Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread Brings Screenshot Support

That's right, you no longer need to root your Android smartphone if it is running the latest Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread which has just started to roll out for the Nexus One and Nexus S.

While Windows Phone 7 users continue to remain bitter about screenshots not being a priority, as of the latest version of Android, this is possible due to some recent changes implemented. This does not mean that the screenshot capability is part of the platform but rather that stock users will be able to take screenshots using screenshot-taking applications taking advantage of the platform support. Wonder when Windows Phone 7 users will get that?

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Posted in: Android

How to Avoid Being the Victim of an Android Trojan

It is no secret that mobile platforms are ripe targets for malware. The explosion of smartphones and tablets, combined with the lack of security awareness or tools for mobile platforms makes them particularly attractive targets. Apparently, Android has caught the attention of mobile malware developers because the number of threats is on the rise.

One of the primary benefits of Android over its main rival--Apple's iOS--is its openness. While Apple exerts control over almost every aspect of the iPhone and iPad experience, and has stringent rules when it comes to the apps that are approved to work with iOS mobile devices, Android is open source and gives developers and users significantly more freedom to customize the platform to meet their needs.

That openness comes at a price, though. A Symantec spokesperson e-mailed me to point out that Symantec has recently noted a spike in malware targeting Android. A recent example is an Android Trojan dubbed Android.PJapps which is spread through compromised versions of legitimate apps that are hosted on unregulated alternatives to the official Android Market.

The Symantec representative described the Android Trojan. "Android.Pjapps masquerades as a popular "Steamy Window" app. The legitimate features of the original app are still present in the malicious version, but it also features additional functionality that allows an attacker to build a botnet. Among other things it is able to install applications, navigate to websites, add bookmarks to the user's browser, send text messages and block text message responses. It also sends sensitive user information back to the attacker."

Mobile malware is by no means unique to Android, but the open nature of the platform makes it an easier target. To avoid becoming a victim of Android malware, Symantec recommends:

Only use regulated Android marketplaces for downloading and installing Android apps.

• Adjust Android OS application settings to stop the installation of non-market apps.

• Review other users' comments on the marketplace to assist in determining if an app is safe.

• During the installation of Android apps, always check the access permissions being requested for installation; if they seem excessive for what the application is designed to do, it would be wise to not install the application.

• Utilize a mobile security solution on devices to ensure any downloaded apps are not malicious.

• Enterprises should consider implementing a mobile management solution to ensure all devices that connect to their networks are policy compliant and free of malware.

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Posted in: Android

HTC 7 Pro review

Windows Phone 7 has been with us since last October, where the first flurry of handsets came quickly with a trio from HTC, the HD7, HTC 7 Mozart and HTC 7 Trophy being joined by the Samsung Omnia 7 and LG Optimus 7.

Since then, things have been a little quiet on the hardware front, with the Dell Venue Pro only just surfacing.

However, we anticipate the arrival of an update to the Windows Phone software very soon, and of course Nokia's recent announcement that it is joining forces with Microsoft on the smartphone front has turned heads.

Now we've a new piece of hardware to gawk at too, the HTC 7 Pro. This is the first Windows Phone 7 smartphone to have a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and, as such, it is an obvious candidate for the businessperson. But if it's well designed and sleek enough, it might be a surprise consumer success too, just like the old HTC TyTN II was.

In fact the HTC 7 Pro draws on the TyTN II's very clever hinged design. Slide the QWERTY keyboard out from underneath the screen and a mechanism automatically kicks in that raises the screen a few degrees so it sits at a nice angle for viewing in the hand and on the desk.

On the old TyTN II you had to tilt the screen manually, so the automatic tilt here is nice to see. The mechanism on the review unit was initially a little sticky, but quickly became smooth and snappy, albeit slightly wobbly at times.

Size-wise, the HTC 7 Pro isn't too much of a beast considering it packs a full keyboard. The overall weight of 185g is a bit hefty, but the dimensions of 117.5 x 59 x 15.1mm aren't too bad.

 And the general build quality, aside from that sticky hinge, is good. There's a metal backplate and solid plastic elsewhere with a nice chrome edging to the screen.

Side buttons run to the camera button that all Windows Phone 7 handsets sport, a volume rocker, micro-USB port and, on the top edge, a 3.5mm headset connector.

And under the screen there are three buttons you'll find on all Windows Phone 7 handsets. There's a Start button, Back button and Search button. These are all touch sensitive rather than being physical buttons. It's nothing fancy, all very utilitarian.

Specifications are standard – within the OS' confines. Like all Windows Phone 7 handsets we've seen to date, there's no microSD card slot to boost internal storage. In this case that runs to 8GB, a storage capacity that is bettered by the 16GB LG Optimus 7 and HTC HD7.

The five-megapixel camera has been bettered by an eight-megapixel shooter in the HTC 7 Mozart. But there is a 1GHz processor, Wi-Fi with b, g and n support, GPS and Bing maps, and HSDPA supporting 7.2Mbps download speeds and 2Mbps upload.

The screen is not huge, but adequate, being a 3.6 inch, 480 x 800-pixel capacitive offering. The HTC 7 Pro is very similar in spec to the rest of its Windows Phone 7 brethren, but lifted by the presence of that keyboard.

Interface

Windows Phone 7 is very heavily controlled by Microsoft, so that no third parties are allowed to skin it. That means every Windows Phone 7 handset looks and feels substantially similar to every other.

Network operators and manufacturers can add their own influence, but the scope is minimal and comes in the shape of apps and services rather than massive user interface changes.

So it will come as no surprise if you've seen any of our other Windows Phone 7 reviews to know that the Home screen here is based on 'tiles'.

These are vast square and sometimes rectangular icons that link you to apps, show you data and can take you to web links or other discrete bits of information.

You can move these tiles around with a long press and drag so that your most used shortcuts are at the top of the list when you flip into this Home screen. Any tiles you don't need are removed by hitting the small pin icon that appears when you long press.

Sweep a finger from right to left when on the Home screen and you'll see a complete list of all the apps on the device. Long press any of these and you can pin them to the Home screen.

The Home screen can get very long if you like lots of shortcuts, and this single vertical list arrangement is nowhere near as hospitable to those who like a lot of shortcuts as Android's multiple Home screened arrangement.

Windows Phone 7 arranges its data around 'hubs'. There's a Music and Videos hub, an Office hub, a People hub and so on. The idea is that stuff is grouped together logically so that you don't have to do much hunting around for it.

The system is unlike anything on any other smartphone, and it is something of an acquired taste. We aren't entirely sure we like the long horizontally scrolling screens that bleed into each other, but if you aren't too bothered about a preconfigured order being placed on your stuff, then it is easy to get around.

 

There are some neat touches. For example, if you set up an alarm and pin it to the Home screen, the tile tells you what time the alarm is set for and that it is on. That's a bit timesaver if you don't use an alarm every day and are constantly needing to check whether it is set or not.

Overall though, the touchscreen experience is very slick, and rarely falls apart under the finger. For instance, the slide under the finger is nearly always exact and predicatable. We don't like to say it too much, but it feels a lot like experience on the iPhone, for example.

One annoying factor with a phone that has a slide out landscape keyboard - the home screen OS doesn't rotate, so you have to use it long-ways even though you've just flicked back to the main display in the middle of typing.

Contacts and calling

Like other Windows Phone 7 handsets, you aren't going to get the best out of the HTC 7 Pro unless you are a Microsoft fan through and through.

Contacts, for example, can be entered onto the handset directly, or acquired from your SIM card, but there is no way to synchronise with Outlook via the desktop. You first need to get Outlook data off your computer and into Windows Live. For reasons we can't fathom, Microsoft just doesn't want you to do desktop synchronising of contacts any more. Odd, since the other major smartphone platforms are happy with that.

Still, Facebook is supported as well as Exchange, and Google too.

Read more: http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/htc-7-pro-900359/review?src=rss&attr=reviewall&artc_pg=3

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Posted in: HTC

HTC Inspire 4G as hot as Motorola Atrix 4G

As AT&T has lost its grip over the Apple iPhone in the U.S., the company plans to attract new customers by luring them to its Android phones, among them the HTC Inspire and Motorola's Atric 4G. Here is a spec by spec comparisons of both.

Size:
The HTC Inspire 4G is bigger and heavier with 122.9 x 68.1 x 11.7 mm dimensions and weighing 163.9 g compared to the Motorola Atrix 4G which is 117.8 x 63.5 x 10.1 mm and weighs in at 136 g.

Display:
The Inspire 4G has a 4.3-inch 480 x 800 pixels S-LCD capacitive touch-screen display as against Atrix 4G's 4-inch 540 x 960 pixels TFT capacitive touch-screen. The Inspire 4G's S-LCD display is the latest model of LCD, not yet carried by most other phones.

Input features:
The input methods offered in the Inspire 4G are accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate, proximity sensor for auto turn-off, HTC Sense UI and multi-touch input method. Atrix 4G features a biometric fingerprint reader, touch sensitive controls, MOTOBLUR UI with Live Widgets, multi-touch input method, accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate and proximity sensor for auto turn-off.

Memory:
The Inspire has 768 MB RAM with 4GB internal storage capacity whereas Atrix 4G has 1 GB RAM equivalent to few of the notebook computers along with 16 GB internal storage. Both smartphones have microSD support up to 32 GB but Inspire 4G has an extra 8 GB included.

3G:
As these smartphones are on AT&T's network, the users can enjoy 14.4 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA.

WLAN/Bluetooth/USB:
The Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n DLNA, Bluetooth version 2.1 with A2DP EDR and microUSB 2.0 are present in both of these phones but Inspire 4G is AT&T's first device to offer the mobile Wi-Fi hotspot feature to connect eight devices.

Camera:
HTC's smartphone has an 8-megapixel 3264x2448 pixel camera along with autofocus, dual-LED flash, geo-tagging and face detection. But Atrix 4G comes with 5-megapixel 2592х1944 pixels camera with autofocus, LED flash, geo-tagging and image stabilization.

The Atrix can capture video at 720p similar to Inspire 4G, but also has an added advantage with a secondary VGA camera which is not found in Inspire 4G. Moreover 1080p video capture is expected in Atrix via future update.

Operating System and Processor:
The Android version 2.2 (Froyo) operating system is present in both the smartphones. When it comes to the processor, Inspire 4G has a 1GHz Scorpion Adreno 205 GPU Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon compared to Atrix's mega dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 ULP GeForce GPU Tegra 2 chipset.

The latest news on HTC Inspire 4G, according to gizmocrunch, shows the HTC Inspire 4G overclocked to 1.8GHz. "While we were sitting here, twiddling our thumbs and waiting for AT&T to enable HSUPA, the team over at XDA Developer forums have managed to overclock the HTC Inspire's 1GHz Snapdragon processor to a whopping 1.8GHz!" the blog said.

Battery:
Surprisingly Inspire 4G has a standard Li-Ion 1230 mAh battery which has less capacity compared to many other smartphones available in the market.Atrix has a standard Lithium 1930 mAh battery. But the standby time offered by Inspire 4G is up to 372 hours along with 6 hours of talk time whereas Atrix 4G gives a standby time up to 250 hours and 9 hours of talk time.

Common features:
The common features of both smartphones are loudspeaker, 3.5mm jack, SMS threaded view, MMS, Email, IM, Push Email, HTML browser, stereo FM radio with RDS, games, A-GPS support, Java via third party application, digital compass, Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Google Talk, Facebook & Twitter integration, Adobe Flash 10.1 player, voice memo-dial-commands and predictive text input.

And other features found on the Inspire 4G include dedicated search key, picasa integration, MP3/AAC+/WAV/WMA9 player and DivX/Xvid/MP4/H.263/H.264/WMV9/player. Meanwhile Atrix features an HDMI port, active noise cancellation with dedicated mic, MP3/WAV/WMA/eAAC+ player, 1080p MP4/H.263/H.264.WMV/Xvid/DivX @ 30 fps playback, MySpace integration, photo viewer and editor, organizer and document editor.

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Posted in: HTC

HTC HD7 Windows Phone 7 Is Thin And Fast But Not Worth The Switch [REVIEW]

I'm continuing to explore the world of Windows 7 phones. HTC makes great phones - Android and Windows 7, after making a slew of Windows Mobile phones for years. I've been checking out an HTC HD7 Windows Phone 7 on T-mobile's network.

Overall the phone is very thin and feels strong, it's fast. Windows Phone 7 is pretty easy to use and fun. What I continue to like is the dedicated camera button, which enables you to take a photo real quick - one button.

I tried to watch a video from Youtube, but in order to play the video I had to download a Youtube video player and get it by singing in with my Microsoft Live ID. I didn't like that barrier. It's true that Windows Phone 7 has a lot less applications than Android or Apple platforms and Microsoft is working real fast to boost development of additional applications. This phone shines in its ability to connect to the Microsoft Office online ecosystem.

Taking pictures with the HD7 was a pleasure. Press the photo button, to bring up the camera. Press it again to take the photo. Pressing the touch sensitive screen easily brought up a menu enabling me to delete or share the photos (or video) I had taken.

As I've said before, if you're very happy with your current phone, Windows Phone 7 is probably not enough to switch. But if you still don't have a smartphone or want to try a new phone - it's worth seeing if Windows Phone 7 is for you.

I've not tried out the battery life, clarify of T-mobile's network and other things that are important. But I hope this review gives you a good feel for this phone but more importantly HTC and Windows Phone 7.

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Posted in: HTC,Winphone

Nvidia Tegra 2: A new form of Android fragmentation?

One wouldn't naturally associate chip- and GPU-maker Nvidia with apps, but nevertheless, the free Tegra Zone appeared today in the Android Market. The app showcases current and forthcoming games that have been optimized for the Tegra 2 platform and promise cutting-edge gameplay and graphics.

Clicking on a game title provides reviews, trailers, videos, and comments. If you want to buy a game, Tegra Zone redirects you to the Android Market. Some of the games highlighted at launch time include optimized versions of Fruit Ninja and Backbreaker Football, which now carry a Tegra High Definition "THD" suffix.

A closer alignment
Nvidia's app is just one indicator of what could be a new trend. Take a look around the Android Market and you'll see that software companies and game developers are aligning themselves with specific processors and chipsets. Just a few weeks back we learned that Netflix will be finally arriving on Android, starting with Qualcomm's new breed of Snapdragon processors.

Perhaps as part of some exploratory way of monetizing apps, developers are releasing games that play best on particular architecture. For all the power that Samsung Galaxy S phones possess, their Hummingbird processors might not be enough to handle games that are built for the dual-core Tegra 2 or a comparable system.

Just today, Qualcomm announced that it has partnered with game maker Gameloft to produce HD versions of its titles optimized for Snapdragon processors, including the "MSM(R)8x55 and dual-core MSM8x60." This means that we'll see some great games like Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus and Assassin's Creed Altair's Chronicles later this year, but tweaked to favor Qualcomm's new dual-core chip.

Processing power
This shift to the processor leads me to ask you: which processor do you have in your phone? Chances are pretty good that you don't know off the top of your head. What's more, your friends who are buying their first smartphones may not know either. I'd even venture that many retail sales reps cannot tell you what is under the hood of most Android devices.

Enthusiasts and early adopters might argue the point, but most consumers don't have the education necessary to buy a device that gives them the experience they desire. And if you thought it was bad enough now, given the various versions of Android available, it could get even uglier.

We could be looking at a new type of Android fragmentation. As Andrew Kameka of Androinica points out, this hardware-based fragmentation might be good for developers, who wouldn't need to contend with all the various devices and designs. Deliver a great experience to a select group of people, he argues, rather than satisfy the lowest common denominator.

On the other hand, specialized experiences could anger people who buy a new phone only to find it doesn't look as smooth as their friend's older handset.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject. Are you concerned about developers and hardware makers pairing up for these types of chip-specific games, or do you welcome the idea?

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Posted in: Android

iPad Q1 Sales Expected To Be Over 6 million, 40 million in 2011

Digitimes is reporting that Apple is expecting more than 2 million iPads to be shipped in March and close to 2 million in Jan / Feb. That takes the iPad sales in Q1 to over 6 million. Now Apple already did more than that in Q4 2010 but that was holiday season. What is expected to help Apple do over 6 million iPads by March end is said to be the iPad 2 going on sale immediately. Now that would be amazing!

DT also reports that Apple expects to ship 40 million iPads in 2011, which is a little difficult for us to digest, but then we have heard claims of 45 million before. Just for records, it took 28 days to reach the first million with iPad, but Apple has only gone upswing after that, launching the 3G version and going global!

They did 15 million approx in 2010 (not the entire year though) and doubling that figure, looks tough. But then, iPad selling 15 million itself was a surprise. Lets wait and watch!

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Posted in: Apple

Will there be lithium batteries available for iPad 6 in 2015?

If Apple announces the iPad 2 as expected it tomorrow, it will likely run, like the first model, on a lithium-polymer battery. As do all those new Android tablets and smart phones, and the new electric vehicles that will save us, finally, from our "dependency on foreign oil." So where will the lithium come from and will there be enough?

Lithium is the lightest metal, and much of the current supply is in a few brine or clay deposits, mainly in Bolivia and Chile, with the next smaller sources in western Australia and some deposits in China. Some is found in igneous rock. A Reuters news analysis noted nearly two years ago in May 2009 "There are enormous possibilities for profit." The reason? The projected boom in demand for lithium.

Lithium salts are used in mood-stabilizing drugs; and in a range of industrial applications: heat-resistant glass and ceramics, high strength-to-weight alloys used in aircraft, and in lithium and lithium-ion batteries.

Electric vehicles, or EVs, are widely expected to send demand for lithium soaring. For EVs to have even the remotest chance of actually reducing oil consumption, let alone "eliminating our oil dependency," millions of of them will have to built and sold and run. Every one of them with a battery that uses lithium, lots of it compared to your cell phone.

One view of this is on display at The Fiscal Times, where Tom Zoellner draws on data compiled by a mining company, Western Lithium, which is developing a deposit in northwest Nevada. Zoellner: "Lithium is difficult to find and excavate. Tiny amounts are found in compounds everywhere, including in the bodies of mammals, but in extremely small quantities. The best way to mine it is to dig under the beds of dried lakes with high saline contents, where volcanoes in wet climates leached groundwater into a landlocked basin tens of thousands of years ago — not exactly in your backyard. Very few places on the globe match these exacting conditions, and some of them are politically problematic."

Western Lithium sources some data to show a steeply rising demand for lithium, the graph of which is reproduced by The Fiscal Times (you can find the full WL presentation on the company's Website.) Somewhat coyly, the mining company doesn't project the impact of demand on price, which the graph shows has actually dropped since early 2009, due to the global financial crisis.

The headline at The Fiscal Times headline is pure alarmism: "Back to Land Lines? Cell Phones May Be Dead by 2015."

But according to a Tucson, Arizona-based TRU Group, which has a consulting practice in lithium exploration and process engineering, the financial crisis has hammered the market, depressing prices, even as production and reserves will more than meet the projected demand. In a presentation at the January 2011 3rd Lithium Supply & Markets Conference in Toronto, the company highlighted the "seemingly unstoppable supply growth" that "will cause such huge overcapacity that the stability of the industry will be threatened."

TRU sees no shortage in lithium supplies to at least 2020. "Pipeline projects and expansions could increase capacity by about 40,000 tpy Li-contained in the next decade – double what the industry needs," according the company. "Existing lithium chemical producers have the in-ground resources and ability to meet nearly all market requirements by expanding capacity." Prices for lithium carbonate fell steeply in 2010 and will remain depressed. "Long term there is no market-driven upward-price pressure so prices will remain stable and likely below $5000" per ton. Startup and new project producers, lured by the rosy demand forecasts will find it impossible to compete against the distinctive natural cost advantage of brine-based producers" specifically Chemetall-SCL, FMC and SQM.

These producer prices will eventually have an impact on the final price of lithium-based batteries, whether in smartphone or electric cars. But if TRU's analysis is right, Apple may be able to keep the new iPad's price a bit leaner.

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Posted in: Apple

Verizon sells 1M iPhone 4s in first weekend, report says

Computerworld - Verizon Wireless sold more than 1 million iPhone 4 devices at the end of the first weekend of sales in February, according to a report from The Street.com that combined a top executive's comment with analyst estimates.

Verizon officials wouldn't confirm that the 1 million threshold was passed, but spokeswoman Brenda Raney said Tuesday, "We're not commenting on how many iPhones we sold, but we will say we are pleased with sales."

In comparison, AT&T reportedly sold 1.7 million iPhone 4 devices at the end of its first weekend last year.

The 1 million mark should definitely please Verizon, partly because it shows buyers were not putting off a purchase until Apple announces its next version, the iPhone 5, probably in June.

It also reverses concerns that Verizon's first day of iPhone sales, on Feb. 10, brought out modest crowds rather than the long lines seen previously for iPhone sales.

Verizon Wireless CEO Dan Mead reportedly said that 60% of the company's early iPhone sales were based on pre-orders, explaining why demand was light on launch day. When his comment was combined with earlier analyst estimates that 600,000 iPhone 4s were pre-ordered, in record time, the report in TheStreet.com concluded that 1 million iPhones were sold by the end of the first weekend.

Some potential iPhone customers might have delayed buying a Verizon iPhone 4, based on hopes of an LTE-capable iPhone 5 coming sometime in the summer. However, the Street.com also quoted an analyst who cited sources saying an LTE version won't be coming to Verizon until sometime in 2012 and with the iPhone 6.

Sam Greenholtz, an analyst at Telecom Pragmatics, is the one who mined that little nugget from unnamed sources, telling TheStreet.com, "The next iPhone -- the iPhone 6 -- is an LTE version under development now with production aimed for June/July launch next year."

Verizon wouldn't comment Tuesday on when an LTE version might be coming, and Apple didn't respond to a question on the matter. HTC, Motorola and LG are already preparing LTE phones running Android for release this spring on Verizon, the carrier and the cell-phone makers have said.

A wide number of reports say the iPhone 5 will come to AT&T in June or July, and to Verizon possibly later this year or early 2012.

Observers expect the iPhone 5 to have a larger screen, perhaps 4 in., and a dual-core processor, similar to those of Android devices coming this spring.

The iPhone 5 would be able to run on both Verizon's CDMA/EV-DO 3G network, and the HSPA+ network from AT&T, which it calls 4G. As such, it would be able to work in nearly every country.

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Posted in: Apple