Samsung vows to investigate burning Galaxy S3

Samsung has promised to look into an incident that saw one owner’s Galaxy S3 exploding in a car. Posting pictures of the smouldering smart phone on the boards.ie forum, Dublin-based student dillo2k10 writes that he was “driving along with my Galaxy S3 in my car mount when suddenly a white flame, sparks and a bang …

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Droid Razr Maxx and Droid Razr getting Android 4.0 June 22

No, you’re not dreaming. After much anticipation and teeth gnashing at the lack of Android 4.0 in the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx and Droid Razr, Verizon has confirmed it will push Ice Cream Sandwich updates to the phones immediately. Better still, the handsets will also receive enhanced video chat thanks to a Video Calling Icon. Verizon claims voice-to-text entry will …

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Judges tosses Apple v. Motorola

A U.S. judge has tossed out the Apple v. Motorola patent case for good, according to reports. Judge Richard Posner of the U.S. District of Northern Illinois said that neither Apple nor Motorola has been able to prove damages and that neither company would be permitted to refile a claim, according to All Things Digital. “It would be ridiculous to …

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Wait for Windows Phone 8 or buy a Samsung Galaxy S3?

Microsoft’s newest mobile OS — Windows Phone 8 — will add some key functionality to Microsoft’s smartphones, but is it worth waiting for? The new software offers a few more bells and whistles in terms of functionality for smartphone subscribers. But the bigger deal is that it will offer the necessary hooks for developers and device makers to build more …

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Kickstarter project adds a magnetic skin to iPhones

Not everyone wants to keep their iPhone hidden away in a pocket. Some folks prefer to hang them on hooks or wear them around their necks. And what about sticking them on a fridge, filing cabinet, or other metal surface? If my wife’s phone had a magnetic backing, she could slap it on the door to our garage, thereby increasing …

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Sony Vaio E Series 11 charges your phone even when it’s off

Getting to 11 series is quite the achievement. M*A*S*H did it, and — inexplicably — so has comedy-free sitcom My Family. Friends managed just 10 series, which is empirical proof that Friends is officially not as good as My Family or Sony laptops, which hits its own series 11 with the latest Sony Vaio E Series. Actually, the 11 just …

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Android Jelly Bean confirmed by Google for £255 Galaxy Nexus

Give it the beans! Google has let slip that the next version of Android will indeed be called Jelly Bean — and that it will make its first appearance on the new Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ phone. Even better, the Big G has gone and revealed the price of the new Nexus. A listing for the Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ showed up …

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Sony to dump $996 million into CMOS imaging production

Sony sees an opportunity in CMOS image sensors and is investing serious cash into them to prove it. The company today announced that it plans to invest about 80 billion yen ($996 million) into the Sony Semiconductor Corp.’s Nagasaki Technology Center. The funds will start flowing in the first half of the fiscal year that ends March 31, 2013 and …

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Editors’ Choice TV and ratings revealed: Midyear report card

The Panasonic TC-P50ST50 won our Editors’ Choice award for plasma TVs. Sarah Tew/CNET June means school is out of session and report cards are making their way to parents’ hands — and hopefully refrigerator doors. This year’s class of TVs has had its share of star pupils as well as clowns so far. Editors’ Choice The Panasonic TC-PST50 successfully fended …

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Android developers can now reply directly to Google Play comments

Android developers now have the ability to reply to user reviews and comments left in the Google Play store, according to the official developers blog. Starting today, those listed with Top Developers badges can log into the Developer Console and leave replies and other messages to users. A wider release is expected once additional feedback is gathered from developers and …

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Windows Phone 8 sucker punches Windows Phone fans

Yesterday Microsoft showed Windows Phone fans what to expect when the next iteration of its mobile operating system lands this autumn — and simultaneously sucker-punched its most loyal fans by confirming existing Windows Phones won’t be getting an update to Windows Phone 8. Let me make that point really clear: if you just shelled out for a Windows Phone you …

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HTC Zenith, Accord and Rio leak as HTC’s first WP8 phones

HTC’s first Windows Phone 8 smart phones are out the bag, just one day after Microsoft showed off the latest version of its mobile software. Revealed by the Verge, which cites a ‘knowledgeable source’, they are the HTC Zenith, Accord and Rio. The HTC Zenith will be the top of the range mobile, apparently. Expect it to arrive with a …

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Next

Swype is growing up and it wants to get to know you better. Many Android fans will already be familiar with the nifty Swype keyboard — which lets you drag your finger over letters to form words, rather than hen pecking each individual letter. Swype comes preloaded on around 200 million phones now — scores of Android phones and some …

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Your Windows Phone won’t get WP8, will get new home screen

If you own a Nokia Lumia 900, Nokia Lumia 800 or any current Windows Phone, you won’t get Windows Phone 8 — but you will get the headline feature of the next generation software in a Windows Phone 7.8 update. Phones running the current software, Windows Phone 7.5, will get an update to 7.8 including the new home screen, complete …

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Windows Phone 8 NFC Wallet pays for stuff with your phone

Microsoft has unveiled Windows Phone 8, and one of the new features of the latest mobile phone software is Wallet — so you can pay for stuff with your phone, save card details and find deals. The primary function of Wallet is to pay for items by waving your Windows Phone at the till in a shop. The handset and …

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