Thursday, September 1, 2011

Nokia 703 Windows Phone image leaks; may reveal specs, launch date


A purported marketing image of an upcoming Nokia Windows Phone has been published by WMPoweruser, and it could confirm several specs surrounding one of Nokia’s first Windows Phone devices. Dubbed the Nokia 703, the specs provided on the image above, if accurate, suggest that we’re looking at a mid-range handset. Some speculate that the device may be Nokia’s “Sea Ray,” though it was believed that the Sea Ray would share the same 3.9-inch AMOLED display as the Nokia N9. Nokia 703 spec highlights apparently include a 3.7-inch 480 x 800-pixel LCD display, a 5-megapixel camera with support for 720p HD video capture, 8GB of storage, 512MB of RAM and dimensions coming in at 112 x 60.8 x 12.3-millimeters. Though the text on the sheet is extremely blurry, it also looks like Nokia intends to launch the device on November 27th, but we’ll likely learn more at Nokia World in October.
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Toshiba Excite Ultra-Thin Tablet Pictured at IFA

Beyond what we’ve seen thus far in what new apps we’ll be getting to see on these USA versions of the Galaxy S II, there are a sparse (and perhaps thankfully sparse) few additional new apps to behold on each of the devices. One app that we’re refreshingly GLAD to see added to the lineup comes on AT&T’s version of the Galaxy S II, an app called “Featured Apps”, it being an extremely simple system for AT&T to be showing off applications that it suggests specifically to the device it’s featured on, thereby helping the (perhaps new) owner with finding out with what their device is capable of.



Inside this extremely easy to understand tiny application, we’re able to cycle through several pages of suggested apps that include an icon and a short description of what they’re all about. Once you tap an app you’re interested in, you’re brought straight to the Android Market. Notice also, separate from this app, that the Android Market appears to be coming up as the newest version (version 3.0.27 as seen back in this post by Cory a week or so ago), this meaning you’ve got the ability to essentially lock anyone who isn’t you out from purchasing apps with your account should they somehow gain access to your device.

The AT&T Featured Apps app has only a few apps per screen, only a few screens here at the outset, and a simple About page for you to learn what version of the Apps App you’ve got running. This will almost certainly play a bigger role in AT&T’s future relationship with apps of all sort should it prove to be successful here on the Galaxy S II. It all depends on if YOU plan on using it.
Also note that this video was filmed at the GSII event in NYC that we attended earlier this week. Find all the Galaxy S II content your heart could possibly desire by hitting our [Galaxy S II] portal.

Motorola DROID Bionic Launching September 8th, 16GB SD card included


There you have it folks. If we didn’t already have a pretty strong idea this was the day, these documents make it even more officially official. Verizon equipment guides have now been leaked showing the Droid Bionic will launch across all major channels on September 8th, just like rumors suggested. There is no mention of direct fill or pre-orders so that status is still unknown, maybe they want everyone waiting in line at stores.


For those waiting or counting we have just a little over a week to wait, can you manage a few more days with that old and slow Droid 2? While looking over the spec sheets and guides listed at the source below they give all sorts of details regarding the Bionic. After a closer look it appears it will be shipping with obviously the dual-core CPU and 1GB of ram, but also it will come standard with a 16GB Micro SD card pre-installed. Much better than what we’ve seen in the past and that is one less thing users will need to buy.

It also states the Bionics weight. It is listed at 5.60oz which isn’t the lightest device, but isn’t the heaviest either. That makes the Bionic slightly heavier than the similarly sized Droid X2 but lighter than both the Thunderbolt and the Droid 3. Samsung still has everyone beat on lightweight smartphones and that doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon. For now I’m sure more will continue to leak over the next few days, oh and the DroidDoes.com site has been initiated. Read more on that here.
[via Droid-Life]
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HTC Sensation 2 Special Edition with Beats Audio details leak

Yes you read that title right, what we are hearing this evening is HTC is preparing to launch a HTC Sensation 2 SE or special edition with Beats Audio by Dr. Dre. First off I’m going to throw this instantly in the rumor mill for a few reasons. First being the Sensation hasn’t been out long enough to replace it, second being why call it special edition if all future HTC handsets are going to have the Beats Audio technology inside, just a thought.

















This could be completely accurate, and might just be blowing smoke but over at CNET they apparently have all the details. What we can “expect” to see is a HTC Sensation 2 SE that will feature an upgraded 1.5 Ghz dual-core processor like what the HTC Jetstream will be powered by. That is faster than the original Sensation and its 1.2 Ghz CPU. It will feature the same 4.3″ qHD display but the leaked document says “advanced HD screen” which also makes it sound like someone is confused.

If the rumors are true we will be seeing the same 8MP camera on the rear, a slightly thicker design because they’ve also boosted the battery going from 1,520mAH to a more respectable 1,730mAh. It will be bundled with a nice set of Beats Audio headphones and may even have a Beats Audio logo on the rear or during the boot animation. While this all sounds nice I just don’t see the point, although it might get the Beats and HTC name out there together as one.
These details are just leaking so take it how you want. If we hear more we will be sure to report back. What do you guys think is this real, or just some rumor?
[via CNET]

MIUI Xiaomi MI-One Phone Now Shipping

This week the guys at MIUI have finally started shipping the MI-One smartphone in China with more locations coming soon. In case you’ve not been following along MIUI is the extremely popular custom ROM developers for Android and they’ve recently announced and are now launching their very own Android phone. Complete with their own custom version of Android 2.3.4 pre-installed, something I wish CyanogenMod would do too.


As for the hardware if anyone didn’t catch those details a few weeks ago we have a very nice custom made phone from the company Xiaomi. They aren’t widely known but this MIUI MI-One should help them out. The hardware includes a 4.0″ 480×854 resolution LED Display, a powerful dual-core 1.5 Ghz Qualcomm processor, 1GB of ram with 4GB of ROM. It also features a Micro SD slot, front and rear cameras and everything else we expect on a top tier smartphone these days.

The camera on the rear is 8 MP with LED flash and can record HD video, 2 MP front camera for video chat, as well as three capacitive buttons down below on the display. Another big part of the specs is they’ve included a huge 1930 mAh battery to ensure users get optimal battery life. Over on miuiandroid.com they’ve been posting plenty of pictures and videos throughout this exciting time.
If you’d like to see a full video of the MI-One smartphone Engadget received some hands-on time and the video is at the link provided. The team and MIUI has been nice enough to upload plenty of pictures over the past few weeks and they are all nicely below in the gallery for those interested. While we still don’t have any official info on when and if this phone will ship to other areas or countries, we can hope right?
MIUI shipping MIUI More mi-one-bag-packaging MIUI M1 MIUI teardown_4 [via MIUI]
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HTC Thunderbolt and Incredible Update to 2.3 Gingerbread coming this September

HTC today has just announced that the HTC Thunderbolt will finally receive the much anticipated update to Android 2.3 Gingerbread come sometime this September, basically in the next 30 days unless it gets delayed again. The announcement was just made over at HTC’s Facebook page.



This isn’t really big news, although users of the Thunderbolt have been begging for the official Android 2.3 Gingerbread update for what seems like months already. While many HTC devices have already been updated to 2.3 the Incredible and Thunderbolt have been left behind. Last we heard the Thunderbolt build was delayed yet again, but then a few days later the official 2.3 Gingerbread build was leaked then another the next day.
Then we have the DROID Incredible, we’ve been hearing different things about its update status for a month or so now. Originally a employee misspoke and said it would not receive Gingerbread but that was quickly corrected. We saw initial reports that the Incredible was getting the OTA to 2.3.4 a few weeks ago but that was quickly delayed too. It appears HTC has been having a few issues with these updates but that is probably because they are also adding the new bootloader unlocking into the updates.
Most likely both devices will get updated to Android version 2.3.4 but we can’t know for sure although the Incredible leaks suggest exactly that. You can download the 2.3.4 Incredible build here, and the Thunderbolt builds are linked to above, or just wait for the official update coming in the next 30 days or so.
[via HTC]
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Google Voice Updated, Fixes for delayed notifications and more

The Google Voice app received an update today folks. Not only did Google add some much needed fixes but there are a few new UI changes too. First off at the top of the list you’ll notice them reference being able to make calls without data connectivity. What this means is once you call a number once, Google Voice will remember it and you wont need a data connection to call that number in the future. More details below.



Make sure to check out the new widget, and after updating make sure to at least open the new Google Voice App once on your phone so everything can get dialed in and ready to go and route calls. Here is a list of some of the changes as seen in the photo above.
-Does not require data connectivity for making calls to all numbers you previously called
-Warns you when no data connectivity before you compose/send text messages
-Fix for bug that required to click the voicemail play button twice
-Fix for notifications delays for SMS and voicemails
In the past I didn’t know Google Voice used data but apparently it does this in the background to route calls to G Voice. Now that will only happen once on each number rather than every time you dial. I’ve always had a few issues with notifications so that is nice to see finally being updated and fixed. I really like the new widget as we now have a bigger box for text. Feel free to download and enjoy the new Google Voice in the Android Market by clicking here.

Motorola Xoom with Android 3.2.2 and 4G LTE Spotted


Just like we mentioned earlier last week a select group of Verizon business accounts and government users were able to send in and update their Motorola Xoom to 4G LTE thanks to Motorola. The link above details the upgrade in detail, now after a 5 day turn around users are receiving their upgraded Motorola Xoom’s in the mail from FedEx with Android 3.2.2 Honeycomb.



We don’t know a lot of details at this point and it’s possible this is just something unique to Motorola but we haven’t seen Android 3.2.1 yet so why the jump to 3.2.2 is beyond me. The Motorola Xoom devices are being returned completely wiped of all user date, upgraded to 3.2.2 and obviously Verizon Wireless 4G LTE speeds. A user over on XDA was kind enough to supply the photo and details.
The XDA user mentions the devices was unlocked and rooted when he sent it to Verizon and it has been returned locked, and obviously no root access since its been wiped and replaced with a new build of Honeycomb. We don’t have any further details but most likely it will be as easy to unlock as “oem unlock” as the Xoom never had a locked down and protected bootloader, why start now.
The screenshot above shows it all, most likely this is a Verizon Employee but this should start soon for everyone else.
Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
Device Name : XOOM
Manufactuer : Motorola
Carrier : Verizon
Announced Date : January 05, 2011
Release Date : February 24, 2011
Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 10.10 Inch

  • Resolution : 1280x800

  • Screen Type : TFT

Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 9.80 Inch

  • Width : 6.61 Inch

  • Depth : 0.51 Inch

  • Weight : 730 Grams

Battery & Power
  • Battery Type:

  • Lithium Ion

  • Battery Capacity : 6500 mAh

  • Talk Time : NA

  • Stand By Time : 336 hours

Software
  • Android OS:

  • 3.0.x

  • Audio Playback:

  • AAC

  • AAC+

  • AMR

  • MP3

  • Video Playback:

  • h.263

  • h.264 / AVC

  • MPEG-4 (MP4)

  • Messaging:

  • SMS

Hardware
CPU : Tegra 2
CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz
Core : 2
Ram : 1024 MB
Internal Storage : 32.768 GB
Front Facing Camera :
Camera Resolution :5 MP
  • External Storage:

  • MicroSD

  • MicroSDHC

  • Camera Features:

  • Auto focus

  • Flash

  • 720p Video Recording

  • Sensors:

  • Accelerometer

  • Ambient light

QWERTY :
Cellular Network
  • Network Technology:

  • CDMA

  • CDMA Band:

  • 800

  • 1900

Device Connectivity
  • Wi-Fi:

  • 802.11b

  • 802.11g

  • 802.11n

  • Bluetooth:

  • Bluetooth 2.0

  • Location Features:

  • Compass

  • GPS

  • Cellular location

  • Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

[via XDA Forums]

Motorola Xoom Upgraded to 4G LTE in the wild

More Motorola Xoom 4G LTE news is coming out today. I guess I’ll start calling it 4G since the update is coming soon although we can’t call it the first 4G LTE tablet since the Galaxy Tab 10.1 stole that title. What we are seeing now is a Motorola Xoom with full 4G service in the notification tray below. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 looks a bit different and although this could just be fake, the possibility that it is real should excite a few Xoom owners.



Users have been patiently waiting for the 4G LTE hardware update to their Motorola Xoom tablets and last we heard it was coming sometime in September after the 4G Xoom made a pit stop at the FCC. September is right around the corner (like tomorrow) so we should be getting news any day now from our friends at Verizon or Motorola regarding the update.
Last we heard Motorola had started a little pre-run of the update and certain users were able to apply and start the upgrade process, but that it still was not ready for public use yet. It has been well over the 3 month time frame they gave when the Xoom was released so you’d expect them to have this all sorted out by now. Either way we are starting to hear reports that the upgrade has started, and a few users have already received the tablet back according to leaked photos from our source. More details should land shortly regarding the upgrade so stay tuned.
Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
Device Name : XOOM
Manufactuer : Motorola
Carrier : Verizon
Announced Date : January 05, 2011
Release Date : February 24, 2011
Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 10.10 Inch

  • Resolution : 1280x800

  • Screen Type : TFT

Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 9.80 Inch

  • Width : 6.61 Inch

  • Depth : 0.51 Inch

  • Weight : 730 Grams

Battery & Power
  • Battery Type:

  • Lithium Ion

  • Battery Capacity : 6500 mAh

  • Talk Time : NA

  • Stand By Time : 336 hours

Software
  • Android OS:

  • 3.0.x

  • Audio Playback:

  • AAC

  • AAC+

  • AMR

  • MP3

  • Video Playback:

  • h.263

  • h.264 / AVC

  • MPEG-4 (MP4)

  • Messaging:

  • SMS

Hardware
CPU : Tegra 2
CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz
Core : 2
Ram : 1024 MB
Internal Storage : 32.768 GB
Front Facing Camera :
Camera Resolution :5 MP
  • External Storage:

  • MicroSD

  • MicroSDHC

  • Camera Features:

  • Auto focus

  • Flash

  • 720p Video Recording

  • Sensors:

  • Accelerometer

  • Ambient light

QWERTY :
Cellular Network
  • Network Technology:

  • CDMA

  • CDMA Band:

  • 800

  • 1900

Device Connectivity
  • Wi-Fi:

  • 802.11b

  • 802.11g

  • 802.11n

  • Bluetooth:

  • Bluetooth 2.0

  • Location Features:

  • Compass

  • GPS

  • Cellular location

  • Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

[via androidcentral]