Jul 10
At long last, the Xperia Z is coming to the states. It was the most appealing phone
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Jul 10
People who keep up on the latest smartphones (that’s you) have a problem: You wait and wait until the best new phone comes out, then you drop your money on that new hotness. But what happens? Six months later the newer hotterness is out, but you’ve got another year and a half before your next upgrade. T-Mobile is finally, mercifully fixing that. This is cause for rejoicing.
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Jul 09
It is anticipated LG will be unveiling its Optimus G followup handset, called the G2, at an event on August 7. While there have been fairly ample leaks regarding the handset, there haven’t been any decent shots of the device. That changed today, with the folks over at Engadget getting a mini gallery of image said to be the LG G2.
Most notably, this leak includes images of the back of the handset, confirming rumors that the smartphone would feature touch controls on the back rather than the typical volume rocker on the edge of the device. As far as design goes, it has a bit of flavors from the Nexus 4, Optimus G, and even the iPhone. This is most apparent in the video below, which shows the G2 in action.
The camera you see on the back, under which is the power and volume controls, is a 13-megapixel offering, while the display is said to be a 5.2-inch full HD panel at 1080p. This is smaller than the 5.5-inches of its predecessor, and is in line with other leaks we’ve heard regarding the handset. The speakers are located in a grille at the bottom of the device.
Inside, it is said users will find a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core 2.3GHz processor, as well as 2GB of RAM while running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. That is the extent of what we know for now, except that the unit featured is a Sprint variant, according to a screenshot that was sent to Engadget. The video purports slightly different specs, however.
According to 4Leakz, who uploaded the video to YouTube, the device measures in with a length of 5.46-inches and a width of 2.80-inches. Likewise, the device in the video shows it as featuring NFC connectivity, visible via the NFC icon located at the top. The model number for this handset is LG-D803.
SOURCE: Android Community
LG G2 photos and video leak ahead of August 7 event is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jul 06
We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is from Gingernut2K, who wants to talk about responsible parenting and not being too much of a snooper. If you’re looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.
“I’ve always felt that talking to your kids and trusting them to be responsible is much better than trying to seal them in cotton wool. The problem? My daughter’s turning 14 and as she’s allowed to go out (under curfew) we think it’s time that she gets a phone, and she’s been saving up for a smartphone. Now, I trust her, but it’s not difficult to find adult material online, or even just be vulnerable to malicious messages from unscrupulous types. My question: is there a smartphone that’s both secure enough that I don’t have to worry, but also that I can access even if she passwords it? Man, writing that last sentence made me feel dirty.”
A tricky question, but one that’s well worth answering. We’re sure that plenty of you out there are parents who have struggled with a similar dilemma, so we’d love to hear what your solution was. Did you go for a carrier-based filtering plan like Verizon’s Family Safeguards or a software-based approach like phonesheriff? How do you talk about the internet to your kids and how can we encourage sensible internet use? Share your experiences in the comments below.
Filed under: Mobile
Jul 05
Instagram is wildly popular, but has notably lacked a few features that users have been asking for. Today, the company updated its app for iOS, adding a couple of those much-requested features, perhaps the best being the addition of landscape mode, allowing users to flip their smartphone in a horizontal orientation when desired.
The new support for landscape mode works for both recording videos and taking images, being more relevant to the former, the launch of which had produced a fair bit of criticism and issues related to the lack of horizontal orientation support. As The Next Web notes, this feature had originally been intended to launch with it, but there was a problem with the recorded videos not being flipped along with the changed orientation.
Beyond that, the second biggest change with this update is the Cinema stabilization feature being added for the front-facing camera, which we noted above. This feature aims to reduce the shakiness and wobbles that are so common with videos taken with a smartphone. As such, those who record videos of themselves the camera on the front of their phone will benefit from the feature.
The video feature for Instagram was announced on June 20 at a Facebook product event, among some other features. The feature allows for 15-seconds of video recording, and offers 15 filters that can be applied in the same way effects are added to photographs. The change log doesn’t specify what the other changes are, aside from “many other improvements and bug fixes.” As such, iOS users might notice some other niggling issues they’ve had being corrected after updating.
The app is available now for iOS users over at the App Store, weighing in at 14.5MB in size and being pegged at version 4.0.2. Users will need to be running iOS 5.0 or later. There’s no word on when Android users will also see the feature roll out, but hopefully we won’t have to wait too long. Stay tuned, and we’ll keep you updated!
SOURCE: The Next Web
Instagram for iOS app updated with landscape mode and more is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jul 05
Sony Smart Bluetooth headset makes appearance in Xperia Z Ultra teaser video
Posted in: Today's ChiliWe saw a couple Sony Xperia Z Ultra teaser videos appear on YouTube shortly after the handset’s announcement late last month. The newest teaser video has been published, and among the showing off of features offered by the massive smartphone is a look at the Smart Bluetooth Headset, as well as an ink pen with the cartridge removed being used as a stylus.
The device is demonstrated as being used for a variety of business purposes, giving us a look at different features offered by it. Among them is the user in the video using what appears to be an ink pen with the cartridge removed – or possibly a mechanical pencil – to write on the screen, something that seems unnecessarily risky, but does demonstrate the device’s use-anything-as-a-stylus functionality.
As we mentioned, the Smart Bluetooth headset makes a brief appearance, which you can see for yourself in the video below. Essentially, the device is a thin black rectangle allowing the user to hold it up to his or her ear as they would a handset. This allows one to answer a call without wearing a headset, and to continue using the giant smartphone while on a call.
There’s a brief discussion about the “small apps,” with the calculator being used as an example in the video. The small app, which does not take up the entire screen, hence its name, is pulled up over a note the user is writing, allowing for both note taking and calculations without toggling. There’s also a look at conserving battery life, with a shot of the device being switched into “Stamina” mode, giving it quite a few more hours of life.
Because of the Xperia Z Ultra’s size, the keyboard can be changed so that it is in one-handed mode, which is a smaller offering that makes single-hand use easier by the appearance of things. As far as specs go, this massive Sony handset features a Snapdragon 800, as well as an 8MP rear camera, an IP58 rating for dust and water resistance, and 4G LTE connectivity.
SOURCE: Android Community
Sony Smart Bluetooth headset makes appearance in Xperia Z Ultra teaser video is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jul 04
Mega – the file-hosting website of Kim Dotcom fame – has announced the arrival of its first mobile app, which is for Android and available now on the Google Play Store. Although neither the iOS nor Windows Phone apps are available, the announcement states they are in “the final stages” and will be launched in the near future.
The app is tied to one’s Mega account, and allows for both uploading and downloading files, promising that it does so quickly in both regards. One particularly nice feature is that it can be synced with the device’s camera for auto cloud storage of videos and photographs that are taken, a nice alternative or secondary backup to shuttling the content off to one’s Google account.
There are image thumbnails, the ability to export and send both folder and file links, as well as editing functions for moving, renaming, and deleting both files and folders. There’s an on-board search function for finding files located within one’s own Mega account, as well. The announcement suggests that more features will be added over time, but what those future features will be is up for speculation.
Those with a Mega account have access to 50GB for free, and as was Dotcom’s professed goal, all content that is uploaded is fully encrypted, with the user retaining the keys to decrypt the files. Such a method aims to thwart law enforcement by making the service raid-proof. This follows the raid on Dotcom’s house, and the ensuing legal fallout that has been ongoing since.
The service was announced back in November, and is a replacement for the now defunct Megaupload, which was pulled last year and replaced with a nifty FBI splash page. The hosting website has servers located in New Zealand and Europe, and Dotcom has been quoted as saying that “every file that is being uploaded to Mega is not just on one server, meaning if one hosting company goes bankrupt then those files will be on least two servers in the world and in two different jurisdictions.”
SOURCE: Mega
Mega launches Android app with support for other platforms in the works is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jul 04
Vudu’s player for Android launched last year with tablet support, and now a new update lets it work on a limited selection of phones. Newer Samsung handsets, the Nexus 4, HTC One and several other devices round out the list, as the app works for either streaming or downloading movies. It worked without issue on our Nexus 4, however since its UI hasn’t changed from the tablet version some of the buttons were smaller than we’d like. Also, we couldn’t get the video to play in any res beyond SD so it wasn’t the sharpest, but there was a high enough bitrate to make movie-watching enjoyable on the small screen. As usual, the app is free, if you have an account with the VOD / Ultraviolet service hit the Play Store link below to see if works on your hardware of choice.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile
Source: Google Play, Vudu Blog
Jul 03
Android vulnerability discovered affecting devices running version 1.6 and later
Posted in: Today's ChiliA doozy of an Android bug has been discovered by Bluebox Security’s Bluebox Labs, one that affects all Android releases since 1.6 Donut. With the vulnerability, malicious coders can create a trojan application to serve whatever purpose they’d like, whether to steal a user’s information or take over control of the device. More information will be given at Black Hat USA 2013 in a keynote speech.
According to Bluebox Labs, because of how many versions of Android are affected, a potential 900 million devices could suffer from the vulnerability, which involves a means for modifying APK code without harm to the app’s cryptographic signature. As such, a perfectly legit app can be converted into a trojan that slips under the radar.
The company goes on to specify that apps developed by the handset’s makers pose a greater risk due to their elevated privileges. Because of this, one of these apps that are exploited and turned into a trojan can give the hacker complete access to the mobile OS’s apps and system, as well as all their related data. The ramifications of this are two-fold:
Depending on the intent of the hacker, personal data like text messages, emails, any documents on the device, account passwords that are saved, pictures, and other related items can be swiped, potentially giving access to things like bank accounts and revealing contacts’ information. In addition, this can be taken a step further so that the hacker has the ability to use the device to send text messages, snap pictures, record videos, make phone calls, etc.
In an extreme case, the vulnerability could be used to create a botnet.
According to Bluebox, it informed Google of this Android vulnerability in February of this year. To take care of the issue, every device manufacturer will need to create a patch and roll it out to its users, who will then need to install it. The security firm says it will release “tools/material” and more info about this vulnerability during Blackhat USA 2013, which takes place later this month.
SOURCE: BlueBox
Android vulnerability discovered affecting devices running version 1.6 and later is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jul 03
Nokia’s turmoils and subsequent mass layoffs have freed up plenty of smart people in the Finnish workforce to do their own thing. Rovio with Angry Birds, Jolla with Sailfish and now Adaia. The 16-person startup, led by former Nokia employee Heikki Sarajärvi, has revealed that it plans to launch a range of premium Android handsets at some point in 2014 in the US, UK and of course, Finland. By premium, we’re looking at anywhere between $1,300 to $6,500, in return for the promise of extra ruggedness and durability as well as potential satellite connectivity. Why Android? Heikki says “there is no alternative,” something we assume Stephen Elop would strongly disagree with.
While there are no pictures to share today, local publication Digitoday got a chance to play with a prototype. They say the phone has a 4.8 inch screen and features the ability to hot-swap batteries without needing to turn the device off, though that feature hasn’t been fully ironed out yet. One thing that might potentially turn some people off, aside from the exorbitant price, is the phone’s weight — final units are estimated to come in at between 240 and 250 grams, which is 60 grams heavier than even Nokia’s tank-like Lumia 920. We’ve reached out to Adaia to request pictures and more info to find out what’s the cause of all that bulk, so stay tuned.
Filed under: Cellphones
Source: Digitoday (Translated) (1), (2)
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