Samsung Galaxy Grand with 5-inch display, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, Android 4.1 announced

Samsung has announced Galaxy Grand, a new Android phone in the Galaxy series. It has a 5-inch (800 x 480 Pixels) capacitive touch screen display and is powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor. It runs on Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean). It has a 8MP auto focus camera with LED flash, BSI sensor for better low-light imaging, zero shutter-lag and ultra-quick camera start-up. It also has a 2MP HD front-facing camera. It would come in dual SIM (GT-I9082) and single SIM (GT-I9080) variants. It also Samsung’s unique features such as Multi Window (Multiscreen), S Voice, Smart Stay, Direct Call, Smart Alert and AllShare Play.

Windows Phone 7.8 reportedly starts rolling out for the Nokia Lumia 800

Windows Phone 7.8 has been relatively an unknown quantity even after the release of Windows Phone 8 because Microsoft has been absolutely mum on any plans of the roll out, but fear not, the schedule for the roll out to Nokia’s Lumia Windows Phones are apparently on target and has started to pop up on the Zune client in the form of a new update!

The first signs of a Windows Phone 7.8 update for the Nokia Lumia range of Windows Phones were seen when the official firmware files started popping up on the Navifirm servers. Naturally, we downloaded it and gave it a try to find out what’s new in Windows Phone 7.8, this is what happened -

Unfortunately what we flashed was just the core Windows Phone 7.8 update without the Nokia bits, which includes an app for Bluetooth file transfer, a ringtone maker and various other Nokia exclusive stuff. But as we can see above, the Zune update does include  the new Nokia firmware update. According to WP7.nl, the update for the Lumia 800 has started rolling out in their country, so it is inevitable that it will roll out to the other side of the world and to all the other devices like the Lumia 710, 610 and 510 soon. We will try on our Lumia 800 and report if we see an update, till then, keep checking and let us know if you find anything new in the comments section below!

Nvidia Tegra 4 slide leaks – Wayne GPU brings 72 cores

What you see above is a leaked slide from a Nvidia Tegra 4 aka Wayne presentation that appeared on the Chinese social networking site Sina Weibo. The slide reveals some interesting details about the new system on a chip from Nvidia, the apparent successor to the Tegra 3 mobile platform.

Blackberry 10 to launch with 70,000 apps in App world

Apps have become important for every mobile operating system, thanks to Apple and iOS, both Andorid and iOS now have more than half a million applications and one of the places where Blackberry failed at their O.S and smartphones before was the category of apps available. Now, Frank Boulben, the CMO of RIM has stated that consumers can expect more than 70,000 apps for the Blackberry 10 at launch.

Now 70,000 applications is really good news, but it also matters whether these applications are actually useful or are just useless. The quality of this application also matters, as developers have already shifted to platforms which is more popular like Android and iOS, so it is important to know whether they will devote time to make the experience of users better or not. Blackberry 10 is set to launch on Jan 30 2013, and it is a very important launch for RIM which will decided their survival. Let us know what you guys think of the apps and Blackberry 10 in our comments section.

Google reveals YouTube Capture app for the iPhone, iPod Touch

Google just launched a dedicated YouTube camera application for iOS users. Called YouTube Capture, the app lets you record and instantly share a video clip to YouTube right from within its interface. The video can also be shared on a range of mobile networks straight from the app itself.

The app supports uploading videos in the background and you can set privacy settings before publishing videos. You can use YouTube enhancements like color correction, stabilization while basic editing like trimming videos can also be done right from within the application. Check out the video below to see it in action.

The application follows hot on the heels of the Google Maps application which clearly shows that the search engine giant doesn’t want to restrict itself to its own Android platform. Download the application via the iTunes Store link below.

[Source - iTunes]

Finding the perfect, affordable smartphone this Christmas

It’s no wonder that mobile phones are such a popular option at Christmas, as they really are the gifts that keep on giving. With so many models available trying to find the right one at the right price can be a challenge – these are four models to consider as you start your search. Please have a little read about each one and see what one takes your fancy.

Nokia Lumia 800

This model, which runs on Microsoft’s Windows Phones operating system, is packed with impressive features that become even more impressive considering you can pick one up for free on as little as a £13.50 a month contract. For a start there’s an 8-megapixel camera and the ability to record HD video (which admittedly isn’t as clear or smooth as other higher-end phones). Then there’s the People Hub, a feature that’s perfect for the more social ones amongst you, as it streams Facebook, Twitter, email and chat updates in one single space. However, consumers looking for a video with excellent media playback capabilities may feel let down by the tinny sound caused by the phone’s sub-par speakers.

f0recast utility by iH8sn0w updated, supports iPhone 5 & more

For months now we have been waiting for news on an untethered jailbreak for the iPhone 5 and iOS 6 but the silence over recent weeks has been almost deafening. It’s good to hear then that there is still work going on in the hacking community as proven by today’s news that iH8sn0w has come up with an update for his f0recast utility tool, version 1.4. We have more details as well as a video about the f0recast update that you can view below this story.

Bring Microsoft Office to iPhone, iPod & iPad – CloudOn

If you are not comfortable with the use of Microsoft Office files on idevices and want to update and edit the .doc .xls and .ppt files on your iPad or iPhone etc, then there is a very good app that has been updated to support the feature you might be looking for, I have just installed it and below I have given a screen shot (at the end) of an Excel file which I put in my Dropbox folder on my computer and immediately I was able to open it on my iPhone and also I was able to edit it as you can see the keyboard input is there.

The latest available version of CloudOn brings Microsoft Office to idevices and files can be accessed using the any account from Box, Dropbox, Google Drive and SkyDrive. In addition to office support  there are built-in supports for Adobe Reader and File Viewers  that allows you to open and view any file type type i.e. .pdf, .jpg, .png, .gif etc.

Wunderlist 2.0 – A Popular To-do app for iPhone and Mac OS X

There are certain To-do applications for iOS in which Wunderlist is very popular for iPhone. Now Wunderlist version has updated with the Wunderlist 2.0 for iPhone and Mac OS X. In Wunderlist you can create a list of to-do and manage all your lists in one place in your smartphone. You can use Cloud Sync and use it in any of your device from everywhere. Reminder function makes you remind every time. In Collaborate function you can invite your friends to get involved. Notification function will notify you via push, email and in app notifications.

Wunderlist has updated with Wunderlist 2.0 version with new features.