this week

Microsoft changes resolution requirement, allowing for smaller Windows 8 devices

If you have been tempted by the nifty touch experience of Windows 8 tablets, but wished for some smaller sized hardware, you may have something to look forward to.Windows 8 devices have had a minimum resolution requirement of 1366x768, which is what you would find on a Surface RT tablet. OEMs would not be allowed to affix the Windows 8 logo to their products if they went below that resolution standard.Microsoft has changed that requirement, and it is a significant change. The minimum resolution requirement is now 1024x768, shared by the iPad mini and still in the ballpark with the Kindle Fire HD and Google Nexus 7. Microsoft is relaxing the requirement because
 “partners exploring designs for certain markets could find greater design flexibility helpful.”

That pretty much means smaller display options, and more compact hardware as a result.  The Kindle Fire HD and Google Nexus 7 are great sub-$200 tablets and they represent a segment that Windows 8 would be very late in joining the party should smaller Windows tablets come to market, but could certainly be a contender, especially while running the full Windows 8 operating system.
There is a significant trade-off though (there always is), manufacturers that adopt this lower resolution for their tablets must disable snap. Snap is the feature that allows to Windows Store applications to be viewed side-by-side. Moreover, OEMs that want Microsoft’s blessing must provide “conspicuous disclaimers” to customers.
The issue for Microsoft is loss of the positive experience provided by snap as a result of the lower resolution. So while the lower resolution will be permitted, the lower standard is below the “threshold for snap.”Does this mean we can expect to see a flood of smaller Windows 8 tablets? We would not say a “flood,” but the touch experience provided by Windows 8 will fit quite nicely in a smaller package and we would be interested in seeing what a mini-Surface might offer

Rumor: Sony prepping 5" Xperia Cyber-shot and Walkman phones for Q3 to lure camera and music buffs

Not that Sony didn't prove itself with the slim waterproof Xperia Z this season, but apparently CEO Kaz Hirai has a dream pet project to stuff everything that Sony is capable of in the camera and sound department (and that's a lot) into upcoming Xperia handsets, slated for release in time for the holiday shopping craze.

We've been hearing rumors for a while about this project, allegedly under the One Sony umbrella, but now a tipster of ours fleshed out the strategy with some heartwarming stories about Cyber-shot and Walkman tech about to be placed into flagship Xperia smartphones with Android. Of course, the information below is neither confirmed by Sony, nor verified, save for some rumblings on several company-centric forums, so we can't vouch for its credibility, but here's the full scoop:

Apart from the xperia a,ul,phablet launching in summer... There are three more parallel flagships coming in q3.

1. This one is 5 inch xperia cybershot. It will be equipped with best camera so far in smartphones. With sensor size almost equal to pureview 808 and carl zeiss optics it will stand out from the rest of the crowd. Other specs will be top of the line. Also, the waistline of the phone is well within limits.

2. This one is 5 inch xperia walkman. It will come with integrated amplifier chip and all other goodies of sony walkman series and same top specs.

3. This one is a direct iPhone competitor in a small form factor and small screen size with camera and other specs same as xperia cybershot.

Pretty interesting speculation, and it seems that this year will be the one when Android phones will finally get the much needed boost in the camera department. As you might have noticed, apart from reiterating the Xperia A and UL rumor, the tipster is also confirming the Togari phablet we wrote an article about, as slated for release in the summer, so if even a part of this rumor pans out, Sony will be in it to win it in the second half of the year, on the quest to become the third largest smartphone maker globally, after Samsung and Apple.

Company with Foxconn Source Says iPhone 5S Coming in June

Rumors regarding Apple’s next iPhone are inevitable. You can’t ignore them like you can’t ignore air. And this one is no different, but it carries a little more weight than what we’ve heard. According to a Shenzhen-based manufacturer that allegedly has an inside track with Foxconn, Apple is indeed planning a June launch for the next iPhone.
Unveiled by TechCrunch, a “confidential presentation” points to a “firm June 2013” launch of what’s known as the iPhone 5S. The unknown manufacturer claims it’s working directly with Foxconn as it ramps up production of Apple’s next handset so it can have products available immediately following the iPhone 5S’ launch.
June rumors have been gaining a lot of steam as of late, and this is the biggest indication yet we’ll see Apple’s next handset over summer. The company has been pretty quiet over the last few months—though the speculation has been rife with smart watch, iPad mini 2 and iPhone stories.

  

 

Galaxy S4 mini confirmed by Samsung SVP

The Samsung Galaxy S4 has leaked a few times before but this slip comes from Lee Keon Hyok, Senior Vice President at Samsung Electronics who talked to BusinessWeek.
Apparently, “the Galaxy S 4 doesn’t come out until late April. It’s fast, has a big, bright screen, and will probably be another huge hit for Samsung, as will the S4 mini that will go on sale soon after”.
That’s not a lot to go on, but at least it confirms the Galaxy S4 mini exists and we’re not looking at a random Galaxy model (most look quite similar).
KnowYourMobile has gotten hold of some unconfirmed info on the upcoming diminutive smartphone. The main camera will have an 8MP sensor that will capture HD video (possibly 1080p) and there will be a front-facing camera of unknown resolution.
According to the site the Galaxy S4 mini’s chipset (the Exynos 5210?) will pack just 1GB of RAM. The internal storage options are 8GB, 16GB and 32G with a microSD card slot. The estimated price for the Galaxy S4 mini is £300 / $450.
Keep in mind that KnowYourMobile’s data should be taken with a pinch of salt. Even Lee Keon Hyok’s comments should not be taken for granted

 

 

Sony working on 5-inch midrange device with qua-core MT chip

According to industry sources Sony is looking to expand its portfolio by bringing an affordable quad-core 5-incher to market. Details on specs are scarce but the device may be powered by the MediaTek MT6589 SoC, which offers four Cortex-A7 cores.
According to said sources the device production will be outsourced to Arima.


Arima is working with Sony on the budget-friendly Xperia E. Sony is also reportedly working with Compal Communications and Foxconn and plans for them to produce between 8 and 10 million devices this year.

Mystery Snapdragon 800 LG device tops GLBenchmark charts

An as yet unidentified device from LG has on the popular GLBenchmark GPU benchmarking site. This is hardly important on its own, but the results posted by its Snapdragon 800 beat out the competition by a significant margin.


The device is set to feature the new Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) processor alongside Adreno 330 GPU with a screen resolution of 1794 x 1080 (which is 1080p with virtual buttons). The new GPU managed to easily outdo even the iPad 4, let alone the current smartphone top dogs.
Not much else is known about the device beyond the Android 4.2.2 OS, although with such a specs sheet it will be quite a high-end offering when LG decide to put it on the market.

Texas Instruments develops chipset enabling half the time needed to recharge battery

The new line of chips, seven in all, supply power twice as fast as the current generation of chipsets thanks to a new “battery path impedance compensation system.” These new integrated circuits for single-cell lithium-ion batteries can be used in a wide array of devices.

The “BQ2419x” line can find use not only in smartphones and tablets, but also LTE routers, Wi-Fi speakers, even mobile medical equipment and other portable devices.

It seems like battery technology has not been keeping pace with the advances in mobile hardware and network technologies. However, it has not been standing still either. Lithium-ion batteries have been seeing incremental improvements in density. The sector has also been contending with safety factors as well while it improves the technology overall.

The new TI “fast-charge units” meet Energy Star and EU charging specifications and are designed to run cool while being up to 92% efficient. That is not too bad for a component measuring just 4mm x 4mm. With smartphone sales expected to grow by leaps and bounds for the foreseeable future, this new chip by Texas Instruments is timely.

AMD busts out 'world's fastest graphics card' at GDC

Delays due to technical issues be damned: AMD had a bevy of graphics cards to unveil tonight and it wasn't going to let some set-up snags get in the way.
After an initial hold up, AMD's GDC 2013 press conference got off to an impressive start, though the company decided to save the best for last.
Just when attendees thought it was over, AMD's Devon Nekechuk, product manager for high-end graphics, broke out the never-before-seen reference design for the Radeon HD 7990.
"This is the world's first preview of this card," Nekechuck said. "This is the first public showing ever."

Nekechuk struck a pose with the Radeon HD 7990

Rad, man

As Nekechuk noted, the dual-GPU unit shown tonight was just a preview, but he didn't skimp in piling praise on the red and black rectangle codenamed Malta.
"This packs two of our 7990 series GPUs. This is only a preview series today, so I'm going to have to hold back some of the details for you guys, but this is not only the world's fastest graphics card, this thing is whisper quiet with these three fans over here. This thing delivers massive performance and this is really the gamer's dream card."
The Radeon HD 7990 is part of the same family as other 7990s on the market, including the Asus Ares II and the PowerColor Double 13, the product manager said.
Details are sparse, and there's no word yet when we'll see its graphics prowess come to market, though AMD is expected to start shipping its new 8000 series before the year is up, putting some time squeeze on the 7990.

Take it to the sky

Before cameras were set a'flashing with Nekechuk's processor, AMD also revealed a new line of cloud gaming GPUs, the Radeon Sky Series.
"This is a dedicated series of graphics cards dedicated to cloud gaming," said David Cummings, general manager, professional graphics. Not just one but three products were introduced.
The Sky 900 is the beast of the bunch, housing 3584 stream processors, 6GB GDDR5 (3GB/GPU) memory and 480GB/s of memory bandwidth.

Cummings shows off the dual-GPU Sky 900

The Sky 700 is sliced down to 1792 stream processors, 6GB GDDR5and 264GB/s, while Sky 500 runs with 1280 stream processors, 4GB GDDR5 and 154GB/s.
The cards are passively cooled, Cummings explained, a sign that the processors are meant to live in not in consumers' home but in data centers owned by enterprise.
AMD built the Sky GPUs on its Graphics Core Next architecture and worked with a number of cloud gaming partners, including CiiNow, G-Cluster, Otoy and Ubitus, to bring about a complete and powerful gaming experience.

ZTE Grand Memo and ZTE Grand S are both launched in China

Two new handsets launched in China on Wednesday, the ZTE Grand Memo and the ZTE Grand S. The former made quite a stir at MWC when ZTE said that it was packing Qualcomm's high-end Snapdragon 800. The only problem is that no phone has yet to have the 800 inside, and Qualcomm denied the report. It turned out that different versions of the phone for different locations will have different specs and ZTE says that some variants of the phone will eventually be powered by the 800.

As it turns out, the version of the phone now for sale in China is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro after all, and includes 1GB of RAM. The huge 5.7 inch screen has 720p of resolution, which works out to 258ppi of pixel density. The 13MP camera on back captures video in 1080p while a camera of unknown size is around front. 16GB of native storage comes with the device, but there is no microSD slot aboard for storage expansion. A 3200 mAh battery keeps the lights on while Android 4.1 is installed out of the box. This device costs you 2,688 yuan ($432 USD). In case you're wondering, the version of the phone using the Snapdragon 600 or the Snapdragon 800 down the road, will have 2GB of RAM inside.

The ZTE Grand S is also now available for 3,399 yuan ($547 USD) and is equipped with a a 5 inch FHD display which works out to the usual 441ppi pixel density. The quad-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor is under the hood along with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of native storage. The latter can be expanded through the use of a microSD card. The 13MP camera on back captures FHD video and the 2MP front-facing shooter takes self-portraits and supports video chats. If there is one shortfall, it is the battery, which at 1780mAh seems woefully undersized. The ZTE Grand S is wickedly thin, measuring just 6.9mm. Back in January, the manufacturer's top North American executive said that this handset would be offered in the U.S by an unnamed carrier at an unknown date.

Now available in China, the ZTE Grand Memo (L) and the ZTE Grand S

Nokia N900 and NEMO Mobile snapshot 0.20130218.1.NEMO.2013-03-24.2

The last post on the 950 reminded me of this video I watched the other day on the Nokia N900 (note the resistive stylus that pops on the screen every now and again?).

The N900 is running NEMO Mobile snapshot 0.20130218.1, part of the Mer project on MAEMO which otherwise looks like Harmattan                                                                                                          

Google+ now supports animated GIF images for your profile photo

Google+ is keen to maintain its reputation of being one of the most innovative social networks and has released a new update that allows you to set animated GIF images as your profile picture. Of course, MySpace has had this feature for a while, but with Google+, the feature is finally bound to get wider exposure.

The latest addition allows you to use the animated GIF images as your account’s banner and the image will be viewed by the users visiting your profile. The GIF images will animate on both the desktop version of the site and the mobile applications.
Meanwhile, Google is trying its best to promote its latest addition and is suggesting its users to make their own GIF images by re-directing them to “How to make a GIF” results in the Google search.

Windows Blue early build leaks, shows us some of the new features

A new build of the next update to Windows 8, codenamed Windows Blue, has been leaked on the internet. Build 9364 introduces quite a few changes and improvements to the existing Windows 8 and would make living with Microsoft’s newest operating system that much more easier.

One of the changes in Blue is addition of two new sizes for the live tiles. You can now have tiny, icon sized tiles, similar to the ones introduced in Windows Phone 8, as well as a giant new square tile that is twice the size of the previous largest tile. The theme settings have also been updated, with finer control over the color of the desktop background.
Other useful new addition is a 50:50 snap option for application windows. Earlier, this functionality was only available to desktop Windows apps but will now be available for apps using the Modern UI as well. In fact, you will be able to snap four apps simultaneously in this update, thus significantly boosting your productivity and reducing app switches.

Other changes in this build include a new improved Settings panel in the Modern UI with additional options, that will have you switching over to the more extensive desktop Control Panel app less frequently, new Charms, including a Share Charm for quickly taking and sharing a screenshot of the current app and Internet Explorer 11.
A public preview of Windows Blue is expected to be released in the coming months with the full release later this year. Hopefully, it will make using Windows 8 a better experience compared to what it is right now

Google Translate gets offline support for 50 languages

It's been a while since we've seen an update to Google's Translate app, but today brought a pretty big update. The update was pushed out this morning and it brought with it a new option to download language packs to be used for offline translations. That alone is pretty impressive, but even better: there are 50 language packs from which to choose.

This is a really nice update for anyone who likes to travel, because it means you no longer have to use a data plan to get your translations. So, no more data roaming, or paying for extra data while you travel. It’s also really nice for tablet users who may not have a data connection anyway.

After you update, just check the menu in the top right to download any language packs you may want. If you want to grab Google Translate, it’s available for free in the Google Play Store.

Microsoft to merge Windows RT into Windows Blue?

 

Microsoft might no longer launch Windows RT devices and will merge the operating system and devices with it in the huge new overhaul to Windows, Windows Blue, according to DigiTimes’ supply sources in Taiwan.

Windows RT is the name Microsoft uses for its ARM-based devices. Windows RT comes with the same modern interface like Windows 8, but unlike it, it does not support legacy Windows applications. It also suffers from compatibility issues

There is still no official confirmation on these Windows RT news from Microsoft, and we don’t really expect the company to say something earlier than the Microsoft Build Developer Conference 2013. It will take place in San Francisco from June 26th to 28th. So take this with a grain of salt for the time being.

What’s notable is that DigiTimes also expects Windows-based Intel device sales to drop significantly in the period before the launch of Intel’s fourth-generation Core chips, Haswell. The first Haswell computers are expected to arrive around June.

Sony prepping an inexpensive 5-incher for Q3

Tucked in an "industry observers" report from supply chain sources is the nugget that Sony will be launching an affordable 5-incher this year, alongside a sleuth of entry to mid-range handsets.

We already saw the Xperia L and Xperia SP announced, and the rumors keep coming for an Xperia A, Xperia  UL and the Togari flagship, hinting at a pretty respectable roadmap for the year, covering the gamut of consumer choices, as Sony already hinted it wants to take the second place amongst Android makers, after Samsung.

As per the inexpensive 5-incher, the saying is: "Sony also plans to roll out a 5-inch entry-level model in the third quarter, which is likely to be powered by a MediaTek quad-core processor and manufactured by Arima, indicated the industry sources."

Windows Phone 8 update to activate FM radios, enable double-tap to wake Lumia 920

Microsoft is currently preparing a new Windows Phone 8 update, The Verge has learned. Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans have revealed that the software maker plans to support FM radio hardware in its latest update, returning a hardware feature that the company dropped with its latest mobile OS. Windows Phone 7 used to support FM radio hardware, and Microsoft has been working to bring this support back to Windows Phone 8. The hardware support will be part of a General Distribution Release (GDR2) for Windows Phone 8. We understand that the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 will support FM radio, while other compatible handsets will also include the support.

Nokia is also building in its own firmware improvements into GDR2. Sources familiar with Nokia's plans have revealed to The Verge that the company will add a new screen activation gesture. Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 owners will be able to double-tap the screen to wake the device from standby. Other firmware specific improvements from Nokia include a flip to silence option, and Lumia color profile settings for the device screen. We're told that the update, which is minor, will be made available over the coming months

Sony Xperia A and Xperia UL Uncovered 

Two new Xperia devices have been uncovered, and they might already put the Xperia Z and ZL into retirement. Although, as noted by Xperia Blog, these devices are likely destined for Japan, possibly this summer, with no indication they’ll make it over to the States. Be that as it may, the information provided are just rumors anyhow, so lets not write off Sony’s current flagships just yet.
One of the devices, known as Xperia A (codenamed Dogo), will sport a 4.6-inch HD display (likely 720p, but XperiaBlog said it might be 1080p) and a Snapdragon 600 chipset. The device will also have 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, 2300mAh body, a water/dust resistant body, mobile wallet and an IR blaster.
The other handset, the Xperia UL (codenamed Gaga), will come equipped with a 5-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 600 chipset, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a removable 2300mAh battery, and the same features as the Xperia A. In addition, Sony might also be working on a 6.4-inch handset (Togari) with 1080p display, but little else is known about the massive phablet.
None of this information has been verified, so they’re big fat rumors for now. Sony’s handsets will likely score big in Japan, but elsewhere? If they do make it overseas, they’ll have to do battle with handsets such as the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4. So far, those two seem like the gold standard for this year.

HTC Desire P and Desire Q official images surface, specs in tow

HTC has let a couple of official photos of its latest smartphone offerings the Desire P and Desire Q make it to the web, garnished with some specs. Both devices are running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and are what appears to be replacements for the Desire SV and Desire U, respectively.

HTC Desire Q • HTC Desire P
The mid-range HTC Desire P (T326h) is built around a 4.3" display of WVGA resolution. At the back of its plastic body there's an 8MP camera with LED flash, while inside resides a 1GHz dual-core CPU of unknown variety.
The Desire P has a few nice bonus features like Beats Audio and microSD card slot. At the front, there's also a front-facing camera. The smartphone is bound to hit China and will be offered by China Mobile for a purported price of $365.
As for the HTC Desire Q (T328h), it's smaller and cheaper than the Desire P and packs a 4" display. Its resolution is still unclear as are the rest of the specs. However, it's known to boast Beats Audio capabilities and will retail for $235 in Taiwan. It'll likely be available in China as well

 Nokia Transit for full touch Asha phones goes into beta

Nokia Transit is a great app for those relying on public transportation, but so far it was exclusive to Lumia phones. Well, not for long – a beta version of the app can be installed on the full touch Nokia Asha 3xx phones.

In case you’re unfamiliar with Transit, here’s what it does – it finds nearby stations (or you can search for stations by address), tells you about departure times and can plan a route to your destination, even across several lines and modes of transportation. There are detailed instructions for each route and favorite routes can be saved for offline usage.
The Nokia Transit app for Asha will work on Asha 305, 306, 308, 309 and 311. The 310 was left out of the list for some reason.

You can grab the beta version of the app from Nokia Beta Labs, you’ll need an account (free signup). Windows Phone-powered Nokia Lumia phones can enjoy a full version of the app from the Marketplace.

this week

Leaked ZTE Grand X Quad press photo confirms 5" display

A press image of the ZTE Grand X Quad has been leaked by the kind folks over at @evleaks today, alongside some specs which shed more light on the company's mid-range offering.

The ZTE Grand X Quad stands right below the company's flagship - the Grand S - and comes with a 5" gapless TFT display of 720p resolution. It's powered by an undisclosed 1.2GHz quad-core processor (likely the MediaTek MT6589), 1GB of RAM. Internal memory remains a mystery, but it's rumored the Grand X Quad will pack a microSD card.
At the back, there's an 8MP camera with LED flash, purportedly capable of shooting 1080p videos. The battery is removable and has a capacity of 2500mAh. Still, according to preliminary specifications, the Grand X Quad weighs 163 grams and measures 141.0 x 70.0 x 8.9 mm.
Information regarding pricing isn't available at this time, but we suspect it should come around the same time the Grand S is bound to hit China - the first quarter of this year.

First Samsung Galaxy S4 mini live photos appear

With the Samsung Galaxy S4 now official, it's time for the rest of the new generation Galaxy devices to start making an appearance. It turns out the first one to break ground is the Galaxy S4 mini.

SamMobile has got hold of some live photos of the smartphone, which reveals a design quite similar to the Samsung Galaxy S4. The photos below confirm that the S4 mini will even feature the back cover design of its bigger brother. The Galaxy S4 mini (GT-I9190) will be available in a dual-SIM version as well (probably carrying the Galaxy S4 mini duos moniker and GT-I9192 model number).
Despite its name and resemblance to Samsung's flagship, the Galaxy S4 mini allegedly won't pack a monster of a CPU, but rather a 1.6GHz dual-core CPU and a 4.3" Super AMOLED display of qHD resolution (960x540 pixels, 256ppi).
It's slightly bigger than the ongoing Galaxy S III mini, which features a 4" display of WVGA resolution. Unfortunately, the S4 mini's CPU type isn't known at this point, but what's known from the photos above is that the smartphone will run what's currently the latest version of Android -4.2.2 Jelly Bean.
According to the source the Galaxy S4 mini is expected to make its debut in June or July this year

Sony Xperia SP announced with 720p LCD, dual-core Krait and LTE

Sony has just introduced the latest addition to its smartphone lineup called Xperia SP. The mid-range smartphone runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and comes with a 4.6" 720p Bravia Engine 2 LCD and a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960Pro chipset.
The Sony Xperia SP's dual core Krait CPU is clocked at 1.7GHz, while an Adreno 320 GPU is in charge of graphics. There's 8GB of storage, but you can use the microSD card slot to expand that. The 8 megapixel camera is capable of shooting 1080p video and there's a VGA front-facer to take care of video chats.

Sony Xperia SP official photos
The Sony Xperia SP features a plastic body and with a co-moulded aluminum frame, measures 130.6 x 67.1 x 9.98 mm and weighs 155g. There's an illuminated notification strip, which can be customized to flash in different colors depending on who is calling.
The connectivity department offers the usual Bluetooth, GPS/GLONASS, Wi-Fi and MHL-powered microUSB as well as NFC and LTE.
The battery inside the Sony Xperia SP has a capacity of 2370 mAh, which combined with the Sony home-backed Stamina mode, should give you pretty good power autonomy. The official stand-by times are 635 h (GSM), 734 h (UMTS) and 709 h (LTE), while talk time is rated at 18 h 53min.
The Sony Xperia SP should be available in white, red and black from Q2, but its pricing is yet to be confirmed.
We had a chance to spend some quality time with the Sony Xperia SP and we can give you some live photos of the smartphone. 

Sony unveils the mid-range Xperia L

The Sony Xperia L joins the mid-range ranks in Sony's smartphone portfolio with a cameraphone twist to it. The Xperia L is equipped with an 8MP camera, which uses Sony's latest mobile Exmor RS sensor and offers a built-in HDR mode for both stills and video. What's more, the smartphone comes with a dedicated camera shutter key.
As for the rest of the features on the Xperia L - the whole thing revolves around a 4.3-inch screen with a resolution of 854x480px and a scratch-resistant cover glass.
Under the hood there's a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8230 chipset, which utilizes a CPU with two Krait cores so performance should be respectable.


Even though the camera and the large screen will probably be the biggest selling point of the Xperia L, one of its highlights is the LED at the bottom of the handset, which produces some neat illumination effects matching in color the image you are looking at on the screen.
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G HSPA connectivity are a given, but there's also NFC support for one-touch connecting to NFC-capable accessories.

Sony Xperia L official photos
The Xperia L has a 1900mAh battery and a battery STAMINA Mode for optimizing power consumption.
The Xperia L will be available in white, red or black and will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean straight from its launch in Q2 this year.

Sapphire glass is nearly three times tougher than Gorilla Glass, might be on future smartphones

The Samsung Galaxy S 4 was just unveiled as the first phone coming with Corning’s new Gorilla Glass 3, and as tough as Gorilla Glass is, in the near future we might have much tougher glass on our devices. That will be sapphire glass, a type of glass that already has its use in the military for transparent armor, and that might soon arrive to smartphones.

A type aluminum oxide, sapphire is transparent and nearly three times tougher and more scratch resistant than current glass. It is actually so tough it’s comparable to diamonds. However unlike diamonds, it is much cheaper. This ruggedness and relatively affordable price make it a good candidate for the future superphones. The only hurdle? It is not yet affordable enough.

While Gorilla Glass could cost around $3 apiece, the same sized slab of sapphire might run phone makers up to $30.

There is a lot of savings to come though as competition in the space heats up and mass production would also significantly lower its costs.

We’re sure Corning will also not be resting idle while other companies try to make the case for sapphire. The end result though will surely be tougher and more scratch resistant glass in our smartphones.

Sony, Lenovo, Huawei and ZTE to launch MediaTek-based quad-core phones soon: are the cheap 1080p devices coming?

MediaTek’s quad-core MT6589 chip is behind the boom in cheap 1080p smartphones in China, and its popularity is only about to grow as big name manufacturers like Sony, Lenovo, Huawei and ZTE are all expected to launch devices with the MediaTek chip. Overall, the chip maker has partnered with 20 manufacturers, all expected to roll out devices with its silicon in March to April. To help its popularity, MediaTek is expected to slash the price of the chip by 10% from April.

The quad-core MT6589 might not be among the most powerful ones out there, but it delivers a very solid performance for an extremely low price that allows Chinese manufacturers like Umi to deliver 1080p 5-inch phones with an IPS screen for a price of around $200 or less. That is the off contract price, nearly three times less than what known manufacturers charge for their 1080p smartphones.

With Sony, Lenovo, Huawei and ZTE on board, though, that might be a huge opportunity for Taiwanese chip maker MediaTek to start rivalling the bigger chip makers like Qualcomm and samsung.

Kobo releases Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for its affordable Arc tablet

Glorious times ensue for Kobo Arc owners! The manufacturer has just released an update bringing Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to the inexpensive tablet. The Arc may be running a custom user interface, but that won't stand in the way it getting a bunch of new features and improvements with this update.

Users should notice a significant improvement in the device's performance, as the update will not only bring features like Google Now, expandable notifications and Face Unlock, but, probably more importantly, will also enhance the responsiveness and speed of the tablet
The update should become available as soon as users connect the Kobo Arc to a Wi-Fi network

Fujifilm announces FinePix XP200 ruggedized camera, S8400W superzoom

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Ready to hear about some mid-range Fujifilm point-and-shoots? Let's do this. The FinePix XP200 looks like the more exciting model of the bunch, so we'll start there. Available with red, purple, yellow, green, blue and orange glossy finishes, this ruggedized camera packs a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor with image stabilization, a 28-140mm lens, 3-inch, 920k-dot LCD, a 10-frames-per-second continuous shooting mode, 1080/60i video and built-in WiFi for pushing pics to a companion app. It's a ruggedized cam, so that means it's waterproof to 50 feet, freezeproof to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10°C) and shockproof to 6.6-foot drops.
The other flavor is a superzoom model, or a "bridge camera," as manufacturers are calling them these days. The lens is the focus here, and this one's got a 24-1,056mm, 44x optic with a maximum aperture range of f/2.9 to f/6.5. There's also optical image stabilization and a Super Macro mode that lets you shoot subjects that are just 0.39 inch from the lens. There's a 16-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, sensitivity through ISO 12,800, 1080/60i video capture, a 10 fps continuous shooting mode and WiFi. You can preview images on the 3-inch, 460k-dot LCD or the 201k-dot electronic viewfinder. This model, the FinePix S8400W, comes in black and ships in May for $350. The XP200 will also ship in May, priced at $300. Read up on both in the PR after the break

Xiaomi Mi-3 to boast a 5" 1080p screen, Snapdragon 800 chipset

Xiaomi phones are known for their excellent specs and surprisingly low price and the rumored third generation is no exception. The Xiaomi Mi-3 is not official yet and the announcement will probably wait until Google I/O as the new phone from the young Chinese company is said to launch with MIUI software based on Android 5.0.


The Xiaomi Mi-3 will reportedly feature a 5" 1080p screen and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset. The Krait 400 cores will be clocked at the stunning (and implausible sounding) 2.3GHz. Previous rumors said 4.5” screen and Tegra 4 chipset (quad Cortex-A15 CPU).
Anyway, the upcoming Xiaomi is said to pack a 13MP camera and a massive 3,000mAh battery.
There’s no word on pricing yet, but the previous two Xiaomi phones launched at RMB 1,999 or about $310, so there’s no reason to expect the Mi-3 to be any different. Again, these are just rumors, we’ll have to wait for official info from Xiaomi.
It’s a real shame that the company’s phones are virtually impossible to buy outside of China. The company has yet to make serious move to the international market.

BLU announces the LIFE series of affordable dual-SIM smartphones

US-based BLU Products has announced a new Android trio to join its lineup of affordable smartphones. All new phones are part of the LIFE series offering dual-SIM connectivity alongside some more than decent specs for a price that's really hard to match.
All members of the LIFE line-up are powered by the same MediaTek MT6589 SoC with 1.2GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 CPU, a GPU from the PowerVR Series5XT series and 1GB of RAM. Android 4.2 is the starting point for the three.

With their similarities out of the way, the Life View features the largest display of the bunch, a 5.7" IPS display of HD resolution (257 ppi). The phablet packs a 12 MP camera at the back, and a 5MP unit at the front. Internal memory is 16GB, expandable via the onboard microSD card slot. However, we're not so sure how the rather small (for the class) 2,600mAh battery will cope.

On to the Life One, which touts a 5" 720p IPS display (that's 293 ppi). With an expandable storage of 16GB, the One features a 13MP camera at the back, coupled with a 5MP unit at the front. Battery is smaller, due to the more reasonable screen size, and is 2,000mAh.

Finally, there's the Life Play, with the smallest screen of the trio - a 4.7" display, again of HD resolution gives you a pixel density of 312 ppi. BLU boasts it to be just 7.9mm thick (the same thickness as the Galaxy S4 and Xperia Z) featuring an 8MP rear camera and 2MP front-facing one. There's 4GB of expandable storage and a 1,800mAh battery.
BLU has outdone itself with the pricing of the LIFE series members. The Life View and Life One will be sold unlocked for $299, while the SIM-free Life Play will set you back just $229. Expect the phones to be offered by Amazon and several other US retailers in April.

Canon reveals new generation of processor in latest PowerShots

Canon has introduced two versions of its PowerShot SX travel cameras - the SX270 and SX280 - both of which have 20x optical zooms.
The two cameras are the same in most ways, however the Canon PowerShot SX280 HS also has inbuilt Wi-Fi and GPS for increased connectivity.
Most interestingly perhaps is that these are the first cameras to include Canon's latest generation of image processor - the Digic 6 processor. Canon always debuts its new processors in compact cameras first, before placing them inside its DSLRs at a later date.

The new processor facilitates Full HD video recording at a smooth 60fps. Canon also claims that low light performance has been enhanced with the capability to capture up to 30 per cent more detail than the previous model.
A 12.1 million pixel high sensitivity CMOS sensor is included in the cameras, with ISO capability up to ISO 6400.

Zoom zoom

Both the cameras have a 25mm wide-angle 20x optical zoom lens, which includes a 4-stop optical Image Stabiliser. ZoomPlus technology, Canon's digital zoom offering, extends the reach of the zoom to 40x.

The latest version of Intelligent IS is included, which features a Dynamic IS mode. This improved mode employs a five-axis Image Stabiliser to correct for different types of camera shake, including rotational and parallel shake. This makes it easier to create smooth footage when recording while walking.
A 3-inch 461,000 dot LCD screen can be found on the back of both cameras. A tempered glass layer has been included to add strength and protection. Quick Bright technology is designed to help the screen cope with bright sunlight.
The Canon PowerShot SX280 HS price will be £299 (around US$453/AU$436), while the Canon PowerShot SX270 HS price will be £279 (around US$423/AU$407). An on-sale date is yet to be confirmed.

Canon refreshes world's first touchscreen DSLR

Canon has revealed a new DSLR to sit at the top of its consumer lineup of EOS cameras.
The Canon EOS 700D will replace the Canon EOS 650D, which was announced in June last year, but will share many of the same specifications.
First up is the 18 million pixel sensor, with hybrid autofocusing. A Digic 5 processor is also included which facilitates 5fps shooting, Full HD video recording and a native ISO sensitivity of 100-12800.
The main differences between the Canon EOS 700D and its predecessor are changes to the ergonomics. For instance, there's now a textured covering that gives it a more premium feel and is designed to help with gripping. There's also a 360-degree mode dial that enables quick flipping between the different modes available on the camera.

As on the Canon EOS 650D, a 3-inch vari-angle Clear View LCD touchscreen can be found. It's a capacitive device - like those on iPhones or iPads - so should be responsive.

Ease of use

A number of easy to use shooting modes are available, including Scene Intelligent Auto and a range of dedicated scene modes. A range of creative filters, including Fish-Eye and Miniature, are available, with the new ability to preview effects before the shot has been taken (in Live View).
Canon has also introduced a new kit lens, which will come with the Canon 700D as standard. The 18-55mm STM zoom lens features a 4-stop optical stabiliser and a full-time manual focusing ring. STM means that autofocus is near silent, which is ideal when capturing movies.
The Canon EOS 700D price will be around £619 (around US$933 / AU$899) body only, or £749 (around US$1,129 / AU$1,088) with the 18-55 STM kit lens. It should be available to buy from the end of April.

Canon debuts world's smallest DSLR

In the wake of compact system cameras continuing their inevitable march on the traditional DSLR, Canon has hit back by producing the world's smallest and lightest APS-C sized DSLR.
It seems like barely a day goes by when something isn't lauded as the world's only something or other, but Canon really has done a remarkable job of miniaturising a traditional DSLR in the shape of the 100D.
Featuring an APS-C sized sensor, the same size as those in many of its conventional DSLRs, the Canon EOS 100D boasts 18.1 million pixels and a traditional optical viewfinder. That viewfinder manages 0.87x magnification and 95% coverage.
It's roughly 25% smaller than the Canon EOS 650D, and around 28% lighter. In fact, body only, it's around the same size as some of the compact system cameras on the market that don't use mirrors and have smaller sensors - the Panasonic G5 being an excellent example.

As the company to introduce the world's first DSLR touchscreen, Canon has decided to include one on the 100D too. It's a 3-inch capacitive touchscreen. That makes even more sense when you consider that much of the space saving can come from removing a few of the direct access buttons and letting the touchscreen take over.
That 18 million pixel sensor combines with a Digic 5 processor, while it also features the same hybrid autofocusing as found on the Canon EOS 650D and Canon EOS M. Canon says that it's a completely a new sensor that uses phase detection pixels spread across 80% of the imaging surface to provide increased AF speed and tracking performance when in Live View or capturing Full HD video recording.

Creativity

Enhanced creative modes have been included on the Canon 100D, including new Kids, Food and Candlelight modes. Creative filters, which include Fish-Eye and Miniature, are also available. Extra Effect Shot mode enables one shot to be captured with the filter, and another without, just in case you change your mind at a later date.
Canon has also introduced a new kit lens, which will come with the 100D as standard. The 18-55mm STM zoom lens features a 4-stop optical stabiliser and a full-time manual focusing ring. STM means that autofocus is near silent, which is of course ideal when capturing movies.
The Canon EOS 100D price will be around £569 (around US$858 / AU$827) body only, or £699 (around US$1,054 / AU$1,016) with the kit lens attached. It should be available to buy from late April.

Dual-SIM HTC E1 China-bound Jelly Bean droid unveiled

Today HTC announced the dual-SIM E1 smartphone in China. The droid is powered by a 1.15GHz dual-core processor and comes with a 4.3-inch Super LCD2 display of WVGA resolution. There's a 5MP main camera and a 2.1MP front snapper, 8GB of internal storage expandable via a microSD slot and 1GB of RAM.

HTC E1
The HTC E1 key selling point it its dual-SIM with dual stand-by support. The primary SIM is capable of tri-band GSM and dual-band HSPA connectivity, while the secondary supports only GSM networks. Naturally, the E1 is Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled.
HTC E1 runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean skinned with HTC Sense 4+ UI and features the Beats Audio enhancements.

HTC E1
HTC E1 is already available on pre-order in China for 1799 CNY (€225). There is no info if the phone will be available outside the Chinese market, but it seems unlikely.

Motorola X Phone is highly unlikely to be customizable

Last week, we heard a rumor that the Motorola X Phone could be sold as a customizable device, where you chose the hardware features you wanted, and your phone would arrive about a week later. Earlier today, Motorola advisor Guy Kawasaki hinted at a future that would offer customizable phones, of course Mr. Kawasaki never specifically indicated it would be the X Phone.

We’ve been talking with sources in the know, and from the information we’ve been given, it is very unlikely that the X Phone would be sold as a customizable device. Those close to the X Phone project said that the most likely to know about this have never heard about the plan. And, if they haven't heard, its highly unlikely to happen.

However, that’s not to say that Guy Kawasaki is not to be believed. The X Phone may not offer customization, but we’ve been told that it is a real possibility to see a Motorola device that is customizable later in the year. This makes sense because, we’ve already seen Google managing expectations about the X Phone, which would seem to indicate that the real Googley options aren’t coming with the X Phone.

Samsung Galaxy S4 to ship with Snapdragon 600 in the UK

Samsung has already confirmed the Galaxy S4 flagship will ship with Snapdragon 600 chipset in the USA, Canada and Sweden. Today the UK joins the markets where the Galaxy S4 won't be powered by the company's own Exynos 5 Octa platform.
Since its announcement we knew Samsung Galaxy S4 will be available in two flavors - one running on Samsung's latest and greatest Exynos 5 Octa chipset and another based on the Qualcomm's Snapdragon 600 platform.
The Exynos 5 Octa chipset features two processors (which can't operate simultaneously) - a quad-core 1.6GHz ARM Cortex-A15 CPU used for heavier loads and a quad-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A7 CPU for lighter tasks. The Exynos 5 Octa also features a tri-core PowerVR SGX544MP3 graphics.
The Qualcomm's Snapdragon 600 chipset is already available on the market and utilized by a few smartphones out there. It comes with a quad-core Krait 300 processor and Adreno 320 graphics. In the Galaxy S4 models to use it, the four Krait 300 cores are clocked at 1.9GHz and as we saw in our preview that was enough to beat every other phone we've tested so far.
Still we expect the four Cortex-A15 cores to do even better and beat those four Krait 300 cores.
We suspect the LTE-enabled Galaxy S4 model (I9505) is the one based on the Snapdragon 600 chipset, while the Exynos 5 Octa one (I9500) won't feature LTE connectivity. That's probably why those key markets (USA, Canada, UK) are getting the Snapdragon-powered Galaxy S4 - because of the LTE availability in those countries.

Oppo officially outs a stunning-looking black Find 5

Oppo hast just announced a black version of the Oppo Find 5 droid, adding an additional color to its flagship offering, and in our opinion it looks even more magnificent as its white sibling.

As you can see from the photo above, the black version of the Find 5 actually looks a bit more like dark gray, but it still oozes class. Oppo will start selling the Find 5 in black starting April 1 in China. A timeframe for the international launch of the new color variation hasn't been disclosed yet.
In our in-depth Oppo Find 5 review, we shared we are quite fond of the phone's design, and the new dark color makes it all that more appealing. The 5", 1080p droid beast is powered by a 1.7GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and packs a 13MP camera with LED flash at the back.
Pricing of the black version is also unknown, but there's no reason it should be different from the price of white Find 5 ($499).
Finally, CNMO.com got hold of the phone and have taken some hands-on pictures with it. You can feast your eyes on them below.

Black Oppo Find 5 hands-on photos

NVIDIA shows 2015 roadmap with processors 100x faster (than the Tegra 2)

NVIDIA has expanded its processor roadmap to show what we should expect all the way through 2015, and to make it all sound extra impressive, NVIDIA is saying that in 2015 its chips will be 100x faster. Of course, rather than comparing the 2015 chip to the current Tegra 4, or even the last gen Tegra 3, that comparison means 100x faster than the Tegra 2.

So, the numbers are a bit inflated, and this also marks a bit of a delay for NVIDIA. When we first saw the roadmap, everything was a year earlier than we're seeing now. The old roadmap had Kal-el (Tegra 3) coming in 2011, and Wayne (Tegra 4) in 2012, but that obviously hasn't happened. The new roadmap has Logan (Tegra 5) coming next year, and Parker (previously Stark) coming in 2015. Parker is said to be 100x faster than the Tegra 2.

NVIDIA also gave a bit of info on the GPU upgrades, which currently use the "Kepler" core. Logan should feature the "Maxwell" GPU core, and Parker will feature "Volta", which will move to 3D transistors and stacked memory for better performance

NovaThor is no more as STMicro and Ericsson end joint venture

Yesterday, STMicroelectronics and Ericsson - creators of the NovaThor line of mobile processors - announced the end of their largely unprofitable mobile chip-making venture. The two manufacturers will divvy up the company back into their respective parts.


The split follows years of operating at a loss, in large part due to decreased orders from Nokia, a main smartphone customer that had lost much of its market share to other big-name rivals. In fact, ST-Ericsson had failed to turn a profit ever since its foundation in 2008.
The split will move some 1,800 employees under Ericsson's wing throughout Sweden, Germany, India and China, while STMicro will retain about 950 employees in France and Italy. Another 1,600 will lose their jobs.

Samsung: 'the Tizen phone will be out in August or September, and this will be in the high-end category'

Wondered why Samsung made a solid but not "wow" Galaxy S 4, and Google wasn't mentioned even once during the loaded launch performance last night? Well, Samsung's EVP of mobile Lee Young Hee told Bloomberg in an interview last night that "the Tizen phone will be out in August or September, and this will be in the high-end."

We kid, but it seems that Samsung has been spreading its resources pretty thin betweent the efforts to make the world's first Full HD AMOLED display with the nutty 441ppi pixel density, on the hardware side, and elevate the alternative Tizen OS to commercial launch status, on the software aspect of things. 

“Android, among other mobile operating systems, is tightly controlled,” elaborated Chase Perrin, an official with the Tizen Association. “As an open-source software platform, Tizen is designed to make it easy to develop for a range of devices.”

On the other hand, Doh Hyun Woo, an analyst for Seoul-based Mirae Asset Securities, thinks Samsung's Tizen phone is just an insurance policy for now: “This is just sort of a safety net. But if Google dominates the market just like Microsoft did in the PC market with more than 90 percent share, it may turn totally opposite.”

Tizen is going to launch with “thousands” of apps, confirmed the Tizen Association official, but whether it will be possible to shoehorn Android ones with some 3rd party help as we've already seen, remains unclear. Lee Young Hee also added that “the device will be the best product equipped with the best specifications,” so we are eager to see what the company has in store come late summer/early fall.

4K UltraHD video is expected to come to Android this year

Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 800 can do 4K HD Video

Just the other day, we told you about a phone allegedly being prepped by LG as one of several devices that Google is looking at to be the next Nexus smartphone. The specs that accompanied the rumor were pretty outrageous and included 4K UltraHD video capture on the 16MP camera. Many took a look at that and immediately stamped the whole thing as being bogus. But the truth is, 4K UltraHD video will apparently be on certain Android devices before the end of the year.

At CES and MWC, Qualcomm showed off the 4K UltraHD recording capabilities of its Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chip and has previously stated that it would be "in commercial devices" by the middle of 2013. For those unaware, 4K UltraHD video offers resolution four times the 1080p that is considered a Full HD display. That works out to 4096 x 2304.

So you might as well pick another one of the alleged specs belonging to the LG Megalotron to call the whole thing a fake, because we could very well see 4K UltraHD video sometime later this year.