Acer V360 may be the company's first Jelly Bean smartphone

After including Android 4.1: Jelly Bean in its Iconia Tab A110 tablet, Acer may finally be taking the jump to Jelly Bean with its next smartphone.

The company has already released several smartphones with Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich, including the CloudMobile S500, but has yet to enter the lastest Android OS fray.

However, a new report has revealed the company's first potential 4.1 phone, the Acer V360.

While there's no release date or price currently lined up for the rumored device, some of the specifications have made it to the net.

Full circle

The V360 will supposedly be available in both black and white models, with each version of the phone sporting a 4.5-inch qHD screen with 960 x 540 resolution.

Additionally, the V360 will include a 5 megapixel rear camera, a VGA front-facing camera, and an undetermined 1GHz dual-core processor.

Unfortunately, the V360 will only be available with 3G connectivity, putting it a step behind likely competitors like the slightly bigger HTC Droid DNA.

As Acer has yet to officially announce the V360, there's no telling what kind of market availability the device will have.

TechRadar asked Acer for more on the V360, and will update this story if and when the company responds.

Via Unwired View

Samsung exec wants to emulate Apple's strengths, uses rival's products

Samsung and Apple may not be the best of friends, but that doesn't mean employees from either company don't see the merit in their rival's tech.

Despite being the top phone manufacturer during the third quarter of 2012, at least one of Samsung's executives believes there's more to be learned from Apple's practices.

In an interview with MIT Technology Review, Samsung's Chief Strategy Officer Young Sohn talked about how envious he was of Apple's iCloud, even going so far as to admit he uses Apple devices outside the office.

What's more, Sohn believes a critical point in Samsung's future relies on creating an open ecosystem like iCloud if the company hopes to have continued success.

It's better on the cloud

Samsung has just built two new research and development facilities in Silicon Valley, and Sohn revealed what he hoped those new branches would accomplish.

"We make really great devices," Sohn said. "But actually if you think of our future, it's in answering the question of how we put it all together and how we manage the data that's coming out of these devices and encourage the innovation ecosystem for our platforms."

Sohn added that Samsung would be looking into critical growth areas like cloud and mobile ecosystem technologies.

All of this would be to better emulate the strengths of Apple, which Sohn believes lie in the unified ecosystem iCloud provides.

"If you look at the strengths of Apple, in a way it's not the product per se. It's that consumers like their ecosystem such as iCloud," Sohn stated.

"[The Samsung Galaxy Nexus] is a better phone, in my view. It's a better display. It's faster. But eventually the connected ecosystem is really critical."

Unlike Apple, Samsung's devices are very single-minded according to Sohn, and that's an area he hopes to address soon.

"[If] you think about our experiences, it's device-centric," Sohn related. "It's experienced by itself. It's not experienced in a connected way. So we think we can provide a lot more things than what we are doing today with an open ecosystem with our partners."

Samsung is rumored to introduce a radical brand makeover at CES 2013, and indicated that consumers should expect "something new" at the convention.

Whether that includes some of the ideas Sohn presented in his interview remains to be seen, but at least there are only a few more weeks until we find out just what Samsung has in store for the future.

Via The Verge, MIT Technology Review

BlackBerry 10 keyboard features edge-to-edge keys, predictive spacing

The BlackBerry 10 release date is less than two months from today, so smartphone developer Research In Motion is demoing how its touchscreen keyboard is going to make fans feel right at home.

"We've really played close attention to make it look and feel like a BlackBerry keyboard," said RIM Head of Software Portfolio Vivek Bhardwaj in a video interview on the company's official blog.

The visual design of the BB10 keyboard is complete with familiar white letters on top of black keys and BlackBerry's famous white frets between the keys.

"You have a look at each key," said Bhardwaj. "It's kind of maximized edge-to-edge."

Predictive vocabulary

RIM also has new predictive typing features in the BlackBerry 10 OS that may help the company remain known for its stellar smartphone keyboard and achieve its goal of becoming the No. 3 mobile OS.

"When it comes to next-word suggestions," said Bhardwaj, "they're personalized with your own vocabulary."

Next-word suggestions appear right on the keys, and a simple swipe-to-type gesture adds the predicted word. There's no tiny little X button to deal with like on the iPhone 5.

Predictive spacing

The BlackBerry 10 keyboard takes typing convenience a step further with innovative predictive spacing.

"When rushing out and typing a lot of words, and you miss that space key, with BlackBerry 10 we recognize that," said Bhardwaj.

The phone will infer that space and drop one in automatically. No word on how this predictive spacing function will treat hashtags, however.

Bhardwaj calls this his favorite BlackBerry keyboard feature, saying, "the largest key on the keyboard is space, but [on touch] it's something that we miss very often just because of the speed we're typing at."

"When you type two, three, even four words, and you've missed the space, you don't stop, you don't need to look back. We'll correct all of that for you and you just continue typing."

Check out the full video below:

Apple could shift 50 million iPad minis next year, pack mini 2 with Retina

Next year could be the year of the iPad mini, or at the very least a robust one for the 7-plus-inch slate, if two predictions floated this week come true.

The first comes from David Hsieh, vice president, Greater China Market for NPD DisplaySearch, an analytics firm that specializes in display supply chain and display-related industries, in a recent blog post.

According to Hsieh, Apple could ship 100 million iPads next year with the iPad mini taking up half of that figure.

What's more, DigiTimes reported Thursday that Apple will zero in on the next-gen iPad mini's display for improvements. The paper's sources aren't sure if that means the mini 2.0 wil have Retina display, but chances are that could be the case.

Mini time

DigiTimes' prediction isn't exactly new news - we've heard that the iPad mini 2 could pack a 2,048 x 1,536 screen resolution - though the publication added the Retina tech would give the tablet a ppi of 326 (we've heard 324 before).

But the paper does cite industry sources, albeit unnamed ones, which adds more fuel to the Retina display fire.

As for Hsieh's predictions, he said that Apple planned to sell 6 million iPad mini's this year but, citing a DisplaySearch report, only 1.6 million displays shipped in the third quarter, causing the supply to tighten.

However, Apple has since ordered 12 million screens for Q4.

Apple initially faced shortages for its 7.85-inch XGA display thanks to the acutely difficult task of making a panel for the mini, Hsieh noted.

According to the analyst, iPad panels are difficult to make in general because of high res and low power requirements, as well as wide viewing angle and high color saturation specifications that require additional photomask steps during production.

While a standard backplane takes four to five photomask steps, the iPad and iPad mini need six to seven, or - for those builders with limited IPS and FFS production experience - as many as eight.

Hsieh thinks Apple will make the adjustments it needs to reach its 100 million iPad goal, with the iPad 4 shipping 40 million units and the iPad 2 (still going strong) 10 million.

One catch and a point of dissonance between the two reports is that Hsieh said Apple will need to recruit more panel makers to meet demand for 50 million minis.

If those figures include next-gen minis, Apple could find itself in the same short supply boat as it did this year if it needs to train more manufacturers to build even more taxing Retina displays.

Yet another little bit from the DigiTimes' report: other sources reportedly said that Apple plans to cut down on the next 9.7-inch iPad's weight by switching from two LED light bars to a one - meaning different manufacturing techniques.

Apple can't be faulted for innovating - but it might want to print some handbooks before it gets to building.

Google+ mobile app overflowing with updates

Google rolled out an update to its mobile Google+ app as a holiday gift for both Android and iOS users.

The Android Google+ app receives the bigger update, with users able to upload full resolution photos from their smartphone by using the instant upload feature.

Previously, the app would compress photos in order to save on storage, but Google is now providing 5GB of space for Android users who want to back up their full size photos through Google+.

The Android Google+ app also now lets users edit their profile through the app, adds improved notifications, and the ability to take photo spheres for 360 degree panoramic shots.

iOS gets some love too

The iOS Google+ app got its own photo viewing update, allowing for inline swiping through photo albums and adding "a subtle pan-zoom-scale effect to pictures in the stream."

Aside from the OS-specific improvements, both versions of the app can now access the newly added Google+ Communities.

Mobile Google+ users will also have better control over events with the option to send messages to individual guests, see who has opened their invitation, and RSVP with the number of guests you plan to bring along.

As a final feature for the update, the Google+ app on Android and iOS devices now supports Hangouts over connections as low as 150KB, which should be a big help in low bandwidth areas.

Cutting back on ad spam

While Google was busy improving its social network for mobile devices, it also rolled out an update to its mobile banner ads.

The new banner ads are designed to avoid accidental clicks by requiring a second tap to confirm that users want to see the site being advertised.

Google says it found that users often accidentally click on banner ads while scrolling or clicking links near the edge of a banner. It's annoying for users, and expensive for advertisers who pay for ads on a per click basis.

Google had already implemented a similar confirmation click system on text-based banner ads, and found that it led to fewer accidental clicks and an improved rate of users actually buying products from the ads.

Confirmation clicks will now be implemented for in-app image banners distributed by Google Mobile Ads, which covers a wide range of apps available on all mobile devices.

Microsoft claims Windows 8 preceded the iPad - so what?

Microsoft's new head of Windows 8 claims that the company came up with the entire Windows 8 design and concept before the first iPad was announced.

Julie Larson-Green spoke with MIT's Technology Review and when asked if Windows 8 was developed as a touch-friendly OS in response to the popularity of iOS and Android, she said don't be silly, it was all Microsoft's idea with no outside influences whatsoever.

"We started planning Windows 8 in June of 2009, before we shipped Windows 7, and the iPad was only a rumor at that point," she said.

"I only saw the iPad after we had this design ready to go. We were excited. A lot of things they were doing about mobile and touch were similar to what we'd been thinking."

"Similar"

"We [also] had differences," she added.

"We wanted not just static icons on the desktop but Live Tiles to be a dashboard for your life; we wanted you to be able to do things in context and share across apps; we believed that multitasking is important and that people can do two things at one time."

She also went on to say that she "can't imagine a computer without touch anymore" and she believes that the vast majority of future PCs will be touch-enabled, while adding that "a finger's never going to replace the precision of a mouse" so there will always be hybrid options too.

From Technology Review

Alcatel One Touch View teased in promo video

Alcatel's One Touch View - its Windows Phone 7.8-running handset bound for Russia - has been teased in a promotional video.

Well, the phone makes an appearance right near the end, anyway. The rest of it is taken up with a character going by the name of Ricky, who tells us about his life. Which isn't that thrilling, admittedly, but does provide a glimpse of what we can expect from the One Touch View.

The One Touch View looks like being one of the first handsets to come running the Windows Phone 7.8 operating system. It comes in a range of colours, much like Nokia's Lumia 920.

On the specs front, it looks a little mid-range, but that's no bad thing. It packs a 4-inch, 800x480-pixel display, a 1GHz processor, and a 5-megapixel camera on the back. So it's not going to trouble the Samsung Galaxy S3 or HTC One X+, but then it's aimed at a different market.

Windows Phone 7.8

Microsoft will roll out Windows Phone 7.8 to handsets running Windows Phone 7.5. It brings some features from Windows Phone 8, such as resizable Live Tiles on the Start screen. So you don't have to miss out just because you haven't invested in a Windows Phone 8 mobile.

Via Engadget

EE looks to cash in further with 4G Android tablet tariffs

EE has lifted the lid on its first Android tablet tariffs using its superfast 4G network, and like the mobile plans the prices are rather eye-watering.

The first two tablets on offer are the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 LTE and Google Nexus 7, with the latter bundled with Huawei's E589 Mobile Wi-Fi unit.

If you fancy the Galaxy Note 10.1 then you'll need to cough up £249.99 upfront and then £25.99 a month over two years for just 3GB of data – £873.75 in total.

There's no unlimited data plan, and the 8GB offering demands £35.99 per month for 24 months, plus £99.99 up front – that's £963.75 all in.

Pricey

Sadly there's not much relief if you opt for the smaller Nexus 7; the 3GB 4G tariff requires you stump up £49.99 for the tablet and then £24.99 per month over two years, which totals £649.75, seemingly excessive for a tablet which starts at £159 (albeit that's for the Wi-Fi only, 16GB model).

If you fancy moving up to 8GB then you'll need to shell out the same per month as you would with the Galaxy Note 10.1, although the up front cost is only £29.99.

We can't see too many people rushing to get their hands on these price plans, especially as there are cheaper 3G data deals to be had which will more than suffice for most users.

Sony signs deal with Watchdata to bring NFC to more mobiles

Sony obviously thinks mobile payments are the way forward. It's signed a deal with smart card specialist Watchdata to bring NFC (Near Field Communications) tech to more mobile devices.

Sony will integrate Singapore-based Watchdata's contactless tech into SIMpass solutions starting next year. SIMpass is a SIM card-based mobile payment technology that operates without the need for additional antennae.

According to the deal, Sony and Watchdata will develop NFC for a "wider range of mobile phone handsets". It should mean devices don't need any separate hardware to let you pay.

FeliCa tech

Sony already has its own contactless tech, named FeliCa, which it uses in its mobiles in Asia. It's supported by a number of operators there, too. It's mostly used to provide digital tickets for public transport, as well as authorising mobile payments.

"The commercially proven security and performance of FeliCa is something we want to aggressively promote in the growing NFC ecosystem," said Mario Manabe, senior general manager of the FeliCa business division within Sony. "The agreement with Watchdata allows us to adapt FeliCa technologies to more handsets and expand global market presence."

As of July this year, Sony says it has more than 605 million FeliCa chips in devices worldwide, a third of which are in mobiles. SIMpass, meanwhile, is mostly used across Thailand and China, and has around 6 million mobile users.

There's no word on what Sony's plans are for its devices in the west. But considering it recently overtook HTC to become second in the UK in sales of Android devices, we're expecting big things next year.

Via TheNextWeb

iPad 5 release date, news and rumors

Though Apple fans were surprised by the announcement of the iPad 4 during Apple's recent big event, one expert predicts the company will turn around and release a thinner, lighter iPad 5 in early 2013.

During the event, Apple announced a host of new products, including an iPad mini along with the fourth generation full-sized iPad. But according to Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst for KGI Securities, that might not be enough to fend off Microsoft's new Surface tablet.

Kuo wrote in a note to investors, reported by AppleInsider, that Apple may feel pressured to launch a 9.7-inch iPad 5 to cement its lead in the tablet business.

"Though the iPad mini is expected to be successful, we think launching the lighter, thinner 9.7-inch iPad as quickly as possible matters more for Apple strategically," Kuo wrote.

On Nov.19, Digitimes reported that the iPad 5 release date would be "around the middle of 2013."

The Surface surfaces

The Surface may challenge Apple's tablet dominance as Microsoft tries to move into the post-PC world.

Championing the new touch-friendly OS, Windows RT, the Surface boasts a 10.6-inch screen and is pretty light and thin. It can also be magnetically attached to a keyboard/cover for a more laptop feel.

Microsoft's Surface might just have the mojo needed to wrestle the tablet crown from the iPad. But according to Kuo, Apple is looking to hedge its bets.

iPad 5 features

Considering the iPad 4 is the same weight, thickness and price point as its predecessor, it's very possible Apple is looking to produce a slimmed-down version.

Apple did give the iPad 4 a new A6X processor system-on-a-chip, which claims to be twice as fast as the last iPad.

It also gained the new lightning connector and better LTE support. But that's all the new features iPad fans will get with the fourth-gen tablet.

Kuo expects Apple to pack "GF DITO" (or GF2) touchscreen technology into the speculative iPad 5. GF2 is already used in the new iPad mini, which helps to make it 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter than its bigger brother.

On 14 December, Macworld cited a report in Digitimes that claims that one way Apple will reduce the weight of the new iPad will be by using one LED light bar instead of the two that are found in the current iPad (and that were first introduced in the iPad 3). Macworld points out that this would also mean that the iPad 5 would consume less power and could therefore run on a smaller, thinner battery.

Apple rolls out red carpet for top App Store apps and games of 2012

Apple revealed its lists of the top-selling apps and games of 2012 Thursday, dividing the installations into top free and paid iPhone and iPad apps.

On the iPhone side, Google's YouTube was the most popular free app of 2012.

Given YouTube's popularity, maybe Apple shouldn't have dropped it from iOS 6?

Instagram and Zynga's Draw Something came in second and third place in free iPhone apps, respectively, while Angry Birds Space, WhatsApp Messenger and Draw Something (the ad-free version) were the top three paid iPhone apps of the year.

Top iPad apps

Skype took top honors in the category of free iPad apps, with Imangi's Temple Run and the Facebook app earning second and third place.

On the paid iPad side of things, Rovio scored again, with Angry Birds Space HD taking the top spot.

Disney's Where's My Water? and Apple's own Pages app followed up as the second and third most popular paid iPad apps of the year.

That's not all, folks

In addition to revealing the most downloaded apps of the year, Apple revealed its selections for the best App Store apps and games of the year on iPhone and iPad.

Apple's iPhone app of the year was J.J. Abrams' Action Movie FX, which lets users add explosions and other "Hollywood FX" to videos.

Apple's favorite iPhone game was Rayman Jungle Run, a spin-off of Ubisoft's popular Rayman Origins.

The mystery game The Room was Apple's favorite 2012 iPad game, while creativity app Paper won for non-game iPad apps.

Clicking on the link below will take you directly to iTunes, where you can check out the rest of Apple's "best of" categories, including "Fun Runners," "Photo and Video Magic," "Casual Games" and more.

Though 2013 hasn't started yet, we have a feeling there's already a strong contender for next year's list.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 could pack a huge 6.3-inch screen

Samsung's rumored follow-up to the Galaxy Note 2 may push size boundaries of what can still qualify as a smartphone with a whopping 6.3-inch display.

According to The Korea Times, local parts suppliers are talking about a 6.3-inch OLED screen for Samsung's Galaxy Note 3, which is a significant jump from the Galaxy Note 2's 5.5-inch display.

The Note 2 was already considered large by smartphone standards, earning it the term "phablet" for resembling a tablet.

Seven-inch screens seem to be the tablet minimum these days, but 6.3-inches may just cross the line where it isn't practical to think of it as a handheld device anymore.

In good company?

The 6-inch range is mostly unexplored by tablets, with the most notable device in that range being the Wii U GamePad's 6.2-inch display.

The GamePad obviously has some extra bulk added that a tablet wouldn't need, so it isn't the best size comparison, but even with a minimal bezel and thin chassis a 6.3-inch screen would mean a step outside of phablet territory.

Huawei is also rumored to be stepping up to a 6.1-inch display for the Ascend Mate, so Samsung isn't alone in hypothetically charging into unexplored screen sizes.

January or February for Galaxy S4?

The Korea Times also added a note about the inevitable Samsung Galaxy S4, claiming an unveiling for the Android handset at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next February.

However, Samsung might have other plans, recently teasing that we get ready for "something new" during CES 2013 from Jan. 8 – Jan. 11.

A report in early November suggested that Samsung is planning a major rebrand for the company globally, which could include a new look across all of Samsung's products.

It's also speculated that the Galaxy S4 will make its debut at CES 2013, and what better way to kick off a brand redesign than with its flagship smartphone.

Of course, the South Korean firm could launch its SIV at a stand-alone event, which would be fitting for such a highly anticipated device.

CES 2013 is less than a month away now, so there isn't much time left to wait until Samsung shows what it has in mind for its big announcement.

The company seems to think it has something big up its sleeve, which in the case of the rumored Galaxy Note 3 could refer to size as much as its hype.

Via The Korea Times