Mobile Tech News, Reviews & Specs Since 2010

DJs

Viber now also available for PC and Mac

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Viber is a cross platform messaging client which uses the voice over IP protocol. Users can exchange text messages, images, video and audio using the messaging application between various smartphone platforms and as of now even between desktop platforms.

You can download the app directly on your device through their respective stores or by using the links which follow:




The addition to the desktop clients make Viber truly cross platform and a great competitor to Skype. Check out the features offered in the Viber desktop client below.
  • Best-quality HD voice calls
  • Video calls
  • Free text and photo messages
  • Group conversations
  • No registration, passwords or invitations required
  • Contacts and messages sync between your mobile and Windows
  • Transfer ongoing calls between devices
DJs

BADA to be absorbed by Tizen

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TIZEN Logo Back in January last year we reported that Tae-jin Kang, Samsung’s VP of Content Planning stated that his company was planning to merge bada OS with Intel’s Tizen. This merger came after Intel’s failed plans to merge their platform with Meego, which Nokia later dropped in favor of Windows Phone.


BADA LogoNow Hong Won-pyo, Samsung’s Media Solutions Center states that bada is not a fit for today’s smartphones and that Tizen will no longer be merging with bada. Samsung plans to released a number of Tizen powered devices this year and these handsets  will take over some of the useful features of bada once they are released.

In the future Tizen phones will be able to run apps designed for bada, but older bada handsets will not be updatable to Tizen. It is still not clear what Samsung plans with the Tizen platform. There have been rumors that Samsung wants to distance itself from Android. Given its recent success with its Galaxy series, we are curious to see how the manufacturer will address a Android free ecosystem.


source – Yonhapo News Agency | The Verge | Engadget
DJs

Samsung confirms that they will release Tizen devices this year

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Samsung LogoSamsung has confirmed that they will release smartphones based on the new Tizen operating system in 2013. Google’s purchase of Motorola, has been seen as a potential threat for manufacturers like Samsung, which depends heavily on Android for the success of its brand. Samsung has since looks at its alternatives and merged its homebrewn BADA OS with Intel’s offering to make Tizen a reality.

As Tizen is an open source platform like Android it now has backing from Intel, Samsung, Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo and the Vodafone Group which will give the devices running this platform an opportunity for success.

“We plan to release new, competitive Tizen devices within this year and will keep expanding the lineup depending on market conditions,” a Samsung representative confirmed in writing today.

Japanese newspaper, Yomiuri Shimbun has also confirmed that Samsung will be offering Tizen powered devices on NTT Docomo in 2013.


Samsung plans to initially offer Tizen on lower-end handsets as a successor to its BADA platform. If the platform is able to gain a strong user-base in Asia, there is a good chance it could position itself as a strong contender for third place alongside Windows Phone and BlackBerry 10.


source – Bloomberg
DJs

[Bada app] Viber

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Viber for Bada is a voice-over-Internet Protocol messaging client application and an alternative to Skype. On Viber, your phone number is your ID. The app syncs with your mobile contact list, automatically detecting which of your contacts have Viber.

You can download Viber for the Samsung Wave M or for the Samsung Wave 3 through the Samsung App Store or by using the link which follows:


DJs

Ten affordable smartphones

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Smartphones are generally expensive, unless you get the carrier subsidized prices when you purchase your smartphone. But we came across a list of devices which show that not all smartphones need to be expensive, and we are not talking about cheap Chinese knock offs either.

Check out the following list of smartphones from reputed manufactures which will surely fit most tight budgets.
PLATFORM
Nokia Lumia 610
The Lumia 610 is one of the cheapest Windows Phones in the market. It may have relatively modest hardware but will definetly not let you down.
Windows Phone
BUY NOW
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Samsung Galaxy Mini 2
With Android on board, this affordable handset from Samsung will appeal to fans looking for a good deal.
Android
BUY NOW
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HTC Desire C
With Android Ice Cream Sandwich on board this device will certainly appeal to users looking for HTC's sturdy build.
Android
BUY NOW
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BlackBerry Curve 9220
The Curve 9220 is probably the most affordable handset from the manufacturer to date. BBM fans who don't have the extra dollars to spend should check this deal out.
BlackBerry OS
BUY NOW
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Sony Ericsson Live With Walkman
Sony Ericsson fans would surely want to check out the Live with Walkman. It has the best features of Android and Sony Ericsson bundled in one affordable package.
Android
BUY NOW
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Nokia 500
Symbian may be a dying platform, but it still offers the best value for money with a 1GHz processor powering this handset.
Symbian
BUY NOW
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LG Optimus L3
If Android and LG is a combination you are looking for, the price tag on the Optimus L3 should get your attention
Android
BUY NOW
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Samsung Galaxy Y
The Galaxy Y brings another flavor from Samsung with Android on board. It may not have high end specs, but has an attractive price-tag nonetheless.
Android
BUY NOW
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Samsung Wave Y
If you aren't looking for all the latest apps, you may consider the Wave Y with BADA OS onboard. Its affordable and has better specs than the Galaxy Y at a similar price.
BADA OS
BUY NOW
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Samsung Galaxy Pocket
The Galaxy Pocket is the cheapest Android handset released by the manufacturer. It may not have high end hardware, but is a capable handset at a very reasonable price
Android
BUY NOW
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source - Phonearena
DJs

Samsung Wave Y - Video Review

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The Samsung Wave Y features a 3.2 inch touch display, Wi-Fi, FM Radio and a 2 megapixel camera with LED flash. This mid range smartphone runs Samsung's BADA mobile operating system and is aimed at a younger audience.

If you want to learn more about the Samsung Wave Y check out the following video review.




You can read the detailed review of the Samsung Galaxy Y on PhoneArena
DJs

Samsung Wave receives Bada 2.0 software update

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The Bada 2.0 software update is finally being rolled out to the Samsung Wave S8500. Samsung has still to make an official announcement or to publish a rollout schedule, but it should be announced very soon.



So if you have not installed one of the leaked ROMs you can check for the update in your region by connecting your device to your computer and launching the Samsung Kies software suite. You can follow the on screen instructions to backup your device and update the software.



source - SamMobile
DJs

[BADA app] Doodle God

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Doodle God by JoyBits is award-winning brainteaser with unique sandbox world, generated just by matching and mixing base elements. Combinations can be both physical (such as combining Water and Lava to obtain Steam and Stone) and metaphorical (such as combining Water and Fire to obtain Alcohol).

You can download the game directly on your device through the BADA App Store or by using the link which follows:



￡ 1.50

The game begins with only the four classical elements, and centers on the discovery of 115 elements across 14 categories. Should the player be stuck, a hint is available every few minutes.
  • Mould the 4 basic elements to your whim!
  • Create 195 advanced items and concepts!
  • Intuitive one-click gameplay encourages thoughtful, creative play!
  • Hundreds of interesting, funny and thought-provoking quotes and sayings!
DJs

Samsung's BADA and Intel's TIZEN merge

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Its not easy grabbing a place in a race dominated by Android and iOS. Now with Windows Phone trying to creep in between then, other mobile operating systems are being pushed back. Samsung has decided to merge it's bada OS with Intel's Tizan OS in hopes and improving it's position in the mobile market.

Tae-jin Kang - Samsung's Senior VP of Contents Planning who revealed this information, also said that the apps developed for bada will work on Tizen and will be backward compatible with previously published apps. He also said that the two will eventually share the same developer interfaces and roots. By sharing the same SDKs and APIs the hope is that developers who create applications for BADA can also create the applications for Tizen. Samsung hopes to have more than one device running the combined platform available by the end of this year.

Tizen is the successor to Meego which combined Maemo from Nokia with Intel's own Moblin. When Nokia chose to abandon their plans for Meego in favour of Windows Phone, Intel was left to evolve their OS once again but without a mobile partner to take their vision forward.

Currently Tizen is aimed at powering high end smartphones, while BADA is used in Samsung's lower end models. It will be interesting to see how the combination affects Samsung's use of Intel's mobile operating system in their devices in future.
DJs

Samsung Wave 3

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The Wave 3 is a smartphone designed and manufactured by Samsung which runs BADA OS. The device features a 4-inch touchscreen display, 4GB of internal storage, 5MP camera with LED flash capable of 720p video recording and is powered by a 1.4GHz processor.

The full specifications of the Samsung Wave 3 follows:

A.K.A. Samsung S8600, Samsung Wave III
Carriers U.S.
Buy

OS BADA OS 2.0
Size Dimensions 125.9 x 64.2 x 9.9 mm
Weight 122 g
Display Type Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen
Size 4.0 inches
Resolution 480 x 800 pixels
Features multi-touch input method
16M colors
Memory Internal 4 GB
External up to 32GB microSD
Connectivity 2G GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
GPRS, EDGE
3G HSDPA 900 / 2100
HSDPA - 14.4 Mbps
HSUPA - 5.76 Mbps
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Wi-Fi Direct
Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth 3.0
A2DP
Infrared No
USB 2.0 microUSB
HS
Camera Rear 5 MP
Front VGA
Video 720p @ 30 fps
Features autofocus
LED flash
geo-tagging
face, smile and blink detection
image stabilization
touch focus
Hardware CPU 1.4GHz Scorpion
GPU -
RAM -
ROM -
Radio Streo FM
RDS
Audio 3.5mm connector
Video TV-Out
GPS Yes, A-GPS
Sensors accelerometer
proximity sensor
digital compass
Others NFC
Design candybar design
Colors Black
Software Manufacturer Samsung ChatON
Samsung Navigator
Music recognition
Others BADA apps
Battery Li-Ion 1500 mAh
Stand-by 535 h (2G)
517 h (3G)
Talk time 14 h (2G)
9 h (3G)



DJs

Samsung Wave II

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The Wave II is a smartphone designed and manufactured by Samsung which runs BADA OS. The device features a 3.7 inch touchscreen display, 2GB of internal storage with microSD, 5MP camera with LED flash capable of capturing 720p HD video and is powered by a 1GHz processor.

The full specifications of the Samsung Wave II follows:

A.K.A. Samsung S8530,
Carriers U.S.
Buy Amazon BUY NOW

OS BADA OS 1.2
Size Dimensions 123.9 x 59.8 x 11.8 mm
Weight 135 g
Display Type Super Clear LCD capacitive touchscreen
Size 3.7 inches
Resolution 480 x 800 pixels
Features Corning Gorilla Glass
Handwriting recognition
Memory Internal 2 GB
External 2 GB microSD up to 32GB
Connectivity 2G GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
GPRS - 48 kbps
EDGE - 236.8 kbps
3G UMTS 900 / 2100
HSDPA - 3.6 Mbps
HSUPA - 2 Mbps
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth 3.0
A2DP
Infrared No
USB 2.0 microUSB
Camera Rear 5 MP
Front Yes
Video 720p @ 30fps
Features autofocus
LED flash
geo-tagging
face, smile and blink detection
image stabilization
touch focus
video light
Hardware CPU 1GHz Cortex
GPU PowerVR SGX540
RAM -
ROM -
Radio Stereo FM radio
RDS
FM recording
Audio 3.5mm connector
DNSe (Digital Natural Sound Engine)
Video TV-Out
GPS Yes, A-GPS
Sensors accelerometer
proximity sensor
digital compass
Others -
Design candybar form factor
Colors Gray
Software Manufacturer Samsung TouchWiz UI
Samsung Mobile Navigator
Others BADA apps
Battery Li-Ion 1500 mAh
Stand-by 600 h (2G)
500 h (3G)
Talk time 13 h (2G)
6 h (3G)



DJs

Samsung Wave M - Video Review

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The Samsung Wave M features a 3.6-inch touchscreen display,Wi-Fi, FM Radio and has a 5MP camera with LED flash.

The device introduces a lower mid-range category in the BADA lineup with a better camera and a screen slightly larger than the Samsung Wave Y while retaining the same screen resolution and processor.

Check out the hands on review of the Samsung Wave M which follows:





To read the entire review of the Samsung Wave M courtesy of PhoneArena, head over here.
DJs

Samsung to favor BADA over Windows Phone

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According to rumors it looks like Samsung is going to choose to work with their own BADA mobile OS in favor of Windows Phone. The company which has tremendous success with their Android handsets have themselves well set to promote their own BADA OS.

This news comes from Samsung centric site - SamFirmware, who also says that Samsung will stop supporting Windows Phone by the end of 2012, and will likely release only one more Windows Phone 7 device before dropping the platform all together.

While Samsung has still to confirm this news, we know that Samsung has been working hard to build up it's own offering in BADA. We are not sure if they try Apple's approach on delivering a hardware and software solution from their own ranks or continue providing their users with a variety of offerings.


source - PhoneArena
DJs

Samsung Wave Y

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The Wave Y is a smartphone designed and manufactured by Samsung and runs Bada OS. The device features a 3.2-inch touchscreen display, Wi-Fi, FM Radio and a 2MP camera with LED flash.

The full specifications of the Samsung Wave Y follows:

A.K.A. Samsung Wave 538, Samsung S5380
Carriers U.S.
Buy

OS Bada OS 2.0
Size Dimensions 110 x 58.2 x 12.3 mm
Weight 102.4 g
Display Type TFT capacitive touchscreen
Size 3.2 inches
Resolution 320 x 480 pixels
Features 180ppi pixel density
Memory Internal 150 MB
External 2GB microSD up to 32GB
Connectivity 2G GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
GPRS, EDGE
3G HSDPA 900 / 2100
HSDPA - 7.2 Mbps
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Wi-Fi Direct
Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth 3.0
A2DP
Infrared No
USB 2.0 microUSB
HS
Camera Rear 2 MP
Front VGA
Video HVGA @ 30fps
Features LED flash
Hardware CPU 832 MHz
Radio Stereo FM
RDS
Audio 3.5mm connector
GPS Yes, A-GPS
Sensors accelerometer
proximity sensor
Others NFC (select regions)
Design candybar form factor
Colors black
Software Manufacturer TouchWiz UI
Samsung ChatON
Others Bada apps
Battery Li-Ion 1200 mAh
Stand-by 570 h
Talk time 7 h



DJs

Samsung Wave M

•

The Wave M is a smartphone designed and manufactured by Samsung and runs Bada OS. The device features a 3.6-inch touchscreen display,Wi-Fi, FM Radio and has a 5MP camera with LED flash.

The full specifications of the Samsung Wave M follows:

A.K.A. Samsung Wave 725, Samsung S7250
Carriers U.S.
Buy

OS Bada OS 2.0
Size Dimensions 113.8 x 63.3 x 12.2 mm
Weight 121 g
Display Type TFT capacitive touchscreen
Size 3.65 inches
Resolution 320 x 480 pixels
Features 158ppi pixel density
Memory Internal 150 MB
External 2GB microSD up to 32GB
Connectivity 2G GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
GPRS, EDGE
3G HSDPA 900 / 2100
HSDPA - 7.2 Mbps
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Wi-Fi Direct
Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth 3.0
A2DP
Infrared No
USB 2.0 microUSB
HS
Camera Rear 5 MP
Front VGA
Video HVGA @ 30fps
Features autofocus
LED flash
smile detection
geo-tagging
Hardware CPU 832 MHz
Radio Stereo FM
RDS
Audio 3.5mm connector
GPS Yes, A-GPS
Sensors accelerometer
proximity sensor
Others NFC (select regions)
Design candybar form factor
Colors black
Software Manufacturer Samsung ChatON
Others Bada apps
Battery Li-Ion 1350 mAh
Stand-by 480 h
Talk time 6 h



DJs

Samsung Wave - Unboxing and Demo Video

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The BADA OS powered Samsung Wave features a 3.3 inch touch display, 2GB of internal storage which can be expanded through microSD, a 5 megapixel camera which is capable of capturing video at 720p and is powered by a 1GHz processor.

The unboxing and hands on video of the Samsung Wave follows:

Technical Specifications

Samsung Wave (S8500) Hardware Summary
Display 3.3-inch Super AMOLED touch display
Processor 1.0 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 (Hummingbird)
Memory 2 GB Internal (microSD expandable)
Camera 5 MP with 720p HD video capture
Software Bada OS 1.0
View Full Samsung Wave Specs
DJs

Samsung Wave (S8500)

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The Wave S8500 is a smartphone designed and manufactured by Samsung and runs Samsung's  BADA OS. The device features a 3.3 inch display, 5MP camera capable of capturing 720p HD video and is powered by a 1GHz processor.

The full specifications of the Samsung Wave (S8500) follows:

OS BADA OS
Size Dimensions 118 x 56 x 10.9 mm
Weight 118 g
Display Type Super AMOLED capacitve touchscreen
Size 3.3 inches
Resolution 480 x 800 pixels
Features Gorilla glass display
multi-touch input
Handwriting recognition
Memory Internal 2 GB
External microSD, upto 32 GB
Connectivity 2G GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
GPRS - 48 Kbps
EDGE - 236.8 Kbps
3G HSDPA 900 / 2100
HSDPA 850 / 1900 (North America)
HSDPA - 3.6 Mbps
HSUPA - 2 Mbps
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth 3.0
A2DP
Infrared None
USB 2.0 microUSB
HDMI
Camera Rear 5 MP
Front Yes
Video 720p @ 30fps
Features autofocus
LED flash
geo-tagging
face, smile, blink detection
image stabilization
touch focus
video light
Hardware CPU 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8
GPU PowerVR SGX540
Chipset Hummingbird
ROM
RAM
Radio Stereo FM
FM recording
Audio 3.5 mm jack
DNSe (Digital Natural Sound Engine)
Video TV Out
GPS A-GPS
Sensors accelerometer
proximity sensor
digital compass
Others
Battery Li-Ion 1500 mAh
Stand-by 600 h (2G)
550 h (3G)
Talk time 15 h (2G)
7 h (3G)
Playback 35 h (music)
Software Manufacturer Smart unlock
Samsung Mobile Navigator
TouchWiz 3.0 UI
Others
Colors Gray
Buy
Check price on Amazon