| Don't hold the phone, the Samsung Galaxy S5 won't be at MWC 2014 Jan 14th 2014, 11:16, by James Rogerson 
While there has been some suggestions that the Samsung Galaxy S5 would be launched at MWC 2014 in February, two of the latest rumors dispute that. The first comes from Italian journalist Flavio, who tweeted that a 'reliable source' had confirmed to him that the Samsung Galaxy S5 would be launched at an event in London in mid March. This would mirror the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S3 which also launched in the Capital, although the Galaxy S4's launch venue of New York could be on the cards instead. London or New York?ZDnet Korea cites a 'senior Samsung official' as saying that the main purpose of MWC is a business meeting and that the timing is wrong for the launch of the Galaxy S5, and rather than a London launch the Samsung Galaxy S5 will be unveiled in New York in March. We were always skeptical that the Galaxy S5 would launch at MWC, so this news is somewhat unsurprising. A March launch does mean a slightly longer wait for the handset though, and kills rumors pointing towards an early Feb reveal. As for whether it will be unveiled in New York or London (or both) we'll hopefully know soon.        |  | Galaxy S5 specs 'confirmed', S5 Zoom and S5 Mini also on the way Jan 14th 2014, 10:38, by James Rogerson 
An insider claims to have the inside knowledge on the Samsung Galaxy S5, outing a whole bunch of information about the upcoming flagship. These details include the fact that the handset will come in two different flavours - the much-rumoured metal and conventional plastic. The insider for SamMobile went on to say that the metal version will cost roughly 800 Euros (about £667, $1092, AU$1210) and the plastic version will cost 650 Euros (about £542, $888, AU$983). So even the plastic version won't be cheap, however the same source claimed that the S5 will have a 2560 x 1440 AMOLED display, a 16 megapixel camera, Android 4.4 and either an Exynos 6 or Snapdragon 805 processor, so you're certainly getting a powerful phone for your money. Power upThe same source also revealed that a Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini and Samsung Galaxy S5 Zoom are both in development too. Both handsets will apparently include Super AMOLED screens and Android 4.4, while the S5 Zoom will have a 4.8 inch qHD display, but that's all we know so far. The source was unable to confirm anything else about the flagship S5, but SamMobile suggests that it will probably have a 5.25 inch screen and earlier rumours point to a 64-bit 2.5 GHz quad-core processor and either 3 or 4GB of RAM. At the same time, a new rumour, this time from PhoneArena, suggests that the Galaxy S5 might have a new type of Li-ion battery which can store 20% more energy in the same space. The battery is thought to be 2900 mAh (up from 2600 mAh in the Samsung Galaxy S4) and will apparently be fully chargeable in under two hours. - There are still things we don't know about the Galaxy S5, like whether it will have an eye scanner.
       | | Sony offers big screens and big tunes with Xperia T2 Ultra and Xperia E1 Jan 14th 2014, 10:09, by Hugh Langley 
MWC 2014 may be just around the corner, but Sony is too eager to wait that long with the announcement of two new handsets – the Sony Xperia T2 Ultra the Xperia E1. The T2 Ultra is aiming itself at emerging markets, with no confirmed UK, US or Australia release date just yet. But that doesn't mean it's lacking in power, by any means. Arriving in an Xperia Z-like style, the T2 Ultra's 6-inch 720p display eats into the bezel, coming in within 2.5mm of the phone's edge. Powering the phone is a 1.4GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor with 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, and you'll find a 13MP camera sat on the back and 1.1MP snapper stuck to the front. Despite its Z-ish looks, the T2 Ultra doesn't share its water resistance. But as a phone for the emerging markets, it's not shoddy at all. Speaking of which, the phone also comes in the T2 Ultra Dual form, which (as you might have guessed) adds the option of dual SIM. 
Pump up the volumeGetting even more budget is the Xperia E1, which Sony is aiming at the music lovers with its 100db speaker. Sony's also upped the Xperia E's 3.2-inch screen to 4 inches, with a 480 x 800 resolution. You'll also get a 1.2GHz dual-core processor with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage. Again, this will be primarily aimed at emerging markets. Sony told us it had nothing to announce on release dates outside of those, but we expect we might hear more of the specfics at MWC.        | | HTC One X, One X+ Android 4.4 KitKat update not happening after all Jan 13th 2014, 23:16, by Matt Swider 
HTC has debunked rumors that its HTC One X and HTC One X+ handsets were next in line to get the Android 4.4 KitKat by declaring that the phones will receive no further updates. "We can confirm that the One X+ will not receive further Android updates & will remain on the current version of Android," tweeted the official HTC UK Twitter account. The company followed up these 140-character-limited remarks with a full statement to The Verge, saying that HTC One X will be joining its plus-sized, Tegra 3-equipped variant. "We realize this news will be met with disappointment by some, but our customers should feel confident that we have designed both devices to be optimized with our amazing camera and audio experiences." Stuck at Android 4.2.2Because HTC One X and HTC One X+ aren't being updated to Android 4.4, both handsets are stuck with the older Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and the manufacturer's current Sense 5 overlay. That means in addition to missing out on KitKat, these HTC phones don't have Android 4.3's Bluetooth Low Energy support for constantly syncing wearables like the Fitbit Force. These hasn't affected all HTC One series phone owners. Android 4.4 KitKat has already rolled out to the company flagship HTC One phone, for example. HTC thinks its customers should feel confident with the current software they have now, but a few are expressing their dissatisfaction on Twitter, reminding the company that HTC One X+ is only 14 months old.        | | iOS 7.1 may allow iPhone users to delete space-hogging installation files Jan 13th 2014, 20:52, by Chris Smith 
Back in September, iOS users had a choice; They could upgrade to iOS 7 or lose 3.1GB of space to an installation file which would automatically download to the device when connected to the mains. Previously, this file stayed on the iPhone or iPad whether users liked it or not, but, help could be at hand in the form of the new iOS 7.1 update, thought to be arriving soon for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch owners. The latest (third) Beta version of iOS 7.1 was seeded to developers last week, but German site Macerkopf.de (translated) have spotted that those devs yet to install the update are now able to delete the over-the-air installation file. That would suggest, when iOS 7 eventually lands with every day users, they'll be able to do the same and reclaim that lost hard drive space. Will it make the cut?However, it is also possible that Apple will choose not to carry this feature beyond the Beta stage. It often tests things out on its developer community before deciding not to proceed. iOS 7.1, when it eventually arrives, is likely to bring some design tweaks to key apps, a redesigned dialler and the long-awaited iOS in the Car platform. There are few hints regarding when Apple will choose to send out the update, but recent reports have suggested users may have to wait until March. Have you mastered iOS 7 yet? Are you sure? Check your knowledge against our 21 essential tricks and tips. You never know, you may learn something...        | | Snapchat is sorry again, this time for an explosion in 'Snap Spam' Jan 13th 2014, 19:14, by Chris Smith 
Another day, and another case of 'SNAFU' at Snapchat. This time the company is eating humble pie for the large number of spam messages received by some users over the weekend. The messaging service is adamant that the rise in spam has nothing to do with the recent breach that saw 4.6m user account details posted online, but more to do with more traditional spam suffered by all popular social services. "We've heard some complaints over the weekend about an increase in Snap Spam on our service," the company wrote on its official blog. "We want to apologize for any unwanted Snaps and let you know our team is working on resolving the issue. As far as we know, this is unrelated to the Find Friends issue we experienced over the holidays." More negativityFollowing the PR disaster it experienced during Christmas, Snapchat would have hoped for a few weeks where it avoided any negative press. The company has, at least, apologised this time, but still intimated the instance of spam was more down to how popular the service was becoming, rather than through any fault of its own. Team Snapchat added: "While we expect to minimize spam, it is the consequence of a quickly growing service. To help prevent spam from entering your feed, you can adjust your settings to determine who can send you Snaps. We recommend "Only My Friends" :)"        | | Latest Nokia Normandy leak gives Android a colourful new look Jan 13th 2014, 15:15, by Hugh Langley 
Those Nokia Normandy rumours are gathering some serious momentum right now, but we're still not entirely convinced that the Android Nokia phone is a sure thing. We were a little suspect of a picture tweeted by someone who claimed we were looking at the Normandy, especially as the phone was hidden behind a protective shell. However another picture of the handset, this time without the case, has just popped up over on Weibo – and it's a tad more persuasive. The phone shows a vibrant OS on the screen that looks like it could be Nokia's modified version of Android 4.4 KitKat, which has also been rumoured for the device. These icons weren't seen in the recent leak of screens by @evleaks, which showed lockscreen notifications, Skype and calling in action. Normandy landing? We put it side by side with pure Android and several of the icons along the top do match up, though that still doesn't mean this is the real deal.
The big menu icons on the display do, however, look quite different to the standard Android ones. So Nokia may have done a real job on this. But with Microsoft purchasing Nokia's handset division, a Normandy handset still feels unlikely, despite it showing up in a benchmark test with a 5-megapixel camera and 854 x 540 display. But then we've heard that Nokia has been developing the phone despite the sale and plans to push it out in 2014. These latest pictures could be an indication that the wheels on the Normandy are very much in motion.        | |
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