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Tag: hardware-and-technology

  • LG Optimus Launches Pro C660 and Optimus Net P690

    LG Electronics launches on the global market two smartphones – LG Optimus Pro C660 and LG Optimus Net P690 – two budget smartphones specially created for the masses.

    LG Optimus Pro C660 is a new smartphone, equipped with a 2.8-inch screen and 4-row QWERTY keyboard.

    Based on a format already promoted by the HTC ChaCha and Motorola Pro, Optimus Pro is trying to combine the advantages of a physical QWERTY keyboard with the versatility of a touch screen.

    Configuration is similar to the HTC Chacha model, based also on a processor clocked at 800 MHz and 512 MB RAM, running Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Measuring 2.8 inch, the 4:3 screen is slightly larger than in the ChaCha and oriented in portrait mode. Resolution offered is 320 x 480 pixels, so the space would not be a problem.

    Equipment list also includes a GPS, 3-megapixel  camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi N and 3G HSDPA. The space available for installing applications is limited to 150 MB, and for storing the user can attach a microSDHC card.

    The 1500 mAh Li-Ion battery should be sufficient for the screen and the chosen configuration, so you should not worry too much about the autonomy.

    LG Optimus Pro C660 will come soon in Europe, the price being around 170 euro.

    LG Optimus Net P690 – a faster Optimus One with Android 2.3

    LG Optimus Net P690 is the no-keyboard version of the Optimus Pro and a replacer for the popular Optimus One.

    If Optimus One was providing us only a 600MHz processor and just over 400 MB RAM, the configuration of Optimus Net raises CPU frequency up to 800 MHz and supplements the RAM memory to 512 MB. Increased processing power is used effectively, running the new 2.3.3 version of Android Gingerbread, whose interface is displayed on the surface of a capacitive TFT 3.2-inch screen with a 320×480-pixel resolution.

    Optimus Net is shooting at VGA resolution and the pictures obtained with the 3-megapixel camera are organized using the geo-tagging function, provided by the integrated A-GPS receiver.

    Connecting to the Internet can be achieved by 3G HSDPA connectivity at 3.6 Mbps or using the network card Wi-Fi N. The phone also features a Bluetooth 3.0 module for data transfer and connection of various accessories, microUSB connector for attaching to a PC and a 3.5 mm jack connector for the headset supplied in the package.

    The space available for installing applications is limited to 150 MB and you can use a 2GB microSD card for storing – also included in the package.

    In the case of 113.5 x 59 x 12.1 mm and 122 grams perfectly fits a 1500 mAh Li-Ion battery, which should provide a reasonable autonomy.

    LG Optimus Net P690 is available from just this month at a price of 200 euro.

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  • Ciscos Cius Tablet Coming to Verizon LTE

    Cisco Cius, the first Android tablet aimed at enterprise customers will be launched by Verizon Wireless later this summer. According to Verizon, the company is combining the power of its 4G LTE network with the Cisco Cius to improve "Mobile Enterprise Collaboration."

    The Cisco Cius will be available to Verizon enterprise and government customers around the world later this summer, and those located domestically will be able to combine the device with a Verizon Wireless 4G LTE mobile hot spot.

    Designed for the enterprise, the Android-based Cisco Cius combines voice, video, collaboration and virtualization capabilities on one device. When powered by Verizon's 4G LTE network, mobile workers will be able to easily use bandwidth-intensive video applications – including between devices – for more effective collaboration.

    "Mobile applications over intelligent high-speed networks will continue to eliminate barriers in the workplace," said Mike Smith, vice president for Verizon enterprise communications, network and mobility sales. "We're forecasting a perfect storm where advanced enterprise tools such as the Cisco Cius mesh with the speeds made possible by 4G LTE to make the virtual office a more robust reality than ever."

    Putting Tablets to Work

    In general, industries such as retail, financial services, healthcare and government can employ tablets to change the pace of their business.

    Retail: Sales associates can employ tablets while out on the floor to look up product and inventory information for customers, in addition to processing transactions on the spot.

    Financial Services: Bankers and financial advisors can take advantage of the video capabilities of tablets for face-to-face meetings with clients, saving the time it takes to meet up at physical locations.

    Health care: Medical professionals can use tablets to collaborate on patient care and speed critical decision-making.

    Government: Tablets can increase productivity of government users – from military to civilian government field workers to emergency first responders – allowing them to enter information or share it quickly with remote offices to complete the business of government more efficiently.

    Through Verizon's Managed Mobility portfolio, enterprise customers can securely deploy a wide range of devices to employees. Capabilities include device management; expense tracking management; lock and wipe features for protecting sensitive data; and mobile delivery of popular business and consumer apps from the cloud. In addition, the company offers a full suite of professional services to help organizations create policies and design mobility programs to suit varied requirements.

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  • Level 3 Delivers SIP Trunking with Nomadic E-911 Solution for Microsoft Lync

    Level 3 Communications has announced that it is working with Microsoft to provide SIP Trunking with nomadic E-911 (enhanced 911) designed to integrate with Microsoft Lync.

    Nomadic users in the enterprise space are those who migrate workspace locations, taking advantage of VoIP services that allow phone calls to be made anywhere Internet access is available. Due to the nature of VoIP, it has traditionally been very difficult to offer E-911 solutions, which identify the physical location of the caller to the appropriate emergency response centers.

    "Enterprises expect their 911 voice services to connect them with the appropriate emergency contacts," said Warren Barkley, general manager, Microsoft Lync. "Microsoft Lync is able to offer enterprises the benefits of a unified communications deployment with an easy-to-manage, dynamic and reliable 911 routing solution through Level 3, even as workers change locations."

    SIP trunking allows enterprises to converge voice and data on a single network, creating tangible network and operation expense savings while laying a foundation for next-generation communication and collaboration tools. The solution takes advantage of Level 3's SIP Trunking and E-911 networks, enabling Microsoft Lync users to move throughout the workplace while still providing location-specific 911 information to the correct emergency responders. 

    While the inherent mobility of VoIP solutions can increase productivity and reduce costs for UC users, it also introduces 911 risk and management overhead since users can change locations frequently. Level 3's solution allows a user's location to be provided at the time of the emergency call, enabling routing to the appropriate first responders, compared to alternative nomadic 911 solutions which can only provide pre-registered locations. This allows enterprises to garner the productivity and cost advantages of VoIP and UC while efficiently managing emergency services' calling needs.

    "Leveraging Level 3's SIP and 911 networks with Microsoft Lync, which was designed for next generation SIP networks, enables enterprises to enjoy the full benefits of unified communications without unanticipated management headaches," said Sara Baack, senior vice president of Voice Services for Level 3. "Effective emergency services are the cornerstone of ensuring a safe work environment, and Level 3 is dedicated to continually improving the network capabilities that these services rely on every day."

    Using the Microsoft Lync platform, the new solution enables emergency services to receive current information on a user's location, offering workers a safe work environment, gaining compliance with strict safety codes and simplifying enterprise IT management. Level 3 offers this nomadic capability for Microsoft Lync as part of its enterprise SIP trunking offering in the United States, allowing customers to benefit from the functionality built natively into the Microsoft platform and helping avoid the need to purchase additional hardware or services.

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  • Ericsson: LTE Advanced – Mobile Internet 10 Times Faster

    Ericsson chose the Swedish city of Kista to demonstrate the next stage of development of the LTE communications technology, called LTE Advanced, which can provide data transfer speeds over 10 times higher than those currently available of the LTE users.

    LTE Advanced provides improved speed and capacity needed to transform the vision of a permanently connected society into reality. The technology is in accordance with the 3GPP Release 10 global standard. Recently, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) confirmed that the LTE Advanced are among the technologies that meet the International Mobile Telecommunications criteria and it’s estimated that the first implementations of LTE Advanced will become commercially operational in 2013.

    The system, fully supported using commercial equipment, was operated on a frequency of test offered by PTS. This fact allowed Ericsson to demonstrate the different features of LTE Advanced, such as expanding the bandwidth available for data transmission through a technique called "Carrier Aggregation" with 3 x 20 MHz (resulting in a total width of 60 MHz) for the first time in a mobile environment.

    The improvements introduced by LTE Advanced include the possibility of extending the bandwidth for data transmissions by carrier aggregation type techniques or the MIMO functionality (multiple-input multiple-output). From the user point of view, this means that the information will be obtained and transmitted more quickly, even during periods when the network is busy, which, along with higher speeds of data transfer will significantly improve the final experience.

    The demo was supported by the multi-standard Ericsson RBS 6000 radio base station and the data were transmitted in real time between the station and a van in motion which could effectively measure network performance. For this demonstration they used a bandwidth of 60 MHz wide, compared to 20 MHz maximum amount allowed at present to LTE. For downlink was used 8×8 MIMO.

    In 2010, the first year the technology was operational, the number of users with access to the LTE network grew to 150 million people. Ericsson has supplied most of these LTE commercial networks and has signed contracts with six of the seven largest operators by revenue in 2010.

    Ericsson is one of the leading supporters of the development of LTE and holds approximately 25% of the patents needed for LTE, making it the largest holder of patents for this technology throughout the industry.

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  • Apple Ready to Launch the Production of the New iPhone

    Apple is close to launch the next generation of iPhones in an attempt to stay on top of their rivals from Samsung, says WSJ.

    The company has ordered some important components for a new iPhone in order to launch the next generation in late September, according to several people close to the matter. Sources say that the new iPhone is expected to be much like the current iPhone 4, but thinner and lighter, plus an 8-megapixel camera.

    One source claims that the new iPhone will run on Qualcomm chips. iPhone 4 uses chips from a former division of the German company Infineon Technologies AG, which is now owned by Intel. Apple officials declined to comment on the data.

    The rumors on the appearance of the new iPhone version, the product that brought the most revenues for Apple, have increased after the company chose not to reveal a new model of smartphone at the CNDC held in early June, as they did in the past.

    Apple said at that time that the new version of iOS 5 will be available in this fall. This has fueled the speculations that the latest generation of iPhones will be introduced at the same time. A well- informed person said the American company initially planned the launch this summer, but the device was not finished on time.

    iPhone businesses have generated almost half of company’s revenues of 24.7 billion dollars in the quarter ended on March 26. The rivalry between Apple and Samsung has intensified in recent years, both companies being directly involved in a legal battle, both Samsung and Apple being accused of violating intellectual property.

    Tuesday, Apple filed a complaint against Samsung at the Commission on International Trade in the United States by trying to stop the importation of Samsung smartphones and tablets after the Koreans have asked the Commission to de-market certain models of iPhone and iPad in the United States.

    Wall Street projections for the new iPhone are relatively conservative because the analysts are not expecting the device to have major improvements and design changes to convince the current iPhone owners to buy the new version.

  • Nokia to Reduce Smartphone Prices

    Nokia will reduce the prices of its smartphones in Europe, say sources within the sector profile. Finnish strategy would thus lead to a price war on mobile phone market.

    Finnish company’s smartphones began to increasingly lose market share in Europe in favor of Android mobile operating platform produced by Google. Thus, Nokia may report losses for the second and third quarters of this year.

    One inside source told Reuters that the Finnish giant will make cuts up to 15%, especially for the N8, C7 and E6 models, designed for business customers. For other phones, the discounts will be smaller.

    "There were no discounts for certain models, but the scale of the measure on the portfolio has not been seen for a long time," said the source, who works at a European telecommunications operator.

    Nokia shares fell by 1.5% during yesterday’s trading and early this year declined by 40% because of the fears that switching to the Microsoft Windows operating system will not contribute to improving the competitiveness with Apple’s iPhone.

    Nokia spokesman declined to comment on price, but said the changes are part of the normal business process.

    Nokia's strategy, ready to affect the other mobile phone manufacturers

    Nokia measures could trigger a price war, affecting companies such as Motorola, Sony Ericsson and LG Electronics, warns Neil Mawson, an analyst at Strategy Analytics. He believes that both, the operators and the customers will benefit from lower prices of smartphones, but the producers with low profit margins will face serious problems.

    According to Nomura, Samsung Electronics will become in this quarter the largest manufacturer of smartphone devices worldwide, exceeding Nokia. Finnish company's share on smartphone market fell to 25.5% in the first quarter of 2011, from 39%, the value recorded in the previous year, according to the market research company Gartner.

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  • Smartphone.Biz-news.com Test: LG Optimus Chic – Android for the Masses

    LG really discovers the Android operating system. Does Optimus Chic manage to compete with the models from HTC and Samsung?

    Optimus Chic is for now the best known Android smartphone from LG. At purchase, the buyer can choose between black and white color options, in rest, just like the most smartphones in this price class, the image is dominated by plastic. In addition, the housing is a quickly magnet for fingerprints – the only solution against them is to repetitively erase the surface.

    As attraction Optimus Chic features a 3.2-inch capacitive touch screen. The display offers a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels for optimal navigation on the Internet and because of the enormous brightness of 681 cd/m2, the visibility in direct sunlight is good. Thus, using the Korean is facile either in a summer garden or on the shore of a lake. The four keys with sensors located below the screen proved to be the weaknesses. Through these keys, the user accesses the options, the home screen, “back” and “search”. During our testing, when operating rapid and successively, the quartet has responded pretty slow.

    A variety of equipment on board
    Optimus Chic is running on the 2.2 version of the Android operating system, the 2.3 version being ready for launch. User Platform was slightly modified, but still offers a considerable plus-value compared with the original. As we already know, the Optimus Chic home screen is customizable. The user has at its disposal seven home screens, on which can be placed widgets, folders and shortcuts to applications. In particular on the widgets category, LG offers the Optimus Chic a few applications – such as the Briefing Today app that brings on the screen the scheduled meetings and the weather forecast. The main menu is presented rather conservative. However, here we can also find enough interesting things: client for Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and Xing.

    In this context, the displayed keyboard has left a good impression. By the ThinkFree Office suite, Optimus Chic even offers a program for viewing and processing Office documents. The widening horizon is responsible for the so-much-beloved Layar app with Augmented Reality, by displaying information about points of interest on a certain live image fixed with the camera. As hardware equipment, we remember the Wi-Fi connection, the HSPA mode, GPS and a 5-megapixel camera, plus the usual features.

    Performance in the lab
    Optimus One has passed our tests with bravery – and the Optimus Chic is not inferior to his older brother. Chic displays 9-hour autonomy while speaking and 21 days in waiting. A special appreciation deserves the very-good signal. Our tests have also showed that the sound qualities are good, the partner for dialogue being easily understandable.

    Overall, the Korean smartphone receives from us more points than most of Android smartphones, including HTC and Samsung, phones in the same class of price.

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  • Skype Introduces Video Calls for Android Smartphones

    Skype has just introduced a new service that allows the users of Android phones to make free video calls to the contacts on Skype or to those having an Apple iPhone.

    The company, whose name has become in mid-2000s synonymous with internet calls, says the application will now support video calls only to certain HTC and Sony Ericsson phones.

    But they will not stop here. The company wants to bring the video call options on as many platforms, according to Neil Stevens, director of sales and marketing for Skype.

    This step will certainly spark a competition between the handset manufacturers that rely on Google Android software and the video call services FaceTime of Apple. FaceTime was launched last year for iPhone and is now available on the tablet iPad 2 and on the computers using Mac.

    The new video calling option will help Microsoft, the new owner of Skype, to promote their Smartphone Windows Phone platform, which is merging with Nokia platform in an effort to compete with Android and Apple.

    In the last four months of 2010, Skype had on average 145 million users online per month. In 2010, the users made calls that totaled 207 billion minutes, of which 42% were video calls.

    For now, video phone calls are in an early stage, but the market for fixed calls on the Internet has increased by 12.6%, last year reaching a value worth 17.3 billion dollars.

    With the new Android Skype application, the users can make free calls between the phones running on Android, iPhones, Macs, Microsoft Windows PCs and TVs.

    The first phones that support video calls are HTC Desire 5, Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo, Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro and Google Nexus S.

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  • Google Mobilize Comes To Help Small Businesses

    Google takes initiative and wants to help the small and medium businesses to create websites for mobile phones. The project is called Google Mobilize and it was launched at a conference held in London. The concept involves converting web pages in order to be accessed through mobile phones.

    This is the first time when Google choose to launch an application in the United Kingdom before the United States, the impulse for this being given by a research project made by the company, which revealed that 28% of Britons are using their mobile phone when making a purchase online.

    "Many people are making purchases by using their smartphones, but what we do not know is that there are many sites adapted to the mobile phones, enabling them to order directly from the phone",briefs us Ian Carrington, successful sales manager of Google in Eastern and Northern Europe.

    He has also announced some official statistics registered in the UK. From these, it results that 36% of the population are using a smartphone, and 20 million people are connected to the Web by phone, compared to 14 million, in 2010. Also, the number of those who once saw an ad on TV, are using their smartphone or tablet for searching additional details about the product or about the brand.

    Android Market has reached 4.5 billion for the downloaded applications and games. "A year ago the figure was one billion, and it took two years to get here," said Carrington. Now, it reached one billion in 60 days. If this number will continue to grow in direct proportion to the number of daily active devices, the figure will explode by the end of the year.

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  • Cisco Unveils AppHQ Application for Cisco Cius

    Cisco introduced AppHQ, an application ecosystem built specifically for Cisco Cius that provides new ways to create, manage and rapidly deploy tablet applications in the enterprise. According to Cisco, with the Cius, organizations can now deliver an optimized tablet with enterprise-grade security, as a natural extension of the enterprise network.

    AppHQ provides developers with tools and resources to create, test and market applications for Cisco Cius, and allows IT managers to control which applications can be used on the devices. Additionally, companies can create private, custom-branded application storefronts for their organizations where employees can find, publish and procure applications that complement their business environments.

    During a series of media events, Cisco highlighted that CDW, Nervecentre Software, Nottingham University Hospitals, Palomar Pomerado Health, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and Verizon are among customers using Cisco Cius.

    Cisco AppHQ

    Cisco AppHQ is a highly secure, cloud-based user storefront that provides capabilities for end users and IT managers. Some of these capabilities include:

    – Testing and validation:Cisco AppHQ provides IT managers and users with a "trusted source" for applications, ensuring that every application within AppHQ goes through Cisco validation testing, whether developed by Cisco, third-party Android developer partners, or users within the enterprise. The validation process includes interoperability testing both for the application itself and in typical configurations within the device.

    – Store-within-a-Store: Enterprises will have a Cisco hosted, highly-secure and private application store within AppHQ. Businesses can customize the storefront, following their corporate branding guidelines, including use of logos, icons and color schemes. Beyond customization, the store-within-a-store is a platform that customers can use to deploy applications efficiently in their organizations. For example, a financial services company could deploy applications pertaining to their back office operations, such as human resources or payroll apps, and populate those applications on the devices of relevant employees.

    – Empowers IT management:With AppHQ Manager, IT will have the ability to allow (or deny) access to application marketplaces by user role or device and to grant (or deny) access to applications by type, source or category. This unique capability will let IT organizations balance the individual freedom of users with the enterprise-class policies on security and cost efficiency.

    The AppHQ ecosystem will include Cisco selected applications that deeply integrate Cisco collaboration capabilities, as well as validated business-to-business and business-to-consumer applications from developer partners. The company announced that it will continue to add applications to AppHQ based on customer requirements. IT managers can also select from approximately 200,000 applications in the Android Marketplace.

    Cisco Cius is scheduled for global availability on July 31, 2011. The estimated street price is below $750 USD and Cisco has made available a new promotion* called "Triple V" (for Voice, Video and Virtualization) that could enable further price reductions below $700 USD. Pricing may vary by country. Basic access to Cisco AppHQ is included with every Cisco Cius device.

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