HTC M8 to have a Mini sibling with a 4.5-inch display and on-screen buttons?

Like this, but more mini-er

The forthcoming HTC M8, or HTC One 2 as its been coined, hasn't even arrived yet, but there's already word of the inevitable scaled back version for those with smaller pockets.

According to prolific phone leaker @evleaks, the HTC M8 mini will arrive with a 4.5-inch, 720p display. That's up from the 4.3-inch 720p screen that headlined the HTC One Mini.

There's also an improvement in the processing department, with a 1.4GHz Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor, supposedly on-board. The current HTC One Mini also rocked the Snapdragon 400, but with only two cores.

Interestingly, the leakster claims the M8 Mini will have also have the on-screen buttons speculation suggests will be present on the full-size device.

Yeah, M8

In the camera department Mr. Leaks reckons there are 13-megapixel and 5-megapixel ensemble to be found on the HTC M8 Mini, while the HTC Sense 6.0 UI may also be along for the party.

Traditionally, the likes of HTC and Samsung have given it a few months before outing the smaller versions of their flagship handsets and we'd expect that to be the case this time also.

However, given this information is out there at this state, it's not out of the realms of possibility that HTC could launch both handset's simultaneously.

If HTC does indeed launch a handset branded 'Mini' at 4.5-inches, what does that mean for the iPhone which maxes out at a dinky 4-inches?

• HTC One 2: Should Samsung be worried?

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/htc-m8-to-have-a-mini-sibling-with-a-4-5-inch-display-and-on-screen-buttons--1222945

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Samsung Windows Phone, “Huron” confirmed for Verizon

Looks like the FCC spilled the beans on the Samsung Huron. The Verizon bound Windows Phone's model number is SM-W750V, and it will carry Verizon's LTE bands. This means that the phone will most likely be released soon.

The FCC report doesn't detail much about the phone, save that it will have dual-band WiFi, Global 3G antennas, Bluetooth, and NFC.

Evleaks released some information regarding the aesthetics of the device: expect the Huron to look like a Galaxy S4. It's safe to assume that a lot of the same hardware features on the S4 will make an appearance on the Huron as well: 2GB RAM, 13MP primary camera, Quad-Core CPU, and a 5” 1080x1920 display.

The Huron will certainly be filling a niche in Verizon's Windows Phone roster. Big Red has WP handsets, but nothing that can really be considered high-end, or anywhere near the level that the Huron is promising.

The only phone on Verizon's network that can contend with the Huron in specs will be the upcoming Nokia ICON 929; with its 20MP Pureview camera and 5-inch 1080p display, Windows Phone loving Verizon customers will have some pretty interesting choices lined up in the near future.

Any Verizon customers here excited for the Huron?

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_windows_phone_huron_confirmed_for_verizon-news-7772.php

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Lenovo announces A628T with 5" screen in China

Lenovo has officially taken wraps of its A628T mid-range smartphone in China. With the newest addition, the company will be looking to attract young audiences during the Valentine's Day sales in the country.

Lenovo A628T sports a 5-inch display with a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels. The smartphone is powered by a quad-core MediaTek MT6582M processor along with 512 MB of RAM. The other hardware specs include a 5 megapixel rear camera with LED flash, 2 megapixel front facing shooter and 4 GB of internal memory with the ability to expand it via microSD card.

The mid-range smartphone has dual-SIM slots and runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Lastly, the juice for the device comes from a 2,000mAh battery. Lenovo A628T is available in bright red color option from China Mobile, but there is no word on how much it costs.

Source (Chinese)

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/lenovo_a628t_with_5_screen_goes_official_in_china-news-7771.php

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iOS 7.1 update will allegedly release in March

Apple's upcoming and anticipated iOS 7.1 update will be arriving in March, according to 9to5Mac. Apple released the fifth beta to developers earlier this week and hopefully the GM will be out soon.

iOS 7.1 is expected to bring several changes across the board to the OS. A lot of them are UI changes, such as a new dialer, redesigned Slide to Unlock UI, redesigned Caps Lock and Backspace keys on keyboard, ability to remove parallax effect on wallpaper without disabling all motion effects, and a few other tweaks here and there.

Apple has also improved performance compared to the current 7.0.4. On the new iPads, for example, the latest beta is a lot smoother, to the point where it's hard to tell which is the beta and which is the stable release. There are also going to be the usual bug fixes.

Hopefully, the update comes out soon as iOS 7 is in need of some fixing in its current version.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/ios_71_update_will_allegedly_release_in_march-news-7770.php

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Sony rolls out firmware update for Xperia Z, ZL and ZR

Sony has started rolling out firmware update for the Xperia Z, ZL and ZR smartphones. This update is based upon Android 4.3 and brings with it several improvements to Bluetooth connectivity, battery, YouTube app and other software.

firmware rolling for #Xperia Z, ZL & ZR (Tablet Z eta next week) – brings BT connectivity, battery, YouTube app improvements & more

— Sony Xperia News (@SonyMobileNews) February 7, 2014

The update will soon be available for the Xperia Tablet Z as well, with the ETA to be announced some time next week.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_rolls_out_firmware_update_for_xperia_z_zl_and_zr-news-7769.php

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2014 week 6 in review: the news that you might have missed

This week saw several major shifts in the tech world, the repercussions of which will be felt for years to come, even if they will barely have an impact on this year's mobile world. The rumor mill has also been quite busy with talk of the flagships from major smartphone vendors as the MWC is approaching.

Undoubtedly the biggest news to break this week is that Microsoft's prolonged search for a CEO came to a successful end. After many outsiders (from Nokia, Ford and elsewhere) were pointed to as front-runners, Microsoft's own Satya Nadella received the nod. He was previously in charge of Microsoft's cloud division, but in his first email to employees he specifically called out mobile as a field of huge importance.

Another massive change awaits the PC and mobile business – Sony sold its famous VAIO line of computers to Japan Industrial Partners and announced it will be focusing on mobile instead. The mobile division has been doing quite well recently, selling 10.7 million Xperia smartphones in a quarter. This continues a streak of improvement over several quarters.

Few interesting devices went official this week as everyone is holding their cards close to the chest, waiting for the MWC to start. Samsung sent out invites for its Unpacked event with a conspicuous 5, which probably points to a Galaxy S5 announcement.

A Galaxy S5 prototype was allegedly benchmarked, while the Galaxy S5 Zoom may have started testing of its own.

Only one phone was the target of more leaks than the S5 and that was the HTC M8, the successor to the HTC One. A photo of the back (with two cameras) leaked followed by images of the front. However, an HTC regional director discredited those as fakes. Then there's the screenshot of the homescreen featuring the new Sense UI, the authenticity of this one has yet to be questioned.

LG will undoubtedly be at the MWC, but the company won't wait that long to unveil its new LG G Pro 2 phablet flagship. The phablet will have a camera with OIS and 4K video recording and will be unveiled on February 13.

Windows Phone will be at the MWC too and we might even see the Samsung W750V Huron running Windows Phone 8.1. Then again, the device is headed to Verizon so it might get a US launch instead. By the way, rumor has it Windows Phone 8.1 will feature a notification center.

This week saw the introduction of several color versions of existing devices: the Red Nexus 5, Deep Black and Rose Gold options for the Galaxy S4 LTE-A in Korea and the Red and Rose Gold versions of the Galaxy Note 3 in the UK.

Samsung also put the massive Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 tablet on pre-order in the US. If you're in the US you might also want to look into Nokia and Microsoft's promotions that try to push you to their products. You can get $250 for an old (but working) smartphone or tablet. Or you could trade your iPhone 4/4s or Galaxy S2 for a free Lumia 1020 or 1520 (on contract).

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/2014_week_6_in_review_the_news_that_you_might_have_missed-news-7765.php

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Nokia teases WP announcement, is it the Lumia 929 Icon?

Nokia US has posted an interesting teaser video on its YouTube account, asking if we’ve heard what’s coming. The short clip ends with the Windows Phone logo, giving away the nature of the upcoming announcement, but we didn’t get a specific date for it.

Given the number of times the Nokia Lumia 929 Icon has leaked, it’s very hard to look beyond it when searching for the possible device behind this teaser. The handset and its rumored PureView branding also align nicely with the message of the video – “See and hear what you’ve been missing”. The high-resolution cameras and wide dynamic range microphones used in PureView device are have been the center to a lot of Nokia promo campaigns.

Previous rumors pointed to a launch on February 5 or March 5 for the Nokia Lumia 929 Icon. The first of those dates has obviously passed now, but an announcement in the next few days would come just in time for a market release in the beginning of March.

We’ll keep our eyes peels and bring you all the details about whatever Nokia is going to announce.

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_teases_wp_announcement_is_it_the_lumia_929_icon-news-7768.php

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