Samsung Galaxy S Duo

Fans of Samsung's Duos phones wanting 2012 updates have had to make do with last year's looks so far. From what's surfacing through multiple Indian sites, though, Samsung must want to spread some of the Galaxy S III's modern, nature-influenced style to the Duos' twin-SIM audience. The Galaxy S Duos S7562 won't make its bigger sibling jealous with a 4-inch WVGA display, a 1GHz Snapdragon MSM7227A chip or 512MB of RAM, but they're not the point. As always, the highlight is that pair of SIM slots for carrying both home and work phone lines -- or simply mixing and matching prepaid plans. The rest of the hardware falls in line with what's likely to be a much less expensive smartphone, including a 5-megapixel back camera, a VGA front camera and 4GB of storage. Buyers will be glad to know that Android 4.0 should still be coming along for the ride in addition to that stone-inspired look. We've asked Samsung for more official details; there's talk of an Indian launch before the end of the summer, which (if true) could give the crowds in Bangalore and Mumbai more to look forward to in the fall than just cooler temperatures.

[Source: Engadget]

Get social with the Olympics

PlayUp's sporting social network has recently updated with lots of content specific to the Olympics, and with the games just getting started, it seemed like a good time for a review. If you're looking for more, be sure to check out our round-up of Olympics Android apps, and expect another one soon.PlayUp curates a wide range of sports content from a bunch of different sources, including Twitter, USA Today, NBC, ESPN, Reuters, and others. There's even some decent video content that seems to come direct from PlayUp. For the Olympics, users can drill down into individual categories, check schedules and results, as well as create hangouts, where you can publicly or privately banter with other PlayUp users about events as they happen. Users can add friends through Facebook and Twitter connections to send them direct messages and see their activity on the network. Users can also add sports to favorites for quick access later on...

[Source: To read the full article visit Android Central]

Gmail video chat being upgraded to Google+ Hangouts

If we were ever in doubt that Google+ is becoming more of a focus for Google, today's Gmail announcement just reinforces it a little bit more. The video chat feature in Gmail is being replaced as of this morning. Taking its place, Google+ Hangouts. 

It isn't that surprising to see this integration eventually come around, but it is still a welcome upgrade. Google+ Hangouts is already a pretty powerful video conferencing tool, and without having to be in Google+ to use it just makes it that bit more useful day-to-day. It also means that you're able to reach your contacts for video chatting on their mobile devices too. 

The beauty is, every Gmail user will benefit from this upgrade, they don't have to be using Google+. But, if you're a user of both, then you can enjoy the full Hangouts experience such as watching YouTube videos together, collaborating on documents, or perhaps more importantly, dressing as a pirate.

[Source: Android Central]

Nexus 7 accessory lineup leaks, POGO dock and premium leather case coming soon

Since the release of the Nexus 7 there hasn't been all that many official accessories made available for it and those that have appeared, disappeared just as fast. There is clearly more on the way though as shown off in some leaked documents from Nordic Hardware.

As you may have noticed, there is pogo pins on the side of the Nexus 7. They were always assumed to accommodate a dock and with the leak we're now getting a look at said dock that has a microUSB charging port, a 3.5MM line out jack and is “perfectly-angled for better movie and photo viewing, browsing, and email.”  When can you get one? August 24th if the info is accurate for $50.

If you're not really feeling the current case offerings for the Nexus 7, no matter. There is apparently more on the way. A premium leather version of the official Nexus 7 cover is shown to be arriving August 31st for $39.99 in 4 different colors. That's all in addition to more color offerings for the original grey cover. If you want to see more, look below but of course given they are leaked documents, we'll have to wait and see what shows up when.

[Source: Android Central]

Jony Ive: Apple's goal isn't to make money

Speaking at the British Business conference running in London during the 2012 Olympics, Sir Jonathan Ive -- Apple's Senior Vice President of Industrial Design -- told attendees that Apple's "goal isn't to make money." Instead, per the Daily Telegraph, he told attendees that the company's primary goal is to make great products.

Ive started with Apple in 1992 and attributes Apple's success to its "near-death" experiences in the mid-1990s. "Apple was very close to bankruptcy and to irrelevance [but] you learn a lot about life through death, and I learnt a lot about vital corporations by experiencing a non-vital corporation," said Ive.

Talking about late Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Ive noted that "His observation was that the products weren't good enough and his resolve was we need to make better products. That stood in stark contrast to the previous attempts to turn the company around".

Apparently the fixation on making great products nearly resulted in the iPhone never making it to market. According to Ive, "There were multiple times when we nearly shelved the phone because there were multiple problems. I hold the phone to my ear and my ear dials a number. The challenge is that you have to develop all sorts of ear shapes, chin shapes, skin colour, hairdo... it seemed insurmountable".

Fortunately for the world and for Apple, the iPhone went on to be an amazing success, with 26 million of the devices selling in the last quarter alone.

[Source: TUAW]

Top 10 subtle Mountain Lion features (and a few more)

Lifehacker has put together a list of what they call the "top 10 secret features of Mountain Lion." That's not quite right -- these features aren't secret, because it would be pretty silly to release an OS update and not tell anyone about it. But they are subtle, and this is a nice list of features you may not have noticed yet.

For example, the fact that you can tweet right from the top of Notification Center, or that you can share photos straight from QuickLook using the Share button. You can also rename files in TextEdit (or share them to iCloud) just by clicking on the document's name at the top of the window, and you can even insert pages into PDF files in Preview through the Edit menu. Helpful tips, for sure.

We'll even add a few more features in that you may not have noticed yet: Over in Launchpad (which you can access from your dock or pressing F4 on a new Mountain Lion install, or set up a hot corner for), just typing will start you on a search for any app you've installed through the Mac App Store. And you may not have noticed, but Apple's added some brand new Screen Saver and slideshow options for when your Mac goes to sleep. Just like Apple's other OS releases lately, there's a lot of new stuff to go find and play with in Mountain Lion.

[Source: TUAW]

Blinq Photo will save and share your images

Blinq Photo lets you access, share and edit photos on a home computer remotely. Its purpose is to provide users with a free solution for creating and sharing photos and albums. I found it to be simple and effective and requires very little fuss.

Let me walk you through the process of getting Blinq Photo set up:

1. Install Blinq Photo on your Mac. It's free in the Mac App Store.
2. Create an account.
3. Watch as Blinq Photo scans your iPhoto and/or Aperture Libraries, tagging each photo and album with a unique URL.

Next, install the iOS app and log into your account. You'll see the albums and photos on your home computer (via Wi-Fi or 3G) as long as the host Mac is running and has an active Internet connection. From there you can share a photo or album via email, Facebook or TwitPic, order prints or save an image to your Camera Roll. Once you have the photo on your iPhone or iPad, you can edit it or modify it with any photo editor you have.

[Source: TUAW - Read the full story here]

LG Canada's Twitter says no Android 4.0 ICS for the Optimus 2X

The ongoing saga of "Will my Optimus 2X get Android 4.0?" takes another twist courtesy of LG Canada. Previously, LG Singapore had said via their Facebook page the update was coming in Q3 but now, LG Canada has taken to Twitter to say that's not the case at all and that it was a mistake based on a general statement from HQ. We're not entirely too sure what that means unless it's code for stuff we just say to calm people down and can then later retract. In any case, we've reached out to LG to hopefully get a better response on the matter because social media accounts aren't always the final word.

[Source: Android Central]

ZTE Grand X review

With an Nvidia Tegra 2 processor and an almost entirely stock Android 4.0 ROM, the Grand X is ZTE’s new flagship device. It’s something of a milestone for the Chinese manufacturer, previously known for producing bottom-dollar semi-smartphones and white-label, carrier-branded devices such as Orange’s San Francisco, and was unveiled with appropriate fanfare at two separate London events earlier this month.  Flying ZTE’s three-letter flag proudly, it’s the company’s first real attempt to make its name as a viable, mid-range Android OEM in its own right, capable of going toe-to-toe with devices from Asian competitors such as Samsung and HTC as well as major domestic rival Huawei...

Does the Grand X provide anything more interesting than what’s already available, and can it help ZTE make a small but significant dent in the UK market?

[Source: To read the full review visit The Verge]

10 Tips for a More Functional Home Office

If you work from home, you owe it to yourself to set up a proper office space. It’s vital you have somewhere to concentrate that’s separate from your home life — and is hopefully a nice space to spend time in. A good working space is even more important if you operate your small business out of your home.  To help you out on this rather specific front, we have pulled together some useful tips from experienced home-workers and chatted with home office expert Lisa Kanarek, founder of WorkingNaked.com. Also keep in mind that having a home office can entitle you to certain tax breaks, so your investment can end up right back in your pocket.

[Source: Mashable]

iPhone 5 and iPad Mini to be Announced on September 12th with iPhone 5 Release soon after

iMore reports that they have heard that the next generation iPhone, new iPod nano, and all new 7.85" iPad mini will be announced on September 12th. They also pinpoint the actual launch date for the next iPhone as September 21, 2012. iMore has heard that Apple is planning to debut the new iPhone at a special event on Wednesday, September 12, 2012, with the release date to follow 9 days later on Friday, September 21. This information comes from sources who have proven accurate in the past. The next-generation iPhone, which is frequently referred to as the "iPhone 5", is expected to have a taller 4" screen as shown in the above photo. Rumors have also suggested the inclusion of high speed LTE wireless networking.   While we generally refer to the next iPhone as the "iPhone 5", if Apple follows the example of their most recent iPad release, they may drop the numbering scheme with every new iPhone release. The 3rd generation iPad was simply called "the new iPad" in all press materials. Similarly, it seems likely that Apple will simply refer to the next iPhone as "the new iPhone".   While the 7.85" iPad mini has been long rumored, there has been a notable increase in the frequency and volume of rumors related to the product. The smaller iPad is believed to help Apple fill a cheaper price point in their tablet lineup.   iMore has been an accurate source of release date information in the past. They previously pinpointed the iPad 3 launch date as well as pre-order date for the iPhone 4S.

[Source: Mac Rumours]

Purported new-look iPhone 5 gets video treatment

For the second time, a purported iPhone 5 chassis has popped up in a video on the Web. Japanese site Macotakara posted a video -- dubbed "iPhone 5 Housings?" -- from YouTube that shows a person holding what could be the next iPhone. The device appears to come with the long-rumored, taller 4-inch display, and a plate on the back that extends for part, but not all, of the device's backside. In addition, the video shows the purported iPhone 5 with a smaller dock connector port as well as the headphone jack on the bottom.

The video is notable for showing what appears to be the same chassis found in a clip uploaded to YouTube last month. Like this chassis, the hardware in the previous video shows a unibody case that seems to confirm a host of rumors that have surfaced, including talk of Apple moving the headphone jack from the top of the device to the bottom and a smaller dock connector port. That earlier video followed the publication of a host of photos showing what appeared to be the same device. With this latest video now out in the wild, it's possible the rumor mill might be closing in on the eventual design of Apple's next iPhone...

[Source: To read the full article visit CNET News]