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If you have ever gotten frustrated with the file transfer dialog in Windows, you should be happy to find out it is getting some long overdue improvements in Windows 8.

The dialog which appears when you copy or move files is arguably one of the least useful parts of Windows. It estimates time remaining for a transfer operation which is completely unreliable. On top of that, if you start multiple move or copy operations each one opens a separate dialog.

Perhaps worst of all, there is no pause option. If you want to temporarily stop a transfer and then resume where you left off, you are out of luck.

The new dialog for Windows 8, which was revealed by Microsoft's Steven Sinofsky, looks to address all those issues.

The basic dialog will combine all ongoing file copy or move operations in a single window, adding pause and resume buttons for each.

Rather than predicting how much time is remaining, which often varies from one second to another in the current dialog, it simply lists the completion percentage.

According to BusinessWeek, Android apps are headed to BlackBerrys, soon.

QNX-based Blackberrys, set for launch in early 2012, will have the ability to run Android apps, allegedly almost as well as they would run on Android devices.

The brand new BlackBerry 7 phones will not be upgrade-able to QNX, and therefore will not have access to Android apps.

Although the RIM PlayBook runs on QNX, it has not yet been given the "Android Player" necessary to run the apps. That technology will come built-in to the new phones.

The Android Market has 250,000 apps while the BlackBerry App World has around 45,000.

Google has settled with the Department of Justice today for $500 million, over their part in showing illegal ads for Canadian pharmacies.

The investigation began in May, and Google said at the time it was setting aside $500 million for a potential settlement.

Google was investigated for showing ads from the companies that were selling counterfeit drugs or selling drugs without a prescription.

Over the years, Google has agreed it is a problem as pharmacies prove a "cat-and-mouse game" by finding new ways to get around Google's ad rules.

Notes Google (via NYT):

We banned the advertising of prescription drugs in the U.S. by Canadian pharmacies some time ago. However, it’s obvious with hindsight that we shouldn’t have allowed these ads on Google in the first place. Given the extensive coverage this settlement has already received, we won’t be commenting further.

Formerly known as the S1, Sony has officially named its upcoming tablet the "Tablet S."

Set for launch in September, the device will run on Honeycomb 3.1 and support an upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

The tablet has a 9.4-inch screen, runs on a Tegra 2 processor and is the first tablet to have PlayStation certification. The device will have Wi-Fi, 3G and DLNA connectivity.

Sony's tablet will have built-in integration for Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited services, will be able to control all devices in the home via an IR blaster.

The tablet will have dual cameras, 5MP on the back, 3MP up front, have "True Black" display technology and likely cost $600 at launch.

(Pic via Engadget)

It is being reported that Apple plans to introduce a scaled down iPhone for emerging markets.

Despite plenty of consumer and carrier interest, these markets have eluded Apple domination due to the iPhone being exclusively a high end product. The price puts them out of the reach of many potential customers in countries like China.

According to Reuters, production of the new phone, which will have 8GB of storage and be based on the iPhone 4, is already underway.

They also say Chinese carriers China Mobile Ltd and China Telecom Corp Ltd are in talks with Apple to carry the unit.

Channing Smith, co-manager of the Capital Advisors Growth Fund, said, "A lower-priced version of iPhone 4 seems to be a necessary evil at this point in the iPhone adoption cycle, especially in emerging markets where the average income of individuals is much lower."

The discount model is not expected to be sold in the US, Europe, or other well established iPhone markets.

In fact, as market research from NPD Group showed earlier this year, Apple is already capable of competing effectively at the low end in the US. At that time, the iPhone 3GS ranked second in unit sales only to the iPhone 4.

Although AT&T has so far denied the rumor, it appears that the first-ever Facebook phone, the HTC Status, may be on its way out.

The move comes just 35 days after launch.

For now, AT&T says: "The HTC Status is a great product and our plans for it to be part of our portfolio haven’t changed." Where have we heard that before, though?

The HTC Status is dubbed the FB phone because it has its own Facebook button underneath the keypad which gives users a chance to use a deeply integrated Facebook app.

For example, if you are listening to music, by hitting the Facebook button you can instantly share what song you are playing, and same goes for Web browsing and pictures. Simply hit the button to share the site you are on or upload the picture you just took. When a friend calls, you will see their Facebook picture and current status on the home screen.

The device itself runs on Android 2.3 with HTC Sense overlay, have a 2.6-inch touch screen with 480 x 320 resolution, 512MB RAM, 512MB ROM, dual-cameras and an 800MHz processor.

Samsung has just announced four upcoming additions to their Galaxy line of smartphones, named the Galaxy W, Galaxy M Pro, Galaxy Y & Galaxy Y Pro.

Along with the phones comes a new naming scheme with varying letter designations indicating price/performance levels. The letters, and corresponding levels, are (from highest to lowest):

• S (Super Smart)
• R (Royal / Refined)
• W (Wonder)
• M (Magical)
• Y (Young)

In addition, the designations "Pro", "Plus", and "LTE" may be added to indicate a QWERTY keyboard, an upgrade from an existing model, or LTE connectivity respectively.

We have introduced steps to ensure users can simply identify the device designed to deliver the perfect experience for them," said JK Shin, President and Head of Samsung's Mobile Communications Business.

	The Galaxy W will feature a 1.4GHz processor & 3.7" touch screen.
	The Galaxy M Pro will have a 1GHz processor, 2.66" touch screen & QWERTY keyboard.
	The Galaxy Y will offer a 832MHz processor and a 3" touch screen.
	The Galaxy Y Pro will be similar to the regular Galaxy Y, with a 2.6" screen & QWERTY keyboard.

According to a new WSJ report (tweeted out), Sprint will be getting the iPhone 5 at launch, although launch date is still unclear.

Apple has made the iPhone available to AT&T customers since inception, and this year to Verizon customers. Adding Sprint to the mix would mean the iPhone will be available on the three biggest carriers in the U.S. The fourth carrier, T-Mobile, is set to be acquired by AT&T next year for $39 billion.

Will update when more news is available.

First announced at last month's Computex 2011, the Lenovo IdeaPad S100 is now available in Europe.

The device is notable because it runs on MeeGo, Intel and Nokia's joint mobile OS.

Stores have listed the price at €185.

The IdeaPad S100 has a 10.1-inch (1024 x 600) display, a 1.33 GHz Atom N435 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, integrated graphics, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, 10/100 LAN, a webcam and 7 hours of battery life.

Lenovo says there will be 3 colorways, black, red and blue.

South Korea is set to create its own alternative to Android and iOS, building a new smartphone OS for hometown champs LG and Samsung.

The country will allegedly begin developing the project by the end of the year.

Says Kim Jae-hong, deputy minister at the Ministry of Knowledge Economy:

We will forge ahead in developing a new kind of operating system, which is being seen as a next-generation product, in order to build the kind of advantage we do not enjoy in the market for smartphones and tablet PCs, which is dominated by Google and Apple.

Jae-hong confirmed that Google's move to purchase Motorola was the catalyst for the new OS, as LG and Samsung are afraid Google may eventually enter the hardware business and cannibalize everyone else.

The new OS will be open, and accessible by the general community.

Research firm InStat has concluded today that tablet sales will reach 250 million by 2017.

Tablets will continue to grow in sales as the market has reached an "inflection point through the combination of a new device (the Apple iPad), new business models supported by wireless operators, and new usage models through cloud computing and mobile applications."

Many different companies are also joining in the mix, like RIM and Microsoft which should lead to exponential growth starting next year.

Says Jim McGregor, Chief Technology Strategist:

The tablet market and its associated ecosystem are still evolving. Over the next few generations we will see more differentiation between devices that are targeting different market segments and usage models. In addition, competitive device and service pricing will bring tablets into the mainstream consumer and enterprise markets. Tablets are joining an array of smart-connected devices that allow users almost unlimited access to content and communications. These new devices mark a significant change in the value change of the electronics industry where the content and applications are now the key differentiators and innovation drivers.

The latest Nintendo rumor has the company already developing a revised 3DS hardware, one that will launch next year.

Featuring a second analog stick, the console will also tone down the 3D capabilities of the system, which has proven to be a bust.

01net, which leaked initial specs of the Wii U, is the site behind the latest rumor, which could prove credible.

The site says its sources indicated Nintendo is concerned they marketed the 3D aspects of the console too aggressively, scaring away consumers who don't care for it and just want to play games on the go.

Nintendo recently dropped the price of its 3DS from $250 to $170, while offering 20 free games to early adopters.

Starting last week, Fox began delaying posting its new shows on Hulu for 8 days, unless you have a Hulu Plus subscription or are a DISH Network subscriber.

TorrentFreak is now saying that this new mandate is already causing a large spike in piracy.

Shows such as Hell's Kitchen and MasterChef have seen piracy increase 114 percent and 189 percent, respectively, in just the first 5 days.

Other, more popular shows like Family Guy and The Simpsons are likely to see even bigger spikes in piracy, when they return for new seasons.

It should be pretty obvious to media companies by now that if you are not making shows available for free online, users are not going to just stop watching them, they will use whatever methods possible to watch them as soon as they can.

Details are emerging about RIM's upcoming BlackBerry music service. They will reportedly offer BlackBerry Messenger users access to a wide selection of music from all four major labels.

As a subscription service, history tells us BlackBerry Music has some big hurdles to clear. To date, subscription music hasn't exactly been big business.

A report from from The Wall Street Journal, provides some specifics.

At $5 a month the price isn't bad, assuming the music selection is as good as reported.

Subscribers will get access to 50 songs at a time, which doesn't sound like much. But how many songs does the average person actually listen to in a week or a month?

As long as subscribers can regularly and easily change their selections it's not necessarily a big deal. Plus they will be able to share songs with other subscribers who are also BlackBerry Messenger contacts.

The songs will only play on a BlackBerry device running their music app, which may not matter much to most people. One of the reasons many people buy smartphones is their music capabilities.

Last week, HP decided to get out of the webOS hardware business, effectively shutting the door on its Palm purchase from last year.

The company put the TouchPad tablet on firesale for $99 and has sold an estimated 500,000 in the past three days alone.

HP has said today that they will not bring the Pre 3 smartphone to the U.S. but will firesale it in Europe for 75 euro, unlocked.

If anyone in the U.S. is willing to import the device, it will work with GSM carrier AT&T and T-mobile, says the company.

The Pre3 has a 3.58-inch touch screen at 480x800 resolution, a 1.4-GHz Qualcomm processor and dual cameras.