| Is that what the Samsung Galaxy S5 will look like? Jul 31st 2013, 12:04, by Hugh Langley 
Samsung could be about to ditch nature and shake up its smartphone design if a new patent is any indication. With the Samsung Galaxy S4 now a few months old - and a slew of S4 variants out the door - it's little surprise that we're hearing rumblings of what could be next. The patent images, unearthed by Patent Bolt, show off a rectangular shape but with edges that are slanted. All in all, it looks a little bit more in line with the HTC One, moving away from Samsung's current nature-inspired look. Brand new galaxySamsung applied for the patents in 2012 in the US and 2011 in South Korea, so they're not all that new and there's nothing here to indicate when, or indeed if, such a handset might materialise. But Samsung was no doubt thinking about its S4 follow-up during that time. Or, this could even be for a possible variant of the S4, though we'd say that's less likely given the design overhaul. And let's not discount the Samsung Galaxy Note series either, although the design doesn't agree with the Galaxy Note 3 leaks we've been seeing. We'd previously heard rumours that the Galaxy S5 could be the first Samsung phone with a fully aluminium chassis although these new patents give no indication of the materials that could be used on the new handset. But throw this new patent into the bag and we might be getting a vague idea of where Samsung is heading.     |  | Blip: Getting spammed on iMessage? Spam Apple about it Jul 31st 2013, 11:50, by Hugh Langley 
If, like us, you don't look too favourably on rogue iMessages that spam you with discounts and lies, the time has come to stand up and take action. Apple has set up a direct email line at imessage.spam@icloud.com to which you can send hard screenshot evidence of your spam assault. You'll also need to send the phone number or email address of the perpetrator along with the date and time that the spam flinging took place. Then the Apple signal with light up the sky and Tim Cook will leap into his iMobile, track down the offender and dole out a big wallop of Apple-flavoured justice. At least that's what we're choosing to believe. More blips!There's no spam to be found in TechRadar's news blips. None. Zero. Zilch.     | | Samsung denies rigging Galaxy S4 benchmarking results Jul 31st 2013, 11:49, by Kate Solomon 
In response to the accusation that it has been jimmying Galaxy S4 benchmark results just to make its handset look good, Samsung says nuh-uh guv'nor. The company's statement explains that whatever GPU frequencies "BenchmarkBooster" rigged up on the Exynos 5 variant are "not intended to improve certain benchmark results" and the same maximum settings can just as easily be used to optimise performance on a users' handset based on what they're using it for. That's as may be, Samsung, but using phrases like "BenchmarkBooster" in your code is still a bit suspicious in our book. It seems pretty clear that, regardless of whether these maxed out settings have real world use, Samsung was also hoping to beef up its benchmark results. Now for the scienceThe full statement reads: "Under ordinary conditions, the Galaxy S4 has been designed to allow a maximum GPU frequency of 533MHz. "However, the maximum GPU frequency is lowered to 480MHz for certain gaming apps that may cause an overload, when they are used for a prolonged period of time in full-screen mode. "Meanwhile, a maximum GPU frequency of 533MHz is applicable for running apps that are usually used in full-screen mode, such as the S Browser, Gallery, Camera, Video Player and certain benchmarking apps, which also demand substantial performance. "The maximum GPU frequencies for the Galaxy S4 have been varied to provide optimal user experience for our customers, and were not intended to improve certain benchmark results. We remain committed to providing our customers with the best possible user experience." So to summarise: Samsung made sure its phone aced the benchmark tests, it got slightly found out, it justified the decision, phones keep going as before. Whoop.     | | Samsung Galaxy Note 3 leaked from inside out in yet more snaps Jul 31st 2013, 09:53, by Kate Solomon 
With September 4 inching ever closer, more leaks about the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 are trickling out and, while we're still missing a proper photo of the thing, today's sees the handsets insides displayed for all to see. These photos are supposedly of a prototype Note 3 and were posted on Weibo by an "insider" known as C Technology - yes, we'd say keep the sodium chloride handy for this one. The photos aren't really giving much away. The battery details have been scrubbed out and there's no way of knowing if the recently revealed 3GB RAM unit is present or not. ElusiveSamsung's J. K. Shin has said that the Note 3 will come with a 5.9-inch screen, which could give some clues as to the size of the device itself. However, the latest word is that there will be around three different Note 3 models with screen sizes ranging from 5.5-inch to 6-inches. Who knows which, if any, these photos are of. We're also expecting an octa-core processor and a 13MP camera to feature when the handset lands. The fuzzy nature of the snaps make it hard to tell if the chassis is plastic or some kind of aluminium unibody type affair - we're leaning towards plastic though, sorry metal fans. Anyway, not too long until IFA 2013 and the big Note 3 reveal. Feel free to fill your boots poring over these photos til then. 
    | | Vodafone Australia will let you roam in NZ, US & UK for $5 a day Jul 31st 2013, 03:55, by Farrha Khan 
Vodafone's LTE network is a little older than a month old, but the telco has just announced that it will be introducing new plans in August that will allow customers to use their mobile phones in NZ, US and UK for just $5 extra a day to help stem international roaming bill shock. "I'm appalled and shocked at some of the type of bills that we've issued to our customers and our competitors have issued to people that we've spoken to," Vodafone Chief Executive Bill Morrow said at a media conference held in Sydney today. "Someone told me that just posting a Facebook picture while they were on holidays cost them $40. We're tired of this. It is no more for Vodafone." This means that if you make or receive calls and use data while overseas, for each day that you do, you will be charged a standard $5, as long as your use is within that of your mobile phone plan. Receiving SMS will be free, as will receiving calls but not answering it, however if the call goes to voicemail, you will be charged the $5 cap. Though this is not available to all Vodafone customers, those who are on the eligible plans will have this automatically activated when they arrive in NZ, US or UK. To be announced in August, Morrow said that the pricing for the eligible plans will be based on Vodafone's current most popular plans. Roam changerA report by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman found that complaints about global roaming charges soared by almost 70 per cent in 2011-2012, and more than 10 per cent of these disputes were over amounts of more than $5000. To help give customers more control and better awareness of global roaming charges, the ACMA introduced the new International Mobile Roaming standard to be implemented by September 2013. "Global roaming costs are a worldwide issue because of the prices various networks charge each other, but the impact on our customers is too great," Morrow said. But while the eligible $5 roaming plans haven't yet been announced, Vodafone's new roaming cap is sure to shake up the market. Morrow explained that this is just one more step in recovering Vodafone's brand, citing its new "fastest 4G network", the creation of local call centre and this new roaming plan as its specific points of difference. "No one else has been able to address this issue with this simplicity and this low price."     | | Samsung reportedly cooking benchmark books for Exynos-powered Galaxy S4 Jul 30th 2013, 21:01, by Luke Brown 
When one first thinks of performance enhancement, it's impossible to not instantly think of the current predicament plaguing sports and the litany of players caught "juicing" to generate better stats. It would appear these athletes have been a bad influence on more than just impressionable young children, as new evidence suggests mobile manufacturer Samsung might be guilty of a different kind of boosting of its own. New benchmark tests for the Exynos 5 Octa processor variant of the Samsung Galaxy S4 have revealed some startling performance numbers, figures that are apparently only achievable thanks to some test-taking trickery. While benchmarking has been a way to determine just how a mobile device's CPU and GPU will perform compared to another, these tests don't always equate to the actual abilities of the device in real-world situations. Still, that Samsung has possibly rigged testing in the S4's favor doesn't make the Korean company look like its playing fair with the competition. Do you even benchmark, bro?According to AnandTech, Samsung has rigged the GPU of the Exynos version of the Galaxy S4 to run at a higher frequency when being tested, and the same is true of the CPU. During its normal usage, the Galaxy S4's GPU performed at 480MHz, but when being put through the paces using benchmarking tools like GLBench, AnTuTu, and Quadrant, the phone miraculously recorded a 533MHz. When the CPU was put through the same type of testing, the smartphone's Cortex A15 cores pulled down a bragworthy 1.2GHz, as compared to the normal baseline of 500MHz. The site dug a bit deeper to uncover the reasoning and method behind this dramatic turnaround, and happened upon a string of code for something called "BenchmarkBooster." In that block of code, specific details naming the above benchmark tests were found, indicating the phone is set to push harder when it recognizes those testing applications. No game suspensions here...Even though the phone you'll use day-to-day won't really ever record such remarkable performance numbers, it's a shame Samsung has apparently implemented such measures to make the Exynos 5-powered S4 look that much more impressive. Perhaps instead of worrying about fooling benchmarks into believing the Galaxy S4 is a better phone than it really is, maybe Samsung should put more effort into making the device perform better in the real world. However, just like in baseball, now it brings into question every other device and manufacturer who may be guilty of the same practice by mere association.     | | Apple's pinch-to-zoom patent meets its second end Jul 30th 2013, 19:52, by Michael Rougeau 
Thought the Apple vs Samsung dust was starting to settle? Think again. Apple has lost another patent relevant to its perpetual twilight war with Samsung, again related to the ways users interact with touchscreen devices. This time it was U.S. Patent No. 7,844,915, which describes the way a user can "pinch-to-zoom" and differentiates that function from scrolling. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office declared that the function was predicted by Patent No. 7,724,242, relating to gestures on touch screens and filed by W. Daniel Hillis and Bran Ferren in 2005. The jury in the Apple-Samsung case previously ruled that 21 of 24 Samsung devices in question violated Apple's pinch-to-zoom patent, so this could have huge ramifications in that fight. History repeats itselfThis shouldn't come as a surprise - the USPTO "tentatively invalidated" this same Apple patent late last year, and this most recent announcement appears to just be confirmation of that decision. And this isn't the first time this has happened. Last year the USPTO ruled that an Apple-owned patent relating to the "rubber band" function of scrolling touchscreen devices was invalid too. That patent described the way the screen bounces when users reach the end of a page or document, and the jury found 21 of Samsung's devices infringed on it. But that function no longer belongs to Apple either, casting yet more doubt on the already nebulous legal battle between Apple and Samsung. Even more baffling is the fact that the patent apparently still stands in some countries, as a Japanese court found just last month that Samsung infringed on it. Modern warfareThe big decision in the case of Apple vs. Samsung came last year when the jury awarded Apple more than $1.05 billion (about £688m, AU$1.15b), but the battle rages on nonetheless. That sum was later chopped down to around $598.9 million (about £386m, AU$651m) after the judge in the case found the jury awarded the difference improperly. With the USPTO throwing all kinds of wrenches in Apple's holdings is it any wonder the two companies have been allowed to keep chipping away at each other in court? Apple reportedly has two months to respond to the USPTO's most recent decision, and Apple can choose to appeal the decision and/or seek judicial review. The two are due to return to court to settle the improperly calculated damages.     | | These nifty charts show just how fragmented Android is Jul 30th 2013, 18:59, by Michael Rougeau 
A new study published this week uses colorful charts to demonstrate the splintered nature of the Android ecosystem, both by device and by OS version. According to OpenSignal, of the last 682,000 Android devices to download the company's signal-finding app, there were 11,868 unique phone models. Compare that to the previous year, when there were just 3,997 unique models among 682,000 devices surveyed. Of the 682,000 counted this year, 47 percent were made by Samsung, and 37.9 percent used Jelly Bean, the most recent version of Android. In total, OpenSignal found that there are eight different versions of Android in use. Android vs. iOSCompare that to iOS, where 95 percent of devices are on the most recent version, iOS 6, 5 percent are still on iOS 5, and the older versions combined have less than 1 percent, OpenSignal claims. No doubt that will change when iOS 7 drops this fall, but isn't that always the way of things? In November 2012, 54 percent of Android users were stuck on Android 2.3: Gingerbread, a number that by now has dropped to 34.1 percent, according to OpenSignal. The study also showed that Android devices have many times more screen sizes and shapes than other mobile operating systems, in particular iOS. Pros and cons"What is clear from this report is that Android fragmentation, of all varieties, is increasing," the study read. "Too often this is treated as a problem with Android, rather than a strength, but we feel that this misses the bigger picture." According to the study, "developing apps that work across the whole range of Android devices can be extremely challenging and time-consuming." No surprise there. But is there a silver lining? "The availability of cheap Android phones (rarely running the most recent version) means that they have a much greater global reach than iOS, so app developers have a wider audience to build for," the study claimed. "It may be tricky to do, but the potential reward definitely makes it worthwhile. For consumers, extreme fragmentation means that they can get exactly the phone they want – big or small, cheap or expensive, with any number of different feature combinations." 
Talking pointsThe fragmentation of Google's OS has been touched on many times before. Android Co-Creator Rich Miner said this month that Android fragmentation's no big deal. And early last year, analysts claimed that developers were losing interest in Android because of the difficulties of creating apps for such a fragmented OS - though to this day Android still leads the pack in terms of market share. Still, issues are certainly present, or talk of fragmentation wouldn't arise so much. At least Google probably isn't in denial anymore at this point.     | | Nokia: Lumia 1020 is a camera that does some smartphone stuff too Jul 30th 2013, 18:39, by Chris Smith 
The Nokia Lumia 1020 is a high-end compact camera with a smartphone thrown into the mix for good measure, according to Nokia's latest efforts to lure potential buyers towards its 41-megapixel beast. In a new commercial, the company billed the device as "the first smartphone to put the camera first," although Samsung may debate that having recently launched the Galaxy S4 Zoom. During Nokia's unique 31-second spot, which showcases would-be photographers framing shots with non-existent cameras, the company chirped the Lumia 1020 was "for the billions of smartphone photographers." However, it's not until 17 seconds into the ad that we actually see the device, when we're greeted with images of the camera UI and told of the "41-megapixels and reinvented zoom." It does make calls too...Indeed, Nokia has made its sales pitch pretty clear in this ad. There's no phone calls being made, no answering of emails, no using of apps, no browsing the web and no playing games. There's also no mention of Windows Phone until eight seconds before the end and no shots identifying WP features until the final frames. Make no mistake, Nokia sees this device as a camera that'll also let you do some smartphone-related stuff to a relatively high standard too. Not interested in taking pictures on your phone? Move along. YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_inH4DNStw    | | Reveal then release? Moto X reportedly shipping to carriers today Jul 29th 2013, 23:54, by Lily Prasuethsut 
Moto X leaks have been pretty much non-stop for awhile now, haven't they? That should change after the Motorola event on Aug. 1 but for now, we have a new little tidbit for you. According to Taylor Wimberly, founder of Android and Me, an unverified source told him that the Moto X is shipping to U.S. carriers today, meaning we could see the Moto X hit retail before the week is up. Of course, unverified sources are tricky but Wimberly has been pretty good about other rumors - he's also "trying to verify info with some other sources," so there's hope this news is legit. Quick leak recapThe Moto X is rumored to pack a 1.7GHz quad-core processor plus 2GB of RAM, with various sources saying the same thing. That's not the only processor which has been linked to the X though, as others claim it could carry a powerful 2.3GHz Nvidia 4i chip. The same leak, apparently attributing the X to have a lot of power, also says the Moto X will feature a 16MP camera. However, Wimberly says the Moto X will come with a 10MP Clear Pixel camera, for "enhanced low light performance." 
Supposedly, Moto X videos can also record in 1080p HD at 60 FPS thanks to a special camera module with x4HD Video capture which creates the pixel of ultimate perfection by putting four pixels together. Wimberly rounds out his purported leak by adding that the X will have three microphones with 3D enabled audio recording. These reports are vastly different, making it difficult to pick a clear direction to take. Thankfully, the wait will soon be over. Tune back into TechRadar on Thursday for the latest on this mystifying Moto device.   | | HTC One Mini peeks out in AT&T press pic, HTC One blushes for Sprint Jul 29th 2013, 22:06, by Michelle Fitzsimmons 
The HTC One is hardly the one any more, now that we've got the HTC One Mini in the mix. However, things have been relatively quiet on the U.S. release date, price and carrier front. HTC told us nothing more than to sit tight for word later this summer, when more specifics would be revealed. Like phone fishermen, we've been waiting for info to tug at our lines. This weekend, thankfully, we got a bite when a purported AT&T press shot squared up on Android Police. There's not a whole lot to glean from the image, other than it clearly hosts AT&T's striped globe logo. The front of the phone has an updated Blink Feed flow from the original press image, and there's only one "Beats Audio" here, not in red. Atlanta is also the current location on the device, not London, a more regionally relevant locale to say the least. Happy Turtle CappuccinoOr whatever other acronym you can think of for HTC, as the AT&T press pic isn't the only goodie dropping from the Taiwanese phone maker. 
Oft-reliable Twitter leaker @evleaks posted what they claim is the HTC One in red for Sprint. We've heard rumor a U.S. carrier would see the One in a blushy shade, but reason led most to believe Verizon a.k.a. Big Red would see the color exclusively. Unfortunately, as with the HTC One Mini on AT&T, we're lacking on release info, but Sprint could decide to push it out around the time the Verizon HTC One goes on sale this summer. Just for a little friendly competition. Image credit: @evleaks   | | Asus' rare breed of phones could arrive in the US next year Jul 29th 2013, 20:14, by Michael Rougeau 
Asus is looking to enter the U.S. smartphone market in earnest, the Taiwanese company confirmed in an interview published today. Asus Chairman Jonney Shih told AllThingsD that Asus is "hard at work" on smartphones for the U.S., though we may not actually see them until 2014. "For the phone, frankly speaking, we are still the latecomers," Shih said. "We are making progress." He added that a release in the U.S. next year is "more reasonable" than one in 2013. Asus meanwhile has reportedly been taking its time to build relationships with carriers and retailers to help ensure the success of whatever it does come up with. Coming to AmericaAsus' smartphone products include the Padfone Infinity and Fonepad, smartphone/tablet hybrids available in a number of countries. The Padfone line, including the Padfone Infinity's two predecessors, is capable of docking in the back of a larger device and becoming a tablet for all intents and purposes. The Fonepad, meanwhile, is simply a 7-inch smartphone. The original Padfone made it to the U.S. last year in an unlocked state, but only at unofficial retailers. For the future Asus is apparently eyeing a much more thorough U.S. launch. And who's to say their next handset will even be a Padfone or Fonepad at all? The company may be better off starting fresh for its first official entry in the U.S. After all, Shih promised "even more revolutionary" products moving forward.   | |
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