A video has surfaced which shows the rumored iPhone 5S' golden casing and compares it side by side with the silver iPhone 5.
The prominent differences are the dual-LED flash cutout on the iPhone 5S casing, the different third microphone pinhole shape and the fact that the chamfered edges on the sides aren't colored and are instead just plain aluminum.
We've seen pictures of the champagne-gold casing more than once. Also a grey SIM tray points to a possible fourth color option.
The video also features a comparison of the would-be iPhone 5S casing with the would-be iPhone 5C one.
If these rumors are true and this actually becomes a reality on September 10, alongside iOS 7 we could expect pretty minor updates on the latest Apple gadget compared to the current iPhone 5. The screen and body would be all but the same.
In a surprising twist of events, Vice President of Android - Hugo Barra - has decided to move on from Google and join Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi.
The news was first broken by AllThingsD and was later confirmed by Barra in a post on Google+. He would be joining Xiaomi Global in China as their Vice President and "help them expand their incredible product portfolio and business globally".
Barra joined Google back in 2008 and for the past few years has been the face of Android, appearing in all recent Google keynotes for product announcements. While leaving, Barra praised the Android team, calling them "the most amazing group of people I've ever worked with in my life" and especially calling out Andy Rubin (who left the Android team recently), Hiroshi Lockheimer, Sundar Pichai and Vic Gundotra.
Google is yet to announce who will be taking on the role of Barra in his absence.
Nokia Lumia 625 is the latest WP smartphone to come out of Nokia. It comes with a 4.7" WVGA IPS display, runs on a dual-core 1.2GHz Krait processor with 512MB RAM, supports LTE connectivity, and packs a 5MP snapper with 1080p video recording. Just like the Lumia 620, the Lumia 625 also offers exchangeable battery covers in different youthful colors.
Various UK retailers have begun selling the WP8 Nokia Lumia 625. The lowest price we could find is atExpansys - the phone costs just £239.99 - though there are only 14 units in stock and they are all of the black flavor.
Clove is selling both the black and white models and they cost £252 with VAT. Phones4U offers the Lumia 625 for free through Vodafone with a two-year contact, while MobilePhonesDirect is selling the SIM-free version for £244.99. Carphone Warehouse expects the first Lumia 625 stock in September.
Nokia Lumia 625 is now available in India as well. There you can get the Black, White, Yellow or Green flavor for INR19,499 which equals at about €220.
We guess other markets will be getting it any moment now, if not already.
Sony Xperia Z1, previously rumored as Honami, is one of the regulars in our news section lately. We already know so many things about the gadget that we wonder if Sony will have any surprises left for us at the official announcement next week.
Anyway, today's leak brings us something we haven't seen so far - the Sony Xperia Z1 in good quality high-resolution photos. No more blurry cams!
Sony Xperia Z1
The Sony Xperia Z1 is expected to feature a 5" 1080p display and to run on a Snapdragon 800 chipset. At the back it will boast a 20.7MP camera with 1/2.3" sensor capable of 4K video recording, and a 3000 mAh battery.
Sony Xperia Z1 in white
Sony has already started the PR campaign on the gadget. We already saw the power key, the water-proof panels, the G-lens at the back, as well the slim profile which also revealed the announcement date - September 4 - the same day Samsung will premiere the Galaxy Note III. We'll be at both events, bringing the latest details as they come, so stay tuned for our coverage.
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Samsung announced the Galaxy S4 Zoom back in June and unleashed its 3G version worldwide in July. It's just now though Samsung is releasing the LTE-capable version of the S4 Zoom.
The LTE Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom is completely identical with the already available version but as you probably guessed adds support for 4G networks. The gadget will be available on various EU markets and carriers very soon, though there is no official pricing just yet.
We already spend some quality time with the SM-C101 non-LTE model and you can read all about our encounter right here.
In case you need a refresh, the Galaxy S4 Zoom is basically a hybrid between Galaxy S4 mini and a digicam with its 4.3" qHD screen and 16MP OIS camera with 10x optical zoom at the back.
Alcatel has extended its collection of smartphones with the introduction of One Touch Idol S and One Touch Idol Mini. Both the devices come with a compact design along with a slim profile. The Idol S is the slimmer of the two with its profile measuring just 7.4mm, while the Idol Mini is also very slender at 7.9mm.
The highlights of the Alcatel Idol S include a 4.7-inch IPS display with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. The device is powered by a dual-core processor clocked at 1.2 GHz along with 1 GB of RAM and features an 8 megapixel rear camera that is capable of recording 1080p videos at 30fps.
Th Alcatel One Touch Idol S comes with a 1.3 megapixel front camera and runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The device has 4 GB of internal memory and there is a microSD card slot for further expansion. Alcatel's latest mid-range addition has a wide range of connectivity option and the smartphone will be available in Slate, Fresh Rose and Cherry Red color options.
On the other hand, the Idol Mini is an entry level smartphone, sporting a relatively small 4.3-inch display with a resolution of 480 x 854 pixels. The smartphone also features a 1.3 GHz dual-core processor, 512 MB RAM, 5 megapixel rear camera and 4GB inbuilt memory with microSD card support.
The Idol Mini runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and comes with HSPA+, Wi-Fi, A-GPS and Bluetooth 4.0 radios.
The Alcatel Idol Mini will also be available in a dual-SIM variant with its hardware specifications remaining mostly unchanged. The only difference is the dual-SIM Idol Mini does not come with a microSD card slot and has 8 GB of internal storage.
Alcatel Idol Mini will also be up for grabs in three different color options - Cranberry Pink, Silver and Slate. There are no details on the pricing and the availability of either new smartphone at the moment.
Archos unveiled its IFA lineup a few days early – the new additions include many tablets and smartphones, all powered by pure, unskinned Android.
The company is introducing a new line, Oxygen. The Archos 50 Oxygen features a FullHD screen, 13MP main camera and 5MP secondary camera, quad-core 1.5GHz processor running Android 4.2 and 16GB of storage.
The new phones in the Titanium range will start at €99 with a 4" screen, dual-SIM connectivity, 5MP main camera, dual-core processor running Android 4.2. The Platinum range will see new phones too, but Archos will unveil the full details for them and its other new phones at IFA.
The Archos 97b Platinum tablet is an iPad 4 competitor with aluminum body, a 9.7" screen with 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution. The French company is also kicking off its Gen11 tablets with the Archos 101xs2 with HD IPS screen, stereo speakers on the front and a magnetically attached keyboard. Both have quad-core processors and run Android 4.2.
The Xenon line will see 3 new tablets with HD screens, 3G and 3G+ (whatever that means) connectivity, quad-core processors and Android 4.2. There will be a sequel to the Archos GamePad too (a tablet with built in game controls), but detail will only be made available at IFA.
Finally, there will be a couple of kid-oriented ChildPad tablets with Android 4.2 and Play Store filtered for kid-friendly content. There will be an 8" and a 10.1" tablets and the bigger one will be able to use "magnetic figurines" for more tangible play.
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Huawei has launched the Huawei Honor 3 on the Chinese market. The successor of the popular Honor 2 features a 4.7" 720p IPS in-cell display and runs on the Huawei's homebrewed K3V2E chipset with a quad-core 1.5GHz processor and 2GB of RAM.
The rest of the specs of the Honor 3 include a 13MP camera with Sony lens, a LED flash, 8GB expandable internal storage, and a 2150 mAh battery. There is also a 1.3MP front-facing camera for video chats. The Android version ticking inside is 4.2.2 Jelly Bean skinned with Huawei's Emotion UI.
Huawei Honor 3
Huawei Honor 3 is IP57-certified, which guarantees its survival under 1 meter deep water for up to 30 minutes. The IP57 certification also includes dust protection.
Huawei Honor 3 is already available for purchase through Huawei's official online store. It costs CNY1,888, which equals about €235 or $310.
Phones with QWERTY keyboards have always been the strong suite of BlackBerry. Which is why when the company revamped their product portfolio with BB10 and the Z10, they decided to not forgo QWERTY phones altogether and launched the Q10 (and consequently the Q5).
Well, it seems that strategy isn't working out so well. According to The Wall Street Journal, who talked to retailers in the US and Canada, the Q10 is an unmitigated failure. There is no demand for the device and the retailers have had to return their stock.
One Canadian retailer even went as far as saying "I think we'd all say that the Q10, the one we all thought was going to be the savior, just hit the ground and died." And this is BlackBerry's home country we are talking about.
While this doesn't mean the all-touch Z10 are flying off the shelves things are looking particularly bleak for the keyboard based BlackBerries. Clearly the market for these devices has dwindled in the past and few would now want to waste precious space for a physical keyboard when they could have a large display instead.
BlackBerry now needs to rethink their strategy and assess if people really want to buy QWERTY BlackBerries anymore. Or simply BlackBerries, for that matter.
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The latest rumors coming from Korea suggest Samsung is trying to lower the cost of the Galaxy Note III phablet for the emerging markets by replacing some internals with cheaper components.
To achieve a price cut, the Galaxy Note III will lose the Super AMOLED screen in favor of a regular LCD unit plus the camera will be downgraded to an 8MP one. Thanks to those sacrifices, Samsung will be able to launch the Galaxy Note III phablet at a cheaper price point in the emerging markets.
According to the etnews report, those new LCD/8MP Galaxy Note III phablets are 30% of the entire first batch of Notes III that is currently manufacturing in Samsung's factories.
We admire Samsung putting efforts to make the Note III available to more customers, though we hope if indeed true, Samsung would still launch the top-shelf model in those countries too so people have a choice.
Samsung will unveil the Galaxy Note III on September 4 in Berlin and we'll be there to cover the event as it unfolds.
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A Samsung Galaxy Note III teaser with a rendered image of the device has been posted on Spigen's website. Spigen, in case you haven't heard the name, is a company that manufactures cases for a huge variety of smartphones.
So, out of the blue Spigen has published a teaser image of the upcoming Galaxy Note III phablet that is going to be unveiled on September 4. The render definitely looks plausible and while there's no way to know if it's the real deal, it probably bears quite a lot of resemblance to the final product.
The Galaxy Note III is rumored to pack a 5.7" 1080p Super AMOLED display and run on Snapdragon 800 or Exynos 5420 chipset depending on your region. It will offer 3GB of RAM, a 13MP sharpshooter, expandable 16/32/64GB storage and LTE connectivity. A huge 3200 mAh battery will power the monster and, naturally, you can expect an integrated S-Pen.
The third generation Samsung Galaxy Note will go official next month, on September 4 in Berlin. We will be live at the unveiling, so be sure to tune in for the full scoop on the phablet.
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Samsung had announced that the upgrade cycle for its Galaxy Grand smartphone would officially end with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. The last major update for the device is now seeding in Russia and the South Korean manufacturer is expected to roll out the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean ROM globally in the coming days.
The latest update for the Samsung Galaxy Grand brings cool features such the lock screen widgets, advanced toggles menu, daydream screensaver, improved task switching and a few minor tweaks to enhance the overall user experience.
As one can expect, the update also brings a few software goodies from the Galaxy S4, the company's flagship smartphone.
If you are in hurry and planning to jump the gun with the official update, then the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean firmware for your Galaxy Grand is available in the source link below. Just a friendly reminder: the flashing process involves some risk and may void your warranty. So, please continue with the instructions only if you are sure about what you are doing.
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An official teaser images of the Sony 'Honami' cameraphone has showed up rather prematurely, reconfirming the date of the phone's unveil and hinting of a potential purple version.
The photo itself doesn't reveal almost anything regarding the smartphone itself. The guys over at Digi-Wowho have a larger resolution version of it have zoomed in on it to discover the signature Xperia lock/power button. The side edges of the phone are also more rounded than the Z, which should help handling. In any case, the leaked photos of the Honami give us a better idea of its looks than the teaser ever will.
The Sony Xperia Honami is rumored to sport a 5-inch Full HD Triluminos display with the X-reality engine. The smartphone is said to feature a 2.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor along with 2GB of RAM. The smartphone's key selling points is its 20.7 megapixel camera with Sony G-lens and BIONZ image processor. User memory is 16GB and can be expanded via the microSD card slot.
As we've come to expect from Sony, the Honami is said to be IP57 certified, which means the smartphone will be completely dust-protected and have the ability to withstand a meter of water for 30 minutes. The connectivity options for the Xperia Honami include Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, Wi-Fi and supports GSM/UMTS/LTE networks
We'll find out more about the phone in less than a month at its announcement event in Berlin on September 4.
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