LG announces KitKat updates for older Optimus models

LG Brazil, obviously not too busy caught up in World Cup festivities, announced on Facebook that several older model LG Optimus devices will receive Android 4.4.2 KitKat updates. This will bring them in line with their more recent descendants like the G3 and G2.

The LG Optimus G, now almost 2 years old, is scheduled to be running KitKat by the end of August. The more recent Optimus G Pro is slated to get the update a month earlier, in July.

Certain other LG models, like the L7 II and dual-SIM G Pro Lite models will also receive the update by years' end. Others won't be so lucky, as devices like the LG Optimus 4X HD and LG Optimus F5 will not be getting updated to Android 4.4 KitKat.

For more on what Android 4.4 KitKat brings to LG's Optimus UI, check out our latest review on the LG G3.

Thanks, Srdjan, for the tip!

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It took one second for Xiaomi to sell 10K RedMi Notes

Xiaomi has, for the lack of a better word, been killing it in the sales department, and the RedMi Note is just another crazy example of how in-demand the Chinese manufacturer's products are.

The RedMi Note phablet managed to sell 10,000 units in just a second in Taiwan, which is nothing short of astounding. Xiaomi also boasted that they had received reservations for 40,000 RedMi Notes in 12 hours, which doesn't account for the total amount of reservations that were made since June 20th.

This is a good sign for the Chinese Manufacturer. Their phones have been selling out consistently in China, and if they can continue their momentum in Taiwan as well, then they should be able to see similar results in other Asian markets.

Many potential buyers were left out in the cold, as they complained that the phones were sold out before their browser's web page could even fully refresh. Despite consumer frustration, there isn't any doubt that Xiaomi's marketing strategy is working. By driving up demand for their products, Xiaomi has made purchasing their phones an ordeal that customers are willing to endure, so long as they are able to secure one of the company's (usually) high-spec'd, low-priced handsets.

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Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 shows its specs in a benchmark

The successor to the original Galaxy Mega line is clearly in the works at Samsung. The Galaxy Mega 2 has had most of its important specs leaked because a pre-production unit has been put through the paces of a well known graphics benchmark.

Previously we had heard that the Mega 2 would come with a 6-inch display, but now it seems the actual screen size will be 5.9 inches. Not a big difference, either way.

The Galaxy Mega 2 will also have 720p HD resolution, 2GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, a 12 MP rear camera, and a 5 MP front shooter for selfies. You should also expect to see a microSD card slot, Wi-Fi support, Bluetooth, GPS, and NFC.

The handset will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chipset that comes with a 1.2 GHz quad-core CPU and an Adreno 306 GPU. This is in fact the first Qualcomm chipset that's 64-bit, and it was announced back in December of last year.

As you may have gathered from its CPU's frequency, this isn't a high-end System-on-a-Chip however. Rather it aims to compete in the midrange segment, and as such it seems to be a good fit for the Samsung Galaxy Mega 2.

The exact device that got tested runs Android 4.4.3 KitKat and bears the model number SM-G7508, which means this particular variation might be headed to China (based on the company's previous use of "8" at the end of model designations).

Fret not, though, for the Galaxy Mega 2 should get a proper international release too - though going by SM-G750 in that case.

Source | Via (in Dutch)

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Samsung is testing a Galaxy S5 running Tizen

Samsung finally made its first ever smartphone running Tizen official at the beginning of this month. That said, the Samsung Z may not be the only Tizen-powered handset to arrive from the Korean behemoth this year.

According to an Indian import tracking website, three units of a Galaxy S5 model running Tizen have recently made it to Samsung for testing purposes.

Now this may be nothing, or it may signify that Samsung is getting ready to release a variation of the Galaxy S5 that comes with Tizen preinstalled.

The price of each testing unit of this Tizen-running Galaxy S5 is said to be INR 54,404, which is a lot - around $905, to be exact. But that could be lowered if such a device is ever going to be sold.

Other details aren't available yet. And unless more information about the Galaxy S5 with Tizen gets leaked, you probably shouldn't view this as certainly coming to market.

Compared to the Samsung Z, the Galaxy S5 has a bigger and more pixel-packed screen, a higher-res rear camera, a processor that's clocked 200 MHz higher, and a battery that has 200 mAh of extra capacity. So it's not like there wouldn't be a place in Samsung's portfolio for a device running Tizen yet sporting the S5's specs.

Source | Via

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iPhone 6 dummy units roughly depict its design, rumor says

As we get closer to the fall, more and more things about the upcoming Apple iPhone 6 get leaked. Over the past few weeks, we've seen many instances of dummy units getting photographed in various poses.

Though while looking at those you may have wondered how close these mockups are to the actual design of the new iPhone.

iPhone 6 mockups

Pretty close, it seems, if the latest report from Japan is to be believed. The dummies do give a decent indication of the general design traits of the iPhone 6, but there are some areas in which they fall short.

For example, according to someone who claims to have had access to the smartphone's design, the white stripes that have been prominent on the back of the mockups will not be a part of the final look of the iPhone 6.

Furthermore, Apple's next handset should come with a slightly curved display which will fit perfectly inside the aluminum casing, allowing for a seamless transition from one material to the other (unlike what's happened with the iPhone 5S which has a sharp edge where the screen meets the metal).

Finally, the Home button in the dummy units doesn't fit perfectly, and that's something that will obviously be different in shipping iPhone 6 models - as you'd expect given Apple's reputation for obsessive attention to detail.

Source (in Japanese) | Via

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Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 goes official

Samsung just unveiled the Galaxy Ace 4 with a 4.5" display, 1.0 GHz dual-core processor and TouchWiz Essence interface on top of Android 4.4 KitKat.

TouchWiz Essence is a simplified part of the TouchWiz interface that should that we're yet to see explained.

Samsung Galaxy Ace 4

The Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 doesn't tread away from the usual Ace design language but does offer a textured finish on the back.

Samsung Galaxy Ace 4

There's not much else in terms of specs or availability and price but we'll keep our eyes open and ears on the ground and will update once we hear more.

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Samsung outs Galaxy Core II, Galaxy Young 2 and Galaxy Star 2

Samsung announced today the Galaxy Core II, Galaxy Young 2 and Galaxy Star 2, the successors to some of the best-selling affordable droids last year.

Samsung Galaxy Core II

Samsung Galaxy Core II is the most powerful device among the newly announced phones. It comes with a 4.5" WVGA display and runs on a quad-core 1.2GHz processor. The rest of the specs include 768MB of RAM, 4GB expandable storage, a 5MP rear camera with a LED flash, a VGA front snapper, and a 2,000mAh battery.

Samsung Galaxy Core II offers fast 3G connectivity with 21Mbps downlink, dual-SIM, Wi-Fi N, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS with GLONASS and FM radio. It runs on Android 4.4 KitKat and will become available in White and Black flavors.

Samsung Galaxy Young 2

Samsung Galaxy Young 2 is a very little fella with a 3.5" HVGA display and it is powered by a 1.0GHz single-core processor. It comes with half a gig RAM, 4GB expandable memory, a 3MP fixed-focus rear camera, and a 1,300 mAh battery.

Galaxy Young 2 is running on KitKat too, and has the same connectivity package as the Core II - 3G, dual-SIM, Wi-Fi N, GPS, Bluetooth 4.0 and FM radio. It will come in white and iris charcoal colors.

Samsung Galaxy Star 2

The Galaxy Star 2 should be even cheaper than the Young 2. It is pretty much the same phone though skipping the 3G connectivity and downgrading the rear camera to 2MP. The rest is the same - a 3.5" HVGA display, a 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM, 4GB internal storage with a microSD slot.

Just like the Young 2, the Star 2 offers dual-SIM, Wi-Fi N, GPS, Bluetooth and FM radio. The Android version in charge of operations is still 4.4 KitKat. You will be able to get the Galaxy Star 2 in white and iris charcoal paintjobs, too.

Availability

Samsung is yet to detail the pricing and availability any of the three smartphones.

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Galaxy Note 3 updated with KNOX 2 and Download Booster

The UK Samsung Galaxy Note 3 running on Snapdragon 800 is getting a new firmware update. It doesn't bring a new Android version, but packs some of the TouchWiz features the Galaxy S5 introduced.

The update, which hit the T-Mobile's Galaxy Note 3 on June 1, brings the newest KNOX 2.0 security feature, Download Booster and a shortcut that allows you to download the Kids Mode functionality.

The new firmware weights about 185MB and is available over the air. Currently it is available only on the UK N9005 Galaxy Note 3 units, but we expect Samsung to push it to all Galaxy Note 3 phablets out there very soon.

Source | Via

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Samsung Galaxy S5 mini to go on sale mid-July

According to a source close to Sammobile the anticipated Samsung Galaxy S5 mini will hit retail shelves around the middle of July. That's not far from now and makes us wonder if Samsung will unveil its new mini with style and a whole event or merely announce it on its website.

We didn't get any info about the Galaxy S5 mini price or market availability. What we do know is how the device looks and its main specs. It's said to carry over the IP67 certification of its bigger brother, the Samsung Galaxy S5, along with the heart-rate monitor on the back, fingerprint scanner under the home button and the design.

The screen is said to be a 4.5" Super AMOLED unit of 720p resolution, while the camera allegedly has an 8 MP sensor. 1.5 GB of RAM along with a yet unannounced Exynos 3 chipset with a quad-core Cortex-A7 processor running at 1.4 GHz and Mali-400 GPU take care of computing.

We really hope the Samsung Galaxy S5 mini not only looks but feels similar to its flagship Galaxy S5 counterpart - we really need minis that pack serious hardware under the hood.

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Samsung Galaxy Core Mini 4G for China Mobile goes official

Samsung China has unveiled the Galaxy Core Mini 4G, a portable single-SIM smartphone running Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box.

The Samsung Galaxy Core Mini 4G featuers a 1.2GHz quad-core CPU and 1.5GB of RAM. The chipset, while not officially stated, is probably the Snapdragon 200 and the CPU in question is the Cortex-A7. Additionally, the 8GB of internal storage is expandable via the phone's microSD card slot.

The display of the phone is 4.3" LCD with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels (217 ppi). The phone measures 127.8 x 66.2 x 10.6 mm and weighs 136 grams.

At the back of the Core Mini 4G, there's a 5MP camera with LED flash capable of recording 720p videos. There's no front-facing camera, though.

Currently, the phone is exclusive to China Mobile and is unclear whether there are plans for a wider release.

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A leaked HTC roadmap details future firmware updates

We love leaked roadmaps. The popular tipster LlabTooFeR is giving us another spicy document detailing the upcoming firmware updates for the latest HTC smartphones.

The recently announced and launched Android 4.4.4 KitKat revision will become available this summer on the five latest One devices - One, One mini, One (E8), One mini 2 and One (M8). The dual SIM flavor of the original One (M7) won't be getting the Android 4.4.4 though.

HTC Sense v6.0 is coming to the KitKat-running HTC One mini in July. The update was previously confirmed and will begin rolling out any moment now.

Finally, the recently announced Android L is under evaluation for a plethora of HTC smartphones - One (M8), One (M8) GPE, One (M8) Dual SIM, One mini 2, One (E8), One, One GPE, One Dual SIM, One Max, One mini, Butterfly S, Desire 816 and Desire 610. The Android L compatible devices will be announced this Fall with proper release dates for the new firmware.

We've seen already such roadmaps turn out the real deal and LlabTooFeR has a good track record. So, if you own some of these HTC smartphones, you should probably put some trust into this roadmap.

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LG G3 Beat leaks, is a mini G3 with a 5" display

The definition of the word "mini" in the mobile phone world is constantly evolving. Take the LG G3 Beat, that was just leaked, which is one such "mini" phone; but it packs a 5" screen. To put this into perspective, the Nexus 5 has a 4.95" display; the Moto X, a 4.7" one.

The Beat, visually, looks like a slightly shrunken down LG G3; and even though it carries the "mini" moniker, there's certainly nothing subpar about the phone's specifications. The G3 Beat has 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage with a microSD card slot, a quad-core 1.2GHz processor, 8MP camera, 4G LTE, a 2500mAh battery, and it runs on Android 4.4.2 out of the box.

The G3 Beat should be priced at around 2,500 yuan, which comes out to a little more than $400 SIM free. An official release date for the device hasn't been given, but don't expect it to be too far off from the G3's purported Mid-July release date.

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Exclusive: Xolo prepping a new phone, will have a new Hive UI

We just got hold of an image of Xolo’s upcoming flagship smartphone and our inside contact who is involved with the development has also sent us a screenshot of the company’s brand new UI that will debut on the new phone.

Talking about the phone itself, it is said to sport a 5-inch HD display and features Gorilla Glass 3 screen protection. Under the hood lies an octa-core processor with 2GB of RAM to offer smooth performance.

Our insider tells us that with the new UI, the company is trying to give the much needed freedom to all its consumers. The new ROM that provides a unique set of features and enhancements over the stock Android will allow you to interact and engage amongst your fellow users and with the company's developers itself. Xolo Hive will give you an exclusive opportunity to put across what features you need on your smartphone and eventually get them.

(click to enlarge)

Apart from these features, we also get to know that the new ROM will based on Android KitKat and comes out with new set of icons, dedicated media console and newly designed control panel among other graphically improvements.

Xolo is also said to be working with a designer community to create exclusive themes for its new UI. The Indian manufacturer, who is gearing up to compete against the likes of other global manufacturers, will open a new store and will allow users to download all the exclusive content.

Lastly, our source tell us that the new smartphone along with the brand new UI will launch somewhere in the second week of July.

Do you like the look of Xolo’s new UI? Feel free to express your thoughts in the comments section.

Special thanks to our tipster!

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Nokia Lumia 930 up for pre-order in the Netherlands for €500

The Nokia Lumia 930 was announced back in April but it's yet to launch in the Old continent. There are pre-orders in progress in multiple countries though, the latest to join the party is the Netherlands with the lowest price yet.

This one isn't from the Microsoft Store but from local retailer PDAshop. The Lumia 930 is priced €500 and is expected to ship on July 19.

The Windows Phone 8.1 flagship will be discounted on O2 Germany from its regular price of €580 (this is from both the Microsoft Store and Amazon). Still, O2 will be selling it at €520.

The Nokia Lumia 930 can be pre-ordered at €550 from Amazon France and Finnish retailer Verkkokauppa. The Italian Microsoft Store is asking the highest price, €600. This makes the Dutch price the cheapest in Europe yet.

Via

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Blackberry Passport caught out and about

There's been a lot of leaks and images of the Blackberry Passport recently, but not many shots of the device in the wild, until now.

Not only did someone snap a picture of the Passport, but there's even a quick video clip showing the device's browser in action.

What can we tell from the photos? Well, for one, the Passport looks like a pretty big device. It absolutely eclipses the iPhone 4 (as shown in the photo). The keyboard does look a little cramped on the bottom of the phone. Although this is understandable, (how else were they going to make space for all of that screen?) it doesn't look like it will provide for the most comfortable typing experience.

The poster of the images also confirmed some specs: the Passport will have a 3450mAh non-removable battery, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, a 1440x1440 LCD display, and microSD and SIM card slots that load from the top.

The hardware specs of the Passport are certainly enticing, but they may not be enough to pull Blackberry out of its fall from grace. Also, considering the nearly defunct form factor of the Passport, it is difficult to imagine that anyone aside from corporate road warriors appreciating this device.

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