August, 2012

• 8 August

  Samsung Galaxy S3, S2 and Note getting Jelly Bean this year?

  

  Update estimates for what are literally Samsung’s biggest phones have emerged, tipping the Galaxy S3 to get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in several months, with the Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Note to follow in the winter. While Samsung remains tight-lipped on the subject, SamMobile cites mysterious “insiders” who have spilled the beans regarding the latest version of …

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• 8 August

  Google Nexus 7 design challenges revealed by Asus

  

  We know building the Google Nexus 7 by Asus was “like torture“, but Asus has given more insight into the design process, revealing how teams of engineers raced to create the £160 tablet in just four months. Google and Asus first met at annual technology trade show CES in January to hash out the plans for a tablet. As the first device …

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• 8 August

  Skyfall and Sky Movies 007 give James Bond his own channel

  

  Fresh from his starring role in the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony, secret agent James Bond is getting his own TV channel. The latest espionage thriller Skyfall is heralded in by every Bond film being screened on new channel Sky Movies 007 in October. Live and Let Sky! Or should that be The Sky Who Loved Me? Or maybe For Your …

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• 7 August

  U.S. report: FCC’s cell phone radiation guidelines outdated

  

  The Federal Communications Commission should review its cell phone radio-frequency (RF) exposure limit, which was set 15 years ago, because it does not include testing for potential harm from holding phones directly against the body or factor in the latest research, a government report recommended today. When the RF exposure limit of 1.6 watts per kilogram specific absorption rate (SAR) …

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• 7 August

  Westpac and MasterCard trial SIM + NFC phone payment system

  

  In a world first, Westpac is trialling a system that stores debit card data in your phone’s SIM card, to work with any MasterCard PayPass payment system. Galaxy S III is Westpac’s trial handset.(Credit: Samsung) The new mobile contactless payment app will work on NFC-enabled Android handsets and can make payments by tapping at PayPass terminals, which are now widely …

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• 7 August

  How to cut your own micro

  

  SIM cards were long forgotten until a few years ago when Apple introduced the micro-SIM in its iPhone 4. Hardly measuring the size of a fingernail, the micro-SIM was created to accommodate the shrinking width of smartphones and tablets. Since then, more phone and tablet manufacturers, like Samsung, have adopted this format. The only problem is, however, that not all …

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• 7 August

  Nokia to announce Windows Phone 8 before Apple spruiks iPhone

  

  Nokia may try and plant its smartphone seed in your mind before Apple has a chance to launch its latest iPhone. (Screenshot by Joseph Hanlon/CBSi) According to Bloomberg, Nokia will unveil its latest Lumia phones running on Windows Phone 8 at its Nokia World conference in Helsinki on 5-6 September, a week before Apple is rumoured to host its own …

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• 7 August

  Kno launches digital textbooks for K

  

  Kno has announced a new partnership with publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt that sees the company getting into the K-12 education space. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Kno has launched a digital textbook rental system aimed at K-12 students, expanding its product range beyond its higher education roots. From today, digital versions of HMH’s K-12 textbooks can be rented through the Kno digital …

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• 7 August

  Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 jumps ahead to Jelly Bean

  

  Jelly Bean is wobbling onto the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. The new tablet is set to update to the new Android software, according to an official listing on Samsung’s site. Listing the features of the 10-inch iPad rival, the official product page announces that the Tab 2 10.1 is powered by Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. I’ve asked Samsung for …

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• 7 August

  iPhone gives Virgin Mobile serious weight, Sprint exec says

  

  With Sprint Nextel aggressively pushing into the prepaid business, it’s no surprise that the iPhone would eventually end up on one of its no-contract units. At the end of June, Virgin Mobile, which is owned by Sprint, began selling the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, representing a new avenue of distribution for Apple. Virgin’s no-contract plans meant customers would have …

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