Phones

When you saw the laundry list of features that the Samsung Galaxy S 4 boasts, what was your initial thought? After you looked over the list, and you saw all those fancy features with the word "smart" in front of them, did you immediately think they were all gimmicks? Just cheap tricks to get you to buy the phone? Or did you think all those new abilities added to the overall quality of the device, and justified its price tag? Where you fall on either side of that fence depends on a lot of things. The truth is, I personally think that some of those features are indeed just gimmicks. However, I will also admit that I believe Samsung does indeed add quite a bit of value to their devices, courtesy of the built-in software features. If they are gimmicks, then they're simply gimmicks because they're new technology, or even just new ideas using old tech. If they are a gimmick, then they are a gimmick now, and will hopefully become the standard at some point in the future. Samsung's marketing played a big role in my attitude towards the features they've packed into their newest flagship device. If you just see them on paper, or even two pieces of paper, you may just shake your head and dismiss the majority of them, simply because you're a traditionalist and you want to use your phone like everyone else (who doesn't own a GS 4), or even how you used to use your phone before you picked up the new shiny toy from Samsung. There's nothing wrong with wanting to use your phone the way you used to use your phone. The touchscreen on our phones are still there to be touched after all. But obviously Samsung wants you to interact with your phone in new and different ways. And, in some specific situations, they want you to interact with your phone that makes it easier on you. So, what's easier than waving your hand in front of your phone's display? How about voice? Voice is pretty easy, right? I mean, sure, you've got to hit a button to activate the voice controls, but once you get passed that little hurdle, you're good to go. Just tell your phone what you want, and as long as the command is supported, it gets done. No taps on the display. No digging in menus. No reading text messages. Your phone is there to serve you, and with a gentle prod from your vocal chords, your wish will be done. How can we make voice easier? Well, what if we remove that whole button pressing thing, and just have voice controls always on? Wait, wait. You're telling me that already exists, sort of? Why yes, yes it does! The Galaxy S III, and now the Galaxy S 4, both feature the ability to wake the device from its slumber by saying something like, "Hi, Galaxy." After you do that, you're able to throw a few more voice commands at your phone, courtesy of S Voice. Easy, right? Apparently that isn't easy enough, because LG wants to try their hand at making it even more streamlined. According to a report from Gotta Be Mobile, LG is currently gearing up to launch a phone in 2014 with always-on voice commands. So, your phone is always listening, just waiting for you to tell it to do something. The obvious question you should be asking yourself is, "How is that different than what Samsung has?" Well, S Voice's abilities are pretty restricted, just as Apple's Siri is restricted, and Microsoft's Windows Phone's voice controls are pretty straight forward in their role. Google Now, too, just can't quite do everything (except read your mind). So, how is LG planning on making it better? Well, they plan on incorporating the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, for one. But, more than that, they plan on making it possible for someone to literally tell their phone to do anything, and it will do it. In the initial report, it's suggested that the owner of this new LG-branded device could open Google Maps, and then tell their phone to zoom in, or pan right, or zoom out. You'd be able to switch home screen displays. You'd be able to open, start, close, transition, and everything else

Apple’s Messages app held a lot of promise when it was announced, and for the most part, it works. In addition to being able to instant message, you can text your friends through iMessage. A lot of the bugginess has been worked out since the app first launched, but there’s still a major problem: searching through your chat logs. Try typing in a search term, and your Mac will likely freeze up altogether. That’s where Flexibits Chatology…

Accessory makers are already making cases for Apple’s new iPhones based on leaked “design plans believed to have originated at Apple,” according to a new report. The schematics show an iPhone 5S that closely resembles the iPhone 5. The other phone, referred to in the report as “iPhone Light,” shows the device as slightly wider, taller, and thicker, with rounded edges. Both schematics are consistent with our initial January…

If you own the BlackBerry Z10 you might want to consider updating your smartphone, BlackBerry issued the security advisory on 06-11-2013, but just in case you have not had this warning we will explain a little about it. BlackBerry issued the security warning advisory to Z10 owners after a major problem that could potentially allow hackers to steal your phones data, once they are in they have full control over the touchscreen BB Z10, this means they would have access to your password the BlackBerry Hub and many other functionalities. The Main Impact Hackers could gain access to the devices password if a remote password reset command had been issued through the BlackBerry Protect website, the worst is where users would have to install a specially crafted malicious app, enable BlackBerry Protect and reset the device password through BlackBerry Protect. Plus they can prevent the BlackBerry Z10 from acting on BlackBerry Protect commands, such as a remote smartphone wipe. What to do! You should install the latest 10.0.10.648 software update on your BlackBerry Z10, if you are still using BlackBerry 10 version 10.0.10.261 then you could potentially be at risk from the security bug. You should update as soon as you can before installing apps, if you do decide to install apps then do this with caution. Go into your BlackBerry Z10 notifications and see if you have the update, if you do not have it in notifications just search for it manually from the home screen, swipe the screen downwards from the top and then tap Settings and the Software Updates, the Check for Updates. If it does not show an update then you will be happy to know you already have BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.0.10.648 installed. Please let us know if you were affected in anyway before the new BlackBerry Z10 update?

We’ve been giving readers some news about the upcoming Microsoft Surface RT tablet refresh. It’s rumored that this will be smaller in size than the current version, and we recently discussed possibly pricing of the device. At that time it looked as though it could feature the NVIDIA Tegra 4 chip, but a new report involves speculation that the next-generation Microsoft Surface RT will have a Qualcomm processor. The current Surface RT uses the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, but it now seems more likely that Qualcomm will provide the chipsets used in the refreshed Surface. However, NVIDIA doesn’t seem to have been put entirely out of picture as sources said to be “people with knowledge of the company’s plans,” say that the company will continue to supply for “some versions.” This move is likely to come later in the year, and as the new Surface RT has not yet been made official this is certainly plausible. There is also talk that testing is currently being carried out on Windows RT 8.1 Surface devices using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU. This is interesting as this chip has integrated LTE connectivity, so this could be a bonus for the upcoming refresh. Presently existing supplies of Surface RT tablets are being cleared at low prices, so this along with news of Qualcomm’s involvement implies that Microsoft could be aiming at a fall release of the new Surface hardware, at a time to coincide with Windows RT 8 and Windows 8.1. We’ll keep you informed of further developments on this as we hear anything. In the meantime we’d appreciate your thoughts on the Surface RT refresh. Are you interested in the possibility of a smaller 8-inch Surface RT? If so, do you think the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 possibility adds more appeal? Send us your comments on this. Source: Bloomberg

HTC finally unveiled the Butterfly S and I am officially drooling. Why this isn’t coming to Verizon as the DROID DNA S, I have no idea, but rumors have it landing on Sprint. The Butterfly S is a beefier version of the One. It has a 5-inch 1080p LCD 3 display, a 1.9GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 CPU, 2GB of RAM,16GB of internal storage, microSD, UltraPixel camera, 2.1MP wide-angle front camera, support for Miracast, a 3,200mAh battery, and Sense 5. Just like the HTC One, it features dual-speakers at the front along with BoomSound. Since the Butterfly S has Sense 5, you will get all the same features such as BlinkFeed, Zoe, and Video Highlights. Expect a release in Taiwan in July for NT $22,900 ($766) with no announcement for other areas. Hit the break for a short teaser video and press release. Click here to view the embedded video. HTC BUTTERFLY S COMBINES STYLE, STAMINA AND BLAZING PERFORMANCE 5-inch, quad-core device sports HTC BlinkFeed™, HTC Zoe™ and HTC BoomSound™, powered by HTC’s longest lasting battery to date Taipei, June 19, 2013 — HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, has today announced the HTC Butterfly S. This stylish, supercharged 5-inch device is powered by a 1.9 GHz quad-core processor and features HTC BlinkFeed™, HTC Zoe™ and HTC BoomSound™, first introduced with the award-winning HTC One. The new device also offers HTC’s latest Sense 5 experience and Android Jelly Bean, with a stamina battery that packs 3,200 mAh of raw power, guaranteeing peak performance for longer. “We’ve upgraded the popular HTC Butterfly to reflect the new standards set by the HTC One for smartphone performance.” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “The HTC Butterfly changed the way people looked at a smartphone thanks to the world’s first full HD 1080p, 5-inch screen and that complete viewing experience has been taken to the next level with HTC BlinkFeed. HTC BoomSound and HTC Zoe integration also make the experience of the HTC Butterfly S unlike that of any other 5-inch device.” HTC BlinkFeed: Stop digging for information with live home screen updates from your favourite sources HTC’s acclaimed BlinkFeed makes perfect use of the breath-taking 5-inch, full HD Super LCD 3 display of the HTC Butterfly S. Transforming the home screen into a customisable, vibrant stream of live information, BlinkFeed delivers the freshest content from social updates, news and articles at a glance. With local and global content drawn from more than 2,000 media sources, BlinkFeed pulls more than 10,000 articles from some of the world’s leading media companies including AOL, ESPN, MTV, The Financial Times and Reuters to give you the most interesting and important stories of the moment, wherever you may be. HTC BoomSound: sharper, richer, bigger soundHTC BoomSound’s dual front-facing stereo speakers and two dedicated amplifiers deliver sound quality and power like no other. Listen to music, play games and watch videos with less distortion and more clarity. Beats Audio™ integration completes the unrivalled audio experience for you and your friends’ ultimate listening pleasure. HTC UltraPixel Camera with HTC Zoe and Video Highlights: reimagining mobile photography HTC’s revolutionary camera experience delivers high-quality, instantly-sharable images wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. The HTC Butterfly S’ stunning UltraPixel Camera captures 300 per cent more light than traditional smartphone camera sensors, ensuring fantastic images even in low light. With its advanced editing capabilities and functionality of HTC Zoe, you’ll always be able to create the perfect picture wherever you are. Further enhancing the imaging experience is the phone’s 2.1 MegaPixel Ultra-wideangle front-facing camera, which makes room for you and your friends to create more natural self-portraits with incredible detail. Bring all of your spectacular photography to life and share it easily with Video Highlights, a part of the HTC Butterfly S’ living, bre

Samsung and HTC also considering the technology as an alternative for keeping device temperatures down.

As the iPhone 5S nears mass production ahead of its launch this coming fall, leaks will undoubtedly kick into high gear. We saw the first few images of the completed display assembly for Apple's iPhone 5S leak earlier this week, and now the first set of high-quality photos of the new iPhone's panel have been published by Fanatic Fone. The high-resolution photos show the iPhone 5S display assembly next to an iPhone 5 display, and they clearly highlight all of the design changes found on the new panel. As was confirmed in a recent exclusive report from BGR, Apple's upcoming iPhone 5S will feature a fairly significant internal redesign as Apple seeks to improve on the iPhone 5 and possibly make room for new components, such as a fingerprint scanner. Several photos of the iPhone 5S display follow below.Continue reading...

Jivi Mobile has launched the Jivi 2010, a feature phone with a dedicated SOS button aimed at women. In case of any emergency or eventuality, user needs to long-press the SOS button and the phone starts calling 5 pre-defined numbers one by one. In case any of the numbers is busy or does not take the call, a SMS message is sent to the number. After this, the phone dials other numbers on the pre-defined list - thereby ensuring much needed help. It has a (2.4 inch 240 x 320 pixels), dual SIM support with dual standby and comes equipped with a big speaker with multiple music formats (MP3, MP4, AVI or 3GP),  3.5 mm universal audio jack and FM Radio with recording. It has GPRS, Bluetooth and micro USB port  for charging and data transfer. It has Mobile Tracker, flash light, folder lock,  auto call recording and Hungama WAP Launcher  with over 2 million mobile content such as music, videos, dialogues, ringtones & wallpapers  across genres and languages. It comes with expandable memory up to 32 GB through a microSD card. The Jivi 2010 comes in white, red and black colors with stylish metallic or chrome finish and is priced at  Rs 1699, but it is available for as low as ...

The HTC Butterfly isn't a very old device, but HTC has just announced its successor, the Butterfly S. This is another 5-inch beast of a phone, but it takes some cues from the HTC One to up its game. The Butterfly S is built like a slightly bigger, beefed-up HTC One. It looks like it will be a fairly substantial improvement over the original Butterfly, though. Here are the specs: Android with Sense 5 Qualcomm Snapdragon 600, quad-core, 1.9GHz 5.0 inch Full HD 1080p, 440PPI, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 16GB, microSD for up to 64GB additional storage 2GB of RAM HTC UltraPixel Camera. Done With This Post? You Might Also Like These:HTC Announces The One: 4.7" 1080p Display, LTE, 'Ultrapixel' Camera, Sense 5.0, And A Whole Lot Of Aluminum Blurrycam Shots Leak Of Verizon HTC DLX, Sporting 5" 1080p Display, Quad-Core CPU, And 2GB Of RAM HTC One With Free Car Dock Now Live At T-Mobile.com - Order Yours For $99.99 + $20/Month Or $579.99 Lump Sum HTC Officially Reveals Sensation XE: Beats Audio, 1.5GHz Dual-Core CPU, And No Word On A North American Release HTC Announces The Butterfly S With A 5-Inch 1080p Screen, 3200mAh Battery, Sense 5, BoomSound Speakers, And More was written by the awesome team at Android Police.