Samsung unveils Galaxy S4 mini La Fleur edition
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.
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, 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
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.
- 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
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.
- 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
5.5" Huawei Glory 3X unveiled as the company's first octa-core phone
Pebble gets unofficial Windows Phone 8 support from an app
Pebble Watch Pro
|
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
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment