Google Shutting Down Translator APIs, iPhones To Suffer?

Here's an interesting "that's my toy" bit: Google has announced that it will shut down the Google Translate API as of December 1, 2011 after deprecating it as of May 26, 2011. The move is likely to affect iPhoneusers relying on translator applications that use the Google Translate API.

The official wording states that the move is "due to the substantial economic burden caused by extensive abuse". With active APIs application developers could use the service in their web apps or native apps to offer Google's free translator services to users. With initially limiting the APIs and then shutting them down completely, Google might think of protecting its own Android platform.

Either too many non-Google (read Apple) smartphones kept the services busy or just maybe El Goog is trying to make it all available for its own family members. For what it's worth, Microsoft's Bing APIs are still free for the moment so developers can slowly turn to Redmond's offering in their apps.

Source: Google Code
Via: TiPb

Android Ice Cream Sandwich To Be Optimized For Texas Instruments?

Google's Android platform was well known for not setting out any hardware requirements throughout the years and versions and not taking sides. This was part of their policy for openness as well as to combat fragmentation. According to the recent rumors, this might change once Google Android Ice Cream Sandwich comes out. 

Texas Instruments SOCs are rumored to be the ones favored by Google's next generation Android platform. It will be allegedly optimized for TI-OMAP chips, more in the way Gingerbread and Honeycomb went hand in hand with nVidia's Tegra2 SOC. Going one step further, you can even hear Qualcomm being whispered as the choice for the letter J iteration of Android. 

An anonymous source close to the manufacturing industry in Taiwan told RCR Wireless that "TI are just so reliable. If they say they’ll have something done by Tuesday, it’s done on Tuesday, and it’s done right". Another source is trying to explain how things really are: "Google isn’t doing this to give each chip firm a turn, it is being purely utilitarian in choosing which platforms to optimize for, going for the ones it thinks are best at any given time". 

If you think of it a bit, it could be applied to Google flagship smartphones too. First there was the Nexus One made by HTC, then the Nexus S made by Samsung and apparently Google things the moment's best would be LG for the upcoming Nexus 3, as birds are recently chirping. 

Source: RCR Wireless 
Via: The Droid Guy

Apple iPhone 4S Coming Q3 2011 Without a SIM Slot? File under: News

Continuing the next Apple iPhone rumor series, here's one for today according to which the iPhone 4S might be shipping in the third quarter of 2011 -- as early as July-August according to some reports and September according to others. 

Besides all the rumored specs we'll not go through once again, last minute reports talk about a single iPhone 4S for both AT&T and Verizon, that is GSM and CDMA. Apple might achieve this with the addition of several antennas built inside the smartphone to reduce both costs and fragmentation. 

On an interesting note, rumor has it Apple could release the iPhone 4S without a SIM card -- that is with an on-chip SIM, and e-SIM (we incline to not believing this part). Bits like the new A9 chip, larger screen and eight-megapixel camera are nothing new if you follow iPhone rumors but in case Apple really wants a to make the iPhone 4S available in Q3 then all the Apple iPhone UK PR invites to the media might have a meaning after all! 

Luckily for everyone, both iPhone lovers and haters, we have less than one week to wait for Apple's WWDC event where hopefully all (or at least some of) the rumors will be clarified. 

Source: Macotakara 
Via: Redmond Pie

AT&T Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Gets Android 2.1 Update

If you're on AT&T and have a Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 smartphone you should be able to upgrade the system to Android 2.1 (Eclair) and get one step closer to Froyo and Gingerbread. 

THe platform refresh give you the ability to download more apps and gain better functionality on your smartphone. In a world dominated bt Froyo, Gingerbread and excitement about Ice Cream Sandwich, theXperia X10 finally gets its Eclair update. It will not bring you Google's latest by far but you'll get 720p HD Video capture, multi-touch support, continuous autofocus in still and video capture, face detection in video capture and expanded homescreens increased from three to five. 

Source: Sony Ericsson 
Via: Sony Ericsson Product Blog

Indian Samsung Galaxy S Gets Android Gingerbread [Update]

The Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread update for the popular Samsung Galaxy S has been leaked at the end of March and it even managed to hit a couple of smartphones in April before Google halted the roll-out.

According to reports, Indian Samsung Galaxy S smartphones are getting the official Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread update via the KIES software. The platform refresh -- DDJV -- will install Android 2.3.3 on smartphones with several improvements and bugfixes and we expect other regions to follow (while hoping that nobody will halt the roll-out process this time). 

Update: Turns out that Galaxy S smartphones in Hong Kong are getting their Gingerbread treats too, according to Samsung HUB and this time it's JV5. 

Source: Twitter 
Via: Samsung HUB

Nokia Starts Shipping the E6, X7, First Symbian Anna Phones

On April 12 Nokia launched the E6 business oriented smartphone and the X7 as the first Nokia phones to ship with Symbian Anna aka PR2.

One and a half month later the Finnish manufacturer announces that the E6 and Nokia X7 are now shipping: E6 in Europe, Eurasia, Asia/Pacific, as well as the Middle East and Africa and X7 in Europe, Eurasia, China, India and other Asia/Pacific countries. If you already own a Nokia N8, E7, C7 and C6, Symbian Anna should be available for your smartphone in the coming months.

Source: Nokia Conversations
Via: My Nokia Blog

Motorola Droid 3 Shows Up In Verizon's System, Launch Close?

A rumor based on a leaked Verizon screenshot just recently disappointed telling the world that the upcoming Motorola Droid 3 will not ship with Google's latest and greatest Android 2.3 Gingerbread mobile platform. 

Following the principle according to which "there's more where this came from", a similar screenshot fully confirms the fact that the upcoming Motorola smartphone is indeed in Verizon's system, meaning it's being prepared for a launch -- June maybe, as rumored. 

According to NenaMark, the Droid 3 is powered by a 1GHz processor (probably a dual-core Texas Instruments) and PowerVR SGX540 GPU with confirmed qHD (960x540) screen of around four inches in diagonal. Recently some of these specs were confirmed by anonymous sources and some more: dedicated HDMI-out port, eight-megapixel main camera, front facer and no LTE-support. 

Source: AndroidCentral

Microsoft Making $5 Off Every HTC Android, HTC Doesn't Disclose

Last year we head some reports that Microsoft is cashing in $20-$40 off each Android smartphone soldand more recently a new amount is being speculated, in another context. Last April, Microsoft announced a patent agreement with HTC under the terms of which Microsoft will receive royalties for every Android smartphone HTC ever sells. 

According to some calculations, the amount could be as high as $5 per HTC Android smartphone sold. Extend that to approximately 30 million units and Microsoft cashes in a nice amount of $150 million. That's HTC only and according to reports, Redmond is seeking similar settlements with other OEMs manufacturing Android smartphones looking to cash in anything between $7.50 and $12.50 per unit sold. 

U.K.'s Guardian reached out to HTC for a confirmation of the alleged information and, after a first reaction of "oh, that sounds far too high. I don't think we'd be paying that" HTC followed up with an official statement: "Last year, HTC and Microsoft did announce a licensing agreement for Android handsets. Such agreements are not unusual in the wireless industry, and as is the case with all such agreements, HTC does not disclose financial terms". 

Silenzio stampa as you can clearly see but even if that royalty fee would be $1 per Android sold, that would make Redmond around $30 million richer. The amounts might as well go to R&D, other divisions, Nokia or simply to the piggy bank. Clearly Google's Android "open source" platform is more profitable for Microsoft than its own Windows Phone at the moment -- and in order to be equally interesting financially Microsoft would need to sell around 10 million Windows Phones, as the license for the Redmond mobile platform is rumored to be around $15. 

Source: Guardian, Asymco, Microsoft

Dual-Core Face Off: Optimus 2x vs. Galaxy S 2 (Video)

Here's the comparison you've been waiting for, filmed by guest Editor Craig Gillispie: a comparison between the hottest dual-core phones on the market right now, the LG Optimus 2x and the Samsung Galaxy S 2. We run benchmarks, compare web browsing performance, determine which has more RAM upon bootup, and compare the time it takes each to launch certain applications.




As you can see from the below spec comparison, the Galaxy S 2 looks better on paper, with a faster-clocking CPU, a big battery, better 1080p video recording in terms of framerate, a higher resolution front-facing camera, plus it has more storage. What really matters is day-to-day speed and usability. In this video, you get to see which device comes out on top when compared on a wide variety of metrics.

Samsung Releases Updated Official Galaxy S Gingerbread Source

Not so long ago we told you about Samsung releasing the official Gingerbread source for the Galaxy Ssmartphone and it appears that the manufacturer has released yet another, updated source of Android 2.3 named GT-I9000_OpenSource_GB_Update.zip.

Given the name for the last official Gingerbread source was GT-I9000_OpenSource_GB.zip, we can expect some improvements and bugfixes but we'll definitely know more once ROM Chefs download, tear apart, strip the source down and put together a nice new custom ROM that is tweaked and improved, after extracting all the goodies. To take a look under the hood, follow the source link and search for "GT-i9000".

Source: Samsung Open Source Release Center
Thanks: Hayko

Next Windows Phone Version After Mango To Be Called Apollo?

Windows Phone (version 7.1 or 7.5) Mango is far from being on people's smartphones and we are already hearing talks about the alleged update to arrive after Windows Phone Mango. It will purportedly be called Windows 8 Apollo. 

There are no fruit names here, just continuing the line of names ending with letter "o" (NoDo, Mango, Apollo). Apollo could mean many things, from the Greek name of the planet Mercury, God of the Sun, and so on, but it will most importantly mean the unification of the platforms, according to rumors. 

The Apollo codename was hinted by an anonymous source to MonSmartphone and WMPowerUser reports that, when it will come out in 2012, Windows 8 Apollo "will use the same APX app format as Windows 8, and may represent the unification of the platforms, with Windows Phone 8 being ported to the NT kernel". 

Source: MonSmartphone 
Via: WMPowerUser

Sprint HTC EVO 3D Coming Fourth Week Of June?

The HTC EVO 3D for Sprint is already on silent pre-order with Best Buy, RadioShack and even Sprint itselfbut we've got nothing official in terms of availability aside from rumors like the June 4 "rough launch" date. 

According to the image above, scored by AndroidCentral from the latest edition of Sprint's Playbook, the EVO 3D can be expected in the fourth week of June. That's less than a month from now. Until any official wording surfaces you should categorize this too in the R folder but one thing's for sure: the EVO 3D can't come soon enough! 

Source: AndroidCentral

Is This The 12MP Windows Phone, Made By HTC?

We told you earlier about Eldar Murtazin talking about an alleged twelve-megapixel-enabled Windows Phone and we wondered whether it was made by HTC, Samsung, LG, Acer, Fujitsu, ZTE or Nokia? According to his latest tweet on the matter, it's an HTC (and even more, a Trophy at that).

The two pictures show exactly what Murtazin tweeted about earlier: twelve-megapixel camera and improved settings in the Camera application - such as RAW format. The smartphone could very well be an upgraded HTC Trophy or just pre-production/prototype hardware -- resembling the pre-production Trophy -- used inside an existing design. At least we know HTC is in the battle of megapixels, with this twelve-megapixel phone pictured and the Bresson rumored earlier. Let's just hope a decent image sensor coupled with some great optics will come bundled with all those pixels!



On a side note, Murtazin is making reference again at the alleged Nokia W7 he already tweeted about. Oh, and in case you're wondering what he used to take those pictures: it's the iPhone 4. And for our Russian speaker readers, check out the video below of the smartphone running Mango (he calls it Windows Phone 7.1:



Source: Twitter, MobileReview

Asus Officially Announces Padfone Smartphone-Tablet Duo [Update]

Padfone, the name which popped up a couple of days ago was then quickly teased by Asus as a phone/tablet hybrid and later unveiled through a series of press renders.

Asus has officially introduced the Padfone today at Computex 2011 and, as you expected, it's a convertible tablet that encloses the smartphone. The 10.1-inch tablet acts as a dock completely hiding the 4.3-inch smartphone within and charging it while taking advantage of its data connection. This way Asus tries to solve the problem of multiple SIM cards necessary for users (one in the tablet and one in the smartphone).



The mockups on display today might not be final hardware as dimensions can vary from the ones you'll see on shelves. Software details were not handed out either so we don't really know what version of Android will power these -- though our best bet goes to Ice Cream Sandwich -- but what we do know is that there will be dual interfaces for both the pad and phone ensuring "an enhanced user experience as the layout is automatically adjusted for all activities such as video conferencing, web browsing and emailing".








Update: Asus seems to hint Android Ice Cream Sandwich -- just as we suspected -- for the smartphone/tablet duo and is teasing an "around Christmas" availability. That's seven months from now!

Source: Asus
Via: Engadget (1),(2)

Microsoft Reveals WP7 Mango Video Sharing, Battery Saver Options

It appears like one more entry on our missing Windows Phone 7 Mango blacklist will be checked once the platform refresh is final and out as Microsoft revealed its plans for implementing video sharing options via Facebook, MMS or email.

The information comes from a German VIP Windows Phone Mango event last week, with the occasion of which they detailed the Battery Saver option coming to Mango. Once checked, the smartphone will automatically disable all battery hogs once you start to run out of juice (like push email, background applications and WiFi). The user will still be able to check for emails manually and the option will automatically be disabled once you recharge your Windows Phone.



Source: Winload
Via: WinRumors

BlackBerry Bold 9900, BBOS 7 Offline Simulator Available

RIM has announced the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 at this year's BlackBerry World event and it will be arriving to T-Mobile with 4G. If you want to take a look at the BlackBerry OS 7 which will ship with the Bold 9900, you can now do that on your own PC.

There's a RIM BlackBerry Bold 9900 simulator available as a download which you can use to get familiarized with the latest iteration of BlackBerry's operating system version 7. It really is a device emulator, fully functional -- even if you have a touch-screen-enabled PC -- which you can download, install and use just like you would with the smartphone itself. Follow the source link to grab the software!

P.S.: Our installation and screenshot shows the Bold 9780.

Source: N4BB
Via: CrackBerry

T-Mobile Teases Sensation 4G In Competitive Comparison

Ever since its launch back in the middle of April, many are looking forward to the HTC-made T-Mobile Sensation 4G which should be available, according to rumors, on June 8. Magenta is trying to maintain the momentum and puts the Sensation 4G in a comparison with other smartphones, T-Mobile or other.

As you can see in the slide, qHD aside, the Sensation 4G and the LG-made T-Mobile G2x feature the same characteristic. But of course, qHD resolution is one of the selling points of the ex-Pyramid smartphone. Compared to the Galaxy S 4G, the Sensation 4G is superior by an additional core in its CPU. Another slide is comparing it to the Sprint HTC EVO 4G and the Apple iPhone 4, and as you'd guess, the Sensation 4G comes out on top. Wonder how it would compare to the Sprint EVO 3D or other recent high-end smartphones...

Source: TmoNews