Review » HTC sees record revenue in June

HTC continued on its warpath toward becoming the No. 4 smartphone vendor in the world last month as the company recorded record revenue of NT$45 billion ($1.55 billion USD) in June. This marks the third straight month that the Taiwan-based mobile giant saw revenue hit a new high, and it was up 10.9% over May. HTC’s second-quarter revenue totalled NT$124.3 billion ($4.2 billion USD), topping the company’s earlier projection of NT$120 billion, and growing 19.43% over the first quarter of 2011. HTC has not yet reported its full earnings for the month of June, but analysts estimate that the company shipped 11.6 million smartphones in the second quarter, bringing first-half shipment totals to roughly 21 million units.

Review » Galaxy S II becomes Samsung’s fastest-selling smartphone, tops 3 million units in 55 days

Samsung on Sunday announced that its Galaxy S II smartphone has quickly become the fastest-selling smartphone in the South Korean technology giant’s history. Shipments of the company’s new superphone have topped 3 million units in just 55 days, meaning Samsung has shipped an average of more than 54,545 Galaxy S II smartphones each day since its release. Impressively, Samsung achieved the feat before the device even launched in the U.S., one of the company’s top markets for its original Galaxy S smartphone — which took 85 days to reach the same 3 million-device milestone. “Announced at Mobile World Congress 2011, the GALAXY S II represents our most advanced smartphone to date and demonstrates Samsung’s commitment to deliver premium, market-defining devices,” said Samsung’s mobile boss, J. K. Shin, in a statement. “This milestone reflects the continued strong support from our carrier partners around the world who have chosen the GALAXY S II as their flagship Android device.” Samsung’s full note to the press follows below.

Samsung GALAXY S II reaches 3 Million global sales

SEOUL, KOREA–(Korea Newswire) — Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced that the Samsung GALAXY S II(Model: GT-I9100), has reached global channel sales of 3 million units.

The GALAXY S II is Samsung’s flagship smartphone device; a beautifully thin (8.49mm) and lightweight, dual-core smartphone that combines an unmatched Super AMOLED Plus viewing experience with incredible performance, all on Android, the world’s fastest-growing mobile operating system. The next generation smartphone also includes exclusive access to Samsung’s four new content and entertainment hubs, seamlessly integrated to provide instant access to music, games, e-reading and social networking services.

“Announced at Mobile World Congress 2011, the GALAXY S II represents our most advanced smartphone to date and demonstrates Samsung’s commitment to deliver premium, market-defining devices,”and “This milestone reflects the continued strong support from our carrier partners around the world who have chosen the GALAXY S II as their flagship Android device.” said JK Shin, President and Head of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business.

Review » Samsung Infuse 4G Smartphone

With the competition among smartphones becoming even more cutthroat, companies are trying to come up with new models that might just drum up more consumers to become more interested. For now, 4G support seems to be the next upcoming feature for smartphones. One of those that might belong in this category is the new Samsung Infuse 4G Smartphone.

The new Samsung Infuse 4G Smartphone is being touted to be the company’s thinnest 4G smartphone to date. It measures just 8.99mm at its thinnest, easy enough to slip into a user’s pocket. It features a large 4.5″ Super AMOLED Touchscreen display, making it more convenient to use and view movies and TV shows, to which 4G smartphones have such advantageous features. It runs on the Android Froyo OS and has an 8MP rear camera, a 1.3MP front camera, 16GB ROM, 512MB RAM and a 32GB microSD external memory option. The Samsung Infuse 4G Smartphone is now available at AT&T for US$550 for the unit, US$200 when it comes with a contract from AT&T.

Image Source: Samsung

Review » TAG Heuer’s LINK Smartphone is Tough as Nails, Sports Android

TAG Heuer is iconic brand that is synonymous with time pieces, but phones, now that’s a different story. However, the watch manufacturer has plans for a high end, virtually indestructible phone called the LINK.

It will ship with Android 2.2 and sport a 3.5-inch touchscreen covered in that ultra tough Gorilla Glass we saw at CES. Storage is just 256MBs, but it does ship with an 8GB microSD card, which of course can be upgraded to 32GB if you so choose. The camera capture 5 megapixel photos and we assume 720p video.

TAG says that the phone is virtually impregnable to water/dust and damage from drops, though we’re skeptical until someone takes this thing to the gun range, or a derivation there of. You’ll have your choice of finishes, of course depending on what you wanna spend, which includes steel, 18k rose gold, and titanium. Trim options include leather, rubber, alligator, leather and a variety of other materials.

So what does a phone of this breadth cost? Well, it starts at 4,700 Euros, and you can bet your ass that doesn’t include the gold finish.

Full spec list after the ‘leap’

Main characteristics
Size: 118mm (H) x 67mm (W) x 16.6mm (D)
OS: Android 2.2
Form factor: Bar type touch screen
Weight: 200 grams (battery included)
3G Talk time: 6 hours 30 minutes
Stand by time: up to 330hrs (~14 days)
Battery included: Li-lon 1400mAh


Messaging
SMS / MMS / Email (Predictive Text Input XT9)
Image formats supported: JPEG / GIF / BMP
Sound formats supported: MP3 / AAC / AAC+ / RA / WMA


Connectivity
Stereo Bluetooth
AGPS, Wifi, WAPI
Compatible with any SIM card

Radio
Edge & HSUPA (3G)
4 Band GSM/Tri Band WCDMA

Music / Photo & Video
Internal memory: 256 MB
Memory card: 8GB
Music play time: 11 hours

Photo & Video
LCM Screen: TFT 3.5”
Screen resolution: 800*480 pixels – 16 millions of colors
5 Mega Pixel Camera Auto Focus
Video player and recorder


Applications
Android Market with up to 250 000 applications such as:
Adobe Flash Reader
Google Search, Google Maps
GMail , You Tube , E-Blogger

Phone Materials
316L Stainless steel, Gold, Diamonds, Black PVD, Titanium, Rubber, Calfskin leather,
Carbon leather, Alligator and Lizard


Price
An entry price of 4700€.

Review » Samsung C6712 Star II DUOS

Seeing a large enough customer response to the dual on GSM phones seem to continue to inspire Samsung to spawn similar products. Samsung released the latest version of Duos Samsung C6712 Star II Duos. The design was different from the Samsung C6712 Star II, there was only a little difference. Star Duos II was performed with a capacitive touch screen 3.2-inch WVGA touchscreen, a little bigger than Star II (3 inches). And, to prop up his dual capacity, the battery is crammed with a capacity of 1200 mAh.

Star II Duos Samsung C6712 is not a smartphone. This phone runs the TouchWiz interface 3.0 UI, which is supported by Social Service Hub, which will bring easy access to such social networking portals facebook and twitter.

Uniquely, the Samsung DuoS immerse Star II QuickType T9 input technology for virtual keyboard, which is claimed will allow her messaging access. Another feature is the WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 and 3.15 MP camera. While the dual on GSM phones are circulating in Eastern Europe, which for the Russian priced around $ 250

Specifications:

GSM-GSM (Quad-Band GSM); Capasitive Touchscreen TFT 262,144 color, 240 × 400 pixels, 3.2 inch, 3.15 MP camera, video (QVGA @ 15fps); sms, mms, email, IM, GPRS 12, EDGE, WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML; 30 MB memory, microSD card slot (up to 16GB), dual SIM card slots and dual on GSM, polyphonic (MP3/WAV), accelerometer sensor, TouchWiz, java MIDP 2.0, 3.0, Wi -Fi 802.11 b / g / n, Facebook, Twitter, GTalk, AIM, Facebook chat, Yahoo IM, player MP3/WAV/WMA/AAC +, H.263/H.264/MP4 player, organizer, document viewer (word, excel, powerpoint, pdf), stereo FM radio (RDS), voice memo, Bluetooth v3.0 (A2DP), microUSB 2.0 port; battery Li-Ion 1200 mAh

http://www.icellphonereviews.com/samsung-c6712-star-ii-duos-spec-price-peview.html

Review » Nokia N97 mini

Homescreen

* Customize your home screen with your personality by adding widgets live feeds from social networking, news and weather services.
* Add a shortcut contacts and bookmarks on your home screen so that access friends and favorite web pages you just need one touch.
* Keep control of email, calendar and music with special widget on your home screen.
* Move the content throughout the home screen and place it wherever you like with your finger on the screen menyeretkan multi-sensory.

Design

* Communication style with a slim device that favor the smooth metal casing.
* Touch screen multi sensor to adjust the front screen with your personality and scroll through web pages, maps, photos and menu smoothly.
* See web pages, videos, photos and maps in a natural angle 35 degrees through innovative screen 3.2 "tilting.
* Get your message quickly and easily using the QWERTY keyboard on the screen that is very sensitive.

Internet

* Browse the web quickly and enjoy fast downloads via 3G connection or Wi-Fi high speed.
* See web page according to how it looks on a large 16:9 widescreen.
* Watch high-quality video and enjoy a variety of other content on the web with the support of Adobe Flash.
* Interact with various elements of a different page by using your finger and scroll with the current web page on the touch screen can be tilted.
* Access your favorite web content straight from the home screen that can be adjusted.

Navigation

* Locate your exact position to quickly and easily through the receiver built-in Assisted-GPS phones.
* Plan the perfect route from A to B with Nokia Maps preloaded.
* Explore your world and find new places with detailed maps for more than 200 countries.
* Keep moving with the right direction thanks to an integrated compass.

Music

* Take control of your music with the touch of a finger by adding media player widgets directly on the homescreen.
* Manage your music and take your music from a compatible PC with Nokia Music Manager.
* Enjoy excellent sound quality using headphones via Bluetooth connection or a 3.5 mm audio connector.
* Store up to 1700 favorite music on 8 GB of internal memory.

Ovi Service

* Plan the perfect route, do travel to the destination on schedule, and find new places with the full support Ovi Maps.
* Access to Ovi Store with a single touch of the screen and choose from the many applications, games, wallpapers and themes are exceptional.
* Find and buy new music from leading artists of the world with instant access to Nokia Music Store from your home screen.
* Upload photos and high quality video to your favorite networking site to share your experience with some of your close friends.
* Get always the latest email on your device with support for Ovi Mail.

Email

* Set many email accounts immediately and get all your messages on the device when you need it.
* Stay connected with your friends by writing a quick email with the help of a full QWERTY keyboard.
* Distribute high-quality photos with your favorite pictures directly attach to an email.

Contact

* Access your contacts list directly from the home screen by tapping the Contacts icon.
* Stay connected with friends, relatives and colleagues through instant access to Ovi Contacts.
* Get instant notification of your favorite online social network with a specific widget in your home screen.

Photos and videos

* Take a high-resolution photos and DVD quality video using the 5 megapixel digital camera.
* Get sharper images and brighter colors highlight with Carl Zeiss optics.
* Get the best photos in the evening or afternoon with dual LED flash.
* View your photos and videos directly on the big screen via TV-out cable.
* Save high-quality video up to 10 hours duration at 8 GB internal memory, or save up to 30 hours duration on an external microSD card.

Review » Samsung Galaxy Gio (GT-S5660)

Gio Samsung S5660 Samsung displays a sharp, timeless design and fast performance. Smartphone offers features that are useful for all your mobility. Sharing multimedia content easily between all the devices on your network using Allshare. Enjoy live smart phone with Gio!

Timeless Polished Design with 3,2” HVGA Screen

Makeup design of this phone looks luxurious, and show your personal style. Gio phone meets aesthetic but still compact ergonomic design for easy portability and convenient use. Display 3.2 "HVGA it is ideal for viewing photos, videos, browsing and other applications with steady.

Powerful Performance with Borderless Networking

Enjoy the speed and performance advantages of this phone. Without having to wait for the movie or application load times - it all works quickly and without hassle. Wi-Fi b / g / n offers web browsing faster with a broader scope than before, and HSDPA 7.2Mbps download large files to be quickly.

Ultimate Integration

One-stop center for all your messages. Social hub, featuring a quick status check of all the messages on various platforms including email, instant messaging, social networking and SMS. Take advantage of widgets also highly functioning and easier for you.

Entertainment Center

With access to many features of the phone, enjoy fun and entertainment all the time. All of Google Mobile Services are more than 2 million applications from the Android Market available.

Convenience Center

Allshare phone to the TV, computer, stereo system, etc. on a home network so that media content sharing easy. Typing becomes easier. With the Swype, enter text faster by shifting the fingers to form words on the screen rather than push through key per letter.

Mobile Document Assistant

Access your work duties and traveling. Ms. document. Office and PDF can be accessed easily without the help of a PC.

Review » Brando’s Gadmei P83 3D PMP Player Does 3D without Glasses (video)

Still seeking that 3D experience but not ready to plunk down a few grand on a compatible LED TV?  Fear not my furry friends, Brando has you covered.  The electronic retailer is hocking the Gadmei P83 PMP Player, which claims to be a 3D PMP sporting an 8-inch 1280×768 that doesn’t require those pesky 3D glasses.  Course, finding compatible video and images will be entirely up to you since there clearly isn’t a store, at least that we’re aware of, that sells such movies.

However, it should be compatible with your favorite brand of 3D capable point and shoot camera, which are still fairly few and far between, but in existence nonetheless.  Storage is a scant 4GB, though it is compatible with USB sticks and SD cards.  If you’re willing to take the dive, you can grab one for $179.

Review » T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide Smartphone Price and Features Announced, Claims to be THE Camera Phone (video)

Today, T-Mobile announced the myTouch 4G Slide, and they’re billing it as the best smartphone camera on the market. In fact, they’ve even gone as far as to say that it could replace your stand alone point and shoot. While we doubt the latter statement since it lacks a true flash, it does appear to be a contender to the ultra powerful iPhone 4 camera.

Zero shutter lag. That means no waiting to snap a pic. In fact, and after doing a bit of reading on the Net, the myTouch 4G Slide is constantly capturing the image into a cache. By hitting the dedicated shutter button it pulls the image from the cache associated with the time the shutter button was pressed. This insures that you can capture 8 megapixel photos consecutively without a missed shot. Something most smartphones, not even the iPhone can do. It also boasts an F/2.2, which means it can capture images in low light scenarios. However, don’t expect it to work in the dark or at the night club, though it does boast a dual-LED flash. Other camera features include a SweepShot to capture panoramic shots by sweeping across an entire scene in a single motion, and ClearShot HDR, which captures objects in bright settings so your photos are not affected by high-contrast lighting. Full 1080p video is also part of its arsenal of camera features.

Specs for the phone include a 3.7-inch touchscreen, 4G connectivity, instant photo upload access to Facebook and other photo sharing sites, a full slide out QWERTY keyboard, Android 2.3, a 1.2Ghz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, and HTC’s Sense 3.0.

T-Mobile hasn’t said when in July it will go on sale, but we do know that it will cost $199.99 with a $50 mail-in-rebate after selecting a qualifying unlimited data plan.

Video of the device after the ‘leap’

Review » HTC EVO 3D and HTC EVO View 4G tablet will be announced at the CTIA

 

Today in the U.S. begins CTIA Wireless 2011 event, on which the operator Sprint has announced several new products, including HTC EVO 3D smartphone.

Device, the first information on which appeared a few days ago, is built on dual-core processor 8660 Qualcomm Snapdragon, clocked at 1.2 GHz. It is equipped with 4.3-inch screen size and qHD resolution (960 x 450 pixels). One of the main features of its display is the ability to display three-dimensional images, and you do not need special glasses to watch them.

The new smartphone features 1 GB of RAM (according to other sources - 4 GB), 5 megapixel main camera with photo and video and 1.3 megapixel front camera. It is capable of playing HD video in 1080p or 720p in 3D output and is equipped with HDMI. The device running Android Gingerbread 2.3, and has a 1730 mA/h battery.


The second major premiere is the HTC EVO View 4G tablet with seven-inch capacitive touch screen having a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. HTC EVO View 4G mobile computer is running Android 2.3 and has aluminum body. The tablet also has a 5 megapixel main camera and 1.3 megapixel front camera, and output HDMI. Its battery capacity is 4000 mA/h.

Review » Samsung officially presented the Galaxy Tab 8.9 and an updated Galaxy Tab 10.1

 

CTIA Wireless 2011 exhibition became an arena for the official announcement of the new Tablet PC Galaxy Tab 8.9. However, a complete surprise was that along with it, the Koreans have submitted an updated Tablet Galaxy Tab 10.1, which they announced barely a month ago.

As reported, Galaxy Tab 8.9 is equipped with a 8.9 inch 1280 x 800 pixels screen and ARM-processor operating at 1 GHz, and runs on Android 3.0 Honeycomb. Tablet also features built-in HSPA+, Bluetooth 3.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, and two cameras: rear - 3Mp and front 2Mp. Manufacturer did not disclose amount of RAM, but revealed amount of built-in memory: 16GB, 32GB or 64GB to choose.

Galaxy Tab 8.9 is fitted with a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a digital compass and a light sensor, and the headphone jack and integrated stereo speakers. There is also a built-in slot for microSD memory card that supports cards of up to 32GB.


A few words about the software component of Galaxy Tab 8.9. Flash Player 10.2 is integrated into its OS, it also has proprietary TouchWiz UX interface and access to Android Market, there is also support for Microsoft Exchange and Quickoffice HD Editor to work with documents.

Dimensions of Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 are: 230,9 x 157,8 x 8,6 mm, weight - 470 grams. It has a really big battery with 6000 mAh capacity.

The most notable change that has occurred in the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is its body. It used to have dimensions of 246.2 x 170.4 x 10.9 mm and weigh 599 grams. The size of the new Galaxy Tab 10.1 is: 256.6 x 172.9 x 8.6 mm and it weighs - 595 grams. It turns out that the renewed tablet is slightly increased in length and width, but became much thinner. 4 grams that it lost will hardly makes a difference, however, they can now be proud about their record thinness of the device.


The most important change in a constructive part of an updated Galaxy Tab 10.1 is replacement of an 8-megapixel camera on the rear with a 3 Mp camera. We can now all forget about 1080p video recording ability. Senior tablet as well as Galaxy Tab 8.9, got the support of Adobe Flash Player 10.2, but uses a slightly different power supply: it used to have a 6860 mAh battery, but today it has exactly 6800 mAh.

Updated Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 goes on sale in the U.S. on June 8. The cost of the version with 16 GB of internal memory is $ 499, with 32 GB - $ 599. Sales Galaxy Tab 8.9 in America will start early summer; the cost 16 GB model will be $ 469, 32 GB version will cost you $ 499.

Review » Sony Ericsoon Xperia Arc and Xperia PLAY launch details leaked

 

We are all tired to wait for these two devices to come out. They will finally be available soon from Rogers. Sony Ericsoon Xperia Arc - imaging flagship for the company runs on Android Gingerbread as well as Xperia Play.

The same 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 processor and Adreno 205 graphics that you'll find on Xperia Play are present within the Arc. It features 512MB of RAM (320MB available to apps), 8GB of MicroSD storage, an 8 megapixel camera, an HDMI output, and a 1500mAh battery. Fast processor has to be backed up by a good 4.2 inch screen capable of accommodating 854 x 480 pixels.

Being equal in internals it is up to you to choose each one you want to buy. Businessmen will probably go with the ARC and those who like gaming will go with PLAY.

Any way both Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and Xperia Play will be able at Rogers for $ 99, of course, you are going to have to go with one of their 3-year contracts. As we can see from the picture they should arrive in late april (19th-21th). However, having a unique design with a Sony joystick design is worth it. They are also running a lottery for those who preorder one of the phones, the winner gets to go to Florida for a trip.

Review » Nokia has officially unveiled its first smartphone running MeeGo - Nokia N9

The CommunicAsia 2011 expo which is currently held in Singapore Nokia has finally officially unveiled its first smartphone running MeeGo (OS version at the time of the premiere was 1.2). Rumors about the preparation of this Nokia gadget appeared more than a year ago.

However, there is no point looking into the past when Nokia N9 is finally revealed. And this device really is interesting. The smartphone includes a fully touch-sensitive controls; it does not provide any mechanical buttons except the service keys like the volume control. For this reason, almost the entire front panel of the product has a large 3.9" touch screen with 854 x 480 resolution. It is also an AMOLED display also, so bright and juicy colors are guaranteed.

New Nokia device features a single-chip TI OMAP 3630 processor which is running at 1 GHz. The amount of RAM is 1 GB but the built-in flash memory can be either 16 or 64 GB. Smartphone's main camera provides 8 megapixels pictures and is equipped with an LED flash, autofocus system and Carl Zeiss optics. The camera can record 720p video.


In addition to all of the above it is equipped with new GPS, NFC module, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, HSDPA and Bluetooth 2.1 adaptors, USB port, standard headphone jack (supports Dolby Headphone technology, and Dolby Digital Plus) and 1450 mAh battery.



Dimensions of Nokia N9 are 116.45 x 61.2 x 12.1 mm and weight is 135 grams. However there is no information on prices, markets and start of sales will be reported later this year. It is likely that by the time this gadget comes out it will be powered by a different version of MeeGo.

Review » Sony Ericsson Teases Xperia Ray and Xperia Active Smartphones

It seems that Sony Ericsson will be dishing out two new Xperia smartphones. Not much is known about the Xperia Ray (pictured) and Xperia Active, except that both will be Android-powered. Sources claim that the Ray could be running with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, while it is hard to tell what version of the OS is on Active.

The Xperia Ray will have a bronze-ish back panel and is just 9.4mm thick. The smartphone will come with Sony’s Bravia Engine technology, which would enhance the resolution of the screen. It can also shoot HD video from its rear-facing camera and it also has a front-facing cam as well. Like the Xperia Play, the Ray will have Facebook Inside Xperia, which lets users utilize the social network from all many of the phone’s apps like the camera app, media player, and the address book.

Meanwhile, the Xperia Active appears to have a very rugged design with its curved, probably rubberized edges. It is likely that the Active is developed to withstand tough environments. The Active comes with a little loop where a key chain or wrist strap can be attach and has a much thicker form than the Ray. It also has a rear-facing camera and comes in four color schemes.

According to Steve Walker, Sony Ericsson’s chief marketing officer, the Ray and Active are expected to be launch on the third quarter of 2011 at a lower price point than the Xperia Play, currently priced at $200 with two-year contract from Verizon. Expect to hear more features about these two smartphones in the coming weeks.

Source: Huffington Post, via MobileCrunch

Review » Magellan RoadMate 5175T-LM Lets You Plan Your Day

Magellan is not gonna give up on providing a standalone GPS navigator, a category slowly being beaten by GPS apps in smartphones. It has recently introduced the Magellan RoadMate 5175T-LM, a smartphone-like device with full WVGA display, WiFi, native web browser, and AAA TourBook app complete with Diamond ratings.

The RoadMate 5175T-LM can be viewed on both portrait and landscape modes, adapting to personal viewing preference. Its 5-inch high-resolution touchscreen displays free Lifetime Map Updates, Lifetime Traffic Alerts, automatic updates, and other features. The TourDirector lets users choose attractions and plan the day’s itinerary by searching for venues of interest within the local area.

The cost: $299.99. Pretty expensive if you ask me, but I’m not gonna discourage you from buying it.

Source: Engadget

Review » Nokia’s First Windows Phone Leaked

During an event, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop asked a crowd to “put away their cameras.” Apparently, he was about to unveil something “super confidential.” As it turns out, it is a Nokia smartphone that runs on Windows Phone 7 Mango that goes by the code name “Sea Ray.” Pinch me, I might be dreaming.

Of course, not everyone is foolish enough to follow Mr. Elop’s request. Within hours, leaked photos and videos of the secret phone were released into the blogosphere. The Sea Ray looks just like the just-unveiled Nokia N9, although the LED flash is placed differently on the back plus it has an additional hardware button on the side.

You can check out the full, sneakily-recorded video at the source link.

Source: Engadget

Review » Apple Touchscreen Patent Gets Approved

 

Apple may have just grabbed onto a patent regarding touchscreens that may affect the whole touchscreen smartphone market. The maker if the popular iPhone has just been awarded the US Patent No. 7966578. It deals with technology behind touchscreen displays that may spell bad news for other touchscreen smartphone makers in the market. Many people say that said patent may give Apple the upper hand and possibly even further monopolize the touchscreen smartphone market.

For those who like to read some technical jargon, the patent states of a portable device with “a computer-implemented method, for use in conjunction with a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display, comprises displaying a portion of page content, including a frame displaying a portion of frame content and also including other content of the page, on the touch screen display”.

The words might be a bit confusing to the ordinary layman like most of us. But interpretations of the said patent may cover all portable devices that use a multi-touch screen. Or it can even just be limited to cover Apple’s own technology scope when it comes to touchscreens. If it is the former, then it might be a means for Apple to push competitors out of the touchscreen device market and establish a monopoly for itself. This may be some cause of concern for many device makers indeed. But fortunately, it may be considered as a worst case scenario.

But for whatever reason, having a hold of such a patent would surely give any company an upper hand. How Apple would use it in the future would be something to look forward to. It might just define the direction of where the touchscreen device market may be headed. But then again, it may not.

Image Source: Apple

Review » Sony Experia Active Smartphone

Smartphones are no longer known for the sensitive devices that they are. Most of today’s new smartphones now have that higher level of toughness that makes them more ideal for day to day use. Sony may have just gone the similar path by introducing its new Sony Experia Active Smartphone.

The Sony Experia Active smartphone is designed to be water and dust-resistant. Users no longer have to worry about getting their smartphones wet while answering a phone in the rain or accidentally spill water on it. It also features a unique wet-finger tracking that makes the touch screen fully functional even when your fingers are wet. Other features announced for the new Sony Experia Active is that it will be an Android smartphone running on a 1GHz processor, 5MP camera with 8x digital zoom, 720p HD Video recording, 512MB RAM with 1GB internal phone storage and support for an additional 32GB microSD card. The Sony Experia Active will be made available in the market by the 3rd quarter of this year.

Image Source: Sony Ericsson

REVIEW >> Nokia N9 Smartphone Announced

Nokia, the world leader in mobile phones in terms of market share, has recently announced the new Nokia N9 smartphone. It is touted to be the world’s first pure touch smartphone. It is designed without any front-facing buttons visible on it.

The new Nokia N9 smartphone features a simple yet sleek uni body design. True enough, there’s no buttons visible, only its 3.9″ curved AMOLED touchscreen display, which is the only thing the user needs to navigate menus on the phone. The Nokia N9 also comes with an 8MP auto focus camera with Carl Zeiss optics, super wide 28mm lens and dual LED flash. It will be available in 16GB and 64GB versions. There’s no word yet on when it will be available in the market or how much it will cost. But expect this smartphone to be priced somewhere along the high-end level.

Image Source: Nokia

REVIEW >> Deep Shot is good for computer-to-phone transfers, and vice versa

 

Even though our computer and smartphones make our world easier to live in, it can be a pain to transfer the information back and forth.

Fortunately, Tsung-Hsiang Chang, an MIT Grad student and Google Inern, and Yang Li (also employed by Google) have created Deep Shot. Imagine doing something on your computer, like driving directions. Instead of going to the Navigation App on your smartphone and retyping everything again, you can just take a picture of the screen, and what was on the PC will be on your phone.

The reverse of this also works as well. So if you are doing something on your mobile phone and you want to type it up on your computer, just Deep Shot it from the mobile to the PC. You can watch a video of it after the jump for more information.

This would be good if you don’t have to go through the rigamarole of entering in your password every time you do a transfer. By the way, isn’t there a service known as Chrome to Phone that does the same thing? Leave a comment if you know the answer.

Whatever this case, I would like to have Deep Shot on my computer and smartphone right now. Google, if you can hear me (and I know that you can), please get Deep Shot into some sort of App form, please.