Mobile Phones News Blog

Evernote, the famous note taking app on Android and iOS , may soon allow its users to create notes in the traditional way as they do using physical note pads. This will be possible as Evernote has acquired Penultimate, the most popular digital handwriting application for iPad. The acquisition will allow Evernote to expand its handwriting capabilities, while also making Penultimate available on more platforms and devices.

“Digital handwriting has been around for decades, but it has never gone mainstream because the hardware and software simply weren’t aligned. Thanks to Penultimate and the iPad, that’s all changing,” said Phil Libin, chief executive officer of Evernote.

“For the first time ever, writing on a tablet is really great, which is why we chose this moment to make the acquisition. We have big plans for Penultimate that will both enhance the app and bring more capabilities into Evernote. It’s already the best handwriting app out there, and it’s only just getting started,” Phil added.

The Penultimate app is designed to resemble a physical notebook. Individuals can use a finger or stylus to take notes wherever they like. The application allows users to choose from a variety of paper types, ink colours and line thicknesses. Notes taken in Penultimate can be saved directly to Evernote with a single tap.

“Technology often distances us from things that feel natural and human. With Penultimate, our goal was to use the most advanced tools to enable something that was at once powerful and familiar,” said Ben Zotto, creator of Penultimate. “I’m thrilled to join the Evernote family. Their vision and expertise will help bring exciting improvements to Penultimate, and together we’ll elevate the importance of handwriting within Evernote.”

As of now, the Penultimate is available for $0.99 (Rs 50 approximately) for iOS based devices from the iTunes App Store.

Unlike some previous editions of Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS 5 and iOS 5.1 haven’t seen a string of incremental updates, in which bugs are fixed and small features added.

While this could indicate the software is relatively trouble free, there are others experiencing problems who see this as an oversight on Apple’s part, as they’re forced to live with whatever issue has befallen their device.

However, last night Apple released iOS 5.1.1, which could solve some of these problems. According to the iTunes details, the new version improves the reliability of the camera software, specifically for HDR snaps taken directly from the lock screen, plus 2G and 3G switching on the new iPad, AirPlay bugs and a fix for the syncing of Safari’s bookmarks and the Reading List.

Unfortunately, there’s no mention of a fix for the new iPad’s Wi-Fi troubles, or its less-than-accurate battery meter, or the iPhone’s notification sound woes.

The update could be a whopping 800MB if you choose to download it through iTunes, so if at all possible, consider downloading using the over-the-air option, as here it only replaces those files that are needed on your particular phone, cutting the size down to a mere 45MB.

Although it’s not available at the time of writing, a direct download via Apple’s security page could also be used.

With Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference less than two months away, this could be the only update we’ll see to iOS 5 before our first look at iOS 6, which is widely expected to make its debut at the show.

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After recently launching its new Xperia S smartphone, Sony is now all set to bring yet another Xperia handset to India. Named as Xperia U, the new Sony smartphone is expected to be launched in the country on May 10.

Many online stores like Flipkart and Lets Buy have already started taking pre-booking orders for the Xperia U. Although, the Sony Xperia U is yet to get an official price tag from Sony but Both the online retailers are accepting pre-booking orders for the Xperia U for Rs 16,499 and Rs 17,399 respectively.

The Sony Xperia U features a 1 GHz processor and has access to Sony’s Entertainment Network that allows users to watch latest Hollywood blockbusters on Video Unlimited or listen to millions of songs through Music Unlimited.

The Xperia U will have a 3.5 inch screen powered by Sony’s Bravia Engine technology for better display. The Xperia device will feature 3G , WiFi , and Bluetooth and NFC connectivity options and is DLNA certified as well. Sharing the same design philosophy as the Xperia S, this new smartphone will also have a transparent bar just under the screen that enhances the visuals significantly. The Xperia U is likely to come with Android 4.0 unlike the Xperia S that requires to be upgraded.

Microsoft has been granted a patent for a device which reads muscle movements and communicates them wirelessly to a phone or computer.

The Electromyography-Based Controller could be fitted into an armband that would read electrical signals from the wearer’s muscles and translate them into commands for any connected device.

The controller could be fitted into other wearable equipment such as a shirt or glasses or even nodes that attach directly to the user’s skin.

Whilst the idea is still very much in the concept stage and far from being launched into the market, it’s still interesting to see if such a controller will ever made available to consumers and, if so, exactly what form the final version takes.

Korean consumer electronics giant, Samsung has announced an exciting offer for Galaxy SIII buyers. Under this offer, every Galaxy SIII buyer will get 50 GB of free cloud based storage for their devices from Dropbox. Earlier, HTC had also announced a similar offer under which HTC smartphone users were offered 25 GB worth of free cloud storage space from Dropbox.

But this is not a new move as many smartphone service providers have already offering cloud services. For example, Apple is offering cloud services through its iCloud, while Microsoft has Skydrive and now Google has also started offering 5 GB of free cloud storage space for Android powered devices via Google Drive.

By using Dropbox, Galaxy SIII users can share files, documents, pictures, videos songs and any other data across various devices. Along with this, Dropbox also allows users to create and share public libraries with others by invitation or by directly posting links of popular websites like Facebook and Twitter.

Dropbox application is available on iOS , BlackBerry and Android platforms for free and provides up to 2 GB of data storage space. But Samsung Galaxy SIII users will be getting a massive 50 GB of storage space which otherwise attracts a huge annual fee if taken as a subscription. But the service will only be valid for a period of 24 months maximum. After that the Samsung Galaxy SIII users will also have to pay for the storage space if they would like to continue with the subscription.

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A concept design that gives an impression of what the next iPhone could look like if it is made from Liquid Metal has been created by a French artist.

Digital designer Antoine Brieux produced the image depicting how the the new iPhone would look if rumours about Apple using the super-strong material prove to be true.

Although speculation about the next iteration of the Apple smartphone hasn’t yet come anywhere near the levels reached by Samsung’s new Galaxy device there has been suggestions that it will have an ultra-thin case.

Brieux also envisaged possible specs such as a 4.5-inch screen, 10 megapixel camera and quad-core A6 chip.

Apple is said to have an exclusive deal with Liquid Metal Technologies, the makers of the much talked about material. Although it is doubtful that a final iPhone will look like Brieux’s creation it is interesting to see a concept of how Liquid Metal could be implemented.

Flipboard, the popular social magazine application which is currently available for iOS based device, will soon be available for Android smartphones and tablets. Samsung Galaxy SIII, which was announced yesterday, marked its debut on Android. But currently, the Flipboard app is not available for any other Android device.

Flipboard currently is available for the Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. This popular news and social media consumption app was previously meant for Apple iPad tablets only but due to its growing popularity it was later on ported for devices with smaller displays as well.

The Flipboard application provides news and web feeds in the form of easy to read web magazine like interface. Along with that not just text but pictures are also presented in a better way making readability better for the users. Flipboard can take feeds for local or web based RSS reader feeds as well as other news sources and presents it in a web magazine format.

With the launch of Galaxy SIII, Flipboard is looking for a partnership with Samsung to make it available for other Samsung devices like the Galaxy Note and the older Galaxy SII.

So Samsung smartphone owners can expect the Flipboard application to arrive soon but other Android device owners will have to wait for some more time.

Following our brief introduction to the Samsung Galaxy S III at Earls Court we were fortunate enough to be invited to the company’s HQ to get to know the much-anticipated handset a little better. The Korean manufacturer has clearly set out to ensure that the S III is the most cutting edge smartphone in the world, so it was with some excitement that we headed to Samsung in order to really get to grips with the device.

Key Features

• Quad-core processor
• 4.8” HD Super AMOLED display
• 16/32/64GB internal storage options
• 8MP camera with burst mode
• 1080p HD video recording
• 8.6mm thickness
• 133g weight
• Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS

With its curved edges and smooth finish, the Galaxy S III certainly lives up to its billing as ‘designed by nature’. The device feels comfortable, if a little underweight, in the hand and cuts a minimal outline in the pocket thanks in no small part to its svelte 8.6mm thick frame.

We were dazzled by the 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display when we tried a unit at the launch event and after a little more time with it we can safely say this is one the best screens seen on a smartphone to date. Colours are vibrant but realistic and the contrast is second to none, providing a totally immersive experience whether browsing images or watching video.

The stunning display provides the perfect platform to show off the all new TouchWiz Nature UI, an interface which offers the user a vibrant yet familiar experience. Android Ice Cream Sandwich is unsurprisingly the operating system of choice for the S III, with the handset’s powerhouse 1.4GHz quad-core processor dealing with the platform without lag or any sluggishness in menu browsing.

The on-board camera is an 8 megapixel unit which includes a number of great features such as burst mode and zero shutter lag. One particularly interesting feature is the Best Shot function which allows the user to capture 8 images in a mini burst with the camera app itself then auto selecting the best shot. Full HD 1080p video recording is also possible on the device, with a reduced quality mode available if required.

A major selling point for the Galaxy S III is the idea that the phone is both intuitive and effortless and much of this is ideology manifests itself via the software on the device. One such feature is the Pop-up Play video functionality which allows the watching of video content while carrying out other tasks at the same time. With multitasking considered an incredibly important aspect of today’s flagship smartphones, Pop-up Video is sure to grab the S III a number of headlines.

S-Voice, a competitor to Apple’s Siri, is another intuitive feature and offers the user various ways to interact with the device using voice recognition. Particularly impressive is the ability to unlock the phone by simply speaking to it, with options also included to personalise the phrase used to ‘wake’ the handset.

Some other intuitive features that we only had the time to glance over include Allshare Play, which uses DL NA and the internet to connect the S III wirelessly to your other personal devices, and Direct Call, which uses motion recognition to make answering calls as simple as moving the handset up to your ear.

With functionality at the top of the priority list for Samsung, there is a host of features we did not have the time to test out during our brief visit. However, we are really looking forward to spending some extended time with the device and as soon as we do you can expect a full review right here on the Dialaphone blog.

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