Top Smartphones (Mid 2011)

Remember the good old days before Starbucks became popular- When coffee was either black or with milk and sugar? At some of the more exotic cafes, you had the additional option of choosing between a cappuccino or an espresso. What you wanted was pretty straight forward and buyer’s remorse hardly every existed. Nowadays, stepping into Starbucks is the equivalent of sitting in your SATs where choosing the correct option is almost always uncertain. And sadly, with a new smartphone releasing almost every week, we think the average consumer that wants to pick up a smartphone is pretty much in the same situation.

We wanted to help by picking out five of the best smartphones for you, but soon realized that choosing five smartphones from OUR experiences was not the best way forward for this article. Thus, we decided that instead of simply picking the five best, we should categorize different usage models and then chose something for each of these usage models. For example, the best smartphone for someone who wants to play games will be very different from the one who wants to use it for corporate emails or one who wants to do social networking.

With that in mind, we have defined different usage models in the following pages and accordingly, listed the best phones for each of these categories.

Apple hires JailbreakMe creator Comex

Yesterday we heard about the retirement of Apple figurehead and industry legend Steve Jobs, whose is leaving a glittering legacy behind for his successors to follow. How the new CEO Tim Cook will adapt and adopt is anyones guess, but Steve is a tough act to follow.

Today, however, prominent Jailbreaker Comex announced his plan to join Apple as an intern. What he will be up to at 1 Infinite Loop is all speculation at the moment but a smart money will be on Security of the very iDevices he is skilled at hacking.

Nicholas Allegra, commonly known as Comex, is the man behind JailbreakMe hacks. He broke the news through a recent tweet that he will be working at the company as an intern from next week.

Last month he released Jailbreak 3.0, which was a web-based Jailbreak. He is also notable in the community as a A-list hacker, and was the first to release a Jailbreak of iPad 2.  Sources say 12 percent of iDevices are Jailbroken, and that is a conservative estimate.

The news leaves the Jailbreak enthusiasts slightly apprehensive. Comex has been at the forefront of this war with the Cupertino giant, and has worked with people like Geohot. It wouldn’t be far wrong to say Apple has hired him in order to guide them in fixing security issues in the upcoming iOS 5 making the new iOS safer than ever and possibly even jailbreak-proof.

Lets see where this goes.

Via Engadget

Razer introduces The Blade

Razer just introduced The Blade, what they claim to be the “world’s first true gaming laptop.” What seems to be one of the best kept secrets in the industry, where hardware leaks keep on coming left and right, Razer has put up a small video showcasing The Blade.

The Blade seems to be a step ahead of the Razer Switchblade which was a small gaming PC in the form of a netbook. The Razer Blade is an unltraportable laptop sporting an Intel Core i7 Sandy bridge processor and an Nvidia GT555m GPU. The 17″ Razer Blade weighs in just over 3kgs and just 2.24cm thin.

As you can see, next to the keyboard is an touchscreen LCD keypad, which can show in-game messages and UI items. Above the trackpad are a set of buttons that will change depending on the game and customization, just like the Switchblade. Design wise The Blade looks similar to existing MacBook Pros, only much cooler and, dare I say, more functional.

Full system specs are as follows:

The Blade
Price: US$2799.99
Availability: North America Q4 2011
Product Specifications:
· 2.8GHz Intel® Core™ i7 2640M Processor
· 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 Memory
· 17.3″ LED Backlit Display (1920×1080)
· NVIDIA GeForce® GT 555M with NVIDIA® Optimus™ Technology 2GB Dedicated GDDR5 Video Memory
· Built-in HD Webcam
· Integrated 60Wh Battery
· 320GB 7200rpm SATA HDD
· Wireless Network 802.11 b/g/n Compatible
· Battery: 6 hours idle, 2 1/2 if playing “hardcore” game.
· 16.81″ (Width) x 10.9″ (Depth) x 0.88″ (Height); 6.97lbs (Weight)

Sony Ericsson Neo v – cheaper version of Xperia Neo coming

Sony Ericsson came up with a variety of Xperia android devices, and one of the lesser successful handset was the Xperia Neo. Sony Ericsson hasn’t lost complete faith in its Neo so it is going to launch a slightly cheaper version of the set called Neo v. And it will come preloaded with Android Gingerbread 2.3.4.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo v will arrive in Q4 2011 with a 3.7in TFT Reality Display using the Mobile Bravia engine, a 1Ghz Snapdragon processor, a 5MP AF camera with 16x digital zoom (original Neo had a 8MP camera). It’ll also grab 720p HD video and has a front-facing VGA camera.

The Android Gingerbread 2.3.4 update will bring 3D sweep panorama, enhanced Facebook integration (including sharing songs straight from the FM radio app), support for USB peripherals, swipe text input and screenshot capture. although these features are promised for all other Xperia line-up which will be updated eventually after October.

Nokia 101 – the next disposably cheap phone from Nokia

Nokia may have lost its market to Android and iPhone in US or Europe but its still king of mobile phone sales in non-smartphone category and in third world countries. Nokia 101 is one such phone which is about to debut within next week, in countries like India, Pakistan and Africa etc. This phone is a successor of their previous cheap yet very successful, Nokia 3310.

To meet the demands of third world countries the 101 still carries a FM radio and torch like 3310. But gets an upgrade in its screen by boosting a 128 x 160 resolution color display.  It has a MP3 player, a standard 3.5 mm audio jack, SD card support. Dual sim slot is another one of hot features required in these countries where people carry different connections for different rates and packages. It has a long battery life of 8.5 hours talk-time and 32 days on standby.

All these features will make it an attractive phone for the third world community, when it will be sold for a low price of 130 AED / 3000 PKR. It will be available in phantom black and coral red colors.

Panasonic Lumix FX90 – Camera with Wifi and smartphone connect

For most people smartphones have replaced digital cameras, but those who want good pictures still know the true worth of dedicated cameras rather than relying on mobile camera. The new Panasonic Lumix FX90 doesn’t boost to demean your smartphone but on the contrary makes truce with them by offering photo sharing capabilities with it with the touch of a button.

This new camera will support new Panasonic’s Lumix Club online community. It will have built-in WiFi to directly upload your pictures and videos to internet e.g. youtube, facebook etc. It comes with apps for Android and iOS to open a local Wifi connection to transfer the pictures to directly to your smartphone without requirement of any PC.

Its specifications are as below

• 12MP CCD sensor
• 2.5 ultrawide-angle
• 24mm lens
• 5x zoom.
• 1080i video capture at 60fps
• 3′ touchscreen
• WiFi

There is no pricing or release date announced for this camera but expect a release near September when Lumix Club launches.

Asus announces new ROG Vulcan ANC Pro Gaming Headset

Press release:
ASUS has released the ROG Vulcan ANC, the world’s first active-noise-cancelling pro gaming headset designed to immerse users into games and keep them free of distractions like never before. Created from the needs of competitive pro gamers to remain focused during competition, the ROG team forged the Vulcan ANC with both performance and comfort in mind. The Vulcan ANC features 85% active noise cancellation to filter out sounds like low frequency computer fan noise and 30dB passive noise cancellation to reduce a wide range of ambient noises, including background voices.

Long lasting comfort with lightweight, ergonomic design
The Vulcan ANC not only provides gamers an immersive gaming experience with noise cancelling features, but also a comfortable one. The lightweight design of 320g is lighter than other comparable models of the same size, with other headsets weighing around 350g. Soft memory foam encased in breathable Japanese protein leather ensures user comfort even after extended gaming sessions. It is also portable, with a foldable design that easily fits into a durable touring case to take between competitions or LAN parties.

Crystal clear audio with 40mm drivers and noise-filtering microphone
The Vulcan ANC is built with enlarged 40mm headphone drivers for crisp, clear audio. ASUS audio experts optimized the headset for a wide sound stage so audio is balanced with both thundering bass and brilliant mids and highs. A stylish blade-shaped detachable boom microphone has built-in noise filtering technology so teammates hear clear conversations during games instead of ambient noise.

Acer Aspire One Happy goes fruity as well

Press release:
Summer is upon us, with its warmth, energy and a myriad of bright colours filling our eyes. To match this explosion of life and joy, the Acer Aspire One Happy has donned new clothes and comes in fresh, fruity, tasty colours that bring the flavour of summer into your life.

Blueberry Shake, Papaya Milk, Strawberry Yogurt and Banana Cream are the four new shades of the Aspire One Happy, evoking summertime, holidays and exotic drinks. Whether you have a romantic soul or want to make an impression, the sweet colours will match your spirit.

Papaya Milk and Banana Cream shine with optimism, energy and happiness and will bring sunshine to rainy days. Soothing and soft, Blueberry Shake and Strawberry Yogurt stir up memories of sunsets and exotic holidays.

Want to create an even more colourful effect? Match the Aspire One Happy with a wireless mouse in the same colour, for a coordinated look. Or be daring and mix and match different colours for a joyful explosion of flavours.

The new Aspire One Happy will catch the eye. The cover has a shiny finish and is embellished by a textured water-drop design. While matching the summer and fruity drink theme, the wave design emphasises your desire to communicate and reach out, just like the ripples on the surface of water.

At home or away, the Aspire One Happy frees you from cables for up to 8 hours, so you can keep in touch with what is going on in your social networks, give a school project the finishing touches while you are on the bus, and check your emails or surf the net as much as you want. And when you need to charge it, the Acer MiniGo adapter is 40% lighter than the previous 30 W adapters and makes your travel hassle-free thanks to interchangeable AC converters.

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED connection and Fast Ethernet make sure you are never too far away from your life online, allowing you to take advantage of both wireless and wired connectivity. Plus, with Bluetooth® 3.0+HS (optional), you can share photos and music with friends in a matter of seconds. And if you need to chat face-to-face, you have the Acer Crystal Eye webcam with Acer Video Conference Manager to enhance image quality and allow for photo, document and screen sharing on the spot!

The Acer FineTip keyboard has larger keys making typing more comfortable and is complemented by a wide multi-gesture touchpad matching the colour of the cover, which is perfect for scrolling documents, rotating images, zooming and browsing, all with fingertip convenience. The Aspire One Happy is just perfect to surf the net and enjoy your multimedia.

Slim and light as usual, the Aspire One Happy is an unobtrusive companion. Slip it in your backpack or even in your handbag and you will barely notice it is there — yet it features a superb 28 cm (10.1”) WSVGA high-brightness display with a 16:9 aspect ratio, perfect for web-chatting, web browsing and video streaming. And, for better performance and power savings, the display is LED backlit.

With the high-performing and low-power-consuming dual-core Intel® Atom N570 at its heart, the Aspire One Happy also comes with up to 1 GB of DDR3 memory and a rich selection of applications to let you surf the net, share photos and videos, listen to music, and if you really have to, you can also finish that tricky school assignment — all at the same time. Plus, an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 teams up with the processor for superb graphics. A large hard disk with up to 320 GB of capacity and a built-in multi-in-one card reader ensure convenient storage options and file sharing.

And wherever we are, we all must take responsibility for the environment. This is why the Aspire One Happy is designed with sustainability in mind. Smart power technologies combine with environmentally friendly production to create an all-round green device. RoHS and WEEE compliance means fewer hazardous substances were used in the production; single-charge all-day power, Acer MiniGo adapter, LED-backlit display and low-power processor ensure conformity with ENERGY STAR requirements.

Tweaks To Extend The Battery Life Of Intel Linux Notebooks

Direct Link: http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=16326
Summary: “While the Linux power consumption may be up on recent kernels depending upon your hardware configuration, there’s a few known but not too commonly used tweaks for reducing your system power consumption and extending your battery life when using Intel integrated graphics on your favorite Linux distribution.”

Corsair Force 3 vs. Force GT 120 GB Solid State Drive Review

“Presently, 120 GB solid state drives offer the best compromise between price, performance and capacity. For most people, they offer enough storage space to be used on their own in a laptop or PC without needing to have a mechanical hard drive as well for storing larger files. Today we are going to look at the two latest 120 GB SSDs from Corsair to see how they compare.”

Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Corsair-Force-3-vs-Force-GT-120-GB-Solid-State-Drive-Review/1367

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