Microsoft: Nokia deal won’t affect other Windows Phone partners

Really?

Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia will not affect other mobile makers’ Windows Phone plans. That’s according to Big M executive vice president of operating systems, Terry Myerson, who says the tie-up will help build the third place OS’s market share.
In a post on the Official Windows Blog, Myerson writes, “Today’s announcement doesn’t change [our approach] – acquiring Nokia’s Devices group will help make the market for all Windows Phones, from Microsoft or our OEM partners.”
“We have exciting ideas, and so do our OEM partners. Our partners bring innovation, diversity and scale to Windows.”

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Android exec Hugo Barra quits for Chinese mobile maker

Moving to Xiaomi.

One of Android’s leading execs has quit his post and is heading to China to work for one of the country’s mobile manufacturers. Hugo Barra, Android’s vice-president of product management who has worked at Google for five and a half years, is set to join Xiaomi, working on developing their Android portfolio.
In a post on Google+, Barra said, “In a few weeks, I'll be joining the Xiaomi team in China to help them expand their incredible product portfolio and business globally — as Vice President, Xiaomi Global.
“I'm really looking forward to this new challenge, and am particularly excited about the opportunity to continue to help drive the Android ecosystem.”
Barra’s departure follows that of Andy Rubin, Android’s creator, who left the Android team to work on other Google projects.

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4G UK: which next-gen network is the best?

With the UK’s 4G revolution in full swing, which network has the best proposition for you?

With Three's official confirmation that it will be offering 4G for free to existing customers when it launches its next-gen network in December, we now have a clear idea of every network’s LTE plans. O2 and Vodafone have both recently launched their offerings, with EE’s service now almost one year old.
So, how does each service break down and which one should you go for? Read on to get the lowdown.

O2

Launched this week in London, Leeds and Bradford, O2’s 4G packages offer basic deals, with charges varying depending on the device you decide to buy. As with Vodafone, O2 isn’t offering the iPhone 5 on 4G. That’s because in the 4G network, neither network won coverage in the 2600MHz range, the only LTE that Apple’s device supports. You can bet though, that the iPhone 5S will change all that. In terms of deals, O2’s prices start at £22 a month for 1GB data and unlimited calls and texts on its O2 Refresh deal. That’s before you’ve paid your monthly fee for your handset and runs over two years. Sign up before October 31st and you can get more data on its £27 and £32 month deals. Have a read here.

For SIM-only fiends, prices start at £26 for 1GB of data, rising to £36 for 8GB. Be aware that that 8GB offer drops to 5GB after October 31st. In terms of perks, O2 has a special Priority Sports channel, O2 4G Tracks for free access to Top 40 music and music videos and Gameloft games that can be played without eating into data allowances. There’s also free Wi-Fi access at 9,000 points across the UK. PAYG 4G deals are expected by the end of the year.

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Samsung Galaxy Gear: New screens confirm specs

App unveiled.

Samsung’s Galaxy Gear is all set for its official unveiling on September 4th. But the chaps at @evleaks are still unearthing the goods about Sammy’s forthcoming new smart watch, this time revealing screen shots of the device’s smartphone control app.
The pair of screens confirm a string of info which has already leaked about the timepiece. NFC is mentioned, with a diagram showing a Samsung phone and a Galaxy Gear pairing via touch.

A ‘My Apps’ tab supports rumours that the Galaxy Gear will have its own suite of dedicated add-ons. And, interestingly, there’s a ‘Find My Watch’ function mentioned too.
How this works is as yet unclear, but we’d be willing to bet it could be a potential flashpoint with Apple, whose ‘Find My iPhone’ feature is hugely popular.

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iPhone 5S: champagne and graphite models star in new videos

Golden future.

Apple’s forthcoming champagne and graphite iPhones have starred in a pair of new videos, as their planned September 10th launch date edges ever closer.
The champagne iPhone 5S, filmed by the guys at TLD, highlights the differences with the current iPhone 5. Aside from the colour options, the video also looks at the internal changes, with greater space for the battery, suggesting Apple might have at last cracked its power woes.
In a separate video, the graphite iPhone 5S is shown alongside the current black and white editions of the iPhone 5. But with initial iPhone 5 prototypes having come in this colour, it’s been suggested in some quarters that this version may not go on sale later next month.

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Wozniak’s note of caution is a rare slice of common sense

Is the Woz-man right to urge more patience with Apple's pace of innovation? Joe Minihane gives his two cents.

The pace at which the world of smartphones and tablets moves today means that the demands from hardcore fans, hungry for bleeding edge updates, are relentless. If a new phone doesn’t cram in a game-changing feature, then it’s instantly dismissed as irrelevant, despite the fact its software may be spanking new and a game-changer in and of itself.
That’s why this week’s words from Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak are so refreshing. In an interview with the BBC, Wozniak essentially put demanding fans in their place. “Everybody says, ‘oh my gosh, two years have passed and we need something really new and great from Apple’,” he said. “Well yeah, great advances for mankind don't happen every year.”
Wozniak was answering a question about whether Apple had lost its innovative edge since Tim Cook took over the helm at Cupertino. But his remarks are telling and show how ludicrous things have got that a wholly rejigged iPhone 5S, albeit with a similar design, is dismissed outright as iterative and unexciting in some quarters.
In the past seven years, Apple has released two products that have completely reshaped tech as we know it. The iPhone and iPad were both trailblazers and updates to those devices are only ever going to offer a minor jump on the last year’s model. Cumulatively, that can add up to a huge difference, as is being seen with the move to iOS 7 and a bulging App Store, full of stunning native and third party add-ons.

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BlackBerry boss: We can survive as niche company

Not over yet.

BlackBerry can continue to exist as a niche company and will not be completely killed off once it’s been bought out. That’s the opinion of Bert Nordberg, who sits on the ailing mobile maker’s board.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Wall Street Journal, Nordberg said, “I think BlackBerry is able to survive as a niche company.
"But being a niche company means deciding to be a niche company. Historically, BlackBerry has had larger ambitions. But battling giants like Apple, Google, and Samsung is tough."
Nordberg said that BlackBerry’s products did still have something to offer. “BlackBerry's unique assets make it stand apart from other phone makers.
“BlackBerry is strong on the enterprise business, its products are NSA-proof in the sense that you can't intercept their communication, its handsets' keyboards have many fans around the globe, and the company has a leading worldwide data network.”

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iPhone 5C: New manual and package images leaked

One week to go.

Just eight days before Tim Cook is due to reveal the iPhone 5C, new images purporting to show the device’s packaging and manual have appeared online.
The most intriguing is a snap of the red version of the budget handset. The packaging is consistent with previously leaked pics of the phone, with the same design and a mocked up screen of iOS 7.
Users on Chinese site Weibo have also been treated to shots of the iPhone 5C’s one card manual, as well as a photo of the classic Apple SIM ejection tool bundled with the blower.

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Samsung Galaxy Gear photos leak, fitness monitor highlighted

Not much of a looker. And pretty huge at 3-inches too.

Images purportedly showing a prototype of the soon-to-land Samsung Galaxy Gear have leaked online, ahead of the device’s launch tomorrow.
Sourced by VentureBeat, the work-in-progress smartwatch appears to blend industrial design aesthetics with the, um, practical, unshowy looks of Garmin’s sportswatches and packs a whopping three-inch screen that has seen it termed unappealingly bulky in some quarters.
But while it’s indisputably not much of a looker, it may yet emerge that what we’re looking at is unrecognisable from the finished product. That's certainly been the case with Samsung Galaxy smartphone prototypes, with the square-looking test models bearing little resemblance to the curved kits that eventually emerged into the spotlight at launch.

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iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S dropping Sept 20th, network leak reveals

Carrier cancels holiday, sparks release-date chatter.

Speculation that the next-generation iPhone and its cheaper stablemate will go on sale on September 20th got a good deal more credible today, amid rumours that one of the largest US networks has cancelled holiday for staff for the period.
Talk of the handsets tipping up on the 20th has been abroad for months now. The date was initially mooted after some keen-minded deduction on the part of the editor of the International Business Times, who based his prediction on Apple’s previous form.
His claim got fresh legs over the weekend when mysterious sources told TmoNews that T-Mobile employees over The Pond have been barred from taking holiday between September 20th and 22nd. This is so that the carrier is able to cope with the huge swell in demand that marks the release of new Apple smartphones.
AT&T is also reported to have issued a blanket ban on holidays over that weekend. However, seemingly anticipating even greater demand than its rival, T-Mo’s competitor is forbidding staff from taking holidays for all remaining days in September too.
Demand for the low-cost iPhone 5C, which features a money-saving plastic shell, is expected to be buoyed by a price point of around £250. This will arguably make the iPhone a viable pay as you go handset for the first time ever.

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