Sony Xperia Z2 Media Apps and Live Wallpapers Now Available Online

One of the high-end smartphones that users out there will be able to purchase in the coming months is the Sony Xperia Z2, which went official on Monday at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The mobile phone arrives on the market with a 5.2-inch 1920 x 1080 pixels screen, complemented by a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon MSM8974AB processor, and with a 20.7-megapixel camera on the back. At the same time, the handset was announced with the Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system loaded on top, as well as with various customizations coming from Sony Mobile themselves, including updated applications. Among these, we can count the Sony Album app, Movies, Walkman, and Video Unlimited, all of which have been extracted from the device...

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BlackBerry Says BBM May Arrive on Asha Smartphones

BlackBerry has recently announced that its most treasured mass market service BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) will be available on Windows Phone devices. Moreover, the Canadian company has confirmed that BBM will also come on Nokia X smartphones, which will soon be available on the market. In fact, Nokia X can already be purchased in select markets, while the other two handsets in the series, Nokia X+ and Nokia XL will go on sale in early Q2. You may be wondering why BlackBerry announced that its BBM application would be available on Nokia X family, given the fact that these smartphones are powered by Android operating system. Well, it appears that some Android applications need some tweaking before they can be installed on Nokia X devices....

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Dual-SIM Nokia Lumia 630 Emerges Online with 4.5-Inch Screen

One of the smartphones that mobile phone maker Nokia is expected to make official later this year is the Nokia Lumia 630, which should arrive on shelves in a dual-SIM version as well, according to a recent report. A leaked image that emerged online courtesy of baidu shows that the upcoming smartphone will be similar to the Nokia Lumia 630, featuring on-screen keys, along with the aforementioned support for two SIM cards. Moreover, the smartphone, supposedly running under the latest version of Windows Phone 8, is said to land on shelves with a 4.5-inch touchscreen display capable of delivering an 854 x 480 pixels resolution, and should measure 129.5 x 66.7 mm. The newly leaked image also shows two live tiles for calls, as well as two...

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HTC Preps Butterfly S Successor, Codenamed GLU2

Following the launch of new Desire smartphones at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, HTC Corporation might bring to the market a successor for the Butterfly S as well, to accompany the upcoming All New HTC One on shelves. The smartphone has reportedly leaked only under the codename of GLU2, featuring support for CDMA2000 connectivity, and supposedly set to make an official appearance in Japan on the network of wireless carrier KDDI. What’s more interesting is the fact that this mobile phone is expected to land on shelves with about the same hardware specifications expected to be included inside the All New HTC One device, which was previously spotted online as HTC M8. Thus, users might be able to enjoy a 5.2-inch touchscreen...

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Nexus 6 in H2 2014, Galaxy S6 Still on Android, Sundar Pichai Says

The long series of Nexus smartphones will receive a new member before the end of this year, Google’s Sundar Pichai has reportedly confirmed during a press event at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Five smartphones were launched as part of the Nexus family, and a new one is expected to become available this year, though not in the first half of the year, Sundar Pichai unveiled, Frandroid reports. Previously, Google and its partners launched Nexus phones in the Q4 timeframe (Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, and Nexus 5 were launched like this over the past three years), and Nexus 6 could have a similar fate, as BGR notes. Some of the previous reports on the matter suggested that the Nexus family of smartphones might be ended once...

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The All New HTC One Leaks in Live Photos

Taiwanese mobile phone maker HTC Corporation was present on the floor at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, but it did not announce the smartphone that everybody was looking for, namely the All New HTC One. However, the handset was spotted online in newly leaked live photos, confirming once again the change in design that HTC is planning for it, when compared to last year’s HTC One smartphone. Available courtesy of HardForum.com, the leaked images show the phone both from the front and from the back, offering yet another view of the device that will supposedly go official on March 25. As phandroid notes, the leaker also claims that the phone feels thinner and lighter than HTC One, and that it is very fast, despite the...

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Google to Detail Project Ara Smartphone at Its April 15-16 Conference

Mountain View-based Internet giant Google has announced a new conference that will certainly stir the interest of mobile phone users out there, as it will bring to the spotlight the Project Ara handset. The conference, set for April 15-16 in Mountain View, is meant to provide us with all the necessary info on the long-expected modular device. Project Ara is one of the smartphones that Motorola hasn't got the chance to unveil to the world until now, but it appears that we’ll be able to learn all about it in the not too distant future. At Ara Developers' Conference, Google is determined to showcase a smartphone that has been designed for all 6 billion potential mobile phone users out there, Project Ara’s official website unveils. As...

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Boeing Black Is a Secret Phone for Government Agencies and Companies Related to Homeland Security

We all know that Boeing is making aircraft, but what would you say if you were able to purchase a Boeing-made mobile phone? This may actually happen sooner than we think, as the company has already confirmed plans to launch a mysterious Android smartphone. The official statement was evasive and did not include too many details, just the fact that Boeing may launch a smartphone sometime in 2014. Well, it appears that Boeing’s statement was pretty accurate given the recent details leaked online. The folks over at Myce have just spotted the rumored Boeing smartphone at Federal Communications Commission (FCC), along with its schematics. The mysterious device tipped by Boeing last year is called Black and, for the time being, little is...

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BlackBerry CEO Says He'd Sell BBM for $19 Billion

Now that Mark Zuckerberg shelled out $19 billion (€13.8 billion) for messaging app WhatsApp, BlackBerry’s CEO says he’d have accepted a similar offer too. “I work for the shareholder. If somebody comes to me with $19 billion, I would definitely sell it. I would recommend to the board to take it,” said John Chen, BlackBery CEO, in an interview with CNBC. While he’s not adamant about selling BBM, it’s clear that Chen would agree to a similar offer if it came. He did add, however, that he did not look at BBM in this manner. “I know there's a lot of value in messaging businesses... I think the right thing to do is to expand that and market as big as possible and then I (will) worry about the valuation later,” he said. Last week, when...

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iOS 7.0.6 Bricks iPhones, but There’s a Fix

Following the release of iOS 7.0.6 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch last week, a growing forum thread on Apple Support Communities started to reveal an anomaly: the firmware update bricked users’ devices. iPhone 5s users in particular seem to be the most affected by the so-called bricking issue, but it seems there’s an easy fix. Simply resetting the device by holding down the Home and Power buttons for 10 seconds seems to do the trick. Apparently, some handsets will fail to reboot after installing the new firmware, leaving users with a device that won’t power on anymore. However, with the device in “bricked” state, users can simply perform the hard reset and get the thing working again. One customer in particular claims that, because...

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MWC 2014: Samsung Galaxy S5 is Here with Fingerprint Scanner, 4K Video Recording

As expected, Samsung has taken the wrap-off its next Galaxy S smartphone. Samsung Galaxy S5 is now dust- and waterproof (IP67 certified) and comes with a fingerprint scanner placed under the physical Home button. We've already reported on the Galaxy S5's fingerprint scanner, which allows users to keep their data safe, as well as make payments via PayPal with just a swipe of the finger. Samsung Galaxy S5 will ship with Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system out of the box and a new TouchWiz UI, which strongly resembles the previous version. Hardware-wise, the high-end smartphone is equipped with a 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, which is complemented by an Adreno 330 graphics processing unit and 2GB of RAM. Another...

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First Ubuntu Phones Revealed at MWC 2014

The first Ubuntu phones are now being displayed at the MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2014 event, which takes place this week in Barcelona, Spain, between February 24-27. Canonical announced last week that the forthcoming Ubuntu-powered phones will be manufactured by the Chinese company, Meizu, and a Spanish phone designer and manufacturer, named BQ. The names of the two Ubuntu phones have been revealed today at MWC 2014, the BQ Aquaris and the Meizu MX3. Unfortunately, the prototype phones showcased at the Ubuntu booth in Barcelona have no operating system. However, the Canonical employees are hard at work, showcasing the latest Ubuntu Touch software on a Google Nexus 5 phone. If you are in Barcelona, go to MWC and visit the spectacular Ubuntu booth, because those phones look really...

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BlackBerry Confirms BBM for Windows Phone Arrives This Summer

Following Stephen Elop's announcement during Nokia's MWC 2014 press conference, BlackBerry issued an official statement confirming that BBM would be available on Windows Phone devices in the coming months. The good news for those who don't own Nokia Windows Phone handsets is the fact that BlackBerry did not mention any exclusivity for Lumia handsets, so it should be available on most compatible Windows Phone devices. According to BlackBerry, BBM will be made available to Windows Phone, as well as Nokia X users in the coming months. Moreover, the application will be available as a free download via Windows Phone Store sometime this summer. In addition, BlackBerry Messenger for Nokia X will also be available for free from the Nokia...

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Samsung Galaxy S5 Leaks in Live Pictures Ahead of Official Announcement

With just several hours left until Samsung's Unpacked 5 press event, where the company is expected to unveil the next Galaxy smartphone, a couple of pictures showing the Galaxy S5 have just leaked online. Courtesy of HardwareZone Forums, we now know what the standard version of Samsung Galaxy S5 will look like. Judging by the leaked photos, the Galaxy S5 looks very much like Samsung Galaxy S4, but it's slightly larger. The cited source also provides some info on the fingerprint scanner that will come integrated in the Galaxy S5. It appears that users will be able to make payments via PayPal with just a swipe of their finger. In order to set up the fingerprint scanner, one would need to swipe 8 times on the home button for the smartphone...

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Samsung Launches Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, Drops Galaxy Branding and Android for Tizen

As previously expected, Samsung has taken the opportunity at MWC 2014 to unveil the new Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo. Note the absence of the Galaxy branding, which can be explained by the fact that Samsung has dropped the Android platform in favor of its own Tizen. Samsung says the change will affect battery life which will be capable of lasting up for up to two or three days, almost double from what the original Galaxy Gear managed (via SamMobile). The new Gear and Gear 2 Neo are lighter and thinner than the Galaxy Gear, but the design make-over isn’t so radical as previously thought. One thing that stands out is that the camera now lives in front of the watch and not on the wristband. Both smartwatches come with the same 1.63-inch screen...

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Microsoft Officially Announces Windows 8.1 Update 1

Microsoft announced at the Mobile World Congress that Windows 8.1 is set to receive a major update this spring, confirming that the company is working to improve its operating system on both touch and non-touch devices. Joe Belfiore, Microsoft’s executive in charge of the devices unit, explained during his keynote that Microsoft will make it easier for users to launch apps from the taskbar, probably hinting at options to start Metro apps from the desktop, as we’ve seen in leaked builds. At the same time, he also added that Windows 8.1 Update 1 will bring several improvements for the desktop, including options aimed at those relying on mice and keyboards. “Some of those touch affordances weren’t really tuned as well as we could do...

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Apple Hires 17-Year-Old Jailbreaker “Winocm”

Apple has hired jailbreaker “winocm,” a teenager who was able to port the entire iPhone operating system over to Nokia N900. Of course, winocm’s resume doesn’t just include this single feat. He says he’s been able to do some “insane” things with both iOS and OS X on a core level, and he’s responsible for some iOS jailbreaks (for iOS 6.1.5, more recently). “I had to basically do exactly what Apple did when they were making iPhone OS originally,” winocm tells Cult of Mac which points out that “By rewriting the iPhone OS from the ground up, he was essentially able to create an open source version of the operating system.” Winocm added, “It’s really complex and hellish stuff. Usually they have a team of people working on this type of...

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BlackBerry Intros Stickers for BBM, Kicks Off Limited External Beta

Shortly after introducing Voice Chat for BlackBerry Messenger on both Android and iOS platforms, the Canadian company announced that it would add a brand new feature for BBM users, stickers. This time however, the new feature won't be available for free, but will come for a price. Those who wish to take advantage of these stickers will have to purchase them via BBM Shop. BlackBerry has announced the it has started a limited external beta for stickers and the BBM Shop, but it's unclear whether everyone can access it or you have to be accepted into the beta. As we have mentioned earlier, stickers will be available for purchase via BBM Shop in packs that will contain between 20 and 25 stickers, which will be theme-related (CosCat, Gilbert’s...

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Dual-SIM ARCHOS 50c Oxygen with Octa-Core CPU Unveiled Ahead of MWC 2014

French company ARCHOS has just unveiled its lineup of smartphones for the first half of 2014, which contains only 3 devices: 50c Oxygen, 64 Xenon and 40b Titanium. The most advanced of the three, ARCHOS 50c Oxygen is a dual-SIM smartphone that comes equipped with MediaTek's true octa-core chipset. The good news is that the smartphone will be available for purchase for less than £200 (€240 / $330) off contract. Unfortunately, there's no word on when exactly the ARCHOS 50c Oxygen will go on sale and where you will be able to pick it up. All three ARCHOS smartphones will ship with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system out of the box. It's unlikely that any of these devices will receive any major upgrades in the future. As we have...

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Sony SmartWatch 2 Might Arrive with New Garmin Navigation App

The smartwatch competition is getting pretty intense, so Sony is looking to up its game with its all-new intelligent time-keeping wearable. The most recent batch of rumors claims the new Sony SmartWatch 2 device will come equipped with a Garmin navigation app, says Pocket-Lint. Regardless of how diversified the market for smartwatches seems to be now, keep in mind that Sony was one of the first to offer such a product back in 2012. The device didn't really catch on back then, perhaps being a little ahead of its time. Garmin is another company that’s clinging to existence, in recent times. The company used to provide top-class navigation devices and software, but ever since the advent of services such as Google Maps, its time seems...

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Nexus 8 to Arrive in July with Android 4.5

We have told you about the upcoming Google Nexus 8 in the past before, but as it turns out we’ll get to see the device appear this summer in July. This week it's been announced Google will be hosting its I/O 2014 developer conference between 25 and 26 of July, which raised a lot of speculations regarding what we were going to see during the event. The guys over at the AndroidGeeks were a tad more curious, so they got in touch with a person familiar with the matter who managed to confirm that the new Android 4.5 build was going to be introduced to the press during the event. The Google Dublin employee said the conference would be the launching platform for something else as well. Yes, you've guessed it, the Nexus 8 is going to be introduced...

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Dual-Boot (Android / Firefox) Geeksphone Revolution Goes on Sale for $300 (€220)

Last week, Spanish company Geeksphone confirmed that it would make its “revolutionary” Revolution smartphone available for purchase on February 20. The smartphone is unique in the fact that it allows users to switch between two operating systems (Android & Firefox) while on the move. The Revolution is now available for purchase via Geeksphone's online store for only $300 (€220). The device can be shipped anywhere in the world, but shipping fees are not included in the outright price mentioned earlier. Aside from the dual-boot smartphone, Geeksphone has previously announced that it will launch a series of accessories for the Revolution, but they are not available yet. Geeksphone Revolution comes equipped with a 1.6GHz dual-core...

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Who Are Meizu and bq, the First Ubuntu Touch Hardware Partners?

Canonical has announced the first two hardware partners for Ubuntu Touch, Meizu and bq, but most of the Ubuntu users are not really familiar with these companies. We'll try to shed some light on this matter. Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of Canonical, has been hinting that some hardware companies have been really interested in building devices powered by Ubuntu Touch, but he was always skiddish to name names, probably because the negotiations weren't complete. Fast forward to the Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona, where Ubuntu and Canonical didn't participate, and we find a Chinese company bragging about Ubuntu Touch running on their Meizu MX3 device. The rumors have been shutdown mercilessly, by various Ubuntu developers,...

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Sony to Launch Xperia Z2 Ultra Smartphone Next to Xperia Z2

Sony has been long rumored to plan the launch of an Xperia Z2 smartphone in the not too distant future, maybe as soon as the next week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but it seems that this isn't be the only new device that the Japanese vendor is working on. In fact, a recent tweet coming from @gadgetleaks suggests that Sony will also launch a certain Xperia Z2 Ultra smartphone next to the Xperia Z2, and that a new tablet PC will also be unveiled soon by the company. Unfortunately, as XperiaBlog notes, no specific info on when these devices will be officially introduced has been provided as of now, and there’s no telling whether they will arrive at MWC 2014. One thing that is certain, however, is that enthusiasts will...

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