A Mystery Motorola

A Mystery Motorola - A mystery Motorola phone leaks that's not the rumored X Phone -  An unannounced Motorola phone has leaked out, and it really shows Google's influence over the software. Carrying the XT912A model number, the folks at the Vietnamese site Tinhte are quick to tell us that they are sure this one isn't the rumored X Phone based on the screen size, but it does have some impressive specs -- a 4-inch 720p screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro (possibly better) CPU, an Adreno 320 GPU, 2GB of RAM and a 2,000mAh battery.

The back is beveled and very thin at the edges, with a non removable plastic battery cover. They also note that the speaker holes lack the precision you would see from a phone like the Lumia 920 or the HTC One X. Probably the most important thing to note is the mostly stock Android 4.2 experience the video shows us -- lock screen widgets and all. It certainly looks like a 4-inch stock Android device. That should make plenty of folks happy. There's a four minute video after the break showing it all off, be sure to have a look.

Blog : The Challenge

Post : A mystery Motorola phone leaks that's not the rumored X Phone

READ MORE - A Mystery Motorola

Smartphone showdown: Samsung Galaxy S4 Vs Apple iPhone 5 Vs BlackBerry Z10 Vs Nokia Lumia 920

Who wins in the battle of the smartphones?

Smartphone showdown: Samsung Galaxy S4 Vs Apple iPhone 5 Vs BlackBerry Z10 Vs Nokia Lumia 920 - The Samsung Galaxy S4 was unveiled last week to great fanfare in New York. It may only be March, but it’s safe to say the successor to the 40 million selling Samsung Galaxy S3 will be one of 2013’s most popular mobile phones, boosting the number of users on Google’s Android operating system even further. 

But how does it compare to the flagship smartphones from the other major operating systems: BlackBerry 10, iOS and Windows Phone?  Let’s compare the Samsung Galaxy S4 to the BlackBerry Z10, Apple iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia 920 to see how the numbers stack up.

Styling and build

The new Samsung Galaxy S4 at launch last week (AP)

Despite having the biggest screen, the Samsung Galaxy’s plastic chassis means it’s the second lightest (130g) phone here and the same curved back as the Galaxy S3 means it should be incredibly comfortable to hold, if a little too big for some. Available in black and white, the styling hasn’t evolved much, but if it ain’t broke....

The Apple iPhone 5 is the smallest and lightest phone here (112g) ensuring it is not only portable but the easiest to operate with one hand, although the diamond-cut bevelled edges mean it’s not overly comfortable to hold. Combining glass and aluminium, it’s an extremely well-built and attractive phone, although the back is scratch prone.

The Z10 marks a design departure for BlackBerry, but the black version is arguably the most conservative phone here. Build quality is excellent, weighing 136g it’s not too heavy and can easily be used with one hand.

Available in eye-popping red and yellow, as well as white and black, the Nokia Lumia 920 really stands out from the crowd. It’s made from a single piece of polycarbonate, which looks and feels exceptionally premium, weighing 185g, it is the heaviest phone here and may prove too weighty for some.

All the flagships here support 4G, but the iPhone 5 will only work on EE’s 4G network, not forthcoming ones from O2 or Vodafone set to launch in June this year.

Screen

 

An Apple iPhone 5 REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

With a 5-inch Full HD screen the Samsung Galaxy S4 offers the most real estate for movie viewing, with the highest resolution and pixels per inch. The Nokia Lumia 920 has a 4.5-inch HD screen and the BlackBerry Z10 a 4.2-inch HD screen. The Apple iPhone 5 has the smallest screen at 4-inches and is the only one without a HD resolution but you’d be hard pressed to tell with its 326ppi.

Numbers aside what really differentiates the screens is the technology used. The S4 is the only one with a Super AMOLED screen, which means it will have deeper blacks and vibrant, more saturated colours, making it a good choice for movies. The other three phones use LCD technology, resulting in purer whites and more natural colours, which is typically a good choice for browsing.

Apple, BlackBerry and Nokia use their own technology and side by side results are very different. Nokia’s PureView Motion+ has a 60Hz refresh rate reducing blur, visibility is good outdoors and the touchscreen even works with gloves. Apple’s iPhone 5 Retina display is a good all-rounder with higher saturation and contrast than previous iPhones.  Finally the BlackBerry Z10’s LCD screen is very sharp, but brightness and contrast aren’t as good as the iPhone 5.

Storage 

  

BlackBerry Z10

The Samsung Galaxy S4 and Apple iPhone 5 come in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions. The Galaxy offers the option of expansion using a microSD card.  The BlackBerry Z10 also offers a card slot, but has just 16GB storage and the Nokia Lumia 920 offers double the storage, but no card slot. For the majority of people 16GB of storage will be enough, but if you download lots of games, record HD movies and have a vast music library, you’ll need more storage or at least a memory card.

Operating system

 

A Nokia Lumia smartphone REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

The Galaxy S4 launches with Android Jelly Bean 4.2 overlayed with Samsung’s own skin called TouchWiz, offering a wealth of customisation options that some may find a little complex. Samsung’s added some outstanding features such as Picture In Picture, Air Gestures and Group Play, and the Google Play Store offers over 800,000 apps.

In iOS on the iPhone 5 apps and features are in regimented rows, it’s intuitive to use and the most user-friendly, but feels a little dated, lacking features like live widgets, although iCloud provides simple cloud backups and there’s the voice-assistant Siri. The iOS App Store offers a huge choice of over 800,000 apps too.

BlackBerry 10 is the newest operating system and uses BlackBerry Flow navigation. Instead of a homescreen or buttons, move around the phone using gestures. Such a new system takes time to become familiar with and it’s not as flexible as Android or Windows Phone, but with BlackBerry Hub to keep an eye on messages and the best native keyboard, it’s a great choice for business and communication.

Windows Phone 8 on the Lumia 920 has tiles that snake down the screen vertically, some of which update live. Customisation options can’t match Android, but it’s the wealth of extra features that really stand out. SmartGlass is for controlling an XBox, Here Maps is a fully functioning sat nav and SkyDrive provides cloud backups.

Camera

With a 13-megapixel camera the Galaxy S4 offers the highest megapixel rating of the flagships and Samsung has equipped it with interesting new features like Dual Shot, which takes pictures using the front and rear cameras simultaneously. We’ve not had a chance to try out the Galaxy S4’s camera, but more pixels doesn’t necessarily mean better photos, it’s the sensor, lens and in-camera technology that determine the quality of the photo, so it will be interesting to see how it compares.

Due to a combination of PureView technology and Carl Zeiss optics the Lumia 920 performs very well in low light without a flash and comes with some useful Nokia ‘lenses’ adding extra features.

The iPhone 5’s 8-megapixel camera is a good all-rounder, consistently scoring well in cameraphone shoot-outs, but very basic features mean to get the best from it, you’ll need to download an app like Camera FX.

BlackBerry isn’t known for its camera prowess and the Z10’s 8-megapixel camera is good rather than outstanding, but the cool Time Shift mode lets you select an individual frame to pose your subjects just how you’d want.

Verdict

Android, iOS, BlackBerry 10 and Windows Phone 8 all offer very different user experiences - typically if you’ve invested in one by buying apps, you may not want to spend money on another. If you’re buying your first smartphone it’s definitely worth trying them out to see what you prefer.

On paper the Galaxy S4 is certainly appealing - it has a powerful processor, generous screen and some interesting new features, some useful and some gimmicky. Some will wish Samsung had tweaked the design, but (like Apple with the iPhone 4 and 4S), the company decided to stick to its guns. We’re expecting new flagship phones from Apple and Nokia later this year, so it will be really interesting if they try and match the S4’s hardware, or instead decide to focus on camera and interface improvements.  ( Recombu )

Blog : The Challenge

Post : Smartphone showdown: Samsung Galaxy S4 Vs Apple iPhone 5 Vs BlackBerry Z10 Vs Nokia Lumia 920

READ MORE - Smartphone showdown: Samsung Galaxy S4 Vs Apple iPhone 5 Vs BlackBerry Z10 Vs Nokia Lumia 920

The Samsung Galaxy 4: What You Need to Know

The Samsung Galaxy 4: What You Need to Know - After several weeks of hype, Samsung made the Galaxy S4 official Thursday night. BTIG analyst Walter Piecyk, who covers mobile and telecom companies, attended Samsung's extravagant event at Radio City Music Hall. He told The Daily Ticker's Henry Blodget that he saw little difference between the new S4 and its predecessor the Galaxy S III.

"You're going to see a lot of disappointment today," Piecyk says. "People are going to say 'why upgrade?'"

The S4's larger screen could be the biggest selling point with consumers, Piecyk notes.

"There's a market for these big screens and Samsung is really taking advantage of that," he argues. "For people that like those big screens, Samsung is the go to guy right now."

Here are all the details on the Galaxy S4:

Hardware

The Galaxy S4 will have a 5-inch full HD display and a plastic body. It runs the latest version of Android called Jelly Bean with Samsung's TouchWiz "skin" that adds several more user interface tweaks and software features.

The hardware design doesn't look that much different than the Galaxy S III, but the device is noticeably thinner and lighter than before. And even though Samsung stuck with a plastic casing, the materials don't feel cheap. It's not as ideal as a metal and glass body, but it's definitely not terrible either.

Software

On the software side, the GS4 will run Android Jelly Bean, the latest version of Google's (GOOG) operating system, but Samsung added a slew of extra features on top of it. The camera app has been completely redesigned to match the interface on the Galaxy Camera. And there are several new shooting modes, including one that lets you automatically "erase" a blurry figure in the background.

The Camera

The phone's front-facing camera can tell when you're looking at the device and automatically adjust the screen brightness based on the kind of content you're looking at. It will darken when you're reading an e-book, for example.

New Finger Waving Feature

Samsung also added a feature called Hover that lets you hold your finger a centimeter or two over the screen to view extra content. This was most useful in the email app. When you hold your finger over a message in the inbox, you get a pop-up preview of the message. You can also use a waving gesture over the screen to scroll through photos or songs.

"The swipe feature was a little glitchy," says Piecyk. "That might not be a great selling feature for the phone right now."

Eye-Tracking vs. Tilting

And yes, the Galaxy S4 does have that rumored eye-tracking feature for scrolling through pages, but it doesn't work quite as we had imagined. When looking at the phone, you have to tilt the device to make the page scrolling. It didn't feel very natural when we tried it though and it's still easier to use your finger to swipe on the screen.

Samsung says the GS4 will launch in the second quarter of this year and will be available on all four major U.S. carriers. Samsung did announce pricing or a specific launch date.

Got all that?

The Specs

Now for some more gritty details, software features, and hardware specs on the GS4:

• 16, 32, and 64 GB storage options
• Micro SD slot for expandable storage up to 64 GB
• 2 GB of RAM
• 441 ppi screen resolution
• Samsung would not comment on the processor speed, but did say it will vary by region.
• 4G LTE (where available)
• Fitness app called S Health that monitors your steps, diet, etc. There's also an optional Nike FuelBand-like accessory that connects via Bluetooth.
• ChatOn app for screen sharing with other Galaxy devices
• "Smart Pause" feature that stops a video from playing when you look away from the screen
• Voice commands while driving via a Bluetooth connection with your car ( Daily Ticker )

Blog : The Challenge

Post : Why You Might Not Want to Get the Samsung Galaxy 4: What You Need to Know

READ MORE - The Samsung Galaxy 4: What You Need to Know

Samsung's Galaxy S4 emerges to do battle on Apple's home turf

Samsung's Galaxy S4 emerges to do battle on Apple's home turf - Samsung Electronics Co premiered its latest flagship phone, the Galaxy S4, which sports a bigger display and unconventional features such as gesture controls, as the South Korean titan challenges Apple Inc on its home turf.

The phone, the first in the highly successful Galaxy S-series to make its global debut on U.S. soil, was unwrapped at Manhattan's iconic Radio City Music Hall on Thursday evening. Some industry watchers were clearly dazzled by its features, setting a high bar for Apple to surpass.

Reuters/Reuters - JK Shin, President and head of IT and Mobile Communication Division, introduces Samsung Electronics Co's latest Galaxy S4 phone during its launch at the Radio City Music Hall in New York March 14, 2013. Samsung Electronics Co on Thursday premiered its latest flagship phone, the Galaxy S4, which sports a bigger display and unconventional features such as gesture controls and will spearhead its effort to challenge Apple Inc on its home turf. REUTERS/Adrees Latif

The S4 can stop and start videos depending on whether someone is looking at the screen, flip between songs and photos at the wave of a hand, and record sound to run alongside snapped still pictures. But other industry watchers said the phone would not upturn an industry that lives and dies by innovation.

The plethora of new features "are good steps in this direction, but they can be seen as gimmicks rather than game changers. At this point, Samsung appears to be trying to kill the competition with sheer volume of new features," said Jan Dawson, chief telecom analyst at IT research outfit Ovum.

"For now, Samsung can likely rely on its vastly superior marketing budget and the relatively weak efforts of its competitors in software to keep it ahead."

The success or failure of Samsung's latest flagship phone - the fourth in a brand launched in 2010 - will be pivotal in the world's biggest smartphone maker's battle against Apple and smaller, and key to that struggle will be phone differentiation.

Apple may already be feeling the heat.

Just a day before, marketing chief Phil Schiller blasted Samsung and the Google Android software in rare interviews given to Reuters and other select media, underscoring the pressure that the iPhone maker is feeling from its Korean mobile-phone nemesis.

The S4, which Samsung preceded with a marketing blitz that drummed up industry speculation reminiscent of some of Apple's past launches, will be available by the end of April and rolled out to 327 carriers in 155 countries, including U.S. service providers Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile USA.

"Samsung has fulfilled the promise of their marketing that they are the tech innovators. It remains to be seen whether it's overload for customers, whether they can really take advantage of all these features," said Forrester analyst Charles Golvin.

The S4 will use either Samsung's own applications processor or Qualcomm Inc's Snapdragon central processing chip, depending on the country. But the Korean company kept mum on exact dates and prices.

SAMSUNG HITS BROADWAY

Samsung took a slightly different tack with the S4's launch, using actors and a full live orchestra to present the smartphone's various features via a series of skits - as perhaps befitted its theatrical platform.

That marked a departure of sorts from the usual slick, high-wattage shows favored by rivals such as Apple.

Investors largely shrugged off the launch. Shares in Samsung were down 1.1 percent in a steady market in early Seoul trading on Friday.

The stock has stood little changed so far this year, while Apple's shares have tumbled 20 percent as disappointing sales of iPhones raised fears that its dominance may be slipping.

Apple's U.S. sales outstripped Samsung's for the first time in the quarter ending in December, even after Samsung spent a record $400 million on phone advertisements here last year.

While the global smartphone market's growth rate is tapering off, Samsung still derives the majority of its annual profits from Galaxy phones.

Samsung said the Galaxy S4 will sport a bigger 5-inch display than the S3's 4.8 inches. But because the new display will cover more of the phone's surface area, the device itself will be the same length and slightly narrower, thinner and lighter than the previous generation.

The newest features involve different options for navigation. For example, if the phone senses someone is looking at the screen, the user can tilt it forward or backwards to scroll up and down a Web page.

That feature falls slightly short of what some consumers may have expected after the New York Times reported that the phone would be able to scroll automatically by tracking readers' eyes.

But what it can do is sense when it has someone's attention. When a video is playing, for instance, the stream will automatically pause if the person glances away and it will restart when the eyes refocus on the screen.

This is an update on an existing Galaxy feature, which powers down the display if it senses no one's looking at it, conserving battery power.

The latest phone also has a sensor that lets users move their hands to the left or right to scroll between different websites they have opened or through songs or photos in an album without having to touch the phone.

The idea is to make it easier to change the song playing without having to pick up the phone while driving or to avoid putting sticky fingers on the touch-screen display while scrolling through a Web page at mealtimes.

The phone will also allow users to hover a finger over an email inbox or a photo gallery to get a glimpse of more details of what's in the email or which photos are in an album.

Another feature includes the option to automatically put a copy of details from a photograph of a business card into the phone's contacts database or call a number in the business card.

Samsung is also promising an instant translation between 10 different languages for certain applications, as well as a separate translation application on the device.

The device also has a 13-megapixel camera, compared with the S3's 8-megapixel camera.

"They kind of cherry-picked features that other competitors had, and then packed them up all together into one device," said Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi.

"The story though is more about who Samsung is and where they want to be. It is clear today that they want to play in an ecosystem game, their own ecosystem. The word Android didn't come up once." ( Reuters )

Blog : The Challenge

Post : Samsung's Galaxy S4 emerges to do battle on Apple's home turf

READ MORE - Samsung's Galaxy S4 emerges to do battle on Apple's home turf

Smartphone Camera Shootout: iPhone 5 vs. Galaxy SIII vs. iPhone 4S

Smartphone Camera Shootout: iPhone 5 vs. Galaxy SIII vs. iPhone 4S - Smartphone cameras are getting better all the time. Optical zoom lenses aside, it's not uncommon for a high-end smartphone camera to match or even beat the quality from a small pocket digital camera.

This rapid improvement in quality has dovetailed with a broader trend of sharing digital photography online -- whether it's through Facebook, Instagram, 500px or one of the many other photo sharing sites.

Two of the hottest smartphones on the market are Apple's iPhone 5 and Samsung's Galaxy SIII. Both sport 8-megapixel cameras and promise ultra-fast shutter speeds.

So how do they compare? To find out, Nina Frazier -- Mashable's excellent photo editor -- and I spent a lot of time doing a good old-fashioned camera shootout. For good measure, we also included the 8-megapixel camera from Apple's iPhone 4S, to see how the newer phones compare with the older model.

Our goal with this camera comparison was to capture as many real-world situations and opportunities as we could.

 

Blowing Bubbles in the Park

 

camera-shoot-out-640

 A couple of notes about our tests:

• We used the default camera app for the Samsung Galaxy SIII, the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 5.
• Photos were taken directly from the camera. Aside from crops for this gallery, the photos were untouched and there was no post-processing of the images.
• We took the images in the late afternoon in New York City. There was plenty of light, but because this is New York, not a lot of direct sun light.

Some iPhone 5 owners -- including our own Charlie White -- have been able to capture a purple haze with the iPhone 5's camera -- most likely do to chromatic aberration -- an issue not uncommon to digital cameras.

Nothing in our tests indicated that the issue was any more pronounced in the iPhone 5 than in any other digital camera, but keep this in mind when composing shots. If you see purple fringing, readjust before tapping the shutter button.

Take a look at our test shots and then read on for more information on each camera.

Blowing Bubbles in the Park

The iPhone 5's camera captures extremely vivid colors. You can see the entire spectrum inside the bubbles much more than with the Galaxy SIII or the iPhone 4S.

iPhone 4S

The iPhone 4S remains a great smartphone camera. In fact, under the right lighting and in the hands of a skilled photographer, images produced with the 4S can rival images from some point-and-shoot cameras.

That said, the 4S is significantly slower than the Galaxy SIII or the iPhone 5. That doesn't matter so much for posed shots or landscapes, but it can mean the difference between catching that fleeting moment or just missing it.

The iPhone 4S is also less adroit at shooting in low light. The flash on the camera is acceptable for some situations, but be aware that it can often overfill the frame, washing out the image. That LED flash is bright.

Aside from low light, the biggest difference between the 4S and the iPhone 5 is color. I'll discuss this more in the iPhone 5 section, but the newer camera tends to be much more accurate in terms of color and tonal balance.

Still, it's hard to be too hard on the iPhone 4S. A year later, it remains one of the best smartphone cameras on the market.

Samsung Galaxy SIII

Samsung deserves high praise for the camera it included on its flagship Galaxy SIII. In the past, I've had mixed results with Samsung smartphone cameras, but the Galaxy SIII is a great camera.

To us, image quality and color looked similar to the iPhone 4S. The biggest difference is that the Galaxy SIII is considerably faster. Samsung has a burst mode built into its camera software, but even without it, you can take photos with nearly no shutter lag.

This means it's possible to catch every moment as it happens. We should note however, that while the shutter is essentially lag-free, the auto-focus doesn't always keep up.

This is most evident when it comes to motion images. In our test shot of a moving bus, the bus itself is in focus, but the text on the bus itself is a bit blurred. On the iPhone 4S -- and especially the iPhone 5 -- the text and bus remain in focus.

One of the nicest aspects of the Galaxy SIII is its huge 4.8" display. Seriously, using a screen that large as a viewfinder is a real joy. The camera software is also easy to target focus points and snap off quick shots.

Color accuracy on the Galaxy SIII was good -- not iPhone 5 good -- but solid.

Where the camera did tend to fall down a bit was with backlit photos. In our test, we loved that the camera software compensated to focus and correctly expose the denim in my jacket, but were disappointed when it washed out much of the background.

In low light, the camera performs well, even in candle light. For us, the low-light performance was the perfect blend of resolution and contrast, but not too noisy.

After using the Galaxy SIII for a bit, it was easy to see why companies such as Nikon and Samsung are starting to build their own Android-based cameras. Put an optical zoom and larger sensor on this thing but keep that big display and you've got a great midrange prosumer camera.

iPhone 5

The real story of the iPhone 5 is its color accuracy. Nearly every photo we took came off the camera with accurate and bright colors. Looking at the test shots, that's where it is most visibly different from the iPhone 4S.

Colors just pop. Looking at the colors in the bubble demonstration from Madison Square Park, I was stunned to see that level of detail and clarity without editing. The white balance on the camera is also remarkable -- easily the best default white-balance I've seen on a smartphone-based camera.

The iPhone 5 is also incredibly faster than the iPhone 4S. Like the Galaxy SIII, tapping the shutter button is lag free. There is no built-in burst mode, but I found myself able to take multiple shots at a clip with negligible lag.

The other story of the iPhone 5 is its low-light performance. The iPhone 5 is capable of a much higher ISO than the iPhone 4S -- which results in much better low-light photography. Of course, the disadvantage of the high ISO is noise.

The iPhone 5 performed best in our backlit test -- perfectly compensating for the lighting differences.

As nice as the iPhone 5's screen is, the Galaxy SIII still has an advantage as a viewfinder, thanks to its sheer size.

To us, Apple took the already great iPhone 4S camera and made it even better.

Final Thoughts

Regarding off-the-camera results, we'd have to give the edge to the iPhone 5. Still, the Galaxy SIII was a joy to use and its large screen functions as a fantastic viewfinder.

The Galaxy SIII and the iPhone 5 are both big improvements over the iPhone 4S, not so much for picture quality, but for speed. It's surprising how much a faster camera can improve the smartphone photography experience. ( Mashable )

Looking through the photos, what camera do you prefer? Let us know in the comments.

Blog : The Challenge

Post : Smartphone Camera Shootout: iPhone 5 vs. Galaxy SIII vs. iPhone 4S

READ MORE - Smartphone Camera Shootout: iPhone 5 vs. Galaxy SIII vs. iPhone 4S

What 4G means for smartphone and tablet apps

What 4G means for smartphone and tablet apps - While a thinner, lighter iPhone 5 with a bigger screen is impressive, its most significant enhancement is the ultrafast 4G connection. In fact, all 4G-enabled smartphones and tablets will benefit now that the iPhone has finally embraced the speedier and more durable wireless standard.

Consumers who own 4G devices that run on the Android, Windows Phone 8, and BlackBerry operating systems are already enjoying fewer dropped calls, as well as faster video streaming, gaming, and Internet connectivity, among other improvements. With tens of millions of new iPhone 5 owners joining the party, 4G is now -- to use a "Star Wars" reference -- fully  operational.

 

Beyond maintaining more reliable connections, faster networks will bring massive innovation to mobile apps. Once everyone gets a taste of features like augmented reality navigation, "mobile wallets," and 3D simulated board games, high-tech tricks once restricted to science-fiction movies will become commonplace.

Here is how a new generation of apps on 4G devices will impact our daily lives.

Getting around

Mapping technologies continue to improve how we get from point A to point B. In the immediate term, voice-enabled apps like Waze -- available for iOS and Android devices -- that help us to identify traffic jams (and offer turn-by-turn directions to avoid them) will only get more reliable with faster connections. Yet these kinds of conveniences are just scratching the surface.

Augmented reality technology lets you view computer-generated graphics within the context of the real world. So if you're walking or in (the passenger seat of!) a car, driving around and trying to find a new pizza place or yoga studio, augmented reality-enabled apps will literally allow you to visualize depictions of where you ultimately want to end up. The same technology will also help you to locate a low-calorie-foods section at the grocery store or the Banana Republic in the shopping mall.

There are already augmented reality apps like Layar Reality Browser (available for iOS and Android devices) and Wikitude (also for iOS and Android) that let you see superimposed images and descriptions of locations while holding your device in front of your eyes. Prior to 4G connectivity, however, this technology was hit and miss. As well, many augmented reality-enabled apps rely on businesses and municipalities to create and update information that can be surfaced by the app. This does not always happen. As more people own 4G devices that take advantage of the state-of-the-art technology, third-party businesses and organizations will be more encouraged to create content to accommodate them.

Buying Things

For years, mobile apps have made it relatively easy to do things like make credit card purchases on the go or take advantage of Groupons and other daily deals in your proximity. The next generation of 4G-enabled mobile applications will make it simple and seamless to pay for a virtual movie ticket or real bag of groceries with just a tap of your device. Your smartphone or tablet, in essence, will transform into a mobile wallet.

Apple's brand-new Passbook app, which requires the most recent iOS 6 operating system in order to work, stores things like coupons, boarding passes, and loyalty cards all in one place. While the iPhone 5 does not include the Near Field Technology (NFC) chip that most easily enables point-of-contact transactions, the company is betting that Passbook will be an interim mobile wallet solution as more consumers get comfortable doing these things with their phones.

Consumers with 4G Android smartphones and tablets already can take advantage of NFC technology by downloading the Google Wallet application. This app lets you make payments from your Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover account just by putting your phone in close proximity to point-of-sale terminals at participating retailers.

NFC-enabled phones, however, are far from perfect. Earlier this year, a security bug in Google Wallet exposed some of the warts in what is still an adolescent technology. That issue was resolved.

Expect the next wave of mobile applications not only to point us to merchandise, groceries, and drink specials that are most relevant for us but also to allow us to pay for and receive loyalty points from anything we end up purchasing.

Playing games

Many of us enjoy passing the time by playing simulation games like SimCity and Pocket God on our smartphones and tablets. With 4G and augmented reality technology, these games will soon be able to incorporate elements from the real world. Why create a bank or house from scratch when you can take a picture of one instead? Any physical object in the real world can serve as a starting point or enhancement to what you create and manage virtually.

Many classic board games, including Monopoly, The Game of Life, and Trivial Pursuit, are also popular mobile applications. But although most board games are fun to play on smartphones and tablets, they don't really replicate the experience of sitting around the coffee table with friends and rolling the dice. Augmented reality will eventually create virtual holograms for games that have been around for many generations. While you won't need a 4G connection in the home or anywhere else you have wireless Internet service, it will help when you are sitting around a campfire or in the back seat of the car. Even better, cleaning everything up will be a snap!

Consuming and creating entertainment

It's one thing to watch a movie like "Alien" anywhere we travel on our smartphones and tablets. It's another thing to be able to use augmented reality technology to re-create the classic scene in which the alien pops out of a human chest. That is the purpose of Chest Burster, an iPhone and iPad application that as much as anything illustrates how mobile apps can use augmented reality technology to create new (and sometimes disgusting) forms of homemade entertainment. See for yourself if you dare.

More practically, expect video-sharing applications like Viddy, Klip Video Sharing, or something not yet imagined to take off the way Instagram (available for iOS and Android) did for photo sharing during the 3G era. Smartphones and, to a lesser extent, tablets connected to 4G networks will be able to store and remotely share longer video clips and will also more reliably share video as it's recorded in real time.

Working from wherever

There is nothing particularly revolutionary about keeping connected to the office while on the road with the aid of a smartphone, iPad, or other type of tablet computer. What will be a minor miracle for road warriors is the ability to tap into an HD videoconference call or share and access rich-media documents undisrupted without a wireless Internet connection. Apps like GoToMeeting (available for iOS and Android devices) have features like HD faces that -- for better and worse -- make you feel as if you are sitting next to colleagues in the office conference room.

The "cloud" we keep hearing about that can store our business and personal documents in one place is great. But it's useless if you can't connect to it all the time. With 4G connections , there will be less of a need to find that mobile hotspot at a Starbucks or airport so that you can upload that new video or PowerPoint presentation you produced to Dropbox.

You pay for what you get

Not everything having to do with 4G will lead to nirvana. For starters, you will pay more for both your device and your monthly cell phone plan. As well, most 4G-connected smartphones and tablets consume battery power considerably more quickly than their ancestors. Finally, just because you own a 4G device on a 4G plan, you won't necessarily connect at blazing speeds wherever you travel. ( Tech It Up! )

Blog : The Challenge

Post : What 4G means for smartphone and tablet apps

READ MORE - What 4G means for smartphone and tablet apps

How to Choose a Smartphone

How to Choose a Smartphone - Comparing the innumerable features of smartphones and deciphering calling and data plans is serious business. Make a mistake, and it can cost you a lot of money for years. Here's how to make smart choices:

Grab that Android.

Apple's iPhone established the smartphone category, but it is no longer the leader. In the United States, iPhones account for about 29 percent of smartphones while phones based on Google's Android software now account for 52 percent of the market, according to NPD Group, and for good reason. The newer Android models beat the iPhone to faster 4G service and offer more choice of phone makers, features, and carriers, as well as thousands of free apps.

Look for smaller carriers.

Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint Nextel are the largest U.S. carriers, but lesser-known cell companies offer comparable service for much less money. Regional carrier MetroPCS, for example, offers unlimited everything (voice, text, and data) for just $60 a month, no contract required. You'll have to pay full price for a good smartphone, such as $300 for the Samsung Craft 4G LTE model, but your total annual cost would be $1,020, compared to $1,680 for AT&T if you bought a similarly priced smartphone.

Forgo 4G.

Although 4G is faster, nationwide coverage is still patchy, so a less expensive 3G phone and service may be a better bet. Boost Mobile, a subsidiary of Sprint, has a $50 unlimited 3G plan, but the choice of phones is limited. Still, a respectable Samsung Prevail Android phone, for example, is $180, bringing the first-year total cost to just $780, or roughly half what the top-tier carriers charge. In other words, save the money this year, and you can afford to upgrade to the latest, greatest smartphone next year.

Skip the extras.

Warning! Even unlimited plans may have extra fees, like a $4 tracking service charge to find a lost phone or $10 a month more for using a smartphone as a wireless modem for a laptop ("tethering"). Avoid these extra charges by using a free phone tracking app, such as Lookout, and avoid tethering charges by downloading files to your phone when necessary and then copying them to your laptop using a USB cable. ( usnews.com )

READ MORE - How to Choose a Smartphone

Samsung's Galaxy Nexus a sweet smartphone

Samsung's Galaxy Nexus a sweet smartphone — As fans of Google's Android mobile software well know, each new version is named after a sugary treat, such as Gingerbread or Honeycomb. Android is about to get even sweeter with Ice Cream Sandwich — a smooth, feature-rich operating system that will run first on the delectable Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone.

The combination of Google's software and Samsung's hardware makes the Galaxy Nexus one of the best candidates to compete with Apple's latest iPhone, though its price is steep. It will be available Thursday in the U.S. for $300 with a two-year Verizon Wireless contract.

Like the previous phone in the Nexus line, the Nexus S, the Galaxy Nexus was jointly developed by Google Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. It features a slim frame with a large, curved glass screen that's comfortable for chatting with friends and excellent for watching videos. There are 32 gigabytes of built-in storage space on the Verizon version of the phone, but no external slot for a microSD memory card.

An Associated Press reporter demonstrates the Samsung Galaxy Nexus phone, which runs the newest version of Google's Android mobile software, Ice Cream Sandwich, during a product review in San Francisco, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

The screen, a pocket-busting 4.65 inches at the diagonal, makes the iPhone's 3.5-inches look diminutive. And despite the size, the Galaxy Nexus manages to weigh just 4.8 ounces, slightly less than Apple's offering.

On it, videos and Web pages looked crisp and bright, with rich colors. I started watching a video during testing — an HD copy of "The Help" that I rented from Google's Android Market — and had to force myself to break away to test other features of the device.

With the latest version of Android under the hood, the Galaxy Nexus is packed with new and improved features. Many of them are great; others are simply great in theory.

Overall, the software looks fresher and less cluttered. The virtual "buttons" that usually sit at the bottom of the screen have been redesigned. There's still a "home" and a "back" button, but no "menu" button to pull up various options within an app. Instead, there's now a "recent apps" button that shows what you've been doing lately on the phone.

Another neat change: The buttons are completely virtual, so they change directions when you flip the phone sideways and disappear when you're viewing photos or videos.

Other changes to Android include an overhaul of its virtual keyboard, meant to make it easier to type without messing up — something I've always had trouble with on the stock Android keyboard. I was often able to type more accurately than in the past, but sometimes still ended up with unintended words in my messages.

The Android browser and Gmail are updated, too. Gmail's new functions include the ability to search emails while offline, while the browser is zippier and has a "request desktop" option so you can check out webpages in their non-truncated desktop version.

One new feature that falls into the "great in theory" category is Face Unlock, which uses facial-recognition technology to unlock the phone from standby mode. To set it up, you take a picture of your face with the phone. Then, all you have to do to unlock the phone is stare at the screen after you press the power button.

Most of the time it didn't work, though, probably because the phone couldn't recognize my face from certain angles. I was also able to fool it by holding up a shot of my face on an iPhone. So much for security.

Ice Cream Sandwich also has Android Beam, which lets you share such content as a Web page, map or video between two Android phones by bringing the backs of the phones close together. It only works with phones that have this Android software and near-field communication technology, though, so unless you and your friend both buy the Galaxy Nexus you'll be out of luck at launch.

More immediately useful was the phone's 5-megapixel camera, which is the snappiest I've seen on any Android phone. There was almost no shutter lag between shots, even when I had just turned the camera on.

Still, I would have preferred a higher-resolution sensor — 8-megapixel cameras are quickly becoming common on smartphones. In addition, photos I took could have been brighter, though this can be improved on somewhat by using some of the available editing options, including numerous color filters and adjustable contrast options.

Like the iPhone 4S and some other high-end smartphones, the Galaxy Nexus can record high-definition videos in 1080p — the best resolution you can get on a consumer camera. I had some fun taking sunset videos with a time-lapse feature, and there are some goofy filming effects to play around with, too.

And yes, you can make calls on the Galaxy Nexus. Its thin body and curved screen make it comfortable to hold against your ear, and calls generally sounded good.

Sadly, high-speed networks guzzle battery power like a milkshake, so I wasn't able to spend a ton of time using the device on a single battery charge.

The phone Google loaned me to test was a version that works with AT&T or T-Mobile, so I couldn't test its speed or battery life with the carrier actually selling it in the U.S., Verizon, or with its high-speed 4G network.

Using both T-Mobile's standard 3G and speedier HSPA+ networks, at least, I got about three hours and 15 minutes out of the Galaxy Nexus for surfing the Web, streaming a movie, sending instant messages, chatting on the phone and other activities. The phone got quite warm with all this use. Over Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network, it's possible that the phone's battery would drain even faster if you're doing a lot of downloading.

Another bummer: Verizon is blocking the Galaxy Nexus from supporting Google Wallet, which is supposed to allow the phone to be used to buy items in some stores by tapping it to payment terminals.

Generally, though, the Galaxy Nexus is a well-rounded smartphone that serves up a noticeably freshened-up version of Android with sleek hardware. Delicious, indeed. ( Associated Press )

READ MORE - Samsung's Galaxy Nexus a sweet smartphone

Samsung Tops Apple in Smartphone Sales

Samsung Tops Apple in Smartphone Sales - Some analysts blame timing of new iPhone release for Apple's relatively weak numbers.

Samsung is now the world's top smartphone maker by revenue, overtaking Apple in the third quarter. Samsung hit records in both quarterly sales and operating profits this quarter, too.

According to Reuters, Samsung’s shipments rose 44 percent this quarter, while Apple saw a 16% decline in sales, failing to meet expectations. The tepid iPhone interest is most likely due to the October release of the iPhone 4S: customers anticipating the release may have held off on purchasing a new phone until after the end of the quarter, which covers July- September. iPhone 4S sales since its release earlier this month, however have been strong, likely posing a serious threat to Samsung’s newly won crown.

(A Cambodian man inspects the Samsung galaxy cooper during a promotional sale at a shop in Phnom Penh on October 21, 2011.)

Samsung doesn’t anticipate a loss of momentum heading into the fourth quarter. According to a statement quoted by the Guardian, Samsung expects "sales of mobile devices to remain strong."

Samsung’s handset and tablet business model, as both Reuters and the Guardian note, should be familiar to Apple fans. As Reuters puts it, "[Samsung] tries to offer the Apple experience at a better price with better functionality."

Unsurprisingly, the rivals are firing claims of patent infringement at each other in courts all over the world. Apple initiated legal action against Samsung in April over what they see as glaring design similarities. The Guardian explains:

Apple says the product design, user interface and packaging of Samsung's Galaxy devices "slavishly copy" the iPhone and iPad. Samsung fought back with lawsuits of its own, accusing Apple of patent infringement of its wireless telecommunications technology.

So far, Apple is winning the court game. Earlier this month, an Australian court ruled that a new Samsung Galaxy tablet model couldn’t be sold in the country because of two patent infringements. And, as the Guardian notes, Samsung’s request to have iPhone 4S sales blocked in Japan and Australia due to patent violations has so far been ignored by the courts.

Apple is now actually the third ranked mobile phone maker by revenue, trailing behind Samsung and Nokia. ( slate.com )

READ MORE - Samsung Tops Apple in Smartphone Sales

Apple to launch iPhone 5 in September with new high resolution camera

Apple to launch iPhone 5 in September with new high resolution camera - Apple is planning to release an iPhone 5 as early as September.

The model is likely to include a faster computer chip and a more advanced camera.

The company is also reported to be testing a version of the iPad with a higher resolution screen.

The release of the iPhone 5 in just a few months could add millions more sales to the technology firm’s range of smartphones. The iPhone is Apple’s top seller.

Upgrade: A new version of the iPhone 4 could be released in September

When the iPhone 4 was launched in June last year, stocks ran out within hours and demand crashed the Apple website.

Technology experts are also adding a cheaper version of the iPhone range which will be aimed at boosting its market share in developing countries.

The new phone could be called the iPhone 4G or 4S, with many similarities to the £500 iPhone 4.

An 8-megapixel camera would be an update on the 5-megapixel camera currently used in the iPhone 4.

Cutting edge: Apple boss Steve Jobs talks about the iCloud which was released earlier this month and is expected to feature on the new iPhone 5

Facelift: The iPad 2 will reportedly be updated with an improved screen

But the speedier processor will allow programs to load quicker and the phone will be able to better compete against the BlackBerry and Samsung handsets that use Google’s Android software.

Experts have said that if Apple introduced a more basic mid-range phone the computer giant's share of the the smartphone market could explode as the number of users grows this year and in 2012.Details were made public in San Francisco by Apple’s chief executive Steve Jobs.

Two industry sources later said that the screen resolution on the updated iPad will be a third higher than that of the iPad 2.

The firm has traditionally been highly secretive about products that are being developed. However, details have tended to leak out in the months before their release.

Sources also said that the new phones will include Apple's recently released iCloud software.

They added the phones will include iCloud software, which lets the company store customers’ purchases on its servers – the cloud – instead home computer hard drives.

THE NEW FEATURES

• High resolution 8-megapixel camera
• A5 processor chip for faster loading time
• Fewer visible buttons on the side of handset
• iCloud software to connect Apple devices
• Second mid-range phone with basic features
• Updated iPad2 with more responsive touch screen

This year, Apple is predicted to account for 18.2 per cent of the global smartphone market, trailing behind Google.

In future, users will then be able to access anything from their own library of music, films, TV programmes and podcasts via any Apple device.

This will do away with the need to synch an iPhone, iPad, or iPod to the home PC via either a cable or a wi-fi link.

Details were made public in San Francisco by Apple’s chief executive Steve Jobs, who was making his second public appearance since he went on sick leave in January.

Mr Jobs, who has been battling a rare form of cancer, last stood on an Apple stage in March to announce the second incarnation of the company’s hugely successful tablet computer, the iPad. ( dailymail.co.uk )

READ MORE - Apple to launch iPhone 5 in September with new high resolution camera