New Nokia 808 PureView Software Update, Adds New Twitter and Flickr Options

Even though Nokia recently confirmed the PureView 808 will be its last Symbian smartphone, it appears that the Finnish company continues to deliver update for handsets powered by Belle OS.

The folks over at AllAboutSymbian report a new software update is available for Nokia 808 PureView, as well as for other Belle FP2 smartphones. According to them, the update bring a few improvements to application that are already installed on the devices, such as Flickr and Twitter.

The Colorizit application included on the PureView 808 receives a refresh via this update, while Twitter and Flickr get Image share options. Those who own a Belle FP2-powered device will probably notice that there a two update available for download, which means this is a multi-stage software update. For more details and screenshots check out the original thread.

Nokia 808 PureView
Image credits to Nokia

Read more »

Windows 8 Pro Available for Only $15 (€11) Due to Unpatched Bug

Microsoft officially increased Windows 8 pricing on February 1, so consumers who now want to buy the Pro upgrade edition have to pay no more, no less than $199.99 (€146) for a license.

But even if the discount campaign ended a couple of days ago, a loophole in the Windows Upgrade Program allowed users to purchase Windows 8 Pro for only $15 (€11). Basically, the Windows Upgrade Program allows Windows 7 PCs buyers to make the move to Windows 8 at a special price. The strange thing is that anyone could actually register for the program because the online registration form didn’t actually check when a Windows 7 computer was purchased. TNW writes that this bug was first discovered in October, but Microsoft was yet to fix it on February 1 when the discount campaign for Windows 8 officially came to an end.

While we’ve heard that a lot of users had actually managed to exploit the loophole and buy a Windows 8 copy for only $15, Microsoft reacted very fast and patched the upgrade system to ask for a Windows 7 key. What’s more, consumers who attempt to register for the program without a genuine key are provided with a message saying they’re not eligible for the discount. “Unfortunately, based on the information you provided during the registration process you are not eligible for the upgrade offer,” the message reads according to the same source.

The upgrade offer expires on February 28, but those who want to purchase Windows 8 at the full price will have to pay $199.99 (€146) for the Pro upgrade version and $119.99 (€87) for the standard upgrade. The Windows 8 Pro Pack comes with a new price as well, so you’ll need an extra $99.99 (€73) for this one too. Last but not least, the Windows 8 Media Center Pack, previously available at absolutely no cost for those who already purchased the new operating system, is currently sold for $9.99 (€7.3).

The program now asks for information about the purchased Windows 7 PC
Image credits to Microsoft

Read more »

Nokia Pulse Discontinued on Symbian and MeeGo Platform

Owners of Nokia Symbian and MeeGo devices will no longer have the possibility to download and install the Nokia Pulse beta application, the Finnish mobile phone maker has announced.

Those who have already downloaded and installed the app on their handsets will be able to continue to use it, but no new downloads will be available. The move falls in line with Nokia’s focus on the Windows Phone platform, the Nokia Pulse team notes in a blog post, adding that they will be working on the development of the app for this operating system moving forth.

“We will now officially conclude the Nokia Pulse beta trial for Symbian and the N9 and will no longer offer the download option of Pulse for these platforms on Beta Labs,” the team notes. The desktop web support for Pulse will also be discontinued, starting with March 5, 2013, the team added.

Nokia discontinues Pulse for Symbian and MeeGo
Image credits to Nokia

Read more »

Samsung GT-B9150 Spotted in Benchmarks, Brings Full HD Screen

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung has been recently rumored to plan the launch of a new series of smartphones running under Google’s Android operating system, and the Samsung GT-B9150, which has just been spotted in GLBenchmark, was one of them.

The smartphone is said to arrive on shelves with a full HD touchscreen display, while being powered by the Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean operating system. Furthermore, the handset should sport a 1.7GHz dual-core Exynos 5250 CPU when launched, along with a quad-core Mali-T604 GPU, as SamMobile notes.

Apparently, it is yet unclear whether the new device will arrive on shelves as a smartphone or a high-end tablet PC, since the specs list would fit both of them. However, chances are that the device will be made official in the not too distant future, most probably before the end of this month, so stay tuned.

Samsung GT-B9150
Image credits to GLBenchmark via SAMMobile

Read more »

HTC Shows M7 at Company Event

Taiwanese mobile phone maker HTC Corporation appears to be pretty excited about the upcoming M7, and has already started to showcase the device publicly, although it hasn’t unveiled it officially as of yet.

At the company’s year-end party, HTC CEO Peter Chou showed the Android handset, and even shot a series of photos with it. He even says that the event proved an opportunity for him to test the camera of the phone, and then started snapping photos of the crowd in front of him, as the video available courtesy of nexttv shows.

Furthermore, HTC’s CEO supposedly suggested that the device would be called M7 in the end, as can be seen in the video above. The company is expected to make the new smartphone official at a press event on February 19, with a 4.7-inch 1080p screen, 1.7GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and a 13MP camera on the back, as AndroidOS notes.

Video credits to Android4TW

Read more »