Samsung’s rugged, all weather phone: Rugby Smart

After having one (or more) Android devices in every imaginable category in today’s assortment of communication devices, Samsung was left with only one, that is, having an all weather phone. 

After Panasonic Eluga and Sony’s Xperia Active, Samsung plugs the hole for tough phones with Rugby Smart. This Android smartphone has a strong built and is US Mil-STD 810F and IP67 certified for Dust, Humidity, Rain, Shock and Temperature. The phone is currently being offered by AT&T and is decently priced at $99.0. This armor-plated device can withstand submersion in 1 meter of water for upto 30 minutes.

Here is a promotional video of Rugby Smart from AT&T

The Specifications:

Finally, a hands-on video from GSMArena

[VIA]

Udit Hotchandani
I'm a technology enthusiast and mobile fanatic from India. I love sharing my knowledge with others. "I am still waiting for some company to like my work and send me a model of their latest mobile device for review" :) My twitter handle is @udit_h On Facebook, I am available at http://www.facebook.com/udit.hotchandani

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Windows Phone Tango minimum hardware limitations outlined

Offerings from both Nokia and ZTE debuted the next major build of Windows Phone last week at MWC, dubbed "Tango". The new Nokia Lumia 610 and ZTE Orbit both took to their respective stands to show off the new lower-end capabilities of Microsoft's mobile OS.

Despite the latest iteration (excluding Apollo) of Windows Phone having made it to these devices on the floor at MWC, Microsoft had been particularly vague about just what the limitations were for devices employing lower-tiered hardware, until now.

Both the Lumia 610 and Orbit employ 256MB of RAM and this means that there are certain implications which consumers will need to bear in mind when choosing a Windows Phone device, these are as follows:

? Windows Phone Marketplace app restrictions ? Some processor-intensive apps have particular memory requirements, and won?t work on phones with 256MB of RAM.

? Podcast/Video Podcast Subscriptions ? Managing podcast subscriptions or watching video podcasts on a device with 256MB of RAM will not be possible.

? Bing Local Scout ? Bing Local Scout won't feature on a device with only 256MB of RAM.

? Fast app/Task switching ? The feature differs on Windows Phones with 256MB of RAM in that if a single application uses over 90MB, it will be killed on exit and thus not appear in the task switcher, besides this the functionality will remain unchanged.

? SkyDrive automatic photo upload ? 256MB of RAM means no auto-upload option, but users will still be able to upload their photos manually.

? HD video playback ? Some compressed videos will be unable to play due to a lack of codec support on devices with 256MB of RAM.

? Background agents ? To free up RAM for the foreground on such devices, generic background agents (PeriodicTasks/ResourceIntensiveTasks) will be disabled.

As well as informing prospective buyers of these new more competitively priced Windows Phones what they'll be missing out on, Microsoft have also made a point of appealing to Windows Phone developers who will need to take into account the limitations of devices using the new minimum hardware requirements.

Speed seems to be key with a message of optimizing app start times and reducing an apps' memory footprint being pushed to developers. All this being said, Microsoft are adding features to Windows Phone 7.5 too, including a new location alert, MMS enhancements and improved SIM contact management.

Windows Phone "Tango" should be arriving on 256MB of RAM-endowed Windows Phone devices come Q2 this year.

Source | Via

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Windows Phone or MeeGo Which One Should I Buy?

A lot of Nokia fans are back and forth and back and forth. MeeGo or Windows Phones, there are people who can afford to buy both but they are few and far in between.

I am lucky enough to own an N9 plus luck enough to have a Lumia 710 demo in my house, so I made a little video side by side with both phones to try to help you out.  I did two, the first one was forty minutes!   Yeah no one is going to watch that it’s just too long. So I made the video below with plans on uploading the forty minute on later.

What I ended up doing ultimately is the short side by side video and video review of both phones!

Here is the  Side by Side Video:

Than here is the N9/MeeGo hands on:

The Lumia 710/Windows Phone Hand On:

If anyone has any questions on either device please leave them in the comment or feel free to send me Tweet.

Kevin Everett
Proud Nokia Geek since 1997 who loves to collect old Nokia phones (owns everything from the 1992's Nokia 100 up to the very latest Nokia N9) and is very happy to share his knowledge with you. He is a writer for Daily Mobile and Nokia Innovations. Enjoy his Nokia nerd knowledge and feel free to follow him on twitter https://twitter.com/#!/NokiaKnowings
http://www.nokiainnovation.com/

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MWC: Samsung Galaxy S2 Named Best Phone, Boosts Android

By Joe Arico | Fri Mar 02, 2012 3:42 pm

Samsung's Galaxy S2 was named the best smartphone of the year at the Mobile World Conference, giving the manufacturer and the Android OS a big boost.

The award, given by the GSMA, is great publicity for both Samsung and Google as the two companies continue to grow their user bases in the mobile market. The iPhone 4 took home the award at last year's MWC, and the S2 beat out its successor, iPhone 4S, to nab the top prize this year.

An Android-powered device winning the best phone of the year award is a tremendous accomplishment for the operating system. Analysts have criticized the platform for having a high learning curve, being too susceptible to viruses and malware and lacking the polish of Apple's iOS.

The S2's win is likely to help change many consumers' perception of the platform, elevating it in their eyes from a second-tier software to an OS worth considering.

Google's platform played a part in the S2's success, but Samsung deserves even more credit. The South Korean manufacturer managed to put out a device that upstaged the iPhone 4 in power, featured a thinner design and came very close to equalizing Apple's famous retina display.

Samsung also managed to develop an Android skin that reviewers said enhanced the Android OS, while several other manufacturers included skins that made their devices run sluggishly on the platform.

Winning the smartphone of the year award could extend the shelf of life the S2 a bit longer, but Samsung is also expected to announce the Galaxy S3 soon. Consumer anticipation for the device is already at a high level, but all eyes will be on Samsung as it attempts to launch a handset that can live up to the award-winning S2.

Samsung now heads into the launch of the S3 with an incredible amount of momentum. The company emerged as Apple's primary competition in the smartphone market, and if the S3 gets out to a strong head start in sales, a new iPhone could have a lot to catch up to when it launches later this year.

Samsung may be the best smartphone maker in the world, and the award from MWC shows that people are starting to take notice.

Tue Feb 28, 2012 2:19 pm | By
Samsung plans to offer cheaper tablets to compete in the mobile market, after lower-than-expected sales.



Thu Feb 23, 2012 4:00 pm | By
AT&T plans to begin selling the Samsung Rugby, a waterproof, dustproof device, for $100 with a two-year contract on March 4, giving the carrier a rugged device to add to its catalog.

Wed Feb 22, 2012 1:08 pm | By
Samsung and Blockbuster are teaming up to develop a streaming video service to boost content for smartphones, tablets, and smart-TVs.

Wed Feb 22, 2012 12:46 pm | By
T-Mobile plans to sell the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G, a speedy Android 2.3 device, in late March for $150 with a two-year contract.

Mon Feb 13, 2012 12:53 pm | By
Apple is targeting Samsung's Galaxy Nexus in court, changing strategy as it aims to take down Android through patent legal battles.


Editorials & Opinion By Kate Knibbs
Tech leaders gathered at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, while Google's controversial privacy policy went into effect.

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Windows 8 Consumer Preview Lacks Windows Phone SDK Support

Windows Phone developers might want to think twice before upgrading to Windows 8 Consumer Preview. Microsoft confirmed Monday that it does not support the Windows Phone SDK.

"We know many of our software developers are excited and eager to get started using the consumer preview on a daily basis, but Windows 8 is still a preview release, which means that there are going to be instances of software incompatibility," Larry Lieberman, a senior product manager at Microsoft, said in a blog post. "One of these incompatibilities is unfortunately with the current Windows Phone SDK."

Lieberman, however, insisted that Microsoft is "working to address these issues" and promised to have more details in the coming weeks.

Like This 1 | 0 Comments

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Samsung’s rugged, all weather phone: Rugby Smart

After having one (or more) Android devices in every imaginable category in today’s assortment of communication devices, Samsung was left with only one, that is, having an all weather phone. 

After Panasonic Eluga and Sony’s Xperia Active, Samsung plugs the hole for tough phones with Rugby Smart. This Android smartphone has a strong built and is US Mil-STD 810F and IP67 certified for Dust, Humidity, Rain, Shock and Temperature. The phone is currently being offered by AT&T and is decently priced at $99.0. This armor-plated device can withstand submersion in 1 meter of water for upto 30 minutes.

Here is a promotional video of Rugby Smart from AT&T

The Specifications:

Finally, a hands-on video from GSMArena

[VIA]

Udit Hotchandani
I'm a technology enthusiast and mobile fanatic from India. I love sharing my knowledge with others. "I am still waiting for some company to like my work and send me a model of their latest mobile device for review" :) My twitter handle is @udit_h On Facebook, I am available at http://www.facebook.com/udit.hotchandani

View the original article here

Samsung Galaxy Beam Projector Phone Announced

Samsung Galaxy Beam Projector Phone Announced
Digital Tech News - Digital Technology & Consumer ElectronicsAboutDigitalTechNews
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February 27, 2012Samsung Galaxy Beam Projector Phone Announced

Samsung has made their new Galaxy Beam projector phone official. The device is equipped with a 15 lumens projector that can display images up to 50-inches wide, and it's the thinnest projector phone around at the 12.5mm thick. 

Samsung Galaxy Beam will ship with Android 2.3 OS sometime in Q2, and it is also equipped with a 4-inch WVGA TFT LCD, 1GHz dual-core processor, 5MP main camera and 1.3MP front camera and 720p HD video recording. There's also Bluetooth 3.0 and Wi-Fi connectivity, GPS, and a microSD memory card slot.

February 27, 2012 in Smartphones | Permalink

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LG shows T375 dual-SIM touch phone, T385 single-SIM

LG showed the T375 and T385 phones at the MWC - at first glance, they look like low-end droids, but are actually feature phones. They are essentially the same phone, except that the T375 is a dual-SIM phone.

LG T375 and T385

Both the T375 and T385 feature a 3.2" QVGA touchscreen and run LG's widget-enabled touch interface for feature phones. The phones offer GSM/EDGE connectivity along with Wi-Fi. You also get Facebook and Twitter integration along with push email to put that Internet connectivity to good use.

Other specs on the two phones include a 2MP camera, microSD card slot and a 3.5mm audio jack.

The T375 adds dual-SIM, dual-standby to the list of features. Check out its promo video for more details:

The LG T375 and T385 are expected to launch in March, but there's no pricing info yet.

Source

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Voice Control Demo on Windows Phone

While everyone seems to think that Apple has the market cornered on voice recognition, Windows Phone has a few tricks up it’s sleeve in this department too.

One of my favorite things to do is hold down the menu button, this will open up a voice command that can control the whole phone. By simply saying “open Hotmail” Hotmail will open up.  This works with any program on the phone, even the apps that you download from the Market Place.

You can also state call or text someone, than speak your text aloud and it will compose it for you.  Below is a demo of the text feature in action, not only on outgoing text but for incoming as well.

I have used this feature many times myself and it’s pretty handy when you need to send a quick text reply but you need to really concentrate on another task at hand.

Kevin Everett
Proud Nokia Geek since 1997 who loves to collect old Nokia phones (owns everything from the 1992's Nokia 100 up to the very latest Nokia N9) and is very happy to share his knowledge with you. He is a writer for Daily Mobile and Nokia Innovations. Enjoy his Nokia nerd knowledge and feel free to follow him on twitter https://twitter.com/#!/NokiaKnowings
http://www.nokiainnovation.com/

View the original article here

Windows Phone Tango to have restrictions on 256MB RAM phones

Windows Phone Tango will bring many cool improvements but also some tight restrictions for low-end phones. Russian site WP7forum tested Tango on a dev phone (the HTC Mazaa) and they've dug up some very interesting details on the matter.

Let's start with the bad news - Tango will enable phones with just 256MB RAM (all current Windows Phone models have 512MB). That's quite low for a smartphone (even Symbian uses more nowadays) and such won't support all apps, plus third-party Live tiles won't update automatically.

The list goes on - Tango phones with 256MB RAM won't be able to play videos with bitrate over 4Mbps (that applies for videos on the phone and streaming video), they won't let you manage podcasts on the phone (you'll need to use Zune on your PC) and photos can't be uploaded automatically to SkyDrive.

This sounds pretty harsh, but we're likely talking about very low-end devices - Microsoft will even let makers use 3MP cameras (the current minimum is 5MP). We're not sure what that means about the 720p video recording that is mandatory for WP phones right now.

Plus, Windows Phone Tango will bring some great usability improvements. It will let you import/export contacts from your SIM card, offer finer grained roaming options and download and update apps automatically through Zune. Tango will also more than double the number of pre-installed apps and support new countries.

MMS support will be greatly improved too - in its current form you can attach a single photo and that's it. With the Tango update, Windows Phone will let you attach multiple photos but also videos and audio files too.

So, Windows Phone Tango will bring some needed improvements to mid- and high-end phones and enable affordable, low-end phones that can pry some users away from the grasp of feature phones.

Source 1 ? Source 2 (in Russian)

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