| Motorola-made Nexus phone to launch before the year is out? Aug 9th 2013, 12:05, by Kate Solomon 
The Moto X might not be the only major phone Motorola has up its sleeve for 2013: it may even have a new Nexus phone up there. Although Google has insisted and insisted that it's not showing its adopted manufacturer any preferential treatment over the other Android manufacturers, a tipster says that Motorola will release a Nexus smartphone in Q4. In fact, that is literally what Taylor Wimberly, founder of AndroidandMe, said on Google+: "Motorola will release a Nexus smartphone in Q4 (that is not the Moto X)." No to XThe site itself doesn't have any more details to impart, although as sources go, Wimberly is a pretty solid one. Who or what his sources may be is a different matter, though. The Nexus phone trail has gone a little quiet in the past few weeks, after a flurry of rumours earlier this year which suggested that LG would make it, or HTC would, or that loads of companies would. We've even gone as far as to say that Google needn't bother with Nexus phones anymore, now that you can get vanilla Android versions of top-end handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One. Weirdly, it doesn't sound as though Google has taken our advice on board. We'll keep our eyes peeled for potential Motorola-made Nexus 5 specs ahead of the October to December launch period mooted.     |  | Archos' IFA 2013 plans revolve around 7 smartphones, 5 tablets Aug 8th 2013, 22:48, by Michelle Fitzsimmons 
As IFA 2013 fast approaches, we're learning ever more about what we can expect from this year's tech-tastic conference. While Samsung scored some attention earlier this week with an invite hinting we'll spot the Galaxy Note 3 Sept. 4, Archos today is overwhelming with sheer numbers. According to a financial release (PDF) published yesterday, the company plans to detail its brand strategy during IFA. That strategy revolves around marketing "a full range" of seven Android smartphones to be released this fall. The company also revealed it's investing in high-end tablets as well as some on 3G, "with more than five product announcements at IFA." The tablets will revolve around certain themes, such as gaming, connected TV and education/early learning. Easy does itThere's not too much else to glean from the release, but just know Archos' carry-on bags will be fully loaded when it makes the trip to Berlin. Archos has already released a number of devices this year, including a trio of tablets in February. Clearly the French firm is looking to make its mark at IFA and, on the smartphone front, it's choosing to do so with Android. We'll be on the ground to bring you the latest at the conference, including hands on with these Archos devices if available.     | | G2 coming to Three and O2 as LG returns to the UK smartphone scene Aug 8th 2013, 19:42, by Chris Smith 
The newly-announced LG G2 smartphone has been confirmed on at least two UK networks as the Korean manufacturer looks to reestablish itself on British soil following a long, self-enforced exile. Following yesterday's launch, Three mobile was quick to confirm it will be stocking the 5.2-inch, full HD handset and now O2 has confirmed the device will be winging its way to the bubbly network. With the handset is expected to arrive in October, Three has given the rear-buttoned device a 'coming soon' label, while O2 has committed to launching the device "later this year." The UK's other major networks EE, and Vodafone have "nothing to announce" and "no current plans" to stock the device respectively, according to reports on Thursday. Fresh start or too late?LG has been reluctant to launch its flagship smartphones in the UK over the last couple of years, citing the 'immature' 4G infrastructure. With EE's next-gen operation gathering momentum and O2 and Vodafone joining the fray on August 29, it seems LG is ready to target Brits with its top handsets once again. Smartphone fans in the UK have been able to purchase the Google Nexus 4, which was made but not promoted by LG, while some of the Optimus devices have been available SIM-free from third-party retailers. This launch, however, represents the return of a front-runner from the early Android era, before HTC and Samsung took over. Will Brits be receptive to what LG has to offer once again? Via Engadget     | | Opinion: LG G2: It has everything, except a soul Aug 8th 2013, 18:53, by mflores 
The LG G2 is probably everything you could possibly want an Android smartphone to be, at least purely in terms of hardware. It has a large, high-definition display. Its internals, camera and battery life promise to be pretty amazing compared to its competition. Yet, it doesn't leap out at us or cause any stir or excitement. We like the G2, except it's a safe phone, as mentioned in our early verdict of the device. Prior to the event, we thought of it as a Galaxy S4 clone, and it turns out we weren't the only ones who felt that way. The only radical part of the device is where the power and volume buttons were placed - on the back. 
LG's decision to place the volume and power buttons just underneath the camera has us questioning its direction. LG told us over and over again during its presentation that the company is listening to its customers and observing their behavior, hence the odd design. It turns out that it's a little awkward to interface with the phone that way. While many of us do keep our index fingers right around where the camera is when we're on a call, it's not the only time we're having to adjust volume. When we're watching videos or listening to music, it could be awkward reaching behind the phone and feeling around for the volume keys. 
Perhaps we're nitpicking, but when LG's highlights were its weird button placements, boys choir ringtones and 192KHz audio, we're left wondering whether the LG G2 is going to steal any thunder from the HTC One or Samsung Galaxy S4. At one point during the launch event, we felt like LG was trying out-Samsung Samsung in the stuff-it-with-features department. Like artists do with their work, Samsung and HTC have made their visions and styles very clear. It's easy to spot an Android device designed by either company, even if it's a leaked photo of an unreleased device. 
We're hoping that the LG G2 is a small step in a new direction for some kind of vision for the Korean manufacturer. While we like its phones, like the Optimus G and the Optimus G Pro, we find no real reason to pick up an LG phone over Samsung or HTC. Stay tuned for our full and thorough review of the device. Our early predictions tell us it's going to perform well, and that the G2 is going to be a winner by any standard we can give to smartphones. However, this nagging feeling about its lack of soul or style still lingers, and we wonder whether LG should take bigger risks with its next flagship Android device.     | | Ubuntu Edge lands on a fixed price as time ticks for fundraising campaign Aug 8th 2013, 17:39, by Michael Rougeau 
Canonical has done away with its complicated pricing scheme for the high-end Ubuntu Edge, instead setting the device at a fixed price point of $695 (about £447, AU$762). The best part: Anyone who paid more than $695 for the phone will be refunded the difference if the Indiegogo campaign succeeds. Canonical hopes to raise $32 million (about £20.8m, AU$35.1m) in crowdfunding for the phone, and with 14 days remaining the company has almost $24 million (about £15.4m, AU$26.4m) to go. The company probably hopes the new, simpler pricing scheme will help with that - previously there were multiple price points, each with limited supplies so that latecomers would have to pay more. Optimism"You wanted a more affordable Edge, and now you've got it," Canonical wrote on the Edge's Indiegogo page today. Canonical revealed that interest from component supplies has allowed it to lower the cost of producing the phone, and that one of its "Enterprise bundles" - which includes 115 devices for $80,000 (about £51,000, AU$87,000) - was purchased by Bloomberg. "So of course we're passing those savings on to you," the company continued. "The target is still $32 million, so we will need to ship a few more phones at $695 than we would at a higher price, but we believe we can do it. We have two weeks, and we have the best community out there, so let's get to work: share this news, get the word out, and let's get the Ubuntu Edge made!" The edge of innovationThe Ubuntu Edge attracted more than $5 million (about £3.2m, AU$5.4m) in the first few days of funding, but its campaign seems to have slowed since then. The Edge is designed to be more powerful than anything on the market today, including flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One, iPhone 5, LG G2 and Lumia 928. Its specs aren't set in stone, but if the phone is made it's expected to pack 4GB of RAM, dual LTE receivers, 128GB of storage and a 4.5-inch display made of pure sapphire crystal rather than glass. The Edge can also transform into what Canonical claims is a fully functional Ubuntu PC when connected to a monitor. The company currently plans to make just 40,000 of the high-end Ubuntu Edge smartphones, with other, low- to mid-tier phones running Ubuntu possibly coming afterward. As of today it's got more than $8 million (about £5.1m, AU$8.8m) in funding, leaving a long way to go before its goal is met.     | | Sony Xperia i1 teaser suggests razor-thin phone for September 4 Aug 8th 2013, 15:30, by Hugh Langley 
The next Sony Xperia handset might be about to up the squish factor, if a leaked press teaser is the real deal. The picture appeared on Chinese site Digi-wo and was picked up by XperiaBlog. Depicting a splash of purple across a black background, it appears to show what looks like a shooting star dashing across the night sky. But wait - look more closely! That's actually a phone. In fact, you can even see the power button and volume rocker if you squint your eyes really hard. We'd assume, then, that this is Sony's rumoured next addition to the Xperia line, previously going under the codename of Honami - and now referred to as the Xperia i1. Razor's edgeAs you can see, the image teases a September 4 date on the bottom with "Berlin" written below it. Sony's IFA 2013 press conference is set for that very date. In Berlin. Go figure. One of the more interesting rumours that's been swirling is that the phone will have a 20-megapixel camera capable of shooting 4K video. A quad-core processor is also expected to appear. As official as it looks, we wouldn't take this as legit until Sony sends these out globally. After all, it wouldn't be that difficult for someone to mock this up.     | | PayPal launches high street payment app Aug 7th 2013, 23:05, by Mark Say 
PayPal has developed a mobile phone app for consumers to use in retail shops, with the first trial just gone live in 12 shops in Richmond. The online payment service has made the app available free of charge through the relevant stores for iOS, Android and Windows Phone. It highlights nearby shops and restaurants that accept PayPal, the customer checks in by clicking on the retailer and pays by sliding a pin down in the app. Once they have checked in their name and photo appears on the shop's payment system, and when they have agreed on the amount the cashier charges by clicking the image. Rob Harper, Head of Retail and Hospitality for PayPal UK, told TRPro that it is a secure process as no information is stored on the phone; all of it is in the PayPal cloud. Also, there is no spending limit on the app. He said Richmond was chosen for the trial because it is the location for PayPal's UK headquarters. There are no plans for similar trials in other areas, but the company is talking with a number of retail chains about the making the service available in their shops. "Our strategy now is to work with the brands to roll it out across high streets around the country," Harper said. He also predicted that by 2016 the "wallet-less high street" would be a reality in the UK.   | | Google's All Access music streamer hits Google Play in the UK today Aug 7th 2013, 22:01, by Kate Solomon 
Google's All Access music streaming app lands on the UK Google Play store today. You may remember Google Play Music All Access from such launches as that time it launched at Google I/O back in May as a US-only music streaming service. But it is available in Britain on Android from today, with a free month for all and an early bird deal to boot. The streamer works in a similar way to Spotify - there's a vast library of songs from major labels and indies available to either stream online or cache to your Android phone or tablet so you can listen without an internet connection. You can also sync your music library up to the service - as long as you don't have more than 20,000 songs to store online and then stream to your phones and tablets. Stream teamGoogle's also pushing its interactive 'radio stations' that build playlists based around songs you like so that you can discover exciting new bands and artists - at least, that's the plan. If Spotify's engine is anything to go by, this might need some time to "bed in" before it really becomes useful. Announcing the UK launch, Paul Joyce, product manager for Google Play, admits that Play hopes to become "your ultimate digital entertainment destination". If you sign up before August 31, you'll get a month free and then pay £7.99 a month for All Access after that. If you wait until September or beyond, you'll still get a free month but your monthly cost will be £9.99 once that's up. No word on an iOS app for the UK yet - but given that Google said it would land on iOS in the US "in a couple of weeks" back in May and it's yet to arrive, we won't be holding our breath.   | | Vodafone chief: entertainment key to 4G but unlimited data is a no-no Aug 7th 2013, 13:20, by Hugh Langley 
Having announced its 4G plans today, Vodafone has gone on to fill in a few more of the details of its ultrafast vision. Speaking in a conference call with TechRadar, Vodafone UK CEO Guy Laurence emphasised that Vodafone's weapon for success over the likes of O2 is its entertainment partnerships. "4G finally has a reason and that is entertainment," he said. "We need to get people used to using entertainment on their phones." But despite the fact that Vodafone is offering unlimited data for the first three months, Laurence told us that unlimited plans aren't on Vodafone's horizon. "There's not a need for unlimited in my view," he said, drawing on the example of US networks that have struggled with unlimited 4G. "We won't be going unlimited in the near future. In fact I'm not sure it will go unlimited at all" Consume, consume, consumeVodafone is convinced that its current offering should suffice, and if people need more then they can throw additional packages on top. "If you look at some of the tariffs out there, they have very low amounts of data," said Laurence. Laurence declined to say whether the deals with Spotify and Sky were exclusive. He was also hesitant to give any sort of figure in terms of expectations of consumer interest, saying that he didn't want to start "an arms race in terms of customers". Vodafone's 4G network will launch on the same day at O2's, and in the footsteps of EE. Customer will be able to order 4G packages from August 12, while those on current 3G Red price plans will be able to get immediate access to the Spotify and Sky Sports services for an extra £5 a month from that date. They'll then be able to upgrade to 4G come the rollout.   | | Vodafone 4G to hit UK on August 29 Aug 7th 2013, 11:10, by Hugh Langley 
Vodafone has announced that its ultrafast 4G service will be hitting the UK on August 29, and will arrive in 12 more cities before the year is out. Vodafone's range of 12- and 24-month Red 4G plans start at £26 a month and all include unlimited minutes and texts, while data limits will vary. However, the company is offering unlimited data for the first three months to rope you in. London will be the first city getting the new service and you'll be able to order in store or over the phone from August 12. As for customers already with a 4G ready device on a Vodafone Red plan, you'll be able to upgrade to 4G for an extra £5 a month. Speed it upAs part of the launch, Vodafone is also bundling either a Spotify Premium or Sky Sports Mobile TV subscription into the Red 4G-Ready L and XL plans to tempt users over. These will last for the entirety of the contract, while those on the base 4G-ready plan will have them for six months. Edinburgh, Leeds and Birmingham, Coventry, Bradford, Glasgow, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and Nottingham make up the other 12 that will be getting the service in the coming months. With Vodafone now joining the ranks, and O2 also arriving on August 29, we'll hopefully be seeing some better 4G competition for Brits in the coming year.   | |
No comments:
Post a Comment