Mobile Mobile

Rounds is doing the rounds (natch!) this morning with a significant update to its video calling and instant messaging app. The company teamed up with Channel.me to add co-browsing to an already broad list of features. Users can now browse the web together during a video chat and see / control the same page at the same time. In terms of security, the experience mimics two people surfing the web in the same location (usernames are visible but passwords are hidden. for example). While users can enter any URL, the app also includes an icon grid of compatible sites, such as Google (for search), Wikipedia, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Reddit, Amazon and eBay -- to name a few. As a refresher, Rounds lets friends watch YouTube videos and play games together during a video chat and even apply filters and scribble over each-others live video streams. It also supports instant messaging and photo sharing and ties it all together with Facebook Login. The app is available for most Android and iOS devices but is optimized to run on phones. Hit the break for the promo video and obligatory PR.

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TechCrunch is reporting that Facebook is adding video capability to Instagram, which will be announced at the former's press event on June 20th. According to The Desk, the videos would last between five and 10 seconds, but there's no word on if the photo-sharing app's litany of filters would feature in the new service. Presumably the move has come in response to Vine's popularity as Facebook and Twitter square off against each other -- a fight which would make Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD look like playground squabbling by comparison.

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It's been just half a year since Nokia revealed its first Windows Phone 8 device, and we've already got another flagship to review. The Lumia 925 marks a departure in design for Nokia -- it looks nothing like its predecessors, barring an expanse of screen and some capacitive Windows buttons. This time around, the phone is housed in an aluminum frame, making it Nokia's first metal smartphone since those heady Symbian days. This, alongside some hardware repositioning and (minor) specification changes has been enough for the Lumia 925 to weigh notably less than its 920 forebear -- and we think it's enough to feel in your hand. As we juggled the two Windows Phones ahead of this review, our first impressions were that the 925 was also much easier to hold, despite only a negligible difference in thickness.

This, alongside some hardware repositioning and (minor) specification changes has been enough for the Lumia 925 to weigh notably less than its 920 forebear

Arriving in three comparatively restrained monochrome hues (white, black and grey), Nokia's returned to OLED for its display tech, although it's the same 1,280 x 768 resolution as the rest of the 920 series and includes the company's anti-reflective screen technology for good measure. Its new Smart Camera app debuts on the Lumia 925, standing alongside the stock app and offering up some interesting new picture-taking options.

Otherwise, it's an awful lot like the Lumia 920, at least on paper: there's the same lauded 8.7-megapixel camera sensor (with an extra lens element), the same dual-core 1.5GHz processor and the same OS (albeit with some beta goodies). Nokia reckons that the phone is geared towards a different buyer than those who bought the Lumia 920, but alongside Verizon's recent US-only Lumia 928, is there enough to get fans that skipped on last year's model to buy this time around? And is there enough to persuade you not to hold out for what's on the horizon?

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When Microsoft announced its hardware partners for Windows Phone 8, we were surprised that there was no mention of Huawei. You see, in the lead-up to the event, we'd seen enough evidence to be sure that the Chinese outfit would become the fourth phone maker to join Nokia, Samsung and HTC. When the Ascend W1 debuted later at CES, Huawei made no great effort to explain the delay, but with the vehement political opposition it's currently facing in the US, perhaps it had cold feet. Now, several months down the line, we have our first chance to put the Ascend W1, its first Windows Phone 8 device, through its paces.

With a £130 off-contract price on O2 UK (or $230 at Walmart in the US) and a spec sheet that screams "2011," it's clear that Huawei's aiming this at the same audience as Nokia's lowest-priced Lumias, the 520 and 620. That puts it squarely in the reach of smartphone virgins, the "price sensitive" and those looking to dip a toe into Windows Phone's hot tub with more of a secondary handset. But should the W1 be the device new users pick to be their entry point into Microsoft's mobile world, or will we once again say that it's the Lumia 620 that deserves your hard-earned cash? The answer resides below the fold.

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Samsung torture-tests pre-release smartphones like many of its rivals, but it's rare in letting us have glimpses of the process. Case in point: its thorough punishment of Galaxy S 4 samples in a new video. Along with drop-testing the phone in multiple ways, the company's lab techs cover the GS4 in dust, dunk it in water, punch it, shock its controls and even bake it. The promo piece unsurprisingly shows the flagship device making the cut every time -- you didn't think Samsung would show any exceptions to the rule, did you? Still, the Korean-language clip (after the break) may be reassuring to those who were worried that a thinner, lighter Galaxy S couldn't hold up to some abuse.

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If you've been sitting around not clocking up the miles with your Basis Band, we imagine it's because you were waiting for that long-delayed mobile app. Well, it might not be Q1 as promised, but it's finally time to lace up those sneakers. It's team Android that gets out of the blocks first, with the app debuting on the Google-flavored OS. Features include automatic sync, the ability to see your current progress towards your activity (aka habits,) plus, of course, lots of historical data. Think you set your goals too high? Too low? No problem -- you can edit said habits direct from the app, drill down to show more detail, and get notifications or reminders about how well you're (not?) doing. The app is free, and while Android might have the head start, we're told the iOS version isn't far behind, so iPhone owners might want to start limbering up now. In the meantime, those with green stripes can head to the source for the goods.

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"It's raining."

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In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.

The problem with capturing panoramic stills with your phone is that you need to keep a steady motion when panning around, but we all know that only a robot can perform such feat perfectly. That's why this little BubblePod caught our attention. The device is essentially a mini clockwork turntable so no battery is required -- just wind it up, slip an iOS, Android or BB10 device into the silicone grip, fire up the BubblePix app and hit the BubblePod's release button for a steady 40-second rewind.

The sample panoramic shots (or "bubbles") we saw have almost no visible stitching, and the app can simultaneously record an audio clip to capture the atmosphere as well. Better yet, in addition to its rubberized base, the BubblePod is also built with a universal tripod mount plus a wine bottle insert mount!

This Kickstarter project will offer a unit if you pledge a minimum of £15 (about $23) for the limited early bird offer or £20 (about $31) later on, plus £5 (about $8) to ship outside the UK. Do check out the demo video after the break, and feel free to grab yourself a BubblePod before funding ends on July 9th.

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If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week brought additional peeks at the purported Nokia EOS cameraphone, leaked screenshots of the BlackBerry OS 10.2 update and the arrival of a new budget smartphone from Huawei in the UK. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that's happening in the mobile world for this week of June 3rd, 2013.

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