LG G Pro 2 announcement and name get confirmed

LG spilled the beans on the announcement and the name of the successor of the LG Optimus G Pro. The upcoming phablet will go official in February (MWC in Barcelona is likely) as the LG G Pro 2.

Unsurprisingly, LG removed the ‘Optimus’ moniker from the name of the yet to be seen handset. Like the latest batch of high-end smartphones from the Korean manufacturer, the device will launch as simply a member of the 'G' lineup.

In case revealing only the name of an upcoming device appears to be an odd move by LG, we must point that this isn’t the first time the company pulls such a trick. Last year, the manufactuer revealed the name of its current flagship, the LG G2 in a similar fashion.

Source (in Korean)

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_g_pro_2_announcement_and_name_get_confirmed-news-7666.php

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Google and Samsung form landmark patent alliance to aid fight against iOS

Take Note writ-happy tech companies!

Perceived tensions between Google and Samsung had threatened to derail the dominance of Android, but a landmark parent agreement, announced this weekend, seems to have put all that nonsense to bed.

The Korean hardware giant confirmed a wide-ranging ten-year licensing alliance, which includes all existing patents and those filed by both companies over the next decade.

The news comes following countless damaging legal battles raged around the world where Samsung and Apple have bickered around the world, often related to Samsung's use of the Android operating system.

Despite Google and Samsung's previous reluctance to take action against each other, the agreement seems like a symbolic amnesty in the hope that the tide of suit and counter suit.

Better friends than enemies

The agreement also places Google firmly in Samsung's corner as the pair continue to battle iOS in the smartphone and tablet arena.

"This agreement with Google is highly significant for the industry," said Dr. Seungho Ahn, the Head of Samsung's Intellectual Property Center, before taking a swipe at Apple.

"Samsung and Google are showing the rest of the industry that there is more to gain from cooperating than engaging in unnecessary patent disputes."

Google's Allen Lo added: "By working together on agreements like this, companies can reduce the potential for litigation and focus instead on innovation."

Reports over the last few years have highlighted the threat Samsung poses to Android with its ever-increasing market monopoly.

Many observers have suggested that Samsung could use its power to influence the future of the operating system, but it appears that both companies have decided, for now, that they're better friends than enemies.

• Is Samsung's new TouchWiz UI a prettier version of Google Now?

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/google-and-samsung-form-landmark-patent-alliance-to-aid-fight-against-ios-1218831

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Samsung and Google sign a long-term license agreement

Samsung and Google signed a long-term partnership which will see the two giants share their patent portfolios. The deal will cover the companies’ current and future patents over the next ten years.

The partnership will spread over a broad range of technologies and business areas. Considering its duration, the collaboration is certain to extend well beyond mobile products, with home appliances sitting on top of the list of new areas (Google’s recent acquisition of Nest is a clear indication of its ambitions in this field, while Samsung is already an established heavyweight).

Unsurprisingly, both Samsung and Google are pleased with the agreement. Having it in place will reduce the potential for any litigation between the companies, therefore allowing them to focus their efforts on innovation.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_and_google_sign_a_longterm_license_agreement-news-7665.php

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Nokia Lumia Icon dummy unit found at Fry's

Nokia Lumia Icon, also known as Lumia 929, has leaked numerous times before. We saw it confirmed by a case, then Verizon itself posted its official listing of the device ahead of the announcements with pictures and user's manual. We even learned the Icon's contract-free price - $777. Then there was this hands-on video on YouTube.

Today we get to see a dummy model of the Nokia Lumia Icon. It was found showcased at a Fry's store in San Marcos, CA. Interestingly, the Lumia Icon was listed as Lumia 928 instead of 929. It seems Verizon has already shipped the dummy units to the retailers, so we might see the Icon announced very soon, probably on February 5, as one of the previous leaks has suggested.

In case you've missed the news, the Lumia Icon should feature a 5" 1080p display, Snapdragon 800 chipset and a 20MP PureView camera. It will be a Verizon-exclusive device.

With all those leaks occurring, the announcement can't be far away.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_lumia_icon_dummy_unit_exposed_at_frys-news-7661.php

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Nokia Lumia 1520 mini emerges in a duo of leaked photos

The yet to be announced Nokia Lumia 1520v appeared in a duo of live photos. Also known as Nokia Lumia 1520 mini, the device is expected to bring the top-shelf specs of Nokia’s flagship phablet in a more compact for factor.

The duo of leaked images showcase the Nokia Lumia 1520v sized up against its bigger brother and what appears to be an Apple iPhone. Unsurprisingly, in line with its name, the Nokia Lumia 1520v sports the same looks as the 1520 phablet in a significantly smaller form factor.

Alleged specs of the Nokia Lumia 1520v include a 4.45” display with a resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels (not a 4.3” 1080p unit as initially thought) and 2,370mAh battery. The camera of the Lumia 1520 mini is expected to be a 14MP unit.

All in all, should current rumors pan out to be the real deal, the Nokia Lumia 1520 mini will make for a nice replacement of the Nokia Lumia 925. Nokia Lumia 1020 will likely retain its spot as the company’s imaging powerhouse for a little more time to come.

The Nokia Lumia 1520 mini is tipped for an April release. However, we won’t be surprised if we see the device go official during Nokia’s MWC press event next month in Barcelona.

Source 1 (registration required) | Source 2 | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_lumia_1520_mini_emerges_in_a_duo_of_leaked_photos_-news-7663.php

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Colorful octa-core HTC Desire surfaces

According to the latest reports coming from China, HTC is preparing a mid-range Desire smartphone based on the latest MediaTek platform (with true octa-core Cortex-A7 CPU). The device somewhat reminds of the iPhone 5C because of its bright colors.

The mysterious HTC Desire

As the rumor has it, the leaked Desire smartphone will come with a 5" 720p display, 8MP camera and 1.5GB RAM in addition to the MediaTek's octa-core platform. The device should be available in yellow, orange, red and blue flavors and will supposedly run on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean with Sense 5.5 UI.

There is nothing on the release date or market availability, but the rumored retail price is CNY 2,000 or about €240.

Thank you, Paku, for the tip!

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/colorful_octacore_htc_desire_model_leaks-news-7662.php

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Micromax unveils Canvas Turbo Mini and Canvas Knight

Micromax has launched the A200 Canvas Turbo Mini smartphone, just a week after the A119 Canvas XL phablet went official. The new A200 Canvas Turbo Mini features a 4.7" 720p IPS display and runs on a quad-core 1.3GHz Cortex-A7 processor coupled with Mali-400MP2 GPU and 1GB of RAM (that's the MT6582 chip).

The rest of the specs include a rear 8MP camera and a front 5MP snapper, 720p video recording, 4GB of expandable storage (1.6GB available to the user), and a 1,800 mAh batter unit. Naturally, the connectivity options include dual-SIM, 3G with HSPA (2100MHz band), Wi-Fi, FM radio and Bluetooth. The Android version ticking inside is 4.2 Jelly Bean.

Micromax A200 Canvas Turbo Mini

The Micromax A200 Canvas Turbo Mini has been announced in black, while Flipkart is also offering it in blue and white flavors. You can have it in India for INR 14,490 (€169) as of today.

Meanwhile, Micromax's next flagship device was introduced in Russia amongst twelve other affordable droids. Micromax intends to become a big player in the Russian market and those new phones are the first step of the manufacturer's planned expansion.

The flagship smartphone is called A350 Canvas Knight and features a 5" 1080p display. It runs on an octa-core MediaTek chipset and comes with a 16MP rear camera. The design looks a lot like the latest generation iPhones and the Huawei Ascend P6, with very thin 7.3mm profile. It should become available in Russia very soon.

Micromax A350 Canvas Knight

There is no info on the Canvas Knight availability outside Russia though.

Thank you, Rohit, for the great tips!

Source 1 | Source 2 | Source 3

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/micromax_unveils_canvas_turbo_mini_and_canvas_knight-news-7660.php

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BLU outs Vivo 4.8 HD; costs $250

BLU is known for producing mid-range Android phones for bottom dollar prices, and the 4.8 HD is their newest handset to continue this trend.

Coming in the standard Black and White colors, Blue is also offering two other ostentatious paint jobs: neon pink and neon yellow.

Aside from BLU's...interesting choices in alternate colors, the 4.8 HD will pack a, you guessed it, 4.8” display. It's a super AMOLED unit with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels.

Under the hood, BLU's latest offering will pack a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, and 16GB storage capacity. It's also rocking an 8MP primary camera, and a 5MP front-facing snapper. The most impressive aspect of the 4.8 HD's design is that BLU has managed to squeeze all of this tech into a device that is only 6.9mm thick.

It's capable of HSPA+ speeds only (sorry, no LTE), however, and runs Android 4.2 out of the box. Does this sound like a good deal to you?

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_slashes_100_off_the_moto_x_on_monday-news-7659.php

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