| Lenovo K900 launched as Chinese firm eyes up the big boys May 20th 2013, 12:56 
The robotic-dog sounding Lenovo K900 was launched on Friday and is set to take aim at the industry's big boys with its top-end specifications. The K900 is the first smartphone to utilise Intel's new Atom Z2580 2.0GHz dual-core processor, which lines up next to a 5.5-inch full HD display with 400ppi and a 13MP rear facing camera. In terms of an operating system the Intel chip will be in charge of running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, which should run pretty smoothly as we've experienced fine performance from other Intel-toting handsets such as the Orange San Diego and Motorola Razr i. Super slimUnveiled at a special event, the K900 will sport a stainless steel alloy and polycarbonate case in a uni-body mold measuring in at just 6.9mm. Or, 'a slim metal case', to the rest of us. That metal finish will add a decent chunk of weight to the handset and the Lenovo K900 is pegged to tip the scales at 162g - that's heavier than the HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5. There's no official K900 launch date, but Lenovo say that they'll be rolling it out to "international markets" this summer so fingers crossed it will make it to the UK, US, and Australia. There's also no word on launch prices outside of China, where the Lenovo K900 is retailing for 3299 Chinese Yuan (around £353/$536/AU$548).     |  | Aruba Networks picks up apps for maps developer May 20th 2013, 12:08 
Aruba Networks has acquired Meridian Apps, a US start-up that offers an app-making platform for creating indoor map services for mobile devices, for an undisclosed sum. It's aiming to bring Meridian's platform together with its own wireless technology for smartphones and tablets to enable businesses to create services that combine locations with information gathered from users' devices. This could enable businesses to send details of in-venue promotions and discounts, along with directions on how to find them, to customers' mobile devices. Meridian's software is aimed at public-facing businesses including shops, retail centres, transport hubs and museums. They can use the platform to create custom-branded apps to help people find what they have to offer, and detailed analytics about visitors' travel patterns. Revenue enablerAruba recently revealed "disappointing" results for its latest financial quarter, which saw revenue decline 5% quarter-on-quarter to $147.1 million (£96.7 million), while product revenue decreased 7% quarter-on-quarter to $121.2 million (£80 million). On a conference call with analysts, Aruba co-founder and CTO Keerti Melkote said the addition of Meridian will let enterprises "tap into all their information so that they can better engage with customers with personalisation and real time analytics". He added: "This is a clear opportunity for Wi-Fi to become not only an enabling platform for 'bring your own device' but now across industries, a revenue-producing, customer engagement platform for the business."     | | Samsung Galaxy S4 Active gains a J and new processor in rugged makeover May 20th 2013, 12:08 
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active has made another appearance online, this time in a benchmark result which claims to reveal a new processor and slightly altered named. According to details which have appeared on GFXBench the rugged handset in question could well be known as the Samsung Galaxy S4 J Active, although that seems like more of a development moniker than something the Korean firm would actually market. In terms of specs the benchmark result apparently reveals a couple of details including a 1.9GHz Snapdragon S4 Plus quad-core processor - which is different to the Snapdragon 600 clocked at the same speed in the Galaxy S4. Global appealThe water- and dust-proof handset will also come running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, with model SGH-I537 said to be destined for the US, while GT-I9295 will pop up in Europe. You can still expect to see a full HD display on the S4 J Active, although we wouldn't be surprised to see a thicker slab of glass laid over the top to provide extra protection. There's no further word on when the Galaxy S4 Active may make an appearance, but earlier reports seem to point towards a June or July release, so watch this space.     | | LG's unbreakable, flexible OLED panels reveal next generation of phone May 20th 2013, 11:45 
LG will be showcasing prototypes of a new flexible and supposedly-indestructible OLED screen at the Society for Information Display's annual conference, which takes place this week. The 5-inch flexible display is designed for mobile devices and will mark the very first time that the flexible OLED tech has been publicly shown. According to LG, the plastic creation will be unbreakable - can't argue with that. Also on show will be 5.5-inch and 7-inch HD Oxide TFT panels. The 5.5-incher will have a 1.0mm bezel that will allow for borderless smartphones which emit less heat. Bend it like LGLG's 55-inch curved OLED television, which we'd previously heard about, will also be on display - as will a 23.8-inch Ultra HD panel for monitors and the first 7 inch FHD display for tablets with a pixel density that exceeds 300ppi. Dr. Sang-Deok Yeo, CTO and executive vice president of LG Display, said in a press release: "Recent trends indicate that the small- and medium-sized display market is moving towards high resolution and low power consumption, and the large panel market to OLED and Ultra HD". Flexible screens open up a whole range of design possibilities and LG isn't the only major manufacturer to enter into this market, with Samsung also venturing down the same avenue.     | | Samsung to flog Galaxy S4 horse further as another handset pops up May 20th 2013, 10:37 
We've already seen reports suggesting we'll be treated to the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini and Galaxy S4 Active this year, but there could be more where that came from as the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mega gets a name check. The popular Galaxy brand is one which has been squeezed almost completely dry by Samsung and it seems the Korean firm is looking to capitalise on its latest flagship, the Galaxy S4, by launching as many similarly-named handsets as possible. According to the folks over at SamMobile the Galaxy S4 Mega name was leaked in the "what's new" section of Samsung's WatchON app, with a screenshot of version 5.0.4 of the application stating: "added support for upcoming S4 Mega, S4 mini and S4 Active." 
Disappearing actThis detail has now mysteriously disappeared from the listing, which suggests Samsung may of had it pulled in a bit of a marketing blunder. There's always the chance that this final bullet point may have never existed, with the source "Marius", who provided the screenshot, potentially being a dab hand on Photoshop. While the Galaxy S4 Mini and S4 Active are thought to arrive in July, this is the first we've heard about a S4 Mega and it would seem like an odd handset for Samsung to launch considering it already has its line of super sized Note handsets.     | | Vodafone Smart 3 is clever on price and features May 20th 2013, 09:48 
The big red network has announced the third generation of its own-brand smartphone in the form of the Vodafone Smart 3, looking to offer a slug of power at a low price. Building on its predecessor the Smart 2, the Vodafone Smart 3 packs a 4-inch display, 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, 5MP camera, microSD slot and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. While the specs won't exactly set the world alight, the price might: the Vodafone Smart 3 will set you back £95 on PAYG, or you can pick it up for free on contracts starting at £13 per month. This places it against the likes of the ZTE Blade 3, Huawei Ascend G330 and Nokia Lumia 520 at the increasingly competitive bottom end of the mobile market. More of the sameFor those of you who are cripplingly fashion conscious there's two whole colour options for you to choose from - black and white. Breaking the mould there, Vodafone. Well done. In terms of design the Smart 3 appears to be just another slab of generic plastic measuring a distinctly average 123.2 x 64.4 x 10.9mm. The only point of interest on the front is the red speaker grill located in the bottom left corner. We can only hope the Vodafone Smart 3 is an improvement on its predecessor, with the Smart 2 plagued by poor battery life, a disappointing display and flaky camera resulting in a lowly two out of five stars.     | |
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