Samsung Galaxy K (S5) Zoom Allegedly Emerges Online

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung has been long rumored to bring to the market a successor for its Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom handset, and the phone appears to have already emerged online in a leaked photo.

Supposedly called Galaxy K, though previously said to arrive on shelves as Galaxy S5 Zoon, the mobile phone might sport a faux leather back cover, the same as the latest handsets from Samsung did, while also featuring a large camera sensor, the leaked photo available via kzoom unveils. However, the new mobile phone is said to feature a 20-megapixel camera on the back, up from the 16MP one present on the Galaxy S4 Zoom, as PhoneArena notes. It is also said to have been packed with a 4.8-inch touchscreen display capable of delivering a 720p resolution, as well as with a 1.6 GHz quad-core CPU (though it could sport a 1.3GHz hexa-core processor from Samsung in the end).

The specs list of this handset should also feature 2GB of RAM, as well as Google’s Android 4.4 KitKat operating system loaded on top. The same as its predecessor, the new mobile phone should offer 19x optical zoom. No official confirmation on the phone has been provided as of now, so we’ll take the info with a grain of salt for the time being. Stay tuned for more on the matter.

Allegedly leaked Samsung Galaxy K Zoom photo
Image credits to KZoom

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Sony Xperia Z2 Compact (Altair) Spotted at the FCC

Earlier this year, Japanese mobile phone maker Sony Mobile made official a mini version of its Xperia Z1 flagship device, namely the Xperia Z1 Compact, and it seems that the company is already working on a successor for it.

A Sony smartphone that features the codename of Altair has been spotted at the FCC, with model number SO-04F attached to it, and rumor has it that it might arrive on shelves as Xperia Z2 Compact. The mobile phone is meant to make an appearance on the network of Japanese wireless carrier NTT DoCoMo, considering its model number. For those out of the loop, we should note that Xperia Z1 Compact was launched in Japan last year, under the name of Xperia Z1 f, and that it needed about four months to be launched in other markets out there. As XperiaBlog notes, the new device appears to feature the same front-camera placement as the Xperia Z1 Compact, which suggests that it will indeed be released as an upgraded version of this phone.

Moreover, the smartphone was spotted at Japanese parts retailer Moumantai, which claims that it has a genuine back cover for the Sony SO-04F. The available images show that the new device might feature a back camera similar to that on Xperia Z1 Compact. Basically, this suggests that Sony will go for the same 20.7-megapixel Exmor RS camera with G Lens as on the already available device. Apparently, Sony could still make a series of changes to the design of the new phone, as it is suggested to move away from the plastic case used on the Xperia Z1 Compact. Considering the fact that Sony already launched the Xperia Z2 smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and that the device was unveiled as the successor of Xperia Z1, it would not come as a surprise if it made a similar move with the Compact series as well.

Not to mention that the model number fits the current numbering scheme used by NTT DoCoMo, which released the Xperia Z1 as SO-01F, and Xperia Z1 f as SO-02F. The Xperia Z2 could arrive as SO-03F, with Xperia Z2 Compact expected to follow it as SO-04F. Moreover, chances are that Sony will pack the new phone with the same specs as the Xperia Z2, save for the screen size. This would include a quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM, the aforementioned camera on the back, and IP55/IP58 certification. However, with no official confirmation on this available as of now, we’ll take the info with a grain of salt for the time being. Hopefully, more on this will be unveiled soon, so stay tuned to learn the news.

Sony Xperia Z2 Compact emerges at the FCC
Image credits to XperiaBlog

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Microsoft’s New Start Menu Is Just a Mockup, Could Look Completely Different

If you’re thinking that the new Start menu that Microsoft unveiled today at the BUILD 2014 developer conference looks really awesome, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but it turns out that the company is planning a completely different design for the final version of the feature.

Microsoft said at BUILD that the Start menu would come back at some point and even though no specifics have been provided, it’s believed that Windows 8.1 Update 2 or Windows 9 could be the OS versions that could feature such an option. Many praised Microsoft for the design of the new Start menu, but we’re hearing that what we got to see at BUILD was just a mockup and the company is actually planning a much simpler design.

The existing version of the Start menu mixes the Start screen and the traditional menu options available in Windows 7, offering a pretty eye-candy tool that allows you not only toaccess your favorite desktop and Metro apps, but also reboot or shut down your computer with ease. If Microsoft indeed decides to go for a different design, nobody should actually be surprised, as rumors about a very simple Start menu have been swirling around for a while. Rumor has it that Microsoft is internally calling the new Start menu “mini-Start” and it’s pretty clear that the actual design isn’t quite matching such a designation.

The Start menu mixes traditional and modern elements
Image credits to Microsoft

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