Samsung’s Galaxy S4 is official, it has some pretty awesome specs and it is going to sell like hot cakes. These are the facts, people. Apple doesn’t seem to like this so much though. Samsung has outdone the iPhone once again though, so they have posted up a webpage which details a few reasons why they believe the iPhone 5 is still the best smartphone you can own.

You don’t need to visit the link as I have taken the time to pick out some of the rather lame reasons for and have listed them below:

• Only the iPhone and other Apple products have Retina display.
• The iPhone has a long battery life.
• The iPhone has “ultrafast” wireless and LTE.
• Only the iPhone and other Apple products have access to the iTunes Store and the App Store, which offers over 800,000 apps. What’s more, they are all reviewed by Apple to protect against malware.
• Only the iPhone has Siri, the intelligent personal assistant

I can think of a number of phones which offer a fantastic screen, have great battery life, access to thousands of apps and run Android. As for Siri, I never use it on my iPad Mini, and LTE? There are still places around the world that do not even have access to it yet, not to mention that Android devices have been offering LTE as a feature for way longer than Apple.

I have a suggestion for Apple, rather than spending time making lame articles about the iPhone 5, why not make a truly amazing iPhone 6 which will have ex-iPhone users (like me) flocking back to iOS? What do you think of the iPhone 5, how does it compare in your opinion to other phones out there running Android, Windows Phone 8 and Blackberry 10?

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The post Apple Posts Lame Excuses Why the iPhone is Better than the Galaxy S4 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

In the last several months there have been many rumors about the idea of Facebook possibly releasing a cell phone.  Despite the rumors, Mark Zuckerberg has adamantly denied on two separate occasions, in July and in September, that the idea of a Facebook phone is totally not true.  Now on Tuesday January 15th, Facebook has scheduled a press event.  So the question is, what is the topic of this event?

Is Facebook going to reveal a new phone to the world, or maybe unveiling a type of Facebook OS for mobile phones?  Using modified versions of existing OS’s is something that has been done in the past.  For instance Kindle Fire products have a modified Android OS running on their tablets, so the possibility of Facebook doing something similar is a real possibility.

In the past, Facebook did partner up with HTC to release a “Facebook” version of a mobile phone with dedicated Facebook buttons and better Facebook integration.  The phone however had fairly mixed reviews.  So it makes you wonder if they scrapped the idea, or maybe learned from some mistakes to perfect a second attempt.  We can speculate all day, but we will have to wait until tomorrow to finally get some real answers.

While the Facebook phone rumor continues to be circulated, based on the denials and lack of strong evidence to suggest it is coming— odds are that this press conference is probably about something else, though. Still IF Facebook made a special phone (maybe with HTC as a partner?), would you buy one?

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The post Possible Facebook Phone To Be Announced Tomorrow? [Rumor] appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

While we are use to seeing Android phones from smaller, lesser known manufacturers, the YotaPhone is one special phone which features dual-screens.

The ‘main’ screen on the YotaPhone is an LCD unit while the secondary screen is a bookworm friendly E Ink display, but don’t kid yourself in to thinking that the E ink display is just for reading as the YotaPhone team have some great ideas up their sleeves.

As you can see above the rear screen can be used to coax a smile, or duck face, from your photography subjects. Currently the Android powered YotaPhone is still a little buggy in use, but the idea and the drive to make things happen is their.

Keep your eyes peeled for more YotaPhone news as development moves forward to a possible end of year launch.

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The post Russia’s YotaPhone is the Most Innovative we’ve Seen Yet appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Google has announced Wednesday that users of Gmail in the United States and Canada can continue to get free calling for the next year for free.

Mayur Kamat, a product manager for Gmail said in a blog “You’ll continue to be able to make free domestic all through 2013”.

All it takes to utilize this service is an internet connection and an internal or external microphone.  You place the calls from within the email client.  There is a “Call phone” option that looks like a telephone receiver, once clicked a dial pad appears within the Google Chat menu.

Voice calls were originally debuted in August of 2010 and have been extended at the end of the year through 2011, 2012 and now 2013.  In the 24 hours after it was first launched in 2010, Google Voice had 1 million calls placed and was thought at one time to take out Skype.

While only domestic calls are free for the service, they have extremely competitive rates for their international calls.  These calls start at just $0.02 per minute.

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Apple might be a bit busy preparing for the official launch of their next generation iPad and iOS 5.1. But it appears like they will have to find more time to fix a new bug in iOS 5.0.1 which allows a person to get unauthorized access to the contacts and the calling features of an iPhone.

The details on the new issue comes courtesy of  iPhoneislam, who believe that it is a “major” flaw. But after watching the video, you will most probably agree with us on the fact that the passcode bypassing allowed by this bug is quite difficult to pull off.

The hack involves inserting and ejecting the iPhone’s SIM card, while you try to call the device. If you perform this for long enough, you will eventually get access to the phone app, and you will be able to make calls as well. But for the hack to work, it is required that you know the victim’s phone number (or have a spare SIM card) and a strong belief that it can be done.

It appears to be a very minor bug, but still, it won’t be very nice if someone who stole your iPhone gets free access to your contacts. Apple will most likely release a fix for it along with the upcoming iOS 5.1. In the meantime, you can check out the guy sweating it out in the video below.

The post This iOS 5.0.1 Security Bug Will Help Criminals With Tons Of Patience (Video) appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Ubuntu for Android appears to be the most important development for Android since the arrival of Ice Cream Sandwich. But if you are too excited to know more about it before it is officially launched at the upcoming Mobile World Congress, you can check out the demo video below which comes to us via a kind hearted Canonical employee.

Just in case you missed a few things earlier, Ubuntu for Android brings an ARM-based version of Ubuntu into an Android smartphone. When the Android device is connected to a dock or monitor, you will be able to enjoy the Ubuntu desktop UI. When not docked, the device will be just your usual Android smartphone.

As you will see in the clip below, when the Android phone is docked, the full Ubuntu OS comes alive on the computer screen. Ubuntu gets access to the files, folders, contacts and apps on the phone, and the user always stays connected via the handset allowing access to Android alerts right on the desktop. Take a peek at the video to know more.

But unfortunately, there will be limitations. Ubuntu for Android is expected to arrive only with new phones (hopefully before 2013), that is no support for your current phone. And the devices must have at least a dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM and HDMI-out.

But we are excited about checking this out at the MWC. What about you?

The post Ubuntu For Android Demo Video Hits YouTube appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Yet there seems to be a market out there for people who buy phones that cost over $6000, like those made by Vertu. The ridiculous part of this is that they aren’t even ‘smartphones’, they are just basic phones that look sorta pretty. But most of the time they are just a little bit nicer than average, and often tacky.

What could be worse than spending over $6000 on a ‘dumb’ phone? Perhaps spending $190 for the USB data cable that connects the phone to the PC.  That’s right, the data cable actually costs $190.

I can at least sort of (I guess) understand that the reason a consumer would pay so much is that its a trendy, fashionable item, but what could possibly make a USB cable trendy enough to pay that kind of dough?

It turns out that Nokia owns Vertu, and even they must question the worth of such a brand since they are looking to dump the company on to some unsuspecting buyer, probably in Korea. For anyone out there thats looking to throw away money, I have an idea for you. Why don’t you buy a normal phone that will run 10x better than your Vertu, and then you can build your karma with the leftover money and give someone in need access to clean water.

The post Vertu Data Cable Costs $190? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Mobile phones are getting thinner and thinner, but can only be made as thin as the internal parts that are required to build them. Sharp has unveiled their latest product, a tiny 12.1 megapixel camera sensor, which appears to be paving the way for thinner smartphones.

The Sharp RJ63YC100 camera sensor is being claimed by the company to be the thinnest in the industry. The sensor measures in at a mere 5.47 millimeters high and is less than half an inch deep.

The new sensor is also capable of shooting full HD (1080p) video and features built-in image stabilization which will allow you to take good pictures in shaky situations.

The sensor is expected to end up in future smartphones, especially a new iPhone model. As you might know, rumors are already flying around that Sharp will be the touchscreen supplier for upcoming iDevices.

Although Sony is providing iPhone’s current camera, it certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea for Apple if they sign deals with a single manufacturer for touchscreen and camera sensor shipments. Of course more phone manufacturers may also jump in on the action as well.

Samples of the sensor have been shipped to phone makers around the world. We are expecting that it won’t take too long for interested companies to make an announcement that the new sensor will be used in an upcoming handset.

The sensor is expected to come with a price tag of 12,000 yen, around $154. That increases the possibility of a slightly expensive smartphone. What do you think?

The post Sharp’s New 12MP Camera Sensor Is The Industry’s Thinnest appeared first on Mobile Magazine.