Galaxy S4 And HTC One Google Play Edition Receive Android 4.4.2 Update:

Google rolled out the Android 4.4.2 update recently shortly after it had rolled out Android 4.4.1 for Nexus devices. Updates such as these are first rolled out for Nexus devices before they gradually make their way to devices manufactured by other OEMs. The benefit of owning a Google Play Edition device is that you’re much higher up the list, meaning that updates are rolled out for these variants soon after the Nexus devices have received their fix. The first two GPE smartphones released earlier this year, the Galaxy S4 and HTC One, have both received the latest release of KitKat, Android 4.4.2. These incremental updates don’t bring any major features, however they do fix various bugs, including device specific bugs. Furthermore, a SMS related security exploit that was discovered recently has also been patched in Android 4.4.2. The updates have started rolling out over-the-air for both Google Play Edition smartphones, alternatively, users can download the firmware files from Google and flash their devices manually. Just recently a couple of new GPE devices were released, including the first ever GPE LG G Pad 8.3 tablet and a similar edition of the Sony Xperia Z Ultra. Both of these devices, the smartphone and the tablet, come with Android 4.4 KitKat preinstalled.

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iPhone Air And iPhone 6C Concept Videos Spotted

Let’s see – there is a MacBook Air, the iPad Air, so why not have the iPhone follow in the very same footsteps some time down the road? Who knows, Apple might just do that, but right now, we do have a couple of videos to share with you – one above as well as another right after, that will depict the possibility of what the iPhone Air as well as iPhone 6C would look like if they happened to be in existence. The iPhone Air video hails from Set Solution, where it boasts of some rather pretty renderings that might just leave some folks pinching themselves so that they know what they are seeing is not real, and it might never even come out in the first place. After all, who can argue with a smartphone that measures all of 1.5mm thin at the top, with a 3mm thickness located at the bottom, tipping the scales at 70 grams, while boasting an edge-to-edge glass display? As for the conceptual iPhone 6C, it will share the theme of having many different colors just like the iPhone 5c, except that there is a pronounced curve located on the display that is not too different from that of the LG G Flex, although the back would remain flat.

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Motorola Touchless Control App Update Unlocks Your Phone With But A Spoken Word

They say that a spoken word can be extremely powerful, although it is also understood that a curse which has no place will not fall on anyone. Some people follow the school of thought of speaking things into reality, but why not let technology ensure that this happens every time, all the time? Motorola has recently introduced a new update to its Touchless Control app over on Google Play, which would ensure that your smartphone will be more versatile even when it is in a locked state, as extra Google Now commands should now be able to jive with your smartphone when it is idle and locked. You will be able to unlock your PIN simply by speaking it out, and Touchless Control will do all the rest. A new tone is also introduced when you say “OK Google Now.” Apparently, this particular update does seem to be made available only to devices that have Android 4.4 KitKat as the operating system of choice, which pretty much rules out the recent DROID family, at least until Motorola and Verizon do something to remedy that situation soon. Speaking out your PIN is fine and dandy by me, but it seems to be a function that is worth using only in private, coming in most handy when you drive and need to concentrate on the road.


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Skype For Android 4.5 Rolls Out

Just the other day, we read about how Microsoft rolled out a Skype for Windows Phone 8 update to the masses, and this time around, we have a little bit of something for Android device owners who cannot help but sneak in some Skype goodness into their everyday routine. We are looking at Skype for Android version 4.5 now, where there will be a couple of totally new features which will cater for Android tablet owners, in addition to general improvements across the board. Skype happens to be the first Android application that will be able to deliver a picture in picture window, letting you check out your video call never mind the fact that you have already switched away to other applications. I guess some might say that this is an experience which would not be too different from Windows 8′s Snap View, albeit it comes with a touch of Android this time around, letting you multitask even when you are attending to a Skype video call. While this feature is available only on tablets, those using Skype 4.5 on your Android smartphone will still be able to catch out a message that performs a permission request to draw on top of other apps. Other bug fixes and quality improvements in Skype 4.5 would include better Video Instant Messaging functionality, compatibility for the Hudl tablet, crash issues on the Nexus 5 would be no more, as well as persistent drop down filter selections on the people tab.


source-ubergizmo.com

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Nexus 10 Gets Manual Android 4.4.1 KitKat Update

We have seen how just a few days ago, the Android 4.4.1 KitKat manual update for both the Nexus 4 as well as Nexus 7 were made available to the masses. Well, since all good things always come to those who wait, those who happen to own the Nexus 10 will be pleased to hear that the Android 4.4.1 KitKat manual update is finally available for download and subsequently, installation. It does seem as though majority of the fixes and features introduced with this latest Android update would cater for the Nexus 5, so it can be pretty difficult to guess the exact nature of how the Nexus 10 will change this time around. One thing that can be confirmed, at the very least, would be the fact that the default app for managing your images from the camera app would be the Google+ Photos app, being used in favor of the stock Android Gallery app. Needless to say, for those who want to download and install this manual update, just make sure that your Nexus 10 happens to be running on stock Android 4.4 build KRT16S before you proceed. It would also be an amazing – nay, common sense move to perform a backup of all your data beforehand since you can never quite tell just when will Murphy strike.


source-ubergizmo.com/

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Galaxy S4 Review

The Samsung Galaxy S4 has arrived to America, and if you have been eagerly waiting to know how it feels to use the Galaxy S4 in the real world, the wait is over. Since its predecessor sold more than 50M units worldwide, the Samsung Galaxy S4 has to live up to rather high anticipation and expectations. You may have followed our first hands-on review of the S4, so you may know a fair amount about this smartphone. for this complete review, we have had more time to use the Galaxy S4 as a primary smartphone, and needless to say that on paper, it improves upon all aspects of the Galaxy S3 with which you may have seen or played with. If not, don’t worry, we’ll provide a good picture of what the S4 is. Now, the question is: how does it actually behave in the real world, and is it a smartphone for you? Samsung Galaxy S4 Specs (powerful) First of all, let’s go over some critical specifications of this new smartphone (a Sprint unit), just to have a frame of reference: Galaxy S3 iPhone 5 Galaxy S4 HTC One Weight 133 112 130 143 Display Size 4.8 4 4.99 4.7 Resolution 1280×720 1136×640 1920×1080 1920×1080 Pixel Density 306 326 441 468 microSD 64GB max No 64GB max No OS Android 4.1 iOS 6 Android 4.2 Android 4.1 Battery mAh 2100 1440 2600 2300 Battery removable Yes No Yes No Infrared blaster No No Yes Yes Camera (F) MP 1.9 1.2 2 2.1 Camera (B) MP 8 8 13 4 Thickness (inches) 0.34 0.3 0.31 0.37 Note that there are a few variants of the Samsung Galaxy S4: this one is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor at 1.9GHz, but the two others feature a Samsung Exynos Octa 5 4+4 cores that I have described at length in my Exynos Octa 5 post. The Samsung chip may embed 8 cores, but it should be considered to be a quad-core chip (in code execution terms) since only 4 can run at any given time. Samsung used the big.LITTLE architecture from ARM, and if you are curious, check what I think of big.LITTLE, it’s pretty neat. Update: experts say that the GS4 is also “easy” to repair. Many of you have asked “why” Samsung comes up with these hardware variations, and although none of the companies involved would usually comment on this hot topic, my guess is that carrier certifications end up being what’s driving those choices. Since the Qualcomm communications software stack works obviously much better with their own processor/modem combo, and given that US carriers (AT&T in particular) have tested and approved Qualcomm, it’s likely that Samsung has chosen Qualcomm to have a faster time to market (Samsung may not have time to qualify their own chips) in order to hit a worldwide market at launch. Although you may hear a lot of noise about the hardware differences, the user experience of both platforms is largely comparable. That’s my opinion after playing with an “Exynos version” of the S4 recently. Context We all use our phones differently, so it’s important that I tell you what I do with my smartphone(s): I typically check email often with the built-in email app (via Microsoft Exchange), and reply moderately because typing on the virtual keyboard is tedious. I browse the web several times a day to check on news sites, but rarely watch movies or play music. I don’t call much – maybe 10mn a day, if at all. On the “apps” side, I have a couple of social networks (FB, G+), a receipts manager and random apps (<20), but I rarely play games or do something super-intensive like video editing. This usage pattern will affect battery life and the perception of what features are useful. Now you know where we’re coming from…

source-ubergizmo.com

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Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. HTC One Google Edition

You knew that those devices were coming: the Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition (GPE) was announced at Google I/O and the HTC One Google Play Edition followed shortly after that. There are even unconfirmed rumors of an XPERIA Z Google Edition (loaded with the stock Android OS, without modifications), but so far only two have finally landed in our offices: The S4 and the HTC One. You may wonder why Google does sell those devices, and the reason is quite simple: Google wants the general public to be able to experience Android as it was originally developed, on the best possible hardware. In this review, we will focus on the Android aspect, and if you are not yet familiar with the industrial design, performance and other critical aspects of those phones, I recommend reading our in-depth Galaxy S4 Review and HTC One Review articles since they will provide a lot of details.

source-ubergizmo.com

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Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie Release At Google I/O Reportedly Delayed

A lot has already been rumored about Google’s I/O conference. It is believed that the company will announce a revamped Nexus 7 and a 32GB LTE Nexus 4 instead of a next generation Nexus 5 smartphone. Google was also expected to announce the next major Android platform update, Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie. Its release has now reportedly been delayed by as much as four months to give ample time to OEMs so that they can keep up with the new Android version. Another reason for this delay could be the launch of Motorola X smartphone. The company’s top executives have sung its praises, perhaps they’ll merge both announcements together? At the moment 29.3% of Android devices are powered by Ice Cream Sandwich, in second place comes Jelly Bean which powers some 23% devices. Pushing back the Key Lime Pie release will aid both OEMs and Google itself. Despite being announced at last year’s I/O, many manufacturers and carriers are still rolling it out to Jelly Bean deprived customers. Launching a new version would further increase the fragmentation, and if this rumor is anything to go by, Google looks intent on avoiding that.

source-http://www.ubergizmo.com/2013/04/android-5-0-key-lime-pie-release-at-google-io-reportedly-delayed/

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Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie Concept

It has been said that the next update of the Android mobile operating system would bump Jelly Bean to version 4.3, but that particular version number is said to lack any major, earth shattering changes, so most folks have already cast an eye in the direction of Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie. Well, what do you think one can expect from Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie when it arrives? We have absolutely no idea, so it is left up to the folks with an imagination to think of how “delicious” Key Lime Pie would look like on your smartphone down the road with this particular concept from a certain Jinesh Shah on Google+. Shah’s day job is a graphic artist, and his Key Lime Pie concept boasts of a minimalist and beautiful vision, sporting an extremely clean design approach. It looks like the “flat” graphical user interface scheme is catching on, where being minimal is a surefire trend in the right direction where mobile operating systems are concerned. This concept would see the Home Screen arrive with highly functional “hidden” widgets, showing up only when the user indulges in a customizable gesture. This helps reduce unnecessary clutter on the interface, coming into play only when you need to use it. Do you like what Shah did with his conceptualization of Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie?


source-ubergizmo.com

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Certain Samsung Smartphones Might Skip Android 4.2.2 Update For Android 4.3

There are certain Samsung smartphones that are yet to receive the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update, these include the Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S3. Rumor has it that Samsung might not roll out said update for these devices, instead opting to skip it in favor of Android 4.3. The problem is though, no one knows exactly when Android 4.3 is going to be released. To make matters worse, Google hasn’t as yet recognized that Android 4.3 is indeed the next major update. According to the rumor Samsung won’t release the update until November or December, and if by that time Android 4.3 is out, it would update these devices directly to the latest version. Furthermore, the rumor claims that Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note 2 and the yet to be released Galaxy Note 3 will all be updated to Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie. Once again, the same problem is present here as well. Google hasn’t confirmed that Android 5.0 carries the Key Lime Pie moniker. Google is expected to release a major platform update in the coming months, though an exact release time-frame is not known as of now.

source-ubergizmo.com

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Android 4.4 KitKat Moniker Revealed As One Billion Device Activation Milestone Is Passed

Vice President of Android, Chrome and Google Apps, Sundar Pichai, announced today that Google’s mobile platform has now been activated on more than one billion devices around the globe. To celebrate this occasion, a KitKat Android statue has been propped up outside the company’s Mountain View campus. Yes, that’s right, KitKat. The chocolate, if you’re still confused. Turns out, the next Android release is going to be named after the chocolate. Google has now unveiled Android 4.4 KitKat moniker, which replaces the much rumored Key Lime Pie label that most people expected to accompany the next platform update. The official Android website has been updated to reflect this decision. It has also been revealed that the next major update won’t actually be called Android 5.0, it will be called Android 4.4. Nothing much has been revealed beyond this right now. A new promotion has been unveiled by both Google and KitKat, one can win Google Play Store credit or a new Nexus 7 2013 tablet. This change marks the switch from desserts to chocolates, Android versions have been named after popular desserts such as Ice Cream Sandwich, Donut and Eclair for a few years now. What do you think about KitKat moniker for the upcoming Android update?


source-ubergizmo.com

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Android 4.x Finally Overtakes Android 2.3 Gingerbread

It seems that it wasn’t too long ago that Android 2.3 (and its subsequent variants) was the dominant Android operating system, but according to recent statistics (via Android Developers), Android 4.x has finally caught up. While Android 2.3 Gingerbread is still sitting at a whopping 44.2%, Android 4.x and its versions collectively represent 45.1% of active use, beating out Gingerbread 2.3 by a very narrow margin. Even better news is that as far as Android 4.1/4.2 Jelly Bean is concerned, it seems that it is active on 16.5% of current users. Of course we expect that these figures don’t take into account rooted Android phones running on custom ROMs like CyanogenMod 9/10, but those are still pretty decent figures and we can only imagine it will be a matter of time before those numbers start to increase even further.

The question is will any of these versions of Android reach the same level as Android 2.3 Gingerbread? It’s hard to say, especially since the next version of Android after Gingerbread was Honeycomb, a version of Android that was designed specifically for tablets in mind. This meant that OEMs had to work with Gingerbread for longer periods of time compared to now, where they have the option of going for Android 4.0 ICS or Android 4.1/4.2 Jelly Bean, not forgetting that there are probably a good many older devices that weren’t eligible for the upgrade to Android 4.0. Many expect Google to introduce the next major revision of Android, Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie, at Google I/O later this year and it will be interesting to see what the numbers will look like then.


source-http://www.ubergizmo.com/2013/03/android-4-x-finally-overtakes-android-2-3-gingerbread/

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Facebook For Android 2.0 Aims For Speed

Facebook has just announced its Facebook for Android 2.0 app which is landing in Google Play later today. The new app is now using native code, just like it does on the iOS version which brought a huge speed boost, especially on the new iPhone 5 hardware. This is the same kind of performance increase that we expect for Android devices this afternoon when the update cycle starts.

Although the app should look the same on the surface, there was a lot of coding work and performance analysis that led to this new version 2.0 (more info on that). This is the biggest change in Facebook for Android since it was first released, and the good news is that Facebook should be able to rely on this foundation for a while, so expect the next release to be more about functionality than performance.

This is great news for Android users who may have grown frustrated by the slow performance of the Facebook app for Android. This was the #1 issue with this app from what I can tell. We’ll see if the release lives up to the expectations, but I’m pretty optimistic, and we’ll know for sure in a few hours. My Galaxy Note 2 cannot wait one more second to get this one.

Source-ubergizmo.com

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RIM announces Android Port-A-Thon for January 2013

We know that RIM’s CMO promised that Blackberry 10 would launch with at least 70,000 apps, although with RIM recently announcing their Android Port-A-Thon, we’re guessing that some of those 70,000 apps will be apps ported over from Google’s Android platform. That’s not a bad thing though because Android numbers more than half a million apps the last time we checked, and if more popular Android apps get ported onto Blackberry 10, the more people might be willing to check out RIM’s latest mobile operating system.

RIM has announced that the Android Port-A-Thon will be taking place on the 11th of January 2013, and it seems that they are eager to reward developers with make successful ports. According to their website (source link below), a successfully ported and approved app will net the developer $100 with a maximum of 20 apps per vendor. Developers who submit apps will also be eligible to participate in drawing in which they will be able to win a Dev Alpha device. For interested developers, hit up the source link below for the details, and for the layman what this means is that (hopefully) by the time Blackberry 10 launches, there will be a ton of cool apps you will be able to check out.

Source-ubergizmo.com

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Google Names Its Best Android Apps For 2012

Not to be outdone with Apple’s list of best iTunes apps for the year 2012, Google is also flashing its own list of this year’s best Android apps. Topping the list is the Zappos app, which is basically an app for shopping shoes, clothes, housewares, and more. Second in line is the insanely popular note-taking app, Evernote. Landing at the third spot is Pinterest and bagging the fourth place is Grimm’s Snow White.

The list goes on with the offline reader Pocket taking the fifth spot. Expedia took the sixth place while the full-featured genealogy app Ancestry sits at the seventh. Fancy is Google’s eight best Android app in 2012 and money-managing app Mint lands at the ninth. The list also includes SeriesGuide Show Manager, Pixlr Express, and our favorite TED Conferences app. They are Google’s tenth, eleventh, and twelfth best apps, respectively. You can check out the full list on Google Play.

Source-ubergizmo.com

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Production lines running through Chinese New Year to meet iPad mini demand

As you celebrate this holiday season with a game of Angry Birds Star Wars on that new iPad mini, take a moment to consider the workers in China who are about to forego their traditional two-week Chinese New Year break. According to United Daily, at least two of Apple's suppliers in the country are planning to run their production lines right through the holiday to meet Chinese demand for the iPhone 5 and iPad mini.

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd. will run at least some of its lines, while Flexium Interconnect, which makes Apple's printed circuit boards, is keeping its factory in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province open with the help of students.

While it appears that iPhone 5 supply has finally met demand in the US, the iPad mini continues to be hard to find here despite ship times from Apple's online store shrinking to one week earlier this month.

Source-TUAW

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New tablet owners share Christmas tweets, iPad on top

Anecdotal evidence from Twitter suggests there were a lot of new iPads under the Christmas tree. According to a graphic spotted by Andy Baio, the number of people proclaiming this is my "First tweet from my iPad" eclipses those tweeting for the first time from their Kindle Fire, Nexus 7 or Surface tablet. There's no source for the data, so we can't confirm that its accurate. If it is true, the iPad was the gift to give and receive this holiday season.

source-TUAW

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Samsung will update US Galaxy S III devices to Jelly Bean 'in the coming months'

Samsung Mobile to Begin Jelly Bean Update with TouchWiz® Enhancements for Galaxy S® III Smartphones in the U.S.

Available in the coming months, the Galaxy S III update offers the latest Android™ platform; new camera, video and customization enhancements; and access to ESPN's ScoreCenter app with custom AllShare® integration

DALLAS - October 17, 2012 - Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC (Samsung Mobile) – the No.1 mobile phone provider in the United States and a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the No. 1 smartphone provider worldwide1 – continues its commitment to bringing the latest innovation to market with the rollout of Android 4.1, Jelly Bean, the latest version of the world's most popular smartphone operating system, to all Galaxy S III smartphones in the U.S. in the coming months.

The update will be made available both over the air and as a download via Kies, Samsung's content sync and software update solution. The specific timing and update method will be announced by each carrier partner, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular.

Galaxy S III owners will receive the Jelly Bean update as well as a host of new and enhanced TouchWiz features, making it a faster, richer and more responsive device experience. Samsung's best-selling flagship smartphone just got even better.

Samsung refined and enhanced the Galaxy S III experience by adding new capabilities to the camera, video and user interface, including:
· Camera Enhancements:
o New live camera and camcorder filters offer a range of new ways to spark your creativity. Warm vintage, cold vintage, black and white, sepia, color highlights (blue, green, red/yellow), and many more are selectable from the main camera screen.
o Pause and resume while recording video allows users to string together multiple captured video clips from a party, birthday or sporting event into a single file with no post editing required.
o Low light photo mode takes advantage of Galaxy S III's best-in-class High Dynamic Range (HDR) capabilities and offers an optimized mode for low light and indoor photos.
· Pop Up Play Update: Users can now easily resize or pause the Pop Up Play picture-in-picture video window, taking full advantage of the Galaxy S III's powerful processor and large 4.8-inch screen.
· Easy Mode: Easy Mode is a simplified user experience option for first-time smartphone owners, providing large home screen widgets that focus on the device essentials. The Easy widgets include both 4x2 and 4x4 arrangements of favorite contacts, favorite apps, favorite settings, clock and alarm.
· Blocking Mode: Galaxy S III owners can disable incoming calls, notifications, alarms and LED indicators for a designated period of time.
· Improved Usability: Users now have multiple keyboard options with the addition of the Swype® keyboard.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean offers users a smoother, faster and more fluid experience with expanded feature functionality, including:

· Google Now™: Google Now gives users the right information at the right time, like how much traffic to expect before leaving work, when the next train is scheduled to arrive at the subway station or the score of a favorite team's current game – conveniently delivered as notifications. Additionally, Google Now provides powerful voice assistant functionality across a range of domains, including weather, maps, navigation, search, image search, flight status and more. Google Now can conveniently be launched from the lock screen shortcut or by a long press on the menu button from any screen.
· Rich Notifications: Notifications can now expand and shrink with a pinch to show the right amount of information a user needs. Notifications have been enhanced so action can be taken without having to launch the app first – like sharing a screenshot directly from the notification.
· Automatic Widget Adjustment: Customizing the home screen is easier than ever before. Users can simply place a new icon or widget on the screen, and existing icons will move out of the way to make space. When widgets are too big, they automatically resize to fit on the screen.

In addition to the operating system update, Samsung and ESPN worked together to integrate AllShare® technology into ESPN's popular ScoreCenter® application. This means Galaxy S III owners will now be able to wirelessly push on-demand ESPN global sports coverage and highlights from the ESPN ScoreCenter app to their Samsung SMART TV™. When on the same Wi-Fi network as a Samsung SMART TV, a sharing icon will appear within the ScoreCenter video player which allows users to seamlessly push what they are watching to the TV. The ScoreCenter app with AllShare integration is available today for download through S Suggest™ on all U.S. Galaxy S III devices.

With the Jelly Bean update, the Galaxy S III will also add support for some exciting new accessory experiences.
· AllShare® Cast Wireless Hub: The AllShare Cast Wireless Hub accessory allows users to wirelessly mirror their phone screen to any HDTV or HDMI® display. Whether it's sharing pictures, browsing the Web, playing games, streaming music, watching videos or projecting business presentations, users can control the action on the big screen wirelessly from their smartphone. AllShare Cast Wireless Hub even supports licensed content playback of premium TV and movies.
· NFC One Touch Pairing Support: Galaxy S III can now pair with supporting NFC Bluetooth® accessories in a single touch. The Samsung Galaxy HM3300 Bluetooth headset will be the first Samsung portfolio accessory to support this functionality (available in the near future), allowing users to pair their headset by touching it to the back of their device.

View the original article here

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Meet G’zOne TYPE-L; A Military Standard Ruggedized Android Smartphone from Casio

It’s no secret that Android is the most dominant operating system in the smartphone and one of the reasons is that so many manufacturers have designed and developed all kinds of smartphones – from low end budget smartphones to high performance quad core phones, from small 3.5 inch screen phones to large 5.5 inch phablets.  Well, if you love Android and would wish to have a phone that can take all forms of beatings and abuse, Casio may have released just the kind of phone you want.

The Casio G’zOne TYPE-L is a military-grade ruggedized phone that is incredibly durable but still has some very impressive specs including a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm dual core processor, 1 GB of RAM and an 8 megapixels camera.  Casio is working on making the phone available in the market around February next year and will be available in red or black.  You would expect such a phone to be prohibitively expensive but Casio actually targets to introduce the phone in Japan in January for under $400 US equivalent.  They have not mentioned anything about rolling out the phone to other countries but such a gadget, being one of the few that are unique in the world, would certainly attract a fair market share.
The Casio G’zOne TYPE-L sports a 4 inch IPS display with a low resolution of 800 x 480 pixels and will have 8 GB onboard memory but with a microSD card slot that can support up to 32 GB extended memory.  It will also come with the standard mid-range smartphone features including WiFi, 3G and 4G, Bluetooth, GPS and a 1.3 megapixels front camera.  The phone is designed to be waterproof, dustproof and has a shock-resistant construction to protect it against drops even on hard surfaces.
Well, if you are the outdoors type, or if for some reason you have developed a habit of dropping your phones to their death and need a shockproof gadget, this may be just what you are after.  Casio is teaming up with NEC to bring this great phone, we just have to wait and see if it will be made available in the US and the international market because it looks like a phone I would carry to an adventure or rock climbing.
Core Specs
Processor: Dual-core1.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8960
Operating System: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Memory: 1 GB RAM, 8 GB onboard memory with microSD card slot (up to 32 GB more storage)
Display: 4 inch 800 x 480 IPS Screen
Cameras: 8 megapixel camera rear, 1.3 megapixel front
Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, WiFi, 3G, 4G LTE
Battery: 1,800 mAh
Tags: Casio G’zOne TYPE-L, Casio NEC G’zOne TYPE-L, NEC Android Rugged smartphone, Rugged Android smartphoneCategory: Other Manufacturers, Smartphones
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Sony Xperia Tablet S Touts Remote-Control Functionality, Trim Dimensions

While Sony experimented with its dual-screen Tablet P last year, it seems to be playing things a bit more conservatively this year. At the IFA technology trade show in Berlin today, Sony announced its new Xperia Tablet S, a 9.4-inch Android 4.0 tablet.
The new version of the tablet has been improved in a few key ways: It is now thinner than the previous version (0.35 inches at its thinnest point), faster with a quad-core Tegra 3 processor from Nvidia, and has some new functionality, including an improved remote app.
And it’s the latter piece – the remote functionality – on which Sony’s  really focusing. The tablet has an IR blaster so it can control your TV. But while you can use the tablet as a universal remote, you can also load up the Watch Now app that provides a visual program guide alongside social media feeds.
Additionally, Sony has made some adjustments to Android 4.0, including a new Guest Mode that lets you set up different accounts with parental controls, if you choose.
The 1.26-pound tablet has a 9.4-inch 1280 x 800-resolution display, 1GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1-megapixel front-facing camera for video chatting.
Sony is also releasing some unique accessories to enhance the tablet experience, including a cover with a keyboard similar to the one Microsoft has shown for its Surface tablet. The $99.99 keyboard uses touch sensors rather than physical keys. Sony says that this keyboard was in production before Microsoft’s Surface announcement in June. It also will release a $99.99 docking stand that lets you rotate the screen; one with a built in speaker will be out in November for $ 129.99.
The tablet itself starts at $399 for the 16GB version and will be available Sept. 7 online and at stores.
Sony Mobile Communications announced last week that it planned to lay off 15 percent of its workforce, about 1,000 employees, by 2014.

source-abcnews

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