Did a white Nexus 4 with Android 4.3 hide out at Google IO?

Made by LG, it would seem (credit: Android and Me) Google's opening day the IO keynote was heavy on the dev news and upgrades yet light on major announcements, and pushed hardware to the back burner in a rather intriguing fashion. Yet there may be a bit of kit hiding in the Moscone Center's halls, an alternately hued handset we could see launch as soon...

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iPad and Android tablets not invited to BBM's big coming-out party

No BBM on the iPad BlackBerry will primarily target smartphones with the momentous expansion of its BBM messaging service for OS and Android devices. The company announced at its BlackBerry Live conference in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday that the celebrated instant messaging app would be leaving the sanctuary of its own ecosystem for the first time. However,...

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Galaxy Note 3 rumored to share same body as Galaxy S4

High demand for Galaxy Note 3 could lead to plastic case Samsung fans may still be elated by the news an unlocked version of the Galaxy S4 would be sold by Google in the U.S. in June, but those still waiting out a new and improved Galaxy Note 3 may want to have a seat. While rumors of a major redesign for the phablet have run the gamut to include flexible...

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New BlackBerry Q5 handset won't break the bank at £20 a month

Lowering the entry level for BlackBerry 10 BlackBerry has confirmed that its new mid-range Q5 handset will be available on contracts around £20 a month. The QWERTY-packing device was unveiled at BlackBerry Live on Wednesday with a 3.1-inch touchscreen display, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 4G connectivity, 8GB of internal storage and 2GB of RAM. Rocking the...

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Sony Xperia UL - codenamed Gaga - leaks online

Sony seems to have a lot going on in its labs. After the Xperia Z and Xperia ZL hit the market, the Japanese manufacturer announced the Xperia L, Xperia SP and Xperia ZR. Then, a mysterious new device - Xperia i1 Honami - entered our rumor mill that will supposedly revive the Cybershot lineup. The Xperia A and Xperia S39h followed suite not long after Honami. Today we...

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iPhone 5 review

iPhone 5 review Recommended award The excitement of the rumour mill, the titillation of every leaked photo led to higher than ever levels of expectation over the iPhone 5 features, and while the announcement was greeted with some derision at the lack of perceived headline improvements, the record sales tell an entirely different story. Given the underwhelming...

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Nokia Lumia 520 review

Nokia Lumia 520 review Recommended award The Nokia Lumia 520 is Nokia's fifth Windows Phone 8 handset. It's a phone which slots into the very bottom end of the range, just below the Nokia Lumia 620. And we do mean just below - the specs of the 520 and 620 are remarkably similar, meaning that Nokia's main competition at the bottom end of the market is itself....

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We don't need Nexus phones any more

And I can also stop accidentally writing Lexus too... With the launch of the stripped down Samsung Galaxy S4, Google can finally give up on Nexus phones. Before the Google Nexus 4 came along, I was always baffled by the Nexus project given the search giant was always just trying to make sure its Android system was as widely used as possible. The Nexus One...

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IDC on smartphones in Q1: Android up, iOS down, WP 3rd

Analyst firm IDC released its report for the first quarter of 2013, which chronicles big rises and great falls. There's nothing new at the top – Android and iOS account for 92.3% of smartphone shipments - but the fight for third position is heating up. Android is still in the lead (in fact, it's widening its lead) and grabbed 75% of the sales. Samsung is by...

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Windows Phone gaining on iOS as BlackBerry crumbles

Golden Android Windows Phone has finally eased past BlackBerry and Symbian to take third place in the smartphone race, but IDC's latest figures make it clear just how much of a two-horse race between Android and iOS it has become. In fact, in platform terms, combining the two big rivals from Google and Apple amounts to a staggering 92.3 per cent of smartphones...

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Water-proof LG Optimus GJ headed to Taiwan

LG has supposedly sent invitations for the announcement of a new Taiwan-exclusive handset called Optimus GJ - an IP57-version of the popular Optimus G. The IP57 certifications means the LG Optimus GJ will last for 30 minutes under one meter of water. The rest of the specs are identical with the international Optimus G. NTT DoCoMo is already offering the same device...

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Ofcom says 4G will cut voice 'not-spots'

Ready to fill in 'not-spots' The spread of 4G networks is likely to fill 'not-spots' for mobile communications in the UK, with extra 2G and 3G equipment backing up that made for the fourth generation, according to a report from regulator Ofcom. Its new report on the availability of communications services in the UK includes a prediction that three factors...

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Google and Microsoft squabble over YouTube app

We hardly knew ye Microsoft's new YouTube app for Windows Phone has been available for about a week, but it didn't take long for Google to kick up a fuss. Why? Because the app blocks ads, giving Google's potential revenue a kicking. Google claims this violates the YouTube API Ts and Cs, demanding that Microsoft remove the app by May 22. According to The...

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What's new for BlackBerry business users?

The hardware keyboard on the Q5 makes unified search easier As well as announcing the budget Q5 BlackBerry 10 handset at the BlackBerry Live conference this week, the company is also updating its management features for businesses – for its own and other smartphones. So not only will the BBM messaging service be available for iOS and Android this summer...

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Nokia Lumia 928 available for pre-order, ships by May 20

Verizon's WP8 flagship, the Nokia Lumia 928, is available for pre-order right now. It's priced $99 with a new 2-year contract or $499 with month to month service. The black one will ship by May 20, but when you select the white model, the "Will ship by..." label disappears. Note that the $99 price is after a $50 online discount. For a limited time you'll also get...

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Samsung promises to review Galaxy S4 storage space after Watchdog exposé

Mo' storage no problems Samsung has said it is "reviewing" the memory situation on the Samsung Galaxy S4 after it received a pasting on Watchdog last night. The pack over at BBC Watchdog, led by Anne Robinson, took issue with Samsung's claim that its flagship phone offers 16GB of storage when in fact users can only enjoy around 9GB of that space. Through...

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