HiSense Nana Launched with Windows Phone 8.1, Dual-SIM CDMA+GSM Support

Even more new smartphones running under Windows Phone 8.1, the latest flavor of Microsoft’s mobile operating system, are starting to arrive around the world, and the most recent of them has been revealed today by Chinese vendor HiSense.

This is one of the mobile phone makers to have revealed partnerships with Microsoft earlier this year, and it has already launched another device running under Windows Phone 8.1, in the form of HiSense MIRA6. The new smartphone, however, is a bit special, as it has been announced as the very first Windows Phone device to include Dual-SIM CDMA+GSM capabilities. What this means is that the phone will be released with the Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 (GDR1) platform version right from the start. Microsoft did include dual-SIM support in Windows Phone before, but the aforementioned Update 1 represents the first OS iteration to boast support for CDMA and GSM Dual-SIM functionality, as WMPoweruser notes. The phone also offers dual-standby capabilities, and should arrive on shelves with support for China Telecom’s network.

The new mobile phone will arrive on shelves under the name of HiSense Nana (it also features model no. E260T), and will also provide users with a taste of Huna, which is nothing else than the Chinese version of Cortana (currently available only in a beta version). The smartphone will hit the market with pretty decent hardware specifications inside, though it will still be only an entry-level device, so don’t expect too much from it. It will, however, feature a 5-inch touchscreen display capable of delivering an HD resolution, which will be quite enough for a phone in its category. According to info coming from cnbeta, HiSense packed the new handset with a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 200 processor, as well as with 1GB of RAM.

Additionally, the new HiSense Nana sports 8GB of internal memory, but also arrives on shelves with a microSD memory card slot so that users could add up to 32GB of external storage to it. On the back, the smartphone features an 8-megapixel camera, which should deliver appealing imaging performance, while packing a 5MP camera on the front, a great option for snapping selfies and for making video calls while on the go. Apparently, HiSense plans on making the new Windows Phone 8.1 smartphone available for purchase before the end of this month, with a price tag of 599 Yuan ($97/€72.5) attached to it. We suspect that the new mobile phone will be available for purchase only in China, as the handset vendor hasn’t revealed any details on its possible release on other markets as well.

Windows Phone 8.1-based HiSense Nana
Image credits to WMPowerUser

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Galaxy Alpha Spotted in Photos Next to iPhone 5s, Confirmed for Various Carriers

Samsung Galaxy Alpha, the metal-clad Android-based smartphone that South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics is expected to make official on August 13, has leaked online in a new series of photos, this time showcased next to an iPhone 5s.

Said images, available courtesy of Twitter user @culeaks, show that the new handset will be slimmer than Apple’s existing handset, which is 7.6mm thick. Previous reports suggested that Samsung would plan on launching the device with a 6mm thin body, and it seems that they might pan out. Apparently, the handset vendor decided to pack Galaxy Alpha with an 1850mAh battery inside, which explains why it remains so thin. Moreover, this also sheds some more light on why the company built the Galaxy Alpha with a 4.7-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display that would boast only a 720p resolution, at a 320ppi pixel density. Should the screen have been larger, a bigger battery would have been included in the device, which automatically might have resulted in a thicker body.

Despite the small size, the Samsung Galaxy Alpha will still be a powerful smartphone, as it should be powered by an octa-core Exynos 5433 processor, as PhoneArena notes. However, the device in the photos below sports the LTE-A logo on the back, which means that it is aimed at the South Korean market, and that it might be powered by a Snapdragon 805 processor. Additionally, the handset should arrive on shelves with 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal memory, and LTE Cat. 6 capabilities. The usual set of connectivity options and sensors should also be included in the package. On the back, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Alpha should sport a 12-megapixel camera, most probably capable of recording videos at least in full HD resolution. A front camera for making video calls will also be included in the package.

Moreover, the upcoming mobile phone is expected to arrive on shelves with the Android 4.4.4 KitKat operating system loaded on top right from the start, but also with a variety of customizations coming from Samsung itself. Samsung Galaxy Alpha hasn’t been officially confirmed as of now, but the device has been already spotted in a series of User Agent Profiles on Samsung’s website, with model numbers SM-G850A, SM-G850F, SM-G850H, SM-G850M, and SM-G850T. These listings have confirmed not only some of the features that the smartphone will include, but also the fact that it will be released on shelves at various wireless carriers in the United States, including AT&T(the SM-G850A) and T-Mobile (the SM-G850T).

As mentioned above, Samsung Galaxy Alpha is expected to be officially announced on August 13, and all the necessary info on its hardware specs and market availability will be provided at that time, so keep an eye on this space for updates.

Galaxy Alpha Spotted in Photos Next to iPhone 5s
Images credits to culeaks

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Sony Xperia Z3 Compact Supposedly Spotted in New Leaked Photos

Next month, Japanese mobile phone maker Sony Mobile should make official its next flagship Android-based handset, in the form of Sony Xperia Z3, and it seems that a mini version of the phone will also be announced.

Supposedly called Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, the handset was rumored a few times before, and allegedly leaked photos with it appear to have emerged online once again. According to XperiaBlog, which has found these images on Baidu, the phone depicted here has been actually labeled as Xperia Z3, though it appears to feature a series of design differences when compared to Xperia Z3 smartphone spotted online before. One of these differences would be the distance between the magnetic charging port and the port flap, suggesting that we’re actually looking at a device that is not Xperia Z3. Furthermore, the news site suggests that, since Xperia Z3 Compact should feature a design similar to that of its larger counterpart, this is the phone that we are looking at in said leaked photos. However, there is also the possibility that the device spotted here is actually a prototype version of the Xperia Z3, which would explain the small differences in design.

However, no official confirmation on the matter has been provided as of now, and we’re still uncertain what this phone actually is. One thing that is certain, however, is that, should this be the Xperia Z3, the leaked photos offer a closer look at the flaps and ports that it will sport on each side when made official. You can see the microUSB port on one side, as well as the micro SD memory card and micro SIM slots on the other. For those out of the loop, we should note that the Xperia Z3 Compact is rumored to arrive on the market with a 4.5-inch touchscreen display capable of delivering a full HD resolution, as well as with a quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor inside. Moreover, the mobile phone is rumored to include 2GB of RAM, 16GB or 32GB of internal memory, and a microSD memory card slot for expansion purposes.

On the back, it should sport a 20.7-megapixel camera with at least full HD video recording capabilities, complemented by a 2.1MP front camera for making video calls while on the go. Additionally, the smartphone is expected to run under the Android 4.4.4 KitKat operating system right out of the box, and to feature various exclusive apps and features coming from Sony itself. Rumor has it that Sony will make both Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact official at the IFA 2014 trade show in Berlin next month, so stay tuned to learn additional info on them.

Allegedly leaked photos of Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
Images credits to Baidu via XperiaBlog

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Android Apps Runs on Windows 9? Former Microsoft Employee Says It’s Possible

There’s no doubt that Windows 9 is going to bring a significant array of changes, and although Microsoft doesn’t talk too much about the new features to be part of this OS release, people that are more or less involved in the development process point to quite some impressive novelties.

Among them, there’s the support for Android apps, which would basically enable every Windows 9 adopter to run software published in the Play Store on their devices, be they smartphones, tablets, or even PCs. Hal Berenson, who in the past worked as engineer and general manager for Microsoft, says that bringing Android apps on Windows 9 is very likely, especially because Microsoft is struggling to address the lack of apps on its modern platforms. Just as expected, everything would start with the Windows Phone version, Berenson explained, and a potential implementation of OpenMobile ALC for Windows could make this reality. “Microsoft has only one play to really close the app gap in the next 12-18 months, and that is something they have to do that if they want Windows Phone to have a future. That play is make it easy for developers to port Android apps to Windows Phone, a capability I think is likely to be part of Threshold,” the former Microsoft employee said.

So what about PCs? If Android apps arrive on Windows Phones, in the same manner they did on BlackBerry 10 devices, expect Microsoft to make it possible to run on PCs and tablets with Windows 9 as well. And Berenson has a pretty good reason for this. “I suspect Microsoft is looking to take this another step, and use the opportunity to easily run Android apps on Threshold to convince developers to adapt them to the Microsoft environment. For example, first use it to encourage developers to support Microsoft services (when running on both Windows and Android),” he said. “Then use it to convince developers to turn their Android apps into multi-platform apps, with customizations (to the user experience) when running on Windows. How far they will go is a big question mark, but I believe they will go beyond just wanting to run existing apps unchanged.”

This isn’t the first time we’re hearing that Microsoft could allow Windows users to run Android apps on their devices, but previous reports pointed to a possible implementation of BlueStacks, the software solution that’s still in beta right now and gives users a chance to install apps from the Play Store on their Windows desktops. This time, however, it appears that Microsoft has a much more ambitious plan, but there’s no doubt that the company still needs to consider a number of setbacks that could in the end affect its core Windows platform.

First and foremost, if the majority of Android apps run on Windows, developers might not port any of their titles to Windows and thus offer users a native experience. Microsoft is already working with developers to encourage them to port apps to modern Windows, so it might look like the company is paving the road to make sure that such a thing won’t happen.

Second, if the Windows + Android cocktail doesn’t work well and users are still not attracted by such a mix, Microsoft could do more harm than good. But as Berenson points out, “when you have 3 percent market share, how much risk is it really?”

Microsoft wants to allow all Windows 9 users to run Android apps on their devices
Image credits to Lottspace.com

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