News HTC Incredible S gets the love of seeing an Android 4.0 ICS update

Wow, it seems as though all the smartphone manufacturers needed a nudge from Google to finally release some Ice Cream Sandwich updates. After Google unveiled its Android 4.1 Jelly Bean platform last week, we’ve been seeing quite a few smartphones getting their long awaited ICS updates. So far, we’ve seen the Motorola DROID RAZR, Sony Xperia mini,and Motorola RAZR get their updates for ICS, but now we can include the aging HTC Incredible S.

Yes folks, you heard that right! The aging HTC Incredible S, which is essentially the same as the HTC Droid Incredible 2 for Verizon, is surprisingly getting its tasty helping of dessert in the form of an ICS software update. Specifically, it updates the handset’s software toAndroid 4.0.4, and from the looks of it, owners are treated to version 3.6 of HTC’s Sense interface.

Of course, it’s not the most up-to-date version of Sense, which is what we see running on devices like the HTC One X, but nevertheless, HTC Sense 3.6 is still going to please a lot of Incredible S owners. It might not have the cool 3D and transition effects found with Sense 4.0, but at least it boasts nearly all of the core functionality we’d expect to find.

Right now, it seems like unlocked versions of the smartphone are the first to see the update, which happens to clock in at 250MB in size – meaning, Wi-Fi connectivity might be the optimal choice for downloading it. However, it’s unknown at this point if its CDMA sibling in the HTC Droid Incredible 2 for Verizon Wireless will be seeing the same love.

via The Unwired & Mobileburn

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News: Mozilla renames its mobile OS: Meet Firefox OS

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Goodbye Boot to Gecko. Hello Firefox OS. Mozilla is renaming its upcoming operating system for smartphones.
The web browser maker has been working on a mobile operating system based on the technology underlying the Firefox web browser. That technology is called Gecko, but Gecko isn’t exactly a household name So Firefox OS makes a lot more sense.

On the other hand, the name also bears a more than passing resemblance to Chrome OS — Google’s operating system based on the Chrome web browser.
The difference is that Chrome OS is designed for laptop and desktop computers, while Firefox OS is designed for smartphones.
What both operating systems have in common is a focus on web technologies. All the apps that you’ll be able to run on Firefox OS will be written using the tools you’d use to write web apps, including HDML5 — although some of those apps will likely be able to work offline when you don’t have an internet connection.

The operating system is based on a Linux kernel and includes some basic software that lets interact with phone hardware. But it’s the Gecko rendering engine that powers most of the software. The phone dialer, clock, music app, and pretty much every other app is basically just a web page optimized for mobile devices.
Mozilla isn’t just changing the name to Firefox OS. It’s also announcing new partners for its project. Phone makers Alcatel and ZTE will produce the first handsets running Firefox OS, and global wireless carriers including Deutsche Telekom, Sprint, and Telefónica are now backing the Firefox OS initiative.
Telefónica is expected to launch the first Firefox OS devices in Brazil in early 2013.

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News : Apple paid $60 million to Proview to settle dispute regarding iPad trademark

The battle between Chinese company Proview and Apple regarding the ‘iPad’ trademark is not new but it has now finally come to an end, with both parties deciding to settle and with Apple having paid $60 million to Proview to use the iPad trademark.

This whole thing started two years ago when Proview sued Apple for purchasing the rights for the ‘iPad’ trademark through a subsidiary named IP Application Development Ltd. for £35,000. Proview’s claim was that had it known back then that the trademark was actually going to be used by Apple and for what purpose then it would have asked for a lot greater amount in exchange for the ‘iPad’ trademark.

The case has been going on for a while now but back in February Proview decided to sue Apple in the US, but the judge in the California court threw out the case later. Meanwhile, Proview managed to snag a victory in a Chinese court, following which the iPads were confiscated in China. Now, however, since both parties have settled, Apple can continue to sell the iPad in China.

Source

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News : "Zero Bezel" Pantech Vega S5 sports 5" HD display in a body more compact than the Galaxy S III

The just-released Pantech  Vega S5 for the Korean SK Telecom is the compact big-screen phone we've been all dreaming about. Well. it is not entirely bezelless, but it's as good as it gets with 5" smartphones these days, it seems.

The technology utilized to build the phone is called "Zero Bezel", and resulted in a device having a 5" 1280x720 pixels IPS-LCD display in a body that is both shorter and less wide than the Samsung Galaxy S III, which is of an exemplary size already, considering the 4.8" display. It is also thinner at 6.89mm, compared to the S III's 8.6mm, making it the most compact big screen smartphone to date.

The Pantech Vega S5 makes no compromises in the hardware department either - it has a dual-core Snapdragon S4, LTE connectivity, and no less but a 13MP camera on its back, plus a hearty 2100mAh battery to keep things running long time. 

Pantech wasn't joking when it said it wants to make a splash with its Android devices, and it was already one of the first to utilizetouchless gestures for managing the Pantech Vega LTE, and the first that outed a handset with glass ceramic body - the Vega Racer LTE 2, so the Vega S5 is just the latest in its string of achievements.

Hopefully the company will take it out of the SK Telecom confines, and will make a global version, since if you want to get it right now, it will cost you about $800 without carrier subsidies and preorders start July 4th. Pantech says in the press release that it made the phone specifically for the average width of Korean hands, so that the 5-incher is still manageable with one-handed usage, so don't keep your hopes high for its appearance in the rest of the world. Hey, us big-pawed folks need some Zero Bezel love too!

source: Pantech

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