Another press image of HTC M8 emerges on Twitter

Yet another press image of HTC M8 made the rounds on Twitter, courtesy of @evleaks. The photo gives us a close look at the device’s dual camera setup.

In line with previous leaks, the image clearly reveals the dual-tone LED flash of the device. It appears similar to the one found in the iPhone 5s.

Despite the numerous unscheduled appearances of HTC One’s successor, we are yet to find out how its main camera works. Rumors about the duties of the secondary camera on the back range from zoom and focus enhancement, all the way to the ability to change the depth of field.

HTC will reveal its Android flagship this month, on March 25. The handset will likely be called the All New HTC One.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/another_press_image_of_htc_m8_emerges_on_twitter-news-7972.php

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Micromax's octa-core Canvas Knight goes on sale

Power users rejoice, Micromax has announced that their first octa-core smartphone, the Canvas Knight A350, is now for sale.

The Knight is powered by MediaTek 2GHz Tru Octa-Core MT6592T CPU, which the company flaunts as as being a multi-tasking workhorse.

The three available colors (click to enlarge)

The Canvas Knight also comes with a 5” SHARP full HD screen, 2GB RAM, a 16MP primary camera and a 8MP front facing unit, a 2350 mAh battery, and 32GB of storage out of the box. On the software side, the Canvas Knight packs Android 4.2.2 and it comes in Black, White & Gold, and Black & Gold color variants.

Another feature that Micromax is touting with the Knight is the Yamaha Music Amplifier, which promises exceptional audio output.

The Canvas Knight retails for 20,000 rupees, which equates to roughly $323. Anyone excited for the Indian manufacturer's latest phone?

If you are, you can pick it up at www.micromaxinfo.com.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/micromaxs_octacore_canvas_knight_goes_on_sale-news-7971.php

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Feast your eyes on the New HTC One's dual cameras ... maybe

Double your cameras, double your fun (credit: @evleaks)

In the case of the New HTC One, the phone is as good as revealed, though of course we're lacking official confirmation on just about every spec.

What seems a done deal is that the One 2 will sport a unique dual-camera sensor design, a feature HTC itself has teased in recent days.

While HTC would have us believe life will become "twice as beautiful" on March 25, a new leak from @evleaks lets us go up close and personal with the new snappers.

The perpetual leaker refers to the picture subject as the "HTC M8 cameras." There's not much else to take away, but smartphone camera fanatics can drool over the sensors' crisp lines and accompanying dual flash.

As Engadget postulated, the double camera set up may help magnify distant objects without having to use zoom, boost low-light performance, enhance auto focus and/or allow users to change a photo's depth of field.

We'll find out the real reasons soon enough.

• It's here: our Galaxy S5 hands on review!
• Thank goodness Google is working to fix that Android 4.4 camera bug

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/feast-your-eyes-on-the-new-htc-one-s-dual-cameras-maybe-1231393

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FreedomPop unveils its 'Snowden Phone' to be a locked-down Galaxy S2

A Blackphone rival that can be bought with Bitcoins

Anonymous internet goers who are willing to downgrade their smartphone in order to upgrade their privacy may be interested in the newish Android from FreedomPop.

FreedomPop's Privacy Phone, appropriately nicknamed the "Snowden Phone," is actually a Samsung Galaxy S2 but one that comes with locked-down voice, text and data features.

It transmits all calls and text messages through 128-bit encryption and keeps users anonymous when browsing the internet.

Virus and phishing protection aren't a problem with this phone and neither is keeping all of your contacts and call history confidential, according to FreedomPop.

In light of the Prism government spying program, the internet service provider claims these features help "protect your privacy from hackers, government agencies and spyware."

FreedomPop Privacy Phone vs Blackphone

The FreedomPop Privacy Phone isn't actually the first Android designed for privacy-concerned individuals. That distinction belongs to Blackphone, which we went hands on with at MWC 2014.

However, while the anti-NSA Blackphone has superior specs, it's $629 (about £376, AU$700). The Boeing Black is another option, but a price hasn't been announced yet.

FreedomPop is currently taking orders for its privacy-defending Galaxy S2 for the price of just $189 (about £113, AU$210) and it comes with three months of free unlimited voice and texts and 500MB of data.

Best of all, you a put a reasonable price on freedom and it can be bought with Bitcoins.

• Read: But its specs can't match the Samsung Galaxy S5

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/freedompop-unveils-its-snowden-phone-to-be-a-locked-down-galaxy-s2-1231394

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Hands on: Archos 40b Titanium review

The least powerful of Archos's MWC troublesome trio, the 40b Titanium is small in size but offers some respectable features within.

The headline feature that Archos is singing about is music. The 40b Titanium packs dual front facing speakers for the music enthusiasts, in an otherwise budget-spec handset.

For £99.99 ($165, around AU $185) it's a fairly respectable package, although design-wise there's little to be excited about when you pick up the 40b Titanium.

The 4-inch 480x800 display looked grainy and washed out, but chances are you won't be doing much video watching on this phone anyway.

Android 4.2 isn't going to impress either, with 4.4 appearing on a number of handsets at this year's Barcelona show, but it's not exactly a deal breaker for a phone of this calibre.

A 5MP camera adorns the back - not too shabby, all things considered - and you've got a budget-level VGA on the front.

Doing the legwork on the inside is a 1.3GHz processor and 512MB of RAM – all you'll really need to power a phone of this level sufficiently. However the slowdown when trying to move quickly between apps was noticeable.

It was less easy to determine the quality of those speakers on the noisy MWC showfloor, but they definitely seemed to pack a punch when it came to volume. You'll have to wait until we can put them through their proper paces before we can deliver a full verdict.

For a phone aimed at the music enthusiast, you'd expect Archos to pack in a decent amount of space for all those tunes. Unfortunately you'll only be getting 4GB inside, which seems a bit silly, though that's expandable with the microSD slot.

Early verdict

The Archos 40b Titanium might not have too much to boast about in the hardware, but if you're a music lover on a budget, this could be just the ticket. That price tag is certainly music to our ears.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/archos-40b-titanium-1227029/review

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Sony Xperia Z2 hits post-pay pre-orders, better start saving those pennies

Is the Xperia Z2 worth £47 a month to you?

After its arrival on SIM-free pre-orders last week, those seeking to snap up a subsidised Sony Xperia Z2 can now officially sign-up, but the company's new flagship won't be coming cheap.

Carphone Warehouse is promising delivery of the handset on April 7, with contracts on all networks, starting at a rather steep (tantamount to vertical, in all honesty) £47 a month if you want a free phone.

Vodafone is offering the least expensive option with unlimited minutes/texts and only 3GB of 4G data. 5GB of data on O2 is a quid more.

If you're prepared to hand over £100 upfront, EE will give you 20GB of 4G data for £52.99 a month.

Flagship (yes, another one)

The Xperia Z2, which is seemingly Sony's umpteenth flagship handset in the last couple of years, arrived at MWC 2014 last month.

It brings worthy improvements, including an excellent 5.2-inch full HD screen, with Live Colour LED technology. It also packs Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box.

It's also one of the first handsets to deploy the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 CPU, which, when combined with 3GB of RAM, makes the device one of the speediest on the market.

Can the Xperia Z2 match the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the forthcoming 'all new' HTC One? Or is this another flagship device that'll keep Sony among the chasing pack? Let us know your thoughts below.

• Don't fancy the Z2? Here's the Z1 vs Z1 compact vs Z Ultra. Plenty of Zs to be getting on with there.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/sony-xperia-z2-hits-post-pay-pre-orders-better-start-saving-those-pennies-1231356

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Gmail iOS app becomes more relevant with background refresh update

Just what we want, more messages.

Google just made Gmail more relevant on its chief competitor's devices, as its official iOS app now includes a handy background refresh feature.

This means that the Gmail app can fetch mail even when it's not open. The new messages will be waiting for you as soon as you open up the app, according to the release notes.

The feature comes with some requirements. At least one type of notification needs to be enabled for background refresh to work properly, whether it's a badge, alert or banner notification.

Apple hardware owners are also required to update to iOS 7 if they haven't already. This means the update is compatible with the iPhone 4 or later and iPad 2 or later.

Mail vs Gmail apps on iOS

Today's update really levels the playing field between Google's app and Apple's native Mail app, which has always been able to fetch messages when closed.

Gmail version 3 for iOS also simplifies the sign-in process. Signing into Google Maps, Drive or the Chrome browser enables a convenient single sign-in feature.

Now that checking Gmail messages and signing in is faster, iOS users may be tempted to take advantage of Google's app, even though it's a third-party app.

On top of everything else, it includes Gmail's exclusive colorful labels feature that the default Mail app doesn't incorporate.

• Read: See how Apple may step it up with iPhone 6

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/gmail-ios-app-becomes-more-relevant-with-background-refresh-update-1231354

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All New HTC One squishes the Samsung Galaxy S5 in benchmark leaks

Better views of the All New HTC One

We've might have already seen the All New HTC One in all its glory from the dual sensors to every inch of its metal unibody. But now we're finally getting our first look at what it can actually do on the processing power front.

Newly posted photos on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Facebook, have revealed some scintillating new angles of the phone. But more importantly the new images give us the AnTuTu benchmarks show what the new HTC flagship can do with its rumored 2.26GHz quad-core chip.

According to some numbers in the photos, the New HTC One clocks in at an astonishing 38,000 points. This score beats out most of its rivals already on the market including the Samsung Galaxy S5's 35,666 score.

Anonymous parties performed both benchmarks before each smartphone's respective reveals, so we'll have to take the numbers with a grain of salt. That said, it's not a far stretch to imagine that the faster clocking HTC flagship is going to beat the 2.5GHz quad-core Krait processor found in the Galaxy S5.

Feeling the need for speed

It's still very early in the smartphone season and with each new phone the standard that this year's crop of smartphone's will have to meet is being moved up. From the looks of it, the new 64-bit chips and faster quad-core processors are already quickly speeding ahead.

AnTuTu benchmarks for the original HTC One came in at 22,678 points according to GSM Arena. Meanwhile, GSM Arena also recorded the more recent LG G Flex with an AnTuTu score of 33,336.

Benchmarks are of course not everything but they give us an early looks at what a phone can do. We'll find out how much of this high AnTuTu benchmark score translates into blinding fast speed when we get our hands on the phone on March 25.

Via Nowhereelse.fr

• Across the mobile OS pond, here's is what we know about the iPhone 6

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/all-new-htc-one-squishes-the-samsung-galaxy-s5-in-benchmark-leaks-1231345

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EE rolls out twice-as-fast LTE-A in London

Everything Everywhere, or in short EE, the joint venture between Deutsche Telekom and Orange S.A in the United Kingdom, is rolling out 4.5G data speeds in London. This is the LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) technology, which ups the data transfer speeds from the conventional LTE's 150 Mbps to 300 Mbps.

For now the move covers only London with no word on LTE-A's expansion in the rest of UK just yet. South Korea is the pioneer of LTE-A speeds, but they were bound to reach other markets sooner rather than later.

While LTE-A will greatly improve data speeds EE's voice network is still stuck on 2G. EE is currently spending £279 million to try and rectify the issue, though.

Source | Via: 1 | 2

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/ee_rolls_out_twiceasfast_ltea_in_london-news-7970.php

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Samsung Galaxy S5 pre orders hit the Netherlands

Following Romania, carriers and retailers in the Netherlands have put the Samsung Galaxy S5 available for pre-order. Three major carriers in the country, T-Mobile, Vodafone and KPN are ready to accept orders for the Galaxy S5.

Out of the three, Vodafone is the only one offering the Galaxy S5 in gold. The carrier offers the phone for free on a 2-year contract worth €50/month. T-Mobile and KPN have similar conditions, but ask for a €55/month commitment.

There are SIM-free options as well. PDAShop.nl is offering the Galaxy S5 free of contract for €699.99 for the 16GB model. Actual sales of the phone will begin on April 11.

While the Samsung prepares the Galaxy S5 for a global release, check out our extensive hands-on of the flagship.

Source • Source (2) • Source (3) • Source (4)

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s5_pre_orders_hit_the_netherlands-news-7968.php

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Did someone just out the prices of the Samsung Gear 2 and Gear Fit?

No Gear-change in price for this one?

Samsung made its biggest wearable push yet at MWC 2014 by revealing three new devices – the prices of which may have just been outed.

Sam Mobile claims to have the inside scoop and says we can expect to see the Samsung Gear 2 priced at €299 (which will probably end up as £299, $299), while the Gear 2 Neo and the Gear Fit will come in at €199 (again, probably £199, $199).

Bearing in mind that the first Samsung Galaxy Gear launched for £299 ($299), these prices are well within the realms of possibility, but we're yet to hear anything official.

Healthy margins

While the Gear 2 may be priced as steeply as its predecessor, we've at least now got the Neo coming in at a more affordable point. Plus we expect we'll see Samsung continue to slash the cost of the original Gear, or remove the product entirely.

But by asking the same price for the Gear Fit, Samsung will be pricing itself higher than competitors like the Nike Fuelband and Fitbit Force, which could make it a more difficult sell - even with that flexible OLED screen.

We're currently waiting for a response from Samsung on the matter and will keep you updated.

• Are we happy with Samsung's improvements in its watch? Find out in our Gear 2 review

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/portable-devices/did-someone-just-out-the-prices-of-the-samsung-gear-2-and-gear-fit--1231224

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New HTC One release date, news and rumors

Is this the All New HTC One? (credit: @evleaks)

How do you follow up a phone like the HTC One? It was only the third smartphone to garner a highly coveted five star TechRadar review and the Taiwanese firm has got a job on its hands to repeat the trick with its successor.

HTC is working on something as a myriad of leaks, rumors and suggestive benchmark results flood onto the web - all of which appear to reference the All New HTC One smartphone, with the development name of HTC M8 appearing on several occasions.

Why is M8 significant? Well, the codename for the original HTC One during development was M7, so the M8 moniker makes logical sense for the firm's next flagship smartphone.

The handset won't launch under the M8 name however; there's actually a bit of confusion over the name HTC will give it after backing itself into a little bit of a corner with its "One" brand - "The All New HTC One" appears to be the current front runner though.

• The HTC One 2 is in trouble - it's going to have an awful name

Cut to the chase
What is it? Sequel to the 5 star HTC One - a tough act to follow
When is it out? HTC has an event on March 25 2014
What will it cost? A lot. Big phone, big money.

One thing is for sure, with the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the Sony Xperia Z2 already here and the iPhone 6 due to launch later in 2014, the new HTC One is going to have its work cut out and it could be make or break time for the Taiwanese firm.

We've rounded up all the latest M8 chatter from around the web to bring you the best picture of what you may see from the All New HTC One.

New HTC One release date and price

After months of speculation and hearsay, the Taiwanese firm has finally sent out invitations to an event on March 25 2014, which we can only assume will signal the arrival of the all New HTC One.

The event is scheduled to take place in London and New York, with proceedings kicking off at 4pm (GMT)/11am (EST).

A post-MWC 2014 launch event was always looking most likely as it allows HTC to avoid the launches of the Galaxy S5 and Xperia Z2, giving the new One 2 space to shine away from the bustle of a trade show.

With the Galaxy S5 doing such a good job of stealing the show at MWC it seems like this was probably a wise decision.

We hope HTC will get the new HTC One out of the door quicker this time round, as back in 2013 Samsung managed to announce the Galaxy S4 and get it in stores between HTC's announcement and release of the One. Of course, either way it's likely to arrive after the Galaxy S5, as that's already been announced.

There's no confirmation on price yet, but Mobile Fun is listing the handset at £579.99. Whether it has some inside information or whether that's just a placeholder is unclear, but we'd expect the handset to go for between £550-£600 so it seems reasonable.

• How will the M8 beat the five star HTC One?

New HTC One display

Big screens are the order of the day for today's flagship smartphones and various reports seem to suggest the all new HTC One will build ever so slightly on the 4.7-inch display found on the One - with 5 inches being a popular choice, and 5.2 inches also appearing in leaks.

This makes sense as the HTC One is dwarfed by the likes of the 5-inch Xperia Z1 and 5.2-inch LG G2 and phones are only getting bigger- people want more screen and with the bezels beside displays decreasing the phone's physical dimensions may not actually change too much.

The rivals
Samsung Galaxy S5 | Sony Xperia Z2 | iPhone 6

The 5-inch, full HD All New HTC One screen has been echoed by @evleaks - a usually reliable source of upcoming phone leaks - while resolution appears to be stuck at 1080p. No QHD or 4K resolutions in sight for the M8 just yet.

Based on the variety of rumors, leaks and reports we've pulled together a render of how we'd like the All New HTC One to look:

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/new-htc-one-1202748

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Google working on Android KitKat fix for camera app battery drain

You might want to cut down on those selfies

If you've recently updated your smartphone to Android 4.4.2 KitKat and have noticed some abnormally high battery drain you're not alone - but Google is on the case.

Apparently some Android handsets are seeing battery life diminish at a rate of knots after opening the camera application as a result of the phone's CPU maxing out.

While Google's fix will be able to alleviate the problem on the likes of the Nexus 5 and Nexus 4, those rocking a HTC, Samsung or any other Android device with a UI skin will have to wait for the relevant manufacturer to address the issue separately.

Reboot, for now

There's currently no time frame on Google's fix to roll out to handsets, but it's expected to arrive as part of the Android 4.4.3 package - so keep your eyes peeled.

In the meantime a quick reboot of your device is said to provide a temporary solution to the excessive battery drain, but it won't fix the problem.

• Why are mobile phone batteries still so bad?

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/google-working-on-android-kitkat-fix-for-camera-app-battery-drain-1231198

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New HTC One Benchmark puts it ahead of Galaxy Note 3

As the official announcement date of the All New HTC One draws near, the phone's leaking intensifies. Today we have a photo showing an AnTuTu test completed on the upcoming HTC flagship, which shows the phone has managed to beat the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

This is quite the achievement, considering the Note 3 isn't by any stretch of the imagination a slow phone. The All New HTC One is rumored to pack the newer 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 (8974-AB). However, HTC is likely to have done some under-the-hood tweaks, which would've allowed Sense 6 to be less of a resource hog.

Next to the four Krait cores of the Snapdragon 801, there's also an Adreno 330 GPU, 2GB of RAM and either 32GB or 64GB of internal storage. The latest evidence points out to a microSD card slot, too.

The smartphone is tipped to sport a 5-inch 1080p flagship and will also come in silver, grey and gold. The most notable new feature is, of course, the dual-camera, dual-LED setup on the back.

Speaking of which, there are also a bunch of new photos of the upcoming HTC One successor. One of them is showing the dual rear cameras, while another offers us a glimpse at the top of the phone. There, we can see it sports a cool metallic accent with the Power/Lock key sitting on the top right side.

The official announcement is just a few weeks away, but we feel we already know almost everything there is to know about The All New One. Here is hoping HTC will still manage to surprise us in a good way come March 25.

Source | Via
Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/new_htc_one_benchmark_puts_it_ahead_of_galaxy_note_3-news-7966.php

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Google Nexus 6 could be a stripped-down LG G3

Keep flying the LG flag

Google and LG are set to continue their romance through 2014, we're hearing, with word that both the Nexus 6 and the Google smartwatch will be LG-built.

Gizmodo.de quotes a "business-related source" claiming that the Nexus 6 is intended to be "a lightweight" version of the LG G3, which we're expecting to arrive around the middle of the year.

That's not a shocker – the LG G2 and the Nexus 5 have plenty of comparative aspects, mainly in design.

What "light" means here is anyone's guess, but we'd expect it means the internals will be less powerful on Google's pure handset.

Watch the horizon

The other bit of information concerns Google's rumoured smartwatch, as the same source reckons that Google is working closely with LG on this one too.

Take this news cautiously, but LG will reportedly build the watch, which Gizmodo is referring to as the "Google Nexus Smartwatch".

While there's nothing to say if this name was provided by the source, it sounds better – and makes a lot more sense – than Google Gem, another potential moniker we've heard.

Apparently Google is hoping to bring its smartwatch to market "soon", which could mean anywhere from a month to a decade really.

• The Google watch – the story so far...

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/google-nexus-6-could-be-a-stripped-down-lg-g3-1231135

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Samsung Galaxy S5 goes up for pre-order for €699

It seems Orange in Romania is the first one to put up the new Samsung Galaxy S5 for pre-order. The phone is available with a 2-year contract for €249 or you can pay €699 and get the phone without a contract and also completely unlocked. Orange will also throw in an S-View Flip Cover for the S5.

As far as the delivery is concerned, the site mentions that the expected time of delivery is April 11, same as the date announced by Samsung. Orange Romania is selling the phone in black, white and blue, with the gold color option nowhere to be found.

You can find the link to purchase the phone below.

Orange Romania (Thanks Ioansuhov for the tip)

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s5_goes_up_for_preorder_on_orange_romania-news-7965.php

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Samsung Galaxy S5 goes up for pre-order on Orange Russia

It seems Orange in Russia is the first one to put up the new Samsung Galaxy S5 for pre-order. The phone is available with a 2-year contract for €249 or you can pay €699 and get the phone without a contract and also completely unlocked. Orange will also throw in an S-View Flip Cover for the S5.

As far as the delivery is concerned, the site mentions that the expected time of delivery is April 11, same as the date announced by Samsung. Orange Russia is selling the phone in black, white and blue, with the gold color option nowhere to be found.

You can find the link to purchase the phone below.

Orange Russia (Thanks Ioansuhov for the tip)

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s5_goes_up_for_preorder_on_orange_russia-news-7965.php

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Android-powered Nokia X hits Malaysia for $120

The first Android device from Nokia, the Nokia X, landed with much fanfare at MWC last week. The company is wasting no time in getting it out to customers, as the device has been announced through Malaysian retailer Storekini.com for RM 399 (about $120).

While certainly on the cheap side, the device itself boasts rather meager specifications: a dual-core 1GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, 4-inch WVGA display, 3MP fixed focus camera, 4GB of storage and just 512MB of RAM.

Our time with the device revealed a somewhat confusing mashup of Android 4.1, Windows Phone, and even elements from Nokia's Asha lineup. And although it's not able to run Google's Play Store, it does have the ability to sideload Android apps, 75% of which Nokia claims will be able to run without modification.

For our full impressions and hands-ons with the Nokia X, X+, and XL from MWC, go here. Otherwise, follow this link to get the Nokia X in Malaysia with free shipping.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/androidpowered_nokia_x_hits_malaysia_for_rm_399-news-7964.php

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