One of the Windows Phone users received an official confirmation from Hulu support staff stating that the application will be made available on Windows Phone platform in the “near future”.

Here is part of the e-mail received from Duncan R, a member of Hulu Support team.

“Thanks for writing in with your interest in using Hulu Plus on your Windows Phone. We get a lot of requests for this platform, and we’ve been working on making it available for some time. In fact, the app should be released in the near future.”

We’ve contacted Hulu for confirmation, but haven’t heard from them, yet. Needless to say we’ll update this post when we do

Click here to read the e-mail from Hulu support staff.

The bigger sibling will feature an even mammoth 6.3” display that sheerly pulls the device more towards the tablet segment whilst marking its entirety as an oversized smartphone that we have come to modestly address as phablets. These Galaxy Mega Android Phones are being referred as Galaxy Mega 5.8 or Samsung GT-I9152 and Galaxy Mega 6.3 or Samsung GT-I9200.

There’s nary a word on Galaxy Mega specifications but the branding suggests something high-end, at least about the mettle of recently released Galaxy S4, which featured an Exynos 5 octa-core processor.

We wouldn’t be surprised to see a set of front and rear HD cameras, a digital pen, at least 16/32 GB of internal storage with microSD expansion slot, Blueooth 4.0,Wi-Fi, an IR blaster flanked by the onboard NFC ship  and of course at least Android 4.1.2 under the glass. The exclusive features of these devices, if Samsung has planned any, remains to be seen yet.

Both the Galaxy Mega Android phones are expected to debut around May this year and might feature dual SIM capability. It’s been said that Samsung originally reserved the 6.3” for the next generation of Galaxy Note smartphone i.e., Galaxy Note 3, but is now using it for the Galaxy Mega.

The Galaxy Mega Android phones will be available in White and Black colors and might also support an optional Gaming Pad accessory that was also seen with Galaxy S4. While there are no comments from Samsung in this regard yet, SamMobile seems to be a trustworthy source to incline ourselves with.

Details on anything else regarding these devices are scarce at this moment and aren’t official either as yet, but we will keep you posted as more details surface. Stay tuned!

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These include Visual Voicemail, MMS settings and Network/Device optimizations that are not available to customers today. The update will be pushed to T-Mobile iPhone 5 devices running iOS 6.1 or higher.

Apparently, the update will be pushed to consumers over-the-air (OTA) beginning from 5^th of April. The carrier already has an interesting deal on iPhone 5 where its offering the devices without an annual service plan and becoming the nation’s first carrier to do so.

Here’s an excerpt from Tmonews which originally broke the story:

“The T-Mobile Carrier Update is a minor iOS software update that enables official iPhone support by T-Mobile. When installed, the software update enables a handful of capabilities like Visual Voicemail, MMS Settings and Network/Device optimizations that customers do not have access to today. On April 5, the software update will begin being pushed via OTA to all iPhone devices on the T-Mobile network with iOS 6.1.x or higher.”

iPhone 5 on T-Mobile will be available for consumers starting 12^th of April which means the update will already be available or pushed onto the device before the device hits the stores for sale.

iPhone 5 will be available for qualifying customers with T-Mobile’s Simple Choice Plan for $99.99 down and $20 per month for 24 months. Qualifying customers can get iPhone 4S through the Simple Choice Plan for $69.99 down and $20 per month for 24 months. iPhone 4 will be available for qualifying customers through the Simple Choice Plan for $14.99 down and $15 per month for 24 months. Financing is available on approval of credit online and in participating locations. iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 will be available in select markets. iPhone 5 will be available nationwide on Friday, April 12, at T-Mobile retail stores and through select dealers and national retail stores, as well as online at http://www.T-Mobile.com.

Customers can pre-order iPhone 5 beginning Friday, April 5. For more information, visit the pre-registration page.

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Of course, BlackBerry and Symbian has fallen from their thrones, but the ascent of Windows Phone is not entirely arising out of their pitfall. Microsoft has put enough thrust in Windows Phone 8 OS to propel it faster than both of its nearest competitors. It’s a matter of chance that BlackBerry and Symbian has just been too slow to be overtaken so quickly.

Looking at the stats, Windows Phone 8 has grown from 6.2 percent to 6.7 percent in UK in just about a month’s time even as it managed to gain similar momentum in almost all major markets worldwide. Italy has shown the highest growth jump at 13.1 percent up from 5.4 in just one month. Wow!

Symbian, Nokia’s once ubiquitously popular mobile OS is headed down the steep hill while BlackBerry too is trying to hold its claws just at the edge of the cliff. The launch of much-awaited BlackBerry Z10 handset didn’t do a significant good.

Both the veteran leaders have faced terrible losses and seemingly irreversible decline in the smartphone industry. With Nokia partnering Microsoft to include Windows Phone as its mobile operating system and the replete attention WP8’s amazing UI has been garnering, Windows Phone 8 is apparently headed towards further heights.

While Android leads the US markets with 51.2%, iOS falls seconds with 43.5% and Windows Phone 8 on the third position with 4.1%  followed by BlackBerry (formerly known as Research in Motion) at 0.7%. Symbian is at the fourth stance with 0.1% OS share of smartphone sales in February 2013.

As a refresher, Apple’s latest release in the smartphone arena is iPhone 5 while Android has many offerings from various brands. BlackBerry (formerly RIM) has recently released BlackBerry Z10 and Nokia Lumia 920 is currently the most popular Windows Phone on the block.

Click here for more details.

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While the integrity of the decision to ban these apps remains to be adjudged, the applications are still available in their entirety and accessible to users across the Kingdom, both on computers and mobile devices.

It has been reported that the decision to ban these apps arises out of a recent minor political unrest, which was allegedly organized using Whatsapp. In the recent past, most of the social activists have also used Whatsapp to organize similar activities.

However, the major reason for potential ban is the inability of these apps to comply with the rules and regulations for digital communication in Saudi Arabia. “The Commission emphasizes that it will take appropriate action regarding these applications and services in the event of failure to meet those conditions”, quoted CNN citing a statement by Saudi Arabia’s Information and Technology commission.

There’s nary a word on how these apps are violating these terms. Most likely, the monarchial rule in the Kingdom does not allow such protests and social unrest, particularly through such means of digital communication which it is not prepared to monitor yet.

Image Credit: GlobalPost

Whatsapp is one of the most used IM applications around the globe and Saudi Arabia is no exception. Even Skype and Viber share the same stance and are widely used for both personal and professional collaborations.

Unlike Whatsapp, Skype and Viber also offer voice and video (skype only) calling services. Since the applications are simple to use and available for free download, they are used by almost every second person with a smartphone or an internet connection.

The Saudi Arabia communications regulation agency’s decision to ban these apps may spark protests against the authorities since the applications are intemperately used by hundreds of thousands of people, with age not being a dividing barrier.

Earlier, the Saudi government tried to blackball BlackBerry due to security reasons. Like many other countries, the Saudi government showed its concern for national security associated with the misuse of secure communication channel provided by BlackBerry.

Blackberry took stringent measures to settle the matter and sustain its prevalence in the Kingdom. Now, the trio of apps in question face the same threat. More or less, there’s always a way out and we are expecting to hear something assuasive very soon.

We’ll keep you posted when that happens. Stay tuned!

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I received Jabra Revo for a review about a week ago and I’ve extensively used it ever since. Simply put, I am quite impressed by the sound and build quality. That said, there are a few things I thought could’ve been done differently for a better experience. Let’s take a deeper look.

Audio Performance (Music):  Ask an expert “What makes a good headphone?” and you’ll never get a straight answer. You’ll most likely hear something like “Best headphones are the ones you enjoy the most.” and I’d say the same but over the years I’ve learnt to test headphones on certain aspects that tell me if the headphone is good or just good enough.

I listen to a list of songs to gauge its Low, Mid and High range performance. For example here are some of the songs I listen to, to test the bass performance, Hot for Teacher – Van Halen , I’ll Wait – Van Halen, Scream & Shout – Will.I.Am, Smack My Bitch Up – The Prodigy, etc. (Here I’ve linked to Spotify, but listen to FLAC or WAV versions if possible for true performance.)

I am very impressed with the sound quality of these headphones. Bass performance is clear, solid and not bloated at all. Mids are flat and full of details and Highs are not too bright and very smooth. In my opinion this is one of the best performing headphones I’ve used with a 40mm driver. Loved it!

Quality of sounds coupled with well-designed ear cups offers great isolation for a better experience. Sure, almost all headphones offer isolation at high volume but the good ones do it at much lower levels. Revo starts blocking outside sound at just 20% of the volume level which is great because you don’t have to crank up the volume to achieve isolation and end-up with a headache.

“Chat” Functionality: Revo is not only optimized for music but calls and communication as well. Controls on the cable lets you adjust the volume, skip through the sound tracks and take/reject or redial calls. It has a microphone for taking calls built into the controls which explains why it sits higher up on the cable.

Comfort: As we all know Jabra is not new to this space, there is years of experience and expertise behind every single product that is pushed to the market and the Revo series is a true example of that.

Headband has just the right amount of tension that holds it in place and without putting pressure on ears and ear-cups are made of memory foam so they are pretty soft on ears. Also, the adjustable headband makes finding the right fit really easy and comfortable. I’ve spent hours listening to music and watching movies without a problem.

Both ear-cups come with a 3.5mm jack connector so you can connect to your preferred side and share music through the other if you like. Impressed yet?

Even though these are full-blown over-the-ear headphones, they fold pretty well and shrink into a small package that can be carried around comfortably. Portability isn’t really an issue if you’ve used over-the-years headphones in the past.

Build Quality: Jabra calls it “Life Proof”, meaning, it’s “tough, shatterproof and constructed for ultimate portability”. Each of these headphones have gone through a bend test (10000 times), Fold test (3500 times) and Drop test from 2 meters to ensure that it lasts longer than any other headphones under tough conditions.

I already mentioned how comfortable the ear cups are as they are made of Memory Foam. I think this is the most important part of the headset as it is the only element that comes in physical contact while listening to music.

Fabric used on cables is reinforced with Liquid Crystal Polymer that not only make it long lasting but also tangle-free. Headband is made of synthetic titanium which makes it lightweight and flexible; hinges are made of steel and frame of aluminum. If all of this means anything, it is peace of mind; I am no longer worried about breakage because of accidental drops, etc.

Two things in my opinion that would’ve made these headphones even better…

Device Compatibility: Even though it clearly states that the headphones are optimized for Apple devices, I tested them with Google’s Nexus 4, Nokia’s Lumia 920 and Apples iPhone 5 and the latest iPad. While everything works as advertised on iDevices, some functionality goes missing on none-apple devices. This is a bummer because I am no longer an iPhone user and I’d love to use these headphones and all its functionality with my Lumia 920, but I cannot.

Volume and Call Controls: All the controls sit on a little cylinder shaped piece of hardware which sometimes slips out of hands when using the controls, it would have been great if it was a little flatter on one side, preferably where the buttons sit, for better grip.

Overall I think it’s a great buy, built and audio quality make it all worth it. I’ve dumped my in-ear headphones for Jabra Revo and I think you’ll enjoy it too. These headphones will go on sale on 25^th of March at BestBuy and Amazon.com. If you happen to buy one of these, do leave a comment and let us know what you think of Jabra Revo!

Samsung has inadvertently disclosed that the Samsung Galaxy S4 will be released after May. Confirming it on its Lebanese Facebook page, the Korea-based technology giant admitted that the Galaxy S4 release date won’t be until May 2013 at least.

Samsung Galaxy S4 is expected to sport a beastly mettle under the hood with aesthetics largely analogous to the incredibly successful Galaxy S3. It might also some undisclosed novel features since it is destined to be a direct successor to Galaxy S3. Jump past the break to read more.

Word is in the air that Galaxy S4 might feature a large AMOLED screen display approximating at 5 inches with a quad-core processor flanked by a Mali GPU under the hood. It will house 2 GB of RAM storage. A purported leaked picture of the Galaxy S4 smartphone has shown no signs of physical buttons on the face of the phone.

Here’s an expert from Samsung about the Galaxy S4 release date:

“Hello guys, What we said is only trivial since all Galaxy S series are released between late April and Early May, yet there’s no way for anyone to know the exact release date.”

While no concrete revelations have been made with regard to its specifications, it is anticipated that Samsung Galaxy S4 features Corning Gorilla Glass 2 to protect the screen from scratches. The internal storage of the device is pitched at around 32GB while allowing expandable storage of up to 64GB or perhaps beyond using a microSD card.

A snappy 13 megapixel sensor capable of recording 1080p video and a front-facing HD camera might also find a place in Galaxy S4 specs sheet. The Galaxy S3 shoots great photos but there’s always room for improvement when you are expecting something next-gen.

Samsung might also consider including the S Pen that originally debuted with the Galaxy Note smartphone. This would allow the device to be used for easy note-taking and freehand sketching among other things while multi-view mode will allow the users to take advantage of the purported large screen to run two apps side by side on the same screen at the same time.

A lot is being said about the Galaxy S4 Android phone, but if you have been following the trend any little, you would know that Samsung has generally released the Galaxy S series phones around the April-May timeframe which suggests that the Apple-sued smartphone maker will stick with the release cycle to launch Galaxy S4 along the same timeframe.

We will keep you posted as more details surface. Stay tuned!

Why you ask? Well, for starters Windows 7 is a “no problem” OS, I’ve been running on Windows 7 since its release and never had a problem with it, no crashes, no performance lag and if I was born few years ago, I would have had to look BSOD up on Wikipedia, it’s really that good!

Users, who got new machines with the release of Windows 7, 3 years ago, are still in pretty good shape which is unheard of when it comes to Windows platform. So, there is no sense of urgency to upgrade to a “better” platform unlike upgrading from Windows Vista.

Thanks to the buggy and flawed Windows Vista, users quickly upgraded to Windows 7 driving the sales volumes off the charts (Do you see a trend here?). Windows 7 set a new sales record for the Redmond company by selling 60 million copies within the first 2 months of its release.

Fast forward 3 years, a lot of things have changed, people are now constantly upgrading to new iPhones, iPads, Nexus and Galaxy devices that have undermined the importance of a PC as users spend more time on phones and tablets vs PC’s. Americans are now spending 127 minutes/day in mobile apps , up 35% from a year ago and 70 minutes/day on web, down 2% from a year ago.

Spending time away from the traditional PC and more time on modern mobile devices coupled with no urgency to upgrade, thanks to Windows 7, has had a great impact on Windows 8 sales.

What about Businesses? In today’s economy, business have pretty much the same mindset. Cost of upgrade is much greater than the benefits of upgrading to Windows 8. Yes, Microsoft has dropped the upgrade pricing considerably but that was the right thing to do keeping in mind that anyone upgrading to Windows 8  will have to purchase new hardware to be able to use the new interface to the fullest.

So what does all this mean? It only means that an average user does not want to fix what ain’t broke!

Sneak Peak:

Let’s quickly sneak peak at the highlights before delving into more details. The upcoming Nokia Windows tablet features technical mettle analogous to Microsoft’s own Windows 8 tablet dubbed as Surface. It will include almost everything the Surface does but will also allow users to use 3G/4G SIM cards for the on-the-go connectivity – a feature severely missing in Microsoft Surface.

Technical Specifications:

There’s nothing like a Nokia Windows 8 tablet specs sheet that we can look at and inscribe here, but word is in the air that Nokia tablet will sport a 10” touch-screen display, at least a dual-core processor flanked by a decent GPU and a pair of cameras on each side – front and rear.

The distinguishing feature of the tablet will be the Surface-like detachable touch keyboard that also includes a touchpad and a built-in battery pack to deliver extra-long battery life.

 It will also include a pair of USB ports while the tablet itself might house a HDMI port and a USB port for connecting your tablet to HD displays and snapping in a keyboard or any of your favorite USB accessories respectively.

Featured: Microsoft Surface Tablet

Now, that doesn’t seem bad at all. In fact, it is pretty good since Microsoft’s own Surface tablet isn’t really portable as it does not come with 3G or 4G radios for on the go connectivity, but Nokia’s Windows 8 tablet wouldn’t be missing this feature.

The Software:

As the title suggests, the anticipated Nokia tablet will be powered by Microsoft Windows 8 OS. However, it will be running the Windows 8 RT flavor – an operating system Microsoft exclusively designed for its mobile devices. There is no word if Nokia will also launch the tablet with a full-blown version of Windows 8 OS as seen in Microsoft Surface Pro tablet. Apparently, Nokia will make that decision after absorbing consumer response to the tablet running Windows 8 RT OS.

The Competition:

Apparently, the tablet will be first to be unveiled by Nokia and therefore requires to be a game changer to arrest the attention of consumers. Currently, besides Microsoft Surface, Samsung is the next best breed if you are looking for Windows 8 tablets.

Apple, the pioneer in popularizing tablet PCs with the launch of iPad a couple years ago is the most popular player in the arena followed by Android-laden tablets from different vendors including the likes of Samsung, LG, Motorola and many more.

The advent of  7” iPad mini coupled with other popular 7” Android tablets like Kindle Fire, Nexus and the 7-inch Galaxy Tab hardly leaves any room for Nokia to embark gleefully.

Featured: Nokia Windows Tablet Might Look Like This!

Where It Stands:

Nokia has recently gained some momentum with the launch of Nokia Lumia devices. The Nokia Lumia phones are currently the best Nokia phones available in the market and run variants of Microsoft’s new Windows Phone OS adhering to Nokia’s official partnership with Microsoft for Windows Phone OS.

The introduction of a Nokia Windows 8 tablet will only add to the existing line up of Nokia devices powered by Microsoft-cooked OS, which isn’t bad at all. However, this certainly leads of lots of people to speculate, and many Nokia fanatics hoping for it. They might even name it as Nokia Lumia tablet.

Expectations:

If Nokia rolls in a Windows 8 tablet that’s easy on budget and runs a contemporary version of Windows 8 OS (as expected) with the same legendary build quality it has been maintaining all these years, consumer reciprocation to the launch might very well be positive.

There’s nary a word on the exact technical specifications or the launch date and price, but rumor has it that it will be early 2013, probably post CES 2013 or at MWC 2013 to be precise.

Nokia’s decision to venture in this domain remains a little opaque although it is apparently following the market trend and aspiring to make its presence in the tablet industry too, despite its declining stature in the smartphone industry.

We will let you know if the fallen king commands something undisputed this time. Stay tuned!

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ImageCredit: Wmpoweruser

In terms of competition, the launch of Apple iPad Mini is not less than a blow in the chest of several makers squeezing their best to roll out a competitive Android tablet. But, what’s in it for the common man?

If you already have a regular-sized iPad, it is very likely that you are not going to seriously consider buying a smaller version of the same tablet , perhaps, just for the comfort of a little more ease of portability and lighter weight.

Plus, the new tablet has nothing new or radically different to offer. Regardless, if Apple seems a tasty treat, let’s take a look at what iPad Mini has to offer.

Apple iPad Mini features technology and mettle largely inline with the regular sized iPad albeit it’s 23% thinner and 53% lighter than the iPad. It features an A5 chipset at core powering the tablet for the 5 megapixel iSight camera and FaceTime cameras, 1080p video recording and playback, blazingly fast internet connectivity and enough guts to savor any of the 275000+ apps available on the App Store.

And of course, for anything else, you can just tap the Home button and ask Siri. It will be too happy to help.  Interestingly, it also brings the AirPlay technology, iPad Mini Smart Cover and the smaller lightning connector that we have seen in the iPad.

In short, it’s more or less the same iPad but smaller in size. And like Apple claims, it’s easy to hold it in one hand. Regardless of Steve Jobs’ reluctance towards Apple making a smaller sized iPad, Tim Cook has gone ahead and done the expected.

Whether the iPad Mini will flounder the market  leaders remains to be seen, but at this point of time, the iPad Mini does not seem to be a significant threat to the Amazon Kindle Fire or the Nexus 7 and their likes, particularly considering the hefty price difference between the two.

If Apple drops the iPad Mini price to something more ‘affordable’ for a small tablet, then every passing day will only bring the likes of the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 every step closer to becoming a chronicle of the past, unless the latter does something remarkable to antagonize that.

Click here for more on iPad Mini specs, features and pictures.

We will keep you posted as more details surface. Stay tuned!

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