this week

Samsung Galaxy S4 goes official with new screen and CPU

Samsung just released its latest flagship - the Galaxy S 4. It packs a new 4.99" Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, which adds up to a pixel density of 441ppi. The screen still a new PenTile matrix, though it probably won't matter much at this kind of density.


The international version of the Samsung Galaxy S IV is going to be powered by the Exynos 5 Octa chipset, which features four Cortex-A15 cores clocked at 1.6GHz, four Cortex-A7 cores running at 1.2GHz and the PowerVR SGX 544MP3 GPU. There will be a second version for some markets, which will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 chipset with its 4 Krait 300 cores and Adreno 320 GPU. Both versions will offer LTE connectivity and 2GB of RAM.


At the back, the Samsung Galaxy S IV will feature a 13 MP sharpshooter, while on the front a 2.1MP camera will take care of video chats and a host of new features that involve eye-tracking and hand-tracking.
The Samsung Galaxy S IV is slimmer than the Galaxy S III at 7.9 mm and even though its screen has grown it's actually narrower than its predecessor thanks to the slimmer bezels. The smartphone features a similar hyperglaze finish to its predecessor, though it has a different pattern on the back. At 130g the Galaxy S IV is also lighter than the Galaxy S III, despite featuring an ampler 2600mAh battery.
The new Samsung flagship will have three options for its internal storage (16GB, 32GB and 64GB) and they will all feature a microSD card for further expansion.
Just like the HTC One the Galaxy S 4 incorporates an IR blaster so you can use it as a remote control with your TV and various other home appliances.


Samsung Galaxy S 4 runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and has several cool new software features to go with. There's Sound and Shot, which captures 9 second clips with sound (similar to the HTC Zoe), Drama Shot, which captures a burst of photos and combines them into a single image. Cinema Photo mimics Nokia's Cinemagraph and lets you shoot a video and then select which part to be animated and which static, resulting in a GIF image.



You can erase objects from a picture and record video simultaneously from the front and back camera (1080p).
Samsung has included S Translator, which works with email and ChatON. It can translate all major languages at launch with further ones coming later on.
Smart Pause pauses the video you're watching if it detects that your eyes are away from the screen, while Smart Scroll can scroll a web page if you tilt the device while looking at it.
Health and Wellness is part of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 improved TouchWiz package too. The S Health app can measure steps, calories and even the confort of your surroundings - temperature, humidity, etc. These features require the S Band and Heart Rate monitor accessories.
The Samsung Galaxy S 4 will hit shelves in April in two colors - White Frost and Black Mist. Pricing is yet to be confirmed.

XOLO launches 2GHz Intel-based X1000 smartphone

Today XOLO announced its fastest phone up to date - the X1000. It is based on the Intel Atom Z2460 chipset powered by a single-core Intel Atom processor clocked at 2GHz with Hyper-Threading support, PowerVR SGX540 GPU and 1GB of RAM.

XOLO X1000
The rest of the XOLO X1000 specs include a 4.7-inch 720p TFT screen, an 8 MP rear camera with 1080p video recording, a 1.3MP front snapper for video chats, 8GB of internal storage expandable via a microSD card slot and the usual connectivity package (Wi-Fi, 3G, GPS, Bluetooth).
The X1000 runs on Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich and there is no official word on planned updates.
The phone is already available for purchase and costs €285 (INR19999).

Samsung trademarks the term 'Hyper Bright Display' ahead of the Galaxy S 4 launch

A US Patent and Trademark Office filing reveals that Samsung has just recently coined the term Hyper Bright Display, and rushed to trademark it Monday so nobody can call dibs on the moniker.

We know what you are thinking - the leaked Galaxy S IV seems to sport a pretty luminant display that is unlike Super AMOLED panels we've seen so far on Sammy's handsets, including the Note II, which tops 400 nits of brightness. It may or may not be the case that the Hyper Bright Display term has been trademarked to indicate the Galaxy S IV screen, but we certainly hope so.

Even if it turns out wishful thinking, it's heartwarming to know that a maker of Samsung's magnitude has turned focus on display brightness, which is often one of the weak points in those panels, as they get to be used outside pretty often.

Google Closes The Book On Google Reader On July 1, Seven Other Products Also Get The Chop

Google just revealed plans to shut down eight of its services as part of what it’s calling an ongoing spring cleaning effort. Some of them are pretty arcane, but among TechCrunch writers, anyway, we’re pretty bummed to see that Google Reader will be shut down on July 1.
“We launched Google Reader in 2005 in an effort to make it easy for people to discover and keep tabs on their favorite websites,” SVP of Technical Infrastructure Urs Hölzle writes in the blog post. “While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined. So, on July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader. Users and developers interested in RSS alternatives can export their data, including their subscriptions, with Google Takeout over the course of the next four months.”
As a result, we can probably expect another round of “RSS is dead” posts. RSS as a technology for publishers to distribute content probably isn’t going away anytime soon, but if nothing else, the comments about loyal-but-declining usage suggest that anyone hoping for RSS to become a significant consumer technology can stop hoping. And for folks who like to track lots of news sources, this really sucks. (Seriously, you should see the wailing and moaning in the TechCrunch chat room.)
Google’s declining interest in RSS was already pretty obvious given last fall’s shutdown of AdSense for feeds. At the time, TechCrunch’s Frederic Lardinois wrote:

RSS, as a mainstream consumer technology, is mostly dead today (though it still provides a lot of the backend plumbing for many web and mobile apps). Google itself is barely investing in Google Reader anymore and, as far as we know, pulled virtually all of the Reader team into other projects a long time ago.

Other products being shut down (with various nuances in terms of what will still be available to whom) include:

• GUI Builder and five UiApp widgets for AppsScript (September 16)
• CalDAV API for non-whitelisted developers (September 16)
• Google Building Maker (June 1)
• Google Cloud Connect (April 30)
• Google Voice App For Blackberry (next week)
• Search API for Shopping (September 16)
• Snapseed Desktop for Macintosh and Windows (today)

Google to 86 Reader starting in July

Reeder and Press promise to carry on without Google Reader

All of the journalists, news junkies, students and others who still use Google Reader will be unhappy to learn that the service is being shut down starting July 1st, 2013. While Google does admit that Google Reader still has a "loyal following," the Mountain View gang says usage has declined. Google suggests that users export their data, including the subscriptions they have with media content providers, to Google Takeout, but there might be another solution. News aggregation app Feedly is working on cloning the Google Reader API and other apps that used the Google Reader feed, like Reedy and Press, are looking for a way to keep going.

Also getting axed is the Google Voice app for BlackBerry. Google recommends that users switch to the HTML5 app which Google says is more secure and easier for them to update. Those running a 'Berry powered by BlackBerry OS 6 or higher, can use it. Another Google service getting sunset is Google Building Maker which will close on June 1st. This is used to help people make 3D buildings for Google Maps and Google Earth. By cutting some services, Google says it can focus its energy into fewer products.

Obviously, Google Reader will be missed the most, and even though Google likens this to an annual spring cleaning, it still affects those who feel comfortable using it. Below you will find a video of Feedly, which is one of the solutions for those that those who will miss Google Reader the most.

Firefox OS Simulator 3.0 is up, you can download it now

The Firefox OS

The Firefox OS has carriers, OEMs and even some smartphone users very excited. The OEMs and carriers love it because the OS allows them to back up the bloatware truck and dump it all in the OS. Unlike Android, the carriers and manufacturers won't face competition for their bloatware from Google applications. The HTML5 based OS has already been offered on a ROM by Sony for the Sony Xperia E and the Japanese manufacturer has already gone on record as saying that it will launch a Firefox OS powered phone next year.

Now available is Firefox OS Simulator 3.0 which lets developers and the plain curious check out the OS in a PC window. As an add-on to the Firefox browser, the simulator is easy to install and it takes less than a minute to do so. All you need to do is to run your Firefox browser, click on tools and go to Web Developer. From there, click on Firefox OS Simulator.

The most interesting of the new features is "Push to Device," which allows  apps being used on the simulator to be "pushed" directly to a device running the Firefox OS. A rotation simulator and a geo-location feature allow developers to test out their handiwork without using a physical device. Besides Sony, other manufacturers that have agreed to build a Firefox OS powered device include ZTE, LG and TCL.

Dual SIM Samsung Galaxy S IV images surface

There are several leaks of the upcoming flagship from Samsung that have surfaced over the last couple of days, and today, just hours before the launch event for the Galaxy S IV, we see yet another one pop up. This time it is a Dual SIM device, and is by several accounts a prototype, meaning that the final build might not look like the device pictured.

Otherwise, the specs sheet is largely the same as what we suspect will be in the Galaxy S IV:

• Android 4.2
• 4.99” AMOLED/PHOLED display
• Resolution 1080 x 1920
• 13MP camera
• Exynos 5410 1.8GHz Octa-core processor
• PowerVR SGX 544MP3 GPU
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB internal memory
• 2600mAh battery
• 140.1 x 71.8 x 7.7mm
• Weight 138 gram
• Dual-SIM - one of which is likely hot-swappable

According to the source, the dual-SIM model will come with the standard carrier bloatware preinstalled. From a design standpoint, it has a cross-hatched texture rather than the brushed aluminum look of the S III, with a thinner bezel, embossed home button, and redone plastic back cover. The Air View feature is reportedly still buggy, but that's likely due to the prototype build.

This leak brings up an interesting question in regards to the validity of some of the leaks we've come across - is it possible that until now all we've been seeing have been test devices, perhaps even ones purposely leaked by Samsung to keep the real deal under wraps?

Sony schedules a March 18 press event, Xperia L and Xperia SP incoming?

Sony Mobile is having a press event on March 18, slated for its Russian branch, where it might eventually announce new handsets, otherwise why bother. The only things we are still waiting from Sony this season are the mid-range Sony Xperia SP (C530X) HuaShan and Sony Xperia L (C210X) Taoshan, so that might be it.

The Xperia L is actually said to be an affordable low-end device, with 1 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4, Adreno 305 GPU, 1 GB of RAM, 4.3″ 480x854 pixels display, 8 MP Exmor RS camera, 8 GB of storage plus microSD card, all brought together under the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean umbrella.

Sony Xperia SP (C530X) HuaShan is to be the real midranger here, with Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 at 1.7 GHz, 1 GB of RAM, 4.6″ 720p display, 8 MP Exmor RS camera, 16 GB of internal storage and memory card slot, plus 2100 mAh battery. There is supposed to be a souped-up waterproof version of this one, with a quad-core Snapdragon, 13 MP Exmor RS and 2600 mAh battery unit.

A lower midrange Xperia C360X has also been making the rumor mill rounds, at 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4, 1 GB of RAM, 4.3″ 720p screen, 8 MP Exmor R camera sensor, and 16 GB of internal storage with memory card.

The Xperia L is rumored to cost a bit more than EUR 200 ($260) without a contract, Xperia SP is to be around EUR 300 ($390), with the waterproof version likely more, while there's no word on the C360X pricing, but probably somewhere in-between. We'll see what is Sony going to bring March 18, but given the location scheduled for the press event, these handsets will likely be geared towards Europe and Asia.

Microsoft prepping Windows Phone 9 with the help of Nokia, HTC and Qualcomm, no Samsung mentioned

Not that it would come as any surprise, but Microsoft is already working on the next major Windows Phone 9 version, a job listing reveals. WP9 is expected to hit devices old and new in time for the holiday shopping craze. 

We know about Microsoft's Windows Blue project, but that seems to be aimed at ironing out the win 8/RT kinks, rather than bring WP convergence of sorts, so no hints so far on specific new features in Windows Phone 9 have been given.

The big story here is that in the job listing only Nokia, HTC and Qualcomm are mentioned to have provided reference devices, while Samsung seems to be left out of the equation. Given that Samsung actually identifies Android now, and is also developing its own Tizen OS, that omission might be the law of the land for Windows Phone 9 devices.

More details emerge about Verizon’s upcoming flagship Nokia Lumia 928

If the latest tips being passed along mean anything, it looks like Verizon will indeed have a distinctive device to offer on the Windows Phone front next month.

Two sources of information are coming together and revealing that the Lumia 928, codenamed “Laser,” will also be blessed with an aluminum body like the rumored “Catwalk” which is said to be on its way to T-Mobile USA.

For the Lumia 928, which was leaked to us earlier this month, in addition to the aluminum body, the camera has been augmented with a xenon/LED flash arrangement. The new body will make the 928 lighter and little thinner than its Lumia 920 cousin. The shape of the device may resemble the Lumia 720 more than the 920. Other internals, such as the CPU and memory are expected to be the same. The Lumia 928 will also support simultaneous voice and LTE.

There is some conflicting rumor information related to storage on the Lumia 928, The Verge is asserting that the device will have 32GB of storage with no microSD expansion, like the Lumia 920. A purported Verizon employee is leaking that the device will have 16GB of storage with microSD support up to 64GB. Moreover, the Lumia 928 will have the same color options we have come to expect from the new generation of Windows Phone 8 devices, black, white, red and cyan.

The Lumia 928 is apparently slated for a release in April, though no firm date has been offered. Pricing is not official either, but full retail might be $550 and the subsidized price will be $200 unless Nokia works a deal (which is possible given how long the Lumia 822 has been free with a two-year agreement). The tipster also provided some insight about Verizon’s excitement over Windows Phone.

Samsung Galaxy S IV might come with 'Green PHOLED' screen tech, but what is it?

The latest rumor about the Galaxy S IV is that Samsung might have used a new screen technology for the Full HD OLED panel on the phone, called Green PHOLED. We've been tipped that would indeed be the case, too, and the new technology offers about 25% better energy efficiency than the older one, which we've heard before about the S IV screen.

We hope someone is not confusing FOLED, which marks an OLED screen with a flexible plastic substrate, like Samsung's YOUM brand, and PHOLED, which stands for phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes, but let's assume it's the latter, as we've been hearing about Samsung experimenting with hybrid production methods for the different diode colors for a while now.

Phosphorescent diodes have the advantage to be up to four times more power-efficient than fluorescent ones, the type that Samsung has mostly been using so far, where the "Green" moniker of the technology might stem from. The problem, however, is that green and red PHOLEDs last magnitudes longer than blue ones, as you can see in the table below, and you need all of those to make a pretty picture that won't start deteriorating over time when the blue PHOLEDs start giving up the ghost.

That is why the reporting is that Samsung used the good old fluorescent material for the blue diodes, but decked up the rest with power-efficient PHOLED tech, thus ensuring consistent color quality, but overall lower power consumption by about a third or a fourth, depending on which speculation is to be believed. Given that the screen on our smartphones consumes the bulk of its battery charge, this would result in the Galaxy S IV lasting longer, too.

The Green PHOLED rumor actually ties up with the OLED Association observations last year that Samsung has developed technology to combine production methods for its AMOLED displays, using the costlier but easily scalable Fine Metal Mask method for fluorescent blue diodes, and the more advanced LITI for the green and red ones.

We probably have something similar in store for the Galaxy S IV, and Samsung is reported to adopt a new, diamond-shaped pixel matrix to achieve the rumored Full HD resolution. The company is no stranger to the PHOLED technology either - let's not forget that it entered in a licensing agreement with the PHOLED inventors from Universal Display back in 2011, which runs until 2018, letting them produce and sell devices with phosphorescent diodes.

A new Motorola smartphone leaks, isn't the X Phone

An unknown Motorola smartphone has starred in a hands-on video on the Vietnamese Tinhte blog, which has leaked several high-profile smartphones in the past.

According to the report, the yet unannounced Motorola smartphone carriers the XT912A model number, which leads us to believe it might be a replacement for the Droid RAZR (which carries the XT912 label).
The source claims that this isn't the enigmatic "X Phone" that we are eagerly looking forward to. The evidence to support thi is the leaked smartphone's 4" AMOLED display of HD resolution and Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset. Its CPU clock speed is yet to be confirmed, but we already know an Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB of RAM on board.


The specs sheet is also said to feature a 2,000mAh battery. As for the phone's XT912A's design, it shows that Motorola is taking a whole new design direction in 2013. The phone itself is on the thin side, and features a curved back similar to that of the HTC One.

Jolla partners with the designers of some Nokia models for its upcoming Sailfish OS smartphone

Jolla, the company created by a number of ex-Nokia employees, is currently hard at work on its debut smartphone, which is going to be powered by the MeeGo-based SailFish user experience. The company is convinced that it'll be able to release its very first handset by the end of the year, which is great news, but aren't you willing to know exactly how this handset is going to look?

Well, while we don't have the remotest idea about that, we've learned that Jolla is partnering with the company that designed some of Nokia 's models back in the day. What's more, Finnish design company Infinity has not only worked with Nokia on some of their phones, but has also produced industrial designs for various companies from the industry, including Huawei for its handsets for the Chinese market.

Now Jolla is joining forces with Infinity, as it's trying to come up with an appealing phone for developing markets - an area where Infinity obviously already has some experience. It's definitely good to know that Jolla's design is in good hands!

Do you care about the viewing angles of your phone's display?

The Samsung Galaxy S IV launch is fast approaching this week, and a rumor emerged it is currently available in different prototype versions - one with Samsung's staples, like AMOLED display and Exynos chip, and another with LCD screen and Snapdragon CPU.

Whether or not this will materialize as different versions for different regions, remains to be seen, but we were particularly intrigued by the possibility to have different display technologies. It's interesting, since Samsung brags AMOLED technology to have some areas where it sports an advantage before LCD screens, like much deeper blacks and excellent viewing angles.

If you take a good IPS-LCD display, or a similar liquid crystal panel technology, however, it will sport viewing angles pretty close to the AMOLED ones, and even the newest Full HD screen trend confirms that, despite cramming so many pixels per inch - the HTC One and the Optimus G Pro, for instance, have pretty good viewing angles. The Sony Xperia Z, on the other hand, sports a modern Full HD display, which, however, has the colors and contrast deteriorating significantly when you tilt the phone in any direction and look at it from the sides, but still that doesn't seem to be a deterrent for many. 

That's why we wanted to ask you, dear readers, how important are screen viewing angles on your phone - do you care a lot about those levels, or do you think it doesn't matter, as you usually look at your handset straight-on, and, besides, it makes it more difficult for prying eyes to tell what's happening on your phone's screen from the side? Check your answer below and sound off in the comments.

Mozilla: No Firefox browser for iOS

At SXSW, Mozilla's VP of Product, Jay Sullivan, told an audience watching a panel on the mobile browser wars that because of Apple's unwelcoming attitude toward third party browsers, there will be no Firefox for iOS mobile browser app. Apple stacks the deck to make third party browsers feel unwelcome. For example, mobile Safari uses the fast Nitro JavaScript engine while Apple forces third party browsers to use the slower UIWebView. This gives mobile Safari a big edge in performance.

The closest Firefox has been to having a browser on iOS was when it released Firefox Home for iOS back in 2010. Not a browser, the app brought to iOS bookmarks, browsing history and any open tabs from the Firefox browser on a home computer. Firefox eventually pulled it from the App Store last September.

The main reason for staying away from iOS, Sullivan said, was because the restrictions placed on it by Apple would prevent it from building the kind of browser that it wants to be for Apple users. But not taking the chance to at least try to capture some eyes will hurt Firefox in terms of market share. The new Firefox OS will allow Mozilla to grab market share from users of low priced phones using its OS. But right now, Firefox has less than 1% of the mobile browser market while mobile Safari has a controlling 55%.

Both Sullivan and Dolphin Browser Chief Software Architect David Dehgahn told the audience that by closing its web environment, Apple is making consumers suffer. But an informal poll taken with the panel audience found that a majority of them were using an iOS device and that very few were suffering. That is the realistic challenge that Firefox and other third party browsers face on iOS.

Nokia's SEC filing reveals manufacturer's worry over possible Microsoft Surface phone

An SEC filing (Form 20-F) made by Finish based handset manufacturer Nokia shows the concern that the company has about the possibility of it having to face Microsoft as a rival in the mobile phone business. Of course, Microsoft's mobile OS Windows Phone 8 is the software that drives Nokia's phones, which means that if Microsoft starts focusing on its own Microsoft Surface phone, it probably would stop taking the time to improve Windows Phone for Nokia's line, and for other handset manufacturers that make Windows Phone powered devices.

What makes a possible Microsoft Surface phone all the more worrisome for Nokia is that unlike other handset manufacturers that produce Windows Phone models, Nokia is largely dependent on the OS. For example, if a Microsoft Surface model were to, well, surface, HTC could just concentrate on Android as could Samsung, Huawei and others.

"Microsoft may make strategic decisions or changes that may be detrimental to us. For example, in addition to the Surface tablet, Microsoft may broaden its strategy to sell other mobile devices under its own brand, including smartphones. This could lead Microsoft to focus more on their own devices and less on mobile devices of other manufacturers that operate on the Windows Phone platform, including Nokia."-Nokia's SEC Form 20-F filing

Last October, pictures allegedly of a Microsoft Surface protoype leaked. The handset prototypes, codenamed Juggernaut Alpha, are supposedly kept in Studio H at Microsoft's Redmond campus, guarded with the same intensity as those alleged alien bodies that are said to be kept at Area 51. So far in 2013, we have not heard much about a Microsoft phone although some of the last reports last year hinted that such a device could reach the market in the first half of 2013.

Samsung to update the Galaxy S III with a better screen and battery

Samsung might be working on a refreshed Galaxy S III edition with a better display, a bigger battery and wireless charging. Reportedly, the new battery capacity will be 2400 mAh - 14% more powerful than the original unit.
There is no info on what "better display" means, while the wireless charging is self-explanatory.
The information comes from Eldar Murtazin, who despite not having the best of rumor records recently, accurately leaked March 14 as the Galaxy S IV announcement date.
If you followed Samsung closely, you'll already know the manufacturer has a tradition of refreshing its old flagships. It has already done this twice with the original Galaxy S (Plus and Advance) and the Galaxy S II (Plus). So, if the Koreans were to refresh the Galaxy S III (which is their most popular smartphone to date), it probably won't raise too many eyebrows.
We guess the updated Galaxy S III announcement will only happen after the Galaxy S IV hype has settled down a bit, though.

Confirmed: Samsung Galaxy S IV to use PowerVR SGX 544 graphics

Samsung unveiled the Exynos 5 Octa platform a while ago, but it didn't specify the graphics it used. With the Exynos 5 chipset (the one inside the Nexus 10) Samsung used the ARM's Mali T604 GPU chips.
Today Imagination Technologies announced its PowerVR SGX 544 graphics has been used in the Samsung 5410 Octa chipset, which will be powering the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S IV.
The Power VR SGX 544 GPU is available in three-core (544MP3) and quad-core (544MP4) configurations and AnandTech believes the first of those will be ticking inside the Galaxy S IV. We'll know for sure in two days' time when the official announcement comes.

this week

Google files patent for back panel touch controls

A while ago, Google realized that it wasn't making too much headway in trying to get patent law changed, or getting silly patents invalidated, so the company did the only thing that was left: it started trying to patent its own "innovations" which were probably just logical conclusions based on existing work (you know, like 99% of all patents). Well, it looks like Google newest filing is a patent application for back panel touch controls.

Before we even bother to explain the text of the patent application, we'll describe it in terms of "prior art", that silly devil that is supposed to invalidate patent applications, but often doesn't for some small reason. The patent application is basically for the touch panel that you'd find on the back of a PlayStation Vita. 

Of course, it's possible that this patent will be found "unique" because Google's application is for a touch panel on the back of an Android smartphone or tablet, that will allow you to perform various functions (turning an ebook page, media controls, etc), and more importantly can distinguish between normal holding contact and touches intended to control the device or app (which sounds similar to Apple's iPad mini thin bezel tech.)

How to test out Ubuntu Touch core apps on your Ubuntu desktop

As usual, Ubuntu is letting us get access to some cool stuff early on in the process. But, also as usual, getting access this early means that there really isn't much to do. Even so, we now have access to the Ubuntu Touch core apps that are being built by the community, and here's how you can test them out.

First thing you'll need is Ubuntu running on your desktop or laptop, because you'll need to be in Ubuntu 12.10 for the apps to work. Then, just jump into your terminal, and add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-touch-coreapps-drivers/daily

Then, it's the standard update, and install:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-*-app

(Replace * with the name of the app you want to install: calendar, clock, contacts, docviewer, emailclient, facebook, filemanager, rssreader, terminal, twitter, weather, or youtube).

That will install any of the apps, but as we said, they don't really do anything just yet. But, given how quickly the open source community tends to work (not to mention Mark Shuttleworth saying Ubuntu Touch would be ready for daily use in "a couple of weeks"), the apps should be getting some features soon enough. Just keep checking for updates.

China too reliant on Android says report; solution is to switch to another platform

With Android's market share in China above 80%, a White Paper report published by the China Academy of Telecommunication Research for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology suggests that the country lessen its reliance on Google's open source OS and switch to other platforms like Windows Phone, Tizen, and Firefox OS. China is one of the biggest smartphone markets in the world and home to the world's largest carrier, China Mobile.

China’s Academy of Telecommunication Research under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also suggested that some of the country's top mobile companies like Lenovo, Huawei, ZTE and Coolpad, and Internet service providers Alibaba and Baidu, develop their own mobile OS for smartphones. However, Taiwan based industry sources in the handset supply chain said that it is too late for these firms to develop its own OS because it takes three to five years for a nascent OS to become competitive, making it too late to compete in the mobile OS business.

One solution offered by the report was for the Android to release some of its regulations so that the country can build an operating system using a variant of Android. Another solution would be for Chinese companies to provide "rich mobile services" and develop mobile apps based not just on Android, but also iOS and Windows Phone.

Nokia's SEC filing reveals manufacturer's worry over possible Microsoft Surface phone

An SEC filing (Form 20-F) made by Finish based handset manufacturer Nokia shows the concern that the company has about the possibility of it having to face Microsoft as a rival in the mobile phone business. Of course, Microsoft's mobile OS Windows Phone 8 is the software that drives Nokia's phones, which means that if Microsoft starts focusing on its own Microsoft Surface phone, it probably would stop taking the time to improve Windows Phone for Nokia's line, and for other handset manufacturers that make Windows Phone powered devices.

What makes a possible Microsoft Surface phone all the more worrisome for Nokia is that unlike other handset manufacturers that produce Windows Phone models, Nokia is largely dependent on the OS. For example, if a Microsoft Surface model were to, well, surface, HTC could just concentrate on Android as could Samsung, Huawei and others.

"Microsoft may make strategic decisions or changes that may be detrimental to us. For example, in addition to the Surface tablet, Microsoft may broaden its strategy to sell other mobile devices under its own brand, including smartphones. This could lead Microsoft to focus more on their own devices and less on mobile devices of other manufacturers that operate on the Windows Phone platform, including Nokia."-Nokia's SEC Form 20-F filing

Last October, pictures allegedly of a Microsoft Surface protoype leaked. The handset prototypes, codenamed Juggernaut Alpha, are supposedly kept in Studio H at Microsoft's Redmond campus, guarded with the same intensity as those alleged alien bodies that are said to be kept at Area 51. So far in 2013, we have not heard much about a Microsoft phone although some of the last reports last year hinted that such a device could reach the market in the first half of 2013.

iPhone 5S unlikely to have wireless charging, better luck with iPhone 6

Earlier today there was a report out of DigiTimes that talked about Samsung, Apple, and other manufacturers working towards adding wireless charging options to their flagship devices for 2013. While DigiTimes tends to be relatively reliable, we feel like there needs to be some clarity brought to the story, especially pertaining to Apple and the iPhone. 

Here's what happened: a report came out of DigiTimes earlier today, saying that Samsung is expected to adopt the Qi Wireless Charging standard for the Galaxy S IV. That same report said that Apple was working on its own wireless charging technology (which we already knew from patents filed last year), but the report never said anything about what Apple device would first see the wireless charging tech, just that it would be in a "flagship 2013" device, and that it was "unknown" if the next-generation iPhone would have wireless charging built-in or via accessory.

First, we want to tackle that last part of the rumor. Given the way Apple does business, it seems nearly impossible that the "next-generation" iPhone (that being the 5S) would use an accessory to deliver wireless charging. In Apple's world, either it's built-in, or it isn't made by Apple. Second, we want to touch on the possibility that the iPhone 5S is even the target device for this technology. The basic reasoning is quite simple: the iPhone 5S, as with all "S" model iPhones, is going to be more about new internals and software, while the overall design likely won't change at all. But, in order to put wireless charging into an iPhone, there would need to be relatively major changes to the design. 

So, don't get your hopes up about the iPhone 5S having wireless charging. It's far more likely that the "flagship" Apple device that gets wireless charging will be the iPhone 6, which could still fit the "flagship 2013" part of the DigiTimes report, since Apple is assumed to be moving to a 6-month release cycle for the iPhone, meaning the iPhone 6 could come towards the holiday season.

Nikon announces Coolpix A, compact DX-format camera and Coolpix P330

Nikon has announced two new compact cameras, the Coolpix A and the Coolpix P330. The Coolpix A is the company’s first compact camera with a DX-format sensor. DX-format is essentially Nikon’s name for APS-C sensors that they usually reserve for their DSLR cameras and having it in a compact camera is quite impressive.

The DX-format CMOS sensor has a resolution of 16.2 megapixel and a 18.5mm (28mm equivalent) prime lens with an f/2.8 aperture. The Coolpix A is capable of shooting at 4 frames per second. Other specs include a 3-inch, 921k-dot LCD, 1080p30 video recording, built-in flash, hotshoe and RAW shooting mode.
The Coolpix A will go on sale in March for $1,099.95 and will be sold in black and silver.
The Coolpix P330 is a compact prosumer camera, with a 1/1.7-inch, 12.2 megapixel CMOS sensor and 24-120mm, 35mm equivalent, f/1.8 zoom lens. It has the same 3-inch, 921k-dot LCD as the Coolpix A, 1080p60 video recording and built-in GPS.

The Coolpix P330 will also go on sale in March for $379.95 and will be sold in black and white.

Canon’s new full-frame CMOS sensor for video cameras has whopping 19-micron pixels

Canon has developed a high-sensitivity, low-noise, full-frame 35mm sensor specifically for video capture. The new sensor opts for 19-micron pixels, which are 7.5 times bigger than those on the EOS-1D X.

The use of large pixels here results in a sensor that can capture video without losing any resolution or space between the pixels gaining incredible high-sensitivity in low-light. It’s a similar thing to what HTC tried to achieve with the One Ultrapixel camera, except on a much bigger sensor.

The new 35 mm sensor by Canon can capture objects illuminated by as little as 0.03 lux, which is supposedly better than the human eye.

"World's first Ubuntu tablet" looks like a bad idea

It's always fun to see the race to become the "world's first" anything. Most of the time, it really doesn't amount to anything, and it looks like that may be the case with the race to be the "world's first Ubuntu tablet". If we're talking about the first Ubuntu tablet to go up for pre-order, that has now happened, and it looks like a bad idea.

The tablet is from Intermatrix, an Australian manufacturer. It's called the U7, and it is listed to have a 1.5GHz quad-core Cortex A9 CPU, quad-core Vivante GC1000+ GPU, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, a 7" IPS capacitive touchscreen, and front and rear webcams. That all sounds fine, but there are some red flags. 

First, the minimum requirements for an Ubuntu tablet is 2GB of RAM. We tested the Touch Preview on a Nexus 7, which only has 1GB of RAM, and it was noticeably sluggish. Also, the website claims that the tablet will ship in October, when Canonical has made it clear that Ubuntu tablets won't be shipping until April, when Ubuntu 14.04 is released. Pre-orders are set at AU$299 (US$307), but end up at AU$269 (US$274).10 after a 10% discount. And, if the final price is lower, you will be refunded the difference.

Intermatrix does say that the shipping date, price, and specs are not final and are not guaranteed, but it still doesn't really make sense to offer this pre-order (let alone purchase one). Ubuntu tablets aren't going to be coming for over a year, and a year is a long time in mobile hardware

Report: Nokia signs deal with P2i for water-repelling on future models

During MWC, we showed you how P2i's nano-coating could cover something like a tissue and protect it from getting wet in water. Currently, the company is the one behind the Motorola Splash-Guard that protects models like the Motorola DROID 4 and the Motorola DROID RAZR series from rain and spills. But the newer technology from P2i goes even further, allowing a phone to be submerged in liquid for a period of time.

A new report says that P2i has inked a deal with Nokia and adds that the Finnish handset manufacturer is expected to produce a water-repelling phone sometime in 2013. Some are speculating that this will be the Nokia Lumia 1000 EOS with a 41MP PureView camera. Also covered by P2i's nano-coating is the Huawei Ascend D2.

Unlike the coating applied by waterproofing firm Liquipel, which is paid for by the consumer after the purchase of a phone, P2i's process is part of the manufacturing process and is paid for by the manufacturer. The coating covers all of the phone, including the electrical boards inside.

Leaked screenshot indicates Nokia flagship for Verizon to be the Lumia 928

There has been some chatter of a “hero” Lumia headed to Verizon for a little over a month now. Back in late January was when we heard that a “special” model for big red, code-named Laser, would make an appearance about the same time that another Nokia device known as the Catwalk which is possibly bound for T-Mobile USA. 

A tipster just handed us a screen shot purportedly from Verizon’s internal system, showing a line-item of Nokia devices. We see a Lumia 822 in Gray, then Red, then White and then…what’s this? Nokia Lumia 928? Entered into the system in mid-January? That could work nicely with when we started reading rumblings about a new Lumia coming to Verizon. It also aligns nicely since we saw a Nokia device, model RM-860 visit the FCC recently.
What do we know about this device? Well we can expect at a bare minimum that it would be at least as wholesome as the Lumia 920 that AT&T has been sporting since the debut of Windows Phone 8. Based on what we think we know, the screen resolution will be 1280x768 and from the single sketch that was tied to the FCC, we can gather that this device will not look like the 920.

There is word of a new PureView device coming to the US, which could be bestowing some of the wonderful components from the 808 PureView. Is that what could make its way to Verizon?

Microsoft says that Windows Phone 8 devices do have "an upgrade path going forward"

It's not something that should need to be said explicitly, but after leaving Windows Phone 7 handsets in the lurch with the release of Windows Phone 8, Microsoft has needed to reassure its user base. And, that reassurance came today. Microsoft has confirmed that Windows Phone 8 devices do have "an upgrade path going forward".

The statement came from Greg Sullivan, a senior marketing manager at Microsoft, in an interview with PCWorld. During the same talk, Sullivan also said that the Windows Phone 8 software is also much more flexible than WP7 as far as being able to use new hardware, so Microsoft doesn't have to be as strict with the chassis requirements. 

And, in maybe the best part of the interview, Sullivan commented on the fact that Microsoft didn't hold a press event at Mobile World Congress this year by saying that the company has adopted a new commitment to the “shut up and ship” philosophy. This means that there won't be announcements of products too far ahead of release. Sullivan even seemed to push away the rumors of Windows Blue, saying that we'll probably "see some exciting new devices and more interoperability" for WP8 before we hear about the next OS version.

New low cost 3G smartphone uses e-ink to keep the price down

A Chinese company called Fndroid is working with Eink to develop a 3G smartphone that would priced as cheaply as a featurephone. Some of the advantages of such a device would be longer battery life, Sunlight viewability and the display would be easy on the eyes. Fndroid has produced two prototypes that have been displayed at MWC 2013. One model (in white) is equipped with a 1GHz processor and a 3G chip, while the other model (in black) offers EDGE connectivity. And while the phone does run on Android, it has a rather limited UI that concentrates on features that work well with Eink's display such as email, a reader app and a dialer. Obviously, video is not supported, but text from web sites can be read.

One of the prototypes has a backlight to help view the screen in the dark, but the screen's refresh rate is a lot slower than what you are accustomed to. If ghosting is a problem, a quick shake of the phone removes it from the screen. According to Eink's Giovanni Mancini, director of the screen producer's product management, Fndroid is currently in the process of talking with carriers about releasing the phone sometime later this year.

this week: MWC 2013

The UMI X2 is a quad-core, 5-inch 1080p smartphone for $260 

Recently, the Micromax Canvas HD has been making some serious noise in our specs page, as being a very competitively priced device with an impressive specs sheet to boot. Now, Chinese company UMI is giving them some competition, as they're slated to release their own flagship, which joins the 5-inch 1080p club, and is set to be released in India for Rs. 14,000 (~$260).

Besides the sharp display, you'll find a 1.2 GHz MTK6589 quad-core processor from MediaTek inside, as well as a PowerVR SGX544 GPU, 32GB of expandable internal storage, and 2 GB of RAM, all of this powered by a 2,500mAh battery.

To further sweeten the pot (as if it needed it), the X2 gives you a 13MP shooter alongside a 3MP front-facer, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (with a scheduled upgrade to 4.2), and dual-SIM support to boot.

The UMI X2 is scheduled to be released between March 15-20 in India, and we just hope that at that price they don't skimp out on anything important!

P2i water-repellent nanocoating technology demo: phone waterboarding now possible

Small nanoparticles result in great features, that much we have learned since the tiny bits were discovered - from drug delivery systems to water-repellent nanocoatings, and its the latter we are interested in because of its huge potential to protect our smartphones and tablets from various liquids, but mainly water and beer.

P2i had the newest generation of its water-repellent nanocoating on display at the MWC 2013 expo that allows you to actually submerge a Samsung Galaxy S III or any other phone under water as is, and was nice enough to demonstrate its features for us. The great part is that the 1/1000th of a human hair coating is invisible to the human eye, and doesn't change the look and structure of the object it is applied to, like a smartphone, but makes it impermeable to water.

The rep mentioned they are working with Motorola and an "European manufacturer" to make their phones water-resistant with the last-gen P2i tech, which we only hope he meant Nokia rather than Alcatel, for instance. Check out the cool demo below, and don't worry, once this thing hits all handsets, you can freely drool over them.

Alcatel One Touch Snap and One Touch Snap LTE debut

Alcatel is continuing its march here at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona adding two more devices to the ones that it already announced a few days ago. Meet the One Touch Snap and its 4G-enhanced twin brother, the Snap LTE.
Rocking a yet undisclosed 1.2GHz quad-core processor (chances are it’s the one found in the Idol X) and 1GB of RAM, the Snap stands below the Idol X in the ranks of the Alcatel smartphones unveiled in Barcelona. It’s built around a 4.5” display with qHD resolution, which also boasts Dragontail Glass for protection and oleophobic coating to keep fingerprints away.

The Snap runs the latest version of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and makes use of 1800mAh battery, which Alcatel has rated at 7h of 3G talk time and 340h on stand-by. There’s just 4GB of memory, 2.4GB of which is user accessible. Thankfully, there’s a microSD card slot to save the day.
At the back of the phone, there's an 8MP autofocus snapper with LED flash and 720p recording in its tool belt. The front camera is a 1.3MP one, and is also capable of shooting 720p videos. The Snap measures up to 130.3 x 67 x 8.99mm, but its weight hasn’t been disclosed.
As for the LTE version of the device, it surprisingly differs from its twin brother in a number of key areas. Firstly, the display is larger, at 4.65” but has a lower FWVGA (480 x 854 pixels) resolution. On the plus side, it still packs Dragontail Glass and oleophobic coating.

At the back, there’s an 8MP camera, which unlike the regular variation of the Snap, is capable of shooting full HD videos. The front facing camera is updated, too, and is 2MP. The phone's a bit thicker, measuring 134 x 69.6 x 10.9 mm due to the larger 2200mAh battery inside.
Sadly, the Snap LTE runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, which is still acceptable, but not the latest available around. The bad news continues with the addition of a dual-core, instead of a quad-core. The Snap LTE features a 1.4GHz dual-core Snapdragon CPU.
Both devices come with support for Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4 and quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900).
Naturally, it’s still early to talk pricing, but Alcatel is promising the Snap and Snap LTE to arrive in April and July 2013, respectively.

HTC Tiara gets tipped with Windows Phone 8 GDR2

According to a fresh leak, HTC plans to expand its Windows Phone 8 lineup with a new handset, which is bound to sit between the Windows Phone 8X and the Windows Phone 8S when it comes into being. Dubbed internally as HTC Tiara, the smartphone will be one of the first to the market with Windows Phone 8 GDR2 - the second major overhaul of the OS after the recent "Portico" update.

A quick look at the leaked specs of the HTC Tiara suggests that the smartphone is a rather close relative to the HTC One SV, save for the camera resolution. It features a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon CPU and a 4.3" Super LCD screen with WVGA resolution. There's a gig of RAM and 8GB of built-in memory. An 8MP camera, 1.6MP front-facing unit, and 1,800 mAh battery are also on the spec sheet.
The HTC Tiara is tipped for a release in mid-May. Currently, the Taiwanese manufacturer is working hard to promote the HTC One Android flagship.

i-mate reportedly working on an Intel-based, Windows 8 handset

The Dubai-based manufacturer i-mate might be planning a grand return to the smartphone scene after several years in the doldrums. According to a recent report, the company, which made a name for itself by selling HTC-made, Windows Mobile devices in the middle of last decade, is set to unveil an Intel Clover Trail based smartphone, which will boot Windows 8 Pro, not Windows Phone 8.

The smartphone will carry the name i-mate Intelegent. It is reportedly set to pack 2GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a 4.7" display of unknown resolution. The most important trick up the i-mate Intelegent's sleeve will be the ability to offer full Windows 8 experience via an optional docking system. The latter will offer a 23" touch-enabled display, keyboard, mouse, and a wireless tablet with 10" 1080p display.
The price of the smartphone alone is said to be $750. Should you choose to go for the desktop station, prepare to fork out $1,600.
According to the CEO of i-mate, Mr. Jim Morrison, there's a factory in California ready to produce 10,000 units a week of the Intelegent. The CEO also told the Seattle Times that the i-mate Intelegent will be showcased during MWC.
We are yet to catch a glimpse of the device in Barcelona though, so, given i-mate's troubled past, we would advise that you take more than the usual pinch of salt when threading through the report.

Sony has Firefox OS device in the works

Sony has revealed plans to launch a Firefox-powered device in 2014. Bob Ishida - the company's deputy CEO confirmed that Sony engineers are currently working with Firefox OS Mobile and HTML 5 evolving technologies, which show great potential.

The news broke during a Sony and Telefonica joint event, where the Spanish carrier announced that it will offer the Xperia Z Android flagship and the Xperia Tablet Z. Telefonica, together with other Sony partner networks will also be involved in the development of a Firefox phone.
The announcement is great news for Mozilla. With Sony joining the likes of ZTE, Huawei, Alcatel, and LG, Firefox OS has better chances of carving a slice of the brutally competitive market.

ZTE unveils the Grand Memo phablet and the ZTE Open

ZTE brought two interesting phones to the MWC that are as different as can be. The ZTE Grand Memo is a 5.7” Android super-phone and is the first to use the Snapdragon 800 chipset. The ZTE Open, on the other hand is an entry-level Firefox OS phone.

ZTE Grand Memo

The ZTE Grand Memo earns its name with a big screen – 5.7” in diagonal. Rather disappointingly, the resolution of the screen is just 720p. Not that 258ppi pixel density is all that bad, but we expected more.
Update: there's some conflicting information, but we checked on the unit itself and confirmed that the screen is 720p and not 1080p.
Especially considering the chipset - the ZTE Grand Memo uses the top end Snapdragon chipset available, the Snapdragon 800. The CPU cores are clocked at 1.5GHz and should be faster than the cores in the other Snapdragon chipsets clock for clock and the Adreno 330 GPU should double the performance of the 320.
Update, again: ZTE is now saying the Grand Memo has a Snapdragon 600 chipset, not 800. By the way things are going, this info will probably change again. The one thing ZTE is certain about right now is that it's some sort of Snapdragon chipset.

ZTE Grand Memo
The phablet is only 8.5mm thick, but thanks to the extra height and width, the ZTE engineers managed to cram a 3,200mAh battery inside it.
The camera on the ZTE Grand Memo is a 13MP shooter with 1080p video capture. On the connectivity side, the phone has LTE Cat 3 (100Mbps down, 50Mbps up) and dual-band Wi-Fi with 802.11ac support – the latest Wi-Fi spec available.

ZTE Open

The ZTE Open is on the other end of the spectrum – it has a 3.5” HVGA screen, 3.2MP camera, 1GHz single-core processor and 256MB RAM. It’s powered by Firefox OS, which was officially unveiled yesterday.

ZTE Open
The Open will tackle entry-level Android phones in emerging markets, by promoting an open source OS with easy to make HTML5-based apps.
The phone features Wi-Fi b/g/n connectivity, Bluetooth 2.1 and A-GPS with Nokia HERE maps.

Asus Padfone Infinity and Fonepad announced

Remember the Asus Padfone 2? Forget it, it’s old news – the Asus Padfone Infinity was just announced and it steps up the specs. Asus also switched things around and announced the Fonepad – a 7” tablet with full phone functionality.

Asus Padfone Infinity

The Asus Padfone Infinity has a 5” 1080p screen with 441ppi. That catches up to the competition’s flagships, but more importantly the tablet dock screen has been improved too – it’s a 10.1” screen of 1920x1200 resolution. Both screens have anti-fingerprint coating.

The processing power has been upped accordingly too – the Padfone Infinity uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 chipset with a quad-core Krait 300 CPU clocked at 1.7GHz.

Asus Fonepad Infinity

The Padfone Infinity packs a 13MP F/2.0 main camera that does up to 100 shots in burst mode at 8fps and records 1080p@30fps video. There’s also a front-facing camera – 2MP, F/2.0.
The phone itself has a unibody design and is made of aero-space grade aluminum alloy, with brushed finish. The aluminum edge has been anodized twice (perhaps to one-up HTC).
The 2,400mAh battery inside the phone is pretty decent – it’s good for up to 19h of 3G calls, 6.5h of web browsing, 9h of watching video or 410h standby. With the 5,000mAh battery in the tablet dock, however, these numbers are tripled.
The tablet dock also has an 18mm driver in its loudspeaker and Asus has used 3rd generation Sonic Master audio enhancing tech. There’s also the Audio wizard, which offers several preset modes - game mode, movie mode, voice mode and so on.

Asus Fonepad Infinity tablet dock
On the connectivity side, there’s 100Mbps LTE (Cat 3) and NFC (transceiver integrated into the Padfone logo at the back of the device). There’s 64GB of built-in storage and 50GB of cloud storage available.
The Asus Padfone Infinity and its tablet dock will be available in April for €999 / $1325 (again, that’s for both).

Asus Fonepad

Asus emphasized that with the Padfone you only need SIM card, one data plan, one monthly fee. So why not just make a tablet that makes calls? Well, they did – meet the Asus Fonepad.
It’s a 7” tablet with an IPS screen of 1280 x 800 resolution. But it also sports full phone functionality with 3G HSPA+ connectivity.

Asus Fonepad
It’s powered by an Intel Atom Z2420 chipset with a single-core CPU at 1.2GHz, 1GB of RAM and PowerVR SGX540 GPU. It will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean at launch.
There are two versions of the Asus Fonepad. In Europe, the tablet will come with 16GB of built-in storage and a 1.2MP front-facing camera. It will launch in April for €220. For the APAC region, the Fonepad will have only 8GB of built-in storage but it grows a 3MP camera on the back. This one will launch in March for $250. Both have microSD card slots and 5GB of lifetime Asus WebStorage

LG unveil Optimus G Pro, F5 and F7, second-gen L-series

LG had plenty to show, though there was little suspense about what the whole thing was going to be about. All of the six devices were already well familiar: the LG Optimus G Pro, the fresh LTE-enabled midrangers Optimus F5 and F7, and the second generation of the L series. The upgraded Vu II phablet was also on stage.

LG Optimus G pro

In case you missed the news about the latest flagship's upgrade, the Optimus G Pro comes with a 5.5-inch IPS 1080p display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 chipset, with a 1.6GHz quad-core Krait 300 and Adreno 320 GPU. The rest of the specs include 2GB of RAM, a 13MP rear and a 2.1MP front camera with dual-recording enabled, and a 3140 mAh battery unit. The phone runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean skinned with LG's latest Optimus UI.

LG Optimus F7 and Optimus F5

The newly introduced F series offer LTE-enabled smartphones at affordable prices. The first two members of the lineup are the Optimus F7 and F5.

The LG Optimus F7 comes with a 4.7” True HD IPS 720p screen (312ppi) and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor with 2 gigs of RAM. The phone has an 8MP camera and 8GB of built-in storage (plus a microSD card slot). The F7 measures 131.7 x 68.2 x 9.6mm.

The LG Optimus F5 has a 4.3” IPS LCD screen of qHD resolution (256ppi), a 1.2GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM and a 5MP camera. It has 8GB of built-in storage and a microSD card slot too. The F5 is more compact at 126.0 x 64.5 x 9.3mm.

LG Optimus L7 II, L7 II dual, L5 II and L3 II

LG has also upgraded its affordable and stylish Optimus L lineup with three new phones - the Optimus L7 II, L5 II and L3 II.The Optimus L7 II packs a 4.3-inch IPS WVGA display and is powered by the Qualcomm MSM8225 Snapdragon S4 Play chipset with a 1GHz dual-core processor, Adreno 203 graphics and 768MB of RAM. An 8MP camera with LED flash, 4GB of onboard storage expandable via a microSD slot, a front-facing VGA cam, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and a 2,460 mAh battery complete the handset's spec sheet.The Optimus L7 II will come in a dual-SIM flavor, called the L7 II dual.The Optimus L5 II has a 4.0-inch IPS WVGA display, a 1GHz MediaTek MT6575 single-core processor and PowerVR SGX531 graphics. Other known specs are the 5MP camera at the back and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean ticking inside.

The Optimus L5 II will also have a dual-SIM version, called the L5 II dual.Finally, the Optimus L3 II features a 3.2-inch IPS QVGA screen, a 1GHz single-core MediaTek processor, a 3MP camera and a microSD card slot. Naturally, Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth support are available too. The Optimus L3 II also runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Just like the Optimus L7 II dual and L5 II dual, the Optimus L3 II will have a dual-SIM twin, called the Optimus L3 II dual.

According to LG, the "design philosophy of the L Series II has been enhanced to include four new design elements: Seamless Layout, Laser Cut Contour, Radiant Rear Design and Smart LED Lighting on the home button".

The new L II phones will become available in Q2 this year.The other exhibits at the LG booth were the Optimus Vu and the Optimus Vu II phablet. Both were revealed way back in 2012 but perhaps LG is planning to make them more widely available (so far both have been limited to Korea only).

So, obviously it wasn't LG's plan to surprise anyone - all phones presented today were introduced via press releases earlier this month. At least, we finally got to know them better.

LG to acquire webOS from HP 

webOS will find a new home with LG, the Korean manufacturer plans to breathe new life into the platform as the operating system for a new line of smart televisions.
LG announced at MWC today that it will be acquiring webOS from HP. This deal is not a complete surprise, we knew that LG was working with HP and Open webOS for a new smart TV platform. However, it is also a bit of sad ending for what was one of the most innovative mobile operating systems to enter the market.
LG is picking up the whole enchilada, the source code, all related documentation, engineering talent, related web domains and all the patents that HP acquired when it bought Palm. The financial terms were not disclosed, be we are certain HP did not make money on the deal.
HP started making missteps with the Palm acquisition from day one, and when the company pulled the plug just as it was ready to stock the shelves with a whole new line of products, most people thought (rightly so) that webOS was doomed. There were flickers of hope as HP open-sourced the platform, but the innovative work has been done almost exclusively by engineers in their spare time. Surely it was salt in the wounds of the webOS faithful when HP announced a new Android tablet in Barcelona. Now, this buyout by LG seals its fate.
However, LG must know what a gem it has with webOS. While the deal is being touted as a way for LG to develop a new line of TVs, it is still difficult to believe that LG would not try to leverage this platform even though the company has stated it is not interested in using webOS for its smartphones. Skott Ahn, CTO of LG said that the webOS team will be the “heart and soul” of the new LG Silicon Valley Lab in Sunnyvale, California. webOS sites in San Francisco, San Jose and Chicago will also be incorporated into LG’s global research and development operations.

If you are a Palm user, there is good news, LG says it will continue to support you.

Bye-bye bada; Tizen to absorb its best features instead of straight merger

It will soon be time to say bye-bye bada

Back in January, we passed along to you the word from Samsung's Senior VP of Contents Planning Tae-jin Kang, that the Korean tech titan would merge its bada OS with Intel's Tizen. Now, if we were the joking type, we could say that the resulting OS would be called Ta-da! But since we are the serious type, we won't even bring it up.

Actually, there has been a change in plans. Hong Won-pyo, the president of Samsung's Media Solutions Center, says that bada is not a fit for today's modern smartphones and as a result Tizen will no longer merge with bada, but will merely "absorb" its best features. Once Tizen flavored phones are released, the two will come together and bada will be nada more. Samsung plans on releasing a number of Tizen powered models this year.

After the absorbtion is complete, Tizen models will be able to run apps designed for bada but those with a bada phone will not be able to update to Tizen. And the big question is Samsung's intrention with Tizen. There is some speculation that Sammy is trying to distance itself from Android, perhaps in fear that a successful launch of the Motorola X could hurt Samsung's current status as Android's favorite Son.

Intel announces dual-core Atom, and OEM partners for future quad-core chips

It looks like Intel is building on the little victories it has scored here and there in the smartphone market to make a big push for market share. First off, the company has announced a line of dual-core Atom processors (Clover Trail+). These are 32nm processors known as the Z2580 (2.0GHz), Z2560 (1.6GHz) and the Z2520 (1.2GHz). Intel promises "industry-leading performance" using its hyper-threading technology. While Intel's battery life on past silicon has been nothing to write home about, the company says that the new processors will feature battery life that will match current high-end devices.

The number of smartphones and tablets with Intel Inside will be growing

The trio will support resolution of 1900 x 1200 which sounds like we could see the processors employed in Android tablets. Speaking of Android, the line will support Android 4.2 and HSPA+ 42Mbps modems. The chipmaker has already inked pacts with ASUS, ZTE and Lenovo to use the Clover Trail+ in future smartphones and tablets made by the three manufacturers.

The graphics end of the integrated product is covered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator engine which supports video in 1080p at 30 fps. It also allows for three times the graphics performance for rich 3-D visuals and lifelike gaming using a core that supports 533MHz using boost mode. The new Atom platform supports two cameras including a primary camera with up to a 16MP sensor and a 15 frame-per-second burst mode for 8MP photos. Later this year, Intel will transition to 22nm Atom SoCs.

Intel also announced its quad-core Bay Trail processors for use in tablets. Performance doubles its current processor line for tablets and in the future, this line could be produced using 8nm technology. By the time the turkey has been consumed in 2013, expect to see the Bay Trail processor in Android and Windows 8 tablets produced by names like Acer, ASUS, HP, Lenovo, LG Electronics and Samsung.

Lastly, Intel announced its first multimode and multiband LTE chip, the XMM 7160. The chip draws only a small amount of power with its small size. The XMM7160 supports 15 LTE bands simultaneously and just one chip SKU gives OEMs connectivity for LTE, DC-HSPA+ and EDGE. Th ce multi-mode chip will be ready in the first half of the year with Intel shipping single-mode units now. The company is hoping that eventually its processors will be ready to go along with the XMM7160 to provide an integrated offering for manufacturers combining the processor and radio.

Lumia 720 and 520 are Nokia's latest smartphones

Nokia's event at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is now over and the highlight is the announcement of the Lumia 720 and 520. Both devices pack a dual-core 1 GHz Snapdragon processor (Krait to be precise), run on Windows Phone 8 and share Nokia's many software advancements like Drive, Maps, software lenses, etc.

Nokia Lumia 720

The Lumia 720 sports a 4.3" ClearBlack display of WVGA (800 x 480) resolution with super sensitive touch, which works with gloves, nails, etc. The dual-core processor is coupled with 512 MB of RAM. There's NFC, the battery capacity is 2000 mAh, the phone is 9 mm thick and weighs 128g.
There are 8 gigs on on-board storage and there's a microSD card slot with up to 64GB support. Wireless charging is enabled too.
The camera on the back is a 6.7MP unit with a bright f/1.9 aperture and Carl Zeiss optics.

The device comes in a plastic body - in a variety of colors and exchangeable panels - red, yellow, cyan, magenta, etc. The device will launch in Asia (TD-SCDMA version for China) and in select European countries this quarter for a price of €249 (around $330). Since it lacks LTE, is will most likely skip the US market.

Nokia Lumia 520

The Lumia 520 is the lesser of the two smartphones. It also packs a dual-core 1 GHz processor and 512 MB of RAM but the display is a 4" WVGA IPS LCD with super sensitive touch. The camera on the back is 5 MP, which does 720p video capture.

The Lumia 520 weighs 124g and is 9.9 mm thick.   
The Lumia 520 will hit the shelves this Q2, too, for $183 starting with China. Later on it will hit the rest of Asia, Europe and T-Mobile in the US.

Nokia announces 105 and 301 feature phones at MWC

Nokia has announced two new feature phones at the MWC, the Nokia 105 and the Nokia 301.

Nokia 105

The Nokia 105 is the company's most affordable phone to date and is priced at just €15. The phone has basic features such as a color display, FM radio, multiple alarm clocks, talking clock, and the mandatory flashlight - all in a dust and splash resistant body.

The Nokia 105 will be sold in black and cyan in China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Russia, Vietnam and other markets in Africa, Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Europe this quarter.

Nokia 301

The Nokia 301 has a slightly more upmarket feel, with a 2.4" display, 3.2 megapixel camera with some camera goodies inspired by the Lenses feature on the Lumia phones. There's a Nokia Xpress Browser on board and 3.5G connectivity.

The Nokia 301 will be available in cyan, black, magenta, yellow and white for €65. The phone will be available in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, India, Middle East and Latin America starting in Q2. There will also be a dual-SIM version of the device.

Firefox OS launches at MWC on ZTE Open and Alcatel OT Fire

Mozilla is officially launching their Firefox OS for mobile phones and are proud to announce that they have deals with 18 carriers, a partnership with Qualcomm to use their Snapdragon chipsets and four manufacturers - ZTE, Alcatel, LG and Huawei. The first two also showcased phones with Firefox OS at the MWC.

Firefox OS

The Firefox OS uses HTML5-based apps that run on technology shared with the Firefox browser and initially targets the entry level segment. The goal is to create an open source OS, that web developers can easily create apps for and post them on the Firefox Marketplace.
You can check out Marketplace if you have Firefox Aurora for Android. There you’ll find social networking apps for Facebook and Twitter, Nokia’s HERE mapping solution, Box integration, games from EA Mobile and Disney Mobile Games.
The OS has the same commitment to privacy, security and customizations that the Firefox browser is known for and places a strong emphasis on search.
The Firefox OS also supports video calling over Web RTC - a browser-based tech, also available on the Android Firefox Aurora app. It will eventually make its way to desktop browsers too (Firefox and Chrome at least).

Alcatel One Touch Fire

As for the phones, the Alcatel One Touch Fire will launch first in China (Mozilla has partnered up with China Unicom), Latin America, and will be the first Firefox OS phone to hit Europe, specifically Poland in the summer through Deutsche Telecom.
It has a 3.5” screen, a 1GHz processor with 256MB RAM, 3.2MP camera, 512MB of storage and a microSD card slot (with a 2GB card in the bundle). On the connectivity side, there’s 3G, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth and GPS (with Nokia HERE maps).

ZTE Open

The ZTE Open sports similar specs - a 3.5” HVGA screen and a Cortex-A5 processor at 1GHz and 256MB RAM. The storage deal is the same - 512MB in the phone, 2GB on a preloaded microSD card. There’s 3G connectivity (7.2Mbps HSDPA, 5.76Mbps HSUPA), along with Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS and FM Radio.

LG and Huawei will also be announcing Firefox OS phones soon.

Alcatel unveils One Touch Idol X, 5-inch, 1080p, Jelly Bean

Alcatel has been trailing behind Android A-listers as of late but today ventured boldly into the high-end with the One Touch Idol X. It's rocking a 5" 1080p screen with minimalist bezel - not unlike many of the current top-shelf Android offerings.
It has a quad-core processor of undisclosed origin, clocked at 1.2 GHz, as well as 16GB of inbuilt storage expandable via an SD card slot. A 2000mAh battery and a 13MP snapper are the other highlights of a package that runs, by the looks of it, a near stock version of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

The Alcatel One Touch Idol X
There's still no actual word on pricing or availability but it may be bound for international release with US availability in question due to the apparent lack of LTE on board.
The One Touch Idol X will come in a variety of colors - blue, yellow and red for starters.
The One Touch Idol X comes to top the recently announced One Touch Idol and Idol Ultra. The former features a 4.65" 720p AMOLED screen, an 8MP still camera and a dual-core processor. The latter goes for a 4.66 qHD IPS LCD, an 8MP camera and dual-core processor. Both come with Android Jelly Bean out of the box.
And while those three devices sound excellent on paper - the naming scheme is bound to cause confusion.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 now official with improved S Pen tech and Smart Remote mode

After months of speculation, the mid-sized warrior in Samsung's Note family is finally official. The aptly named Galaxy Note 8.0 sports an 8-inch 1280x800 pixels display clocking 189ppi pixel density - a tad higher than the direct competitor Apple's iPad mini.The tablet is driven by a 1.6 GHz Exynos 4 Quad ARM Cortex-A9 processor, and the slate has a 5 MP camera on the back, accompanied by a 1.3 MP frontal cam for video chat.Memorywise Samsung has outfitted the Galaxy Note 8.0 with 2 GB of RAM and 16/32 GB of storage, as well as a microSD card for memory expansion. The mid-sized Note warrior is powered by a fairly generous 4, 600 mAh  battery unit.The real added value, however, is the presence of the S Pen stylus tucked neatly in the Galaxy Note 8.0 silo, which is more advanced than even what we have on the Note II handset, as it allows you to manage the physical home and back keys (yes, we have those on the tablet) without even touching them.Add this to the usual barrage of useful apps and tricks like S Note and Air View that let you use the stylus in many ways for overview, doodling, handwriting, cropping and so on, and the Galaxy Note 8.0 becomes a unique proposition in the sea of Android tablets.

Speaking of the green robot, it is present here with its 4.1.2 Jelly Bean offspring, but Samsung has blanketed it with its trademark features like the Dual View multi-window mode, Pop Up Play, Smart Stay and Page Buddy, which here intuitively launches your last S Note homescreen. Samsung also throws in Flipboard preinstalled, letting you preview news by hovering over with the stylus, as well as an year worth of Awesome Note as a freebie.The dedicated e-reader mode puts the LCD settings in the appropriate regime for easy on the eyes reading, and works with 3rd party apps, and there is also a Peel-based Smart Remote app, which is an interactive TV guide and remote control at once,  utilizing the tablet's IR blaster.

The global launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is slated for the second quarter in Europe and Asia at the beginning with HSPA+ version available, too, from which you can make phone calls, while the eventual LTE one and other US plans are bound to be disclosed at a later date, along with the tablet's pricing details