| Silent Circle launches Silent Text for Android with global encrypted messaging Sep 4th 2013, 21:17, by Robert Nelson Silent Circle launched the Silent Phone app for Android earlier in the year. That app arrived in January and brought the promise of secure audio and video calls. Looking a bit more recently and we have another app that has arrived from Silent Circle. This latest is called Silent Text and as the name would imply, this one deals with text messaging. 
More specifically, the Silent Text app brings the promise of “global encrypted text messaging with secure file transfer.” Similar to what we saw with Silent Phone, the Silent Text app does require you to be a Silent Circle subscriber. Some of the promised features of Silent Text include what is descried as being an “intuitive and simple to use” app as well as a Burn Notice feature that lets the user have any message self-destruct after a set time delay. Silent Text also allows you to send encrypted map locations, send files up to 100MB in size and uses peer-to-peer key management. This means the keys are stored on your device (as opposed to with Silent Circle). That also means no one aside from yourself and the person you are texting will be able to decrypt the messages. 
The Silent Text app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. The app itself is free to download, but as previously mentioned, you will need a Silent Circle subscription. Subscription prices will vary, however a mobile account (useful for Silent Phone and Silent Text) will run you $9.95 per month or $99.95 per year. SOURCE: PR Newswire |  | Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear confirmed by Verizon and T-Mobile Sep 4th 2013, 20:53, by Robert Nelson Following up on the earlier announcement of the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear, we are beginning to hear from the US carriers. AT&T issued a short statement and we are now hearing from Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile. Similar to the statement we saw from AT&T, these latest two arrive as little more than teasers. 
Simply put, while we now have the confirmation, we have yet to learn a specific release date from any US carrier. Verizon Wireless has launched a coming soon style teaser page with a mention about how you will be able to pre-order the Note 3 and Galaxy Gear “soon.” Perhaps the better bit of information from this page comes in regards to the Verizon branding. 
While things can change before the actual release, the Galaxy Note 3 seems to have lost the Verizon branding that once annoyed many of the Galaxy Note II users. Or for that matter, many of the potential Verizon Note II users. Looking over towards T-Mobile and we are seeing a similar story. T-Mobile has launched a pre-registration page for the devices and have said they will share the release date and pricing at a later date. Otherwise, while not unexpected, T-Mobile has also said the Galaxy Note 3 will be available under the JUMP upgrade program. T-Mobile also made a point to say the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear smartwatch would be “sold separately.” That all being said, while we have statements (without a release date) from AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile, we do know the devices will not be available until sometime after September 25th. If you remember back, Samsung said that was when the global release would begin. Samsung left the US release a bit more general and stated that was coming “later this year.” Bottom line here, we now have a few carrier confirmations, but little else in terms of solid details. While we are waiting for those additional details, make sure to venture down into the timeline below to check-out some of our earlier Samsung related hands-on coverage our of IFA. | | Qualcomm Toq smartwatch hands-on Sep 4th 2013, 20:22, by Robert Nelson Qualcomm announced the Toq smartwatch earlier in the day and while we have yet to see a detailed listing of the specs, we have seen the basics. And perhaps more important for some — we have also spent some hands-on time with the watch. Our time with the Toq was somewhat limited, however we were able to gather a few details and also capture some images. 
As we had learned from the original announcement, the Qualcomm Toq will have a color capacitive touchscreen and it will use Mirasol display technology. Qualcomm had said the watch will be always-on and in fact, it was said the “power profile is so low that it does not require an on/off button.” Coming from our hands-on time we learned the display will be 2.1-inches.       Using the Mirasol display technology also means you will have a display that is not affected by sunlight and also one that doesn’t require a backlight. Our hands-on time also brought word that under average use we could likely expect three days per charge. Of course, while the need to charge always seems like the downfall, it is inevitable and in the case of the Toq — it should be a bit simpler thanks to the wireless charging support.    Specifically, the Toq uses Qualcomm WiPower LE technology and that means a “true drop and go charging experience.” Other details we learned as a result of our hands-on time include how a double-tap on the top edge will turn on a little light. A tap of the bottom (on the strap below the screen) will bring back the last open app. Overall, the Qualcomm Toq looks to have some potential. The watch will be powered by a 200MHz Cortex M3 processor and paired with 512MB of RAM. We are expecting more details on the Toq to come available in time, and we will have a hands-on video soon. That being said, Qualcomm expects to have the Toq available in October and with a price of $299.       | | Samsung Galaxy Note 3 US release details Sep 4th 2013, 19:52, by Robert Nelson Samsung announced the Galaxy Note 3 earlier today. The handset was announced alongside the Galaxy Gear smartwatch and the 2014 edition of the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet. Samsung was forthcoming in terms of specs and details for the devices, however some of the finer points such as release dates and pricing remain a mystery. 
Some basic release details were included. Samsung said the Galaxy Note 3 rollout would begin on September 25. That date signifies the kick-off of the global release and the US release was said to be coming “later this year.” Basically, that leaves us waiting for release dates and prices from the carriers. For now Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy Note 3 is coming to five US carriers including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and US Cellular. As of this time we have only seen a comment from AT&T, though we will make it clear upfront that the information is still lacking in detail. Anyway, here is what AT&T has to say on the subject; "AT&T was the first U.S. carrier to launch the original Galaxy Note and we are excited to expand our smartphone and accessory leadership with the Samsung Galaxy Note® 3 and Samsung Galaxy Gear™ on the nation's fastest and now most reliable 4G LTE network," said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president – Devices, AT&T
That brings the next point, while the release details for the Galaxy Gear were even less than what we saw with the Galaxy Note 3 — it does look like at least one US carrier will be offering the watch. Of course, given the Galaxy Gear is being billed as a companion to the Galaxy Note 3 we suspect it will arrive with other carriers as well. Galaxy Gear details coming from Samsung mention a release date of September 25, however we suspect that means when the global availability will begin. Or in other words, we will be looking for the US availability of the Galaxy Gear to begin at the same time as the Galaxy Note 3. In the meantime, make sure to check out our earlier IFA coverage which included a hands-on with the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear as well as the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition. | | ASUS Fonepad 7 and Fonepad Note 6 unveiled Sep 4th 2013, 19:22, by Robert Nelson ASUS already unveiled the MeMo Pad 8 and MeMo Pad 10 tablets during IFA, however that is not where they are stopping. In addition we are also seeing some details on a pair of Fonepad branded devices. These include the Fonepad 7 and the Fonepad Note 6 — both of which will arrived powered by Intel. 
The Fonepad 7 will have the Intel Atom Z2560 processor with Hyper-Threading and the Fonepad Note 6 will have the Intel Atom Z2560 processor with Hyper-Threading. Both devices will also be running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and sporting an IPS display. But with that in mind, the resolution and sizes of the display will vary. The Fonepad 7 will have a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 and the Fonepad Note 6 will have a 6-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. Shifting over to the Fonepad 7 and we find a device that will have a non-slip finish on the exterior as well as voice support (GSM and WCDMA). ASUS is pushing the Fonepad 7 as being for those who want “smartphone features with a tablet-size screen.” This will include HSPA+ 3G connectivity with support for speeds up to 42 up and 5.76 down. In addition, the Fonepad 7 will have 8GB, 16GB or 32GB of internal storage, a 3950 mAh battery, 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera and a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera with auto-focus and 1080p HD video recording. 
The Fonepad Note 6 is being pushed towards those who “prefer the larger screen of a tablet for apps and entertainment, but who don't want a separate smartphone.” With that in mind, the Fonepad Note 6 will measure in at 10.3mm thick and weigh in at 210 grams. Other specs here include options for 16GB or 32GB of internal storage along with a microSD card slot, 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera, 8 megapixel rear-facing camera and a 10-point multi-touch capacitive display. The Fonepad Note 6 will also have the stylus which comes with features to include Instant Page. That app will launch when the stylus is removed for quick access to take notes — and just in case you are worried about any delay, Instant Page launches instantly regardless of which other apps may already be in use. Some of the other stylus friendly ASUS apps include Smart Crop and Smart Peek. While ASUS has been pretty forthcoming in terms of specs, they have yet to say when these devices will be available of how much they will cost. SOURCE: ASUS (1), (2) | |
