Author: Shivaank Rana

Rumour : Galaxy S4 Will Feature S Pen, Launching In April

The Samsung Galaxy S4 rumor mill got heated up Friday when a new report, coming straight from South Korea, hit the web saying that the next generation Galaxy S smartphone would be released in April 2013 with S Pen functionality.

This would imply Samsung’s looking to go at least 5 inches as far as display size goes, but that’s another story for another day. The S4 would introduce all the familiar S Pen features we’ve come to know and love, as well as new features that Samsung’s sure to be cooking up as we type.

A refresh of previous rumours had Samsung launching this in April 2013 and once again increasing the size of their flagship Android to a 5-inch display (1080×1920 resolution) with 441 pixels per inch (ppi), embedding a quad-core processor and a 13-megapixel camera, plus running Jelly Bean.

In addition, the report also indicated that the GS IV will be 9.1mm thin, which is also a bit thicker than the current Galaxy S III at 8.6mm thin.

Samsung found quite the niche market with the Samsung Galaxy Note, and combining the two would help line its pockets even more. After all, what sense does it make to have your main flagship play second fiddle to the “little big brother” each year? While some characteristics of the Galaxy S3 — such as its less encumbering size — are more desirable for some people, it’s no secret that the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 either matches it or outclasses it in every other way.

December 29, 2012
Huawei Ascend Mate Images Show Up Before Its Official Announcement

Additional shots of Huawei’s upcoming Ascend Mate have leaked out, showing off a neatly curved rear shell and that enormous 6.1-inch screen. The photos obtained by MyDrivers, show what is essentially a big black slab, with on-screen buttons.

There appears to be a slight curve to the back of the device, which should make it a little nicer to hold in the hand. If a 6.1 inch smartphone could ever, truly feel nice in the hand.

The Ascend Mate with is entering the phablet market, currently dominated by Samsung Galaxy Note devices. The rumoured specs of the Ascend Mate have it coming with a 6.1-inch 1080p Full HD display, quad-core 1.8 GHz processor, 2 GB of RAM, 13MP camera, 9.9 mm thin and packing an impressive 4,000 mAh battery.

Huawei intends on unleashing this 6.1-inch titan at next month’s CES.

December 29, 2012
BLU Products Announces The VIVO 4.65 HD, To Cost $300 In The US

BLU Products, announced the new VIVO 4.65 HD, as a big brother to the VIVO 4.3 which launched earlier this year. Improvements on the VIVO 4.65 HD, include an increased screen size to 4.65″, as opposed to 4.3″ from the previous model, as well as improved display resolution with an HD Super AMOLED display, and increase to 1GB of RAM.

The phone is slated to begin shipping in January, and is priced at $300 in the US and will soon follow through to parts of Asia.

[quote]”We are thrilled as we continue to add to the successful series of VIVO smartphone devices using Super AMOLED Technology displays, resulting in remarkably bright and vivid color reproduction, with the best viewing experience available on a mobile phone today,” said Samuel-Ohev-Zion, CEO of BLU Products. “BLU is determined to continue to bring the best technology and specs available on mobile devices, with several incredible product launches coming in the first half of 2013.”[/quote]

The Vivo 4.65 HD features a MediaTek MT6577 Cortex A9 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. The rear camera is 8-megapixels and offers HD video recordering. The handset features 3G and HSPA conenctivity, as well as dual SIM support; the handset is unlocked. There’s no Jelly Bean here, unfortunately, with the device running Ice Cream Sandwich.

Interestingly, we expect the next device in the Micromax A90 line up to have similar specs, as that was the case when the A90 was launched. Its specs were notoriously similar to the VIVO 4.3.

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BLU Products, one of the fastest growing mobile phone manufacturers in the world, announced the new VIVO 4.65 HD, as a big brother to the already popular and bestselling VIVO 4.3 which launched earlier this year. Improvements on the VIVO 4.65 HD, include an increased screen size to 4.65″, as opposed to 4.3″ from the previous model, as well as improved display resolution with an HD Super AMOLED display, and increase to 1GB of RAM.

“We are thrilled as we continue to add to the successful series of VIVO smartphone devices using Super AMOLED Technology displays, resulting in remarkably bright and vivid color reproduction, with the best viewing experience available on a mobile phone today,” said Samuel-Ohev-Zion, CEO of BLU Products. “BLU is determined to continue to bring the best technology and specs available on mobile devices, with several incredible product launches coming in the first half of 2013.”

The VIVO 4.65 HD, continues with its predecessor’s design language, which features no physical hardware buttons on the front to ensure a seamless elegant design, and is run by a MediaTek MT6577 dual core 1.2 GHz Cortex™-A9 CPU with 3G/HSPA connectivity, running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Operating System. Additionally, the VIVO 4.65 HD is designed to deliver high-end multimedia capability, with an 8MP autofocus camera, and HD video recording and playback. The highlights of the phone include the rich viewing experience of the brilliant HD Super AMOLED 4.65″ Display, along with true dual SIM capability allowing both SIMs to be active and receive calls simultaneously.

The unlocked VIVO 4.65 HD will begin shipping to major US Retailers in January of 2013, with an MSRP of $299.99 and will soon follow through Latin America, and parts of Asia.

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December 28, 2012
LG Wants Ban On Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Tablet Sales in Korea

The war between Korea’s two biggest mobile makers continues after LG Display moved to ban the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet on the grounds that it infringes three of its display patents, according to a Dow Jones report.

A statement made to the news agency confirmed that LG has made the request for a sales injunction and is seeking compensation of 1 billion won ($933,000) for each day of the “continued non-compliance”.

The two companies have been in a patent row since September when LG Display one of the world’s top flat-screen TV makers filed suits against Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display for allegedly infringing patents on seven organic light-emitting diode (OLED)-related technologies.

LG said that five of Samsung’s products, including its global hit Galaxy S-series smartphones and tablet computer Galaxy Tab, infringed its patents.

Later the same month, Samsung filed a court complaint accusing LG of luring away senior Samsung OLED researchers even though they had signed contracts preventing them working for a rival. LG’s new suit comes just over a month after Samsung moved to have seven of its rival’s patents annulled by Korean courts.

Samsung has also been battling Apple’s patent infringement allegations for a while now. Recently, in a rather interesting turn of events, Samsung affirmed that it would drop its lawsuits seeking a sales ban on Apple’s products in Europe. The company said it will not make attempts to stop the sale of some Apple products in Germany, Britain, France, Italy and the Netherlands. Interestingly though, Samsung has made no mention of whether it would put an end to its court battle for compensation.

December 28, 2012
Blimey! 5 Year Old Boy Finds Porn On Christmas Present Nintendo 3DS Bought From GameStop!

A five-year-old boy in Colorado got a nasty surprise on Christmas morning when he unwrapped a Nintendo from Santa to find it had pornographic images on it. His father said he had to return the refurbished Nintendo 3DS Santa had left under the Christmas tree after discovering the images on the device purchased at GameStop.

Unfortunately for all involved, the device wasn’t properly wiped of its previous owner’s content, which included porn. As such, Braydon discovered the images while playing with the device and asked his brother for help in getting rid of them.

Mark Giles, from Colorado, said his son Bryton had been waiting all year for a Nintendo 3DS but when he finally opened it both father and child broke into tears.

He cried as he told NBC News his son told him about the porn straight away, saying “Dad, I don’t think you should be looking at these pictures.”

“I just handed him the 3DS,” Bryton said.

After complaining to GameStop electronics store where he had bought the device, Mr Giles said he was told the six homemade images were put there by a previous owner and weren’t spotted before the device was resold. But he said the damage had already been done when it came to his son.

[quote]”You can’t unsee this, he’s five years old… he’s not going to forget about this tomorrow,” he said.[/quote]

GameStop has issued a statement saying it wants to make it up to the Giles family.

[quote]”We have a rigorous quality control process in place to ensure that existing content is removed from all devices before they are re-sold. Out of millions of transactions each year, ones like this happen very rarely. Our number one priority is to make this right for our customer,” the company said.[/quote]

GameStop sent the family a new Nintendo 3DS, as well as a handful of games.

[CNET]

December 28, 2012
Huawei Ascend D2 Pictured Ahead Of CES

CES 2013 will be soon upon us, and Huawei is one of the manufacturers that will unveil a new flagship phone, the Ascend D2. The folks over at ithome have just published several live pictures of the Huawei Ascend D2 smartphone.

We’re starting to see many high-end Android handsets come to market with 1080p displays and quad-core chips, though, and the Ascend D2 looks like Huawei’s addition to that trend. The pictures above reportedly depict the five-inch Ascend D2 but aside from these photos not much else is unveiled, except a confirmation of previous rumors talking about a 5-inch 1080p display, quad-core 1.5GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, 13MP camera, and Jelly Bean with the power of a 3000 mah battery behind it.

We all remember its predecessor, the D Quad, and it’s battery-boosted bro, the D Quad XL, but the D2 stands to be a significant step up from both of them.

The smartphone will be available for purchase for around $500/€380 outright, though we don’t have any info on the exact release date.

It’s great to see Huawei continuing to push the higher-end market and get those devices selling – after all, competition is good, especially on price point. We may also see a new 6.1-inch tablet from Huawei at CES, which will be interesting to try out, to say the least.

December 28, 2012
Marvell Ordered to Pay $1.17 Billion in Carnegie Mellon University Patent Case

A jury on Wednesday hit Marvell Technology Group with a billion-dollar verdict, ruling that the US chip maker “willfully” infringed on patents held by Carnegie Mellon University.

Northern California-based Marvell violated CMU patents on technology that increase the accuracy of reading data from high-speed magnetic disks, according to a verdict delivered in federal court in the state of Pennsylvania, where the university is based.

Jurors rejected the argument by Marvell that the CMU patents were not valid and ordered Marvel to pay $1.1 billion in damages, according to the K&L Gates legal team that represented the university at trial.

[quote]”We take special pride in this trial victory because of the decades-long relationship between our firm and Carnegie Mellon University and our deep appreciation for CMU’s path breaking and leadership role in the Information Age,” said law firm partner Peter Kalis.[/quote]

Shares of Marvell fell 10.3 percent on Wednesday, closing down 85 cents at $7.40 on the Nasdaq.

Carnegie Mellon said it was gratified by the verdict. “Protection of the discoveries of our faculty and students is very important to us,” it said.

Marvell is based in Hamilton, Bermuda. Its U.S. operating unit Marvell Semiconductor Inc is based in Santa Clara, California, and was also a defendant in the case.

The company posted a $615.1 million profit on net revenue of $3.39 billion in its most recent fiscal year, which ended on January 28. It counts Western Digital Corp and Seagate Technology Plc among its largest customers.

December 27, 2012
Samsung To Ship Half A Billion Phones In 2013

Samsung expects to sell 510 million phones in 2013, the company announced on Wednesday. Samsung says most of those devices will be smart phones, cementing the company’s status as the world’s biggest phone manufacturer.

Apple sold 26.9 million iPhones in its fiscal Q4 2012 (or calendar year Q3 2012). The street consensus for the current quarter is somewhere between 46 and 48 million iPhones, based on strong demand for the new iPhone 5.

Samsung says three out of four devices it is on course to sell in the next twelve months will be smartphones and predicts an overall 20 per cent jump in phone sales on 2012.
Research firm Gartner, however, reckons Samsung might be just a little over optimistic in its forecasts. It has predicted the company’s phone sales in 2013 are likely to fall somewhere between 250 million and 300 million, though that’s still a quantum leap on the mere 23.9 million it sold just two years ago in 2010.

[quote]”Samsung’s proven ability to quickly produce and replace a wide range of handsets aimed at several different markets contrasts with Nokia’s struggles and Apple’s difficulties that are mainly related to parts sourcing problems,” said Hwang Min-seong, an analyst at Samsung Securities.[/quote]

As it gears up for further expansion Samsung, meanwhile, is expanding its manufacturing base beyond its own shores and into Vietnam, China and India where the lion’s share of new phones will be made.

December 27, 2012
Canon Launches The EOS-1D C In Japan!

Canon has launched its super-expensive EOS-1D C in Japan, and will be following it up with a launch in the United States rumored to take place in the next couple days. At $11,999, this latest Canon 1D is hardly set to become a DSLR bestseller, but there are certainly a few pro shooters willing to line up for an incredibly versatile 18-megapixel 4K cam, with EOS lens compatibility and a full-frame sensor.

For those interested, the 4K video is recorded using 8-bit Motion JPEG compression at 24p, and Full HD (1920 x 1080) video capture is available at frame rates up to 1080/60p. The camera supports internal recording to CF cards at all resolutions up to and including 4K, offering enhanced mobility. Video can also be output to external recorders (excluding 4K video) via an integrated HDMI terminal using an uncompressed YCbCr 4:2:2 signal.

Support for 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60p frame rates in Full HD resolution shooting is also included, as is the ability to capture 12fps continuous stills shooting (14fps in Super High speed shooting mode) in bursts of up to 180 large JPEG images (38 RAW) and a wide ISO range of 100 to 25600 for movies and 100-51200 for stills expandable up to ISO 204800.

There is a Super 35mm Crop Mode and Canon Log Gamma. In terms of hardware, the 1D offers an integrated headphone port and HDMI with time code. You will need UDMA 7 Cards that record at least 100MB/s to do the 4K video, and even then because of the high 500mbits per sec bitrate (Higher than RED EPIC’s 5K 24 fps 350mbps for some reason) , 1 min of footage will take up 4 GB of space!

Other stats to brag about the EOS-1D C are the 61-point AF system, the Dual “DIGIC 5+” processor and a 1,040k-dot 3.2inch Clear View II LCD screen.

There are a handful of nice test videos and images clicked from the EOS-1D C floating around online.

[Engadget]

December 27, 2012
LG Launches 100-inch Short Throw Laser Projector

LG’s new Hecto projector may be just the thing for folks who want a huge viewing space, but have a limited area in which to do it.

High-end projectors have been around for some time now, but the big issue has been that you needed to have a lot of space between the device and the screen. Using lasers, this latest device from LG only needs 22-inches of clearance to give you a 100-inch diagonal display. Capable of 1080p projection, the Ultra Short Throw unit also features a digital tuner.

The projector also boasts Smart TV and Digital TV functionality, 3 HDMI ports, audio outs, a 10w speaker and can be placed near the floor in front of the screen, rather than having to be attached to the ceiling.

LG says the system, built using its laser-based Illumination technology, will provide a better option for those without the space to hang a traditional projector and bring cinema-style viewing to the home.

[quote]It will provide picture quality “about the equivalent to plasma,” said Tim Alessi, LG product planning director. “It will have great color and black levels, the motion reproduction is excellent and you don’t need a totally dark room as you would with a traditional front projector.”[/quote]

No word as of yet on a price or release date, but as this one of the many pre-CES 2013 announcements the company is making, we’re sure to learn more in just a few weeks.

December 27, 2012
Shopper : Amazon Sold Me A Stolen iPhone!

Ben Dreyfuss bought his mom an iPhone for Christmas. Mama D. tears open the package, finds a shiny aluminum bundle of joy, and then decides to set it up. One problem: When she called Verizon to activate the thing, they told her that her new iPhone was stolen.

Dreyfuss tweeted that the iPhone in question had been listed on Amazon’s warehouse deals as refurbished. He claimed that it originally came from an Amazon trade-in; in other words, someone likely stole the phone and sold it to Amazon.

Amazon should be responsible for checking whether the merchandise it sells is hot. Either way, Dreyfuss reported on Twitter that Amazon had instructed him to return it and was “very apologetic.”

We’re not sure if Amazon is merely going to credit the son, leaving mom short one Apple iPhone, or if they are going to send out another refurbished unit. Either way, we’re sure that Amazon will leave the customer satisfied because a retailer doesn’t grow as big as the online retailer has without keeping customers happy.

[Gizmodo]

December 26, 2012
Instagram Hit With Lawsuit Over Terms Of Service Change

A class action lawsuit against Instagram has been filed in San Francisco federal court, following user outrage regarding the mobile photo sharing app’s changed Terms of Service.

This appears to be the first civil lawsuit filed as a result of Instagram service term changes, Reuters reports.

The new Terms of Service agreement included clauses that referred to the company’s new powers to sell users’ photos without warning or compensation, reported RT. New clauses also said that users waived their rights to participate in class-action lawsuits against the company.

A strong backlash, including a blizzard of news coverage, made Instagram relent and issue a statement of apology. The company agreed to reword the terms and delete some of the more controversial language.

Instagram did, however, retain the clause forbidding arbitration as well as ads with user content.

The lawsuit was filed by the San Diego-based law firm Finkelstein & Krinsk on behalf of Instagram user Lucy Funes and others. The plaintiffs in the suit claim that Instagram breached their contract with users as the only way to get out of the terms is to deactivate the service altogether.

This controversial issue has also caused many users to switch to other services which are similar to Instagram such as Yahoo!’s Flickr which released the new mobile app for iOS with build in vintage filters to rival with Instagram prior to the changes of terms and conditions by Instagram. Flickr also started offering it’s user three months of free Flickr Pro service to take advantage of this situation.

December 26, 2012
Apple Wins Mini/Micro SIM Connector Patent

Apple has received a Granted Patent that relates to connectors that allow SIM cards to be easily removed and replaced, may be resistant to damage by an improper insertion of a SIM card, and may provide reliable mechanical performance.

The timing of Apple’s new micro SIM connector patent couldn’t have been more perfect in light of the battle between Nokia and Apple over the design of future miniature SIM cards for mobile devices. It was even been reported that Nokia had threatened to withdraw 50 or so SIM card related patents from ETSI if the Apple proposal is approved. Well, in June Apple’s design won that very battle. Today, Apple has been officially granted the patent regarding the Micro SIM card.

[quote]Connectors that may allow SIM cards to be easily removed and replaced, may be resistant to damage by an improper insertion of a SIM card, and may provide reliable mechanical performance. One example may provide a plunger system where a user can push on a plunger rod and eject a SIM card. Another example may provide contacts that are not damaged by improper insertion of a SIM card. Another example may provide a plastic housing, the housing reinforced by a metallic shield and having a relatively uniform thickness [/quote]

Apple has received the patent from the USPTO and while the official title is for a Mini-SIM card connector, the technology involved will work with a SIM-card, Mini-SIMor a Micro-SIM card. Actually, it will work with any sized SIM card. The connector allows for easy insertion and removal of the SIM card and is resistant to any damage that could be caused by an incorrect insertion of the card, and provides for “reliable mechanical performance” of the connector.

December 26, 2012
Nokia 10.1-inch Windows RT Tablet To Come With Battery-Equipped Keyboard Cover?

Quoting information provided by sources familiar with Nokia’s plans, The Verge claims that Nokia is working on a 10.1-inch Windows RT tablet. While rumors of a Nokia Windows RT tablet have surfaced as early as March this year, the latest report reveals some specifications of the device.

The Nokia Windows RT slate is said to be equipped with an ARM chip, HDMI and USB ports. It also has cellular connectivity and AT&T will be among the first carriers to sell it in the U.S.

Nokia’s tablet will go head-to-head with Microsoft’s Surface RT and will feature a battery-equipped cover that “clicks in” like the Surface’s, plus has a built-in kickstand, a keyboard, 10-hour battery life, two USB ports.

Nokia design chief Marko Ahtisaari had said in an interview with Finnish magazine Kauppalehti Optio that he was spending a third of his time on creating a tablet for the cellphone maker, which would stand out among hundreds of iPad-challengers. “We are working on it,” he was quoted as saying.

DigiTimes previously pointed out that the tablet will be unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2013.

December 26, 2012
Zync Launches Six Dual SIM Phones, Priced From Rs 1399

Zync Global Private Limited has launched six new models of dual-sim phones this time round. The models are called Zync C18, C21, C22, C24, C27 and C30; they are priced at Rs. 1399, Rs. 1990, Rs. 1990, Rs. 1990, Rs. 1990 and Rs. 2499 respectively.

The other features include loudspeaker, a 4GB microSD memory card, USB connectivity, Bluetooth support, a dual LED torch light and many others. These mobile phones also have a primary camera of 1.3 MP which supports video recording, a music player and features an FM radio, enabling the users to tune into their favorite music stations.

[quote]“This is the first time we have entered the mobile phone category. With the mobile segment growing by leaps and bounds and recording sales of around 200 million units in 2012, we felt this was the right time to expand our horizon and enter a new territory. At Zync, we continuously work on innovation with our product range and seek to provide the right solutions for our customers for their technological needs. With the launch of these six new cell phones, we aim to bring a powerful and dependable device with great features at a very affordable price point,” said Amul Mittal, Co-founder, Zync Global.[/quote]

The high-end Zync C30 comes with a mobile tracker, email support and King Movie Player.

December 25, 2012