this week

Intex Aqua i4+ is a new Android smartphone with a 5-inch display

 

Intex has now launched a new affordable Android smartphone in the Indian market which it calls the Aqua i4+. It is priced at Rs 7,600 and will go up against the recently announced Micromax Canvas Juice A77 which costs Rs 7,999.

This smartphone from Intex has a 5-inch FWVGA (854×480 pixel) resolution display and it is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor which comes with 512MB of RAM. It does seem a little underpowered when compared to the 1.3GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM on the Micromax Canvas A77.

The Intex Aqua i4+ further includes an 8 megapixel rear camera with autofocus and flash along with a secondary front facing 1.3 megapixel camera. This is where the smartphone wins in its battle against the competitor from Micromax.

In terms of the connectivity the device is equipped with 3G (HSPA+), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. The company has also mentioned that it will support OTA updates.The Aqua i4+ is equipped with a 2,000mAh battery which the company claims will provide a talk time of up to 7 hours and standby time of up to 220 hours. It has 4GB of built-in storage capacity and supports expandable storage up to 32GB using a microSD card.

The smartphone includes a motion sensor, proximity sensor and light sensor. It will come pre-loaded with apps like WeChat, OLX, Matrabhasha, Intex Cloud, Intex Play and Hungama. The Aqua i4+ runs comes with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out of the box.

Samsung Launches Wireless Charging S-View Flip Cover For Galaxy Note 3 at $70

Samsung is bringing the ease of 'Wireless Charging' to Galaxy Note 3 owners with its latest charging S-View flip cover. The cover charges Galaxy Note 3 phablet via a Qi-compatible charging pad.
The tech giant previously launched wireless charging flip covers for Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S4.

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The new Wireless Charging S-View flip cover is no different than the usual smartphone covers that protect the device screen from scratches. Samsung's flip cover offers a small window on the top of the screen that allows Note 3 users to accept/reject calls, access camera, browse music files and check notifications, without opening the flip cover. It also wakes up the phone when the cover is flipped open. The S-View cover is made of polyutherane leather and comes in two colors, black and white.
The Samsung Wireless Charging S-View flip cover for Galaxy Note 3 works with a Qi-compatible charging pad. This additional device does not come with the flip cover but has to be purchased separately.
By placing the Note 3 with the S-View flip cover on the charging dock station, power starts flowing into the device without any cables connecting to it. The wireless functionality is efficient for users who like gaming and suing other apps, which drain the phone's battery quickly. It is also extremely convenient.
The Samsung Wireless Charging S-View flip cover costs $69.99 and can be ordered via Samsung online store.  In case you do not have a Qi-compatible charging station, Note 3 owners could purchase it for $30 - $40, the total cost rounding off to $100.

Toshiba infuses Indian market with 18 new laptops from its Satellite series

Setting up a strong base for itself for the year to come, Toshiba has gone ahead and launched in India a total of 18 fresh laptops from its Satellite series. These include notebooks from P, C, L, S and U40 ranges which have all been equipped with Windows 8.1.
Toshiba Satellite P Series
The P series consists of premium notebooks, and the two new entries to it offer high quality performance with their harman/kardon speakers and HDMI 4K output support. They feature HD/full HD displays, and are highlighted by a brushed metallic smart silver finish with chrome accents on the lid. Both the Satellite P50-A X3111 and P50-A Y3110 come with 1TB worth of storage and a 2GB Nvidia GeForce GPU.

The P50-A X3111 grabs hold of 4GB DDR3 RAM and a 4th generation Intel Core i5-4200U 1.6GHz processor, whereas the P50-A Y3110 kicks in 8GB of DDR3 RAM (expandable up to 16GB) and runs on a 4th generation Intel Core i7-4500U 1.8 GHz processor with Turbo Boost Technology 2.0. The former is priced at Rs 63,375, while the latter will be sold at Rs 76,660.
Toshiba Satellite C Series
Coming to the C series, the new laptops from this range boast of high flexibility in terms of configurations, and they weigh in at just 2.3kgs. Bearing a Clear SuperView LED screen of 15.6 inches in size, they offer the benefits of an 8x DVD super multi drive, integrated Intel HD graphics and built-in speakers with Toshiba Audio Enhancement. Toshiba laptops from this range are priced between Rs 24,730 to Rs 45,160.
Toshiba Satellite L Series
The new models from the L Series are blessed with Onkyo speakers, and they proffer a 15.6-inch HD Clear SuperView LED backlit display, 4GB DDR3 RAM (expandable up to 16GB) and a slim 8X DVD optical drive. Priced at Rs 42,575 and Rs 42,295 respectively, the L50-A I0110 and the L50-A I0111 run on an Intel Core i3-3110M processor clocked at 2.4GHz and kick in a 500GB hard drive.
Furthermore, the L50-A I3111 gains steam from an Intel Core i3 3227U 1.9GHz processor, while offering a 1TB hard drive at a price of Rs 51,515. The L50-A X0110 and the L50-A X0111 on the other hand, run on the 4th generation Intel Core i5-4200U 1.6GHz processor granting Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 and house 750GB worth of storage. They will both be sold at Rs 53,710.

Toshiba Satellite S Series
Now for the S series, the new models from which feature a 15.6-inch HD Clear SuperView LED backlit display, 4GB of DDR3 RAM (expandable up to 16GB), 1GB worth of Nvidia GeForce 710M dedicated graphics, Onkyo speakers, DTS Sound and an in-built slim 8X DVD optical drive. Measuring in at 25mm thin, the S50-A I2010 and the S50-A X2010 grab the Intel Core i3-3110M 2.4GHz processor and the 4th generation Intel Core i5-4200M 2.5GHz processor with Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, respectively.
Toshiba Satellite U Series
The U Series laptops all feature a 14-inch display, 4GB DDR3 RAM (expandable up to 16GB) and integrated Intel HD Graphics 4400. The Rs 45,835 U40-A I0110 offers a 4th generation Intel Core i3-4010U 1.7GHz processor, whereas the Rs 51,910 U40-A X0110 is powered by a 4th generation Intel Core i5-4200U 1.6GHz processor with Turbo Boost Technology 2.0.
All these Toshiba laptops come equipped with a one-year onsite warranty and a one-year carry-in International Limited Warranty. For the festive season, a free backpack and other incentives have also been announced by the company.

Alcatel One Touch Idol X+ with 5-inch 1080p display, 2GHz Octa-Core processor announced

TCL has launched the Alcatel One Touch Idol X+ (S960) in China. It has a 5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) IPS display at 440 PPI, powered by a 2 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6592 Octa-Core processor with Mali 400 GPU and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, f/2.0 aperture and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It comes with dual SIM support with dual standby and comes with a BOOMband Bluetooth wristband that tracks your activity and alerts you if you leave it behind by sounding an an alarm. The wrist band would be available in range of colors.

Alcatel One Touch Idol X+ specifications

• 5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD IPS display
• 2 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6592 Octa-Core processor with Mali 400 GPU
• Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
• Dual SIM with dual standby
• 13MP auto focus camera with LED Flash, 1080p Full HD video recording
• 2MP front-facing camera
• Dimensions – 140.4×69.1×7.9mm; Weight: 130g
• 3G (TD-SCDMA), Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi direct Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
• 2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with micro SD
• 2500 mAh battery

The Alcatel One Touch Idol X+ comes in Pure White, Deep Blue and Lemon Yellow colors. It is priced at 1999 Chinese Yuan (~Rs. 20,430) along with the BOOMband. It would go on sale in China mid-January 2014. No world on global roll out yet.

Samsung reportedly starts mass production of 5.25-inch 2560 × 1440 AMOLED screens for Galaxy S5

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Samsung introduced the Galaxy S4 earlier this year with a 5-inch Super AMOLED 1080p Display. A recent report published by the Korean news portal, DDaily states that Samsung has already begun mass production of 5.25-inch 2560 × 1440 pixels AMOLED screens for the Galaxy S5. The display will use the ‘diamond’ pixel arrangement, similar to the Galaxy S4 and the Note 3, the report says.
Samsung already confirmed their plans to introduce 560ppi SuperAMOLED displays for next year and 4K smartphone displays in 2015. Samsung SM-G900S, a mysterious devices with a 2K (2560 x 1440 pixels) Quad HD display appeared on the GFXBench recently, which also revealed that the phone would use a Snapdragon 800 processor clocked at 2.5 GHz with a Adreno 330 GPU (probably MSM8974AC chip) and run Android 4.4 (KitKat) out of the box. It is also rumored to come with a 64-bit Exynos processor for the non-LTE variant, and the mass production is rumored to begin in January 2014.
LG announced a 5.5-inch 2560×1440 pixels Quad HD smartphone display few months back. A recent report reveals that the LG G3 would feature this Quad HD display and the phone would be powered by Octa-Core processor. Both these phones are likely to be unveiled after the MWC 2014.

LG may release a G-Arch smart watch and a sports band soon

With Samsung making a big push to sell customers wearable devices to pair with their higher end devices, one would expect another certain South Korean manufacturer to jump in on bandwagon, too (cough, LG, cough cough).

Rumor has it that, in concurrence with the launch of the G3, LG will be releasing the G-Arch smart watch and the G-Arch fitness band. The names of the devices are self explanatory, so expect them to have features similar to the Galaxy Gear smart watch and Nike fuel band respectively. In fact, LG had a device akin to Nike's fitness recorder at CES 2013 called the Smart Activity Tracker, so they definitely do have their eyes on wearable tech.


LG hasn't confirmed any specific details on potential wearable devices, but they did confirm that they were planning to release a "wearable product" in the future. A debut at CES 2014 is a safe bet.
Would you be interested in wearable tech from LG? If so, what kind of features would you want? Sound off about it in the comments!

Pepsi teams up with Oppo for a special edition N1

The marriage of soft drink beverages and smartphone technology seems a bit far-fetched to us. That hasn't stopped Pepsi from teaming up with Oppo to release their very own version of the N1.
A Cyanogen Mod edition N1 makes total sense. The team of hackers have been modifying and improving Android software for a very long time now and hackers around the world laud their exploits all across the internet. But a Pepsi edition? Well, that's China for you.
The Chinese Pepsi N1 edition comes in a retail packaging sporting the Pepsi colors, and the phone itself is rocking a back cover with the iconic red, white, and blue logo. There's no word on any special software that will come with the phone, aside from a pre-installed Pepsi theme.


If you're a huge Pepsi fan or want this fizz-inspired cola handset, your only shot at getting one is participating in a dedicated contest, held by Pepsi in China. You know, the usual stuff, buy a Pepsi for your chance to win. If any of our lucky readers happens to win the Pepsi N1, let us know, we'd love to share some live images with our readers!

Gionee Elife E7 Mini with 4.7-inch HD display, Octa-Core CPU launched in India for Rs. 18999

Gionee has launched the Elife E7 mini in India along with the Elife E7. It has a 4.7-inch  (1280  x 720  pixels) IPS display, powered by a 1.7 GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) with Amigo UI 2.0. It packs a 13-megapixel swivel camera, just like the Oppo N1. It packs 1GB RAM and comes with 2100 mAh battery. The phone was leaked last month, but it was not announced at the Elife E7 launch in China.

Gionee Elife E7 mini specifications

• 4.7-inch (1280  x 720  pixels) IPS display with IGZO
• 1.7 GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor with Mali 450-MP4 GPU
• Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) with Amigo UI 2.0
• 13MP auto focus swivel camera with LED flash, 1080p video recording
• 3.5mm audio jack
• 1 GB RAM, 16 GB internal memory
• 3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, Dual SIM
• 2100 mAh built-in battery

The Gionee Elife E7 Mini comes in Blue and Pink colors and is priced at Rs. 18,999. It would go on sale in India by mid-January 2014. Check out our Elife E7 mini Hands-On.

Canonical releases Ubuntu and Android dual boot developer preview

Canonical has managed to give Ubuntu enthusiasts a nice Chrimasts present. Developers and advanced users can now download a special preview image of Ubuntu Touch which can dual boot Android.

Yes, you can now have both Ubuntu Touch and Android on a single smartphone with the option to easily switch between the two. Canonical says the image is suitable only for those who are comfortable with flashing custom firmwares on their devices.
Currently, the dual-boot Ubuntu image works well with AOSP or stock versions of Android as well as CyanogenMod ones. Booting backwards and forwards between OSes isn’t done by key combinations or tricky procedures, but rather with apps with a simple UI.
The Android app that Canonical has provided manages the installation of Ubuntu, as well as updates and rebooting into the Linux distribution.Vice-versa, there’s a corresponding app in Ubuntu Touch that handles rebooting in Android.
If you’re feeling adventurous follow these steps to install Ubuntu Touch dual boot on your Android smartphone. Make sure to read the instructions twice before attempting anything. Good luck!

Apple iOS 7.1 beta 3 now in developers' hands, out in March

According to a report by BGR Apple has commenced the distribution process of iOS 7.1 to developer partners. More specifically, the Cupertino company is currently seeding the Beta 3 version of iOS 7.1, which naturally brings bugfixes and new features.


Sadly, the source of the information hasn't specified what features and bugfixes come with the new release. Additionally, the new Beta 3 isn't yet available to developers, who have just gained access to Beta 2 of the operating system.
While Apple is usually releasing new iterations of iOS to the general public in January, it's said that in 2014 that won't be the case. Rather, the company is eying March as a possible time frame for the release of iOS 7.1. The delay is believed to be caused by the new iOS in the Car feature.

Nokia 'Moneypenny' leak hints at dual SIM Windows Phone

The acquisition by Microsoft doesn't seem to have hindered Nokia at all as it continues to work on new devices. According to the latest leak by evleaks, Nokia is also working on a dual SIM Windows Phone 8 device.
Codenamed 'Moneypenny', the phone is expected to be a budget device aimed primarily at Asian markets where dual SIM phones are popular. Judging by the time on the screen, the phone could likely be named Lumia 630. Also, we can see that 3G is available on both the SIMs, which is rare as most phones have 3G on one and 2G on the second.
Not much else is known about this phone at the moment other than it would be the first dual SIM Windows Phone device. We'll keep you updated on this device as we learn more

HP rumored to unveil large-screen Android handsets this month

According to a new report, HP has plans to reenter the smartphone market. The electronics giant allegedly has plans to release large-screen Android smartphones by the end of the year.

The six and seven inch devices are said to be headed to emerging markets such as India, China, the Philippines, etc. Their off contract pricing will reportedly range between $200 and $250.
The new rumor about the return of HP to the smartphone market matches with past reports. The company’s CEO Meg Whitman has also indicated to media that HP will ultimately release a smartphone.
The low-cost orientation of the rumored devices also falls right in line with the company’s budget-friendly Android tablet range. Earlier this month, HP launched a quartet of affordable Android slates.

Upcoming Geeksphone Revolution to feature an Intel CPU

Geeksphone Revolution, the upcoming smartphone from the Spanish manufacturer, is said to be powered by an Intel Atom Z2560 processor clocked at 1.6 GHz. The current range of Geeksphone smartphones utilizes Qualcomm chipsets, though it looks like the company will be making the shift.

Apart from the processor, Geeksphone Revolution is rumored to sport a 4.7-inch IPS display with a resolution of 960 x 540 pixels. The upcoming smartphone will feature an 8 megapixel camera with LED flash, expandable storage and a 2,000mAh battery.
If the rumors are to be trusted, the Geeksphone Revolution will start shipping in the first quarter of 2014, but there is no official word just yet.

5" Oppo R1 goes official with 8MP F/2.0 rear camera

Oppo has been teasing its R1 smartphone for a quite a while, and we even saw live images of the device a couple of days ago. Now, the Chinese manufacturer has officially announced the R1, a new addition to its mid-range smartphone club.
Oppo R1 sports a 5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. It is powered by a MediaTek MT6582 chipset with a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor along with 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory.

Oppo's latest addition comes with an 8 megapixel rear camera with F/2.0 wide aperture, which according to the company, is capable of delivering excellent images in low light conditions.
Furthermore, there is a 5 megapixel front facing camera and the smartphone runs on the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean-based Color OS. Oppo R1 measures 142.7 x 70.4 x 7.1 and weighs about 140 grams with its 2,410 mAh battery.
Oppo R1 is already listed on the company's online store and the unlocked version of the smartphone costs CNY2,498, which is about $410. Unfortunately, there is no word on the global availability of the device at the moment.

Android 4.3 rolling out to Xperia Z, ZL, ZR and Xperia Tablet Z

Sony announced its Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update whitelist a while ago and the update is now officially rolling out to Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR and Xperia Tablet Z.

The Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update comes with a couple of new features and a few performance tweaks to enhance the overall user experience. You can check out the change log below.

• Google’s Android 4.3; Jelly Bean as standard – bringing Project Butter performance & UI optimisation and a smoother graphical experience
• Launched with Xperia Z1, we’re now bringing Sony’s Smart Social Camera to these devices – our signature camera experience, that lets you download, access and enjoy “Xperia camera apps” directly from within the viewfinder
• We’re also uplifting Sony’s entire native app portfolio to the latest versions – bringing tweaked / improved / current experiences for (to name but a few): Messaging, MyXperia, Smart Connect, Small apps, TrackID, Sony Select and…
• Sony’s Media apps: WALKMAN, Album and Movies, with Sony Entertainment Network cloud service integration* – a more converged and full Sony entertainment experience – Sony Entertainment Network & PlayMemories integration with a more intuitive UI, offering seamless access to both local and cloud content
• The launch of our unique custom interface experience: “Xperia Themes”, with downloadable UI packs from Sony Select – more on this soon…
• The latest Android security enhancements, matched with Sony’s mobile enterprise solution: Xperia in Business
• Battery STAMINA Mode – updated version of Sony’s power management app, now withrefreshed interface and more smart options for prolonging battery life
• Increased user control for Xperia Tablet Z, with “Restricted Profiles”; option to createisolated, secure spaces with individual local storage, home screens, widgets and settings

The Android 4.3 update should be at your door steps any moment now, so keep an eye on your notifications. Shortly, Sony will be keeping on its other promise and will be rolling the Jelly Bean updates for its Xperia T, Xperia TX, Xperia V and Xperia SP smartphones.

A Nokia Lumia 929 case put up for sale, complete with pictures

Cellphone case makers often jump the gun on product announcements these days - the Nokia Lumia 929 is the latest phone to be exposed by one. It’s the Armor Stand case listed on Wireless Ground that is specifically for the unannounced Lumia 929 and there are even images of the phone inside the case.


The Live Tiles on the home screen are arranged in three columns as opposed to mere two, which tells us it's a Windows Phone device with an extra large screen running the latest software.
Live photos of the Lumia 929 have leaked a number of times, along with even a video (now taken down). All the leaks so far point to a Verizon-bound device that is essentially a 5” smartphone version of the 6” Lumia 1520 phablet.
That means a 5” 1080p screen, Snapdragon 800 chipset and the trademark 20MP PureView camera. Unfortunately, there’s no indication of when the device might be announced. The US-centric CES is coming in a couple of weeks, but Microsoft-Nokia will probably hold a separate event for the Lumia 929 announcement because in the recent years both companies haven't participated in the trade show.

this week

Samsung unveils Galaxy S4 mini La Fleur edition

Samsung has a tradition of releasing special versions of some of its devices with floral patterns, the so called La Fleur editions. The latest edition to the line is the Galaxy S4 mini La Fleur, which follows in the footsteps of the S III mini from January this year.
This version of the phone is based on the Red Aurora color but features a big floral pattern on its back and a smaller one on the front, above the camera.
Other than that, the specs are the same – 4.3" qHD Super AMOLED screen, Snapdragon 400 chipset, 8MP/1080p camera and a 1,900mAh battery.
The phone will be available in January next year at a €417 price point. The Samsung Galaxy S4 mini La Fleur was shown in Germany, but besides that there's no info on which countries will get it.
If you're looking for a Valentine's day gift, there's a pink Galaxy S4 mini too.

Vivo Xplay 3S and its QHD screen go official

Vivo Xplay 3S has a bigger than expected 6" screen with the amazing QHD resolution (sometimes called 2K, but either way both refer to 2,560 x 1,440). That gives it a whopping 490ppi pixel density, higher than even the 4.7" 1080p screen of the HTC One despite the sizable difference in the diagonal.


The Vivo Xplay 3S is powered by a Snapdragon 800 chipset - quad-core Krait 400 CPU at 2.3GHz, Adreno 330 GPU and 3GB of RAM. On the connectivity side there's both TD-LTE and FDD-LTE.

The camera (rumors had little to say about it) is a 13MP shooter with a fast f/1.8 aperture. Next to it is a fingerprint scanner and there's a 5MP camera on the front. Vivo has created a custom camera app called Photo+, which shares your videos to the cloud and features augmented reality.The Xplay 3S phablet weighs 172g (not much for something this size). The body features a metallic bezel and houses 32GB of built-in storage and a 3,200mAh battery.Vivo went with a custom Android version the company calls Funtouch OS.

Vivo went all out with the audio features - the Xplay 3S TI OPA2604 amp, ESS Technology ES9018 DAC and the DTS Headphones:X, which enables 7.1 and even 11.1 emulation. Vivo offers a selection of 200 movies that work with the Headphones:X feature (the streaming service also offers 400 1080p movies and 1000+ 720p movies, but no QHD movies yet).

Chinese etailer Tmall will start taking pre-orders for the Vivo Xplay 3S soon at a price of CNY 3,498 ($580).

Samsung to unveil its first Tizen OS smartphone at MWC 2014

The wait for Samsung to officially announce the first Tizen smartphone might be over soon. The Korean company, in cooperation with Intel (also a member of the Tizen alliance) have sent out invites for a press event in February. More specifically, it's going to take place a day before the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona officially kicks off.

The invite doesn't specify the type of device that both companies will unveil, but it does say Samsung will show off Tizen OS running on actual devices. The event will also offer a glimpse at "the major milestones that the Tizen project has hit since last year's event."
According to analyst Geoff Blaber of CCS Insight, Samsung has to show commercial devices at the Mobile World Congress. This would solidify Samsung's mobile foundation, and give it a backup to its smartphone business in case Android takes a turn for the worse.
Back in November, 36 companies chose to back Tizen, including Panasonic, eBay, Sharp, McAfee, and Intel just to name a few. For a look at Tizen OS and what sort of features it brings to the table, you can check out this developer hands-on video.
We'll find out more about what new stuff Samsung and Intel have been cooking up on February 23 when the event is scheduled. Mobile World Congress 2014 will take place in Barcelona from February 24 through 27, so be sure to check back with us then for full coverage.

HTC Desire 501 dual sim announced in India

HTC unveiled three phones at the end of last month, two of which were dual-SIMs. The exception was the HTC Desire 501, but it turns out that its dual-SIM version was just a few weeks late.


The HTC India website now lists the HTC Desire 501 dual sim as "coming soon". The phone is a more affordable HTC One mini alternative with a 4.3" WVGA screen, dual-core 1.15GHz processor (likely a Cortex-A7) with 1GB RAM running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with Sense 4.0 on top.
The Desire 501 dual sim has two microSIM card slots with dual-active support – you can switch lines or use data during a call. Only one SIM is 3G-enabled, it does 14.4Mbps downlink with HSDPA.


Other connectivity options include Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 with Apt-X and NFC. The 501 dual sim packs an 8MP back camera and 2.1MP front-facing camera, both of which have f/2.0 apertures. The main camera can record 720p video and uses HTC's ImageChip technology.
The phone has 8GB of built-in storage expandable with microSD cards. The whole thing is powered by a 2,100mAh battery.
There's no official word on availability and pricing, but the Desire 501 dual sim is so far only listed on HTC India's site.

Mobile DRAM may become mainstream in smartphones in 2014

So far, the trend in mobile devices has simply been to put more and more RAM into devices. But, you knew that eventually manufacturers would move away from that trend a bit and move towards simply using better RAM. At least that's the theory coming from DRAMeXchange, which is claiming that 2014 will be the year of mobile DRAM.

So far, mobile devices have been using DRAM that is built and optimized for PCs, not mobile devices, meaning more power efficiency in mobile devices. Obviously, when designing hardware components for PCs, there isn't as much of a worry about power efficiency, because PCs are always plugged in, but power is always a big consideration in mobile. 

The expectation is that LPDDR3 will replace LPDDR2 as the mainstream product in mobile devices, which will be great for users because LPDDR3 drops the power usage of the RAM from 2.5V to 1.8V. Looking even farther down the road, LPDDR4 is expected to see limited release in 2015, and become the mainstream option in 2016.

No Android devices from Nokia, wearables planned instead

Talk that Nokia is working on Android-powered devices was met with great excitement, even when the rumors stated that the company is looking to fork Android. Chinese site CTechnology has some insider info about the status of the project, though, and the news isn't good.


The Android development was led by Peter Skillman, former VP MeeGo UX and Services Design and current Head of Design for HERE. Skillman was also VP of Design at Palm until 2010 around the time the Palm Pre came out.
All in all, if we had to pick someone to do a fork of Android, Peter Skillman sounds like the guy for the job. And Nokia was reportedly working on several Android devices, including a 7" tablet powered by Snapdragon 400.
These developments were done separately from the division that is going to Microsoft, but as part of that deal Nokia can't sell Nokia-branded phones for two years and a new brand may be hard to push now that Nokia has lost the magical clout it had a few years ago.
So phones are out of the picture for now, Nokia will instead focus on wearables – augmented reality and flexible displays, wireless power transmission and electromagnetic energy generation are quoted as the things that will set a Nokia wearable apart from the competition. A Nokia smartwatch may not be part of the package though as that project is reportedly headed to Microsoft.
Keep in mind that this is not official info, so there's no way to tell if it's true. The whole Android-powered thing is just a rumor so far.

Simmtronics enters into Smartphone market with new XPAD phones

Simmtronics, popular for its XPAD tablets has entered into smartphone segment with its new FUNDROID, AMAZOID and SMARTDROID series in the XPAD range. The XPAD FUNDROID series include, XPAD FUNDROID Q1, XPAD FUNDROID Q2, XPAD FUNDROID Q4 and the XPAD FUNDROID Q5. The AMAZOID series has the XPAD AMAZOID M1. The company plans to launch phones in the SMARTDROID series soon.

The company has already launched these smartphones in UAE market, during GITEX 2013 and is already on sale in Africa, Egypt, GCC and CIS countries. The new XPAD smartphone range feature single core to Quad Core processors. It has also created custom UI and softwares for smartphones such as smart swing and has also developed different color back panels. Simmtronics tablets and phones licensed by ERICSSON so that the company can launch 2G, 3G, 4G LTE smartphones across the globe, says the company. It has also tied up with HCL Care for providing aftermarket services.

Simmtronics XPAD FUNDROID Q1 specifications

• 3.5-inch (320×480 pixels) capacitive touch screen display
• 1 GHz single-core processor
• Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS
• Dual SIM (GSM + GSM)
• 2MP rear camera
• 0.3MP front-facing camera
• 2G (EDGE), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• 512MB RAM, 4GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
• 1400 mAh battery

Simmtronics XPAD FUNDROID Q4 specifications

• 3.5-inch (320×480 pixels) capacitive touch screen display
• 1 GHz single-core processor
• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) OS
• Dual SIM (GSM + GSM)
• 2MP rear camera
• 0.3MP front-facing camera
• 2G (EDGE), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• 256MB RAM, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
• 1250 mAh battery

Simmtronics XPAD FUNDROID Q2 specifications

• 4-inch (800×480 pixels) capacitive touch screen display
• 1 GHz single-core processor
• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) OS
• Dual SIM (GSM + GSM)
• 2MP rear camera
• 0.3MP front-facing camera
• 2G (EDGE), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• 512MB RAM, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
• 1400 mAh battery
• Free back panels in Orange and Yellow colors

Simmtronics XPAD FUNDROID Q5 specifications

• 4-inch (800×480 pixels) capacitive touch screen display
• 1 GHz single-core processor
• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) OS
• Dual SIM (GSM + GSM)
• 5MP rear camera with LED flash
• 0.3MP front-facing camera
• 2G (EDGE), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• 512MB RAM, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
• 1400 mAh battery

Simmtronics XPAD AMAZOID M1 specifications

• 4.7-inch display
• 1.2 GHz dual-core processor
• Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) OS
• Dual SIM (GSM + WCDMA)
• 8MP auto focus rear camera with LED flash
• 2MP front-facing camera
• 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, aGPS
• 512MB RAM, 4GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
• 1800 mAh battery

Regarding the newly launched smartphones, Indrrajit Sabharwal, Managing Director, Simmtronics, said,

Acer Iconia W4 8-inch tablet running Windows 8.1 launched in India starting at Rs. 24999

Acer announced the Iconia W4, successor of the Iconia W3 back in October. Today, the company launched the tablet in India. The Iconia W4 has a 8-inch (800 x 1280 pixels) multi-touch IPS display, powered by a 1.8 GHz quad-core Intel Atom Bay Trail T processor with integrated Intel HD Graphics and runs on the latest Windows 8.1. It comes pre-loaded with Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 and packs a 18.6 Wh 4960 mAh 3.75 V 2-cell Battery Pack Lithium -Ion battery that offers battery life of up to 10 hours for web browsing and up to 8 hours for video playback.

Acer Iconia W4 specifications 

• 8-inch (800 x 1280 pixels) multi-touch IPS display with Zero Air Gap touch, 178-degree viewing angle
• 1.8 GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3740 Bay Trail T processor with integrated Intel HD Graphics
• Windows 8.1 OS
• 5-megapixel auto focus rear camera with 1080p video recording
• 2-megapixel full HD front-facing camera
• 2 GB LPDDR3 RAM, 32GB / 64GB of internal storage, which is expandable up to 32GB with micro-SD slot
• WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, micro HDMI, and microUSB
• 10.6mm thick and weighs 412 grams
• Pre-loaded with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013
• 18.6 Wh 4960 mAh Lithium Ion battery

The Acer Iconia W4 is priced at Rs. 24,999 for the 32GB version and the 64GB version costs Rs. 26,999. It would be available at Croma and Reliance Digital outlets and online retailers such as Flipkart in India. Acer would also sell optional accessories such as Acer Crunch Keyboard with Bluetooth connectivity that also recharges via micro USB and Acer Crunch Cover, a protective cover made of microfiber.

LG announces 4K UltraWide monitor line-up

LG has officially announced its new UltraWide 4K family of monitors, which currently consists of three members – 29″, 31″ and the 34″ flagship.

The 29″ (29UM95) and the 34″ (34UM95) will pack a 3,440 x 1,440 pixel resolution and a 21:9 aspect ratio. LG claims they support 99% of the sRGB gamut and will include its True Color calibration software for free. The 31″ (31MU95) is a bit different, as its IPS panel packs a higher resolution at 4,096 x 2,160 pixels at a 19:10 aspect ratio. More specifically, it’s a DCI (Real 4K) IPS panel, which supports the higher pixel density.
The 31MU95 will also sport two 20Gbps Thunderbolt ports, which LG says will allow you to watch 4K footage and back it up while doing so. The 31″ also sports the same resolution as the footage recorded by the 4K RED Epic and Scarlet cameras, which means no black bars while watching movies shot with those.
Pricing and availability haven’t been announced, but LG is planning to showcase all the displays at their CES 2014 booth. We can only guesstimate how much LG will ask for its monitors, but having in mind that ASUS prices its 4K monitor at $4000, cheap isn’t what will describe them.

Windows Phone Store reaches 200,000 apps

The continued efforts from Microsoft is paying off as the Windows Phone Store hit 200,000 apps just a few days ago. From modest beginnings in 2010, to 100,000 apps in June last year to double that just in time for the holidays this year.

Microsoft will be releasing $100 million worth of gift cards to 100 retailers across 41 markets to make it easier for users to buy apps (i.e. receive a gift card for the holidays).
Microsoft is stepping up its game when it comes to carrier billing. In developing markets where credit cards are rare, carrier billing brings a 6-fold increase in app purchases. Just recently Microsoft finalized agreements with new carriers, bringing the total to 51 carriers across 31 markets, more than any other platform.
The Windows Phone Store is available in 190 countries, offering 200,000 apps and serving 12 million requests each day. That’s not a billion like the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, but Microsoft’s store has already covered the majority of the key apps.

Qualcomm and others reportedly caught off guard by Apple’s 64-bit A7

When Apple introduced the A7 SoC with the iPhone 5s, much ado was made about the chip’s 64-bit support. That is, by everyone other than the rival chip makers, who either, like Qualcomm, pronounced it as a “marketing gimmick” (only to retract the words later) or like Samsung, who was quick to announce its own plans of releasing a 64-bit chip.

But turns out, deep down inside everyone was caught with their pants down when Apple announced 64-bit support in A7. According to an unnamed employee at Qualcomm, the company was caught off guard by Apple’s decision to make the switch so early. “The 64-bit Apple chip hit us in the gut. Not just us, but everyone, really. We were slack-jawed, and stunned, and unprepared. It’s not that big a performance difference right now, since most current software won’t benefit. But in ‘Spinal Tap’ terms it’s like, 32 more, and now everyone wants it.”
According to the employee, the switch to 64-bit was the logical next step and was eventually coming to all device. However, no one expected Apple to make the jump so soon. “Apple kicked everybody in the balls with this. It’s being downplayed, but it set off panic in the industry.”
But that was three months ago. Now everyone is tripping over themselves to come up with their own 64-bit chips and are expected to release by the middle of next year. Unfortunately, for Android manufacturers, simply shipping a 64-bit compatible hardware isn’t going to be enough, when the operating system itself does not support 64-bit. Meanwhile, Apple updated not just its own OS but also all its apps for 64-bit and has also made it easy for developers to make the switch.
Apple is often blamed these days for not innovating enough but people often forget that most of the innovations aren’t always consumer facing, such as this one. Apple hasn’t really made a big deal out of the 64-bit support because let’s face it, most people have no idea what it is but you know it is a big deal when your rivals are caught off guard and forced to rethink their strategy to align with yours.

LG is not about to form a joint venture with Huawei

Rumors – tons of them are bombarding us from all sides on a daily basis. That's just the way things are. And while some of these do turn out to be accurate, a great fraction of the rumors we deal with turn out to be completely wrong. Here's one that falls into the latter category.The Korean Times is reporting that LG may form a joint venture with Huawei – a strategic move that should secure the Korean company's margins and boost its volume growth. This claim is based on words by senior analyst Mark C. Newman who is seemingly familiar with LG's plans. LG, however, contacted us earlier today to deny these speculations. There is no discussion between LG and Huawei on forming a joint venture and there have not been any talks on the matter in the past.The same analyst who The Korean Times quotes as its source mentions that LG might exit the smartphone business. Needless to say, that's nothing but a speculation and it's not looking credible at all.

So if you happen to come across news reports claiming that LG and Huawei are about to join forces, don't buy it. Also, don't expect for LG to quit making smartphones just like that. After all, news just isn't news until we hear it from the horse's mouth.

Samsung announces Galaxy Core Advance with 4.7" screen

Samsung has announced the Galaxy Core Advance, a new smartphone in the Galaxy series and the successor of Galaxy Core that was launched earlier this year. It has a 4.7-inch (800 x 480 Pixels) capacitive touch screen display, powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It has a  5-megapixel Auto Focus Camera with LED Flash and a 0.3MP (VGA)front-facing camera.

It has physical keys for frequently used features including voice recorder, camera, volume, menu, home and power. It comes with a range of software features including S Voice, S Translator, Sound & Shot, Group Play and Easy Mode. It also comes with lots of usability functions and enhanced accessibility features for disabled and visually impaired users including,

• Optical Scan that automatically recognizes text from an image and reads it aloud to the user
• Light Sensing technology that uses phone’s camera to sense light direction and brightness
• Instant Voice Recorder with simplified access to make quick voice notes
• Screen Curtain enables users to operate commands on a black screen to ensure privacy and saves battery life
• TTS (Text-to-Speech) functionalities and Voice Guided Camera functions to take pictures by reading out the number of faces detected and their standing location.

Samsung Galaxy Core Advance specifications 

• 4.7-inch (800 x 480 Pixels) LCD capacitive touch screen display
• 1.2 GHz dual-core processor
• Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) OS
• Dimensions – 133.3 x 70.5 x 9.7 mm, Weight: 145g
• 5MP Auto Focus Camera with LED Flash
• 0.3MP (VGA)front-facing camera
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
• 1GB RAM, 8 GB internal memory, expandable up to 64GB with microSD
• 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v 4.0, NFC, GPS ＋ GLONASS
• 2000 mAh battery

The Samsung Galaxy Core Advance comes in Deep Blue and Pearl White colors and would go on sale in early 2014. No word on pricing yet.

5.5" Huawei Glory 3X unveiled as the company's first octa-core phone

Huawei unveiled its first octa-core phone today, the Glory 3X, which is actually a midranger with 5.5" HD display, 13 MP rear camera and 5 MP frontal one. It will be named Honor 3X in some regions, and was previously rumored to arrive as the Glory/Honor 4.The octa-core processor is MediaTek MT6592, and, while it indeed has eight 1.7 GHz cores that can work simultaneously, they are all Cortex-A7 ones, so performance is about on par with Snapdragon 600, as far as benchmarks are concerned.Huawei placed a generous 3000 mAh battery in the Glory 3X, which is actually right in the phablet area, and the device is a dual SIM handset, for the going rate of about 1700 yuan, which translates to USD 280. Not a bad pricing for the ability to brag you have a "true" octa-core phone to anyone who is liekly to care

Pebble gets unofficial Windows Phone 8 support from an app

If you're a Windows Phone owner feeling left out because the platform doesn't support the Pebble smartwatch, have we got news for you. While it is not an official solution, there is a way for the timepiece to support Microsoft's mobile OS. And the whole solution is as simple as can be. If you know how to download and install an app from the Windows Phone Store, you can enable your Windows Phone handset to sync with your Pebble smartwatch.

Pebble Watch Pro

The name of the app is Pebble Watch Pro. Once installed on your Windows Phone 8 flavored phone, you will be able to see your tweets, calendar notifications and network alerts on your Pebble. Get an alert when your phone's battery drops under 50%, 40%, 30%, 20% or 10%. And you can also be notified when you lose or regain access to your 3G, 4G or Wi-Fi pipeline.
Once your Pebble is synced with your Windows Phone, you can control your music playlist from the watch. Hit play or pause, or move ahead to the next song using the Pebble's music app.The app is $1.99 on the Windows Phone Store. Or, you can try the free version, Pebble Watch Lite. This offers you the ability to control your music from the Pebble smartwatch, but nothing else.

LG Gx officially announced in Korea

The recently rumored LG Gx has been officially announced in Korea on Monday morning in the country. The device will feature a 5.5 inch IPS screen with resolution of 1080 x 1920. The LG Gx will have a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 under the hood. 2GB of RAM is on board with 32GB of native storage and the back and front cameras weigh in at 13MP and 2.1MP respectively. The 3140mAh removable battery keeps the lights on, and the unit comes out of the box with an undisclosed build of Android Jelly Bean. The LG Gx does support 2.6GHz broadband 4G LTE service. The dimensions are 150.6 x 76.1 x 9.2 mm and the phone weighs 167 grams.

Some of the features on the model include Smart Day which provides the user with information on the lock screen such as time, weather and any scheduled appointments. QRemote allows you to use your phone as a remote for many different devices. You can also awaken the phone by tapping on the screen twice, a feature known as KnockOn. The device will be offered in black and white.

LG is pricing the phone at 850,000 to 890,000 Korean Won ($808.35 USD to $846.39 USD). If our Korean translation is right, it looks like the phone will launch in early January and will be an exclusive for LG U+ customers. And yes, the specs nearly match those of the LG Optimus G Pro. The difference is some of the new features added to the device, some of which are coming from the current flagship LG G2. For example, the "knock on" feature on the Gx is taken directly from the LG G2.

Windows Phone 8.1 Blue update to add on-screen nav buttons

On his Twitter account, renowned leakster @evleaks has shared a part of a screenshot from Windows Phone 8.1, which shows on-screen touch navigation buttons. Currently, the three-button combo of Back, Windows and Search keys aren't part of the user interface, like they have been on many Androids since Ice Cream Sandwich, but below the screen in either hardware or capacitive touch flavors.

Partial Windows Phone "Blue" screenshot. pic.twitter.com/LnV9h0MMKL
— @evleaks (@evleaks) December 14, 2013

evleaks' tweet suggests Microsoft is going to change that and will either go for software navigation keys or diversify the portfolio of Windows Phone devices giving OEMs the choice between hardware and virtual buttons.
Other Windows Phone 8.1 rumors suggest we're in for a notification center, enhanced multi-tasking and a Siri-like voice assistant.
We suspect Microsoft will official unveil its upcoming WP 8.1 OS at their Build developer conference in April, 2014.

HTC One, LG G Pad 8.3 GPE getting Android 4.4.2 KitKat

The Google Play Editions of the HTC One and the LG G Pad 8.3 are now getting the Android 4.4.2 treatment over the air. The update weighs in at just over 50MB and should already be waiting for you in your notification area. And in case it isn't, you can perform a manual check by going to Settings > About > System updates on either device.


As the minor change in the version number suggests, this isn't a major update and it mostly addresses bugs around the platform. Early adopters also notice a few minor UI tweaks, but the release is mostly about improving stability and tweaking performance.
If you happen to have one of the two lucky Google Play Edition devices, drop us a line in the comments, saying how you find your smartphone or tablet after the update.

Qualcomm announces Steve Mollenkopf as its next CEO

Steve Mollenkopf, the current COO of Qualcomm will be the company's next CEO. The announcement comes a day after reports suggesting that Microsoft might be considering Mollenkopf as the potential successor to Steve Ballmer, who will be hanging his boots and vacating the CEO position at the Redmond giant.
Steve Mollenkopf will fill in for Paul Jacobs, the current CEO and the son of Irwin Jacobs, the founder of Qualcomm. Paul will however, remain as an executive chairman of the Qualcomm.

Steve Mollenkopf has been a part of Qualcomm since 1994 and is an integral part of the management team for almost two decades. In the recent past, he has also led the wireless chipset business unit of Qualcomm, which is known as QCT.
Steve Mollenkopf will take charge as the CEO of Qualcomm effective from March 4, 2014.

this week

"Something incredible" coming from ASUS at CES 2014

CES, one of the biggest consumer electronics venues of the year in the US, kicks off on January 7. It seems that ASUS has been chomping at the bit to get 2014 started, as it's unleashed invites to its CES press event a day before the Consumer Electronics Show officially kicks-off.
The event headline reads "In Search Of Incredible" alongside a blurry background and some notes attached. The invite itself isn't too revealing even though that thing at the center of it might loosely resemble a Transformer, PadFone or something else entirely.


It's not uncommon for manufacturers to hold press events prior to actual trade shows, but this one is such a good deal in advance that we have no idea what to expect.
We can only hypothesize what ASUS will showcase, but from a company so in love with out-of-the-box thinking, it could range anywhere from a new Transformer Android or Windows device, to a new PadFone. Hopefully we'll have a clearer picture as next month rolls near.

Lenovo announces S930 and S650 droids

Chinese company is adding two more smartphones to its 2013 line-up: the Lenovo S930 and the Lenovo S650.


The Lenovo S930 is an affordable mid-range 6-incher coming to rival the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3. Its display boasts 720p resolution resulting in the okay pixel density of 245 ppi. At the back, there's an 8MP camera sans a flash, while the 1.6MP snapper is located above the display.
Inside the Lenovo S930 ticks a MediaTek 6852 chip with a 1.3GHz quad-core CPU with a Mali-400MP and 1GB of RAM. Internal memory is just 8GB, but it's expandable thanks to the onboard memory card slot. The phablet measures 170 x 86. x8.65 mm which is decent, considering the screen size. It weighs 170 grams with the 3,000mAh battery included.
The Lenovo S650 is the more compact new addition with a 4.7" qHD display that has almost the same pixel density as the S930 - 234 ppi. It packs the same internals as its bigger brother too - a 1.3GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 CPU on a MediaTek chipset. Internal memory is also 8GB with a microSD card slot on board.
It's also as thin measuring 138x69.8x8.7 mm and pleasantly light at 126 grams. Inside it, there's a 2,000mAh battery. Additionally, the phone will be available in a dual-SIM slot version, too.
Both devices will be available by the end of the month with the Lenovo S650 costing $366 and the Lenovo S930 will carry a price tag of $427.

Nokia RM-964 with 5.2" screen now testing

Zauba is at it again – this time the Indian import tracking site leaked a Nokia device with a 5.2" screen and the model number RM-964. The device is once again being imported for testing.
Unlike the 4.5" Nokia RM-977, the RM-964 is an expensive device costing INR 34,524 ($563/€410). It's a single-SIM only too, there's no mention of a dual-SIM version. So, it's clearly a Lumia of some kind (Asha devices are around INR 5,000), but what could it be?


A quick check reveals an old rumor for a 5.2" Nokia device, allegedly Lumia 825, that leaked in August. The specs for the handset listed 720p screen resolution, Snapdragon 400 chipset (quad-core processor, Adreno 305) and Windows Phone OS (but unfortunately, no model number).
The listed price seems a bit steep for those specs, but that's just the declared price for an R&D device and doesn’t necessarily reflect the real retail cost.
By the way, Nokia allegedly has a 5" powerhouse in the works too, the Lumia 929. With a 1080p screen and Snapdragon 800 chipset it will target flagship Androids, while the Nokia RM-964 Lumia 825 will face the mid-rangers.

Dual-SIM Asus Padfone Mini goes official, 7" tablet dock in tow

Asus just unveiled the phone/tablet hybrid in Taiwan.


The Asus Padfone Mini is a mid-range device with a 4.3" Super IPS screen with qHD resolution (256ppi) and Snapdragon 400 MSM8226 chipset (4x Cortex-A7 @ 1.4GHz, 1GB RAM, Adreno 305). The phone runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.
On the upside, the phone is relatively compact and light, measuring 129.3 x 65.6 x 8.7mm and weighing just 105g. The Asus Padfone Mini is powered by a relatively small 1,500mAh battery.
It also has an 8MP camera with f/2.0 aperture and BSI sensor that can do 16fps burst shots. There's a 2MP camera on the front. The built-in storage is 16GB, expandable with microSD cards.
On the connectivity side, there's dual-SIM (microSIM slots), Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS and GLONASS.
Inside the Padfone Mini box is a 7" tablet dock, which has Super IPS screen with 1,280 x 800 resolution (216ppi). The tablet also adds a 2,200mAh battery and 310g of weight (for a total of 415g).
Besides Taiwan, the Asus Padfone Mini will also launch in China, Russia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Singapore. The color options are Black, White and Cherry, the first units will be black.


The price is set at NTD 11,900 ($405/€295), but Taiwan Mobile will offer it on a 2-year contract for NTD 9,900 (or even less depending on the monthly tariff) .

Samsung merges Wireless and Digital Imaging divisions in pursuit of better cameraphones

Samsung has merged the two divisions responsible for mobile devices and cameras into one, in the hopes of producing better camera imaging tech in its smartphones and tablets.

The Korean tech giant hopes that the greater synergy between the two teams will result in even higher quality mobile camera experiences.
Samsung is looking to merge not only the technical sides of each division in the process either:

“We will transplant the brand, sales networks, software competency and manufacturing competitiveness of the Wireless Business Division into the Camera Business Division, and integrate the technical know-how of the two business divisions into competency for differentiating our smartphones.”

While there are no specifics about what potential digital photography improvements we could see in future generations of Galaxy devices and the likes, it’s doubtful that we’ll see it in Samsung’s next top-dog offering, the anticipated Galaxy S5. The S5 is supposedly set to see an announcement as early as next month, so any potential gamechangers in the camera department will likely come later next year.

Nokia Normandy is reportedly a low-cost Android phone

According to a report in The Verge, the previously leaked, mysterious Nokia Normandy is an Android handset. Known internally under several different codenames, the device is said to be developed as an equivalent to the low-cost Nokia Asha range.

The Nokia Normandy allegedly runs heavily modified Android version – much like in the case of the Amazon Kindle Fire range. The OS will allow the handset to run popular Android apps, thus addressing a major shortcoming of the current Nokia Asha lineup.
The Nokia Normandy development is described as going at “full steam ahead”. The handset is reportedly planned for a release in 2014. However, with Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia's devices & services units all but completed, we are yet to find out what the Redmond giant’s plans for the Normandy are.

MediaTek to announce an octa-core LTE chipset in January

MediaTek recently announced its first true-octa core processor, as part of the MT6592 chipset. The successor of this SoC is allegedly in the works and the upcoming chip that is reportedly known as MT6595 is rumored to go official in the January, next year.


The company's upcoming chipset is basically an LTE enabled version of the MT6592 and is very likely to keep the true octa-core CPU. If the rumors turn out correct, MediaTek will be looking to expand its market share even further in 2014.
Until now, MediaTek has been producing chipsets, which are ideal for mid-range and budget friendly smartphones. However, things might soon change for the Taiwanese semi-conductor company and we really hope the company rises its game and poses a more serious threat to Qualcomm and lightens up the development race

Qualcomm announces 64-bit, entry-level Snapdragon 410

Qualcomm announced its first 64-bit mobile chipset – the Snapdragon 410. Curiously, the SoC is not a high-end powerhouse, but one designed for devices with sub-$150 price tag.

Alongside its 64-bit capability, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 will also bring 4G LTE connectivity to the masses. Manufactured using a 28nm process, the chipset will come with Adreno 306 GPU, as well as support for 1080p video playback and up to 13MP camera units.
Furthermore, the new silicon by Qualcomm will support Dual and Triple SIM configurations. In addition to LTE, connectivity options will include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, and FM radio. GPS, GLONASS, and China’s new BeiDou standard will cover location services.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 will support all major mobile operating systems including Android, Windows Phone and Firefox OS. Sampling of the SoC will begin by device manufacturers in the first half of 2014. The first commercially available devices are expected in the second half of the same year.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Active gets a Snapdragon 800 version

Samsung Galaxy S4 Active version with Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset joined the “regular” SHV-E330S Galaxy S4 in SK-Telecom’s smartphone lineup in Korea. As expected, the smartphone comes with support for LTE-A networks (up to 150 Mbps).

Alongside the updated SoC with 2.3GHz quad-core CPU and Adreno 330 GPU, the newcomer sports an updated, 13MP camera (up from 8MP on the regular Samsung Galaxy S4 Active) and a new color scheme. The LTE-A equipped device has also shed a few grams compared to the I9295 (147g compared to 151g). It will also be offered in a new, white color scheme.
The rest of the SK-Telecom’s Samsung Galaxy S4 Active specs are the same as those of the Snapdragon 600 version. Highlights include a 5” 1080p display, 2,600mAh battery, and IP67 certification.
There’s no word on international availability of the updated Samsung Galaxy S4 Active.

Affordable dual-SIM Nokia RM-977 with 4.5" screen now testing

Zauba – an organization handling the import of tech into India – has listed 43 units of the Nokia RM-977 as being brought in from Finland for "intercompany use for testing and evaluation purposes only".
The details on the device are scarce, but the screen size is known – 4.5". That's the same size as the Lumia 92x handsets, and a bit smaller than the 4.7" Lumia 625.


The price of the device is listed as INR 8,000 ($130). That's the same price as a Lumia 520, but much cheaper than the INR 15,000 ($245) price for the Lumia 625. So, what is it? The info on the site says it's a single-SIM device, so that rules out a dual-SIM Asha (those are under INR 5,000 anyway).
Update: The site actually lists two versions with the same model number. The second version is marked "dual-SIM". Is this the Nokia Moneypenny?
Is it a Lumia 520's equivalent of the 625 – same specs, bigger screen? We won't know until it's official or at least until someone leaks it.

Nokia Tablet with 8.3″ 1080p display coming up

After waiting what seemed like decades before producing its first Windows tablet Nokia went with the 10.1″ Lumia 2520, but that still left a compact tablet-sized hole to fill.

Turns out that Nokia is working on just such a device and, according to import documents from India, a device codenamed RX-115 has an 8.3″ FullHD IPS touchscreen, nanoSIM slot and is already undergoing testing.
The source also hints at pen support on that 8.3″ canvas. And if the RX-115 codename sounds vague you might recall the international version of the Lumia 2520 carries the codename RX-113.

We’ve heard whispers of an 8-inch Lumia 2020 making its debut in Q1 of 2014

Biggest tech companies rally against surveillance

In order to protect its businesses and the people using them the biggest companies on the web have formed an alliance to pursue a reform, detailed in five principles. Those companies are Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and AOL.


The principles are as follows - Limiting governments' rights to collect users' information, Oversight and accountability, Transparency about government demands. The list goes on with respecting the free flow of information and avoiding conflicts among governments.
The first principle requests that governments limit their surveillance to individuals, suspected of wrongdoing and not collect bulk data of internet communications. Also said governments should limit their ability to compel service providers (like network carriers) to hand over user data.
The second principle wants these government demands for user data be fulfilled with transparent and public rulings by independent courts and not be hidden from the public eye.
Next up companies want to be able to reveal specifics to users about government demands. "Governments should allow companies to publish the number and nature of government demands for user information."
Finally companies want a robust and principled framework of laws between governments concerning data collection so as to avoid conflicts between governments.
You can find the full page for Reforming Government Surveillance in the source link, where enclosed are quotes by Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, Larry Page, CEO of Google, Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo among others.

Samsung launches the first 1TB mSATA SSD

Samsung announced today the first mSATA SSD drive of 1TB capacity. The drive is from the EVO 840 family and is destined to find a new home in ultrabooks, but will also fit virtually anywhere you place it – be it your home PC or a laptop.

The 1TB mSATA EVO 840 SSD is capable of reaching 540MB/s and 520MB/s of read and write, respectively. Random read/write speeds are rated at 98,000 and 90,000 IOPS.
Samsung has managed to fit so much capacity into the small form factor by adding 4 groups of 16 128Gb NAND flash memory chips. They’re based on the 10nm manufacturing process and are separated into four packages onto the plate. Samsung also bundles the drive with the Samsung Magician 4.3 software suite, which can boost the drive to go as fast as 1000MB/s sequential read speed in RAPID mode.
Pricing is yet to be detailed, but Samsung has shared that the 1TB mSATA EVO 840 SSD is going to be available globally starting this month. If 1TB is too much for you, Samsung will also offer the 840 EVO mSATA in 120, 250 and 500GB flavors.

Samsung considers KitKat update for entry-level smartphones

Samsung's plans for updating its high-end tier of smartphones have already been unveiled and we know the Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy S4 are getting Android 4.4 KitKat in January. As it turns out, though, the manufacturer is considering also bringing the latest version of Android to its more affordable droids.

A leaked internal document shows that Samsung is investigating the Galaxy S4 mini, Galaxy S3 mini, Galaxy S Advance, Galaxy Core, Galaxy Fame, Galaxy Ace 2 and the Galaxy Fresh to see if they are capable of running KitKat smoothly. As you might known the latest iteration of the Google OS lowers the minimum RAM requirement to just 512MB, but that's not including the custom TouchWiz skin that Samsung preinstalls on its smartphone.
Mind you, as per the leaked slide, Samsung is just investigating the compatibility and hasn't officially announced any firm plans.
Despite this, the news is great for owners of entry-level Samsung phones. Sony is also considering smartphones such as the Sony Xperia SP and Xperia ZR

Oppo Find 7 to bring Snapdragon 805 chipset

Under the hood the Find 7 is rumored to sport 3 GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 805 chipset. For context, most of the current top Android flagships boast 2 GB of RAM and Snapdragon 800.
Also the Find 7's processor has been purportedly bumped up from the Snapdragon 800 to the 2.5ghz, 805 processor. It's worth noting that the 805 will most probably come packed with a 4G LTE radio, meaning that the Find 7 could very well be the company's first phone with LTE support. If these internal specs turn out to be true, the Find 7 will certainly be at the top of the smartphone food chain.
Mobile movie watchers will love this extra bit of news: the Find 7's screen is also rumored to have grown: from 5.0" to 5.7" , with a 2560x1440 pixel resolution.