| Samsung Galaxy S5 to arrive in metal and plastic forms by April? Nov 27th 2013, 14:29, by Thomas Thorn 
We all know that the Samsung Galaxy S5 is coming, but speculation to when is varied. The January launch we reported on before is wrong, at least according to the news coming out of Korea today. Citing 'industry sources', ET News reports that January will instead play host to the beginning of the Galaxy S5's production, rather than its launch. A total of 800,000 to 1 million devices are expected to be produced in the first month, reaching 6 million by the end of February. This puts the release date around March or April, which is still a month or two earlier than the launch of previous Galaxy S models - the Galaxy S4 launched in May 2013. Metal or plastic or both?Apparently Samsung is at least toying with the idea of releasing two versions of the Galaxy S5; a premium metal framed version with flexible 5-inch OLED display and a more standard plastic cased 5-inch AMOLED model. In what direction the display is set to bend, we have yet to find out. Will it curve like the Samsung Galaxy Round, or will it be more akin to the LG G Flex. We'd pin our money, and our hopes, on the latter. We are left a little bemused by the need for 2 models, we'd suggest that the two different models will cater to different markets, similar to the quad/octa-core models of the S4. The idea of getting both models in western territories is a little dubious (unless we are to see an iPhone 5C scenario) as we know Samsung likes to release 'Mini' versions of its handsets such as the Galaxy S4 Mini. One specsy handsetThe Korean site also provides information on more specifications, including another mention for that 64-bit processor and 3GB of RAM. A 4000mAh battery will apparently sit inside the Android 4.4 KitKat toting handset, meaning the Galaxy S5 battery would be 53% larger than the current Galaxy S4, and 25% larger than the Note 3. We've already heard that the Galaxy S5 may ship with Samsung's newest 16MP ISOCELL camera, which is quoted again in this report. Interestingly, the Korean firm is only targeting 70% of sales in comparison to the Galaxy S4. This could down to the earlier release, meaning that those on 24 month Galaxy S3 contracts will still be tied down. We should also advise a word of caution, as 'industry sources' have a habit of being hit and miss. We won't know anything for certain until Samsung make the Galaxy S5 official in March, April, or January. Take your pick Samsung.        |  | Samsung Galaxy Gear 2: lighter and launching with S5? Nov 27th 2013, 13:44, by John McCann 
The Galaxy Gear smartwatch has hardly got out the blocks but we've already heard a fair bit about its successor, the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2. Korean site ET News has reportedly spoken to an unnamed Samsung official about future devices and as well as spilling the beans on the much rumored Galaxy S5 they apparently also mentioned the Galaxy Gear 2. If the official is on the money then the Gear 2 may rock up "about 15% to 20% thinner than previous production", which would certainly make it a more palatable device for your wrist. Galaxy S5 with Gear 2?The Samsung spokesperson is also quoted as saying that you'll be able to use the Galaxy Gear 2 with the Galaxy S5 smartphone, which could mean the smartwatch rocks up alongside the Korean firm's next flagship handset. We could potentially see a bundle deal where you get the S5 and Gear 2 as a package, much in the same way the Galaxy Note 3 and original Gear have been sold. It appears that the Galaxy Gear 2 will be far more integrated with the Galaxy S5 too, with the source revealing that you'll be able to use the smartwatch for games, entertainment and health care functions - although it's not clear what features this includes. This could see Samsung attempt to span both the smartwatch and popular fitness band demographics, offering one device which covers both areas. In terms of a Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 release date the official didn't offer anything, but the links to the Galaxy S5 means both could launch at the same time - possibly in March/April 2014 - or perhaps the watch will follow a little later with a raft of other peripherals and accessories.        | | KitKat's 'Project Svelte' could signal the end of Android fragmentation Nov 27th 2013, 10:50, by Hugh Langley 
For Google, Android 4.4 KitKat was all about getting rid of the excess bulge and having the OS running on as many devices as possible. As revealed in an interview ReadWrite, Google did this by enacting Project Svelte, buried in the updated OS, to ensure it could run on devices with just 512 MB of RAM. In the run up to KitKat we'd heard that Google was looking to support low-end devices, but now we have confirmation that this was the master plan all along, and will be a biggy for Google in eliminating the problem of Android fragmentation. Svelte (adjective): Slender and elegantIn fact, Google even used a special Nexus 4 with half the processing power, 512MB of RAM and a 960 x 540 qHD display. This isn't Google's first attempt to smooth things over. Project Butter in Android 4.1 was all about providing a more elegant, crash-free experience, though it wasn't so focused on reducing system demand. So now we know - despite the fact that KitKats are substantially bigger than jelly beans, Google's updated OS has been shrunk quite significantly. Here's hoping this is the beginning of the end for Android fragmentation.        | | LG bellows battle cry as it promises smartphones are going nowhere Nov 27th 2013, 10:13, by Thomas Thorn 
Rumours that LG is planning on moving away from the smartphone business are completely unfounded, according to the South Korean firm. Korea's ET news had reported that the company was moving resources away from the mobile arm of its business, towards the smart television market, as that's where it saw a greater chance for profit. Understandably (given its recent slew of impressive devices), LG has refuted the claims, with the story having since been removed from the site due a lack of supporting evidence. In a statement to Mobile World Live, LG said "We are more committed than ever to making the LG brand a major player in the mobile space and we think our products this year speak for themselves." Up, not outIt would certainly be a surprising move from LG, given its strong mobile presence in the forms of the LG G2, Nexus 5, the older Nexus 4 and possibly the upcoming Nexus 10 tablet. This has helped it sell 3.05 trillion Korean won (£1.69m/$2.7m/AU$2.85m) worth of mobile devices, a whopping 24% increase from the previous year. LG phones might be remembered for the likes of the LG Chocolate, but LG will look to the success of the LG G2 and the upcoming G Flex to push the brand even further. There might even be an octa-core processor for the LG G3. We'll have to wait and see...        | | Motorola gifts public with unlocked Moto G Nov 26th 2013, 23:37, by Lily Prasuethsut 
The Moto G can be yours or yours to give away for the holidays from Motorola. The company announced on its blog that the Moto G is now available unlocked from its website though only the GSM versions can be be bought at the moment. CDMA availability begins in January. You can pick up an 8GB Moto G for $179 while the 16GB will only cost you $199. Unfortunately the popular Moto Maker, a Moto X feature, will not be an option for the Moto G - however the device has a decent amount of colorful, interchangeable back plates for you to customize away. Low price, top qualityThe Moto G is packaged as the iPhone anyone can afford, and it really is. At 4.5-inches boasting a 1280 x 720 display and 329ppi pixel density, the Moto G is larger than an iPhone 5S and has higher resolution but costs a third of the price. It also comes with the latest quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and Android 4.3 Jelly Bean - with an impending early 2014 KitKat update. There are however, a few downsides to the phone - an unimpressive 5MP rear-facing camera, and the already low internal storage coupled with the lack of a microSD slot make it a bit less appealing. Though for less than $200, you do get what you pay for - and perhaps a little more with the Moto G.        | | BBM Channels download exits beta, available to all BlackBerry owners Nov 26th 2013, 21:52, by Matt Swider 
BlackBerry's BBM instant messaging service is becoming a little more social today thanks to the launch of its Twitter-like BBM Channels feature. This update is available to all smartphone owners still wielding a BlackBerry after having been in beta since its debut in May, according to dedicated BlackBerry blog CrackBerry. After downloading the newest version of BBM, Channels will give users the ability to follow and subscribe to other people or business' channels. Users can also set up and post to their own BBM Channels. It effectively connects users to brands, proving that BlackBerry's messaging service is moving beyond peer-to-peer and group chats. It's also a great way for BlackBerry to monetize its fledgling BBM service to businesses that want to market with targeted ads to BlackBerry users. Coming to Android, iOS soonAs the company formerly known as RIM is getting its house in order by reshuffling its executive team, it's continuing to show interest in expanding its platform beyond BlackBerry devices. To that end, BBM Channels is supposed to be "coming soon" to iOS and Android chatters. Apple and Google hardware owners received a BBM app last month, and it was well-received with 10 million downloads in the first 24 hours. BBM iPhone owners were particularly energized about the BBM app, which is set to expand with BBM Voice and Video within months. BBM Channels alone may not be enough to right BlackBerry's ship, but it could make BBM an attractive spinoff in the future.        | | Amazon is now selling select phones from US Cellular Nov 26th 2013, 19:35, by Michael Rougeau 
Amazon is now offering US Cellular smartphones that can be purchased online and activated over the phone on the contract-free US carrier. At this time there's a limited selection of handsets available from US Cellular on Amazon, but they range in price from $30 (the Huawei Ascend II) to a few hundred dollars. Other US Cellular phones now being offered through Amazon include the Alcatel Shockwave, Kyocera Dura Pro, LG Envoy II, LG Freedom, LG Splendor, Motorola Defy XT, Samsung Freeform 5, and ZTE Director. They're not flagships by any means, but US Cellular customers shopping for handsets on a budget should find plenty to love about the new union between the carrier and Amazon. Pick a plan, any planUS Cellular offers wireless plans on a month-to-month basis, starting at $10 for a pure pay-as-you-go deal. The next plan up is 400 minutes, 400 texts, and 400 pics for $35 per month. After that you get into unlimited talk and text, plus 1GB of data for $50 a month or 2GB for $65. With contract plans on the big carriers becoming more and more expensive, those are some pretty attractive options. Once you purchase a US Cellular phone from Amazon you can activate it easily by dialing a phone number.   | | Will this snowy Motorola Droid Ultra arrive on Verizon for the holidays? Nov 26th 2013, 18:58, by Michael Rougeau 
Verizon's stockings could soon be stuffed with a white Motorola Droid Ultra, according to a familiar Twitter tipster. The Twitter account @evleaks has published a photo of what appears to be the Droid Ultra in a snowy white hue, with Verizon's branding on the backside. So far, the Motorola handset has only appeared in black or red on Verizon, so a white version could be a nice way to change it up. And with the holidays just a month or so away now would be a good time for Verizon to tout a new version of the Droid Ultra. Follow the white Droid UltraMotorola launched the Droid Ultra in August exclusively on Verizon in the US. TechRadar's Droid Ultra review awarded the phone four out of five stars, praising its nice 5-inch display and surprisingly thin and light frame while lamenting its fingerprint-collecting glossy finish and poor camera. This is the first we've seen or heard of a white Droid Ultra, though. With @evleaks' track record it's easy to take what it publishes as gospel, but remember that anything can change before Verizon makes an official announcement.   | | Nokia updates its camera app for raw image shooting Nov 26th 2013, 18:37, by Kevin Lee 
Nokia's latest slew of Lumia phones has been really great for smartphone photography enthusiasts and now the Finnish company has upgraded its camera app to shoot raw images natively. Nokia updated its Camera app for its Windows Phone 8.1 handsets, the Lumia 1520 and Lumia 1020 running the Lumia Black software update. The new camera app update lends Purview shooters the added bonus of shooting pictures in lossless the raw Digital Negative Format (DNG). The Camera app update is free and available to Lumia 1520 and 1020 owners right now. At the moment, it only works on two Lumia devices, but we expect that this functionality will be extended to PureView snappers in the near future. Doing it rawRaw images are uncompressed digital pictures with a minimal amount of post processing. The files are quite a bit larger than your garden variety JPEGs, but they have the added bonuses of carrying more data for finer details. It's not just a matter of having a higher megapixel count either. Nokia's DNG images can be photoshopped with more natural-looking white balance adjustments and can be modified with a few stops of exposure compensation, which means a world of difference when saving an overblown or underexposed image. This is the second time we heard that RAW image capabilities were being added onto smartphone cameras. Last week, raw image support was uncovered in some public Android source code.        | | iPhone 6 may let you refocus your photos using Lytro-like tech Nov 26th 2013, 15:35, by Hugh Langley 
Apple has been awarded a patent for a Lytro-like camera system that will refocus an image after the shot is taken and could surface in future iPhones. The patent for a "digital camera including refocusable imaging mode adaptor" was spotted by AppleInsider and could be a big clue as to the next step for the iPhone snapper. Without the need to focus, taking pictures on an iPhone would be made instant thanks to the "plenoptic" tech, which basically means you can change what is and what isn't in focus after the shot has been taken. Early glimpsesThe patent even makes reference to the Lytro camera as prior art but adds that certain adjustments can be made in the quality of picture. None of this is too surprising though. During his final months, Steve Jobs actually met with the founder of Lytro to discuss a possible partnership with the company. The patent was first filed in September 2011, one month before Jobs passed away, so this could be one of his ideas that's yet to surface in an Apple device.   | |
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