HTC One mini Android 4.3 update with Sense 5.5 is now seeding.

  HTC is now seeding Android 4.3 Jelly Bean to the One mini smartphone. The OS update aussi Brings HTC Sense 5.5 to the metal-clad handset.

  The large 630MB update Brings a host of improvements and tweaks to the HTC One mini. They include the Ability create custom feeds in BlinkFeed from new sources, as well as the option to disable the services altogether.

The Video Highlights section has-beens Improved as well. It features new interface, as well as the Ability to add soundtracks to videos. The music interface has-been updated too.

Users of unlocked HTC One mini devices can check for the update manually by going into the handset's settings. HTC might be rolling out the new OS in stages, so if you do not see an update available, be patient.

Source.

Samsung announces Galaxy Win Pro mid-ranger.

 Having gone unannounced until now, the Samsung Galaxy Win Pro has popped up on the Korean manufacturer's China web portal today.

 The Win Pro retains the midrange pedigree of its predecessor, the Galaxy Win, but to a lesser degree thanks to its 4.5-inch qHD display. This is a marked step up from the 4.7 "WVGA display of the Galaxy Win.

Otherwise, the specifications are for the most part identical between the two devices: a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, 5MP camera, and optional dual-SIM support. The battery has been bumped up by 100mAh to 2,100 mAh, and while there's no word on internal storage or RAM size, we assume they'll be in the same 8GB/1GB neighborhood as the Win.

Also, contrary to what the name may lead you to believe, the Galaxy Win Pro will run Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

Source or Source.

ASUS December 11 event will make the Padfone mini official.

   ASUS is preparing to officially launch the Padfone mini at a dedicated event in Taiwan on December 11. While the PadFone Infinity boasts a 10.1 "tablet and a 5.0" smartphone, the Padfone mini is rumored to consist of a more compact 4.3 "smartphone that slides into a 7" slate.

   The resolution of the displays won't be as high as one could hope - the 4.3 "display of the smartphone will feature have 960 x 540 pixels, with the tablet's 7" screen rocking 720p resolution. Further rumored specifications include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset and possibly 1GB of RAM.

As far as other specs go, no information is currently available. The Padfone family members have always boasted great displays and battery life. However, with specifications like this, we're inclined to believe ASUS is seeking a lower price point, hoping to entice a wider number of customers.

It seems ASUS is pleased with the sales performance of its unique Padfone line-up and is eager to develop it further. We'll find out if the Padfone mini will be able to stand on its own thanks to some unique features or if it'll get lost in the shadow of its bigger brother.

Source or Source.

iOS 7 runs on 74 percent of all compatible Apple devices.

  The latest App Store statistics released by Apple revealed that 74% of all compatible devices now boot iOS 7. The share of the latest OS version is up 10% since October, thus making iOS 7 the fastest adopted release to date.

  The numbers from Apple also show that iOS 6 runs on the devices of 22% of all App Store users. The remaining 4% goes to devices running older iOS versions.

The main factors behind the quick adoption rate of iOS 7 are yet to be specified by Apple. The well-received, refreshed iPhone and iPad lineups are certain to have contributed to the quick growth of the iOS 7 share.

Source or Source.

ComScore: Android, iOS and WP shares in the US rise.

   The latest ComScore report on the smartphone market in the USA is out. It reveals minor increases of the Android, iOS and Windows Phone shares among the US subscribers, while BlackBerry's share keeps sliding down.

   As of October 52.2% of the US subscribers are using Android OS - that's 0.4 points more than July and makes the Google platform the biggest gainer. Apple's iOS and Microsoft's Windows Phone have also gained popularity - both platform subscribers have increased by 0.2 points since July up to 40.6% (Android) and 3.2% (WP). The troubled BlackBerry took a huge hit though - its total share shrank by 0.7 points down to just 3.6%.

   Surprisingly, the launch of the new iPhones didn't help Apple improve its use base in the US in a meaningful way. The Cupertino company is still responsible for 40.6% of all smartphones used in the country, but the modest gain over July suggests those who bought the iPhone 5s and 5c are mostly upgraders rather than new iOS users.

  Samsung's latest flagship - the Galaxy Note 3 seems to have done a better job, the Korean manufacturer total shipments share rose by 1.3 points up to 25.4%.

Finally, Motorola's shipments also rose a hair, while HTC's and LG's lost some ground. It seems Moto X is helping the Google-owned Motorola regain some share.

Unsurprisingly, the company in biggest trouble is BlackBerry. It is losing subscribers fast and its shipments have become really insignificant in what used to be one of its strongest markets. Let's hope the company find a way to turn its fortunes around quickly or it risks disappearing from the map altogether.

Source or Source.

Motorola to offer Moto X on sale again on Wednesday and Monday.

  Motorola had embarked on a noble plan to offer the unlocked version of the Moto X for $ 349.99 through their MotoMaker website on Cyber ​​Monday. While the plan was good, Motorola was unable to execute it.

  The day the phone went on sale, the site was unable to handle the stress of all the people trying to make concurrent orders, leading to basically no one being able to purchase the phone.

Now to make up for this gaffe, Motorola will be putting the phone back on sale on Wednesday, December 4 on their website, along with next Monday, that is, December 9. The 16GB model will be offered for the same $ 349.99 and the 32GB model for $ 399.99, unlocked.

  If you missed out last time, this is your chance to get the unlocked model for a sizable discount again. Makes sure you get in line early, though, as there is no guarantee the site won't go down again.

Source.

HTC posts $522 million in revenue for November.

  HTC has issued its financial report for November stating a revenue of $ 522 million (NT $ 15.47 billion). That's up 3.2% from the results posted in October, but a decrease 27.1% year-over-year. According to analysts, HTC's reported financials meet market expectations with the Taiwanese looking forward to ship about 5.2 million smartphones in Q4 of 2013.

  However, things aren't looking as bright as HTC would've wanted them to be. For the whole 2013, sans December of course, HTC's revenues amounted to nearly $ 6.45 billion - a 28.6% decrease compared to 2012. According to the company's report revenues are expected to slide from 4.25% to 14.89% sequentially to $ 1.35-$ 1.52 billion in the fourth quarter with a gross margin of 19-20%.

According to analysts, the reason for HTC's financial dismay is the company's sliding market share in the US and Europe. The company hasn't been able to lure any new customers this Holiday season with its new offering being only the HTC One Max.

We'll see if HTC will be able to pull any magic tricks, but it seems the company is done for 2013 as far as any new products are concerned. The Taiwanese look to be focused on the One successor codenamed M8.

Source or Source.

LG starts rolling out G Flex in global markets.

   LG has announced that they will start rolling out their innovative G Flex smartphone globally starting this month. The phone will initially be available in key Asian markets and then in other regions around the world.

   In Singapore, you will be able to pre-order the G Flex starting December 8 whereas those in Hong Kong will be able to get their hands on it on December 13 through major carriers and retailers.
LG G Flex is the first phone with a flexible Plastic OLED (P-OLED) display that not only has a slight curve but can also be bent to some extent. It also has a unique self-healing back that hides minor scratches after some time. Inside, it has the same basic hardware as the LG G2 but with an even bigger 3,500 mAh battery despite the curvature.

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Samsung Galaxy S5 benchmark reveals 2K screen.

   While the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is busy tending to its flagship duties for Samsung, the heir to the Galaxy S4 is making headlines steadily building up the hype.
The latest rumors concern its body and some of its specs. According to EMSOne, a Japanese-based website, ODM Catcher Technology (Taiwan), BYD (China) and Ju Teng (Taiwan) has been assigned to make between 10 and 30 million unibody metal shells for the next high-grade Galaxy device. That could very well turn out to be the Galaxy S5.

  This fits nicely with the leaked metal frame we've seen before which was also said to be for the Galaxy S5.
Some rumors are hinting at a two-pronned approach by Samsung - producing a metal-clad flagship of a new F series along with an all-plastic S-series member.
And in other news a device, by the name of Samsung SM-G900S, has popped up on GFX Bench running on a highly-clocked Snapdragon 800 chipset and the Adreno 330 GPU. The clock is at most 2.46GHz. Sadly this isn't the Snapdragon 805 with Adreno 420 GPU nor is it the 64-bit Exynos chip we're hoping to see sooner rather than later.
  There's more, though - the SM-G900S sports a screen resolution of 2560 x 1440 or 2K. And if the rumors of either a 5 "or 5.2" screen turn out true we may be looking at an insane density of over 560 pixels per inch. As far as results go, the device in question rounded up 27.7 fps on the T-Rex 1080p Offscreen test - on which we've found the Galaxy Note 3 to be the best with 26 frames per second.
Other rumors suggest the Galaxy S5 will be launched (or at least shown) as early as Q1 of next year, have a 16 MP snapper with the ISOCELL tech, perhaps without optical image stabilization and possibly with some elements resistance in tow. That is hard to take in all at once, we know.
But let's not get too ahead of ourselves as we highly doubt the Galaxy S5 to premiere with a mid-2013-grade chip inside (no offense, Snapdragon 800). We'll have to wait a little longer.

Source or Source or Source.

Apple strikes a deal to offer the iPhone on China Mobile.

   According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Apple has struck a deal with China Mobile to officially sell the iPhone on the carrier. The deal is said to have the Apple iPhone devices available on the carrier's shelves later this month - around December 18.

   The agreement between Apple and China Mobile will open for the Cupertino giant the doors to the largest wireless carrier in the world. China Mobile has over 700 million subscribers.

The Apple iPhone 5s and 5c both feature support for China Mobile's TD-LTE network. The devices have already received regulatory approval.

Source.

Samsung Galaxy S5 could come as early as Q1 next year.

    Korean site ETNews is reporting that Samsung is already preparing to start production of its newest Galaxy flagship, the Galaxy S5. Mass production will get underway in January of 2014, with an eventual market release slated for February or March.

  Highlights surrounding the expected specs of the Samsung Galaxy S5 include a 64-bit CPU, which could the first iteration of Samsung's Heterogeneous Multi-Processing (HMP) Exynos big.LITTLE chip capable of running on eight cores simultaneously. There's also talk of Qualcomm's Snapdragon being thrown in the mix as well, which could indicate two S5 variants.

  Other potential improvements include the inclusion of a flexible OLED display like on the Galaxy Round, and a high capacity 4,000 mAh battery - all within a 5-inch frame. The Galaxy S5 is set to run Android 4.4 KitKat out of box, but really anything less would have raised more than a few eyebrows.

  Also rumored is the release of the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch, which is slated to be some 15-20% thinner than the first generation. It could possible come bundled as a peripheral to the Galaxy S5, and will supposedly offer support for Galaxy S5 games, entertainment and health apps.

While much of what's rumored may be a bit of a stretch, particularly the Q1 release date, a February release date does coincide with the 10 month period between the Galaxy S III and S4. Samsung's been around the block a few times when it comes to top-selling flagships, so we wouldn't put an early 2014 flagship release past them.

Source or Source.

Samsung working on 20 megapixel camera for next Note.

  Samsung will be the latest manufacturer to get into the megapixel race, according to a report from ET News. The company's Mobile Advanced Development team is already working on 20 megapixel camera modules.

  The global market leader is allegedly still facing difficulties with the implementation of Optical Image Stabilization option, so it's looking for other means to differentiating its products.

Samsung's upcoming camera module is expected to debut in the second half of next year. This means that it will likely debut on the next-generation Galaxy Note phablet, but there is no official word at the moment.

The South Korean manufacturer expects to ship 90 million smartphone units in 2014 with 16 megapixel camera sensors.

Source.

Samsung unveils Galaxy Note 3 in red and rose gold.

Today Samsung has issued a press release announcing not two, but three new editions of the Note 3 color palette.

Basically there is just one new color options - the Merlot Red. The other two are new accents of the popular Jet Black and Classic White flavors called Rose Gold Black and Rose Gold White. Those editions keep the base color, they just replace the silver elements (the framing around the phone, the camera, the Home key and the S-Pen) with Rose Gold ones.





The new Rose Gold White edition will hit the Chinese market this month, while the other color options will roll out gradually within the next few months on the international markets. There won't be any difference in the pricing and internals of those devices, of course.

Source

Android in November 2013: KitKat enters with 1.1%.

  Google released its traditional monthly Android version distribution numbers. The latest state of the platform saw Android 4.4 KitKat debut with 1.1% share of all installs.

Unsurprisingly, Android Jelly Bean and all its varieties continue to gain ground as well. All three builds saw an increase in their share compared to last month.

Android 2.2 Froyo, 2.3 Gingerbread, and 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on the other hand, continue their slow decline. All three versions dropped their cut of the overall distribution. Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich were the biggest losers with 2.2% and 1.2% drops respectively over the past month.

Curiously, Android 3.2 Honeycomb is still around and kicking. The tablet-only Android version continues to sit on a .1% share – the same as a month ago.

Source.

Apple Stores will soon be able to repair your iPhone 5s, 5c.

   Apple Stores across the nation are gearing up with training manuals, special machinery and replacement parts so that damaged iPhone 5s and 5c devices can be repaired, according to 9to5Mac.

According to the Apple news website, the company began making iPhone 5 repairs at its stores earlier this year, and it will now do the same for the latest versions of its smartphone. This should save the company money. Previously, in some cases, Apple gave customers new phones instead of sending them off for repair.

Apple Stores will be able to replace screens, batteries, volume buttons, vibrating motors, rear cameras and speaker systems on the iPhone 5s and 5c. They will also be able to replace the home button on the iPhone 5c, but not on the iPhone 5s, which has a special version that includes a fingerprint scanner.

Customers whose iPhone damage is covered under the warranty will receive the repairs for free; those whose devices are not covered will have to pay. According to 9to5Mac, a battery replacement will cost $79 while an iPhone 5c home button will cost $29.

Apple Store iPhone 5s and 5c repairs are expected to start "in the near future," the report said. Apple could not be reached for comment.

By Salvador Rodriguez.

Apple and Samsung each get a victory in patent battles.

   At this point, even a scorecard might not be enough to let one keep track of the patent litigation between Apple and Samsung. But let's try anyway.

Two courts have handed down separate rulings that gave Apple and Samsung partial victories in ongoing appeals related to a patent case last year in federal court in San Jose.

Samsung lost that case, and a jury ordered it to pay Apple $1.05 billion for copying features in Apple's iPhones and iPads.

However, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh later denied Apple's request for a permanent injunction on the 13 Samsung smartphones and tablets involved. Most of those products are older, and few are still available for sale.

Still, Apple is looking for a precedent and leverage for future patent cases, and so it appealed that ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which hears cases involving patents, intellectual property and international trade.

On Monday, a panel of that court in Washington ruled that Koh should reconsider her ruling and more carefully weigh Apple's arguments.

It's likely that Samsung will ask the entire appeals court to review that decision before it is actually sent back to Koh. So there's no immediate effect.

Still, score one for Apple.

Meanwhile in federal court in San Jose, Apple and Samsung were back on Monday for more testimony in a retrial of the damages portion of last year's $1.05-billion verdict.

A few months after the jury ruled in Apple's favor, Koh reduced the award by $450 million, citing confusing instructions to the jury. Both sides are now trying to make their case for the size of the damages that would be added to the $600-million portion of the verdict that remains in place.

Samsung says that additional part should be $52 million, while Apple is asking for $380 million.
However, on Friday, Koh ruled that Apple couldn't ask for damages related to lost profits, which could cut the amount of additional damages Apple could seek by as much as $114 million.

So, score one for Samsung.

The damages retrial is expect to move to closing statements on Tuesday, with the case then going to the jury.

By : Chris O'Brien

Samsung says it sold 800,000 Galaxy Gear smartwatches in two months.

   Samsung Electronics said It has sold 800,000 Galaxy Gear smartwatches in two months , making the device the best -selling in the world smartwatch despite lackluster reviews .

The South Korean company said Tuesday That Gear sales were better than its own expectations and that it would expand sales promotions for the holidays falling on the device , According To a Reuters report .
"It's the Most sold wearable watch available in the marketplace ... and we map to expand availability its by Expanding mobile devices with the Gear That Work , " Samsung said in a statement to the news agency .

The $ 299 Gear went on sale this year and is only consistent with a few Samsung devices. The company was the device Hopping would be a breakthrough in wearable computing, it has-been goal widely panned by reviewers for its Lack of features.

Our tech blogger Salvador Rodriguez had this to say in his review of the watch . "The Galaxy Gear is a nifty device and an awesome preview of what's to come with wearable technology Goal ace is Often the case with first- generation gadgets, there 's a lot of limitations with what the Galaxy Gear can do . "

The smartwatch can perform many of the functions of a smartphone, including making calls, sending texts, taking photos and running apps. It also comes with a pedometer and voice recorder.

But you can't see tweets, get Facebook notifications or use many other popular services available on smartphones.

Samsung has been heavily marketing the Gear, running dozens of full-page ads in numerous newspapers and multiple TV commercials, including one with soccer star Lionel Messi.

By : Andrea Chang

Samsung Launches Another Large Smartphone, the Galaxy Grand 2.

  Samsung has announced the launch of Galaxy Grand 2, a 5.25-inch smartphone which - like its predecessor, the Galaxy Grand - can best be described as a mid-range smartphone with a large screen.

The HSPA + device has a 1280x720 TFT screen, a quad-core, 1.2GHz processor, 1.5GB of RAM memory plus 8GB of storage memory, expandable via microSD cards, and an 8-megapixel camera.


The Grand 2's dimensions are 146.8 x 75.3 x 8.9 mm and 163g in weight, accomodating for a large, 2,600 mAh battery. It comes with Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) and dual-SIM slots.

The Galaxy Grand 2 will be available in black, white and pink. The price and exact date of availability have not been revealed.

By : Stan Schroeder