Google is planning on working with multiple OEMs, as many as five, for the next Nexus phone, reports The Wall Street Journal. The phones will all come with the next version of Android (Jelly Bean), will be sold unlocked directly to the customers and will be out by Thanksgiving in the US, just before the holiday season.

This is a major step away from the usual way Google operates for multiple reasons. First of all, the customers will have multiple choices for the Nexus phone. Until now you had to settle for whatever the OEM made for you if you wanted a Nexus phone but now if you don't like one, you can get it from some other OEM. Being Nexus devices, they will be running stock Android ROM and will get all the latest updates first.

Secondly, the carriers have been completely bypassed in this arrangement, with Google selling the phones directly to the customers. This means you will have to pay the full price upfront but will not have to worry about the carrier mucking your phone's software or deciding when you will get the next Android update.

This also dispels the rumors that Google would favor Motorola for making the next Nexus phone, since it is in the process of acquiring Motorola Mobility. This news should put the other OEMs at rest. Then again, they probably know this by now. We currently have no idea which OEMs Google will be working with. As expected, Google has declined to comment on the matter.

Read the rest of this entry »

Nearly a year and a half on and, with Lumia mobile phone range failing so far to revive sales, Nokia's position still looks frail.

Its shares have lost 90% in five years and its debt is rated junk by two of the three major ratings agencies. Mighty Microsoft Corp, Elop's former employer and whose software Lumia is based on, has to step in to help Nokia out, seeing the Finnish company as a valuable point of entry into the cellphone market.

Analysts have attributed Nokia's decline in large part to its late response to Apple Inc, whose iPhone redefined the smartphone market in 2007. Some see a marriage with Microsoft as possibly a last chance to turn the group around.

For Microsoft the relationship is important, because Nokia was its first major break into the smartphone market after a decade of heavy investment. In the interim, other cellphone makers chose to use their own software - as did Apple - or favoured Google Inc's Android.

"If Nokia ends up in financial difficulties I believe the helping hand would be there," said Nordea analyst Sami Sarkamies. Nokia and Microsoft declined to comment.

Microsoft is already paying Nokia $1-billion a year to use its software on Lumia smartphones and investment bankers familiar with the technology sector say the support could go well beyond that if Nokia's problems intensify.

"I don't see Microsoft owning Nokia, but it would definitely provide financing to the tune of a couple of billion dollars," said one veteran technology banker. Any Microsoft support for Nokia would be more likely to take the form of an inter-company loan, or an equity stake, rather than a full takeover, a second banker said.

Even though Microsoft has nearly $60-billion of cash on its balance sheet, the company has traditionally steered clear of the hardware business, because it does not want to compete with the manufacturers that use its software.

Yet other priorities may override that consideration. At the same time, some bankers believe Nokia, which has a market value of à9.3-billion, is an unlikely target for other cellphone makers because of its deep integration with Microsoft.

"I don't see it as a target for private equity either. It is still too expensive and too volatile," said a third banker. You would have to be prepared to catch a falling knife."

Read the rest of this entry »

Even if the Peugeot 208 R2 rally car is actually pretty similar to the production model of the 208, the vehicle has been fitted with a sport tuned suspension, rally specific hydraulic system, adjustable Ohline dampers, Alcon brakes, Sparco racing seats and a roll cage. Power to the model is being provided by a 1.6 liter naturally aspirated engine which is developing a total output of 185 horsepower and 190 Nm of torque (140 lb-ft), mated to a five-speed sequential transmission which is sending its power through a limited slip differential.

According to the car manufacturer, the gravel and asphalt versions of the 208 R2 will come in kit form with a starting price of 37,500 euros, but fully built models will cost 57,500 euros. You can see the Peugeot 208 R2 rally car better in the photo gallery below. Enjoy!

Read the rest of this entry »

Recently, it was discovered that the latest hardware of Verizon's Motorola handsets features global GSM roaming bands unlike the HTC Rezound. Through slight hacking, it has been found that the LTE devices can take both T-Mobile and AT&T SIM which make them transferable to a large set of customers among U.S. carriers. The confirmed phones so far include Motorola's Droid Bionic, Droid 4, Droid Razr and even the Droid Razr Maxx. All of the handsets utilize SIM cards that can access the LTE network of Verizon.

The only thing that owners of these phones need to know is that they will not be getting the speed of LTE in case they hack the phone for other carriers. Not only that, they may not even be getting 3G. Moreover, due to the variation in wireless bands, data is constrained to the 2G edge network. On the positive side, using the handsets for other carriers do not pose any limitations when calling or texting.

It is not easy to do the modification but users who have been playing around Android for several years now can definitely do it. One way to do so is to update the bootloader, install a stock ROM, root the phone, install another custom ROM then link it to a personal computer at the same time run a disclosed Radiocomm program to put on the inactive GSM bands for data and voice.

All these are possible since the LTE radios in the handsets of Verizon technically utilize GSM bands for data at the same time default to an older CDMA radio for texts, voice and 3G. What the process does is to simply wake the LTE radio's inactive bands.

While the mod is not ideal without 3G, it is able to open plenty of options for users who just left Verizon or is thinking of leaving soon but do not want to spend for another latest smartphone. Edge is already sufficient for basic surfing in the web and other things like the integrated navigation of Android. However, majority of media applications will need a Wifi connection.

Read the rest of this entry »

According to the latest estimates, the iPhone 5 could be 20% thinner than current models and sport a 4 inch screen. According to a report from global securities and investment group Jefferies, Apple’s next iPhone will be 20 percent thinner than the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 4 due to the use of new materials.

In addition, the device is expected to have a 4-inch screen and get an improvement resolution. According to Jefferies’ prediction, given that the iPhone 4 and the 4S both have Retina display, the iPhone 5 could come with a screen with higher than 324 pixels per inch. The analyst firm also notes that the release date of the iPhone 5 is economically unimportant to the Cupertino company.

“We have penciled in 15 million iPhone 5 shipments for [the third quarter], out of their 40 million total estimate, and 50 million total iPhones in the fourth quarter,” the research note said. “Beginning in September, Apple will have more than 175 million iPhone subscribers globally. Assuming a two-year replacement implies a base case of about 20 million iPhones a quarter.”Jefferies is also counting on the presentation of iOS 6 and an upgrade to iCloud at the upcoming WWDC in June.

Read the rest of this entry »

New Delhi: Acer has released the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for its Iconia A500 and A501 tablet. If you are an Acer Iconia A500 or Iconia A501 user, you can check for the availability of the update by tapping Menu > Settings > About tablet and then tap 'Check for update' to get Android 4.0.3.

Acer has also released an application to make the process of upgrade easier for the users. The app called 'ICONIA TAB Update Enhancement'can be downloaded from the Google Play app store (Android Market). This app is useful even after you get the update. The app is meant only for Iconia A500 or A501 users and is required for the ICS upgrade. The app includes firmware updates and application refreshes. In order to get the best out of your Iconia Tab, installed applications, and prevent system incompatibility, you must apply all application updates before upgrading the firmware. And this app is designed to help you do just that.

Read the rest of this entry »

Google Inc is preparing to roll out a service to let consumers store photos and other content online, a source familiar with the matter said, pushing into a market now dominated by the likes of Dropbox and Box. The service, to be called Google Drive, could be announced as soon as Tuesday and would be offered with both free and premium for-pay versions, the source said.

Google's "cloud storage" offering will incorporate search capabilities and allow users to store pictures, notes and other documents on the Internet and access them from any Web-connected device.  Consumers will get 5 Gigabytes of storage for free with Google Drive, while various versions with incrementally more storage capacity, topping out at about 100 Gibabytes, will be available for monthly fees, the source said.

It was not immediately clear how much Google will charge for the premium versions. A Google spokeswoman said the company does not comment on rumor or speculation. The move turns up the competitive heat with high-profile Web startups such as Dropbox, Box and Evernote, as well as with Microsoft Corp and its SkyDrive service.

Some of those services, such as Box, have offered an increasing array of business-oriented features such as online collaboration capabilities. Google is increasingly developing services to let consumers store their personal information, from digital music to photos, on remote Internet servers and access the data any time with any device, such as smartphones, tablets and desktop computers.

The world's No.1 Web search engine with roughly $38 billion in 2011 revenue, Google generates 96 percent of its revenue from advertising, such as the small ads that appear alongside its search results.

Google Drive will work with sophisticated image search technology to let consumers sift through a wide variety of document types, which could include the likes of Adobe PDF files and photographs, the source said. Some details of Google Drive have appeared in various online blogs in recent months, including The Next Web, which first reported that the service could be rolled out this week.

Read the rest of this entry »

Lamborghini unveiled its first sport-utility vehicle in almost two decades as the Italian supercar maker looks to expand its line-up to tap rising demand from emerging markets. The Volkswagen unit unveiled the concept SUV, called the Urus, in Beijing yesterday before this week’s auto show in the Chinese capital.

Lamborghini sees potential sales of 3,000 vehicles a year for the SUV, chief executive officer Stephan Winkelmann said at a company presentation. A final decision to produce the vehicle hasn’t been made, he said. “If you’re going to enter a new segment, you have to remain true to your core values,” said Mr Winkelmann. “Our core values are uncompromising, extreme and Italian.”

Lamborghini joins Bentley Motors and Fiat Maserati in super-sizing their supercars a decade after Porsche broke with tradition and rolled out the Cayenne in 2002. The German maker of the 911 sports car now counts on the SUV for half its deliveries. Demand for luxury SUVs is forecast to climb 49 per cent in China to 265,200 units in 2015. – (Bloomberg)

Read the rest of this entry »

Skoda has given the car buying public a reason to rejoice. Their luxury limo – the Superb now comes at a mouth watering starting price of Rs 17.6 lakh for the 1.8 TSI and Rs 22.07 lakh for the 2.0 TDI variants, ex-Maharashtra and a new Ambition trim level. Only last month had Skoda increased the prices across the range with the base petrol Superb costing Rs 19.6 lakh, pan-India.

The new trim does away with the xenon headlamps, parking sensors and 6-CD unit found in the Elegance. In place of the xenon, it now gets projector lamps and instead of the 6-CD player, a single-CD system. The sunoof also has been deleted. The 1.8 TSI Superb Ambition is now available only with the manual gearbox while the diesel comes in only automatic trim. Currently Skoda has six variants of the Superb including the Ambition trims.

Kamal Basu, head of marketing, Skoda Auto India said, "With the launch of Superb Ambition, we are now extending the model line with greater accessibility while retaining Superb’s class values in comfort, safety and efficacy. This variant will further consolidate the car’s dominating position in the segment and open the doors of opulence, for the uncompromising customer seeking excellence at a great price."

Read the rest of this entry »

Apple's new tablet PC goes on sale in Korea on Friday, one month after the U.S. tech giant launched it in the U.S. and Japan on March 16. Apple will also start selling the new iPad in another 19 countries including Panama and Uruguay, it said on Tuesday.

The hot new gadget offers greatly improved resolution with its powerful display, which packs four times as many pixels as the iPad 2. It also boasts a faster A5X processor, a quad-core graphics chip and an upgraded five-megapixel iSight camera, not to mention over 10 hours of battery life.

In Korea, Apple will sell a Wi-Fi only version, as well as a 3G and Wi-Fi combined model. A 4G version is available in some foreign markets, but it will be replaced by a 3G version here because of different 4G frequency bands. SK Telecom and KT will start receiving subscriptions at their respective websites and outlets across the country this week.

Read the rest of this entry »