iPhone and other iOS device users on iOS 5.0.1 will begin to rejoice as Untethered jailbreak for their devices is finally here. Just weeks after an exploit for untethered jailbreak was found for iOS 5.0.1, it has been incorporated into RedSn0w 0.9.10, the Pwnage Tool and Chronic Devteam’s Cydia package. This will work on iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 (including the CDMA version), iPad 1, iPod Touch 3G and iPod Touch 4G, so long as they’ve been updated to iOS 5.0.1.
Steps are simple
Head over to the Dev Team page here and download the RedSn0w for your OS (Mac/Win)
Make sure your device has been updated to iOS 5.0.1
Run Redsnow on your PC or Mac and Follow instructions.
Meanwhile pod2g who found the initial exploit, is also reportedly searching for a solution for iPhone 4s and iPad 2.
And you thought Blackberry phones were expensive! Meet the most expensive Blackberry phone on retail yet. The Porsche Design P’9981 Blackberry will sell in the UK exclusive through Harrods for a price of British Pound 1,275/-, that amount converted into Indian moolah is just a couple of thousand over a Lakh of rupees. Move over Vertu, expect the Indian elite to switch to this Berry as soon as it hits the Luxury Retail outlet in London.
The device is supposedly going to start selling before the British bring in their new year 2012. Traveling to London for the New Year party? Get us one of these on the way back!
Envious of your friends Apple Computer with a high speed Thunderbolt I/O (not like he can do much with it yet) ? Intel is finally going to be able to bring their Thunderbolt technology to PCs starting April 2012. The next-Gen data transmission system which is currently only enabled in some Apple computer will come to PCs in time for Intel’s 22nm Ivy Bridge processors (Due April 2012). The only competition that Thunderbolt has, in terms of data transfer, is USB 3.0 which offers 10 times the speed of traditional USB 2.0. Thunderbolt ports however, have a couple advantages over USB 3.0 :
Thunderbolt ports offer double the speeds of USB 3.0
One machine requires only one Thunderbolt port, as all peripherals have an in and an Out Thunderbolt, so that the devices can be chained ( term : Daisy-chained) in a series. Eliminating the need for hubs or multiple wires connected to a single PC ( Gamers should start falling in love with Thunderbolt about now)
Asus and Acer have already announced that their 2012 lineup will include Thunderbolt ports.
Hyundai is planning to bring the 2012 Sonata Hybrid to India sometime next year. The Hybrid revamp of 2011 Hyundai Sonata, one of the most sold cars of this segment in the US in 2011, the 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid will also be launched in India at a starting price of 23 Lakhs.
The new Hybrid Sonata comes with a 2.0-liter Theta II turbocharged GDI engine which offers 274 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 269 lb-ft of torque from 1,800 – 4,500 rpm with regular fuel and offers a Mileage of 13.16 KM/L . The new breakthrough Hybrid Blue Drive technology lithium polymer battery pack with powertrain with engine decoupling, significantly reduces the amount of energy required to maintain speeds, resulting in a increase to 19 KM/l sustained.
The Sonata Hybrid comes with a six-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC manual control or a standard six-speed manual transaxle. The addition of a sixth gear enables closer spacing between gear ratios providing a better balance of performance and fuel economy while the wide overall gear ratio helps deliver strong acceleration.
The Sonata Hybrid shares the same “Fluidic Sculpture” design language with all other 2012 Sonatas. The new design features re-shaped front and rear fascias with a deeper air dam, extended rocker panels and lower drag wheels allow the air to flow around the body with less resistance.
For safety the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid (and non hybrids) have a hot stamped ultra-high-strength steel body structure, advanced airbag technology with 6 air-bags and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) as standard. As an option – higher models will include four-wheel disc brakes and an Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) including Brake Assist and Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD). Other passive safety features include shingle-style rear-seat head restraints for improved visibility, three-point seatbelts for all seating positions, front-seat seatbelt pretensioners and force limiters, and a rear-seat Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system for child seats.
It is unknown if in Car entertainment will be the same in the Indian version of the Sonata. All international versions come standard with a 7 inch multitouch Navigation system and Digital Radio(N/A in India). The Unit supports iPhone and Bluetooth Mobile phone pairing, Also features voice activated- and voice guided Navigation. The in Dash Unit also has iPod/USB/auxiliary inputs and an 8GB of flash memory.
Have an iOS device but miss the Airplay feature because you didn’t get the Apple TV ? Well Airtight is the answer, considering you got Google TV instead. A simple app that costs only 99 cents allows you to use any Airplay enabled device like an iPad or iPhone to share with a Google TV on the same network. It currently works with only sharing of Non-DRM Movies, and Music and direct mirroring is not yet supported. So a US $ 99 Apple TV seems like a better option if you still haven’t invested in a Google TV.
The Italian Anti-trust commission has fined Apple US dollars 1.2 Million(900,000 Euros), for pushing customers to buy AppleCare for their products without letting them know about the existing warranty and support that comes with the unit.
Apple typically offers 90 days of complimentary telephone support and 1 year of hardware warranty with almost all their products excluding iMac’s which get at location service. In Italy, companies are actually required by law to provide two years of free support to customers, which, according to the Italian Antitrust Authority, was not clearly explained to Apple customers either online or at the point-of-sale.
The three companies affected with the fine are Apple Italia, Apple Sales International and Apple Retail Italia. The fine is split into two sections, where 400,000 Euros is the fine for not clearly disclosing already available warranties, and 500,000 Euros for selling AppleCare without disclosing the above.
The Anti-Trust commission has also given Apple 90 days to update the information on their website.
We got over a thousand requests to review the Samsung Galaxy R especially after the price drop. The device originally launched at Rs. 27000, just a little shy of the price of the Galaxy S2, but now the phone is priced at a mere 20,800 , also available at online retailers for a discount of 1000 using a coupon. Making it the best under 20k handset, here is why.
Build Quality and Design
Not the best build quality by Samsung, the Galaxy R lacks precious looks and precious materials. The back panel especially fades away after just light use, the scratch resistant front display is not so scratch resistant after all. We did face some issue with the power button and it turned out to be really fidgety. Apart from the downsides, we did like the look of the handset and it does feature some great elements, including a nice sized, tactile home button along with a nice chrome bezel.
The design is identical to the S2 but is much fatter than the powerful predecessor. The back of the device makes it look a bit ugly, and since it fades easily the look worsens day by day.
Hardware and Multimedia
Now that the price is so different, we see that there is a slight difference b/w the specs of the S2 and the R.
COMPARISON
Samsung Galaxy R I9103
Samsung Galaxy S 2 I9100
Platform
Operating Freq
GSM – 900, 1800
GSM – 850, 900, 1800, 1900; UMTS – 2100
OS
Android v2.3 (Gingerbread)
Android v2.3 (Gingerbread)
User Interface
TouchWiz
TouchWiz 4.0
Java
Processor
1 GHz ARM Cortex A9, Dual Core
1.2 GHz ARM Cortex A9, Dual Core
Graphics
ULP GeForce
Mali-400 MP
Display
Type
Super Clear LCD
Super AMOLED Plus
Size
4.2 Inches
4.27 Inches
Resolution
WVGA, 480 x 800 Pixels
800 x 480 Pixels
Colors
16 M
16 M
Camera
Primary Camera
5 Megapixel
8 Megapixel
Secondary Camera
VGA
2 Megapixel
Flash
LED
LED
Video Recording
1280 x 720
1920 x 1080, 30 fps
HD Recording
HD
HD, Full HD
Other Camera Features
Geo-tagging, Smile Detection, Auto Focus, Image Editor
Auto Focus, Shot Mode, Photo Effects, White Balance, Geo-tagging, Face and Smile Detection
Zoom
Digital Zoom
Dimensions
Size
66 x 125 x 9.5 mm
66.1 x 125.3 x 8.4 mm
Weight
135 g
116 g
Battery
Type
Li-lon, 1650 mAh
1650 mAh
Talktime
18 hrs (2G), 8 hrs (3G)
Standby Time
710 hrs (2G), 610 hrs (3G)
Memory and Storage
Internal
8 GB
16 GB
Expandable Memory Slot
Micro SD, upto 32 GB
Micro SD, upto 32 GB
The camera on the device is a 5MP snapper and it gives out decent image quality and 720p video, the LED flash is also good enough to illuminate low lit subjects, but don’t expect it to fill a room. Images are as crisp as can be from a 5Mp sensor, the quality when compared to a 5MP snapper from the iPhone 4 is a bit lower. 720p video is smooth and without jitters and we will soon upload a video sample to demonstrate that.
The screen is not anything like the Super AMOLED Plus display on the S2 but the SLCD display is the same size and same pixel resolution, also the same color density and is a exceptionally bright display with great outdoor visibility. The display is try capable of playing good video and the device supports unto 1080p video playback without any issues.
Audio on the device is loud, a bit louder than the S2 we presume, the earpiece did give us some problems as we mentioned in the unboxing, but somehow the volume keeps going up and down in the earpiece and we suspect its a software thing. Mic works great without any problem.
The NVidia Tegra 2 chipset is well supported in the gaming developer community, so expect to find more games work on this device than were supported on the S2 initially. Let us mention that all sort of games play brilliantly.
Call Quality and Messaging
The network is great and no breakages in sustained network, even while traveling. We did however face low signal in key areas like flyovers and tower changes. Audio is good, but like we mentioned the earpiece can get a bit bothersome.
The device also supports video calling over 3G networks which is a great add-on to those who want to use this feature, although we prefer services like Skype and Fring which work great too.
Messaging works great on the nice and large screen, with the ability to switch to Swype which is inbuilt into the system you can enhance the experience of typing. You can also switch to a flurry of available keyboard replacements in the Android Marketplace to best suit your needs of typing.
Battery Life
The battery life on this device is varied out of the box you will struggle to pass a few hours with the device, you will need to charge it at least twice a day if not more. But we found easy fixes, and we have discussed these with Samsung and we believe that a software update should rectify the problem soon. Turn off Wifi, background data sync and Mobile data, when not in use and here are the results
Talk time 2G : 5 hours
Talk Time 3G : 4-4.5 Hours
Standby Time : 2 Days- 3 Days
Internet usage : 8 Hours over Wifi
Video Playback : upto 6 hours constant video
Conclusion
The device is an exceptional device especially after this price drop, it does lack proper construction, but has a set of features that are difficult to match at this price. The only thing that comes close to this device is the LG Optimus 2X with almost the same price and the same chipset. The Galaxy R has a newer built of Android and will definitely get the ICS update. The Galaxy R also has TouchWiz UI which we prefer over the one on LG. We also believe that the device is well supported in the developer community and has a larger user base.
Samsung Galaxy R is a great purchase and a brilliant holiday gift.
The iPad 3 Rumors are starting to our in and flaring over what is said to be the next iPad slated for a early 2012 release. Here is what the inter webs are discussing:
Launch Date
The iPad 3 is supposedly set to be launched in around the end of January with sale beginning on 24th Feb 2012 (Steve Jobs’ Birthday)
Processor
If Apple is launching a new iPad we can expect a spec bump, Rumors point to a dual core A6 chipset clocked at 2GHz with enhanced Graphics processing equivalent to gaming consoles.
Display
Apple is also said to be working on a Enhanced retina display for the iPad 3 ( or simply a higher res display than the current version.).
Camera
People complained a lot about poor cameras in the iPad 2 and Apple is said to be fixing that issue with the 5MP snapper from the iPhone 4 being installed in the iPad 3 along with FaceTime HD front camera.
Design
Apple is said to be furthering the slim profile of the iPad 2 by making the iPad 3 even thinner. The form factor will continue to remain the same and the smart covers will still work.
What will actually happen at the launch of the iPad 3, if there is one, will only be known post the launch. But the rumors point in the general direction that any company would head in. The possibilities of these changes is quite high. The only thing that we are unsure of is the shipping date.
Samsung is said to be hard at work on a tablet that will feature a retina like resolution of 2560 x 1600 px. The tablet is said to be either 11.6 inches or 10.1 inches, all running on a dual-core Exynos 5250 CPU clocked at 2GHz, pushing apps on a custom Touchwiz running on Ice Cream Sandwich. The tablet is also said to have an 8MP camera at back and a 3MP camera in the front capable of HD Video Calls.
The tablet will also feature Android Beam for easy syncing of media with a Galaxy Nexus, and a special wireless docking mode for gaming on HDTVs. The tablet is supposedly slated for release in February 2012 to beat rumors of an iPad 3 sale starting on Feb 24th ( Steve Jobs’ birthday). There is no official announcement from Samsung but it appears that CES 2012 would be a good time for Sammy to announce this thin, wide and high res Tablet of the future.
So many questions, so little time. Its the time for holiday cheer and we are literally getting bombarded with hundreds of emails asking us what phones to buy. So here is our guide for the best options in the Rs. 15000 price.
(In order of preference)
Android Phones
1. Micromax A85 SuperFone : (Rs. 15290) The price drop has already been announced, and at this price it is the best spec’d phone. A dual core Nvidia Tegra 2, 3.8 inch touchscreen, 5 MP camera and gesture control make this the best bet at the price. But sadly it ships with Android 2.2.
2.Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro Sk17i: (Rs 15,000) One of the most recommended devices by iGyaan in 2011 our extensive review will tell you why this device is an excellent purchase.
3. Motorola Defy (Rs 14,000) : The original defy is still an awesome phone, with Android a brilliant rugged construction that resists water and dust. The design is also shock proof. Check out our Review.
4. HTC ChaCha (Rs. 14500): A brilliant form factor with excellent build, the only touch and type phone with this design from HTC. Also the first phone with a dedicated FB button on the Android platform, a Social king. Our Review Covers it.
5. Samsung Galaxy Ace (Rs 13000): One of the most loved phones of 2011 the ace has a nice display along with impressive looks, a good processor and Touchwiz on top of Android 2.3. The device is well supported in the developer community and will get ICS courtesy Root and Custom CM9 rom. Check out our Review
6. HTC Wildfire S (Rs 12,500): Not our last option but an alternative to the Galaxy Ace, the build is far superior also is the quality of materials used. The device features HTC Sense on top of Android 2.3 and is arguably the best built phone of this bracket. The camera in some aspects is better than the Ace and pulls out great images. The processor is only a 600MHz compared to the 800MHz on the Ace. We reviewed it Here
Blackberry
Blackberry Curve 3G 9300 (Rs. 14,450): The only berry in this range, you also get the CDMA version of the curve 8520 (called: 8530) which is not worth mentioning. What is to say this is an old outdated berry running on the older OS6 but features a great and responsive OS. It is a great upgrade for some one on a Blackberry high . We however say, spend more and get the Curve 9380 : we covered here.
Nokia Symbian
Nokia 700 (Rs 15299) : Younger version of the 701, this device is available in the market in select locations, features new Symbian Belle and a 3.2 inch Capacitive Amoled Clear Black display. A 5 Mp camera and 720p video capabilities make it a good competitor. Another add-on is the tough gorilla glass front. The price seems a bit high for this old-school Operating System. The phone also has a 2Gb internal storage and is a grab option for those who refuse to abandon the legendary OS in its dying days.
Nokia 500 (Rs 11,000): Then there is the 500, its the only other Nokia phone in this bracket apart from the discontinued C6-01. This features a 1GHz processor along with a 3.2-inch TFT nHD Capacitive Touchscreen. The phone features Symbian Anna and has great 5MP camera, which is fixed focus. Again price is a bit of a pinch especially because the device is unable to offer the freedom that say an Android device would offer, But on the upside it does have a 1GHz processor.
Windows Phone
Samsung Focus (Rs 14000) : The device was never announced in India, but New and unlocked US versions can be bought on Ebay. The device features a nice 4.0 Inch Super Amoled Display with a native 480 x 800 px resolution. Already updated to Mango this device offers all the new features of Windows Phone 7.5 at a bargain, everything of course except a front facing camera. The Focus also has 8GB of memory and 512MB Ram and 512MB Rom
Sony has sold its stake in the SLCD division of Samsung, the initial tie up was a 50%-50% partnership between the two companies. The venture was started seven years ago and now the companies have decided to part ways. The 50% stake that Sony owned was bought back by samsung for a sum of US $ 939 million, and Sony believes that it will continue engineering efforts for LCD developments in the future alongside Samsung.
[toggle title_open=”Press Release” title_closed=”Press Release” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Sony and Samsung Shift to New LCD Panel Business Alliance
• Samsung to acquire all of Sony’s shares of S-LCD, making the joint venture its wholly-owned subsidiary • Sony and Samsung enter into a strategic agreement for supply and purchase of LCD panels.
Tokyo, Japan – Sony Corporation (“Sony”) and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (“Samsung”) today announced that the two companies have signed agreements to transition the current business relationship with respect to LCD panels.
Under the agreement, Samsung will acquire all of Sony’s shares of S-LCD Corporation (“S-LCD”), the two companies’ LCD panel manufacturing joint venture, making S-LCD a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung. In consideration for the share transfer, cash consideration of approximately KRW 1.08 trillion* will be paid to Sony by Samsung. Concurrently, the two companies have entered into a new strategic agreement for the supply and purchase of LCD panels with a goal of enhancing the competitiveness of both companies. The agreement also allows Sony and Samsung to continue cooperative engineering efforts focused on LCD panel technology.
For Sony, this transaction will enable it to monetize its shares in S-LCD and aims to secure a flexible and steady supply of LCD panels from Samsung, based on market prices and without the responsibility and costs of operating a manufacturing facility. With whole ownership of S-LCD, Samsung anticipates heightened flexibility, speed and efficiency in both panel production and business operations.
Established in April 2004, S-LCD has continued to deliver advanced and cost-competitive LCD panels to both of its parent companies, contributing to the expansion of the respective parties’ TV businesses, and the large-sized LCD TV market overall. However, LCD panel and TV market conditions have now changed. In order to respond to such challenging conditions and to strengthen their respective market competitiveness, the two companies have agreed to shift to a new LCD panel business alliance.
The share transfer and payment are targeted to close by the end of January 2012, subject to necessary approvals from regulatory authorities.
As a result of this transaction, a non-cash impairment loss of approximately JPY 66 billion is expected to be incurred by Sony in the third quarter of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012, due to the reevaluation of its S-LCD shares. This loss includes an impact from the fluctuation of exchange rate. Despite this one-time loss, Sony estimates that the transaction will result in substantial savings on and after January 1, 2012 in respect of costs associated with its procurement of LCD panels. The current estimate of the yearly savings in respect of such costs is approximately JPY 50 billion, compared to LCD panel procurement costs estimated for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012. Neither the one-time loss nor the estimated cost savings were included in Sony’s forecast of consolidated financial results for the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2012, announced on November 2, 2011. Sony is currently reevaluating this forecast, taking into account this transaction and other factors that might affect its full year FY2011 consolidated financial results forecast.
Facts about S-LCD Established: April 26, 2004 Capital: KRW 3.3 Trillion (Samsung Electronics: 50% plus 1 share, Sony: 50% minus 1 share) Representative: Location: Production Items: Donggun Park, CEO Tangjeong, Chung Cheong Nam-Do, South Korea 7th and 8th generation Amorphous TFT LCD *Note: The final amount of such payment will be determined based on S-LCD’s financial statements as of the end of December 2011.[/toggle]
While big smartphones struggle to get their fix of Google’s new OS. Folks over at MadTeam, the ones that got us the original Cyanogen on the Galaxy 5, have managed to port over Android’s new baby Ice Cream Sandwich to the Galaxy 5. Although the port is not complete and is not recommended for daily use, infact basic functionality of the device is broken. Check out the list below.
Working:
Hardware Acceleration (Some Parts)
Touchscreen
WiFi
Audio
Broken:
Telephony
3G
GPS
Sensors
Bluetooth
Market
USB Mounting
WiFi Hotspot
Tethering
JIT is Disabled (So, the ROM is slightly slow)
Keyboard (Doesn’t appear completely on the Screen)
While the team is currently removing the bugs, It is recommended that you stay away from this build bless you want to loose all functionality. We expect the full release to come out soon, and will present a full upgrade guide once we have tested the build for ourselves.
A clever App from a seasoned developer Avatron Software, Air Dictate, allows users to use voice dictation on their Mac’s using Apple’s own Siri. This app does not bring the great conversation you can have with Siri off and on, but it does bring the excellent voice recognition engine to you Mac, and first reports suggest that it works great. We are downloading the App as we write this, expect a full test soon.
A group of Galaxy Tab 8.9 owners couldn’t wait anymore and decided to homebrew their own Ice Cream Sandwich build for the Tab 8.9. Using files from the upcoming final build of Cyanogen Mod 9, this home cooked build is anything but final. Bluetooth, GPS, hardware acceleration and the accelerometer are functioning, while Wifi still remains a problem. The group is refraining from releasing builds for download at the moment, but they are promising quick updates. Check out the video preview below, but if anything, like a user comment, it seems it was recorded on a potato.
