LG Optimus 4X HD to arrive in Europe soon

LG has announced that its Optimus 4X HD, first revealed to the world at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, in February this year, is finally about to make its debut in the world markets – starting with Western Europe first. Just what kind of hardware does the LG Optimus 4X HD carry? Let us go through a little bit of a refresher here – you will, of course, get the uber speedy NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, not to mention the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system right out of the box so that you need not wait for any software update after that.

The LG Optimus 4X HD is also said to carry one of the biggest capacities among quad-core smartphones at 2,150mAh, and the 4.7″ True HD IPS display is definitely a treat for your eyes. Since the MWC announcement, the LG Optimus 4X HD has also been slapped with a new SiO+ battery technology, Quick Memo for enhanced productivity and Media Plex that delivers an advanced multimedia experience.

To get a better idea on how the NVIDIA 4-PLUS-1 Quad-Core mobile processor works, the Tegra 3 will make use of a fifth core for the best power efficiency and outstanding performance. In order to eke out the maximum performance, the Tegra 3 is will run on all four cores, although when it is in standby mode, the processor will default to the fifth, a battery-saver core. LG claims that a future upgrade will see the introduction of the Eco-Mode which was tailor made for the Optimus 4X HD, where it will enable users to manually shut down any of the Tegra 3’s cores for additional control over power consumption and performance.

Nice to know that the battery itself is removable, so you can always swap it out with another battery when the going gets tough and there is no power outlet in sight. Definitely a plus point here. As for the Quick Memo feature that we talked about earlier, this integration into the operating system of the Optimus 4X HD allows it to be activated within any application, ranging from games to video players. You can also jot memos or notes over a screen image, saving it up for later, or to share it with others.

No idea on pricing just yet, but we do know that Europe will receive the Optimus 4X HD first before Asia, CIS, South and Central America get their hands on it.

Article: RSS via CoolestGadgets

Tags: 720p, Android, HD, Ice Cream Sandwich, LG, Nvidia, Optimus 4X HD, Quad-Core, Smartphones, Tegra 3, Video

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HTC Desire C gets official ‘First Look’ video and UK pricing

Just a day after being papped in Portugal, the HTC Desire C has turned up in this official video. There’s not much new info to take away, bar a quick glimpse of the Sense interface. T-Mobile UK, however, has also been in touch to let us know its pricing for the phone. Pay monthly users can get the handset for free as long as they are willing to cough up £15.50 a month for two years, or snap it up sans commitment on Pay as you go for £169.99 (about $270). Both options being available early next month.

Article: RSS via Engadget

Tags: Android, Beats Audio, Budget Phones, Desire C, HTC, Ice Cream Sandwich, Smartphones, T-Mobile UK, Video

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Apple rebrands iPad 4G after LTE furore

Apple has quietly rebranded its new iPad WiFi + 4G in response to continued pressure from regulators concerned that buyers were being misled over the data speeds the third-gen tablet could achieve. The tablet, now know as the new iPad WiFi + Cellular, was capable of connecting to LTE networks from Verizon and AT&T in the US, but incompatible with 4G networks elsewhere in the world. Apple had faced increasing scrutiny in Australia, the UK and elsewhere over whether its branding was confusing and potentially misinforming would-be tableteers as to what their new gadget was capable of.

As the above screenshot shows, references on Apple’s online store (in this case in the UK, but also changed in Australia, the US, Canada, UAE, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, New Zealand, Malaysia, Ireland and Hong Kong) have been updated from “4G” to the more generic “cellular” along with a message indicating what roaming support is possible. Other mentions of 4G on Apple’s product pages for the new iPad are being amended as well.

Australian consumer rights watchdogs were first to voice concerns over what the iPad was being sold as, arguing that while one LTE network is in operation in the country, it uses frequency bands incompatible with the iPad’s LTE modem. The other 4G network present uses WiMAX, which the new iPad also lacks support for.

Thus started a back-and-forth battle of branding, with Apple arguing that “4G” has become an indication of speed rather than specific technology, and Australia’s consumer rights group – joined eventually by scrutiny in the UK and elsewhere – insisting otherwise. Apple agreed to post notices at point-of-sale clarifying which Australian networks the new iPad 4G could use, but the regulators pressed for a complete change in branding.

That change looks to have finally come about, with Apple opting to fully alter the name of the cellular iPad – even in the US, where it is compatible with LTE – so as to retain the consistency of its branding. There’s still no word on how many customers took Apple Australia up on its offer to refund anybody disappointed with the connectivity of their tablet once they got it home.

Article: RSS via SlashGear

Tags: 4G, Apple, Australia, iOS, iPad, iPad 4G, LTE, Tablet PC's, UK

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ASUS PadFone unboxed in Taiwan

We’ve been waiting patiently for what seems like years to get our hands on ASUS’ smartphone/tablet/netbook hybrid PadFone, and if you’re currently in Taiwan you can put your money down for one right now. That’s just what Netbook News did, along with the additional keyboard dock and Bluetooth headset-stylus combo, and they were kind enough to post a few minutes of gadget porn for the rest of the Internet to enjoy. Check the video after the break.

For the uninitiated, the PadFone is a one-of-a-kind device that’s designed in three sections. The “core” is a 4.3-inch Android 4.0 smartphone, not unlike the HTC One S. This smartphone docks into a 10-inch tablet shell, which uses Ice Cream Sandwich’s unified user interface to display a full tablet UI on the same hardware. An optional keyboard dock creates a quasi-netbook, very similar to the ASUS Transformer series, and there’s also an optional Bluetooth headset with a stylus on the end of the boom.

The PadFone is on sale now in Taiwan. You can get the core smartphone and tablet shell unlocked for NT$17,990 ($610) with all of the extras combined totaling NT$24,980 ($847). ASUS is planning a European version of the PadFone, but as yet there’s no word on an American version. ASUS doesn’t have the same relationships with US carriers that other Android tablet manufactures do, so an American release looks like a long shot at this point.

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Tags: Android, Asus, Padfone, Smartphone, Tablet PC's, Unboxing, Video

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Pebble watch gets updated to Bluetooth 4.0 before it even arrives

What are you going to do when you get an unprecedented response from your new Kickstarter project? You throw in some extra features to keep your new fans happy. Allerta, the same company behind the InPulse smartwatch, has announced that its new Pebble smartwatch will now arrive with low-power Bluetooth 4.0 compatibility. The watches will still interact with Bluetooth 2.1, but inclusion of the latest version should ensure a better degree of future-proofing, with a view to hooking up with wireless heart monitors in the near future. The new feature will be built into the watches ahead of its release and enabled with a later software update. Better still, the makers promise that these Bluetooth plans have been in the pipeline for a while and shouldn’t affect the watch’s launch date.

Article: RSS via Engadget

Tags: Bluetooth 4.0, Kickstarter, Pebble, Smartwatch

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MasterCard unveils PayPass Button and software

MasterCard was one of the first companies to actively pursue contact payments in the US, and today they’re announcing plants to incorporate their PayPass system across web and mobile platforms. In addition to the standard contactless PayPass kiosks that you’ve likely already seen in US gas stations and other retailers, MasterCard is readying the PayPass Button to sync payments for online merchants as well. In practice, it bears a striking resemblance to PayPal, with the benefit of being already integrated with your credit card.

The company isn’t ignoring the mobile front. They’ve announced a new version of their Android and iOS app that will directly interface with retail kiosks, and help to automatically authenticate a customer’s account when shopping online. An API will be provided for prospective merchants and developers. The app isn’t available yet, but will be displayed at CTIA in New Orleans, going on now. The first partners for this initiative are Barnes & Noble and American Airlines.

MasterCard will have plenty of competition as it introduces this comprehensive payment system. PayPal is approaching the same idea from the opposite direction with debit and credit cards tied to users’ accounts, and Google’s Wallet app and service have been trying to corner the market for NFC-based payments in the US. Perhaps the biggest player on the horizon is ISIS, a consortium from Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon that aims to set up a nationwide phone-based NFC system. Some of these carriers are already blocking Google Wallet from the Google Play Store – it’ll be interesting to see what they think of MasterCard’s move.

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Tags: Contactless Payments, Finance, Financial, MasterCard, PayPass

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Samsung Galaxy S III official

Samsung has finally taken the wraps off of the Galaxy S III, the company’s third-generation Galaxy flagship and a device that has managed to muster iPhone-levels of pre-launch hype. Revealed today in London, UK, the Samsung Galaxy S III is unmistakably a Galaxy-family phone, but brings a new, 4.8-inch 720p HD Super AMOLED display, 1.4GHz quad-core processor and – perhaps more importantly – several software modifications to improve the user-experience.

Many of the rumored specifications have turned out to be outlandishly fabricated, but that doesn’t mean the Galaxy S III is behind in terms of raw abilities. It measures in at 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6mm and 133g, with a plastic polycarbonate shell with a “hyperglaze” coating. Up front is a 4.8-inch 720 x 1280 306ppi HD Super AMOLED display, topped by a front-facing 1.9-megapixel camera (capable of 720p HD video recording) and with a physical home button flanked by capacitive menu and back keys underneath. On the back is an 8-megapixel 1080p HD capable camera with autofocus and an LED flash, alongside a speaker.

Inside, Samsung’s Exynos 4 Quad 1.4GHz quad-core takes center stage, at least in the European model the company is demonstrating today. It will be paired with HSPA+ 21Mbps, though certain markets will get an LTE version that may use a different processor. All will have 1GB of RAM, and Samsung will offer 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of internal storage and a microSD slot (compatible with up to 64GB cards).

There’s also WiFi – with support for WiFi Direct and channel-bonding – and Bluetooth 4.0, as well as the usual array of sensors: accelerometer, digital compass, proximity, gyroscope and a barometer. The microUSB port also supports MHL-HDMI for 1080p HD output, and there’s a multi-colored notification LED. The battery is a 2,100 mAh Li-Ion unit, and Samsung will offer an optional wireless charging kit.

“Inspired by nature, designed for humans” is how Samsung describes the Galaxy S III, and the customized software is what the company is hoping will deliver on that. TouchWiz makes a reappearance, here with four nature-themed UIs, and there’s features like S Beam which builds on Android Beam in Ice Cream Sandwich by pairing NFC with WiFi Direct. For smaller files, NFC’s up to 400Kbps of bandwidth is used, but for larger multimedia or documents, the NFC pairing then hands over to a WiFi Direct link for up to 300Mbps.

Samsung has taken on Apple’s Siri, too, with its S-Voice system, which allows you to unlock the phone with a customizable verbal command, and then instruct it to load apps, set calendar appointments, do searches or other tasks simply by speaking at the phone. “What’s the weather for today?”, “I want to take a picture” and “Cheese!” are all supported. If you’re listening to music, you can tell S-Voice to skip, go back, play and pause, with the Galaxy S III automatically spotting your commands in among the music.

Smart Stay, meanwhile, uses the front-facing camera for face detection, keeping the display backlight on whenever you’re looking at the phone. That means no needing to periodically tap it if you’re a slow reader, and the display automatically turns off to save power when you look away. Pick up the phone and it gently vibrates if there are missed alerts, showing the new notifications on-screen automatically.

Samsung’s research tells it that the camera is of key interest to buyers, and so extra work has been put into the Galaxy S III’s camera app. There’s now Best Shot and Best Photo, with up to 20 rapid-fire images at up to 6fps and, optionally, with the Galaxy S III flagging up which it believes is the best of the end-result based on whether people have their eyes closed or are smiling, what the brightness and blur is like, and more. Like on HTC’s One Series, there’s now a button to take a photo while video is recording, and the Galaxy S III pairs face-detection with a double-tap to automatically zoom in on peoples’ faces in the frame.

Once photos are captured, Buddy Photo Share automatically matches faces in the image to those saved to your Contacts, and allows owners to instantly share the shot with them. There’s also Social Tag, which floats Google+ contact info over recognized individuals, and then offers a link to their Facebook page or contact info in your phone. Facial-recognition is also used in Face Slideshow, which pulls out individual portrait photos from group shots, and Group Tag automatically sorts shots into your contacts groupings depending on who is spotted in the frame.

Samsung’s AllShare technology has been boosted, with AllShare Cast making for easy DLNA sharing of the on-screen image onto a big-screen TV, and AllShare Play allowing Galaxy S III owners to remotely access multimedia and files on remote devices, such as their PC at work or home. If you’re more interested in consuming content all on the phone itself, there’s Pop-up Play, a sort of picture-in-picture mode for the phone, which floats a playing video in a draggable thumbnail over any other app.

Samsung will preload Dropbox, with 50GB of free storage for two years to each Galaxy S III buyer, and the new smartphone will be the first to get the new Android version of Flipboard. Like the existing iPhone app, it pulls in news, Twitter and other content with an easily-navigable interface; it’ll temporarily be an exclusive to the Galaxy S III.

Samsung hasn’t confirmed specific release dates, but European availability is expected from the end of May with North American sales shortly after. No word on pricing at this stage.

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Tags: 1080p, 720p, 8 Megapixel Camera, Android. Smartphones, Exynos, Galaxy S III, HD Super AMOLED, HSPA+, Ice Cream Sandwich, MicroSD, NFC, Quad-Core, Samsung, WiFi, WiFi Direct, Wireless Charging

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UK ISPs ordered to block access to The Pirate Bay

The High Court of England and Wales has ruled that five ISPs must block access to The Pirate Bay. Sky, Everything Everywhere, TalkTalk, O2 and Virgin Media have all been ordered to prevent their customers from accessing the Magnet linking website following the ruling. The British Phonographic Industry sees it as a big win, saying that “The High Court has confirmed that The Pirate Bay infringes copyright on a massive scale.”

Geoff Taylor, chief executive of the BPI, went on to say that The Pirate Bay and similar websites “destroy jobs in the UK and undermine investment in new British artists,” and that “operators line their pockets by commercially exploiting music and other creative works without paying a penny to the people who created them.”

Virgin Media issued a statement following the decision, saying it intends to fully comply with the ruling, but also shines a light on how legal alternatives should be made readily available to more effectively combat piracy. They cite their current agreement with Spotify, which offers free Premium access for six months with a new Virgin Media subscription.

It’s unclear how effective the block will be. BT was ordered to block access to Usenet aggregator Newzbin2 and began doing so in November 2011, although the restriction was quickly subverted by the sites operators. Newzbin2 offered users software which encrypted access between them and the servers, allowing surfers to freely browse and download NZB files from the website.

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Tags: BPI, Copyright, Copyright Infringement, Everything Everywhere, Law, O2, Sky, TalkTalk, The High Court, The Pirate Bay, UK, Virgin Media

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4GBritain campaign prompts early LTE carnage

Demands for an accelerated 4G roll-out in the UK has prompted carrier arguments with a sprinkling of celebrity garnish, as LTE urgency re-opens old network rivalries. 4GBritain has been set up by Everything Everywhere – the combo-carrier behind Orange and T-Mobile UK – to apply pressure to the government and industry regulator Ofcom to speed up the approvals process and permit it to use existing spectrum holdings to roll out an LTE network this year. However rival networks claim they only heard about the 4GBritain campaign a few days ago, while some celebrities and companies cited as backers say the endorsement claims are premature.

Skepticism about Everything Everywhere’s motivations are apparently at the root of the carriers’ rivals concerns. They will likely have to wait until Ofcom’s UK 4G spectrum auctions in 2013 in order to gather sufficient airspace to start rolling out their own LTE networks, and suggest that should Everything Everywhere be given the green light in 2012 it will have an unfair advantage.

Vodafone told SlashGear that it had only been invited to participate in the 4GBritain scheme on Friday, April 27, just days before it went public. The carrier gave us a copy of its response to its rival:

“Thank you for your offer to become involved with 4G Britain but as we have only just been informed of it we’ve not been given the detailed information needed to fully understand the intention behind it. Rest assured that Vodafone is very excited by the prospect of bringing 4G services to Britain not least because we have already launched this technology in several other markets.

We have made it clear on many occasions that we believe a competitive market for 4G services will bring real benefits to consumers, businesses and the wider British economy. We’re already asking the Government and regulator to make sure that everyone can launch this technology as soon as possible. We strongly believe that a competitive market for 4G services – as exists in other European markets – is in the best interests of everyone” Vodafone UK

Meanwhile, Vodafone told the Guardian that 4GBritain “looks like a lobbying effort set up to give an unfair competitive advantage to what is already the largest player in the market.” Everything Everywhere grabbed the top-spot when it began to combine its Orange and T-Mobile UK network holdings, allowing subscribers to roam freely between the two.

However, other organizations and celebrities cited by Everything Everywhere as supporting the campaign have also distanced themselves. eBay along with Stephen Fry, Jonathan Ross and Autonomy founder Mike Lynch were all name-checked in initial 4GBritain promotional material – though are not currently listed on the campaign site – despite each telling the newspaper that they have not signed up.

Everything Everywhere insists that an earlier than scheduled 4G launch in the UK could create 125,000 new jobs and boost the economy by £75bn, and denies that it is trying to gain an unfair advantage in the marketplace. It argues that its rivals also have the potential to begin early LTE roll-out:

“Everything Everywhere is proud to be helping raise awareness of the benefits of next generation telecommunications services. The 4G Britain website has been initiated by our organisation to help educate and build understanding of the benefits of 4G for consumers and businesses in the UK. It is open to all, and is intended to be an ongoing initiative which we hope many organisations will join in the coming weeks and in the future.

“We’d like to make clear that, notwithstanding the campaign, today’s existing operators have an opportunity to deploy 4G services, subject to: their willingness to invest; that they have requested from Ofcom a variation to their licence; and that this has been granted. The suggestion that this campaign is designed to seek an unfair benefit for Everything Everywhere ahead of other telecoms companies is wrong.

“It is disappointing that some of our competitors are falsely claiming that an as yet unlaunched website, being built to help stimulate awareness amongst the public of potential benefits of 4G, is in any way bad for consumers and the wider British economy. This is a ridiculous position for them to adopt especially when you consider that when 4G becomes available it will bring significant levels of investment and job creation to the UK” Everything Everywhere

Currently, Ofcom plans to hold the UK 4G spectrum auctions in 2013, selling off chunks of the 800MHz and 2.6GHz bands for high-speed LTE service. The process – in the works for more than four years – has been punctuated by legal complaints and in-fighting, as the operators jostle for the best deal.

Article: RSS via SlashGear

Tags: 4G, 4GBritain, Everything Everywhere, LTE, Mobile Broadband, Ofcom, Orange, T-Mobile, UK

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Motorola Razr Maxx to launch in U.K. and Germany

Motorola has just officially announced the release of the Razr Maxx in U.K. this coming May. The unlocked Razr Maxx, also known as the Droid Razr Maxx in the U.S., will be heading out to British retailers including Expansys, Clove and Amazon. Condescendingly, the said device will also hit Germany on the same month that it will launch in the U.K.

But the interesting thing is that the Razr Maxx will be coming to Germany with the Ice Cream Sandwich on it. Too bad for the Razr Maxx fans in Britain, for the device will be arriving with Gingerbread still on it. The German folks on the other hand, are getting an early bonus for the year.

The Motorola Razr Maxx sports a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced qHD display and it is powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor. It has an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera and a 1 GB RAM as well as a 3,300 mAh battery.

“Razr Maxx isn’t changing the rules – it’s creating a whole new game. Building on the RAZR heritage it combines the pinnacle of design with mind-blowing power and an incredible battery life that is perfect for people who want to push their smartphone to the limits,”said Claudia Laepke, marketing director of Motorola Mobility’s Mobile Devices Germany.

Article: RSS via UberGizmo

Tags: 8 Megapixel Camera, Android, Dual-Core, Germany, Motorola, Razr Maxx, Smartphones, Super AMOLED, UK

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