| Samsung AMOLED tablets set for MWC 2014 unveiling Jan 29th 2014, 12:27, by Thomas Thorn -470-75.JPG)
Hot on the heels of the launch of the 12.2-inch Samsung Galaxy Note Pro and Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro comes news that Samsung may be bringing the AMOLED technology that has made its phone screens so impressive over to its tablet range. Reports from Korean news site ETNews state that mass production of 8 and 10.5-inch AMOLED screens is due to begin in February, meaning we could be in line to see AMOLED toting tablets at MWC 2014. Third times the charm?This isn't the first time or even second time that we have caught wind of AMOLED tablets, although we were initially expecting to see them at CES earlier this month. With CES having been and gone leaving no AMOLED tablets in sight we're left clinging to hopes that we'll be able to lay our eyes on them next month. Current rumors suggest that we may be in line for a few more Samsung tablets at MWC leaving a potential refresh for the now one year old Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0.        |  | 16MP Galaxy S5 test shot still leaves ISOCELL questions unanswered Jan 29th 2014, 11:11, by Thomas Thorn 
Data from a photo allegedly taken by a Samsung Galaxy S5 variant has provided some clues about the device's potential camera. According to the usually-reliable Twitter tipster @evleaks, the uninspiring image was shot on a Samsung SM-G900V which is expected to be the Verizon variant of the upcoming Korean flagship. This jives with information passed to SamMobile detailing the model numbers for each of the Galaxy S5 market variants. EXIF data from the posted image shows a resolution of 5312 x 2988 and appears to confirm suspicions that the Galaxy S5 will ship with the oft-rumoured 16MP sensor. But what about bigger or ISOCELL?We could be in line to see a bigger camera on the upcoming handset, as the image captured is 16:9 and not the standard 4:3 that we're used to seeing. Samsung's wide screen photos are shot at a lower resolution, 9.6MP rather than 13 on the Galaxy S4 and 6MP, not 8 on the S4 Mini. This would add weight to the rumour that the Galaxy S5 will in fact launch with a 20MP camera. Questions also still remain over whether this is the ISOCELL camera lens that we keep hearing about, but since Samsung announced that its 2014/15 flagship phones will feature the technology, it seems pretty likely. We'll find out for sure when the Galaxy S5 officially launches, likely to be at a dedicated event in March rather than at the mobile madhouse that is MWC 2014.        | | You'll soon be able to use Chrome Apps on iOS and Android devices Jan 29th 2014, 00:01, by Michael Rougeau 
Google has revealed that Chrome Apps will soon appear in the iOS App Store and Android Google Play marketplace, masquerading as native smartphone apps. The initiative to get the Apps on mobile platforms began today, with a developer preview based on Apache Cordova. Chromium engineer Andrew Grieve described Cordova in a blog post as an open-source development framework for building mobile apps using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The toolchain Google has introduced takes Chrome apps and repackages them as native smartphone apps for iOS and Android, making it easy for Chrome App developers to re-release their apps on those mobile platforms. For developers' eyes only ... for nowIn 2013 Google introduced a "new breed" of Chrome Apps that look and act like native applications and work offline across every desktop operating system. Now it's applying the same principles to mobile. For Chrome App developers looking to get in on the mobile action, Google has provided a convenient developer workflow. Google has also converted many core Chrome Apps APIs, including sign-in, storage, push messages and alarms to run on mobile devices. Other APIs, like notifications and payments, are currently Android only, but will likely come to iOS at some point as well. Cordova features its own set of mobile APIs, too. Google said it expects to continue to improve this toolchain as the developer preview gets going and it receives feedback from devs. In the meantime, eager Android and iOS smartphone users can lay in wait for Chrome Apps to begin arriving in their respective app stores. - Don't miss TechRadar's updated Google Glass review - how does Google's wearable stand up to weeks of continuous use?
       | | Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo official, a so-so smartphone with a 5-inch display Jan 28th 2014, 22:38, by Kevin Lee 
MWC 2014 is nearly upon us but Samsung couldn't wait to show off its heavily spoiled mid-range phone, the Galaxy Grand Neo. Many of its specs were previously reported, but now the Neo has officially been outed as packing a 5-inch, 480 x 800 display. Packed inside the nearly square-looking handset lies a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, backed up with 1GB RAM and 8GB of expandable storage. The handset has a bit of girth measuring in at 143.7 x 77.1 x 9.6mm and a slog on the software side running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. On the backside you'll find a 5MP camera, and on the front a simple VGA shooter. Other specs for this understated phone include a 2,100mAh battery pack and Bluetooth 4.0. With HSPA+ and GSM radios in tow - plus dual-SIM card slots to boot - it's likely to come to a number of carriers. Sadly, there's no support for LTE. One of manySamsung didn't attach any availability dates with the official announcement. However, we spotted the phone already up for pre-orders with a Netherlands retailer for €260 (about $355/£214/AU$405). The price is a little inflated thanks to additional tax, but the handset will run into plenty of competition at that price point. For slightly less screen real estate and a much lower price, users should look to the Motorola Moto G. Alternatively, the mini world has some budget-friendly options with the HTC One Mini and the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini.        | | Samsung sings 2K, 4K smartphone screen resolution tune once again Jan 28th 2014, 22:05, by Michael Rougeau 
Samsung has reportedly confirmed that it's working on smartphone displays not just in the 2K range, but all the way up to 4K resolution. This news comes out of the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's Semiconductor and Display Technology Roadmap Seminar 2014, as reported by Korea's media.daum.net. Samsung's eventual adoption of 2K QHD 2560 x 1440 AMOLED smartphone displays comes as no real shock, but it is somewhat surprising that the company would mention Ultra HD 4K phone displays this early. The 2K screens could debut as soon as Samsung's Galaxy S5, expected to be announced soon, though unfortunately there's no word from Sammy on that possibility quite yet. The future looks denseLate in 2013 Samsung revealed it hopes to have 4K displays on smartphones by 2015, though it may want to focus on the 2K hurdle before tackling resolutions of 3840 x 2160. As G for Games calculated, on a 5-inch display 3480 x 2160 equals a pixel density of roughly 820 ppi. With most phones running in the 300ppi-or-so resolution range, jumping to over 800 will take some technical savvy. Even 2K smartphone displays still little more than a glimmer in most manufacturers' eyes, it will likely be awhile before we learn about whatever advantages jamming so many pixels into so small a space can produce for the human eye. Samsung also discussed future TV plans at the event, mentioning AMOLED TVs with UHD SHD 7680 x 4320 screens. - Don't miss TechRadar's updated Google Glass review - how does Google's wearable stand up to weeks of continuous use?
       | | Blip: NFL says 'nuh uh' to mobile video streaming at the Super Bowl Jan 28th 2014, 20:16, by Lily Prasuethsut 
If you're braving the cold to watch the Broncos duke it out with the Seahawks for Super Bowl bragging rights, best keep your eyes glued to the field as there won't be any replays to watch in your stadium seat. The NFL is officially blocking all video streaming including its own NFL.com and Fox Sports live streaming. But have no fear - the ban means more bandwidth for the NFL app so you can still check stats, post football rage to Facebook and Twitter, and text. Huh, guess this was the NFL's intention all along. How thoughtful. More blips!Forget MetLife Stadium. You've got all the Wi-Fi you want at home, plus more blips.   | | Latest Apple patents reveal swappable iPhone camera lenses Jan 28th 2014, 19:10, by klee 
Apple has patented and created some strange, never-to-be-seen things in the past. Its latest creation? Swappable and clip-on lenses for the iPhone camera. According to Patently Apple, the US Patent and Trademark Office published 31 new patents filed by the smartphone maker. Out of this pile one of the more possible design dockets suggests Apple could add a magnetic ring mounting point for additional external lenses. This magnetic ring would allow users to attach an accessory with three swappable lenses on a pinwheel. The accessory might add a wide-angle adapter or a piece of glass for slightly zoomed-in portraits. Even a telephoto lens could stick out from the iPhone's backside. We've seen these add-on lens accessories before from multiple iPhone accessory makers, however we wouldn't put it past Apple to put its own spin on lenses, just as it jumped into cases and iPhone bumpers. Camera controlBeyond allowing users to attach different lenses, the magnetic ring could be charged with a small electric current to create a miniature magnetic field. The patent theorizes it could use magnetism to add optical image stabilization, autofocus and zoom features to external lenses. Autofocus is a must in the smartphone camera world and image stabilization has made it onto new handsets like the LG G2. However, adding lenses that zoom-in optically could bridge the gap between fixed focal length smartphone cameras and traditional pixel shooters. Modular cameras
In an older patent from 2010 touched on in today's report and authored by Richard Tsai, now Apple's senior camera engineer, future Apple iPhones could have customizable lenses and detachable backs. The new design could replace the traditional camera unit for a camera sensor with a removable back panel and optical components. The removable portion of the case includes the lens that could be swapped out for a different focal length or one with more features such zoom and image stabilization. As we've said before, smartphone cameras are getting better and handset makers are increasingly turning to snappers as a key differentiator. It's rumored the HTC M8 will employ a dual-sensor camera for better focusing, and the Samsung Galaxy S5 is said to kick things up with DSLR resolution at 16MP. Will Apple's patented tech make their way to future iPhones? Cupertino may be wise to consider it.        | | Samsung shipped one in three smartphones during 2013 Jan 28th 2014, 18:22, by Stu Robarts 
New figures from mobile analyst Juniper Research suggest that Samsung shipped over 300 million smartphones in 2013, over 30 per cent of all shipments. The figure represents a 40 per cent year-on-year-increase from 2012, despite a fall in quarterly shipments in the fourth quarter. The news comes against a backdrop of rumours that Samsung will cease to make notebooks next year and will roll-out a number of new tablets. Juniper estimates that total smartphone shipments in 2013 were 980 million, at rate of 39 per cent growth from 2012. It is estimated that shipments exceeded 280 million in the fourth quarter of 2013 alone. Prize fruitThe report also noted that Apple posted a record of 51 million iPhone sales during the fourth quarter in 2013, an increase of 51 per cent compared to the fourth quarter in 2012. In spite of this, Apple's share price dropped by 5% following lowered sales expectations for 2014. Elsewhere, it was reported that Nokia sold 30 million Lumia smartphones during 2013, over double the amount it sold in 2012. Meanwhile, LG posted a record quarter with quarterly smartphone sales exceeding 13 million for the first time. Lenovo, Huawei and ZTE all increased their share of the smartphone market with combined sales of over 40 million in the fourth quarter of 2013.        | | It's no KitKat, but AT&T HTC One X could get a rush from Android 4.2.2 tomorrow Jan 28th 2014, 17:39, by JR Bookwalter 
Sure, the latest flavor of Android might be old news for readers with the latest and greatest smartphones, but what about those flagship handsets from early last year? At least one of them may about to become more relevant this week. HTC One X owners on AT&T could finally get with the times as early as Wednesday, judging from a tweet sent Monday night by US-based HTC product manager. "HTC AT&T One X customers - We have received Technical Approval for the MR with Sense 5 + OS 4.2.2. The OTA is targeted for 1/29. Thanks!" reads the tweet from HTC Executive Director of Product Management Mohammed Versi. Indeed, HTC's own Software Updates web page confirms Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean "certification" has been accomplished for the One X, while Android 4.4 KitKat is still on deck for more recent HTC One models sold by AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. Push to customerManufacturers follow five stages for new Android software updates, moving from Evaluation to Development, Integration to Certification and finally, the all-important "Push to customer" as an over-the-air update. According to a report earlier today from CNET, an AT&T spokeswoman had "no comment" when asked if the carrier's HTC One X handsets will receive an OTA update come Wednesday. Guess we'll just have to wait and see. - KitKat, Schmidt-kat! Read our exhaustive review of the iPhone 5S!
  | | Intel's Jarvis will be faster than Siri because it works offline Jan 28th 2014, 16:52, by Kate Solomon 
Intel's funny wireless earpiece, known as Jarvis, will process your voice commands on device instead of using the internet and causing you to wait long, tedious seconds for your results. The problem with most voice recognition services is that they have to outsource the actual work of figuring out what you've said to a more powerful machine elsewhere, using the internet to transmit it. The time it takes to send your voice command off, process it and return the result is generally about the same amount of time it takes for you to get annoyed. CockerBut Intel says it has, with the help of an anonymous third party, created a processor/software combo powerful enough to translate the human voice but small enough to fit onto its Jarvis headset. That means that while Jarvis works better in tandem with an internet connection and a phone or a tablet, it can also function on its own. Intel is also trying to sell its small-but-mighty voice recognition tech to other companies, so we could soon see it popping up in other phones and tablets. - Will voice recognition be a big deal at MWC 2014? Here's what to expect
       | | T-Mobile bends over backwards for LG G Flex, offers a QWERTY phone to boot Jan 27th 2014, 18:56, by JR Bookwalter 
It seems like only yesterday we were reporting not one, but two US carriers as the first to offer LG's flexible new smartphone, which is now winging its way to contract-free customers on T-Mobile as well. T-Mobile announced online preorders for LG's latest Android flagship smartphone will be available in all of the company's online and retail channels starting February 5. Close on the heels of rivals Sprint and AT&T, the so-called "world's first curved, flexible" LG G Flex can be pre-ordered from T-Mobile's website for $0 down and 24 equal monthly payments of $28 when coupled with a Simple Choice plan. If being one of the first to acquire such a dexterous handset isn't enough for you, T-Mobile is sweetening the deal with six months of free Netflix streaming (a nearly $50 value), which should look quite sharp on the G Flex's curved six-inch OLED HD display. QWERTY's revengeIf a flexible smartphone isn't your thing, T-Mobile also announced an alternative option arriving the same date, resurrecting the tactile feel of real hardware keys - a particularly rare option on today's Android devices. The LG Optimus F3Q features a QWERTY keyboard that looks like it might have traveled through time to arrive in 2014, coupled with a modest QuickMemo-enabled, four-inch IPS TFT display and 5MP camera to match. Well-qualified hardware keyboard lovers will be able to wrap their fingers around the F3Q for $0 down and 24 equal monthly device payments of $13 for a grand total of $312, a questionable bargain compared to keyboard-less options such as the Moto G. T-Mobile isn't offering pre-orders for the LG Optimus F3Q, but it too will land at the carrier's online and brick-and-mortar retail locations starting February 5.   | |
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