On your handset simply head over to Settings > About > Category > OS and check out Software Release. If you would like to wait for the over the air upgrade to complete, BlackBerry stated they should be through with porting the transfer over to all Z10 handsets by June 21. The available changelog which can be seen on the company’s website notes that the Corporate Liable improvement will add “security in highly regulated and secure corporate environments.”

Also, BlackBerry Balance separates your work and personal accounts, and this restricts the workplace side of that application from having access to any of your personal data. Both name and number phone dialing is now supported, and battery life has been improved. A very few BlackBerry Z10 handset owners mentioned problems with Meeting Invite showing incorrect time and caller ID not displaying information for contacts. Both of those issues have been resolved and upgraded with the BlackBerry 10.1 operating system update.

The BlackBerry Z10 is a 4G LTE enabled smartphone which lovers of the traditional BlackBerry form factor may not recognize. The svelte handset is slim and light, and delivers the largest screen built by BlackBerry for any of their smartphones thus far. Arriving in May in the United States, the handset offers a totally touchscreen driven user interface, and has ditched the physical QWERTY keyboard BlackBerries made so popular.

Measuring 0.35 inches (9.0 mm) in thickness, the handset weighs less than 5 ounces. The 4.2 inch display offers an HD+ resolution of 768 by 1,280 pixels, delivered at an extremely high pixel density, 356 pixels per inch. A Snapdragon S4 plus dual core central processor has been clocked at 1.5 GHz, 2.0 GB of RAM has been pre-installed, and the 16 GB of onboard storage can be improved when you use the built-in microSD slot. The BlackBerry Z10 also records video in full HD 1,080P resolution through its rear facing 8.0 megapixel camcorder.

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The HTC One 4G Android smartphone was recently listed by R.W. Baird analyst William Power in a Barron’s article as consistently “the third-best-selling device behind the iPhone (iPhone 5) and (Galaxy) S4″ on AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. There have been multiple reports of the strength of HTC One smartphone sales in the United States, and this is simply a confirmation of the success HTC has had with their flagship smartphone. If they can continue the 1.2 million units sold per month which they achieved this past month, everything will be rosy in the land of the HTC One.

There have been rumors of the actual date that the HTC One is coming to Verizon, so much so that it is a foregone conclusion that Big Red will offer the handset. July 15 is the most recent date bandied about for a release of the HTC One on Verizon in the US, but we have no confirmation of that. As you can see above, even without a presence on the largest network in the United States, the HTC one has achieved the status of third best selling smartphone in the US.

An unnamed HTC executive anonymously told the Wall Street Journal that 5 million units globally have been sold of the HTC One, and the handset arrived in the US in late April of this year. Quite a versatile device, the phone has received platinum certification by independent testing laboratory UL Environment. That certification means that the phone actually has a very minimal environmental impact through its life cycle. You can also use the HTC One 4G as a remote control for your television or home stereo system, and the phone delivers a large high-resolution display and powerful hardware package.

Powering the phone is a 1.7 GHz Snapdragon 600 quad core central processor which HTC has stated can deliver up to 40% more power than the Snapdragon S4 Pro. Slim at 0.37 inches (9.3 mm), the handset delivers a large 4.70 inch Full HD display with industry-leading 468 ppi pixel density. Resolution runs 1,080 x 1,920 pixels on the Super LCD 3 screen, which is protected by a layer of second generation Gorilla Glass. Up to 16.0 hours of talk time is available from a single charge, 2.0 GB of RAM is on board, as is a generous 32 GB of built-in storage.

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Basically, your personal and contact information is backed up daily and automatically, so that if your handset is ever lost, stolen or you simply upgrade, you will not lose all of your important data. The service is offered for free to a certain storage level, and then updates can be purchased. Currently spotted at the Amazon Wireless store for $149 on contract for the Verizon 16 GB variant, the Samsung Galaxy S4 has been a monster hit for that smartphone manufacturer. Samsung followed up the popular Galaxy S smartphone with the award-winning Galaxy S II, and the Galaxy S III topped that phone’s success by selling 10 million units in less than its first two months of availability.

All the Samsung Galaxy S4 has done is move 10 million global units in less than its first month of availability, continuing to sell as one of the top two smartphones in the United States. Consistently battling the iPhone 5 for sales supremacy, a lower retail, larger touchscreen, higher resolution and better camera have helped the Galaxy S4 in its sales war with the iPhone 5. The phone is also excellent for business, as it receives a SAFE designation (Samsung Approved For Enterprise), and is the first smartphone from that manufacturer to offer the KNOX business solution.

KNOX (as in Fort Knox, the impregnable gold reserve in the United States) delivers excellent mobile security at both the hardware and software levels, for business and personal privacy. The 441 color pixels located over each inch of display space is far and away one of the best designations found on any smartphone, and that leads to a Full HD 1,080 x 1,920 pixels on the 5.0 inch Super AMOLED screen the handset boasts. The Samsung Galaxy S4 is also wafer thin at 0.31 inches (7.9 mm), and weighs just 4.59 ounces (130 g).

A third-generation layer of Gorilla Glass protects the screen, and a full 17.0 hours of talk time is possible from a single charge. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T system chip powers the handset, with a quad core 1.9 GHz CPU as its cornerstone piece. A full 2.0 GB of RAM is on board, and the phone is also offered in a 32 GB model, with a microSD slot provided for storage expansion. A high-end camcorder at 13.0 megapixels is built into the back of the Galaxy S4, providing a special effects package, multiple customization and personalization features, and the ability to record video in 1,080P HD resolution.

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The HTC Droid DNA 4G Android smartphone has been spotted at Amazon for one penny on contract, and Verizon recently added that handset to their list of devices which offers the new Verizon Cloud backup service. This automatically and daily backs up your information, so if your handset is ever lost, stolen or damaged beyond the point of repair, all your sensitive and important personal information can be easily transferred to a new handset. Verizon Cloud is offered as a free service to all Big Red customers, with an upgrade available at a small monthly fee for extra storage.

When the phone arrived in November of last year, it was the successful attempt by HTC to create a mobile handset with hardware and software that could out-punch the Apple iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S III smartphones in a toe-to-toe duel. With a pixel density more than 33% better than those two phones, a larger high resolution screen, the exclusive Beats Audio sound system and a camera with multiple high-end features, the HTC Droid DNA 4G outduels the GS III and iPhone 5 in several areas.

While offering 50% better talk time than the average smartphone at 12.6 hours from a single charge, the handset is also slim and light considering the size of the display and the impressive hardware package on board. The DNA 4G measures just 0.38 inches (9.73 mm) in thickness, and weighs 4.87 ounces (138 g). The display is a 5.0 inch Full HD ImageChip ISP S-LCD 3 model that spreads 16 million different colors at the rate of 441 pixels per inch, for an overall resolution of 1,080 x 1,920 pixels.

An 8.0 megapixel camcorder built into the back of the phone offers simultaneous HD video and image capture, recording video at 1,080P HD resolution. A multishot burst mode is also offered, and the HTC ImageChip technology removes noise, balances your colors, and keeps your entire shot in focus. Low-light performance is excellent thanks to the built-in LED flash, f/2.0 lens and backside illumination sensor (BSI). The quad core CPU has been clocked at 1.5 GHz, and 2.0 GB of RAM is on board as well as 16 GB of built-in storage.

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A multi-window feature has been included, allowing you to divide your screen into two fully active “mini-displays” you can use separately, or integrate. The Galaxy Note II receives a SAFE designation (Samsung Approved for Enterprise), and offers support for Virtual Private Networks (VPN), delivers on-device encryption (ODE), and makes IT managers happy with Mobile Device Management (MDM) capabilities. The S Pen is thicker and longer than before, giving it a more realistic feel. And the S Pen contextual capability lets you communicate with the Galaxy Note II display without touching it directly.

Contextual information, link preview and website magnification are available when you hover just above the screen, which measures a full 5.55 inches. That display was built in a 16 to 9 aspect ratio, widely regarded as the best layout for True HD viewing. A layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 2 protects the display, which offers a 720 by 1,280 pixel resolution. Up to 15.0 hours of talk time can be squeezed from a full battery charge, as well as 12.0 days of standby battery power.

The Galaxy Note II offers a rear facing 8.0 megapixel camcorder, with that rear snapper delivering simultaneous HD video and image capture, a multishot burst mode and excellent low light performance. Video is recorded in 1,080P HD resolution, and the handset also offers a front facing chat cam with video callsupport. An Exynos quad core 1.6 GHz CPU powers the phone, and is joined in the hardware package by a quad core ARM Mali 400 MP4 graphics processor, 2.0 GB of RAM, 16 GB of built-in storage space and a microSD slot.

The Samsung Galaxy Note II also delivers a built-in YouTube video player, and popular online services Facebook, Picasa and Twitter join a mobile web browser as pre-installation ready for use out-of-the-box. The built-in music player has filtering capabilities, and the Galaxy Note II offers NFC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and DLNA wireless connectivity options. The Galaxy Note II can also function as a central Wi-Fi hub for multiple wireless devices.

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The Galaxy S III also offers some innovative calling features and some call quality improvements that bear mentioning. We seem to do everything on our smartphones these days. We surf the web, download applications, capture video and snapshots and text friends and family. But the handset is first and foremost exactly that, a mobile handset. And one of the neat new features the Galaxy S III delivers is the ability to place a telephone call in a very non-traditional manner.

If you search your contacts list for someone you would like to call, or you want to place a call to someone you are currently texting, the handset’s optional motion controls will make that call for you as soon as you move the phone to your ear. The Galaxy S III voice activated calling features also include the ability to answer or reject calls with your voice. And unlike the Apple Siri voice activated virtual personal assistant, the Galaxy S III allows you to capture a snapshot simply by saying “shoot.” This keeps you from having to physically tap your phone to take a picture, ensuring that you do not move the phone at a critical time.

The Galaxy S III also delivers the ability to customize the phone to your personal call quality needs. No two people hear the same way, and this allows you to personalize your audio experience during telephone calls on the handset. Just head over to Settings > Call sound EQ settings > Personalized EQ and you can access the personalized call equalization feature. Just as you may be familiar with having your hearing checked, you will receive several different frequencies and tones. Simply follow the voice prompts, and your Galaxy S III will truly be your Galaxy S III.

The Samsung Galaxy S III is available from multiple vendors, and multiple wireless carriers. However, it will be tough to beat the Sprint price of one penny on contract that select online retailers are offering on the 16 GB model. That handset is powered by a speedy dual core 1.5 GHz central processor, and the 8.0 megapixel camera on the back of the phone records video in 1,080P HD resolution. That camera also offers the ability to simultaneously record HD video and images.

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The number of developers and an appealing app ecosystem form two of the most important factors in the success of any platform. Understanding the importance of this, Microsoft is planning to pay developers to encourage the development of more apps for the Windows Phone platform. Microsoft, which already has a program in place for paying developers, gives a developer $100 for every app that is published on the platform, with a $2000 limit set on the same (to avoid low quality apps). However, word in the industry has it that Microsoft is preparing even larger piles of cash, as much as $100,000, to convince app developers to develop apps for the WP8 platform.

This is nothing new for Microsoft, given that the company will pay over $1 billion to ensure that Nokia remains the flagship handset vendor for the platform. Given the volume of investments in its previous partnerships, shelling out $100,000 to a few developers isn’t much of a hassle for a company like Microsoft, especially if they bring high quality apps with them.

In other news; the first compelling concept designs of the next Android version viz. Key Lime Pie were recently revealed by a graphic designer. The concept created by designer Jinesh Shah looks impressive. The possibility of a few surprising features has kept fans guessing on what these features are likely to be. The ‘concept’ part of this new version remains largely minimal, given that only tweaks pertaining to transparency in the notification bar and widgets have been made. The concept of overlapping gadgets which was possible only in custom launchers has also been included. Another interesting feature included in this concept is with the widgets. These can now be surfaced or hidden with a simple gesture. The lock screen has also seen a change in design.

A scrollable Google Now widget on the lock screen comes inclusive of notifications on the new interface, making the widget the focus of user activity. This could raise questions on privacy, but the utility of such a feature in undeniable. The lock screen also sees the inclusion of a quick button for voice search and the unlocking mechanism has been pushed to the bottom as well. With Google remaining mum on Key Lime Pie features, these renders are still wishful thinking and should not be construed to be resembling the final product in any way.

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Coupled with the fast and vast 4G LTE network of Verizon, the full feature package on the Lumia 928 makes it attractive to smartphone shoppers for $49 on contract. That price is available at select online retailers, and recent news shows that the Verizon Lumia 928 is outselling the Verizon BlackBerry Z10 smartphone by a ratio of 2 to 1. The reason that is significant is because the Android and iOS dominance in the mobile marketplace is simply unapproachable at this time by either the Windows Phone or BlackBerry 10 operating systems, who are battling for third place in the smartphone market.

So Microsoft is happy when they see news that one of their flagship handsets on the largest 4G LTE system in the United States is outselling the new BlackBerry 2 to 1. Recent research released by Alan Mendelevich at mobile ad network Adduplex shows that the marriage of the 928 and Verizon has made Big Red the number one retailer of Windows Phone 8 mobile handsets in the United States. But getting back to the original storyline, let’s see how the Lumia 928 is faring against the BlackBerry Z10 on Verizon.

One eclectic way of figuring sales data is to check smartphone reviews on Verizon’s website. According to website PhoneArena, the Nokia Lumia 928 currently has 143 reviews from purchasers of its handset. The BlackBerry Z10 has 197 reviews, but has been for sale longer. Dividing the number of reviews by the total number of days the smartphones have been available provides an “apples to apples” comparison. The BlackBerry Z10 has averaged 2.5 reviews a day, while the Nokia Lumia 928 has received 6.0 reviews a day.

This is a rather unscientific way to catalog sales strength and popularity, but with more than a 2 to 1 margin for the Nokia Lumia 928, the data is worth noting. Also, the average review for the Nokia Lumia 928 is a nearly perfect 4.9 stars (out of a possible 5.0), while the BlackBerry Z10 has managed a very respectable 4.4 stars per review. Further proof of the Windows Phone operating system popularity over the BlackBerry 10 OS? At the time this research was taken 98% of Nokia Lumia 928 reviewers said they would recommend the handset, versus 88% for the Z10.

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Earlier in the week, Google acquired Waze for a sum believed to be more that $1 billion. Some say that the sum was too high, but given the role that Waze’s services will play in augmenting Google’s, it shouldn’t be a surprise. This is because Waze will take Google a step closer to its next goal; from mapping users’ activities online to mapping their movements. The integration of Waze with Google seemed inevitable given how a few months ago the company’s CEO was in complete praise of Google’s policies and how Waze will fit better with it.

If all goes according to plan, users will soon be using a Google search bar to surf the web (which has already been achieved today) and Waze to scour the real world tomorrow. With the acquisition complete, Google now has the ability to maintain its indigenous maps in real time and also the added advantage of the Waze app, which collects data from every user using the app to navigate, thus not only mapping the street view but also capturing their intent in progress. Collecting real time data from users will help the application in acquiring data pertaining to roadblocks and construction sites, thus making Google’s navigation services as realistic and engaging as possible.

Advertisements form the key for generating revenue for any app and thus a shrewd app strategy is imperative, according to Waze’s CEO. Monetization should never be the motive in such cases as that will only spoil the user experience and discourage users from running the app. According to Waze CEO Noam Bardin, creating an ad network that specializes in providing real time data that the user finds useful was Waze’s primary motive before the acquisition. Google Maps on mobile clearly lacks the ability to provide data on nearby restaurants and services. Waze is looking towards supplementing Google in this area.

Waze spent more than a year and half working on the ad platform. Dedicating almost 10% of the workforce towards this, Waze often used Israel (its native country) as a testing ground for its ad network. Waze strived to make a model analogous to Groupon, but in the course of the project learned that Waze as a service shouldn’t be involved in the transaction, but play the role of the media/press. As for the future, Bardin said that he wanted Waze to be an app that will take you places, whether an individual was jogging, walking or driving in search of a restaurant after finding an ideal place to park.

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However, this is not the only good thing going on for the AT&T variant of the handset released in our side of the world. The Samsung Galaxy S IV also packs support for the 4G LTE network of Ma Bell which means that users of the handset have access to ultra-fast mobile internet speeds in areas blanketed by AT&T’s LTE coverage. And with the wireless carrier adopting an aggressive expansionist policy when it comes to the widening of its coverage, users of the handset now have access to a wider LTE playground.

In fact, AT&T recently announced that it is expanding its 4G LTE coverage yet again. With the recent announcement, we see the LTE network of the wireless provider get lit up in more than a dozen markets and these new locations are as follows:

• Berwick, PA
• Cortland, NY
• Seneca Falls, NY
• Auburn, NY
• El Dorado, AR
• Prescott, AZ
• Flagstaff, AZ
• Sedona, AZ
• Astoria, OR
• Camden, AR
• Watertown, SD
• Brookings, SD
• Rock Island, IL
• Quad Cities, IL
• Sterling, IL
• Dayton, OH
• Duluth, MN
• Kinston, NC
• Ocean City, NJ
• Southern New Jersey Shore Points

In addition to these new locations getting a taste o AT&T LTE for the first time, the carrier is also expanding its coverage in the following markets:

• Salinas, CA
• East-Central, MS
• Reno, NV

With this development, users of the Samsung Galaxy S4 can now expect to see that little 4G LTE icon get lit up on their handsets whenever they are in the locations mentioned above and start enjoying the fruits of this expansion.

Going back to the Samsung Galaxy S IV, the handset as mentioned earlier is one of the more powerful handsets currently available in the market today. Powered by a QualComm APQ8064T SnapDragon 600 chipset, the Samsung Galaxy S IV relies on its quad-core 1.9 GHz Krait 300 processor and 2GB of RAM to generate the computing power it requires for a flawless performance. The handset can be had in a 16GB or a 32GB version in terms of storage capacity but if this is not enough, you can have the internal storage of the Samsung Galaxy S4 easily expanded through its microSD card slot. Display-wise, the handset comes with a 5.0-inch SuperAMOLED HD panel with a 1920 x 1080 resolution while its camera department boasts of a rear 13MP shooter and front 2MP snapper.

article from: Mobile Bloom