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Micromax : Nothing like getting arrested?

Two owners of the popular mobile phone company Micromax mobile have been arrested in a bribery case in New Delhi. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) caught the company bosses amidst a Rs 30 lakh bribe to the engineers of North Delhi Municipal Corporation for clearance to a banquet hall construction. Incidentally the whole scenario has nothing to do with the Micromax Mobile division, but since the owners were involved the company has come into dark waters.

The CBI on Wednesday arrested Rajesh Agrawal and Manish Tuli, both of Micromax Informatics, the officers also arrested two junior officials of the municipal corporation and carried out a total of 15 searches between MCD offices and Micromax owner residences and has recovered Rs 40 lakh in cash from the premises of one junior engineer Kapil Dev. Vikas Jain, co-founder and business director of Micromax, declined immediate comment on the matter. The Gurgaon-based company is the 12th largest mobile handset maker in the world, according to its website.

Micromax had recently launched the Micromax Canvas 4 and is ready to launch two new handsets in the next 45 days according to co-founder Vikas Jain. This will not affect the company’s operations in any form – said another spokesperson.

August 8, 2013
Android Occupies Nearly 80% of Smartphone Market, iOS 13%

Apple’s iOS is losing ground to Android when it comes to smartphone operating system market share, according to a new report from research firm IDC. Apple’s share of worldwide smartphone shipments dropped to 13.2% during the second quarter of 2013, while Android climbed to 79.3%.

The loss in market share is of course attributed to the lack of new product launches during the three month period, as was the case with IDC’s report on tablet market share earlier this week. But it’s also losing ground to both Android and Windows Phone, both of which increased market share and shipments year-over-year during Q2.

“The iOS decline in the second quarter aligns with the cyclicality of iPhone,” says Ramon Llamas, Research Manager with IDC’s Mobile Phone team. “Without a new product launch since the debut of the iPhone 5 nearly a year ago, Apple’s market share was vulnerable to product launches from the competition. But with a new iPhone and revamped iOS coming out later this year, Apple is well-positioned to re-capture market share.”

Available on a growing range of Nokia and HTC devices, Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 operating system was launched late last year and has continued to make third place its own, while BlackBerry continues to fall. Windows comes in at 3.7% during the second quarter of 2013, up 77.6% from its 3.1% share during Q2 2012.

[Via]

August 7, 2013
LG G2 Announced : Snapdragon 800, 5.2-inch Full HD Display, Rear Volume Controls

LG announced the followup to the Optimus G today, bringing a brand new design, a massive specs sheet and rear volume controls that promise a refined, mature Android experience.

The LG G2 intends to approach smartphone design slightly differently, by being ensuring that all of the buttons are located on the rear of the device, which would mean this is the first smartphone in the market to lack any side buttons at all. The idea for a Rear Key concept arrived after LG noticed that users found it more difficult to access the side keys properly the larger a handset is.

A spacious, 5.2-inch IPS LCD display with an amazingly thin bezel graces the front of the LG G2. Its resolution of 1080 by 1920 pixels ensures that everything on it will look nice and sharp, especially knowing that a standard RGB sub-pixel arrangement has been implemented. The screen panel will be countering the sun’s rays with 450 nits of maximum brightness output.

This is the first device announced to carry a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor (with 2GB of RAM), which will have four Krait 400 cores clocked at 2.26Ghz and the company’s new Adreno 330 GPU clocked at 500Mhz. This SoC is a huge upgrade over the Snapdragon 600, and should allow for next-generation 3D gaming (when it arrives).

Storage on the general model is 32GB with a microSD card slot included for further expansion, while LG has opted to switch to nano-SIM for its latest handset, following a trend set by Apple and recently supported by Asus and Motorola.

The LG G2 has a 13-megapixel shooter at the back with Optical Image Stabilization and a front-facing 2.1-megapixel camera, a 3,000mAh battery and Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 Jelly Bean right out of the box. The LG G2 will be the first commercially available handset with support for 24bit, 192kHz audio output.

Following the global launch event in New York City on August 7, the LG says the G2 will be rolled out globally in over 130 countries in the next eight weeks starting in South Korea followed by North America, Europe and other key markets. Specific dates for market availability will vary by region. No word on pricing for the Indian region yet!

LG also uploaded a bunch of LG G2 related videos on their YouTube account, which can be viewed below.

[youtube id=”6-5DrKdyM8c” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

[youtube id=”QdBpmfk56UQ” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

[youtube id=”zqmQ1A22nIQ” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

August 7, 2013
Blue HTC One Emerges In Leaked Press Shot

After being released initially in silver and subsequently in black and red in the UK, HTC is poised to add a blue variant to its One flagship.

According to evleaks, the HTC One will be made available in blue sometime in the future, though it’s uncertain for which market it is intended. With the launch of the Moto X and Nokia’s proliferating colour choice through its product lineup, OEMs are taking to less obvious colour schemes as a way to differentiate themselves.

It’s unlikely that India will see this variant, but we can always hope.

The HTC One was launched with a 4.7-inch screen, a quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal memory, 4MP UltraPixel camera on the back, and front camera for making video calls.

HTC is busy promoting its next device, which is expected to be the One Max, on Twitter. The company posted a teaser video on Tuesday, suggesting something big is arriving.

The new video was tagged as ‘Big Things Ahead’ and showed a person with an HTC device (which we believe is the HTC One Max) that featured the same design as that of the HTC One.

[Via]

August 7, 2013
Canon’s New Tiny Video Camera Is For Filming Yourself Doing.. Whatever

The Canon’s Vixia Mini is a Wi-Fi enabled camcorder that is said to be designed to help you document your everyday life in more detail than has ever been possible.

We believe VIXIA mini will be different from any old Flip camera you’ve got tucked away in a drawer somewhere. It is said that the $300 VIXIA Mini weighs just about 158 g and is slim enough that you can tuck it away in your pocket until it’s time for action.

Canon’s idea is that you can carry the Vixia Mini around with you wherever you go and then when the moment is right, the camera will be there for you. You can pop-out the built-in legs and the 2.7-inch touchscreen and hit record. The screen tilts 170 degrees so you can look at yourself while you’re doing whatever it is that you thought important enough to record. The built-in Wi-Fi allows you to control the Vixia Mini remotely via a smartphone app, and also transfer the 1920 x 1080 mp4 videos (or 12.8 megapixel stills) to other Wi-Fi devices.

VIXIA mini gives you the power to create images with spectacular depth, detail and emotional resonance. The 12.8 Megapixel High-Sensitivity CMOS sensor works in concert with Canon’s DIGIC DV 4 Image Processor to create the renowned Canon HS SYSTEM. We think with the Canon HS SYSTEM, you will experience excellent tracking performance even in low light. The Canon HS SYSTEM lets you capture clearer images with reduced noise and blur in a variety of situations for incredible video and photos.

VIXIA also have Interval Recording which we believe will give you and the viewers a fascinating look at slow-moving changes. VIXIA records still images or half-second video clips at intervals you determine (5, 10 or 30 seconds; 1 or 10 minutes), with playback in flip-book style. This mode can be perfect for recording plant growth, cloud movement, tidal changes, light effects from dawn to sunset and so much more.

[toggle title=”Press Release”]The New VIXIA mini Compact Personal Camcorder Features an Ultra Wide-Angle Lens, Full HD Video, Vari-Angle LCD Monitor and Slim Ultra-Compact Body with Built-in Stand, and Allows for Convenient Hands-Free Shooting with built-in Wi-Fi

Melville, N.Y., July 31, 2013 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced the new VIXIA mini compact personal camcorder. The creatively designed VIXIA mini personal camcorder allows shooters to easily record their hobbies, special interests and memorable moments hands-free, and then share those videos and images on their favorite social networking sites or their own blogs via built-in Wi-Fi or via the free Canon Movie Uploader app*.

The VIXIA mini compact personal camcorder features an ultra wide-angle Canon f/2.8 fisheye lens (160 degree movies / 170 degree photos) allowing a user to shoot from unique and creative perspectives while including their surroundings to make their videos and images more interesting. By utilizing the Wide Mode users can give the viewer a full view of their surroundings and then switch to Close-Up Mode to provide emphasis on a particular subject. While in Close-up Mode, users can record a centered 1920 x 1440 resolution image with little distortion. They can also quickly toggle from one shooting mode to the other, or switch back and forth between video and image mode, by touching the camcorder’s innovatively designed 2.7-inch capacitive-tilt touch panel LCD display. Attached to the camera by two parallel hinges, the Vari-Angle LCD monitor allows for various shooting styles, including low-angle shooting, normal and high-angle-shooting and self-shooting.

In addition, the camcorder’s 12.8 Megapixel High-Sensitivity CMOS image sensor combined with the Canon DIGIC DV4 Image Processor creates the Canon HS SYSTEM, allowing shooters to capture and record stunning Full HD video in MP4 format as well as jpeg still images to a removable microSD card, all in the exceptional image quality standard that the Canon line of VIXIA camcorders are known for. The camcorder’s video image quality is further enhanced with the use of a Mechanical Shutter for the recording of moving subjects with little distortion. Beyond delivering high-quality video, the VIXIA mini compact personal camcorder also records high-quality audio thanks to its built-in stereo microphone. By using Audio Scene Select modes, users can choose an audio scene that matches their surroundings such as music or speech or even suppressing road noise.

“The new VIXIA mini compact personal camcorder marks the birth of an innovative video camera designed specifically for the social media savvy user,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A. “This uniquely styled compact personal camcorder allows users to shoot, view and share videos and photos of themselves enjoying their hobbies or special occasions with family and friends.”

Tools to Become the Star
The Canon VIXIA mini compact personal camcorder comes with a feature set that puts the user in the driver seat, expanding their creativity, allowing them to not only be the director of their videos or images, but also the star. Mirror Image Recording/Playback lets users view the scene they are recording in real time so they can watch as they record. So whether they are shooting their latest blog post about cooking a favorite Italian culinary delight, or filming a practice golf swing to help perfect their back stroke, the VIXIA mini compact personal camcorder is a versatile and convenient tool.

New Special Scene Modes such as Food & Fashion, Sports, and Macro provide users with advanced presets to help capture impressive images even under difficult shooting conditions to prevent over/under exposure. For those looking to shoot in a fun and unique perspective, the camcorder’s Slow Motion or Fast Motion modes provide imaging effects that allow creativity in controlling space and time. Slow Motion allows shooting video at a choice of two slow motion speeds – 1/4x (VGA) and 1/2x (720p) allowing viewers to easily see and closely examine video of dancers or other fast moving subjects. Fast Motion allows shooting at two fast motion speeds – 4x and 2x – ideal for speeding up footage of cooking, makeup, nail art, etc.

The camcorder’s Smart Auto Mode allows the beginning user to capture those spontaneous moments with a touch of the screen. Smart Auto intelligently selects one of 38 predefined situations to give outstanding video and still image output.

The VIXIA mini compact personal camcorder comes with a built-in adjustable stand allowing users to tilt and elevate it up to approximately 60 degrees providing a new way to record video hands-free, and the camcorder’s tripod socket also allows for flexible positioning of the device. And an automatic lens cover helps protect against scratches and dust when the camera is not in use.

Advanced Connectivity to Help Users Share Their World
Once a user has recorded their video blog, or a day at the park with the kids, it’s time to share the video or images with friends, family and fans. The VIXIA mini compact personal camcorder comes with built-in Wi-Fi allowing users to quickly share their video and photos to social networking sites like YouTube and Facebook, or they can be sent directly to their PC. A user can also upload their video or still images taken with the VIXIA mini compact personal camcorder from virtually anywhere by downloading the free Canon Movie Uploader app onto their iOS supported device.*

The Live Streaming feature allows for users to view and record on their iOS or Android device when they download the free Canon CameraAccess2 App**.The Canon CameraAccess2 App is available for download on both iOS and Android supported smartphones and tablets. The Live Streaming feature also allows a user to control the VIXIA mini compact personal camcorder from remote locations.

Pricing & Availability
The VIXIA mini compact personal camcorder will be available in black and white and is scheduled to be available September 2013 for an estimated retail price of $299.99.1 An optional VIXIA mini carrying case and strap are scheduled to also be available September 2013 in black or white for an estimated retail price of $14.99.1 For more information, and a full list of product specifications, visit http://www.usa.canon.com/vixiamini

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. With approximately $40 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents registered in 2012† and is one of Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies in 2013. In 2012, Canon U.S.A. has received the PCMag.com Readers’ Choice Award for Service and Reliability in the digital camera and printer categories for the ninth consecutive year, and for camcorders for the past two years. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company’s RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss and follow us on Twitter @CanonUSA.

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† Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners.

Availability and specifications of all products are subject to change without notice.

* This software enables you to upload images to social network sites. Before uploading images, please be aware that image files may contain privacy related information such as people and places. If necessary, please delete such information. Canon does not obtain, collect or use such images or any information included in such images through this software. Compatible with iOS version 5/6 or later for select devices.

** The Canon CameraAccess2 app is compatible with iOS version 5/6 or later or Android version 2.3/4.0 for select devices.

1 Prices are estimated retail prices and are subject to change at any time without notice. Actual prices are set by individual dealers and may vary.[/toggle]

August 7, 2013
Blackberry Z30 Compared Alongside Z10 And Q5 In New Leaked Images

Blackberry has still not confirmed anything about the rumored Blackberry Z30 but that has not stopped more rumors to pop up online.

CrackBerry has posted new images that show the to be announced BlackBerry Z30 phone pictured alongside the company’s flagship touchscreen smartphone Z10 and the most affordable BlackBerry 10 device, the Q5. The Z30 features the biggest display on a BlackBerry device launched till now.

The image shows three devices Z30, Z10 and Q5 kept alongside. The above image reveals that the smartphone’s screen will display 5 rows of icons and not just 4 much like the BlackBerry Z10. The image(below) of the rear panel of the BlackBerry Z10 and the alleged Z30 show that the latter will feature a textured back.

Z10, Z30-back

Specifications of the Blackberry Z30 can be seen on our previous article

August 7, 2013
LG G2 Images Leak Ahead Of Official Launch

LG is all set to unveil its new flagship smartphone G2 at an event in New York later on Wednesday, but that hasn’t stopped the device from making ‘another’ appearance.

Evleaks has posted some images of the LG G2. The latest leaked images are in line with the previous leak and shows nothing new. One of the image shows the front panel of the yet to be announced smartphone that shows the 5.2-inch display with thin bezel at the sides, the back panel shows the rear camera along with an LED flash, power key and volume keys.

The LG G2 is rumoured to be powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2 GB of RAM and a 13-megapixel rear camera. The smartphone is also expected to be so thin that it features back-mounted volume controls, instead of ones on the side. It is likely to sport a 5.2-inch full-HD display and would run on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

LG G2

Earlier, LG also released a teaser video featuring the G2. The video ended with a teaser of the black round-edged device that clearly showed the rear camera with up and down arrows above and below it.

The company is aggressively promoting the handset globally with ad campaigns hitting the web and TV in various parts of the world.

With this the company also unveiled a series of colorful Quick Window cases for its upcoming smartphone. The company announced that the all new line of premium cases for the LG G2 will be available at the same time as the smartphone. The cases will be available in seven different colors that include Black, White, Pink, Purple, Blue, Mint and Yellow.

[via]

August 7, 2013
Hyundai Grand i10 Set For Launch Next Month

India’s second largest passenger car manufacturer, Hyundai Motor India Ltd, will launch its fifth small car ‘Grand i10’ next month with an expected price of Rs. 5-7.2 lakh for the petrol variant and Rs. 5.5-7.5 lakh for the diesel variant.

Positioned between its two existing small cars i10 and i20, Grand i10 will compete directly with rival Maruti’s bestseller Swift. Hyundai’s small car line-up also includes Santro and Eon.

Also, Hyundai is likely to build the 1.1-litre diesel engine in its Chennai facility. At present the company imports its diesel engines from South Korea and this move will help them reduce cost as Sriperumbudur plant is capable of producing both petrol and diesel engines. With a 1.1 litre diesel engine, Grand i10 will be Hyundai’s cheapest diesel offering in the country.

This car is built on an absolutely new platform and will be offered with the 1.1 litre diesel engine in India for the first time,” said Rakesh Srivastava, senior vice-president, sales, Hyundai India. “It is very different from the current i10.”

Hyundai Grand i10

Hyundai Grand i10

Hyundai Grand i10

The Grand i10 will be superior with this segment as it could be the first offering rear AC along with all usual goodies Hyundai offers, its makes a very strong point for itself.The festive season is just around the corner, so it is indeed good time for Hyundai to launch the new and the only product for this year in the Indian market.

August 7, 2013
Micromax Testing Android 4.3 With Canvas HD Update Coming Soon

Micromax has been lambasted by consumers in the past for not following up with software updates for their devices. That might change soon.

A tweet by regular @MMXNewscaster reveals an image of the Canvas HD A116 running the recently revealed Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. If true, this would please all Micromax consumers.

Micromax testing Android Jelly Bean 4.3. #Canvas HD #ComingSoon pic.twitter.com/icAWYYrKuY

— MMX Newscaster (@MMXNewscaster) August 6, 2013

At its Canvas 4 launch event, Micromax focused on the importance of consumer satisfaction and introduced the 7-day service center policy to improve its service. Providing regular software updates should be the next step forward for the company if it wants to really establish itself as a brand that can compete with the big players. We expect the Android 4.3 update for the Canvas 4 after the Canvas HD update is rolled out.

If we talk about Android 4.3 itself, the new operating system will feature multi-user restricted profiles. This will let users control access to contents and apps per user—so parents, for example, can control which applications their kids can access. When accessed from restricted profiles, applications behave differently. On stage, Hugo Barra demonstrated this by showing a puzzle game whose in-app purchase functionality was automatically disabled when it was accessed on the kid’s restricted profile.

Other features include built-in OpenGL ES 3.0 support, DRM APIs for providing hardware-based encryption for protecting content, which will allow it to provide 1080p video to its tablets. The first partner is Netflix, which supports 1080p HD streaming. The Nexus 7 is the first device to support it.

Android 4.3 also introduces many other features, including support for Bluetooth Smart devices, background Wi-Fi location, more language support and “easier text input.”

The Micromax Canvas HD sports a 5 inch HD display with a screen resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels backed by a MediaTek’s MT6589 Cortex-A7 SoC quad-core processor clocked at 1.2 GHz. The Canvas HD launched with Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 operating system.

August 6, 2013
New Google Play Store 4.3.10 Update Brings New Features Including Recently Updated Section

Google is rolling out a new version of the Play Store for Android phones and tablets, bringing a much-requested feature that many will be sure to appreciate. Since the implementation of automatic updates, many users have complained that they don’t know which apps are updated. They’re supposed to update and leave an entry in the notification panel, but many times that either doesn’t happen or they are overlooked.

In version 4.3.10, Google has added a ‘Recently Updated’ section appended to the top of the My Apps tab. Now, when you’re checking for your favourite apps to be updated, they will display at the top of the page, in descending order from recent to least recent. While there’s no word on how many apps the section will fit — it hasn’t been available long enough to test more than a few — it’s a great feature nonetheless.

Additionally, it seems that the Wallet logo is no longer displayed in the Play Store. Apparently, the update notification will now prompt users to “Touch to update.”

And, when multiple apps are updated at once now, users will see a single expandable notification indicating which ones were altered, not a never-ending list of intruders. It’s a small but worthy change.

Also, the new Play Store shows full list prices for book sales, while also packing a series of small tweaks, such as swapped position for the Buy and Rent buttons (with the former now placed at the top now, and the latter at the bottom).

According to Android Police, which links to the available download, the file’s cryptographic signature guarantees that it hasn’t been modified, and that users can safely download and install it on their devices.

[Via]

August 6, 2013
Apple Set To Restore Developer Services This Week

Apple’s developer portal went down without warning mid-July, the victim of a minor hack the company took very, very seriously.

While few, if any, sensitive information was compromised, Apple took down the developer portal to rework the security backend and plug the hole. Today, the company has confirmed that most of the important developer tools will be returned to users this week.

Developers with accounts set to expire during the downtime have been extended for the same period, so any apps about to be removed due to non-payment will remain in the App Store for a little while longer.

“We plan to reinstate most of the remaining services this week: Xcode automatic configuration as well as access to license agreements, TSIs, program enrollments, and renewals in Member Center,” Apple said in an e-mail that went out to developers Monday morning.

Following the breach, Apple promised that it would be performing an “overhaul” of its developer systems, including security updates and a rebuilding of the company’s database. In its initial status updates on the security breach Apple promised that no “sensitive” information had been accessed, but as always we recommend a password change and two-factor authentication for any registered Apple developer whose information may be at risk.

August 6, 2013
Samsung Galaxy Gear Can Be The Next Change In Tech World

Samsung is all set to host the Unpacked event in Berlin on 4 September ahead of the IFA consumer electronics show. The South-Korean tech giant is expected to launch the Galaxy Note III at this event but for tech enthusiasts all over, its the news of another Samsung device that is most endearing.

Samsung is rumored to unveil its first ever smartwatch in less than a month, we now have a very good idea of what the new device will be called. A Dutch website called “GalaxyClub” has spotted a trademark filing for a new line of devices called the Galaxy Gear. Earlier rumors have indicated that Samsung will release the device on September 4th alongside its Note III.

Patent Filing

GalaxyClub has also reported that Samsung has filed this smart watch in a new patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in July. According to the patent document, the description for the device states “Wearable digital electronic devices in the form of a wristwatch, wrist band or bangle capable of providing access to the Internet and for sending and receiving phone calls, electronic mails and messages”. You can view the patent in the link below.

Smart watches and wearable computing devices are the future. So there is no reason why Samsung would want to be left behind in this market, especially with the news of an Apple iWatch looming in the rumor mills.

[VIA],[USPTO]

August 6, 2013
Google Adds Touch Features To Chrome

Google is finally testing out some touch-friendly features for its Chrome browser, which seem to be more and more needed with all the mobile devices running the browser.

The update adds new features including the ability to swipe left to right, or right to left, to shift forward or back through visited web pages.

And if you go poking around the Flags section of the browser you can also find the “enable pinch scale” option which lets you zoom in and out. Windows 8 also gets a tiny bit of love with Chrome fully supporting the on-screen keyboard on the desktop.

Google warns users that Canary is prone to complete failures and is designed for developers and early adopters. The stable Chrome browser has 750 million active users browsing across multiple operating systems.

Earlier this year Microsoft announced that with the help of Windows 8.1 and industry partners, end users will expect touchscreens on PCs the same way they do on smartphones, leading to 80 percent of all Windows 8 devices having touchscreens by 2014.

[Via]

August 5, 2013
Samsung To Announce The Galaxy Note 3 On September 4

Samsung took to Twitter to inform the masses that the next iteration of their Unpacked event will take place on September 4th. This will be the IFA in Germany and the invite also shows the words “Note the date,” which could indicate that the the Galaxy Note 3 will be unveiled.

The Galaxy Note 3 is also rumoured to launch alongside a smart watch, AKA ‘Gear’, although that isn’t confirmed on the invite.

Samsung traditionally launches devices just before – or just after – the big shows. The Samsung Galaxy S4 coming out just after Mobile World Congress in February, for instance.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is the next chapter in Samsung’s super-successful phablet range and is said to feature a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED screen, 3GB RAM and either a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC or the company’s own Exynos Octa 5 chipset – although the latter will only come to certain territories.

It will come equipped with a Samsung Galaxy S4 matching 13-megapixel rear camera.

Apparently, 5.5-inch, 5.7-inch and 6-inch versions of the smartphone will reportedly touch down on September 4, although such small size differences seem a little strange to us.

What do you think? Will the Galaxy Note 3 take everyone by surprise? Or will it just be a bigger Galaxy S4? Let us know below!

August 5, 2013
HTC One Max Leaks Online, Reveals 5.9″ Display

HTC’s new lineup of devices this year has many people looking twice. The all-aluminum build of the flagship One is certainly their best designed smartphone, while the One mini attracts the entry-level market with decent specs.

Over the past several months there’s been rumours that HTC will also come to market with a phablet – potentially called the HTC One Max. According to a post on ePrice, the HTC One Max may make an official announcement at IFA in Germany this September, but to tide us over they’ve posted the first round of leaked images.

Specs-wise, the HTC One Max shows a lot of improvements over HTC One, starting with the 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, which is paired with 2GB of RAM.

The upcoming mobile phone also features a full HD resolution on its large screen, along with an UltraPixel photo snapper on the back, and a 2.1MP front camera for making video calls.

HTC One Max is also rumored to feature 16GB of internal memory, most probably paired with a microSD memory card slot in this model, which is China-specific (the international model should feature more internal storage and no microSD card support).

Apparently, this flavor of the smartphone will also feature dual-SIM capabilities, along with a detachable back cover, so as to offer access to the microSD and SIM slots.

The handset will also include a 3300 mAh battery inside, and might even land on the market with support for a stylus, though no confirmation on this has been provided as of now.

[Via, Via]

August 5, 2013