| Samsung Galaxy Alpha might be a limited edition handset Jul 23rd 2014, 11:44, by Hugh Langley 
The premium version of the Samsung Galaxy S5, currently parading under the name of the Galaxy Alpha, may turn out to be another limited edition Samsung handset. Because most of Taiwan's metal case manufacturers are monopolised by Apple, and because there are apparently none back in Korea, Samsung is reportedly turning to China to create the Alpha's metal cases. But Chinese metal manufacturers can't churn out more than 1 million cases per month, so supply will be slow, meaning that the Alpha could well be limited at launch. In demandIf the latest word is to be believed, we could end up with Samsung only releasing the Alpha handset in Korea, like it did for the Galaxy Round, at least for launch. The alternate option is that Samsung ploughs ahead with a global launch and just bites the bullet when it's faced with low supply issues. The Galaxy Alpha is expected to be launched this August, though we suspect that Samsung might hold out until IFA to make the big announcement.        |  | Early view: Lumia 530 vs Nokia Lumia 520: the budget Windows Phone battle Jul 23rd 2014, 10:57, by Simon Hill 
We were really impressed by the Nokia Lumia 520, but it's time for an update – and it looks like the all-new Lumia 530 offers even more for less. The budget end of the market has grown increasingly fierce in recent months as decent Android smartphones like the Moto E and the EE Kestrel have hit the high street, but making affordable phones without scrimping on quality has always been a strong suit for Nokia. So how does the 530 measure up against its predecessor? Let's find out. Price and release dateNokia has suggested a price of €85 (around £70, $115, AU$120) "before taxes and subsidies" for the Lumia 530, which is impressively cheap for a phone of this calibre. The Lumia 520 is around £70 on a PAYG deal and you can get a SIM free 520 for about £80, down from £100. If you couldn't work it out, it's already on sale. Has been for a while, actually. 
The Lumia 530 is coming in even cheaper in August, despite a bump in specs. At £70 it will be undercutting virtually every decent smartphone currently available. DesignThe angular design of the 520 has been softened off slightly in the 530 which has more rounded corners. It's almost exactly the same size though, as Microsoft/Nokia shaved a tiny amount off the height and width, but the 530 is chubbier than its prequel at 11.7mm and 129g versus the 520 at 9.9mm and 124g. 
Nokia's love of brightly coloured plastics continues unabated, but there are white and dark grey options alongside the green and orange. Just like the 520 you can purchase extra shells if you want to switch colours. Screen sizeBoth phones have a 4-inch display, but the 530 benefits from a slight bump in screen resolution up to 854 x 480 pixels. That gives it a slightly higher 245ppi, so it will be a touch sharper than the 520, which was 800 x 480 pixels and 233ppi, but you'll have to look very closely to see a difference. CPU and storageThe Lumia 520 had a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8227. The Lumia 530 boasts the newer and more powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 200, which is a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, and should give more than enough grunt for anything you'd expect to do on a bottom-of-the-range handset. 
Both are backed by 512MB of RAM, but the internal storage on the 530 has actually dropped to 4GB compared to the 8GB that was available in the 520. By way of compensation the 530 can take microSD cards up to 128GB in size, where the 520 was limited to 64GB cards. BatteryRated at 1430mAh the battery in the 520 is generally enough to see you through the day. Perhaps that's why Nokia hasn't seen fit to change it, because the 530 has exactly the same battery inside - plus you can switch it out for another one if you're into that sort of thing. The new processor may be slightly more efficient, enabling to squeeze a little more out of that battery, but we'll find out when we do a full review. CameraIf you were hoping for an improved camera or a front-facing snapper then get ready to be disappointed. The 530 has exactly the same 5MP camera as the 520 with no flash. There's no dedicated camera for selfies, but the GlamMe app lets you use voice control to snap a shot with the main camera. -420-90.jpg "Same hole for the same snapper")
We weren't overly impressed with the camera in the original Lumia 520, but then again, if it does anything more than sketch a vague picture of what you're looking at, it's a good enough snapper for the price in our eyes. OS The 520 was released with Windows Phone 8 and it is upgradeable to Windows Phone 8.1. The 530 will launch running Windows Phone 8.1 right out of the box and should there ever be a specs limit on future Windows Phone upgrades (Windows Phone 9, for instance) the newer model with a boosted engine should be in line to get them where older models could be in danger of missing out. 
There really aren't any other differences to speak of. Nokia has managed to improve slightly on the 520, at least on paper, and shave something off the price, a neat trick.        | | Blip: William Shatner has reviewed Facebook's VIP app because you're not allowed to Jul 23rd 2014, 10:55, by Hugh Langley 
Facebook's new Mentions app is exclusively for celebrities with verified accounts, meaning that until the TechRadar band finally takes off, we're unable to test it for ourselves. That means we'll have to rely on the stars themselves to scrutinise the new app, and there's really only one person for the job: William Shatner. Unfortunately his verdict is one big thumbs down, but the guy certainly gives the app a thorough working over on Shatner Speaks, leading to a riveting conclusion: "I'm not quite sure why Facebook released this app for "celebrities". It seems to be ill conceived. I will probably use it to post to my Facebook when I'm on my phone but it doesn't allow for mail or groups. I will continue to use my regular Facebook app as well as the Pages app." Thanks Bill, we salute you. If you fancy reviewing some phones, you know where to find us. BlipsShatner: not a proven fan of blips. Yet.        | | Apple iOS contains snooping-friendly features, says security researcher Jul 23rd 2014, 09:28, by Desire Athow 
Apple has had to rebuff claims (again) that it has included some features that could allow third parties to gather data from devices without users knowing. Security researcher, Jonathan Zdziarski, reckons that Apple doesn't do enough to protect data through encryption. He explained that once a device is first unlocked after reboot, most of the encrypted data is accessible until the device is shut down. "Your device is almost always at risk of spilling all data, since it's almost always authenticated, even while locked," Zdziarksi added. He highlighted the fact that some services run in iOS that shouldn't be there and were "intentionally added by Apple as part of the firmware". He stopped short of accusing Apple of deliberately adding these to facilitate mass spying from intelligence agencies like the NSA. Apple's forceful denialApple sent a statement to iMore explaining that "We have designed iOS so that its diagnostic functions do not compromise user privacy and security, but still provides needed information to enterprise IT departments, developers and Apple for troubleshooting technical issues." It further added, "A user must have unlocked their device and agreed to trust another computer before that computer is able to access this limited diagnostic data. The user must agree to share this information, and data is never transferred without their consent." Apple's statement ended by highlighting the fact that it "has never worked with any government agency from any country to create a backdoor in any of our products or services."        | | Nokia Lumia 530 arrives to make Windows Phone ridiculously cheap Jul 23rd 2014, 08:51, by John McCann 
Microsoft has rebooted the entry level offering of its new handset division with the introduction of the Nokia Lumia 530, a low-end device promising to be "the most affordable Lumia to date." Following on from the impressive Lumia 520, the Lumia 530 enters the bottom end of the market which has seen increased competition over the last 12 months with the likes of the Moto G, Moto E, EE Kestrel, Vodafone Smart 4 Mini and Lumia 630 all entering the fray. Comparing the new Lumia 530 to the Lumia 520, there are a few small improvements. The processor has been bumped from dual-core to a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 200 chip, the 4-inch screen resolution gets a very slight increase to 854 x 480 while screen size and the 512MB of RAM stay the same. Minor improvementsInternal storage has taken a bit of a beating, being halved from 8GB in the 520 to just 4GB in the Lumia 530, although the saving grace for the latter is the inclusion of a microSD slot which supports cards up to 128GB in size. There's still no front facing camera on the bottom of the range Nokia, while you'll find the same 5MP snapper round the back - again with no flash, just like on the Lumia 520. The Nokia Lumia 530 also comes packing Windows Phone 8.1 - the latest iteration of Microsoft's mobile platform. Microsoft has pegged the global Nokia Lumia 530 release date for August, with an estimated retail price of €85 (around £70, $115, AU$120). That's seriously cheap and sets another stake in the battleground with some Android manufacturers hoping to nab consumers looking to spend very little on their phone.   | | Telstra to shut down its 2G network by the end of 2016 Jul 23rd 2014, 02:22, by Farrha Khan 
Telstra has announced that it will be closing down its 20-year old 2G Global System for Mobiles (GSM) network by the end of 2016. The announcement comes just a few days after Telstra announced that it will begin switching on 700MHz spectrum band in parts of Australia, which will allow the telco to begin introducing next-gen 4G tech in the form of LTE-A. Emerging in the early 1990s in Australia, 2G was the second generation of mobile technology after analog mobile, and according to Telstra Networks Group Managing Director Mike Wright, 2G was "one of the most complete and comprehensive mobile standards the world had ever seen". GSM saw mobile communication become affordable and available to the everyday user, and as devices became more advanced, 2G began being used for global roaming and SMS messaging - it even introduced mobile internet. Networks evolveAccording to Wright, the decision to shut the network down comes as its 2G network sees traffic from less than 1 per cent of customers, a decline that began with the 2006 introduction of Telstra's NextG network. Beyond this, the telco has not sold a 2G handset for a number of years now as the focus shifts to 3G and 4G, which provide better coverage, faster speeds and more services, as well as other emerging technologies, such a next-gen 4G in the form of LTE-A, LTE-B and 5G. Telstra will "shortly" begin contacting customers that still use the 2G network to discuss their options. "You will know you're on the 2G network if you have a 2G icon in the top right hand corner of your device. You might also see GPRS, E or EDGE written at the top of the screen," Wright said. Wright said that as it has not sold a 2G device for a while, most customers would likely already have 3G and 4G compatible devices, meaning they will only need a new SIM card.        | | iPhones and Macs keep Apple chugging, but everyone wants to see what's next Jul 22nd 2014, 22:25, by Juan Martinez and Michelle Fitzsimmons 
During a quarter in which Apple bought Beats, launched new desktop and mobile operating systems and released its cheapest iMac ever, the company also increased revenue, grew profits and sold more iPhones and Macs than last year. It may have been a solid Q3 2014 for the Cupertino crew, but all eyes are already looking towards what's next. "Our record June quarter revenue was fueled by strong sales of iPhone and Mac and the continued growth of revenue from the Apple ecosystem, driving our highest EPS growth rate in seven quarters," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in an earnings statement. "We are incredibly excited about the upcoming releases of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, as well as other new products and services that we can't wait to introduce." Show us what's nextWe've heard Cook talk about new product categories before, but the timing - the last earnings call before the expected announcement of the iPhone 6 (or iPhone 6s) and the iWatch - strongly suggest we're in for these devices and more in the coming quarter. Cook said on a call with investors that Apple is "hard at work" on a "pipeline of new products and services we can't wait to show you." Luca Maestri, Apple's CFO, answered an investor query about next-quarter guidance by noting Apple is "expecting a very busy fall" and reiterating there's excitement for what's coming. Of course, neither broached just what we will see from the fibrous firm, but with events likely taking place in September and October, we won't have to wait much longer. By the numbersApple sold 35.2 million iPhones and 4.4 million Macs this past quarter, an increase of 13% and 18% compared with Q3 of 2013, respectively. During Q2, Apple sold 43.7 million iPhones and 16.3 million iPads. It wasn't all rosy for Apple. iPad sales fell for the second straight quarter, to 13.3 million, a decrease of 9%. It was a drop Cook had to answer to investors repeatedly during the earnings call and one he said businesses could help rectify. Apple posted quarterly revenue of $37.4 billion (about £21.9b, AU$39.8b) during the third quarter, an increase of 6% compared with the same quarter last year. The company's revenue fell short of Wall Street expectations by about $600 million (about £351m, AU$636m). Apple also reported a net profit of $7.7 billion (about £4.5b, AU$8.2b) during the quarter, an 11% increase compared with last year. Operating expenses increased 16% to $4.4 billion (about £2.5b, AU$4.68b) during the quarter. Apple's busy three monthsDuring the third quarter of 2014, Apple purchased Beats for $3 billion (about £1.79b, AU$3.25b). The deal included Beats Music, the company's streaming subscription music service, as well as its Beats Electronics hardware and audio software. Apple also introduced its cheapest iMac to hit the market. The new model, a low-power 21.5-inch iMac for $1,099 (about £899, AU$1349), reduced the cost of Apple's most affordable model by $200. The iMac comes with a 1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, Intel HD Graphics 5000 and a 500GB hard drive. At its annual developers conference, the firm also introduced Yosemite and iOS 8, which will feature tighter Mac integration, looser restrictions on Apple's Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and new software kits designed to improve security and health gadgets. Apple and enterpriseApple also made inroads into the enterprise market, though its biggest move technically happened in Q4 fiscal year 2014. The company formed an exclusive partnership with IBM on a major initiative to bring more iOS devices and solutions to the workplace. As part of the deal, IBM will develop more than 100 industry-specific apps developed exclusively for Apple's mobile devices. As part of its iOS 8 launch, Apple unveiled new features designed specifically for enterprise developers. Upgrades included automatic device enrollment and enhanced data protection. The enhancements enable organizations to have iOS devices pre-loaded with relevant mail, apps and calendar installations. Apple is expected to make several acquisitions in the upcoming quarter as well.        | | Microsoft revenues up thanks to Cloud services, Nokia brings a hit Jul 22nd 2014, 21:22, by klee 
Despite Microsoft appearing to be in the dumps after laying off some 18,000 employees and shuttering Xbox Entertainment Studios the company has announced some profitable fourth quarter numbers. The Redmond company announced its revenues for the quarter ending on June 30 peaked at $23 billion (about £13 billion, AU$24 billion), up 18% compared to last year. As Microsoft came to own Nokia, phone hardware contributed $1.99 billion (about £1.1 billion, AU$2 billion) to Microsoft's yearly revenue. However, expenses relating to the purchase amounted to $127 million (about £74m, AU$135m) and resulted in Microsoft missing earnings per share expectations. Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood noted the company is going through evolutionary changes that are "painful" but "necessary." Although Hood didn't directly address Microsoft's recent downscaling actions, these comments seem to allude to an explanation for them. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella shared some much more pointed comments explaining it has decided to focus specifically on games for the Xbox One. However, we could see Microsoft's music and video ambitions expanded to a wider audience on PCs and laptops. Whipping cloudsThe operating system maker also noted the strong quarter was driven by a push into cloud services. This includes everything from Windows 8.1's cloud syncing, and 5.6 million Office 365 Home and Personal subscribers. Nadella also announced Microsoft is doubling down on Xbox One's cloud-enhanced gaming and enterprise-grade cloud services called Azure. The Microsoft head said his company is doubling capacity on Azure servers as well as expanding to new territories, including Brazil and Japan. Even Bing is pulling some numbers with US search share growing to 19.2% whilst advertising revenue through the search engine increasing by 40%. Nadella said in the future Microsoft will continue to merge its business and professional software solutions together as it did with combining Link into Skype as well as turning Outlook into its sole email client. Microsoft, the hardware companyOf course Microsoft isn't just a software company. In the financial report the company revealed Surface revenue reached $409 million (about £239m, AU$435m) aided by second-generation Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 devices, along with the recent launch of Surface Pro 3. The Xbox One is also fairing ever so slightly better as well with revenue increasing to $104 million (about £60m, AU$110m). Microsoft says it has sold 100,000 more consoles than the 1 million units it sold last year.        | | Apple's strong Q3 driven by iPhone and Mac sales Jul 22nd 2014, 20:47, by Juan Martinez 
During a quarter in which Apple bought Beats, launched new desktop and mobile operating systems and released its cheapest iMac ever, the company also increased revenue, grew profits and sold more iPhones and Macs than last year. Apple sold 35.2 million iPhones and 4.4 million Macs, an increase of 13% and 18% compared with Q3 of 2013, respectively. It wasn't all rosy for Apple. iPad sales fell for the second straight quarter, to 13.3 million, a decrease of 9%. Apple's revenue also fell short of Wall Street expectations by about $600 million dollars. Dollars and centsApple posted quarterly revenue of $37.4 billion (about £21.9b, AU$39.8b) during the third quarter of 2014, an increase of 6% compared with the same quarter last year. Apple also reported a net profit of $7.7 billion (about £4.5b, AU$8.2b) during the quarter, an 11% increase compared with last year. Operating expenses increased 16% to $4.4 billion (about £2.5b, AU$4.68b) during the quarter. "Our record June quarter revenue was fueled by strong sales of iPhone and Mac and the continued growth of revenue from the Apple ecosystem," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, in an earnings statement. "We are incredibly excited about the upcoming releases of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, as well as other new products and services that we can't wait to introduce." Apple's fourth quarterDuring the final quarter of Apple's fiscal year, it is expected to introduce a new iPhone and to provide consumers with a better idea of how the Beat enterprise will fit into it's overall ecosystem. The iPhone 6 is the most anticipated smartphone ever. Industry experts predict the phone will be released in September of this year. Apple is also expected to announce the iWatch at some point during 2014. However, it is immediately unclear if and when this will happen. Apple's busy third quarter During the third quarter of 2014, Apple purchased Beats for $3 billion (about £1.79b, AU$3.25b). The deal included Beats Music, the company's streaming subscription music service, as well as its Beats Electronics hardware and audio software. Apple also introduced its cheapest iMac to hit the market. The new model, a low-power 21.5-inch iMac for $1,099 (about £899, AU$1349), reduced the cost of Apple's most affordable model by $200. The iMac comes with a 1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, Intel HD Graphics 5000 and a 500GB hard drive. At its annual developers conference, Apple also introduced Yosemite and iOS 8, which will feature tighter Mac integration, looser restrictions on Apple's Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and new software kits designed to improve security and health gadgets. Apple and the enterprise marketApple also made inroads into the enterprise market. The company formed an exclusive partnership with IBM on a major initiative to bring more iOS devices and solutions to the workplace. As part of the deal, IBM will develop more than 100 industry-specific apps developed exclusively for Apple's mobile devices. As part of its iOS 8 launch, Apple unveiled new features designed specifically for enterprise developers. Upgrades included automatic device enrollment and enhanced data protection. The enhancements enable organizations to have iOS devices pre-loaded with relevant mail, apps and calendar installations. Apple is expected to make several acquisitions in the third quarter. At the beginning of Q3, Apple said it would raise $17 billion (about £10b, or AU$18.3b) in a bond offering. The cash generated would reportedly be used to fund a share buyback and to initiate a round of acquisitions. During Q2, Apple sold 43.7 million iPhones and 16.3 million iPads.        | | Half-baked Amazon Wallet slips in ahead of Fire Phone launch Jul 22nd 2014, 17:53, by klee 
The Amazon Fire Phone is just days away from launching and to head off the big release, Amazon has introduced a new digital payment system. The Amazon Wallet quietly launched into a beta on the Amazon app store with limited functionality, at least at the start. Currently users can only store and use loyalty and gift cards from multiple large retail stores and restaurant chains. Users perusing Amazon's digital shelves can also store their credit card, debit card and checking account information on the app. The Amazon Wallet app is still well behind other digital wallet options like PayPal and Google Wallet. However, this is only a beta and it could be a very early look of what Amazon has planned for its own digital payment system. Amazon Wallet will come pre-loaded on the Fire Phone, but anyone interested in trying it out can download the app from the Amazon App or Google Play Store. Pick and buyOne of the most unique (and somewhat dangerous) features of Amazon's Fire Phone is its ability to recognize real-world objects using its camera and then pull a store listing for them. As shopping is an instrumental part of Fire Phone's experience, more mobile payment options will almost assuredly follow soon. Until then, stay tuned for more news on the Fire Phone as we get closer to its July 25 release date.        | | Apple thinks people are really going to want both sizes of the iPhone 6 Jul 22nd 2014, 17:26, by JR Bookwalter 
Apple apparently knows you want a new iPhone, and Cupertino could be ramping up orders with partner factories across Asia to produce an unprecedented amount of handsets for this fall's big launch. The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple may be gearing up for "its largest initial production run" ever with the forthcoming iPhone 6, an increase largely attributed to the smartphone being available in dual screen sizes. Last year's iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C models combined conjured up an initial order somewhere between 50 million and 60 million units, but Apple appears to be aiming much higher with this year's iPhone refresh. According to unnamed "people familiar with the matter," Cupertino is calling for suppliers to pump out between 70 million and 80 million handsets, which are expected to be available in both 4.7- and 5.5-inch models. Big devices, big demandSupply chain insiders claim the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 could be in short supply at launch due to Apple's use of sapphire crystal displays instead of glass and more complicated in-cell technology, which integrates sensors into the screen for a thinner, lighter handset. To compensate for a reportedly higher failure rate of such displays, sources reveal Apple has tasked component suppliers to prepare up to 120 million units by the end of 2014, offering some breathing room in the supply chain. Cupertino made a similar request for last year's iPhone 5S, due to the sensitive Touch ID component. As any technology pundit will tell you, Apple will be joining the so-called phablet craze somewhat late in the game, but analysts have been beating the drum for months in advance of what is believed to be pent-up demand for larger iPhones. Expected to launch by mid-September, the iPhone 6 will reportedly feature "metal cases similar to the iPhone 5S," with recent leaks revealing more rounded edges matching the iPad Air and iPad mini 2 with Retina Display.        | | Shock horror: iOS 8 Control Center in not-so-drastic makeover scandal Jul 22nd 2014, 14:58, by James Rogerson 
iOS 8 isn't yet ready for public consumption yet, as Apple's still tweaking it and ironing out the bugs. But thanks to the existence of a developer preview, it's a fairly open process with changes arriving in each new build. The latest version, iOS 8 beta 4, has just landed, and while most of the changes are aimed at stability and squashing the aforementioned bugs, there is one visual change which particularly stands out: the humble Control Center. Functionally it's the same as ever, but eagle-eyed observers will notice that the black borders around icons are gone and that the circles are filled with white when activated, whereas in the current version the black border and the icon itself turns white. This changes everything. Again. May not be finalIt's a minor alteration that's unlikely to cause too much division. Personally we're not sure it was a change for the better as we like the relative subtlety of the old style. It's worth noting though that there's no guarantee it will still look like this come release. Apple is regularly making changes to the preview build so it may well change it again before the final version arrives. But while nothing is set in stone this could well be the future look of Control Center.        | |
No comments:
Post a Comment