The iOS 7 Jailbreak is Ready Before iOS 7 Even Gets Released

Great news from Joshua Hill today, the internationally-known iOS jailbreaker has issued a couple of tweets informing the masses that we’re in for a new jailbreak. And we’re pretty sure he’s referring to iOS 7.

“Well, so far it looks like the next jailbreak might be created entirely by me,” Joshua Hill (@p0sixninja) boasted on Twitter. “Evad3rs haven't gone anywhere, I've just discovered all the needed exploits on my own over the past few months,” he added in a subsequent message sent out to his 153K followers. Mr. Hill doesn’t specifically mention iOS 7, but he’s obviously referring to Apple’s next major iOS release. While Apple has closed the evasi0n jailbreak exploits in iOS 6.1.3, it makes no sense for Hill to burn his precious new bugs for a jailbreak that almost nobody needs at the moment.

iOS 7, on the other hand, will be a totally different matter. Considering that some security researchers are more inclined to sell these exploits for hard cash (rather than publicly release them as a jailbreak), Joshua might be in for quite some hype in the coming months.

Joshua Hill tweets
Image credits to Joshua Hill's Twitter stream (@p0sixninja)

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Texas Instruments Makes Chip That Reduces Battery Recharge Time by 50%

Batteries have been gaining longer and longer charge lifespans, but as odd as it may sound, this didn't bring only joy. It also caused a complication: it takes longer for them to recharge when they do deplete.

Or at least they would have that problem if technology companies didn't routinely look into ways of speeding up recharge time. Texas Instruments has just revealed a series of lithium-ion battery charger integrated circuits (ICs) that reduce recharging time by half in smartphones and tablets. They are called fast-charge units and bear the part numbers of bq24190, bq24192, bq24192i, bq24193, bq24195, bq24195L and bq24196. All of them are 4.5A output, 20V input-rated switch-mode chargers with I2C interface and USB on-the-go (OTG) support. Single-cell lithium battery packs are recharged fast thanks to a unique battery pack impedance compensation.

Overvoltage is prevented, according to JEITA guidelines, and the efficiency is high. The 4.5A switch-mode charger achieves 92% efficiency at 2 A and up to 90% efficiency at 4 A of output current. Energy Star and European Union charging specifications are, of course, met as well, and system-level design benefits from programmable thermal regulation temperature also. That the chips are simple to design is just the icing on the cake. All of them have Power Path management, synchronous FETs, integrated current sensing, internal loop compensation and bootstrap diode. In addition to phones and tablets, the new chips from Texas Instruments will help 4G LTE routers, power banks, Wi-Fi speakers, portable medical equipment, etc.

The TI bq2419x battery chargers for single-cell Li-Ion batteries should be available to product designers for $2.5 / 1.95 Euro in 1000 quantities. No details exist on deals between TI and other companies, but Texas Instruments has been known to branch out. It definitely has contacts thanks to how many power management and analog signal chain products it sold over the years, and the wireless power, audio, health technology, gesture recognition, touch feedback, and energy harvesting hardware.

Texas Instruments bq24190 charger chip
Image credits to Texas Instruments

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The First Proof That Microsoft Is Working on Office Gemini

Aside from Windows Blue, Microsoft is also working on another major update for its products, this time for the Office productivity suite that’s expected to get several improvements in the next couple of years.

Codenamed Gemini, the upgraded Office package is already in development, according to some online profiles posted by Microsoft’s employees on LinkedIn and spotted by Stephen Chapman of MSFTKitchen.  “Redesigning Office 365 backend architecture and deployment strategy in Office Gemini and beyond (ongoing),” the responsibilities section published in an online profile reads.

Unsurprisingly, this LinkedIn page has already been removed, but fortunately for us, a cached version of the website is still available via Google. As far as Microsoft is concerned, the company doesn’t want to provide any details on the Office refresh, so more information will most likely surface in June at the BUILD developer conference.

The first wave of Gemini updates will come with Windows Blue
Image credits to arstechnica.com

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WhatsApp+ 3.17 Available for Android

WhatsApp for Android already proved a highly appealing application, the same as it did on devices based on other mobile operating systems out there, but it seems that enhancements could be made to it.

WhatsApp+, a re-worked, custom version of the official WhatsApp Messenger for Android, can easily prove that. The software comes with the same features as WhatsApp, given that it is built based on it, but adds some new options of its own, allowing users to easily customize colors and more. The app enables users to share music with a single click, to add contact profile pictures to their chats, and can also increase the upload media limit to send large files.

Today, WhatsApp+ was released as version 3.17, with fixes over the previous versions, after getting a consistent Holo UI on all devices only two days ago. The new app release also comes with a series of fixes, its developer notes. More on it can be found over at the XDA-Developers.

WhatsApp+
Image credits to XDA-Developers

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New Alleged Google Babble Screenshot Emerges

Google Babble, the unified messaging service that Google is expected to make official in the not too distant future, will be available for the owners of Android devices as well, and a new screenshot supposedly showing the upcoming mobile client is now available for your viewing pleasure.

The photo emerged over at the Dutch site Skloink, and shows an interface that closely resembles that of the currently available messenger feature in the Google+ application for Android devices. However, it does sport a series of new elements, such as Google Now-styled cards to separate conversations, as Droid-life notes in a recent post.

Of course, there’s always the possibility that the photo is not the real deal, so we’ll take it with a grain of salt for the time being. Stay tuned for more on the matter.

Alleged Google Babble photo
Image credits to Skloink

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Microsoft Office “Blue” to Be Called Gemini

Microsoft will soon launch Windows Blue, a major Windows 8 upgrade that would bring improvements to the desktop and tablet client, Windows Phone and server software.

Now rumor has it that the Redmond-based giant is also working on an important overhaul for its Office solution, but unlike Windows, it won’t be called Blue. According to a ZDNet report, the upcoming Office revamp could be called “Gemini” and would include significant enhancements to every single app included in the productivity suite. Since the Office division has only recently started work on Gemini, this major update won’t be launched together with Blue, as the debut will basically be split in two different smaller releases.  First, Microsoft is planning to use the Windows Blue launch event to introduce significant updates to Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.

While there’s no information on whether the company plans to bring the Office suite in the Metro UI, Microsoft may very well introduce Modern versions of these apps, especially because Blue is betting big on this particular working environment. At this point, there are only two Office apps available for Metro fans, namely OneNote and Lync. The second important step into revamping Office will probably be completed next year, most likely just before the debut of Windows 9. Office 365 and its subscription system would serve as the foundation of this new upgrade, as Microsoft is trying to adopt a similar strategy as for the Windows platform. The software giant is planning to improve the Office solution in such a way that it would allow more frequent updates, so the annual subscription service would clearly help a lot.

All in all, Microsoft Office is getting ready for a major refresh and, even if Microsoft has yet to talk about this, it’s pretty clear that the Blue effect will go way beyond the Windows platform.

Office will receive plenty of updates in the next years
Image credits to arstechnica.com

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Microsoft Finally Confirms Windows Blue

The Redmond-based technology giant Microsoft finally confirmed the Blue project and even though it refused to provide specific details on the first major Windows 8 refresh, it did reveal that a “set of plans” is now under development.

Microsoft corporate vice president Frank Shaw wrote in a post on the official Microsoft blog that Blue is the internal codename of the project, hinting that a different designation might be picked before the OS upgrade goes live. “With a remarkable foundation of products in market and a clear view of how we will evolve the company, product leaders across Microsoft are working together on plans to advance our devices and services, a set of plans referred to internally as Blue,” Shaw explained.

According to previous reports on the Blue project, the stable version might be released sometime this summer, most likely in August, while the first beta build is expected to be launched in June.

Microsoft's "set of plans" might include both a desktop and a tablet OS
Image credits to hdwallpapers.in

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Leaked Photo Shows Galaxy S4’s Back Logo

Earlier this month, South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung made official its next Android-based flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4, set to arrive on shelves in late April, but did not unveil the phone’s back logo as of now, although it did publish press photos with the device.

However, a leaked photo that emerged online courtesy of @evleaks appears meant to provide us with a glimpse at the phone’s final branding before it arrives on shelves. In all fairness, Samsung did show the phone’s logo in the video presentations that were made public following the official launch, yet it still has to show it carved on the phone’s back plate, as can be seen in the photo above.

Galaxy S4 arrives on shelves with a 5-inch screen, a quad-core processor (8-core in some markets), 2GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel photo snapper, front camera, Android Jelly Bean, and Samsung’s UI loaded on top.

Samsung Galaxy S4
Image credits to Samsung

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Windows Blue Metro Snap Mode Drops 1366x768 Resolution Limit [Video]

Windows Blue will bring a lot of improvements to the existing Windows 8 platform, at least judging by this leaked build, but here’s something that’s pretty important for consumers still using devices with low resolutions.

Blue could drop the 1366x768 screen resolution limit required to snap apps and run two different programs side by side in Metro mode, according to a report by McAkins Online. As you can see in this video, snapping apps is now possible on a 1024x768 screen resolution as well, regardless of whether you’re using a desktop computer, a laptop or a tablet.

Windows 8 currently limits snap view to 1366x768, while the 1024x768 resolution is required to run just a single Metro app. While we can’t tell for sure whether this particular option will make it to the stable build, it seems like Microsoft has listened to users’ feedback and is now making Metro apps available on lower resolutions too.

"Blue" is an update to Windows 8, bring patches and new features. One of the new features is that the screen resolution requirements to snap a metro-style application has been dropped. In Windows 8, you need a resolution of 1024 by 768 to run metro-style apps, and you need a screen resolution of 1366 by 768 to snap metro-style apps and run them side-by-side. However, with the "Blue" update, there are no special requirements to snap metro-style apps.
Thanks for watching, and peace be unto you!
Video credits to Nazmus Shakib

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Oppo R815T Flagship Quad-Core Android Phone Coming Soon

Chinese mobile phone maker Oppo is reportedly getting ready for the launch of a new high-end Android-based device in the now too distant future, though it would pack it with a smaller screen than that of the Oppo Find 5 handset, it seems.

According to the latest reports on the matter, the new device will feature a 4.3-inch IPS display, while being powered by a 1.2GHz MediaTek MT6589 quad-core processor, paired with 1GB of RAM. Furthermore, the handset is said to pack an 8-megapixel photo snapper on the back, to run under Google’s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system and to offer support for the TD-SCDMA network of China Mobile.

The upcoming handset is also said to sport model number R815T, and is expected to arrive on shelves with the same HiFi feature that Oppo Find 5 (which can be seen above) arrived on shelves with. It might be priced between 1,500 Yuan ($241 / 186 Euro) and 2,000 Yuan ($322 / 248 Euro), MyDrivers claims.

Oppo Find 5
Image credits to Oppo

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Samsung to Pack Galaxy Note III with an Unbreakable Display

This fall, South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics might bring to the spotlight the next-generation Galaxy Note III smartphone, currently expected to arrive on shelves with a 5.9-inch touchscreen display.

While capable of delivering a 1920 x 1280 pixels resolution, the panel is also said to be flexible, and might also prove to be unbreakable; at least this is what a recent post on Asiae notes. The handset was also said to arrive on shelves with Google’s Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system loaded on top, while expected to feature an Exynos 5 Octa processor, the same as Galaxy S4.

Other rumored specs of this device include 2GB of RAM and an 8-megapixel photo snapper on the back (which might be a 13MP one, in the end), and a larger battery compared to Galaxy Note II.

Samsung Galaxy Note II
Image credits to Samsung

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BlackBerry Z10 Gets Torn to Pieces

BlackBerry Z10, the latest smartphone from the Canadian mobile phone maker and the first to run under the new BlackBerry 10 operating system, and been torn down by the people over at iFixit, who were interested in learning more on what it packs inside.

BlackBerry enthusiasts who already grew fond of the handset’s looks will certainly appreciate a look at its internal circuitry, especially since this is the first BlackBerry to pack a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor inside. As expected, the teardown exposed the phone’s new motherboard, along with its 3.8 V, 1800 mAh Lithium-ion battery, the 8 megapixel auto-focus camera, 16 GB MLC NAND Flash from Samsung, 3-axis MEMS Accelerometer and 3D Accelerometer & 3D Gyroscope, and the like.

All the details on the matter can be found on this page, complemented by photos with all the BlackBerry Z10 internals.

BlackBerry Z10 teardown
Image credits to iFixit

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Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini Unofficially Revealed, May Launch in June/July

It's been less than two weeks since Samsung officially unveiled the Galaxy S4 and rumors on an unannounced mini version of the flagship smartphone.

Although the Galaxy S4 won't be available on the market until late April, and in some regions early May, Samsung seems to be planning to offers a budget variant of the superphone. Just like it did with the Galaxy S III, Samsung will be launching a Galaxy S4 mini devices some time this summer. According to SamMobile, Samsung Galaxy S4 mini is expected to hit shelves in June / July, but there's no telling whether or not the timeframe is correct. By the time Samsung will launch the smaller version of Galaxy S4, Google will announce the next version of Android mobile operating system. However, Galaxy S4 mini will not come with Android 5.0, but an upgrade is not out of the question.

Rumor has it Samsung Galaxy S4 mini will ship with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean operating system out of the box, the same version of the platform as its larger counterpart. It will also integrate TouchWiz Nature UX 2.0 and will pack a much smaller display. SamMobile's insider claims the Galaxy S4 mini sports a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED qHD capacitive touchscreen display that supports 540 x 960 pixels resolution and 256ppi. On the inside, the smartphone will be equipped with a 1.6 GHz dual-core processor, but there are no details on the amount of memory, storage and graphics processing unit yet. The phone has already been caught on camera and looks like a small replica of the Samsung Galaxy S4. It is also worth mentioning the Galaxy S4 mini is also known as Samsung GT-I9190, so we will be looking for this codename in future leaks.

Samsung Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S4 Mini
Image credits to SamMobile

Galaxy S4 Mini
Image credits to SamMobile

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NVIDIA Chimera Camera Technology Demonstrated [Video]

NVIDIA held a demo at the GTC 2013 event (GPU Technology Conference) for a certain asset that was not available before Tegra 4 came along.

Not long after NVIDIA formally released the Tegra 4i smartphone platform, the Chimera camera technology was launched. It gives Tegra 4-based devices the ability to edit pictures and videos in ways that was not possible before. The video embedded above is a short one about the always-on HDR feature by NVIDIA.

Live preview through a camera's display can be done on a smartphone or tablet. Moving objects can also be captured better, instead of ending up with blurs. Several HDR shots can be snapped in quick succession even in burst camera mode. HDR video is supported too. Now we just have to wait for Tegra 4/Tegra 4i devices to sell worldwide.

A quick demo at GTC 2013 showing NVIDIA's brand new Always-on HDR camera technology, called Chimera, for Tegra 4 smartphones and tablets.
Video credits to SlashGear

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Nokia N9 Mini in the Works, Possibly Coming as an Asha Series

It's been quite some time since Nokia launched the evolutionary N9 smartphone. One of the first handsets to be powered by innovative MeeGo Harmattan operating system, the N9 has fallen from Nokia's grace since the company decided to stop supporting the device.

However, there have been many rumors suggesting the Finnish company may bring back the swipe-based MeeGo platform under a different brand sometime in the future. Well, according to the latest hearsay, we're very close to that “future.” The guys over at MyNokiaBlog have been tipped on an unannounced Nokia N9 Mini. The name of the device has been mentioned a few times over the last couple of months, in the hopes that Nokia might revive the long forgotten N9. According to MyNokiaBlog's tipster the Finnish company works on a device that might go as the smaller version of Nokia N9.

I will not make any comments on the accuracy of the information, so just read below the statement of the insider who claims to have seen this prototype: "The phone design looks beautiful and you can say it’s new Nokia N9 Mini version".

New features are as following:

Phone has 3 different screen.

1. Menu Screen
2. Notification Screen.
3. Application screen.

You can switch to different screen with swipe gesture. And it’s not like previous Asha phones, it’s real swipe like we have seen in N9

1. Single hardware button at front.
2. User Interface is inspired from N9 in all apps. (like clock, calendar, settings etc.)
3. Screen resolution is 240×320
4. Various controls for Touch Screen Brightness, Double Tap to Unlock.
5. In notification screen you can see notifications from various apps from like facebook, twitter etc.
6. Dual SIM, 3G, Wifi etc.

Phone runs so smoothly and fast and also play animations and transitions like we have seen in Lumia Range. The sad thing is that the phone still do not run multiple apps.

Nokia N9
Image credits to Nokia

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Photos Taken with KDDI’s Xperia SOL22 Emerge Online

Japanese wireless carrier KDDI might soon make available for purchase on its network a new smartphone coming from Sony, one that has been spotted online as model SOL22.

Camera samples from the phone have emerged on Picasa recently, showing that the device is running under firmware 10.2.F.1.77_3_f600, and that it sports a photo snapper of at least 8.6 megapixels. According to a recent post on rbmen, the device should prove to be none other than KDDI’s flavor of Xperia Z, which is known as “Gaga” SOL22, and which should arrive on shelves sometime in summer.

The handset is said to feature looks similar to those of Xperia ZL, while packing a 5-inch full HD screen, along with a quad-core processor. If so, it should also feature all the capabilities announced for Xperia Z and Xperia ZL in January, while running under Android Jelly Bean.

Xperia SOL22 camera sample
Image credits to Picasa via rbmen

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Huawei Ascend Mate Priced in China at 2,688 Yuan

Chinese mobile phone maker Huawei has officially announced plans to make its Ascend Mate phablet available for purchase in the local market with a price tag of 2,688 Yuan attached to it ($430 / 335 Euro).

The smartphone is set to hit shelves in the country on March 26, the mobile phone maker said, adding that it would be released through Huawei's Vmall online store, Engadget reports. The Huawei Ascend Mate was made official at CES in January with a 6.1-inch touchscreen display, a 1.5GHz quad-core HiSilicon K3V2 processor, and 2GB of RAM.

Furthermore, the mobile phone sports 4GB of internal memory, a microSD memory card slot, and an 8-megapixel photo snapper on the back, while being powered by a large 4050 mAh battery. Huawei Ascend Mate runs under Google’s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system and will arrive on shelves in China with support for WCDMA 850/900/1700/1900/2100 frequencies.

Huawei Ascend Mate
Image credits to Huawei

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Windows Blue to Include a Server Version Too

A few months ago, when the first sign of Windows Blue emerged, we could hardly believe that Microsoft planned to release such a major upgrade to Windows 8 so soon, not to mention the goodies that are very likely to be included in the project.

According to previous reports, Windows Blue is expected to come with major improvements for Internet Explorer, SkyDrive, Windows Phone and other Windows-related products, but now it appears that a Server upgrade is also in the works. The same MSFTKitchen post we’ve told you about a few hours ago points to the online resume of a former Windows Server employee who confirms work on “design and user experience delivery of Windows Server and System Center Datacenter Management Portals for Windows Blue.”

Just like Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet notes, Windows Server Blue is likely to be focused a lot more on cloud services, especially because this seems to be the new direction of the Microsoft empire. As usual, no confirmation coming from Redmond, but if all rumors are true, a beta version of Blue should be here by June.

Windows Blue is expected to ship this summer
Image credits to tgbuzz.com

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Lenovo P780 Emerges with 5-Inch Screen, 4000 mAh Battery

Chinese mobile phone maker Lenovo is reportedly getting ready for the launch of a new Android-based smartphone, and it might pack it with a 5-inch screen, the latest reports on the matter suggest.

According to a recent post on Ameblo, the upcoming device will sport a quad-core MediaTek MT6589 processor inside, while being able to deliver a 720 x 1280 pixels resolution on that 5-inch screen. The specs list of this device is also said to include an 8-megapixel photo snapper, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal memory, and a huge battery with a capacity of 4000 mAh.

The smartphone is said to sport W-CDMA/GSM connectivity inside, to run under Google’s Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and to have been slated for launch in China in May, with a price tag of around 1,999 Yuan ($320 / €248) attached.

Lenovo logo
Image credits to Lenovo

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Meizu MX3 to Arrive with Exynos 8-Core CPU, 5.1-Inch Full HD Screen Resolution at 1920x1200

Xiaomi Mi3 is only one of the high-end Android-based mobile phones that should emerge in China this year, as Meizu is also said to be getting ready for one such device, called Meizu MX3.

The smartphone did leak online a few time before, and is now said to be en route to shelves with an 8-core processor packed inside, none other than the Samsung Exynos 5 Octa CPU that was announced to power Samsung Galaxy S4, just as UnwiredView notes. Furthermore, the phone is expected to arrive on the market with a 5.1-inch touchscreen capable of delivering a 1200 x 1920 pixel resolution.

The upcoming mobile phone is also said to sport a narrow bezel when released, as well as various services integrated right from the start. For the time being, however, nothing has been officially confirmed on the matter.

Meizu MX3 to sport an 8-core CPU
Image credits to MyDrivers via UnwiredView

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XIAOMI Mi3 Spotted in China with Snapdragon 800 CPU

Chinese mobile phone maker Xiaomi has been long rumored to be working on the launch of a new smartphone in its popular Mi Series, and some more info on the matter is now available.

The handset, supposedly called Mi3, has allegedly made a photo appearance online, and is expected to become available for purchase in the country sometime this fall. According to UnwiredView, the device will arrive on the market with a 5-inch 1080p display on the front, while being powered by a 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor.

The smartphone is also said to feature a 13-megapixel photo snapper on the back, capable of recording videos in full HD resolution. Xiaomi Mi3 also packs a 3000 mAh battery, while rumored to run under Google’s Android 5.0 operating system, with Xiaomi’s custom MIUI interface loaded on top.

Xiaomi Mi3
Image credits to it163 via UnwiredView

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Thuraya SatSleeve, Convert Your iPhone to Satelite Phone

UAE-based Thuraya Telecommunications Company has released a press statement confirming that its “satellite phone” converter for Apple’s iPhone is being launched today to the public.

The Thuraya SatSleeve is the first product of its kind. It offers access to mobile satellite communications to iPhone users, using the company’s own extensive satellite network. The cool image above may suggest the SatSleeve also works on Pandora, but knowing that you’ve got Earth coverage is probably good enough for now. After all, it does give a whole new meaning to the term "global phone."

The accessory is only slightly larger than the iPhone itself. According to its makers, “the compact adaptor provides users with the ability to turn their iPhone into a satellite phone that allows them to have reliable connectivity beyond the coverage of traditional terrestrial networks.” Thuraya is holding events in Washington DC and NYC this week (today is WA), and you’ll be able to pick one up relatively soon. Check out the fact sheet for a rundown of the specs. No word on the pricing just yet.

Thuraya SatSleeve promo
Image credits to Thuraya Telecommunications Company

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ASUS GeForce GTX 670 DirectCU Video Card

The thing about HTPCs is that, while they are squarish most of the time, they aren't usually short (as in not tall).

While there are some low profile HTPCs, that is more the area of set-top boxes and nettops, because HTPCs can benefit more from a full-size graphics card than a low profile build. That is why ASUS saw fit to release the short, mini-ITX-ready but full-height GeForce GTX 670 DirectCU Mini graphics adapter. It supposedly runs at 26 MHz better GPU frequency (so 915 + 26 makes 941 Base clock, and 980 + 26 leads to 1,006 MHz), while the memory is left at 6 GHz. This is what SweClockers reports anyway.

Dual DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort connectors are available, along with a single-fan cooler (aluminum base plate for VRM and memory, copper vapor chamber for GPU). Sales will start in April 2013, by which time the price will be out as well.

ASUS GeForce GTX 670 DirectCU Mini Video Card
Image credits to ASUS

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NVIDIA Tegra Roadmap (Updated): Logan in 2014, Parker in 2015

NVIDIA is holding its annual GPU Technology Conference (March 18-21), which means that long-awaited information on its future products is finally coming out.

The Tegra platform for tablets and super smartphones is, as always, one of the bigger subjects. As the slide above shows, the Tegra 4, with its computational camera and LTE support (and which is already out) will be followed by the Logan. After that, will come the Parker, which makes us wonder if “Strong” was just a fake rumor all along. Tegra 6 Parker will get a Denver CPU, a Maxwell GPU and FinFET transistors. It will debut in 2015, which means Logan (Kepler GPU, CUDA support, OpenGL 4.3) will have 2014 all to itself. 

Given the tendency of Tegra SoCs to get stronger with each generation, it is unlikely that they will be used in smartphones at all. Tegra 4i will need successors of its own.

NVIDIA has updated Tegra roadmap
Image credits to NVIDIA

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Android 4.2.1 Starts Arriving on yakjuxw Galaxy Nexus

Owners of a yakjuxw flavor of Galaxy Nexus should now be able to download and install the Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean operating system on their handsets, the latest reports on the matter suggest.

Sold and managed by Samsung themselves, the yakjuxw Galaxy Nexus usually receives new OS upgrades months after the takju and yakju models have been upgraded, and things have happened exactly the same this time as well. The update is said to be 95MB in size, and will arrive on all yakjuxw Galaxy Nexus devices currently running under Android 4.1.1, AndroidOS reports.

It will be pushed over the air, yet users can check on its availability by going to Settings > About Phone > System Updates > Check now. This Galaxy Nexus model still has to receive the Android 4.2.2 OS flavor, which is currently being pushed to Verizon’s flavor of the device.

Galaxy Nexus
Image credits to Google

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Samsung Galaxy S4 to Receive No Love from CyanogenMod Collaborators

Samsung Galaxy S4, the latest Android-based flagship smartphone from the South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung, will receive no love from the some CyanogenMod collaborators, and the same applies to other modders as well.

Team Hacksung, the handful of people behind official CyanogenMod ports for Samsung’s devices, has already confirmed that there are no plans to offer support for the new device. In fact, neither of the members of the team is looking to purchase the device or develop software for it, it seems, mainly due to the various bugs that it is expected to arrive with. “There are two variants which will be a pain to maintain, [and] the bugs we have on the S3 will probably be there on S4, too (camera), and we all know Samsung ability to release sources while staying in line with mainline,” the team notes in a post on XDA-Developers. “Yes Qualcomm releases sources, but Exynos sources we had were far from [working on] actual Galaxy products. I'm pretty sure the same will happen for this one.”

Apparently, other developers feel the same, and this post on Andrew Dodd’s Google+ account confirms that. Apparently, Samsung does not provide the needed source code to enable an easier development of custom ROMs for its devices, nor does it offer direct support to those who build such software. Other mobile phone makers, on the other hand, do offer this kind of support, making it easier for those who do this out of passion to continue doing it. Undoubtedly, the lack of interest from Team Hacksung in the new Galaxy smartphone won’t affect sales too much, since only a small number of users are actually interested in tweaking the phone, as Android Central notes.

Enthusiasts will certainly find other custom ROMs to modify the software on their handsets, yet it remains to be seen whether Samsung won’t decide to get involved a bit more in the modding process of its devices as well. Moreover, the CyanogenMod Team announced in a post on Google+ that the opinions of Team Hacksung do not reflect the position of CM towards the GALAXY S 4, especially since it hasn't been released commercially as of yet. They will announce plans to support the phone or not when it becomes available next month.

Samsung Galaxy S4
Image credits to Samsung

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Oppo Find 5 in Black Going on Sale in China on April 1

Oppo Find 5 is available for purchase in China for more than a month, but the smartphone was launched only in white color version.

However, beginning April 1, Android fans will have more color options to choose from when it comes to Oppo Find 5. According to GSMInsider, a black version of the smartphone is in the works and will go on sale in China starting April 1. No word on price yet, but is likely to be available for the same amount as the white version.

For those out of the loop, Oppo Find 5 has been priced at 2,998 Yuan ($481 / €358) for the 16GB model, whereas the 32GB version of the phone costs 3,298 Yuan ($530 / €394). Keep in mind that both white and black versions of Oppo Find 5 come with the same specs.

Black Oppo Find 5
Image credits to CNMO

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MSI Wind Box DC110, Runs on Just 40W

Nettops didn't start out as elegant, good-looking pieces of technology, but have they definitely evolved in that direction, as the newest model from Micro-Star International more than clearly shows.

Granted, it falls to each person to decide for themselves what they feel is aesthetically pleasing, but few can say that the look of the MSI Wind Box DC110 is as unappealing as, or uglier than, the dull, blocky critters that nettops started out as, years ago. The Wind Box DC110 looks like a smooth, white box on a foot, a stand really, shaped like a very thin shoe, of sorts. That smooth shell hides a very power-efficient system configuration, based on an Intel Celeron 847 central processing unit (1.1 GHz ULV). A low-power dual-core chip with integrated graphics, it is backed by 2 GB of DDR3-1333 memory, although it is possible to use 4 GB too. A hard disk drive with a rotary speed of 5,400 RPM (rotations per minute) is used, and provides 320 GB of storage space. In addition to those components, the mini PC somehow includes Wi-Fi, USB 2.0 ports on the front (two), a card reader (also on the front), audio jacks (headphones, mic), a VGA output (back), HDMI (back), LAN, line-out, S/PDIF, and two more USB ports.

Everything above fits inside a frame of 191.8 mm (W) x 150.93 mm (H) x 34.94 mm (D) / 7.55 x 5.94 x 1.37 inches. The total weight of the machine is 830 grams / 1.82 pounds. All in all, the specifications aren't bad for something capable of working on just 40W of electrical energy, less than half of a standard light bulb. Sales will start next week, for 279 Euro / $279-361. “The mini-PC is the space-saving solution for all computing tasks such as internet, email and office applications as well as TV, music, video and photo playback. The DC110 will be generally available in Europe before end of March,” the company says.

MSI Wind Box DC110
Images credits to MSI

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AMD Releases A8-Series 4557M and A10-Series 4657M APUs

Advanced Micro Devices has a certain list on its website, where it shows all the processors for notebooks in its portfolio.

That list has welcomed two accelerated processing units, one from the A8 line and one of the A10 series.  Neither is based on the Richland architecture, sadly, even though the chips were finally released last week.  They are still decent choices for laptops, with their TDPs (thermal design power) of 35W, 4 MB cache memory, and four cores (each).

The A8-4557M has 1.9 GHz / 2.8 GHz clock speed (base, Turbo Core) and integrated Radeon HD GPUs working at 497 MHz / 655 MHz (256 stream processors). The A10-4657M is also a quad core, but runs at 2.3 / 3.2 GHz, and has a 497 / 686 MHz GPU (384 cores).

AMD APU
Image credits to AMD

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New Samsung Galaxy S4 Benchmark Result Shows More Impressive Performance

Samsung’s new Galaxy S4 smartphone has already been benchmarked a few times before, mainly during the official launch event, and it seems that the device can indeed perform much better than the competition.

A new benchmark result for the device, this time coming from the cross-platform tool called Geekbench, shows that the phone can easily best other Android devices, and that it delivers about two times the performance of an iPhone 5.

The handset was tested with a 1.9 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor packed inside, and managed to leave all current flagship handsets behind by quite a good margin, a chart coming from primatelabs shows (the test on Galaxy S 4 was performed by Android Authority, the video above shows).  What remains to be seen, however, is how well the 8-core flavor of the device can fare in these benchmarks.

While BlackBerry is struggling, Samsung is enjoying a wave of success, so why not compare two of their new and upcoming devices?
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Video credits to AndroidAuthority

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This is What NVIDIA Doesn't Want You to Know: Turn GeForce Cards Into Quadro or Tesla

Depending on what kind of social circles you are part of, it can be a well-known or little-known fact that gaming and professional graphics cards use much of the same hardware.

NVIDIA did its best to make it impossible to “persuade” a system that a GeForce GTX card is actually a Quadro, or vice versa. The same with the more recent Tesla series. Nevertheless, where there is a will, there is a way, and EEVblog forum member “gnif” has the way. Long story short, by changing a pair of tiny components on the PCB (called SMDs), you can turn, say, a GeForce GTX 690 into a Quadro K5000.  This is convenient because the GTX 690 is almost $1,000 / 1,000 Euro cheaper than Quadro K5000, and yet Quadro K5000 has just one GPU and runs 25-30% slower than the gaming card. Which is somewhat ridiculous.

Quadro K5000 only has Mosaic support as an advantage: allows up to 3 screens in 2d to run well under OSes besides Windows (Linux is popular with businesses). Follow the link above to see how to transform a GTX 690 into a dual-GPU, stronger version of Quadro K5000.

Turn NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 to Quadro/Tesla
Images credits to gnif on EEVBlog Forums

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Second NVIDIA GK110 Graphics Card Planned for the Summer

NVIDIA's GeForce Titan will hold the position of flagship single-GPU video adapter for months and months, but very few people will afford to get it.

Because of that, NVIDIA is preparing a second adapter powered by the GK110 graphics processing unit, SweClockers reports. It will have 13 out of 15 streaming multiprocessors, meaning 2,496 CUDA cores enabled. It should also get 208 texture units, 5 GB GDDR5 VRAM, a 320-bit interface, and 40 ROPs. All in all, the board will be similar, to an extent, to the Quadro K6000 professional video adapter that came out this very month (March 2013).

We don't know what price the newcomer will sport, but we suspect it will be somewhere between the $450 / 450 Euro of GTX 680 and the $1,000 / 1,000 Euro of the GTX Titan.

NVIDIA GeForce GK110 video card
Image credits to SweClockers

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Samsung Galaxy S4 to Receive Samsung Orb Feature in Android 5.0

One of the features that was previously rumored to make it inside Samsung’s new Galaxy S4 smartphone but which was not made official when the device was announced last week was Samsung Orb, now expected to make it to the phone along with the Android 5.0 update. 

Although it was unveiled with a nice range of camera improvements, including the ability to shoot with both back and front cameras at the same time, or to record audio for a photo, Galaxy S4 is still set to receive more imaging capabilities soon, it seems. The aforementioned Samsung Orb is one of them, essential being the ability to shoot 360-degree panorama photos, just as Nexus devices can via Photosphere, SamMobile explains.

It is also said to sport Twitter, Facebook and Google+ integration, and to be still in development at the moment, but set to arrive on the new device sooner rather than later.

Samsung Galaxy S4
Image credits to Samsung

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Spotted on DLNA’s Website

One of the Android devices that South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics is expected to make official this year is the Galaxy Tab 3, which has already been spotted online a few times before.

This round, the device made it to DLNA’s website, where it was seen with three different model numbers attached to it, namely GT-P3200, GT-P3210, and GT-P3220, a post on Ameblo reads. Galaxy Tab 3 is expected to arrive on the market with a 7-inch touchscreen display capable of delivering a WXGA resolution, and with a 1.5 GHz processor packed inside.

Furthermore, it appears that Samsung is ready to launch the device with LTE / W-CDMA / GSM connectivity inside, and that it might also launch a Wi-Fi-only flavor, the same as it did with its predecessors. Hopefully, more will be officially unveiled on the device soon, so stay tuned.

Samsung logo
Image credits to Samsung

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Intel Core i7-4770K CPU (Haswell Core) Benchmarked

The Haswell series of central processing units from Intel will debut around the middle of the year, but reports and leaks have already revealed the lineup.

We have a whole timeline, of sorts, set up here, complete with every instance of specification revelations and benchmarks. Speaking of benchmarks, the folks at Tom's Hardware have a real treat for us today: a full comparison between the flagship Haswell consumer processor and the best Ivy Bridge and Sandy Bridge CPUs. That is to say a test pitting the Core i7-4770K versus Core i7-3770K and Core i7-2700K.

The test series includes SiSoft SANDRA, 3D Studio Max 2012, video transcoders, etc. Oddly enough, the Core i7-4770K is only slightly better than Core i7-3770K, and even loses in a few cases. We'll be waiting for a second opinion.

Intel Haswell versus predecessors
Images credits to Tom's Hardware

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