First official Jelly Bean OTA update for the Samsung Galaxy S III lands in Poland

The long-awaited roll-out appears to have commenced, with lucky GS III owners in Poland being among the first to get an early official taste of Android 4.1.1. If you hadn't heard, the update will bring a host of subtle yet powerful improvements, including Google Now for anticipating search queries, smooth UI improvements from Project Butter, as well as some Samsung extras already seen on the Galaxy Note II, such as a resizable Pop-up play screen. Hopefully this means the update will soon be sent on its merry way to GS IIIs in other parts of the Old World, and maybe at some point -- dare we suggest it -- those in the US too.

[Source: Engadget]

QDOS Protects iPhone 5 with New Unique Case Collections

19th September 2012 - QDOS, a designer of innovative accessories for iPhone, iPod, iPad, smartphones and tablets, today announces the first of many new chic and unique cases for the hugely anticipated iPhone 5. Nine cases make up three eye-catching collections named Pure, Metallics and Racing, ensuring there is an option for all tastes. Including designs that are bright, industrial, classic and classy, each case combines lightweight, scratchproof, polycarbonate material, with a finish that promises to stand the test of time. Perfect for protecting that precious, ‘must-have’ new gadget, they are available now from www.qdossound.com at £19.99.

Blending original design with inspiration from the successful iPhone 4 collection, the distinctive new cases are all made from hardwearing polycarbonate said to be as strong as steel but as light as cork, great for today’s gadget hungry user on the move. Designed to preserve the look and feel of the new iPhone 5, the polycarbonate has been layered to emulate the double glass finish of the device. To ensure the aesthetically pleasing designs withstand everyday impacts and retain their shape, each graphic is embedded deep within the polycarbonate, guaranteeing fade, peel and chip resistance.

These durable cases fit snugly round the iPhone 5 offering easy access to all new sockets, buttons and camera lenses and protecting the device from any dust creeping in. As always, the device remains easy to use whilst the unique bevelled outside edges provide rugged protection and reinforced grip.

The Smoothies Pure collection: This light and slim line collection boasts three classic colours. White for every occasion, Black for a masculine feel or outstanding bright Red for a fiery iPhone 5.

The Metallics collection: For a more industrial feel, the Metallics range includes three unique designs. A Mirrored Union Jack for a patriotic, pop art look, a unique brushed Titanium design for a stunning glass and steel effect and finally a Mirrored case perfect for checking reflections on the go.

The Smoothies Racing collection: These chic darker colours ooze class and the metallic paint finish emulates a premium racing car design. Choose from Khaki,Purple or Blue and really stand out from the crowd.

For more information regarding these cases, please visit their website here.

Carbonite Mobile backs up the contents of your phone, Android version supports remote wipes

Before today, Carbonite had a few mobile apps, but the backup process was something of a one-way street: you could access content on your handset, but you couldn't back up the contents of your phone. That changes today with Carbonite Mobile, a free app for iOS and Android that allows you to upload photos and other files to Carbonite.com. In addition to backup, though, the Android version offers some features typically reserved for standalone mobile security apps -- things like remote wiping and the ability to reset the phone to factory settings if it falls into the wrong hands. Additionally, you can use the app to locate your lost device on a map, and you can also set off the ringer, even if you had set the phone to vibrate. In the case of the Android app, the software will run in the background; due to Apple's different set of APIs, it won't run 24/7. However, all you iPhone owners out there can program the application so that it backs up the device automatically when you get home. Curious? We've got screenshots below along with download links in Google Play and the App Store

[Source: Engadget]

iPhone 5 hits the teardown table, scores a 7 out of 10 for repairability from iFixit

If it's the day that shipments of the latest iPhone arrive around the world, then it is just as surely the day that iFixit's teardown specialists break out their screwdrivers and show you what's inside. This is not the first teardown of the iPhone 5, but it will certainly be among the best and most detailed. Some pleasant surprises inside Apple's latest device are signed indicating it will be much more easily repairable than its predecessor, thanks to a case that opens front to back, a pop-out ear speaker and a display assembly the team says is reminiscent of the iPhone 3GS. Also good news for those suffering through worn-out home buttons is an integrated metal support this time around, which may help extend its lifespan and make replacing it easier when it does expire. Beyond that, a 28nm Qualcomm MDM9615M chip is handling LTE, HSPA+, EV-Do Rev B and TD-SCMA connectivity, while the new metal back casing barely outweighs the back glass from the iPhone 4S. Hit the source link or check out the video review (embedded after the break) for more pics and details from deep inside the iPhone 5, while most fans wait a few more hours to get their grubby fingers all over the outside of one.

[Source: Engadget]

BT to offer free YouView box with one-year broadband contract, £49 for existing customers

If you're not quite comfortable shelling out £299 for BT's YouView box, then you're in luck. Starting October 26th, the hardware will be free for new Infinity broadband subscribers who ink contracts that are one year or longer. Instead of relying on cable, the Humax-built device uses both aerial and internet connections to deliver content from more than 100 digital TV and radio channels including Channels 4 and 5, the BBC and ITV. With the IPTV box, users can sift through content that's aired in the past seven days, watch on-demand programs and record up to 300 hours of standard definition television or 125 hours of high-def video to a built-in 500GB hard drive. Current British Telecom subscribers pining for the subsidized box will be able to get their own for a £49 activation fee and a £6.95 delivery charge. Those eager for the gratis set-top solution will be able to order it online starting October 19th if they register interest with BT's website beforehand. For more details, check out the press release below.

[Source: Engadget]

iOS 6 becomes 15 percent of Apple mobile device traffic within 24 hours

There's been some trepidation among Apple device users over the upgrade to iOS 6 given that it takes away some components while adding others. You wouldn't guess it from the initial upgrade rate, however. Both ChartBoost and Chitika have determined that about 15 percent of iOS data traffic was already coming from Apple's latest release within its first 24 hours of availability -- not bad, considering that it took Android 4.0 roughly eight months to reach a similar ratio and iOS 5 about five days to hit 20 percent. ChartBoost adds that iPhone owners were the quickest to upgrade, which is only logical when the iPhone 4S gets the most new features. The contrast between Android and iOS was entirely expected, knowing Apple's limited hardware pool and reduced carrier oversight. We're more interested in the differences between iOS versions: they suggest that whatever advantages people see in iOS 6, as well as a widespread over-the-air update system, have been enough to spur on many early adopters.

[Source: Engadget]

Packaging hints at ASUS Padfone 2 having 4.7-inch 720p display, 13MP camera, quad-core S4 Pro

We can't guarantee what this box contains, but if the list of specs is accurate then it's definitely too good to gift-wrap. The photo above was posted to a Chinese forum thread entitled "Padfone 2 specs revealed" by a user called cj1024, and indeed the A68 model number at the top of the list does sound appropriate, considering the original Padfone was the A66. If we assume it's legit, for the sake of argument, then maybe we can expect ASUS's next modular phone to come with the same quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and 13-megapixel camera resolution that are already strutting around in the LG Optimus G, alongside an uncommonly bright, 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 Super IPS+ display, LTE and 2GB of RAM. You can digest the rest for yourself, or just wait until October 16th.

Update: Keen-eyed doubter Firuz has spotted a problem: the display icon says "SuperAMOLED" even though the specs state "Super IPS." Dodgy 'chop or actual packaging error? You decide.

[Source: Engadget]

BlackBerry outage affecting users in Europe, Middle East and Africa (update: service restored?)

While the two events are entirely unrelated, a major service outage coinciding with potentially the biggest mobile of the year hitting stores worldwide is just plain old unlucky. Users of RIM's BlackBerry service in the EMEA region are at the wrong end of a network problem affecting BBM, email and internet. At the moment it doesn't appear to be of the vast and crippling scale as last time, but small consolation if you're one of the unlucky ones. RIM has acknowledged the issue, and you can bet the farm on the fact there is more than a handful of slightly stressed engineers on the case, hoping to keep customers from making that impulse purchase. Let us know in the comments if you're affected.

Update: We've just received this official statement from RIM in the UK:

"Our apologies to any customers impacted by the BlackBerry service issue today. We can confirm that services have been restored and are now operating normally

[Source: Engadget]

Acer officially launches the Iconia Tab A110, with Tegra 3 and Jelly Bean

The Acer Iconia Tab A110 first debuted back at Computex, in June. Back then, the 7-inch device was running Android 4.0, propelled along by its Tegra 3 processor. Slated for a Q3 release, we heard following the show that the A110 would in fact be bumped up to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean before it hit the shelves. True to their word, it's Q3 -- just, the device has been bumped to Jelly Bean, and a formal release has been announced. 

The A110 is already up for pre-order with at least one UK based retailer, priced at £180. For the money we get -- besides Jelly Bean and Tegra 3 of course -- 8GB on board storage, expandable via microSD card, 1GB of RAM, a 1024x600 display, a 3420mAh battery, HDMI out and a 2MP front facing camera.

[Source: AndroidCentral - Read the full article there]

LG Optimus 4X HD slashed to £300 by UK retailer

Everybody loves a bargain, right? How about this one then. UK online retailer, Expansys, has slashed the price of the LG Optimus 4X HD to just £299.99. All in, that's a saving of around £170 on the intial launch price of the device. 

The reduced price only applies to the black version, sadly, and will be an EU model 4X HD with a UK 3-pin adaptor. No matter. While the 4X HD may about to be usurped in the ranks by the forthcoming Optimus G, the 4X HD still packs top of the line specifications for a 2012 Android device. 

Packing a Tegra 3 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 4.7 inch IPS 720p display, removable 2150mAh battery, NFC and Ice Cream Sandwich, at this price point the Optimus 4X HD is a real steal.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

NTT DoCoMo launches lightest Android tablet ever

Today, NTT DoCoMo launched the NEC Medias Tab UL N08-D, which weighs a scant 249 g. By comparison, other 7-inch tablets like the Kindle Fire HD weigh in the neighborhood of 400 g. Even the Nexus 7 is a relatively tubby 345 g. Apparently the NEC Medias Tab UL pulls this off by using a kind of carbon fiber that's used in modern aircraft construction. The Medias Tab UL isn't too thick, measuring a mere 7.9 mm on the profile. The specs don't even seem to suffer for all of this lightness, either:

• 1.5 GHz dual-core processor
• 7-inch 1280 x 800 LCD display
• 8 megapixel Exmore R back-lit camera plus secondary 2 megapixel shooter on the front
• 3100 mAh battery
• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
• 75 Mbps downlink

There are a few cool software features too, like a web browser that lets you actively view two tabs at the same time, and an "HD haptics" vibration feedback mechanism that's applied to just about every on-screen element.  

Anyone in Japan can find more info and information purchasing over at NTT DoCoMo. For the rest of us, how important is weight to your choice in tablets? Does an obnoxiously light device appeal to you, or do you prefer having a little bit of solid heft to your gadgets?

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Missing all the features of Google Maps? Get them back in iOS 6 with these third-party apps

Are you already feeling the frustration of Apple’s new iOS 6 Maps app? Apple is officially no longer using the Google Maps backend from iOS 5 with today’s public release of iOS 6. With its new in-house Maps app, some were concerned users would be disappointed with the arguably downgraded experience. A few of the reasons some users are refusing to update to iOS 6: lack of Google’s Street View and public transportation features, limited traffic data, and inferior local search. Above is a breakdown of lost features by country, courtesy of theunderstatement.com, showing 51 countries will be losing access to Transit data, 24 countries losing traffic data, and 41 countries without access to Street View. Also worth noting is that 20 countries won’t have access to Apple’s shiny new turn-by-turn and 3D Flyover features. Another consideration is that many of the features of Apple’s new Maps app, such as Flyover, turn-by-turn, and Siri, will be limited to iPhone 4S/iPhone5, and third gen iPad users.

[Source: 9to5Mac - Read the full article there]