Pantech Vega IM-A860 Spotted on WiFi Certification with Quad-Core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU

LG, HTC, Samsung and other handset manufacturers have already launched Android smartphones that pack full HD displays, or are about to release their first devices in the following months.

It looks like Pantech is among the latter. An unannounced Vega IM-A860 smartphone has just been spotted at GLBenchmark by the folks over at Ameblo. Additionally, the smartphone received its Wi-Fi certification, which is another proof that the device is real and will probably hit shelves in the next few months. Pantech Vega IM-A860 runs Android 4.1.x Jelly Bean operating system and packs a 1.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon processor.

No word on the amount of memory, but the benchmark mentions that the device boasts a full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution capacitive touchscreen display. We also know that the device will support LTE and will be introduced in South Korea initially, via SK Telecom carrier.

Pantech Vega IM-A860 Wi-Fi certification
Image credits to Ameblo.jp

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RIM Readies BBM 7 with BBM Voice To Download on BlackBerry App World

Today, Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion has made available for download through the official BlackBerry App World a new flavor of the BBM 7 application for its users.

The new application release brings along a nice range of enhancements, the most important of which is the inclusion of BBM Voice. Through this feature, users will be able to engage into voice conversations with their contacts, provided that typing won’t suffice sometimes. The updated BBM7 with BBM Voice is available through the official software portal with support for all devices running under BlackBerry 6 OS and higher. According to the mobile phone maker, however, support for BlackBerry 5 OS devices is also planned, though it won’t arrive until early next year.

The application was made available with other enhancements as well, including: 

• BBM upgrade notifications – BBM will notify you when there are updates to download straight from within the app
• BBID Synchronization – your BBM profile, Groups and Contacts are linked to your BlackBerry ID
• 16 Additional emoticons – even more choice for those times when words just aren’t enough. Can you spot the new ones?

The updated BlackBerry Messenger application will also provide users with increased freedom when it comes to the manner in which they can connect with their BBM contacts, RIM notes. Furthermore, the company explains that the app has been built so that users would be able to easily switch from a BBM message to a BBM Voice call for free over Wi-Fi. Users who would like to take advantage of the features and capabilities of the updated app should access this page in the App World. However, they might have to wait up to 24 hours before finding it in the software storefront, RIM announced. Additional info on what the new BBM 7 with BBM Voice has to offer to users can be found in the video embedded below, courtesy of RIM themselves.

BBM 7 with BBM Voice
Image credits to RIM

The new BBM 7 featuring BBM Voice feature is demoed on the Inside BlackBerry blog. BBM 7 gives you the freedom to choose how you connect with your BBM contacts. It is designed so you can seamlessly switch from a BBM message to a BBM Voice call for free over Wi-Fi. http://blogs.blackberry.com/2012/12/new-bbm-7-voice/
Video credits to BlackBerry

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BBM in BlackBerry 10 Features Recommended Contacts

One of the features that Research In Motion’s upcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system will arrive on devices with is Recommended contacts on BBM.

Apparently, RIM has decided to enhance the feature that was available for PlayBook users through the Video Chat app (which shows to users which of their contacts have video chat), and also gave it a new name. It is available in BlackBerry Messenger for BB10 under the name of Recommended contacts tab, where contacts with BBM are listed.

The feature provides users with the possibility to easily invite contacts, berryreview reports, yet it does not share the users’ PIN. BBM for BlackBerry 10 will maintain compatibility with previous versions. With usage of BBM expected to expand greatly next year, it does not come as a surprise that RIM has finally decided to bring some enhancements to the service and apps for it.

BBM in BlackBerry 10
Images credits to BerryReview

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USB Squirming Tentacle Monster Ready to Wriggle

We've seen lots of weird gadgets, and we even said that some of them were the weirdest ever. ThinkGeek has launched something that could rival the best of them.

Some might think it is a USB flash drive. It is not. It does go into a USB port, but the energy provided by the interface is only used to animate the squirming tentacle. That is the actual name of the product: ThinkGeek USB Squirming Tentacle. We can only imagine how strange the sight of a multi-port USB charging hub would be with several of these things installed.

It takes $25 to purchase one tentacle, which is about the same as 19.34 Euro, according to exchange rates. Further information can be found here, where it is also possible to place orders and see a larger image gallery.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/ede3?cpg=yt
-Tentacle wiggles and squirms when plugged into a computer
-Uses power from your USB port
-Fills your computer with unspeakable evils (just kidding!)
-Note: The USB Squirming Tentacle does not store any data, however, it may summon the Elder Gods from the depths. Use at your own risk.
Video credits to thinkgeek

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The First Screenshots of Mega, MegaUpload's Successor

Dotcom's upcoming MegaUpload revival, dubbed simply Mega is taking some small steps from being pure vaporware to something that may actually exist.

The entrepreneur has posted the first screenshots of the upcoming cloud service, showing off some of the key aspects. The shots show the login page, the encryption key page and the web-based file manager. They are just static images so it's hard to tell anything from them, but it looks to be a solid cloud storage service. The encryption part is the most interesting one, though Mega won't be the only such service to offer client-side encryption, there are a few alternatives already. None of them has Mega's buzz though. Client-side encryption means that only you can access your files, Mega won't have any idea of what it's storing and any government taking a peek will be similarly stumped.

The 2048-bit RSA encryption should be fairly solid and should be considered uncrackable, with the usual caveat that, in time, computers become more powerful and attacks more sophisticated. What's interesting about Mega is that it enables users to share files publicly, something that most cloud storage providers discourage, partly because of bandwidth concerns, partly because of piracy. Dropbox for example allows users to share files with anyone via a simple link, but it does enforce a daily traffic limit ensuring that you'll only be using the feature to share with friends or just a few people. Mega won't have the same limitations.

The final piece of the puzzle, the file manager looks modern and practical enough, but until it's actually live, there's no way to know how well it works. On paper, the new Mega has a few things going for it, Dotcom's and MegaUpload's notoriety on the one hand, and a unique mixture of features on the other. The problem will be translating these things into an actual solid product. Mega is slated for launch on January 19 next year, the one-year anniversary of the raid on Dotcom's mansion. 

Mega will employ 2048-bit RSA encryption keys
Image credits to Kim Dotcom

The Mega login screen
Image credits to Kim Dotcom

The Mega file manager
Image credits to Kim Dotcom

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The USPTO Invalidates “Steve Jobs Patent”

Upon reexamining an iPhone patent this week, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a preliminary notice ruling that “the Steve Jobs patent,” as it is also referred to, is invalid in its entirety.

In what will undoubtedly affect Apple’s legal brawls with Samsung and perhaps other handset makers, the preliminary invalidation of Patent 7,479,949, (granted in January 2009) is a major turn of events. It incorporates several other patent applications from as early as September 2006 with Steve Jobs being listed as the primary inventor. FOSS Patents takes a closer look at the USPTO’s decision and concludes that “first Office actions are partial because they are based only on submissions made by those challenging the patent, and many examiners like to take a tough position early on in order to enable and require the patentee to present the strongest arguments in favor of validity.”

Florian Mueller, an expert in legal matters involving patents, says it would be a mistake to underestimate the importance of a first Office action. He also points out that “a complete rejection of all claims of a given patent is potentially more devastating than one affecting only some claims.”

Patent screenshot
Image credits to MacRumors

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The Low-Cost Windows Blue Could Spawn 7-Inch Microsoft Tablets

Rumors swirling around on the web claim that Microsoft is working on a new Windows version called Windows Blue that could be offered at a very low price or even for free.

A new report published by The Verge, however, hints that Windows Blue may also be installed on some smaller tablets with 7- or 8-inch displays, which means that Microsoft may really consider expanding the Surface product family with new devices. Although Microsoft hasn’t confirmed that it’s willing to release smaller Surface tablets, sources familiar with the matter have previously hinted that a 7-inch Xbox Surface tablet designed with gaming purposes in mind could hit the market in 2013.

What’s more, that company may also launch three different Surface devices, each aimed at a different industry sector, but also supposed to help Microsoft become an important player in the hardware market.

Windows Blue could be released in mid-2013
Image credits to wallpowper.com

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Nokia Nearby App on Asha 308 [Video Ad]

Nokia’s Asha devices have been recently deemed as smartphones, although they are powered by the Series 40 platform, mainly courtesy of the wide range of applications they have to offer to users.

One of these apps is coming from Nokia itself in the form of Nokia Nearby, aimed at providing users with a new way to discover things around them. With Asha phones highly popular in emerging markets, it comes as no surprise that the company has decided to advertise the application on an Asha 308 smartphone in India, just as can be seen in the video embedded above.

“Introducing the Nokia Nearby app on the Nokia Asha 308. Bringing to you a whole new way to discover new places and things to do in your city. Now look for restaurants, cinemas and even police stations within seconds using the Nokia Nearby app on the Nokia Asha 308 dual-SIM smartphone,” Nokia notes.

Introducing the Nokia Nearby app on the Nokia Asha 308. Bringing to you a whole new way to discover new places and things to do in your city. Now look for restaurants, cinemas and even police stations within seconds using the Nokia Nearby app on the Nokia Asha 308 dual-SIM smartphone. Know more about the phone here: http://bit.ly/SOyUWV

Video credits to NokiaIndiaOfficial

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Gaming PC The Beast, a 4.5 GHz Gaming PC for Those Who Like Overkill

Gaming PC has formally introduced a system whose name may or may not be a play on the mythical yet only vaguely defined creature described in the Book of Revelation.

“The Beast” used to be a name, of sorts, for the most terrifying creature in the Bible, but the word “beast” has been used so often that it doesn't mean anything anymore, except a creature larger than life, with or without the scariness factor. Gaming PC definitely doesn't want people running scared from its newest high-end desktop computer, although the price may send them fleeing anyway. The starting sum is of $5,484.30, or 4,232-5,484.30 Euro, and while it can be brought down, it won't change the fact that The Beast is very expensive. Of course, when the hardware is centered around the Intel Core i7 3930K six-core central processing unit, there isn't much room for stinginess. "The Beast was built with advanced and modernized services to ensure an amazing gaming experience for its users," said an owner of Gaming PC, according to the company's press release. An Asus Rampage IV Extreme motherboard holds the aforementioned CPU, as well as up to 64 GB of DDR3 RAM (G.Skill Ripjaws X).

Two graphics cards are part of the set as well, although they may seem a bit much even for the most avid of gamers. After all, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 already has two GPUs, making two of them an overpowered quad-SLI option. The 690 is the only card eligible though, so it's either one or two of it. Moving on, there is a primary storage drive and a secondary unit. The former is a 240 GB Intel 520 Series SSD, the latter is a 2 TB Western Digital HDD. Further hardware and software details can be found on the official product page, where orders can also be placed.

Gaming PC The Beast
Image credits to Gaming PC

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Lenovo, World's Greatest PC Maker to Build Assembly Lines in the US

One might wonder why Lenovo would feel the need to increase the number of active factories. After all, it already is the greatest PC supplier in the world.

Then again, that it overcame HP wasn't purely its own merit. HP's own flagging interest in PCs narrowed the gap between the corporations as well. Whether because of this or not, Lenovo has decided, according to Digitimes anyway, to build some assembly lines in the United States, rather than stick solely to China (five factories), Mexico (one factory) and India (again, one factory).

Lenovo doesn't make all its PCs. There are plenty of contract suppliers. Its goal is to increase the in-house production from 20% to 50% by the end of 2013. In the meantime, the company will finalize plans for the Sao Paulo (Brazil) and North Carolina (the US) factories.

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga
Image credits to Lenovo

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