cellphone news

Friday, August 5, 2011

Nokia and Microsoft holding an event on August 17

It seems August 17 could be the day we see an official announcement regarding the first Nokia Windows Phone. Microsoft and Nokia are handing out invites to an event being held in Cologne on the said date, which does not go into the specifics of the event (apart from the fact that there will be a live act and a great DJ) although we do have reasons to believe Nokia will be announcing their new handset, particularly one running Windows Phone 7 Mango.

There will also be a raffle at the event, where the winners can get three of the Xbox 360 250GB consoles with Kinect and more importantly (for us, at least), three of the upcoming Nokia Windows Phone handsets as soon as they are available. This makes us even more confident in our assumption that there will in fact be a new Nokia Windows Phone announced that night. They say they will make it an evening to remember. We shall see.

Source:http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_and_microsoft_holding_an_event_on_august_17-news-2953.php

Motorola Domino+ for China spotted

A new Android based Motorola smartphone has been spotted in China. Named the Domino+ (or the XT531 if you will), the device is intended to be released only in the Chinese market and will be aimed at the budget smartphone buyer.

The Domino+ will have a 3.5-inch HVGA display, 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor with 512MB of RAM and ROM, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash along with Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS. The Domino+ will be running on Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread.

Decked in glossy white plastic, the Domino+ looks very pretty indeed and refreshingly different from Motorola's usual all-black designs.

The Domino+ should be released some time in August at around 2198 Chinese yuan ($341).

Source:http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_domino_for_china_spotted-news-2954.php

Nokia N9 raw video footage released

We've developed a bit of a soft spot for the Nokia N9 and it keeps giving us little treats that we just can't get enough of. Today's treat is a compilation of stock video footage taken directly from the N9 and edited into a single clip.

The footage in question comes from Nokia's Bill Perry and really shows the potential that the N9 camera experience will bring to users. Bill even threw in a few more stills to add to our growing collection of samples from the N9.

N9 Still samples

Bearing in mind this is on pre-release software, it bodes well for the N9 as the cameraphone lover's next device. As we've said before, the 8MP unit doesn't quite match up to the N8 but that being said, you can see it's not exactly a poor performer, just a little ease up on the saturation and we'd be laughing.

Bill's video footage is untouched besides that fact it's been run through Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, but only to collate the clips into one video timeline and lay the music track in, beyond that though, it's the genuine article.

Source:http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n9_raw_video_footage_released-news-2955.php

HTC Sensation suffering from touchscreen issue

After the infamous death grip issue with the Wi-Fi on the HTC Sensation, it seems the users of this phone have one more thing to worry about. According to several users on the Internet, the HTC Sensation is suffering from an issue with the touchscreen where it becomes unresponsive after some time and fails to register some of your inputs. There is currently a 65 page thread on the xda-developers with 650 posts discussing this issue with a large number of users claiming their Sensation indeed has the aforementioned issue, suggesting that it is not limited to just a few handsets or that few people aren't applying enough pressure on their screens.

The issue seems to culminate over a period of days. Brand new phones seem to work perfectly until about a week later when the touchscreen loses its mojo and fails to register some of the inputs. This is most noticeable on the lock screen where the phone refuses to open when you try to slide the ring as it keeps slipping away.

When users tried to contact HTC regarding this matter, they did not get any answer from the company. HTC Support suggested some users to perform a factory reset but that didn’t help. Trying to replacing the handset hasn’t helped either, as some users, currently on their third or fourth Sensation, are still suffering from this issue.

We are also hearing reports of some other issues with the phone most notably with the camera, where it tends to restart the phone when you click a picture. All this suggests that the firmware on the Sensation is terribly buggy at the moment.

What is disappointing is that the Sensation is the flagship device of the company and is supposed to represent the very best HTC has to offer. But right now it seems the phone was rushed to the market without proper R&D, probably to compete with the Samsung Galaxy S II, which, although not faultless, is doing much better. Unfortunately, as with the Wi-Fi death grip issue, HTC is yet to admit the problem and give any solution to it.

Is your Sensation also suffering from the touchscreen issue? Or do you have any other issues to report? Let us know in the comments below.

Source:http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_sensation_suffering_from_touchscreen_issue-news-2956.php

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and Xperia PLAY get software update

Sony Ericsson is pushing out an update for the Xperia Arc and the Xperia PLAY. It's a minor update, the Android version is still 2.3.3, but it brings a few useful changes like stereo sound in videos, landscape mode in the homescreen and a few others.

The homescreens of the Xperia Arc and the Xperia PLAY will both work in landscape mode after the update and there's a selection of new themes available as well. The other big change is the sound in videos - both switch from mono to stereo sound (other parameters of the videos are unchanged).

Next up is DLNA support so you can play media from DLNA-enabled devices. Finally, there's xLoud, which improves the performance of the loudspeaker when playing music.

The availability of the update depends on the market and your operator - to check for the update, you can go to Settings > About > Software update. Or you can use Sony Ericsson's PC Companion to update your Arc or Play.

Source :http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson_xperia_arc_and_xperia_play_get_software_update-news-2957.php

Motorola DROID Bionic specifications leak

Just when we were about to classify the DROID Bionic as vaporware, Motorola’s developer site served up some juicy specifications of this highly anticipated smartphone. Before we go ahead though, even though the image below shows the model number as XT865, which is of the older DROID Bionic that was announced before and later on cancelled, the specifications below are of the new phone, i.e., the XT875, which is what Motorola will be launching later.

The image above is incomplete and you will have to click here for the rest of the specifications. The page whence the image was capture has since been stripped off all the details about the DROID Bionic.

But to sum up the specifications, the new DROID Bionic will have a 4.3-inch, qHD display, TI OMAP4430 SoC with dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 CPU and PowerVR SGX540 GPU, 8 megapixel rear camera capable of recording 1080p video and VGA front camera, HDMI 1.4, Android 2.3.4, Webtop capabilities and 4G LTE support.

On paper the DROID Bionic seems like a very powerful device. Now if only Motorola and Verizon would hurry up and release it already.

Source:http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_droid_bionic_specifications_leak-news-2958.php

RIM officially announces - the Bold 9900, Torch 9810 and 9860

The BlackBerry Media event in London just concluded and this is what we've got so far: the new BlackBerry Bold (previously known as Bold Touch) 9900/9930 (UMTS/CDMA), the BlackBerry Torch 9810 and Torch 9860/9850 (UMTS/CDMA), which was previously rumored by the names of BB Touch and Monza. All the devices are powered by single-core 1.2GHz processors with 768MB RAM and all have NFC support.

The BlackBerry Bold (also known as Bold Touch) is the thinnest BlackBerry device so far at 10.5mm. It runs the BlackBerry OS 7, and utilizes a 1.2GHz CPU, 8 gigs of expandable memory and a 2.8" VGA (640x480) 287 dpi (close to the Retina's 326 dots per inch) capacitive touchscreen. It has a 5 MP autofocus camera with 720p video recording. In terms of looks, it takes after the previous line of Bold devices with no significant changes to the exterior. It's made out of high-quality brushed stainless steel.

The BlackBerry Torch 9810 is a touchscreen device with a slide-down QWERTY keyboard. It has 253 dpi screen, 1.2GHz processor, NFC chip and will be powered by the BlackBerry OS 7. The Torch 9860 will be 11.5mm thick with a 15:9 aspect ratio screen, which is 3.69" with a WSVGA (800x480) resolution with 253 dpi. It also has 5 MP camera with autofocus and 720p video recording. Prior to this official announcement, the Torch 9860 was know by its codename, Monza.

BlackBerry Torch 9810

BlackBerry Torch 9860

Next up, we have some info about the upcoming BlackBerry OS 7 - it will have instantly responsive, fluid animations and a new interface engine. The OS 7 browser is supposed to have the best in class HTML 5 and JavaScript performance. Finally, it will be 40% faster than the one on the old OS 6 - that's a huge improvement.

The BlackBerry Messenger 6 ships on the new OS by default. It's quite more social and focuses on easier sharing.

The 9860 and 9900 should officially launch September in the US, UK, most of Europe and presumably Canada, while the 9810 will launch this month by AT&T.

This just in: the Bold 9900 will be offered by T-Mobile USA for as low as $250 (with a $50 mail-in rebate). The device will be available from 31 August for customers (and 17 August for bussiness customers).

Source:http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_officially_announce__bold_9900_9930_torch_9810_and_9860_9850__all_with_nfc_and_more-news-2959.php

Motorola DEFY+ leaks on O2 Germany

According to German website mobiFlip.de, O2 in Germany is planning on launching the Motorola DEFY+, an updated version of the current Defy.

The only changes we know of right now is a upgraded 1GHz processor from the 800MHz in the current DEFY and Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread instead of Froyo. Everything else seems identical, including the design.

To be honest, those were the only two drawbacks of the current DEFY and we're glad that the new model addressed those. This does raise questions whether the old model will get the Gingerbread update or will be limited to Froyo.

The release date is set sometime in the third week of September and the phone will be sold at an approximate price of € 300.

Source:http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_defy_leaks_on_o2_germany-news-2961.php

HTC changes its bootloader policy again, another storm brewing up?

You certainly remember that this spring HTC took a rapid U-turn in their smartphone policy and decided to start locking their bootloaders to prevent unauthorized hacking and modding of the preinstalled software. The Taiwanese company was then quickly made to regret its decision as users from all over the world went online and made their discontent public. In the end, HTC CEO was quick to respond with a promise that they will revert to their old policy.

Except that no action has been taken about bringing the old ways back ever since and everyone is understandably getting impatient. Well, today the company stepped on stage to give us some more details about the when's and how's of the unlocking of the bootloaders.

As it turns out, HTC will still be releasing all its devices with locked bootloaders (booo!), but soon they will be providing a web tool that will let you unlock them if you want to (yay!). However, you will need to create an account in order to use it and "accept legal disclaimers that unlocking may void all or parts of your warranty".

The web tool should be released this month with the international version of the Sensation becoming the first supported smartphone. The EVO 3D and the T-Mobile Sensation 4G should follow right after that. And while this is certainly a wait we can live with, we can't help but notice that this is not what Peter Chou promised in May.

Here’s the exact quote: "Today, I'm confirming we will no longer be locking the bootloaders on our devices.". Are we the only ones to suspect that this is not the end of the saga just yet?

Source:http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_details_its_unlocked_bootloader_policy_another_storm_brewing_up-news-2962.php

HTC EVO 3D vs. HTC Sensation 4G: Head to head

Introduction

The HTC power duo which includes the Sensation 4G and the EVO 3D barely needs an introduction. The dual-core phones are among the most powerful Android handsets available for sale in the United States and are favorites of both the consumers and the tech journalists.

We got a chance to spend some time with both handsets, and decided to give them a quick head to head comparison – a battle between siblings of sort. The HTC EVO 3D and Sensation 4G share almost identical hardware and have the same qHD screen resolution. They both run Android 2.3 Gingerbread with Sense 3.0.

The HTC EVO 3D official images

The main difference between the devices can be found on their backs, where the camera units are located. The HTC Sensation 4G has an 8MP snapper, capable of capturing video in 1080p, while the EVO 3D counts on a duo of 5MP cameras for its 3D tricks. Logically, its unit can be used in 2D mode but, sadly, its video recording capability is capped at 720p.

HTC Sensation 4G official images

In this head to head battle, we are going to compare the dimensions and hardware of both devices, as well as their overall performance, which we measured through a series of benchmarks. The camera units and their quality will also face some of our scrutiny. So go ahead, place your bets, and read on to see which one of this impressive duo of droids is going to come on top at the end.

So while we prepare for the rundown, checkout how the two phones differ from one another. The review starts on the next page.

HTC EVO 3D over Sensation 4G

3D capable screen and camera unit
Less prone to accidental drops
Faster overall performance
WiMax capable

HTC Sensation 4G over EVO 3D

Superior 2D still and video camera
Better looks and lower weight
Much better battery performance
International roaming capable

Evo 3d Vs Sensation 4g
HTC Sensation 4G and EVO 3D side by side

Editorial: You might notice that this review is shorter than usual and doesn't include all of our proprietary tests. The reason is it has been prepared and written far away from our office and test lab. The HTC EVO 3D and Sensation 4G are US-only phones, so they will probably never get to the shores of the Old Continent. Still, we think we've captured the essence of the phone in the same precise, informative and detailed way that's become our trademark. Enjoy the good read!

source:http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_evo_3d_vs_htc_sensation_4g_head_to_head-review-626.php