this week

Nokia gives us 10 reasons to get excited about the Lumia 1020

The Nokia Lumia 1020 is a lot of camera for a smartphone and Nokia likes to remind of that. It its latest piece the Nokia Conversations Blog has detailed 10 reasons why the Lumia 1020 is the most exciting name of the season.

The first seven reasons revolve around the brilliant 41 MP PureView sensor and its software. They detail the Pro Camera suite that captures photos “like a pro”, the next-generation optical image stabilization, the versatile shutter speed, which is great for quick shots and bulb photography with long exposure.
Another strong point of the Lumia 1020, according to Nokia, is the Windows Phone 8 OS that comes built in, offering around 165 thousand apps, including Nokia lenses, Nokia Music, Microsoft Office.The final two reasons are about the video recording which gives you 6 times lossless zoom (in 720p mode that is) and brilliant stereo sound recording, thanks to two very sensitive microphones which can handle sound pressure levels six times louder that competitive smartphone products.

Windows Phone GDR3 to bring 5-, 6-inch 1080p devices later this year, Windows Phone Blue will introduce notification center in 2014

Windows Phone 8 was a huge update over the initial WP7 bringing support for key features like multi-core processors and microSD cards, but since it launched Microsoft has been very quiet when it comes to updates. The company basically hasn’t released anything major since then.

Now, we have just saw it detail the changelog of a minor update that’s coming up, the General Distribution Release 2 (GDR2). It brings improvements to Xbox Music, an FM radio feature, and the capability to set a camera Lens as the default camera app. Some other stability improvements and minor changes are coming with it too, but nothing big.Why is that and what is Microsoft doing, you might be wondering. Whispers say Microsoft has entered “shut up and ship” mode as it has fully focused on delivering a massive Windows Phone Blue update and that’s coming up in 2014. Windows Phone Blue should introduce huge changes like a new notification center, better multitasking, and changes to the core Windows Phone apps, according to The Verge.It is also possible that some of the WP Blue features arrive earlier as part of a GDR3 update coming later in 2013. The biggest novelty coming with it will be support for 5-inch and 6-inch Windows Phone devices with 1080p screens and quad-core chips. Those devices will also come later this year.

Nokia Lumia 1020: smaller sensor camera than 808 PureView, but could capture the best images of any smartphone

The Nokia Lumia 1020 is a mind-boggling smartphone that just arrived in our office and as it’s making the rounds ahead of our first in-depth look (stay tuned!), we have to clarify a few things about its most important feature - the camera.The Lumia 1020 comes with a 41-megapixel camera and at first look - judging by the pixel count - one would think that this means the size of the sensor (the part of the camera that collects light) is the same as the one in the 41-megapixel Nokia 808 PureView. Turns out, that is not exactly true.The Nokia Lumia 1020 actually has a very large by smartphone standards but still smaller sensor than the one in the 808 PureView. While the one on the 808 measures 1/1.2” in size, the 1020 has a 1/1.5” sensor. What this means is that you have less space and smaller pixels. Without the oversampling, the physical size of pixels on the Lumia 1020 is 1.12µm compared to the larger 1.34µm on the 808.

Lumia 1020 has a sensor (2/3) that is much larger than that of a traditional smartphone (1/3.2).

We have gotten a bit technical here, so let us explain what this means. Pixels are like buckets, but instead of collecting water, they collect light. The bigger the pixel the more light it collects and the more light it collects the better the images at night time and other situations where light is scarce. At first sight, that means the Lumia 1020 has a slight disadvantage when fared against its older sibling, the 808 PureView.
Let’s not jump into conclusions that quickly, though. The new Nokia Lumia 1020 has some key advantages that come with that smaller sensor. The most obvious is the physical size of the device, it’s much slimmer than the chubby 808 PureView. Next, the small size made it possible for Nokia to include optical image stabilization (OIS) that allows for longer exposure times and ultimately better video and low light shots.Finally, this is not the same sensor as on the 808 PureView. Despite its larger sized, the 808 used front-side illumination, a more primitive camera technology where wires connecting the camera pixels with the phone got in the way of light and stopped some of it. The Lumia 1020 has a modern backside-illuminated (BSI) sensor with those wires not getting in the way, and allowing for the full lightstream to hit the pixels.

Lumia 1020 camera sensor (top right) dwarfs traditional smartphone cameras.

In reality, this means that despite the smaller sensor size, Nokia has made some key improvements that should yield similar if not sharper and better images on new Lumia 1020.In conclusion, we’d like to also mention the lossless zoom capabilities of the new Nokia camera superphone. The Lumia 1020 has a zoom range of 25-69mm in SLR terms for image still and 25-100mm for 1080p video. Its f/2.2 aperture however does not drop when you go into higher zoom levels. That is one huge advantage as even the most complex DSLR lenses close the aperture and require much longer exposure times. The Lumia 1020 does not suffer from those mechanical problems.

Image of the most powerful Berry, the BlackBerry A10 Aristo, leaks

  On Wednesday, we told you about a BlackBerry road map that had leaked. Actually, considering that the road map consisted of just two phones, it wasn't much of a map after all. One of the two handsets, the BlackBerry 9720, is a BlackBerry OS 7 powered device for emerging markets. The more intriguing model is the one that BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins says gets him excited. That model is the BlackBerry A10 Aristo. The model is supposed to be the most powerful 'Berry ever, but still will only feature a dual-core processor. And the resolution of the 5 inch Super AMOLED screen is pegged by those in the know as being 720 x 1280 compared to the 1080 x 1920 seen on many high end Android models. This is going to result in a pixel density well below the industry leading 468ppi pixel density seen on the HTC One. As we noted yesterday, BlackBerry can't seem to shake the habit of offering devices with specs that trail behind iOS and Android models.Meanwhile, a picture of the BlackBerry A10 Aristo has leaked and the picture shows a more rounded handset than the BlackBerry Z10. Speculation calls for a back cover that is similar to the one on the BlackBerry Q10 with its weaved glass. The A10 is supposedly going to launch in November and Sprint is rumored to be one of the U.S. carriers involved.

Microsoft posts Windows Phone 8 GDR2 changelog, doesn't mention the features we expect

We have heard bits and pieces about the next update for Windows Phone 8, codenamed GDR2, and we were getting pretty excited to see some of the features that were rumored to be included. Today, Microsoft posted the changelog for the GDR2 update, and unfortunately it doesn't list the features that we expected to see, although that doesn't mean they won't be in the update. The features Microsoft lists are:

• Xbox Music. It's now easier to select, download, and pin music. Plus, music fans will see more accurate metadata (such as song and album information) and many other performance improvements.
• FM radio. Listen to FM radio right from the Music+Videos hub. (Not available for all phones.)
• Data Sense. Stay on top of your phone's data usage with Data Sense. You can set a limit based on your data plan, or just keep track of which apps use the most data. (Not all mobile operators offer Data Sense.)
• Skype. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) apps like Lync and Skype now feature improved stability and performance.
• Internet Explorer. Your web browsing experience is now better than ever with improved HTML 5 compatibility.
• Camera. Set your favorite Lens so it opens automatically when you press the camera button. (Not available for all phones.)
• Other improvements. Includes many other improvements to Windows Phone.

It's that "other improvements" category that we're interested in, because while the other improvements do sound pretty nice, we had heard that GDR2 was going to bring CalDAV and CardDAV support for Gmail users, which is one feature that we would really like to see as soon as possible. Another rumor was that GDR2 would start the habit of Microsoft updatesbeing bundled with OEM updates. We didn't really expect that to be in the changelog though.

LG working on first Windows Phone 8 device, hasn't decided to release it though

LG has been one of the manufacturers on the rise in the Android ecosystem. The Optimus G has sold well around the world, and of course LG was the manufacturer of the Nexus 4, and is rumored to be making the Nexus 5 as well. But, the company may be looking beyond Android and towards Windows Phone.

LG’s Managing Director for the Indian market Soon H Kwon told Light Reading India, "At home (South Korea), we are actually working on our Windows Phone 8 OS powered smartphone." Although Kwon did note that LG had yet to come to a decision as to if the device would be released or not.

Kwon didn't want to give the wrong impression though, and said that the company is still fully committed to Android, saying, "Android is the major platform globally, given its acceptance and penetration. Although, we believe that Windows will pick up going ahead, as Microsoft is pumping efforts into it."

Nokia already teasing the "next major launch" for later this year

The Nokia Lumia 1020 is barely out the door and Nokia is already teasing the "next major launch" that is planned for later this year. Nokia CEO Stephen Elop casually tossed in the phrase during the question and answer section after today's announcement of the 1020. The idea that there would be another Nokia device this year isn't anything surprising, but the idea that it would be a "major launch" is interesting.

It's pretty common to expect two major releases per year from a mobile manufacturer. Regardless of the smaller releases, Samsung's major releases are the Galaxy S in the spring and the Galaxy Note in the fall. HTC has the One in the spring and the One mini in the fall. Even Google is expected to release the Nexus 7 this month, and the Nexus 5 and 10 refresh in the fall. So, it sounds like Nokia is going with the 1020 now, and another "major launch" in time for the holiday season.

The key of course is the word "major", which implies it won't be refreshes or variants on the 1020, like the Lumia 925 and 928 were compared to the 920. "Major" implies a flagship device worthy of a larger model number bump. Of course, implying something and actually delivering are two different things, so we'll have to wait and see what's to come from Nokia.

Nokia Lumia 1020 now official, 41MP OIS camera 

Nokia Lumia 1020 - the company's new Windows Phone 8 cameraphone flagship.
The Nokia Lumia 1020's centerpiece is the 41MP autofocus PureView camera with a huge (by smartphone standards) 1/1.2" BSI sensor, 6-lens ZEISS optics and optical image stabilization. It is coupled with LED flash used for video shooting and a proper xenon flash.

The Lumia 1020's optically stabilized 41MP image sensor that can snap 40MP and 5MP photos at the same time – one straight off the sensor and one after Nokia's Super sampling has been applied. The other 41MP cameraphone - 808 PureView can only shoot one or the other at a time.
To make the best out of this beast of a camera, the Nokia ships the Lumia 1020 with its Pro Camera and Smart Camera camera lens apps. They'll allow advanced users fiddle with the camera settings and get the most out of the impressive shooter - there's even a full manual mode, which is a rarity outside prosumer or pro-grade cameras. At the front, there's a secondary 1.2MP wide-angle camera.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 in black
Nokia Lumia 1020 can capture videos of up to 1080p resolution and thanks to the high-res sensor it features lossless zoom. You can zoom in up to 3 times in 1080p mode and up to 6 times when shooting 720p video without sacrificing much in terms of quality. Sound is recorded in stereo and is guaranteed to be crisp and deep thanks to the two wide dynamic range microphones on board.
The Nokia Lumia 1020 internals don't bring many surprises as the smartphone is powered by the same Snapdragon S4 chipset with a 1.5GHz dual-core Krait CPU as the Nokia Lumia 925. A nice addition is the 2GB of RAM and 32GB internal storage. As usual, Nokia and Microsoft have teamed up and provide 7GB of free SkyDrive storage.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 in yellow
You'll be able to admire the beautiful photos taken with the 41MP camera on the 4.5" Clear Black AMOLED display of 1280 x 768 pixels resolution. It is protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and features Nokia's PureMotion HD+ technology for smoother animations. Super Sensitive Touch technology is present, too, allowing you to operate the phone with gloves and nails. Nokia Glance Screen is available thanks to the Windows Phone 8 Amber update.
Local Connectivity is standard and includes Bluetooth 3.0, NFC (featuring SIM-based security), dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and GPS with Glonass support. Network support is quite wide covered with quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 42Mbps UMTS/HSPA and LTE support.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 in white
The Nokia Lumia 1020 is powered by a 2000mAh capacity and supports wireless charging via an accessory cover (purchased separately). The Finns say the phone will be able to last 16 days on standby and provide 13.3 hours of talk time. Video and music playback endurance are rated at 6.8 and 63 hours, respectively.
This impressive camera module is certainly pretty large, but the Lumia 1020 isn't too bulky overall. At 130.4 x 71.4 x 10.4 mm, the smartphone is pretty much the same size as the Lumia 920, except that this time there's a large bump on the back. The Lumia 1020 is also lighter than its predecessor, tipping the scales at 158 grams.
The Nokia Lumia 1020 will be available in yellow, white and black. It will hit AT&T on July 26 for $299.99 with a two-year contract. If you want to be among the first to have it, you can pre-orders your unit starting from July 16.
The Nokia Lumia 1020 is then expected to arrive in China and key European markets before the end of the quarter. Nokia plans to ship an exclusive variant of the device with Telefonica to select European and Latin American markets.

Image of Xiaomi Mi3 leaks, 5.5-inch 1080p display 

We've been seeing rumors about the third-generation Xiaomi smartphone for some time now and we even got a glimpse of it thanks to a few leaked images. Now, another image of the Xiaomi Mi3 has been leaked.


The source that leaked the images of the Xiaomi Mi3 prototype suggests a 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, which is a nice upgrade over the previous edition of the Xiaomi that sported a 4.3-inch 720p display.
If the rumors are to be trusted, the Xiaomi Mi3 will feature 3 GB of RAM, which will put in on par with upcoming flagship from top-tier manufacturers. Furthermore, the upcoming smartphone is said to come out with a 13 megapixel camera at the back, 5 megapixel front facing camera, built-in NFC, HIFI quality stereo and a 3,600mAh battery.
The Xiaomi Mi3 is rumored to be launched on 16 August, but there is no official confirmation of an event for now.

Swipe MTV Slash 7-inch Fablet officially launched for Rs. 9490

MTV India and Swipe Telecom has partnered once again to launch the Slash, a 7-inch device in Swipe’s Fablet series. It went on sale yesterday from online retailer Snapdeal. It has a 7-inch (1024 x 600 pixels) capacitive touch screen display, powered by a 1 GHz dual-core processor and runs on Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean). It has a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED Flash and a 0.3-megapixel (VGA) front-facing camera. It comes with dual SIM support with dual standby and comes with 3G support.
It comes pre-loaded with MTV India that offers exclusive access to all the MTV Shows, Blogs, Videos, Web Shows, Buzz, Photos, Downloads and more. The MTV Funny app provides funny pictures, trolls and memes from funny people on the internet and the‘MTV Hottie app provides a peek into MTV Splitsvilla contestants across five seasons.
 Swipe MTV Slash specifications

• 7-inch (1024 x 600 pixels) capacitive 5-point multi-touch display
• Android 4.1.2  (Jelly Bean) OS
• 9 mm thick and weighs 290 grams
• 1 GHz processor
• Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) with dual standby.
• 5MP rear camera with LED Flash
• 0.3MP (VGA) front-facing camera
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio with recording
• 3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
• 1GB DDR3 RAM, 4GB internal memory , 32GB expandable memory with microSD
• 3000 mAh battery

The MTV Slash by Swipe is priced at Rs. 9,490

Spice Pinnacle FHD Mi-525 with 5-inch 1080p display, 1.5 GHz quad-core processor launched for Rs. 16990

S Mobility has launched the Stellar Pinnacle FHD Mi-525, the company’s latest flagship smartphone. It has a 5.0-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) display, powered by 1.5 GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It has a 8-megapixel auto focus rear camera with dual LED Flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It has Pop- up play to play, Flip to Mute to mute the calls, Intelligent Answer; Direct Call and Spice Cloud backup support with seamless data sync and 2GB of free data storage. It has dual SIM support with dual standby.
Spice Pinnacle FHD Mi-525 specifications

• 5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD display
• 1.5 GHz quad-core processor
• Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
• Dual SIM (3G + 3G) with Dual Standby
• 8 MP auto focus camera with dual LED Flash, 1080p Full HD video recording
• 2 MP front-facing camera
• 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, aGPS
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
• 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB
• Proximity Sensor / Gyro Sensor / Ambient Light Sensor / G-Sensor
• 2100mAh Li-ion-Polymer battery

The Spice Pinnacle FHD Mi-525 is priced at Rs. 16,990 and is available from Saholic (ships on 20th July). It would be available through major retail stores across India from 20th July, 2013.

LG Optimus G2 leaks out in clear photos

The LG Optimus G2 made yet another pre-announcement appearance.

The leaked photos showcase the upcoming smartphone in its full glory. We get to have a proper look at the device's hardware, including the much talked about volume rocker on its back.



The images reveal some details of the smartphone's UI too. The LG Optimus G2 caught in the photos is booting Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, and runs on Sprint Wireless in the United States.
The camera UI gets exposed too. It shows well-spaced buttons which take full advantage of the rumored 5.2" display of the device.

Microsoft hints it could make phones

Microsoft has just announced a radical overhaul of its whole organization structure and there is one huge takeaway that we’d like to emphasize. Describing its vision of one family of devices, Microsoft hints that it could make phones in the future.
First, Microsoft makes it clear that its future ‘family’ will consist of “both partner and first-party devices” and then it clarifies that the family would include not just tablets and PCs, but phones as well.
While this is not clearly saying that a Microsoft-made (‘first-party’) is coming, but we definitely take this is a hint in that direction.
Not just that, later on the Redmond companysays its family will include “other devices to be imagined and developed,” and if we think hard about devices yet to be developed we can definitely envision smartwatches, glasses and other wearables.

LG Display's 2.2mm panel is world's slimmest 1080p glass for smartphones

LG has officially unveiled the world's slimmest Full HD LCD panel designed exclusively for smartphones. The 5.2-inch panel will enables manufacturers to come up with thinner Full HD smartphones, without sacrificing image quality.

The newly launched LCD panels are only 2.2m thick and have a very slim 2.3mm bezel, which makes the panel slimmest and narrowest among the existing Full HD LCD panels designed for smartphones.
LG's latest LCD panel makes use of Advanced One-Glass-Solution that enables better touchscreen experience and the dual flexible printed circuits, which are placed between the panel and touch film reduces the number of lines on the panel by 30%.
The direct bonding system used is also said to enable greater brightness. The panel's 1080 x 1920 pixels all have full set of subpixels - Red, Green, and Blue sub-pixel, forming a conventional RGB matrix.
Apparently, the LG's display panel outperforms all the current full HD LCD panels with a brightness of up to 535 nits. Furthermore, the Ambient Contrast Ratio results of 3.74:1 based on 10,000 lux, suggests that the panel will perform well even in brightly sunlight conditions

Telefonica to get exclusive 64GB Nokia Lumia 1020 for European and Latin-American markets

Telefónica today announced a global agreement with Nokia to sell Nokia Eros 64 Gb exclusively to Movistar, Vivo and O2 customers in Telefonica markets during 2013. The smartphone will be launched this September.This announcement is part of the Telefónica strategy to reinforce the smartphone portfolio and increase the ecosystem offer for their customers. Telefónica will actively promote Nokia Lumia Eros 64Gb, as part of Telefónica iconic smartphone offering.Nokia Lumia Eros brings stunning innovations only found in the SLR cameras so far, like a 41 Mpixel sensor, 6 lenses, and high resolution zoom. Taking excellent photos has never been so easy, as complex settings are turned into easy adjustments with immediately visible results.Eros 64Gb, for Telefónica customers, will have more than double capacity than the Eros standard version, extending the capability for customers to store large amount of content, up to 4,000 images or 6 hours of very high quality Full-HD video.

3 GHz ARM processors to come by 2014

TSMC and GlobalFoundries, the global semiconductor foundries will be raising the bar of the processing power by 2014 as they are currently working on a 20nm chip for their next generation ARM based mobile processors.


At present, 2.3 GHz achieved at 28nm is the fastest clock speed by a mobile processor - it is used in the Snapdragon 800 and Tegra 4i that are set to arrive in late 2013 or early 2014. However, the next generation processors are expected to surpass this clock speed with the help of much smaller manufacturer node of 20nm.
The 20nm manufacturing node is expected to yield 30% faster clock speed with 1.9 times better density at 25% less power consumption. If the 20nm node is used, the ARM SoCs will be eventually clocked at 3GHz with more transistors working on the graphics. The 25% lesser power consumption can be potentially translated into a better battery life in the next generation SoCs.

SanDisk announces Extreme Micro-SDXC, the world’s fastest memory card for mobiles

SanDisk has announced a new lineup of SanDisk Extreme Micro-SDXC cards. The Extreme will double the performance of the Ultra micro-SDXC cards, which was claiming to be the quickest in the world so far.

SanDisk Extreme Micro-SDXC will be available in 16 GB and 64 GB varieties. SanDisk has designed its latest cards to offer high speeds, while giving the durability a top priority. The newest addition from SanDisk will support read speeds of up to 80 MB/s and write speeds up to 50 MB/s.
The writing speeds of the Extreme SDXC have received a huge boost over the Ultra cards, which offered speeds up to 30 MB/s. SanDisk also claims that its Extreme cards will work greatly in mobile devices, enhancing the performance of data transfer, fact action photography, burst mode, 1080p video recording and playback.
Unfortunately, there is no official word on the availability and the pricing of these Extreme SD cards

Nokia phablet to be called Bendit and sport a 6-inch display

Nokia's first phablet looks like.
A pretty concise tweet by @leakschina claims that what we're seeing is going to be called the Nokia Bendit and sport a 6-inch display, in line with our intel from earlier this year. The tweet also mentions that the device will ship running Windows Phone 8.1 and launch some time after the Nokia EOS.

Olloclip introduces telephoto lens, brings 2x magnification to iPhone camera

Olloclip, the company making the awesome iPhone 3-in-1 camera lens system, has officially announced that it is now adding a brand new Telephoto lens that will allow 2 times magnification. As all other lenses, the lens just snaps on the edge covering the rear camera and augmenting it with new functionality.
The Olloclip iPhone Telephoto lens will be available in two versions - one for the iPhone 5 and another one for iPhone 4S/4. The lens will appear in Apple Stores later on this month and in Best Buy in August.
The package includes not just the lens itself, but a telephoto lens cap, microfiber bags, CPL/wide-angle lens adapter and iPod touch 5th generation adapter as well. If you can swallow the $99 price tag, that seems a great accessory to have in addition to the fish eye/wide-angle/macro 3-in-1 system.

Google announces it will retire Latitude on August 9th

Today has finally seen the release of the overhauled Google Maps, and a smaller news note that was hidden in that announcement is that Google Latitude will be retired on August 9th. Latitude has been Google's location sharingservice, although it has never been a very popular option compared to services like Foursquare and Facebook. But more importantly, Latitude has been somewhat eclipsed by Google+ which has its own location sharing service, and one that gets far more use than Latitude.

Latitude had always been a strange product. It is baked-in to Google Maps, and had a fairly good feature set, allowing for automatic tracking of location, and check-in prompts or automatic check-ins at locations you set. The problem was always that very few people used it. So, if you're looking for it in the newest Maps update for Android, you won't find it. The standalone app for iOS will be removed from the store, and the Latitude API will be retired, meaning 3rd-party apps that use it will cease to work, unless they switch to Google+ location sharing.

Nokia Windows Tablet Prototype Images Leaked

The Nokia tablet was rumored to be running on a lowly Tegra 3 processor, have a 10″ display, HDMI and USB ports, SIM slot and a MagSafe charger, similar to that of the MacBook and Microsoft Surface – a charger that magnetically attaches to the port for convenience.

The tablet is said to sport the model number NVIDIA P1001, but we doubt it will be what the final version is called. When we hear more, we’ll update you immediately.

Android in June 2013: Jelly Bean overtakes Gingerbread

 Jelly Bean (Android 4.1 and 4.2) finally did what ICS (4.0.x) never managed – get more market share than Gingerbread.
Gingerbread in its current form (API level 10) debuted in February 2011, while the initial version, API level 9, came out in December 2010, but all GB phones were updated. Anyway, it's still the most popular version of Android going by version numbers rather than nicknames – v2.3 is at 34.1% and v4.1 is at 32.3%, with v4.2 contributing another 5.6%.
Both Jelly Bean versions saw an increase in market share since May at the cost of Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich. Eclair and Froyo, which still hold single digit percentages have barely moved.
The Holo-centric Android 4.0+ versions now power over 60% of the Android market, which will hopefully mean that more devs focus on bringing a Holo interface with their apps.

Moto X phone to sport a so-called Clear Pixel camera with gesture controls

Some new info emerged on the Moto X, on top of what we already heard about customization options and always-on awareness of the handsets.

It turns out that the Moto X phone might "feature a Clear Pixel Camera with gesture controls," whatever that means. Google's Vic Gundotra was promising "insanely great" camera in the next Nexus phone, with Nikon branding, but for now it seems that Motorola and the Nexus line will be kept separated, though that camera might have been folded into the Moto X, too.

Last we heard, the shooter was supposed to be 10 MP, and the source also confirmed the specs that were tipped to us before - 720p HD screen, dual-core Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 Pro processor and 2 GB of RAM. 

The thing he writes about the camera is that "dark, blurry pics and lack of details will be things of the past," and one comment reminds us of a technology Kodak had a while ago that incorporates panchromatic, or "clear" pixels, like the arrangement you see on the right, to achieve two to four times better light sensitivity. Whether the Moto X camera will use a similar technology, and will this result in better low-light pictures in reality.

Valve releases new steam for linux beta client

After a development version garners sufficient changes, Valve promotes it to stable. The work for the next 

beta starts almost immediately.

Highlights of the latest Steam for Linux beta update:

• Support for 64-bit Linux titles has been implemented;

• A "friendly machine name" is now provided when Steam-Guarding an account;

• Finding Steam client skins on Linux now works properly;

• A crash that occurred when looking at community images on Linux has been fixed;

• Linux Steam overlay is now restoring the proper mouse cursor;

• The data format of client updates has been changed in order to improve the compatibility with flawed proxy servers.

Trio coloured Nokia Lumia 1020 leaked press image revealed

A few days after we saw it wearing AT&T livery, the Nokia Lumia 1020 appeared in yet another press image. This time around, the Windows Phone 8 imaging powerhouse appeared free of carrier branding, and showcasing three colors - white, black, and yellow.

Alongside the leaked press image, some fresh details about the handset's specs emerged, including its much talked about camera unit. The latter promises to be a smartphone photographer's dream when the handset goes official.
Reportedly, the 41MP camera unit of the Nokia Lumia 1020 will be capable of simultaneously capturing 32MP and 5MP images with 16:9 ratio, as well as a 38MP ones with 4:3 aspect. The 5MP image will be oversampled by combining seven pixels into one "super pixel." The camera will unsurprisingly feature optical image stabilization (OIS) and F2.2 aperture.
The Pro Camera app which left us wondering last time will bring proper enthusiast settings to the user. They include the option to manually tweak ISO, white balance, focus, shutter speed, and the flash settings.
Further leaked specs for the Nokia Lumia 1020 included never before seen on WP handset 2GB of RAM, 32GB of non-expandable storage, NFC, FM radio, flip to silence gesture, and optional wireless charging.
Nokia Lumia 1020 is allegedly expected to hit AT&T's shelves by the end of this month. No details have been spilled on international availability.
The Nokia Lumia 1020 will break cover this coming Thursday in New York City. We will be covering the event live from the spot, so be sure to tune in for the full scoop on the smartphone.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 appeared in yet another press image. This time around, the Windows Phone 8 imaging powerhouse appeared free of carrier branding, and showcasing three colors - white, black, and yellow.

Micromax launches Canvas 4 in India for $295

Micromax has launched the highly anticipated Canvas 4 in India. The phone was being teased for quite a while now and was even up for pre-order (without announcing the full price) but it was finally unveiled in an event today at New Delhi.
The Canvas 4 has a 5.0-inch, 1280 x 720 'TRU-HD' IPS panel, a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 13 megapixel rear camera with five element lens, image stabilization, multiple face detection and vertical panorama, 5 megapixel front camera, dual SIM, dual standby functionality, expandable memory, flip cover option, 2,000mAh battery and Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean.
One of the unique features of this phone is Blow to Unlock, wherein you essentially blow a kiss to your phone to unlock it (yes, that's an actual feature). Other, more sensible features include video pinning to pin videos on the homescreen and look away to pause video, stuff that's straight out of Samsung's TouchWiz. You can also turn the phone down during a call and it automatically switches to loudspeaker mode.
The Micromax Canvas is priced at INR17,999 ($295) and will be on sale this weekend in India.

Official Intel statement denies Tizen's death rumors

Intel has posted a statement regarding the rumor that the Tizen OS, which is co-developed with Samsung, is dying. The rumor came from Eldar Murtazin, whose prediction record seems to have picked up another miss.

Obviously, Intel hasn't been all too pleased with such information floating around the web and has posted the following statement, cited by TizenExperts.com.

Intel is very committed to the development of Tizen. We see a unique role for Tizen in the industry to create and to grow a new, open and flexible, mobile operating system that allows developers to "write once/run on many devices". Tizen has received broad industry support through the Tizen Association and has achieved major milestones this year including establishing the storefront, releasing the Tizen 2.1 source code, the Tizen IVI 2.0 and the Tizen 2.2 Beta SDK that was just released yesterday.

The authenticity of the message above isn't confirmed, as a source isn't directly pointed out. If true, it seems that Intel is keen on continuing its work on the Tizen project. Samsung has also proven a lot of commitment to the mobile OS. The company has been running a Tizen app challenge race with a $4 million prize and released a new SDK for the platform just this week.
We suspect Samsung is going to chime in soon enough with an official statement