Gadgetorama - Your eye on the latest mobility and gadget news

Why do so many Apple iPhones show 9:42 in ads?

Feb 052012

If you go back and look at Apple’s ads for the various iPhones, you will notice that many of them show the time 9:42am. The reason behind this was revealed this week former Apple exec Bob Borcher. In a presentation that covered a number of topics, he explained that this particular time marks an important moment in Apple history:

“If you ever see an Apple ad, print or TV, you look at the time and it’s always going to be 9:42 — 9:42 is when we launched the iPhone.”

It makes sense until you realize that a large number of ads show the time as 9:41 rather than 9:42. Here’s just one of them:

So, it is 9:41 or 9:42? Apple, how can you be so unsure? Or is there a conspiracy afoot within Apple to try to change history?

PC vendors to reenter smartphone market with Windows Phone 8?

Posted by Jerome No Responses »

Feb 052012

PC vendors may be Microsoft’s newest Windows Phone ally. According to a Digitimes report, companies including Acer, Hewlett-Packard and Dell could return to the smartphone market with the next major version of Windows Phone (codenamed Apollo). The close relationship between Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 (details leaked this week about a number of common elements) could make it easier for these companies to develop new WP8-based smartphones.

The report adds that one or more current Windows Phone manufacturers HTC, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics could reduce or stop supporting Windows Phone due to low sales. They may also be looking for an arrangement similar to the one Microsoft has with Nokia which includes development funding.

The report also outlines a roadmap for Windows Phone in 2012. Mango will be upgraded to Tango in the March or April time frame. Tango 2 will then follow in mid-year with Windows Phone 8 to arrive by year’s end. Most WP8-based smartphones would then follow in the first half of 2013. Similar rumours first surfaced last October.

Global smartphone shipments exceed PC shipments for the first time ever

Posted by Jerome No Responses »

Feb 042012

According to market research firm Canalys, worldwide smartphone shipments for the first time exceeded PC shipments (including tablets or pads as Canalys calls them) in 2011. While smartphone shipments grew to 487.7 million (up 63% over the previous year), the PC market grew 15% to 414.6 million units with tablets accounting for 15% of shipments.

“In 2011 we saw a fall in demand for netbooks, and slowing demand for notebooks and desktops as a direct result of rising interest in pads,” said Chris Jones, Canalys VP and Principal Analyst. “But pads have had negligible impact on smart phone volumes and markets across the globe have seen persistent and substantial growth through 2011. Smart phone shipments overtaking those of client PCs should be seen as a significant milestone. In the space of a few years, smart phones have grown from being a niche product segment at the high-end of the mobile phone market to becoming a truly mass-market proposition. The greater availability of smart phones at lower price points has helped tremendously, but there has been a driving trend of increasing consumer appetite for Internet browsing, content consumption and engaging with apps and services on mobile devices.”

Canalys expects smartphone shipment growth to slow in 2012 as manufacturers focus more on profitability and fewer models. As already confirmed by companies such as HTC and Motorola, 2012 will see more emphasis on flagship models.

The top five smartphone platforms are Android (237.8 million and up 244.1% year-over-year), iOS (93.1 million and up 96% year-over-year), Symbian (80.1 million but down 29.1% year-over-year), BlackBerry (51.4 million and up 5% year-over-year) and bada (13.2 million and up 183.1% year-over-year). Windows Phone fell out of the top five although it could reappear in 2012 with Windows Phone 7.5.

Sony sends out invitations for Mobile World Congress press event

Posted by Jerome No Responses »

Feb 032012

This will not come as a huge surprise. Sony Mobile Communications has sent out invitations to a press event on the eve of Mobile World Congress. Fresh from its announcements of the Xperia Ion and Xperia S, we can expect Sony to unveil some new devices at the event.

Sony Mobile press event for MWC 2012

As for what devices Sony could announce, recent leaks have given us a few options. We could see the Xperia P (LT22i Nypon), the Xperia U (ST25i Kumquat) and still unnamed LT21i (Tapioca) andMT27i (Pepper). All have recently surfaced on a leaked 2012 Sony smartphone roadmap with an April release date (except the LT21i Tapioca which has a July launch date).

Galaxy Nexus now available from WIND Mobile and TBayTel

Posted by Jerome No Responses »

Feb 032012

The Galaxy Nexus is now available from two more carriers: WIND Mobile and northern Ontario carrier TBayTel.

With Galaxy Nexus, cutting edge hardware complete with amazing Samsung features like an ultra-wide HD Super AMOLED screen, curved design, and thin form factor, meets the latest platform from Android, Ice Cream Sandwich.

WIND Mobile is offering the Galaxy Nexus starting at CA$249 on the WINDTab+ and up to CA$599 with no tab. TBayTel is offering the Galaxy Nexus for CA$99.99 with a three-year contract.

Vidéotron has also revealed that it will launch the Galaxy Nexus on February 8^th.

Rumour: ASUS TF300T to be next generation Eee Pad Transformer

Posted by Jerome No Responses »

Feb 032012

The next generation of ASUS Transformer tablets appears to have been revealed in a couple of pictures. The model number ‘TF300T’ was found on a QuieTek certification document by Taiwanese site NCCC along with pictures that show a tablet very similar to the Transformer Prime.

Rumoured ASUS Transformer TF300T

The model number suggests that this model could be a lower-end model than the upcoming Transformer TF700T. Unfortunately, there are no details on specifications to go along with the pictures.

Read more: NCCC (in Chinese) [Google translation] (Source: Engadget)

LG Optimus LTE coming to TELUS

Posted by Jerome No Responses »

Feb 032012

While TELUS may not have launched its LTE network yet, you can add another upcoming device that will support it when it does go live. The LTE-enabled Samsung Galaxy Note and Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE are being joined by the LG Optimus LTE (Bell Mobility already offers it). While TELUS has yet to announce it, confirmation comes from LG’s website:

LG Optimus LTE coming to TELUS

TELUS has not made an announcement for the LG Optimus LTE yet. Availability and pricing details are not yet available.

Read more: LG Canada (Source: MobileSyrup)

Rumour: Windows Phone 8 details revealed

Posted by Jerome No Responses »

Feb 022012

Two separate reports today appear to have shed quite a bit of light on Windows Phone 8 (codename Apollo), the next major release of Windows Phone. PocketNow claims to have obtained a video in which senior vice president and Windows Phone manager Joe Belfiore reveals a number of new features in Windows 8. WinSuperSite‘s Paul Thurrott followed that with a report of his own. Between the two, there is quite a list of exciting new features to watch for.

Windows Phone 8 will support a much broader range of specifications. Multi-core processors, four screen resolutions, removable microSD card support, NFC support for both contactless payments and device-to-device sharing are all in the works.

Windows Phone 8 will be based on the Windows 8 kernel. Not only will it share common UI elements with Windows 8, but other key areas such as networking stacks and security will overlap. This will allow developers to reuse more of their code between PC and mobile versions of their apps. The addition of native code support could also make it easier to port Android and iOS apps over to Windows Phone.

A new dedicated companion application will likely replace the desktop Zune client. Is ActiveSync about to make a comeback?

A lot of software will also be enhanced. Internet Explorer 10 Mobile could have a server-side compression feature that would reduce the amount of data sent (much like Opera Mini does). Skype will be revamped and could offer behaviour almost identical to regular, non-VoIP telephony. The camera app will also be more flexible, supporting OEM skinning and third-party viewfinders.

A new feature called DataSmart will not only report on your data usage but also actively look to better manage connectivity by giving Wi-Fi connections precedence.

Additional corporate focus will come in the form of native BitLocker encryption, additional Exchange ActiveSync policies and System Center configuration settings and more support for “line-of-business” applications.

There is a lot of promise here…

HTC Radar coming soon to SaskTel

Posted by Jerome No Responses »

Feb 022012

SaskTel today announced via Twitter that it would soon launch the Windows Phone-powered HTC Radar.

Coming soon! The HTC Radar 4G with Windows 7.5 Mango will be making it’s way exclusively to SaskTel http://bit.ly/xVtwTv

HTC Radar specifications:

Processor: 1GHz single-core Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon
Operating system: Microsoft Windows Phone 7.5
Cellular connectivity: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and dual-band HSPA/WCDMA
Other connectivity: GPS, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1
Display: 3.8-inch WVGA Super LCD
Input: Capacitive touchscreen
Memory: 512MB RAM
Storage: 8GB onboard
Rear-facing camera: 5MP with LED flash and 720p HD video capture
Front-facing camera: VGA
Connectors: 3.5mm headphone jack, micro-USB
Battery: 1,520mAh
Dimensions / weight: 120.5 x 61.5 x 10.9 millimeters / 137 grams

No specific availability or pricing details have been provided yet.

Apple to unveil iPhone 5 at WWDC in June?

Posted by Jerome No Responses »

Feb 022012

Apple Apple may be returning to its more traditional summer iPhone launch schedule with the upcoming iPhone 5. Citing the the Chinese-language Commercial Times, Digitimes is today reporting that Apple will unveil the iPhone 5 at its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) event in June.

Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S at a fall event but most other iPhone models were unveiled at WWDC events.

The report has little more to add except to indicate that the iPhone 5 will use glass to glass (G/G) touch panel technology.

The latest rumours suggest the iPhone 5 will sport a larger display and a symmetrical body rather than the rumoured teardrop design.

Leaked picture shows Samsung smartphone running Android 4.0

Posted by Jerome No Responses »

Feb 022012

One of the “exciting new mobile products” promised by Samsung for Mobile World Congress could be a smartphone powered by Android 4.0 (but it won’t be the Samsung Galaxy S III). An image of such a device has surfaced courtesy of Russian blogger Eldar Murtazin. It reveals a few interesting details.

Rumoured Samsung smartphone headed to MWC 2012

This new Samsung smartphone will be powered by Android 4.0 and will sport the button layout associated with the latest version of the OS. It looks a lot like some of the Galaxy S II models suggesting that it could be the rumoured Samsung Galaxy SII Plus. If so, Samsung may have decided to upgrade it to Android 4.0 since we last saw it.

Mobilicity launches the Galaxy Nexus ahead of schedule

Posted by Jerome No Responses »

Feb 022012

As part of its two-year anniversary celebrations, Mobilicity today announced that it has launched the Galaxy Nexus ahead of schedule.

It may be Groundhog Day, but it’s the sleek shadow of the Galaxy Nexus by Samsung that will be casting attention at Mobilicity stores across Canada starting today.

The news that the fast-growing unlimited carrier is selling the acclaimed smartphone, powered by Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), ahead of its original launch date – and with a free Samsung HM1100 Bluetooth headset – also coincides with the two-year anniversary of unveiling the Mobilicity brand.

Mobilicity is offering the Galaxy Nexus for CA$599.99 with no contract at select Mobilicity stores. While supplies last, it comes with a free Samsung HM1100 Bluetooth headset.

Improved Google Docs app for Android supports offline access

Posted by Jerome No Responses »

Feb 012012

Google today announced an updated version of its Google Docs app for Android. It adds support for offline access and a number of improvements to the tablet experience.

Offline access will allow you to work on your Google documents even when you don’t have an Internet connection on your Android device. Syncing can be done over Wi-Fi automatically or manually over a data connection by opening the file or tapping ‘Update’ from the Offline section of the app.

The reading experience on tablets has also been improved. When online, you will have access to a a high-resolution version of the document. Swiping left and right will flip pages and a slider at the bottom will allow you move through the document even faster.

Click on image for larger version

Google Docs app for Android version 1.0.43 is now available through the Android Market.

Samsung to release Galaxy S II+?

Posted by Jerome No Responses »

Feb 012012

Samsung While Samsung will not unveil the much anticipated Galaxy S III at Mobile World Congress, it may use the event to announce an updated version of the Galaxy S II. Keen eyes have spotted a new device called the Galaxy S 2+ in the An3DBenchXL benchmark database. The Plus in the name points to improved specifications but no major design changes over the current models.

The specifications suggest that the processor has been bumped from a 1.2GHz one to a 1.5GHz one. It will also come with a WVGA display and is set to run Android 2.3.4.

Launch and pricing details remain unknown but we will hopefully learn more about the Samsung Galaxy S II Plus next month.

Read more: An3DBenchXL (Source: PocketNow)

Canada set to announce rules for next wireless spectrum auction?

Posted by Jerome No Responses »

Feb 012012

Citing “a person familiar with the plans,” Bloomberg is reporting that the Canadian government will outline sometime in February the rules for the next spectrum auction (covering spectrum in the 700 and 2,500MHz bands). The details could be made available as early as February 13^th. The auction is expected to take place later this year but delays in announcing the rules may push it out to 2013.

In preparation for the auction, the government has received input from carriers. Some such as Mobilicity and WIND Mobile have been pushing for spectrum to be set aside for new entrants while others have been pushing for a more open process. The government is also considering imposing bidding limits such as capping the amount of spectrum a company could buy.

Bidding on the 700MHz band should be particularly heated as it provides better reception inside buildings and wider coverage in rural areas.

The government has also promised to review foreign ownership rules but a timeline remains elusive.

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