Lenovo Golden Warrior S8 Press Photos and Details Leak Online

Lenovo has been rumored a while ago to plan the release of a new high-end smartphone in the form of Lenovo Golden Warrior S8, and more details on the device are now available, accompanied by leaked press photos.

The smartphone, expected to become official very soon, has been already listed at an online retailer, and all of the necessary details on it are available now courtesy of that listing. In fact, the phone can still be seen on said retailer’s website, namely vopmart.com, packing an octa-core processor inside and featuring a large touchscreen display. Moreover, just as its name suggests, the Lenovo Golden Warrior S8 is dressed up in a Gold color flavor, while also packing a slim body, which makes it look quite sleek, one should agree. The yet unannounced mobile phone is set to arrive on shelves with a 5.3-inch LTPS touchscreen display capable of delivering a 1280 x 720 pixels resolution, which is protected by Gorilla Glass. As mentioned above, the handset is powered by a 1.4GHz octa-core MediaTek MTK6592M processor, with Mali-450 graphics and 2GB of RAM, thus being capable of offering appealing performance levels.

Moreover, the mobile device has been listed at the aforementioned retailer with 16GB of internal memory, and with a microSD memory card slot capable of offering support for up to 32GB of additional storage space. On the back, the Lenovo Golden Warrior S8 features a 13-megapixel camera with auto focus, F2.2 large aperture, HDR, and full HD video recording. Moreover, it packs a 5-megapixel camera on the front, great for making video calls while on the go. At the same time, we should note that the new device sports all of the usual connectivity capabilities inside, including 3G (TD-SCDMA 1880/2010MHz, which means that it can be used in China alone), Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, microUSB, and built-in GPS receiver.

The smartphone has also been listed with dual-SIM capabilities packed inside, with dual-standby, which should prove a great option for many users. The handset measures 146 x 76.7 x 7.9mm (5.75 x 3.02 x 0.31 inch) and weighs 146 grams. It is powered by a 2000mAh battery that should be able to provide users with around 3 days of standby time. On the downside, Lenovo Golden Warrior S8 will run under the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system right out of the box, though Lenovo will certainly include its own set of customizations on top of the platform as well. Unfortunately, as GSMArena notes, no specific info on when you will be able to purchase the new device has been provided as of now. Details on its possible release outside China are missing as well. Images gallery below, click for larger image.

Lenovo Golden Warrior S8
Images credits to vopmart.com

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Huawei’s Dual-Boot Windows Phone Allegedly Emerges Online

Huawei has been rumored a while ago to plan on bringing to the market a smartphone featuring dual-boot capabilities, supposedly capable of providing users with support for both Android and Windows Phone, and the device seems to have made an appearance online this week.

Courtesy of a photo that leaked online on weibo, we can now allegedly have a look at the device that Huawei was supposedly set to bring to the market with said dual-OS capabilities loaded on top. Just as GforGames (which has discovered the aforementioned photo with the device) notes, the Huawei smartphone was clearly destined to run Windows Phone, based on the buttons present on its front, but it shows Android on the screen instead. Dual-boot smartphones are already available for purchase, and it would clearly not come as a surprise if Huawei indeed released such a device sooner or later, though rumor has it that the company might have actually cancelled the phone already. However, with no official confirmation on the matter, we’ll have to take the info with a grain of salt for the time being, as the supposedly leaked photo could very well prove to be fake.

Should Huawei indeed plan the release of a new Windows Phone device, especially one that would also sport Android, it would certainly provide additional details on it sooner rather than later, so stay tuned to learn more on the matter.

Huawei's allegedly leaked dual-boot Windows Phone
Image credits to Weibo via GforGames

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Gigabyte Releases Extensive 9-Series G1 Gaming Motherboard Collection

In order to support the latest Haswell refresh central processing units from Intel, and the upcoming Devil's Canyon high-end, unlocked K chips, Gigabyte has launched its G1 Gaming motherboards based on the Intel Z97/H97 Chipset.

There are thirteen of them in total, from mini-ITX to full-ATX. Some of them have surfaced before, others have only got hinted at, but they should all be selling now. Here's the list:

• Z97X-Gaming G1 WIFI-BK
• Z97X-Gaming G1
• Z97X-Gaming GT
• G1.Sniper Z97
• Z97X-Gaming 7
• Z97X-Gaming 5
• G1.Sniper Z6
• G1.Sniper H6
• Z97X-Gaming 3
• Z97MX-Gaming 5
• H97M-Gaming 3
• Z97N-Gaming 5
• H97-Gaming 3

The special microsite dedicated by Gigabyte to this line has all the relevant data on them, but some things bear mentioning: “extreme” multi-GPU support (on the larger mainboards at least), M.2 onboard SSD support, SATA Express (for 700-800 MB/s HDD/SSD performance), AMP-UP Audio Technology, gold-plated audio and HDMI connectors, Gigabit LAN, black solid capacitors (last for 10 thousand hours) and UEFI Dual BIOS.

Some mainboards may lack one or more of these features, but it's a rare thing. Gigabyte wanted for even the mini-ITX motherboards to support gaming, so it made it happen. And since gaming hardware is high-end hardware, price is not as great a concern as on the mid-range segment, so the company could afford to add some other perks, not all of which were specified in the list above. Images gallery below, click for larger image.

Gigabyte unleashes 9-Series gaming motherboards
Image credits to Gigabyte

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Nokia X2 Hardware Specs Allegedly Emerge Online

Earlier this week, info on the possible upcoming availability on a successor of the Nokia X Android smartphone has emerged online, and some more details on the device appear to have been made public.

The smartphone, supposedly set to arrive on the market as Nokia X2, was said to be a bit better than the predecessor, and the newly leaked info on it appears to confirm that, to some extent. Nokia X2 is said to have made an appearance on AnTuTu with model number RM-1013 attached, and what seems to be a screenshot with the app showing its hardware specs is now available for your viewing pleasure (courtesy of MyNokiaBlog). According to the screenshot, the upcoming device will hit shelves with a 4.3-inch touchscreen display capable of delivering an 800 x 480 pixels resolution. Moreover, the mobile phone appears set to arrive on shelves with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor packed inside, paired with Adreno 305 graphics. Previously, the phone was said to be powered by a quad-core processor, though it appears that this might not happen in the end.

Nokia X2, provided that the smartphone is indeed released, is said to arrive on the market with 1GB of RAM, as well as with 4GB of internal memory. The phone should also sport a microSD memory card slot for expansion purposes, although no specific info on the matter has been provided as of now. The supposedly leaked info on the Nokia X2 also unveils that the smartphone might pack a 5-megapixel camera on the back, paired with a VGA front camera. This will certainly prove a nice enhancement over the original Nokia X, which only included a 3.2MP camera on the back, but no front camera. Apparently, the Nokia X2 handset will arrive on the market with the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system loaded on top right from the start.

The original Nokia X phone was also released with the Fastlane UI on top of Android, and the successor of that device might feature it as well. Unfortunately, no official confirmation on the actual existence of the mobile phone has been provided as of now, and it remains to be seen whether it will indeed pan out in the end, so we'll take the above with a grain of salt for now. Provided that Microsoft is indeed set to release a new Android device, we might not see it go official before the end of this year. Nokia X was made official in February, at the Mobile World Congress, and there is a strong chance that the successor will be announced at the same conference next year.

Nokia X2 emerges in AnTuTu
Image credits to MyNokiaBlog

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iMessage Problem Gets Official Fix from Apple

Still can’t receive iPhone-written texts on your Droid? Not to worry. Apple is on the case. After fixing the server-side part of the issue, the company is now proud to confirm that a firmware fix is also in the works. The flaw will supposedly be gone for good really soon.

Although many users are still in the red, the problem seems to be getting rectified. Apple has started with a backend fix, and it is planning to roll out a software update that customers will be able to download and install on their iPhones to completely eliminate the flaw. A statement provided to re/code says this much: “We recently fixed a server-side iMessage bug which was causing an issue for some users, and we have an additional bug fix in a future software update. For users still experiencing an issue, please contact AppleCare.” Apple’s admittance comes late, but it’s still better than turning a blind eye to the problem, as some have suggested. According to some people’s reasoning, Apple had no incentive to address the issue because it forced customers to stay in the iOS ecosystem (rather than flee to the Android camp). The allegation was at best absurd, but you also couldn’t blame someone for thinking this way considering Apple’s restrictive approaches to certain aspects of its business.

Users will (supposedly) be prompted to download and install iOS 7.1.2 in the near future, and perhaps an incremental iOS 6.1.7 as well (for those still stuck on the old firmware). iOS 7.1.2 should also contain fixes for a recently discovered flaw that circumvents one of Apple’s security measures taken against iPhone thefts: Activation Lock. Although the bypass was possible thanks to an iCloud breach, a well-known hacker and security expert revealed that the Cupertino giant will have to also deploy a firmware fix, meaning a new incremental update for iOS 7 users. However, considering that any new iOS update must go through some thorough testing before it gets released (and that includes sending a pre-release build to the wireless carriers), customers shouldn’t expect the new firmware to arrive any time too soon.

Some users have taken matters into their own hands trying to resolve the infamous iMessage flaw. One tipster has said that you can reset your Apple ID password and then text STOP to 48369 on your Android phone to fix the issue. However, as we have warned before, these are under no circumstances official fixes, therefore using them is not encouraged.

iPhone user
Image credits to BusinessInsider.com

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