T-Mobile's Classic Plan customers have their own sale

Just as T-Mobile is offering up to $200 off the down payment for a new phone on the Value Plan, those on the Classic Plan can take advantage of a deal on Samsung phones being offered at T-Mobile's non-corporate stores. Non-corporate stores are "Wireless retail stores that are authorized to sell T-Mobile products and services, but not owned and operated by T-Mobile." That would include stand-alone stores, but not big box retailers.

The deal for Classic Plan customers involves you opening a new T-Mobile account with the indirect retailer, or upgrading your phone. Both require a signed two-year contract for the Unlimited Classic Rate Plan and a data plan costing $30 or more (5GB, 10GB or unlimited). With all of that taken care of, the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G is free after a $150 rebate, the Samsung Galaxy S Relay 4G is free after a $150 rebate, the Samsung Galaxy S II is free after a $200 rebate and the Samsung Galaxy S III is $130 after a $200 rebate.

The deal runs through the end of the year, and if you need to find a T-Mobile indirect dealer near you, you can check out the store locator on the T-Mobile website.

source: TmoNews

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Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro may have hit the FCC

Actually, upon thinking about it some more, I've changed my mind about the usability of the "heavy tablet / hybrid " category.

Just imagine sitting on the sofa with a two pound + touch device on your lap.
You'll see that you need a proper angle of interaction with the screen, without supporting it with your hands (because of the weight ).
How do you achieve that?
With a kick stand!
It just needs to be thicker and comfortable.

Such device with a high end specs would be an absolute laptop killer..
The significance of keyboard is overrated and manufacturers should just go for the detachable solution instead of doing stunts like Dell XPS 12 or Sony Vaio Duo 11.

This..
http://m.techspot.com/review/622-lenovo-yoga-13/
..is a much better idea imo, but needs to streamline that keyboard into something much flatter.
My point - surface pro has a really usable concept, just needs to make that kickstand lap-friendly.
With high end specs, such device would absolutely kill the laptop as we know it, in every way.

View the original article here

Verizon denies that a hacker leaked data from 300,000 customers

Earlier on Saturday night, we passed along a story that a hacker had stolen information from 3 million Verizon Wireless customers that was in plain-text.  Furthermore, he allegedly posted the information for 300,000 customers online beginning on Saturday. The hacker, who used the name "TibitXimer" before his Twitter account was taken down, sent out a tweet to make some clarifications to the story. The names and information were taken from a list of VerizonFIOS customers, said the hacker, and the information he took included sensitive data like serial numbers, names, addresses, starting date with Verizon, password to their account, phone numbers, and more.

Now, Verizon has come out with a statement that adds more clarification to the original story. A Verizon spokesman, Alberto Canal, says that "The ZDNet story is inaccurate." Canal says that there was a smaller incident months ago which resulted in no Verizon system being breached and no root access allowed despite the hacker's claims. He added that the number of people involved was a fraction of what was reported.

Verizon said it had contacted authorities and notified the customers whose information was involved so that they could beef up their defenses against the use of their personal data. The company said it alerted law enforcement on Saturday in light of the new allegations made by the hacker, whose main worry was the chance that his Twitter account would be closed. That became reality at around 11:15pm EST Saturday evening.

source: Forbes

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Picture of ZTE Grand S leaked; 5 inch 1080p device soon to be introduced at CES 2013

Earlier this month, we pointed out how the CES 2013 web site revealed that the ZTE Grand S would be introduced at the show on January 8th. At the time, we also learned that the phone will have a 5 inch screen with resolution of 1080p becoming another device that will offer an outrageous pixel density in the 440ppi area. The HTC DROID DNA is a member of that club and a number of other handsets will soon be joining such as the Sony Xperia Z and the Oppo Find 5 to name a couple.

A leaked picture of the ZTE Grand S reveals the phone's model number as the Z753 and the manufacturer has also been teasing the device on its Sina Weibo account. Expected to be the thinnest full HD display phone at 7.6mm, the internals are not yet known but could include a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro, 2GB of RAM and a 13MP camera.
We are looking forward to seeing this model presented next month at CES as ZTE continues to ride the momentum that has made the company the fourth largest smartphone manufacturer on the planet.

source: ZTE (translated), Engadget

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Thanks to the Apple iPhone 5, Apple had 53.3% of U.S. smartphone sales in late November

According to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, sales of the Apple iPhone 5 were strong enough over the 12 weeks through November 25th to propel the Cupertino based firm's share of the U.S. smartphone market to 53.3% The Apple iPhone 5 and its larger 4 inch screen (up from 3.5 inches on previous models) had been taking business away from Android in the States as Apple showed a year-over-year rise of 17.5% over that three month period vs. a drop of 10.9% for the green robot. Also hit hard by the strength of Apple iPhone 5 sales during the same period was RIM. For the 12 weeks ended November 25th, the U.S. market share for BlackBerry branded handsets had slumped dramatically to 1.4% from 7% the previous year. The loss in market share for Android and RIM during the period accounts for all of Apple's pick up in market share during the same time. A large percentage of BlackBerry users have decided to move on rather than wait for the introduction of BlackBerry 10 next month.

As the 2012 holiday shopping season winds down, Kantar sees Apple scoring further gains. The firm did point out that Apple's leading position in the U.S. smartphone market doesn't carry over to Europe. In the "big five" European countries, Samsung has a combined 44.3% market share followed by Apple's 25.3%

source: Electronista

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Here is a proper use of augmented reality for Android and Dr. Who

If you do not know who Dr. Who is, then there is not much we can do for you. It is a British science fiction TV series that been on the air in one form or another since 1963 and has nearly 800 episodes to its credit.

Well Greg Kumparak, who hails from TechCrunch fame, is a fan of Dr. Who. On a whim, he decided to build his own TARDIS (again, for those who do not know, that is Dr. Who’s time machine). Now the TARDIS is modeled off a 1960s-era police call box in the UK. What makes it special (besides being a time machine) is that it is way bigger on the inside than it looks from the outside.

Greg has talent, because he was able to reproduce the larger interior of the TARDIS despite its miniscule size made of soft-wood. He accomplished this by writing a lot of code and learning an application called “Blender,” (and a host of others) he was able to produce an augmented reality view of the inside of the TARDIS, with a humming environment sound to boot, when he scans over the zebra-like pattern with his Nexus camera.

Despite a “ridiculously steep learning curve” Blender and other codes presented, after hitting the books for only a couple months, Greg harnessed that talent to accomplish something truly cool. Does it serve any real purpose? Nope. Does it matter when you see the finished project? Nope.

It is a testament to the power of some of the programs that are available. If you are into that kind of thing, Greg’s project will no doubt intrigue you.

sources: GK’s Blog via Android Central

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New commercial for the Apple iPad mini brings holiday cheer

With all of the horrific news that has been seen on the television lately, we're apt to hold on to any little piece of cheer, such as the festive holiday commercial for the Apple iPad mini that has just been placed in rotation during your favorite prime time shows. As we've seen with recent spots for the Apple iPad mini, there is no voice over announcer and the mini is placed to the right of the screen so that you can judge the size of the device with the fourth-generation Apple iPad which is to the left of the screen.

The new Apple iPad mini ad focuses on FaceTime. We see Carly Rose Sonenclar a little girl using her Apple iPad mini to send her performance of "I'll be home for Christmas" to her Grandfather who happens to own the full-sized fourth generation Apple iPad. Which reminds us, this is the first holiday season that you can FaceTime over cellular which means that just about anywhere you go, you can strike up a FaceTime conversation. And with the Scrooges at AT&T not quite reversing themselves, customers of the nation's second largest carrier don't even have to be a Mobile Share member to use the service, but they do have to own an Apple device with LTE connectivity which happens to include the Apple iPhone 5, Apple iPad mini and the third and fourth-generation Apple iPad.

source: YouTube via RedmondPie

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The "substantial" Galaxy S IV rumors

It seems it was just yesterday when Samsung introduced the Galaxy S III - a slim device with cutting-edge capabilities that instantly became the number 1 wish of every geek. It became one of our favorite Android smartphones as well - giving it a rating of 9.3 out of 10, we unequivocally showed that Samsung had created one of the best smartphones money can buy. But the technological progress never stops, especially if we're dealing with mobile technology these days (which we do). In just half a year, we've seen significant improvement in various areas like screen resolutions, chipset performance, power management techniques and so on and so forth.

With that in mind, we can't overlook the fact that we're starting to hear more and more rumors about the expected fourth generation of the Galaxy S series and the lovely goodies it'll reportedly sport. In fact, we've been getting Galaxy S IV-related info for quite a while now, but it wasn't until October that the rumors that reached us started to gain some substance. Of course, it'd still be an overstatement to say that we now know quite a bit about what is already one of the most-anticipated smartphones of 2013, but we can't deny it - some of the gossip sure does make some sense.

What you'll find below are the more "substantial" rumors about the Galaxy S IV that have surfaced until now, hand-picked by yours truly. Once you've read them all, you'll be as knowledgeable as one can be about the S IV this early, and you'll be able to prove it to your buddies that despite what they've seen in that perfectly authentic YouTube video, the Galaxy S IV will not have a hologram projector.

Samsung teased a big announcement for the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and everyone...

The general consensus seems to be that we'll see the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S IV released...

Yeah, that's what we want to see - more rumors and info about the Galaxy S IV! What's undoubtedly the...

If there's one good thing about benchmarks, it's that we sometimes get hints about upcoming devices....

13MP camera, quad-core processor, and a stunning display set the stage for a great successor to the Galaxy...

Speculation that the Samsung Galaxy S IV will have a 5 inch screen with a 1080p resolution and 441ppi...

The official said the display is 4.99", pegging the pixel density at 441ppi, which is pretty close to...

The Samsung Galaxy S IV, the fourth generation Galaxy S, is expected to come out in the first half of...

The Samsung Galaxy S III still seems like the hottest Android smartphone out there, but this doesn’t...

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The Huawei Ascend Mate, a 6.1 inch 1080p beast, gets impromptu introduction at a Huawei store

If you had a phone with a 6.1 inch screen in your pocket, could you really keep quiet about it until CES in January? Huawei Chariman Richard Yu finally snapped at a Huawei store in Guangzhou on Saturday, and the executive did an impromptu introduction of the Huawei Ascend Mate. It's not the first time that a Huawei executive has touted the device. A little more than two weeks ago, Senior Vice President Yu Chengdong confirmed the existence of the phone and told prospective buyers of the Samsung GALAXY Note II to hold off on their purchase until the Huawei Ascend Mate was launched. Chengdong also happened to call Samsung's 5.5 inch smartphone "grossly overpriced".

Earlier speculation has the phone equipped with a 6.1 inch 1080p screen, which equals an outstanding 361ppi pixel density. Under the hood is a 1.8GHz quad-core processor and a 4000mAh battery keeps the lights on. The Huawei Ascend Mate is expected to be 9.6mm thick. Still, Yu posted on his web page on Sina Weibo that the final specs may differ. The price is estimated to be just south of ¥3,000, or approximately $480 USD. And yes, Huawei will still make a proper introduction of the device at CES 2013.

source: Weibo via Engadget

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Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro may have hit the FCC

Actually, upon thinking about it some more, I've changed my mind about the usability of the "heavy tablet / hybrid " category.

Just imagine sitting on the sofa with a two pound + touch device on your lap.
You'll see that you need a proper angle of interaction with the screen, without supporting it with your hands (because of the weight ).
How do you achieve that?
With a kick stand!
It just needs to be thicker and comfortable.

Such device with a high end specs would be an absolute laptop killer..
The significance of keyboard is overrated and manufacturers should just go for the detachable solution instead of doing stunts like Dell XPS 12 or Sony Vaio Duo 11.

This..
http://m.techspot.com/review/622-lenovo-yoga-13/
..is a much better idea imo, but needs to streamline that keyboard into something much flatter.
My point - surface pro has a really usable concept, just needs to make that kickstand lap-friendly.
With high end specs, such device would absolutely kill the laptop as we know it, in every way.

View the original article here

Acer V350 leaks with 720p screen and Snapdragon S4, runs Jelly Bean

the performance may be good due to the s4 pro chip,,but it depends on the size of the screen and internal memory,,if its a 5 incher or above it should sport a 1080p display to compete with the droid dna and upcoming models like sony yuga,etc,(if its near about 4.5inches then 720p would be sufficient)and also it should have minimum 32gb internal memory if acer launches it without a micro sd slot.after a couple of months,all top of the line premium smartphones will rock 1080p displays..Also keep in mind after sales service back up and availability of parts and hardware components is an issue with acer in some countries.

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10 must-try how-to guide apps for iPhone and Android

Here's an app you can learn a lot from. With over 120,000 how-to guides in its database, wikiHow can teach you almost anything: from how to get in great shape to how to delete a Facebook account. The iOS version of the app has a bonus feature, which lists guides you would find useful in emergency situations.

Download: Android | iPhone

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Google's Happy Holidays video reveals a Google Nexus 10 dock

We recently showed you where you could pre-order the unannounced ASUS built audio dock for the Google Nexus 7. We were able to pass along information such as price, and the features ($39.99, microUSB port, 3.5mm earphone jack) on the dock. Now, a Happy Holidays video posted by Google reveals an audio dock for the Google Nexus 10. One of the problems about such a leak is that it doesn't come with any information outside of the sight of someone sliding the tablet into the dock. While ASUS made the audio dock for the 7 inch ASUS built Google Nexus 7 tablet, it would seem natural if Samsung is behind the audio dock for the 10 inch Google Nexus 10, which is manufactured by the Korean tech giant.

The Google Nexus 10 audio dock makes a couple of appearances at 57 seconds and at 1:16. It is not a large accessory, but does have a raised back to hold up the HD 10.1 inch screen. You might recall that the screen carries a resolution of 2560 x 1600, allowing the tablet to offer you a pixel density of 300ppi. This beats out the 264ppi pixel density on the 3rd and 4th generation Apple iPad tablets.

Obviously, both the 7 inch and 10 inch docks will not be making a house call in time for Christmas. But you could always slip an IOU into an envelope and deliver the dock later. And if that doesn't seem to go over well with the recipient, include a link to this story so the person receiving your gift can view the video below to see what they are getting.

source: Google via AndroidCentral

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Today's surprise Google Play deal is a Grinch

Be quite, Wendy!!!! My tutor gave the physical book 2 me 4 X-mas 2010!!
And guess what, m SEVENTH GRADE teacher asked me to lend him the book for class!!!

WHAT NOW, U BITCH!!!!!!

View the original article here

The 5" Sony C660X Yuga to arrive titled as Sony Xperia Z

Sony = Everyone is gonna launch Arm A15 SoCs and i'm just sitting here A9-ing. The fact that everyone is launching their artillery at CES means that they are scared of what is about to come from Samsung in terms of smartphones. Samsung is the only smartphone producer that combines staggering hardware with brilliant software, so.. why would I just buy this Sony or any other powerful handset (Droid DNA, Optimus G, ZTE Nubia, Oppo Find 5) if it can't use the muscle in a smart way? Samsung seems to me to have become the only one in the market to understand the need for better software instead of just some hardware on a spec list.

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App for jailbroken iPhone gives a great look and function for iOS app switcher

What started as a concept to create an environment which improves the app switching experience or multitasking view in iOS is now on the crux of becoming reality.

This app is called Auxo, and it completely redesigns the view when using the switcher. This app, which will require a jailbroken iPhone, really shows a great execution of what would be a welcome improvement to a future “official” version of iOS (maybe iOS 7).

Swiping to the reveal the audio controls provides neat functionality of volume and viewing the album art. Swipe further and you are presented with toggle controls for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and more, plus there is a brightness slider. The latter of which is only accessible by digging into settings. The toggles allow direct access to the settings by simply selecting and holding that toggle. Plus, the toggles can be rearranged.

In the app preview, or multi-tasking tray, in lieu of app logos, you have a card view showing the state of each app. It is a feature that is obviously borrowed from webOS, but nicely executed. The gestures are multi-touch enabled too.

If you have a jailbroken iPhone, this app will be available in Cydia soon. It will only work on iOS 6 devices for now. Pricing for the feature is not known either. With this kind of talent working in the “shadows” of the jailbreak environment, one can see what can be accomplished with the iOS platform. Given that, by showing what can be done, great looking features like this do play against the age of the overall user experience of iOS.

sources: iDownloadBlog via The Verge

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Google unwraps Android holiday wallpapers

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

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Over 35% of American households have given up on landlines totally

We're not sure why this particular stat comes from the Center for Disease Control in reference to its National Health Interview Survey for 2012, but the CDC has discovered that 35.8% of Americans have given up on landlines and are using cellular connectivity for all of its telephony needs. At the same time, just under 16% of American households received all, or almost all of their telephone calls on a cell phone despite owning a landline as well. Do the simple math, and just over half of American families either have no landline or act like they have no landline.

You can figure that this trend will only continue because 40% of those 18 or younger have replaced the landline with a cellular connection. That figure is 34% for adults. When the youngsters get older, do you think they are going to add a landline? As today's 18 and unders become tomorrow's adults, the percentage of adults relying on cellular will only rise. Years ago, the cost of owning a cell phone and subscribing to a calling plan would have made talk of relying on wireless sound crazy. But in this era when 6 year olds are sporting the Apple iPhone, owning a landline is like holding on to your appendix. Maybe that explains why the CDC was involved in the survey!

source: CDC via BGR

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UPS delivery guy steals FedEx iPad delivery, but it all gets caught on camera

This Holiday season is a bit hectic - buying presents from everyone you often cannot make it to the store and have to order it all online. Deliveries from all sorts of places arrive on the same day, and that’s usually not a problem.

Not in this case, though, where both a FedEx and a UPS package arrived with a couple of hours of difference, and the person who had to get them isn’t at home. First, a FedEx package, which turned out to be an iPad, is delivered. The gadget is a gift for the homeowner’s daughter.

All is good and well until a second package arrives, this time delivered by a UPS guy. All looks normal - he rings the bell, no one answers so he drops in his package and walks away.

But it’s not all that simple. Luckily, a turned on security camera records everything, including the shadowy return of the UPS guy who then just steals the iPad that was delivered by FedEx and walks away with it under his clipboard.

Hopefully, his heart warms and he brings it back, but for the time being it is one less gift for a kid.

source: SlashGear

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Samsung sues Apple in Korea over Apple iPhone Notification Center

When Apple launched a Notification Center in iOS 5, the feeling was that it was just a matter of time before Google took Apple to court. Well, as it turns out, it isn't Google but is Samsung that is finally taking Apple to court over the feature. Samsung, based in Korea, has the home court advantage with its filing in the country. Unlike some of the other patents being defended in courtroom battles globally, this would not appear to be a standards-essential patent which means that Sammy could be in for a big pay day.

It is unknown whether Samsung is defending a patent it had received or whether it has enhanced an existing patent that some other company received before Apple launched its Notification Center. And that is the billion dollar question because Samsung cannot sue for something Google patented. Google recently received a Patent in the U.S. for the Android Notifications Center, but technically, Samsung cannot use that to sue Apple unless it was enhanced by Samsung or if it was sold to Samsung by Google.

Apple launched its Notification Center in 2011 for iOS 5 well after Android models had been shipping with a similar feature. The Notification Center on the Apple iPhone allows the user to drag down a screen that shows emails, texts and weather. Even the most die-hard Apple fan has to concede that Apple's legal team has its work cut out with this suit.

source: inews24 (translate), Brightwire, FossPatents via AppleInsider

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Microsoft gets Motorola patent invalidated in Europe because it was "obvious"

are you joking? the judge is an idiot, pager system is fairly complicated to make it "obvious". I mean, unless this man has a phd, a degree in comunications enginering, and a degree in law he has no right to call that obvious. That is the problem with common law system, it's too subjective.

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Apple changes Lightning connector policy, no word on the fate of the POP charger though

Home› News› Apple changes Lightning connector policy, no word on the fate of the POP charger though

The people behind POP should keep at it. I'd heard though (not reliable, so not cited) that they'd already begun the refunding process and were at a few thousand dollars or so. While investment is at its roots a gamble, uncertainty is a big detractor in continued investment. Hopefully they'll make back any lost prospects.

This comment has been moderated, because it doesn`t meet the discussion rules. Show

Dear Apple consumers so where is advantage to have Lightning connector???

apple is incredibly annoying. maybe they should get into politics. i feel like i am listening to obama and romney again

+1 for you

Don't be surprised to find out that it is blindly backed by few politicians. Remember G D Searle? The company (IIRC) that still makes Aspartame crap? And remeber Donald Rumsfeld who is said to have pushed this crap through FDA using his clout?

Why can't they come out with something like the iPad 3 USB adapter for the iPhone 5?

Because that would not earn money for them, now Apple has patent for Lightning connector and can milk manufacturers of accessories.

There is a lightning to USB adapter, but they only support it on the iPad because it makes sense to want to get pictures onto the iPad for iPhoto or Photoshop, it doesn't make as much sense to do the same thing with an iPhone.

stealthd, you are one funny guy. You should use a standard phone with USB, you will realise how easy your life can be.

Every One Has to Agree That Samsung Changes It's Products For The Coustomers.Apple Forces Its Coustomers To Change.

Maybe this was just a publicity stunt by POP. I mean, what a coincidence that the guy behind POP is also a founder for a Kickstarter competitor that just so happens to support refunds directly. I'm just speculating here (or conspiracy theroizing), but maybe he started this whole project knowing or hoping Apple wouldn't authorize it, so then his Kickstarter competitor saves the day when he uses it to get his Kickstarter investors refunds.

Home› News› Apple changes Lightning connector policy, no word on the fate of the POP charger thoughApple changes Lightning connector policy, no word on the fate of the POP charger though

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Even if you're not in Times Square, you can watch the ball drop in real time over your phone or tablet

You might remember the nifty little app that Toshiba sponsored last year for the Times Square ball drop of 2012. A year later,Toshiba is offering the same features on a new app for the Times Square ball drop of 2013. Live streaming video will let you watch the festivities, including the dropping of the ball that welcomes in the new year. The app has a countdown timer, counting down the days hours, minutes and second until 2013 is ushered in. Until the streaming video from Times Square goes live, you can view some videos of last year's countdown. And just like last year, you can use the app or the camera on your phone to take a picture and upload it for a chance to have it posted on the large ToshibaVision screen in Times Square. Lastly, there is a schedule of events that will be taking place in the Times Square area and it includes some fun facts about the ball drop. For example, did you know that the ball drops 70 feet in 60 seconds, or that it weighs 11,875 pounds? Perhaps you were aware that it is covered with 2,688 Waterford crystal triangles and is lit up by 32,256 Philips Luxeon Rebel LEDs.

The app is available for free from iTunes or the Google Play Store. It is becoming a New Year's tradition, so why not make installing it your New Year's tradition. We should point out that the app is a little laggy, but don't let that stop you from enjoying the ringing out of 2012, and the ringing in of 2013.

source: GooglePlayStore, iTunes via AndroidCentral

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Come join us at 12PM EST for a Hangout in the PhoneArena Google+ Community!

A couple weeks ago, Google+ launched the Communities feature, and we quickly jumped on the opportunity to create a PhoneArena community as a way to give our readers a way to connect with us more directly. We've gotten some great feedback, and now we'd like to try out a first for us: a Google+ Hangout starting at 12PM EST.

This is a first not just in getting some face-to-face time with our readers, but also in that some of us have never done a Hangout before, so it's expected to be pretty informal. As of now, we're expecting Michael H., John V., Alan F., and Scott H. to join the fun from the PhoneArena team, so all we really need are readers to come join us.  Given that this is the first Hangout that we're doing, we won't be broadcasting it live on YouTube, but that may be an option for future Hangouts.

So, if you're interested, come join our PhoneArena Google+ Community, introduce yourself, and we'll see you there at 12PM EST!

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Listec Promptware Teleprompters Adds 58mm Support

Hauppauge, New York – The Tiffen Company, a leading manufacturer and distributor of award-winning accessories for the still imaging, video, motion picture, and broadcast markets, today announced that its Listec Promptware PW-04 Teleprompter product line now supports lens sizes up to 58mm. The Listec Promptware PW-04 turns any iPhone, iPod touch or Android Phone into a professional prompter.

Fast and simple to use, the PW-04 is a perfect match for today’s popular small video cameras, compact HDRLS and Mirrorless cameras. Ideal for corporate training, small productions, presentations, interviews, blogging and YouTube videos, the PW-04 is complete with case and Bluetooth remote control. The lightweight Teleprompter quickly attaches to the camera lens.

Listec Promptware PW-04 Feature Highlights:
* Easily readable up to 10 feet
* Easy to assemble – no tools required
* Lightweight and compact
* Weight 0.6lbs (0.27kg)
* Full script speed control with Bluetooth QWERTY keyboard wireless remote
* Fits cameras with 58mm, 55mm, 52mm, 49mm, 46mm, 43mm, 40.5mm, 37mm or 30.5mm threaded lens
* Folds flat for easy transport
* Adjustable cradle holder: Max. length: 4.9? (126.9mm) Max. width: 3.2? (81.3mm) Min. width: 1.9? (49.8mm)
* 60/40 Trapezoidal mirror with glass removal tool
* Complete package includes compact ABS hard case
* 1 Year warranty: register online for 2 Years (excludes mirror)

The Listec Promptware PW-04 supports the following popular video cameras:

Consumer:
* Sony HDR-CX700V
* Panasonic HDC-TM900K
* Sony HDR-CX560V
* Canon VIXIA HF M50
* Canon VIXIA HF M52
* Canon VIXIA HF M500
* Sony DCR SX45
* Sony HDR-CX130
* Panasonic HC-V700M
* Sony HDR-CX160/B

Professional:
* Sony Professional HVR-A1U
* Sony HDR-FX7
* Sony HVR-HD1000U
* Sony HVRA1U
* Sony HXR-NX70U
* JVC GYHM150U
* Panasonic AG-HMC40
* Panasonic AG-HMC80 3MOS
* Sony HXR-MC50L

About Listec
The name Listec has been associated with the broadcast Industry since 1967. Listec is defined by its uncompromising standards and over the years has gained a reputation for innovation, the reliability of its product and ongoing commitment to its customers.

The Tiffen Company
Listec PW-04

Tiffen has been a leading manufacturer of photographic filters, lens accessories, software, and camera accessories for the consumer/professional imaging and the motion picture and broadcast television industries for over 70 years. The company has a rich history of innovative product design, superior optical consistency, and unparalleled quality. Tiffen has been recognized for its product and engineering excellence, earning two Technical Achievement Awards and a Scientific and Engineering Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, as well as multiple Emmy(R) Awards from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Today, the company offers a wide range of products. Tiffen continues to enhance its reputation as a leading imaging accessory manufacturer through aggressive growth in the image-making accessory industry. Tiffen is a registered trademark of The Tiffen Company. All other trademarks and products mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.

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Merry Christmas from PhoneArena

With Santa getting ready for his run in a couple days, we at PhoneArena wish you, our readers, a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

As always, if you happen to get a bright new shiny phone for Christmas, we want to hear about it. Feel free to share in the comment section below.

-PhoneArena Team

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ShopSavvy Launches New Product Page on iPhone

San Francisco, California – ShopSavvy, the world’s largest mobile shopping platform, today is thrilled to announce the release of a new product screen on iPhone that not only provides unprecedented levels of detail about products users are looking to buy but sets the stage for greatly increased sharing among members of ShopSavvy’s growing shopping community.

The new page, an element of recently announced ShopSavvy 6, provides additional product information and local store listings as well as larger images, product videos and community reviews. Full-screen images and video viewing have been improved. Many products already are being displayed along with significant amounts of new information. In the coming weeks and months additional detail will be available about more and more products and categories.

“I’m excited about what this new product page is today, but I’m thrilled about the direction it will take us in the coming months,” said John Boyd, CEO of ShopSavvy. “Soon our users will be able to play a much larger role in contributing content for the shopping community that ShopSavvy is growing.”

The new product page comes on the heels of the launch of Product Cloud 2.0, the latest iteration of ShopSavvy’s proprietary big-data platform. It enables the community’s millions of active users to easily find real-time pricing, inventory, reviews and other information for more than 20 million products.

Boyd said, “We’re confident that the product page enhancement combined with the just-completed improvements to the back end of our system make ShopSavvy the best source for local and online results and product data.”

Earlier this year, ShopSavvy launched ShopSavvy Marketplace, which empowers retailers of all sizes to list their products for free within the Product Cloud. More than 150 new retailers per month add their inventory and price information to ShopSavvy’s shopping platform.

Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
* Requires iOS 5.0 or later
* 17.2 MB

Pricing and Availability:
ShopSavvy 6.7.0 is Free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Utilities category.

ShopSavvy 6.7.0
Download From iTunes
Screenshot 1
Screenshot 2
Screenshot 3
App Icon

ShopSavvy is the leading mobile shopping community, with more than 40 million downloads and millions of monthly active users. ShopSavvy empowers smartphone users to quickly and seamlessly locate, research and buy products at the point of sale. When users scan a barcode or input a product name, they discover where the item is sold locally and online, where it’s in stock and at what price. ShopSavvy aggregates product data, deals, ratings and reviews from retailers, partners and its own users to provide the most comprehensive source of information and advice for mobile shoppers anywhere. For advertisers, ShopSavvy delivers hyper-relevant deals, promotions, warranty offers and other UPC/GPS-targeted content to consumers. Copyright (C) 2012 ShopSavvy. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

View the original article here

New Instagram update adds yet another filter

A couple of days ago, Instagram created a furor by changing its ToS which set off speculation that the photo-sharing site was going to sell your pictures to advertisers and keep the money for itself. What made this believable was recent talk that Facebook was going to do something to monetize its billion dollar white elephant. As a public company, Facebook must put its shareholders first which means trying to squeeze profits out of Instagram. But by the end of the day, CEO Kevin Systrom had reversed direction and said that the change in the ToS had nothing to do with selling your photos to third parties and was all about experimenting with innovative advertising. Now that the anger has subsided, Instagram felt it might be able to divert your attention by issuing a new update that includes yet another new color photo filter. Version 3.4.0 of the app comes with "Mayfair," a new filter that adds a touch of lavender to your photos and brightens up the center of them. The update adds support for 25 languages on the app, Facebook integration allowing you to share pictures with the social-networking site and also fixes some bugs that were infesting Instagram.

Filters were in the news the last couple of weeks. First, the previous Instagram update brought the "Willow" filter to to the site, while Twitter and Flickr both added their own new selection of filters in order to compete with Instagram. Flickr and Twitter's timing seemed perfect as they both added filters around the same time that you would expect to see a number of Instagram users looking for a new photo-sharing site. Truthfully, though, not that many people left Instagram as they decided to give the site the benefit of the doubt. Now that the photo-sharing site has done and said all the right things with its damage control, the update issued Friday is icing on the cake. When the dust settles, we wouldn't be surprised to see Instagram with only a small loss of subscribers over the last week.

The new update is available from iTunes and the Google Play Store.

source: GooglePlayStore, iTunes via BGR

View the original article here

Samsung speaker dock appears on Amazon Germany, priced around $170

overpriced to the max......especially with 6watt?

my portable capsule speaker that run on usb charge battery has 10watts. its not Bluetooth but I got it for only $20 and its portable enough for me to carry everywhere.

Samsung you have the money, you have the latest technologies, you have the people,everything. this is not a product a company that makes billions should produce.

View the original article here

U.S. Cellular's Samsung Galaxy S III receives Android 4.1.1 update

The Android 4.1.1 update for U.S. Cellular's Samsung Galaxy S III is now here, and you can wait for it to show up on your device, or you can be aggressive and pull it out of Samsung Kies. The update, to Baseband version R53OUVXALK5, includes some new features for the phone including Google Now. This feature sends you information you can use (traffic reports, weather, sports scores, etc.) when you need it. For example, you can have the traffic on your daily commute into the office sent to you each morning without having to ask for it every day. The Android 4.1.1 update also offers some new features for your camera including filters like warm vintage, cold vintage, black and white and sepia. Color highlights (blue, green, red/yellow) are available from the main camera screen. While shooting a video, pause and resume allows you to splice together separate shots from an event into one file without having to perform a post-editing task. Low light mode lets you take pictures in low light and dark conditions. Included in Android 4.1.1, Smart app updates allow you to download only the updated portions of apps that you've already installed. And Android 4.1.1 also brings you  a new virtual QWERTY keyboard that has better text-to-speech capabilities, an improved dictionary and intelligent word prediction. The QWERTY will also offer Swype, the swipe to type application.

An update to Pop-up Play allows you to re-size the picture-in-picture window. The Android 4.1.1 update also includes Easy Mode, which was developed to help smartphone newbies set up the device. With this feature, widgets automatically are loaded on your home screen to cover weather, alarms, contacts and more. After installing Android 4.1.1, users will also be able to block and disable incoming calls, notifications, alarms and LED indicators for a preset amount of time.

Whether you plan on waiting for the update to come OTA or you plan on connecting to Kies, you should click on the sourcelink for instructions directly from the carrier.

source: USCellular, AndroidPolice via IntoMobile

View the original article here

What do you want for Christmas?

And just like that, the holidays are almost here, and you all know what that means - presents! After all, what better occasion than Christmas for us to get the gadgets we've always wanted (or if not always, then at least for the last few months)?

What we mean is, of course the most important thing to Christmas is to be good and be with your family, but getting that quad-core smartphone along the way couldn't hurt, right? Now's the time for you to share your wishes with us and the rest of the PhoneArena community! While we can't guarantee that your wishes will come true, it'll surely be fun to see what each of us wants. It's the most magical time of the year, guys, and sharing our deepest wishes can only help them happen.

What do you want for Christmas?

View the original article here

New App "Countdown HD" Lets Users Count Down to Major Events

Cupertino, California – Grupo Blueway today is proud to announce Countdown HD 1.1 for iOS. People of all ages who want to track the days, hours and minutes to a number of major events on their calendar can now download the new app Countdown HD for iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, and get the information they need anytime, anywhere, and at-a-glance.

Far more than a basic timer app, Countdown HD from Grupo Blueway features countdown timers for the following major events: End of the World, Christmas, New Year, Superbowl, 4th of July and Halloween.

In addition, users can create customized countdowns for: birthdays, anniversaries, proms, Valentine’s Day and weddings. Plus, users can assign a picture to further personalize their countdown experience. Grupo Blueway has noted that additional countdown options will be released on an ongoing basis, and will automatically download to each user’s device free of charge.

“People are always counting down to one event or another, whether it’s something relatively small like when a meeting at work will start, or something bigger, like when the New Year will begin,’ commented Gustavo Morande of Grupo Blueway. “And now with Countdown HD, they can make that experience fun, memorable and precise. They’ll know exactly how much time is left before a major event – right down to the second. Plus, they’ll love how easy it is to add photos, and see them really come alive on their device’s Retina display. It’s a fun, memorable way to personalize the count down experience!”

Countdown HD, the fun and innovative new app that lets users count down the days, hours, minutes and seconds to major events and add photos, is available now from iTunes. The app is optimized for the Retina display.

For more information or media inquiries, contact Mark Johnson on behalf of Grupo Blueway at 1 408 757 0156 or press(at)appshout.com.

Device Requirements:
* iOS 5.0 or later
* iPhone 3GS/4/4S/5, iPod touch (3rd/4th/5th generation), and iPad
* 35.3 MB

Pricing and Availability:
Countdown HD 1.1 is only $0.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Lifestile category.

Based in Chile, Grupo Blueway is a new media development company with a staff of more than 20 sales engineers, developers and designers. The company focuses on identifying needs, and transforming good ideas into reality. Copyright (C) 2012 Grupo Blueway. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

View the original article here

Apple fined 200,000 Euros in Italy over AppleCare

According to Italian regulators, Apple fraudulently told customers that an AppleCare plan was required to obtain two years of warranty coverage. The problem with telling this to customers is that local laws already guaranteed those who purchased an Apple device two years of warranty coverage. While Apple has already changed its warranty policies, the Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato says that the activity took place between March 28th and November 10th and has fined Apple 200,000 Euros ($264,000 USD). Back in March, when Italian regulators started focusing in on AppleCare, the Cupertino based firm was fined 900,000 Euros ($1.2 million USD) for committing the same act.. 

The Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato has closed the case with the latest fine, which was actually broken down into smaller amounts. Apple Sales International was hit with the bulk of the penalty, 120,000 Euros ($158,000). Both Apple Italia and Apple Retail Italia were each hit with 40,000 Euro fines ($53,000 USD each). While Apple made 14 changes to its website, stores and terms that took effect on or before November 10th, the company finally decided to pull the plug and no longer offers AppleCare in Italian retail stores. The plan can still be purchased online in Italy.

source: ipodnn

View the original article here

Keep your iPhone running sharp with SYSTEM UTIL Dashboard for iOS

New York, New York – AppHome, an emerging mobile solutions and productivity applications developer, is excited today to announce the recent launch of SYSTEM UTIL Dashboard onto the App Store. Compatible with all iPhone and iPad models, this uniquely intuitive system monitoring tool gives users the power to see how they’re utilizing disk space, device CPU, data connections, and battery from a single easily navigable hub. To celebrate its live roll out AppHome has also announced a limited time promotion on SYSTEM UTIL Dashboard that will see the app’s price drop from $1.99 to only $0.99 through. SYSTEM UTIL Dashboard is currently available for download in the App Store’s Paid Utilities category.

Knowledge is power, its that simple. This elegantly effective mobile tool gives users just that. Knowledge of how their iOS device is running, how its utilizing its power and computing capabilities, in turn giving them the power to adapt and use it in ways geared to unlock its full potential. SYSTEM UTIL Dashboard’s dedicated usage monitoring modules make everything available to users for review at a glance, and with 6 uniquely categorized modules included – Battery, Memory, CPU & Processes, Disk, Network, and General – every component of their iOS device is covered.

Unlike intrusive “performance boosting” apps that interfere with and wantonly augment how users’ phones and tablets run, SYSTEM UTIL Dashboard is designed to give users a window into their devices inner workings. Every module can be opened to reveal specific statistics, battery life, which apps are running and which ones are eating up memory, which files are cluttering up disc space, how fast internet connectivity is, and more. It’s all presented via an interface that takes seconds to breeze through, complete with graphs to help it all sink in seamlessly. Don’t let your iPhone or iPad get cumbersome, get yourself back in the drivers seat with the help of SYSTEM UTIL Dashboard for iOS.

Device Requirements:
* iPhone 3GS, 4, 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3/4/5 gen) and iPad
* Requires iOS 5.0 or later
* 12.5 MB

Pricing and Availability:
For a limited time, SYSTEM UTIL Dashboard 1.0 is currently only $0.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Utilities category.

SYSTEM UTIL Dashboard 1.0
Purchase and Download
Screenshot 1
Screenshot 2
Screenshot 3
App Icon

New York, USA based AppHome is a professional mobile development firm specializing in creating utility applications focused on bringing the most useful lifestyle and device management applications to the mobile marketplace. The developer is continuously committed to developing useful apps that are built for optimal use and effectiveness. Copyright (C) 2012 TinyPlanet Software LLC. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

View the original article here

Bivy iOS client for Tent distributed social networks now available

Saint Louis, Missouri – Bivy 1.0 is now available on the App Store. Bivy is a great iOS client for Tent distributed social networks. Bivy connects to your Tent server, allowing you to:
* Post 256 character status messages, publicly or privately.
* Reply to messages from others.
* Repost messages you would like to share with your followers.
* Follow people you find interesting.
* Add location information to your posts and view locations from other posts.
* View complete conversations.
* Browse the Tent.is public timeline.
* Share Tent posts to other social networks like Twitter or Facebook.

Bivy takes advantage of the latest features in iOS 6. Bivy is a universal app that runs on iPhone and iPod Touch as well as iPad. Bivy supports multiple accounts and allows you to quickly switch between them with a tap or swipe gesture in the header bar. Double tap on a reply to quickly view the entire conversation. Tap on any URL in a post to view the web page in Bivy, Safari, or Chrome. Tap on any Tent username or avatar to view a full profile.

Why use Tent? Tent is a social network that is decentralized, like email and the web. Unlike many previous social networks Tent is not controlled by a single company. Rather, it is made up of many different service providers that all communicate with each other. Sign up for a free account at Tent.is, or even host your own server. Change service providers at any time and take your data and your network with you. Distributed is the future of social networking.

Device Requirements:
* iOS 6.0 or later
* iPhone 3GS/4/4S/5, iPod touch (3rd/4th/5th generation), and iPad
* 1.5 MB

Pricing and Availability:
Bivy 1.0 is $2.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Social Networking category.

Located in Saint Louis, MO, Ragfield LLC was founded in 2012 by Rob Raguet-Schofield, a veteran iOS and Mac programmer whose experience as a professional software developer predates Mac OS X. Rob has been a part of many high profile projects and has appeared on stage during WWDC keynotes and other sessions. All Material and Software (C) 2012 Ragfield LLC / All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPod, the iPod logo, are registered trademarks of Apple Computer in the U.S. and/or other countries. Tent is a trademark of Apollic Software, LLC.

View the original article here

Dish Network has 7 years to build out 70% of its LTE network

It is not uncommon for performance goals to be mandated when a regulatory body grants an enterprise permission to embark on a project. Such as the case with the FCC, who just gave Dish Network the green light to use some of its spectrum holdings for purposes of building out a terrestrial LTE network. 

In addition to the expected power considerations that would be required, the FCC further released more details that Dish Network must adhere to in order to keep its licenses valid. The company, or soon to be “carrier,” will have to build out 70% of its network within 7 years, or 10% per year.

There are other performance metrics contained within that 7 year time frame. If the company is not on track with 40% completion in four years, then the remaining 30% will have to be completed within the following two years. Dish’s licenses to remaining uncovered areas (like the final 30%) will expire if the 70% completion threshold is not met.  While there is no direct financial impact, the prospect of licensing at risk is indeed a very strong revenue generating motivator. 

We do not have any inside knowledge of Dish’s project plan, but think this goal is attainable. Dish has the benefit in many areas where it will not need to build out infrastructure from the ground-up. Tower space is leased all the time, and there are infrastructure owners, like Crown Castle International that own and maintain tens-of-thousands of towers across the US for nearly every carrier. So yes, we think this is within Dish’s reach, even more so if rumored partnerships develop.

source: FCC (1, 2) via Engadget and Electronista

View the original article here

Which Android manufacturer is the fastest to update its devices? Which carrier?

So which Android manufacturer is the fastest to update its devices? Lock in your response. Ok, the answer is, with an average time of 4.8 months, HTC. In second place is Samsung. Thanks to the quick 4.5 months it took to start updating the Samsung Galaxy S III, the Korean manufacturer was able to improve its average time to 6.9 months. Motorola was third with an average of 8.6 months to update. Besides that average, Motorola has received low marks for failing to update models like the Motorola DROID 3, Motorola ATRIX 4G and Motorola PHOTON 4G. LG was last with an average 11.8 months to update. Looking at the carriers, T-Mobile was the speediest with an average time of 5.8 months with Sprint coming in second with an average 6.5 months before update. Coming in third was AT&T which took an average of 7.8 months to update an Android model. And last, with an average of 8 months, is Verizon. Actually, that is no surprise as many of Big Red's customers have bitched about the slow updating at the nation's largest carrier. A case in point, look at the Samsung Galaxy S III's update to Android 4.1. Sprint was the first with the update in late October followed by T-Mobile which rolled out the update in mid November. In early December, AT&T subscribers had to pull the update out of Kies. Last Friday, Verizon started disseminating the update at last.

It's a no-brainer, but we should point out that if speedy updates are your thing, then the stock Android Nexus will always be the answer. On Sprint and Verizon, the Samsung GALAXY Nexus updated in only 2.5 months.

source: ArsTechnica via BGR

View the original article here

Keep your iPhone running sharp with SYSTEM UTIL Dashboard for iOS

New York, New York – AppHome, an emerging mobile solutions and productivity applications developer, is excited today to announce the recent launch of SYSTEM UTIL Dashboard onto the App Store. Compatible with all iPhone and iPad models, this uniquely intuitive system monitoring tool gives users the power to see how they’re utilizing disk space, device CPU, data connections, and battery from a single easily navigable hub. To celebrate its live roll out AppHome has also announced a limited time promotion on SYSTEM UTIL Dashboard that will see the app’s price drop from $1.99 to only $0.99 through. SYSTEM UTIL Dashboard is currently available for download in the App Store’s Paid Utilities category.

Knowledge is power, its that simple. This elegantly effective mobile tool gives users just that. Knowledge of how their iOS device is running, how its utilizing its power and computing capabilities, in turn giving them the power to adapt and use it in ways geared to unlock its full potential. SYSTEM UTIL Dashboard’s dedicated usage monitoring modules make everything available to users for review at a glance, and with 6 uniquely categorized modules included – Battery, Memory, CPU & Processes, Disk, Network, and General – every component of their iOS device is covered.

Unlike intrusive “performance boosting” apps that interfere with and wantonly augment how users’ phones and tablets run, SYSTEM UTIL Dashboard is designed to give users a window into their devices inner workings. Every module can be opened to reveal specific statistics, battery life, which apps are running and which ones are eating up memory, which files are cluttering up disc space, how fast internet connectivity is, and more. It’s all presented via an interface that takes seconds to breeze through, complete with graphs to help it all sink in seamlessly. Don’t let your iPhone or iPad get cumbersome, get yourself back in the drivers seat with the help of SYSTEM UTIL Dashboard for iOS.

Device Requirements:
* iPhone 3GS, 4, 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3/4/5 gen) and iPad
* Requires iOS 5.0 or later
* 12.5 MB

Pricing and Availability:
For a limited time, SYSTEM UTIL Dashboard 1.0 is currently only $0.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Utilities category.

SYSTEM UTIL Dashboard 1.0
Purchase and Download
Screenshot 1
Screenshot 2
Screenshot 3
App Icon

New York, USA based AppHome is a professional mobile development firm specializing in creating utility applications focused on bringing the most useful lifestyle and device management applications to the mobile marketplace. The developer is continuously committed to developing useful apps that are built for optimal use and effectiveness. Copyright (C) 2012 TinyPlanet Software LLC. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

View the original article here

ZTE Nubia Z5 quad-core smartphone in China

Today, ZTE, the Chinese company is announcing its surprisingly high-end specs phablet, the ZTE Nubia Z5. The smartphone has a 5-inch touchscreen display at full HD 1920 x 1080p resolution. Yesterday, the company was announced another upcoming phablet, the ZTE U887 but its looks typically low-end device.

Unlike the U887 smartphone, the ZTE Nubia Z5 boasts a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 2,500mAh battery. Coming with small bezel and three buttons on the bottom, the Nubia Z5 packs a 13MP rear-facing camera, a 2-megapixel camera on the front, and runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean operating system.

The ZTE’s flagship smartphone is offered at price of around $400. There is no information about availability outside of China.

View the original article here

Apple allows two fake Halo 4 apps to be sold in the App Store

Getting an app approved and listed on the Apple App Store in an arduous process. Yet, two obviously fake Halo 4 apps made it through to actually go on sale for $4.99 each on the App Store. While both had an icon that would seem to represent the wildly popular Microsoft game, showed screenshots of the real thing and had a metadata description of Halo 4, what you were purchasing for nearly $5 was a chess game or a racing title. Neither game would be worth the money that you might have been rooked out of.

Each Halo 4 app also featured a number of 5 star reviews. Actually, to be precise, there were 206 reviews with an average 4.5 stars. How could something like this escape the watchful eye of Apple not just once, but twice? We do have to note that Apple has removed the fake Halo 4 apps, but not before some people spent $4.99 for something that they did not receive.

source: MacMixing, CultofMac via Gizmodo

View the original article here

ZTE Grand X smartphone coming with Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean

ZTE has officially unveiled a new smartphone in Indonesia, the ZTE Grand X. This budget-friendly phone runs Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean operating system (instead of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on first launched in Europe).

The ZTE Grand X smartphone has a 4.3-inch touchscreen qHD display, a 5MP rear-facing camera with 1080p video recording, and VGA camera on the front. Indonesia version of ZTE Grand X is likely boasts a MediaTek 6577 processor, which is different from Europe version (1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core CPU).

As memory term, new smartphone brings 512MB of RAM, 4GB of onboard storage, and a MicroSD card slot. Other features are Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, HSDPA, and Dolby Mobile sound.

The Chinese company was released an Intel-powered version of the Grand X smartphone that called the ZTE Grand X IN. It sports an Intel Atom Z2460 single-core processor.

View the original article here

ShopSavvy Launches New Product Page on iPhone

San Francisco, California – ShopSavvy, the world’s largest mobile shopping platform, today is thrilled to announce the release of a new product screen on iPhone that not only provides unprecedented levels of detail about products users are looking to buy but sets the stage for greatly increased sharing among members of ShopSavvy’s growing shopping community.

The new page, an element of recently announced ShopSavvy 6, provides additional product information and local store listings as well as larger images, product videos and community reviews. Full-screen images and video viewing have been improved. Many products already are being displayed along with significant amounts of new information. In the coming weeks and months additional detail will be available about more and more products and categories.

“I’m excited about what this new product page is today, but I’m thrilled about the direction it will take us in the coming months,” said John Boyd, CEO of ShopSavvy. “Soon our users will be able to play a much larger role in contributing content for the shopping community that ShopSavvy is growing.”

The new product page comes on the heels of the launch of Product Cloud 2.0, the latest iteration of ShopSavvy’s proprietary big-data platform. It enables the community’s millions of active users to easily find real-time pricing, inventory, reviews and other information for more than 20 million products.

Boyd said, “We’re confident that the product page enhancement combined with the just-completed improvements to the back end of our system make ShopSavvy the best source for local and online results and product data.”

Earlier this year, ShopSavvy launched ShopSavvy Marketplace, which empowers retailers of all sizes to list their products for free within the Product Cloud. More than 150 new retailers per month add their inventory and price information to ShopSavvy’s shopping platform.

Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
* Requires iOS 5.0 or later
* 17.2 MB

Pricing and Availability:
ShopSavvy 6.7.0 is Free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Utilities category.

ShopSavvy 6.7.0
Download From iTunes
Screenshot 1
Screenshot 2
Screenshot 3
App Icon

ShopSavvy is the leading mobile shopping community, with more than 40 million downloads and millions of monthly active users. ShopSavvy empowers smartphone users to quickly and seamlessly locate, research and buy products at the point of sale. When users scan a barcode or input a product name, they discover where the item is sold locally and online, where it’s in stock and at what price. ShopSavvy aggregates product data, deals, ratings and reviews from retailers, partners and its own users to provide the most comprehensive source of information and advice for mobile shoppers anywhere. For advertisers, ShopSavvy delivers hyper-relevant deals, promotions, warranty offers and other UPC/GPS-targeted content to consumers. Copyright (C) 2012 ShopSavvy. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

View the original article here

Google and Motorola finally working on "X Phone" and tablet

Quad core 1.7+ GHz A15 processor (maybe new custom Snapdragon S5?)

2 GB RAM

4.7-5" 1080p S-AMOLED/ColorBoost display

3,500 mAh battery

Kevlar back and water resistant

Famed Motorola antennae

It will be beautiful :)

View the original article here

PowerCam Received The Best App of 2012 Award

San Francisco, California – Wondershare Software Co., Ltd., the leading consumer software provider, announced today that its popular iOS/Android photography app, PowerCam has been selected as the annual honoree of ‘The Best App of 2012' in App Store in China. This Award is judged by Apple official based on application’s performance and contribution in the year of 2012.

PowerCam is a powerful yet easy-to-use photography app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Featuring tons of effects and filters, Color Splash, Tilt-Shift and Panorama, PowerCam is almost the best App for capturing photo and video. In 2012, PowerCam has been awarded as an Editors’ Choice, App of the Week, and is the #1 iPhone photography app in dozens of countries around the globe, garnering over 60 Million downloads so far.

Main features of PowerCam:
1. Five Capture Modes: Magic Shot, Panorama, Color Splash, Tilt-Shift and FaceTimer.
2. Over 60 effects and filters, Frames and Collage Samples.
3. Advanced Face Beauty and Enhance.
4. Video shooting with live filters.

PowerCam and PowerCam HD are available on the Apple iTunes App Store for $0.99, and available on Google Play for free. PowerCam is available for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4/4S, iPhone 5, iPad, iPod touch 4 and iPod touch 5. Supported languages: English, Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish.

Wondershare Software Co., Ltd., an IDG invested company, is an innovative software developer dedicated to delivering the very best in software products and services to the worldwide consumer and business market segments. Headquartered in Shenzhen, China, Wondershare has branch offices in the United States, Germany and Japan. Wondershare has been named to Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Asia Pacific in 2009 and 2010. For more information please visit Wondershare online. Copyright (C) 2012 Wondershare Software Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Wondershare is a registered trademark of Wondershare Software Co. Ltd. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

View the original article here

DoggyDooDar Helps Dog Owners Have Fun, Earn Prizes and Help Environment

Cupertino, California – Dog owners who want to enjoy endless hours of fun, earn great prizes, and help the environment all at the same time can now download the remarkable, 100% free new app DoggyDooDar(TM). Created by the DoggyDooDar team at Latebird Limited, and led by Freddie, the brilliant canine creator of the app, DoggyDooDar features an easy and intuitive interface that allows users to:

* Create a fun profile of their dog along with photo, and get to know other users and dogs in the area

* Find and add dog waste bins on a global map – currently, there are over 10,000 bins/ cans and counting, and they automatically update each time the app starts.

* Find and add dog-friendly services on a global map, such as restaurants, bars, pubs, hotels, guest houses, pet shops, veterinarians, dog salons, dog parks, and many more.

* View dog-themed galleries, and easily share and upload photos whilst on the move.

* Download dog-themed photos to use as device wallpaper.

* Score lots of DoggyDooDar Stars in the process and compare scores on the app’s dedicated leaderboards.

Plus, to promote a warm and friendly community feel (just like when dog owners dispose of waste responsibly), users can see who last tagged a dog poop waste bin or service/ location. They can also access the app’s global map when they’re offline, which is ideal for when they’re walking in remote areas.

And if all of that didn’t make this 100% free app the most dog-friendly invention since the rubber ball, DoggyDooDar users can earn great prizes simply by visiting dog waste bins/ cans or dog-friendly services or locations and “tagging” scoring them thus scoring DoggyDooDar Stars.

Each daily visit and tag at a dog waste bin/can earns a user one DoggyDooDar Star, while each dog-friendly service or location tag earns a user two Stars. The user with the most stars each month wins a gift voucher (monthly scores reset each month), while the user who has most stars over a calendar year wins a big grand prize. In addition, spot prizes are awarded each month to randomly-selected users who have at least one star to their credit.

Both dog and non-dog owning users can add any waste bin/can that is legally allowed to receive correctly wrapped dog waste. Allowing everyone to keep their community free our four legged friends’ daily little gifts.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about a relatively small dog like our beloved Freddie – who, by the way, feels very strongly about dog waste (when offered a small treat) – or a giant Great Dane who looks like it could bear a saddle: the amount of dog waste produced worldwide each year is amounting to tens of millions of tonnes, and it’s a real environmental danger,” commented a senior source at Latebird Limited. “Disposing of your dog’s daily waste responsibly is the law in the UK, Europe, the US, Japan, Australia, Canada and many other countries around world. With DoggyDooDar, we’ve made picking up dog poop fun – and like the Olympics, we too want to create a global league of social and environmental responsibility through our devoted community of DoggyDooDar users. But that’s just one part of the app or, if you will, one piece of the doo. Because users can find dog-friendly services and locations, connect with other dog lovers, and win great prizes – and it’s all 100% free!”

DoggyDooDar, the remarkable new app that lets dog owners enjoy endless hours of fun, earn great prizes, and help the environment all at the same time, is available now in the iTunes App Store.

Device Requirements:
* iPhone 3GS, 4, 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3/4/5 gen) and iPad
* Requires iOS 4.3 or later
* 6.7 MB

Pricing and Availability:
DoggyDooDar 1.16 is Free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Lifestyle category.

As relatively new dog owners (the real Freddie joined our family 2 years ago), the practicalities of dog ownership and social and environmental issues around dog waste disposal were the spark to creating DoggyDooDar. Our goal is to inject some daily fun into the messy, and sometimes lonely, business of collecting your dog’s waste gifts and offer you the chance to be rewarded for being clean and green. We have had lots of fun developing this application and already have ideas for making further improvements. Latebird Limited is the sole legal owner of the DoggyDooDar app, DoggyDooDar trade marks and all other associated intellectual property rights. Copyright (C) 2012 Latebird Limited. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

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Samsung Galaxy Frame rumored to be introduced at MWC 2013

If all of the recent speculation about new Samsung models is true, the Korean based manufacturer is going to be awfully busy at MWC 2013. Of course, that won't take place until February 2013 in Barcelona, but yesterday we told you about the Samsung Galaxy Young DUOS which is a dual-SIM model expected to grab some of Sammy's spotlight at MWC 2013. On Wednesday, speculation turned to the Samsung Galaxy Frame. All we know about this device is the model number, GT-S6810, the color options for the unit, of which there is just one-pearl white, and the buzz that the specs will be close to that of the Samsung Galaxy Ace or Samsung Galaxy mini. Now, this shouldn't exactly rev up your engines considering that these are models featuring small screens with 320 x 480 resolution, single-core 800MHz processors and 512MB of RAM.

While the Samsung Galaxy Frame is supposedly going to be introduced in February, the rumor has it launching closer to the end of the first quarter. Unless low to mid range models are your thing, it shouldn't be too hard to make it past that month.

source: SamMobile via AndroidAuthority

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T-Mobile's HTC Windows Phone 8X next in line for Portico software update

news windows phone 8 HTC 8X Blue HTC T-Mobile

A week after the international version of HTC's Windows Phone 8X began receiving an update codenamed "Portico," it appears that the T-Mobile flavor of the device is set to receive the same bump. A T-Mobile support page has revealed that the the update for its 8X will bring the device to OS version 8.0.10211.204 (firmware version 1532.20.20004.531) and will include an assortment of bug fixes. The issues that'll be addressed relate to Bluetooth, devices rebooting and an bug that incorrectly sends users to a tethering upsell page while browsing the Internet. 

HTC has confirmed to Phone Scoop that this is the Portico update for Magenta's 8X. When it rolled out to the global 8X last week, Portico brought with it a tweak to keep a phone connected to Wi-Fi after its screen times out, the option to reject a phone call and respond with a text message and the ability to mass select text messages for easier deletion.

T-Mobile says that this update will be rolling out to 8X units over the air, though users can also snag it manually by heading into Settings > Phone Update > Check for Updates on their devices.  T-Mo says that the update will be released on Dec. 19, aka tomorrow, but HTC has said that it's started rolling out today, so it may be worth your time to check for the new software if you've got a T-Mobile-branded 8X laying around. Be sure to let us know when your 8X finally gets its own taste of Portico!

Via Phone Scoop, T-Mobile support

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Alex is the News Editor for PhoneDog. He digs mobile tech and just about every other kind of tech, too. He's also into cooking, sports, his two cats and drinking lots of coffee. - full profile

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How mobile readers digest: What’s the key to a great mobile site design?

You’re building a website and it’s all going swimmingly. Oh, bollocks: mobile. People need to read it on mobile devices. You’ve gone about this all wrong. You need to start at the bottom and work your way up. But you also need to remember that mobile users absorb content differently. But what do they want? Read on to find out…

Poynter’s carried out eye-tracking tests to see what setups and ways of doing things readers prefer on mobile devices. The results aren’t exactly a complete guide to building a mobile site, but there are some decent insights.

For one, a huge 70 per cent of readers in the research prefer to read with their phone or tablet in the landscape orientation. But that’s for actual article reading. What about article choosing?

Circa: How to feed news to the TL;DR generation

Poynter’s research says that the majority of people much prefer a carousel of content to swipe through, because it lets them choose which is the most important piece to them. That’s opposed to a traditional layout with a hierarchy chosen by the editor.

For the rest of Poynter’s findings, all laid out in a lovely infographic, head over to AdWeek.

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Rollout begins for PR1.1 Windows Phone update for Nokia Lumia 920

look let be honest im no hating on dam android , really , galaxy 1 vibrant , mytouch 4g , lg g2x, htc sensation , htc amazed , I didn't get one single update , even when the update was out for month , at least wp7 user got NoDo , Mango , Tango , 7.8 and they will get more , windows phone 8 was released last month and I already have and update android cant do that , is just to messy , only google keep it clean with the nexus line that's it .

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Major Update to Klieg Available on iTunes – Your Photos Come Alive

Pasig City, Philippines – Numlock Solutions Co. today is pleased to announce its latest iPhone App called Klieg. Klieg allows users to create videos from photos taken with the app & photos imported from the Photos library. For this release, Users can now choose from six free filters & three paid filters for their video:

* Natura ++ (an enhanced version of the original)
* Grisaille (a sepia effect)
* Film Noir (a black and white effect)
* Goomba (a pixelation effect)
* Fringe (a color inversion effect)
* Grafica (a silk-screen poster effect)

New in version 1.2:
* Sparta (This. Is. Madness!)
* Morpheus (Life is but a dream)
* Stanley (With great power comes great responsibility)

Videos from Klieg can be shared via Facebook, Twitter, E-mail and Photos.app. Be as creative as you like – create interesting scenes in a stop-motion video or stitch together a series of pictures in your iPhone or iPod touch to tell a story.

Device Requirements:
* iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, 4/5G iPod touch
* iPad 2 Wi-Fi, iPad 2 Wi-Fi 3G, iPad (3rd generation) and iPad Wi-Fi 4G
* Requires iOS 6.0 or later
* 6.4 MB

Pricing and Availability:
Klieg 1.2 is free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Photo & Video category. Access to all paid filters requires a one-time payment of $1.99 (USD). It is the latest iPhone app to be developed by Numlock Solutions, a mobile development company based in the Philippines that started developing applications for iOS and Android devices in 2009.

Numlock Solutions Co. is a mobile development company based in the Philippines. Its focuses on the development of iOS and Android applications for mobile devices. It currently has six in-house apps on the App Store. Copyright (C) 2012 Numlock Solutions Co. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

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The secret to a successful event? Be a bit boring…

There’s always a lot of events in the calendar. Whether it’s this expo, that summit or such-and-such a showcase, there’s always something going on. And that makes standing out a bit difficult. We’ve discussed Apple’s way with invites at length, but there is another tack: be knowingly dull. Honestly…

A press release has just gone out to anyone signed up to attend the Media Friendly Conference. And it’s odd. The subject line? ‘Boring 2012 Conference Tickets are now sold out’. Boring? Well, a lot of these things normally are, but you probably shouldn’t admit as such.

Good thing, then, that this is a ruse. The fictitious ‘Boring 2012’ conference, which is apparently set to discuss such burning topics as toast and yellow lines, is the brain child of the Media Friendly Conference’s sponsor, Twelve Thirty Eight. The PR firm is obviously aware that event reminders such as these can be an exercise in pissing into the ocean, so it’s done something different.

Apple invites and the art of communication

And it’s worked, because websites (such as us and The Drum) are talking about it. Will it make anyone extra go to the real conference? Time will tell, but either way it’s a top example of how to spruce up an otherwise dull communique.

Gutted that you won’t be able to attend the Boring talk? Your luck’s properly out, as the event’s organiser explains in the release:

“In theory we could add a number of additional places and still comply with venue fire, health and safety regulations. The real issue is that I would have to source additional chairs for our supplier and in order to do so, I would need to get time off work or rearrange my Asda delivery.”

Genius.

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T-Mobile to offer up to $200 rebate on some new phones just as subsidies are about to end

The nation's fourth largest carrier made an announcement recently that ends subsidized handset pricing for the carrier in 2013. But before the ball drops in Times Square and the mobile operator puts away its checkbook, T-Mobile is giving customers once last chance to take advantage of as much as $200 off the down payment on new models. The rebate brings the down payment required to pick up some pretty big name models down to the low, low price of zero with the balance getting paid off over 20 months.

The phones available for $0 down include the Samsung Galaxy S III, the HTC Windows Phone 8X and even the Google Nexus 4. With all of those handsets and some others, you pay $20 each month for 20 months to complete the payment of the phone. Some models, like the Samsung GALAXY Note II will require a $99.99 down payment (after the $200 rebate) in addition to the EIP of $20 a month for 20 months. Of course, you will need to sign a two-year contract for the Unlimited Value plan in order to get any of the rebates.

The deal starts on Friday and runs through the end of the year.

source: GIGaom

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The Facebook flip book: How to make people look at 200 photos in one sitting

If you’re in charge of a brand’s Facebook page, you probably spend a fair bit of your time worrying about how to get people to actually look at the ream of photos you’re uploading. Worry no more: we’ve found the most effective answer, and it’s about 150 years old. Welcome to the Facebook flip book…

Alfred Dunhill has employed a really unique tactic to show off photos from the recent Nippon Rally in Japan. Weekend-long event? You’re going to end up with a lot of photos. And unless people are crazily dedicated, they’re unlikely to click through every last one. That’s why you have to exploit their sense of fun.

Facebook Timeline: You’re doing it wrong

Dunhill’s photos from the Nippon Rally come together as a beautifully shot series of flip books that, when skipped through quickly, animate.

The agency behind the innovative album, Holler, says that the ploy “highlights much of what Alfred Dunhill is about – creating incredibly well-crafted experiences.” Fair play – it’s oddly much more interesting than a video would have been, and the addictive nature of flicking through will no doubt ensure a lot of engagement.

To flip through for yourself, head to Alfred Dunhill’s Facebook page.

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Winner of a Samsung Galaxy S III 16GB blue for Verizon

sweepstakes winner Samsung Galaxy S III 16GB Blue

Congratulations to G. Napierkowski of FL for winning a brand new Samsung Galaxy S III 16GB blue for Verizon Wirless on Tuesday December 18, 2012.  "Awesome Christmas present for ME"

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Last but certainly not least, the PhoneDog himself chimes in every once in a while with some obscure news and interesting reads. - full profile

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HTC's road map leads to a detour, Q1 shipments will be less than expected

HTC's road map has encountered a detour, although this is one of those stories that you might want to read with a box of salt nearby. According to "industry sources," HTC has decided to cut back on its Q1 shipments because of the recent launch of the Apple iPhone 5 and recently declining smartphone prices in China. Earlier forecasts that HTC would increase first quarter shipments 20-30% from the fourth quarter have been lowered to an increase of 10-15% sequentially. The Taiwan based manufacturer has reportedly stopped development on some new models for 2013. This happens as those same "industry sources" note that HTC's Windows Phone 8 models have not been selling as well as expected, and that sales of the competition's top models like the Apple iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S III have both been very good.

In China, HTC has been facing stiff competition from white-box smartphone vendors. As a result, the manufacturer has gone against its desire to stick to high end models by selling units for less than CNY 2,000 ($321 USD). HTC declined to comment on the report.

In the U.S., the HTC DROID DNA, with its 5 inch screen, 1080p resolution and Retina display busting pixel density of 441ppi, has created a lot of attention for the manufacturer. The device was third in our Best Phone of 2012 list, behind the Google Nexus 4 and the Apple iPhone 5.

source: Digitimes

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Madbits Momentsia New iPhone Photo App Makes Picture-Taking Powerful

Miami, Florida – Madbits, experts in human interfaces for the visual world, today announced the availability of its new iPhone photo app Momentsia 1.0. The photo app to trump all photo apps, Momentsia’s simple-to-use features are designed to let creativity flow naturally, allowing iPhoneographers to artfully express their experience through beautiful collage compilations. Users simply select one of Momentsia’s colorful “Mondrian”-style collage layouts and snap photos into position by either tapping directly on the screen to capture the current moment or browsing their iPhone Camera Roll library to pair moments from yesterday with those of today. Vivid collages are created instantly and easily shared via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, or saved to the Camera Roll. You are not longer limited by the camera button.

“You achieve an ultimate creative sense with speed never attained before,” comments Clement Farabet, chief scientist, Madbits. “The essence of one special moment can’t be captured in a single image, and photos lose their effect when you have to flip through too many of them. With Momentsia, iPhoneographers can better express their experience by combining photos instantly into a single, fully enriched collage, using an app that operates the same way their mind does. We’re so excited to see what people will create with the power of Momentsia.”

Why You Need Momentsia:
* Interface is simple, fast and intuitive
* Tap directly anywhere on screen to take picture
* Capture the full essence of a moment and share within seconds; never create a collage after the fact
* Artful interface enhances on-the-go creations
* The first camera app that works at your brain’s speed, never slower

Momentsia Top Features:
* Pre-customized “Mondrian” colorful layouts with two to 20 tiles
* Single shot mode available
* Infinite color sets
* Tap anywhere on the screen to capture images with flash or no flash, or populate tiles by importing images directly from the Camera Roll
* Share Momentsia memories on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, email and Camera Roll
* Portrait and landscape layouts
* Ability to use front or back camera
* Select background frame colors

Quick Start Guide:
* Select Momentsia Collage by tapping on icon
* Tap on desired layout to activate the camera; tap again to capture the moment or browse your camera roll to select a favorite saved image
* Repeat with additional collage tiles until satisfied
* Tap share button and select the destination – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, email or iPhone Camera Roll

Device Requirements:
* iPhone 3GS/4/4S/5, iPod touch (3rd/4th/5th generation), and iPad
* Requires iOS 6.0 or later
* Universal app optimized for display on all iOS devices
* 13.0 MB

Pricing and Availability:
Momentsia 1.0 is only $0.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Photo & Video category.

Madbits is revolutionizing analysis and access to photos and videos, using artificial vision and cognitive sciences applied to real world applications. Formed with world class experts in machine learning, real time vision recognition, human interface and proven business delivery, the company is ideally positioned to conquer new markets created by the inflexion points in the imaging marketplace and the explosion of content created with mobile and other devices. Visit the Madbits website for more information. Copyright (C) 2012 Madbits. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

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