Next iPhone's motherboard possibly spotted with a dash of extra wireless

We may well have seen the next iPhone's back shell, front panel, SIM tray and even its cabling. Why not round it out with what might be the motherboard? A WeiPhone forum goer who slipped out the iPhone 4S' board last year is back with the 2012 update's potential new heart. While the tipster hasn't been courteous enough to do a side-by-side with the older component, repair shop iDeviceGuys notes to 9to5 Mac that the newer part isn't just a carbon copy; that smaller SIM slot (what you see in the middle) is one of the bigger giveaways. The real treat may be the extra wireless antenna connections. They aren't any surefire signs of 4G, but the antenna links suggest Apple isn't content with what the iPhone 4S has to offer. We're mostly left wondering about what's under that shielding -- it's a mystery as to whether or not the next iPhone's processor speed bump is a mountain or a molehill. Barring one more peek, we could get the full scoop next month.

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Motorola ATRIX HD 4G LTE Smartphone

Motorola unveils its new Atrix HD (aka Dinara) 4G LTE smartphone. Not just look like the DROID RAZR, the phone is also made with DuPont Kevlar fiber in a microweave pattern, for incredible strength and stability. It is splash-resistant inside and out. The business-ready smartphone runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and features government-grade encryption to protect your email, contact and calendar; and VPN for keeping you plugged into the office when you’re away; and QuickOffice suite.

The Atrix HD is powered by a dual-core 1.5GHz processor with 1GB of RAM. It sports a 4.5-inch Colorboost 1280×720 touchscreen protected by Gorilla Glass, a 8 Megapixel camera with Full HD 1080p video recording, and a front camera. The handset supports Bluetooth and WiFi. With that AT&T logo, you can expect support for quad-band GSM/EDGE, quad-band HSPA+ and dual-band LTE networks. While measuring just 8.4mm thick, the Atrix HD packa a 1780mAh battery.

Motorola’s new Atrix includes SMARTACTIONS that will automatically trigger specific rules, based on things like time of day, location, battery levels and more. The feature also offer Drive Smart for routone suggestions, and Battery Extender rule for longer battery life.

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Apple lands preliminary ban against Samsung Galaxy Nexus in the US (update: search patent the key)

It hasn't been Samsung's best week. Just days after Judge Lucy Koh granted a preliminary ban on sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, she's following it up with a similar granted request on the Galaxy Nexus. Judge Koh had already signaled that she thought Apple's lawsuit over four patents might have merit, but it's only now that she's deciding the potential damage is worth halting sales of the phone until there's a final trial verdict. Samsung will no doubt try to appeal the dispute, which centers on Android 4.0's slide-to-unlock mechanism (among other elements), but there's a lot more urgency here than with the outgoing Tab 10.1: the Galaxy Nexus is still a current-generation device, and just became Google's Android 4.1 phone flagship. Samsung's odds aren't great given that Apple has already used one of the patents to give HTC grief with its imports.

Update: As patent lawsuit guru Florian Mueller found, the clincher for the ban was the patent on unified search that's linked to Siri. Although Judge Koh is inclined to believe Apple's view regarding all four patents, that search patent is the one whose violation would reportedly merit more than a slap on the wrist. She's similarly convinced that Apple's patents are legitimate and likely won't be dismissed anytime soon.

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LG Optimus L3 DualSIM Android Smartphone

LG introduced in Russia and the Ukraine the Optimus L3 DualSIM (model E405) Android smartphone. Like the original L3, this dualSIM version has a 3.2-inch 240×320 touchscreen display and a 3 Megapixel auto focus camera. It is powered by a Qualcomm MSM7255A 800MHz processor with 384MB of RAM.


The L3 DualSIM has 1GB of internal storage and supports microSD/SDHC up to 32GB. You can expect Bluetooth 3.0 and WiFi 802.11b/g/n connectivity as well as support for GPS. The handset comes loaded with Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread operating system with LG’s custom UI. LG will release the dual-SIM Optimus in July.

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Nokia 808 PureView Review

The Nokia 808 PureView has a 41-megapixel camera sensor. But you knew that. The crystallization of five years of imaging R&D has landed, and the timing couldn't have been better for Nokia. Alongsideuncomfortable financial reading, its move to Windows Phone hasn't exactly set the smartphone world alight just yet. It's seemingly established itself as the go-to WinPho choice for American customers thanks to some aggressive pricing, but with news that the next iteration of Windows Phone won't come to the Lumia 900, many will hold out for Nokia's next handset. Whatever that device will be, it's likely to bring the same PureView technology we've got here on the Nokia 808 PureView -- a Symbian-based handset whose software has seen better days. However, OS be damned, it still blew away attendees at this year's Mobile World Congress. Impressive stuff, given that it's the same show where HTC's admirable One series debuted.

That huge sensor is paired with a new five-element Carl Zeiss lens and a refreshed flash with double the strength of the one on the Nokia N8 -- the existing cameraphone champ. But behind the technical bullet points, it's how Nokia maximizes the 41-megapixel sensor, oversampling with those pixels to create improved 5-, 8- , 3- and 2-megapixel images, reducing noise and improving low-light performance. However, when it comes to software, Symbian Belle (with Feature Pack 1 in tow) lags behind the likes of Android, iOS and Windows Phone in user experience and app provision. Similarly, the chunky handset flies in the opposite direction of the trend for slim smartphones. Is that camera module really all Nokia thinks (and hopes) it is? What's more, is Symbian relevant enough for such future-facing goodness? Let's find out.

While the 808 PureView forgoes the N8's metal casing, we can't think of a phone that has a more solid-feeling plastic shell than this. It feels so hardy that if we were to accidentally drop it, the pavement below us might come off worse. Fortunately, the rough matte finish has great purchase in the hand, and the same coating runs across the edge of the phone -- precisely where you'll be grabbing the device while taking photos. That substantial build means the phone's profile tops out at 18mm thick, narrowing to a more acceptable 14mm.

There are two reasons the 808 PureView measures nearly twice as thick as other recent smartphones. First, that sensor needs the extra space, as does the Carl Zeiss lens. Secondly, given the camera-centric gravitas of the whole device, a curvier profile better lends itself to photography. Despite its top-heavy appearance, the weight distribution feels balanced, if slightly biased towards the lens end.

All told, it is, indeed, as bulky as it looks, weighing in at 169g (six ounces) and making a good case for those plastic build materials. The back of the phone wraps around to meet the Gorilla Glass-protected screen, while a plastic strip cuts across the lower half of the battery cover. It gave us something to grip with our fingernails, but could have stood to be a little more substantial. Removing said battery cover will give you access to a swappable (but surprisingly small) 1,400mAh battery, as well as micro-SIM and microSD slots. Fortunately, there's already 16GB of storage built in, but you can expand this to 32GB with a card.

Other connectivity options include a micro-USB port for charging and data transfer, and a mini-HDMI socket behind a covered door on the phone's top side. That uppermost edge houses both of these and the headphone socket, while the left side is left bare. On the right, the volume rocker and two-stage camera button match the chrome finish on the camera unit, with a phone lock switch making a welcome return. The camera button is a core part of this device, and we're glad to report that it's satisfyingly tactile -- even through Nokia's official case, which cocoons the camera phone in flexible plastic.

Across the bottom of the screen, the typical trio of Symbian buttons are on display: a green dialer button, central home button and red disconnect button. They're all collected into a single strip, which will look familiar to anyone who's seen past Symbian hardware or even the Lumia 710. Above the screen, you'll find the earpiece, light sensor and front-facing camera. The phone's loudspeaker is on the base of the phone, to the right of the lens, which is flanked by the Xenon flash on the other side. The camera itself has a mechanical shutter, which you'll notice when you start taking those solipsistic 41-megapixel self-portraits.

Screen

Nokia continues to use Gorilla Glass on its devices, this time even coating the camera lens with the stuff -- a wise decision. This protection extends across all four inches of the AMOLED screen as well. Unfortunately, the resolution hasn't moved on from the N8, with the same 640 x 360 pixel count now stretched further, which translates to a creaky 184 ppi. It really puts the brakes on enjoying all those pin-sharp images and high-definition video, although the gallery's responsive pinch-to-zoom interface does side-step this a little. It would have been nice to see these pictures on double, if not quadruple the number of pixels, and the screen remains a curious juxtaposition with the high-end camera.

Oddly, while you're able to adjust brightness in settings, the light sensor will continue to adjust the output of the screen -- something we'd prefer to be in control of. At full brightness, the screen seems to take on a subtle bluish-purple tint. One pleasant surprise is the screen's performance outdoors. The Lumia 900 offered a similarly stand-out experience, and again, it seems a sensible development for Nokia's first PureView device -- you'll be wanting to take photos outside, and you'll want to see them immediately. Nokia's ClearBlack screen gave us colors that were predictably realistic and contrast was superb, despite the dearth of pixels.

Camera

Forget the awkward industrial design. Ignore the frustrating mess that is Belle. Take one picture with Nokia's 808 PureView and all will be forgiven. We dare you. It's difficult to relay exactly how thoroughly awesome this camera is and how stupendously phenomenal the resulting shots are. This device instantly obliterates every other cameraphone, while simultaneously giving most dedicated point-and-shoots the proverbial finger. It's that good. So what's the special sauce? How is this possible? Welcome to the world of software photography, where lenses and motors and hardware are replaced with algorithms and code and wizardry.

As you'd expect, it all starts with a nice sensor. There's been a lot of brouhaha about the 41-megapixel camera aboard the 808 PureView, and rightfully so. Image quality isn't about the number of pixels as much as it is about pixel size. On the one hand, 41 megapixels seems like overkill -- on the other hand, it's what makes the PureView technology possible. Consider this: at 1.4 microns this sensor's pixel size is identical to that of the iPhone 4S. This means that pixel for pixel, this shooter matches the competition -- it just uses five times more pixels per image than an 8-megapixel camera. At 1/1.2 inches (10.82 x 7.52mm), the 808's sensor is physically massive, larger even than the 1/1.7-inch array in Canon's S95 high-end point-and-shoot.

Of course, this is all meaningless without a proper lens. Here, the 808 PureView delivers again with an autofocus prime lens made by Carl Zeiss that features five aspherical glass elements (in one group) and a mechanical shutter. The aperture is fixed at f/2.4 but the lens includes a selectable neutral density filter. Unlike most of the competition, the 808 incorporates both a xenon flash for stills and an LED light for video (the latter also being used to assist with autofocus). A dedicated two-stage shutter key rounds out the camera hardware -- we expect any cameraphone worth its salt to have one. This particular button is decent, but the second detent feels a little mushier and harder to press than we'd like. Some of HTC's handsets (like the EVO 3D, myTouch 4G Slide and EVO 4G LTE) have keys offering better tactile feedback.

Now let's talk about Nokia's PureView technology. What's the big deal, anyway? How does it work? Let's begin with that 41-megapixel sensor. Capturing this many pixels enables a software trick known as pixel oversampling. Since a final 8- or 5-megapixel photo usually contains enough detail for printing and is easier to store and transmit, it's possible to use those 41 megapixels to zoom in or stabilize the image without resorting to interpolation and losing information. By combining many pixels to create a single higher-quality pixel, oversampling also removes Bayer pattern problems and reduces noise. Better yet, all this applies to video recording. The net result is crisper stills and videos, with less noise and more detail.

Nokia's significantly revised and improved the camera interface on the 808 PureView -- it's simpler and a lot more intuitive than on the N8. The viewfinder is divided into three areas: a vertical stripe on the left edge containing common setting like the flash, EV, white balance and ISO; a vertical stripe on the right edge which contains the stills / video switch, on-screen shutter key and gallery button; finally an automatic / scenes / creative toggle in the middle top. Tapping anywhere in the viewfinder enables touch-to-focus, tapping and holding lets you select the autofocus mode. A finger swipe brings up a frame that's sized by further swiping -- remove your finger and the 808 zooms smoothly to match the zoom level shown in the frame. Neat. Alternatively, the volume rocker doubles as a standard zoom control.

So what do images taken with the 808 PureView look like? Stunning, detailed, vibrant, and noise-free.

Automatic mode takes care of everything for you, while scenes mode provides a choice between various presets (like portrait, landscape, night and macro) -- both modes capture 8-megapixel photos with a 16:9 aspect ratio. Creative mode is for photography buffs and offers full control over every possible adjustment, including time lapse. Best of all, in this mode Nokia lets you choose between taking full-resolution pictures and snapping PureView shots (eight, five or three megapixels) at standard or wide aspect ratios. Full-resolution images are actually 38 megapixels (7152 x 5368) at 4:3 and 34 megapixels (7728 x 4354) at 16:9. Overall, there isn't much to complain about in terms of camera interface -- it's probably the most polished app on the handset. We'd like to see a setting to disable face detection (it's always on) and a fix for the gallery, which is stuck in landscape when accessed from within the shooter. There's no panorama or bona fide HDR mode (the camera supports bracketing, but doesn't combine the results).

So what do images taken with the 808 PureView look like? Stunning, detailed, vibrant and noise-free. The sweet spot appears to be 8-megapixel PureView shots with little to no zoom -- this provides the ideal conditions for pixel oversampling to do its magic. When zooming in all the way or when taking pictures at full-resolution (thus revealing the sensor's original pixels) we noticed a bit less detail and a touch more noise. Even then, the results surpass that of capable shooters, like the One X, when compared pixel for pixel, which speaks volumes about the quality of the sensor and optics. In our tests, exposure was spot on and low-light performance was spectacular -- white balance, despite being usually accurate, was sometimes off when snapping photos in artificial light (like under fluorescents).

Videos captured with the 808 PureView are just as incredibly amazing as the stills. The camera records 1080p and 720p HD video at up to 30fps with selectable continuous autofocus and stereo audio. The resulting videos clock in at a healthy 20Mbps and benefit from the same pixel oversampling trickery (lossless zoom and image stabilization) as the PureView shots. Not only is video performance absolutely superb -- easily beating the competition -- sound quality is another strong point thanks to Nokia's Rich Recording technology, which uses MEMS digital microphones and enables clear, distortion-free audio capture at levels up to 140-145dBs.

It's clear that Nokia's 808 PureView represents a revolution in terms of stills and video performance -- not just for cameraphones, but for the entire imaging industry. This (along with Lytro's light field technology) is the dawn of software photography, where hardware still matters but is kept simple, compact, reliable and affordable. We'd be surprised if pixel oversampling doesn't make its way into point-and-shoots and eventually even mirrorless and reflex interchangeable lens cameras -- just imagine this technology being combined with a full-size sensor and ultra-fast prime lens. In the more immediate future it's likely that PureView will play an important role in Nokia's next-generation Windows Phone 8 handsets. We can't wait.

Software

Anyone that comes to the 808 PureView from a similarly Symbian device will wave away many of our complaints about Belle FP1, but that doesn't make them any less valid. Symbian Belle feels old. The notion that, on its release, a truckload of new widgets was a core feature is laughably tragic. And though a drop-down menu, adjustable widgets and incremental feature additions make this less pronounced, all is not well. WiFi hotspot internet sharing is now doable through the third-party app, but this wasn't easy. The freeware version of JoikuSpot comes pre-installed, but was unwilling to work with several of our SIM cards. Similarly, installing apps takes several times longer than we've grown used to on the likes of Windows Phone and Android. Like BlackBerry devices, be prepared to reset the phone for some apps. We also had to set aside around half an hour pottering around apps, while downloads languished and installations stalled and often terminated.

On the surface, navigation around home screens is generally responsive and slick, with a nice transitional animation between each screen -- these can all be customized with a specific photo. The photo widget is worth noting, by the by, as you can assign a plethora of images to cycle through. It'll refresh the photos shown when you transition between screens. The app drawer is also responsive to your swipes, with a new list or icon view that bounces at the top and bottom of the respective views. You can either sort alphabetically, or customize for your heavy-use apps and drag them to the top. Folders can be added to categorize apps, and it was something we did soon after setting up our test device, as there are several settings options taking up space that could otherwise be dedicated to standalone apps. It's impossible to drag and drop items into these, however, and you'll have to laboriously "tag" each icon with the respective folder name.

Across the app selection, Nokia Maps stands out yet again, as the Espoo cartographers prove they know exactly what we want from mapping software. Even here, there's a faint whiff of Symbian's aging status, with minimal app integration to share your location. Still, you'll be able to check in with several major social networks including Facebook, Foursquare and even Sina -- although this courtesy extends to an announcement post only. Another nice touch is the fact that location-tagged photos will automatically populate the map wherever you took them. Nokia's Public Transit app separates route planning for metropolitan hubs that have their train and bus routes mapped out. There's a lightweight selection of underwhelming pre-installed games. Arguably the richest of the bunch, Asphalt 6, stutters during play despite the humble screen resolution. The number of appealing titles in Nokia's store means you won't be shopping for a new game all that often -- a criticism that can be leveled at its app store in general.

While there are icons for both Facebook and Twitter, these are merely integrated into Nokia's Social app, with no native applications for either. Also, they bear tedious interfaces compared with the Facebook and Twitter apps you'll find on competing platforms. You won't be able to see images posted to these, and you'll have to tap through links to take a look.

Nokia continues to roll out NFC functions, with a handful of apps and features appearing on the 808 PureView. These range from useful contact and data-sharing between compatible devices to the quaint NFC iteration Angry Birds -- although why Nokia couldn't afford to bundle the full version of Angry Birds Magic baffles us. There's also a gentle NFC tutorial to guide you around what the device has to offer, although it's largely a hub of links to web-based content.

Video support is surprisingly broad, with support for most codecs necessary to play our various sample videos. Here's another caveat, though: where's your Netflix or Lovefilm account going to live?

Keyboard

While this is the best native keyboard Symbian's got to offer, it makes the iPhone's appear positively forward-looking in comparison, to say nothing of Android's well-rounded stock offering and SwiftKey(an Engadget staff favorite). While Swype is free to download, this is one of the least intuitive iterations we've used in some time -- an odd mix of the Swype we're used to and some poor touchscreen sensitivity and excess keys. Suffice to say, we soon returned to stock. The issue is partly due to the key arrangement, a rigid grid of letters and symbols, with none of the off-center spacing seen on rival mobile OSes and your PC keyboard. Despite Symbian Belle's new additions, this keyboard remains old and difficult to steer. Conversely, selecting text to copy and paste is easy to pull off, and we always seemed to highlight exactly what we intended to.

Browser

Giving some credit to that 1.3GHz processor, the web browser on the 808 PureView is faster and more capable than any Symbian device that came before it. Still, it trails the performance of other phones that are half the price. Page scrolls are a stuttering affair, and crashes are a regular occurrence. Throw in a media-rich site and you'll have signed the browser's death warrant. Design-wise, the address bar now disappears once a page is loaded -- necessary given that screen-size is at a premium at this resolution -- while the menu bar is decked out with five icons, including a new quick-access tabbed browser option. Even the obscurity-bound Meego-powered Nokia N9 handled browsing with more aplomb. Could you imagine a Meego PureView cameraphone? As we played with the 808 PureView, we imagined this tech on almost every other mobile OS -- the disappointing user experience of Symbian pervades everything you do with the phone, detracting from all that camera magic. We'd have been willing to wait a few more months if it meant tighter app integration, faster transition between programs and a better (even just average) browsing experience.

Battery life and performance

With that optical cannon on the back and a relatively meek AMOLED display -- how does a modest 1,400mAh battery fare? In short, well. Understandably, the camera component takes a fair bit of power to capture 34- and 38-megapixel images, let alone oversample and churn out polished 5-megapixel masterpieces. In a day of shooting, we found the camera lasted through a day of social network usage, map queries, intermittent web browsing and snapping over 100 images at various resolutions. On our video rundown test, we enabled WiFi without connecting to a network, and tried to fix brightness at 50 percent (as mentioned earlier, the light sensor still interferes). The 808 PureView offered us eight hours and 40 minutes of playback, which was a pleasant surprise. Viewing, cropping and editing images will naturally impinge on how much mileage you'll get from a single charge. However, Nokia's stylish Universal Charger (more on that in a moment) offers some relief, and there's also the option of purchasing a spare juicepack. Unlike Samsung's recent NFC-equipped phones, the Nokia 808 PureView keeps its near-field hardware on the casing, so you'll be able to swap the battery without issue.

Symbian is ready for retirement. It's had its run, and while there's still plenty of clever ways to augment what it can do, why go through the hassle?

We're going to split our comments on performance in two here. First, Symbian is ready for retirement. It's had its run, and while there's still plenty of clever ways to augment what it can do, why go through the hassle? We hope we're less than a year away from a Windows Phone 8 device packing a similar optical wonder, because we soon fell into frustration with Symbian Belle, with its often tortuous menu navigation and temperament. The phone automatically stores images and installed apps on the mounted drive, which means that when we plugged in the phone to transfer images or simply give the phone a quick top-up, many apps came crashing down, disappearing outright as the phone spiraled into panic.

On the camera side, however, it's a marvel. The camera app launches swiftly from the lock screen, thanks to that single-core 1.3GHz processor, and capture follows about a second afterwards. You'll find the full-resolution stills will take a few seconds to store -- understandable, given that file sizes skirt around 12MB per shot. At oversampled (and lower) resolutions, however, pictures are quicker, if perhaps not even close to the speeds seen on the One X or Galaxy S III's burst modes. Navigating around your creations is easily accomplished and the phone is willing to scroll around hundreds of images with ease. They're all fixed in date order, and although there is a tagging system to add some sort of classification, it's such a long-winded way of organizing that we soon gave up. Interestingly, there were more gallery options on preceding Nokia devices, which makes it a curious oversight that there are literally no menu options on its latest phone. You'll have to select each unwanted photo individually if you want to delete. We found it easier to fill the phone up with photos, connect to a PC and delete in batches, but it remains another niggle of the Belle OS.

Nokia still continues to deliver on voice call quality, with crisp calls augmented by an extra noise-cancelling mic. The Nokia 808 PureView is a world-friendly slice of camera phone, with pentaband 3G connectivity up to 14.4 Mbps down and 5.76 Mbps up -- making a strong case to replace both your smartphone and your point-and-shoot on that upcoming holiday.

Accessories

The 808 PureView won't be alone when it hits stores. Alongside our review model, Nokia delivered a smorgasbord of accessories to augment its new cameraphone, including a tripod adapter, rubberized case, micro-HDMI cable reel and that new universal portable USB charger.

The tripod adapter is a spring-loaded bracket that's happy to grip onto the device whether it's in the case or not. This can then be attached to a (small-fixture) tripod, stabilizing the cameraphone when you're seeking out the crispest images, or looking to make the most of the full-resolution mode -- those extra pixels are prone to blurring.

The hard cover wraps around the back of the phone, the sides and just around the lip of the front side. While it's not as pleasing to the touch as the phone's own finish, it's a snug fit and the plastic casing adds a bit more rigidity to the shutter key. The other ports are left open to access, while the case includes a tethered cover for the lens component which satisfyingly clicks into place.

Surprisingly, perhaps, it's Nokia's universal portable charger that we're most enamored with. Measuring 170mm length-wise, the pod can be charged through the micro-USB port at one end. Four LED lights indicate exactly how much of the 2,200mAh battery is full, while the USB port at the other end can connect to any device capable of using its 950mA output. It's not limited to Nokia hardware or even smartphones, although the color selection and polycarbonate design seem best suited for Nokia's own Lumia range. We like the idea of carrying this around in lieu of a spare battery, especially with the portable charger's larger capacity.

Rounding out the accessory selection is a 3-meter HDMI cable that's admittedly less visually interesting, but does what it promises to and can be stored away in a flexible pouch.

Wrap-up

The Nokia 808 PureView is the best cameraphone out there, but you'll have to be willing to forgo the simplicity, function and comfort of competing smartphones if you intend to own it. You also have to be seriously imaging-obsessed to handle this as your daily driver. While Nokia has made some effort to make image sharing painless, these features are still limited, with constrained options and an OS that often collapses under the weight of even moderate demands. In general, you might hear reviewers toss around clichés like "setting new benchmarks" and "peerless results," but in this case, all these platitudes ring true. The 808's low-noise shots, even in dim light, and its loss-less digital zoom features roar. Throw in the superb video and audio recording performance and you have have a clear cameraphone champion. The problem is, it's one that demands a more capable and (future-facing) operating system.

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Sony NSZ-GS7 Google TV review

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again and that's exactly what Google has done with Google TV. With the second generation of Google's software hitting older hardware and some TVs, it only makes sense that Sony would revise its hardware and fill the void left when Logitech decided to leave the party. The $199 NSZ-GS7 from Sonymight be the perfect little box for those hoping to internet-enable their TV without actually replacing the TV itself. How well it does at that is exactly what you'll find if you click through.

Hardware

The NSZ-GS7 is a bit smaller than the Logitech Revue was, but still includes HDMI pass-through, SPDIF, two USB ports, built-in IR blaster (external too), Ethernet and integrated Wifi. The box is small and of the high-quality build you'd expect from Sony. Along with USB storage support and FTP access, you get 8GB of internal memory -- although the system info menu indicates only 4GB. We assume the difference is reserved for the OS. It's powered by a dual-core Marvel 1.2Ghz chip, which helps it speed along considerably faster than we recall the Revue could.

In addition to the usual suspect HD output formats, 3D output and pass-through are supported as well as 24p for your native film content. If you cut the cord and don't have an incoming signal you'd like to pass-through and control, the box works happily as a source to your TV. When you do want to control your cable box or Blu-ray player with it, though, you can pass-through both the audio and video -- or just the video, with either Dolby Digital or PCM output via HDMI or the SPDIF connector. There is even an option for Dolby Dynamic Range Control if you'd like to remove the unexpected loud scene here and there. One feature we were very happy to see, that we didn't expect, was HDMI-CEC. You can of course just control your TV and AVR with IR, but CEC can save you some time and hassle and it's something we'd love to see in every set-top box.

Remote

We weren't big fans of Sony's first Google TV remote, but we have to say we like this one. For starters, it's Bluetooth and uses standard batteries. But mostly we love the touchpad over the whatever-you-call-them pointers on the old remote. The touchpad works like the one on your laptop including the abilities like tap-to-click, drag-to-scroll and even pinch-to-zoom. You can, of course, adjust the pointer speed via the system settings as well as enable the backlight for the keyboard -- no lights for the other side, though.

 Speaking of the keyboard, it is pretty slick, and aside from some funky secondary assignments (exclamation and question marks on the same key?), it just works. What we really like, though, is that there's a sensor in the remote to prevent accidental clicks when that side of the remote is down, and that same sensor activates the keyboard backlight when the remote is picked up. Lastly, the sensor is of the three-axis variety and Sony tells us that developers can tie into it to create games or anything else you might think of.

Aside from all the bells and whistles, the layout of the actual buttons makes sense to us and we appreciate the dedicated hard keys for the d-pad, input selection, home, guide, DVR and others. Oh, and placing the dedicated volume, mute and channel controls on the side of the remote makes it very easy to just pick up and use without ever looking at it -- something every remote must be able to do. Like the Harmony Revue, this Google TV box can act as a universal remote -- all programmed via on-screen menus -- so the quality of the remote is a real selling point. But if you're among those who believe that remotes with real buttons are so 20th Century, no problem -- all the IP remotes for Android and iOS devices are fully supported.

Software

Our review sample of the NSZ-GS7 was loaded with Google TV 3.2 that includes much of the same features and functionalities as we've reviewed in the past. And because it is a Sony, it of course includes the Sony Entertainment Network. But there are a few other software features that aren't included in all Google TV devices because this guy isn't built-in to the TV. One is the ability to easily change the picture size to compensate for any overscan your TV might not be able to shake. Others include the screensaver, text-to-speech and, of course, all the configuration screens required to control the remote and other hardware features we already told you about. Beyond all that, though, it is the same Google TV experience you might find on other newer devices in your home theater.

Wrap-up

In the end the Sony NSZ-GS7 is a solid follow-up with some much-appreciated enhancements over previous Google TV hardware. The remote is far and away the greatest improvement, but the HDMI-CEC and other new hardware features don't go unnoticed. At $199 it's one of the least expensive ways to get the Google ecosystem onto your TV, but almost twice what many have come to expect to pay for the hockey puck streamers from competition like Roku and Apple. By ignoring the price of the competitors and remembering what we paid for the last programmable remote we bought, we don't think it's overpriced. That doesn't mean everyone should run out and buy one, but if you've been waiting for the next great Google TV box, you can stop waiting.




 

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Meizu MX 4-core and Flyme OS 1.0 formally announced, available on June 30th

Forget that "MX Quad-core" moniker, because Meizu's just formally introduced its first quad core Android phone as the "MX 4-core" in Hong Kong event jam-packed with balloons and local celebrities (we really should've brought our sunglasses). For those who care, this is the first time ever for Meizu to collaborate with a carrier -- that being Hong Kong's PCCW, who's offering the HK$3,099 (US$400) 32GB model for free on various tariffs, while details are light on the HK$4,099 (US$530) 64GB version. Once the stage cleared we had a chance to take a closer look at the international variant of the MX 4-core. Aside from the disappearance of the Chinese logo above the screen plus the duller logo on the back (but accompanied by an extra capacity label), the 4-inch HSPA+ phone looks identical to its dual-core sibling. Additionally, Hong Kong and mainland China customers who pre-order between now and the launch on June 30th will get to pick a colored back crystal shell for free, including ivory white, milky lime, lilac purple and misty pink to replace the original white.

Software-wise Flyme -- Meizu's heavily customized Ice Cream Sandwich -- is also very similar to its Gingerbread predecessor, except for its slicker responsiveness (especially the camera app) and the odd interface tweaks here and there. There are also a few new features that are worth a mention: on top of the new native stopwatch, countdown timer and multi-segmented timed task lists, there's Flyme Voicemail which is essentially a native recorder for incoming calls that you reject (think of it as a neat alternative to conventional visual voicemail), and there's Flyme Message which is Meizu's take on SIP services like Whatsapp and Line. We shall dig deeper in our full review, but for now, you can check out a quick hands-on video after the break. And for those who still possess Meizu's older Android phones, we were told to expect Flyme to be delivered over the air in early July (as opposed to the original June date), so keep an eye out for that little update icon.

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Refresh Roundup: week of June 18th, 2012

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Official Android updates

• HTC Rezound: There's nothing to download quite yet, but HTC released the support documents for its Ice Cream Sandwich update of the Rezound this week. In addition to the new OS, the refresh will bring new versions of the V Cast Media Manager and the Caller Name ID app, and is said to resolve time zone issues with the clock widget. Overall stability is also said to be improved, along with data connectivity and mobile hotspot operations. [Droid Life]
• Samsung Galaxy S II LTE: Android 4.0 is now available via Samsung Kies for Rogers subscribers in Canada. Naturally, you'll need a PC to complete the installation. [Android Central]
• ASUS Transformer Pad TF300: Update version 9.4.3.3.30 is now available for this tablet from ASUS, which is said to boost the stability of the Chrome browser and fix a bug that'd occasionally caused WiFi to disconnect. Changes are also in store for the camera app, which will bring more colorful pictures, better white balance and refined continuous auto-focus. [Talk Android]
• Toshiba Thrive: A bit of disappointing news on this front, as Toshiba has announced that its Android 4.0 update for the 7-inch and 10-inch Thrive tablets has been delayed until the early fall timeframe. [Phandroid]
• Archos G9: Both the 80 and 101 G9 tablets from Archos are now eligible for software update 4.0.7, which brings improved graphics performance and fixes to WiFi connectivity. Additionally, a bug has been squashed that'd caused no audio within video capture applications. [Android Police]
• HTC Droid Incredible: Still firmly clutching the OG Incredible for Verizon Wireless? Then fire up the ol' updater, because a new software refresh enables you to record and send visual voice mail to up to 10 recipients while viewing all parties in a list. Tweaks have also been made to Bluetooth Car connectivity -- no word on what's changed -- and the update also resolves an issue that'd prevented purchased ringtones from being saved to the phone. [Droid Life]

Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery

• ASUS Transformer Pad TF300: If the latest official update hasn't sufficiently tempted you, then you might be glad to know that official nightly builds of CyanogenMod 9 are now available for this tablet. [Android Police]
• Samsung Galaxy S III: Are you one of the lucky few currently holding Samsung's flagship phone for AT&T or Sprint? First off, congratulations. Second, be glad to know that both devices have now been rooted. Interestingly enough, it's also said that the required Sprint method also works to root the T-Mobile version of this handset. [Talk Android]

Other platforms

• Nokia Lumia 900, 800 and 710: Nokia announced via its Twitter account this week that each of these smartphones will receive an update to include "WiFi tethering, flip-to-silence and more." [@Nokia US (Twitter)]
• Nokia Lumia 710: Rogers had made software build 8773 of Windows Phone, more commonly known as Tango, available for users of the Lumia 710. [Thanks, Gurpreet] [WPCentral]
• Nokia 808 PureView: The first update has arrived for Nokia's flagship cameraphone. Don't expect anything revolutionary, though -- it's said to bring greater reliability and a scroll bar to the Contacts app. [All About Symbian]
• LG Optimus 7: Microsoft's Tango update is now available for this Windows Phone from Telus, which brings improved stability and the ability to add multiple pictures and video attachments to an MMS message. [Mobile Syrup]

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LG Electronics Optimus Vu

 

On paper, the LG Optimus Vu (currently available only in South Korea) sounds like a killer phone: It has a high-resolution display, a speedy processor, and NFC (near-field communication), and is LTE-compatible. However, the phone itself doesn't live up to what you see on the spec sheet, and you're left feeling let down by what could have been a superb product. The disappointments include an awkward design, a nonremovable battery, and some software that felt a little undercooked.

Design

 

Much like Samsung's wildly popular Galaxy Note, the Vu is a tablet-size phone--casually referred to as a "phablet". The Vu's 5-inch IPS display has the same resolution as the original iPad (1024 by 768) and is one of the phone's defining features. Unlike other phones, the Vu has a 4:3 aspect ratio--a rarity now that most modern smartphones are shipping with widescreen displays. This works to the Vu's advantage when it comes to presenting Web pages, since most websites and documents are formatted to fit screens with this standard aspect ratio. The screen on the Vu isn't as sharp as the one on the Samsung Galaxy S III or Apple's iPhone 4S, but I didn't mind reading longer news articles off of it. The display can look grainy at times, and can be a bit difficult to read outdoors in direct sunlight.

 

Aside from its massive screen, the front face of the Vu also includes the four standard Android navigation buttons (Menu, Home, Back, and Search) and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. The volume rocker is located on the right spine of the device, while the SIM card slot is hiding behind a small door on the phone's left spine. You'll need a small tool to open the slot (the hole was too small to fit a paper clip into), so you'll want to make sure you keep it in a safe place to avoid losing it. The charging and headphone ports are on the top of the phone, as are the power button and the QuickClip key (more on that later). The phone also has a retractable antenna for picking up TV and radio signals, but it uses a different spectrum than what we use here in the United States so I wasn't able to test it. On the rear of the Vu you'll find an external speaker, as well as an 8-megapixel camera with an LED flash (again, more on that later).
The body of the Vu is largely a gaudy-looking plastic that makes the phone feel cheap; despite that, the Vu overall felt quite sturdy.
The Vu's boxlike design is by far the phone's biggest fault and really detracted from my overall experience with it. The Vu is both shorter and thinner than the Samsung Galaxy Note, but it's also a tad wider. That extra width gives it a blocky shape, making it uncomfortable to hold for long periods of time. Trying to use the phone one-handed—even if you have larger-than-average hands—proved to be challenging and often caused me to accidentally tap things on the screen that I didn't mean to. I was able to fit the phone into the pocket of my jeans, but it felt bulky, and I sometimes felt that it would burst out of my pocket whenever I sat down.

Stylus

 

While I was a fan of the Galaxy Note, I didn't like how small its stylus was. It felt unnatural to write with, and I always felt I was going to break it. I experienced none of these problems with the Rubberdium stylus that came with the Vu. Rubberdium is a technology that allows the Vu's stylus to feel and behave more like a pencil. Whereas traditional styli slip around on glass screens, a Rubberdium stylus has some drag to it that mimics the way a pencil drags across a piece of paper.
The stylus is as long as the Vu (5.5 inches) and is as thick as the average No. 2 pencil. The Vu's stylus is made of a lightweight metal (most likely aluminum) and is comfortable to grip and write with. The stylus can also be used to navigate the phone's screen, but you're probably better off just using your finger.
By pressing the aforementioned QuickClip key on the top of the phone and entering memo mode, you'll be able to mark up whatever screen you're currently on. So if you were looking at a PowerPoint presentation on your phone and wanted to write some notes on it, you could just give the QuickClip key a tap, make your notes using the stylus (or your finger), and save the screen to your Gallery.
The one complaint I have, though, is that you have no way of storing the stylus when you aren't using it. The Galaxy Note has a slot where you can store its stylus when not in use; the Vu doesn't. Your only option is to carry the Vu's stylus around separately, making it another thing that can easily be lost while traveling.

Specs and Performance

Design flaws aside, the rest of the phone is quite impressive. The Vu is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor and has 1GB of RAM, both of which keep the phone running buttery-smooth. The phone was quite responsive to my touch, and I noticed little or no lag when scrolling through menus or flying around Web pages. I played a few games of Temple Run without any issues, and even more-intensive games like Minecraft: Pocket Edition did little to slow the phone down.
Because the phone is currently available only in Korea (and I lacked a compatible SIM card), I was not able to test the Vu's call quality or download speeds over LTE. I was, however, able to test the Vu's NFC capabilities. The Vu comes with two premade NFC tags that let you change your settings on the fly simply by tapping your phone to the tag. Tapping your phone to the "Office" tag, for example, turns off the phone's ringer, turns on Wi-Fi, and puts the phone on vibrate. You can rewrite the tags using the included LG Tag+ app, and creating your own tag is as easy as selecting the actions that you'd like to occur from a basic menu. Besides toggling certain settings (like the GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and data), you can also create an NFC tag that launches a specific app.
The 2100mAh battery on the Vu is not removable. Though I didn't perform any formal tests on the Vu's battery life, I managed to get around 6 hours out of the phone while doing things like browsing the Internet over Wi-Fi, drawing on the screen, and playing a few games of Temple Run. We'll update this story later on, once we have run the Vu through our suite of official PCWorld battery tests.

Software

The Vu we received ran Android 2.3.6, with a custom LG overlay. The overlay is similar to ones we've seen on previous LG Android phones, and features things like a notification center and seven home screens that you can rearrange at will. LG has said that the Vu would be upgraded to Android Ice Cream Sandwich sometime in June, though at this writing we still have not received the update.
Apart from the memo mode, the only other pen-centric application on the Vu is the Notebook app. This app lets you create notebooks where you can draw, take notes, add photos, and enter text. You can have multiple notebooks—each with its own cover—and you can share notebooks through email. Sadly, the app is extremely clunky, and flipping from one notebook page to another was excruciatingly slow. The Notebook app has a magnifying feature that lets you draw minute details, but it can be difficult to use—I found it frustrating.
Many of the other apps that came preinstalled on the Vu were in Korean, a language that I am sadly not proficient in. Some of the apps (like the T Store Book eReader app) looked useful, but many others seemed nothing more than bloatware.

Entertainment

While couldn't test the TV and radio tuner on the Vu, I did play a few of my own videos on the phone. The two movies I played on the Vu were recorded at 720p and looked good playing on the Vu's 5-inch display. Both movies were widescreen and played back just as they would on an iPad or a standard-definition television.
The music player on the Vu is slightly better than the stock one on Android Gingerbread, and is reminiscent of the music player on Samsung's phones. Music played through the rear speaker sounded, frankly, tinny and terrible. If you plan to use the Vu as your primary music player, you'll want to use either the included pair of headphones (which I liked) or your own. The Vu lacks expandable storage, but ships with 32GB of internal memory, for music, videos, photos, and files.

Cameras

 

The Vu has two cameras: A 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera and an 8-megapixel camera on the rear. Pictures taken with the rear camera came out looking dull, with colors being not as crisp as they would be in real life. The front-facing camera wasn't much better, but it did have an interesting shooting mode that lets you essentially airbrush your face when taking photos. The intensity of the effect can be adjusted through the menu—though even at the lowest setting the software made my face look creepy.
The phone is capable of shooting videos in 1080p, and the few videos I shot using the Vu came out looking pretty good. A minor jelly effect appeared when I moved the phone (causing the camera to momentarily lose focus), but overall the picture quality was above average compared with other phones I've recently tested. I can't say the same for the audio in the videos, which sounded as if it were coming in through a metal tube. Voices in particular seemed distant, and I heard a distinct hiss in the playback of all the videos I took using the Vu.

Bottom Line

Though LG has no current plans to bring the Optimus Vu to the United States, it's always interesting to review phones from other countries. I like the idea of the Vu—a smartphone large enough to use as a digital notepad—but I wanted more. The phone's performance is top-notch (though I can't speak for its call quality), and the Rubberdium stylus worked well enough that I would like to see other styli employ similar technology. Yes, the camera is mediocre, but it's usable for taking pictures for Instagram or Facebook, and the video quality wasn't half bad. Unfortunately it all comes back to the Vu's awkward, difficult-to-hold design.
So how does the Vu compare to the Galaxy Note? While I favor the Vu in overall performance, the Note is still the better phone—largely because it doesn't feel like a big phone. The boxy nature of the Vu makes it feel huge—something that you really don't want in a smartphone. I want to see more phablets in the future (I'm a fan of styli), but I hope future large-screen phones won’t require Hulk-sized hands.

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Windows Phone 8 to be Microsoft’s next mobile OS

When it comes to Microsoft, there were a lot of 8’s involved lately. There was first the Windows 8 operating system, followed by the tablets. After that, Microsoft decided to go 8 on its Windows Phone mobile operating system and thus the recent announcement revolves around the new Windows Phone 8.

 

First of all, users will be glad to know that Windows Phone 8 will support multiple core processors. In fact, it supports up to 64 cores which makes it pretty much future proof. In addition to that, WXGA display is also supported and users can definitely make use of a microSD extension slot as well. With this being said and done, you can expect more resource intensive applications to be made available on Windows Phone 8. In addition to that, Windows Phone 8 shares the same kernel with Windows 8 meaning it would be much easier to port games and apps from one operating system to another.

However, sad news for those that have been using Windows Phone 7 – Windows Phone 8 will not be an upgrade to the said mobile OS. However, it is expected that WP7 will get some visual upgrade so that it would have some of the features of WP8.

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HTC One X 4G is the Top AT&T Smartphone

 

The HTC One X 4G is the most sought after smartphone in the AT&T lineup with all the trick in the bag that you would expect of your handset. From early days, the One X has been in the news for all the good reasons from the beginning being the first handset to feature a quad core CPU. It was initially known as HTC Edge and in the Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona; it was unveiled as what it is known today.

Hardware Features

Although the international edition features a quad core processor, the AT&T version launched in the US; however, runs on dual core Qualcomm SnapDragon MSM8960 1.5 GHz processor because the quad core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor do not have support for 4G LTE network. The processor is supported by 1 GB of main memory and 16 GB of internal storage. Despite using the dual core CPU the AT&T One X, gadgets have been found to perform better.

Display and Camera

The touchscreen is a massive 4.7-inch SuperIPS LCD2 display with a maximum resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. The primary rear camera is 8 MP capable of 1080p video recording and 1.3 MP front camera can be used for video calls.

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Sony Xperia Ion for AT&T on June 24th

The Sony Xperia Ion is another great smartphone by the company after its breakup with Ericsson. Like many other Xperia phones, the Xperia Ion is powered by Android 2.3.7 and is certainly one to be looked at, especially with its cheap price. If you have been waiting for a cheap smartphone, then wait no more because the Sony Xperia Ion will be coming to AT&T on the 24^th of June.

 

One of the many perks of having this phone is that it features a great 4.7-inch 720p HD Reality display screen. This gorgeous looking phone is coupled with a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S3 processor with a total memory of 1GB. The 16GB built-in storage is certainly sufficient for many but if you want more, then feel free to expand up to 32GB more with its microSD expansion slot.

As far as the battery is concerned, the Xperia Ion uses a 1,900 mAh battery and also has a PlayStation certification as well. The camera has a 12MP sensor which would contribute to great still photos as well. The price tag for this product is only $99 with contract. In addition to that, as it supports LTE networks, expect only the fastest with this phone.

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