Is Samsung ChatON wants to kill SMS?

Is Korea-based smartphone maker Samsung quietly trying to kill SMS (text) messaging?

Samsung has started porting to its smartphones its cross-platform Web-based "ChatON" messaging client app, tech site TechCrunch reported.

The web version of the messaging client is likely to work on most feature phones and computers as well, it added.

"ChatON" had been in the works, with Samsung indicating ChatON will be a cross-platform service.

"Now, with the web app, the crusade is seemingly complete. ChatON users can easily communicate using either their platform’s app or just a web browser. Accounts are linked, so no matter what device you’re rocking, you’ll be available. See ya later, text messages!" TechCrunch said.

Another article on TechCrunch said ChatON is to go live next month in over 120 countries and 62 languages.

On feature phones, the ChatON ervice allows for text, images, calendar appointment and contact sharing.

But on smartphones, it offers extra options, such as the ability to comment on each other’s profiles, send multimedia messages that combine text and audio, and view their own “Interaction Rank,” which displays how active they are on the ChatOn network.

The new web-based app also allows users to group chat, have 1:1 conversations, and supports attachments, emoticons and more.

Yet, TechCrunch noted carriers are reportedly losing major revenue from services like ChatON that use a data connection rather than traditional messaging rates.

"While text messages are essentially locked into a 2003-ish feature set, apps like Samsung’s ChatOn and Apple’s Messages are free to roll out innovative features to users anytime. I say good riddance. Death to SMS and it’s crazy cost," it said.

ChatON goes cross-platform

ChatON is a cross-platform mobile chat service similar to RIM’s BlackBerry Messaging (BBM) and is slated to support a variety of mobile operating systems.

Such OSes include Samsung’s own mobile operating system, Android, feature phones and even competitors’ platforms, including iOS and BlackBerry.

Social media eating into carrier revenues?

A third TechCrunch story said Twitter, Facebook and other social networks may be eating up revenues.

It cited the analyst firm of Ovum, part of the Informa Group, has estimated that operators lost $13.9 billion in SMS revenue in 2011, as customers used services like Twitter and Facebook to message each other instead of the carriers’ own text messaging services.

TechCrunch also cited a separate report from mobile analytics firm Bytemobile showing huge growth in the use of social media on mobile — with operators getting virtually no benefit as a result.

Bytemobile, using data it gathers from its tier-one carrier customers, found that the average mobile user spends around nine minutes per day each on Facebook and YouTube on mobile.

"There is a caveat, of course: carriers are still making money from people using their phones to use social networks: users are, after all, still buying 3G and 4G data plans; and many (but not all) carriers also roll public Wi-Fi connectivity into those plans," TechCrunch said.

But it said it is questionable whether in the short term that incremental data revenues for tweets, status updates and check-ins, and the more substantial data usage from services like YouTube, can offset the loss from the more lucrative messaging services that operators built up and still count on for revenues.

"Longer term, Ovum predicts that by 2016 mobile data will bring in $419 billion in revenues for operators, out of a total service revenues of $1,047 billion," it said.


[source GMA]
[via GMA]

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Do you think Alienware consider a gaming tablet?

Razer’s Project Fiona might not be the only gaming tablet in the works, since Alienware is also considering branching off in the same direction by delivering a slate designed from the ground up to satisfy gamers.

With regards to Alienware product manager Eoin Leyden, it appears the high-end PC manufacturer could be looking into something similar. We asked Alienware what it thought of Razer's efforts.

"We have discussed it [tablets] a couple of times." explained Leyden. "There are issues and limitations that make it difficult to see that would appeal to our core audience right now."

The problem is that translating a hard-core gaming experience to tablets is very difficult. For casual applications, Angry Birds for example, the touch interface makes sense. The intricacies of PC controls however are very different.

"The issue is the input mechanism and how the game uses the the mechanisms and turns them into in-game actions."

Possible fixes are alternative ways of play. Unlike Razer's bolt-on controllers, Leyden sees very different control methods being used in future:

"At some point in the future tablets could have eye tracking in there, so you could control your character that way."

Thanks to the likes of Nvidia and its Tegra setup, tablets are going through a rapid power increase. More cores, bigger GPUs and larger amounts of RAM are being added yearly. This is leading to a rapid portable graphics evolution. It still isn't quite enough for the likes of Alienware to get excited however.

"From a performance point of view tablets are on an accelerated curve. They aren't quite there yet though."
So no tablet from the gaming experts just yet. Clearly though the market share tablets are chewing up has sparked the interest of top-end PC manufacturers. If what Razer releases proves a success, who knows - we might see Alienware jump on board as well.

[via Pocket-lint]

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Apple iPads will sell at least 48 million this year -Analyst

Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu believes that Apple will sell at least 48 million iPads this year by their upgraded iPad which is the iPad 3. 

Wu recently indicated in his forecast speculation that iPad 3 will reach customers in March and would be a "significant update" over the last iPad models and he did say that new features and improvements would be "welcome surprises." Also, there are many reports that show around regarding the next iPad that it will be powered by a quad-core chip and will support 4G LTE.In some cases, many people criticized mobile phones that support 4G LTE for draining battery life quickly. But according to the analyst, that would be a limitation Apple may have been able to talk to.  

Wu wrote, "Our industry sources indicate Apple has made noticeable progress in improving battery life that have plagued competitor products. This is due to the company's ownership of core intellectual property including systems design, semiconductors, battery chemistry, and software."  

With that said, if the next tablet of Apple would have major changes and improvements regarding its features, Shaw Wu believes Apple will push it sales even higher that could lengthen the gap from all Android devices and from its only real rival- Amazon's Kindle Fire. 

The company is due to release its sales figures for the December quarter on January 24.

[source CNET]

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Globe Tattoo Superstick upto 21Mbps? Check it out

For Globe Tattoo subscribers, Tattoo Superstick 4g has upgraded to 21 Mbps. Posted on the newspaper ad for a new add-on or upgradable plan with Tattoo 4G.


Here's what the promo offers:

When you get a regular Globe Tattoo Postpaid Plan 999, you pay a monthly service fee of Php999 a month. The promised speed here is up to 7.2Mbps.


You then get a free subscription to the online versions of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Yes!, Cosmo or FHM.


You now have the option to upgrade the Tattoo Stick to a Tattoo Superstick (the MyFi) for an additional Php150/month for 24 months. This allows you to share your WiFi to 5 devices at the same time. You still get up to 7.2Mbps here.


If you want to upgrade your speed to 12Mbps, just add Php100/month.
If you want to upgrade your speed to 15Mbps, just add Php150/month.
If you want to upgrade your speed to 21Mbps, just add Php200/month.


So, when you pick all the upgrades (i.e. Php999 for Stick + Php150 for Superstick upgrade + Php200 for 21Mbps upgrade), you’ll end up with a monthly service fee of Php1,349.


Not bad for a MyFi device with speeds of up to 21Mbps, right? Yes, it’s tempting.

Remember that if you want to get this optimum speed, you should be in the area of range of Globe Towers to be able to have HSPA+ signal or rather network. The lock-in period of this plan is 24 months (2 years).


[via YugaTech]

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Apple will unveil its new-generation iPad this January

Apple is set to show its next-generation iPad - which testament come in two versions - at the iWorld scheduled for Jan 26, 2012, according to sources at its cater strand partners. The new models will connect the existing iPad 2 to affirm Apple's good iPad serial targeting the entry-level, mid-range and high-end market segments, the sources claimed.

The iPad 2 will be competing direct with Amazon's light Furnish in the price-sensitive activity portion, piece the new models present focussing on the mid-range and high-end segments respectively, the sources said.

Apple officials declined to report.

Instead of the previously-rumored 7.85-inch, the upcoming iPad models testament comfort lineament 9.7-inch screens but amount with QXGA resolve (1,536x2,048 pixels), the sources indicated. Dual-LED insufficient exercisers are fashioned for the new iPads to change the luminousness of the panels, the sources further.

Penetrating testament be the leading body bourgeois for Apple's next-generation iPad broadcast, spell Samsung Electronics and LG Demonstration are also causative for a division of the orders, the sources said. Minebea, from which Smart sources backlight units (BLUs), has accordingly entered the cater constraint for the new iPads, the sources tapered out.

Apple continues to fall Samsung to manufacture its quad-core A6 processors, which present be misused in the next-generation iPads, the sources revealed. The existing iPad 2 is supported on the dual-core A5.

Samsung is also among the CMOS ikon device (CIS) suppliers for one of the versions of the new iPad that comes with a 5-megapixel lens, symbol the Korea-based vendor's ordinal indication to touch CIS orders from Apple, the sources noted. Sony is the another CIS provider for the else poser with a higher 8-megapixel lens, the sources superimposed.

In acquisition, Simplo Application and Dynapack Socialism Field person both secured orders for batteries with a susceptibleness of as dominating as 14,000 milliampere-hour (mAh) old in the new iPads, according to the sources.

[via DigiTimes]

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Microsoft Kinect for Windows goes live on February 1

It's official: Microsoft Kinect for Windows goes resilient on February 1. Declared by Steve Ballmer at Microsoft's unalterable CES keynote, the study is forthcoming with the formalized Microsoft Kinect SDK, which has been in beta testing since June 2011, and includes Warm Mode, a setting to think and tag objects as surrounding as 50cm forth - perfect for at-the-desk use. Ready for pre-order at River for $249.99, Kinect for Windows is accomplishment to unstoppered the threshold to all kinds of new experiences in Windows, from play to realistic keyboards and remembering software.

An unreciprocated topic at this instance, though, is whether or not the new instrumentation give utilise with the open-sourced drivers currently provision so overmuch creativity in the developer group. The new instrumentality appears to hold updated code and perhaps new hardware, so more hacking may be indispensable to straighten it activity. The box attending on Amazon says "FOR Commercialised USE ONLY" and is tagged as a "Kinect for Windows Commercial Software Developer Kit (SDK)." Microsoft is stating that they faculty not be charging for the SDK, which is a fortunate abstract for developers superficial to pioneer the occurrence technology, though it appears they testament suspended by Microsoft.

Initially Microsoft had no plans to freeing any tools to the accord for Kinect, but so more innovative and turn things came from the hacked drivers that they changed their minds. It's a smashing relocation for Microsoft, as crowdsourcing new products, services and ideas is a win-win for everyone. Let's trust that Redmondians maintain to wreak with the unprotected maker vocation with the Kinect for Windows to modify certain everything soothes activity.

As a divagation to the Kinect for Windows proclamation, Microsoft also managed to supernatural out the CES chance by transfer out a sing that herb unfilmed CES-related tweets. Here at the ExtremeTech trap we have never seen anything quite equal it. With it state Microsoft's inalterable CES showing, achievement out with a bolt is likely what it willful - but this was operation of similar exploit out with the ablution surroundings from Psycho. Watch it out:

[via ExtremeTech]

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Asus : Padfone to be launch next month at Mobile World Congress

Last May 2011, Asus announced the Padfone. With Asus' chief introduced the Padfone to the public doing his Steve Jobs impersonation, a phone that is dock into a tablet. Even the CES 2012 (The world's greatest tech show) is coming on its way, they will not force to launch it at CES 2012 instead at Mobile World Congress which will happen next month. Which means the launching of first tablet with a dockable phone will be delayed for at least another month. In any case, they are making rounds and trying to deliver on the promise of making a big tablet push in 2012. It’s clearly an awesome device. Let's see if they're going to deliver.

[Via TechCrunch]

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Google Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) vs. Apple’s iOS 5 : hands-on showdown!

 

“One OS that you could soon see in your kitchen.” Yes, folks! Google seeks to upgrade its Honeycomb tablet products including Gingerbread smartphone software to form one lip-smacking Ice Cream Sandwich. We can now see where the “sandwich” name came from, eh?


Anyway, it will be a common OS that runs everywhere from teeny weeny Android smartphones to 10-inch slates plus – intelligently become accustomed to every form factor with stuff such as a resizable status bar. In the meantime, let us weed out few admirable additions that were deep-rooted during Google’s I/O 2011 keynote – while we also evaluate the likes of Apple‘s iOS which is still measured as the biggest player in the market today.

 

Certainly, the OS is the heart and soul of every tablet or a smartphone out there, and better yet the top feature of a smartphone. As we tackle these major contenders (Apple and Google) considering market share and general functionality, the disadvantages and advantages of both platforms seem pretty obvious.
Even though we still can’t corroborate which phones would run on Android‘s Ice Cream Sandwich software and which ones won’t, perhaps the only confirmation we have so far is for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus that should be sold on Verizon Wireless in the U.S.


But before we even talk about Galaxy Nexus vs iPhone 4S, our attention should be focused mostly on Android 4.0 vs iOS 5. To our surprise, Android’s 4.0 is still considered as the most vibrant upgrade yet – that will definitely battle it out against Apple’s iOS 5.


Notification System



 On top of the pack is the Apple’s iOS 5, where Apple avers the new notification system of the iOS 5, seen on iPhone 4S and various compatible Apple devices. The new compelling notification system can deliver what Apple calls “less intrusive” updates such as Facebook notification, Twitter and e-mail notifications.
Apple tweaked the OS’ lock screen and home screen to notification updates while it runsapps.  Like Android, on an iOS 5-powered device, users are afforded access to the notification listing by dropping the screen’s notification bar downwards; they can also tap to read, or stop a notification. Users can also adjust the notification settings from third-party app through opting in via the settings.


As for Google’s update, the new Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, a Galaxy Nexus user (including future Android gadgets that will have Android 4.0) the notification list can be accessed on home screen, lock screen or as a running application. To obtain the notification list, users just need to drag from the notification bar downwards and discard by dragging (left or right) and also read notification by tapping.


According to Matias Duarte, Google’s director of Android Operating System and User Experience, “from the beginning, Android has been designed to put you in control. In Ice Cream Sandwich, notifications are better than ever.” Duarte further said, “in Ice Cream Sandwich, we’re also introducing a music player control in notification, so you can pause or skip tracks without ever leaving an application just by pulling down the notification.”


And Google, which also owns Gmail, experience on notification for the e-mail service is apparently better with ICS compared to other Android versions and Apple’s iOS.


Web and Data Speeds



The iPhone 4S could boast of fancy new dual-antenna system including the  knack to clock 14.4 Mbps (theoretically) on AT&T, however it’s pants down when compared with Android 4.0 phones. For instance, the AT&T iPhone 4S brings speeds as high as 5.3 Mbps although averaging at 2.2 Mbps. As for the T-Mobile Galaxy SII it clocks (12.6 Mbps) faster.
Touching on web page load, there’s a huge real-world disparity, too. The iPhone 4S takes an average of 10sec to load several mobile websites (regardless of the network) compared to about half of that on Android 4.0 phones.  And everything that involves data in iPhone 4S, will mean more patience compared to Android 4.0 phone, whether it’s updating your Facebook news feed or streaming YouTube videos.


What about Messaging?


Glad you asked! According to Google, its new messaging app of Ice Cream Sandwich is upgraded too, and with the inclusion of the People App’s API, users will experience easy access on contact list with added details like from Gmail, Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and various supported social networking sites.

 

On the other end, Apple’s iOS 5 also features a new iMessage app that brings some fresh functionality such as delivery, reading receipts in real-time, together with sync and Messages.app integration – sort of like the desktop iChat, the ability to visualize new messages or see when a person is typing.


Find my Friends vs Face Unlock


On both fronts, two new features to take note of:


Apple’s Find my Friends and Android’s Face Unlock





 Apple’s “Find my Friends app” is apparently a service that lets iPhone users selectively share location on a defined period of time, either to their family members or friends. But who doesn’t know this is just to find other iPhone users OR who else would you need to locate, anyway?


Persistent location sharing is obviously a growing trend; I bet you’ve seen Google’s Latitude, Glypmse including start-ups such as Geoloqi andEchoEcho. Apple here seems to be ‘So 2000-and-Late!’
In the meantime, Android’s new “Face Unlock app” lets users unlock their phones a lot easier than a simple patterned drag or pre-set pin. But for the hard to please, there’s an option to make you feel boldly futuristic, and downright preposterous. Face lock, the facial identification security app, has at last arrived to the Android’s App Store. The lock app functions fairly much as you’d guess: you just need to set a static image of your face as a code, then the front-facing camera will coincide to your mug and Whalaa, you can gain access to your gadget.


Built-in Camera application


Android has improved some worth notable features on camera app, such as cool landscape mode that’s easy to sew together a huge image and take still-motion photography. There’s also tap to focus on anything.
Both Android and Apple have employed enhanced built-in camera application. Apple’s iOS5 includes superior built-in editing tools, such as the red-eye reduction, camera shutter support (volume up button), touch to focus, flip, cropping, and photo enhancements.


Finally, secret weapons you should watch!


Siri


Siri is an incredible voice-controlled assistant from iPhone 4S that will assist you from everything including sending messages to scheduling appointments. Other brags include iTunes; Google only provides a break up of Apple’s content. Then, importantly there’s iCloud, which does a good job compared to Google – that is, maintain all of your content in sync across several devices. Last of all, is the iPhone’s enormous number of offered accessories. Housing a lone standard connector eases things on add-ons makers.


Android, on the other hand, brags plenty of exceptional strengths as well. Besides offering 4G speeds, you can only find freeGPS navigation built in on Android. And only Android powered phones support NFC, where mobile payments would be carried out and even more momentum will be realized, thanks to Ice Cream Sandwich. The beam feature will also let you share all kinds of info with a tap.


Bottom Line


As you can see this head to head doesn’t really materialize to be a decisive win for any of the operating systems. But it really boils down to what you value mainly in a device. If its user-friendliness and better apps you’re looking for—in addition to smooth performance and a great camera—the iPhone 4S can’t be matched… but as long as you can stand 3G speeds.


On the other hand, the fact that Android phones provide 4G shouldn’t be disregarded. It speeds up just about everything you do. The Ice Cream Sandwich also integrates with numerous social networks—and you’ll also experience a broader range of design options, including customizing your interface to desired content. And if you need the option of a larger screen, Android 4.0 rides high.

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Rumors of Xbox 720 and PS4 in E3 2012?

According to third-party sources, E3 2012 will feature the successors to both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. Add to that the Wii U, and this marks the first time in E3′s 17-year history that three new, competing consoles will be so directly comparable.

While we’ve heard rumors of the next-gen Xbox’s appearance at E3 2012 for months now, it’s news of the PS4 — or whatever Sony decides to call it — that comes as a surprise. Execs at the PlayStation firm have made it clear to third-parties that “they will not be left behind this time,” referencing the PS3′s later launch relative to its Microsoft competitor.

Which console are you looking forward to the most? Personally, I just want to see the technology evolve so that developers can keep pushing the boundaries of the cutting-edge.

[Via GameFront]

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Google should never have promised Android updates

There are quite a few stories out there over this past week saying that Google ought to be ashamed of themselves for how few devices currently run with their most recent version of Android, the tasty treat entitled Ice Cream Sandwich 

– but hear me here and now: Google is doing exactly what they intended to do in the first place. When Android was first introduced, Google intended to create their own device, releasing it simultaneously on each of the major mobile carriers and making sure their vision was available exactly as they intended on at least one device – this device survived in what’s now called the Nexus line of phones, and although they aren’t released in that same perfect way, they are essentially always what Google intends as a perfect Android experience. As for Ice Cream Sandwich – you shouldn’t be so bold as to demand it on your year-old device.

The Update Alliance is a sham, there should never have been an announcement by Google or anyone else that they’d be pushing for manufacturers and carriers to update to the newest version of Android because while it’s not impossible, it’s foolish to think of it as a reality. There’s this mindset out there right this moment in the developer and early-adopter community that says the newest operating system version is the one you should ideally have on your mobile device. This is absurd.

Apple has a product called the iPhone, and with this single product comes the promise that you’ll always have the most recent iOS experience. Google has a product called the Nexus (Nexus One, Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus) which, to a point, also always promises to have the most recent Android experience. Google’s Android operating system is open source for anyone on earth to use with any device they choose, and everyone from high-end manufacturers to undeniably terrible budget-tablet-making OEMs have taken advantage of this fact.

The myth that the newest operating system should be expected to fit and instantly installed in any legacy device running an older version of it is just as absurd as thinking a brand new car engine should be able to fit inside any car previously made by the same factory. When you purchase a device, it should be clearly stated that the user interface you purchased it with will be all that’s guaranteed until it is old and dead. The only other solution is virtualization, this being a subject for another day.

[Source SlashGear]

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It is FREE, iPhone 4S in China

This week its been announced by China Unicom that they’re offering up a deal in which if you sign up for a two year contract with them for mobile data, you get an iPhone 4S for free (connected to that contract)

– this shouldn’t come as a surprise to you UK citizens, nor should it be unfathomable by those of you who read the opinion columns I write up here on SlashGear. If you live in the UK, you already know that you’ve been able to get the iPhone 4S for free on contract across your nation since it was launched. Those of you following SlashGear columns know that I predicted this situation before the iPhone 4S was ever launched.

I’m not going to go into the details of the deals you can get with the iPhone 4S in the various locations that it’s free beyond this: according to Bloomberg, the iPhone 4S on China Unicom in its 32GB iteration is free on a three-year contract, while the 16GB version is free on a two-year contract. Contracts cost you something like $60 USD a month, this converted from 386 yuan, that which the Chinese will pay. For those who own an iPhone or ANY smartphone for that matter here in the USA, that might seem like a pretty good deal – but what it amounts to is a continued misunderstanding of what mobile carriers are accomplishing across the world this very moment.

A cellphone should never have costed money. As I mentioned in that column “Why the iPhone 4S will be Free,” mobile device hawkers across the earth are only charging you cash for these devices because they’ve got you tricked, and tricked well. The real cash comes in with the monthly fees which, in comparison to the devices themselves, are monstrous. Contracts should always erase the cost of the device, as is common across the UK. The iPhone 4S being free in China is a situation that should be common over the whole planet – get wise!

[Source SlashGear]

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Toshiba to ship glasses-free 3D TV to US early this year

It's not a big surprise after launching in Germany and Japan, but Toshiba PR has confirmed to us and CNET that the company's 3,840x2,160 resolution autostereoscopic 3DTV will make its US debut in the first quarter of 2012, matching the "end of fiscal year" prediction we'd heard previously. 

There's no details on pricetag or model #, but given its $10,000~ sticker price overseas, we'd start shaking out those couch cushions now.

The LCD maintains its QuadHD resolution when displaying 2D content, however switching into 3D mode drops the resolution to 720p. Other than removing the need for viewers to wear glasses to see the effect, it also uses face tracking to fine tune the experience for up to nine people. We'll have more info once it's officially unveiled in a few days, until then feel free to drool over the prototype it showed off last year.

[Via Engadget]
[Source CNET]

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Motorola estimates 10.5 million devices shipped in Q4 2011, over half smartphones

We'll need to wait for the company's earnings later this month for the final numbers, but Motorola has now provided some preliminary results for the fourth quarter of 2011 that indicate smartphones accounted for more than fifty percent of all the mobiles devices it shipped. Specifically, Motorola estimates that it shipped a total of 10.5 million devices in the quarter, 5.3 million of which are smartphones (there's no further breakdown beyond that). That's up from 4.8 million smartphones in the previous quarter, although the number of total mobile devices slipped from 11.6 million.

The company also says it expects "modest profitability" with estimated sales of $3.4 billion for the quarter, and it reaffirmed that it expects Google's $12.5 billion acquisition to close in "early 2012" if all goes as planned. Head on past the break for the press release.

[Source Engadget]

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AT&T talking up LTE-enabled Windows 8 tablets at Developer Summit

If you're looking for maximum exposure for your developer event, might as well host it during the same week at CES. 

For bonus points, have it in the same city. That's precisely what AT&T has done for its 2012 Developer Summit, and while the majority of the sessions won't tickle the fancy of everyday consumers, there's one slot in particular that's giving us pause. Titled "A Metro Style Hemi," an afternoon session at the event will showcase a Windows 8 tablet, reportedly powered by one of Qualcomm's many chips. There's no details on whether or not a physical unit will be on hand with an active LTE radio, but it's useful to know that Microsoft's already talking with the carrier about hosting such devices.

After all, we're still believing that Win8-based tablets are a few months out (at the very least), but if AT&T's already got one in its lab for testing, we could be looking at a little LTE + Windows 8 love sooner than anticipated. Let's just hope it doesn't pull a Jetstream on the pricing, eh?

[Source ZDNet, AT&T, MobileTechWorld]

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iOS 5.1 beta indicates Apple may be testing quad-core mobile CPUs

Lets get this out of the way up front — this is not a confirmation that Apple is planning to put a quad-core A6 chip inside its next iPad or iPhone. What it does indicate is that Apple may be testing iOS support for quad-core CPUs. 9to5Mac has dug up images from the latest beta of iOS 5.1 that detail the supported number of cores. 

In this hidden panel, single-core A4s are referred to as “/cores/core.0″ while dual-core A5s are “/cores/core.1.” Now a new listing, “/cores/core.3,” is popping up which, if you start counting with zero, indicates a CPU packing four cores. This doesn’t mean that Apple even has this up and running on test hardware yet, though, merely that software support for quad-core chips is in the works. But, that should be enough to really kick the rumor mill into overdrive.

[via GadgetCom]

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Corsair Vengeance Gaming Keyboards and Mice Out Now

In September the famous developer of gaming peripherals, Corsair, has unveiled its new line of Vengeance gaming keyboards and mice. 

Recently it became known that these peripherals have finally hit the stores, which means that Gamers will be able to benefit from a more comfortable gaming during the holiday period.

It is worth mentioning that the Vengeance line features 4 brand new input gadgets, including the Vengeance K60 and Vengeance K90 gaming keyboards, and the Vengeance M60 and Vengeance M90 gaming mice respectively. 

The two new keyboards are made of aluminum. The M90 gaming mouse features 15 programmable buttons. It also boats a built-in flash memory that allows the user to save macros in up to 6 profiles that can be easily switched.

The K90 keyboard costs 9, the M90 mouse wears a price tag of 9, the price of the K60 keyboard is 9 and M60 can be acquired for .

Below you can check out a promotional video to learn more about Corsair's latest gaming devices.

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Samsung Galaxy Note for AT&T: press shots confirm what you already knew

As if you weren’t convinced that Samsung’s almost-certainly-gigantic Galaxy Note was coming to AT&T, well… good luck refuting this. 

Just a day after an accessory vendor seemingly outed the truth, PocketNow has stumbled upon what appears to be the first legitimate press images for the Gingerbread-based handset. It’s going by SGH-I717 internally, and it’ll purportedly boast a 5.3-inch display (1,280 x 800), a 1.4GHz Exynos processor and a promise to get its user all kinds of stares.

As for a release date? Betters might place a few bills on Valentine’s Day — we’ll let you peer some more and ponder why.

[Via Engadget]

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Turn your phone into a games console with the Gametel

Turn your Android smartphone or tablet into a portable games console with the Gametel.The Gametel, produced by Swedish gaming peripheral company Fructel, is a wireless controller that helps you play games on your mobile device.

The Gametel looks familiar to gamers – with its D-pad, four buttons and two shoulder triggers. It is compatible with phones and tablets running Android 2.1.1 Éclair or later and connects to your device using Bluetooth. The device connects to a phone or tablet with the built-in adjustable spring-loaded clamp. Once paired, the Gametel will connect automatically, every time it is turned on,
There are more than 50 compatible games available for download from Android Market – Happy Vikings, Cordy, Reckless Getaway and MotoX Mayhem to name a few.

Bo Nyman, CEO of Fructel says: “Playing casual games on a touchscreen phone is fine but when it comes to playing the more addictive and immersive titles, seamless gameplay is impossible. The Gametel controller overcomes this problem by delivering a console experience on your Android device, freeing the screen from fingers, opening up a bigger viewing area and delivering more responsive physical controls.”
And if your Android device has HDMI, mobile gaming can also be brought to the big screen. Hook up an Android device to an HDTV, wirelessly connect up to four Gametel controllers and you can bring your favourite mobile games into the living room with a console-like multi-player set-up.
The Gametel offers around nine hours of battery life and switches off automatically after six minutes if it is not in use.
The Gametel costs £49.99 from Amazon.

[via LatestGadgets]

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Samsung Galaxy Nexus on Three: Hands-on review

Three were so excited about the new Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the flagship Android phone, that they sent me one to cast my weary eye over for a week or so. So how is the new hotness? 

Samsung and Google left little out of the guts of the Galaxy Nexus. Inside the device you’ll find a dual-core TI OMAP 4460 CPU clocked to 1.2GHz, 1GB of RAM, 32GB or 16GB of storage (I tested a phone with 16GB), and the usual assortment of radios (Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, GPS). The device is also equipped with an NFC chip, as well as a compass, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, and barometer.

 

Smartphone cameras are rapidly getting better and better and are being called upon to do more heavy lifting. The camera on the rear of the device is a 5-megapixel shooter with a companion single LED flash, while up front there’s a 1.3-megapixel camera. A year ago I might have felt this camera was amazing. Now I merely find it so so. Performance was sub-par in low light and it regular conditions it lacked the “wow” of iPhone 4S, but still really good. I am merely whelmed by it. However the built in Hipstamatic/Instagram functionality is pretty cool and the in camera editing facilities are excellent – knocking the pants of the modest offerings of iOS5.

Settings in general are great – a nice addition to Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest incarnation of Android. It’s really easy to pop in and edit settings on most pages and there lots of little dials I can hit. This is much much better than the iOS system of having to hunt through the settings menu to find things.
As someone who feel foul of O2′s “unlimited data” when using Spotify for the first time, the ability to monitor and restrict data usage was a godsend and it’s great to be able to set hard limits for data usage to prevent hefty fees.

The Nexus uses face recognition to unlock the screen, which is clearly a gimmick but is also fun. I tried with a picture of Milli Vanilli and it didn’t work, so it’s a useful way of settling lots of “you look just like X” type arguments.

The battery life is about a day, which is acceptable in this age of lowered expectations.The screen is huge, which is wonderful for gaming and photo viewing yet annoying for day to day use.
Multi-tasking on the Nexus however was brilliant. There is a dedicated software button (if there can be such a thing) on the side that lets you jump in and out of multi-tasking. There is a swipe gesture that lets you flick away tasks. Multi-tasking uses a large thumbnail of the screen rather than an icon. Again this is much better than iOS’s little tray of icons system – at least in terms of user friendliness.

Overall, everything was very fast and responsive and oversized screen aside, delightful to use. The mobile browser was quick and played nicely with 3′s mobile network across East London.
For more about the Samsung Galaxy Nexus head to Three

[via LatestGadgets]

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Arieso study: iPhone 4S data use is nearly double that of the of iPhone 4

So, first things first. Arieso, the ouftit that conducted this here study, is a company that makes ends meet by "optimizing mobile networks." In other words, there's just a bit of motivation to find results such as these in studies like this. Now that we've got that cleared up, you may be interested in knowing that Apple's iPhone 4S users are consuming around "twice as much data as the previous iPhone model, and even more than iPad tablets due to increasing use of online services like the virtual personal assistant Siri."

Of course, this relates only to those sampled, but there's no question that the inclusion of Siri gives users one more reason to tap into their data plan. According to prior studies, the iPhone 4 used only 1.6x more data than the iPhone 3G, while the iPad 2 consumed 2.5x more data than the iPhone 3G. As time marches on, more and more websites are tailoring themselves for mobile use, and there's obviously no stopping the proliferation of data-sucking apps. Whatever the case, we'd just encourage you to mind that data tier (if you're in one) -- wouldn't want to have to ask Siri how to raise money to cover overages, no would you?

[source Reuters, Arieso]

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