Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2 shows its rugged wares at MWC

We’ve brought Phones Review readers news on the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2 previously when it was first made official back in January. We’d been hoping to see more of the device and now at MWC 2013 this smartphone has been showing its rugged wares. Fortunately a few people have been lucky enough to get a hands-on look at the device so we are able to show you a video so that you can get a good idea of what it offers.

This is a ruggedized smartphone specifically targeted at the active, outdoors kind of person or maybe for those among us who are just plain clumsy. The Galaxy Xcover 2 has an as yet unspecified 1GHz dual-core processor, 4-inch display with resolution of 800 x 480, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD.
The Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2 also has a 1700 mAh battery and runs on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean but if you’re after a rugged device you’re probably more interested in its credentials in that aspect rather than expecting top-notch specs. The Xcover 2 is IP certified for dust and water-proofing, for up to 1 meter deep for up to 30 minutes.
So that you’re not likely too lose grip of your phone when active there are plenty of notches to stop it slipping from your grasp and it has a dimpled plastic reverse. As well as this all of the ports are suitably covered by protective specs. You can view the almost-two minute video below our story although it’s noted that the performance is rather sluggish. There’s still no official news yet though on release dates or pricing.
Take a look at the video showing the Galaxy Xcover 2 below and then we’d really like to have your comments on it. Does this rugged smartphone appeal to you? How much might you be willing to pay for it?

BlackBerry 10 WhatsApp release coming soon

The launch of the Blackberry 10 operating system is gathering pace as more markets get set to offer hardware running on the new platform, and it looks like the ecosystem that is supporting the new OS is getting better support from various application developers. Now we have news that the BlackBerry 10 release of the popular WhatsApp is coming to the new offering soon.

When it was first launched BlackBerry 10 saw over 70,000 applications already available to users, and since then more big names have been getting their titles out to the masses, now it seems that developers of WhatsApp have been hard at work on a BlackBerry 10 application that is down to be released next month.
Originally it was thought that the team behind the service had no plans to support BlackBerry 10, but it seems the company has had a change of heart as Neeraj Arora from WhatsApp has taken to his Tweeter account and revealed the apps availability “sometime in March”. The tweets go onto confirm that it is a native BlackBerry 10 application, which is unlike the Instagram app that is going to be another Android port.
WhatsApp is already available for older pre-BlackBerry 10 hardware on the platforms app store, so it’s not too much of a surprise that the company has had an apparent change of heart, and especially when you consider an app is already available on all of the other major smartphone platforms including Windows Phone.
Are you pleased to hear a native WhatsApp application is coming to BB10?

Nokia 105 back to the cheap past

Remember the Nokia X3-02 or the Nokia 1209? Well the Finnish company at MWC 2013 today announced the new Nokia 105 and this is most definitely back to the cheap past.

The Nokia 105 was announced today at Mobile World Congress today and this has to be one of the cheapest Nokia handsets that will be available second quarter of 2013 for only €15, yes we did just say 15 Euros. This is the perfect phone for those that do not want a smartphone or all the bells and whistles, it maybe good for those that wants a back up phone.
This is a simple phone that can make and receive phone calls as well as allowing users to send and receive text messages, this Nokia 105 also comes with an FM radio, flashlight, Dual band EGSM 900/1800, 1.45-inch 65k Colour TFT Display, 8MB ROM memory, as well as being splash and duct proof.
The Nokia 105 will offer users up to 35 days standby time and up to 12.5 hours talk time, unlike most smartphones that need charging much more. The handset is simple but yet elegant enough not to fall under the “UGLY” category, this is a form factor handset for those without the pennies, or for those wanting a second quick and easy back-up phone.
This is no smartphone and to be frank not even a low-end phone, it is a 15-euro handset that has nothing other than the basics that also includes a speaking clock.
We know many phone users still using old-fashioned beat up phones, they do not want the gimmicks, and they just want a phone. Yes we laugh when we still see people with these phones and especially when they say, “What is an app?” good on you Nokia for bringing the Nokia 105 in the public eye.
Please watch the Nokia 105 in the video provided below, for more tech specs etc please visit Nokia. Today we also reported that the Nokia Lumia 520 and 720 was announced at MWC 2013, read more about them here.

BlackBerry Z10 SIM free version up for the retail in UK

BlackBerry has launched its flagship phone Z10. BlackBerry Z10 runs on its new operating system BB 10, a new platform that the phone maker hopes will help it take on the competition. The BlackBerry Z10 heralds the rebirth of a fallen leader in the smart phone market.

It’s a clean break from the past with a big touch-screen and novel OS, but the same business mentality that made it the favourite of office dwellers around the world. Except, this time BlackBerry has also added a dash of fun.
BlackBerry 10 that powers the phone is a modern operating system with a brand new gesture-based interface and support for powerful dual-core CPUs. If you think dual-core Krait is old news on Android, you’d be right, but the Z10 is closer to the iPhone in this regard – the OS has been optimized to run on very few devices, allowing for maximum efficiency.
Then BlackBerry equipped the Z10 with a 4.2″ WXGA screen – slightly bigger and sharper than the iPhone 5′s retina display – but kept the package more compact than certain massive droids. Then comes all the connectivity features, hardware ports and slots
Here’s what they ended up with, the good and the bad of it:
Some Key features
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, tri/quad-band UMTS/HSPA, optional 100 Mbps LTE, 4.2″ 16M-color WXGA (768 x 1280 pixels) capacitive touchscreen TFT, Dual-core 1.5 GHz Krait, 2GB RAM, Adreno 225, BlackBerry 10 OS; advanced on-screen keyboard; Office document editor, BlackBerry Hub with extensive social networking connectivity, BBM with video chat and screen sharing, 8 megapixel auto-focus camera with face detection and Time Shift; LED flash, 2MP front facing camera Full HD (1080p) video recording at 30fps; 720p recording with front-facing camera, 16GB storage, microSD card slot; built-in Dropbox and Box integration, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot; Wi-Fi sync, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, standard microUSB port, microHDMI, 3.5mm audio jack and GPS receiver with A-GPS.
Main disadvantages
Brand new UI has a steep learning curve, Occasional crashes and unstable behaviour, BlackBerry World missing key apps, BlackBerry Maps are even worse than Apple Maps, and the Camera offers little control over image quality.
Z10 SIM Free Available In the UK
The handset has been available with a number of the various mobile carriers and now according to one UK retailer, Unlocked Mobiles; the SIM free version of the BlackBerry Z10 is available in the UK from the 1st of March. According to the retailer, the Sim free z10 is in stock and the handset is available for £524.99.
The SIM free version of the BlackBerry Z10 will retail for £534 including taxes, and the black version of the device will be available on March the 1st, the white version will be available at a later date.
BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins claims that the device has seen the most successful launch in the company’s history, selling out across the UK.
PrePayMania offers the Sim free unlocked Blackberry Z10 mobile phones at attractive costs and at a savings rate of all time high 23%. If you want to take advantage of this great offer, head over to PrePayMania, one of the leading and foremost retailers in UK

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update release closer

The Samsung Galaxy range of smartphones has proved to be extremely popular amongst smartphone fans around the world, and the company seemingly has something to offer everyone that includes handsets away from its flagship devices. Owners of the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 will be pleased to hear the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update official release is getting ever closer following a firmware leak.

At the beginning the month we heard reports that the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 may have to wait until April to see the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update, but as SamMobile are reporting a pre-release version of the new firmware has appeared ahead of an official release.
The build is dated February 17th and will bring a whole new feel to the smartphone that includes a completely new user interface, which includes the Nature UX Samsung offering that is already found on the flagship Galaxy S3.
Obviously the version of the firmware that has been leaked can only be installed as a custom ROM on a rooted device, and as always we can only advise you to do such a thing at your own risk. It does mean though an official release is just around the corner, which most owners of the Galaxy Ace 2 will be waiting for.
The Jelly Bean update will be much more of an upgrade compared to Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS that the handset has skipped, and compared to the Gingerbread version of Android that the Galaxy Ace 2 launched on almost a year ago, owners will be amazed at the difference.
Are you looking forward to Jelly Bean on your Galaxy Ace 2?

HTC One to offer seamless switching from iPhone

We’ve not held back with our enthusiasm for the HTC One and think this is a highly desirable smartphone that could win many fans. Due to release in March in multiple regions and on multiple carriers we have now discovered another feature that the HTC One will have that will undoubtedly make it even more appealing to some potential buyers. The HTC One will be able to offer seamless switching from the iPhone, a very handy trick indeed.

The HTC One is a high-end smartphone that could lure some people away from the iPhone’s iOS platform to an Android phone for the first time. However, many people thinking of moving away from the Apple iPhone may wince at the thought of transferring iPhone backups to a new phone and this is where HTC is making improvements to its Sync Manager desktop client.
A new version of the Sync Manager app is already in development that will enable users to easily import iPhone backups to the HTC One. The update will mean that Sync Manager will be able to read iTunes backups and sort through photos, text messages, calendar info and videos before automatically transferring them to your new HTC One. Users will still have to manually search for apps but the improved Sync Manager will definitely make the process of switching phones much easier.
The current Sync Manager works for Macs and PCs and although it has not been confirmed if this will still be the case with the updated version, it seems likely that this will still apply. It’s a pretty neat idea from HTC and one that plenty of customers might want to take advantage of. While we’re waiting for the HTC One to hit the shelves you may be interested in our post about the Galaxy S4 vs. HTC One or our recent visual review roundup for the One.

The Simpsons Tapped Out video review digest

The Simpsons Tapped Out game that is available for iOS and Android users has been out a while now, we are now providing a few YouTube review videos below for those that have not heard of this game. Before you all laugh, we asked a lot of people if they have played this game and they say they never new it existed so now it is time to give them a recap thanks to out Simpsons Tapped Out video review digest.

This game is a free app for iOS and Android users and yes it features Mr. Homer Simpson, this game was first published and launched March 1st last year on iOS and February 6th this year for Android. There was a lot of trouble when this game launched on the App Store, the game was pulled because Electronic Arts servers could not cope with the popularity and so many users were playing the game at the same time, everything is all running smoothly now so we thought we would place a few video reviews below for your loving eyes.
This is a stunning game that offers a variety of buildings and where you need to spend virtual donuts or money, the game allows you to place roads, buildings, rivers, decorations and so much more. You have to complete quests to move on in the game, this is where you breathe life into Springfield.
Now you can make Springfield the way you want it to be, complete some awesome tasks to level up, get Apu to work mega hours in Kwik-E-Mart and so much more such as grow and harvest Tomacco on Cletus’s Farm, Party down with Duffman at Duff Brewery and visit your friends’ Springfields, play pranks, and collect cash.
We are not going to spoil it for you and for those that have not heard of the game please do let us entice you with our “The Simpsons Tapped Out” video review digest. Please watch the videos below, if you are already playing this game on your device please do send in your comments on what you think of the gameplay.