this week

Vivo breaks the 1080p barrier with the first 2K smartphone

While we're still far from getting 4K displays on smartphones, but the latest news from Asia indicates that Chinese manufacturer Vivo is in production of a display set to feature 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution.
Vivo teased its upcoming product today, hailing it as the first 2K smartphone, but wasn't courteous enough to reveal the exact diagonal of the display, or provide anything more than the graphic below.


There's some speculation that the panel in question could be the 5.5-inch prototype demoed by LG at the start of the year. That one boasted a pixel density of 534 pixels per inch so it should be the new leader in what has become a ppi arms race amongst smartphone manufacturers.
Other rumored specs of the XPlay35 include a Snapdragon 800 chipset and 4G TDD/FDD LTE support across the big three Chinese carriers.
While a 2460 x 1440 display may seem like overkill, the same was said when a 5-inch 1080p display debuted on the HTC Butterfly at the start of the year. Now, almost all self-respecting mobile flagship or phablet have one.

More Android 4.4 KitKat screenshots make the rounds

After showing up alongside a Nexus 5 late last week, Android 4.4 KitKat appeared yet again in a series of leaked screenshots. This time around, the upcoming Android release got caught running on an ASUS Nexus 7 (2013).

In line with previous leaks, the screenshots reveal some of the UI changes which Android 4.4 KitKat will bring. They include mildly redesigned stock apps including Quickoffice integration, new additions to the settings menu, as well as the cool-looking Android KitKat Easter egg.
According to the source of the screenshots, the Android build captured in them predate the official KitKat announcement. This explains the presence of a Key Lime Pie codename in them.

Usage of Sapphire in smartphones set to increase

Sapphire is turning out to be one of the most popular materials used to build a smartphone, according to a study from IHS. The research firm also reveals that the usage of the material is expected to reach 54 kilometers - not those kilometers, but instead the unit that is used to measure this type of usage - by the end of the year.


Furthermore, this usage is expected to reach 84 kilometers by the end of 2016. The demand is largely due to the production of LEDs, which will result in an increase in demand for the material by 20%. The fact that sapphire is stronger than glass and is extremely scratch resistant is perhaps Sapphire's most appealing aspect from a manufacturing standpoint.
According to IHS, sapphire is used to cover lenses, buttons and displays. Also, since sapphire is the second hardest stone in the world after diamond, the material can be used to build consumer electronic devices, too.
For now, Apple is one of those known smartphone manufacturer that makes use of sapphire to a very large extent. The Cupertino giants used sapphire in its iSight camera lens cover in the iPhone 5 before bringing it to the Touch ID on the Apple iPhone 5s

Samsung Galaxy S5 rumored to pack 14nm Exynos 6 chipset

A report in Korean media has emerged, potentially shedding light on the CPU of the yet to be revealed Samsung Galaxy S5. Reportedly, next generation Samsung Galaxy S smartphone will pack an Exynos 6 CPU with 14nm architecture and 64-bit support.

Along with 64-bit support, the next generation Samsung Exynos CPU is said to feature ARM’s big.LITTLE octa-core configuration with Cortex-A53/A57 cores. The latter can operate simultaneously using half as much power as the currently available Exynos 5420.
If the report turns out to be the real deal, Samsung will make quite a jump in the manufacturing process used in the making of the Exynos family of CPUs. The current generation uses 28nm process, while previous rumors have suggested that Samsung is working on 20nm architecture. The latest report about 14nm chips sounds great, though we do recommend that you take it with a pinch of salt.
According to a report from last week, Samsung will take the wraps off the Galaxy S5 in January.

WP GDR3 goes official with 1080p, Snapdragon 800 support

Microsoft has finally announced the much anticipated GDR3 update for its Windows Phone smartphone 8 platform. Its rollout will begin over the coming weeks but will take "several months" to complete. We're yet to find out specifics about device update eligibility but we're guessing Nokia's higher-end Lumia range and HTC's 8X and 8S seem certain.
We saw quite a few leaks prior to the official announcement and it seems sources were mostly correct.
GDR3 brings support for larger displays (5 and 6-inch) with a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The quad-core Snapdragon 800 is also now given the green light for debuting on Windows Phone.


Now every horizontal line on the start screen supports 6 Live Tiles and not four. You can finally close apps in the task switcher interface by hitting the little X on each app's thumb.
There's a also new Driving Mode, which gets everything out of the way except your navigation instructions.
Custom ringtones are now available for instant messages, emails, voicemails and reminders. There's a screen orientation lock feature (finally), improved accessibility for disabled users - screen reader, calendar, calls, texts, emails and low battery can be spoken out loud.

ASUS Transformer Pad TF701T hands-on as the review is cooking up

ASUS announced its latest convertible tablet at this year’s IFA in Berlin and it’s called the Transformer Pad TF701T. The eagle-eyed among you will notice that ASUS has dropped the Infinity moniker and has chosen a simpler naming scheme for its premium tablet.

Just like its predecessor, the Transformer Pad rocks a 10.1″ IPS display. Unlike it, however, it’s an IGZO panel, which promises richer, more accurate colors and improved brightness. It’s also featuring a higher, 2560 x 1600 pixel, resolution which results in a pixel density of 300ppi.

ASUS has chosen to partner with Nvidia for the chipset of the beast. As a result, the Transformer Pad is among the first devices to feature the high-end Tegra 4 T40X chipset with a 1.9GHz quad-core Cortex-A15 CPU, 2GB of RAM and a 72-core GeForce GPU.

Impressive specs indeed, which in tandem with the tablet’s Mobile dock might let it replacing an old laptop or netbook. Unlike the tablet, which is made out of brushed aluminum, the Mobile Dock is entirely made of plastic, but is well put together. The only gripe we have is that when under pressure, the keyboard gives in a little bit.

NVIDIA announces G-SYNC technology for smoother gaming experience

If you’re a PC gamer (or just a geek in general), you may have heard of the term V-sync. It works by delaying the image frame update until the vertical blanking interval of the display, so that there is no overlapping of frames that leads to screen tearing. While this does eliminate screen tearing, it causes performance issues with low framerate and a jerky mouse response. This leads to most people choosing to keep it disabled to get higher framerate and response at reduced visual quality.

The problem today is that LCD monitors usually have a fixed panel refresh rate of 60Hz and unless the GPU is attaining anything other than 60fps, the result is less than ideal performance. Current V-sync technology makes the GPU run through hoops to match its speed with the display’s refresh rate. This is where NVIDIA’s G-SYNC comes in.

Unlike V-Sync, G-SYNC works by having a variable display refresh rate. Here, instead of delaying frames to match the display’s refresh rate, the display itself alters its refresh rate to whatever the GPU is sending (there is obviously a lower and higher limit to what the refresh rate can be for any given monitor). This means that the display is always in lockstep with the GPU, refreshing only when a new frame is sent. This perfect synchronization results in extremely smooth graphics, even if you are not exactly playing at insane framerates, with no visual artifacts.

For G-SYNC to work, first of all you need a monitor with variable refresh rate. Secondly, you need the dedicated G-SYNC module connected to the monitor that works in tandem with your GPU. And lastly, you need a Kepler based GPU (GTX 650 Ti Boost and above). Currently, only the ASUS VG248QE monitor supports the G-SYNC module. The module would be available later this year for around $175. The module will eventually be available other for other monitors and you will also be able to purchase monitors with it built-in

Purported leaked packaging for the Nexus 5 reveals a white variant

Can’t get enough of the Nexus 5 leaks? Well, good news, for we have one more for you. The latest one shows what is supposedly the packaging for the phone. The very Nokia-esque blue box has the image of the phone on the front and the back next to the Google logos, with the LG logos placed on the side.

But what’s more interesting than the packaging itself is the image of the phone depicted on it. You’ll notice that it is, in fact, white in color whereas all the leaks we have seen so far, including the official image and listing on Google Play, have only shown the black model so far.

Google has traditionally offered a while version of the Nexus phone since the days of the Nexus S, so this isn’t a huge surprise but we can see what the phone would look like in this lighter shade. As you can see, the white is only limited to the back panel, with the front and sides being completely black, again, not very unlike previous Nexus phones.

Seven-inch Amazon Kindle Fire HDX shipments kick off today

Amazon announced that the 7” Kindle Fire HDX tablet is now shipping. The Wi-Fi-only models are the ones available for the time being. LTE-capable slates will be shipping on November 14.

Pricing of the Android tablet starts at $229 for a 16GB Wi-Fi version with ads on the lockscreen, and tops out at $324 for a 64GB device with no ads. The entry-level price tag of the 7” Kindle Fire HDX is right in line with that of its biggest rival, the 2013 Nexus 7.

iPad mini won’t be reading fingerprints

New images of the alleged next iPad mini and iPad 5 have leaked just days before the Apple October 22 event.

The images show the iPad mini 2 next to the iPhone 5s and with another iPad lurking in the background. Notice how the home button isn’t TouchID but a vanilla one? Previous leaks suggested the iPad mini 2 will have TouchID, but this seems to put those speculations to rest.

It’s all but certain that the big upcoming iPad will have TouchID, have the same narrow-bezel design as the current mini and be more compact than the iPad 4.

We’ve seen both upcoming tablets in pictures and a video – perhaps Apple should at least try and regain the secrecy it was once a synonym of.

Perhaps the omission of the TouchID home button was necessary in order to keep the price under control. Would a Retina display also be omitted from the list for the same reasons? Not long now, just four days until Apple’s event

Nokia has been working on a smartwatch concept of their own

Suddenly, everyone is interested in smartwatches (and by everyone I mean the companies making it because the average customer still doesn’t care). Samsung has made one, Apple and Google are supposedly making one and now it seems so is Nokia.

Code named ‘Facet’, Nokia’s smartwatch concept is by far the most outlandish that we have seen, mostly because it looks very little like a traditional watch and is mostly just a band with displays all over it. Facet has a modular design wherein you plug in these small watch faces within a circular band. You’ll have at most one or two displays pointing towards you but you can swipe on the screen so the info on the screen moves up or down to the next screen (or you could just turn the band). You can also use other gestures such as pinching out to expand app on one screen to two screens or pinch sideways to swap apps between screens. You can rearrange screens without having to physically plug them out.

The design is pretty crazy and will probably remain just a concept like so many other Nokia designs we have seen in the past. Also, with Microsoft having acquired Nokia’s hardware division, the chances of this seeing the light of day are even slimmer

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LG G Pad 8.3 launches in the USA

LG has just announced the USA availability of the G Pad 8.3 slate. You can pre-order it today exclusively on BestBuy online for $349.99 with free shipping.

The LG G Pad 8.3 will become available through various retailers starting November 3 with BestBuy being the first to get it.

There is no estimated delivery date on BestBuy.com right now, so there is a chance you get it on November 3 as well.

LG has already announced its plans to launch the G Pad 8.3 in 30 countries by the end of the year. It already kicked off in Korea, while UK and Ireland will be getting it by the end of October

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