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Speck CandyShell Flip for iPhone 4S review

Admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:59:21 +0000

There are gimmicks and then there are features, and to be honest I don’t know which category the Speck CandyShell Flip falls into.

Its claim to fame is its easy-to-deploy “flip” stand which doubles as an easy slide-in entry for the iPhone itself. But let’s start from the basics. The Flip is made of a sturdy, bright and glossy plastic that looks more like a toy than it feels. In the hand the iPhone is sturdy and secure, though I far prefer the feeling of the CandyShell Grip.

The “flip” itself consists of a rubber hinge constructed out of what seems like a single piece of plastic, or as close to it as you’ll likely find. While it works well in theory, when the iPhone is installed the bottom portion is never entirely even with the top; there hinge always seems on the verge of coming loose.

This is essentially the compromise: in order to facilitate quick entry and exit, and a flexible stand, Speck had to make some decisions. Make the hinge too tight and you risk losing that multi-placement flexibility.

When leaning on its bottom half, the iPhone is in a perfect position for watching movies and browsing web pages. Except that portrait mode is not ideal for the former activity, and we can’t think of many situations in which you’d want to have the phone stationary for the latter.

More importantly, the Flip is designed to allow the phone to sit in most standard iPhone docks without having to remove the case. This is indeed an important advantage of its competitors, as most dock users will attest to. The inside of the Flip is made with a gentle ribbed silicone that absorbs most moderate shocks, while the outer portion is a firm and precisely-milled plastic.

It also cannot be stressed enough how nice the back of the Flip looks. While I could do without the garish blue bezel (the case is also available in white-and-pink and all-black) the overall design is quite attractive. Not only is the easy entry and exit a huge plus, but it prevents the occasional scratches that come with cases that require you to wedge your phone into one side or another.

All the ports are freely accessible: Speck has wisely chosen not to close off the charging and headphone ports, though there are rubber nubs that take over for the metal power and volume buttons. The bezel extends a couple millimetres over the front glass, preventing surface-level scratches when the phone is dropped on its face. In exchange the case feels somewhat bulky, though not quite to the same extent as the Otterbox Commuter.

The Speck CandyShell Flip is available for .95 from the company’s website. It is also fully compatible with the iPhone 4.

MobileSyrup.com

Official statement from RIM on the leadership shuffle (Video)

Admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:29:50 +0000

Here’s the official statement from RIM about the leadership team, direction and focus – plus a 7 minute video that introduces Thorsten Heins as the new President and CEO.

“On the transition to CEO by Mr. Heins, Mr. Lazaridis said, “There comes a time in the growth of every successful company when the founders recognize the need to pass the baton to new leadership. Jim and I went to the Board and told them that we thought that time was now.”

January 22, 2012 21:39 ET
Research In Motion Names Thorsten Heins President and CEO
- Board Acts on Recommendation of Co-CEOs to Implement Succession Plan
- Mike Lazaridis Named Vice Chair of the Board
- Jim Balsillie Remains a Director
- Barbara Stymiest Named Independent Board Chair
- Prem Watsa Named Independent Director

WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Jan. 22, 2012) – The Board of Directors of BlackBerry® maker Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced that, acting on the recommendation of its Co-Chief Executive Officers to implement the succession plan they previously submitted to the Board, it has unanimously named Thorsten Heins as President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Heins was also appointed to RIM’s Board. The Board acted after conducting its own due diligence. Both appointments are effective immediately.

Mike Lazaridis, former Co-Chair and Co-CEO, has become Vice Chair of RIM’s Board and Chair of the Board’s new Innovation Committee. As Vice Chair, he will work closely with Mr. Heins to offer strategic counsel, provide a smooth transition and continue to promote the BlackBerry brand worldwide.

Mr. Heins said he looks forward to continuing to work with Mr. Lazaridis, globally recognized as a technology pioneer. He said, “Mike created a whole new way of communicating and I look forward to continuing our close collaboration.”

On the transition to CEO by Mr. Heins, Mr. Lazaridis said, “There comes a time in the growth of every successful company when the founders recognize the need to pass the baton to new leadership. Jim and I went to the Board and told them that we thought that time was now. With BlackBerry 7 now out, PlayBook 2.0 shipping in February and BlackBerry 10 expected to ship later this year, the company is entering a new phase, and we felt it was time for a new leader to take it through that phase and beyond. Jim, the Board and I all agreed that leader should be Thorsten Heins.”

Jim Balsillie remains a member of the Board. “I agree this is the right time to pass the baton to new leadership, and I have complete confidence in Thorsten, the management team and the company,” he said. “I remain a significant shareholder and a Director and, of course, they will have my full support.”
Mr. Lazaridis said that he decided to move from Co-Chair to Vice Chair of the Board in order to return the public’s focus to what is most important: “the great company we have built, its iconic products, global brand and its talented employees.”

Mr. Lazaridis added, “Thorsten has demonstrated throughout his tenure at RIM that he has the right mix of leadership, relevant industry experience and skills to take the company forward. We have been impressed with his operational skills at both RIM and Siemens. I am so confident in RIM’s future that I intend to purchase an additional million of the company’s shares, as permitted, in the open market.”

Mr. Heins said he believes that RIM has tremendous potential. He joined RIM from Siemens Communications Group in December 2007 as Senior Vice President for Hardware Engineering and became Chief Operating Officer for Product and Sales in August 2011.

“Mike and Jim took a bold step 18 months ago when RIM purchased QNX to shepherd the transformation of the BlackBerry platform for the next decade,” Mr. Heins said. “We are more confident than ever that was the right path. It is Mike and Jim’s continued unwillingness to sacrifice long-term value for short-term gain which has made RIM the great company that it is today. I share that philosophy and am very excited about the company’s future.”

Mr. Heins said that RIM has a strong foundation on which to build. “We have a strong balance sheet with approximately .5 billion in cash at the end of the last quarter and negligible debt. We reported revenue of .2 billion in our last quarter, up 24% from the prior quarter, and a 35% year-to-year increase in the BlackBerry subscriber base, which is now over 75 million.”

Mr. Heins said, “BlackBerry 7 has been well received. We are very excited about PlayBook 2.0 and BlackBerry 10. The reception of our products at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show was encouraging.”
He continued, “RIM earned its reputation by focusing relentlessly on the customer and delivering unique mobile communications solutions. We intend to build on this heritage to expand BlackBerry’s leadership position.”

Mr. Heins said that RIM has grown quickly. “As with any company that has grown as fast as we have, there have been inevitable growing pains,” he said. “We have learned from those challenges and, I believe, we have and will become a stronger company as a result.

“Going forward, we will continue to focus both on short-term and long-term growth, strategic planning, a customer- and market-based product approach, and flawless execution. We are in the process of recruiting a new Chief Marketing Officer to work closely with our product and sales teams to deliver the most compelling products and services.”

Barbara Stymiest, who formerly served as a member of Royal Bank of Canada’s Group Executive and has been a member of RIM’s Board since 2007, has been named the independent Board Chair. John Richardson, formerly Lead Director, will remain on the Board. Prem Watsa, Chief Executive Officer of Fairfax Financial Holdings, also was named to the Board, expanding it to 11 members.

Speaking on behalf of the Board, Ms. Stymiest said: “We believe that Thorsten is the right executive to succeed Mike and Jim. He has 27 years of telecommunications experience, including four years at RIM in senior management positions. As a Board, we have been impressed with his outstanding management skills, his leadership and his accomplishments within the company.”

Ms. Stymiest also expressed the Board’s respect and admiration for Messrs. Lazaridis and Balsillie, the company they built, and the steps they have taken to position RIM for the future.

“They created RIM, nurtured it, and in the process not only built an iconic brand, but literally pioneered the smartphone industry,” she said. “It is Canada’s largest tech company and one of the largest in the world.”

MobileSyrup.com

Thoughts from CES 2012

Admin — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 04:01:07 +0000

The lights never seem to dim in Vegas. Even at 4am, when the sun is slowly rising in the east, the city itself seems to be emitting some sort of warble, an obsequious challenge to sleep less and spend more.

CES itself is much the same. This is not an event for the general public, but the place for companies to show off their upcoming flagship products, and make business deals that affect everyone. With three main halls, each of which take hours to navigate in a confused haze of caffeine and hunger pangs, there is no end to the potential for great news reporting.

But it was in this environment that we spent four days immersed in tech, scurrying around talking with various representatives soaking up the what’s new. The feeling is a little like being drunk: you exist on adrenaline, fawning over the few important device announcements and then, once exhausted, continuing to wander the expansive fluorescent hallways like a zombie. But the genius is in the scale: there is a sheer surplus of material to write about — some good, some famously bad — but yet all very promising that someday, hopefully, will help the industry move forward.

Two mobile devices that were crowd favourites from CES 2012: the Nokia Lumia 900 and the Sony Xperia S. Both handsets are conscious evolutions of their existing product lines, but make thoughtful changes in ways that consolidate the individual components into a cohesive and attractive fullness. Both companies are coming at their prospective markets as underdogs: Sony is rebranding, removing the Ericsson from its name, and with it comes the potential for an important brand re-recognition. Nokia has a harder job: it has completely shifted its operating platform, and has a lot more to lose if its Windows Phone commitment doesn’t pan out.

But it will. It’s clear from the company’s reception throughout the show that Nokia has made its name important again in North America, and with it the Windows Phone brand. Sony, too, has been playing the mass-market consumer card, focusing on creating attractive products that don’t compete on “techs and specs,” but on overall design and performance.

Neither company, like so many of the underdogs at this show, will have an easy 2012. The clear mindset winner of the show – Samsung – is coming into the calendar year high on life, profit and market share. But it’s also clear they are not going stop innovating. Expect huge things from the company this year, from the next Galaxy phone to tablets and, perhaps more impressively, cohesive device interoperability. Samsung showcased a TV prototype in which you could use hand gestures to change channels, or your voice to search for content.

For Canadians, the relevant news was slim but good: we are getting the LTE Galaxy Note; the Lumia 800 and 710; the Xperia S. Many devices, like the Lumia 900 and Xperia Ion, US-exclusives for now, will most likely come to Canada later this year.

LG held a press conference to announce the LG Spectrum (Bell Optimus LTE) was heading to Verizon; we’ll see their full upcoming product line at Mobile World Congress in February. Meanwhile, HTC only had a small booth for the US-only Titan II. RIM showed off its fantastic-looking Playbook OS 2.0, but nothing new on the handset front (which was expected). Lenovo, Asus, Acer were all completely AWOL for Canadians, though Motorola showed off its RAZR MAXX that, if we’re lucky, will find its way north.

Mainly the show was a testament to how far the industry has come in such a short time; everything, from fridges to stoves to windows, are connected somehow to the internet, and the smartphone is the source of their power. As the “cloud” becomes fuller and more accessible, easier to use and less expensive, the smartphone will continue to be our ears, eyes and perhaps even our touch.

Thanks for following our coverage of CES 2012, and we’ll be back next year!

MobileSyrup.com

RIM named as Canada’s top business newsmaker of 2011

Admin — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:36 +0000

The Canadian Press has named Research In Motion as Canada’s top business news story of 2011. Usually this would be very welcomed, but under the circumstances that RIM experienced last year the award is most likely bittersweet. Canada’s editors and broadcasters were surveyed and the results showed that 37% of them thought RIM was the top business newsmaker.

RIM started 2011 off with high hopes for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, but ended up selling just under 1 million units (plus took a half a billion dollar write down). In addition, RIM, for the first time in their history, declared they would be cutting 2,000 jobs. As the year progressed, product and OS updates were delayed, which essentially result the company seeing their market value fall from billion to just over .5 billion at the end of December.

2012 will hopefully be very different for RIM. We honestly want them to have massive success and get back on the path to where users feel intensely proud to carry a BlackBerry smartphone/tablet. They started the year off correctly by coming out with a new tagline/slogan of “Be Bold”. We wish those new BlackBerry 10 devices would get here sooner than “the latter part of 2012″… that would be a bold move and take everyone by storm.

As for the other business newsmakers of 2011, the Canadian Press says that “the Canadian economy” came in second with 24%, followed by Keystone XL at 13%, Personal debt levels with 9%, Toronto stock market with 6%, TMX takeover, Gold prices, Housing prices all with 3%, and the Wheat Board Changes with only 1%.

What would you like to see RIM do in 2012?

Source: WFP
Via: N4BB

MobileSyrup.com

Revisited: Nexus S running Ice Cream Sandwich

Admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 06:01:44 +0000

It’s been just over a year since the debut of the last Nexus device, and it’s not for nought that a lot of users are still undeniably infatuated with it. Even at the time it wasn’t the fastest, the hardiest or prettiest, but it’s turned into one of the versatile and comfortable Android phones ever created.

As the Galaxy Nexus dawn breaks, let’s take a look back at this Pure Google device, the Gingerbread experience and how I’m using it now: with Ice Cream Sandwich.

If there was one thing I’ve change about the Galaxy Nexus it would be its screen size. At 4.65″ it’s a bit ungainly. The Nexus S, in my opinion, conforms just about perfectly to the hand; a single thumb can reach any point on the screen without strain. The Super AMOLED display, though it has since been surpassed twice by Samsung’s own Plus and HD variants, still looks great. And most importantly, though “only” a 1Ghz single-core processor, it’s still blazing fast, owed to the skill of Android’s engineers and, ironically, the tendency for bloat by OEMs.

First, let’s talk about build quality. Many fans of the Nexus One were livid over Google’s deference to Samsung over HTC in building the second Nexus device. The N1 was not only well-built and comfortable but nearly two years later still once of the most unique Android devices (though the trackball is looking increasingly retro as time goes on). By contrast the Nexus S was, and still is, a distinctively Samsung-y phone, replete with glossy black plastic and that 0h-so-controversial right-side power button.

What Samsung did right was imbue the front glass with a subtle curvature that, when combined with its rounded back, made it perfect in the hand. The signature bottom chin from the original Galaxy S was significantly toned down, the battery cover thickened for added robustness.

But the parade wasn’t all horns and cheers: the Nexus S did away with the beloved notification light of the N1, and omitted expandable storage for no practical reason. And despite the significantly faster processor inside, on paper the specs did not look much better than its predecessor: both had 1Ghz single-core processors, 512MB RAM, 5MP cameras, 800×480 pixel screens and, most notably, neither supported 720p HD video.

But the devil is in the details, and the Nexus S was a huge usability improvement over the Nexus One. For starters, the screen was SO MUCH BETTER. Comparing the two day is like contrasting a freshly-cleaned windshield with one that hasn’t been washed in a few months. The OLED screen on the Nexus One was grimy and pixelated with touch response that can only be described as challenging.

Next, the Hummingbird processor in the Nexus S was, and still is, a beast. It was Samsung’s first mobile chip, combining a Cortex A8 processor with PowerVR’s venerable SGX430 GPU. And at the time of its debut on the first Galaxy S i9000 it was months ahead of its competitors in terms of overall performance. Indeed, Google is using a variation of the GPU in the Galaxy Nexus.

The Nexus products have never had great cameras, and the Nexus S was only a bit of an improvement over the N1. It came, however, nowhere near the fidelity of the iPhone 4. But it matched, and with enough care, exceeded the quality of equivalent devices on the market at the time.

The Nexus S also came with a couple subtle but significant improvements over its predecessor. For starters the 16GB of internal storage was a godsend to those who were constantly frustrated by the Nexus One’s 150MB of app storage. Sure, Froyo introduced Apps to SD compatibility but it wasn’t enough. The Nexus S also came with NFC, a relatively new (even today) technology that allowed for the wireless scanning of tags, or the initiation of content transfer between devices by touch. Oh, and there was a gyroscope.

Most importantly, the Nexus S debuted Android 2.3 Gingerbread to the world. While not the visual overhaul many people wanted (and expected) Gingerbread was prettier, faster and more feature-filled than before. But this isn’t a revisiting of the software since, well, we’ve moved on.

As you can see I have installed a very early alpha version of Ice Cream Sandwich on the Nexus S. While it isn’t perfect, all the core tenets of the software are intact: you can make calls, download apps and tweet. Performance is questionable at best: sputtery and occasionally crash-happy, it’s a great indication of what Android 4.0 will eventually look like when Google releases it officially.

The main difference between Ice Cream Sandwich on the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S is the lack of software buttons: we still rely on non-dynamic capacitive buttons below the display. Most apps can detect that there are no software buttons and allow access to its menu through the dedicated key. Missing, however, is the dedicated multitasking button; instead, like in Gingerbread, you must hold down the Home button for a second to bring up the updated multitasking menu. Once there you can swipe to exit apps like you’d expect, but that extra second of waiting for the menu to appear is torturous coming from the Galaxy Nexus.

The Nexus S is still a killer phone in many ways. I love it as much today as I did in December 2010 when it debuted, and it’s amazing how well it has aged as the industry speeds on by.

MobileSyrup.com

Contest Roundup: Galaxy Nexus, Optimus LTE, Galaxy SII, Bold 9900, Tab 10.1, Thrive

Admin — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 06:29:42 +0000

Since there are so many contests happening now I thought it would be a good idea to combine them all into one glorious list. Here they all are – good luck to all who enter!

- Win a Samsung Galaxy Nexus (Virgin Mobile), ending December 19th [More here]
- Win a Samsung Galaxy Nexus (Bell Mobility), ending December 20th [More here]
- Win a Rogers Samsung Galaxy SII LTE, ending December 14th [More here]
- Win a Toshiba Thrive 10.1-inch tablet, ending December 20th [More here]
- Win a Samsung Galaxy SII, ending December 19th [More here]
- Win a BlackBerry Bold 9900, ending December 19th [More here]
- Win a Rogers Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G, December 16th [More here]
- Win a Bell LG Optimus 4G LTE, ending, December 19th [More here]

MobileSyrup.com

Motorola, Samsung, HTC leaving some Android handsets open to permissions-based attacks

Admin — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 07:02:53 +0000

A research paper (PDF) out of the North Carolina State University has outlined how Android vendors, including Motorola, Samsung and HTC, are not enforcing the standard Android permissions guidelines with pre-installed apps. As a result of this, applications that don’t explicitly ask for access to send SMS messages, read address books or even wipe the phone’s data are able to do just that.

While the vulnerabilities are less present on Google’s own phones, including the Nexus One and Nexus S, certain intrinsic weaknesses within Android were also uncovered, leading to potential permissions-based exploits. Google and its now-subsidiary Motorla have acknowledged the potential exploits, but the researchers cite having “experienced major difficulties” in reporting these issues to Samsung and HTC.

At this point it’s unlikely anyone has taken advantage of these exploits, as they would have to explicitly sideload an app onto the phone to interact with the pre-installed apps’ permissions weaknesses. Nevertheless the potential for trouble is there, and as always, we caution you on downloading any app from the Android Marketplace that does not appear from a legitimate, trustworthy seller. Be careful out there, folks.

Source: Ars Technica
Via: Engadget

MobileSyrup.com

zcallingcard.com » Virgin Mobile News

Speck CandyShell Flip for iPhone 4S review

Official statement from RIM on the leadership shuffle (Video)

Thoughts from CES 2012

RIM named as Canada’s top business newsmaker of 2011

Top Canadian stories from the past week, plus other news from around the web

Revisited: Nexus S running Ice Cream Sandwich

Contest Roundup: Galaxy Nexus, Optimus LTE, Galaxy SII, Bold 9900, Tab 10.1, Thrive

Motorola, Samsung, HTC leaving some Android handsets open to permissions-based attacks

Top Canadian stories from the past week, plus other news from around the web

Top Canadian stories from the past week, plus other news from around the web