iPhone 5, iPad 4 and iPad mini headed to China in December

Today Apple announced the China launch details for its latest iOS-based gadgets - the iPhone 5, the iPad mini and the 4th generation iPad. The iPad 2 will be also available for purchase.

The Wi-Fi versions of the three slates hit the shelves on December 7, while the iPhone 5 sales kick off a week later - on December 16. There is no info on the availability of cellular iPad model
All devices will cost the same as their US siblings. They will be sold via the Apple Online Store, the Authorized Retailers and Apple's Retail Stores. The latter will start taking reservations for pickups a day earlier before the launch.

With China being the biggest market in the world and the iPhone 5, we expect smashing sales and record-breaking numbers in Apple's Q4 financial results.

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Samsung Galaxy S Advance to get Jelly Bean in January

  Samsung Germany used its Facebook page, to share some valuable info, regarding the Galaxy S Advance Jelly Bean update. The device will receive Android 4.1.2 in January. The update will be supplied both through the Kies software and over the air.

Previously the update was rumored for November. Samsung announced that the Galaxy S Advance will skip ICS altogether and move straight to Jelly Bean instead. The company has also committed to delivering Jelly Bean to a long list of devices in the "coming months".

It seems Samsung is really keen on keeping its customers happy and bringing the latest software to them. And given that after the update the S Advance will probably cannibalize some of the S III mini sales, the company deserves some recognition for this.

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Nokia Lumia 920 may have reached 2.5M orders worldwide

According to a Yahoo China report Nokia has received more than 2.5 million orders for the Lumia 920 across the globe, which is more than the entire Lumia lineup sold in Q3 of 2012.

The report also says the Lumia 920 and 820 have been sold out in the United States, Germany, Australia and elsewhere, which goes in check with previous reports of the Lumia 920 being sold out in the US.

In other news Nokia's stock documented a 25% rise yesterday, which is probably mainly due to the positive sales figures of the Lumia range.

Marko Ahtisaari, head of Nokia's Design unit, went on YouTube to talk about the designing of the Lumia 920. Here goes the video..

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Barnes & Noble Nook HD, HD+ Now Available in UK, Rolling Out All Over the Globe

Just as the Barnes & Noble e-readers arrived in the UK, it was time for the new tablets with this brand to arrive as well. I’m talking about the Nook HD and HD+, a bunch of smaller high def slates that have just reached UK, at retailers like Argos, Sainsbury’s and John Lewis.

The 7 inch HD model is priced at 159 quid in the 8 GB version, of 189 quid for the 16 GB one. The HD+ goes for 229 quid in the 16 GB version and 269 quid in the 32 GB one. The 9 inch Nook HD+ is over 20% lighter and about half the cost of the iPad, apparently. Nook HD weighs 315 grams and it’s 127 mm wide, fitting the hand of the user easily. It’s a while centimeter narrower than the Kindle Fire HD, if you’re looking for a comparison. Its specs include a dual core 1.3 GHz processor, that makes the device highly responsive, smooth and fast.

Nook HD+ offers support for a Full HD resolution on the 9 inch display and brings forth a fully laminated screen, with reduced glare and excellent viewing angles. Nook HD+ weighs 515 grams, packs a 1.5 GHz dual core processor and offers a smooth user experience. B&N brings you over 2.5 million books, which if I’m not mistaking is more than Amazon does.

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Official photos of the HTC Deluxe DLX surface, confirm color options

The recently leaked press image of the HTC Deluxe left us wanting for more and now we're getting treated to three new official photos of the monstrous smartphone.
 
The photos doesn't say too much about the smartphone, but confirm that it will be availble in black, brown and white. The source also claims that the smartphone will go by as HTC Deluxe DLX.
The HTC Deluxe DLX is the international version of the US-bound HTC DROID DNA and Japan-only J Butterfly and just like its brethren sports a 5-inch Super LCD3 full HD display. It's powered by 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon Krait processor and 2GB of RAM.

HTC Deluxe photos
It's still unknown when the HTC Deluxe will debut, but events such as CES and MWC 2013 make for an educated guess. At this point, pricing is still a mystery, but the source of the images says that we should expect more information on the HTC Deluxe on December 6.
While waiting, make sure to check out our extensive review of its US twin - the HTC DROID DNA.

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Rumors: Galaxy S IV to have 13MP camera, quad-core A15 CPU

The Samsung Galaxy S IV rumors are heating up - the 4.99" 1080p Super AMOLED screen was brought up again as was the Exynos 5450 chipset rumors (with quad-core Cortex-A15 CPU). The camera has also caught the attention of the rumor mill and apparently it will be a 13MP shooter.

That sounds plausible - we've heard that the Galaxy Note II was supposed to have a 13MP shooter, but in the end Samsung went with the old 8MP because Sony couldn’t make enough sensors (and it had already made a deal with LG for the Optimus G). Plus, Samsung can't have three consecutive generations of Galaxy S phones using the same camera, can it?

A new Korean source talked about the new 4.99" 1080p Super AMOLED screens that Samsung is supposed to show off at CES in January (and that are already in production). The same rumor coming from a second source seemingly confirms it, but unfortunately this new rumor is still light on details.

Since the "Plus" keyword is missing from the "Super AMOLED" name, it suggests that we're talking about a PenTile display. It probably won't make a big difference at 441ppi pixel density, though.

Anyway, the other rumor that was reiterated was about the Exynos 5450 chipset - the quad-core version of the 5250 chipset that powers the Nexus 10 tablet. We're still very skeptical of that - four Cortex-A15 cores at 2GHz will make minced meat of current mobile chipsets, but will probably also suck a battery dry in record time.

Well, we look forward to CES to see if Samsung really will break out the 1080p Super AMOLED displays, but we guess it won't be before Q2 that we see the Galaxy S IV for real.

Thanks to Shubham Jain for sending this in!

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La Fleur Galaxy S III, S Duos, Ace 2 and Ace Duos on the way

The La Fleur brand is no news for Samsung. It’s been doing those editions since the end of 2009. The limited-edition phones are not quite widespread or famous, but they've usually enjoyed good reception from the ladies out there.

So here come the new La Fleur phones, all of them running on Android OS – the Galaxy S III, Galaxy S Duos, Galaxy Ace Duos and Galaxy Ace 2.

 

All of them will come in the usual colors – white or pink with some additional flower decoration on both sides of the phone.

In case you are eyeing one of those, you’ll be happy to learn they’ll be released by the end of January just in time for the Valentine's day shopping decisions.

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WP 7.8 update might come in a few weeks, WP7.9 in the works?

     Nokia can't (or more likely doesn’t want to) keep Windows Phone 7.8 info under wraps - new info coming from the "head of Nokia Asia Pacific Developer" suggests we will see the update much sooner than the previously rumored Q1 2013 timeframe.
Microsoft never really announced a solid launch date for the update, which caused all this guessing.
Anyway, the WP7.8 update was reportedly RTMed and it should start rolling out in a few days to weeks. This comes soon after the leaked Nokia materials that detailed what changes the update will bring (Microsoft was vague on this one too).
Windows Phone 7.8 will not be the end of it though - another rumor (this one coming from Nokia Germany) suggests there will be another update for the first generation of Windows Phone handsets (the ones not getting WP8).
The rumor doesn’t offer any more info, but that there might be an update at all is quite interesting in itself. Microsoft made a commitment of supporting WP8 devices for at least 18 months after they're released, but it would be nice to see it hasn’t forgotten about the users it attracted with WP7.

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ASUS PadFone 2 Launching in Germany on December 1st

   I can’t believe it’s already been a month since ASUS announced the PadFone 2 and at the time of the announcement, the Taiwanese company said that the product would become available before the year end. They’re on the right track to keeping the promise, since the new hybrid is coming to Germany on December 1st, according to people in the know.

An European debut is also scheduled around the same time frame, obviously. The ASUS PadFone 2 will come in 32 and 64 GB versions, with the first costing 799 euro, while the 64 GB one goes for a more expensive 899 euro. In Germany you’ll find the product available both unlocked and on contracts. E-Plus, the country’s third largest mobile carrier will be involved in selling the device for free with contract starting at 34 euro per month.
As far as specs go, you probably know that the ASUS PadFone 2 has adopted a 4.7 inch Super IPS+ HD display on the smartphone part, with LTE, NFC and a quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor also available here. 2GB of RAM and a 13 megapixel camera are also among the specs, plus a 1.2 megapixel front shooter and a 2,140 mAh battery. The tablet dock offers a 10.1 inch display with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution and a 5,000 mAh battery. Android 4.0 ICS is the OS on the hybrid for now, but don’t be surprised to see Jelly Bean arriving on it fast.

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HTC details Jelly Bean update, 512MB RAM phones not invited

   HTC finally shed some light on the Jelly Bean update roll-out and compatibility. Unfortunately there are several devices that won’t get the Android 4.1 treatment and will be stuck on Ice Cream Sandwich forever.
According to HTC devices with 512MB RAM or less are incompatible with Jelly Bean and won’t be updated. Just like Sony said a while ago, HTC believes the Ice Cream Sandwich provides better user experience than Jelly Bean. This means the One V and Desire C are out of the loop already.
They won't be the only ones either. HTC is prioritizing the Jelly Bean development on devices released within 2012. When it's done with them, the company will consider releasing Jelly Bean for some of its 2011 phones. Not to be but it is highly unlikely.
There is still no info on when the first global Jelly Bean updates will come, but the roll out for the One X and One S has already started, so we guess the others shouldn't be that far either.

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Samsung Galaxy Camera and Galaxy S III mini hit UK

Various retailers in the UK already have already received the first stocks of the Samsung’s Galaxy S III mini and the Galaxy Camera.

You can buy the Galaxy S III mini for about £300 free of contract. It’s available in both black and white colors.

The Galaxy S III mini is also available for free with a 2-year contract on all major UK carriers with tariffs starting as low as £20.5 per month.

You can find the full specs of Galaxy S III mini right here, while for our extended preview follow this link.

 

The Jelly Bean-running Galaxy Camera was announced in August and arrives this month just as promised. Clove UK already got its first shipment and is selling it for £400. Other retailers are also listing the Galaxy Camera on similar prices but require you to wait 10 more days to get your unit.

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Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Update Reaches Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, Germany’s First!

  Samsung has started updating the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet, that we reviewed right here to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. SamMobile is reporting that the German Galaxy Note 10.1 is the first one to get the fresh software, that’s being pushed out to the pen-packing slate. 

It totals to a 300 MB over the air download and after upgrading, the devices should run software version N8000XXBLJ9. The update arrives 3 months after the Galaxy Note 10.1 was launched in Europe and USA with Android 4.0 ICS. With this new update, the device is expected to get snappier, more responsive thanks to Project Butter and get more software goodies like Google Now. No idea what’s happening with the other Note 10.1 units outside Germany, but I’m guessing they’ll get the update soon, too.

If you want to get the software by yourselves, in the source link below there’s an ODIN-flashable version of the German ROM available. As usual, we recommend you to wait for the official software. Hopefully Android 4.2 will come faster to this quad core slate with 2 GB of RAM.

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Samsung Galaxy Express to hit shelves November 16

The Samsung Galaxy Express midrange LTE-powered droid exclusive to AT&T is expected to become available for $99.99 with a two year contract starting Nov. 16.

The Samsung Galaxy Express will feature a 4.5 inch Super AMOLED Plus screen of 480 x 800 pixel resolution, dual-core 1.5 GHz processor, 5MP camera all powered by a 2000 mAh battery. It will ship with Android 4.0 ICS out of box.

 

If you'd like a closer look at the Samsung Galaxy Express, check out our hands-on from last month's release event in New York.

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Smartphone and tablet sales to top 1.2 billion devices in 2013

Gartner, a leading IT research and advisory company, has compiled estimates on the growth of smart devices and the effect they will have on the consumer electronics market. According to the report some 70 percent of total devices sold this year were either tablets or smartphones.

Android is expected to continue to dominate the mobile market even in the business sector, with 56% of devices expected to run on Google's OS by 2016 (up from 34 percent this year).
Tablets are expected to achieve a three-fold growth for business within the next four years, with 53 million units predicted to be sold in 2016.
Finally, Gartner predicts that Windows 8 tablets and smartphones will move to third place behind Apple and Android by 2016, with many businesses choosing smart devices rather than upgrading Windows on desktop PCs like in the past.

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US pricing of unlocked iPhone 5 shows up on Apple's website

Pricing of the factory unlocked Apple iPhone 5 in the US has surfaced on the company's website.


While not officially announced, AppleInsider has discovered that entering the search query "iPhone 5 factory unlocked" reveals the pricing of the device. Contract-free the 16 GB iPhone 5 will set you back $649, while the 32 GB and 64 GB will retail for $749 and $849, respectively.
Prices haven't changed at all compared to the way Apple priced the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S in the US.
In Europe, however, it's a different story. In the UK in particular, a factory unlocked 16 GB iPhone 5 retails for £529, whereas the 16GB version of the iPhone 4S started at £499. Prices for the 32 GB and 64 GB variants remain the same as last year

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New JB ROM for Samsung Galaxy Note leaks, supports Multi-View

A couple of weeks ago we saw the first Android 4.1 Jelly Bean ROM for the Samsung Galaxy Note leak, version N7000XXLS2, but now SamMobile claim that they have the real deal straight from Samsung's servers and that the previos ROM was a system dump.
 
The update brings the original Galaxy Note to Android 4.1.1 and gives it the latest TouchWiz with all the bells and whistles. The ROM also has basic support for Air View (detecting the S Pen from a distance and triggering previews), but that isn't ready just yet.
Before you flash N7000XXLS2 on your Note, have a look at this video N7000XXLS7, which some lucky guy in France who got the update early. It updates the phablet to Android 4.1.2 and enables Multi-View just like on the new Note II.
The video is quite long (and in French), but here are the juicy bits - flashing the ROM at 4:00, you can see the Jelly Bean version at 7:30 and 16:50, Multi-View is shown off at 9:00 and texting works too (13:00), suggesting it's a fully featured ROM.    You can't flash this ROM has yet as it still hasn’t made its way to XDA. On the upside, LS2 is from October 9 (nearly a month ago), so Samsung should be testing a newer version internally (possibly the LS7) and the update should be nearly ready (the Galaxy S II update should arrive at the same time too).

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HTC DROID DNA photo leaks, brings HTC J's screen to the US

   Remember the HTC J butterfly and it's 5-inch 1080p, 440ppi display? Well, the device isn't going to stay exclusive to Japan much longer, as evleaks has posted an image of the device's US brethren dubbed HTC DROID DNA.
As the DROID part of the name suggests, the device will hit Verizon's 4G LTE network. While a little late to the phablet party, HTC is entering it with a bang with its 5-inch 1080p HD Super LCD 3 display. In addition, the device will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor bundled with 2GB of RAM.
This lethal combination is further enhanced with 16GB of on-board memory and a microSD card slot. The battery is reprotedly going to be 2,020mAh. Accordin to the leak, the HTC DROID DNA will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

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Samsung has sold 30 million Galaxy S III devices worldwide

 






Samsung has reached yet another sales milestone with its Galaxy S III flagship. The Korean giant just announced that it has sold 30 million units of the smartphone worldwide. The number includes the I9300 as well as carrier specific versions offered in specific markets such as the United States, Japan, and Korea and is spot on with earlier expectations.

The above number has been achieved in an impressively quick fashion – the first Samsung Galaxy S III units hit the shelves roughly five months ago. With the upcoming holiday shopping season right around the corner, coupled with the healthy drop of the handset’s price in some major markets, it is all but guaranteed that the number will increase even further, thus cementing the position of the device as the go-to top shelf Android smartphone these days.

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Samsung Galaxy S III mini hits the UK on November 8

Samsung announced today that the Galaxy S III mini is heading to the UK as early as November 8, which aligns with earlier expectations.

As usual, the mini version of the company's Android flagship will be available both on contract and SIM-free. CarphoneWarehouse is listing the S III mini with a price of £299.95, while Phones4U offers the device for free with monthly plans starting from £25 and up.
The Samsung Galaxy S III mini packs a 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display and runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on a 1GHz dual-core NovaThor 8420 processor. Additionally, with every device Samsung is giving away 50GB of free Dropbox storage for 2 years.

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