Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini Oct. 11 Launch Event: Android Jelly Bean?

Following Samsung's hint at the Galaxy S3 Mini, evidence for the handset has started to mount with the revised smartphone appearing in a retail listing. No idea on just how true this particular leak is, as a retailer could just include the name of an unreleased device into its database just in case, instead of carrying actual stock of it, but should that be the case with the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini this time around, how come the retailer bothered to throw in two color options for the Galaxy S3 Mini? Perhaps it is to differentiate the models that come with NFC as well as those without. 

As the iPhone 5 has adopted a bigger 4-inch screen, Samsung is expected to go in the other direction and develop a smaller smartphone based on its popular Galaxy S series. Samsung sent out invitations this week for an event set to be held on Oct. 11. The invites sent out in Germany tease that Samsung will show "how big small can be." Earlier reports from last week had suggested that Samsung was planning to release a so-called "Galaxy S III Mini." That device is expected to match screen size of the iPhone 5 with a 4-inch display. Well, it is safe to say that Samsung wants to add new customers who want smaller phones, like for example, a customer who wants the display size of the iPhone 5 (4-inch) because it is easier to use with one hand. 

It is possible that the mini Samsung Galaxy S3 is equipped with Android Jelly Bean mobile operating system out of the box, similar to the new Samsung Galaxy Note 2 with the latest version of Android and Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface.

Samsung is planning an announcement pertaining to a "little sensation" for this Thursday, October 11, 2012.

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean Update Available on Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Google Nexus 7?

Recently, there’ve been reports about rumored features expected to becoming on Android 4.2, including the focus on longer battery life. It seems that some current devices, like the Samsung GALAXY Nexus and Google Nexus 7 have been testing out the new build. This shows up in the server traffic logs of Android Police. It also makes a lot of sense since as Nexus devices, they should be among the first to be receiving the Android 4.2 update.

Besides the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Google Nexus 7, there’re also two other Motorola devices which have been rumored to run the Android 4.2, Motorola Occam and Manta. Cleverly named after the Occam's Razor prinicple, the Motorola Occam will obviously be a RAZR device. Like the Nexus devices, it was seen on the server traffic log of Android Police. By the way, Occam's Razor merely means that if there are two theories that make the same prediction, the more simple one is best. And what could be more simple than a Nexus device uncomplicated by any manufacturer's skin. So, the theory is that the Motorola Occam is a Nexus version of the Motorola RAZR M or perhaps the Motorola RAZR HD.

Another device, the Manta, runs Android 4.2 and is believed to be a tablet due to the lack of the 'mobile' name in the UA string. Manta is short for manta-ray which fits in perfectly with the code names for the Motorola XOOM tablet. Stingray was the Wi-Fi version of the tablet and Wingray was the variant for the tablet that uses the Verizon data network. On the other hand, the Google Nexus 7 had a code name of grouper, so this could be anything from a larger 10 inch Google Nexus tablet, to a Motorola Nexus tablet.

More details about Android 4.2 and which models will be among the first to be powered by the next build of Android will be provided here.

Bad Piggies game hogs top spot among iOS apps as Angry Birds sequel

An Angry Birds fans? Want more to enjoy from this game? Now, the sequel of Angry Birds has been out for you to play freely, the Bad Piggies, which has hogged top spot among iOS apps currently. Released from its pen earlier today for iOS and Android, the Angry Birds sequel is the most-downloaded paid app among both iPhone and iPad users.

A brand-new game rarely hits the top spot in Apple's App Store so quickly like Bad Piggies. But being the latest installment in the hot Angry Birds lineup gives Bad Piggies a strong leg (or hoof) up. Game maker Rovio has gotten a lot of mileage out of Angry Birds, but the company also knows it needs to shake up the franchise to keep it from molting.

Bad Piggies offers a twist on the simple birds-versus-pigs scenario. The new game places you on the side of the pigs to help them crack the eggs of the angry birds. Instead of the usual gameplay, Bad Piggies challenges you with a series of puzzles in which you build devices to move the pigs to each destination.

Rovio has packaged the pigs in two flavors -- a standard edition for smartphones and an HD one for tablets.

The iPhone and iPod Touch version costs 99 cents, while the iPad version will set you back $2.99. Both Android versions are free from Google Play, apparently thanks to a special Google promotion celebrating 25 billion downloads in less than four years.

Bad Piggies has guzzled up positive reviews so far, earning a 4.5-star rating from iOS users and a 5-start rating from Android folks.

Rovio took its first stab at a new game in July called Amazing Alex. Similar in some ways to Bad Piggies, Alex challenges you with puzzles to move objects around the screen. Amazing Alex also climbed its way to the top of the iOS charts not long after its debut.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Update for Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime Realized

The Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is not only applied to update on smartphone like Samsung Galaxy S III in east Europe, but also makes a large scale of update on various tablets. And this time, the Jelly Bean goes updated to Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime. The update of Jelly Bean is only a day later than Asus stated it would “soon” make the update.

Just like every other Android 4.1 update, the Prime Jelly Bean features such as Google Now, speed improvements, and enhanced notifications. For people who own the Asus TF201 tablet and plan to update to Jelly Bean, it is advised to check the "About Tablet" section for a firmware update beforehand. Be sure to have plenty of juice in the battery and a good 10 minutes set aside before proceeding.

Asus promises that the Infinity Pad (TF700) will get its own Jelly Bean update in the coming week. A technical marketing manager speaking on XDA Forums indicated that a last-minute firmware fix addresses recently updated Android apps that might not work properly.

Samsung Galaxy Music Released Exclusively for Music Lovers

The rumor mill is in full effect today, after Samsung's recent listing of devices set to receive an upgrade to Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) divulged a new smartphone: the Galaxy Music. While little was known about the handset at the time of the slip, the Internet has been a frenzy lately with leaked details of the phone.

The music-centric smartphone will apparently be an entry-level device, as Samsung opts for superior music technology rather than impressive specs. Rumored to house an 850MHz processor and 512MB of RAM, this upcoming smartphone from Sammy falls flat when compared to its other notable gadgets, like the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note 2. The real kicker for this phone comes in the form of two stereo external speakers, which were shown in action in a leaked image of the device.

The smartphone will reportedly sport a 3-inch QVGA (320 x 480) display, and will pack a measly 4GB of internal storage, though Samsung will offer users the option of more space via the phone's microSD slot. Thanks to the origin of the Galaxy Music's leak, the device can be expected to receive a tasty upgrade to Jelly Bean, though it will ship with Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) under the hood.

In addition to a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera, the handset will allegedly feature a dedicated key to open the music player, FM Radio with built-in FM Antenna, Samsung's SoundAlive technology and SRS, while reports also claim that Samsung will integrate its Music Hub service in the device.

A second version of the smartphone is also rumored to be bouncing about. Known as the Galaxy Music DUOS, the phone will feature similar specs to its brethren, with the add-on of dual-SIM support, which means this device isn't likely to hit the U.S. Yet, we will find out soon enough, as Samsung is expected to announce the duo at a press event in Frankfurt on October 11.

The Best Way to Make iPhone Ringtones on Mac for iPhone 5

So you bought an iPhone 5. You love the phone and all its features, but wish you didn't have to pay for your songs twice to get a ringtone. There are plenty of songs in your music library, but no way to make ringtones from any of them. Or is there? Actually, with a little bit of trickery (nothing illegal), you can create ringtones from any one of your non-DRM songs in your iTunes library easily and for free.

Ringtones — They are the darlings of the music industry and the bane of anyone subject to hearing a bad one. If you’re sick of your plain old telephone ringer, the most direct way for you to get a wonderful iPhone ringtone is to spend some money to purchase the ringtones you like from iTunes or download the ringtones you like from ringtone sites. But if you don’t want to download a canned tone or spend extra money to purchase the ringtones, there’s also a way to help you easily create ringtones in iTunes from your existing music. That is to use an iPhone ringtone maker. Under this method, you can turn your favorite song into a ringtone for your iPhone without need to pay extra money. Meanwhile, you can get the best out of your favorite song as the ringtone by deciding where to start and where to end. 

Various iPhone ringtone maker programs could be used to make iPhone ringtone for your iPhone. iPhone ringtone maker for Mac could create iPhone ringtone for Mac users exclusively. This iPhone ringtone maker is an all-inclusive Mac iPhone ringtone creator that can make iPhone ringtone on Mac agilely according to your preference with the audio files you have got in your iPhone or other places. It is quite easy and fast to create iPhone ringtone with this Mac iPhone ringtone maker app. You can just check the following simple guide to know how easy to create iPhone ringtone at will:

1. Download the program and start to run it on your computer. You can either put ringtone sources on your PC into use, or take advantage of the video and audio files stored in iTunes. 

2. Select file to create iPhone ringtones. This tool employs Timeline panel to help you trim the required part precisely. You can as well edit the iPhone ringtone to make it more harmonious. 

3. Begin the process to convert file to iPhone M4R ringtone format.

After processing, this iPhone ringtone for Mac would automatically send the results to your iTunes. You only need to connect your iPhone to computer and then sync the iPhone ringtones you just created to your iPhone afterwards. 

Up to 480PPI - 5 Inches HTC Droid Incredible X Specifications Exposed

On September 19, HTC will hold the event to release several HTC WP8 smartphones. According to exclusive report from BGR, the detailed specifications of the previous rumored HTC DROID Incredible X, which features 5 inches HD display and 1080P HD video recording, has been exposed online. I previously wrote a post about Oppo Find 5, which comes with a 5-inch large screen of 441PPI, leaving Samsung Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5 look bad as far as display is concerned. However, the HTC Droid Incredible X would be even more powerful. It has a 5-inch screen with up to 480PPI, which produces even better visual effect for HD movie enjoyment. Meanwhile, it features the CPU of a binuclear Snapdragon S4 processor, supports 4G LTE networks, uses Sense 5 interface, and equips with company Scribe stylus handwritten pen which is developed by the company itself.

At the same time, this smartphone also adopts 1.5 G RAM, with 16GB storage space, which is expandable through the microSD card. The phone is expected to be on sale teaming up with Verizon in this autumn.