Mobile Phone News

Mobile Phones News :ITV to Air Shazam-Enabled Ads

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:10:22 +0000

ITV and Shazam have announced an agreement that will see ITV running Shazam-enabled adverts, allowing the 10 million users of Shazam to access additional content during ad breaks. Shazam already use their audio recognition technology on ads in the U.S., with ads airing during major

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ITV and Shazam have announced an agreement that will see ITV running Shazam-enabled adverts, allowing the 10 million users of Shazam to access additional content during ad breaks.

Shazam already use their audio recognition technology on ads in the U.S., with ads airing during major TV transmissions such as American Idol, the Super Bowl and the GRAMMY Awards.

Advertisers on the ITV channels will be able to enable their ads with content that can be accessed by smartphone owners, using the Shazam app, which is available on all major smartphone platforms.

Users will be able to access additional info about advertised products, enter competitions and download free content.

Shazam CEO Andrew Fisher said: “ITV is not only the largest commercial broadcaster in the UK, but has also established one of the leading sales organisations in the world. We are delighted that ITV will be bringing Shazam-enabled ads to the UK market. This will empower leading brands to connect with our millions of fans who will now be able to experience an extended engagement in one of the most convenient and innovative ways possible.”

Simon Daglish, ITV Group Commercial Sales Director, said: “Shazam’s audio-recognition technology is at the forefront of the second screen movement which is transforming the way consumers interact with content, including advertising. This exciting and exclusive partnership means that ITV is able to offer customers a real first for UK Media and allow brands to innovate their spot campaigns and connect directly with audiences on a large scale.”

Shazam is available to download for Windows Phone, BlackBerry, iOS and Android.

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Mobile Phones News :Barclaycard Unveils PayTag Stick on NFC Card

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:10:22 +0000

Barclaycard has announced Barclaycard PayTag, a stick on NFC enabled card, which can be stuck on the back of a smartphone, for quick NFC mobile payments. Indeed, the small NFC enabled sticker can be stuck to anything, not just a mobile phone, however the benefit is clear, for those

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Barclaycard has announced Barclaycard PayTag, a stick on NFC enabled card, which can be stuck on the back of a smartphone, for quick NFC mobile payments.

Indeed, the small NFC enabled sticker can be stuck to anything, not just a mobile phone, however the benefit is clear, for those who use a smartphone that does not yet support Near Field Communication.

The ‘sticker’ is linked to an existing Barclaycard account, and can be used to make quick payments up to £15, with that limit soon to be extended to £20.

There is no additional charge for customers to get the NFC sticker, and Barclaycard say there are over 100,000 contactless payment terminals currently in use in the UK, with more coming online every week.

“Today we are offering the choice of mobile payments to millions of our customers at no additional cost to them,” said David Chan, CEO of Barclaycard Consumer Europe. “More than half of us say that the item we are most lost without is our mobile phone, so we are giving people the option of using them to make easy, convenient, everyday payments without the need to upgrade their current handset.”

The announcement of PayTag follows the successful launch of Pingit, a service that lets users transfer cash to other Pingit users, just by knowing their mobile number. Originally launched for Barclays customers, Pingit was recently expanded to cover all with a UK bank account.

Research carried out for Barclaycard shows that up to £3bn worth of payments will be made from mobile phones by 2016. Now with Barclaycard PayTag making NFC payments easy for all at no additional cost, that total could easily be exceeded.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Mobile Phone :Phone Study Shows Women Drive Romance

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:10:22 +0000

A study of mobile phone data in the Scientific Reports journal has shown that women contact their spouse more often than anyone else from their mobile phone. The study shows that this remains the case until daughters become old enough to have children of their own, at which time the

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A study of mobile phone data in the Scientific Reports journal has shown that women contact their spouse more often than anyone else from their mobile phone.

The study shows that this remains the case until daughters become old enough to have children of their own, at which time the focus of communication shifts from the spouse to the children.

The results come from analysing the phone data of three million people.

The study aimed to show how intimate relationships develop over a period of time. According to the report’s co-author, Professor Robin Dunbar of Oxford University, the data clearly showed that bonding in the early part of the relationship was much more important to women than men.

“It is the first really strong evidence that romantic relationships are driven by women,” said Prof. Dunbar in an interview with the BBC. “It is they who make the decision and once they have made their mind up, they just go for the poor bloke until he keels over and gives in!”

It is around their mid-thirties that women start to change preference of their best friend, which seems to switch to women of the younger generation by their mid-forties, around the time most will expect the arrival of grandchildren.

The report indicates that a woman’s social world intensely focusses on one individual, and shifts as a result of reproductive interests from their mate to their children and grandchildren.

The report found that women tend to choose a man of similar age as their ‘best friend’ from around the age of 20, whilst for men it tends to occur around their 30′s, and tends to change after 7 years or so, as they start to focus on other friends.

The data, suggests Prof. Dunbar, shows that the root of important relationships are those between women, not those between men.

“Men’s relationships are too casual,” he said. “They often function at a high level in a political sense, of course; but at the end of the day the structure of society is driven by women, which is exactly what we see in primates.”

Via

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Mobile Phones :New Chip Could Bring X-Ray Vision to your Mobile

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:10:21 +0000

Researchers at the University of Texas have created an imaging chip, which in theory could give ‘X-Ray’ vision to mobile phones, allowing them to see through walls, woods and plastics. The chip is capable of detecting Terahertz frequencies, without need of special lenses. The exact

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Researchers at the University of Texas have created an imaging chip, which in theory could give ‘X-Ray’ vision to mobile phones, allowing them to see through walls, woods and plastics.

The chip is capable of detecting Terahertz frequencies, without need of special lenses.

The exact use for such technology isn’t clear, although the Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University, Kenneth O, suggests there are many ways the technology could be put to use, that we just haven’t thought of yet.

Such uses could be to find objects hidden in walls, so DIY enthusiasts can avoid drilling through cables or pipes hidden underneath. Businesses could authenticate documents with a watermark, or use the technology to detect counterfeit money. It is even suggested doctors could use the technology to look inside the body for cancer tumours, without needing to use expensive MRI scanners.

To limit concerns about privacy, the report authors state that the range of the scanner is limited to around 4 inches, although technically the scanner could see through fabric, it would need to be very close to allow someone to do so.

The Terahertz band is part of the electromagnetic spectrum, one of the wavelengths that sits between microwave and infra-red. Until now Terahertz has not been available to most consumer devices.

“We have created approaches that open a previously untapped portion of the electromagnetic spectrum for consumer use and life-saving medical applications. The Terahertz range is full of unlimited potential that could benefit us all,” said Professor O.

A major factor in the usability of this technology in consumer devices is that it is based on Microchips manufactured using CMOS. CMOS is the basis of many consumer devices, such as PC’s, TV’s, Gaming Consoles and Smartphones.

“CMOS is affordable and can be used to make lots of chips,” said Professor O. “The combination of CMOS and Terahertz means you could put this chip and receiver into the back of a cellphone, turning it into a device carried in your pocket that can see through objects.”

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Mobile Phones :Samsung Teaser for the Next Galaxy

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:10:21 +0000

Samsung are ramping up the marketing ahead of next week’s much anticipated launch of the Samsung Galaxy S III. A countdown site, found at www.tgeltaayehxnx.com (an anagram for ‘The Next Galaxy’) has reached zero, revealing a Teaser video for the forthcoming release. The teaser video

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Samsung are ramping up the marketing ahead of next week’s much anticipated launch of the Samsung Galaxy S III.

A countdown site, found at www.tgeltaayehxnx.com (an anagram for ‘The Next Galaxy’) has reached zero, revealing a Teaser video for the forthcoming release.

The teaser video below doesn’t give away any details of the new handset, but there are many clues, hinting at what we can expect.

The titles start out stating: “Truly smart technology becomes a natural part of life”, “Where a Galaxy fits perfectly into your hand”, “Your world view grows ever wider as you gain the power to explore freely and swiftly”

The video clip ends with the line: “With technology that fits in this easily, you can now stand out from everyone else”, the dramatic background music finishes, and you get a view of some sheep.

It is not the first time Samsung has cheekily branded users of another popular smartphone as ‘sheep’, indicating that some people choose their device because ‘everyone has one’.

What we hope for the new Samsung Galaxy S III is perhaps a Quad Core processor, larger, Super AMOLED Plus display, and maybe superior materials used in the handset construction.

We shall know for sure next week, in the meantime, check out the video below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Mobile Phones News :Mobile Phones to be Allowed at Open Championship

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:10:21 +0000

Spectators of the Open Championship, to be held at the Royal Lytham and St Anne’s Golf Course, will be able to use their mobile phones this year, according to the R&A. The ban on using mobile phones at the Open was put in place in 2006, after a number of incidents of golfers being

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Spectators of the Open Championship, to be held at the Royal Lytham and St Anne’s Golf Course, will be able to use their mobile phones this year, according to the R&A.

The ban on using mobile phones at the Open was put in place in 2006, after a number of incidents of golfers being disturbed whilst preparing for and playing their shots.

There will be designated areas where phones can be used, however the overall ban on video recording and photography remains in place.

“There is no denying the attachment people feel to their mobile phones both in terms of gathering information and staying in touch with family and friends,” said Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of the R&A. “We understand this and allowing their use at the championship will enrich the Open experience.”

“We understand there will be concerns over this change in policy but we will be liaising with spectators around the tented village and food and drink outlets. Strict rules will be put in place designed to ensure that play is not affected in any way by the change. Our spectators are very knowledgeable and understand golf and so we are confident they will respect the players.”

The move is also an attempt to attract a younger audience to the Open, by allowing interaction via smartphone. A range of apps will be launched to coincide with the championship, available for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices. These apps will keep spectators up-to-date with the latest information, including score cards, tee times and news headlines, as well as an interactive course guide.

The Open Championship takes place from the 19th to the 22nd July.

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Mobile Phones :Yes! Finally! An Android-powered JCB Tough Phone!

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:10:21 +0000

It’s a well-known fact that I love super-advanced smartphones, with the most recent example of my obsession being my utter adoration of the HTC One X. However, it’s a lesser-known fact that I also love tough phones, like the ones Sonim makes, and one of the first of that

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It’s a well-known fact that I love super-advanced smartphones, with the most recent example of my obsession being my utter adoration of the HTC One X. However, it’s a lesser-known fact that I also love tough phones, like the ones Sonim makes, and one of the first of that kind that I fell in love with was the JCB Tough Phone.

So, given that those are my two loves, you can imagine how excited I am about seeing a proper JCB phone that runs on Android. According to RegHardware, it’s called the JCB Toughphone Pro Smart, and, well, look at it. It’s gorgeous, in a sort of completely hideous way. Is this the first time that a tough phone can compete with the raw power of the aforementioned HTC One X?

Well, no, don’t be daft, of course not. Nothing is as powerful as that phone, as it is, but the JCB Toughphone Pro Smart only has an 800MHz processor, as well as a 3.2 inch touchscreen. Also, it’s running on Android Gingerbread, not Ice Cream Sandwich. So, it’s firmly outclassed in terms of specs.

But, really, let’s be honest, that’s not the point of the JCB Toughphone Pro Smart, anyway…

Nope, the point is this: can any other Android phones claim to be as hard-wearing as this beastie? Maybe the Motorola Defy plus JCB Edition can, possibly, but that’s about it, and that Motorola ain’t half as visually appealing as the JCB Toughphone Pro Smart. You may think that’s an odd argument to make, but the Motorola makes a sop towards looking like a normal smartphone, while the JCB phone has the courage to be completely ugly, and that, to me, makes it look more unique, and therefore, better.

Put simply, it looks like a tough phone, designed to nut its way across Burma, and that is win…

More news as it happens! And be sure to subscribe now to get all the latest action from the world of mobile phones!

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Mobile Phones :It turns out that the official case for the HTC One X is a bit funky

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:10:21 +0000

Yup, it’s another post about the HTC One X, because, as I’ve said so many times, I’m completely obsessed with it. Seriously, I’m talking about a kind of Kathy Bates in Misery level of dedication to the phone, to the point where I’ll even do a blog post

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Yup, it’s another post about the HTC One X, because, as I’ve said so many times, I’m completely obsessed with it. Seriously, I’m talking about a kind of Kathy Bates in Misery level of dedication to the phone, to the point where I’ll even do a blog post about the carry case for the phone, just to make the wait seem a bit more bearable.

Yeah, I’m sort of going a bit batty waiting for my contract to be up, but ah well. So, with that in mind, here’s a blog post about the official case for the HTC One X, that’s coming soon, as written about by AndroidCentral. It’s notable because it has holes in it. Yes, really, I’m doing a blog post about a phone case, that’s notable for having holes in it. I tell ya, I love Fridays…

Other than that, there’s not really a great deal I can say about it, other than it has holes, and it’s available in four colours, those colours being black, white, blue and orange. I have to be honest, I’ve seen photos of the orange on, in the flesh, and it does look damn funky, but I’ll be honest, I’m not a massive fan of cases that stay permanently on the phone. I prefer pouches that you can slip the phone in and out of.

But yes, definitely rather funky. I can’t imagine them making something similar for the HTC One S, though, what with it having a super ceramic coating.

Ye don’t want to hide that away, is what I’m saying…

More news as it happens! And be sure to subscribe now to get all the latest action from the world of mobile phones!

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Mobile Phone :Poorly Designed Mobile Sites Impact Smartphone Battery Life

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:10:21 +0000

A study by researchers at Stanford University has found that poorly designed Mobile Sites can have a significant impact on the drain effect of a smartphone battery, leading to a poor user experience. The study used an Android smartphone, and accessed leading sites such as Wikipedia

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A study by researchers at Stanford University has found that poorly designed Mobile Sites can have a significant impact on the drain effect of a smartphone battery, leading to a poor user experience.

The study used an Android smartphone, and accessed leading sites such as Wikipedia and IMDb, the Internet Movie Database.

Of all the sites tested, Google’s Gmail was found to be the most battery friendly site visited.

The news follows a report last month that found many free mobile apps were causing battery drain, mainly to do with the way the app retrieved and displayed ads within the application.

The findings of this latest study also show that poor coding on mobile sites can also have a significant effect on battery life.

One of the major benefits of the Gmail site was that it used HTML for certain key functions, as opposed to Javascript, which was found to use significant battery resource.

The report stated: “Despite the growing popularity of mobile web browsing, the energy consumed by a phone browser while surfing the web is poorly understood. Sites that are not properly optimised for use with a mobile browser end up draining the battery of visiting phones. This can potentially lead to reduced traffic to the site.”

The research revealed that just by making a few tweaks to the Wikipedia mobile site, battery drain could be reduced by as much as 30%, without having any affect on the user experience. Another recommendation for mobile sites is to use .jpg files for images, as opposed to .gif or .png files.

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Mobile Phones News :Gameloft releases Shark Dash for Android and iOS devices

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:10:21 +0000

Right, it’s Friday, so time to get all frivolous. Well, okay, it’s time to talk about mobile games, which are anything but frivolous for their makers, but are fun for us. So, here’s a new game for Android and iOS that’s caught my eye, and it’s called

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Right, it’s Friday, so time to get all frivolous. Well, okay, it’s time to talk about mobile games, which are anything but frivolous for their makers, but are fun for us. So, here’s a new game for Android and iOS that’s caught my eye, and it’s called Shark Dash…

I’ll concede, my first reaction was, “Wow, a Gameloft game that’s not a rip-off of a vastly more famous game! Such a thing is unprecedented…”

But is that true? Is this an entirely original idea, or is it… well, let’s not call it a rip-0ff, but is it obviously inspired by another famous game? I mean, let’s be honest, Gameloft have form for doing that, with games that look hauntingly similar to existing titles like H.A.L.O. or Red Dead Redemption, but is it possible that they’ve gone and made their first real, truly original game?

Or is it basically Angry Birds, but with sharks and ducks?

Not that it matters, really, because the important thing is whether it’s fun, and it certainly looks as if it is. It’s available now, on Google Play (for Android phones like the HTC One X), and iOS devices like the iPhone 4S. Plus, it’s cheap, ‘cos it’s only 69p on Android phones, so that’s not a lot of money, for what could potentially be a bag of fun.

So yeah, Shark Dash. Give it a try!

More news as it happens! And be sure to subscribe now to get all the latest action from the world of mobile phones!

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