Nokia to offer free wireless charging plate - The Droid Guy

Wireless charging isn’t really new to us. Wireless charging or induction charging has been around since a long time. The technology is widely used in several China made electric trimmers and other cheap electronics, and it’s not really a big deal. We’ve also seen this technology being used on Palm’s Pre handset, and the recently announced Google Nexus 4 made by LG has it too. Coming back to the Lumia topic, it was previously said that AT&T will be giving out free charging plates to early adopters as a notion of goodwill, but looks like the plan may be part of a bigger proposition.

A UK seller named Phones4U has given a link and details on how to get a free charging plate with your 820 or 920 purchase. Below is an excerpt from the terms & conditions related to the offer:

“Opening date for applications is 16/11/12. Closing date for receipt of applications is midnight 30/01/13. 4. The offer is subject to availability. Customers are only eligible to redeem once per Nokia Lumia 820/ 920 purchased, while promotional phone stocks last. No cash alternatives in whole or in part. 5. The offer can be redeemed by visiting www.nokiafreecharger.com, 14 days after purchase and entering the unique code printed on this sticker and IMEI number which came with the phone (found on the side of your Nokia box). Customers must then complete an online form containing their name, address, mobile phone number, email address, date of purchase and date of birth. 6. The Free Wireless Charging Plate will be sent within 28 days of valid application. Only applications that adhere fully to the terms and conditions are valid. The Promoter reserves the right to verify any application. “

The site, nokiafreecharger.com, that is mentioned above appears very similar to the site which hosted the free-Lumia 710 back-cover offer earlier this year where in which a user could apply for free add on accessory on purchase of a 710 smartphone. The offer seems to be the same, except that it is Nokia wireless charging plate this time around. Other details reveal that the deal will be offered from November 2nd through December 31st, whereas application process will start only on November 16th. In order to redeem this offer, the customer is required to visit the site within 14 days from the date of purchase. On the site, the customer will be asked to enter the unique IMEI number and fill out an application in order to receive the accessory within 28 days.

What are your thoughts on Lumia 920 and the offer? Let us know in the comment section below.

Source: Phones4U

Category: Nokia

Surface Pro: Too much money for too little tablet? - ZDNet

Too expensive as a tablet, not remarkable as a laptop, does Microsoft's Surface Pro have any place in IT?

The Surface Pro, Microsoft's Windows 8 hybrid tablet/laptop for business, sounds good. But, at a starting price of $899 for the 64GB model, without a keyboard, is anyone going to want it?

The good news is that the Surface Pro runs full Windows 8, rather than the crippled Windows RT. While I have no use for Windows 8 on a desktop, I've also thought that its "Metro" interface might work well on a tablet.

In addition, with an Intel Core i5 processor the Surface Pro has the horsepower needs to run Windows 8 properly. The Surface RT, with its NVIDIA Tegra 3 ARM processor, is underpowered. So why do I think that the Surface Pro will be too little, too late?

In two words: the Apple iPad.

Love it or hate it, the iPad started the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) movement in IT. Steve Jobs may not have had office workers in mind when he dreamed up the iPad, but the iPad has become the poster-child for tablets in business.

Besides grabbing people's imagination, for once the iPad is cheaper than its competition. A 64GB iPad with Retina Display with Wi-Fi and cellular is $829. That's $70 less than the entry level Surface Pro.

Some people argue that the Surface Pro is not over-priced because its competition is really more lightweight laptops like the MacBook Air. My response is that while it may not be fair to compare the Surface Pro with the iPad, that's exactly what people will do.

Besides if you do compare the Surface Pro with the MacBook Air does it really do that well? I don't think so. Microsoft itself admits that the Surface Pro will have only half the battery life of the Surface RT. That would put it, at best. at about 4 and a half hours, which is awful for a tablet, and a bit below my MacBook Air, which consistently gets five hours plus.

It's also, I must add, below my Samsung Celeron-powered Chromebook, which comes in with six hours, and my ARM-powered Chromebook, which keeps running for up to six-and-a-half hours. The ARM model, which runs great with the lightweight Chrome OS, also only costs $249.

If Microsoft had waited to introduce the Surface Pro after Intel's more energy efficient Clover Trail chipset the Surface Pro might have been more competitive. Clover Trail has been slow to arrive though and the Surface Pro won't be available for purchase until January even so.

What it all adds up to is that the Surface Pro is tardy to market; simply isn't competitive as a tablet; and, with the Touch Cover or Type Cover add-ons ($120 or $130), it's not that interesting as a notebook. I see IT departments buying iPads, Android tablets, MacBooks or Ultrabooks for all the niches that the Surface Pro might fill. Neither fish nor fowl, I don't see the Surface Pro finding a business audience.

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What Will Happen When The Surface Pro Isn't The Only Flagship Win8 Tablet In ... - TechCrunch

The Surface Pro launches in January, just after the holiday rush. It’s a pricey bauble at $899 plus an extra hundred for the Touch Cover. But everyone is excited. This is the model most of the Surface sympathizers are waiting for. It has the full Windows 8 experience, a capable Intel chipset, and an ecosystem two decades in the making. But here’s the problem: come January the Surface Pro could have serious competition from Asus, Samsung, Lenovo and maybe even HP. In short, what happens when the big guys finally catch up to Microsoft?

As of this writing, pickings for a Windows 8 tablet are pretty slim. To the rabid Microsoft fan, the Surface Pro looks like the second coming. It’s the tablet that will save them from the horrid iPad. But fear not, friend. The Surface Pro will be just one among many options soon.

The Surface Pro still has all the UX awkwardness of the Surface RT. As Sarah Perez aptly stated, the Surface is a tablet that’s actually a desktop computer. The addition of the Intel chipset will not improve the floppy connection between the Surface and the Touch Covers. It will still be awkward to use anywhere but on a flat surface.

CES kicks off in early January and every vendor will likely have Windows 8 tablets of all shapes and size. And the big boys will all be aiming for arrogant Microsoft and its darling Surface. And don’t forget Microsoft isn’t at CES this year.

Expect Samsung to roll out countless Windows 8 devices of all shapes and sizes. Samsung after all is riding high on the success of its mobile division. If anyone can take on Microsoft (and Apple) it’s Samsung. The Korean giant introduced several launch models at IFA in late Summer, but they have been slow to get to market. Likewise, the models introduced at CES will probably hit stores in the second quarter of 2013.

Asus should have a good CES showing. This is the company that practically pioneered the docking tablet. The Transformer Android tablet line is Asus’s recent claim to fame after the fall of the netbook. The Asus VivoTab looks like a fine compromise between portable a form factor and capable hardware. But hopefully Asus will debut a higher-end model that’s powered by something other than an Atom chip. Plus, since it’s from Asus, the prices should be rather competitive although, with that, comes piss-poor customer support.

Lenovo is gearing up for a big year as it is expected to surpass HP as the largest PC vendor in the world. The company has always found success with innovative, forward-thinking products. Look at the ThinkPad Tablet 2: Much of the magic of the Surface Pro including pen-based input and keyboard but for only $649.

Ironically, given the company’s past dominance, HP is the wildcard in the Windows 8 tablet game. HP is still the leader in PCs and has a massive manufacturing and distribution supply chain. The company could go all-in on a tablet, win CES and regain its spot as a leader in PCs. But that’s not likely. CEO Meg Whitman’s five-year HP restructuring plan doesn’t call for new products until financial year 2014.

It’s an exciting time for the Windows world but the Surface RT and Pro are poor standard bearers for the cause. It’s simply not a good flagship model as the shortcomings greatly outnumber the advantages. Thankfully, come CES, more options will surface.

Samsung Loses In Latest Apple Patent Decision - InformationWeek

A court in Amsterdam has determined that some of Samsung's smartphones and tablets infringe on Apple's patents. The Dutch court ordered Samsung to pay Apple damages, which will be based on how much profit Samsung made from the devices in the European Union.

This particular case involves Galaxy-branded smartphones and tablets that run older versions of Android, specifically 2.2.1 to 3.0. The ruling applies to a narrow selection of devices that don't use Samsung's own photo gallery software. In these devices, the court found Samsung infringed on an Apple patent that applies to how photo galleries scroll and show previews of the next photo. Devices that use Samsung's own photo gallery app treat gallery scrolling differently, so they don't infringe on the patent.

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Samsung had previously lost a case regarding the same patent to Apple last year and made changes to its devices. It couldn't prove to the Dutch, however, that any measurable change had been made. It now faces an immediate ban of the infringing products in The Netherlands. It will be fined 100,000 euros for each day it fails to adhere to the new ban.

Samsung and Apple have locked legal horns in 10 countries around the world over patents.

[ For more details on the ongoing battle between Apple and Samsung: Apple Will Pay For Paltry Samsung Apology. ]

In the U.S., both companies face an important hearing December 6 in San Jose. That hearing will revisit the $1.05 billion guilty verdict that Samsung was hit with in August. Both companies will present arguments about the case and its initial verdict. Apple is seeking to ban sales of the infringing products in the U.S., while Samsung hopes to vacate the verdict altogether.

One of the key items Samsung will argue revolves around the behavior of the jury foreman, who Samsung alleges misconstrued his history with technology companies and litigation.

Earlier this month, U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh ordered, "The Court will consider the questions of whether the jury foreperson concealed information during voir dire, whether any concealed information was material, and whether any concealment constituted misconduct."

The problem pertains to the foreman's previous involvement in litigation. The foreman was at one point employed by Seagate and was sued by the company. Samsung argued that it has a "substantial strategic relationship" with Seagate, and that the foreman should have disclosed this prior relationship to the judge.

Also earlier this month, Apple lost a case against Samsung regarding the Galaxy Tab in the U.K. It was ordered to make a public apology to Samsung on its web site. It played games with the apology, however, and annoyed the British judges. In the end, Apple will have to pay Samsung's legal fees for the U.K. case.

The battles rage on...

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Google snaps up Waterloo startup BufferBox - Financial Post

Parcel pickup kiosk operator BufferBox Inc. is moving on up to Google Inc., quite literally, after being acquired by the huge tech firm.

That’s because home base for the team behind the Waterloo, Ont.-based startup is the VeloCity Garage inside the Communitech Hub startup incubator, located in the famed Lang Tannery building in the warehouse district â€" downstairs from Google’s regional office.

We’re really excited to be able to build out that vision quite a bit quicker than we otherwise would have without them on side

On Friday, Google announced it has acquired the not-quite-two-year-old startup for an undisclosed sum, which means the team at BufferBox will be moving their operations up a flight of stairs to join the Google team on the upper floor of the building.

While the physical move will be a short one for BufferBox, the trio of University of Waterloo graduates who created the company are hoping to leverage Google’s considerable resources to quickly scale their business and change the way people think about e-commerce and shipping packages.

“Being a small company and a startup, there’s obviously a lot of challenges,” BufferBox chief executive Mr. McCauley said in an interview.

“So us being able to work very closely with someone like Google allows us to leverage their resources and share vision and combine thoughts and talent together to really make something a lot bigger than we ever would have imagined. We’re really excited to be able to build out that vision quite a bit quicker than we otherwise would have without them onside.”

BufferBox’s service provides users with temporary lockers in central locations which can accept packages sent by online retailers. Users sign up for a BufferBox address, which is provided to the online merchant. When a parcel arrives at one of BufferBox’s self-serve kiosks, the users receives an email and can pick up their package using a one-time-use code. The locker can then be used to store a package from another user.

BufferBox announced last month it had reached a deal with Metrolinx to roll out its self-serve parcel pickup kiosks to GO Transit stations, including Toronto’s Union Station. The company aims to have 100 BufferBoxes installed in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area by the end of 2013. In addition to transit hubs, the company is also working on agreements with grocery and convenience stores.

We think there’s a real exciting space beyond this amazing start with boxes

The company â€" which graduated from Silicon Valley’s Y Combinator accelerator program this summer â€" is offering the service for free this year to help build up a user base. Eventually the company plans to charge $3 or $4 per package delivered to its boxes.

Google Waterloo engineering director Steve Woods said the BufferBox team â€" which consists of seven employees beyond its trio of founders â€" will be kept intact, with Google providing additional resources to help the company grow. Google plans to keep the BufferBox brand for the foreseeable future.

“We’re going to keep doing BufferBox,” Mr. Woods said in an interview.

“We’re not going to go into great detail about our future plans, but we think there’s a real exciting space beyond this amazing start with boxes, and the idea of touching consumers as part of their end-to-end experience is something we’re going to explore together. I don’t think we would say even definitively what it’s going to be, but we’re going to do some great things together.”

For Google, the addition of BufferBox will augment the company’s growing mobile commerce operations in Waterloo, where most of the company’s mobile shopping products are built.

“Our goal is always to find founders with passion and great ideas to have them come in and not to take them apart, but instead to let them run and give them access to some of the services and things that we can do at Google and across some of our other products to make their vision big,” Mr. Woods said.

Ten days with the LTE iPad Mini - CNET

You might not think that adding cellular LTE onto an iPad Mini would be all that exciting. After all, the larger Retina Display iPad and iPhone 5 are both LTE devices. However, the Mini has something unique going for it in the world of Apple devices: it's the smallest contract-free iOS LTE gadget short of getting an unlocked iPhone.

I got the opportunity to try out a black Verizon LTE Mini and see how the experience differed from using the Wi-Fi only version. There really shouldn't be many surprises, right? Still, there are some use cases I realized were pretty compelling, and might even merit the idea that an LTE iPad Mini is more of an ideal purchase than the larger LTE iPad ever was.

Turn-by-turn navigation: Now that iOS 6 supports baked-in turn by turn directions with voice without downloading a separate app, the Mini acts as a pretty good in-car navigation system. You'd need a special mount to take full advantage, but the Mini's tweener size and larger screen seem ideal for car use. The Wi-Fi + Cellular version of the iPad Mini has A-GPS and GLONASS, while the Wi-Fi version doesn't have GPS at all (it finds your location by triangulating local data like Wi-Fi hotspots). It worked like a charm during a New Jersey-to-Long Island road trip.

FaceTime on the go: My iPad started ringing as I was standing on the corner of 28th and Madison. As it so happens, my wife was trying to call my phone via FaceTime, and because the Mini used my same iCloud account, it forwarded to the iPad Mini. Answering an iPad Mini is still nowhere near as comfy as answering a phone, but it's far less absurd than lifting a full iPad out of your bag. I was able to make a quick call and say good-night to my kid before crossing the street. Other video chat services like Skype and VOIP calling apps are available, too. In essence, the iPad Mini with LTE is as close to an LTE-equipped iPod Touch "phoneless iPhone" as you can get.

Tethering: Sure, you'll have to make sure your data plan doesn't get totally swallowed up by the tempting proposition of on-the-go wireless tethering, but the iPad Mini is the perfect size to take in a bag alongside a laptop, unlike the larger iPad. As such, it's a perfect companion device for tethering. I found it worked excellently during train rides between New York City and my New Jersey home. (In case you're curious, I've already gone through nearly 900MB of data downloading via cellular over ten days of medium use.) Tethering is supported out of the box no matter if you picked Sprint, Verizon or AT&T, and up to five devices can be connected at once.

iMessage adds texting, in a sense: I've already been assaulted by iMessages being propagated across all the myriad test iOS devices attached to my iCloud account. It's helpful to be able to get iMessages on the Mini on the go, because in work-related situations, it allows me to have an almost IM-like instant communications system. iMessage doesn't always work perfectly, and regular non-iMessage texts won't make it through onto the LTE iPad Mini, but it's a welcome way to use LTE without hogging the data.

Whether or not you wish there were a better Retina Display on the iPad Mini, there are no compromises when it comes to its wireless communication: the same super-fast LTE connectivity exists on the Mini as on the larger iPad. In that sense, it feels like an equally important, if not essential, feature for frequent travelers, and in my time with the LTE Mini on Verizon it seems to little additional battery drain. Although the $130 upgrade cost for LTE capability isn't cheap and you could connect a Wi-Fi iPad via other means such as tethering to a phone or a dedicated cellular/Wi-Fi puck, it's an extremely attractive perk.

Read my full review of the iPad Mini, including the newly-added section on LTE.

Intel inside the iPad? Maybe, if it builds iPhone chips, RBC says - CNET (blog)

Apple is looking around for a new company to manufacture its smartphone processors.

RBC Capital Markets has a new twist to the frequent Apple-Intel relationship rumors, and this time, it could actually be good news for Intel.

According to RBC analyst Doug Freedman, Apple may be contemplating a new relationship where Intel would build Apple's self-designed ARM-based smartphone chips in exchange for Apple using Intel's X86 processors in certain new devices, like the next-generation iPad.

While it may seem illogical for Apple to use different processors in its mobile devices, that could be one way for it to secure enough capacity and use chips on the leading edge of technology. After all, it already uses Intel processors in its Macs. It also would help the electronics giant reduce reliance on its previously close partner -- Samsung.

"We believe Intel has the upper-hand due to the limitations of capacity at alternative sources ... as the demand is outstripping Apple's ability to add supply," Freedman said.

An industry source told CNET that Apple and Intel have been in talks on and off for the past two years about a foundry relationship. But for Intel to manufacture ARM-based chips, it would need a pretty big incentive, the person said. Having its processors used in the iPad could be just enough to make a foundry deal happen.

An Apple spokesman declined to comment. We've also reached out to Intel and will update when we hear back.

Demand for Apple's smartphones and tablets has been rising so fast that it has been hard for production to keep up. Intel, meanwhile, ships most of its chips for use in PCs, a market that's expected to flounder. That means it could have enough space in its factories to make some of Apple's chips.

In addition, it's no secret that Apple has been trying to find a new partner to build its processors. Samsung has long been the company tasked with manufacturing Apple's smartphone and iPad chips, but the relationship between the two companies has frayed significantly in recent months. They've been suing each other like crazy. At issue is control of the booming smartphone and tablet markets, areas that are vital for continued growth at electronics makers.

Apple, which also previously relied on Samsung to supply many other components for its products, has been reducing its reliance on the company in other areas, as well. The Cupertino, Calif., company has been sourcing displays from companies like Sharp and LG, as one example.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., a contract chip manufacturer (all it does is manufacture chips for other companies), has been viewed as the leading contender for Apple's chip business. However, it has other clients with pretty big demands of their own, and some of those companies, like Nvidia, complained earlier this year about not receiving enough supply from TSMC.

Intel, meanwhile, has dipped it toes into the foundry business, building chips for a few small semiconductor makers. While it has said it has no plans to become a full-blown foundry, it would consider bigger, strategic relationships. Such a deal with Apple could be one of those.

Intel has long boasted that its manufacturing capability, a couple generations ahead of the foundries, is one of its biggest advantages.

Apple, meanwhile, has invested heavily in developing its own chip designs based on the non-Intel, ARM architecture to power its mobile devices, including the iPhone and iPad. There was speculation earlier this month that Apple was considering using its own chips in its computers, rather than using processors from Intel in devices like the MacBook Air.

iTunes gets an interface refresh (pictures)

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