| HTC opens up Zoe app to some rival Android phones Aug 14th 2014, 16:00, by John McCann 
We knew it was on its way, and now HTC has confirmed that the beta version of its Zoe app is now available on Google Play for a selection of rival Android handsets running KitKat. Previously reserved for select HTC smartphones, the Taiwanese firm has decided to share the love, allowing Android owners to create their own video stories by combining photos and videos and sharing them easily with others via various social channels. The Zoe functionality first arrived with the HTC One, but the service has developed since then with HTC streamlining the UI and adding more themes and music for you to play with. Only the startThis is just the start for HTC though, as reports claim the firm has a 260-people-strong unit called HTC Creative Labs, which is working to develop apps for other Android phones. If you fancy making your own Zoe highlights video then head over to Google Play and download the free Zoe (Beta) app. The app is expected to come out of beta later this year, with version 1.0 scheduled for "the fall." Currently though you'll need one of the following handsets to use the Zoe (Beta) application; Nexus 5, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S4, Galaxy S5, LG G2, G3 or any of the HTC One Android 4.4 range.        |  | 84.7% of all global smartphone shipments feature the Android platform Aug 14th 2014, 15:22, by Juan Martinez 
Android-powered smartphones made up 84.7% of all global smartphone shipments during the second quarter of 2014, according to IDC. Of the 301.3 million smartphones shipped during Q2, 255.3 devices featured the Android platform. Global smartphone shipments increased 24.3% compared with the same quarter last year. This represents the largest quarterly volume of smartphone shipments in history. Samsung benefited most from the increase in device shipments. The South Korean smartphone manufacturer accounted for 29.3% of all Android-powered shipments during the quarter. Although this figure represents the largest market share for any manufacturer, it is an 11.7% decrease for Samsung compared with 2012. Other notable Android-powered device manufacturers include Coolpad, Huawei, Lenovo, LG, Xiaomi, and ZTE. What about Apple?iOS-powered smartphones accounted for 11.7% of all global shipments during the quarter (or roughly 35.2 million devices). This figure represents a decrease in market share for Apple, which held 13% of the market share in Q2 of 2013. Apple, however, is expected to benefit from the Q3 release of the iPhone 6, which is expected to become generally available on September 9. Windows Phone was the third most-shipped operating system during the quarter. Roughly 2.5% of all devices (or 7.1 million) were powered by the Windows Phone operating system. Blackberry's market share continued to tumble, down to 0.5% compared with 2.8% last year. The platform, once the predominant smartphone operating system on the market, was only shipped on 1.5 million devices this quarter, compared with 6.7 million devices during the same quarter last year.        | | Has the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 just been outed with QHD display? Aug 14th 2014, 12:14, by James Rogerson 
With Samsung expected to launch the Galaxy Note 4 less than a month from now on September 3 it's about time some detailed specs started leaking out and that's just what we've got today. This latest specs leak was posted on Indonesian site erafone and lists it as having a 5.7-inch 1440 x 2560 Super AMOLED display, which matches earlier rumours and leads to a pixel density of an impressively crisp 515 pixels per inch. Under the hood there are two different processors listed, a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805 and an octa-core Exynos 5433 with four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.3GHz and four Cortex-A57 cores with no clock speed listed. Obviously that suggests there are two different versions of the handset, which isn't unusual for Samsung and also fits with some previous rumours. Record RAMThe listing goes on to say that the Galaxy Note 4 will have 4GB of RAM, which would be an Android first and that it will have a 16MP camera with optical image stabilisation and a dual-LED flash. Storage comes in a choice of 16GB, 32GB or 64GB along with a microSD card slot which supports cards of up to 128GB and the Galaxy Note 4 apparently runs Android 4.4.3 KitKat. 
What isn't mentioned is the device's dimensions or the size of its battery and while an image is included it looks an awful lot like a photo of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, so there are still things we don't know and as always you should take what has been revealed with a pinch of salt. One other little detail that is included is the price, which is listed at IDR 9,499,000 (or around £490, $810, AU$870). Once you slap tax and the like on it though we'll probably be looking at well over £500 in the UK, which is what we'd expect. Unfortunately if you're thinking of importing it from Indonesia you can't, as unsurprisingly it's out of stock.        | | One country just approved two versions of the iPhone 6 Aug 13th 2014, 20:34, by klee 
The stage is set for an iPhone 6 reveal between a big Apple event rumored for September 9 and news that the new handset is one step away from mass production. Now Thailand is getting pre-iPhone 6 jitters. The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) in the country (equivalent to the US' FCC) has approved the sale of two new iPhone models. The commission's Secretary General Takorn Tantasith confirmed in a tweet the country has approved sale of the iPhone 6. Meanwhile local news sources pointed out the newly added model numbers are A1524 and A1586. Seeing as the Thailand Apple Store already stocks every smartphone Cupertino has cooked up, it's somewhat safe to assume that these two model numbers could be representative of two new iPhone 6 units. The iPhone 6 has been long rumored to arrive in two larger skews - a 4.7-inch variant as well as a bigger 5.5-inch model. Golden numbers9to5 Mac reports the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C were introduced in Thailand in October 2013, a month after their September launch. So if the unknown handsets are truly iPhone 6 models it could mean Apple is spearheading a larger worldwide release. At the same time it's entirely possible these two new handsets could be variants of the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C with updated internals reserved for smaller markets. Though, of course, there's no denying the iPhone 6 mention in the NBTC Secretary General's tweet. This year we could see the most radically different smartphone Apple has ever made if the rumors are to be believed. Aside from the larger and varying screen size increase, the iPhone 6 has been said to feature a tougher sapphire glass display and thinner construction matching the iPad Air.        | | AT&T wants to give you $200 to buy an iPhone and iPad Aug 13th 2014, 19:21, by Juan Martinez -470-75.JPG)
AT&T is willing to offer you a $200 discount on an iPad if you are willing to sign a two-year iPad contract and buy a new fully-priced iPhone. The move, which is open to in-store customers only, is AT&T's attempt to capture some of the tablet market from Verizon and T-Mobile. For customers looking to purchase an iPhone 5C or iPhone 5S before the iPhone 6 launches next month, the promotion allows you to activate an iPad with a two-year AT&T Mobile Share Value plan. You can also use the promotion to purchase a 16GB iPad Mini for only $200, a $230 discount. Last quarter, Verizon added roughly 1.12 million tablet customers. T-Mobile added 329,000 tablets, and AT&T added 366,000, a decrease of 398,000 compared with the prior year. AT&T's promotion also stands to benefit Apple, which witnessed iPad sales decrease 9% last quarter to 13.3 million. Don't discount AT&T's discountsAT&T is not above offering steep discounts to lure you away from its competitors. In December of last year, AT&T launched the Mobile Share Value plan, which offered a savings of $15 per month for each smartphone line. New and existing customers were given the option to purchase "No Annual Service Contract" smartphone plans starting at $45 per month with unlimited talk and text and 300MB of data. The same month, AT&T also tried to convert T-Mobile customers with a pair of incentives worth up to $450.        | | iPhone 6 said to be one step away from mass production Aug 13th 2014, 18:06, by Michael Rougeau 
The saga of the iPhone 6 has been fraught with rumors of delays thanks to alleged problems ranging from sapphire shortages to battery woes. But those problems are over, according to G for Games. The new iPhone is now in its Product Validation Test (PVT) phase, which means it's just about ready for mass production, the site says, citing information found on Chinese social network Weibo. Based on everything we've heard about a September iPhone 6 release date this would put the iPhone 6 right on schedule. Standardized testingThe info supposedly comes from sources within iPhone manufacturer Foxconn, where the production lines should be operating at full speed for testing purposes during the PVT phase. It was posted by Xiang Ligang, a former professor at the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications and current CEO of the Chinese publication "CCTIMES," or China Communication Technology Information Management Engine. The PVT phase means the factory will produce a small batch of new iPhones, the assembly line will be adjusted if necessary, and finally full production will begin. The iPhone 6 has already been rumored to be in mass production, but it's possible that some sources mistook the PVT phase for the assembly lines running at full throttle.        | |
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