New concept of cell phones

Samsung Galaxy S 2 picture leaked by Korean news site; 10.1 inch Samsung Galaxy Tab confirmed

Just a day or so before Samsung will officially introduce its new devices at MWC, a Korean news site accidentally leaked a photograph and specs relating to the Samsung Galaxy S 2. According to the site, the Galaxy S 2 will have a bigger 4.3 inch screen. Under the hood, the device will be packing a 1GHz dual-core processor and be powered by Android 2.3. According to the story, the handset will be a bit lighter than the original weighing in at 116 grams. At 8.49mm thick, this very well could be the thinnest smartphone on the market. The picture of the phone shows a revamped UI with larger sized widgets.

In addition to the the handset, the article also confirmed that there will be a 10.1 inch Samsung Galaxy Tab. Like the Galaxy S 2,  the unnamed device will also have a 1GHz dual-core processor. The tablet will be running Android 3.0, and features an 8MP camera that can record video in HD. Music should sound good with surround sound speakers.

The Korean news site most likely had all of this information but it was to be embargoed until after Samsung announced the devices. In this day and age, when an embargo is broken, even by accident, information is spread throughout the internet quickly. The good news is that we won't have that much time before the Korean based manufacturer makes its official announcement.

Fido giving out free Canadian long distance calling on Valentine’s Day

The puppy is feeling the love – Fido has send their customers a notice that states that “Let them know love has no boundaries… It’s almost Valentine’s Day and Fido wants to reward your loyalty”. In this case they are giving free Canadian long distance calls on February 14th. Certainly a nice gesture if you know people across Canada…

One Phone Charger to Rule Them All

 

 

A universal charger for smartphones and tablets will be the norm in the next few years, as handset makers unite in a bid to eliminate the growing waste from mobile accessories.

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The International Electrotechnical Commission, the governing body for all electrical, electronic and related technologies, has published the Universal Charging Solution, or USC, a standard that specifies the charger, connector and plug, as well as interoperability with other devices and how it impacts the environment. The new standard is based on existing Micro-USB specifications, and is intended for smartphones as well as tablets.
All the top handset manufacturers have signed onto the USC standard, including Apple, Research in Motion, Huawei, LG, Qualcomm, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, among others.
"We all have drawers full of chargers that became obsolete as soon as we buy a new phone," said Ronnie Amit, the IEC's general secretary and chief executive. "Today, we have a truly operational global standard that will allow the industry to end this waste and significantly reduce environmental impact."
By standardizing phone chargers, companies will save on lower production costs, which lead to more energy-efficient chargers, and therefore, reduced greenhouse gas emissions. There are over 51,000 tons of redundant chargers manufactured each year, according to the GSM Associations, or GSMA, an industry trade group.
Although widespread support exists, the format remains voluntary, so manufacturers can still produce incompatible chargers.
Nonetheless, most handsets will come with the new charger. Earlier this week, Motorola announced that all its chargers are compatible with the standard, while Nokia said some of its devices were already switched over, with the remaining devices migrated in 2011.
It is also likely that the standard will extent to laptops, netbooks and other low-power consumer electronics.

AT&T now taking orders for the HTC Inspire 4G at $99 with contract, $399 without pact

Nothing like getting a good deal. For AT&T customers who can now purchase the HTC Inspire 4G directly from the carrier, they might be surprised to see some high-end specs on a phone priced as a mid-range handset. Sporting a 4.3 inch display and powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, the Inspire will have Android 2.2 installed out of the box. An 8MP camera with dual-flash, AF and Face Detection is found on the back of the unit.

How much would you expect to pay for a phone with these specs? Probably about $199.99 with a 2 year contract, we would wager. Instead, AT&T is offering the HTC Inspire for just $99.99 with a signed contract. Even the off-contract price of $399.99 sounds reasonable considering the specs.

The HTC Inspire had been available through Costco and other retailers over the last few days, but today is the first time that AT&T is offering the device itself. If you plan on taking advantage of this sweet little deal, let us know by writing a comment in the box below.

Virgin’s $30 Unlimited Incoming Plan now includes Unlimited Local and International texting

Early last week Virgin releases a new $30 Unlimited Incoming Plan, then Koodo released their $35 Unlimited Incoming plan that offered a bit more such as 5pm weekends and Unlimited texts. It now seems that Virgin has revamped their plan and added Unlimited Local and International texting to their plan (unfortunately the 7pm weekends is still present).
The Virgin plan now includes Unlimited incoming calls, Unlimited Evenings and Weekends after 7pm, 150 Anytime minutes, Unlimited texting.

Best Buy to begin Motorola XOOM pre-orders this Thursday at a price of $1,199?

Best Buy's online site sure got a lot of people up shaken up this morning when it showed a price of $1,199 for the Motorola XOOM. That price is about $400 more than what has been expected. First, let;s get to the main point of the story-Best Buy is expected to start taking pre-orders for the Honeycomb flavored device starting this Thursday. As far as the price is concerned, the $1,199 is most likely a placeholder, used by the big box retailer to keep its actual price looking a little more realistic.

Best Buy did confirm that one month of data will be necessary if you are planning on buying the XOOM through the retailer. And for those who might have forgotten, the Motorola XOOM certainly has some high-end specs such as the dual-core processor and the tablet-optimized Android 3.0 under the hood. The XOOM will launch as a 3G device, but will be upgradable to Verizon's 4G LTE network. The device offers both front and rear facing cameras with HD video capture.

The $1,199 price point does seem out of place as at no time since the tablet was first discussed in the media was there talk of such a price for the Motorola XOOM. The placeholder theory seems much more likely. And it really isn't such a bad tactical move by Best Buy because if they do introduce the device at a lower price-say $799-it will make that price seem like a great bargain when compared to $1,199.