Today, Intel announced its latest, fastest and their most reliable SSDs until date for consumers and OEMs – the SSD 520. This new SSD from Intel uses the SATA III interface to communicate, and is based on the 25nm NAND memory process technology.

“We tapped Intel engineering to create a client SSD that delivers performance on all fronts with obsessively high reliability,” said Rob Crooke, Intel vice president and general manager of the Intel Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group. “The Intel SSD 520 once again raises the industry bar on SSD performance, quality and reliability to dramatically improve user experience.”

Other features of Intel SSD 520 include Advanced Encryption Standard, 256 bit encryption capabilities, and enhanced password protection for added security. The SSD will be available in a wide-range of capacities right from 60GB to a whopping 480GB.

For per 1000-units order, the 60GB model will cost $149, while the 120GB, 180GB and 240GB will set users back by $229, $369 and $509, respectively. The 480GB variant will set users back by a whopping $999. Intel is also providing a whopping 5-year warranty on the new SSD, which outlasts the 1 or 3 year warranty given on the traditional HDDs by manufacturers.

Motorola has just announced its latest 4G LTE sporting phone for Verizon’s network, the Droid 4. The handset might come as a surprise to many since the Droid 3 has been available for hardly 7 months now.

The Droid 4 is based on the RAZR’s chassis, along with a five-row QWERTY keyboard. Motorola is dubbing the Droid 4 as the thinnest QWERTY packing 4G LTE compatible handset in the market right now.

Other than the thinness and the support for 4G LTE network, the Droid 4 shares similar internals to the Droid 3. The handset packs in a 4-inch qHD (640×960) display, a 1.2Ghz dual-core OMAP processor with PowerVR SGX540 GPU, 1 GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory. All the other usual features like Wi-Fi, HDMI out, GPS, Bluetooth and sensors are also present.

At the back of the Droid 4 is an 8MP camera aided by an LED flash, which is capable of recording videos in 1080p HD resolution. The 1.3MP front-facing camera is also capable of recording videos in 720p HD resolution. The Droid 4 will run on Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread out of the box with a new version of MotoBLUR, which is nothing short of disappointing. Motorola should have launched the Droid 4 with Ice Cream Sandwich on-board, and not Gingerbread.

The Droid 4 is barely an update over Droid 3, and adds to the list of ‘less quality and more quantity’ handsets from Motorola. Looks like Motorola already forgot their promise of releasing fewer phones in 2012.

The Droid 4 will be available from Feb. 10th in all the retail Verizon stores for $199.99 on a two-year contract.

Google just released Chrome, one of the most popular Desktop browsers out there, for one of the most popular mobile OS in the market, Android.

Chrome for Android is still in Beta, like any other Google product is when it is initially launched, but is feature packed to the brim. The Android version of Chrome comes with all the features, which we find in its desktop counterpart, including speed, syncing features and simplicity.

Chrome for Android automatically loads your top few Google search results in the background for faster browsing, has a URL/Search omnibox, comes with a UI, which is specifically made for small-screen phones, card view, and makes use of intuitive gestures. The Link Preview feature in Chrome for Android will make it easier for users to select a particular link out of thousands of them in a page, much more easier.

The best feature of Chrome for Android is its syncing ability. By syncing Chrome for Android with the same email ID they use on the desktop version, users can view their open tabs, sync their bookmarks, get smarter auto-fill suggestion and much more. Other features of Chrome for Android include Remote Debugging, GPU accelerated, 3D transforms, Full screen API, binary screenshots and much more.

Sadly, all this goodness comes at a price. Chrome for Android is only available for Ice Cream Sandwich running handsets and tablets, and only in selected regions of the world. If your handset/tablet is already running Ice Cream Sandwich, you can download Chrome for Android (beta) from here.

Nokia has started rolling out the much-awaited and hyped, Nokia Belle update for its Symbian Anna handsets. The update brings significant UI improvements to Symbian handsets, along with some new features.

Users can now have up to 6 home screens, resizable widgets, new notification bar, an improved camera app, and a much-improved browser. The update also installs some Microsoft apps on your Symbian handsets, like MS OneNote and Lync, which would be appreciated by workaholics. Nokia also states that Belle would bring a noticeable improvement in the performance of older Symbian handsets. The update also includes many other minor and major changes, which would be appreciated by long-term Symbian users.

The Belle update is being rolled out for all older-generation Symbian^3 handsets including the Nokia N8, E7, C7, C6-01, and the Oro. The Nokia 500 will get its Belle update sometime in the next few weeks.

The Nokia Belle update is already available in majority of markets including India, Russia, UAE, Poland, Germany, Italy and Indonesia. Readers can check out whether the Belle update is available for their handset in their region or not via this page from Nokia.

The Belle update is not being rolled out via OTA (Over-The-Air). Instead, users need to use the latest version of Nokia’s PC Suite to install the update on their handset.

After a disastrous Q4 of 2011, HTC is all set to bounce back in 2012. The company has promised to release a true “hero” handset this year. The rumored HTC Ville might just be that.

Rumors about the Ville leaked quite a few months back, but until now no one knew how the phone would look. Now, one guy over at ameblo has managed to get his hands on the Ville, and has posted some pictures for other readers to see.

The Ville is going to be the thinnest handset from HTC, and will come with a 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor and a 4.3-inch qHD (640×960) display. From the leaked screenshots, the Ville seems to be running Sense 3.0 with Ice Cream Sandwich, which does not sound good. I know it is not the final version of the handset or the software, but I definitely hope the Ville does not run an older version of Sense out of the box.

What is also worrying to see is that the Ville comes with a 4.3-inch screen with qHD resolution. 2012 is going to be about Android handsets with 720p displays, and I definitely don’t think anyone would be interested in buying a high-end Android handset with qHD resolution.

I also hope that the Ville does not come with the same 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor that HTC used on the Sensation XE and a few other handsets. Nothing less than a dual/quad-core Krait would suffice for the next-generation high-end handset from HTC.

Looking at its spec sheet, the only thing I can hope for right now is that the Ville is not HTC’s flagship handset at MWC, otherwise a lot of people will be disappointed!

(Source)

HTC had already lowered its Q4, 2011 earnings expectations, and it did so with a good reason. For the last quarter of 2011, the company saw its revenue fell by a whopping 2.49% year-on-year and by more than 25% compared to the Q3 of 2011.

The company had already released its Q4 earning last month, but has again released its revised audited earnings today. The company’s consolidated revenue fell by a whopping 52.88% Y-o-Y (Year-on-Year). The Taiwanese manufacture expects a weaker Q1 of 2012 as well, due to “product cycle transition”. HTC’s CFO, Winston Yung, also said that the company “dropped the ball” with its over-sized and thick LTE handsets, which offered poor battery life. The company’s gross profit margin also fell continuously throughout the year.

HTC had literally spammed the market with similar, thick and over-sized handsets, which performed poorly and had extremely poor battery life. I am glad to see that HTC finally realized its mistake, and is working on rectifying it.

HTC expects to release a true ‘’hero’’ device in 2012, and release quality handsets over quantity. The company will release its next-generation handsets at MWC (Mobile World Congress) at Barcelona, next month.

Motorola has started rolling out a new software update for the MOTOACTV, a device aimed at active people. The new software update (v4.55.xx) brings in quite a few changes, including an improved battery life, and some new features, which quite a few people would appreciate.

Below is the full change-log of the update -:

Longer Battery Life

MOTOACTV’s indoor/outdoor battery life is now better than ever before with up to 9 hours of
uninterrupted workout time outdoors.

Battery Status Bar

Now you can now see how long your battery will last via the handy Status Bar. Just monitor your
percentage and make the most of your workout time!

Workout Screen Lock

Ever activate your Workout Screen through accidental contact? Problem solved. Now you can lock it to
prevent unwanted display activation. Just Double Press the Power key to lock and unlock your workout
screen.

Enhanced Auto-Pause and Auto-Run

Now you can take a break from the action and pause your workout manually, even if Auto-Pause is
enabled. You can also choose between indoor/outdoor Auto-Run options.

Repeat a Planned Workout

You’re now free to repeat a planned workout even if it had been previously started.

Additional Enhancements Include:

• WAHOO BLE HRM Strap support has been added.
• Enhanced syncing planned interval workouts to MOTOACTV.com.
• Workout metrics have been reordered for easier searching.
• Improved WiFi syncing when multiple networks are configured.
• Optimized list of workout metrics so you can search for your favorites easier.
• Pressing the BACK key on any Home screen brings up the watch face.

MOTOACTV owners need to connect their device to their PC so that they can update it, since it does not support OTA updates.

While the MOTOACTV is a very good device for fitness freaks, I personally cannot justify spending 249.99$ on it. Using fitness apps like Endomondo or Runkeeper on my Android handset gives me the same functionality as MOTOACTV.

(Source)

Software updates are raining in for Android handsets. After the Atrix 2, Samsung Infuse 4G and the LG Optimus 3D, its now the turn of the Motorola’s Verizon Droid RAZR and RAZR MAXX to receive a software update. And No, its not the Ice Cream Sandwich update, RAZR owners are hoping for.

The software update carries the version number 6.12.173 and is being rolled out for the Droid RAZR as well as the RAZR MAXX. Technically, both the handsets are just the same, and in fact run on the same software version as well.

Below is the full change-log of the update via AndroidPolice -:

Applications:
+  Mobile Hotspot will now successfully allow other devices to connect to all
Internet websites.
+  Improvements in the Mobile Hotspot security.
+  VZ Navigator® has been updated with the latest 3D map improvements.
+  Visual Voice Mail Updates:
•  Visual Voice Mail messages can be marked as read.
•  Visual Voice Mail message playback resumes when audio is switched
to speaker.
•  Visual Voice Mail will successfully subscribe or unsubscribe while
connected with Wi-Fi.
•  Successfully press back key after playback in Visual Voice Mail
without error.
+  V CAST App now comes preloaded.
+  MotoCast installation steps have been improved for easier use.
Data Connectivity:
+  Improved stability of data connectivity after Airplane Mode is disabled.
+ Improved data throughput performance in low-signal 4G environments.
Device Operation:
+  Improved Battery life when using Phone Book Access Profile (PBAP)
Bluetooth® headsets.
+  Successfully save multimedia ringtones.
+  Favorite Contacts widget has been updated.
+  Improved device stability when moving between home screen panels.
+  Email icon has been updated for improved visibility.
+  When performing an Over the Air (OTA) update, the display will correctly
show the remaining download time.
+  CMAS (Commercial Mobile Alert Service) feature has been added.

As it can be seen from the change-log above, the update mainly brings enhancements to the Visual Voicemail service, along with updating some bloatware from Verizon and improving the overall stability of the phone.

The update is being rolled out via OTA, and should hit your RAZR/RAZR MAXX sometime in the next couple of weeks. While Motorola has not specified any particular date, the Droid RAZR/RAZR MAXX should get the Ice Cream Sandwich update by the end of Q1 or early Q2.

In the last few months, numerous companies, which sell anti-malware and anti-virus apps, have published reports stating that the Malware on Android phones are on the rise. According to them, many apps that are added to the Android Market daily are infected with Malware. These reports made it look like Android is getting less secure with every passing day.

Today, Google has revealed its new service, codenamed Bouncer, which automatically scans the Android Market for apps, which are potentially malware or are, infected, and silently removes them. The service is already active since quite “a while now”, and according to Google this led to a 40% decrease in the number of potentially malicious app in the Android Market. The Bouncer service will perform a set of analysis on new applications, scan them for any potential thread, and if found removes them immediately. The service also analyses the developer accounts for any suspicious activity. Google also highlighted some of the core security features present in Android, which make the OS less prone to malware infection.

Hopefully, this move from Google will lead to a reduction in the number of malicious apps in the Android Market.

Motorola has started rolling out a new software update for the AT&T’s Atrix 2. Yes, the company did release a successor to the original Atrix. Talk about spamming the market with handsets, and then not even bothering to support them!

Anyways, the new software update for the Atrix 2 brings quite some changes, including a minor bump in the Android OS version to 2.3.6.

Below is the official change-log of the update -:

Camera - Enhancements to deliver better overall picture taking experience so you never miss a moment.

Google Music – Addition of Google Music application so you have greater access to the world of music. Shop millions of songs and hundreds of free tracks. Store your purchases on Google Music for free, and listen instantly on your mobile device.

My Gallery/My Music/My Files – Re-naming of Motorola Gallery, Music, and Files applications for easy access in the Applications Tray

Device Security – Enhancements to deliver greater device security, including addition of Android security patches from Google and Cisco Any Connect VPN enablers.

Emergency Alerts – Enhancement to allow you to receive emergency alerts from authorities such as Hurricane warning notifications.

Amazon Kindle - Enhancement to include link to app for quick and easy method to access your library of Amazon digital books as well as access to the entire Amazon library.

AT&T Messages – Enhancement to include link to app for quick and easy method to give you access to all of your texts, calls and messages which have been stored in the cloud.

Keyboard – Improvements to keyboard functionality for better email experience.

Mobile Hotspot – Improved stability for better overall performance

Webtop – Enhancements to improve stability and better overall performance

As readers can see from the change-log above, the v55 software update does bring quite a lot of enhancements which would be welcomed by the few Atrix 2 users out there.