ESPN, MTV, Vice Media, CoolHunting, Reuters and many others. For more information on HTC BlinkFeed’s content partners, visit the HTC Blog.

HTC UltraPixel Camera with HTC Zoe
The breakthrough HTC UltraPixel Camera redefines how people capture, relive and share their most precious moments. HTC Zoe gives people the ability to shoot high-res photos that come to life in three-second snippets. These Zoes, photos and videos are then displayed in a unique way that brings the gallery to life and transforms the traditional photo gallery of still images into a motion gallery of memories. It also automatically creates integrated highlight films from each event comprised of Zoes, photos and videos set to music with professionally designed cuts, transitions and effects. These highlight videos can be remixed or set to different themes, and can be easily shared on social networks, email and other services.

To enable this innovative camera experience, HTC developed a custom camera that includes a best-in-class f/2.0 aperture lens and a breakthrough sensor with UltraPixels that gather 300 percent more light than traditional smartphone camera sensors. This new approach also delivers astounding low-light performance and a variety of other improvements to photos and videos. In addition, the perfect self-portrait or video is just a tap away with an ultra-wide angle front-facing camera which supports 1080p video capture. Multi-axis optical image stabilisation for both the front and rear cameras also helps ensure video footage smoother whether stationary or on the move. HTC UltraPixel camera adds many other features and effects such as enhanced 360′ panorama, time sequencing and object removal.

HTC BoomSound
The new HTC One offers the best audio experience of any mobile phone available today. HTC BoomSound introduces for the first time on a phone, front-facing stereo speakers with a dedicated amplifier and an amazing full HD display that immerses people in music, videos, games and the YouTube™ clips they love. Beats™ Audio integration is enabled across the entire experience for rich, authentic sound whether you’re listening to your favorite music, watching a YouTube video or playing a game.

HDR recording uses advanced dual microphones and audio processing to capture clean, rich sound that is worthy of high-definition video footage. Phone calls sound great on HTC One thanks to the addition of HTC Sense Voice™, which boosts the call volume and quality in noisy environments so that conversations come through loud and clear.

HTC Sense TV™
HTC Sense TV transforms the new HTC One into an interactive program guide and remote control for most TVs, set-top boxes and receivers. Tapping the power of the cloud, Sense TV makes it simple and intuitive to see what’s on and find that favourite show.

Metal Unibody Design
Wrapped in a zero-gap aluminium unibody and sporting a brilliant 4.7″, Full HD (1080p) screen, the new HTC One features the latest Android Jelly Bean operating system and LTE network technology to offer blazingly-fast browsing in a package that combines premium design with breakthrough build quality.

Available in stunning silver and beautiful black, the sleek and crafted aluminium unibody sits comfortably in the hand and showcases HTC’s unique antenna technology, which helps people achieve a crystal clear signal. The display also resists scratches and reduces glare, whilst offering incredible 468ppi resolution and rich, natural colours.

Global Availability

The new HTC One will be available globally through more than 185 mobile operators and major retailers in more than 80 regions and countries beginning in March. For more information and to pre-register for the new HTC One, visit www.htc.com.

Europe, Middle East and Africa: 1&1 Germany, A1 Telekom Austria, AB Poland, Allo Ukraine, AMC (Cosmote) Albania, Avea Turkey, Beeline Kazakhstan, Belcompany Netherlands, BH Telecom Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bite Latvia, Bite Lithuania, Bouygues Telecom France, Carphone Warehouse UK, Cell C RSA, Citrus Ukraine, Cosmote Greece, Cosmote Romania & Global Bulgaria, Cyta, DT Mobile(TS) Latvia, Du UAE, Dustin Sweden, Eagle Mobile Albania, EE UK, Elisa Estonia, Elisa Finland, El-Giganten Denmark, El-Giganten Sweden, Elkjöb Norway, EMT (TS) Estonia, E-Plus Germany, ERC Ukraine, Euroset Russia, Gigantii Finland, Go Malta, H3G Austria, H3G Denmark, H3G Italy, H3G Sweden, H3G UK, HT Eronet Bosnia & Herzegovina, K-Cell Kazakhstan, KPN Belgium, KPN Netherlands, Life Belarus, LuxGSM Luxembourg, Megafon Russia, Melita Malta, Meteor Ireland, Mobilezone Switzerland, Mobilochka Ukraine, Mobily KSA, MSH Belgium, MSH Germany, M-Tel Montenegro, M-Tel Bosnia & Herzegovina, MTI Ukraine, MTN Cyprus, MTS Belarus, MTS Russia, Netcom Norway,
(Telefónica) O2 Czech, (Telefónica) O2 Germany, (Telefónica) O2 Ireland, (Telefónica) O2 UK, Omnitel Lithuania, One Macedonia, Optimus Portugal, Orange France, Orange Maldova, Orange Poland, Orange Romania, Orange Slovakia, Orange Spain, Orange Switzerland, Partner Communications Israel, PhoneHouse France, PhoneHouse Germany, PhoneHouse Netherlands, PhoneHouse Sweden, Phones4U UK, Play Poland, Plus Communication Albania, Polkomtel Poland, Proximus Belgium, SFR France, SiMobil Slovenia, STC KSA, Sunrise Switzerland, Svyaznoy Russia, Swisscom Switzerland, TDC Denmark, Tele2 Croatia, Tele 2 Estonia, Tele2 Latvia, Tele2 Lithuania, Tele2 Russia, Telia Denmark, Telia Sweden, Telekom Slovenija, Telenet Belgium, Telenor Denmark, Telenor Norway, Telenor Sweden, Telenor Hungary, Telenor Serbia, Telkom Serbia, TIM Italy, TMN Portugal, T-Mobile Austria, T-Mobile Croatia, T-Mobile Czech Republic, T-Mobile Germany, T-Mobile Hungary, T-Mobile Macedonia, T-Mobile Montenegro, T-Mobile Netherlands, T-Mobile Poland, T-Mobile Slovakia, Turkcell Turkey, Tus Mobil Slovenia, Velcom (TAG) Belarus, VIP Operator Macedonia, VIP Mobile Serbia, Vipnet Croatia, Vivacom Bulgaria, Vodacom RSA, Vodafone Albania, Vodafone Czech Republic, Vodafone Egypt, Vodafone Germany, Vodafone Greece, Vodafone Hungary, Vodafone Ireland, Vodafone Italy, Vodafone Malta, Vodafone Netherlands, Vodafone Portugal, Vodafone Romania, Vodafone Spain, Vodafone Turkey, Vodafone UK, Wind Greece, Wind Italy, Yoigo Spain, Yug Contract Ukraine, Zain KSA.

Asia-Pacific: China Mobile Hong Kong Company Ltd., ChungHwa Telecom, 3HK, CSL, Fareastone, M1, Mobifone, Optus, PCCW mobile, Reliance Communications, Singapore Telecommunications Ltd., SmarTone, StarHub, Taiwan Mobile, Telecom New Zealand, Telstra, Vodafone Australia, Vodafone New Zealand.

China: China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom

North America: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Cincinnati Bell and Best Buy in the United States and in Canada with Rogers Communications, Bell Mobility, TELUS and Virgin Mobile Canada.

Latin America: Claro Argentina (América Movil), Telecom Personal Argentina, Entel Chile, Iusacell México, Telcel México (América Movil), Claro Perú (América Movil), Claro Puerto Rico (América Movil), Movistar Venezuela (Telefonica)

[/toggle_box]

February 19, 2013
Outlook.com Passes 60m Users, Exits Preview
Microsoft’s webmail, Outlook.com, has exited its preview stage with 60m users. According to Engadget, a third of those users have skipped over from Gmail, although they may still be using Google’s service as well.

As part of the process, all users of Microsoft’s Hotmail and other email services operating under different domains such as MSN.com will be automatically converted to Outlook.com by the summer, if they don’t voluntarily switch before then. All the old messages, contacts and settings in the old inboxes will be exported to Outlook.com. Users will also be able to keep their old addresses.

In short, Outlook.com is leaving its early days behind, as in the eyes of Microsoft it is ready for full-time usage, and thus the firm can finally ax the Hotmail product as a relic from a previous era.

Here are the key usership milestones for Outlook.com, to put the 60 million figure into perspective:
- August 1, 2012: 1 million users
- August 14, 2012: 10 million users
- November 27, 2012: 25 million users
- February 18, 2013: 60 million users
To welcome new users, Microsoft is financing what it believes to be the biggest marketing blitz in the history of email. Outlook.com will be featured in ads running on US primetime TV, radio stations, websites, billboards and buses. Microsoft expects to spend somewhere between $30 million to $90 million on the Outlook campaign, which will run for at least three months.

The Outlook ads will overlap with an anti-Gmail marketing campaign that Microsoft launched earlier this month. The “Scroogled” attacks depict Gmail as a snoopy service that scans the contents of messages to deliver ads related to topics being discussed.

[Fox News]
February 19, 2013
Rumour : HTC To Announce Surprise Ubuntu Tablet Today

In what is clearly a countdown to a product unveiling, Ubuntu looks to be coinciding a tablet product with HTC’s One launch event today.

This rumour came largely from HTC posting a mysterious picture to its Instagram account, with the image showing a number of covered smartphones as well as one larger model, which could well be an 8-inch or 10-inch tablet.

Intrigue on this grew when Ubuntu developer Canonical started a countdown to the event under the tagline of ‘tick, tock, tablet time’ and then sent out invites to a media conference for later today. The conference is to discuss Ubuntu “on new form factors including some of the most rapidly growing consumer electronics device categories”. Whether the announcement has anything to do with HTC’s new product line remains to be seen, but we can’t see the timing as anything other than a collaboration.

Hardware running on Ubuntu’s mobile operating system isn’t going to be available until October or November, so the tease looks like more of a concept demo than an actual product launch. We also expect developer versions of Ubuntu touch to be available for the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4 on Thursday, February 21st, so this week is gearing up to be something of a marquee week for Canonical.

[TabTimes]

February 19, 2013
HTC One Press Shots Leak To Confirm Black and White Colours

There are still a few hours left before HTC officially announces the flagship Android device, the HTC One, so that means there’s time for last minutes leaks and rumors.

Many leaked rendering have surfaced online, as were a few still images and videos from HTC. We’ve also seen the front of the One appear in a white and black sporting its dual stereo speakers, but never a solid image of the back. Today, just hours before the HTC announcement, a new press photo of the HTC One has leaked online.

The picture above confirms the two color versions of the upcoming HTC One. The image reveals the same thin bezel and two capacitive touch buttons, Back and Home, instead of the usual three or even four buttons that are found on typical Android phones, identical speaker grills on the top and bottom with the top also having two noise-cancellation microphones on the left and the front-facing camera on the right with curved corners in an all metal body.

The hardware looks attractive, and likely won’t have a removable back battery cover judging by the apparent SIM slot visible on the right-hand edge of the white vertical HTC One. The image also shows we’ll be seeing HTC’s now familiar Beats audio integration on the new handset.

The HTC One will most likely have a 4.7-inch screen capable of 1080p output, making for a massive 468ppi display density, should have a quad-core Snapdragon S4 1.7GHz processor with 2GB of RAM, and a 13 megapixel camera with a 2,300 mAh battery and either 32 or 64GB storage options.

February 19, 2013
Penta T-Pad WS707C Tablet Launched For Rs. 7,999

Pantel Technologies has come with the country’s first EDGE enabled voice calling Jelly Bean tablet in collaboration with BSNL. The latest tablet called Penta T-Pad WS707C comes with 3D graphics support and bears an affordable price tag of Rs 7,999.

The tablet has a 7-inch (1024 x 600 pixels) multi-touch capacitive touch screen which supports a dual screen video operation that allows users to perform two tasks simultaneously, like Samsung’s Multi-window feature.

[quote]Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Vijender Singh, MD Pantel Technologies said “As a pioneer in the Tablet PC industry, Pantel Technologies is proud to introduce the power packed Penta T-Pad WS707C. Endowed with superior specifications, Penta T-Pad WS707C is an EDGE-enabled device which personifies performance with superior connectivity at an affordable price.”[/quote]

The Penta T-Pad WS707C is powered by a 1.2 GHz Cortex A9 processor with 1 GB DDR3 RAM and a Mali 400 GPU. It comes with 8GB of internal storage with additional support for upto 32GB via microSD.

The Penta T-Pad measures 10.5mm in thickness and weighs 340 grams. It boasts a 3,000mAh battery and comes pre-installed with a host of popular applications including Facebook, Skype (for video calling), NexGtv and more.

The device supports various connectivity options like WiFi 802.11b/g/n, 3G (via external dongle), 2G (via SIM card Slot), Bluetooth 2.1, USB OTG and HDMI.

February 18, 2013
Blackberry Z10 Costs $154 To Make

We’ve seen the BlackBerry Z10 from the inside out, but have you wondered just what it costs to actually make the device? There are various bits and pieces that go into making a BlackBerry, from the plastic enclosure all the way down to that red LED. The Z10 was pieced out and together all the components ring in at a total of $154 when all is said and done.

The 4.2-inch display for the Z10 costs around $26.50. The 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor costs about $23.50. The 8MP rear-facing camera and 2MP front-facing camera totals about $15. The 16GB internal storage costs around $9.00. The other components, including the battery, communication chips, and RAM total $21.00. Finally, the casing, as well as the other small electronics included in the Z10 total around $59.00.

The Blackberry Z10 is slightly more expensive to create compared to the iPhone 5, which costs about $139 to make. But in the Z10’s defense, it has a bigger, higher resolution screen, more RAM, and a bigger battery.

– Display and Glass (4.2-inches): $26.50
– Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 SoC processor $23.50
– Cameras (8MP back camera and 2MP front-facing): $15.00
– 16GB Flash storage: $9.00
– Other components (battery, communication chips, RAM): $21.00
– Remaining materials such as the plastic casing: $59.00

The Blackberry Z10 is expected to retail for around Rs 40,000 in India while the second Blackberry 10 device, the Qwerty keyboard Q10, is expected to make its debut in April, and its pricing is still to be revealed.

[ CNNMoney via Slashgear]

February 18, 2013
GLBenchmark Result Shows Apple iPhone 5 Running iOS 7!
A GLBenchmark result page, sent to us on Facebook by Akash Sukhija, shows the Apple iPhone 5 running on iOS 7, the next version of the Apple mobile operating system. On top of the results page, the OS tab reads “iPhone OS 7.0”.

This comes at a time when Apple is set to release its promised fix for an iOS 6.1 bug that enables intruders to by-pass a user’s passcode and access certain areas of the phone, could be released this week. The rollout of iOS 6.1 hasn’t gone as smoothly for Apple as the company would have liked and it would be eager to make sure that iOS 7 does not follow a similar path.

Running iOS 7, the iPhone 5 scores :
- 3290 Frames (29.1 Fps) in GLBenchmark 2.5 Egypt HD C24Z16 – Offscreen (1080p)
- 4515 Frames (40.0 Fps) in GLBenchmark 2.5 Egypt HD C24Z16 – Onscreen
- 31721 ms (35.6 Fps) in GLBenchmark 2.5 Egypt HD Fixed Timestep – Onscreen
- 48806 ms (23.2 Fps) in GLBenchmark 2.5 Egypt HD Fixed Timestep – Offscreen (1080p)
- 1808 MTexels/s Fill Rate
- 133 MTriangles/s Textured Triangle Throughput
Apple launched iPhone 5 in September along with iOS 6, and it has been reported that the new iPhone will be released in the middle of 2013. Reports last month suggested that Apple could unveil the next version of its iPhone and iOS 7 as early as the spring of 2013.

Back in January, App developers had found references in their usage logs to a new version of the iPhone – identified as iPhone6,1 – and to iOS 7.

This webpage all but confirms Apple’s iOS 7 testing. Thanks Akash!

You can find the webpage here.
February 17, 2013
Bump Now Lets You Share Files To and From a Computer

Do you use Bump a lot? Get ready, because now it’s even better. From now, not only can you bump devices to transfer your photos, you can bump computers! When you bump your phone with a computer, the photos you’ve chosen immediately get transferred to that computer. It’s like magic.

If you’ve missed it, Bump is a mobile app which makes it possible to share files and photos between devices simply by bumping them into each other. It uses your geo-location and some statistics to recognize your specific bump among millions of others. In order to bump photos onto your computer, all you have to do is hit the space bar with your device.

Thanks to the update, you can now easily save all the videos on your phone to your computer’s hard drive. If you get a new phone, you can back up all your contacts onto your computer and reload them onto your new device. Or, you can grab a presentation from your desk computer and bump it to a conference room PC.

It works by matching digital signatures between devices, be it two smartphones or, now, between a smartphone and a computer. We’ve been using the new functionality to transfer photos between my phone and the PC; it’s incredibly fast and works very well.

If you haven’t tried the app yet, it’s a great addition to your mobile repertoire.

February 17, 2013
Apple To Release iOS 6.1.2 Next Week To Fix Major Security Issue

Apple’s promised fix for an iOS 6.1 bug that enables intruders to by-pass a user’s passcode and access certain areas of the phone, could be released this week.

According to a report from German site iFun, which was dead-on about the release of iOS 6.1.1, the iOS 6.1.2 release date could come as soon as next week, possibly by February 20th.

The rollout of iOS 6.1 hasn’t gone as smoothly for Apple as the company would have liked.

Not only did the initial release introduce the security issues and battery problems, in addition to a wallop of a 3G connectivity bug for iPhone 4S users in Europe, the follow-up version, iOS 6.1.1 released last week, introduced a bunch of new issues.

iPhone users are still reporting Exchange connectivity bugs, so severe that Microsoft is suggesting affected devices be booted from the server so as not to slow down the rest of the network.

Earlier this week a video was posted online showing how a complex series of button pushes could nullify the passcode and unlock photo albums, calling logs, voicemail and enable the hacker to modify contacts.

Apple has acknowledged the problem, which is almost identical to one which surfaced in 2010, and said it is hastily working on a fix.

February 17, 2013
LG : 15 Million Optimus L Series Smartphones Sold Globally

LG announced recently that it has sold more than 15 million Optimus L Series smartphones since the phone’s launch last February during Mobile World Congress.

In a press release today LG declared a surge in the number of devices they’ve sold over the past couple months, noting that they sell “an Optimus L Series device every second over the past two months, propelling sales of the popular smartphones to over 15 million units.”

LG has made a strong push for the smartphone market with a growing number of Optimus handsets. The company’s L series, which represents the mid-range of its line, has helped boost its standing in the Android marketplace. Still, LG finds itself a distant competitor to Apple and Samsung, the dominant forces in the mobile market.

[quote]The success of the Optimus L Series is testament to our belief all along that there is indeed a market for well-balanced smartphones that represent individuals’ unique tastes,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “The new Optimus L SeriesII expands upon the design philosophy of the original series so we’re quite confident that we’ll have another hit on our hands.”[/quote]

LG recently announced the L Series II lineup, which includes Optimus L7 II, Optimus L5 II and Optimus L3 II. The new line “embodies the beauty of the first L Series but with a more refined touch.” The devices will incorporate four new design elements: Seamless Layout, Laser Cut Contour, Radiant Rear Design, and Smart LED Lighting placed on the home button.

It will officially announce all three devices during this year’s Mobile World Congress (February 25 toFebruary 28).

[Engadget]

February 17, 2013
Ubuntu Preview For Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4 Coming Out On February 21st

Linux enthusiasts rejoiced at the news that Canonical would be bringing Ubuntu to the mobile realm, and although it was promised a developer preview would be available for the Galaxy Nexus at some point early this year, it now looks as though the Nexus 4 will be joining it. From 21st of February, anybody in ownership of either device will be able to get a first look at the OS, which is set to release at some point in October, and although developers may not be leaping out their seats in excitement, it’s hard not to take at least a fleeting interest in its progress.

Developers will be able to download and flash the software to these phones to aid in the creation of apps using the preview SDK.

The SDK, which is built atop of the latest Qt framework, comes with tutorials and design guidelines to ensure developers create beautiful, functional apps. As for casual users, it looks like there won’t be much to the installation process, though it will be a little more involved than flashing a custom Android ROM.

Canonical stresses that this is a developer preview and not finalized code, so you probably won’t be running this as your daily driver just yet.

It has been reported earlier that the first Ubuntu Phone OS powered devices will hit shelves later this year,in October to be more precise.

February 17, 2013
Google Search App For Android Update Brings Google Now Widget, Movie Ratings And More

Google has issued an update to its Search app for Android, bringing the rumoured widget functionality to devices running Jelly Bean and higher. The update brings in fresh data, and adds support for movie tickets from Fandango.

The update, for Android 4.1 and higher, will now provide users with movie ratings from Rotten Tomatoes, and real estate information from Zillow, when a house is listed on the markets and resides in that provider’s database. Also, if you live in the United States, and use the app, you will now be provided with a music button a song is currently employed and the app is in voice mode.

What’s in this version:
For Android 4.1+ (Jelly Bean):
– Google Now widget for home screen or lock screen.
– Movie passes from Fandango
– Movies now includes ratings from Rotten Tomatoes
– Real estate listings from Zillow when in the market for a home
– Music button when a song is playing in voice mode (US only)
– Support for US college sports

Google, which made the widget announcement in an Android blog post, assured that Now is just getting started, so we’re sure to see many more updates and improvements hit the pipeline before long.

The Google Search app for Android is available as a free download from the Google Play Store.

February 15, 2013
Facebook For Android Update Brings Better Cover Photos Management

The official Facebook for Android application has been upgraded in the Google Play Store to make life easier on those who tend to change their profile cover photo quite often. Users can now make the change right from their timeline instead of having to dig through settings and go through the grueling, nerve-wrecking task of pressing button upon button upon button.

No one ever accused Facebook of being swift or thorough with its app updates, but they’re at least usually very welcome when they arrive. Back in 2011, the social network introduced ‘Timeline’, the now-mandatory profile layout that gives you one giant photo at the top, with a secondary profile picture in the bottom-left corner. Up until recently, you couldn’t change your cover photo on mobile. Now, in version 2.2, you can.

Again, not a huge feature but certainly appreciated. We’d love Facebook to redesign the app or, barring that, improve the performance of the one we have. But the company clearly has different priorities. That said, today’s upgrade is waiting for you in the Google Play Store so get over there to check it out.

Temple Run 2 for Android has also been updated, the developers have added the ability to restore the coin doubler if you happened to have re-installed the app on your device and purchased the power up.

[Phandroid]

February 15, 2013