WSJ: Nokia will release its first Android device this month

According to The Wall Street Journal, Nokia will release its first Android smartphone this month. Known as Nokia Normandy, the low-cost handset will reportedly be showcased during MWC in Barcelona.



According to WSJ’s sources, Nokia was hard at work on the device while Microsoft was performing due diligence prior to its acquisition of the Finnish company. The smartphone will allegedly go official as Nokia X.

Unsurprisingly, the smartphone is tipped to launch without Google Play support, similarly to Amazon’s Kindle products. Instead, it will be focused on services provided by Microsoft and Nokia. In line withrecent leaks, the UI of the upcoming smartphone is also said to be closely related to Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8.

Rumored specs of the Nokia X include dual-core Snapdragon 200 SoC, dual-SIM, 4” WVGA display, 4GB of built-in memory, and 512MB of RAM. The handset will reportedly be priced in line with Nokia Asha devices.

All things considered, The Wall Street Journal report reaffirms the already floating batch of rumors. We are quite curious to find out how the device’s launch will affect the sales of Nokia’s popular low-end Windows Phone devices such as the Lumia 520 and 525. Nokia Lumia 520 in particular is responsible for 30% of all Windows Phone sales.

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Samsung Galaxy S5 prototype benchmarked

Samsung's upcoming flagship, the Galaxy S5, has allegedly leaked through the popular Android benchmark AnTuTu. The system information indicates the presence of a 16 MP primary shooter and a Snapdragon 800 chipset with a 2.5GHz Krait CPU.



What is missing, however, are most of the sensors that are expected to be present in the upcoming flagship. Also, a lot of the cool rumored features we've been hearing about are also absent. This indicates that this is likely an engineering device given to carriers prior to release for testing purposes.



Such devices usually come with unfinalized hardware both internally and externally, and as such shouldn't be used to evaluate the actual expected performance of the Galaxy S5 upon release.

Speaking of release, Samsung has announced its next Unpacked event will take place MWC 2014 later this month. Ominously titled "Unpacked 5", there's a good chance we'll see something flagship-esque get announced there.

Source (Italian) | Via

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Benchmark confirms 3MP camera for the Nokia X (Normandy)

The Sofica team, makers of the CamSpeed camera benchmark, spotted the Nokia RM-980, a.k.a. Nokia X, a.k.a. Normandy in their database of results. They shared some specs that were recorded but are not normally displayed with the benchmark results.

The Nokia X that did the benchmark was the dual-SIM version and the detected camera was a 3MP fixed-focus shooter.


Nokia RM-980 (Nokia X dual sim) spotted in CamSpeed, Camera 2048x1536 Fixed focus, Android 4.1.2 https://t.co/KJky2CZAsb— Sofica Ltd (@SoficaLtd) February 6, 2014

Rumors until now claimed a 5MP camera, meaning they could be wrong or the single and dual-SIM versions have different cameras. It's also possible that unfinished software prevented the benchmark from detecting the camera resolution properly.

The Nokia X ran Android 4.1.2, though it won't be pure Android but will feature Nokia customizations. Other specs for the phone include a 4" WVGA screen, dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 4GB storage and a microSD card slot. Unfortunately, there's no info on what kind of video the camera will record.

The phone is supposed to launch as an Asha device in March. It even looks like an Asha.

Source | Via

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Nokia X (Normandy) joining Asha lineup in March

Nokia X or Normandy is getting even closer to release. Аccording to a Senior Executive over at Nokia India, the device will be launched in March as a member of the Asha lineup.

The specs seem to mirror those of the Lumia 520 save for the OS being Android instead of Windows Phone. There will be a 4" WVGA (480 x 800) screen, 5 MP camera, dual-core 1.2 GHz chipset, 512 MB RAM and 4 GB of expandable storage - pretty much what we've known so far.



There would be an optional dual-SIM version as well. Currently we've seen what the device might look like, what it could do in HTML-based benchmark BrowserMark 2 and even got some details of theVietnamese availability.

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Apple said to launch a pair of large-screen iPhones this yearApple, iOS, Rumors

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Apple will launch two large-screen iPhone devices this year. The rumor falls right in line with a claim by Bloomberg from November last year, suggesting that Apple is working on an iPhone duo with 4.7” and 5.7” displays.



WSJ reports that the first iPhone model will have a display with a diagonal between 4.5 and 5” – hardly a surprise by now, as yesterday yet another word got out that Apple has decided on a 4.8” display unit. The second iPhone will go beyond 5 inches of screen diagonal and into phablet territory.

Both iPhone models are said to feature metal bodies, with the plastic used in the iPhone 5c allegedly on the way out. Curved display a la LG G Flex or Samsung Galaxy Round is reportedly not considered by Apple for the time being.

All in all, a large-screen iPhone looks like a sure thing to happen this year. The rumored phablet by Apple on the other hand, if materialized, will mean that all three major mobile ecosystems will have at least one such device to offer quite soon.

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Apple reportedly decided on a 4.8” display for next iPhone

According to a note to investors by the Wall Street analyst Timothy Arcuri of Cowen and Company, Apple has already decided on the screen size of the next iPhone. The device will reportedly feature a 4.8” display when it goes official.



The information is said to be based on checks within Apple’s supply chain. In addition to the larger display, the upcoming iPhone will support the zippy Wi-Fi 802.11ac standard, as well as major software innovations brought by the next major iOS release.

A report on an Apple iPhone with a larger display in the pipeline is hardly a surprise – we’ve received a word about it on couple of occasions already. However, the analyst doesn't mention anything about therumored 5.7” phablet by Apple.

If Apple remains true to its current release schedule, the next iPhone will likely break cover in September. Recent rumors however, suggest a launch time as early as June.

Source | Via

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Samsung to unveil Galaxy S5 on February 23

The rumors surrounding the next generation Galaxy S smartphone are coming in thick and fast. Firstly, the device was tipped for a March release, which was even backed up by a statement from the company's VP, but we then had a Samsung executive saying that their flagship smartphone will not be showcased at the Mobile World Congress.

Now, we have another report from Mobile Review's Eldar Murtazin, who says that the hotly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone will be announced on February 23. It has to be noted that the same guy had correctly predicted the Galaxy S4 launch date last year.


Samsung Galaxy S5 launch - 18.00. Barcelona. 23 February. Price the same. Launch - end of April. Specs - u know them :) new touchwiz ;)— Eldar Murtazin (@eldarmurtazin) January 21, 2014


Samsung will announce its 2014 flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone at a dedicated event in Barcelona on February 23, which is a day before the Mobile World Congress kicks off. Furthermore, Mr. Murtazinclaims that the device will be available in the stores by the end of April, which alligns nicely with earlier rumors.

Meanwhile, Samsung Galaxy S5 is expected to sport a 5.2-inch display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and the device is said to offer a choice between the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset and Samsung's next generation Exynos. The other hardware specifications of the Galaxy S5 include 3 GB of RAM, 16 megapixel rear camera, fingerprint sensor, new TouchWiz user interface and a 3,000mAh battery.

However, these are just speculations based on the previous rumors and there is no official confirmation at the moment. We will keep you posted when Samsung starts sending invitations for its next Unpacked event.

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Sony Xperia Z1 successor with slimmer bezels leaks

Courtesy of XDA member iRimas come some photos and rumored specs of a mystery Sony smartphone. The device in question belongs to the family Xperia and has the model number D6503. According to the leakster it sports a 5.2" display, thinner bezels than the Xperia Z1 and runs on a fresh new UI atop Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.

The device is apparently unstable and the UI is crashing all the time but we expect to see UI screenshots from said XDA user soon.



Sony D6503

The model number D6503 shows this device as a replacement to the Sony Xperia ZL, not the Z1. We've seen this model number crop up at the end of last year. Still the camera on the back is reportedly the same 20.7 MP 1/2.3" unit found on the Z1 and Z1 Compact.

Other differences with the Xperia Z1 include three large speaker-like grilles on the bottom, the microUSB slot and SIM tray sit on the left side, while on the right there's room for a microSD card slot. The lanyard eyelet is placed on the left side, instead of the right one.

Then there are the usually-placed camera shutter button, power button, magnetic pin connectors, headphone jack and LED notification light (placed above the earpiece)

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Xperia Z2, aka 'Sirius' leaked. Possible MWC debut

Rumor has it that the follow up to Sony's popular Xperia Z1 will be outed at this year's Mobile Word Congress and it'll be called the Xperia Z2.

Codenamed 'Sirius', the Z2 is purported to have a 5.2" display with an impressive 2560 x 1440 resolution. It's also rumored to have a 20.7 megapixel camera, a huge 3700 mAh battery, an extremely slim profile, and a water resistant body. The Z1 successor will also sport the Mobile Bravia Engine 3.

Sony Sirius (2014 flagship) tipped for MWC debut: 5.2-inch display, MSM8974AB SoC, and a home on Verizon in the US.

— @evleaks (@evleaks) January 7, 2014

As far as rumors go, this one's pretty rock solid. EVleaks retweeted the information, and the specs seem right in line with what an updated Z1 would most likely have. There's no information on chipset or RAM, but when we hear anything, we'll pass it along to you.

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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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