Mobile Devices - Page 349

Nokia's entry-level value-priced Windows Phone is currently rolling out across the world: Lumia 710. It has virtually the same insides as the Lumia 800, sporting a 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 (WCDMA) processor, 512MB RAM, a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, 3.7-inch CBD LCD display and weighs in at 126 grams.

The task the Lumia 710 has is to allow greater penetration of the Windows Phone platform into the middle segment of the market. And since it shares hardware with the Nokia Lumia 800, it can be considered a second-generation Windows Phone, from the best value for money.

Because the Lumia 710 uses a plastic design, it cuts off some of the weight the usual premium handsets have, but with no consequences to build quality. It also features swappable back covers, in case you want to change things up, old-school Nokia style. You could have black or white Lumia 710 with back colors ranging from blue, pink, yellow and others.

RIM have taken a leaf out of HP's book and dumped their Android-powered BlackBerry Playbook to $299 in the U.S. and that's not all. The PlayBook is on sale through to February 4th.

RIM's official webstore is offering the 16, 32 and 64GB versions of the PlayBook for just $299. Yes, that's $299 for any size. Who would want to buy a 32 or 16GB model for $299 if you're able to get your hands on the 64GB model for the same price?

On top of this, if you want to access the proper Android Market on the PlayBook, the people over at CrackBerry have been good enough to detail the process, which requires a rooted PlayBook, WinSCP, the latest version of Cyanogen Google apps and a tad sprinkle of patience. Not all Android-native apps will work, but there are a bunch that you'll get access to.

Samsung's bulky, but sexy Galaxy Note smartphone will arrive in the U.S. sometime in the next 6 months. The Galaxy Note AT&T model will sport something a little surprising when compared to its European brother from the same mother, NFC.

The Galaxy Note sports a 5.29-inch Super AMOLED screen with a Full Touch Bar, Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread (and not Android 4.x Ice Cream Sandwich), an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, the usual BlueTooth, USB, Wi-Fi, and then, NFC (Near Field Communication).

The most surprising thing in that spec list is that a premier Samsung product launching in 2012 not including Ice Cream Sandwich, but this may change between now and release. At the moment, the processor type is unknown, another strange thing about this release. For a full spec list:

Originally, I didn't want to use the headline with a swear word in it, but it does look catchy. Now that you're reading this news, the latest news out of the UK will interest you in regards to Apple's iPhone 4S personal assistant, Siri.

A demo version of the phone was on display in Tesco, where a 12-year-old kid was testing it and asked Siri "How many people are there in the world?" Siri replied with "Shut the f**k up, you ugly tw**." Wow. Just wow, Siri.

UK-based newspaper, The Sun, had an exclusive story, where the mother of the child is obviously rather shocked and annoyed with Siri's response. She told The Sun:

DigiTimes are reporting that Apple is going to unveil its next-generation iPad in January, where it will also unveil two different versions of the iPad. DigiTimes' sources claim that it is scheduled for iWorld which is being held on January 26, 2012.

The new models are set to join the existing iPad 2 to demonstrate Apple's iPad series targeting the entry-level, mid-range, and high-end market segments, the sources claimed. The sources said:

Apple's biggest competitor, Samsung, will reportedly launch the Galaxy S III, the successor to the most popular Android smartphone on the market, Galaxy S II, at Mobile World Congress in February. At the same time they're said to be launching a new 3D-capable range of devices in the first quarter of 2012.

Almost a year after they launched the Galaxy S II, could Samsung really do it again? How could it be much better than the Galaxy S II? Well, it's expected to sport a quad-core processor and possibly even include 3D technology as Samsung look to differentiate their phone from the iPhone.

With 3D photo and video recording capabilities being baked into additional Samsung-branded smartphones next year, coming to a device being referred to as Galaxy S 3D, which helps users deliver 3D content to their 3D TVs. This device could be launched in Q2 2012. Right now, of course, the usual pinch of salt is required.

In a surprising move, The Pentagon have just officially certified an Android-powered device, alongside Android 2.2 for use on the Defense Department networks, which marks the first move away from RIM's BlackBerry. This is the first smartphone since the BlackBerry to receive approval.

The approval went to Dell's Venue, with Dell's now discontinued Streak tablet being the previously approved device. Other Android-based manufacturers such as Samsung, Motorola, HTC and others were not covered in the recently published document. DoD employees only have limited access to the device's feature set, of course.

The Android Market will be banned, and all web browsing must be done through a DoD proxy server. On top of these restrictions, classified information cannot be sent, received or accessed using the Android handsets. On the fruity side of things, Apple's iPhones and iPads are currently being tested for use on DoD networks, but the DoD are not making any comments on when the iOS-powered devices might get approval.

Intel is set to smash into the system-on-a-chip (SoC) market in 2012, where they are going to be "becoming mobile" in quite a serious way. Intel went through an internal reorganization and merged four distinctive business units into one: Mobile Communications, Mobile Wireless, Netbook & Tablet PC and Ultra-Mobility.

The new group is called "Mobile and Communications" and is lead by Mike Bell and Hermann Eul. The first product to come from the fancy new group is the 32nm chip called Medfield. Medfield is Intel's codename for their first SoC and first true highly-integrated-solution. Intel have in the past, talked of "vertically integrated platforms", without talking about how many chips were required in order to have a functional platform. This marks a new direction for Intel.

Intel's Medfield is competition against Apple's A-Series, NVIDIA's Tegra range, Qualcomm's Snapdragon, Samsung's Exynos, Texas Instruments OMAP and others. Out of the ranges just explained, Samsung's Exynos is the only SoC currently built on a 32nm process, just like Medfield.

Samsung have a duo of products to release before Christmas, in the form of two new dual-SIM Android-powered handsets. The Galaxy Y Duos sports a 3.14-inch QVGA (243x320) touchscreen, 834MHz processor, HSDPA, a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera, and software wise we have Google's Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

The Galaxy Y Duos Pro is the same handset inside, but features a smaller 2.6-inch LQVGA TFT screen so make space for its physical keyboard. The new devices will hit Russia in January 2012, with the Galaxy Y Duos rolling out to Europe, CIS, Latin America, Southeast and Southwest Asia, Middle East, Africa, and finally, China.

Galaxy Y Pro Duos will arrive in Europe, CIS, Latin America, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Africa. Both phones sport the great feature of dual-SIM, which can be handy for those who want to either have one side for business, one for pleasure. Alternatively, if one carrier has better offers at certain times (or more data allowance), and then you could switch to the other SIM for everything else.

Amazon released version 6.2.1 of its Kindle Software. The aim of this update seems to be improving UI performance, which is something people have wanted since the Kindle Fire went on sale. The update is set to be delivered over-the-air, but for those who haven't received it OTA, you can download it manually, with some instructions below.

Amazon say that the 6.2.1 contains the following:

Enhanced fluidity and performance - The user interface felt choppy, especially with items like the coverflow or "carousel" feature. This update aims to improve that.