Rumours are circulating the web suggesting that Apple may be making some big changes to the iPhone’s design with its next handset.

Korean website etnews has reported that the next iPhone iteration could have a “liquid metal” casing, a design feature that several manufacturers are also said to be considering.

The casing, which is made from a mixture of metals such as zirconium, titanium, nickel and copper, will have a smooth, sleek feel to it and is said to be as light as plastic, enabling designers to produce less-weighty handsets. Should Apple incorporate the new technology, it will mark a significant change to the glass-covered iPhone4 and 4S, both of which have been found to be susceptible to damage.

Apple has remained tight-lipped with regards to a launch date for the much vaunted device, so it could be some time before this speculation is confirmed or dismissed. However, with Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference scheduled for June and the event being tipped as a possible showcase venue for the iPhone 5, the wait might not be as long as anticipated.

Apple’s LTE chip supplier Qualcomm is struggling to meet demand for smartphone chips and is expected to have continued manufacturing constraints for the rest of the year, according to a report from Reuters.

The next generation iPhone is widely speculated to have LTE capability and as such, the issues at Qualcomm may lead to a delayed launch for the much anticipated handset.

Several sources are suggesting the latest iteration of the Apple smartphone is set for a June launch at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). However, if the reports of supplier problems are in fact true, a September or October launch may be more likely.

Apple recently started internal seeding of a prototype handset (known as N96) built around an iPhone 4S but with 1GB of RAM and a variant of the A5X chip as seen in the new iPad.

As usual with any Apple rumour we have had no official word from Cupertino, however the fact that Qualcomm Chief Financial Officer Bill Keitel has admitted the issues to Reuters means this could be a very real problem for Apple, and more specifically the iPhone 5.

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The latest rumours surrounding the next Galaxy S handset suggest it may not be a major upgrade to the existing S II after all.

Mounting speculation suggests that the device, known unofficially as the SIII, will be comparable to the improvements that the iPhone 4S made on its predecessor, with a boost in processing power and a few extra features. There are also rumours that the device will not be numbered, with the next in the Samsung Galaxy series, following the naming strategy used by Apple with its latest iPad.

Other conjecture surrounding the device suggest that it could feature 1GB of RAM, a 4.7-inch display (with five column user interface) and eye-tracking technology which uses the front-facing camera to monitor users eye movements and locks the screen when they look away.

Earlier this week, there was more speculation about the processor that will be featured in the new Galaxy after Chinese manufacturer Meizu announced that its upcoming MX handset will feature Samsung’s Exynoss 4412. Recent reports suggest that this could mean the SIII will be fitted with the even faster Exynos 5250.

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We know what many of you are thinking; you’ve heard all this before, right? Samsung has been trying to update the Galaxy S II to Ice Cream Sandwich for months now, and despite saying it was all ready to go in the middle of March, the update never really made it to many devices.

Worst of all was that SIM-free Galaxy S II owners were being denied the update, while those with phones with a carrier lock were receiving it; an unexpected turn of events given it was usually the exact opposite. This was apparently due to Samsung needing approval from all the networks before it could begin distributing it.

Today, a spokesperson for Samsung has spoken to CNET UK and said that all these problems have now been resolved, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is ready for those with SIM-free S II phones.

To get the update, you’ll have to fire up Samsung’s Kies software on your computer, and then either connect using a USB cable, or via Wi-Fi using the Kies app on your phone. A quick update check should reveal the software is ready to download.

Vodafone has also joined the Ice Cream Sandwich update party, and those on that network should be able to update to the latest version of the software too.

Earlier this week Sony announced it was still on track to bring Ice Cream Sandwich to its Xperia range of phones, and the new version would be coming in less than six weeks time.

Popular Indian newspaper Dainik Jagran that has presence in over 17 states across the country has announced the launch of its applications for both Android and iOS smartphones.

With this application the company aims at delivering the latest news to smartphone users on the go. The application provides news from politics, world events, sports, entertainment, business etc.

At present, the app only provides news in Hindi, but it is expected that developers will also make English news available through the application, though there has been no announcement on that. As of now, the application supports Android devices running version 2.1 and above, and devices running iOS version 3.0 and above that support Hindi.

The application also allows users to share news articles using social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter. Along with that users also have the option to share news using the native email client on the device.

Along with that the application allows users to stay updated with news related to their city and locality as well, with a special section for local news. Users can very easily select their city from a list and get news related to that city delivered on their smartphone.

Interested users can download the application on their Android or iOS smartphones from the Google Play store and Apple app store, respectively, or else can also follow the Android link and iOS link.

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Aircraft manufacturer Boeing is set to launch an Android-based spy phone that will compete with other manufacturers offering highly secure communication devices, company officials have said.

The aerospace and defence industry giant is moving into the mobile communication arena with the aim of cornering the defence and intelligence sectors. The phone is set to be much cheaper than current options, although it is expected to still cost a few pennies more than an HTC Wildfire.

The Boeing Phone will employ high levels of encryption in order to avoid any third parties listening in on private conversations, a feature that is likely to make the handset popular with both high-level security professionals and celebrities fearful of eavesdropping tabloid journalists.

Boeing’s creation is expected to appear at some point this year and the handset will have all the usual Android refinements. It has not been confirmed whether or not the device will feature Angry Birds Space out of the box however.

Most companies know exactly what they offer, and to whom, and this is often reflected in the choice of name they go with. Others however, opt for more obtuse titles for their businesses and products in a bid to make them sound cutting-edge. Here are some of the more obvious offenders.

Siri

It was recently revealed that Apple figurehead, the late Steve Jobs, wasn’t too happy with the name given to the personal assistance software which he acquired for launch with the iPhone 4S. Siri was the name given to the program by co-creator Dag Kittlaus, a name that he also wished to call his daughter.

In his native Norwegian, Siri means “beautiful woman who leads you to victory” – though her English male counterpart was previously more likely to tell viewers, through a voiceover on a UK gameshow, who was the Weakest Link!

Apple

There are many theories as to how Jobs’ company got its name, though an explanation given by Owen Linzmayer in his book, Apple Confidential seems to hold the most water.

Alongside Jobs’ happy memories of working on an apple farm in his youth, the company’s formation in 1976 meant that the main rivals in the computer industry were Atari – itself a form of the Japanese verb for “to hit the target” – who was enjoying great success thanks to its home and arcade game systems. The name Apple was eventually chosen simply because it came before Atari in the phone book!

Google

Imagine if instead of Googling something, you had to BackRub it. If the original name for the project co-founded by Sergey Brin and Larry Page had stuck, that’s what millions of people around the world would be doing every second instead. As it was, their search engine needed a name that suggested just how vast the internet was becoming, as a googol is written as a one followed by a hundred zeros.

When the company was founded in 1998, their first investor misspelled “googol”, and the rest is history. Even if the newly-incorporated company had been spelled correctly, they would’ve had to negotiate with someone listed as Mrs. Jello for the rights to the domain name, which she has held since 1995.

Google Play Books, which is an eBook Store, has received a new update that brings 3D page turning animation to the Android 2.2 Froyo and Android 2.3 Gingerbread base devices.

Google Play Book section contains all kinds of eBooks that a user can browse, purchase and download. It also contains collection of the eBooks that have been converted from physical books by Google. The Play Books is the Google’s eBook store in answer to Apple iBooks, Amazon Kindle and Kobo Reader.

The Play Books now comes with the new 3D page turn animation for all the Android 2.2 Froyo or higher devices. The page turning animation is quite slick on the high end devices and intuitive.

Google Play Books is the eBook reader out to compete with already matured eBook readers out in the market. However, the growth pace of the Play Books is relatively slow and features offered are also minimal. For instance there is no way to bookmark a page, highlight text, make notes or even load already purchased ebooks from other book stores.

While device specific issues continue to prevail, the Google Play Books update works fantastically for several devices. Google Play Books unfortunately is not available for all regions and mostly available in the USA. However you can always download and install the .apk package file, go online using an open or private VPN to access all the books available for the USA region. Sounds like too much work but totally worth if you are into reading ebooks.

To get the latest version of Play Books, visit Google Play Store.

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