Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus + Note S tipped

Pocketnow spotted a device named the Galaxy S2 Plus making an appearance on a benchmark app's database, listed as sporting a 1.5GHz processor, an 480x800-pixel resolution screen and running Android version 2.3.4.

As Recombu notes, the phone listed on the benchmark database could be the US T-Mobile variant of the Galaxy S2, which features the same resolution and processor clock speed (though the version of Android it'll run is listed as version 2.3.5).

That said, it wouldn't be at all unlike Samsung to release a slightly updated version of an existing phone -- the Samsung Galaxy S Advance was only recently announced, and that's a tuned-up edition of the original Galaxy S. If the Galaxy S2 Plus does turn out to be real, we know what our first question will be -- why isn't it running Ice Cream Sandwich?

The Galaxy S2 Plus gets a namecheck on Dutch site mobilecowboys, which claims to have insider information on Samsung's new kit, and also mentions the Galaxy Note S, a follow-up to the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note. We'd like to see a refreshed version of the Note, just please don't let it be any bigger.

The site also tips 13 March as a possible launch date for the Samsung Galaxy S3. Samsung recently broke our hearts by confirming that the much-anticipated S3 wouldn't be on show at Mobile World Congress at the end of this month, but rather would be given an airing at a separate event in the first half of the year.
Samsung said it would be showing off new stuff at MWC though, so perhaps we'll get a peek at the Galaxy S2 Plus and the Note S then.

Independence Blue Cross Launches New Mobile App

PHILADELPHIA, Sep 13, 2011 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Independence Blue Cross (IBC) announces the launch of IBX Mobile, a new smart phone application that helps members manage their health plan when they need it most -- whether at home, at their doctors' office, or on the go -- with a touch of the fingertips. 

"Smart phone use has risen dramatically in recent years, making mobile applications particularly effective in reaching people and helping them make smarter health care decisions," said Michael Yetter, director of IBC's eBusiness development. "We're giving our customers the ease and convenience of managing their health plans with some of our most popular online tools -- right in the palm of their hands." 

IBX Mobile, available for free at Apple's App Store and the Android Market, gives immediate access to personalized and relevant tools and resources whenever and wherever they're needed. IBX Mobile provides a streamlined view of the IBC's member portal, ibxpress.com, and allows users to quickly and conveniently:

          --  View their Personal Health Record. Access your health history anytime
              and manage your health.
          --  Find a health care provider. Use the Provider Finder to search for a new
              doctor by specialty and location. You'll even be able to download
              driving directions.
          --  View open referrals. Don't have time to call your doctor's office? You
              can use your smart phone to confirm your referral to a specialist with
              IBX Mobile.
          --  Check their Health Savings Account balance. Maximize your health savings
              account and track your balances on Bluesaver Health Solutions with IBX
              Mobile.   
        

Test pilot users who have downloaded the app to their smart phones have told us they appreciated the convenience of confirming referrals are active and the unique ability to access health and prescription history information from the Personal Health Record. 

"I don't have my records on me and they're not fresh on my mind when I go to the doctor's office. Instead of guessing at my health information, I can give information that's more accurate and useful for my doctor," said an IBC member who tested the pilot earlier this summer. 

IBX Mobile also allows users to reach Customer Service; get a quote for individual health care coverage; and log on to ibxpress.com to compare the price of prescription drugs, check the status of a claim, view benefits information, and access health care ID card details if the card is lost. 

There's no additional registration required for those who have already registered with ibxpress.com. IBC members need only login with their username and password to access their health coverage 24/7 through IBX Mobile. Members of the public can also download the app for free, although they will not have access to some member-specific tools. 

IBX Mobile is the latest mobile capability offered to Independence Blue Cross members. In July, Independence Blue Cross launched the GPS-based IBX Healthy Steps pedometer application as part of the company's mobile development strategy to improve and enhance the lives of the people and community it serves.

MOBILE APPLICATION: To help persons report corruption cases

Artas Bartas, a former employee of the United Nations Development Prograame (UNDP) and his team have developed a mobile application called the Bribespot which will help ordinary people report on instances of corruption they witness in their daily lives.

Users can download the mobile app and can then use it to submit specific instances of bribery.  The device is not intended to identify specific individuals, but rather to help visualize the extent of corruption, and to provide a basis for anti-corruption agencies and others to follow up, according to developers.

Bribespot was developed in March 2011 and the World Bank and other development agencies are now beginning to pay attention and get involved in these types of activities, says Shanthi Kalathil, a World Bank blogger.

The app can be download for Android and an iPhone version is expected in October 2011 but people can also submit reports on Bribespot’s website and instances are plotted on a map using Google maps API.
So far, the app is being used mainly in Lithuania and Romania.

Credit to: Ekow Quandzie

iPhone within 5 time to add new features, 4G, T-Mobile, hybrid

The iPhone 5 is facing the prospect a fall release after having seen its four predecessors all seeing the light of day during the summer. If Apple is indeed holding back the iPhone 5 for an extra season, there must be good reason for the delay. And that extra time gives the company the opportunity to add a host of features to the iPhone 5 which weren’t a part of the iPhone 4 era and might not have been a part of the iPhone 5 era either if not for the fact that Apple now has additional time to do something behind the scenes. 4G networking, a hyper-compatible hybrid model, and a T-Mobile rollout are among just some of the potential benefits from an iPhone 5 delay.

4G iPhone 5:
The earlier the iPhone 5 arrives, the lower the odds it includes 4G networking, and the reason is simple: Verizon and AT&T, the iPhone’s two U.S. carriers, are just barely getting their 4G feet wet. At present, a 4G iPhone 5 would be of use to almost no one who bought it, with most users having to instead rely on the older networks (3G GSM, CDMA) built into it for backward compatibility. But a fall iPhone 5 would come at a time when the two biggest carriers at least have some meaningful 4G presence, making Apple more likely to pull the trigger.

Hybrid iPhone 5:
It’s always just been a matter of time until Apple was able to pull off a single iPhone model which can talk to both the Verizon and AT&T networks, allowing customers to change carriers without having to change phones, as is the case with the current pair of incompatible iPhone 4 models. More time before the iPhone 5 launches means more time for Apple to pull it off.

T-Mobile iPhone 5:
This one feels like it’s more about politics than technicals. AT&T’s impending acquisition of T-Mobile sounds like a slam dunk for the latter offering the iPhone eventually. A later iPhone 5 release date means the merger will be further along, and increases the odds of the iPhone 5 coming to T-Mobile at launch.

Sprint iPhone 5:
Simply put: the greater the odds of a T-Mobile iPhone 5, the resulting greater odds of a Sprint iPhone 5. Regardless of what Sprint says, it doesn’t want to be the only U.S. carrier without the iPhone while also being the smallest post-merger.

iPhone 5 specs:
Apple’s battery life advancements appear to be as much about figuring out how to use the available juice more efficiently at this point as they are about packing more juice into a device. So the more time between now and the iPhone 5 launch, the more opportunities Apple will have to fine-tune the iPhone 5 experience such that it uses less power – and viola, more battery life to go around. Same thing goes for iPhone 5 storage capacity, as the prospect of a 64 GB iPhone has likely always come down to component availability. The further away the iPhone 5 launch date is from the iPad 2 launch, which used up 64 GB chips in abundance, the better.

T-Mobile G2 to Be Available Soon

It was confirmed by T-Mobile that it is going to offer its Android-based G2 handset. Moreover, the mobile device will soon be available in the market. The G2 will be the first HSPA+ smartphone of the company. As a matter of fact, the handset will break new ground, it is specifically created for the company’s advanced HSPA+ network that it able to deliver 4G speeds.

Currently it is possible to take advantage of the HSPA+ network, but it is available on parts of the East Coast, including such as areas as New Jersey, Connecticut as well as New York. It is planned by T-Mobile to provide 185 million people in metropolitan areas in the U.S. with HSPA+speeds.


It is considered that the design of the new mobile device will be similar to the design of Palm Pre. It will be equipped with a thing form factor as well as keyboard that is available with a horizontal wide-side load
T-Mobile rolled out its G1 in September 2008. It was the first Android-based handset in the United States. In October 2008 the handset was launched in the network of the company.

New Mobile - Samsung 4g Epic Review

Samsung 4G with a landscape QWERTY slide  and at 14.2mm thick, you're only about a millimeter and a half thicker than HTC's entry. Like AT&T's Captivate, the Epic 4G is being described as "a Galaxy S smartphone," so it's pretty clear that Samsung's looking to group all of these things under a global brand with big-time name recognition.

He screen of the handset is a large 4" Super AMOLED display with Wide-VGA resolution. The display technology used should give it great visibility in sunlight as opposed to standard AMOLED.It’ll be Sprint’s second 4G phone and unlike the super sized HTC EVO 4G, it comes with a physical keyboard which is a must for some people. According to reports across the internet, some Sprint retail stores have received their launch day shipments of Epic 4Gs.

We cannot look into the HTML code behind to see if there are any other juicy its of information to piece together. Amazon pulled the listing shortly after posting it, which has only led to a reduction in speculation and a confirmation that the device is on its way.

Lemon Mobile Reaveals Its New Mobile Device

Lemon Mobile has introduced its latest handset that is available with a touch screen. The cell phone comes under the name of the iT 717. It boasts of a 3-inch TFT touchscreen. Moreover, it is a dual SIM cell phone.

It features 20MB of internal memory that you can expand up to 8GB by means of mcroSD cards. The iT 717 is a multimedia featured device. It integrates an excellent MP3 player along with video player that is able to support different formats. Apart from that a user will be able to listen to an FM radio. One can take pictures by means of a 3.2 megapixel camera that is supportive to video recording. Moreover, the mobile device is equipped with a 3.5mm jack. The handset is able to store more than 500 SMS. As for connectivity options, it includes a GPRS modem, USB as well as Bluetooth. The handset does not provide support for EDGE, but one can take advantage of vanilla GPRS.


The cell phone integrates 1100 mAh battery, due to which one can talk over the handset about 5 hours of talk time. It should be mentioned that the handset comes with Nimbuzz Instant messenger as well as Opera Mini.
In case you are interested in the iT 717, be ready to spend about Rs. 4,499.

BlackBerry Bold 9700

The new device will be the next in RIM's BlackBerry Bold product line, succeeding the popular Bold 9000 smartphone, currently an AT&T exclusive device in the United States. Though rumors suggest the new Bold 9700, codenamed "Onyx," will also land in the States on AT&T, the device could very well be released first outside of North America, as was the Bold 9000 in European countries like Germany and Austria in the summer of 2008. AT&T didn't release the Bold in the United States until months later in November 2008 due to technical difficulties with its 3G network. 

Mobile blog BoyGeniusReport.com leaked what it claims are technical specifications on the Bold 9700 "Onyx" late last month, as follows:

* -Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
* -UMTS/HSDPA
* -480×360 resolution display (Bold 9000 has a 480 x 320; 9700 display should be the same or very similar to the screen on the Curve 8900)
* -Wi-Fi a,b,g
* -OS 5.0
* -QWERTY keyboard
* -3.2 megapixel AF camera
* -Bluetooth

A bit of digging through the CrackBerry.com forums this morning also turns up the following rumored specifications and information:

* -BlackBerry Bold 9700 features RIM's new "trackpad," a replacement for its traditional track ball.
* -Bold 9700 ships with 256MB of application memory.
* -AT&T reportedly sent pre-release Bold 9700 units to network "field testers" last week, signifying that the device could be nearing release status.
* -The new Bold reportedly has much improved battery life over the BlackBerry 9000.

CrackBerry addicts and tech-Web-watchers already know that RIM's got a brand new BlackBerry, unofficially dubbed "Onyx," waiting in the wings--related rumors have been swirling around the blogosphere for quite some time now. Heck, images of the unannounced device leaked months ago, so its existence is certain. Less sure are the details on when the device will become available, though some telling information showed up on a BlackBerry forum this past weekend. Keep reading for specifics--as well as two brand new images of the BlackBerry Bold "9700."

Samsung Caliber

The advanced touchscreen on the Samsung Caliber™ (SCH-r860) features Samsung’s unique TouchWiz™ interface. The TouchWiz interface incorporates specially-designed widgets that allow users to customize and personalize their phone. Users can access well loved social networking applications like Facebook and MySpace by using the phones full HTML web browser and messaging features that include mobile IM and personal email. The 3.0 megapixel camera and camcorder is perfect for capturing images, while the stereo Bluetooth® wireless technology and a speakerphone make hands-free communication effortless. The Samsung Caliber offers MetroPCS applications and services including downloads, along with an array of other features to keep users connected. Additionally, the phone comes equipped with a built-in video and music player, and will support an optional external microSD up to 16GB.

PRODUCTIVITY

* Samsung’s TouchWiz™ User Interface
* Customizable Widgets
* Full HTML Web Browser
* Bluetooth® Wireless Technology
* Advanced Voice Recognition
* MetroNavigator® GPS navigation system*
* Metro 411 Directory Help*
* MetroWEB*

ENTERTAINMENT

* Text Messaging (SMS), Multimedia Messaging (MMS)
* E-mail and Mobile IM Applications*
* MP3 player and video playback camcorder
* 3.0 megapixel camera
* External memory up to 16GB

SPECIFICATIONS

* CDMA 1×800 MHz/1900 MHz, EVDO Rev 0, AWS Band 1700/2100 MHz
* Dimensions: 2.2” x 4.5” x 0.47” (standard battery)
* Weight: 3.74 ounces (standard battery)
* Show: 3.2” WQVGA, 262K TFT
* Standard Battery: 3.7 Volt Lithium Ion, 1080mAh
* Talk Time: Up to 4.5 hours*
* Standby Time: up to 300 hours*

LG Arena GT950

LG ARENA GT950 gives customers easy and quick access to a world of entertainment and multimedia with just a tap of a finger on a 3-inch touch screen. LG ARENA 950 boasts super-fast web browsing on AT&T’s 7.2 HSPA 3G technology. With LG’s innovative 3D S-Class User Interface; music, movies, pictures and more are quickly within reach.

Customers will enjoy a crisp viewing experience on the LG ARENA GT950 with a 3-inch WVGA screen. Customers can also shoot and share photos and DVD-quality videos with ARENA’s 5.0 MP autofocus camera and with multiple messaging options and access to popular social networking sites, sending and posting geo-tagged photos and videos to friends and family has never been easier.

The LG ARENA GT950 is also the latest AT&T Mobile TV-capable device to hit stores. AT&T Mobile TV subscribers enjoy around-the-clock access to full-length live and time-shifted programming from FLO TV, including content from top entertainment brands such as ABC, ABC Entertainment, ABC Family, ABC News, ABC Sports, CBS, CBS College Sports, CBS News, CNBC, COMEDY CENTRAL, Disney Channel, Disney Channel Original Movies, ESPN, ESPNEWS, ESPN 2, FOX, FOX News Channel, FOX Sports, FUEL TV, msnbc, MTV, NBC, NBC 2Go, NBC News, NBC Sports, nickelodeon, Playhouse Disney, SOAPNet and the movie channel Crackle. AT&T Mobile TV is available for $9.99 per month, and new subscribers receive the first seven days of their subscription for free. For more information, visit www.att.com/mobiletv.