Ultra-slim 4.0” dual-core Motorola XT760 leaked, specified with Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS, 8MP camera

The middle and high-end smartphone markets have always been a place of strategic importance of all mobile phone manufacturers. In the recent market, Motorola seemed to keep quiet for a long time. But this is clearly set to change soon enough. Aside from the 4.6-inch Droid Fighter, which should be the company’s flagship in 2012, the US-based technology manufacturer will most likely come with a couple of more affordable gadgets as well. After introducing the XT681 and several other phones, an ultra-slim 4.0 inch dual-core smartphone, codenamed XT760, has been leaked online from a Chinese site. Though there isn’t much information we can get from the blurry pictures, we pretty much have these guys’ tech specs jotted down according to rumors. Check the following content to get a detailed acknowledgement of this new phone.

Ultra-slim phone body with 4.0” touchscreen: Let’s check the dimension of this phone, which is 120.8x63.98x9.88mm and weights only 125g. Less than 10mm phone thickness, but comes with a large 4.0 inch TFT LCD touchscreen in qHD (960 x 540) resolution, which brings clear and smooth picture and digital entertainment experience. Users could freely watch HD movies on Motorola XT760 with ease.

1GHz dual-core processor: Motorola adopts ST-Ericsson DB8500 dual-core processor, which is also adopted by the Galaxy Advance (GT-i9070), on XT760.

8MP camera with LED flashlights: Motorola XT760 is built-in a top of the notch 8 MP rear-facing camera and LED flashlights, supports auto-focus and 720P HD video recording at 30fps.

Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS: Unfortunately, the Motorola XT760 is said to operate on the Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread OS, which may make it somewhat disappoint for its fans.

Other features and specs of Motorola XT760 include: support 3G/WAPI/Wi-Fi network connectivity, GPS navigation, SD card memory expansion, 1GB RAM, etc.

And talking about release, we of course know nothing of when this Motorola XT760 will be street released and where it will be made available, but something tells us that this gadget will hit China first. Depending on the success there, this phone will come or not to the US and European markets.

13.3 inch Toshiba AT330 tablet unveiled at Toshiba World 2012 sporting TV tuner on Android ICS OS

What sizes do you think a tablet should be and which size would you like to choose, a 10 inch one or just a 7 inch one? Well, Toshiba has another idea on tablet for you, a larger size tablet which could even be used as a laptop. Toshiba has unveiled a new prototype tablet, the AT330, at Toshiba World 2012 in Germany and it’s a huge 13.3-inch slate sporting the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. This tablet had been mentioned early at CES, but rare information was provided then. Beyond the massive screen size, the AT330 also features a Tegra 3 quad-core processor and a TV tuner that includes a pull-out antenna. The folks at Techfokus spent some hands-on time with the tablet, the video of which is posted below.

The tablet also has a bunch of ports, full size ports actually. There's an SD card slot, SIM card slot, and full HDMI port, which could help you to enlarge its memory storage and enhance the digital entertainment with this tablet. It’s not certain what resolution display it has, but it looks to be a 1920 x 1200 LCD panel, which, if confirmed, would make it a No. 1 choice to watch HD movies on Toshiba AT330, together with its large screen display. Other detailed specs of this tablet are still not known, but a 5MP rear-facing camera and 1.3MP front-facing camera have been seen on the tablet body. And we may even guess that there might be another variant of this tablet for a USA release though no word on that by far, since a TV tuner is not a feature we see much on devices that come to USA.

Check on the hands-on video of the tablet from the Toshiba World conference to get some first impression on Toshiba AT330 tablet:

Nokia Lumia 719 image leaked with the rumor to be launched in Asia and America on March 28

Nokia has officially released four Windows Phones in the past months to retrieve its smartphone market share which has been nibbled away by Apple iPhones and Android smartphones in recent years. Nokia has released the Lumia 610, Lumia 710, Lumia 800 and Lumia 900 starting from last October, all of which are available now in the smartphone market. According to the latest report, after half a year since Nokia initially debuted the Nokia Lumia 710 Windows Phone handset, it appears that a variant of that device will be headed to China and other parts of the world, including the U.S. The variant, known as the Lumia 719, is said to be similar to the original Lumia 710, but has a different button layout, a chin design, and more radio support.

The Lumia 719 is speculated to retain some of the specs that debuted on the Lumia 710, including the 3.7-inch ClearBlack LCD display and 1.4 GHz single-core Snapdragon CPU. The device will also have a 5-megapixel rear-camera if that is the case.

The device is believed to be coming first to China and may debut in other parts of the world including Asia, North America, and South America. It’s unclear if the device will be coming to any specific carriers Stateside.

The Lumia 719 joins Nokia’s Lumia Windows Phone lineup, which includes the low-end Lumia 610, the Lumia 710, the Lumia 800, and the new Lumia 900 which had debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show; the Lumia 900 is the only LTE model.

As for the release date, it is said that the Nokia Lumia 719 will be most probably released on March 28th in the districts mentioned above.

Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) update on Samsung Galaxy Note might be delayed to Q2

The Samsung Galaxy Note is absolutely a strong competitor to Apple iPhone 4S in most fields, some of which even exceeds Apple iPhone 4S, like the full 1080P HD video recording and playback feature, which not only enables you to record full 1080P movies with Samsung Galaxy Note, but also lets you watch 1080P movies on Samsung Galaxy Note unlimited on the go. But one thing that may make the Samsung Galaxy Note less attractive, that is the OS. The Samsung Galaxy Note initiated with Android™ 2.3(Gingerbread), which is not that attractive to that of iOS 5 on Apple’s iPhone 4S. Luckily, Samsung promised to update the OS to Android 4.0, the Ice Cream Sandwich, in the end of Q1. But, wait, I think you should get the latest news about the OS update.

According to the latest report, the update of Android ICS on Samsung Galaxy Note has been delayed. The Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for the phoneblet has been pushed back from its initially announced Q1 launch to Q2. It's only been confirmed by Samsung Norway through its Facebook account, so it's not certain if the delay will be a global thing, but that seems likely. The global rollout of the Ice Cream Sandwich update only took a few days, so we assume the Galaxy Note units, which are much fewer in number will be updated in a very short interval.

The reason for the delay is unknown just yet and so is the exact launch date. With Q2 starting in a couple of weeks and ending in June the delay might be a pretty minor thing or it could mean another three months without the latest and greatest from the Google OS for the Note users. Here's hoping it will be a case of the former rather than the latter!s

Top 6 Android tablets with 4G network connectivity to compete with the new 4G iPad

On the March 7^th event, Apple announced the new iPad and promised that the new iPad could work on 4G LTE network connectivity either on AT&T or Verizon. This would be quite amazing for the 4G network connectivity would bring totally different experience to users. But the new iPad is only applicable to 4G network connectivity in North America. If you are looking for a 4G capable tablet to use in a place other than North America, you could turn to some wonderful Android tablets with 4G network connectivity. Android has started a long journey with 4G network connectivity on tablets, not only on smartphones, for a long time ahead of Apple iPad with various excellent options for you to choose from. 

With the new iPad accessible with 4G network connectivity, the 4G future we've been promised for years has arrived. And it's not just for smartphones. We've been playing around with 4G Android tablets ever since the T-Mobile G-Slate back in early 2011. Today, I would like to share some best Android tablets with 4G network connectivity which may compete with the new 4G iPad to a certain degree. 

Sony Tablet P

The Sony Tablet P comes with a dual-screen, hinge-based designed 5.5 inch 1024 x 480 pixels screen display that allows the tablet to be closed up, just like a clam shell. The foldable design of this tablet makes it fit into most large pockets. The dual-screen design has made it a quite unique tablet option in the market for users to choose from. Click to check the full specs of Sony Tablet P.

Motorola Droid XyBoard 8.2

The Xyboard 8.2 is a powerful tablet, running on Verizon's robust 4G LTE network. Its 8.2-inch screen strikes a nice compromise between the more common 7-inch and 10.1-inch competitors, making it better for thumb-typing when held in portrait and on-the-go entertainment to watch DVD movies on Droid XyBoard. It doesn't come cheap, though, and the only affordable way to acquire one comes with a two-year contract. For detailed information, check Motorola Droid XyBoard 8.2 specs.

Motorola Droid XyBoard 10.1

To watch HD movies on Motoroal Xoom has been a great enjoyment. Now, as the successor, the Motorola Droid ZyBoard 10.1 would also be a good choice, besides its capability of 4G network connectivity. The excellent video experience also adds extra credit to this tablet. Check Motorola Droid XyBoard 10.1 specs for more.

T-Mobile SpringBoard

The Huawei-designed T-Mobile Springboard harkens back to another early adopter of 4G, the HTC EVO View 4G. This 7-inch tablet offers a beautiful screen, stylish design, and doesn't skimp on the specs, either. Unfortunately, like many tablets on this list, the Springboard comes at a relatively high price, not to mention a two-year contract.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

The Motorola Xoom may have been the first Honeycomb tablet, but the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 was the first to make us swoon. Its iPad 2-matching thickness and lightweight construction make it a great travel companion. Unfortunately, its iPad idolization carried through to its one-port design and an absence of memory expansion.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 packs the full Android Honeycomb tablet experience, along with Samsung's useful customizations, into a compact body. The 8.9 hits a sweet spot of portability, design, and pixel density.

How to edit photos with iPhoto for iOS on your iPad 2/iPhone4/iPhone 4S and the new iPad

It has seemed to be a regular for Apple to announce new updates for its software programs along with its hardware update announcements. On the March 7^th event, Apple released the new iPad (3rd generation). But the new iPad is not the only big deals that were released during the event, Apple also released a new program, iPhoto for iOS. Unlike a video editor which edits videos for you, the iPhoto for iOS is a professional image editing tool for your new iPad (3^rd generation), iPad 2, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, which could let you browse, edit, and share your photos on your iPad or iPhone freely. You can purchase iPhoto for iOS in the App Store at $4.99, and you will need to be running iOS 5.1 on your iOS device(s) for iPhoto to install. With the size of the app coming in at 106MB, you will need to be connected to Wi-Fi to download the app on your device.

Getting started: After downloading and installing the app, your photos will be presented to you in albums, with four tabs along the top to narrow down the photos you want to view, respectively: Albums, Photos, Events, and Journals.

The Albums tab groups your photos by status, whether they have been edited within the app, beamed to you from another iOS device, stored in Photo Stream, or on your camera roll. The Photos tab will display the photos currently stored on your device; you won't see your Photo Stream photos stored here. The Events tab will display your photos sorted by event, which is set up by syncing photos through iTunes or with the iPad Camera Connection Kit. The Journals tab will display the photo journals you create within the iPhoto for iOS app.

Viewing photos: Tap on the photo or album you would like to view. On the left side you will see thumbnail previews of the rest of the album you are currently viewing. You can adjust the size as well as relocate the column of thumbnails by touching the top of the bar and dragging it.

If you want to view more than one photo at a time, you can use a flicking motion to move it out of the thumbnail area and into the main section of iPhoto. You can also double-tap any photo's thumbnail, and iPhoto will automatically display all similar photos to you. This will come in handy if you have taken multiple photos of the same thing and want to quickly decide which one to keep.

Editing: The editing tools are along the bottom of your screen. In the lower-left corner of the screen you will find the tools that allow you to crop and straighten, adjust exposure, color, use brushes, and add effects to your photo.

If any of these tools intimidate you, the auto-enhance button looks like a magic wand in the middle of the toolbar. Located next to the auto-enhance button are the rotate, flag, favorite, and delete buttons. If you are not familiar with the specific work each tool does, you can tap on the question mark at the top.

Well, after you edit your photos with iPhoto for iOS on your iPad or iPhone, you can choose to share with your friends or not. You are given a healthy dose of options of what to do with your photos. Creating a journal will allow you to upload the Journal and share it with your friends, or you can Beam a photo from one iOS device to another iOS device running iPhoto on the same Wi-Fi network. You can also upload photos to a specific album on Facebook, print, or e-mail multiple photos. Unfortunately, the iOS limit of five photos per e-mail is still in place.

Related useful guide

How to edit videos and images with video editing program

How to import YouTube to iMovie for Further Editing

How to convert MKV to iMovie videos and edit MKV videos in iMovie on Mac

Apple quietly released iTunes 10.6 after the new iPad event with significant 1080P content playable now

Following the March 7th Apple’s new iPad event, the company quietly released the updated version of iTunes, the iTunes 10.6. This time, Apple made a small update to iTunes that mainly includes three aspects: add compatibility for the new iPad (3^rd generation) and Apple TV hardware; improve the reliability of Apple’s iTunes Match service; and, most significantly, add support for purchasing, downloading and viewing 1080p content from the iTunes Store.

Probably the most significant update for users in iTunes 10.6 is the addition of support for 1080p video, released in conjunction with matching higher-resolution content on the iTunes Store, as well as the new third-generation iPad and third-generation Apple TV. Before the iTunes 10.6, iTunes users are only able to play and watch 720P movies on iTunes. If users want to watch 1080P HD movies on iTunes, they have to convert 1080P movies to iTunes first and then they could freely playback 1080P HD movies on iTunes, but in low quality 720P format. It’s also worth keeping in mind that these are the only two standalone hardware devices—other than Macs and Windows PCs—that will currently provide support for the higher-quality video content.

And before the update to iTunes 10.6, users have to download 1080P HD movies to iTunes from online video sharing sites, due to no 1080P HD movie content are provided on iTunes. Now, users could own the right to directly purchase and download 1080P HD movies right from iTunes store. Meanwhile, users now are also able to access and play 1080P HD games on iTunes, and sync HD content with ease now.

Besides, the release notes for iTunes 10.6 also note “many improvements for iTunes Match,” including improved song matching, improved album artwork handling, downloading and display, and issues where songs may skip when playing from iCloud.

Other changes include: Convert higher Bit Rate Songs during sync; Watch video (almost) instantly while it’s still being downloaded from the iTunes Store; etc.