Canonical has added three new pricing tiers to its Ubuntu Edge crowdfunding campaign, which already surpassed 5 million (£3.25m, AU$5.44m) in just a few days.
If that sounds like a lot, it's because it is - but it's only a fraction of the $32 million (£20.8m, AU$34.8m) Canonical is seeking to fund its high-end new smartphone on Indiegogo.
The $600 (£390, AU$653) price point - which allowed 5,000 backers to secure the phone for themselves when it launches - sold out practically immediately, so they've added $625 (£406, AU$680), $675 (£439, AU$734), and $725 (£471, AU$789) tiers as well.
The next-lowest pricing tier after $600 was previously $830 (£540, AU$903), and Canonical is likely trying to rope in more low-level customers while it's still riding the wave of buzz from its initial announcement.
Get 'em while they're hot
Like the original $600 tier, each of the new price points gets backers a pre-order Ubuntu Edge smartphone.
All three have 1,250 slots available, though Canonical will offer more and more sub-$830 spots as the campaign continues.
The Ubuntu Edge is designed to be more powerful than anything that's being offered on the smartphone market today, including flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One, iPhone 5, and Lumia 928.
With 4GB of RAM, dual LTE receivers, 128GB of storage, and likely a 4.5-inch display made of pure sapphire crystal, it may well succeed.
That of course depends on Canonical actually raising that $32 million, which seems only slightly less insane now that the campaign has reached $5 million in just a few days.
The company plans currently to make just 40,000 of the high-end Ubuntu Edge smartphones, with other, low- to mid-tier phones running Ubuntu possibly coming afterward.
Curious about the inspiration behind the Ubuntu Edge? Canonical founder and space tourist Mark Shuttleworth has an anecdote about NASA for you.
Samsung's 3G chips will bring about a 'generational shift' (credit: Engadget)
The forthcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 3 could be thundering along at an almighty pace thanks to a new 3GB memory unit announced by the Korean company on Wednesday.
The company's new low-power LPDDR3 chip has now entered mass production with Samsung promising to slide it into devices during the second half of 2013.
With the Note 3 heavily tipped for a pre-IFA arrival on September 4, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to suggest that famed phablet may be the first to benefit from the improvement in memory tech.
Samsung has promised PC-like performance and a "generational shift" from the current 2GB packages, which resides within handsets like the Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S4 smartphone.
Better, thinner, faster
Among the benefits, Samsung promises smoother full HD video streaming, faster multitasking and support for faster 4G LTE-Advanced data.
The thinner chipset, built on 20-nanometer architecture, will also free up more space for larger batteries in slimmer phones, the company said, adding credence to reports suggesting the Note 3 will be more slender.
"Three gigabyte mobile DRAM will be adopted in the most up-to-date, high-end smartphones starting in the second half of this year − an initial adoption that will expand to most high-end smartphones worldwide next year," said Young-Hyun Jun, executive vice president, memory sales & marketing, Samsung.
As well the likelihood it'll appear in the Galaxy Note 3, that statement seems to confirm the Samsung Galaxy S5 will also boast 3GB of RAM.
Google officially announced the latest version of Android operating system, 4.3, at its event today. The newest version of Android is a minor upgrade over the currently present Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS and brings restricted profiles, a few other minor features along with a bunch of performance enhancements.
As one can expect, the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS will be first available on Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10. What might come as a slightly surprise is that you won't even have to wait a day - the update will start rolling today.
After the roll-out to the Nexus line-up, the latest Android release will be seeded to the Google Play Editions of Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One. We got no time frame for that, but we were promised it will be happening soon.
The Android 4.3 Jelly Bean software update will be available over-the-air (OTA) so keep an eye for that notification.
Android 4.3 has officially been announced – it's been in the wild on Google Play Edition devices for a while, but the unveiling was put off for today. So, what's new? Well, 4.3 is a minor upgrade so it brings minor improvements and refines the user experience, rather than delivering game-changing features.
Multi-user support was introduced in 4.2 and it's updated in 4.3 with the new restricted profiles. A restricted profile can limit what content and apps can be used – even limit in-app stuff like what levels of a game can be played.
The suite of stock apps has been updated - Hangouts now officially replaces Talk and Keep is available out of the box. The Drive, Chrome and Maps applications have been revamped too.
The way Android handles notifications has been changed too. For one, you can view your notification history. Also, third party apps have access to notifications, which will help smart watches and apps that sync notifications across devices.
There are plenty of changes under the hood too. OpenGL ES 3.0 is now supported (Google presented impressive improvements in 3D game graphics) and the graphics stack should be faster overall. For games, Google unveiled the Google Play Games app, which lets you keep track of what your friends are playing and a leader board of achievements in the game.
Bluetooth 4.0 with Low Energy mode (low power usage and longer range for low-bandwidth accessories like those fitness tracking gadgets) is now supported in stock Android. Before, each maker had to roll its own drivers. Also for Bluetooth, AVRCP 1.3 is supported, meaning the phone can stream metadata about the currently playing song to the wireless speakers (or your car's stereo).
Wi-Fi can be kept on at all times to determine your position, even when you toggle it off.
A new hardware-based encryption for DRM has been added so content providers will be more willing to stream high-quality content. A new Netflix app is among the first to make use of this and streams 1080p video (it's now available in the Play Store).
An Android 4.3 update will be available on Nexus devices from the Galaxy Nexus up (4, 7, 10, you name it). Google Play devices - Galaxy S4 and Nexus One Google Play Edition will get the update soon too.
Google has just unveiled its latest version of Android, an iterative update to Jelly Bean known as Android 4.3 - and HTC is eying it with interest.
Unfortunately, HTC couldn't tell us if or when Android 4.3 would come to the HTC range, nor which handsets would be in line for the update, despite Google itself confirming that the Google Edition HTC One would be getting the update "soon".
But HTC's senior global online communications manager Jeff Gordon told us, "We're reviewing Android 4.3 to see how this update fits into our plans."
HTC Dream
The company hopes to have more info for us soon - and we hope that info will be, "Yeah, sure, we'll be bringing Android 4.3 to the whole line-up... tomorrow!"
Hey, a tech site can dream. Realistically, there'll be a bit of a wait before we see Android 4.3 land on any HTC handsets, likewise Samsung, LG and the rest of the crew.
What we do know is that the new Nexus 7 will be the first new device to come with Android 4.3, while the Neuxs 4, old Nexus 7 and Samsung Galaxy Nexus handsets should be receiving the update from today, with the Google Edition Samsung Galaxy S4 and Google Edition HTC One next in line.
The Google event brought the new Nexus 7 II. It's a 7" tablet running pure Android 4.3 and improves the screen and chipset over the first generation Nexus tablet. The base price is set at $230, a little higher than the $200 (both prices are for the respective 16GB model).
So, what do you get for the extra $30? A 1900 x 1200 screen with 320ppi pixel density (50% more than the first Nexus 7 and more than even the Nexus 10) for one. It's the highest resolution 7" display on a tablet.
You also get the chipset from the Nexus 4 – Snapdragon S4 Pro with quad-core Krait processor at 1.5GHz, 2GB RAM and Adreno 320, a sizable update over the Tegra 3 chipset.
While the display size was kept the same, the new Nexus 7 is smaller. Google and Asus shaved off 1.8mm off the thickness, 2.8mm of the bezels on either sides and reduced the weight by 50g. Google kept well-liked the soft touch back.
There's also a back-facing camera – a 5MP shooter that can also record 1080p video joins the 1.2MP front-facing camera of the first Nexus 7. Other changes include an LED notification light on the front and SlimPort, which means you can get HD video out of the microUSB port.
Other connectivity features are dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 (Android 4.3 adds native support for 4.0 + LE) and NFC. Wireless charging is also supported.
Google announced the Wi-Fi and 4G LTE models of the Nexus 7 from the get go this time around. One device will be able to use 4G from AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, no different versions required.
We're all waiting for the next big iteration of Android to hit us and while we already know it's going to be dubbed Key Lime Pie, it turns out Google isn't quite finished with Jelly Bean as Android 4.3 the next update on the horizon.
Google is currently announcing the changes this new operating system will bring at the moment, so stay tuned to see all the information on the launch of Android 4.3 and the new Nexus 7, as well as any other fancy news.
Here's a round-up of the new features of Android 4.3:
Multi-user ability was added to 4.2, but with the new version you can now customise things on a user level, allowing parental controls and a lock on apps if needed through 'personal spaces'.
Apps have to be optimised to work in this way, but parental control will be much more stringent with the new version of Jelly Bean.
Bluetooth smart technology (Bluetooth low energy as it's also known) is now supported, allowing apps to connect to the low-power sensors that are all the rage in fitness technology these days.
More to follow...
Android 4.3 release date
As we've mentioned Google hasn't officially announced anything on its next version of Android, so we don't have any firm release date just yet.
Many believed that Android 4.3 Jelly Bean would make an appearance at the search giant's annual IO conference which took place in May, but sadly no such announcement was made.
Apparently Android 4.3 was at the Google IO show however, with one reporter claiming he was able to get hands on with the software on a white Nexus 4 - although his prediction that 4.3 Jelly Bean would arrive on June 10 has turned out to be false.
This hasn't stopped the rumours popping up however with many suggesting we will be seeing it sooner rather than later with a July/August launch mooted.
Android 4.3 devices
Google is likely going to treat its own-brand devices to the Android 4.3 update first, with the likes of the Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Nexus 10 and Galaxy Nexus all in line for the new software early doors.
As well as apparently running on a Nexus 4 at Google IO, Android 4.3 was also spotted on another Nexus 4 at Mobile Expo 2013 in Taiwan.
It's supposedly also shown up on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus after some leaked Bluetooth SIG reports from recent tests showed the aging handset being put through its paces once again - possibly because it has a new OS on board.
Some Google employees have also been a little lax when it comes to covering their tracks with another Nexus 4 and a Nexus 7 spotted in server logs running version 4.3.
There's also a suggestion that Android 4.3 will coincide with the release of the Moto X. A preview video showed off a host of new software features that might suggest that the 'Googorola' flagship will tote 4.3.
Android 4.3 upgrades and features
As we've mentioned the Android 4.3 update, if it actually exists, won't bring us a totally new operating system - instead you can expect some minor tweaks here and there.
One area which looks to be getting some serious attention from Google is the camera app, with snaps taken at Mobile Expo in Taiwan claiming to show the new design for Android 4.3.
While icons such as the shutter key and settings appear to be the same, the circular menu has been ditched in favour of an arc towards the bottom of the screen.
Update: Another shot of the camera app has been spied alongside a couple of other screenshots claiming to be from the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean software.
Credit: SamMobile
Update: It looks as though Google will be giving the notification system a bit of love with tweaks to the service allowing apps to access notifications with the ability to read, dismiss and activate buttons on them.
Other than that news on new features is thin on the ground, but we'll be updating this article when we hear more.
Exactly a week ago, Google announced its Android event in San Francisco, inviting us all to have breakfast with Sundar Pichai. Now, the day has come and in a traditional Google fashion, the event will be streamed live on YouTube for your viewing pleasure.
And just like we always do in these kind of situations, you can watch it right here without the need to leave your favorite site.
Sundar Pichai is most certainly going to talk about the leaked Android 4.3 and reveal the rest of its features. You can see what we know so far by watching our Google Play Store Samsung Galaxy S4 edition hands-on and by reading its review.
The second-generation ASUS Nexus 7 is also going to debut at the show. It has leakednumeroustimes and is even available for pre-order at Best Buy. Even though it won't be able to offer much in terms of surprises, it'll be interesting to see the new Nexus 7 in the flesh running the latest version of Android.
Strap yourself in and feel the Gs (credit: @evleaks)
The LG G2 is coming. The Korean manufacturer has gone so far as to confirm the name of the handset and the event that it will be launched at.
Couple that with the plethora of leaks which have surrounded the handset, originally dubbed the Optimus G2, and there's very little left to actually find out about LG's next flagship smartphone.
Following on from the Optimus G and Optimus G Pro, the G2 will take its place at the top of LG's mobile lineup and it's hoped it will get a bigger global rollout than its rather Asia-orientated predecessors.
We've pulled together the most coherent news and rumours from around the web to bring you an overview of what you might be able to expect from the LG G2.
LG G2 release date and price
LG has been giddy over its G2 launch event, failing to contain its excitement and blurting out that it will be showing off the flagship handset on August 7 in New York.
Having spelled out the name of the handset and the launch date, we're still a little unclear on the LG G2 release date, although rumours point towards a late August/early September launch.
Pricing is equally as elusive at the moment, but taking a look a the specs below the G2 will probably be going head to head with the HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4, Nokia Lumia 1020 and iPhone 5 - so expect to be shelling out a lot.
LG G2 display
The LG G2 is a flagship device which means it's going to be sporting a pretty big display with a juicy resolution to really show off.
Various leaks have pointed towards a 5-inch, full HD screen and apparently it's cued up to sport a super thin bezel, which should keep the dimensions somewhat under control.
However more recent reports have suggested that the screen may actually be slightly larger, with a couple of leaks pitching 5.2 inches as the display size.
Resolution is thought to be a pin-sharp 1920 x 1080, putting the G2 in line with other full HD handsets such as the Sony Xperia Z and Galaxy S4.
LG G2 processor
You can expect to find a pretty meaty processor packed inside the LG G2, with a 1.7GHz quad-core chip appearing as an early leader in the leaks.
Another report claims there will be a number of variants of the G2, with some packing 2GHz chips and others a more tame 1.5GHz option.
There's also been the suggestion that the G2 could even pack a punchy 2.3GHz quad-core processor, which would deliver some serious power - so in short the speed is still up in the air.
What seems to be staying consistent throughout all the chatter however is the RAM, which has been listed as 2GB pretty much everywhere.
LG G2 operating system
With Android 4.3 all but confirmed and featuring on the new Nexus 7 2 tablet, the LG G2 is really set up to roll off the production line with the latest version of Google's operating system, or so you may think.
Storage is another important aspect on today's smartphones and the LG G2 should sport a respectable 32GB of internal space - although some of that will be taken up by the Android OS. There's no word currently on any microSD slot.
Battery life is always a concern with the highly powered, large screened, full HD handsets and early reports pointing towards a 3000mAh power pack look to be a little optimistic.
More recently, images have popped up apparently confirming a 2540mAh battery for the G2, which is a touch smaller than the Galaxy S4 but bigger than the HTC One - with the added bonus of also being removable.
If the G2 is to go head to head with the Galaxy S4, Xperia Z and Lumia 1020 it will need to have a half decent camera, and a 13MP snapper should fit the bill.
Back it up (credit: @evleaks)
A little design quirk which looks almost certain to be on the LG G2 are a couple of buttons on the rear of the device, just below the camera lens.
From various photo leaks these keys appear to be replacing the traditional volume rocker switch usually found on the side of smartphones.
There's even a video online claiming to show the LG G2 in all its glory - back buttons and all.
The LG G2 just can't stay off camera these days, and its latest batch of photos not only shows the device, but also confirms the capacity of its battery. LG has fitted the G2 with a 2,610mAh juice pack that is user-removable. This means you'll be able to carry a spare and keep on using the device for those extra long spells away from chargers.
The 5.2" 1080p display shown in one of the photos certainly look the part. The company has ditched hardware keys in favor of software ones, which will have a transparent background. LG has given the status bar the same treatment.
The LG G2 is expected to be powered by the Snapdragon 800 chipset with a 2.3 GHz quad-core Krait 400 processor and 2GB of RAM. At the back, you can spot the 13MP optically stabilized camera with LED flash and the volume rocker around it. It'll be interesting to experience how the unique volume rocker placement would feel once we get some personal time with the device.
The company just posted the second teaser for its upcoming flagship and the New York event where it'll be announced. Be sure to tune in on August 7 to find out the full LG G2 details.
The BlackBerry A10 is a bigger screen replacement of the current Z10 flagship. Specs that leaked earlier this month tell us it will pack a 5" AMOLED display with 720p resolution and a dual-core Krait processor at 1.7GHz (up from 1.5GHz, but it's the same chipset). The battery has seen a massive 1,000mAh bump to 2,800mAh, but other than that it's mostly the same as the Z10.
BlackBerry A10
A new video (again from Taiwan) plus a whole bunch of photos give a quick hardware tour of a working BlackBerry A10. As can be expected, it's taller and wider than a Z10 (which has a 4.2" screen). The back panel seems to made of Motorola RAZR-like Kevlar material and is removable.
While the battery is not accessible, there are some helpful labels under there, which confirm the specs from the leaked slide. The A10 is 9.4mm thick, a hair thicker than the Z10, and has a metal frame under the back cover.
BlackBerry A10 compared to the Z10
The BlackBerry A10 was running BB OS 10.2, but there are no immediately noticeable changes to the UI over 10.1. The unit bears an AT&T logo on its back.
Unfortunately, there's still no info on when the BlackBerry A10 will launch.
Mobile by Sainsbury's, the supermarket's Vodafone-partnered network, has launched today, hoping to entice you with some tasty pay as you go deals.
The handsets on offer aren't anything to write home about but the SIM deals do look pretty good. The Basic bundle gives you 8p per minute calls, 4p texts and 50p for 25MB of data per day.
Then there are three 30-day options - £10, £15, and £20 - all with varying minutes and data, but with unlimited texts across the board.
Plus, you get Nectar points when you top up. Just like on Tesco Mobile but, you know, totally different.
Life's good - just don't worry about the bank balance
It's financial results season again, a chance for all the tech companies to insist that everything is fine and we're doing just as well as our competitors thank you very much and hope against hope that no one looks too closely at the actual results.
LG is busy crowing that it shipped a record number smartphones (12.1 million) between April and June 2013, but it's keeping its dip in profits compared to last year couched in fluffy language.
So while the company's net profit of US$139.04m is "down slightly from the same period last year" it also "improved significantly" from the previous quarter.
The previous quarter being January to March, the quarter in which nobody really buys anything.
Anyway...
The mobile division itself has done fairly well out of that 12.1 million smartphone record: operating profit was up compared to last year but down from the first three months of this year because of "weaker demand in the Korean market".
It's expecting that the LG G Pro and LG G2 will revive things, as well as pinning its hopes on mass-market phones like the L-Series and F-Series.
Over in LG's home entertainment division (TVs, Blu-ray players and their ilk) operating profits of $95.37m were up compared to the first quarter, which LG thinks is down to "stronger sales in developing markets" and "successful new models". Three cheers.
But the division's income is down compared to last year's figures because of weak demand and intense competition which in turn meant LG had to opt for lower than average selling prices.
It's hoping that investing in bigger screen TVs and Ultra HD and OLED sets will pull it out of the slump.
Don't worry though, there's still cash coming in from the Home Appliance and air conditioning sides of things, both sections reported record highs.
With just about everyone announcing their all-too-exciting financials right now, EE has come out to predict a bright future for 4G.
The network announced it has doubled the rate at which it signed up 4G customers in the second financial quarter compared to the first three months of the year, with some 687,000 people now on the high speed service.
According to the company, 56% of those buying or upgrading with EE are now opting for either 4G contracts or 4G-ready phones. While it's a positive sign, the 687,000 figure means that still only around 2.5% of its customers are on LTE.
EE now covers almost 60% of the country and the network is planning to push that up to 98% by the end of 2014, while aiming for a cool million customers on 4G by the same time.
Keep rolling, rolling, rolling
To coincide with these celebrations, EE also announced that it's rolling out its 4G LTE network to 10 new UK towns.
So if you happen to live in Altrincham, Bedford, Camberley, Crawley, Farnborough, Farnham, Maidstone, Rochdale, Tonbridge or Welwyn Garden City, 4G will be available in your area starting today. You lucky things.
But wait, there's more! EE continues to push out its double speed 4G, adding Belfast, Newcastle and Southampton to its ultrafast lineup.
LG has just published its financial report for Q2 of the year and it shows an increase in both sales and profit over the previous quarter.
Overall sales for the period were $13.58 billion, up 8% quarter-over-quarter and 110.1% year-over-year. Profit stood at $426.92 million, which compares favorably to the $113.86 million for Q1 of 2013, but falls $43.1 million short over the same period of 2012.
The Mobile Communications division of the company has posted a profit of $54.77 million from $2.78 billion in sales. That's a 2.7% fall quarter-over-quarter, but a huge 34.5% jump from Q2 2012.
LG sold a total of 12.1 million smartphones - over two times more than it managed to sell for the same period last year and 17% more than the last quarter. The boost was helped by strong sales of L-series II and F-series smartphones.
However, it's not all good news for the Koreans, as demand in their domestic market has weakened. The average sale price of the smartphones has declined too, due to the "intensified competition" as well as the increase of marketing expenses.
Nevertheless, LG is optimistic about its Q3 2013 performance and expects to extend its smartphone market share boosted by its LTE handsets. In order to stay full of fight, the company has posted its plan to strengthen its product competitiveness in the premium segment with the launch of the G2, while maintaining the great sales of the mass-aimed L-series II and F-series.
A rather detailed look at what is allegedly the new budget-range iPhone model has surfaced. Before you get too excited, though, keep in mind that it is only the plastic back panel of the device.
In terms of design, the device looks to be hybrid between the Apple 3GS and the iPod Touch 5th gen. Judging by the case, it'll be slightly thicker than the iPhone 5, and while the plastic construction lacks the premium feel of most recent Apple devices, it should prove to be less prone to damage.
Recently, the slew of budget iPhone leaks lost some credibility in light of some sites buying unrelated iPhone back panels from China - and even fake iPhone 5Ss - and playing them off as the real thing. The fact that Apple has vehemently denied the development of a budget range iPhone model of any kind doesn't help either, so take this latest leak with more than the usual grain of salt.
