iPad 2 Ready for Production Q1 2011?

According to 9to5Mac and Digitimes suppliers are ready to start shipping parts for the iPad 2 next month with full production ready Q1 2011.

From 9to5Mac:

Could we see the iPad 2 before April 2011? Maybe if there is enough supply on hand. I remember the lines, calling and waiting to get my iPad. Okay, fine my wife does because she picked one up for me in the States before it was available in Canada.

While having some kind of shortage is good for building buzz, I think if Apple wants to stay on top of the tablet game, they can’t lose ground to competitors who have similar offerings that can be picked up off the shelves right away.

As for features? Retina display, cameras (front and rear?), usb ports, a new “smart bezel” … how about an HDMI out? That would be sweet..

Google may soon let you record phone calls on Android

I’m pretty sure most of have wished we could record our phone calls at one point or the other. I often interview people over the phone, and it’s annoying to have to jerryrig a microphone setup. Maybe you want proof of a spam caller’s harassment. Or maybe you just want to give that you want to give your bank a taste of its own medicine and record your conversation for quality assurance.

Google’s Phone app, used in Pixel and Android One devices, may soon let you (again). Mishaal Rahman over at XDA spotted code in the app that suggests an overhaul of the app is coming. As noted by Rahman, recording phone calls was previously possible prior to Android Pie, and there hasn’t been an official call recording API since Android Marshmallow.

It’s not clear if this is a feature that will ever roll out widely. XDA notes Xiaomi recently announced a call recording feature, and it’s possible this code is related to that.

Google has said it’s working to bring back call recording API’s to future versions of Android, which would lead to more reliable third party solutions. Last year, the company said it skipped doing so in Android Q because it hadn’t quite puzzled out how to implement the feature securely. Maybe it’l make an appearance by the time Android 11 rolls around.

Who knows, maybe we’ll see the feature make its official debut at Google I/O in May, or whenever Android 11 is announced.

Via The Verge

Nokia C2-01 And Nokia X2-01 Get Official Launches

Maintaining its tradition of manufacturing and offering cost-effective yet feature-rich mobile devices, Nokia has officially launched two new handsets, the Nokia C2-01 and the Nokia X2-01, devices that are not necessarily the most powerful but introduce users to functionality they might not have had the chance to experience before.

The Nokia C2-01 sports a candybar design and is geared towards younger users with an emphasis on music, it is Nokia’s most inexpensive 3G-enabled mobile phone. The Nokia X2-01 has a QWERTY keyboard and focuses more on social networking but only supports GPRS/Edge, both devices have more than capable cameras to help users snap on the go.

Running the Series 40 operating system, the Nokia C2-01 (as mentioned above) brings 3G connectivity to those who may not have had it before. The candybar device has a traditional keypad, 3.2-megapixel camera and a 2-inch screen. Focusing on music, the device supports FM radio, Bluetooth and allows for 16GB of external memory.

The C2-01 supports most Ovi services, utilising Nokia Messaging for email and IM, as well as the Ovi Store and Ovi Music.

Weighing just 89g, the Nokia C2-01 will go on sales in Q1 2011 and will cost around €70.

Featuring a full QWERTY keyboard, the Nokia X2-01 is aimed primarily at serial text-messagers and social networking addicts. The device has a new “Communities” app that brings Facebook to the device, displaying updates on the homescreen and allowing the easy posting of statuses and photos also.

The X2-01 also enjoys rich music features, allowing one-click access to a users music, a built-in media player, FM radio and Ovi Music. There is also support for the Ovi Store.

The screen on the X2-01 is a 2.4-inch QVGA display with a VGA camera on the back. Weighing 108g, the X2-01 allows for 8GB of external storage but does not support WiFi. The device will go on sale before the end of the year and is set to cost around €80.

Nokia knows these devices will sell, it sold over 364 million of them in the past year. Bringing features to users in emerging countries, the Finnish mobile giant is hoping to keep hold of its place as the world’s number one mobile manufacturer as it goes back to basics to redevelop its high-end line of smartphones to claw back the market share it has lost, especially in North America.