Xiaomi Preparing 7-Inch Tablet

Chinese mobile phone maker Xiaomi is reportedly getting ready for making a debut in the tablet market, and is already testing a device for that. The slate is said to sport a 7-inch touchscreen display, and might make an official appearance on August 16, alongside other new devices from Xiaomi. The first prototypes of the yet unannounced slate are currently undergoing testing at Foxconn, it seems, which raises questions regarding the emergence of a final flavor on the aforementioned date. According to GizChina, the upcoming device should run a version of MIUI, and might be priced at only 999 Yuan (around $162 / €125). August 16 might also bring to the spotlight a new flagship smartphone from the handset vendor, none other than the...

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Android 4.3 Comes with Always-On Wi-Fi, Updated Roboto Typeface

Android 4.3, the next flavor of Google’s mobile operating system, hasn’t been officially unveiled as of now, but more and more info on what it is bound to bring along is now available, courtesy of a leaked build that emerged earlier this week for the Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone. Among the changes included in the upcoming OS release, still part of the Jelly Bean branch, the guys over at Android Police discovered new Wi-Fi power settings. The most important change there would be the fact that applications will be allowed to search for a WiFi connection even if WiFi was turned off. "To improve location accuracy and for other purposes, Google and other apps may scan for nearby networks, even when Wi-Fi is off. If you don't want this...

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Sony Xperia i1 Honami Spotted in Leaked Official Press Shots

Sony Xperia i1 Honami, the long rumored flagship smartphone from the Japanese handset vendor Sony, has made another appearance online, this time in a set of leaked press photos, it seems. The photos, spotted over at the XDA-Developers, show the device with an aluminum frame wrapped around its body, as well as with a dedicated camera button, something that was spotted in previously leaked shots with the device as well. Furthermore, the mobile phone is said to pack a 20-megapixel photo snapper on the back, capable of recording 4k videos, something that no other handset available on the market at the moment can. For the time being, however, there’s no telling on whether the leaked shots are indeed real, so we’ll take them with a grain...

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Samsung Galaxy Note III to Sport an LCD Screen in Some Markets

Samsung Galaxy Note III, the long rumored large smartphone that South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung will make official in its popular Galaxy Note series later this summer, is now rumored to arrive on shelves in some markets with an IPS LCD screen.  According to a recent article on ETNews, Samsung is working on the release of two different flavors of the device, one with an AMOLED screen, and the other packing LCD, due to the high demand in OLED panels, which could lead to shortages. The news site also notes that Samsung might plan on purchasing the LCD screens from Japanese companies such as Sharp, yet nothing has been confirmed. As SammyHub notes, the Galaxy Note III might be launched with a 5.7-inch display and a Snapdragon...

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Source Code Available for HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition

Soon after the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One arrived in the Google Play Store with the stock Android platform loaded on top, the source code for them was also made available for download. However, although some might have expected for the kernel to arrive via Google, the code was actually published on the developer websites of HTC and Samsung, respectively. This clearly shows that the new devices, which are set to provide their users with a “Nexus experience,” are not seen as Nexus handsets on their own, despite the pure Android platform they run under. Furthermore, it seems that updates for both of them will arrive from their manufacturers, rather than from Google themselves, which further distinguishes them from the popular series...

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Android 4.3 Camera App Now Available for Download

One of the features that the newly launched Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Edition smartphones arrived on shelves with was a new interface for the camera application, and it seems that more users can now take advantage of it. The application was previously spotted on a Nexus 4 with Android 4.3 packed inside, and might be released to the world as part of that platform version, yet those who would like to grab it before that can already do so, unofficially. The software’s .APK file was made available for download through various sharing sites and, while it appears mostly safe to install, it might cause some issues on certain devices. According to Pocketnow, for example, it will replace the current camera app on Nexus handsets,...

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New Camera App Included in Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Edition

The newly released Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Edition smartphones will provide users with more than just the stock Android experience, despite featuring no custom software on top of the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean platform version. Apparently, both these devices sport a new Camera app interface, different from what Android 4.2.2-based Nexus phones can offer at the moment, but similar to what a previously leaked Android 4.3 video had to show. The new flavors of the Galaxy S4 and HTC One will offer five options to users when pressing and holding the screen in the camera app, displayed in a new curved line, a recent article on AnandTech explains. Also, the volume buttons can be used as shutter triggers, it seems. Through these...

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Motorola to Launch Droid RAZR Ultra, RAZR M Ultra on Verizon

Mobile phone maker Motorola might soon make official some new devices in its Android series, such as the Droid RAZR Ultra and RAZR M Ultra, rumored to become available for purchase in the United States on the network of Verizon Wireless. The two companies have launched some successful phones in the DROID lineup, including last year’s RAZR handsets, and it would not come as a surprise if new products were added to the series, that’s for sure.  Provided that the info that emerged courtesy of @evleaks pans out, it won't be too long before Motorola unveils some additional details on this. A certain DROID Ultra Maxx phone will be launched as well, Droid-life claims. No confirmation on this has surfaced, but the new “Ultra” family...

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Download Windows 8.1 Preview

Software maker Microsoft has just published the official download link for Windows 8.1 Preview, so users who wish to set up a dual-boot configuration are recommended to get these ISOs. As you probably know, Windows 8.1 Preview is offered as a free update to Windows 8 users, to the main package is available via the Windows Store. And still, because it’s only a preview, the company is also offering the update as a stand-alone ISO, which should come in very handy in case you wish to deploy the operating system on a different partition and use it on a dual-boot configuration. Of course, most users are recommended to get Windows 8.1 Preview via the Windows Store, as this is the safest, fastest, and easiest way to deploy the update on...

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Full Specs of Huawei Ascend W2 Emerge

One of the Windows Phone 8-based devices that should arrive on the market before the end of this year is the Huawei Ascend W2, which has yet to be officially announced, but has already made an appearance at the GSMA 2013 Mobile Asia Expo. The handset was spotted there en route to China Mobile’s network, and all of its hardware specifications were unveiled, showing a mid-range device rather than a new flagship. Packing a 4.3-inch WVGA touchscreen and a 1.4GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, the handset also sports an Adeno 305 GPU, as well as 512MB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory, while being 9.9mm thick. According to WMPoweruser, Huawei might have decided to lower the specs of the device a bit, so as to bring it in...

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Imagination Technologies Next-Gen MIPS “Warrior” CPU

Today, Imagination Technologies (IMG.L) announced new processors in its MIPS portfolio, set to arrive later this year based on low-power RISC architecture and capable of delivering increased performance capabilities. Built following the acquisition of CPU designer MIPS, the new chips should arrive on shelves with support for Gogole’s Android operating system, with the codename of “Warrior” attached. Released in 32-bit and 64-bit versions, the upcoming cores should offer best-in-class performance and efficiency, the company claims, adding that they are poised to change the CPU landscape. Some of the features that these cores will offer include Hardware virtualization, multi-threading, Imagination's security framework for applications,...

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Sony Xperia SP (M35t) for China Mobile’s TD-LTE Network

In addition to the highly-expected Xperia Z Ultra, Japanese mobile phone maker Sony Mobile announced today a new device running under Google’s Android operating system, nothing more than a new, special flavor of the Xperia SP (M35t) handset. Designed for the Chinese market, the new smartphone flavor will land on shelves with support for China Mobile’s TD-LTE network, so as to provide its customers with fast data transfer speeds while on the go.  The handset keeps the rest of the hardware specifications unchanged from the original model, including the 4.6-inch 720p touchscreen display that packs supersensitive capabilities, as Engadget reports. The phone also comes with NFC connectivity inside, as well as with the popular illuminating...

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Sony Xperia Z Ultra Full Specs and Photo Gallery

Earlier today, Japanese mobile phone maker Sony Mobile made official its first smartphone to feature a touchscreen display larger than that of Xperia Z, its latest flagship handset, namely the Xperia Z Ultra. The new mobile phone was made official with a large 6.44-inch touchscreen display, capable of delivering a full HD resolution, as well as with a 2.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 processor inside. The new mobile phone is also equipped with 2GB of RAM, 6GB of internal memory and a microSD memory card slot with support for up to 64GB of additional storage space. At the same time, Sony packed the new Xperia Z Ultra with an 8-megapixel photo snapper on the back, with support for full HD video recording capabilities, as well...

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CyanogenMod 10.1 Arrives in Final Flavor

Starting today, owners of Android-based devices interested in installing unofficial builds can grab the final flavor of the CyanogenMod 10.1 custom software. The CM10.1 ROMs have been available for download for quite some time now, though in pre-release flavors, with the final version pushed out after a few Release Candidate iterations landed not long ago. “The files will be landing on our servers as they complete the build process,” the CyanogenMod team explains in a post on their website. “The list of devices will be in line with the devices that have received release candidates to-date. At this time, we do not plan on incorporating devices that did not receive a RC into this release,” the team continues. It’s also worth mentioning...

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Sony to Launch Snapdragon 800-Powered Xperia Z Model

Japanese mobile phone maker Sony Mobile is reportedly getting ready for the launch of a new flavor of its latest flagship Android-based smartphone, the Xperia Z, namely one that would feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor inside. No official info on the matter has been provided as of now, but Mobile-Review’s Eldar Murtazin said on Twitter that the device is real, and that he has already had the chance to take it for a spin. He also claims that the device is very fast, and that the prototype he played with packed a screen similar to the Super LCD 3 on HTC One. Specific details on when the new Xperia Z flavor might arrive on shelves haven’t been provided as of now, though chances are that we’ll see it launched before the end...

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Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue Tablet

Today, Chinese mobile phone maker Huawei made official a new Android-based tablet PC, namely the MediaPad 7 Vogue. The new device had been tipped a few times before, but nothing has been officially confirmed on it until today, when the phone maker announced it as available in China later this month in black and white flavors.  Packing a 7-inch touchscreen display and an aluminum unibody design, the tablet PC is expected to arrive on shelves in other markets around the world as well, Huawei announced. MediaPad 7 Vogue also hits the market with a quad-core processor packed inside, while being capable of providing users with voice calling capabilities. "Building on the popularity of the HUAWEI MediaPad series, we’ve created a new...

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Sony Xperia Z Ultra New Photo Emerges

Tomorrow should prove a great day for Xperia enthusiasts out there, as the Japanese handset vendor is expected to announce at least two new mobile phones, one of which is said to be the 6.4-inch Xperia Z Ultra phablet. The device has made it to the headlines quite a few times before, although it hasn’t been officially confirmed as of now, and can be seen in a new allegedly leaked photo, available courtesy of ePrice. Just as previously rumored, the upcoming smartphone will pack support for a stylus, and the newly leaked photo appears to confirm that. Furthermore, as XperiaBlog notes, the photo shows the white flavor of the device, which means that there will be at least two color options available for users when it lands on shelves....

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Windows 8.1 Preview Metro File Manager Details Leaked

Microsoft will finally introduce a Metro file manager in Windows 8.1 Preview that will allow users to control not only locally-stored data, but also files saved in the cloud. New details reveal that the SkyDrive app won’t automatically sync all SkyDrive files to the PC, but instead download what are being called placeholders to let you quickly access them. “These small files look like the full file and have thumbnails and metadata, but they take a tiny fraction of the disk pace of the full file,” Microsoft explains in the leaked info. Once you try to open a placeholder, the application automatically downloads the full file in the background, thus saving space on the disk. In addition, new options will mark the file as available...

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Motorola Moto X Accessories Emerge Online

Mobile phone maker Motorola has already confirmed plans to bring to the market a so-called Moto X smartphone before the end of this year, and accessories for the device have already started to emerge online, it seems. To be more precise, Skinomi has listed online a TechSkin Motorola Moto X Skin Protector, which can be seen on this page with a price tag of $19.95 (€15.23) attached to it. “The Motorola Moto X Skin Protector is the clear choice for maximum scratch protection. The Motorola Moto X Skin Protector goes beyond your traditional Motorola Moto X screen protectors, skins, covers, and cases,” the company says. As PhoneArena notes, the handset should become official as soon as the next month, with Google’s Android 4.2.2 Jelly...

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HP Makes the Android-Based Slate 21 AIO Official

Today, computer maker Hewlett-Packard made official a new Android-based device, namely the HP Slate 21 all-in-one (AIO), which packs a large 21.5-inch touchscreen display. Designed as a desktop computer, the HP Slate 21 packs a kickstand on the back, while being powered by an Nvidia Tegra 4 processor, thus capable of offering an appealing experience, at least when compared to devices powered by the Tegra 3 chip. Apparently, the main purpose of the new AIO was that of a home entertainment product. The device was made official at the HP World Tour event in Beijing, but no specific info on its availability worldwide has been provided as of now. HP will deliver such details on a market-by-market basis, CNet reports. Specifics on its...

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Nokia to Unveil a New Smartphone on September 19

Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia is set to make official some new devices later this year, and it appears that it has already started teasing forthcoming announcements. The company has posted a new photo on its Facebook page, featuring a smartphone that supposedly hints at an event set to take place in Stockholm on September 19, at noon. The photo doesn’t hint at anything more, but its caption could, as it states “What have you planned for this Sunday? Schedule some time for being awesome.” According to a recent post on Nokiapoweruser, the handset vendor might be set to make official its first Windows Phone 8 smartphone with a screen larger than 5 inches, just as some of the previous rumors suggested. The company is expected to...

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Windows 8.1 Preview System Requirements Leaked

Windows 8.1 Preview will officially debut on June 26, so more details are now reaching the web on what's being called the first major overhaul for Windows 8. A new collection of screenshots the reached the web a few hours ago reveal the new system requirements for Windows 8.1 Preview, an update that “works great on the same hardware that powers Windows 8,” as Microsoft explains. Windows RT 8.1 Preview requires a Windows RT-capable device that's already running the tablet-oriented operating system and has at least 10 GB of free storage space. As far as the desktop versions of Windows 8.1 Preview are concerned, here are the official system requirements: Processor: 1 GHz or faster RAM: 1 GB for the 32-bit version or 2 GB for the...

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Nokia Store to Shut Down in 2016

Owners of Symbian-based devices might have no official app store to head to when it comes to downloading applications starting with 2016, new reports on the matter suggest. Apparently, Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia is set to shut down the Nokia Store portal for Symbian and MeeGo smartphones in about three years, at least this is what people in the know said, according to a post on thisisnokia. The info comes only weeks after Nokia was rumored to plan on halting sales of Symbian devices, and suggests that the platform is finally headed to the graveyard, although nothing has been officially confirmed on the matter for the time being. Applications that have been already downloaded and installed on smartphones will continue to work...

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The Official Windows 8.1 Preview Betta Fish Leaked

As you most likely know if you're a Microsoft fanboy, the software maker places what it's being called a betta fish in every single testing version of its next operating system, usually as a desktop background or boot screen. Since the debut of Windows 8.1 Preview is just around the corner, the company has reportedly created a brand new and more colorful betta fish to be used in the first major Windows 8 overhaul. The photo published by Win8China indicates that Microsoft might use the Siamese fighting fish on the boot screen this time, so we're yet to discover the official desktop background. Windows 8.1 Preview will go live on June 26 during the BUILD developer conference, so expect more details to be provided in just a few days...

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Xperia Z Ultra Screenshots, Shows Redesigned UI

Xperia Z Ultra, also spotted online under the name of Xperia ZU, is expected to land on shelves as Sony Mobile’s first smartphone to pack a screen larger than 6 inches, and it seems that it might also bring along a redesigned UI. Following a series of leaked screenshots from the Android device, new such photos are available for your viewing pleasure, courtesy of XDA-Developers, offering a glimpse at a reorganized homescreen, with a larger number of icons visible there at the same time. Overall, the handset appears set to deliver a clearer UI, with an increased number of rows and columns for displaying icons, at least when compared to other smartphones. Provided that it will arrive on shelves with a 6.4-inch display, Xperia ZU will...

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iPhone 5S Model Schematics Spotted Alongside “Light” iPhone Flavor

Apple is reportedly getting closer and closer to the launch of two new iPhone models, one of which should become the company’s next flagship handset, namely the iPhone 5S, accompanied by a cheaper, “Light” model. Although none of the two has been officially confirmed, we can now make an idea of what they might look like, courtesy of schematics that emerged over at case makers. Just as previous reports suggested, iPhone 5S should pack the same design as its predecessor, with the LED flash next to the back camera shaped as a pill, most probably courtesy of dual flash for increased brightness. The iPhone Light model, on the other hand, will be thicker, taller, and wider than iPhone 5S, with an iSight camera, single LED flash, the...

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Eurocom X5, an Overpowered Laptop with nVidia GeForce GTX 780M

We're usually wary of dubbing a product “the best” in a category, and when we do, we're usually just relaying the claims that their designers make, but Eurocom's X5 may just deserve being called the best gaming notebook. After all, it would be hard to argue that Intel's top-of-the-line mobile Haswell CPU and NVIDIA's highest-end discrete GPU aren't a winning combination. That's right, Eurocom's X5 combines the might of a quad-core / 8-thread Intel Core i7-4930MX (3 GHz, 8 MB L3 cache), or that of a Core i7-4900MQ, Core i7-4800MQ or Core i7-4700MQ, with NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 780M video board. That there is enough space and power for 32 GB of DDR3-1600 RAM (random access memory) definitely doesn't do any harm.  In fact, Eurocom's...

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Use Port Forwarding in Chrome to Push Localhost Pages to a Mobile Device

Google is sharing an interesting way of using port forwarding in Chrome. Port forwarding is an experimental feature useful when doing remote debugging on a mobile device, for example. With remote debugging, developers can see how a page looks on the mobile device, but use the desktop Chrome tools to debug it. A problem is trying to do the same with a local file on your computer. In the early stages of development at least, it's much easier to simply load a file you're working on locally in Chrome rather than put it on a web server. Even using a local web server is easier and faster. Being able to push that file to a mobile device while continuing to work on it locally is quite useful. Developer Umar Hansa has figured out a way of...

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Sony C6903 Certified in Indonesia, Might Arrive as Xperia ZU

It appears that Sony is about to launch another high-tier Android smartphone in the coming week, the Xperia ZU, also known as Xperia Z Ultra (Togari). XperiaBlog reports the smartphone has been recently spotted at the Indonesian Postel website under the codename C6903. Unfortunately, we can’t tell for sure that Sony C6903 is the rumored Xperia ZU, as the Japanese company has yet to reveal any official details on the upcoming device. According to the latest hearsay, Sony Xperia ZU should arrive with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean operating system out of the box and a huge 6.4-inch capacitive touchscreen display. In addition, the smartphone is expected to feature 2GB of RAM, as well as an enhanced 8-megapixel photo snapper on the back....

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Nokia Announcement Hints at 41-Megapixel Smartphone Reveal on July 11

Rumors has it Nokia plans to launch its next Windows Phone flagship smartphone on July 11 in New York, United States. The Finnish company has already invited local media to join the launch event, but no additional details on what could be revealed next month have been disclosed yet. However, the latest blog posted on the Nokia Conversations site hints to a possible reveal of a smartphone that boasts an impressive 41-megapixel camera. According to this post, Conversations readers have “41 million reasons” they should be interested in the July 11 event. Apparently, Nokia plans to stream the even live on Lumia devices, as well as on PC, and watchers will be able to join in live conversations. The company invites fans to fill out the...

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Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition Shows Up on eBay, Priced at $850/€635

Samsung announced the Galaxy S4 Google Edition will be released on the market on June 28, but it appears the phone is now available for purchase on eBay. As Phonearena points out, the factory unlocked Samsung Galaxy S4 16GB Google Edition can now be pre-ordered via eBay for no less than $850/€635 outright. Check it out here. According to the seller, shipping is guaranteed on June 28, the same date Samsung confirmed will make the Galaxy S4 Google Edition available on the market. It is also worth mentioning that buyers will have to pay a $60 USPS Express Mail International Flat Rate Envelope to receive the smartphone anywhere on the globe. The unlocked version of Samsung Galaxy S4 Google edition features penta-band 4G LTE support,...

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Download the Life in Lavender theme for Windows

Microsoft has recently released yet another theme for Windows users who wish to customize their desktop backgrounds with some colorful wallpapers. The so-called Life in Lavender theme comes with 20 different wallpapers and can be installed on Windows 8, Windows 7, and Windows RT tablets, such as Microsoft’s own Surface RT. “Take a world tour, from Antarctica to the Sahara Desert and beyond, with color as your guide. The stunning images in this free Windows theme are united by shades of violet and lavender, appearing as lilacs and crocuses, river mist, or the glow of sunset,” Microsoft explained in the official description of the app. Just like all the other themes, all wallpapers are included in a single .themepack file that takes...

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