Torque Android Phones : Price, Specs, Features - Dual SIM, WiFi, TV

Local handset company, Torque Mobile, has just joined the Android smartphone race by releasing two 'Droidz' with dual SIM support and mobile TV functionality.

Check out Torque Droidz Dual --

and Torque Droidz Tandem --

The two phones share practically similar specifications save for screen size and design identity. Both handsets come with Android 2.2 Froyo operating system, 256MB ROM 256 MB RAM, mobile TV, Dual-SIM Dual-Standby capability, Wifi and Bluetooth connectivity support, dual cameras - 2 MegaPixel shooter with flash at the rear and a VGA one in front, G-sensor, 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio and microSD card slot supporting up to 16GB. As for the screen, Torque Droidz Dual has a 3.2-inch HVGA Capacitive Touchscreen while Torque Torque Droidz Tandem flaunts a 3.5-inch display.

As regards pricing, iPhone4-look-alike Torque Droidz Tandem come with an SRP of Php 9,999 while probably-HTC-Tattoo-inspired Torque Droidz Dual sells for Php 7,999.

Torque Mobile hasn't sent us review units of these 'Droidz'. So as yet, we can't talk about their construction and overall quality.

Samsung Nexus S Philippines : Price, Specs, Globe Plans Availability

The phone comes FREE with Plan 2499, 3799, 5000 and 10000. Bundled with all Unli plans and Plan 299, it costs Php 21,307. With Plan 499, 999 and 1799, you can get it for Php 19,189, Php 13,071 and Php 7,204 respectively.
The distinguishing characteristic of Android 2.3-powered Samsung Nexus S aka Google Nexus Sis its unique Contour 4-inch SuperAMOLED Display with curved glass screen -- designed to kiss/hug the cheek nicely when you make a phone call. Other features include a 5 MegaPixel autofocus camera with flash, VGA front camera, 16GB of internal storage, WVGA 30fps videocamera, 3.5mm audio jack, microUSB port and Wifi, 3G and Bluetooth connectivity support. Oddly enough, it doesn't come with a microSD card slot for expanding the memory, CPU 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor, PowerVR SGX540 GPU, Hummingbird chipset and 512MB RAM

Next iPhone To Feature Heart Rate, Mood, Altimeter And Temperature Sensors [REPORT]

Your next iPhone could feature a number of new sensors for working out your location, temperature and even mood according to an interview with Benedetto Vigna.

The New York Times‘ Nick Bilton interviewed the General Manager of the MEMS division of STMicroelectronics, with Vigna sharing information on just what new sensors could find their way into the iPhone 5.

The iPhone 4 already features a selection of sensors with accelerometers and gyroscopes adding an interesting dimension to apps, particularly games.

Additional sensors could bring improved accuracy to already accurate location applications.

Mr. Vigna said the next smartphones would have altimeter sensors that would be able to detect your elevation. These sensors will tell people what floor they are on in a building, or could be used to more precisely determine where you are in relation to your friends on a location-based service, he said.

Bilton also shares the possibility the Apple could include mood sensing technology in the iPhone with sensors checking the user’s temperature and perspiration.

A combination of sensors could also be used to increase security past the current solution of entering a passcode when a device is unlocked.

After you use a new phone for a short period of time, it will start to learn your patterns and automatically lock or unlock the phone accordingly. This could be used for more secure banking too.

The only problem with Apple adding more and more technology into an already snug internal design of both iPhones and iPads.

Apple Lowering Current iPhone 4 Shipment Volume, New iPhone 4S With 8MP Camera To Follow?

Thanks to the wonderful world of outsourcing, manufacturers, such as Apple, need to order most if not all of their products, such as iPhones, from suppliers, which in turn are responsible for assembling them. And it’s now being reported by Digitimes that Apple has ordered slightly fewer for next quarter, roughly 17.5-18 million units, a drop from the 20 million it ordered last quarter. Most units, roughly 16 million, will have GSM chips, while the remaining minority, around 2 million, are set to be CDMA-equipped.

This news comes after months of rumors and speculation regarding a possible iPhone 5. But more recently, it has become a clear such an overhaul won’t happen until 2012. Instead, we’ll have a smaller upgrade, awkwardly named 4S, that is expected to begin production in August and begin shipping sometime in September.

It’s being reported that the iPhone 4S will have a new A5 dual-core processor (which will lead to increased speed in all sorts of tasks) and a new 8-megapixel camera, as opposed to the 5-megapixel one found on the current iPhone, enabling the device to take nearly professional-grade pictures. There are also rumors about support for more carriers in the US, such as Sprint and T-Mobile, although no LTE (4-esque) support is expected.

Much like what happened with the 3GS two years ago, the iPhone 4S will have no visible differences compared to its predecessor. Apple seems to have settled for major design upgrades every two years, along with smaller hardware and speed bumps in between those upgrades.

Production drops, and consequently inventory shortages, are common when an Apple productis about to be replaced. The same happened last year, when a new MacBook Air was about to be introduced, as well as, although to a  much greater extent, in 2008 when stores ran out of original iPhones, months before the iPhone 3G had the chance to be introduced.

The iPhone’s larger sibling, the iPad 2, is still going strong with plans to ship roughly 10.5 million units until the end of the year, therefore it should be pretty safe to get an iPad right now, without running the risk of having it fade into history by a newer model a few months down the road.

Will a small update such as the rumored iPhone 4S be enough to gain traction, or will it simply keep iPhones selling at their current pace?

Microsoft To Buy Nokia’s Mobile Division? (Rumor)

Hot on the heels of their acquisition of Skype for $8.5 Billion, rumors now suggests that Microsoft is close to having a big deal of buying out Nokia’s mobile division.

The rumor comes from none other than the well known and respected Russian based technology analyst Eldar Murtazin, who believes that Microsoft and Nokia will announce the said deal deal as soon as next week.

With Nokia still struggling to match both Apple’s iPhone and Android devices in smartphone space, is to drop the name Ovi and sell apps under the Nokia brand in future, and likewise Microsoft still having not-so-good-looking sales figures for its WindowsPhone 7 based devices, the deal probably will bring hope of improving ailing fortunes of both the companies.

Could this be the end of Nokia as we know it? We cant be sure at the moment of course. But if sources of Murtazin are to believed, it could well possibly be it. It is also important to note here that Microsoft and Nokia have already announced a strategic partnership earlier this year according to which Nokia will be dumping Symbian and MeeGo in favor of Windows Phone 7 as the primary smartphone platform for its handsets.

Apple’s Next iPhone To Be Called iPhone 4S – Sprint/T-Mobile Support, A5, Similar External Design

A new report claims Apple’s next iPhone will be called the iPhone 4S, and it will feature ‘minor cosmetic changes’.

Business Insider reports that Jefferies analyst Peter Misek has put out a note on the next iPhone, claiming Apple will go for the ‘iPhone 4S’ moniker rather than go straight to iPhone 5.

Misek also lifts the lid on specifications: the iPhone 4S will include the dual-core A5 CPU just like the iPad 2, as well as improved cameras front and back. HSPA+ support will also be present this time around, while cosmetically not much will change, though ‘minor’ alterations are expected.

Of particular note are Misek’s remarks that the iPhone 4S will incorporate radios that make the handset compatible with Sprint and T-Mobile in the United States as well as bringing the handset to China Mobile. A T-Mobile version had been rumored before and Sprint support is a new one on us, though not entirely surprising.

Misek also reports Apple did intend to go for the 4G jugular with the iPhone 4S but the hardware was deemed to not be ready just yet, meaning the company opted to go for a more modest model update this year. Reports of multiple prototypes being tested have been doing the rounds for a while now, and it’s possible Apple has been testing a 4G iPhone but ultimately decided against it.

Analysts have been wrong before of course, and there are no reasons to believe this particular one is spot on with all his information, though equally there is no reason to distrust him either. The only fact we find ourselves not sure of is the claim Apple wanted 4G in the next iPhone, despite ‘real’ 4G not being rolled out by carriers properly just yet. Remember, this is the same Apple that brought the first iPhone to market with no 3G radio because they deemed it too early.

Why Nokia chose WP7 over Android?

While some people are excited about the adoption of Windows Phone 7 into the Nokia family, others are also disappointed why Android wasn’t picked by the Finnish company.

Android is obviously the more mature mobile platform compared to Windows Phone and the number of apps available in the Android Market are also miles away compared to the Zune Store.

So the questions remains, why WP7 and not Android? Here are some of my thoughts.

Elop’s career background played a huge role with the decision to go WP7 – he used to be a top Microsoft guy and may still have a lot of allies and friends inside the Redmond complex (including Steve Ballmer himself). His bias towards Windows Phone 7 is expected and being the new gung-ho CEO of Nokia hasn’t diminished that.

Second, the shift in direction isn’t solely leveraged on WP7 alone. Nokia will still make Symbian phones in their entry-level to mid-range handsets while WP7 will be installed on flagship and high-end phones (partly due to the high hardware requirements).

With Microsoft, Nokia has very little to no significant conflicts of interest and products unlike Google. Had Nokia chosen Android, Ovi Maps will be replaced by Google Maps and the Ovi Store will be totally scrapped in favor of the Android Market. These are huge investments that Nokia made recently and won’t still be willing to let go just to embrace Android.

The Nokia and Microsoft partnership looks like an equitable (dare I say win-win) arrangement — neither one of the parties is too dominant over the other. Microsoft has a little bit of edge in terms of how far its WP7 platform will move forward while Nokia will benefit a lot from all the marketing budget that Microsoft will infuse into the pool as well as support for enterprise clients (MS Exchange, Outlook and Bing).

Let’s not also discount the fact that Android has a lot of patent problems plaguing it (primarily from Apple) and that might be something Nokia does not want to inherit.

Nokia will not be getting any premium or special treatment from Google unlike what it’s getting from Microsoft. Nokia already got the nod of MS to customize the UI of WP7, a feature Microsoft did not extend to other previous handset manufacturers. Speaks “volumes” of favoritism.

-Yuga

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Android 2.1 Eclair Update : 720p HD Video Out! How to Get The Update?

Sony Ericsson has just rolled out the 1.6 Eclair update kit for Xperia X10's Android OS.

Nordic countries will be the first to get it today while more kits will come tomorrow for other territories. The roll-out will continue throughout November.

Android 2.1 Eclair update kit for Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 will bring these key changes to the device:

• HD video recording with continuous auto-focus for high quality videos
• Upgrade of the Android platform to Android 2.1
• New back up and restore application, with extended content back up
• 5 homescreens for apps, widgets, shortcuts and folders
• Social phonebook which automatically syncs contact pictures from Facebook and shows when your friends are online

How to get the Android 2.1 update on you SE Xperia X10?

1. Go to Settings
2. Scroll down to About The Phone
3. Click on System Software Updates
4. Download Update if Available
5. Restart the Phone

Android : Leading Mobile Operating System in the United States, Says Canalys

Based on Q3 2010 mobile market sales data released by Canalys - a research company that specialises in delivering high quality market data, analysis and advice to the world’s leading technology vendors - Android is now the leading handset OS in the United States.

A wide gamut of smart phones running the (Google initiative) Open Handset Alliance's (OHA's) Android operating system had given the platform the top position in the US market for mobile OS with a 43.6% share;

"With Samsung, HTC, Motorola and Sony Ericsson all delivering large numbers of Android devices, and with focused efforts from many other vendors, such as LG, Huawei and Acer, yielding promising volumes, the platform continues to gather momentum in markets around the world," shares Pete Cunningham, Canalys Senior Analyst.

"Android has been well received by the market and in some geographies it is becoming a sought-after consumer brand. It has rapidly become the platform to watch, and its growing volumes will help to entice developers, ensuring consumers have access to an increasingly rich and vibrant mobile content and application ecosystem. Vendors are now delivering Android devices across a broad range of price points, from high-end products such as the Samsung Galaxy S or HTC Desire, to aggressively priced devices such as the LG GT540 Optimus or the Huawei built Vodafone 845, ensuring that Android devices are available and affordable to consumers on almost any budget."

Amazing.

ARM announces 2.5GHz Cortex-A15 MPCore (Dual Core Chip)

If you’re familiar with the 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 that powers the Samsung Wave, Galaxy S and iPhone 4 including the new Archos Android tablets, then it’s going to be easy to imagine what a dual Cortex-A15 running up to 2.5GHz would look like.

Samsung also announced a few days ago that they’re shipping their new dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 1GHz starting 4th quarter of this year.

The Cortex A15 MPCore processor can deliver up to 5 times the performance of current smartphone processors.

ARM’s dual-core Cortex-A15 MPCore can reach clock speeds of up to 2.5GHz and should be available by 2012. For the meantime, expect a lot of new smartphones and tablet to run the top-of-the-line ARM Cortex-A8 1GHz and possibly new Android smartphones from Samsung running their dual-core Cortex-A9 that’s capable of full HD 1080p playback.