Samsung's latest accessories include ultrasonic cover, print-reading stand

The Core gets more Advanced

Samsung is introducing three new accessibility-oriented accessories for the Galaxy Core Advance made specifically to help the disabled or visually impaired.

The first, and perhaps most impressive, of the three is an Ultrasonic Cover that uses sound waves to detect people and objects ahead of the user.

It's nowhere near a bat(man)'s echolocation, but it can send out obstruction-sensing sound waves up to two-meters away.

After detecting an object, the cover will inform visually impaired users if they're getting close through vibration and spoken alerts.

Ultrasonic detection to help the blind

Smartphone, tell me a story

Another accessory Samsung announced for its low cost smartphone was the Optical Scan Stand. It's essentially a scanner set on a stand that reads any printed materials passing in front of its sensor.

Once the user taps the Optical Scan application on the Core Advance, the device will automatically recognize and read the text out loud.

The Optical Scan Stand was defintiely made for home use

Samsung's last little helper is called the Voice Label, which allows the user to identify objects with their phone and make notes or tag voice labels to them.

Voice labeling works with all NFC-enabled electronics and it's meant to help the visually impaired with distinguishing their devices and recording a short explanation on how to use them.

The new Galaxy Core Advance accessories are already available and Samsung noted it has plans to expand the accessibility to its other Galaxy devices in the future.

• Samsung's new flagship smartphone is here; see our hands on with the Galaxy S5

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/samsung-adds-an-ultrasonic-cover-to-the-galaxy-core-advance-1234097

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OnePlus One design sketches suggest aluminum unibody

OnePlus One just can't stay away from the public ahead of its announcement. The upcoming flagship is a regular in our news section both via officially shared information and various leaks.

Today's leak spills the beans on the One's design and build materials. According to the sketches the OnePlus One will be using a unibody aluminum shell. You can check its alleged design below.

The leaked OnePlus One sketches (click to expand)

The OnePlus newborn company is composed primarily of former Oppo employees. It is designing a top-notch smartphone with a 5.5" 1080p display with some of the thinnest bezels we've seen so far - a previous leak suggested the OnePlus One can disappear completely behind the 5" Xperia Z1. The One will run on the snappy Snapdragon 800 chipset and will cost less than $400.

The OnePlus One should go official on March 16, so we'll know everything very soon.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/oneplus_one_design_sketches_suggest_aluminum_unibody-news-8038.php

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Samsung adds an ultrasonic cover to the Galaxy Core Advance

Ultrasonic detection to help the blind

Samsung is introducing three new accessibility-oriented accessories for the Galaxy Core Advance made specifically to help the disabled or visually impaired.

The first, and perhaps most impressive, of the three accessories is an Ultrasonic Cover that uses sound waves to detect people and objects ahead of the users. It's nowhere near a bat(man)'s echolocation but it can send out obstruction sensing sound waves up two-meters away.

After detecting an object, the cover will inform visually impaired users if they're getting close though vibration and spoken alerts.

Smartphone, tell me a story

The Optical Scan Stand was defintiely made for home use

Another accessory Samsung announced for its low cost smartphone was the Optical Scan Stand. The accessory is essentially a scanner set on a stand that reads any printed materials passing in front of its sensor.

Once the user taps on the Optical Scan application on Galaxy Core Advance the device will automatically recognize and read the text out loud.

Samsung's last little helper another accessory is called the Voice Label, which allows the user to identify objects with their phone and make notes or tag voice labels to them. Voice labeling works with all NFC-enabled electronics and it's meant to help the visually impaired with distinguish their devices and recording a short explanation on how to use them.

The new Galaxy Core Advance accessories are already available and Samsung noted it has plans to expand the accessibility of its other Galaxy devices in the future.

• Samsung's new flagship smartphone is here; see our hands on with the Galaxy S5

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/portable-devices/other-devices/samsung-adds-an-ultrasonic-cover-to-the-galaxy-core-advance-1234097

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Blackberry Kopi reappears on the radar, but will it ever see the light of day?

Guess who's back? (What do you mean you'd never heard of it to begin with?) (credit: Weibo)

Last we heard about the BlackBerry device codenamed 'Kopi' reports claimed it and its 'Cafe' stablemate had been cancelled by new CEO John Chen amid plans to re-evaluate future handset launches

Now, a few months on from those prophecies of doom, the qwerty-packing device has reappeared on the radar thanks to new leaked pics unearthed from Chinese social Weibo by the N4BB side.

Thought to the an entry-level device, sitting between the BlackBerry Q5 and the Q10 devices, although with a slighter squarer form factor, the K-Series 'Kopi' phone was thought to be arriving this month.

Not a lot was known about the handset, prior to BlackBerry's rumoured redaction, but a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 processor had also been tipped.

Kopi lives?

Whether BlackBerry still has plans to launch this device, as it continues an apparent transition away from devices and into services, and in what markets remains to be seen.

According to the N4BB report, the device is 'still making it's way to BlackBerry partners,' so perhaps the firm is testing the waters ahead of a potential release later this year.

• BlackBerry CEO John Chen: 'BB10 is difficult to learn'

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/blackberry-kopi-reappears-on-the-radar-but-will-it-ever-see-the-light-of-day--1234079

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Nokia X scores 1 million pre-orders in China

Nokia's first Android smartphone, the Nokia X has been the talk of the town ever since its introduction at this year's Mobile World Congress. The Nokia X has already gone on sale in countries like India and Malaysia and the device was available for pre-ordering in China.

Nokia has taken to its Weibo account to reveal that the pre-orders for the Nokia X smartphone in China have already reached 1 million in just about 4 days. The Finnish company isn't making any predictions for the overall sales figure in China, but the firm is confident of capturing a fair share of Chinese market with its latest affordable offering.

Nokia X will begin to ship across the country on March 25, so there are still few weeks to go before we get to know the final pre-order figures.

If you are wondering what the Nokia X is all about, then do check our hands on impressions of the forked Android Nokia device to know more about it.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_x_scores_1_million_preorders_in_china-news-8035.php

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Europe inches closer to a universal phone charger

Apple could be forced to ditch the Lightning cable

There's been talk of bringing in a universal phone charger across Europe for years now, but the project just took a leap forward as Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted in favour of the scheme this week.

That doesn't mean it's a done deal, but it's another step in the right direction for those sick of needing a million different wires and connectors for the household's various portable devices.

If Europe's council of ministers approve the legislation, it will force all phone manufacturers to use the same charger - most likely micro USB - for all smartphones by 2017.

Apple flavour

Many phone makers are already down with the micro USB connector, but Apple, which signed on to the scheme some years ago, is still rocking its own Lightning connector.

It hasn't made any kind of response to this week's news yet but it has said in the past that it will not change its actual smartphones - rather it will provide an adapter in order to comply with the ruling in Europe.

• Why are phone batteries still so crap?

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/europe-inches-closer-to-a-universal-phone-charger-1233981

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Samsung Galaxy S5 to launch on March 27 in Malaysia

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S5 during the MWC in Barcelona last month. The flagship is going to become available internationally on April 11. As it turns out though some markets may be getting the Galaxy S5 even earlier.

The three biggest carriers in Malaysia have already confirmed they will be offering the Samsung Galaxy S5 on contract once it becomes officially available. It seems the date has been just recently cleared out as well - March 27. Or at least that's what the latest teaser picture suggest.

There is no info on whether March 27 is the date the carriers will begin taking pre-orders for the April 11 launch, or it is the actual release date for the Malaysian market. Without additional details we'll have to believe it is the official premiere date for Malaysia.

If March 27 launch is indeed true, then maybe other countries will be getting the Galaxy S5 ahead of the international launch as well. We'll be following closely this case and report immediately after new information on the subject gets out.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s5_may_launch_on_march_27_in_malaysia-news-8034.php

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Samsung CEO denies a more premium Galaxy S5 in the works

The rumors about an upcoming premium version of the newly announced Galaxy S5 flagship has emerged shortly after the official premiere. The new model was rumored to pack a 4K display and a metal body.

In 2013 we saw similar rumors about an upcoming Galaxy F lineup that was supposed to replace the Galaxy S top models. The Galaxy F was also rumored to ditch the plastic panels in favor of metal. So one thing led to another and the alleged premium Galaxy S5 version began to be referred as the first Galaxy F model.

Well, if you hoped for such an upgrade, Samsung's CEO J.K. Shin says there are no plans of launching a more premium model of the Galaxy S5. The one thing we could expect though is a new Galaxy Note model this fall.

So, if we are to trust J.K. Shin, the Galaxy F/Galaxy S5 premium is indeed just a fans' daydream. After all there is not a single leaked piece of info revealing pictures, specs, or details about such a device.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_ceo_denies_a_premium_galaxy_s5_is_in_the_works-news-8033.php

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Premium Samsung Galaxy S5 dreams dashed as CEO says no

Plastic it is then

In the run up to the Samsung Galaxy S5 launch several rumours suggested the Korean firm would release two variants of the flagship smartphone, one of which would be a premium metal-clad offering. Sadly however, that appears to be false.

Korean site KBench is reporting that Samsung CEO J.K. Shin has told the media that it won't be producing a premium model of the Galaxy S5 - a handset which was referred to as the "Galaxy F Series" in various rumours.

Design is still an area of contention for Samsung's high-end smartphones as it prefers to use plastic over more premium materials such as glass and metal.

This gives the likes of the iPhone 5S, Sony Xperia Z2 and potentially the upcoming all new HTC One an advantage as they can garner interest from consumers with their sleek looks.

Take Note

Shin did hint that the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 would be arriving in the second half of 2014 - hardly a surprise as the Korean firm has kept a tight annual schedule on its phablet reboots.

Will the Galaxy Note 4 sport an all-metal body? Well Shin didn't provide any more details, and we'd think it's unlikely - but not totally out of the question.

• Check out our hands on Samsung Galaxy S5 review

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/premium-samsung-galaxy-s5-dreams-dashed-as-ceo-says-no-1233878

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Samsung Galaxy S5 Zoom to have a 19MP camera, 4.8" screen

Samsung is going forward with the Zoom line of camera phones – the Galaxy S5 Zoom has arrived at the GFXBench database, revealing several key specs. The device has the model number SM-C115 and has been in testing since earlier this year.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 Zoom has a 19MP main camera that can record 1080p video, at least that's what the benchmark managed to detect. There's a front-facing 2MP / 1080p camera too.

The camera / phone hybrid also has a 4.8" 720p screen, probably a Super AMOLED. It's powered by a Samsung Exynos 5 Hexa chipset, the same as in the Galaxy Note 3 Neo. The GFXBench detected a 1.3GHz clockspeed, which should be the four Cortex-A7 cores. The two Cortex-A15s run at 1.7GHz. The chipset also packs 2GB RAM and a Mali-624 GPU.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 Zoom ran Android 4.4.2 and by the looks of it, it will have 16GB of built-in storage with a big chunk reserved for the OS and TouchWiz. The device will feature NFC connectivity and, of course, a SIM card slot. We're betting on a microSD card slot too.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/galaxy_s5_zoom_to_have_a_19mp_camera_48_720p_screen-news-8032.php

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Here's how the iPhone 6 should look

A glimpse into the future?

Now that Sony and Samsung have set the smartphone pace for 2014, all eyes are on Apple.

But we're not ones for waiting around so we've put together a concept video of the iPhone 6 based on rumours and our own wishlist for what the handset will look like. Something like this, please Apple. Please?

When it comes to the design, some fans will cry, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" But the fact remains that the iPhone has stuck to a very similar look throughout its existence, with arguably the only notable evolution being the one between the 3GS and iPhone 4.

Regardless of whether you love or loathe the iPhone's looks, Apple needs to stay fresh if it hopes to stay ahead of the game. With the Cupertino firm remaining understandably hush-hush on its next iPhone outing, we're really hoping for a swish new handset a little like this:

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/here-s-how-the-iphone-6-should-look-1233506

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Alleged images of iOS 8 show new applications

The alleged images of the next iteration of iOS have made an appearance, showing us what the iOS 8 mobile operating system might look like.

According to the leaked screenshots, the iOS 8 will look a lot similar to the current version, featuring square icons with rounded edges. Apart from the design, the image reveals the presence of new applications such as Healthbook, TextEdit, Preview and Tips.

The new apps are said to help users to view, Preview and TextEdit files that are stored in the iCloud. However, these icons seem far from finished as they are basically OS X icons for Preview and TextEdit.

Apple's next generation mobile OS is still months away from being official and we might see a lot of changes through its development cycle. So, take it all with a pinch of salt.

Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/alleged_images_of_ios_8_show_new_applications-news-8031.php

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