Sony Confirms to Focus on High-End Xperia Smartphones

Japanese mobile phone maker Sony Mobile was recently rumored to plan switching its focus on the development of high-end smartphones, thus leaving the lower end of the market aside, and confirmation on the matter has already emerged. Apparently, the handset vendor is looking at the high end segment of the smartphone market as the profit driver, capable of helping it to turn its business back to the right track. Chief Executive Officer Kazuo Hirai confirmed this to Bloomberg recently, while adding that the company still had a lot of room to grow. Last week, Sony unveiled its next Android-based flagship device, the Xperia Z, which managed to attract a great deal of positive reactions, and which should land on shelves in February....

Read more »

Nokia Audio 1.2.1.4 Coming to Lumia Smartphones

Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia has reportedly made available for download a new flavor of its Nokia Audio application for Lumia smartphones, namely version 1.2.1.4. According to a recent post on MyNokiaBlog, the new update for the application builds on the latest release from Nokia, which was meant to provide users with the possibility to set the same playback volume for all music and video tracks. To get the new Audio leveling feature in Nokia’s application, users will simply have to fire up the Windows Phone Store on their handsets and search for an update for the application. Unfortunately, no changelog for the changes that Nokia included in the new iteration of its mobile software has been provided as of now. On Nokia’s...

Read more »

AT&T HTC 8X Windows Phone 8 Portico Update Now Available

The first Windows Phone 8 major update has finally reached AT&T customers who own the HTC 8X. WinSource reports that the update is now rolled out OTA (over the air) in waves, which means that not all HTC 8X users will receive it simultaneously. According to Microsoft, Portico adds the following new features and improvements: Messaging improvements: users can now add multiple recipients at the same time when they send a text message and automatically save unsent text messages as drafts. Text replies to incoming calls: users can now send a pre-written text reply to a caller directly from the call answer screen.  Several Internet Explorer improvements have been added as well, such as the option to change settings to prevent...

Read more »

BMW Sign exFAT Deal with Microsoft

Microsoft has just announced that it had signed a patent licensing agreement with German car manufacturer BMW that would allow the company to use exFAT technology in the infotainment systems available on its vehicles. “Cutting-edge technology is a must for today’s leading automotive brands,” said David Kaefer, general manager of Intellectual Property (IP) Licensing at Microsoft. “This agreement allows BMW to utilize a modern file system to deliver a more entertaining and connected driving experience.” BMW is not the only company to have chosen to use Microsoft’s exFAT file system, as several other firms, including RIM and Sharp, have decided to go for the technology developed by the Redmond-based technology company. exFAT is...

Read more »

Free Users Get 50 GB of Space with Dotcom’s MEGA

With Kim Dotcom's Mega cloud storage and sharing site only a couple of days away, more details are getting out, straight from the man himself. On his popular Twitter account, Dotcom revealed that free users will get some 50 GB of storage out of the box. "#Mega will have very generous limits for free users. For example you get 50GB storage for free ;-)," he tweeted. Obviously, there are plenty of other details that are missing, but from the looks of it, the new service sounds quite promising. You get 50 GB of storage for free, client-side encryption and it looks like it offers better sharing options than most other cloud storage sites; not a bad set of features. Still, it remains to be seen how well Mega will fare in the real...

Read more »

Samsung GT-N5100 to be Launched as Galaxy Note 8.0

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics is reportedly gearing up for the launch of a new device in its Galaxy Note series, one that would feature an 8.0-inch touchscreen display. The handset is said to sport the model number GT-N5100, and to be set to land on shelves in two flavors, namely with and without 3G connectivity. While the 3G / Wi-Fi version will be launched as of GT-N5100, the Wi-Fi only flavor of the device will hit the market as GT-N5110, SamMobile reports. Furthermore, the new device is expected to sport an 8-inch 1280×800 TFT (Super Clear LCD) display on the front, and might be officially unveiled at the upcoming 2013 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month. The specifications list of the new device...

Read more »

Samsung Galaxy S IV to Allow Wireless Charging from a Distance

Samsung’s next flagship Android-based smartphone, supposedly called Galaxy S IV, is expected to land on shelves with wireless charging capabilities packed inside, but might also have a few treats up its sleeve for adopters. According to a recent report coming from DDaily, Samsung will pack the future device with support for the Qi standard, and will also provide users with a special module for that, but it will sell it separately. Furthermore, it seems that the wireless charging technology might not be a standard in all Galaxy S IV models, though confirmation on this has yet to emerge. However, rumor has it that the company is also considering an alternate solution, called resonant magnetic coupling, which could allow users to...

Read more »

StarTech ST7300USBM, Seven Ports USB 3.0 Hub

Just as a multi-port switch can divide an Internet signal between several PCs and consumer electronics devices, a USB hub allows multiple USB devices to link through the same Universal Serial Interface. StarTech is the one launching a new hub of the latter type, featuring seven USB 3.0 connectors. Its name is ST7300USBM. The product has a no-nonsense rectangular shape, built-in wall mount brackets, 350W surge protection (per port) and even 2-wire terminal block for 7 to 40V DC power input (good for high-power devices). What's more, the optional DIN Rail mounting kit makes it easy to add to existing circuit breakers and industrial control equipment. The product page has more information on the ins and outs. Find it here. Sadly,...

Read more »

Cougar Spike, New Mini Tower Case for Miniaturists [Video]

Cougar's latest promo video is every bit as exciting as any other ad video, which can be interpreted in any number of ways. As such, just to be on the safe side, the company also made a press release about it. The name of the new case is Spike, even though there is barely anything pointy about it, not even screws really. Indeed, the Spike uses a screw-less hardware installation system, which is convenient when installing HDDs, SSDs or ODDs. But we digress. We should first say what type of enclosure Cougar has released, and then proceed from there. The Spike is a mini-tower which, nonetheless, has enough room inside for graphics cards of 330 mm in length (12.99 inches). That said, micro-ATX motherboard should fit inside just fine,...

Read more »

RIM BlackBerry 10 Cascades MapView [Video]

Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion is gearing up for the launch of its new BlackBerry 10 operating system, and is providing developers with more resources for their upcoming applications for the platform. Committed to offering a rich set of mapping APIs for the OS, the company has included support for all Cascade developers out there in the latest SDK update for BlackBerry 10. Some app builders have already had the chance to get a taste of the new APIs, and the new release builds on the feedback provided by them, RIM notes. In the video embedded below, you can have a closer look at what BlackBerry 10 Cascades MapView is all about from the handset vendor’s perspective. Through MapView, developers will be able to enjoy...

Read more »