Guess who’s joining into the Android Club? Yes, Nokia has finally realized that Windows alone cannot save the face of Nokias fortune. This has been rumored around for quite a while now, but recent image leaks show that this just might be true. Nokia might just bring out their first Android Smartphone. The body of the device similar to any of the current line of Lumia devices, which just means it looks nice, feels sturdy and is colorful. I’m definitely a fan of Nokia’s hardware design, and a huge fan of Android, I think this could be the start of real magic!

As a fan of Nokia’s hardware and the Android experience, the marriage of these two elements could indeed usher in a new era of innovation and user satisfaction. With such a stylish device, ensuring its protection becomes paramount. A reliable phone case not only complements the sleek design but also safeguards the investment from accidental drops and scratches. For a wide selection of quality phone cases, one might want to explore the options available on the case24.com website, where style meets functionality seamlessly. After all, in the dynamic world of smartphones, a durable and stylish case is the unsung hero that ensures your device remains in pristine condition.

Leaks of Nokias Android phone, codenamed Normandy, were originally published in November, but a number of recent images have provided a closer look at the hardware and software. Vizileaks has published what appears to be a near-final hardware unit, and some of the apps it can run. Thanks to Evleaks, we’re getting a closer look at the UI on the Normandy.

Nothing is confirmed on the hardware yet, but it is rumored to have a Snapdragon processor, with 512MB of RAM, a 5MP camera. The images found also show two SIM Card icons, this clearly shows that this phone is not for the US or Europe. Asia might be the target market of the Nokia Normandy. If Nokia can just upgrade the hardware a bit and get the pricing right, it might be a mighty contender to the newly launched Moto G. Let’s wait & watch.

Yesterday Microsoft unveiled he Windows Phone 8 to developers. It looks a lot like Windows Phone 7, but looks can be deceiving. It’s much more than an incremental update. Pull back the new home page tiles, peek under the bigger, shaper screens, look past the new multi-core CPUs and you’ll find a new operating system kernel. Not just any kernel, the same kernel as Windows 8. Yes, the same kernel used by the soon to be released desktop operating system, and the recently announced Surface tablet.

If you think only a geek could love a kernel, you might be right, but it holds significant meaning to Windows Phone users and developers everywhere. Significant because the computer in your pocket, if it’s a Windows Phone 8, now has the same file system, graphic drivers, networking, security, browser, and multi-core support as your desktop computer. Most importantly, it runs native code.

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It’s not called the iPad 3, or the iPad HD. Simply the “new iPad”. While we could get into another discussion about this solidifying Apple’s intention as a “post PC” company, it also illustrates the complexity of today’s cloud based infrastructure.

The new iPad runs on essentially the same hardware as the iPhone 4S. There’s no technical reason the iPad can’t run Siri. Leaving only one explanation. Unexpected success of the iPhone 4S killed Siri on the new iPad. Despite it’s 500,000 square foot size, there is likely little room for expansion at Apple’s new North Carolia data center. Showcasing how even a billon dollar investment can be too little in today’s cloud based era. Also illustrating how difficult is to scale such large infrastructure. You simply don’t build another 500,000 square foot data center over night to meet demand.

It’s not unrealistic to assume that Apple scaled their new data center to support both the new iPhone 4S, and the new iPad. However, iPhone 4S sales exceeded their wildest expectations, leaving them no choice but to limit Siri functionality on the Pad to dictation.

You know that guy, maybe you are that guy. At dinner with friends, even a romantic dinner always checking your smart phone. AT&T even portrayed ‘him’ in a recent commercial:

On a recent episode of The Office, Ryan gave up his place in an important trivia game rather than put down his smart phone.

So it maybe shouldn’t be a surprise to walk into a restaurant, or night club and see groups of people young and old all at the same table, but interacting with their phones more than each other. Don’t we get enough fake social interaction during the course of a day? It is asking too much to put down the Words with Friends app, and actually have some real words with real friends?

Credit for inventing this game generally goes to 20-year old Stephie from CA, and her blog post titled “Don’t be a di*k during meals with Friends”. Recently, it’s more likely to be called by the less offensive, “Phone Stacking”. Following are the rules from her site:

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Just like with PCs, it’s easy to get hung up on a phone’s technical specifications. How many cores does it have? How fast is the processor? Is it the latest and greatest from your provider? Lost in all the technical details is the phone’s speed in real-world use. In a brilliant marketing move BenThePCGuy issued a $100 challenge at CES 2012. If your smart phone was faster than his Windows 7 phone in real-world tasks, he’d give you a $100 bill. The videos are fun to watch — I bet you can’t watch just one.

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McAfee recently released it’s threat predictions for 2011 (PDF). Among the forecast for 2011:

• Social Media including Facebook, Twitter and instant messaging will distribute more malware than email. Related are short URL service abuses, and personalized attacks that appear to originate from your friends. Think twice before clicking a short URL to open that video your Facebook friend sent you. If you’re required to install something to view the video, it’s almost certainly malware.
• Mobile malware has been predicted for some time. Could 2011 be the year mobile malware makes its presence felt? Smartphone use has exploded, for both personal and  business use. Rootkits and botnets are making their way onto these mobile devices. They are attractive targets. Not only are the devices used for banking and online access, but the camera and microphone can be hijacked as well. If malware has “root” access on your phone, chances are it has access to your email, Facebook, contacts, even GPS location.

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