GeekDad prescribes a weekend free from mobile data (Wired UK)
Being out of the country with the family last month meant I had to forgo my usual feeding loop of Twitter, Facebook and email. Having tried purchasing a local Sim card, Wi-Fi access or even sniffing out the local McDonalds for free connectivity I finally decided to give up and switch the data off on my iPhone.
Back in the UK it took us a week or so to get over the jetlag and back into our usual routine of school, work and home life. When we did, things felt more relaxed and somehow we seemed to have more time.
Then I realised that I hadn’t switched my iPhone’s data back on and that my usual social media habits were still on a break. I decided to leave it off for the rest of the week and see how it went. I was surprised how few times I actually had to go and turn on data to check something essential — usually the weather or school website, and was quite happy to lock things down again afterwards.
Now, of course it is overkill to turn off all the data permanently on our smartphones but taking a regular break from all that inbound traffic seems like a good idea. I’ve currently settled on the idea of having things off on the weekends to get some home/work separation.
I had thought about just turning the phone off, but because friends and family use the mobile rather than landline to contact and arrange meeting up it seemed sensible to leave the SMS and voice-calls on. It’s also meant that I’ve got back in touch with some old friends who are only on text — with my fingers looking for something non-data related to do on the phone.
Click on above title for more.
Sony Xperia Z handsets inexplicably dying, fix incoming
The Sony Xperia Z may be waterproof, but is not failproof, as it turns out, after complaints emerged online that some handsets are dropping dead without explanation.
A thread on the Sony Mobile forum, which has had over 10,000 views as of writing, is full of Xperia Z owners reporting a bizarre issue where their handset Z shuts down mid-use, even when it has plenty of charge and can’t be turned back on by the conventional method of pressing the power button.
One user named Davonia said: “I’ve only had my Xperia Z a day and it’s totally dead. I had a full charge last time I looked and was using it about five minutes ago. No reaction trying to turn it back on (holding the power button for 10 seconds etc). I don’t have a memory card in - just the micro-sim.”
Some users said they have been able to bring their handsets back to life with a hard reset by pressing the power and volume, but for many even that isn’t working.
The reason behind the problem is as-yet unidentified. Whether it’s related to the battery or even the water-resistance feature is anybody’s guess at this point.
Fortunately, Sony has already acknowledged the problem and said a “fix for this will be implemented in next software update”, but stopped short of offering an ETA as to when this might happen.
Click on above title for more.
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Sold at Half the Price as Galaxy Note 3 Release Date Nears?
The Samsung’s phablet is selling like hotcakes and right now Amazon because of its pretty amazing deal. In the US, Verizon offers the device for around half the price to new account holders or those adding a line to their existing family plan. Amazon is selling the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 for $189.99.
The Galaxy Note 2 is powered by a 1.6GHz Exynos 4412 quad-core processor and has a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with resolution of 1280 x 720 and 267ppi. It also has 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD to 64GB), an 8-megapixel rear camera with 1080p video capture and 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera.
It runs on the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system, has LTE connectivity, supports NFC, has a 3100 mAh battery and users also have the advantage of the S Pen stylus. For more details or to order the Titanium Gray version of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 on Amazon head to this product page where the phone is still currently listed as being in stock.
Click on above title for more.
Nokia EOS PureView Windows Phone 8 smartphone coming this year
Nokia is reportedly set to launch its first proper Windows Phone 8 PureView phone, the Nokia EOS, later this year.
The Nokia Lumia 920 was given the PureView label when it launched as Nokia’s flagship Windows Phone 8 device in 2012. In truth, though, it bore little resemblance to the original Nokia 808 PureView phone (pictured) with its huge image sensor and revolutionary multisampling tricks.
Now The Verge is claiming that Nokia will effectively merge the two devices in 2013 under the codename of the Nokia EOS. As photography buffs will know, EOS (short for Electro-Optical System) is the term Canon uses for its digital SLR cameras.
The Nokia EOS will apparently contain a similar image sensor to that found in the Nokia 808 PureView, which itself was far bigger than your average point and shoot sensor, and was closer to something like the Sony RX100 or the Nikon 1 J1.
Click on above title for more
iPhone 5S to land in June 2013
Apple’s seventh-generation smartphone will be a major update, boasting substantially better specs than its predecessor, an analyst has forecast.
According to Peter Misek of Jefferies, the handset informally dubbed the iPhone 5S will feature a camera and a screen rocking a so-called “super HD” resolution, which we can only assume means higher than 1080p (the iPhone 5 features a ‘sub-HD’ resolution of 1136 x 640).
Moreover, the display - which may be even labelled ‘Retina+’ to reflect the increased pixel count - is also likely to be an IGZO (Indium gallium zinc oxide) variety. This, and we’re paraphrasing Wikipedia here, enables smaller pixels for a higher resolution display than the amorphous silicon typically used for the active layer of an LCD screen.
Fret not, Misek also predicts the 5S will be equipped with bigger battery to cope with the extra drain on juice. Makes sense. But then again, he also reckons that Near Field Communication might finally make an appearance. So take these prophecies for what you will.
The handset is expected to land sometime in June or July. Click on above title for more.
Twenty years after the birth of SMS, its creator consents to a text-only interview
Finnish engineer Matti Makkonen famously dreamed up the idea for the SMS (Short Message Service) in a Copenhagen pizza shop in 1984, and the first message (“Happy Christmas”) was sent to a Vodafone UK cellphone from a PC on December 3, 1992. Since then, an estimated 8 trillion texts have been sent, and now the normally recalcitrant pioneer has given the BBC a rare interview (appropriately via text message), where he discussed “txtspk,’ keypads vs. touchscreens, and the next big tech development.
Click on above title for more.
Nexus 4 review
HTC Windows Phone 8X review
It feels like forever since Microsoft announced Windows Phone 8 back in June, but the mobile OS is finally here and with it comes the inaugural volley of compatible handsets. The first one to cross our desks is the global, unlocked version of HTC’s Windows Phone 8X, a device we first saw in September. Unlike other current flagships, this phone breaks the bigger-is-better trend by providing a full set of high-end specs in a relatively compact package — combining a 4.3-inch 720p Super LCD 2 display, Qualcomm dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and NFC in a sleek and colorful package. Does the 8X have what it takes to carry the Windows Phone 8 torch? Is this a bona fide flagship despite its reduced footprint? Has HTC designed a better handset than its existing Android superphone, the One X?
Click here for the full review.
The HTC’s rival, Nokia Lumia 920 can be found here.
Sony Odin specs revealed: Don’t buy that Galaxy Note 2 until you’ve read this
According to a member in an Xperia forum the Sony Odin will have a 5-inch display with 1080p resolution. May sound too good to be true, but not entirely impossible since Japan Display – a joint venture between Sony, Toshiba, and Hitachi, will reportedly start the full-scale manufacturing of such panels this month. Supposedly, the device will have 2GB of RAM and will be powered by the APQ8064 – the same quad-core Snapdragon S4 SoC found inside the LG Optimus G. It is also mentioned that the smartphone will not be neither water-resistant, nor dust-proof. Interestingly, the source of the rumor claims that a 6-inch Sony device is also being planned. Supposedly, its hardware specifications will be identical to that of the Odin.
HTC J Butterfly launched with world’s first 1080p smartphone display
The HTC J Butterfly looks to be a highly capable Android smartphone, but it’s that display that really interests is. It’s the first outing for the Super LCD 3 standard - current HTC handsets like the HTC One X utilise Super LCD 2 technology.
Super LCD 3 means a whopping 1080p resolution as opposed to the 720p displays of the current generation. Despite being an expansive 5-inches in size (that’s Samsung Galaxy Note ‘phablet’ territory) the HTC J Butterfly’s display produces a startling 440ppi.
It’s powered by a quad-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and 2GB of RAM. It appears to have HTC’s standard top-end 8-megapixel camera.
Unlike the HTC One X, the HTC J Butterfly has a microSD slot for memory expansion beyond its fixed 16GB of internal storage.
