Samsung denies increasing Apple processor prices

A couple of days ago we reported on the news that Samsung’s chip making division had increased the prices of the processors that it supplies to Apple for use in their iOS devices by as much as 20%. Turns out, that wasn’t true at all.

According to an unnamed Samsung official who spoke to the Korean newspaper The Hankyoreh, Samsung has not increased the prices of the processors. He also said that prices are agreed upon at the beginning of each year and aren’t changed easily.

This puts to rest the news of Samsung increasing the prices but more importantly, the part where people thought they did it just to spite Apple.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Microsoft Surface users facing audio and Touch Cover issues

It’s just been a couple of weeks since the Microsoft Surface went on sale and as usual for any new product we have started hearing complaints from the early adopters. The two most prominent issues for now relate to the sound and the optional Touch Cover.

According to The Verge, who experienced these issues first hand, the audio occasionally stutters or mutes when the Surface is in use or in standby. As for the Touch Covers, some users are experiencing fraying around the edges.

Microsoft is reportedly receiving “a lot of” Touch Covers returns according the a company spokesperson and the company is replacing them for free.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

What Obama’s second term means for technology

Obama has four more years in the White House, but what will his policies mean for the future of the tech we use every day?

A couple of years ago, President Obama was having dinner with Silicon Valley movers and shakers, including an ailing Steve Jobs. Although no recording of the dinner has been made available, legend has it that the President asked Jobs what it would take for Apple’s manufacturing jobs to come back to America.

“Those jobs aren’t coming back,” replied Jobs.

Whether that is true or not, during the campaign both President Obama and Governor Romney focused a lot of their energies on plans to bring that kind of manufacturing back to American shores. Now that the president has won a second term, what does that mean for American technology and manufacturing?

Mr. Obama’s plan was built on education and training, investing in clean energy, and giving tax incentives to companies that bring jobs back to America.

Jobs’ grim reply was based on the fact that American workers are no longer trained for the needs of high-tech manufacturing. Obama believes that making college more accessible, both at the university and community college level, is part of the solution for closing that skills gap.

A major focus during Obama’s first term was keeping tuition rates down, doubling funding for Pell Grants, and trying to get community colleges to work together with local employers to better train outgoing students for jobs that already exist locally. There’s every reason to believe that push will continue.

Another creative idea from the campaign trail was the creation of “manufacturing innovation institutes,” where businesses and research institutions work together to make sure that American research and development produces corresponding high-tech manufacturing jobs. How the federal government can spur that idea remains to be seen, but it could be a key step in reshaping the American manufacturing sector and making sure the next Apple keeps its assembly lines here at home.

During the campaign, Obama predictably hit Governor Romney on the Republican Party’s close ties with the oil industry. In his first term, the president advocated an “all of the above” energy policy. He’s willing to explore any source, including oil, which can help America reach a majority of energy independence by 2035. It is now expected that investment in alternative energy technologies will only continue in the next four years.

During his first term, President Obama pushed ahead with plans to double fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks by 2025, which is spurring the auto industry’s investments in hybrid and electric vehicles and has led to an American manufacturing boom of sorts in battery technology. Since these rules are now under no threat of repeal, cars and light trucks are expected to sip less and less gas in the next four years. Horsepower may be a different story.

One of the places where we heard repeats of 2008’s campaign pledges was in the area of corporate tax structure. The president promised to end tax breaks for companies that participate in outsourcing during his first term and promised to do the same in his second term (which you can assume to mean that the first effort didn’t go so well).

He also wants to provide tax incentives for companies to bring jobs back to the US. Considering Apple currently enjoys a 1.9 percent tax rate on its foreign earnings, I’m not sure how much of an incentive the US government can provide. Perhaps they will mandate that all federal employees will have to buy an iPad Mini. At least all of our forest rangers will have something to do while they’re stuck in those fire towers.

Any conversation about tax policy centers on Congress. In the coming days, it will be interesting to see if our Republican House makes any overtures of bipartisanship to the president now that they know they are stuck with him for another four years. If history is any indication, don’t hold your breath. There’s probably better chance of an impeachment investigation than bipartisan tax reform.

Whatever the case, many pundits believe that the president will be bolder in his second term, enacting whatever policies he can without congressional approval if Congress proves to be as intransigent as they have been in the past. A lot of the policies mentioned above came to pass through that same kind of executive maneuvering. Because of that, the next four years of America’s technology and education policy might be just as much decided in courtrooms as in the Oval Office.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

iPad mini today launches today, Apple eyeing 1.5 million units sold over the weekend

Despite being a couple of weeks behind schedule, the iPad mini sales open today, but only in the US and only in black.

Never mind the delay, Apple is expected to sell around 1.5 million units of its 7.85″ slate. Gene Munster at Piper Jaffray has made the projection and he believes Apple will hit that number before the weekend’s over.

Spectacular as this sounds, it’s actually not as much as the third gen iPad managed to sell at launch, rounding off 3 million units. The main reason for that, Mr. Munster believes, is the lack of 4G LTE models available at launch.

He also accounts for the fact that the compact size is still a relatively new concept for the general consumer and that:

Consumers will gradually realize the benefits of the smaller form factor, which will drive adoption, although it may not take form in lines for tomorrow’s launch.

The base iPad mini costs $329, with the 32GB and 64GB version going for $429 and $529, respectively. The Wi-Fi+Cellular model starts at $459 for the 16GB.

You can see how the iPad mini compares to the hottest Android competitors by checking out our iPad mini vs Nexus 7 vs Kindle Fire HD comparison table.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

How To Download Songs From Youtube

You have a couple of options to download songs from Youtube. There are numerous websites that offer this service, websites like vidtomp3.com, video2mp3.net or listentoyoutube.com can be helpful. What you’ll first need to do is to go to youtube website, search for the song you want. You would then go up to the URL bar and copy that URL.

Flickr image by clarissamendiola@att.net

Your next step would be to find a website that offers the service of converting a video into audio. Next would be to paste the URL you originally copied into the space provided. You can usually convert to standard or high quality depending on your preference. The video to audio conversion should only take a minute or so, unless the song is very long, or you have a slow connection. A download link would appear and you are all done once downloaded.

There are also software programs that do this for you as well. Making the process quicker and easier. Depending on how many videos you want to convert and your technical expertise level, this may be an option for you to consider. Another benefit of getting a program that converts for you is that it gives you more options. You can choose the file type to convert to, and can even record videos you have watched previously. You can also change the quality to multiple levels, depending on preference. There are either standalone software programs or toolbars that you can also have on your internet browser for this. You basically only need to know how to use a computer to be able to use either option.

Keep in mind, with either option, downloading a complete album off of youtube, or a very long song, will take a while. Especially if it is of higher quality. Some of the free websites will only allow a certain size of file to be downloaded. If this is the case, you would certainly want to invest in a program that can download and convert the videos for you.

Please note that songs will not be converted if the link is broken or if the song is damaged or corrupt.

Tags: Youtube Downloads, Youtube Free Downloads, Youtube Songs

Source : techtalkafrica[dot]com

Best Smartphones of 2012

There may still be a couple of months left of the year, but it is already clear to see that some phones have made more of an impact in 2012 than others – not always for the right reasons. This year has seen the Samsung Galaxy S3 become the most pre-ordered thing in history while the latest iPhone outsold earlier versions by a clear margin of one million during its launch weekend.

There have been a lot of great phones this year, and technology has been moving so rapidly that even devices which fall into the “mid-range” or “budget” categories are still highly impressive pieces of technology. But if I were to pick just four handsets that have been the most noteworthy this year, I would probably pick the following:

Samsung Galaxy S3 

Undoubtedly the best phone of the year. Not just in terms of sales figures and critical acclaim but also in the sheer number of innovations it has ushered in. For all Apple’s accusations over the past several months, it seems as though it is actually Samsung that is starting to think outside the box in the mobile arena, while Apple is beginning to rest on its laurels and compete through patent litigation.

The S3′s larger 4.8 inch Super AMOLED HD screen provides unparalleled picture quality and enough room to allow you to watch movies while typing out messages and emails. S Beam, an improved version of Android’s NFC sharing app, not only allows you to easily share music and videos but stands to completely revolutionise the way that people exchange phone numbers (tapping two phones together is surely much simpler than reading a string of numbers seven or eight times back and forth between two people).

Recent tests also showed that the Galaxy S3 outperformed all of its close competition in mobile web browsing battery performance, providing nearly six hours of use – while the iPhone, with its claimed 8 hours, only achieved 3 hours and 20 minutes. Some people are daunted by the larger size of the S3, yet this is something that one can easily become accustomed to in order to enjoy the excellent features on offer.

iPhone 5 

Image Credit by Want China Times

To many people it is an iPhone or nothing, and as far as iPhones go, this is the best one yet. It is the fastest, has the best data connections (the first iPhone with LTE) and has the best screen for movie content and web browsing.

Even though it has been beset by numerous problems, which have even been enough for diehard iFans and former Apple employees to want to switch to Samsung, it would be hard to not include the iPhone 5 in this list.

Despite its problems, this has still been the fastest selling iPhone to date and will most likely wind up being the biggest selling phone of 2012 by the end of December. Irrespective of sales figures, the iPhone marks some of the most important changes to come to the iPhone brand since it first began in 2007. There is the larger 4 inch screen, the new Lightning dock connector and many software enhancements including Facebook integration.

This will be the most popular phone of 2012 without a doubt, even if it won’t win the most awards or the most acclaim from critics, and so it rightfully deserves its place as one of the best phones of the year.

Nokia Lumia 920 

On the surface, the Lumia 920 doesn’t look a whole lot different to some of Nokia’s earlier Lumia phones. However, thanks to Windows Phone 8 and some new hardware that is now supported by the Microsoft OS, this stands to be the finest phone Nokia has produced since its fall from grace a few years back.

Nokia’s plans to reinvent itself were hampered earlier this year when Microsoft revealed that older Windows Phone 7 devices would not be able to update to the newer version, released later this month. This was effectively a nail in the coffin for Nokia’s first wave of Windows Phones and the Finnish company has been on tenterhooks for the past few months while it awaits the launch of WP8.

Windows Phone 8 has added support for multicore processors, and this is the first Nokia phone to come with a dual core 1.5GHz Krait chip and 1GB RAM. WP8 also added support for NFC and this will be one of the first Nokia phones with the new data sharing technology included. The only new addition to WP8 that has not made its way to the Lumia 920 is microSD card support, although this more likely due to aesthetic reasons than anything else. 32GB provides a fair amount of room, but the inability to expand this is disappointing to say the least.

This is also the first Nokia phone and one of the first Windows Phones to include LTE support.

Motorola RAZR MAXX / Droid RAZR MAXX 

Originally released in the United States at start of 2012 as the Droid RAZR MAXX, this handset was later released in other markets as the RAZR MAXX. (This is due to the fact that “Droid” is a trademark owned by Lucasfilm and Motorola only has licence to use it in the US). Why is this phone so special? Simply because the RAZR MAXX demonstrated that excellent smartphone features don’t need to come at the expense of battery life.

The RAZR MAXX has a 3300mAh Lithium Ion battery providing up to a month’s worth of standby battery life and nearly 18 hours of talk time. By comparison, the S3 has a 2100mAh, the Lumia 920 a 2000mAh, and the iPhone 5 a measly 1440mAh battery.

While smartphones are being crammed with more and more features, including face recognition, NFC data sharing, streaming online videos, and all sorts of other things that were just pipedreams a few years back, battery technology has not really changed much in the past 20 years.

To provide more battery life to meet the demands of all these extra power-hungry features the only option that manufacturers have is to keep making batteries bigger and bigger. Motorola showed this could be done while still producing a pocket friendly and slender device.

The RAZR MAXX is several months old now and in smartphone terms is starting to show its age. It shipped with Android 2.3 Gingerbread while the world is quickly heading towards 5.0 Key Lime Pie. Due to the Motorola custom interface the RAZR MAXX will miss out from future Android updates.

These are my picks for the best and most interesting phones of 2012. The best all round winner has to be the Samsung Galaxy S3, while the iPhone 5 and Lumia 920 will provide much to entice fans of either platform. The RAZR also goes to show that a phone doesn’t need to be drained of all power before the end of the day. All of these phones have proved to be extremely popular handsets on best-mobile-contracts.co.uk this year. It has been an interesting year for the smartphone industry and, if current trends continue, next year should be even more exciting.

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Source : techtalkafrica[dot]com

New Samsung I9260 Galaxy Nexus 2 photos uploaded to Picasa

The Samsung I9260 – purportedly the Galaxy Nexus 2 – is such a tease. We’ve already seen a couple of photos that were (perhaps accidentally, perhaps not) uploaded to Picasa and now there’s a new one.

This latest image was shot using newer software – I9260XXALI9 – while the previous two were shot with ALI5 and 6 releases.

There’s another photo from the I9260 on Picasa from a few days ago, which was shot using flash (all the previous ones didn’t use flash), so at least we know the camera has that. This photo was snapped with ALI5 software for what that’s worth.

None of the photos was taken at full resolution, so we still can’t confirm the rumors of an upgraded 8MP camera on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus 2.

Thanks to Giuseppe Iovene for the tip!

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Street View coming to Google Maps mobile Web app in October

If you're really missing Street View on your iPhone since you upgraded to iOS 6, you may be pleased to know that in a couple of weeks Google's Maps mobile Web app will include the feature.

When Apple launched Maps as part of iOS 6 recently, users were largely pleased with the look but disappointed with its usability – which is kind of important when it comes to finding your way somewhere. Stories surfaced of absurd inaccuracies, you know, cities in the sea, farms labeled as airports, that sort of thing.

Apple has said the more that people use its Maps app, the better it will get. Meanwhile, Google is reportedly working on a new Maps app for iOS, but it could be a couple of months before it sees the light of day. This has left many iPhone users who’ve upgraded to iOS 6 and who used Google’s Maps app on a regular basis scratching around for a solution.

Of course, alternatives are available, but the whole Maps mess may have left a few iOS 6 users wishing they’d held off upgrading until either Apple sorts Maps or Google releases its own Maps app.

However, there’s some good news for those who’ve switched to using Google’s Maps mobile Web app – Street View functionality, which gives users a ground-level view of the immediate area, should be on its way in a couple of weeks. Apple’s Maps app offers no such feature.

The information comes courtesy of New York Times’ columnist David Pogue who, in a piece about Apple’s Maps misstep, tells how he used the Cupertino company’s new app to guide him to a speaking engagement, explaining that while both the GPS navigation screen and spoken directions were clear, they took him to the wrong location. He was late for his talk.

Apple’s Maps “may be the most embarrassing, least usable piece of software Apple has ever unleashed,” Pogue wrote.

He laments the loss of Street View on his handset, but says that “in two weeks” Google will be including it as part of its Maps mobile Web app. His information comes directly from the Mountain View company, he said.

It was reported on Wednesday that in its forthcoming iOS Maps app, Google intends to combine Google Earth with Maps, though there’s no clear indication as to when it might be ready.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Sony announces Handycam NEX-VG900 full-frame and VG30H APS-C digital camcorders

Along with some digital still cameras, Sony also had a couple of new camcorders to announce today. The first of them is the new NEX-VG900, which according to Sony is the world’s first consumer 35mm full-frame interchangeable lens camcorder.

The VG900 uses the same 24.3 megapixel sensor that we saw on the A99. That sensor is big by DSLR standards and enormous when compared to other consumer camcorders by as much as as 40 times. The VG900 is also capable of taking full-frame 24 megapixel still photos in RAW format, just like the A99.

But the real feature here is the video recording and the VG900 can do 1080p video in 60 or 24fps with Sony’s CinemTone Gamma and CinemaTone Color to give it that cinematic look. There are also several other image filters to choose from. The VG900 features a seesaw level for controlling the zoom, which gives smoother results than using the zoom ring on the lenses, although it only works with Sony powered zoom lenses. The camcorder also comes with Sony’s Quad Capsule Spatial Array Microphone that incorporate four omnidirectional microphones for recording 5.1 surround sound.

The Handycam NEX-VG900 go on sale in November (body-only and LA-EA3 lens adapter) for about $3,300.

If you think that’s a bit much then there is a cheaper alternative in the form of the NEX-VH30H, which is the successor to the VG20H model launched last year. It features a smaller 16.1 megapixel APS-HD CMOS sensor, same as the one from the NEX-6 we just saw. This one can also record 1080p videos in 60 and 24fps and shoot high resolution still images. It also has a high resolution XGA OLED viewfinder and the seesaw zoom level from the VG900.

The Handycam NEX-VG30H will be sold with a SELP-18200 E PZ 18-200mm f3.5-F6.3 power zoom lens with built-in image stabilization for $2,700. A body-only NEX-VG30 will be sold for $1,800.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Sony announces new RX1, NEX-6 and Alpha SLT-A99 digital cameras

Sony has announced three new cameras, the most exciting of which is the DSC-RX1 that was leaked a couple of days ago. The other two are the NEX-6, the newest member of Sony’s mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras, and the Alpha SLT-A99.

Let’s talk about the RX1 first. As was revealed before, the RX1 packs in a 35mm full frame sensor within a compact camera size body. The sensor is a 36 x 24mm EXMOR CMOS with a resolution of 24.3 megapixels. To go with that sensor, the RX1 has a fixed Carl Zeiss 35mm/f2.0 lens with dedicated focus and aperture rings.

Other features include a leaf shutter for near silent operation, dedicated exposure control dial, built-in flash with a hotshoe, ISO sensitivity up to 25,600 (extended to 102,400 using software tricks), RAW shooting mode, 1080p60 video recording and a 3-inch 1,229k dot LCD.

The RX1 will go on sale this November and will retail at $2,800.

Next is the NEX-6 that falls between the previously launched NEX-5N and the NEX-7. The new NEX-6 gets the Fast Hybrid AF, Wi-Fi and camera apps from the 5N and the high-resolution XGA OLED Tru-Finder viewfinder from the NEX-7.

On top of that it also has a 16.1 megapixel EXMOS APS HD CMOS sensor, electronic viewfinder, a new mode dial and hotshoe that were missing on the previous models, 3-inch, 921k dot tilting LCD, 1080p60 video and ISO sensitivity up to 25,600.

The NEX-6 will be sold in November for $1,000 with a SELP1650 compact 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 powered zoom lens and for $850 body-only.

Lastly we have the Alpha SLT-A99, part of Sony’s SLT range of cameras that look identical to a DSLR but have a fixed translucent mirror instead along with an electronic viewfinder. The A99 is the flagship model in this range and includes a full frame, 36 x 24mm, 24.3 megapixel sensor with built-in phase detection.

Other features include the world’s first dual AF system, with a 19-point main focusing system complemented by the 102 point focal plane phase detection AF on top of the camera’s sensor, 1080p60 video recording with mic and headphone jacks and FullHD video output through HDMI so you can connect an external recorder, a silent, programmable multi-control dial on the front, XGA OLED viewfinder, 3-inch, 1,229k dot articulated LCD with Sony’s WhiteMagic technology that adds an extra white subpixel along with the usual RGB for increased brightness outdoors and ISO 25,600 sensitivity.

The Sony Alpha SLT-A99 will be sold in October as body-only for about $2,800.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Nokia announces Purity Pro wireless Bluetooth headset

Last year Nokia announced a couple of audio products as part of the new Nokia Purity range, designed in collaboration with Monster Cable, known for their famous Beats by Dr. Dre range of audio products. That range now has a new member, in the form of the Nokia Purity Pro Wireless Stereo headset.

The Purity Pro is a wireless stereo headset that uses Bluetooth for audio transmission, although you can also hook it up using a cable if your battery runs out. The Purity Pro has NFC built-in, so you can tap your Nokia phone with NFC to pair instantly or you can use the traditional pairing method. It also features active noise cancellation that cancels out the background noise.

The headset features a foldable design that allows you to carry them around easily. Folding and unfolding the headset automatically switches it off and on respectively.

The Purity Pro headset will be sold in four colors, black, red, yellow and white for approximately €299 ($376) in Q4, 2012.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Samsung Galaxy Camera hands-on videos are ready, check them out

The Samsung Galaxy Camera sure attracted a lot of attention, ours included. We got a chance to spend some quality time with the device and we did a couple of videos to give you an idea of the device.

Samsung has based most of the Galaxy Camera software on the Galaxy S III’s, but the camera interface is a bespoke solution. The menus heavily rely on spinners, which make them easy to use with your thumb – good thing since you don’t get any hardware controls on the back, you use the 4.8″ touchscreen for almost everything.

The camera has several shooting modes, ranging from Auto to Expert. Expert gives you the highest degree of control – you can choose between aperture or shutter priority, program mode and there’s even full manual mode.

The settings are arranged into “rings”, similar to the ones on a DSLR lens. The Galaxy Camera gives you extensive control over the photography process, which camera enthusiasts will appreciate.

The Gallery app is also a custom Samsung solution, although it’s not unique – it’s similar to the app that the Galaxy Note II uses. It has a split-screen interface similar to the file explorer in Windows – folders on the left, folder contents on the right.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

New JB ROM for the international Galaxy S III leaks, flash at your own risk

Just a couple of days after the last Jelly Bean-ed Touch Wiz update for the international Galaxy S III leaked we got a new one.

The new build, version XXDLH6, is available for download and is flashable via ODIN.

The official update can’t be far behind these unofficial leaks with the most likely scenario pointing to it getting announced at the IFA floor at the end of the month.

You can download the Jelly Bean update over at the source link but keep in mind that it isn’t official yet so installing it voids your warranty and if you don’t know what you are doing you might brick your device.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

SwiftKey 3 Keyboard update brings two new themes, additional language support

Popular aftermarket Android keyboard SwiftKey has issued yet another update, which adds a couple of new features. The most noticeable are the two new themes, Sky blue and Fuchsia.

Other than the themes, the latest update also adds support for two new languages – Malay and Urdu, along with voice input for Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean and finally some bug fixes.

The overall typing experience is still the same as before, which means it is mostly excellent but the keyboard still often gets ahead of itself by entering additional words you did not intend do.

The update will be available to anyone who has the keyboard installed or you can download it from the link below.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com