Meizu MX 4-core and Flyme OS 1.0 formally announced, available on June 30th

Forget that "MX Quad-core" moniker, because Meizu's just formally introduced its first quad-core Android phone as the "MX 4-core" in Hong Kong. For those who care, this is the first time ever for Meizu to collaborate with a carrier -- that being Hong Kong's PCCW, who's offering the HK$3,099 (US$400) 32GB model for free on various tariffs, while details are light on the HK$4,099 (US$530) 64GB version. Once the stage cleared we had a chance to take a closer look at the international variant of the MX 4-core. Aside from the disappearance of the Chinese logo above the screen plus the duller logo on the back (but accompanied by an extra capacity label), the 4-inch HSPA+ phone looks identical to its dual-core sibling. Additionally, Hong Kong and mainland China customers who pre-order between now and the launch on June 30th will get to pick a colored back crystal shell for free, including ivory white, milky lime, lilac purple and misty pink to replace the original white.

Software-wise Flyme -- Meizu's heavily customized Ice Cream Sandwich -- is also very similar to its Gingerbread predecessor, except for its slicker responsiveness (especially the camera app) and the odd interface tweaks here and there. There are also a few new features that are worth a mention: on top of the new native stopwatch, countdown timer and multi-segmented timed task lists, there's Flyme Voicemail which is essentially a native recorder for incoming calls that you reject (think of it as a neat alternative to conventional visual voicemail), and there's Flyme Message which is Meizu's take on SIP services like Whatsapp and Line. We shall dig deeper in our full review, but for now, you can check out a quick hands-on video after the break. And for those who still possess Meizu's older Android phones, we were told to expect Flyme to be delivered over the air in early July (as opposed to the original June date), so keep an eye out for that little update icon.

Update: We mentioned in our video that the China version of the MX 4-core doesn't come with the Play Store, but it turns out that we were mistaken. Hooray!

Update 2: By the way, it's pronounced "fly-me."

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ICS officially available for AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II beginning tomorrow

The customer experience for AT&T Samsung Galaxy S® II owners is about to get much better.

Starting tomorrow, customers who purchased the Samsung Galaxy S® II from AT&T will be able to get an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), the latest version of the Android platform.

ICS takes the customer experience many steps forward by making navigation more intuitive with faster user interface and browsing. The many new features include an enhanced Recent Apps shortcut to ease multitasking, new lock/unlock features including Face Unlock, improved home screen folders, a new notifications bar and an app to help you track your data usage.

It's easy to get the update (free of charge). Here's how:

1. Visit the Samsung website from a personal computer.

2. Download and Install the Samsung Kies Upgrade Program on your PC.

3. Connect your device to your PC and follow the instructions on Samsung Kies to get the update.

For more information, customers can also visit http://www.samsung.com/us/attgalaxys2/update.

Through my own personal experience, I have found much improved performance through all the ICS features, especially Recent Apps where I can go back and forth among multiple apps effortlessly.

Taken with the features already included in the Samsung Galaxy® S II, ICS is a clear win for our customers.

ICS updates are coming this summer for more AT&T Android devices so stay tuned.

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UK 2012 Olympics Super Hi-Vision tickets are available, grab a seat for some Ultra HDTV

By Richard Lawler posted Jun 24th 2012 11:51AM

If you're a UK resident, missed out a ticket to the London 2012 Olympics and find the extensive home and mobile coverage to be lacking in pixels have no fear -- free tickets are available for Super Hi-Vision screenings at three locations. While certain days and times are already fully booked, you can still get one of the first public glimpses of NHK's 8K Ultra HDTV technology at the BBC Radio Theatre, BBC Scotland (Glasgow) and the National Media Musuem in Bradford (other viewing locations are in Japan and Washington D.C.) Before the games get started, the Radio Theater is screening a London Prepares promo from July 23rd to the 28th. During the games (July 28th - August 12th) all will have highlights of the previous day's action from the Aquatic Centre, Olympic Stadium, Velodrome, and Basketball Arena plus clips of the Opening Ceremony. The lone live feed is scheduled for Sunday July 29th, from the Aquatics Centre. Sure, you could be paying a fortune for scalped passes to be in the house when Usain Bolt, Ryan Lochte or Michael Phelps are doing their thing, or you could be enjoying 33MP video and 22.2 channel surround sound in one of the custom setups TechRadar previewed in March. Your choice.

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Sprint Guardian now available, allows parents to limit texting and keep tabs on a kid's location

By Darren Murph posted Jun 20th 2012 9:27PM
Sprint Guardian has been in the oven for some time now -- we actually heard about it during our interview with John Tudhope and David Owens at CTIA 2012 -- but now, at long last, the service is available. Concerned parents nationwide can locate Guardian on "many" Sprint Android-powered phones through the Sprint Zone. The program itself features apps from Safely and Lookout, enabling parents to "protect their phone-carrying children through location checks and limits on texting while driving or at school." In other words, you can prevent a child's phone from being able to call or text whilst the user is driver, and lost phones can be located more easily. Naturally, such luxuries don't come free: Sprint Mobile Controls, Sprint Drive First and Sprint Family Locator are available as a Family Safety bundle for $9.99 per month for up to five lines on the same account. Or, you know, just give your youngin' a Hamilton each month for not acting like a lunatic with phone in hand.

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