Asus is set to launch the 4.3-inch PadFone mini next week

Will the PadFone mini look like the PadFone Infinity... but smaller? Is that all that will change?

While most companies are wrapping up and preparing for the holiday season, Asus looks to be busy getting ready to launch the PadFone mini next week on December 11.

Invites have gone out for a media event in Taipei, Taiwan, while a listing on the Global Certificate Forum (GCF) has also popped up.

The launch falls in line with Asus CEO Jerry Shen's comments back in September when Asus confirmed that it had been working on the PadFone mini, which we believe will be a miniature version of the smartphone/tablet hybrid PadFone Infinity.

What's in a mini?

Not too much is revealed in the GCF listing, but the PadFone mini is expected to sport a 7-inch tablet coupled with a 4.3-inch smartphone via a docking station, unlike the Infinity's 10-inch tablet and 5-inch smartphone .

The listing does however indicate that the mini only has 3G, though it's strange to think that Asus would forego 4G. Of course, an entirely different model could be announced by Asus next week.

There's also no information yet on how much it'll cost or which markets it will head to, though either way, all will be revealed on December 11.

Via: Engadget

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/asus-is-set-to-launch-the-4-3-inch-padfone-mini-next-week-1205288

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iOS 7 runs on 74 percent of all compatible Apple devices

The latest App Store statistics released by Apple revealed that 74% of all compatible devices now boot iOS 7. The share of the latest OS version is up 10% since October, thus making iOS 7 the fastest adopted release to date.

The numbers from Apple also show that iOS 6 runs on the devices of 22% of all App Store users. The remaining 4% goes to devices running older iOS versions.

The main factors behind the quick adoption rate of iOS 7 are yet to be specified by Apple. The well-received, refreshed iPhone and iPad lineups are certain to have contributed to the quick growth of the iOS 7 share.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/ios_7_runs_on_74_percent_of_all_compatible_apple_devices-news-7320.php

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Another Samsung handset leaks, and this time it's a Windows Phone

Samsung's last Windows Phone was no stunner, but it wasn't bad either

It wasn't so long ago (literally yesterday) that a Samsung phone that may be the Galaxy S5 leaked online, and now a new Samsung Windows Phone handset may have done the same.

A listing for an unnamed and unknown smartphone has appeared on the Indian site Zauba.com.

The model number, SM-W750V, suggests that it's a Windows Phone, and the listing states it has a 5-inch display.

Based on the price per unit listed on the site (33,245), the new Samsung Windows Phone handset (if that's what this is) will cost around $540 (£330, AU$593).

Definitely not for sale

The listing for the new phone describes two shipments, one with 25 units and the other with two.

The site says the phones were sent for the purposes of testing, evaluation, and R&D.

At that price this seems likely to be a high-end device comparable to Samsung's other flagships, though we can't say for sure.

Samsung hasn't announced any new Windows Phone smartphones, but that doesn't mean there aren't any in the works.

We've asked the company whether it has anything to share, and we'll update here if we hear back.

Tinkering with Tizen

The company has become more well known for its popular Android phones like the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 2, but it has Windows Phone devices like the Ativ S under its belt as well.

And given the Korean company's efforts with the open source OS Tizen, it's clear that it doesn't want to get bogged down doing just Android phones forever.

Samsung has so far put Tizen in a camera and a refrigerator, and announced plans for Tizen-powered TVs. But Tizen phones aren't expected to begin arriving until 2014.

• Don't miss TechRadar's holiday gift guide, full of tech and games galore!

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/another-samsung-handset-leaks-and-this-time-it-s-a-windows-phone-1205208

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Is Spotify planning to free mobile music from the shackles of Premium subs?

Free mobile streaming may be imminent

Currently, those wishing to listen to Spotify on their mobile devices, must fork over a monthly subscription fee or settle for customisable radio stations, but that may be about to change a new report has claimed.

The Wall Street Journal brings word from "people familiar the plans" that Spotify plans to offer limited, ad-supported free streaming through mobile apps, as it does on the web and through desktop clients.

According to the report, three major record labels have already signed off on the idea by agreeing new licensing deals.

Aside from that, details are thin on the ground at present, but it's entirely possible, if the report turns out to be credible, Spotify could announce the feature next week at a media event in New York City.

Mates rates?

Elsewhere, it hasn't been the best week for Spotify, PR-wise thanks to its welcomed, but potentially ill-advised scheme to bring some much-needed transparency when it comes to artist payments.

The company said it had paid $1 billion (around £612m, AU$1.1bn) to artists, which translates to as little as $0.006 per play. At that rate, a song needs to be played 166 times before the artist makes a buck.

It's great for Lady Gaga and Katy Perry who's songs get millions of plays. At the time of writing, the latter's Roar, which has been played over 65m times on Spotify single would have made her $392,643.

For the emerging artist who's play count is in the hundreds or thousands? Well they might be able to buy a 6-pack and a pizza for their troubles.

• Opinion: Why Spotify is part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/software/applications/is-spotify-planning-to-free-mobile-music-from-the-shackles-of-premium-subs--1205202

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Nexus 5 camera gets a much needed boost with the Android 4.4.1 update

The Nexus 5's black spot might be finally fixed

The Nexus 5 is a great smartphone in many ways except for its camera. After languishing with a rather lagging snapper, the Nexus 5 is finally getting a camera boost with the Android 4.4.1 KitKat update.

Due to come as an over-the-air update in the next few days, the latest Android update is geared towards fixing and enhancing the Nexus 5's picture taking capabilities. Google's Director of Engineering for Android David Burke told The Verge in an interview that the Nexus 5 shutterbugs should expect a faster camera overall.

Faster shutter speeds could help shutterbugs with shaky hands and subjects (credit: The Verge)

Burke explained that the camera before the update tended to create images focused on better quality over speed. 4.4.1 makes it so the camera fires frames at faster shutter speeds while not relying on optical image stabilization as it does now.

"There's a tendency to say, 'oh, we have this cool thing that stabilizes, so lets make the shutter time longer, reduce the gain even longer, and get better shots," Burke told The Verge. "But while the Nexus 5's optical image stabilization allowed it to get better-than-average shots in low light, in good lighting it just made for frustratingly slow shooting speeds."

Quicker images also might lose a bit of color and detail (credit: The Verge)

Post-update, the Nexus 5 camera will shoot images at faster shutter speeds producing pictures with less motion blur. This comes with the tradeoff of more pixel noise because the camera is probably bumping up the ISO sensitivity to do this. Burke says his team has also improved the camera's autofocus, the exposure, and the white balance.

Snappier

The trade off of faster images could be more noise (credit: The Verge)

On top of improving image quality, the camera app reportedly launches a full second faster. Default Camera app users will also notice a new progress indicator for HDR+ mode to indicate how far photo processing is progressing.

One extra non-camera related thing the 4.4.1 update fixes on the Nexus 5 is the face unlock bug. Currently facial recognition sometimes causes a bug that locks the camera app with a blank white screen, which requires a full device reboot to fix.

9to5google also spotted the Android 4.4.1 KitKat update will be arriving to the Nexus 4 and Nexus 7-inch 2 as well.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/nexus-5-camera-gets-a-much-needed-boost-with-the-android-4-4-1-update-1205163

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Android 4.4.1 KitKat update improves the Nexus 5 camera

Google's Director of Engineering for Android David Burke has told in an interview for The Verge that Android 4.4.1 KitKat update is coming and it's bringing several improvement for the Nexus 5 camera.

He confirmed that the smartphone's camera will now focus faster and will aim to select faster shutter speeds, not relying as heavily on its OIS as it does now.

This means that post-update images produced with the Nexus 5 will have less motion blur and camera shake, but will probably be noisier than they are now. The white balance and exposure algorithms have also reportedly been improved. Check out a comparison shot showing the same photo taken before and after the update.

Besides the improved image quality, the camera app itself will launch quicker, too. In fact, it does so a full second quicker than prior to the update. The app packs a new progress indicator in HDR+ mode, which shows you how the photo processing progresses.

Burke says the update took his team 5 weeks to complete and in that time they've managed to pull off a lot of work. Check out some more comparison shots below. To see more images taken with the new Android 4.4.1 software update for the Nexus 5, check out the source link below.

Comparison shots taken with the Nexus 5 camera

The update is also fixing the face unlock bug of the Nexus 5. Currently, using facial recognition occasionally causes a bug with the camera app, which requires a reboot in order to start running normally.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/android_441_kitkat_update_improves_the_nexus_5_camera-news-7319.php

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Nokia Lumia 929 photos leak again

The Nokia Lumia 929 has managed to escape the R&D labs once again and has been caught by yet another camera. The phone is touted as the smaller brother of the Lumia 1520 that's going to debut on Verizon's network in a matter of weeks.

Earlier leaks of the Lumia 929 have revealed it will offer a 5.0" 1080p display. The phone is also going to pack a 20MP PureView camera with ZEISS lens and dual-LED flash. This is the same configuration as the Lumia 1520 phablet.

This is not the first time the Lumia 929 poses for the camera. Earlier in November the phone got a nice photoshoot, while its official photos leaked out two months earlier.

The Nokia Lumia 929 is rumored to run the Windows Phone GDR3 update out of box. It's supposed to be powered by the Snapdragon 800 chipset with a 2.2GHz quad-core processor, Adreno 330 graphics and 2GB of RAM. The rest of the rumored specs include 32GB non-expandable internal storage, LTE, NFC, and wireless charging support.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_lumia_929_photos_leak_again-news-7318.php

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