Category Archives: Hardware

iPhone 5 design rumors, your chance to win a Lumia 800 from Nokia, HTC X looking to steal the show at MWC

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Smartphone Briefs

By Chris Coleman|@PhoneKnack

With Mobile World Congress (MWC) rapidly approaching phone leaks abound, MWC is the perfect stage for companies to unveil their products. According to the latest unsubstantiated rumors the iPhone 5 is slightly taller and wider than the 4 and 4S. The front facing camera is also higher resolution on the iPhone 5.

Is Apple looking to shape-up the front facing camera game on smartphones? If these rumors are true, we are on the edge of our seats awaiting further details about the iPhone 5.

If you head on over to Nokia’s Facebook page you will see a contest to win a white Nokia Lumia 800. The game is simple, upon opening the page, you will have 60 seconds to catch a white tile by clicking on it. After catching the tile a score will be displayed and you will be asked to enter your info for a chance to win.

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“New and Improved” Blackberry London, LG announces Galaxy Note Competitor

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Smartphone Briefs

By Chris Coleman|@PhoneKnack

Reports have resurfaced on Crackberry.com with new pictures of the long rumored Blackberry London. From the looks of this device we can acknowledge that RIM, the makers of BlackBerry, are finally looking to join the ever-changing smartphone race.

The sleek design of the BlackBerry London has us brimming with excitement in the middle of winter. When is the BlackBerry London coming to the market? According to a leaked roadmap of RIM’s upcoming devices, the London washing ashore to American soil come Q3. (Photos after the break)

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Motorola Triumph Hacks including ICS and Gingerbread ROMs

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by George Heymann|@techeadlines

technology-headlines.com

We recently reviewed the Motorola Triumph a CDMA pre-paid phone which is being offered by Virgin Mobile. We generally liked the Triumph but were disappointed that the phone is currently being delivered with Android 2.2 Froyo installed with no official upgrade path announced as of this date.

Well we’ve come across a great resource “Motorola Triumph Hacks” that addresses many of the Triumphs shortcomings. The site features downloads for several of the more popular third party ROMS that add additional features and bug fixes as well as instructional videos that include step-by-step instructions to help even novice users enhance their Motorola Triumph experience.

Following one of the featured guides I’ve now upgraded my Triumph to Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread which made the phone noticeably more responsive. The only feature not enabled on the third party build that I installed that is HDMI, which was not a critical feature for me. (Video after the break)

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Verizon for Valentines day? “Samsung’d” again!

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Smartphone Briefs

By Chris Coleman|@PhoneKnack

Starting February 13th through the 14th, Verizon is allowing users to tweet their most creative confessions with the hashtag #TweetHeart in order to win a free colored Droid RAZR. If you don’t like purple, simply give it to that special someone of yours. Until then, be on the lookout for the contest on Verizon Wireless’s official Twitter page.

PS. your partner may still like a romantic date even if you win the free phone.

For those who happened to miss the Samsung Galaxy Note Superbowl ad, the ad is simple no longer shall customers have to wait in long lines in order to buy a subpar phone such as iPhone, instead the Samsung Galaxy Note shall be your savior. It was a quirky and funny commercial, some may say it was a tad over the top, but the stage it was premiered on, sometimes over the top is better.

See the Samsung Mobile USA- Thing Called Love ad after the break

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Samsung Galaxy III, Skype & InstaCam for Windows Phone, Blackberry Resurrection?

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Smartphone Briefs

By Chris Coleman|@PhoneKnack

Reports have surfaced that the latest edition to the Samsung Galaxy family, the Samsung Galaxy III will measure in at a relatively slim size of  7 mm. The Droid RAZR, which is currently one of the thinnest phones on the market measures in at 7.1 mm, so you can imagine how thin we are talking.

The Samsung Galaxy III is rumored to be released this upcoming May and will feature a 8megapixel rear camera and 2megapixel front-facing camera. Look for the device to run on Google’s latest operating system, Android 4.0(Ice Cream Sandwich). Multiple reports have cited that the Galaxy III will sport 2GB of RAM, have a quad core processor, and will also be 4G LTE compatible.

If this news is all true, the Samsung Galaxy III will be a hard phone to beat this year.

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BlackBerry Bold 9790 versus Sony Xperia S

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by Simon Drew

best-mobile-contracts.co.uk

As the growth of the smartphone market in the UK continues, and devices get faster, more powerful and better looking, it is inevitable that manufacturers will see 2012 as an opportunity to improve their position in the market. Smartphones increased their grip over the UK consumer in 2011 with headline-grabbing devices like the Samsung Galaxy S2 and Apple’s iPhone 4S generating excitement and enthusiasm. Though while there is growth for some manufacturers, others might lose out.

Research in Motion, the makers of Blackberry and Sony, while both still incredibly influential and successful in the market, have lost out to more popular competitors. Both manufacturers have started 2012 with new devices aimed at launching new ranges which can be seen as an injection for both brands. At RIM it is the Blackberry Bold 9790 which leads the way as the latest handset in its Bold series. It is due to be released at the end of this month At Sony it is the newly launched Xperia S which is the first in a new NXT Xperia range. That handset is due to be launched at the end of January and then released in early March. So which one is best?

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Google hooks up Sprint with the Galaxy Nexus, Amazon offering Verizon Galaxy Nexus for $100

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Smartphone Briefs

By Chris Coleman|@PhoneKnack

Google has pushed out a signup page for the upcoming Sprint Galaxy Nexus which leads us to believe that Sprint’s Galaxy Nexus is one step closer to being released. What we can tell you for sure is that unlike the Verizon version, the Sprint model will feature Google Wallet; which is a huge bonus for Sprint users. If you are a Sprint user with an available upgrade, or one coming up soon, we suggest you hold off, because the Galaxy Nexus is arguably one of the best phones out on the market.

Amazon is now offering the Galaxy Nexus for $100 to new customers. So if you have been thinking about making the switch to Verizon, now is the time. Amazon is offering current Verizon customers the Galaxy Nexus for $260. Take advantage of this deal as soon as possible, who knows how long it will last.

Titan II and Lumia 900 set launch date, Xbox games coming to other platforms? Google Music Updated

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Smartphone Briefs

By Chris Coleman|@PhoneKnack

AT&T is hitting the ground running in 2012, opening the year with two Windows Phones. Both the HTC Titan II and the Nokia Lumia 900 are hitting shelves on March 18th. The HTC Titan II can be yours for $199.99 on a new two-year contract. It features a whooping 4.7 inch screen, a 16megapixel camera, 1.5 GHz processor, and will run on AT&T’s LTE(4G) network. The Nokia Lumia 900 on the other hand will be only $99.99 but still gives the Titan II a run for it’s money. The Lumia has a slightly smaller 4.3 inch screen, with a 8megapixel camera on the back, and a 1.4 GHz processor, however, it has a larger battery compared to the Titan II. Like the Titan II, the Lumia is also compatible with AT&T’s LTE(4G) network.

This year is starting off very well for Microsoft and their Windows Phone line, look for them to continue to make a push in the smartphone market throughout the rest of this year

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Tagg GPS tracking for your Pets

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by George Heymann|@techeadlines

technology-headlines.com

Tagg is a pet tracking system developed by Snaptracs Inc., a Qualcomm company that uses GPS technology to help you locate your pet if it becomes lost or stolen. The lightweight GPS Tag attaches to the pets collar with a two piece clip and its waterproof design allows it to be worn at all times.

The Tagg system appearsto be simple to set-up, first set-up an account at www.pettracker.com , once you receive the Tagg pet tracker activate it, it will be associated with your online account, then setup your Tagg zone.

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iOS 5 tethered and untethered Jailbreak now available for iPhone 4S and iPad2, Seidio Extended battery for Galaxy Nexus available for order.

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Smartphone Briefs

By Chris Coleman|@PhoneKnack

On January 20th, Greenpois0n released their tool to jailbreak (unlock) the iPhone 4S or iPad 2. The jailbreak will support iOS 5.0 and iOS 5.0.1 according to Greenpois0n, however the tools were only available for the Mac. The Greenpois0n team has now released the Windows version, which can be found by following this link.

Whited00r , a well known iOS community modding site has come forth with a way to get some features of iOS 5.0 on your older generation iPhones and iPods. For those who have an iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G, and iPod Touch and are interested in basking in the glory of i0S 5.0, Whited00r has your back. Make sure to follow this link and from there, simply pick your device. Sound off in the comments after the break with what you think of iOS 5.0 being on old-generation Apple products.

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