Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Nokia Normandy is reportedly a low-cost Android phone

According to a report in The Verge, the previously leaked, mysterious Nokia Normandy is an Android handset. Known internally under several different codenames, the device is said to be developed as an equivalent to the low-cost Nokia Asha range. The Nokia Normandy allegedly runs heavily modified Android version – much like in the case of the Amazon Kindle Fire range....

'Normandy' is reportedly Nokia's Android-based phone, planned for 2014

Normandy ahoy (credit: @evleaks) As Nokia's device and services division hurtles towards a merger with Microsoft, word of the Finnish firm's long-rumored Android phone has resurfaced. The company's Android handset is codenamed Normandy, according to sources of The Verge. The codename - apparently one of several for the clandestine phone - appeared in...

Ubuntu Touch OS finds a phone partner, coming to high-end handsets next year

2014 should be a marquee year for Ubuntu Remember the Ubuntu Edge, the Canonical creation that set out to earn $32 million (about £20.8m, AU$34.5m) on Indiegogo but fell very short? Well, the company is back at it again, though this time it's maneuvering a slightly different route to deliver the Ubuntu mobile platform to the public at large. "We have...

Sony Xperia Z Ultra plays ball, rolls into the Google Play Store

Bigger than life LG G Pad 8.3 isn't the only device hitting the Play Store, the Sony Xperia Z Ultra also hit Google's virtual shelves on the same day. Xperia Z Ultra fans craving Sony's phablet-sized device running the latest vanilla version of Android 4.4 can do so by forking over $649 (about £ 394/AUS $708). Although it looks like availability is in America...

LG G Pad 8.3 and Sony Xperia Z Ultra GPE are now available

Google Play Edition Sony Xperia Z Ultra and LG G Pad 8.3 quietly went official in the United States - the duo of Android 4.4 KitKat devices is currently available to order in the US Google Play Store. The Xperia Z Ultra is priced at $649, while the G Pad 8.3 costs $349.99. Save for the stock Android 4.4 KitKat, there is no difference between the Google Play Edition Sony...

Apple patent hints at future devices with curved displays

Apple's future may get curvy (credit: AppleInsider) Flat touchscreen iOS devices and Mac displays could be a thing of the past one day now that Apple has been awarded a patent for a touch sensor capable of being manufactured on a curve. AppleInsider reported today that a new patent awarded to Apple from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office paves the way...

MediaTek to announce an octa-core LTE chipset in January 

MediaTek recently announced its first true-octa core processor, as part of the MT6592 chipset. The successor of this SoC is allegedly in the works and the upcoming chip that is reportedly known as MT6595 is rumored to go official in the January, next year. The company's upcoming chipset is basically an LTE enabled version of the MT6592 and is very likely to...

Oppo N1 is now available worldwide

Oppo N1 was announced in September and launched in China on November 11. Later Oppo promised to expand the N1 availability worldwide on December 10 and today it duly deliverd. The Oppo N1 is now available through Oppo's official online stores. In Europe you can have the 16GB model for €449, while the 32GB flavor costs €479, while the US prices are set at $599 and $649,...

Leaked internal document confirms Huawei P7 specs

According to a leaked internal document sent to us by an anonymous tipster, Huawei is working on an Ascend P7 smartphone that's currently going under the codename "Sophia". The Huawei Ascend P7 is going to be a major update over the Ascend P6 and will feature a 1080p 5.0" TFT LCD display. Under the hood of the phone, Huawei is betting on the HiSilicon Balong 910 chipset...

Top 225 best Android apps 2013

Our pick of the best Android apps Whether you've got an older Android device or one the latest Android-powered tablets or phones, there are plenty of choices when it comes to loading it with extra software. There's an app for pretty much everything these days, and it's easy to spend hours browsing the selection in the Google Play Store. That can be a downside...

Samsung Galaxy S4 Crystal Edition unveiled in Thailand

Samsung likes to slap on some bling on a Galaxy phone now and then and the Galaxy S4 is no exception. It's a limited run of 3,500 units so far only available on the Samsung Thailand site. The Samsung Galaxy S4 Crystal Edition is based on the white I9500 (that's the Exynos 5-powered one) and features a unique back with studded Swarovski crystals. It will set...

Walmart to offer iPhone 5s and 5c with no-contract plans this Friday

US retailer Walmart has been selling Apple's iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c for a while now, but starting this Friday the two smartphones will be available on its own contract-free carriers Straight Talk Wireless and Net10 Wireless. The prices match those of SIM-free iPhones from the Apple Store. You can get an iPhone 5s 16GB from Walmart (available in store only) for $650...

Samsung Galaxy S5 and Note 4 may ditch AMOLED for LCD

We could still be getting some bend and flex, though Samsung's tradition of packing its Galaxy and Note phones with AMOLED displays may have come to an end. The latest rumour is that Samsung is looking to fit PLS LCD displays on its future phones, including the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the Galaxy Note 4 – both of which are expected in 2014. According to G...

Android's menu button is now an EX-BUTTON says Google, again

If we just pretend it's not there, eventually it'll go away While Android phones are still being made with a physical menu button on them, Google is making it pretty obvious that they're not wanted by shifting all functions to the on-screen capacitive button in KitKat. Writes Google engineer Adam Powell: "The menu button is not pining, it's passed on!...

Samsung announces 10 million Galaxy Note 3s shipped

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is leaving its predecessors in the dust – it sold 5 million units in the first month of availability and now a month later the number of units shipped has reached 10 million. Note that the number of sales is probably lower than the number of shipments as those are supplies sent to retailers and carriers. Still, the numbers are impressive...

LG making iPad-mini-rivalling Nexus 8... maybe

Could this be the Nexus 8? And could LG be working on it? This isn't the first time that we've heard the Nexus 8 might be a thing that exists or that LG might be making it, but now we have more fuel to add to that fire. A recent tweet from @evleaks states that a tablet with the model number LG V510 is indeed a Nexus tablet and it backs that up with what...

The world gets into big phones in a big way as Note 3 sells 10m

Well there's three right there While the world at large may have poo-pooed the 'phablet' at first glance, Samsung's sales figures show that these big-screened phones are becoming more and more popular with every passing iteration. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has blown previous Notes out of the water by hitting 10 million sales within 60 days of going on sale,...