- Part 21

Sony Announces Xperia ZR – Waterproof Smart Phone

Sony unveils a waterproof smart phone Xperia ZR that allows underwater photography down to 5 feet of depth. Just like Xperia Z, this new smart phone Xperia ZR is waterproof and dust-resistant. This Smartphone can survive underwater for 30 minutes and can take pictures and full HD videos with a 13-megapixel camera. Its dedicated camera key also allows you to take a shot even if the phone is locked.

Technical specifications:
1.5 GHz Qualcomm APQ8064 quad-core processor with an MDM9215 modem.
Dimensions: 131.3 x 67.3 x 10.5 mm
2 GB RAM
Screen – 4.6” display with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels.
13 MP camera with 16x digital zoom and Exmor RS technology

Features of Xperia ZR:

Durable design: This device can be a perfect companion in and out of the water. Combined with a dedicated camera key, the waterproof capabilities let you shoot videos in Full HD, capturing the sharpest visuals. Xperia ZR also features Battery STAMINA mode, which improves the standby time by automatically shutting down battery draining apps.

Outstanding viewing experience: The super-sharp 4.6’’ HD reality display powered by Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 uses the contrast enhancement technology from Sony’s range of BRAVIA TVs. Xperia ZR’s OptiContrast panel lessens reflections and provides clearer viewing, even in sunlight, and creates a flawless black surface when the phone is turned off.

Smart stereo Bluetooth headset: Complementing the Xperia ZR is the new smart stereo Bluetooth headset. The stereo Bluetooth Headset SBH50 is an advanced, app-enabled wireless headset built-in FM radio, OLED display and one-touch connection for wireless audio streaming. Just touch the Xperia ZR once to the headset to instantly pair the devices with NFC technology and start listening music.
For more information visit http://cnet.co/1262vjs

iPad Hassle-Free Remote Desktop Apps

In the App Store, remote desktop apps are considered to be a very popular category. If looking for hassle-free set up, check out the ones I’ve listed below, which are all free and can connect to your desktop computer with the least amount of hassles.

Team Viewer: This does a solid job of connecting a responsive interface with your desktop. It also contains various signature features which are designed to appeal your business such as communication using VOIP, video, chat, and teleconferencing, file transfer and remote printing, and support for firewalls and routers.

PocketCloud: PocketCloud is a remote desktop that lets you sign in with a Google account which eliminates having to go through the highly infuriating process of creating another online account. This app will take some time to download the desktop components but is worth the wait. You can access your files, pictures, applications, and games remotely on any device you have like a PC, MAC, iPad, iPhone, or Android device.

Splashtop: It’s the most recognizable name when it comes to remote connectivity. You can view and edit files remotely without downloading them, operate your applications from the remote device, stream your music or videos, and play your games.

LogMeIn: offers a hassle-free path to connecting your computer remotely. There’s a robust file storage system that allows for copying and sharing folders and files among computers or other connected devices. The interface allows you to drag and drop multiple documents or folders and move them where you wish among your devices. Additionally, LogMeIn has a Pro service that’s tiered to connecting up to 25 computers or tablets within a company. Prices begin at $69.95 per device, but drops as low as $39.96 depending on how many devices you connect. For more information, Visit http://bit.ly/17AFk4p

Are you a Keyboard Lover? QWERTY Comes to BlackBerry 10!

In the modern age of touchscreen technology such as iPhone and the iPad, are keyboards still relevant? The answer could prove essential to its future. BlackBerry Q10 is a smartphone with a physical key board that people can buy today! Q10 is a stunning piece of hardware with state of the art smartphone technology, which the keyboard connects with in such very important ways. Every keyboard lover will definitely enjoy and take advantage of the BlackBerry Q10.

The design of the BB Q10 looks exactly like a classic BlackBerry, but more convenient and smooth to use. If we talk about older BB mobile phones, they worked well as a phone but quite frustrating when trying to run apps, surf the internet, etc.

Specification

The Q10’s square-shaped screen measures 3.1 inches diagonal with 720 x 720 resolution, giving it a pixel density of 328 pixels per inch (ppi), or roughly the same as the iPhone 5. The screen is an AMOLED display, BlackBerry’s first, though I didn’t find its brightness or contrast to be that impressive. It’s certainly a capable screen, but an iPhone 4S is more astonishing at maximum brightness. So was the Z10. On the inside, the Q10 packs a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage (which you can augment with a microSD card), radios for dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and near-field communication, and 4G LTE connectivity — basically, the exact same capabilities as the Z10. It’s good to see BlackBerry didn’t scrimp. This phone is as much a flagship as its full-screen brother. For more information visit http://usat.ly/11Jclq6

BB Q10 is as good as BlackBerry’s old Curve models. It also brings back the ability to get extreme in your alert customizations. The first time you boot the device, this new model Q10 shows you how to gesture. It’s pretty basic.

Avoid the Hassle – Convert Your Phone or Smartphone into a Burner Phone

Recently a person (Sam) listed his Nokia Lumia phone for sale online. After making a plan to meet a buyer, he visited an AT&T store to wipe his phone clean of personal data. But unfortunately, the process killed his phone. He then let the buyer know what had happened who, apparently angered by the cancelled deal, began sending absurd messages to his personal number. What did he do to eliminate this problem? He used the Burner, an effective app that lets people create disposable numbers that they can give out in place of their actual number. Burner released an app for Android phones and a major update for the iPhone.

Burner offers similar secrecy without the need for another phone. Instead of tossing the phone, you delete the phone number the app has generated. In fact, anonymous numbers come in handy for a variety of actions, such as getting quotes on a service when you don’t want follow-up calls, or maybe first dates when you’re actually not sure if there will be a second one.

Burner numbers aren’t free, but they’re flexible. For instance, $1.99 will buy a Mini Burner, a number that will last for seven days, 20 talk minutes or 60 texts, whichever comes first. A burner can be extended by buying additional in-app credits before it expires. Those who need a number that lasts longer and handles more traffic can spend $4.99 for a 60-day number or a 30-day number that can be used for 90 minutes or 270 texts. You can “burn” a number at any time, which will delete it straight away and take it out of service. The Burner app includes voicemail and an inbox that works a lot like those in your regular service. You’ll see a list of recent calls and a list of all calls. You can favorite calls by tapping a star icon and you can record a voicemail messages that callers hear when they dial your Burner numbers. For more information visit http://on.mash.to/Zjkhxw

AOptix – The First Biometric Scanning Tool for iPhone

Smartphones are the most acclaimed communication devices among the types of mobile phone. The bulk of smartphones nowadays let users access entertainment in various channels, be it audio or video. In other ways, smartphones have an individual potential to play digital music and video with only with few clicks on the keypad. The popularity of smartphones is growing rapidly, and because of functionality, it provides a new method for accessing the internet.

A new tool has been introduced for iPhone lovers – Biometric Scanning Tool

A California based tech company AOptix recently launched a tool that converts a regular iPhone into an intrepid biometrics-scanning tool. This wrap-around device turns your smartphone device (iPhone) into a portable iris, face, fingerprint and most importantly, voice scanner.

The hardware and software system, the first of its kind for the iPhone, is called AOptix Stratus, which comprises both the iOS app — which will cost $199 — and a wrap around device for an iPhone 4 or 4S. The app uses the iPhone camera to snap pictures of faces and record voices, while there’s an extra camera that does iris scanning and a small sensor to scan fingerprints. AOptix will also release a software development kit to its customers so they can customize the app to their own needs. In February, the Department of Defense paid AOptix $3 million to develop an enhanced solution using the tool, which launches today. The idea behind this system is to make biometrics recognition easier and mobile. Think of a border protection agency that could use iris recognition at an airport’s customs checkpoint, or a police or law enforcement agency that needs to verify identities on the go and can’t afford large, cumbersome hardware to do so.

Countries like India, where national ID programs are running to give every citizen a unique number somewhat linked to the biometric tool, could also be the target customers for making their services faster and hassle-free.

T- Mobile Introduces New Pricing Plans in the U.S.

T- mobile has come up with a new marketing strategy to lure potential customers to purchase cell phones with newly revamped pricing plans. T-mobile is a relatively new to experimenting with new ideas to grab the attention of buyers. The aim is to keep ahead in the race of Mobile service providers. Lets see the vital changes that T-mobile has made in its plans and how does it fair against the other Mobile service providers such as AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Sprint.

The most noteworthy modification that T-mobile has made is tha it has broken down the main price of the cell phone from the monthly service fee. The company has come with an installment plan strategy to sell the phone at a larger scale and capture maximum market. They have planned to stop their 2- year service contracts and changed it with a 2- year financing contract. For example, now if you have to buy an iPhone 5 from T-mobile, you would have to pay an initial down payment of $100 and the rest of the phone payment would be in small monthly installments of $20 for a period of 2 years.

The service fees are exclusive of this installment plan. An iPhone buyer has to pay another $50 per month installment for talk time, SMS and 500 MB of Internet data. For additional internet data, a customer has to pay an extra $10 for 2 GB increase. For unlimited data, a customer has to pay $20 only. The only catch is, if a customer leaves the service of T-mobile within the 2 year contract, he/she have to continue paying $20 per month, until the time period of the contract finishes.

Let’s see some Good and Bad points of T-mobile new market plans:

GOOD – Plans are generally cheaper than the other service providers. There is an option of early payment, if you don’t want to opt for the monthly installment plan. You get an unlimited data plan with just $20 and faster “4G” services.

BAD – Data coverage is poor in rural areas and its LTE doesn’t have access to low frequencies as compared to AT&T and Verizon Wireless.

Final verdict – This seems to be a great initiative by T-mobile as people with minimum wage can now afford a high end SmartPhone at reasonable monthly installment plans. Still, it’s too early to comment on this new market strategy from T-mobile and how it will influence the competition. Don’t worry, we will keep you posted.

NOKIA Lumia 920 – An Elegant and Robust Windows Phone

The Lumia 920 is the latest flagship phone from Nokia with an elegant design and tough exterior. The solid body is built out of a polycarbonate unibody shell making it a little heavy when you start comparing it with other Smartphones in its class.

Nokia promises to have built in the best camera technology for this phone. The best attribute of this phone would be its camera with a Carl Zeiss lens and the PureView technology with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). What sets Nokia Lumia aside from all the other phones in its competition is its operating system. It runs Windows 8 OS on board and it seems to be extremely efficient when it comes to the ease of access and user experience. It does have a learning curve for first time users, but once you get used to it, you’ll find it to have the best user friendly and unique user interface of any smartphone.

Quick Specifications:

4.5-inch HD screen
Dual-core, 1.5GHz processor with 1GB RAM
Windows Phone 8 Operating System
Storage capacity is 32GB
As far as connectivity is concerned it has 4G, Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC, Bluetooth, Qi wireless charging.
8.7 megapixel rear camera with Pureview technology.

The 920 doesn’t inherit the 808’s incredible 41-megapixel titan of a sensor. The 920’s 1/3-inch sensor is par for the course in a contemporary phone; we can’t expect any miracles in the noise department. However, Nokia is positioning the 920 as a low-light champ. It claims it earns its PureView badge with a fast F2.0 lens and optical image stabilization that keeps the camera unit steady at low shutter speeds, soaking up light while avoiding blur from shaky hands. And like the 808, the 920 has true multi-aspect-ratio support. It looks pretty good on paper. We put the phone through its paces to see how it does in the real world. For more information, visit (http://connect.dpreview.com/post/9128863653/nokia-lumia-920-camera-review-first-look)

The Nokia Lumia 920 has recently won the Reader’s Choice Smartphone of the Year Award in the Engadget Awards 2012. Partnering with AT&T, it is surely going to capture the U.S. market. For those of who got bored using the same old OS in other smartphones, this is a time to change and experience something new.

Sony Reveals a Mid- Range Smartphone – Xperia SP

Sony recently unveiled a mid-range smartphone, the Xperia SP, to target the larger masses in this highly competitive market of smartphones. This innovative phone from Sony promises to be the miniature version of the high-end Sony Xperia Z smartphone.

Sony Xperia SP has an aluminum frame around its plastic body which produces a sturdy but exquisite look. This phone is powered by a 1.7 GHz Qualcomm MSM8960 Pro dual core processor with 1 GB RAM. The phone also flaunts a stunning 4.6 inch HD display with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels. It has an 8-megapixel Exmor RS rear facing camera that can shoot high definition video at 1080p. The best feature of this smartphone would be its battery life. It has a 2370 mAh battery which Sony claims can provide up to 10 hours and 25 minutes of talk time.

Some of the other key features of Sony Xperia SP are:

8GB internal memory (5.8GB user-accessible) expandable up to 32GB via MicroSD.
VGA front facing camera for video calls.
3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, EDGE, GPRS, GPS, LTE.
Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean).
GPU -Adreno 320

The Sony Xperia SP will be available worldwide in three colors: white, red and black. The company has announced that this smartphone would be available to the people in the second quarter of 2013. While the initial pricing at Europe and the U.K. have been announced, the pricing in the U.S.A. is yet to be confirmed. So, keep checking out this blog for further information on Sony Xperia SP. You can also check out this recent video posted by Xperia^TMSP at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgA4YCAIGBI&feature=player_embedded

The Much Anticipated Phone of the Year Has Finally Arrived – SAMSUNG Galaxy S IV

It was a great day in New York. This day was 14^th March 2013, when Samsung introduced its latest technological marvel, the Samsung Galaxy S IV. The event was a huge hit. Thousands of people were entertained by a live orchestra. Samsung invited seventeen actors to display the amazing features of this phone in a series of theatrically scripted performances.

Considering the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, we knew that the S4 wasn’t going to be small. With dimensions of 69.8mm x 136.6mm and 7.9mm thick, it’s surprisingly thinner than the S3 and feels far from big to hold. Weighing it at 130g, it’s heavier than the iPhone 5 (112g) and lighter than Sony Xperia Z (146g). But, the extra heft of Samsung Galaxy S4 gives a reassuring feel in the hand. Read more at (http://bit.ly/WrNIjc).

Some of the great features in Samsung’s Galaxy S4 are:

A big 5-inch HD screen with 440 PPI
A 13-megapixel rear camera and a front-facing 2-megapixels camera, including new features such as Dual shot and Drama Shot.
Exynos OCTO 1.6 Ghz processor with 2 GB RAM

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is the latest innovation from Samsung. Samsung has managed to build a bigger 5 inch HD screen into a body slightly smaller than its previous Galaxy S3 phone. The Galaxy S4 has certain features that will give tough competition to Blackberry as well. This new Flagship phone from Samsung has all the required specifications that can give tough competition to Apple’s iPhone 5 and could easily become the king of all the Android powered Smartphones.

Android – Leading the Smartphone App. World

In the recently conducted 4-day Mobile World Congress 2013, it was clear to all the Smartphone developing industries that this is going to be a highly competitive year for them. With almost every Smartphone being technically flawless, the pressure falls to the application developers. The latest ABI Research predicts that Smartphone app downloads would reach around 56 billion in 2013. According to the research data:

‘Android’ leads with its 58 percent share in the app world.
In second place, there is ‘iOS’ which has a share of 33 percent.
Windows phone has secured around a 4 percent share.
And finally, BlackBerry is at 3 percent.

ABI also predicts a growing number of Smartphone-focused developers will adopt an Android-first strategy within the year due to the platform’s “vast installed base and the generally improved conditions in app building.” This is something that has been widely trumpeted for a while now but has yet to surface given Google’s fragmentation problem.

We can assume that Google will actually benefit from Android being the front runner in app development. Android’s open design and easily re-programmable firmware has prompted the app developers to work more extensively towards customized apps. It has provided the developers an open ground to work on. They can make their customers a more user friendly interface which can be restructured and upgraded any time. This kind of flexibility from Android has attracted a large number of people. Thus, making the Android powered Smartphone a success.