IntoMobile

Google should acquire Canonical and merge Ubuntu with Android

2013-06-19T11:55:41Z

Ubuntu could easily emerge as a force to reckon with in the mobile industry. Perhaps a stand-alone Ubuntu platform won’t succeed (cause it lacks major backers), but Ubuntu for Android definitely has a chance. Just imagine using your regular Android smartphone as a full-blown Linux computer when you connect it to a bigger screen. Powerful stuff…

That said, I would like to see the upcoming Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie shipping with a similar capability. Google is already targeting laptops with its Chrome OS but at one point in the future, we expect to see the two platforms merging.

If we can take Eric Schmidt’s words that won’t happen and we’ll likely see Android getting its own desktop UI. We do hope to see something like that, but I would suggest it would be wiser for the search giant to simply acquire an existing Linux company. How about Canonical, which makes Ubuntu, one of the world’s most popular Linux distributions? Presuming that happens we would be able to get all the benefits of Ubuntu for Android by the end of this year, maybe even in the next few months.

Google definitely has the cash to pull this off, but on the other side – it also has the brain power to make its own Linux distribution and make it sing along Android. In any case, we do like the capability and can’t wait any longer for a true converged device…

Google should acquire Canonical and merge Ubuntu with Android originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2013-06-19T11:55:41Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Huawei looking to ship 10 million Ascend P6 units

2013-06-19T11:54:34Z

Huawei is bullish on the prospects of its newly announced Ascend P6 smartphone, with plans to ship some 10 million units across Europe, Asia and perhaps Latin America. North Americans will likely have to wait for this phone a little longer because its lack of LTE connectivity support makes it less appealing to the US carriers looking to promote data traffic use on their networks.

To reach the “10 million milestone,” the Chinese company has allocated some 90 million Yuan (about $11 million) for P6 marketing in China, and another $30 million for promotion in Europe. In its own backyard, Huawei will sell the P6 for 2688 Yuan (327 Euro), while RRP in Western Europe will be higher – 449 Euro.

While these figures may sound impressive, they are like nothing compared to the budgets and expected units shipped of the main players like Samsung, HTC and LG. Still, it’s a step in the right direction for Huawei which hopes to rebrand itself as a maker of higher-end devices in the West.

Personally I believe the Chinese company is onto something with its super-slim P6 and can’t wait to try it out. Sure, it lacks the horse-power of modern quad-core chipsets like Samsung Exynos 5 Octa and Qualcomm Snapdragon 600, but it should deliver the great user experience on a 720p HD screen, nonetheless.

We’re hoping to get our review unit ASAP when we’ll get back to you with all the details. Stay tuned in the meantime, k?

[Via: Unwired View]

Huawei looking to ship 10 million Ascend P6 units originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2013-06-19T11:54:34Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

US Cellular’s Moto “XFON” XT1055 caught at the FCC

2013-06-19T11:52:56Z

Motorola did say it plans to make its upcoming XFON available on a number of carriers and in that sense we’ve already heard about few different variants of the device: Verizon will get the XT1060, XT1056 is coming to Sprint, and the XT1058 is heading to AT&T.

A new version of the XFON, marked as XT1055, has been caught at the FCC and we tend to believe this one’s destined for US Cellular.

Of course, we still have no idea when each of the carriers mentioned above will officially announce the new phone, and it’s likely up to Motorola to decide when that will happen (when their device is ready for the prime time).

According to the specs we’ve heard before, the XFON will pack Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 Pro dual-core processor clocked at 1.7GHz, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, 10-megapixel rear camera, 2-megapixel front-facing one, 720p HD screen, with Android 4.2.2 (or perhaps Android 4.3) running the show right from the get-go…

[Via: Droid-Life]

US Cellular’s Moto “XFON” XT1055 caught at the FCC originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2013-06-19T11:52:56Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Verizon’s Samsung Galaxy Stellar getting a small update soon

2013-06-19T11:50:53Z

Verizon will soon start pushing out a small update for the Samsung Galaxy Stellar. As you may know, this phone already got its serving of Jelly Beans so the software version JZO54K.1200VRBME1 is all about fixing some of the annoying issues, tweaking software here and there, and so on. Here’s what to expect:

Device enhancements:

Users viewing Guided Tour Videos regarding Wi-Fi handoff can now scroll through the pop-up message and check the box for “do not show again”
Users will experience better connectivity and reliability when using Mobile Hotspot

New capabilities:

Users upgrading to the new software to access the Amazon Kindle stub application can now connect to the network without rebooting their device
The Amazon App store was added as a preloaded application
The Caller Name ID application was added as a preloaded application in the application tray

Improvements:

Lock screen functionality has been improved when in idle screen mode
Speaker phone audio has been improved
Connectivity during new software installation process has been improved

Sounds a lot for the 403.6MB-heavy download; make sure you’re connected to a fast Wi-Fi hotspot when performing the update…

[Via: AndroidPolice]

Verizon’s Samsung Galaxy Stellar getting a small update soon originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2013-06-19T11:50:53Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Windows Phone 8 GDR2 update coming in July?

2013-06-19T11:49:07Z

Looks like Microsoft is gearing towards launching a major update for its mobile platform. Unlike the previous GDR1, the forthcoming GDR2 update will apparently include a ton of changes, including widespread support for the DataSense application which was previously exclusive to Verizon Wireless users as well as support for FM Radio.

According Australia’s Telstra, the expected approval date for the update (at least for the Nokia Lumia 920) is July 8, followed by the Lumia 520, HTC 8X and HTC 8S a week later.

Of course, nothing is official until it’s official and we’re not sure whether users all around the world will get their updates at the same time or sooner/later. We will, however, keep our eyes wide open and let you know as soon as we have something new to add to the story. Stay tuned in the meantime, k?

[Via: Unwired View]

Windows Phone 8 GDR2 update coming in July? originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2013-06-19T11:49:07Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

HTC Butterfly S announced: 1.9GHz Snapdragon 600 CPU, UltraPixel camera and a 5-inch screen

2013-06-19T11:47:50Z

As expect, HTC has officially announced the Butterfly S at its event in Taiwan. The new device is a successor to the original Butterfly, sporting the same-sized 5-inch full HD screen along with other high-end hardware like UltraPixel camera on the back, 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera, 2GB of RAM, solid 3,200mAh battery and 16GB of built-in storage. Unlike the company’s flagship device, HTC One, the Butterfly S sports a microSD card slot and a faster Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor clocked at 1.9GHz.

HTC will start selling its new phone in July in Taiwan, asking NT$22,900 (about $766) for the unlocked, SIM-free device. Unfortunately, there’s no word when it will also be available in other parts of the world like Europe and the Americas. We do hope these regions will get this phone with Verizon perhaps announcing the Butterfly S as a Droid DNA2. We don’t have any such information, but we’ll make sure to get back to you as soon as we hear something new on this…

HTC Butterfly S announced: 1.9GHz Snapdragon 600 CPU, UltraPixel camera and a 5-inch screen originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2013-06-19T11:47:50Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Dish pulls out from the Sprint race

2013-06-19T11:46:37Z

Dish Network declined to submit a new bid for Sprint Nextel, leaving the carrier to Japan’s SoftBank. The satellite TV provider quoted “extreme deal protections” included in Sprint’s revised acquisition agreement with SoftBank for its decision not to pursue the deal. Here’s what they said:

While Dish continues to see strategic value in a merger with Sprint, the decisions made by Sprint to prematurely terminate our due diligence process and accept extreme deal protections in its revised agreement with SoftBank, among other things, have made it impracticable for Dish to submit a revised offer by the June 18th deadline imposed by Sprint. We will consider our options with respect to Sprint, and focus our efforts and resources on completing the Clearwire tender offer.

Now it’s up to Sprint’s shareholders to vote on the Japanese company’s $21.6 billion takeover offer on June 25th. More to come, obviously…

[Via: AllThingsD]

Dish pulls out from the Sprint race originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2013-06-19T11:46:37Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, Galaxy S4 Zoom priced in the UK

2013-06-19T11:45:26Z

Two of the newly announced Samsung Galaxy smartphones have been priced in the UK. First comes the Galaxy S4 mini, which is available for pre-ordering for 390 GBP (about $609) through Clove. The phone retailer will start shipping it in early July.

The other Samsung smartphone that’s been priced in the country is the Galaxy S4 Zoom. One of the best camera phones around should be available starting later this summer, with Handtec already taking pre-orders. Unlocked unit goes for 467.99 GBP, the amount that translates into some $786.

Both devices are priced through the roof and we’re sure the prices will go down the moment these two become more widely available. Heck, we’re certain both phones will be offered for free with two year contracts from different carriers. In the meantime, you are free to check out these two offers from here (Clove) and here (Handtec). And by no means you should pre-order now except if you have a ton of spare cash…

[Via: Unwired View]

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, Galaxy S4 Zoom priced in the UK originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2013-06-19T11:45:26Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

NVIDIA To License Its Kepler GPU Architecture And Visual Computing Patents

2013-06-18T23:37:28Z

We knew NVIDIA had some big plans for the mobile market, but the company has announced just how big those plans are to be. NVIDIA will be licensing it’s Kepler GPU architecture and visual computing patents to manufacturers for mobile products.

The PC industry has been slowing down a bit with the rapid adoption of smartphones and tablets, and NVIDIA wants in on the action.

From NVIDIA’s blog post:

“So, our next step is to license our GPU cores and visual computing patent portfolio to device manufacturers to serve the needs of a large piece of the market.”

The post also goes on to mention that this isn’t new for the company, as it licensed its GPU core to Sony in the making of the Playstation 3 and that it’s licensed its visual computing patents to Intel, generating over $250 million a year.

The company is also very confident that this expansion of its business model is exactly where it should be going:

“As the world leader in visual computing technology, we believe we’re uniquely positioned to benefit. We invest more in R&D in this area than any other company in the world – over $1 billion annually and more than $6 billion since our founding. The vast majority of our 8,500 employees are engaged in these efforts, and we have more than 5,500 patents issued and pending – the industry’s best visual computing patent portfolio.”

This is a great step forward for the company and we can only imagine what NVIDIA’s customers will be doing with the Kepler GPU architecture and visual computing patents.

Be sure to hit up NVIDIA’s blog post to get all the nitty-gritty!

NVIDIA To License Its Kepler GPU Architecture And Visual Computing Patents originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2013-06-18T23:37:28Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Samsung Galaxy Ring Now Available on Virgin Mobile For $179

2013-06-18T23:13:40Z

Virgin Mobile is adding another Samsung Galaxy device to it’s pre-paid mobile network today, announcing the availability of the Samsung Galaxy Ring. The new Galaxy device has a 4-inch display and runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and is available for purchase off contract for $179.99, giving Virgin Mobile customers a more affordable option to the Galaxy S3.

The Galaxy Ring is powered by a 1.4GHz processor and has 4GB of internal storage, 1GB of RAM, a 5MP rear-facing camera, a 1.3MP front facing shooter, and a 1,750mAh battery. The device utilizes Virgin Mobile’s 3G network, and has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

While the Galaxy Ring doesn’t have the most impressive specs, it is an affordable and functional option for Virgin Mobile customers. The device is available for purchase on Virgin Mobile’s website.

[Via: Virgin Mobile]

Samsung Galaxy Ring Now Available on Virgin Mobile For $179 originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2013-06-18T23:13:40Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j