BBC iPlayer coming to UK Windows Phone 7.5 and 8 handsets in 'next few months'

The BBC's Cyrus Saihan has just hit us with the news that iPlayer will soon be available on Windows Phones in the UK, following a deal with Microsoft. Technically speaking, it'll be a web-based shortcut, but it sounds like it should function much like a regular app: it'll be available from the Windows Phone Store and run on WP 7.5 and 8 handsets with its own live tile. According to the BBC's press office, which seems to be a bit more specific with its time frames, the service should become available within the "next few months". Sure, there have been false starts in the past, and various technical hiccups that have made it difficult for the Beeb to support Microsoft's mobile OS, but this time -- finally -- it's for real.

Source: BBC

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By: Unknown On 7:46 PM

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Sprint to launch pay as you go service with four handsets, all you can eat plans from $70

Want a bit of Sprint, without signing on the dotted line? Okay, there are other ways of riding its waves without committing to a contract, but starting on the 25th of this month you'll be able to do it in the network's very own colors. The "Sprint as you go" service will launch with a somewhat limited selection of four handsets. LG's Optimus Elite, and the Samsung Victory make up the "higher" end of the offerings, costing $149 and $249 respectively. If you want to keep a little more coin in your pocket, there are two feature phones available too: Samsung's M400 ($50) and Array ($79) models. There are two associated plans, an all you can eat (talk, text and data) for smartphone option (no talk of LTE just yet) for $70 per month, and $50 per month for the feature phone plan. The finer details are yet to be ironed out, so we'll have to wait until the official reveal, but with that launch date not too far around the corner, it should all become clear soon enough.

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Source: Android Police

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By: Dilusha On 10:17 PM

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Samsung: We will ship 510 million handsets in 2013

With a leading 29% of the global handset market, Samsung says that in 2013 it will ship a record 510 million handsets. Of that total, 390 million of them are expected to be smartphones with the balance considered to be featurephones. The 510 million would represent an increase of 20% from the estimated 420 million units that Sammy shipped in 2012. Besides the Android powered Samsung Galaxy line, which has become the number one challenger to the popularity of the Apple iPhone, Samsung will be shipping more Windows Phone 8 powered motels and will also release units running the open source Tizen OS.

One source says that Samsung's Vietnamese factory will produce 240 million units with 170 million coming from China and 20 million walking out the door in India. 40 million will be produced in Samsung's own backyard in Korea. The 390 million smartphones that Samsung expects to ship this year is in contrast with the analysis done by Gartner that predicted between 250 million and 300 million smartphones would be shipped by Sammy in 2013. In 2011, Gartner says that Samsung sold 97.4 million smartphones, up from the 23.9 million it shipped in 2010, and the 600,000 shipped in 2009.

Research firm HIS iSuppli, said that in 2012 Samsung ended Nokia's 14 year reign on top of the handset production market. In 2011, Nokia had a leading 30% share of the market with Samsung trailing at 24%. For 2012, it is Samsung at the top with 29%, and Nokia second with 24%.

source: KoreaTimes, tom'shardware via WMPoweruser

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By: Dilusha On 9:37 PM

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Updated: Latest mobile phones 2012: hottest handsets reviewed

In the ever-changing mobile market, it can be hard to keep pace with the latest mobile phones. That's why we've put together this hub for our latest mobile phone reviews and hands on: to give you the ideal jumping-on point for choosing the best handset for you out of the most current models around.

We cover a plethora of brands, including Apple, HTC, Nokia, Samsung and Blackberry, and operating systems, such as Android, iOS and Windows Phone 8, so you should find something that piques your interest here.

In short, if you're seeking a new mobile phone, this is a great place to start.

These phones are so new we've not even received a unit to put through our full review process yet.

Luckily TechRadar travels the world to get hands on with all the latest handsets as soon as they're announced, so we can give you our initial reaction right here, right now.

After the success of the wallet-friendly Ascend G300 the Chinese manufacturer has decided to reboot the handset with the Huawei Ascend G330.

Expected to sport the same £100 price tag, the Ascend G330 features a 4-inch display, beefed up 1GHz dual-core processor, 512MB RAM, 5MP rear camera and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

The handset itself is pretty uninspiring, but you're not going to get iPhone-esque styling on a device which is one fifth of the price so we can forgive Huawei here, but at 130g it's got a weight to it.

Unlike Samsung and HTC, Huawei doesn't go overboard with its Android overlay, with just a light sprinkling occurring on the ICS interface on the G330 – although icons have been changed, and look a little childish.

With its impressive spec sheet for the cash you'll pay out, the Ascend G330 could well be the new star of the budget smartphone market. Keep an eye out for our full review, when we'll reveal if it's really worth it.

Read our hands on: Huawei Ascend G300 review

The HTC 8S in second in line to the Windows Phone 8 crown at the Taiwanese firm, with the flagship 8X still the show at the top of the tree.

However that's not to say the 8S should be ignored, it's still a perfectly capable and well designed handset which won't cost you a huge amount of money.

The 8S will go head to head with the mid-range Lumia 820, with its fancy array of colour options, 4-inch HD display, 1GHz dual-core processor and the welcome addition of a microSD card slot – something which is missing from both Nokias and the 8X.

An advantage HTC has over its rivals is its partnership with Dr Dre and his Beats Audio technology – enhancing your music with added bass to really get the party started.

Design wise we reckon the Taiwanese firm is on to a winner with the HTC Windows Phone 8S, but we'll reserve proper judgement until we've fully reviewed it.

Read our hands on: HTC 8S review

Not wanting to miss out on the Windows Phone 8 party, mobile giant Samsung has its own handset on the way, in the form of the Ativ S.

Taking design cues from the extremely popular Samsung Galaxy S3, the Ativ S offers up a solid Windows Phone experience and is ready to challenge the likes of the Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC 8X.

The Ativ S is an intriguing proposition packing a huge 4.8-inch display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, huge 2,300mAh battery and an 8MP rear camera.

Although slower to market than its rivals the Samsung Ativ S could well be the best of the initial flurry of Windows Phone 8 devices.

Read our hands on: Samsung Ativ S review

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By: Dilusha On 3:52 PM

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