Hasta La Gadget!

It feels like it was only yesterday that Nokia handed its Windows Phone Maps application a complete and quite hefty makeover, which, as we know, brought the addition of reviews and friends’ photos to the app. Regardless, Nokia Maps appears to be ready to hit version 2.5, bringing with it an all-new Groupon integration to help US folks find nearby deals and a route planner service that, well, should be pretty self-explanatory. At any rate, WMPoweruser says the update should be hitting the Redmond Marketplace sometime “soon,” but feel free to let us know if you happen to catch it a little bit earlier than others.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Nokia Maps for Windows Phone updated with route planner and Groupon integration originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jul 2012 16:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Sprint flavor of Samsung’s latest flagship isn’t the only one to feel the gentle tug of patent warfare. According to Android Central (and several XDA Developers forum members), the latest OTA update for the international (i9300) version also does away with the universal search function, which browses your phone’s contacts and apps for results — and drew Apple’s ire. The new search box now offers web-only results, with the 27MB update also tinkering with the default browser layout. You may also find yourself back using Samsung’s homemade keyboard UI after resetting — though this can be quickly remedied in settings. Reduced functionality aside, if you like your smartphones legally sound, the update can be grabbed through the phone or Samsung’s Kies software.

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung Galaxy S III update sheds universal search feature on international model originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jul 2012 05:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Huawei’s financial figures for the first six months of 2012 reveal that the Chinese behemoth brought in turnover of 102.7 billion yuan ($16.08 billion), making a profit of 8.79 billion yuan ($1.37 billion). That’s not exactly bad news, but the figure is 22 percent smaller than the same period last year — leading the company to blame the drop on the global economy and saying that the telecoms business is a “significant challenge.” It humbly bragged that it had deployed 38 of the 80 commercial LTE networks worldwide and that the upstart now held over 12 percent of the Chinese smartphone market. It also claimed that the Ascend P1 and Ascend D1 had become bestselling handsets in China, Western Europe, Japan, Australia and Canada — which might have prompted CFO Ms. Meng Wanzhou to be “optimistic” about the company’s performance in the second half of the year.

Filed under: Cellphones

Huawei 1H 2012: profits dropped 22 percent, still made $1.37 billion originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 17:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s safe to say Viber’s VoIP applications have been somewhat of a hit since the early days on Android and iPhone. Now, looking to build up on that humble success, Viber’s updating these apps to version 2.2, bringing with it a fresh group messaging feature, improvements to the voice engine for better call quality and tweaks to the UI, such as adding photos to contacts list. Meanwhile, the Windows Phone and BlackBerry flavors will still have to wait for the voice goods, as Viber didn’t announce any other major changes on those platforms. Viber v2.2 is up for download now from the App Store and Google Play links below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Viber’s VoIP iPhone, Android apps updated with enhanced UI, group messaging and more originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 13:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG’s Quick Voice app’s monolingual status shouldn’t last long. After a quick restyle — it’s now Q Voice — the app is gearing up to launch internationally with an English language version ready for the first half of next year. LG also adds a bit more detail on its voice recognition offering, which can pick out a single female voice in a noisy room full of men and have the ability to make settings adjustments to Bluetooth, sound and vibration by speech. Perhaps only slightly less important than real functionality, the Q Voice interface will also include some “witty emotional responses” — ask what the device had for lunch and it will say it chowed down on 220 volts. LG Korea reiterates that the functionality is still limited to its domestic models of the Optimus Vu and incoming Optimus LTE II at the moment, but will feature on additional phones in the future. While voice recognition from bigger mobile rivals hasn’t revolutionized how we use our phones just yet, LG’s hoping the sheen of the newish tech won’t have worn off by 2013.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

LG’s voice recognition app studies English, aims to pass the test next year originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 08:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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