Hasta La Gadget!

Lingering concerns that Nokia might not upgrade all its Windows Phone 7.5 roster to 7.8 might have just been put to rest. Just a day after updates for the Lumia 510 and 800 were caught on Nokia’s servers through NaviFirm, updates have also been spotted for those devices that didn’t make the initial cut: the Lumia 610, 710 and 900 have all appeared, each with numerous region-specific updates in tow. Their existence still doesn’t constitute a formal update, so be aware that you’re gambling with your phone’s health if you install them without any word from Microsoft or Nokia. Suffice it to say that full availability is clearly getting close — and that it’s less probable any Lumia will be left behind.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft, Nokia

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Source: Nokiapoweruser

It was only a matter of time before we’d see this one, right? As has been the case with many, many other gadgets, Samsung’s Galaxy Note II is the latest one to join the “Keepin’ it Real Fake” revolution. Formally dubbed Star S7180, this phablet clone, as you can imagine, doesn’t come even close to matching the genuine Note II’s mighty spec sheet, with this 5.5-inch KIRF device said to be only boasting a dual-core MT6577 CPU with 1GB RAM, 4GB of internal storage and an 8-megapixel cam on the back — but, hey, at least there’s some Jelly Bean to go with that. According to GizChina, you’ll have to shell out about $150 for the Star S7180, which, all in all, isn’t too bad a deal — that’s if you don’t mind taking the faux route, of course. At any rate, you’ll find additional eye candy after the break, and, judging by the looks, it may just be Mr. Blurrycam’s best work yet.

Continue reading Galaxy Note II KIRF edition makes a quick appearance, shows no remorse

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Via: MobileGeeks

Source: GizChina

As much of a breakthrough as magnetoresistive RAM might be for its ability to retain data while powered off, its susceptibility to leak currents while turned on has made it impractical as a replacement for cache-oriented memory like SRAM. Toshiba’s new approach could almost literally turn the situation on its head. By magnetizing spin torque MRAM (ST-MRAM) in a direction perpendicular to the magnetic layer, Toshiba cuts off the avenues for leaks without sacrificing speed. The switch away from in-plane magnetization is an upside for the memory as a whole — it shrinks normally large elements to below 30 nanometers and cuts the overall power draw of MRAM by about 90 percent. While there’s no timetable for when we’ll see such cache in a shipping product, Toshiba expects it to reach mobile processors, where even slight power savings can make a big difference. If our next smartphone or tablet survives that much longer on battery through memory we can’t even see, we’ll know who to thank.

Continue reading Toshiba goes perpendicular to solve MRAM’s power issues, rethink cache memory

Filed under: Storage, Mobile

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Via: MRAM-Info

Source: Toshiba

Although the Optimus G and its Nexus 4 cousin are clearly the darlings of LG’s mobile lineup, that isn’t precluding the Korean company from crowing about a milestone for its more pedestrian Optimus L-Series smartphones. The company has officially passed 10 million sales of L-Series phones spread across the entire line, ranging from the tiny L3 through to the extra-large L9. LG only makes a partial attempt at keeping itself grounded, though. While it’s quick to acknowledge that 10 million is a “modest” amount in the light of grander achievements, it directly credits the figure to rejecting rivals’ tendencies to put “all their eggs into a one-size-fits-all phone” — a not-so-subtle potshot at a certain competitor’s approach to budget models. Whether or not that’s valid criticism, we’d say a little braggadocio could be justified when most low-cost smartphones rarely get this kind of recognition.

Continue reading LG sells 10 million Optimus L-Series phones, stays semi-humble with success

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG

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That Nintendo DS re-make of Final Fantasy IV may add 3D graphics, a variety of bug fixes, and a fresh localization, but who wants to lug around their old Nintendo DS? Thankfully, it won’t be much longer before the same version of FFIV ends up on iOS, as spotted by the folks at gaming forum NeoGAF. The game arrives on the iOS App Store for both iPhone and iPad starting on December 20, and is headed to Android sometime next year. As of now, it’s only got a Japanese pricing of ¥1800 ($21.77), but we expect it’ll cost about $17.99 when it launches Stateside. In anticipation of the pending release, Square’s marking down prices of its other iOS FF games (which are usually priced absurdly high), so now’s a good time to snap them up on the cheap. If you’d like to take a gander at the first images of the iOS port, Japanese publication Gamer has a first-look.

Filed under: Mobile, Apple

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Via: NeoGAF

Source: Square Enix