ASUS planning PadFone 2 with 4G LTE connectivity

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May 152012
 

The ASUS PadFone has yet to be released (despite being announced not just once but twice) but that has not stopped ASUS from planning a follow-up. The PadFone, billed as a 3-in-1 device, allows you to dock a 4.3-inch smartphone into a PadFone Station to transform it into a 10.1-inch tablet. Mention of a PadFone 2 turned up on a slide during an ASUS employee strategy debriefing.

ASUS Padfone 2 coming soon?

Little is known about this second version but it should be quite similar but add 4G LTE connectivity.

There is no word yet on availability and pricing of the ASUS PadFone 2.

Read more: Android Tablet Blog (Source: Phandroid)

WIND Mobile tops 415,000 subscribers at end of Q1 2012

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May 152012
 

WIND Mobile ended 2011 with just over 400,000 subscribers. The latest financial results presented by Orascom, a major WIND Mobile investor, shows that the Canadian carrier continued to grow in Q1 2012, adding another 12,000 subscribers to top 415,000 in all.

WIND Mobile Q1 2012 subscriber numbers

WIND Mobile’s ARPU remained stable at CA$27.30, dropping only CA$0.10 over the same quarter a year ago.

The filing also reveals that WIND Mobile is likely rethinking its threat to skip out on the upcoming 700MHz auction scheduled for early 2013:

WIND Mobile is assessing the 700 MHz spectrum auction rules and although clearly advantageous to wireless incumbents, there is a prime 2X5 MHz band available in certain regions that could be beneficial to WIND Mobile’s long term strategy.

Read more: Orascom (PDF document) (Source: Mobile Syrup)

Vidéotron launches Samsung Galaxy Q

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May 152012
 

Samsung Galaxy QVidéotron is the latest Canadian carrier to launch the Samsung Galaxy Q, an entry level smartphone with slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

With the Samsung Galaxy Q, users can stay connected with friends and family in the blink of an eye. The 3.2” touchscreen makes for user-friendly navigation and with the Social Hub you can see all your contacts from Facebook, Twitter and MySpace at a glance. Users in a rush can use the convenient sliding keyboard to respond to friends that much faster.

Samsung Galaxy Q specifications:

  • Operating system: Google Android 2.3
  • Cellular connectivity: GSM / UMTS AWS
  • Other connectivity: GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
  • Display: 3.2-inch HVGA (320×480)
  • Input: Slide out QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen
  • Storage: 4GB onboard and microSD cards up to 32GB
  • Rear-facing camera: 3.2MP with LED flash
  • Front-facing camera: None
  • Battery: 1,500mAh
  • Dimensions / weight: 113.9 x 58.7 x 13.9 millimeters / 135 grams

The Samsung Galaxy Q will be available from Vidéotron as of May 16th for at CA$39.95 with “a 36-month economic inducement.”

Read more: Vidéotron

LinkedIn for Windows Phone now available

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May 142012
 

LinkedIn has launched its official LinkedIn app for Windows Phone. Already integrated in the People Hub, the new app gives you additional functionality. As you would expect, it will let you post updates and view updates from your colleagues but you can also send and receive invitations, browse groups, and search for a new job. There is also a Live Tile and a panorama view to let you easily navigate within the app.

Get on-the-go access to your professional network with LinkedIn for Windows Phone. Find and connect with more than 150M members worldwide, read the latest industry news, keep up-to-date with your groups, explore jobs you might be interested in, and share content with your network from anywhere.

LinkedIn for Windows Phone

LinkedIn for Windows Phone is a free download but requires Windows Phone 7.5 or higher.

Read more: Windows Phone Marketplace

Vodafone accidentally reveals HTC Desire C

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May 142012
 

Vodafone Portugal has accidentally revealed the upomcing HTC Desire C. The unannounced smartphone appears in its May catalog with press shots and specifications. Codenamed Golf during development, the leaked specifications indicate that it will be an entry-level Android 4.0 smartphone.

Rumoured HTC Desire C

The Vodafone catalog reveals the following specifications:

  • Processor: 600MHz single-core
  • Operating system: Google Android 4.0 with HTC Sense 4.0
  • Cellular connectivity: Listed as 3.5G (HSPA?)
  • Other connectivity: A-GPS, Wi-Fi
  • Display: 3.5-inch HVGA
  • Input: Capacitive touchscreen
  • Storage: 4GB onboard
  • Rear-facing camera: 5MP
  • Front-facing camera: None
  • Other: Beats Audio

The HTC Desire C has been the topic of leaks a couple of times. A leaked press shot was followed earlier this month by some actual device pictures.

The HTC Desire C has yet to be formally announced but its inclusion in the May issue suggests that this will happen quite soon.

Read more: GSMArena

Samsung Galaxy S III accessories revealed?

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May 142012
 

Along with the Galaxy S III, Samsung will launch a number of accessories. It has already revealed the S Pebble MP3 player and more are coming. Mobile Fun has obtained details on these including pictures. Let’s have a quick look.

First up is the Genuine Samsung Galaxy S III C-Pen, a capacitive stylus pen, that you can use instead of your finger. It looks like a ballpoint pen.

Rumoured Samsung Galaxy S III C-Pen

Continue reading »

New Sony Xperia device drops liquid energy logo?

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May 132012
 

Another Sony Xperia smartphone has apparently leaked. While there is little information about the device, it reveals one interesting fact. A picture of the back of it shows no Sony Ericsson liquid energy logo ball. If so, it could be the first Sony Xperia device not to have the logo associated with the former Sony-Ericsson partnership.

Sony Xperia smartphone with no liquid energy logo

The picture also reveals capacitive buttons below the display rather than the in-display ones of the just released Sony Xperia GX and Xperia SX.

I wondered during our Sony Xperia S unboxing how much longer Sony would keep the Sony Ericsson logo. It appears that its end could be near.

Read more: Xperia Blog

NVIDIA Tegra 3 with integrated LTE chipset slips to 2013

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May 132012
 

NVIDIAThe NVIDIA Tegra 3 chipsets does not come with an integrated LTE modem. This has forced handset manufacturers to release North American variants of their quad-core Tegra 3 smartphones. Examples include both HTC and Samsung with the HTC One X and the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S III.

NVIDIA originally expected to have its Tegra processor with built-in LTE connectivity (codenamed Grey) out by the end of the year. CEO Jen-Hsun Huang this week announced that this has slipped into early 2013. On the analyst call that followed its latest financial results, Huang said:

“Looking forward, you’ll see Tegra 3 LTE phones with partners’ baseband processors in the second half of this year and then next year with our own LTE baseband processors as well.”

Instead, as Huang says, we will see Tegra 3 processors paired with partners’ baseband processors, later this year. Such devices could arrive in North America “towards the end of the year.”

Huang also added that investors should not fret too much. “Although we don’t have LTE at the moment, LTE is predominantly a U.S.-centric phenomenon. Outside of the United States, the big superphone upgrade is quad-core,” he said. Tegra 3 smartphones are now available from 22 carriers in Europe and Asia.

NVIDIA is also wrestling with demand still outstripping supply for its latest GPUs, namely 28-nanometer chips.

Read more: CNet

Apple’s Siri names Nokia Lumia 900 “best cell phone ever”

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May 122012
 

Apple’s Siri has weighed into the best cell phone debate and its answer might surprise you. Asked “What’s the best cell phone ever?” Siri did not name the iPhone 4S or any of the previous models. Instead, it named the Nokia Lumia 900 in Cyan.

Apple Siri weighs in on best smartphone

Siri’s answer actually comes from the Wolfram Alpha analytical engine. It will return the same answer when prompted with the same question.

Definitely a fun trick to show your iPhone friends!

Read more: WMPowerUser

Samsung announces the Windows Phone Samsung Omnia M

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May 122012
 

Samsung Omnia MOnly days after the launch of the LTE-enabled Samsung Focus 2 for AT&T, Samsung has announced the Samsung Omnia M (model: GT-I8350), another Windows Phone-powered smartphone. According to JK Shin, President of IT & Mobile Communications Division:

“Mobile consumers increasingly carry and share a large part of their lives through their phones. They are looking for phones that combine individual style with the ability to consume and share all kinds of content across their ever-growing social networks. The Omnia M meets all these demands, with the enhanced performance and social options afforded by Windows Phone and Samsung services.”

Samsung Omnia M specifications:

  • Processor: 1GHz single-core
  • Operating system: Windows Phone 7.5
  • Cellular connectivity: GSM/HSPA
  • Other connectivity: A-GPS, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1
  • Display: 4.0-inch Super AMOLED
  • Input: Capacitive touchscreen
  • Memory: 384MB RAM
  • Storage: 4GB onboard
  • Rear-facing camera: 5MP AF with flash
  • Front-facing camera: VGA
  • Connectors: micro-USB 2.0
  • Battery: 1,500mAh
  • Dimensions / weight: 121.6 x 64.1 x 10.5 millimeters / 119 grams

The Samsung Omnia M will initially launch in Europe. Other regions will follow later. More precise availability and pricing details are not yet available.

Read more: Samsung

Is Facebook replacing text messaging?

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May 122012
 

While Canada’s love affair with text messaging continued on strong in 2011 with 78 billion messages sent, there are signs that the love affair may be waning in other parts of the world. A report by Strand Consult, a telecommunications consulting firm, found that the amount of time smartphone users are spending on Facebook is increasing. It suggests that a growing number of messages are being exchanged through that platform rather than text messages. “Many operators are seeing an increasing number of customers moving their SMS traffic over to Facebook, resulting in their SMS cash cow getting thinner and thinner,” Strand Consult wrote in its research note.

It’s not the first time that Facebook is tied to a decrease in text message volumes. A report earlier this year attributed decreases to newer instant communication tools such as Facebook, Twitter and platform-specific tools such as BBM and iMessage.

A separate report by Chetan Sharma, an independent mobile analyst, found a similar trend in the Philippines, one of the top texting nations. Text messages sent by an average cellphone user dropped from 660 per month in 2010 to about 400 per month in 2011. Again, the drop was attributed to alternative communication tools such as Skype, iMessage, and Google Voice.

Are you texting less and using other communication tools such as Facebook instead?

Read more: The New York Times

WIND Mobile launches Samsung Galaxy Q and Huawei U8651

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May 112012
 

WIND Mobile today announced two new devices, the Samsung Galaxy Q and the Huawei U8651. Both are entry-level devices that should be fairly friendly to your wallet.

Samsung Galaxy QSamsung Galaxy Q specifications:

  • Operating system: Google Android 2.3
  • Cellular connectivity: GSM / UMTS AWS
  • Other connectivity: GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
  • Display: 3.2-inch HVGA (320×480)
  • Input: Slide out QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen
  • Storage: 4GB onboard and microSD cards up to 32GB (2GB card included)
  • Rear-facing camera: 3.2MP with LED flash
  • Front-facing camera: None
  • Battery: 1,500mAh
  • Dimensions / weight: 113.9 x 58.7 x 13.9 millimeters / 135 grams

Huawei U8651Huawei U8651 specifications:

  • Operating system: Google Android 2.3
  • Cellular connectivity: GSM / UMTS AWS
  • Other connectivity: GPS, Wi-Fi
  • Display: 3.5-inch HVGA (320×480)
  • Input: Capacitive touchscreen
  • Storage: 512MB onboard and microSD cards up to 32GB
  • Rear-facing camera: 3.2MP FF
  • Front-facing camera: None
  • Battery: 1,400mAh
  • Dimensions / weight: 116 x 60.5 x 11.9 millimeters / 118 grams
  • Other: Two extra covers in red and white

One note of caution: It is unlikely that either of these will be upgraded to Android 4.0.

WIND Mobile is offering the Samsung Galaxy Q for CA$199 with no contract or for free on its WINDtab plans. The Huawei U8651 is available for CA$149 with no contract or free as well on the WINDtab.

Read more: Samsung Galaxy Q and Huawei U8651

Rumour: Amazon to launch colour e-ink Kindle this year

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May 112012
 

AmazonAmazon may launch its first colour e-ink Kindle by the end the year. The Digitimes report suggests Amazon will use electronic paper displays (EPD) provided by E Ink Holdings (EIH) and multi-touch capacitive touch panels from TPK Holding instead of the infrared one used for the Kindle Touch.

To meet the target of a launch later this year, suppliers are expected to begin shipping the necessary compoents this month.

EIH will reportedly formally announce its colour EPD products in the near future.

A similar Digitimesreport in February suggested that EIH was to begin supplying Amazon with the colour e-ink displays in March.

Read more: Digitimes

Weekend fun: Amazing Alex coming soon from Rovio

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May 112012
 

Rovio has shed a little more light on the game that will follow up its Angry Birds franchise. As expected, the game will be based on the iOS game Casey’s Contraptions but will be renamed to Amazing Alex. It will focus on Alex, “a curious young boy who loves to build things,” and will feature some educational elements.

Amazing Alex

Rovio CEO Mikael Hed said “quality pressure is high” as he talked about a follow up to the extremely successful Angry Birds franchise.

Amazing Alex should be out within the next two months. It is not yet known what operating systems will be supported.

Read more: Amazing Alex (Source: TNW Mobile)

Quad-core Snapdragon S4 LG LS970 Eclipse 4G LTE revealed

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May 112012
 

LG is reportedly working on a new flagship smartphone packing a quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor and LTE connectivity. According to an anonymous Brief Mobile source, the LG LS970 Eclipse 4G LTE promises to be quite the device. Some fairly detailed specifications have been revealed:

  • Processor: 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 with Adreno 320 GPU
  • Cellular connectivity: 4G LTE
  • Display: 4.67-inch WXGA (1280×768) LCD TFT
  • Input: Capacitive touchscreen
  • Memory: 2GB RAM
  • Storage: 16GB onboard
  • Rear-facing camera: 13MP AF
  • Front-facing camera: 1.3MP
  • Battery: 2,100mAh
  • Dimensions / weight: 131.9 x 71.6 x 8.6 millimeters / 142 grams

The APQ8064 chipset will be paired with a separate MDM9615 radio one.

The one picture of the device only shows the back of what is likely a prototype. It has a flat back with what appears to be a camera bump (similar to the Motorola RAZR’s).

Rumoured LG LS970 Eclipse 4G LTE

The LG LS970 could be out as early as Q4 this year (possibly with Sprint). Are the Samsung Galaxy S III and HTC One X about to get some serious competition?

Read more: Brief Mobile

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