| Ready your eyes: Apple said to be tripling the iPhone 6 resolution May 14th 2014, 14:53, by Kate Solomon 
Apple's next iPhone was always likely to come with a bigger display than the 4-inch one found on the iPhone 5S and 5C, but it now looks as though with greater screen will come greater resolution. Insiders talking to 9to5Mac say that Apple has been testing a pixel-tripling mode for the next iPhone display. The would give the iPhone 6 a sharp 1704 x 960 display. The site has shown its workings thus: the current iPhones on the market have a base resolution of 568 x 320. To reach Retina display standard, the existing iPhones use pixel-doubling to give a resolution of 1136 x 640, but tripling that base pixellage gives the not-quite-full-HD 1704 x 960 resolution. There'll be a test at the endSo you'd still get the same aspect ratio (16x9) as on the iPhone 5S, but on a screen that is likely to be both taller and wider than the iPhone 5S and 5C's while still maintaining a pixel density that classifies it as Retina-ready. The site posits that, using the pixel-tripling math, a 4.7-inch and a 5.5-inch iPhone would come in at 416ppi and 355ppi respectively - both comfortably beating the iPhone 5S which rocks 326ppi. So what does this mean for iOS 8? 9to5Mac's sources say that core elements (home screen, notification center, settings) will appear larger on the bigger, denser iPhone 6 screen - others suggest that Apple and developers will revamp their apps and icons to fall in with the upgraded display before the device's launch. It's worth bearing in mind that Apple will be testing all kinds of displays and settings, so these pixel tripling experiments may come to naught. But it certainly makes sense that the company be increasing the display quality along with its size. We'll just have to wait until September to find out for sure.        |  | Mobility saves small businesses $67.5 billion each year May 14th 2014, 14:16, by Juan Martinez 
The time saved by small businesses that use mobile devices in their day-to-day activities is equivalent to $67.5 billion (about £40.2bn or au$71.8bn) a year, according to a study conducted by AT&T and the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. Smartphones save organizations the most time at 1.24 billion hours per year, which amounts to $32.3 billion (about £19.2bn or au$34.3bn). Ninety-four percent of small businesses report using smartphones to conduct business, up from 85% last year, according to the survey's findings. Forty-nine percent of small business employees are using their smartphones to conduct business seven days a week. Tablets have helped save small businesses an additional 754.2 million hours and $19.6 billion (about £11.7bn or au$20.9bn) a year. The increased usage of smartphones and tablets by small businesses has impacted data usage, with approximately one-third of small businesses reporting that their mobile data usage double over the past two years. Mobile apps save 599.5 million hours and $15.6 billion (about £9.3bn or au$16.6bn) a year, according to the study. More than half of small businesses use mobile applications, the majority of which estimate they save $500 (about £298 or au$532)a month by using the apps. The use of mobile apps by small businesses has increased by 65% the past two years. Seventy-seven percent of businesses that use mobile apps use three or more apps, the most common of which provide remote document access, travel planning, and banking/finance management. Mobile SMBsProductivity benefits gained by enabling remote and mobile working has been reported as worth potentially $7,000 (about £4,200 or au$7,497) annually for every staff member as a result of reduced printing costs and allowing businesses to make more efficient use of space. However, when asked, only 36% of British workers say they feel they would be just as productive working from home as they are in the office, while 23% think they would actually be able to get more done in their own home. The 2014 AT&T Small Business Technology Poll was conducted with 1,042 small businesses from 48 states and the District of Columbia. Small businesses were defined as having between one and 20 employees.        | | BlackBerry's got a new flagship on the horizon, but will anyone buy it? May 14th 2014, 10:36, by Hugh Langley 
BlackBerry has hinted at a number of new phones currently in development, including a potential high-end flagship handset. The roster of new phones will be made partly of all-touch handsets and partly of QWERTY keyboards. And sitting in there somewhere is a model that, according to BlackBerry CEO John Chen, is "flagship material." That could be the rumoured QWERTY-sporting BlackBerry Q30 Windemere or the Q20 BlackBerry Classic, which was announced back at this year's MWC ahead of a planned late-2014 launch. Using its smartsOh yeah, and if you thought BlackBerry might be about to pull another Playbook and jump on the wearables bandwagon, it's not. Chen said that a BlackBerry smartwatch isn't on the horizon, nor any other sort of wearable tech. Finally, some wise decision-making from the 'Berry.        | | Exclusive: Revealed: the reason the OnePlus One is so cheap May 14th 2014, 09:44, by Gareth Beavis 
OnePlus CEO Peter Lau has revealed to TechRadar how the company is able to offer its flagship handset, which comes with similar specs to the current high end smartphones, for nearly half the price. The OnePlus One has raised eyebrows as early previews have shown it to be an accomplished handset while costing under half that of its spec rivals, with the new OnePlus handset offering a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset, Sony camera and a strong screen. Lau explained that the company was taking a different approach to marketing and a more relaxed approach to profits in the short term: "We are selling the phone at cost. We are able to do that by redistributing our costs to better benefit the user," he said. Phone focus"Rather than put money towards a large marketing budget, we are focusing on online marketing and community interaction. Rather than working with retail partners, we rely on selling the device online." The move is a brave and risky one for a new company, as it could see the new phone sink without a trace with no marketing push to keep it in the public eye. Even early positivity could quickly drop with no retailers offering the phone at key points in the product cycle, and it will be interesting to see how the brand takes on this challenge. Read more in TechRadar's exclusive interview with OnePlus CEO later today, where you'll find out how many phones the brand will be bringing later this year and Lau's original vision for the One.        | | iOS 8 set to bring HD audio support as Beats rumours swirl May 14th 2014, 08:41, by Hugh Langley 
The pieces of the iOS 8 jigsaw are coming together, and the latest rumour is that Apple will usher in HD audio playback with its next big software update. Japanese website MacOtakara reckons Apple is preparing high-definition audio playback for the next iOS, which is set to debut at WWDC in June. This will also mean new versions of its in-ear headphones and lightning cable for iPhones and iPads, according to the source. Sound of musicThis news is particularly interesting amid speculation that Apple is set to acquire headphone-maker Beats Electronics and its music streaming service. The deal hasn't been confirmed (or has it, Dre?) but there's a good chance Apple is waiting until the June event to make the announcement. iTunes is also rumoured to be getting a significant overhaul soon. To sum up, it sounds as though WWDC could be very much about pushing music to the forefront again. - There's plenty more to expect in iOS 8
       | | Updated: Best Optus phone: 5 we recommend May 14th 2014, 06:25, by TechRadar 
There are plenty of reasons to be an Optus customer at the moment. Not only is the telco building out its new 1800MHz 4G network, but it's tier-jumping plans give you better control of your mobile spending. The Optus handset range is a curious mixture of old and new. There is the best and brightest from the big names, most of which are listed below; plus a couple of surprises too. HTC One M8
Following up the original HTC One can't have been an easy task, but the HTC One M8 keeps all the best bits and manages to re-invents things enough to make it one of our most recommended smartphones on the market right now. The design is still spectacular, one that Apple and LG will have an interesting time competing against, and the Snapdragon 801 processor boosts the battery life dramatically. If we were to look really hard to point at a fault, it would be that the camera hasn't been given a huge upgrade, but it is still one of the best you'll find on a smartphone. But with the new processor and some clever innards, you'll be hard pressed to not want this phone once you've had the opportunity to hold it for yourself. Apple iPhone 5S
Is it fair to describe the iPhone as an "oldie but a goodie"? After talking about the iPhone for as many years as we have, it is the first thing to pop into our heads. Of course, the iPhone 5 is the latest and greatest in Apple's arsenal, and is among the best phones in the Optus catalogue. It sports a much more powerful processor than the iPhone 5, excellent camera and new Touch ID, with iOS 7 bringing lots of new flavour to the somewhat tired OS. Keep in mind though that the iPhone 6 will likely be coming out in a few months time. If you want an iPhone, we recommend you holding off till then, because even if the iPhone 6 ends up being out of your wallet's range, the 5S will see a significant price drop. Then there's also the iPhone 5C to consider, if you're after something cheaper, more colourful, but not as powerful. Samsung Galaxy S5
There's been much hype about the new Galaxy flagship, and rightly so. With bumped up specs and a stunning 5.1 screen, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is all topped off with water- and dust-proofing. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 CPU processor also helps keeps things ticking, pushing the S5 to beat the HTC M8 in battery life benchmarks. The improved hardware comes with a better camera, fingerprint scanner and heart rate monitor too, though this last one feels more gimmicky than useful - but fits in well with the Galaxy Gear Fit. The S5 is a reasonable step up from the Galaxy S4, but not by leaps and bounds, so you're after something cheaper, you could always stick with last year's model. Still, if you're happy in the Samsung family and the slightly-overbearing UI, this spill-proof handset is a solid buy. Sony Xperia Z2
Despite releasing two iterations of the Xperia Z last year, Sony has come out swinging this year with the impressive Xperia Z2. It might look a little heavy in the hand, but the design still feels premium and surprisingly lighter than it looks. And with its good looks, it proves to be more robust than Samsung's spill-proof Galaxy S5, touting a rating of IP58. This great all-rounder does everything its top-end competitors do, but improves on its own predecessors with a new screen, sturdy and speedy hardware and 4K video recording. Just be careful all the handset's slots are closed before dunking it in a swimming pool. LG G2
It may be a surprise to see LG on our list, but there's a lot to recommend the LG G2, and at an extremely affordable price point, Optus has the phone on offer for $0 monthly repayments on most of its plans. The only things that we disliked about this handset is the cluttered UI (pull down the notifications bar and you'll see why), and with the plastic casing, it doesn't have the premium feel the HTC One M8 or iPhone 5S. But launching at an affordable price point is a really nice touch from LG, especially considering the decent specs it comes boasting.        | | Nexus 6 and Nexus 8 mentions unearthed in Google code May 13th 2014, 22:21, by Michael Rougeau 
Two sharp-eyed code divers have found references to the Nexus 6 smartphone and Nexus 8 tablet buried deep in an unexpected place: code for Google's Chromium browser. Florian Kiersch and Carsten Knobloch found the names in the Chromium code review tracker as long ago as two weeks. According to XDA Developers, the reference to the Nexus 8 was actually removed two weeks ago and replaced with "Nexus 6," though the site also says the phrase is incidental to the code in which it was found. In other words, the purpose of the references is shrouded in mystery, but it may indicate that these are the official names of Google's next Nexus gadgets. The Nexus stepThe Nexus 6 is thought to be a possibly 6-inch flagship phone produced by LG - a stripped down LG G3, some say. The Nexus 8, on the other hand, could be an HTC- or Asus-built 8-inch tablet that's a slight upgrade over the Nexus 7. Some expected it to arrive in April, though that obviously fell through. Both may have been recently glimpsed in the Chromium issue tracker under the names "Molly" and "Flounder," respectively, though it's impossible to know for sure exactly what those referred to. The point is Google's next Nexus devices are almost here, and all signs indicate that Google will have a double whammy up its sleeve this time around. Hopefully we'll learn more this summer, even as early as June's Google IO.        | | LG Lifeband Touch, Heart Rate Earphones coming May 18 to Best Buy May 13th 2014, 17:46, by JR Bookwalter 
Summer is just around the corner, and LG is celebrating with the Best Buy-exclusive release of a new fitness wearable and a pair of earphones capable of measuring the listener's heart rate. LG Electronics USA today announced the US availability of two new fitness products, which are headed exclusively to select Best Buy stores this Sunday, May 18. Priced at $149.99, the LG Lifeband Touch works in conjunction with a free LG Fitness app for iOS or Android, offering easy access to a variety of fitness data from a touch-enabled OLED display. The apps offer more comprehensive summaries and breakdowns of workouts and personal goals for Lifeband Touch owners, along with caller ID for incoming phone calls, text messages and the ability to control music playback from a connected smartphone. Fitness frenzyAlso available Sunday for $179.99, the LG Heart Rate Earphones offer a strap-free headset and provide real-time heart rate data with a sensor located inside the earphones themselves. The free LG Fitness app is available now from the App Store and compatible with iPhone and iPod touch devices running iOS 6 or later; the Google Play version is compatible with Android 4.3 or higher (Android 4.2 for LG G2 and Galaxy S4 only). LG is also allowing Lifeband Touch owners to use the fitness app of their choice, with built-in compatibility for the most popular titles already available. Preorders for both wearable devices are available today from the Best Buy website, and LG will also begin offering them from Fry's, HHGregg and Newegg starting in mid-June.        | | Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime release date tipped for mid-June May 13th 2014, 17:02, by JR Bookwalter 
Rumors about the latest handsets from LG and Samsung have been leapfrogging each other for weeks now, but a new report claims the two flagship handsets may be headed toward a collision course next month. Naver.com (via The Droid Guy) caught wind of a potential Galaxy S5 Prime release date. The S5 Prime is the Samsung's purported attempt to one-up its own flagship Galaxy S5 with an even more high-end model. Shunning rumors of inventory being in short supply, the latest scuttlebutt out of Korea claims the 5.2-inch S5 Prime will launch simultaneously on all three major wireless carriers in Samsung's home country "as early as the middle of next month." Along with launch availability from SK Telecom, KT and LG U+ comes a target retail price of KRW 900,000 (about $880, £523, AU$940), although the luxurious handset is expected to fall to a more affordable $700 (about £416, AU$748) after pre-release discounts. Primed for plastic?Those details aside, prospective Galaxy S5 Prime owners may have a bigger hurdle ahead of them with the possibility the high-end device might be exclusive to Asian markets until supply catches up with potential North American and European demand. There's also the matter of what Samsung will use for the outer shell of the S5 Prime, which has been rumored to adopt a metal chassis instead of the plastic frame that faced some critical scorn on the Galaxy S5. Regardless, Samsung is expected to pack a pixel-dense 2560 x 1440 display into the Galaxy S5 Prime powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor, 3GB RAM and a hearty 3,000mAh battery. The Prime is also said to include Android 4.4.3 KitKat, LTE-Advanced connectivity, a built-in heart rate monitor, fingerprint scanner and 16MP rear-facing camera, so all it's really missing is a firm release date.        | | Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime tipped for mid-June release May 13th 2014, 17:02, by JR Bookwalter
Rumors about the latest handsets from LG and Samsung have been leapfrogging each other for weeks now, but a new report claims the two flagship handsets may be headed toward a collision course next month. Naver.com (via The Droid Guy) caught wind of a potential release date for the Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime, the Korean manufacturer's purported attempt to one-up its own flagship Galaxy S5 with an even more high-end model. Shunning rumors of inventory being in short supply, the latest scuttlebutt out of Korea claims the 5.2-inch S5 Prime will launch simultaneously on all three major wireless carriers in Samsung's home country "as early as the middle of next month." Along with launch availability from SK Telecom, KT and LG U+ comes a target retail price of KRW 900,000 (about AU$940), although the luxurious handset is expected to fall to a more affordable AU$750 after pre-release discounts. Primed for plastic?Those details aside, prospective Galaxy S5 Prime owners may have a bigger hurdle ahead of them with the possibility the high-end device might be exclusive to Asian markets until supply catches up with potential demand around the world. There's also the matter of what Samsung will use for the outer shell of the S5 Prime, which has been rumored to adopt a metal chassis instead of the plastic frame that faced some critical scorn on the Galaxy S5. Regardless, Samsung is expected to pack a pixel-dense 2560 x 1440 display into the Galaxy S5 Prime powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor, 3GB RAM and a hearty 3000mAh battery. The Prime is also said to include Android 4.4.3 KitKat, LTE-Advanced connectivity, a built-in heart rate monitor, fingerprint scanner and 16MP rear-facing camera, so all it's really missing is a firm release date.   | | Updated: Motorola Moto E launches as super cheap smartphone May 13th 2014, 08:30, by John McCann 
Motorola has officially launched the low-cost Moto E at a special event in London, as the now Lenovo-owned firm looks to dominate the budget market. Instead of replacing the excellent Moto G, the Motorola Moto E falls in below and thus becomes the firm's new entry level device. The Moto E arrives with a 4.3-inch, 960 x 540 256ppi display, 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 processor, 1GB of RAM, microSD slot, 1980mAh battery and Android 4.4 KitKat. That resolution might seem to be a little on the low side, but is claimed to be 'best in class' by Motorola, which makes sense when compared with the rest of the similarly-priced phones around. Death of the selfieRound the back you'll find a 5MP camera, like on the Moto G, but there's no front facing snapper here, which might mean that the selfie trend could begin to die a death for the younger generation who can afford this phone. The screen is also protected by Gorilla Glass and comes as 'splash resistant' - without a definitive IP rating, we'll assume this isn't in the same class as the Samsung Galaxy S5 or Sony Xperia Z2, but will probably happily motor on while it's pouring down with rain. 
And for those that like to keep things fresh you can use the new Motorola Shells to change the colour of your Moto E, making it all lovely and personal. Harking back to the days of the Nokia 3310, jumpers for goalposts, what-ho! lashings of top quality string. While pricing and availability hasn't been revealed for Australia, in the US, it'll retail for $129 (about AU$138) outright via Motorola.com.   | | Moto G with 4G official, gets a microSD slot to boot May 13th 2014, 08:20, by Kate Solomon 
While busily announcing the new Moto E, Motorola has also seen fit to unveil an update to its much-loved Moto G handset: it's giving it 4G smarts. The device is much the same as the original Moto G, but with the addition of a microSD slot and the new 4G connection topping things off nicely. Bloatware haters will be pleased to hear it's coming with Android KitKat and no extra bells or whistles, while the colour options for the front are black or white. The Moto G 4G will launch in "the coming weeks" globally with a price-tag of US$219 (about AU$270), but no firm Aussie date or pricing has yet been revealed. The 3G version has been on sale for just under $250 in Australia since January 21.   | |
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