Ladies and gents, BGR’s back with more info about the Samsung Galaxy S III coming from its “trusted source”. This time the blog claims that it has received some more information that help paint a more complete picture of what we all can expect from Samsung’s upcoming flagship smartphone.

BGR says you can expect the Galaxy S III to run on Android 4.0 with TouchWiz and feature a 1.5GHz quad-core Samsung Exynos processor as well as a 4.8-inch “full HD” 1080p resolution display with 16:9 aspect ratio. There’s also a 2MP front camera and a 8MP rear camera. We say, expect the camera to feature with a backlit sensor as well and zero shutter lag like the one seen on the Galaxy Nexus.

BGR insists that the Galaxy S III will have a ceramic back panel and while we’re not going to pretend to be experts in the matter, we really can’t see how it would be practical to use something so inherently brittle and expensive to mass produce on a mobile phone. But like we said, we’re not materials or manufacturing experts, Samsung might have sussed out all the issues to be able to make a device that uses ceramics as a construction material. In any case, a phone made out of ceramics would be cool, in more ways than one – if you know what we’re talking about.

In terms of launch date, we’re pegging for an announcement something in March or April and market availability in the June-July window. Also an almost simultaneous global launch is very possible.

So what do you think? This Galaxy S III, worth waiting for?

	Mobile Devices, Rumour Mill, Samsung
	rumour, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy S III, Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung Galaxy SIII

While the Galaxy S III won’t be making its debut at Mobile World Congress this year, that’s not going to stop people in the know from talking about it. Here are some of the more interesting rumours that we’ve read about the Galaxy S III.

BGR has it from a “trusted source” that the Galaxy S III will feature a 4.8-inch screen. This is reasonable considering the Galaxy Nexus already has a 4.65-inch screen. What will be new is the screen type. This time around the Galaxy S III is rumoured to feature a HD Super AMOLED Plus screen that’s an upgrade from the HD Super AMOLED screen featured on the Galaxy Note.

In addition, the same source says that Samsung is planning a global release for the Galaxy S III with an almost simultaneous launch in 50 markets. You can also expect the new flagship Galaxy to include a quad-core processor, Android 4.0 and an uprated camera, possibly with a MP count higher than 8 that is currently the standard.

The most interesting of all the rumours is the one saying that the Galaxy S III will feature an all ceramics back panel to make the device feel premium and overcome one of the biggest gripes Samsung users have with Galaxy devices – it’s overly plasticky feel.

Using ceramics for a device might sound cool but if you consider the inherent properties of the material, you’ll realise how impractical it would be to use ceramics for a smartphone. Ceramics is inherently brittle and will not hold up well to repeated drops. A back panel lined with ceramics on the inside would be a more practical application considering its excellent heat insulation properties. The ceramic can act as a great insulation to heat produced from a powerful processor and a large battery that expected to be in the Galaxy S III.

And that’s pretty much it. It’s a bummer that the Galaxy S III will not be at MWC but we’re expecting more information to start trickling in as we get closer and closer to the official launch.

	Mobile Devices, Rumour Mill, Samsung
	rumour, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy S III, Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung Galaxy SIII

Samsung won’t be revealing any Galaxy S III at MWC but according to new bits and pieces of information on the internet, we could be expecting a new 10.1″ device.

On Samsung’s developer itinerary and a commercial listing, it is suggested that a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is on its way.

Before you start imagining a 10.1 phonetablet, the Galaxy Note 10.1 would likely be a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with a S-Pen stylus. The stylus used be an old fashioned item however it has its own advantages for illustrating and handwriting. Even HTC Flyer and Motorola Xoom 2 offering stylus for its tablets.

There’s no details of the design and specs yet but hopefully Samsung would have a built-in S-Pen silo for storage. In terms of software, it is likely that it will be running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with the suite of S-Pen apps.

[ SOURCE ]

	Android, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Rumour Mill, Samsung
	MWC 2012, S Pen, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, stylus

Nokia N8 fans can rejoice because apparently Nokia is working on a successor and it will be fitted with one of the largest camera sensor – if not the largest camera sensor – ever seen on a mobile phone. This is if the trusted source that tech blog BGR says provided them with the information, is to be believed.

The possible epic camera phone from Nokia – rumoured to be called the Nokia 803 – will also be the company’s last Symbian device. The 803 will run the latest Symbian Belle OS (we would prefer Windows Phone instead) and feature a 4-inch AMOLED ClearBlack Display, an HDMI-out port, micro SIM support and NFC as well. The expected release date for the Nokia 803 will be sometime in May but at the moment, nothing is official.

Could the Nokia 803 be making a debut at MWC? If the May timeline is true, then a MWC appearance is certainly possible. Well, we’re just a couple of weeks away to finding out.

Head on to after the jump to see how the Nokia 803 might look like.

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	Mobile Devices, Nokia, Rumour Mill
	803, AMOLED, nokia, Nokia 803, release, rumour, specs, Symbia Belle, Symbian

With over 20 million users there’s no denying that Instagram is a very popular application but at the moment it is for iOS only. The developers have mentioned that an Android version is currently in the works but there’s no indication of when users can expect the popular app to make the leap. But if this screenshot captured from a promotional notification on a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is anything to go by, Instagram for Android may only be days away from its much-awaited debut.

This is still far from definitive but it gives a glimmer of hope that Instagram could only be a few day away from being available in the Android Market. Would Instagram for Android be a big deal for you?

[via]

	Android, Mobile Apps, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Rumour Mill
	Android, android app, Instagram, Instagram Android, Instagram for Android

Bloomberg says the next iPad (iPad 3) will sport a HD display, a faster processor, run on LTE and go on sale this March citing “three people familiar with the product”. The sources also claim that Apple’s manufacturing partners in China have started ramping up production of the new iPad this month to meet what Apple expects is a huge demand the new tablet and also to make up for the massive Lunar New Year exodus where factories in the country will halt production. Mass production for the new iPad started this month with factories running 24 hours a day, one of the Bloomberg sources said.

Bloomberg requested for comment from Apple on the matter but a spokeswoman said the company doesn’t comment on rumor and speculation.

The new iPad is expected to feature a high resolution display with pixels so small and packed in so tightly that it makes images appear like printed material. According to information found in the iOS 5 SDK, the new display could have a resolution of up to 2048×1536 pixels.

Assuming Apple will stick with the 9.7-inch screen form factor, that gives the display on the iPad 3 a pixel density of around 264ppi – well below the 300ppi threshold where Apple claims the naked eye is not able to discern individual pixels. In comparison, the Retina Display on the iPhone 4 and 4S pushes 326ppi.

The iPad 3 is expected to feature a slightly thicker case to accommodate the HD display and a larger battery. The larger battery is said meet the higher power requirements of LTE allowing Apple to make the iPad 3 its first LTE device. For countries outside of the US where LTE is not prevalent, users can expect the iPad 3 to deliver considerably better battery performance, possibly double that of the iPad 2.

In addition to the bigger battery and higher resolution display, the iPad 3 is said to feature a quad-core processor and possibly a new GPU as well. One of the Bloomberg sources said that the new processor will bring faster multitasking capabilities and allow video playback to happen instantaneously.

Apple rumours are a whole different animal altogether, there are so many flying around it get difficult to separate the truth from the fluff but when a credible news source comes in with information that is in line with some of the many rumours that has been going around, then you know something is up. This is going to be interesting.

[source]

	iPad, Mobile Devices, Rumour Mill
	apple, iPad, iPad 3, iPad 3 display, iPad 3 specs

Yahoo! Singapore reports investment firm Kim Eng in Singapore has revealed that operators on the island republic are planning to reduce generous data caps, scrap the current unlimited data option in 3G packages, and roll out more usage-based plans in the future.

The report noted that the review comes after the ever-increasing adoption of instant messaging platforms and Voice over IP (VoIP) applications such as WhatsApp and Viber. Such tools allow mobile users to send text messages and make phone calls for free, thus eroding the need to pay for costly voice calls or SMS.

A spokesperson for StarHub confirmed with Yahoo! Singapore that the company is indeed working on reviewing the price scheme for its data packages and may consider rolling out usage-based data pricing.

“We are reviewing current pricing plans and consider introducing usage-based data pricing to ensure optimal network quality for our customers,” said Chan Kin Hung, StarHub’s head of products and solutions.

“In addition, we will not offer unlimited mobile broadband plan on the Long Term Evolution (LTE) platform when we launch our LTE service, which is likely to take place in the second half of 2012,” he added.

Mobile data usage is through the roof, this is a global phenomenon and the advent of increasingly powerful mobile devices and apps will only fuel this momentum, but what are operators doing to cope with the surge in demand?

Bandwidth, just like water, electricity or oil, is a finite resource. There is a cost that’s tied up to bandwidth and someone has to pay for it. As revenue from traditional streams like voice calls and SMS slow down, operators are hard pressed to find other ways to turn a profit.

Data is the next big thing for operators but unlimited plans are not feasible for business, at the end of the day something has got to give and by the looks of it, consumers are being served the short end of the stick.
Will Malaysian operators resort to doing the same? It looks very likely. The number of mobile devices is on the rise and so too is mobile data usage. At the same time, voice and SMS usage has plateaued. As a result, operators are now applying more stringent control over subscriber data usage. Where before you could get away with bursting your monthly data cap, chances are operators are not so lenient anymore.

It might be a couple of more years or perhaps a little bit more but the days of the unlimited mobile internet plans are numbered, wherever you are. The sad fact about all this is that there’s pretty much nothing we can do about it. When the time comes, we will all have to bite the bullet and start being responsible with our data just like how we are with our water and electricity. Internet has indeed become the utility of the modern world. Like any utility, there is a cost that we will all have to bare.

[via]

	Industry in General
	data, Internet, mobile internet plans, unlmited mobile internet

Update: At 1625hrs DiGi announced via Twitter that services in affected areas in Petaling Jaya and Damansara has been fully restored.

If you’re using DiGi and are in Petaling Jaya and Damansara and are currently experiencing problems getting connected to the internet and, making and receiving phone calls, well then you’re not alone.

As it turns out the DiGi is currently having issues with its network in Petaling Jaya and Damansara. We can’t determine how many customers are affected by this but the fact that DiGi has made a public announcement about the issue via its Twitter account indicates to us that the issue is something that affects a lot of people.

DiGi is currently undergoing an ambitious network upgrade exercise. Whilst this is going on, DiGi say subscribers can expect intermittent network disruption but referring to the update schedule posted by DiGi, upgrades in Petaling Jaya should have been completed by December 16. In the schedule, DiGi assures that “there would be no service interruptions in your area if it is not listed in the Upgrade Schedule” and Damansara is currently not listed in the update schedule. It’s also worth pointing out that the schedule has not been updated since December 2.

With the network upgrade DiGi hopes to be the first LTE network in the country by the end of the year and also at the same time deliver a more robust and reliable 3G service to customers. While DiGi’s aspirations are indeed noble, we’re not sure if subscribers are patient enough to wade through the disruptions as DiGi sorts out its network. Chances are most won’t be.

	DiGi, Industry in General, Network Outages, Players on the Field
	DiGi, DiGi LTE, DiGi network, DiGi network interuption, DiGi network upgrade, DiGi service interuption, lte, LTE Malaysia, network, network outage, network upgrade, service interuption, service outage, Tomorrow Network

This is the almost certainly confirmed Sony Ericsson Xperia HD, one of the possibly three Sony Ericsson smartphones that’s scheduled to make their world debut at CES next week. As you can see, there is not much difference from the Nozomi device we saw earlier.

In terms of specs, it looks like the rumours are valid as well. The Xperia HD — as it would likely be called — features a 4.3-inch display with 1280×720 HD resolution. The 12MP camera is also present and you can expect it to be able to shoot 1080p HD videos. In addition to that, there’s a dual-core 1.5Ghz processor (a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8660 unit), 1GB of RAM and 8GB of on board storage. Unfortunately, the device does not have expandable memory. We believe the Xperia HD will not carry the “arc” monicker because its design does not feature a prominent arc that made the Xperia arc and arc S so distinctive.

Also unfortunate is that the Xperia HD runs on Android Gingerbread 2.3.7 rather than Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. This is weird because Sony Ericsson said last year that all new phones released in 2012 will run ICS. Another way to look at this would be that Sony Ericsson wanted to be able to launch the device at CES and didn’t have enough time to develop a custom UI for ICS. If this is indeed the case, we assume that the Xperia HD will very likely get ICS soon after release.

With just a few days away from the unveiling of Sony Ericsson’s 2012 line-up, we’re pretty excited to see what the manufacturer has in store – though we can’t agree with the new design direction. The Xperia arc and ray are amongst some of the most aesthetically pleasing smartphones in the market today, it’s sad to see that Sony Ericsson didn’t continue this trend for 2012.

In any case, we will be at the heart of the action at a regional Sony Ericsson launch happening at the same time as CES in Shanghai. You know what to do.

[source, via]

	Mobile Devices, Rumour Mill, Sony Ericsson
	Android, dual-core sony ericsson, LT26i, Sony Ericsson Nozomi, Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD, Sony Ericsson Xperia HD, Sony Ericsson Xperia HD Malaysia, Xperia Arc HD

This is the Sony Ericsson Xperia MT27i “Pepper”. Rumoured specs include a 1GHz dual-core processor, a 480×854 3.7-inch screen, and a 5-megapixel camera with 720p video. Other hardware noticeable in the blurry pictures includes a secondary mic for active noise-cancellation, a front-facing camera, and a notification LED.

The MT27i is believed to be the successor to the Xperia neo V and it looks to have been inspired the Sony Ericsson T610 and that can be a good thing.

So as things pans out, it looks like Sony Ericsson is set to reveal three new devices next week — the high-end LT28at aka the Xperia Ion, the Nozomi and this one. We’ll be close to the action when it happens, so keep it locked on to SoyaCincau.com for the latest.

A couple more pictures of the MT27i after the jump.

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	Mobile Devices, Rumour Mill, Sony Ericsson
	Android, dual-core sony ericsson, LT26i, LT28at, MT27i, Sony Ericsson, Sony Ericsson 13MP, Sony Ericsson LT28at, Sony Ericsson MT27i Pepper, Sony Ericsson Nozomi, Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD, Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD Malaysia, Sony Ericsson Xperia Ion, Sony Ericsson Xperia Ion Malaysia, Xperia Arc HD