Review TechRadar: Phone and communications news 12-05-2013

TechRadar: Phone and communications news TechRadar AU latest feeds

Want to speak effortlessly in any situation? Actress Alexa Fisher will teach you tips that will set you on the road to success. From our sponsors

Fujitsu Arrows A charges in 10 minutes for a full day's use Dec 5th 2013, 14:14, by John McCann It's hardly got the catchiest name on the planet, but the Fujitsu Arrows A SoftBank 301F smartphone does have a neat party trick when it comes to battery life. Fujitsu claims you'll be able to plug the SoftBank 301F in for just 10 minutes and it will have recharged enough to give you a full day of usage. In 10 minutes the 301F can regain over 30% of its battery capacity, and when fully charged Fujitsu reckons you'll get up to three days use from the 2600mAh power pack. So how is the Arrows A SoftBank 301F eke out so much life from the battery considering it's got a 5-inch full HD display, 2.2GHz quad-core processor and 2GB RAM? Well Fujitsu has done some clever stuff with the screen. Screen saver The TFT LCD display actually has its own RAM embedded in it which stores screen data and reduces power consumption when viewing static images. That's all well and good if you're reading an article on a website or looking at a picture, but we fear as soon as you stick on an HD movie we will be back to the normal battery draining issues. The SoftBank 301F has also been treated to the Fujitsu Human Centric Engine technology, which sounds incredibly fancy, but in reality means the phone constantly monitors your environment and activity and adjusts settings accordingly to eek out as much battery life as possible. If you fancy fine tuning your power saving settings the 301F also comes with Fujitsu's NX!eco application, allowing you to tinker to your hearts content. The Arrows A SoftBank 301F is highly unlikely to ever make it out of Japan, but it's the fancy new battery tech we're really interested in here and we could see it creep into more handsets in the future. Sure this is impressive, but it's no self-healing battery Could the Samsung Galaxy S5 yet come with a fingerprint scanner? Dec 5th 2013, 13:48, by Kate Solomon The CEO of fingerprint scanning firm Fingerprint Cards, Johan Carlstrom, still reckons that Samsung is going big on touch scanning in 2014. After the launch of the iPhone 5S with its Touch ID fingerprint sensor in tow, there came a flurry of rumours that Samsung was on the cusp of following suit. The rumours reached fever pitch when a false story came out that Samsung had bought Fingerprint Cards, a story which is now the subject of an official fraud investigation. Carlstrom told Reuters that he "expects" Samsung to launch one or possibly two phones with swipe or touch fingerprint sensors next year, adding that "our goal is to be selected as one of their sensor suppliers in 2014". That's despite word from an anonymous Samsung official who said in September that the company is "not yet developing the technology" for mobile fingerprint scanning. What's more, it's strange that Carlstrom would even mention Samsung after buyout rumours from October, particularly when his company is still suspected of - and co-operating in an investigation about - falsely spreading the Samsung acquisition story to boost its own shares. Plenty of fish The company isn't putting all its eggs in Samsung's basket, hinting that it is also in talks with other smartphone makers including LG and Huawei. Fingerprint is walking the walk as well as talking the talk, forecasting that it will make five times more money in 2014 than it did this year. Carlstrom also revealed that Apple considered buying Fingerprint when it was shopping for a sensor supplier back in 2010 - it ended up opting for Authentec instead, which formed the basis of its TouchID tech. While it's interesting to hear the viewpoint of a clearly outspoken industry insider, it's also worth bearing in mind Carlstrom's bias - after all, the CEO of a fingerprint scanning company is hardly going to come out with, "Yeah, fingerprint scanning's not that great really. I doubt it'll take off." Touch ID: is your finger the key to the future? Blip: Barack's stuck on BlackBerry as Secret Service shuns iPhone Dec 5th 2013, 12:54, by John McCann Imagine the scene: Barack, BlackBerry in hand, nervously scuttles over to the secret service to make his plea. "Please sir, I want an iPhone," he says. All he gets in response is a sunglass-covered stare that means "absolutely not," and the leader of the free world is sent dashing back to the Oval Office, a tear in his eye and disappointment in his palm. It looks like even the President of the United States is falling out of love with BlackBerry, after Barack Obama revealed that he wasn't allowed one of Apple's shiny iPhones. During a speech at the White House, Obama mentioned that he's "not allowed, for security reasons, to have an iPhone." Back in 2008 he was branded "cool" because he used as BlackBerry. How the times have changed. He is, however, allowed both an iPad and a MacBook, so it's not all deprivation. More blips While you let the fact that you've probably got a better phone than the president of the United States sink in, take a look at some more awesome blips. Digital beats paper as tax disc spins away into history House of Cards Season 2 premiere set for February 14, 2014 Google is building a robot army to battle Amazon's drones Nokia's 5in Lumia 929 snapped again Dec 5th 2013, 12:03, by Kate Solomon While it's skipped straight on by the mooted November 6 release date, the Nokia Lumia 929 does still seem to be on its way as it's been caught on camera once again. Phone Arena's source has apparently bought a prototype Lumia 929 from some shady tipster, showing off its 5-inch screen and Verizon logo. The phone is expected to hit the US first - it was the Verizon logo that gave it away - with no inkling of whether it'll proliferate out to Europe and Australia afterwards. December phone Phone Arena's sources tell it that the launch date could land in mid-to-late December, which seems an odd time to launch a new phone but hey, we're sure Nokia knows what its doing. The handset's 5-inch screen should make for a smaller-hand alternative to the 6.5-inch Lumia 1520. Rumour has it that the 929 will come with a 20MP camera and a price tag of around $500 (£309 or AU$535 or thereabouts). Meanwhile, content yourselves with our in-depth Nokia Lumia 1520 review Samsung seems to think see-through screens are a good idea again Dec 5th 2013, 11:01, by James Rogerson As if curved screens like the one on the Samsung Galaxy Round weren't enough, the South Korean company has now filed a patent for a transparent display. The patent, which was turned up by PatentBolt, describes a transparent display with both front and backside touch controls. There are obvious advantages to this as it would allow users to make use of the otherwise empty space on the back of a handset and navigate a smartphone without obscuring the screen with their fingers. For example, you could tap on the back of the screen to open a folder or use it to pause or rewind a video, thereby ensuring you don't miss anything by covering the front of the screen. Future potential But the potential uses can go even deeper than that. One example given in the patent application is of simultaneously moving two overlapping objects. One can be dragged by sliding across the front of the screen and the other by dragging across the back. The technology could also be used to create more complex and secure pattern locks on a phone, where both the front and back of the screen are used. Transparent screens aren't an entirely new concept. Sony Ericsson braved the see-through waters with the Xperia Pureness back in 2009 and there's been talk since then of the tech becoming more mainstream, but as yet not much has come of it. With a household name like Samsung on board though this could be the next big thing - although given we got a headache using the Pureness' transparent display, we don't have high hopes for this idea from Samsung. Transparent TV's could soon be a reality too if LG has anything to say about it. Samsung seems to think see-through screens are a good idea again Dec 5th 2013, 11:01, by James Rogerson As if curved screens like the one on the Samsung Galaxy Round weren't enough, the South Korean company has now filed a patent for a transparent display. The patent, which was turned up by PatentBolt, describes a transparent display with both front and backside touch controls. There are obvious advantages to this as it would allow users to make use of the otherwise empty space on the back of a handset and navigate a smartphone without obscuring the screen with their fingers. For example, you could tap on the back of the screen to open a folder or use it to pause or rewind a video, thereby ensuring you don't miss anything by covering the front of the screen. Future potential But the potential uses can go even deeper than that. One example given in the patent application is of simultaneously moving two overlapping objects. One can be dragged by sliding across the front of the screen and the other by dragging across the back. The technology could also be used to create more complex and secure pattern locks on a phone, where both the front and back of the screen are used. Transparent screens aren't an entirely new concept. Sony Ericsson braved the see-through waters with the Xperia Pureness back in 2009 and there's been talk since then of the tech becoming more mainstream, but as yet not much has come of it. With a household name like Samsung on board though this could be the next big thing - although given we got a headache using the Pureness' transparent display, we don't have high hopes for this idea from Samsung. Transparent TV's could soon be a reality too if LG has anything to say about it. Three eyes up O2 as talk of mega mergers hots up Dec 5th 2013, 10:44, by John McCann We may see our choice of mobile networks reduced in the near future, as Three predicts a trio of strong players will dominate the market after some mega mergers - with it being the possible subject of a takeover or even acquiring one of the larger players itself. Three's CEO David Dyson spoke to the Guardian and revealed that the UK would be just fine with fewer mobile operators. "Under the right circumstances the UK could operate competitively with three or with five [networks]," he said and added that carrier consolidation could start as soon as 2014. The data-friendly network is already looking into buying O2 in Ireland and it's now being linked with a potential take over of the UK business too. All eyes on Germany Currently O2 is looking to merge with another network, E-Plus, in Germany, which would take the country's carriers tally down from four to three. Dyson is remaining coy on the topic of a potential merger: "Let's see what happens in Germany first. We are three years into a five-year plan to double our customer base from five million to 10 million. "If we can deliver on that plan maybe that makes us more interesting as a target or puts us in a position where we can do something as an acquirer." Three is owned by Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa which has several networks around the world on its books. It's this portfolio which brought around the firm's "feel at home" offer, abolishing roaming charges in certain countries, and it has been recently extended to cover four more territories, so even though Three is the smallest of four in the UK, it's got a strong backing. The NSA is tracking the location of hundreds of millions of phones worldwide Dec 4th 2013, 23:20, by Michael Rougeau The National Security Agency is looking at more than just our Google searches, emails and text messages. The NSA also tracks the location data from hundreds of millions of mobile phones around the world, largley by tapping into the cables that connect mobile networks globally, according to the Washington Post. In all the agency collects and stores five billion call records a day, the Post reported. This latest leak comes from documents provided by leaker Edward Snowden as well as interviews with US intelligence officials. Clearly, the revelation has some disturbing implications. Hide your kids, hide your phones, they're tracking everybody out here The location data that the NSA is said to collect allows the agency to track people's movements and map out their relationships in ways never before seen. Since phone users' location data is "metadata" that's collected "incidentally," it's not considered to be protected by the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution. The amendment is meant to guard against unreasonable searches and seizures and requires warrants to be sanctioned by a judge and supported by probable clause. What's more, officials reportedly claimed that the bulk of location tracking occurs outside the US. US officials said that the location data collection programs the NSA uses are within the organization's legal rights, and that they're "intended strictly to develop intelligence about foreign targets." A bigger boat But the NSA is collecting so much location data that it's reportedly spent the last year and a half upgrading its systems to provide greater storage capacity (its database is rumored to be around 17 terabytes already). The agency apparently needs to collect data on a planetary scale for its algorithms to be able to accurately track targets' relationships. The report claimed the data is collected with the help of corporations around the world that are referred to in internal NSA documents by awesome codenames like "ARTIFICE" and "WOLFPOINT." Did the Washington Post just leak the plot of the next Bond movie, or are things really this bad? The NSA said earlier this year that it analyzes only a teeny bit of daily global internet traffic. Microsoft, Nokia deal makes sense to the EU's rubber stamp Dec 4th 2013, 23:00, by Matt Swider Microsoft's takeover over of Nokia's device and services division has been given two thumbs up, first by the US Department of Justice and now the European Union. "The Commission concluded that the transaction would not raise any competition concerns," said the European Commission in a press release today, clearing the acquisition. The European Union's executive body felt as though consumers wouldn't be adversely affected because of the "modest overlap" between Microsoft and Nokia's businesses. Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 operating system, slowly growing store of apps and Office 2013 software are unlikely to shut out competition if merged with Nokia's line of smartphones, surmised the Commission. Empowering Microsoft to take on Apple, Samsung Apple and Samsung made a guest appearance in the Commission's announcement, which cited Microsoft's desire to compete with it's much bigger rivals in the mobile space. "The overlap of [Microsoft and Nokia's] activities in this area is minimal and several strong rivals, such as Samsung and Apple, will continue to compete with the merged entity," wrote the European Commission. "Microsoft's share in the mobile OS market is limited," it wrote, a harsh reality check for Microsoft and its exiting-CEO's biggest regret. "To better compete with the leading Android and Apple OS platforms, Microsoft likely needs to continue relying on third-party device suppliers to broaden consumer adoption and attract mobile app developers." For once, Microsoft's diminished grip on the tech industry may have just helped it glide through a regulatory process. Should consumers fear stifled competition? The European Commission's decision seems to have weighed heavily on Microsoft's need to rely on third-party devices and app makers to stay competitive. Microsoft's more open platform is only seen as a good thing for consumers as well as third-party manufacturers like HTC, Asus, Samsung and Huawei. In other words, if you like your line of non-Microsoft devices - like the HTC 8XT smartphone and Asus VivoTab Smart ME400 - you can keep them. Although the Commission doesn't expect to see competition stifled, it vowed to "remain vigilant and closely monitor Nokia's post-merger licensing practices under EU antitrust rules." We asked Microsoft and Nokia for a reaction to the European Union's decision and will update the story as soon as we hear back. Read: Google is building a robot army to battle Amazon's drones Xbox One with Nokia Lumia 1020 deal joins PS4 on O2's console contracts Dec 4th 2013, 20:15, by Chris Smith Just last week we brought news that mobile network O2 would be flogging PS4s with new mobile contracts and now those in Microsoft's corner can also take advantage of a console plus smartphone deal. From Thursday, the bubbly network will be offering an Xbox One and Nokia Lumia 1020 contract bundle, which will net buyers 1GB of data, unlimited texts and a year of Xbox Live and a copy of FIFA 14 to boot. For that veritable grotto of Microsoft-centric goods, folks will need to fork over £100 up front, plus £52 a month for the next two years. New and current customers can sign up as part of the O2 Refresh plan. The deal is only available in O2 stores, 65 of them to be precise, rather than online, with the company saying it has limited stock to go around. Limited stock The Xbox offer follows O2's decision to hawk the Sony PS4 with the Sony Xperia Z1 phone on a similar deal, with a year of PlayStation Plus and a copy of Killzone: Shadowfall. "With our new Xbox One and Nokia Lumia 1020 bundle customers will be getting one of the best consoles and one of the best camera phones in time for Christmas," said David Johnson, General Manager Devices for O2. Are these the Galaxy S5's specs, or just a specter? Dec 4th 2013, 19:46, by Michael Rougeau A new Samsung phone has appeared online in spectral specs form, and it looks like it could definitely be the Galaxy S5. The handset, model number SM-G900S, popped up in a benchmark test on GFXBench, though it appears it's since been taken down. According to FoneArena, when the listing was live it revealed a Samsung handset with a 2560 x 1440 display, a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, an Adreno 330 GPU, and Android 4.4 KitKat. Nothing else is known about this mystery Samsung phone, but the site speculated that given the resolution it might have a 5.25-inch screen with pixel density at 560ppi, as rumors last month said. Then again Of course there's no guarantee at all that this Samsung device is the Galaxy S5. Considering Samsung has a total of four or five new phones planned for early 2014 already, this could actually be any number of handsets. But even if it's not the Galaxy S5 that we're seeing, Samsung's unlikely to let its flagship Galaxy S series be beat, so the S5 will probably at least match these specs. Other rumored Galaxy S5 features include a possible metal frame, a 64-bit chip and even an eyeball scanner. Check TechRadar's Samsung Galaxy S5 release date, news and rumors hub for all your Galaxy S5 needs! Growing curve: LG G Flex headed outside South Korea soon Dec 4th 2013, 19:06, by klee The LG G Flex is moving further from home and will officially become available in broader Asian markets soon. Customers in Singapore will be able to place pre-orders for the LG G Flex beginning December 8 and Hong Kong residents can follow suit from December 13. LG also plans to announce the future availability of its curved phone to other regions as well. The news doesn't really come as a surprise since LG just held an event in Hong Kong for the banana phone. The dates mark the first time the phone will be available outside South Korea, where it has been selling for a staggering 999,900 Korean Won (approximately $942/£576/AU$1,045) since early November. Meanwhile the G Flex should pop up in France sometime soon on the Orange Network, and the working theory is it can also hop over the English Channel into the UK. As far as we know, the flexed phone won't be making its way to the US until early 2014. Get bent The LG G Flex is certainly a phone that demands attention. At first glance it's impossible not to notice the 6-inch 720p curved OLED. Aside from the curved shape that screams banana phone and the fact that it really flexes, the rear case implements self-healing coating that can patch itself up when scratched. The LG G Flex also boasts some top of the line parts including a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM and a 13-megapixel camera. Keep your fingers crossed for future Flex announcements that we're likely to hear at CES 2014 or Mobile World Congress 2014. Valve pledges its gaming future to the Linux Foundation. In Depth: YotaPhone: 10 things you need to know Dec 4th 2013, 15:25, by Thomas Thorn The YotaPhone has been waiting in the wings for a while, and finally the Russian firm has pushed its unique, dual-screen smartphone to market. Seeing two screens on one phone isn't exactly a new concept, Samsung has already slapped a couple screens onto a few of its flip phones, but the YotaPhone takes things one step further. Now you can actually go out and buy one, here's everything you need to know about the YotaPhone. 1. The YotaPhone: e-ink display If you didn't know that the YotaPhone comes with a kindle-esque e-ink display then where have you been? Christmas shopping? Did you buy us anything nice? You know what we want right? With access to information driving the modern smartphone revolution, smartwatches have appeared out of nowhere. Never has so much been available to many from their pockets and we all want to be connected to it. The 4.3-inch 360x640 e-ink display does a lot more than just displaying text on screen, it is intended to be a hub of all your important information, whilst providing little drain on the battery. Whilst Yota state that it is ideal as an e-reader, there is a much larger appeal. As the e-ink display is always on, a quick glance down gives access to Facebook and Twitter feeds via RSS, as well as showing the time and all your notifications without having to load up a power hungry LCD screen. 2. The YotaPhone: LCD display The e-ink display is merely the secondary screen on the YotaPhone, with the Russian device coming with a more standard 4.3-inch HD screen on the front. It's not a Full HD experience, a mere 720 x 1280 capacitive screen. This means that the YotaPhone comes with 342ppi, someway off the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S4's whopping 441ppi. As a mid-range device though, the YotaPhone does beat the Galaxy S4 Mini's 256ppi whilst matching the HTC One Mini. 3. The YotaPhone: CPU and storage To keep everything running smoothly, the YotaPhone comes toting a dual-core 1.7GHz processor, backed up with 2GB of RAM. This means that it comes out more powerful than both the Galaxy S4 Mini (with 0.5GB less RAM) and the HTC One Mini (smaller CPU and less RAM). 32GB of internal storage is also provided, although those looking for a microSD slot will have to look elsewhere. 4. YotaPhone: OS YotaPhone comes packing a customised version of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, complete with a BlackBerry style gesture system to replace the use of hard and soft buttons. This brings the advantage of keeping the display looking clean and uninterrupted and navigation is done with a series of gestures. These aren't performed on screen however, with a space under the screen reserved for your fingers. Swiping right takes you home, and left takes you back, with a two fingered down swipe taking a screen shot and sending it to the rear screen so you can save battery power whilst viewing important information. This OS also houses some specially developed apps to help in reading books, a multi-language dictionary and mapping app. 5. YotaPhone: Camera The Russian device doesn't lack in the camera department, smashing its mid-range competitors and competing at the top table alongside the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and LG G2. A 13MP sensor adorns the rear, sat just below the e-ink display. Yes, you read that right, the camera is at the bottom of the handset. This is backed up with a 1MP front facing sensor to take all those fabulous selfies that populate social media sites. The YotaPhone camera also comes with an interesting feature with thanks to the e-ink display; it can tell your subjects to smile. It doesn't add a lot of functionality, but is a nice novelty feature. 6. YotaPhone: Connectivity In order to be able to show off all the right data at the right time on its e-ink display, the YotaPhone has to be well connected. Thankfully, it comes with a large array of features to keep your hips joined to the mobile world. You'll be able to wander around knowing where you are, streaming music and reading lots more interesting tech as 4G, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and GLONASS are all supported. Wi-Fi is also supported, to a/b/g/n standards, although there is no word on whether DLNA streaming is enabled. 7. YotaPhone: Design Following nigh in every smartphone design before it, the YotaPhone comes with an all glass front, with a glass back to support that e-ink display. This is all fitted into a chassis measuring 133.6 x 67 x 10mm, weighing 146g. This makes it considerably larger than the 107g S4 Mini and 122g One Mini. There are no buttons to speak of on the front or back, with only a volume rocker on the side. The YotaPhone also curves in slightly at the back, giving the top a slight wedge look. 8. YotaPhone: Battery An 1800mAh battery sits inside the YotaPhone, putting it on par with its mid-range brethren. They don't have a second screen to power though. Yota claim that the YotaPhone comes with 7-10 times more battery life than its competitors, at least whilst in reading mode. This isn't too hard to imagine, as the original Kindle had a quoted battery life of a month. Whether or not the battery will be sufficient to last a whole day we'll have to wait to see, but if we're spending less time looking at a power hungry LCD display, that can't be bad thing. 9. YotaPhone: Price The YotaPhone will be available across Europe at around €499 (around £400). This makes it a little more expensive than both the HTC One Mini and Galaxy S4 Mini. It also makes it around 3 time the price of the Moto G, the wallet friendly mid-range handset which sports a better processor, similar display and a lower res camera. 10. YotaPhone: Release Date If you're currently living in, or holidaying to Russia or Germany this Christmas, you'll be able to get your hands on the YotaPhone. It will be available across 20 European and the Middle Eastern markets by the end of Q1 2014, including the UK. As far as the likes of Australia and US are concerned, there's currently no timetable for an international release in these areas. HTC M8 release date outed by judge Dec 4th 2013, 09:50, by Thomas Thorn HTC is having a hard time of it of late, with the news that the HTC One Mini and One Max are both having their UK sales blocked by Nokia. In the same case, Judge Richard Arnold may have given the game away regarding the upcoming HTC M8, or HTC One Two as it is also known. Court documents show that 'Nokia has adduced evidence which suggests that the launch date is in the first quarter of 2014, and possibly as early as February 2014". This in itself holds little weight as we already knew it was on its way, but it seems that the HTC One Two will break cover in time to appear at MWC 2014. Its all about the timing The timing of the launch seems crucial for the Taiwanese firm, as it looks to be the deciding factor in keeping the HTC One on sale in the UK. "I accept that there is a period between now and February or March 2014 when HTC is vulnerable" said Judge Arnold. With the Samsung Galaxy S5 possibly launching around the same time, the HTC One Two may have to launch sooner rather than later. Three officially launches 4G and abolishes USA roaming charges Dec 4th 2013, 09:29, by John McCann There's a double whammy of good news for Three customers as the data friendly network officially confirms its 4G service switch on, as well as revealing it's expanding its "feel at home" service to the USA. We'd already got wind of the official announcement after some revealing tweets appears on Three's account and a source confirmed the launch to us. However it's worth noting the roll out is limited. Three is staggering its 4G service push, as it focuses on getting the user experience spot on, before accelerating the coverage from January 2014. There's no word on which locations are getting treated to 4G initially, but tweets from the carrier have already revealed it's available in three cities - one of which we understand to be London. Even if you're in one of Three's 4G areas you still might not be able to access the superfast network as only a handful of handsets have been enabled so far - with the network promising all 4G devices will be enabled in these areas by the end of Q1 2014. The network predicts that its 4G service will be available in 50 towns and cities by the end of 2014, and aims to cover 98% of the population by the end of 2015. Feel at home, more Three has also announced that it's added four more countries to its "feel at home" service, which allows customers to use their bundled minutes, text and data allowances aboard, effectively killing off roaming charges. Three has also announced that it's added four more countries to its "feel at home" service, which allows customers to use their bundled minutes, text and data allowances aboard, effectively killing off roaming charges. The USA, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Macau have been added to the line up which also includes the Republic of Ireland, Australia, Italy, Austria, Hong Kong, Sweden and Denmark. Couple that with unlimited data bundles and 4G at no extra cost and Three is showing itself to be a strong contender against the larger networks, EE, O2 and Vodafone - although its 4G service has a long way to go to catch up.

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