| Blip: iPhone 5S batteries allegedly leak - in a good way Jun 28th 2013, 23:24, by Matt Swider 
The "S" in iPhone 5S certainly doesn't stand for secret, as a new image said to be of batteries belonging to Apple's next smartphone has leaked. This purported iPhone 5S battery photo shows 24 black slates that appear to be roughly the same size as the iPhone 5 battery. The oh-so-exciting pic was taken on a factory floor, according to French site NoWhereElse, before the batteries hit the assembly line. The alleged juicers are sitting in two trays that appear to be stacked on top of similar white containers, a sign someone is gearing up to ship these puppies out for mass production. Unfortunately, we still don't know when the follow-up phone is due (September is the current frontrunner), though it appears we're inching ever closer. More blips!Still have battery life in that brain of yours? Put it to use by reading more blips     |  | Slipped snapshots offer two-sided look at Sony Xperia i1 Jun 28th 2013, 20:42, by Lbrown 
Ever since Sony announced its Xperia Z Android phone, the Japanese manufacturer has been busy building up the brand with tablets and phablets alike. While releasing the Xperia Tablet Z and the Xperia Z Ultra could hardly be seen as over-saturation, Sony might not be done with the Xperia variants just yet. Back in April, we heard the first rumblings of a new handset dubbed "Honami" alongside reports of the Togari, which went on to become the Xperia ZU. Then just a few days ago, more signs Sony was readying a new Xperia were spotted when pics of the supposed Honami, now called the Xperia i1, made a showing, and revealed a possible 20MP camera attached to the device. On Friday, yet another set of entirely different images were discovered by Just Another Mobile Phone Blog, hinting that the Xperia i1 may soon join the Xperia clan. Alternative Xperia-nce
Though no new spec information was given, the pictures do give the rumored device a bit more grounding in reality. The dedicated camera button on the Xperia i1 sets it apart from the Xperia ZU, and you can definitely see a different camera lens on the rear of the device than the one found on the Xperia Z. It's still believed this will be a 20MP lens, which would give Sony's smartphone a leg up on the competition, at least until the oft-rumored 41MP Nokia Lumia 1020 arrives on the scene. Earlier rumors suggested the Xperia i1 would include a 5-inch, 1080p display, 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm processor, and a Walkman audio chip, but those specs have yet to be substantiated. It's also been suggested that the smartphone would used Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, feature 2GB RAM, include a a battery between 2,700-3,000mAh, and like the other Xperia devices, it too would be water- and dust-proof. Sony is planning a July 4 event in France, and there's a strong chance the Xperia i1 could be the star of that show, meaning we could be adding a new branch to the Xperia family tree very soon.     | | Huawei Ascend P6 next to go Nexus? That seems to be the case Jun 28th 2013, 18:49, by Chris Smith 
The Huawei Ascend P6 smartphone may be the next Android device to forgo its custom UI, giving users the option of a 'Nexus-ized' Google Edition. Speaking to Pocket-lint, Kevin Ho, president of the Chinese manufacturer's handset product division, said Huawei has entered talks with Google over a version of the P6 with the pure Android experience. "We are working with Google to analyse the possibility of bringing out a Huawei Ascend P6 with Google Edition," he told the site. The standard version of the 4.7-inch P6, which was recently-crowned the world's thinnest smartphone, runs Huawei's Emotion UI. The root of the issueIf the thought of the 6.18mm-thin P6 running vanilla Android intrigues you, temper your excitement with knowledge that company CEO Richard Wu said during the phone's June 18 reveal that the Nexus experience won't land on a device made by the firm. Wu said then that Emotion has "hundreds of improvements" over Android's user experience. Someone seemingly missed an email or conference on the Nexus issue, but we'll keep an eye out for further developments either way. The clamour for Google Editions of flagship Android devices began last month at Google I/O when the company announced a Samsung Galaxy S4 with the same UI that appears on branded Nexus devices. HTC soon followed with a HTC One Google Edition after initially denying such a version was in the works, so perhaps Huawei is following suit with its messaging. Both the Nexus HTC One and S4 are only on sale in the U.S. at present. Custom skins like Samsung's TouchWiz and HTC's Sense have long divided opinion among Android fans, with some choosing to root their devices just to access raw Android. The growth of Google Editions, something the search and mobile giant certainly supports as it attempts to reel in Android fragmentation, means users may no longer have to tamper with the device to avoid these homegrown skins.     | | Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom UK release date set for July 8? Jun 28th 2013, 16:38, by Chris Smith 
If you're one of those folks who just can't decide whether you want a Galaxy S4 smartphone or a moderately acceptable compact camera, then your answer could arrive in the UK on July 8th. Independent online retailer Clove has listed the new Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom for pre-order, pledging it'll be shipped a week on Monday. The smartphone-glued-to-camera, which packs everything Android Jelly Bean can offer with a 10x optical zoom, has been priced at £440 by Clove. So far there's been no official word of price and release date from Samsung, so all of this is still subject to change, but it's the best indication we have so far. Knocking NokiaFor those hell-bent on condensing their photo-taking and call-making experiences into one package, a July 8 release date would be somewhat significant. A couple of days later in New York City on July 11, Nokia will likely unveil its long-rumoured, often leaked EOS (or, as a leak this week suggested, Lumia 1020) handset. That device is almost certain to pack the Finnish firm's Pureview, 41-megapixel camera sensor. It'll be the first Windows Phone device to do so.   | | Updated: BlackBerry shares crumble as it reveals poor BB10 shipments Jun 28th 2013, 14:32, by Hugh Langley 
BlackBerry has delivered bad news today, reporting a quarterly loss that has seen shares freefall by 20 per cent. Weak sales of the BlackBerry 10-toting Z10 and Q10 handsets contributed to a net loss of US$84m (about AU$92m, £55m) for the company, which is struggling to take on Apple and Samsung. It also predicted an operating loss for its next quarter. BlackBerry confirmed during a conference call that it shipped just 2.7 million BlackBerry 10 devices in the first quarter, which won't fill a lot of people with hope. This means that most of the 6.8 million handsets shipped were last-gen devices. On the positive side, revenue was up $3.1 billion, compared to $2.8 billion from the last quarter, though it's not enough to signal a change in fortunes for the company. LackBerryFrancisco Jeronimo, Research Director for European Consumer Wireless and Mobile Communications at analyst firm IDC, told TechRadar that the problem is that BB10 is currently causing more hassle than benefits. "Companies are facing this painful process of migrating from BB7 to BB10," he said, also adding, "consumers don't find the same benefits in data plans on BB10 as they did on BB7" Jeronimo said that BlackBerry is suffering from "Nokia syndrome" but said that where the two depart is in their expectations. "They need to be a lot more realistic on what they're telling the market and what their expectations are." "I still see none of the applications that I use on other platforms available on BB10," he added. However, President and Chief Executive Thorsten Heins said in an investor call that there's light at the end of the tunnel. "BlackBerry 10 is still in the early stages of its transition," he said, pointing out that the operating system is just five months old. "During the first quarter, we continued to focus our efforts on the global roll out of the BlackBerry 10 platform," he added in a statement. "Over the next three quarters, we will be increasing our investments to support the roll out of new products and services, and to demonstrate that BlackBerry has established itself as a leading and vibrant player in next generation mobile computing solutions for both consumer and enterprise customers."     | | Android 4.3 snapped in the wild, could arrive July Jun 28th 2013, 14:29, by J McGregor 
There appears to be more evidence that Android 4.3 is nigh, with some leaked screenshots purporting to be of the new Jelly Bean OS. The screenshots show 4.3 running on a Google Play edition of the Samsung Galaxy S4 - GT-i9505G to be exact - from an insider with early access to the software. The images were obtained by SamMobile, which claims that 4.3 will officially roll out next month, though Google is still keeping quiet on the update. All for one..The Galaxy S4 Google Edition is part of the Nexus scheme, alongside Google devices the Nexus 4 and Nexus 7, which means they're first to receive Android updates. Going by what looks like it will be a simple update, rather than an overhaul of the Android OS. It appears that the camera app has seen the most radical change, shifting from a circular menu to an arc towards the bottom of the screen. We'll keep you updated with any further developments as they appear.     | | Opinion: Samsung: why do you hate the early adopters? Jun 28th 2013, 12:00, by Phil Lavelle 
I've got a real problem. I'm just too clumsy. Last year, the one day I took my Galaxy S3 out of its case - the one day - it met a grizzly end thanks to a kamikaze style jump from my gym locker onto the changing room floor. And they say that exercise is good for you! I'm not alone in resenting "having" to put a case on my phone. I want to enjoy the pure experience, but instead, the first thing I do when I buy a handset is spend a small fortune maxing out on protection - because, despite the pledges of Gorilla Glass and Dragon's Trails, the stupid things break SO EASILY . It's inconvenient, it's not ideal, but important. I'm proud to say I practice safe phone. But now, I sit here with my lovely Galaxy S4 wrapped up like a newborn child when all I really want to do is rip that case off and stare at it all day long. If only the S4 was a bit tougher and could withstand as many of life's knocks as I've had, I'd be a happy chap. Active-hateWell it is, Samsung's just unveiled the Galaxy S4 Active. It's waterproof, it's sturdy, it's got nearly all the same specs as the standard version. It's the phone for me. Hands down. I want it. The problem is, I've just spent a wad of cash on the S4. I watched the unveiling, I waited (impatiently) for a month for release and I queued (like a fool) on that morning in April to get that cold, hard-but-not-so-tough plastic in my hands. And now I'm left feeling like the one that's missed out. Why? Because this strategy of manufacturers, to get us to buy their latest wares and then unveil a different alternative just weeks later, really sucks. It makes the early adopters - you know, the real fans - look like idiots. And makes them feel mugged off. When I was a kid, I'd save up my pennies to go buy an album from the record shop and then feel outraged when it was re-released as a bonus edition months later, with extra tracks, for the same price. Spending my pocket money on a CD was bad enough. But putting down hundreds on a phone (or a lifetime signed away to airtime) is so much worse. Some would say that there's nothing to complain about - that I wanted an S4 and I got an S4. So why complain when something else is announced that trumps it? You get what you pay for. The failure of blinding trustWell, put simply, I think manufacturers like Samsung are taking the proverbial here. Had the S4 Active (and other variants) been announced at the same time, I could have weighed up the options. Would I like the Mini, the Active or the Advanced LTE model (if it comes to these shores). Instead, I blindy handed over my notes to Samsung like the Apple sheep I often ridicule, trusting them to give me the best model. And that's where Apple has the edge here. It unveils its products together in groups. You won't find an iPad being announced at one show and then another model announced a few weeks later. You'll know if you're getting a 16GB, 32GB, 64GB or 128GB model at the same time so can make an informed choice. Same with the iPhone. If updates are announced, there's enough space between them to make you feel less of a plonker in plumping for one. If you really want to copy Cupertino, Mr Shin, copy this strategy! Six months is fine between product announcements. Six weeks, not so much, Samsung. I'd love to get my hands on the Galaxy S4 Active, but even I can't justify it to myself or my bank account. And frankly, going through the private sale route is just an extra hassle I don't need. The likelihood is, I may end up with one in my pocket if my clumsiness continues - but only because my S4 has gone unintentionally to an early grave. In the meantime, the lesson learned here is that being an early adopter is becoming a punishment, rather than a badge of honour. I've reviewed dozens of phones and tablets for TechRadar over the years – each time putting them through their paces in the most unbiased, rigorous way possible. But as well as being a professional, I have a love/hate relationship with tech, and that's what these columns are all about: the passionate howlings of a true fanboy. Tell me why I'm right, wrong or a hopeless idiot in the comments below or by tweeting @techradar or @phillavelle.   | |
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