Samsung becomes first to unveil Windows Phone 8 handset

Samsung becomes first to unveil Windows Phone 8 handset:

Samsung announced a new range of products under the name Ativ last night, making it the first manufacturer to reveal its Windows Phone 8 mobile device.

The Ativ S smartphone was unveiled at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, beating Microsoft’s major partner, Nokia, which is due to launch its own device at a press event in New York next Wednesday.

Samsung’s version houses a 1.5GHz dual core processor, comes with a choice of 16GB or 32GB memory – with support for a microSD card – and two cameras, a forward-facing 1.9MP and a rear-facing 8MP shooter.

The device itself measures in at 137.2mm x 70.5mm, with a 4.8” HD Super AMOLED display, is 8.7 mm thick and weighs just 135g, making it a similar build to Samsung’s Galaxy S III flagship mobile, but with less power inside.

It is not clear when the device will hit the shelves but rumours from the trade show floor claim the end of October is a likely launch date.

As well as the Ativ S smartphone, Samsung also unveiled a new tablet device based on the upcoming Windows 8 light version known as Windows RT. The Activ Tab will have a 10.1” display but weigh 570g and measure 8.9mm in thickness, making it both thinner and lighter than the latest Apple iPad.

It will run on a 1.5GHz dual core processor, come with either 32GB or 64GB memory – as well as support for up to 64GB on a microSD card – and have two cameras, the forward-facing 1.9MP and the rear-facing 5MP device.    

“Samsung is a highly-valued partner and it’s great to see this investment in a global brand for its Windows-based tablets and phones,” said Nick Parker, corporate vice-president of original equipment manufacturers for Microsoft.

“This gives us an increased opportunity to inspire our customers with excitement and confidence as they enjoy Windows experiences across their beautiful Samsung devices, including entertainment scenarios, mobile productivity and cloud services.”

South Korean court bans Samsung and Apple sales

South Korean court bans Samsung and Apple sales:

A South Korean court has ruled that technology giants Apple and Samsung Electronics infringed each other's patents.

The Seoul Central District Court ordered a partial ban of their products covered by the ruling in South Korea, according to US reports. Recently released products including Apple's iPhone 4S and Samsung's Galaxy S3 are not affected.

This means Apple must stop selling the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad 1 and iPad 2 because the court ruled that the products infringed two of Samsung's five disputed patents.

The South Korean court denied Apple's claim that Samsung had illegally copied its design. The court found the shape and big display screen existed in products before the iPhone and iPad.

But the court ruled that South Korea-based Samsung had infringed on one of Apple's patents, related to the screen's bounce-back feature, which causes the screen to bounce back when a user scrolls to an end image.

The court banned sales of products using the technology, including the Galaxy S2, in South Korea.

Both parties were ordered to pay compensation. Samsung must pay Apple $22,000 while Apple must pay its rival $35,000.

Playing music and video wirelessly with AirPlay.

Playing music and video wirelessly with 

AirPlay.

Not so long ago, you needed your computer and portable devices to be directly 

connected to the speakers and screens you wanted to play their content on. 

AirPlay frees you from that need, allowing you to stream audio and video via Wi-Fi 

from your iTunes library to AirPlay-enabled devices--like Apple TV, audio 

systems from a variety of manufacturers that have AirPlay built-in, and systems 

connected to an AirPort Express on your Wi-Fi network. iTunes on the computer 

and the Music, Video, and other apps on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch 

automatically detect AirPlay-enabled devices on the local Wi-Fi network and 

present them for you to choose from. Tap or click it and pick the system you want 

to send the stream to. You can even pause while you're in one room, then tap 

AirPlay again to pick a different system in another room and tap Play.

iPad Mirroring Mode On Your APPLE TV

iPad Mirroring Mode On Your APPLE TV:

One of the least publicized features in iOS 5 is the ability of the iPad 2 (and, apparently, the iPhone 4S) to wirelessly mirror its screen to a second-generation Apple TV. If both your iPad and your Apple TV are fully up-to-date, here’s how you activate mirror mode.

Don’t look for the controls in the Settings app on your iPad. Instead, they are snuggled next to the iPod controls. Double-press your home button to see the multitasking bar, showing all your recent apps. Swipe your finger from right to left; you’ll see the AirPlay icon. Tap on that, select your Apple TV and toggle the mirror button to ‘on’.

 If everything is on the same Wi-Fi network, your iPad screen will appear on your Apple TV. It works well, and with a minimum of lag between the 2 devices. I checked dozens of apps, particularly games, and both sound and video made it just fine. Angry Birds looked great. So did Real Racing HD. Of course, the iPad doesn’t sport a 16×9 aspect ratio, so there was black on either side of the video. On the other hand, Netflix ran in full 16×9 mode, fully sensing my wider TV screen. Of course, you can already run Netflix movies natively from the Apple TV, so there isn’t much point in that exercise.

                     Another video app, Movie Vault also worked well. Any movies I ripped to the iPad also played just fine. The science app Solar Walk looked great. When mirroring, the renderings move to the big screen, while the controls stay on the iPad. Impressive.

Apple also sells an HDMI adapter cable to provide the iPad-to-TV link, but the wireless method is quick and easy, although the video doesn’t look quite as crisp as the wired method.iPad mirroring is not a mind-blowing feature, but it’s a handy way to demo something on your iPad to a group of people, or play some games using the iPad as a controller. Slide shows and quick video replays are also made easier… and certain apps (iMovie, GarageBand) may really shine on the bigger screen.It isn’t obvious how to turn it on, but now you know; tell your friends. Give mirror mode a try and let us know how you like it