Meizu MX 4-core global release not official yet, apparently

Yesterday we reported that the quad-core Meizu 4-core is now available in various stores around the globe, but it turns out that the smartphone hasn't officially gone global just yet. Meizu reached out to us and clarified that it hasn't yet released its top-dog smartphone outside of China and what we saw is"probably someone in Hong Kong buying from our stores and listing it on Amazon".

Read More

Samsung cancels the 64GB I9300 Galaxy S III?

When the Galaxy S III was announced a couple of months ago, it was said to come in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB varieties. The latter model, however, seems to be axed by Samsung as UK retailer Expansys has cancelled its pre-orders.

Read More

Samsung break smartphone sales record in Q2

The official numbers aren't out just yet, but according to Reuters, Samsung might have broken the smartphone sales record in what is otherwise considered a pretty slow quarter.

Reuters polled 41 analysts and, based on their estimates, claim that the Korean company shipped 50 million smartphones in Q2. That would make Samsung an undisputed smartphone leader as the second-placed Apple reportedly experienced a drop in its sales and shipped 30 million units compared to 35 million in Q1.

Read More

T-Mobile officially announce Samsung Galaxy Note

After numerous leaks, the T-Mobile-bound Samsung Galaxy Note is finally official, as last night the carrier unveiled their own version of the phoneblet.

Despite lacking LTE support, the T-Mobile Galaxy Note still comes with a Qualcomm S3 chipset, instead of the Exynos 4210 used in the international version. The flip side is that this Samsung Galaxy Note gains support for what T-Mo call 4G - 42Mbps HSPA, while the Note N7000 network support is limited to 21 Mbps.

To make up for coming so late to the market the T-Mobile version comes running ICS out of box and is also SAFE-certified, which means it has a full suite of enterprise-ready features and capabilities, including support for top-tier mobile device management (MDM) providers, on-device AES256-bit encryption, enhanced support for Microsoft Exchange, as well as integrated support for a range of virtual private network (VPN) solutions.

Read More

Windows Phone 8 to get mass storage and screenshot support

We are hearing reports of two often requested features on Windows Phone making their way in Windows Phone 8.

Read More

Apple iOS 6 beta 3 is now seeding to developers

Three weeks after iOS 6 beta 2 became available, Apple has began seeding the third beta version of its latest mobile OS. The iOS 6 beta 3 update is available as an over-the-air download to everyone running the previous release.

Read More

A Verizon branded LG Optimus Vu gets caught in spy shots

It looks like the US version of the Samsung Galaxy Note is about to get some competition in the phoneblet realm in the immediate future. LG's answer to the Note - the Opitmus Vu has been caught in a series of spy shots, sporting Verizon Wireless livery.

   

Read More

Unlocked Xperia S, P and U arrive to the Sony US store

Sony's NXT line is now available in the United States via the company's stores and its website. The Xperia S comes in black and white and will set you back $559.99, the Xperia P comes in black, red and silver and costs $479.99, while the Xperia U comes in Black/Pink, Black/White and White/Yellow variants for $299.99. Naturally these are all prices for unlocked smartphones and you don't need to sign any kind of contract.

Read More

YouTube unveils face-blurring tool

Video website YouTube unveiled on Wednesday a way for users to automatically blur human faces in videos they upload, a feature that would help protect the identities of political dissidents, YouTube parent Google Inc said.

Once known more as a repository for fuzzy, home-made cat videos, YouTube has become a growing destination for slick, highly produced entertainment and serious news content. Earlier this week, a study by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism said amateur "citizen journalism" footage from events such as the 2011 tsunami in Japan were some of the most-watched clips on YouTube.

Read More

Microsoft's Windows 8 to hit release target

Microsoft Corp said on Wednesday its new, touch-friendly Windows 8 operating system will be on sale October 26, almost exactly three years after the launch of Windows 7.

That means customers will be able to upgrade old PCs to the new system on that date, or buy new hardware with the software already installed at stores such as Best Buy.

The company generally does not announce public release dates until close to the event, but has often stated that it aims for a new version of Windows every three years.

Microsoft said earlier this month Windows 8 would be released by the end of October.

Read More

Web access via mobile phone trumps PC in China: report

The number of Chinese users accessing the Internet from mobile phones has surpassed that of the personal computer, marking a significant milestone created by the boom of smartphones, a Chinese government report said on Thursday.

China is the world's largest Internet market and the trend represents a turning point for companies such as Baidu Inc and Sina Corp, who need to move their business models toward the mobile sphere in order to capture growth.

Read More

Nokia holds more cash than feared despite big loss

Nokia made a slightly smaller loss than expected and ended the second quarter with more cash than investors feared, despite losing market share to Apple and Samsung Electronics.

Nokia shares, which have lost around 80 percent since February 2011 when the company decided to drop its own smartphone software in favor of the largely untried Windows operating system, were up 10 percent after the results.

Nokia reported an adjusted loss per share of 8 euro cents, compared with the market's average forecast of 9 euro cents, and held net cash of 4.2 billion euros ($5.2 billion), compared with the market's estimate of 3.7 billion.

Read More

Apple must run "Samsung did not copy iPad" ads: report

Apple has been instructed by a British judge to run ads saying that Samsung did not copy its design for the iPad in the latest twist in the ongoing patent battles between the two tech giants, according to Bloomberg.

Judge Birss, who ruled last week that Samsung did not infringe Apple's designs because its Galaxy Tab tablets were not "as cool" as the U.S. company's iPad, said Apple should publish a notice on its website and in British newspapers to correct any impression that the South Korean company copied Apple, Bloomberg said.

The notice, which is in effect an advertisement for Samsung, should remain on Apple's website for at least six months, the report said.

Read More

Analysts see weak PC demand hurting Intel margins

Intel Corp (INTC.O) could face pressure on gross margins from the lack of demand for personal computers amid rising competition and a weakening global economy, warned Wall Street analysts after the company cut its 2012 revenue forecast.

Analysts from at least four brokerages lowered their price targets on Intel after the world's leading chipmaker on Tuesday reported second-quarter revenue slightly below analysts' expectations.

The company also cut its 2012 revenue growth view to between 3 and 5 percent from its prior view of "high single-digit growth."

Analysts raised concerns about Intel's inventory levels rising about 9 percent sequentially for the second quarter

Read More

Google unit says will avoid U.S. import ban on smartphones

Google unit Motorola Mobility said on Tuesday it has taken steps to avert an interruption of U.S. imports and sales of its smartphones after the devices were found to infringe on a Microsoft patent.

The importation to the United States of some Motorola Mobility smartphones was supposed to stop Wednesday as the result of an International Trade Commission ruling that the phones infringed on technology that makes it possible for consumers to use the devices to generate meeting requests and schedule gatherings.

"While we can't share specific details, we have employed a range of proactive measures to ensure there is no continuing infringement under the ITC's interpretation of this single Microsoft patent," Motorola Mobility spokeswoman Becki Leonard said in an emailed statement.

Read More

Samsung looks to take 70 percent market share in Korea

The tech giant is looking to make a statement on its home turf and capture an unprecedented 70% of the South Korea mobile market.

Read More

ICS update for HTC Desire HD reportedly canned (Update: Not)

Back when HTC announced the list of handsets that will be receiving the Android 4.0 update, we were especially happy to see the aged Desire HD being part of the list, something we commended HTC on.

Read More

ICS update for HTC Desire HD reportedly canned (Update: Not)

Back when HTC announced the list of handsets that will be receiving the Android 4.0 update, we were especially happy to see the aged Desire HD being part of the list, something we commended HTC on.

Read More

Galaxy S III Developer Edition now live on Samsung's website

Last week we reported that Samsung and Verizon are working on a special Developer Edition of their new Galaxy S III smartphone. The main feature of this device is that it will feature a user unlockable bootloader and will be sold without a contract for $599.

The reason this model is necessary because unlike the Galaxy S III sold on other carriers in the US, the Verizon version ships with a locked bootloader.

Read More

Powerful HTC phone for Verizon leaks, GLBenchmark confirms

HTC is obviously working on an immensely powerful smartphone. At least that's what the website of the popular GLBenchmark tool suggests.

Planned to launch on the Verizon network, the unannounced smartphone has a model number HTC6435, which seems to be a follow-up of the Rezound (HTC6425). What's more intriguing to us is what exactly does this baby have under the hood.

According to GLBenchmark, the HTC6435 is powered by a 1.5GHz processor, probably not the Snapdragon S4 that the One X boasts. Moreover, it has topped the S4 chipset with more than 110 FPS in the Egypt Offscreen and Pro 720p tests .

Read More

Samsung Galaxy Note plagued by display issues

The Samsung Galaxy Note has been enjoying pretty smooth sailing ever since its launch at the end of last year, but it turns out the device isn't perfectly problem-free. It turns out that the 5.3" phoneblet is plagued by a display issue, which was recently discovered by the XDA community.

The issue consists of black clipping and banding in images and videos, which have dark shadows. According to one Galaxy Note owner, who got in touch with us, the issue is most likely due to a kernel level software glitch or due to poor Gamma calibration on the affected screens.

Read More

Samsung plans to unveil the Galaxy Note 2 on August 30

According to the Korean Digital Daily website Samsung is planning to have an Unpacked event for the Galaxy Note 2. It should happen on August 30 - a day before the IFA expo kicks off in Berlin, Germany.

According to the information the event will start at 19:00 (local time, CET) and will be all about the Galaxy Note 2. As the latest rumors have it, the Note’s successor will be powered by a quad-core Exynos chipset, will feature a 13MP camera and will actually be narrower despite the larger, 5.5" screen. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean should be powering the whole thing.

With the original Galaxy Note going official at last year's IFA, it was only logical for its successor to arrive at the same event a year later. Yet, Samsung decided not to bring the Galaxy S III

Read More

Sony LT30 Mint camera samples and specs leak

Remember the Sony LT30 Mint? We got the codename way back in January thanks to a leaked roadmap, which said the smartphone was supposed to launch in September and cost €560.

Here are the 13MP camera samples.

    
Sony LT30 Mint camera samples

Then the LT30 device leaked via the Bluetooth certification with a bunch of juicy specs – a 4.6-inch HD display, a 13 MP rear camera and an HD front one.

Read More

China's Lenovo inches closer to a global tech title

Lenovo Group Ltd is on track to overtake Hewlett-Packard Co as the world's biggest PC maker by sales as soon as this year, making it the first Chinese company to grab the top spot globally in a technology sector.

The ThinkPad maker's rise highlights the advance of China's technology firms on the world stage in recent years thanks to a combination of aggressive pricing, overseas acquisitions and their taking advantage of a fast-growing home market.

Analysts, however, also warn that Lenovo's rapid gains in market share have come at the expense of profit margins, while the company faces slowing growth in the market for personal computers and tough rivals in the tablet PC space.

Read More

Philips outs the dual-SIM W732 droid, sticks a huge battery inside

Philips has been keeping under the smartphone radar lately, but now it is back with a bang announcing the W732 Droid.

Read More

Samsung quietly removes local search from Galaxy S III in the US

By now you may be aware of a certain Galaxy Nexus that was temporarily banned from selling in the US a while ago for infringing upon patents that belong to Apple. One of the patents in question was regarding local search where typing a word shows up matching results from various apps on your device, such as contacts, etc.

Read More

Android ICS 4.0.4 for the Samsung Galaxy Note now seeding

Samsung is working hard this summer. It already started rolling out the ICS updates for its Galaxy Tab lineup and the Galaxy S II, but it seems the phoneblet inbetween hasn't been forgotten either.

Right after seeding the 4.0 ICS update for the AT&T's Galaxy Note, Samsung released Android 4.0.4 update for the international Galaxy Note. It is available both via Kies and as an OTA download.

In addition to fixing a number of bugs and issues the 4.0.4 version adds a few cool new features such as signature unlock and Pop up play. There are also several changes to the UI and icons and a reported performance bump.

Read More

Huawei Ascend G330 leaks, said to come with ICS on board

It's been a while since we last saw a new handset by Huawei. The manufacturer has made a name for itself on may markets with well-positioned mid-range smartphones with affordable price tags.

As it seems, the case with the Huawei Ascend G330 is pretty much the same. It's a mid-range droid that will, reportedly, bring all the benefits of the Android Ice Cream Sandwich platform.

  
Huawei Ascend G330

Read More

Sony ST26i official name to be Sony Xperia J

The Xperia ST26i first popped up more than two months ago, but we've heard little about it since. Well, now, thanks to the Indonesian communications regulatory body we get to know its official name. The certificate for the upcoming smartphone was spied on the website of Postel and it listed its name as Sony Xperia J ST26i.

The ST26i model name stands for a mid-range device and the specifications we've heard so far confirm this status. The Sony Xperia J is will reportedly be built around a 4" (480 x 854 pixels) display and a Qualcomm MSM7627A chipset, which features a single-core Scorpion CPU clocked at 1GHz.

Read More

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean rolling out to GSM Galaxy Nexus

We are not even mid-way through July and Google has already initiated the process of releasing the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update to Nexus devices as promised at the Google I/O.

Read More

Sony Xperia P pink version spotted

Pink seems to be becoming increasingly popular with smartphone manufacturers recently. Yesterday we saw Nokia and AT&T announce the pink Lumia 900 and now pink version of the Sony Xperia P was spotted at the company’s Weibo event. Sporting the same construction as the already available black, silver and red editions, the pink aims to bring a few more female customers to the Sony shops.

Read More