New Custom Mango ROM Available for HTC HD7

HTC HD7 has already started to receive the new Windows Phone Mango operating system flavor, with a nice range of enhancements packed inside, yet those who would like to get some more enhancements on their devices should go for a custom ROM, such as the one available from DeepShining.

The new unofficial ROM for the HTC HD7 is said to be the very first software package to include no less than nine themes for the device. 

Moreover, it is based on the newly shipped ROM for the smartphone, namely HTC Europe 4.05.401.02 build 7.10.7720.68. It features radio version 5.69.09.29a. 

Apparently, some of the main features of the new ROM would include:

• First Worldwide ROM with 9 Themes and 9 Lockscreen Custom Wallpapers plus Black Nokia Accent.
• Dev/Introp Chevron unlocked
• XBmod Certificates
• Unlock Hidden option in ease of access settings
• Some minor reg Tweaks
• OEM apps from HTC Omega like HTC Hub, Notes, Attentive phone, HTC Location and HTC Connected Media

One thing that is certain is that the new ROM will offer users the possibility to try a different taste of Windows Phone Mango on their devices, though we should note that this might come at a cost. 

Installing an unofficial software release on a smartphone usually results in voiding the warranty, and users should take this into consideration at all times. 

To install the new DeepShining ROM on their HD7 smartphones, users will need to have RSPL/HSPL installed. Moreover, they should make sure that the battery inside their devices is charged at least at 50 percent, so that they do not run out of juice before the installation process is completed. 

The said ROM is available in the following languages: German, English, Spanish, Italian, French, Czech, Danish, Greek, Finnish, Hungarian, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Russian, Swedish, Portuguese and World Wide English.

Additional details on the new DeepShining ROM for HD7, as well as the necessary download links, can be found on this thread on XDA-Developers.

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All About iPhone 4S: Tech Specs, Software, Performance

To the disappointment of the better part of the Apple fan-base, Cupertino didn't announce a totally revamped iPhone 5 during yesterday’s event and, instead, announced the "iPhone 4S", a device that looks pretty much identical to the iPhone 4. However, this new model has a lot more brawn.

“iPhone 4S has the same beautifully thin glass and stainless steel design that millions of customers around the world love, while being completely redesigned on the inside,” Apple says.

According to the company headquartered at 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, California, the new iPhone 4S is not only a great phone, it’s also a powerful portable computer. For example, it’s great for gamers.

A5 chip

“The A5 chip pushes graphics up to seven times faster. So games run smoother and they’re even more realistic. And graphics-intensive apps perform even better,” Apple says.

The company invited a renowned games developer up on stage yesterday to demo its capabilities and, indeed, it seems to blow portable gaming devices out of the water.

iPhone, however, is not a dedicated gaming device. It’s short of a few buttons that are required by gamers to keep their fingers off the action on-screen.

But iPhone 4S does so much more. Thanks to the powerful A5 chip, it can handle a new resource-demanding feature called Siri. 

Siri (assistant)

Siri is an intelligent assistant that helps you get things done just by speaking to it. You don’t have to phrase your queries in a standard manner either. The feature doesn’t just understand words individually, it understands context. Apple offers these examples:

Siri understands context allowing you to speak naturally when you ask it questions, for example, if you ask “Will I need an umbrella this weekend?” it understands you are looking for a weather forecast.

Siri is also smart about using the personal information you allow it to access, for example, if you tell Siri “Remind me to call Mom when I get home” it can find “Mom” in your address book, or ask Siri “What’s the traffic like around here?” and it can figure out where “here” is based on your current location.

The function also helps you make calls, send text messages or email, schedule meetings and reminders, jot down notes, search the web, find stuff around you, or get directions.

Or, if you’re bored, you can just ask for any given fact and it will tap into the vast databases of Wikipedia and Wolfram Alpha to deliver. It’s pretty amazing, actually, and I’m not quoting Apple on this one. Just have a look for yourself.

Camera

There’s also a much better camera inside the iPhone 4S. Apple went for an 8-megapixel sensor that has some cool backlighting, and it sits behind a multitude of custom lenses, and a larger aperture. The result is this, according to Apple.

Other new features in the Camera and Photos apps give users instant access right from the lock screen. In iOS 5, you can also use the volume-up button to quickly take a photo.

The improved sensor is also excellent for auto white balance, advanced color accuracy, face detection, and reduced motion blur. Video is done in stunning 1080p HD. iPhone 4S also supports AirPlay Mirroring to Apple TV at 720p.

Display

The iPhone 4S has the same Retina display as the one found on the iPhone 4. The pixel density is identical - 326 ppi - and offers a 960-by-640-pixel resolution. The 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch screen has 800:1 contrast ratio (typical) and 500 cd/m2 max brightness.

Antenna / wireless

But, in the end, iPhone 4S is still a phone at heart. Apple knew that when it also decided to improve on the stainless steel external, dual-antenna design of the iPhone 4.

The iPhone 4S intelligently switches between two antennas to send and receive. In fact, Apple says it’s the first phone ever to do that.

Thanks to other enhancements to the antennas and radios, the phone now supports twice the download speed with HSDPA for up to 14.4 Mbps. New Qualcomm chips make iPhone 4S a world phone (both CDMA and GSM). And it's got Bluetooth 4.0 which theoretically allows the 4S to connect to a Mac from 50 meters away.

 In fact, since you’re here, you deserve the complete list of the phone’s wireless capabilities (emphasis mine):

 iPhone 4S Cellular and Wireless

World phone

• UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); 
• GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
• CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900 MHz)4
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz only)
• Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology

Battery

The iPhone 4S has a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery that charges via USB to a computer or power adapter. Nothing new here, except it’s much more reliable than the one found inside earlier iPhones, or at least so says Apple. According to the company now run by Tim Cook, you get:

Talk time: Up to 8 hours on 3G, up to 14 hours on 2G (GSM)

Standby time: Up to 200 hours

Internet use: Up to 6 hours on 3G, up to 9 hours on Wi-Fi

Video playback: Up to 10 hours

Audio playback: Up to 40 hours

Other details / specs

The dimensions are about the same as with the iPhone 4: Height: 4.5 inches (115.2 mm); Width: 2.31 inches (58.6 mm); Depth: 0.37 inch (9.3 mm); Weight: 4.9 ounces (140 grams).

The 4S has the same external buttons and controls, the same sensors, and ships with the same stuff in the box (earphones with remote and mic, connector cable, power adapter, documentation).

It comes in Black and White models and it’s designed with a number of features to reduce environmental impact, embodying Apple’s continuing environmental progress.

Now, if this extensive look at the new iPhone’s features still leaves you wanting, you can visit Apple here to compare iPhone models and see which one suits you best.

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LTE-Enabled iPhone 5 Only in Late 2012, iSuppli Believes

Yesterday, Apple disappointed a lot of fans with the release of only one iPhone model, which was not the iPhone 5 device that they were all expecting. 

The iPhone 4S might seem like a great device, and might even be capable of providing users with increased performance capabilities due to its dual-core CPU, or with global connectivity, but it is not the iPhone 5, which is still expected to land on shelves next year. 

Moreover, the mobile phone is said to include support for 4G LTE connectivity, just as some of the previous rumors on it suggested, even if unconfirmed. 

According to iSuppli, it's almost certain that the next iPhone model will arrive on shelves with the fourth-generation connectivity capabilities packed inside, and that it will arrive in about one year from now. 

The research firm notes that the new iPhone 5 model will arrive on shelves sometime in late 2012, and that Apple might even push it back to mid-2013.

The main reason for this would be the user experience, which would have been crippled if the handset arrived sooner. 

“Apple declined to offer an LTE-enabled iPhone that would have been more expensive, larger and more power hungry - and instead opted to introduce a device that delivers nearly the same wireless data speed, but with a superior user experience,” Francis Sideco, senior principal analyst and the research firm notes. 

The research firm also notes that the new iPhone 4S should be able to do its job just fine with 3G connectivity capabilities on board, and that an upgrade to LTE would have not been profitable. 

“There is no appreciable benefit to adopting LTE, especially given the current spectrum and uplink speed constraints for LTE,” iSuppli notes. 

The one thing that is certain here is that previous rumors suggesting that there will be no LTE-capable iPhone this year proved true, and that we'll have to wait a bit longer before Apple makes an official announcement on this device.

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AMD FX-8150 CPU Retail Packaging Pictured

While AMD still has more than a week to go until it launches its first FX-Series processors based on the high-performance Bulldozer architecture, pictures depicting an FX-8150 CPU inside its retail packaging have already made their way to the Web.

Just as AMD has said before, the CPU is packaged inside a metal box with a cut-out revealing the markings on the processor found inside.

Opening this metal can will reveal a cardboard box which actually holds the CPU as well as a case badge with the AMD Scorpio platform logo and the “Unlocked FX Processor” inscription.

AMD will use this packaging for all of its eight-core FX-Series processors, so the FX-8100 should also be retailed inside a similar metal box.

The FX-8150 is AMD's most powerful desktop processor based on the Bulldozer high-performance architecture as it includes four modules for a total of eight computing cores.

These are paired together with 8MB of Level 3 cache as well as with 8MB of L2 cache memory and the CPU also includes a dual-channel DDR3 memory controller supporting speeds up to 1866MHz.

AMD has set the base clock speed of the FX-8150 at 3.6GHz, but when a single core is used the Turbo Core technology can raise its operating frequency up to 4.2GHz.

According to a series of leaked slides from AMD's presentation for the FX-Series, the FX-8150 should be placed right between Intel's Core i7-2600K and Core i5-2500K in terms of application performance, while in gaming it should achieve the same results as an Intel Core i7-980X CPU.

The same slides revealed that the CPU will be priced at $245 US, or about 178 Euros, placing it right between the two unlocked Intel Sandy Bridge processors. The FX-8150 will be released on October 12. (via XtremeSystems)

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AMD Opteron 3200 Series CPUs Also Show Up

AMD is getting ready to take the server market by assault with an impressive series of Opteron processors based on the high-performance Bulldozer architecture, and latest reports suggest the company is also working on single-socket versions of these chips which will be released into the Opteron 3200 product line.

AMD hasn't released any single-socket Opteron parts since early 2009 as in the last two year the chip maker has decided to concentrate its efforts on the multi-socket server market.

However, judging by the limited information that was uncovered by CPU-World, AMD is now looking to get back into the workstation and uni-socket server space with the introduction of the Opteron 3200 series.

As far as we know, Opteron 3200 CPUs are based on the same Valencia core as the Opteron 4200 series SKUs we reported about earlier today and the chips uncovered so far include either four or eight computing cores.

Two of the processors discovered, the Opteron 3250 EE and 3260 EE, are low-voltage parts with a TDP of just 45W, while the other CPU, the Opteron 3280 HE, has a TDP of 65W.

The two low-voltage processors come with only two Bulldozer modules for a total of four computing cores and have a base clock of 2.5GHz and 2.7GHz, respectively.

The amount of L3 cache size installed is different from that of FX-series desktop processors, but the exact value isn't known.

As far as the Opteron 3280 HE is concerned this includes eight processing cores, has a base frequency of 2.4GHz and its Level 3 cache memory size is set at a full 8MB.

No information regarding the release date of these Opteron 3200-series server CPUs is available at this time, but they should arrive in Q4 of 2011, most probably together with the first Opteron 6200 and Opteron 4200 parts.

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Windows 8 Start Screen Goodies Coming in the Beta

Microsoft has already revealed that some Windows 8 features will only become available to early adopters with the advent of the Beta development milestone of the operating system. 

Among them are examples of functionality for the Start Screen, the evolution of the Start Menu. The Redmond company already demoed naming, grouping, and zooming in the Windows 8 Build 8102 Milestone 3 (M3) Start Screen, but they’re not in the Windows Developer Preview. 

It sounds like the software giant needs a tad more time to tweak Windows 8 Start Screen functionality ahead of unleashing it on testers. 

Microsoft’s Alice Steinglass, the group program manager for the Core Experience Evolved team, provided some insight into what new features the company has in store. 

“Good customization options start with organization. The Windows 7 Start menu is just a simple flat list. But, as people collect more and more apps, the ability to organize and group apps together becomes more important,” Steinglass said. 

“(…) we designed the Start screen to give you flexibility over the number of groups, the size of any group, the layout of tiles within the group, and whether or not you want to name a group.”

As Steinglass notes, groups of tiles can exist even without a specific label. But, at the same time, users will have the option of naming tiles collections anything they want. 

This is just another example of customization that the Start Screen provides and which was impossible with the old Star Menu. 

I suspect that advanced users will pile up tiles in no time, and create large numbers of groups. For them, Microsoft has made it extremely easy to get an overview of the entire Start Screen by zooming out. 

“We enabled zoom as a way to step back, survey the landscape of the Start menu, and go directly to any group. We considered starting zoomed out and letting you dive into a group, but early usage data indicated that the vast majority of the time, people activate a tile that is on the first page,” Steinglass explains. 

“The standard zoomed-in view allows you to instantly glance at your dashboard just by hitting the Windows key on the keyboard, and then pressing it again to return to what you were doing. This means that checking anything on the Start screen is always just a single click or key press away.”

None of the functionality mentioned above is available to early adopters testing the Windows 8 Developer Preview. And if you’re thinking that BUILD attendees were a tad luckier and got to play with the full spectrum of Start Screen functionality, that’s not the case. They didn’t get it either. 

Windows 8 Developer Preview Build 8102 Milestone 3 (M3) is available for download here.

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Windows 8 Touch Interactions

Windows 8 has been optimized to understand touch interaction like no operating system before, including its predecessor, Windows 7. 

And of course, this automatically implies that there’s a great opportunity for Windows 8 developers to put together NUI applications for the next iteration of the Windows client. 

The “Designing Metro style apps that are touch-optimized” session at BUILD last month managed to deliver great insight into the natural user capabilities of Windows 8. 

The video that’s available on the official BUILD site is a must-watch for those that didn’t make it to the actual session, or for those looking to revisit the things they learned. 

Presented by Kay Hofmeester, senior UX lead, and Jan-Kristian Markiewicz, UX program manager, the “Designing Metro style apps that are touch-optimized” really digs into the work done to prepare Windows 8 for touch interaction. 

One example is how Microsoft dissected user behavior when interacting using touch as opposite to leveraging more traditional input models such as the mouse or keyboard. 

Users of Windows 8 devices will be able to tap, press and hold, slide, swipe, pinch, swipe from edge, and rotate. The richness of options will contribute to the evolution of interaction beyond anything that’s possible on devices today, especially those controlled through classic peripherals. 

“There are some fun observations from an ergonomic point of view – your body is made to contract and draw circles for example – which influence the touch interactions the team has created,” reveals Microsoft’s Steve Clayton. 

“The pair talk through the thinking of most of the gestures and personally, I found is fascinating to see the depth of thought that has gone in to this UI. I’m now flying through the newsreader app with the swipe to select and magazinify controls and can’t wait to see semantic zoom in action - it’s not in the developer preview but you can see it in action in app search.”

Windows 8 Developer Preview Build 8102 Milestone 3 (M3) is available for download here.

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CyanogenMod 7 Plays Nicely with DROID 3 on Video

Motorola DROID 3 users interested in tweaking their devices will soon be able to do so issues free courtesy of fully working CyanogenMod ROMs, it seems. 

In the meantime, however, they can only have a glance at how things are looking like at the moment, in the video embedded above. 

CyanogenMod 7 has been loaded on DROID 3 and things seem very good, even if not all aspects are now working as they should. 

Of course, the CyanogenMod ROMs are work in progress almost at all times, but, in DROID 3's case, it appears that some of the phone's features are not currently functional. 

However, things are expected to get better soon, and a working CM release for the Motorola handset should emerge in no time, so stay tuned.

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Asus Renames Its Ultrabooks to ZenBooks?

On October 11, Asus will hold a series of events throughout major cities in Europe and the US to announce the introduction of its first ultra-thin laptops designed around Intel's Ultrabook concept, and a recent report comes to suggest these won't actually carry the UX name as previously though, but will instead be called ZenBooks.

The Notebook Italia website received an invitation to the Asus even held in Milano, Italy for the launch of the Ultrabooks which reads “Asus invites you to uncover the new ZenBook.”

The Taiwanese computer maker hasn't disclosed any additional information about the Ultrabooks (please read that ZenBooks) it plans to launch, but the lineup should include at least two models, the UX21 and the UX31.

However, other models could also arrive as some previous rumors have suggested that Asus is preparing no less than 5 Ultrabooks for an October launch.

The main difference between the two ZenBooks is the diagonal of the screen used, as the first one carries a 12.1-inch display while the latter is slightly larger measuring 13.3-inch (1600x900 resolution).

Despite this difference, both designs use a thin and light anodized aluminum uni-body chassis that measures no more than 17mm at its thickest point, with an all-aluminum keyboard and glass touchpad, which were designed to accentuate the style of the unit.

At the heart of both of these laptops stand ULV Intel Core processors from the i5 and i7 ranges, which can be paired with 64GB or 128GB solid state drives and various connectivity options including Bluetooth, WiFi and USB 3.0.

In addition to the powerful hardware, Ultrabooks are also tweaked to resume from a sleep state in less than two seconds.

In Europe, Asus' UX21 Ultrabook is expected to start at 799 Euros (about $1085 US), while the UX31 will start at 999 Euros, which translates into about $1341 US. (via Notebook Italia)

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Nokia Link App Syncs Media Content Between Nokia N9 and PC or Mac

While Nokia N9 is still shipping in selected markets, the Finnish company has announced the availability of Nokia Link app, which allows N9 users to shift media files from phone to a PC or Mac.

However, the Nokia Link does not replace the current Nokia Suite, previously known as Ovi Suite, as the application supports only the N9 smartphone.

Still, Nokia fans can use both applications on their computers at the same time, Nokia Link with Nokia N9, and Nokia Suite with other Nokia phones.

Even though the application is only compatible with Windows 7, Mac Snow Leopard and Mac Lion, Nokia stated that is currently working hard to add Windows XP support.

The PC version of Nokia Link has 10 MB size, while the Mac version has 25MB. Moreover, the application does not require users to restart their computers after the installation process is complete.

As soon as the phone is connected with a PC or Mac via a microUSB cable, the application will open automatically and display the amount of storage available on the Nokia N9.

With Nokia Link, N9 owners can sync music, videos and photos, or they can create backups and restore important mobile content.

Another interesting feature of the application allows users to link it to the media libraries on a computer. 

It is important to understand that music, videos or photos from the phone with Nokia Link is not possible at the moment. 

Instead users can remove their phone's music, photos, and videos with Finder in Mac or Windows Explorer in Windows via Mass storage mode. 

According to Nokia, the desktop software is fully compatible with Windows Media Player, Windows Live Photo Gallery 2011 or later, as well as iTunes and iPhoto 8 or later.

Unfortunately, Linux users have been left out, as Nokia Link does not feature support for this operating system, but hopefully this is only temporary.

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Intel Launches Four New Mobile Sandy Bridge CPUs

Intel recently expanded its mobile Sandy Bridge processor portfolio with four new CPUs from the Pentium and Core product lineups which were designed to cover devices ranging from ultra-portable to high-performance notebooks.

All the processors are slightly faster versions of existing models and can be already ordered by Intel's partners who want to use these chips in their products.

Making our way from the bottom, the first processor that we encounter is the ultra low-voltage Pentium 967 with dual computing cores.

This is a 100MHz higher clocked version of the Pentium 957 that was launched in June and operates at 1.3GHz, while its TDP is rated at just 17W.

The second mobile Pentium CPU to be released by Intel is the Pentium B960, which is intended for the mainstream market and comes with dual processing cores clocked at 2.2GHz.

Both of these Pentium processors incorporate 2 MB shared L3 cache, HD 3000 graphics, and support for some of the most basic technologies found in the Sandy Bridge architecture, such as the Intel 64 and the SSE4 instruction sets.

Moving to the two Core parts, the first CPU to make its appearance is the Core i5-2430M with dual computing cores and Hyper-Threading support, which has a base frequency of 2.4GHz, but can reach up to 3GHz when Turbo Boost is activated and not all cores are loaded.

Like all the other Core i5 parts, the 2430M also includes 3 MB of last level cache, HD 3000 graphics, and fits in a 35 Watt thermal envelope.

Finally, the last Sandy Bridge processor to be introduced is the Core i7-2670QM which is also the most powerful thanks to its quad-core design, 6MB of Level 3 cache and Hyper Threading support.

Compared with its predecessor, the 2670QM is clocked 200MHz higher, at 2.2GHz, and supports a maximum Turbo Boost speed of 3.1GHz, while fitting inside the same 45W TDP.

Both the Core i5 and the Core i7 processors Intel introduced today will soon become available in various laptop models as most notebook makers have updated their configurations to included these new chips. (via CPU-World)

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Nokia Play To Application Adds Symbian Belle Support

A new flavor of Nokia Play To application is now available for download, with included support for the new Symbian Belle operating system flavor. 

The new mobile software release also brings along a new look and feel, as well as a new feature for all users to enjoy. In Photos, users will be able to easily have details of their photos available on the bigger screen of a TV when using the zoom feature. 

There have been some compatibility issues with the new app, and those who stumble upon issues with the installation should look for 'ODML commons repository' in Settings > Application installer, and remove it if installed. That is part of Nokia Maps, and users might have to reinstall this application after that. 

The new flavor of Nokia Play To is available for download as well, via this link.

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Need for Speed: The Run Demo Available October 18, Trailer Out Already

Racing fans from all around the world will be able to take the upcoming Need for Speed: The Run for a test drive on October 18, when Electronic Arts, its publisher, and Black Box, its developer, will deploy a demo for it onto consoles like the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Need for Speed: The Run has gotten a lot of people excited, largely because it marks a return to story-based titles for the racing franchise, and because it's running on the all-new Frostbite 2 engine, courtesy of Battlefield 3 developer DICE.

We've seen quite a lot of details about The Run appear, including the large array of cars available for its protagonist, Jack, and how his adventures will also include on-foot sequences dominated by quick time events.

Now, EA and Black Box have confirmed that a demo will be released ahead of the game's November launch, but only on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms, leaving the PC, Nintendo Wii or 3DS out of the equation.

"Electronic Arts today announced that gamers will get a chance to test their mettle in an action-packed demo for Need for Speed The Run beginning October 18. Using the Need for Speed franchise’s signature Autolog feature*, gamers will compete to see who will come out on top and who will be left in the dust as they race through the Desert Hills of California and Independence Pass of Colorado."

Two cars are available for The Run demo, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni, and the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S, which is unlocked after players refer to a friend to download the demo.

NFS: The Run demo will be out on the North American PlayStation Network and worldwide Xbox Live Marketplace on October 18, and last until November 1, while European PSN members get to download it between October 19 and November 1.

A special trailer depicting gameplay from the two tracks with the two cars mentioned above has been released, so enjoy it below until The Run demo hits later this month. The full game is set to be released on November 15, in North America, and November 18, in Europe.

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New Windows 8 Features for the Beta

As it’s evolving between Milestone 3 and Beta, Windows 8 still has to spend quite a lot of time in the oven before its fully baked, this much has to be clear. There’s a lot to Windows 8 that the public hasn’t seen yet, and in this regard, the Beta Build will do a much better job at revealing just what the final product will look and feel like. 

Ahead of the launch of Windows Developer Preview I opined on a range of occasions that Microsoft was bound to follow the development and release strategy of Windows 7. 

That’s why I was not surprised that early adopters received an M3 release at BUILD, namely Windows 8 Build 8102, and not the Beta development milestone, as some were expecting. 

Our readers might remember that the same happened with Windows 7, and that at the 2008 edition of the Professional Developers Conference, devs received a pre-Beta M3 Build of Windows Vista’s successor. 

But at the same time, there are differences. The fact that the first preview of Windows 8 brings more to the table, evolution-wise, than the Windows 7 M3 Build offered at PDC is indisputable. This even though both releases are developer previews at heart. 

With the introduction of the Metro platform, apps, and UI, the software giant is also offering a taste of the core user experience. But one that has yet to be wrapped up. At least this is what Chaitanya Sareen, program manager lead on the Core Experience Evolved team, seems to be suggesting:

“With regard to the main user experience, particularly Start, we’re noticing some themes in your comments. Will there be a way to close Metro style apps without going to Task Manager? (Yes there will be, but we also want to talk about why you probably won't need to use it),” Sareen said. 

“Are we going to do anything to make the mouse more efficient in scrolling through your programs in Start? (Yes, we'll improve that experience, and show you much more in the beta.)”

This to me sounds like a hint that there are new Windows 8 features still waiting to surface, and that the Beta Build will sport a number of changes compared to the Developer Preview. 

Windows 8 Developer Preview Build 8102 Milestone 3 (M3) is available for download here.

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Kaymak G1 Concept Phone with Quad-Core CPU

A new concept device has just made an appearance into the wild, offering us the possibility to dream a little more of the future. 

The new mobile phone comes from Hasan Kaymak from Turkey and is called Kaymak G1, being nothing more than its creator's dream handset. 

The specifications that the concept smartphone would include indeed make it a dream device, starting with the powerful quad core application processor that Hasan Kaymak would like it to sport. 

However, this is only one of the things that would make this device an appealing mobile phone for any user out there. 

The rest of the possible hardware specifications it would include are similarly attractive, including the large 4.5-inch touchscreen display that can deliver a 720p HD resolution. 

The phone would also include 16GB or 32Gb of internal memory, along with a microSD memory card slot to enable the expansion of the available memory by up to 32GB. 

There will also be an 8-megapixel photo snapper on the back of the phone, with LED flash, auto focus and support for full HD video recording, as well as a 2MP camera on the front, which should enable video calling while on the go. 

The rest of the specs would be in line with what is available in today's smartphones as well, including WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, support for HSPA+, USB port, and built-in GPS receiver. 

This concept device should be powered by a 1850 mAh battery, while running under the yet-unofficial Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich platform release. 

Over all, this is one dream device that could easily become reality, if not in the form that can be seen in the photos attached to this article, then in a similar design (more photos available at Concept Phones here). 

After all, Nvidia already promised quad-core smartphones for the next year, and Qualcomm said that they are nearing the release of their first processor with four cores.

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New Nokia W7 Windows Phone Concept Emerges

Soon, the first Windows Phone handset coming from the Finnish telecoms giant Nokia is set to arrive on the market and, before that happens, enthusiasts keep on dreaming about the great specs and features that this device might include. 

Thus, Deviantart user Larmthe4 came up with a Nokia Windows Phone concept of its own, and named it Nokia W7, which might actually be the very name that the first Windows Phone coming from Espoo would feature. 

Of course, the device is only the product of Larmthe4's imagination, and that includes all of the specifications listed below, as well as the photos attached to this article. 

First of all, we should note that Nokia W7 is expected to arrive on shelves with the new Windows Phone Mango platform flavor on board, and that it should pack a large 4.2 inch AMOLED multi-touch display, capable of delivering an HD resolution. 

Moreover, the handset would include a 1GHz application processor inside, complemented by 768MB of RAM and capable of providing great performance capabilities. 

Nothing is out of the ordinary until now, nor the rest of the specs would be, that's for sure. The Nokia W7 is said to pack 16GB of internal memory, along with 576MB of ROM. 

It should also include a 12-megapixel photo snapper on the back, with LED flash and support for HD video recording, as well as microUSB 3.0 and mini HDMI ports, and more. 

Overall, the new handset seems to be just what Nokia would need to bring to shelves this year, to impress both fans who are expecting great new Windows Phones from it, as well as rivals, who doubt its ability to deliver such phones. 

Until the real deal is unveiled to the world, something that should happen during this month, it seems, we can only hope that Nokia will actually launch a good looking device as the one Larmthe4 came up with.

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Intel 2012 Ivy Bridge Mobile CPU Gets Pictured

In the second quarter of 2012, Intel is expected to launch the first processors based on the Ivy Bridge architecture and while we are still months away from this moment a series of pictured depicting a mobile CPU based on this architecture made its appearance on the Web.

The processor pictured is an engineering sample chip and its features quad computing cores as well as support for the Hyper-Threading technology, which probably makes it an Core i7 CPU.

Sadly, the rest of its specifications are not known, but the Website that entered into the possession of this part compared its die size with that of a current Core i7 CPU built on the Sandy Bridge architecture.

Not surprisingly, the Ivy Bridge SKU comes 25% smaller that its second generation Core counterpart, which should lead to lower heat output and reduced manufacturing costs as Intel will be able to packs more chips into a wafer the same size.

Despite this change, both mobile Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge processors will use the same rPGA 988 packaging, which means that notebook manufacturer will be able to update their second generation Core models without too many troubles.

Ivy Bridge is the code name used for the 22nm die shrink of the current Sandy Bridge chips and features basically the same architecture, but with a few minor tweaks and improvements.

This includes a new on-die GPU that will come with full DirectX 11 support as well as with 30% more EUs than Sandy Bridge, in order to offer up to 60% faster performance that current Core CPUs according to Intel.

In addition, the processor cores have also received some minor tweaks as their AVX performance was slightly increased and Intel has updated the integrated PCI Express controller to the 3.0 standard.

In the mobile version of Ivy Bridge, all these improvements are paired together with a configurable TDP design, which enables the CPU to greatly surpass its maximum thermal design power when additional cooling is provided (like when placed on a notebook cooling stand).

Intel's first Ivy Bridge processors are expected to make their debut in March/April of 2012, and will quickly replace the current Sandy Bridge processors in Intel's lineup. (via Hardcore Hardware)

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