Samsung opened the pre-order books for the Galaxy Note 12.2 Pro in the United Kingdom. The top-end Android tablet is priced at £649 ($1076; €788) for a Wi-Fi version with octa-core Exynos chipset at Samsung’s official online store.
The Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 is available in black or white, and is scheduled to ship next week, on February 4. Samsung will ship the pre-ordered units with a free bundled premium Gamepad (an £80 item on its own) in addition to the wide array of free software goodies.
While the official pricing of the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 sits below the initial eye-watering numbers, the tablet hardly comes across as affordable. It will be curious to see how the market will react to its pricing.
You can check out our Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 hands-on from the tablet’s launch over here.
Chrome Apps will be converted directly to iOS and Android apps (credit: Chromium)
Google has revealed that Chrome Apps will soon appear in the iOS App Store and Android Google Play marketplace, masquerading as native smartphone apps.
The initiative to get Chrome Apps on mobile platforms began today, with a developer preview based on Apache Cordova.
Chromium engineer Andrew Grieve described Cordova in a blog post as an open-source development framework for building mobile apps using HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
The toolchain Google has introduced takes Chrome Apps and repackages them as native smartphone apps for iOS and Android, making it easy for Chrome App developers to re-release their apps on those platforms.
For developers' eyes only
In 2013 Google introduced a "new breed" of Chrome Apps that look and act like native applications and work offline across every desktop operating system.
Now it's applying the same principles to mobile platforms.
For Chrome App developers looking to get in on the mobile action, Google has provided a convenient developer workflow.
Google has also converted many core Chrome Apps APIs, including sign-in, storage, push messages, alarms, and more, to run on mobile devices.
Other APIs, like notifications and payments, are currently Android only, but will likely come to iOS at some point as well. Cordova features its own set of mobile APIs as well.
Google said it expects to continue to improve this toolchain as the developer preview gets going and it receives feedback from devs.
In the meantime, smartphone users can watch out soon for Chrome Apps to begin arriving in their respective app stores.
Don't miss TechRadar's updated Google Glass review - how does Google's wearable stand up to weeks of continuous use?
MWC 2014 is nearly upon us but Samsung couldn't wait to show off its heavily spoiled midrange phone, the Galaxy Grand Neo.
As we previously reported, the Galaxy Grand Neo was officially outed as a 5.01-inch smartphone featuring a 480 x 800 display resolution. Packed inside the nearly square–looking handset lies a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, backed up with 1GB RAM and 16GBs of storage.
The handset has a bit of girth measuring in at 143.7 x 77.1 x 9.6mm and a slog on the software side running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. On the backside you'll find a 5MP camera, meanwhile, in front is a simple VGA shooter.
Other specs for this understated phone include a 2100mAh battery pack and Bluetooth 4.0. With HSPA+ and GSM radios in tow – plus dual-sim card slots to boot - it's likely to come to every carrier under the sun, although data speed lovers will be sad to know there's no LTE here.
One of many
Samsung didn't attach any availability dates with the official announcement. However, we spotted the phone already up for pre-orders with a Netherlands retailer for € 260 (about $355/£214/AUS $405).
The price is a little inflated thanks to additional tax, but handset will run into plenty of competition at that price point. For slightly less screen real estate and a much lower price users should look to the Motorola Moto G.
Will the Galaxy S5 be Samsung's first 2K smartphone?
Samsung has reportedly confirmed that it's working on smartphone displays not just in the 2K range, but all the way up to 4K resolution.
This news comes out of the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's Semiconductor and Display Technology Roadmap Seminar 2014, as reported by Korea's media.daum.net.
Samsung's eventual adoption of 2K QHD 2560 x 1440 AMOLED smartphone displays comes as no shock, but it is somewhat surprising that the company would mention Ultra HD 4K phone displays this early.
The 2K screens could debut as soon as Samsung's Galaxy S5, which is expected to be announced soon - though that's pure speculation.
The future looks dense
Late in 2013 Samsung was rumored to be working on 4K smartphone displays that would debut in 2015, but 4K phones could be even farther off than that.
As G for Games points out, on a 5 inch display a 4K resolution of 3480 x 2160 equals a pixel density of roughly 820 ppi, and that's a lot of pixels.
But with even 2K smartphone displays still little more than a glimmer in most manufacturers' eyes, it will likely be a while before we learn about whatever meager advantages jamming so many pixels into so small a space could possibly produce.
Samsung also discussed future TV plans at the event, mentioning AMOLED TVs with UHD SHD 7680 x 4320 screens.
Don't miss TechRadar's updated Google Glass review - how does Google's wearable stand up to weeks of continuous use?
For serious iPhoneography (credit: Patently Apple)
Apple has patented and even created some strange, never to be seen things in the past. Its latest creation? Swappable and clip-on lenses for the iPhone camera.
According to Patently Apple, the US Patent and Trademark Office just published 31 new patents filed by the smartphone maker. Out of this pile one of the more possible design dockets suggests Apple could add a magnetic ring mounting point for additional external lenses.
Supposedly this magnetic ring would allow user to attach an accessory with three swappable lenses on a pinwheel. This accessory might add a wide-angle adapter or a piece of glass for slightly zoomed in portraits. There were also illustrations that featured a telephoto lens that would stick out very far iPhone's back.
We've seen these add-on lens accessories before from multiple iPhone accessory makers. But we wouldn't put it past Apple to add its own slew of glass too just as it jumped into cases and iPhone bumpers.
Camera control
Beyond allowing users to attach different lenses, the magnetic lens could be charged with a small electric current to create a miniature magnetic field. The patent theorizes it could use magnetism to add optical image stabilization, autofocus, and zoom features to external lenses.
Autofocus is a must in the smartphone camera world and image stabilization has made it onto new handsets like the LG G2. However, adding lenses that zooms-in optically could bridge the gap between fixed focal length smartphone cameras and traditional pixel shooters.
Modular cameras
Take off the camera lens and the whole back (credit: USPTO)
In a slightly older patent from 2010 authored by Richard Tsai, who is now Apple's senior camera engineer, future Apple iPhones could have customizable lenses and detachable backs.
The new design could replace the traditional camera unit for a camera sensor with a removable back panel and optical components. The removable portion of the case includes the lens that could be swapped out for a different focal length or one with more features including zoom and image stabilization.
As we've said before cameras are getting better and they're going to be the real differentiator for smartphones in the coming year. It's rumored the HTC M8 will employ a dual-sensor camera for better focusing, meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is said kick things up DSLR resolution at 16MP.
Despite being a few months old and not having the most boastworthy specs on the market, the Moto X still commands high demand where it is available: which is only in the Americas. However, the Google-owned hardware manufacturer announced that their customizable flagship would be available in select European nations, including the UK, beginning February 1st.
Well it seems that they've over-delivered on their promise, and lucky Brits will be able to get their hands on a Moto X as early as this Thursday.
Clove, a popular mobile phone retailer in the UK announced that they'll be getting the phone two days earlier.
The Moto X, although not carrying the highest-end specs in the cell phone game, has been praised for its exceptional build quality, customization, and fluid, stock Android experience. Its “Ok Google” voice commands also work top-notch, all of this, backed by a clever marketing scheme, has helped the phone to sell steadily.
Any UK residents out there excited to pick one of these bad boys up? Or are there more enticing handsets on the horizon that you're holding out for?
Sony Xperia E1 was announced two weeks ago along with the Xperia T2 Ultra phablet. Sony detailed everything we need to know about the Xperia E1, but its pricing and availability.
Even though there was no official info, a UK retailer's listing suggested the Xperia E1 will be hitting the shelves this March, while a German retailer spilled the beans on the price - €139 for the single-SIM model, and €149 for the dual-SIM version.
Today one of the biggest and most popular EU retailers - Amazon - has listed the Xperia E1 in both its UK and the DE websites. Amazon UK says the phone is coming on March 10 and costs £149.99, while Amazon DE will be selling it for €139.
In case you are interested of getting the Xperia E1 in the UK, then it seems Amazon is not your best option. Clove has the E1 on pre-order at £134.99, though the price may change.
Juniper estimates that total smartphone shipments in 2013 were 980 million, at rate of 39 per cent growth from 2012. It is estimated that shipments exceeded 280 million in the fourth quarter of 2013 alone.
Prize fruit
The report also noted that Apple posted a record of 51 million iPhone sales during the fourth quarter in 2013, an increase of 51 per cent compared to the fourth quarter in 2012. In spite of this, Apple's share price dropped by 5% following lowered sales expectations for 2014.
Elsewhere, it was reported that Nokia sold 30 million Lumia smartphones during 2013, over double the amount it sold in 2012.
Meanwhile, LG posted a record quarter with quarterly smartphone sales exceeding 13 million for the first time. Lenovo, Huawei and ZTE all increased their share of the smartphone market with combined sales of over 40 million in the fourth quarter of 2013.
Intel's funny wireless earpiece, known as Jarvis, will process your voice commands on device instead of using the internet and causing you to wait long, tedious seconds for your results.
The problem with most voice recognition services is that they have to outsource the actual work of figuring out what you've said to a more powerful machine elsewhere, using the internet to transmit it.
The time it takes to send your voice command off, process it and return the result is generally about the same amount of time it takes for you to get annoyed.
Cocker
But Intel says it has, with the help of an anonymous third party, created a processor/software combo powerful enough to translate the human voice but small enough to fit onto its Jarvis headset.
That means that while Jarvis works better in tandem with an internet connection and a phone or a tablet, it can also function on its own.
Intel is also trying to sell its small-but-mighty voice recognition tech to other companies, so we could soon see it popping up in other phones and tablets.
Will voice recognition be a big deal at MWC 2014? Here's what to expect
Samsung unveiled a Red Gold edition of its flagship phablet, the Galaxy Note 3 a while ago and it went on sale in China and Korea recently. The new hue also made it to the US as a Verizon exclusive and now, the latest option can be picked up from the carrier's website.
However, for now you only have the option to pre-order the new version before Verizon starts shipping the it in next two days. The new Rose Gold Note 3 is based on the original white model but with with Rose Gold highlights on the sides and on the front of the device.
The Rose Gold edition is priced at $249.99 with a new two-year contract, while you can also grab the SIM-free version if you wish to shell out $649.99. You can check out the source link below to know more about the terms and conditions of the deal.
We already knew everything about the Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo a.k.a Grand Lite, thanks to a leaked internal document. However, now we've moved a big step forward to actually handling the device as Samsung has officially announced it.
Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo sports a 5-inch display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. The smartphone will be powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core A7 chipset along with 1 GB of RAM. It features a 5 megapixel rear camera, VGA front facing shooter and 8 GB internal memory with the ability to expand it via microSD card.
Samsung's latest addition is equipped with a wide range of connectivity options, but lacks 4G LTE support. The smartphone runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and packs a 2,100mAh battery.
Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo is already listed in a Dutch online retail store with a price tag of €260 (about $355). The retailer promises to ship the smartphone within 24 hours. The Galaxy Grand Neo is expected to go on sale in other markets across the globe in the coming days.
BlackBerry 10.2.1 is here, but can it breathe new life into the fruity phones?
BlackBerry's smartphone business may be dying a slow death, but the Canadian company isn't ready to bow out just yet, as it's continuing to support its customers with a new software update, bringing the BlackBerry 10 OS up to version 10.2.1.
The update is rolling out to customers around the world starting today and it brings a treasure trove of features and improvements to BlackBerry's beleaguered OS.
The new features include a 'picture password', which allows you to quickly unlock your handset by dragging the correct number over the correct part of an image.
There's also a new device and battery monitor, which provides CPU stats as well as information on battery life and storage.
Music to your ears
If you have a BlackBerry Z30, Q10 or Q5 and have been longing for an FM radio you're in luck, because the update adds one for those handsets, allowing you to listen to local stations without an internet connection.
On the improvements front BlackBerry 10.2.1 allows you to swipe left to answer a call or right to ignore it, as well as adding new intuitive icons to the incoming call screen, making it easy to silence a call or message the caller.
You can also create SMS and email groups, open lock screen messages with a tap, pinch the BlackBerry Hub to filter messages, customise the available actions on the Quick Settings menu, save web pages for offline reading, choose which sources to sync a contact from, receive automatic software updates and if you have BES 10.2 you'll also gain extra security features and IT policies.
It's an impressive update for such a minor number jump and while it won't likely be enough to win many new customers it should at least keep existing users happy.
BlackBerry has just announced the latest 10.2.1 update for its BlackBerry OS. It brings lots of new features, and is compatible with all BlackBerry 10 smartphones. The rollout has already started so you can update your device right now.
BlackBerry OS 10.2.1
Here is the complete official change log:
Customize Pinch Gesture to Filter BlackBerry Hub – BlackBerry Hub lets you access all your messages and notifications in one place. A new feature lets you instantly filter the message list in the Hub. You can customize the Hub to show only Unread Messages, Flagged Messages, Draft Messages, Meeting Invites, Sent Messages or Level 1 Alerts. Once the filter criterion is set, you can simply activate it with a pinch gesture on the Hub’s message list.
Simplified Phone Experience – The phone includes a new incoming call screen that lets you swipe to the left to answer or swipe right to ignore a call. New intuitive icons allow you to instantly silence the call, or send a Reply Now response through BBM, SMS or email that you can’t answer the phone right away. You can choose from a list of standard automated responses or respond with a personalized note.
SMS and Email Groups – You can now create SMS and email groups for more efficient broadcast communications.
Actionable Lock Screen Notifications – You can now "Tap to open" a message that appears on the lock screen, letting you respond to an important message much quicker or to check messages more discreetly.
Picture Password for Quick Unlocking - You can quickly unlock your phone using a combination of a picture and a number (0-9) of your choice, which you place at a particular point on the image. When you try to unlock the phone, the picture will appear along with a grid of random numbers. To unlock, simply drag the grid so the number you selected overlays the particular point on the image.
Customizable Quick Settings Menu - You can now customize what appears on the Settings menu, which includes features such as being able to quickly change the Brightness of the smartphone’s display, toggle various network connections, and access the built-in flashlight. The Settings menu also includes a toggle that lets you instantly switch between your Personal and Work perimeter.
Offline Browser Reading Mode - You can now save the current web page you’re on for later viewing, even if you are offline or without an Internet connection.
Preferred Contact Sync – You can now choose the sync source for your Contacts ensuring you always have the most up-to-date contact details. When adding a new contact you can designate which sources you want the contact info to sync with, such as the corporate address book, Gmail, Hotmail, etc.
Device and Battery Monitor - A new and improved device monitor provides you with essential details on battery usage, the impact of installed apps on battery life and memory usage and storage, as well as CPU stats.
FM Radio – If you have a BlackBerry Z30, BlackBerry Q10 or BlackBerry Q5 smartphone, the new software update unlocks the built-in FM radio in those handsets. You can listen to local FM stations, which does not require any network connection.
Automatic Software Updates - OS updates can be set to happen automatically over a Wi-Fi® connection to help ensure you’re always benefiting from the latest and best possible customer experience.
Enterprise Features - When combined with BES10 version 10.2, enterprise customers will gain additional security features and IT policies for when more granular controls are required, such as for regulated industries and for organizations that work with sensitive data. For more information about BES10, please visit bes10.com.
BlackBerry says the new 10.2.1 update is now available for all compatible devices (Z10, Q10, Q5. Porsche Design P'9982) everywhere around the globe. Of course, the rollout is gradual, so it may take some time before the update hits your device, especially if it is carrier-bound.
According to a leaked USA roadmap, Verizon's Z10 will get the update on January 28, Q10 - on February 4, the Z30 - on February 10. The same roadmap claims AT&T's Z10 and Q10 will receive the new firmware on February 10, while T-Mobile's Z10 and Q10 will get the notification in mid-February. Sprint's Q10 will be the last one to join the fun - at the end of February.
The famous tipster @evleaks has delivered another interesting spy shot. This time it's a blurry live picture of Samsung's first Tizen device - the SM-Z9005, codenamed Redwood.
We already got a glimpse of the SM-Z9005 Redwood specs - a dual-core Krait processor, 1GB of RAM, a 720p display and LTE connectivity. It's unclear if this is the final hardware though.
Reportedly Samsung has already shipped Z9005 units to developers. We even saw a hands-on video of the device a while ago. The Z9005 model demoed in the video features the familiar boxy prototype design instead in order to keep the real deal under wraps.
Anyway, today we get to see the real design of the Z9005 Redwood. It looks a lot like Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S4 Active - note that opened plastic lid at the bottom.
Six days ago Samsung announced it is scrapping the plans of releasing a Tizen-powered smartphones in the first half of this year in "several countries, including Korea and Russia". Even though it is delaying Tizen, Samsung has already scheduled a Tizen press event ahead of the MWC in Barcelona next month. We'll be there to cover it, of course, and will bring you the news as they come.
We are currently putting the UK version of the Motorola Moto X through its paces, and we will be updating this review with our findings very soon.
The Moto X is the first handset to come out of the collaboration between Motorola and Google, although here in the UK we were treated to the quite excellent Moto G before the X made it to our shores.
Google became Motorola's owner and parent company over a year ago now, which had many thinking that Moto would make the next Nexus phone. Instead we got the Moto X, a compact, stylish handset with decidedly mid-range specs.
With an emphasis on battery life, contextual services and easy one-handed operation, it seems Motorola has the iPhone 5C (and to some extent the iPhone 5S) in its sights, not the big screen powerhouses like the HTC One or Samsung Galaxy S4.
The Moto X is available on all the major networks, and can be picked up for free on two year contracts from £21 per month. If you fancy owning your Moto X outright you can lay down £389.95 for the handset.
The Motorola Moto X has a dual-core processor and 720p screen, lower than the quad-core and 1080p combo that the HTC One and Galaxy S4 have taught consumers to expect from flagships.
While it looks lesser on paper, will it really make a difference day to day? Motorola is betting on no. Instead of going for all the gigahertz, it's loaded the Moto X up with thoughtful features like hands-free Google Now voice commands, a clever notification system and camera access with the flick of wrist.
It's also claiming twenty-four hour battery life on a 2200mAh cell, thanks to those lower wattage internals.
Can services trump specs? Has Motorola built the best Android phone for the "everyman" user? Or will it be lost in a sea of bigger screen phones with bigger specs and bigger names? Only time will tell.
At 5 inches, the Moto X is diminutive compared to the current Android leaders. This is good news for anyone who's felt like the HTC One or Galaxy S4 were going to rip out of their pocket, or slip out of their hand. The X is also built from a polycarbonate plastic that gives it a different feel from other phones on the market.
Its materials make it feel dense and well built; it actually feels a little bit ceramic. It's a marked contrast to the Galaxy S4, which feels plastic and hollow - the Moto X feels solid and well balanced. Weighing in at 130g it's on the heavy side, but the weight isn't too much, and gives the phone a substantial, premium feel.
The rear of the phone is curved slightly, letting it nestle easily in your hand. My review unit was a white model, with a slightly holographic woven pattern. The Motorola logo on the rear is dimpled, giving your index finger a perfect place to rest.
Like an iPhone 5C or HTC One, the back is a little bit slippery, the only thing that detracts from a build otherwise perfect for one-handed use.
The Moto X's full measurements are 129.3 x 65.3 x 10.4mm. It's easy to operate in one hand, due to its moderate size as well as a power button and volume rocker on the right side, right where your thumb can get at them.
Those are the only physical buttons on the phone. They're metal and raised and therefore easy to press, but do feel a little bit loose in their sockets. Shake the phone and you can faintly hear them rattle; this is something I encountered on the last Motorola phones I reviewed, the Razr i and Razr HD, a slight annoyance that detracts from the otherwise excellent feel of the phone.
The Moto X has a sealed design, with no microSD expansion. That's a bit of a bummer, since you'll be shelling out £390 for the 16GB option (and even more for 32GB), with no 64GB model available. It has allowed Motorola to give its phone a pleasing unibody design, though.
Despite a seam running along the side of the phone, it feels like one solid piece of high quality plastic.
The phone's display is a 4.7-inch AMOLED display, with a resolution of 720 x 1280 and a pixel density of 312ppi. As I mentioned, that's a peg below the full HD 1080p resolution of the leading Android devices like the HTC One and Galaxy S4.
Compared side-by-side to the HTC One's 1080p display of the same size, the Moto X is noticeably less sharp. It really does take that sort of comparison to notice the difference though. While the One's mind boggling pixel density renders crisper text, and slightly nicer HD video, the Moto X's display is still far from fuzzy.
Colours are strong, a bit saturated, but never dull. The auto brightness regulates the display well in indoor light and in a dark room. It's no better at avoiding sunlight washout than iPhone 5S or Galaxy S4.
In the States Motorola offers customers its MotoMaker website, allowing them to customise their Moto X with a variety of colours, finishes and engravings. Sadly it has not made the transition to the UK, meaning you're stuck with black or white, 16GB or 32GB. Boring.
A report by Strategy Analytics has it that global smartphone shipments reached a record 990 million units in 2013. This comes slightly short of the 1 billion estimated by IDC, but that kind of difference is negligible when dealing with estimates.
SA saw annual growth of 41% over 2012. In Q4 alone the increase is the slightly lower 32% - 290.2 million this year over 217 million in Q4 of 2012.
Samsung tops the list of smartphone manufacturers with a record 319.8 million smartphones shipped worldwide. This achievement gives the company a market share of 32%. According to the research company, Samsung's success lies in the company's numerous devices that made a big dent in the market as well as the great performance of its Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy Note 3 flagships.
In comparison to Samsung, Apple didn't do as well. The Cupertino based company grew 13% year-over-year having shipped 153.4 million smartphones worldwide. In 2013, the company marks a decline in its market share to 15%, from 19% in 2012.
Still, both companies accounted for nearly half of global smartphone shipments last year. Strategy Analytics notes that enormous marketing budgets as well as the optimized and extensive distribution channels have enabled Samsung and Apple to be leaders in the industry.
However, the research company expects the two leaders to feel increased pressure from "second-tier" brands such as Huawei, LG and Lenovo, which are all growing rapidly. Combined, the trio boasts 14% market share in 2013.
Huawei has expanded in Europe, LG saw its Optimus line do well in Latin America, while Lenovo's Android phones grew in sales across China.
The Lumia 1820 looks set to be the most powerful Windows Phone 8 handset yet. (credit: Qxerro)
It looks like the Nokia Lumia 1820 could be a mighty powerful flagship phone - and we won't have to wait long to get our eyes on it.
FIrst up, reports believe that the 1820 will have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, which is reason enough to get excited as it's the successor to the battery-friendly-yet-burly Snapdragon 800 doing the rounds in many of the current Android and Windows Phone flagships.
The 805 is capable of improving just about every aspect of a smartphones performance. It allows for a quad-core processor of up to 2.5 GHz and supports Ultra HD resolution on a smartphone. It also supports better graphics in games than the Snapdragon 800 and can even improve camera performance.
Ready to rumble
So it's a big deal and Nokia's adoption of it suggests that the company is serious about competing with top tier handsets from other manufacturers.
The rumour comes from sources in Taiwan's handset supply chain, which spoke to DigiTimes. Aside from a powerhouse processor the Nokia Lumia 1820 will also have a 5.2 inch qHD display and a 3400 mAh battery according to the sources.
Though while DigiTimes listed the display as 'qHD' (960 x 540), 'QHD' (2560 x 1440) seems more likely given that this is a flagship phone capable of supporting an Ultra HD display.
According to the sources the Nokia Lumia 1820 will be launched at MWC, as we'd previously heard, and will arrive alongside the 6 inch Lumia 1525 and the Lumia 1520V, which is apparently a variant of the Nokia Lumia 1520, with a smaller 4.45 inch screen and a 14 megapixel camera.
Apple put out its Q1 report and investors instantly spotted that the iPhone 5c, which replaced the iPhone 5, hasn’t been selling as well as expected. CEO Tim Cook is optimistic about Apple's performance with the iPhone 5s and 5c combo, but acknowledges "the mix was something very different than we thought."
The iPhone 5c captured a smaller market than the previous phone in its position, the iPhone 4S. That's despite a strong Black Friday performance. We thought that the 5c might be an ugly duckling to make the iPhone 5s look better that it would have if the iPhone 5 was still available (both metal phones that look the same).
Tim Cook credits Touch ID with why the iPhone 5s was so much more desirable than the 5c. "I think that, associated with the other things that are unique to the 5s, got the 5s a significant amount more attention and a higher mix of sales," says Cook. No surprise the iPhone 5c didn’t get Touch ID, huh?
Anyway, investors are not impressed with Apple's performance. They were expecting Apple to beat its own guidance (as it has done in the past), especially with the China Mobile deal in place and reports that, after only a week, the company saw its best activation numbers in China.
In pre-market trading Apple stock is down 6.70%, which knocks off $33 billion of the company's market cap. The drop was even bigger at one point, but AAPL is now slowly improving.
Apple's guidance for the next quarter isn't encouraging though, revenue is expected to be $42-44 billion. Last year Apple did $43.6 in Q2, which signals no growth and, with the margins falling, that may lead to a drop in profits.
Is this Samsung's first Tizen phone? (credit: MovePlayer)
Samsung's first Tizen smartphone has appeared in a leaked photo, going by the name Zeq 9000 - but that's set to change.
The image was leaked by South Korean website MovePlayer, which revealed that the Zeq 9000 will apparently have a 4.8-inch HD display and a 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor.
It looks typically Samsung, with a dark textured plastic body with curved edges, and the home screen on the display looks distinctly Tizen. In other words, it looks believable - although we can't verify the authenticity of the leak.
It's said to be 136.1 x 69.1mm, which would make it slightly smaller than the Samsung Galaxy S4, though there's no word on how slim it will be.
Zeke after leak
The phone is currently known as the Zeq 9000, but the site suggests that the handset may be called 'Zeke' when it launches, because, according to MovePlayer's unnamed source, Samsung filed for the brand name in August.
As it's not clear where MovePlayer is getting its information from it's hard to say whether any of this is true or not, but the image of the phone certainly looks the part.
We should know soon enough as Samsung is expected to unveil its first Tizen phones at MWC 2014 in February.
There'll be plenty more to see at MWC. Check out our guide for what to expect.
The Nokia X Android smartphone is gaining more momentum every day, and we've now got another set of specs to attach to the handset.
Perennial mobile leaker @evleaks is at the centre of things again, posting up specs supposed linked to the Finnish firm's much rumoured Normandy device.
The tweet reads: "Nokia X: 2 x 1GHz Snapdragon, 4" WVGA, 512MB / 4GB / microSD, 5MP, 1500MAh, Nokia Store + 3rd party, dual-SIM, 6 colors" - which falls in line with specs leaked earlier in the week.
Déjà vu
These are similar specs to the current baby of the Lumia range, the Nokia Lumia 520, although the Nokia X looks set to pack less internal storage and a slightly larger battery.
