Doro PhoneEasy 740: Android Phone for Seniors

Sweden-based telecom company Doro has its way of telling other companies that mobile communications is not a privilege for the young. At this year's MWC, it pulls out the PhoneEasy 740, an Android-powered smartphone intended for senior citizens. The slider portrait phone, a throwback to feature phones back in the early 00's, comes with design points that are fit for the old folks' needs. The keys are large and separated from each other to prevent the frustration set about pushing the wrong button.

Gadget.com, Doro PhoneEasy 740: Android Phone for Seniors

MLB at Bat 2012 app out for iDevices and Android, brings in-app monthly subscriptions to iOS

It's that time of year when the hot stove league gives way to spring training, and people start talking less about things like El Hombre's move to LA and more about batting averages and home runs. Thus, MLB has unleashed the MLB At Bat 2012 app to keep you up to date on your favorite squads and stars, and unlike previous iOS iterations, this time it's free. That gratis version gives users limited info (scores, standings, news, and team content), but those willing to drop $14.99 get full access for the year, which includes audio game casts, live game video look-ins and the game of the day.

Engadget, MLB at Bat 2012 app out for iDevices and Android, brings in-app monthly subscriptions to iOS

Best Buy boosts return window from 14 days to 30

That adage of "less is more" definitely doesn't apply to retailer return policies, so we have no complaints here. Best Buy is reportedly going to offer a more lenient 30-day window for device returns, up from the company's current 14-day policy. Naturally, this also covers price matches, and applies to all products, including those from Apple, where two weeks is the norm.

Engadget, Best Buy boosts return window from 14 days to 30

Android fragmentation gets measured; 2012 is the year of Gingerbread

. Fragmentation is a recurring issue that haunts the Android ecosystem in many ways. While Google's latest version of the Android platform was intended in large part to address the issue - which many believe to have peaked when the software giant launched Android 3.0 Honeycomb and maintained two entirely separate versions of Android for smartphones and tablets - Ice Cream Sandwich has not yet done its job. Four-and-a-half months since its debut, only 1% of Android devices currently run the unified Android 4.0 operating system according to Google's own data.



Boy Genius Report, Android fragmentation gets measured; 2012 is the year of Gingerbread

Tianyu K-Touch Treasure V8 hands-on at Mobile World Congress 2012 (video)

Ever heard of Tianyu. You probably haven't, but that's why the Chinese manufacturer left most of the heavy PR lifting for its ICS-equipped, quad-core phone to NVIDIA at this year's Mobile World Congress 2012. Details on this Tegra 3-based Android handset are admittedly scarce for the time being, but from what we were able to glean, the 4.3-incher should be able to hold its own in the high-end smartphone market. Aside from an 8 megapixel shooter with single LED flash on its back and the aforementioned CPU clocked at 1.5GHz, there's not much else to divulge spec-wise.In terms of build, the design is a mixed bag.






Engadget, Tianyu K-Touch Treasure V8 hands-on at Mobile World Congress 2012 (video)

Windows 8 Consumer Preview now available for download

Don't say we didn't warn you. As anticipated, Leap Day is all about Microsoft in Barcelona, and Microsoft is all about you, the consumer. Redmond today officially unveiled the Consumer Preview of its forthcoming desktop operating system. Want to get an early look at the OS. Peep the source link below. Keep in mind: you'll need a 1GHz processor, either 1GB (32-bit) / 2 GB (64-bit) of RAM, 16GB (32-bit) / 20 GB (64-bit) available disk space, DirectX 9 graphics with WDDM 1.0 or higher and 1024 x 768 minimum screen resolution to run the new OS.

Engadget, Windows 8 Consumer Preview now available for download

Phoenix raises a glass to improved business continuity for Marston's PLC with Shadow-Planner

Marston’s a leading independent brewing and pub retailing business with 13,000 employees and £650m p.a.

Press Release Distribution, Phoenix raises a glass to improved business continuity for Marston's PLC with Shadow-Planner

iOS speaker dock with built-in projector concept is clever

There are tons of iOS speaker docks out there, but a speaker dock with a built-in projector is rare, if it even exists at all. Perhaps it's the rarity that has prompted designer Chen Nanyu to come up with a concept design of a speaker dock for iOS devices that comes with a built-in projector, which we have to admit is a pretty clever design. The thing about most pico-projectors is that while they're great for on-the-go presentations, sometimes the audio can be a bit spotty coming from your laptops or smartphones or tablets, so the addition of a speaker is surely a welcome feature.

Ubergizmo, iOS speaker dock with built-in projector concept is clever

WiGig Industry Support Grows as ZTE Joins as Contributor

ZTE, one of China’s flagship telecoms equipment and services suppliers to the world market, has joined the Wireless Gigabit (WiGig) Alliance as a contributor in a move that emphasises the significant industry momentum now backing the world’s most important short-range wireless standard.WiGig technology development is paving the way for throughput up to 7 Gbits/sec, ten times faster than today's 802.11n devices.

Press Release Distribution, WiGig Industry Support Grows as ZTE Joins as Contributor

Volvo drops the full skin on new V40

Few vehicles have received the kind of gradual, bit by bit roll-out that - intentionally or otherwise - the new Volvo V40 has. The Swedish premium hatchback has been the subject of teasers, spy shots and leaks aplenty -but they've all lead up to this, its full reveal. (Well, this and its official unveiling next week.). Scandinavia's answer to the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series - and a potential replacement not only for the C30 but also the S40 and V50 - the new V40 is shaping up as quite a looker, but now we've got the details to go with it.




2DayBlog.com, Volvo drops the full skin on new V40

Canon EOS-1D X ship date slips into April, takes with it our hearts

Bad news camera aficionados, Canon's confirmed its mother of all cameras, the EOS-1D X, won't ship until the “end of April.” Depending on how one counts, that's a lag of a month or two from its previously estimated “March” arrival. Unfortunate, as we were looking forward to it going tête-à-tête with its equally impressive crosstown rival from Nikon, which will nonchalantly make its March due date.

2DayBlog.com

See also:
cherryapple, Canon EOS-1D X ship date slips into April, takes with it our hearts

Envia's GM-backed battery delivers huge energy density, lower costs, headaches for competitors

If you're one of those worried about the battery on your expensive EV running out, look away now. Envia has unveiled a new cell that boasts a record-breaking energy density of 400Wh/kg (most currently offer between 100 and 150). It's estimated that when commercialized, this could bring the cost of a 300-mile range EV down to as little as $20,000. The performance gains come from a special manganese-rich cathode and silicon-carbon nano-composite anode combination. The battery maker is also partly owned by GM, which unsurprisingly means we're likely to see these very cells in its EVs in the future.

Engadget, Envia's GM-backed battery delivers huge energy density, lower costs, headaches for competitors

Raspberry Pi credit-card sized Linux PCs are on sale now, $25 Model A gets a RAM bump

The good news is that Raspberry Pi's highly anticipated teeny-tiny Linux computers are on sale now, just barely making the promised February launch window (good thing it's a leap year). The better news, is that the $25 Model A version has gotten an upgrade from the planned 128Mb of RAM to 256Mb matching the Model B, which still throws in an extra USB port and an Ethernet hookup for $10 more. Unfortunately there is some bad news as well, while the Model A is going into production "immediately", cheapskates will have to hold off a little, as the Model B is the only one on sale right now.

Engadget, Raspberry Pi credit-card sized Linux PCs are on sale now, $25 Model A gets a RAM bump

'Shocked' Brightwell drops Saab bid, blames GM intransigence

Nearly three months on the Saab story is the same: company makes a bid, General Motors knocks it back. But this time, the latest round of corporate "He said/She said" puts Turkey's Brightwell Holdings on the other side of the table instead of a Chinese company. Brightwell was the other publicly identified bidder for Saab that pledged to make a bid, along with Chinese concern Youngman. Brightwell blames GM "intransigence," a familiar epithet by now, has scuppered the possibility of a deal. GM says that's not the case, rather that a deal for Saab can't include any of the technology licensed from GM.

Autoblog, 'Shocked' Brightwell drops Saab bid, blames GM intransigence

Magna Steyr previews shape-shifting MILA Coupic concept for Geneva

Magna Steyr may not be a name most consumers would recognize, but it is one of the biggest players in the auto industry. As a contract manufacturer, it has produced some 2.5 million vehicles across 21 different models, including the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, Aston Martin Rapide and Mini Countryman, to name just a few. The Austrian unit of Canadian mega-supplier Magna International, Steyr has also helped countless automakers develop new vehicles and technologies, and though it doesn't market any vehicles under its own name, it often showcases its abilities with a series of concept cars labeled MILA.

Autoblog, Magna Steyr previews shape-shifting MILA Coupic concept for Geneva

T-Mobile HTC One S hands-on at MWC 2012

You know that One phone announced by HTC on Sunday. Well, it's actually a series of three phones, and we already know that a couple of them (at least) are going to be landing on the shelves of your friendly American corner retail store. We got a look at one of them today - specifically, the One S destined for T-Mobile. We conjecture that this will be offered as Magenta's premium device, and it's not hard to see why.








Engadget, T-Mobile HTC One S hands-on at MWC 2012

We'll be reporting live from Microsoft's Windows 8 press conference tomorrow morning

. It may seem odd that Microsoft is hosting a media event at the annual Mobile World Congress trade show this year that will focus on its upcoming desktop operating system, but it couldn't be more appropriate: Windows 8 is a complete acknowledgement from Microsoft that the future is mobile. Mobile doesn't have to mean limited, however, and the Redmond-based technology giant's next-generation OS is its first attempt to marry a touch-focused mobile platform with the robust desktop operating system that made the company famous.

Boy Genius Report, We'll be reporting live from Microsoft's Windows 8 press conference tomorrow morning

MWC 2012: Waterproof Fujitsu F12arc with Android 4.0 ICS, Tegra 3 and LTE hands-on

Just recently, Fujitsu announced that it would release Android and Windows Phone devices in Europe sometime before the end of 2012. One of them might be the Fujitsu F12arc, which was brought by the Japanese company at MWC 2012 in Barcelona. The F12arc is the same Fujitsu handset we told you about last week, hence it runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and comes with a 1.4GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor.






Unwired View, MWC 2012: Waterproof Fujitsu F12arc with Android 4.0 ICS, Tegra 3 and LTE hands-on

Nokia Reading and Tranport for Windows Phone, hands-on (video)

Just yesterday, Nokia took to the stage at Mobile World Congress to unveil its latest Windows Phone, the Lumia 610. Curiously, the company also surprised us with two new Windows Phone applications, affectionately known as Nokia Reading and Nokia Transport. We've since taken to the show floor and happened to grab demonstrations of both apps, each shown off by the creators themselves. Join us after the break as we explore Nokia's latest offerings. In the case of Nokia Reading, it combines an attractive RSS aggregator and an e-book reader into one application, which fits perfectly within the Metro interface.

Engadget, Nokia Reading and Tranport for Windows Phone, hands-on (video)

LG Optimus Vu First Impressions

[MWC 2012] With the LG Optimus Vu, LG is entering deep into Galaxy Note territory, and while many consider these big smartphones to be a nice market (we haven't heard actual sales numbers), both LG and Samsung seem to think that it's more than that. I personally like the idea of a bigger smartphone - because I tend to use it more as a computer than as a phone, but obviously not everyone is of this opinion and it's fine, because there are definitely other form factors to address a more "classic" smartphone market. Industrial design.
Pretty much everyone notices right away that the LG Optimus Vu looks a little (too) wide, if not "fat-ish".

Ubergizmo, LG Optimus Vu First Impressions

Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 Android PMP

Samsung has just showcased their newest Android PMP at the MWC 2012, the Galaxy S WiFi 4.2. The player features a 4.2-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen display, an 8GB or 16GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot (up to 32GB), a VGA front-facing camera, a 2MP rear-facing camera, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, a USB 2.0 port, a 1500mAh battery and runs on Android 2.3 OS. Pricing info is still unknown at the moment.

TechFresh, Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 Android PMP

MWC 2012: Hands-on with the Huawei Ascend G300, a new affordable Android smartphone

Sure, the Ascend D quad/D quad XL and D1 stole the show yesterday, and we'll probably be talking about these devices for a long time to come. But those aren't the only new smartphones that Huawei brought to Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. One intriguing device is the Ascend G300, part of the company's new ‘Gold' line. Like some of its competitors, Huawei decided to segment its smartphone offerings in a few different lineups.












Unwired View, MWC 2012: Hands-on with the Huawei Ascend G300, a new affordable Android smartphone