Xbox "Durango" To Be Unveiled This May

Someone, presumably at one of Foxconn's Apple-contracted foundries, took a picture of what they claim to be the front fascia of the 5th generation iPad. If true, it only supports the rumor of the next-generation iPad design being simply an upscaled iPad Mini.

Unlike today's 9.7-inch iPads, which have uniform bezel thickness framing the screen, the next iPad could feature thicker bezels along its breadths, and thinner ones along its lengths. Joining the dots, one could also speculate next-gen iPad's back to look more similar to that of the very first iPad, with sharper edges, and an overall flatter back.

There are different theories surrounding Apple's next iPad unveiling. Some put it just before Summer, along the sidelines of WWDC '13, other in October.

Here's hoping that's not a child's hand with an iPad mini panel.

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Nokia Lumia 521 officially confirmed by T-Mobile, price MIA

Since the turn of the year Nokia has been busy expanding its range of Windows phone 8 hardware that now includes handsets at a variety of price levels, and now the Nokia Lumia 521 has been officially confirmed but the price is still MIA.

We first heard about the Nokia Lumia 521 was heading to T-Mobile back in February and now the carrier has confirmed the device will be available next month, although the company has yet to reveal the pricing for the device.

The handset is the carrier’s version of the Nokia Lumia 520 and could sell unlocked for around $180, and for your money the handset offers entry level access to the WP8 platform that provides users a 4-inch WVGA IPS LCD touchscreen display.

This is powered by a dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor running at 1GHz that is coupled with 512MB of RAM, and there is 8GB of built in storage that can be expanded further up to 64GB via microSD card.

There is also a 5-megapixel rear facing camera, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, A-GPS, and a 1,430 mAh battery unit. The Nokia Lumia 521 will be available via T-Mobile retail channels, Wal-Mart, and Microsoft Retail Stores.

Will you be getting the Nokia Lumia 521?

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Apple to begin production of new iPad in July-August: Report

There have been news reports in the past which suggested that Apple will be outing its next generation iPad in April 2013. However, in a new report DigiTimes claims that Apple will be commencing production of its fifth generation iPad in July or August. The website claims to have got this bit of information from its sources in the Taiwan-based supply chain.

The fifth generation iPad is expected to come with a 9.7-inch screen and is expected to be thinner and lighter than its predecessor. LG Display and Sharp are reportedly engaged in producing the display of the fifth generation iPad while touch panels are being made by TPK.

As per the rumours, the next generation iPad will have thin bezels, much like the iPad mini. There have been plenty of speculations being made in regards to the launch of the next generation of iPad. Some reports point to an October release, while some recent reports suggested an April release.

Apple had introduced the fourth generation iPad along with iPad mini at a special event in San Jose, California on October 23 2012. Apple surprised many by launching the 128GB version of the fourth generation iPad in February 2013.

The grapevine also suggests that Apple is gearing up to launch an iPad mini with Retina display. Alleged pictures of this iPad mini with Retina display were also shared online in February 2012. As per past reports Apple is cutting shipments of iPad mini in the second quarter of 2013. According to this report, the cutback may be as high as 20 percent in April and the shipments may continue to decrease gradually throughout the quarter to bring total shipments to as low as 10 million units during the quarter.

The reason for these cut backs was cited as Apple’s efforts in adjusting its reserves for the next-generation iPad mini, which is likely to be released in the third quarter.

From gadgets.ndtv.com

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A Review of Samsung Galaxy Mini – a budget smartphone

A Review of Samsung Galaxy Mini – a budget smartphone

It has been a while since I have written a review about an entry-level smartphone.Budget smartphones are particularly one of the subjects that caught my interest because they are affordable and still deliver some of the features shared with its big brothers, the expensive, high-end smartphones. My subject on interest in this post is theSamsung Galaxy Mini GT-S5570. (Also known as T-Mobile Move and Samsung Galaxy Pop for India market) This model is released in February 2011.

Design:

It is a full touch bar design, compact with flashy colour stripe along the side. It is a “mini” so it has to be small, although with its compact size still appeals to both sexes. It also great for an entry-level smartphone especially for teenagers or adults that don’t really want a bulky phone. It is also perfect for a second phone. The dimension is 110.6 X 60.6 X 12.1mm and weigh only about 106.6g.

Performance and Display:

The display is slightly larger than its cousin –the Galaxy Young. It has a 3.14-inch TFT capacitive touch screen with 256K colours and 240X320 pixels  (~127 ppi pixel density) PPI  stands for “pixel per inch”. The Mini is powered by a Qualcomm MSM7227 CPU clocked at 600 MHz which is a little slower than the Galaxy Young’s 832MHz.

It runs on Android OS Froyo V2.2  and upgradable to V2.3 . It is also equipped witj Samsung’s own TouchWiz v3.0 UI.

Applications:

I think the highlight for this phone is its Predictive text input or SWYPE functionality. With this function, a user can write a message quickly by connecting the dots instead of pushing the virtual buttons. Apart from that, the phone also features the following:

• Sensors: Accelerometer, proximity, compass
• Messaging: SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM
• Browser: HTML
• Radio: Stereo FM radio with RDS
• GPS: Yes, with A-GPS support
• Java: Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
• Colors: Black
  • SNS integration
  • MP4/H.264/H.263 player
  • MP3/WAV/eAAC+ player
  • Organizer
  • Document viewer/editor
  • Image/video editor
  • Google Search, Maps, Gmail,
  • YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa integration
  • Voice memo/dial

Connectivity:

You can connect to the internet either through Wi-Fi or 3G networks. Full data specifications are as follow:

• GPRS: Class 12 (4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots), 32 – 48 kbps
• EDGE: Yes
• Speed: HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps
• WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
• Bluetooth: Yes, v2.1 with A2DP
• USB: Yes, microUSB v2.0

Battery:

The battery is a standard battery, Li-Ion 1200 mAh with a stand-by time up to 570 hours and talk time up to 9 hours 30 minutes. The battery life is quite efficient for normal operation but running multitasking and graphics intensive programmes would decrease the talk time estimates.

Audio:

The audio is fine as long as you don’t expect too much from it. It has sound alert types of – vibration, MP3 and WAV ringtones. It is also equipped with a decent loudspeaker and as well as a DNSe sound enhancement, that may improve music quality compared to ordinary phones. It also has a 3.5MM jack that you can use to plug in your favourite earphones, headphones or even portable speakers.

Camera:

The camera is 3.15 MP (2048 X 1536 pixels) which is better than the Galaxy Young’s 2.0 MP. It is able to record videos at QVGA@15fps and fitted with Geo-tagging functionality. Picture quality is decent enough if taken in daylight conditions. Do not try to compare it with its big brother – the Galaxy S II’s 8MP camera! However, pictures are good enough for posting on Social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Ergonomics:

The compact design will suit both sexes, easy to carry around and can slip comfortably in your pocket.  Those with larger fingers might find it a bit difficult to touch on the virtual keyboard but with enough practice, you might get used to it and eventually love it.

Price:

Advertised price (AP) is around RM520 (US$167) to RM535 (US$174) but if you shop around you might be able to get it at a much lower prices. A quick check on local stores gave me a range of price from RM450 (US$147) to RM530 (US$173).

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Samsung to produce Samsung Galaxy Mega

Samsung to produce Samsung Galaxy Mega

The giant Korean phone maker Samsung is rumoured to be producing yet another “massive” 6.3-inch Android smartphone. The new device will be larger than the current Galaxy Note.

According to a Korean website ETNews, Samsung is perhaps experimenting with the 6.3-inch device if it is acceptable by users. ETNews termed it as a “smartpad” or a phone cum tablet combination (phablet).

The news apparently was leaked by an unknown Samsung official as stating, “As of now, smartphones and smart pads are separate gadgets, but the two will converge into one product under Project Möbius.” The massive device is rumoured to be launched as the Samsung Galaxy Mega.

The rumour also indicated that the Samsung Galaxy Mega will debut in June and will feature Google’s latest operating system – Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie.

Other specs rumoured is a dual-core Exynos processor, an 8MP main camera, a 2MP front-facing camera and available in both black and white colour models only. The humongous phone is likely to be aimed at a mid-range market.

There is no news as regard to pricing or availability yet, and Samsung said it does not comment on rumour and speculation.

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Galaxy Note 8.0 Tablet Arrives in USA This Week

Samsung Electronics America said on Tuesday that the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 will hit the North American market this Thursday, April 11. It will be offered through participating offline and online retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy/Best Buy Mobile, h.h. gregg, Newegg, P.C. Richard & Son, Staples and TigerDirect.com. The price? A meaty $399.99.

Sporting an 8-inch WXGA (1280 x 800) screen, Samsung's new Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean" tablet packs an Exynos 4412 quad-core SoC clocked at 1.6 GHz, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. Also thrown into the hardware mix is a 1.3MP camera on the front, a 5MP camera on the back, and a microSD card slot allowing up to 64 GB of extra storage. Dual-band Wireless N connectivity allows the tablet to access 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz network channels, if available.

"A mid-sized addition to the Galaxy Note family of products, the Galaxy Note 8.0 has the power and advanced technology to enable multi-tasking at home, at work or on the go," the company said. "The Galaxy Note 8.0 is the perfect size for entertainment and productivity, with unrivaled multimedia performance in a compact format. The S Pen has evolved to improve everyday usability with Air View, and Multi Window now supports more apps to perform tasks simultaneously allowing users to do more."

The Galaxy Note 8.0 is the first tablet to feature Samsung WatchON, a new search and recommendation service for finding TV shows and on-demand video content. The tablet also comes with a built-in IR blaster so that it can be used as a universal remote, and a Multi-Windows functionality so that apps like Facebook, Chrome and Polaris Office (20 supported apps total) can be open on the same screen, side-by-side.

The new 8-inch Samsung tablet also features a Reading Mode which adjusts color and brightness to an optimal level for reading. It also allows users to customize fonts and themes so that ebooks, magazines, documents and Web pages are easy to read. All of this is backed by a 4,600 mAh battery promising up to 9 days of usage time and up to 30 days of standby time.

The Galaxy Note 8.0 will be available this Thursday in white for $399.99. Optional accessories sold separately in mid-April will include Book Covers in white, grey, pink or green, as well as USB and HDMI adapters, and a travel charger that connect via the device’s microUSB port.

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Sony Brings DualShock 3 Controller Support To Xperia Phones

Sony is trying hard this year and with already impressive Xperia Z smartphone things just got even better. With increasing gaming accessories for smartphones and tablets, Sony announced today that it has added support for the Play Station 3 DualShock 3 controllers to Xperia smartphones.

This means that users can use the popular game pad to navigate, automatically improving gaming experience. With HDMI support in some Xperia handsets, it is time to connect the device to a television and try some Android games on a big screen.

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