Is the X Phone a buttress against Samsung success?
There's reportedly a disturbance in the Android force, one that's got Google shaking in its Chrome-toed boots.
Samsung is said to be the progenitor of Mountain View's angst as the Galaxy maker continues to overshadow the rest of Android market.
Great news for the operating system and mobile ad revenues, but not so much for Google.
The news comes from the Wall Street Journal, which cited a 2012 meeting in which Andy Rubin, head of Android, extolled Samsung's success on the platform but warned that Google could find itself in an undesirable position if Samsung got a little too far ahead of its competitors.
What gives?
Samsung accounted for 39.6 percent of the global smartphone market last year, with most of those devices running some version of Android. Other Android makers - HTC, to name one - are struggling to stay afloat against the South Korean manufacturer and Apple.
According to the Journal, the fear is that as the top dog, Samsung may see space to demand more of Google than it would as a junior player.
Even more worrisome is the possibility that, like Amazon, Samsung could develop a homemade OS that borrows heavily from Google's system, creating a direct and likely gutsy competitor.
However, Google has a plan in place to slow Samsung, one that centers around Motorola Mobility. Rubin went so far as to call the purchase a hedge against Samsung's growing power.
Products made by Motorola under Google don't yet hold a candle to Samsung, yet there is hope, especially if future additions to the Nexus line and rumore X Phone give Google an edge on hardware.
How much longer these two are able to play nice will make for good viewing, too.
The iOS 6.1.3 beta 2 update from Apple won’t work with evasi0n, according to one of the developers behind the untethered jailbreak for iPhone 5 and newer iOS devices.
Apple’s latest beta, which the company began pushing to iOS developers late last week, patches one of the five bugs that the evasi0n jailbreak exploits, evasi0n creator David Wang told Forbes.
“If one of the vulnerabilities doesn’t work, evasi0n doesn’t work,” Wang said.
“We could replace that part with a different vulnerability, but [Apple] will probably fix most if not all of the bugs we’ve used when 6.1.3 comes out.”
Untethered jailbreak cat-and-mouse game
Apple’s undoing of the three-week-old untethered jailbreak doesn’t mean this is the end of the jailbreak store Cydia or custom software on iOS devices.
Wang told Forbes that his team of “evad3rs” found other bugs in the iOS platform besides the aforementioned five exploits, and could build an entirely new jailbreak based on them.
Yes, Apple’s move looks like it will be just the latest update in the ongoing cat-and-mouse game between the Cupertino company and the jailbreak community.
iOS 6.1.3 lockscreen fix
As the first untethered iOS 6 jailbreak, evasi0n was downloaded 270,000 times as soon as it went live. It continued to break records with almost 7 million downloads over the next four days.
While avid users of Cydia will want to avoid updating, the iOS 6.1.3 patch may be essential for other security-focused iPhone and iPad users.
Besides patching one of the five exploits used by the evasi0n untethered jailbreak, the iOS 6.1.3 update is set to fix the persistent lockscreen bug.
Even though Apple knew about this lockscreen bug before it released the iOS 6.1.2 update, users can still bypass the not-so-secure lockscreen without entering the “required” four-digit keycode.
Once again, the benefits of jailbreaking an iOS device come with giving up a little bit of security.
Palm wowed the world when it first unveiled the original Palm Pre with webOS, and everyone said that this could be the platform to take down the iPhone. That didn’t happen, but HP saw promise and decided to buy up that business to do the webOS thing itself. That didn’t work out either. We would think that webOS would be put out to pasture, but it has been supported by Open WebOS. And now, it’s getting another injection of possibilities.
After going through Palm and HP, webOS is now apparently being purchased by LG. The apparent plan is that webOS won’t appear on LG smartphones, but rather it will be used on LG Smart TVs. That’s the current plan, but LG isn’t ruling out the possibility that webOS could be adapted for their smartphones and tablets, too. That won’t be for a while though, as “we’ll apply this to the TV only” for the short term, said LG CTO Dr. Skott Ahn.
This also isn’t to say that LG is purchasing the entirety of webOS from Palm. It is acquiring the websites, documentation, source code and team for the client side, but it’s simply licensing other aspects like the webOS patents, apps catalog, updating system and several cloud-related components.
What’s interesting is that Dr. Ahn also mentioned that Android could be used “together” with webOS in some capacity, though he says the “cards” UI of webOS may provide a better user experience overall. Could this mean that the next skinned version of Android coming out of LG will utilize the webOS-inspired card system? And how will this be applied to the smart TV? I guess we’ll just have to wait and find out.
As much as you might love using an Android phone, there are a few things which as still easier with Apples. Media streaming is a prime example, thanks to Apple's AirPlay protocol.
This could change, if a new project partnership between chip-maker Qualcomm and music player doubleTwist bears fruit. Together they have created MagicPlay, a new open-standard streaming protocol which they are hoping OEMs will incorporate into the next generation of Android smartphones and tablets.
The MagicPlay technology is actually based on an older Qualcomm wireless concept called AllJoyn, which connects compatible (read: Qualcomm) chips creating peer-to-peer networks over short distances.
Wireless connectivity is something doubleTwist knows a thing or two about, having created th successful AirTwist wireless media syncing tool to complement the standard doubleTwist media player for Android phones. AirTwist connects with a client installed on PCs and updates the media library on your phone, so that you always have the most up-to-date music to listen to.
Any takers?
From here, Qualcomm will begin the uphill battle selling MagicPlay to the manufacturers and trying to convince them to use MagicPlay in their media apps rather than the older (and clunkier) DLNA protocol and the new (and considerably more streamlined) Miracast.
Either way, it's a win for consumers. After years of wishing the latest droid could dock and stream like the iPhone, we may finially see something resembling a standard that all the manufacturers can embrace; both in phones and in their home theatres and TVs, too.
There's something satisfying about pressing that giant 'Shazam' button
Shazam, the music-tagging app that tells you what you're listening to so you don't have to Google the lyrics, has surpassed 300 million users worldwide, the company announced on Monday.
That's no small feat - according to a report from Strategy Analytics, smartphone users totaled just over one billion as of October.
Any app used by almost a third of smartphone users can probably be considered a success.
To celebrate, Shazam announced plans to release redesigned apps for iPads and Android tablets "in the coming weeks."
More social than ever
We still use Shazam mainly to find out the names of whatever annoying new songs are playing on the radio and in bars, but the company announced that the new Shazam tablet apps will make social and mapping features more prominent.
Users of the new Shazam apps will be able to view activity streams to find out what songs and TV shows are being tagged most often and see what people are tagging in any city in the world.
Shazam CEO Andrew Fisher called it "the most efficient way to experience more of the media around you" in a press release on Monday.
The app will include a newly redesigned home screen that emphasizes social features, an interactive map that shows tags around the world, improved friend features, faster tagging, automatic re-submission if your initial tag attempts fail due to poor reception, and better integration with other social networks for easier sharing via Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Gmail.
Free users get some too
Shazam also announced that users of the free version of the app will be getting some nice bonuses soon as well: faster tagging and lyrics display for tagged songs.
The press release also mentioned that the iOS Shazam app is universal, so it seems as if the incoming iPad update will work on iPhones and iPods as well.
No word on whether the same applies to Android devices, but TechRadar has reached out to Shazam to find out. The company has yet to respond.
Mozilla will soon be joining the likes of Apple, Google and Microsoft with Firefox OS, the foundation’s first mobile operating system. The announcement came just ahead of Mobile World Congress where 18 operators from around the world have pledged support for Firefox OS.
Smartphones based on Firefox OS will be the first built entirely to open Web standards which means every feature can be developed as an HTML5 application, Mozilla said. The platform’s flexibility will allow carriers to easily configure devices to best match the needs of their customer base.
Despite Mozilla’s announcement, however, the big three likely won’t have much to worry about in the foreseeable future. That’s because Mozilla’s Firefox OS initiative is specifically targeting emerging markets. We are told that he first wave of Firefox OS devices will be available to buyers in Brazil, Colombia, Hungary, Mexico, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Spain and Venezuela.
The foundation is will be working with América Móvil, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Hutchison Three Group, KDDI, KT, MegaFon, Qtel, SingTel, Smart, Sprint, Telecom Italia Group, Telefónica, Telenor, TMN and VimpelCom. Mozilla says that Telstra is welcoming the opportunity to deliver an innovative web experience to their customers as well.
Alcatel (TCL), Huawei, LG and ZTE will be responsible for building the first phones using Firefox OS. All of the handsets will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon chips although specifications beyond that weren’t mentioned.
To support the platform, Mozilla also announced plans for a marketplace later this year. Customers will be able to buy apps and have them charged to their wireless bill through their mobile operator. It’s still very early on but we know that companies like Disney, EA, Facebook and Twitter will all have apps available for download.
Windows Phone's array of apps is growing, but still well short of big two
Ask an Android or iPhone loyalist why they aren't considering a switch to Windows Phone 8 and they'll probably reference the inferior app catalogue.
Well, if those same skeptics were to ask Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, he'd tell them that users of Microsoft's operating system now have 130,000 applications at their fingertips.
That's exactly what Elop did during Nokia's MWC 2013 keynote in Barcelona, where the Finnish company unveiled the affordable, mid-range Lumia 720 and Lumia 520 Windows Phone 8 devices.
Speaking on Microsoft's behalf Elop said: "Today we are proud to announce that we have achieved the level of 130,000 Windows Phone applications. That's 130,000 applications tailor made for the Windows Phone experience."
Quality and quantity
Of course, the figure still pales in comparison to iOS and Android - which are both hovering around the 750,000 mark - but it does represent solid progress for Microsoft in its attempts to attract the developer community.
Despite referencing the numbers, Elop still believes that it's more about the quality of the applications that have arrived as well as those Microsoft and Nokia are working to bring to the WP platform.
"Together with Microsoft we are bring unique experiences from some of the world's top brands to our phones. It is more than just about the volume of applications, we are also focussed on the quality of the application experience," Elop said.
"We are opening up our core technologies and APIs in areas like imaging and location-based service to the developers. We believe that access to these capabilities will inspire never before seen applications that will be unique to Nokia."
Nokia is hoping to crack the lower end of the market - an area where it has enjoyed the majority of its success - with its new Lumia 720 and Lumia 520 handsets, and open up Windows Phone 8 to a new group of consumers. Hopefully for both companies, an end to the app stigma will do the trick.
Windows Phone's array of apps is growing, but still well short of big two
Ask an Android or iPhone loyalist why they aren't considering a switch to Windows Phone 8 and they'll probably reference the inferior app catalogue.
Well, if those same skeptics were to ask Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, he'd tell them that users of Microsoft's operating system now have 130,000 applications at their fingertips.
That's exactly what Elop did during Nokia's MWC 2013 keynote in Barcelona, where the Finnish company unveiled the affordable, mid-range Lumia 720 and Lumia 520 Windows Phone 8 devices.
Speaking on Microsoft's behalf Elop said: "Today we are proud to announce that we have achieved the level of 130,000 Windows Phone applications. That's 130,000 applications tailor made for the Windows Phone experience."
Quality and quantity
Of course, the figure still pales in comparison to iOS and Android - which are both hovering around the 750,000 mark - but it does represent solid progress for Microsoft in its attempts to attract the developer community.
Despite referencing the numbers, Elop still believes that it's more about the quality of the applications that have arrived as well as those Microsoft and Nokia are working to bring to the WP platform.
"Together with Microsoft we are bring unique experiences from some of the world's top brands to our phones. It is more than just about the volume of applications, we are also focussed on the quality of the application experience," Elop said.
"We are opening up our core technologies and APIs in areas like imaging and location-based service to the developers. We believe that access to these capabilities will inspire never before seen applications that will be unique to Nokia."
Nokia is hoping to crack the lower end of the market - an area where it has enjoyed the majority of its success - with its new Lumia 720 and Lumia 520 handsets, and open up Windows Phone 8 to a new group of consumers. Hopefully for both companies, an end to the app stigma will do the trick.
The Lumia 720 is one of Nokia's just-announced cheaper Windows Phone 8 devices
The rumors were true - Nokia seized the global stage at Mobile World Congress this week to announce a new line of super affordable phones, including the Lumia 520.
But one Nokia executive on the convention floor revealed that even cheaper Lumia devices are a possibility.
Nokia's Hans Henrik Lund, vice president of smart devices marketing, spilled the beans to CNET.
The Lumia 520 was announced at the start of MWC at a cool €139 (US$183, UK£121, AU$178) price point, but Lund reportedly said that that's "not the lowest price point we can get to."
Nokia's hitting every price point
With its onset of Windows Phone 8 smartphones like the Lumia 820 and Lumia 920, Nokia has been focusing on the high end of the price spectrum.
But that changed on Monday when the Finnish phone company introduced the Lumia 520, Lumia 720, Nokia 105, and Nokia 301 to the world.
Astute readers will notice the lack of a "Lumia" in those last two names, and that's because they're not part of the Lumia line at all - they're not even smartphones, in fact.
It's unclear from the statements reported by CNET exactly what Lund was referring to when he said that the price could go lower, but given the context and the site's other details it does seem he was referring to cheaper Lumia devices.
Lund did explain that Nokia will likely stick with the multi-hued, polycarbonate motif for the time being.
As far as future devices, he didn't offer anything concrete, but said, "We see our future in having a family including devices at all price points." That's certainly been evident in its MWC announcements so far.
The ZTE Grand Memo has now officially be revealed at MWC. Even more exciting, this is the first officially announced Qualcomm Snapdragon 800-based smartphone.
Outside of the quad-core Snapdragon 800, the Grand Memo also features a 5.7-inch 720×1280 TFT display, a 13MP rear cam, front cam for video chat, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, 3200 mAh battery and LTE.
The ZTE Grand Memo certainly seems to pack quite a punch. On the software side we get Android 4.1, running ZTE’s skin, Mifavor UI on top. The UI is “specifically designed for smartphones” according to the release, though most users prefer a stock Android experience whenever they can – though most major vendors seem to ignore that fact.
So what do you think, are you excited about the Grand Memo or not? Share your thoughts below.
Sony is the fifth manufacturer to promise a Firefox OS device
Sony has thrown its considerable weight behind the new Mozilla Firefox mobile operating system, promising to launch its first device on the open source platform next year.
The Japanese manufacturer has teamed up with network Telefonica (which owns O2 in the UK) with the aim of bringing a device (or devices) running the HTML5-friendly software to market sometime in 2014.
The announcement came at MWC 2013 in Barcelona, where Sony and Telefonica revealed a multi-year deal for the latter to stock the former's Android-based Xperia devices in territories around the world.
Earlier today, Chinese manufacturer ZTE became the first company to reveal a Firefox-based handset with its 3.5-inch, entry-level ZTE Open device, which will go on sale later this year.
However, Sony's entry into the arena promises a more premium experience, with the company underlining the 'great potential' of Mozilla's mobile offering.
"At Sony Mobile we continue to evaluate innovative technologies that can help deliver the premium user experiences that Sony's consumers expect," said Bob Ishida, deputy CEO and head of products business group at Sony Mobile Communications.
"Our engineers are now working with Firefox OS Mobile and HTML5, evolving technologies which show great potential. In addition, we continue to work with our operator partners, including Telefónica, on a development project with an ambition to bring a product to market in 2014."
Tegra 4 — Nvidia’s “secret ingredient” for future smartphones — is now the world’s fastest mobile processor, if we are to believe the benchmarks that are coming in. The Tegra 4 appears to be capable of demolishing every other mobile processor out there.
The new chip’s power was showed off on a few prototype devices at the Mobile World Congress and it appears to be far better than the Tegra 3 and Qualcomm S4 processors currently out there. But how about Apple’s A6 processor, you ask? The Tegra 4 Skadooshed it.
But just as Nvidia claimed about its new chipset, Qualcomm also boasts about its Snapdragon 800 that it is faster than Tegra 4. We will have to wait until 800’s benchmarks are here to know for sure, and also there is Samsung’s Exynos 5 Octa to consider. The 1.7-GHz Snapdragon 600 chipset, 800’s little brother, on the HTC One was tested and we can see that the Tegra 4 is a clear winner.
For now, it’s safe to believe that the Tegra 4 is ahead in the race and we can wait for its arrival in Nvidia’s Project Shield, and don’t forget about the Tegra 4i powered Phoenix about which we reported earlier.
What do you prefer, Qualcomm or Nvidia processors?
Windows Blue, according to anonymous sources in touch with The Verge, is being targeted for an "aggressive" summer launch. The news outlet notes that Windows Blue just passed its "Milestone 1" build and says Win8China reported the first public preview of Windows Blue will arrive within the next "few months". If what Win8China reports is correct, Blue will also come bundled with Internet Explorer 11.
Microsoft's primary-colored "update" is purported to be a collection of tweaks and enhancements which aim to improve various aspects of Windows 8, RT, Server 2012 and Windows Phone 8. Alongside Windows 8-related platforms, complimentary services, like SkyDrive, are also expected to see changes courtesy of Blue.
The latest hearsay also suggests Blue will bring us IE11 and huge improvements to the Charms Bar search feature found on its Windows 8, RT and Server 2012 operating systems.
Purportedly, Bing will play a "big part" in Windows Blue, as the search engine's developers are working closely with the Blue project team. Meanwhile, past rumors stemming from a couple of job postings indicate the Windows Start Screen, customization and windowing features are all in line to see marked improvements.
When Microsoft cuts Blue loose later this year, affected platforms and services are expected to receive Blue's payload closely together, but not necessarily as a simultaneous release. Windows Blue is anticipated to be the progenitor of a paradigm-shift toward rapid-fire maintenance releases and platform homogenization across Microsoft's latest generation of products and services.
Among the flurry of news gusting out of MWC 2013 in Barcelona today, LG and HP have inked an agreement to transfer ownership of the open source webOS.
In joint press releases, both companies confirmed LG's purchase of the Palm-created and largely left for dead operating system from HP in a deal of undisclosed details.
After ditching the webOS-based TouchPad, HP is seemingly allowing the black sheep system to live on under a new owner.
LG's plans for its buy, at least to start, will center on the living room.
"To support its next-generation smart TV technology, LG has entered into a definitive agreement with HP to acquire the source code, associated documentation, engineering talent and related websites associated with webOS," the press release read.
Deal deets
In addition to the aforementioned, LG will also pick up licenses under HP's intellectual property, including patents from Palm that cover the fundamental operating system and user interface technologies.
HP may be the happiest of all as it releases the OS, cutting ties with a side of the operating system that it couldn't get off the ground while retaining ownership of Palm's cloud computing assets, including source code, talent, infrastructure and contracts.
"Today's announcement paves the way for continued innovation on the webOS platform and on LG's roadmap of innovative solutions for many years to come, while allowing HP to focus its resources on strategic business opportunities such as cloud computing," the release read.
Could we see the OS appear in smartphones at some point? We're waiting to hear back from LG if that's in the cards.
With the deal, LG plans to add Sunnyvale, Calif. and San Francisco, Calif. locations to its existing R&D cites. It's already set up shop in the U.S. in San Jose, Calif. and Chicago.
Under the agreement, LG will assume stewardship of the open source projects of Open webOS and Enyo. And Palm users need not fret they'll be left in the lurch: HP will continue to support them.
The LG Optimus L7 2 finds itself in a peculiar position as it sits at the top of the L-Series 2 range, but it's still a budget device.
LG is refreshing its bottom end offering at MWC 2013 with a trio of new devices taking over from their namesakes (minus the number 2) which launched at the same show last year.
All three are expected to launch during the second quarter of this year in markets across the world, and the Optimus L7 2 has been confirmed as coming to the UK, but it will arrive a bit later than the Optimus L5 2 and Optimus L3 2.
LG reckons the Optimus L7 II will retail for around £150-£160 (around $225-$240/AU$220-AU$235) SIM free, with contract prices likely to be around the £15 - £20 per month mark.
At first look the LG Optimus L7 2 could be mistaken for a premium handset thanks to its smart design, with the rounded corners reminding us a little of the Samsung Galaxy S3, only not quite as large.
Pick it up and you'll immediately recognise that relatively cheap plastic feel and the lack of any significant weight goes further to reveal this isn't a top end device.
It's still comfortable to hold though and an even balance makes it easy to manipulate in one hand, although we would have preferred the back to be slightly more curved to give a snugger fit in our palm.
There's a power/lock key on the right side of the handset, while on the left you get a volume rocker switch and an additional quick key - all of which are easy to hit whether you're holding the Optimus L7 2 in your right or left hand.
The quick key also features on the Optimus L5 II and you can programme this button to launch the app of your choosing, plus you can set it to act as the shutter key when in the camera app.
It's a useful feature to have and one we reckon we'd use a lot if it was on our current smartphone (currently a HTC One X, since you ask).
On the front of the LG Optimus L7 2 there is a 4.3-inch IPS display with a relatively mediocre 480 x 800 resolution, but it's bright, clear and perfectly functional.
There's a 1GHz dual-core processor and 768MB of RAM to run the action on screen, which consists of the Android Jelly Bean operating system.
Everything runs without a hitch and while it may not be as slick and speedy as the top of the range handsets, the LG Optimus L7 2 has a pleasing user experience.
LG has applied a basic overlay to Android which sees the addition of manufacturer specific apps and a range of quick settings in the notification bar allowing you to toggle features such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and NFC.
In terms of LG specific apps the Optimus L7 II comes equipped with Quick Memo which allows you to draw or write on top of any screen you're currently viewing, just in case you need to jot down a quick message.
While Quick Memo also features on the other two handsets in the L-Series 2 range, the more powerful Optimus L7 2 comes with a couple of other goodies, the first of which is QSlide.
QSlide allows you to access another application while watching a movie, with the video becoming a transparent layer on the display, with a toggle to adjust the opacity depending on the other task you want to perform.
The LG Optimus L7 2 handles the transition from video player to transparent multi-tasking with just a second load time and there was no hint of slow down as we navigated around the phone with our video still playing in a ghostly manner over the top - impressive
Another handy addition is the Q Translate app which is capable of reading 60 different languages and then translating the text for your delectation.
In online mode you're able to convert whole sentences to your native tongue, but if data connection evades you the offline mode will still translate single words.
There's only 4GB of internal storage on the Optimus L7 2 which is a little disappointing, but luckily LG has included a microSD slot under the back cover allowing you to expand your memory options.
Also under that back cover is a 2,400mAh battery which should hopefully give you a decent amount of life, but we'll put that to the test during our in-depth review.
Round the back you have an 8MP camera, which is impressive at this price point, accompanied by a single LED flash while on the front there's a VGA snapper for video calls.
Shutter speed, as with the other two L-Series handsets, is a little sluggish on the Optimus L7 2 but the amusingly named "Cheese Shutter" once again doesn't fail to bring a smile to our face as we talk to the phone to take a picture.
Image quality is pretty decent, as you'd expect from an 8MP snapper and in the camera department at least the Optimus L7 2 can certainly challenge the devices in the tier above it.
The decently sized responsive touchscreen means that the default keyboard is well spaced and easy to type on, with a good level of accuracy, spell check and next word prediction.
We were a little let down by the internet browsing capabilities on the Optimus L7 II though, with pages taking several seconds to load up.
We hope it was due to the congested Wi-Fi network the handset was connected up to, but the jury's out until we put the handset through our thorough review process.
Early Verdict
The LG Optimus L7 2 is a surprisingly capable budget smartphone which offers up plenty of features for not a lot of cash.
We were impressed with its 8MP camera, stylish design and smooth operation, although web surfing could do with a bit of a boost.
Out of the three new L-Series 2 handsets the LG Optimus L7 2 is our favourite and we reckon it will offer consumers pretty decent value for money when it lands later this year.
Far from being the joke the concept was initially seen as, Asus is serious about its tablet and accompanying slot-in phone and has re-tooled it for 4G LTE, Android 4.2 and provided it with a cracking Full HD display.
Indeed, display tech is a key new ingredient in the Infinity mix – the phone part boasts a Super IPS 5-inch retina-beating display at 441ppi which, while looks stunning, doesn't appear that much better than any other top end Android handset (hello, Samsung Galaxy S3). The iPhone's retina display is 326ppi, if you want to know the figures.
As with the Padfone 2 (which is coming to more countries including the UK), the slide in and out motion works exceedingly well both in terms of the physical movement – it's completely secure and rubber gromits mean the phone doesn't fall out – and the software, which switches from one screen to the other when you dock and un-dock.
The Infinity was announced by Asus' Jonny Shih on stage at MWC 2013, where he was joined by Qualcomm's Paul Jacobs – the new device packs a 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 CPU and uses the US firm's third-generation LTE tech.
This thing is fast; there's absolutely no lag but then you'd expect that with a quad-core chip. Asus reckons it's possible to get 19 hours of 3G talk time out of the device when it's all fully charged.
The Padfone Station dock converts the phone into a 10.1-inch tablet with 1,920 x 1,200 resolution. It can also be used as a battery pack, which gives you three times the battery life and it also has its own 1MP front-mounted camera and a micro USB port.
The phone/tablet combo has the same-style aluminium unibody design housing as the Padfone 2. In terms of the other key specs there is 2GB of RAM, plus NFC and 64GB of flash memory.
The tablet is able to replicate many of the phone's functions and also has a dialler. Undocking takes you to the same app on the phone. The tablet can also output 1080p Full HD video via an adapter for its micro USB socket.
The Infinity can also capture 8 still photos per second in burst mode.
Asus previewed the Padfone Infinity includes Echo, essentially the same as Apple's Siri, but with some typically Asus effects. Say 'cheese' and it will take a photo of you.
Early verdict
The Padfone is a thing of beauty. It's not for everyone but many of us do have a use-case for it. f you have a tablet yet find yourself using more things on your phone then Asus believes you'll be in its Padfone queue.
The device is certainly a looker and does have a lot to offer - the smartphone itself is superb. It does have a premium price point of 999 Euros though - $1325 or AU$1287 - and so it will be interesting to see if Asus can shift them. In the UK, Asus is launching the Padfone 2 for now, though it hints the Padfone Infinity will arrive - probably around £799.
If you happen to have some Ultra HD resolution video or games on your phone, you're in luck: LG has developed the tech you need to transmit it to an Ultra HD TV without any wires and it's showing it off at MWC 2013.
The snappily named Wireless Ultra HD Transmission tech uses Wi-Fi to beam the 4K content between devices while reducing the amount of power used by your phone.
The tech works over Wi-Fi and promises minimal lag and no data loss. LG boasts that it delivers "flawless visuals" thanks to the fact that videos are automatically matched to the receiving TV set's screen resolution as you transmit them.
Power up
LG says it actually uses less than half the power of comparable tech by relying less on the phone's CPU - unfortunately the company hasn't exactly been illuminating on what picks up that slack but we hope to find out more on the show floor.
The company is pretty pleased with the new tech, though, with Dr Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of LG's mobile arm, exclaiming: "With the development of this cutting-edge technology, LG again confirms its industry leadership in the area of display and mobile convergence for a truly enjoyable viewing experience."
Yes, all that viewing we've been doing until now has been a real nightmare.
No word on when we'll see this next-gen tech make its way onto our smartphones (or smart TVs) but you'll likely need to invest in an LG phone and an LG TV to take advantage.
The display sports a full HD resolution and the Grand Memo also packs a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 13MP camera, Android Jelly Bean and a 3,200mAh battery into a frame which is 8.5mm thick.
Super fast speeds
4G connectivity is included in the ZTE Grand Memo along with Wi-Fi 5.0GHz, providing you access to some speedy web connections.
Dolby Digital sound is incorporated into the handset, to deliver the sound quality which apparently does justice to the large, full HD display found on this handset.
The ZTE Grand Memo will be available later this year, but exact release date along with a price is currently unknown.
Despite its troubled history and ultimately being put on life support as an open source project under a wholly-owned HP subsidiary called Gram, it seems WebOS will be getting yet another lease of life -- just not as a smartphone platform. Today, LG announced it’s buying all the related patents and source code from HP, and plans to use the once promising operating system for its line of smart televisions.
Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed but it’s probably safe to estimate the final number was significantly lower than the $1.2 billion HP paid in July 2010. At the time, WebOS still showed great promise despite the initial hardware from Palm falling short of expectations. But in a span of just 18 months HP suffered a few management shake-ups, and ultimately went from betting big on mobile devices under Mark Hurd’s lead to essentially killing the division under Leo Apotheker and almost quitting the consumer PC market.
LG says it has no plans of using WebOS to power a range of smartphones or tablets. Like many others in the business, the company remains committed to the Android ecosystem, but with Samsung cornering all the profits and market share it can’t hurt to have an independent mobile platform as backup.
The remaining engineers from the WebOS team will move to LG’s labs in California. It’s unclear when we will see the company show off their plans for the platform on smart TVs or what will happen with Open webOS.
Possibly the worst-kept secret in midrange mediocrity, the 4G LG Optimus F7 was officially by LG last week. It's a midrange handset that comes packing some useful features in a handy size.
Amusingly, this midrange smartphone comes with a very similar spec sheet to the supposedly 'high-end' Motorola Razr HD – namely a 4.7-inch 720p display, dual-core 1.5GHz CPU and an 8MP camera. The Optimus F7, though, packs 2GB of memory to the Razr HD's 1GB.
That may actually be an unfair comparison, because the F7 looks and feels like a lower-tier handset in exactly the same way that the Kevlar-backed Motorola does not. It's plastic shell positively screams 'compromise' though there is some lovely chrome trimming to be found on the edges. We like chrome trimming.
The LG cannot match the HD's AMOLED screen either, but that doesn't mean it's bad - it's the same resolution but was noticeably less vivid. Viewing angles weren't as nice but with the price difference we're probably talking here, it isn't half bad.
The F7 throws Jelly Bean around easily enough and there wasn't much sign of that 'just ok' CPU holding it back. We were able to swoosh in and out of all the menus without any sign of delay and the camera was fast and responsive too. Apps loaded quickly and it was able to switch between them easily enough,
The F7 will go on sale later this year – certainly before the summer – though word is that it might never make it to the UK shores at all.
Early Verdict
It looks like a decent midrange effort that wouldn't look out of place at a tech show - just don't expect leading features.
While Android and iOS might be the leaders, they are far from the only mobile operating systems on the market. We have Windows Phone and Blackberry, and many newcomers such as Tizen and Ubuntu for Phone/Tablet. So is there room for Mozilla Firefox OS? Mozilla seems to think so.
The new mobile OS has made a pretty big splash at MWC 2013, showing off its first handsets by Alcatel and ZTE. What really makes Firefox OS different from the competition is that it isn’t trying to win over the hardcore mobile smartphone user.
They understand that the big boys already have this market by the horns, and instead they wish to expand into the developing world and also attract consumers in countries like Europe and the United States by offering competitive, entry-level devices running on open standards.
So what exactly is Firefox OS?
Somewhat reminiscent of WebOS, Firefox OS is all about using open web standards, making it easy for web developers to program apps for the OS. It is also open source, which means anyone with coding knowledge can help expand and improve the experience.
In many ways it is also similar to Chrome OS for Chrome computers, though it seems to have a little more of a traditional layout and while Chrome OS is starting to grow its library of offline-capable apps, all of Firefox’s apps will have the option to either be stored locally for off-line or ran directly as a web-app for conserving storage space and more.
A look at the apps available for Firefox OS
As for the apps included with Firefox OS? There will be usual suspects like an integrated dialer, messaging, the Firefox browser, Nokia maps, and email. Beyond that though, they are already prepping their marketplace to offer goodies like Facebook, Twitter, TimeOut, and Disney apps like “Where’s My Water”.
What really makes Firefox OS different though is that it could actually entice carriers in a big way. Why? They leave quite a bit of control up to the carriers, even making fully possible for consumers to purchase apps on the Marketplace directly through the carrier. This likely means that carrier’s get a piece of the pie when it comes to app sales, and it also makes it easier for contract-carrying consumers to buy apps: they will simply see the charges added to their monthly bills.
Another interesting thing about Firefox OS is that all paid apps will be able to be tested before buying, through a “one-time use” trial.
The Hardware as we currently know it.
At the moment, there are two announced handsets that will run Mozilla’s Firefox OS, the ZTE Open and Alcatel One Touch Fire.
ZTE Open
The Open is a 3.5-inch device with a modest 480 x 320 display. The phone is powered by an A5-based Qualcomm processor clocked around 1GHz with a measly 256MB of RAM. The internal storage is also quite tiny at just 512MB with a included 2GB microSD card. Connectivity options include WiFi, 3G, Bluetooth, GPSm and FM radio. There is also a 3.2MP camera on the back of the phone.
Alcatel One Touch Fire
If you were hoping for more power here, you will be disappointed. The Touch Fire is a 3.5-inch phone with a 1GHz Qualcomm CPU, 256MB of RAM, 512MB storage, microSD with included 2GB card, 3G, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and FM radio. The camera is also a 3.2MP shooter and the battery is 1400mAh.
As you can see, these are REALLY basic devices. These devices are meant for their launch markets like Brazil, where a smartphone on the cheap sounds like a great plan, even if the specs aren’t much better than a typical “dumb phone”.
In countries in Europe and North America? It is doubtful we will see the One Touch Fire or Open. Mozilla is also partnering with LG and Huawei for hardware, which are more likely to be the partners they choose for (hopefully) more upscale yet still lower-end devices down the road.
When is Firefox OS coming?
Impressively, Mozilla has announced tons of partnerships, including 18+ carriers with a constantly growing list. The first markets expected to see the hardware will be Brazil, Hungary, Mexico, Colombia, Mexico, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Spain and Venezuela.
As for the United States and Western Europe? The platform likely won’t launch until 2014.
But can it really compete?
That’s good question. Based on hands-on reviews coming in from the net, the existing ZTE Open and Alcatel One Touch Fire are sluggish and the operating system itself is a bit buggy – but the hardware is still a few months out from shipping to its first few markets. Additionally, just because it is running a little choppy on 256MB of RAM doesn’t mean it will be the same story when brands like LG launch hardware, as I highly doubt their offerings would have less than 512MB of RAM.
To put it frankly, it is just too early to judge. While operating systems that lean heavily on open web technologies haven’t exactly taken off in a big way just yet, Firefox’s modest approach of going first after developing countries and second after first-time smartphone users could potentially pay off if they play their cards right.
