Nokia Answers Lumia 900 User Complaints with Software Update, Bill Credit

Smartphone maker Nokia has issued a software update to resolve data connection problems reported by users of the new Lumia 900 and it is offering a $100 AT&T bill credit to anyone who currently owns the handset or buys it before April 21.

The company, which describes the credit as a "gesture of goodwill," quickly acknowledged the problem with the phone when users began complaining about losing their data connections shortly after the device hit U.S. store shelves earlier this month.

The credit effectively means anyone who was on the fence about whether to try out the Windows Phone platform can essentially get on board for free if they buy one before the offer runs out. That's because AT&T is selling the Lumia 900 for $100 with a two-year contract.

Users -- many of whom never experienced a problem after buying the phone -- are applauding Nokia, Microsoft, and AT&T for how swiftly the companies handled the data connection problem, as well as how well customers have been treated.

And even though the Windows Phone operating system only holds a small fraction of the market compared with Google's Android and Apple's iOS, it can't be denied that many who use it, love it.

Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps recently wrote in a blog, "I will say it loud and say it proud: I love my Windows Phone."

The developments show that sometimes being the underdog means you have to go all-out to win customer loyalty. Only time will tell if Windows Phone adoption ramps up as a result.

In the meantime, Nokia says if you have already purchased a Lumia 900, you have two options. You can either use Zune to update your phone with the new security update, or exchange your phone for a new one at any AT&T story until April 21.

View orginal artical here- Nokia

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Nokia Lumia 800 and 710 get 1st custom ROM with interop unlock

The presence of WP7 Root Tools demonstrates this Lumia 800 is interop-unlocked

It has certainly been a very exciting 24 hours for Nokia fans between the early release of the 900 data-fix, that hilarous video from India or the prospect that "the Woz" may pick up a Lumia. And now we can add one more.

Over at XDA they have successfully figured out how to get the Lumia devices into unlocked bootloader mode (or rather, to detect if your phone has an unlocked bootloader). In turn, you can install a custom ROM with build 12070 (RM819_059P453_1600.2487.8107.12070_002) on board plus an interop-unlock.

The interop-unlock method goes deeper than developer unlocked on Mango phones but not as deep as a full-unlock. However, it will allow users to install some more sophisticated homebrew apps (e.g. registry editors) as opposed to just sideloading signed apps.

Unfortunately a lot of Lumia 800's won't have an unlocked bootloader (you'll need to check your phone first) but biktor_gj and the rest of the crew over at XDA will surely get to devices with newer firmware on board and unlock their bootloaders eventually.

At time of this writing, biktor_gj is still uploading the custom ROM for the Lumia 710 with interop unlock, though it should be up shortly and use the same process.

Certainly this is a big day for Lumia owners and just the tip of the iceberg for the custom ROMs to follow on these devices.

View orginal artical here- Nokia

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HTC Golf: First Press Shot

HTC is preparing a new, Ice Cream Sandwich-powered entry level phone codenamed HTC Golf; we recently saw an unmemorable test photo from this handset's five-megapixel main camera. Reportedly set to hit the market sometime before the end of the quarter as the Wildfire C (following the original Wildfire and Wildfire S), Golf slots into HTC's current lineup below the three members of the One series -- although it takes a few design cues from those devices as well.

Tipped to run on a single-core, sub-gigahertz processor, the Sense 4.0-skinned Golf should offer up a 3.5-inch, 480 x 320 pixel display with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage onboard. The internal storage will be somewhat complemented by the same two years of free 25GB Dropbox cloud storage as the One X, S, and V ship with, along with a microSD card slot. Bluetooh 3.0 and 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi are also said to be included, as well as the now-standard Beats enhancements to audio. Finally, Golf should feature a front-facing webcam, which is somewhat of a rarity at the price point it's expected to occupy.

View orginal artical here- HTC

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Nokia says fixed flagship smartphone software bug

Nokia said on Saturday it has fixed a software bug in its Lumia 900 smartphones which went on sale a week ago in the United States, its answer to Apple's iPhone.

Earlier this week Nokia said its first 4G phone, which it markets with the strapline "an amazingly fast way to connect", can occasionally lose its data connection due to the bug. It promised to fix the problem around April 16.

"The update is now available. Consumers now have the opportunity to update their AT&T version Nokia Lumia 900 software," the firm said.

Lumia 900 is the third Nokia phone to run Microsoft's Windows operating system since it ditched its own Symbian system last year, and only went on sale in the United States through AT&T on April 8.

It is due for a wider global launch this quarter. The model won several awards at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas when it was launched in January.

Nokia is offering anyone who has bought a Lumia 900 phone, or who buys one by April 21, a $100 credit to their AT&T bill. The operator sells the phone for $99.99 with a 2-year contract.

Nokia lost the top spot in the lucrative smartphone market last year to Apple and Google , and analysts said it lost overall top spot in cellphone sales volume in the last quarter to Samsung Electronics <005930.KS>.

This week Nokia also warned its phone business would post losses in the first two quarters of this year as it struggles to revamp its product line to compete with Apple and Samsung, sending its shares sharply lower.

View orginal artical here- Nokia

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Acer rumored to be working on Windows Phone 8 QWERTY slider

Over at Russian forum Acer-Club, a rumor has surfaced that Acer is working on a Windows Phone  8 device with sliding QWERTY keyboard.  Despite a dearth of evidence or details, the phone will reportedly be called the W11 and will be a lower-end offering. The post says that the W11 is slotted for an October 2012 release, with an official announcement coming in September.

If true, the W11 join the Dell Venue Pro, the LG Quantum (aka, Optimus 7Q and C900) and the HTC Arrive (Sprint's only Windows Phone offering) as one of the few Windows Phone sliders out there.  Acer once manufactured the M900, a Windows Mobile phone with a sliding QWERTY keyboard, so it would fit their M.O and they currently have the Allegro on the market.

The timing of an October release would also fall in line with the expected release of Windows Phone 8, commonly referred to as Apollo.  And although it's already been said, please be sure to take this as nothing more than a rumor at this point.  We will be sure to keep you posted as we catch word of more details.

So what do you think?  With the slim and sleek Lumias and iPhones of the world, is there still a strong demand for QWERTY sliders?

View orginal artical here- Acer

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Exclusive Executive Caddie app heading to Nokia Collection?

Well, well, well. Colour us surprised (pun intended) with what the above image could point to, but if it holds true we could see the Executive Caddie heading to the Nokia Collection of OEM apps. Of course, should this happen, we'd expect to see the original app remain available for all Windows Phone owners, but it would be interesting to see unique variants of the app (available for free) tied to which Lumia 900 you purchase.

Executive Caddie is a popular golf app on the Windows Phone Marketplace, and rightfully so as it's quite simply gorgeous. Functionality includes highly accurate golf course database, on-course GPS and scorecard functionality (for up to four golfers). Reviews have been positive from users and it has been with us since the beginning (released in December 2010). Microsoft has reportedly given the developers the nod with eligibility for a "Showcase App" promotion. It would seem as though Nokia has caught wind of this positive aura.

The above photo shows two Lumia 900s running Executive Caddie with a unique theme / colour scheme that matches the device pigmentation. The Lumia 800 in the middle is using the default app that's currently available on the Marketplace. Could we be seeing exclusive versions of the app hitting the Nokia Collection or just an updated version? Could well be, and perhaps there'll be a few extra features thrown in for good measure.

On a humorous side note: someone rescue the poor Lumia 800 being patronised by size sitting in the middle. Executive Caddie is available on the Markeplace for free (usually $29.99), which has had its price tag slashed since Christmas.

View orginal artical here- Nokia

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Magenta Nokia Lumia 900 pictured for AT&T

We posted a little while ago that there may be a Magenta Lumia 900 for AT&T in the works, specifically a tie-in with Mother's Day which falls on Sunday, May 13th. Sunday's are also AT&T release days.

In a Microsoft store, one of our readers Clyde V. noticed this Lumia 900 emblazoned with the AT&T logo displayed on one of the demo screens advertising the new Nokia phone. Now at first we were cautious as tossing on one of Nokia's skin tight Magenta cases can also cause any 900 to look like that bold red color. But upon closer inspection this really does not seem to sporting a case (we'll let you decide though).

We know the Lumia 800 came in white and a glossy white 900 followed soon thereafter (coming to AT&T on April 22nd). And we know the Lumia 800 comes in Magenta, so a red-pink Lumia 900 seems hardly a stretch for them. Anyone waiting to see what happens?

View orginal artical here- Nokia

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PhoneSoap gives your germy smartphone a clean bath while charging it simultaneously

As much as we all dearly love our smartphones for their superior functionality in helping us in our daily lives, we sometimes forget that they harbor some nasty germs that can end up affecting us in some way. Although we can scoff at devices that appear greasy, even pristine clean ones can still carry along some hidden baddies that can get you sick.

Well, if you’re the type of person that’s particular about having a clean phone, you ought to check out this cool accessory called the PhoneSoap. At its core, it aims to “start a clean phone revolution” that will literally give your device a clean bath, while charging it simultaneously. Sounds pretty neat, right?

Interestingly enough, the PhoneSoap is currently a KickStarter project that relies on good old UV-C light to kill off any of those germs taking a vacation on your device. Essentially, UV-C is a kind of ultraviolet light that’s capable of penetrating the cell walls of bacteria, thus, eventually obliterating those microscopic baddies before they can do any damage to you. Once your device is placed into the PhoneSoap, UV-C light shines on both sides for approximately 3 to 5 minutes, so it won’t run the risk of damaging the phone. Also, the PhoneSoap offers an Apple dock connector or microUSB cable to simultaneously charge the handset.

As it currently stands, the PhoneSoap project has accumulated a little over $13,000, but it needs to blast through the $18,000 mark within the next 20 days before this baby can have a shot at being a real thing for consumers.

View orginal artical here- Phone

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Plum colored HTC Rhyme will soon see a new update adding a new in-call volume control and more

Considering that the HTC Rhyme recently saw its price dipping to the oh-so wonderful free on-contract level, it’s also perfect timing that new handset owners will soon be seeing a new software update for the smartphone.

Although there’s no exact time frame on when it’ll be available for download, the plum colored version of Verizon’s HTC Rhyme will soon see the version 2.20.605.3710RD update. So what is it going to bring along?

Well, for starters, we will see the following enhancements:

    “Ringtones” has been replaced with “Edit Home” when the Menu key is pressed on the homescreen.

    Updated signal strength meter to 5 bar Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI).

    Mobile networks no longer disabled when using Power Saver.

    Device is enabled with the Wireless Alerting System.

Naturally, it’s fine and dandy that we’ll be seeing these enhancements and all, but the update also manages to pack some new features that’ll spiffy up the handset’s visuals. Specifically, owners will notice a new in-call volume control when the handset is placed in Dock Mode – as well as being given an “All Apps” option too. And for those plagued with the volume changing to 20% when in Dock Mode, it’s being resolved with this update.

Again, there’s no specific time frame on when it’ll be available, but in any case, we can most certainly expect to see it soon nonetheless. Just keep an eye out for it!

View orginal artical here- Verizon

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Samsung posts guide for Galaxy S Value Pack

The Samsung Galaxy S is not getting the full Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update, but it’s still getting updated with some of its features in what Samsung calls Value Pack. But what exactly is included and how do you benefit from the update? The Korean company has now released a detailed guide on how to use the Galaxy S Value Pack.

Among the notable additions are the Face Unlock feature that arrives on the Galaxy S. It’s actually more secure as it requires you to blink before recognizing your face, so you definitely can’t fool it. Also, you can now capture a still image while recording video, change the font size of the whole phone user interface, you’ve got a new photo editing application and can create folders right on the homescreen. Hit the link below to download the guide, it’s formatted as a presentation.

View orginal artical here-  SAMSUNG

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Nokia shares slump 14% following profit warning

Finnish firm predicts €126m first half loss, blaming software problems and stiff smartphone competition in India and China

The Nokia Lumia 900 is the Finnish firm's latest attempt to make inroads into the US smartphone market. Photograph: Rick Fowler/Reuters

Shares in Nokia plunged by 14% on Wednesday after it warned it expects to lose money for the first six months of this year, blaming strong competition for smartphone sales, "particularly in India, the Middle East, Africa and China", among other factors.

The once dominant Finnish mobile phone maker said in a statement that its mobile revenues will be about €4.2bn, a 40% year-on-year fall, which would translate to a loss of €126m (£104m). It would be the sixth quarter in a row in which Nokia's mobile operating profit has declined. The company expects no improvement in the second quarter. Full first-quarter results will be announced on 19 April.

Nokia's chief executive, Stephen Elop, said in February 2011 that its ageing Symbian smartphone software was a "burning platform" and that the firm needed to join the "war of ecosystems" being waged by Apple and Google with their own smartphone software, instead of a "battle of handsets". To do that, Nokia needed to adopt Microsoft's software. But so far there has been little sign of consumers or businesses moving with it.

Sales of Nokia's new top-end Lumia smartphones, which run the newer Windows Phone software, have been sluggish. More than 2m were sold in the first quarter, to add to around 1m in the previous three months. But the Lumia's average selling prices (ASPs) to mobile networks was €220 (£189). Across its entire smartphone range, the ASP was €140.

By contrast, Apple's iPhone average was $650, which has allowed the US firm to capture a substantial share of the profits in the handset market.

Nokia once dominated the smartphone market, defining it in the early part of the century. But the rise first of Apple and more recently of cheap handsets running Google's free Android software has devastated the Finnish firm's profits and sales, cutting its share of the smartphone market from about 40% a few years ago to less than 10% in the first quarter of this year.

Nokia's latest profit warning comes as the smartphone market is becoming increasingly polarised, even as it grows in importance.

Apple and the South Korean firm Samsung dominate the top end. The two accounted for almost half of the 149m worldwide smartphone sales in the last quarter of 2011. At the low end, Chinese handset makers such as ZTE and Huawei, using Android software, threaten to undercut many established brands, including HTC, Motorola, BlackBerry maker Research In Motion and Nokia.

The warning also comes after Nokia last week renewed its assault on the US smartphone market – where half of users have yet to shift from older so-called "feature" phones – with the Lumia 900 handset. But even that was hobbled after Nokia admitted that a software bug means its new smartphone drops data connections to the AT&T network on which it is being sold exclusively.

Nokia is offering a $100 credit to anyone who has bought one of the phones and expects to have a software update to fix the problem next week. "It's like they stalled their engine when everybody is looking at them at the start of the race," said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Gartner.

Elop, who ditched Nokia's own Symbian smartphone platform after being hired from Microsoft in 2010, described the results outlook as "disappointing" . He added: "We are increasing the clock speed of the company."

Pete Cunningham, an analyst at Canalys, said: "The main problem is that appetite for Symbian handsets has evaporated, and it can't ramp up Windows Phone volumes quick enough."

Milanesi said: "Nokia is feeling pressure in the mobile phones market as cheap Android products are hitting the streets in markets such as India and China."

Ben Wood, of CCS Insight, said: "Nokia's challenges have been exacerbated by rampant competition – notably Apple and Samsung, who are extracting a disproportionate amount of margin from the industry at present."

Though the world's biggest volume maker of handsets, Nokia lost the top spot in the smartphone market to Apple and others last year, owing in part to its weak performance in the US where its smartphone market share fell to less than a 1%.

Nokia's shares had dropped more than 50% since it announced the move to Microsoft in February 2011. By the end of Wednesday, Nokia was valued at €16.2bn.

View orginal artical here-Nokia

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Pizza app

BRITONS love their takeaways. A £4.8 billion ($7.6 billion) industry has sprung up around the dietary needs of late night revellers and working families looking for a treat at the end of the week. But the recession has tightened belts both literally and figuratively: high calorie, high fat meals that give a taste of India, China and other nations are in decline. The industry has contracted on average 2.9% annually in the past five years, according to IBISWorld, a market research firm. Their message is clear: you can’t afford a korma if you aren’t earning a wage.

There is, however, more than a glimmer of hope for purveyors of fast food: the internet and mobile phone apps are changing the industry. Takeaway food profits from laziness: whether it is the lack of enthusiasm to stand in front of a stove and conjure up a meal, or being too languorous to drive to a supermarket and pick up ingredients. Home delivery is a major inducement when ordering from the local chip shop. Faceless transactions made through the internet or mobile phones make the process even easier.

Domino’s Pizza (which sells 12% of fast and takeaway food in Britain) has been quick to exploit this opportunity. In 2011, according to the firm’s preliminary results, 44% of sales in Britain, totalling £183m, were made online. This was up 43% from 2010. More recent figures show online orders making even further inroads. They accounted for 51% of delivered sales in the first three months of this year. And although only 16.4% of that were taken through an app, mobile orders are growing fast. In the first quarter they exceeded £1m in a single week for the first time.

Yet Domino’s is not the only firm profiting from this new avenue. Competitors Pizza Hut and Papa John’s also boast online ordering through their websites, and one-click apps that make buying pizzas simple. Just Eat, an online aggregator of takeaway shops that processes orders for customers, was visited 20 million times in the five months to February 2012. David Buttress, managing director of the company’s operations in Britain and Ireland, says that increasingly “the British public is going online to get its food.” More than 10,000 restaurants—most locally-operated businesses—have already signed up with the site, which claims to boost revenue by up to 25% a year (that figure seems fanciful, but one shop in the north-east of England says that turnover has increased markedly since it joined). Just Eat also has an app and is now exporting its model to other countries, including Argentina and India.

A big reason for the success online is a happy coincidence: the demographic that spends the most on takeaway food are youngish geeks. Those aged between 30 and 49 years splash out £11.70 a week on takeaways—46% higher than the average household, according to the Office for National Statistics. They are technologically engaged, and au fait with buying items (including food) online or via smartphone applications.

But one does not need to be a techie to understand the advantages of getting food with a few clicks. Hung-over students can order a Chinese from the comfort of their bed via laptop, and never have to leave the house. Working parents can order pizzas on the commute home to feed their family using a smartphone app, quelling the fear of an empty freezer.

So thanks to technology, the decline of the takeaway industry may be short-lived. But even without the convenience of apps and online ordering, Britons are unlikely to ever really fall out of love with their takeaways—especially in this day and age. They are, believes IBISWorld analyst Steven Connell, a “source of comfort in depressing times.”

View orginal artical here-App

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Samsung Galaxy S III Specs

When will we see Samsung Galaxy S III in Action?

Hi Smartphone lovers! It is time to discuss Samsung Galaxy S III. It is about to be released and will be reviewed as soon as it arrives in some tech show like CES 2012 or IFA 2012.

It does not matter how many patent infringement suits Apple filed against Samsung Galaxy S II, Samsung never gave up on launching it worldwide. Apple may have won the suit but Samsung won the battle with the amazing success of Samsung Galaxy Series.

Therefore, it is necessary to discuss about the new flagship device of Samsung, also known as, Galaxy S III.

Contents at a Glance!

We will start like this:

•     Build
•     Processor
•     RAM
•     Graphics Chip
•     Android Operating System Version
•     Camera
•     Disk Space
•     Conclusion

Do you want Samsung Galaxy S III Bigger?!

Build Hardware Quality!

I will be posting several juicy rumours in this article, so please hang on to your hats till we see the first look of Samsung Galaxy S iii on planet Earth.

Build or Framework

You must know that Samsung Galaxy Note is the new flagship device of Samsung for at least the first quarter of 2012. Taking that into consideration and thinking like a professional, I would say that Samsung would want to go back to Galaxy S II’s build quality with mild changes and here they are:

    Rather than having squared corners, S III may have slightly rounded one to the edge to make it more elegant and sophisticated.

    The back cover of S III may have metallic touch or completely metallic body.

    Its variation may have back cover in fiber.

    The volume rocker seems pretty good but as I said an elegant look would be nice. According to me, they should be set apart and treated like individual buttons.

    Of course, this thought is inspired by the concept designs of iPhone 5.

    Now, as you probably recall that Galaxy series have always had a solid rectangular button to take you back to Home Screen. I still think that it is like a signature button of Galaxy series and I would very much like to keep it intact.

    You must have heard about the new HDMI charging port that can be used to charge the phone as well as transmit video and audio signals. So, I would like to see that in Samsung Galaxy S III.

Let us now move on to our next section, i.e. Processor in Galaxy s III.

ARM Cortex A15 Quad Core chip!

Processor

Galaxy Note has Dual-core 1.4GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor and it makes this 5.3-inch beast very quick and responsive.

However, I really hope that you are keeping yourself well informed about the latest ARM Cortex A15 Quad Core chip that has the tendency of going all the way up to 2.5 GHz without introducing any new technology.

It will become the heart of superphones which are yet to be introduced. My deepest desires are that it should power up Galaxy S III with a modest 1.2 GHz clock-speed but with 4 processors (quad-core), giving away 4.8 GHz of performance with a single chip.

Adjustable Performance!

RAM

There is no doubt about a 1.5 GB RAM in the latest flagship device of Samsung and also, I would not say much about this topic because frankly, mobile RAMs are still way farther than laptop and desktop RAM.

However, I will feel the sensation in my guts when I see an actual performance boost just because of designs of RAM and its implement.

To put it simply, companies should be able to increase performance of their respective devices based on RAM too.

Back to our good old 4.3 - inch Super AMOLED Plus!

Screen | Display | Size

What would you like to have this time? A screen bigger than Galaxy Note, huh?! Well, speaking from my heart, I don’t want that!

I want to go back to 4.3 – inch with Super AMOLED Plus display and a pixel density of 389 ppi. It is crisp, sharp and looks amazing on high-resolution.

It also looks elegant and sophisticated, which has been the point of this article all along. I don’t want Galaxy S III to look like a bag of technology. I want it to pack features but in way that it does not overwhelm us.

Now, a great thing would be including the most anticipated 3D-screen without glasses, which is very promising and a step towards integrating fourth dimension (which is time).

Graphics Chip

Galaxy Note has Mali-400MP GPU on Exynos chipset and it gave a score of 3624 in Quadrant benchmarking app which is the highest score ever achieved on an Android Smartphone.

After searching a while, I found that Galaxy S III might have Nvidia Tegra 2 graphics chip. It may or may not be true at the moment because people are still guessing the best configuration possible for a great device that belongs to future.

Android Operating System

We might be looking at the first Android Honeycomb device from Samsung in 2012, i.e. Android 3.2. Also, with such high specifications, our experience with Galaxy S III will be out of this world.

Camera

The only thing great about this Camera rumour is that Samsung Galaxy S III would feature an 8 mega pixels (or 12 mega pixels) camera with CMOS sensor. Since you already know what a CMOS sensor does, I don’t need to explain it further.

To simplify it however, our pictures and videos will look more natural than ever with a CMOS sensor. Latest cameras and video cameras are already using this technology and it is time one of the Smartphones got it.

Disk Space

Unfortunately, I could not find anything in this regard and I have to assume that S III could have 32 GB internal memory and expandable via micro-sd to 32 GB, so we are looking at 64 GB memory in total. It is kind of like having a small laptop by your side from 90’s!

Conclusion

In a nutshell, Samsung galaxy S III has the potential to become gadget of the year 2011 but developers will have to think fast and apply what is latest in the research field. I am not talking about projectors or expandable laser displays or any weird thing like that. They can keep it simple yet lucrative enough to lure us in.

View orginal artical here-Mobile phones

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Nokia announces the Nokia Ice, literally in frozen H2O

In an attempt to put all of the products in the market to shame, Nokia decided to release a super-cool phone, the Nokia IceThis is a technological breakthrough product that would definitely put other devices nowhere near the company’s devices. You would simply be astonished on the capability of the phone.

Charging is relatively easy because all you need to do is to put it into the freezer and let the endothermic chemical reaction do the charging. The internal hardware on the phone on the other hand uses a superhydrophobic coating which would repel any water that are available around it. This is quite the same as the technology used in Liquipel. Nokia claimed that all of these technologies aren’t easy but it has already existed and the company is doing its best to make use of it to its fullest potential.

As far as the design is concerned, you can pretty much sculpt the phone to whatever design you would like. The company had also talked to a few renowned ice sculptors on the possibility of what the design would be. If you have already read this long and want to know more about it, we would like to wish Happy April Fools’ Day to you too!

View orginal article here- Gadget

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LTE phone shipments to increase tenfold in 2012, analysts say

LTE-equipped smartphones will still represent a relatively small percentage of the total market

LTE phone shipments will grow tenfold to reach 67 million units in 2012, making it a breakout year for the 4G technology, Strategy Analytics said on Friday.

Operators such as Verizon Wireless, NTT Docomo, and SK Telecom in the United States, Japan, and South Korea will drive the growth, according to Strategy Analytics' Neil Shah.

[ Also on InfoWorld: LTE option poses data dilemma for iPad, smartphone users. | Get expert advice about planning and implementing your BYOD strategy with InfoWorld's 29-page "Mobile and BYOD Deep Dive" PDF special report. | Keep up on key mobile developments and insights with the Mobilize newsletter. ]

However, even though 67 million is a lot more than the 6.8 million units sold last year, LTE-equipped phones will still represent a relatively small percentage of the total market. About 650 million smartphones will be sold during 2012, Strategy Analytics expects, which means that about 10 percent will have LTE.

The vendors that will dominate are Samsung Electronics, HTC, LG Electronics, Nokia, Motorola Mobility, Pantech, Fujitsu, and Apple, which the market research company assumes will include LTE in the next iteration of the iPhone. However, it has not revealed its forecast for which vendor will come out on top.

LTE is still a nascent market, and there will undoubtedly be growing pains, including issues such as short battery life, excessive device weight and sudden bill shock caused by high data consumption, according to Strategy Analytics.

Also, many LTE phones and data plans will be relatively expensive, which means operators have to invest in generous subsidies to make 4G more affordable for subscribers, the market research company said.

While LTE is growing quickly in the United States, Japan, and South Korea, commercial networks are being introduced at a slower rate in Europe, according to Neil Mawston, analyst at Strategy Analytics.

"But the European mobile industry is finally getting its act together and realizing how important LTE is," said Mawston.

For example, earlier this month U.K. operator Everything Everywhere -- a joint venture owned by Deutsche Telekom and France Télécom -- received provisional approval from regulator Ofcom to reuse its 1800MHz spectrum for LTE services, which it plans to launch during the fourth quarter. However, competing operators are not very happy about it, and have complained to Ofcom on antitrust grounds.

The U.K. still hasn't auctioned off new 4G spectrum, but reusing existing spectrum bands could make LTE services available earlier than previously expected.

As operators in more European countries launch commercial networks, Europe will become a more interesting market for the phone makers, and more devices will become available, Bengt Olsson, head of communications at TeliaSonera, recently said.

View orginal artical here-Mobile Technology

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Grace Digital launches FireDock speaker dock for the Kindle Fire

We've seen our fair share of portable device docks here at Gizmag, from the acoustic to the power-hungry and everything in between. Most of those capable of charging the docked device as well as amplify its audio tend to have been designed for use with an iDevice, which is not much use to the 14 million U.S. Kindle Fire users. Rallying to the cause, Grace Digital has launched the FireDock - one of the first speaker docks crafted specifically for Amazon's Kindle Fire 7-inch tablet and featuring full-range stereo speakers, a Class D digital amp and an additional auxiliary input for an optional secondary audio source.

Although Amazon's Kindle Fire includes built-in stereo speakers, there will be occasions when the output could do with a significant boost to fully enjoy content provided by the likes of Netflix, Pandora Internet Radio or even Amazon's own audio books. Grace Digital's new FireDock speaker dock features a 16-watt Class D digital amplifier and 3-inch full-range, base-ported stereo speakers rated at 3W/8 ohms, with a frequency response of between 60Hz and 18KHz and signal-to-noise ratio of 89dB.

The cradle includes a USB port that allows the Kindle Fire to be charged while docked, whether Amazon's tablet is being used or not, and rotates for portrait or landscape viewing. Next door to this sits a strategically-positioned audio jack.
In addition to operating from AC power, Grace Digital is also making an optional 7.4 V /2200 mAh Lithium-ion battery pack available (at an extra cost) to play the device on the road. The FireDock battery pack won't charge the Kindle Fire's own battery but will give mobile playback for up to six hours.
The 13 x 4.3 x 3.75-inch (330.2 x 109.22 x 95.25 mm) Grace Audio FireDock comes supplied with a wireless remote and has been given a shipping date of July 2, 2012 at a suggested retail price of US$129.99.

View orginal article here-Grace Digital

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LG’s New Flexible E-ink Display Heads Into Mass Production

LG's new flexible display heading into mass production.

Some might think that a flexible display is something out of a Sci-Fi film, however, they’re actually real. Samsung has already shown off its OLED flexible display, and today, we’ve gotten word that LG has now put its flexible e-ink display into mass production. Are these leading the way for a larger flexible display to land on the next iPad? 

LG’s new flexible display in its current state isn’t ideal for an iPad. It measures in at 6-inches, which is the same size as Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes and Noble’s Nook. It’s silly to think Apple would put an e-ink display on any of its tablet, considering it’s no where comparable to the beautiful Retina-display that is included on the new iPad.

If companies like LG and Samsung can begin manufacturing flexible displays on the 7-inch or 10-inch level, with higher graphics, they’ll probably make it into the next iPad. But until they’re better than the Retina display, there may be some waiting.

What is interesting here is the fact that the technology has begun to roll out, and will soon be making its way into devices. I suspect flexible display technology to first be featured in 6-inch e-readers, and that’s most likely what the flexible LG display is being made for. How about the next Kindle?

Despite what you might think, a flexible display is actually cheaper than a glass display. The plastic is cheaper to manufacture and is actually half the price and 30% lighter than glass. Being plastic, it is also a bit more rugged than glass. Sounds perfect.

I think what we’re waiting for is a flexible OLED display to head into mass production. Check it out working on a concept handset:

What do you think of flexible displays?

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Apple to ship new iPhone in September: sources

(Reuters) - Apple's next-generation iPhone will have a faster processor and will begin shipping in September, three people with direct knowledge of the company's supply chain said.

The production of the new iPhone will start in July/August and the smartphone will look largely similar to the iPhone 4, one of the people said on Wednesday.

The iPhone -- introduced in 2007 with the touchscreen, on-demand application template now adopted by its rivals -- remains the gold standard in the booming smartphone market.

Reports on the timeline of the new iPhone launch vary, though it is largely expected that Apple will likely refresh its iPhone 4 later this year.

The sources declined to be identified because the plans for the new iPhone were not yet public. An Apple spokeswoman in Hong Kong was not available for comment.

The iPhone is one of Apple's most successful products, with more than 16 million sold in the last quarter of 2010 and the product accounted for more than a third of the company's sales in the quarter.

The current iPhone 4 was launched by Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs in June last year and began shipping the same month in 2010.

Apple sources many of its components from Taiwan-based suppliers, many of whom are expected to benefit from an uptick in sales as some of them rely on the U.S. company for about 20-40 percent of their business, said Vincent Chen, an analyst at Yuanta Securities.

"For some suppliers, Apple is their cash cow, or their bread and butter," Chen said.

"With all these versions being launched so frequently, it will be the so-called low-margin suppliers, such as those that assemble the phones, who will benefit the most."

Suppliers to the new iPhone include camera module maker Largan Precision Co Ltd, touchscreen panel maker Wintek Corp and case maker Foxconn Technology Co Ltd, two of the people said.

The companies would begin production either in July or August before shipping components to Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, flagship of Foxconn Technology Group, for assembly, they said.

Officials at Largan, Wintek and Foxconn declined to comment.

On Wednesday, Largan's Taipei-listed shares ended up 3.7 percent, Hon Hai rose 4.3 percent and Foxconn rose 6.6 percent, outpacing the benchmark TAIEX share index's 2 percent advance.

Apple, a big purchaser of touchscreen displays and flash memory, is also dependent on japan for some of its key components, sparking concern that the disruption due to the crisis there may hurt its gross margins.

Apple is expected to report another spectacular quarter on Wednesday, tempered by growing caution over how supply constraints will squeeze margins and restrain iPhone and iPad sales.

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The NEW iPhone 5 - Coming June of 2012 86

The iPhone 5 - Coming JUNE 2012 (4G)

The all new iPhone 5 is already buzzing with speculation. Will the new iPhone 5 be a complete redesign? Yes! The current Apple iPhone release wasn't much to rave about, although people do really like Siri, the personal assistant. However, the new iPhone 5 is going to have some amazing new hardware and features like 3D video and pictures, newly designed keyboards and 4G speeds to name a few! This is made possible by the new A6 processor which will also be featured in the iPad 3.

This phone is going to be loaded with awesome new features like video chat on 3g and 4g (no longer restricted to WiFi only), face recognition and extreme downloading with 4G. (List of possible features below). The new iPhone 5 features are speculated, but have been well received by the public and will typically follow suit based on previous releases and their features.

Like the recently release iPad 3, this new iPhone 5 will be equipped with a dual core A5X chip processors, much like the iPhone 4s (A5) and higher more powerful graphic chips that can deliver higher video resolutions (5-9 times better and 7 times faster) and amazing "still" images when taking pictures, AND it will make multi-tasking a lot faster, in addition to adding support for 4G speeds. There is a possibility it could contain the new A6 processor instead, boosting it above the iPad 3. It will also have a 4 inch screen (corner to corner) making it larger and on par with most android phones.

The processor will have speeds at 1.5 - 2.0 GHz and 1GB of RAM. Obviously the new iPhone 5 will have the new iOS6 software, iCloud and all the standard features of the iPhone 4S, including Siri, the personal assistant. These improvements alone will be healthy competition for the newly released Samsung Galaxy S II and the Google Nexus phone.

Apple recently filed several patent applications in order to bring 3D picture capturing to the iPhone 5. This phone will be capable of rendering, capturing and processing 3D images, which coincides with the recent changes to the dual-camera hardware. The new iPhone 5 will also be capable of taking pictures in Panorama!

The new iPhone 5 will boast 4G also known as LTE - Long Term Evolution technology according to AT&T which is due to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) which is in line with the most recent technology standards for mobile networks.

Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S, a faster version of its best-selling smartphone that includes a virtual "personal assistant" you can talk to. And now, Apple will release the new iPhone 5, which looks promising in terms of being sleek, packed with new hardware and finally less restrictions. Very exciting! We will update our information as soon as we learn more about the newest features of the new iPhone 5, as more information comes in daily. Again, this phone is going to be a complete redesign so there is still a lot to learn about this device. Check it out ....

A few features of the new iPhone 5:

4 inch screen (Glass with Aluminum back)

Thinner sleeker design

Built in GPS standard

Face Recognition Security

Face Time on 3G and 4G

Custom SMS tones

Custom E-mail alerts with ability to assign different tones to each email address

Shatter resistant Gorilla glass

8 MEGAPIXEL Camera rear and 5 in front

64G Basic and 120G memory

Extended battery life = 20 hours talk time on 3G and 10 hours on 4G. Standby 1000 hours.

Full 1080p HD Recording AND 3D Video Display !!!

Messaging indicator light

HTML5 (safari) or apps to make Flash Player capable through apps

SIM-Less Phone - The new iPhone 5 will be a World Phone. This is accomplished building 2 to 3 internal antennas which makes it capable of GSM and CDMA technology, so you can take the phone to any network!

Will you stay with AT&T, Verizon or Sprint or take it to a different carrier? What additional carriers do you want to see the iPhone 5 on? Any additional features you would like? (SEE WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING BELOW).

ATT Vs VERIZON

• AT&T vs Verizon Wireless (Before you buy an iPhone, READ THIS)
• What you should know before choosing ATT or Verizon.

New iPhone 5 

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