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Sunday, 12 January 2014

Mystery LG D830 to offer 13MP camera, 4K playback and slow motion capabilities

Earlier Sunday, we told you about the mysterious LG D830, a phone that scored highly on the HTML5Test benchmark site. Besides telling us the browser on the handset renders HTML5 pages very nicely, the benchmark test also alerted us to the fact that the unit is powered by Android 4.4. When the device first popped up in November, we saw it mentioned in a User Agent profile with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 (FHD), and the model was said to support LTE. 

Now, one of our loyal readers has sent us another User Agent profile showing that the LG D830 will be offering a 13MP snapper with the capability for 2160p playback. By the way, that is the same as 4K. You might also notice the support for 120fps, which is slow motion playback.

As we pointed out in November, and again Sunday, the LG D830 model number is close to the Nexus 5 (LG D820/821) and the LG G2 (LG D802) to think about this as a new flagship model, perhaps the LG G3.
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Samsung GT-I9405 appears to be a new 5.5-inch Galaxy (not a Note, though)

A new and unannounced Samsung GT-I9405 has been spotted recently. Not in a leaked photo, unfortunately, but in the database of Zauba, a website which tracks Indian exports and imports. According to the website’s listing, the Samsung GT-I9405 is a single SIM “mobile phone” with a 5.5-inch display. It was brought to India a couple of days ago (January 10) for testing and evaluation purposes. 
Before you even think about it, no, this is certainly not the upcomingGalaxy S5, since its model number is lower than the S4’s model numbers (GT-I9500 / GT-I9505). Plus, we’re expecting the S5 to sport a 5.25-inch screen, not a 5.5-inch one. The mysterious device can’t be a new Note, either, because Galaxy Notes have different model numbers: N7100, N9000, etc. So it seems to be a smartphone positioned between the old Galaxy S III LTE (GT-I9305) and the S4 LTE (GT-I9505). 
We must mention that Zauba had previously listed other unannounced devices that turned out to be real, including the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo (SM-N7500 / SM-N7505). Thus, more details on the GT-I9405 will likely surface soon.
Perhaps Samsung will officially announce the I9405 at the same time with the Galaxy Note 3 Neo in the near future. We’ll be here to let you know. 
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Engineering prototype of Nokia Normandy leaks in a live photo

Nokia’s much talked about Normandy headset with Android OS made a (sort of) live appearance. A photo of an engineering prototype of the device showed up on Twitter
The image shows the yet to be announced handset boot up in a casing which conceals its looks. However, the button below its LCD display falls right in line with the press images we’ve seen already.
Rumored specs for the Nokia Normandy include Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 SoC, 4” FWVGA, 5MP camera, and Android 4.4.1 KitKat. The low-cost smartphone is tipped for a launch during MWC 2014 next month in Barcelona
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Samsung Galaxy S4 gets a tasty KitKat test build

KitKat for all! Sammobile has received a pre-release firmware of Android 4.4.2-running TouchWiz for theSamsung Galaxy S4 I9505 (the Snadragon version). The release has build number I9505XXUFNA1.
The build is still shaky here and there but stable enough to be used as a daily driver. The final update is expected to be released to the masses in the February to March window.
The most notable changes are the white status bar icons (moving away from the green ones), a camera shortcut on the lockscreen, performance boost and an improved landscape keyboard. Check out some screenshots below.


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Sony WP smartphone to come in 2014 under the Vaio brand

It appears that the negotiations between Sony and Microsoft have ended up successfully and the Japanese company will indeed be joining the list of Windows Phone hardware manufacturers. Microsoft’s Windows Phone director Greg Sullivan has confirmed that Sony will be releasing its own WP smartphone in 2014.
Better yet, the device is said to hit the market by the middle of the year, so we won’t even have to wait that long to see it. The new Sony smartphone will be carrying the Vaio brand, which should help you tell that it’s running a different OS from the Xperia handsets. With the limited customization options provided by the Microsoft partners, the Vaio smartphone will be relying on the Sony proprietary services such as Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited to help it stand out in the crowd.

The news that Sony and Microsoft have reached an agreements comes as little surprise, given that the deal will obviously be beneficial to both company. Sony has already expressed its desire to add a second platform to its smartphone lineup and Windows Phone is the most obvious choice. Microsoft, on the other hand, is looking to expand the reach of its mobile OS and a major manufacturer such as Sony will definitely help. Not to mention that the two companies have quite the long history of partnership in both mobile (remember Windows Mobile?) and desktop platforms.
Update: Cnetnews has since retracted the story, so we guess the negotiations are still going. Hopefully it's just a delay rather than a signal that the two sides can't reach an agreement
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Samsung Galaxy S5 tipped for March release in London

Yet another tip regarding the potential launch date of the Samsung Galaxy S5 made the rounds on Twitter. According to an Italian journalist citing “reliable source”, the next Samsung Galaxy flagship will launch in mid-March at an event in London.

At a quick glance, the alleged timeframe makes sense, as the Samsung Galaxy S4 got unveiled in March 2013 in New York. Previously rumored launch dates for the Samsung Galaxy S5 included this month, as well as during MWC 2014.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 is rumored to take the design language of the range in a new direction. The handset is expected to feature a metal body and 2K display.
Source:GsmArena
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Google, Apple and Microsoft set to battle for control of the car

As the car becomes a connected Internet device, the titans of the tech sector are battling for control of the wheel.
The war is shaping up a lot like the computer sector, with GoogleApple and Microsoft and others fighting to be in control of the vehicle's "operating system" to deliver apps, navigation and other services.
Some of those battles were played out this week at the Consumer Electronics Show CES in Las Vegas, which included a record nine auto manufacturers and scores of equipment makers, including software and related tech companies.
"People want consumer apps in their cars, they want to connect to their smartphones, they want to connect to the cloud," says Grant Courville, director of product management at QNX, which makes the on-board systems used on tens of millions of cars.
But the battlefield is wide open because "there's no clear dominant app ecosystem in automotive," Courville told AFP from the CES floor.
At CES, Canadian-based QNX unveiled a partnership with Qualcomm to support the chipmaker's new automotive platform, which connects to smartphones and offers apps for maps, speech recognition, geolocation, and vehicle analytics.
At the same time, Google unveiled a partnership with General Motors, Audi, Honda and Hyundai in a new partnership to bring the Android mobile system to vehicles in a new Open Automotive Alliance

The moves come with Microsoft in a longstanding partnership with Ford, and Apple widely expected to expand its system for connecting the iPhone with automotive electronics systems.
"Carmakers are conflicted," said Tim Tang, an analyst with IDC attending the Las Vegas expo

"They are trying to decide whether to build their own systems or partner with another company. If they partner, they mitigate a lot of the risk, but they give a lot away, looking at future services, like apps, pay-as you go insurance. No one is certain where it is going but carmakers don't want to be left out. The car is becoming a mobile accessory."
Tang said a key question for automakers is whether the cars should have a dedicated connection or use the smartphone.
"If it is a smartphone model, it's easy to get traction quickly, you don't need to design the system five years in advance. But if it is built into the car you have some advantages. If the car is stolen, for example, you can shut it off."
The General Motors division Chevrolet said this week it would deploy fourth generation (4G) Internet connections on several models to help motorists who want to stay connected with the growing number of apps for automobiles.
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Beats Music announces plans for launch

The long-awaited launch of the music streaming service backed by Dr Dre, Jimmy Iovine, Trent Reznor and Ian Rogers has almost arrived.Beats Music will go live in the United States on 21 January, 2014, complete with a free trial period that'll allow people to sample the service before opening their wallet. After the trial period it'll cost $10 per month.Access will be through a web app on desktop, and iOS, Android and Windows Phone apps on mobile. The catalogue has more than 20 million songs, but the big push for the service is in curation - and human curation in particular.Services like Pandora and Spotify depend on algorithms based on "other people who listened to that also listened to this" to recommend content to their users, but Beats will rely instead on a team of music experts that include radio programmers, A&R directors, music writers, and bloggers. There'll be playlists included from the likes of Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, DJ Magazine and various others.This will manifest itself in four ways for the user. A "just for you" selection of albums and playlists delivered "at least four times a day" based on their musical preferences, activity, time of day and "additional cultural and contextual clues", a "right now" continuous playlist based on a user's answers to four questions about their location, activity, surroundings and musical preferences, a "highlights" list of staff-recommended playlists and albums, and a more traditional browsing function that lets you find playlists and songs by genre, activity or curator. The ability to download tracks to listen to offline will also be included.That sounds a bit overwhelming on paper, so it'll be interesting to see how it manifests itself at launch. Hopefully some of that complexity will be hidden from the user. Jimmy Iovine said: "Popular music is created in bite size pieces, one song at a time -- but most people need more than four minutes to be truly satisfied. It takes a highly curated, uninterrupted sequence of songs to achieve a fulfilling music experience, where the only song as important as the song you are listening to is the song that comes next."One interesting thing is that the royalty rates are flat -- meaning that every artist from the biggest to the smallest will earn the same amount for their catalogue. It's likely hoped that this will head of criticism from a vocal minority of musicians who argue that streaming services don't pay new bands enough."Beats Music is based on the belief that all music has value and this concept was instilled in every step of its development. We want it to be just as meaningful for artists as it is for fans," said Trent Reznor, who serves as Beats Music Chief Creative Officer. "We're committed to providing revenue to artists, while helping to strengthen the connection with their fans."Beats Music will be arriving in the United States on 21 January 2014. A wider launch has not yet been announced.
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Nikon Coolpix L830

Some of Nikon's more affordable cameras can be a bit hit and miss, but after playing with the long-zoom Nikon Coolpix L830 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas we were rather impressed.
Key to the L830's spec is its 34x optical zoom lens, which translates into a super-wide 22.5mm all the way through to a 765mm equivalent at the top-end of the zoom. That's not only wider-angle than you'll find in almost any compact camera for those wide vista shots, the maximum zoom will also make subjects far away from the lens appear close-up in the frame. It's the all-in-one for an affordable price.
We used the camera on the Nikon stand at the show and found its speedy autofocus to be the main highlight. Even in so-so lighting conditions subjects were flying into focus on the rear tilt-angle LCD screen and the optical image stabilisation did a good job of keeping the preview steady.
There's no viewfinder in this more budget model, as is to be expected at this price point, leaving other higher-price models such as the Coolpix P530 to cater for that market.

To zoom there's a toggle control to the side of the lens in addition to around the shutter button, leaving the choice up to you. Both work well, as the lens is less significant than in some other superzoom models the size nestles comfortably to the hand.
Image quality is handled by a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor, avoiding the trend of packing too many pixels onto that small surface area like so many manufacturers are guilty of these days. It's also back-side illuminated for optimum quality and able to capture 1080p video at 30fps. We can't critically assess either of these at this point in time given our time with the camera, but for point-and-shoot users anticipate the results will be a good match.
There's not full manual controls as per some higher-spec superzoom models, but that's what keeps this camera simple and to the point. One-touch video capture, self-timer and such controls are quick to access via a dedicated button or as outlined on the four-way d-pad, but otherwise things are kept to a minimum. We like that: the L830 is a well-balanced point-and-shoot superzoom that surpassed our expectations on the performance front
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ZTE Grand S II is bigger, bolder and more powerful than original

Big phones are all the rage at the moment. ZTE's sequel to the Grand S, the aptly named Grand S II, pushes into phablet territory thanks to its large 5.5-inch screen. It's not only bigger than the original 5-inch model in the series, it's more powerful too. Does it add up to a considerable step forward? We got our hands on one at the Consumer Electronics Show 2014 to see what we made of it.
Chinese manufacturers are really pushing forward in the Android smartphone world. In the hand the Grand S II certainly feels large, but given that we've been using the 5.9-inch Oppo N1 as our go-to phone since the beginning of the year it certainly didn't feel over-sized or too heavy.
Each manufacturer these days also seems by default to heavily re-skin stock Android, and just like its predecessor the Grand S II is no stranger to this. Arrangement of the custom skin over Android 4.3 at first felt a little odd, but given a little use everything felt familiar enough.
The usual trio of Android buttons perform as normal for home, back and menu options - but these are also available via a second floating widget source. It's a bit like the Facebook Messenger floating heads app, meaning this widget can be placed around the screen and dragged outwards to open up the virtual quick access controls, three of which mirror the standard Android controls. A potentially good way of making single-handed use easier on that larger screen.
In addition the re-skinned interface adds in split-screen multi-tasking where more than one app can remain open on screen, while voice activation - a feature we weren't able to test out - can be used to unlock the phone.
We found the soap bar shape and smooth back of the phone sits comfortably in the hand and that big screen looked really good. Although larger than its predecessor it doesn't show a bump in resolution. But given it's a Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution that's no issue, as this 401ppi screen packs in plenty of detail.
Where things get even more exciting is with regard to the specs. Under the hood there's a Snapdragon S800 processor delivering 2.3Ghz of quad-core power alongside 2GB of RAM. We didn't spend a huge amount of time with the phone, but that should be every bit as strong as the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.
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Samsung Galaxy Note 3 review

Samsung's Galaxy Note has always been one of the company's more interesting products. It's the one that leads rather than follows the lead of another phone manufacturer. In many ways, it's the handset that proves Samsung can have great ideas that show more creativity than almost any other company on the phone scene.
We loved the Note 2, because it surprised us. We were among the critics from the off who thought it was too damn big. But it changed our minds: after using it for a week we were converted and it went on to become the phone we used as our own handset, day in day out So really, the Note 3 doesn't have to do too much to win us over, but it needs to move things on a bit too. We certainly expect big things from this big handset, and if it doesn't deliver, then we'll be its biggest critic. But enough preamble, does the Galaxy Note 3 push the series forward in the right direction?

Still big, still beautiful

The Note 3's additional 0.2-inches of screen size - toting it up to 5.7-inches - has been delivered without any major increase in device size. In fact, the Note 3 is just 0.1mm longer, but smaller in every other dimension than its predecessor. It's thinner and less wide than its predecessor. Mostly, this doesn't really show when you're using it, but it shows progress is being made, and the screen is larger without making the phone bigger.
But one area where the new device is notably better is in its weight. Or the fact there's less of it. The Note 2 weighed in at 183g, while the Note 3 is 168g. It no doubt sounds silly, as it's a mere 8 per cent lighter, but this makes a massive difference to how the phone feels. Although it's pretty much the same size as the Note 2, the reduced weight means that it feels more modern, and less of a burden to use.
There are other things that seem to make a big difference too. The sides aren't so rounded anymore, so it just feels nicer in your hand. The silver colour makes it look great too, and the etched-in lines make us think of an Art Deco building. In a good way. This is perfect for our taste, but you may not feel the same way.

Faux off

The back of the phone features a sort of faux leather effect. It's a bit silly as it's still just plastic. There's a fake stitching effect too, which is bizarre in the extreme, and it would be the last thing we'd choose to have on a phone, but in day-to-day use it didn't bother us all that much. As with all Samsung phones, the back is removable anyway, so you can replace it with a better alternative. The firm makes several different covers itself, including a "leather" fold over case with a clear window on the front - and we really rather like this.
Under the back cover, you also get some interesting changes. The battery has gone from a 3100mAh unit in the Note 2 to a 3200mAh battery in this phone. There's also Samsung's new all-in-one micro-SIM and microSD card slot. This combines both cards into a double stacked slot. A good space saver.
Elsewhere, things in the design department haven't changed all that much. The phone's controls are in much the same place as the previous device - power button on the right, volume on the left and headphone jack on top.

Out with the old

You get an IR blaster now too, so you can use the Note as a universal remote to change your TV channels and such - setting it up is incredibly easy too. We got it working with our Pioneer TV faster than we have with any other universal remote previously. The app, called WatchON, allows you to search what's on TV and then use that in combination with your TV and satellite receiver, cable box or plain Freeview to change the channel.
However, while the Note 2 had an FM radio, the Note 3 does not. This is sad, but we'll just have to stream our radio over the internet now, instead.
One of the other things that caused a fuss when details of the Note 3 arrived was that the phone would connect via a USB 3 socket at its base, rather than a standard USB 2 socket. The fuss came from the fact that the USB 3 socket is quite a bit bigger than USB 2. But that extra size brings with it a load of extra speed and much better charging options.
The good news is, your old USB chargers do still work with the Note 3, as USB 3 is compatible with USB 2. This means you won't find yourself somewhere, having forgotten to bring your own charger, and then be entirely incapable of charging your phone. We've tested this out and it works just fine.

In with the new

The Note 3 was always going to have a 1080p screen, because smaller phones have moved to this resolution, and there's really no good reason not to. We have to say though, the reality of this screen is better than we expected. On apps that support the new resolution, it's utterly breathtaking to look at. Fonts have a look that printed books would struggle with. It really is a thing of beauty.
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Xbox One live gameplay broadcast feature could still be months away

Microsoft couldn't deliver one of the Xbox One's key features at launch: the ability to stream your gameplay, live, for anyone on the web to watch. Here's more bad news: the company behind that feature, Twitch.tv, has no idea when it will launch either. According to a tweet from the company, Microsoft hasn't yet provided any date, and it could be "a few more months" before it arrives. Xbox One Direct Broadcasting: There is no ETA at this time from Microsoft. Expect a few more months. If we know sooner, we'll updateWhat's the hold up? We can't say, but one possibility is that Microsoft hasn't yet figured out how to deal with streams of an unsavory nature. Sony's PlayStation 4, which did ship with Twitch.tv, found itself facing a bit of a controversy when users realized they could filmthemselves doing all sorts of things — including having sex — in the augmented reality demo The Playroom. Sony decided to cut off access to Twitch.tv for that one game as a solution, perhaps something that's not as easy or even technically impossible with the current Xbox One software.
Also, it's not like Sony delivered on all of its promises for the PlayStation 4 at launch. The console is still lacking its instant-on mode to instantly resume games from standby, and it won't stream games from PlayStation Now until summer at the earliest
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