Samsung Ativ S could be delayed until 2013

It seems that the Samsung Ativ S is experiencing more issues, as reports suggest it has been further delayed.

The latest reports come via Sam Mobile, which suggests that in Europe at least we may have to hold out until early next year to get our hands on the Ativ S.

We were supposed to see Samsung's first Windows Phone 8 device land in stores sometime during mid-November, but that has come and gone, with the Ativ S release date now completely up in the air.

Still no sign

We reported last month that the Samsung Ativ S had been delayed, and rumours suggested it would arrive during the first week of December.

Samsung even told us "the launch of Samsung Ativ S in the UK is scheduled in December" – but we're not holding out a huge amount of hope.

UK online retailer Expansys recently told us that it now expects the Ativ S to arrive on December 13, but it has previously been told earlier dates by suppliers which have not come to fruition, so we'll keep an eye on the situation.

From our hands on Samsung Ativ S review, the handset looks to be one of the best phones to run the new Windows Phone 8 software, but the delay in getting it out to customers will surely only hinder the Korean's firm presence on this OS.

We're waiting to hear something official from Samsung regarding these latest reports, and we'll update this article if it gets back to us.

LG AirPlay enabled Docking Speaker ND8520 Launched in India at Rs 20,990

In an attempt to add one more offering in its home entertainment portfolio range, LG has announced the launch of new innovative speaker in India — the AirPlay enabled DockingSpeaker ND8520. Price at Rs 20,990, the newly launched docking speaker features a 2.1 channel audio experience with 80 watts of power and also comes with a woofer module for improved low-end depth all in an attractive cube like design.

This device was first showcased by LG in IFA 2012 held a couple of months ago. While launching it in India, S.H. Park, Director-home entertainment, LG India said, “Smart devices have become a part of daily life. It’s now easier than ever for people to enjoy the content they’re interested in, whether it’s movies, online lectures, games, or anything else, whenever and wherever they are.”

“They integrate a range of advanced technologies into sophisticated, unique designs, and they make those technologies work seamlessly with smart devices”, he further added.

For connectivity, ND8520 features an old iPhone/iPod/iPad dock as well as a standard audio jack, Bluetooth and USB along with built-in subwoofer, touch-screen EQ, radio, alarm clock and LG Bluetooth Remote app, which means you can use you iOS or Android smartphone as a remote. The icing on the cake is the addition of AirPlay technology for wireless playback of your iTunes library from computers and mobile devices.

Key Features of LG ND8520 Dock Speaker:

• Sound: 80 W, 2.1 channels
• Built-in Subwoofer
• PBA (Precise Balancing Algorithm)
• AirPlay
• Bluetooth Remote App
• iPod, iPhone, iPad Direct Docking
• Smart Square
• USB Playback
• Alarm Clock Radio

India starts issuing of IPv6 addresses

"This is to test compatibility of hardware and software that has to be in place. In next couple of months we will launch industrial grade of IPv6,” said Govind, CEO of National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI), in a report Monday by Hindu Business Line.
IRINN is issuing the addresses starting at INR 21,999 (US$396) compared to the prevalent rate of around INR 66,000 (US$1,188)  in Asia Pacific region, noted the news daily.
IRINN was set up by state-run NIXI, and is recognized by APNIC, one of the five authorized bodies for issuing Internet addresses, to do so in India.
The Internet addresses under the present version IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4), are limited and service providers often assign single IP address to many users, making it difficult to identify the end user, noted the report.
"The number of IPv6 addresses available is enormous. ISPs (Internet Service Providers) can allocate an IP address to their users. People can be easily identified if they are using IPv6," said Sanjaya, director for services and operations at APNIC.

Samsung Galaxy Note II passes 5m global sales

Samsung’s Galaxy Note II has passes the 5,000,000 sales mark, the company has announced, racking up two million of those sales in under a month. The new milestone comes just a few weeks after Samsung said it had shifted 3m Note II handsets, eagerly crowing about the 5.5-inch smartphone/tablet hybrid after some critics said a device of its size simply wouldn’t sell.

Instead, global sales have flourished, and while the Note II is still well behind sales of Samsung’s more mainstream flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S III, a recent debut in North America has broadened the market for the stylus-enabled device. The handset was first put on the market five months ago.

As always with these sales numbers, it’s usually the case that Samsung is talking about its own sales to distributors, carriers, and retailers, not necessarily to end-users. However, although that means there aren’t necessarily 5m Note II units out there in users’ hands, it’s a good indication of how much demand for the sizable smartphone those vendors expect to see.

Samsung “will do our best to continue to introduce continuous product innovation” one spokesperson said of the Note II sales. The company is tipped to be revealing a new flagship, anecdotally known as the Galaxy S 4, in February next year, complete with an updated quadcore processor and 13-megapixel camera.

Review: Windows Phone 8 operating system

Microsoft announced Windows Phone 8 (WP8), the latest version of its mobile operating system in June. The phones powered by it are now appearing in the Indian market. HTC 8X and HTC 8S are already available, though finding them is not too easy. Nokia andSamsung are gearing up to launch their WP8 devices. 

But how does the OS compare to Android and iOS, which powers iPhone? Are WP8 smartphones better than Android devices and iPhone? 

Let's take a look at WP8 features that are likely to matter to consumers and see what has changed compared to the earlier version of the OS. 

User interface: In terms of user interface, WP8 doesn't change anything. Just like the earlier versions of the software, WP8 looks beautiful with layered users interface, clean lines, and lots of square boxes - Microsoft calls them tiles - that replace program icons. These tiles, unlike icons, are bigger and can display nuggets of information. For example, the Mail tile can show the number of unread mails. The layers in the OS give the user interface a 2D effect. It is a very unique and modern design and works well. We tested WP8 with HTC 8X and found no lag or low frame rates in the user interface. 

New lockscreen: The original Windows Phone had no notification system. It relied on live tiles to show new information to users. But WP8 has a lockscreen where six apps can show their notifications. However, compared to what competitors have in their mobile software, it is still basic. Apps can also use lockscreen as a canvas where they can show information or change content. For example, Bing app can refresh the lockscreen wallpaper to match it with whatever it is showing on its website. 

Customizable homescreen: Previous versions of WP had an empty bar on right side of the homescreen. This, we believe, was added for design reasons as it gave the screen some depth and highlighted its 2D effect. But in WP8 it is gone. Now the live tiles can stretch across the screen and show more content. The tiles can also be resized as tiny small or big. This makes the homescreen on WP8 immensely customizable. 

Rooms: This is a new feature that allows users to club their contacts together. Once a Room has been created with a few contacts, the users part of it can share calendar, chat room, videos and photos etc with ease. 

Support for better hardware: With Windows Phone, Microsoft decides what sort of hardware its partners can put in the devices. Compared to the previous WP versions, WP8 supports better hardware, including dual-core processors, 720P resolution screen, better cameras and 1GB RAM. It also supports storage expansion through microSD cards, something that was not available to WP users earlier. 

Kid's Corner: This is one of the signature features of WP8. It allows users to create a separate list of apps that restrict any kid using the phone to that list. This means, when your kid is playing Angry Birds on the phone, he can't go to your Twitter app, even accidentally. For people who don't share their phones with kids, this feature may not matter much. But those who do will appreciate the usefulness of it. 

Integration with Twitter and Facebook: This is something that WP has since very beginning and nothing changes in the latest version of the OS. WP8 can not only show your social buddies as part of your contacts but can also fetch updates from their Facebook or Twitter feeds into the People app. Meanwhile, your mention on these websites appears in Me app. Some people find it pretty useful. However, in our use we found that Me or People apps are not full-fledged social networking apps. Third-part apps are still necessary. But using them leads to the scenario where several apps show same content. 

Useful maps: For WP map and location services Microsoft earlier relied on Bing maps. But with WP8, it is using data provided by Nokia. This makes the maps and location services in WP8 lot more useful, especially to users in India. 

Better multitasking: Windows Phone 7 allowed users to switch between apps but as soon as an app went into the background, the app was paused. It was resumed again when a user switched to it. In WP8, Microsoft has fine-tuned the resuming to make it fast, as well as has added support for apps that require active data connection when they are in the background. But the multitasking still feels jarring. Freezing video player or word processor works fine but for apps like Rowi, which is supposed to run all the time to pull tweets whenever they are posted, it doesn't work. Though at the moment, it is also likely that older apps like Rowi are yet to be updated for WP8. 

How it compares to Android
Primarily, WP8 devices are going to compete against Android phones. While earlier versions of WP were no match for Android, with WP8 things look more balanced. Android phones have better flexibility in how you use them, better multimedia performance, access to more (and better quality) apps, a much better notification system, more useful multitasking and most likely better hardware at a given price point. However, WP8 devices have a better user interface with fast performance and are likely to have better physical design. They are also simpler to use compared to Android devices. 

How it compares to iOS
While iPhone 5 is a very good device, iOS is getting a little long in the tooth. WP8 has a better user interface, better-integrated maps, better file management. In terms of performance, both iOS and WP8 are on equal footing. iOS is slightly better as far as multitasking and notification system are concerned. But the area where iOS wins big, nullifying most WP8's advantages, is the ecosystem. iPhones have access to significantly better and more useful apps compared to what WP8 phonescan get at the moment. 

Bottomline
Windows Phone has improved a lot. In its current iterations it is now a valid choice for people who are fed up of how slow or laggy Android feels or don't like the fact that most Android phones don't get timely updates. 

Similarly, a WP8 device is a reasonable option if you want a well-designed phone that is simple to use but don't like iPhone, either because it has a smaller screen or due to its high cost. 

But there are compromises involved. Like multitasking quirks. Or lack of proper notification system. Or a not-so-well-stocked app store. It's all about figuring out what is important to you. In nutshell, all we can say is that: If you want a phone that 'just works', get an iPhone. If you want the best value for money, best features and the most flexible phone, get an Android device. And if you want something that has a fresh interface, fast performance, looks great and is easy to use, get a Windows Phone 8 device.

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