iOS 5 Brings iMessage for Inter-iOS-Device Chats

Feature number 10 on the iOS 5 checklist is iMessage, which will immediately send your thoughts over to BlackBerry Messenger for a second or so. iMessage is a new feature coming to iOS 5 this fall that will allow iOS-powered devices to chat between each other. 

So, if you have an iPhone, iPod touch or an iPad, iMessage lets you send text messages, photos, videos, contacts, and even do group messaging between all of them. It works on both Data Connection and WiFi and is synced across devices so you can start off a conversation on your iPhone for instance and pick it up on your iPad. And in case you were wondering about that late reply, there's even a typing indicator to show you that the other party is currently phrasing something up in reply to you. 

Source: Apple 
Image: Engadget

Could This Be The Newly-Reborn Motorola Bionic? (Images)

An unknown Motorola Android showed up in a blurrycam photo yesterday, leaving us scratching our heads about what forthcoming model the phone might be. Today a host of new images has arrived, looking to be the very same model, along with fresh speculation that the smartphone might be the revamped DroidBionic. 

After plenty of rumors that Motorola and Verizon were delaying the Bionic's release, the manufacturerfinally confirmed those plans, revealing that, "based on compelling feedback... we are incorporating several enhancements to make this an even better consumer experience. This includes expanded features, functionality and an improved form factor." 
Right now, there's no direct evidence tying this fresh batch of pics to the Bionic, but it certainly seems like a possibility. This phone has a webtop dock like the Atrix for connectivity to Motorola's laptop accessory; that would tend to fit in under the category of "enhancements" like the company discussed. There's an eight-megapixel camera that, along with the expected 1GHz dual-core processor, will enable the phone to record 1080p full-HD video, just as the original Bionic specs had the handset pulling off. 





Now that things are crisp and clear, we can see the Motorola running Gingerbread, along with a new version of Blur. There's a chance we could be looking at two models here, since the blurry pic we saw over the weekend doesn't appear to have the Verizon branding on it these new ones do. Then again, considering the quality of that image, maybe we just couldn't see it. 

Source: MobileGearz 
Via: Droid-life

Samsung Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart Rumored for June 22

In mid-May, we looked into a rumor which claimed that T-Mobile would get the Samsung Exhibit 4G and Samsung Gravity Smart both on June 8. Since then, we've learned of an event T-Mobile is throwing that day, aiming to launch three devices, but those are all supposed to be HTC models. When, then, would these Samsungs finally get a chance to shine? A newly-leaked document now puts the release of both those smartphones on June 22. 

The Gravity Smart is a mid-range messaging smartphone, with sliding four-row QWERTY keyboard. The 800MHz processor should be sufficient so long as you don't try to use the Smart as a gaming powerhouse, but the phones' 3.2-inch display might be a little small form some users' preferences. 

Samsung's Exhibit 4G has a bit more spacious of a display at 3.7 inches, but more importantly, the smartphone really tries hard to earn its "4G" tag, supporting 21Mbps HSPA+ in locations where the carrier's backbone is capable of delivering that level of performance. The Exhibit 4G will be available in black and violet color options at the time of launch. 

Both Samsungs will ship running Froyo, and both manage to break the sub-$100 price point, with the Smart fetching $70 after rebates on-contract, and the Exhibit 4G going for just a hair more at $80. Especially for the Exhibit, that's a pretty great price for a smartphone at launch. As we see more higher-end hardware emerge, we could expect to see more deals like this for single-core phones with sub-4-inch displays. 

Source: Phandroid

HTC Sensation Hardware Review (Video)

Following up on our unboxing of the super-hot HTC Sensation, we take a closer look at the hardware of the phone in this video. Not surprisingly, the Sensation has the now iconic HTC look: it has the chrome earpiece, rounded edges along all four corners, and capacitive buttons below the screen. What makes the Sensation a bit different than other HTC devices is the contoured glass that features concave edges all around the screen. While the special glass adds no functionality to the device, it looks and feels nice. 




The HTC Sensation is a powerhouse on paper. It's packing Qualcomm's first shipping dual-core CPU in the Snapdragon family of chips, and it clocks in at 1.2GHz. There is 768MB of RAM on the Sensation, and about 1GB of ROM. For imaging, the rear camera takes photos at 8MP and video at full 1080p, while the front-facing camera can take VGA photos and video. The screen is HTC's first qHD display, providing 960x540 pixels over a 4.3" area. It's also interesting to see a 16:9 aspect ratio display come on an HTC. This makes the screen a bit taller than we're used to on their other devices. 

The Sensation deviates a bit from the unibody metal design of the previous HTC flagship, the Desire HD. On the Sensation, you get a plastic battery cover which actually covers most of the device...even the front-facing camera and earpiece. The trouble with this is that pocket lint might find its way into the front camera and earpiece over time, necessitating that you use compressed air to keep the area dust-free. 

In-hand, the Sensation has a very high quality and substantial feel. It's not a lightweight, but it's also not heavy enough to be noticeable in the pocket. 

Coming up soon we'll take a thorough look at the Sense 3.0 software of the Sensation.

Dual-Core Face Off: Atrix 4G vs. Galaxy S 2 (Video)

Previously we compared the Optimus 2x with the Galaxy S 2 to determine which dual-core device is better on a variety of metrics. In this video we continue our series comparing dual-core Android phones, this time with the reigning champ, the Galaxy S 2, and the Motorola Atrix 4G. We compare specs, RAM after start-up, speed of launching apps, web browsing performance, and more. We also run a bevy of benchmarks to see which device performs better when really put to the test. 



As you can see in the spec comparison chart, the Galaxy S 2 looks better on paper with a faster-clocking CPU, less weight, and better cameras. That said, the Atrix 4G has an HDMI port, while the Galaxy S 2 needs a special accessory for HDMI output.