Review TechRadar: Phone and communications news 09-06-2013

TechRadar: Phone and communications news TechRadar AU latest feeds

Learn from successful entrepreneurs. Pick up tips and advice from the noteworthy when you subscribe to Startup Frontier! Read interviews on how they launched and built their businesses. From our sponsors

In Depth: The 9 best bits of tech from IFA 2013 (and the Galaxy Gear) Sep 6th 2013, 14:18, by Dean Evans In the past, CES monopolised the big technology launches and IFA played the poor Euro cousin you reluctantly visit because your mum says so. But not any more. You want big tech launches and game-changing gadgetry? IFA 2013 catches the geeky eye with HDMI 2.0, Nvidia's Tegra 4, a souped up Xperia and a wrist-mounted Galaxy Gear. And that's just for starters. Here's our pick of the best tech on show at IFA 2013. 1. Samsung Galaxy Note 3 What more could you want from a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 upgrade than a device that is lighter and thinner; has a superior camera; a bigger and fuller 5.7-inch HD screen; plus the latest quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chip? The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (and its S-Pen stylus) isn't strictly a consumer plaything. It's a mammoth mobile that's built for business and comes with Samsung's own BYOD Knox mobile security solution to secure data at both platform and application levels. The air gestures look interesting too. 2. HDMI 2.0 The road to Ultra HD is paved with HDMI 2.0 connections. According to Panasonic, the 65-inch WT600 is the world's first television to make use of the new-and-improved HDMI spec, which boosts bandwidth (up to 18Gbps), supports 4K x 2K resolutions at 50/60fps and embraces 32 audio channels. Why is it a big deal? The current HDMI 1.4 standard wasn't designed for Ultra HD and can't support 2160p video at speeds greater than 30fps. 3. Sony Xperia Z1 What word describes something that is better than 'Ultra'? Is it 'Super'? Perhaps it's 'Hyper'? Whatever it is, the Sony Xperia Z1 is it. This update to the excellent, water resistant Sony Xperia Z incorporates a 5.0-inch Triluminos LCD, zippy 2.2GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and a 20.7 Megapixel camera with 1/2.3-type Exmor RS image sensor. Yes, so it might be fatter and heavier than its predecessor. But this phone is a serious contender for best Android smartphone. At least until next week… 4. Asus Zenbook Asus released two new additions to its 13.3-inch Zenbook range at IFA 2013 - the UX301 and UX302. What caught our roving eye is the option to add a 2,560 x 1,440 pixel WQHD display (rated at 220 pixels per inch), which rivals the 2,560 x 1,600 pixel resolution of the Retina-equipped MacBook Pro (rated at 227 pixels per inch). Better still, while the 13-inch MacBook Pro makes do with Intel HD Graphics, the ZenBook can be picked up with an Nvidia GeForce GT 730M GPU. Nice. 5. Tegra 4 Hidden away inside the New Transformer Pad from Asus, Nvidia's powerful 1.9GHz quad-core Tegra 4 chip delivers a noticeable speed boost without sacrificing battery life. It does this by leaning on the number-crunching prowess of 72 custom cores and 2GB of DDR3L RAM. There's support for resolutions up to 3200 x 2000 pixels - the New Transformer Pad has a 2560 x 1600 pixel display - and 4K output via HDMI. 6. Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro The original Yoga impressed us with its flexibility - laptop, tablet, tent, stand. The Yoga 2 Pro continues that tradition, but takes a big swing at the business market. It runs Windows 8 Pro, boasts a 9 hour battery life, and dances to the beat of Haswell-generation Intel Core processors. And if you thought the WQHD display on the Asus Zenbook was stunning, the 13.3-inch QuadHD+ 3,200 x 1,800 pixel touchscreen display (rated at 276 PPI) will reach into your eyeballs and French-kiss your corneas. 7. Vaio Tap 11 At IFA 2012, we singled out the Sony Vaio Tap 20, which blurred the lines between all-in-one desktop PC and Windows 8 tablet. A year on and Sony is prepping a slightly bigger version - the Vaio Tap 21. But the smaller Sony Vaio Tap 11 looks far more interesting. As Dan Grabham points out, Sony's 11-inch, Full HD Windows 8 tablet (with neat detachable keyboard) is "clearly designed to smash Microsoft's Surface Pro into the ground." 8. LG G Pad 8.3 Hoping to muscle in on a market contested by the iPad mini, Nexus 7 and Galaxy Note 8.0, the Android-powered LG G Pad 8.3 features an 8.3-inch screen (1920 x 1080 pixels) and gets its kick from a 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 processor. It's neatly designed, not too bulky and, so we're told, comes with a meaty battery. But as ever with Android tablets, this gadget's success will come down to pricing - if it's higher than an iPad mini, nobody will care. 9. Sony HMZ-T3W With talk of a VR headset for the PlayStation 4, face-hugging gadgetry like the Sony HMZ-T3W could be a sign of personal entertainment screens to come. Capable of plugging into a PC, tablet, games console and even a mobile phone, these bulbous goggles incorporate two 1280x720 OLED displays to fake a cinematic experience. Unlike the Oculus Rift, the view doesn't shift as you turn your head. But, the effect can be impressive. If you can't fit a 7ft cinema screen in your house, this might be the next best thing. 10. Samsung Galaxy Gear Say what you like about Samsung's new Galaxy Gear, sales of Pebbles, FitBits and Fuelbands have proved that there's a demand for wearable technology. The Galaxy Gear boasts a 1.63-inch, 320 x 320 Super AMOLED colour touchscreen and a single-core Exynos processor. It's an intriguing device - a companion gadget rather than a fully-functional wrist computer. But what can you do with it? Why did Samsung choose an LCD that crucifies battery life? Why does it only work with the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Tab? And why, oh why, would you want one? Gary Marshall doesn't know. Neither do we. Seven things we have learned from this year's show… Here come the smartwatches Smartwatches might be a dumb idea A 21-inch tablet isn't as crazy as it sounds The word 'phablet' hasn't caught on Ultra HD is the new 3D Your next HDTV might be gently curved Don't buy an Ultra HD TV without HDMI 2.0 Get more IFA goodness in our IFA highlights article Video: iPhone 5S: The Keynote Trailer Sep 6th 2013, 14:16, by Owen Hughes Cupertino, California 2013 Mankind's thirst for ever more powerful smartphones has left the world a scorched battleground, blistered and scarred from the mighty Androids that stalk the earth. Now, humans live in a world overrun with devices of unprecedented size and capability. But some are fighting back. Deep inside a research lab at the foot of the Santa Cruz Mountains, a band of technicians work around the clock on a device they hope will turn the tide in a viscous and perpetual war. They call themselves Apple, and they dream of a thinner, lighter, less complicated future. FutTv : 1Me45S3KH2Uq7 Week in Tech: Nokia shocks, Galaxy Gears and all things IFA Sep 6th 2013, 12:50, by Gary Marshall You know those weeks where you get a year's worth of news in just seven days? This is one of those weeks. We've got so much news there's barely room for sarcasm and jokes! First up, the not-entirely-shocking news that Microsoft is buying Nokia's phone business. As Nick Broughall explains, "According to the men who orchestrated the deal, the real advantage will be the accelerated growth of the company's mobile device offering." Nokia keeps its mapping and services, but Microsoft gets the Lumia and Asha lines. "The big question is whether it'll work," says our columnist Gary Marshall. "There's another famous firm that makes the hardware, makes the OS and runs the App store - a firm that isn't doing nearly as well as Apple." Its name, of course, is SORRY WE'RE OUT OF TIME TOO MUCH NEWS. This week, we also learned the Xbox One release date: it's going to trail the PlayStation 4 in America, but beat it by a week in Europe. We also also learned that Apple will announce its new iPhone next week. Or, at least, it will announce something. Something colourful. Oh, and in a move that shocked and saddened Key Lime Pie fans everywhere, Google announced that Android 4.4 will be known as KitKat. It's even teamed up with Nestle for the whole thing. So much for not being evil, eh? Gearing up for a watch war We might be days away from seeing Apple's legendary and quite possibly fictional iWatch, so the announcement of Samsung's Galaxy Gear smartwatch may be something of a spoiler. This isn't Samsung's first smartwatch - as our in-depth guide to the surprisingly long history of the smartwatch points out, the Galaxy Gear is Samsung's third major attempt at such a device - but it's definitely the smartest one yet. Is it any good? Only one man knows the answer, and his name is Gareth Beavis. In our Galaxy Gear review, he explains that the odds are stacked against it - "it's going to be pricier than a lot of mid-range smartphones out there" - and it suffers from a "laggy and buggy interface." The styling is odd: "We're willing to bet it's going to be tough to convince a number of consumers to shell out for this new device." That's partly because for now, it only works with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 or the new Galaxy Note 10.1. Also, it's a horse. Explain yourself, Gary Marshall! "Henry Ford famously said that he didn't ask people what they wanted, because they would have asked for faster horses. The Galaxy Gear is a faster horse," he says. It's essentially Samsung's 2009 smartwatch, the S9110, given an update: that "was a fine piece of engineering, but it wasn't a paradigm-shifting, world-changing, envelope-pushing, category-defining sensation, which is why you almost certainly aren't wearing one on your wrist right now." For Marshall, the magic is missing. "Where's the wow?" he asks. "Where's the killer app?" What would turn a smartwatch from an interesting and unnecessary accessory to something you'd sell your grandmother for? Maybe it's OH NO TIME FOR MORE NEWS! On to Berlin IFA. What does it stand for? It's a mystery, unless you look it up. The annual Internationale FunkAusstellung Berlin, or international radio exhibition Berlin, is the world's largest consumer electronics show - so naturally we were all over this year's exhibits like a thing that's all over a thing. There were so many exciting new products at this year's IFA that you could fill a giant exhibition in Berlin with them. There was the Sony HMZ-T3W, an amazing if expensive 3D gaming headset. There was the LG G Pad 8.3, a nifty little slate. There was the new Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 2 Pro, a Windows laptop/tablet hybrid. There was the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014. And there were new smartphones, tablets and laptops from pretty much everyone, not to mention 4K TVs, smartwatches and some really intriguing screenless cameras. Naturally you'll find all the details in our exhaustive guide to IFA 2013, which COME IN, WEEK IN TECH! YOUR TIME IS UP! Read all the highlights of our on-the-ground IFA coverage here iPhone 6" in testing, say people in the know Sep 6th 2013, 11:03, by Kate Solomon There could be a 6-inch iPhone on the way as Apple is reportedly trying a few new screen sizes out. Although the word only comes from "people familiar with the matter" speaking to the WSJ, it wouldn't surprise us to discover that Apple is trying bigger screens out since the success of the Samsung Galaxy Note range. Apparently the iPhone is being tested with screen sizes ranging from 4.8-inches up to 6 - a fair jump from the existing iPhone 5's 4-inch display. Supposedly, Apple is quite taken with the 4.8-inch screen. Size matters We're not expecting Apple to tinker with the screen dimensions on the iPhone 5S that will be announced on September 10, nor do we think the cheap iPhone 5C will come with a larger panel. But the iPhone 6, which will be a bigger upgrade and should land in 2014, could well come bearing a larger screen. However, if Apple is only now testing these sizes out, it may take longer than a year to put the new manufacturing processes required into place - iPhone 7, anyone? Unsurprisingly, Apple is not commenting on the rumours. We'll just have to wait until the post-iPhone 5S iPhone 6 leak deluge to find out more. Live in the now: find out what we expect from Apple's iPhone 5S PayPal's new app refreshes your digital wallet Sep 6th 2013, 05:13, by Farrha Khan PayPal has updated its app, adding new features as more PayPal mobile payment options pop up in restaurants and retail stores around Australia. Using the app, users can link credit cards and bank accounts to push payments from these through PayPal, whether that be bill payments or money transfers. But while the PayPal app refresh makes it easier to make payments in store and transfer money to friends via mobile, it also adds some new functionalities. Two months ago, PayPal Australia had announced that it was be partnering up with EatNow, OrderMate and Beat The Q, as well as Sonoma Bakery, Mexican restaurant Guzman Y Gomez, fashion retailer Glue store and educational retailer Crayons, with hopes to expand. One of the new features of the app, Shop, allows customers to locate participating stores, check-in and then pay via the PayPal app. According to PayPal, there are currently over 2,000 Australian restaurants and cafes that also have the "order ahead" function, which should make early morning coffee runs a little bit quicker. Digital wallet future PayPal Australia's director of strategy Andrew Rechtman said that for digital wallet payments to take off, they must offer more than just new ways of paying. "PayPal is investing in technology that simplifies the lives of our customers by addressing real customer pain points, giving them the flexibility to pay how they want, when they want," Rechtman said. "PayPal is driving innovation that brings benefit to the consumer, which is what our refreshed mobile application will enable." But PayPal is not the only one looking into this space, as Mastercard launched its MasterPass earlier this year and Visa announced its new V.me digital wallet service, which is due to launch later this year. On top of all that, NFC smartphone payments are still being looked at. Want to learn more about NFC and why it's in your phone? Rumored LG Nexus 5 FCC filing seems to match supposed leak on Google lawn Sep 6th 2013, 01:47, by Matt Swider There's more evidence to suggest that LG and Google are working together on the Nexus 5 phone in light of newly declassified Federal Communications Commission documents. The FCC filing points to a full-featured LG smartphone known only by the codename of LG D820. While this mysterious codename doesn't tip us off as whether or not it refers to the Nexus 4 successor, it does cover most of the major bands in North America, a must for pretty much any flagship handset. The documents list support for a 7-band LTE device compatible with AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint (bands 2/4/5/17/25/26/41), CDMA / EVDO rev A, pentaband DC-HSPA+ and quadband GSM / EDGE, according to Engadget. Also on board are Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and dual-band 802.11 b/g/n/ac, rounding out a well-connected smartphone that would be compatible with every major carrier band in the region except Verizon's LTE 750. More evidence The documents first appeared on the FCC site a month ago, but were pulled due to "confidentiality reasons," according to the blog S4Gru. The site also noticed that the back plate found in the "D820 Wireless Charging Scenario" filing matches the unknown Nexus device "leaked" in the Android KitKat unveiling video on Google's campus. It appears to be around the same size and shape, complete with a larger-than-normal camera hole. Nexus 5 may be on the way given the recent Nexus 4 price drop Find out what other whispers we've been hearing about the Nexus 5: FutTv : XMsUw1y46Ppiz Apple faces fresh labor abuse allegations Sep 6th 2013, 01:13, by Lily Prasuethsut Though the bubbly invitations have been sent for Apple's Sept. 10 Cupertino event where we might finally see the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, recent reports once again, show a darker side of Apple. China Labor Watch released a statement today about the conditions of Jabil Green Point, a U.S. owned factory in Wuxi, China purportedly producing the cheap iPhone. Apple has already been in hot water earlier this summer when the Watch reported labor violations at Pegatron facilities. Poor working and living conditions, and the use of underage employees at Pegatron, were similar to previous investigations of Apple's other major supplier, Foxconn. Does Apple have a rotten core? Just like the other two factory labor abuse reports, the Wuxi location seems to bear the same issues. Workers are forced to take on 11-hour shifts, mostly standing and with only 30 minute breaks to eat, 110 hours of overtime is mandatory where certain amounts are unpaid, dorms have eight people per room with workers sleeping in shifts - and the list just goes on and on. CLW backs up its claims with photos shown in an English report on the site. Combined with the information provided by the undercover workers, it doesn't paint a pretty picture of Apple. With more and more news of poor conditions surfacing, it seems like Apple will really have to step up its game to monitor production factories, and hopefully soon. With less than a week to go, rumors abound about Apple devices. Double dose: Purported iPhone 5S fingerprint sensor, iPad mini 2 leaks Sep 6th 2013, 00:15, by Matt Swider This may be the only time that we see back-to-back leaks of the forthcoming iPad 5S and the rumored iPad mini 2 before Apple's Sept. 10 event. New high-resolution photos show off what is widely believed to be the fingerprint sensor that the new iPhone is equipped with. They trump the previously leaked photos purported to be the sensor that were much more blurry when compared to today's snapshots from Sonny Dickson. The known Apple product leaker posted almost a dozen photos of the special home button with sensors and a flex cable that are "a remarkably different design when compared to the iPhone 5 home button - and even previous supposed 5S part leaks." iPad mini 2 dimensions sized up While the highlight of the iPhone 5S seems to be the unique fingerprint sensor, Apple's next 7.9-inch iPad looks to be staying the course for the most part. A new video shows an alleged iPad mini 2 shell sized up against the leaked full-sized iPad 5 casing as well as the iPad 4 and original iPad mini. When it comes to the dimensions, the iPad mini vs iPad mini 2 comparison seems to be a stalemate. "You're looking at two very comparable form factors," said YouTube user unboxtherapy in the video. The leaked components said to be a courtesy of none other than Sonny Dickson. "In fact, I think every single dimension is identical here. So no real big changes in this particular department." YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3zaFtLChqA Room for an iPad mini 2 Retina display? Previous video leaks by the same YouTube account suggest that the full-sized iPad 5 is being slimmed down tremendously. The iPad mini 2, however, is expected to see changes to its screen with a Retina display like the iPad 3 and iPad 4 have right now. If that's true and the smaller dimensions of the iPad 5 are accurate, that leaves two Apple products with much narrower distinctions. "The question now becomes: with the full-sized iPad getting closer in dimensions to the iPad mini [2], are you going to be as compelled to pick up the mini [2]," asked the unboxtherapy video host. See another full-sized tablet option: the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Revealed: new features for the next generation smartphones Sep 5th 2013, 23:15, by John McCann Qualcomm has offered us a look behind the curtain at some of the new features which could be arriving in the next batch of smartphones. Speaking at Qualcomm's annual Uplinq conference in San Diego Raj Talluri, SVP Product Management, revealed what the firm was working towards as it readies it processors for the next generation of smartphones and tablets. Here are seven features Qualcomm is tipping, so keep an eye out for all these in the iPhone 6, Samsung Galaxy S5 and iPad 5. 4K displays Questions are still being raised over the need for 4K displays on smartphones and whether the human eye will actually be able to discern much of a difference between that and the full HD offerings we currently have. Qualcomm reckons we're not actually that far off the UltraHD displays though and Talluri said: "there will be 4K displays in phones pretty soon. I think it's going to happen." Find out more: Ultra HD and 4K: Everything you need to know 4K video recording Actually 4K video recording has already found its way into the Acer Liquid S2, but the high-def shooting capability is set to feature in a lot more high-end handsets over the next few months. Qualcomm already has a 4K video encoder built into its new Snapdragon 800 processor, allowing manufacturers to build the technology into their handsets if they fancy it. Of course until you have a 4K display on your smartphone, you're stuck hooking it up to your incredibly expensive 4K TV to show off your handy work. 360 video recording A cool feature Qualcomm showed off during its future phone tech presentation was something it's calling SnapDragon EyeSee 360, which basically lets you take a 360 degree video recording. It uses an external device, which works in a similar way to the 360 panorama camera lenses you can get, to capture the video in Ultra HD of your entire surrounds - front and back, left and right - all at the same time. During playback you obviously only see one angle on screen, but you can tilt the device you're playing it on, or use your finger to scroll round the video - as you would a 360 photo - to view the scene all around. The new processor technology means that it's constantly rendering the various different angles and there was no lag during the demo. This means instead of having to move your device around to point at everyone separately, all the people in the video are being recorded continuously and you can then visit any one of the at any time when you're watching it back. New camera tricks Qualcomm is doing a lot of work around camera technology for the next-gen smartphones and one of its projects, UbiFocus, brings depth of field control to phone users. UbiFocus allows you to select your focus after you've taken a picture, giving you the choice of focussing on an object in the foreground, something in the background, or somewhere inbetween. The ability of smartphones to have depth perception could also lead to other advancements and Talluri hinted that the technology may prove very useful when it comes to gesture control in the future. Multiple microphones While 4K video recording is all well and good, it would be spoilt by the sound quality you currently get when recording on today's crop of smartphones. Now HTC has already made some progress in this field with the One, which features dual microphones for improved audio capture, but Qualcomm reckons the next generation of mobile phone will have more. Future smartphones could well arrive with four microphones embedded in them allowing for an immersive audio experience which will playback in 5.1 surround sound. The demo clips we were played did indeed sound fantastic, so we're really hoping this arrives soon. Immersive gameplay It's not just recorded audio which will be getting a boost in future phones, with gameplay set to benefit too with surround sound capabilities being made available to app developers. This allows develops to attach audio to various options, giving the sounds a position in the game and as the objects move the audio does too. We were shown a demo of Qualcomm's Dragon Storm to show off the technology, and as dragons approached us, flew past and continued behind the audio followed. Of course phone manufacturers will have to help us out here as well by equipping our devices with better internal speakers, but it will also work via headphones and external speakers. More performance, less power consumption This one is no surprise, smartphones are going to continue to get faster and more powerful while chip makers and handset manufacturers tackle the battery life issues. Qualcomm expects power consumption to greatly improve, as all the tasks on our smartphones are tuned to use the optimum number of cores and the correct amount of power from each core at the right time. Talluri described this as the "next big challenge" in mobile, and we hope it comes to fruition. First 12 apps for Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch revealed Sep 5th 2013, 20:15, by Michael Rougeau Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Gear smartwatch on Sept. 4, the device that it no doubt hopes will spark the wearable gadget revolution. Naturally, that will depend on the apps, and the Korean company promised that there will be more than 70 available for it. We've yet to see the full scope of those apps, but at least 12 are known, and they alone provide a fairly wide range of functionality. Together, these 12 apps seem to do a good job of showing what the Galaxy Gear smartwatch will be capable of. However, will these and others be enough to convince Android users that they need a watch in addition to a phone? Convenience vs. function Major social networks like Twitter and Facebook have yet to pledge support for the Galaxy Gear, but the "private messaging and sharing" social network app Path will be available on the smartwatch at launch. Other social apps confirmed for the Gear are the messaging service, Line; Banjo, a social discovery app; and the location sharing app Glimpse. As TechRadar noted in our hands-on Galaxy Gear review, eBay is also on board with a partially functional app that lets you see notifications and place bids but not search for items or read their descriptions. The fitness apps RunKeeper and MyFitnessPal will both be available on Galaxy Gear, along with Evernote and the "DVR for the web" app Pocket. Finally, there's task creation app Atooma, which claims to "automate your Android"; Vivino Wine Scanner for the winos out there; the travel app Tripit. Snapchat is rumored but unconfirmed, as well. Some of these apps, like Pocket and eBay, provide just a portion of the functionality that their smartphone counterparts do, but the idea is that it's sometimes easier to hold up your wrist than pull out your phone. But is it really such a massive inconvenience to simply pull your smartphone out of your pocket like you've been doing for years? Does that make a £299/$299 (around AUS$325) smartwatch worth the price? We'll find out in October when the Galaxy Gear launches. It's a smartwatch face-off with the Samsung Galaxy Gear vs. the Sony SmartWatch 2 vs. the Pebble vs. the Qualcomm Toq! It's an LG G2 US availability smorgasbord Sep 5th 2013, 19:20, by Michael Rougeau LG announced just this week that its next flagship, the LG G2, will arrive in the U.S. (and Germany!) this month, and today three major U.S. carriers announced the phone's availability on their networks. Verizon gets the G2 first, with a $199.99 on-contract release on Sept. 12. AT&T comes next, a mere day later, with a Sept. 13 G2 release at the same price (or $27 per month with AT&T Next). Finally, T-Mobile gets the G2 a bit late on Sept. 18 online and Sept. 25 in stores for an initial payment of $99 and 24 subsequent monthly payments of $21 on T-Mobile's "Simple Choice Plan." LG G2 specs The LG G2 will eventually come to Sprint, as well, though that carrier has yet to release any specifics about availability. LG's newest flagship packs a 2.26 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 chip, 5.2-inch 1080p IPS display, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage, 13- and 2.1-megapixel cameras (the rear with Optical Image Stabilization), a 3000mAh battery and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. It's one of the first smartphones on the market with the Snapdragon 800, and the first to come to the U.S. with carrier support. Other than that, its main distinctive feature is the "Rear Key," a set of volume and power buttons on the back that allowed LG to decrease the bezel size and make the phone smaller than expected. If you want to wear your technology, take a look at the new tech coming out of IFA 2013. Mozilla reckons your smartphone is a jail Sep 5th 2013, 18:41, by John McCann Think Android is free and easy? Well think again, as according to Mozilla it's a jail - along with iOS and Windows Phone. Mozilla is doing a lot of work on HTML 5, mainly through it's Firefox OS offering, to provide a system which will work across all platforms without the need to develop for each different vendor. "Mobile phones are jails, and you have to pick one to sit in. The vendors control everything that happens in them," explained Andreas Gal, Vice President of Mobile Engineering at Mozilla, at Qualcomm's Uplinq conference in San Diego. "They are very shiny jails, they're nice jails, but you can't escape. As a developer you have to develop apps for each system separately, while users can't move their apps between operating systems." What do we want? So what is Mozilla doing about this problem? Well it's working hard on HTML 5, a web based standard which works across all platforms and devices including smartphones, tablets and computers. You can access HTML 5 via any browser, meaning developers are not locked into a particular company's way of thinking and the one app can work everywhere which means less work and money saved for devs. The advantages obviously extend to users as well, as you don't need to worry about the device you're using, as the HTML 5 apps and services will run happily on the browser, be it Safari, Chrome or Internet Explorer. Now Mozilla is peddling it's own Firefox OS which runs on HTML 5, but as Brendan Eich, SVP of Engineering explained it's not looking to take on the big guns in the mobile market with it. "We just want to get Firefox OS out there to show what can be done with HTML 5 and encourage others to adopt the standards," he said. Updated: Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear: where you can buy Samsung's new devices Sep 5th 2013, 16:37, by Michelle Fitzsimmons Samsung's IFA 2013 press event was relatively surprise free (save for that Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 lob). We knew the Note 3 and Galaxy Gear smartwatch were due to take the stage, and sure enough our expectations were gleefully met by Sammy. The U.S. is due to see both the smartphone and smartwatch by October 2013 across the country's major carriers. But who is carrying which of Samsung's latest gizmos? Lucky for you we've gathered all the info that's available right now on where you can find the Note 3, the Galaxy Gear or both among the nation's wireless providers. Note that the official Galaxy Gear price from Samsung is $299, but we're still waiting on final word from the carriers on how much they plan to charge for the product. As for the Note 3, there's no pricing yet, but look for a device in the $299 (on contract) range. AT&T: Ma Bell sent out a brief statement announcing its plans to launch the Note 3 and Galaxy Gear shortly after Samsung wrapped up its true-to-form, slightly bizarre IFA press conference. "[We] are excited to expand our smartphone and accessory leadership...on the nation's fastest and now most reliable 4G LTE network," Jeff Bradley, senior vice president of devices at Samsung, said in a statement. No word yet on pricing or a release date for either device. Verizon: You can be sure Big Red wouldn't let its chief competitor have all the fun, taking to Twitter to reveal it too will carry the Note 3 and Galaxy Gear...at some point. "Coming soon" is all the nation's top dog would say, leaving us with little more than AT&T by way of details. However, the carrier's press pic attached to the tweet only shows a Note 3 in black and white, so we could be sans a pink option over at Verizon. We asked Big Red to be sure that the devices are sold separately, and were told by a rep that they indeed are. Update: That didn't take long. Hours after announcing its intent to sell the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear, Verizon changed its landing page to indicate pre-orders would open up at 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT on Friday, Sept. 6. Sprint: Unlike AT&T and Verizon, Sprint is so far sticking with only the Galaxy Note 3. In a statement, Vice President of Produce Development David Owens said that the Note 3 is indeed coming to the network, available on its Unlimited, My Way and My All-in unlimited data plans. The carrier also has a landing page stamped with a mysterious black obelisk misted by virtual fog wisps. Users can pre-register for the Note 3 there, and the device is "coming soon." T-Mobile: America's Un-carrier takes us back to double-device vision, filling TechRadar in on its plans to host both the Note 3 and the Galaxy Gear. The Note 3 will be available through T-Mobile's Simple Choice Plans as well as Jump, its early upgrade program. The company noted in a statement it expects the new 5.7-inch device to exceed expectations, especially since the Note 2 apparently did so well at its stores. The Galaxy Gear will be sold separately at T-Mo, but other than that, we have no cost or availability details. Just a pre-registration page. U.S. Cellular: The carrier informed TechRadar that it will sell the Galaxy Note 3, though specifics aren't yet known. There's no information to share regarding the Galaxy Gear, a spokeswoman told us. Read all the latest from IFA 2013 right here. IN DEPTH: T-Mobile Jump vs AT&T Next vs Verizon Edge: which is cheaper Sep 5th 2013, 14:37, by Matt Swider Smartphone hardware upgrades happen annually, yet cell phone users are stuck with their seemingly old devices for up to two years. That's why T-Mobile Jump, AT&T Next and Verizon Edge exist, giving early adopters a chance to take advantage of smartphone upgrades on an annual or biannual basis. The question is: are carriers really helping their customers overcome the burden of carrying around a last-generation device and pick up a new, subsidized phone prematurely? Looking at the numbers, T-Mobile Jump, AT&T Next and Verizon can be beneficial for a few people who want to upgrade early, but it's also a money pit for a lot of other folks. T-Mobile Jump T-Mobile claimed to sympathize with everyone's early upgrade dilemma by announcing Jump, its "just upgrade my phone" twice a year plan that costs $10 a month (plus taxes and fees). This fee is comparable to phone insurance, as it covers most incidentals that can be thrown at your phone, including throwing your phone. That's great because chances are you know someone who has had a lost, stolen or broken a smartphone recently - or maybe that person with the expensive problem on their hands was you. Even when soaked with toilet bowl water on the inside and covered in failed dried rice on the outside, T-Mobile Jump customers will be able to upgrade twice a year, even if those days are back to back. There's a $20 - $175 deductible applied to completely non-working, water-damaged or lost phones. That price depends on the remaining value of the unsalvageable smartphone. T-Mobile's math A missing or unrepairable iPhone 5, for example, will cost $175, and getting a new one from T-Mobile is a $145.99 down payment. This worst-case scenario is $320 in addition to the ongoing cost of Jump and the month phone payments of $21. Over the course of a year, Jump costs $120 and the iPhone $21 monthly payments amount to $252, coming out to $372. All added up, it's $692.99. Of course, having the example's iPhone 5 in working condition brings the total yearly cost down to a more reasonable $517.99. Also keep in mind that with T-Mobile the smartphone plan is significantly cheaper than anything that AT&T, Verizon and Sprint offer today. AT&T, Verizon jump in On the heels of T-Mobile Jump, AT&T Next was announced to give early adopters the ability to upgrade their smartphone on a yearly basis, including grandfathered-in unlimited data users. Verizon Edge was unveiled with similar intentions, but its "upgraded" upgrade cycle requires a Share Everything plan to join. In both cases, AT&T and Verizon subscribers are paying for the full price of the unsubsidized phone spread out over the course of either 20 or 24 months. The benefit is that Next and Edge customers can upgrade when 50 percent of the retail phone is paid off - if they can turn in a still-working device. They aren't responsible for the remaining months of device payment if they trade in a functional phone. AT&T Next's math AT&T Next, launching on July 26, costs $32.50 a month over the course of 20 months for an iPhone 5, and $32 over the same amount of time for a Galaxy S4. The fee varies slightly from phone to phone. It's the full, no-contract price of a device divided by 20, which amounts to paying for the unsubsidized price of a phone in monthly installments. The good news is that you can upgrade after 12 months, and the remaining eight months of device payments disappear with a turned in phone. For iPhone 5, that's a much more digestible $390. A total of $390 sounds good, especially when an unlocked, no contract iPhone 5 costs $649 from Apple, a savings of $259. However, realize that AT&T Next requires locked-in customers to turn that phone into the carrier. There's no walking away with the handset at the end of the year. Really, that iPhone 5 or Galaxy S4 is worth at least $300 in "good" shape on Gazelle.com, and a lot more on eBay, more than the $259 you're saving with AT&T Next. Verizon Edge's math Verizon Edge is a little more cost-effective and flexible than AT&T Next. It drops the $199 price of the exampled iPhone 5, and in its place are 24 monthly payments of $27.08. That works out to be $325 in a year (compared to AT&T's $390), plus forking over the phone in proper working condition, a savings of $325 compared to an unsubsidized iPhone 5. And here's where it's more flexible: Verizon notes that early upgrades can be made in as little as six months, as long as customers pay the difference between the 50 percent of the phone's retail worth and what they've paid monthly so far. Verizon Edge vs AT&T Next works out to a difference of $65 in the favor of Verizon customers. That's more than what you can get on Gazelle.com in most cases, but still not as much as on eBay if you're willing to do the leg work yourself. There's no such thing as a free upgrade Two years is too long to wait to upgrade a smartphone, but in most cases the smartest phone owners realize that these new policies aren't unexpected gifts from carriers. AT&T and Verizon are selling what used to be free: early upgrades that happened 12 to 18 months depending on how heavy your plan was. AT&T bumped the upgrade cycle up to 24 months recently, following Verizon's lead. They're selling what used to be free, and reselling your smartphone refurbished to other people for anything but free - as much money as they can get for it. AT&T Next and Verizon Edge can save you money, but only if your phone collects dust and you'll never get around to sell it online for a fair value. T-Mobile Jump, on the other hand, offers twice as many upgrades in a year, which is a deal for technology enthusiasts who want to own the latest and greatest phone for an extra $10 a month. Two upgrades a year for $120 and a waived deductible is a godsend for technology buffs who hate being stuck with an old-generation smartphone for 24 months or 730 days. Read about the new T-Mobile phones announced this month.

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions