Review TechRadar: Phone and communications news 02-17-2014

TechRadar: Phone and communications news TechRadar AU latest feeds

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HTC Desire 8 is coming - but at MWC or in China? Feb 17th 2014, 14:00, by Thomas Thorn It would appear that the HTC Desire 8 that broke free last week has been pretty much confirmed by HTC itself. We know that firms like to try and sneak in little details about upcoming announcements inside teasers such as screen shots, with HTC looking likely to have done just that on its Weibo (a Chinese version of Twitter) account. Pictures posted to the official account, and picked up by G for Games, not only seem to confirm the Desire 8 moniker but also an MWC release. The clue is in weather, shown for 24 February (the opening date of MWC 2014) albeit for Beijing rather than Barcelona. Made for China As the report points out, it is highly unlikely that HTC will run a separate event the other side of the world when everyone's eyes and ears will be on the Spanish capital. The Desire 8 could be a China-only device though, something that makes sense given the clamouring for larger screens in Asia. We hope that isn't the case with rumours of a 13MP rear and 5MP front camera wrapped in a reasonable price tag certainly giving enough reason to pay attention - the other alternative being that a smaller version will be release in Europe, although we've not heard as much on such a thing. HTC may also be hinting at more than just the pixel size of the front camera with a rough translation saying "I like to take pictures and I also like to show the essence of selfies". Suggestions are that this is a 'beautification' mode, although we'll wait until an official announcement before we put the salt away there. If an MWC announcement is on the cards you can guarantee we'll be there to bring you all the news. The Desire 8 might make an appearance but we don't expect to see the HTC One 2 there. Mystery Jakarta phone turns out to be BlackBerry Z3 Feb 17th 2014, 13:07, by Thomas Thorn 2014 could be the year BlackBerry tries to pull off one of the greatest tech comebacks of all time, with the Canadian firm looking to the budget market to help give it a nudge in the right direction. According to n4bb.com we could well have laid our eyes upon that budget device, although the Jakarta development name has been dropped for the less inspiring BlackBerry Z3 moniker. The renders suggest the Z3 will join the all-touch realms of the BlackBerry Z10 and Z30, despite CEO John Chen stating that we could be in line for more physical keyboards this year. Doing budget the right way? Unfortunately these kind of renders can be knocked up fairly easily and with no clear source provided we're taking them with a pinch of salt for now. Current rumors have the BlackBerry Z3 Jakarta as the Canadian firm's first proper budget device, with it tipped to include a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1.5GB RAM and rumored to retail at around $150 (about £90). The BlackBerry Z3 could pop its head up at MWC 2014 next week so check back as we'll be bringing you all the news as it happens. We could see the BB Z3, but what about these phones? Huawei hijacks Siri to steal the MWC show from 'Some Song' Feb 17th 2014, 13:00, by John McCann Hang on. What just happened? Huawei has launched a MWC 2014 teaser video starring - wait for it - an iPhone. Well it's not technically an iPhone (for legal reasons we're sure) - there's no home button for a start - but the Siri-esque interface and robotic voice tells you all you need to know. The video promises "a new tablet with a beautiful slim design" and a battery which provides "days of use" - and Huawei can't help but throw in a smart remark about the iPhone's small screen. Huawei also reveals it'll have "a new multimedia tablet" for the "ultimate entertainment experience" at the show - and from the brief glimpses we get of the slate it looks to have some HTC One style speaker grilles. The selfie phone Huawei will also have some new smartphones at MWC, and one is claimed to have "an amazing front camera" - perfect for those all important selfies. Finally, there will be another handset with support for the next-gen LTE advanced networks which are currently rolling out in parts of Asia. As a final dig Siri is asked if the devices are by "Fruit" or "Some song" (the answer is obviously Huawei) - but we want to know what happed to "Sore Knee" and "Elle Gee". Answers on a postcard please. YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKa1Lx3IJio What to expect at MWC 2014 Take 2: Sony Xperia Z2 bares all in new video Feb 17th 2014, 11:15, by Thomas Thorn It seems like the Sony Xperia Z2 just can't keep itself out of the pre-MWC 2014 limelight with a second video showing off the handset in all its glory. A much shorter video popped up only a few days ago, claiming to show the Sony Xperia Sirius D6503 in action, but this time round we get to see more of the handset. Both videos were published by Rimas Flyil, so we can't make any direct comparisons for authenticity, although there's a good chance that we're looking at the real thing. At the end it highlights just how far Sony has come in terms of fixing the viewing angles that we found to be particularly poor on the Xperia Z1. Design wise it appears little has changed from the Xperia Z1 with the standard Sony waterproofed ports all in order, including that microSD slot, but the speaker at the base is now three dots rather than a long bar fitting in with previously leaked photos. YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPeYgwhFn1M New OS, new UI Running Android 4.4.2 KitKat also means that Sony's UI has been tweaked and now takes a few hints from Samsung's TouchWiz; a simplified home mode as well as smart gestures that allow you to answer a call just by putting the phone to your face. The video also shows that the Xperia Z2 will come with the same 20.7MP camera that was present on both the Xperia Z1 and Z1 Compact and the camera app appears to have been given even more attention. This attention means fancy new modes; the much rumored 4K recording makes an appearance again, as does Motiongraph, which allows for the creation of GIFs as on the Galaxy S4. Background defocus will "take photos with beautiful background blur like a DSLR camera" while CamScanner claims to turn the Xperia Z2 into a mobile document scanner. We could be set to see the Sony Xperia Z2 debut at MWC 2014 next week, so keep your eyes peeled here for the full scoop. Latest HTC One 2 leak hints at camera boost Feb 17th 2014, 10:24, by John McCann Momentum is gathering behind the HTC One 2 as rumors continue to spill onto the web, and there's a range of new information coming to light about the Taiwanese firm's next flagship smartphone. The first set of details come via @HTCFamily_RU on Twitter - a currently unverified source of HTC leaks - and it claims the M8 will sport a 5MP main camera. This contradicts previous rumors which suggest HTC will stick with the same 4MP ultrapixel sensor from the One, but include two lenses on the rear of the One 2. The same feed also claims that the HTC M8 will not sport a fingerprint scanner, but will have a 4.7-inch full HD display - matching that of the One. We'd be surprised if the One 2 does rock up with the same screen as its predecessor, as other rumors suggest we're in for a 5-inch offering, so take all this with a heavy dose of salt. More Twitter whisperings Another unknown Twitter tipster is also having his say on the HTC One 2, with Shen Ye - a XDA Developers forum moderator - releasing apparent nuggets of information on the upcoming device. According to Shen the HTC One 2 will arrive in five colors (silver, dark grey, red, blue, gold) and sport both a microSD slot - something which was missed on the One - and nanoSIM support. The inclusion of nanoSIM would mean the One 2 would join a currently rather exclusive club of handsets comprising of the iPhone 5S, 5C, 5 and Moto X, and the smaller size could be a nod towards a slimmer, more compact design. As we've mentioned, these leakers don't have the pedigree of other tipsters, so we're remaining cautious about the information they are providing. Find out more on the HTC One 2 FutTv : 8n1zzi3B0O8D1 Exclusive: Hell for leather? Wallets 'will be unnecessary by 2016' Feb 17th 2014, 08:26, by Patrick Goss Get ready to say goodbye to your leather friend; PayPal has told TechRadar that we are still on track for a wallet-less shopping experience by 2016, at least if you choose to opt for mobile payments. PayPal's Rob Skinner believes that a bold claim made in 2011 by the payments giant - namely that we could choose to ditch our wallets inside five years - is still 'very much on track' as mobile payment steadily seeps into our everyday lives. "We will see a big change," insisted Skinner. "We said 2016 would be the year you no longer need a wallet to shop on the high street and I think that's still true. "We made that prediction at the end of 2011 and I still think that we are absolutely on target for that. "Of course there's a caveat that it didn't mean you wouldn't have a wallet, but that it was a choice and the places that you go to would take mobile payment - that was the fundamental point." Supermarket sweep Of course, we're not there yet, and consumers will have to make a major shift in their behaviour as well as the shops that we all use on a daily basis getting with the 21st Century. "The hold-outs tend to be traditional retailers - you wouldn't go hungry or thirsty because it's pretty straightforward to get a coffee or a pizza - but that net is growing," added Skinner. "Increasingly you'll be able to buy your wardrobe - clothes, not the wooden container. Supermarkets are not there yet but I don't think that's going to be that far away. "I don't know [which supermarket brand] will be the first but increasingly the retailers are getting used to apps and consumers doing so much more with them on mobile." Obviously we'll be sad to no longer have a dog-eared receipt graveyard in our pockets or bags but we're looking forward to seeing if PayPal's claim comes to fruition. Galaxy Note 4 could let you call mum by writing 'call mum' Feb 14th 2014, 16:24, by John McCann Sure, tapping, dragging or holding down an app icon on your smartphone's lockscreen may be handy, but it's apparently not good enough for Samsung. According to a patent application spotted at the US Patent and Trademark Office, Samsung has filed a feature which "verifies a user and executes applications via handwriting recognition." You can already unlock the Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Note 3 by scribbling your signature on the lockscreen, but with patent US 20140038557 A1 Samsung wants to use your handwriting to directly launch applications. Doodle to launch In accompanying images filed with the patent application, examples of how the feature may work are shown, with a S Pen stylus writing the phrase "Call mom" on the lockscreen, which in turn will jump you straight into the call. There's no guarantee that this feature will make it to the Galaxy Note 4, or even subsequent Note smartphones and tablets, but it's certainly something we'll be keeping an eye on. Before we get ahead of ourselves, let's see what the Samsung Galaxy S5 has in store for us Nokia Lumia 1320 promises UK an affordable 6-inch display Feb 14th 2014, 12:56, by John McCann The Nokia Lumia 1320 release date for the UK has been confirmed as February 24, and the Finnish firm promises it will arrive at an affordable price point. With a sizable 6-inch display the Lumia 1320 rubs shoulders with the biggest phones on the market including the HTC One Max, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Sony Xperia Z Ultra - although its 1280 x 720 resolution doesn't quite match up to its full HD rivals. That's not a problem though, as the Lumia 1320 won't cost nearly as much, and although Nokia was unable to reveal the price one online retailer has it pegged at £294.98 SIM-free. The Nokia Lumia 1320 also comes with a 1.7GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, microSD slot, 5MP rear camera and 0.3MP front facing snapper. Read our hands on Nokia Lumia 1320 review Budget BlackBerry leaks again as Jakarta presence grows Feb 14th 2014, 12:10, by John McCann The next BlackBerry smartphone looks set to be the Canadian firm's most affordable BB 10 blower to date, as specs leak out on the much rumoured BlackBerry Jakarta. There's been a lot of talk surrounding an influx of new BlackBerry devices, with Chinese manufacturer Foxconn claiming it'll be showing off several low-end smartphones at MWC 2014. What is BlackBerry 10? That low-end tag has been reinforced by a Geekbench result spotted by BerryReview, which pegs an unknown handset as running BlackBerry 10.2.1 and sporting a 1.2GHz (1.19, to be exact) dual-core processor and 1.5GB of RAM. The current baby of the BB10 range, the QWERTY keyboard toting BlackBerry Q5, also packs a 1.2GHz processor, but a more generous 2GB of RAM. Graphical trick An advantage that this mystery device does have over the Q5 though is the inclusion of an Adreno 305 GPU, which also beats the Adreno 225 graphics processor in the Q10 and Z10. TechRadar will be reporting live from MWC 2014 to bring you all the latest from the show, and we'll be keeping an eye out for anything from BlackBerry. What to expect at MWC 2014 Sony Xperia Z2 family photo leak reveals minor facelift Feb 14th 2014, 11:00, by John McCann With MWC 2014 fast approaching, rumours surrounding handsets tipped for launch at the Barcelona show continue to flow and the Sony Xperia Z2 is one of those in the running for a reveal. Fresh images have managed to worm their way onto the web via Digi-Wo, and the snaps claim to show the Xperia Z2 in its black and white guises, as well as lined up with its predecessors. In terms of looks there's little to choose between the Xperia Z2, Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z - the former of which is referred to as the Sony D6503 Sirius - its development codename. I wish I was a little bit taller In the images the Xperia Z2 appears to be slightly taller than its predecessors and it seems to come with almost no bezel either side of the display - apart, that is, from the rear case wrapping round the sides of the device. The unknown tipster who provided the images also claims that the Xperia Z2 release date is set for April, but there's no way to verify this information at the moment. We will be reporting live from the Sony press conference on February 24 at MWC, so stay tuned for all the latest from the Japanese firm. Here's what we know on the Sony Xperia Z2 so far

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