New iPhone probably 3.5" display

Earlier this week, we looked into reports that the new iPhone may have a larger display, moving things up into the 4.6-inch range.  Change like that sounds a bit hard to swallow, and not everyone's convinced it could be a possibility. We have been hearing a different story from our sources about the new iPhone.

The most recent news they've heard from their sources indicates that  apple was still primarily looking at a 3.5-inch display for the next iPhone as of a month ago. Although they didn't flat-out discount the possibility of a larger display, and note that Apple hadn't yet internally committed to a size, staying at or close to 3.5 inches looked most likely. 

Of course, we've been hearing "LTE" for the next iPhone, and honestly, it would be a surprise to see the phone arrive without it at this point. The only other feature their sources have been discussing for the model is a new, smaller dock, rather than the 30 pin connector we're used to. 

Presumably, we'll get the official word on the next iPhone sometime this fall. 

HTC Vivid With Ice Cream Sandwich Starts Today

This time last week, we had already seen the release of HTC's Ice cream sandwich  update for the Raider and had just told you about a trick owners of the Vivid on AT&T could use to try their luck at pulling down the update a little early. If that failed for you, or you've been patient enough to wait for the official release, HTC's US division has tweeted its announcement that the update is finally becoming available to A&T subscribers through official channels, starting as of today. 

In addition to HTC making its announcement, AT&T has updated its support pages for the Vivid to provide users with information on the upgrade to Ice cream sandwich. Besides the standard changes that all users transitioning to Android 4.0 will see, the Vivid gets some HTC extras with this update. But we've got Sense on there, which will be the 3.6 version we're seeing tied to other Ice cream sandwich updates, but the Vivid will also get firmware based Beats Audio tweaks, with custom sound processing when listening to music over headphones or an external speaker. 

If notification of this update doesn't hit your Vivid today, since it's presumably going out in waves to different groups of users, you can always try your luck at the dialer hack to see if the update doesn't just need a little encouragement to show itself. 

Nokia Applies for Patent For Vibrating Tattoo

It has been reported that last September Nokia would create, "a material attachable to skin, the material capable of detecting a magnetic field and transferring a perceivable stimulus to the skin, wherein the perceivable stimulus relates to the magnetic field."  
Basically the tattoo would vibrate for a phone call or SMS message!

"The tattoo would be applied using ferromagnetic inks. The ink material would first be exposed to high temperatures to demagnetize it. Then the tattoo would be applied. You'll apparently be able to choose the actual image you want as the tattoo. The procedure is identical to that of getting a 'normal' tattoo—only the ink is special."

Untethered Jailbreak New Ipad

Unlimited Data 5 Dollars

How much are Americans getting ripped off by their carries for data?  Telus, a Canadian company, is now offering unlimited, yes truly unlimited data for just 5 bucks a month without the underlying threat of throttling once that magic number is reached.  Let's let our carriers (AT&T, Verizon) know that their plans are not acceptable!

Nokia vs Android vs Microsoft

In a number of gray-hat promotion goes since the end of Jan, Nokia’s CEO, Stephen Elop, first bashed the Operating system environment, decrying its fragmentation, then went on to declare that quad-core mobile phones are uncalled for, as they greatly decrease power supply.

In a Pocket-lint appointment published again in mid-January, Elop was fast to point out that Htc has a powerful wish to identify their upcoming mobile phones as an substitute to both the iPhone and Operating system mobile phones. He also eventually left the impact that Htc is designed to further enhance its connection with Microsoft’s Enthusiasm windows Mobile phone 7 OS. Going on to choose on their greatest competition, Operating system, Nokia’s CEO said: “We never want fragmentation being presented into Enthusiasm windows Mobile phone because we are starting to see how in a certain other eco-system that fragmentation becomes a problem.”

In a appointment published on the same day as the above described conditions, this time in a conversation with TechRadar, Nokia’s Elop tried to challenge the technical fulfillment of having quad-core processor chips in a mobile phone. In what exactly is obviously a promotion shift meant to secure the recognition of the 1.4GHz single-core Qualcomm CPU used in the first three Htc WP7 mobile phones, Elop said: “You never need a quad-core phone unless you want to keep your arms heated in your wallet. We’re followers in the encounter so, excellent you have this dslr camera solidity and you have that dslr camera solidity. We will put the images side-by-side and we’ll display which ones are better.” If it seems like the quotation above does not make that much feeling, relax assured: you are not alone!

Finnish cellphone manufacturer Htc is the best example of an once-glorious company that somehow handled to reduce hold of a large piece  of market. On decrease for the last several years, Htc definitely had a exclusive strategy to mobile phones, one that not a lot of clients (especially those from the US) seemed to recognize with, as revenue results recommend. As a fast refresher, Htc determined to quit using their in-house Symbian OS, convinced by a significant $1 million cope with Enthusiasm to shift to Enthusiasm windows Mobile phone 7. Before the cope was declared, many were expecting that the #1 cellphone manufacturer in the world will leap on the Operating system train.

Nokia Lumia Q&A

Here is an interesting Q&A posted at Nokia Connects about Nokia's Lumia 900. It is interesting for us to watch Nokia rise from the ashes:


Q: Why is there no 3D Gorilla glass on the Lumia 900 as on the Lumia 800?

A: We do have Gorilla Glass on the 900 but not the curved glass, this is to maintain balance for thinness and weight.

Q: The Global Lumia 900 is tweaked for HSPA networks outside the US, but if I travel to the US, will it work on LTE networks??

A: No the global variant won’t work on LTE in the US.

Q: Will the 900 come with pentaband radio?

A: No it won’t.

Q: Does the Lumia 900 support the upcoming major Apollo update?

A: We cannot comment on unannounced platform releases, but regarding Lumia 900 updates, we are committed to delivering the best user experience which includes in-market support with updates and features throughout the life of the product.

Q: How soon will we know worldwide availability of the Lumia 900? I’m thinking in markets like South Africa?

A: Worldwide distribution will be confirmed in the second quarter of 2012.

Q: From a design standpoint, I’ve found that not using the cover can lead to scratches on the chrome element around the camera on the Lumia 800, has that been taken into account for the 900?

A: It’s the same design on the 900 as on the 800.

Q: Is the camera on the Lumia 900 better than that on the Lumia 800?

A: The Lumia 900 incorporates camera optimisation for focus and colour balance.

Q: When will the tethering update for the Lumia devices be pushed out?

A: It will be in coming soon for 800 and 710 via Zune update, for 610 and 900 it will be available at launch.

Q: The 900 with its Dual HSPA+ support means better network reception and speeds perhaps… how does that play out for the battery… since the Lumia 800 does not run through the battery?

A: The 900 has a bigger battery, which is optimised for HSPA+ and LTE as well as for a bigger display.

Q: Are we going to see any Nokia 41mp camera phones running windows phone anytime soon?

A: We don’t comment on future releases but we do expect to be leaders to imaging space and bring this innovation into future products.

Q: Does the 900 have the same audio hardware as the 800 or has it been improved? I also find the speaker volume low on the 800, is it better on the 900?

A: It’s the same speaker module on the Lumia 900 as the 800 but based on feedback from the market we have improved the audio tunings.

Q: Are the improvements to the audio tunings on the Lumia 900 to do with hardware or software?

A: It’s a combination of both

Q: When can we expect the Lumia 900 in the US?

A: Lumia 900 will be available with AT+T in the coming months.

Q: When will we start to see more accessories for the Lumia phones?

A: We have DC16 portable chargers, soft and hard covers, play 360 speakers, and 2 monster headsets in all the same colours you see in the Lumia device range!

Q: With the Tango update will Nokia be able to replace the WP stock camera application with an in-house solution? I love the Lumia 800 but the camera application, especially the video recording part, is sub-par, so I was hoping for a better one from Nokia.

A: We can’t comment with anything concrete but we are always looking for ways to optimise the camera experience.

Q: Will there be a way to add a rule-of-thirds grid to the camera app?

A: Good suggestion – something we will speak to Microsoft about.

Q: Does the Lumia 900 have a full-screen viewfinder for video recording?

A: No it doesn’t at the moment we’re afraid – we will discuss this with Microsoft.

Q: Will the Lumia 800 also get GLONASS support?

A: That is a hardware limitation so no it will not.

Q: Will the 900 be available in the Australian market?

A: Yes but timing is not confirmed at the moment.

Q: Will all high-end Nokia Windows phone devices have the same/similar design to the Lumia 800 & 900?

A: We can’t comment on future designs but we’re really pleased with the reception to the award-winning polycarb design

Q: The Lumia 800 won’t get GLONASS support like you said…what improvement do we see on the 900 in terms of pinpointing, since the Lumia 800 was giddily fast at locating…?

A: With GLONASS we do see greater accuracy plus there is better cover as you can rely on GPS and/or GLONASS systems.

Q: Will the improved audio management be made available also for the 800?

A: Any software improvements on the Lumia 900 will be applicable to the 800 in the future


Q: Are you guys going to include the features of Nokia Suite with Zune or will you guys integrate the Lumia line-up with the Nokia Suite?

A: Zune is fully capable as a data transfer and backup client for WP so any improvements to it would come via MSFT.

Q: I know you were asked about pentaband already, but what is the reason that your Symbian 3 devices are all pentaband and your Lumia’s so far haven’t been? Is this a chipset/hardware issue and would you do pentaband windows phones if you could?

A: We’re using a Qualcomm engine in Lumia products and no other OEM using the same chipset supports pentaband either.

Q: The biggest question most of the readers on my blog have had is the lack of being able to set custom tones for all kinds of alerts… does the 900 look into this?

A: You can set specific ringtones per person; if you mean something else can you elaborate?

Q: I meant for alarms, SMS and other audio supported alerts….

A: In the current WP 7.5 with extended capabilities these features are not available, MSFT is fully aware of the customisation feedback.

Q: Will AT&T Lumia run on a European network?

A: Yes!

Q: Is there going to be a big advertising campaign for these products as for the Lumia 80? Will we see some other #amazing moments?

A: Yes!

Q: When can we see music controlled headsets for the Lumia devices?

A: In the current WP version there isn’t support for that but what comes in the future is up to MSFT.

Q: Will there be further differentiation from the standard WP with the Lumia 900? If so what can we expect?

A: At Mobile World Congress, we announced several key areas of WP differentiation: Design, Imaging, Nokia Drive (voice-guided turn by turn navigation), Nokia Transport, Nokia Reading, Nokia Music (Mix Radio).

Q: Are you planning to integrate the Lumias to Nokia PC Suite?

A: No. The Nokia Lumia range will only be compatible with Microsoft synching solutions