Sony show off experimental build of Firefox OS running on an Xperia E!

   Of late Sony has really been opening up to the developer community; the Xperia S was supported in AOSP for a little while and now, just a couple of days after Sony announced that they would be working with Mozilla on a Firefox OS based device we now have this.

   Sony have shown off an experimental Firefox OS ROM for the Xperia E! This may well be a cheap Android handset, but it also matches Geeksphone's Keon in the spec department so it was a perfect fit for Firefox OS from the off!

   Sony have confirmed that pretty much anyone will be able to try out the ROM, but only on the conditions that they agree that unlocking your bootloader and trying the new operating system "may void your warranty." If you want to give the ROM a go please read every little detail on this website and remember we can't be responsible if it all goes horribly wrong!

   A brief video demo of Firefox OS in action on the device is embedded below!
Via TheVerge.

Read More

In Other News: 18/02/2013.

• Lately it's been reported that Apple are quite likely to hold a launch event for new iPads in either March or April of this year. First up was Jefferies analyst, Peter Misek, who claimed that his "channel checks" had suggested Apple would hold a developer event in March which would offer new Apple-TV features. The Loop's, Jim Dalrymple, simply replied with "Nope", which was enough to end that claim. That being said Piper Jaffray's, Gene Munster, has argued that Apple are likely to launch a product in the next two months! He said:
  
   "We believe that looking at the history of time between Apple product launch events suggests that the company will introduce something new in March or April... Over the past two years, the Spring event has been iPad updates."
  Via MacWorld.

• For those of you rocking a device running either Blackberry 7 or 7.1 there's some good news! That YouTube problem which you might have been experiencing since Thursday should now be resolved! Woop!
  Via Crackberry.

• O2 has confirmed that Sony's budget Xperia E handset will be arriving on their network in March! The device was first shown off back in December last year, more details about the phone are available here, but this should fill a little hole at the more budget end of O2's range!
  Via TheInquirer.

• Samsung is reportedly rolling out the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update to original Galaxy Notes around the world. Devices are reportedly being updated in Germany, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The upgrade brings with it the new Nature UX as well as Multi-view, Pop up and play and other enhancements to S-Pen apps!
  Via Softpedia.

And finally, it looks as though Nokia will be launching a few more phones in the near future. WMPowerUser reportedly confirmed some of the specifications of the devices in question too. They have said that the "Lumia 720 will have 4.3inch CBD, 1Ghz Dual-core, 512Mb RAM, 8GB storage, HSPA+, WP8, microSD, 6MP camera and 2MP front camera, while the Lumia 520 will have 4 inch  Super Sensitive screen, 1Ghz Dual-core, 512Mb RAM, 8GB storage, microSD, WP8, 5MP with no front camera." We'll have to wait and see where these guys pop up though!
Via WMPowerUser.

I see Nokia RM-914 (Lumia 520), RM-885 (Lumia 720), RM-887(?) and RM-860(?) on Verizon in our logs. 3-4 new phones at #MWC13? cc @tomwarren
— Alan Mendelevich (@ailon) February 16, 2013

Read More

05/12/2012: Schmidt talks Apple, Android 4.1.2 for Galaxy S3's rolling out! Sony and Nokia launch new mid-range phones, Chameleon launcher for phones being tested and much more!

Eric Schmidt talks Apple and lawsuits.

   Eric Schmidt has had a little chat with the Wall Street Journal recently and he, unsurprisingly, had more than a few interesting things to say, particularly about Apple. 

   Unsurprisingly, patents were one of the first things he mentioned and he was quite reasonable in what he said, emphasizing the challenges the current system will pose to start-ups and new businesses. He said if “there’s a young Andy Rubin trying to form a new version of Danger... how is he or she going to be able to get the patent coverage necessary to offer version one of their product?” It seems that Schmidt definitely has his finger on the pulse when it comes to this sort of thing.

   When probed about Google and Apple's relationship he said that their relationship “always been on and off... We would have preferred them to use our maps. They threw YouTube off the home screen. I’m not quite sure why they did that.” Despite their differences he said that it's not good for the companies to be at each other’s throats and in the headlines. Instead business should be "run a business is to run it more like a country... They have disputes, yet they’ve actually been able to have huge trade with each other. They’re not sending bombs at each other.”

   Finally, Schmidt expressed a degree of bemusement at Apple’s lawsuits which have been directed at Android OEM's and not Google themselves. “It’s extremely curious that Apple has chosen to sue Google’s partners and not Google itself”. Although, it has been issues with Android skins like Touchwiz from Samsung which have attracted Apple’s eye.

WSJ Via Slashgear.

Sony and Nokia out a mid-range phone each.

   Today has been the day for low-end phone releases with Nokia outing the Lumia 620 and Sony revealing the Xperia E.

   The Lumia 620 is a cheap and colourful new phone running Microsoft's new Windows Phone 8 operating system. The key specs include a 480x800p 3.8" ClearBlack display, a dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus processor running at 1GHz, 512MB of RAM, a 5-megapixel rear and a VGA front-facing camera, 8GB of storage which is microSD expandable and all of this is powered by a 1300mAh battery!

   Sony's offering is the Xperia E and at first glance it looks very much like Sony's current portfolio of Xperia phones. The main selling points of this device are; HD Voice and noise cancellation in calls, a 1500 mAh removable battery, a 3.5” HVGA display (That's 320x480p), Wireless DLNA connectivity, a rear 3.2MP camera with autofocus and a Snapdragon single core 1 GHz processor.

   All in all the two phones aren't going to blow any techies minds but they both look like good solid handsets, but we have to say that given the choice we'd opt for the Nokia one. At the moment we don't know any pricing, although the Lumia 620 is expect to come in at around $250 off contract!
Via Slashgear and PhoneArena.


Android 4.1.2 landing on international Galaxy S3's

   The guys over at SamMobile did it again with their report about the brand spanking new Android 4.1.2 update for Samsung's international Galaxy S3's! They said that the update is currently rolling out in Poland and it'll be heading around Europe in the next few days and weeks assuming there are no issues.

There's a few changes with this update including:

-Android 4.1.2 – JZO54K
-Multi-View (Multi-Windows Multitasking, same as in Note II)
-Page Buddy
-New Gallery App (Same as in Note II)
-Notification Panel (Notification Panel can now be customized)
-Brightness Slider in Notification Panel Can Now Be Disabled
-Smart Rotation (Screen Display adjusts to your angle of sightings)
-Continuous Input in Samsung Keyboard (Like Swipe or Android 4.2 Keyboard)
-Paper Artist App
-Group Cast App

   It's not hit our unlocked Galaxy S3 here in the UK yet, but we'll give you an overview as and when it hits our phone!
Via SamMobile.


In other news:

• You guys have probably heard of Chameleon Launcher for Android tablets, they had a successful Kickstarter campaign, and now they're looking to expand their launchers compatibility to Android phones.
  
  They have requested a total of 25 testers to try out the new launcher on; the HTC One X+, HTC One X, Samsung Galaxy Note II, Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Galaxy S3, Nexus 4, Galaxy Nexus, Motorola Razr HD LTE, LG Optimus G, HTC Droid DNA and the Motorola Razr Maxx HD.
  
  We're not sure how many people have already been invited to test it out, but you can apply yourself here!
  Via AndroidPolice.

• It seems that the Wii U will be getting a pretty cool new feature courtesy of Google Maps! The idea here is that with augmented reality you will be able to check out Google's Street View pictures and have a good old nosey around right from your Wii U GamePad. So essentially you will be able to tilt your Gamepad around and the picture will change, almost as  if you're looking around yourself, which we must say is pretty darn cool! Hopefully this is something which we'll be seeing on a smartphone near you sometime in the near future!
  Via Slashgear.

• Archos took to their Facebook page this afternoon to announce that they have released a Jelly Bean update for the ARCHOS 101XS. They said: 'with Jelly Bean you're getting the fluidity improvements of project butter as well as Google Now voice assistant and improved search, as well as dozens of other little improvements including simplified Video data retrieval in the Archos Video App and the Archos Media Center apps now being update-able through Google Play.'
  Via Archos Facebook.

• Facebook have updated their app for Blackberry devices today to version 3.3. The update has brought with it a 'visual overhaul with refreshed navigation icons and status publisher.' But, that's not the best news! The best bit is that there is now BBM integration! Yes you can add BBM friends and instigate those BBM chats directly from the app, and Facebook even added the nice little touch of showing you which of your friends have BBM.
  
  Aside from that you can now un-friend people from the app and there's a new and hopefully better version of the photo viewer. You'll now get a grid of thumbnails and you can scroll through and choose which of them to maximise. Which seems like a much better solution for those Blackberry track pads! You can get the update by opening up your App World or from this link here.
  Via PhoneArena.

• Today the European Commission issued fines to Philips, LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Toshiba and Technicolor totalling €1.47 billion or $1.92 billion, for fixing the price of TV components for nearly ten years! Philips got the biggest wedge of the fine at €313.4 million ($411 million), while LG, Samsung and Panasonic got slightly smaller fines. Toshiba and Technicolor only ended up with relatively small fines.
  
  Interestingly the punishment dates back to the days when cathode-ray tubes were used in televisions and computer monitors, way back before flat screen displays became popular. If this is what went on back in those days, it does make you wonder whether this happens today!
  EuropaPress via TheVerge.

And finally, there appears to have been a little issue with the latest iTunes update in Russia. Instead of taking you to the Apple store, when you click the tab on the left hand side, you're instead directed to this picture below! It's been speculated by iPhones.ru that the issue is because of the “temporary” link type xx.xx.xx. which is obviously related to the site you see below. Apparently, it's a widespread issue not just centred in Russia judging by the amount of posts about issues on Twitter!

Via 9to5mac.

Read More