HTC Desire 820 Has 64-Bit CPU with 8MP Front Camera Goes for the Selfie Crown

We have been getting rumors on the world’s first 64-bit smartphone for quite some time, but every source indicated the HTC Desire 820 as the first device to pack such an advanced chipset.

It turned out that HTC preferred to launch the Desire 510, a slightly cheaper handset, as the world’s first 64-bit smartphone, a few days ahead of IFA 2014 trade fair. However, the Desire 820 hasn’t been forgotten and the Taiwanese company made it official during its only press conference scheduled for this year’s IFA. Although it’s not the world’s first 64-bit smartphone, the Desire 820 is equipped with a more powerful system-on-chip than HTC Desire 510. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 chipset accommodates a 1.5GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 processor and a 1GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU that handles less performance demanding operations. It also supports 4G LTE speeds, which makes it perfect for the US market where this type of technology is most common.

But this is not all, the Desire 820 also boasts a large 5.5-inch HD (720p) display and an enhanced 13-megapixel camera that features autofocus, LED flash and full HD (1080p) video recording. I may be wrong, but I think this is the same camera that got inside the HTC One E8, the plastic version of the One M8, the company’s current flagship smartphone. If this is correct, it’s a great addition for a mid-range smartphone such as Desire 820. Moreover, the Desire 820 packs 2GB of RAM inside, along with 16GB of storage, which can be further expanded up to 16GB via microSD card slot. Some of the specs mentioned until now seem more fit for a high-end device, but HTC did not stop there. One of the many selling points of the Desire 820 is the incredible 8-megapixel front-facing camera.

That should appease everyone’s taste for taking selfies. But the phone’s secondary camera can also capture full HD (1080p) videos, aside from being perfect for video calls. HTC Desire 820 is powered by a 2600 mAh non-removable battery and it will ship with the Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system out of the box. However, we expect HTC to deliver the Android L update within the next three months since the new OS’s release. According to HTC, the Desire 820 will be available for purchase globally beginning later this month. Sadly, there’s no word on pricing options, but we expect more details to emerge in the coming days.

A dual-SIM variation will be available in some markets and customers will be able to choose from lots of different colors: Marble White, Tuxedo Grey, Santorini White, Milky-way Grey, Tangerine White, Saffron Grey, Flamingo Grey, Blue Mist, and Monarch Orange.

HTC Desire 820
Images credits to HTC

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MSI GS30 Shadow Gaming Laptop Arrives with GamingDock to Boost Graphic Performance

While every major tech player in the industry is busy launching slews of new products at IFA 2014 in Berlin, MSI has been quite absent from the news.

But today the gaming computer specialist breaks the silence and rolls out a new 13.3-inch machine (with 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution) dubbed the GS30 Shadow. The machine takes advantage of Intel 4th Gen Core i7 chip architecture and Iris Pro graphics, which are designed to almost double performance compared to the previous generation. An important highlight of this lappy is that MSI managed to slim it down and make it extremely light at just 1.3kg / 2.8 lbs. The laptop bundles support for DX11.1, OpenCL 1.2, OpenGL 4.0 and enhanced 4k x 2k. MSI offers the new laptop with a GamingDock that will play nicely, exclusively with the GS30 Shadow.

The purpose of this accessory is to increase graphics performance by virtue of the inserted desktop discrete graphics card living inside it. Most importantly, users can opt for any desktop GPU they feel might suit their needs. MSI calls the dock the most powerful upgraded cannon to be used with slim gaming laptops, so you shouldn't have problems with running the most advanced titles on it. The laptop with GamingDock is expected to launch in January 2015, but pricing specifications haven’t been disclosed just yet.

Press Release below:

Taipei Taiwan - MSI, the leading gaming computer innovator and maker, now presenting the 13.3 inch gaming notebook – GS30 Shadow, which packs the latest Intel 4th Gen Core i7 and Iris Pro graphics. The ultra thin GS30 Shadow is no wonder the lightest gaming notebook in the field and it’s only weighing 1.3kg in 19.8mm height. The amazing graphics powered by Intel Iris Pro is designed and targeted to majority of gaming titles and the performance is more than double while compared with previous generation. With support to DX11.1, OpenCL 1.2, OpenGL 4.0 and enhanced 4k x 2k, the GS30 Shadow sets the new benchmark for gaming notebooks and makes every user gaming everywhere.
Unleash the graphics power by Intel Iris Pro
Eric Kuo, vice president of global sales & marketing, MSI Notebook, pointed out that the latest GS30 Shadow is designed for mobile gamers who don’t want to compromise between portability and performance. With its incredible thin and insanely powerful, MSI wants to create new style of this performance machine not only for gamers, but for some stylish and cutting edge fashion users.

Docking and transforming, shift into the Elysium!
There is a specific GamingDock designed for GS30 Shadow and the overall graphics performance will be shifted to a higher level while GS30 Shadow is docking on it. By the inserted desktop discrete graphics card inside the GamingDock, more graphics calculation will be enhanced and more visual detailed will be revealed. Users can choose any desktop graphics card, which is stronger and more powerful, then easily insert into it to unleash the most stunning visual effect and deliver the most exciting gaming experience to gamers by full bandwidth of PCI-e x16. The GamingDock is no wonder the most powerful upgraded cannon for slim gaming laptops to play on those most performance demanding titles in highest resolution and settings. The target launch time would be January 2015.
More information on MSI Dragon Army website
MSI continues to work in cooperation with well-known gaming teams around the world, including FNATIC from Europe and teams from Asia. MSI actively participates in a variety of gaming activities to increase name exposure, to improve on product functions, and to enhance user experience. What's more, for its new platform, this year, MSI set up the Dragoon Army website and forum for MSI gaming laptop users and competition gamers around the world. For more on competition gaming products and gaming info, please go to http://dragonarmy.msi.com.
About MSI NOTEBOOK
As a world leading gaming brand, MSI Notebook’s goal is to become the most trusted name in laptop computers. We stand by our principles of breakthroughs in design, the pursuit of excellence, and technological innovation as we have continued to raise the bar for ourselves and have accomplished a great deal of pioneering work in the industry. If you need more product information, please visit http://www.msi.com

MSI GS30 Shadow launches with Iris Pro graphics

MSI GS30 Shadow comes with dedicated GamingDock
Images credits to MSI

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Android L Market Name Could Be Unveiled on September 6

Put this under the rumors category, as the only things we have that might indicate that Google is ready to announce the real name of the Android L update tomorrow are two pictures.

Android L might not be the market name of the next version of Google’s mobile operating system. There have been quite a few reports that tipped different names for Android L, like Lemon Meringue Pie for example. However, when it comes to Google we can never be sure until the last moment. Anyway, it appears that the search giant plans to erect the statue (mascot) that will represent the next version of Android, which is supposed to be released this fall. The information is confirmed by two pictures a benevolent tipster sent to MobileSyrup. One of the pictures shows a worker preparing the land for the installation of the statue, while the second photo shows an official announcement that confirms a crane lift will be used on September 6.

The crane is likely to help install the Android statue among the others, though even if we get a picture of the statue we can’t be sure that we will guess the market name. What are your guesses for the market name of Android L? Do you think Google will opt for such a long name as Lemon Meringue Pie? Let us know in the comments section.

Worker preparing the land for Android statue

Crane lift announcement
Images credits to MobileSyrup

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