Man dies from electrocution while using and charging his cell phone simultaneously

Even though we don’t think about it that much, while others might take it for granted, recognized cell phone manufacturers around the world rigorously test their products to ensure that they’re safe to use. On the other hand, knock off phones might not be placed through the same testing standards we see in place with some of the big names in the industry,

Unfortunately for 25-year-old Dhanji Damor of Gujarat, India, he was electrocuted while charging and using his Chinese supplied phone. Commonly known as shanzai phones, which are basically cheap knock-offs of some popular smartphones, Damor was taken to the hospital after the whole incident occurred. Sadly, doctors declared him dead due to the electrocution he experienced while attempting to place a phone call.

Naturally, there might be other factors that might have contributed to his death, but it goes to show that these knock-off phones can seriously prove to be deadly – namely due to the fact there is probably very little in regards to safety with them. So the next time you’re considering on picking up a knock-off of some sort, just be wary about the possibilities since they’re not put through the normal set of safety tests and procedures that are normally carried out by brand name manufacturers.

via Cellular News

Carphone Warehouse will be selling the LG Optimus 3D in the UK starting July 7

We all know that the LG Optimus 3D is beginning to be rolled out across Europe as we speak, but not every region will be actually selling the 3D inspired handset right away. For starters, the good people of the UK will need to wait around until next month in July before they’re able to experience all the 3D goodness coming along with the anticipated Android powered smartphone.

From the looks of it, Carphone Warehouse will be the exclusive retailer for the LG Optimus 3D in the UK – where pre-orders are now available for it. Thinking about picking this one up when it’s released? Well, you’ll be glad to know that it’s going to be available for free on plans starting at £35 per month. Indeed nice, potential owners will have huge smiles on their faces considering that it’s boasting a 3D capable display and dual-cameras for shooting 3D photos & videos.

Launching out of the gate with Android 2.2 Froyo on board, it’s positioned to be upgraded to Android 2.3 Gingerbread later on in the year – but let’s just hope it’s sooner than later. If you want to experience the whole 3D craze right away, you’d better circle down July 7 if you happen to live in the UK.

source: Carphone Warehouse via Unwired View

BMW electric vehicle Android app learns from your driving patterns

The iconic German carmaker BMW is no stranger to integrating smartphones in its products, or using your iPhone, BlackBerry or Android device to provide Roadside Assistance.

It now takes the relationship between the BMW car driver and their smartphone to the next level, by outing the BMW EVolve app, where the capitalized EV stands for... you guessed it, electric vehicle. 

The goal by launching the app, which analyzes your driving patterns, is to determine if a BMW ActiveE, the company's all-electric vehicle, or some other upcoming engineering marvel, will be a good fit for your driving habits.

You can log on to a dedicated website, and submit the results to BMW's servers, while the car maker is calling all app users its Collective Engineers, who are helping it shape up the electric vehicles of tomorrow. Have a look at a brief presentation of the BMW ActiveE ride in the video below.

source: AndroidMarket via IntoMobile

Nokia Connection 2011 rumor round-up: a market disrupting MeeGo device or a 1GHz Series 40 phone?

The Singapore-based Nokia Connection event has never been the biggest Nokia event for the year, but this might well change in 2011. The Finns have promised to unveil a “market disrupting device” and while we have our expectations toned down after recent developments in the company, Nokia undeniably still has the potential to come up with a surprise tomorrow, when it all kicks off. Here's a round-up of all the rumors and expected launches:

1. MeeGo-based handset – Nokia has clearly defined its MeeGo-developing department as the one involved in  “a future disruption in the mobile ecosystem.” Combine this with the upcoming market disruptor and you end up with a MeeGo handset. We have no further details about the device, which might turn out to be codenamed N9 or the N900, but we'll definitely know for sure in mere hours.

2. 1GHz Series 40 handset with a ClearBlack display – This sounds juicy and comes straight from Nokia's Manager of Marketing Services in Argentina. His tweet was pulled shortly after being published, but the screenshot remains picturing the device as having 512MB of RAM, a capacitive touchscreen with ClearBlack, Nokia's technology for better outdoor visibility and deeper blacks, QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi, 3G and an application store.

The Nokia C2-02

3. Nokia C2-02 – This yet unannounced hybrid touch-and-type dual-SIM slider seems like a very possible addition to Nokia's affordable Series 40 lineup. With a humble 3-megapixel camera and no Wi-Fi or 3G, this device will appeal mostly to underdeveloped markets.

4. Nokia Windows Phone – We've heard numerous times that the first WP Nokia handset is most likely to get released near the end of the year and that's why this seems like the least likely option. But can we get an early glimpse of it? Seems possible, so stay tuned.

This rounds up everything that we've heard in recent weeks, but given the fact that Nokia has rolled the iron shutters down for Apple-style secrecy, we can only hope to be pleasantly surprised. 

Wimp video database scores a neat and tidy Android app

Wimp has been a good alternative to the crazyness on YouTube for a while now. It takes a more curated approach to videos, similar to Vimeo, but its video database is a fraction of what YouTube offers.

Still, on any random day you can find good stuff there that is more family-oriented, and doesn't cause a brain-melt like some of YouTube's viral videos. 

Just as a random example, yesterday's picks include stuff like "Louis C.K. on Father's Day", "Japanese Maglev train runs at 500 km/h", "Clever cow", "Savant learns how to speak Icelandic in a week", "A box and Maru" and "Kindergartener performs "Doctor Who" monologue".

The indie movie database now has its own Android app, which is certainly flashier than the barebones site itself, it includes a feed for the most recently uploaded videos, and the data is organized by month, making fresh stuff easily discoverable.

source: AndroidMarket via Androidapps

Sony Ericsson previews the Xperia X10 with Gingerbread, update coming August

Sony Ericsson's flagship for last year, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, might not be able to compete with the latest of smartphone heavyweights, but its 1GHz Snapdragon processor and 4-inch screen still make it a capable device. The X10, though, doesn't even support system wide multi-touch and has been struggling with earlier versions of Android for quite a while. That's why news about an update to Gingerbread was warmly received by users in March. The update hasn't come yet, but it seems ever so close to release, as Sony Ericsson itself previewed the new features coming with Gingerbread for the X10. Regrettably, the Xperia X10 mini, mini pro and X8 are stuck with Eclair 2.1 as they don't have sufficient memory for the update.

The video below demonstrates the performance of Android 2.3, and even though it uses a prototype phone with near-final beta software, it should be representative for the experience you'd get. Basically, you'd get an interface similar to the one on the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc and neo, but also some features like Facebook inside with media discovery allowing you to stay in the know about the latest musical crushes of your Facebook friends. Sadly, you don't get DLNA with the update.

You'll have the same camera interface as in the current version of the X10, with face-detection and auto-focus, which is slightly more than the features in the standard Android camera app. Gingerbread also brings the possibility to install apps on your SD card, along with tethering and Wi-Fi mobile hotspot capabilities. But while most of you know about those features, it's the release date of the update that's really what matters. Sony Ericsson has confirmed that the update will start rolling out in the beginning of August, but if you don't have the generic handset you might not get the update initially. Feel free to check out the demonstration and share your comments below, while exercising the virtue of patience with Android updates.

source: Sony Ericsson (YouTube), Sony Ericsson Product blog

Orange demonstrates Sound Charge t-shirts that power your phone

Just when we thought sound wave harvesting to create electricity and charge your phone is still in the research and development stage, Orange UK came up with t-shirts, of all things, which do exactly that.

Called Sound Charge, the garments use piezoelectric film in the front, which transfers the sound waves via membranes to electricity. The generated current charges batteries embedded in the t-shirt, which, in turn, can power your cell phone.

The Sound Charge gear can collect enough juice to charge a smartphone over two days of normal 80dB street noise. The shirts will be demonstrated at the Glastonbury festival in the summer, and we are sure all that rock'n'roll blast will guarantee a much faster charging time.Testing will be happening around the Spirit of 71 stage, to determine which kind of performance is best for charging.

Tony Andrews, co-producer of the Spirit of 71, has said: "Sound vibrations, particularly bass frequencies, will create enough shaking to produce electricity from a material as simple as piezoelectric film."  Great solution for those three day festivals, but the t-shirts better have the names of the bands on them, for dignity purposes.

source: Orange via Mobileburn

Official Wimbledon app hits iOS

Wimbledon, the oldest tennis tournament in the world kicked off today, but unlike the dark ages of 1877 when it all started, this time the best way to follow the results on the green court might not be just your TV, but your smartphone as well. The official Wimbledon 2011 application has hit the App Store with a price tag of free and gives you all the scores, schedules, news along with on-demand videos and photos of matches.

The best thing about the application is that the scores are live, so you don't have to miss all the developments in a match, but the application also integrates tweets about the event and the Wimbledon Radio. The user interface is well drawn and everything loads very quickly. The application works on every device featuring iOS 4.0 and above, and weighs only around 3.9MB, which should download pretty quickly, so if you're a tennis enthusiast, we see no reason why you wouldn't get it.

source: App Store via Redmondpie

Download Wimbledon app [iTunes link]

Microsoft OKs the ChevronWP7 unlocking tool for development purposes

After the jailbreaking ChevronWP7 app got pulled from the Marketplace, Microsoft actually sat down with the team behind it in January, and now we have the positive outcome of these talks.

The team's project is being resurrected as ChevronWP7 Labs, this time with the full endorsement of Microsoft. For now it will be offering a modding solution for developers against a small fee to recover costs, which would certainly beat the official fee:

"As announced on the Windows Phone Dev Podcast, we will soon be launching an approved Windows Phone unlocking service as part of ChevronWP7 Labs. This will be available to developers across all skill levels and all regions.

The service will require a small fee — currently via PayPal — to offset costs but we assure you it will be more affordable than the App Hub. Those who wish to write and immediately publish apps are recommended to sign up to the App Hub instead.", says the ChevronWP7 Labs team on its official blog

We certainly like the "approved Windows Phone unlocking service" part, and kudos to Microsoft for working with the WP7 talent, not against them. This is starting to be a trend in Android land, too, with Samsung sending Galaxy S II phones to select developers to work on custom ROMs and other improvements.

source: ChevronWP7 via PPCGeeks

Samsung Galaxy S II ad teaches you to dance with your fingers

We've seen a couple of them Samsung Galaxy S II commercials, but this one has actually turned viral in the couple of days since it's been out, so it's definitely worth checking out. Actually, it makes you forget it's a phone ad for a second, which generally speaking should not be a good thing for the promoted Galaxy S II, but this case might be an exception.

The commercial invites you to “Unleash your fingers” and gives you a whole new perspective of how much more you can do with your fingers. Check out the video below to learn more about the finger tutting dance. At least, you can't complain that Samsung lacks creativity in promoting its Galaxy S II, can you?

source: SamsungMobileFrance

7-inch Huawei MediaPad announced with Honeycomb 3.2

We didn't know much about the 7-inch Huawei MediaPad, which was teased in a weird commercial last week, but it happens to be the world's first tablet announced with Android Honeycomb 3.2. You might wonder if that's even possible given the fact that most Android tablets haven't yet been updated to 3.1, but Huawei explains that version 3.2 is basically identical to 3.1 except for the fact that it's optimized for 7 inch tablets. The MediaPad features an IPS screen with 217pixel-per-inch density translating into a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels and is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core chip by Qualcomm, which grants that the MediaPad can handle 1080p full HD videos with ease, but at the same time it won't tax the battery too much with a quoted six hours of battery life.

The tablet packs HSPA+ connectivity with up to 14.4 Mbps on the downlink, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth,  GPS, HDMI and 8 gigs of internal storage, which can be expanded through microSD cards. A 5-megapixel camera on the back and a 1.3-megapixel one up front will help you capture those important moments when there's no other camera around.

The Huawei MediaPad

When it comes to the dimensions of the 7 incher, you're looking at a device standing right in the middle of current offerings with 0.41” (10.5mm) profile and 0.86 pounds (390 g) of weight. On the software front, you have Facebook, Twitter, Let's Golf and Documents To Go apps preloaded. But its the price tag that can make this tablet truly exciting, and that's the last piece of the puzzle not yet revealed by Huawei. 

The tablet is expected to land on U.S. soil in the third quarter of the year and, interestingly enough, it won't have a Wi-Fi-only edition. Would such a device interest you? The Chinese company is also developing a 10-inch tablet and plans to release it by the end of the year. Feel free to share your thoughts about Huawei and the MediaPad in the comments below.

source: Huawei

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with AT&T frequencies passes FCC

The Wi-Fi version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 went on sale nationwide Friday, and it seems that the one with cellular connectivity shouldn't be far behind.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 with 850 and 1900MHz bands, plus WCDMA II and V, which are AT&T frequencies, has been submitted for approval at the FCC on June 14th, and permission has been granted on Friday. 

This is an indication where Samsung's thinnest and lightest 10" tablet is heading some time in the future, but we don't know what price will the Galaxy Tab 10.1 be after AT&T's subsidies. If you buy retail, the 16GB version with wireless connectivity should run you at least $599, judging by other tablets' prices. We don't know if the same HSPA+ radio that is in the Samsung Galaxy S II or the Samsung Infuse 4G is used inside the Galaxy Tab 10.1, then we might even have 21Mbps download speeds. 

Considering that ITU proclaimed HSPA+ as 4G, as well as AT&T's own definitions, where even the HTC Inspire 4G, for instance, which has 14.4Mbps download speeds, is being called "4G", the tablet could very well be marketed as such - it's hard to believe that Samsung will place 7.7Mbits or slower radio inside. In the FCC filing, however, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 has the 3G logo slapped on the back, but we don't know if the FCC is referencing the ITU definitions of 4G at face value.

Have a look at the promo video for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 below to see how the SIM card slot looks like. 

source: FCC

HP Opal mistakenly gets mentioned on webOS web page

The HP TouchPad has been making headlines lately and many webOS fans are eager to see it launch. However, little has been said about its alleged little brother – the HP Opal. Until now, the very existence of the 7-inch Opal has not been officially confirmed, but a hint that was spotted on HP's webOS-dedicated web page suggests that the device may see the light of day after all.

The clue may not be really that obvious, but while browsing through the selection of featured webOS apps and games, the Opal has been spotted by some on the list of compatible devices. It seems like HP has already taken notice and has removed the tablet from the list, yet screenshots of the goof up are already circulating the web.

The first time when we heard about the HP Opal was in January, but since then, the HP TouchPad has been getting all the attention leaving its rumored 7-inch sibling in the shadows. Now we finally have a clue leading us to believe that the smaller-sized webOS tablet has not been scrapped even though news about it has been scarce. If the rumors are to be believed, the HP Opal, or whatever its official name turns out to be, should hit the shelves at some time in September of this year.

source: HP via PreCentral

First pictures of the HTC ChaCha for AT&T leak out

The portrait QWERTY HTC ChaCha doesn't break new ground with its hardware, but it does bring Facebook integration to a whole new level through a remodeled Sense UI with support for the social network and a dedicated Facebook button. The ChaCha was announced back in February, but it's just now that the first pictures of the AT&T-branded HTC ChaCha leaked out and some minor yet noticeable changes have been made. 

First of all, the AT&T HTC ChaCha shows July 17th on its clock, an indicator for the device's possible release date as originally the handset was unveiled on Feb 15th and you can see that date on the device on the right. In any case, the phone is expected to hit AT&T shelves this quarter. Additionally, the screenshot reveals that the ChaCha will only sport 3G radio.

Secondly, the Facebook button looks rounded on the AT&T ChaCha, but along with that some changes to the keyboard layout have also been made: the Alt key replaces the Fn button, Shift comes in place of the Tab and the Euro symbol has been changed for a “.com” button. Recently, the 2.6-inch ChaCha got upgraded to an 800MHz processor, up from the initial 600MHz – a welcome addition for the Sense UI. 

source: Pocketnow

New photo of the Sony Ericsson Xperia duo emerges

Another photo of the Sony Ericsson Xperia duo, coming from some kind of a promotional material, has surfaced over the weekend. As usual Sony Ericsson is not too worried about leaked handsets, and that's a character trait we certainly appreciate.

People are expecting this to be the company's first dual-core handset, and the seemingly edge-to-edge display on the sides will come as an added bonus, plus some reshuffling in the Sony Ericsson Android UI overlay. If it is indeed dual-core, we can expect Sony Ericsson to have continued its partnership with Qualcomm, which supplied the 1GHz single core chips for the Android handsets it has outed so far this year. 

Thus performance should be on par with HTC's dual-core handsets, like the HTC Sensation, or the HTC EVO 3D. Not the best in benchmarks, but a solid delivery overall, and far more than what you'd get with a single core - see our "My dual-core is better than your single core" article for an overview.

The new photo is displaying the Sony Ericsson Xperia duo next to an Xperia arc, and now we can confirm that the screen is definitely bigger, it might even be 4.5", considering the 4.2" display on the Xperia arc. This doesn't necessarily mean a much bigger footprint for the phone, given the edge-to-edge display, but the Xperia duo does seem slightly taller and wider than the Xperia arc. 

Rumors around the Internets peg this phone for Q4 release, and also that it will have an 8MP camera with Full HD 1080p video capabilities, supposedly the same Exmor R sensor of Sony, but it's all in the realm of speculation so far. Sony Ericsson is slated for an announcement at an expo in Singapore on Wednesday, which might include some upcoming handsets, hopefully the Xperia duo too.

Thanks again, Philip!

via IT168 (requires login)

Big management shake-up at Skype, webOS integration coming soon

Hot on the heels of Microsoft getting the green light from FCC to acquire Skype, sweeping management changes are already underway. Don Albert, Doug Bewsher, Chris Dean, Anne Gillespie, David Gurlé, and Russ Shaw have been dismissed from the company, or expressed intentions to leave.

While most of them are HR and marketing managers, Russ Shaw has been the one in charge of the carrier and cell phone makers deals, like the ones with Verizon, O2, or Nokia. He is the man credited with Skype's proliferation on smartphones. Some of these management changes are being attributed to the usual restructuring upon acquisition in order to avoid duplicating positions, but it might also be a hint about Microsoft's intentions to wall-garden Skype from the competition in some ways.

Other than that is seems business as usual for Skype. Recently a few screenshots appeared that demostrate what Skype integration will look like, when it comes to webOS, but this process has been set in motion by the previous management, and Russ Shaw in particular, so Microsoft will probably let these play out anyway. We'll see what will happen with the future iterations of Skype.

source: SkypeJournal & Engadget

Nokia rolls the iron shutters down: “it's Apple-style secrecy right now”

Nokia is well aware of its situation – with share prices going down and news revolving around lay-offs, Espoo realizes the need for a truly innovative product that will bring the brand value up. But for this to happen the company's new UK office hinted what's of utmost importance:

"The iron shutters are down around development – it’s “Apple-style” secrecy right now," a Nokia employee shared with SlashGear. The new Nokia Windows Phone device needs not only the specs, but also the flare of an exciting launch. Apple has probably been the best example in the industry, mastering its launches and managing to get customers involved and waiting for new products: 

“If we can build the same hype around our first Windows Phone as Apple does about iPhone…” another Nokia employee voiced his hope that the company could release a product inspiring long lines.

But while Windows Phone rules the high-end segment, mid-range and low-end handsets are still to come with Nokia's Symbian platform. The operating system got an overhaul with the Symbian Anna update bringing portrait QWERTY input, a new Browser 7.3 with support for HTML5 and brand new looks, but expectations for the next update, Belle, are even higher. "If you like Android then you’ll love Symbian Belle," Nokia staff was upbeat about the future. 

Will Nokia deliver? Part of the answer might come tomorrow when Nokia Connection 2011 kicks off in Singapore – it might be a local event, but Nokia is expected to lift the curtain over some global products, including that “market disrupting device” that we've been hearing about.

source: SlashGear

Windows Phone 7 "Mango" update seen running on the HTC HD7 and HTC 7 Mozart

As if to prove that the Mango update for WP7, with its 500+ new features, big and small, is coming pretty soon, the new version of Microsoft's mobile OS has appeared in the wild on a couple of existing WP7 handsets, not only on the development phone.

First off, an HTC HD7 was caught on video at Computex 2011, running Mango, and we are embedding that footage below. The handset already had a four-day promotion at the price of free on T-Mobile, so this will be good news to everyone who got it during that time.

Next was Alessandro Teglia, the Community Program Manager for CEE & Italy, who tweeted that he is using Windows Phone 7.5 on an HTC 7 Mozart, and also running Bing Music Search on it, which obviously works outside of the US and UK, too. Now it's time to see some of Samsung's and LG's WP7 handsets running Mango, so their owners can sleep peacefully at night.

via WMPU

BlackBerry Bold 9900 shows up on video in Vietnam

RIM has a lot riding on U.S. acceptance of the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 (GSM and CDMA models respectively). While BlackBerry fans have been drooling over this model for some time, even users of other platforms are taking a long hard look at the Bold 9900/9930. For many, it brings back memories of the first time they picked up a BlackBerry Bold 9000 and found the wide form factor to be a delight to hold. The QWERTY keyboard was big enough and well-spaced to make typing on the go more of a pleasure than a chore.

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 combines a touchscreen with an outstanding QWERTY keyboard

But the Apple iPhone 3G had just been released before the Bold 9000 and the public was already sold on phones having a touchscreen, which of course the Bold 9000 did not have. Also, the iPhone 3G out performed the Bold 9000 when it came to things like the browser and media performance.

RIM has made a wholesale set of changes with the Bold 9900/9930. First, a 2.8 inch touchscreen now is featured on the device and BlackBerry 7 OS is expected to make this phone competitive with Apple and Android. The browser, says RIM, is now among the elite in the industry and a 1.2GHz processor gives this 'Berry some speed.

With a Q3 launch of the BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 expected in the States, the device was caught on video in Vietnam. For those of you who have had less than perfect experiences with the BlackBerry Storm or the BlackBerry Torch, does watching the video make you want to give BlackBerry another shot with this new model?

source:YouTube (BISVNVN) via BlackBerryOS