Friday 2 December 2011

AT&T launches the LG Nitro HD, live photos inside

By on 20:47

Yet another Droid boasting an HD resolution display is launching in a matter of days. This time though, it's not on Verizon, but AT&T's 4G LTE network and it's the LG Nitro HD.
The Nitro HD aims to be the carrier's most impressive Android device to date and AT&T is so proud of it that it threw a party to celebrate its landing on its LTE network. We were on site and we got to meet the Nitro HD in person.
LG Nitro HD LG Nitro HD LG Nitro HD LG Nitro HD 
To kick things off, this is the first smartphone in AT&T's line-up to feature a 4.5-inch True HD AH-IPS screen with 1280x720 resolution and is looking to challenge Verizon's two HD monsters - the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the HTC Rezound. The oomph comes from a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM, a combination which will be able to handle pretty much everything thrown its way.
We found the screen to be just as impressive as the specs suggest. LG made a big deal of the AH-IPS display and we now see why - this thing is gorgeous to behold.
LG Nitro HD LG Nitro HD LG Nitro HD 
At the back of the Nitro HD sits a 8MP 1080p video-recording camera with LED flash, while video chatting is covered by a 1.3MP front-facing snapper. On-board storage is 4GB, but you can expand that by up to 32GB thanks to the microSD card slot (there's a 16GB card included in the retail package, too).
The size of the Nitro HD is much more tolerable than that of the Rezound. It measures 133.9 x 67.8 x 10.4 mm and weighs 127 grams, which we found to be quite pocketable.
The LG Nitro HD will hit AT&T's stores both online and offline on December 4 with a pricetag of $249,99 on a two-year contract.

Sony Ericsson Nozomi allegedly official photo leaks

By on 20:33

You cannot expect many new product announcements to happen in December as manufacturers are concerned it would hurt the sales of their current crop of devices, but there's no stopping the rumor train.
Today we've got what might be an official photo of the upcoming Sony Ericsson flagship, nicknamed Nozomi. That smartphone, which is expected to come out of MWC in February 2012, is said to feature a12MP camera, 720p screen and, as evident from the render, an impressively slim waistline.
The Nozomi should be the first Sony Ericsson smartphone to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box (though the current Xperia phones should get that too).
Sadly, there's no way to confirm the authenticity of the leaked image, so you'd have to take it with a pinch of salt. They do fall nicely in line with the live photos of the Nozomi that popped up not long ago but for all we know, the render could be created based on these same images.

Rotten Core: Nokia lose huge market share in their homeland

By on 20:10


There's a state of unease within Nokia at the moment and unsurprisingly so. With the first Nokia-Microsoft lovechild now out in the market (the Lumia 800, you might have heard of it) and an aggressive marketing strategy in place to drum up interest in Windows Phone-laden Nokia's coming fresh out of the factory, the Finnish company have been waiting with bated breath to see how consumers will receive this new-era Nokia.
They've shown a resilience to the tough times they've faced already and since the partnership announcement in February, many wondered just how this shift would affect the company's image. By bringing Microsoft in, they've inherently changed the way they operate and the way fans of the brand expect them to operate. Sure they brought the Asha lineup to maintain support for their Symbian products and the N9 is taking point in markets where the Lumia 800 isn't, but now Windows Phone is Nokia and as Stephen Elop so boldly said at Nokia World, the Lumia 800 is "the first real Windows Phone device."
Not only could a statement like that upset the likes of HTC, LG and Samsung, all of whom license Windows Phone from Microsoft, but the hardcore fans of what we could call the 'old' Nokia also might not welcome the change, and that is a notion that has the potential to hold water in this case.
The Finns have been proud of the globally recognized giant that is Nokia and it's probably one of the key things those from outside of the country associate with it, but a recent report from Helsinki's Taloussanomat shows that pride only takes support so far. In the last 12 months, Nokia have lost 45% of the market share taking their dominance from 76% right down to 31%.
Of course they still have the top spot, but the gap has dramatically narrowed, with the majority of their sales now in the possession of Samsung who have risen sharply from a mere 3% to 25% in the same amount of time. Apple then take third place with 16% in Q3 2011, with Sony Ericsson and Huawei sharing 11% each, leaving the remaining 6% of the market currently to ZTE.
This doesn't automatically spell the end for Nokia of course, far from it, but it still must be unnerving for them. The financial quarter in question actually precedes the announcement of the Lumia and Asha handsets, but as such, it does indicate that the change was necessary. It makes more sense for Nokia to have changed tack altogether, than continue along the road they were currently on and let's not forget the Finnish market is important for Nokia, but relatively speaking, it's a small one, with Finland's entire population around the 5 million mark.
Once the holiday season and the final financial quarter conclude we should get at least an initial indication of the impact the Lumia 800 is making. Until then however it's a case of crossing fingers and seeing if Nokia are able to reassure the old fans, as well as attracting new ones.
What would you say Nokia should do to maximize their potential in 2012, ideas in the comments. Read the full Taloussanomat report here (Finnish) and why not check out our new review of the Nokia Lumia 800 as well by clicking here.


Thursday 1 December 2011

Sony Ericsson Nozomi allegedly official photo leaks

By on 09:36

You cannot expect many new product announcements to happen in December as manufacturers are concerned it would hurt the sales of their current crop of devices, but there's no stopping the rumor train.
Today we've got what might be an official photo of the upcoming Sony Ericsson flagship, nicknamed Nozomi. That smartphone, which is expected to come at the MWC in February 2012, is said to feature a12MP camera, 720p screen and, as evident from the render, an impressively slim waistline.
The Nozomi should be the first Sony Ericsson smartphone to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box (though the current Xperia phones should get that too).
Sadly, there's no way to confirm the authenticity of the leaked image, so you'd have to take it with a pinch of salt. They do fall nicely in line with the live photos of the Nozomi that popped up not long ago but for all we know, the render could be created based on these same images.

White Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket coming these days

By on 09:23
AT&T and Samsung just announced that a white version of the 4G LTE Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocketto make its way to the stores for the holiday season. This is a great opportunity if you want to get your hands on the 4G monster, but black is just a tad too serious for your liking.Underneath the white shell, the Galaxy S II Skyrocket is the same underneath, featuring a4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 1.5GHz dual-core CPU and a gig of RAM. Here are some official photos for you to look at.The price for the Skyrocket remains the same, as before - $250 with a two-year contract on AT&T's new and fresh 4G LTE network. Expect the device to show up on December 4, but you are more than welcome to check out our review while waiting.

Lenovo LePhone K2 & S760 Android smartphones unveiled

By on 07:18







Yesterday, Lenovo announced five new droid devices, but the only smartphone among them was hardly inspiring. Now though, the Chinese company unveiled two more LePhone droids, the S760 and the K2, and things are starting to get somewhat more exciting.
The Lenovo LePhone S760 is a relatively compact device featuring a 3.7" AMOLED screen, a 5MP main camera and a 1.3MP front-facing snapper. The RAM on this one is 512MB and there's a single-core Scorpion CPU to do the math.

Wednesday 30 November 2011

Your smartphone could be secretly recording all your actions

By on 08:18

Well, this is tough. After the Applegate scandal that followed after we found out that Apple was tracking the location of its users with their iPhones, now Google's Android, and HTC in particular, could be finding themselves in much the same situation.
After a thorough research, Android developer Trevor Eckhart has found out that his HTC EVO 4G phone has been tracking every keypress, message or location he's been to. The software used to do so comes from a Silicon Valley company Carrier IQ, which records in real time what has been happening on not just Eckhart phone, but million other droids and, as the developer states, also Nokia and Blackberry devices alike.
Using a packet sniffer, the developer was able to track every single packet going in and out of his stock EVO 4G smartphone. That way, he managed to show how each tap on the numeric keyboard, the contents of SMS messages and HTTPS browsing data have been tapped by the Carrier IQ software.
As you'll find out in the video below, the software in question is developed by Carrier IQ, who recently went after Trevor Eckhart and threatened to sue him for his allegations of the software being "rootking", but who also withdrew their demands shortly after. The Carrier IQ VP of Marketing Andrew Coward rejected the developer's claims in an interview last week saying that the software never captured keypresses.

Nokia Lumia 800 coming to O2 UK on December 9

By on 08:16

O2 UK users can now add the Nokia Lumia 800 to the list of ideas for a holiday gift. The official site of the British carrier lists the Windows Phone handset as "Coming soon: December".
That's as specific as their site got, but their Twitter account pinpoints December 9 as the exact date that the Lumia 800 will go on sale. There's nothing on the color options though - only the black one is featured on O2's site and there's no mention of the other colors.
Not to worry - Phones4u lists both the black and the cyan version as available with O2 contract (there are SIM-free offers and offers for other carriers too). Note that the cyan version costs more on the same plan.
Strangely, Phone4u's site lists the Nokia Lumia 800 for O2 as available, so you can try hitting them up if really can't wait. It could just be an error though, Carphone Warehouse's site lists O2's Lumia 800 as pre-order only.

Galaxy Nexus to get Adobe's Flash Player in December

By on 08:11

Paid a pile of cash for the top-notch Galaxy Nexus? Found out there is no Flash support for you? Don’t worry, according to Adobe, it’s coming in a few weeks.
Surely it was disappointing to discover that the Google’s latest and greatest has no Flash support. But it was even more shocking, although a bit expected, to learn that Adobe is abandoning the mobile Flash in favor of HTML5.
Anyway, Adobe has previously stated that it will add support for the Galaxy Nexus in its Android Flash runtimes and now we know when this December. So, Galaxy Nexus users, your money are still well spent and you will get your Flash support very soon. And it will be your last one.

Tuesday 29 November 2011

Sony Ericsson Xperia active review: The Rainmaker

By on 05:43

Flick it, kick it, throw it, wet it. Drag and drop it. And watch it come back for more. The Sony Ericsson Xperia active is a survivor. The rugged smartphone has a Bravia Reality display and exchangeable covers, 1GHz of oomph and HD video, and plenty of sporty apps. It's got you - tucked under an arm strap. It goes wherever you go.
Durable smartphones are becoming an Android-exclusive niche and Sony Ericsson want in. But the Xperia active believes that an IP67-certified phone doesn't have to be all muscle and no charm.
The Xperia active is a cute little phone - the action-scene body double of the Xperia mini. Go ahead, laugh it up, Sonim. This is a phone that doesn't take much pocket space, which is a big plus in our book. And no, they don’t have to be cargo pockets either.

LG announces Android 4.0 ICS upgrade plans

By on 05:39

LG might be slow on the actual upgrades, but at least it’ on time with the announcements. While most of the latest Optimus siblings are getting their first Gingerbread bite just now, LG announces they are all going to taste Ice Cream Sandwich too.
The lucky devices are LG Optimus 3DOptimus 2XOptimus Black and Optimus LTE. The upgrade roadmap will be announced in December on the official LG Facebook page.
LG also promises it is exploring its options for bringing the Android 4.0 to some older Optimus smartphones too. So there is a tiny chance the Optimus One and Optimus Chic might get some Ice Cream Sandwich treatment as well