Sony Xperia SP / L regression consonance transparent

Sony has released a new machine speed has improved a lot. Its early release of the first quad-core machine L36h one listed on the consumer attention, its strong performance is one of the best in this year released a new machine. Of course, in addition to the flagship phone, the Sony has also exposed two main end fashion models, their models were Xperia L S36h/Xperia the SP M35h.

Both phones announced Sony Xperia SP M35h is a more high-end configuration. The machine continues Sony's first dual-core the LT26i of consonance zona design, giving the feeling of a much more colorful. Not only that, this phone Colorful transparent with heart transformation color, we can set - screen - set the lighting effects. Configuration, Sony Xperia SP equipped 1.7GHz Qualcomm the Xiao Long S4 dual-core processor, with 1GB RAM and 8GB the fuselage of memory (supports MicroSD card expansion), strong internal configuration.

In addition to the to Sony Xperia SP, Sony also introduced the main low-end market, Xperia L S36h this phone in the same continuation of the classic appearance behind the curved design so that we can not help but think of the smash hit of the Sony Ericsson LT18i this can be considered a classic regression. Hardware configuration, Sony S36h, with a 4-inch display, and equipped with a Xiao Long, Qualcomm MSM8230 dual-core processor speeds up to 1GHz, with 1GB RAM +8 GB ROM memory portfolio, the overall configuration is good.

Although the Sony released "performance monster level phone, but they are still one of many fashion phones Sony. Because compared to the flagship phone can really recognized by the majority of consumers are both cost-effective and Features-end models. Believe that the listing of the two phones also inject new vitality to this rather serious homogenization of the smart phone market.

HTC One appear super cottage mobile phone: HDC One

HDC One news release, the quad-core phone Xiangxi information before has the truth is, the the Huaxin phone officially announced HDC One will officially open in April 1, April Fool's Day appointment on sale April 15. Simply booking models HDC mobile phone reservation activities you can participate in, the first number of 10000.

If you do not take a closer look, then, must have thought this is the high-end flagship HTC recently released M7 (ONE), the overall design style and M7 close to the HDC One body size 137.9 * 68.5 * 9.3 mm, HTC ONE 137.4 * 68.2 * 9.3 mm size difference is almost negligible.

HDC One will be equipped with a 4.7-inch IPS screen resolution of HD level 1280 * 720, powered by MTK MT6589 quad-core 1.2GHz processor, 1G RAM +16 G ROM memory, 2,000,000 + after 8 million pixel camera, running Android 4.21 version of the system, the battery capacity of 1600 mAh. However HDC One not support dual card only supports WCDM + GSM single card dual-mode, commonly HDC support gravity, light, and distance sensors, and is also equipped with a gyroscope.

ZTE V965 positioning quad-core entry-level sale soon

ZTE pushing the MTK6589 four-core platform, equipped MT6589 quad-core processor, the new machine has several good snow leopard ZTE U960, U956 Juyi listed, although the price is not high, but the appearance as well as the hardware aspects of commendable. The recent resurgence the addition a MTK6589 four nuclear new machine the same on fast listed for sale in the new machine model ZTE V965, compared with the previous several machines, V965 lower overall hardware specifications, an entry-level user-oriented four The nuclear cell phone.

Friends of the machine may be familiar with the ZTE phone V965 appearance of familiar aircraft design the N881F very similar, may be using the same set of molds. V965's body size is 133 × 67 × 11 mm, with a former black white "Panda color, more distinctive in the bottom of the back of the fuselage, large Globoidal design for the machine to increase a little more stylish atmosphere.

The ZTE V965 fuselage is equipped with a 4.5-inch IPS screen, but the resolution is only 854 * 480 FWVGA level. Processor MTK MT6589 Unicom version, support China Unicom WCDMA + GSM dual card dual standby, built-in 512M RAM +4 G ROM memory, 512M of memory to run the current quad-core phone has been very rare. Camera, ZTE V965 is equipped with dual cameras, front camera for self-timer of 300,000 pixels, the main camera 5 million pixels, LED fill light. The standard battery capacity of 2000 mAh Android 4.1 version of the system, to support the gravity, light and distance sensor.

ZTE V965's price determines the level of its hardware, the rumored price of the machine may be less than a thousand dollars, the biggest highlight of this machine is the battery reaches 2000 mA, coupled with the MTK6589 low power consumption advantages standby aspects should have better performance.
Source: Bicgate

HTC One quad-core 1080p large screen listing in the United Kingdom

HTC official recently said in a statement, HTC One will be the first week on sale in the United Kingdom, Germany and other places listed. Now, the latest reports from the foreign media, display, HTC One is now scheduled to be available in a number of retail stores in the United Kingdom as well as mobile phone operators online store.

According to foreign media reports, HTC One contract version has now landed the UK Carphone Warehouse online store, consumers can choose from EE, Vodafone, O2, Orange, T-Mobile, and Three other operators, but there is zero per share mobile phone packages optional, however the minimum package of ￡ 33 for a two-year contract.

In addition, the British Clove online store will be on sale on April 3 silver version of the HTC One black edition on sale on April 10, without contract bare metal is priced at 510 pounds. The HTC One licensed time-to-market, a statement released pursuant to HTC, HTC early in April this year.

ThL to build a first-class Chinese brand

ThL smartphone insist to provide users with first-class quality, first-class prices, first-class service, to build a first-class Chinese brand. In less than two years time, become a dark horse in the smartphone market. Produced every smart phone, whether it is from the front-end research and development, or to the late service are monitored through checks at each. Phone devices by the top international suppliers; product configuration, use features and craftsmanship, with quality inspection standards higher than the same industry to be strict with themselves, the quality is the core competitiveness of ThL smartphone. Product quality and service philosophy of ThL smartphone has won the appreciation of the mass consumer also firm the future ThL smartphone work harder for the public to do word-of-mouth product, do Care belief.

ThL smart phone as a professional large-scale high-tech enterprise engaged in the mobile communication terminal product research and development, production, sales and service. ThL smartphone "technology to create a happy life for the brand purpose, three letters of its brand is the abbreviation of" Technology, Happy, Life ". The ThL smart phone not only has strong experience in mobile phone manufacturing and R & D technology, and none other "high cost" phones and direct sales, real users "sales concept in the market has made extraordinary attention and accomplishments, causing the industry concern within the eyebrows and a number of media reports.
Source: THL

ZTE Grand S thinnest quad-core perfect design

Recently, the ZTE of the "two swords" Grand S Grand Memo to attract a lot of attention with superb design and characteristics of the hardware configuration. After Grand Memo giant screen quad-core gains IF Global Design Award Grand S has also been scheduled officially open.

ZTE Grand S will hit the ultimate design, it uses a the gains 2012 "iF Global Design Awards 6.9 millimeters thin one body, equipped with a 5.0-inch 1080p scratch-resistant screen, powered by the the Qualcomm S4 quad-core processor, built-in 2GB RAM, has a 13 million pixel camera.

ZTE Grand S to open in the first for 2013 as ZTE's smartphone, can be said to be devoted enough effort. Of course, another ZTE Grand Memo is in the field of giant screen to build a force of new products, but its a bit more on the positioning of the big-screen business flagship ZTE Grand S. ZTE Grand S "quality" look more technology-oriented fashion crowd.

ZTE Grand S when it is published, with particular emphasis on the word "LTE", that is the ZTE Grand S LTE ", but in China does not yet support 4G LTE network restrictions, this high-speed network experience currently only be able to support 4G LTE network country or region, for domestic users is not yet able to experience the slightest regret. Of course, by ZTE Grand S the phone itself is for 4G LTE support at least be able to make people feel its connotation of "more full.
Source:Bicgate

HTC Butterfly upgraded version of the more powerful configuration

The end of last year, HTC launched the flagship smart phone - HTC Butterfly aircraft equipped with 1080p full HD screen and quad-core processor, the overall configuration is very good. Today, the news from HTC side, HTC will also launch an upgraded version of the HTC Butterfly or called HTC Butterfly 2.

According to Focus Taiwan reported that, in view of HTC Butterfly in Taiwan and Japan (the Japanese version for HTC J butterfly) sales outstanding, HTC new marketing competent Yongsheng said HTC will launch the next follow-up version of HTC Butterfly, or an upgraded version of HTC Butterfly - HTC Butterfly 2, unfortunately he did not disclose the specific configuration information.

Based on the hardware configuration of HTC Butterfly and HTC One, I guess the upgraded version of HTC Butterfly will be at least 5 inches of 1080p Full HD display, the processor is expected to be powered by the latest Qualcomm Xiao Long 800 processor, and then set the camera should be raised to 13 million pixels, of course, the software will also like HTC One general, added a lot of new features. In short, HTC mobile phone is a worthy new flagship machine we look forward to.

Men refuse to buy Apple products stabbed by girlfriend

Two days ago, a small town, with dumbfounding "massacre": a woman repeatedly begged her boyfriend after its purchase of the Apple device and repeatedly refused, and finally "intolerable" knife stabbed him her boyfriend.

It is understood that the woman, 25-year-old, her boyfriend, 28-year-old, the two have lived together for four years, unmarried, usually two people's wages by the man custody. In early March of this year, the woman for the first time to the boyfriend you want to buy an Apple device, but the price is too high, beyond the scope of their ability, it was her boyfriend refused. After more than 20 days, the woman repeatedly told her boyfriend made ??the same request was rejected.

Until the day before yesterday, N times the woman you want to buy Apple devices rejected, the hearts of anger fall to let it out, picked up a fruit knife on the table and poke their boyfriend, the man with blood after struggling to put his hands pinch to the neck of the woman. The neighbors heard brawl alarm.

According to police, the man multiple blade and arm deep 5cm around the women's neck pinch marks. After some education, both return home.

THL W7 Quad Core 8G ROM officially listed

Phone THL first quad-core smartphone officially listed last week the store online reservations, the aircraft original W7 quad-core upgraded version of the model is still THL W7, first, we introduce this new opportunity with 1G RAM +8 G ROM memory, but the latest news from the official, THL W7 quad-core will launch two versions of the ROM size is 4GB and 8GB 8GB open online booking 4G ROM version will be listed later.

THL W7 quad-core version, two different versions of the distinction also lies in the memory, appearance is consistent both with the dual-core version, the size is the same for 159.3 × 82.8 × 10.2 mm, with a narrow border design. Other hardware specifications, W7+ quad-core version of the processor upgrade MTK6589 quad-core memory 1G RAM +4 G ROM and 1G +8 G two versions support up to 32GB of extended storage, the system can also upgrade to the latest version of Android 4.2 . Other aspects and dual-core, equipped with a 5.7 ​​inch IPS screen, with HD level display resolution of 1280 * 720, of 3,200,000 + after eight million pixel high-definition camera, the battery capacity is still 2300 mA.
Source:THL

Huawei P2 quad-core 4.7 inch screen will be listed in China

After the Huawei Ascend D2 and Mate, by the end of February this year,Huawei has released another Android smart strong machine - Huawei Ascend P2. The phone is also equipped with a large touch screen and quad-core processors, and the appearance of a slim, stylish. Today, the Huawei Ascend P2 has won the domestic network license, which means it will be listed for sale in China recently, are also sold in the China Online Shopping Store.

WCDMA mobile phones, according to the website of the Ministry of Industry, the device model HUAWEI P2-0000, namely Huawei Ascend P2 has a domestic network license, certificate number 02-5043-131091. The same time, look at the from the handset published photos, this phone has issued international Ascend P2 no significant difference.

As a smart strong machine, Huawei Ascend P2 4.7-inch high-definition touchscreen resolution compared to HD (720 × 1280 pixels) level, relative to the 1080p screen Huawei Ascend D1 slightly inferior, and equipped with a 1.5GHz clocked four core processor, running Android 4.1 operating system, also has a 13-megapixel main camera and a 2420mAh large battery, body thickness of 8.4 mm.

In addition, the previously announced news the Huawei Ascend P2 will be listed in the world in the second quarter of this year. The phone already obtained a domestic network license, then the machine is expected to be on sale in the country in April this year, As for the selling price is expected to be around 3,500 yuan.  Source: Bicgate

HTC launched Desire P / Q Mid smart new machine

HTC has a low-key launch a mid-range new smart phone - HTC E1 (603e), the phone is equipped with 2.1 megapixel front camera, large touch screen and a dual-core, also called the "self-timer artifact. Today, two HTC smart new machine - HTC Desire P and Desire Q first exposure, and in the end they belong to the same standards.

From suspected exposure official posters of view, HTC Desire P nowadays mainstream candybar touchscreen design, look sleek and stylish, and has two colors of pearl white and ruby red. Configuration, HTC Desire P 4.3-inch touch screen, equipped with a 1GHz dual-core processor, also has a 800-megapixel main camera, and support for the Beats Audio sound and MicroSD card expansion.

HTC Desire Q uses the same touch screen candy bar design, but the body color is richer, with jazz black, lyrical white dance red three HTC Desire P slightly smaller than the screen size is only four inches . Unfortunately, HTC Desire Q mobile phone processor configuration exposure did not show posters.

In addition, news from Taiwan media display, the HTC Desire P sells for 10,900 Taiwan dollars (about 2260 yuan), HTC Desire Q's price is $ 6990 NT (about 1450 yuan) As for the time-to-market yet there is no related news, I will continue to focus on.

Samsung Galaxy S4 history traced in Galaxy S evolution

In June 2009 Samsung's first Android phone was released. The i7500 was also known as the Samsung Galaxy, and had a 3.2-inch display and a 5-megapixel camera.

We gave the Galaxy four stars in our review, but weren't impressed with its boring appearance and lack of multi-touch. When it came out, Apple was already onto its second iPhone, so there was plenty of catching up to do.

One year later though, Samsung had made a lot of progress. The Galaxy S kicked off a new line of high-end smart phones to distinguish Samsung's best efforts from its mid-range mobiles, and blew us away with a 4-inch Super AMOLED display.

That doesn't seem like much by today's standards, but a few years ago it was an absolutely massive screen -- an early indicator of Samsung's lust for bigger and bigger phones.

Fast forward one more year, and it's time to meet the Galaxy S2, which treated phone shoppers to a 4.3-inch screen and a shockingly powerful 1.2GHz dual-core processor. This was the phone that established Samsung as a serious contender to the smart phone crown.

Following the S2 was the oval-shaped Galaxy S3, which impressed with a fresh design and powerful quad-core processor. More importantly though, this mobile cemented Samsung's style -- high-end hardware combined with an overwhelming number of apps and software features.

HTC Desire P and Q leaked pics

Two new HTC phones -- the Desire P and Desire Q -- have been unearthed in leaked snaps, hinting the company has two mid-to-low-end smart phones on the boil.

The Desire P looks set to be a 4.3-inch device with a dual-core 1GHz processor, Beats audio and a microSD card slot. An 8-megapixel camera is also said to be quietly occupying the P's rear.

The Desire Q, meanwhile, is tipped to be rocking a 4-inch display and will be aimed at those buying their first smart phone, so expect modest hardware and a low price.

The pictures of the two phones surfaced on Chinese-language site android4tw, while Focus Taiwan reports the two phones will go on sale in Taiwan next month, citing two local telecom operators.

That might mean the Desire P and Q could be out of reach of UK phone shoppers. I contacted HTC to ask about the two mobile phones and whether they'd get an airing in the UK, but was told, "HTC does not comment on rumour or speculation."

The images above suggest HTC wouldn't be bringing design or software cues from the classy new HTC One to these two new blowers. Indeed, the rounded styling and older Sense interface of the Desire P is reminiscent of the HTC One SV, which we recently reviewed.

The One SV wasn't a bad-looking device, but is way more expensive than it should be in the UK, thanks to its 4G capability. If HTC can bring these two phones to Europe at a sensible price, it would have some extra ammo in its fight against the overwhelming might of Samsung.

Order HTC reached hundreds of thousands in the United States

It seems that the battle for control of the top spot on the U.S. Android smartphone rankings is going to be between the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One. You might have thought that the new Samsung flagship model would be a prohibitive favorite, but the HTC One has captured plenty of  attention, and there is always the possibility that the Samsung GALAXY Note III could cannibalize some sales from it's corporate stable-mate.

Additionally, HTC is reporting that in the U.S., several hundred thousand people have left their email to pre-register for the HTC One mobile phone. The total is the largest to pre-register for any HTC device ever in the states and certainly would make it appear as though the phone will have a strong reception in the U.S. when launched. Pre-registering is nothing like a pre-order, though. When you pre-register, you simply give the manufacturer or carrier your email address to receive news and information about a particular device that you are interested in. With a pre-order, you are actually reserving a unit before the launch.

HTC President Jason Mackenzie also said that the manufacturer is talking to carriers and retailers in the U.S.about locking in specific delivery dates for the phone.The executive expects the HTC One to roll out across Europe, Asia and the U.S. in late April. The phone is launching in the U.K., Germany and Taiwan this week, while a shortage of camera parts has kept the phone from having a more widespread launch. HTC is putting a lot of effort into the phone. Each one takes 220 minutes to create.

The HTC One could be the manufacturer's last chance to survive. Previous attempts by HTC to carve out a niche for itself at the high-end of the Android market failed miserably. Last year's HTC One X suffered from a small battery which led the company to come up with the HTC One X+ which also could not make a dent in the market share held by the Samsung Galaxy S III. But this time, with the combination of a strong design, unique features like BlinkFeed and a strong marketing campaign, HTC might have finally come with a strong challenger.

T-Mobile is finally getting the iPhone!

Lots of words were spoken by T-Mobile's CEO, John Legere, at today's big “uncarrier” event taking place in New York City. In fact, some serious four letter words were used numerous times throughout the event, which were mainly targeted at the competition, as T-Mobile officially introduced its brand spanking new rate plans and devices. Highly regarded as a long time in the making, T-Mobile is finally getting the iPhone! And boy did it take a long, especially considering they're the last of the major wireless “carriers” to get it. Well folks, the wait won't be long, as the iPhone 5 is going to be available come April 12th.

So what's there to say about this one? Well people, there's nothing major with the design, since you know, it's the same iPhone 5 we all know and love on the outside. In fact, there's nothing that we can visually see that's different – aside for the obvious T-Mobile name that's occupying the top left corner in the interface. Did we think it would be different? Not exactly, but to T-Mobile's credit, this specific version is unique in the fact that it's the only iPhone 5 to support T-Mo's AWS bands, to get both HSPA+ and 4G LTE connectivity. In addition to that, HD Voice is also going to be supported by this one, which makes it the sole iPhone 5 to do just that. Beyond that, this is the same lovable iPhone 5 that AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint customers have been enjoying for months now.

For this specific event, T-Mobile brought along its 4G LTE network to show off its speedy nature. And of course, we decided to put the new iPhone 5 through a couple of speed tests. Hardly a surprise, latency was pretty low and speeds were undoubtedly fast – well, it wasn't too much of a shocker, considering that it's not commercially available for the masses around these parts. In regards to HD Voice, we managed to test out the new feature, but quite frankly, it's really tough to gauge its prowess in a noisy room filled with tons of background noise. However, we have to admit that voices came out exquisitely clear.

Overall, it's nice to know that this beauty is finally coming to the number four player in the wireless market. Therefore, T-Mobile customers won't longer be needed to pick up an unlocked iPhone to get it to work with the Magenta network. That's nice, right?

Fake Motorola X Phone render comes out

It almost feels like people aren't trying anymore when they put out renders designed to look like highly anticipated new phones that are on the way. One look at this newest image, and your brain almost starts to scream "FAKE!" But, that's the way it goes. People are excited about the Motorola X Phone, so someone will try to make a render that looks real enough to fool some people.

Whoever made it had at least some attention to detail by putting in today's date (maybe just to remind them when they wanted to "leak" the image), but then other parts of the design look like no attention was paid at all. First of all, there's no earpiece, which is kind of an important feature that helps make a smartphone a phone. Also, while the design does use the stock icons for the apps, it uses the MotoBlur navigation icons. We heard that MotoBlur won't be completely gone, but we doubt that the navigation keys would be different.

We'd like to see a real leak of the Motorola X Phone, but this most certainly isn't it. It's an interesting idea for the design though. Maybe once Moto/Google moves past the old materials, we'll see something similar to this hardware.

Mystery buyer of 1 million BlackBerry 10 units is revealed

Earlier this month, BlackBerry got a short in the arm when it was announced that a mystery buyer had purchased 1 million units of BlackBerry 10 mobile phone. The exact breakdown of the purchase wasn't announced, although the QWERTY equipped BlackBerry Q10 isn't expected to arrive for another few weeks yet. At the time, Canadian based BlackBerry said that the purchase was the largest single order for BlackBerry devices in company history.

Fast forward to Monday, and we now know the identity of the buyer. According to perenially bearish investment firm Detwiler Fenton, the buyer of the 1 million BB10 units was wireless distributor Brightstar. The company supplies phones to a number of big names such as Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA, Virgin Mobile and TracFone Wireless. Verizon relies on the company to supply big box retailers and third party retailers and authorized re-sellers.

Everytime that Detwiler Fenton opens its mouth about BlackBerry, it has been to say a negative comment. Even back in December, the company issued a bearish report on BlackBerry (then called Research In Motion). Today, it continued this pattern when the firm's managing director, Marc Gerber, said that the use of Brightstar to make the purchase "...suggests Verizon doesn’t believe this will be a strong seller, since it normally tries to allocate hot product on its own."  We don't know if Detwiler Fenton is short BlackBerry shares (a bet that the stock is going to drop), but if they are, this would be a good example of what is called on Wall Street as "talking your position".

Regardless, the mystery is solved and regardless of who made the purchase, it still represents a risk-taking investment on someone's part. So when you look at it that way, someone still has the hots for BlackBerry 10.

Samsung Galaxy S4 to offer 1080p video capture at 60 frames per second

While it has never been mentioned by Samsung on any of its releases about the Samsung Galaxy S4, a release put out by chip maker Qualcomm says that the rear-facing 13MP camera on the new flagship Android phone captures video in 1080p at 60 frames per second. This would make the model the first smartphone ever to capture FHD video at such a frame rate.

But since Samsung has not officially announced these specs, it could be that Qualcomm has made a mistake. After all, most top-shelf models shoot 1080p video at 30fps and save the 60fps frame rate for 720p video. And there is more. According to Qualcomm, the 2MP front-facing shooter on the Samsung Galaxy S4 captures video at 1080p at 30fps.

So what is the deal here? Did Samsung inadvertently fail to reveal something on the Samsung Galaxy S 4 that no other mobile phone ever has had? That would seem to be a stretch. So then, that would mean that Qualcomm, which probably knows the Galaxy S4 inside and out, mistakenly overstated the capabilities of the phone. Either situation seems hard to believe, but one of these theories has to be right.

T-Mobile is expected to show off its Apple iPhone

For years, T-Mobile customers had to look on in envy as first AT&T and then Verizon and Sprint started offering the Apple iPhone. Then, when pre-paid carriers started to work out deals with Apple to start selling the iconic smartphone last year, T-Mobile finally had had enough. In December, the company announced that it had inked a pact to sell Apple devices in its stores. And when T-Mobile announced its big media event for Tuesday, there was some speculation that the Apple iPhone would be announced. According to a person with inside knowledge of tomorrow's events, T-Mobile will indeed show off it's own Apple iPhone 5 on Tuesday.

With the Apple iPhone 5 in its lineup, T-Mobile might be able to prevent more customers from leaving the carrier. In addition, the phone is expected to run over the operator's new LTE pipeline which is expected to be introduced tomorrow with service to start in 7 markets, the names of which leaked during the weekend. Besides the Apple iPhone 5, T-Mobile has another LTE phone that will be introduced on Tuesday, the BlackBerry Z10.  Additionally, the T-Mobile version of the Samsung GALAXY Note II recently received an update that now allows the device to connect to T-Mobile's LTE service.

While the Apple iPhone is supposed to be introduced by T-Mobile tomorrow, it won't immediately be offered to T-Mobile customers, although a launch date is unknown.While pricing is also an unknown, T-Mobile will no longer be offering mobile phones with subsidies from its corporate owned stores. Instead, customers will be asked to pay a down payment and pay off the device monthly using the carrier's EIP (Equipment Installment Plan).

Nuts Apple patent protects iPhone by flipping it as it falls

File this Apple invention under B for bonkers. The company has just been granted a patent that protects your iPhone when you drop it, Apple Insider reports. How? It adjusts the device's position as it's falling, so it lands on its back or edge instead of the screen.

And if you think that's crazy, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Wait until you see how Apple plans to make it work.

The patent is for use in any gizmo with a processor, including tablets and laptops, but the iPhone is specifically mentioned. In order to see how the tumbling tablet or falling phone is positioned, the system will need to use a sensor, which could be the gyroscope, accelerometer, GPS or imaging sensor. A processor tells the system how fast the device is falling, and how far it is from the ground, among other things. It'll remember previous pratfalls too, to help it make its mind up more quickly.

Now, how to actually tilt the device so it doesn't land face first. A number of possible solutions are suggested, including a shifting weight within the phone, lift foils that extend out to the surface, and even a miniature gas canister to act as a thrust, like a mini jet pack. Amazing.

The patent was originally filed back in September 2011, and was just granted this week. I think it's safe to say we have a while to wait until this finds its way into the iPhone. But it's pretty cool, you have to admit. The only issue -- aside from the problem of how to fit a gas canister to an iPhone -- is that I've known screens to shatter when mobile phones have landed on their edges. So maybe Apple will need to toughen up its handset's chassis somewhat as well.

The new T-Mobile UNcarrier plan has started

Carly, get on your bike and start spreading the news, T-Mobile's new UNcarrier plans are now in effect. As we told you last week, the nation's fourth largest carrier is flipping the switch to "on" two days before a big media event on Tuesday. The new Value Plan is available from corporate owned stores while the new Classic Plan will be found at national retailers like Target and Best Buy. The pricing for both is essentially the same with only difference being how you purchase a new mobile phone. While T-Mobile has not released information on how new phone purchases will be handled, we don't expect too much of a change in the current system where Classic Plan members can buy a subsidized phone with a two-year contract and a Value Plan member makes a down payment and pays off the mobile phone using an Equipment Installment Plan.

Both Classic and Value Plans offer Unlimited talk and text plus 500MB of data monthly for $50 monthly. You can choose from a selection of additional data options that start at 2GB for an additional $10 per month ($60 total) running up to 12GB of data for an additional $60 ($110 total). Those plans include tethering and mobile HotSpot use. If that is not important to you, a total of $70 a month will give you totally unlimited talk, text and data, but will not let you use the HotSpot feature

The new Value Plan is now up on T-Mobile's website. On Tuesday, we expect the carrier to announce the launch of LTE 4G in 7 markets, the names of which leaked out on Saturday. We should also hear more about the new UNcarrier plans, the launch of the BlackBerry Z10 and possibly (don't get too carried away as this is a long shot) a launch of the T-Mobile variant of the Apple iPhone. Tuesday is around the corner so keep your eyes right here!

Judge's ruling on patent could lead to ban on Android tethering

A ruling by Judge Thomas Pender on how to interpret a Nokia patent was decided in favor of the Finnish manufacturer and could result in the banning of the tethering feature on Android phones. The patent involved is U.S. Patent No 5,884,190 on a "method for making a data transmission connection from a computer to a mobile communication network for transmission of analog and/or digital signals." With the ruling, it becomes more difficult for HTC to deny that it infringed on the patent during the ITC trial, which is set to start in two months.

Google tried to get the judge to agree to a narrower "scope" of the patent, but failed. The Mountain View tech giant had hoped to be a co-defendant with HTC in the case and protect Android, but is only a third party intervenor. HTC can escape the charge if it can prove that they did not use even just one element of the patent. For example, Google was hoping to get the judge to accept its view that the patent required the connection involved to be connected to both analog and digital equipment at the same time, something that is not done with Android tethering. Instead, the judge said that "the device tests which network is available and transmits on that mode, whether the mode is analog or digital".

Remember, the only thing that has been decided at this point, is how to interpret the patent involved. As we said earlier, the trial starts in two months and HTC and Google can try to claim prior art, which might be difficult since it would require finding some reference to thethering from the early 1990's. Or HTC mobile phone could simply deny the infringement and if that fails, it can ask the 6 member ITC commission to overrule the judge. And if that fails, a ban on Android tethering could ensue. Or, as is most likely, Nokia will be receiving royalty checks from HTC. In case you're wondering, Apple and BlackBerry have already settled their legal difficulties with Nokia.

BlackBerry 10 gets eBay for another popular app

If you take buying and selling on eBay seriously-heck, some people do it for a living-the lack of an eBay app might have been the deal breaker that prevented you from buying the BlackBerry Z10. But there is some news that might have you rushing over to your local AT&T store to pick up the handset. On Sunday, it was announced that the eBay app has been added to BlackBerry World. It is not a native app and is a port from the Android phone version, but still should be sufficient even for those eBay professionals who need to know what is going on with their listings while on the run.

With the eBay app for BlackBerry 10, just a couple of taps is needed to place a bid or make an offer or outright buy an item that you want. You can also make a secure payment for your winning bid. And if there is something special you are watching, you can receive a notification each time you are out bid, or if there is something going up for auction that you are going to want to keep an eye on. And once you've won an auction and paid for it, the eBay app for BlackBerry 10 will track the shipment to make sure that you it isn't lost in a package depot in Portland, Maine. You can even determine what time your package will be arriving so that you can be home to sign for it. You can also answer questions on the go from potential bidders for your listings, and leave feedback for sellers.

Interestingly, there have been leaked screenshots of a native eBay app seen in the past which means that BlackBerry rushed this out while it works on a native app so it wouldn't lose any business from those who want a BlackBerry Z10, but absolutely need to have an eBay app on their mobile phone.

ZTE Grand X Quad is going to appear on a the roster of a U.S. carrier

The ZTE X 4 (V987) Friday in a leaked photo tweeted main leak evleaks. If you are evaluating this phone as NFL analysts, you would say, this phone is a depth map of the Chinese brand mobile phone manufacturers. ZTE S, ZTE X 5-Inch 720p "no gap" display, which has a 5-inch FHD screen. Large S with a quad-core 1.7GHz processor, large x there will be a quad-core processor, clocked at 1.2GHz speed slower.

The ZTE X sihui Dual SIM support (GSM, WCDMA), 800 million pixel camera and 2500mAh battery is removable. Did not disclose pricing or availability information, we would not expect to see the status of the top ZTE S is alleged to appear on the roster, the U.S. aircraft carrier.

HTC One back to the United States in late April

HTC has just sent us some bad news, unfortunately, we need to pass to you. Although Taiwan's manufacturers long-awaited the HTC flagship product will be launched in the next week, in the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Germany, it will not reach the rest of North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, China Online Shopping Store until the end of April, there may be some goods.

Uncomfortable HTC, it wasted a huge head start on competitors in the all-important U.S. market Samsung and Huawei. With the Samsung Galaxy S, HTC is not expected to be launched in the United States enough time to have a whole month until the end of next month the high-end market in the United States, this may be the best-selling smartphone and gather momentum for next year.

Those of you who are going to buy HTC one, so that the time delay switch to another device, you will select a new smart phone, rather than for the Samsung Galaxy S 4, or will you wait for extra time, you canEmbed HTC devices?

Samsung Galaxy S 4 mini launched in July

Now launched Samsung Galaxy S 4 mini, now is the time to take a look at the Samsung Galaxy S 4 mini. The issued Ermek Kubanychbekov discloses a tweet mobile phone specifications also disclose photo equipment. According to the tweet, the Samsung Galaxy S Mini has a 4.3-inch SuperAMOLED screen, qHD resolution, 256ppi pixel density. Under the hood is a dual-core 1.6GHz processor. Drive phone with a the TouchWiz UX2.0 running on the natural Android4.2.2.

Samsung Galaxy S 4 mini (GT-I9190) is a dual card dual standby variants, as well as a single SIM version, you can tell from the photo, its design inspiration directly from its big brother. The device is expected to be launched in June or July. As you may remember, Apple abandoned the former Huawei Ascend D2 launched Samsung felt pressure, Samsung Galaxy S III Mini in front of its upcoming pilot for Samsung patent because the mobile phone is not in the United States Apple companies complain, this is to be able to get the number of mobile phones shipped to the United States from the Amazon, but agreed to give up the phone from the clothes anyway. All this means that we should not expect to see the Samsung Galaxy S 4 mini 4 launch.

Huawei Ascend G700: low-cost version of D2 5-inch quad-core

Huawei of 6.1 in.'s Mate has been officially released and in the domestic market, in addition to the beginning of Mate and Ascend D1, Huawei also in low-cost areas of the new machine constantly, bring the famous Twitter broke the news user Evleaks before a product called Ascend G710's models, and now its variants Ascend G700 real machine photos, and configuration information in microblogging exposure.

In Huawei Ascend G700 MT6589 processor quad-core According to whistleblowers person, not Mate, and Ascend D2 above Hass K3V2,; 2GB of RAM, a a 720p resolution 5-inch screen, supports WCDMA and TD-SCDMA network. Equipped with four nuclear-linked the MediaTek MT6589 quad-core processor, not the Ascend Mate and Ascend D2, equipped Hass K3V2, this configuration is much more civilians. In addition, the machine uses the HD-level LCD screen, support WCDMA and TD-SCDMA. The price is likely to be less than 2000 yuan, only about half of the Ascend D2 this flagship model.

Perhaps Huawei fans have been yearning for the the upscale fine Ascend D2, but feel powerless and frustrated on the TV drama priced. Ascend G700 civilians route will give consumers a good choice if the pricing is really less than 2,000 yuan, then it will be a strong contender for this price.
source: bicgate

Beautiful Nokia phones are coming

In an interview on Finnish television, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, in response to a question about the Nokia Lumia 928, said that, "there is so much good work ahead. I mean some of the beautiful phones still ahead we’re so excited about." Elop pointed out how Nokia smartphones are well known for their beautiful designs and the photography produced by the camera on Nokia phones. The executive said that future models will exaggerate both of those features and take them to higher and higher levels.

In what is good news for the Finnish handset manufacturer, Elop said Nokia will sell more phones on a sequential basis in the first quarter compared to the fourth quarter of last year. "Now we’re starting with a brand new set of products, we’re starting with low numbers but I like that Q4 was more than Q3 and I want to keep growing that and taking that to a higher and higher amount," said the CEO.

Elop also vocalized his goal for Nokia to beat Apple and Samsung by innovating. The innovation on the Nokia Lumia 920 includes the amazing low-light picture taking capabilities on the phone along with the great viewing angles that allow you to view the screen even under bright sunlight. He also pointed out how Nokia Lumia 920 users can control the screen even while wearing gloves.

The interview did have a funny moment when the interviewer kept pressing Elop on the Nokia Lumia 928 and the CEO had to dodge the question since the mobile phone has yet to be announced.

Low priced version of the Apple iPhone is the iPhone 5 half

Investment site ValueWalk has some news about a potential incremental refresh with the Apple iPhone 5S and a low cost version of Apple's iconic smartphone. Citing a pair of investment houses, ValueWalk relays talk about a refreshed version of the Apple iPhone 5 which would come in August, and a low priced version of the Apple iPhone that would be priced at half the cost of the iPhone 5.

Canadian brokerage house Canaccord Genuity sees Apple producing phones for both the high-end and low-end. Based on its analysis of component suppliers, the high-end model should be released in August or in the fourth quarter of this year. Even though the Apple iPhone 5S should be hitting the market with a larger screen and improved hardware, the brokerage house says that Apple will be focusing on software and services to differentiate the Apple iPhone 5S from the current model.

Swiss investment house Credit Suisse has some comments about the low priced Apple iPhone that it expects to see priced at $329 off contract. The firm says that a low priced iPhone could help Apple sustain top and bottom line growth while dealing with the competition from Samsung and other Android manufacturers. Credit Suisse imagines a low-cost Apple iPhone to have 3G connectivity, 8GB of native storage and the same form factor as the iPhone 5. The brokerage house worked out the numbers and figures that a $329 iPhone could grab 40% of the $300-$400 phone market which would add $16 billion and $21 billion to Apple's revenues in 2014 and 2015 respectively. It would also add earnings per share of $3.13 in 2014 and $5.05 in 2015, and those figures include cannibalization of the current iPhone. Margins would be 38% for Apple and while that would be lower than what Apple gets from its current smart mobile phone, it matches the company's current overall profit margin.

Apple rejecting new apps or app updates

Apple's developer site has a message for those writing new apps or updates to current apps for iOS. "Starting May 1, the App Store will no longer accept new apps or app updates that access UDIDs. Please update your apps and servers to associate users with the Vendor or Advertising identifiers introduced in iOS 6."  UDID stands for Unique Device Identifier that each iOS mobile phone device has and consists of a 40 character string.

UDIDs were meant to be anonymous, but developers use them to keep track of the usage of their apps and to help target advertisements. The problem is that with a little more data, UDIDs can be traced back to a specific user. In fact, back in 2010 a study showed that 68% of the top apps in the App Store transmit the UDID of each device that downloads it. One app, CBS News, also transmitted the user's name along with the UDID.

Worried about the lack of privacy involved with UDIDs, in late 2011 Apple decided to stop accepting apps that used them. Last September, the Cupertino based tech giant replaced UDIDs with the Advertiser Identifier which users can change or opt out of. When the May 1st deadline arrives, the new Advertiser Identifier will have been out 8 months, enough time for developers to figure out how to use the information to track their app.

Besides rejecting apps for UDIDs, Apple is said to be looking to turn down apps not optimized for a Retina display. Additionally, apps for the iPhone must be written for the 4 inch screen of the Apple iPhone 5.

Top-shelf BlackBerry 10 device coming this holiday season

BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins said in an interview on Thursday that a high-end flagship BlackBerry 10 model will be launched for the 2013 holiday season. Heins said that he is excited about the model which "takes Blackberry 10 to another level in terms of the user experience." The executive also said that the timing of the mobile phone arrival is not set in stone and it could launch in 2014. Heins said that a mid-range model will be made available later this year and the physical QWERTY equipped BlackBerry Q10 would hit the same markets that the BlackBerry Z10 did, albeit one to two months afterward.

The CEO confirmed that the company's goal is to build three tiers of products, each with an all-touch and a QWERTY-equipped model. All of the mobile phones will have the same 4.2 inch screen and resolution found on the Z10 to allow developers to write apps that look consistent across the board. While we are excited to hear about a new high-end BlackBerry 10 model for later in the year, we wonder how many people planning on buying the BlackBerry Z10 tomorrow when it makes its U.S. debut via AT&T, will now hold off to wait for the upcoming top-shelf BlackBerry 10 device.

UK retailer boasts Galaxy S4 most pre-registered phone

The Samsung Galaxy S4 has seen the highest number of pre-registrations ever, according to phone retailer Carphone Warehouse.

A tingling sensation in our spines told us that the Samsung Galaxy S4 would prove popular, but Carphone Warehouse's claims of a record-shattering pre-registration period lend credence to our vertebral intuition.

Pre-registration means sticking your details into Carphone Warehouse's online form, which puts you on a list to receive news on when the Galaxy S4 becomes available to order. The high-street phone-flogger says the Galaxy S4 has received four times as many registrations as the Galaxy S3 did last year -- a 446 per cent increase.

Registrations were counted in the four days following the S4's official unveiling. I've asked for specific numbers, and how those figures compare with pre-release interest in last year's iPhone 5, and I'll update this story if I hear anything.

The Galaxy S4 has a 5-inch, 1080p display and a thinner, lighter casing than its predecessor. It's jam-packed with new software features, though its similarity to the Galaxy S3 hasn't been well received by everyone. You can see exactly how the S4 compares with its forebear in the video embedded below, and be sure to check out our S4 comparison, featuring rival mobile phones from Apple, Nokia, HTC and Google.

HTC is no longer considered a 'tier one' company

If you're excited about getting your mitts on HTC's slinky, metal flagship, the One, you'll have to wait until April. Component shortages are to blame for the delay, apparently caused by the fact that HTC is no longer considered a 'tier one' company.

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, an unnamed HTC executive explained, "HTC mobile phone has had difficulty in securing adequate camera components as it is no longer a tier-one customer." Tier one customers include companies like Apple and Samsung, whose vast component ordering means that they are given priority on parts.

HTC's recent slump in sales has unsurprisingly meant that its orders are down and manufacturers are therefore not as keen to get the required parts across. In this case, it seems the One's 4-megapixel camera is to blame.

The One was meant to be in the hands of British phone fans from 15 March. HTC explained in a statement last week however, that it "will start fulfilling pre-orders by the end of March in certain markets and will roll out product to more markets as we approach April."

That's potentially very bad news for HTC as Samsung's Galaxy S4 is due to land towards the end of April. If HTC had managed to get the One out last week, it would have had a full month to attract sales from those of you too impatient to wait for the S4.

The One does have a lot going for it, so it's worth hanging on for a bit before you look elsewhere. Its metal frame looks and feels great, its Full HD is pin sharp and it packs a stonking amount of power under the hood.

Hopefully HTC can get its supplies sorted out in time for an early, rather than late April launch. What do you think of the One? Is it good enough to make you wait or are your eyes already on the S4?

Samsung Galaxy S4 won't get an 8-core processor in the UK

The Samsung Galaxy S4 won't get an 8-core processor in the UK, with Brits resigned to a quad-core chip instead, Samsung has confirmed.

When Samsung lifted the lid on its new smart phone, it explained that the kind of processor lurking inside the phone would vary by country, with some nations getting a version with Samsung's own-brand 1.6GHz Exynos5 octa-core chip, and others getting a 1.9GHz Qualcomm quad-core chip.

A UK-centric press release from Samsung previous made mention of the octa-core chip, but sadly it seems that's not the case. In a statement sent to Omio Samsung confirmed the bad news -- I've since spoken to Samsung and received the same statement.

"In the UK," Samsung states, "the Galaxy S4 will be available as a 4G device with a 1.9GHz Quad Core Processor."
Cores for concern?

So what exactly are we missing out on? As my colleague Andrew Hoyle explains in this handy-dandy article, while the Exynos5 octa-core chip has eight cores, you wouldn't be using all of them at once -- instead there are two four-core chips that handle processing.

There are no apps or services out there so far that have really taxed the S3's quad-core processor to its limits, so I suspect the quad-core chip the UK gets stuck with will still prove very speedy.

It is galling not to get the exotic-sounding eight-core chip though, and it'll be very interesting to see which processor is better at handling battery life.

Samsung Galaxy S 4 individual components manufacturing cost estimates

We saw yesterday what the retail price of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 would be at around $579, according to a sweepstakes. But, that number may not be accurate, and today we're getting some even more interesting numbers. iSuppli has done some preliminary estimates on the components of the Galaxy S 4 mobile phone and what the manufacturing costs might be.

Apparently, after the reports circulated that the fine print on the sweepstakes put the retail value of the Galaxy S 4 at $579, Samsung has done some editing, and has changed the fine print to say the retail value of the phone is $640. Of course, the retail price is one thing, but the manufacturing costs are quite another.

iSuppli mixed together the known components like the Exynos Octa SoC with some educated guesses on other parts and has estimated that the HSPA variant of the Galaxy S 4, with the Exynos SoC has build materials costing $236, and an $8.50 manufacturing cost, putting the phone at around $244.50 to build. The LTE variant which has the Snapdragon 600 comes out slightly cheaper with build materials costing $231, and the same manufacturing cost, putting the total at around $241.50.

These are estimates of course, but should be pretty close to reality. And, that means that Samsung has put about a $400 markup on the mobile phone.

ABC Television is planning on releasing a mobile app for iOS

Soon, you might be able to watch Hell's Kitchen from your Apple iPhone while dining at a restaurant. Or view Shark Tank on an Apple iPad while waiting on line at the bank. A report in the New York Times on Tuesday cites anonymous sources who say that ABC Television is planning on releasing a mobile app for iOS sometime this year that will offer live-streaming programming to Apple iPhone  and Apple iPad users who can verify that they are current customers of a cable or satellite television service.  This subscription-only service, called Television Everywhere, keeps the current business model in place while customers get the live streaming mobile apps that they crave.

Disney, which owns ABC, already offers live streaming sports via its Watch ESPN app and also makes available apps to view full episodes from the Disney Channel on-demand. But doing a live-streaming app for the ABC television network would have some special problems. Contracts with production companies were signed before live-streaming apps existed and ABC local affiliates might not be too happy about seeing network and local programming made available for mobile devices.

ABC first mentioned the possibility of a live-streaming app nine months ago when it announced a deal to bring several Watch Disney apps to Comcast subscribers. Here it is nine months later, and the plan to stream ABC content live over an app is moving at a glacial pace. The service is still expected to hit the Apple App Store before the end of the year.

Nokia Lumia mobile phone release solar charging

What is Nokia telling us when it shows a picture of a Nokia Lumia handset with the caption, "Sun, sun, sun, here we come!" The quote, of course, is from George Harrison's masterpiece "Here Comes the Sun," with a little change. We don't need a lightbulb to go off over our heads to conclude that the Finnish based manufacturer is hinting that solar charging is coming to its Nokia Lumia line of Windows Phones.

If true, that would be quite a reversal from January 2012 when Nokia shot down the idea of using the sun as a green and cheap way to power up smartphones. Back then, we told you that Nokia had even built five prototypes which were given to five testers who staked out positions throughout the globe. The effectiveness of the process depended greatly on what part of the world the phone was being tested in. For example, in Kenya, where the sun is out all year, the solar recharging worked the best. On the other hand, at the Arctic Circle, the low angle of the sun forced the tester to chase sunlight as it moved around the house every day.

Trying to decipher the caption, some have theorized that Nokia is merely making a comment on the yellow color of the unnamed phone. Or perhaps the OEM is just looking forward to the summer. If Nokia is indeed working on a phone that uses solar charging, it could help sell its smartphones to those who are considered "green". How important would solar charging be to you in deciding which mobile  phone to buy?

T-Mobile reveals new pricing for the Classic Plan

According to the latest rumor, two days before its March 26th press event at which T-Mobile is expected to announce its leap into the UNcarrier era, the carrier will change its current set-up. At corporate locations, the Value Plan will be available and mobile phones will be sold without a contract. This doesn't mean that the carrier expects you to shell out $600, $700 to buy a new phone as its Equipment Installment Plan will allow you to put a down payment on a new phone and make monthly installment payments.

Meanwhile, national retailers like Target and Best Buy will be offering the Classic Plan that continues to offer subsidized mobile phone and asks you to sign two-year contracts. Why the two different plans? National retailers don't have the infrastructure in place to offer installment plans and customers would have to pay full price for a new mobile phone. Additionally, the system at those third party retailers won't allow the sales reps to get paid like they do at T-Mobile's corporate locations.

A leak of internal T-Mobile documents reveals some of the pricing structure for the Classic Plan. Each plan comes with unlimited talk, text and 500MB of data. That costs $60 for the individual plan running up to $90 for unlimited data. The first two lines of a family plan cost $100 with the price rising to $160 for unlimited data. You can add up to three more additional family members to the unlimited data plan for $50 each  Tethering is included on all plans except for those with unlimited data for the month. If you don't plan on using HotSpots, you are much better off going with unlimited data. For example, if you're one person you can get unlimited talk, text and data for $90 per month. If you do need to tether, that same $90 will get you the same unlimited talk and text, but only 4GB of data.

If you are already a T-Mobile customer, you probably will be grandfathered in and get to keep your current plan until your next upgrade or if you add a new line. There are many questions that need to be answered and we're sure T-Mobile will address them next Tuesday. Besides the new pricing plan, there is the launch of its new 4G LTE service and the merger with MetroPCS to discuss.

Samsung Galaxy S 4 will not be the only hot smartphone

As you've probably heard already, the Samsung Galaxy S 4 mobile phone got announced last week, destined to hit the shelves of all major wireless carriers you can think of. And knowing how well the entire Galaxy lineup has been selling, we're pretty sure that the company's newest flagship will be among the year's most sought-after devices. However, it looks like it will be facing some tough competition.

Right after the Galaxy S 4 announcement, we posted a poll asking you which high-end smartphone you were most tempted to purchase. Naturally, Samsung's pride and joy was on the list, yet it didn't quite get to the top spot. Out of a total of 10 190 participants, 2830 people (27.77%) chose the Nokia Lumia 920 as their favorite, followed by the Samsung Galaxy S 4 in second place with 2360 (23.16%) of the votes. The third spot goes to the HTC One, which collected 2237 votes (21.95%). Little love was given to the Sony Xperia Z, which received only 1212 votes (11.89%), and even less to the iPhone 5 with its 315 votes (3.09%).

So obviously there's a lot of people interested in the Samsung Galaxy S 4, but at this time, the Korean company's flagship just doesn't seem to have gotten enough traction to be considered the new alpha male in the smartphone jungle. There are other flagship smartphones that consumers find just as attractive, the HTC One and Nokia Lumia 920 being among the most capable competitors out there. Yet the ultimate vote will be cast by the buyers who will be voting with their wallets.

LG building the next Nexus handset

Like anything in life, once a crack or leak appears in a barrier, invariably, more cracks and leaks will emerge and it seems that we might be on the cusp of all sorts of rumor and innuendo.

Having said that, a tipster slipped us what he or she called an “unofficial” press image of the yet-to-be announced Nexus 5. We have already heard rumors of LG building the next Nexus mobile phone, and like most rumors there is conflicting information.

Nonetheless, we feel comfortable passing along the image and the information that came with it because, while some information is conflicting, the differences really only add to the discussion overall of what might be in the works. LG’s own Senior Vice President is on the record saying that the Nexus 4 is “the first of many devices to come” so rumors about the next Nexus device coming from LG are not too much of a stretch.

Specifications are another story, we have received tips that we shared with you earlier today, indicating a 5-inch 1080p display, 3,140mAh battery and Snapdragon 600 CPU and Nikon branding associated with the camera. The specifications that arrived with this press shot say a 5.2-inch IPS display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 at 2.1GHz, 16MP camera, 2,900mAh battery and 3GB of RAM. We have shared our skepticism about the 3GB RAM rumor, but we are just passing it along to you.

On to the press image, it looks like a cross between a Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the LG Nexus 4. The “X” in the “nexus” logo on the bottom of the device will apparently blink as a notification light when messages coming (just like the Galaxy Nexus does). What is telling about the image is the date and time on the display, May 15 is day one of the Google I/O developer conference. We can only speculate about the time, but 8:45 in the morning (Pacific time) would be a fine time to unveil some new technology for all of North America to see, be it in person or via live stream.

Another thing to consider is that the Nexus 4 has only been available for about four months, so it is worth reflecting on how rumor-hype can self-perpetuate. However, a new piece of hardware to ring in a new version of Android seems perfectly appropriate to us. How about you?

UPDATE:  Alas folks, sorry, the image is a fake.  The image is a shopped Caesar smartphone, model A9600, a Chinese 3G mobile phone that has some up-to-date specs, but it is certainly no Nexus. 

iPhone 5S (really iOS) will have a new "killer feature"

HTC, Sony, and Samsung mobile phone have all had their big reveals for new flagship devices, and Motorola/Google is still a couple months away from Google I/O and whatever announcement is made there. So, that means it's time for analysts to come back out and talk about Apple. The newest bit of "analysis" says that the iPhone 5S (but really iOS) will have a new "killer feature", which seems like a pretty obvious thing for Apple to aim at providing.

Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty may be a bit more reliable of a source, because she has recently met with Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer. Huberty is saying that "Apple will surprise this year" with "a killer feature that drives consumers increasingly to the platform”. She said that the feature would start on the iPhone 5S, but made it clear that whatever the improvement, it would be a software feature, because it would increase "the value of those 500 million [Apple] accounts."

Given that the "S" versions of the iPhone don't change the external design, and Apple focuses more on performance and software improvements with the "S" versions, it seems easy to assume this is a software feature. We'd certainly love to see a "killer feature" from Apple mobile phone, because that insinuates that the feature would be something more bold and impressive than we've seen from Apple recently. Of course, it would be nice to see some UI changes as well, but that's not exactly a "killer feature".

Samsung Galaxy S III Price $ 49.99

The Samsung Galaxy S III mobile phone can be yours for only $49.99 from Radio Shack. The 16GB model is available in Blue with free 2-day shipping. Of course, there is a caveat. You must open up a brand new Sprint account and put your John Hancock on a signed two-year contract to get that $49.99 price. Bring in an old device to trade-in and you can get the price down to zero! You can't beat that price, people. If you already have a Sprint account, you can still get a hair cut from the $199.99 contract price to $99.99 before a trade.

Why buy the Samsung Galaxy S III now instead of waiting a few weeks for the Samsung Galaxy S 4? One thing is, to get the sale price. Let's face it, Samsung has already said that the Galaxy S III will get most of the new non-hardware features that the Galaxy S 4 will have. And we now know that Key Lime Pie will be coming to the mobile phone. Do you do the frugal thing and buy the Samsung Galaxy S III on sale, or do you wait for the Samsung Galaxy S 4 to launch? It is a personal decision and we wouldn't pretend to even guess what is right for you. Either way though, you're going to end up with a heck of a mobile phone.

LG Optimus L9 gets updated to Jelly Bean across Europe

LG's Optimus L9 is getting the jump to Android Jelly Bean. The handset launched last year, running Ice Cream Sandwich. Jelly Bean will mean anyone using an L9 mobile phone can take advantage of features like Google Now and Google's Advanced Voice Search.

According to the XDA Developers Forum, the update is available now in Australia, Thailand, Germany, the Baltic countries, Spain, Italy, France, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Greece and Hungary. The UK isn't mentioned, but given how many European countries are, I reckon us Brits should have the update imminently.

If you're using an L9, hit the update button and let me know if anything happens.

The L9 leaked over the summer, but didn't go on sale until near the end of the year. It's good to see LG not leaving its more affordable handsets out of updates, as Jelly Bean will give the device a new lease of life. It'll also save you upgrading to a mobile phone that runs the latest version of Android out of the box.

The L9 is the flagship of LG's budget L range, sitting above the L7, L5 and L3. It's powered by a dual-core 1GHz processor, with 1GB of RAM and a 2,150mAh battery. It also totes a 4.7-inch screen.

Keen to steal Samsung's thunder, LG announced some new eye-tracking smart phone tech this week, though it won't come to the L9. This pauses videos when you look away, and starts them playing again when it detects you're watching, much like on the Galaxy S4. Pretty nifty. The feature is called Smart Video, and will debut on the super-sized LG Optimus G Pro.

LG also employed some other techniques to try and steal some of Samsung's limelight this week.