Best Buy giving out free flip covers to those pre-ordering Samsung GALAXY Note LTE

With the Samsung GALAXY Note LTE getting its first push in the States during Super Bowl Sunday, Best Buy has an offer for those who want to buy the device and keep it in tip-top condition. Pre-order the beast from Best Buy and if you activate the phone at the store or on Best Buy's web site, you will receive a free flip cover.

Google clarifies why CDMA Galaxy Nexus isn't supported as developer device

Earlier today, news came out that the Verizon Galaxy Nexus was no longer listed on the Android Developer Devices page and the page specifically said that "No CDMA devices are supported", but now Google has clarified why it had to remove the device from listings. 

US government and military getting Android phones

Security is one of the things that Android competitors always want to take a swipe at, but if any organizations takes security seriously it would be the US government and US military, and it looks like both will be getting Android devices pretty soon. 

Microsoft Stores promotion offers a free year of Zune Pass for those who buy a Windows Phone

Well, if you happen to live within driving distance of any retail Microsoft Store, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find one sweet deal they’re offering right now for a limited time when you buy a Windows Phone.

Consumer survey reveals decline in consumer satisfaction with Apple’s phone support

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, one of Apple’s cornerstones has always been phenomenal customer service. A report published by Vocalabs which takes a look at customer satisfaction with phone-based technical support shows some disconcerting trends from Apple’s camp.

Nokia rushing to kill Symbian, readying Nokia N8 successor as the last device?

After Nokia admitted it can’t meet the 150 million target it set for sales of its “burning” Symbian platform last quarter, now it seems to admit the fire is burning hotter and Nokia might be forced to not quietly retreat, but quickly jump off that platform. The Finnish company is said to have cancelled development of all Symbian phones, except for one, according to a scoop by British publication The Register.

That one model, though, is a special one, possibly just as the Nokia N9 was special for MeeGo. For Symbian, though, this would be a Nokia N8 successor with a top notch camera. Older models will receive the Nokia Belle update, but this will be it for Symbian, according to the scoop.

“So if the fat lady isn’t yet singing for Symbian, she has taken a deep breath,” the Register summarizes poetically.

ST-Ericsson hinted about Nokia’s move, giving us another reason to believe in the veracity of this rumor. The company projected a “very significant decline” in its net sales due to "reduction, in the short term, of new product sales with one of our largest customers." Needless to say, that large customer is most likely to be Nokia.

Interestingly, Symbian still accounted for the overwhelming majority of Nokia’s 19.6 million smartphones sold in Q4 2011. The company didn’t release an exact figure for its Nokia Lumia Windows Phone-based phones for the period, but it said it did sell “well over a million” up until now. The Nokia N9 running on MeeGo is also not a best seller, but could be selling just as well as the Lumia lineup, so that leaves Symbian as the platform keeping the Finns afloat.

source: The Register

Sony announces MWC event for Feb 26th

Sony has just sent out invitations for its MWC event where it promises to update us with its newest devices, and we’ll be there covering all new gadgets and announcements. Sony’s event is scheduled for Sunday, Feb 26th, kicking off at 6:00pm CET | 12:00pm EST | 9:00am PST.

“Find out what’s new and what’s next! Join Sony and Sony Mobile Communications at our Press Conference at Mobile World Congress,” Sony teased.

And we already know that the company has a lot of Android phones in its pipeline, and possibly even a Windows Phone handset. We expect to see the tiny and affordable Sony Xperia U, leaked out as the Sony Kumquat, the curvy uniquely-designed Sony Nypon which resembles the Tablet S, and boxy mid-ranger Sony Pepper.

What do you want to see from Sony? Let us know in the comments below.

source: Sony

Nokia Hello project replacing “inefficient” verbal communication with NFC, and it's not even April Fools' yet

Now, this better be Nokia’s April Fools' joke posted early, or it’s easily the nuttiest idea we’ve seen from a company’s research department (and we’ve seen some crazy ones!). Published on Nokia’s official blog, Nokia Conversations, is a “research project” Nokia Hello that with the help of NFC allows users to exchange greeting messages by tapping your phones. Why bother opening your mouth?

“The team working on the project estimate that the need for speech interactions with work colleagues could be eliminated entirely by 2015. Excellent news for those working in multilingual environments or who despise their workmates.”

Further, a Nokia engineer explains that technicians waste two hours a day for verbal communication, which is “not efficient.” He has somehow estimated that putting an end to this human madness of verbal communication will increase productivity by 85%.

“Are you looking forward to saying “Hello” without actually speaking?” Nokia concludes by asking. 

Finally, yes, we think it’s a prank. We really, really hope it’s this weird Finnish sense of humor. If so - that’s a good one Nokia. You almost got us, we admit it! 

But then we flash back to ex Nokia smartphone head Anssi Vanjoki comparing using Android to “peeing in your pants for warmth in winter.” Now, remember, that actually wasn’t a joke...

source: Nokia Conversations

New Galaxy S II Android 4.0 ROM surfaces with battery life improvements

Seems like Samsung is hard at work to bring the latest and greatest Android version to its flagship handset for 2011 - the Galaxy S II - as more and more ROMs based on its update are popping up like leaks from a fire hydrant.

A brand new beta Ice Cream Sandwich ROM has leaked for the more adventurous types, and is probably already making the rounds at XDA-Devs today.

The update is dated January 29, so it's fairly fresh from the oven, and the best improvement over the previous ICS leaks for the Galaxy S II is the battery life, which has apparently increased significantly.

Performance is otherwise said to be on par with the official ICS build, marked as I9100XXLP6, while this one is marked I9100XXLPB. Modders say it is stable enough for daily use, so you can try at your own risk in the source link. Watch a short video demonstrating its behavior below, although it is nor exactly prepared in the best of lighting conditions for its purpose.

source: SamMobile via SammyHub

Windows Phone 8 coming with microSD card support

Windows Phone 8 - yes, that’s what Windows Phone will evolve into after the Apollo update - is expected to come with plenty of new features, but probably one of the biggest novelties that went a little bit under the radar, is its support for microSD cards. Apart from multi-core processors and new screen resolutions which were expected, the support for expandable memory is a pleasant surprise.

This would mean that you can not only have more memory on your handset, but have a really quick and efficient way to transfer music and pictures between your phone and computer. Currently, you’d need to go through Zune or resort to fancy stunts as uploading or emailing pictures only to get them on your computer, and it’s even tougher to transfer your music without Zune.

Currently, that’s one of the features that makes Android stand out in what Microsoft wants to see as a “three-horse race” between iOS, Android and Windows Phone. And Google’s platform stands out with how easy it is to transfer files between devices without being locked in a particular piece of software like iTunes or Zune.

Now, how do you personally feel about having to deal with your phone via iTunes and Zune? Is that an easy way to exchange files between devices, or is the traditional drag and drop easier?

source: PocketNow

Motorola wins in Germany against Apple, iCloud features banned, iPhone 4 disappears online

After scoring favorable outcomes with the ITC in its patent lawsuits against Apple, which allegedly had Google's backing, Motorola seems to have won big against Cupertino in Germany today.

The court awarded Motorola an injunction against the push email feature in iCloud, so German iOS users will probably be requested to set their email checking in another mode. “Apple believes this old pager patent is invalid and we’re appealing the courts decision,” Apple told paidContent in a statement.

Apple has, due to an earlier ruling from November, also pulled its 3G/UMTS products from its German online store last night, such as the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and the 3G-enabled iPad. Retailers are still selling those, though, and Motorola will probably have a battle before it to ban those products across all channels. "Even if some iPad and iPhone models are currently not available in our online store in Germany, customers should have no problem finding these devices in our stores or from authorized dealers," said an Apple spokesman.

The Apple iPhone 4S, which is Cupertino's bestseller this season, is exempt from the ban, as it features a "world" baseband radio from Qualcomm, and Apple is paying the due royalties to the chip maker, as Qualcomm's CEO Paul Jacobs said yesterday at the quarterly earnings report.

It wasn't that long ago when the Motorola ROKR was launched as the first phone with Apple's iTunes, but the roads traveled by those two since then took them pretty far away.

source: FOSSPatents & FinanzNachrichten.de (translated)

Here is how Nokia's ClearBlack AMOLED display technology works

If you take the specs sheet of a recent Nokia smartphone and read it carefully, you will most likely notice that it features a ClearBlack AMOLED display. But have you ever wondered how the whole “ClearBlack” part actually makes the handset's display better?

Well, here is a fairly simply explanation of the ClearBlack technology, courtesy of Nokia itself. In a nutshell, a series of polarizing layers is used to reduce reflections, which results in improved outdoor visibility. You know, kind of like in polarized sunglasses. However, it is not as simple as it seems. Light rays actually get processed several times, both while entering and exiting the display. Here is how Nokia describes the entire light manipulating process:

1. It [the light] hits the linear polariser, this vertically polarises the light. (Polarising means – roughly – aligning the wave vibration in a particular direction).
2. Then it hits the circular polariser retardation layer. This converts the light again, making it right-circularly polarised.
3. Then it hits the screen and bounces off it, switching the rotation of the light to leftist.
4. It goes back through the retardation layer. When this happens, the light becomes horizontally polarised.
5. Finally, it hits the linear polariser, since the light is horizontally polarised at this point it can be blocked entirely by this optical solution.

And if you are wondering why the light emitted from the display does not get blocked, that is because it only travels outwards and is not polarized when it passes through the final filter. If you want to see how the ClearBlack technology compares to other display solutions, check out our four-way display battle where we pit the NOVA display from LG, Retina Display on the iPhone 4, Samsung's Super AMOLED, and the ClearBlack AMOLED from Nokia against each other. 

source: Nokia via WMPoweruser

Phone makers' revenues explained in one chart

If you’ve looked at the state of the industry recently, you’d know that Nokia is still the market leader in terms of phone shipment volume, but it’s ceded the smartphone throne to Apple and Samsung. This has resulted in huge losses for the Finns, but just how do they compare to Apple and Samsung’s revenues? And what about the rest of the big phone makers? The chart below combines two criteria - the number of units shipped and the average selling price (ASP) - to draw a pretty accurate picture of who’s who in mobile.

The first thing you’d notice is the huge bubble representing Apple revenues - the company is furthest to the right which indicates that its ASP is the highest and it’s also elevated above all phone makers except for Samsung and Nokia in terms of unit shipments.

The second biggest player Samsung offers much more affordable handsets, but what’s particularly striking is the fact that Nokia sells the cheapest phone of them all. The ASP for Nokia has been dropping significantly with the demise of Symbian, driving margins down. Check out the rest of the players and their revenue in this self-explanatory chart.

source: Ben-Evans