Wednesday, May 8, 2013

LG Optimus L9 Jelly Bean update stopped by T-Mobile, various problems

Only two weeks ago we brought readers news that the Android 41.2 Jelly Bean update for the LG Optimus L9 on T-Mobile had released. The update was supposed to bring plenty of beneficial changes and improvements but it seems that some owners of the device have reported a variety of problems since using the update. This has now led T-Mobile to stop the update being rolled out at this point.
The LG Optimus L9 receiving Jelly Bean should have been a delight for users of the device but it seems something has gone awry as there are enough issues with stability to lead T-Mobile to halt the update. After the OTA update various problems have been reported by some owners of the Optimus L9 including app crashes, notable battery drain and difficulties receiving calls.
Because of this T-Mobile has stated it wants to “improve performance” of the update and will only resume the upgrade when ready. The carrier halted the update (version 4.1.2 / Software P76920d) yesterday and as yet has not announced when the update will resume being pushed out again.
As the update was made available from April 22nd it seems it took T-Mobile quite some time to realize some serious attention was needed but at least it has been paused for the time being. It would be interesting in the meantime to see how widespread these problems are.
We’d really like to hear from you if you are an LG Optimus L9 T-Mobile customer. Had you already installed this software update to Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and if so have you noticed anything untoward with your phone since? Maybe you haven’t spotted any significant issues since updating? Let us know by sending your comments using the box below.
Source: T-Mobile
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Sharp Aquos 206SH has 3080 mAh battery for endurance

We’ve previously brought news about Sharp Aquos smartphones and now we have some details for another in the lineup called the Sharp Aquos 206SH. This has a very decently-sized 3080 mAh battery for endurance and looks set for a release in June.
Great battery life is a key highlight of the Aquos Phone Xx SoftBank 206SH to give the phone its full title. It should get you through around two full days of use before you need to charge it again and Sharp technology with power-saving Eco Tech settings in play has made this possible.
The Aquos 206SH is powered by a 1.7GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, has a 5-inch CG Silicon TFT LCD display with a very impressive 443 ppi and a 13-megapixel rear camera featuring f/1.9 optics. It also has 1-Seg digital TV, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 and LTE connectivity (where applicable) and runs the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system.
As well as this a desktop dock will be available and as another bonus this phone is also waterproof. The design is elegantly sleek and it’s scheduled for a release in late June on Japanese carrier SoftBank. We think plenty of consumers would like to see this new Aquos phone introduced to other regions but there’s no news yet on if that will happen.
Send us your comments on the Sharp Aquos 206SH. Would you like to see this phone launch in your country? How much would you be willing to pay for a handset with quad-core processor, 13-megapixel rear camera, LTE, extremely decent ppi, latest OS, waterproofing and a whopping battery life?
Source: SlashGear
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AT&T’s HTC First so-called Facebook Phone price cut

At the beginning of last month we told how the HTC First so-called Facebook phone had not exactly taken the world by storm. The phone is the first device to launch with the new Facebook Home feature but poor sales may be the reason that AT&T’s HTC First has now received a drastic price cut.
Although the HTC First is a mid-range device its unibody design is actually quite attractive. As it adds almost stock Android and in-depth engagement with Facebook you would imagine it may have had more appeal than it seems to have managed although maybe some consumers thought it was something of a novelty.
If you want to purchase the phone now on AT&T it will now only cost you $0.99 on the usual two-year contract, which is pretty much a bargain whatever way you look at it. As well as that there’s a $100 price slash, from $450 to $350 if you want it off-contract.
The HTC First is powered by a 1.4GHz Qualcomm dual-core processor, has a 4.3-inch display with resolution of 1280 x 720, 1GB of RAM and up to 16GB of internal storage. It also has a 5-megapixel rear camera with 1080p video capture, a 1.6-megapixel front-facing shooter, 2000 mAh battery and runs the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS.
You can see more or order it online at AT&T here. All in all it’s a decent enough handset and at the moment on AT&T it has a very exceptional price tag to match. Will you be taking advantage of this current deal for the HTC First on AT&T? Let us know with your comments.
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Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra goes on sale in Asia

If you’ve been waiting for release news for the Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra smartphone then we can tell you that it is now available in some Asian markets. For now this is claimed to be the world’s slimmest smartphone although we’ve now seen various devices claiming that title. It’s still extremely slim though and we have more details ahead.
Way back in January we heard that the Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra would not be releasing in the US or UK but some regions of Asia will definitely be selling this phone. Although its stated measurement by Alcatel is 6.45mm thick this is debatable as the thickest part of the phone measures more around the camera module area. Also we recently told how of the UMeox X5 phone that will measure only 5.6mm thick when it eventually launches.
Specs of the One Touch Idol Ultra include a 1.2GHz MediaTek MT6577 dual-core processor, PowerVR SXG531T GPU, 4.7-inch 720p AMOLED display, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (non-expandable). The phone also has an 8-megapixel rear camera capable of 1080p video capture, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera and runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
The image below shows an ad for the Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra with a price of SR 1299 and you can clearly see a release date of May 7. If you’re in Asia have you seen this on sale in your country yet? Maybe you could share the information with other readers by sending us your comments.
Source: GSMArena
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Nokia Asha 501 could appear at May 9 India event

Many of you will already have heard about a Nokia event in New Delhi, India on May 9, which just happens to be tomorrow. Although nobody knows what will be revealed there have been rumors that this international media reception could be for a new Asha phone. We have just a leak about a device called the Nokia Asha 501 and wonder if this is a possibility.
It was one week ago that we informed readers about the Nokia India event and earlier today we gave some information about live streaming and times for tomorrow. Many are hoping that some new hardware may be unveiled and a new leak has just emerged that could fit the bill. You can see a leaked image of the Nokia Asha 501 below this story.
This could be a flagship Asha featurephone as the 501 is the highest model number we’ve seen so far for an Asha phone. There are not many details yet but it’s said to be a full-touch phone with only the one physical button below the display rather then the two buttons on the current touch Asha phones.
The leaked image of the Asha 501 shows the handset in a variety of colors including black, white, yellow, blue and red. We must stress that this information stems from a leak so for now we cannot confirm anything about the device. However it does come from Evleaks, which is a site that’s very quickly establishing a reputation as a very reliable source of leaked info.
Luckily there’s not too much longer to wait until tomorrow’s announcement when we’ll finally find out what the event is all about. Are you hoping that this leaked Nokia Asha 501 may be shown at the event? What else would you like to see announced? Let us know with your comments.
Source: Evleaks (Twitter) Via: GSMArena
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LG Optimus G2 launch event and release possibility

There is quite often smartphones that see numerous leaks in one form or another leading up to them being announced officially by the companies involved, and now there are some invites being sent out that could possibly be for the LG Optimus G2 launch event.
We have heard a lot about the handset in the last few weeks that has included possible images and benchmarks for the handset, and now the company has been sending out invites to see what is next in the Optimus G range of handsets for an event on May 30th.
The invitation that you can see on this page shows a slim line smartphone that has lots of colour escaping from the display, and the camera module poking out of the back of the device. There has been talk that the LG Optimus G2 will bring with it a new standard of IPS LCD technology that is promised to offer greater contrast ratios along with other qualities.
It is not guaranteed to be an event for the Optimus G2 though even though evidence of an imminent release for the device has been growing recently, and the company has recently provided us with the Optimus G Pro.
The device may only reach Asia to begin with before seeing a release in the US and Europe, but if the company wants to provide stiffer competition to the likes of Samsung it will need to get its flagship hardware to as many markets as quickly as possible.
Do you think we will see the LG Optimus G2 at the end of the month?
Source: TechRadar.
LG optimus G2 launch event

iOS 7 features & ideas to break Android tradition

Apple is all set to announce its new operating system soon, hopefully in June at WWDC 2013. What can they do to be different from what we already have?
A great start for Apple and its iOS 7 is stepping away from copying Android and all the pointless built in apps we already have. Siri needs some pure magic to make it believable, there is definitely no point to the voice recorder and the calendar and Apple Maps revamp is very much needed. Many Android users say that Apple copies its ideas, and there are many iPhone users that do not agree with this.
When we look at previous iOS releases we can comfortably say Apple is not innovative, in some cases they just copy Android and then build on that idea to make it better, but what we need is something we have not seen before.
Yesterday we showed you a YouTube video courtesy of Ran Avni showing off the new iOS 7 and its multitasking brilliance, but this is nothing special. One commenter on that article said “A close all apps button eh? You mean like android has had for a while? Good to see Apple is keeping up its tradition of using pre-existing ideas from other companies and claim they came up with a new ‘innovative’ idea.”
Apple needs something special, and we do not mean just the way the new operating system will look, we also talked about the upcoming iOS 7 looking flat where all skeuomorphism will be removed. Yes the redesign is important but new features are needed, Apple cannot add the Android features such as Smart stay, Smart pause, Smart scroll, Air gestures etc because this has already been done on the Samsung Galaxy S4.
iOS 7 Ideas
Voice recognition that only recognises your voice, we could say name our smartphone “iPhone Mark”, and when we shout this name out the iPhone responds with “Yes Mark”. How about talking to the iPhone with its new iOS 7 by saying “iPhone Mark, open Candy Crush App on Apple TV,” now there is a thought.
Siri cannot understand you at the best of times, so how about ‘Textual Siri’, we could type in a question rather than having pointless chats with endless amounts of crappy results.
How about iOS 7 on the next iPhone alerting us with the Siri voice when the battery is dying “Hey Mark, please charge me now or I will be no use to you.”
iPhone users can merge calls with other contacts so how about having this feature within Facetime, it would be great if we could Facetime more than one person at a time.
The list is endless and we could sit here all day pumping out ideas, ok some of them may sound stupid but that is what iOS 7 needs. Apple, please be different to Android, bring us something that is new, special and most importantly innovative.
What ideas can you come up for the new iOS 7?
iOS 7 features & ideas to break Android tradition

Bad Piggies iOS app update brings new gadgets and levels

If you like gaming on your mobile device and are a fan of Bad Piggies then you’ll be pleased to learn that the iOS app received an update today that takes it to version 1.3.0. The paid app now offers new gadgets and levels for even more enjoyment of this Rovio game.
Bad Piggies by Rovio Entertainment now has 15 brand new levels and two new gadgets plus players can record and share tricks. The game has over 120 levels with 21 additional levels to unlock if you gain three stars, 8 sandbox levels and an ultra-secret, ultra-difficult sandbox level that you can only unlock by collecting all of the skulls.
The new version sees the Bad Piggies obsessed with food and looking for chocolate cake and now allows gamers to climb walls with a new suction cup gadget and also offers a new spring-loaded boxing glove to punch your way to power. There’s also a new Road Hog challenge and an all-new sandbox.
The bad piggies iOS app is priced at £0.69/$0.99 and if you already have it then you’ll receive the update free. If you haven’t yet got the app then you can download it from iTunes here. This app is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd, 4th and 5th generation) and iPad running iOS 4.3 or later and has been optimized for iPhone 5.
We imagine there will be plenty of Bad Piggies fans out there today eager to start playing with this new update. Are you new to Bad Piggies and heading to the App Store to try it out? Maybe you’re already a Bad Piggies devotee and could let us know what you think of the update by sending us your comments?
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iPhone 6 toting 12-megapixel camera envisioned

The Apple iPhone 6 is gathering an impressive amount of attention at the moment and we’ve been bringing news on leaks and rumors. Official news from Apple about this phone is likely to be some time away yet so while we wait we thought it would be interesting to show you this concept promo video impression of an iPhone 6 toting a 12-megapixel camera. While it may not be real we think plenty of Apple fans would like to see something like this for the iPhone 6.
Apart from Apple insiders nobody yet knows what the next iPhone will be called. The general consensus among the tech world though is that there is likely to be an iPhone 5S this year with an iPhone 6 for next year. We’ve taken a look at concept iPhone 6 designs previously as we like to see good ideas and now a new iPhone 6 promo video has emerged on YouTube that we thought readers’ might appreciate.
This Apple iPhone 6 concept promo comes from Brazilian designer Arthur Reis and we’ve previously shown you another of his impressive iPhone 6 showings. When we look back at it though, the video on our post has now been pulled and it does indeed look as though it was the same, or very similar to this latest video. However we think there are plenty of readers who will not have seen it so are bringing it to you now for a further look as this iPhone 6 imagining has a beautiful, sleek design.
The concept promo video shows an iPhone 6 design that’s only 6.1mm thick with an aluminum back and a 12-megapixel iSight Pro camera with a f/1.8 aperture. There’s also a touch sensitive Home panel at the bottom instead of a button and stereo speakers appear on the bottom of the device as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack, Lightning connector charger and USB port. On the left of the handset you’ll find a screen unlock key and volume buttons.
You can see this iPhone 6 concept promo 2-minute video below this story and after you’ve taken a look we’d appreciate your comments. Do you like the design or not? If this was the real iPhone 6 would you be happy to purchase it?
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Candy Box game needs a stupid app

There is a game that is so stupid and boring but yet still addictive, why do we find games like this! Hate it; love it, oh for crying out loud we are confused. Now we will get you into it, say hello to the ‘Candy Box Game’.
If you visit the Candy Box game website by indie developer aniwey you will notice nothing happens, then all of a sudden things start to appear on the screen, this online game shows things like candles, lollipops, wooden swords, and many more goodies, you wait then collect, then buy and so forth.
At first a cowboy appears but what we have learned is that players want the Candy Box Dragon and Frog, we have searched the internet for a Candy Box walkthrough and as far as we can see it does not exist.
This is a silly but addictive ASCII-based browser game that we feel should be made into an app, not sure if this is possible as it is a live game that needs to stay open at all times in a browser tab for its continuous play.
You can purchase weapons; there are many quests and items up for grabs. Candy Box in a nutshell is pathetic and just silly but we love it.
Remember Cow Clicker that was made famous on Facebook? Yes that was dumb as well, and we know you will love Candy Box because it is just as dumb. Do you think there should be a Candy Box game app?
PLAY THE GAME HERE.
You can see the Candy Box Dragon in the YouTube video below courtesy of zeinzin91.
Candy Box game needs a stupid app

Sony C190X for Q3 release, early details

The hugely impressive Sony Xperia Z high-end smartphone released not too long ago and has been a big success for the company but it’s worth remembering that plenty of people don’t need or want such a high-end device and are happy to settle for something more-mid-range. Step forward the Sony C190X due to release in Q3 and we have some first details on this phone.
Although this smartphone is for now dubbed the C190X the ‘X’ will differ for whichever region you purchase it in. By the time of release it is likely to be one of the ‘Xperia’ titled phones so should achieve a good level of popularity. An image purporting to have been taken with the C1905 variant has come to light along with some early unofficial specs that may give us an idea of what this phone will offer when it finally launches.
Specs for the Sony C190X are said to include a choice of either the Qualcomm MSM8627 or MSM8230 dual-core processor, 4-inch display with resolution of 854 x 480, 1GB of RAM but only 4GB of internal storage although that is expandable via microSD. There’s also a 5-megapixel rear camera with 720p HD video capture and it’s likely to run Android 4.1 or 4.2 Jelly Bean
The Sony C190X is scheduled for a Q3 release so it may not be too much longer until we hear more concrete specs and features for this phone. We’ll be certain to give you more information on this device as we hear it.
In the meantime we’d like to know if you could tempted by a mid-range Sony smartphone? Let us know by sending us your comments.
Source: GSM Arena
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