First BlackBerry 10 phone won't have a QWERTY keyboard

The Washington Post is reporting on a curious decision by RIM - the first BlackBerry 10 device to launch will be touchscreen-only. RIM isn't abandoning their trademark - the full hardware QWERTY keyboard - as such devices will still come later on.

While it's true that touch-only devices running iOS or Android are taking BlackBerry's lunch money, the solid typing experience is one of the main reasons people still buy a BlackBerry.

In fact, with most droids forsaking the physical keyboard (and iPhones which never had one), a BlackBerry is one of the few options for people who hate typing on virtual keyboards.

RIM already have a touch-only design for a BlackBerry 10 phone, the developer alpha unit they unveiled in May. One analyst from Jeffries says that BB 10 is all about catching up with Apple in terms of touch and multimedia experience.

He goes on to add "They are going to build a BlackBerry device with a keyboard, but it’s just going to take longer. Maybe it will come a month or two after, but frankly it might be already too late."

Any way you cut it, starting with a touch-only BlackBerry is a gamble. And while the company is not in a good position to lose a bet, if it pays off RIM might start reclaiming some of that lost marketshare.

Source

Sony Xperia S owners rejoice as Android 4.0 ICS arrives

Sony has just released the long awaited Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for its Xperia S flagship smartphone. The handset was announced back in January and hit the shelves in the end of February.

But it’s finally here folks - Sony is seeding the ICS update right now. In addition to all vanilla improvements from Google, Sony added a few tweaks of its own to the multimedia apps. Here is the official video from Sony:

The update is available over the air so keep an eye on your notification area. As different markets will get it at different time you might want to check this link and see if your unit is already on the list.

Source | Via

Microsoft to use Snapdragon S4 Plus for Windows Phone 8

Qualcomm remains the exclusive chipset manufacturer for the Windows Phone platform. Today we got a little more details on the actual chips that will go inside the new Windows Phone smartphones, as Qualcomm confirmed they will be providing the future WP8 smartphones with their Snapdragon S4 Plus chipsets.

The S4 Plus uses two Krait CPU cores, clocked at up to 1.7 GHz and built on a 28nm manufacturing process. Along with those, the chipset utilizes an Adreno GPU of either the 225 or 305 variety. It features Bluetooth 4, 802.11n Wireless (2.4/5GHz), 3G and LTE radios and supports cameras with up to 20MP resolution.

The very first WP8 handsets to hit the market will use the Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960 chip, but further down the road Microsoft and its hardware partners might launch devices with S4 Pro or even quad-core S4 Prime chips.

Source | Via

Nokia announces a suite of new Windows Phone apps

Nokia are proud of bringing the added value of their proprietary apps to their Windows Phone products.

In an attempt to offset the sad news that its current lineup won't get an upgrade to Windows Phone 8, Nokia is introducing new apps to the already available phones and updates to the existing ones.

The new apps by Nokia start with PlayTo, which allows sharing of your phone's content over DLNA to compatible HDTV sets or your home stereo. We've already heard about that one and there's already a version of the app at the Nokia Beta Labs.

Nokia Counters would allow you to monitor your phone usage including talk time, number of messages and data traffic and even set limits. You can also check stats about the communication with your contacts.

The Camera is also getting a software upgrade on Nokia phones. These will now make use of newly added self-timer, action shot, panorama and smart-group shot.

The Smart Group shot is based on Scalado's technology. When making group shots, the phone takes several consecutive photos and then allows you to pick the best face for everyone in the scene.

The Panorama will allow for almost automatic capturing of panning landscape images and it will then auto-stitch them for you.

The current location-based proprietary Nokia apps are also getting updates. Nokia Maps will now let you upload photos, write reviews of places and sync favorites with a computer.

Nokia Transport enables you to pin a location to your Start screen, which you can later touch to get the best transport links to there from your current location.

And finally, Nokia Drive will be monitoring your commutes and make note of all the different routes you take. With time, it would be able to offer you these alternative routes so you can pick whichever works for you best on a certain morning - the shortest or the scenic route. (Boy, am I glad to hear about those innovations!)

The new apps and updates should hit the Windows Marketplace over the next few weeks, so keep an eye for notifications.

Nokia also announced that Nokia smartphones will get Zynga's hit titles Words with friends and Draw Something this fall. The apps will be exclusive to the Nokia smartphones in the first two months of their release.

Nokia, Samsung, Huawei, HTC to make the first phones with WP8

Microsoft's preview of the upcoming Windows Phone 8 mobile OS is over and there's an important takeaway - which companies will debut the first WP8 phones and where the chipsets for those phones will come from.

Nokia is obviously one of the companies that will be building Windows Phone 8 handsets - they bet the house on Microsoft. Joining them are Samsung, HTC and Huawei. This list is interesting for two reasons - first, LG has dropped off the race and second, Huawei has joined in. Huawei should help Microsoft expand its presence in the vast Chinese market.

Qualcomm will continue to be the sole source of chipsets inside Windows Phone 8 devices. Microsoft said that they will be concentrating on dual-core processors, but whether we should be looking forward to Snapdragon S3 or S4 chipsets is a mystery.

Oh, and in case you missed it, current WP7.5 phones will get a 7.8 update but no Windows Phone 8 for them. At least Nokia will be introducing some cool new apps.

Update: AnandTech is now reporting that the new Windows Phone 8 based devices will use the Qualcomm MSM8960 processor. That is the same Snapdragon S4 (Krait) processor that we have seen inside the HTC One S and the AT&T version of the One X, which means we can expect some really good performance from these phones.

Nokia announces Batman-themed Lumia 900

You may remember the limited edition The Dark Knight Rises Lumia 800 that Nokia announced late last year. Nokia will now be making a similar version of the new Lumia 900 as well.

Just like the Lumia 800, the 900 will be available in Black and have the Batman logo on the back. The logo is not just printed on the phone but engraved on it, so you can feel the depression. Other than that the phone will also have some other content on the phone such exclusive wallpapers.

The phone is expected to go on sale in a few weeks in UK, France, Germany and a few other European countries. It will be limited edition so make sure you act fast if you want to get your hands on it.

Source

The Dark Knight Rises Lumia 710 announced for T-Mobile

After announcing the Limited The Dark Knight Rises Lumia 800 and Lumia 900, Nokia is now bringing the limited edition magic to the cheaper Lumia 710.

Now before we begin, we would like to say that this offer is only valid for Lumia 710 devices on the T-Mobile network in the US. With that out of the way, let's see what Nokia and T-Mobile have in store for us.

For starters, this limited edition phone will be offered free (on contract, of course) from T-Mobile between June 20, 2012 to August 31, 2012. The phone will be available in black, cyan, magenta, yellow and white. The Lumia 710 does has not received the same laser engraving treatment as its older siblings and has to make do with simple printed-on graphics.

Apart from this the phone will also come with a special The Dark Knight Rises app along with special content such as wallpapers.

But what if you already own a Lumia 710 from T-Mobile? Then you can go and get a free The Dark Knight Rises Xpress-On Color Cover by going to your nearest T-Mobile store and choose from any of the colors mentioned above.

To get more information about this promotion, click on the link below.

Source