This Titanic phone (sorry) is one of the stand out performers in the market, thanks to the whopping 4.7-inch screen boosted by Super-LCD technology.

Not only is it running the latest version of Windows(Windows video converter) Phone (7.5 or Mango to its friends) but it also comes with a whole host of features not seen on other Microsoft-powered handsets.

You can download(dvd ripper for mac download) movies through the HTC Watch service, or use the virtual surround sound effects to supercharge your Music(Music converter) or movie-watching experiences.

Add to that internet sharing to let you tether up a tablet(tablet video converter) or laptop as well as the simple to use Live Tile interface, and you can see this is a cutting edge phone that’s well worth winning.

If you’re still suffering with the post-Xmas blues brought on by yet another mountain of socks and obscure smellies, click here to let us know which operating system preceded Windows Phone and win yourself the kind of present you really wanted to see under the tree.

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Please note that this competition is only open to UK residents over 18 years of age.

The leaked video explaining Windows Phone 8 to Microsoft partners refers to new screen resolutions, but it doesn’t say what size they will be.

However Albert Shum, the General Manager of the Windows Phone Design Studio, showed TechRadar a slide at Nokia(Nokia video converter) World where today’s Windows Phone becomes just one of six devices.

Claiming this was "something we’re still working on," he said "you want an ecosystem that’s not just about having just one or two things; you want diversity."

Tablets on the roadmap

Explicitly positioning Windows Phone alongside PCs and tablets, he added: "If you do well not just on phone but on PC and on tablet(tablet video converter), then your ecosystem can really live and breathe" – so it’s unlikely that the largest device on this slide would be a Windows Phone tablet(tablet video converter).

That would be confusing for Windows 8 on ARM, and would contradict what Steven Sinofsky told TechRadar; "for us the phone is uniquely focused on the small form factor".

From the relative sizes on the slide, the largest is a 5-inch tablet, discounting the largest as a separate Windows 8 tablet.

Although HTC has two 4.7-inch Windows Phone devices already, the 480 by 800 screen resolution isn’t enough to make the most of the screen.

Adding a higher resolution for larger screens will make Apollo better placed to compete with 5-inch and 7-inch devices like the Samsung Note and the Kindle Fire(Kindle Fire Video Converter).

A Windows Phone Nano?

The other three form factors look like a smaller phone (enabling cheaper Windows Phone handsets for the developing world) and two devices with squarer screens, one with a facing keyboard (to satisfy business users) – and a smaller device that may be suited for the youth markets.

If the devices are in proportion, that’s a screen just larger than 1-inch; perfect for the Windows Phone equivalent of the iPod(ipod video converter) nano or competing with current fitness devices.

If Microsoft thinks that’s going to be the next big (little) thing, it could be part of the "time-critical opportunity" for Windows Phone that Steve Ballmer sent former Windows Phone president Andy Lees to look after.

We’ve yet to hear any confirmation over whether these devices are indeed the new form factors mentioned by Microsoft – but it seems an awfully large coincidence at a recent Windows Phone event otherwise.

Demonstrating his hack at the Vienna DeepSec conference, he showed how he could listen to conversations, intercept data, and run up huge bills calling and texting premium rate services – all without the alerting the phone’s owner.

With the ability to download and run apps, smartphones are now the main focus for a growing number of malicious hackers, and yet most devices are completely unprotected. For online criminals, the situation resembles that of PCs in the mid-1990s, except they now know how much money there is to be made from online crime.

Thanks to the deepest recession in living memory, straightforward theft and street muggings for smartphones are also at an all time high, so how do you protect your freedom to compute on the move?

Passwords first

Most people would never dream of using something as obvious as 1234 as the password to their important online accounts, but some will protect their smartphones with such a sequence and leave the online accounts it protects logged in for convenience.

Your first line of mobile defence should always be to select a password that’s both memorable for you and difficult for a thief to crack. For a few years now, the best advice on creating memorable and secure passwords has been to take the initial letters of a line in a song(song converter for mac), poem, play or book, and to make a password from those letters.

You can test the strength of passwords you generate in this way using free online web security site services like How Big is Your Haystack at grc.com/haystack.htm.

As of version 2.2, Android OS supports not only gesture passwords, but also the more traditional text-based variety. To enable a password, click ‘Menu > Settings > Location and security > Screen unlock’. Also set the screen’s timeout to a short period by clicking ‘Menu > Settings > Display’.

You can combine a password with gesture recognition, but always ensure that you use a gesture that overlaps itself, otherwise the grease marks on the screen may give it away to anyone who steals your phone. It’s also a good idea to clean the screen every so often to prevent grit from scratching the gesture faintly into the screen’s surface.

To enable passwords, iPhone users should open the Settings app and select ‘General > Passcode lock’. Windows Phone(Windows Phone Video Converter) 7 users should tap ‘Settings > Lock and wallpaper’, and BlackBerry users need to select ‘Options > Security options > General settings’.

Install antivirus

You’d never buy a laptop and go online without installing at least a free antivirus product. The abilities of a smartphone or tablet(tablet video converter) computer are now approaching those of a laptop, but it seems that the vast majority of users have no form of protection, even though mobile computing devices are facing all the usual threats.

Spam containing malware attachments or links to attack sites, infected apps and code that exploit OS weaknesses are all starting to appear. Botnets made up of mobile devices are also becoming more common.

We’ve reached the point in the evolution of mobile computing where it has become just as necessary to install antivirus software on your phone as it is on every other online computing device. Most antivirus vendors now offer free versions of their commercial mobile offerings, and many offer handy package deals on their commercial versions, including protection for multiple PCs and a phone, for a yearly subscription.

It’s worth investigating these deals because they could save you money in the long run, but what’s the difference between free and commercial versions? Mostly, the difference is down to the facilities provided beyond basic protection. The ability to remotely wipe a lost or stolen phone, for example, is something that will give you real peace of mind, but it’s usually missing from the free versions of antivirus products.

Never be tempted to simply click a link that looks okay and install what purports to be a free version of an antivirus package. Check the URL; if it isn’t part of a vendor’s official website(video to website), don’t visit the page. Fake antivirus software, written to infect your device or make you think it’s protected when it’s not, has now made its way to smartphones. If you’ve found a package on an app store, click through to the software vendor’s website(video to website) and download it from there.

Remote wipe

So you have a secure password guarding immediate access to your phone, the screen lock activates after just a few minutes of inactivity and an antivirus package is watching out for malware in the background. However, if the worst happens and someone takes your smartphone either by stealth or by force, you may also want to protect your data by wiping files and contacts quickly and remotely.

Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone users have a range of third-party, dedicated remote wipe applications to choose from, which enable you to contact the phone and have it wipe itself. These tend to be subscription services, but prices are usually less than ￡5 a month, which is good value for extra peace of mind.

Alternatively, you can examine the facilities offered by different antivirus packages. Free versions, like AVG’s Mobilation Free, offer local wipe facilities. However, it’s not always clear if remote wipe is included or just a local wipe facility, so check with the software vendor before you part with your cash.

iPhone users can install Apple’s free Find My iPhone app. This gives you the ability to sign into another iOS(video to iOS device mac) device with your Apple ID, locate the missing or stolen device, display a rather satisfying message to the robber, play a sound, lock the device and then erase it. The only proviso is that your iPhone must have been enabled in the iCloud settings in order to locate it.

Beware rogue apps

There’s enough space on the average smartphone to contain all the apps you want and plenty more besides, but you must take care when buying or downloading new ones. With the overwhelming number of apps on offer, it’s unsurprising that malware writers have turned their hands to crafting rogue versions and slip them past the checking processes at legitimate app stores.

The race to get the latest gadget without thinking about security is also letting criminals resurrect old scams, particularly the porn dialler con, which is experiencing a surge in popularity among online criminals targeting mobile devices. In the days of slow dial-up modems, porn diallers would wait until the phone line wasn’t in use, and then call a premium rate line to make you pay for a supposedly legitimate service. Only when the phone bill arrived was the infection discovered.

The smartphone version of the scam sees malware silently sending SMS messages to premium rate numbers instead. All that’s changed is the medium – the result remains the same.

To encourage you to install them, some rogue apps masquerade as free levels or trials of popular commercial Games(flash Games converter), and may appear to be such when running. Others claim to be security tools. In the background, however, they may be emptying your bank account in payment for premium rate services, listening to your calls, stealing or sending text messages, or sending spam to encourage others to infect their devices.

How do you avoid dodgy apps? First, never install an app just because a friend tells you to do so in an email, text or on Facebook. After all, it may be the app sending you the request to spread its malicious payload.

Similarly, never follow a link in a text or email encouraging you to install anything. Incredibly, Chinese hackers have also begun to set up entire online stores stuffed with fake apps that ape the real thing. When you install an app from what looks like a real app store, examine the URL of the link from which you are being asked to download. If it isn’t an official store for your phone, forget it.

Your friend may believe that he or she has found a store that sells cheaper versions of famous apps, but this alone should be enough to raise your suspicions. It’s cheap or even free for a reason.

Even at legitimate app stores, it’s easy for rogue apps to slip in. The government’s Get Safe Online website advises you to check the developer’s information before downloading, and look for reviews of the software and comments left by other users. If anything looks dodgy, forget it.

Rogue apps sometimes drain your battery quickly due to the extra activity, so check this to ensure that your shiny new app isn’t doing something nasty in the background.

Share and share alike

Another aspect of security is the amount of information apps share about you and your whereabouts. When you install an app, you give it access to information like your location, contact details, personal ID and other data. Some apps even want full internet access.

Always pay close attention to the information an app says it needs, either at the app store itself, in the user agreement, or (depending on your phone’s operating system) during installation. Some legitimate apps, including antivirus software, have a long list of required permissions. Make sure you read the entire list.

In the Android app store, for example, remember to click ‘Show all’ at the bottom of the permissions page to see more. If an app demands too much access to your phone and the information it contains, don’t use it. There’s no reason why downloaded wallpaper needs your location, for example, or why a single-user game needs access to your contacts.

The Get Safe Online site claims that nearly 60 per cent of smartphone users acquired their devices in the past 12 months. A large and relatively naive user population excitedly exploring the new world of mobile computing is fuelling a boom in hacking not seen since the 1990s.

This time, however, we know the risks of going online unprotected, which leads us to an uncomfortable question: will telecom providers and banks be so willing to reimburse frauds this time around?

First is the XLVI Official NFL Game Program app. The NFL touts it as more of a souvenir app, but it has loads of content — over 400MB worth of video and multimedia.

This app reminds me of a digital reference book for facts and anecdotes about each team’s path to the championship. It features key plays and moments from the 2011 season, and even lets you slow down the highlights to see it in more detail.

It even has extras with links to download other Super Bowl related apps. The XLVI Official NFL Program App is free for ipad(SWF to iPad mac).

Detroit Lab’s Chevy Game Time is free for both iPad(SWF to iPad mac) and iPhone and offers game trivia, conversation from Facebook and Twitter(video to Twitter), and chances to win prizes. Twenty of those prizes are brand new Chevy vehicles. You can also watch Chevy’s Super Bowl commercials from the app, which is another way to win a Chevy.

Once you get the app, you sign up through Facebook or Twitter(video to Twitter) (or create an account manually). The app will give you a license plate that has a unique ID that you’ll watch for during the Super Bowl and on the app. If the code that shows on-screen is yours, you win a Chevy. While the promotion of the app is very Chevy-centric, it also claims to have the chance to win “thousands of other prizes from our partners.”

Yahoo’s IntoNow app works for any television show or event, but will especially shine during the Super Bowl. It automatically will identify what you’re watching, and then find out which friends of yours are also tuned in.

Then you can discuss all the big plays, commercials, and whether or not the singer screws up the national anthem again. It also will show you live stats and other related information about the game. IntoNow is free for iPhone, iPad and Android.

GetGlue for iPad or the iPhone is another popular app for watching TV(video to TV converter), and another way to interact with others about Super Bowl XLVI. Basically it’s like Foursquare for TV, movies, music, books, and more — You check-in to various forms of media.

When you check into a show, you’re able to share it on Twitter and Facebook(Facebook video converter). For demonstration purposes, I checked into Tech News Today.

Then you can see the stream of comments from users also watching that program, which will be great for Sunday’s big television event. GetGlue is free on iPad and iPhone.

PlayUp is an app specifically designed for experiencing live sports. It provides live scores, and lets you chat in real time with friends and other viewers.

PlayUp shows all of the Games(flash Games converter) happening live and ones that are upcoming.

Once you choose the game you’re interested in (which will probably be the Super Bowl on Sunday), you’ll see the stats and conversation. You’ll be able to create private rooms for just some close friends, or public rooms that anyone watching the game can join. PlayUp is free for iPhone.

Not tuning in for the game? Well there’s an app just for the commercials too. Appburst’s Super Ads: Super Bowl Commercials lets you watch over 200 ads dating back to 2006. Of course you’ll find the new commercials from this year’s commercials there as well. Search commercials or browse by brand or company. Super Ads is $1.99, and is a universal app for iPhone and iPad(SWF to iPad mac).

Of course there’s also the usual social apps including Facebook and Twitter to engage with other Super Bowl viewers, but these apps will allow you to really geek out while watching the big game on Sunday — even if you’re not really a sports fan.

Just this morning we reported on an injunction won by Motorola preventing Apple selling the ipad 2(iPad 2 video converter), iPhone 3GS(iPhone 3GS Video Converter) and iPhone 4(iPhone 4 video converter) on it’s official online shop due to its alleged infringement on a 3G patent.

However, the wheels of justice move quickly in these matters and Apple has been able to strike down the injunction with haste.

Moto being unreasonable?

The Cupertino-based company says that the legal see-saw was able to occur due to Motorola Mobility’s refusal (no doubt backed by its new friends at Google) to "reasonably" license the patent to Apple(Apple video converter).

An Apple spokeswoman told AllThingsD: "All iPad(SWF to iPad mac) and iPhone models will be back on sale through Apple’s online store in Germany shortly.

"Apple appealed this ruling because Motorola repeatedly refuses to license this patent to Apple on reasonable terms, despite having declared it an industry standard patent seven years ago."

Apple(Apple video converter) is now in the process of repopulating its store, but Motorola which initially filed for the injunction in December, will continue the fight for a reinstatement of the ban.

Via: AllThingsD

Anyways, the new software update for the Atrix 2 brings quite some changes, including a minor bump in the Android OS(OS video converter) version to 2.3.6.

Below is the official change-log of the update -:

Camera - Enhancements to deliver better overall picture(swf to picture) taking experience so you never miss a moment.

Google Music(Music converter) – Addition of Google Music(Music converter) application so you have greater access to the world of Music(Music converter). Shop millions of songs and hundreds of free tracks. Store your purchases on Google(Google video converter) Music for free, and listen instantly on your mobile device.

My Gallery/My Music/My Files – Re-naming of Motorola Gallery, Music(Music converter), and Files applications(swf converter for applications) for easy access in the Applications Tray

Device Security – Enhancements to deliver greater device security, including addition of Android security patches from Google and Cisco Any Connect VPN enablers.

Emergency Alerts – Enhancement to allow you to receive emergency alerts from authorities such as Hurricane warning notifications.

Amazon Kindle – Enhancement to include link to app for quick and easy method to access your library of Amazon digital books as well as access to the entire Amazon library.

AT&T Messages – Enhancement to include link to app for quick and easy method to give you access to all of your texts, calls and messages which have been stored in the cloud.

Keyboard – Improvements to keyboard functionality for better email experience.

Mobile Hotspot – Improved stability for better overall performance

Webtop – Enhancements to improve stability and better overall performance

As readers can see from the change-log above, the v55 software update does bring quite a lot of enhancements which would be welcomed by the few Atrix 2 users out there.

Changelog:

Enhanced HSPA+ Network Speed

• Faster data speeds from 14 Mbs to 21 Mbs

Enriched 3D Experience

• Improved video playback in 2D and 3D
• 3D Video Editor with the abilitu to create new projects (Video timeline, Adding video clips, images and sound and Cropping and trimming length)
• 2D to 3D conversion for videos and images
• 3D to 2D conversion supports both images and videos
• Easy to convert Open-GL Games(flash Games converter) from 2D to 3D—Most apps are built on the Open-GL platform which is an open, standardized language for writing apps.

Improved Multimedia

• Improved video recording quality to 12 Mbs HD(HD video converter)
• Improved battery life with low-power modes during Music(Music converter) playback
• Video stabilization support for both 2D and 3D
• Upgraded sound quality with Dolby Mobile Effect when a user has the ear jack/BT Headset (Stereo)
• Improved camera(dvd creator for camera video) loading and switching time from 2.5 seconds to 1 second
• Improved 3D depth with 720p camera(dvd creator for camera video)

It is advised to backup all your data before updating the device. You should also make sure that the battery is fully charged before updating your phone. Sadly, this update will not be available via OTA (Over-The-Air). You will need to manually download(dvd ripper for mac download) the update from the LG Canada’s support site and update your phone. If you find something new in this update, then let us know in the comments below.

The Samsung Galaxy S Advance comes with the curved glass design, which was previously seen in the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus(Galaxy Nexus Video Converter) smartphones. The curved glass design enhances the handling of the device and fits the user’s facial form easily. Three UK already announced that the Galaxy S Advance will be soon available for its customers. However, the company failed to announce the exact price and release date. On the other hand, Clove, a popular online(online video converter) retailer in the UK have already started taking pre-orders of this smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy S(Samsung Galaxy S Video Converter) Advance features a 4 inch Super AMOLED display, sporting a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, 1 GHz dual-core processor, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS(OS video converter), TouchWiz user interface, 5 megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera for video calls, 8 GB internal memory, 768 MB RAM, microSD card slot, 32 GB expandable memory and more.

It also comes with a 3.5 mm headset jack, Music(Music converter) player with SoundAlive, ChatON, Readers Hub, Music Hub, Social Hub, Polaris Office, stereo FM Radio with RDS, Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 14.4 Mbps HSDPA connectivity, Samsung Kies 2.0, A-GPS, Samsung Apps, Android Market and a 1500 mAh Li-ion battery.

You can pre-order the SIM-free Samsung Galaxy S Advance for ￡295 (approx $470). This handset will be launched during the last week of February. You can expect the availability of this handset around the time of Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2012. To pre-order this handset, head over to this page at Clove.

The Samsung Galaxy S II(Samsung Galaxy S II Video Converter) was without any doubt, the most popular Android handset of 2011. The phone has managed to break all the previous sales record of Samsung(Samsung video converter), and is still selling like hot cakes.

When Samsung had announced the Galaxy Note last year, with a mammoth 5.3-inch screen and a S-Pen (Stylus) feature, many people argued that this tablet(tablet video converter) cum Smartphone(Smartphone Video Converter) would meet the same fate as the Dell Streak(Dell Streak Video Converter) 5.

However, the Galaxy Note managed to prove the critics wrong, and has been selling well right from day one. The handset managed to cross the 1 million mark in December, last year. The Galaxy Note is yet to be released in the United States, which will further boost its sale.

(Source)

The application would link up with specific pieces of gym equipment to write data to an iOS(video to iOS device mac) device in real-time and then upload the results to provide a competitive real-time environment.

So, for example, if you’re running on a treadmill in London, you could race against a bloke doing the same thing in San Francisco as if you were on the same running track.

iOS(video to iOS device mac) devices would link up with each other and display stats like time, distance, heart-rate, calories burned and even blood oxygen levels.

Providing a competitive environment

The filing, entitled Interfacing Portable media(media converter) Devices and Sports Equipment says that information would be communicated between users via a third party website(video to website).

The abstract for the filing at the US Patent Office reads: "Circuits, methods, and apparatus that allow sports or other equipment, such as gym or other cardio equipment, to write data to a media player.

"Examples further provide the uploading of this data to a computer and third-party website. To monitor progress, the third-party website(video to website) can be used to track workout data over time. The third party-website can also collect data from other users, which is particularly useful for providing a competitive environment.

"This data can then be graphically displayed in various ways to provide encouragement."

Nike+ in real-time

Apple has featured the Nike+ software(video and dvd software), in various guises, on iPhone and ipad(SWF to iPad mac) models down the years, but the suggestion here is that Apple thinks it can perhaps do better and turn iOS devices(devices converter for mac) into essential fitness gadgets.

Nike+ currently uploads your workout data after you’ve finished exercising, but this innovation would allow head-to-head competition in real-time.

The app would, of course, require gyms to upgrade their machinery to be compatible with such a system which is probably more of a reach than Apple creating the software(video and dvd software) in the first place.

You can read the full USPTO filing here.