this week

WP8.1 AKA Windows Blue Appears on “P4301″ and the 920 Via AdDuplex

For a while now AdDuplex has been able to provide a pretty reliable stream of information about the breakdown of the Windows Phone market-share in terms of OEMs and Software versions.
The latest tease from AdDuplex is some instances of Windows Phone 8.1 (which has been rumored to be Windows Phone Blue) appearing on a Nokia “tests device P4301″ as well as the 920 (and the unspeakable 8X). As a reminder WP8.1 is only rumored to roll out after both GDR2 and GDR3 updates, which are supposed to come out sometime this year  (GDR2 is supposed to bring Sleeping screen and a better camera UI, while GD3 is set to bring 1080p support and more cores).

Samsung unveils NX2000 smart camera with 20.3MP sensor for $650

Samsung has extended its collection of NX camera’s with the latest addition being the NX2000. The image of the NX2000 smart camera leaked earlier and now, the company has officially announced the availability of the sharpshooter, which is based on a SMART camera technology.

The NX2000 comes with a 20.3 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor and the DRIMe IV engine, providing improved picture processing and color reproduction.
The latest camera of the NX series has a 3.7″ WVGA display and offers full HD video recording. The dedicated direct link key on the camera allows you to directly post your shots to social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter etc.
While the NX2000 doesn’t run a proper smart OS, its The images can be shared using the Smart camera app available on iOS and Android. The application also allows you to back-up the data using the Wi-Fi or the NFC.


Samsung NX2000 is bundled with a 20-50mm lens and will be available in White, Pink and Black color options. The smart camera carries a price tag of $650 in the US and €649 in Germany.

Give any smartphone optical zoom capabilities using Snapzoom

Smartphone accessories that add optical zoom are nothing new, but none of the ones we've seen is the past is quite like Snapzoom. It has no lens system of its own – instead, it enables the user to safely and easily mount their smartphone to a pair of binoculars, or to a microscope, or even a telescope in order to get that extra magnification. Simple, but cool idea, don't you think?

The story of Snapzoom begins back in 2012 when Daniel Fujikake and Mac Nguyen tried shooting photos and videos through a pair of binoculars using an iPhone. They were impressed by the results, but an easy way of keeping the smartphone aligned with the binoculars' eyepiece wasn't available at the time. Eventually, the Snapzoom project was born and brought to Kickstarter where it received the $55,000 funding it pledged for in a matter of days. 

Snapzoom is meant to be universal so it will work with pretty much any popular smartphone you can think of – an iPhone, any Android or Windows Phone handset, even the massive Samsung Galaxy Note II. Yet it won't quite classify as cheap for what it does – the retail version will cost $75 once it is on the market. Early adopters, however, can grab it for $70 via Kickstarter or for $90 with a set of Bushnell binoculars thrown in. Expect seeing the accessory on sale in September of 2013.

Samsung Galaxy Note III to pack Exynos 5 Octa, 8-core Mali-450

The Samsung's Exynos 5 Octa platform couldn't make it to all the Galaxy S4 flagships, so it was replaced by the fastest Snapdragon chipset available at that moment - the Snapdragon 600.
According to SamMobile's trusted insider, all Galaxy Note III smartphones will be powered by the Exynos 5 Octa platform. There is even more: the GPU inside the chipset will be Mali-450 with eight graphic cores. You could also expect 3GB of RAM.

Alleged image of Samsung Galaxy Note III
The rest of the Galaxy Note III specs should include a 5.99-inch 1080p Super AMOLED screen with the same pixel structure as the Galaxy S4's display, a 13MP camera, S-Pen, and full-blown connectivity package. As the rumor has it, the Galaxy Note III will be as big as the recently announced 5.8" Galaxy Mega, which means smaller screen bezel.

The world’s first tablet with a projector announced, offers 100-inch projection display

The world’s first tablet with a built-in projector has been announced and it has been named LumiTab. The tablet allows you to enjoy interactive games, process documents, make presentations, read e-books and enables even control your laptop PCs.

LumiTab’s one button projection system lets you show the contents of your display on a wide screen. The tablet sports a 7″ display with a resolution of 1024 x 600p. LumiTab is powered by a 1.5 GHz Dual-core Cortex A9 processor and features 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of inbuilt memory with microSD slot.
The tablet runs on the latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and packs a 4,800mAh battery. LumiTab with a 35 lumen 854 x 480 projector promises projections with up to 100″ diagonal in a dark room.
Unfortunately, there is no word on the availability and the pricing of the tablet for now.

Sony Honami cameraphone detailed further: glass/metal body, larger sensor than the Nokia N8

More details on the hotly anticipated Sony Honami cameraphone leaked, and they jibe with what we've been reading on dedicated forum threads - namely that the sensor will be smaller than the Nokia 808 PureView 1/1.2" unit, but larger than the 1/1.83" piece in the Nokia N8, for instance.

The Honami is expected to feature a 20 MP stacked Exmor RS sensor with 1/1.6" size, which still makes it huge for a smartphone, meaning it will be able to soak much more photons in, bringing in better low-light shots, hopefully akin to a Cyber-shot camera. Some of you noted in our previous post about the Honami that the rumor it will use Carl Zeiss lens is likely fake, since the company has Nokia signed up as exclusive, and it seems to ring true, as the Honami lens is now purported to be of the Cybershot G variety instead.

The breathtaking details don't stop here, though - there might be Xenon and/or dual LED flash that will be much brighter than what we have in typical smartphones, as well as new software processing algorithms, and new interface, taking hints from the Cyber-shot camera range. There's no word on optical zoom or image stabilization tech inside for now.

As for the phone itself, the source claims it will be a glass/metal fusion with carbon fiber thrown in for "Sony Japan's most beautiful smartphone design ever," and, while around 10 mm thick, it won't have a hump of the N8 or 808 magnitude, not that we would mind if it means the best camera on Android. When there's smoke, there's fire, and we can't wait.

TCL S606 low-cost WP handset goes on sale in China

A low-cost TCL S606 Windows Phone 7.5 smartphone went quietly on sale in China. The handset is a product of the joint venture between TCL and Alcatel.

The TCL S606 packs a modest spec sheet to go with its clean design. It features a single-core 1GHz CPU and 512MB of RAM. There's 4GB of non-expandable storage on board. A 4" WVGA display, 5MP main camera, and a VGA front-facing unit complete the highlights of the phone's specs. Curiously, the device has done away with a dedicated camera button.
The TCL S606 is priced at CNY799 ($130) in China. The smartphone comes with a ticket for Iron Man 3, as its manufacturer is featured in the blockbuster movie.

Nokia to invest in Lytro-like camera technology for future phones

Nokia is planning on making an investment in U.S. Pelican Imaging, a California startup developing Lytro-like camera technology for smartphones and other mobile devices.

In case you are not familiar with the Lytro camera, it basically allows you to focus after you snap an image. This frees you from worrying about where to focus and basically means your whole picture will always be in focus. You can choose to selectively focus on an area after you have taken the image.

To achieve that Pelican Imaging is developing an array of sensors that capture the same picture and adds a sprinkle of software magic on top to achieve the Lytro-like effect quickly. We have also seen a software-only approach in apps like FocusTwist but those come with a lot of limitations - objects in the picture should not be moving and it takes a while to shoot the image. Pelican’s technology is more advanced in that sense.

Nokia has the longest history in cameraphones of all handset manufacturers. Most recently, it released the industry leading 41-megapixel Nokia 808 PureView, a Symbian smartphone with a huge sensor, and the Nokia Lumia 920 with best-in-class optical image stabilization and enhanced low light performance. Nokia’s upcoming cameraphone is said to feature a mixture of the advances made in those two devices.

Lytro-like technology will allow you to choose what to focus after you take a picture

HTC M4 surfaces, looks like a mid-range variant of the HTC One

It seems HTC is planning on releasing a younger sibling to the critically acclaimed HTC One. The HTC M4 as it is called for now (the One was called M7 at one point) looks very similar to the HTC One but will have downgraded specifications and a lower price tag to go with them.
The M4 design looks very similar to the One's but it's difficult to tell right now if HTC will be using the premium aluminum for the body or will settle for similar looking plastic. Unless the bands on the back are for just show, it does seem, though, that HTC will be using aluminum for the construction once again.
On the front you can see the dual stereo speaker above and below the display and a key arrangement similar to the HTC One. On the side is the micro SIM slot in the same location as on the One. On the back, the camera flash has been relocated above the lens and a large Beats Audio logo replaces the text on the One.
Software also looks similar to the One, with HTC's Blinkfeed placed prominently on the homescreen.
As for the specifications of the device, the M4 is said to have a 4.3-inch, 720p display, dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal memory and a 1,700mAh battery. Interestingly, the M4 will also feature an UltraPixel camera, although the specifications are unknown at this point, which makes it hard to tell if it will be the same unit as on the One or a different one.
The phone is expected to ship near the end of the second quarter with LTE support and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. If you wanted the HTC One for its design but thought it was a bit out of the reach because of the price, then this should serve as the next best alternative.

Nokia Lumia 920 accessory adds 12x optical zoom to the PureView camera

If that 8MP PureView Phase II camera on the Lumia 920 just doesn't cut it for you, then it means you have unrealistic expectations towards smartphones. Nevertheless, there is now a unique accessory that will allow you to achieve something far more extraordinary than what the Lumia 920's camera was meant to be.
Fellow shutterbugs, allow us to present to you this... case, which is much more than a simple case, because it also features a 12x telephoto lens and even a small tripod to exterminate those unpleasant shakes.
All joking aside, if you actually happen to be such a shameless enthusiast, it might be useful for you to know that the accessory is fairly cheap at $31.99. So, who's buying it?

This crazy accessory brings 12x optical zoom to the Nokia Lumia 920

Mobile devices with high-speed, 4-gigabit LPDDR3 RAM are on the way

Samsung has made yet another breakthrough recently, and this time the news comes from its memory division. The company has announced that it has started production of new high-speed RAM modules for mobile devices. The LPDDR3 (stands for Low-Power Double Data Rate) modules will be based on the 20nm process and will be considered 4-gigabit, as they will be able to transmit data at up to 2133 megabits per second, per pin.

Samsung claims that this new RAM memory for mobile devices will be roughly as fast as memory used in desktop computers. What's more important for us, though, is that it's also supposed to be 20% more power efficient, compared to the previous generation of mobile RAM. The new modules will be sold in 2GB packages, each consisting of four chips. It's an interesting fact that the total height of these four chips will be just 0.8 mm! This new, faster RAM should appear in commercial devices as soon as this year.

Micromax A115 Canvas 3D goes official in India, priced at INR9,999

Images of Micromax A115 Canvas 3D leaked earlier and now, the company has officially launched the smartphone in India.

The first 3D smartphone from the firm will sport a 5" stereoscopic 3D display and features a 1 GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 5 megapixel rear camera and a 0.3 megapixel front shooter. The built-in storage is 4GB and is expandable by up to 32GB via the microSD slot.
Micromax A115 Canvas 3D runs on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and is powered by a 2,000mAh battery. The dual-SIM smartphone comes with pre-loaded 3D games along with the company's 3D space app, which gives access to the 3D video player.
The A115 Canvas 3D is priced at INR9,999 (about $192) and the 3D smartphone will be available from the first week of May.

Spice Mi-502 Smart Flo Pace 2 officially launched for Rs. 6999

S Mobility has officially launched the Spice Mi-502 Smart Flo Pace 2, the company’s latest smartphone with a 5-inch (480 x 800 Pixels) capacitive touch screen display at an affordable price tag. The phone went on sale earlier today from the online retailer Saholic. It is powered by a 1 GHz dual-core processor and runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). It packs a 5-megapixel rear camera with dual LED flash and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. Micromax launched the A72 Canvas Viva recently for Rs. 6,499, but the Spice Mi-502 is better in terms of specfications. It has 2G (EDGE) and dual SIM support and packs a 2100 mAh battery.
Spice Mi-502 Smart Flo Pace 2 specifications

• 5-inch (480 x 800 Pixels) capacitive touch screen display
• 1 GHz dual-core processor
• Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) with Dual Standby
• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) OS
• 9.9 mm thick
• 5MP rear camera with dual LED flash
• 1.3 MP front-facing camera
• 3.5mm audio jack
• 2G (EDGE), Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, micro USB
• 512MB RAM, 512 MB internal memory, 16GB expandable memory with microSD
• 2100 mAh battery

The Spice Mi-502 Smart Flo Pace 2  is priced at Rs. 6,999 (MOP). It comes with a free flip cover. It would be available across India through all major retail stores and Saholic.

Disaster inbound: Nokia will not publish new Symbian themes after July 1!

Apparently, the people at Nokia have sold their souls completely and will now heartlessly pull the plug on yet another lovely Symbian feature - themes. Starting July 1, developers will no longer be able to publish new Symbian themes in the Nokia store.
some devs will still be able to publish themes in the store. It looks like Nokia will be initiating what it calls the Publisher Partner Program, with only a small number of developers able to take part (Nokia will pick the approved devs itself). That group of companies will be the only ones able to publish new themes come July 1.
The makers of themes that are currently offered at the story doesn't have much to worry about, as their content will continue to be available for download. However, those devs that aren't part of the Publisher Partner Program won't be able to update or make other changes to their themes. Interestingly, Nokia, seems eager to see you "unpublish" your work, which becomes evident in the last sentence of the email sent to Symbian theme publishers.

Samsung’s 2013 tablet portfolio leaks: 1080p 8-inch Tab, octa-core 11-incher coming

Samsung’s portfolio of devices is surely a well-guarded secret and having it all leak out is a dubious affair, but in this case the source is SamMobile, a relatively trustworthy publication, and it brings some good news.

In 2013, Samsung is allegedly planning to bring an 8-inch Galaxy Tab tablet with a 1080p screen and an 11-inch Android slate with an octa-core chip. These are just some of the Samsung tablets that will get released throughout the year, and here is the full list along with the rumored specifications:

Samsung Galaxy Tab DUOS 7.0 (nearly identical to the just announced Galaxy Tab 3.0)
- 7.0” PLS LCD 600 x 1024 pixel screen
- 3 Megapixel (rear camera)
- 2 Megapixel (front)
- dual-core processor
- dual-SIM
- microSD 32GB

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.0
- 8.0” AMOLED 1080p screen
- 5 Megapixel (rear camera)
- 2 Megapixel (front)
- quad-core A9 chip (Exynos 4412)
- microSD 64GB
* Samsung need to solve AMOLED burning problem first.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 11
- 11” Super PLS TFT screen
- 8 Megapixel (rear camera)
- 2 Megapixel (front)
- dual-core A15 chip (Exynos 5250)
- microSD 64GB

NEXUS 11*
- 11” Super PLS TFT screen
- 8 Megapixel (rear camera)
- 2 Megapixel (front)
- octa-core A15 / A7 big.LITTLE chip (Exynos 5410)
- microSD 64 GB
* Needs to get approvement from Google
If true, Samsung will have quite a solid standing in tablet this year. Being the first with a 1080p compact tablet will obviously be a huge advantage as that market grows tremendously quickly, and a possible new Nexus 11 could become the world’s first octa-core tablet.

Also, development of the second generation Galaxy Note 10.1 might have slowed down or have been canceled completely due to weak sales of the tablet.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 announced: more compact, but nothing new under the hood

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 has just gotten official, but if you think that getting a third generation of a product means getting it improved noticeably, Samsung is eager to prove you wrong. The Galaxy Tab 3 adopts the “Samsung look” - all plastic with a single physical home key encircled by a menu and back button (on-screen buttons are gone), and the rear camera is positioned centrally.But look at the spec sheet, and you won’t notice an inch of a difference. The Galaxy Tab 3 has a 7-inch 1024 x 600 pixel display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB or 16GB of internal storage. It’s also got a 3-megapixel rear and 1.3-megapixel front cameras. Yes, that is exactly the same configuration last year’s Galaxy Tab 2 had.
After carefully comparing the spec sheets, we did notice a single difference- the Galaxy Tab 3 is lighter with a weight of 0.66 pounds (302 g) compared to the 0.75lb (344 g) on the second-gen tablet. It’s also got narrower bezel, saving you a total of 0.44 inches (1.13cm) on the Y axis.
And that’s it. There is nothing else new. We hope it’s at least as cheap as last year’s Galaxy Tab 2 that is now sold for as low as $180 on Amazon.

More specs leak for the Sony Togari phablet and Honami cameraphone: 20MP sensor and Xenon flash

The upcoming Sony Xperia Togari codename, which is expected to be the company's first phablet, with a huge display and some unique stylus shenanigans. Now these details get reiterated again by a Baidu forum member who claims to be an Xperia tester - we might get a 6.44" Full HD display, with design similar to the Xperia Z, i.e. slim, light and with a glass back. The exterior color option of the tested device was white, though that doesn't preclude other colors to be tossed in the mix, too.

The one we are more interested about, and anyone with even a vague interested in phones should, is the rumored Honami phone, part of a new One Sony series. Sony is apparently ready to summon up all the great things that its media departments do separately in one heck of an Android handset.

How about a camera unit from the Cyber-shot range, with claimed 20 MP resolution, like we heard before, Carl Zeiss lens and Xenon flash in addition to the dual LED? Sounds great, but Sony might also be throwing its vast sound experience in the mix, with a separate Walkman audio chip, like the S-Master MX Digital Amplifier, to give something that audio junkies can drool about, too. 

Previously it was said that the Cyber-shot and Walkman lines will get separate One Sony handsets, but this was quickly debunked by people in the know, who reiterated that the Honami will only be one phone, with the best Sony can muster in the camera and sound departments.

As for the rest of the specs, a 5" Full HD screen is bandied about, as well as a fast quad-core 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 800 chipset, 2 GB of RAM and a 2700-3000 mAh battery pack. The tester also claims that Honami will be one of the prettier phones Sony has ever made - we'll take it, though we wouldn't mind at all trading some slimness for a stellar camera experience, too.

Release dates - the various sources below point July for the Togari phablet, which jibes with what we've heard before, and the same timeframe for the Honami, but in a China Unicom iteration only, while the international version is likely to be introduced in August/September, just in time for IFA, where Sony traditionally makes holiday crop announcements.

LG Optimus GK with 5" 1080p display goes official in Korea

LG officially took the wraps of the Optimus GK Android smartphone. Made for the Korean carrier KT, the newcomer packs all the functionality of the LG Optimus G Pro, but in a smaller body with a 5" display.

Like its bigger brother, the LG Optimus GK is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 chipset, whose four CPUs tick at 1.7GHz. There is 2GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in memory on board, which can be further expanded via a microSD card slot. The display is a 5" Full HD IPS unit with a pixel density of 441ppi. A 3100mAh battery, 13MP main camera, and a 2MP front-facing snapper complete the highlights of the handset's spec sheet. The OS of the device is Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.
Pricing of the LG Optimus GK is yet to be announced. There's no word on international availability just yet.

First Nokia Windows Tablet coming May 14th?

We've already told you that Nokia is going to have a press event on May 14th in London during which we expect to see the Finnish based manufacturer introduce the Nokia Lumia 928 and possibly the Nokia Catwalk, and just maybe the Nokia Lumia EOS. The latter is the oft-rumored Windows Phone version of the Nokia 808 PureView.But now from India comes a source who says that Nokia will also be introducing its first Windows tablet. It is not known if the slate will be powered by Windows RT or Windows 8, but the tablet will have a 10.1 inch screen with a 1366 x 768 resolution and a 1GHz processor. On board is 1GB of RAM. The size of the slate is 256.6×175.3×9.7mm and the device weighs in at at 676g.
Would Nokia have a chance in a market that so far has been controlled by Apple and Amazon? We should know Nokia's intentions by the time next month's press conference wraps up. You might recall that back in February, it was thought that Nokia accidentally leaked a picture of a new tablet during a presentation. Nokia denied that the image was of a Nokia tablet, saying that it was merely an illustration of the Windows 8 UI put up for comparative purposes.