Xiaomi Mi3 with 5-Inch FHD Display, 2.3GHz Quad-Core CPU Coming Soon to India

Chinese handset maker Xiaomi confirmed last month that it would enter 9 new markets this year and one of these countries is India. Although the company did not announce any devices for India, it appears that the Mi3 might be the first Xiaomi smartphone to hit shelves in the country.

According to GadgetsToUse, Xiaomi has already sent the Mi3 for testing purposes as suggested by a shipping manifest spotted at Zauba. Another indication that Xiaomi plans to make an announcement in India very soon is Hugo Barra’s visit in the country, which should not be overlooked. The Mi3 has already been released in China and Xiaomi is now readying its sequel, the Mi3S. The company has already confirmed that it is holding a launch event for the press on May 15 in Beijing, China and rumors claim that it will announce the Mi3S and a tablet.

Xiaomi Mi3 is a high-end smartphone that boasts a 5-inch full HD (1080p) capacitive touchscreen display. It will also be equipped with a 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB or 64GB of internal memory. The smartphone will ship with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with MIUI on top. Another strong point of the Mi3 could be the 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with dual-LED flash and full HD (1080p) video recording. Stay tuned for more on this one.

Xiaomi Mi3
Image credits to Xiaomi

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BlackBerry 10.3 Spotted Running on BlackBerry Z30

Over the last few days, we have had the chance to learn a nice range of new details on what the upcoming BlackBerry 10.3 operating system version will have to offer when made official later this year, and some more info on the matter is now available.

In fact, BlackBerry enthusiasts can now admire the upcoming platform release of the latest high-end smartphone from the Canadian vendor, thanks to a series of leaked photos that have made it online today. Available courtesy of ZonaBlackBerry.com, these photos show many of the changes that have been recently spotted in the platform, but also unveil some more details on what the operating system will have to offer to its users. According to the news site, the BlackBerry Z30 in said images is running under BlackBerry OS 10.3.0.296, a platform iteration that packs a series of subtle changes when compared to what has been showcased lately. For example, users can see that the interface of the alarm clock app has been modified a bit, and that its design is flatter now, similar to what has been spotted in the recently published screenshots with the BlackBerry 10.3 icons, as N4BB notes.

Said images also offer a glimpse of the calendar app in the upcoming platform iteration, while also providing us with some details regarding several advanced interface capabilities of the OS, which will allow users to save battery and do more. Previously, the operating system was unveiled to sport various improvements to the home screen, including a new icon for getting back to it fast, along with email enhancements, and new features in BlackBerry Hub. Following the upgrade to BlackBerry 10.3, users will also be able to easily download attachments from an email, while enjoying multiple Bluetooth file transfers at once. The Quick Settings drop-down menu will suffer a series of changes as well, allowing users to easily open it through a two-finger swipe from the top, regardless of the application they are in.

Overall, the next major platform release from BlackBerry is expected to be capable of providing users with a nicely improved experience when compared to what is available for them at the moment, that’s for sure. What remains to be seen, however, is whether this will in any way affect the performance of the platform on the market. The OS has seen significant drops in market share and lately, and it might continue to do so moving forth as well, so stay tuned to learn how things might turn out for it in the end. Images gallery below, click for larger image.

BlackBerry 10.3 on BlackBerry Z30
Images credits to ZonaBlackBerry.com

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Moto E Allegedly Emerges in Leaked Photo Ahead of Official Launch

Next week, mobile phone maker Motorola should make official a new cheap handset in the form of Moto E, and a leaked photo that allegedly offers the first look at the device is now available online.

According to the guys over at Android Police, the aforementioned photo with Moto E was posted by a user on Motorola Mexico’s Facebook page, only days before the device should make an official appearance. In the photo, which can be seen embedded above, Moto E is on the right, sitting nicely next to a Moto G handset. The two smartphones resemble a lot, which falls in line with the previous reports on the upcoming device, although no official confirmation on the matter has been provided as of now.

Moto E also appears to be coming to the market with some branding on the front, though it’s yet uncertain whether this will be present only on pre-release testing units, or will also be featured on final iterations of the device. The photo has been already removed, which suggests that the device in it might indeed be the real deal, and that it has been leaked ahead of schedule. All on Moto E should go official on May 13, so stay tuned to learn more on the matter.

Moto E allegedly emerges online next to Moto G
Image credits to Android Police

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Possible Google Device/Nexus Codenamed Molly Emerges Online

One of the rumors that have emerged online over the past several months has been related to the launch of Google’s Nexus 6 smartphone, suggesting that HTC, the vendor that launched the very first Nexus phone out there, might release it.

Three mobile phone makers have brought Nexus phones to shelves until now, including HTC, Samsung, and LG, in this chronological order. With the past two devices coming from LG, it has been somehow expected for the upcoming phone to arrive from a different vendor, though no specific details on which of them might have embarked in this quest have been provided as of now. Some rumors have pointed at LG remaining the manufacturer of choice for the Nexus 6, while others have claimed that HTC could be that company. Considering the fact that the first Nexus came from this vendor, and that Samsung and LG have already launched two such devices each, we could easily accept that HTC would bring the sixth phone in the series to the market.

Alleged confirmation on HTC’s involvement in the upcoming Nexus comes by means of the Android 4.4.3 (KitKat MR2) changelist, which unveils two devices, codenamed Flounder and Molly, as the guys over at XDA-Developers have uncovered. The former is believed to be the HTC Nexus 8 tablet PC that has made it online a few times before, but little is known on what Molly might be all about, and rumor has it that this could actually be the successor of Nexus 5. We’ll take this with a grain of salt for the time being, but, as mentioned above, the new details seem to be falling in line with what has happened in the lineup until now. Only one thing appears to be certain at the moment, namely the fact that Google is getting ready for the release of two new devices, most probably set to be included in the Nexus lineup soon.

Additionally, there’s also the matter of the Nexus series of smartphones being supposedly set to end its journey this year with the launch of Nexus 6, and expected to be replaced with a certain Silver family of devices in 2015. These new phones should offer a similar stock Android experience, as the Nexus and Google Play handsets are doing at the moment, but they will be targeted at the very high-end market, rumor has it. Hopefully, more on the matter will emerge sooner rather than later, so stay tuned to learn the news. According to Android Police, Molly might actually prove to be Android TV, and not a phone or tablet PC.

Android 4.4.3 KitKat changelist
Image credits to android-review.googlesource.com

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