Samsung details Premium Suite updates for the US

Today Samsung US detailed the availability of the so-called Premium Suite updates for its former flagships. It will bring Android 4.3, Galaxy Gear smartwatch support, better Easy mode and Multi Windows multi-tasking plus new camera features and KNOX support.

The first devices to get this update are Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note II and Galaxy S III. The update will become available in the next few weeks, though specific availability will vary depending on carrier and devices.

The update will also be hitting the Galaxy S4 mini and Galaxy Mega 6.3, though the time frame for that is the coming months, rather than weeks.

There is no info on the Galaxy S4 Active though. We guess its update should arrive soon after the Galaxy S4 new firmware rolls out.

There are already leaked official Android 4.3 firmwares for the AT&T's Galaxy smartphones, including the Galaxy S4 Active, so those Premium Suites should really be just around the corner.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_details_premium_suite_updates_for_the_us-news-7073.php

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£10,000 giveaway: WIN! A year's Sky subscription, Sigma DSLR, Sony home theatre and more

Future is giving away £10,000 worth of tech prizes

TechRadar's parent company Future is giving away a massive stash of tech worth £10,000 in our biggest ever prize draw.

The prize pool includes a year's Sky+HD subscription, £2,000 Sigma D-SLR camera, Sony BDV-N590W home theatre system, a JVC GCXA1 Action Camera, Pure Jongo S3 and lots more gadgets besides. There's even a mountain bike and Garmin Edge 810 Bike Computer!

There are 45 prizes which will all go to one lucky winner.

To be in with a chance of winning, simply text the code TRR to 87474 (texts cost £1 plus standard rates of approx. 10-12p).

Find out more at greatgadgetgiveaway.com

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/win-a-year-s-sky-sigma-d-slr-sony-home-theatre-and-more-in-our-10-000-giveaway-1178619

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China Mobile teases LTE network ahead of iPhone 5s launch

China Mobile has posted a teaser page of its upcoming 4G LTE network. The most popular carrier in China will also start offering the Apple iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C to complement the launch of its high-speed mobile network.

According to the teaser, the rollout of the LTE network will take place from November 9 to November 10. While the LTE network is being prepared for showtime, China Mobile is readying its retail outlets for the iPhone launch by hanging promo posters.

Apple has done the necessary work to ensure the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C are capable of running on the China Mobile TD-LTE network.

As you can see from the photo above, the Apple iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S are prominently marketed to be available at the carrier's store. Interestingly, according to rumors before the launch of the new iPhones, they had to hit the carrier along with the rest of China on September 20. We guess the delay of the 4G network launch got in the way of that.

As UnwiredView reports, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is taking longer than expected to issue 4G licenses. China Mobile seems pretty certain that it's going to get its license for a 4G network in the beginning of November. Only time will tell, but things are looking bright for those looking to go 4G in China.

Source • Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/samsungs_new_note_3_camera_app_gets_ported_to_galaxy_s4-news-7072.php

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Nexus 5 goes on sale prematurely in the Netherlands

Silly Nexus 5, you're not supposed to be out yet. Yet it is – Dutch online retailer Belsimpel has put up the yet-unannounced Google phone on sale already. The SIM-free is a hefty €460 but then Nexus devices are usually quite expensive when you don't get them from the Play Store.

The phone is also available on contract with Tele2 for €36 a month, Hi HS Student Medium for €35 a month and T-Mobile for €47 a month. That's for a 2-year contract with a free device with 16GB storage.

Both Black and White versions are available and the site promises to deliver the phone in 2-4 days. Keep in mind that this may have been posted prematurely so the Nexus 5 might not actually ship next week, but the prices should be accurate.

The site also lists the Nexus 5 specs in case there were any uncertainties left – 131 x 86 x 9 mm body, 5" 1080p screen, Snapdragon 800 running Android 4.4, 8MP / 1080p main camera, 1.3MP front-facing camera, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, 2,300mAh battery with wireless charging.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Source (in Dutch)

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/nexus_5_goes_on_sale_prematurely_in_the_netherlands-news-7071.php

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Nokia Lumia 1020 price slashed by a third in China

Nokia Lumia 1020 seems to be struggling to make a significant impact on the Chinese market. The first hints that its start was less than impressive was the fact that the phone didn't make it among the most popular WP handsets in the last two months.

China is the world's biggest smartphone market for mobile phones and the Lumia 1020 premiered there on the insanely price of CNY5,999 - the equivalent of $1000 or €715. Now, two months later though you can buy the Nokia Lumia 1020 online for 3,999 Yuan or €475. This means the price has dropped down by a third and is now much more reasonable.

The Lumia 1020 was launched exclusively on AT&T in July, while the rest of the world got it in late August or early September.

The on-contract US price has already dropped twice from $299 down to just $99. The UK carriers are offering the phone for free if you sign a two-year contract with at least £37 monthly tariff. The unlocked and SIM-free retail price in Europe is still relatively high though - a bit over €600.

So, if you want to buy the Lumia 1020 maybe waiting a couple of weeks would be the more sensible thing to do. Judging by those first markets to get the smartphone, a price cut is probably just around the corner. Even more so, considering that the Lumia 1520 is coming in a few weeks.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_lumia_1020_price_slashed_in_china-news-7069.php

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Samsung Galaxy S4 Active mini version in the works

The water-resistant Galaxy S4 Active released this summer ended up being a hit from Samsung, so much so that the Korean manufacturer is planning on releasing a mini version to follow in its footsteps.

Much like the Galaxy S4 mini, the Active mini (identified by its GT-I8580 model name) is set to feature not only smaller dimensions than its counterpart, but also less potent hardware. With the S4 mini this was restricted to less RAM, internal storage, screen resolution, a dual-core 1.7GHz CPU and more. However, with the Active mini it's set to be even more of a downgrade.

According to found GFXBench benchmark entries for the GT-I8580, the device is set to run on a dual-core 1.2 GHz CPU with a not very mini 4.65-inch screen of the not very impressive 800 x 480 pixel resolution. There will also be an Adreno 305 GPU and 1GB of RAM, coupled with a 5MP shooter and meager 0.3MP front-facer.

All of these specs are a far cry from the S4 Active, and if you exclude the similar design language with water and dust resistance, the Active mini has very little going for it.

But Samsung has always been quick to capitalize on emerging trends, and the success of the S4 Active and its redesigned body with IP67 dust and water resistance has been quite significant. The Koreans are hoping that even more people will jump on the Active bandwagon if a more aggressively priced version was on offer, even if the specs aren't exactly flagship-worthy.

Source (Chinese) | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s4_active_mini_version_in_the_works-news-7070.php

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Nokia Lumia 929 sample photos leak

Nokia went from 4.5" screens straight to 6", seemingly bypassing the 5" 1080p trend for Android phones. A leaked hands-on video of the Lumia 929 for Verizon (now taken down) showed that's not the case – the 929 is a 5" phone version of the 6" Lumia 1520 phablet.

Other than a 5" 1080p screen, the Lumia 929 will pack the 20MP PureView camera from the 1520 and the Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 chipset (quad-core Krait 400 @ 2.26GHz, Adreno 330). The smartphone will come in 32GB and 64GB versions (with no microSD card slot).

We now got a 100% crop and a downsized version of a 5MP photo taken with Nokia Pro Camera. Unfortunately, there's no full resolution shot and the EXIF info has been removed. Still, if legit, the image quality is quite nice - not that it's a shock, given those Lumia 1520 samples we saw.

Nokia Lumia 929 sample photo

There are rumors that we'll see an international version of the Nokia Lumia 929, but if it works out the same way it did with the Lumia 928 for Verizon and the international Lumia 925, the handsets might not be 100% identical.

Source (the images have been removed) | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_lumia_929_sample_photos_leak-news-7068.php

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BBM Voice and Video coming to Android and iOS 'within months'

Coming to an iPhone/Droid near you soon

BlackBerry has confirmed BBM for iOS and Android will be gaining new features "within months" as Voice and Video calls are lined up to join the IM offering.

Anyone currently rocking a BlackBerry 10 device can make free voice and video calls (as long as your data plan/Wi-Fi covers it) to other BlackBerry users using the Canadian firm's BBM application - but these features are set to become more universal.

Andrew Bocking, BlackBerry's VP of BBM, confirmed to Canadian broadcaster CBC that the update to the newly launched BBM app for Google and Apple devices would be arriving in the near future.

Money, money, money

BlackBerry offers its BBM service free of charge and it raised eyebrows when it announced that its premium messaging service would be taking the leap onto rival platforms - especially considering the firm's rocking financial standing.

There is a money-making end game however, with Bocking also confirmed that the BBM Channels feature would be making the transition to Android and iOS soon - although we're still waiting for an exact release date.

BBM Channels are, in short, a way for companies to gain a presence on BBM and ultimately a way for BlackBerry to sell ads and sponsored posts on the platform - think of them like Facebook Pages merged with company Twitter accounts.

While Channels is yet to take off it a big way just yet, the addition of 10 million new BBM users on two new platforms could well boost the appeal and eventually make BlackBerry a few bucks in the process.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/bbm-voice-and-video-coming-to-android-and-ios-within-months--1194073

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Nokia 1520 for AT&T spotted in black, red and white

The ever dripping evleaks has provided two more leaks for us, this time two carrier specific devices for AT&T and Verizon in the US.

First is the Nokia Lumia 1520, which was announced last week at the Nokia World event in Abu Dhabi. AT&T is currently the only carrier in the US that sell this device and the phone will be available in black, white and red, all with a matte finish.

Next is the BlackBerry Z30 smartphone, a large 5.0-inch version of the Z10 launched earlier this year. The Z30 will be making an appearance on Verizon in this black colored variant, with the Verizon logo plastered everywhere they could find space for it.

Expect to find these at your local carrier store soon.

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_1520_for_at_t_spotted_in_black_red_and_white-news-7067.php

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