IDF 2012: Intel Ports Jelly Bean to Update to Android Smartphone

Lost in the commotion over the iPhone 5 news yesterday, Intel announced during the first day of its yearly developer conference that it has completed porting the latest version of Android in 4.1 Jelly Bean from its ARM-based underpinnings to the  x86 chip platform, which would allow the chipmaker to develop chipsets and related hardware around the port of the operating system.

While Intel previously relied on MeeGo for the majority of its mobile Linux work, the chipmaker also took small steps to diversify its portfolio with Google’s operating system, first by developing a superset of Android used in the first generation Google TV platform and then following up with a custom build of Android Gingerbread proper which was developed for the San Diego smartphone currently sold by pan-European carrier Orange in the UK and sold in India as the XOLO 900. The most recent release of the AZ210 smartphone (Intel’s codename for the phone) was in Russia, which launched the phone 21 days ago, with the phone being manufactured by Intel partner Gigabyte.

In practice, Intel has intentionally limited availability of its smartphone platform on a commercial level as it does not want to fully commit to a US launch until several still longstanding issues are resolved regarding Android apps on x86, namely, the majority of them not working properly without a complete rebuild.

What remains to be seen with the Jelly Bean port is whether Intel will continue with its mobile hardware experiment and offer the build as a future update for its currently available smartphone hardware, or whether the build will be used internally for further Medfield platform development, with Intel refusing to comment on any sort of timeline for a rollout. Currently, Intel is leaving rollout details to the specific carriers for the AZ210 but are admitting to select executives running the new build on their devices

Get More Apps Working

Currently, Intel’s biggest plans regarding Android still center on Medfield platform development and finding an easier way to port Android apps without needing to build completely new apps, as the apps found on Google Play and competing app stores are all built around the requirements of ARM hardware and have proven more difficult to port to the x86 platform than expected. While many apps are available for use on the San Diego smartphone, the vast majority will not work without issues, or will simply not work at all.

The US 3G Conundrum for the Curious

What is also notable about the AZ210 is the fact that it supports AT&T 3G out of the box, as the phone features quad-band 3G support, which makes it viable for use in the US, though the high price of the phone will scare many off, as the phone can only be purchased through specialized importers for around the same price as an unlocked 64GB iPhone 4S after shipping and any required taxes are taken into account. The UK version has its UMTS 1900 band locked out unless roaming internationally and otherwise requires an unlock in order to enable the band support.

Growing Support for Medfield? Merrifield on 14nm?

With Intel porting Android Jelly Bean to x86, this may signal an increased commitment by the chipmaker to continue its push into mobile after years of stillborn initiatives and false starts, while its AZ210 smartphone serves as its Trojan horse with each launch, should Intel decide to continue supporting the smartphone commercially. Motorola is expected to announce its own Intel-based Android smartphone using an updated Intel chipset based on Medfield featuring a dual-core chip among other upgraded features from the AZ210 next week in a press event being held in London.

Future plans for Intel’s mobile initiative include a series of die shrinks for its mobile chips, as the current Medfield-based smartphones are noted for their higher than average power consumption compared to ARM processors. Intel has stated plans to release its successor platform to Medfield in Merrifield for smartphones in the future.

The new chipset will use a new 22-nm process, be faster and more power efficient than current Medfield processors, which are made using the 32-nm process used in current x86 CPU manufacturing and are slated for availability next year. Intel has also stated plans to release chips made using the even smaller 14-nm process by 2014, but has yet to offer any additional details beyond preliminary confirmation of the smaller manufacturing process for mobile processors.

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Apple iPhone 5 Official Trailer

                                         aplle iphone 5 video

                                          iPhone 5 Trailer' official apple iphone 5 video

iPhone 5 Official Trailer Apple iPhone 5 Event Live Coverage
 12/09/12 9/12/12
Apple unveils iPhone 5, new iPods and new iTunes
• Latest version of smartphone boasts taller screen
• 4G capability available, including via new UK network EE
• New software features in iOS6 showcased
• Released in the UK on 21 September; pre-orders from Friday
20.45 That's it for another Apple event. Rumour has it there's another next month. Thanks for sticking with us, see you next time.
Until then, don't forget to read:
Our news story on the event
Apple has released the OFFICIAL trailer for the iPhone 5.

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Samsung Ativ S is a Windows Phone 8 smart phone with a 4.8-inch

Samsung has unveiled a Windows Phone 8 device in the shape of the Samsung Ativ S. Sporting a huge 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display with 1.5GHz dual-core processor, the Samsung Ativ S also has HSPA+42 connectivity.

The Samsung Ativ S weighs in at 135g and measures 137.2 x 70.5 x 8.7mm, dimensions necessary to accomodate the large display. Samsung has also kitted the phone with an eight-megapixel camera and 1.9-megapixel front facing camera for video calls. Samsung continues its NFC push by embedding a near fields communication chip into the phone, though file sharing can also be made via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

With such top end specs, the Samsung Ativ S provides a Windows Phone 8 alternative to the Android powered Samsung Galaxy S III that has served the Korean manufacturer so well.

The Ativ moniker is the new brand name for Samsung's Windows devices ans as the eagle-eyed among you will have notices, it is "Vita" in reverse meaning "life" in Latin. No word on what Sony PlayStation has to say about this.

The Samsung Ativ S was unveiled at Samsung's IFA event in Berlin, where the manufacturer also revealed the Samsung Ativ Smart PC PRO  Windows 8 tablet with a detachable keyboard and the Samsung Ativ Tab a more conventional tablet device.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 2

Pictures and details of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 may have been leaked earlier today but it's now official. The 5.5-inch "phablet" is real and it's a beast, we don't mind telling you.

For starters, as expected, it's run by a 1.6Ghz quad-core processor, with 2GB of RAM. The touchscreen is made up of a HD Super AMOLED 1280 x 720 16:9 display, and Samsung claims that it's thinner, lighter and brighter than on the phone's predecessor.

The device comes with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean from the box, and there's an 8-megapixel camera on the rear, 1.9-megapixel on the front. The rear camera is coupled with an LED flash, while many of the features found on the Galaxy S III have made it to the Note 2; Best Photo, Best Faces and Low light shot.

A wide variety of file formats are supported for music and video playback, including MKV, and 1080p movies can be played - albeit on a 720p screen.

Connectivity comes in the form of Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0 and Wi-Fi. And there's an NFC chip inside for contactless payments and wireless data transfer.

Network connectivity will vary between regions, with a 4G LTE chip included for territories that have a capable service, HSPA+ for those without. There's no word on whether it will work on Everything Everywhere's 4G network when it launches in October, but we'll update you as and when we find out.

The device measures 80.5 x 151.1 x 9.4mm and weighs 180g, while its battery is, as previously stated in the leaked reports, a 3,100mAh standard Li-ion version. Samsung hasn't made any claims on exact life expectancy yet, but the company does believe that reviewers will be "impressed".

There will be two colours of Samsung Galaxy Note 2 devices available on launch, including marble white and titanium gray, and 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions will be available. You will also be able to boost storage capacity by up to a further 64GB with a microSD card.

The S Pen has been improved too, being thicker, longer and more ergonomic to hold. And there are several new features that go along with it. Air View adds the ability to hover over an email or S-related application to preview content before tapping on them. And Quick Command lets you use the S Pen to take shortcuts.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 will be released in the UK in October, alongside European, Asian and Middle Eastern launches. Prices are yet to be revealed

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Samsung Galaxy Camera set to capture us wherever we are, using Android, to boot

There have been camera phones, phone cameras, cameras and simply phones but finally Samsung has come up with one that we’re not quite sure what it is at all. Meet the Samsung Galaxy Camera and find out exactly why you’re going to want one once you’ve finished reading this article.

The Galaxy Camera is a connected camera. There's a 3G and Wi-Fi version as well as a 4G and Wi-Fi version if you're lucky enough to have a supporting network. What all of that means is that you can connect your pictures to the cloud and the cloud to your picture whenever and wherever you like

As the name suggests, it runs on the Android OS - Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to be precise. Why that’s useful to you is that you can apply all the favourite capture, post-production and editing applications to your pictures that you normally enjoy on your Android smartphone; so, Instagram, Paper Camera or whatever you like. Beyond that, the connectivity means that you can upload to Facebook or Twitter or use on Skype - or whatever else you like to do - direct from the device too.


All very nice. So, why is this better than a smartphone? Well, you get a reasonable sized image sensor which offers far better picture quality. It’s a 16-Megapixel 1/2.3” BSI CMOS unit and it’ll capture light focused at it through a 23mm wide angle lens - again, a piece of glass far superior to that of a camera phone. What’s more, that lens will also offer you up to a whopping 21x optical zoom. Yes, optical, not digital.

You can record 1080p movies at 30fps, you can geo-tag with GPS, share and shoot at the same time and apply a whole host of different in-house filters and effects that Samsung has preoloaded into the Galaxy Camera. Finally, though, and what could really aid your photography is the biggest screen on any digital camera. It’s a touch-enabled 4.77-inch HD Super Clear LCD screen with a Retina Display-like pixel density of 308ppi. If you’ve not got your shot in focus, you’re going to know about it while you still have a chance to take another

So, can you actually make phone calls with the thing? Well, there’s a microphone for Voice Control, there’s a SIM for the connection, any app you need to make it possible from Google Play and we presume a speaker for video playback. So why the hell not?

                             The Samsung Galaxy Camera. A phone camera 

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Hands-on with the Samsung ATIV Smart PC aka the Series 5 Slate

Would a Series 5 Slate be just as sweet under any other name? We've already got hands-on with the ATIV Smart PC Pro (called the Series 7 Slate in the US) and now we're going to show you the wonder that is the ATIV Smart PC -- aka, the Series 5 Slate on this side of the Atlantic. And what can we say? It's a lot like the Series 7 we checked out, though this guy is of course a smidge thinner and lighter, given the fanless design and inclusion of an Atom-based Clover Trail processor instead of something in the Ivy Bridge family.

Another difference: that 11.6 inch display. It's still bright, of course, but the resolution is a lower 1,366 x 768, as opposed to the 1080p panel used in the Series 7 / Smart PC Pro. That caveat aside, the Series 5 / Smart PC is still pretty sexy, with that vibrant display and brushed metal back -- though, as mentioned in our hands-on with the dock, that beauty clashes a bit with the relative cheapness of the keyboard.

As you may have read, the two slates also have stylus slots, though the S Pen was nowhere in sight during our demo -- perhaps to keep it out of the hands of sneaky bloggers. In the meantime, we've got some hands-on photos, but we encourage you to refer back to our Series 7 / Smart PC Pro hands-on to compare the designs, and get a better feel for the custom apps Samsung has bundled.

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MeeGo PR1.3 update for the Nokia N9 is now rolling out

Nokia N9 users, it looks like you have not been forgotten after all. TheMeeGo PR1.3 update should be coming to your handset pretty soonbringing "over 1,000 quality improvements" across various bits of the platform. Those who own an unbranded Nokia N9 will see the update first, and the branded models will follow afterwards. All in all, the update should reach your handsets no later than a few weeks from today.

So, what's on that list of 1,000 improvements we just mentioned? Well, most of the stuff are bug fixes and stability improvements, which you might not even notice during every-day use, yet some other changes you are much more likely to spot. With MeeGo PR1.3, the Nokia N9 connects faster to Wi-Fi and manages to focus better on objects when shooting photos in low-light conditions. The Mail, Facebook, and Twitter apps have also been improved. In addition, you might notice that NFC now works better, and that a few interface tweaks have been added here and there.

You can either wait for an update notification to appear on your Nokia N9, or in case you prefer to check manually, go to Settings, then tap Applications, and then go to Manage Applications where the Updates tab is located. Keep in mind that the MeeGo PR1.3 update is over 200MB in size, so you might want to connect to Wi-Fi before updating.

source: Nokia,

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