Mobile phones reviews

Motorola Olympus enters rumor land, boasts Android and Tegra 2

admin — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:56:24 +0000

Tegra 2 seems to be the hottest thing in Android town – the Motorola Olympus is yet another dual-core Android that has entered the rumor mill. Apparently, there is a second Olympus too though there’s not a shred of info on it.

The Tegra 2 platform is becoming commonplace in rumors of upcoming high-end droid phones (like the LG Star) and tablets. It offers a dual-core CPU and can record 1080p video, so the Motorola Olympus is bound to have impressive specs.

Right now however, we don’t know any of them. On the outside, it’s similar to the Motorola Defy, but with (maybe) a bigger screen. Since the Olympus is based on a completely different platform (Tegra instead of TI OMAP) the rest of the Defy’s specs don’t really tell us much.

Motorola Olympus photos

There have been a few phones recently that use name brand optics (like the Lumix phone or the LG L-03C with Lumix lens) but Motorola Olympus is probably just the codename and doesn’t indicate Olympus optics.

Anyway, this Olympus is said to be headed to AT&T but the rumor mentions a second Olympus phone from Moto – what it is, however, is anyone’s guess. It could be a non-AT&T version, a QWERTY version or it may not even exist – always take rumors with a pinch of salt.

Source

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In Depth: Android 2.2: everything you need to know

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:09:58 +0000

The next version of Android – codenamed Froyo – is just around the corner. Google has been tight-lipped about what the new release will offer, but here’s what we know so far.This page will be constantly updated as new information comes to light.Android 2.2 will be faster – a lot fasterThat’s 450% faster than Android 2.1 on a Nexus One, according to Android Police, who benchmarked a Nexus One running Android 2.1 at 6.5-7 MFLOPS and their Froyo Nexus One at 37.6 MFLOPS.Admittedly, this is only for non-native applications so it won’t make the general day to day actions that much faster (although you will see a speed increase as the CPU isn’t taxed as strongly in the background). Still, more speed = good, in our book.Android 2.2 Froyo turns your phone into a Wi-Fi hotspotFroyo will let you broadcast your 3G signal to any device you like (including an iPad). The new update will also support tethering – although in the UK the HTC Legend and Desire have had this feature for a while.HTC has been throwing this feature around for a while, too, with its Windows Mobile range, like the HTC HD2 and the HTC HD Mini – so it will have the know-how already to (hopefully) integrate it with the Android range, too.Android 2.2 will support Flash as standardGoogle’s next update to its Android platform will feature integrated Flash support – that was confirmed by VP of Engineering at Google Andy Rubin. Android Police has taken a video of a Nexus One running Flash 10.1. .Android 2.2 will feature automatic background app updatesAndroid phone owners tired of having to manually update their apps will be pleased to learn that Froyo will let users set their phone to automatically upgrade applications in the background.But don’t worry about it hitting your privacy or acting as a Trojan horse for viruses – it’s likely you’ll have control over which apps will update and whether you want to do it automatically.Android 2.2 will let you install apps to memory cardIt’s one of the entries in our wishlist for what we want to see in the next version of Android, and now it looks as though it’s going to happen. An entry from an Android developer on the Google Code site states that this feature is “coming soon”. Soon – like the end of May?What this means is more memory-hungry applications, like those on the iPhone, which means a better experience than the casual and functional offerings currently available.Admittedly, we don’t like the thought of having to pay for more applications on the Google app Market, but if it increases the quality of what’s on offer, we’re all for it.Android 2.2 release dateWhile Google hasn’t given an official release date for Android 2.2, that’s likely to be announced at Google’s I/O developer conference on May 19-20.However, it could take a while to deploy to all phones – especially if HTC needs a little while to work Froyo into its Sense UI as well for the HTC Desire and Legend.

How To Set Up Free Find Your iPhone (Even on Unsupported Devices)

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:09:43 +0000

Happy iOS 4.2 Day! In case you haven’t heard, Apple has generously made one of the formerly subscription-only MobileMe services, Find My iPhone, now free for all owners of current-generation iOS devices. Here’s how to get it up and running — even on an older device.

Find My iPhone always made an odd match with MobileMe, which requires a $99 annual subscription to use. Doesn’t Apple want every iOS mobile device user to be able to find their lost or stolen unit? Apparently they do, because Find My iPhone is now a free service, complete with an update to the existing universal iOS app and the ability to log in to Me.com using your Apple ID.

Unfortunately, the free edition of Find My iPhone requires a current generation iOS device — which means, an iPhone 4, fourth-gen iPod touch or iPad. But fear not, MacLife.com is here to make the magic happen on any device you happen to own.

Install (or Update) Find My iPhone

The first step toward feeling secure that you can find a lost device is to head to iTunes (either on your computer or from the device itself) and download Find My iPhone 1.1, which was released on Monday alongside iOS 4.2. Apple notes that “this update is required for users of the previous version of Find My iPhone app (v1.0 and v1.0.1), so no sense delaying the inevitable.

Of course, you’ll also have to be running iOS 4.2 in order to take advantage of Apple’s generosity, so if you haven’t done so, plug your device into iTunes and get updated. (Jailbreakers beware: You’ll be restored to a stock iOS 4.2 install, so approach with caution.) Seriously — go do it right now. We’ll wait.

Sign In with Your Apple ID

Okay, everyone on iOS 4.2 (which is actually iOS 4.2.1 if you want to be nitpicky about it) and have Find My iPhone 1.1 installed? Good, let’s move on.

Launch the Settings app and head into “Mail, Contacts, Calendars,” then add a MobileMe account. You’ll be greeted with a request to enter either your Apple ID or MobileMe e-mail address. In this case we want to enter our Apple ID, which is the same as the one we use to shop at the iTunes Store (you remember it, don’t you?). Type it in and move to the Password field, enter that and tap on Next. Apple will verify your credentials and you’ll be ready for the main event — flip the switch to turn on Find My iPhone (or iPad, or iPod touch), tap Allow at the prompt and then Save to activate.

If you don’t have an Apple ID yet, prepare to run the gauntlet to get one: Tap on “Create Free Apple ID,” enter your Location and date of birth (Month, Day and Year), tap Next and then complete your e-mail address, first and last name, password and security question. Apple has beefed up security with iTunes passwords, now requiring at least eight characters, which must include a number and both an uppercase and lowercase letter. (Yikes!) You’ll also be presented with the first of 14 pages (?!) of Apple’s “MobileMe Free Account” terms of service. Accept that and the final hurdle remains — verifying your new account from an e-mail you’ll receive and then logging into the new account online. Whew!

Launch Find My iPhone App

Now that iOS 4.2 recognizes you as a free user, you can launch the Find My iPhone app, where you’ll be greeted by the same request for Apple ID and Password.

This request was initially a conundrum for us, since our Apple ID and password happen to be the same as our MobileMe account — when we entered our Apple ID and password, Find My iPhone threw back an error, even with the correct info. The solution is to turn off your paid MobileMe service, or login using your full MobileMe e-mail address (for instance, “ilovemaclife@me.com” instead of just “ilovemaclife”) to use Find My iPhone as part of your subscription.

In either event, once you log in, you’ll be presented with a list of devices, which at this point should only contain the device being held in your hand. You can add additional devices by repeating the instructions above on each one.

What About My Older Devices?

Ah, you were clearly paying attention earlier when we mentioned a trick to get your older iOS devices working with the free Find My iPhone service. For whatever reason, Apple has limited the free offering to the iPhone 4, fourth-gen iPod touch and iPad, but what if you have an iPhone 3G or 3GS that’s capable of running iOS 4.2 but can’t be activated?

The solution is amazingly simple — although you’ll need access to one of the newer devices in order to make the magic happen. As it turns out, you can use a friend’s current-generation device to sign in using your Apple ID and password as outlined above. If they happen to be a MobileMe subscriber, you’ll need to turn off their existing account to take advantage of this tip.

With Find My iPhone activated on your friend’s device, repeat the process on your older handset — you can confirm that things are working as expected by using the same credentials to log in at Me.com, where you’ll now see both your friend’s device as well as your own.

Once you’ve confirmed that things are working on your elder device, simply delete your friend’s device from your account on the same Me.com page (you can’t delete devices from the Find My iPhone app itself) and lo and behold, your aging device will continue to work absolutely free forevermore.

Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter

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Nokia N900 gets Firefox 1.1 upgrade

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:09:37 +0000

Mozilla might be all about pre-alpha Android builds these days, but that hasn’t stopped it updating Firefox for the N900.Based on the soon to be replaced Maemo OS, the N900 was one of the first devices to get a full version of the mobile version of Firefox.The new 1.1 upgrade offers a number of new features, and the headline ones will help make your Firefox Mobile experience that little bit better.One handed funFirst, there’s the portrait browsing – the N900 is an almost exclusively landscape device, with only calling performed vertically. But most of the time you want to browse with one hand, and this finally is possible with the new update.The volume switch now zooms in and out of web pages, like in the other browser on the phone, and menus have been improved to offer more intelligent and context sensitive options during browsing.Overall there are nine changes in the 1.1 update of varying importance, so if you want to get the latest version then simply choose to upgrade within the browser of your phone, or head over to Firefox.com/m/beta

Myriad Group AG Choosen as Partner on LG’s First Android Device

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:09:36 +0000

At present Myriad Group AG declared that it has been chosen as the major Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) applications partner and J2ME partner by LG Electronics for its latest android device such as LG GW620. This LG GW620 device is released very soon in this month through Orange and Canadian carrier. Simon Wilkinson is the CEO of Myriad said that Android is a very stirring platform because it permits mobile operators to rapidly bring advanced features to their customers. Simon Wilkinson also said that this partnership will also allow LG to benefit from our demonstrated mobile technology which bringing the preeminent possible experience to the user.

Motorola WX265

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:09:19 +0000

Motorola WX265 is a classic clamshell phone. It sports Bluetooth 2.0, WAP browser, FM radio with RDS, audio player and microSD expansion slot that takes cards with capacity of up to 2GB.

Basic specifications:

GSM 900/1800
Average Dimensions – 3.78 x 1.83 x 0.66 inches (96 x 46.5 x 16.65 mm)
Small display – 128 x 160 pixels
Standby / Talk times (580 h / 8 h)
microSD slot

Photos:

Free App Friday: Clip It, Clip it Good

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:09:18 +0000

There are some applications that you might not need, but the fact remains that they’re free and they can make your life simpler. Well, what we really find that we’re lacking in these days is virtual sticky notes. It’s hard to get things clipped sometimes without having to install a browser extension or open up another application and paste what we’ve copied, but we’ve found some utilitarian clipping apps that are free and help us live our day to day lives by the post it note–just as we wanted it.

Mac

JumpCut

Copying and pasting notes on the Mac is a total drag. You either have to open up TextEdit, or download a client like Evernote and then install a bookmarklet or a Firefox extension to have your clippings saved. And while those applications work well for things like images and recipes, they don’t take into consideration how tedious it is to fire them up for something as menial as a simple bit.ly URL.

Enter Jumpcut, an application that provides “clipboard buffering” and gives you access to text that you’ve cut or copied, even if you end up copying something else. The open source app is then available in the menu bar of your desktop, or it can be set up as a pop up dialog window. Either way, enabling this little kink in your system’s software will definitely give Ctrl + C a whole new meaning. Never forget what you copy ever again!

iPad

Notepad for iPad

I am obsessed with sticky notes. I use one every day for my to-do list, and then I write myself little notes later on in the day with bits and pieces of information that I’ll adhere to the inside of my Moleskine calendar or work notebook before I take off for the day. Though it seems redundant, I like to have that functionality on my iPad, too. There’s no harm in having another note taking app on your iOS device if it means you get to have stickies! The mere act of typing my day’s duties on a “sticky” note totally helped me get into the groove, and the fact that I could email my sticky notes and add location updates to them was fabulous. Hey, you can’t do that with real sticky notes, now can you?

iPad and iPhone

Bookmarklets

Alright, so they’re not exactly apps that you can download, but they are free and they work well at clipping websites you’re browsing on your iPad or iPhone that you might want to share with your friends on your social networks, or add into Instapaper. Here’s a couple that do just that.

How to install them: It requires a little patience and the right maneuvering of your fingers on the touch screen. But basically, navigate to this page in your mobile Safari and copy the Javascript code. Then, you have to create a bookmark and edit it, and afterward add in the Javascript code into the bookmark you’re editing. Got it?

Share on Tumblr

javascript:var d=document,w=window,e=w.getSelection,k=d.getSelection,x=d.selection,s=(e?e():(k)?k():(x?x.createRange().text:0)),f=’http://www.tumblr.com/share’,l=d.location,e=encodeURIComponent,p=’?v=3&u=’+e(l.href) +’&t=’+e(d.title) +’&s=’+e(s),u=f+p;try{if(!/^(.*.)?tumblr[^.]*$/.test(l.host))throw(0);tstbklt();}catch(z){a =function(){if(!w.open(u,’t’,’toolbar=0,resizable=0,status=1,width=450,height=430?))l.href=u;};if(/Firefox/.test(navigator.userAgent))setTimeout(a,0);else a();}void(0)

Add to Instapaper

javascript:function iprl5(){var d=document,z=d.createElement(‘scr’+’ipt’),b=d.body;try{if(!b)throw(0);d.title=’(Saving…) ‘+d.title;z.setAttribute(‘src’,’http://www.instapaper.com/j/VIbChxExXDOZ?u=’+encodeURIComponent(d.location.href)+’&t=’+(new Date().getTime()));b.appendChild(z);}catch(e){alert(‘Please wait until the page has loaded.’);}}iprl5();void(0)

Share on Facebook

javascript:var d=document,f=’http://www.facebook.com/share’,l=d.location,e=encodeURIComponent,p=’.php?src=bm&v=4&i=1271771052&u=’+e(l.href)+’&t=’+e(d.title);1;try{if (!/^(.*.)?facebook.[^.]*$/.test(l.host))throw(0);share_internal_bookmarklet(p)}catch(z) {a=function() {if (!window.open(f+’r’+p,’sharer’,’toolbar=0,status=0,resizable=1,width=626,height=436?))l.href=f+p};if (/Firefox/.test(navigator.userAgent))setTimeout(a,0);else{a()}}void(0)

Follow this article’s author, and her various clippings, on Twitter.

WIN! A BlackBerry Curve 8520 with personalised case

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:08:59 +0000

TechRadar has teamed up with case-mate, designer of innovative accessories for mobile devices and electronics, to give you the chance to win one of two Blackberry Curve 8520 smart phones, with a personally designed and completely unique Blackberry phone case from I Make My Case to keep it nice and snug. The first website of its kind, www.imakemycase.com allows you to create your own iPhone or BlackBerry case by re-mixing the designs of internationally-renowned graphic artists, including Joshua Davis, Thomas Hooper, Deanne Cheuk, Matt Moore, Hannah Stouffer, Ray Frenden, Anthony Yankovic, Nigel Dennis, Shadow Chen and Chuck Anderson. You can hand pick every design feature of your case, including background colour and unique effects. The state-of-the-art printing process ensures the ink is embedded directly into the case so it won’t scratch or fade with daily use. Pre-designed cases from the artists can also be purchased directly from www.imakemycase.com. Enter the competition——————————————————————————————————-Please note that this competition is only open to UK residents over 18 years of age.Enter more TechRadar competitions

Buy Cell Phone Accessories

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:08:58 +0000

Are you often bought cell phone accessories? How does your level of satisfaction with a product that you bought? How does a price that is offered to you? Perhaps, we often feel dissatisfied with everything we got. Have a good cell phone accessory, must buy a good price. Or, buy phone accessories at cheap prices, but low quality? For that purpose, leave all your thought like that. Because this time has come an online store cheap cell phone accessories with best quality. Very easy to find, and you can find various types of cell phone accessories.

Did you know cellphoneaccents.com? This is an online store cell phone accessories are very popular nowadays. They sell different types of cell phone accessories with best quality. Not only that, this accessories also very affordable price. You will not find prices like this anywhere else. See for Samsung cell phone accessories. The price offered is very cheap. There is also a blackberry Covers and droids accessories can be found here.

Here not only rely on low prices, satisfaction of service will also be found here. This can be seen from the payment methods you can do with various kinds of methods like Google checkout. So, you still feel safe when shopping for cell phone accessories here.

Updated: Hectic scenes at Apple stores for iPad launch

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:08:45 +0000

There were crazy scenes at the Apple Store on Regent Street this morning, with hundreds of people queuing to be the first in the UK to get their hands on the new iPad.TechRadar was on hand to chat to the girls and guys in the queue and to find out what some of the first UK iPad users were planning on doing with their shiny new computer.On arriving at the Regent Street store at 7.30am this morning, it seems fairly quiet out the front, with around ten to twenty people queuing outside the door. It was only on rounding the corner that the size of the actual queue hit you – with hundreds of eager Apple fans jostling for position.Nobody knew what the stock situation was, so whispers were going around the crowd that stocks might well run out. We should know more on this later in the morning, so we will be sure to update you on the in-store stock situations across the UK as and when we get the news in from Apple.One guy we (literally) bumped into was Apple’s leading celeb fan, Stephen Fry – our colleagues over at T3 managed to grab him for a few minutes chat, so watch out for that interview over on T3.com. (Update: here it is.)Scenes at Apple Stores elsewhere in the country were not so hectic. TechRadar’s Deputy Editor Dan Grabham informed us that there were around 40 people hanging around outside the Bath store at opening time, with iPad stocks plentiful. At least it’s not PrimarkBack on Regent Street, chaos reigned. We spoke to a friendly copper who told us that the crowd was well behaved and orderly. “It’s a white, middle class crowd of computer geeks, what do you expect?” the bobby informed us. “I mean, at least it’s not Primark.” Plenty of other companies took advantage of the PR opportunity, with reps on hand from The Guinness Book of World Records, showing off their new app. Food and coffee was being dished out for free by Pret and Starbucks mobile teams and a strange man called Alfie was showing off his ‘Appertize’ van. (We are still not sure what that does, but it certainly looked quite cool.) Some of the first guys in the queue had been there throughout the night. TechRadar spoke with Jules Morris, who was actually the fourth guy in the queue and had been camped out on Regent Street throughout the night.”I’ve been queuing for 16 hours,” Jules told us, looking tired and happy and clutching his new iPad. “I used to have an iPhone, but I had to get rid of it in order to justify buying this,” he continued.”I never used my iPhone as a phone anyway, I just used it for the web and the apps. Most of the apps I had on my iPhone, I’ll now download for the iPad. I’ll also get a few of the new dedicated iPad apps. I really like the Sky Sports app. And I love the Angry Birds game, so I’ll get that back.”So what else will he use this iPad for? Reading? E-books and newspaper apps?”Nah! Not really. I love movies, so I’ll mainly use it to watch movies. I’ve always been an Apple fan. Part of your five a day innit? You’ve got your BlackBerries and your Oranges and now you’ve got your Apples. I like my granny smiths!”And on that (bizarre) note Jules wandered off to work. Looking dazed and slightly confused. But clearly very happy with his new toy.Stay tuned for more pictures as quickly as we can upload them!Update: and here’s the extra pictures