BlackBerry Creative Director Alicia Keys Caught Tweeting From iPhone

BlackBerry’s BlackBerry 10 launch event that occurred a few weeks back didn’t have that many head-scratching moments, in fact, we think the only time a moment like that occurred was when Alicia Keys was announced to be the company’s official creative director. It looks like that comfy new position may be open in the very near future as Keys was caught using a device that wasn’t a BlackBerry 10 device yesterday.

Yesterday morning, Keys sent out a tweet saying “Started from the bottom now were here!” which aside from its grammatical errors, is a nice enough message. The problem is she sent out that tweet from the Twitter for iPhone application even though she’s reportedly has said she will be BlackBerry 10 exclusive from now on.

If that wasn’t enough to scratch your head over, Keys later deleted the tweet and blamed the whole ordeal to some mysterious hacker who broke into her account just to send out a message from an iPhone. In other words, we feel Keys was caught using an iPhone, which shouldn’t matter. But when she’s getting paid by BlackBerry to promote their product, and has been quoted saying she will only use BlackBerry products, then we can’t help but feel Keys is being a bit hypocritical.

                                          LESSONS WITH VIDEO FOR iPAD

                                 

iPhone 6 news, rumours, specs and release date

There's a new breed of iPhone on the way, code-named “iPhone Math”, according to the rumour mill. There is a good chance that this could be the iPhone 6, a partner to the iPhone 5S, and may even launch at exactly the same time.

This article is based on rumour. We'll update it as more information becomes available.

iPhone 6 = iPhone Math?
The raison d'etre of the iPhone Math, which we'll refer to from now on as the iPhone 6, is that it has a larger screen. 4.8 inches across rather than the four inches of the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S, it competes rather more directly with the Samsung Galaxy S4, the iPhone series's key rival for 2013.

This screen size creates a number of crucial problems, though. The iPhone 6 needs to maintain compatibility with existing apps, and can't significantly drop pixel density, especially if it's to be a “higher-end” alternative to the iPhone 5S.

If Apple was to simply blow-up the screen of the iPhone 5 to 4.8 inches, pixel density would be 306dpi. That's a solid figure, but less than the 326 of the aged iPhone 4, and more crucially well below the 440dpi of the Samsung Galaxy S4. Even if there's little discernible difference, we doubt whether Apple would make do with such a “low” pixel density.

The other issue is that Apple can't simply make its resolution a bit higher. In the past, Apple has doubled the horizontal and vertical resolutions of its devices when upping resolution. This let the iPhone 4 and the iPad 3 simple double-up on pixels when running apps designed for previous-generation models. Such a move assured near-flawless backwards compatibility.

To pull off the same trick in the iPhone 6, Apple would need to ramp-up resolution to either 2,272 x 1,280 (if it uses the iPhone 5 screen aspect ratio) or 1,920 x 1,280 (if it is to use the iPhone 5S screen aspect. This will result in pixel density of a Samsung Galaxy S4-beating 543dpi, or 480dpi. These may sound impossibly high, but the latter in particular is not far off the 1,920 x 1,080 pixels of the latest 5-inch 1080p phones.

Also, the iPhone 6 is likely to use a new screen technology, Sharp's IGZO. This is an LCD-based panel tech designed for high screen resolutions, and high power efficiency. It's cheaper to produce than current low-temperature polysilicon iPhone 5 screens. IGZO is also flexible.

However, this “iPhone Math” rumour is new, and doesn't deserve all that much weight. The iPhone 6 will come, but will it arrive this year, and will it be a 4.8-inch device? That's the part we can't be so sure of.

We'll be back with more iPhone 6 and iPhone Math news as it appears.

The Sony Xperia V is here for review, dual-core Krait, HD screen and water resistance in tow

We like the trend of capable smartphones, which can stand a little dip in the bath or pool and live to tell the story, without the sacrifice of the good looks.



Out of this very same mold comes the Sony Xperia V, sporting a dual-core Krait processor, a 13 MP FullHD-capable camera and IP67 certification. We’ve got the video after the break.

Android Jelly Bean will come eventually and didn’t make it to the Xperia V out of the box so Ice Cream Sandwich will have to do for now.

Tasks are covered by two 1.5 GHz Krait cores and a gig of RAM while graphics rely on the Adreno 225 GPU.

Sony has covered the Xperia V with its extensive custom launcher that features the Walkman music player, Album gallery, Camera app and much more.

Here’s our video demo of the Xperia V.



An obvious believer in the Xperia arc legacy, the Xperia V features an arched back design and a flat front surface.

Aside from the front-facing glass screen the smartphone relies mainly on plastic for its enclosure.

That’s not to say we dislike its matte finish that is no friend to smudges and fingerprints or the back panel’s rubbery feel.


Sony Xperia V live images

The Xperia V isn’t a contender for the big leagues anymore, that place is reserved for the likes of the Xperia Z. But it still looks the part and brings to the market a solid feature set with a water-resisting twist.

Stay tuned for our in-depth review.

New Samsung ad tells you to take your Note to the office

While Samsung didn’t announce much in terms of mobile devices during its CES press conference, one term that was thrown around a lot was BYOD.



Bring Your Own Device refers to a growing trend among enterprise users of bringing multi-function mobile devices to work, and Samsung wants to be a major part of it going forward.

The most recent Samsung ad aims to highlight the benefits of using a Galaxy device for office work, such as the Note II’s multitasking feature and AES encryption.



What do you think? Will Samsung’s new SAFE features make their devices more appealing to business users?

BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha A vs Dev Alpha B: What’s Under the Hood

When we were at BlackBerry Jam Americas we did the first BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha A to B comparison. In our comparison video we found that the Dev Alpha B was considerably faster than the A. Though, RIM had no comment as to if the B had upgraded hardware.
Today, RIM announced on their Inside BlackBerry DevBlog confirmed specs of both the Dev A and B developer devices. Check them out the compare the two:

Could BlackBerry 10 Boost Zynga, Glu Mobile, and More?

There is a reported 70% of current BlackBerry subscribers who plan to make the switch to BlackBerry 10. If true, that could mean a near instantaneous subscriber base of nearly 60 million to BlackBerry 10.
Even a mere 50% switch over rate would be some pretty impressive numbers. What could this mean for game and app publishers? EA and Gameloft have been fairly good about porting their games to the current PlayBook OS. From what we’ve heard they’ve seen a fairly good purchase rate simply from PlayBook owners.

However, companies like Zynga, Glu Mobile, and others haven’t even given BlackBerry a chance. As shown in figures found by Seeking Alpha, Zynga’s business model is on the decline.

BlackBerry users haven’t had access to games like Words with Friends, Draw Something, and more. BlackBerry 10 opens the doorway for all of these games to be easily ported to the BB10 platform.

Imagine what instant access to 40+ million users could mean for a company selling an app at $0.99 or more. There is some serious revenue possibilities with BlackBerry 10. Lets hope these companies wise up and see the available dollar signs

10 Reasons BlackBerry 10 will Save RIM

We previously saw Forbes list their 5 ways BlackBerry 10 will beat the iPhone. Seeking Alpha is now putting forth their 10 reasons BlackBerry 10 will save Research In Motion:
1. 80 million subscribers - Research in Motion, Ltd is reported as having 80 million subscribers. These subscribers have used RIM and its services despite being promised a new smartphone previously and being disappointed; 80 million subscribers who are still around and loyal to RIM. Apple lost its loyalty through its planned obsolescence and as reported here. Anecdotally, the reporter spoke to a master electrician and small business owner, who was thrilled to know that Blackberry had a new smartphone. The master electrician said “thank you for letting me know, I have an upgrade on my plan and I was a heavy user of Blackberry back in the day.” RIM is also present in emerging markets, where it can compete effectively as the newcomer on the block. There is a reason Apple was speaking to China Mobile.

You can’t buy consumer loyalty. RIM does not need too.

2. Secure e-mail - BlackBerry is reported as having secure e-mail servers. If you ever wondered if your handheld device was secure, well, BlackBerry is touted as having some of the best security in mobile cellular technology.

3. Dual Profiles or a Business Telephone with a Secret Identity - BlackBerry 10 is reported to have the ability to have a profile for work and personal profile. These profiles are not accessible to each other and will run separately. Thus, a BlackBerry 10 user may use their telephone for work-related purposes and still have a personal profile separate from their work life.

4. Early Release of BlackBerry 10 to “Influencers” - RIM has early released BlackBerry 10 to “influencers,” i.e. people who are likely to influence their organizations or others to purchase the telephone. RIM has a great marketing idea here, really who does not want to have the newest cool gadget before anyone else could get it.

5. Innovative OS - a.) a Digital Keyboard that Learns From Your Mistakes – the BlackBerry 10 has a virtual keyboard that learns how you strike the keys and assist you in typing. Everyone, well nearly everyone, is not able to touch type with both hands on a cellular telephone keyboard as a computer keyboard. So, mistakes are common. RIM thought ahead and designed software to help you. b.) Multiple Windows Open at Once with Social Media Just a Slide Away – the BlackBerry 10 is reported as having the ability to run at least (4) open windows which can then be brought to the foreground. The BlackBerry 10 is reported as having the ability to run a window and with the slide of the finger expose social media, such as e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook along the margin of the screen which show messages received and allow for access to said applications.

7. VISA approved Blackberry 10′s NFC or “electronic wallet” - the BlackBerry 10 is reported that it may support use of NFC to use your VISA card to pay for items.

8. Target marketing to Business and Government - RIM may be targeting business users of telephones as well as government where theenhanced features such as pre-approved government security and as stated above should sell well. If so, then RIM likely has an edge with business and government users when compared to an Apple iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S III. Business and government users want security, ease of use, functionality, and ability to communicate, which Blackberry 10 appears to offer. Business and government users are not as much looking for the entertainment and other functions present in iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S III.

9. Reported Able to Communicate to iOS and Android environments- the BlackBerry 10 is reported to be able to communicate with the iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S III which may mean that beyond a hardware win that RIM may likewise have a software win, and perhaps software market.

10. QWERTY Physical keyboard model too - The BlackBerry received its name from the QWERTY physical keyboard. Users of BlackBerry were lightning fast using the keyboard. Many, many people would like a return to this physical keyboard. Having traveled in Southeast Asia, the reporter will state that Southeast Asians like to text, a lot. Said reporter has seen the speed at which older models of cellular telephones are used to generate lengthy text messages. Imagine a new BlackBerry 10 with a full QWERTY physical keyboard. Maybe the QWERTY keyboard is old school, but it is an old school which this reporter believes will sell.

RIM has very likely winner in the BlackBerry 10 because it has loyal customers to sell to who will likely upgrade, new features which allow it to penetrate business and government markets relatively untouched by iPhone and Android, and have software advances regarding security, managing iOS and Android software along with a VISA pre-approved NFC payment option. RIM is likely to surprise everyone.

It is really nice to see these publications list ways BlackBerry 10 is going to beat this phone or it will be a success for this reason. Let us know in the comments if you agree with these 10 reasons.

MLB ‘At Bat’ App to Join The BlackBerry 10 Platform

We’ve seen how these last couple of days a lot of apps have been announced for BlackBerry 10. Just a while ago we told you about the famous Untappd app releasing for the new OS, and now MLB has announced they “At Bat” application will be available for the new BlackBerry 10 OS opening day. That’s great news, specially for all sports fan. Make sure you look for the app when BB10 is launched! Check out the press release below for more info.
MLB.COM AT BAT COMING TO BLACKBERRY 10 IN 2013

New York, NY, January 23, 2013 – MLB Advanced Media, the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball and award-winning mobile app developer, today announced that the top-selling sports app of all-time – MLB.com At Bat® – will support Research In Motion’s new BlackBerry® 10 platform in 2013. MLB.com At Bat will be available for purchase on BlackBerry 10 smartphones by Opening Day.

Baseball fans will have access to At Bat’s wide array of interactive features, including scores, news, statistics and more, through a user interface  optimized for the new BlackBerry 10 mobile computing experience. Complete details on available features will be announced at a later date.

“BlackBerry has been an important platform for delivering content to baseball fans for many years and we are excited to continue that relationship by developing At Bat for BlackBerry 10 in 2013,” said Adam Ritter, Senior Vice President, Wireless, MLBAM.

“We are thrilled to work with MLBAM to bring its award-winning app, ‘MLB.com At Bat®’ to BlackBerry 10,” said Martyn Mallick, Vice President Global Alliances and Business Development. “Fans can expect an application rich with content about their favorite teams and players, from opening day all the way to the World Series. MLB.com At Bat is a ‘must-have’ app for any baseball fan.”

41-megapixel Nokia 808 PureView now available for Rs. 25,000

Nokia 808 PureView, the phone best known for its 41-megapixel camera is now available from online retailer Flipkart for Rs. 25,000 only. That's a significant price cut from its launch price of Rs. 33,899. Interestingly, as of filing this report, the official Nokia online store continues to sell it for the earlier list price.

Aside from the camera that has won rave reviews, the Nokia 808 PureView features a 4-inch 640x360 display, a 1.3 GHz single-core processor, 512 MB of RAM and 16GB of on-board memory that is expandable using a microSD card. Unfortunately, the phone runs on the dated Nokia Belle (Symbian OS 10.1) platform. While it was difficult to recommend the Nokia 808 PureView at its earlier price, at Rs. 25,000 it is definitely worth another look, especially for photography enthusiasts.

Nokia's PureView technology will also be seen in the forthcoming Lumia 920. The PureView technique involves taking a full image and oversampling it to the effective resolution you've selected. Oversampling an image means combining adjacent pixels into one. The more pixels you combine, the more accurately the resultant pixel represents real-world information. With PureView, Nokia seems to have perfected this technology, as we found out in our Nokia 808 PureView review.


Nokia 808 PureView in pictures

Nokia 808 PureView Technical Specifications
4-inch AMOLED Capacitive Touchscreen
1.3 GHz ARM 11 Processor
512MB RAM
16GB internal storage
Expandable Storage Capacity of 32 GB
41 MP Primary Camera, 0.3 MP Secondary Camera
Symbian Belle OS 10.1

Samsung Galaxy Music leak shows budget music phone

A fresh batch of leaked images are hot from the oven, wafting a whiff of a new addition to Samsung's Galaxy range our way. Before you get too excited about an S3 replacement, the leaked slides show off a music-focused mobile with specs to suit a very modest budget.

The new blower is detailed in what appears to be leaked marketing shots, unearthed by SamMobile, along with a full specification list. The phone will apparently offer a 3-inch screen with a 240x320-pixel resolution, along with a single-core 850MHz processor under the hood.

Those aren't exactly top-end specs and they certainly don't compare to the flagship S3's 720p screen and quad-core chip, but this phone is evidently aimed firmly at a young audience. It packs speakers at the top and bottom of the handset to help make your music sound a little meatier than it would with standard built-in speakers.

That does, of course, mean that the backs of our nation's buses are likely to be polluted with the irritating sound of tinny dance music. Fingers crossed Samsung bundles it with decent headphones, or at least makes the battery life so poor it can't get through more than two plays of Call Me Maybe.

It's running on Android Ice Cream Sandwich, which isn't the latest version of Android, but that can be forgiven on a budget phone like this. It has an internal memory of only 4GB, which is pitiful, especially if it's designed to store and play music. But it does at least house a microSD card slot to expand the storage with an extra 32GB.

There's no word on how much this phone is likely to cost, but if it wants to set up home in a kid's pocket, it shouldn't cost more than £150 on pay as you go. Samsung has an official event planned for 11 October in Germany, so make sure to keep it CNET UK for all the latest news.

Does the Galaxy Music excite you? Do you love nothing more than to play your music aloud from your phone on the train? Do you look forward to people throwing coffee at you? Let me know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page.

Mouse-keyboard Combo

If you’re like me and would love to get an iPhone but just can’t seem to break free of the keys on your blackberry, this little Bluetooth keyboard might help you make the switch. It squeezes an optical touchpad and full QWERTY keyboard into a compact design that looks a bit smaller than an iPhone.

Plus the clickable touchpad allows this device to also be used with cursor-driven Windows and Macs. It also has volume and playback controls which can help serve as a wireless multimedia remote for your home theater PC.