Waterproof LG Optimus GJ Arriving in Taiwan on May 22

Following Samsung’s business model, LG plans to launch a rugged version of its flagship smartphone. It appears that LG Optimus G will soon have a twin brother that won’t have any troubles functioning under water.

UnwiredView reports that a certain LG Optimus GJ will be introduced in Taiwan next week. Local media has already received invitations for a launch event, which is set for May 22. LG Optimus GJ is the rugged version of Optimus G and it’s said to be waterproof (IPX7 certified). The rest of the phone’s specs will be similar to the standard model, though we will know for certain when the device goes official.

For the time being, there’s no telling whether or not LG plans to introduce the Optimus GJ in other countries as well, but stay tuned for more info on this one.

LG Optimus G
Image credits to UnwiredView

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Samsung Galaxy Grand Quattro Goes on Sale in India for $310/€240

Android enthusiasts in India rejoice, as Samsung has just introduced the Galaxy Win in the country, but this one comes with dual-SIM capability.

Samsung Galaxy Win has been recently launched in Europe, but it does not feature dual-SIM. However, Indian customers have been offered the opportunity to grab this smartphone for not so high a price.  According to fonearena, the Galaxy Win is now available for purchase in Black Mist and Frost White for only Rs 16,900 outright, which is about $310 or €240. Check it out here. Keep in mind though that the dual-SIM version of Galaxy Win has been renamed for marketing purposes and is selling in India as Samsung Galaxy Grand Quattro. As the name suggests, the smartphone comes equipped with a 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor, which is complemented by 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory. Users will be able to further expand storage up to 32GB via microSD memory card. Another selling point of the phone is the large 4.7-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports 480 x 800 pixels resolution.

According to Samsung, the Galaxy Grand Quattro ships with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system out of the box, but it won’t come as a surprise if the company offers an Android 4.2 upgrade in the not so distant future. On the back, the smartphone packs a 5-megapixel photo snapper with LED flash, autofocus and HD (720p) video recording. There’s also a secondary VGA front-facing camera for video calls. Other highlights of the Galaxy Grand Quattro include: HSDPA (7.2Mbps) and HSUPA (5.76Mbps) support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, as well as GPS with A-GPS support and 2000 mAh battery that has yet to be rated by the manufacturer. For the time being, the device is only available for purchase via Samsung India online store, but we suspect that other major retailers across the country will offer the Galaxy Grand Quattro soon.

Samsung Galaxy Grand Quattro
Image credits to Samsung India

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ZTE Grand X2 In (Intel-Based) Official with Jelly Bean and 4.5-Inch Display

Chinese handset maker ZTE has just announced the upcoming availability of the Intel-powered Grand X2 In Android smartphone.

According to ZTE, the recently introduced device will be available for purchase in Europe beginning Q3 2013. No word on pricing options yet, but stay tuned for more info on this one. “We are proud to announce the ZTE Grand X2 In smartphone pursuing our multi-year strategic collaboration with Intel. The ZTE Grand X2 In is set to build on the success of the ZTE Grand X In, our first flagship smartphone in Europe to feature Intel Inside, and further increase ZTE’s growth in the high-performance smartphone market segment,” said William Chhao, terminal director at ZTE France. ZTE Grand X2 In features an Intel Atom Z2580 chipset that accommodates a 2GHz single-core processor and 1GB of RAM. The smartphone also packs 8GB of internal memory, which can be further expanded up to 32GB via microSD memory card.

Even though ZTE has confirmed that the Grand X2 In will ship with Jelly Bean operating system onboard, it has yet to state what version it will run out of the box. It is also worth mentioning that ZTE’s mid-range Android smartphone boasts an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash, autofocus and video recording. A secondary 1-megapixel front-facing camera for video calls will be available as well. The Grand X2 In sports a large 4.5 inch HD (1280 x 720 pixels) capacitive touchscreen display optimized by ZTE’s My-Pop function for easy-to-use one-handed operation and IPS technology that prevents screen picture distortion. “We are excited to extend our collaboration with ZTE on their latest innovative platform, the new Grand X2 In. Our teams have worked together to harness the power of the Intel Atom processor Z2580 to create a high performance smartphone with market-leading features and long battery life,” said Helmut Vogler, vice president and general manager of mobile and wireless sales at Intel.

ZTE Grand X2 In
Image credits to ZTE

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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Benchmark Result is 20% Better than GTX 680

This is yet another instance of the newest high-end NVIDIA graphics card making the news. Not that I can blame it after this.

And by “this” I don't mean the teaser trailer for EVGA's custom-made GeForce GTX 700 series cooler, though that one was a nice find too. After all, it means that the GTX 780 will be the first GK110-based card that NVIDIA's partners will be allowed to customize from the get-go. Instead, I am talking about the first benchmarks published of the GeForce GTX 780 video adapter. They were posted on the Chiphell forums and clearly show the GeForce GTX 780 overpowering the GeForce GTX 680 by 20%.

For those who want a short lowdown of the specs, the GeForce GTX 780 has a GK110-300-A2 GPU with 2,304 CUDA cores and 320/384-bit memory interface. 3 GB of GDDR5 back it up. The GPU clock is of 837 / 876 MHz, while the VRAm works at 6 GHz. Sales will start on May 23 for $500 / €500.

NVIDIA GTX 780 performance
Image credits to ChipHell

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Sprint ZTE Quantum Coming with 1.5 GHz Dual-Core CPU and 5-Inch HD Display

It appears that Sprint and ZTE have teamed up once again to offer Android fans another high-end smartphone, the Quantum.

According to AndroidPolice, Sprint is currently testing the ZTE Quantum and is expected to announce the smartphone in the coming weeks. ZTE Quantum is a mid- to high-end smartphone powered by Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean operating system. The device is said to come equipped with a dual-core Qualcomm MSM896 Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.5 GHz. Other hardware specs leaked online suggest that ZTE Quantum packs 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal memory, which can be further expanded up to 32GB via microSD memory card. On the back, the smartphone sports an impressive 13-megapixel photo snapper with LED flash, autofocus and full HD (1080p) video recording. There’s also a secondary 1-megapixel camera in the front for video calls. Aside from the dual-core processor that is complemented by an Adreno 225 graphics processing unit, ZTE Quantum is also said to boast a large 5-inch HD capacitive touchscreen display that supports 720 x 1280 pixels resolution.

When it comes to connectivity, ZTE Quantum is an all-rounder. The smartphone is fully compatible with Sprint’s 4G LTE network and offers NFC (Near Field Communication) and dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity.  It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but ZTE Quantum could be a global phone. It is common knowledge that Sprint usually releases LTE handsets with embedded SIMs, but this one has its own SIM slot. ZTE Quantum has leaked recently as N8910, but no additional details on its availability were known until today. The N8910 has received its Wi-Fi and DLNA certifications recently, so there’s no doubt the device is real.

Unfortunately, there is no info on when exactly the smartphone will arrive at Sprint or for what price it will go on sale. Stay tuned for more updates on the matter.

ZTE Quantum for Sprint
Image credits to AndroidPolice

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Eurocom Panther Now Use AMD Radeon HD 8970M

Eurocom's Panther notebook has such powerful hardware that the company went as far as to say that it was the most powerful laptop in the world.

I'll leave it to it and its various challengers to decide if that's really true, through whatever means they choose. Provided they bother staging a competition. Right now, it's more important to note the new upgrade that Eurocom made to the laptop: the discrete graphics card has been switched for the new AMD Radeon HD 8970M, the GPU that was unleashed just days ago. It's not all that clear how much more expensive the Panther will be getting after this.

Then again, when the starting price is of $3,120 / €2,692, buyers aren't likely to flinch at some extra cost anyway. “The EUROCOM Panther was already the most powerful laptop in the world and is now even more powerful with the introduction of dual AMD Radeon HD 8970M graphics processors to accompany the Intel Core i7-3970X processor, 32 GB of available memory and up to 4 storage drives,” said Mark Bialic, Eurocom president.

Eurocom Panther 4.0
Image credits to Eurocom

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