MWC (Mobile World Congress) is only a couple of weeks away and the world’s top mobile phone manufacturers, apart from Apple, will descend upon Barcelona to show off their latest handsets. Samsung, LG, Nokia, Sony, HTC, Acer and Asus will all be on hand to show what they have planned for 2012 and beyond. Here’s what we think you might be seeing at MWC 2012.

Nvidia

While we’ve already seen the Tegra quad-core processor in the new Asus tablet we’d bet our house that Nvidia & Co will be on hand at MWC to confirmed more Tegra 3 mobile devices. Adding even more fuel the fire they’ve already sent out a press release teasing “quad-core firsts” during Mobile World Congress.

We’ve known about quad-core smartphones since CES, but anything on show was displayed behind glass – so it’s going to be exciting to get some proper face-time with the new handsets. It’s been reported that HTC and LG are both planning to unveil Tegra 3-powered devices, which are expected to feature 4.7-inch displays with 720p resolutions.

Windows 8 & Windows Phone

Microsoft revealed recently that it plans to launch the consumer preview version of Window 8 on February 29 – to coincide with their event at MWC. It’s does seem odd that Microsoft will be discussing Windows 8 at a mobile phone trade show, but it could mean Microsoft to will unveil more details on how Windows 8 will work alongside their Mobile phone operating system.

Not only will Windows Phone 8 share the same Metro style user interface as Windows 8 for tablets and PCs, but developers can reuse the same code for both operating systems. It’s not clear if Microsoft plans to discuss its Windows Phone 8 plans, but a Windows 8 Consumer Preview launch at Mobile World Congress makes it look that way.

Samsung

Its been confirmed by Samsung that the follow-up to their Galaxy S2 wouldn’t be making an appearance at this year’s MWC, but even more bizarre is the news that Samsung won’t be making a major press announcements at the 2012 show. Samsung should still have a new product or two to launch at MWC, as promised, however the usual big set-piece event is now off the table.

Their US PR team said: ”Samsung confirmed that they are not hosting a press conference at Mobile World Congress, but Samsung is looking forward to introducing and demonstrating exciting new mobile products at Mobile World Congress 2012.

“The successor to the Galaxy S II smartphone will be unveiled at a separate Samsung-hosted event in the first half of the year, closer to commercial availability of the product.

“Samsung stays committed to providing the best possible mobile experiences for customers around the world.”

Sony

The leaked shot above show the entire family of Xperia phones, but there’s also a couple of family members we haven’t seen before. According the Xperia Blog the new handsets include the rumoured Xperia Nypon and the phone in the middle of the bottom row, is thought to be the recently-announced Xperia S. We’ve had several emails about Sony’s plans at MWC, so we’re betting they’ll be bringing a host of new phones to MWC under the Xperia brand.

Blackberry

Ailing smartphone maker, Blackberry, should be at MWC with their new operating system. Once called BBX, its now been dubbed Blackberry 10 and has yet to released on any smartphone.

According to a RIM rep the company will be at MWC to show off the new operating system as well its current Blackberry 7 – which comes with new NFC and BBM capabilities. Unfortunately, it appears there still won’t be a device running BlackBerry 10 until later this year.

New reports from BGR blog are suggesting that Blackberry has cancelled the BlackBerry Colt, as well the Milan. Meaning RIM only has the BlackBerry 10 smartphone. First unveiled in London, the handset comes with dual-core 1.5Ghz, 1GB of Ram, 16GB of onboard storage and front and rear facing cameras. RIM focusing on a single device could be a good thing, but we’ve heard it won’t be ready until the third quarter of this year, which might just be too late – let’s hope they have something more concrete at MWC.

HTC

HTC has already confirmed their plans with a press conference set to take place the day before the show officially kicks off. They’re expected to show of the HTC Edge , which could also be the world’s first quad-core phone. There’s also talk of the Quattro tablet, also quad-core thanks to Nvidia’s Tegra 3 processor, as well as the Ville, another Android Ice Cream Sandwich superphone, and the Primo, a more mid-range device.

We also wonder if we’ll hear of the European version of the Titan II Windows Phone we saw at CES, with its ginormous 16-megapixel camera. Let’s hope so.

MWC takes place from February 27 to March 3.

Mobile World Congress: Gaj-it’s Top Mobile Phone Predictions is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Android’s vice president of engineering Hiroshi Lockheimer stated that Google now scans Android Market apps for Trojans, spyware and other such malicious software. Lockheimer said, “While it’s not possible to prevent bad people from building malware, the most important measurement is whether those bad applications are being installed from Android Market—and we know the rate is declining significantly.”

Recently various IT security firms such as Lookout and Juniper Networks had pointed out the growing number of infected apps in Google app market. However, Google has defended its current system of relatively lax monitoring policy. The company said that the users can read reviews about an app before downloading it and thus have enough data to make informed decision.

Google also cited that the number of infected apps in the Marketplace dropped 40 percent during last year. The company’s Bouncer system also carries out regular checks on developer accounts to weed out the rogue developers.

Google Tackles Android Malware Menace with Tighter Security Measures is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

In its report, Kantar Worldpanel stated, “Overall, Apple sales are now growing at a faster rate than Android across the nine countries we cover.” The report also stated that in the same quarter, Android registered marginal loss in their market share to 44.8 percent. Earlier, its market share stood at 50 percent.

But not all iPhones are created equal. iPhone 4S, despite its milder debut, now accounts for about 89 percent of all the iPhones sold. It seems like iPhone owners are not very price conscious. Despite being available for free, iPhone 3GS accounts for only 4 percent of all the iPhones sold, while iPhone 4 constituted 7 percent.  According to AllThingsD, “Forty-two percent of iPhone buyers broke existing carrier contracts to get the new iPhone 4S. And 19 percent of these iPhone 4S buyers sold their old iPhone in the secondary market.” The report also said that 19 percent of iPhone 4S buyers were iPhone 4 owners, who chose to upgrade their barely a year old phone.

iPhone Trumps Android Phones in Q4: iPhone 4S Clear Winner is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Google also downplayed its controversial naming policy. Google’s VP of Product Bradley Horowitz said that only about 0.1 percent of Google+ users had issues with its initial policy. Out of these people, 60 percent wanted the ability to add nicknames, while 20 percent were interested in using pseudonyms. Remaining 20 percent were interested in setting up profile page for their businesses.

Google will be rolling out the new functionality starting this week. It will support names in non-roman languages, nick names and maiden names. It will also let you add an alternate name. All you have to do is to click ‘edit profile’ tab, select your name and click ‘more options’. In certain cases you may be required to establish your identity via official documents such as driving license or online presence.

Google+ to Allow Pseudonyms and Nicknames is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Google is also doing its best to promote its network. The company is sitting on massive cash pile and it is sparing no expense. Google is also claiming that ever since network’s inception, it has added a new feature every day. Google also gloated over the fact that the site also has high engagement factor as over 60 percent of users log in daily while 80 percent log in at least once weekly.

Google has been under fire for some of its under tablet tactics for increasing the user base of Google+. The internet search giant recently started integrating Google+ results into its usual search results. Rival networks such as Twitter have insinuated that Google is using its clout for promoting its website. But despite the criticism, Google is going ahead with its tight integration process. Google+ is now also tied closely with Gmail and the company is making it mandatory for users to sign up for Google+ in order to use other Google products such as Calendar and Mail.

Google Claims to have 90 Million Google+ Users is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

However, Google was more than eager to counter the accusations made by Murdoch. A company spokesperson said, “Last year we took down 5 million infringing web pages from our search results and invested more than $60 million in the fight against bad ads … Like many other tech companies, we believe that there are smart, targeted ways to shut down foreign rogue websites without asking US companies to censor the Internet.” The internet search giant dismissed the entire episode by calling its “just nonsense”.

Rupert Murdoch also aimed at the US president Obama. He posted, “So Obama has thrown in his lot with Silicon Valley paymasters who threaten all software creators with piracy, plain thievery.” The US tech industry is currently campaigning against SOPA in its current form. Major tech companies including Facebook, Google and Wikipedia have expressed their opinion against the proposed act.

Murdoch Voices His Opinion about Google: Brands it ‘Piracy Leader’ is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

CES is underway and we’ve collated the best of the best of what’s has been shown off in the first day of the technology marathon. We’ll be giving you first hand details on what Sony, Microsoft and LG has to offer in 2012 and beyond.

Sony

Everyone, including us, thought that Sony would take to the stage at CES 2012 to unveil the new Sony Xperia Arc HD. Well, Sony did take to the stage, but unveiled the Xperia S.

Now, those of you will notice that Sony has dropped the Ericsson tagline. The phone is impossibly pretty with sleek design lines and even comes with a whopping 12-megapixel camera.

Sony have managed to cram in its Exmore R technology, which boasts a fast capture speeds of just 1.5 seconds meaning you’ll never miss the picture you want to take.

Specs-wise the phone is very impressive, with a 4.3-inch Retina Display that’s offers amazing colours, brightness and clarity thanks to the 1280×720 resolution.

Sony has given the phone a dual-core 1.5Ghz processor meaning it will be substantially faster than the current Xperia Arc, which has a single processor.

Other features of note include a HDMI port, NFC and there’s also Bravia Sync on board and the phone is PlayStation certified. The only downside for this handset is that it comes with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, but, Sony said that Ice Cream Sandwich will be on its way in the second half of 2012.

The Sony Xperia S UK release date has been set for March 2012, pricing is currently unavailable.

Microsoft

Microsoft took to the stage for the last time at CES to talk about their Windows eco-system, the rather dull keynote did not include anything about the new Xbox, but did confirm when Kinect would be coming to Windows.

From next month, Windows users will be able to control their PC’s and laptops by the motion controller Kinect.

We weren’t show anything with regards to applications, UI, or anything like that. But, we did get a list of companies that have already begun to design apps for business solutions.

2012 is the last time Microsoft that will make Keynote speeches at CES, some thought they’d go out with a bang, where in actual fact they went out with a bit of damp squib.

CEO Steve Ballmer took to the stage to reiterate the company’s focus on Windows and the Metro design for the next year, which pours water on the rumours that the new Xbox will land at E3 2012.

On Metro, Frank X. Shaw, head of corporate communications at Microsoft said: ”As you can see across our devices (and through our booth for those here at the show), Metro delivers a beautiful, natural visual experience. People already love it on Windows Phone and Xbox, and soon Metro will come to Windows 8 PCs and tablets, too.”

And on Windows 8, Microsoft had a clear message – buying a PC now won’t cause you a problem with the new OS. “Every Windows 7 PC ever made will be ready for Windows 8 on day one,” promised Ballmer. More than 500 million Windows 7 licenses have been sold – one every 7 seconds.

There was also a demonstration of the Windows Store which, like the Mac App Store, will bring downloadable apps to Windows. Microsoft announced it will launch at the end of February.

Ballmer also talked up the recent purchase of Skype. “Skype’s amazing. 200 million people who used over 300 billion minutes last year. 50 per cent were video calls”

Ballmer, did have some surprises up his sleeve and showed off the new Windows Phone from HTC, the Titan 2. It’s coming to AT&T and is sporting some incredible specs.

First of all, the Titan comes with a eye-watering 16-megapixel camera, with a wide angel lens and LED flash. Other than the camera the phone comes with 4.7-inch Super LCD screen, single core processor and 720p video recording.

LG

LG has made quite a splash at CES and we’re only on day one. Their new flagship, all be it, prototype OLED has stolen the show so far. According to LG the EM9600 is the world’s largest OLED ever made, with a minimal bezel and fantastic picture.

The first thing you’ll notice is it’s mind-blowingly thin: 4mm thick. It’s also a 3D enabled, LG reckons it will be on sale in the second half of 2012.

There’s no details on price, but, if you start saving now you’ll probably still be a fair way off being able to afford this stunning TV.

Size matters, according LG, and this true of some the other panels LG showed off. They unveiled of the world’s largest Ultra Definition 3D TV, which has a 4K resolution of 3840×2160, a whopping 4-times as many pixels as you’d get in a normal 1080p screen. It’s also 81-inches. Wow.

You can also tinker about with the 3D depth as you watch and play on the set, while 3D Sound Zooming takes care of the tri-dimensional audio layout – the UD TV is heading to market in the second half of 2012 as well.

CES 2012 Round-up: Sony, Microsoft and LG is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

We’re back with our second installment of our top tech predictions for CES 2012. In this part we will be looking at computing, tablets and mobiles. We’ll cover everything from what Microsoft has planned for Windows 8, Intel-powered Ultrabooks and everything you should expect when it comes to mobile phones and tablets.

Home Computing 

Xbox 720 aside Microsoft is expected to the have more details on its new Windows 8 operating system at CES. Steve Ballmer is expected to give an opening keynote speech where he is expected to show off the tablet-friendly OS.

So far the tech world has only seen a developer preview of the new OS, with a beta expected to the ready for February – so it’s expected that Ballmer & Co will take to the stage for the last time and announce the exact date of the beta. So keep your eye’s peeled.

Other computer related news expected from Microsoft is their decision to start supporting ARM processors with Windows 8. We’re not whether they will support both desktops and tablet architecture with Arm. But, it could be that we’ll see some Windows tablets in the future with ARM processors and more traditional desktops and laptops sticking to tried and tested Intel power plants.

Intel

Intel Chief Paul Otellini is set to deliver one of the keynotes at CES, and is expected to show off some new Ivy Bridge hardware, which should be in the form of Ultrabooks, although Ivy Bridge, the follow-up to Sandy bridge, isn’t expected until later 2012.

Graphics cards-wise AMD is likely to be on hand at CES to show off their new Southern Island, 28nm graphics card, which are expect to hit retail stores by Q1 2012. Nvidia is also expected to show off their 28nm cards too, but it’s not know whether the Kepler architecture cards will be shown on the show floor or behind closed doors.

One of the main draws for many at CES will be: Ultrabooks. This is because Intel is throwing a lot of money at the manufacturers to make a line of laptops that will reinvigorate the ailing laptop market. Over the last 3 years we’ve seen an explosion of Netbooks, then Tablets and Intel now hopes the consumers will jump on board their ultra-thin Intel-powered laptops. They are essentially MacBook Air’s, but, running Windows. From what we’ve seen of Ultrabook they do make Windows laptops cool, but with a hefty price tag and increased competition from tablets they might be too expensive for hard-up consumers to stomach.

Mobile Technology

The Mobile industry tends to make its announcements at the MWC in Barcelona, but with such a competitive marketplace many companies are likely to steal a march and get some of their announcements out before the rest of the competition. Tablets will also be big business at CES, with many manufacturers making the switch from dual-core Tegra chipsets to the new Tegra quad-core chipsets.

HTC

HTC has yet to give a UK release for their Jetstream tablet – so we’re not expecting that tablet but something entirely new – known as the HTC Quattro. It’s the usual 10-inch tablet that we’ve seen so many times over the last 12 months. For us, it’s not the hardware that is keeping Google from competing with Apple, but the fragmentation of the Android OS – especially the app marketplace – which is way off the quality and reliability of Apple’s own app store.

HTC will no doubt have several mobiles on the show floor at CES, but, they tend to make their products for different markets – so many of the new handset may well be US-only for the time being. But you should expect details on the HTC Edge, HTC Ville and possibly some quad-core phones too.

Acer

Acer is expected  to show off a new tablet, which will hopefully be a bit more exciting than the rather drab Iconica A500. This time around they’re hoping that the A700 might grab some positive headlines – especially as it’s thought to come with a 1080p resolution screen.

Samsung

Samsung is expected to show off the follow-up to the Galaxy S2, it’s been the at the centre of plenty rumour-mongering – so it’s highly likely that they could unveil it at CES and once again grab a decent head start over Apple and the iPhone. It’s expected to be dramatically different from the previous version as Samsung wants to move it away from the iPhone and avoid any further legal action.

LG 

LG is expected to show off a new Android 4.0 mobile called the Optimus U1, which could be worth keep an eye out for, especially if they managed to get it out to retailers with Ice Cream Sandwich in toe before the competition.

Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson might use CES to the finally officially unveil the Xperia Arc HD, which has been the subject of many leaks recently. It’s expected to come with a 4.3-inch LCD display, with an impressive 1280×720 resolution, a matte finish and for the first time the Arc will have the power to match its looks. The current Arc only has a single core, which by todays standards is like a pocket calculator.

Sony will want to make a splash at CES, they are in the process of buying the mobile company outright, so a good showing at the show would allay any fears from nervous shareholders and investors.

Nokia

Nokia is expected to unveil its next Windows Phone at a Window Phone-themed press conference, there’s no word on whether the reported Lumia 900 will make it to the UK, but the phone is expected to come with a 4.3-inch AMOLED screen, better battery life and their fantastic Carl Zeiss 8 megapixel camera.

We’ll be reporting all the latest news from CES – so stay tuned from the 9-13 of January.

CES 2012: Gaj-it’s Top Tech Predictions Part 2 is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Internet search engine giant Google is also in the field. Since Google TV has so far failed to make any mark in the market, the company is in the dire need to have some blockbuster content for attracting viewers. Google is also said to be planning for the launch of its TV services in the UK.

A Daily Mail reports suggested, “The involvement of Apple – and their great multimedia rivals Google are also expected to make similar soundings – would give the PL a hugely competitive market at a time when the price of other TV sports rights are in decline.” These tech companies would be directly competing with major broadcasting companies such as ESPN and Sky.

It won’t be the first time for Apple to dabble in sports tournament broadcast. In the United States, it is already involved with NBA, MLB and NHL. However, it should be ready to pay big bucks. In 2009, Sky paid £1.6 billion for broadcast rights.

Google and Apple Competing for Premier League Football Coverage Rights is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

The app has been developed using Nuance’s voice recognition technology. Ask Ziggy will direct you to related websites, if it is not able to find direct answers to your queries. The reports are also indicates that Ask Ziggy is currently in the evolutionary mode and has very rudimentary interface. You should note that Ask Ziggy is a third party app, which mimics Siri on WP7 platform.

Initial reviews of the app are not very encouraging. However, it is expected that the next iterations of the app would be more powerful and efficient.

After Android, WP7 Brings ‘Ask Ziggy’ to Compete with Siri is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com