At MWC in barcelona, we’ve been seeing alot of new tablets being officially announced. One of the ones to get excited about is the LG Optimus Pad, an 8.9 inch tablet running Android 3.0, boasting a NVIDIA Tegra2 dual-core processor, with 32GB storage, and dual rear cameras capable of shooting 3D HD video. It’s a wee bit smaller than the Motorola Xoom, or Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, and just a bit larger than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 inch version.

LG made a declaration of war at their MWC event, showing slides which stated “True Tablet War” with the LG Optimus Pad beneath the text. You may have heard about LG’s teaser ad against Apple that got pulled rather quickly, most likely cause there were some copyright infringements involved in the context, but regardless, LG is trying to stand tall among a tablet market that is quickly beginning to get saturated. We’ll see how this all pans out for them soon.

What do you think, is the LG too small, too big…or just right in the middle for size?

Click here for Full Press Release below.

MWC 2011 – LG Optimus Pad announced – starting a tablet war

View full post on Android News, Rumours, and Updates

The first thing that stood out about PC Tools was that it had by far the biggest effect on our test machine’s boot times, increasing them by a good half a minute. In three different tests, it spiked a 38-second boot time to a whopping 2:10, 1:49 and 1:40 – quite a difference.

Luckily, that was the only major negative we encountered while using it. Its memory usage and CPU load were average, and its actual scanning was surprisingly fast. The first long initial scan took around half an hour, but dropped down to a mere 46 seconds for its follow-up run.

As with most tools here, it caught everything that was waiting for it on the drive, and didn’t clock up any false positives against its record while doing so.

Its feature set is a strong one, with one of the more reactive firewalls we saw in these products immediately kicking in. Unlike many, there are a few handy shortcuts you can use, including telling it what kind of network you’re on, and having the firewall settings auto-configured to match – very handy if you just want to get started.

In a similar vein, a gaming mode is both present and automated, kicking in whenever you go into full-screen mode.

Additional web security filters include spam filtering for Outlook and Thunderbird via toolbars, and plenty of online protection tools to watch out for any potentially dodgy websites and dangerous downloads.

It’s one of the cheaper antivirus solutions out there as well, at only £50 for a three-user license per year. It’s a pity about that initial sloth, but there’s little to complain about elsewhere in this strong internet security suite.

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BitDefender Total Security is another very solid product, with no particular specialities that push it above the herd, but no major weaknesses either.

It caught all the malware, it didn’t fall for any traps, and it did it very effectively indeed, with quick scans and reasonable CPU and memory loads.

It has a dedicated gaming mode for keeping resources under control, and is one of the few products that does a proper scan of your PC before even installing, just to make sure it’s safe.

The interface is somewhat unusual, initially looking like there aren’t many features, before revealing that they’re tucked away to help prioritise the ones that you actually use. Don’t need laptop mode? Flick a switch and it’ll never be shown again. Not a gamer? Say goodbye to the gaming mode.

Alternatively, if you want everything up front, you can just as easily switch into a more advanced user mode mode with all the options.

One excellent touch is that before you use the software, it offers to actually guide you through, with one tutorial for existing BitDefender users and another for complete newcomers.

In terms of features, it’s the standard loadout: firewall, parental controls, and a few extras for tuning up your PC and backing up files. The slightly cut down Internet Security 2011 edition loses the last couple of features, which is fine if you already have space to store your things, and costs slightly less.

There’s also a pure antivirus edition, which is one of the cheaper on the market. This misses out on the firewall and parental controls, but otherwise still offers everything you could need to stop malware in its tracks.

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Tons of exciting announcements have been made at the Sony Ericsson press conference this morning in Barcelona. Pictured above is the XPERIA Neo, a 3.7″ device similar to to the XPERIA Pro that was just announced as well. This device will be running Android 2.3 and also boasts a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and come in a variety of colors. There’s no official word on a release date just yet, but Sony did say the XPERIA Neo will be available for ’selected’ markets at the end of Q1.

Check out the full presser after the break!

Read More…

MWC 2011: Sony Ericsson announces XPERIA Neo

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Yet another addition to the XPERIA family of smartphones has been announced by Sony Ericsson at Mobile World Conference in Barcelona.

The device pictured in the middle with the slide-out QWERTY keyboard is the all-new XPERIA Pro from Sony Ericsson. Like its newly announced XPERIA cousins, the XPERIA Pro will boast Android 2.3 Gingerbread upon release. The phone also features a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. Sony Ericsson is calling the XPERIA Pro the “ideal business phone for Android fans”.

As always, there’s no official release date but Sony says we can expect this bad boy to the hit the market in Q2 of this year. Read the full press release after the break!

Read More…

MWC 2011: Sony Ericsson announces XPERIA Pro

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Mobile World Congress, the cellular industry’s annual trade show, opens today amid unprecented change. The trillion dollar cellular telephony business has become a life force, transforming the plant. Business, entertainment and social infrastructure are being transformed before our eyes, and Barcelona is the center of the world this week.

Cumulatively, the world has about 1.2 Billion personal computers and about 1.6 Billion television sets. But almost 1.4 Billion new handsets were sold just during the 12 months of 2010. Today more than 5 billion people use cell phones. It the next few years nearly everyone will be connected.

“Smartphones” are expected to be 30% of all phones sold this year. They’re more powerful than home computers just a few years ago and they’re coming alive. Applications and broadband networks are transforming the planet. Who could have predicted that the world’s largest music retailer would be Apple and that the biggest book retailer would be Amazon.

The annual trade show expects 50,000 visitors over the next four days. There’s no better place to watch for trends then Mobile World Congress.

Things to watch:

• Operating Systems. A bombshell was dropped in London on Friday when Nokia, the world’s largest cellphone company, said they planned to drop Symbian, the most popular phone system in the world for Windows Mobile. What’s the fallout for Meego, Android, Apple and others?
• New phone concepts. The Sony “PlayStation” phone, HTC’s convertible phone/netbook, tablets, ebooks, connected appliances, electric grids, cars and cameras.
• Smartphones. Look for a torrent of new devices from Nokia, HTC, Samsung, Sony, LG, ZTE and others.
• Tablets. Apple’s iPad, a hit with over 15 million units sold last year has triggered so many Android variants, it’s impossible to keep track.
• Apps. App Planet will be the Centre of the Apps Universe.
• LTE Everywhere. Everyone assumed LTE would be the system of choice for mobile operators. But the announcements could take everyone’s breath away. And where will they get spectrum?
• Social Networking. Social networking, with 40 per cent of users checking their status daily, has risen to a whopping 63 per cent in the 18-to-24 age bracket. Social networking is also the fastest-growing consumer app category out of the 19 tracked by research group Gartner. And this year’s MWC will see a clutch of phones specifically designed with social networking in mind, particularly Facebook.
• Near Field Communication. NFC will be built into a growing number of high-end phones this year, transforming bank card and transaction.
• Speakers. Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer, Twitter chief executive Dick Costolo, Google’s Eric Schmidt, Vittorio Colao, Vodafone CEO, Wang Jianzhou, chairman of China Mobile, etc.
• Risky Business. Fortunes will be bet. Flags will be planted

This is the year and Barcelona is the place. All hell is about to break loose.

Follow all the action on Google News, C/Net, TechMeme, BlogRunner, Engadget, Gizmodo, Mobile Burn, Mobilebusinessbriefing, MWC: Show Daily, Light Reading, Fierce Wireless, Phone Scoop, MocoNewsTech Crunch, GigaOm, ARM Devices,Liliputing, The Register, Guardian,

View full post on dailywireless.org

The XPERIA Play has been one of the most talked about rumored devices on the internet for quite some time now. Well, Sony Ericsson has finally shed some official light on the heavily anticipated Android Playstation phone.

At Sony’s press conference in Barcelona, it was announced that the XPERIA Play will start shipping in March and Verizon Wireless will be getting the device.

Here’s are some specs on the XPERIA Play:

• Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
• Playstation Certified
• 4″ multitouch screen
• 1GHz processor
• Adreno GPU graphics processor
• 5 megapixel camera

Hit the break for the full press release as well as a new promotional video for the XPERIA Play!

Read More…

MWC 2011: It’s official, XPERIA Play will be released in March on Verizon Wireless

View full post on Android News, Rumours, and Updates

Samsung has made it official at Mobile World Congress 2011 that there will be a successor to the popular Galaxy S line of phones. This successor is aptly named the Galaxy S II.

The Samsung Galaxy S II will be loaded with top of the line features. Check it out:

• 8 megapixel camera
• 4.3″ Super AMOLED display
• 1080p video capture
• Android 2.3 Gingerbread
• Touchwiz UI
• Thinnest smartphone ever

Yes, you read that last spec right; the Samsung Galaxy S II is the world’s thinnest smartphone to date. The device is only about 8.49mm thick, which should make the Galaxy S II ultra-portable and pocketable.

Check out the full presser after the break!

Read More…

MWC 2011: Samsung officially announces Galaxy S II

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More exciting news has been announced from the Samsung camp. Samsung has officially announced the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, a bigger and more powerful successor to the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

You’re probably wondering about that somewhat peculiar name for the device. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 gets its name from the 10.1″ screen, which is significantly bigger than the screen of the original Galaxy Tab.

Like the other upcoming Android tablets, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be running Honeycomb, Android’s highly anticipated tablet OS. The tablet will also boast a dual-core Tegra 2 chip as well as a  front-facing 2 megapixel camera and an 8 megapixel camera on the back. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 will have 16GB and 32GB versions.

Presser after the break!

Read More…

MWC 2011: Samsung officially announces the Galaxy Tab 10.1

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Well folks, it’s that time of year again.  CES has come and gone and Mobile World Congress is upon us.  Easily one of the biggest phonegasm meetings of the year, MWC promises an exceptional show for us.  With an expected attendance of 50,000 plus, it’s going to be elbow to elbow trying to report all of the mobile tech news coming out of that venue.  So, what Android goodness can we expect to see?  Here are a few things we’ll be keeping tabs on at the event:   Read More…

What We’re Looking Forward To At MWC 2011

View full post on Android News, Rumours, and Updates

We’re but a few days away from Mobile World Congress 2011 where we’ll finally be able to put some smart phone rumors to bed.  One handset which has seen its fair share of speculation is the Galaxy S2 from Samsung.  Heading into the annual event, we’re hearing what may be the last batch of specs, from two separate sources.  Hit the break to see what both PocketNow and MobileFun are tossing around.

PocketNow is pointing at few Expansys  details for not only the Galaxy S2, but additional Android smart phones.  As for the Samsung device, these are “nothing more than speculatively populated” specs, but they do match up well with previous whispers.  These guys are saying to look for a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 512MB RAM, 16GB internal storage, 8-megapixel camera, and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.  Rounding out the hardware would be support for NFC, HDMI out,  HSPA+, Bluetooth, and GPS. Looking at the processor, we’re somewhat surprised to see a Qualcomm’s 8260 1.2GHz processor with Adreno 205 3D instead of their own Orion chipset.

MobileFun lists mostly similar specifications for the Galaxy S2, but does have a few discrepancies. In this case, we have the dual-core 1.2GHz Samsung Orion processor running things with 1GM RAM. Aside from a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, everything else remains pretty consistent. Android 2.3, Bluetooth 3.0, NFC support, and an “ultra sharp 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen sound about right.

Look for all this to come to a head next week as Samsung unveils the real deal. We’ll be anxiously awaiting and look forward to sharing the news with you guys!

Even More Rumored Samsung Galaxy S2 Specs on Eve of MWC 2011 originally appeared on AndroidGuys.

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The antivirus world’s other heavy hitter doesn’t put in quite as good a performance as this year’s Norton, but still serves up a very respectable performance across the board.

It suffered from the one of the longest boot-up times and the absolute highest CPU load during scans, but compensated by being by far the least memory-hungry program on test.

You might not want to play games while it’s running – and there’s no gaming mode provided – but for most apps it’ll be just fine.

In other areas, Internet Security proved a mid-level package. Its initial scan took a lengthy 17 minutes, which dropped down to just four minutes on a subsequent runthrough – roughly the same as Norton.

It caught 100 per cent of the malware on our test system without falling prey to any false positives, and on a purely aesthetic level, it features a much better interface that makes it easy to access exactly the features you want.

As with all major internet security suites, a capable software firewall is built in, and can be activated and then generally ignored until it spots something you should know about.

Bonus features on offer here include parental controls, file shredding, antispam and a gigabyte of free space (the Norton equivalent is only available in the 360 edition). The upgraded version, Total Protection, offers all these features, plus an encrypted vault to store files, home network defense and a more advanced version of McAfee’s SiteAdvisor for spotting bad links.

For most however, Internet Security will be all you need, and while it may not have come out the winner this year, it remains a strong performer.

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AVG is best known for its free antivirus, but this commercial version offers more than a few reasons to upgrade, including identity protection and a built-in firewall.

Still, install it and you could be forgiven for thinking it’s still trying to upsell you on a later version, because it’s more than a little eager to make sure you know everything it’s doing.

It adds a Gadget to the Windows Sidebar, its firewall is very noticeable, and it can feel like the smart kid at the front of the class going “Sir! Sir! I know, sir!” Still, it performs well enough for a pat on the head.

In tests, it was easily the fastest of the tools here on first scan, and an excellent performer on subsequent scans. It demands fairly high CPU usage, but barely affected rebooting times at all.

On the all-important virus test, it was a clean sweep for both actual malware and false-positives.

The only real weaknesses are the Link Scanner, which protects you from malicious sites and sending out dodgy links via Facebook, but only in internet Explorer and Firefox, and it’s not always clear exactly what its options will do for you – the Identity Protection component being particularly vague.

AVG is a strong contender, although for personal use, it must be noted that if it’s only the antivirus side of the package that you’re interested in, you can still download it for free. (For professional/corporate use, you need to pay up for the full package.)

The main things you miss out on if you opt for the free version are the firewall, anti-spam (which you probably won’t use since it’s clientside only), IM conversation scanning, and the Identity Protection component.

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That’s right $20,000 to any hacker that can successfully comprise a windows 7 machine running it’s Chrome Browser via a security vulnerability written in Google-written code and  sandbox escape.

CanSecWest’s Pwn2Own Contest is an annual event pitting some of the world’s best security analyst and exploit writers against the most popular web browsers and mobile devices. After last years contest, Google’s Chrome Browser was the only browser left unscathed. Given the money and prizes being offered and obvious publicity involved with successfully comprising the Chrome Browser, chances are good that the cross-hairs are already being lined up on this web browser.

Contest sponsor Tippingpoint ZDI says a successful Chrome hack “must include a sandbox escape”,  and be in Google-written code,  in order to win the $20,000. On day 2 and 3 if competitors are unsuccessful, they will be allowed to use exploits written in non-Google code to potentially comprise the browser. If they succeed on days 2 and 3 ZDI will offer $10000 for a sandbox escape and Google will offer $10000 for the Chrome bug.  In order to fully utilize a sandbox escape the exploit may have to be combined with another vulnerability for full system compromise.

On day 1, Google will offer $20,000 USD and the CR-48 if a contestant can pop the browser and escape the sandbox using vulnerabilities purely present in Google-written code. If competitors are unsuccessful, on day 2 and 3 the ZDI will offer $10,000 USD for a sandbox escape in non-Google code and Google will offer $10,000 USD for the Chrome bug. Either way, plugins other than the built-in PDF support are out of scope.

CanSecWest is also offering cash prizes for anyone using unpublished browser security holes to remotely launch code on Windows 7 or Mac OS X machines.

Browser Targets for this Year:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer
• Apple Safari
• Mozilla Firefox
• Google Chrome

Each browser will be installed on a 64-bit system running the latest version of Windows 7 or Mac OS X.

For mobile devices the attack surface has been increased to allow attack against the cell phones basebands.

Mobile Targets for this Year:

• Dell Venue Pro – Windows 7
• IPhone 4 – iOS
• Blackberry Torch 9800 – Blackberry 6 OS
• Nexus S – Android

A successful attack against these devices must require less to no user interaction and must comprimise useful data from the phone. Anything that would cost the owner of the device money, ie: silently calling long-distance numbers, eavesdropping on conversations, etc, is within scope.

The contest is being held the 9th, 10th, and 11th of March, 2011 in Vancouver, BC during the CanSecWest Conference. For more information, registration, or to follow the contest visit TippingPoint ZDI’s website.

Source: TippingPoint ZDI

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Our Atrix 4G Forums are heating up in anticipation of a February 14th launch date, with many members eager to find sweet Android Love on Valentine’s Day. While the Atrix is awesome indeed, there will be plenty of other AT&T Androids to choose from in 2011, if the following internal document is accurate.

See those last two bullet points?

• 20 4G devices in 2011
• 12 Android devices in 2011

Yum. We’re also hearing that the Atrix 4G and Inspire 4G will both be available starting on February 14th and that employee training for the devices begins Wednesday, February 2nd.

Also notice the “Simultaneous” bullet point that suggest Verizon and Sprint can’t do simultaneous voice and data. For the most part, they’re correct, but we’ve uncovered internal documents showing Verizon WILL be offering simultaneous voice and data although they’re not yet confident enough to push it as a selling point.

Right now AT&T is selling 7 Android Phones:

• Motorola Backflip
• Motorola BRAVO
• Motorola FLIPSIDE
• Motorola FLIPOUT
• Sony Ericsson Xperia X10
• HTC Aria
• Samsung Captivate

With 12 Androids in 2011, AT&T will be more than doubling their lineup. That being said, we’ll probably see some of these reach end-of-life when newer versions are stocked, but still- sounds like AT&T will have a strong Android showing in the coming year. This is great news for AT&T customers and Android enthusiasts.

[Thanks Anonymous Tipster!]

View full post on Android Phone Fans

With the 2011 Macworld show in the history books, Dan Frakes takes a look at what the show offered (and what it didn’t), and what it means for the future of the Expo.

View full post on Macworld

Serenity Caldwell roams the Macworld Expo showfloor to profile a handful of great-looking audio products.

View full post on Macworld

Howdy and welcome to the weekly app roundup! This week we’ve seen a slew of CDMA BlackBerrys that are on the 2011 Roadmap. Shoot, just when you finally lasso one of the latest BlackBerrys, more pop up in the pipeline. Of course you shouldn’t get frustrated and curse what you just bought, as it’s still an amazing smartphone to own. Hold your head (and BlackBerry) up high!

Today, we announce the winners of the Ringtone Remix giveaway and also give you the chance to win one of 20 copies of MemoryUp Pro! Have a rootin’ tootin’ weekend! Giddy up!

Freebies of the Week: bPRIVATE Free, Hours Tracker Free, Groupix

In Case You Missed It: KidsMath, Gymtechnik NextGen

New This Week: Mobitee GPS Golf Assistant, Clip Mailer, Alerts Master

Cool at BlackBerry App World: Burnout Check

Contest: Win one of 20 1 year subscriptions of MemoryUp Pro!

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CrackBerry.com‘s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. BlackBerry App Roundup for January 28th, 2011! Win 1 of 20 1 year subscriptions to MemoryUp Pro!

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The last couple of weeks have been full of leaks regarding the 2011 BlackBerry Smartphone roadmap, so we had a LOT to talk about on this CrackBerry Podcast. But before we get to the phones, we first spend a bunch of time talking BlackBerry PlayBook, going through many of the frequently asked questions that have been popping up in the forums. 

This was a fun episode and definitely one you’ll want to listen to (aka, if you’ve never listened before, this is a good one to start off on!). The PlayBook conversation dominates the first half of the show, so for all the phone talk you’ll want to jump to 44m15s into the show. On the phone front, we’re talking BlackBerry Bold Touch, BlackBerry Curve Touch, monaco (full touchscreen), Torch 2, next generation Curve and more. It’s a whack load of phones.

Last but not least, we’re happy to have Craig back on this episode, joining Adam, Bla1ze, Joseph and myself. We had fun recording this one, so hope you enjoy the show!

CrackBerry.com‘s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. CrackBerry Podcast 063: BlackBerry Roadmap 2011 – PlayBook and Phones Galore!

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Keep in mind – this is CDMA (hence why you’re not seeing Torch2 or apollo listed). Also means
we could see GSM releases sooner than the CDMA timeline above… plus things often change from plan.

In the last couple of weeks we’ve learned a lot about RIM’s 2011 BlackBerry pipeline thanks to a handful of device leaks. After months (and in some cases over a year) of speculation, we saw specs and renderings show up for the dakota (touchscreen GSM Bold), monaco (aka Storm 3, though possibly will not fall under Storm branding at launch), Torch 2 and apollo (new curve). All that was followed by rumors of another Curve, sedona. Despite the windfall, what we’ve been looking at only told about 65% of the story. Today, thanks to a whack load of CDMA carrier roadmap slides, we can further fill in the gaps and clarify the codenames and even product names of what’s coming up in 2011, including an entirely new device that really hasn’t been touched on yet (Curve Touch!).

Further BlackBerry Smartphone Roadmap Highlights and Clarifications

• new BlackBerry Bold Touch: dakota is the GSM version, while montana is the CDMA version
• next gen Curve: apollo is the GSM version, while sedona is the CDMA version
• new Curve Touch: not previously mentioned, malibu is a new CDMA touchscreen Curve (likely to be a GSM one in the works too of course)

On the BlackBerry 6.1 front, beyond what we learned at DevCon Asia, we can see some of the other goodies coming our way. Included in the update is a faster user experience via "liquid graphics", a faster web browser experience (thanks to hardware acceleration and more mhz in the new devices), more homescreen customization options and even voice-activated universal search. 

All in all, things are really starting to make sense and look good! There’s plenty to look at below, so keep reading and be sure to sound off in the comments with your thoughts!

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CrackBerry.com‘s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Exclusive: CDMA BlackBerry Roadmap 2011 – Montana, Monaco, Sedona, Malibu, BlackBerry 6.1 Evolution and more!

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CrackBerry.com‘s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Best of Smartphone Experts, Jan 23 2011

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Howdy and welcome to the weekly app roundup! Registration opened up for BlackBerry World, so hurry and get on board. Speaking of which, does anyone have a spare $2,199 they would like to lend a certain someone? No? Oh well. Today, we announce the winners of the Hypoxia Media Player giveaway and also give you the chance to win one of 25 copies of Ringtone Remix! Have a rootin’ tootin’ weekend! Giddy up!

Freebies of the Week: CamCard Free, NextGenCel, The DiningApp

In Case You Missed It: TXTLater, AutoResize

New This Week: iSpeedy Corporate, Rename Icon, PhoneLocate Deluxe

Cool at BlackBerry App World: Tripmate247

Contest: Win one of 25 copies of Ringtone Remix!

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CrackBerry.com‘s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. BlackBerry App Roundup for January 21st, 2011! Win 1 of 25 copies of Ringtone Remix!

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