Rumor
BlackBerry Z10 Specs Rumor

New purported BlackBerry Z10 specs emerge: 1.5GHz processor, 2GB RAM, 8MP camera

By on December 27, 2012 at 11:00 AM.

New purported BlackBerry Z10 specs emerge: 1.5GHz processor, 2GB RAM, 8MP camera

Another week, another batch of purported leaks for Research In Motion’s (RIMM) first BlackBerry 10-powered Z10BBin claims to have most of the Z10′s final specs confirmed and it is shaping up to be a powerful device. Rumored specs for the Z10 include a TI OMAP 4470 1.5GHz dual-core processor (Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 for the U.S. and Canada), a 4.2-inch display (1,280 x 768 resolution), quad-band LTE, 2GB of RAM, 16GB or 32GB of internal storage, an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, a 2-megapixel front camera, a microSD card slot, and an 1,800 mAh removable battery. On the connectivity side, the Z10 is also rumored to have NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, dual-band 802.11 a/g/n Wi-Fi, A-GPS, a Micro USB port and a Micro HDMI-out port. BlackBerry 10′s January 30th unveiling in New York City can’t come soon enough.

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iPhone Theft NYC Crime Rate

Apple device theft drives NYC crime rate up for first time in 20 years

By on December 26, 2012 at 11:35 AM.

Apple device theft drives NYC crime rate up for first time in 20 years

Apple’s (AAPL) stock might be taking a beating, but that doesn’t mean the products dreamed up by Jonathan Ive and company aren’t still hot commodities. On the contrary, Apple products are still so hot that thefts of iOS devices helped drive New York City’s crime rate up for the first time in 20 years, according to The Wall Street Journal. The news isn’t shocking considering the data the New York Police Department released in October, which revealed Apple-related crimes were up 40% this year. Paul Browne, the New York Police Department’s top spokesman told the WSJ, ”Overall crime in the five boroughs is up 3% so far this year, driven by the thefts of Apple products.” Browne said there would actually be a “slight decline in crime citywide” had thefts of Apple products remained the same.

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Rumor
BlackBerry 7 2012

Purported photo of new BlackBerry phone with QWERTY keyboard leaks

By on December 26, 2012 at 9:10 AM.

Purported photo of new BlackBerry phone with QWERTY keyboard leaks

Research In Motion (RIMM) CEO Thorsten Heins recently said during the company’s Q3 earnings call that BlackBerry 7 is still a “strong success” in the Asian-Pacific markets. Despite the company putting most of its weight behind BlackBerry 10 and the Z10 and X10, Heins said RIM will continue supporting BB7 and consumers “might expect us to even build one of the other new products” based on it. Heins suggested on the earnings call new BB7 phones will target entry-level markets with lower price points over its BB10 devices; now, MobileSyrup has posted a photo of a mystery BlackBerry phone sitting next to the BB10-powered Z10 and X10. Could this HTC (2498) Status/ChaCha look-alike be a new BB7 smartphone? It could be, but then again, it could also be a prototype that will never be released or another new BB10-powered QWERTY phone.

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Instagram 3.4.0 Mayfair Filter

Instagram diverts attention from botched policy change with another new filter

By on December 21, 2012 at 8:12 PM.

Instagram diverts attention from botched policy change with another new filter

Instagram messed up big time this week when it freaked everyone out with changes to its privacy policy related to licensing user photos for advertisements. After days of backlash, Instagram reverted back to its old terms of service. While the damage has already been done, Instagram is hoping a new update to its iOS and Android app will silence everyone. Instagram 3.4.0 adds a new filter called “Mayfair” that adds another hint of lavender to images and brightens up the center, support for 25 languages, photo sharing from any album, Facebook (FB) iOS 6 integration and various bug fixes. Version 3.4.0 comes hot off last week’s update that added the new “Willow” filter and numerous UI tweaks. Is a new filter enough to keep users from flocking to the new Flickr or Twitter apps; both with built-in filters? Instagram certainly hopes so.

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Facebook Privacy Shortcuts Release Date

Facebook’s new easier-to-manage ‘Privacy Shortcuts’ rolling out globally

By on December 21, 2012 at 6:57 PM.

Facebook’s new easier-to-manage ‘Privacy Shortcuts’ rolling out globally

Managing Facebook (FB) privacy settings can be a daunting nightmare. Facebook’s new “Privacy Shortcuts” is designed to make sharing items as transparent as possible with always-visible privacy button on the top toolbar. The update also brings “an easier-to-use Activity Log, and a new Request and Removal tool for managing multiple photos you’re tagged in.” The new Facebook privacy controls are rolling out globally starting on Friday and will arrive for all users by the end of the year. For the full details on all of the new changes, be sure to visit Facebook’s Newsroom here.

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Auxo iOS Multitasking App Switcher

Fan-made tweak gives Apple a blueprint for better multitasking in iOS 7 [video]

By on December 21, 2012 at 12:48 PM.

Fan-made tweak gives Apple a blueprint for better multitasking in iOS 7 [video]

In recent years, Android has continued to get better and better with new and useful features. At the same time, iOS has become rather stagnant and in many ways has fallen behind. iOS 6 did bring new features, but its subsequent updates also introduced a slew of issues. What’s most disappointing about iOS is that it still doesn’t allow users to quickly adjust basic things such as brightness, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc. without having to dive into layers of menus. However, a forum member at The Verge recently mocked up a concept for a redesigned app switcher and managed to get a few developers to help out on a project to enhance iOS multitasking. The result is a jailbreak tweak that improves upon iOS’s current multitasking system in such an intelligent (and elegant) way that Apple (AAPL) should just hire the developers and incorporate it into iOS 7. See for yourself in the video below.

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RIM Nokia Patent License Agreement

RIM pays off Nokia to end patent litigation

By on December 21, 2012 at 10:10 AM.

RIM pays off Nokia to end patent litigation

Nokia (NOK) announced on Friday Research In Motion (RIMM) has agreed to pay it a “one-time payment and on-going payments” that will end the patent litigation between the two companies in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. The exact details to the patent license agreement weren’t disclosed. Just as the patent wars were beginning to heat up between tech companies, most are now realizing it’s easier to settle and enter into a license agreement than to wage war in the courtroom. More →

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WhatsApp iPhone Free Limited Time

WhatsApp goes free for iPhone for a limited time

By on December 21, 2012 at 7:40 AM.

WhatsApp goes free for iPhone for a limited time

Popular cross-platform texting app WhatsApp reduced its iPhone app from $0.99 to free on Thursday. The app now delivers 10 billion messages per day, which is no surprise considering how consumers are choosing to use app-based messengers instead of paying for texting. WhatsApp is so popular, Facebook (FB) is reportedly interested in acquiring it. While it’s true the Android version of WhatsApp is also available for free, that version requires a yearly  $0.99 fee after the initial year. Still, WhatsApp’s advantage over Apple’s (AAPL) built-in iMessage is that it works across multiple mobile platforms. At zero dollars, WhatsApp is a no-brainer download if you don’t already have it on iPhone.

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BlackBerry Z10

RIM’s first BlackBerry 10 smartphone to be called the ‘Z10′

By on December 20, 2012 at 4:32 PM.

RIM’s first BlackBerry 10 smartphone to be called the ‘Z10′

Research In Motion’s (RIMM) first BlackBerry 10 smartphone, formerly known as the L-Series and “London” will apparently be called the “BlackBerry Z10″ according to marketing materials obtained by UnwiredView. RIM’s QWERTY BlackBerry 10 device that’s slated for a release sometime between March and June will reportedly go by the name “BlackBerry X10.” As we inch closer to BlackBerry 10′s launch on January 30th in New York City, all eyes are on RIM to deliver a new smartphone and OS that finally catches up to iOS and Android. Most recently, RIM’s Dev Alpha B smartphone running BB10 was spotted crushing the iPhone 5 on iOS 6 and HTC (2498) Windows Phone 8X running Windows Phone 8 in a Web browser speed and rendering comparison test. All RIM needs to do now is deliver compelling hardware and apps to sway users who have long since abandoned BlackBerrys for iPhones and DROIDS.

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iOS 6.0.2 Battery Drain

iPhone 5, iPad mini users report iOS 6.0.2 is a big drain on battery life

By on December 20, 2012 at 2:41 PM.

iPhone 5, iPad mini users report iOS 6.0.2 is a big drain on battery life

Apple’s (AAPL) recent iOS 6.0.2 release had one major purpose: to fix Wi-Fi connection issues. But according to TidBITs and many other iPhone 5 and iPad mini users on Apple’s discussion forums, the update is draining battery life quicker than usual. According to TidBIT’s Michael Cohen and Adam C. Engst, the issue may be related to the updated devices now working harder to scan for Wi-Fi access points. It’s unclear how widespread the battery drain issue is. BGR didn’t notice any unusual battery drainage on one of our iPhone 5s running iOS 6.0.2. This also isn’t the first time Apple’s iOS devices have suffered from battery issues after a software update, and likely won’t be the last.

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Apple Google Kodak Patent Sale

Apple, Google among companies that snapped up Kodak patents for $525 million

By on December 19, 2012 at 10:25 AM.

Apple, Google among companies that snapped up Kodak patents for $525 million

Kodak announced on Wednesday it has successfully sold its digital imaging patents to “12 intellectual property licensees organized by Intellectual Ventures and RPX Corporation” for $525 million. As Engadget notes, Intellectual Ventures is working on behalf of Apple (AAPL) and RPX Corporation is representing Google (GOOG). The new deal is “one of Kodak’s key restructuring objectives” that will see it emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and end its battle with Apple over patent disputes. Kodak’s press release follows below.

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BlackBerry 10 Web Browser Comparison

BlackBerry 10 browser smokes iOS 6 and Windows Phone 8 in comparison test [video]

By on December 19, 2012 at 9:50 AM.

BlackBerry 10 browser smokes iOS 6 and Windows Phone 8 in comparison test [video]

Research In Motion’s (RIMM) BlackBerry 10 is shaping up to be quite the contender, but does it have what it takes to knock iOS 6 off its podium and prevent Windows Phone 8 from gaining momentum to become the third-most popular mobile operating system? The Gadget Masters recently performed Web browser rendering speed test comparisons between a Dev Alpha B smartphone running BB10, an iPhone 5 on iOS 6 and an HTC (2498) Windows Phone 8X with Windows Phone 8 and was impressed at how fast RIM’s new Webkit-based browser was. And that’s not even a final BB10 phone; only a developer kit. Oddly missing is a comparison with Android’s stock Internet browser and Chrome. RIM will launch BlackBerry 10 on January 30th in New York CityTGM’s Web browser comparison videos can be found below. More →

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Polaroid Android Camera

Leak reveals Polaroid’s Android-powered camera with interchangeable lenses

By on December 18, 2012 at 11:03 PM.

Leak reveals Polaroid’s Android-powered camera with interchangeable lenses

Samsung’s (005930) Galaxy Camera and Nikon’s (NINOY) Coolpix S800c are just the beginning of a swath of Android-powered cameras. Newly leaked images and specs point to Polaroid reviving its camera business with what could be the world’s first Android camera with interchangeable lenses. With no official name yet, the tentatively named IM1836 camera will reportedly feature a 18.1-megapixel sensor, 3.5-inch touchscreen, pop-up flash, Wi-Fi, HDMI and Android 4.0. More →

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