Updates from Nokia, iPhone, Blackberry, HTC Android, iOS

Facebook and Twitter fuel iPhone and BlackBerry addiction, says Ofcom

2011-08-09T17:41:00.000-07:00

Regulator says half of British teenagers and 25% of adults now have smartphones as sales outstrip regular mobiles

Ofcom says one in three adults and most teenagers classify themselves as highly addicted to their smartphones such as iPhones, Blackberrys and Androids. Photograph: Daniel Law/PA

Britons' appetite for Facebook and social networks on the go is driving a huge demand for smartphones – with 60% of teenagers describing themselves as "highly addicted" to their device – according to new research by the media regulator, Ofcom. Almost half of teenagers and more than a quarter of adults now own a smartphone, with most using their iPhone or BlackBerry to browse Facebook and email. The study, published on Thursday, also shows that smartphones have begun to intrude on our most private moments, with 47% of teenagers admitting to using their device in the toilet. Only 22% of adults confessed to the same habit. Unsurprisingly, mobile-addicted teens are more likely than adults to be distracted by their phones over dinner and in the cinema – and more would answer their phone if it woke them up. Separate figures shared exclusively with the Guardian show that, for the first time, smartphone sales outstripped sales of regular mobiles in the first half of this year as the enormous demand continues to rise. Just over half of the total 13.6m mobile sales from January to June 2011 were smartphones, according to research by GfK Retail and Technology UK. Of the new generation of smartphone users, 60% of teenagers classed themselves as "highly addicted" to their device, compared to 37% of adults. Ofcom surveyed 2,073 adults and 521 children and teenagers in March this year. The regulator defines teenagers as aged between 12 and 15, with adults 16-years-old and above. "Ofcom's report shows the influence that communications technology now has on our daily lives, and on the way we behave and communicate with each other," said James Thickett, Ofcom's director of research. "Our research into the use of smartphones, in particular, reveals how quickly people become reliant on new technology – to the point of feeling addicted. As more and more people acquire smartphones, they are becoming an essential tool in peoples' social lives whether they are out with friends socialising or using Facebook on the move." Facebook remains far and away the most popular website for mobile users, with users spending almost four times the amount of time socialising online than using Google or any other website. Unsurprisingly, multi-tasking teenagers said they were less likely to read books if they owned a smartphone. But they also said that owning a smartphone made them more likely to ditch games consoles like the PS3 and the computer, in favour of their pocket-sized handset. The huge boost in smartphone sales has led to a 67% increase in mobile data use as phone users watched videos and sent emails on the go. Mobile operators, such as O2 and Vodafone, have been put under huge strain by the new load. But Thickett said the carriers are coping with the enormous demand. "The research is saying that people are keeping their phones on longer and becoming addicted to them. This isn't a problem now but something we need to be aware of. Operators have responded by upgrading their networks so it is being coped with," Thickett said. Despite being a nation of mobile addicts, Ofcom found that truisms still apply when it comes to traditional media like TV and radio. Other findings show: • Britons are spending more time in front of the TV (four hours a day last year, compared to 3.8 hours in 2009). This is partly due to the rise of on-demand viewing, most notably Sky+, and an increase in the number of homes with high-definition TVs. Two newcomers to the HD market, Freeview HD and Freesat HD, have established themselves as more-affordable competitors to Virgin Media and Sky. • The new generation of broadband, delivered by fibre-optic cables, is now available for 57% of UK households – though just 500,000 have adopted it. Four in five of those with superfast broadband said they were satisfied with the service, compared to 57% satisfaction with their previous broadband. • Aside from offline gaming, Brits who own games consoles are most likely to use it for watching video content (22%), online gaming (22%), and watching DVDs (19%). Just over one in 10 said they browse the web via their games console, while 9% use it to watch BBC iPlayer. • Britons sent an average of five text messages a day last year, contributing to a total of 129bn texts sent – up by 24% in 2009. • Nearly 10m TV sets were sold in 2010, almost all of which were HD ready. The rise of internet-enabled TVs continued, with 1m sales last year, and 3D living room viewing remained a marginal activity, with 125,000 sales of 3D TVs. However, Ofcom warned that older Britons risked being left behind in the "digital revolution". While 90% of adults aged 35-44 have the internet at home, this falls to just a quarter of over 75s. The survey showed that 51% of over 75s own a mobile phone, compared to 99% of 25-34-year-olds. Ofcom said that, for the first time, more than half of 65- to 74-year-olds have access to the internet at home, while just over three quarters own a mobile phone. source: http://www.guardian.co.uk

Tethered jailbreak for iOS 5 beta 5 now available!

2011-08-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

Another iOS beta, another jailbreak. Just a few days after Apple released iOS 5 beta 5, the iPhone Dev Team hackers have released an updated beta of redsn0w — a tool for jailbreaking iOS devices. Redsn0w 0.9.8b5 is now available for Mac and Windows.
You can use the utility to jailbreak an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad running the latest beta version of iOS. Jailbreaking an iOS device allows you to run code that’s not officially supported. This lets you run third party apps that aren’t available in the app store, install custom boot logos, and make other changes to the operating system.
For now the iPhone Dev Team is recommending that only developers that want to see if their apps for jailbroken devices work with the latest beta use the new version of redsn0w. In order to use the software you’ll need to connect your mobile device to a computer via a USB cable and run the redsn0w app. Because this is a tethered jailbreak, any time you reboot your iOS device you’ll need to reconnect to a computer and run the software again.
Apple is expected to launch iOS 5 to the public in the coming months. Until then you’ll need an iOS developer account to try the new software which includes a new notification system, tight integration with Apple’s new iCloud service, a newspaper and magazine store, and Twitter integration.

Apple offers buyback program for old iPhone, iPad, Macs

2011-08-09T17:27:00.000-07:00

Apple offers buyback program for old iPhone, iPad, Macs

Apple has enhanced its recycling program to add a new "reuse" option that pays owners of existing iPhones, iPads, Mac or PC desktop or notebook computers a fair market value for their old equipment, paid via an Apple Gift Card.

Apple continues to offer a variety of recycling programs: a place to dump unwanted electronics of any kind at its Cupertino, California head quarters (which it has operated since 2002); free recycling of Mac batteries at any of its retail stores; and free pickup and disposal of any brand of computer or display contracted through WeRecycle!, which user can obtain a free prepaid shipping label from at www.werecycle.com.

Now, users who own an iOS device or a computer from any manufacturer can obtain a credit for the fair market value of that device, calculated by PowerOn, a third party company Apple contract with to run the reuse program.

While recycling old products dismantles them and harvests valuable components such as metal, plastic and glass for recycled use in new products, reuse is an even greener option, as it extends the useful life of products that have value in the second hand market.

"If your product qualifies for reuse — meaning it has monetary value — you’ll receive an Apple Gift Card equivalent to its fair market value as determined by PowerON," Apple states on its new recycling program website.

"You can use the gift card for eligible purchases at any U.S. Apple Retail Store or the U.S. Apple Online Store. If your product does not have monetary value, we’ll recycle it at no cost to you."

Users can get a preliminary valuation for their old devices online, then arrange to ship them to PowerOn at no cost. The company will then contact the user if the apprised value is different than what was quoted online, a figure based on the user's own description of the product's condition.

If the user chooses not to accept the final value, it will be returned at no charge. Otherwise, PowerOn will arrange to credit the user via an Apple Gift Card within three weeks of receipt. The company also securely erases all data remaining on the devices while preparing them for resale.

PowerOn's estimated value of a functional, first generation iPad in very good condition is $165, for example. Users may likely be able to find their own second hand buyer for relatively new products in good condition, and fetch a higher price.

However, for older devices with some damage or dysfunctional features, the reuse option may provide an easier, more convenient option that still recoups some value they can then reinvest in new Apple gear.

iOS 5 Beta: The first Reactions + New features.

2011-08-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

Apple has released a beta of the mobile OS to its developer community. Here's a look at the significant changes and early reactions from those who've used it.

Among continuous rumours about possible release dates for next-generation iPhone and iPad devices, Apple has released a beta version of the iOS 5 software development kit to its developer community. Coders have had four days to look at the pre-release software, and some first impressions are starting to emerge. As expected, the new version of Apple's mobile OS offers some new features to satisfy critics as well as the Apple faithful.

Apple released the iOS 5 SDK beta to developers on Saturday, giving the world outside Cupertino its first hands-on glimpse of the new OS. As expected, iOS 5 includes support for Apple's iCloud service, a new Notification Center, Twitter integration, and improvements to the AirPlay wireless media-sharing feature. But the new OS and SDK also include some important new enhancements for developers, such as automatic reference counting to simplify memory management, storyboards built into Xcode to ease the creation of view transitions within apps, and new tools to trace system resource consumption during the dev process.

More Insights
White Papers

Can You Use Cloud to Meet Customer Demand and Succeed?
Reducing IT Operational Costs with IBM Power Systems Cloud Solutions

Analytics

Strategy: The Hybrid Enterprise Data Center
Research: State of the IT Service Desk

Videos

Now that the dev community has had four days to inspect the new software, some previews and first impressions are making their way onto developer forums and blogs. Understandably, most developers are tight-lipped about the new OS, undoubtedly wary of losing their standing with Apple by breaking the company's non-disclosure agreement. On the popular forum iPhone Dev SDK, moderators went so far as to spell it out for members: "iOS 5 is under NDA, as is any beta version of Xcode, and thus it cannot be discussed here. The proper place for such discussion or questions is the Apple Developer forums. Sorry, complain to Apple if you must complain."

Still, some developers have chimed in with their perspectives.

"I installed the iOS 5 beta and have been playing with it for a few hours. It's pretty stable, but there are some bugs," said one user on the MacRumors forum, confirming nothing so much as the fact that this is, indeed, beta software.

Cutting to the chase, one somewhat guarded MacRumors member offered this perspective: "FWIW, and without going into any details due to the NDA, I don't think iOS 5 is anywhere near prime time yet; it's very buggy and I'd advise sticking to iOS 4 if it's your only device you intend to install on."

Another developer on MacRumors was more forthcoming, noting a number of specific bugs in the beta, such as issues with notifications on the lock screen, troubles with the weather widget, minor Wi-Fi issues, and trouble with the new option to take photos from the lock screen. Several of these issues were confirmed by other members of the forum.

For a full change log of the iOS 5 SDK, which confirms much of what we're seeing from users on the forums and in the blogosophere, see this BGR post.

YouTube user Nate of NatesTechUpdate has also posted a video preview of the beta.
There's certainly nothing shocking about the presence of bugs in software at this stage of development. It would be more shocking to find a beta OS that didn't feature some nagging issues here and there. However, these early responses from the dev community do signal that coders looking to get their hands on the SDK for mission-critical development might do well to hold off a while longer.

NEW - Google+ App for iPad

2011-08-09T16:38:00.000-07:00

Google has pushed their iPhone app to the iPad, and even though it's a direct clone, it's quite a good move for the invite-only social network.

Google seems to have introduced an updated Google+ iPhone app that is now available on all iOS devices, including the iPad. However, this update will not add anything new to the Google+ mobile app for iPhone, that has been available since mid July.

The new release simply makes the app work on the iPad. It even keeps its original size, floating in a sea of blackness, although you can tap a "x2" button to magnify the app and view it in all its granulated iPad glory.

Google strangely enough decided not to create their iOS application for Google+ a widespread application when it very first launched it last month, however it's now finally allowing iPad and iPod touch users in on the act as well. Unfortunately, the iPad part of the formula comes along in the form of a blown-up iPhone application instead of a nicely enhanced version, that's not specifically unexpected bearing in mind it's much similar scenario which Honeycomb users still find themselves stuck with. Additionally included in the update are additional Huddle settings, aggregated circle include notifications to cut down on some of the noise, along with the usual performance and stability improvements. You know what to do to get your hands on it.

Regardless of the fact that, for now, the app isn't any different on the iPad than on the iPhone (and, while we're at it, let's note that Google delivers a remarkably similar experience on the Google+ mobile app for Android, too), mobile apps are essential to the whole social-networking experience. Apple iPad owners wanted an app, and now they have one. I think most iPad owners would rather have a cloned app than none at all while they wait for a fully fledged version to come their way.
View Slideshow See all (10) slides
Google+ mobile app : User interface
Google+ mobile app : No iPad support
Google+ mobile app : Sign in
Google+ mobile app

More

The Google+ mobile app came out of the gate strong, due to its clean interface and Spartan design. The search giant is sometimes criticized for designs that are too austere, but on a smartphone, simplicity counts. Less screen space means every inch of it has to be used effectively. The iPad, with its mid-sized screen, could certainly support more stuff-buttons, panels, slider bars-and in time, perhaps it will. Still, the app is clean and easy to navigate without too many menus and unnecessary words cluttering the screen.

How to Get Google+ Mobile App for iPad
You can get the iPad app by downloading it through iTunes. Once you find and install the free app, just sign in using your Google account. You do need Google+ access, so if you don't have an invite yet, ask around. They're much easier to come by this month than last.

Select Features
If you've used the Google+ site, you've likely already established Circles, or subsets of your connections, grouped by whatever classification you want to create, such as close friends, co-workers, extended family, and so forth. All those Circles will be present and ready to go when you load your iPad app and log in.

Notably missing in the app is the Hangout feature, or video group chat, which is Web-only. Given the iPad's support for video, I'd wager that this is a feature that's in the works for when (or "if") a full iPad version is developed and released.

Replacing Hangouts, for the time being, is Huddle, a group instant messaging tool. To use Google+'s Huddle, select Huddle and click the speech bubble icon at the top right to start a new chat. You can invite individuals to group chat with you, or an entire Circle.

Managing Friends
The ease with which you can manage Circles from the iPad is shocking. Google has laid out the app in such a way that you can scroll through a long list of possible connections-some of whom you'll know, and some complete strangers-and add them to existing Circles or new ones that you can create on the spot.

At the very bottom of the main screen is a Notifications box containing a number. The box is gray if it's 0 and red if it's 1 or greater. Nearly identical to Facebook's mobile Notification feature, Google+'s pops up a screen that you can refresh by dragging down and releasing.

Mobile and Social
Bear in mind that the app is only in version 1.0.2. It's likely that Google will push out improvements, including a true iPad app, in the coming weeks or months. I'd put my money on the Google+ iPad app having support for Hangouts, as well as a few more buttons, tools, and interface items. Yet I doubt Google will clutter the space, as it tends to err on the side of being too sparse.

The Google+ iPad app works well due to its smart design and comprehensible interface. The mobile apps are helping strum more interest in the social network, which is exactly what it needs to stay active and interesting-on all the devices where you can access it.

New Apple patent, to share your info and chat with people nearby!!

2011-06-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

Apple wants to assist you meeting new people Nearby -- by sharing what's on your iPhone. The company has filed a patent for a method of "ad hoc networking based on content and location" which, simply put, allows you to contact complete strangers nearby based on your shared interests and phone usage.

Apple wants to ease the awkwardness of meeting like-minded people in the real world, TUAW reports. Apparently, when away from the safety of your laptop and Facebook friend requests, you have to talk to people face to face to get to know them. A sobering thought.

However, this "often requires a substantial amount of and time and effort because identifying new persons with common interests for friendships is difficult," according to the application. Indeed, life isn't always played out at speed-dating pace and people don't walk around with 'Like' buttons grafted to them.

"When two strangers meet, it may take a long and awkward conversation to discover their common interests or experiences," Apple says. Yeah, we hate it when you have to put any effort into a conversation.

Apparently it's far better to sit down with your iPhone or iPad and use it like a radar, pinpointing other people in the vicinity who you might get along with.

Obviously, Apple doesn't want another privacy disaster on its hands, so users would have to opt in to share various tidbits of information about themselves. As well as filling in a few basic facts about their likes, dislikes and hobbies, the handset might also match people based on the music and photos stored on their phone and what places they've visited.

If you like listening to Rebecca Black, have taken lots of photos of black labradors, recently returned from a conference in Blackpool and pretend you have a black belt in karate, Apple's system may be able to find someone for you. Let's hope she doesn't look like the person in the patent drawing.

A previous Apple patent would allow existing contacts to find one another if they were in the same area. Services such as Foursquare and Facebook Places do a similar thing already and you don't have to own Apple gear to use it.

Would you appreciate it if technology helped you to get to know complete strangers, or are old-fashioned concepts like eye contact and talking still best at initiating contact?

Imagination Technologies forecasts 1bn in mobile chip income

2011-06-22T18:15:00.000-07:00

Imagination Technologies, the company that designs microchips used in Apple’s iPad and iPhone, seems to have doubled their prediction towards mobile chip shipments. By 2016, this company expects more than 1bn shipped a year, way up from a previous forecast of 500m.

The company which is based in Hertfordshire UK, specialised on designs the chips for the graphics that powers the display screens of smartphones and tablet computers, on Wednesday said the fact that 245m chips utilizing their blueprints have already been shipped in the year to the end of April.

Imagination falls despite upbeat forecast - Mar-16
Imagination buys Caustic in graphics chip push - Dec-14
Imagination to license chips to telecoms - Dec-14
Imagination chief urges UK to nurture IT - Oct-11
Imagination more than trebles profits - Jun-24
Apple raises Imagination Technologies stake - Jun-26

This is nearly double the quantity previous year and also has prompted Imagination to revise sharply its medium-term forecasts.

“Our licensing pipeline is very strong so I think this is a reasonable goal,” said Hossein Yassaie, chief executive. “When we set a 200m unit target in 2008 we were only shipping 10m units and a lot of analysts thought I was mad. But we have passed that now.”

Chips for mobile phones account for about 80 per cent of Imagination’s royalties, but Mr Yassaie said that television set-top boxes, tablet computers and cars were increasingly using the technology.

Revenues at the company increased 21 per cent to £98m, while pre-tax profits rose more than 60 per cent to £16.4m. Earnings per share were up 32 per cent at 7.4p.

Some analysts were disappointed, however, that the average royalties Imagination gets from each chip was only 27 cents compared with market expectations of 30 cents.

In spite of strong growth for smartphone and tablet sales, Imagination faces increasing competition from companies such as Qualcomm, Nvidia and Arm, which will keep royalty rates under pressure, said Adrien Bommelaer, analyst at Matrix Corporate Capital.

Imagination’s results were also held back by its unprofitable Pure Radio division, which makes DAB digital radios. Revenues at the unit fell 16 per cent to £28.2m and operating losses widened to £3.8m.

However, Mr Yassaie said he was not thinking of selling the Pure business, which he sees as a useful showcase for Imagination’s technology products.

Shares in Imagination, which have gained nearly 40 per cent over the past year, fell 18½p to 414½p on Wednesday.

Will the iPhone 5 release on 7 September? Well lets see.

2011-06-19T19:11:00.000-07:00

We've learned from CNET UK earwigged the rumours and even consulted their iPod Ouija board. After 16 hours of number-crunching on the CNET UK supercomputer, they came up with the most likely release date for the iPhone 5 -- 7 September 2011. Dont take this serious thos as is just predictions :).

Let's break down the facts, Poirot-style. We know this for certain: Apple didn't announce the iPhone 5 at this year's Apple WWDC event, as it has in years past. Instead, we got iOS 5.

That means we won't be seeing the iPhone 5 this summer. Steve Jobs, however, stated iOS 5 will appear in the autumn. Which is traditionally when the various iPods are refreshed at a music-themed event.

iOS 5 is packed with cool features as we seen it on beta version, including a new notification style that pays homage to Android's drop-down menu. But at the end of the day, it's just software, and it means nothing without some hardware to run it on. iOS 5 will run on the iPod touch, but we don't think an iPod has enough glamour to shepherd iOS 5 into the world.

That's why we're expecting to see the iPhone 5 launch at the same time as iOS 5, in the autumn. In fact, we think the iPhone 5 will cruelly oust the iPod from its own event.

Some pundits are predicting we'll have to wait until 2012 for the iPhone 5 release. But it's already been over a year since the iPhone 4 came out, and we can't see Apple ceding that much ground to the galloping hordes of Android phones. Not to mention the Nokia Windows Phones that are also on the horizon this autumn.

So, if Apple does swap its traditional iPod event for an iPhone 5 fest, when exactly will we be opening our earholes to the message of the fifth Jesus phone? We've run the dates through equations created from numerology, astrology and NumberWang to find out.

Since 2005, Apple has shown a strong tendency to launch its iPods on the first Wednesday after Labour Day, a US bank holiday that celebrates all the work that goes into eating off the back end of a truck.

There are exceptions -- in 2008, the second-generation iPod touch and its siblings were announced on the Tuesday instead, as was the iPod in 2006. But Wednesday is still Apple's overwhelming favourite.

That means that we're laying the the finger of prognostication on Wednesday 7 September 2011.

That's a mere 2 months and 24 days from now, so get planning those app cupcakes now. Don't forget to include the latest iOS 5 apps, such as Newsstand and iMessage.

source: CNET UK

Download Snowbreeze 2.7 untethered Jailbreak for IOS 4.3.3 (DIRECT LINK!!) iPhone 3G/3GS/ iPhone 4/ iPod touch 3G/4G/ Apple TV 2G

2011-06-19T18:38:00.000-07:00

The Iphone Dev-Team member iH8snow has released the newest untethered jailbreak tool for IOS 4.3.3, Snowbreeze 2.7.Snowbreeze 2.7 is highly suggested tool for whoever need to preserve baseband for unlocking with Ultrasn0w. Snowbreeze 2.7 is available only for Windows, however , if you are using Mac you should use PwnageTool from Dev-Team .

I have provided direct links to download Snowbreeze 2.7 for 4.3.3 below.

Snowbreeze 2.7 adds full support for iOS 4.3.3. Snowbreeze 2.7 for 4.3.3 let you preserve the baseband if you need to unlock with the latest Ultrasnow 1.2.3 version, you can also add animated boot logos and Multitouch Gestures which i think are really cool but due to the small screen on iPhone Multitouch Gestures are designed more for the iPad.

Snowbreeze 2.7 designed for 4.3.3 supports these devices below ( mainly neede for iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS that rely on a carrier unlock ):

iPhone 4, 3GS
iPad
iPod Touch 4G, 3G
Apple TV 2G

Follow the tutorial below in order to jailbreak your iPhone 4, 3GS on iOS 4.3.3 using Snowbreeze 2.7 for 4.3.3 ( if you need too you can easily adapt this guide for the other iDevices as well)

These are the steps to generate your customized 4.3.3 jailbroken firmware using Snowbreeze 2.7

Download iOS 4.3.3 for iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS below
Download Snowbreeze 2.7 below
Start Snowbreeze 2.7 for 4.3.3 and click next
Browse for the previously downloaded 4.3.3 firmware file
Wait for Snowbreeze 2.7 to detect your device ( iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS )
Follow the on-screen instructions to enter DFU mode and proceed with part 2

Restoring the custom jailbroken 4.3.3 firmware to your iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS using iTunes

Start iTunes and select your iPhone from the left sidebar
Click on the “Restore” button while holding the left SHIFT button and then browse for the custom jailbroken 4.3.3 firmware created with Snowbreeze
Click on OPEN and then wait for iTunes to restore your iPhone to 4.3.3
Once your iPhone 4, 3GS will restart, it will be fully jailbroken on iOS 4.3.3. Done!

You can now unlock your iPhone using Ultrasnow 1.2.3 for 4.3.3.

Download Links:
Download Snowbreeze 2.7 for 4.3.3

Download iOS 4.3.3 for iPhone 4 ( GSM)
Download iOS 4.3.3 for iPhone 3GS
Download iOS 4.3.3 for iPad
Download iOS 4.3.3 for iPad 2 Wifi
Download iOS 4.3.3 for iPad 2 GSM
Download iOS 4.3.3 for iPad 2 CDMA
Download iOS 4.3.3 for iPod Touch 4G
Download iOS 4.3.3 for iPod Touch 3G

Finally peace between Nokia and Apple, regarding long-running legal dispute between the two firms

2011-06-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

Nokia and Apple eventually decided to end the long battle about patent dispute, and coming up with a technology licensing agreement which will end the long-running legal dispute between the two companies.

"The agreement will result in settlement of all patent litigation between the companies," Nokia said.
Nokia said Apple had agreed a one-off payment, the value of which was not disclosed, and continuous royalties to use its technologies.

Nokia sued Apple for patent infringements in 2009 and extended the action in December last year. However this outcome could lead to same accuses from Nokia to be repeated to phones using Google's Android software over the same set of patents it has just licensed, suggests one observer.
Apple had countersued, accusing Nokia of infringing its patents.

Nokia's chief executive Stephen Elop said on the firm's legal success: "We are very pleased to have Apple join the growing number of Nokia licensees."

"This settlement demonstrates Nokia's industry-leading patent portfolio and enables us to focus on further licensing opportunities in the mobile communications market."

Apple stated that two companies had agreed to "drop all of our current lawsuits and enter into a licence covering some of each other's patents, but not the majority of the innovations that make the iPhone unique".

"We're pleased to put this behind us and get back to focusing on our respective businesses."

Nokia's several claims against Apple included alleged patent infringements of touch interfaces, caller ID, display illumination, and 3G and wi-fi technologies.

Apple had additionally claimed that Nokia had infringed many of its patents.

Both sides had always denied each other's claims.

"This is the first positive news from Nokia for a long time. They can both focus on their businesses now, and the dispute was settled to Nokia's advantage," said Mikael Rautanen at research group Inderes in Helsinki.

At the end of last month, Nokia said it expected sales and profit margins for the current quarter to be well below its previous forecasts.

Nokia has been struggling to reposition themselves in the rapidly-growing smartphone market, where it is attempting to make up ground lost to rivals such as Apple's iPhone and mobile phones using Google's Android operating system.

Fring Group 4-Way Video has gone live, enables four-way mobile video calling for free

2011-04-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

Fring, Isaireli established mobile VoIP company seems to have launched the new version of their iPhone&Android application which gives you 4-way group video calling feature to the iPhone and Android. We seen video calling in very good quality in Apple's Facetime, however they was poor on delivering any new features, as well as Google's Android native video chat application is not likely guaranteeing any updated version, Fring went ahead and added four-way video calls to its iPhone and Android apps. This app is free (as always) for iOS along with Android, just like are video and voice calls to other Fring users. Fring tends to make money by selling a FringOut voice service to land lines and other mobile phone numbers. The progress on four-way video chat makes Fring the very first company to offer group conference calls across smartphone platforms. Calls are supported over Wi-Fi, also on 3G or 4G.

Here is what is actually new in this latest version of Fring's iPhone app:

The world 1st Group Video calls. Call friends on iPhone and Android
(on 3G,4G, WiFi). Up to 4 friends video call each other on 1 screen.
You got to try it... Free and oh so Much fun!

Bug fixes so you can fring smoother with all your friends.
Fring claims that its DVQ technology (Dynamic Video Quality) gives you the best video and audio quality possible by automatically and continuously adjusting your video call quality to match your connectivity.

Checkout the video showcasing the group video calling features:

Apple inc Replies Regarding iPhone Location Tracking Issues.

2011-04-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

Apple has got officially replied to the iphone and ipad 3G position tracking issues which has raised privacy concerns.

Apple has responded that it is not monitoring the location of the iPhone or iPad 3G as claimed by Security researchers last week. Apple has additionally confirmed that it has in no way done so and has no plans to ever do so. Apple seems to have responded to all the relevant queries relating to the location tracking matter in a Q&A form:



1. Why is Apple tracking the location of my iPhone?

    Apple is not tracking the location of your iPhone. Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so.

    2. Then why is everyone so concerned about this?

    Providing mobile users with fast and accurate location information while preserving their security and privacy has raised some very complex technical issues which are hard to communicate in a soundbite. Users are confused, partly because the creators of this new technology (including Apple) have not provided enough education about these issues to date.

    3. Why is my iPhone logging my location?

    The iPhone is not logging your location. Rather, it’s maintaining a database of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers around your current location, some of which may be located more than one hundred miles away from your iPhone, to help your iPhone rapidly and accurately calculate its location when requested. Calculating a phone’s location using just GPS satellite data can take up to several minutes. iPhone can reduce this time to just a few seconds by using Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data to quickly find GPS satellites, and even triangulate its location using just Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data when GPS is not available (such as indoors or in basements). These calculations are performed live on the iPhone using a crowd-sourced database of Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data that is generated by tens of millions of iPhones sending the geo-tagged locations of nearby Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers in an anonymous and encrypted form to Apple.

    4. Is this crowd-sourced database stored on the iPhone?

    The entire crowd-sourced database is too big to store on an iPhone, so we download an appropriate subset (cache) onto each iPhone. This cache is protected but not encrypted, and is backed up in iTunes whenever you back up your iPhone. The backup is encrypted or not, depending on the user settings in iTunes. The location data that researchers are seeing on the iPhone is not the past or present location of the iPhone, but rather the locations of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers surrounding the iPhone’s location, which can be more than one hundred miles away from the iPhone. We plan to cease backing up this cache in a software update coming soon (see Software Update section below).

    5. Can Apple locate me based on my geo-tagged Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data?

    No. This data is sent to Apple in an anonymous and encrypted form. Apple cannot identify the source of this data.

    6. People have identified up to a year’s worth of location data being stored on the iPhone. Why does my iPhone need so much data in order to assist it in finding my location today?

    This data is not the iPhone’s location data-it is a subset (cache) of the crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower database which is downloaded from Apple into the iPhone to assist the iPhone in rapidly and accurately calculating location. The reason the iPhone stores so much data is a bug we uncovered and plan to fix shortly (see Software Update section below). We don’t think the iPhone needs to store more than seven days of this data.

    7. When I turn off Location Services, why does my iPhone sometimes continue updating its Wi-Fi and cell tower data from Apple’s crowd-sourced database? It shouldn’t. This is a bug, which we plan to fix shortly (see Software Update section below).

    8. What other location data is Apple collecting from the iPhone besides crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data?

    Apple is now collecting anonymous traffic data to build a crowd-sourced traffic database with the goal of providing iPhone users an improved traffic service in the next couple of years.

    9. Does Apple currently provide any data collected from iPhones to third parties? We provide anonymous crash logs from users that have opted in to third-party developers to help them debug their apps. Our iAds advertising system can use location as a factor in targeting ads. Location is not shared with any third party or ad unless the user explicitly approves giving the current location to the current ad (for example, to request the ad locate the Target store nearest them).

    10. Does Apple believe that personal information security and privacy are important?

    Yes, we strongly do. For example, iPhone was the first to ask users to give their permission for each and every app that wanted to use location. Apple will continue to be one of the leaders in strengthening personal information security and privacy.

    Software Update

    Sometime in the following weeks Apple will launch an iOS software update that:

        decreases the size of the crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower database cached on the iPhone,
        ceases backing up this cache, and
        deletes this cache entirely when Location Services is turned off.

Apple inc Declares White iPhone 4 Coming out Today, April 28th

2011-04-27T17:59:00.000-07:00

Apple Announces As of today April 28th white iPhone 4 will be available, from Apple’s online store and Apple’s authorized resellers in following countries: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Macau, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, and UK.

We heard rumours before about white iPhone coming but, but is better to hear it from Apple. Apple issued a statement yesterday April 27-th. Apple has stated that the wait has been longer from what we thought, although it was in fact really worth the wait and that they have every single detail of the phone correct. Nearly 12 months delay had been caused due to complicated manufacturing issues. This delay that was initially meant to be just a couple of months turned into almost a year, with most people surprised that Apple even bothered when it is so close to releasing the iPhone 5. Actually quite a few white iPhone addicts gave up and either got the black model or even decided to go with a different type of phone.

Looks like Fujitsu is going to bring A Symbian/Windows 7 Dual Boot Cell Phone.

2011-04-12T17:14:00.000-07:00

Ever wished you could have a Microsoft main dish with a side of Symbian? We didn't, but if rumors are true, Fujitsu and team acceptable to cause a device to dual boot this year which can range from Windows 7 (desktop OS, not WP7) at the flick of a switch images . According to the interwebs yet untrusworthy, F-07C LOOX will come with a sliding QWERTY keyboard
The LOOX F-07c will sport a four-inch WSVGA screen with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels and at its core, a Intel Atom processor (Atoms force lower end netbooks) down. Added a 32GB SSD as well as USB and HDMI sockets for a phone that is capable of switching from Symbian to Windows 7 with just the touch of a button. As none of Fujitsu DoCoMo confirmed the information, file it under "R"category, but a rather pleasant one.

Mobile Giant Nokia is preparing for a Symbian event April 12, May Reveal new UI and even more!

2011-04-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

Nokia has recently began sending invites for an event taking place in London next Tuesday, April 12.

Is not yet known what are they about to announce, but is thought to be some of their latest Symbian updates, possibly revealing some harware changes as well, Nokia and HTC are holding the event in the same day in London which it reminds us 2 years ago which it didn't end well for Nokia.

AVG study reveals that 89% of consumers are unaware that Smartphone transmit confidential information

2011-04-04T16:12:00.001-07:00

08 October 2010 AVG study reveals alarming complacency

Amongst users of Smartphone devices onAVG security technologies, one of the top consumer security software vendors, today revealed details lead to revealing new statistics study on data security risks involved in day-to-day use smartphone. The conclusions are the result of a recent study by the Ponemon Institute in consultation with the AVG consumer USA 734 randomly over 18 years regarding their behavior of mobile communications. the study confirmed the focus concerns the AVG consumer indifference toward the many security risks associated with storing and transmission of sensitive personal data in smartphones. Below are three of the most worrying: 89% of respondents knew smartphone applications may transmit confidential payment information such as credit card details without the user's knowledge or consent. 91 percent of respondents knew financial applications for smart phones may be contaminated with specialized malware designed to steal credit card numbers and banking credentials, however, almost one third (29 percent) report already saving, credit and debit card information about devices and 35 percent "confidential" report caching task and the relevant documents. 56% of respondents did not know that failing to properly log off from a social network app could allow an imposter to post malicious details or change your personal settings without their knowledge. Those who know, 37 percent were unsure whether it had already handle profile. Other Smartphone security risks include geo-monitoring based on location data embedded in image files. the transmission of confidential information without knowledge or consent payment, user and unauthorized (and often unnoticed) premium-service orders for the monthly bill. "The findings of this study mark what could be a security risk for organizations have been created using employees of smartphones. Because our consumers report study that often use smartphones as an alternative for professional and personal, organizations should ensure that their security policies include guidelines for the appropriate use of smartphones to be used for company purposes, "said Dr. Larry Ponemon, President and founder of the Ponemon Institute. According to the study, 28 percent of respondents knew using the smartphone for business and personal reasons to insert business information at risk. "We have more responsibility to educate consumers about the dangers lurking in mobile broadband and to help users take ownership of their mobile data security, "said J.R. Smith, CEO, AVG technologies. "The Internet mobile telephone must not be a dangerous environment, although the industry must work together to encourage users to take action to get low cost or free anti-virus products designed specifically for mobile data protection Concluded '."during the last month alone, that we have seen high-profile mobile security lapses with dozens of infected applications being removed from Google's Android App Store, and will become more frequent, without any action from industry and consumers just such incidents."Over 9 million members of the community of Android user installs AVG mobile security applications, free ANTIVIRUSFree on handsets. In addition, the company believes that this figure will continue to grow as more consumers are aware of mobile security risks and the simple steps you can take to prevent attacks. AVG ANTIVIRUSFree allows users to scan, identify and remove viruses, check for malware apps before downloading from app stores, and check the content of Web pages, emails and SMS before downloading data or content. If a device is protected with ANTIVIRUSFree lost or stolen, it can be locked and erased to protect valuable data and quickly by using the GPS feature. about AVG Technologies AVG is a global security software maker protecting more than 110 million consumers and small businesses in 170 countries from the ever-growing incidence of Web threats, viruses, spam, cyber-scams and hackers on the Internet. AVG has nearly two decades of experience in combating cyber crime and one of the most advanced laboratories for detecting, pre-empting and combating Web-borne infections from threats from around the world. The software for free, downloadable allows novice users to have basic anti-virus protection and then easily upgrade to greater levels of security and defence when they are ready. AVG has nearly 6,000 resellers, partners and distributors worldwide, including Amazon.com, CNET, Cisco, Ingram Micro, Play.com online facility, Wal-Mart and Yahoo!

News: Sony CEO hints at high quality cam for iPhone 5

2011-04-04T15:54:00.001-07:00

Speaking in an interview with Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal, Sony CEO Howard Stringer has made several comments that suggest that the company will be providing the image sensor for the iPhone. CNN reports that Stinger was discussing the damage of the earthquake to sweatshops of Sony in Japan and off-handedly said a camera sensor made in one of those plants is to be adopted by Apple, adding that the sensor could be delayed due to damage caused during the disaster. It always puzzles me, "said Stringer. "Why would i make for Apple the best camera?" Like Sony is not known for the production of any cameras that are used in current Apple products, it is a reason that the sensors are designed for a future product. The report states that since Stringer mentioned better camera company, a unit of eight megapixels; also cites an analyst report by February that suggested OmniVision could lose on supply of cameras for the iPhone, like their 8 megapixel sensor would not have been ready for the iPhone 5 launch in summer .
If you have a comment, news tip, advertising inquiry, or coverage request, a question on the iPhone/iPod/iPad or accessories, or If you sell or market iPod/iPhone/iPad products or services, read uknewstechblog's comments + questions policies before posting.