Europe inches closer to a universal phone charger

Apple could be forced to ditch the Lightning cable

There's been talk of bringing in a universal phone charger across Europe for years now, but the project just took a leap forward as Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted in favour of the scheme this week.

That doesn't mean it's a done deal, but it's another step in the right direction for those sick of needing a million different wires and connectors for the household's various portable devices.

If Europe's council of ministers approve the legislation, it will force all phone manufacturers to use the same charger - most likely micro USB - for all smartphones by 2017.

Apple flavour

Many phone makers are already down with the micro USB connector, but Apple, which signed on to the scheme some years ago, is still rocking its own Lightning connector.

It hasn't made any kind of response to this week's news yet but it has said in the past that it will not change its actual smartphones - rather it will provide an adapter in order to comply with the ruling in Europe.

• Why are phone batteries still so crap?

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/europe-inches-closer-to-a-universal-phone-charger-1233981

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Samsung Galaxy S5 to launch on March 27 in Malaysia

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S5 during the MWC in Barcelona last month. The flagship is going to become available internationally on April 11. As it turns out though some markets may be getting the Galaxy S5 even earlier.

The three biggest carriers in Malaysia have already confirmed they will be offering the Samsung Galaxy S5 on contract once it becomes officially available. It seems the date has been just recently cleared out as well - March 27. Or at least that's what the latest teaser picture suggest.

There is no info on whether March 27 is the date the carriers will begin taking pre-orders for the April 11 launch, or it is the actual release date for the Malaysian market. Without additional details we'll have to believe it is the official premiere date for Malaysia.

If March 27 launch is indeed true, then maybe other countries will be getting the Galaxy S5 ahead of the international launch as well. We'll be following closely this case and report immediately after new information on the subject gets out.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s5_may_launch_on_march_27_in_malaysia-news-8034.php

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Samsung CEO denies a more premium Galaxy S5 in the works

The rumors about an upcoming premium version of the newly announced Galaxy S5 flagship has emerged shortly after the official premiere. The new model was rumored to pack a 4K display and a metal body.

In 2013 we saw similar rumors about an upcoming Galaxy F lineup that was supposed to replace the Galaxy S top models. The Galaxy F was also rumored to ditch the plastic panels in favor of metal. So one thing led to another and the alleged premium Galaxy S5 version began to be referred as the first Galaxy F model.

Well, if you hoped for such an upgrade, Samsung's CEO J.K. Shin says there are no plans of launching a more premium model of the Galaxy S5. The one thing we could expect though is a new Galaxy Note model this fall.

So, if we are to trust J.K. Shin, the Galaxy F/Galaxy S5 premium is indeed just a fans' daydream. After all there is not a single leaked piece of info revealing pictures, specs, or details about such a device.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_ceo_denies_a_premium_galaxy_s5_is_in_the_works-news-8033.php

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Premium Samsung Galaxy S5 dreams dashed as CEO says no

Plastic it is then

In the run up to the Samsung Galaxy S5 launch several rumours suggested the Korean firm would release two variants of the flagship smartphone, one of which would be a premium metal-clad offering. Sadly however, that appears to be false.

Korean site KBench is reporting that Samsung CEO J.K. Shin has told the media that it won't be producing a premium model of the Galaxy S5 - a handset which was referred to as the "Galaxy F Series" in various rumours.

Design is still an area of contention for Samsung's high-end smartphones as it prefers to use plastic over more premium materials such as glass and metal.

This gives the likes of the iPhone 5S, Sony Xperia Z2 and potentially the upcoming all new HTC One an advantage as they can garner interest from consumers with their sleek looks.

Take Note

Shin did hint that the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 would be arriving in the second half of 2014 - hardly a surprise as the Korean firm has kept a tight annual schedule on its phablet reboots.

Will the Galaxy Note 4 sport an all-metal body? Well Shin didn't provide any more details, and we'd think it's unlikely - but not totally out of the question.

• Check out our hands on Samsung Galaxy S5 review

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/premium-samsung-galaxy-s5-dreams-dashed-as-ceo-says-no-1233878

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Samsung Galaxy S5 Zoom to have a 19MP camera, 4.8" screen

Samsung is going forward with the Zoom line of camera phones – the Galaxy S5 Zoom has arrived at the GFXBench database, revealing several key specs. The device has the model number SM-C115 and has been in testing since earlier this year.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 Zoom has a 19MP main camera that can record 1080p video, at least that's what the benchmark managed to detect. There's a front-facing 2MP / 1080p camera too.

The camera / phone hybrid also has a 4.8" 720p screen, probably a Super AMOLED. It's powered by a Samsung Exynos 5 Hexa chipset, the same as in the Galaxy Note 3 Neo. The GFXBench detected a 1.3GHz clockspeed, which should be the four Cortex-A7 cores. The two Cortex-A15s run at 1.7GHz. The chipset also packs 2GB RAM and a Mali-624 GPU.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 Zoom ran Android 4.4.2 and by the looks of it, it will have 16GB of built-in storage with a big chunk reserved for the OS and TouchWiz. The device will feature NFC connectivity and, of course, a SIM card slot. We're betting on a microSD card slot too.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/galaxy_s5_zoom_to_have_a_19mp_camera_48_720p_screen-news-8032.php

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Here's how the iPhone 6 should look

A glimpse into the future?

Now that Sony and Samsung have set the smartphone pace for 2014, all eyes are on Apple.

But we're not ones for waiting around so we've put together a concept video of the iPhone 6 based on rumours and our own wishlist for what the handset will look like. Something like this, please Apple. Please?

When it comes to the design, some fans will cry, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" But the fact remains that the iPhone has stuck to a very similar look throughout its existence, with arguably the only notable evolution being the one between the 3GS and iPhone 4.

Regardless of whether you love or loathe the iPhone's looks, Apple needs to stay fresh if it hopes to stay ahead of the game. With the Cupertino firm remaining understandably hush-hush on its next iPhone outing, we're really hoping for a swish new handset a little like this:

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/here-s-how-the-iphone-6-should-look-1233506

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Alleged images of iOS 8 show new applications

The alleged images of the next iteration of iOS have made an appearance, showing us what the iOS 8 mobile operating system might look like.

According to the leaked screenshots, the iOS 8 will look a lot similar to the current version, featuring square icons with rounded edges. Apart from the design, the image reveals the presence of new applications such as Healthbook, TextEdit, Preview and Tips.

The new apps are said to help users to view, Preview and TextEdit files that are stored in the iCloud. However, these icons seem far from finished as they are basically OS X icons for Preview and TextEdit.

Apple's next generation mobile OS is still months away from being official and we might see a lot of changes through its development cycle. So, take it all with a pinch of salt.

Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/alleged_images_of_ios_8_show_new_applications-news-8031.php

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