Tab 2012

Tablets are the future of smart computing and in the year 2012 while the smartphones got bigger, the tablets got smaller this year. Here's a look at three 7-inch tablets that were the talk of 2012.
The Nexus 7: This Google tablet co-manufactured with Asus has a seven-inch screen, but don't let the size fool you. The tablet which was announced at Google's i/o conference in June, was the first 7-incher to house a 1.3GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core CPU, which includes a 12-core GPU. Not only did it have speed, the device had price on its side as well. It costs only $200, though in India it was launched for Rs 19,999, which is a tad pricey but hey, it's still cheaper than the iPad mini.

The tablet also comes with the pure Google OS, Android Jelly Bean 4.1 ( at the time of the release) and this was upgraded to Jelly Bean 4.2 in November when Google launched the Nexus 10. So yes for Android fans who want the pure Google OS, this is the tablet to go for.

In terms of sales, the Nexus 7 did very well, despite the fact that only the 32GB version has cellular connectivity. According to Asus, Nexus 7 sales were close to 1 million a month. And the Nexus 7 feels lighter than the Kindle Fire and the soft, textured back makes the tablet comfortable to hold. Apps loaded quickly... The screen looks great, feels responsive, and the tablet already does a good job of demonstrating its power in games and movie performance.
Not only was it a fast tablet with a decent screen resolution (1280x800 pixels), and thus it set the bar for all the other tiny tablets.

The iPad mini:The big question with the iPad mini was always if Apple would launch a $200 device. Apple and cheap don't always feature in the same sentence and perhaps the biggest disappointment with the iPad mini was its price. The 16GB version with just Wi-Fi starts at a whopping $329 while 16GB version with Wi-Fi plus cellular connectivity starts at $429. In India the device launched at Rs 21,900 which is still cheap considering the new iPod Touch starts Rs 23,900.

But yes, the iPad mini does come withcellular connectivity and for those who want to stay connected at all times, this would have been the perfect choice. The iPad mini has ahas a dual-core A5 processor clocked at 1 GHZ, with a 7.9 inch screen (diagonally) and a screen resolution of 1024768 pixels, making it around 163 pixels per inch.

Remember it also comes witha 5 megapixel rear camera and a 1.2 megapixel front FaceTime Camera unlike.the Nexus 7 which doesn't have a rear camera. So for those who can't get through a day without clicking a picture, the iPad mini holds the edge.

Fortech reviewers, the screen was a big let down as far as the iPad mini was concerned. Admittedly it is a powerful device that runs smoothly without any lag, but for Apple fans who are used to 'Retina Display' the screen just didn't cut it.

But that didn't mean the device didn't do well. According to this report, Apple iPad mini sales exceeded expectations. Apple expects to ship nearly 8 million of these devices, which is still pretty high considering that a lot of people believe that the tablet is over-priced.

The Kindle Fire HD:After the launch of the Nexus 7 with its superior screen and processor, the question was whether Amazon could reply to Google's challenge. And it did. The Kindle Fire HD was launched in September. Amazon's new version of the 7-inch tablet now has an HD screen but the processor is still the dual-core one. So yes, images and videos were sharper, but in terms of speed and OS, Amazon's Kindle has a long way to go.

The Kindle Fire HD still does not support cellular connectivity and while it does run Android 4.0, it's still a watered-down version of the OS. Kindle Fire HD is being.
sold at $199, so in terms of price it is Nexus 7's biggest competitor.

For those who order a lot of content from Amazon such as books, movies, etc, the Kindle Fire HD is definitely a better option. However for tech critics, the Kindle Fire HD was a major disappointment.

Amazon is still the number 3 supplier for tablets worldwide and has a market share of 9 percent. The question is whether the next version of the Kindle Fire will offer something drastic to hold on to its position in this highly competitive segment.

Apple new smartphone watch?

According to Chinese gadget news site Tech.163, Apple may be in the process of developing its own smart watch that connects to your Apple devices via Bluetooth. Based on the report, Intel will be working with Apple to create the smart watch, with a 1.5-inch PMOLED display made by RiTDisplay with ITO-coated glass.
Apple has long had a small hold on the watch market thanks to its iPod nano, which is easily attached to a wrist band turning it into a full-functioning watch.
Recently, however, smart watches have grown increasingly popular. Sony, for instance, has a new offering called the Smart Watch, and we can’t forget how Pebble blew up Kickstarter with it’s e-paper Smart Watch that connects to iOS and Android devices.
Users are looking for more and more connectivity, and as it stands now, an iPod nano with no Bluetooth connection to a user’s phone or tablet is becoming less attractive.
Throughout the past year, there have been many questions over when and if Apple will join the Smart Watch race. Today marks one of the first semi-substantiated leaks.
However, I’m approaching this with a hefty helping of salt. Even if Apple is making a watch, it will be quite a while before we see any real evidence of it. Plus, there’s no proven market for smart watches yet, even with the success of Pebble and MetaWatch.
According to the source, Apple will launch this smart watch later next year.
Whether or not that’s true, this will likely excite multitudes of geeks who clearly see value in such a device, as proven by Pebble and others.
It won’t be revolutionary, per se — many have already entered the smart watch space — but Apple has a knack for making niche devices mainstream. Just take a look at tablets. Before the iPad, the main question on everyone’s mind was whether or not tablets would be used in everyday life.
If this rumor proves true, Apple is probably doing the same thing it did with tablets to the idea of the watch. Low-power Bluetooth 4.0 makes wearable connected tech more practical, and with Apple’s design touch and software ecosystem, a smart watch could appeal to more than just gadget geeks.

Xmas techs

Here r some great tech that you could probably use for gifting as Christmas presents or using it for yourself
Here you go


The GRIFFIN SURVIVOR CASE
It's just the perfect case to keep your phone safe,the complete hardcore,often also referred to as army case

Jensen jips 250i docking station
The perfect doc station for your iPad

Klipsch s4 earphones
With a nice design and a good sound quality and after having used it for more than a year i will surely recommend it to those who wants to just listen to music and get rid of the outside noise

Sennheiser rs 220
It's no doubly the beast of wireless music,there are no alternatives to this,the major drawback is that its too expensive but if you have the money than surely do not miss out on this,it's also bags the best wireless headset of this year
Ever since 2012, we've been excited to finally test the Sennheiser RS 220, a wireless headphone system intended for home use. No, this is not like a Bluetooth pair, designed to help you answer calls and listen to music without cables on-the-go. Instead, the RS 220 is a large, circumaural (over-the-ear) headphone pair that delivers pristine wireless audio from a variety of sources, such as your home theater's main output, your computer, or the direct output from a DVD or Blu-ray player. At $599.95 (list), it's debatable whether this could ever really be a practical purchase. But if you have the money and this is the way you'd like to spend it

Apple to unveil new iPad in March: Report

LONDON: Tech giant Apple is planning to launch a fifth generation tablet in March, a report has claimed.

According to Japanese tech blog Macotakara's inside source, the new iPad will look like the iPad Mini in design and detail and the dimensions of a slightly smaller iPad 2.

The new model, according to the blog, would feature the Retina display with the same resolution as the third and fourth-generation iPads.

According to the Daily Mail, these theories have been backed up by Digitimes and come from a source known for its accuracy regarding insider information about Apple products.

If they do prove to be true, it would suggest that Apple is stepping up its game and keeping ahead of the curve within the world of tablets, the paper said.

The current iPad measures 9.50in (241.2 m) by 7.31in (185.7mm) by 0.37in (9.4 m) and so according to the reports, the new one would be almost as thin as the iPad Mini at around 0.3in (7mm), the paper added.

Samsung galaxy Camera

Talk about tables being turned! The first step to integrating multimedia functions on a smartphone was enabling the handset to take pictures. Samsung is now playing the game the other way around. The new Samsung Galaxy Camera is a shooter, based on an Android platform that lets you do all that you do on a smartphone except making calls! Oh, the irony of it all!

We got our hands dirty with the pristine white Samsung Galaxy Camera. The camera looks slightly chunkier than the thinner point-and-shoot models that you see in stores these days.

Most of the ‘bulk’ of the all-plastic camera is attributed to the massive 4.77-inch screen which spans the entire back panel. A seamless fascia, the screen doubles up as a live view display as well as the interface medium for the user. The display supports HD resolutions of 720p and is a pretty bright and vivid screen to be using, almost on par with a good smartphone display.

By default, the home screen already had widgets – a couple of apps ready for you. Fans will be happy to know that Instagram rests right next to the camera icon on the homescreen, saving them the bother of downloading it from Google Play. Oh yes, the camera is Android-based hence you have access to all your favourite apps from the Google Play Store. Considering it’s a camera, you’ll need a bunch of photography related apps to get creative with, as you start taking pictures.

SHOOTING

The camera doesnt make you less than a professional,Swiping away from the home screen directly takes you to the capture mode. All settings are centered around a virtual click-wheel where you flip through the various modes. I could choose among three options depending on how much control I wanted over the shots. The Smart mode is the more interesting one where you have more than a handful of effects which kick into place before you take a picture. There are some common ones such as Continuous Mode, Panorama, Sunset and so on. But I had more fun with modes such as Beauty Face, Rich Tone and Silhouette. In the panorama mode, the stitches were easily visible despite holding the camera reasonably still while capturing the scene. The rich tone works well but you can always up the saturation after you’ve taken a pic so there’s no real need to activate it beforehand. We wish we were around a Waterfall or on a skateboard so we could try out the Waterfall and Action Freeze modes.

The camera has a cool and convenient pop-up button for the flash on the side. The camera is capable of 21x optical zoom and while that’s a big number, a lot of the detail was lost when we tried taking pics in full zoom. It has a dedicated toggle button on top of the camera so you don’t have to bother with a virtual zoom slide. Also, because it’s a little bulky, single-handed shots ended up being blurry most of the time.

The only mode in which the camera gives you complete control is the Expert Mode, and in doing that the Galaxy Camera comes close to emulating a DSLR. I could choose between three different priority modes – Aperture, Shutter Speed and Exposure. Thankfully the interface was not boring lines of text but an image of a lens with different stops etched on it.

APPS

The smart-camera comes with pre-loaded apps such as Google Local, Latitude and Google+. You also have Samsung’s proprietary S-Voice, Game Hub and ChatOn.

You can download many more from Google Play as and when you want to but do keep in mind that the camera comes with only 4GB of internal storage. It is, however, expandable up to 32 GB with an external memory card. You can also activate Dropbox which is already installed in the cam so your pics get stored in the Cloud after you click them.

Paper Artist and Photo Wizard are the two post-processing apps that are loaded on to the camera. Both offer a bunch of editing options and both are varied in how they post-process your pictures. I liked Photo Wizard a little better ‘cos the sketches in Paper Artist disguised the original ones more than I liked.

BATTERY LIFE

Unlike a regular digital camera, the battery life of the Samsung Galaxy Camera is comparatively limited. Thanks to the Android platform and all the apps that come along with it, the camera’s hours are as good as any other big screen Android smartphone.

You can slot in a 3G-enabled micro-SIM card but remember you cannot make voice calls through the Galaxy Camera, unless you use Skype or something.

Another possible roadblock to keep in mind is that at times you might not be around a Wi-Fi connection. So, using the camera to upload photos over 3G, especially if you are on roaming, might end up with you having to pay huge bills.

Based solely on the image quality, there are options as good, if not better, than the Galaxy Camera for within the same price range.

VERDICT

The Samsung Galaxy Camera does a real good job of integrating ‘smart’ features into what would otherwise be a Plain Jane camera. But the question you have to ask yourself is whether you can / need to put the cam to good use. Clicking pics is fine, but will you also use it to reply to mails, play games or read an e-book? If yes, will a smartphone/tablet at the same price do a better job of it? If not, then will another digicam in the same price range offer a better sensor or features? The Samsung Galaxy Camera tries to give you the best of both worlds, it’s up to you to decide if you want to have your cake and eat it too!


COMING UP TOMORROW
CONFUSED ABOUT CHRISTMAS GIFTS DNT WORRY SUGGESTION TIME
TABLET SPECIAL

Samsung galaxy s4

Google's Android OS, which powers all Droid smartphones and tablets including the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4, is currently in it's 4th major iteration following a minor upgrade to Jelly Bean 4.2. However, industry analysts are now claiming that before Samsung unveils their 'next big thing' Google will pave the way by releasing the followup, which Android users expect will be called Key Lime Pie.

The main reason Samsung may tie the Galaxy S4 release date to the Android 5.0 OS launch would be to avoid a situation similar to the painfully slow arrival of Android 4.2 updates for Samsung Galaxy S3 users.

Android 4.2 has been out for months and comes pre-installed on the latest Google-powered smartphones, but many Galaxy S3 owners are still waiting for access to the software upgrade. The South Korean company is likely hoping to time the Galaxy S4 release date for soon after the Android 5.0 launch so the new smartphone can come with the latest OS right out of the box.

Earlier predictions have pegged the Samsung Galaxy S4 release date for February 2013. However, Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie may not come out until April or even October 2013 at the latest, according to our big sister site IBTimes.com.

That means the Samsung Galaxy S4 release date may not arrive until the fall of next year. Furthermore, Google will likely want to launch a new Nexus-branded smartphone alongside Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie, which could push the S4's release even further back.

It would certainly be ideal for Samsung to offer the Galaxy S4 with Android 5.0 pre-installed at the device's release date. However, if the South Korean company wants to maintain, or even speed up, their already brisk product cycle they may have to soldier on even without Google's upcoming smartphone software.
When do you think the Samsung Galaxy S4 release date will take place? CES? WMC? At a special event early in 2013? Or only until after Google releases Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Also check out our running tally of all Samsung Galaxy S4 features, specs and other rumors:

-Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS
-Redesigned OLED display replacing the AMOLED screen used in previous Samsung Galaxy devices
-unbreakable screen
-Larger, 4.8-inch screen with 441ppi
-16GB, 32 GB, 64GB and even 128 GB models
-Quad-core processor clocked at 2 GHz
-3GB of RAM
-3200 mAh battery
-13 megapixel camera
-Skype-ready 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera
-Rumored starting price of $599 with no contract, or $199 with 2 year contract

Samsung has yet to confirm the existence of the Galaxy S4 device, admit it is in development, respond to any rumors or reveal the smartphone's official name.

Facebook’s iPhone 5 app self-destructs images in 5 seconds

A Facebook picture or message or video, like diamonds, are forever. Now, however, you can indulge in temporary tantrums on the social media if you own an iPhone 5 (or 4S or 4 or whatever).

The social media site has unveiled a new standalone app for the iPhone that has just hit iTunes – and it allows you to ‘poke’ your friends – or send a message, share a picture or video etc. – for a few seconds, and then it disappears without a trace.

“With the Poke app, you can poke or send a message, photo or video to Facebook friends to share what you’re up to in a lightweight way. You can poke an individual friend or several at once. Each message expires after a specific time you've set, either 1, 3, 5 or 10 seconds. When time runs out, the message disappears from the app,” Facebook said in its announcement.

The social media site is yet to unveil an Android version of the few-seconds poke, but take a guess on how long it will take to appear.

The app lets you log in with your Facebook account and message or ‘poke’ a friend, but they need to read it quickly – each message self-destructs after a specific time set by the sender.

When you send the message from the app, it prompts you to set an expiration time on it. You have a choice of one, three, five, or 10 seconds.

“Today we’re announcing Poke, an iPhone app that makes it fun and easy to say hello to friends wherever you are. The poke feature has been a part of Facebook since 2004. Now we’re excited to share a new poke experience for mobile,” Facebook said.

Beware though – if you think you can send something obscene and get away with it since the message will self-destruct, well, the recipient can easily take a screenshot of the message before it ‘expires’. While the sender will be notified so, there still will be a digital trail.

Next Gen IPhone

The iPhone5 was a great blockbuster throughout the world,though there were predictions that iPhone5 would fail due to its high price tag,but these predictions seem to go wrong,
Even in Indian markets the iPhone was a great success,with preorder bookings and a waiting time of 3weeks the iPhone was not easily to be got in hands of consumers,people reached out the grey market and paid a high premium upto 100 dollars to get the phone sooner,(before the iPhone had hit the Indian shores the price to get the iPhone was double in grey markets still people reached out grey markets and made it out of stock)
While china is concerned there were lots of people waiting out to get the iphone,it was such a hit the Tim himself declared its sucess by stating that over 2million iPhones had been sold
The iPhone's success has been huge till date
Seeing the success out in these countries there are reports suggesting a iphone mini specially for Indian and Chinese market which is going to be cheaper so that everyone can afford
Now lets move on to the next gen iPhone
It is said that the next gen iPhone may have the following features
1)Super HD screen
2)+retina display
3)More variant colours
4)NFC
5)finger print recognization
6)longer battery
7)128 gb hard disk (apps r getting bigger)
8)Better camera and a A7 chip of-course
More features would be updated soon

Google to launch Motorola X-phone, tablet: Report

Google is working with recently acquired Motorola on a handset codenamed "X-phone", aimed at grabbing market share from Apple and Samsung Electronics, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Google acquired Motorola in May for $12.5 billion to bolster its patent portfolio as its Android mobile operating system competes with rivals such as Apple and Samsung.

The Journal quoted the people saying that Motorola is working on two fronts: devices that will be sold by carrier partner Verizon Wireless, and on the X phone.

Motorola plans to enhance the X Phone with its recent acquisition of Viewdle, an imaging and gesture-recognition software developer. The new handset is due out sometime next year, the business daily said, citing a person familiar with the plans.

Motorola is also expected to work on an "X" tablet after the phone. Google chief executive Larry Page is said to have promised a significant marketing budget for the unit, the newspaper said quoting the persons.

Google was not immediately reachable for comments outside regular US business hours.

Review: Samsung Note II vs HTC Droid DNA

These Android devices, informally known as phablets, are better described as giant phones than baby tablets, as they can be used for phone calls. And for now, they aren't much bigger than regular phones.

The larger screens -- measuring 5 inches (12.5 centimeters) or more diagonally -- make the devices slightly better for watching movies, reading books and consuming other media. They can also make the phones bulkier to carry -- or so I thought.

I was pleasantly surprised when I took HTC Corp's new 5-inch Droid DNA phone out of the box. The DNA looks about the same size as my 4.8-inch (12-centimeter) Samsung Galaxy S III, one of the largest and most popular phones out there. I had to find a ruler to make sure I wasn't sent the wrong phone.

HTC succeeds by making the DNA taller rather than wider, which is important because the width is what spans your palm when you're holding it. Samsung Electronics' 5.5-inch (14-centimeter) Galaxy Note II feels too big in my hands - more on that later.

The DNA is, in fact, a tad narrower than the S III, not enough to be noticeable, while being less than two-tenths of an inch larger on its longer side. The DNA is slightly thicker and heavier than the S III, though.

I didn't believe I'd notice the small increase in screen size until I watched "Ice Age'' on both the DNA and the S III side by side. But the difference is small. Although watching a movie on a DNA beats doing it on the older iPhone's 3.5-inch (8.9-centimeter) screen or even the 4 inches (10 centimeters) on the new iPhone 5, it isn't the same as watching it on a 7-inch (17.5-centimeter) or 10-inch (25-centimeter) tablet computer. Get a real tablet if size matters to you.

In most apps, I don't actually get more content with the bigger screen. Text and graphics in Gmail messages simply get slightly bigger on the DNA. Google's maps are larger, but that doesn't mean you see more surrounding area, just bigger parks and road names. Amazon's Kindle app squeezes in an extra word in a line here and there, but you lose those gains once you reach the next paragraph.

The exceptions I spotted:
* Google's Play Books app for reading e-books. The text appears about the same size on the DNA and the S III, meaning the app can fit a few more lines on the DNA device.

* Facebook. The app shows a tad more on the DNA when placed on its side like a movie screen. Side by side, it could mean seeing a bit more of a photo on the DNA, but it's not enough to fit in an extra post from someone whining about a morning commute _ you'd have to scroll down for more status updates like that. Strangely, I get less on the DNA when using Facebook with the phone held like a skyscraper. A black horizontal bar serves as a menu for settings and other tasks; on the S III, that menu button is built into the hardware and doesn't take up screen space.

Because the DNA's screen is only slightly bigger than the S III's, I can see why I'm not getting more content, just larger text, images and video. I figure I'd need the Note and its even larger screen to get all that. After all, on a tablet's 7-inch or 10-inch screen, I'm seeing much more, not just everything bigger.

But in my tests, everything just gets bigger on the Note compared with the S III. I'm seeing the same number of emails, the same coverage area for maps and the same amount of text for e-books. Think of it as moving a movie projector back so that the movie projects onto a larger area. You're not actually improving the quality or the size of the source material, the film. And if you move back far enough, what's shown on the screen starts to degrade.

I see that degradation watching "Ice Age." The video just isn't as sharp on the Note.

I soon discovered the reason: The S III and the Note both have the same number of pixels, those tiny dots that collectively form text and images on a screen. Both displays are 1,280 by 720 pixels, which translate to 306 pixels per inch on the S III and 267 on the Note II. So the Note simply stretches the same amount of display information onto a wider area. That's a shame, as it negates much of the benefits of a larger screen.

By contrast, the DNA's display is 1,920 by 1,080 pixels, or 440 pixels per inch. That's among the best out there. The iPhone 5, by contrast, is at 326 pixels per inch.

That said, both Samsung phones have richer colors than the DNA, thanks to a screen that uses organic light-emitting diodes, rather than a standard LCD. Although video on the DNA is sharper, color isn't as vivid as it is on the S III or the Note. Still, the DNA's screen trumps that of many other phones, and video looks great if you're not watching a movie next to a Samsung phone.

Available from Verizon Wireless for $200 with a two-year service agreement, the DNA also has a front-facing, videoconferencing camera that's among the best, at 2.1 megapixels. Its rear camera, for taking photos and video, matches the 8 megapixels that other major phones have. Sound comes out well thanks to the DNA's use of Dr. Dre's Beats Audio.

As for the Note, it has a fine-tip stylus that can be used to add a handwritten signature to an email, circle an important event on your calendar or doodle on a virtual notepad. The on-screen keyboard has an extra row for numerals, so you don't have to keep toggling between letters and numbers when writing messages or entering passwords. The Note is available from a variety of carriers starting at $300 with a two-year contract.

Both are decent phones, but not for their distinguishing feature - the size. The increase in size is barely noticeable on the DNA and annoying on the Note, which feels even bulkier with a built-in cover. It keeps bouncing in my pocket when I'm running, then feels as if it would slip out of my hands once I take it out. Checking voice mail feels awkward. The Note is also one-third heavier than the S III.

Here's a case of trying to be too much. A phone is a phone and shouldn't try to grow into a tablet. After all, you don't see too many people hold up an iPad to their ears to make phone calls, even though you could with Skype and other calling apps.

With the Note in particular, you get the annoyances of a tablet (something too big to easily carry around) and little of the benefits (fitting more content on the screen). Get the Note for the stylus, but not for the screen. Likewise, the DNA doesn't offer much in terms of screen size beyond other phones out there. Get the DNA for its sound quality or screen resolution, but not for the size of the display.
There are sure to be bigger phones to come, and I hope they will offer more than just content shown bigger. App developers may have to do their part by designing their programs for varying screen sizes. Both the DNA and the Note have good features that set them apart from rivals, but size isn't one of them.

HTC to make first 7-inch Windows RT tablet

LONDON: Taiwanese electronics maker HTC is planning to make tablets based on the latest Windows operating system.

HTC is said to be working on a 12-inch device and a 7-inch version that can also make phone calls, according to a person familiar with the company's plans.

According to the Telegraph, the move would give Windows maker Microsoft another ally in its challenge to Apple and Google in the 63.2 billion dollars market.

HTC's products, to debut in 2013, will be based on the Windows RT version of Microsoft's operating system, designed for machines with chips using technology from ARM, the paper quoted a person familiar with the plans, as saying.

According to the report, a 7-inch tablet would be the first of that size for Windows RT.

The move comes as Microsoft tries to compete with the iPad mini, Amazon's Kindle Fire and Google's Nexus 7 in the market for smaller, cheaper tablets, the paper added.

Samsung Galaxy S IV may have unbreakable screen

Samsung Electronics, the world's leading technology company by revenue, is likely accelerating the launch of its next-generation flagship Galaxy smartphone -- which may come with a breakthrough unbreakable screen.

Codenamed "Project J" after mobile division chief JK Shin, development of the new Galaxy S IV could be aimed for release by as early as April, according to analysts and tech blogs.

And, as smartphones increasingly look alike - the converging form factor - an unbreakable screen could be a big selling point for the Galaxy, which is battling Apple Inc's iPhone to lead the $200 billion plus smartphone market.

The Galaxy S IV is also expected to have bigger and better display, powerful quad-core processing power and a 13-megapixel camera, with picture density improving to 441 pixels per inch (ppi), a big improvement from the Galaxy S III's 306 ppi and better than the iPhone 5's 326 ppi.

"Looking to the first half of 2013, we see evidence of Samsung likely accelerating the release of the Galaxy S IV - compared with May (this year) for the Galaxy S III," said UBS analyst Nicolas Gaudois. "We believe preparations for volume manufacturing of unbreakable plastic substrate displays continue. All in all, we could see a strong products push in the high-end in the first half, followed by other releases."

Samsung declined to comment.

Samsung, a major backer of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, is a frontrunner in developing unbreakable screens, as OLED panels can replace glass substrate with plastic material. Down the road, mobile gadgets could be flexible as well as unbreakable.

"Eventually, they'll have unbreakable and flexible displays. Either the Galaxy S IV or S V will have unbreakable and even possibly flexible and foldable displays by 2014. That's going to be a game-changer," said Mark Newman, an analyst at Stanford Bernstein in Hong Kong.

Both Newman and Gaudois are ranked as 5-star analysts, the top ranking, by Thomson Reuters StarMine for their recommendations on Samsung.

Courtroom revisited
It would also be a game-changer for Samsung, which has built its reputation as a 'fast follower' of others' technologies and designs.

The South Korean consumer electronics giant faces off against Apple again on Thursday in a US courtroom for a follow-up ruling on whether it copied some of its US rival's patents and should pay the $1 billion awarded to Apple by jurors in an August verdict.

Samsung wants the verdict overturned, while Apple wants the damages to be increased and Samsung phones banned in the United States.

Since that landmark verdict, however, Samsung shares have gained 14 percent to record highs, while Apple shares - dented by a maps app fiasco, tight supply of its iPhone 5 and ever tougher competition in the mobile market - have slipped by nearly a fifth, wiping more than $120 billion off its market value.

Barring any extra costs related to the US ruling, Samsung should report a fifth straight record profit this quarter, as profits from its component business recover and more than offset thinning margins on mobile phones - squeezed by higher year-end holiday marketing campaigns.

"Samsung's strength extends beyond cool products, they're also a leader in the technology behind these devices. We see further upside to Samsung's stock as success in smartphones continues and chips and display profits also rebound," said Newman. "In smartphones, the opportunity is for Samsung to take more share from Apple in the premium segment, where Apple is still dominant."

UBS estimates Samsung will ship around 22.5 million of its Galaxy S III and Note II devices in the quarter to end-December, up from 20 million in July-September. Shin said in November that Galaxy S III sales would hit 40 million by the end of this month.

In a worst-case scenario for Samsung, US judge Lucy Koh could treble the damages payable to Apple, given the jury in August found Samsung "willfully" infringed some Apple patents.

"That would be a major blow to Samsung's fundamentals and overall investor sentiment, but it's not the most likely scenario," said Young Park, a 4-star StarMine analyst at Woori Investment & Securities.

Apple iPhone 5S, iPad 5 already in the works?

Media reports say that Apple has already begun working on iPhone 5S, as well as the iPad 5 and a big screen television called iTV.
Though Apple launched iPhone 5 to blockbuster sales just two months ago, it may have already begun working on the launch of next version of its smartphone. If reports are to be believed, Apple is actively working on the seventh generation iPhone, tentatively being called iPhone 5S in tech circles.

According to Commercial Times, a Chinese newspaper, Apple is this time working on cheaper iterations of the iPhone and iPad, along with a big screen television purportedly called iTV. It is, however, not clear if iPhone 5S is the reported more affordable version of Apple's smartphone. Apple has already broken the cycle of launching only one version of a product a year by unveiling the third and fourth generation iPads in 2012.

Moreover, it has faced bigger pressures on its margins and marketshare vis-a-vis Android smartphones than ever before. Therefore, it won't be surprising if the company adopts an aggressive go-to-market strategy next year than ever before.

Commercial Times also said that iPhone 5S will go into 'trial production' as early as December 2012, when only 50,000-100,000 units of the device will be manufactured. On the other hand, mass production of next generation iPhone will commence in the first quarter of next year, it said.

While the report pegs the launch date of iPhone 5S in March, the fifth iteration of iPad is expected to make its debut in April or May. iTV, the large screen television that the company is said to be making, is also expected to be finally unveiled in the first half of 2013, though no time period was mentioned.

Wii U

Generation Eighth generation
Release date NA November 18, 2012
EU November 30, 2012
AU November 30, 2012
JP December 8, 2012
Introductory price Basic: US$299.99, £249.99, €299.99, ¥26,250, AU$349.95, NZ$469.95, 11999 RUB
Deluxe (NA)/Premium (EU): US$349.99, £299.99, €349.99, ¥31,500, AU$429.95, NZ$569.95, 13999 RUB

Media 12 cm 25 GB Wii U Optical Disc
12 cm Wii Optical Disc
Digital distribution
CPU IBM Power Architecture-based multi-core processor[3]
Storage capacity Internal flash memory
SD card, SDHC Card
USB storage device
Display
Video output formats
Composite video
480i
S-Video
480i
RGB SCART
480i, 576i
YPBPR (component/D-Terminal)
480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
HDMI
480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
Wii U GamePad
FWVGA
Graphics AMD Radeon-based GPU
Sound
Audio output formats
A/V-Multi
Analog stereo
HDMI
LPCM
5.1ch
Controller input Wii U GamePad, Wii U Pro Controller, Wii Remote Plus, Wii Nunchuk, Wii Balance Board
Connectivity Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n[2]
4 × USB 2.0
Online services Nintendo Network
Miiverse
Backward
compatibility Wii
Predecessor Wii
Website www.nintendo.co.uk/Wii-U/Wii-U-344102.html
The Wii U is the first Nintendo console to support high-definition graphics, capable of producing video output up to 1080p, and has 2 GB of memory with half dedicated to the console's operating system.The console was released in two versions: a "Basic" white-colored version with 8 GB of internal Flash storage; and a "Deluxe" black-colored version with 32 GB of Flash storage, which includes stand and docks. An HDMI cable is included with both versions. The Wii U's primary controller is the Wii U GamePad, which features an embedded touchscreen. The touchscreen is used to supplement the main gameplay shown on the television or, with supported games, can allow the player to continue playing games by displaying the main gameplay even when the television is off. In addition to the Wii U GamePad, a more traditional controller, called the Wii U Pro Controller, may be used.
When Nintendo first broached the idea of multiple-screen video games in 2004, many critics were skeptical that players could focus on two images at once. Yet the handheld DS, blending one touch-sensitive screen with a slightly larger video display, became a runaway hit.

Turns out the portable DS may have just been a dress rehearsal for Nintendo's latest home console, the Wii U, which blows up the dual-screen concept to living-room size. It goes on sale in the US on Sunday, starting at $300.

The Wii U is the heir to the Nintendo Wii system, whose motion-based controls got couch potatoes around the world to burn calories as they swung virtual tennis rackets, bowled and flailed around in their living rooms. The new console still allows you to use your old "Wiimotes," but its major advancement is a new controller, the GamePad, with a built-in touch screen that measures 6.2 inches (15.7 centimeters) diagonally.

The GamePad looks like the spawn of a tablet computer and a classic game controller. Its surface area is a little smaller than an iPad's, but it's about three times as thick, largely because it has hand grips that make it more comfortable over prolonged game sessions. It has an accelerometer and gyroscope for motion-controlled games, as well as a camera, a microphone, speakers, two analog joysticks and a typical array of buttons.Gaming like promising features place-shifts all the action to the GamePad controller. It essentially gives you Wii U graphics and performance in a tablet-size form factor, eliminating the need for a TV altogether.though the double screen makes you feel distracted

It's the touch screen that really makes the difference. In some cases, it houses functions that are typically relegated to a game's pause screen. In others, it allows a group of people playing the same game together to have different experiences depending on the controller used. Nintendo Co. calls this "asymmetric gaming."

In the mini-game collection "Nintendo Land," you can shoot arrows or fling throwing stars by swiping on the touch screen. One of the games in the collection, "Mario Chase," uses the GamePad to provide a bird's-eye view of a maze through which you can guide the hero. His pursuers - up to four players using Wiimotes - see the maze from a first-person perspective on the TV screen.

"New Super Mario Bros U" brings the asymmetric approach to cooperative action. While Wiimote-wielding players scamper across its side-scrolling landscapes, the GamePad user can create "boost blocks" to help them reach otherwise inaccessible areas. If you're going solo, you can play the entire adventure on the GamePad screen, freeing up the TV for family members who might want to watch something else.

On a more basic level, the GamePad lets you select your next play or draw new routes for your receivers in Electronic Arts Inc.'s "Madden NFL 13." You use it to adjust strategy or substitute players in 2K Sports' "NBA 2K13."

Ubisoft's "ZombiU" - the best original game at launch - turns the GamePad into your "bug-out bag." It's where you'll find all your undead-fighting supplies, from bats and bullets to hammers and health kits. It lets you access maps and security-camera footage as you navigate the devastated streets of London. If you hold it vertically, you can scan the virtual space in three dimensions to locate zombies who are lying in wait.

Essentially, the GamePad functions like the bottom half of the portable DS, with triggers, buttons and the touch screen offering additional information and an added dimension of control. In this comparison, your living-room TV would be the equivalent of the DS' top display.

It's somewhat gimmicky: Much of the time, you can easily imagine playing with just a regular joystick. But in "ZombiU," the GamePad adds to the atmosphere, creating the panicky feeling of scrambling around in a backpack while another undead horde approaches.

The high-definition graphics produced by the Wii U are close to those of Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 and Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3. That should bring back some of the game makers who had fled the underpowered Wii - at least until Microsoft and Sony bring out their next-generation consoles (neither company has announced any plans yet).

Some fine games from the past couple of years - Warner Bros.' "Batman: Arkham City," Electronic Arts' "Mass Effect 3" and THQ Inc.'s "Darksiders II" - are finally coming to a Nintendo console. The enhanced GamePad controls don't substantially alter their DNA, and if you've already played them on the Xbox or PS3, you aren't missing much. But if I'd had the option to play them the first time around with the enhanced GamePad controls, I would have.

The Wii U's online functions include video chat, its own social network and the ability to search for TV shows and movies from services such as Netflix and Hulu. These are all free. I wasn't able to test those features before writing this review.

I don't expect the Wii U to make as big a splash as the original Wii did six years ago. Nintendo's competitors are dipping their toes into the dual-screen pool as well: Some Sony games link the PS3 with the handheld Vita, while Microsoft's SmartGlass app for tablet computers adds bonus material to Xbox games such as "Halo 4" and "Forza Horizon."

Still, the Wii U goes all in on the multiscreen concept for a relatively inexpensive price. And in a world where people tweet on their iPads while watching sports or reality shows on their TVs, the whole GamePad concept feels perfectly natural.

The Wii U's success will depend on what Nintendo and other developers do with that second screen. The early results are very promising.
My final verdict would be
If you are for a gaming experience then with games like batman arkham city armoured edition,assasins creed 3 and, More you are out for a mind bobbling experience!

Google Nexus 10

When I first turned on Google's new tablet computer, I immediately thought of it as a mere conduit to Google services.

Besides giving you quick access to Gmail and YouTube, the Nexus 10 steers you to digital movies, books and other content available for sale through Google's online Play store.

Because of that, I wasn't thinking of the Nexus 10 as an alternative to Apple's general-purpose iPad - even with a price tag that's $100 cheaper, starting at $399. It took more thought and time with the Nexus to change that perception. After all, apps available for Android smartphones work on the tablet as well.

Still, the Nexus really shines when it comes to media - especially content bought through Google.

For the past year, Google has been trying to challenge Apple and Amazon by selling digital content.

The Play store is Google's version of iTunes for Apple devices. There, you can get a variety of apps, some free and some for a small fee. You can buy or rent movies and obtain books, magazines and music. Google isn't satisfied with building search engines and selling ads. It wants a bigger role in the digital economy.

Over the summer, Google came out with a 7-inch (17.5-centimeter) tablet called the Nexus 7. Just as Apple made an iPad Mini that's about the size of the Nexus 7, Google is now selling a larger version of the Nexus, about the size of Apple's regular iPad. It starts shipping this week.

On the Nexus 10, icons at the bottom of the screen emphasise Google's media products available through Play. Click on a picture of film to watch movies, headphones to listen to music and a book to, well, read books. Another icon gets you to the Play store to obtain more content and apps.

The Nexus has a rubberised back and fits more snuggly on my lap than the metal-backed iPad. In my hands, I don't feel as if the Nexus would slip out and crash on to the hard floor, as I continually do with the iPad.

There are front-facing speakers going up and down both sides of the Nexus, compared with just one tucked in a corner on the back of an iPad. You feel more immersed watching video with sound coming right at you from the entire device. I hadn't considered that a problem on the iPad, but I began to notice it once I played video on the tablets side by side.

The screen measures 10.1 inches (25.6 centimeters) diagonally, which is more than the iPad's 9.7 inches (24.6 centimeters). But the screen isn't any larger because while it's about an inch wider in horizontal mode, it's also about a half-inch less in height. This works well for widescreen content, which completely fills the screen. On the iPad, the latest movies and TV shows often have black bars, no matter how you hold the tablet. In some cases, you might see the sides of video cut off to fit the space, as I did watching this week's episode of "Revenge" on Hulu. Again, I hadn't considered that a problem on the iPad, until I began to notice it.

What makes the tablet's shape good for movies makes it less-than-ideal for magazines, though. There's wasted space on the top and the bottom for magazines on the Nexus. But I watch TV shows and movies online more often than I read magazines digitally, so I'll let it slide.

As for books, text on the Nexus' screen comes out sharp. News sites and apps also look nice. The Nexus has a screen resolution of 300 pixels per inches, slightly better than the 264 ppi for the latest full-size iPad (which itself is far better than the 132 ppi on the older iPad 2 model still available).

True, there are other tablets designed as media players, too. Amazon.com Kindle Fire and Barnes and Barnes & Noble Nook HD come to mind, and both have larger versions out this month. But neither has the diversity of apps available for the Nexus and other full-fledge Android devices (The Kindle and the Nook run on modified versions of Android and restrict apps to what's available through their own online stores).

So what does that mean?

Apps on my Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone automatically appear on the Nexus 10 after signing in with the same Google account. I'll note that the Nexus 10 is also made by Samsung Electronics, even though it's branded Google.

Three of my apps, for AccuWeather, Citibank and Dunkin' Donuts, aren't compatible for unknown reasons. But those I use most often - Facebook, Instagram, Foursquare and a slew of other weather apps - all work on the Nexus. The companion app for the TV show "Dexter" also works, allowing me to play trivia games and watch video clips.

Not all apps have been specifically adapted for the tablet's larger screen, but they take advantage of the entire screen, nonetheless, thanks to the way Android lets software programmers build their apps in modules. All the content gets blown up and still looks decent.

Apple's store has a far wider selection of apps, though, including a half-dozen apps for exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. A search on Play comes up with only one.

The Nexus comes with the latest version of the Android operating system, version 4.2. It introduces a new feature for sharing tablets, the way family members can share Windows and Mac computers while keeping personalized settings. You no longer have to fight with a kid who constantly changes the volume or moves apps around. Now, just sign in as separate users.

The Nexus is a tad lighter, while the iPad promises longer battery life and has an option for cellular broadband for $130 more, plus the cost of data plans. Neither has a slot to expand memory with SD cards. Both have two cameras - 5 megapixels on the back for taking photos and video, and a lower-resolution one on the front for videoconferencing.

The iPad remains king among tablets, with its ease of use, variety of apps and dominance in the market. But challengers such as Google offer choice. The Nexus 10 is a good choice if you already have an Android phone and use a lot of Google services. That's especially true if you also watch a lot of movies and TV shows, but don't want to be limited to that.

Xbox tablet on its way-reports suggest

With the release of the Microsoft Surface tablets, as well as Windows 8, Microsoft is now looking to enter the handheld gaming market (so to speak) with an Xbox Surface tablet. The Verge reports that the Xbox Surface will be a 7 inch gaming tablet. According to a spec sheet, the Xbox Surface is packing two IBM Power7 SCMs, clocked at 3.1 GHz, 5 GBs of DDR3 memory, a custom GPU put out by AMD and 250GB of storage space. The 7 inch LED screen will be able to output a maximum resolution of 1280x720 @ 1080p. Not only that, the tablet will have 4 USB 3.0 ports, component and HDMI outputs, an ethernet port and support for 4 wireless game controllers.

Lining up with this is, are reports that Microsoft has opened up its own facility for Surface tablet production. It would be interesting to see Microsoft take a step towards handheld gaming to compete not only with other tablets but with Sony's PS Vita console as well. Will it come into fruition is the question.
Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT ) Chief Executive Steve Ballmer is hinting at additional hardware releases in 2013 and beyond. According to Reuters , Ballmer said that it is "absolutely clear that there is an innovation opportunity on the scene between hardware and software and that is a scene that must not go unexploited at all by Microsoft."
Ballmer also addressed whether the company's partners would "build the lion's share of all Windows devices over the next five years."
"The answer is, absolutely," he said.
Ballmer's statements come at a time when Surface sales are beginning to take off . In addition to the Surface-style smartphone that Microsoft is rumored to be developing, the company is also thought to be creating its first handheld game console. Designed as a seven-inch tablet to take on Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL ) iPad and Sony's (NYSE: SNE ) PS Vita, Xbox Surface could provide Microsoft with a new venue for content distribution. As of March 2012, more consumers used their Xbox 360 consoles for Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX ) than for gaming .
That said, gaming has been and always will be an essential part of the device. Without it, hundreds of thousands of consumers would not have lined up at GameStop ) and other retailers to purchase an Xbox 360 seven years ago when it was released. Video games inspired consumer to buy the console over other devices (such as those that only play video). Over time, Microsoft has successfully repositioned Xbox 360 as a multimedia entertainment machine.
Microsoft could feasibly do the same for its seven-inch tablet. By launching with a major video game property, such as Halo, the Windows maker will be able to grab hold of the core gaming market. Better still, those consumers will inevitably use the tablet for more than gaming; they'll surf he Web, check e-mails, download apps, watch videos, etc. And as the price of the device comes down in the months and years after its release, additional consumers will be likely to buy it and take advantage of its multitude of features.
Aside from content (which will be the key to selling an Xbox tablet), Microsoft faces one immeasurable challenge: how to sell the device at a fair (but profitable) price. If the MSRP is too high, Microsoft will run the risk of alienating consumers in the same way that Sony has with its latest device. Since February, Sony has only sold a few million PS Vita units worldwide.

Sony Xperia ION review

Sony Xperia ion is a decent looking phone that is easy to hold and seems sturdy enough to survive a fall without much damage. The Japanese manufacturer has used a combination of plastic and red (YES!) metal back cover to construct the body of the new phone. Notably, it has done away with the silly fluorescent coloured stripe to mark the three buttons that it used in earlier devices like Xperia S.

Xperia ion measures 133x68x10.8mm and weighs 144 gram, not much considering it has a 4.6-inch screen. It feels good in the hand and holding it is never an issue, despite its dimensions and all hardware keys are easy to access and press.

Located on the right side of the phone are three hardware keys - power on/off, volume rocker and camera. On the left are HDMI and microUSB ports, which are covered by a common flap which is quite troublesome to close once oipened. The headphone jack is located in top-centre which again is a very inconvenient location. The bottom plays home to the mic and nothing else. The front panel has a video calling camera, ambient light sensor, indicator light and proximity sensor. Now, we were flummoxed why the company put an ambient light sensor in the phone since it does not support automatic brightness feature.

Overall the build quality feels good, but the red metal back is prone to fingerprints, which is simply weird, considering that the much cheaper devices like Samsung Wave III never get any fingerprints.

The four keys below the capacitive touchscreen of the Xperia ion gave us a lot of trouble, just like the Xperia S. When we tried to press any of the keys, the touch did not register and we had to often press more than once in order to execute a command or see options. None of the keys light up when the screen is on; rather, each key has a bar underneath it that lights up. You would think of either tapping on the bar or the key itself in order to go back or see options. But you would be wrong, since you actually need to tap on the space between the keys and the touchscreen. It means Sony has repeated the same design idiocy that it had in Xperia S. So be prepared to make accidental presses on the screen, as we learnt the hard way.

Such an issue - and a continuing one - on the hardware front is major gaffe on Sony's part and needs to be rectified with immediate effect if it wants to be a serious player in the smartphone reckoning.

While buying the Xperia ion, bear in mind that the device only accepts a micro-sim card. Though obtaining a micro-sim card is a simple process, it can still be an inconvenience for some.

When you insert the micro-sim and microSD card in the Xperia ion, remember to keep the manual with you. Otherwise you will be hard-pressed to find the two slots. You need to take off the plastic cover from the top - and not bottom - to insert the two cards in the phone. It took us a while to figure this out and we never really felt a manual could be needed.

Hardware
Sony Xperia ion runs on a dual-core 1.5GHz processor that is snappy and executes all applications and graphics fluidly. However, it lags behind quad-core touting devices like Samsung Galaxy S III and HTC One X in benchmark tests, pushing it just a step back. 1GB of RAM in the Xperia ion helps the phone handle all the apps seamlessly, never giving any lag. Yet, upon using for a few days, we discovered the phone would suddenly reboot once or twice a week, all on its own.

The 4.6-inch touchscreen with Mobile Bravia Engine is a pleasure to look at and colours seem only slightly washed out when you step out in full daylight. This device could have been able to render better colours in daylight if automatic brightness function worked, but sadly that is not the case.

With 13GB of internal memory and support for up to 32GB memory card, you would never feel short of storage which is quite pleasing.

Ice Cream Sandwich with Timescape UI
Xperia ion now runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) layered with Sony's Timescape UI, which focusses heavily on social integration with everyday usage. The new menu/app drawer interface of ICS (where widgets are accessed from the menu) can be seen here as well. But Sony does not refrain from giving access to widgets from the home screen itself, as you simply need to tap the home screen itself to get options for themes, wallpapers and widgets. Those not in favour can remove the widgets.

Navigating the Sony Xperia ion with ICS and Timescape is simple and easy, with the standard five panel home screen. Those who have used Sony smartphones previously will be familiar with most of the aspects of the Timescape UI, including Facebook Friends, Facebook Feeds etc. A new feature is Recommender, which will recommend games, apps and music used by friends to you, featured as well as popular.

Some of the helpful widgets in the phone are Contact, Google Photos, Top Contacts and (power control) Tools, which make everyday tasks like turning on Wi-Fi and calling your best friend easier.

Facebook remains a key ingredient of Xperia ion's social experience as the device integrates your Facebook account with its Calendar, Contacts, Photos and Music apps. Thus, you can link all your Facebook friends' birthdays and anniversaries in your calendar and can link their accounts with phone numbers in your device's address book. Friends' Music is an app that shows all the music and videos your friends have posted on Facebook.

Telephony and messaging
The phonebook is simple and neat, with four tabs - Contacts, Dialer, Starred and Groups. You simply need to star those whom you frequently contact in order to cut the time you take to call, or club them together to send group messages etc. The phonebook of Xperia ion also features Smart Dialling after the ICS update.

Sending a SMS is easy, with three keyboard options. The keys are easy to tap and you can insert images, notes and add attachments and location to an SMS in order to convert it into a MMS. You can take a photo even if you are in the middle of typing a message as the device has a dedicated key for that on the keyboard.

Making life easier for heavy texters is the Swype-like intuitive typing feature, where you just slide your finger over the requisite keywords in order to type it. Another cool feature is starring your SMS, incoming as well as outgoing, which will be highlighted when you are searching for a SMS.

The Messaging and Calls apps show the number of unread SMSs and missed calls on the home screen and even the menu.

Poor call quality
For a top-end phone, Sony Xperia ion gave a surprisingly poor performance in our call test. If you wish to buy this phone, then keep in mind that you will be able to attend calls only when you are inside.We found the calling experience outdoors surprisingly poor. We sincerely hope that this was a defect in the piece we had, but if not, Sony needs to pull its socks up and correct the issue.

A good feature of Sony Xperia ion is that you can end an incoming call by sending a SMS even as the phone is ringing. Connectivity

Sony Xperia ion is the Japanese manufacturer's first 4G LTE enabled smartphone and can transfer data at up to 100Mbps. However, the best you will get in India right now is 3G speeds or Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n). The phone is also compatible with 2G networks and can transfer data over Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) and EDR (Enhanced Data Rate).

Another nifty connectivity option is Near Fields Communication (NFC), which will enable you to transfer data with just one bump. Other connectivity features include Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot and microUSB 2.0.

You can also make SIP-based calls over the internet using this phone.

Music and videos
Sony has long been known for its prowess in the field of audio technology and this can be seen in Xperia ion as well. The phone comes pre-installed with Walkman-branded music player, which is simple to use and allows users to access all common functions like repeat, play and en queue. But that's not all, since you can also find the video of the currently playing song on YouTube, search the artists' information on Wikipedia, check out lyrics via Google Search, find karaoke versions of the song on YouTube and find more extensions, all without leaving the Walkman. The FM radio is quick to start and find the stations, while TrackID will easily give you the lyrics of the songs you play.

Video player of the Sony Xperia ion is good and can handle heavy movies in various formats quite easily. The 4.6-inch touchscreen with Mobile Bravia engine technology plays its role quite well in making the movie viewing experience enjoyable.

The sound quality of the Sony Xperia is also good, but considering Sony's legacy in terms of music and audio, there is still room for improvement.

Camera
Xperia ion boasts of a 12MP camera with LED flash, while competitors like iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S III and HTC One X are content with 8MP snappers. However, this does not translate into better performance as the phone's camera produces images expected of a lower resolution camera, rather than the beautiful rendition that a 12MP sensor should give.

The phone's 12MP camera comes with five capture modes, namely scene recognition, normal, 3D sweep panorama, 3D sweep multi-angle and sweep panorama, along with front camera capturing. Panorama, scene recognition, sweep panorama are commonly used camera features, but 3D sweep panorama and 3D sweep multi-angle modes may find a niche audience for themselves.

Sony Xperia ion's camera comes with the regular options that most other Android phones have, so it's business as usual in that regard. However, the presence of a hardware camera key on the right helps a lot.

Videos taken from the Xperia ion are recorded at full HD (1080p@30fps) are smooth, but there is nothing exceptional in them to give them the look and feel of a 12MP camera.

The 1.3MP front camera is decent and can take videos at 720p@30fps. Nothing much to talk about there.

Gaming
Sony Xperia ion comes pre-installed with an EA Sports app that offers free games, such as Need For Speed Shift and Plants Vs Zombies. The phone handles these games, as well as other heavy games from Google Play quite well and the 1.5GHz dual core processor ensures there is never any lag.

Battery
Sony Xperia ion is powered by a 1,900mAh Li-ion battery that performed well in our test. The phone did not turn off for approximately one day on a single charge after medium usage. This included 1-2 hours of internet browsing, 2-3 hours of calling, around one hour of calls and 6-7 hours of music playback. Pretty decent.

The last words
Sony Xperia ion is a great smartphone and would have squashed all the competition had it been launched a year ago. But despite all the advancements, it does not measure up to market leader Samsung Galaxy S III and the other contender HTC One X.

With a price tag of around 698 dollars (Rs 36,999)it is simply too expensive and you would be better off buying a rival phone. Moreover, its overall performance is marred by the unresponsive haptic keys on the screen and the poor call quality. Neither does it come with innovations like S Voice, S Beam Smart Stay that come with Samsung Galaxy S III, nor does it offer free DropBox storage that HTC One X offers. It's best not to compare it with Apple iPhone 5, the new kid on the block that has the potential to blow the competition away.

Apple publishes apology on its UK website

Reports over the past week confirmed that Apple is to publish an apology to Samsung, after the High Court of Justice of England and Wales ruled that the latter’s Galaxy Tab 10.1, Tab 8.9, and Tab 7.7 did not infringe upon Apple’s iPad designs. As directed, Apple has published its apology to Samsung using the Arial font with its size being no less than 14 points on its official website. Apple begins it apology by noting that, “On 9th July 2012 the High Court of Justice of England and Wales ruled that Samsung Electronic (UK) Limited’s Galaxy Tablet Computer, namely the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Tab 8.9 and Tab 7.7 do not infringe Apple’s registered design No. 0000181607-0001.”

In its public apology to Samsung, Apple added that the judge noted that Apple’s designs of the iPad bore extreme simplicity that was striking. “Overall it has undecorated flat surfaces with a plate of glass on the front all the way out to a very thin rim and a blank back. There is a crisp edge around the rim and a combination of curves, both at the corners and the sides. The design looks like an object the informed user would want to pick up and hold. It is an understated, smooth and simple product. It is a cool design," it noted further. Samsung’s designs for its Galaxy tablets, on the other hand were deemed as not being as cool as Apple’s, since from the front they appeared to belong to that family of which Apple's design was a part. Samsung products, however, were found to be very thin, "almost insubstantial members of that family with unusual details on the back. They do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design. They are not as cool".

Galaxy Tab 10.1 did not infringe upon Apple's designs



In July this year, Apple had been ordered by Judge Colin Birss to publish a notice on its UK website, and in British newspapers to inform consumers that the Galaxy Tab's design has not been copied from the iPad. The notice that Apple had been asked to publish was to highlight the court's July 9 decision, wherein it affirmed that Samsung’s Galaxy tablets do not infringe upon Apple’s patented designs. At the time, reports revealed that, "The order means Apple will have to publish “an advertisement” for Samsung, Richard Hacon, a lawyer for Cupertino, California-based Apple, told the court. “No company likes to refer to a rival on its website".

Apple recently won after what had been one long battle, and Samsung Electronics is to cough up compensation to the tune of a staggering $1.05 billion. It is a big win for the company, and on the Internet is circulating a copy of the email that Apple chief, Tim Cook sent out to his employees. Incidentally, Cook also completes his one year on the job today. In the e-mail that Cook sent out to his employees after the big win, he wrote how that lawsuit has been about values, more importantly than patents or money. He adds that the lawsuit came into being only after repeatedly asking Samsung to stop copying Apple's work.

Samsung announces Galaxy Premier

Samsung officially has announced the upcoming Galaxy Premier, a device whose specifications are reminiscent to that of Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the recently discontinued Google smartphone. In terms of looks, the all-new Galaxy Premier follows the pebble-esque design language seen before in Galaxy S III, Note II and, more recently, S III Mini.

Galaxy Premier boasts of a 4.65-inch SuperAMOLED touchscreen with 1280x720-pixel resolution. The smartphone runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) with Samsung's TouchWiz UI on top. This device is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor with 1GB RAM and comes in 8GB and 16GB variants, with support for microSD card of up to 64GB capacity.

South Korean manufacturer Samsung has included 4G LTE, 3G, 2G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC in the device for connectivity. The device sports an 8MP rear snapper with LED flash and a 1.9MP video calling camera in the front. Powered by a 2,100mAh battery, Galaxy Premier will have exclusive Samsung apps like S Voice, S Beam, Smart Stay and Pop-up Play.

Going by specifications, this smartphone will be placed between Samsung Galaxy S III and Galaxy S II, though the difference between the Galaxy Premier and Galaxy S III is quite less. Samsung said it will start shipping the device in Ukraine in December with a price tag of UAH 5,555. But considering that India is among Samsung's primary markets, the phone may hit the shelves here soon.

Key specs:

Display: 4.65-inch SuperAMOLED touchscreen with 1280x720-pixel resolution;
Operating system: Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) with TouchWiz UI;
Processor: 1.5GHz dual-core processor with 1GB RAM;
Memory: 8GB and 16GB variants, with support for microSD card of up to 64GB capacity;
Connectivity: 4G LTE, 3G, 2G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC;
Camera: 8MP rear snapper with LED flash and a 1.9MP video calling camera;
Battery: 2,100mAh