Monday, May 5, 2014

WWDC may focus on OS X 10.10 as iOS 8 features pushed to version 8.1

WWDC may focus on OS X 10.10 as iOS 8 features pushed to version 8.1

There's exactly one month to go until Apple kicks off its 2014 Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in California, but new rumours suggest the company has been forced to reorganise the event because some of the features due to be showcased there simply aren't ready for the public to see.WWDC was originally expected to focus on iOS 8, the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system. New features including a fitness focused Healthbook app, which would comb health statistics from various App store apps and third-party fitness devices, a refreshed Maps app with support for public transport directions, a standalone iTunes Radio app, support for voice over LTE calling and even TextEdit and Preview apps transplanted from OS X. However, many of these features may now have been bumped to iOS 8.1, as Apple has started transferring iOS team members to the OS X division in order to finish up the latest version in time for WWDC.According to 9to5Mac, OS X 10.10 is codenamed "Syrah" internally at Apple and could arrive as 10.10 Yosemite to the public. It will apparently have a familiar design and appearance to iOS 7 including sharper window corners, more defined icons and more white space than 10.9 Mavericks, but it would retain key OS X features including Finder, multi-window multitasking and Mission Control.Whatever Apple shows off at WWDC, it's almost guaranteed that the software on show won't be made available t the public. That will likely be saved for new hardware launching in the Autumn, including the much-rumoured iPhone 6 and theiwatch wearable.

How would you change Nokia's Lumia 620?

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When Nokia launched the Lumia 620, it looked as if the company had perfected the formula for what an entry-level smartphone should be. The hardware and performance was great despite the slow internals, Windows Phone 8 worked well and it was priced to move. A year later and the Moto G may have supplanted this as your go-to budget device, but we want to know your feeling on what the last 12 months with the 620 has been like. What do you love, what do you hate, and what would you change?

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Samsung to pay Apple $119 million for patent infringement

The Round 2 of Apple vs. Samsung legal war is coming to an end and once again Apple has ended up on the winning side. The US court has found Samsung guilty of infringing on two of Apple's patents and the company now has to pay Apple $119,625,000 in damages. There is a damages issue regarding the Galaxy S II, for which the jury will return on Monday to settle, at which point the final amount is said to increase slightly.

This is not as big a victory as Apple had hoped to achieve, as the company claimed infringement on five patents and asked for $2.2 billion in damages but the court only found Samsung infringing on two of the five patents and reduced the fine to $119 million.The patents in question are for two features, the quick links feature that produces links for numbers and URLs in messages (patent 647) and the famous slide-to-unlock feature (patent 721). There was also a patent for word autocomplete feature (patent 172) but that was dismissed this time as it was found to have been infringed previously.On top of the reduced damages, Apple would also have to pay Samsung, as the company was found infringing on one of the two Samsung patents, related to organizing photos and videos in the gallery (the other patent was not found to be infringed). For this, Apple will have to pay Samsung a relatively tiny amount of $158,400.To be honest, both amounts are a small drop in the ocean for these companies but in case of Apple it has always been about sending a message to Samsung. But with Apple itself having been found to infringe upon patents, the message doesn't seem quite clear this time.

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Apple vs. Samsung trial round two: Samsung infringed three patents, owes Apple $119.6 million



Here we go again. 2012's patent trial of the century -- which was all about whether certain Samsung devices were utilizing Apple technology without paying for it -- resulted in abillion dollar win for Apple. Yet, at the time we knew a second case, involving different patents and devices, was brewing on the horizon. The trial for that other case is finally over (almost), and the jury has rendered a verdict -- though there's still a damages issue regarding the Galaxy S II set to be decided on Monday, which could change the final damages tally. In general terms, the verdict's not a complete win for either party, as Apple owes Samsung $158,400 and Samsung will have to cut Apple a check for $119,625,000, a far cry from the $6.2 million and $2.2 billion the parties asked for, respectively. Why? Apple devices infringed one of two asserted Samsung patents, while Samsung phones and tablets infringed three of Apple's five asserted patents.[Image Credit: Janitors/Flickr]Apple got a complete victory on patent number 5,946,647, as the jury found that all ten Samsung devices at issue infringed -- for the uninitiated, that list includes the Admire, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S II, Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch, Galaxy S II Skyrocket, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and Stratosphere. That patent's for a technology that enables links clicked in one application to open other applications (like an address in an email opening up in a maps app). Apple was also successful with its famed slide-to-unlock patent (no. 8,046,721), but to a lesser degree: only some Samsung devices were found to have used it. Cupertino came up empty with two of its other patents: 6,847,959(for universal search), 7,761,414 (for background sync). Patent number 8,074,172 (for word recommendation/autocomplete technology), was also at issue in the case, but presiding Judge Lucy Koh already found that Samsung devices infringed that patent on summary judgement back in January.

Samsung, meanwhile, went one for two. Apparently, a (very small) number of Apple devices infringe patent number 6,226,449, for camera and photo organization technology, but Samsung was unsuccessful in proving Apple infringed Samsung's patent number5,579,239 that covers some video transmission tech.
As with the conclusion of most every courtroom battle, we can expect there to be appeals filed on both sides, so the case isn't fully closed. However, this latest result has to have the folks in Seoul and Mountain View feeling pretty good. $120 million is just another line item in Samsung's mobile business budget, and the two patents Google agreed to indemnify Samsung against played no part in Apple's victory. Speaking of, while Apple certainly came out ahead on the monetary score card, it only received a fraction of the money it asked for, so it's safe to say that Tim Cook's probably not real thrilled with the outcome.

Friday, May 2, 2014

LG G3 pictured in clearest leak yet ahead of official release

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 specs, screen, features, release date, price, news and rumours

Samsung's Galaxy S5 might rule the roost when it comes to mainstream smartphones, but the Galaxy Note phablet range is king when it comes to big screens. The Galaxy Note 3has been on sale for over six months now, so it's time to start looking for rumours of its successor, the Galaxy Note 4.

SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 4 NAME
If Samsung is one thing, it is predictable. The Galaxy and Galaxy Note ranges are now household names; maybe not to the extent of Apple's iPhone, but easily the most well-recognised of all Android devices. It would be foolish for the company to abandon the Galaxy Note brand for the new handset, and now that it has finally abandoned roman numerals for its product names we're almost certain the phone will be called the Galaxy Note 4.

SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 4 DESIGN
Samsung keeps its flagship smartphone designs a closely guarded secret ahead of launch, but even without seeing the phone it's possible to work out what it will look like. The Galaxy Note 3 was a revised take on the Galaxy S4, albeit with a unique faux leather rear cover, so we would expect the Galaxy Note 4 to take design inspiration from the Galaxy S5. Whether the faux leather will return is unclear, as it has received a lukewarm reception from the technology press, but if customers like it, Samsung could decide to keep it for the new model.

Galaxy S5 vs Note 3
Expect the Galaxy Note 4 to look like a mashup of the Galaxy S5 and Note 3
According to IT Today, the Galaxy Note 4 will retain the Galaxy S5's IP67 weatherproof build, although with so long to go until the reveal it's possible this will change. If Samsung decides there is demand, it could even make two models; one with weather-proofing and one without.
If Samsung is indeed targeting "premium" customers with the Note 4, it is possible it will finally move away from plastic to a metal design. With the iPhone 5s and HTC One (m8) using metal extensively, Samsung's smartphones are beginning to look a little cheap by comparison.
According to Yoon Han-kil, Samsung's senior VP of product strategy, the company will be revealing "new form factors" when it introduces the Note 4 later this year. Speaking to Reuters about the company's efforts with Android and Tizen, he said "Our ultimate goal is to make products that consumers really aspire to have. This is how we are trying to find a breakthrough in the stagnant premium market."
Although he didn't elaborate on what those form factors might be, we've seen plenty of patents filed by Samsung over the past few years that could give us a clue. Curved, flexible or even bendable screens are a possibility, or he could be referring to construction - with a metal Galaxy Note 4 still a possibility.
SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 4 SCREEN
As the Galaxy Note 3 has a 5.7in, Full HD display already, we're expecting Samsung to either go bigger, or add more pixels for the Galaxy Note 4. Considering that the Galaxy S5 has grown to 5.1in, it's most likely the Note 4 will grow to 5.9in - it's the next logical jump, seeing as the original Galaxy Note had a 5.3in screen, the Note 2 5.5in and the Note 3 5.7in.

Samsung itself has confirmed it is aiming for a 2014 release for higher than Full HD resolution screens - daum.net quotes Samsung representatives as penciling UHD (2,560x1,440) resolution screens for this year and, seeing as the Galaxy S5 is sticking with Full HD, the Galaxy Note 4 seems like a likely candidate.
A Samsung patent filing spotted in May 2013 suggests the company is working on three-sided bent displays, but neither the Galaxy Note 3 nor the Galaxy S5 used such technology. It's possible that the Galaxy Note 4 will mark the first appearance, but as it wasn't on the leaked roadmap this is a real long shot.
Samsung screen patent
New patent discoveries have seemingly reinforced Samsung's plans to launch curved screens that cover the sides of a smartphone as well as the front. The sides would display notifications, as well as shortcuts to make it easier to jump straight into certain apps without swiping through multiple app drawer pages.
According to a Bloomberg report back in January, Samsung executives have hinted that the Galaxy Note 4 would have a new display type that would provide better viewing angles. The AMOLED display found on the Note 3 has excellent viewing angles in the traditional sense already, which could mean a bent or curved screen isn't out of the question for the new model.
SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 4 PERFORMANCE
When it launched last year, the Galaxy Note 3 was one of the most powerful smartphones we'd ever tested thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 system-on-chip (SoC), which ran at 2.3GHz and was paired with 3GB of RAM - more than any other Android handset. If Samsung is to continue that trend, it will need to outperform its own Galaxy S5, which has a 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 CPU.

By the time the Galaxy Note 4 goes on sale, Qualcomm may have solved the performance issues it has been having with the upcoming Snapdragon 805; originally expected to arrive early this year, the chip was instead delayed and didn't make it into either the Galaxy S5 or HTC One (m8).
If it arrives in time, the 4K-ready chip should easily outpace everything else on the market, especially if Samsung adds 3GB or even 4GB of RAM into the mix.
There's also a very likely possibility that Samsung will debut its own quad-, hex- or even octa-core processor specifically for the Galaxy Note 4. It would probably be called Exynos 6, seeing as the Exynos 5 appeared in the international Galaxy Note 3, although it may be reserved for specific markets and may not make it to the UK. 64-bit CPUs have also been rumoured, which would support the idea of a Samsung-built chip.
SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 4 CAMERA
Unlike other aspects of the Galaxy Note 4, the rear camera is less of a mystery. When an internal roadmap was posted online late last year, it showed that the company planned to use 16-megapixel ISOCELL sensors on its flagship smartphones throughout 2014. It first appeared on the Galaxy S5, and we would expect it to be used again on the Galaxy Note 4.

Galaxy Note 3 camera
The Galaxy Note 3 had a great camera, but expect the Note 4 to go one better
If it does use the same sensor, the Galaxy Note 4 could be a potent smartphone for photographers. The ISOCELL sensor is technically capable of delivering higher image quality than a similarly sized CMOS sensor, because it isolated individual pixels to reduce crosstalk by as much as 30 per cent. That means less light leakage between pixels, resulting in clearer, more accurate images.
SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 4 SOFTWARE
What version of Android the Galaxy Note 4 will launch with depends very much on Google's plans for the mobile operating system. Android 4.4 Kitkat has been around for the best part of six months, and will be approaching its first birthday by September 2014, so it's highly likely the company will update to either 4.5 or 5.0 in that time.

Samsung has been making more of an effort to speed up the upgrade process for its existing phones, but with the custom Touchwiz user interface being such a radical departure from stock Android, it's possible the Galaxy Note 4 will launch with KitKat, regardless of what the latest version will be when it goes on sale.
SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 4 LAUNCH / RELEASE DATE
Just like each of the previous Galaxy Note reveals, Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy Note 4 during or around the IFA trade show in Berlin, which is scheduled for the first week of September. Last year this took place at the Tempodrom, which is one of the only places outside of the Berlin Messe itself to host the number of journalists and Samsung fans expected to turn up for the launch, so we'd expect a repeat for 2014.

Samsung Unpacked Episode One
The invite to Samsung's Unpacked 2014 Episode 1 event
The Galaxy S5 was launched at Samsung Unpacked 2014 Episode 1, so it's practically guaranteed we'll be seeing the Note 4 at an event called Unpacked Episode 2. IFA runs from the 5th to the 10th of September, so we would expect Samsung to make the announcement on the evening of the first day.
As for a release date, Samsung almost always makes its phones available a month after they are announced. If we get an early September reveal, expect the phone to go on sale from the beginning of October. You'll almost certainly be able to pre-order the phone first, with all the major networks clamouring for your two-year contract.
However, Samsung will want to get the phone out of the gate as soon as possible, as Apple is also expected to launch a new phone in September. The iPhone 6 may even launch in two models; a standard handset with a 4.7in display and a larger phablet with a 5.5in screen that could compete directly with the Note 4.
SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 4 PRICE
The Galaxy Note range has always been more expensive than the standard Galaxy line-up because of the oversized screens and bundled S Pen stylus, which cost more to manufacture. With the Galaxy S5 costing a massive £650 SIM-free directly from Samsung, that could mean the Galaxy Note 4 will cost anything up to and above £700.

According to a Bloomberg report, Samsung executives have suggested the Note 4 would be aimed at customers wanting a "premium experience" and will have a price to match.
BEWARE FAKE PHOTOS
When dealing with rumours and speculation on a product that doesn't officially exist yet, it's important to remember that many of the leaks and "news" posts we have to sift through will have been made up. We're happy to post 3D renders, as they can help visualise what a future product or feature might look like, but will always point out renders when we post them to avoid confusion.

FAKE renders Galaxy Note 4

Acer Liquid E2 review An impressive screen, but an otherwise unexciting budget smartphone

Acer is better known for laptops than smartphones in the UK, and the Liquid E2 is unlikely to change this situation. It has a good screen and reasonable performance, but is let down by poor design and the fact it's just outclassed by the very strong mid-range competition.

Acer Liquid E2
The Acer Liquid E2’s white plastic shell and silver rim resemble a cheap version of an old iPhone mixed with one of Samsung's Galaxy phones. The orgy of plastic coupled with the over-sized speaker grilles on the back of the device mean that at best the E2’s design will divide opinion. One upshot is that the phone feels well-built, even if it doesn’t look it.
Acer Liquid E2
The screen is arguably the most important part of any phone, and the 540x960-pixel, 4.5in panel on the Liquid E2 is its strongest area. It's far from the best the best display we've seen, as we expected at this price, but its brightness and contrast levels are acceptable, as are the display's viewing angles. The screen didn't handle bright outdoor lighting particularly well, however, with the auto brightness setting underestimating how bright the screen needed to be in order to be comfortably legible.The Liquid E2 runs an unaltered version of Android 4.2.1 Jellybean. Many users will see this as an advantage compared to the heavily-customised Android versions most manufacturers use, as it gives them a blank canvas on which they can install custom keyboards or app launchers from Google's Play Store. However, standard Android does look a bit dowdy compared to the smart custom operating systems available from Samsung and Sony.The Liquid E2 is powered by a quad-core, 1.2GHz MediaTek processor. It coped reasonably well in our benchmark tests. The phone completed the Sunspider JavaScript benchmark in 1,441ms, which is fine for a budget phone and up there with budget rivals such as the Motorola Moto G and Alcatel One Touch Idol S. Performance in everyday tasks such as email composition, document editing and web browsing was good, with the device remaining fairly responsive throughout tougher tasks like opening image-heavy web pages. Multi-tasking proved to be a much trickier challenge for the E2, though, and it ground to a halt when attempting to browse the web while simultaneously installing an app.
Acer Liquid E2
The phone managed a respectable score of 3,195 in the challenging 3DMark Ice Storm benchmark. This is below average by modern standards, falling well short of the Motorola Moto G, which scored 5,412 in the same test. Despite this mediocre score, gaming is still possible on the Liquid E2. Simple, popular games such as Temple Run 2 and Angry Birds Space were smooth, while the slightly more demanding Beach Buggy Blitz and Riptide GP were also playable, with only slight juddering occurring during busier moments of on-screen action.There are a few Acer apps preinstalled on the Liquid E2, such as Acer's Cloud storage service. Also present is the bizarre Moodagent, which takes your music collection and creates various playlists based on how you’re feeling. Moods range from “sensual” to “tender” to “angry”, and such an emotional app feels strangely out of place on an otherwise very plain device.By far the best piece of software included as standard is Swype, the keyboard app which allows users to type simply by sliding their digits across the on-screen keyboard. It works really well, and predicts with uncanny accuracy. Swype also has a classic typing mode which offers fast and fairly accurate predictions for those not wanting to use its swiping input method. With that said, you can download Swype onto almost any Android device for about £2.50, so this shouldn’t really influence your buying decision. The phone only has 4GB storage, so you'll most likely need to use the microSD card slot to upgrade if you really want to go wild on installing apps.We don't usually worry about smartphone speakers, as most people accept they're going to be rubbish. Acer, however, has fully committed to the illusion that its device can produce good sound, thanks to the bulging, plastic grilles on the rear of the device and installed DTS audio balancing software. The sound is no better or worse than any other cheap smartphone, though; it’s tinny, rattly, and you should ensure you have a decent pair of headphones or speakers to hand if you plan on listening to music on the Liquid E2.
Acer Liquid E2
The 8-megapixel camera looks good on paper, but we didn’t really rate its image quality. Pictures lack detail and colour balance is off both indoors and outside. Budget smartphone cameras don’t tend to blow us away, but the Liquid E2's sensor is off the pace compared to the Motorola Moto G and Alcatel Idol S's cameras.The Acer Liquid E2 is competing in a crowded market, and unfortunately doesn’t have any outstanding features to differentiate it from its rivals, while also falling short in terms of design and camera performance. While its processor and screen would probably serve you well enough, there are much better phones available which cost significantly less, such as the Motorola Moto G and Alcatel Idol S.
Part CodeHM.HC8EK.003
Review Date2 MAY 2014
Price£150
Rating** stars out of 5
Main display size4.5in
Native resolution540x960
CCD effective megapixels8-megapixel
FlashLED
GPSyes
Internal memory4096MB
Memory card supportmicroSD
Memory card included0MB
Operating frequenciesGSM 850/900/1800/1900, 3G 900/2100
Wireless dataGPRS, EDGE, 3G, HSDPA
Size131x68x9.9
Weight140g
Operating systemAndroid
Microsoft Office compatibilityWord/Excel editors, PDF viewer
FM Radioyes
Accessoriesstereo headset, charger, USB cable
Talk time9 hours
Standby time450 days
SIM-free price£168
Price on contract0
Prepay price£150
SIM-free supplierwww.ballicom.co.uk
Contract/prepay supplierwww.three.co.uk
Detailswww.acer.co.uk