this week

Nokia announces HERE Auto smart navigation for cars and Companion app for smartphones

Nokia is behind the maps in most in-car navigation systems (4 out of 5 cars, claims the company) and today Nokia is introducing HERE Auto, which brings their mapping and smartphone prowess to the car.

Here Auto is Nokia’s offline navigation solution – turn by turn voice guided navigation for 95 countries (in 2D and 3D, with street level and satellite images). There’s an SDK too, so HERE Auto functionality can be extended with music and social networking apps.

HERE Auto Cloud adds online features – quick over the air map updates (downloading only the parts that have actually changed), real-time traffic and road conditions update, recommendations on where to park and eat, where to find cheap gas and even charge up your fancy electric car.

Before you leave, you’ll be able to plan the route with the HERE Auto Companion app for Windows Phone and Android (there’s a web app too). The route will be synced with your car, so you can plan the route comfortably at home.
Once you get there, the app offers public transport and walking navigation (even indoor maps) and while you’re away you can use it to check on and control your car remotely (check fuel level and tire pressure, start the air conditioning and unlock the car). And it will navigate you to where you parked the car when you’re ready to head home.

Alcatel One Touch Idol S and One Touch Idol Mini announced

Alcatel announced One Touch Idol S and One Touch Idol Mini. Both the devices come with a compact design along with a slim profile. The Idol S is the slimmer of the two with its profile measuring just 7.4mm, while the Idol Mini is also very slender at 7.9mm.

The highlights of the Alcatel Idol S include a 4.7-inch IPS display with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. The device is powered by a dual-core processor clocked at 1.2 GHz along with 1 GB of RAM and features an 8 megapixel rear camera that is capable of recording 1080p videos at 30fps.
Th Alcatel One Touch Idol S comes with a 1.3 megapixel front camera and runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The device has 4 GB of internal memory and there is a microSD card slot for further expansion. Alcatel's latest mid-range addition has a wide range of connectivity option and the smartphone will be available in Slate, Fresh Rose and Cherry Red color options.
On the other hand, the Idol Mini is an entry level smartphone, sporting a relatively small 4.3-inch display with a resolution of 480 x 854 pixels. The smartphone also features a 1.3 GHz dual-core processor, 512 MB RAM, 5 megapixel rear camera and 4GB inbuilt memory with microSD card support.

The Idol Mini runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and comes with HSPA+, Wi-Fi, A-GPS and Bluetooth 4.0 radios.
The Alcatel Idol Mini will also be available in a dual-SIM variant with its hardware specifications remaining mostly unchanged. The only difference is the dual-SIM Idol Mini does not come with a microSD card slot and has 8 GB of internal storage.
Alcatel Idol Mini will also be up for grabs in three different color options - Cranberry Pink, Silver and Slate. There are no details on the pricing and the availability of either new smartphone at the moment.

Huawei has announced the Huawei Honor 3 water-protected phone

Huawei has launched the Huawei Honor 3 on the Chinese market. The successor of the popular Honor 2 features a 4.7" 720p IPS in-cell display and runs on the Huawei's homebrewed K3V2E chipset with a quad-core 1.5GHz processor and 2GB of RAM.
The rest of the specs of the Honor 3 include a 13MP camera with Sony lens, a LED flash, 8GB expandable internal storage, and a 2150 mAh battery. There is also a 1.3MP front-facing camera for video chats. The Android version ticking inside is 4.2.2 Jelly Bean skinned with Huawei's Emotion UI. 
Huawei Honor 3 is IP57-certified, which guarantees its survival under 1 meter deep water for up to 30 minutes. The IP57 certification also includes dust protection.
Huawei Honor 3 is already available for purchase through Huawei's official online store. It costs CNY1,888, which equals about €235 or $310.

Samsung announced the Galaxy NX DSLR camera

Samsung officially announced Samsung Galaxy NX DSLR camera running Android which is basically the mashup of a Samsung Galaxy S III and a Samsung NX300 DSLR camera, and said that it will be launching in October.But, while professional and semi-pro DLSRs have been dropping in price recently, meaning that you can get a quality camera anywhere from $500 to $1000, Samsung thinks that it has added enough value to the Galaxy NX and is planning to sell it for $1599 (body only). If you want an 18-55mm lens with that it will cost you $1699. Given what the Galaxy NX offers, it can be argued that it is worth the price, but it's certainly not an easy sell.As a camera, the Galaxy NX offers a 20.3MP APS-C sensor along with a DRIMe IV Image Signal Processor, an Advanced Hybrid Autofocus system, a 1/6000 sec shutter speed and 8.6fps shooting, and the option to swap lenses. On the mobile device side, it features a 4.8-inch 720p touchscreen and SVGA (800 x 600 pixel) electronic viewfinder, a 1.6GHz quad-core processor, 16GB of internal storage, microSD card slot that is expandable up to 64GB, 2GB RAM, and a 4360mAh battery, all running on Android 4.2.

It offers all of the TouchWiz Smart Modes in the camera, where they make more sense than on a phone, and you get access to the Google Play Store and all of the apps therein. And, the camera includes an a 4G LTE radio, in addition to Wi-Fi connectivity, so you really can do more with your photos directly from the device. There will be a Wi-Fi only model, but there is no pricing for that just yet.

 

Samsung phones to be made out of aluminum from 2014

According to the latest reports coming from Samsung's homeland, the manufacturer is planning on changing the Galaxies design and switch from plastic to metal. There were some earlier rumors about Samsung showing interest in carbon fiber too.

The most likely candidate to kick off that redesign? The Samsung Galaxy S5, of course. The redesign is expected to first land on premium models, and slowly trickle down the line to more affordable
It is also rumored that Samsung is already working on new designs and is testing new materials in its factories in South Korea, but also exporting some of the work to Vietnam.
We hope those rumors turn out the correct, because it is really the time Samsung brought its design to the level its software and hardware has reached. Still at this point you would do weel to take all of these rumors with a healthy pinch of salt until we get some actual confirmation.

Nokia announced nokia 515 dual-SIM featurephone

Nokia announced the 515 - a featurephone that goes directly after many high-end smartphones in terms of design and build quality. Its body is carved out of a single piece of anodized and sandblasted aluminum, the screen is made out of gently-curved and polarized Gorilla Glass 2 and the keyboard is built from hardened polycarbonate resin.
The Nokia 515 sports a 2.4" QVGA display, has a 5 MP camera with voice-activated self portraits, there's a microSD card slot with support for up to 32GB cards.
Although available in single-SIM there's also a dual-SIM option while the battery is taunted to last a whopping 38 days of stand-by with a single SIM inside.
The Nokia 515 will begin shipping in the third quarter of 2013, starting with Russia, Germany, Switzerland and Poland. Its price tag will be around €115/$149 before taxes and subsidies.

Samsung Galaxy Note III front pictured next to Note II panel

Note that the image is a composite of two separate shots that have been scaled to match the alleged 5.7" diagonal of the Note III.
More interesting is that the bezels are thinner (they measure just 2.2mm) and the whole panel is barely bigger. Depending on how the sides of the phone are made, the Note III can be as little as 1mm taller and wider than the Note II. Not seen in this photo, but the new panel is reportedly thinner too.
Also, the design has changed - the Note III corners are not as rounded (following the design tweak from Galaxy S III to Galaxy S4).
September 4 is fast approaching and we'll be there when Samsung unveils the Galaxy Note III (and Galaxy Gear smartwatch). The expected specs are 5.7" 1080p screen, Snapdragon 800 or Exynos 5 Octa chipset (or both) and maybe, maybe 4K video recording from a 13MP camera.

Nokia Asha 502 and Asha 503 with curved glass in the works

Two upcoming Asha handsets previously rumored as Pegasus and Lanai.Nokia Lanai will be called Asha 503 and we've already seen it leaking in February in four pictures. It will look much like the firstborn of the refreshed Asha lineup - the Asha 501. However, the Nokia Asha 503 will replace the hardware Back key with a capacitive one and will have its entire front will be covered by a curved glass. You can also spot the 5MP rear camera with a LED flash. Naturally, the Asha 503 will get a dual-SIM version.
Nokia Pegasus is bound to go official as Nokia Asha 502, but we know nothing besides the name for that one. The Asha 502 should slide between the Asha 501 and the Asha 503 in the pecking order.

New Jelly Bean firmware rolls out on Sony Xperia S, SL, acro S

Sony has now confirmed it is seeding a new 4.1 Jelly Bean firmware to the Xperia S, Xperia SL and Xperia acro S. It brings various improvements over the initial Jelly Bean release and is already available for download over-the-air and via the Sony PC Companion.


Here is the official changelog as provided by Sony:
For camera, we’ve…

• addressed an abnormality in the white balance
• improved the “Quick Launch” button functionality
• smoothed out (1080p) video recording, minimizing lag

For apps, services & data, we’ve…

• streamlined Exchange Active Sync, particularly when running an encrypted set-up
• boosted connection stability for 2G network data
• ensured preferences on 3rd party apps remain after reboot – not a common problem, but we understand it can be a frustrating one!

For battery, we’ve…

• economised power consumption, and heat dispersion for longer life
• corrected juice level notifications, especially when running low

And for hardware & UI, we’ve…

• introduced a home key long-press to launch Google Now, and a double-press to launch Recent Apps
• made sure the volume “up” button is fully responsive

As usual the update rollout is gradual and, depending on your region and carrier, it might take a few days before the new firmware reaches your device.

Nokia Bandit phablet to be called Nokia Lumia 1520

After getting first solid rumors on Nokia’s upcoming 10.1-inch tablet, the Nokia Sirius, today information surfaces about Nokia’s 6-inch phablet, the Nokia Bandit. The Nokia Bandit will actually be called the Nokia Lumia 1520, according to @evleaks.
And that’s about all the new information. We cannot derive much from that number - Nokia’s current flagship is the Nokia Lumia 1020 and all major releases of the company this year end with ‘20’ - the Lumia 520 and Lumia 720. Nokia is also releasing upgraded devices derived from an existing product under the ‘25’ suffix. Such are the Nokia Lumia 925 which is an evolution of the Lumia 920, and such seems to be the Nokia Lumia 625, a supersized version of the Lumia 620.
Clearly, with the Nokia Lumia 1520, the Bandit, we are talking about a device that will kick off a brand new category, and it will be Nokia’s first phablet, a device larger than a phone and smaller than a tablet. The Lumia 1520 is expected to feature a 6-inch 1080p display and run on Windows Phone 8.

Samsung president confirms the Galaxy Gear smartwatch will be unveiled on September 4

Galaxy Gear smartwatch, as Samsung Mobile VP, Lee Young-hee, has informed the KoreaTimes that the intriguing device will see the light of day on September 4 - just before the official start of the IFA 2013 expo that's going to take place in Berlin.The fact that the Galaxy Gear will not feature a flexible screen. What's more, Lee Young-hee describes the Galaxy Gear as a "wearable concept device", and he also states that Samsung is "confident that the Gear will add meaningful momentum to the mobile industry." Beautiful words coming from the mouth of an ambitious executive, but exactly how much value such a gadget is going to bring to the mobile industry is yet to be seen. What seems more certain is that Samsung is currently considering its upcoming smartwatch more of an experiment that will be used to see if there's a real niche for such products.
It's now pretty much certain that the Samsung Galaxy Gear will be running Android, and we're curious to see exactly what kind of custom user interface is going to be found on top, in order to make the functionality of the device more easily accessible, considering the presumably tiny screen. Unofficial reports are claiming that the Gear smartwatch will sport a 1.67" AMOLED (320x320 pixels) display, along with 1GB of RAM, 2MP camera and the Exynos 4212 chipset.

HTC One Max phablet to come with Sense 5.5 slapped over Android 4.3, UltraPixel camera and LTE support

According to the new leak, the Taiwanese manufacturer's phablet contender will run Android 4.3 Jelly Bean with its custom Sense 5.5 UI on top. We currently have no information what the updated version of the company's proprietary skin will bring to the table.

On the hardware side, the new intel suggests that a 2.1MP shooter will take the seat at the front, while an UltraPixel camera of unknown capabilities is said to occupy the rear. The device is also said to come with support for TD-LTE, which is China's homegrown version of the high-speed standard, leaving little doubt that the international version of the device will also sport 4G LTE support. Unsurprisingly, a dual-SIM, dual-standby version of the HTC One Max will be also made available, and it wouldn't be a stretch to guess that it's targeted at Asian customers, where these devices are in high demand.

The rest of the specs that we have on the HTC One Max include:

• 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 SoC
• 5.9-inch 1080p Super LCD3 display
• 2GB of RAM with 16GB of internal, microSD-expandable storage
• 3200 or 3300mAh battery unit
• Possibly, a fingerprint scanner on the back

Pricing of the phablet remains unknown, but the official launch of the device has been rumored to take place as early as September.

Micromax announced Canvas Doodle 2 affordable quad-core droid

The Micromax Canvas Doodle 2 has a 5.7" IPS LCD with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, which results in a density of around 257 ppi. Te Canvas Doodle 2 is powered by a MediaTek 6589 chipset with quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 CPU and 1GB of RAM. A 2600 mAh battery powers the whole thing.
It runs on Android 4.2.1. Imaging is handled by a 12 MP rear camera and a 5 MP front-facing one. There's also 1080p video recording. There are 16 GB of internal storage, which sadly appear to not be expandable.Equipped with a stylus, which comes in the retail package, the Canvas Doodle 2 lets you... well, doodle over pictures with the M!Doodle app. There's also a flip cover accessory, which moonlights as a kick-stand.The Micromax Canvas Doodle 2 comes with M!Doodle, M!Live, M!Zone and M!Security preinstalled among other apps. On a more absurd note you can blow on the device to wake it up and also shake it if you want to appear more normal.
The device will retail for INR19,990 (approximately $310) and will be available throughout India starting today.

LG Optimus L9 II now official with 4.7" screen, 1.4GHz dual-core CPU

LG Optimus L9 II has been officially unveiled by LG in the Netherlands.

The specs that have been confirmed by LG in the press release include a 4.7-inch True HD IPS display, dual-core 1.4 GHz processor (up from the 1GHz clock speed rumored yesterday), 2150 mAh battery, as well as an IR-port.
No word on what sort of cameras will accompany the L9 II, but if yesterday's leaked information is to be believed, then an 8MP shooter alongside 1.3MP front-facer.
Pricing has not yet been disclosed, but the device is expected to go on sale this October.

Nokia Sirius: 10.1″ 1080p tablet, slimmer/lighter than current iPad, Quadcore S800, LTE, microSD and moreRumors about a Nokia Windows RT tablet have been flying around for months on end, and now sources in the know have confirmed to TheVerge that the device is indeed real and will launch soon. The tablet is now referred to as Nokia Sirius and it’s a 10.1-inch slate running on Windows RT, the version of Windows made to work with ARM chips but lacking support for most legacy Windows apps. 

Now, the Nokia Sirius is said to be thinner than the Apple iPad, and lighter as well, weighing just over a pound. Nearly all technical details about the Sirius have leaked as well, here’s a breakdown:

• 10.1-inch 1080 x 1920 pixel display with brightness boost for better outdoor visibility
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core chip
• 2GB of RAM 
• 10-hour battery life
• 4G LTE connectivity
• 6-megapixel rear camera, 2-megapixel front shooter
• 32GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD cards
• microHDMI, microUSB ports
• 10 Hours of SOLID battery life with LTE
• MicroSD expansion
• Accessory for additional charging

Much like Microsoft did with the Surface RT, Nokia is planning to offer an optional keyboard and that accessory will also have a built-in battery, further boosting the Sirius longevity.
Nokia is planning an official event in New York on September 26th to announce the tablet and confidently has decided to price the Sirius tablet like an iPad (starting from $499 for the most basic version).

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Kids edition launches next month

Samsung seems to be preparing a Kids edition of its Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 slate. The tablet is called Galaxy Tab 3 Kids and will launch this September.

The specs of the customized Tab 3 Kids are identical to those of its vanilla sibling – it comes with a 7″ TFT display with a resolution of 1024×600 pixels, runs on a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and features a 3MP camera, 1GB of RAM and 8GB expandable storage.
The Tab 3 Kids runs on a deeply customized Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with completely redesigned and simplified UI. Samsung will preload lots of educational software, games and multimedia for the kids too.

Samsung Starts Taking Sign-Ups for October Developer Conference

Samsung is opening up registration today for its first major conference aimed at getting North American developers to focus specifically on devices made by the Korean electronics giant.
The event, which will take place Oct. 27-29 in San Francisco, focuses on Samsung-specific hardware and software on its suite of electronics from phones and tablets to smart TVs. The company said that more than 40 sessions will cover new ways that developers can connect to its devices, as well as build in support for Samsung tools such as its Knox security and ChatOn communications platforms.
One thing to watch for will be the degree to which Samsung encourages programmers to write specifically for its products as compared to developing products that are made to run on all Android devices. There have long been questions about whether Samsung, with a significant chunk of the market for Android phones and tablets, would ever try to break off from Google. Google and Samsung executives have praised the relationship between the two companies.
Samsung announced the timing of the event in July, but had yet to give any details on what would be covered. Even as it takes sign-ups, the company is still being tight-lipped about who will speak and just what new developer opportunities it plans to announce.
Tickets to the event cost $299, Samsung said, including access to keynotes, sessions and a developer event on the first night of the conference.

Windows 8.1 now RTM, general availability expected October 17th

Development of Windows 8.1 is complete, confirming what we knew would be a significant update to Microsoft’s operating system in time for the holidays this winter. While the “release to manufacturing” moniker does ring a bit of finality to it, this is by no means the end of the line for the OS. Development will continue until its general availability which is slated for October 17th.Between now and then, Microsoft will issue a series of “quick fix engineering” (QFE) updates to the manufacturers while they are building their next batch of goodies.
This is the same formula that Microsoft has used in the past, most recently with the development of Windows 8 last year. To that end, Microsoft has also shown through consistent updates to its OS while it looks to “right the wrongs” (as perceived by some) of the flagship operating system. Those “wrongs” were even admitted somewhat by Windows Development VP Jon DeVaan in an internal memo stating that Windows 8.1 would be more reliable and have a “fighting chance” of being as reliable as Windows 7.
As for Windows RT 8.1, it appears that besides Microsoft developing a second generation Surface tablet, Nokia will be the only other manufacturer to bring Windows RT into the fold. Windows Phone 8.1 is currently on track to be on stage sometime in the first half of 2014 which should bring the experiences of Windows RT 8.1, Windows Phone and Xbox One more closely aligned.Public announcement from Microsoft about Windows 8.1 being RTM expected sometime this week.