Virgin Mobile offers free Spotify

Way back in July, we told you that Virgin Media was tying up with Spotify across its TV, mobile and broadband platforms. Some details of that service were offered, but the all-important pricing wasn't. Today, those details are available too.

You want to know the mobile details right? Well, that's what we will give you. If you opt for a Virgin Mobile deal (see its site for those), you get three months of Premium Spotify use, which works out at just under £30. That, Virgin hopes, is enough to tempt you in. But there's another rather tempting part of the deal too – you'll not have any extra data charges when you use Spotify from your Virgin mobile phone. If you love your music, that's not to be sniffed at.

Of course, there's the usual small print, which makes clear the deal is only open only to new and renewing customers. But on the plus side, if you are already a Spotify Premium user, the deal can be used with your existing account, so you'll not miss out.

It's part of a wider Spotify integration by the company, which also includes six months of Spotify for Virgin Broadband sign-ups, as well as a new TiVo app for Spotify too, the latter able to bang out your playlists on demand in your living room. Great if you have a big home cinema set-up.

If you need a broader range of streaming music in your life, you know where to go.

HTC Radar 4G goes on sale a couple days earlier than expected on T-Mobile's web site

Depending on your particular circumstance, you might not be able to contain yourself properly before the first Mango flavored smartphone is expected to make its debut in T-Mobile stores nationwide on November 2nd.  Yes, it’s only a mere two days away, but if you’re somehow unable to travel to a store on that day, then you might want to check out T-Mobile’s web site right about now.

Well, that’s because the carrier just gave the thumbs up on selling the HTC Radar 4G – the very first Windows Phone with 4G HSPA+ connectivity to land in the US. On top of that, it has the distinguished title of also being the first Windows Phones to be sold with Mango on board. So for a cool $99.99 with a 2-year contract, you can place your order for the handset right now – with the hopes of it arriving on your front door come November 2nd thanks to free standard shipping.

Naturally, it’s definitely a good start for Windows Phone in general, especially when there hasn’t been much in terms of new offerings within the last few months – but then again, you might want to wait a little longer to see what else is coming up.

Virgin Mobile offers free Spotify

Way back in July, we told you that Virgin Media was tying up with Spotify across its TV, mobile and broadband platforms. Some details of that service were offered, but the all-important pricing wasn't. Today, those details are available too.

You want to know the mobile details right? Well, that's what we will give you. If you opt for a Virgin Mobile deal (see its site for those), you get three months of Premium Spotify use, which works out at just under £30. That, Virgin hopes, is enough to tempt you in. But there's another rather tempting part of the deal too – you'll not have any extra data charges when you use Spotify from your Virgin mobile phone. If you love your music, that's not to be sniffed at.

Of course, there's the usual small print, which makes clear the deal is only open only to new and renewing customers. But on the plus side, if you are already a Spotify Premium user, the deal can be used with your existing account, so you'll not miss out.

It's part of a wider Spotify integration by the company, which also includes six months of Spotify for Virgin Broadband sign-ups, as well as a new TiVo app for Spotify too, the latter able to bang out your playlists on demand in your living room. Great if you have a big home cinema set-up.

If you need a broader range of streaming music in your life, you know where to go.

Galaxy Nexus and Motorola RAZR get priced on Amazon UK

Two of the newest Android phones that were recently announced have appeared on Amazon UK with a pre-order price tag. Unfortunately, both the devices will be leaving a sizable hole in your wallet should you choose to purchase them right now.






The Galaxy Nexus will set you back by £539.99 ($865) and will be delivered On November 7. The handset will be sold and dispatched by KingOfGadgets.







The Motorola RAZR, on the other hand, will cost you £499.99 ($801) and will be delivered on November 8. The RAZR, however, will be sold and dispatched by Amazon itself.
Of course neither of the launch dates nor the prices are official and we may see some changes soon. Also, the US prices are bound to be lower, as things are usually more expensive in the UK. Still, this should give you a rough estimate as to how much the devices should cost and prepare your wallet accordingly.

Galaxy Nexus and Motorola RAZR get priced on Amazon UK

Two of the newest Android phones that were recently announced have appeared on Amazon UK with a pre-order price tag. Unfortunately, both the devices will be leaving a sizable hole in your wallet should you choose to purchase them right now.






The Galaxy Nexus will set you back by £539.99 ($865) and will be delivered On November 7. The handset will be sold and dispatched by KingOfGadgets.







The Motorola RAZR, on the other hand, will cost you £499.99 ($801) and will be delivered on November 8. The RAZR, however, will be sold and dispatched by Amazon itself.
Of course neither of the launch dates nor the prices are official and we may see some changes soon. Also, the US prices are bound to be lower, as things are usually more expensive in the UK. Still, this should give you a rough estimate as to how much the devices should cost and prepare your wallet accordingly.

HANDS ON: Samsung Galaxy Note

Preview and photos of the Samsung Galaxy Note


 The Samsung Galaxy Note was officially launched at a veritable fiesta held at the Battersea Power Station. Samsung's biggest – literally – mobile yet is a 5.3-inch phone-or-tablet? (no, seriously, that's the way they're marketing it) that runs on Android Gingerbread and has a pretty brave USP – a capacitive stylus that lets you navigate the phone-tablet, or actually draw pictures. Very pretty pictures.

We got some hands-on time with it and even sketched some drawings.

Orange offers free Xbox 360 with Nokia Lumia 800

Free console for upgrades to Windows Phone 7.5 handset


If the phone itself hasn't tempted you in, perhaps a free console will swing you towards the Nokia Lumia 800? That's exactly what you get from Orange if you upgrade to the newly-launched Windows 7.5 handset.

There are conditions and there is smallprint. You wouldn't expect anything else. But the offer is very real. If you are an Orange customer right now and are keen to upgrade to the Nokia Lumia 800, you will be rewarded with a 4GB Xbox 360. That's not a top of the range console, but it is around £150 worth of gaming fun, so who's complaining?

HANDS ON: Samsung Galaxy Note

Preview and photos of the Samsung Galaxy Note


 The Samsung Galaxy Note was officially launched at a veritable fiesta held at the Battersea Power Station. Samsung's biggest – literally – mobile yet is a 5.3-inch phone-or-tablet? (no, seriously, that's the way they're marketing it) that runs on Android Gingerbread and has a pretty brave USP – a capacitive stylus that lets you navigate the phone-tablet, or actually draw pictures. Very pretty pictures.

We got some hands-on time with it and even sketched some drawings.

The Samsung Galaxy Note clocks in at 146.9x83x9.7mm with an expansive 5.3-inch Super AMOLED display. It's been optimised to cover the 1280x800 pixel screen so technically, it's really a Super AMOLED HD display. What, no Super AMOLED Plus HD?



As 178g, it's easily palmed, but you probably wouldn't want to carry this on a night out. Scratch that, you wouldn't be able to carry this on a night out as it juts out of most pockets.

At the back sits the eight-megapixel camera with auto-focus and LED flash. Pictures you take with the camera can be drawn on with the S Pen.

The pen works in any app – you can use it instead of a finger to swipe through home screens and select icons. But when you press a button on the pen, that kicks it into drawing mode, and tapping on any screen immediately brings up S-Memo, the app that lets you write notes or draw pictures.

There's an impressive selection of pen and brush weights, colours, as well as special effects such as shadow.



The sensitivity of the pen is absolutely phenomenal, gliding over the touch-screen in thin or thick markings depending on how much weight you place on it.

                        Here's how one of our team displayed his secret talent for illustration:

So chuffed is Samsung with its pen technology, that part of the launch event showed graphic artists drawing actual pictures with the Note and Pen (get it!?) – including a caricature of yours truly.

Elsewhere on the Note, Samsung's familiar TouchWiz interface skins the Android Gingerbread OS.

The browser will automatically load full versions of websites, and you can choose to have a split screen so you can have more than one app open at once. This sounds like a better implemented version of the 'mini apps' Samsung had on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 – a selection of non-customisable apps could be open on top of other programs, letting you have both open like on a desktop computer. 

An interesting point Samsung chose to highlight was also the preloaded Juno Pulse app for remote-lock and wipe security. In fact, the Korean giant said it had partnered with some of the most prominent security providers in the business to ensure the Galaxy Note was as suitable a solution for enterprise as individuals. 

Samsung is also opening up the software of the S Pen to developers so that new apps can make use of its technology – which means we should see some cool drawing-friendly apps available for this interesting new device.

Apps that have been specially designed with the S Pen in mind can be found in an offshoot of Samsung Apps, S Choice.

At launch, S Choice apps include Soonr, OmniSketch, ComicBook! and ZenSketch, which lets you draw in caliigraphy-style brush strokes whose thickness you control: 

Along with drawing, the S Pen also works as an annotator in ebooks, PDFs and documents, or of course, as a hilarious moustache-adder in photos.

The Samsung Galaxy Note is available from Phones 4u, Carphone Warehouse and O2 from 3 November in the UK. 

Orange offers free Xbox 360 with Nokia Lumia 800

Free console for upgrades to Windows Phone 7.5 handset


If the phone itself hasn't tempted you in, perhaps a free console will swing you towards the Nokia Lumia 800? That's exactly what you get from Orange if you upgrade to the newly-launched Windows 7.5 handset.

There are conditions and there is smallprint. You wouldn't expect anything else. But the offer is very real. If you are an Orange customer right now and are keen to upgrade to the Nokia Lumia 800, you will be rewarded with a 4GB Xbox 360. That's not a top of the range console, but it is around £150 worth of gaming fun, so who's complaining?

As for that small print, well, we've already mentioned that you need to be an existing Orange customer on a pay monthly deal. You'll also need to upgrade between 16 November and 30 November to be eligible, although you can pre-order now. Just make sure you check the console is available when you do that, because this is a limited stock offer. There's a £10 deposit required too.

Good deal? All depends on whether you want the new Nokia Lumia 800. Yes, you'll get the console, but a two-year deal will set you back the best part of £900 when completed (based on £36 per month). But you don't get a console with any other phone, so on that basis, pretty tempting.

As for the phone, that was launched earlier this week, offering the latest version of Windows Phone (7.5 Mango), along with a 3.7-inch AMOLED ClearBlack curved display, a 1.4GHz, processor, an eight-megapixel 'instant-share' camera with Carl Zeiss optics and HD video playback (along with 720p HD capture), 16GB of internal user memory and 25GB of free SkyDrive storage, along with a range of custom apps from Nokia, such as one-touch social network access, threaded communication, Nokia Drive navigation and MixRadio music streaming.

T-Mobile and Vodafone are also selling the handset, as is Nokia directly, the latter for €420 SIM-free.

Sony says goodbye to Ericsson

 

The two companies have been making mobile phones jointly for over 10 years, but in the very near future, Sony Ericsson will simply become Sony.

This isn't just a name change, it's a significant business deal. According to a statement delivered this morning, Sony has acquired Ericsson's 50% share in the mobile business, turning the company into a 'wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony'.

Not a cheap business deal either. Sony has confirmed that a 'cash consideration' of €1.05 billion is being paid to Ericsson for full control, which includes payment for 'ownership of five essential patent families'. The company obviously wants to get that part right in light of so many patent skirmishes in the courts over the last couple of years.

It's not just a branding exercise, it makes a lot of sense for Sony and Ericsson. As Sony points out, the partnership 10 years ago mixed Ericsson's knowledge in the field with Sony's product knowledge. It's had considerable success over those years too, becoming a key player in the mobile market. But the two companies now have different aims. Ericsson wants to focus on its wider telecoms business, while Sony is looking to integrate its handsets into its 'broad array of network-connected consumer electronics devices'. In short, it wants mobiles to work with the rest of its kit. Don't know about you, but we're getting the word 'PlayStation' here.

The deal is expected to be finalised in January 2012, subject to regulatory approvals. That could mean a new generation of smartphones from Sony not too long after that date. Exciting times for the electronics giant.

BlackBerry PlayBook OS update delayed

RIM has gone public with news about the upcoming upgrade to the BlackBerry PlayBook and, to be honest, it's not good news about OS 2.0.

The tablet launched in September 2010 so you would perhaps have expected an overhaul over a year after launch. RIM perhaps feels that pain, hence its latest statement. But to sum up, it sounds like the company isn't completely convinced that the new OS is ready to go.

Nokia Lumia 800 now available on pre-order in UK, costs £440

Nokia UK and Clove has started pre-order campaigns for the Nokia's first Windows Phone-based handset - the Lumia 800. It is coming sometime in November but there is no specific date just yet.

 
You can pre-order a Lumia 800 from Nokia UK official website, but currently it is available only on a contract. And they are not selling it directly, but instead redirect to The Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U. If you are OK with signing a contract, the phone will be yours for free with a two-year contract with Vodafone, Orange, and Three.

Clove also offers the Lumia 800 on pre-order, but it is the unlocked SIM-free version. The price is £440 including VAT, but it could change upon release.
So, if you want to be one of the first to get the Nokia Lumia 800 in the UK, now is the time to reserve it.

Ericsson to sell its stake in Sony Ericsson, Sony becoming the sole owner

Ericsson has announced that it's selling its part of the joint Swedish-Japanese venture Sony Ericsson for $1.47 billion (1.05 billion euros). The Japanese Sony Corporation will become the sole owner of the phone maker in an attempt to boost its mobile portfolio.

"Sony will acquire Ericsson's 50 per cent stake in Sony Ericsson... making the mobile handset business a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony," Ericsson said. The decision has already passed approval of both companies' boards, but it's, of course, yet to pass regulatory approval by January 2012. The deal evaluates the whole of Sony Ericsson at around $3.0 billion, almost four times less than what Google paid to acquire Motorola Mobility.

SE will be integrated into Sony's network-connected consumer products, but quite importantly Sony will also get a huge patent portfolio including five key wireless phone patent families via a cross-licensing agreement.

Earlier, a well positioned Sony executive said that SE is a key partner in Sony's attempt to put more of its products, including games on mobile devices. It all seems logical, as the new handsets could easily make use of Sony's broad Playstation gaming portfolio. SE itself has moved in that direction by launching the PS-certified Sony Ericsson Xperia Play.

Ericsson is receiving the $1.47 billion for its 50% share in the JV, which was set up back in 2001. It all started on a high note with a series of stylish phones with color displays such as the Sony Ericsson T68i, but the company also released a couple of high-end big screened models in the P series – a rarity at the time. Around 2003 and a couple of years later, the company switched focus to its strong camera-centric K series. 

In the middle of the first decade of the new millenium, Sony Ericsson treated us with its music series – the Walkman phones, which were also greeted warmly. Around that time, the smartphone race really picked up and the company couldn't catch up. It became more evident with the launch of the iPhone which caught the company off guard. Chief executive Bert Nordberg admitted: "It's safe to say that Sony Ericsson should have taken the iPhone more seriously when it arrived in 2007." 

Most recently, Sony Ericsson has said that it will switch its focus to smartphones alone. The phone maker accounts for 11% of all Androids and its latest offerings in the high-end Xperia series include the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S and the Sony Ericsson Xperia neo V.

Nokia N9 springs up in glossy white, gets a software update

With all the Windows Phone devices Nokia announced today, the Espoo company also revealed a new color for the N9. The MeeGo-running smartphone that got many excited, will now be available in white, alongside its black, magenta and blue siblings.

LG Prada K2 surfaces through leaked images

If you thought the LG Prada range of handsets was dead, think again. A couple of leaked images prove that the LG Prada range will be out for another round and this time the beauty will be matched by an equally capable brain because this time it will be running Android.

Samsung Exhibit II 4G gets announced for T-Mobile

T-Mobile and Samsung officially announced the Samsung Exhibit II 4G today. It has been barely a few months since the first Exhibit 4G came into being, making this particular device one of the quickest sequels we've seen in the industry.


In terms of specs, the droid offers a single-core, 1GHz Snapdragon CPU and a 3.7" screen with WVGA resolution. A 3MP camera is the main shooter, while a VGA unit at the front will help you with your video calls. T-Mobile's zippy HSDPA connectivity will be present as well. The device will ship with Touch Wiz-ed Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

Visually, the Exhibit II 4G appears to be closely related to the Samsung Galaxy W. We will tell you more about the rest when we get a chance to spend time with the device.

The Samsung Exhibit II 4G will be first available at Walmart on October 27. It will be priced at $29.99 with a two-year contract, after a $50 mail-in-rebate and $199.99 sans commitment - not too shabby for an entry level Android smartphone. T-Mobile will begin offering it in its own retail locations on November 2.

Apple granted 'slide to unlock' patent for touchscreen devices

Back in December 2005, more than a year before the first iPhone was announced, Apple had filed for a patent for their revolutionary 'slide to unlock' gesture for touchscreen devices. The patent was described as follows.


 

Galaxy Nexus and Motorola RAZR get priced on Amazon UK

Two of the newest Android phones that were recently announced have appeared on Amazon UK with a pre-order price tag. Unfortunately, both the devices will be leaving a sizable hole in your wallet should you choose to purchase them right now.


The Galaxy Nexus will set you back by £539.99 ($865) and will be delivered On November 7. The handset will be sold and dispatched by KingOfGadgets.


The Motorola RAZR, on the other hand, will cost you £499.99 ($801) and will be delivered on November 8. The RAZR, however, will be sold and dispatched by Amazon itself.
Of course neither of the launch dates nor the prices are official and we may see some changes soon. Also, the US prices are bound to be lower, as things are usually more expensive in the UK. Still, this should give you a rough estimate as to how much the devices should cost and prepare your wallet accordingly.

News Nokia 800 teaser hits UK's TV channels one second at a time

With barely three days left until Nokia World kicks off in London, a series of one second long teasers has hit the TV channels in the UK, showcasing some of the design highlights in the upcoming Nokia 800.

The teasers are very much in line with the previously leaked, disco/metro UI themed promo images of the Windows Phone running smartphone. You can see them put together in a single video clip below.
With the press shots of the Nokia 800 out in the wild as well, all we are left to do, is wait for the official announcement in the next few days. Stay tuned.

Motorola commits to an Ice Cream Sandwich update schedule

Since the official announcement of Google's latest and greatest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich last week, the update timeline for the current crop of Android devices has been a seriously hot topic of discussion. Motorola is among the first major players to spill the beans on the matter via its own Twitter feed.

As you can see above, the tech giant vows to update its flagship devices within six weeks of Google's release of the final version of the OS. Sure, the tweet does say they will release "devices for ICS" but since it's an answer about upcoming updates, we guess it's just a typo and what they really meant was "ICS for devices".

And since Google widely expected to release the source code shortly after the Galaxy Nexus goes on sale, we can look at January 2012 as the likely time of the update.

Motorola clarifies later in its Twitter account that the devices in question are the Droid RAZR, Droid Bionic and the Xoom slate.

While such an endeavor might look quite ambitious at a first glance, we must take account Motorola's marriage to Google. Once we do, things begin to make a bit more sense.
In any case, given the manufacturers previous record of Android updates, we urge you to take this twitter post with a tiny pinch of salt. As always, we will keep you posted on any developments on the subject

Nokia World 2011 kicks off tomorrow: what to expect

  Nokia’s big two days are right around the corner - after probably the lengthiest and most turbulent wait in the industry, the world’s biggest smartphone maker is expected to make its equally big Windows Phone statement. What should we expect?

First of all, let’s say that Nokia World is the company’s single biggest yearly event. It’s held in London and this year it opens with CEO Stephen Elop’s keynote scheduled for 9:30 am GMT | 4:30 am EST | 1:30 am PST on Wednesday, October 26th. It will be a long night for those who want to follow it live from the States, but Elop promises it will be worthit.

Most importantly, there are a couple of devices to be announced and that’s what everyone is looking for. 

iPhone may be poised to bump its market share

Smartphone sales dropped across the board in the US for the first time in Q3 of this year. The Apple iPhone saw a dramatic drop in sales, likely because of the newly released iPhone 4S, but surprisingly all non-Apple smartphones also saw an overall drop in sales, which has analysts predicting big things for Apple, and some possibly very bad signs for Android.

The numbers from Morgan Keegan analyst Tavis McCourt show that smartphone sales from AT&T and Verizon declined in Q3 2011 both compared to Q2 and compared year-over-year to 2010. Android in particular also saw a decline in sales compared to Q2, but did report a small growth year-over-year. McCourt says that these numbers point indicate that many smatphone users may be stalling on upgrades in order to get the iPhone 4S, and claims that this could be an "ominous sign for Android vendors."

Sony Ericsson: “there will be no more updates for the Xperia X10″

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 users your time for Android updates has ended. According to a simple tweet by Sony Ericsson UK they stated that “there will be no more updates for the Xperia™ X10″… so this means you won’t officially see the new Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS. Kinda of upsetting news, but you’ve got to remember that at one point the X10 was never supposed to get past OS 1.6. Now it’s sitting, and staying, at

LG Optimus LTE with its 4.5" 720p HD screen might be coming to Canada as the LG Eye

 The LG Optimus LTE phone is the first retail unit with 720x1280 HD screen using a regular RGB matrix, but until now was a Korea-only device. Specswise, this is the Android phone that has it all - a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, 4.5" true HD display, and LTE connectivity to round the awesomeness up.

Now a promo video for The Source, a company owned by Bell Canada, which, by the way, has a 4G LTE network, has surfaced touting the specs of the LG Optimus LTE, which it keeps calling the LG Eye. Bell's own website also hints at an "LTE superphone" coming soon, so it's safe to assume that the phone with the biggest pixel density of 329ppi, without even using the PenTile matrix, will throw anchor near North American shores pretty soon. Now the only mystery left is if and when we will see it in the US.

Submitted Android Market apps reach 500 thousand, but denial rate is 37%

 According to research2guidance, Android Market has passed the 500 000 apps submitted milestone last month, trailing only the App Store with its 600 000 submission.

Google's Android Market, however, has a much higher percentage of apps removed over time, compared with iOS and Windows Marketplace, which has the lowest removal rating. This is due to the fact that Android Market developers are much more prone to submitting trials, demos and other fluff that is gumming up the process and requires extra efforts to clean up:

Siri co-founder leaves Apple

 Dag Kittlaus, Siri co-founder and CEO from 2007, was an important person in establishing the service all the way until it was acquired by Apple in April 2010. Recently, he has left Apple - shortly after the launch of the iPhone 4S. It's not yet confirmed by Cupertino itself, but it's said that Kittlaus and Apple parted ways on an amicable note and the main reason behind Kittluas's decision was his determination to spend more quality time with his family in Chicago.

That doesn't affect the rest of the Siri team, though, which is expected to continue working with Apple. Kittlaus on his part was listed as director of iPhone apps at Apple. After leaving the company, Kittlaus will now focus on new entrepreneurial ideas.

Semi-Tethered Jailbreak Available for iOS 5

What's a semi-tethered jailbreak? We all know that a tethered jailbreak needs access to a computer in order to reapply after a reboot and that the untethered one is persistent. A semi-tethered jailbreak is a new concept which somehow sits in between the two above.

Say you're out and about but your beloved iOS 5 device is power cycling (for whatever reason). If you were running a tethered jailbreak you'd be wishing your computer was close in order to get you passed that Apple logo. With the semi-tethered jailbreak you phone will start normally and it will be able to do basic tasks like making a phone call, sending a text, using built-in applications and so on. On the down side you're not going to be able to use Safari to surf the internet or use the mail application. Sounds like an excellent choice until that untethered solutions is available. Adding to the negatives: the phone will take longer to boot.

Nokia N9 Unboxing (Video)

Motorola DROID RAZR hits Verizon's system chock full of big time specs

 Regardless if pre-orders start on October 27th or if the phone launches that day as the carrier's MAP suggests, the Motorola DROID RAZR has some of the most stunning specs to be found on an Android phone. And all of the details have hit the carrier's equipment infocenter. Priced at the LTE gold standard of $299.99 with a signed 2-year pact, the Motorola DROID RAZR has plenty of Big Red customers drooling.

Investment bank expects 42.5 million Apple iPhone units to be sold globally in holiday quarter

 Swiss Investment bank UBS says that 42.5 million copies of the Apple iPhone will be sold during the calendar fourth quarter, led by sales of the new Apple iPhone 4S. Analyst Maynard Um says that the firm's current Q4 estimate of 28 million units sold is conservative and that Apple could more than double the 17.1 million copies sold last quarter due to international sales of the phone.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs. Motorola Droid RAZR

Verizon had an excellent day today. Two superphones launched in less than ten hours: Motorola’s Droid RAZR right before Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus. While the Droid RAZR is definitely coming to the Big Red network, the Galaxy Nexus is a “probably” at this point. Let’s compare the two Android-toting smartphones and see which one comes out on top.

	Samsung Galaxy Nexus	Motorola Droid RAZR
Processor	1.2 GHz dual-core	1.2 GHz dual-core
Display	4.65-inch Super AMOLED	4.3-inch Super AMOLED
Resolution	HD 1280 x 720	qHD 960 x 540
OS	Android 4.0.1 (Ice Cream Sandwich)	Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread)
Thickness	8.94 millimeters	7.1 millimeters
Back Camera	5-megapixel	8-megapixel
Front Camera	1.3-megapixel	1.3-megapixel
Video Recording	1080p	1080p
Flash	LED flash	LED flash
RAM	1024 MB	1024 MB
HDMI	None	Micro HDMI
Bluetooth	3.0	4.0
Storage	16/32 GB	16 GB
Battery	1750 mAh	1780 mAh
4G	4G LTE/HSPA+	4G LTE
Video Codecs	MPEG4, H.263, H.264, MKV	MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV
Audio Codecs	MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+	MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, WAV, AMR, MIDI
Weight	135 grams	127 grams
Sensors	Accelerometer, Compass, Gyroscope, Light, Proximity, Barometer	Accelerometer, Compass, Light, Proximity

Conclusions
The hardest part about looking at a specifications sheet is calculating the relative importance of each specification.

Display

If the display’s your main attraction to a device, then a Galaxy Nexus might be in your future. That HD Super AMOLED is killer. It’ll provide you with ample real estate for reading emails and scrolling through webpages.

Form Factor

I think Motorola wins a lot of points here with the Droid RAZR’s slimline form factor. Not only is this the thinnest Android device ever, it’s built with stainless steel and Gorilla Glass. The compactness and sexiness of the design acts as a geek magnet.
Still, the Galaxy Nexus is a dang good-looking device. It’s got that nice contour curve and modified plastic back plate. Plus, the battery’s removable.

Power

We’re not sure what processors will reside under the hoods, although we expect a Texas Instruments OMAP4 dual-core chip from both. The power edge has got to go to the Galaxy Nexus here. It’s got the Android 4.0 hardware acceleration built-in. That’ll provide a significant performance boost in applications that enable it.

Camera

Of course, the megapixels prize goes to the Droid RAZR. Although, we’re glad Google’s stepped up their camera game in the software department. You’ve got built-in photo editing, panorama creation, and a “zero shutter lag” performance boost. That’s significant.

Software

Did you see Android 4.0? New features include: completely redesigned interface, brand new camera application, visual voicemail, improved multi-tasking, inline spell checking, facial recognition, and brand new lockscreen. It’ll undoubtedly outshine Motorola’s Android 2.3.5 build.

Android 4.0 Source Code Release “Soon”

Good news for external Android developers. Dan Morrill, Android’s Open Source and Compatibility Tech Lead, just announced that source code for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is coming “soon.” In a blog post addressing the recent Kernel.org downtime, Morrill wrote, “We plan to release the source for the recently-announced Ice Cream Sandwich soon, once it’s available on devices.”

That means we’re potentially going to see Ice Cream Sandwich source code within the next month or so– around November. We know the Galaxy Nexus is set for arrival sometime next month. Let’s just hope Morrill and El Goog keep to their word.

Nokia 603 starts shipping, packs a 1000 nit screen on the cheap

Nokia just announced that the Belle-running Nokia 603 has started shipping, ahead of Nokia World next week. It's very close specs-wise to the current Belle leader, the 701, including the 1000 nits screen, the NFC and the 1GHz CPU.

The #Nokia603 starts shipping! Check with your nearest store for more info: http://t.co/aN2IuBaLFri Oct 21 12:50:18 via CoTweet Nokia
nokia

NFC is a staple of new phones from the Finnish company. It allows the Nokia 603 to pair easily with the cool Nokia Luna Bluetooth headset. It doesn’t come in the box, but you'll find an NFC gift card for Ovi Store.
We'll leave it Nokia's cool info widget do describe the 603. Just keep in mind that it uses microSIM and it uses a 5MP camera instead of 8MP as the 701.

Steve Jobs: I’m Going to Destroy Android

Steve Jobs’ biography is set for a Monday release. Walter Isaacson was contracted to write the book years ago and conducted over forty interviews with the Apple founder. A couple of significant quotes from the work surfaced today thanks to the Associated Press.















In 2010, Jobs complained about Google’s Android and partnership with HTC for the Nexus One. He felt Android was the equivalent of “grand theft,” as Apple sued HTC over iOS-related patents. The book reportedly quotes Jobs:

“I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong. I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this.”

Apparently, Google’s Eric Schmidt entered into negotiations with Jobs regarding the lawsuit. Jobs rejected all offers outright, explaining that he only wanted Google to stop using ideas from iOS in Android.
The book reveals Jobs’ intensely protective attitude regarding Apple’s iOS. It’s expected to reveal much about this relatively secretive man in terms of both his personal and business lives.

Verizon Makes Galaxy Nexus Official, Coming “Later This Year”

We told you not to worry – Verizon is now sending out press releases for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Unfortunately, there are no dates included, but they say before the year’s end. Better late than never, right? We’ve been trying to fight the rumors that Verizon was having last minute thoughts about carrying the most important device of year, and thankfully the waiting paid off. Now all we need is a date.

The Galaxy Nexus Will Redefine the Smartphone

 

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about Google and Samsung’s joint announcement this past week. The two tech giants teamed up to unveil their latest innovations in the mobile computing industry: the Galaxy Nexus and Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0. Both products, the hardware and the software, bring forth many new changes and improvements over their predecessors. Android 4.0 adds a new layer of beauty, polish, and features to the stock Android platform (which has been in dire need of these improvements) and the Galaxy Nexus may be Google’s most ambitious smartphone yet. So ambitious, in fact, that it may end up redefining what a smartphone is.

Samsung Galaxy Note hitting UK early?

Samsung Galaxy Note

Back in September, we told you that the Samsung Galaxy Note was arriving in late November for £600 SIM-free. Well, those details have changed. For the better, we might add.

According to Crave, the original 17 November shelf date has now changed to 1 November. That's if you buy your SIM-free phone via Clove, which is claiming to have stock as we enter November. Not only that, the price has dropped from that £600 price point, with the smartphone now retailing for £495 excluding VAT. All good news then.

That 17 November date is still a valid Samsung release date though, but for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the first smartphone packing Google's Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. Hopefully, that's the date for contract sales too.

But back to the Samsung Galaxy Note – why should you want one? Well, if you love large handsets, you definitely should want this particular device. Pushing the smartphone label and almost qualifying as a tablet, this 5.3-inch device packs a Super AMOLED display at a high-res 1280x800 resolution, a 1.4GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM, along with an eight-megapixel camera with LED flash and a two-megapixel front-facing camera for video calls, the former also shooting 1080p HD video. All of that in an Android Gingerbread device just 9.6mm thin. There's also an S-Pen (aka stylus) bundled, should you need it.

If all of that appeals, get your order in now or wait for the contract deals to show. With an early November launch, there shouldn't be long to wait for those.

BlackBerry Knight to be Porsche exclusive, set to be introduced October 27th

You might remember the pictures we showed you last month of a strange looking BlackBerry with a very futuristic looking design sporting the innards of a BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930. Although many had felt that the phone was a fake, at the time, we told you that this was a special edition 'Berry code named the Knight for Porsche, and it turns out that information was right on.

The BlackBerry Knight will be unveiled on October 27th as part of special event showing off the phone which is described as the result of an "exclusive collaboration between Porsche Design and BlackBerry". The phone will be available exclusively from Porsche dealers. With the specs of the BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930, you can expect a 2.8 inch touchscreen with resolution of 640 x 480. A single-core 1.2GHz processor will be under the hood (pun unintended) with 768MB of RAM aboard. A 5MP camera on back captures video at 720p and there is 8GB of native storage that can be bumped up to 40GB using a microSD card. NFC enabled, the device will run on BlackBerry 7 OS.

Anyone ready to pick up a BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 with a QWERTY keyboard from the future?

Motorola Droid Bionic will be getting Ice Cream Sandwich update

We know that Motorola has plans to update their line of smartphones to the latest build on Android, but with the Motorola Droid RAZR taking the spotlight now, what will happen to the Motorola Droid Bionic, which to be fair had a much longer wait and anticipation compared to the Droid RAZR.


 





According to a reply by Motorola to a user on their Facebook page, the Droid Bionic will be receiving the Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 update, but as to when remains unknown. If we had to work on what Motorola replied to the user, which basically said that the timing of the update will be revealed after the final version of Ice Cream Sandwich has been released.

Since the Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be the first phone to sport the Ice Cream Sandwich build of Android, and it is expected to be released in November, it looks like Motorola users won’t have to wait very long before they will be clued in as to when they can expect the updates to start rolling out for their devices.