LG G3 launch event to take place on May 27

LG has started sending out invites for their event on May 27 and 28. Although not explicitly mentioned as such, the event is likely going to be the launch of the highly anticipated LG G3 smartphone.

The event will take place over two days, with May 27 seeing the launch in San Francisco, New York, and London and on May 28 in Seoul, Singapore, and Istanbul.

The launch invite simply has a quote from American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, saying "To be simple is to be Great." The text is placed on a brushed metal background but even if the phone does sport this finish it doesn't necessarily mean it will be made out of metal.

We'll likely be seeing and hearing more of this phone in the coming month before the launch.

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Sony Z Ultra Google Play edition gets a $200 price cut

Google has dropped the price of the Sony Z Ultra Google Play edition. The phone was launched at $649 back in December last year and is now available at $449, a solid $200 drop in just four months.

As you may be aware, the Sony Z Ultra Google Play edition is a variant of the Xperia Z Ultra sold by Sony but comes with stock Android instead. It also has a humongous 6.4-inch, 1920x1080 display, quad-core Snapdragon 800, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage space with microSD support, 8 megapixel camera, 3,050mAh battery, waterproof design and Android 4.4.2 KitKat with the promise of quick updates.

For the kind of hardware you are getting, if you don't mind the rather large size of the device, the new price makes it a pretty good deal.

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Google tipped to replace Nexus family with Android Silver lineup

According to a report in The Information, Google plans to stop offering Nexus devices. The search giant will replace the lineup with a new family of high-end devices dubbed Android Silver.

With Android Silver, Google will aim to further expand its influence within the Android ecosystem. Its plan includes offering devices with no third-party bloatware, as well as providing timely OS updates in a fashion similar to Apple’s. The latter involves pushing the update to all devices on the same day.

Reportedly, the smartphones and tablets from the upcoming Android Silver family will adhere closely to guidelines and specifications provided by Google. The tech giant is tipped to subsidize both the development and the marketing costs for its hardware partners. The number which Google is rumored to spend on getting the platform off the ground is rumored to be as much as $1 billion.

Speaking of hardware partners, LG and Motorola are pointed as the most likely candidates to manufacture Android Silver devices. Samsung, HTC and Sony might jump on the bandwagon at a later stage.

As a model range, Android Silver will compete against the Apple iPhone. It will also aim to put a check on Samsung’s expanding influence as the leading manufacturer of Android devices.

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LG G3 shows its back in an alleged live photo on Twitter

LG G3 showed its back yet again. Three days after we showed you a live photo of the upcoming handset, another alleged image of the device made the rounds on Twitter, courtesy of @evleaks.

The latest leaked photo falls right in line with the previous leaks. It showcases the three button setup on the back of the device, its camera unit with dual-LED flash, as well as that mysterious sensor on the left side of the camera, whose purpose is yet to be revealed.

The LG G3 is tipped to be based on the recently leaked Japanese market-bound LG isai FL. Purported specs of the smartphone include a quad-core Snapdragon 801 SoC, 5.5” LCD display with confirmed resolution of 2560x1440 pixels, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal memory with microSD support, optically stabilized main camera unit, 3,000mAh battery, and Android 4.4.2 KitKat with new, flat Optimus UI.

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SA: Samsung and Apple lose ground to Huawei and Lenovo

Strategy Analytics has released its latest report on the smartphone market. The smartphone shipments worldwide throughout the Q1 this year grew 33% annually setting another record with 281 million units. The mobile phone shipments (including featurephones and smartphones) also grew by 9.4% to 407.9 units shipped globally.

Even though the smartphone shipments are growing rapidly, the top manufacturers are losing market share in favor of the second-tier ones. Samsung keeps its first place in the smartphone market with 31.2% share, dropping 1.2% down from Q1 last year. Apple also lost 2.2% share and is now holding 15.3% at the second place. Huawei kept its third place with minor boost, while Lenovo shipments grew by 0.8%.

Global Smartphone Vendor Shipments (Millions of Units)	Q1 '13	Q1 '14
Samsung	69.4	89.0
Apple	37.4	43.7
Huawei	10.1	13.4
Lenovo	8.4	13.3
Others	88.7	125.6
Total	213.9	285.0

Global Smartphone Vendor Marketshare %	Q1 '13	Q1 '14
Samsung	32.4%	31.2%
Apple	17.5%	15.3%
Huawei	4.7%	4.7%
Lenovo	3.9%	4.7%
Others	41.5%	44.1%

All global mobile phones shipments, as we already mentioned, have also reported a noticeable increase. Here Samsung, Nokia, and LG are all losing small bits of market share in favor of Apple, Huawei and the second-tier of manufacturers (TCL-Alcatel, Coolpad, Lenovo, Xiaomi and others).

Global Mobile Phone Vendor Shipments (Millions of Units)	Q1 '13	Q1 '14
Samsung	106.6	113.0
Nokia	61.9	47.0
Apple	37.4	43.7
LG	16.2	16.4
Huawei	11.6	14.2
Others	139.0	173.6
Total	372.7	407.9

Global Mobile Phone Vendor Marketshare %	Q1 '13	Q1 '14
Samsung	28.6%	27.7%
Nokia	16.6%	11.5%
Apple	10.0%	10.7%
LG	4.3%	4.0%
Huawei	3.1%	3.5%
Others	37.3%	42.6%

Now that Lenovo is on the verge of acquiring Motorola and Microsoft has just completed its Nokia Devices deal, we should be seeing some interesting changes in those reports throughout the upcoming quarters.

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HTC One (M8) Harman/Kardon edition goes official for Sprint

At an event in New York City, Sprint and HTC took the wraps of a special edition One (M8) Harman/Kardon. The previously leaked, premium audio-centric smartphone will be sold exclusively on Sprint Wireless in the United States in a black/gold color scheme.

As expected, the biggest change which the Harman/Kardon M8 brings is enhanced audio experience. The handset offers lossless HD audio via a 24 bit/192kHz DAC. The latter delivers roughly six times the information of compact disc music and 60 times the information of an MP3 or streaming music source when playing FLAC files.

HTC One (M8) Harman/Kardon edition official photos

Furthermore, the special edition device will ship with Harman Clari-Fi application. Available for the first time in a mobile device, the app “rebuilds” a track’s audio quality which was lost during its compression.

The rest of the device’s specs have remained unchanged. The HTC One (M8) Harman/Kardon edition totes a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC with 2.3GHz quad-core CPU, 5” 1080P display, Ultra Pixel camera, and Sense-d Android 4.4.2 KitKat.

In addition to the attractive new color scheme, the HTC One (M) Harman/Kardon edition will ship with Harman/Kardon AE-S headphones in the box. Users who opt for the smartphone will also be able to snag a Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio speaker for $99.99, down from its regular price of $399.99.

To top things off, Sprint customers will receive six months of free Spotify premium. All they need to do is opt for the carrier’s Framily plan.

The special edition HTC One (M8) Harman/Kardon will be available to order online this Friday, on May 2. It will hit retail stores on May 9. The smartphone can be purchased with $0 down and 24 payments of $28.34 (a total of $680.16).

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Sprint's G Flex and Verizon's Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 get KitKat

Two new Android 4.4 KitKat updates are now seeding Stateside. LG is now upgrading the G Flex on Sprint, while Samsung is doing the same for the Galaxy Note 10.1.

The firmware update for the curved LG smartphone brings performance improvements, updated status and navigation bars, improved battery life, Knock Code feature and cloud printing.

The update process is gradual though it has already begun and should be completed by May 7.

Samsung is also rolling out an Android 4.4 KitKat update. It's for the Verizon's Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition and includes faster multi-tasking, could printing, multi-user mode and immersive mode (automatic full screen mode). There are also the usual bug fixes.

Both updates are available over-the-air or via manufacturers' dedicated update tools.

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