Friday, May 13, 2011

Phones Review

Phones Review

ZiiLABS Announce New ZMS-20 & ZMS-40 Processors: Tablet Joy

Posted: 12 May 2011 01:35 PM PDT

There is great joy in the air for all those lovers of tablet PCs with an announcement on Tuesday by ZiiLABS of two new processors – ZMS-20 and ZMS-40 that will be targeting the tablet market.

The last media processor announced by ZiiLABS – the ZMS-08 was 2 years ago and this media-rich applications processor can currently be seen powering the ZiiO range of tablets by Creative. Whilst, we have not seen the 720p video conferencing or 1080p video playback on the Creative tablets, we can see the ZiiO rendering decent 720p HDMI output and also 3D games (via YouTube).

On Tuesday, May 10, ZiiLABS (aka the chip-making arm of Creative) announced two new processors that were to target the tablet market that is rapidly growing. The ZMS-20 is a dual-core 1.5GHz Cortex A9 processor, which ZiiLABS say is 4 times faster than that of the ZMS-08.

On the other hand, the ZMS-40 is a quad-core processor, which can deliver whiplashing speeds of up to 6GHz. What all this simply means is that both the ZMS-20 and ZMS-40 are micro-size media-powerhouse processors that have been optimized for high-definition tablets on Android 3.0 platform.

As indicated in the article by epiZENter, also with the chips, ZiiLABS will present a full Android Tablet Platform that consists of the ZMS-20 SDK for Android, adapted or white label ID tablet designs and also conformation and certification.

Sharp Aquos SH-12C Phone: 3D Dual Cameras & Gingerbread

Posted: 12 May 2011 12:17 PM PDT

The latest feature people want to see on smartphones is 3D and with devices like the LG Optimus 3D and HTC EVO 3D soon to hit the market, they now have a new player to contend with in the shape of the Gingerbread totting Sharp Aquos SH-12C Phone, featuring 3D and dual cameras.

The Sharp Aquos SH-12C Phone is not a name that is going to roll of peoples tongues easily. However, with dual cameras sitting nicely on its back that go all the way up to 8 megapixels (compared to that of the HTC EVO 3D‘s 5 megapixels), and the power punching 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 chip locked away inside, it is certainly going to be a name to remember.

Other features of the Aquos SH-12C Phone are the qHD (540 x 960) screen resolution, which keeps it up there with the EVO 3D. Although the 3D-capable display size on the Aquos Phone at 4.2-inch is slightly smaller than that of its HTC rival.

As stated in the article by Engadget, the SH-12C runs on Android 2.3, stuffed with some evident customizations and 720p video recording in 3D, the Aquos SH-12C Phone is most definitely going to be a big hit, when it is launched on May 20th in Japan by Sharp. At present, we do not know when the rest of us will see a release, so until then practise saying the name.

Do you want one? I think I do!

Via: Impress Watch
Source: Sharp (JP)

Nokia N9 meeGo Smartphone: FCC & Quick Specs

Posted: 12 May 2011 09:55 AM PDT

We have seen leaked pictures of the meeGo-powered Nokia N9 smartphone circulating the internet for some time now, but yesterday the device received FCC approval. Therefore, we are able to provide you with some of the specs we will see, when the handset is released.

There was an indication earlier this year that the N9 (aka RM-680), was believed to be dead and buried. However, news of the FCC approval shows that the N9 is alive and still kicking, great news for the Nokia faithful.

Features revealed in FCC documents show that Nokia's N9 will come with support for the following WCDMA bands I, II, IV, V and VIII and GSM bands 850, 1900, 1800 and 1900, which makes the handset a perfect match for either AT&T and T-Mobile USA. FCC test reports also confirm the device will come with Bluetooth support and WiFi.

As indicated in the article by the guys at Wireless Goodness, at present there are no FCC photos of the external and internal workings of the N9, as these will remain confidential until June. However, we do get to see the underside of the N9 in the label picture and this shows that distinctive underside shape, as seen in the leaked pictures of the device over at Engadget.

We do not have any pricing information yet, nor do we know when the Nokia N9 will release. However, with the FCC confidentiality running out on June 24, 2011 for the N9, there is a possibility that the smartphone could launch before that date.

ViewSonic ViewPad 7X Coming Out To Play With Honeycomb

Posted: 12 May 2011 08:47 AM PDT

There isn't enough Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablets out in the mobile space, but word has it there will be another one coming out to play in the not too distant future from ViewSonic and their ViewPad 7x tablet which will sport the tablet centric Android OS.

According to an article over on Ubergizmo by way of Pocket-lint, the ViewSonic ViewPad 7x will arrive at Computex in Taipei, Taiwan on the 31st of this month and will be the flagship tablet for the company and will be the first 7-inch tablet to sport Android Honeycomb, and beats the HTC Flyer to that Honeycomb goodness.

Word also has it that the ViewSonic ViewPad 7x will also sport a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, HSPA+, and both a front and rear facing cameras, HDMI and DNLA support, and weigh in at 280 grams and have a "funky back design."

Apparently it isn't quite clear whether the ViewSonic ViewPad 7x will come out to play packing Android 3.0 Honeycomb or the new Android 3.1 Honeycomb, and just how much the tablet will set you back is also unknown at this time.

Facebook Instant Friend Android App: Add via Mobile

Posted: 12 May 2011 08:26 AM PDT

If you enjoy using Facebook and have an Android enabled smartphone, how would you like to be able to add new friends straight to your wall from your mobile, well you can now with the 'Instant Friend' app available from Android Market.

If you are out say at a bar, party, conference, etc. and you make a new friend you can instantly add that person to Facebook via your handset, even when the device is offline.

How it works: You and your new friend open the 'Instant Friend' on your smartphones, you then scan the barcode displayed on your friends device, select 'Add' and that is it. If your device is offline no problem, when you get a signal just tap 'History'.

There is one thing to note, Instant Friend post directly on to your Facebook wall when you install it and also when you add a friend with it, so if you do not want this to happen click on the 'X' to remove the post or to remove the Publishing Rights of Instant Friends.

This is a great OS app for those that are constantly on the go and can be downloaded for FREE from Android Market. If you install the Instant Friend app on your device, please return to tell us what you think of it.

iPad 2 and iPhone Shipping Plans Suffer Parts Shortages

Posted: 12 May 2011 08:18 AM PDT

If you haven't yet snapped up an iPhone or Apple iPad 2 you may find yourself with a bit of a wait in the not too distant future because apparently parts shortages are slapping a dent in Apple's expected shipping figures of 7.5 to 9 million Apple iPads and 20 to 22 million iPhone units.

According to the guys over at Phone Arena and by way of Electronista and DigiTimes, Foxconn in Chengu who make the Apple iPad 2 have apparently been suffering shortages of workers and parts because of the Japan Tsunami and earthquake disaster.

Apparently the main Foxconn factory in Shenzhen also has the same problem and has cut back on Apple iPad 2 production, and parts shortages are all having an effect on Foxconn plants that produce the iPhone 4, and the Verizon iPhone made at the Pegatron plant.

However although parts suppliers would not comment, Foxconn has apparently stated they will pull in factory workers from other areas so that orders are completed…guess we'll have to wait and see if an Apple gear shortage does rear its ugly head.

iPhone 5 Unboxed and Reviewed on Video?

Posted: 12 May 2011 07:20 AM PDT

Okay don't go drooling with anticipation and jealousy that someone has managed to get hold of the next generation iOS smartphone, the iPhone 5 and made an unboxing and review video, because it is not what you might expect.

The iPhone 5 unboxing and review video comes our way courtesy of the guys over at Daily Mobile by way of Funny Pictures Blog, and is of YouTube user Joshsobo unboxing and reviewing his personal take on what he calls the iPhone 5.

Basically it's a funny take on the many unboxing and review videos with Josh offering up a taped together (or blue decals as he says) phone, video camera and a smartphone, and basically takes a humorous pop at the traditional unboxing and reviewing of a mobile device.

Have to say it is pretty funny, so if you are not too disappointed that this isn't the actual real deal iPhone 5 (although you shouldn't have expected it) head on down and hit the play button to check out this rather unusual, very sarcastic unboxing and review of the iPhone 5…enjoy.

iOS 4.3.3 UltraSn0w iPhone Unlock: Your Views

Posted: 12 May 2011 07:12 AM PDT

For those Apple faithful or unfaithful (depending on how you want to look at it) out there, that like tinkering with their iPhones. We would like to hear your views on the UltraSn0w 1.2.3, a software to unlock Apple's iPhone 4, 3GS and 3G version iOS 4.3.3.

Approximately a week ago the Dev Team released their UltraSn0w 1.2.3, which unfortunately like the previous version that was released about 3 weeks ago; it did not unlock the latest iPhone basebands and only worked for older basebands.

The basebands the UltraSn0w 1.2.3 worked okay on were the iPhone 4 baseband 1.59.00, and iPhone 3GS/3G basebands 4.26.08, 5.11.07, 5.12.01, 5.13.04, and 6.15.00. As stated in the article by iPD, if your iPhone baseband differed from those in the list, you would not be able to use UltraSn0w 1.2.3 to unlock your device.

For those that have not used the UltraSn0w 1.2.3 yet, it can be downloaded from Cydia. However, remember to reboot your iPhone after the installation.

So we would like to hear for anyone that downloaded the UltraSn0w 1.2.3, were you able to unlock your iPhone successfully with the software or did you encounter issues? Please leave us your comments below. Thanks!

Angry Birds Developer Looking For IPO

Posted: 12 May 2011 06:55 AM PDT

We all know how successful the Angry Birds multi-platform mobile game has become since it was first unleashed on the mobile space, but could Angry Birds make Rovio Mobile a public company, apparently they think it can.

According to an article over on MSN Money and by way of Reuters, the developer of Angry Birds has their eyes on an initial public offering (IPO) targeted for within 3 to 4 years, with Rovio's chief marketing officer Peter Vesterbacka saying, “It is very possible that we will be listed in bourse in three to four years, but we are not in a hurry."

Vesterbacka went on to add, We can carry out all of our current plans without bourse listing, but bourse is still a more meaningful direction than, for instance, selling the company.”

Rovio Mobile's Angry Birds game is one of the most popular games available on Android, iOS, Symbian and others and hit a staggering 140 million downloads back in April.

Vesterbacka confirmed to Reuters that thee company's sales would be in the region of €50 million to €100 million for 2011, which is roughly $72 million to $143 million, when compared with 2010 sales of €6.5 million which is about $9.3 million.

What Do You Think of Google Ice Cream Sandwich OS?

Posted: 12 May 2011 06:32 AM PDT

During Google I/O 2011 in San Francisco, the Google guys demonstrated the upcoming newest of their mobile operating systems, Android Ice Cream Sandwich, and the word is that Ice Cream Sandwich will be a universal OS for both smartphones and tablets, so as the Google guys say…one OS Everywhere.

According to an article over on Engadget, Ice Cream Sandwich will join Android 2.3 Gingerbread and the tablet centric Android 3.0 Honeycomb to play nice on the smallest Android smartphone to the biggest Android tablets, probably why they call it sandwich.

The Google guys apparently demonstrated a few new additions to the new operating system during the keynote including such stuff as camera focus shifting based on voice recognition and face tracking.

Also the Google guys have come up with peer-to-peer NFC sharing, something my colleague Lawrence reported on previously, although most of the details on the new OS are being kept under wraps.

So we'd love to hear from our readers in what they think of the Google Ice Cream Sandwich OS so far, so please cast your opinion in our commenting area below.

Kentucky Derby 2011: Great App Superb Results

Posted: 12 May 2011 06:22 AM PDT

If you are a fan of horse racing and own an iOS device the Kentucky Derby app for iOS devices enables you to access great interactive features from your iPhone, iPod Touch or Apple iPad and find out all about the Kentucky Oaks and Derby horses.

The Kentucky Derby iOS app allows the user to view a list of races and entertainment events starting on the opening night right through to the end of the year, and enables the user to construct their own personal event schedule and purchase tickets for event from your iOS device.

With the Kentucky Derby app you can view slideshows of the athletes in action, receive breaking racing and entertainment news, learn how to make a bet, calculate how much a bet costs and get insider info on racing and betting terminology.

The Kentucky Derby app also tests your knowledge on Kentucky Derby trivia picture yourself in Derby hats and share with Facebook along with listening to the state song "My Old Kentucky Home," and the app is loaded with venue info including gate opening times, facility maps, driving directions, first post, and more.

The Kentucky Derby app for the Apple iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone can be downloaded to your chosen iOS device from iTunes as a free download.

Samsung Droid Charge Supports Induction Charging

Posted: 12 May 2011 05:45 AM PDT

Well now here's a little titbit on the new Samsung Droid Charge for Verizon Wireless, apparently the Android 2.2 Froyo sporting 4G LTE enabled smartphone also has some inductive changing goodness aboard.

As according to an article over on Engadget Mobile, they've done some snooping of the FCC and have discovered a document that apparently confirmed the Samsung Droid Charge supports Qi based tech for delivering inductive charging.

This means the Verizon Droid Charge will be able to juice up just like the LG Revolution and HTC Thunderbolt by pairing the optional back plate with Verizon's upcoming charging pad.

Unfortunately though still no word on just when anyone may be able to purchase the Samsung Droid Charge on Verizon so it seems the device is going the same way as the HTC Thunderbolt release, delay after delay.

What do you think of inductive charging, are you a fan or do you prefer the old wired way of charging your smartphone?

Enter The Search Ninja App: Google, Bing & More

Posted: 12 May 2011 05:39 AM PDT

If you want an easier and quicker way to search the web, then the Search Ninja iOS app could be for you. It uses different search engines on your iPhone like Google and Bing to perform a search.

With 'Search Ninja' you can perform a search using a number of search engines, whether you want to search an article on Wikipedia, look up a movie’s rating on IMDb or just perform a good old Google search, this app promises to be your ideal go to search companion.

On the launch of this app, the keyboard is displayed, meaning you can immediately start typing your search. Other features include Google search suggestions so you type less, smart filtering when you type for search history, star searches, a comprehensive Search History and the option to pick your favourite search engines to be displayed on the main screen of your Apple iPhone.

Use the horizontally swipe to move between the different search engines results quickly, you can also delete search engines that are not required and add your own by following a simple 2-step wizard, shake the iPhone to return to searching and so much more…!

The Search Ninja app is fully compatible with the Retina display and iOS 4, and cost $0.99 to download from iTunes. Please note that you must be 17 years or older to download this app. If you install this iOS app, please tell us if it fulfilled your searching needs or if you encountered any problems.

Your Love: Android, iPhone, Windows Phone or BlackBerry User?

Posted: 12 May 2011 05:19 AM PDT

Those that have read some of my articles here on Phonesreview probably know I am one of the Android faithful, while my colleagues Mark and Lawrence are Apple fanboys, although Mark does own an HTC Desire HD as well as the iPhone 4, so there is a little bit of conversion there.

I came fairly late to the smartphone game and chose the Android platform as my first smartphone due to it being a new platform that showed promise, and the first handset I got was the T-Mobile G1, mainly because it had a slide out QWERTY keyboard that I found of great use when typing out messages.

Since then I moved onto the Samsung Galaxy S and have found the Android device to suit my needs perfectly although Android does seem to take its time rolling out OS updates and I am still waiting for Android 2.3 Gingerbread to be released to Samsung Kies, which I find a huge annoyance and would prefer OTA updates, but that aside I'm satisfied at what Android has to offer.

Many prefer the iPhone, but personally I have avoided jumping on that bandwagon as I feel sooner or later Apple will hit a high and not be able to come up with anything new to extend their OS, although the same could be said for any mobile OS. But another thing that stops me from having an iPhone is price; I feel that when Apple pushes out a new iOS device it is beyond many peoples price range whereas more often than not, Android devices can be cheaper on the pocket.

As for BlackBerry, I have always felt the Research In Motion handsets where more for the business orientated person rather than being an everyday handset, but BlackBerry has been a major contender for quite some time and many people opt to go with their OS for security.

The newest addition to the mobile space is of course Windows Phone, an OS that is still basically in its infancy and personally I believe has a long way to go before being up there with the likes of Android and iOS. Maybe Windows Phone 7 will attract more people when it hits Nokia smartphones, but for me personally the Windows Phone OS does attract my personal interest at this time.

So now that I have said all that maybe you are wondering what I am getting at, well we'd like to know what is your love, Android, iPhone, Windows Phone or BlackBerry. We'd like you to post to our comments area whether you love Android, iPhone, Windows Phone or BlackBerry and the reasons why you chose your favourite smartphone platform, and why you feel it is better than the rest…many thanks in advance.

Players Championship PGA Tour iOS Sports App

Posted: 12 May 2011 04:26 AM PDT

For all those golfing enthusiasts out there that want to keep an eye on what is happening in the PGA Tour Championships, whilst on the move. The 'PGA Tour' iOS Sports App could be for you, with its complete coverage of all the players for all three tours.

Whether a budding amateur, fully-fledged pro or someone that just likes to watch golf, it can sometimes be difficult when out and about to know what is going on during the PGA TOUR. However, with the PGA Tour iOS app downloaded onto you Apple device, you can keep up with all the action. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch – iOS 3.0 or later.

With this iOS app, you get live real-time scoring and video coverage from selected PGA TOUR events, on demand highlights, complete coverage on all the holes including course images and descriptions, player profiles of every player for all three tours.

Other features include a customized leaderboard, so you can follow the achievements of as many of your favourite players as you want, shot and yardage details and receive live play-by-play updates for all players throughout each round. Watch regular exclusive in-round highlights and video footage including the 'shot of the day' and much, much more…!

The 'PGA Tour' FREE iOS app is the best way to follow the champions and nationwide tours, whilst on the move. So why not head on over to iTunes and install this app on to your Apple device and please don't 'FOUR' get to 'PAR's back (see what I did there) and let us know what you think.
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