Dual-SIM ZTE Grand S II Dual Spotted in AnTuTu Benchmarks

It looks like Chinese handset maker ZTE plans to launch a sequel to the Grand S, but this time, the name of the device suggests that it will offer dual-SIM support.

GSMInsider reports that an unannounced ZTE Grand S II Dual has been recently spotted on AnTuTu Benchmark database. The smartphone scored 33,357, but other than that, there aren’t any additional details available for the moment. If ZTE plans to launch an improved version of the current ZTE Grand S, which comes equipped with a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro, then it will add a more powerful Snapdragon 800 chipset into the mix.

Hopefully, the ZTE Grand S II Dual will not be limited to the Chinese market and Android fans in other regions will be able to take advantage of the smartphone’s dual-SIM capability. Stay tuned for more updates on this one.

ZTE Grand S II Dual listing at AnTuTu
Image credits to GSMInsider

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BlackBerry’s COO and CMO Leave, CFO Gets Replaced

Today, Canadian mobile phone maker BlackBerry has announced new changes in the executive team, as the company’s chief operating officer and chief marketing officer will leave the company.

As part of the re-organization plans that the handset vendor is undergoing, Kristian Tear, BlackBerry CFO, and Frank Boulben, the company’s CMO, will leave BlackBerry. Furthermore, the smartphone designer has announced that Brian Bidulka, currently chief financial officer at the company, will be replaced by James Yersh, but that he will remain with the vendor as a special advisor to the CEO for the remainder of the fiscal year. "I thank Kristian and Frank for their efforts on behalf of BlackBerry. I look forward to working more directly with the talented teams of engineers, and the sales and marketing teams around the world to facilitate the BlackBerry turn-around and to drive innovation," said John Chen, executive chair and CEO of BlackBerry. "I also thank Brian for his eight years of dedicated service to BlackBerry. I look forward to working with James and his Finance team as we move forward, execute on our plans and deliver long-term value for our shareholders."

Chen has also noted that BlackBerry enjoys a strong cash position at the moment, and that it will continue to deliver trusted and secure mobile device management solutions to enterprises around the world. He has also noted that, moving forth, the company will work hard “to deliver the best devices, mobile security and device management through BES 10, provide multi-platform messaging solutions with BBM, and expand adoption of QNX embedded systems.” James Yersh, the next BlackBerry CFO, has been with the company since 2008. He served as senior vice president, controller and head of compliance for the vendor, and enjoys over 15 years of expertise in the telecoms industry.

Roger Martin, a board member at the mobile phone maker since 2007, has resigned, the company also announced. Furthermore, the vendor unveiled plans to reveal its financial results for the third quarter of its fiscal year 2014 on December 20.

BlackBerry logo
Image credits to BlackBerry

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HTC M8 Specs Unveiled via AnTuTu Benchmark: Android 4.4 KitKat, 5-Inch Full HD Display

Earlier today, information regarding an unannounced HTC smartphone leaked online via AnTuTu and judging by the benchmark results, we though the device in question was the previously rumored M8.

Well, it looks like the information was accurate, as Pocket-lint reports that the HTC M8 specs sheet leaked on the same AnTuTu benchmark database. However, until HTC comes forward with an official statement on the M8’s availability, we can’t be sure that these details are legit, so take them with a grain of salt. The first thing that pops up is the fact that HTC M8 is powered by Android 4.4 KitKat operating system. We’re pretty sure this is just a prototype that’s being tested on AnTuTu, so it’s hard to believe that Google and HTC have already adjusted the latest Android platform for the M8. Anyway, the leak from AnTuTu also suggests that the HTC M8 will be equipped with a 2.3 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, which is not that hard to believe. Moreover, the phone’s CPU is complemented by an Adreno 330 graphics processing unit and 2GB of RAM.

HTC M8 is also said to pack 16GB of internal memory, but there’s no mention of microSD card slot for memory expansion. Hopefully, the Taiwanese handset maker will allow users to physically expand storage even further. Another strong point of the M8 would be the stunning 5-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution. Last but not least, the smartphone is rumored to boast the usual 4-UltraPixel rear-facing camera, along with a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera for video calls.

There’s no telling if these are the final specs for the HTC M8, so we can only wait for more details to surface in the coming weeks. We suspect that HTC will announce the M9 early next year at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2014, but stay tuned for more on this.

HTC M8
Image credits to ePrice

HTC M8 leaked specs
Image credits to Pocket-Lint

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