We previously said that Verizon might launch HTC’s Windows Phone 8X next month together with a two-year contract. But as far as the international release dates are concerned, they remain to be shrouded in mystery. Today, however, NotebookInfo says that the Taiwanese smartphone maker is eyeing for an international release date on the 20th next month.
According to the source, the flamboyant Windows Phone 8-powered smartphones from HTC, namely the Windows Phone 8X and 8S, are expected to cost around 500 euro ($645) and 300 euro ($390), respectively. A few reported carrier partners in Europe will include Vodafone , O2 and Telekom (T-Mobile). It’s important to note that HTC hasn’t confirmed the report. So a little dose of scepticism will definitely help. Meanwhile, stay tuned for Microsoft’s official event today where Windows Phone 8 will be further detailed.
Now that the Microsoft Surface is in the wild and we’ve probed it from the outside, the tool-toters at iFixit have opened one up to see what makes it tick — and whether you dare attempt a repair yourself. The first thing they noticed was how tricky it was to remove a plastic access cover, which caused unavoidable damage to the tamper-evident label when they finally got it off. That would tip repair depots that you’ve been rummaging about, likely rendering your warranty moot. Other sore spots included the LCD and glass being fused together, along with a keyboard connector that’s impossible to get out without pulling the display off first. On the plus side, the iFixit team found the battery easy to remove despite being glued to the case (unlike other recent devices), and many un-soldered components that were also swappable. All that added up to a score of four on the repairability scale — meaning that fixing one probably isn’t a great DIY project, unless you’re the patient type.
He’s synonymous with genius, but Albert Einstein is also best known for what is easily the world’s most famous equation, E=mc². But did you know that it’s actually a shortened version of a longer equation? More »
Verizon and Nokia have officially announced the CDMA version of Nokia’s Lumia 820, the Verizon Lumia 822, running Windows Phone 8. Supporting Verizon’s EVDO Rev.A and 4G LTE networks, the Lumia 822 is otherwise identical to the GSM model which will be offered on both AT&T and T-Mobile USA, complete with interchangeable covers and the possibility of wireless charging.
There’s also an 8-megapixel camera on the back, with Carl Zeiss lens, and a 1.2-megapixel front facing camera for video calls. Nokia adds Smart Shoot to the Windows Phone camera app, too, slicing moving objects out of the frame as well as allowing photographers to pick the best combination of facial expressions in group shots.
Nokia Drive+ and Nokia Music are also preloaded, with turn-by-turn navigation, City Lens augmented reality, and free streaming audio. Obviously there’ll also be the Windows Phone Market, with all of the usual apps for Microsoft’s platform, too.
Unfortunately, neither Nokia nor Verizon are saying when, exactly, the Lumia 822 will be going on sale, nor for how much. That may well change later today, however, given Microsoft’s incoming Windows Phone 8 launch event in San Francisco.
Update: According to Nokia USA’s page, the Lumia 822 will be priced at $99.99 with a new, two-year agreement.
Even though this summer’s Hurricane Irene left dozens dead and caused billions of dollars of damage, there was an inescapable consensus that it didn’t quite live up to the hype. As you can see above, meeting expectations appears to be the one thing we don’t have to worry about with Sandy. More »
The Philips Hue LED home lighting system allows users to control light wirelessly through an app for smartphones or tablets. The Philips Hue starter pack consists of three LED bulbs and a bridge that can be plugged into a Wi-Fi router. You can download a free app for Apple’s iPhone or iPad. This app enables you to save your favorite light themes for each room, use any photo on your phone as a color palette, create ambience or complement room decorations, monitor lights remotely, and set program timers. If you are interested, you can purchase the Philips Hue starter pack for $199 on Apple Stores. [Ubergizmo]
Nokia today officially announced that it will be offering the Nokia Lumia 822 as part of Verizon’s “Fall portfolio,” bringing the Windows Phone 8-powered Lumia 820 variant exclusively to Verizon’s network. This version offers wireless charging, an 8 MP camera on the back and 1.2 MP camera on the front, as well as LTE support and switchable shells. No word yet on specific availability or pricing – we might see those later today at Microsoft’s official Windows Phone event.
The Lumia 822 is aimed at entry-level smartphone shoppers and budget buyers, offering a 4.3-inch screen (smaller than its predecessor) and a less impressive camera (though the 822 has a better one than the 820 it’s based on, which is headed to AT&T). Judging by statements included in the press release by Nokia Americas President Olivier Puech, we can expect it to be priced competitively with iOS and Android devices aimed at customers new to smartphones. “With the Nokia Lumia 822, first-time smartphone buyers – and those ready to switch – will get high-quality performance on both their device and Verizon Wireless’ incredibly fast 4G LTE network,” he said in the release.
Full stats are available now on Nokia’s website. The phone has a dual-core 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, an 1,800 mAh battery, 1GB of RAM and a microSD slot that supports cards up to 64GB. It also boasts Bluetooth 3.0 and NFC.
The 822 was rumored not to have a swappabble shell earlier in October, so it’s nice to see that come to the device. Price rumors put it at around $50 on-contract, but we’ll have to wait and see whether it goes that low.
Brace yourself, winter is coming – but before that, Hurricane Sandy has decided to drop by and say hello. With the £49.99 Bluetooth Gloves, this is one of the rare moments where you are able to literally tell your friends to “speak to the hand, ‘cause the face, it ain’t listening” without sounding disrespectful. Available for both ladies and men in black and grey colors, the Bluetooth Gloves’ name is not very creative, but at least there is no air of mystery surrounding it as though you do not know what it does.
Basically, the Bluetooth Gloves work these way – apart from making sure your fingers do not freeze from the chilly winds, it will also ensure that you can still use your touchscreen device, be it a tablet or a smartphone, without having to expose your fingers to the bitter chill outside. First of all, you will need to synchronize it wirelessly with your smartphone, transforming it into a hands-free kit – sort of. Pressing the “Answer” button and make the classic ‘phone hand’ shape, and you’re good to go. There is an integrated microphone and speaker in the tips of the thumb and little finger, while a control pad is located on the top for you to communicate without having to remove your phone from your pocket, how neat is that?
A recently published study suggests that a planet some astronomers believed didn’t exist, does in fact, live. The study leans on observations made using the Hubble Space Telescope of a bright star called Fomalhaut. The observations made using the Hubble suggests that the star does indeed have a massive exoplanet orbiting it.
There has been a suggestion the scientific community made by other studies that the exoplanet dubbed Fomalhaut b is actually nothing but a giant dust cloud. One of the co-authors of the new study, John Debes, says that he and his team believe they’re seeing a planetary object that is completely embedded in dust rather than a free-floating dust cloud. Discussions on whether or not the star had a dust cloud or a large planet orbiting it began in 2008.
In November 2008, astronomers announced that a planet circled Fomalhaut, which is a bright star 25 light-years away situated in the constellation Piscis Austrinus. The exoplanet was a big deal in 2008 because it was the first alien world to be directly imaged in visible light. The planet was spotted in a vast debris ring surrounding the star, but slightly offset.
Other scientists argued against the possibility of a planet orbiting the star saying that the object discovered was a short-lived dust cloud. These opponents to the existence of Fomalhaut b cited the brightness variations reported by the discovery team and back that up with the fact that the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope was unable to pick up the infrared signature of the planet. The new study reports that the researchers have spotted the exoplanet in three different wavelengths of visible light by reanalyzing Hubble data from 2004 and 2006. The new study team also claims that the orbital characteristics of the planet and its gravity could be shaping the debris disk surrounding the star.
“What we’ve seen from our analysis is that the object’s minimum distance from the disk has hardly changed at all in two years, which is a good sign that it’s in a nice ring-sculpting orbit,” said co-author Timothy Rodigas of the University of Arizona.
It’s about time Google Doodles doodled the doodle king. Bob Ross, whose palette and afro invaded our living rooms for decades of insta-nature art adventures, graces the search giant’s home page today. More »
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We previously said that Verizon might launch HTC’s Windows Phone 8X next month together with a two-year contract. But as far as the international release dates are concerned, they remain to be shrouded in mystery. Today, however, NotebookInfo says that the Taiwanese smartphone maker is eyeing for an international release date on the 20th next month.
