Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Phones Review

Phones Review

iOS 4.3.1 Jailbreak: Certain Cydia Apps Not Compatible

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 11:17 AM PDT

Well, here we are with latest news on the iOS 4.3.1 jailbreak that was officially released yesterday.

News coming in from the guys at iPhone Download Blog is that the iOS 4.3.1 jailbreak is not yet compatible with some of the popular Cydia apps and tweaks.

Here is a list of the current Cydia packages that are not compatible with iOS 4.3.1: Backgrounder, Shrink, Celeste, DisplayRecorder and Action Menu.

A report is also coming in that the AVForums are claiming that the AppBackup isn't working, but at present, this info has not been officially confirmed.

Please note that if you use a certain Cydia app or tweak, you may want to ensure that the desired package (if not listed above) is compatible with the newest version of iOS 4.3.1 before you jailbreak your device.

If you are running the iOS 4.3.1 jailbreak on your device and you are having problems with your Cydia apps not working, then please let us know below.

You may also be interested in reading my article on this jailbreak and possible link to Wifi problems, see article here. Also, of interest may be my colleague Mark's article on the Sn0wbreeze 2.4b1 jailbreak.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Car Commercial: Video

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 08:29 AM PDT

Seems Sony Ericsson is pushing out several commercials for the Xperia devices lately. Mostly really weird commercials but it appears that Sony Ericsson is quite capable of delivering a neat, good advert when needed.

So we have a commercial for the first PlayStation phone that isn’t actually weird as it touts the gaming experience of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and not an amputated thumb or little green Android robot in sight.

The Xperia Play Car Advert comes our way courtesy of the guys over at Pocket Now and by way of the Sony Ericsson YouTube page and delivers a cool advert lasting 30 seconds, whereby an Xperia Play user drives a car on the Android device and the car shows up on the streets for real.

Now obviously the guy in the ad isn't actually controlling the vehicle remotely via the Xperia Play, but it sure beats the previous darkened weird adverts that’s for sure. So head on down and check out the new commercial…enjoy.

iPad 2 Smart Case by AViiQ: Price & Pre-order

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 08:02 AM PDT

For those of you with a brand new iPad 2, who want the added comfort of knowing your tablet is protected, we have just the thing for you.

By way of the guys at Pad Gadget, we can confirm the announcement of a new Smart Case by AviiQ. The case comes in a variety of colours: Black, Green, Red, Cyan, Pink, Silver and Orange, so it can exactly matched with your existing poly Smart Cover and does not obscure any of the iPad's controls thus, still giving you full access.

The design of the case is to protect the back of the iPad and is made of rugged plastic that has been covered in a solid aluminium plate.

If you are interested in purchasing a AViiQ Smart Case you can pre-order one now for $49.99 and shipping will start in late April. The case comes with a 30-day money back and 100% satisfaction guarantee.

This Smart Case could make a great addition to your iPad 2 and give you that added extra peace of mind, when it comes to your tablet's protection.

You may also want to check Mark’s article on a Marware case for the iPad 2, or if you are still waiting to get you hands on an iPad 2, then why not check out James’ article on the Apple iPad 2 Delivery Times.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc And You Video

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 08:02 AM PDT

The guys at Sony Ericsson want you to know all about their new Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc smartphone and as such have released a video tutorial of the Android 2.3 Gingerbread toting device, which we have for your viewing pleasure below.

The Xperia Arc and You video comes our way courtesy of the guys over at Daily Mobile and of course by way of the Sony Ericsson Support YouTube page and delivers almost five and a half minutes of getting to know the Android device.

The blurb for the video states…” Get an introduction to the Xperia™ arc and see some of the things it can do for you,” and basically gives you the low down on the specs before showing you what the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc can do for you.

So if you are still pondering whether to pick up the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, head on down, mash that play button and find out what the Xperia Arc can do for you…enjoy.

David Bowie Golden Years Album Coming as iOS App

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 07:04 AM PDT

For all you iOS fans out there that are also a fan of David Bowie, the word is the superstar is about to release a digitally re-mastered version of his 1975 single, Golden Years to the iOS platform in the form of an iPhone app.

According to an article over on 9to5 Mac and by way of Music Radar, David Bowie’s Golden Years iPhone app has been scheduled for release on iTunes as of the 6th of June, and will apparently have re-mixing capabilities.

The David Bowie Golden Years iOS app will feature a multi-track view of the original song, the ability to change stem tracks volume, the ability to create and save mixes, export your mix as an MP3, activate and deactivate stem tracks, pause/play/repeat, share with friends, and shake to mix, which launches a random mix whenever the user shakes the iPhone.

For fans of Bowie music you can also check out some Golden Years remixes which are being streamed over at Kcrw. No word on how much the David Bowie Golden Years iPhone app will cost though.

Apple iPad 2 Tops Ratings of 10 Tablets Says Consumer Reports

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 06:33 AM PDT

Unlike not recommending the iPhone 4 or Verizon iPhone due to continued antenna issues, when it comes to tablets Consumer Reports has rated the new iOS tablet, the Apple iPad 2 top out of 10 tablets tested.

According to an article over on Digital Trends, Consumer Reports announced the results of their tablet testing today, in which they tested the Apple iPad 2 along with other tablets including the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Motorola Xoom and the Apple iPad.

They used 17 criteria to evaluate the tablets and found several and not only the Apple iOS tablets, outperformed the rest and also assessed features such as touch responsiveness, portability, versatility, whiles looking at brightness, colour, glare and viewing angle.

Electronics Editor at Consumer Reports, Paul Reynolds says, “So far, Apple is leading the tablet market in both quality and price, which is unusual for a company whose products are usually premium priced. However, it’s likely we’ll see more competitive pricing in tablets as other models begin to hit the market.”

Apparently the most wide ranging factor between the tested tablets came down to battery life, with the iOS tablet delivers the best battery life at 12.2 hours, and the Apple iPad 2 earned the “Excellent” rating in virtually all categories.

iPhone 4 Customer Satisfaction: AT&T vs Verizon

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 06:11 AM PDT

Both AT&T and Verizon now offer the Apple iPhone 4 and we would like to delve into customer satisfaction, which provides the best service for iPhone owners.

We would like to look into customers with the iPhone 4 and if they are getting the service they deserve, do you get more dropped calls with AT&T or Verizon, we only want to dig a little into what network is best.

We got an email sent to us earlier about a ChangeWave survey and it is very interesting indeed, this survey was put together a few weeks after Verizon offered the iPhone 4 to its customers. The survey asks a very valid question, "are there any differences in terms of owner satisfaction?"

When you look at overall satisfaction 82 percent of Verizon iPhone 4 customers are very happy and 80 percent of AT&T iPhone customers are also happy, pretty close when you look at the report.

If you look at the dropped calls Verizon has reported only 1.4 percent over the past 90 days, for the same period AT&T was at 4.6 percent of dropped calls on average.

For an in depth look at the survey please visit ChangeWave as they have all the details you need. We here at phonesreview.co.uk would like to ask our Verizon and AT&T readers a simple question that can be answered in our poll set up below this article. This will give us an insight what customers are satisfied, will AT&T iPhone users be happier than Verizon or the other way round.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Some iPhone Owners Are Slightly Overdrawn: Your Views

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 06:07 AM PDT

Now there is an assumption that if you have an iPhone, you have an ample amount of money at your disposal. However, are iPhone users punching above their financial belts?

Well, according to an article done by Ryan Kisiel of Mail Online it would appear so. As, nearly 1 in 5 owners of the iPhone admit that they have an overdrawn bank account.

This is quite alarming news, as this equates to about double the national average. With 1 in 10 Brits, admitting to always being in the red. Further to this, half of the people that own a BlackBerry phone and 54 per cent of phone owners that use Android enabled devices claim to never be overdrawn.

So does a person's financial status and salary determine the type of smartphone they will use? Well according to the survey, there could possibly be a link. Apparently, people who use a BlackBerry or Android enabled device earn more than those that own the iPhone.

Kisiel also claims that a poll conducted by YouGov, found that 5 per cent of iPhone users earned over £50,000 per annum, as opposed to 7 per cent of the users of Android enabled devices and 10 per cent of BlackBerry owners. In addition, of the iPhone users polled just under half earn less than £20,000 per annum, in comparison to 38 per cent of BlackBerry owners and 27 per cent of Android device users.

So it looks like Android enabled smartphones have leapfrogged the iPhone in the popularity stakes, with only 26 per cent of those polled owning an iPhone, whilst 28 per cent owned an Android enabled device.

Further evidence of the popularity of Android enabled devices over Apple iPhones is in my colleague Marks article on the iPhone 4 being outsold by the HTC Thunderbolt – see full story here. Also, worth a view might be James’ article on the Android enabled HTC Thunderbolt and iPhone 4 battle video – who wins? see here.

Please take a little look at our poll we have put together below, simply read the question and answer.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Angry Birds Rio Android and iOS Hits Huge Download Figure

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 05:37 AM PDT

Whoever thought that lobbing birds at other caged birds would become as popular as lobbing birds at thieving green pigs, but it appears that Rovio has yet another huge success with the Angry Birds spin off, Angry Birds Rio.

According to Florin over at Unwired View and by way of PC World, Rovio has now confirmed via their official Twitter account that Angry Birds Rio has exceeded the 10 million downloads mark just 10 days after being released.

That over 10 million download of Angry Birds Rio includes both free and paid versions of the popular mobile game on both the iOS platform and the Android platform, and is of course a tie-in to the movie Rio.

Angry Birds Rio differs slightly from Angry Birds as this time round the game features character from the soon to be released Rio movie and not a green pig in sight. The game will also receive a minimum of four updates this year, which have apparently been scheduled for May through November.

Have to say I’ve played Angry Birds Rio and the new game is just as addictive and any other Angry Birds version albeit the absence of them pesky pigs.

iOS and Android Apps Probed by Federal Grand Jury

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 05:16 AM PDT

Quite some while ago there were reports that smartphone apps were sharing user personal information with ad networks, and it now appears that a Federal grand jury is investigating, and has apparently issued subpoenas to mobile developers.

According to an article over on Apple Insider included in the subpoenas is music service Pandora and apparently were made public in filings that were related to Pandora’s initial public offering says an article over on Market Watch.

Apparently, Pandora said in the filings… “In early 2011, we were served with a subpoena to produce documents in connection with a federal grand jury, which we believe was convened to investigate the information sharing processes of certain popular applications that run on the Apple and Android mobile platforms.”

However, Pandora doesn't believe they are the target of the Federal probe and commented… “We believe that similar subpoenas were issued on an industry-wide basis to the publishers of numerous other smartphone applications.”

Personally I say good, why should mobile apps be allowed to get away with sharing users info without their permission, if they want to share then be up front and ask otherwise don't do it, what do you think?

Image courtesy of Watblog.

Amazon Kindle DX Leather Case by CaseCrown: Consumer Reviews

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 04:49 AM PDT

The CaseCrown leather case for the Amazon Kindle DX is now available via Amazon Online Store for only $19.21, which is much better than the original price of $33.99.

The CaseCrown Amazon Kindle DX genuine leather case will protect and hold your device securely and safely, the case has fine stitching and a leather strip with magnetic closure. Inside the case you also get leather straps to hold the Amazon Kindle in place.

Has a few compartments for storing things like business cards, credit cards and even money if you wish to do so, there is a section where you can store pictures and papers as well.

Main Features Include: Designed to fit the Amazon Kindle DX, Four interior genuine leather straps to hold your Kindle DX secure, Made from premium genuine leather, Held closed with a reinforced metal clasp and storage compartments.

If you visit Amazon Online you will not that it still says "In stock on April 5, 2011", well that is today so please do visit and buy if you like it. We would also like to ask those of you that already have the CaseCrown Amazon Kindle DX genuine leather opening case to send in personal reviews on this product.

Consumer reviews are very important to us and of course our readers as it will help them decide if they should buy or not.

White iPhone 4 Conversion Guide Video

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 04:29 AM PDT

Fed up with the continued wait for that smartphone that is more elusive than a unicorn, the iOS device that has failed continually to become a reality? Of course I’m talking about the much sought after white iPhone 4, or is it still that much sought after?

Anyway if you are still hoping beyond hope that the white iPhone 4 will materialise then continue to wait, but if you’ve decided you’ve waited long enough and are thinking about going the conversion route to change your black iPhone 4 into a white version, then we have a video guide on how to do so for your consideration below.

The white iPhone 4 conversion guide video comes our way courtesy of the guys over at Daily iPhone Blog and by way of YouTube user Pdaparts and is a step-by-step on how to convert your iPhone 4 using a white iPhone 4 conversion kit.

The tutorial video lasts nine minutes and shows you how you can have a white iPhone 4 within a few minutes, so if you have come to the end of your tether waiting for Apple to release the white iPhone 4 perhaps this is another route you could take…enjoy.

Love Glee, Get McKinley Football iPhone 4 Cases

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 04:21 AM PDT

If you are right into Glee and you own an Apple iPhone 4 then check out these new McKinley High School football cases.

If you own the Apple iPhone 4 and you are a dedicated Glee fan then we know these new McKinley Football iPhone 4 Cases in either black or red will be what you want, and for only $24.95 that is not bad for a bit of Glee accessorising.

These cases will protect your Apple iPhone 4 and has cut outs for all access to buttons, cameras etc. Now on a personal note I have never followed Glee and probably never will do but there are millions fans that love the singing and dancing.

The Glee cases are made of hard plastic, which will protect your smartphone from bumps and scraps, and of course giving the iPhone a little Glee style.

For more information and option to buy please visit Foxshop.com (BLACK or RED), if you already own one of these cases please do let us know what you think of it in the commenting area provided below this article.

Source – ChipChick

iPhone 5 Release Date: WWDC Hardware Announcement

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 04:00 AM PDT

Well, here we are with the latest rumours surrounding the release date of the iPhone 5 and possible WWDC hardware announcement.

A report by Korean site ETNews.co.kr (Google Translated), coming to us by way of the guys at iPhone Download Blog, indicates that the release of the Apple iPhone 5 will happen towards the end of June. However, as I reported in a previous article, there was a good possibility that the release of the iPhone 5 could be put back until the fall or even as late as the New Year, to enable Apple to introduce LTE 4G to the device, see my article here.

Therefore, what are we to believe; well the ETNews report is centred around inside knowledge that Apple's next iPhone will be carried by two Korean wireless providers KT and SK Telecom first.

"iPhone 5,' the next model of iPhone 4, will be released on the coming 4th week of June. In the midst of the iPhone 5 postponement rumors, Apple has confirmed that iPhone 5 will be released as planned and it will be released simultaneously in Korea through SK Telecom and KT."

It also appears that the rumour is clarified by the guys at MacRumors:

"The sourcing of the article is a little suspect, as it appears to be attributing the information to Apple, itself. It also contradicts the "fall" timeframe that has been previously proposed for the next iPhone release. Mobile carriers, however, have been a source of some early release information, as new phones launches must be coordinated".

However, as MacRumors have noted at the end of their article, the story was posted on April 1st by ETNews and whilst, there is no evidence that this is meant as an April Fool's joke, I think we need not read too much into it for now.

If we hear any more information on the release of the iPhone 5, we will keep you updated.

You may also be interested in reading my previous article on a front and rear camera for the iPhone being made by Sony, which if true could cause a delay to the phone’s actual release date – see article here.

So what are your thoughts surrounding this latest rumour, do you think the iPhone 5 will be released in June or later? Please leave your comments below.

Android Gingerbread Xperia Arc Gets Reviewed

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 03:44 AM PDT

Still sitting on the fence pondering whether to purchase the Android Gingerbread sporting Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc smartphone? If so then perhaps a review of the device might go some way to helping you make up your mind.

So to this end the guys over at Tech Radar have now reviewed the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and say that for a single-core Android handset in 2011 the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc isn’t that expensive at £430 as a SIM free device or £30 a month on contract.

I’m only going to summarise this review as the guys have gone into quite some depth with the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc review covering some seven pages, so if you wish to read the entire review you can do so by hitting up their website.

Their first impressions of the Xperia Arc is that the Android device is “unbelievably, impossibly thin” and too light weighing in at 117 grams, while the 4.2-inch touch screen has a small bezel while the device is only just longer than the HTC Desire HD.

I’m pretty sure you’ve all had your fill of Xperia Arc specifications so I wont rehash them here, but they do say the Xperia Arc display is quite as sharp as the iPhone 4, but rather on par with the Samsung Galaxy S.

Other areas covered in the review include contacts and calling, messaging, Internet, the camera, video, and interface, and the guys have also posted a HD video sample, which we have for your viewing pleasure below, so don't forget to check that out.

So are you still contemplating purchasing the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, or have you snapped up the Android smartphone already?
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