A thread on a forum called WPCentral has multiple HTC 8X owners who are reporting their handsets randomly reboot while being used. There is also a similar thread on Microsoft’s support forums complaining about the same random reboot issue. The problem isn’t limited to HTC hardware either.

Users of the Nokia Lumia 920 are also reporting random reboots and freezes. That would seem to indicate something with the smartphone operating system since it’s happening on different hardware. Some Lumia 920 users are also complaining about poor battery life.

There has been no official confirmation of the issue by Nokia or HTC at this point. There has also been no official response from Microsoft. If you use a Windows Phone 8 device, be sure and let us know if you’re experiencing any issues with battery life, or random freezes and reboots.

[via The Verge]

By comparison, AT&T is offering the Galaxy Note II for $299.99 with the same two-year agreement. Another bit of bad news about the $369.99 price tag for the device at T-Mobile is that it includes a $50 mail-in rebate. That means when you’re rolling in the T-Mobile store to buy one of these, you’re actually going to pay $419.99 and then wait for 6 to 8 weeks for your $50 to come back in the mail.

If you’re a big enough fan of the T-Mobile network that paying more doesn’t bother you, you can order the device up today, and it offers the same features that the Note II has on the other networks. Those features include Android 4.1 for the operating system, a quad-core 1.6 GHz processor, and the 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display.

The phone/tablet has a full HD resolution camcorder, 16 GB of integrated memory along with a microSD slot for expansion, and a 3100 mAh battery. The dimensions of the device are 5.94 x 3.16 x 0.37-inches and weighs 6.3 ounces. The tablet also features the S Pen allowing users to write directly on the screen.

PowerSkin has announced a new battery case for the Samsung Galaxy S III that has an internal rechargeable battery to extend runtime of the smartphones and NFC technology inside. The company claims that this is the first ever NFC-enabled smartphone battery case for the device. The silicone case has a 1500 mAh battery inside.

The NFC wireless technology allows the smartphone to communicate with other devices close to it using magnetic-field induction. The case has special technology to allow NFC signals to pass through the silicone case for quick information sharing. Other features of the battery case include smart power management that shuts off the PowerSkin internal battery when the phone is fully charged.

That smart management saves power inside the case’s battery for longer run time when it’s needed. The case has LED lights on the back to indicate how much power is left in its internal battery. The case also ships with the cable needed for charging and synchronizing of the phone while charging the case. The Samsung Galaxy S III PowerSkin is available right now for $79.99.

The first vehicle from the Chrysler Group to get wireless in vehicle charging will be the 2013 Dodge Dart. The Dart is set to hit dealer showrooms in Q2 of 2012. The car has an integrated power bin that measures 8.27-inches by 9.5-inches by 3.25-inches. The bin is just below the center stack in front of the center console and has an integrated charging grid activated when the user places their smartphone into the bin.

Just like the home solutions, the in vehicle Mopar charging solution does require the phone to have a special case installed. The case is available for a variety of phones, and the stock photo from Chrysler shows the iPhone in use. The vehicle charging solution is $199.99 plus installation. It sounds as if this is a dealer-installed option. $199.99 seems expensive, but if you spend a lot of time in your car with your smart phone, the price might be agreeable. The downside is if you use your smartphone for navigation, you won’t be able to see the screen when the phone is in the bin.

The smartphones were designed to conform to the strict NSA information security rules while being as cheap as possible to build. NSA division head Margaret Salter says that the specifications have been published online and anyone can construct the device because it uses normal off-the-shelf components. According to Salter before the secure phone was available, top-secret calls required users to speak in code when using a commercial device.

The Android phones also support defense applications that can be downloaded from an enterprise app store ran by the US Defense Information Systems Agency. That allows the NSA and other governmental agencies to ensure only secure applications are installed and means that NSA staff doesn’t need to completely investigate commercial applications for security. Apparently, the build ran into some issues with vendor products not being interoperable.

Poor interoperability between SSL VPN options meant the builders had to switch to IPSEC. Salter says that the compromises made during the build process didn’t sacrifice security. Voice calls are encrypted two times, which is NSA policy, using IPSEC and SRTP. All traffic originating from the secure devices is routed through the NSA enterprise to ensure security.

[via SC Magazine]