1 Second Everyday App & WynCASE for iPhone needs funding

We get to see a number of different clever ideas from individuals and teams away from big companies that are designed with our smartphone use in mind, whether it will be some stylish case or docking station there are a whole host of accessories we can buy for our mobile devices. Today we have the 1 Second Everyday app and the WynCase for the iPhone that both need funding to get off the ground.

First up on is the 1 Second Everyday application that is a Kickstarter project and the person behind the idea started to record 1 second every day when he reached the age of thirty, and by the time he reaches forty he would have an hour of video covering his life during his 30s.
With a team of developers the person behind the idea has been working on getting an application ready that will allow users to record 1 second of their life every day. The application will access the videos stored in your handset and will remind you as well. Users can keep multiple timelines for a variety of things, and is backed up to iCloud in seconds.

All videos are easily compiled and below we have embedded the demo video for you, and the project is looking for a total of $20,000 with six days to go and at the time of writing has already beat this by raising $52,523, and for more information click the link above.
Next up we have another Kickstarter project that will appeal to those of you that like to play games on your iPhone or iPod Touch. The WynCase allows users to have real physical buttons when playing games on their iOS device.
Once the case begins production it will feature real buttons just like the controllers that are used for home consoles such as the Xbox 360 or Sony PS3, and the buttons will only operate when properly pressed down.
Using the case games can be played in either portrait or landscape mode and the WynCase is easily snapped into place, and works using special patent pending BridgeTOUCH technology. This creates an electrical field when a button is pressed that is conducted to the screen, which interprets this as a finger pressing it.
The case does not need to use any batteries and there is no delay in pressing the buttons and the action being recognized in the game, and currently the project has 22 days to go and has raised $12,143 out of a $80,000 target. Again use the link above or check out the video below for more info.

MetroPCS ZTE Avid 4G Android ICS Phone Price

If you are a fan of the Android platform you have a great choice of smartphones to choose from via a variety of different companies, and these smartphones vary greatly in price now as well with something to suit every budget and needs. Today we have news for MetroPCS customers and the ZTE Avid 4G Android ICS running phone that has a nice price.

ZTE have long offered smartphones at a lower asking price but still packed with some worthy features and specifications for the money, and now their latest handset on US carrier MetroPCS continues this trend. The device is priced at $149 and for your money you get a handset with 4G LTE connectivity among its features.
The handset has a dual core processor clocked at 1.2GHz under the hood that is powering a 4-inch TFT touchscreen display with 480 x 800 resolution, while camera wise there is a five megapixel rear shooter with a VGA front facing camera. Storage wise there is only 2.3GB of built in memory but luckily this can be expanded by a further 32GB thanks to the microSD card slot.

It will come running the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system straight from the box, but it’s not known if the handset will ever be upgraded to Android Jelly Bean. The ZTE Avid 4G is available on the carrier with a number of standard 4G service plans that are priced between $40 and $70 each month, and the company is also offering some promotional plans that include 4G LTE for only $30 and unlimited 4G LTE for $55.
This is the latest handset on the carrier to support joyn by MertroPCS that provides customers of the network a unified and intuitive way to share their content, which has services such as integrated messaging, chat, and Wi-Fi or video calling. The official joyn application can be downloaded from the @metro App Store or via Google Play.
The handset also offers support to the carriers 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot service that costs an extra monthly charge, and the ZTE Avid 4G is available now via the carriers brick and mortar stores as well as online on its official website.
Are you in the market for a more affordable 4G LTE smartphone?

Samsung 5.5-inch flexible screens at CES, Galaxy Note 3 surely

As we near the end of the year we are starting to focus on the products that next year will bring and one device that we’ve posted on recently is the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (Note III). One of the things that we’ve particularly discussed is the possibility that the Note 3 may be one of the first devices to feature one of Samsung’s new flexible displays and today’s news seems to make that virtually certain.

Flexible displays have been rumored for some time for new Samsung devices and at the beginning of this month we reported that the Galaxy Note 3 and also the Galaxy S4 could both feature the new flexible displays. Samsung was reported as being in a position to start mass-producing the flexible displays that could be used in devices in 2013. The bendable displays would bring benefits such as increased durability and also lighter and slimmer devices that could also be bendable.
Following this though, we then heard of further reports saying that the displays were still a way off and so would not likely to be ready for the Galaxy S4, rumored to be released around March next year, and maybe not ready for the Galaxy Note 3 later in the year either. However the latest news on this now makes it seem extremely likely that the Galaxy Note 3 at least may well have one of the new flexible displays.

We’ll remind you that the current Galaxy Note 2 has a display size of 5.5-inches and a new report on Cnet states that Samsung Display is getting ready to show a new flexible smartphone display that measures 5.5-inches. This will apparently be unveiled at CES 2013 in January and has a resolution of 1280 x 720 and 267ppi. Samsung also plans to show a much larger 55-inch flexible display too, suitable for TVs. Other manufacturers such as LG and Nokia are also working on bendable displays so it looks likely that this will set a trend with the other major players.
We’d like to introduce one more possibility though, although we have to say it doesn’t seem likely. Although the evidence is compelling that this display will be used for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, we did report on a rumor recently that this might even increase from a 5.5-inch display on the Note 2 to a whopping great 6.3-inch display for the Note 3. Although we remain skeptical about this it does beg the question, ‘could the 5.5-inch flexible display be for the Galaxy S4 instead?’ After all, the Galaxy S3 moved up to a 4.8-inch display so there’s at least a slight possibility that the screen size might increase to 5.5-inches for the Galaxy S4. Just speculation of course but worth thinking about.
We’d like to hear what you think about this. Are you eager for the new flexible displays to be featured in Samsung products for next year? Do you think there’s a remote chance that the 5.5-inch display being shown at CES next month will be for the Galaxy S4 rather than the Note 3? Let us know with your comments.

iPhone 5 vs Lumia 920 enters Gladiator Arena

We’ve only a few more shopping days before Christmas and many of you will be purchasing a smartphone for somebody in your life, or have one on your own wish list. With this in mind we thought we’d bring you a comparison of two popular phones, the iPhone 5 vs. Lumia 920 as these are likely to be in demand. We’ll take a look at what each has to offer as they enter the gladiator arena and if either is a real defender see which will turn out to be a true fighter like Maximus Decimus Meridius.

The stores are so busy at this time of year that it can be a battle just to get to the device you want and make your purchase so hopefully this may help you make up your mind as to which of these phones is worth fighting for. We’ve written many posts now on each of these phones and although there are many other impressive phones on offer, the Apple iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia 920 seem to be attracting a lot of attention at this festive time of year. If you are open to either an iOS device or one running the Windows Phone operating system then you may be considering one of these. Both have been released in various world regions and on a variety of carriers and so are widely available, so firstly we’ll look at the main specs and features.
Processors
The iPhone 5 has a 1.2GHz Apple A6 dual-core processor and PowerVR SGX 543MP3 triple-core GPU while the Lumia 920 rocks a 1.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon dual-core Krait processor and graphics are catered for by the Adreno 225 GPU.
Display
The famous Retina display features on the iPhone 5, which has a 4-inch LED-backlit iPS TFT display with resolution of 1136 x 640 and 326 ppi. The Lumia 920 on the other hand, has a larger 4.5-inch IPS TFT display with resolution of 1280 x 768 and 332 ppi.

RAM and Storage
The latest iPhone has 1GB of RAM and comes in 16, 32 or 64GB internal storage options (non-expandable) whereas the Lumia 920 also has 1GB of RAM but only a 32GB storage option, also non-expandable.
Camera
The iPhone 5 has an 8-megapixel rear camera with autofocus, LED flash, simultaneous HD voice and image recording, face detection, geo-tagging, HDR, panorama feature and touch focus and it’s capable of 1080p video capture with video stabilization, LED video light and geo-tagging. It also totes a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera with 720p video FaceTime over WiFi or Cellular and also face detection. Contrast this to the Lumia 920 that also has an 8-megapixel rear camera with autofocus, dual-LED flash, Carl Zeiss optics and optical image stabilization and features Nokia’s PureView technology with touch focus and geo-tagging. The Lumia 920 also has 1080p video capture with video stabilization and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera with 720p video.
Battery
The iPhone 5 has a 1440 mAh battery while the Lumia 920 steps up to a 2000 mAh battery, something that will appeal to many.
Operating System
This may be the deciding factor for many of you as some people are firmly iOS, Android or Windows Phone device enthusiasts while others are happy to consider what each platform has to offer. The latest iPhone was launched running Apple’s latest mobile, iOS 6, while the Lumia 920 runs on Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8. The iOS system is great for those that want to be in safe hands and is easy to pick up. The Windows Phone 8 has a tiled interface that has earned a lot of praise, although it’s safe to say that the operating system as a whole hasn’t exactly caught on yet. One significant thing to point out here is that there are many more apps available for the iPhone 5 through Apple’s App Store
Dimensions and Build
The iPhone 5 measures 123.8mm x 58.6mm x 7.6mm and weighs 112g so this is beautifully slim and also light to hold. Meanwhile the Lumia 920 measures 130.3mm x 70.8 x 10.7mm so is bigger all around and it weighs in at 185g, a significant difference to the much lighter iPhone 5.

Design
The iPhone 5 is a good-looking handset although some were disappointed when it turned out to look very similar to the iPhone 4S. We had hoped for a new groundbreaking design and although that didn’t happen we did like the difference with the new two-tone coloring, white and silver or black and slate. It still feels as though it’s rather fragile though and easily breakable (you may appreciate an iPhone 5C spoof here). Turning our attention to the Lumia 920 we have to say we really admire the design of this handset, which comes in bright and vivid colors, red, white, black, yellow and cyan and has a stylish squared-off appearance. This is another area where personal preference may well decide your ultimate choice but as we all like something different it’s difficult for us to say which is best.
Pricing
World pricing will differ but as an example, in the US the iPhone 5 will set you back $199 on the usual two-year contract for the 16GB model on all of the major carriers. The 32 or 64GB models cost $299 and $399 respectively. The Lumia 920 on the other hand costs only $99.99 on a two-year contract with AT&T and bear in mind that although this only comes with one storage option this is 32GB and the same model iPhone 5 comes in a $299. This really is a significant saving so if you are still having difficulty making a choice this could well sway it for you.
Both of these phones also have LTE connectivity (where applicable), Corning Gorilla Glass, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth (iPhone 5 with v.4.0 and Lumia 920 with v. 3.1) but the iPhone 5 does not support NFC whereas the Lumia 920 does. The Lumia 920 also has support for wireless charging. Obviously there are many more features that each of these phones have but we haven’t room to bring you every single detail. Hopefully though the above information will give you enough to consider which might suit you best.
In conclusion we think that the iPhone 5 and Lumia 920 are both notable handsets and a lot of your choice will come down to your own personal requirements from a smartphone and personal preference of design, as well as that price factor of course. It’s difficult to decide a clear champion in this battle as they both offer very different experiences and will suit different consumers. The iPhone 5 is a clear winner in sales and when bearing in mind the reputation of the iPhone and its widespread and loyal fanbase, this will always be a victor. On the other hand the Lumia 920 isn’t outshone on specs and is certainly triumphant in the battle when it comes to price.
If it sounds as though we’re sitting on the fence and to be honest in this case we probably are so we’d like to know your thoughts on these two phones in the gladiator arena. Would you always choose an iPhone over a Windows Phone device even taking into account the extra cost? Maybe from this you realize the Lumia 920 has enough to offer you and its low price makes it an easy decision to opt for this instead? Send your comments to let us know.

Yuga smartphone could be Xperia Z using Sony TV technology

We’ve been bringing readers news about an upcoming Sony smartphone called the Yuga since October and just recently heard that it may be called the Sony Xperia Yuga along with some more leaked specs. Today we have rumored news that the Yuga name may be dropped before release and that it will then be called the Sony Xperia Z and we also have some further news on the specs and features of this phone.

Recently we gave you some leaked specs and images of the C660X (or C6603) Yuga and felt it could be tough competition for the HTC Butterfly and Oppo Find 5, both upcoming handsets also with 5-inch full 1080p HD displays. It’s likely that Sony will exhibit the Yuga at either CES in January next year or at MWC in February and the source that states the Yuga will be released as the Xperia Z is the same source that previously correctly said the ‘Hayabusa’ would be the Xperia TX. This does look like a credible leak then but for now it’s a case of wait and see.
A report on Xperia Blog also details the Yuga /Xperia Z as having IP55 and IP57 water and dust resistance ratings and another intriguing factor is that the Xperia Z will apparently use OptiContrast technology, usually to be found in Sony TVs, for the phone’s 1080p display. The advantages of OptiContrast come about from a resin coating on the display that cuts down on on-screen reflections. The report also states that the dimensions of the Xperia Z will be 139mm x 71mm x 7.9mm.

Other specs include a 5-inch LED display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, a 12 or 13-megapixel rear camera with Exmor RS CMOS sensor, 2GB of RAM, microSD expansion and unibody frame. It’s also likely to have a flat glass back with a shutter key to one side. Frankly we can’t wait to find out more and hope that this is indeed unveiled by Sony at the Consumer Electronics Show in January in Las Vegas and then released soon afterwards.
We’d like to hear your views on the Sony Yuga /Xperia Z. Has this smartphone already caught your eye and are you eagerly waiting to hear more about it? Maybe you’re drawn more to the HTC Butterfly or Oppo Find 5? Why not send us your comments so we know what your opinion is of the Yuga.

Nokia Nexus G Android 4.3 JB smartphone specs

There may be a few readers out there who have looked at the title of this article and queried the idea of a Nokia Nexus device. We do have details however of a smartphone called the Nokia Nexus G and not only do we have some amazing specs to tell you about but we also have a video showing off this impressive device. If we mention a 21-megapixel camera and Android 4.3 Jelly Bean we think you’ll be drooling and read on.

Okay, it’s at this point that we have to tell you that this is a concept smartphone devised by Bob Freking but every now and then we really enjoy bringing readers these renderings and ideas of just how good some devices could soon be. Although it hardly seems likely that Nokia will move its focus from Windows Phone devices such as the Lumia 920 just yet, this does give us a fascinating look at the potential there could be for a pure Vanilla Android Nokia Nexus phone and we think by the time we’ve finished many readers will be hoping that this was a real phone coming to existence.
Specs that Freking has come up with include 4.3 Jelly Bean, a 1.7GHz quad-core processor and a 4.8-inch IPS LCD PureMotion HD+ display with of course 1080p resolution. The camera set-up is notable as the Nokia Nexus G would include a 21-megapixel rear camera with PureView and other features such as Carl Zeiss technology, LED and Xenon flash, low light photography, image oversampling, image stabilization and lossless zoom.

Other specs include a massive 4GB of RAM, a possible 128GB of internal storage and Nokia Rich Recording. The Nokia Nexus G has a unibody casing in polycarbonate for real durability and comes in black and white color options along with 4 Nexus colors, yellow, green, red and and blue. The YouTube video by Bob Freking is just over one-minute long and you can see it below this story to get a better look at this concept smartphone.
We think this is one of the more interesting concept phones we’ve seen for a while but we would like your opinions. Do you like the look of the Nokia Nexus G or maybe it doesn’t appeal to you at all? Maybe you think Nokia should give up on Windows Phone handsets and concentrate on something more like this concept? Let us have your comments about this.

Samsung Galaxy S3 dying and 4.1.2 update predicament

The Samsung Galaxy S3 remains one of the most popular smartphones since its release back in the summer, with the company enjoying massive sales around the world. The biggest issue that users have had with the handset is the delay in receiving the latest Android updates for customers with certain carriers, but now we have some worrying news of owners reporting their Samsung Galaxy S3 dying as well as the Android 4.1.2 predicament.

There is currently a growing thread on the XDA Developers forum with owners of the Samsung Galaxy S3 reporting their handsets are suddenly dying, and what is being called a ‘Sudden Death’ issue. Owners have found their handset suddenly dying after leaving the device on charge overnight or just turning off the display of the handset.
Many of these affected owners have had their Galaxy S3 around the six month mark, and currently it is not clear what is causing the problems, but it seems to be a hardware issue and possibly the motherboard. There is some thought though that the issues could be caused by users tweaking their software on the handset, but some have had problems running the stock operating system.

There is also some thought about the battery that is supplied with the device could be causing issues, and so far there are reports of owners being affected in the UK, Brazil, and Sweden among others. It has to be remembered though Samsung has sold millions of the Galaxy S3 model so it doesn’t at the time of writing seem a widespread issue.
Some of the owners though have reported long wait times for their handset to be repaired, but it may be an idea if you are an owner of the device to make a back up of all your data stored on the device just in case, which could be said to owners of any device of this type.
On further investigation it seems the problem is affecting both rooted and stock handsets with the motherboard seemingly the heart of the problem with Samsung in the main replacing free of charge, and currently the XDA forum thread is 64 pages long and growing all the time.
Meanwhile the Android 4.1.2 update is spreading to more regions after hitting the UK yesterday where we updated our version of the handset. This came as many owners of the handset on Orange and T-Mobile are still stuck on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but this also depends on where you get your handset from.
A friend of mine heard I had updated my handset and informed me that he had done the same with his device even though he is a customer of Orange. It turns out he purchased his device via high street retailer Phones4U and it seems the company sends out unlocked versions of the Samsung Galaxy S3, and previously he was running Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean.
So this may be an idea in the future when purchasing a new smartphone with a carrier so you get to see Android updates earlier, but it is a pretty poor showing from Orange and T-Mobile considering the likes of O2, Three, and Vodafone updated customers Galaxy S3’s a while ago now. It would be nice if the two carriers quickly got the update out to owners taking them straight up to Android 4.1.2, but we won’t be holding our breath though.
Have you had issues with your Samsung Galaxy S3, and are you frustrated with Orange and T-Mobile?