More images of BlackBerry N-Series make the rounds

After giving us a glimpse from a couple of blurry shots roughly a week ago, the upcoming BlackBerry N-Series smartphone has made another appearance. This time around, we get to see the hardware QWERTY smartphone in better quality images.

There are no further details available on the BlackBerry 10 smartphone. Previous reports have indicated that the device will target the BlackBerry purists under the X10 moniker when launched.

The BlackBerry N-Series will break cover on January 30, 2013 in New York City. We will be there live, so we'll tell you all about the device.

Source | Via

Jolla's Sailfish OS gets extensively demoed on video

After giving us a short glimpse of its UI in the official announcement's promo video, Jolla's Meego-based Sailfish OS got an extensive video demo, which offers a deeper look at its features. The still developing OS got shown off on Nokia N950 developer handset - a logical occurrence given the fact that most of the people behind the Sailfish project are ex-Nokia employees.

Making your way around the OS is based on intuitive hand gestures, whose clever implementation allows you one-handed use of the Sailfish device regardless of its screen size. The OS in general is easy to customize - starting from the shortcuts on the lockscreen, all the way to the OS's ambiance concept which changes the color of the UI elements once you change your wallpaper.

As we already know, Sailfish OS supports true multitasking, where minimized apps can appear as cards on the homescreen. Each card can be customized by developers to display real-time app info and controls.

Here goes the OS in action.

Despite being still in development, Jolla's Sailfish OS certainly shows a lot of promise. However, we already know too well that a mobile OS is as good as the amount and quality of apps on offer for it. The Sailfish SDK is currently being finalized, yet it has its source code available, and is still open to developer feedback. The OS itself supports both ARM and x86 devices, so we certainly hope that we hear more good news from Jolla when Sailfish OS gets finalized during Q1, 2013.

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More photos of the 6.1" Huawei Ascend Mate make the rounds

After being shown off by the company's chairman last week, the 6.1" 1080p display toting Huawei Ascend Mate has emerged in more photos. This time around, we get to have a better look at the device's physical appearance.

The rumored specs of the Huawei Ascend Mate include a 1.8GHz quad-core CPU (probably Huawei's own design), 2GB of RAM, 13MP camera, and a 4000mAh battery. The thickness of the giant is rumored to be 9.9mm.

In addition to the leaked images, an upcoming ad for the device has appeared as well. It compares the yet-to-be-announced Huawei offering to the Samsung Galaxy Note II's 5.5" screen. See it below.

The Huawei Ascend Mate will break cover during CES 2013 in Las Vegas. We will be live from Huawei's press conference, so be sure to stick around to find out all about the device.

Source | Via

Android for beginners: Setting up your new smartphone

Introduction

So you got an Android smartphone for Christmas? Congrats! Now, go ahead and do the robot dance. We'll pretend we're not watching. One thing you can be certain of, no one's gonna laugh at you. A new droid is worth celebrating - but if it's your first, you may as well want to make some noise.

Oh, and do take your time. You will soon give your new phone all the attention it deserves. After all, the more you take care of it, the better it'll serve you. Yes, it may seem scary at first, but it's not rocket science, we promise. Droids will do with occasional dusting and polishing, and regular oil changes.

A smartphone is a very powerful tool if used properly and getting the best out of it could seem like a daunting task at first. Hopefully, this article will help you find your way through the hundreds of settings and thousands of apps.

Android is an open source mobile operating system by Google. It's exactly the search giant who's doing all the development and there are some core Google apps for Android that should be taken care of before proceeding. Apps such as Search, Maps and Gmail are likely to have updated versions waiting for you on the Play Store.

Hopefully, the smartphone you just got the wraps off of is running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, or even Android 4.1/4.2 Jelly Bean, if you've been good all year. Oh, but even if that's not the case, you need not worry. Most of the apps we're about to cover are available for earlier Android builds too.

So without further ado, let's dive right in and show you what your new Android smartphone is capable of.

Apple's Tim Cook earns almost 99% less in 2012

Tim Cook, in his first year as CEO of Apple after the late Steve Jobs, earned $1.4 million in salary this year, along with $2.8 million in bonuses. This is significantly less than his 2011 earnings of $378 million.

According to Reuters, Cook's actual salary went up by some $900,000, but this year he did not receive any Apple stock, which accounts for the large disparity. In 2011, Cook received some $376.2 million in long-term stock awards.

Almost all of Cook's stock bonuses will be awarded in two large chunks, the first of which will vest in 2016, the second in 2021. This will act as an impetus for Cook to perform well as head of Apple in the meanwhile, as the value of the bonuses will depend on how high the stock is in 2016 and 2021.

Since taking over for Jobs in October of 2011, Apple stock has risen almost 37%, although it is down 27% since a record close of $702.10 on September 19.

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A press image of a black Samsung Galaxy Note II leaks out

Unsurprisingly, it appears that the Samsung Galaxy Note II will follow the suit of its Galaxy S III sibling and add more colors to its lineup. A press image of a black N7100 has emerged, thus pointing in this direction.

A black Samsung Galaxy Note II addition makes perfect sense - we reckon that plenty of people will opt for the stealthier color option of the Android powerhouse. A darker color scheme is sure to at least make the device appear smaller.

There is no word on when will the new color scheme become officially available. MWC 2013 seems like a fairly safe bet to us.

Source (translated) | Via

Samsung Galaxy S IV rumored to sport an S Pen when released

Hot on the heels of yesterday's skillful render, a fresh rumor has emerged, potentially shedding light on the specifications and the release date of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S IV flagship. Reportedly, the hotly anticipated smartphone is pegged for an April 2013 release with an S Pen on board.

The Samsung Galaxy S IV is expected to pack a quad-core Exynos 5440 chipset whose CPU cores will use either 28nm high-K metal gate technology, or ARM BIG LITTLE architecture, which uses an energy-sipping A7 CPU, paired with a more powerful A15 units for heavier tasks.

Once again, we hear about a 5" 1080p AMOLED display gracing the Samsung Galaxy S IV. A 13MP camera and a 9.2mm waistline are mentioned as well. The latter has grown slightly over the Galaxy S III's in order to accommodate the S Pen.

If the S Pen report turns out to be true, the Samsung Galaxy S IV is bound to one up all its competitors as far as productivity is concerned. As is the case with most rumors, we would advise that you take all the above information with a pinch of salt.

Source (in Korean) | Via

More images and details on the upcoming ZTE Grand S emerge

More images and details about the soon-to-be-revealed ZTE Grand S have emerged. It appears that the upcoming sibling of the freshly announced ZTE Nubia 5 is about to sport an even slimmer waistline.

With a 6.9mm profile, the ZTE Grand S is likely bound to be the slimmest smartphone to pack a 5" 1080p display. The rest of the handset's alleged specs include a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 CPU, 2GB of RAM, 13MP camera, and a 2500mAh battery. Naturally, the OS on tap will be Android Jelly Bean.

The rumored price of the ZTE Grad S is in the vicinity of $449 - a cool $100 less than the already attractively priced ZTE Nubia 5. Should this rumor turn out to be true, we reckon that the Chinese smartphone will find its way to quite a few shopping lists.

The ZTE Grand S will be officially announced in less than two weeks during CES in Las Vegas. We will be live from the spot, so be sure to stick around to find out all about the smartphone.

Source 1 | Source 2 | Via

Amazon cuts prices on 8X and Lumia 920 even further

Amazon has gotten pretty aggressive with the price cuts for Windows Phone 8 handsets. About a month ago, they cut the price of two WP8 flagships, the Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC Windows Phone 8X, and now they've cut them again.

The Nokia Lumia 920 is now $40 with a two-year contract from AT&T (used to be $60), if you get it through the Amazon Wireless portal. Both the black and white versions are available. The Lumia 820 is free with two-year contract at Amazon Wireless too, has been for over a month.

The HTC Windows Phone 8X is free (well, $0.01) if you get the Yellow 8GB version for AT&T. The Blue 8GB version is $40 for some reason. The 16GB versions of the HTC 8X for both AT&T and Verizon are $50. The prices are for the phone and a two-year contract, of course.

As always, if you find an even better deal, let us know!

Samsung officially announces Galaxy Note Premium Suite

The latest generation of Samsung devices is already enjoying the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update. Samsung is working hard to update the Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note for quite some time and as it seems the Note update is just around the corner.

Samsung has just announced the so-called Premium Suite for the original Galaxy Note N7000 (similar to the one the Galaxy S III is getting). It will be based on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and will bring the Project Butter smoothness and Google Now assistant. In addition to those, Samsung will give you plenty of new features to enjoy.

Owners of the original Galaxy Note will be getting MultiView (the unique "two apps on the screen" feature), popup versions of the Note, Video and Browser apps, handwriting support in the S Planner and Email, enhanced S Note app, Photo Note, Easy Clip, Paper Artist and a few more. You can learn more about those features here or check our Note II review.

There is no information on the rollout time frame for the update, but we guess it should happen in the next few weeks.

Source | Via

Samsung expected to ship 350 million smartphones in 2013

According to the latest report by DigiTimes, Samsung is expected to ship over 500 million mobile devices globally in 2013. Also, out of these, 350 million are expected to be smartphones.

With the total smartphone shipments for 2013 is expected to be around the 800-900 million mark, this leaves Samsung with an impressive 40% of the global smartphone marketshare.

The numbers are said to be Samsung's own internal estimates for 2013.

Source

LG to show 5.5-inch 1080p screen, 324ppi 7-inch tablet screen at CES

LG is bringing a bag full of high-resolution displays to CES for the geeks who were good this year. Practically every size is covered - from 4.7" phone screens to 84" TVs - and they bet on thin bezels and high resolutions.

The pocketable screens start with the 4.7" unit, which aims to impress with a bezel that's only about 1mm thick, so phones that use it should be more compact than current 4.7" phones.

Then there's the 5.5" FullHD phablet screen, which packs 403ppi pixel density. That's close to the 5" FullHD screens that are going into next year's flagships and well above current-gen phablets.

Moving up in size, LG will also show off a 7" screen with 1920x1200 resolution and 324ppi pixel density (virtually the same as the iPhone's screen and higher than both the iPad and Nexus 7 pixel densities).

Also on display, if you'll pardon the pun, will be a 12.9" QSXGA display (2560x1700) for ultrabooks (for comparison, the 13.3" MacBook Pro has a 2560x1600 screen). This display will use AH-IPS tech as will the phablet and tablet displays.

There will be a 13.3" laptop screen too, this one with an impressively narrow 2mm bezel.

That's it for the mobile solutions, but the desk monitor and TV solutions continue with the high-resolution, thin bezel trend.

On the TV front, LG is bringing UHD TVs (3840x2160, 4x FullHD) in 55", 65" and 84" sizes, which will use the company's FPR 3D tech. A 4K2K 30-inch PC monitor packs even more pixels - 4096x2160. A 23.8" monitor from the Neo-Blade series will also be at CES, with an "ultra-narrow bezel," though the press release gives no concrete numbers.

Returning from this year's CES will be the 55" WRGB OLD TV, which packs impressive specs despite being a year older - 4mm bezel and 3.5kg of weight (around the same as a 17" laptop).

Nokia Lumia 620 preview: First look

Introduction

The Lumia 820 and Lumia 920 give Nokia all the presence they need in the higher WP8 circles, but a smart maneuver has helped HTC emerge as a serious threat in the lower midrange. The Finns, who are obviously having none of that, responded swiftly to the Windows Phone 8S. After all, when the future of the whole company is resting on a single platform, you just can't leave anything to chance.

Nokia Lumia 620 official photos

The Nokia Lumia 620 has obviously done its homework. Just like the HTC WP 8S, it offers a downclocked dual-core Krait CPU, 512MB of RAM and a styling that's clearly targeting youths. This kind of approach makes a lot of sense - the WP8 definitely needs an awareness boost among younger users and reasonable spenders, if it's going to seriously challenge the dominating smartphone platforms.

Nokia Lumia 620 at a glance:

• General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 850/900/1900/2100 MHz; HSDPA 21 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76Mbps
• Form factor: Touchscreen bar
• Dimensions: 115.4 x 61.1 x 11 mm, 76 cc; 127 g
• Display: 3.8" 16M-color WVGA (480 x 800 pixels) ClearBlack TFT capacitive touchscreen
• Chipset: 1GHz dual-core Krait processor, Adreno 305 GPU, 512MB RAM
• OS: Windows Phone 8
• Memory: 8 GB of inbuilt storage, microSD card slot (up to 64 GB)
• Camera: 5 megapixel auto-focus, face and smile detection; 720p (1280 x 720) video recording at 30fps; VGA front-facing camera
• Connectivity: dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, stereo Bluetooth 3.0, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS and GLONASS, 3.5mm audio jack, NFC
• Misc: built-in accelerometer, multi-touch input, proximity sensor

Specs-wise the Nokia Lumia 620 is virtually identical to the HTC Windows Phone 8S. The two major differences are a smaller screen (just 0.2 inches, at the same resolution) and the 4GB of extra storage the Nokia offers. Make no mistake though - the superior brand recognition, and more importantly, the exclusive software make the Lumia 620 the favorite in this fight. Free lifetime voice guided navigation is not a bad thing to have and can make all the difference when two devices are as closely matched as this.

Nokia Lumia 620 studio shots

On the other hand the HTC 8S has a two-month head start and a seemingly superior build. Looks are important and HTC are always tough opposition when it comes to design and build. So, has the Lumia 620 got what it takes to be the WP8 smartphone to have in the early 2013? And can it mount a serious challenge to the bunch of dual-core droids that pretty much own the mid-range market? We hope to find out the answers when we are done with the preview, so let's get started.

Oppo announces 32GB model and additional countries for Find 5

If you have been looking forward to the Oppo Find 5, you will be glad to know that the company has now announced a new 32GB model, which will be priced at $569 (the 16GB is priced at $499).

Along with the new higher capacity model, Oppo has also announced several additional countries where the phone will be launched. The full list now includes United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Spain, Australia, Germany, France, Belgium, Malaysia, Sweden, Singapore, Greece, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Japan and Hong Kong. More countries will be added to this list in future.

No information on when the phone will go on sale.

Source

ZTE Nubia Z5 with 5" 1080p display got officially unveiled

After leaving nothing for imagination in a previous leak, the 5" 1080p screen sporting ZTE Nubia 5 got officially unveiled. The Chinese company's flagship smartphone will hit the retail shelves in its homeland as one of the best equipped Android devices to date.

The ZTE Nubia 5 features a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 chipset and 2GB of RAM. The 5" 1080p display of the smartphone is made by Sharp and sports a pixel density of 443ppi. A 13MP camera, 32GB of built-in storage, full connectivity suite, and Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean are also among the main features of the device. A 2300 mAh battery will power the ZTE Nubia 5.

ZTE Nubia 5 official images

With a 7.6mm thin aluminum unibody and ultra-slim bezel design, the ZTE Nubia 5 looks just as great as its spec sheet. The handset is also surprisingly light at 126 grams.

The ZTE Nubia 5 will be priced at approximately $555 when launched in China. We are yet to get a scoop on international availability of the device. Given the recent leaks though, we do believe that we will definitely see a Nubia 5 relative at CES 2013.

Source | Via

Merry Christmas to you all from the GSMArena team

Christmas is one of the greatest holidays of the year and we'd like to use the occasion to send you our big Thank You for sticking around with us and sharing our passion for high-tech toys for yet another year.

On this day we want to tell you how much we appreciate you, our readers. If it wasn't for you we wouldn't be where we are today and it's only because of you that our job is so great.

We really hope these holidays will bring you lots of reasons to smile. May you and your loved ones have the best of times this holiday season and get lots of happy memories to carry over to the upcoming new year.

We'd also like to send our warmest wishes to those of you that don't celebrate Christmas at this time (or at all). We wish you, your friends and families all the wonder and magic you could hope for.

Thank you for being around!

Android 4.1 arrived on Motorola DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX

Users of Verizon's Motorola DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX have received a lovely Christmas present from the manufacturer. Multiple reports have confirmed that Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean is now seeding to the first generation DROID RAZR family.

The update is available as a rather large over-the-air download. It brings a host of improvements to the devices including Google Now and Project Butter. The latter is bound to make the user experience on the duo of devices a lot more pleasant, given their ageing hardware.

Curiously, Verizon Wireless has been mum on the update for both devices. Still if you are an owner of either one of the two, fill up your battery and check for an update manually.

Via

Sony Xperia T gets Jelly Bean update as a Christmas present

Sony has unexpectedly launched a firmware update for its flagship Android smartphone the Xperia T a couple of months ahead of what was initially scheduled.

The Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update then comes just like a Christmas present for Xperia T owners. It has hit the international version of the smartphone (LT30p) as well as the AT&T branded Xperia TL (LT30at).

As blog SonyViet reports, the update brings a significant improved in battery life, in addition to the smoothness added by Project Butter. Here are some screenshots from an updated device.

The update should be already hitting Xperia T devices all over the world, but in case it isn't just yet, hold on tight. Evidence show you should be getting the update soon.

Source

Nokia details UK availability for the Lumia 920, 820 and 620

Nokia has officially announced its extending the market availability the Lumia 920, Lumia 820 and Lumia 620 in the UK. Throughout January and February next year, the trio of Windows Phone 8 devices will be reaching most major UK carriers and retailers.

Currently, the companys flagship smartphone, the Lumia 920, is available through EE, Orange, T-Mobile and Phones4U, but as of January 2013, itll be also available at Vodafone and Three UK. The online retailers Micro- and Carphone Warehouse will also be offering the device.

Beginning January 2013, the Lumia 820 will also be joining its bigger brother and will be available at Vodafone with various monthly plan options. The device enjoys wide retail availability through EE, Orange, T-Mobile, O2, Tesco, Phones4U, Carphone Warehouse and Micro-P, but as of next month, its reach will be extended further.

Finally, the Lumia 620 will launch in February next year at Vodafone, O2, Three UK, Virgin Mobile, Carphone Warehouse, Phones4U and via Micro-P. Its pricing isnt yet known, but well keep you in touch once it gets announced.

Source | Via

Huawei Chairman shows off 6.1" Ascend Mate ahead of CES

At a Huawei store in Guangzhou, China, Richard Yu Huawei Chairman of devices showed off the Ascend Mate - a 6.1" quad-core Android smartphone with a 1080p resolution.

The device is said to be powered by a quad-core K3V3 chip clocked at 1.8 GHz, and offer a 4000 mAh battery, 9.9 mm frame and a screen with the impressive 361 ppi density. Richard Yu shared that the display is of the LTPS type, meaning low temperature polysilicon.

Huawei Ascend Mate

Prior to Richard Yu's demonstration of the Ascend Mate Huawei's Senior Vice President Yu Chengdong confirmed the company is working on such a device.

The Ascend Mate should make an appearance at CES, alongside the 5" Ascend D2, and should cost around $480 (3000).

It remains to be seen what version of Android the Ascend Mate will be running but Jelly Bean is a safe bet.

Coming up next is a video of the device in Yu's hands.

Source (In Chinese, needs registration) | Via

Nielsen totals for 2012 see Google dominate the US

The Nielsen Company, one of the global leaders in consumer market research and trend analysis, has released its Nielsen Tops of 2012 report, which looks at the top Web and mobile companies between January and October of 2012.

On all fronts, Google was able to maintain its position at the top of the mountain.

Starting with Smartphone market share, Android continued to hold more than half the pie, despite Apple's all-time-high sales share for the three month period ending on November 25.

Google's portal is the number one U.S. Web brand of 2012, with 172.6 million unique visitors per month.

For online video, YouTube got some 132.4 million unique monthly visitors, more than three times Yahoo's video portal in second place.

In the app realm, Google understandably takes four of the top five spots, which is nothing remarkable as Google preloads those apps on most of the Android devices.

For iOS its the infamous Maps app which takes up the first spot, although likely not many figures represent their recent fiasco as the data is only until October.

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Google Nexus 4 vs. Samsung Galaxy S III: Fan favorites

Introduction

Android devices come from all walks of life, but in each generation there is a "chosen one". In 2012, it's the Nexus 4 and, as an overall package, this is probably the best Google has ever delivered. Yet, by a mean twist of fate, it has the most formidable opposition of any Nexus phone so far. Even with Google's official backing, the purebred Nexus 4 is not guaranteed a win against the Samsung Galaxy S III - the Android smartphone of the season, which has been selling in numbers that make Black Friday look like a slow day at the grocery.

The hook of the Nexus 4 is flagship specs at a hard-to-beat price. It has a top-notch screen and chipset, but some corners had to be cut to make the budget (the non-expandable inbuilt memory is particularly painful).

There's a clear objective but dethroning the Galaxy S III is a huge challenge. That beast of a droid has set the user experience bar quite high. Of course Samsung just cannot match Google's aggressive pricing, but the 5-month market advantage has made the Galaxy S III a little more affordable. The flip side of the coin is that the Galaxy S III hardware is no longer cream of the crop.

The Nexus 4 on the other hand, has availability issues - it runs out in minutes. Another thing is that it costs $350 only in countries where the Play Store is available too, elsewhere it gets quite steep.

Let's follow proper championship protocol and go over the highlights of each contender while they wait for the bell in their corners .

Google Nexus 4 over Galaxy S III

• Stock Android, quick updates
• Next generation CPU and GPU architectures, 2GB RAM on all models
• Unofficial, limited LTE connectivity
• Competitive price
• Full RGB strip IPS Plus screen
• Gorilla Glass 2 on the back, eye-catching pattern

Samsung Galaxy S III over Nexus 4

• Better camera
• 16:9 Super AMOLED screen
• More storage options, microSD card slot
• User-removable battery
• USB OTG out of the box
• Plenty of software perks (MultiView, Smart stay, excellent codec support and more)
• Color options
• FM Radio
• Readily available in stores, steady price

The Nexus 4 is using tech that will only go into full swing next year. The Galaxy S III in turn will inevitably start showing its age. Our experience with the two phones though is that the Samsung flagship is not to be easily dismissed.

The software is a different story - Google's approach is one of purist simplicity, while Samsung throws everything its R&D department has cooking up in the labs (and those guys are pretty prolific).

They say the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, but before we get to the actual experience with the Google Nexus 4 and the Samsung Galaxy S III, we do have to look at their bits and parts first. The hardware checkup is first on our list.

Google and Motorola said to be working on X Phone, to hit in 2013

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Google and its Motorola branch are working on a future high-end smartphone to rival the Apple iPhone and the Galaxy S lineup.

Dubbed simply the X Phone, the device is expected to show up some time next year, according to WSJs source. The project is reportedly being led by Lior Ron, who has previously worked as a Google Product Manager, but now is busy at work with the Motorola team.

Additionally, Motorola engineers are also working on an "X" tablet, that's going to launch after the X phone debuts. In the meantime, the company is going to continue its work on the DROID lineup of smartphones.

Motorola's CEO Dennis Woodside (former Google top sales exec) said in an interview with the WSJ that the company is investing in a team and a technology that will do something quite different than the current approaches.

The projects leader, Lior Ron, reportedly has demanded the phone to sport killer camera. In its quest to make the phone truly unique, Motorola has looked into incorporating different materials such as ceramics, which would make the X Phone more resistant to drops.

WSJ sources add that Motorolas acquisition of gesture and facial recognition company Viewdle will also be thrown in to the mix to bring some truly unique features to the device. Could the X Phone, intriguing as it sounds, be ready for Googles I/O 2013 event in the summer of 2013? Well have to wait and see.

Source | Via