Well the first Kindle fire is only a few months old, but reports are emerging that the next incarnation of the popular iPad alternative (though not on specs) is due a facelift, so when will it arrive and what will make it a version 2 tablet?

Well many believe that Amazon rushed the release of the Kindle Fire 1, using a Quanta off the shelf Playbook design. They did this to get their tablet out prior to the Xmas break and cash in on all those visitors to Amazon just as they have done with the Kindle.

This worked out well for Amazon as they sold 6 million of the first gen tablets in little over 2 months.

Amazon took a loss of $50 per tablet:

Quanta charge Amazon $250 per unit and Amazon then sell the Kindle Fire for $200, but they have made up this loss as expected with sales of digital assets like movies, apps, and music.

The real Kindle Fire to arrive in June:

Many see this first run of fire’s as just that, a test drive of a decent enough tablet that could satisfy a general population, not the best on the market, but functional, minus a few things such as bluetooth, a dedicated volume control, and a Micro SD slot.

So who will manufacture anew Kindle Fore?

Bye bye Quanta hello Foxconn:

It appears the Amazon will start to use Apples trusted manufacturer in Taiwanese based Foxconn who produce a lot of Apple devices in China, with component deliveries expected in March it appears that those in the know are tipping a May/June release date though I expect things to be a little later than this.

So will this mean that the UK will never really see the first iteration but will simply get the Amazon Kindle Fire 2 as a proper release?

What would you like to see introduced to a new version of the Amazon Kindle Fire?

An intern who found a place working at Apple has shown how the Cupertino based corporation are potentially seeking to make a shift with OSX based devices to an ARM chipset, kicking the relatively recent move to Intel in 2005/6 into touch.

The interns name is Tristan Schaap who was seemingly involved in a 12 week internship with Apple at their “platforms technology group” in 2010, and while doing this internship at Apple, managed to put down enough information based in the work to create a thesis, this was loosely based on making the “lower half” of Mac OSX work on an ARM processor.

Submitted in 2010 but only just release due to its content, the report seems to suggest that Apple could be looking to shift their desktop/laptop processors to the power saving ARM option, however Tim Cook would lead us to believe otherwise by saying that if you want an ARM based macbook go get an iPad.

But who knows where Apple will go with their processors, in some ways a unified processor option makes sense and in other areas it looks less significant.

Apps drive convergence:

All this talk of unifying Apple processors does have some reasoning behind it though when you see just how similar Mountain Lion is to iOS compared to earlier versions of the desktop operating system.

In a very recent interview in the WSJ Tim Cook talks about how OSX and iOS are morphing in ways that seem natural:

“We see that people are in love with a lot of the apps and functionality here,…so, anywhere where it makes sense, we are going to move that over to Mac.”

And with the release of Mountain Lion, OSX makes no bones about wanting to be more iOS like in its functionality and overall look and feel, and will extend the iPad like functionality that saw gesture control features and integrated apps ported into OSX Lion more than in previous incarnations of the wonderfully slick operating system.

I look forward to giving it a try!

Thanks to TheNextWeb for pointing out this little gem courtesy of a website called Chill.com.

A clever site that hooks into facebook and features an option to create collections, the site now has a page dedicated to Steve Jobs videos it can be found here, and was collated by one of the founders of Chill, Scott Hurff.

So, if you are a bit of an Apple head or worship the Jobster like he was some kind of messiah, get your butt over to Chill and pay homage, there are some rare treats on show.

As someone who seriously values the power of video, it is amazing to see just how much Steve Jobs was involved in promoting using this medium especially as most of the footage was not seen by the majority of people until later on.

I like the interview when he was 31 talking about how the Apple 2 came to be and inspired him to move forward with Apple.

What is yours?

As much as I dislike BT in many ways, I can not help but sense that they are the only ones looking to invest some real time and money into the roll out of 4G across the UK, this includes first of all giving UK customers a decent Wi-Fi experience, and with this in mind it seems that they have now hit a milestone of 3.5 million public Wi-Fi hotspots across the UK and Republic Of Ireland….mainly donated by you of course!

Those hotspots by location:

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• 380,000 in London
• 25,000 in Leeds
• 25,000 in Birmingham
• 20,000 in Manchester
• 20,000 in Edinburgh
• 20,000 in Sheffield
• 11,000 in Liverpool
• 11,000 in Brighton
• 11,000 in Bristol
• 11,000 in Cardiff
• 320,000 in Scotland
• 170,000 in Wales

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BT’s consumer managing director John Petter said:

“Millions of BT broadband customers are enjoying free access to one of the biggest Wi-Fi networks in the world,”

With over 900,000 downloads for the BT hotspot app that finds the nearest connection suitable for your mobile device (to paying BT customers) it woudl seem to be a success in terms of numbers, but is the experience any good?

Well reports are mixed but I have to say fair play to the company, at least they are trying to push technology where others are more cautious in a share and share a like kind of manner….who cares so long as it works.

The hotspots are currently free to BT’s six million home and business broadband subscribers and the new BlackBerry App will provide users with easier hotspot login. BT has released apps for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices which locate and connect customers to their nearest BT hotspot.

You can now ever get Wi-Fi underground at Charing Cross as a subterranean trial gets under way as well as 100 pubs in the London area after a deal with Heineken.

Are you happy to let your own BT wireless connection be used as part of the growing network in order to get your free access?

A few things have happened of recent to make me think that the release date of the next iPad will actually be early March, with some saying the 4th.

[arrowlist]

• We already predicted it!
• Certain stores are now selling discounted iPad 2’s
• Other retailers such as Carphone Warehouse and Orange are stating that they are running out of iPad 2’s
• Reliable sources at iMore say the same…so it has to be true….;)

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So with all this in mind what is all this we hear about 4G on the iPad 3?

Will the iPad have 4G capabilities?

With some 38 or so frequencies that 4G will run on internationally, it is not as easy as manufacturers would like to simply offer 4G connectivity globally, yes it can be done but it currently comes at a price, so with this in mind and the alternative being a domestic 4G device that only works within your own territory what is the likelihood of the next iPad having international LTE 4G capabilities?

Well it seems that the iPad will certainly be 4G enabled in the US as the WSJ has confirmed suspicions that AT&T and Verizon will be host to the new 4G enabled iPad 3. Wether this extends to being global 4G connectivity is doubtful but perhaps an option will emerge at a price.

Unfortunately and rather annoyingly for the UK, the delays that have presented themselves in the roll out of 4G will mean that this new technology will not be available on mass for a few years, so we will probably be on the iPad 4 or 5 by the time this becomes truly relevant in the UK.

New apps means new screen?

It is likely that the much touted retina display will finally get a showing and new Apps being developed will make the most out of the 2048 x 1536 display, processor wise things are a little unclear with reports of an A6 quad core and an improved dual core ARM Cortex A9, which, if any, make the grade I am unsure of.

It has often been the case that Europe has received their mobile tech updates and releases quicker than the US region, only for the US to get a slightly beefier version later on in a products life cycle that perhaps irons out some kinks on the way, well if our sources are to be believed it could be that the Kindle Fire gets a bit of a tart up and a 7 and 9 inch option when it finally hits UK shores later this year.

Though please understand that you can still bag yourself a Kindle Fire from many online UK retailers who have imports for sale.

Can costs be kept down at 9 inches?

With sales of the Amazon Kindle For globally expected to be somewhere in the region of 15 million units in 2012, up from an expected 12-13 million units, it is easy to see that Amazon are onto something but is it price dependent or have they found a device that hits the sweet spot in more ways than cost?

An analyst said:

‘We believe there is an upward bias, particularly from the new seven and nine-inch models, which we expect to launch in mid-2012.’

Exact dates are hard to come by but if I were to put my money on a date I would say that Amazon would have to think about getting in the mix with the iPad 3 release date which is expected to be somewhere around Mid-Late March.

So at what price point can Amazon keep the kindle fire attractive considering it is no iPad?….Unless they seriously give it some clout and make it more of a two horse tablet as some people expect Apple to consider doing.

The first week of March will see Apple hold an event that will hail the arrival of the iPad 3, this is according to a report on AllThingsD, this is obviously more of the same old rumour mill tripe that we sometimes churn out for you to read and get our figures up..;)…but these sources seem to be saying that the actual iPad 3 tablet will be available in the second or third week of March, with iOS 5.1 getting a showing pretty soon after.

So it looks likely that the new Apple iPad 3 will be making a showing pretty soon, and according to Japanese blog Macotakara it could well be a 9.7-inch retina display panel with 2,048 x 1,536-pixel resolution.

iLab Factory, Chinese repair parts reseller, shows a Sharp made LCD panel which is considered to be for iPad 3.

What do you think to the rumours and date expected?

Windows phone 8 will be an operating system that brings a whole host of technologies the mobile sector has been looking forward to seeing, one step closer.

According to Paul Thurrotts’s excellent blog over at WinSuperSite the news of the leak has meant that he can now talk more openly about what we can expect from the Windows 8 and the Windows Phone 8 operating system.

In term so of applications it has been noted that at the expected time of launch the Windows phone 7.5 operating system will have some 100,000 apps available and these will all be backward compatible for the new Windows Phone 8 operating system meaning that new devices will be able to tap into this existing application market with no problems (in theory of course)

Talking of Windows Phone 8, he also states that this new O/S will be based on the new Windows 8 kernel and not on the previous version called Windows CE, all this falls into the realms of “Windows Reimagined” and by god did it need some reimagining after various attempts to create a solid, sleek and useful operating system has essentially failed on so many occasions.

So onto the key new features of Windows Phone 8:

[arrowlist]

• Wallet: Apollo will support removable microSD card storage and NFC radios, with Microsoft pushing contactless payments also referred to as the “Wallet experience.”
• App-to-App communication. Because Windows Phone 8 apps, like Windows 8 apps, are sandboxed from each other, this new system will provide a Windows 8 contracts-like app-to-app communications capabilities.
• Data Smart. Will switch you to cheaper Wi-Fi networks that you may have joined automatically thus in theory saving you MB’s and also money if your data provider charges a lot and you run out of your quota monthly.
• Internet Explorer 10 Mobile. Windows Phone 8 will use to use a version of IE which utilizes the latest web technologies.
• Shared components with Windows 8. The kernel, multi-core processor support, sensor fusion, security model, network, and video and graphics technologies are all coming to Phone from Windows 8.
• Companion experiences with Windows 8. Microsoft is offering a very similar user experience across phone (Windows Phone 8), PC (Windows 8), and TV (Xbox vNext). Pocketnow says there will be a new sync client, and not Zune PC software, though I can’t confirm that part, and a set of common cloud services that will work across all three. This includes the ability to sync content (photos, music, movies) between the three screens, phone management from PC or web, shared content between each device, and Xbox LIVE games, entertainment, and more.
• Skype app. Still a separate but better app and not integrated into OS. Still optional.
• Camera improvements. New “lens apps” and a far more powerful camera experience.
• SkyDrive integration. SkyDrive will allow access to all content on your Microsoft platforms.
• NFC and Wallet. Windows Phone 8 will allow users to securely pay and share via NFC and manage an integrated Wallet experience.
• Business features. A new angle that Windows wish to push more and more, Windows Phone 8 will include full-device, hardware-accelerated encryption with BitLocker and always-on Secure Boot capabilities, just like Windows 8. Also, it will support additional Exchange ActiveSync policies and System Center configuration settings and inventory capabilities. Businesses will be able to distribute phone apps privately as they can with Windows 8 apps.
• Local Scout. Now with personal recommendations.

[/arrowlist]

What do you think of this feature list?

Some of it appears pretty much as you would expect from a modern cross platform operating system that will compete with iOS/Android, though perhaps some areas are starting to look quite juicy such as the NFC capability which I will return to at a later date.

Your thoughts? What appeals most with Windows Phone 8 so far?

According to a report in techweekeurope IBM now targeting the mobile enterprise market with more fervor, perhaps awakened by the BYOD (bring your own device) trend, we take a look at what the technology giant will be doing in this niche in years to come.

Security issues and more:

With more and more people accessing data via their mobile devices for the companies they work for, IBM have seen that there is a gap in the market for a service that will ensure that all mobile devices accessing company data will have a management system wrapped around them that will ensure that sensitive data remains safe when needed.

All but Research In Motions Blackberry O/S is supported in terms of mobile operating systems, perhaps leading some to think that this is a cunning move from IBM who are looking to team up with HTC to enter the mobile enterprise device market as direct competitors to RIM who have already captured this market more than most in terms of devices sold and presence of mind.

Bob Sutor, vice president of IBM Mobile Platform said:

“The new offering from IBM will help organisations manage personal and enterprise-owned mobile phones and tablets across IT networks in order to minimise risk, increase productivity and enhance innovation,”

The endpoints in question are as expected: tablets, smartphones, laptops, desktop PCs and servers.

Talking of the Big fix software acquisition back in 2010 IBM stated:

“BigFix will really help us fulfill what is really a critical need for many of our clients, and that is dealing with the endpoints that make up the core point of access for many of their IT systems and services,”

Adding mobile onto their acquisition of the Big Fix software in 2010, which was designed to remotely manage desktops, secure servers, laptops and POS devices, the addition of a mobile centric endpoint manager brings the circle of demand to a close for most organisations who need to consider these kind of issues internally with the growth of mobile device use.

So what can you do with this mobile endpoint manager:

[arrowlist]

• Identifying potential data compromises
• Selectively wipe data from compromised devices
• Enforce passcode policies and encryption on devices
• Configured to require employees to use a VPN when accessing the enterprise network
• IT staff will be able to identify devices that are not complying with corporate policies and take appropriate action
• This could be in the form of denying email access or by issuing notifications to the user device as a reminder on what remedial steps need to be performed

[/arrowlist]

With young professionals and college students preferring to lose their wallet than their mobile devices, according to a Cisco funded poll, it is clear to see that the world of business needs to wake up to the importance we bestow our mobile devices, and the sheer amount of private data they contain.

IBM are also reported to have purchased an Israeli mobile technology firm called Worklight who specialise in smartphone and tablet software, which is hoped will help speed up the entrance IBM are making into a solution that will provide their clients with a platform that will allow control over multiple devices mobile and fixed.

With the Samsung Galaxy S3 due for release some time soon, though it now appears not to be unveiled at the MWC in Barcelona, news from Samsung still suggests that 2012 may well be another busy year for the South Korean technology giant.

With rumors emerging that a brand new Samsung Tab will be unveiled at MWC and on extended advert for this years Super Bowl XLVI.

The new Samsung S3 is expected to be a more powerful duel or quad core device with a massive 12 mp camera and a slightly larger 4.5 inch + screen, I am seeing this trend more and more for high end smartphones, where we are very much seeing the luxury end of the phone world go super size and what would basic science tell you that you needed to do to make a smartphone battery last longer?

Make the damn things bigger, and if you do that you can increase that lovely screen real estate, so this does appear to be the way forward.

Rather than slimmer we are going larger.

And if it helps Samsung’s promise that smartphone owners will get a full day on moderate to heavy use on one charge come true for 2012 devices then so be it, it seems like a win-win all round for me.

Back to the “Advance” the Ford of smartphones:

The new Samsung Galaxy Advance will be running on Gingerbread and will house a 1Ghz processor and a pretty sizable’s 4 inch Super AMOLED screen, capable 5Mpx camera with 1,3 MP facing option, and will come with ChatON, Samsung cross-platform communication service.

As is usual with these slightly cheaper options they are intended for markets that have a little less disposable income on average, but from what I can gather this device is pretty damn sweet if it is to be cut price.

Initial markets that will see the device include, Russia, in February of 2012, and then a global release will bring in other countries and territories such as China, Europe, African Middle East, Southeast and Southwest Asia.

You may or many not have heard of Davos, it is a small municipality in the region of Prättigau/Davos in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland, and is home to the World Economic Congress which is a kind of forum/think tank of the powerful and mighty of global politics and business.

And what was the talk of this years Davos?

Ever so slightly in the face of the usual mobile technology articles that appear on mobile inquirer, this piece still relates to mobile technology, but has more to do with health…read on.

The world’s first mobile semiconductor-based gene sequencer:

Showcasing at Davos, this machine will offer mobile DNA sequencing and is based on its already very popular and larger older brother.

DNA sequencing is often termed the Code Of life and this machine will compute this with so much speed that Doctors will be able to assess a patients “issues” within minutes by accessing the devices data which after analysing a patients DNA, then suggests exactly what the problem is and allows the doctor to quickly deliver a suggested course of action to prevent issues such as disease progression, giving precious time to patients and health officials in general.

The new machine on show at Davos is a smaller version of an already available desktop semiconductor-based gene sequencer machine.

Superbugs quickly discovered:

There are many cases that would benefit form a very quick identification as to the strain of disease, for instance super bugs that plague health officials in hospitals or areas in general will be able to use the technology to discover the strain much sooner than currently allows meaning that treatment and an effective remedy to remove these would be in place quicker, potentially saving lives and money in the process.

Mobile DNA sequence testers:

In an even more amazing sounding development to the technology, it is suggested that the DNA sequencer will be able to be brought “in the field” using a mobile version which will be able to identify new viruses or test water quality in the open and in areas that are perhaps more difficult to get to.

Crime DNA tester:

Police officials will also benefit from the technology which will be able to quickly develop a potential suspects DNA profile saving potential time and allowing a team to focus on areas that would have perhaps taken a lot longer to assimilate.

Who is the DNA master then?

The man behind this technology is a German called Jonathan Rothberg, he is the master biotechnician and CEO of Ion Torrent, a company that is owned by US based Life Technologies who also produce the Ion Proton, the worlds first semiconductor-based gene sequencer.

Talking of the technology Rothberg says:

“It’s the first machine that can do an entire human genome for less than 1,000 dollars. It’s the first machine than can read the genome in two hours,”

With this new technology DNA samples are simply dropped onto a microchip of only an inch across, and then placed into the Proton which is similar to placing a SIM card into your phone, two hours later when the computational genius has worked its magic the 6 billion letter code of life is delivered.

Indeed the technology is so damn cool that the folks at Davos 2012 appear to have treated Jonathon Rothberg as a rock star of science such was the general gloomy topics covered by most of the attendees there.

Talking to AFP in Davos of the technology Rothberg continues…

“…previously machines would cost more than half a million dollars and it would take weeks to get information on your genome, the Proton instrument is designed to do discovery — find new genes that are involved in cancer, find new genes that are involved in autism, find new genes that are involved in diabetes, but it’s also designed to be used in a clinical practice to make sure that you give the person the right medicine or the right medicine to the right person. And to help diagnose new born children with ailments.”.

Technology based on larger model prior to desktop version:

As is usual in technology the predecessor was a more expensive and larger model that pretty much did the same thing, already the worlds best selling DNA sequencer, this earlier device was responsible for helping Germans figure out what strain of Ecoli broke out last year from food contaminated with the disease, the ability of the original printer sized device to track and work out what superbug they were dealing with is thought to have saved many lives.

“It was the precursor to this machine and one of the first chips we made that decoded that E.coli outbreak and allowed us to understand that superbug, track that superbug and have a diagnostic for that superbug.”

It is unique in being the only machine that uses a semiconductor to sequence genes, where previously any one looking to do research on DNA strands would have had to look through very powerful microscopes and work in this manner.

With many many areas of use for this technology, the main one that people are so excited about is health, and just how much this kind of technology can aid areas where outbreaks of disease are common.

Ever wanted to know how best to approach an SMS campaign?

Well with a little visual help from Text Marketer you can find out some of the seven main points to avoid and what to concentrate in with there very useful infographic highlighting the dangers and benefits if text marketing for businesses.

Seven Deadly Sins Of SMS Mobile Marketing:

Topics included range from having the right call to action at the right place, segmenting your audience and testing the message works, the basis of the infographic comes from primary research taken from working with eConsulatncy and the Information Commissioners office in the UK.

With the news that the iPad is hovering above the 55% of overall tablet sales globally and that Apple for a brief period have become the globes most costly company on paper beating Exonn once again, it is interesting to hear of the actual figures from the transfer of cash to developers that keep Apples iOS platform and app store as the market leader.

Huge amount paid out:

Yes, since June 2010 when the figure was still a staggering $1 billion, the official figure today suggests that Apple have now paid out around $4 billion to app developers globally,

iPad 3 to arrive in two months or less?

This figure is likely to see a surge as new devices are brought out into the market, first to be seen is likely to be the iPad 3 and later on we are told to expect the new iPhone 5 which has been a long time coming but could see a larger screen and totally new design, either way, these new devices will mean an increase in the iOS consumer base.

As a result, the growth and sale of applications should continue growing for some time coming, much to the glee of those very app developers who seem to be onto quite a lucrative thing!

Android catching up:

Of course Googles Android O/S is huge also, and Eric Schmidt is seen stating that their own marketplace will continue to grow as more developers make Android “a priority” over Apple, this is an inevitability of a very popular O/S but will not for one minute mean that Apple lose ground in a way that causes any major issues to the company….for now!

Oh I know you all get a little tired of these stories but they have to surface from time to time.

Yes it appears a Foxconn employee (of the unnamed variety of course) has let the cat out of the bag in terms of what we can come to expect from the new version of the Apple iPhone, the iPhone 5.

And if these rumours are to be believed from 9to5 mac then you may well be in for a treat as the increased screen real estate is something I think the iPhone does need to address, especially with such a huge amount of wasted space at either end of the casing to utilise in the way that the Samsung S2 does.

So what is the substance behind these reports?

Well it is one of those “reliable sources” again, much like Tomato Ketchup or a good old drop of Brown, these sources keep turning up and delivering the bread and butter rumours just in time for a little traffic boost when needed and who are we to miss out on some of that juiciness.

In this particular rumour yarn, it appears that a number of prototypes are floating about the Foxconn production plant with common features being a 4 inch display and a differently designed casing to house the new iPhone 5.

In terms of how this casing may look, it appears that it will be:

“No teardrop-shaped devices, as rumoured in the lead up to the iPhone 4S,”

And that if anything the design looks a lot more symmetrical:

“Samples so far have been symmetrical in thickness (also longer/wider).”

In all honesty I have a hunch this may all actually be true, and we will see a slick edge to edge display and a much more angular design which would be in keeping with current trends, yes Apple like to be trend setters in general, but sometimes they do follow suit for a while.

iPhone 5 summer release date?

On the back of the fact that the iPhone 5 seems to be still in prototype, “oooh I say, do you like this?” stage, and the next stage being full on production, it only takes a man with a small brain such as myself to surmise that the actual release date of the iPhone 5 is not likely to be before June but may well be in the coming months after.

Keeping up to the usual Apple product cycle, many believe that this release date will actually be Summer or early Autumn.

iPhone 4ssssss:

One thing is for sure, we do expect that the next iteration of the iPhone will indeed be the much anticipated iPhone 5 and not an iPhone 4SGetc…

This issue of smartphone battery life is one of major concern for both device owners and smartphone and tablet manufacturers, and though there are some exciting technological advancements coming out that aims to help us all enjoy longer battery life from our smartphones but until all these actually come to fruition there could be another rather nifty way of helping us get a little #MoreJuice out of our phones….and the answer lies in waste energy.

In an article in IEEE we see that wasted light could be the key to extra smartphone battery life.

Our batteries are finding it tough to make our shiny Super AMOLED screens stay bright all day and play all those games/apps and process that video as we now use our smartphones more and more and expect more from the devices. So could the answer lie in the light energy that is pretty much wasted from our screens on a day to day basis?

Cambridge university researchers could hold the answer:

You have obviously all heard of Solar Power, so without going into too much technicalities imagine this concept being taken and used in your smartphone for light that has escaped from your OLED screen.

Professor Arokia Nathan and researcher Arman Ahnood, point out that around 36% of the light produced on a mobile device screen is actually projected forward to the display to be seen by your eyes with the remaining light escaping at the display edges, and it is this wasted light that could hold the key to making that battery last a little longer.

Science part:

With the prototype developed, a number of key areas are explained that make this technology work as intended.

One of the main issues is voltage spikes which would potentially cause damage to the battery while charging and would be caused by the differing light intensities, this would be managed by using a number of solar cells within the smartphone display which are made up from thin-film hydrogenated amorphous silicon, this technology would be able to harness both the wasted light and the ambient light around you. Couple this with a thin film super-capacitor and you should be able to even out the voltage to stop damage to the battery.

On top of this another set of solar cells would be arranged around the device display to capture any light that escapes from the screens main display and it is said that an average smartphone can produce up to 5 milliwatts of power using this method and technology.

Does this sound like technology that will work or a bit of pie in the sky?

I have said before that Data is the new Gold for networks, minutes and texts are going to be less of a burden in cost terms to the networks and more of a giveaway as time goes by.

But data is where the real costs and opportunities currently lie for mobile operators.

With the above in mind AT&T has released revised plans for data charges to its customers, but in it they are hoping to provide a little more room to manoeuvre and give more choice for heavy users.

The new plans will come into effect on Sunday and is on the back of AT&T stating that they have had to totally rethink their data policies and pricing due to heavy demand which is only increasing month on month.

Users can move to the new plan if they are on existing contract or they can stay put if it would suit them better to do this based on the information given below.

I think this is pretty fair and one o2 could have offered in the UK when they forced their unlimited data subscribers onto a capped data plan with force, even though people had signed up to a full unlimited data deal.

The deals:

[arrowlist]

• $20 a month you can buy 300MB of data
• Data Pro package 3GB costs $30
• Data Pro 5GB $50 GB this includes the mobile hot spot capabilities and tethering

[/arrowlist]

This compares to previous options of:

[arrowlist]

• 200MB for $15
• 2GB for $25
• 4GB for $45

[/arrowlist]

The company is seen to be encouraging users to use data proved by their own Wi-Fi hot spots at over 29,000 locations across the US, so all in all it seems like an expected move, and one that you will just have to swallow I am afraid, unlimited was never really unlimited anyway!

AT&T also make use of alerts to keep their customers in check if they are close to going over their data allowance, as we all know this can be costly!

So as you can see it is going to be more costly in general but if you are a power user you get a little more for your money than you did before, so it is a little bit like the low end users subsiding the larger consumers of data on the go, but they get a touch more thrown in also….good deal or a deal breaker?

Tomorrow will see the UK release of the white version of the popular Samsung Galaxy Note, the padphone that many users say they love.

White Samsung Galaxy Note John Lewis:

Currently only exclusive to John Lewis on Oxford Street, you will need to be paying a visit to London in order to get yourself one of these slightly more chic devices.

The first 100 sold will also benefit from a few goodies thrown in, these will include £250 worth of films, music and books.

Later on in February more stockists throughout teh UK will get access to the white device so there is perhaps less of an impetus to get your ass down to London’s West End if you are hell bent on owning one of these smartphones

Simon Stanford, managing director, Samsung UK & IRE Telecommunications & Networks Division.

“At Samsung we always want to offer our customers choice and are delighted to bring the Galaxy Note in white to the UK, the Galaxy Note is an innovative addition to the Samsung Galaxy family and a new category of device that consumers can’t get anywhere else.”

When we reviewed the Note we thought that the device was just (and we mean just) on the right side of big, but all in all loved the slightly confused smartphone.

With its Super AMOLED screen at 5.3 inches you can see why there are issues around size, but with great features such as the stylus pen and fast 1,4 Ghz dual core processor, with a stable Android 2.3 and a big meaty 8 mega pixel camera, it is a worthy device to consider if you are indeed in the market for a new smartphone.

I expect the device to retail at around £400 – £450, but have no actual prices just yet.

Ok, we are perhaps a few weeks early on this news but it has come to our attention that Skype will indeed be available on Windows Phone devices in the not too distant future.

And why not?

Microsoft after all own the damn VOIP company anyway, so it does seem slightly odd that they have even taken this long to bring their own technology to their devices.

I wonder if this is Microsoft steadying the networks who must be shi***ng themselves that once the penny drops that all we need is a data connection to connect to VOIP services, we can do away with our phone packages once and for all!

4G could be the death knoll for traditional mobile networks:

I have said this before, it is possibly only a matter of time before we simply have a VOIP type client such as Skype running in the background all the time on our mobile devices with no need to ever use our minutes and have the ability to call anywhere in the world for free or pretty damn cheap.

Is this the reason that the 4G network may well go for much less money than the 3G spectrum sold for, because we will not be prepared to pay the amount of cash we do for minutes if all we really want is data, leaving the obvious question of how to subsidize our shiny new devices up for grabs after per month costs are slashed.

I also suspect Skype as a service will become advertiser funded, where it will be free in principle but you will have to go through a short message for calls or video for using video conferencing, obviously this would go away if you paid a subscription or similar to Skype’s coffers.

Skype will kill networks dead in time:

I think that networks in the UK will look to consolidate and possibly muscle out the languishing Three network and if my predictions do hold true, there will likely be some call from the remaining few to push out far reaching WiFi on “health and safety grounds” as one wise commentator on the guardian blog pointed out:

ImperfectRex:

*After the other networks get rid of 3, expect them to start trying to get rid of wide-broadcast wifi. Either through legislation on health & safety or simply buying/bribing cheap or free wifi providers.

There are talks that Skype will not be fully featured until Apollo late this year but a version may well appear at the MWC in Barcelona next month.

It has been confirmed by myself that Anonymous have indeed taken down the DOJ website as reported on The Next Web.

It would appear that Universal music is also affected and that AnonOps is claiming responsibility for them both so far on twitter.

The DOJ website last tested was probably taken down by a DDoS attack as it has been rumored to have been slow all day, the same is likely of universal music.

Follow the conversation by checking out the hashtag #OpPayBack on twitter.

The attacks follow the take down of the megaupload site and the indictments of seven people who are thought to be key players at Megaupload. 4 have so far been arrested including founder Kim Dotcom.

There is major convergence of technology happening right now, look around you and you will see that we have TV’s becoming home media hubs, phones becoming laptops, and now watches that can control and entertain on levels that we have only seen glimpses of in the movies.

Enter the smartwatch, and in this instance the Sony Smartwatch, as was seen at CES 2012, a new android based watch that does cool things like:

[arrowlist]

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Email
• Music

[/arrowlist]

Coupling up to your new Sony Xperia S smartphone the new Sony SmartWatch will offer easy access to the above services via a bluetooth connection, which sounds a bit pointless when your phone is a mere few cm’s away from your hand, but in these time precious days there could be other benefits to not waking up your device; battery life, and occasions when it would appear rude spring to mind. So while this is most definitely a niche gadget, it could well have some purpose for a select few gadget lovers globally.

As you can see it sort of works like a watch version of an iPod.

Now I have to say that this device looks great, but I am not all that interested in paying for a gadget that duplicates what my phone does on a day to day basis to save me seconds.

Your thoughts?

People are starting to wake up to the marriage between Nokia and Microsoft and soft buds of love and joy are emerging for the love birds of old.

So what is all this about am 18th of March release date for the hotly anticipated smartphone?

The Nokia Lumia 900 looks set to see a Spring release on AT&T:

According to a report a leaked photo in WMPowerUser the Nokia Lumia 900 will get a March release date and what is more that actual date will be the 18th according to a Nokia developer newsletter.
stating that the device will “become available exclusively through AT&T in March”.

With the phone only just being show, it is intriguing to note that Windows rumormongers, Mary Jo Foley and Paul Thurrott state that their sources are claiming specific date of March the 18th for the Nokia Lumia 900 release date.

What do you think to the phone being exclusive to AT&T, are you hoping for an unlocked version also?

Source: WMPowerUser

With the demand for mobile data expected to increase by 500% over the next five years in Western Europe, 4G is seen as the next step in offering speed and efficiency in delivering the kind of services we all expect for our mobile devices.

With the UK going pretty much fully digital by the end of this year, spectrum in the currently used 800MHz range is now becoming free, and along with a 2.6GHz band, will be auctioned off in Q4 of this year to networks to help facilitate 4G mobile services.

Ofcom amend original ideas about 4G:

Ofcom have amended their 4G spectrum coverage quota to include coverage to at least 98% of the UK population.

Could this finally mean that the UK eventually gets a 4G network that the globe can admire, while the UK currently languishes behind with pilot projects and can only look at areas such as the US and Asia with anticipation, Ofcom aim to bring 4G mobile to the masses some time soon.

Speaking about the decision an Ofcom spokesperson states:

“We are proposing a significant enhancement of mobile broadband, extending 4G coverage beyond levels of existing 2G coverage – helping to serve many areas of the UK that have traditionally been undeserved by network coverage.”

So how will Ofcom do this?

Ofcom want to be seen to promote two things;

Competition in the marketplace, and coverage for UK citizens who want access to high speed mobile internet.

Instead of forcing network operators to deliver the originally proposed 95% coverage to the UK population, which was the original guidelines for at least one of the networks who gained access to the 800MHz frequencies.

Idea number 1:

Ofcom will now possibly extend that requirement to a larger 98% UK coverage stipulation, this aims to make networks continue to build infrastructure in less economically viable areas which will benefit those who are living in such regions.

The extra coverage requirement comes on the back of a donation made by the UK government of £150 million to build extra infrastructure in these “hard to reach” or “economically less viable” areas, so Ofcom are hoping to make the networks add to this original percentage rather than take from this seemingly helpful situation.

Idea number 2:

This idea could be used in conjunction with the above proposals and would mean that one of the 800Mhz operators would have to provide 4G coverage that at least matched 2G coverage but also extended into the less viable areas.

Ofcom want current competitiveness to stay the same:

“The UK benefits from being one of the most competitive mobile phone markets in Europe. This means that consumers pay less for mobile communications services and have the choice to shop around for packages that suit them best. As the UK enters a new generation of mobile communications, Ofcom’s objective is to promote effective competition and to stimulate both investment and innovation.”

Ofcom believe that the UK need at least four network wholesalers of mobile services need to be in the UK marketplace to ensure that the price stays competitive in the marketplace.

Everything everywhere unhappy:

In the new proposals, Ofcom have also halted plans to reserve some of the sub 1GHz spectrum for Everything Everywhere, one of the three big wholesalers of mobile services in the UK.

Everything everywhere has said that they are unhappy that Ofcom have failed to realise the importance of the sub 1GHz spectrum which they say could be used to

“The importance of sub 1GHz spectrum, which delivers service and cost benefits, has been recognised by other regulators across Europe and supported by economic analysis. All of the regulators bar Ofcom have made vigorous efforts to support healthy and sustainable competition by ensuring that the imbalance of sub 1GHz holdings is redressed.”

Ofcom also stated that the are looking into reserving some of the spectrum from a fourth national wholesaler other than, Telefonica, Everything Everywhere, Vodafone.

A Three spokesperson said:

“Today’s proposals appear to be a pragmatic step towards bolstering the prospects of a competitive market for mobile data which would benefit all UK consumers.”

A Vodafone spokesperson said:

“We welcome Ofcom’s revised proposals, which bring the UK closer to a fair and open auction that will benefit the wider economy, increase competition and ultimately lead to the creation of innovative and exciting new services for consumers.”

An O2 spokesman said:

“It is good to see Ofcom’s latest publication, which details modifications in its terms for the forthcoming spectrum auction. This comes as a result of the first consultation process, which we took the opportunity to contribute to.”

4G will mean money for the Government:

The UK government is expected to make around £3-4 billion from the new eventual auction of the spectrum available late this year or early next year.

Ofcom is also no longer looking at reserving some of the 800Ghz spectrum to a 4th bidder in the most valuable of spectrum spaces on offer.

What would you think if we told you that a mobile phone could actually repair itself if it were dropped?

We are not talking having a layer of spray giving the device protection here, as we have discussed earlier, or indeed any kind of actual protection.

What we are saying is that your smartphone, or pretty much any device, could actually regenerate cells is it was scratched or dented en-route to a showroom or shop etc?

If humans can repair cells then so can smartphones?

In a report in science daily, we have found out that scientists are looking at ways that could actually repair cell damage in a manufactured device, pretty much in the same way that science can now work out ways of repairing human cell damage.

Delving into the realms of nano technology, manufacturers will tell you that digital devices suffer damage on many levels, which gets factored into overall costings.

In a paper published in Nature Nanotechnolgy on the 10 Jan. It would appear that a team of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) have brought an idea to life that proposes to fix malfunctions that are caused by minor surface damage during production, these small surface cracks would then be given a “repair-and-go” solution that would make the device work again as it should do prior to the micro damage that stopped it working.

Such is the complexity of detail that our devices work under, it would seem that this issue is a huge concern for manufacturers.

Indeed, reports of LCD screens having a 50% failure rate was enough to make many environmentalists gasp at the wastage in modern production techniques we all assume are pretty waste free, so with that in mind, I can see where this could come in use, though I suspect that extreme example would not be the kind of level this technology would work at.

Inspiration from white blood-cells

In the same way that white blood cells repair damage on site, this was the inspiration behind the ideas that went into the proposals and documentation below.

Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering in Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering and co-investigator on the project, Anna Balazs, states:

“Anything that’s a machine with a surface is affected by these small-scale cracks, these are surfaces that play a role in almost anything, especially functionality.”

How will this help?

Balzas goes on to say:

A flexible micro capsule filled with a solution of nano particles would be applied to a damaged surface; it would then repair defects by releasing nano particles into them. Using nano particles and droplets of oil stabilized with a polymer surfactant — compounds that lower the surface tension of a liquid.

“The repair-and-go method can extend the lifetime of any system or device, additionally, it could be used as a repair method after a crack has been found.”

It is proposed that the method is put into practice at the last step of manufacture, as the team at UMass actualized the theory and showed that these microcapsules found the defects and cracks and then delivered the nanoparticle contents into them to essentially heal and make good the potential for problems.

Source: Original research by Balazs and her team was published in ACS Nano and later reported on Nature Nanotechnology’s “News and Views” section in September 2010.

CES looked like it would be the event that brings Quad-Core smartphones to the masses, we have already seen a number of new devices that will sport extremely powerful processing power but as of yet none that had a quad-core processor. Now we hear that Fujitsu will be making their own smartphone in the form of their new device with exactly that.

Fujitsu not known for smartphones:

With the arrival of the new Lenovo K800 Intel based smartphone that we reported on earlier.

It would seem that more and more of the big Japanese and Chinese tech companies who have perhaps missed the ride so far, just could not resist getting in on the mobile tech world for too long, as two unknowns to the mobile marketplace enter with pretty serious offerings.

With no name for this device as yet, and the actual phone kept as more of a display model at CES 2012 as it is still in prototype, there is perhaps a lot less to talk about currently than we would have liked.

But, nonetheless, we can inform you of some of its features and get into rumourland about when the phone may make an appearance and what it may contain in terms of hardware and software.

[arrowlist]

• 1.2 GHz 4 core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor
• LTE Support
• 13 megapixel camera
• 4.6-inch display
• A ‘liquid crystal’ 4.6-inch display

[/arrowlist]

This Fujitsu phone will be making a proper showing at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in a few weeks time.

And as far as release dates go, I would expect the second half of 2012, but not sure at all on this.

A new feature that is somewhat unexpected is that a fifth processor will be used to ensure that battery life is improved while the phone us running after all that power hungry Quad-Core processing is working away underneath…how this works I really do not know, and I may come back on this at a later date to explain more.

So what do you think to yet another smartphone device that will enter this insanely crowded market from a newcomer?

Are you an Apple iPhone owner wondering how the hell you ever make a decision to buy an Android based device?

We have already heard about the iPad that got dropped from the plane and survived:

Well now those guys at G-Form had to go one level further and have taken an iPad to space to see if your average punter on his usual days travels will have his device saved from doom should he forget to hold on to it while orbiting earth for the crack.

So here is proof positive that G-Form do indeed make some seriously hardcore protection cases for your iPad and other devices, nothing like an extreme way of making a point to get the message across.

Some have commented on how they got this iPad to land on its side, pointing out that if it landed screen side down it would have almost definitely shattered, but hey let us be honest, the thing got dropped from space and still worked….surely that is enough.

Nice one lads!

It is possible that you many not really know who Huawei are.

Well, they are one of the worlds most established telecoms technology companies with their hands in many areas, including, telecoms networks, modems, dongles and now smartphones.

The Chinese telecom giant has been showing their wares at the CES show over in Las Vegas, and has produced two high end Android based smartphones.

Both coming under the names of the Ascend P1 S and The Ascend P1.

The thin model is called the P1 S, and is a ridiculously skinny 6.68mm thin, putting this smartphone firmly in the size zero, puking up when no ones looking mould.

So will Apple and Samsung now feel the need to make their models even slimmer?

I for one hope not for a few reasons:

[arrowlist]

• Battery life is currently compromised the slimmer you go. Sod the weight and thickness make my device work longer.
• I like a certain heft in my pocket, it makes me remember when it is there or not. Going too thin will reduce that “feeling” and perhaps make the device more susceptible to being broken.
• I see no part of the mobile consumer base sitting round moaning….”I love my phone, I really do, but i wish it was only 6.5 mm thick,”
• Whereas, I do see people going, “hurry up with those directions my battery is about to die…..of fuc*!”

[/arrowlist]

So for those reasons, I really could not care less about this device being so thin.

*caveat

It has to be said that the phones will be running on 1670mAh and 1800mAh batteries that are supposed to have an improved life of some 30%.

This could be great if they added this to the devices battery life from the base we expect now, but, will they just make them last as long as current competitors taking onto consideration the reduction in size, time will tell on all those levels I suppose.

So let us take a closer look at the actual phone and what it contains….”gubbins” wise, as we say up North.

[arrowlist]

• Dual-core Texas Instruments OMAP 4460 Cortex-A9 processor running at 1.5GHz
• SGX 540 graphics engine
• 4.3-inch, 960-by-540 Super AOLED qHD display
• UMTS/GSM 3G and HSPA+ 4G
• 1670mAh and 1800mAh
• Dolby Mobile 3.0 Plus 5.1 surround sound
• 8-megapixel, 1080p HD
• 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera that supports video calls
• The camera will offer: panoramic image-stitching, in-camera image editing, low-light enhancement, and improved close-up images
• Bluetooth 3.0 HS
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
• 4GB ROM
• 1GB RAM (expandable to 8GB with a microSD card)
• PDF and PowerPoint editing
• HDMI
• Dual-microphone noise reduction
• Dual LEDs for the rear facing camera

[/arrowlist]

So after careful analysis of the specs above, I am actually quite excited about this device.

It has some potentially intriguing new features that could perhaps set it apart from other similar devices, particularly in the imaging department, a really good camera and photo lovers device and one that tackles the rather poor video features of some smartphones, with options that go above and beyond many in its class.

Here is a great example of the photo technology that will be working inside this device.

Problem:

Need to take a shot of a group of drunken friends (I only know this type) and want to make sure no one has there eyes shut.

Solution:

Get your Huawei Ascend P1 S and point and shoot at subjects, let it take 5 burst shots, and then let it miraculously stitch the subject faces into one shot so they all have their eyes open and look at their best….nice….if it works.

Cost and release date of the Huawei Ascend P1 S?

This device is rumored to be coming with a $400 price tag, and should be available in April in pretty much every global market, this will include:

Europe, China, Asia-Pacific, North America, Australia, and the Middle East.]

Summary:

Huawei are not messing about here, this device is a serious contender when you look at what it can do. It could be a very interesting year for this company and this release, so we will be keeping an eye out in general.

What do you think of the device?

The CES show over in Las Vegas has been the platform for Intel to finally announce that they are indeed going to be entering the smartphone and tablet processor market with new chips aimed at competing with ARM’s current strangle hold on the market.

I have always found it quite amazing how ARM entered this market and managed to so easily shi* on Intel from a small height and then keep dropping those tech turds all over them from ever growing precipices.

The K800 is Intel and Lenovo’s first smartphone on Android:

The announcement at CES that there will be a new Intel powered smartphone built by Lenovo has been met with a fair degree of interest and looking at the new device it is clear to see why.

The worlds first Intel based smartphone is quite a nice looking device.

Lenovo have gone to some lengths to totally re-skin the device and make it a device that suits them. Running on Android, and seemingly only version 2.3, this is not that difficult to do being Android based, we have already seen Amazon do the same with their Kindle Fire, things may however change come release. As it may be running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich by the time it hits Europe and the US later this year.

Right now it looks pretty good, especially when you look at what is under the hood, from here you can see that this phone will be no lazy bones.

Lenovo K800 Specifications:

[arrowlist]

• Android 2.3
• Intel Medfield
• 8MP camera
• 4.5″ HD 720p TFT screen
• WCDMA HDSPA+

[/arrowlist]

Watching the video below you can see that the device does look great but apparently suffers from that horrible and annoying lag that plagues this operating system, it almost looks like I am some kind of idiot when I use my Samsung S2, like some big fingered over eager freak.

But the fact is that this device currently lags, and I never know where I am when I want a lower area of a site or application on my Android device, this seems to hold true for this device too, despite the processor being so seemingly capable.

Lenovo build tanks?

Now we all remember the IBM Thinkpad’s which Lenovo took over and carried on with. Well design wise, they seem to have thought about keeping that crap looking casing that was apparently very tough.

So your phone may be happy to be dropped from a great height, but may not be getting many woo’s or ahh’s from your fellow comrades unless they do actually like the death star as a design aesthetic.

Indeed a little know fact is that the Thinkpad is the only laptop to be certified for use on the International Space Station, so maybe this smartphone might have found its niche already, now beam me up you spotty geek…;).

The Lenovo K800 will first appear in China and is expected to be released in the 2nd quarter of 2012, we currently have no other news on global releases beyond this.

Lenovo K800 summary:

Are you looking forward to this device or do you think that Intel have left it way too long to get into the fast paced mobile marketplace?

Or, is this all dependent on relationships with the right manufacturers, and in that case, is Lenovo a good choice?

We all know that first impressions count, and in all honesty, my knowledge of Intel getting in on the action has been met with lacklustre based on this device.

Surely technology releases are like comedy, it is all about delivery and timing!…dah dum!

Source: The Next Web

Samsung have announced a few hours before the CES event in Las Vegas that it will be bringing the giant smartphone the Samsung Galaxy Note to the US.

The stylus enhanced 5.3 inch super sized smartphone will be brought to the US and the device will be available on AT&T running on their 4G network.

Pricing of the US version of the Galaxy Note?

No details have yet emerged on the actual pricing of the Samsung Galaxy Note in the US, so we will have to keep our eyes peeled on this as and when news emerges.

Galaxy Note has nice features:

If size is your thing, you will be pleasantly happy with this phone as its size means it offers features that other phones would find hard to deliver.

One being the use of a small stylus termed an “S Pen”, which is housed in the device, and can be used to write on the huge screen almost the same as writing on paper, this is obviously useful for note taking.

In a nice little extra feature, the notes you take can be shared across multiple devices.

Galaxy Note huge screen:

With a huge screen, it has huge appeal to those who are less worried about bulges in their pants, and more concerned over screen real estate so they can play games or watch video on their smartphones while out and about, which this phones screen offers in abundance with a huge 5.3 inch in width.

Based on the Android operating system, the phone has been missing from US consumers clutches ever since it was launched back in October, so this news will make for lots of smiles for those wondering whether to wait in hope or simply go and pick up an alternative smartphone.

So are you looking forward to the Galaxy Note finally coming to the US or has other smartphones got your attention now you have had to wait so long?

Can you protect a persons identity after their death?

it would appear that there are only a few states in the US where some form of protection is offered to a person after their untimely departure from the land of the living, and those states include California and, Texas but not New York.

Apple will try to block Steve Jobs doll anyway:

Apple love a good lawsuit, so it was only expected that the freakish Steve Jobs doll that has been created by inicons would face some serious objections from Cupertino land, but have Apple got any basis for a challenge here?

In a letter to Inicons ahead of the expected February launch, Apple used the old chestnut that stopped the earlier figure of Steve Jobs created by M.I.C. Gadget from ever seeing the light of day, and sent a letter stating that:

“unauthorized use of a person’s name and/or likeness constitutes a violation of California Civil Code Section 3344, which prohibits the use of any person’s name, photograph or likeness in a product without that person’s prior consent […].”

However, Jeff Roberts of paid content seems to think that the doll will be legal, but only in some states:

“Apple’s legal claim is largely bogus. While people can indeed own rights to their likeness, those rights usually apply only to living people, unlike other forms of intellectual property like patents or copyrights, image rights do not survive beyond the grave in most places”

Stating that under US law “personality rights” only exist at state level, with only a few of these actually recognizing image rights after death, which includes California, Jobs’ birth state.

States that will likely ban the Steve Jobs doll:

States and countries that may see a ban base don image rights law after death:

[arrowlist]

US States that may ban sale of Steve Jobs Doll:

• Indiana
• Illinois
• Texas
• Connecticut
• Georgia
• Florida
• California
• Ohio
• Washington
• New Jersey
• Nevada
• Nebraska

Countries:

• Germany
• Argentina

[/arrowlist]

What is the doll?

The doll will be made up of a number of pieces and will be a fairly realistic 1/6th scale version of the man himself. The pieces that will be included are two sets of spectacles, a movable head, a turtleneck black jumper, signature blue jeans, a black leather belt, sneekers, a pair of black socks, and a chair. There will also be two apples, and a backdrop which reads “one more thing”.

At $99 will you be buying this effigy of Steve jobs to worship and offer small Apples to on a regular basis, or will you be getting one to use it for some sort of voodoo shenanigans?

And is this doll in bad taste or is it a novel, and fun, way of remembering a man whom many consider of god like status, while others see him as a killer of all things innovation wise, while looking after number one?

Your thoughts on the matter please.

Google once again chose Samsung to be the manufacturer of their latest Ice Cream Sandwich enabled device the Galaxy Nexus (Prime in the US). And while there have been some discussions of Galaxy Nexus signal issues initially with the device, it has by and large received a warm and welcome reception for its high end specs, design and functionality.

Do you love the Samsung galaxy range? And you are now in the market for a new Samsung Galaxy Nexus but do not want to look like the rest of the madding crowd, if so, what do you do?

Would you simply get the original Galaxy Nexus model that came out late last year and put a skin on it to make it look unique?

Or, would you prefer to wait for the arrival and release of the new Samsung Galaxy Nexus in white?

Well do not get too over excited just yet, as it looks like the arrival may not be until February and the actual colour maybe more half and half if this product shot is anything to go by, but it is coming and it looks pretty neat.

Clove the UK device retailer state:

First stock due week commencing February 6th

No US release date just yet:

US readers will know this device as the Samsung Galaxy Prime, and we are unsure if the white version is currently available for you, or indeed will ever be made an official release, but it does appear to be coming to UK shores on February.

I have to say that I really like this device having played around with it a few times of recent, I feel that ICS has one up on Gingerbread in terms of lag and general feel, it has that lovely responsiveness that you come to expect of high end phones and I actually feel is lacking on the Samsung S2.

What do you make of the design, is it a bit cheeky calling it white when the front seems so dark, and only the back and sides really have the signature white look applied?

There is a train of thought that states that humans can only think around 50 years ahead before their ideas turn into the realms of science fiction.

Now if you think back to programmes from the 60/70’s, I remember Star Trek characters talking to people on videophones, and while I did not think too much about it, I never expected it to arrive as soon as it has, so in my mind, it was Sci-Fi, something to expect in many many years to come….that was about 50 years ago.

Now we all know how common place video chat is, so what about all the other advancements that have emerged and will emerge in the coming years, what will change in our day to day lives now that smartphone and tablets dominate?

Well thanks to Ericsson, the inventors of Bluetooth, you may well be able to hazard a guess….be warned though, at 20 minutes long, it is not your average viral video, and with a pretty disappointing 130,000 views, it perhaps shows that length matters online….however as all good things come to those who wait…it is worth it.

Flash based map of “networked cities”

And if you want to look at their Flash based map of “Networked Cities” please click here:

I do feel that this relatively intriguing map could have a) been made in HTML5 and b) worked better.

So what is this “networked society” initiative from Ericsson about?

It has to be said that the one time Nokia rivals seem to have hid away for a while, so where are they heading and how does this project aid that roadmap?

“The Networked Society City Index interactive tool lets you explore and compare the effects ICT has on society, people, and business – in major cities all over the world. Learn about a city, drag-and-drop two cities and compare, or discover initiatives happening in the cities right now.”

They even have a facebook page which works as you might have expected, as part advertisement and part discussion of all things networked and Ericsson, I like what they have done here.

And also take a look at their “to-do-list” video, scraped from their facebook intro page:

So what do you think the future holds technology wise?

Will it be apocalyptic hell, where man and machine are at war after creating technology that outsmarts us and turns nasty?

Or will it be a more peaceful place where harmony is created through a synergy with all things living, being in perfect balance with technology?

Maybe you think that the world needs to stop pursuing technological advancements and start looking at our own personal issues instead of creating more problems with the technology that is designed to help us, either way let us know your thoughts below.

HTC have been looking a little stale lately, and even though their current offerings are perfectly sound, the fact is that both Samsung and Apple have been pushing out models that have in many ways superseded those on offer from HTC.

It looks like Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress may be the venue that the world finally gets to see the two new quad core smartphones from the Taiwanese manufacturer.

Other manufacturers releasing similar superphones:

While we are looking forward to this new range of phones from HTC, and it would appear that JP Morgan are also happy about the prospect, with a new stock weight classification of “overweight” now being given to HTC.

The problem long term maybe that all the main manufacturers are also bringing out their new “superphone” ranges this coming year.

So you will have LG, Samsung and Motorola all in the same space very soon, but it may suit HTC to get in early while it is less crowded and pick up some early adopters of these quad core beasts.

Is power that important to you?

What do you think of the prospect of having so much power at your fingertips?

Do we really need it?

And do you worry that smartphone battery life will get compromised, and perhaps wish that we reigned in the power of our phones and sorted this area out first?

Having said that, there is some great battery technology coming out that should help this situation.

So is it game on for the Quad-Core action whatever the size of the battery or indeed device?

Let us know your thoughts on the potential release of these new HTC monsters in the comments below.

Technology and imaging firm Kodak are facing bankruptcy in the face, and with a company of this status spreading back some 130+ years, we thought it would be a kind gesture to see what they have brought to the world prior to this unfortunate fall from grace for the technology giant.

Kodak Historic Milestones:

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• 1880 – George Eastman begins commercial production of dry plates for photography in a rented loft of a building in Rochester, N.Y.
• 1888 – The name “Kodak” is born and the Kodak camera is marketed with the slogan, “You press the button, we do the rest.”
• 1889 – The Eastman Company is formed, taking over the assets of the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company.
• 1892 – The company becomes Eastman Kodak Company of New York.
• 1900 – The first Brownie camera is introduced. Selling for $1 and using film that costs 15 cents a roll, it brings hobby photography within financial reach.
• 1929 – The company introduces its first motion picture film.
• 1935 – Kodachrome film is introduced and becomes the first commercially successful amateur color film.
• 1951 – The low-priced Brownie 8mm movie camera is introduced, followed by Brownie movie projector in 1952.
• 1962 – The company’s U.S. consolidated sales exceed $1 billion for the first time. Its work force tops 75,000.
• 1963 – Kodak introduces a line of easy-to-use Instamatic cameras with cartridge-loading film (selling more than 50 million by 1970).
• 1972 – Five pocket-size Instamatic cameras that use smaller cartridges are launched. More than 25 million cameras sell in less than three years.
• 1975 – Kodak invents the world’s first digital camera. The toaster-size prototype captures black-and-white images at a resolution of 10,000 pixels (.01 megapixels).
• 1981 – Company sales surpass the $10 billion revenue mark. The next year, hometown payroll peaks at 60,400.
• 1984 – Kodak enters the video market with the Kodavision Series 2000 8mm video system and introduces Kodak videotape cassettes in 8mm, Beta and VHS formats, along with a line of floppy disks for computers.
• 1988 – Global payroll peaks at 145,300.
• 1992 – Kodak launches a writeable CD that its first customer, MCI, used for producing telephone bills for corporate accounts.
• 2003 – Launch of Kodak Easyshare printer dock 6000, which produces durable, borderless 4-by-6-inch prints.
• 2004 — Kodak begins digital makeover, the same year it gets ejected from the 30-stock Dow Jones industrial average. It cuts tens of thousands of jobs as it closes factories and changes businesses.
• 2008 — Kodak begins mining its patent portfolio, which generates nearly $2 billion in fees over three years.
• 2010 — Kodak sues Apple and Research in Motion before the U.S. International Trade Commission, claiming the smartphone makers are infringing its 2001 patent for technology that lets a camera preview low-resolution versions of a moving image while recording still images at higher resolutions. Global employment falls to 18,800.
• July 2011: Kodak begins shopping around its 1,100 digital-imaging patents.
• September 2011: Kodak hires Jones Day, a law firm that lists bankruptcies and restructuring among its stop specialities.
• December 2011 — Judge extends camera patent dispute into 2012.
• Wall Street Journal publishes rumors of potential Chapter 11 Bankruptcy filing.

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Source: www.kodak.com

Have Kodak hit hard times and accepted that the show is over as bankruptcy looms:

Did you know that Kodak actually invented the Worlds first digital camera in 1975.

So, with Kodak having a huge list of “firsts” under their belt, it is rather a sad day when an originally innovative company such as Kodak, who had such global weight in the technology and imaging sector, looks like it will decide to file for bankruptcy as it can not compete in any of the territories it currently operates in, and in some cases dominated. Believing that Chapter 11 Bankruptcy is the way forward.

This type of bankruptcy gives a corporation some time to continue trading and hopefully find a rescue package while benefiting from certain bankruptcy rules that normally apply.

Kodak sell off patents:

When you are a 131 year old company with Kodak’s pedigree (albeit somewhat off kilter of recent years) you are likely to have some pretty juicy patents in the cupboard, and Kodak are well and truly in the market for selling some of these off.

With a rumored 1,100 patents Kodak are wanting to claw back some cash in the run up to the expected bankruptcy filing, and are hoping that they can then obtain a $1 billion package that will aid their operational requirements while they are going through the bankruptcy proceedings, with an unknown outcome at the end of this process.

Kodak bankruptcy will mean job losses?

With Kodak currently employing some 19,000 + people globally, many will be worried that this news could signal the death of the company that pays their wages in the coming months.

In a rather sombre note, Mr Eastman the Kodak founder took his own life aged 77 saying:

“To my friends, my work is done. Why wait?”

I wonder if his legacy will see Kodak the company see the same fate, or, if the raising of capital after the sale of patents and a rally for cash, will be enough to look into keeping other areas alive that Kodak operate in, though these look decidedly scary from an investors view.

With Kodak recently deciding to focus on the printer market and only managing to achieve just short of 3% market share in the months up to the end of 2011, what do you think Kodak should do?

Kodak’s Illustrious past:

Here is an infographic list of Kodak Historic Milestones achieved in their 130+ years of trading so far.

Is it likely they will find a buyer for the company while under chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, or will they slowly let the company die, while salvaging as much cash from the sale of patents on the way?

It is thought that ASUS will be revealing a new mini version of the Asus transformer prime tablet that currently sees them under scrutiny from Hasbro over the use of the words “transformer” and “prime”.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this month in Las Vegas will see the arrival of many new models and it is expected that it will be the showcase of the new ASUS transformer mini.

The new version is thought to be a 7 inch model of the 10 inch version, which will come with a smaller keyboard dock, the signature of the Asus Transformer Prime.

Asus want to be big in 2012 and distinctive:

There is expected to be a few other arrivals at the CES show and these include:

[arrowlist]

• Asus Padfone, a 4.3-inch Ice Cream Sandwich based smartphone which has the ability to turn into a tablet via a 10.1-inch touchscreen dock.
• 7-inch version of the Eee Memo Pad, with a rumoured 1.2 Ghz Snapdragon processor, 1280×800 resolution display, with Wi-Fi and 3G options.

[/arrowlist]

Will they keep the transformer name?

With Hasbro genuinely unhappy about the choice of names of the Asus transformer tablet, it may be unwise to carry on this potential legal disaster to another model even though in my eyes it seems pretty far fetched that they would have a leg to stand on, I am no lawyer and would not be the best person to pontificate on any outcome here, so if I was Asus, airing on the side of caution would be my instinct, especially as the transformers brand is growing from strength to strength currently.

Hasbro filed the action to sue in a LA court stating that the use of the term could lead to consumer confusion, and has requested that compensation be paid for damages related to the use of the term in current and future products.

Can the word “transformer” really be trademarked/patented/copyrighted?

Are you a lawyer in this field in the US?

If so, please do shed some light on the issue if you are, as it seems far fetched to me.

Barbara Finigan, Hasbro’s chief legal officer, said in a statement.

“Hasbro continues to aggressively protect its brands and products and the specific actions we are taking today against Asus underscores yet again Hasbro’s willingness to pursue companies who misappropriate our intellectual property for their own financial gain….the Transformers property is an incredibly popular global brand which enjoys tremendous fan support and interest around the world. The action we have announced today is in the best interests of our company and our shareholders.”

So like Apple, they are not taking things lightly and I am actually really excited to see what the outcome will be on this one.

Though if I was Asus I would counter sue Hasbro for making my new line of tablets sound like they are a kids toy….we had all pretty much forgotten the name until recently!…How rude Hasbro how rude.

We covered the arrival of the $45 Aakash tablet computer a while ago and were pleasantly surprised at the ingenuity and desire of UK based Datawind to bring computing to the masses in rural India as well as in more populated areas.

Two weeks in and talk of new factories being needed:

Amazingly at only two weeks into selling the tablet online, Datawind have said that demand for the tablet is in the region of 100,000 per day, and they have a pre-order totalling some 400,000, to keep up with demand they are looking to create three new factories, and will also be looking to release a new model in mid January. This will be a slightly more powerful 700Mhz processor and will have a SIM card slot and the ability to access GPRS and 2G connections.

Aakash Ubislate 7:

The new tablet will be named the Aakash Ubislate 7 and cost around 3000 Rupee compared to the Aakash’s price tag of 2500 Rupee, and the new device is quite simply a natural progression in terms of specification on offer from the company who are there to help the Indian population move forward in the mobile technology sector that is so prevalent in many other countries.

And with India being only second to China in terms of population, each person may not have the largest amount of disposable income but the market is so huge that this reduced level of value per person still offers rich gains for those who can go in at a lower price and offer the same kind of services that more developed countries come to expect.

Suneet Singh Tuli, CEO of Datawind, says:

“We never expected such a high response from both corporate and individual buyers. We plan to supply 70,000-75,000 units per day once the factories are in place by April,”

Emergency on day one of selling online:

Indeed the demand for India’s cut price tablet is that huge that on the first day of selling the tablet online they were informed by India’s computer emergency response team that the site was probably under a cyber attack, such was the high traffic shitting the site due to the demand for the new tablet.

With the iPad costing around 30,000 rupees it is easy to see why many people in India can not afford this high end model, and Datawind have obviously found a decent price level that will satisfy a large proportion of the people in the rural and city areas.

Who owns this tablet and can you please tell us your thoughts if you do, we would love to hear about it from the source so to speak.

We have already discussed how the Samsung galaxy S3 may come with a whole raft of new features, and we have touched on the fact that 3D is a possibility, however news from IBTimes suggest that the rumour could hold a little more merit, and rather than one model with 3D, it appears that there could be two variations, a standard HD model and an enhanced 3D model, depending on how you look at it.

If a 3D enabled device does emerge it will be using dual cameras to the rear of the device to capture the 3D information.

And the 3D will likely be of the “glasses free” variety meaning that you will be able to tell that it is 3D without those funky looking specs. And the display is also going to be in the region of 4.2 and 4.65 inches.

Samsung Galaxy S3 February release date:

Will the rumor of the Samsung Galaxy S3 release date be true. If so it could be an interesting early start to 2012.

Now what I am unsure about is if 3D technology is actually a game changer just yet. I am much more intrigued to see if it will have a quad core processor and actually be able to handle the power contained with its own battery!

What would you like to see in the new Samsung S3, are you going for a 3D enabled device so you can play games on it or are you hoping the battery life is better than on the S2?

Please do, as always, tell all in the comments below.

In a fascinating article over at mobile industry review, Steve Kennedy explains just how fragile the airwaves we take for granted really are.

As someone who does like to learn about the technology behind mobile communication, though admittedly just likes things to work……I will try to do this article justice in bringing out the salient points.

I must admit that this topic has been covered in a humorous manner in an earlier article related to Alec Baldwin’s in-flight love of games, and I will be honest and say that I was always under the impression that turning off your mobile phone in-flight was an extreme form of health and safety precaution based on very little evidence so it is nice to put a few myths to bed.

Mobile networks are fragile:

When you were last on a flight do you rememberer being told to:

“please ensure your phone is switched off, as it can interfere with the plane electronics.”

Or something similar. And you are also told to keep your mobile off while you are stationary, taking off, and also when you are landing.

So is all this fuss necessary?

If you think of Mobile Networks as quite simply radio systems, that allow people to tap into them and make and receive calls, then you will not be aware of some of the fineries that surround mobile networks.

The truth is that these systems are very fragile and when you are at an Airport such as Heathrow, on the ground, you may well be in the vicinity of a number of cell sites that mobile networks use to make your phone work, taking and receiving signals.

Now when you turn off your mobile phone, it appears that your device is not actually fully asleep but in more of a soft sleep, and only removing the battery will turn the device off properly.

But mobile phones transmit at very low power:

Mobile phones do transmit at low power, this is a way of saving battery life, they also look for the nearest GSM or 3G cell site, and the reason your phone may lack battery in rural areas when compared to city use is that your device will likely be looking for a cell site much further away which will affect your overall mobile battery life.

Heathrow will have a number of cell sites:

So with Heathrow being such an important area geographically and population wise, the likelihood that it will have a number of cell sites from which networks are transmitting radio waves is obvious. These will be at much greater magnitudes than your humble smartphone will ever deliver so why do plane operators make such a fuss when their planes are already getting bombarded by an onslaught of many, many radio waves from close proximity?

Cell handover is the issue in the UK:

Yes it seems that it has less to do with safety and more to do with money!

Cell handover in the UK is explained by taking an example of a stationary plane at Heathrow and having this plane head south.

While it is rising in the air, it will be hit by a high number of neighbouring cell sites from the general London area around Heathrow, so how do the cell sites know when to switch as you move between so many options?

By using technology known as handover the algorithms work out which cells to hand-off to and thus optimise the network efficiency, otherwise it would be constantly trying to look for your signal and this would cost the mobile operators and networks lots of money, and potentially result in dropped calls and general extra work at the cell sites.

Let us take being in the air while ascending again, imagine this as another 3D layer that is much more difficult to predict, so there could be an argument that this is the reason that plane operators do not allow you to use your phones while taking off and landing, as it could end up costing a lot of cash and cause users below to lose calls due to dropped signals and general degradation in call quality, as so many phones fight for signals that are constantly altering due to flying above so many cell sites.

With no actual tests ever been done on the issues of using your mobile while flying, and the FCC in the US only warning that the above issues could present problems, (and then apparently withdrawing this advice for some unknown reason), it would still appear that the real dangers of flying with your mobile turned on is still not known. And may as many suspect may actually be more of a myth.

So the above reasons would appear to be quite a valid argument for not affecting those below on descent and take off, as in some cases your mobile connection could not only be a paid for service that you expect to work, but also a lifesaver too.

I am personally unsure how all this would interfere with emergency service networks, though I suspect that they have more robust dedicated signals that would not be interfered with in the same manner.

In plane Wi-Fi coming soon:

Strangely this may all start to become a lot more clear as it seems that your average plane could be able to sell mobile minutes to you as well as the usual Wi-Fi which you can now obtain, so it does appear that it is more about money at the bottom line in both cases.

Though they will still not allow you to use your mobile phone during take off and landing so you do not affect the ground based cell sites as we covered above.

I must say a big thank you to mobile industry review and a guest poster called Steve Kennedy who has added a really interesting post about the dangers of having your mobile phone turned on while flying.

Have you ever heard of Meizu?

Probably not, unless you live in, or come from, China or Hong Kong, and then you may well be aware that this manufacturer of rather sexy looking smartphones has just added another device to its range.

Who are Meizu?

Established in 2003, Meizu’s founder has been a keen tech lover for all his life, the company ethos quoted below shows the intriguing take they have on the corporate technology world:

In some ways, people are like computers with the similar configuration. Running at full capacity likewise, the computational load of those keeping a single task is far beyond that of those multitasked, ending and starting processes continually. Only when people remain devoted, we may suppress complicated interference, strive for our devotion consistently, and create greater value and wealth. The constant devotion is the dream!

So why was Meizu created?

Meizu was created for the dream. Devotion, perfection, concentrative and long-term pursuit shall bring out exceptional dream works of commercial products. Everything about Meizu shall transcend conventionality and imagination!

Now call me facetious but I genuinely love to read slightly “off” English translations of big corporate statements, they sound so cute dont they!

So why MX?

In keeping with the aspirational blurb above, the reason Meizu called the phone MX is actually because it is using the first two letters of the Chinese word for “Dream”, “Meng Ziang”.

Android based smartphone for Chinese market:

The new Meizu smartphone will be running Android and will feature a Exynos processor, with 1GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage capacity. The display is a decent sized 4 inches with a resolution of 960×640. It has an 8 megapixel camera that also offers panoramic shots. They also offer their own version of the Apple iCloud in FlyMe, though it does state on their website that this is only currently available in mainland China.

Queues of people waited for its launch:

In scenes reminiscent of popular Samsung and Apple product launches, there were queues of people waiting outside stores in some of the major cities in Hong Kong and China, all waiting to get their hands on the new Meizu MX device.

In fact the smartphone is so popular that it is genuinely seen as a fully blown iPhone rival in China and Hong Kong, and with specs to match, we can see why. I for one am always quite excited when a relatively new player enters a market with something worthwhile.

I wonder what Meizu’s plans for smartphone launches further afield are?

We have already done a comprehensive review of the Samsung Galaxy note and found that the half tab, half smartphone was a big boy indeed, and perhaps not one for certain ladies, but we liked it by and large…pun of course intended.

So it is intriguing to see that despite a no-show in the US currently, the Galaxy Note smartphone, that masquerades as a tablet when it needs to, has actually shipped a whopping 1 million units globally, which seems pretty incredible considering the amount of competition it faces in the overall smartphone market.

Samsung Galaxy Note at CES?

It is thought that the Consumer Electronics Show in January could be the perfect US showcase for the mobile device to start wooing US buyers, and for the device to then start appearing on AT&T shortly after, with an expected support for LTE to be offered.

With a 5.3 inch screen and 1280 x 800 pixel resolution display, we think it will appeal to quite a few Americans who still swear that big is most definitely best!

What do you think of the device? Are you looking forward to the new release of the Samsung Galaxy Note in the US?

Here is a half decent Samsung promo video for the Galaxy Note, when compared to the hilarious videos they released for the Samsung S2 which have now been pulled:

Please let us know your thoughts on the Galaxy Note in the comments, are you a Note owner already who likes or loathes the device? Tell all.