Sony’s LT29i codenamed Hayabusa just can’t wait for its official announcement. Its first leak was back in January - targeted launch and price. Then in April we got some leaked camera shots taken with the Hayabusa.
Today we finally got to see what the smartphone will look like thanks to a blurry cam photo. It’s really bad and you can see almost no hardware details, but one thing is sure – this is not Sony smartphone we've seen before.
Anyway, the Hayabusa is rumored to be a successor to the Xperia S and pack a 4.55-inch HD screen, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor (probably ST-Ericsson high-end SoC or Krait) and a 13 megapixel camera. The device should run on Android ICS.
According to the first leak, the Hayabusa should launch this July with a price tag of about €500. According to the same roadmap we should expect one more high-end Sony device to launch this year (in September). Judging by its €560 estimated price tag, it might turn out a tablet, though.
Apple releases iOS 5.1.1 update for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch
Apple released iOS 5.1.1 today for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. It is just a minor update that focuses on bug fixing rather than adding any new features.
The following is the official changelog for the new update.
As you can tell from the screenshot above, the update was also released as an OTA download for devices running iOS 5 and above and weighs in at just 54MB. If you have an iOS device running a version prior to iOS 5, you'd have to connect to iTunes to download the latest update.
We haven't really noticed any of these bugs in the previous software version so we can't tell if the update really fixed them or not. If you did, then let us know in the comments below.
P.S. Reportedly, the new software can safely be jailbroken (tethered) by using last month's redsn0w.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
iOS and Android users be afraid, be very afraid! BlackBerry 10 is coming.
Friday, May 4, 2012
New WP-powered Samsung 'Mandel' images leak
We first heard about the Samsung Mandel at the end of last year, when it got out that both Samsung and HTC were planning on launching a pair of LTE-enabled Windows Phones sometime in 2012, most likely by the end of Q2.
Whether or not the Mandel will meet that deadline remains to be seen, but we now got a couple of leaked images, showing us what the eventual Samsung smartphone will look like.
The glossy pearl white paintjob looks a bit familiar, especially in light of yesterday's announcement of the Galaxy S III. Could this mean a WP variant of the new Galaxy flagship sometime in the future?
The second image, posted on a Chinese Windows Phone 7 forum, shows us an i667 model number, which is eerily similar to the i677 model number of the Samsung Focus Flash. Perhaps this points to the Mandel becoming the next member of the Samsung Focus family?
Obviously, no word is available on pricing or availability yet, but we'll update you if we hear more about this device.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The beast released: Samsung Galaxy S III is official
Samsung has just unveiled its new flagship smartphone - the Android-running Galaxy S III. The ICS-running device has some big shoes to fill, but judging by that specs sheet, it might just be up to it.
The international version of the Samsung Galaxy S III (packing just HSPA+ connectivity) will be released on May 29 and Europe will be the first market to get it. The LTE-enabled version will begin its rollout from the US in June.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
LG has no future plans for Windows Phone devices
LG is dropping from the Windows Phone race and has no plans to release any gadgets of that kind. The decision is not final, of course, and LG will continue its partnership with Microsoft.
As you can imagine, LG’s U-turn is based on the really weak sales and most probably the threat from the Microsoft/Nokia team.
Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer has a scheduled visit in Korea in May to explore partnership opportunities. LG is most probably on the list too, so we’ll have to see what happens then. Keep in mind though, that Samsung will surely be pushing WP8 running devices later this year, which will be an additional threat for everyone else.
Anyway we look at this, it seems a wise decision on LG's behalf - at least for the time being. The Lumia lineup is the most popular WP brand and, combined with the low user demand, it is quite natural for LG to focus completely on Google's Android OS.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Alleged pictures of BlackBerry 10 developer device leak
RIM is holding a BlackBerry Jam conference next month in Orlando where it is supposed to give out development devices running the upcoming BlackBerry 10 to ten of the developers attending the event. We are now seeing what are allegedly pictures of this developer device, courtesy of a CrackBerry forum member.
The phone looks like a shrunken down PlayBook, with the same matte plastic back that goes around the side and surrounds the display. The front has the earpiece and a camera at the top, the display in the middle and what seems like a (blurred out) logo at the bottom.
Of course, how this device looks like is irrelevant because it is only intended as a developer unit and won't make it to production. The final devices are likely to have a bit more flair although to be honest this doesn't look to shabby either.
Samsung Galaxy S3 photo leaks, yes, again
It's time for today's "photo of the Samsung Galaxy S3" leak - these seem to occur more and more often as we come closer to May 3, when Samsung's Unpacked event will finally settle things one and for all.
The leaked photo in question (the one on the left) shows a device with a hardware home button with two capacitive keys on its sides (menu and back). You can see the volume rocker on the left and the power/lock key on the right - basically, the standard Samsung arrangement.
Note: the middle and right photos come from previous leaks.
The newly leaked photo is the one on the left
The screen is off, so there's no way to tell if the device uses the on-screen buttons that we've seen in previous leaks. But it does look an awful lot like the sketch in the alleged leaked manual. And the bezel is very thin - as it would need to be with the rumored 4.6-4.8" screen.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Samsung Galaxy S3 supposed service manual revealed
Assuming we are to believe everything we heard so far about the Galaxy S3, and especially the leak in the KIES system, which is as good as official, the model name for Samsung's next flagship will be the I9300.
So today there is this leak, which shows the Samsung GT-I9300 service manual, so it should be nothing else but the S3, right?
Well, yes, assuming the manual is legit in the first place. But since we only got here after so much assuming, we'll let you decide whether that sketch of a phone is the final design.
Regarding the specs, we are not that sure. Nothing there seems that much out of the ordinary, but the screen so far has only been rumored as a 4.6-incher and at 4.8 inches it's would be closer to the Note than to the regular phone lineup. For all we know, the whole leak could be bogus so take it with a pinch of salt. Anyway, we'll know the real specs come next week.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
HTC Q1 results: profits are down, expected to bounce back in Q2
HTC's preliminary report made it pretty clear that the last couple of quarters were pretty tough for the company. Now, their full report is out and it gives us some more details on how HTC performed in Q1 of 2012.
The company's revenue ($2.3 billion) dropped about 34% both quarter on quarter and year on year. HTC attributes that to the product transition cycle (the new HTC One series went on sale after Q1 ended).
HTC managed to cut down operating expense during Q1 (mostly by reducing marketing costs), but the operating profit of $173 million was down 60% quarter on quarter and 69% compared to Q1 of last year. Both gross margin and operating margin are down as well.
For the second quarter of this year, HTC expects these margins to reach their Q4 2011 levels and the projected revenue is $3.59 billion or about what they were a year ago.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Samsung Galaxy S III test unit shown on video, specs and all
Yet another alleged live photo of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S III flagship leaked yesterday, but the guys from Tinhte.vn got their hands on just that device and shot an informative video that reveals a lot about the phone.
It's important to note that the device shown isn't the final design - it's just a sort of test mule, with all the hardware packed in a box to let the carriers test it. This was done to prevent any leaks of what the final device will look like.
Here's the video in question (it's in Vietnamese, but there are English subtitles):
The hardware internals should be identical on the final product though and the video shows Android System Info running on the phone, so it reveals several key specs. The most important thing is the processor, of course, and it's a Samsung-made quad-core processor running at 1.4GHz, a Mali-400MP GPU (same as on the current Galaxy S II) and a screen with 320ppi pixel density.
The screen has 720p resolution, which works out to a 4.6" diagonal with the quoted pixel density (seems about right judging by the part of the video where the Galaxy S III is put next to a Galaxy Nexus). Part of the screen is reserved for ICS-style on-screen controls. The screen should be a Super AMOLED unit, though we don't know whether it's a Plus or not (meaning whether it uses a PenTile matrix or a conventional RGB one).
A look at the back of the device reveals a microSD card slot to expand the 16GB of built-in memory. Next to it is a SIM slot of about the same size, so the Galaxy S III should be using the microSIM standard. The battery has an ample 2050mAh capacity and the phone will support NFC connectivity.
Photos of a Samsung Galaxy S III test unit
The camera interface on the Samsung Galaxy S III (if that's even its final name) reports a maximum resolution of 8MP and not 12MP as earlier rumors suggested. This could be just a software limitation, but there's no way to know for sure, at least until the official announcement comes.
That is expected to happen on May 3, when we should see the final design, name and specs of the Galaxy S II successor.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Panasonic Eluga is now available throughout Europe
It’s been quite a while since we last saw Panasonic phones on the European market. Recently though, Panasonic announced the Eluga and Eluga Power droids, which come with IP57 certification for dust and water resistance.
The good news is the Eluga is already available in silver and black colors. It costs £365/€440 and you can have it right now. The device was released in Germany a few days ago.
The Eluga is based on the TI OMAP 4430 chipset featuring a dual-core 1GHz processor and PowerVR SGX540 GPU. It uses a 4.3-inch OLED qHD display, an 8 megapixel camera and non-expandable 8GB storage. Panasonic Eluga runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread but the 4.0 ICS upgrade is already in the works.
In case you are more interested in getting the Eluga Power (1.5GHz dua-core Krait, Adreno 225, 5" HD LCD screen, Android 4.0 ICS), you should know it is supposed to be released until the end of this month. We've already got a pre-order price for it, too – £480/€585.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
ARM reveals a new low-power quad-core Cortex-A15 variant
Chip manufacturer ARM, famous for its Cortex A-series of processors, today introduced a new low-power design of its quad-core Cortex-A15 chip. Its main purpose is to help system-on-a-chip manufacturers design their products faster and with lower power use.
This will be achieved using the company's new hard macrocell implementations of the Cortex A-series of processors. Those versions will boast four cores clocked at 2GHz based on a 28nm design that have fixed specifications. This means that companies using those "hard macro" implementations will not be able to heavily customize ARM's design to their liking.
As a result, manufacturers will get the same power usage as earlier Cortex-A9 chips and faster turnaround times for their SoCs, since they won't be able to fiddle with them. ARM says this will bring "balance of performance and power", which could eventually be used even in notebooks or fast network devices such as smart routers.
ARM is expected to reveal more details on their new work at tomorrow's IEEE symposium in Yokohama. Chips are expected to start shipping as early as the end of 2012.
It's not yet clear how this would reflect on various manufacturers, but it's certainly going to give them the option to quickly utilize the Cortex-A15 processor, without spending too much time on its development to suite their own needs.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Nokia 808 PureView surfaces on pre-order in the UK
We've already seen Nokia 808 PureView pre-orders pop up elsewhere but now we're talking the UK.
Clove.co.uk now offers the ultra-high-megapixel cameraphone but the pricetag is a bit harder to swallow than the one we saw from Nokia Italy. With the VAT included, the UK price amounts to £538.80, which is roughly €655, while Nokia Italy's asking price is €599.
We hope other UK retailers chime in on that one and make a more palatable offer for the Nokia 808. A Dutch retailer, for instance, has a pre-order listed at €565.
Clove doesn't mention a release date but the Nokia Italy pre-order had May as a projected time frame for the launch of the highly anticipated cameraphone.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Asus Transformer Pad TF300T to ship on April 22, unofficially priced at $399
Another member of the Transformer family is about to hit the shelves in the US – the Asus Transformer Pad TF300T will ship on April 22. The tablet is slightly thicker than the Prime model and uses a non-Super IPS LCD, but packs the same quad-core processor package courtesy of the Tegra 3 chipset.
The TF300T runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and is, of course, compatible with the Asus’ keyboard dock, which turns it into an Android-powered netbook and adds 5 extra hours of battery life (on top of the 10 h the tablet does itself).
Asus says that the price of the Transformer Pad TF300T will be revealed on the day it ships – April 22 – but retailers like BJ’s and Office Depot are already taking preorders for it, at $399 for the 32GB Wi-Fi-only version (the keyboard dock is sold separately). French site Tablette Store also have the Transformer Pad TF300T on pre-order for €500 (Wi-Fi only version, 32GB), but I’m not sure on the shipping date for this one.
Coincidentally, it was Office Depot who leaked the price for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 – $399, for a dual-core ICS tablet with 8GB of storage. Neither price has been confirmed, but if those are the final prices, the Tab 2 10.1 will have stiff competition.
Friday, April 13, 2012
HTC Golf leaks out in a press image
An entry level device from HTC is coming our way, carrying the code name "Golf". The smartphone is bound to combine Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and HTC's latest Sense 4.0 UI with a low price tag when launched.
The HTC Golf will positioned below the HTC One X, One S, and One V trio when launched. The smartphone is rumored to feature a single-core CPU with a clock speed below 1GHz. It will have 512MB of RAM and 4GB of built-in memory, along with a microSD card slot and 25GB of free Dropbox cloud storage for a period of two years. The screen will be a 3.5" unit with a resolution of 480 x 320 pixels. Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n will be part of the spec sheet as well. The same goes for the Beats Audio software enhancement. Camera is rumored to be a 5MP unit, whose alleged sample we've encountered before.
The HTC Golf is expected to launch before the end of this quarter. Its retail name will be HTC Wildfire C, which clearly suggests that the smartphone will be a successor of the HTC Wildfire and Wildfire S budget smartphones. An affordable price tag is also all but guaranteed.
Is this a live photo of Samsung Galaxy S III?
Just as we started to get a bit worried about the lack of Samsung Galaxy S III leaks for the past three days or so, our luck struck again. Get your salt ready, because here goes an alleged live photo of the upcoming Samsung top dog, courtesy of a person, who claims to be a device tester.
As you can notice in the picture above, the suspected Samsung Galaxy S III sports a five-column UI, as well as a rectangular home button below its display. Both features fall right in line with previousleaks of the highly anticipated device.
Of course, we wish we could take a better look at the UI, but, unfortunately, the image supplier has decided to give it the 8-bit treatment before releasing it into the wild. It does however, look a lot like a stock Android ICS, which leads us to think that we are looking at a test mule.
Speaking of test mules, there is a high probability that the leaked design is not final either. In any case, we hope for an official announcement from Samsung, which will put an end to the "Galaxy S III leaks" saga, to take place in the near future.
