First HTC Golf Press Shot Leaks, to Be Released as HTC Wildfire C

HTC Golf is a budget-friendly Android smartphone, which is set to make its debut on the market in the following weeks. The folks over at Pocketnow managed to get their hands on the first render of the phone, along with full details on the specs sheet.  However, this is not the first time we heard about the HTC Golf. About a month ago a test photo leaked online, as well as some of the phone's hardware configuration. Although it has been tipped as a budget-friendly device, the HTC Golf will be released with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system out of the box. Apart from that there's nothing really impressive that could make it standout. Hardware-wise, the device is equipped with a single core processor, mostly...

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Sony Kicks Off Android 4.0 ICS Upgrade for Xperia Arc S, Xperia Neo V and Xperia Ray

Two weeks ago Sony promised it will start upgrading its 2011 Xperia smartphones to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich platform beginning mid-April.  True to its promise, the Japanese company has just announced the immediate availability of the update for three models. Starting today through early June no less than eight 2011 Xperia smarpthone are scheduled to receive the Ice Cream Sandwich update. However, it would be impossible for Sony to deliver the update to all these eight smartphones at the same time.  This is why the handset vendor stated it will make a short announcement every time Android 4.0 is released for a 2011 Xperia smartphone in a certain region. As expected, the first devices to get the upgrade are...

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Nokia Lumia 900 Data Connectivity Fix Now Available for Download

It's been more than a week since Lumia 900 made its debut in the United States via AT&T. Customers who preo-ordered the Nokia Lumia 900 received their devices last Friday, but those who wanted to visit the nearest store to grab one had some troubles in finding one that would be opened. Although Nokia had spent lots of money for the Lumia 900 marketing campaign, it only took one day to get overwhelming negative feedback. It appears that its Windows Phone flagship smartphone was plagued by a annoying software bug that would make the device unable to connect to AT&T's data networks. It's a miracle that Nokia's support site didn't not crashed due the high traffic generated by disgruntled Lumia 900 owners who didn't know...

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Larry Page Hints at Upcoming 7-inch Google Tablet

Google is rumored to be working on its own branded tablet, in cooperation with ASUS. It's expected to be a dirt cheap, 7-inch tablet which will bring the full ICS experience to the lower end of the price spectrum. Now, CEO Larry Page fueled the speculation by praising small cheap Android tablets that have been successful. While he doesn't say it by name, he's of course referring to the Kindle Fire. The Fire does run Android, but it's a completely customized build with no Google services, an empty victory for Google. "Obviously there's been a lot of success on some lower-price tablets that run Android, maybe not the full Google version of Android," he said in a conference call. "But we definitely believe that there's going to be a...

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Bell BlackBerry Curve 9380 Is History, Reaches “End of Life” Status

It appears that RIM’s BlackBerry Curve 9380 was a total fiasco. The smartphone was launched on the market in November 2011 and got retired about four months later. According to a Bell internal document published by the guys over at MobileSyrup, BlackBerry Curve 9380 smartphone reached “End of Life” (EOL) status on March 21. The all-touch entry-level Curve 9380 is one of the cheapest BlackBerry 7 smartphones available on the market, and the first full touch device in the Curve family. The phone sports a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports 360 x 480 pixels resolution, an 806 MHz single-core processor, 512 MB of internal memory, 512 MB of RAM and microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 32GB). There’s...

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Devs to Reduce Memory Usage for Low-End Windows Phones

In February, Microsoft unveiled a new flavor of its Windows Phone operating system, one destined for lower-end devices, such as the highly affordable Nokia Lumia 610.  The company had to make a series of modifications to the platform, to ensure that users would receive a consistent experience from the OS even on these devices, and it has already provided a series of details on the matter.  Application developers are also urged to apply new principles when designing their applications, so as to make sure that owners of these under spec’d devices can enjoy their software.  One of these requirements involves a reduced memory usage for their apps, just as previously mentioned. To be more precise, Microsoft is suggesting...

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Intel's Other Windows 8 Tablet Ideas Revealed

By the end of this year, Intel intends to have at least one tablet loaded with Windows 8 out and about, one that may or may not bear its brand.  Intel is the main promoter of ultrabooks, but it doesn't actually make those things. OEMs, like Samsung, do it instead.  The same sort of situation is bound to come about on the tablet market as well, but we aren't completely sure anymore that Intel will restrict itself to the position of component provider.  During IDF 2012, the Santa Clara, California-based company introduced its vision for tablets running Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system.  This may be a leap of logic, but we can't help but consider that maybe there will be an Intel-branded...

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Facebook to Enable Vanity URL and Email Address for All Users

Facebook is a Frankensteinian website, a very successful one at that, but one put together from bits and pieces, nonetheless. Various features and sections are added, or dropped, each created by a different team, each with its own particularities and its own degree of success. Facebook's email service is not something most people have heard about, let alone used. Still, with 850 million users, at the last count, even an obscure feature is going to get quite a lot of usage. Facebook is now working to bring a bit of coherence to the site, and maybe make more people aware that they do have a Facebook email address, by pushing those that haven't chosen one already to pick one and also set up their vanity URL. By default, the vanity...

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HTC EVO 4G LTE Approved by FCC, Pre-Orders Start in May

HTC EVO 4G LTE was officially unveiled by Sprint last week. Although the carrier confirmed customers would be able to pre-order the device beginning May 7, it did not provide an exact release date. According to Sprint, the EVO 4G LTE will hit shelves in Q2 for $199.99 with a new two-year agreement, while the availability date will be announced closer to launch. The guys over at Engadget have just spotted the smartphone at FCC (Federal Communications Commission) on its way to Sprint’s airwaves. Even though the HTC EVO 4G LTE received FCC’s approval so early, customers will still have to wait for almost a month until the carrier kicks off pre-orders and probably more until the smartphone hits shelves. Also known as HTC One...

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Intel Seeks High-Resolution PC Displays, Arrival in 2013

We've seen how the HD resolution has supplanted 1,024 x 768 as the most popular worldwide and, now, we find out that Intel wants things to move even faster on the display market. According to Liliputing, the Santa Clara, California-based company fully expects higher resolution displays to start gaining in prominence from 2013 onwards. And by “higher resolution,” we mean higher than even Full HF (1,920 x 1,080 pixels), not just HD (1,366 x 768 pixels). In fact, all displays are bound to advance, Intel thinks, not just PC monitors (3,820 x 2,160 pixels).  That means laptop panels (and yes, ultrabooks too) will have 2,180 x 1,800 quality (13-inch diagonal) or 2,560 x 1,440 (10-inch and 11-inch ultrabook/tablets). What's...

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Samsung Espresso 7 and 10 Tablets Emerge, Launch in June

It looks like Samsung has more aces up its sleeve this year. After arousing Android fans’ interest with the recently announced Galaxy Note 10.1, the company plans to release at least two additional tablets. Dubbed Samsung Espresso 7 and Espresso 10, these tablets have just been spotted in a document highlighting the upcoming Samsung TVs.  Apparently, these two unheard-of tablets will be compatible with the Samsung Smart View application that allows users to view images or watch movies on bigger screens directly from their mobile devices. There are no technical details on either of them, but the document mentions that both will be powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.  In addition, at least one of these tablets,...

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Script: Sly

Sly is a really useful and advanced jQuery plugin for creating one-directional scrolling objects. Sly is quite an unique project because it does not focus on creating a per se slider, a page navigational system or any other scrolling-focused widget, but it's more like a framework for deploying one-directional scrolling components. Of course, it can create all of the above elements, as featured sliders, carousels, infinite scrolls, transitions, lazy loading objects, image galleries, etc., but it's main utility is to provide a basic core and collection of methods for implementing one-directional scrolling. Sly supports and works the same for both vertical and horizontal scroll directions. Check out this plethora of demos...

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Sony Xperia PLAY HD Concept Phone Packs Quad-Core CPU

Mobile phone users who are fond of gaming while on the go will always be looking for a smartphone capable of offering the best of the two worlds.  Sony Ericsson made a first step in this direction with the launch of Xperia PLAY, but the device feels outdated when compared to current handsets out there.  The first quad-core smartphones are already out on shelves, and enthusiasts are dreaming of the moment when a successor to Xperia PLAY will include such as chip as well.  Coming from Bob Freking (via Concept-phones), the new Sony Xperia PLAY HD concept phone packs all the hardware capabilities that enthusiasts are looking for in such a device.  The same as the original Xperia PLAY, the new handset would...

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Price Cuts Coming for AMD Radeon HD 7900

As all the NVIDIA Kepler-based GeForce GTX 680 graphics cards kept coming out, Advanced Micro Devices would just not reduce the prices of its Radeon HD 7900 series.  This was weird, because the GTX 680 managed to best the HD 7970 in many areas, although not all of them, while costing less.  Now, though, it is said that the Sunnyvale, California-based company is doing what needs to be done.  The Radeon HD 7970 will dip by around $60 / 45 Euro, which means that its price will be of $489 / 372 Euro if people get lucky.  Meanwhile, the HD 7950 will decrease by up to $55, which means that its MSRP will go to $394 / 300 Euro.  As for the HD 7770, it might also be made cheaper, by roughly $15 or so...

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Samsung Wants DDR4 Sooner Than Intel Does

We have reported on how Intel expects DDR4 to start replacing DDR3 in 2014 and, now, it seems that not everyone is happy about that time frame. It is a known fact that DRAM makers are not having the time of their lives right now.With Elpida bankrupt and everyone else losing money constantly, memory makers need a saving grace of some sort.It is for this reason that Samsung wants DDR4 out sooner than 2014. DDR3 are just not profitable anymore because of their very low prices.In fact, Samsung already has a DDR4 UDIMM. The product was revealed back in January 2011 really.Going from DDR2 to DDR3 took three years. Samsung, and Hynix, hope for the transition from DDR3 to DDR4 to be completed faster.For our part, we feel that existing memory...

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Samsung Confirms Windows Phone 8 Handsets for 2012

Before the end of this year, South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics will bring to the market smartphones running under Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 operating system.  The company has been long rumored to plan the launch of such devices, and confirmation has already emerged, it seems. Samsung Taiwan let it slip that the company will deliver Windows Phone 8 Apollo-powered phones in the second half of the year, ePrice notes.  The smartphones are expected to become available sometime in October at the earliest, the same month when Microsoft launches the platform.  For the time being, however, no specific details on the handsets have emerged, nor on the upcoming mobile operating system.  Rumor...

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JEDEC Starts Process to Standardize Wireless NAND

JEDEC has announced its latest project, the creation of a standard for non-volatile memory that also incorporates wireless connectivity. Wireless connections are everywhere nowadays, but that doesn't mean that the storage performs the data transfers itself. Indeed, everything down to wireless HDDs and SSDs use a special chip and/or antenna to broadcast the signal. Nevertheless, there are such things called secure digital (SD) memory cards with Wi-Fi support. The JEDEC Solid State Technology Association has now begun work on a standard for such products. Once it is complete, users may finally have more than ease of use as a point of interest. What we mean by that is that, even though the Wi-Fi SD cards are easy to...

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NVIDIA Speaks in Favor of 450mm Wafer Plants

In order to make up for the longer time it takes to start production, larger wafers will have to be used in the making of next-generation semiconductors. NVIDIA has rather bluntly stated that the chip industry is essentially dependent on the opening of manufacturing plants that produce larger wafers. The main issue with companies like itself, Intel and Advanced Micro Devices is that it takes longer to actually start producing next-generation chips than it did a decade ago. All the while, they need to be able to launch a new chip every year or so. As such, since they don't really have as much time to make the units, they need to make more of them at once. Using 450mm wafer factories is the next logical step, according...

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Intel Medfield Benchmarked on Reference Design Tablet

Anyone hoping that Intel's next-generation mobile chip will one-up Tegra 3 will probably be disappointed. Intel has been advertising its Medfield chip as a competent competitor to ARM-based mobile platforms. Alas, while the processing prowess and power consumption might be decent enough, the graphics leave much to be desired. At least, this is what the AnTuTu Benchmark suggests. Having been run on the Intel reference Design tablet, it got to 5,335 points. Meanwhile, the HTC One X smartphone, powered by Tegra 3, got 10,369 points, simply because its 2D and 3D graphics are much better. On the bright side, those 5335 points at least suggest that the Medfield is fine when it comes to CPU Integer Performance, CPU Floating...

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BBM to Arrive on Android and iOS This Year

Research In Motion has been long expected to make its BlackBerry Messenger available for devices running under other mobile operating systems than its own, and it appears that things might be nearing an official unveiling.  Rumor has it that the company is getting ready to have the BBM available on Android and iOS devices in 2012.  Moreover, screenshots that unveil some of the latest advancements RIM has made with the development of the service also emerged, courtesy of technobuffalo.  Apparently, the Canadian mobile phone maker will include BBM for Android and iOS in its Mobile Fusion package as well, so that enterprise users could enjoy it.  Since no official announcement on this was made, we’ll take...

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Samsung Series 5 Ultrabook Goes Pink and Mocha

The Series 5 ultrabooks from Samsung have been around for quite a while now, but that doesn't mean they don't have anything new to offer.  Sure, as soon as the Ivy Bridge CPUs show up, they Series 5 will probably take a step aside and hand over the torch to a new line.  The ones already out aren't going to just disappear though.  In fact, Samsung has prepared some new color options: Hot Pink and Mocha Brown.  They haven't made it online yet, but Amazon should soon list them alongside the rest, right here.  The specs will stay the same though: dual-core 1.6 GHz Core i5-2467M CPU, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB HDD, 16 GB SSD cache, HD SuperBright display, all expected connectivity and I/O, etc. ...

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DDR4 in 2014, Behold the Speeds and Power Needs

As new CPUs and motherboards appear, so does new memory, but the time is nearing when DDR3 can no longer keep up with all other advancements.  After seeing Intel's plans for the hard disk drive market, we get to look at the next big thing on the RAM segment.  We are, of course, talking about DDR4 RAM (random access memory) and how it compares to DDR3.  Then again, “compares” is not as correct as “will compare.” The new memory standard won't go into circulation for at least two more years after all.  Nevertheless, the process of replacing DDR3 will start in 2014.  According to VR-Zone, the DDR4 standard is just about finalized, or will be soon enough.  The initial base speed grades will...

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Israeli Spies Planted Stuxnet Using Infected Memory Stick

Sources from within a US intelligence agency revealed that the Stuxnet worm was placed on computers located in Iranian nuclear facilities by double agents that utilized a cleverly designed memory stick to start the infection. After, at the end of 2011, an expert from the United States revealed that Russia might be behind the now-infamous Stuxnet, anonymous sources cited by ISSSource point the finger at the US and Israel. More precisely, it’s believed that the spies were part of Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK). According to Vince Cannistraro, once the head of the CIA’s Counterterrorism, the MEK is “the assassination arm of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service,” being responsible for “the motor attacks on Iranian targets chosen by Israel.”...

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New Alleged Photo of Samsung GALAXY S III Leaks

Another week, another purported picture of the illusive Samsung Galaxy S III emerges online. However, until Samsung officially announces the device, we can’t really know for sure what the final product will look like. Coming directly from Poland courtesy to OPDA blog site, the alleged photo of the Galaxy S III shows a device that meets almost all the criteria that we’ve been speculating on for the past several weeks. As seen in the picture, the device features a physical Home button just like the European version of the Galaxy Note. That is in perfect line with the latest reports that pointed to a last minute design change that we wrote about a few days ago. Even though the icons on the screen are completely blurred, we notice...

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Intel Wants HDDs of 5mm Thickness

Once in a while, a new product type shows up, which somehow gets enough backing that the industry segment it is part of has to change to some extent as well.  Intel could be said to be running an advertising campaign for ultrabooks all on its own, even though there are plenty of PC makers who sell such things.  Meanwhile, people haven't really been buying them all that much, but the Santa Clara, Calfornia-based company is nothing if not determined.  Thus, instead of the item type losing support because of the lack of appropriate components, the PC industry had to come up with new things to suit them.  Intel is now lobbying for a new breakthrough: hard disk drives with a thickness of just 5mm.  That's...

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Intel Promises 9 Hours of Battery in Windows 8 Tablets

Tablet PCs running under Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system should soon start popping up on shelves, capable of delivering the performance levels that users are already expecting from them.  Based on Intel architecture, some of these devices could prove the iPad competitors what Microsoft has long promised.  In fact, Intel appears confident in their capabilities, and claims that they will indeed offer the battery life and performance capabilities to enable them top selling charts.  At a conference in Beijing, Intel demoed Windows 8 tablets and provided more details on their hardware and capabilities, CNet reports.  Featuring its Atom Z2760 "Clover Trail" chip, these slates should boast over 9 hours...

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Intel Reveals Ultrabook with Slider at IDF 2012

Utrabooks have so far been, in essence, notebooks with thinner cases, but Intel is exploring additional form factors now, especially those employed by other portable consumer electronics. The idea of turning an ultrabook into a tablet, and vice versa, is not a new one at all, and has probably been around since ultrabooks were first thought up. There is already a model with a 360-degree hinge, the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga. Now, Intel has shown a prototype ultrabook with a sliding mechanism not unlike that of certain convertible tablets. Called Letexo, it is dubbed a “Hybrid Ultrabook” and might just be what laptop makers need to make ultrabooks really popular. In addition to the regular notebook use, the screen can be slid...

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