this week

Corning can now make 3D Gorilla Glass for wearable tech

Corning announced that it can produce Gorilla Glass three dimensionally. A new manufacturing technique allows the company to make the product conform to different shapes and designs without sacrificing its strength.

Durability is certainly a question on consumer's minds when they purchase their latest tech, so expect wearable technology makers to begin implementing the use of 3D Gorilla Glass on various watches, bracelets, and any other devices they can conjure up this year.
There haven't been any partner companies named which will employ the use of 3D Gorilla Glass just yet. We will certainly keep you posted on any further developments.

Nokia Lumia 929 Icon appears wearing Incipio case

A purported Nokia smartphone allegedly being developed for US carrier Verizon has been spotted donning an Incipio case on the makers own site. The device is identified as the Nokia Icon, which has been confirmed as the codename for the upcoming Lumia 929.
  

It's reported that the Lumia 929 was initially slated for a pre-holiday release, but has suffered a delay and got pushed back to January 16 instead.
Another important caveat surrounding the Icon moniker is that sources indicate that it could be released directly under its nickname, which would be a first for Nokia, that has always outed devices with a name and model number. Perhaps this has something to do with the pending Microsoft merger?

MediaTek bringing LTE and Cortex-A15 big.LITTLE to CES

MediaTek is quickly establishing itself as one of the most popular chipset vendors but it has only been associated with value-for-money devices. What it's bringing to CES will help it break away from that image and even jump on the wearables bandwagon.


One of the key components is the MT6290 modem. Built on a 28nm process, the modem supports LTE Cat. 4, meaning it can achieve downlink speeds of up to 150Mbps. This chipset is compatible with MediaTek's current application processors, so integrating it into new products should be easy.
The MT8135 will also be at the trade show – a big.LITTLE processor with two Cortex-A7s and two Cortex-A15s and a PowerVR Series 6 GPU (same generation as the iPhone 5s GPU). This chipset was announced back in July, so we hope to see actual devices with it at CES. The octa-core MediaTek MT6592 will be at the stands too.
Then there's the smallest chipset in the world (according to MediaTek), which will be used for wearables (a market set to explode in 2014). Smart TVs, another market gaining popularity, will be catered to by a chipset capable of decoding UHD HEVC-encoded video at 60fps. There will be products for home automation, indoor positioning an Qi wireless charging too.
With demand for NVIDIA Tegra chipsets waning, Samsung's 5th gen Exynos struggling and TI out of the game, MediaTek has a golden opportunity to become the other big player on the market (other than Qualcomm that is, which is making big promises too).

LG G Flex for AT&T and T-Mobile official pictures leak

The notorious @evleaks has brought us yet another juicy leak. It's an official image of a two upcoming LG G Flex versions - one for AT&T and one for T-Mobile.


LG G Flex was announced and launched first in Korea back in October, but later it was revealed the curved phablet will be hitting Germany, USA and other countries in early 2014. It seems the US premiere is upon us as the official pictures have already popped up on the internet.
There is still nothing on the official LG channels, but we believe the Koreans will keep their promise to expand the G Flex availability very soon.
Samsung has decided not to bring its curved Galaxy Round outside South Korea, but latest rumors suggest an upcoming Galaxy flagship with a curved display will be announced at MWC or shortly after. This is one more reason LG will be in a hurry to supply the G Flex to as many markets as possible.

Nokia waves final goodbye to MeeGo and Symbian

Nokia announced in October it will be ending all developer support for MeeGo and Symbian on January 1, 2014. Well, the deadline has passed and the Ovi Store won't accept any more apps.

Nokia announced the end of the era via the official Symbian Team account on Twitter.

That was it; we are officially closed. Thank you all for the past years!
— Symbian Signed Team (@SymbianSigned) January 2, 2014

In case you've missed the news, the dropped MeeGo/Symbian support and app publishing means developers will be no longer capable of pushing new apps or updates in the Ovi Store. They will continue to receive revenue from their apps, of course, and all currently available apps in the Store will remain available for download.
So, if you are interested the Ovi Store is still open and your device isn't rendered worthless just yet. But maybe, just maybe, it's about time you jumped ship.

Samsung VP: Galaxy S5 to be announced at MWC 2014

With the flagship launch cycle about to start a new round, rumors surrounding Samsung's next flagship, the Galaxy S5, have intensified over the past several months. The most recent one comes by way of Samsung's VP and Head of Design Strategy, Dong-hoon Chang.


While attending a New Year's party at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul, South Korea, Chang answered reporter questions regarding the anticipated S5 flagship.
He responded with "about right" in regards to a potential Galaxy S5 announced at MWC 2014, while also speculating about plans for a construction material (think: metal), and/or a possible variant that will feature a flexible display.
Obviously, unofficial statements made by Samsung officials should be taken with a huge grain of salt, although several of the things Mr. Chang said are in line with some rumors we've heard about the Galaxy S5. Some sources have been speculating about a new premium Galaxy F line, to feature smartphones made of higher quality materials to complement the plastic Galaxy S family.

Jolla outsells iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s at Finnish carrier DNA

Jolla began its retail journey in its home country Finland and a month later began selling across Europe. Initial sales data from Finnish carrier DNA, which is the only one to offer the Jolla smartphone at this point, shows that the phone is doing quite well. So much so that it managed to overtake the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s on its network.

In DNA's top 10 list of best selling smartphones, the Jolla sits fifth. Right behind it is the Apple iPhone 5s in sixth place, while the iPhone 5c is eighth. In the period in which the Jolla started selling at DNA it's also the top selling smartphone above €300.
Above the Jolla in DNA's list sits the Nokia Lumia 520 with the top 3 spots taken by Samsung smartphones. From top to bottom they're the Samsung Galaxy Trend, Samsung Galaxy Y and the Samsung Galaxy S III.
Finnish carriers Sonera and Elisa, which currently don't offer Jolla, feature four Nokia smartphones in their respective lists of top 10 selling smartphones. In the case of Elisa, 8 out of 10 corporate customers carry a Nokia smartphone, so the Finnish company is definitely regaining its positions in its home market.
Here's a friendly reminder to check out our extensive Jolla hands-on in case you've missed it.

Acer launches 21inch Acer DA223 HQL Portable Android All-in-one

Just ahead of the CES, we see numerous manufacturers announce various products and the latest to announce a portable Android AIO is Acer. The Acer DA223 HQL AIO is a huge 21inch AIO that is powered by Android and comes with a built in battery so that it can be used as a big tablet(Yes. A 21inch tablet).

The 21inch wide angle display sports a Full HD resolution(1920×1080 pixels) and hence a pixel density of 105ppi. Surprisingly, the AIO is powered by Android OS. The specifications of the big AIO are

• Snapdragon 600 SoC clocked at 1.7GHz
• 21 inch Full HD display
• Android OS JellyBean
• 10 point multi-touch
• Built In battery in AIO
• Edge to Edge design

The Acer DA223 AIO comes with an adjustable tilt stand that allows the AIO to be used in various angles and lie flat as well. It also comes with Acer’s BYOC(Build Your Own Cloud) feature that lets it connect seamlessly with other Acer PC using its own cloud service.
We have seen companies stretch the limits of an Android powered device and this is the first time we are seeing a manufacturer come up with an AIO. The Acer DA223 will be showcased at the CES 2014 event.
The pricing of the device is US$699.

Acer announces Acer TA272 HUL – 27inch portable Android AIO

 Acer has announced Acer TA272 HUL which is 27inch portable Android AIO.


The huge 27inch wide angle display sports a WQHD resolution(2560×1440 pixels). Despite being huge and bigger than most normal monitors, it is powered by Android OS. The specifications of the big AIO are

• NVidia Tegra Quad-core processor
• 27 inch  WQHD display
• Android 4.2 JellyBean
• 10 point multi-touch
• Dolby Surround sound
• Edge to Edge design
• Asymmetric stand
• 2MP web camera for video calls
• HDMI port
• DisplayPort
• USB 3.0

The Acer DA223 AIO comes with an adjustable tilt stand that allows the AIO to be used in various angles between 30 and 80 degrees. It also comes with Acer’s BYOC(Build Your Own Cloud) feature that lets it connect seamlessly with other Acer PC using its own cloud service.
We have seen companies stretch the limits of an Android powered device and this is the first time we are seeing a manufacturer come up with an AIO that is fixed to its position because of the lack of a battery pack inside it. Since there is no internal battery, you cannot use it on the go(anyways, you wouldn’t want to carry around a 27inch device).
The pricing of the device is US$1099 and is already shipping.

Acer Iconia B1-720 and Iconia B1-721 with 7-inch display, 1.3GHz dual-core processor announced

Acer has announced Iconia B1-720 and B1-721, upgraded version of last year’s Iconia B1-A71 tablet. It ha a 7-inch capacitive touch screen 10-point multi-touch display based on One Glass Solution technology and is powered by a 1.3 GHz dual-core processor (Probably MediaTek MT6572, similar to the Liquid Z5. It runs on Android Jelly Bean OS, but the version is not available yet. It also comes with a 0.3-megapixel (VGA) front-facing camera for video chats. The Iconia B1-721 has 3G support and the Iconia B1-720 comes with WiFi. Both these have 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal and an expansion slot.

Acer Iconia B1-720 / B1-721 Specifications

• 7-inch capacitive multi-touch display
• 1.3 GHz dual-core processor
• Android Jelly Bean OS
• VGA front-facing camera
• 3.5mm audio jack, microphone jack, front-facing speaker
• 3G (B1-721 only),Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS
• 1GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32 with microSD

No details about the display resolution and the battery capacity yet. The Acer has announced Iconia B1-720 and B1-721 come in Black and White colors. The Acer Iconia B1-720 would be available mid-January at a starting price of 129 Euros (~Rs. 11,000). The Iconia B1-721 with 3G support would be available end January at a starting price of 179 Euros (~Rs. 15,250). Acer would also sell ultra-slim Crunch Keyboard fitted in a soft synthetic leather cover separately. Acer would also show off the tablet along with other devices at CES next week.

Polaroid Q7, Q8 and Q10 tablets with quad-core processors and Android 4.4 announced, starts at $130

Polaroid announced that it would unveil 50″ Smart TV and 50″ Ultra HD TV at the CES. It would also unveil new tablets in the Q Series at the event next week. The Q7 (7” tablet), Q8 (8” tablet) and Q10 (10.1” tablet) are Wi-Fi enabled tablets powered quad-core processors and runs on the latest Android 4.4 KitKat OS.


These have HDMI, Bluetooth, front-facing speakers,  front and rear cameras and Google Play Store. These tablets are designed and manufactured by Southern Telecom, an authorized Polaroid licensee. Complete specifications are not available yet.
The Polaroid Q7, Q8 and Q10 are priced at $129.99, $149.99 and $179.99 respectively.

Acer Liquid Z5 with 5-inch display, 1.3 GHz dual-core processor announced

Acer has unveiled the Liquid Z5, successor of the Liquid Z3 that was launched last year. It has a 5-inch (854 x 480 pixels) FWVGA capacitive touch screen display, powered by a 1.3 GHz dual-core MediaTek MT6572 processor with Mali 400 GPU and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It comes with a  5-megapixel rear camera with 5 elements f2.4 lens, LED flash and a 0.3-megapixel (VGA) front-facing camera. It comes with dual SIM support with dual standby.
It has DTS Sound technology and Acer RAPID design for one-hand control to unlock and/or wake-up the screen, launch the camera, take a picture, launch apps from home screen and pick up phone calls easily. It has Quick Mode profiles such as Basic Mode, Senior Mode, Classic mode and Keypad mode. It has Acer Float User Interface that allows app windows to stay open for better multitasking.

Acer Liquid Z5 specifications

•  5-inch (854 x 480 pixels) capacitive touch screen display
• 1.3 GHz dual-core MediaTek MT6572 processor with Mali 400 GPU
• Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) OS
• Dual SIM
• 8.8 mm thick and weighs 147 grams
• 5MP rear camera with 5 elements f2.4 lens and LED flash
• 0.3-megapixel (VGA) front-facing camera.
• 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 + EDR and GPS
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
• 512MB RAM, 4GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB
• 2000 mAh battery

The Acer Liquid Z5 comes in Essential White and Gentle Grey colors and would be available starting from mid-January in France, Benelux, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Ukraine and UK at a suggested price of 169 Euros (Rs. 14,400). Acer would also sell flip and protection cases for the device separately.

Acer Iconia A1-830 with 7.9-inch HD display, 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Z2560 processor announced, starts at 169 Euros

Acer has just announced that Acer Iconia A1-830 tablet after teasing it for the past few days. It has a 7.9-inch (1024 x 768 pixels) LED-backlit  IPS display with 178 degree viewing angle and  4:3 aspect ratio and is powered by a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Z2560 processor with Hyper-Threading technology. It has a aluminum metal back cover and sturdy frame for enhanced durability and weighs 380 grams. Android version is not available yet, but it is likely to run on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean).

Acer Iconia A1-830 specifications

• 7.9-inch (1024 x 768 pixels) LED-backlit  IPS display
• 1.6 GHz dual-core Intel Atom Z2560 processor with PowerVR SGX544 GPU
• Android OS
• 8.15mm thick and weighs 380 grams
• 5MP rear camera with 1080p video recording
• 2MP front-facing camera with 720p video recording
• 1GB LPDDR2 RAM, 16GB of storage and expandable memory up to 32GB with micro SD
• WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, micro USB
• Up to 7.5-hours of battery life

The Acer Iconia A1-830 comes in White color and would be available from the end of February at a starting price of 169 Euros (~Rs. 14,400). Acer would also sell Crunch Keyboard and Crunch Cover that doubles up as stand separately. Acer would showcase the tablet at CES next week.

Lava Iris 405+ with 4-inch display, 1.3 GHz dual-core processor launched for Rs. 6999

Lava Iris 405+ that was spotted online earlier this week has been officially launched in India. It has a 4-inch (800 x 480 pixels) capacitive touch screen display, powered by a 1.3 GHz dual-core processor and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It comes with a 5-megapixel auto focus rear camera with LED flash and a VGA front-facing camera, similar to the Iris 405. It also has dual SIM support with dual standby similar to other Iris smartphones. It has 3G support, 512MB RAM and packs a 1400 mAh battery.

Lava Iris 405+ Specifications

• 4-inch (800 x 480 pixels) capacitive touch screen display
• 1.3 GHz dual-core processor
• Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
• Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) with dual standby
• 5MP auto focus camera with LED flash,
• 0.3-megapixel (VGA) front-facing camera
• Dimensions - 64x125x9 mm; Weight 127 grams.
• 512MB RAM, 4GB of internal memory (2.25 GB user memory), expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
• 3G (HSDPA 21Mbps; HSUPA: 5.76 Mbps) , WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth with A2DP, aGPS
• 3.5 mm audio jack, FM Radio
• 1400 mAh battery

The Lava Iris 405+ comes in Black and White colors and is priced at Rs. 6,999. It would be available for sale across all national retail stores, multi-brand outlets across India and leading online stores.

Lenovo S650 with 4.7-inch qHD display, 1.3 GHz quad-core processor announced

Lenovo has announced S650, the company’s latest mid-range smartphone in the S Series. It has a  4.7-inch (960 x 540 pixels) capacitive touchscreen display, powered by a 1.3 GHz Quad-Core MediaTek 6582 processor with Mali 400 GPU and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It packs a 8-megapixel auto focus rear camera with LED Flash and a 0.3-megapixel (VGA) front-facing camera. It also comes with dual SIM support with dual standby similar to S930 and the A859 smartphones.
It has a polycarbonate back cover with fabric-feel texture and metal trim for a comfortable grip and comes with gesture and motion-based enhancements to the user interface for better one-hand usage.
Lenovo S650 specifications

• 4.7-inch (960 x 540 pixels) capacitive touchscreen display
• 1.3 GHz Quad-Core MediaTek 6582 processor with Mali 400 GPU
• Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
• Dual SIM (WCDMA+GSM)
• 8MP auto focus camera with LED Flash
• 0.3MP front-facing camera
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio, Dolby Digital Plus audio
• Dimensions – 138 x 8.77 x 69.8mm; Weight: 126g
• 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS
• 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
• 2000 mAh battery

The Lenovo A859 comes in silver color and is priced starting at $219 (~Rs. 13,650).  It would be available beginning immediately in countries where Lenovo smartphones are sold, says the company. It would be showcased at the CES 2014 next week along with Lenovo Vibe Z, S930 and A859

Lenovo A859 with 5-inch HD display, 1.3 GHz quad-core processor announced

Lenovo has announced the A859, the company’s latest mid-range smartphone in the A Series along with the S930. It has a  5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD capacitive touchscreen IPS display with 178 degree viewing angle, powered by a 1.3 GHz Quad-Core MediaTek 6582 processor with Mali 400 GPU and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean).
It packs a 8-megapixel auto focus rear camera with LED Flash and a 1.6-megapixel fixed-focus front-facing camera and comes with dual SIM support with dual standby, similar to S930.
Lenovo A859 specifications

• 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD capacitive touchscreen IPS display with 178 degree viewing angle
• 1.3 GHz Quad-Core MediaTek 6582 processor with Mali 400 GPU
• Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
• Dual SIM (WCDMA+GSM)
• 8MP auto focus camera with LED Flash
• 1.6MP fixed-focus front-facing camera
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
• Dimensions – 142 x 72.5 x 9.2 mm
• 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS
• 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
• 2250 mAh battery

The Lenovo A859 comes in White color and is priced starting at $229 (~Rs. 14,270).  It would be available beginning immediately in countries where Lenovo smartphones are sold, says the company. It would be showcased at the CES 2014 next week along with the Vibe Z and the S930.

Lenovo S930 with 6-inch HD display, 1.3 GHz quad-core processor announced

Lenovo has announced S930, the company’s latest large-screen smartphone in the S Series. It has a  6-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD capacitive touchscreen display, powered by a 1.3 GHz Quad-Core MediaTek 6582 processor with Mali 400 GPU and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It packs a 8-megapixel auto focus rear camera with LED Flash and a 1.6-megapixel fixed-focus front-facing camera. It also comes with dual SIM support with dual standby.
It has dual front-facing speakers and Dolby Digital Plus advanced for enhanced audio experience. It has unique rear laser-etched, fabric-feel rear cover with a 3D-textured design for a comfortable grip and less fingerprints and scratches. It has gesture and motion-based enhancements for better one-hand usage.
Lenovo S930 specifications

• 6-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD capacitive touchscreen display
• 1.3 GHz Quad-Core MediaTek 6582 processor with Mali 400 GPU
• Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
• Dual SIM (WCDMA+GSM)
• 8MP auto focus camera with LED Flash, 1080p Full HD video recording
• 1.6MP fixed-focus front-facing camera
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio, Dolby Digital Plus audio
• Dimensions – 170×86.5×8.7mm; Weight: 170 grams
• Sensors: Gravitation/Proximity/Light/E-Compass
• 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS
• 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
• 3000 mAh battery

The Lenovo S930 comes in Silver color and starts at $319 (~Rs. 19,890). It would be available beginning immediately in countries where Lenovo smartphones are sold. It would show off the smartphone at the CES 2014 next week.

Intex Aqua Octa with 6-inch HD display, Octa-Core processor officially launched

The Intex Aqua Octa went on sale in India earlier today. Now Intex has official launched the smartphone today. It was unveiled back in November 2013 and packs a 6-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display based on One-Glass-Solution (OGS), powered by a 1.7 GHz Octa-Core MediaTek MT6592 processor with Mali 450-MP4 GPU and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It packs a 13-megapixel auto focus rear camera with LED Flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera similar to the Aqua i7.
It comes with Dual SIM support with dual standby. It also comes with  Matrabhasha multilingual application, Intex Cloud with 5GB of storage, Intex Play, Intex Game Club, BigFlix, NQ Mobile Security, OLX and Opera mini.

Intex Aqua Octa specifications

• 6-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS OGS display
• 1.7 GHz Octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor with 700 MHz Mali 450-MP4 GPU
• Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
• Dual SIM (WCDMA+GSM)
• 13MP auto focus camera with LED Flash, 1080p Full HD video recording
• 5MP front-facing camera
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio, dual Yamaha 1420 speakers with 1.2W output
• Dimensions - 161.06×80.86x7mm; Weight: 180 grams
• 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, aGPS
• 2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory
• 2300 mAh battery with up to 6 hours talk time and up to 180 hours standby

The Intex Aqua Octa comes in Black and White colors and is priced at Rs. 19,999. It would be available across 40,000 plus retail outlets, more than 42 INTEX SQUARES (exclusive retail stores), several hypermarkets and other leading e-commerce portals from January 15th on wards.

LG announces new Tab-Book 2, Ultra PC and AIO PC

LG has announced new models of Tab-Book 2, Ultra PC and All-in-One (AIO) PC. The devices will be officially unveiled at CES 2014 next year.

The Tab-Book 2 is 11.6-inch tablet with a sliding keyboard underneath the FullHD display. The device runs Windows 8.1 on Intel Core i5 processor.

The Ultra PC is actually just a notebook with a FullHD 13.3-inch IPS display with a Super Narrow 4.4mm thin bezel, Intel Core i5 processor and a 128GB or 256GB SSD.
The AIO desktop PC has a 27-inch FullHD IPS panel and runs Windows 8.1 on an Intel Core CPU and NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M GPU. The PC also supports TV input and you can switch easily between the two using the remote control and even watch simultaneously with the picture in picture mode.
More details will be available when the devices are unveiled at CES.

Sony considers launching a WP device in 2014

According to a report in The Information, Sony is planning to add another OS to its stable of mobile devices. The tech giant is allegedly considering the launch of a Windows Phone device in 2014.

Reportedly, a future Sony smartphone running Windows Phone will be launched as early a mid-2014 as part of the Vaio product line. The latter is well-established by making hardware running Microsoft Windows for quite some time.
A Windows Phone device from Sony’s mobile unit will represent a massive shift from its current state of affairs. All Sony mobile devices are now running Google’s Android OS.
Microsoft on the other hand, after acquiring Nokia devices and services, is still looking for new hardware partners to help it expand the Windows Phone ecosystem. A possible path to a Sony partnership for Microsoft would be lowering the Windows Phonen licensing fees. Currently, the Redmond giant’s mobile platform is all but synonymous with the Finnish company’s products.
Sony had a Windows Phone 7 prototype in the past. The Japanese company hasn’t officially launched a mobile phone with Windows OS from the days of Sony Ericsson Xperia X1, X2, and Aspen.

XOLO Q3000 goes official with 5.7” display and 4000mAh battery

Xolo has officially launched the Xolo Q3000, the company’s latest flagship smartphone.  It comes with a 5.7-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) IPS display, powered by 1.5 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6589T processor and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It has a 13-megapixel auto focus rear camera with LED Flash, BSI 2 sensor, 1080p video recording and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with a BSI sensor. It comes with 2GB RAM and a 4000 mAh battery. It  went on pre-order online last week and went on sale online earlier today.

Xolo Q3000 Specifications

• 5.7-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD capacitive touch screen IPS display
• 1.5 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6589T processor with PowerVR SGX544 GPU
• Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
• Dual SIM (GSM + GSM)
• 13MP rear camera with BSI 2 sensor, LED Flash, 1080p video recording
• 5MP front-facing camera with BSI sensor
• Full HD 1080p video recording and playback
• Dimensions - 81.6×164.8×8.9 mm
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
• Accelerometer, Magnetometer, Ambient Light Sensor, Gyroscope, Proximity Sensor
• 2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with MicroSD
• 3G (HSDPA: 42.2 Mbps, HSUPA:  11.5 Mbps), WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, MHL, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, USB OTG
• 4000 mAh battery

The Xolo Q3000 comes in Black and White colors and is priced at Rs. 20,999 officially. It also has Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) support to connect to TVs and large display. It also comes with a free flipcover and a OTG cable in the box.

Samsung announces 110-inch UHDTV

After showcasing the massive 85-inch 4K or UHDTV earlier this year, Samsung is upping the ante with a positively gargantuan 110-inch version. Featuring the same framed floating panel design, the new 110-inch model goes on sale today in China, Middle East and a few European countries.

The 110-inch behemoth is the largest of its kind and at 2.6m width and 1.8m height, it’s bigger than a king-size bed. The 110-inch model will have all the features of the (comparatively) smaller 85-inch model.
No word so far on the pricing.

NSA is able to install spyware on all iPhones

A leaked NSA document proves that the agency is capable of easily deploying spyware on all iPhones and can have access to user data including SMS messages, contacts, and even a user's location by utilizing cell tower information. What's even scarier is that the NSA can remotely access an iPhone's camera and microphone that is infected with the spyware.
According to the leaked intel, the initiative, named DROPOUT JEEP, began in October of 2008. The document delineates that the NSA would need physical access to the device in order to install the software, which doesn't sound too bad.


However, the German Magazine, Der Spiegel, which also published the DROPOUT JEEP data, believes that the NSA rerouted shipments of brand new iPhones before they went out to consumers to install the spyware. Even worse, there was some speculation a while back from Edward Snowden, that suggests Apple may have allowed the NSA access to their products. The news was reported by Jacob Applebaum, who has a more detailed lecture (that he gave yesterday) about DROPOUT JEEP and the state of cell phone spyware today.
It's harrowing enough to think that the NSA is infecting iPhones without Apple's knowledge. It's even more harrowing if Apple is helping the US government to spy on its customers. We will provide more info on this story as it develops.

Nokia Lumia 635 Moneypenny to have LTE connectivity

Rumors surrounding the most recent Lumia smartphone in development, codenamed "Moneypenny," continue to come fast and fresh, and the latest one indicates that at least one of the Moneypenny variants will have support for 4G LTE.
The leaked shot comes by way of @evleaks, and shows off the Windows Phone 8 OS running on what is purportedly the Nokia Lumia 635 (as indicated by the time). The icon and antenna clearly shows off a 4G connection in the upper left.

We first heard about Moneypenny last week, when @evleaks again released a screenshot showing off a WP8-powered device with a dual-SIM interface - a first for Windows Phone.

It's assumed that that variant of the Moneypenny will see the light of day as the Nokia Lumia 630, again based on the time in the shot. Due to its dual-SIM configuration, it'll likely be available in emerging markets, while the 4G-capable Lumia 635 is expected to hit more developed regions.

Samsung announces 4GB DDR4 mobile DRAM

Samsung has been working hard this holiday season and today announced its 8Gb (that's 1GB) LPDDR4 mobile DRAM chip. This is not only the industry first LPDDR4 mobile DRAM, but it's also the first mobile DRAM to fit such a high density (8 gigabits) on a single die. Four of those dies can successfully be combined for a total of 4GB of mobile memory - an amount that so far has not been achieved commercially.

Fabricated on the 20nm manufacturing process, the new mobile LPDDR4 chips are reportedly 50% faster than the fastest LPDDR3 memory on the market, while also consuming 40% less power at 1.1 volts.
Here's what Young-Hyun Jun, executive vice president, memory sales & marketing, Samsung Electronics said regarding the new product.

This next-generation LPDDR4 DRAM will contribute significantly to faster growth of the global mobile DRAM market, which will soon comprise the largest share of the entire DRAM market

The data transfer speeds the new 8Gb LPDDR4 DRAM chip can achieve are 3,200Mbps per pin - twice the speed of currently produced 20nm LPDDR3 DRAM.
Samsung also hints that the resulting 4GB RAM modules will be included in "UHD smartphones, tablets and ultra-slim notebooks," which says something about the jump in smartphone screen resolution during the next year. Perhaps even the upcoming Galaxy S5 may be one of those UHD smartphones.
Mind you, to utilize that kind of memory, the Galaxy S5 will need a 64-bit CPU architecture. Good thing Samsung promises it's 64-bit SoC will be ready in time for the phone's announcement (usually in the first half of the year).