ComVia Reviews

Huawei Ascend 2 announced for US Cellular

2011-12-26T00:49:00.000-08:00

If you’re in the market for a new low-end Android device because you’re new to the platform or you just need a temporary device until your next phone or you’re just broke, Huawei’s latest offering on US Cellular might fit the bill. Called the Huawei Ascend 2, this phone features a 3.5″ 320 x 480 display, a 5-megapixel camera, a 600MHz processor, Android 2.3, a preloaded 2GB microSD card and a 1,400mAh battery.

The phone will cost you nothing (after a $100 rebate) with a 2-year contract so it should be perfect for the reasons mentioned above. It’s no Android superphone, but the Ascend 2 isn’t too shabby-looking and if you’re not doing anything but basic smartphone tasks, it should be more than capable. Head over to US Cellular’s website for more details. Source

Sanwa unveils SKB-BT14 Bluetooth 2.0 keyboard

2011-12-26T00:48:00.000-08:00

Looking for one of those foldable Bluetooth keyboards that you can take with you on your travels? If you are, the good news is that Sanwa may have what you need in the form of the SKB-BT14 Bluetooth 2.0 keyboard. Unfortunately it still uses Bluetooth 2.0 as opposed to Bluetooth 3.0, but we guess if you plan to use it for short periods of time, the difference in power consumption may not be as noticeable. Source

Acer Allegro launches in France

2011-12-26T00:46:00.000-08:00

The Acer Allegro was first released last month ahead of schedule thanks to a French store Rue du Commerce. Well, yesterday the phone was officially released in France. The Acer Allegro is Acer’s first foray into creating a Windows Phone 7 device and it packs first generation WP-device specs: a 1GHz processor, a 3.6″ display, 8GB of internal storage, Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, a 1,300mAh battery (with Acer Fast Charge), WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. Source

Samsung Galaxy S2 DUOS lands in China

2011-12-26T00:45:00.000-08:00

Not content with just releasing slightly lower-end DUOS devices such as the Galaxy Y DUOS and the Galaxy Y Pro DUOS, it seems that Samsung has decided to release a higher-end DUOS device in the form of the Samsung Galaxy S2 DUOS (I929), but unfortunately it looks like it will only be available in China. Source

Firefox 10.0 beta now available for Linux

2011-12-26T00:44:00.000-08:00

It was just the other day that Firefox 9 was released a day ahead of its intended release for Windows, Mac and Linux, but the good news for those running Linux systems is that it appears that the Firefox 10.0 beta is now available for all Linux platforms. It will also support both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures. Source

Ubislate 7 is next cheap tablet for India

2011-12-26T00:41:00.001-08:00

India already has had its first government sponsored tablet in the form of the Aakash, and here we are with a second model known as the Ubislate 7. This particular tablet also hails from hardware manufacturer Datawind, where it will sport 7″ of viewing goodness thanks to an 800 x 480 resolution touchscreen display. Running on a Cortex A8 700MHz processor (compared that to the 300MHz ARM11 processor on the Aakash), you know this is going to be far beefier, complete with GPS and Wi-Fi connectivity, HD video playback support, 256MB RAM, a USB 2.0 port, and 2GB of internal memory which can be augmented by a microSD memory card. Android 2.3 Gingerbread ships with the system, although we do wonder why it did not come with Android 3.0 Honeycomb instead, which is tablet-centric. Source

Blackberry Porsche P’9981 arriving in UK by end of the year

2011-12-26T00:40:00.000-08:00

While the Blackberry Porsche P‘9981 has yet to be announced for the US (it has been spotted at the FCC and appears to be headed towards AT&T), it seems like the device has received a date for a UK release which will be arriving at high-end retailer Harrods by the end of the month for a whopping £1,275 SIM-free. Source

Hori Fight Stick for Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 arrives in the US

2011-12-26T00:38:00.000-08:00

Good news US gamers, if you were slightly jealous at your friends over in Europe who might be enjoying Hori’s Fight Stick for Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, and you’re looking to take your gaming experience to the next level, it seems like the company has released the game controller for the US market.

Much like its Europe release, the Fight Stick features a montage of characters from the Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 game on the base of the controller. It will also feature a joystick along with eight trigger buttons and a start button that should be able to replace your controller. If you’ve ever grown up playing games in the arcade, we don’t see why Hori’s Fight Stick can’t bring back those memories. The Fight Stick will be available for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 at $149.99 each from Hori’s website. Source

Targus Dual Video USB 3.0 docking station

2011-12-26T00:37:00.000-08:00

Mention Targus, and what comes across your mind? A notebook backpack that has plenty of strategically placed pockets for you to stash away all your gadgets and gizmos in a safe place, while ensuring your notebook remains free from scratches and knocks? Well, Targus also makes different kinds of computer accessories, and today we shall take a closer look at the Targus Dual Video USB 3.0 docking station. Boasting a wedge shape, you will be able to place your notebook on top of it in order to get a better viewing angle of the display, and hence, a more comfortable portable computing experience. Expect to see DisplayLink technology within that enables it to send video signals over to a couple of external monitors using one HDMI output and a DVI output. Source

Europe misses out on 32GB PS Vita cards

2011-12-26T00:35:00.001-08:00

Yes, we do know that Sony’s latest handheld console, the PS Vita, has a rather commendable launch lineup, and one of the must-have accessories for this particular device would be the PS Vita memory card which stubbornly retains Sony’s love for proprietary formats. Basically, without a memory card for the PS Vita, you might as well not play any game since there is no where else to save it, and you cannot just pull an SD memory card from your digital camera or notebook and use it here. In fact, demand for the PS Vita memory cards have been extremely high, that they are already selling out in Japan (the 32GB version in particular since that makes the most sense to purchase), having been confirmed for a US launch as well. Source

Dropbox 2.0 for Android plays nice with Ice Cream Sandwich

2011-12-26T00:34:00.000-08:00

Ever heard of Dropbox before? In the words of the Dropbox team, they offer “a free service that lets you bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily. Never email yourself a file again!” Sounds like a dream, and it is nice to see this particular service being made available to smartphones such as Android-powered devices. In fact, Dropbox has updated their software to hit version 2.0, which will incidentally work with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as well, and we are glad to say that Dropbox 2.0 is now available in the Android Market. Source

BioShock 2: Mac edition coming in January 2012

2011-12-26T00:33:00.000-08:00

One of the drawbacks of running on Mac OS X is that you are limited to the amount of software and games that are available for Windows-based computers. Of course most of the major and popular software and games usually have a Mac version, and if you’re a fan of the BioShock franchise, the good news is that come January 2012, the game will be making its way over onto Macs! Source

Apple might launch low-cost iPad instead of 7″ model

2011-12-26T00:32:00.000-08:00

There has been a lot of rumors surrounding a possible iPad of the 7” variety, but it seems that amidst all those rumors, Brian Blair, an analyst from Wedge Partners, seems to think that Apple will not be launching a 7” iPad but will instead focus on a low-cost iPad, much like how Apple introduced the 8GB iPhone 4 that was priced significantly lower than the iPhone 4S. Source

LG Spectrum and HTC Fireball to be 4G LTE global phones?

2011-12-26T00:30:00.000-08:00

More details about the recently leaked LG Spectrumand HTC Fireball have surfaced. Someone managed to grab a couple of screenshots of the Verizon system, showing the listing for the LG Spectrum and HTC Fireball. According to the features shown on the table, it looks like both of them will be 4G LTE phones – with world phone capability. This means that you’ll be able to use the phone anywhere in out of the US – you’ll just need to plug a local GSM SIM card into the device and you can start making calls. If these specs turn out to be true, it would make them the first Verizon LTE devices with global roaming capabilities.

While we’ve seen the LG Spectrum before, and know its specs, the HTC Fireball still remains a mystery, with only its name popping up in the system a few days ago. HTC seems to be keeping this phone under wraps pretty well – unless Fireball is a different name for a device we’ve already seen before. Stay tuned to find out. Source

Xperia PLAY gets Ice Cream Sandwich

2011-12-26T00:29:00.000-08:00

Xperia PLAY owners sure are in for a treat. After getting OnLive compatibility yesterday, it looks like they’re in for another treat soon. Some developers have managed to successfully port Ice Cream Sandwich over to the gaming handset. And just like most first version of custom ROMs – you can expect parts not to be working. But hey – having Ice Cream Sandwich is better than not having it at all, since Sony Ericsson left the Xperia PLAY out of its list of devices that will be getting the update. Suddenly the phone looks a lot better.

If you’re keen on tracking the progress of Ice Cream Sandwich for the Xperia PLAY, head over to XDA-developers. Source

Western Digital WD TV Remote app now available for Android

2011-12-26T00:26:00.000-08:00

A few days ago Western Digital announced a major update for its TV Live and TV Live Hub media players that added a whole selection of content channels. In addition to the new video services, Western Digital announced an update to its WD TV Remote app as well. The iOS app was released first, and now – the Android version has been released as well. No longer will you need an iOS device to control the media player, you can do the same job using the Android app.

The WD TV Remote app will let you control your WD TV from anywhere in your house using your wireless network, get one-touch access to launch any online service available on your WD TV, enter text using your Android smartphone or tablet keyboard, use the gesture pad for quick and easy navigation, connect multiple Android mobile devices with the WD Remote app and conveniently play multiplayer games.

The app is available for free and requires Android devices running Android 2.1 and above, the WD TV Live Hub or WD TV Live, and wireless access to your WD TV media player on your network. Head over to the Android Market to download it. Source

Samsung GT-N8010 is the next Galaxy Note?

2011-12-26T00:24:00.000-08:00

The Samsung Galaxy Note has yet to make its way over to the US, but it looks like the device already has a sequel in the works. A new Samsung device was reported as to have gained WiFi certification recently and it has the model number GT-N8010. If you’re wondering what it has to do with the Galaxy Note, the Note has a model number of GT-N7000 and Samsung has been known for keeping similar naming traits with its devices, increasing the numbers to signify a newer version of the device or another device that features similar hardware.

If the deduction turns out to be accurate, we might be seeing a new Galaxy Note being introduced in the market sometime soon. Perhaps at the MWC in February 2012? Right now nothing is known about the device other than that it features dual-band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity. However if it is a successor to the Note, you can expect a large display and of course – stylus input. Stay tuned and we’ll keep you posted. Source

iPad 3 to be launched on Steve Jobs’ birthday?

2011-12-26T00:21:00.000-08:00

Like clockwork, rumors for the new iPad have started up again. Just like last year when the iPad 2 was what everybody was looking for, this time around it’s the iPad 3 that has everybody’s attention. There are a lot of rumors about the device floating around – higher resolution and smaller form factor being the biggest of the lot. Now there’s a new one that’s recently surfaced – the iPad 3′s launch date.

According to a Chinese newspaper that first reported the story, its trusted sources believe that the iPad 3 might be launched on February 24th – the birthday of Apple’s founder and late CEO – Steve Jobs’. Now it’s not usual Apple behavior to plan the launch of products around a special date – they normally launch something when it’s completed as opposed to when the time has come. But due to Steve Job’s recent death, the company might make that exception just this once. Source

iMAME pulled from the Apple App Store

2011-12-26T00:19:00.000-08:00

It only took a couple of days, but it looks like the iMAME app which allowed gamers to play classic games on their iOS devices has finally been pulled out from the Apple App Store. Can’t say we didn’t see this coming, since Apple forbids apps on its store from running emulated code. However, it’s safe to say that this isn’t going to be the last we’ve seen of the app. Various emulator apps have managed to pop up on the App Store in the past (and were consequently thrown out after a enjoying a short while of success) and you can be sure that more variations will surface in the future. So for those of you that missed out on iMAME this time around, keep your eyes peeled for another emulator in the future. Source

LG Develops 55-inch OLED TV Panel

2011-12-26T00:17:00.000-08:00

LG Display has just announced that it has successfully developed a 55″ OLED panel for HD televisions. At the moment, producing large OLED displays is an ongoing challenge, just like it was the case for LCD displays years ago. The industry bumps into, and eventually overcomes, major manufacturing challenges that hurts the yields (or reject rates) of end products. The higher the reject, and the more expensive it is to produce.

The LG 55″ OLED panel supports a 100,000:1 contrast ratio and can reproduce more colors than LCD displays, LG says. The response-time should also be much higher. As LG puts it: “The new technology allows light emitting diodes to self-generate light and features a reaction velocity to electric signals over 1000 times faster than liquid crystal”. This new panel will be demonstrated at CES in January. Of course, we will be there to bring you the latest consumer electronics news. Source