Red color LG Nexus 5 appears in a leaked press image

After appearing in live images on a couple of occasions over the past week, the yet to be revealed red LG Nexus 5 showed up yet again. This time around, a press image of the red handset made the rounds on Twitter, courtesy of @evleaks.

Right in line with earlier leaks, the press image reveals that the red Nexus 5, like its white relative, will essentially carry a dual-color scheme. In it, the back of the smartphone has been treated to the new color, whereas the front is all-black save for the red accent on the earpiece.

There is no word on the availability of the red Nexus 5 just yet. It shouldn’t be a long wait before the device goes official.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo review: Neoclassic

GSMArena team, 31 January 2014.

Introduction

Three generations on, the Notes are gadgets that people can't seem to get enough of so a new, less expensive, version must be good news for everyone. Well, except perhaps the Note II. Anyway, what was rumored as a Lite version of the Galaxy Note 3, seems to match the description with lower screen and camera resolution, but a brand new chipset with six cores operating simultaneously, sees the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo step out the shadow of its premium namesake.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo official pictures

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo is not a mini version per se - with a Duos version in tow, it's more like a new branch in the Note family tree. A fork down the road that shouldn't have been a surprise - Samsung would be fools to not try and capitalize on a popular and successful line of devices.

A six-core CPU based on ARM's big.LITTLE architecture, an 8MP camera with 1080p video and a SuperAMOLED screen are still solid credentials if you're not going to compete at the very top of the league. The S-Pen is of course a prominent part of the deal. Granted, the screen resolution is down but 720p isn't too bad. The screen is decently sharp, while promising to place less strain on the battery and keeping cost down.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE; quad-band 3G with HSPA; LTE Cat 4 (LTE+ model only)


• 5.5" 16M-color 720p Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen; Adobe RGB mode


• S Pen


• Android OS v4.3 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz UI


• Dual-core 1.7GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7, Mali-T628 MP6 GPU; Exynos 5260 chipset


• 2GB of RAM


• 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash


• 1080p @ 30fps; continuous autofocus and stereo sound


• 2 MP front-facing camera, 1080p video recording


• Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct and DLNA


• GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS


• 16GB of built-in storage (11GB user available)


• microSD card slot (up to 64GB)


• microUSB 2.0 port


• Bluetooth v4.0


• NFC


• IR port for remote control functionality


• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack


• Accelerometer and proximity sensor


• Smart gestures: Smart stay, Smart pause, Smart scroll


• Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic


• Ample 3,100mAh battery


• Smart volume and Adapt Sound features for the music player

Main disadvantages

• Large size makes single-hand operation problematic


• No dedicated camera key


• No FM radio


• Shared camera interface makes framing tricky

Another downgrade that's hard not to notice is 4K video recording - the Note 3 Neo does 1080p at most but, then again it's clearly targeting users who wouldn't spend over the odds just to get the latest tech - and that's the kind unlikely to have a 4K TV at home anyway.

Other than that, the spesc certainly arenn't bad for a handset that was known as Lite back in Rumorland. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo's spec sheet promises to bring all the Note 3 productivity and most of its multimedia goodness at a more affordable price and in a form factor that's a little easier to handle. You'll be missing on a few bangs and whistles but there are plenty remaining.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo at ours

Ready to move on? The physical starts right after the break. We'll look at the Galaxy Note 3 Neo's exterior and controls, and see if the new screen is really that much of a step back.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo gets priced in Germany

Less than 24 hours after going official, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo got a price tag. A German online retailer listed both versions of the phablet as available for pre-order.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo LTE+ is priced at € 529.90, while its quad-core HSPA+ sibling is listed for € 499.00. Both devices are unlocked and free of any carrier branding. There are no details on their shipping date for the time being.

Hexa-core CPU or not, the price tag of both versions of the phablet is a tad too ambitious at the moment (the same retailer has the regular Samsung Galaxy Note 3 listed for less). We do suspect that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo will slot in well below its bigger brother in terms of pricing when it becomes officially available.

Source (in German)

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Samsung Galaxy Core, Fame Light and Trend go LeFleur

Samsung is feeling all romantic ahead of Valentine's day and converted three of its available smartphones into LaFleur members - namely the Galaxy Core, Trend and Fame Lite.

The LaFleur version changes nothing on the smartphone's innards but goes for a more feminine look on the outside and adding a wallpaper to suite the panels on the inside.

Samsung Galaxy Core LeFleur

Recently we saw the Galaxy S4 mini in LeFleur colors and also got a peek at the bigger, Galaxy S4 with the same look.

Samsung Galaxy Trend LeFleur

There's no word when to expect these particular LeFleur edition devices to hit outside of Russia but Samsung usually releases the lineup in January of every year.

Samsung Galaxy Fame Lite LeFleur

The Galaxy Fame Lite is the only one in the bunch not going for predominant purple scheme and opts for white plastic with purple accents on the back and front.

Source (in Russian) | Via

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SIM-free Moto X price cut to £300 in the UK

The Moto X arrived at UK shores just yesterday and the phone's £380 launch price has already been reduced. Clove UK is offering a significant price cut to £300 and has the phone in stock, with today shipping.

Note that this is for a SIM-free 16GB version, the 32GB model will not be available in the UK.

Most other retailers still list the phone at the £380 price, sometimes even higher, and have not started shipping yet. Amazon UK does have the Moto X at £350, so it's worth keeping an eye if they'll drop the price further.

The price in the rest of Europe was initially announced as €430, but Amazon Germany has it at €350 (shipping on February 6). Both black and white models are available (in the UK the white one is exclusive to Phones4u) and so is the 32GB version (at €400).

In other European countries the Moto X 16GB is €400 (Spain) and even the full €420 (France, Italy). We'd wait a few days for the device to start shipping to see if there will be price cuts in those countries.

Via

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Nokia Lumia 720 starts receiving the Lumia Black update

The Nokia Black update is now available for the Lumia 720 as owners have reached us to report they are now enjoying the latest Nokia extras on their handsets.

The Nokia Lumia Black update brings the Glance screen feature, support for Bluetooth 4.0 and Nokia Beamer (which the 720 doesn't get due to the 1GB RAM requirement). Early adopters report that the Glance screen works perfectly as works well with the newly the double tap to wake feature, which also came as part of the update. The phone also feels snappier, according to some reports.

The Lumia 720 update means that the majority of the Nokia Lumia lineup has already received the Black update. This includes the Lumia 520, Lumia 625, Lumia 920 as well as the Lumia 1020 AT&T variant. The Lumia 620 is the only one that yet to receive the enhancement suite.

Nokia released a three minute video overview of the Lumia Black update, which we covered in our blog.

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Galaxy S4 and S4 mini get Black Editions with leather backs

Black is the new black – the Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition borrows the faux leather back of the Galaxy Note 3 and marks the introduction of yet another Galaxy S4 version (the 1001st by our count).

Snarkiness aside, we quite liked the faux leather back on the Note 3. Selling just the back cover would have meant current Galaxy S4 owners can get in on this too and the Note 3 back comes in other shades too (white and red, for example).

It's still an option for those who don't appreciate the plastic, fingerprint magnet back of the standard Galaxy S4. The specs are exactly the same as the I9505 though, the Snapdragon 600 version of the phone, rather than the updated S4 Advance models (with Snapdragon 800).

That goes for the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini too, as the compact phone will be getting a Black Edition of its own. This model has the same specs as its global counterpart too.

The big Galaxy S4 Black Edition will hit Russia (and presumably other markets) in February this year for RUB 23,000 ($660). The Galaxy S4 mini Black Edition will be RUB 16,000 ($460).

For comparison, Megafon, a large Russian carrier, offers the Galaxy S4 for RUB 22,000 and the S4 mini for RUB 15,000, so the Black Editions will have a slight markup. Other stores do offer the handsets at lower prices though.

Source • Via (in Russian)

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Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo and Note 3 Neo LTE+ get unveiled

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo and Note 3 Neo LTE+ got officially unveiled (by Samsung Poland). The Neo is the long rumored budget version of the Note 3. It provides the well-known S Pen experience at a lower price tag.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo official photos

The most notable difference between the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo LTE+ and its HSPA+ relative can be found under the hood. The LTE+ version will ship with a hexa-core chipset which consists of two 1.7GHz Cortex-A15 cores and four 1.3GHz Cortex A7 cores. Users of the HSPA+ version on the other hand, will have to make do with a 1.6GHz quad-core CPU whose type is yet to be known.

Chipset differences aside, the two versions of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo feature a 5.5” 720p Super AMOLED display, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of built-in memory (about 11GB will be available to the user), and microSD card slot. The main camera is an 8MP unit with BSI sensor, capable of capturing 1080p videos. A 2MP front-facing unit will be in charge of video calls and selfies.

Connectivity is fully covered on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo. In addition to LTE+ (up to 150Mbps) or HSPA+, the phablet features Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 (LE), NFC, GPS/GLONASS, and IR blaster. The latter is listed as depending on the market.

The Note 3 Neo will come with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out of the box. The usual plethora of TouchWiz tricks will also be present.

Measures of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo are 148.4 x 77.4 x 8.6mm, while its weight tips the scale at 162.5 grams. The phablet is powered by a 3100mAh battery.

We did get a chance to spend some quality time with a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo unit. In the flesh, the phablet follows closely the design language of its bigger brother, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Check out our gallery of live photos below.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo in our office

We will be bringing you a more in-depth look of the newly announced Samsung phablet very soon, so stay tuned!

The S Pen toting phablet will be available worldwide starting next month in three different colors – black, white, and green.

Source (in Polish) | Via

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Google releases Q4 2013 earnings

The team at Google should be all smiles today as the mega-giant corporation saw their profits raise by 17% from last year. The company's total revenue was a staggering $16.86 Billion for Q4 2013 alone.

Larry Page, CEO of Google, had this to say:

"We ended 2013 with another great quarter of momentum and growth. Google's standalone revenue was up 22% year on year, at $15.7 billion. We made great progress across a wide range of product improvements and business goals. I'm also very excited about improving people's lives even more with continued hard work on our user experiences."

The majority of Google's revenues came from their owned sites, generating $10.55 billion.

For an in-depth look at the report, click on the source link below. Looks like Google's reign won't be over anytime soon, at this rate.

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AdDuplex: WP landscape skewed towards the low-end

Another monthly AdDuplex report is out and it shows that trend in the Windows Phone market of the low end dominating and the high-end barely there continues. The Nokia Lumia 520, which has long been the most popular Windows Phone device, grew even further and it alone holds over 30% of the WP market.

Add the Lumia 521 (a carrier version of the 520) and the Lumia 520 now accounts for over a third (34.1%) of all Microsoft-powered devices. Note that this is includes the discontinued Windows Phone 7 branch.

If we don't count those, then four out of every ten WP8 phones is a Lumia 520 (with the 521 adding just over 4%). Meanwhile the flagships are nowhere to be seen in the Top 10. The Lumia 1020 moved from 13th place to 11th, while the 1520 jumped from 19th to 16th.

Another entry-level phone is making gains though. The Lumia 625, a 4.7" handset close to the Lumia 520 in specs, went from 10th to 8th by securing 4.5% of the market.

Nokia/Microsoft's share of the pie grew to 92% squeezing other WP makers even more. In terms of OS distribution, WP8 (greatly helped by the Lumia 520) powers three quarters of the Windows Phone market and AdDuplex expects that to grow to four fifths next month.

We've seen some aggressive price cuts and marketing from Nokia/Microsoft in the US for the Lumia 520. There the entry-level smartphone jumped three places forward and now the 521/520 are the dominant model. The rise of the Lumia 521 pushed T-Mobile as the second biggest WP carrier in the US, pushing down Verizon. Verizon might soon get the Lumia 929 (Icon) though, so we'll see how that goes (flagships really aren't making a dent).

In the rest of the world, things are geared towards the low-end too. In Spain (a hard market for WP) and in Brazil, the Lumia 710 (a 2011 model) comes second only to the 520.

The Lumia 520 isn't king everywhere for sure – in Finland, Nokia's former homeland, it's the original Lumia 800 that has the most market share, in China it's the 920. Strangely, home-grown Huawei Windows Phones are not even on the map.

You can read more details about the Windows Phone market at the AdDuplex blog.

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Sony Xperia Z1 and Z Ultra receive a small firmware update

Sony has announced via its official Twitter account a new software update for the the Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z Ultra has started rolling. It's not the Andorid 4.4 KitKat release that you may have been hoped for, but any update is good news, right? Besides this one does add several news features, so it should really make a difference.

The new firmware, according to Sony, "brings display, BT music streaming, email, Wi-Fi improvements and more". It is rolling out gradually, but should eventually reach every Xperia Z1 and Z Ultra unit out there.

Early adopters confirm that the update comes with a new entry in the display settings - White Balance that we first met on the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. It lets you manually tweak the individual color channels so you get the perfect color balance.

Currently the update is available only via Sony's PC Companion and Mac Bridge but it's unclear if it will be becoming available OTA later on or you will have to use a computer. There is still nothing official on the KitKat update release date.

Source 1 | Source 2

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