BlackBerry eyes up MWC 2014 for new handsets launch

Stack 'em high, sell 'em cheap

BlackBerry's woes are well documented, but the Canadian firm isn't giving up without a fight as news surfaces that it's planning to launch some new handsets very soon.

The news comes from Foxconn's CEO Terry Gou, whose company recently signed a deal with BlackBerry to design and produce a series of low-end handsets for emerging markets over the next five years.

BlackBerry is said to be eyeing up MWC 2014 in Barcelona as the platform to showcase its new wares, with Gou being quoted by Focus Taiwan saying: "We are working with them to design a new device, and we will showcase multiple devices at the trade show in Barcelona in February."

BlackBerry set to emerge

One of the rumoured entry-level handsets is apparently codenamed "Jakata", and will be targeted at countries such as Indonesia and Mexico.

BlackBerry is shifting its focus to a more business-orientated view, but insists it isn't giving up on the consumer side of things - and perhaps its new focus here is low-cost, low end devices.

It's not clear whether BlackBerry will aim to bring any of the rumoured handsets to the UK, or indeed how many phones it will actually reveal during MWC at the end of February.

• Here's what else you can expect at MWC 2014

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/blackberry-eyes-up-mwc-2014-for-new-handsets-launch-1218949

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Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 to rock a radical new flexible design

Just wait until Paul Le Monkey hears about this

The Galaxy Gear might not have been a triumph, but at least a number of Samsung bods have recognised that a rethink is needed for its next smartwatch.

Rumours of what the Galaxy Gear 2 may or may not feature have been floating about for months, and the latest we're hearing is that the watch will have a completely new design with a flexible display.

How that new design will actually look isn't made clear, but "an industry source" told ZDNet Korea that Samsung is changing up the parts that "looked dull or boring," which hopefully means cutting down that bezel for one thing.

Galaxy quest

The same source also said the Galaxy Gear 2 is likely to be launched in April or March in London. Samsung previously said that the Galaxy S5 would launch at this same time, joined by the new Galaxy Gear.

Interestingly, this new tipster also claims that the big unveiling is set to happen in London. Could this be where the S5 is also unveiled? It certainly makes sense for Samsung to bundle the two closely together.

Samsung is reportedly keeping a close eye on what Apple and LG are up to with their own smartwatch efforts. Here's hoping the Korean company has something more appealing by the time the iWatch (probably) rolls around.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/portable-devices/samsung-galaxy-gear-2-to-rock-a-radical-new-flexible-design-1218919

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ASUS PadFone E sits between the mini and Infinity

ASUS went ahead and announced the PadFone E, a middle man in its lineup of smartphone and tablet hybrids. The PadFone E sports modest specs a looks pretty similar to the PadFone mini.

It sports a Snapdragon 400 chipset with a quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A7 CPU, 1 GB of RAM and 4.7" 1280 x 720 display. Powered by Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, the hybrid sports a 13 MP LED-enabled back-mounted snapper and rather modest 1,820 mAh battery.

The dock brings a 720p 10.1" screen and 5,000 mAh battery of its own, which can charge the PadFone E. It also has a 1 MP front-facing camera.

ASUS PadFone E

The weight is a reasonable 126 g for the smartphone and 526 g for the slate. Both come in either Johnnie Walker Black or Pearl White.

The Asus PadFone E is expected to cost around $560 in Taiwan, making it the cheapest 10.1-packing PadFone ever. However despite sporting both a big tablet display and small portable smartphone one the PadFone E's slate is nothing more than a battery with a dead screen without its smaller companion.

Source (in Chinese) | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/asus_padfone_e_sits_between_the_mini_and_infinity-news-7669.php

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Nokia Lumia 1520 mini may launch as Lumia 930 with fewer headlining specs

Finally something that sounds realistic

We've heard a few things about the upcoming Nokia Lumia 1520 mini, including that it might be called the Nokia Lumia 1520V, or even the Lumia 930.

We're now able to put a potential face to those names, as well as reveal a little more about what the Lumia 1520V may pack inside its slender frame.

An image spotted on microblogging site Weibo MiLeaks claims to show the upcoming Nokia Lumia 1520V (the V stands for Viisi, the Finnish word for five). Interestingly, the picture shows the full three columns of live tiles that also adorn the Lumia 1520 phablet.

That 4.3-inch full HD screen which has been rumoured previously might actually be a 4.45-inch HD screen with a more realistic sounding 768 x 1280 screen, according to WMPoweruser who spotted the new specs on WPBar.

Nokia Lumia 1520V vs iPhone 5S for size (Credit: @MiLeaks)

New specs sound sensible

Other leaked specs include a 2370mAh battery, giving it slightly more juice than the 2300mAh battery that is found in the upcoming Sony Xperia Z1 Compact - which seems more palatable than the 3000mAh option we've seen elsewhere.

According to twitter tipster @NextLeaks the Lumia 1520V will actually launch as the Nokia Lumia 930, presumably as an update to the Nokia Lumia 925.

Given that @NextLeaks has only posted six tweets to date, we are currently advising a far less healthy dose of salt, even if the Lumia 930 name seems a little more realistic.

Either way, we shouldn't be left waiting to long to find out who is right with the Lumia 1520 mini expected to launch alongside Windows Phone 8.1 in April.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/nokia-lumia-1520-mini-may-launch-as-lumia-930-and-sport-fewer-headlining-specs-1218880

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LG announces 2013 four quarter and full year financial results

LG has revealed its fourth quarter and full year financial results for the year of 2013. The company made $53.1 billion in terms of net revenue with $203.65 million net profit in the full year of 2013, an improvement over 2012. Operating profits increased to $1.17 billion in 2013 from $1.08 billion in 2012.

As far as just the fourth quarter is concerned, LG earned $14.03 billion in terms of net revenue and $223.89 million of operating profit. Unfortunately for LG, the company also faced $60.21 million in terms of net loss due to higher non-operating expenses.

The mobile sector of LG's business reported a 29 percent increase in annual revenue to $11.85 billion year-on-year and an 18 percent increase in fourth quarter revenues to $3.38 billion quarter-on-quarter thanks to strong performance by the G2 and Nexus 5. LG shipped 13.2 million smartphone units last quarter, which is a 54 percent increase over last year.

You can read more about LG's financial report in the link below.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_announces_2013_four_quarter_and_full_year_financial_results-news-7668.php

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LG G Pro 2 confirmed for a MWC 2014 debut

Tell us more, LG, tell us more

We now know at least one product we'll definitely see for sure at MWC 2014: LG has announced that it will announce the LG G Pro 2 at the phones show in February.

Unfortunately we'll have to wait until the show kicks off to find out anything more concrete about the handset, which looks set to take the LG Optimus G Pro's place in LG's oversized phone line-up.

Go Pro

It may not be the eagerly awaited LG G3 (which is now pegged for a later 2014 release date), but the LG G Pro 2 will see the original Pro's get a spec-boost if some leaked information is anything to go by.

We're expecting a 1080p 6-inch screen (up from the original Pro's 5.2-inch affair) as well as a Snapdragon 800 processor, 3GB of RAM and Android 4.4 KitKat.

Whether we'll see the handset launch in the US, UK or Australia is anyone's guess at this point, but given that the G Pro never made it beyond Korea's borders then we'd say possibly not.

• Find out what we made of the LG Optimus G Pro

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/lg-g-pro-2-confirmed-for-a-mwc-2014-debut-1218851

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This week in review: the news that you might have missed

You're busy, we get that. So here's a recap of all the big stories that happened this past week that you shouldn't have missed. This is the week in review.

LG's Phablet, the Flex was made available for ATT this week in the US and all around Europe on February 1st. Looks like the Note series of phones has a worthwhile contender.

The Galaxy S5 is purported to be unveiled on February 23rd. There haven't been many reliable leaks on the handset, but we do know it will have a fingerprint scanner. If the release date rumors are true, then we'll know everything about the device in a few weeks.

There were reports that Apple's iPhone 6 will carry a 4.8” screen and may be made available as early as June. It might be just what the Cupertino based tech giant needs to take some market share from the gargantuan-screened Droids that are everywhere.

The rumored Lumia 929 (aka ICON) was caught on video, and a dummy unit of the phone was spotted in public as well. It's been one of the worst kept secrets in the mobile world, but is looking to be a formidable WP device.

A red Nexus 5 was spotted in Vietnam, and there are murmurs that there will be a yellow version coming out as well. Seeing that the device is a big seller, it would make sense to LG to branch out and give it additional paint jobs.

Are there any other prominent news stories that you were particularly excited about? Let us know in the comments!

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/this_week_in_review_the_news_that_you_might_have_missed-news-7664.php

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