Meizu and BQ Readers will ship Ubuntu phones this year

Canonical announced its first hardware partners which will manufacture Ubuntu smartphones. Meizu and the Spanish manufacturer BQ Readers will ship Ubuntu handsets globally this year.

Ubuntu’s founder Mark Shuttleworth pointed that the initial partners were chosen because of their expertise in penetrating emerging markets. More established manufacturers are expected to hop on the Ubuntu bandwagon in 2015.

The upcoming Linux-based smartphones are said to feature “the latest hardware.” Canonical is serious about app support too. It aims to have the top 50 mobile applications available on Ubuntu by the end of the year.

We are yet to see an official announcement of Ubuntu smartphone. MWC in Barcelona next week could be the venue of such event.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/meizu_and_bq_readers_will_ship_ubuntu_phones_this_year-news-7868.php

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Windows Phone 8.1 wants your prints! Added feature tipped for next update

Windows Phone 8.1 release is at the tip of our fingers

Pieces of the Windows Phone 8.1 puzzle continue to fall into place with reports claiming the big mobile OS update will bring fingerprint scanning technology into play.

WindowsPhoneLovers has been trawling through the latest Windows Phone 8.1 SDK and found evidence that Microsoft plans to match the iPhone 5S in the security stakes.

Within the code, the site spotted a line reading: "To allow the app to access your private key, scan an enrolled finger on the fingerprint scanner."

Whether that means an onscreen reading or, a la Apple's solution, a physical fingerprint scanner remains to be seen, but we're likely to find out for sure at Build 2014 in April when Microsoft unveils the new OS.

Make or break

The code also suggests there'll be better customisation options when it comes to start screen themes and improved messaging options for dual screen phones.

Today's report is the latest in a long line of feature leaks, for the new OS, which is increasingly becoming make or break for Microsoft.

We've already heard plenty about the Cortana personal voice assistant tech, as well as the new Action Centre, which promises to bring users more control over their notifications.

Speaking of Action Centre, here it is ... erm ... in action, courtesy of UnleashThePhones.com. With the Centre, it appears customizing app interaction and choosing what goes in the toggles and notifications are the name of the game.

• Did you know Windows Phone may be MIA at MWC?

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/windows-phone-8-1-wants-your-prints-added-security-tipped-for-next-update-1226417

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Nokia X caught using a 5MP camera in leaked photo

We can't see a flash... can you?

The question over what camera will be gracing Nokia's Android handset, the Nokia X (aka Nokia Normandy), may have just been answered with a leaked photograph.

Whilst the shot is wholly uninspiring - just a phone, monitor and can of Pepsi - it's the EXIF data that is proving to be a bit more revealing.

If this really is the Nokia X (the data shows that the camera is the Nokia A110) then we're looking at a 5MP sensor having shot a photo with a 1920 x 2560 resolution.

The codename Nokia A110 has appeared before, being spotted by Nokia Power User on AnTuTu as a handset running Android 4.4.1 KitKat with a 5MP camera so everything appears to tie together nicely.

Flash or no flash?

Interestingly though, the EXIF data shows (and image suggests) that the flash was fired. That might sound insignficant, but until now all of evleaks' leaked renders (like the one above) have omitted a flash.

Recent leaked photos courtesy of Vizileaks did show a handset looking almost identical to those renders although if you look closely you can certainly see a little round flash sat next to the camera.

Reports of a Nokia RM-980 Android 4.1.2 handset have also appeared showing a phone with a 3MP (2048 x 1536) sensor. This is supposedly a dual-SIM variant of the Nokia X so perhaps we'll see multiple variants with different sensors.

We'll have to wait until MWC to find out, but that's only a few days away now.

• Until then why not look at what we think the Nokia X should be?

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/nokia-x-caught-using-a-5mp-camera-in-leaked-photo-1226135

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Samsung Galaxy S5 screenshot shows on-screen buttons

The Samsung Galaxy S5 leaks are a steady, mostly consistent stream, but a screenshot of the AnTuTu benchmark brings some conflicting information.

First off, there are on-screen buttons visible in the screenshot, which suggests the Galaxy S5 will be the first in the line with no hardware buttons. Most rumors until now agree that there will be physical buttons, the thing they can't settle on is whether there will be a fingerprint scanner.

The info from the screenshot also shows the screen as 1080p, rather than the accepted QHD. This is the Exynos 5420 version of the phone, but we doubt Samsung will split the Galaxy S5 by chipset and screen.

The rest of the info shows 3GB of RAM (to match the Note 3), a 16MP camera (we've already seen two photos) and 2160p video recording (even though an image of a retail box pointed to 1080p).

Also note the blue icons in the status bar – the phone runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat, which changed the icon color to white, but the new, flat TouchWiz may be changing things around. Blue was the pre-KitKat standard for status bar icons. The on-screen menu button is also strange.

Screenshots can be faked in more ways than one and even if it's real, apps don't always properly detect the hardware, so take it all with a pinch of salt.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s5_screenshot_shows_onscreen_buttons-news-7860.php

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Samsung Galaxy S5 to come dust and waterproof as standard

Say goodbye to the Active range

There's less than a week to go until MWC 2014 and news about what we can expect from one of the hottest handsets of the year, the Samsung Galaxy S5, is streaming out as leaks spring up everywhere.

According to sources in Korea, talking to ZDNet, the Galaxy S5 will be the first fully-fledged Samsung flagship to feature the ability rather than relying on an 'Active' variant as seen with the Galaxy S4.

The unnamed source (make of that what you will) claims that "for the previously released Galaxy S4, water-proof and dust-proof capabilities were adapted to the handset's variants. But for the Galaxy S5, the standard model will have them immediately".

We might be tempted to write this off but we've already heard news that Samsung may be moving to make all its flagships waterproof starting with the Note 4. It's certainly no major stretch to imagine that Samsung could have the tech in place for the S5 and would give buyers much greater confidence their prized possession isn't going to fall apart at the first sign of drizzle.

Wet finger bandits?

Because of this supposed waterproofing the source suggesting that users will be able to wash the Galaxy S5 under the tap as it can survive short periods whilst submerged. This would certainly put the Galaxy S5 on par with the Sony Xperia Z1, as well as the highly anticipated Xperia Z2.

The reports also 'confirm' our suspicions that the Galaxy S5 will feature a fingerprint scanner built into the home button, requiring a side swipe rather than the finger press that is needed on the iPhone 5S.

This feature is reported to be supplied by US fingerprint solution firm Validity, as well as using an ultraviolet coating rather than the sapphire used by Apple.

We'll be here to bring you all you need to know about the Galaxy S5 from MWC so stay tuned.

• We'd hate to leave you hanging there, so why not check out what we know already about the Galaxy S5?

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-s5-to-come-dust-and-waterproof-as-standard-1226077

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Gionee Elife S5.5 is the thinnest smartphone in the world

Gionee has announced what the company claims is the thinnest smartphone in the world. Aside from boasting the most impressive 5.5mm waistline, the Elife S5.5 runs an Android-based Amigo OS, sports a quad-core 1.7 GHz processor, 2GB of RAM and a duo of 13 MP and 5 MP cameras (back and front).

The device also has a 5" screen, 2,300 mAh battery that should go a full day with 3G on - an LTE version will be arriving in June.

The Elife S5.5 will cost around $370 in China and Gionee expects to release the device in 40 other, unspecified so far, countries.

The Gionee Elife S5.5 nudged the Vivo X3 and its 5.75mm profile from the slimmest smartphone spot. For reference, the Huawei Ascend P6 boasts 6.2 mm of thickness while the iPhone 5s (and iPhone 5) sit at 7.6 mm.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/gionee_elife_s55_is_the_thinnest_smartphone_in_the_world-news-7859.php

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Galaxy Note 3 gets an update, fixes accessory compatibility

Many users were complaining about broken compatibility with third-party accessories since Samsung launched the Android 4.4 KitKat update for the Galaxy Note 3. Apparently most of the S View-like third-party cases stopped working after the update.

Samsung has recently acknowledged the issues with non-Samsung accessories and promised a fix.

Well, the fix is now ready and Samsung has started seeding the new firmware to the Galaxy Note 3 phablets out there. To get it, your Galaxy Note 3 must be already running on Android 4.4 KitKat, of course.

As it was with the original KitKat update, Poland's S800-powered Galaxy Note 3 and the first model to get the fix. Other countries will be joining in any moment now though, so stay tuned.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/galaxy_note_3_gets_a_minor_update_fixes_accessory_compatibility-news-7858.php

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