Hasta La Gadget!

Nokia has revealed its latest Windows Phone 8 smartphone, the Lumia 620, a 3.8-inch handset with a ClearBlack WVGA display and 5-megapixel camera. Running Microsoft’s latest OS on a 1GHz dualcore Snapdragon S4 processor with 512MB of RAM, the Lumia 620′s big selling points are its price and its clever colors: it’ll be priced at $249 off-contract, Nokia says, and uses a new “Dual Shot” polycarbonate technique that layers different hues together.

Two layers of polycarbonate are applied, a single base layer and then a translucent or transparent layer in a different color on top. That means you can get new colors from Nokia’s current fetish of core CMYK, such as lime green from yellow and cyan. The casings themselves are interchangeable.

Nokia Lumia 620 overview:

Although the Lumia 620 lacks PureView functionality, it doesn’t stint elsewhere on the spec sheet. There’s 8GB of internal storage and a microSD slot good for up to 64GB cards, together with WiFi a/b/g/n (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and even NFC, ambitious for the price. Bluetooth 3.0, GPS/A-GPS/Glonass, microUSB, and a VGA front camera round out the main specs.

Nokia claims up to 14.6hrs GSM talktime (up to 9.9hrs WCDMA) or up to 330hrs standby from the 1,300 mAh battery, and the whole thing measures in at 115.4 x 61.1 x 11.02 mm and 127g. No sign of wireless charging, however. The Nokia Lumia 620 will go on sale in Q1 2013.

Meanwhile, Nokia also unveiled the Lumia 920T today, the first TD-SCDMA Windows Phone, headed to China Mobile. Available to order by the end of this month, priced at RMB 4599 off-contract, the Lumia 920T takes the same core functionality of the Lumia 920 we’ve already reviewed but supports China Mobile’s 3G network. It will also have the carrier’s app store, for software and services specific to the Chinese market.

Nokia Lumia 620: Windows Phone 8 on a $249 budget is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Facebook Messenger for Android has been updated, removing the requirement that users have a Facebook account, and instead allowing them to sign up with nothing more than a cellphone number and name. The new feature will go live in India, Indonesia, Australia, Venezuela, and South Africa today, with other countries to follow shortly after.

The change in policy means that those wary of over-sharing with a full Facebook account now need not be out of contact with those friends and family with fewer qualms about the service. It also pits Facebook directly against SMS messaging, attempting to follow other rival services such as iMessage on iOS in undercutting carrier text messaging charges by using cheaper data instead.

It’s unclear when Facebook might follow the Android app update with a similar registration option for the iOS app, though users of the iPhone version can communicate with those who have logged in with their mobile number. The updated Android app also supports group conversations and photo sharing.

The new software comes hot on the heels of a Facebook Messenger for Firefox app, which takes advantage of the Firefox Social API built into the latest version of the browser. However, it also demands a full Facebook registration, rather than the pared-back membership of the new Android app.

You can download Facebook Messenger for Android from the Play store, though at time of writing the new version has not been released.

Facebook Messenger for Android pares registration to name & number is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple’s 2012 iMac has arrived in-stores and on the SlashGear test bench, first in 21.5-inch form and then the 27-inch behemoth following on in December. Borrowing design cues from Apple’s portable range and debuting new construction techniques never before seen in desktop computing, the new iMac also keeps Apple in the front of the pack for performance, with a fresh array of Intel quadcore processors, NVIDIA graphics, and some storage magic in the shape of Fusion Drive.

There’s a mixture of engineering and design magic that goes into making the 2012 iMac look so much slimmer than its predecessors. While the last-gen model had blunt edges, Apple has taken a leaf from the MacBook aesthetic and pared the edges down to a narrow taper of only 5mm: although the back actually bows out to accommodate the electronics, a casual glance makes it look like a significantly narrower computer than before.

There’s a downside to that design decision, however, which is that you lose the integrated optical drive. Given Apple’s trajectory with regards optical media as a whole – ditching DVD burners from the MacBook Pro and pushing digital media hard on the iPhone and iPad, with no interest in Blu-ray as a stopgap – that’s no great surprise, but we can see it being more of a frustration to desktop users than their mobile counterparts. It’s particularly annoying if you’d got into the habit of using your iMac as an all-in-one DVD player, since the sizable displays make for excellent kitchen, bedroom, or study sets. That being said, Apple does offers a USB SuperDrive for $79 should you need it.

Still, what Apple has accommodated is probably of more interest to most users, and the 2012 iMac doesn’t demand a sacrifice in performance for the design. The basic processor in the 21.5-inch is a 2.7GHz quadcore Core i5, with a 2.9GHz Core i5 and a 3.1GHz Core i7 both options; the larger, 27-inch iMac which will arrive in December starts off with the 2.9GHz Core i5, with a 3.2GHz Core i5 and 3.4GHz Core i7 optional. 8GB of DDR3 memory is standard across the board, though it’s only on the 27-inch model that you can upgrade it yourself; if you want the maximum 16GB in the smaller iMac you’ll need to pay Apple to install it for you (the 27-inch can be specified with up to 32GB).

All-in-one computing used to mean average graphics performance, but Apple has opted for a range of NVIDIA GeForce chips to keep things moving on-screen. The entry-level 21.5-inch gets the GT 640M with 512MB of dedicated GDDR5 memory, with the more expensive spec version stepping up to the GT 650M. Keeping the 27-inch ticking over is the GTX 660M, with 512MB, while the GTX 675MX with 1GB and the GTX 680MX with 2GB, are the higher-spec options. It’s early days, but the performance we’ve seen from both CPU and GPU has been silky smooth.

There were some hopes for Retina-class graphics on the 2012 iMac, but instead things stick with the same 1920 x 1080 (21.5-inch) and 2560 x 1440 (27-inch) resolutions of before. The panels themselves are different, however, using the same innovative full optical lamination as seen on the iPhone and iPad though boosted up to desktop scale. In short, Apple takes a thinner LCD and bonds it directly to the cover glass, doing away with the traditional 2mm gap in-between (which Apple says reduces glare and reflections up to 75-percent, though if you’re working with the sun directly over your shoulder, it can still get a little annoying) for a picture that looks almost like it’s swimming on the very surface of the display.

In short, this is a long-anticipated update that promises to run as fast on the outside as it looks slick on the outside. We’ll be putting the new 2012 iMac through its paces in time for the full SlashGear review, but until then enjoy our full hands-on gallery.

Apple iMac 27-inch (2012) Hands-on is written by Vincent Nguyen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Starting today, Apple is now selling unlocked iPhone 5 handsets for those who want to eschew a contract and drop a few more Benjamins in the process. The unlocked units are available online via the U.S. Apple Store. All three models are available, with the price starting out at a hefty $649. Limit two per customer.

The 32GB model is priced at $749, and the 64GB is priced at $849. As notes Apple, the unlocked handset can only be used with supported networks, including AT&T. The phone requires a GSM network, and can be used in conjunction with a nano SIM card when travelling abroad. Because the phone requires a GSM network, it can’t be used with Verizon and Sprint or other CDMA options.

The handset doesn’t include a nano SIM, so be sure to factor one into your budget. Using one is simple: insert the SIM, then turn the phone on. A series of step-by-step instructions will appear on the screen. Follow them carefully, and you’ll be up and running in no time. Overall, this is an ideal way for users to get their iPhone fix without being bound to a two-year contract. The freedom comes with a substantial price tag, though.

The iPhone 5 features a 4-inch Retina display, and weighs in at a mere 112 grams. The handset is made from anodized aluminum, and is the same width as the 4S despite its larger screen size. Inside you’ll find an A6 chip. The purchase is rounded out with the inclusion of a pair of EarPods with a remote and microphone, as well as a Lightning-to-USB cord and a power adapter.

[via Apple Insider]

Apple now offering unlocked iPhone 5 starting at $649 is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

For those of you waiting for the real-deal collection of Star Trek gadgets and gizmos, you’ll find that today is a great day – the tricorder has arrived. The folks at Scanadu have been developing a handheld device that, while not exactly service the same function as the 60′s series tech, is certainly Star Trek-worthy in its abilities. This device has been in development for less than a year and will be prototype ready by the end of 2012 – so says the NASA-Ames Research Center-based startup team themselves.

This unit goes by the name SCOUT and is ready to connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth in a snap. Once you’re synced up, you’ve only to press the SCOUT device up to your temple and let it sit for 10 seconds. In those 10 seconds you’ll find that your vital signs will be scanned with great accuracy, this including your temperature, heart rate, breathing rate, ECG, and SPO2.

Photo via Scanadu’s official Facebook page showing Tan Le and Kim Vu “Scouting” themselves.

Development of this project happened rather rapidly if you count only the time since it was announced until now – that, again, being less than a year. If you’re counting the amount of time since Scanadu co-founder Walter De Brouwer prototyped his first tricorder effort, it’s a bit more extended. De Brouwer’s first tricorder was backpack-sized and didn’t quite have the consumer potential that this new SCOUT project does.

The SCOUT will retail for under $150 and is small enough to easily slip into your pocket – and it’s not just made for doctors. In fact, De Brouwer made it clear this week with FastCO that it’s made primarily for those everyday citizens that want to keep themselves monitored on a daily basis.

“We really want to show people their health stream. You go to a doctor and you get data points. You probably forget about them. But in this time of personalized readings we should have personalized parameters. What is a fever for me might not be a fever for you.” – De Brouwer

The SCOUT is just one entry in the massive rally for the Qualcomm Tricorder X prize – that being $10 million USD for the best tricorder that meets specifications set up by Qualcomm itself. In addition to the SCOUT, Scanadu is bringing forth a couple more medical-oriented tiny gadgets as well: ScanaFlo and ScanaFlu.

The ScanaFlo is a urine analysis system made specifically for pregnant women, scanning for signs of complications like preeclampsia and diabetes. The device works with a set of 20 cartridges that are dipped in urine with data sent back to the Scanadu app – again, on your smartphone. ScanaFlu is a saliva test that’s made primarily for the flu, but also checks for upper respiratory infections of many kinds. Each of these three products is set to be released by the end of 2013 in their final form.

Scanadu SCOUT Medical Tricorder recalls Star Trek – and it’s real is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.