Sharp Aquos Xx and Aquous Xx mini Coming to SoftBank

Android fans in Japan will be happy to know that major carrier SoftBank will launch two high-end smartphones soon, the Sharp Aquos Xx and Aquos Xx mini.

GSMArena reports that both high-end smartphones offer LTE support and come in various flavors. For example, the Aquos Xx will be available in Japan in blue, white, black and pink flavors, whereas the mini version will be released in turquoise, black, white, red, blue, gold, light pink and vivid pink. Hardware-wise, the smartphones will be equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors, Adreno 330 GPUs, 2GB of RAM and NFC (Near Field Communications) connectivity.

The Aquos Xx boasts a larger 5.2-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution, while the mini version features a “smaller” 4.5-inch display. It is also worth mentioning that the former packs a 16.3-megapixel rear camera and a high-capacity 2600 mAh Li-Ion battery, whereas the latter sports a 13.1-megapixel photo snapper and a 2120 mAh Li-Ion battery. Japanese customers will be able to buy the Sharp Aquos Xx via SoftBank from December and the Aquos Xx mini from February.

Sharp Aquos Xx mini
Image credits to Softbank

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BlackBerry Details New Cloud Service for Android, iOS, and BlackBerry Devices

Canadian mobile phone maker BlackBerry has officially announced the upcoming availability of a new cloud service aimed at offering easy management of Android, iOS, and BlackBerry devices.

This is, of course, a service designed for enterprise customers, destined to offer a simple, low-cost cloud-based solution for managing numerous devices. However, a recent post on Inside BlackBerry explains that the new product will be designed to meet both business and end user needs, and that it will not require IT experience, servers, or software. “Your employees will get the work information that they need to be more productive and efficient, without an impact on personal use and privacy. Confidently tackle BYOD, manage apps, get friendly technical support, and a whole lot more,” said blog post explains. Furthermore, the company explains that the new service will be extremely cheap, priced less than “a cup of coffee a month.”

It will offer simple and fast deployment options to customers, as they will simply need to register and will be good to go, while also enabling administrators to easily manage and secure both smartphones and tablet PCs. “The simple Web-based admin console will provide easy activation and deployment of BlackBerry, iOS and Android smartphones, app management, security policy configuration and compliance monitoring,” BlackBerry explains. At the same time, the service will enable admins to secure, deploy, and manage applications, allowing them to build a catalog of public apps from the App Store, Google Play, and the BlackBerry World storefront.

On top of that, the service will allow end users to manage their own devices, courtesy of a self-service console. “End-users will be able to easily perform common management tasks such as setting up or changing device passwords and remote wipe and lock without relying on an administrator, giving them independence and saving on helpdesk calls,” the company explains. Those who would like to learn more on the new offer should head over to this page on BlackBerry’s website. They can also register for updates on the product there.

BlackBerry details new cloud service for Android, iOS, and BlackBerry
Image credits to BlackBerry

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Samsung Galaxy Round Curved Smartphone Press Render Leaks

We reported earlier today a certain Samsung SM-G910S, also known as Galaxy Round, received certification in South Korea and now the first press image of the smartphone popped up online.

An alleged press render showing the SK Telecom version of Samsung Galaxy Round has just been tweeted by evleaks, within days ahead of the phone's official reveal. The phone's display is curved from side to side, just as previous rumors claimed, but other than that no additional details have been provided. Samsung Galaxy Round is said to boast flexible 5.7-inch OLED capacitive touchscreen display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution.

The smartphone is expected to be equipped with a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and will run Android 4.3 Jelly Bean platform out of the box. Stay tuned for more updates on the matter. It's been confirmed that this is the Samsung SM-G910S, which will be released at SK Telecom. More pictures added.

Samsung SM-G910S
Images credits to evleaks

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Motorola Plans Droid Ultra Successor and a 6.3’’ Xplay Phone

Mobile phone maker Motorola is reportedly getting ready to enter the segment of large smartphones with a device of its own, one that will supposedly feature a 6.3-inch touchscreen.

The mobile phone is said to feature the name of Xplay and might arrive on the market sometime in 2014. If this is true, it will be one of the largest smartphones out there, that’s for sure. However, it appears that this is only one of the new devices that Motorola is working on. The company is also said to be planning the release of a successor to its Droid Ultra smartphone.

The only thing that appears to be known at the moment on this device is the fact that it will feature the name of Droid Quantum. The info comes from Weibo user Houdabao who, as PhoneArena notes, proved right before, when it came to leaked Moto X details.

Motorola to launch 6.3-inch smartphone next year
Image credits to Motorola

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ASUS ROG Matrix R9 280X Graphics Adapter

ASUS has a full lineup of Radeon R9 and Radeon R7 graphics cards up for sale, but there is one that stands out from the rest: ROG Matrix R9 280X.

Featuring ROG VGA Hotwire technology, it should have a greater overclocking potential than all other 280X on the market. DIGI+ Super Alloy Power components (solid-state capacitors, concrete-core chokes and hardened MOSFETs) and VRM-frequency tuning also number among its assets. Power noise should be 30% lower than normal, and lifespan should be 2.5 times longer too, thanks to these assets.

ASUS has two versions of the ROG R8 280X Matrix: the simple one, and the ROG Matrix R9 280X Platinum. Both of them will be up for sale three days from now, on October 11, 2013. The former is a 1 GHz card, while the latter is a 1.1 GHz adapter. Prices should be in the range of $299 / €299 to $350 / €350.

ASUS R9 280X ROG Matrix
Image credits to ASUS

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Samsung SM-G910S (Galaxy Round) Receives Certification in South Korea

A new Samsung smartphone has received the necessary certification in South Korea, namely the Samsung SM-G910S, which might prove to be none other than the recently leaked Galaxy Round.

For those out of the loop, we should note that the device has been long rumored to be en route to the market as Samsung’s first curved smartphone, and to be slated for an official launch this week. Samsung SM-G910S has made an appearance over at South Korea’s KCC and RRA with 4G LTE and NFC connectivity packed inside, as well as with the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system loaded on top.

Furthermore, the smartphone was certified with a 5.7-inch Full HD flexible display and with a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor inside, Ameblo reports. As UnwiredView notes, the phone was initially said to hit the market as a version of the Galaxy Note 3 smartphone, but it appears that Samsung won’t use the Note name for it.

Samsung SM-G910S
Image credits to UnwiredView

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Nexus 5 System Info App Screenshots Leak

Nexus 5, the next device in the popular series of Google phones, has been leaked and detailed quite a few times already, though no official confirmation on the matter has emerged so far.

However, new leaked screenshots that appeared today, allegedly depicting the system info app on the device, appear meant to reassure enthusiasts that previous rumors on the device will pan out. Said screenshots emerged online over at TuttoAndroid.it and are said to be coming straight from the Android 4.4 KitKat build loaded on Nexus 5. They also confirm that the upcoming device will hit the market with on-screen buttons, given that the smartphone’s screen is listed with a 1080 x 1776 pixels resolution, and not the 1080 x 1920 pixels full HD one. Even so, the 5-inch smartphone should prove a highly appealing device, at least when compared to the currently available flagship smartphones from LG, Samsung, Sony, and other handset vendors.

It will be powered by a 2.3 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor with Adreno 330 graphics, which should make it a powerful device, that’s for sure. OpenGL ES 3.0 support is also mentioned. The CPU will be paired with 2GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory. Unfortunately, only 12 GB of storage will be accessible to users, though 32 GB capacity Nexus 5 models will also arrive on shelves, it seems. The leaked screenshots also confirm the 8-megapixel camera on the back of Nexus 5, with Flash and various color effects included, as well as with auto-focus.

Unfortunately, no new details on the device were unveiled with these screenshots, given that most of these specs were already known, as PhoneArena notes. However, users can now have another look at the color scheme that the upcoming operating system flavor will come with, which includes whitened icons in the notifications bar. Rumor has it that Google and LG would be set to make the Nexus 5 official sometime in late October and that they might start selling it right away, so stay tuned to learn more on the matter.

Nexus 5 system info app screenshots
Images credits to tuttoandroid.it

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Gigabyte Gaming Motherboards, G1.Sniper B5

You'd think that a new gaming motherboard would have the best chipset possible, especially with AMD's new rush of graphics cards, but Gigabyte decided to defy expectations with the G1. Sniper B5.

Then again, while Advanced Micro Devices has launched new Radeon R9 and R7 graphics cards, those cards aren't the best it has prepared. So, assuming Gigabyte is reserving its Z87-powered platforms for next week, when the R9 290/290X are scheduled, it's less of a shock to see the G1.Sniper B5 using the B85 Express mid-range platform. Besides, the only limitation of the B85 is the lack of overclocking support. Everything else inherent in Core “Haswell” LGA 1150 CPUs is supported. The Gigabyte G1.Sniper B5 uses a 4+1 phase VRM (voltage regulation module), 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors, four SATA 6 Gbps ports and two SATA 3 Gbps ports. It also features a Realtek ALC898 Audio CODEC (110 dBA SNR), Nichicon audiophile-grade electrolytic capacitors on the AMP stage, and ground-layer isolation.

Gigabyte also included a pair of PCI Express 3.0 slots, one of which is wired straight to the CPU and supports x16 graphics card. The other slot can only work in x4 mode and is wired to the B85 PCH instead. It's the sort of interface that high-end sound and network cards are supposed to occupy. Before anyone asks, though, Gigabyte didn't include a Bigfoot Killer add-in network board, even though the motherboard is branded within the G1.Killer series. It also didn't use a killer chip to power the on-board LAN. Instead, it chose an Intel-made GbE LAN chip. Other specifications include AMI UEFI Dual-BIOS, a bunch of USB 3.0 ports at the back, audio outputs and PS/2 mouse/keyboard ports. Sadly, the price of the Gigabyte G1.Sniper B5 gaming motherboard is unknown at this time. Retailers should expose it soon though.

Gigabyte G1.Sniper B5
Images credits to Gigabyte

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Nokia Lumia 1520 More Live Pictures Spotted

New pictures showing the Lumia 1520 have just surfaced ahead of the phablet’s official release, which is expected to happen on October 22 at Nokia World 2013 event in Abu Dhabi.

The new photos come directly from China and have been leaked by the folks over at WMPoweruser. There’s nothing new in terms of design and form factor that we haven’t already seen in the previous pictures that leaked a while ago. The Lumia 1520 is Nokia’s first phablet powered by Windows Phone operating system. The smartphone is said to boast a huge 6-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution.

Hardware-wise, the handset is said to be equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset. It will also sport a powerful 6-element camera and will run Windows Phone 8 GDR3.

Nokia Lumia 1520
Images credits to Coolxap

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Nexus 5 Has Multiple Storage and Battery Options

Word is that Google plans to launch multiple Nexus 5 models, which is to be expected knowing that Nexus 4 8GB and 16GB were launched at the same time.

Given the fact that history tends to repeat itself, Google is likely to come out with more than one Nexus 5 model in the coming weeks. Thanks to an internal service manual leaked a few days ago, we learned about most of Nexus 5’s specs, but some details have been left out from the official document. Luckily, the folks over at Phonearena have been tipped on the upcoming Nexus 5 models, which are rumored to have multiple storage and battery options. Moreover, each smartphone will be priced differently, according to its hardware configuration. For example, the Nexus 5 16GB will be packed with a 2300 mAh Li-Ion battery and should go on sale for no more than $300 (€220). On the other hand, the 32GB model will be powered by a high-capacity 3000 mAh Li-Ion battery and will cost no less than $400 (€295) outright.

Basically, only two Nexus 5 models will be released at launch and we’re not expecting Google to introduce another one in the near future, but anything is possible. Nexus 5 is likely to be unveiled later this month, along with Google’s next Android 4.4 KitKat operating system. The smartphone is said to boast a 5-inch IPS capacitive touchscreen display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution. In addition, the service manual that surfaced a few days ago mentions that the smartphone will be equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset that accommodates a quad-core processor clocked at 2.2 GHz, as well as 2GB of RAM. It will also sport an 8-megapixel rear camera with OIS and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. Sadly, Nexus 5 will not be packed with microSD card slot for memory expansion.

Nexus 5 schematics
Image credits to AndroidPolice

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