BlackBerry App World 3.0 Beta – searching for apps at its best!

Aug 072011
 

Team App World at RIM have been working extremely hard over the last couple of weeks trying to come up with some improvements to their App World. Having said this, BlackBerry Beta Zone users will be able to enjoy an insight into the App World 3.0 which at first sight does seem to have some awesome features.

blackberry app world 3 beta

As you may observe from the screenshot above, the home screen has been redesigned completely and has made app browsing not only far interesting but much efficient as well. The addition of the search bar at the top makes app browsing a lot easier, allowing the user to sort by App Name, Price, Rating, Newest, Best Match, and Popular.

I’m sure all BB users will agree with me when I say that the featured carousel has always been the first place to look for awesome new apps, – the staff at RIM have expanded this in BlackBerry App World 3.0, making it easier to find what’s new and what’s hot. The list of best BlackBerry apps, games and themes will be updated on a monthly basis according to various sources.

The developers have kindly tweaked the app detail look and feel to give us the top selection criteria at a glance. They have made it possible for us to quickly swipe between app summaries, screenshots, and reviews – all in one screen, what else could we ask for? To top it all off, if we find an app we really like and want to tell our friends or loved ones, we can instantly share the app either on our Twitter® timeline, Facebook® wall, email, SMS, or a BBM™ Contact or Group.

Nevertheless, this is just a sneak peak to what one can expect in 3.0 – not to worry, subscribe at MWD and receive news on the features as soon as we review them!

So head over to the BlackBerry Beta Zone and sign up today to enjoy the new app world. Searching and downloading apps has never been so fun on a BlackBerry!

iOS 5 Beta 5 Released

Aug 062011
 

Apple has released iOS 5 Beta 5 (build 9A5288d) to developers, alongside with Xcode 4.2 Developer Preview 5, iTunes 10.5 Beta 5 and Apple TV Software beta 4.

Like iOS 5 Beta 4, Beta 5 is available as an over the air update at only 128MB. However, the new beta firmware is still downloadable from Apple’s Dev Center at 787 MB.

According to the Read Me file, one of the strange things about this update is that users must first erase all content and settings by choosing Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. However, according to MacRumors, some users have been able to upgrade fine without going through that process. BGR has posted the full release notes, which details some fixes and changes.

As always with any beta, it is recommended that you backup your device either via iTunes or iCloud prior to installing the new software.

MWD predicts that the public version of iOS 5 will most likely be released sometime early September.

 

Blackberry calls christmas early, launches five new Smartphones

Aug 052011
 

Research In Motion (RIM) has launched 5 new smartphones running on its new operating system ‘BlackBerry OS 7’. The new smartphones include three ‘Blackberry Torch’ models (two of which are complete touch phones) and two ‘Blackberry Bold’ models.

“This is the largest global launch of BlackBerry smartphones in our history,” was a statement made by RIM’s  president and co-CEO, Mike Lazardis. The phones bring along with them the good and the bad.

The good being that, the five new phones being launched will be coming out with many software and hardware improvements over the previous Blackberry models. The bad being, that despite the phone making drastic improvements, it is still not capable of competing with the growing Android and iOS market.

All the phones launched are somewhat high end and carry some good specs. All five of the devices have an improved processing speed with a 1.2GHz processor under the hood powering these devices. The smartphones have a high resolution display for quality viewing, and 768MB of RAM to maintain high speed of processing.

All the phones have a hefty on board memory of 8GB, which can be further extended up to 32 GB. Even a good camera of 5MP has been provided with features to support HD video recording, zoom and flash.

Standard connectivity features like WiFi and GPS are also provided. Integrated BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), Enterprise focus with the inclusion of both Documents To Go, as well as BlackBerry Balance are some of the other notable features of Blackberry’s new phones.

All the phones will now come with an improved browser that will provide users with a faster more fluid browsing experience (thanks to OS7). RIM has claimed its new OS to be 40 percent faster at browsing compared to OS6-based smartphones, and 100 percent faster than OS5 handsets.

Though the phones have made a significant leap, the phone is still incapable of competing with its major rivals like Apple inc. and other Android family smartphones. For example, new blackberry comes with a resolution 640×480 for 9810 and 800×480 for the Bold and Torch compared to 450×360 pixels on the previous Torch. But this is modest in front of Apple’s iPhone (960×640), Motorola Droid 3 (960×540), and the HTC Thunderbolt and Samsung Charge (800×480).

We will update you on the pricing and availability of these phones as soon as we receive an update on it.

Dell Streak 10.1-inch Honeycomb powered tablet launched in China for $465

Jul 302011
 

The American company, Dell, has ditched its home country and has released its Dell Streak Pro 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet in China. This is the first time Dell is experimenting with Android and it has done it with style. The tablet is equipped with dual cameras – 2 megapixels (front facing) and another 5 megapixels on the rear. Along with it the tablet has a 1024 x 800 pixel resolution combined with a 10.1-inch screen, to give an impeccable display.

The tablet impresses with many other specs as well. The tablet is pretty responsive because of the 1 GB DDR2 RAM, a 1 GHZ processor and a NVIDIA Tegra 2 T20 chip.

The physical features are also equally impressive. The ‘Streak’ is having edge to edge glass and has aluminium brushed back. Also, the tablet is pretty portable with a weight of just 700 grams and is sleek enough with a thickness of just 12 millimetres i.e. 0.47 inches.

The streak is in competition with a line of already released tablets. The major one’s include Apple’s iPad2 and Samsung Galaxy tab 10.1, though even others exist but with the kind of specs, they barely pose a threat. The ‘Streak’ surely has the arsenal to take both these tablets heads on with a reply for every spec of the iPad2.

The tablet will hit the Chinese markets within a week. Chinese buyers can buy the 16GB WiFi enabled tablet for a price of ¥2,999, which will be $465. Along with this a cloud storage space of 2 GB is provided. The product will be tested in the Chinese country first and then when a proper review is generated will it be released in other markets.

Facebook for iPad released! Sort of

Jul 282011
 

The iPad has come a long way from it’s origin, an oversized iPod touch. Even the naysayers, predicting that this tablet was Apple’s downfall have quietly submitted to Steve Job’s will, starting to review iPad related gadgets, such as portable speakers, cases, and so on. Even Mark Zuckerberg has been converted, if these screens above are true. His comments that the iPad wasn’t connected enough to justify a Facebook app seem to have been redacted, with Facebook for iPad looming around the corner.

From data extracted in the iPhone app, it seems that the groundwork has already been laid for a update to come shortly. The interface has changed drastically, from the stale, iPhone inspired interface, with the four underlying interfaces. The iPad app features a side bar, rather than the group of icons underneath. Accessing different parts of Facebook can be done with a touch of a button, or with a flick of one’s wrist. Flipping the iPad horizontally results in Facebook chat activating, and enabling you to communicate with them easily. The photo section has become 150% more stalkerish, with the photo interface resembling the iPad’s own photo viewer.

Facebook is also updating the iPhone app, with the latest incarnation bringing back the ‘send’ button, after unintelligent people probably posted some things they shouldn’t have… ‘accidentally’. Skype for the iPad app hasn’t been commented on yet, perhaps that will be yet another ace that Mike Zuckerberg holds in his sleeve. Most of the coding is done in HTML 5, a small nod towards Steve Jobs, a proponent of the whole ‘HTML 5′ thing.

At the moment, you can have Facebook for iPad now, all you need is a jailbroken iPad, and to find a guide on how to do it, obviously. To find a guide on how to use Facebook for iPad, there’s a guide here.

iOS 5 Final Release and iPhone 5 Coming Soon

Jul 282011
 

iOS 5 Beta releases have been circling around for over 2 months now, I personally have it since iOS 5 Beta 1 came out. While doing some research I found out exact release dates when iOS 5 Betas will be released to developers and now that iOS 5 Beta 4 has been released, its time to talk about the final iOS 5 release.

ios 5 logo with iPhone 5

My predictions for iOS 5 release was spot on, except this last one I missed the release date by only 42 hours. That means according to my research and calculation iOS 5 final release should be coming out either last week in August or fist week in September, said that I think iPhone 5 will be released around that time as well.

Apple will probably start sending invites for the Apple event within next two weeks, in which will just say “you are invited to bla bla bla on this date, the MOTD of the event is going to be called bla bla bla”, I am so used to those PR invites that is not even Wowing me anymore.

Anyway, if you are looking for new phone and really cant decide whether you should wait for iPhone 5 or buy some other smartphone, than wait just this one month and your deciding factor will chose what you want to get, iPhone or Android or maybe even Symbian :)

 

Disc Mouse

Jul 252011
 

 

 

In a disturbing display of technological evolution, Yanko Design has come up with a mouse, which can be stored in your nearly obsolete CD Drive. The CD shaped mouse may have a few issues, such as being recognized as a CD, and turned into fragments, after being whipped around your drive, possibly damaging the laser in the process. However, with the continuing trend towards flash based media devices, it seems that this may be one of the only uses left for the CD drive, a glorified mouse holder.

Below are a few diagrams, on how to use this ludicrous device. However, before running off to your nearest site to purchase a CD Mouse, this is only a prototype- probably a short lived one too. There are no comments about a few important components- battery life, how it connects to your computer, perhaps even how it sustains its shape.

Fake Apple Stores under investigation

Jul 252011
 

Despite the realistic impersonation of the Apple Store, in the small Chinese town of Kunming, it seems as if the party is over. Chinese Government officials have stepped in, promising an investigation of the false Apple Stores. In fact, Chinese state media has reported that the store’s supplier is being audited, as well as their business licence to operate. Considering the brazen nature of the store’s illegal activity- it seems that this is a face saving measure, instead of what seems to be serious action. Why? Apparently, there are at least another three stores such as this one, mere blocks away from it. Secondly, it has been reported that thousands of illegal Apple resellers operate, while being much smaller, or discreet than this operation.

Incidentally, the blogger which first discovered the store has reported that the store is legal, and the products supplied to it are authentic. Also, the manager himself has apparently never said that he was an Authorized Apple Store, which seems slightly contradictory compared to the picture above. The manager of the store has supposedly commented, “I am sure we will become their authorized reseller in the near future,”… “After all, we invested a lot in this store.”

Considering that China is home to an entire unlicenced themepark for Blizzard Entertainment Intellectual Property, it seems unlikely that this independent store will be severely sanctioned.

Monster Tron Lightdisk iPod Dock Review

Jul 242011
 

So, Tron Legacy has come and gone, featuring Daft Punk and a lot of computer generated graphics, to create a mostly forgettable movie, save for… the computer generated graphics, and that sick aesthetically feel of the grid. As a result, Monster has decided to create an iPod dock, based on the iconic weapon in Tron, the light disk.

As you can tell, the two defining features about the dock, are its circular body, and its blue centered design. Featuring over 80 independent LEDs in the dock, it’s perfect for dark environments, or as a bedside light. But with the Advanced Light Drive System, these LEDs can transform this dock into a disco ball, for a cooler, more disaffected generation. Something like that anyway. This Advanced Light Drive System can create effects with the disk, or change the color of the dock to reflect your iDevice’s charge status.

The Lightdisk dock also comes with a few free apps to improve it’s functionality, with a iDevice mounted equalizer, a game which can be played with the Dock, and the cool Alarm Clock app. While the other two apps are mediocre at best, the Alarm Clock app, will play your selected track of choice when you’re supposed to wake up, and provide you with a beautiful lightshow, forcing you to actually press that snooze button.

Underneath the hood of the dock, there are five speakers, plus a downfiring subwoofer. Monster assures that four high performance drivers provide ‘ultra-crisp highs, a clear midrange, and extended low-end effects’. Incidentally, if you’re worried that this device is only aimed at the rich iDevice owners (considering the devices RRP of $300) there’s nothing to worry about. The dock also features a 3.5mm jack, in case you have other devices that happen to not have an Apple on it.

If you’re quick, the device is on sale for $200 at Amazon, if you’re interested, move quickly before the deal is Derezed…

Mac OS X Lion 10.7 released for public use – get 250 new features at just $29

Jul 222011
 

The 8th and the latest version of Mac OS X Lion i.e. version 10.7 has been released for public use. In a very dramatic style, Apple announced its newest operating system and not only that, Apple also didn’t shy away from calling it the “the world’s most advanced desktop operating system”.

According to Apple, 250 new features have been added in the latest version of the MAC OS i.e. OS X Lion 10.7. The OS has picked up quite a bit from the iOS and that makes you feel like using an iPad instead of a Macbook. The OS can be obtained in two ways: first, by downloading it from the Mac App store for $29 and second, by means of a USB flash drive install which is a little pricier at $69. Once downloaded the installation takes less than 20 minutes.

After installation, the first feature that grabs your attention is the inverted scroll, to add further surprise Apple calls it as ‘natural scroll direction’ (thankfully, the feature can be switched off from system preferences).

Two other features that will greet you when you boot up are Mission Control and Lauchpad. Mission Control will take a shot of desktop with all opened windows in the center of the screen, whereas, Launchpad will effectively transform your Mac desktop in to a mobile looking one. Another new useful feature is the ‘Spotlight’. In the latest OS, using ‘the spotlight’ search results will also include results from the internet (from Wikipedia and also dictionary results).

Applications like QuickTime and Safari have also been upgraded in the OS X Lion 10.7 upgrade. Many features like merging, exporting audio-only tracks, rotating clips, and recording a portion of the screen are the highlights of QuickTime. Safari has been given a performance and security update which fills up quite a few holes that existed in the earlier version of Safari.

Another feature of the upgrade is the multitouch gesture support. Apple integrated this in the ‘Finder’ and other proprietary applications. For example if you swipe three fingers from left to right, dashboard will appear. Though this is a good feature but sans two fingered scrolling and cursor control, the rest are not that useful.

Now arguments can be made on whether the OS is the ‘best till date’ or not; but features like AirDrop and versions are enough to keep you interested. If not them then at least one out of the 250 will catch your attention. Thus, with the modest tag of $29, it is a must buy.

Macbook Air refreshed say bye to the old Macbook Air

Jul 212011
 

Apple Inc. has launched a new generation of Macbook Air notebooks. Apple has equipped the new notebook with a faster processor based on Intel’s Sandy Bridge architecture and has added a new backlit keyboard to the device. The Cupertino, CA Company has also dumped the old Macbook on the same day.

Talks about revamping the Macbbok Air were on for quite a while and were mostly cantered around the new operating system i.e.  the OS- ‘X Lion’. The operating system was released earlier on the same day and from now onwards all new Macbook Air models will ship with this new operating system.

The new Macbook Air comes in two sizes, one with an 11.6-inch screen and the other with a 13.3-inch screen. For both the models, two variants are available, an entry level one and another model with all the top specs. In all, four new models will be available.

Specs of ‘MacBook Air’ vary with the models; Both the 11.6 inch models are powered by a 1.6 GHz processor, RAM of the 11.6-inch entry level model is 2GB while for the high end model is 4GB. The storage capacity is 64 GB and 128 GB for the lower and higher end model respectively. Similarly, the 13.3-inch Macbook Air is powered by a 1.7 GHz processor along with 4 GB RAM. The storage capacity is 128 GB and 256 GB for the lower and higher end models respectively. Users can upgrade to a 1.8 GHz processor on demand.

Another part of the revamp was the addition of Thunderbolt port. The new notebooks don’t have any additional ports but a single Thunderbolt port for connecting to external hard drives and new Apple Thunderbolt display (with a resolution of 2560 x 1600!). Also the power supply is now inbuilt and Apple has provided with a built in speaker for Bluetooth connectivity with other iDevices.

The prices remain in the same range. Earlier the entry price for the Macbook Air was $999, though the good old Macbook Air is gone but the entry price remains the same ($999) for the lower end 11.6 inch Macbook Air. The 11.6-inch high end model, 13.3-low end model and 13.3-inch high end model are available for $1199, $1299 and $1599, respectively.

Fake Apple Stores?

Jul 212011
 
IMG_6527-625x468

Wait what? Okay, get this, see this picture above? That’s not a real Apple Store- it’s fake. How do we know? The store is located in a small village in China which Apple doesn’t have any official presence in. Except, it looks like a real Apple store, no?

 

They say that imitation is the best form of flattery, but for China, it’s an industry. This entire Apple Store has been lovingly recreated, from the Apple store geniuses in blue t-shirts, to the shillouettes of people wearing the iconic white earphones. The standard wooden tables, the white surfaces, all here. And of course, liberal splashings of the Apple logo, to ensure that you know which company you’re buying from. Quite impressive, but that’s nothing compared to the deception of the employees themselves. Supposedly, they believe that they work for Apple, even though they are paid in cash… Hmm…

 

The most disturbing thing, is after you’ve seen these photos, and had your share of double and triple takes… this store is one of three in the town itself. Apple’s legal team have not yet commented, but considering the fact that an unofficial Blizzard themed ‘Starcraft/Warcraft’ themepark is actually up and running, perhaps they have realized that this is a hopeless cause.

Finally Google+ iPhone App has been Released to iTunes

Jul 192011
 

Well there is nothing really much to say except that Google+ app for iPhone has been released to iTunes, and you can download it via iTunes Link . Here is the thing! I was able to download the app and also use it for a bit, and then all of the sudden it started crashing on my iPhone!

Google+ for iPhone

I do know why! I am on iOS 5 Beta 2 and should upgrade to Beta 3 because from what I hear is that lots of people saw app improvement and less apps crashing. So far my 3 apps are not working correctly on iOS 5

Hulu Plus

Netflix

and now Google +

Motorola Droid 3 Review Specs and Info | Droid 3

Jul 192011
 

Motorola Droid 3 Review With Keyboard Open

Motorola Droid 3 was released last week and we got the review for you! Here is what we think about Droid 3 and has to offer as far as specs and info goes. Unlike other reviews you might read we actually don’t favor any companies therefore our reviews are more straight forward. In our opinion it is best to review devices just like you would go to the store and take a look at the device your self.

Motorola Droid 3 Video

Here is video I shot early this morning that pretty much sums up the whole information I am about to share below.

Motorola Droid 3 Review by MWD

As you can see in the video above, this Motorola Droid 3 is very responsive and that is all due to the 1GHz dual-core processor (Thanks god they started introducing more and more duals). The advantage of the dual-core processors is that you can run apps faster, load many heavy duty apps and still get relatively good response time from the app. The disadvantage which is also common on Motorola Droid 3 is that the battery life is not as good as maybe other Android devices we reviewed by us. I played with it for about 2-3 hours used web, loaded Angry Birds, watched some flash website and videos. By the time I was done playing with Droid 3, I still had about 55-60% of battery life left, which is not to bad nowadays.

Pictures are amazing!!! I used the 8MP camera that does have LED Flash and I must say pictures are outstanding, just like you would have a real point and shoot camera. Love the fact that Motorola added the 1080P video recording, because a lot of people do take videos since the smartphones can hold up to 64Gb of storage and that’s a lot of videos to be recorded! (Motorola Droid 3 comes with 16GB internal memory)

Android 2.3.4 which is latest OS also known as Gingerbread helps a lot with the battery life, I can’t imagine even having this phone with other OS version, it kind of makes sense.

Overall people, I love the phone because of the size, storage and especially dual-core processor. But, yes there is always that “but” I do not like the physical keyboard! Now some of you are here with me, but some of you DO prefer to have physical keyboard. Well for those that do love physical keyboard, this phone is bit thiker than what you would usually see on streets.

Motorola Droid 3 Pictures

 

Well if you like what you see, head over to Verizon Store or just go to www.verizonwireless.com website and check it all out. Price on Motorola Droid 3 is currently $199 but am sure that if you look at some sites like amazon.com, wirefly.com etc.. you will find it even cheaper.

Please do tell us what to include next time in our review, and if you do have additional questions please feel free to use the commenting section below!

Sony S2 Tablet Quick Overview

Jul 192011
 

 

Sony is probably the biggest and best Japanese electronic company out there. Yes, the company has fallen on hard times lately due to… eh, the Playstation Network for starters, as well as releasing a whole range of lackluster phones, and the latest Final Fantasy… (Sony has a 10% stake in the company) … But since the Playstation Network’s evisceration, and the small problem in leaking millions of users credit card numbers and other personal information, it seems that Sony has finally started to go back to its old ways of producing tonnes of cool technology. This funny- hip-flaskesque-clam-DS inspired tablet, is one of the pieces of technology to keep an eye out for.

The Sony S2 is a moderately sized tablet, which has the advantage of being folded in half, like a DS, as you can see from the above picture, providing extra portability, and giving your screen an additional layer of protection. While we don’t know much about the screen’s more technical specifications, such as contrast ratio, Sony has announced that the screens are 5.5″,  a resolution of 1024×480 and multicapacitive touch. Your two screens will be powered by a nVidia Tegra 2 chip, in development to be significantly more powerful than the Tegra currently found in the current Samsung Galaxy Tablet. This Tegra 2 is definitely not just for word processing, considering that the device is Playstation certified, just like the Xperia Play. Playstation Apps can easily be run and played on the powerful tablet, battery life has yet to be commented on though.

Running on the latest version of Android, Honeycomb, the Sony S2 also features the usual trapping of modern tablets, 3G/4G support (if you pay more obviously), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, etc. etc. as well as a cute touch, where an infrared sensor is included to allow the S2 to interact with other Sony devices. A single rear facing camera is also exhibited, but specifications on them have yet to be commented on.

There’s a lot more that needs to be revealed about the S2, before I’d advise buying one though, such as Battery Life, Accelerometer, Memory Capacity… maybe even what the S2 will actually be called first. After all, no-one wants to carry around a device called the Sony Sashimi.

 

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