Windows Blue to Bring Major Updates for IE and Other Products

Microsoft is rumored to work on Windows Blue, the first major upgrade for Windows 8 that’s expected to hit the shelves sometimes this year, but the company is yet to publicly confirm this.

According to Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet, Windows Blue is going to be used by Microsoft as the foundation of a larger update campaign for its products, including Internet Explorer, Hotmail, SkyDrive, Windows Phone and Windows Server. In addition, some new sources have confirmed that Windows Blue won’t be delivered as a stand-alone operating system, but only as an update for the existing Windows 8.

Last but not least, it seems that Microsoft is planning to sell the upcoming Windows Blue through the integrated Windows Store which pretty much makes sense given the fact that the company is struggling to reduce piracy of its operating system. If all rumors prove to be true, the new Windows Blue should be here by the summer and it could be offered either for free or with a very small price tag.

Windows Blue may be released this summer
Image credits to maspormas.com

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HTC 603e Spotted in China with Jelly Bean and Dual-Core CPU

With a bit more than a month until HTC is expected to unveil its next Android flagship smartphone, the M7, another unannounced handset is about to make its debut on the market.

Dubbed HTC 603e, the smartphone was recently spotted at TENAA, the Chinese regulatory communication commission, by the folks over at Ameblo. According to Engadget, the smartphone will ship with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system out of the box and will pack a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor.

HTC 603e is said to sport a decent 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports 480 x 800 pixels resolution, 1GB of RAM and a 5-megapixel rear photo snapper with autofocus, LED flash and HD (720p) video recording. No word on the amount of storage yet, but it has been confirmed that smartphone will come equipped with microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 32GB).

HTC 603e
Image credits to Ambelo.jp

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Samsung to Include Support for Touchless Gestures in Galaxy S IV

One of the new features that Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S IV smartphone is currently rumored to pack when brought to the market is support for gestures that do not require touching the phone’s screen.

Apparently, the technology would be similar to the one packed by Sony inside its Xperia sola smartphone.  According to DDaily, Samsung will be using Atmel's newest maXTouch S controllers to power it up, thus making the upcoming Galaxy S IV smartphone even more appealing than before.

For the time being, however, no official confirmation on the possible inclusion of the feature inside the upcoming handset has been provided, and it remains to be seen whether Samsung indeed has plans for it.  As techkiddy notes, Samsung’s solution for this functionality would be power-efficient, unlike the technology that other devices packed before (such as Pantech Vega).

Galaxy S IV to Sport “Touchless” Gesture Support
Image credits to CNet

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Russia Might be Choosen by Samsung to Unveil Galaxy S IV

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung might be set to make the long rumored Galaxy S IV flagship smartphone official in Russia this year, the latest reports on the matter suggest.

Apparently, the company is a sponsor of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games held in Russia next year, and it might be planning on launching the new device in the country due to that. Last year, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S III smartphone in London, where the 2013 Olympics took place soon after, and it could make a similar move for Russia as well.

According to SamMobile, the device might be made official in Moscow on March 15, while set to land on shelves starting with April. Samsung hasn’t provided official confirmation on the smartphone as of yet, but it is rumored to start mass production of displays for it this month.

Samsung logo
Image credits to Samsung

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Nokia Lumia 1000 Emerges on Chinese Website

Lumia 720 and Lumia 520 appear to be only two of the devices that might become official from Nokia in the near future, as a certain Lumia 1000 was also spotted online.

The handset has emerged on a registration page on the website of wireless carrier China Mobile, and it might prove to be one of the devices that Nokia has in store for us for the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this month, WMPoweruser notes. Based on the company’s current naming scheme, we could expect Lumia 1000 to be a high-end Windows Phone 8 device, although there’s no official confirmation on its existence as of now.

As mobilegeeks.de suggests, there’s also a chance that the new phone will prove to be the previously rumored 41-megapixel PureView Lumia device from Nokia. However, we should wait for the official announcement to learn more on the matter.

Nokia Lumia 1000
Image credits to China Mobile via MobileGeeks.de

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Nokia Lumia 720 and Lumia 520 to Arrive in Q2-Q3 2013

Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia is reportedly gearing up for the launch of new handsets in the increasingly popular Lumia lineup, including the Lumia 720 and Lumia 520 handsets.

Nothing has been officially confirmed on the matter for the time being, but both devices have emerged over at Directorate Post & Telecommunication Indonesia. According to a recent post on Nokianesia, both the Nokia Lumia 720 (RM-885) and Nokia Lumia 520 (RM-914) could make an official appearance at the 2013 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona later this month, while set to land on shelves in Q2 or Q3 this year. While the aforementioned listing did not offer info on the two devices, the guys over at thisisnokia did manage to score some details on what they might include in terms of hardware. Lumia 720 is said to arrive on shelves with 1/1.2 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 CPU with Adreno 225 / 305 GPU, as well as up to 1GB of RAM.

The smartphone is also said to feature a 3.8/4-inch screen capable of a 480 x 800 pixels resolution, along with a 1,400-1,500 mAh battery, NFC, front camera, 4G LTE, and Windows Phone 8 on top. As for the Lumia 520, the device is expected to sport a 4-inch screen as well, a similar processor and GPU inside, 5MP camera on the back, and 4GB or 8GB of internal memory. Also running under Windows Phone 8, the smartphone might hit shelves with a 1300 mAh battery inside, while being thinner and more durable than Lumia 510.

Lumia 720 is currently rumored to arrive on shelves priced between $299 and $349, while the Lumia 520 might cost only $199, being targeted at the entry level of the market. For the time being, of course, nothing has been officially confirmed on the two devices, though more might become official in the near future, so stay tuned.

Nokia to launch Lumia 720 and Lumia 520 soon
Image credits to Nokianesia

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LG Optimus G Pro Full Specs: 5.5-Inch Full HD Display, 1.7GHz Quad-Core CPU

South Korean handset maker LG already confirmed plans to unveil a new Android flagship smartphone at Mobile World Congress 2013, later this month.

In addition, the company teased a new F-Series family of smartphones, which is likely to be introduced a few days ahead of the trade fair. In any case, all these unannounced devices will surely be the main stars of LG’s booth from MWC 2013. Dubbed LG Optimus G Pro, the superphone has been teased a few times by the handset manufacturer, though details on its specs sheet were a bit scarce until today. The folks over at PhoneArena have been recently tipped on the Optimus G Pro full hardware and software configuration. They even got a live picture of the smartphone, so we now know what to expect. The main selling point of the LG Optimus G Pro is the stunning 5.5-inch full HD AH-IPS capacitive touchscreen display that supports 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution. Unfortunately, we’re still not sure if this one will come with Corning Gorilla Glass coating or any other kind of display protection.

Furthermore, the smartphone will be equipped with a powerful 1.7 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal memory and microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 64GB). On the back, LG Optimus G Pro boasts an impressive 13-megapixel camera with autofocus, LED flash and full HD (1080p) video recording, while in the front there’s a secondary 2.1-megapixel camera for video calls. Other highlights of the superphone include: Bluetooth 4.0 with HS, dual band Wi-Fi, LTE and NFC (Near Field Communication) support, 3,140 mAh Li-Ion battery and a slim port for HDMI & RGB. Software-wise, LG Optimus G Pro will ship with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system out of the box, but is likely to receive an Android 4.2 update soon after launch.

LG Optimus G Pro specs sheet
Image credits to Phone Arena

LG Optimus G Pro
Image credits to Phone Arena

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