Half the games in Windows Marketplace’s top ten games chart can’t be downloaded onto the Nokia Lumia 610.

After a Spanish Windows Phone blog revealed that along with Skype, both Angry Birds and football classic PES 2012 could not be installed on to the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango handset, Pocket-lint began investigating further.

To our surprise, a further three titles from the top ten games chart; Pac-Man Kart Rally, Monopoly and Sid Meiers Pirates, could not be downloaded to our Nokia Lumia 610 device.

What’s more, expand the parameters to the top 20 and again we were unable to install Plants vs. Zombies, Assassin’s Creed and NFS: Hot Pursuit. This means a total of 8 games in the current top 20 are not compatible with the Nokia Lumia 610.?

Other high profile apps we’ve noticed that aren’t compatible with the Nokia Lumia 610 are The Sims 3 and Tango, the free video calling app.

However, before we start hitting Windows Phone, Nokia, or both, with a proverbial stick, this situation is surely temporary and will change as app developers make the odd tweak here and there before resubmitting their apps to the Marketplace.

At least we hope so. The BBC recently confirmed to Pocket-lint that there were no plans to bring a native BBC iPlayer app to the Windows Phone platform, despite Nokia saying one was on its way.

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Tags: Apps Phones Nokia Nokia Lumia 610 Windows Marketplace Windows Phone games

Nokia Lumia 610: Five out of top 10 games won't work originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 May 2012 17:25:00 +0100

The anticipation for the Samsung Galaxy S III has been unprecedented. Never before have we seen so much rumour and speculation heaped on one device, except, of course, for the Apple iPhone.

Rumours of changed launch dates and falling out of sync with the typical launch cycle of handsets have given Samsung a clean stage on which to launch. Competitor HTC has played its cards, setting up what is likely to be one of the fiercest handset rivalries we've seen.

The question of iPhone killers now becomes almost redundant. When you have phones of the calibre of the HTC One X and the Samsung Galaxy S III on offer, who even has time to worry about Apple?

So what exactly makes the Samsung Galaxy S III tick and why is it so good? We've been living with the phone to find out.

Design and build

There is an elegance about the Samsung Galaxy S III that puts previous Samsung devices in the shade. The SGS2 looks pedestrian by comparison, the boxy design now looking rather dated.

We'll shelve the "designed for humans" statement that Samsung has slapped on the new phone - is any phone not designed for humans? Pigs perhaps? - but we have to say we like the look. There is a simplicity to the design that catches the eye, the flat face sandwiched into the curved band running around the sides.

Curved corners help give you a handset that doesn't seem to have any sharp edges, which is important for a device this size: no matter how large your hands, you'll be reaching across the display with your thumb on a regular basis and the last thing you'd want is an uncomfortable edge.

The phone itself measures 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.8mm so although large is still impressively slim. The dimensions leave it close to the HTC One X to which comparisons will always be inevitable. But at 133g it's impressively light.

When it comes to build quality, the Samsung Galaxy S III feels impressive. It doesn’t warp or creak as you manipulate it and that's important, because many, we're sure, will question Samsung's choice of materials.

We're not talking about premium unibody design or a fusion of alloys and glass. The thing that people will notice the most is the plastic back cover. The bitter irony here is that the SGS3 back cover is the same polycarbonate material as the HTC One X body.

But it's very different in terms of philosophy. The physical material might be the same, but in the case of the Samsung phone, it's very thin and flexible, rather than being a substantial block as used by HTC and Nokia for the Lumia 800 and 900).

The end result, however, doesn't really matter. Yes, we'd say the HTC phone has better build quality and feels more substantial, but we can't really fault Samsung's approach, because it doesn't really matter in daily use and, more significantly, allows you access to the internals more readily.

One thing you will notice, of course, is that the white version quickly attracts fingerprints across the glossy back, so you'll be forever wiping it clean. The blue version suffers less so and Samsung tell us that more colours will be appearing in the future, if you're looking for something else.

Hardware

The Samsung Galaxy S III punches hard at the top of the Android specs tree. If you're looking for a checklist of hardware specs, it takes just about every point.

It comes with Samsung's own Exynos 4 quad core processor clocked at 1.4GHz, backed by 1GB RAM, so matches other flagship releases. Samsung's own hardware might not have the Nvidia or Qualcomm machines behind them, but in real terms phone performance feels slick, fast and assured.

There are various options for internal user memory (16, 32 and soon 64GB) as well as a slot for microSD expansion. The latter is likely to be hugely popular, as many phones have moved away from this.It means if you have a card full of content in your current device, you can simply move it over, or expand the memory by up to 64GB.

You also get Dropbox preinstalled, along with an agreement to add an extra 48GB of cloud storage space (for two years) to your account when you sign into your new device. You'll need to be online to access this content, but it's a useful resource.

All the normal connectivity is in place, including NFC, which Samsung has adapted with its S Beam feature, expanding what the native Android Beam will do. HSPA+ is on offer if your network supports it, along with 4G options where relevant.

There is also a range of indicator LEDs which can be customised (supporting coloured alert options from within apps) and backlighting on the touch controls beneath the display.

The duration of the backlighting on these touch controls can also be altered: the default second is too short, as it will mean the controls flash on and off at you constantly when scrolling through something like Twitter; six seconds seemed much better suited.

Display

A massive 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display sits on the front with an impressive 1280 x 720 pixel resolution. This gives it a pixel density of 305ppi. It's a lovely looking display, but the choice of AMOLED rather than advanced LCD technology means it could be better.

AMOLED is characterised by deep blacks and nice vibrant colours, but things look over saturated - a common feature we associated with the technology. This doesn't matter too much, but set against the HTC One X, the latter phone exhibits better colour authenticity, with brighter, cleaner whites.

We suspect this is behind some of Samsung's UI decisions, as black backgrounds and simple bold icons suit this display better than the more detailed icons found in HTC Sense 4.

The colour fidelity isn't our greatest concern however: that goes to brightness. Auto brightness is in place, but at the top end it's not bright enough for us. Head outside on a sunny day and it doesn't cope quite as well as we'd like. It's not critical, because you can still do most things, but it was one of the most obvious and immediate things we noticed when using the Samsung Galaxy S III and HTC One X together outdoors.

At least at the dimmest settings, the display doesn’t get as gravelly and mucky as the Galaxy Nexus.

To Samsung's credit, it has ensured that there is minimal wasted space between the actual surface of the display and the touch surface, so there is an obvious wow factor and impact when looking at it. This helps bring video and photos to life and both look excellent.

Controls

Placed around the body of the Samsung Galaxy S III you'll find all your typical controls, with a power/standby button on the right-hand side and the volume rocker on the left, as normal for the Samsung Galaxy S series. There is a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top and a Micro-USB on the bottom.

But in terms of the main device controls, Samsung has bucked convention and this is one of the biggest differentiators for the new superphone.

The retention of a physical home button doesn't concern us, but the use of a menu button in the bottom touch controls means it doesn't toe the Android 4 line. Google outlined what Android should do, how apps should behave and lead the way with the Galaxy Nexus, but Samsung has decided to take its own route.

That's fine in a world where you have the freedom to do that you want, but if this is to be the biggest-selling device of 2012, a lot of people will experience Android 4 and Android 4 apps that don't work exactly as Google had originally intended. But it could be a really astute move from Samsung.

Where some apps - Facebook for example - have a bottom banner in Android 4 that offers the in-app menu button, it's not needed on the SGS3. The result is that in some Android 4-compliant apps, Samsung is giving you back some of the space that the native OS would want to take away.

It also means that in the three-button arrangement there is no dedicated "recent apps" button. Recent apps is Ice Cream Sandwich's approach to multitasking and here it is accessed via a long press on the home button, which works well enough.

Despite initial concerns that Samsung's decision to do its own thing would somehow detract from the Android experience when it came to control, we can't say it does. Recent apps is visually the same as Ice Cream Sandwich, despite the different access method.

Software and user interface

The small departure from native Android 4 runs through the SGS3 as Samsung has layered its own UI over the top, instantly recognisable from TouchWiz versions of the past.

Those who have owned the Samsung Galaxy S II, and there are a lot of you, will find it familiar and the tweaks and visual modifications that Samsung has made help continue that feeling that this is a Samsung experience, rather than just another Android phone.

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In some respects, the user interface is inoffensive, but in other regards, it doesn't look or feel as mature as HTC's Sense UI. We feel this is split down the middle. We prefer Samsung's menus, but we prefer HTC's home pages and apps tray. We'd happily live with either, but we feel there is still space to tweak and improve on both fronts.

The Samsung Galaxy S III offers you a run of customisable home screens, with a permanent launcher across the bottom. This has the apps tray button on the far right and you can't move it from this position. We'd rather it was central to better reflect the layout of native Android, but it's a minor point.

You can customise this launcher by dragging icons in and out to get the selection you want; you can't drag multiple icons on to each other in the launcher to create a folder, but you can create a folder of shortcuts on main area of the home screen and drag that into the launcher.

You get a wide range of lock screen options, including the ability to define unlock shortcut apps, as well as motion controls to instantly launch the camera, if you choose. All the normal security options are present as well as access to the drag down notifications bar.

We really like how Samsung has fleshed out notifications, now giving a huge run of hardware control shortcuts which let you get to the sorts of things you persistently need: Wi-Fi, GPS, mute, screen rotation lock, power saving mode toggle, notifications toggle, mobile data toggle, Bluetooth, driving mode and sync.

These shortcuts mean you can change everything on the fly with a swipe and a tap. Music controls also fall in here, along with the full goodness of Android 4's swipe away notifications.

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We mentioned motion control in relation to the shortcut camera launcher and motion control is somewhere that Samsung has gone into overload. New features are piled in to motion or gesture control which seems to form the backbone of a lot of what the Korean company sees as "natural interaction".

You can have alerts when you pick up the phone, motion controls to let you move shortcuts around the home screens and so on, but we can't help feeling that these get in the way of what you're likely trying to do. Personal choice, definitely, but we found it faster to have direct touch control: after all, that's already very good, as is the notifications system in Android, so many of the added extras feel superfluous.

We also suspect that the constant desire to detect motion adds to the battery drain, so we switched the whole lot off.

The app selection out of the box isn't over to top. You get things like Dropbox and Flipboard, as well as Samsung's AllShare Play and various media hubs, which we will deal with later, but otherwise the phone is surprisingly free of clutter. Samsung has tweaked the browser, contacts and calendar as you'd expect with some great results.

The browser is fast, with precise zooming and slick dragging of pages. It comes with all the ICS bells and whistles, offering desktop browsing, Flash support and so on. Another feature of the browser is its own brightness level, as the SGS2 had, so you might find you arrive at the browser and immediately have to open up the settings in order to see the thing.

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Multiple tabs are supported and easily accessed, with up to eight available at any one time. Incognito mode is offered too if you want to do something sneaky.

The latest keyboard is Samsung's tweaked version. The response is very good although the size of the keyboard in portrait might make it a struggle for some with smaller hands. We found it would accept a high rate of text entry, although the predictive system isn't as good as something like Swiftkey X, which we'd rather use.

Alternative characters are mostly hidden away, so it takes a little time to flit around and find everything you want.

Stability is always something we like to consider when examining a new phone and the Samsung Galaxy S III has been very reliable.

But there is one area of concern we found, which looks like a minor bug, and that's on device wake up:?We regularly found that it wouldn't respond to our unlock requests, so we couldn't get into the device. This seemed always to happen when the notification icons showed there was some data event occurring at the same time. On one occasion the phone crashed on the lock screen, requiring a battery pull, but otherwise the performance was universally slick and fast, aside from the occasional app crash.

S Voice: Talk that talk?

Samsung has moved to term everything with an "S". There's S Planner instead of calendar and S Suggest is the apps suggestion tool, which seems a little cumbersome, but fits with the naming for S Voice, Samsung's voice assistant.

It mirrors much of the functionality that Siri brought to the iPhone 4S and we suspect it will be used in much the same way: ignored by some, ridiculed by others and marginally useful elsewhere. S Voice is launched with a double press of the home button.

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S Voice will return some useful information, but will need a data connection to do so. Accessing things like the calendar, sorry S Planner, is useful as it will read the appointments back to you. We also managed to dictate SMS messages without too many issues, but navigating contacts with multiple numbers does seem to confuse it.

But S Voice won't always recognise what you are saying, especially with background noise. Trying to find a restaurant had us composing a message to "Alice". With time and patience it will do what you want it to, including launching apps, but like all voice control devices you'll have to work on your diction and stock phrases.

By contrast, we found that Google's own voice searching returned some faster and more accurate results than S Voice, especially when it came to local searching, so that's always worth remembering.

Media and entertainment

Samsung has chosen to group media into hubs, so you have a music hub (which doesn't work yet) and a video hub, as well as standalone players for each. The hubs are geared towards selling you content (at least Video Hub is) and in this world of Netflix and Google's own service, it might find itself redundant.

But the music and video players themselves are pretty good. We like the thumbnails of the videos and the fact that you can easily access media servers, although we found it struggled to access our home media server.? No matter, we turned to our perennial friend Skifta and had no problem finding and playing our video files.

Video playback looks fantastic and Samsung has introduced a clever new feature called Pop Up Play. This lets you play the video in a window so you can do something else - like read Twitter for example.

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On the music front you get easy access to change the equaliser settings to tailor the sound to your preference. The external speaker is reasonable, but sounds better facing up – remember that if the screen is awake and you flip the phone screen down as it will silence the music. Instead hit the standby button before you flip it. Plug in some decent headphones though and the SGS3 sounds fantastic.

There are wider options too: the Galaxy S III offers to share your content with connected devices, or with other Samsung users by using AllShare Cast and AllShare Play.

Cameras: Say cheese

There is an 8-megapixel camera on the rear of the SGS3 and a 1.9-megapixel unit on the front. You can easily swap between the two from within the camera app, if you want to take pictures of yourself.

But most of the action will come from using the rear camera, which includes a high degree of customisation to the camera interface. Samsung hasn't gone as far as HTC, and we think the minimalist HTC Sense camera interface is better, with less clutter on the display.

But there are heaps of options available, with fast autofocus and touch focusing, HDR (high dynamic range), panorama and other settings like Buddy Photo Share, which will detect faces and give you the option to share the pictures with the person included.

The results are decent too, with great natural colours. Focusing is well controlled and easy enough to tap on to a subject if standard autofocus isn't playing ball, so images stay sharp in good light. Image noise is apparent in low light, as is overall softening of shots, but that's to be expected. In summary, this is a camera that's better than average and we don't have much to complain about, particularly from a phone.

On the video front you get Full HD capture. Continuous autofocus and touch focus are again offered and the results are again decent, with plenty of detail. Focusing is much faster than the SGS2, so you'll get better video results from the new device than you did from the old one when filming moving subjects.

As an aside, we found some strange audio artefacts in video playback on a Mac, which weren't exhibited when the video was played on the device or after upload to YouTube - if you do experience this, don't panic, it might just be your computer.

Battery performance

The battery in a phone like the Samsung Galaxy S III is always going to be a hotly contested issue. Under that back cover you have a 2100mAh cell. That's a reasonable capacity, but obviously there is a huge display and lots of hardware drawing from it.

At first we were concerned that this would be a big stumbling point for the SGSIII and our early charges certainly seemed to reflect this. This isn't helped by our perception that the top 10 per cent of the charge seems to fall out of the phone within the first hour.

However, we managed to get the phone to see us through a full day of use without too much of a problem. On a busy business day out it survived with a short top up mid afternoon, seeing us through from 7am to 2am. It was a long day and we used it a lot.

However, an average weekend day saw the Galaxy S III through a Saturday and battery warnings only started just after 10pm. So battery is always going to depend on weight and type of usage to some degree.?

One of the key points here is the power-saving mode, which does seem to make a difference. This throttles the processor so you're not wasting power unnecessarily, as well as engaging a range of other features to make the device more efficient.

One is the dim power-saving view on the browser, which we're not huge fans of, but otherwise power saving doesn't detract from typical daily use. You might not want it on when playing a movie or when gaming, but for checking email and Twitter you won't lose out.

As mentioned, we also turned off a lot of the motion controls and things like Smart Stay, the latter which is supposed to detect eye movement to keep the screen on when you are reading - but we found it ineffective in our testing. Must be those crazy Pocket-Lint eyes.?

Unfortunately, Samsung's battery info doesn't seem to want to detail those apps that are drawing power significantly, which most other devices do.

So far from being a point of concern, we found the battery life to be almost reassuring. Yes, on a busy day it won't last, and yes, the screen takes a huge amount out of it but the best is yet to come: you can always carry a spare and you can't do that with the HTC One X. Or the iPhone. Or the Sony Xperia S. Or...

Verdict:

There is a lot to love about the Samsung Galaxy S III. As a premium flagship smartphone it has plenty going for it. The huge display, the power, the smooth and fast operation are all to its credit. Add to this the ability to change battery and expand storage and you've a very good package indeed.

Of course there are always areas that we might want an improvement: the display could be brighter for example, which is our biggest real gripe. We found some bugs with screen unlock and the Smart Stay feature designed to keep the screen on when reading never really worked for us.

In some areas, Samsung's user interface looks a little cartoony, but at the same time, when set it against the biggest rival, the HTC One X, there are things on both sides we'd change. Some of these are easy, because the Android app space is now matured and third party options for things like media servers or keyboards are easy to come by.

The Samsung Galaxy S III will undoubtedly do well and it deserves to: it's a fantastic phone. Android users should be smug: you have choices and whichever way your personal preference leads you, you'll get an excellent handset at the end of it.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Samsung Samsung Galaxy S III Android

Samsung Galaxy S III originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 May 2012 14:28:00 +0100

LG has raised the smartphone display stakes by unveiling a 5-inch full-HD LCD panel that makes the iPhone 4S and the new Samsung Galaxy S3 look fuzzy by comparison.?

The new technology - which?has a 440ppi, if you are wondering - means LG’s display has more pixels per inch than both the iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy S III on a screen bigger than both.?

The LCD panel uses Advanced High Performance In-Plane Switching (AH-IPS) technology with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. This equates to the kind of full-HDTV experience you get on a television, only on a 5-inch display smartphone.?

The likes of Samsung and Apple, which have enjoyed rave reviews for their HD Super AMOLED (Samsung Galaxy S III) and Retina Displays (iPhone 4S), will be paying particular attention to LG’s announcement.

The quality of a phone’s screen has become even more important as we consume more multimedia content through our devices and manufacturers are all slowly opting for bigger screens as a result. With LG leapfrogging them in terms of quality of displays, both Samsung and Apple are sure to be working on improving their own offerings.

For the time being it would appear LG is top dog when it comes to smartphone display bragging rights, even though the tech has yet to make it into one of the company's phones.

LG's 5-inch full-HD LCD display is scheduled to arrive in the second half of 2012.

Tags: Phones LG Displays Retina display Super AMOLED HD LCD

LG full HD LCD display promises bigger and crisper phone screens originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 May 2012 10:34:00 +0100

Facebook has hired a number of former Apple employees to work on a new Facebook phone codenamed “Buffy”.

The New York Times says “more than half a dozen former Apple software and hardware engineers who worked on the iPhone, and one who worked on the iPad”, have been hired by Mark Zuckerberg to work on the project.?

According to one Facebook employee, Zuckerberg is concerned that by not producing a Facebook smartphone the social network will “simply become an app on other mobile platforms”. The company was previously said to be working closely with HTC over project "Buffy"?and though that collaboration may still happen, it now appears Facebook could also be looking at producing hardware itself.

Would a Facebook phone really be anything new? Both INQ and HTC have issued their own “Facebook” phones in the past in the shape of the INQ1 and HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa respectively.

What's more, with Facebook coming preinstalled as an app on nearly every smartphone it’s unclear as to what new attributes an actual Facebook phone would bring to the mix.

Perhaps a new Facebook phone ties in with the news that the company is looking to buy Opera Software, which could in turn create a new mobile platform exclusive to the handset.

Whatever the speculation as to what a Facebook phone may or may not mean, Zuckerberg is said to be aiming to bring project “Buffy” to fruition by 2013.

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Tags: Phones Facebook Mark Zuckerberg Social networks Opera

Facebook working on its own smartphone - out next year claims NY Times originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 May 2012 09:44:00 +0100

Nokia has confirmed to Pocket-lint that it will be selling a limited-edition Nokia Lumia 900?at Phones4U in the UK very shortly.

The new phone, like the extremely limited-edition Batman Nokia Lumia 800, will come in black and have the Batman logo laser etched into the polycarbonate body of the Window Phone 7 handset.?

Nokia hasn't said how limited the new phone will be, but after a candid chat with the phone manufacturer on Friday afternoon, we get the impression that there won't be many ?- so if you are interested, you need to be quick.

Read our Nokia Lumia 900 review

The new phone will go on sale in the UK, Germany, France and a few other European destinations in the coming weeks.

Although not confirmed for the Lumia 900 version, the Batman Lumia 800 smartphone came?in a custom box, with the glossy Batman logo sitting on the matte background. We suspect the Batman Lumia 900 will get the same treatment.?Sadly we don't yet know pricing details.

We will keep you posted.

Tags: Phones Nokia Nokia Lumia 900 Nokia Lumia 800 Batman

Batman Nokia Lumia 900: Limited edition phone heading to UK originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 23:36:00 +0100

Google has announced the launch of the latest version of Android: Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, in Hong Kong on Wednesday - and with it the shiny new Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

That’s all very well and good, but when is it coming to your Android smartphone? Will the smartphone in your hands be getting an upgrade to enjoy some of the new features such as Face Unlock and the new Roboto font?

Google on Ice Cream Sandwich

Hugo Barra, product management director of Android, has said that the aim is to get Nexus S running Android 4.0 shortly after the release of the Galaxy Nexus device but that the original Google-branded Nexus One is just too old to come to the party.

Samsung?on Ice Cream Sandwich

Samsung Italy has confirmed that the update is coming - but possibly not until Q2 2012. Ice Cream Sandwich will hit its high-end devices including the Galaxy S II, the Galaxy Note, the Galaxy Tab 10.1, the Galaxy Tab 8.9, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 and the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus at about the same time.

Samsung Norway has recently confirmed that the update for the Samsung Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note will be arriving by the end of Q1, so we make that March.

UPDATE: The Samsung Galaxy S won't be getting the Ice Cream Sandwich update

UPDATE 2: The Nexus S did get the Android 4.0 update, however shortly afterwards Google halted the rollout of the Android 4.0 update for the Nexus S as users started to report problems with the mobile phone's battery.

UPDATE 3:?Samsung Israel has revealed that Ice Cream Sandwich updates will begin next week on 15 March. Speaking via its Facebook page, it said:?"We promised that we are working about that. You have waited patiently. And it's coming in March 15: Android version 4, ICS, for tens of thousands of the Galaxy S2 owners that purchased it from the cellular company in Israel or directly from us. We are very excited in here towards the launch, hope that you too :)"

UPDATE 4: Samsung issued the following statement on its official blog: ?"The upgrade will begin in European countries including Poland, Hungary, Sweden, as well as Korea today and gradually roll out to other markets. Android 4.0 ICS software upgrade for Galaxy Note, Galaxy SII LTE, Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1 will follow soon."

UPDATE 5: In a specific statement to Pocket-lint Samsung has said:?“Samsung UK can confirm that the roll out of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) on Galaxy S II will be available from week commencing 19 March. However, the availability of software upgrades in the UK will be dependent upon each network’s own software approvals process.”

UPDATE 6:?The ICS update for the Samsung Galaxy S II has now started in the UK. Three customers should have it on their phone by now, Orange has issued the following statement:

"We know you're all looking forward to the ICS update. We can confirm that it is being worked on for the Galaxy SII but we don't have a release date at the moment.?We will tweet when we have more information or when we get information on other handset updates.?^Andy"

UPDATE 7: We've created a separate story detailing?the?Samsung Galaxy S II Ice Cream Sandwich Update.

UPDATE 8:?Reports came out on from the US and Germany on 10 May that Samsung Galaxy Notes were being updated to Android 4.0, but there's still no sign of Ice Cream Sandwich for the massive device in the UK.

HTC on Ice Cream Sandwich

The official line from HTC to Pocket-lint is:?"We are excited about the latest update for Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, and are currently reviewing its features and functionality to determine our upgrade plans. Our goal for Android updates is to give every customer an improved user experience, which means balancing each phone's unique hardware, HTC Sense experience and the Android kernel.

"While our goal is to upgrade as many of our recent devices as possible, we are committed to maintaining every phone's performance and usability first. Please stay tuned for more updates on specific device upgrade plans."

UPDATE: HTC has confirmed the following:?"HTC has been working hard to get its?Ice Cream Sandwich?upgrades ready, and we’re excited to announce that?our first round of ICS upgrades will roll out by the end of March for the HTC Sensation and?HTC Sensation XE, followed soon thereafter by the HTC Sensation XL."?

There is also hope for HTC EVO 3D,?HTC Incredible S,?HTC Desire S and HTC Desire HD owners, with the company confirming that although they won't be getting the ICS update in March, they will be getting the update at some point in 2012.

"In addition, we can confirm Ice Cream?Sandwich upgrades will be coming later this year to the?HTC EVO 3D,?HTC Incredible S,?HTC Desire S and HTC Desire HD. Stay tuned for more updates on Ice?Cream Sandwich releases in the coming weeks," adds HTC.

UPDATE 2: HTC has started its European trial of the?HTC Sensation XE Ice Cream Sandwich?update to a limited number of users before a wider rollout becomes available. Read our?HTC Sensation XE Ice Cream Sandwich pictures and hands-on.

UPDATE 3: The roll-out to Sensation and Sensation XE handsets has now begun, with many owners getting the upgrade over the next two weeks (from 14 March). HTC has also revealed that another UK handset to get the upgrade will be the HTC Ryhme.

UPDATE 4: We are getting early reports that the HTC Sensation XE update has hit the UK.

UPDATE 5: A time scale for the HTC smartphones that are still to be updated has now been revealed. It reveals that the HTC Desire S will get it between June and July; HTC Desire HD, July to August; HTC EVO 3D, June - July; HTC Incredible S, June - July; and the HTC Sensation XL, before the end of June.

The company has also admitted that all devices with a 512MB ROM will not be getting the update at all, including?the "HTC ChaCha, HTC Salsa, HTC Wildfire S, HTC Explorer, and others". HTC tablets will also remain on their current Android version (Honeycomb).

Sony Ericsson / Sony on Ice Cream Sandwich

The official line from Sony Ericsson to Pocket-lint is:?"Sony Ericsson is currently rolling out the upgrade to Gingerbread 2.3.4 across its entire 2011 Xperia smartphone portfolio. This software upgrade will be available through a phased roll out in select markets. Beyond Gingerbread 2.3.4, we plan to upgrade our 2011 Xperia smartphone portfolio to the next Android platform made available to us.

"Official Sony Ericsson communication regarding software upgrades will be published on http://blogs.sonyericsson.com."

UPDATE: Sony Ericsson has confirmed on 15 November 2011 that it will be bringing Ice Cream Sandwich to it's 2011 range.?

"There have been a few questions here on the blog and in our support forums regarding our upgrade plans beyond Gingerbread. We can today confirm that we plan to upgrade the entire 2011 Xperia portfolio to the next version of Android known as Android 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich," it said.

"We are working on merging our current Xperia experience with the new features in Android 4.0. More detailed information regarding this upgrade, timing and global availability will be communicated in due course here on the blog."

The 2011 Xperia Portfolio is the Xperia arc and arc S, Xperia PLAY, Xperia neo and neo V, Xperia mini and mini pro, Xperia pro, Xperia active, Xperia ray as well as Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman.

UPDATE 2: Pocket-lint has heard that the Sony Ericsson / Sony range will be getting the update in Q2. So that's basically between April and June (inclusive).

UPDATE 3: Sony has detailed the updates a little more, but still not nailed a date, other than to confirm that the roll-out for the Xperia Arc S, Neo V and Ray will be first in line, starting in mid-April.

Following this, the Xperia Arc, Xperia Play, Xperia Neo, Xperia Mini, Xperia Mini Pro, Xperia Pro, Xperia Active and Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman will get their update around the end of May/beginning of June.

There is still no word on the update to Sony's newest phone, the Xperia S.

Sony has added that the updates will be via cable only, i.e., you'll have to plug your phone into your computer, rather than it being an OTA update.

UPDATE 4: Sony Ericsson has issued the following on its blog on the 13 April:

"Starting from today (13th April), we’re beginning the?Sony software upgrade?including the uplift to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for our 2011 Xperia smartphones.

"The software will initially be made available for Xperia arc S, Xperia neo V?and Xperia ray for consumers in Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland and Norway.

"Following on, Xperia arc, Xperia PLAY, Xperia neo, Xperia mini, Xperia mini pro, Xperia pro, Xperia active and Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman will receive their scoop starting from the end of May/early June."

No word on a UK or US release date for the update.

UPDATE 5: Although Sony officially said that its Xperia S handset should start getting Ice Cream Sandwich updates from late May, early June, it has been attributed to an over zealous employee. Unfortunately, its update won't be arriving until the latter part of Q2 - end of June at the earliest.

UPDATE 5: Sony Ericsson announced through its blog on 25 May that the?Xperia arc, Xperia neo, Xperia mini, Xperia mini pro, Xperia pro, Xperia active and Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman would all be receiving an update to Ice Cream Sandwich from the first week of June.

However, the Sony Xperia PLAY will not receive an update as Sony has "concluded that a consistent and stable experience, particularly with gaming, cannot be guaranteed for this smartphone on Ice Cream Sandwich."

Asus on Ice Cream Sandwich

"Asus Eee Pad Transformer will be getting update to ICS - but we can’t provide a schedule at this stage," Asus told Pocket-lint, making it the first Ice Cream Sandwich tablet. Asus has subsequently confirmed that Ice Cream Sandwich will be rolled out to the Eee Pad Transformer following the update to the Eee Pad Transformer Prime on 12 January 2012.

UPDATE: The Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for the Asus Transformer is now out. On Asus's Facebook page the company says: "Many of our Eee Pad Transformer TF101 users have waited patiently for the promised Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update and we are delighted to announce that the first wave of FOTA updates for TF101 firmware v.9.2.1.11 started today in Taiwan. The update will FOTA in other regions soon after."

LG on Ice Cream Sandwich

The official statement to Pocket-lint from LG is:?"LG is committed to offering the best smartphone experience on our Android?Optimus phones. We are currently reviewing the latest Android OS release?and will be making a decision with our carrier partners on a rollout?schedule. Specific phone models and timing of updates will be posted on?relevant local websites or at www.lg.com."

Although Unofficial reports came in that LG would not be updating the LG Optimus 2X to Ice Cream Sandwich the company was keen to debunk these on Facebook, stating:?"LG firmly denies the rumours that claim LG will not be providing the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) OS update for the LG Optimus 2X. These rumours are NOT true.

"LG is currently in the process of planning the ICS OS update for the LG Optimus 2X as well as other LG high-end smartphones. Detailed information on the ICS OS update schedule for specific models will be announced, once the ICS OS is publicly released by Google. Please stay tuned for more updates from LG."

UPDATE:?According to LG's Facebook page, LG will begin rolling out the ICS Android 4.0 update between April and September 2012.

"LG will be offering the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) OS upgrade for a range of LG smartphones which were introduced this year," LG said via Facebook. "The global upgrade schedule will begin in the second and third quarters of 2012, which will be followed by a global roll out.

"During the second quarter of 2012 upgrades will begin for the following smartphone models: the LG Optimus LTE, Prada phone by LG 3.0, the LG Optimus 2X, the LG Optimus Sol, the LG my Touch Q and the LG Eclipse.

However owners of phones such as the Optimus Black and the Optimus 3D will have to wait until some time after July for the ICS update:

"These upgrades will be followed by upgrades for the following smartphone models during the third quarter of 2012: the LG Optimus 3D, the LG Optimus Black, the LG Optimus Big, the LG Optimus Q2 and the LG Optimus EX," the company said.

Motorola on Ice Cream Sandwich

Having introduced the new Android superphone to assembled European journalists, Alain Mutricy, senior vice-president portfolio and product management, candidly referred to Google's Hong Kong announcement in which Ice Cream Sandwich?was launched.?

Mutricy highlighted that although the Motorola RAZR had been designed for, and will be launching on, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the company has a plan in place to update the phone to Ice Cream Sandwich at the "start of 2012".

UPDATE: The company has now confirmed that the?Motorola RAZR and Xoom?among the Droid Bionic and US version of the RAZR will be getting the Ice Cream Sandwich update.?

UPDATE 2: Motorola has now said for UK readers, the first Motorola devices to get Ice Cream Sandwich will be the Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi-only, the Xoom Family Edition and the Motorola RAZR. Rollouts will begin sometime between March and May.

Then the wait begins.

For Motorola Xoom 2 customers, you'll have to wait until the summer to get your update. Motorola is saying the update is in development and that it is working to get it out for some time in Q3. That's June to August, for those who care.

After that it's anyone's guess of when or if you'll get the update. Devices in that pile for UK readers include the Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi and 3G model, The Motorola Atrix and even the newly announced MotoLuxe and Motorola Pro+.

Motorola has also confirmed that if you own a Defy Mini, a Defy+, Milestone 2, Milestone, Defy MB525, Charm, Flipout, Milestone XT720, Backflip or Dext you won't be getting any updates. The version of Android you currently have is the version you are stuck with.

Viewsonic on Ice Cream Sandwich

The official line from from Derek Wright, ViewSonic European marketing manage,r to Pocket-lint is: "Within ViewSonic we are committed to delivering a great out of box experience with our tablet and phone products.

"The V350, 7e, 10e are our latest products to be announced as value propositions, all featuring Viewscene 3D the visual aspect of Android does not alter so much for the different versions of Android. We are currently evaluating ICS features that overlap with Viewscene 3D and how we best continue to deliver this to consumers as soon as we can without compromising the experience to consumers,"

ZTE, Acer, Dell, Huawei, and the rest?on Ice Cream Sandwich

So far none of the companies has confirmed whether or not they will be bring Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) to their smartphones currently available on the market.

Tags: Phones Tablets Google Ice Cream Sandwich Motorola LG Samsung HTC Sony Ericsson ZTE Huawei Inq Dell Acer Viewsonic Features Sony

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich: When is it coming to my phone? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 18:32:54 +0100

A couple of days of sunshine and we think we are all set for the summer, but if you plan to spend most of your time outside rather than inside what is the best phone for you to be able to see the screen in the sun?

We grabbed a handful of phones in the Pocket-lint office and headed outside to see which is the best.?

The Test

We set the phone's brightness setting to maximum, turned off auto brightness mode and headed out to find sunshine. The photos where taken in London around 1pm when the sun is at its highest and away from any shade. Our chief phone holder and our photographer stayed still while phones were switched in and out for the photograph (yes, it really did take the manpower of five of the team to do this). For all phones we chose the home screen. ?

The phones

There is nothing too scientific about the phones we chose. In the test we tried the iPhone 4S, the?Samsung Galaxy S II, the Samsung Galaxy S3, the Nokia Lumia 900, the HTC One X, and the Sony Xperia S. The lead picture, taken inside but with natural light, is arranged in level of brightness of the screen from left to right. We've also included this photo in black and white better to show the screen brightness without the clutter of the colour on the screen or the warm or cold tints the manufacturers use.?

The iPhone 4S?

Inside and the iPhone 4S?screen viewing the Pocket-lint homepage appears to be the brightest. It is also the whitest, with a very blue tinge to the white of the site compared to the warmer glow of the HTC One X. Outside and you can still see what is going on, perhaps helped by the colour icons on the home screen.?

The Samsung Galaxy S II

Not so bright. That's the verdict on the Samsung Galaxy S2. Even in our use inside the phones screen isn't that bright, and as anyone who uses a SGSII or knows someone who does, when it gets sunny, don't ask them anything that involves them using their phone.?

The Samsung Galaxy S III

It might have the biggest screen in our test, but that just seems to mean more to reflect. Like the Samsung Galaxy S II the S3 screen doesn't fare very well at all in the sunshine. And this is on full brightness, remember. Inside and compared to the others it's not much better. Find a dark room, however, and it's a very different story with the SGS3 screen looking great.?

The Nokia Lumia 900

The strong colours of the Windows Phone 7 operating system on the?Nokia Lumia 900?mean that it is great for use outdoors in the sun - who would have thought the geeks and Microsoft liked the beach? The simply Metro design really is clear to see and you would have no trouble using the phone by the pool.?

The HTC One X

The HTC One X?and its large LCD display does't fare too badly in the sun with the strong design of Sense coming through under bright light. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy S3, you clearly pick out the icons and the features of the phone.

The Sony Xperia S?

We have a soft spot for the Sony Xperia S?at Pocket-lint and in yet another test with the phone we can see why. The screen really is good, and really copes well under the sun's harmful rays. We had no problems using the phone at all in direct sunlight.?

Conclusions

The screen on both the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the Samsung Galaxy S3 came out bottom of our mini test, suggesting that while both are very good phones if you are planning on using them out and about this summer you might want to be prepared to cup your hand over the screen as a shade.?

Surprisingly the best experience was to be had with the Nokia Lumia 900 on account of the simple to see interface.

Tags: Phones Features Apple Samsung HTC Nokia Sony Sony Xperia S Samsung Galaxy S II Samsung Galaxy S III iPhone iPhone 4S Nokia Lumia 900 HTC One X

Which smartphone is best for the sun? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 16:56:00 +0100

Samsung has introduced an innovative gesture for the Samsung Galaxy S III that will give you a screenshot with the swipe of your hand.

There is no need for multiple button presses or anything else, you simply swipe the side of your hand across the display and it will be captured and saved.

Screenshots are an in-built feature of Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich, but typically it requires a press of the power and volume buttons, often leading to, you guessed it, changing the volume or switching off your phone if your timing isn't perfect.?

However, Samsung hasn't done away with the button screenshot feature. But it has been changed to a simultaneous press of the home and power buttons, the same as the iPhone.

The setting for the palm swipe gesture can be found in the "motion" section of the settings menu. Here you'll also find settings for the other motion controls the phone offers, like tilt zooming, shake to update and flip to mute.?

So, if you have your eyes on a new Samsung Galaxy S III when it launches next week, you'll have not one but two options for capturing a shot of the glorious display to send to your jealous friends.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Samsung Samsung Galaxy S III

How do you take a screenshot on the Samsung Galaxy S III? Just swipe your palm across the screen (video) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 14:59:00 +0100

Facebook has launched another companion iPhone app today that focuses on picture-taking and sharing: Facebook Camera. It's free and downloadable now from iTunes.

However, while this has prompted many to believe that the new app is directly linked to the company's $1 billion acquisition of Instagram, announced in April, it is more likely that the new application was built as a direct rival to the hugely popular photo filter and sharing software.

For starters, the Instagram deal won't be completed until both companies receive approval by the Federal Trade Commission in the US and, as evidenced by the Google/Motorola buyout, that could take many months, if not a year. Until then, Instagram remains a separate entity.

Second, the average development time for a feature-rich application such as Facebook Camera would almost certainly suggest that the social network would have started the project before the Instagram acquisition was a reality.

That's not to say that Facebook Camera won't borrow key elements and technologies or merge with Instagram when the buyout is completed, just that, for now, the new application is a different thing entirely.

If anything, it's a bigger rival to social network Path, as Pocket-lint has illustrated elsewhere on the site.

Tags: Facebook Apps Phones Facebook Camera Instagram

Facebook Camera iPhone app is not part of $1 billion Instagram buyout originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 14:57:00 +0100

An image (albeit blurry) and specs of an LG phone have emerged with what’s clearly a slide-out Qwerty keyboard.

The phone is said to be the LG LS860, which is being referred to within LG’s inner circle as the “Cayenne”, and sports a 5-row Qwerty keyboard.?

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen an LG sliding Qwerty device, with it now concentrating on the more fashionable touchscreen models, though the design used to be a mainstay in the Korean manufacturer’s portfolio – remember the LG KS360??

The specs are few and far between, but what we can decipher is that it will run on Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich and will house a 4-inch WVGA touch display.

Powering proceedings is said to be a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and will offer 4G LTE support, so expect the phone to be US bound, if at all, before we see it this side of the pond.

Pocket-lint for one would like to see some more Qwerty keyboard devices, especially after HTC effectively said that they were distancing themselves from the form factor.

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Tags: Phones LG Qwerty Keyboards Ice Cream Sandwich

LG to resurrect the slide-out Qwerty with LS860 Cayenne handset originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 24 May 2012 13:04:00 +0100

The chaps at SwiftKey have teamed up with Pocket-lint to give three readers a chance to win a tablet of their choice, be it a shiny new iPad or the latest Samsung offering.

All you've got to do is complete a quick survey telling us what kind of phone you use and what you use it for.

Complete the survey now

You've got until 6 June to do it, and three lucky winners will win a phone or tablet of their choice worth up to $800 (?500).

You can choose any phone or tablet whatsoever, it doesn’t have to be on Android, just as long as it is available to buy in your country (without contract).

The survey is open to everyone aged over 18, all over the world, who owns a smartphone or a tablet computer. The survey closes at midnight PDT on Wednesday, 6 June.

What are you waiting for?

Read

Tags: Phones Tablets Android iPhone Swiftkey Competitions

Win a tablet with Swiftkey originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 24 May 2012 09:45:00 +0100

The Samsung Hope Relay app for Android, iPhone and Samsung Wave phones allows users to record a distance they travel and will translate each mile into ?1, which the Korean company will donate to charity. You can run, walk, cycle or wheel yourself along - as long as you don't go over 25 miles per hour, it will be registered.

Alternatively, you can do what adventurer and Samsung Ambassador Kenton Cool has done to record his first mile: vertically... up Mount Everest.

Armed with a Samsung Galaxy Note with the app pre-loaded (there's not that many internet caf?s on the slopes of Everest, surprisingly), Cool plans to climb to the peak of the mountain and will document his progress using the phone, including some exclusive pictures he sent Pocket-lint yesterday (23 May).

He has also made a documentary video of his first Samsung Hope Relay mile, which we also present to you exclusively. He's faced some extreme weather conditions on the way, and you can see in the clip that his mile could well be one of the hardest faced.

The Samsung Hope Relay is active in the UK now and will end on 12 August. It will also be available in a further 17 countries soon. All monies raised will be distributed to charities including the?London-based Kids Company, London 2012's international sports legacy programme, International Inspiration and an IOC-designated charity.

To find out more, check out Samsung's dedicated webpage or download the app from Google Play?(for Android), iTunes (iOS) or Samsung Apps?(Wave, Wave II and Wave 3). It's free and you can even help donate even when going to work.

Tags: Samsung Apps Phones Samsung Galaxy Note Samsung Hope Relay Kenton Cool Mount Everest

Adventurer Kenton Cool climbs Everest for his Samsung Hope Relay (video) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 24 May 2012 09:01:00 +0100

With all the rumours and hubbub around the next iPhone, the question we constantly get asked here at Pocket-lint is when is the iPhone 5 coming out and should I wait?

iPhone 5 release date

According to rrumours circulating the web, the next?Apple?iPhone?is expected to be announced and launched in October 2012 after the launch of Apple's next version of iOS - iOS 6 - in June this year.

The current iPhone, the iPhone 4S, was announced on the 4 October 2011, going on pre-order just 3 days later on 7 October. It eventually went on sale in the UK, America, Japan, France and Germany on the 14 October - seven days later and in plenty of time to put it on your Christmas list.

Based on previous iPhone release dates, that have so far come annually, we can expect the new iPhone as we expect it to be called - note not the iPhone 5?- to be launched around the same time.

The company used to release the iPhone in June at its WWDC event in San Francisco but switched to October for the iPhone 4S, the latest iPhone in the range.

In previous years Apple used the "Fall" timeframe to update its iPod range of devices, while the iPad has enjoyed a Spring launch schedule.

Rumours suggest the iPhone 5 will have a 4-inch windscreen display

Should you wait?

Now that you've got a rough idea of when the iPhone 5 could be coming out, the next question you have to ask, is should you wait? Current rumours suggest that the iPhone 5 will feature a bigger widescreen ratio screen, meaning it could fit in the same size form factor as the iPhone 4S. It is also likely to feature a faster processor and NFC technology to let you pay for things with your mobile, although it is worth emphasising nothing has been confirmed.

If you signed up for a two-year contract with the iPhone 4 the moment it came out in the UK,your contract will be up for renewal in June 2012. If you are happy with the phone, for the sake of an additional four months you would probably be better to wait for the new iPhone 5 if you want to make sure you have the latest and greatest Apple iPhone smartphone.

If you have an iPhone 3GS that can be upgraded now and want to stay Apple, you might be better off opting for the iPhone 4S. Doing so on an 18-month contract would mean you would be in the perfect position to upgrade to an iPhone 6, if Apple sticks with the 12-month release cycle, in 2013.

That might seem like a long way off, but if you want to maximise your Apple iPhone enjoyment it is always better to plan ahead.?

Tags: Phones iPhone Apple iPhone 5 iPhone 4S

When is the new iPhone, the iPhone 5, coming out? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 23 May 2012 16:21:00 +0100

Sir Jony Ive, the head of design at Apple who was?knighted in this year's New Year's Honours List?and received the honour in London today, has revealed that the product he and his team are currently working on in Cupertino is the best they've done yet. And, from the man who designed the iPod, iPhone and iPad, that's some claim.

Interviewed by British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, Ive was asked which of all the products he had designed for Apple over the years would he most like to be remembered for.

He replied: "A lot does seem to come back to the fact that what we’re working on now feels like the most important and the best work we’ve done, and so it would be what we’re working on right now, which of course I can’t tell you about."

Sadly, there isn't even a hint of what that product might be, whether it's a brand new device or an upgrade to an existing one - the iPhone 5, for example.

What is sure is that Ive claims not to be influenced by what rivals, such as Samsung, are doing, what is selling best in the market at the time, or even tight schedules.

"What preoccupies us is that sense of care, and what our products will not speak to is a schedule; what our products will not speak to is trying to respond to some corporate or competitive agenda," he said.

"We’re very genuinely designing the best products that we can for people."

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Tags: Apple Phones Tablets Audio Jonathan Ive iPad iPhone iPod

Jony Ive: Next Apple product is our most important and best work yet originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 23 May 2012 14:03:00 +0100

Google has finally signed on the bottom line and finalised the deal that sees the internet giant purchase Motorola Mobility.

The deal is believed to be worth a whopping $12.5 billion and is the first time Google has owned a mobile hardware company.

Google has made clear that it intends to continue running Motorola Mobility as a separate entity, but it will mean that Google won’t have to rely on third-party manufacturers to produce the hardware for future Android products - as was the case with the HTC built Google Nexus One and Google Nexus S, designed by Samsung.?

The move sees Motorola’s Sanjay Jha step down as CEO, to be replaced by Google’s own Dennis Woodside.

Larry Page, Google CEO, said of the deal: “I’m happy to announce the deal has closed. Motorola is a great American tech company, with a track record of over 80 years of innovation. It’s a great time to be in the mobile business, and I’m confident that the team at Motorola will be creating the next generation of mobile devices that will improve lives for years to come.”

Rival manufacturers have expressed some concern as to what Google’s takeover of Motorola Mobility will mean for future rollouts of Android. However, Google is in fact said to be considering a wider launch of new Android updates across an array of devices as it looks to tackle Apple.

Tags: Google Motorola Phones Android Tablets

Google finally buys Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 15:22:00 +0100

I may come as no surprise, considering a staggering nine million of them have been pre-ordered worldwide, but the Samsung Galaxy S III is breaking pre-order records in the UK too.

Actual figures are being kept closely to chests but both Carphone Warehouse and Vodafone have revealed to Pocket-lint that the new handset, due out on 29 May, is the most sought after phone in 2012. "Thousands" were pre-ordered by Carphone Warehouse customers in just 24 hours, while Vodafone tells us that it is "now officially the most popular Android device we've ever put on pre-order".

Carphone Warehouse also claims that it's the?largest distributor of the phone in the UK and the only retailer to offer deals with all major UK mobile networks. It will be placing stock in its 800 plus stores up and down the country on launch day.

Pre-order customers will be able to pick up their handsets from 7pm on 29 May, others will have to wait until the Galaxy S III goes on general sale on 30 May.

"The Galaxy SIII is without a doubt the fastest-selling pre-order of 2012 so far," said ?Graham Stapleton, the retailer's chief commercial officer.

"We're gearing up for an exceptionally busy launch day at the end of the month as the handset lands on shelves at our stores across the UK."

Neither Carphone Warehouse nor Vodafone would tell us whether the Samsung Galaxy S III has beaten the iPhone 4S on pre-order numbers.

Tags: Samsung Phones Samsung Galaxy S III Carphone Warehouse Vodafone Android

Samsung Galaxy S III UK's most pre-ordered phone too originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 15:21:00 +0100

Apple is reportedly testing a number of different prototype devices in order to settle on what to release as the iPhone 5, and two of those feature a 3.95-inch screen. More excitingly, it is believed that the display has a 1136 x 640 resolution, which means it's near 16:9 (1.775:1). Welcome to widescreen, Apple fanboys.

According to 9to5Mac, it's sources have said that the prototype handsets in the PreEVT stage of development. They are codenamed N41AP and N42AP, and both feature the same larger, higher resolution display.

The current iPhone 4S has a 3.5-inch touchscreen with a 960 x 640 resolution (3:2), so the new version will be a massive step up and, for the first time for Apple, would play movies and TV shows in their native aspect ratios without the need for black bars top and bottom. There's no indication yet though on whether the screen will sport a Retina display or whether Apple will rely on the extra pixels for clarity.

There's also no word on what this would mean for a future iPad either. Would the iPad 4 (or new new iPad) equally adopt a 16:9 screen?

9to5Mac has also heard that, should these prototypes be indicative of the final phone, the iPhone 5 will definitely still feature a home button and will be the first Apple device to use the company's smaller dock connector.

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Tags: Apple Phones iPhone iPhone 5

Apple testing 3.95-inch iPhone 5, with 16:9 display originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 12:13:00 +0100

When Simon Wheatcroft says to his wife that he is going for a run, it's not the kind of run that you or I would take lightly. Blind by the age of 17, the 29-year-old student who classes himself an ultra-runner, trains solo with only the help of his iPhone to guide him, but how? Pocket-lint went to Doncaster, where he lives, to run with Wheatcroft to find out how he uses his iPhone to see.

Wheatcroft is able to achieve this feat by using Runkeeper, a popular iPhone running app that lets him gauge where he is on his route. The app itself isn't designed specifically for blind people, but has a feature that allows runners to set it to give pace details every minute. Wheatcroft uses that feature combined with sensory clues in the camber of the path to determine instantly where he is on the route without anyone's help.

"And here we are at the first turn," says Wheatcroft, confirming what we already know at the point of our first turn about a mile into the run. Considering he can only just about make out shadows, we are impressed. We turn the corner and carry on at a pace. Wheatcroft explains that he uses a number of clues to plot his course learning through practice where and where not to run.?On our outing with him and it's clear that he doesn't need any help, even though he can't see where he's going.

Wheatcroft has been running this route for more than two years but not without the odd mishap, including running into road signs and falling into bushes.

He first started running on a nearby football pitch but tells us he found it too crowded with dog walkers believing he would step out of the way - he didn't.

"It sounded like a really safe idea," explains the runner. "But unfortunately people didn't realise I couldn't see them so it became unsafe for me and them."

When it was clear that wasn't going to work, he moved on to a piece of disused road by Robin Hood airport in Doncaster. Three loops equalled a mile, but doing 30 laps a time soon became incredibly boring.

"Around the same time, I started using Runkeeper and its audio distance makers and I thought, 'Maybe I can pair all the elements of the technology, learning the road and route together?' So that's what I did. I stepped out on to the dual carriageway and started running."

The Runkeeper app might give him pacing details but he still has to navigate the road in front of him including cars when he comes to crossing the road - frightening we know.

That's where the app serves another function too, allowing his wife and friends to track him via the Runkeeper Live service. A subscription based add-on to the app, it means anyone can track where our athlete is running in real-time. Handy, Wheatcroft admits, if people are worried about him.

But it's not just about using Runkeeper. Wheatcroft uses the iPhone, iPad, and iMac in his daily life too allowing him to complete tasks that most of us take for granted.

"I love that the accessibility tools are the same across the entire line of the hardware. So, something that I've learnt on my iPad translates to the iPhone," says Wheatcroft and, ultimately, that means less for him to learn.

A self-confessed Apple fan, Siri - Apple's personal assistant feature on the iPhone and iPad - is also a favourite. It helps him when it comes to writing and reading his emails, although Wheatcroft admits it's not really of much use when it has to read out messages from friends who can't spell.

"Siri is great because there have been a few occasions where something has gone wrong on a run and I wanted to quickly call my wife, I was able to do that. It meant I wasn't panicking trying to search through the phone book to find the number. I understand why it can be seen as very gimmicky. For most people it might make a tiny difference in everyday use, in my situation it makes a huge difference."

Other iPhone features utilised include Find my iPhone; not to find his phone, mind you, but for people to find him.

On the iPhone there are other apps that he and his friends use to help them turn the iPhone from a phone into a useful seeing tool.

Apps include a lux meter to work out if the lights in the room are on or off, or a colour-identifying app (color identifier) that lets his blind friends know what colour clothes they are wearing - for the record Wheatcroft says he doesn't care what colour his T-shirt is.?

On the Mac, Wheatcroft uses Apple's built-in contrast tool to help him see things on screen. The feature turns black to white and means that if a website or an application uses contrasting colours already, he can just about see it. If the site uses muted shades, it's no good.

"I used to use Facebook a lot, but they've broken voice-over with it, which is really frustrating," Wheatcroft remarks, before pointing out that the social networks' constant urge to change the user interfaces mean he can't learn where features are on their apps either.

To help him find the mouse he uses Mouse Expose, originally designed as a presentation aid to show where on the screen the mouse pointer is for audiences watching, but Wheatcroft has adapted it to suit his needs.

But it's not Apple devices that givesWheatcroft a sense of freedom from a life that he admits can be "very boring" at times.?Another gadget that gives Wheatcroft freedom is his Nordic treadmill with iFit.

By connecting it to his Wi-Fi network, managed by an accompanying website, our runner is able to load pre-programmed running routes from around the world into the treadmill to then be able to run in real-life with the treadmill replicating the incline of the chosen route, so it feels like you are actually running up that tough hill, for example.

When we visited, the ultra-marathon runner - who incidentally runs between 50 and 70 miles a week - was doing hill training in San Francisco. The system can even be plugged into a monitor so you get a Street View of the route as well, not that he needs it, Wheatcroft jokes.

The next race? A marathon sandwich on 27 May in Sheffield.

The race will see Wheatcroft run a 13-mile half-marathon, followed by a full marathon, followed by another half-marathon all back to back and all for charity.

For this race, he will have a guide but still plans to use the Runkeeper app to track his performance.

Two and half miles into our run and we come to the airport. Wheatcroft knows exactly where we are.

"I've run around 2000 miles on this piece of road," he tell us. You can see the memories of all those miles filling his mind. The endless loops that eventually became boring enough to push him on to the road. We stop and chat. Chat about his studies - he is doing psychology - about how he wants to complete his degree and then help other people in similar situations, about a life beyond being just another blind man with a guide dog - he is just about to get his first dog but has been told he isn't allowed to take it running.?

Wheatcroft isn't one to give up easily it seems. Some photos of where it all began done, we get back on the road. We've still another four miles to go.

We carry on talking, running at a fairly brisk pace of around 9-minute miles - a speed even Wheatcroft is pleasantly surprised by.

So how does the blind community take to his efforts?

"It shows that anything is possible," says Wheatcroft. "And some don't like that."

As we near the end of our run, we both go silent, finishing off the long straight final mile towards the end. The run hasn't been the most picturesque. Yes, there are some green fields to look at and the airport that looms up in the distance getting ever closer gives you a midway focus but, for Wheatcroft, that doesn't matter. This is his little bit of escapism, his feeling "normal" as he puts it.

Do you ever get the urge to just keep going, we ask? The response from such an impulsive man is perhaps to be expected.

"I did once," Wheatcroft starts to explain before telling us how he wondered whether he could read the road as he ran it. Half a mile later and he quickly realised that it wasn't such a good idea. He didn't have Siri or Find my iPhone at that point and, without a way of contacting support, realised that he was very much alone on a road with no help at all.

Luckily, he was able to make it back to where he started, and now realises more than ever before ?the dangers that he takes every time he puts his trainers on and steps out for a run on his own.

With many more races planned, Wheatcroft's ultimate goal is to be the fastest blind man to finish Badwater?-?a 135-mile non-stop race from Death Valley to Mount. Whitney, in California, in temperatures up to 55C.

For us, our run is over. Runkeeper tells us we've done six miles in just under an hour. We've stopped and chatted, snapped a few photos, and Wheatcroft is happy with the time.

As we cool down, we ask him what gadget he wants most of all that he doesn't currently have.

"A driverless car," is the response; not so he can be lazy and never have to run again but so he can be driven to the next race without having to bother his friends and family.

Tags: Sports Fitness RunKeeper Apple Phones iPhone Interviews Features

Running blind: How Simon Wheatcroft uses his iPhone to see originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 10:08:00 +0100

David Beckham, footballer and English institution, is Samsung's Olympic Games ambassador so Samsung has used his primary skill set - the art of kicking a football accurately - crossed with a giant drum machine in order to promote the Samsung Galaxy Note.

Where does the larger-than-life Android device come in? Well, the director uses it to show the ex-England captain (and, hopefully, captain of Team GB, in our opinion) which drums to kick in what order so that they play Beethoven's Ode to Joy.

Naturally, it's been cut together and edited, but there's still more than enough there for Beckham, Beethoven and oversized mobile phones to enjoy.

Incidentally, Pocket-lint met David Beckham last year when he helped launch Samsung's Olympic Games tech strategy and he's a thoroughly nice chap. Just thought we'd throw an enormous name drop there.

Tags: Samsung Phones Samsung Galaxy Note David Beckham London 2012 Olympics

David Beckham uses football skills and Samsung Galaxy Note to play Ode to Joy (video) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 09:09:00 +0100

A new secure mobile phone network has been introduced that enables parents to monitor whom their child speaks to, and when.?Bemilo hopes to offer parents peace of mind in terms of eliminating potential cyber-bullying while ensuring they can remain in contact with their child at all times.?

According to a survey conducted by Bemilo, 85 pr cent of ?UK children aged between seven and 16 own a mobile phone, with one in four claiming to have experienced some kind of virtual bullying, be it through social networks or text messages.?

Bemilo allows the bill payer (ie, mum and dad) to review all calls and SMS messages, blocking anyone they deem unsuitable and even presetting when their child can browse the web.?

Parents can also put a limit on how much children spend on their mobile while ensuring their child can always get hold of them even if they run out of credit.

All Bemilo account information is available through an external web page that can be accessed at any time via a computer or mobile.?

Calls will cost 10p per minute to landlines and other mobile phones, as will a text message, while browsing the web will be charged at 25p per MB.?

Bemilo’s tariff will be available to purchase from both bernilo.com and from The Carphone Warehouse from 28 May.

Tags: Phones Networks Operators Security Bemilo

Bemilo, the mobile network designed for kids originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 21 May 2012 15:02:00 +0100

Samsung may have decided that its forthcoming Galaxy S III will be the official smartphone of the London 2012 Olympic Games, but it is believed that special edition versions of its latest Android phone will find their way only into the hands of competing athletes and selected trialists (of Visa's NFC payment methods). Normal punters will have to wait to see if any pop up on eBay after the event.

Or they can opt for a Samsung Galaxy Note or Galaxy Y instead, as Samsung and O2 have joined forces to offer special Team GB versions of those handsets. As well as different packaging, when you buy a Note or Y on O2, you get a free Olympics-themed back cover for your device.

Samsung has also pledged to pay ?1 towards Team GB charities that will help athletes of the future, and purchasing customers (who buy their phone before 24 May) will be entered into a prize draw to win a "once in a lifetime Team GB experience".

Each of the 19 winners of the prize draw (which closes on 1 June) will win two tickets to an Olympic Games event, two tickets to the Team GB?training camp in Loughborough on 6 July 2012 (including reasonable travel costs and one night pre-arranged accommodation), and two tickets to the?Team GB celebration event taking place in London - provisionally slated for 10 September.

The prize draw may end soon, but there may still be Team GB devices available to buy as Samsung has created 11,000 Galaxy Note backs and 15,400 for the Galaxy Y. They will still be bundled as long as stock lasts.

Find out more at?Samsung's dedicated Olympics website.

Read

Tags: Samsung Phones Samsung Galaxy Note Samsung Galaxy Y Team GB London 2012 Olympics O2

Samsung Galaxy Note and Galaxy Y available with Team GB back covers at O2 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 21 May 2012 14:16:00 +0100

A pop-up warning that has appeared with the latest build of iOS - 5.1.1 - hints that Apple is soon to introduce the possibility of making FaceTime video calls over 3G, perhaps for iOS 6.

Since its launch, FaceTime has been restricted to Wi-Fi use, meaning that video calls can only be made when iPhones and iPads are logged on to a broadband network. However, when trying to switch off 3G during a FaceTime call, a message now warns: "Disabling 3G may end FaceTime. Are you sure you want to disable 3G?"

This would suggest that Apple is at least trialling the service over a 3G network, and may be about to release the feature for public consumption.

In the UK, however, this could cause problems as many users are not signed up to mobile network packages with all-you-can-eat data plans. Using FaceTime video calling over 3G could seriously munch into the amount of data you have available and end up costing a fortune in overspill fees.

In addition, carriers themselves may be concerned at the demands 3G FaceTime use may put on their networks. They may even block or restrict its use.

As we expect to hear more on iOS 6 at the forthcoming WWDC in the middle of June, we shouldn't have to wait too long to find out.

Read

Tags: Apple Phones Tablets Apps FaceTime iPhone iPad

3G FaceTime coming in iOS 6? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 21 May 2012 12:17:00 +0100

UK operator Three has confirmed that it will be selling the Sony Xperia U on both contract and Pay as You Go.?

Unveiled in February at Mobile World Congress, the phone features a 3.5-inch FWVGA Reality Display touchscreen, 1GHz dual-core processor and 5-megapixel camera with 720 HD recording.

The specs would suggest the phone will be available at a mid-tier price point. We say “suggest” as Three isn’t ready to reveal pricing or availability details at present.

The third and smallest of the Sony Xperia phones to be unveiled at MWC (the Xperia P and Xperia S being the other two), the base of the Sony Xperia U will change colour to match the primary shade that happens to be on the screen. Very retro.

Orange has already said it will also be selling an exclusive white version of the Sony Xperia U before the end of June.?

The phone is expected to launch on Android 2.3, though an upgrade to Ice Cream sandwich (Android 4.0) will soon follow.

UPDATE - Pocket-lint has spoken to Three and the Sony Xperia U will be available free on the Essential Internet 100 Plan for ?15 a month and the Essential Internet 500 Plan for ?20 a month. PAYG customers will be able to get hold of the phone for ?179.99.

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Tags: Phones three Sony Xperia U Android

Sony Xperia U will be available on Three originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 21 May 2012 10:52:00 +0100

Reports suggest more than 9 million customers have already pre-ordered the Samsung Galaxy S III before its official arrival on 30 May.?

The Samsung Galaxy S III, which was unveiled at a glitzy soiree in London, has already received rave reviews from the tech industry and, if the reports are to be believed, it’s hit the right note with consumers too.?

The Korea Economic Daily newspaper which published the figures has also been told by an unidentified Samsung official that the manufacturer’s smartphone factory in South Korea is producing units at a rate of 5 million a month.?

Samsung propaganda? Maybe, but there’s no denying the Korean outfit is enjoying a boom period of late, having overtaken Nokia as the world’s largest mobile manufacturer and published impressive financial figures in April.

The Samsung Galaxy S III officially arrives in the UK on 30 May, though some retailers will have the phone available a day early to customers who pre-order the device.

That should help Samsung hit the 10 million mark.

Read

Tags: Phones Samsung Galaxy S III Samsung Android Ice Cream Sandwich

Samsung Galaxy S III receives 9 million pre-orders originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 18 May 2012 11:18:00 +0100

"By 2015 China will have more than 650 million people connected and online.” ?These were the words of HP's CEO Meg Whitman at the company’s recent conference in Shanghai.

“China is just below the worldwide average at about 200 PCs per 1000,” one in five with a computer, if you want to look at it more sensibly.

As emerging markets go, it seems that China has well and truly now emerged. All the telltale signs are there, from Apple’s vast store in Shanghai to the wall-to-wall adverts for mobile phones and laptops all backed by department stores and shopping malls devoted entirely to technology.

All that demand is forcing companies to reconsider their approach. Once it was the Asian nations, such as Japan, designing products with a Western market in mind. Now, it’s the Western-owned companies looking to to service China with their hardware.

HP's CEO explained that China was well and truly on her radar when it came to product research and development. The company has a huge presence there with one of its most significant facilities, second only to that of the US, based in China.

They aren't the only ones either. Take Foxconn, Apple's ever-talked-about manufacturer. Foxconn employs a staff of approximately 1.2 million to keep consumers' insatiable demand for iPhones and iPads sorted, as well as other products.

All across China the numbers continue to grow. PC adoption and internet availability, in particular, is increasing at an astonishing rate. Just as Sony rose from nowhere to release some of the most iconic pieces of consumer tech in history, the same could be inbound from any number of Chinese tech companies with the likes of Asus, Huawei and ZTE ?at the forefront. And how about some you haven’t even heard of yet - like Meizu and its MX smartphone.

The Chinese gadget market demands cutting-edge technology, just like the Western one. The difference is that, rather than importing it, a lot of Chinese manufacturers are producing it themselves. The MX is no slouch either. It packs a 4-inch qHD screen, an 8-megapixel camera and a 1700 mAh battery - all specifications you would expect to see in a flagship piece of kit on the high street. Currently there is a dual-core version of the handset out on the shelves but a quad-core MX is set for release in June.

And Meizu isn’t alone. ZTE might be relatively small in Europe but is actually a vast smartphone manufacturer with a bigger market share than Apple globally. The company manages just under 5 per cent of the world market share of mobile phones and is predicting a doubling of sales in 2012 with the United States aimed as its primary point of sale by 2015.

Korea is, of course, also a hot topic for smartphones and televisions. Samsung and LG have run an aggressive takeover of that market from the likes of Sony and Toshiba. So how does China shape up against them?

The first manufacturer that springs to mind is Lenovo. Originating in Beijing’s Zhongguancun district, the Chinese equivalent to Silicon Valley, it has rapidly established itself in the laptop market, even acquiring IBM’s PC business in 2005. In China, Lenovo Mobile ranks third in terms of unit share in the smartphone market, and that’s a bigger deal than it sounds when you consider the country has a roughly 1.3 billion population.

Still though, in terms of the West, it’s Samsung that dominates. The Korean giant overtook Sony in 2005 as one the most popular consumer electronics brands in the world. It’s now ranked number 19 and sits ahead of Apple in terms of smartphone manufacture.

So, China still has a fair way to go if it is to conquer the traditional technology giants. With the likes of Foxconn, the huge manufacture bases, the infrastructure and the traditions in factory work, the conditions are all there for the country to begin to dominate consumer demand. Similarly, if companies on the scale of HP are viewing China as number one priority for product investment and sales, then the future looks set in stone.

We might not know what the next big thing will be in the technology world but, whatever it is, you can pretty much guarantee it will involve China.

Tags: Phones Televisions China Japan HP Laptops Features

Is China the new Japan? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 17:50:00 +0100

Just how important is a good battery life on a smartphone to you? Very according to Motorola. With that in mind its been busy working away at its Motorola RAZR MAXX, a smartphone that doesn’t skimp on features, but most importantly won’t die on you before the day’s out.

The Motorola RAZR MAXX is no shrinking violet. It’s got a huge 4.3-inch display with a thick border surrounding it, meaning you almost have to stretch you hand around the device when making a call and you’ll certainly be aware of it while it’s in your pocket.

Yet Moto has managed to keep the waistline down to an impressive 8.99mm, which helps explain why it feels far lighter than it looks – 145g.

There’s a slight chin at the top of the rear of the phone in order to accommodate the 8-megapixel camera and LED flash. The power button is located on the right hand side of the phone - as you look at the display - just around the point your forefinger would rest when taking a call in your left hand. Perhaps we’re being pernickety but we have concerns that we might inadvertently switch the phone off mid-conversation.

There’s no removable back cover with the SIM, micro at that, being inserted in the bottom left side of the phone. The protective door, which also leads to the microSD card slot, felt a little flimsy especially as you need to pull it right back to access either port.

Found on the top of the phone is an HDMI, microUSB and 3.5mm headset jack neither of which comes with cumbersome pullout door, so despite Motorola protecting the phone with a splashguard coating we wouldn't recommend putting it in too much proximity to any fluid.

A headset jack positioned at the top of the phone is always preferable because it makes it easier to take the phone out of your pocket without damaging your plugged in headphones.

Fire up the phone and an impressively vibrant Super AMOLED Advanced display greets you. It’s protected by Corning Gorilla Glass and has a resolution of 540x960 pixels. It really is quite stunning, especially when you turn the brightness to full, which you can afford to do thanks to the mammoth battery life, right?

So far so good. Now for the not so good. Once switched on it’s immediately apparent that this is no Android Ice Cream Sandwich phone. Well not yet anyway. Running on Gingerbread 2.3 from launch, Moto hopes to upgrade the phone to ICS by the end of Q2 2012.

The processor is also only dual-core 1.2GHz. It seems ridiculous to baulk at a processor of this magnitude, but the truth is with more and more smartphones featuring quad-core processors the bar has been raised. To be fair when playing with the phone it was a far from lethargic experience, though it did take a while for images to appear on any shortcuts we set.

Motorola has also included its innovative "Smart Actions" feature, also found on the previous RAZR. You can set the RAZR MAXX to administer specific functions depending on where you are and what you’re doing.

For example, have a meeting scheduled in your Google Calendar and the RAZR MAXX will automatically put itself in silent mode. What’s more should you have... erm…. a wife who’s about to go into labour for example, you can set a VIP number (ie, your wife’s) which will overrule the Smart Action and ring as normal. There are plenty of other actions to have a play with, such as automatically firing up the music player as soon as a pair of headphones are inserted.

The MotoCast app is also on board which enables you to access music, documents and photos from a remote computer either by streaming or downloading it to the Motorola RAZR MAXX. The files will then be stored locally on the phone, meaning you can access them even when offline. The remote computer will have to be switched on in order to access the files originally, but it makes for a useful alternative to cloud storage.

In terms of memory we’re looking at 1GB RAM and 16GB ROM, with a 16GB microSD card also included, though it can support cards of up to 32GB, which we’d recommend investing in especially if you plan to use the MotoCast app.

Yet, as Motorola kept telling us, the Motorola RAZR MAXX is all about a long battery life. So all that’s left to say, according to the manufacturer, is that the 3300 mAh capacity battery should provide up to 1,056 minutes talktime, the "longest of any smartphone" according to Moto, and over 25 days standby.

We’ll be bringing you a full in-depth review of the Motorola RAZR MAXX before you have time to run one out of juice.

The Motorola RAZR MAXX is available now from Clove, Expansys and Amazon.

Tags: Phones Motorola RAZR Maxx Motorola Android Ice Cream Sandwich

Motorola RAZR MAXX pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 17:33:00 +0100

The HTC Evo 4G LTE is the new flagship device for the USA’s Sprint network. It’s an Android Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone with, as its name suggests, the capability to hop aboard Sprint’s ultra-fast LTE data network.

Unfortunately, as we write this the LTE network is yet to be rolled out, so we weren’t able to test out the phone’s 4G capabilities. We should also note that its Google Wallet NFC abilities were not activated as we were reviewing it, but bear in mind that these things should be operational soon - LTE has been announced as coming to several US cities in "mid-2012".

Build quality and design

What we can assess is the Evo 4G LTE’s hardware, and very impressive it is. The phone sports a huge 4.7-inch screen, yet is just under 9mm in depth and weighs a feathery 134g.

From the front it looks like many other HTC smartphones: the screen dominates and there are three touch buttons at the bottom for back, home and multi-tasking; there’s also a 1.3MP front camera.

A sliver of brushed aluminium runs around the edge of the phone, which looks good and more importantly provides stability - despite its size, it’s a very solid, non-creaky phone. Elsewhere around the sides you’ll find a USB port, camera button, volume rocker, 3.5mm headphone socket and power button.

We’re not huge fans of the back of the Evo 4G LTE, which is shiny at the top and rubbery at the bottom. It just looks a bit odd to us - we’d rather they go with one or the other. Dividing these two sections is a red metal strip that can be prised out to provide a handy kickstand (this works in both portrait and landscape mode). There’s also the 8-megapixel main camera and an LED flash.

The Gorilla Glass-fronted 4.7-inch Super LCD screen is vibrant, bright and wonderfully sharp, boasting a 1280 x 720 resolution (so it’s ideal for watching 720p HD videos). That’s a pixel density of 312ppi, almost as high as the iPhone 4’s 326ppi screen.

Camera and storage

The camera is a beast, boasting 8-megapixels and an F2, 28mm equivalent lens. The dedicated button brings it up instantly if you don’t fancy tapping the icon, and can be used to trigger the shutter too. Stills are lovely, demonstrating good clarity even in gloomy conditions, and HD video (in up to 1080p) is as impressive as anything we’ve seen from a phone. The camera’s also blindingly fast, booting up and autofocusing swiftly, and uploads shots automatically to a Dropbox account - up to 25GB of them!

There’s 16GB of storage inside, plus a microSD slot allowing you to add another 32GB. Both the SIM and 2000mAh battery are embedded and non-removeable, which, let’s face it, isn’t ideal if you plan on doing anything with the phone other than use it on Sprint. Speaking of the battery, it’s got a decent bit of stamina considering the amount of power-sapping stuff going on inside the phone – but you’ll probably want to charge it once a day.

The phone runs on a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and features 1GB of RAM, and it runs very fast indeed. It racked up a whopping score of 6667 in the AnTuTu Benchmark test, putting it slightly above the Samsung Galaxy Note and Nexus. You can throw pretty much any app at this phone or ask it to multitask and it’ll oblige.

Beats

As has become HTC’s signature, there’s Beats Audio tech inside, which is essentially a big old bass booster for whatever is playing. It doesn’t ensure you get top quality sound - your headphones contribute to that a lot more - but it’s a welcome addition.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and HTC Sense 4 work in much the same smooth fashion as they do on the HTC One phones. There’s minimal lag when flicking between homescreens, and Sense is a very pleasant UI to use for the most part.

Verdict:

While we couldn’t test the HTC Evo 4G LTE at its speedy best, it’s a very high quality smartphone even without 4G.

The build quality, screen, camera and processor are all top notch, the kick stand is a useful feature, and most other aspects are well above average. We’re not so keen on the embedded SIM and battery and the unsightly backside of the phone, but neither of these are deal-breakers.

If you’re happy to sign up to a long-term contract with Sprint and live in a US city where the carrier’s LTE network is incoming, you should definitely give the Evo 4G LTE a lot of consideration. It’s a very solid high-end smartphone.

Tags: Phones HTC HTC Evo 4G HTC Evo 4G LTE

HTC Evo 4G LTE originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 15:00:00 +0100

The HTC Desire C is the newest addition to HTC's 2012 line-up of Android devices, joining the HTC One series and seeing a diversion from what we thought was going to be a clean and simple approach to naming.

We can't quite see the logic behind dragging the Desire name, once synonymous with HTC's flagship devices, down to the entry level. But what can you do, eh? Perhaps we should be calling this the HTC Wildfire C or X, or something.

But let's not let this brief moment of etymological confusion get in the way of our quick play with HTC's latest smartphone.

The HTC Desire C is compact in the hand, measuring 107.2 x 60.6 x 11.95mm. It isn't the skinniest of phones around, but it's unlikely to offend anyone either. It nestles nicely into the palm of your hand and, thanks to the tactile finish, feels secure there too.

The layout of controls is totally conventional, with three touch buttons across the bottom of the display offering your standard Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich navigation: that's back, home and recent apps.

The display measures 3.5-inches on the diagonal, so even though this is a diminutive device, there is actually a fair amount of room to play. The resolution of 320 x 480 is a little on the low side, so that will impact on some of the wow factor, but colours seem vibrant enough.

Launching on Android 4 and Sense 4, this phone is at least up to date, so you won't be waiting for updates as soon as you take it out of the box. It is, however, very much about entry-level specs, with a 600MHz processor sitting under the hood.

The devices we played didn't come with final build software, so we can't determine exactly what the user experience will be like. It's a low-power phone, with only 512MB RAM sitting in there with that processor, so we'll have to examine this in our HTC Desire C review when we get the phone in our labs.

There is 4GB of internal memory, but you do get a slot for expansion, so you can bung in your own microSD card.

Harking back to the HTC HD Mini, slip off the back cover and you'll find it finished in red, including a red 1230mAh battery. Okay, it's a small detail, but such things appeal to us and we like the way the red coloured innards encircle the Micro-USB port on the left-hand side, hinting at that gory core.

Perhaps surprisingly, the HTC Desire C is equipped with a 5-megapixel camera, although video is limited to 640 x 480 capture. The devices we snapped are also NFC equipped, so you're ready to roll with contactless payments and whatever else NFC finds its way into.

On the media front this is a Beats Audio device, so you'll be able to enjoy your wubwub with meaty bass.

We're looking forward to giving the HTC Desire C a proper plan very soon. We reckon this phone could sell like wildfire. Snark.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones HTC HTC Desire C Photos

HTC Desire C pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 14:02:00 +0100

HTC looks to be working on another “affordable” Android Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone, after specs for an HTC Ville C were leaked on the net.

Described as being an “ultra-slim PDA phone”, sources are proclaiming the HTC Ville C to be a cheaper alternative to the HTC One S, which itself was called the HTC Ville in pre-production.

Whether it will have quite the same venom in terms of speed as the One S we will have to wait and see, but with regard to processing power we’re looking at a Qualcomm MSM8260 dual-core 1.7GHz chipset.

Something that is worth noting is that the leaked document also suggests the phone will run on HTC Sense 4.5. No word on what this upgrade might bring, but we were rather taken with 4.0 so a tweak here or there could make for an even better UI experience.

Slap bang in the middle of the handset is a 4.3-inch qHD AMOLED touchscreen and 16 million LCD display.

HTC looks set to kit the phone out with an eight-megapixel camera with the same BSI sensor as found in the One S, as well as a 1080p HD video recording and a VGA front-facing camera for video calls.

In terms of memory, the specs state there will be 16GB of onboard storage and 1GB RAM. There’s no mention of whether this can be topped up via a microSD card.?

HTC’s insistence that consumers would rather a slim phone than one with a long battery life looks set to continue with the Ville C fitted with a lower-end 1,650mAH capacity battery.?

Yet overall there’s enough here to get us hoping this rumoured handset becomes a reality.

One cheaper alternative to the Ice Cream Sandwich experience that will definitely be arriving on these shores is the HTC Desire C.

Read

Tags: Phones HTC HTC Ville C HTC One S Ice Cream Sandwich Android HTC Sense

HTC Ville C specs leaked: Cheaper alternative to the HTC One S? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 12:08:00 +0100

There hasn't been a huge amount of change in the world of BlackBerry in recent years. A design tweak here and nip and tuck to the user interface there, but that's about it. While the top-level devices have seen a little more change - integration of touch operation, for example - down at the bottom end of the Curve line things are little different.

The BlackBerry Curve 9320 is very much the baby of the BlackBerry family, both physically and in terms of specs. Fortunately, that also means that entry-level Curve models can be had for very little cash, but provide you with a range of smartphone features that take you beyond your typical feature phone.

But has the BB Curve had its day? With rising choices in affordable Android smartphones, does the lure of a glossy touchscreen make the future of RIM's cheap Qwerty communicator questionable?

Design and keyboard

With diminutive dimensions, the BlackBerry Curve 9320 does little to differentiate itself from previous devices of the same family. It replaces the popular 9300, advancing the body detailing slightly to make this a more attractive device.?

Of course the Curve 9320 isn't the only Curve in the 93xx family. It doesn't hit the high points of the Curve 9360, which remains the slimmer and sexier device, while walking away with better headline specs.

The Curve 9320 measures 109 x 60 x 12.7mm which makes it relatively fat in modern terms, with many devices slipping in under 10mm thick. In reality, it makes little difference, because this size of device is easily pocketable.

The curved back nestles down nicely in your hand and, at this size, using one or two thumbs to work the keyboard is possible. The keyboard is naturally smaller than the Bold family, but we didn't have a problem rampantly bashing out BBM messages, even with man-sized hands.?

And that says something for RIM's keyboard design. We prefer the Bold's flat keyboard with flush keys, but find that the Curve's keyboard is good enough. It is a clicky keyboard though, so hardcore messagers will have to get used to the constant clickety-click of the button presses.

One downside of this keyboard design is that debris and finger grease will collect between the keys over time, so cleaning with a cotton wool bud and a dab of alcohol might be in order to keep things clean.

The back of the Curve, unlike the 9300, is now glossy. It attracts fingerprints to some extent, although they're easily removed with a wipe on your jeans. Despite the smooth finish, we didn't find it slippery like some phones: the size makes it easy to grip.

In terms of controls the waistband across the middle of the phone sees a central navi-key, as you'll find on all other BlackBerry models. This is flanked by the common arrangement of calling keys, menu and back. Unlike other models, on the Curve 9320 these are physical buttons although in practice that makes little difference to their operation.

Down the left-hand side of the Curve 9320 is the Micro-USB port for charging, along with a convenience key. This is labelled as "BBM", so you can dive straight into RIM's instant-messaging service. There is a second convenience key on the right-hand side too which defaults to the camera; both can be reassigned to different functions if you prefer.?

One change towards the conventional is the positioning of the 3.5mm headphone jack on the top of the handset. This is much more convenient than previous side positioning, which always left the headphone plug sticking out awkwardly in your pocket.?

There is perhaps little remarkable about the Curve 9320 when it comes to design, but if you follow the tried and tested route, then arguably there was little to modify on a device at the bottom of the pile.

Hardware and cameras

RIM isn't as forthcoming with the full hardware specs on its lesser models, but that perhaps doesn't matter, as each device fits fairly well into a hierarchy. In the Curve 9320 you get 512MB RAM and 512MB of internal memory, but the 800MHz processor isn't formally disclosed.?

Numbers alone mean nothing but, naturally, as RIM's entry-level device, the performance isn't the snappiest. It does perform most tasks in isolation fast enough to feel like you are getting things done, but it is no match for better devices like the Bold.

The lack of internal memory means a microSD card is essential – essential for any content you want to carry around with you like photos or music. You might find yourself limited in terms of app space, although to be fair, most of the core apps come preinstalled and BlackBerry App World isn't as appealing as Google Play or Apple App Store when it comes to exciting new apps.

The camera sees itself settle at 3.2-megapixels, which might not sound like a lot in modern terms, but in reality the results are well suited for mobile sharing. Unfortunately the camera is fixed focus, so you can't achieve the same results as you can with autofocus models, but they're good enough.?

Video tops out at 640 x 480 pixels and again this is fixed focus. It might not hit the headlines for resolution or sharpness, but for social video again, it's good enough.?

Software

Of course the hardware and software work together, but one of the more irritating things about the Curve 9320 isn't unique to this device and that's the awkward slowdown you experience when upgrading or installing apps.

Update something like the Twitter or BBM apps and you'll find that during the install process, you're essentially locked out of the rest of the phone, followed by a restart. This isn't unique to the Curve 9320, it's something we've experienced across BlackBerry devices, and something to be aware of.?

The Curve 9320 lands running BB OS 7.1, the latest version of the BlackBerry software, the biggest new addition to which is a mobile hotspot feature so you can share your connection with other devices, such as an iPod touch for example.

Elsewhere, the user interface is very much as it was on the last iteration of devices, with the next big change coming later this year in the form of BlackBerry 10. As it is, BlackBerry 7.1 works well enough, although there is obviously a profusion of menus and menu button presses to get things to happen, something that the likes of iOS or Android have for the most part streamlined away.

One of the interface issues here is that the Curve 9320 isn't touch enabled. As a result you lose some of the convenience that other models offer where you can tap an icon and be on your way, but that said, the navi-key is sensitive enough to make operation fairly slick and fast.

There's no denying that BB7 lacks some of the sex appeal of rival smartphone platforms and although this device is going to be available for very little cash, the likes of Samsung and HTC are pushing out ever cheaper Android phones with ever better performance.

As a multimedia device, the BlackBerry Curve 9320 doesn't really shine by comparison to those touchscreen rivals. It lacks the screen size and software diversity to be really exciting, but that's not the key focus of this type of device.?

Communication is what BlackBerry is known for and that's what you get in the Curve 9320, by the bucket load. BB7's integrated inbox will pull your messages and alerts into one stream so you don't have to be skipping around different apps to see what's going on.

You also get your core apps preinstalled, so your Curve 9320 is ready to roll out with Twitter, Facebook, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and Google Talk right out of the box. Of course, you also have BlackBerry's excellent Messenger service, BBM, which will likely be one of the most popular features of this device and can be connected in to Facebook and Twitter to keep things uber social.?

And that's where the Curve 9320 really finds its feet. The design isn't much different from older devices, the user interface can be slow and cumbersome and the hardware specs won't get anyone excited, but once you're flicking out messages with scant regard for anything else, those things really don't matter so much.?

Of course email remains excellent and with RIM offering quick and easy connection to your Exchange or third-party email provider, such as Google, you'll never feel out of the messaging loop.?

Media and browsing, battery

As a media device, the 2.44-inch display of the Curve 9320 will never be as glorious as an equally affordable but larger Android handset. The resolution, at 320 x 240 (164ppi) is pretty low by modern standards. The size and the resolution mean that things are small and the phone can't reproduce fine detail very well.?

For straight photos or video this doesn't really matter, but it's a huge problem for the browser, where you'll need to spend a lot of time zooming and scrolling to read text. If web browsing is one of your primary pastimes, then this isn't the device to do it on.

Other media is handled well enough however, and despite not offering HD capture, it would play some low-rent 720p video we'd recorded on other phones. Playback is one thing, but the notable freeze when you back out of a video returns us to the low power processor holding things up.

You can also share media via Wi-Fi, turning your device into a media server, so long as you have compatible hardware.

On the music front, the BlackBerry Curve 9320 doesn't sound too bad, with the EQ options giving you the scope to change the sound to your liking. The external speaker doesn't sound great, better for voice than music.

Sitting between the volume controls is a pause/play button, making music control a little simpler, should you need a moment of quiet. There is also an FM radio if you need a bit of Kiss FM to get you going in the morning.?

Finally you have a large 1450mAh battery in the Curve 9320, which will see you through an average day relatively easily. In our tests, the battery easily made it through 24 hours, although this does depend on what you do with it, of course.

Verdict:

Overall, there isn't much that the BlackBerry Curve 9320 doesn't do. Apart from the lack of NFC, now a feature of high-end BB handsets, and a touch interface, you pretty much get everything that Blackberry offers. Sure, you don't get the best hardware, the device isn't the best when it comes to build and specification, but this is a very affordable smartphone.

The small display does limit some of the excitement and BlackBerry App World also lags a long way behind Android and the iPhone, not helped by the dependence on buttons and menus for interaction and a general lack of screen real estate.

But when it comes to social or business interaction, then this BlackBerry will deliver, much like any other handset in RIM's range. It might not be fashionable to praise RIM for its BlackBerry handsets at the moment, but if you are a fan of messaging, have friends using BBM and are on a budget, then you can't go far wrong.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones BlackBerry BlackBerry Curve 9320 RIM

BlackBerry Curve 9320 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 09:00:00 +0100

The Apple Store has begun selling a waterproof Mophie power pack that has enough juice to charge an iPhone three times over.

The Mophie Juice Pack Universal Powerstation Pro should go down a treat with festival-goers this summer as it means you won’t have to fight for that one electrical output.

With dual USB ports the Mophie Juice Pack Universal Powerstation Pro can charge up to two USB-compatible devices simultaneously, thanks to a 6000-mAh capacity, and will even be able to top up an iPad.

So long as the ports are closed, the powerstation is both water and dust resistant to a rating of IP65 - meaning it should be able to withstand that inevitable downpour, or worse. Its rugged shell made up of rubber, aluminium and steel should also be able to withstand various knocks and bumps.

The Mophie Juice Pack Universal Powerstation Pro is available now from the Apple Store for ?79.95.

Tags: Phones Mophie Chargers iPhone iPad iPhone accessories iPad accessories

Mophie Juice Pack Universal Powerstation Pro means you can leave your phone charger at home originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 18:00:00 +0100

LG is upping its game in the user interface stakes by upgrading its custom Android menu system to the Optimus UI 3.0.?

The new user interface will debut on the LG Optimus LTE II when it arrives in Korea, but will also be preloaded on the LG Optimus 4X HD, which will be arriving here in the UK from June.

The LG Optimus UI 3.0 will enable users to launch specific features with preset gestures on the touchscreen once the phone has been unlocked; something the manufacturer is calling “Pattern Lock”.

The UI will also make it easier to fire up the phone from sleep mode, unlocking the phone by swiping a finger anywhere on the display.

However, our favourite feature is “Voice Shutter” which gives the user the ability to take photos by simply using their voice. Shortcuts to specific photos can also be set to the various homescreens, while applications will be ordered according to how frequently they are used.?

The “Quick Memo” function is another quirky addition, which allows the user quickly to jot a note anywhere on their screen with a finger or stylus before, using the scribble in a text, email or social network post. Hmmm haven’t we seen that somewhere else before?

LG is hoping its Optimus UI 3.0 will rival Samsung’s TouchWiz UI and HTC’s Sense 4.0 found on the Galaxy S III and One X respectively.

Tags: Phones LG LG Optimus 4X HD Android

LG Optimus UI 3.0 goes head-to-head with Samsung TouchWiz and HTC Sense originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 17:12:00 +0100

Football fans will be able to enjoy (or commiserate as the case made be) this summer's European Championship via a split-screen facility on ITV Digital’s dedicated Euro 2012 website.

Optimised for both smartphones and tablets, the site will broadcast any games being shown on the ITV channel at the top of the webpage while below will be a rolling real-time news feature.

Here viewers will be able to get updates to other games including goal highlights, match reports and social media activity such as Twitter updates.

Stat fans will have access to group details, goal scoring charts and match data on the right-hand side of the page providing multiple ways of covering the tournament from one webpage all the way up to where England lose on penalties and beyond.?

ITV Digital’s Euro 2012 website follows the launch of the ITV News site earlier this year and again sees ITV partner with Made by Many, a digital innovation and service design company.

The website is live now and can be reached by visiting?www.itv.com/sport/football/euro/.

Tags: Football Sport Television ITV Euro 2012 Phones Tablets

ITV Digital website offers split screen Euro 2012 experience originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 15:55:00 +0100

According to reports, Apple’s next-generation iPhone will have a screen that measures at least 4-inches as it looks to compete with rival flagship phones.

Apple has been rumoured to be considering increasing its display size since the iPhone 4S arrived with a conservative 3.5-inches, the same dimensions as all previous models.

However, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that the manufacturer has already begun ordering larger screens from its Asian suppliers.

The exact size of these displays is unknown but are said to be “at least 4 inches diagonally”.

With the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S III (4.8-inch), HTC One X (4.7-inches) and the LG Optimus 4X HD (4.7-inches) all sporting larger displays than the iPhone 4S, Apple looks set to rethink its approach.

It’s not just the iPhone’s dimensions that Apple’s said to be examining. Speculation that we could be seeing a 7-inch iPad this October is gathering momentum as the Cupertino company looks to monopolise the tablet market.

Read

Tags: Phones Apple iPhone 5 iPhone 4S Screens Displays

Apple's next iPhone to house bigger screen to compete with rival smartphones originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 15:12:00 +0100

Mobile network coverage site OpenSignalMaps has created a report on the state of Android and its often bemoaned fragmentation by looking at the statistics of the smartphones that have downloaded its app over a six month period. And it seems that, yes, of course there's fragmentation, but to the benefit of choice.

The study looked at 681,900 devices - phones and tablets - logging each one's manufacturer, model, API (version of Android) and screen size, and while there are some obvious findings, there's a few surprises too.

It comes as no shock that the Samsung Galaxy S II is by far the most prolific smartphone. Of the 3,997 distinct devices more copies of the OSM app were downloaded using a GT-I1900 (SGSII) than any other - 61,389 of them in total (9 per cent).

Amusingly, there were a few unique devices too - not including those that showed up as such due to custom ROMs. One Concorde Tab (a Hungarian 10.1 tablet) was listed, as was a solitary Lemon P1 (an Indian dual SIM phone).

Considering the popularity of the Galaxy handsets per se, it also comes as no surprise that Samsung is the manufacturer listed the most (40 per cent). It's followed closely by HTC, Sony (Sony Ericsson) and Motorola. And, as for Android itself, the fact that the most recent version of Gingerbread 2.3.3+ is the OS installed on the majority of devices (55.4 per cent) is a no brainer, especially as plenty of smartphones are still awaiting an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0).

Perhaps the biggest challenge for app developers however, is the hugely variation in screen resolutions. Where the non-rigidity and diversity of screen technologies (3D included) and pixel count are one of the Android market's major selling points, it can be hellish to ensure that a certain application works on a vast majority of devices.

OpenSignalMaps though, with all of the stats in hand, has a simple solution: developers should make sure they test their apps first on Samsung and HTC devices. That way, they can't go far wrong, certainly in appeasing the largest number of owners.

And, without such fragmentation and variety in handset/tablet price points, there'd be less of an opportunity to get an application into the hands of all, young or old, rich or poor. And that can't be bad.

Read

Tags: Android Phones Tablets OpenSignalMaps Samsung HTC

Android fragmentation report suggests app developers should test on Samsung phones first originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 14:09:00 +0100

UK operator Three has again joined forces with Huawei to launch a new value MiFi device, enabling you to get Wi-Fi anywhere you can get a Three phone signal.

Okay caveat first, despite Three informing Pocket-lint that it will be cheaper than the previous Huawei E586 MiFi device, Three has no official pricing yet for the Huawei E5331 Value MiFi.?

What we do know is that the newer “more affordable” MiFi device will be easier to use with a single one-button connection.

It will also sport an LED screen rather than OLED, with Three conceding that the Huawei E5331 will only display basic information such as battery life and signal strength, whereas its predecessor also included the number of devices that was connected, the date and usage.

There’s also no charging dock either. But this is value remember and you’ll still be able to enjoy HSPA+ download speeds of up to 21.1 Mbps and up to 5.76Mbps HSUPA uplink speeds as well as connect up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices.

As well as pricing we’re still in the dark about when the Huawei E5331 Value MiFi will be arriving but it will be available from both Three stores and from Three’s website in the near future.

Tags: Phones MiFi Huawei three Wi-Fi

Three unveils details of cheaper MiFi device for Wi-Fi on the go originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 12:10:00 +0100

You’ll be able to get a much closer look at Somerset House?from today without even needing to set foot in London, thanks to Microsoft and its increasingly popular Bing Maps. Head over to the service on either desktop or mobile and you’ll find a detailed floor by floor and interactive plan of this famous centre for the arts down to the level of cafes, restaurants, studios, rooms, terraces and landmarks, and soon with what events are going on in each of them at the current time.

It didn’t take Pocket-lint too long to work out why the idea of venue maps is not a bad one when we caught up with Kevin Stagg from Bing UK Mobile at the Fernandez & Wells cafe in Somerset House to take us through the details.

"Just walk in there and you’ll find it" is an all too often used phrase when it comes to navigational tips for meeting places. Pocket-lint walked into the central courtyard at Somerset House. We didn’t find it. In fact, it took quite a few minutes of wandering around in yet another unseasonable May. Did Microsoft plan this to prove a point?

“We’ve got a bunch of research where we know that up to 50 per cent of mobile search has some kind of local intent and so is very contextual,” says Stagg, outlining the reason for Bing Mobile’s push on venues as we shake off our dripping coat.

“From a smartphone perspective, there’s a core local piece to it. That’s where we try to push some major attention - to make sure we have a really good local offering, a really good maps offering - so that you can find things, you can understand things and you can get to things. So you’re always getting things done. That’s part of the ethos of Bing. Bing is for doing.”

There are currently about 1,000 venue maps live on Bing with 60 or so relevant to the UK. They’re not rendered in 3D as you might find on some of the more detailed sections of Google Maps but they are more informative. Move your mouse over the different rooms and buildings and you’ll get dedicated information on each which is set to go far deeper than just name and phone number as the service matures, and the point of such a break down of information, as well as locale, is all about planning and discovery.

“We have an audience target and we understand how they’re using it," explains Stagg.

"Venue maps is one of our key elements. You can plan in advance. You can see exactly where you want to enter the building and exactly where you’re going. And, once you’re there, what else can you do?”

The changing events side of the equation is the next step for Bing. To work out exactly where in the Somerset House courtyard your friends are sitting with their picnic to watch the film is one thing, but discovering other exhibitions going on around the building for when you’re done is where Stagg wants the experience to go next.

“We want people to get the most out of the things that they’re currently doing and we want them to find out a little bit more. This is our audience. They want to find new places, they want to find new things, they interact with their smartphones a lot and they want to know what smartphones to get next and what it can do for them. And they want to come to venues like this because there’s the the ice skating in the winter, the films in the summer, fashion, exhibitions and things like that.”

“It becomes an extension of social tools more than anything else, and the more people use Bing Maps, the more that those social extensions become available to them.”

For Somerset House itself, the tie-up with Bing Maps is a no-brainer. The institution is no stranger to advances in technology with a recent exhibition project with augmented reality specialist Aurasma using AR on site as well as having just developed its first iPad app used as a taster for the Pick Me Up graphic art fair recently held at the venue.

“We’re hoping it will bring people in here that normally wouldn’t come in, as well as those that come here all the time,” confirms Visitor Service coordinator at Somerset House, Daniel Roberts.

“It’s taken less than a month from our talks with Bing to come up with the venue map and it’s launching at the same time as our Time for Tai Chi two-month long programme.”

Somerset House is only one of two venue maps listed under Buildings on Bing Maps - the other being the Barbican. The bulk of the other 58 are made up of shopping centres, airports and a handful of football stadia but it’s more of the “historical, trendy venues that are always changing” that seem to be highest on Stagg’s hit list for this next wave.

Bing, of course, has been facing an uphill challenge ever since it decided to take on the dictionary definition of a search engine that is Google, but it’s a challenge that Microsoft seems to be taking on with quite some relish and success to boot. Bing search and maps are baked into the Windows Phone experience and the desktop versions are doing well, but it’s a harder sell for those on other mobile platforms. So, what’s the angle?

“Our search results are not heavy in terms of their UI. We don’t pull lots of graphical assets. It’s very clean, it’s very crisp and we can show all the information instantly because it’s all text based,” convinces Stagg.

“As well as the local results, we also have beautiful homepages with little bits of information you get each day about them. It’s a nice thing to see. We give you something more attractive in the initial experience and we get you to doing things quickly.”

Speed, minimal data use and touch of class are certainly all welcome but while that might wash on iOS with the dedicated Bing app, there’s an awful lot of Android users out there stuck with a browser version of the offering. It’s not bad, but it’s definitely the bottom of the Bing mobile pile, and, as much as Microsoft would like Android users to know that there is an alternative to the out of box Google experience, perhaps, for now, that’s a search too far.

Nonetheless, the venue maps are well worth a look in. Whether it's finding your way to the right turnstile of a football stadium or working out the fastest route to your gate at the airport, Bing is leading the way.

Tags: Phones Software Mapping Software Bing Bing Maps Microsoft Somerset House Features Interviews Aurasma

Somerset House venue map marked on Bing as Microsoft?s mobile search focus goes local originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 11:59:00 +0100

Google’s next version of Android could arrive on as many as five different manufactured smartphones as it changes its approach to launching new operating systems.

In the past Google has tested the water by partnering with one manufacturer to produce the first smartphone on a new Android platform, as part of the Nexus range, before slowly rolling it out on to others.

However, the internet giant hopes to take on Apple by working closely with multiple manufacturers so that it’s in a position to release an array of Android smartphones and tablets from launch.

As well as putting pressure on Apple, it’s also thought the move will appease other manufacturers who had become concerned at Google's potential move to buy Motorola Mobility Holdings – with fears that Motorola would be given preferential treatment in terms of when they received new Android software.?

It’s also thought Google’s new approach will mean the operators would have less of a say at what services run on each device as well as how they are sold.

Google is said to be keen to implement this new approach to Android in time for the next major upgrade, Android 5.0 Jelly Bean, which is expected to roll out before the end of 2012.

Read

Tags: Phones Tablets Google Android Jelly Bean Apple

Google to take on Apple by giving early Android access to other smartphones originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 11:38:00 +0100

Customers who pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S III from the Samsung Brand Store at Westfield Stratford City will be able to pick up the phone a day before the official release date of 30 May.

Pre-orders must be made with the store before 6pm on 29 May and Samsung has stressed that there will be no devices to buy in-store, apart from those being picked up from pre-orders, until the following day.?

However, customers who pre-order the phone from other retailers might also be able to pick up their Galaxy S III early after Samsung said it was giving its retail partners the option to begin fulfilling pre-orders an hour later from 7pm on 29 May.

All other major networks and high street and online retailers will be selling the Samsung Galaxy S III in store from 30 May.

You can read our hands-on look at the Samsung Galaxy S III by clicking here.

Tags: Phones Samsung Galaxy S III Samsung Ice Cream Sandwich

Samsung Galaxy S III available a day early for customers who pre-order from flagship Westfield store originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 09:39:00 +0100

HTC has launched its Desire C, a handset it bills as entry-level, but with a spec list that suggests otherwise - which may suggest why it's been bumped up from the Wildfire C.

For starters, HTC has kitted the Desire C with Ice Cream Sandwich from launch. It’s also fitted with Beats Audio technology, as seen in the manufacturer’s flagship phone the HTC One X. ?

HTC has skinned the Desire C with its own Sense 4.0 UI, which is showcased via the 3.5-inch HVGA display which itself is engulfed by a durable metal frame. There’s a five-megapixel camera with the standard one button sharing to the likes of Facebook, Twitter and other social networks. ?

Consumers who buy the HTC Desire C will also receive up to 25GB of free online storage for two years through Dropbox which should help ease the burden on the 4GB of internal memory and 512MB RAM, though there is a microSD card slot too.

Powering along proceedings is a 600MHz processor, we know, we know, but remember “it’s entry-level” .?

It might not have the same pizzazz as the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S III, LG Optimus 4X HD or even it sibling the HTC One X, but for an entry-level handset, the HTC Desire C has a stack of features to get excited about. ?

The HTC Desire C will be available on all the major networks in black or white, with operators having the option of stocking an NFC or non-NFC enabled version of the phone. ?

Orange has told Pocket-lint that it will have the phone from June, offering the handset for ?169.99 to PAYG customers and for free from ?20.50 a month on a 24-month contract. ?

T-Mobile has also announced their pricing details, saying it will be selling the phone, again from June, on PAYG for ?169.99 with a ?10 top up and for free on a range of 24-month contracts, starting at ?15.50 a month.

Tags: Phones HTC HTC Desire C T-Mobile Orange Ice Cream Sandwich

HTC Desire C: Ice Cream Sandwich on a budget originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 15 May 2012 14:10:00 +0100

LG will begin rolling out its 2012 Android Ice Cream Sandwich flagship phone, the LG Optimus 4X HD, throughout Europe (including the UK) from June. ?

The phone, LG’s first Quad-Core smartphone, was officially unveiled at Mobile World Congress in February and after months of behind-the-scenes tweaking it’s finally ready for shipping. ?

With Samsung unveiling its own quad-core smartphone in the form of the Galaxy S III, LG is hoping the Optimus 4X HD’s NVIDIA 4-PLUS-1 Quad-Core processor, the Tegra 3, will be able to compete in terms of speed, power and the ability to run multiple applications and features simultaneously. ?

Tegra 3 will run on all four cores, until the phone reverts to standby, when it will power down to battery-saving mode. ?

LG has already begun talking about a future upgrade - ?called Eco-Mode - that will enable users to ?shut down any of the Tegra 3’s cores manually, thus giving some more oomph for the remaining open cores. While this is an attractive idea in theory, we’d like to think the quad-core processor would be able to handle our needs without reverting to this. ?

The high-definition display is big, 4.7-inches big in fact, which bodes well for the nifty multimedia features LG has bundled into the Optimus 4X HD. ?

"Live Zooming" enables users to zoom in and out of a video, using the pinch-and-pull method, while it is playing and "Thumbnail List Play allows you to scroll through thumbnails of your videos while playing another video in full screen. ?

Specific video frames can be selected by touching the progress bar, while clips can also be played in all manner of playback speeds. ?

The camera itself has an 8-megapixel sensor that will take shots both before and after you’ve completely pressed or let go the shutter button, providing a choice of what snaps you keep. ?

LG has also kitted the Optimus 4X HD with a Mobile High Definition Link and DLNA allowing you to play any content you have stored on the phone to a TV or other compatible home entertainment system. ?

LG is remaining tight-lipped on both pricing and which operators will be taking the phone, but Pocket-lint will be sure to keep you posted when we hear anything.

You can read our hands-on and see more photos of the LG Optimus 4X HD by clicking here.

Tags: Phones LG LG Optimus 4X HD Ice Cream Sandwich

LG Optimus 4X HD set for June arrival originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 15 May 2012 11:49:00 +0100

Samsung’s official Galaxy S III advert has been unveiled, as the mobile world prepares for the phone’s arrival on 30 May.

The 60-second commercial - which is sure to appear on every advert break for the foreseeable future -concentrates more on what kind of person will use the phone, rather than the specs themselves.

Indeed, there’s no mention of the phone running on Android Ice Cream Sandwich, of it’s 8-megapixel camera or even its powerful 1.4GHz Exynos 4 Quad processor.

Nope, instead we get two star-crossed lovers separated by a pane of glass, a wedding shot and a string quartet before finishing with the slightly sinister text “waits till you’re asleep” .

While we’re not the biggest fans of the advert (can you tell?) there have been enough column inches donated to the handset to ensure there’s a big enough buzz surrounding its arrival and once people get the simply stunning device in their hands it’s sure to take off.?

You can read about just how great we think the phone is by clicking on our hands-on here. Or check out the advert for yourselves below.

Tags: Phones Samsung Galaxy S III Ice Cream Sandwich Android Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S III official TV advert debuts originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 14 May 2012 16:50:00 +0100

Virgin Atlantic passengers will soon be able to use their mobile phones while flying with the airline, thanks to its new Aeromobile initiative.

Rather than use the onboard satellite phones that tend to put a serious dent in your credit card, passengers will be able to use their own mobiles for around the same price as it costs to roam abroad.?

Initially being trialled on Virgin Atlantic's Airbus A330s, mobiles will automatically connect to the aircraft's own network, which ensures there’s no interference to its onboard electronics.?

Passengers will need to activate international roaming on their handsets and the device must be switched off for takeoff and landing. As well as making calls and texts, BlackBerry users will be able to receive emails for little extra charge, though the airline recommends other smartphone users turn data roaming off so as to avoid racking up the pounds.

Virgin Atlantic is adamant that there’s no risk to the aircraft – though we’d like to think that goes without saying – and hopes to have Aeromobile in place on 13 aircraft by the end of 2012.

Virgin Atlantic recently showed off its new Upper Class Suite with its virtual reality Planeview tour.

Tags: Phones Virgin Atlantic Roaming Data roaming

Virgin Atlantic to allow mobiles to be used in flight originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 14 May 2012 15:28:00 +0100

T-Mobile has finally announced its pricing for the Samsung Galaxy S III before it arrives on 30 May.

The operator is the last of the main UK networks to reveal its price plans and unlike its competitors the phone won’t actually be available free on contract.?

Available on a 24-month Full Monty plan at ?36 a month, T-Mobile customers will also need to shell out ?49.99 for the handset itself.

The Full Monty tariff includes unlimited data, texts and calls to other T-Mobile customers, as well as 2,000 minutes every month to any other networks.?

Vodafone claims to be offering the Samsung Galaxy S III on a 29 May, a day before its official release on 30 May, while O2, Three and Orange have also confirmed their pricing of the much anticipated Ice Cream Sandwich handset.?

Customers can register their interest at T-Mobile’s website allowing the operator to keep them up to speed with pre-orders and availability.

Pocket-lint managed to get some extensive hands-on coverage with the Samsung Galaxy S III prior to launch. You can read our take by clicking here.

UPDATE - T-Mobile has now begun taking pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S III by visiting www.t-mobile.co.uk/galaxysiii

Tags: Phones Samsung Galaxy S III T-Mobile Android Ice Cream Sandwich

T-Mobile reveals Samsung Galaxy S III pricing originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 14 May 2012 13:00:00 +0100

Samsung has teamed with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and British Olympic gold medallist Victoria Pendleton to launch an application for Android, iPhone and Samsung Wave handsets that donates ?1 to a host of charities every time you run, walk or cycle a mile.

The Samsung Hope Relay app is free to download and uses the GPS in a smartphone to register how far you have travelled, posting the figure on Facebook or another social network (if required). Samsung, as a worldwide partner of the London 2012 Olympics, is then committed to adding ?1 to a pool of money that will be distributed among the?London-based Kids Company, London 2012's international sports legacy programme, International Inspiration and an IOC-designated charity.

This, as Pocket-lint was told by UK managing director of Samsung, Andy Griffiths, could raise up to $1 million. "We're hoping to raise a million," he said.

Ambassador for the Samsung Hope Relay, Oliver told us that the initiative is a way of getting everybody around the UK involved in the Olympics. "It's really important to get people to take part in the Olympic Games in some way," Oliver said.

The application allows you to create an avatar of yourself - using a photo of your face stuck on top of a runner's body. This figure will then appear in any social networking communications and could even, if you opt in, appear on the side of the Olympic Torch Relay coach or on Samsung advertising billboards.

You can also form a team of runners who can gee each other on, and can record messages of encouragement. There are also portals in the application to find out more about Samsung's other initiatives for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

There are some rules to using the app. For starters, you can't go more than 25 miles per hour or the mile will not count, so don't try using it on a car journey. Also, there is a limit to how many miles you can register per run - 26, according to Griffiths.

The Samsung Hope Relay application is available on Google Play (for Android) and Samsung Apps (for the Wave, Wave II and Wave 3) now. It will be available on iOS later today. You have until 12 August to register your miles. It will be released on a wider, more global scale - 18 countries in total - in the coming weeks.

Tags: Samsung Phones Apps Charity London 2012 Olympics Samsung Hope Relay

Jamie Oliver and Victoria Pendleton on hand to launch Samsung Hope Relay app for Android and iPhone originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 14 May 2012 12:25:00 +0100

The Nokia Lumia 900 is the new flagship in Nokia's range and, some would say, the flagship of all Windows Phone 7 phones. But can it live up to this mighty accolade?

More importantly, does it have what it takes to challenge the likes of the iPhone 4S, the Samsung Galaxy S III and the HTC One X? We've been living with the new Nokia to find out.

Design

To say the Lumia 900 is identical to the Lumia 800 in design would be a disservice to both. While they are clearly from the same family, there are noticeable differences aside from the Lumia 900 simply being bigger.?The Lumia design is different from the norm, is eye-catching, and people will spot that and comment, so be prepared.

Made from black, cyan, white, and possibly magenta coloured polycarbonate, like the Lumia 800 and the HTC One X, the design is seamless with it a clean curved look void of screws or panels. The phone features a matte finish rather than a soft sheen, and that makes the 900 feel very different in the hand from anything else on the market (excluding the back of the HTC One X).

The design itself is punctured only by the perforated speaker grill at the bottom of the handset and the array of buttons and sockets on the side and top of the phone that let you control the device.

The side, like the Lumia 800, features silver volume and power buttons, as well as a dedicated shutter button for the camera. On the top you have a 3.5mm headphones socket, an open Micro-USB socket for charging and a micro SIM tray, which is accessed in a similar way to the iPhone. You don't have to worry about lifting a flap to charge the phone as you did with the Lumia 800. Phew.

Being picky we would still have preferred the now open micro USB socket to be on the bottom and the speaker grill to be on the top so as to offer docking options and the chance to use the speaker when the phone is standing up. It's not the end of the world though, as we rarely use a docking station with the office iPhone either, opting for streaming services instead.?The back features the camera and dual LED flash.

The 4.3-inch AMOLED screen dominates the front and sits behind Gorilla Glass (flat not curved) that is the same size as the hugely popular Samsung Galaxy S II. That makes it perfect for reading a book via the Amazon Kindle app or watching a movie or TV show via Netflix. Around the screen is a 1-megapixel front-facing camera and the three standard Windows Phone 7 buttons along the bottom.

Surprisingly there is a lot of space around the screen, making the phone perhaps larger than is has to be. For the record Nokia's dimensions are 127.8 x 58.5 x 11.5mm.

The sheer size of the Nokia 900 means that while it will still fit comfortably in the pocket of your jeans, you may, as we have found, have to move it around from time to time so it sits comfortably.

Day-to-day performance

Beauty is one thing, but without a decent bit of tech inside, it's as unfulfilling as dating a shop mannequin. Thankfully Nokia has packed the Lumia 900 with enough kit for you to enjoy the experience.

A 1.4GHz Qualcomm processor gets the ball rolling and means that it's no slouch when it comes to running apps. The phone is fast, and while the HTC Titan and newer HTC Titan II pips it to the post, you aren’t going to notice it in day-to-day running.

Don't worry that the phone doesn't have "quad-core" written all over the spec sheet - the Lumia 900 is fast enough to do all the tasks we asked of it from playing games, to streaming movies from Netflix, or composing an email. The only thing that will slow you down is a lack of a decent internet connection.

Scrolling of your app list whizzes, all of the interactive live tiles - which give you up-to-date info via the home screen - buzz and as we've said before about Windows Phone 7 it's so quick and simple some may find it a little dull. There really isn't the need to press menu buttons every two minutes.

Like the Lumia 800, the phone comes with 16GB of storage space for apps, music, video, and photos and isn’t expandable via microSD, something that is a limitation of Windows Phone. Even so, that should be plenty unless you are a real music or movie hound and with the addition of extra storage on SkyDrive or Dropbox (Box Files for Dropbox is a good app for this) expanding beyond the storage space of the phone is easy. Music-wise you get Nokia's streaming music app called Nokia Music, which is free, or if you are happy to pay WE7 and Spotify both offer dedicated WP7 apps.

Connectivity-wise you get all the usual offerings: there's Bluetooth for pairing speakers or a headset, Wi-Fi for surfing the web, and 21Mbps HSDPA if you are lucky enough to find a signal where you are.

Battery

Good news. It is big, it is powerful, and it has lasted a lot longer than we expected. In our tests we've happily run the phone for a good 15 hours of average daily use before the battery saver feature of Windows Phone 7 kicks in. That means from 7am when we got up right through to way past midnight, more than enough for most people.

In our tests we used the phone as we would do normally, including using it for GPS (on a run for 30 minutes), checking notifications, receiving mail, watching Netflix, playing games, using Spotify, making phone calls, taking pictures and everything else you would expect. Not once in our use have we got to the early part of the evening and needed to panic about charging - we can't say the same about the Lumia 800. It really is a big leap forward for Nokia and one that means you'll still be able to make calls on the way home after a night out at the pub.

Nokia apps

While Nokia works with Microsoft on Windows Phone 8 it has worked to create a number of apps that not only add to the experience, but try to convince you that you want a Nokia Windows Phone 7 phone rather than one from HTC or Samsung.

That means you get access to an ever-expanding list of apps that really add to the experience rather than just being about converting imperial to metric.

At the time of writing Nokia Lumia 900 owners will get a number of apps:?Nokia Drive, a very good turn by turn navigation app; Nokia Music, a fantastic free streaming music service that lets you create radio stations or play curated music around certain themes; Nokia Transport, an app that lets you check transport routes and times around the UK and the rest of the world; Nokia Maps, a quicker and easier alternative to WP7's own mapping software; Creative Studio, an app that adds panorama, burst shooting and creative effects to the camera; CNN, a way of checking the latest news from the international news service; ESPN, for the latest sports news; Tango for video calling; and a few others like a Sesame Street app for kids and Nokia's own take on finding the best Apps on offer. Nokia also offers an Augmented Reality app that lets you find stuff around you.

Considering all this is included at no extra cost, and they aren't just limited time trials, it is very impressive.

Nokia has also added tethering to the Nokia Lumia 900 allowing you to share your internet connection with five other devices. The phone lets you do it automatically and you won't have to contact your operator to turn it on. Turning it on and off is very easy.

Windows Phone 7

If you haven't used Windows Phone 7?before, it's a bit of a Marmite experience. What we mean by that is that it is incredibly easy to use, and for some perhaps a little too easy.?The operating system, as we've discussed on Pocket-lint many times before, juggles and jostles for your attention. It isn't a grid of apps waiting to be pressed, but a living, breathing phone, waiting to interact with you.

Those who like the endless possibilities that Android offers probably won't like the more restrictive nature, and might mean that the OS comes across as rather boring. Aside from changing the colour scheme, there is little in the way of personalisation. You can read all about Windows Phone 7 Mango in our review.

Camera and photography

Like the Lumia 800, the Lumia 900 features a Carl Zeiss 8-megapixel f/2.2 camera and dual LED flash.

There's a dedicated camera button on the top of the device and you get a more camera-like feel than you do with something like the iPhone. That feeling is compounded by a half press to make the camera focus, before you snap the final picture.

Our test shots were on the whole good, but we still got mixed results. Basically the more light you have the better the shots. Inside and the flash can be overbearing if your subject is too close, and without the flash the pictures can be noisy. Get the right lighting and the results are very good indeed.

The experience is pretty much the same as the Nokia Lumia 800 and consistent with the HTC Titan II (a 16-megapixel WP7 camera phone) we've recently reviewed suggesting this could be an OS problem rather than one isolated to Nokia handsets. Let's hope further updates to the OS improve it.

If that sounds downbeat is shouldn't be. The Lumia 900 can take great photos, just don't expect to produce perfect results every time.

On the video front you get 720p resolution at 30fps. The video performance is good, although not hitting the high resolution you'll find on other smartphones, if that bothers you.?The front-facing camera is good enough for video conferencing either via Tango or Skype.

Verdict:

So, should you get the Nokia Lumia 900? We are torn between this and the Lumia 800, enjoying both phones as much as each other.

The Lumia 900 delivers a bigger screen, a front-facing camera, faster surfing speeds, internet tethering, a much better battery, and a easier to charge device than the 800. However all those extras come at the cost of a much bigger device that won't be for everyone. Like the Samsung Galaxy S III, Sony Xperia S, and HTC One X, the Lumia 900 is a big phone and that is likely to put some off.

If you fancy the idea of a bigger screen this is the better of the two. It's more brash than the Lumia 800, but the experience is good. The screen's resolution is stretched to its limit at this size, but that's not enough to push it over the edge as in the Titan series from HTC.

We aren't going to witter on about the merits of Windows Phone 7 over and over again. You either like the OS or you don't.

Nokia has done the best it can to make the most of Windows Phone 7, for us making this a viable alternative to Android and the iPhone. The app scene is still lacking though. It is getting better, but if that's your main want, WP7 still won't deliver as much as the other two main platforms. For us, the success with WP7 is with contacts, the interactive tiles, and how easy everything is to use. The apps will come in time.

We like it, but we know many won't.?

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Nokia Nokia Lumia 900 Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phone 7

Nokia Lumia 900 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 11 May 2012 18:37:00 +0100

Ask Apple’s speech-recognition software Sir ?what the best smartphone ever is, and the answer would surely be its own champion handset the iPhone 4S, right??

Wrong! According to Siri the answer is the Nokia Lumia 900,?at the time of writing at least. Go on, try it for yourselves.

Siri’s answers are actually based on results from search engine Wolfram Alpha, which itself takes information from user reviews.

With the Nokia Lumia 900 recently having been launched, it’s perhaps understandable it has so many hits.

That said, we’re sure the folks at Apple won’t be best pleased to hear it’s software is advising people to look elsewhere.

The Nokia Lumia 900 was launched with a huge lightshow in New York’s Times Square in April.?

A white version of the Windows Phone is actually already in stock UK branches of Phones 4u, though its arrival has been far more low-key after some confusion to the official on-sale date.

UPDATE - And just like that Apple appears to have had stern words with Siri who now answers the same question with the much more dutiful answer "The one you're holding". Well it was fun while it lasted.

Read

Tags: Phones iPhone Siri Nokia Lumia 900 Apple iPhone 4S

Nokia Lumia 900 is the "best smartphone ever" according to... Siri originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 11 May 2012 18:07:00 +0100

An iPhone accessory that enables you to capture both 360-degree stills and video before sharing them online will soon be available.

Pocket-lint saw the BubbleScope camera accessory in person at the Digital Summer event in London and - after years in the making - it's arrival in July was confirmed by?BubblePix,?the company behind the kit

We say years in the making, as way back in July 2011, BubbleScope creator Tom Lawton spoke in depth about the technology used in the accessory. Then it was simply a device that could capture 360-degree photographs, but Pocket-lint can now confirm that the gadget will also be capable of recording video too.

The BubbleScope accessory is small enough to fit in your pocket and, rather than clip on to the case (included with the camera lens) that encompasses your iPhone, it screws on giving it a tighter grip – particularly useful should you be filming while in a moving vehicle, for example..

The lens itself rises out of the tube-like container before being stowed away once you’ve finished snapping, which should help avoid any accidental scratches to the lens while in your pocket or bag.

The device can be turned to any position, which not only enables you to capture snaps at any angle, but also doubles as a useful desk stand.

Because of the poor lighting in the showroom, it was difficult to get a true feel for how well the BubbleScope captured imagery, but we were treated to a sample shot taken outside earlier which looked great, albeit a tad unusual.

To capture your 360-degree stills and video you only have to press the camera key once, but just be wary of how you’re holding the phone to avoid a sudden close-up of your face.

Once you’re happy with your snaps (or “Bubbles” as they’re known) you can share them online via bubblepix.com (you need to download the free BubblePix app) to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram et al.

Though the BubbleScope accessory will initially be compatible only with the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, BubblePix says it is working on other leading smartphones and platforms.

The BubblePix app is available now free from the Apple App Store (it will be updated once the device lands) while BubbleScope itself will be available for ?69.99 from the BubbleScope website as well as other major retailers from July.

Tags: Phones iPhone 4 iPhone 4S iPhone accessories Cameras Bubblescope

Hands-on: BubbleScope 360-degree iPhone camera accessory originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 11 May 2012 17:21:00 +0100

O2 will be the exclusive vendor for both the Huawei Ascend Y 100 and the Huawei G7105, as the manufacturer again caters for an entry-level audience.

While not of the same calibre as the excellent Huawei Ascend G300, the Ascend Y 100 is again an Android-powered smartphone running on Gingerbread 2.3. The handset sports a 2.8-inch touchscreen and there are both HSDPA and Wi-Fi for efficient browsing of the web.

Kitted out with a 2-megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom, Huawei was keen to accentuate the Ascend Y 100’s ability to shoot video at 30 frames per second, twice the speed of other phones at this price point, apparently.?

Talking of which, the Huawei Ascend Y 100 will be available from 1 June for ?79.99 on PAYG or free with a ?10 per month contract. Anyone who buys the phone before 31 August will also received a voucher for a free interchangeable back cover. This cover can either be designed by themselves or chosen from one of the ready-made designs.

The Huawei G 7105 as a back-to-basics feature phone offers very little in terms of functionality. Its focal point is the 2.8-inch LCD touchscreen while the camera is a simple 1.3-megapixel snapper with 4x digital zoom.

Though there’s no Wi-Fi connectivity, Opera Mini, which compresses websites for faster loading speeds, is on board, so hopefully you won't be twiddling your thumbs for too long.?

In terms of battery life and we’re looking at 600 hours standby and 300 minutes talktime.?

Available now in white for ?39.99, a pink variant will also soon be available through selected O2 stores.

Although Huawei has predominantly focused on the lower-end of the mobile market, it will be launching its flagship device, the Huawei Ascned D quad later this year, which the manufacturer is calling the "world's fastest smartphone".

Tags: Phones Huawei Huawei Ascend Y 100 Huawei G 7105 Android 2.3 Gingerbread O2

Huawei launches the Ascend Y 100 and the G 7105 exclusively with O2 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 11 May 2012 15:18:00 +0100

Always ready to embrace technology in order to improve customer experience, UK restaurant chain PizzaExpress has added a Virtual Chef's Table service to accompany two new pizzas.

The dishes have been created by celebrity chef Valentine Warner so, after ordering them, customers are invited to scan dedicated QR codes with their smartphones in order to view a video of Warner?creating the pizzas and talking them through their recipes.

Both the Puttanesca and Fennel & Salami pizzas have now been added to the menu at ?10.75 and ?11.75 respectively, and the QR code experience is a free and fun way to add an interactive technology element to the proceedings. It's something that TV cook Warner is particularly excited about as one of his first jobs was at PizzaExpress.

"I’ve been going to PizzaExpress all my life and even worked there as a waiter during my student days," he said. "I’m really proud of the two pizzas we’ve created and am excited to see them on the menu of my favourite pizza place."

The QR codes will work with any smartphone, Android, iPhone, etc, as long as you have a QR Code reading application.

Tags: Phones Tablets Restaurants PizzaExpress QR codes

PizzaExpress adds Virtual Chef's Table experience to restaurants originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 11 May 2012 10:12:00 +0100

Vodafone says it has "priority" on the Samsung Galaxy S III, offering UK customers the handset a day early on 29 May.?

"Samsung have said 30 May, but we've been told we can have it on the 29 of May," a Vodafone salesman told Pocket-lint over the phone. "You'll be the first to have it."

Samsung announced a Korean launch date of 29 May when the device was unveiled at Earl's Court, London, during the global press event. This was followed by confirmation of a 30 May availability date for the UK.

In our call with Vodafone, the salesman confirmed that it had priority and was starting a "priority list", looking to get eager customers signed up for the new Android superphone and promising to have it a day early.

Vodafone will be offering both the blue and white versions in 16GB and 32GB options.

Vodafone has also confirmed its Samsung Galaxy S III prices with the launch of its pre-order page. You'll be able to get the phone free from ?41 on a 2-year contract, giving you 900mins of talk, unlimited text and 2GB of data.

There is a full range of price plans available and the pre-order page lets you click through them easily so you can see what you'd get on 12, 18 or 24-month contracts.

If you're on Vodafone, it's worth checking out the prices and if you registered for information at launch, you might just get a call offering you the phone a day early.

Until then, make sure you check out our Samsung Galaxy S III hands-on?for all the details.

UPDATE: Following our sales call, Vodafone has been in touch with the following statement:?

"We have no priority access to Samsung Galaxy SIII stock ahead of launch and we're expecting to deliver pre-ordered devices on the 30 May, Samsung's official launch date for the UK, not before."

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Samsung Samsung Galaxy S III Vodafone

Vodafone UK telesales offering Samsung Galaxy S III on 29 May originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 10 May 2012 20:11:00 +0100

Samsung Galaxy Note users can now enjoy the wonders of Android’s 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system as an over-the-air update is rolled out. In Germany, at least.

There have been reports from our friends in Europe that the ICS roll-out has started to hit Europe, but contrary to other reports on the 'net, Pocket-lint has found that it's not yet in the UK, with our own SIM-free Galaxy Note still awaiting the update.

Hopefully, it won't be too long, because the Ice Cream Sandwich update also brings several new apps to the device with Samsung’s Premium Suite.

There are improvements to many of the Note's core applications but our favourite feature is the ability to access more information on a certain subject, just by jotting the name of subject into the app. For example, write the word "Samsung" and you'll be able to access all manner of information on the Korean manufacturer.

S Memo has also been upgraded to enable you to record your ideas direct from the homescreen, while My Story lets you to design your own eCards and letters before sending them direct from your Galaxy Note.

The update also tweaks the Galaxy Note’s UI, though the majority of which is hidden under Samsung’s own TouchWiz interface.

The Ice Cream Sandwich update is available now over-the-air and via Kies in Germany. We'll update you when the, erm, update news is, ahem, updated.

Read

Tags: Samsung Galaxy Note Samsung Ice Cream Sandwich Phones Android

Samsung Galaxy Note Ice Cream Sandwich starts a-rolling - still no sign in UK though originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 10 May 2012 12:05:00 +0100

The BlackBerry Curve 9320 is the new baby of the BB Curve family, effectively replacing the popular 9300, or BlackBerry Curve 3G as it was otherwise known.

The new model is designed to appeal to those looking to make their first foray into the world of smartphones, pitched as an ideal set-up handset for those 30 per cent of users still rocking a feature phone.

The design sticks to BlackBerry's tried and tested approach and, from the outside, you might not notice that this is a new model, fusing the style of the 9300 and the 8520.

There is, however, a new additional hot key on the left-hand side of the Curve 9320, labelled BBM and the headphone jack is now on the top, much more conveniently placed than the pocket-unfriendly side connection of older devices.

The buttons have changed across the waistband, so rather than the flat finish, the Curve 9320 has more pronounced keys, which we think are better for fast thumb navigation, accessing menus, copy and pasting and so on.

You'll be using these keys more than BB handsets higher-up the range too, because this model doesn't feature a touchscreen.

Running BB OS 7.1, the phone now features a mobile hotspot, so you'll be able to connect up to five devices to share your mobile connection, ideal for those wanting to work or play on the move.

In the hand, the BlackBerry Curve 9320 doesn't make a huge departure from previous devices at the entry point. The glossy plastic back cover quickly becomes smeared with fingerprints and the keyboard surround also gets a little greasy, as evidenced in our hands-on photos.

However, with the Qwerty keyboard sticking to BlackBerry's tried and tested formula, you can't go far wrong. Sure, we prefer the larger Bold keyboard, but if you've ever used a BlackBerry Curve in the past, you'll be bashing out messages with wanton abandon in no time at all.

The handset itself measures 109 x 60 x 12.7mm and weighs 103g, so it is nice and compact. Slip off the back cover and you'll find a huge battery, promising 30 hours of music playback or 18 days of GSM standby. This isn't uncommon for a BB, a definite strength over large touchscreen superphones of the Apple or Android variety.

The display resolution is pretty low at 320 x 240 and that's reflected in the quality of the displayed information, but it's nice and colourful. It measures 2.44-inches on the diagonal. Around the back you'll find a 3.2-megapixel camera with flash.

There is only 512MB of internal memory, so you'll want to take advantage of the microSD card slot, also hidden under the back cover and accepting cards up to 32GB.

You also get Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and an FM radio, the only real notable exception is NFC, which appears on higher-spec models.

Stay tuned for our BlackBerry Curve 9320 review which will be along shortly. In the meantime, why not check out the network price plans that have been announced, so you can see just how affordable this BlackBerry is going to be.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones BlackBerry RIM BlackBerry Curve 9320 Photos

BlackBerry Curve 9320 pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 09 May 2012 16:37:00 +0100

The Samsung Galaxy S III?is due in the shops on 30 May, but where is the best place to buy it, who has the best deals, and what's the best way to get hold of what many believe will be the Android phone to have this year?

Here is where you can get it in the UK.?

Phones 4u

Available for Pre-order right now, Phones 4u is promising that all pre-order customers will receive an exclusive "premium accessory bundle" courtesy of Phones 4u and Samsung, worth more than ?50. Phones 4u won't currently say what that bundle consists of, but we suspect it will be cases and accessories for your shiny new phone. The phone will be available free on contract from ?36 a month on various networks.

www.phones4u.co.uk/samsung/galaxy-s3/

Carphone Warehouse

As at Phones 4u, you'll be able to buy the handset on Vodafone, Orange, O2, T-Mobile and Three from Carphone Warehouse for free on a selection of tariffs from ?36 per month.

The first 1,000 customers to place pay-monthly pre-orders online and on the phone (via the Carphone Warehouse call centre) will receive a FREE 10” Samsung Galaxy Tab (worth at least ?399), InvisibleSHIELD screen protector (RRP ?14.99) and in-car micro USB charger (RRP ?14.99) – a combined value of ?428.98.

All other customers who pre-order a device will receive a free Sandisk 32GB micro SD memory card (RRP normally ?29.99), Invisishield Screen Protector (RRP ?14.99) and in-car micro USB charger (RRP 14.99) –a combined value of ?59.97.

The addition of the Sandisk memory card will bring the combined memory capacity of the device to a massive 48GB, making it unlikely that even the most active users will be short on space to store their videos, pictures, music and favourite apps.

Sadly Carphone Warehouse pre-orders are available on new subscriptions only and not on upgrades.

www.carphonewarehouse.com/NEW-SAMSUNG-GALAXY

Clove

If you don't want to buy the SGS3 with a contract you can get it from Clove. It is selling the?Samsung Galaxy S III 16GB model for ?549.99 including VAT.

The first stock is due to be here on May 30th. At the moment the online retailer isn't stocking the 32GB or 64GB models.?

www.clove.co.uk/samsung-galaxy-s3-blue

Expansys

Expansys hasn't set a price for the Samsung Galaxy S III as yet, however will be stocking the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions in both white and blue.?

http://www.expansys.com/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-64gb-white-232320/

Play.com

Play.com is offering the 16GB Samsung Galaxy S III for ?499.99 with free delivery from the 29 May a day ahead of everyone else but doesn't seem to be stocking the white version or the bigger storage options of 32GB or 64GB models

www.play.com

Vodafone

The Samsung Galaxy S III is joining Vodafone’s Data Test Drive line up?when it launches in the UK at the end of May.

Vodafone will be stocking both the metallic blue and ceramic white finish and, for the first month, Vodafone will be the only network to offer both the 16GB and 32GB versions for those who want a bigger storage capacity.

The cheapest Vodafone price plan to get the phone for nothing gives you 1200 minutes, 3000 texts, and 500MB of data for ?36 a month for 24 months. If you like texting and surfing the web you can opt for just 600 minutes of calls with unlimited texts and 1GB of data a month.

www.vodafone.co.uk/nextgalaxy

Three

The Galaxy S3 will be?available on The One Plan with all-you-can-eat?data at ?34 per month on Three and with?no upfront cost.

In addition, everyone that?pre-orders the Samsung Galaxy?S III with Three before the 30th May will?be automatically entered into a?daily draw to win one of 26 brand new?Samsung Smart TVs.

Customers can?pre-order a Samsung Galaxy SIII by calling 0800 358 1799, by visiting their local 3Store or at the website.

http://three.co.uk/SamsungGalaxy

Orange

Orange UK will also be ranging the new Samsung Galaxy S III. It's free on the Orange Panther or Dolphin plans for ?36 a month for 24 months. For Dolphin users they will get 900 minutes, 3000 texts, and 250MB of data a month, while Panther users will get 600 minutes, 3000 texts and 1GB of data.

Customers can register their interest in getting a Samsung Galaxy SIII on Orange by clicking here.

UPDATE - Customers can now also pre-order the phone in Orange stores before picking it up on 30 May.

www.orange.co.uk/

O2

To get the SGS3 on O2 you'll have to spend ?41 a month and sign a 24-month contract. For that you'll get 600 minutes, unlimited text messages and 1GB of data a month. You will also get access to O2's wireless hotspots that include places like Costa coffee. To sign up to know when you can pre-order you have to text SAMSUNG to 2020.

www.o2.co.uk

T-Mobile

The Everything Everywhere operator will also be stocking the Samsung Galaxy S III however has as yet to detail pricing.

www.t-mobile.co.uk

Virgin Media

The Samsung Galaxy S III is also coming to Virgin Media this summer. Pricing and full tariff details are yet to be announced, but the company tells us that its normal exclusive discounts apply. In real money, that equates to??5 less on their monthly tariff, double the texts, double the data and 3,000 minutes to other Virgin Mobiles. Virgin Media landline customers can also enjoy free calls to Virgin Mobiles within their inclusive Talk Plan.

www.virginmedia.com

Tags: Phones Samsung Samsung Galaxy S III Android Vodafone T-Mobile Orange O2 three Phones 4u Carphone Warehouse

Samsung Galaxy S3: The best deals from O2, Vodafone, Three, Orange, T-Mobile and retailers originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 09 May 2012 11:10:00 +0100

Sony Mobile Communications has announced two new smartphones for Japan, the first to carry just the Sony branding. The Sony Xperia GX and Xperia SX handsets are both LTE enabled, come with dual core 1.5GHz processors, Reality Displays powered by the Sony Bravia engine, and the Sony Exmor R sensor for picture taking and Full HD video recording.

The Xperia GX, however, is the flagship of the two. Not only can it plug into a TV through HDMI or stream high definition content via DLNA, but it also features a 4.6-inch touchscreen, 13-megapixel camera, Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and 16GB of internal flash storage.

The Xperia SX has a 3.7-inch screen and an 8-megapixel camera, while its standard internal storage is half of its stablemate, at 8GB.

Both phones will come with three new media applications - Walkman, Album and Movies - and be available in either black or white. They'll hit the Japanese market in "summer 2012" (soon then), but there's no indication if they, or similarly styled and specified handsets will make it to the UK.

We'd definitely like to see the Xperia GX come over here though (in HSPA+ form). On paper, it could well go head-to-head with the Samsung Galaxy S III and HTC One X.

Tags: Sony Phones Sony Xperia GX Sony Xperia SX

Sony Xperia GX and Xperia SX announced for Japan, could take on Samsung and HTC over here? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 09 May 2012 10:13:00 +0100

BlackBerry maker RIM and satnav firm TomTom have partnered in order to bring real-time traffic services to the phone company's own range of applications. BlackBerry Traffic will now be powered by TomTom HD Traffic, while the BlackBerry Maps and BlackBerry Locate apps will also benefit from the deal.

HD Traffic works out the best and fastest routes to a given destination, taking into account live congestion reports and accident information. Its integration into BlackBerry-branded software allows the phone manufacturer to stay one step ahead of Google, which is believed to be working on a live traffic service of its own.

Third-party developers will also be able to access the map and traffic information to integrated into their own BlackBerry apps.

"We're thrilled to work with TomTom to leverage their industry-leading traffic and travel content for BlackBerry Traffic and BlackBerry Maps, and to enable access to those capabilities for BlackBerry developers as well,"?said Martyn Mallick, vice-president, Global Alliances and Business Development at Research In Motion.

Tags: RIM Phones TomTom BlackBerry

RIM and TomTom chum up for BlackBerry apps originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 09 May 2012 09:31:00 +0100

After much speculation, it has been confirmed by sponsors Samsung and Visa that the Samsung Galaxy S III will be the official mobile phone of the London 2012 Olympic Games. However, you won't be able to buy one of the limited-edition showcase handsets, they are strictly for sponsored athletes and selected trialists.

Because of its NFC contactless payment capabilities, Visa Europe will be installing a version of its Visa payWave application on the special devices, allowing those who manage to get their hands on one to pay for merchandise, food and drink within the Olympic Village and plenty of other retail locations around London.

The app works as a digital wallet, with the user being able to pay for items by simply waving it over contactless payment terminals, of which there are expected to be 140,000 in operation around the UK by the start of the Games. Payments of more than ?20, however, will need to be verified with a passcode for security reasons.

"Mobile payment services enabled by NFC technology are gaining momentum around the world," said DJ Lee, executive vice-president and head of the sales and marketing team of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business.

"The Samsung Galaxy S III has been created with our human needs and capabilities in mind and is the ideal device to showcase the ease and convenience of Visa’s mobile payment application at the London 2012 Olympic Games."

Sandra Alzetta, senior vice-president of mobile at Visa Europe, added:?"The future is mobile and cash usage will only continue to decline as people use their mobile devices to manage their money, shop and pay.

"This summer our partnership with Samsung will showcase all the advantages of the future of payments: security, convenience, speed and flexibility being forefront among them."

The official Olympic Games version of the Samsung Galaxy S III is supported and enabled by London 2012 Games partner Lloyds TSB in the UK.

What value will one be on eBay when the Games are over?

Tags: Phones Samsung Samsung Galaxy S III London 2012 Olympics

Samsung Galaxy S III confirmed as official London 2012 Olympics phone originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 09 May 2012 08:00:00 +0100

Research In Motion has revealed the BlackBerry Curve 9320 - a new device it claims is a "stylish new smartphone for the socially connected".

The new handset, which was previously revealed in the UK by T-Mobile by mistake, has befallen a second mistaken reveal by RIM on its blog - but not before the details of the new phone were sent out to subscribers of the company's official blog RSS feed. Doh.

Don't expect a powerhouse however, the new BlackBerry Curve 9320 will come with a Qwerty keyboard, the company's newly released BlackBerry 7.1 OS, and an FM radio so you can tune into your favourite local radio stations.

The new Curve also features a 3.2 megapixel camera, up to 32GB expandable memory.

Those looking to buy the phone for their kids will be pleased to hear that the new Curve comes with a focus on parental controls according to the blog post allowing you to limit or restrict certain phone numbers, websites, and various social networking apps.

UPDATE: Three has been quick off the mark in not only announcing that they will be selling the phone, but also in unveiling its price plan.

The BlackBerry Curve 9320 will be available on Pay as you Go for ?139.99 or for free on the ?15 a month Essential Internet 100 plan.

PAYG customers may want to top up the handset with either the All in One 15 deal for ?15 which offers unlimited data for 30 days, 300 any network minutes and 3,000 texts, or the All in One 25 package which again offers all you can eat data for 30 days but with 500 minutes and 3,000 texts all for ?25.

UPDATE 2: T-Mobile has also told us of its 9320 price plans.?It will be available free from ?15.50 per month on a 24 month plan, or for ?149.99 on pay as you go. More information can be found at www.t-mobile.co.uk.

UPDATE 3: Now Vodafone and Orange have contacted Pocket-lint to say they too are stocking the BlackBerry Curve 9320. Vodafone will be offering the handset as part its pay as you go line-up, while Orange's price plans start with the handset coming?free at ?10.50 per month on a 24 month plan. It will also offer the device on its own pay as you go scheme, for ?139.99. Check out?www.vodafone.co.uk?and www.orange.co.uk respectively.

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Tags: Phones RIM BlackBerry BlackBerry Curve

BlackBerry Curve 9320 official, on sale in UK soon originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 08 May 2012 23:18:00 +0100

We reviewed the Motorola Defy+ some time ago, and we didn't care for it. Not at all. So when the Defy Mini arrived, we couldn't see our hearts splitting in half with the love. And we aren't sure why it's called the Defy Mini either, because it's not much smaller than the original one.

Design

In terms of styling, little has changed with the Mini over the Defy+. In fact, placed together, the two phones look very similar. If you like the look of the Defy+, that's probably a good thing. We think it's a dark and slightly depressing design.

The screen is noticeably smaller on the Mini, and there's a grille at the bottom that's not present on the Defy+. There are the standard four buttons for Android navigation, on a phone that runs Gingerbread. It won't get an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich, we promise you that.

As with all the Defy handsets, there's protection from water. So ports and sockets are all covered with little plastic plugs. These are held to the cover, so you won't lose them, and they are reasonably easy to pop out when needed. They don't, however, give you any protection if left out - which means if you drop this phone down the toilet while the headphone cap is out, it may well die like any other phone.

The power button is located on the top, next to the headphone jack. On the right-hand side, there are volume controls and a dedicated camera button. Meanwhile, the left side houses the USB socket, for charging and copying music to the phone.

The screen

Visually, the screen is quite good. It's bright outdoors, and although it's small, the resolution is reasonable. We often find, on these budget phones, that the PPI is too low, and too many compromises have been made with the screen technology. Here, the PPI is average, but there's no blur when you scroll through menus, and that's good.

We did find it too small though. Perhaps we are equipped with a set of sausage fingers, but typing on the Motorola keyboard was a struggle, and we constantly had to let the spell-checker make up for our mistakes. The more dainty fingered might not struggle, but we think most people will have similar issues.

A minor niggle is the depth of the LCD screen from the outer glass. It's quite a large space, and it gives the phone a cheap look. Indeed, we'd say this is one of the things that marks budget phones from premium models. It's the least of our worries here though, and it doesn't cause any problems.

Audio and video quality

Happily, all is well with the quality of audio on the Defy Mini. We streamed some music over our home network, via Plex, and it actually sounded very good on our reference headphones. This is great, because our reference headphones can make low-quality devices sound utterly rubbish. So here, at least, Motorola gets some credit for its audio processing.

Video is more difficult. We weren't able to get the video streaming to work, no matter what we tried - the Motorola DLNA client, Skifta, Plex - we were never able to get a picture on the screen, regardless of the codec used. This is a shame, because that screen is actually quite reasonable and would make for quite good video viewing.

Power and customisation

Motorola has stayed away from heavy tweaks to the OS. The lock screen is genuinely useful. You can see upcoming calendar events, or switch the phone in to, or out of silent mode too. You can also directly access the camera, by flicking the unlock symbol to the left of the screen.

Motorola also provides its connected music player, and this is a nice little app that has more features than the stock Android player. You can find song lyrics and identify music through it - it's a SoundHound system, but totally free. You can also search YouTube for music videos, and connect to Shoutcast internet radio stations. All-in-all, it's a nice piece of software, and another reason that the Motorola will appeal to music fans.

The reason for light customisation is very possibly the low-spec hardware. The Defy Mini is running on a 600MHz CPU and has just 500MB of RAM, with a further 500MB of app storage space. This would have been a great spec for a phone in the 12th century, but now it's a bit cack and not up to the job of running a modern smartphone.

On the plus side, it has a 1750mAh battery, which is pretty epic for a small, low-powered phone. So you should see good battery life. We used ours for 10 hours, and knocked only 25 per cent of the charge, so it's capable enough.

Call quality

Another thing we liked was the call quality. Voice calls are clear and crisp, and there's plenty of volume from the earpiece. Indeed, this phone is easier to make calls with - from an audio perspective - than Motorola's brilliant Razr. So, if you're someone who makes a lot of phone calls, this could be a plus point.

Camera

The camera too, isn't great. Images seem to lack detail, and while I'm sure you could coax a decent image out of it in broad daylight, indoors in normal conditions, it's not brilliant.

The interface is fine though, and using the dedicated camera button to take a photo is handy - not enough phones have proper camera buttons. There's a flash too, but like all LED devices, it's far from perfect and usually produces too much light close up, and nowhere near enough at greater distances.

The biggest problem is the price

Well, actually, the biggest problem is everything. The phone isn't that good. It's not fast, it's not pretty and it's not cheap. But the price is what makes us choke. Sure, if you really need a tough, rugged phone, then you could argue that the Defy Mini makes some sense. But at this price - it's about ?160 SIM free - we just wouldn't be happy spending our own money on one. And we're not in the business of telling you to do things we would not.

The issue here, is that the budget phones from ZTE and Huawei are all much better. The T-Mobile Vivacity, Orange San Francisco II and the Huawei G300 are all much nicer, much slicker, and most importantly, more than 50 quid cheaper. Sure, none of those phones is rugged, but are you really so careless with your phone that you need it to survive an apocalypse?

Verdict:

There is no reason at all to buy the Defy Mini. Its spec is so underwhelming, that it just can't help but disappoint you. Considering the Defy+ is only another ?30, if you really must ignore our advice and get one, you should get the one that is much less rubbish.

Motorola has under-specified this phone in the worst way. Even scrolling around the home screens is a laboured, arduous and annoying process. The screen is too small really, although it's not dreadful quality, and that means those with larger fingers won't have an enjoyable time with it.

It's also worth mentioning that with nano coatings becoming popular, and practical, it won't be long before every new phone in the world is waterproof. And Gorilla Glass makes them all pretty tough too. So really, the Defy goes from being a one-trick pony, to being a pony that's had all of its legs sawn off and whose days of trickery are, sadly, over.

Tags: Phones Android Motorola Motorola Defy Mini

Motorola Defy Mini originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 07 May 2012 17:13:13 +0100

The Samsung Focus 2 looks to undercut the Windows Phone competition with its AT&T $49.99/month contract deal.

Samsung’s first 4G LTE Windows Phone promises super-fast speeds wrapped up in a slender body. The model is just shy of 11cm long, weighs an ultra-light 121g and comes dressed in a white finish. Very sleek.

A 4-inch Super AMOLED screen and 5-megapixel rear camera make composing and shooting images or 720p HD movie clips a breeze. There’s also a front-facing VGA (640x480) camera that’s ideal for face-to-face video chat.

The first details were released at this year’s International CTIA Wireless show in New Orleans, Louisiana, with the full Focus 2 specification still to be announced. That’s why, for now at least, there’s no information about the phone's processor, but based on the low price package deal we suspect that it’ll be a conservative job.

Available 20 May, check out AT&T’s website for further pricing and package information.

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Tags: Phones Samsung Windows Phone AT and T Windows Phone 7

Samsung Focus 2 brings 4G speeds to Windows Phone originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 07 May 2012 15:39:00 +0100

Just last month Verizon accidentally leaked details of the HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE. Today it’s been announced officially,?with full specs that mirror what most of us already knew.

But that’s not to take away from this super-fast smartphone. As well as LTE connectivity there's a spate of “4s” that head up the features too: 4G connectivity (for our US chums, at least); the latest version of HTC Sense 4.0; Android 4.0 OS (Ice Cream Sandwich); and a 4-inch, qHD-resolution LCD screen.

Just a shame that HTC couldn't finish the set with a CPU of the same number of cores.?Instead, the Droid has a 1.2Ghz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and, while powerful, it doesn’t quite match up to some of the other beefier devices on the market today.

There’s also an 8-megapixel camera to the rear that boasts a 28mm f/2.2 equivalent lens and LED flash and Beats Audio is integrated into the device.?

As the “4G LTE” name would suggest, however, this Verizon release is slated for customers across the Atlantic in the US-of-A. UK bods will have to hold back and wait for 4G networks to fire up before we get these next-generation speeds.

The phone is due "in the coming weeks", though there's no further information regarding price.?

Tags: Phones HTC Droid 4G LTE Verizon HTC Incredible

HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE coming to Verizon originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 07 May 2012 14:50:00 +0100

The arrival of the Orange Santa Clara appears imminent, as customers can now register their interest on the operator’s website.

The Orange Santa Clara is an Android phone within the same price bracket as the hugely successful Orange San Francisco?-?that is to say lower-end.?Yet you wouldn’t think so by looking at the specs.

Kitted out with an Intel Atom 1.6GHz Z2460 processor and four-inch display, the handset also features an eight-megapixel camera and 16GB of internal memory.

Though the phone is expected to launch on Android 2.3 Gingerbread an update to Ice Cream Sandwich will follow.

No word on an official launch date but by registering your interest on Orange’s website you will be one of the first to be alerted, along with the name of the phone.

Yes that’s right, Santa Clara is just a pre-launch name with the phone’s official title being kept secret until arrival.

Pocket-lint got some hands-on time with the phone at this year’s Mobile World Congress event.

Tags: Phones Orange Orange Santa Clara Orange San Francisco Android

Orange's Intel processor Android phone edges closer originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 04 May 2012 14:52:00 +0100

The Samsung Galaxy S III has turned up with just as much a media storm as has followed it since we first got wind back in May 2011. Finally, we know what this Android superphone is all about.

While a rundown of the hardware and specs is useful for an idea of what this quad-core beast is capable, what's often harder to get across is just what the experience of owning one is all about. With this latest child of the Galaxy dynasty has come a redesigned user-experience, this time based on nature with sound, wind, water and stones all featuring in the drawing board ideas.

From the moment you unlock the screen with a ripple effect, the so called TouchWiz Nature UX begins to be hammered home. So, exactly what has Samsung added and just how does it differ from that which has come before?

Pocket-lint spent some serious hands-on time with the Galaxy S III at the phone's Unpacked launch to find out. We sat the handset next to our ICS version of the Galaxy S II to check the differences, screen to screen. The big surprise is that almost everything has changed, if only subtly.

Some areas, such as the addition of functions like S Voice and the unlock to wake options, are completely new but even much of what's already been working well on the older model has had a refresh.

Take a look at our hands-on photos of the TouchWiz Nature UX and observations on each for a better idea of just what it's like to use the Samsung Galaxy S III.

We've put a caption under each image in the gallery below, detailing what it shows and any other comments we have on it, so please click on one to get going.

Tags: Phones Samsung Samsung Galaxy S III Features Operating Systems Android TouchWiz

Samsung Galaxy S III: TouchWiz UI explored originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 04 May 2012 13:32:00 +0100

Announced for roll-out across Europe this week, the white edition of the LG Optimus L7 will actually be available in the UK from today, through?Phones 4u. The device is one of LG's mid-range handsets and comes pre-installed with Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) from the box.

Other key specifications for the smartphone that Pocket-lint had a brief play with at Mobile World Congress in February include a?Cortex A5 1GHz processor, 4.3-inch WVGA touchscreen, 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, and is a svelte 8.7mm thin.

There's 2.7GB of storage on board, with a microSD card slot capable of expanding that be up to an extra 32GB. The battery is of the 1700mAh variety, but we wouldn't expect it to take too much of a bashing considering this is a mid-range device.

"LG Optimus L7 offers beauty and performance in one smart package," said Dr Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company.

"The L7 is a significant addition to our L-Series portfolio and we are confident that it’ll prove highly attractive to users. We expect it to be one of our most popular smartphones."

Global release of the smartphone will ramp up soon, with Asia next to get it after Europe. There's no news on when the black version will arrive in shops.

Tags: LG Phones LG Optimus L7 Android Ice Cream Sandwich Phones 4u

White LG Optimus L7 with Ice Cream Sandwich on sale in UK today originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 04 May 2012 11:07:00 +0100

The world has waited with barely bated breath for today. The day that Samsung launched the Samsung Galaxy S III. The Samsung Galaxy S III is the first device that's really seen the sort of crazed attention you associate with the Apple iPhone.?

Today's launch brings all that speculation to an end, the end of a run of leaked specs, the end of the exclusive spy shots. The rumour treadmill grinds to a halt and we all step off rather giddy.

It also means that the smartphone universe for 2012 feels complete. We've seen the big players line up their devices and go for it. HTC is looking to win back form and simplify its offering, Samsung is looking to maintain momentum and stay at the top.

Of course there are other players in Android that want a look-in: ZTE, Huawei, LG, Sony, Panasonic, Fujitsu, Acer and more, but so often it boils down to one or two devices at the top, the devices that everyone talks about.

The stage is now set for the face-off between the HTC One X and the Samsung Galaxy S III as the lead Android devices for 2012. Don't write off the Galaxy Nexus, also made by Samsung, but also don't be too surprised if an updated Nexus device appears 6 or 7 months down the line to usher in the next era of Android Jelly Bean excitement.

HTC, as it traditionally does, announced its new One series devices at Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona. The reviews of the One X are extremely positive. It's a device with plenty of power, a fantastic display and a design that's considered and refined. We like it a lot, it's a hugely impressive smartphone, as we say in our review.?

The Samsung Galaxy S III matches the specs of the HTC One X in many ways. Both offer large HD displays, both have a quad-core processor, 8-megapixel cameras, and both have the latest version of both Android and their respective manufacturer's skin, HTC Sense or TouchWiz.?

HTC might have the edge with design, even though the 8.9mm of the HTC is slightly fatter than the 8.6mm of the Samsung. The Samsung Galaxy S III can feel flimsy around the back if you're being critical, like the S II did and the Galaxy Nexus does. But it might not deter people buying the phone because with Samsung's design choices come some subtle but important differences.

The sealed polycarbonate body of the HTC One X has only one slot in it and that's for the micro SIM. The Samsung Galaxy S III has a removable back cover, so you can access the innards to change the battery or upgrade the memory via microSD.

In this might be the missing piece of the puzzle. The luxurious exuberance and premium finish of the HTC One X might just give way to a more practical approach from Samsung. Android users love flexibility and they know that battery life is the biggest issue that faces them.

Samsung's TouchWiz interface has always been a lighter touch than HTC Sense. Where HTC changed just about every facet of the Android OS, Samsung has never been as dramatic. Both custom skins bring with them plenty of additional features and refinements, but HTC Sense was always a step further away from Android.?

The HTC One series changed that, simplifying and letting some of Android out again. But it did roll in a number of changes to Ice Cream Sandwich that let you know that this is still an HTC device. It's simpler, closer to Android, but definitely HTC.

TouchWiz does the same. Pick-up the Samsung Galaxy S III and you'll instantly recognise the icons, the little changes here and there that maintain that Samsung Galaxy identity. S II owners, and there are plenty of them, will feel right at home. But the run of features that Samsung have included, from AllShare Play to S Voice, feel innovative and new.?

In reality you're spoilt for choice. First impressions of the Samsung Galaxy S III are very positive; the HTC One X is also an excellent handset and both feel like a step forward from last year.

But in the minds of Android users, away from megapixel count, pixels per inch, number of cores, and fancy software features, it might be a removable cover that decides the fate of these two giants.

Tags: Phones Android Samsung HTC HTC One X Samsung Galaxy S III

Can the Samsung Galaxy S III topple the HTC One X? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 03 May 2012 20:51:00 +0100

Samsung today announced a line-up of accessories for its new Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone.

To support the features of the new smartphone, there will be a range of media accessories, as well as more conventional docks and covers.

We're sure you're not too excited about the Flip Cover, but you might be more interested in the battery charging dock, as the Samsung Galaxy S III will let you change the battery, so you can always have a spare.?There is also a Wireless Charging Kit.?

To support the media capabilities of the new device there will be the AllShare Cast Dongle, which will enable you to connect your phone wirelessly?to your TV, rather like the HTC Media Link HD we’ve just reviewed.

This also supports mirroring, like the HTC device, so does more than just lets you watch videos.

There is also an HDMI Adapter to take advantage of the MHL capabilities, so you can connect directly to your TV via cable.

Finally, Samsung announced a device called the S Pebble. This was introduced as the perfect music companion, an MP3 player. We're not sure exactly how S Pebble fits with the rest of the device, but we'll find out for you.

At the moment we don't have pricing or availability for any of the accessories, but we're going to hunt them down and will bring you updated pictures, prices and all the details as we discover them.

UPDATE: We've spent a little more time playing with the AllShare Cast Dongle and grabbed a few shots of this little box of tricks. It offers you Wi-Fi b/g/n connectivity and supports 1080p output. The quality looked really good coming out of the Samsung Galaxy S III, whether it was from the live camera or playing back a movie. Still no prices, however.?

Also check out Pocket-lint's in-depth?Hands-on: Samsung Galaxy S III review, where we spent quality time with the new smartphone.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Samsung Samsung Galaxy S III Android

Samsung Galaxy S III accessories announced: AllShare Cast Dongle, S Pebble and more originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 03 May 2012 20:16:00 +0100

So, the Samsung Galaxy S III (with roman numerals) is finally here, and Pocket-lint is one of the first in the world to actually get its hands on one of the Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich-touting devices.

And, although we haven't had time to review it fully - including a more in-depth play with TouchWiz and the user interface other than specific new features - it's looking good. Very good indeed.

The handset itself is massive, measuring 136.6mm tall, 70.6mm wide and boasting a waistline of 8.6mm - which is basically as thin as its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S II, but much bigger.

It's heavier, at 133g, although that's really because of the extra glass needed to front the gorgeous 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED touchscreen, which is eye-searingly vibrant. And that extra weight doesn't matter much in the hand, you'd barely notice (too busy looking at the tasty display).

Its resolution is HD at 1280 x 720 with a 306 PPI, so much sharper and clearer than on the previous model and, if pushed, we'd say it is better when looked at in direct comparison to an iPhone 4S Retina display, certainly with colour representation, anyway.

Our initial thoughts are that off-angle it performs better than the Samsung Galaxy Note, which can introduce a green tinge when looked at it acutely, but we'd have to spend more time with it to find out for sure. It can definitely shine brightly though, with the maximum brightness setting being dazzling.

The other thing you notice immediately is that - contrary to much of the rumoured nonsense that has littered the internet of late - there is a home button, which is solid and very tangible, and Menu/Recent Apps and Back icons either side on the fascia itself - they glow when in use, fade away when not.

On the rear there's an 8-megapixel camera and LED flash, while the front houses a 1.9-megapixel webcam that is also employed for face recognition purposes. This is one of the SGSIII's stand-out new features, which Samsung has called Smart Stay. The phone intelligently sees when you're looking at it and ensures that the screen never dims when it has eye contact.

As Min Cho, senior manager of Samsung's Korean HQ's Sales & Marketing Team, Mobile Communications, told us in an exclusive chat: "The phone only sleeps when you do."

And that's not the only interesting new control function. There's also Direct Call, which allows you to call back someone who has left a message, sent a text or communicated with you in a number of other ways by simply lifting the phone to your ear. As long as they are in your contacts list, the Galaxy S III automatically dials the number. We tried it, and it worked as easy as you like. You can also turn off the mode if you don't want to call people accidentally when moving about.

Perhaps, though, the most useful feature, and one that is probably going to be talked about more than any other, is S Voice, Samsung's equivalent of Siri that does so much more than Apple's technology.

S Voice not only allows you to control certain functions, like with former Android voice recognition technology, but it now also understands a massive gamut of natural phrases. Plus, it can be customised with up to four separate wake-up commands. For example, you can set it to respond with the phrase "Galaxy" or "get up". This will unlock the screen and get the whole shebang going. And as that specific function will ?respond only to your voice, there's no concerns over security.

Samsung has also integrated voice recognition into certain embedded applications, such as the camera app. Where before you had to scrabble to find a button -either on screen or off - in order to take a shot, you can now just bark commands. "Hi Galaxy, picture," will open the camera app, for instance, then "capture" or "cheese" will take a picture. It's very effective, and a better use of vocal triggering than asking your iPhone aloud to find a nearby restaurant when on a crowded train (only to be met with "I can only look for businesses in the United States...").

You can also now control your music on the phone, even if it is playing a song loudly in the background. It's all quite similar to the way Microsoft has integrated Kinect voice recognition into its Xbox 360 UI, which we're fond of here at Pocket-lint.

The camera application has also had a few significant improvements. The Samsung Galaxy S III is capable of recording video in Full HD (1080p) - much like other Samsung top end phones - and 720p through the front-facing cam, and while you're capturing footage you can now also take stills without halting the process. Like with the normal photo modes, there's zero shutter lag too, and minimum saving time.

There's also a funky new mode called Burst Shot, which, when enabled, takes 20 photos in quick succession (at six frames per second) and automatically chooses the one it judges to offer the quality based on a number of?parameters. As the phone's rear camera has multiple face recognition properties of its own, it will look to see if your subject is closing his or her eyes, whether they are smiling, etc.

Face recognition also comes into play with general shooting and the ability to zoom. Whereas you would formerly have to zoom individually on a subject using pinch on the touchscreen, now you can just double tap the box that appears around their head - the Galaxy S III immediately frames them in the picture.?In addition, a new slideshow mode will zoom into faces when they appear on any of your photos, scrolling through them if there's more than one person in the shot.

And that's not all... the new software's abilities will also recognise people in the shots if they are already in you contacts list, displaying their info when hovered over and automatically sharing the picture with them through Buddy Share if you so desire.

And, if you have your contacts sorted into groups, the app will automatically detect and sort your photos into the same groups too, ensuring that your family shots are all neatly tidied into the one easy to access place. You can also tag friends and family in each photo for Facebook without having to leave the phone's camera application. Impressive stuff.

Sharing content with others has been made much easier too, especially if they also have a Samsung Galaxy S III. The new device is NFC-enabled and comes with Wi-Fi Direct in-built, so Samsung has combined both Android Beam and Wi-Fi Direct into one technology it calls S Beam. This allows you to simply touch two handsets together in order to transfer picture or video files regardless of their size.

It works a treat, based on our hands-on test, with transfer speeds of up to 400Mbps (via NFC). Presumably, the Wi-Fi Direct option (offering up to 300Mbps speeds) has been added so that it could potentially communicate with non-NFC devices. Time will tell.

Other wireless highlights are supplied by the now Samsung standard DLNA-enabled AllShare Play, which allows you to access files on the phone through a laptop, Smart TV, etc, and new feature AllShare Cast which allows you to transmit HD content on to a compatible TV, effectively mirroring the entire display. It's great for playing games on a much bigger screen.

The phone is HSPA+ for the UK but will be LTE (4G) in other supported countries. It's a shame we don't have the networks sorted out over here in time, but it's hardly an issue considering its peers are similarly hamstrung.

One last new feature we instantly fell in love with is a by-product of the Galaxy S III rocking Samsung's new 1.4GHz Exynos 4 Quad processor and a healthy 1GB of RAM; pop up video. When watching video - HD or otherwise - you can still multitask, use the internet, send a text message and whathaveyou, and the clip will continue to play in a small pop-up window. And the best part is that you can swipe it around the screen, allowing you to access whatever you need underneath.

We tried it out with the internet and, specifically, searching for something on Google, and the clip ran as smoothly as if we hadn't touched it at all. Of course, it's in a much smaller form factor, but as soon as you go back to it, it expands to fill the screen again. Brilliant.

There'll be other surprises in the speed stakes to be had too, once we've played with the phone a bit more, after all the graphics processing is also quad core, with an increased clock speed of 65 per cent over the Samsung Galaxy S II. It'll certainly be interesting to see what Android developers can do with such extra power.

We suspect that power doesn't come at the cost of battery life either, with a 2100mAh cell on board, although from our play, we can't confirm that yet. The team behind the Exynos 4 Quad chip do claim that the processor itself has 20 per cent drain on the battery, but there's the bigger screen to take into acount, OLED or no.

On launch, the new smartphone will come with several pre-installed apps, including those detailed above. All of Samsung's usual hubs will be present and also Flipboard (with which you can get daily Pocket-lint news) and Dropbox. The latter will come as a brief shock to those who believed the rumours that Samsung was launching its own cloud service alongside the Galaxy S III, but its full integration here is much welcome, as is the 50GB of free storage space - wowsers!

So too, bizarre it may seem to some, is Samsung's decision to adopt micro SIM for its flagship phone. As we handle a fair few smartphones in Pocket-lint towers, all our SIMs are micro or cut-down, and some of the devices we get through our doors aren't as receptive to plastic SIM size-converters as you'd hope. But we can understand that others might not be so pleased with the news, especially those who hot swap devices.

At least it matches the microSD and MHL video output in minimising socketry. The former behaves as with plenty of Samsung phones before it, allowing you to expand the 16GB, 32GB or 64GB built-in memory (depending on which version you opt for) by up to 32GB, whereas the latter offers connectivity between the device and a HD TV.

Finally, this hands-on review would not be complete without talking about the feel of the phone in the hand and the overall aesthetics.

Coming in Pebble Blue and Marble White (we much prefer the white version), both flavours of the Samsung Galaxy S III have been designed with nature in mind. Indeed, Cho told us that the philosophy behind the phone is, "inspired by nature, designed for humans," which also runs through the choice of wallpapers and a water rippling effect (visually and aurally) on the unlock screen.

The rear is smooth and rounded, while the front, to be honest, looks like the Galaxy Nexus, if just a little larger.?As previously mentioned, it's extremely light, but as the bezel is one of the thinnest Samsung has ever managed, the screen feels even bigger than its 4.8-inches.

If there's anything we were slightly down on it's that the back panel feels a little plasticky, especially when compared to other brands' flagship phones, such as the Panasonic Eluga dL1 or Nokia Lumia 900, but at least it keeps the weight down. This is not a handset to stroke longingly, this is a handset to use.

And, that's the point. Although it's early doors in our testing process, Samsung has created a powerhouse of a smartphone, one that can truly make claims to being a portable computer in your pocket. We've seen enough to know that iPhone 4S fans will be sick with envy.

Tags: Samsung Phones Samsung Galaxy S III Android

Hands-on: Samsung Galaxy S III review originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 03 May 2012 19:00:00 +0100

The months of speculation are over, the Samsung Galaxy S III has finally been launched and it's got a feature list as long as War and Peace. Not only does it sport a mammoth 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED touchscreen, but there's also intelligent voice and face recognition technologies that have been designed for everyday use, not just as gimmicks.

Core specifications match up to some of the pre-launch rumours, but not all. We already knew that it would utilise Samsung's own 1.4GHz Exynos 4 Quad processor, but that's been coupled with a Quad-core GPU, which promises an increased clock speed of 65 per cent greater than the phone's predecessor. There's also 1GB RAM to help things zip along.

Its operating system is Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), although Samsung's skin complies with the company's design philosophy of taking inspiration from nature. For example, the unlock screen ripples when touched, as if it was covered in water, and sounds play to match.

However, touching the unlock screen isn't necessarily needed, as the phone can be activated through voice commands. S Voice functionality is inherent in many of the phone's capabilities, and works in a similar way to the Xbox 360's voice recognition on the Kinect. As well as switch on the phone, a user can, for instance, simply bark a command at the handset for it to spark up the camera and then another to take a picture.

Face recognition is another of Samsung's new "intelligent features". While you are looking at the phone, it uses the 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera to track your eyes and will therefore not dim the screen into a power-saving mode until you look away.

On the rear, there's an 8-megapixel camera with zero shutter lag, fast shot-to-shot and minimum loading time, and Samsung has incorporated several interesting software improvements to its photography application. There's a new Burst Shot mode, which takes 20 pictures at 6 frames per second and chooses the best one depending on whether the subject has their eyes open, is smiling, etc.

It's also much easier to zoom on a person in a line-up - you just double tap on their face, the camera does the rest.

Video recording is in 1080p from the rear camera, 720p front, with the 4.8-inch screen having a 1280 x 720 resolution (306 PPI), and another interesting addition is the ability to take still shots while recording footage, without a pause or stutter. The device can play 1080p video, but obviously not natively.

The Samsung Galaxy S III sports both NFC and Wi-Fi Direct capabilities, which come in great in use when sharing content with other Galaxy S III owners. Using the new technology S Beam, which combines the ICS Android Beam with Wi-Fi Direct, users can bump their phones together and transfer video or photo content with the tap of one button. Transfer rates are 400Mbps for NFC, 300Mbps with Wi-Fi Direct.

In-built memory comes in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB flavours, depending on your budget, and they can all be expanded through microSD (up to an extra 32GB). Also going micro is the SIM card slot, Samsung has adopted micro SIM for the Galaxy S III. And, like the Samsung Galaxy S II, there's an MHL port in preference to standard HDMI, with DLNA wireless support through AllShare Play.

There's a 2100mAh battery running the show, but that doesn't mean the handset has put on any weight over its forebears. At 133g, it's super light, especially when considering its dimensions of 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6mm - taller than a Galaxy Nexus yet lighter.

The Samsung Galaxy S III will come in both "marble white" and "pebble blue" (which refers more to the rear of the device than the front) and will be LTE-enabled in certain regions that already have compatible networks (the US and South Korea, for example), and HSPA+ in the others.

UPDATE: Pricing for the phone is yet to be revealed, but it will hit the streets in the UK on 30 May. Carphone Warehouse is also the first to announce that it will carry the device, and has opened registration for pre-ordering. As an incentive, it's offering the first 100 customers to pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S III on a pay monthly plan a free Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android tablet, screen protector and car charger.

Visit Carphone Warehouse's site to find out more.

Vodafone has also announced that it is to carry the Samsung Galaxy S III 16GB and 32GB models, with the latter being exclusive to the network for the first month after release. You can register your interest at www.vodafone.co.uk/nextgalaxy.

And both Orange and T-Mobile have told Pocket-lint that they too will be taking the SGS III, but details and pricing are yet to be revealed.

You can find out more details in our in-depth look at the best Samsung Galaxy S3 deals from O2, Vodafone, Three, Orange & T-Mobile.

Also check out Pocket-lint's in-depth?Hands-on: Samsung Galaxy S III review, where we spent quality time with the new smartphone.

Tags: Samsung Phones Samsung Galaxy S III Android

Samsung Galaxy S III unveiled at London Unpacked event - coming to UK 30 May originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 03 May 2012 19:00:00 +0100

The Samsung Galaxy S III is watching you. That’s what it does. It watches and it listens. It knows your face and it listens to your voice. And if that sounds creepy, wait until you hear what the latest Android superphone will do to your friends.

“The phone is actually watching you,” explains Min Cho,?Samsung senior manager, Sales & Marketing, Mobile Communications, with a glint in his eye as he runs Pocket-lint through a few of his favourite features.

“You will recognise whether the phone sees you or not. Generally, my screen timeout is set to 15 seconds and then it turns off.”

He continues to look at the screen. Fifteen seconds pass. The screen is still as bright as ever.

“Now it sees me, it recognises me. Even though I didn’t touch anything, it will not turn off. It recognises my eye contact.”

Very nice. Smart Stay, we’re told it’s called and, although this isn’t the kind of headline feature you’ll find on the spec sheet, it’s with touches like this the Samsung looks to elevate its latest hero handset from both the Galaxy S predecessor and the competition as well, Android or otherwise.

Smart Stay works by face recognition through the Galaxy S III’s improved, 1.9-megapixel, front-facing camera - a camera capable of capturing 720p video despite being the lesser of the two snappers on the device. The idea behind the feature, of course, is that you don’t have to keep pressing the lock button to keep the screen lit while you’re reading a long article, but it’s the importance of the software that powers it that begins to unfold as Cho explains where else Samsung has brought it into play on its phone.

“The camera is one of the most frequently used applications and it’s very important to us. We are very committed to enhancing consumer experience of photos. Now consumers can capture the moment with no lag between pressing the camera app button and the actual screen you’ll see before shooting; and faster shot-to-shot experience too. We have minimised the reloading time, so much so that you can take more than three different photos per second.”

While the phone, like most in this days and age, has the software to sense and balance the brightness, contrast, colour and the smiles and eyes of those in your frame, it’s what Samsung has chosen to do with that information that’s impressive. As with Smart Stay, the face recognition code is put to greater use than working out just how to focus your pictures. What your Galaxy S III will do next is cross-reference the faces in your photos with those associated to the contacts in your phone book app.

As a result, a feature Samsung calls Buddy Photo Share allows you to click straight through to your friends’ Facebook pages from the Gallery app where you can post the shot or comment or whatever it is you feel empowered to do. And there’s no obligation to go through Facebook at all. At the same time, a one-tap operation means you can share the same snap to the recognised contact by MMS or e-mail with the information pulled straight out of your phone book and into the viewing gallery. In fact, so much importance has the company placed on faces that it’s even chucked in a Face Slideshow where you can swipe through a series of your pictures with each zoomed in at visage level.

“Designed for humans, inspired by nature, smart and intuitively quick,” says Cho more than once in our session and it’s the latter two facets that Samsung seems most to be addressing.

With Steve Jobs once famously accusing Android of being for geeks, it appears to be the mass appeal and mass usability that Samsung has targetted most of all in an update which features comparatively restrained specs to previous phone arrivals. Indeed, it’s not without similarity to Siri that we’re introduced to the voice recognition software in the Galaxy S III.

“S Voice is beyond a natural evolution of Voice Talk which we had pre-installed in the predecessor, the Galaxy S II. Now we can actually listen to you and you can conveniently interact with it by simply talking to it because S phones now understand what you say through letter and language processing.”

Android, of course, is already well-equipped with voice interaction as standard but where Samsung has taken it further with the S III is by letting users unlock their device direct to certain functions without having to touch the phone at all. Given that S Voice needs to be trained, it should even be secure enough to respond solely to the owner.

“You can just say, ‘Hi Galaxy,’ and use one of four different customised wake up commands. ‘What’s the weather like today,’ and it will answer for you; ‘I want to take a picture,’ and then the camera application will open up. You don’t have to press the button any more.”

Of course, with Siri itself not receiving the warmest of responses so far, it’s debatable how much importance one should place on voice-recognition features at all. It’s clear that Samsung certainly wants to be in the game, though, and it’s not hard to see how asking for a weather report with the Galaxy S III placed on your bedside table is going to be a lot quicker than doing it manually - provided S Voice can recognise your first croaks of the day.

“We think we’re providing the best user experience,” says Cho proudly, “and the optimum viewing experience on the go is critical for that.”

That would certainly explain the 4.8-inch screen on the Galaxy S III, up from 4.3 inches on the diagonal on the S II and dangerously close to the super-sized 5.3-inch Galaxy Note.

“We have slimmed down the bezel so much that the portability is not compromised. It’s been guaranteed with a minimal design but, because of the bezel optimisation, it doesn’t look like a 4.8-inch phone, even though it is one. It’s become larger by just 16 per cent than the Galaxy S II.”

Indeed, the lines and dimensions - inspired by water, wind, sound and other elements of nature, so we’re told - are certainly an improvement on the Galaxy Nexus but to suggest that this softly-softly approach is all that Samsung has done would be to misunderstand how the company has been so successful in wrestling the Android crown from its competitors’ hands since the Galaxy line began. The Exynos 4 makes the S III the fastest and most powerful, according to Cho, and it’s on the back of these quad-core processors and 65 per cent faster clock speed that all the voice and finger-friendly features can run.

It’s hard to tell at this stage whether it will be the hearts and minds approach or the raw power that wins the customers over but, what does seem certain is this phone is set to sell.

Also check out Pocket-lint's in-depth?Hands-on: Samsung Galaxy S III review, where we spent quality time with the new smartphone.

Tags: Phones Android Samsung Samsung Galaxy S III Features Interviews

Samsung Galaxy S III: the phone is actually watching you originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 03 May 2012 19:00:00 +0100

Samsung plans to rule the Galaxy with its S III smartphone. With a spec sheet that reads like an Android fan’s wet dream, a newly designed chassis and slightly rethought approach to the operating system, it’s now the phone to beat.

But what has everyone so excited? Why should you rush to the shops and grab an SGS III at the first opportunity? Pocket-lint has put together a quick highlights list so you can see just what makes Samsung’s new phone so great.

Screen

4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED screen

Samsung is known for its display technology. Just take one glance at the Galaxy Note or Galaxy Nexus and you will see what the company is capable of. It has thrown everything its got at the Samsung Galaxy S III and the result is a screen that definitely impresses. First up, it's massive at 4.8-inches, but not so big that it dominates the phone’s design. A 1280 x 720 screen with 306 ppi is also no bad thing.

Processor

1.4 GHz Exynos 4 Quad processor with quad-core GPU

Inside the Galaxy S III is an 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos 4 Quad processor with 1GB of RAM. From our playtime with the phone, it is absolutely lightning quick and the new (also) quad-core GPU should give you a 65 per cent performance boost over the previous Galaxy S II.?

Cameras

Rear mounted back illuminated 8-megapixel, front mounted 1.9-megapixel

The SGS II had a pretty impressive camera slapped on its back, but this time around Samsung has seriously pulled out the big guns. 1080p video capability at 30fps on the rear and 720p video on the front, as well as zero shutter lag and less than 1 second between single shots, makes the camera very good indeed. Couple this with the ability to shoot bursts of 20 shots at 3.3 frames per second, with SGSIII intelligently auto selecting the best one, and you have a sure-fire winner.?

Capture stills while recording video

The title says it all really, but yes you read it right, you can grab stills at the same time as recording video. Helped mostly by the speed of the Exynos chip, you should, in theory, never miss a moment.

Face recognition

Automatic screen dimming

Everyone enjoys a good bit of face recognition, provided you aren’t Quasimodo.The Galaxy S III has an incredibly clever feature whereby it can recognise eyes, track them and then put the screen into sleep mode only when you look away from it.?

Face Zoom

While using the Samsung Galaxy S III's camera it is possible to use the phone's facial recognition to zoom and track a person's face. By simply double tapping on a person in frame, the phone will do all the complex zooming work for you.?

Intelligent autocorrect?

The clever camera inside the Galaxy S III can also do things like blueness, brightness, contrast and even the people inside a photo. From that the phone will automatically clean up images.

Face slideshow

Another clever face-recognition tweak is the Galaxy S III's ability to recognise faces and automatically build a slideshow out of them using a zoom-style Ken Burns effect.

Group tag

A big problem many people have with Android is its inability to manage photos. Facial-recognition tech fixes a lot of this by intelligently selecting people by face and then tagging them and sorting them into groups as per the way you've organised each one in your contacts.

Voice recognition (S Voice)

Music control

While listening to tracks it is possible to pause and play music by issuing a command to the SGS III. Saying SGS III volume up for example, while music is playing in the background, will increase the track volume.?

Voice unlock

Up to four customisable commands for the phone can be created in order to wake it from sleep. Saying, for example, "Hi, Galaxy", will unlock the phone. From there on, you can get a weather report, listen to music or a whole host of options.

Camera voice control

Voice recognition runs deep throughout the Galaxy S III. It is designed to let you operate most of the common phone apps without needing to touch the screen. Say "Galaxy, I want to take a picture" and the camera app will open. Even saying things like "capture" will snap a shot for you.?

Compatibility

S Voice recognises 8 languages - British and American english, Italian, German, French, Spanish Spanish and South American Spanish, Korean - it also recognises nautral language use.

Software and apps

S Beam

Like Android Beam but better, Samsung’s S-Beam combines Wi-Fi Direct and NFC into one glorious sharing capability. Bumping phones together will let you transfer data between handsets by tapping one button.

Pop up play

Think of this feature as a bit like picture-in-picture on a television screen. Say you are watching a movie, you can continue doing so while running other apps because the video screen will remain open. You can even drag the video across the screen using your finger.

AllShare Cast

Screen mirroring taken a step further. You can let your SGS III appear on a bigger screen and then use it as an external controller to do things like play games.?

AllShare Play

This application allows you to connect remotely to a computer when you are away from home. Once logged in it's possible to look at files and photos as well as to stream videos if you want to.?

Social tag

Again using facial recognition, it is possible to go direct to someone's Facebook page from straight within a photo. Just by tapping on a person's face you will then be given the option to go to relevant social networks you have linked to that contact.

Smart Alert

Miss a call or a message from someone important and Smart Call will make sure you know about it when you pick up your phone but don't have time to look at the screen. An alert will go off if the contact was labelled as important.

Direct Call

A combination of the proximity and motion sensors knows when you lift your phone to call someone. If you've been interacting with that contact - sending an e-mail, a message or such - then just raising the Galaxy S III will begin a call straight to them. Not one single button press required.

Group Cast

Group Cast allows users on the same Wi-Fi network to collaborate on a single document, stored on your handset, in real time.?

Music hub

Music Hub scans your song library and matches them with a library of 17 million tracks. A bit like iTunes Match, it acts as a hub for all your songs on the phone.?

Video hub

Video hub is like music hub except for well, you guessed it, videos. You can buy or rent movies and then save them onto your device. Think of it like Google Play but curated by Samsung.

Game hub

Like Tegra Zone on Tegra devices, you can get access to a curated list of games for the Galaxy S III. Difference is the apps run within the Game hub.?

S Health

Bizarrely the Galaxy S III can receive health care data from health care devices. We don't have many details on this yet but will update once we have more time with the phone.

Hardware

2100 mAh battery

2100 mAh is a lot. It is bigger than the size of the extended battery in the Galaxy Nexus which easily gets through a day on a single charge. This should in theory mean you get plenty of playtime with your brand new Galaxy S III before it’s time to hit the plug socket.

133g, 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6mm

The Galaxy S III is bigger than the Galaxy Nexus and has a larger battery yet it still manages to weigh less.?You can pretty much guarantee the handset is going to be plenty pocketable, yet with loads of screen estate to play with. The metal bezel around the sides is also a nice touch, providing decent grip for those with butter fingers. It has also been optimised so it's only 16 per cent larger than the SGS II.

16GB, 32GB and 64GB options + microSD

Nice to see the Galaxy S III coming in three different flavours of memory. A beefy 64GB option is particularly handy given the phone includes a microSD slot, which translates to a possible 96GB of storage. On top of the extra memory size the SGS III is also shipping in two different colours - pebble blue and white.

Connectivity

LTE and HSPA+

For the markets that have the capabilities, there will be an LTE version of the SGS III (America & Korea). Another use for that large battery. The HSPA+ offering is useful to UK residents and other non-4G markets.?

Bluetooth 4.0

Just in case you hadn't got round to trying Bluetooth 3.0 yet, the Samsung Galaxy S III carries the latest version set to go easier on power consumption.

OS Software

Ice Cream Sandwich

We can’t say we didn’t see this one coming but the SGS III does of course ship with the latest version of Android. This means a rethought application management, new typeface and font and better optimisation across the operating system overall.

Accessories

Flip cover

Not the most exciting of accessories we know but still hugely useful should you want to avoid scratching up the gorgeous screen on the Galaxy S III. The flip cover also keeps the back of the handset safe from the likes of keys in pockets or accidental drops.?

Battery charging dock and wireless charging dock

Pretty strait forward this one. It is a dock and it charges your battery. Also will allow you to play back music at the same time. Again the wireless charging dock is self explanatory.

AllShare Cast dongle

Given all the sharing capabilities on the Galaxy S III it's no surprise that a dongle has been released. The idea is that you can link this cast dongle up to your tv and then push video and other media from the Galaxy S III to your big screen. It can even send a live 1080p feed from the camera to your screen

HDMI adapter

This is so you can take advantage of all the MHL capabilities of the Galaxy S III while still being able to easily connect it up to your television screen.

S Pebble

A bit like a call portable extension of your phone, this 4GB music player can take music direct from the SGS III and then store it, so you can listen later.?

Arrival and deals

Date

The Galaxy S III will be launching on 29 May 2012 in Europe. The 3G version will later come to Russia, the Middle East and Latin America. The 4G version will arrive in America and Korea in June. The phone will be launching in?145 countries with 296 mobile operators making it have the largest number of customers in the world

Deals

All the major operators in the UK will be stocking the Samsung Galaxy S3 in the UK offering a variety of deals to woo customers. For a full run down of what's on offer check out our?Samsung Galaxy S3: The best deals from O2, Vodafone, Three, Orange & T-Mobile?feature.?

Also make sure you check out Pocket-lint's in-depth Hands-on: Samsung Galaxy S III review, where we spent quality time with the new smartphone.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Samsung Samsung Galaxy S III

Samsung Galaxy S III: Everything you need to know originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 03 May 2012 19:00:00 +0100

The rain has abated here in London's Earls Court and we've made it to Samsung Unpacked 2012, where Samsung is going to be unveiling the next Samsung Galaxy.

Known to its friends as the?Samsung Galaxy S III, the big question is whether Samsung is going to rain on HTC's parade? Can the Korean handset manufacturer stay on top form and retain the Android top spot?

We'll be bringing you all the details from inside the event. We'll have the Samsung Galaxy S III specs, pictures and first on impressions and all the news from the centre stage.?

So stay tuned on what looks to be a huge night for the tech world in 2012. While you're waiting, why not check-out all the latest rumours or flick through our gallery of 21 leaks and concepts for the Samsung Galaxy S III??

We will keep you posted.

And here you go:

-?Hands-on: Samsung Galaxy S III review

-?Samsung Galaxy S III: Everything you need to know

-?Samsung Galaxy S III: the phone is actually watching you

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Samsung Samsung Galaxy S III Android

Samsung Unpacked 2012: We're here at the Samsung Galaxy S III launch originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 03 May 2012 17:49:00 +0100

One of our bugbears with DLNA, the home media-streaming standard, is that it's a bit of a pain to use. A standard it may be, but simple across every device you use, it most certainly is not. So HTC's Media Link HD is an interesting proposition. It's a little widget that plugs into an HDMI socket, and helps you stream various things from your phone to TV.

Being HTC though, it aims to do it without the fuss and configuration needed for other devices. It should be a plug-and-play affair. So we plugged it in, to find out if that's the case.

Tiny and simple

The Media Link itself is a very small device. On its surface there is barely room for an HDMI output, USB power connector and a button to start the device pairing with your phone. Oh, and there's an HTC logo etched on the top.

It's a nice design, and you can throw it behind your TV and forget about it. In fact, some people may have TVs that can power it via their USB ports. So you may not even need to use the supplied power adaptor. We like that, a lot.

And the lack of controls mean that it's simple to set up. The phone really does all the leg work. When you plug in the Media Link, and press the button, your phone - we tested with the HTC One X - will find the device automatically. From then, there's a little negotiation that happens between the phone and the Media Link, but it's all hidden from view.

And even once everything is paired, there's no user interface as such. If your Media Link is on, and plugged in to your TV, but the phone isn't sending anything, then you will see a mesage that tells you to drag content with three fingers to start sharing on the screen.

The first time you see your phone's launcher appear on the TV, we're pretty sure you'll be at least a little tickled by it.

It's also worth mentioning, in case it isn't obvious, you have to have a new HTC handset for this device to work. So, if you're a One series owner, you're good to go.?

A 50-inch phone

On our big plasma, it's like looking at a gigantic phone across the room. But this is great, because it means that things you used to do on your phone, you can now do on the TV. So Facebook updates, uploading images or just checking messages, can all be done on your TV.

We have to say, by far the coolest thing you can do is send a live feed from the camera to your TV. This works surprisingly well, and because the network is Wi-Fi-based, you can move around quite a bit before you lose the signal. We're not sure how many practical applications there are for this, but it's certainly something you can have a bit of fun with, surprising friends or showing a room full of people something at the same time.

You can also see games and video on the big screen, but don't expect perfect performance. We had a crack at Angry Birds, and found it stuttered too much to be all that enjoyable. But also, remember, you can't control games very well when you're looking at a TV and touching the screen of your phone. There's no indication of where your finger is, and that makes it hard to use.

Also, you might want to turn your home cinema in to a gigantic telephone but you can't route audio from calls through your speakers. We're not sure how we feel about that, but it's probably a good thing.

Some smoke and mirrors

In our testing, it has become clear that the Media Link HD is very good for some things, it is less capable in other areas.

For example, while it can play HD video, it needs to be the right HD video, played in the right player. This is fine, but it's a pain if you fancy watching Netflix. It will show on your TV, but the hardware won't be able to keep up, and it will stutter quite badly. Of course, this is an understandable technical limitation, but we'd hope HTC can make the next version with this in mind.

It goes without saying though, that content from the phone via HTC Watch, or just the screen, mirrored on to your TV looks superb.

Occasional glitches

Sometimes, we found that video would drop out, or break up on screen. It didn't happen much though. Longer videos worked well though, and the quality is pretty good. Playing stuff from DLNA servers is a bit of a hiding to nothing. We had various errors here, but it always felt like there was a possibility we could get it working. Perhaps HTC can do more on this over time.

Verdict:

The HTC Media Link HD is a lot of fun for certain things. Business users might find it useful to show video, presentations or websites when they're out and about. It's tiny, and you can plug it in to anything with HDMI, so for that it's ideal.

If you use HTC Watch a lot, then this is a must-have device, as it is built to handle that content and do so well. In our tests, video via this service looked superb and was quick to load. We never managed to get over how cool it was having our phone handle these things, and allow us to control the playback.

For other video, there's enough codec support to play most common files. MKVs are supported, which means a lot of internet video will work well. We enjoyed this too, and it looked good - even 720p video played well, and all wirelessly.

It's not perfect though. Sometimes things were slow to work, or wouldn't work until we tried several times. Hopefully, HTC will keep updating the phones to make this playback better, because although we like the Media Link HD, we think it has even more potential.

Tags: Home Cinema Phones Tablets HTC HTC Media Link HD HTC DG H200 Media Link HD

HTC DG H200 Media Link HD originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 03 May 2012 16:49:00 +0100

As you might expect when a big phone manufacturer is about to launch a serious competitor to the iPhone, the iPhone 5?rumours start to appear again allowing Apple?to stay in the back of our minds.

The latest is from iLounge, which has been right in the past about iPhone rumours and is being very specific about what it has learnt.

According to the site, which has even gone to the trouble of creating artist renders of their information, the new leak matches and expands on previous details that it has seen in the past.

So what are the specs claimed to be?

"The new iPhone will indeed be longer and thinner than the iPhone 4 and 4S. Approximate measurements are 125mm by 58.5mm by 7.4mm—a 10mm jump in height, nearly 2mm reduction in thickness, and virtually identical width.

"According to our source, Apple will make one major change to the rear casing, adding a metal panel to the central back of the new iPhone. This panel will be flat, not curved, and metal, not ceramic. Our artist’s rendition provides a rough idea of what this change will look like; it echoes the current-generation iMac design, to be sure."

That change in height will mean a lengthening of the current 3.5-inch screen to roughly 4-inches on the diagonal.

If true that change in aspect ratio would mean that every developer would have to update their app to cope with the new screen resolution and dimensions - something that here at Pocket-lint we think Apple might not be ready to force on people.

As iLounge notes, Apple has done that before with the iPhone, but not since the first iteration before apps where so mainstream and such a lifeblood to the company's profits and the success of the phone.

Additionally Apple will also introduce its new Dock Connector on the new iPhone, ?iLounge claims.

"The new port will be a little larger than the bottom speaker or microphone hole on the iPhone 4/4S. It’s believed to have fewer pins than the prior 30-pin Dock Connector, perhaps only 16, and the shape of the hole is apparently closer to a pill shape than the prior rounded rectangle."

iLounge goes on to say that the new port, which has itself been rumoured before, will be used on all upcoming devices, including an update to the iPod touch that’s expected this year.

Read

Tags: iPhone 5 iPhone Apple Phones

iPhone 5 to feature different sized screen, new dock connector, and different resolution claim sources originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 03 May 2012 14:52:00 +0100

The Samsung Galaxy S 3 is one of the biggest gadgets of 2012. With its predecessor topping the Android charts in the previous year and pretty much sweeping up all the best mobile phone awards it could find, it’s of little surprise that the world has its ears like a safe cracker to the web for news about the next member of this highly acclaimed super-smartphone dynasty.

Naturally, it’s our job here at Pocket-lint to sweep up any such tidbits of information and mould them in our experienced grip until we have a fully formed model of what we all expect the Samsung Galaxy S III to look like. Whether that turns out to reflect what the real phone shapes up to be remains to be seen, but read on to find out the shape of things right now according to the Samsung Galaxy S III rumours.

Samsung Galaxy S III quick facts based on rumours so far

If you take all the latest intel, fact or rumour, on the new Samsung Galaxy S3 or S III depending on how you write it, the phone will have a 4.8-inch screen, be powered by Samsung's own Exynos chip, feature slightly curved design like the Galaxy Nexus and come with an 8 megapixel camera.?

It will be available on Vodafone and O2 in the UK in the coming weeks and run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. You'll also be able to get it at Phones 4u too in the UK.?It won't feature LTE for the UK and it is unlike to me made from Unicorn horns.?

Samsung Galaxy S III release date

It all began just one month after the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S II when the president of Samsung’s mobile division, J.K. Shin, told the Dow Jones Newswires in an exclusive interview: “Samsung may launch a third version of its Galaxy S smartphone in the first half of next year after launching a second-generation version called Galaxy S II last month.”

Now that “may” might have sounded a shade wishy-washy at the time but we only had to wait until the 11 October 2011 for our next glimpse into the future when Phandroid.com received a leaked slide of the Samsund roadmap which featured none other than the Samsung Galaxy S III at the top of the tree. There were no dates along with the information but, with around six months to go, a Mobile World Congress 2012 launch wasn’t a big stretch.

But a big stretch it turned out to be by the end of January 2012 when Pocket-lint reported via Sammyhub and the Verge that what looked to be nailed on seemed to be suffering from delay. According to a well-trusted source group called “people familiar with the matter”, Samsung had been planning an MWC 2012 launch but there were issues which meant the timescale had been set back to a “before summer” release and that could have been about trying to reduce the long gap before users in the US got to buy them, as occured with the SGS2 arrival.

“We are still reviewing several options when to launch, so we'll let you know when it's decided,” was the official line at the time from Samsung’s head of Global Marketing, Younghee Lee, as he more or less made the handset official for the very first time.

All the same, it wasn’t until Samsung dropped a memo into Pocket-lint’s inbox a few days later on 1 February 2012 that we knew for sure that MWC 2012 was simply too soon.

"The successor to the Galaxy S II smartphone will be unveiled at a separate Samsung-hosted event in the first half of the year, closer to commercial availability of the product." was the word and the current anticpated arrival time for the Samsung Galaxy S III is May 2012.

Following the leaked image of the phone by GSMHelpdesk.nl, it was then suggested that 22 May would be the date of the phone's launch and that it would happen in London. However, Samsung finally debunked at least part of that theory by sending out an invite for its next Samsung Mobile Unpacked event, which will be held on 3 May. The host city of London though, was spot on.

Samsung Galaxy S III screen

The Galaxy S II had a whopper of a display when it arrived and Samsung even inched it out a little further for the LTE version, so one might expect something similarly grand for the Samsung Galaxy S III screen.

According to the leaked information on Phandroid.com in October, that’s exactly what will be happening with 0.1” addition taking the total to 4.6” on the diagonal. The same rumour talks of a much expected upgrade in the actual technology of the screen too. First it was Super AMOLED, then the SGS2 made it a Super AMOLED Plus and then the Galaxy Nexus came out with a 720p Super AMOLED HD. Apparently the Samsung Galaxy S III will have a Super AMOLED Plus HD. What this means in real terms has not been said but, in practice, it’s either going to be a 720p or 1080p resolution.

The only other story so far on the matter came from Samsung itself. Just after CES 2012, the company produced a video with its new product launch triumphs fresh from the show and some bright spark with the pause button at the ready spotted a large, but not Galaxy Note style, mobile device seven minutes in. What we see is a broader mobile with virtually edge-to -dge screen across its width and even less black along the top and bottom than you currently get on the SGS2. It looks great. The chances are, however, that it’s some kind of mock up but one never quite knows.

The latest rumours suggest that the Samsung Galaxy S3 will have a 4.8-inch screen based on a number of leaked images that show the supposed SGS3 next to a ruler, and more recently of a screen protector that shows it will be bigger than the HTC One X.?

Samsung Galaxy S III camera

Again, it’s really, so far, only October’s leak that’s given us anything to go on in terms of the Samsung Galaxy S III camera. The word on the slide shot is that the 8MP rear-facer is going to be upgraded to a 12-megapixel backlit sensor which should improve performance under low light conditions as well as up the resolution. What’s more is that the sensor is apparently the same size as one you’d find in a compact at 1/2.3" and that might have some very interesting optical improvements so long as the lens put in front of it and circuitary behind it are up to scratch. That’s also if the leaked photo happens to be true, which looks a bit less likely when you notice a couple of typos.

The possible mock up in the post-CES promo video gives us another potential clue as far as the front-facing camera goes and that’s only to say that it’s in the same position as before. One would hope to get a little more resolution than the VGA version in the SGS2 but more on that when we hear about it.

Samsung Galaxy S III processor

The Phandroid.com roadmap listed a?dual-core 1.8GHz Exynos 4212 chip backed up with 2GB of RAM as the engine room of choice for the Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone. On the one hand, the memory seems about right but, what with Tegra 3 and quad-core processors looking to rule the waves in 2012, the Exynos 4212 seems a touch short.

Indeed, according to a report in Androidandme.com in November 2011, it will, in fact, be an all-new?Exynos 4412 system-on-a-chip instead. The Exynos 4412 is still based on an ARM Cortex A9 CPU architecture but comes with four cores running at a 1.5GHz clock. The GPU attached is said to be a?Mali-T604 GPU with a 5x faster factor than previous Mali chips and up to, again, four cores to work with.

Samsung has since confirmed that the phone will feature its own Exynos chip, although rumours are now starting to surface that in the US the phone will come with Qualcomm's S4 processor instead.?

Samsung Galaxy S III form factor
?

Form factor-wise, while the Phandroid.com rumour reports Samsung taking a step away from the squared-off candybar shape to disentangle itself from any iPhone infringements, the more interesting information is in the February 2012 story from Korean publication ETnews. The suggestion here is that the Samsung Galaxy S III will be just 7mm thick, thanks to?printed circuit boards, connector parts and chips that are 10 to 20 per cent thinner than conventional units. That would make it 1.9mm thinner than the SGS2 and more akin to the Samsung Nexus in design, something that many of the leaked photos suggest.?

Samsung Galaxy S III connectivity

?The Phandroid.com report from October 2011 stated that the Samsung Galaxy S III would come equipped with both NFC and LTE connectivity. That certainly makes sense, given that two of Samsung's recent top phones have included these standards, so there's no reason why the company would deprive their upcoming flagship model of them either. The question for UK users, of course, is whether we'll see the LTE version this side of the Atlantic?

Samsung Galaxy S III software

?With Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich the latest version of the Google Mobile software for the first part of 2012, it's pretty much a cert that that's what will be adorning the Samsung Galaxy S III. The variable is the UI on top and, although there's been no word either way, the obvious choice is whatever the latest version of Samsung's TouchWiz is. Currently, it's TouchWiz 4.0 as released on the SGS2, so either that or an all-new TouchWiz 5.0 would make the most sense.

Samsung Galaxy S III pictures

We've tracked plenty of concepts so far from around the web showing a variety of different designs all purporting to be the Samsung Galaxy S 3.?

Indeed, it's often the pictures that tell a thousand words with the mistakes of the pretenders revealing themselves and the hopes and dreams of thousands of fanboys in the oohs and ahhs of the vector-drawn, dream mock-ups.

Here, for your pleasure, we've collected them all. So take a look at the Samsung Galaxy S III in pictures, see if you can spot the patterns and let us know which one you would most like it to be.

-?Samsung Galaxy S III: 21 leaked pictures and concepts, but are any the real deal?

Samsung Galaxy S III video

On 20 April, just under two weeks before the phone's official unveiling, Vietnamese website Tinhte.vn has released a video of what it claims to be the Samsung Galaxy S III. And certainly, it's innards, operating system and processor match up to what we already believe.

The casing of the device in the video doesn't look as slick as we'd expect, so it's likely that it is a fake shell or prototype build, but everything else looks convincing. Tinhte has also got a reputation for getting its hands on notable products before release, including several iPhones that turned out to be spot on.

Samsung Galaxy S III price

There’s been no word on the Samsung Galaxy S III price for the time being. One would expect it to come in at under the cost of the iPhone, as is usual for top Android phones, but not a huge amount less. Naturally, bigger and better technology is going to drive the price up but the original ?499 PAYG/?40pm contract release tag of the Samsung Galaxy S II would seem like a decent guide.

Samsung Galaxy S III review

Expect plenty more coverage as we get closer to the release date and a full and thorough Samsung Galaxy S III review once we've had a chance to get Samsung’s latest top super-smartphone for 2012 into the Pocket-lint labs.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Samsung Samsung Galaxy S II Samsung Galaxy S III Features Android Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Samsung Galaxy S III: Review of rumours, features, pictures and specs originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 03 May 2012 13:57:00 +0100

BlackBerry 10?might have just been announced, but that doesn't mean Research In Motion has forgotten about current BlackBerry?users announcing that BB 7.1 is now available for customers in the UK.

The update is available for the BlackBerry Bold 9900, BlackBerry Torch 9810?and 9860, BlackBerry Curve 9360 and 9380 smartphones, and the BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981?smartphone from BlackBerry.

Starting today, customers can upgrade their smartphones to BlackBerry 7.1 free of charge over the air or using BlackBerry Desktop Software, the company says.

The new update adds BlackBerry Tag, a new way to share content with other BlackBerry customers using NFC technology and a battery saving mode to make your BB battery last even longer, and turn your phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot for five other devices.

BlackBerry Tag, announced earlier in the year, lets you tap two NFC-enabled BlackBerry smartphones together to share contact information, pictures, or a URL from the browser or documents.

BlackBerry Tag can also be used to invite a friend to BBM or to pair their BlackBerry smartphone with an NFC-enabled Bluetooth device while Battery Saving Mode will automatically adjust include the brightness level, backlight timeout, and the mobile hotspot auto shutdown timer.

Customers with a BlackBerry Curve 9360 or 9380 smartphone will also find a nice surprise with the BlackBerry 7.1 OS update. You've now got an FM radio.

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Tags: Phones BlackBerry Torch BlackBerry Curve BlackBerry Bold BlackBerry RIM BlackBerry 10

BlackBerry 7.1 update hits the UK for Bold, Curve, and Torch users originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 03 May 2012 13:05:00 +0100

Nokia's soon-to-be ex-chairman?Jorma Ollila has spilled the beans on a couple of plans the Finnish company has to turn around its ailing fortunes. Although the firm posted $1.2 billion losses in the first quarter of 2012, it is to look at increasing its device range with tablets and alternative form factors for its mobile phones.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Ollila revealed that getting a Nokia tablet on to the market was vital for the company, and explained that the partnership with Microsoft would soon bear fruit.

"Tablets are an important one, so that is being looked into," he said.?"And there will be different hybrids, different form factors [handset designs] in the future.

"[I am] happy with what is happening. When you have such strong competitors in the marketplace it will take a bit of time but things are going well."

His words echo similar made by Nokia CEO Stephen Elop when Pocket-lint interviewed him in January. He revealed to us that the company was interested in the tablet market, and hinted that Windows 8 and the metro-style user interface could be involved.

"We haven't announced anything specifically about tablets. I say that over and over again,"he said.

"But when you look at it and think about what people are expecting in their digital life, they are expecting some uniformity of experience across their phones, their tablets, their PCs, their automobiles, their gaming platforms.

"We are very interested in the Metro?user?interface?and Metro is clearly the big bet for Microsoft...?But again, no specific announcements ... but [it is] something we are interested in."

In addition, Niklas Savander,?the company's executive vice-president, ?told us in March:?"The tablet is an interesting market for someone like Nokia because it is not cannibalising handset sales, it is cannibalising PC sales."

He also revealed that when Nokia does enter the market it will be with something quite different. "If we are going to be in that market we need to have a different point of view, because being the 101st maker isn't really a commercial or consumer proposition," he said.

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Tags: Nokia Tablets Phones

Nokia looking into tablets and hybrid smartphones originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 03 May 2012 10:19:00 +0100

Panasonic aims to crack the European smartphone market and the Eluga dL1 is the first device to arrive with that in mind. It finds itself landing in a fiercely competitive market, pitching itself against the likes of familiar rivals Samsung and LG, a new Sony and the returned-to-form HTC.

Can Panasonic strike it lucky with its oddly named Eluga, and can the Japanese company bring anything to a market already saturated with sophisticated and elegant devices?

Design

Design is one of the Eluga's strong points and certainly it's an area you can't afford to neglect ,given the number of great-looking devices out there. The Panasonic Eluga dL1 is certainly compact. The slim body is elegant and simple in its design, which has been growing on us as we've been using the phone.

There are some oddities, however. At the edges of the screen, the back curves away but the edges feel a little sharp. It does make it easy to grip and given the size of the phone it isn't a huge problem, but sharp edges seem to be the Eluga's thing.

The body is finished in plastics, the matte black rear staying mercifully free of fingerprints and dust, but it does feel slightly abrasive. This is a little odd at first, but after a week of use it no longer bothered us.

One thing that did remain irritating was the placement of the buttons. On the right-hand side of the device is the volume rocker and the standby button. Because of that sharp edge and the way the back curves away, these controls are moved around the back, making them somewhat awkward to press.

The standby button is especially tricky, unless gripping the phone in your left hand. If you're one of those people who always uses a phone two-handed, this might be fine, but for a quick glance at the phone when hanging on to a busy train or when walking the dog, it doesn't feel right.

To achieve the slim and waterproof design, Panasonic has opted for a sealed unit with the Eluga dL1. There are two flaps on the top, one reveals the slot for your micro SIM card, the other the Micro-USB slot. Having to remove the flap daily to change the phone is irritating. There is no option for memory expansion, with no microSD card slot present.

But in return you have a body that is 7.8mm thick (123 x 62 x 7.8mm). It's impressively lightweight for a device with a 4.3-inch display, at only 103g. Set it next to a phone like the Sony Xperia S or the HTC Sensation XE and it's positively tiny, which those with smaller pockets will appreciate.

Especially if those pockets have a tendency to get wet, because the Eluga is a waterproof phone. It has a sealed body and uses gaskets and O rings to keep the water out, rather than the nano-level protection you get on the Motorola RAZR. We used the Eluga in the rain on many occasions and it didn't seem to suffer.

Hardware, display

The display offers you 4.3-inches of AMOLED display. While the blacks are nice and deep and the colours vibrant, AMOLED displays aren't the most natural looking by modern standards, with the colours overly saturated. The other downside is that as the screen dims it can look a little grubby, with whites looking untidy when you scroll pages up and down.

However, the resolution at 960 x 540 pixels is ample. It doesn't match the latest 1080 x 720 displays on devices like the Xperia S or the HTC One X, so whichever way you slice it, this isn't an Android phone at the top of the specs pile.

The same rings true of the remainder of the specs. The TI 1GHz dual core processor has plenty of power and the 1GB of RAM is welcomed, but the 8GB of internal memory is perhaps on the small side and the 1150mAh battery certainly is.

NFC is included, with a start card in the box. We found that NFC refused to work after a number of tests, so eventually we had to give up on it.

So reading from the spec sheet, the Panasonic Eluga dL1 is sub-flagship. It might have been top of the charts in 2011, but can't compete with the latest and greatest. That's not necessarily the coup de gr?ce of the Eluga, as it still has the power to perform pretty much all tasks with relative ease.

Software downfall

So the design has its good points and the hardware is reasonable. However, as a new entry into the Android world, the Eluga doesn't really impress when it comes to the software.

Launching on Gingerbread - ie, not the latest version of Android that you'll find on rival launch devices - is something of a problem. What you really notice is how dated the Eluga feels in everyday use. With Android 4.0 launching more than 6 months ago, some of the raw Gingerbread features lack shine, even if they are functional.

But Panasonic isn't just pitching out a raw Android device, it has made some customisations. It has changed the home pages and the lock screen, for example, but neither is especially engaging.

The lock screen offers a left or right swipe in an arcing motion to unlock the phone. That's fine, but there's a dearth of anything else. The stock music player doesn't appear there, you miss the direct access to notifications that Ice Cream Sandwich offers and there are no unlock shortcuts.

Land on the home screen and Panasonic's launcher seems rather basic. You can choose three shortcuts to drop into the launch bar, but you can't pile up folders effectively like you can on the Sony Xperia S, also running on Gingerbread. Arguably, stock Ice Cream Sandwich would make this more dynamic, with better handling of folders, so long as Panasonic sticks with the standard launch bar.

Panasonic has also included an “eco mode” app. This aims to prolong the battery life by taking various steps to reduce power-hungry features. It isn't a new idea, HTC among others, has a similar set of options. One thing to watch out for, if you do use the eco settings, is the point at which some of your connections turn off, for example Wi-Fi.

In terms of social networking, Panasonic hasn't bundled in the sorts of SNS apps that others do, so you're left to regular Android apps, which is no bad thing. One nice app they have included is called Picture Album. Much of this duplicates the regular gallery app, but press and hold a photo and you'll get the option to favourite or send to Facebook or Twitter, which is a nice touch.

Panasonic has also tweaked the stock keyboard. This offers trace, a la Swype, as well as predictive text entry. Trace can be switched off, although it's fast if you master it. The keyboard is intuitive enough and we've been happy to use it, but as we say with most Android phones, you can easily change it for a third-party keyboard if you prefer.

Overall, the worrying thing is that Panasonic has gone to the effort of changing some things, like the apps tray, but none of these changes really adds to the experience. We also found it felt slow in use and crashes were relatively frequent. Crashes are something that Android users have had to deal with, but it adds to the feeling that the Eluga isn't quite up there with the best.

Media

As a company known for AV, you might expect a tweaked music or video player, but Panasonic has left both as stock Android. There are a couple of additions that Panasonic has made however, including a DLNA client. We found it to be lightening fast to find content on our Cisco home media server, however the format support seems limited, refusing to play video or music. It also acts as the server for sharing content to compatible devices. The stock music player is reasonable and it isn't too hard to find better options on Google Play. We found the Eluga to be a little on the quiet side, constantly having to push the volume up. The same is true of the external speaker, which isn't hugely loud.

As an Android device, the Eluga will handle flash video you find online or via apps, with services like BBC iPlayer working nicely. As we said, the Eluga doesn't have the widest range of file format support out of the box, so you might have to scrabble around and find a better app.

Cameras

When it comes to the camera, the Eluga offers an 8-megapixel sensor around the back. There is no flash and there is no forward-facing camera, again marking up a few omissions on the spec sheet.

Panasonic has lavished some attention on the camera interface and we actually quite like it. It isn't as simple as the latest effort from HTC, but it packs in a number of useful options.

There's a range of focusing modes, including touch focusing, and various effects that can be applied to add interest to your shots.

The camera isn’t the fastest in use and we found it consistently switched down to 2MP, most likely a software bug. The results, however, are pretty good. Like all camera phones, shots get noisy as the light dips and it quickly blows out highlights in high contrast shots.

Video comes in at 720p and the results are impressive. The video capture offers continuous autofocus, which is smooth and fast, so you don't really notice it's doing it.

Calling, battery

We found that the ear speaker was rather quiet on the Eluga, so we had to turn it up all the way and calling in busy places, like a train station, was more difficult than it should be. Callers never reported a problem hearing us, however.

As we've mooted, the battery life is something of a problem for the Eluga. This isn't the most powerful phone out there, it doesn't have the largest display, but the sacrifice for that slim design is one of the smallest batteries.

In reality, the trade-off isn't worth it. As Motorola has proven with the Motorola RAZR Maxx, Android users will take a hit on the thickness, if they'll get better battery life. In the case of the Eluga, we had to charge it before the end of everyday. This is the phone that needed to be plugged in early evening if it was to survive through use till bedtime.

Verdict:

Panasonic is a company that has a great range of products from televisions to cameras. Perhaps that raised our expectations of what the Eluga would offer, but it doesn't feel quite as mature as some of the company's other products.

Certainly there are some highlights. The slim design is eye-catching and some might love that it isn't a huge lump in your pocket. The waterproofing takes away the worry of whipping it out in the street in a downpour and there is enough power to do the things that you expect a smartphone to do.

This is set in the context of a user experience that lacks the refinement of HTC Sense or Samsung's TouchWiz, or just plain old Android 4. This isn't an insurmountable problem because much of this can be addressed by updates, changing the launcher or careful selection of apps.

As it is, the out-of-the-box experience isn't compelling enough for us to set Panasonic above its rivals.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Panasonic Panasonic Eluga Android Panasonic Eluga dL1

Panasonic Eluga dL1 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 02 May 2012 21:26:00 +0100

Do you like blue? Or white? Good, because those are the supposed colours the new Samsung Galaxy S III will come in when the phone launches at the Samsung Unpacked Event on Thursday.

That's according to a leaked photo of a Carphone Warehouse internal ordering system that shows the?Samsung Galaxy S IIII ?as available in blue and white.

That titbit of information just hours before the launch ties in nicely with the event invite that shows two pebble-like shapes in both blue and white.

As GSMArena, which was sent the spy shot, points out that the Samsung Galaxy Note for AT&T is already available in Carbon Blue and Ceramic White, suggesting that this rumour is more than likely legit if Samsung is to follow previous ranges. ?

In related news, Chinese site unwire.hk has uncovered a screen protector purporting to be for the SGSIII.

All packed up and ready to be sold, the Ultimate Screen Guard has been designed for a mighty big phone. If the screen protector is real, the Samsung Galaxy S III will pack a 4.8-inch screen and be bigger than the newly released HTC One X.

With only hours before the launch of what is expected to be the new Samsung Galaxy S III, we shouldn't have long to wait.

Pocket-lint will be covering the event live so tune back in to see what we have to say on what is likely to be the biggest and best selling phone of the year.

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Tags: Phones Samsung Samsung Galaxy S III Carphone Warehouse

Samsung Galaxy S III available in blue or white leaks in Carphone Warehouse internal systems originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 02 May 2012 16:10:00 +0100

Phones 4u will stream Samsung’s Unpacked 2012 event LIVE from its Oxford Street store on Thursday 3 May 2012?the UK retailer has announced.

The news means if you, yes you reading this right now, are in London and fancy seeing what Samsung has to announce you should make sure you get down there pronto.

Members of the public will be able to watch the "big reveal" live on Samsung big screens from the Phones 4u Oxford Street store, while enjoying complimentary food and drink, says the retailer. ?

Those that attend will can even be in with a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy Note.?

There is no word however as to whether the shop will have models of the new phones to play with on the night, although wouldn't that be a treat?

The new Samsung-branded experience zone within Phones 4u recently opened at?112-114 Oxford Street, allowing users to experience something akin to the Apple store but with Samsung products instead.?

If you can't make the event Pocket-lint will be live from the actual Samsung Unpacked event in London.?

Tags: Samsung Phones Samsung Galaxy S III Phones 4u

Samsung Galaxy S III fans: Watch the live stream at Phones4u Oxford Street originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 02 May 2012 15:50:00 +0100

Runkeeper has teamed up with overnight Kickstarter success stars Pebble, to offer a Runkeeper app for the watch when it comes out.

In a move that will see it go head to head with the Nike+ GPS Sports Watch, users of the Runkeeper service that get the Pebble watch will be able to sync the watch with the Runkeeper app running on their phone in their pocket.

"Well, when Pebble approached us about integrating with RunKeeper, we loved the idea. ?We know that many of you are always looking for ways to make your fitness tracking easier, and with Pebble integration, you won’t ever have to pull the phone out of your pocket or armband," says Runkeeper on the company's blog.

"You can just see and do everything you need right from your watch (which connects with the phone via Bluetooth),"?

RunKeeper will be the first third-party app for the device, and is likely to give the project an even bigger boost when it comes out.

"It will likely be a few months until the watches are ready, but when they are, you will be able to see your in-activity fitness data, start/stop RunKeeper, etc. right from your wrist," says Runkeeper.

The Pebble watch has so far raised over $8m and works with iPhone and Android smartphones. It currently doesn't work with BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7, or Palm smartphones.

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Tags: Phones Sports Fitness iPhone apps Android apps Pebble RunKeeper

Pebble smartwatch adds Runkeeper app support originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 02 May 2012 14:41:00 +0100

The Samsung Galaxy S III?is set to be unveiled in what is now more a matter of hours than days. As ever, it's been one hell of a run in the build up, with rumours specs and supposed details flying around on an almost daily basis.

One of our favourite pastimes as the action and the gossip hots up is taking a look at all the professed leaked shots, concepts and other images of what the next superphone is set to look like. Indeed, it's often the pictures that tell a thousand words with the mistakes of the pretenders revealing themselves and the hopes and dreams of thousands of fanboys in the oohs and ahhs of the vector-drawn, dream mock-ups.

Here, for your pleasure, we've collected them all. So take a look at the Samsung Galaxy S III in pictures, see if you can spot the patterns and let us know which one you would most like it to be.

Tags: Samsung Phones Samsung Galaxy S III Android Features

Samsung Galaxy S III: 21 leaked pictures and concepts, but are any the real deal? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 02 May 2012 13:49:00 +0100

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich?share has grown to 4.4 per cent in Google's latest platform versions report, showing that the newest version of Android is growing in popularity, but by no means the most popular version of the mobile OS.

That crown goes to Android 2.3 Gingerbread, with a whopping 64.4 per cent of devices that have accessed Google Play in the last 14 days using it.

The breakdown, provided by Google, also shows that while developers and supposedly customers were screaming out for Android tablets and its Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system, take-up of the platform within the wider Android community has been weak. Honeycomb accounts for us 3.3 per cent of devices.

Not surprisingly, showing how diverse and fragmented Android?is, more than a quarter of Android devices in use (27.5 per cent) use Android 2.2 Froyo (20.9 per cent), Android 2.1 Eclair (5.5 per cent), Android 1.6 Donut (0.7 per cent), or Android 1.5 Cupcake (0.3 per cent).

With recent Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich launches from Sony, HTC and the newly expected Samsung Galaxy S II?we suspect that the Android 4.0 numbers next time will be very different.

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Tags: Phones Tablets Android Gingerbread Ice Cream Sandwich Honeycomb Google

Gingerbread still most popular version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich still playing catch-up originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 02 May 2012 13:31:00 +0100

Nokia has confirmed that it will start to ship its Nokia 808 Pureview?41-megapixel smartphone this month around the world.

The device, first shown at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, will be available initially in India and Russia before making its way to the UK before the end of June.

The Nokia 808 PureView is the first smartphone to feature Nokia's PureView technology that is has said will make it into the company's Lumia range in the future.

"PureView has completely raised the bar on imaging performance for the whole smartphone industry," said Jo Harlow, Head of Smart Devices at Nokia. "We're going to carry on developing PureView for our future smartphones in ways that will again revolutionize the imaging experience."

The phone, which has been in development for several years, runs on the company's Symbian OS suggesting popularity for the handset might be limited.

In related news, Nokia has confirmed that it will continue to use Carl Zeiss lens for its phones.?

"Carl Zeiss was a crucial partner in the creation of the first PureView experience," said Jo Harlow, executive vice-president of Nokia Smart Devices. "The benefits of our ongoing collaboration will be more PureView innovation and further advancements in smartphone imaging in the coming months and years."?

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Tags: Phones Nokia Nokia 808 Pureview

Nokia 808 PureView starts shipping, Nokia and Carl Zeiss extend partnership originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 02 May 2012 13:06:00 +0100

We don't know when the iPhone 5 will be out, we don't know what it will look like, and we don't know what it will be made of. But that doesn't stop some hoping, dreaming, imagining all that the new iPhone could be.

That's exactly what Antoine Brieux’s has done with this iPhone 5 LM concept envisioning what the new iPhone would look like if it war to be made with Liquid Metal, a material Apple invested in some time ago and currently uses to make the SIM card tray pokey thing in the box that looks like a glorified paperclip.

While the rumour mill is still discussing whether or not the next iPhone will be made with Liquid Metal, this iPhone 5 concept fills the gap.

It comes with a virtual "Home Button" replacing the physical one, while imagined specs include a 4.5-inch screen, 10-megapixel camera, and quad-core A6 chip.

While we doubt this will be what the new iPhone looks like, you have to admit its very pretty.

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Tags: Phones Concepts Apple iPhone 5

Liquid Metal iPhone 5 concept you'll want to own right now originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 02 May 2012 12:11:00 +0100

BlackBerry?maker RIM has said there will be a second BlackBerry developer device released later in the year.

Talking at BlackBerry Jam, Alec Saunders, RIM’s VP of Developer Relations, confirmed there would be a second "very limited-edition" version of a BlackBerry 10 device nearer the official launch date later in the year.

The exclusive device will be available to any developer who has bagged a BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha?unit, developed an app and had it approved.

The reason? RIM confirmed that at present there are no plans on upgrading the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha unit to the final version of BlackBerry 10 but that it is keen on rewarding developers for their endeavours.

In the meantime we recommend that those eager to get their hands on the device being handed out at BlackBerry World in Florida, or the yet to come "very limited-edition" device, should keep an eye on eBay.

Tags: Phones BlackBerry BlackBerry 10 BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha RIM

Second BlackBerry 10 developer phone in the works originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 02 May 2012 00:10:00 +0100

BlackBerry?maker RIM has confirmed that it will still be making smartphones with physical Qwerty keyboards when it comes to launching BlackBerry 10 devices in the future.

The news will no doubt allay fears of BlackBerry users not yet ready to make the full leap to a touchscreen keyboard.

Thorsten Heins, CEO at RIM, said as much in his keynote. However US phone site Phonescoop has confirmed with RIM at BlackBerry World that it is going to be making devices with physical keyboards as well as ones without.

"RIM is not going to stop producing devices with physical keyboards, despite its focus during the keynote on virtual keyboards," the site reports. ?But it added: ?"The spokesperson also noted that while the first?BlackBerry 10?device might have only a virtual keyboard, future BlackBerry 10 devices will have virtual as well as physical keyboards."

RIM showed off new keyboard features in its keynote at the conference on the new?BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha?being handed out to developers at BlackBerry World in Florida. The new BlackBerry 10 keyboard will be offer predictive word calculations as well as helping to guess the letters you are typing in a way virtually identical to Swiftkey does for Android.

Industry sources have previously confirmed to Pocket-lint that Swiftkey is used by BlackBerry for the PlayBook OS 2.0 operating system and it is logical to expect that the British company's technology is being used here too.

At least BlackBerry Bold and Curve users can now rest easy that RIM isn't ditching the physical keyboard just yet. ?

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Tags: Phones BlackBerry RIM BlackBerry 10 BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha

RIM: BlackBerry 10 devices with physical keyboard still planned originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 01 May 2012 23:55:00 +0100

Windows Phone 7 seems to all be about Nokia at the moment. Nokia Lumia this, Nokia Lumia that, but HTC is still making Windows Phone 7-powered handsets, and shouldn't be completely forgotten - or should it?

The HTC Titan II is a 4.7-inch packing WP7 smartphone that boasts a 16-megapixel camera on the back. Available on AT&T, it wants to be your WP7 handset of choice. So should it be?

Design

Announced at CES in January, the HTC Titan II is more akin to the Titan I and previous HTC smartphones than to the newly announced HTC One series. The front is dominated by the same 4.7-inch WVGA (800 x 480) LCD panel as found in the first Titan, with just enough room to fit the de facto Windows Phone buttons (back, home, search) at the bottom, and an AT&T logo and 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera at the top.

The Windows Phone buttons beneath the screen are capacitive and a part of the screen. and that creates a clean, flush design. Featuring haptic feedback, they are as responsive as you would hope.

The Titan II features power, volume, and dedicated shutter buttons on the side of the phone. There is also a 3.5mm headphone jack and a Micro-USB charging socket but sadly, no docking station option.

Around the back you'll get the 16-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash that is raised above the case, although not enough to really notice. A removable plate lets you access the SIM card slot. There is no micro SD slot or removable battery - all too common on Windows Phone devices.?

The SIM card cover is surprisingly large, but as you'll never have to remove it, we wouldn't spend too much time worrying about that either. Removing it automatically powers down the phone, so don't go thinking you can play clip on/clip off in your pocket without consequences.

The Titan II is well built and robust, however the lack of premium materials such as polycarbonate or anodised aluminium found in other HTC phones will no doubt be a disappointment to some, especially after seeing the HTC One X.

For us the design is somewhat 2011. It's nothing groundbreaking, and it won't make you stand out from the crowd. But it's not ugly, impractical or dull. Solid is probably the best word to use to describe the design approach for the Titan II.

In the pocket, unless you are wearing the tightest of jeans, you'll have no problem. The case hugs the screen tightly and the phone reasonably thin; it is big though.

Inside???????

The Titan II is powered by a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S2 processor and comes with LTE connectivity on AT&T.

That processor means that is theoretically faster than the Nokia Lumia 900, but in reality you won't notice any difference. Yes benchmarks probably tell you otherwise, but you don't benchmark in real life and we aren't about to get your hopes up by doing so either.?

You'll get 16GB to store your music, apps, photos and the like, and while some will groan this isn't nearly enough, it's pretty much the WP7 standard.

Photography

Packing a 16-megapixel f/2.6, 28mm lens, the camera ?in the?Titan II promises the most megapixels for your buck from any camera in the Windows Phone 7 stable. It also beats Android, and of course, the iPhone too. It beats every phone aside from the Symbian-powered Nokia PureView 808 with its 41-megapixels.

Now we all know that megapixels aren't the be-all and end-all of cameras, and that it's how the camera processes the information that's important. Here HTC has added a number of features above and beyond those that Microsoft offers in Windows Phone 7, including a series of effects, panorama mode, scene modes, smile capturing, face detection, red eye reduction, image stabilization, and burst mode. And that's all in addition to the standard camera features like ISO, white balance and contrast.

Taking pictures is standard fare for Windows Phone 7. Fire up the camera app, half press the dedicated shutter button to focus and press fully to snap. The camera takes the picture instantly with zero lag and lets you continue shooting - and it's even more rapid in burst mode.

We are very pleased with the results. While looking at the pictures 1:1 there is noticeable noise - as you would expect for a camera phone - the fact that you are taking the picture at double the resolution of most camera phones on the market means you have a lot more room to play when it comes to cropping and framing.

The colours, when you aren't applying an effect, are true to life and well-rounded. Skies are blue, yellow flowers are yellow, and skin tones skin like.

We especially like the capabilities of the macro mode, and the affect the different effects can have on the image. However, it's worth pointing out that some of our shots were over exposed in some areas, with the sensor struggling to cope with the bright conditions we were snapping in.? ?

The camera's quality combined with a large screen to enjoy them on instantly means you are unlikely to be disappointed with the Titan II's photographic prowess.

Video is 720p rather than 1080p but results are good.

Windows Phone 7

So that's the hardware, what of the software? If you haven't used Windows Phone 7 before, it's a bit of a Marmite experience. What we mean by that is that it is incredibly easy to use, and for some perhaps a little too easy.

The operating system, as we've discussed on Pocket-lint many times before, juggles and jostles for your attention. It isn't a grid of apps waiting to be pressed, but a living, breathing phone, waiting to interact with you.

For those who like the endless possibilities Android offers probably won't like the more restrictive nature, and might mean that the OS comes across as rather boring. Aside from changing the colour scheme, there is little in the way of personalisation.

HTC has, however, added several free apps that you can add to make more of the core offering from Microsoft.

From HTC that list includes HTC Watch, Tango, Photo Enhancer, HTC Connected Media, HTC Location, Compass, Converter, Lists, Notes, Flashlight, Calculator and Love.

While that sounds impressive, and will be gratefully received, you can get many free third-party apps that do the same thing. Unlike the Nokia handsets, you won't get a free GPS software, or Nokia Maps, Nokia Transport, or Nokia Music apps.

AT&T adds a number of its own apps too. AT&T Code Scanner, AT&T Navigator, AT&T Radio, AT&T U-Verse, and others.

HTC Watch and watching movies

You do get HTC Watch, the HTC movie rental service, that is very good and allows you to buy and rent films to watch on your phone. Movies can be watched while downloading the rest of the film and we had no problem enjoying Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

That's partly helped by the SRS sound capabilities of the Titan II and it really does make a difference when it comes to enjoying audio from the movies.

We tested the Titan II with films from HTC Watch, TV shows from Netflix, and our own content stored on the hard drive and enjoyed them all. The bigger 4.7-inch really does make a difference. This isn't just like watching something on the iPhone.

LTE

As mentioned, the HTC Titan II runs on AT&T's LTE network, meaning a faster internet experience than we're used to here in Blighty. At least that's the theory.?It's a step above HSDPA, which is currently the maximum network speeds here in the UK - though LTE trials are currently taking place, but not quite in the same class as 4G. However, when we fired up Pocket-lint's own site using AT&T's LTE network while Stateside in Seattle, we felt a tad disappointed.

Don't get us wrong, it was quick, but we still experienced some lag. YouTube videos fared much better with minimum buffering, and downloads arrived far quicker than when we've used HSDPA for example. However, Wi-Fi would still remain the preference, and LTE's not quite the game changer we expect 4G to be.?

Day-to-day performance

In use and the Titan II is very nippy. It is quick to run, load apps, play games, and enjoy all that the Windows Phone 7 operating system has to offer. Likewise battery life is very good, thanks to the larger than normal battery (1,730mAh) packed in behind that screen. Unlike the weaker-powered 1Ghz smartphones HTC first released with Windows Phone 7 in 2010, these are no slouches, regardless of the fact that "geeks" will enjoy pointing out that they aren't dual-core or even quad-core. In day to day use, you don't need it.

The screen isn't ?too large - well it is if you are used to the 3.5-inch iPhone - however, as we experienced with the original Titan, WP7 resolution isn't good enough for the large screen size here. While most won't notice it as soon as you do you'll see the jagged edges of fonts, and how everything just isn't as crisp as it should be.

Verdict:

Whether you want a device with such a big screen will be a decision only you can make. The HTC Titan II certainly delivers one of those and if you think the Nokia Lumia 900 is big, this will seem even bigger.

While the Titan II isn't as cool looking, nor does it come with as many "free" apps bolted on as the Nokia devices, we do like the Titan II if you've got the money to spare over the heavily discounted Nokia Lumia 900.

The performance is great, the design, while a little "old", is still strong and solid, and the camera really does perform well.

Should you buy it instead of the Nokia Lumia 900? Sadly for HTC it's still playing second fiddle here to Nokia, and that's a shame.

HTC Watch, while great, can easily be replaced with other streaming services. While the in-camera features aren't enough to really make it that much different to the Lumia 900, especially given the more expensive price tag.

If you want a big-screened Windows Phone 7 device, we suspect that while the HTC Titan II offers what you'll want, you'll end up plumping for the Lumia 900.?

Tags: Phones Mobile phones HTC Titan II HTC Windows Phone 7

HTC Titan II originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 01 May 2012 17:51:00 +0100

As the final countdown continues to the Samsung Galaxy S III launch event in London yet another supposed leaked spy shot of the new?Samsung Galaxy S III?has turned up online.

This time its gone to the tip box of SAMMOBILE which says its annoyomous tipster claims this is the real deal.

"We just received a couple of details and some good pictures of the Galaxy SIII.
The Galaxy SIII is based on Android 4.0.4 out of the box.
Another detail is that the GT-I9300 will be the Galaxy SIII," the site reports.

According to the Samsung focused blog the new phone will be available to buy just one week after the announcement.

"Our tip person told us this phone will be available the week after the release."

Judging by the picture it looks like the Samsung?Galaxy S III featured here is in a case.

We've previously been told and heard that the phone was doing the rounds in a case to help it be disguised as a Samsung Galaxy S II, and this picture would seem to prove that.

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READ:?Samsung Galaxy S III: Review of rumours, features, pictures and specs

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Incidentally the model in the leaked picture matches that of the most convincing Samsung Galaxy S3 press image yet?that turned up earlier in the week.?

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Tags: Phones Samsung Samsung Galaxy S III

New SGSIII picture reveals Galaxy Nexus-like looks originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 01 May 2012 17:24:00 +0100

Thorsten Heins, RIM CEO, has revealed the new BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device at BlackBerry World in Orlando, Florida.

The new BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha is not a BlackBerry 10 smartphone for end users nor does it run the final BlackBerry 10 software. It has been created just for developers to help them prepare for the launch of BlackBerry 10, due later in the year.

The BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha has a 4.2-inch screen with a resolution of 1280?768.?It has Micro USB for debugging and charging.

It has a Micro HDMI port for displaying video on a television or monitor with a HDMI port. It has Bluetooth and WiFi radios and is cellular ready (micro SIM).

"It’s important to get this prototype into the hands of our partners now so that you can help us deliver the type of high-quality content that will make BlackBerry 10 so special," says the BlackBerry maker.

In what is being seen by many as a last-ditch attempt from the company, Hiens demoed the new hardware before going through a number of software features of the new BlackBerry 10.

Pocket-lint is at BlackBerry World in Florida and will be bring you more information, and our thoughts on the new device and operating system as soon as we can.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones BlackBerry BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha RIM

BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device revealed (video) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 01 May 2012 14:34:00 +0100

Cameras are one of the main battlegrounds for modern smartphones, with each manufacturer looking to point out why theirs is better than the next rival.?

"With ImageSense, HTC One rivals traditional digital cameras with improvements to every part of the camera", says HTC; "iPhone 4S includes an all-new camera with the most advanced optics of any phone", says Apple; "leading Carl Zeiss optics" says Nokia. So, who do we believe, and, more importantly what difference does all the spec-talk about sensors and apertures make in real-world use?

To put it all through a realistic, real-world experience, Pocket-lint took five leading smartphones for a quick London stroll on a sunny afternoon to see what results we got.?We tested the HTC One X, iPhone 4S, Sony Xperia S, Samsung Galaxy SII and Nokia Lumia 800, taking the same shots at the same time in the same locations and here we line up the results for you.

We didn't tinker with settings, we just pulled out the phone and took the shot as most users will do most of the time. You'll note that the HTC One X was shooting in 16:9 (the default), but otherwise the aspect of the shots is the same. Likewise, we didn't edit the images, all of which you can find in the gallery below.

All the phones are equipped with an 8-megapixel sensor, except the Sony Xperia S, which offers 12 megapixels.?

The photos

First up, we hit a row of Boris Bikes on the Embankment. Perspective, colour and lots of detail to be had in this shot. You can see how the images compare in the merge we've done, above.

The contrast from the iPhone 4S is perhaps the best; richer colours are exhibited by the iPhone and the HTC One X, although the latter has a slightly pink tinge, obvious in the sky. Comparatively, the Nokia, Samsung and Sony shots are all slightly more yellow but, generally speaking, they all look good.

Around the corner is some great architecture at the back of the Savoy Hotel on Savoy Hill. You'll probably never see it because it's mostly where the staff hangout and smoke. The glossy, white-faced bricks look great against the dark windows.?

Again, a good set of results from our phones. The contrast of the iPhone comes to the fore and again we see that yellow tinge on the Nokia and pink tinge on the HTC. In this case the Samsung Galaxy SII picture is brighter, but in the process, there is very little colour to the sky. In this case, the extra megapixels of the Xperia S mean you can dive in and extract a little more detail.

The entrance to the Thomas Neal Centre combines lower light, mosaic floor detailing and access to loads of shops. We squatted in the doorway to grab this shot. In this case the Samsung Galaxy SII is a warmer photo, because of the slow shutter speed, although the speed isn't wildly difference across the devices.

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But that slower shutter speed means a softer photo with more handshake evident. When you crop in, you'll find that the Xperia S has introduced a lot of noise in the floor, which destroys the detail, but on a camera phone this probably doesn't matter as the rest of the shot looks natural.

Hunting out some colour in Neal's Yard, we find that the Lumia 800 is softer and lacks the vibrancy of the other shots we've taken, the Xperia S and the iPhone acquit themselves well, with painted facades of the buildings every bit as engaging as they are in the flesh.

The Union Jack hanging outside the Covent Garden Hotel on Monmouth Street sees more perspective and the evident pink tinge of the HTC One X. In this case the Nokia produces a colder, bluer, result.? We like the result from the Xperia S, which has a richness to the brickwork, although the SGSII performs well, giving a nice natural result.

Alfresco dining in Covent Garden presents a tricky shot. Plenty of shadow detail and the low sun on the right tests the cameras a little more. The Nokia stumbles, producing a shot that's too dark and dominated by the shadows; all struggle with the bright side-lit conditions. It's also easy to see that the iPhone has colour in the sky, something that's characteristic of its photos.

Finally we find a pansy in Soho Square. To see how well the phones will cope with a little closer detail, the problem here is getting them to focus. In the case of the Lumia 800, it struggles, so we had to back off a bit, and still failed.

The other phones perform better, with the iPhone and the SGSII both giving rich colour and the Xperia S and One X offering up some nice detail.

Conclusions

So what can we take from this? Importantly, one of the things that this quick test demonstrates is just how variable the results can be and how wide the difference is in colour. You probably wouldn't notice this until you compare shots directly.?Our test also doesn't cater for these devices offering a wide variety of settings, some of which are genuinely useful and some little more than a distraction. But, as far as the differences of the cameras go on these top smartphones, this is what we thought.

HTC One X

The HTC One X is fast to focus and capture, with an interface that's fuss free. Unfortunately the device we had was plagued with a pink tinge, so the results never really come out too well.

iPhone 4S

It's hard to deny that the iPhone produces great shots. The interface doesn't offer any options and it isn't very fast to capture those shots, which are obvious criticisms. But it is consistent in its performance, which is an important point.

Sony Xperia S

The Sony Xperia S offers a higher-resolution sensor than the other devices, although in practice this doesn't make a huge?noticeable?difference. What the Xperia S does offer though is a nice interface, easy to control and the benefit of a physical camera button. Although focusing isn't as fast as the HTC One X, it does feel like you get more control.

Samsung Galaxy SII

The Samsung Galaxy SII produces some great shots, although exposure is sometimes a little varied.

Nokia Lumia 800

The Nokia Lumia 800 doesn't perform especially well in our tests, with very varied results produced. Exposure seems to be a problem. It also lacks the speed of some of the other devices.

Tags: Phones Cameras Sony Xperia S Samsung Galaxy S II Nokia Lumia 800 iPhone 4S HTC One X Features

Camera phones on test: HTC One X, iPhone 4S, Xperia S, Galaxy SII, Lumia 800 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 01 May 2012 12:32:00 +0100

LG is not, as rumoured, ditching Windows Phone 7?in favour of Android it seems, with the electronics giant confirming as much to Pocket-lint.

"None of it is true. Korea Herald is showing its speculative side again," a spokesman for the company in Korea told Pocket-lint exclusively before adding, "We are still on board with Windows Phone, but right now, we're focusing on Android because that's where the demand is."

The official line is very different from rumours that LG had ditched the Microsoft-powered Windows Phone 7 operating system for good.

The source of the speculation comes from the Korea Herald reporting on an expected visit to Korea by Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, to talk up the mobile OS.

In the Korea Herald article, an LG?spokesperson is quoted as saying that the company would be taking a step back from Windows Phones powered by Microsoft’s platform, adding that it would "continue research and development efforts" on Windows Phones.

"The total unit of Windows Phone sold in the global market is not a meaningful figure," said the LG spokesman is reported as saying, further elaborating that it currently had no plans of rolling out another LG-manufactured Windows Phone soon.

While that is by no means a full-blown confirmation that the company has pulled the plug, that hasn't stopped the internet at large reporting it as fact that LG has ditched the OS and going solely with Android for future handsets.

That's not the case at all, our man in Korea tells us.?"Regardless of which OS, LG is committed to offering consumers as wide a choice as possible."?

LG has had a mediocre time with Windows Phone 7 to date. In the UK the company offers the LG Optimus 7?while in the US WP7 looking for Qwerty keyboard experience can get the LG Quantum on AT&T.?

Tags: Phones LG Windows Phone 7 LG Optimus 7 LG Quantum Microsoft Android

Not so fast: LG not ditching Windows Phone 7 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 01 May 2012 09:39:00 +0100

There have been more leaks today than at the Welsh vegetable grower's Titanic re-enactment jamboree, and while many of them have been Samsung-centric, the fact that the BlackBerry Jam and BlackBerry World 2012 events are about to get under way in Orlando, Florida, means that at least one is RIM-flavoured.

However, unlike the many (mostly fake) pictures of the Samsung Galaxy S3 that have been floating about, we're pretty sure the pics of the device RIM is giving to BlackBerry 10 developers are genuine. They're just not of a phone you're ever likely to encounter.

Nor do the images, as published by CrackBerry.com, show the handset switched on, so there's no way of knowing at this stage what lovely BB10 goodness the device holds within its ebony frame. The handset is handsome though, like a rubberised iPhone 4.

Thankfully, we won't have too long to wait as Pocket-lint is at BlackBerry World 2012 in the US, so will be reporting back after it opens tomorrow, 1 May. Stay tuned.

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Tags: BlackBerry RIM Phones BB OS 10 BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha

BlackBerry 10 Alpha Dev device, the nicest handset you'll never own originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:38:00 +0100

We said that there would be more in the next couple of days, although we didn't realise that more images of what is purported to be the Samsung Galaxy S3 (or Galaxy S III) would arrive so soon after the last.

But that's what we've got, and there are many out there who are getting much more excited about the latest supposed press image than they have over any of the other, clearly Photoshop-altered, attempts.

For starters, GSM Arena believes it to be far more convincing than previous efforts, and its tipster has even provided a second shot of what is claimed to be the rear of the actual device. Then there's the fact that it looks just like the leaked hands-on picture that appeared this morning, including the slightly elongated home button at the bottom of the screen.

It means that the new handset must be roughly the same design, shape and size as a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, but is that a bad thing?

Of course, this could also be fake, but we think that the timing of a press shot floating about is just about accurate, after all, the official unveiling event is only a few days away (Thursday 3 May).

GSM Arena claims that its source hasn't revealed any further information or specifications, but if the second image is real, you can add an 8-megapixel rear camera to the Exynos 4 Quad processor as technology the Samsung Galaxy S3 will sport.

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Tags: Samsung Phones Samsung Galaxy S III Android Ice Cream Sandwich

Most convincing Samsung Galaxy S3 press image yet leaked ahead of 3 May launch originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:03:00 +0100

It is widely expected that Samsung will launch its own cloud service, S-Cloud, alongside the Galaxy S3 during its Samsung Mobile Unpacked event on Thursday 3 May. However, LG has beaten its South Korean rival by announcing its own cloud solution a full four days beforehand.

The beta version of LG Cloud will open for public use tomorrow, 1 May. And the company says it will be the first service that allows users to "manage and consume all types of content on three screens", including its Android smartphones, PCs and smart TVs.

It will be offered as a series of applications for each device, each available through Google Play or their respective LG?SmartWorld app stores. The service then synchronises the content on your smartphone across all of your LG devices. Photos and video can be viewed on a PC or TV, or videos on a PC can be uploaded to the cloud to view on your phone, for example.

One clever aspect is that you don't have to worry about incompatible video, picture or audio files, LG has its proprietary?Real-time Streaming Transcoding technology working away in the background so that they will be streamed to whatever device, without the user having to worry about installing codecs. The manufacturer says no other cloud service can make the same claim.

It also promises that 3D content can be played through LG Cloud, such as video taken using a LG Optimus 3D.

There are plans to offer LG Cloud in both paid and free flavours. Storage limits and prices will be announced when the service is released in each territory.

Tags: LG Home Cinema Tablets Phones Televisions LG Cloud Samsung Samsung S-Cloud

LG beats Samsung to the punch in announcing multiple screen cloud service originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:25:00 +0100

It is being reported that Nokia is to sell the high-end mobile phone company Vertu for €200 million (approximately ?162 million). Private equity group Permira is believed to be the interested buyer.

Vertu is a UK company that specialises in mobile devices for the rich and famous, with its Constellation Symbian handsets costing anywhere from ?4,000 a phone to ?10,000. There are some daubed in gold and others in alligator skin, and the company is renowned for having major celebrities at its worldwide launch events.

Nokia is struggling, however, posting a $1.2 billion (approximately ?737 million) loss in the first quarter of this year, so funds from a sale of a prized asset would be much welcome as the company strives to dominate the Windows Phone market.

It has been rumoured that Nokia has been looking for a buyer for Vertu since December, with Northern European private equity group, EQT, also believed to be interested, but Permira is the firm favourite to seal the deal.

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Tags: Nokia Phones Vertu Biz

Nokia to sell swanky mobile phone company Vertu for £162 million originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:49:00 +0100

We suspect this may not be the last of them before the Samsung Galaxy S3 (or Samsung Galaxy S III, as it could turn out to be called) will finally be unveiled - on Thursday 3 May - but another "leaked" picture of what is purportedly the most sought-after Android handset has appeared online.

This time an "anonymous tipster" sent the image to mobile phone website Know Your Mobile and, if true, it reveals a couple of interesting things. First, the successor to the hugely popular Galaxy S II is larger, measuring over 130mm (according to the ruler also in shot), and there are no face buttons, with all commands being on screen.

Plus, if you look at the scale of the picture, it can be worked out that the screen size (which is taken?diagonally) is around 4.7 to 4.8-inches.

It looks a lot like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, which is also bigger than 130mm (136mm long, to be precise), has no buttons on the?fascia, and has a screen size of 4.7-inches. In fact, hang on a second, apart from the Samsung logo on the top, it is?identical?to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus - seem familiar to you?

Sigh. Move along, there's nothing to see here.

Will Thursday hurry up and come already!

UPDATE: As some readers have spotted, when the pic is made brighter, a home button becomes visible. That, at least, takes the handset away from the theory that it's a Photoshop manipulated Galaxy Nexus. We're still not convinced that it's the real deal though.

UPDATE 2: A new picture that is claimed to be a leaked press image has appeared, and it seems to match the picture above. Perhaps it's not as far fetched as we initially thought (or there's an accelerated campaign of BS out there).

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Tags: Samsung Phones Samsung Galaxy S III Android

Another Samsung Galaxy S3 image appears - thank heavens there's only two more days to go originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:10:00 +0100

Samsung is now the biggest-selling mobile manufacturer in the world, with the Korean company overtaking Finnish giant Nokia.?

It’s the first time in 14-years that Nokia hasn’t remained on the top spot as the manufacturer has struggled to maintain dominance in the wake of Android and Apple devices.?

According to an industry study, Samsung shipped 93.5 million handsets in Q1, compared to Nokia’s 82.7 million.

Samsung has already issued impressive financial results for Q1 of this year and with the imminent arrival of the Samsung Galaxy S3 it’s happy days for the manufacturer.

Samsung’s rise to world domination is not that much of a surprise, its having already surpassed Nokia as the number one European vendor last year.

Nokia will be hoping to claw back some ground with the Nokia Lumia 900, with the manufacturer putting its faith in Windows Phone.

However, a quick return to the top is unlikely with Nokia conceding even prior to this industry study, that a period of transition is needed before it can return to its former glories.

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Tags: Phones Samsung Nokia Samsung Galaxy S III Nokia Lumia 900

Nokia no longer biggest handset maker as Samsung ends 14-year reign originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0100

A leaked image, purportedly taken from the new Samsung Galaxy S3’s service manual, has been circulating among the online tech community.

The image shows a sketch of the phone, which is officially unveiled in London on 3 May, along with a list of specs.

Before we delve into those, it’s important to point out that this tipster has sent this alleged leak to several sites and as such we remain a tad sceptical, especially as some of the specs don’t add up.

For example, the document alleges the processor will be a 1.5GHz, but Samsung has already announced that its flagship device will run on an Exynos 4 Quad-Core processor.

Scepticism aside, we’re also told to expect a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED MIPI (C-Type) display and Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, both of which make sense.

Despite rumours to the contrary, if theses specs are to be believed we won’t be seeing a 12-megapixel camera, with Samsung instead opting for an 8-megapixel snapper with auto-focus and LED flash.?

Of course there’s every chance this service manual was a first draft and therefore some of the specs (ie, the processor and camera) may have since been changed - but then there’s every chance we could win the lottery this Saturday.?

Until 3 May we really won’t know one way or another. Pocket-lint will of course be there to bring you all the "real" specs and features and we can then get back to speculating on the next big launch.

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Tags: Phones Samsung Samsung Galaxy S III Ice Cream Sandwich Android

Samsung Galaxy S3 specs revealed in leaked service manual originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:15:00 +0100

An Apple store in Sydney, Australia, bore witness to a bizarre flash mob protest, with some speculating it was down to rival Samsung.

A busload of protestors pulled up outside the store before chanting, “Wake Up” and lofting placards with the same mantra emblazoned across it.?

An Australian blogger who, by chance happened to be in the Apple store, recorded the events and has posted a video online.

What the baying mob was actually saying people should “wake up” too is unclear, though if it was indeed Samsung who orchestrated proceedings, perhaps it’s a rallying call alerting Apple customers to the Samsung Galaxy S III soon-to-be arrival.

An Australian marketing blog has traced the protest back to the ‘Wake Up’ website, which currently has a timer counting down to 3pm (Australian time) on the 6 May. Could this be when the Samsung Galaxy S III will be arriving Down Under?

Thankfully, the UK won’t have to wait that long, with the grand unveiling taking place on 3 May.?

Dirty tricks by Samsung, or an amusing and innovative new way of drumming up excitement about a new handset? We’ll leave you to decide.

Either way it tickled us far more than Samsung’s anti-climatic iSheep video reveal on the Galaxy S III’s teaser site.

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Tags: Phones Apple Samsung Samsung Galaxy S III

Apple's Sydney store descended upon by Samsung flash mob originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:51:00 +0100

LG is expanding its LTE smartphone portfolio with the launch of the LG Optimus True HD LTE P936 across Europe.

The manufacturer will soon begin shipping the device to Germany, Portugal and Sweden as well as Hong Kong and Singapore, having already launched the high-definition handset in Korea, Japan, Canada and the US?

The LG Optimus True HD LTE sports a 4.5-inch 1280 x 720 (16:9 ratio) True HD IPS touch-display, runs on a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and packs an eight-megapixel camera.

A not too shabby spec list then, bar one thing. At launch the LG Optimus True HD LTE will arrive with Android’s 2.3 Gingerbread OS, as opposed to the superior Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, though an update will eventually become available.

LG has been an avid supported of LTE, having demoed the world’s first voice-to-video conversion over an LTE network at this year’s Mobile World Congress.?

Now if only the UK networks get their LTE in order, we Brits might be able to get our hands on the likes of the LG Optimus True HD LTE too.

Tags: Phones LG Optimus True HD LTE LTE LG Optimus P936 Android

LG Optimus True HD LTE rolling out across Europe originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:00:00 +0100