Apple working on a 5.7-inch iOS phablet

According to an article posted on the Japanese version of Yahoo news, Apple plans to announce a whole new series of "big sized" iPhones, carrying a display of 5.7" or larger. These aren't to be confused with the iPhone 6, which has a planned official release date of September. The "Big iPhone" is expected to be announced in May.

Under the hood, the Apple phablet probably won't be powered by the upcoming rumored A8 chipset, but the A7 that the iPhone 5S currently employs.

These rumors suddenly gain more credence when we consider the reported bigger iPad Pro that is supposed to go public in March. Also, one of the main things that the Android flagships have over the iPhone, it's screen size. It could be that Apple wants to try and nab up the market share that it has been missing out on. A phablet iOS device could very well help towards rebuilding the company's market share.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_may_release_their_own_57_phablet-news-7484.php

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Snapdragon 805-powered Sony Sirius to come at CES

As we enter the cycle of next generation flagship products, rumors surrounding the new smartphones are coming in thick and fast. Sony is said to be planning to launch two flagship devices this year and one of them is rumored to show up at CES 2014, which kicks off in only two days.

Sony's alleged flagship smartphone is codenamed Sirius and if the rumors are to be trusted, the device will sport a 5.2-inch display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels along with Snapdragon 805 chipset. Furthermore, the smartphone is very likely to come out with 3GB of RAM, 20.7 megapixel rear camera with the company's G lens, Android 4.4 KitKat and a 3,500mAh battery.

The other smartphone that is scheduled to take up the flagship responsibility later in May this year is codenamed as Canopus. Unfortunately, there is no word on the potential hardware specs of the device at the moment.

We will be bringing you all the latest happenings from the Consumer Electronics Show live, so check back with us to know more about what Sony has got in its store.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/snapdragon_805_powered_sony_sirius_to_come_at_ces_-news-7483.php

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David Cameron's posh boys school blocks Snapchat over sexting fears

No more Snapchat for you m'laddo (except on mobile data) (credit: Eton)

It must get a little lonely at the boys-only, £35,000-a-year Eton College, so you can't blame the young squires for seeking a little female comfort through the occasional Snapchat message.

However the headmaster at the exclusive private school, which David Cameron and half of his inner circle attended, has insisted illicit exchanges of photos will not be taking place on its Wi-Fi network.

"Boys can still use it via the 3G phone network, but we hope that blocking it on our network will, at least, make them think twice," Tony Little told the Telegraph.

So now it all fits into place! No wonder the PM so consumed by his mission to cleanse the nation of indecent online content (unless we tell him we want to look at it first).

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Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/software/applications/david-cameron-s-posh-boys-school-blocks-snapchat-over-sexting-fears-1212173

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Beats sale (just about) keeps HTC in the black amid falling smartphone sales

The One range hasn't clicked with consumers despite rave reviews

HTC may have churned out some top handsets in the 2013, but the critical success of the HTC One range isn't translating into the big sales the company became accustomed to during the first Android boom.

The company just posted its financial results for the last three years of 2013 and although HTC narrowly avoided a second consecutive quarterly loss, the figures do not make particularly pleasant reading.

The company eked out a $10m (around £6.1m, AU$11.1m) net profit for the quarter, on revenue of $1.4 billion (about £850m, AU$1.15bn), Reuters reports, falling below the modest expectations.

However, the firm only managed to stay in positive numbers but only due to sale of its remaining shares in Beats Audio, which netted the company a one-off payment of $85m (around £51m, AU$95m).

Fall from grace

The company's fall from grace has been marked by a sharp decline in sales as Samsung continues to dominate the Android handset market.

Recent numbers suggest HTC now owns just a 2.2 per cent share of the smartphone market, down from 10.3 per cent two years ago and handset sales have now fallen in 9 successive quarters.

The company has made various efforts to bring about change with the replacement of top executives and an expensive new advertising campaign starring Robert Downey Jnr, but it's made little difference.

The launch of the highly-rated HTC One Max brought hope ahead of the Christmas sales period, but it appears the larger handset hasn't grabbed punters either.

The Taiwanese company, now valued at just $4 billion, will now pin its hopes on the eagerly-anticipated sequel device the so-called HTC One-Two, which may arrive as soon as MWC next month.

• Sell a few of these and HTC will be back in business...

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/beats-sale-just-about-keeps-htc-in-the-black-amid-falling-smartphone-sales-1212169

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Beats sale helps HTC turn to profit in Q4

HTC posted its Q4 report and the numbers are worse than expected with the company’s struggles in the market continuing. The Taiwanese recorded a second successive quarter of operating loss, bleeding $52 million through its core business.

However, the sale of its stake in Beats, helped bring the bottom number in the black. Net profit stood at $10 million, which is better than the $99.9 million lost in the previous quarter, but short of analyst estimates of $24.3 million in profit. The number is also significantly lower than it was in Q4 of 2012 - $34 million.

Even more alarmingly, revenues continue to slide down, suggesting that HTC continues to lose market share. The company manage to bring in only $1.43 billion, compared to $1.6 billion in the previous quarter.

A drop in sale during the holiday quarter, when demand for mobile phones is a clear indication that HTC’s 2013 lineup hasn’t lived up to the market expectations. The company will have to work hard to turn things around in 2014, but we really hope it succeeds and gets back in the game.

Source | Via 1 | Via 2

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/beats_sale_helps_htc_turn_to_profit_in_q4-news-7482.php

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