| Nokia Lumia 1520 shows up to the party a month early Aug 29th 2013, 13:50, by Hugh Langley 
We're expecting the rumoured Lumia 1520 to be uncaged at the end of September in New York, but unfortunately for Nokia there's this thing called the internet where pesky leaks are all too common. The latest of which is a picture purporting to show the new Nokia phablet side by side with the Lumia 1020. Now, we're no strangers to leaky pictures here at TechRadar and we've seen our fair share of fakers. So all we'd say is that it's not unreasonable to suspect this could be a simple mock up. But if it is, it's a strong one. The Lumia 1520 Windows Phone has been rumoured to have a 6-inch 1080p display and 20MP camera. The size seems to measure up in the pic and we can also see what appears to be an attachable cover Bandit aboutOther said specs include a quad-core Snapdragon CPU and the Windows Phone 8 GDR3 update that will support that 1080p display. As for the name of the phone, this has come courtesy of the phone industry's worst nightmare @evleaks who tweeted "Nokia Bandit = Lumia 1520". Nokia Bandit sounded weird so this makes much more sense. Nokia's Sirius-codenamed Windows 8 RT tablet is also expected to make its debut at the late September event. Looks like Nokia's all about the big stuff right now.        |  | Analysis: Skype turns 10: did Microsoft's bet pay off? Aug 29th 2013, 11:30, by Gary Marshall 
Skype's users like it a lot, and when the Microsoft deal was announced in 2011 they had three key concerns. One, that Microsoft would cut off support for non-Microsoft platforms; two, that Microsoft would shove it into every conceivable Microsoft product whether it fit or not; and three, that Microsoft would find some way to screw it up. They needn't have worried. Rather than absorb Skype into its Borg-like embrace, Microsoft decided to keep Skype as a separate division - and that perhaps prevented Skype from doubling down on Windows to the exclusion of all other platforms. In addition to Windows platforms there are clients for Macs and Linux, iOS, Android and BlackBerry, compatible home entertainment devices and phones and even the PlayStation Vita. Windows does appear to get the most attention, but other platforms are still being actively supported: the Mac client was updated in March and the Linux one in November, with the iOS app getting an update this month. Skype's user numbers have grown from 170 million at the time of the acquisition to 300 million earlier this year. Windows Live Messenger, which Skype was bought to replace, had dropped from a peak of 300 million to around 100 million in 2011. Did Microsoft pay too much?Skype's users spend 2 billion minutes per day on the service, and according to research from market analysts TeleGeography, Skype usage is equivalent to one-third of all the world's telephone traffic. That research was prior to Skype's replacement of Windows Live Messenger earlier this year, so those numbers should be considerably higher now. As for shoving it into Microsoft's own products, Skype was acquired to replace the aged and ailing Windows Live Messenger, and it's largely gone where you would expect: it connects with the Microsoft Lync enterprise messaging platform, is available in Outlook.com, is installed by default in Windows 8.1 and takes advantage of the Xbox One's Kinect camera - although you won't be able to Skype on the Xbox One unless you pay for an Xbox Live Gold account. 
The big question is whether Microsoft overpaid, and the answer is simple: of course it did. $8.5 billion - 32 times Skype's operating profit - was much, much more than Skype was worth, with Steve Ballmer betting that Skype's long-term growth would justify paying what most analysts agreed was four times Skype's value. The numbers are improving - the Skype division's revenues (not profits) are up to $2 billion compared to Skype's $800 million in 2011, although the newer numbers also include Lync - but it'll be a while before Microsoft gets its money back. However, the acquisition wasn't just about monetising Skype's users. Buying Skype was also a defensive move, designed to fend off competition from Google and Cisco in the enterprise markets, and to give Microsoft a key player in the mobile Voice over IP market - a market that's still very much in its infancy, and one where Microsoft has been taking baby steps. The long term vision is for Microsoft to be the hub of your voice and video communications, no matter what device you happen to be using, and Skype is a crucial part of that. 
What's next for Skype?There may be a cloud on the horizon, however. In July, Steve Ballmer announced a major reorganisation: "we are rallying behind a single strategy as one company - not a collection of divisional strategies," he wrote. Skype will become part of a new Applications Group alongside Office and Bing, and Skype president Tony Bates is off to take charge of developer relationships and evangelism. If Skype owes its current success to its arms-length relationship with Microsoft, then the One Microsoft policy could prove to be its undoing.        | | Samsung Galaxy Gear may wrap wrists in 6GB and 8GB versions Aug 29th 2013, 10:55, by Hugh Langley 
IFA 2013 is less than a week away, so it's no surprise that talk of the now-confirmed Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch is heating up. A new report from AmongTech, quoting sources at the Samsung Warehouse in Texas, brings us a load of new specs we might be seeing in a few days. To start off, the 2.5-inch OLED display we'd heard about is reiterated here, apparently with a 320x320 resolution. The watch will reportedly pack 10 hours of battery life, a dual core 1.5GHz processor and 1GB of RAM. Android Jelly Bean is said to be on board, although the exact version is not specified and we'd imagine it'll be fairly stripped-back, while an accelerometer and Bluetooth 4.0 are also set to feature. One big thing that differs on these specs is the camera, which is now said to be 4 megapixels and capable of 720p capture - much better than the 2MP affair we've been hearing about. Lee Young-hee, executive vice president of Samsung's mobile business, recently confirmed that Samsung will be unveiling the Galaxy Gear on September 4 at its Unpacked event in Berlin. Note the dateWe're also hearing that Samsung may be releasing the Galaxy Note 3 in Taiwan on September 27, three weeks after the big reveal. This isn't hugely surprising as Samsung tends to release its devices soon after their announcement. Pre-orders are supposedly set to begin on September 16. Young-hee also confirmed that we'll see the Note 3 on September 4. The device will touch down with a 5.9-inch OLED display, as revealed by Samsung's head of mobile, J.K. Shin. FutTv : 68I602uO9YnB5       | | iOS 7 beta locking users out of iPhones, forcing iOS 6 roll back Aug 29th 2013, 08:58, by Hugh Langley 
Experiencing some weird iOS 7 behaviour today? You're not alone - a number of users of the iOS 7 beta are reporting that their phones have bricked completely, forcing them to step back to iOS 6. Apple is currently refusing to say what's happening outright, but it seems to be a case of cracking down on non-developers who have installed iOS 7 via a developer friend's account. A lot of people reporting the problem had beta 3 installed at the time and others with later versions don't seem to be experiencing the same problem, so it could just be the third iteration that's programmed to lock phones down. Beta woesHowever some developers have also come across the same outage. If you're a developer, you can fix the problem by logging onto your devaccount and upgrading to the iOS 7 beta 6. The full version of iOS 7 is expected to live alongside the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C on September 10. Experiencing iOS 7 woes yourself? Let us know by sounding off in the comments below. We'll let you know as soon as we hear more.        | | Samsung's supersized 6.3-inch Galaxy Mega gets exclusive with JB Hi-Fi Aug 29th 2013, 03:10, by Farrha Khan 
Adding to the ever increasing Galaxy line-up, the 6.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Mega is finally available through JB Hi-Fi for $599 for those who like their smartphones big and their tablets small. Powered by Android 4.2, the Mega runs on a 1.7GHz dual-core processor and 1.5GB of RAM, with LTE support. With only 8GB of storage, Samsung is shipping the device with a 4GB microSD card, though you could expand your storage up to 64GB. The smartphone-tablet hybrid also sports an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.9-inch front-facing camera. With a HD 6.3-inch TFT display, its 3,200mAh should be able to manage operations for a full day and might be able to drag into the morning of the second. A growing familySamsung's Galaxy range doesn't seem to be slowing down, with the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active available in Australia from last week, and the S4 Zoom and S4 Mini on their way. But while the Galaxy Mega's specs aren't quite up to par with either the Active, Galaxy Note 2 or Galaxy S4, the Mega still touts Samsung's apps and features, like S Travel, S Translator, Air View and Multi Window. We're also not entirely sure who Samsung is aiming the Mega at, though it looks to be an affordable two-in-one option, rather than having to spring for both a phone and tablet. Just hope your pockets are large enough and you always carry your handsfree headset. While the smartphone will be available exclusively through JB Hi-Fi, the Galaxy Mega will also be available through Samsung Experience Stores in Sydney and Melbourne.        | | Yes, BlackBerry still makes phones, and the Z30 can't stop leaking Aug 28th 2013, 23:24, by Michelle Fitzsimmons 
We've been so mesmerized by the impending train wreck that is BlackBerry lately that we'd almost forgotten it makes smartphones. Thankfully, we have a reminder today in the form of a quick video claiming to show off the BlackBerry Z30 (you remember that, don't you?) as it's flipped, swiped and bandied about. This seems to be a fully functioning version of the rumored BlackBerry 10 device. The user shows off its front and back, then activates the phone and takes us on a short tour of its UI. A sticker on the rear tells of the device's evaluation unit status, and interestingly it reads "Property of Research In Motion Limited." RIM changed its name to BlackBerry in January, however it appears some properties, such as this website, still use the old RIM moniker. YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC6D0B6svW4RIM around the rosyIt feels like it's been awhile since we last heard about the Z30, though in reality the handset made another film appearance earlier this month (that video was subsequently pulled). In that time, we've learned BlackBerry is open to the idea of being bought, among other "strategic alternatives" to survival. On Aug. 27, a report from the Wall Street Journal claimed BlackBerry could spin BlackBerry Messenger, or BBM, into a subsidiary. It's before this backdrop that the Z30 could be released. The device is rumored to square up with a 5-inch AMOLED screen (larger than the Z10's 4.2-inch display), house a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and 2GB of RAM. It may have 16GB of storage, an 8MP rear camera and run BlackBerry 10.2. As you can see in the video and other leaks have attested to, the Z30 may have five rows of icons instead of the Z10's four. When will we see the device? Only BlackBerry knows, but it has a lot on its plate right now, so we'll give it a few.        | | iPhone 5S release date set for Sept. 20? T-Mobile workers' holiday plans shelved Aug 28th 2013, 23:21, by Chris Smith 
The next-generation iPhone handset(s) may go on sale on Sept. 20, if reports suggesting T-Mobile employees in the U.S. have been denied time off during that weekend prove accurate. The U.S.-based Tmo News website said the mobile network has blocked off Sept. 20-22 (a Friday, Saturday and Sunday) as vacation-free times for its in-store employees. With the iPhone 5S and perhaps the iPhone 5C likely readying for a Sept.10 unveiling, that prospective release date 10 days later certainly plays into Apple's previous form. The company always sees iPhones release on a Friday, for much the same reason Hollywood movies come out on the same day - to cash in on weekend sales and then boast about the figures come Monday. Plastic fantasticMeanwhile, speaking of the iPhone 5C, Apple is shopping around for a top class plastics guy, presumably to oversee its less-premium range of iOS devices. According to the posting on the Apple jobs site, the company is looking to hire an "experienced plastic materials engineer" who can "lead the development of new plastic materials and processes." The successful applicant will work on the iPhone/iPad materials team and have reponsibilities relating to the aesthetic and cosmetic qualities of the devices. The company is widely expect to launch a more affordable, dare we say cheap, iPhone 5C with a plastic casing, as a means of tackling emerging markets. Judging by this job posting, it appears the company's work in that area will be a growing concern as it seeks to perfect new materials for the more budget-focused devices.        | | More evidence of the HTC One Max's fingerprint scanner surfaces Aug 28th 2013, 19:24, by Michelle Fitzsimmons 
With IFA right around the corner, we've heard plenty from Samsung and LG. HTC, however, is keeping itself in the mix, if inadvertently, with a few reports today shedding light on its potential future plans. Let's start with the hardware: ePrice (Google translated) claimed it picked up the HTC One Max (possibly a production model) destined for Chinese telecom company Unicom. This is a dual-SIM variant, equipped with a removable metal rear casing, external memory card and built-in battery. Conspicuously gaping is a square hole under the camera lens, in the exact spot an earlier leak, also courtesy of ePrice, had same-said opening. The initial report speculated the space was meant for a fingerprint scanner, and though we're no closer to confirmation, it seems the rumor is gaining some credibility. 
ePrice also claimed it handled a Max running the beta of a software interface that included a fingerprint control function in a pull-down shortcut menu, and you can see a fingerprint icon in the image to the left. Just about everything can be faked in this day and age, so treat the existence of the Max's fingerprint scanner like Big Foot: It may be out there, but we'll have to see it to believe it. OS yes?HTC's prints may be on more than a finger reader as the Wall Street Journal also reported the Taiwanese firm is developing its own mobile operating system. The OS, "according to people familiar with the project," would be geared towards Chinese consumers, meaning we're unlikely to see it on phones outside that country. HTC Chairwoman Cher Wang is supposedly closely overseeing the OS' development, and it's expected to launch before 2013 clocks out. While it's not clear at this point what HTC's take on the mobile software system would look like, it is said to feature close integration with China-specific apps, such as Weibo, the Chinese-language microblogging site akin to Twitter. Smartphones running the China-bound OS are reportedly out in the wild, including in the hands of Chinese officials. The government there has encouraged the development of domestic software systems, according the WSJ, to draw away from Western companies such as Google and Apple.        | | Nokia 515 hopes to bring style to the budget feature phone crowd Aug 28th 2013, 16:02, by Marc Chacksfield 
Nokia has announced its latest addition to the feature phone market: the Nokia 515. The Finnish phone giant knows that there's still plenty of life in the feature phone market and that's why it is still releasing handsets like the Nokia 515 - not everyone cares if their phone has the power to fling furious feathered fowl. According to Simon Barker, Nokia's program manager, feature phones still make up one half of global handsets sold and Nokia is one of the few manufacturers still chipping away at that crowd. This doesn't mean that the Nokia 515 is a throwaway device, though, as it is pushing the idea that the phone is one for the style conscious, even going as far as saying it will be a phone that you will be "proud to own." Light weightWe're not sure how much pride you can take in something that offers just a 2.4-inch QVGA LCD display but it does look half decent and is definitely light - weighing in at just 102.7g and measuring a mere 114 x 48 x 11mm. Given that it's a feature phone, there's not much to shout about in the way of additional extras. But there is a handy 5MP camera on board, which comes coupled with a voice-guided Self Portrait camera - this was first seen (heard) on the Nokia 301. There will be a dual SIM variant available as well and the handset is 3.5G compatible. As for memory, there is only 256MB of on-board space, but a microSD card slot is a welcomed addition. Battery life is decent too, with Nokia quoting up to 10.4hrs (but half that if you're using the 3G). There's no word on a Nokia 515 release date for the UK or US, but it will be arriving in Russia, Germany, Switzerland and Poland as of next week, for a not-too shabby 115 Euros. Check out the video below: YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhVHgdZyFTw       | |
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