RIM has already introduced some features of the BlackBerry 10 platform including its BlackBerry Hub and its newly designed, intelligent keyboard. You can read more about the mobile OS on RIM’s BlackBerry 10 website.
Source
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
RIM to hold BlackBerry 10 launch event on January 30th, 2013
RIM has already introduced some features of the BlackBerry 10 platform including its BlackBerry Hub and its newly designed, intelligent keyboard. You can read more about the mobile OS on RIM’s BlackBerry 10 website.
Source
Google Nexus 4
Design and Display
From a short distance, the Nexus 4 looks almost identical to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. But it's an illusion; instead of the hard plastic sides and back of the Samsung version, the LG model is nicely finished in clear glass on the back, with a lovely sparkling pattern that seems to move as you tilt the handset. The sides are in a grippy soft touch rubber, with a smoked chrome accent ring around the front. The phone measures 5.27 by 2.70 by 0.36 inches (HWD) and weighs 4.9 ounces. It's a beautiful design that befits a Nexus: understated, classy, and without frills.There's not much in the way of hardware controls. The right side features a lone Power button, while the left panel houses a chrome volume rocker and a micro SIM card slot; if you want to switch SIM cards, you open it using a tiny metal key LG provides in the package. A standard-size 3.5mm headphone jack is found up top, while the microUSB port for charging and syncing the phone is at the bottom of the phone.The 4.7-inch IPS LCD packs 1,280-by-768-pixel resolution, and is covered in Corning Gorilla Glass 2. There's less of a gap between the glass and display than before, which is noticeable when you tilt it on its side. The screen is responsive and feels great to the touch. Whites are significantly brighter than the dim, yellowish ones on the Galaxy Nexus. Web pages on the Apple iPhone 5 still look better, thanks to better viewing angles and a still-brighter screen, and the iPhone 5's fonts are also kerned more closely and are easier to read. But the Nexus 4 display is a tremendous improvement, and it's considerably larger than the iPhone 5's 4 inches. In my tests, typing on the on-screen keyboard was comfortable and responsive in both portrait and landscape modes.
Connectivity
The Nexus 4 is a quad-band EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and quintuple-band HSPA+ 42 (850/900/1700/1900/2100MHz) handset. There's no LTE here, but you get 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. The phone had no problem connecting to our WPA2-encrypted 5GHz corporate network. For this review, I tested the Nexus 4 with a T-Mobile SIM card.The lack of LTE may sound like a dealbreaker, but it's really not that clear-cut. First, only the subsidized Samsung Galaxy Nexus on Verizon and Sprint had LTE last year; the newer, unlocked Galaxy Nexus never did, and that's the one that this Nexus 4 is replacing. LTE compatibility is fast becoming a given now. Still, T-Mobile doesn't have an LTE network; it maxes out at HSPA+ 42, which is still very fast. I averaged speeds of 10-11Mbps down, which is faster than what I usually see on Verizon's crowded LTE network in Manhattan. Upload speeds were much slower at roughly 1Mbps, since HSPA+ 42 is much more asymmetrical, and ping times were all over the board, so latency isn't great. Nonetheless, this is a fast phone when used on T-Mobile.
On AT&T's network it's a different story. There's no HSPA+ 42, so the Nexus 4 maxes out at HSPA+ 21. Use this phone with an AT&T SIM card, and you'll see much slower speeds than you would with an LTE-equipped phone—usually in the realm of 2-3Mbps down, or much slower than the 30Mbps+ we've seen on AT&T's LTE network. If your heart is set on AT&T LTE, you should look at a subsidized Samsung Galaxy S III $179.99 at Amazon Wireless or an iPhone 5.
We asked AT&T if it prevents unlocked phones from accessing LTE on its network, and a spokesperson said it wouldn't be a problem, so it's going to depend on which bands the unlocked iPhone 5 supports when that version arrives. Still, at $649 for an unlocked iPhone 5 and $549 for a non-carrier Samsung Galaxy S III, you'd have to really want an unlocked phone to spend that kind of cash upfront just to use it on AT&T's network.
Performance, Hardware, and OS
In my tests, voice quality was generally good, even excellent in the earpiece, with plenty of gain, and a crisp, natural tone. Transmissions through the mic were a little thin and robotic sounding, though, and the noise cancelling algorithm seemed to struggle with some moderate construction noise in the background. Reception was solid, and a huge improvement over the spotty reception I experienced with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.Calls sounded clear through a Jawbone Era Bluetooth headset, though it was a little unreliable; I had trouble getting calls to stay in the headset, and while I could trigger voice dialing over Bluetooth, Android's built-in voice recognition never understood the number I was trying to dial. The speakerphone gets quite loud, but it has a piercing tone at maximum volume that's uncomfortable to listen to.
We're still testing the Nexus 4's 2100mAh battery and will update this review as soon as we have a result. It's worth noting that the Nexus 4 also supports wireless charging with compatible charging pads; it doesn't come with one, but they're available on the aftermarket for $50 and up, depending on the brand. Wireless charging is useful, but not as perfect as it sounds; you still have to plug the wireless charging mat into the wall. But at least you don't have to plug and unplug the actual phone each time.
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Monday, November 12, 2012
HTC One X+ and HTC One VX Arrive at AT&T Nov. 16; Pre-orders for One X+ Begin Nov. 13
Customers looking for a smartphone that combines outstanding design, authentic sound, an amazing camera, HD entertainment, and the power of a quad-core processor will surely add the HTC One™ X+ to the top of their wish list. Available in AT&T* stores and online beginning Nov. 16 for $199.99 with a two-year agreement, customers can also pre-order the HTC One X+ beginning Nov. 13 at www.att.com/onexplus. A look at the HTC One X+ in action is available in this video.
Additionally, AT&T announced the HTC One™ VX, an affordable Android smartphone that offers a premium mobile experience, will be available in-store Nov. 16 for $49.99 with a two-year agreement. Running on AT&T’s 4G LTE network, the HTC One VX delivers an amazing camera and authentic sound experience in a more compact size for even greater mass-market appeal.
HTC One X+
The HTC One X+ will be the first smartphone to combine Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) with the 1.7 GHz NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 ‘4-PLUS-1™’ quad-core processor with a battery saving fifth core. The HTC One X+ will also be the first smartphone in the U.S. to feature performance improvements and benefits of HTC Sense 4+. Continuing with the iconic HTC One X design, this powerhouse now comes in an exclusive Carbon Black finish and adds increased performance, longer battery life and 64 GB of internal storage.
Improved battery life comes from a larger 2100 mAh battery and the smartphone’s ability to allow the four cores to operate in the most efficient way possible with each core independently and automatically enabled and disabled based on workload. The single battery-saver fifth core (or companion core) handles low-power tasks like active standby, email, browsing, music and video. Intelligent Power Saver settings further optimize battery life, giving you all the power you need, when you need it.
The HTC One X+ has a 4.7-inch, 720p HD screen and builds on the camera of the HTC One X. It has a superfast auto-focus and integrates the HTC ImageChip which reduces noise, removes color bias and enhances the overall picture quality. The 64 GB of internal memory is non-partitioned to store more high quality photos, video, music, movies and apps however the user wants.
The HTC One series set the standard for imaging with HTC VideoPic™ (the ability to take still photos and shoot videos at the same time), one-press Continuous Shooting and better quality images in low light environments. The HTC One X+ combines the outstanding camera capabilities of its predecessor** with a series of intelligent features powered by HTC Sense 4+. The new Auto Portrait mode on the front camera helps you capture high quality photos by detecting the human face at various angles. Sightseeing mode makes it easier to capture the moment, as only one touch of the power button bypasses the lock screen and launches directly into camera mode. Additionally, two new ways to view photos and videos in the gallery allow you to display albums according to when or where they were taken.
HTC One VX
Exclusive to AT&T, the HTC One VX sports one of the slimmest unibody form factors in the industry at just 9.19 millimeters thin, making it easy to hold and navigate at a size that fits easily in anyone’s hand. The stylish new smartphone comes in a crisp white color finish with silver accents and features a 4.5-inch qHD display protected with scratch-resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass which aids in durability and reduces light reflection.
Featuring advanced imaging capabilities, the HTC One VX includes a 1080p HD video recorder and 5-megapixel camera with HTC ImageSense™, improving every part of the camera and integrating HTC ImageChip. Within seconds, customers can launch the camera from the lock screen and enjoy one-press continuous shooting at four frames per second. The One VX also features HTC VideoPic. The HTC One VX is NFC-ready for the seamless, wireless sharing of playlists, Web sites, contacts and more with other NFC-enabled devices.
For more information, please visit www.att.com/onevx.
HTC has the only smartphones, including the HTC One X+, HTC One X and HTC One VX, that include Beats AudioTM which provides authentic, studio-quality sound that delivers the spirit of the original recording, from crisper vocals and deeper bass to more immersive gaming effects and video.
AT&T customers have access to the nation’s largest 4G network****, covering 285 million people. AT&T has two 4G networks that work together for customers, LTE and HSPA+ with enhanced backhaul. That means AT&T customers are able to enjoy a widespread, ultra-fast and consistent 4G experience on their compatible device as they move in and out of LTE areas. With other carriers, when you travel outside of their LTE coverage area, you may be on a much slower 3G network.
For more information, please visit www.att.com/onexplus.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
**8MP smartphone with an f/2.0 wide aperture lens, backside-illuminated (BSI) sensor, VideoPic, HDR and one-press Continuous Shooting with HTC Sense 4
***Tap and Go only works on selected Beats speakers, which are sold at a separate price to the handset
**** 4G speeds not available everywhere. Limited 4G LTE availability in select markets. LTE is a trademark of ETSI.
The names of companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Source
Holiday gift guide 2012 – smartphones and tablets
Luckily, this Holiday, you won’t have a shortage of options to choose from. If you are ready to become the geeky Santa Claus with gadgets in your gift bag, the good news is that this time there will be worthy smartphones on all three biggest platforms: iOS, Android and Windows Phone.
While in 2011 we still didn’t have a completely mature smartphone ecosystem and we could still see flaws. Now, in 2012, we finally got rid of lag on Android, Microsoft polished Windows Phone 8, and the iPhone got even better. Android has almost closed the app gap with the App Store, and Windows Phone is starting to catch up too.
But what you should really care about is the all-around products, devices that are both aesthetically pleasing and crazy fast. We’ve picked out the best for the U.S. carriers and international in the slideshows below.
Source:www.phonearena.com
Apple iPad mini review: One for the road
Introduction
Wait, did hell just freeze over? Maybe a couple of degrees cooler? Rumors of a mini version of the iPad had been laughed at, dodged and denied - not necessarily in that order and often all at once. But here it is - the iPad mini is finally a reality. It caused due measures of excitement and perhaps a bit of disappointment. Yet, in typical Apple fashion, it's an excellent piece of hardware. In short, it's a polarizing device that may as well be the next best-selling tablet..jpg)
You have to hand it to Apple's R&D team - they know how to design hardware. The iPad mini is super thin and light, with a cool aluminum shell. Sure, they swore they'd never make a 7" tablet and the truth is they still haven't - the 7.9" screen of the mini offers 36% more real estate than the screens of the Google Nexus 7 and the Amazon Kindle Fire HD.
Less bezel on the left and right of the screen combined with the ~310g of weight make it reasonably comfortable to hold with one hand. Apple did make some compromises, which drew a lot of ire. Here's the summarized list of what's good and what's bad about the Apple iPad mini:
Key features
Compact body: 200 x 134.7 x 7.2 mm7.9" LED-backlit IPS LCD touchscreen, 768 x 1024 pixels; scratch-resistant, oleophobic coating
Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity, carrier-dependent hotspot support
Optional 2G/3G GSM, CDMA, LTE connectivity (data only, separate models)
Optional GPS with A-GPS support (for the 3G model only)
Apple A5 SoC, dual-core Cortex-A9 @ 1GHz chipset
512MB of RAM
PowerVR SGX543MP2 dual-core GPU
iOS 6 with Siri, iCloud support and activation
16/32/64GB of inbuilt storage
Bluetooth 4.0
16.3Wh battery
Accelerometer, compass and three-axis gyro-sensor
Compatible with every iPad and iPhone app without any modifications
The base version costs less than a SIM-free iPhone 4, only $30 more than iPod touch
5MP auto-focus camera
1080p video recording at 30fps
1.2MP secondary camera capable of FaceTime calls, 720p recording
Four and five-finger gestures
1080p TV-output with the Apple Digital AV Adapter (purchased separately for $49), 1080p video streaming
Supports magnetic cases
Lightning connector
Stereo loudspeakers
Main disadvantages
More expensive than 7" Android tablets, only $70 cheaper than iPad 2
No Retina display, 162ppi only
Same chipset as iPad 2, now two generations old
iTunes still required for most of the content uploads
Reflective screen struggles outdoors
No standard USB port, Lightning accessories still rare and expensive
No GPS receiver in the Wi-Fi version
No memory card slot
Lack of basic iOS apps - stocks, calculator, voice memos
The disadvantage list may seem longer than usual but most of the items there are general complaints that apply to virtually all Apple products, like the absence of a memory card slot. The way we see it, there are three main problems with the iPad mini - the (relatively) low-res screen, the old chipset and the price.
Apple products have so far effortlessly hit it big with users despite their perceived limitations compared to the competition. The new crop of iPads - the iPad 4 and iPad mini - already sold in the millions.
The software - iOS 6 - should be very familiar to Apple users, but the hardware is new. It's not like the big iPads, which mostly varied in thickness, this one has been designed to comfortably hold in one hand and slip into a coat pocket.
Some analysts have gone as far as to say that the iPad mini will become the iPad - it's highly portable, capable enough and drawing on the vast resources of the Apple eco-system. And if you adjust for the "Apple tax", the mini isn't that expensive.
Jump to the next page to find out just what you're getting with the iPad mini.
Source:http://www.gsmarena.com
Samsung Galaxy Premier
Introduction
Spreading the Galaxy S III magic to as many market segments as possible is what Samsung is actively trying to achieve these days. After the power users were treated to the Note II and those looking for a premium experience in a compact shell got the mini, it's now time for the mid-range market to get some attention.The Samsung Galaxy Premier specs sheet is familiar with the 4.65-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen and the dual-core TI OMAP chipset immediately bringing the Galaxy Nexus to mind. However, calling the Premier a Nexus refresh is wildly inaccurate - the Nature UX adds so much character that you'll hardly be able to tell there's so much in common between the two smartphones.
Let's take a look at what the Galaxy Premier is all about.
Key features
Quad-band GSM and quad-band 3G support21 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA support
4.65" 16M-color Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen of HD (720 x 1280 pixels) resolution; Corning Gorilla Glass 2
Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz launcher
1.5 GHz dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU, PowerVR SGX544 GPU, TI OMAP 4470 chipset, 1GB of RAM
8 MP wide-angle lens autofocus camera with LED flash, face, smile and blink detection
1080p HD video recording at 30fps
Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, n
GPS with A-GPS connectivity; GLONASS support, Digital compass
16/32 internal storage, microSD slot
Accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor
Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
microUSB port with USB host and TV-out (1080p) support, MHL, charging
Stereo Bluetooth v4.0
FM radio with RDS
Great audio quality
1.9MP secondary video-call camera
NFC support
Document editor
File manager comes preinstalled
Extremely rich video and audio codec support
Relatively large 2100 mAh battery
Main disadvantages
No dedicated camera key
Dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU usually belongs to a lower market segment
All plastic body
PenTile matrix screen of relatively low brightness
Sure, the Samsung Galaxy Premier doesn't have the most exciting specs sheet around, but it takes a formula that was already proven to work and improves on it in a number of key areas. Building on the most popular Nexus smartphone so far, the Premier addresses just about every complaints users had about it.
The mediocre camera is replaced by a more capable 8MP shooter, the chipset got a speed update and a more powerful GPU, while the uninspiring styling got spiced up with a dash of Galaxy S III. There is also an ampler battery to take care of the relatively short endurance and a microSD card slot for cheap memory expansion.
And yes, the stock Android looks are gone, but they are replaced by the Nature UX, which is not only way more functional, but also the best looking TouchWiz version so far.
Let's see if all those tweaks actually look as promised - the hardware inspection starts right after the break.
Source:http://www.gsmarena.com
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