Windows Blue: Public Preview out in June, Full Version in August

Microsoft is reportedly working on Windows Blue, the first Windows 8 major upgrade that’s expected to hit the market sometime this year. Citing Chinese media, InformationWeek claims that the first public preview of Windows Blue is very likely to see daylight in June when it's also likely to hit RTM, while the full version of the upgrade is expected to be released two months later, in August. Microsoft obviously remains completely tight-lipped on this subject, but according to previous reports, Windows Blue may deliver the first version of Internet Explorer 11, an upgrade to the browser currently integrated into Windows 8. In addition, it appears that the Redmond-based technology giant might offer Blue as a free upgrade for Windows...

Read more »

LG Optimus LTE III (LG-F260S) for South Korea Emerges

South Korean mobile phone maker LG Electronics is reportedly gearing up for the launch of new LTE-capable devices in the popular Optimus series, and one of them has already been spotted online. Dubbed LG Optimus LTE III, the new device is expected to make an appearance on shelves in the company’s homeland market in the not too distant future, although no official announcement on the matter has been made as of now. Featuring model number LG F260S, the handset is expected to be released on wireless carrier SK Telecom’s network, with Google’s Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean operating system loaded on top. The smartphone is also said to feature an HD (1280 x 720) screen, along with a dual-core snapdragon processor and a 2540 mAh battery....

Read more »

BlackBerry 10 Tablet Planned This Year, OS Upgrade for PlayBook Too

Canadian mobile phone maker BlackBerry is gearing up for the launch of new devices running under the newly introduced BlackBerry 10 platform for this year, including a new tablet PC, it seems. Speaking to KYMI, Sarim Aziz, head of developer relations for Asia Pacific at BlackBerry, confirmed the upcoming launch, UnwiredView notes, though no additional details have been provided. However, he did confirm that the new mobile operating system will be pushed to the BlackBerry PlayBook, something that was already expected to happen. Unfortunately, no specific release date for the update is available for the time being, and owners of the PlayBook will have to wait a bit longer until specific details are made available. Hopefully, it...

Read more »

Sanwa TAP-TST13, Show How Much Power Your Appliances and Gadgets Need

Power bills can be a real drag, and while some PCs make it easy to calculate how much power is being used, especially when the PSU is highly efficient, there can still be surprises. Some people might appreciate the chance to see just how much power their appliances and computers use. To allow for such measurements, the Sanwa Supply has invented the "TAP-TST13" Smart Plug, according to Tech-On! The small gadget only needs to be placed between the power outlet and a device whose power consumption is measured. A smartphone, provided it has the accompanying mobile app installed, can then be used to supervise the energy consumption. And since people might want to do something else in the meantime, the app even has "schedule management"...

Read more »

Google Preparing Linux 3.8 Kernel for Next Android Release

Mountain View-based Internet giant Google is reportedly getting ready for the release of a new major version of its Android operating system, one that might arrive on the market with Linux 3.8 kernel inside, rumor has it. A new Linux 3.8 kernel repository was recently uploaded by Google, with “Samsung Exynos DRM advancements, open-source NVIDIA Tegra driver inclusion and lowered RAM usage” features, phoneArena reports. With Android 4.1 currently featuring Linux 3.0 kernel, and Android 4.2.2 based on 3.3 and 3.4 versions, it’s clear that a new Android release is in the pipeline. What remains to be seen is whether it will be the Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie that has been long rumored to make an appearance this year at Google I/O, or...

Read more »

Samsung Invites Users in Times Square on March 14 for Galaxy S IV Launch

Following all the hype regarding the launch of Galaxy S IV, South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung appears set to create some more buzz by inviting everyone in Times Square in New York on March 14 for the unveiling of the device. The company has already sent out press invitations to a Samsung Unpacked 2013 event on that day, and appears set to stream it live for all users interested in joining the party at Times Square, at least this is what the invitation published on the company’s Twitter account shows. The press event will be held at Radio City Music hall, providing attendees with the possibility to experience the new device first-hand. Those who won’t be present in New York at any of the two events will most probably have...

Read more »

China Mobile Intros Huawei Ascend D2, HTC One TD-LTE Phones

Chinese wireless carrier China Mobile, the largest in the country, has just announced plans to add some new, highly appealing devices to its 4G lineup, including the Huawei Ascend D2, the LG Optimus Vu II Plus, HTC One and the ZTE U9810. With these devices, the carrier will provide its users with the option to enjoy not only fast data transfer speeds while on the go, but also a great viewing experience. The Ascend D2 (D2-TL) and U9810 feature 1080p 5-inch screens, LG’s handset comes with a 5’’ XGA display, while HTC One packs a 4.7-inch full HD one. According to Engadget, a TD-LTE flavor of Samsung Galaxy S III is also expected to land on shelves at the wireless carrier. These smartphones are expected to be launched before the...

Read more »

Firefox OS Experimental Releases for Sony Xperia E

Earlier this week, Japanese mobile phone maker Sony Mobile announced plans to bring to the market Firefox OS-based devices starting with the next year, and it has just made a new step towards the official launch, making available experimental Firefox OS software for Xperia E. According to Sony, the release is meant to provide developers with a look at the new mobile operating system from Mozilla, so that the vendor would receive feedback on the matter. Built entirely upon open web standards, Firefox OS promises a new approach to the smartphone market, through the building of an open ecosystem. Sony has partnered with Telefonica for the launch of its Firefox OS, and is set to bring the power of the web to mobile through this partnership....

Read more »

Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 “Easily” Better than NVIDIA Tegra 4

One would think that the waves made by NVIDIA's Tegra 4 SoC on the mobile market would put Qualcomm on guard, but this is not the case. Qualcomm is essentially the greatest maker of mobile processors, or one of them. Its Snapdragon chips are found in many phones and tablets. The Snapdragon 800 was launched back in January, during CES 2013 (Consumer Electronics Show). Apparently, Qualcomm believes it has absolutely nothing to fear from NVIDIA's Tegra 4 platform. Despite NVIDIA saying its chip is the fastest mobile processor in the world, Qualcomm Senior VP of Product Management, Raj Talluri, has told The Verge that he still believes Snapdragon 800 "easily" beats it, as it is "so much more integrated" and can both encode and decode...

Read more »

Nexus 4 Wireless Charging Orb Quick Look

Nexus 4, the latest Google phone out there and the first in the world to be manufactured by South Korean mobile phone maker LG Electronics, arrived on shelves last year with one highly appealing feature inside, namely support for wireless charging. Users interested in taking advantage of the feature had the possibility to purchase a wireless charger for the device, although it was not available in all markets and Google’s Play Store ran out of stock fast in others.  The device does exist, however, and was even brought to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, where we’ve had the chance to snap a few photos of it. Providing support for the Qi standard, the wireless charging orb was designed with a non-slip rubber...

Read more »

Samsung Galaxy S IV to Pack Both Snapdragon 600 and Exynos 5 Octa Processors

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung has already confirmed plans to unveil a new Galaxy device on March 14 in New York, with the long rumored Galaxy S IV expected to be officially introduced there, but no specific details on the phone itself have been announced as of now. However, info on the smartphone did emerge via unofficial channels, and the latest bits suggest that it will pack both a Snapdragon 600 processor and an Exynos 5 Octa chip inside. Depending on the market in which it is released, the handset will sport one of these, with users in the United States said to be able to enjoy only the former, a JPMorgan analyst suggests, according to taipeitimes. With nothing made official on the matter for the time being, it...

Read more »

Canonical and XDA Developers Looking for Official Partnership

After releasing Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview, Canonical is now doing what every other company should be doing, and that's getting in touch with the community. The relationships between companies and the communities that spawn around the products have always been a little thin, with very few exceptions. Canonical has understood very quickly that if they want to succeed, they will have to court the XDA developers community and get their help. “I asked David Planella and Daniel Holbach on my team to kick off a regular engagement with XDA Developers to help us grow a great relationship together. The first call was today and we are kicking some ideas around of how to work more closely together,” stated Jono Bacon in a blog entry. The...

Read more »

Samsung Galaxy Grand DUOS

Samsung has yet to launch a 5-inch high-end smartphone – in the form of Galaxy S IV – yet the already existing Galaxy Grand DUOS phablet could easily fulfill that role from a certain perspective, that's for sure. Made official with a 5-inch WVGA touchscreen display and a 1.2GHz dual-core processor inside, paired with 1GB of RAM, the handset can easily make some believe that they are, in fact enjoying the benefits of a larger Galaxy S III. Both sport the same design, an 8-megapixel photo snapper on the back, with full HD video recording capabilities, a 2MP front camera for video calling, and Google’s Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean platform on top, although the Galaxy S III is a bit smaller, as can be seen in the second photo below. However,...

Read more »

Samsung Galaxy Express

Mobile phone users interested in the purchase of a LTE-capable device with pretty decent features inside but with an affordable price tag can always have a look at the Samsung Galaxy Express to see whether it appeals to them or not. We caught a glimpse of it at MWC 2013, and we have had the chance to snap some shots of its 4.5-inch WVGA touchscreen display, as well as of the 5-megapixel photo snapper it sports on the back. In addition to offering support for 4G LTE connectivity, the handset can also deliver increased performance levels courtesy of its dual-core 1.2GHz processor, paired with 1GB of RAM. If that is not enough, you should also know that it comes with a front camera for video calling, a 2,000 mAh battery inside,...

Read more »

Nokia Lumia 520 Video Promo

At MWC 2013 in Barcelona, Nokia officially introduced its most affordable Windows Phone 8 device to date, none other than the Lumia 520. Packing a 4” IPS LCD WVGA (800 x 480 pixels) and a 1 GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor inside, paired with 512 MB of RAM, the new mobile phone should be capable of providing appealing performance capabilities at a very low price tag, starting with this quarter. Furthermore, Nokia packed it with features that make it stand among devices in the same segment, including a 5MP camera with HD video recording, 8 GB of internal memory, microSD card slot, and a 1430mAh battery inside. “Have more fun with Nokia's exclusive digital lenses, free music, free maps, and a touchscreen so sensitive it even works with long fingernails and gloves. Get all this...

Read more »

ZTE Open Goes Official with Firefox OS

Mozilla is pushing hard on the deployment of its Firefox OS on handsets, and has showcased at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today a ZTE smartphone running under the platform, none other than the ZTE Open. Only an entry-level device, the smartphone will arrive on the market with a 3.5-inch (480×320 pixels) touchscreen display, as well as with a 1GHz single-core Qualcomm processor and 256MB of RAM. The phone’s specs list also includes 512MB of internal memory (with a microSD card slot for expansion purposes), along with a 3.2-megapixel photo snapper on the back, and a 1,200 mAh battery. Furthermore, ZTE packed the Firefox OS device with Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, HSDPA, and GPS with AGPS. Apparently, the company...

Read more »

Firefox OS Mascot, a Fox That's on Fire

Firefox, the animal from which the browser gets its name, isn't actually a fox. It's not really on fire either, though you probably guessed as much. In fact, the red panda, also known as the firefox, is more related to raccoons and bears than to foxes. And, no, it's not a panda either. But such intricacies are of little importance to Mozilla or fans of Firefox the browser. Mozilla has used a stylized fox as a mascot or, at the very least, the Firefox mascot and logo looks more like a fox than like a red panda. For Firefox OS, which is getting a big push at the Mobile World Conference, Mozilla decided to drop all pretense and use a fox which is on fire as the logo and mascot, a literal fire fox. To make things even less confusing,...

Read more »

Nokia’s Mapping and Navigation Services Will Be Known as HERE

Today, Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona two new smartphones running under Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 operating system, namely the Lumia 520 and Lumia 720, and also announced some changes to its mapping and navigation services for smartphones. Starting today, these will be known as HERE, following the rebranding that the company first announced last year. Through HERE, Nokia shows its commitment to delivering on maps and cartography, and is slowly moving towards renaming all the location experiences on smartphones, computers and cars to it. “The HERE experience is built on the world’s most complete and accurate map data based on 25 years of mapping technology leadership. We offer...

Read more »

Windows Blue Hit RTM in June

Microsoft is reportedly working on Windows Blue, the first major makeover for Windows 8 that’s expected to hit the market in just a few months. According to reports coming from Win8China, Blue is expected to reach the RTM development stage in June, so the August release date rumored a few days ago pretty much makes sense. As for the public beta that could see daylight before general availability, expect it to surface in May, just a few weeks before Windows Blue goes RTM. It appears that Windows Blue will be offered at absolutely no cost to Windows 8 users, as it’ll pack plenty of improvements for Microsoft’s latest operating system. As usual, Microsoft doesn’t comment on Windows Blue, but with so many insiders talking about the...

Read more »

Pwnie Express PwnPad, an Android-Based Penetration Testing Tablet

Cybersecurity solutions provider Pwnie Express has unveiled the Pwn Pad, an Android tablet based on Google Nexus 7 that’s designed to allow penetration testers to easily analyze both wireless and wired networks. Pwnie Express representatives have told Wired that they’ve added the TP-Link wireless adapter to Pwn Pad in order to enable packet injection on Android. The adapter also enhances the range of the wireless packet injection. The long list of toolkits installed on the tablet includes Aircrack-ng, Reaver, MDK3, btscanner, Nikto, Nmap, Tcpdump, Ettercap-ng and John the Ripper. The company will start shipping Pwn Pad in the first week of April, but pre-orders can already be made. The price of the tablet is $795 (600 EUR). Pwnie...

Read more »

Nokia 301 Arrives with 3.5G, HD Voice, 39 Days on Standby

The new Nokia Lumia 720 and Lumia 520 were only two of the new devices that the Finnish mobile phone maker made official today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The Nokia 301 was also among them, featuring a classic Nokia design from all angles, and set to arrive on the market in the second quarter of the year with a price tag of only €65 ($86) attached to it. The new phone will be launched in single and dual-SIM flavors, with a 2.4-inch QVGA TFT color display, 256MB of internal memory, up to 32GB of external storage via microSD, 64MB of RAM, Bluetooth 3.0, 3.5 mm AV Connector, and 2.0 mm Charger Connector. Nokia 301 measures 114 x 50 x 12.5 mm and weighs 102 grams, while also packing support for 3.5G connectivity...

Read more »

Samsung Hands Out Invites for Galaxy S IV’s March 14 Event

Earlier today, rumors on Samsung’s plans to introduce the upcoming Galaxy S IV smartphone on March 14 have been officially confirmed, and it seems that the company has already started to hand out press invites for the launch event. The South Korean mobile phone maker handed out paper invitations to the New York City events at its booth at Mobile World Congress 2013 in Barcelona, thus offering further confirmation on the upcoming release. At the same time, the press invite (available courtesy of SamMobile) not only confirms the March 14 event, but also appears to provide confirmation on the handset’s name, which should be Galaxy S IV in the end. Unfortunately, the same as before, specific info on the smartphone’s hardware specifications...

Read more »

Sony Quad-Core Xperia Tablet Z Released

This week will be a week of tablets, as the Mobile World Congress, 2013 Edition, has finally started (February 25-28). Sony, as one might guess, is present at the show, launching things like the Xperia Tablet Z. Some may be quick to note that it is incorrect to say Sony is releasing the tablet. After all, the device was released in Japan last month. On the other hand, the tablet has only been available in the Country of the Rising Sun so far. This is why the presence of the slate at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, is such a big deal. It also exposes some information that was previously unknown, like the MHL (mobile high-definition link technology), top storage capacity expansion via microSD card (64 GB instead of...

Read more »

Intel Confirms ASUS Fonepad Impending Announcement

A couple of days back, ASUS published a very unusual “trailer” video, of sorts, for a tablet called Fonepad, which had voice call capabilities not unlike smartphones. Now we are told that the slate will be launched sooner rather than later. Intel has mentioned that a tablet will be released later today (February 25, 2013). While we were not given a name for the device itself, ASUS was specified as the developer, so it is all but certain that the Fonepad is the one. The tablet will rely on the Atom Processor Z2420, codenamed Lexington, which has up to 1.2 GHz frequency and all the video playback and I/O capabilities that SoCs (system-on-chip devices) are expected to possess. Fonepad will have a metallic silver finish, 1 GB of...

Read more »

Intel Talks LTE-Enabled Atom Clover Trail+ Processors on MWC 2013

Today at the MWC 2013 trade show in Barcelona, chip maker Intel announced a new dual-core Atom SoC (“Clover Trail+”) platform designed for use inside smartphones and tablet PCs running under Google’s Android operating system, with support for LTE connectivity packed inside. The new Atom processor platform (“Clover Trail+”) and smartphone reference design is meant to provide low power and long battery life, as well as increased performance capabilities to Android devices, the company says. Furthermore, Intel claims that the new SoC will offer support for smooth Web browsing, viewing of full HD movies while on the go, as well as a great Android applications experience. Three 32nm dual-core Intel Atom processors were announced in the...

Read more »

Mozilla Firefox OS Previews at MWC 2013

Mozilla’s Firefox OS is moving closer to making an official appearance on the market, and the platform has been previewed at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona over the weekend (a video demo can be seen at the bottom of this article). The platform is set to become available on devices in Brazil, Colombia, Hungary, Mexico, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Spain and Venezuela in the beginning, with more markets set to arrive soon. 17 wireless carriers around the world have committed to Firefox OS devices, Mozilla also announced: America Movil, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Hutchison Three Group, KDDI, KT, MegaFon, Qtel, SingTel, Smart, Sprint, Telecom Italia Group, Telefonica, Telenor, TMN and VimpelCom. The handsets will...

Read more »

Galaxy S IV Announced on March 14, Confirmed by Samsung

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung has been long said to plan the launch of its 2013 flagship Android-based smartphone on March 14 in New York, and confirmation on the matter has already emerged. No details on the smartphone itself have been provided, but a recent article on AllThingsD notes that a Samsung spokesperson has confirmed that the smartphone will be made official on that day. Last year, the company announced the Galaxy S III in London, but it will unveil the new device in Apple’s homeland market, in an attempt to hurt sales of the iPhone even more. Galaxy S IV is expected to be capable of delivering superior performance when compared to last year’s flagship device, courtesy of a Snapdragon processor. It is also...

Read more »

Huawei Ascend P2 Goes Official with 1.5GHz Quad-Core CPU

As expected, Chinese company Huawei announced the upcoming availability of it next Android flagship smartphone, the Ascend P2. According to Huawei, the Ascend P2 is “world's fastest smartphone” when it comes to connectivity as the phone supports LTE Cat 4, providing an ultrafast web experience with download speeds of up to 150 Mbps. In comparison, Samsung Galaxy S III LTE offers download speeds of up to 100 Mbps. Furthermore, the smartphone comes equipped with a powerful 1.5 GHz quad-core Huawei K3V2 processor, which is complemented by 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory. Although the smartphone is “only” 8.4mm thin, Huawei’s CEO Richard Yu claims the company made it a slim as it can be in order to fit all the components inside....

Read more »

Windows Blue Public Beta Coming

Even though it was initially rumored that Microsoft won’t release a testing version of the upcoming Windows Blue, sources familiar with the matter now hint that a public beta is very likely to see daylight in the coming months. According to reports published by Win8China, Microsoft is working on a preview build of the Blue update that would be offered to all users as a free download. Since the first major Windows 8 makeover is expected to hit the shelves this summer, the preview version is very likely to be unveiled in just a couple of months, as Microsoft needs time to collect and analyze the feedback it receives. Windows Blue won’t come as a standalone operating system, but only as a major update for Windows 8, with many people...

Read more »

Nokia Tablet PC Emerges as Nokia RX-108

Only several days ago, yet unannounced Nokia Lumia smartphones were spotted in AdDuplex’s database, and it seems that more devices from the company have appeared there. According to a recent tweet from Alan Mendelevich from AdDuplex, a certain Nokia RX-108 has emerged in the company’s logs, with Microsoft’s Windows 8 platform loaded on top. While there’s no specific info available on the device, chances are that it would prove to be nothing else than the long-rumored Nokia tablet PC. “As for Windows 8, I see something called Nokia RX-108. Don't know what that is,” Alan Mendelevich said in a tweet. As WMPowerUser notes, in addition to this device, the yet unannounced Nokia RM-892 (for India, it seems), RM-860 (with a 1280 x 768...

Read more »

Canonical Ubuntu for Phones Porting Guide

The initial Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview was released for Nexus devices, but Canonical has now  provided a comprehensive porting tutorial. Canonical needs its operating system to run on a variety of devices, but they can only concentrate on so many. This is where the community steps in and so far, they’ve done an amazing job, even if the operating system was launched only a couple of days ago. The new Ubuntu for Phones is running nicely on selected Nexus devices, but users have taken upon themselves to port the OS to new phones: Motorola XOOM, Galaxy Nexus (toro), Galaxy Nexus (toroplus), SGS I9000, HTC One XL, HTC One X+, Sony Xperia T, SGS III, Huawei Ascend G300, VZ SGSIII, ATT SGSIII, SGS GT-I9000, Samsung Galaxy Note...

Read more »

More Samsung Galaxy S IV Details: Full-HD LCD3 SoLux Display, Bootscreen Photo

Previously said to arrive on the market with a 4.99 full HD AMOLED screen, the Galaxy S IV flagship device is now rumored to be packed with an LCD3 SoLux Display. No official confirmation has emerged on the matter for the time being, but SamMobile claims that the change might have been determined by various issues that Samsung is experiencing at its AMOLED factory for the production of full HD screens for the device. The handset, expected to be unveiled on March 14 as the company’s next flagship Android-based smartphone, is also said to sport a quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor inside, clocked in at 1.9 GHz. According to a recent analyst report, the South Korean mobile phone maker might experience a series of issues with the power...

Read more »

New Windows Blue Screenshot

While Microsoft remains completely tight-lipped on a potential Windows Blue upgrade for Windows 8, sources familiar with the matter confirm that such a project is currently under development. Now a new screenshot posted by Win8China.com seems to confirm that Windows Blue is in the works, very likely with an important kernel update to version 6.3. Once again, it appears that Windows Blue won’t come as a stand-alone Windows operating system, but only as a major upgrade for the existing Windows 8, so it’s very likely to pack a big number of improvements. If we are to trust all previous reports, Windows Blue is scheduled to hit the market this summer, with Microsoft planning to offer it either as a freeware update for Windows 8 or...

Read more »