Samsung Galaxy Note III to launch on September 4: Report

There have been rumours regarding Samsung working on the next Galaxy Note device for a while now, with alleged specifications and pictures of this phablet floating around.
Now, as per a report by Android Geeks, the Samsung Galaxy Note III will see the light of the day on September 4, 2013. The earlier rumours suggested that Samsung will be announcing the Galaxy Note III at IFA 2013, scheduled to kick off from September 6.
The report says that Samsung will hold an Unpacked event on September 4 to unveil the Note III in Berlin before IFA 2013 officially kicks off.
It is noteworthy that Samsung had announced its first Note device at IFA 2011 and the Galaxy Note II phablet was also launched at IFA in 2012. So it comes as no surprise that Samsung is choosing the same platform to launch the Note III.
A recent news report by Twitter user @evleaks suggested that Samsung Galaxy Note III will come with a 5.7-inch display. This is in contradiction to earlier news reports that claimed that this phablet will come with a 5.99-inch full-HD Super AMOLED display with diamond pixel structure.
Previous rumours also mentioned that this phablet will be the first device by Samsung to deploy a plastic OLED display. The report further claimed that this new display will be thinner than the one on Galaxy Note II and come with an RGB stripe.
However, given @evleaks' past record, it is more than likely that Samsung Galaxy Note III will indeed sport a 5.7-inch display
The other rumoured specifications for Samsung Galaxy Note III include an Exynos 5 octa-core processor, Mali 450 GPU with 8 cores and 3GB of RAM. It's also rumoured that the successor to Samsung Galaxy Note II will feature a 13-megapixel rear camera

World's first LTE-A network introduced by SK Telecom

South Korea's SK Telecom announced on Wednesday the launch of a new generation mobile network that offers speeds twice that of its existing long term evolution (LTE) network and 10 times that of 3G services.

The new LTE-Advanced, which will be immediately available in Seoul and 40 other cities, will allow users to download an entire movie in about 40 seconds.

The network was launched in conjunction with a new LTE-A capable version of Samsung's flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone, and SK Telecom said half-a-dozen other compatible smartphones were expected to be offered in the second half of 2013.

"LTE-A will give birth to new mobile value-added services that can bring innovative changes to our customer's lives," said Park In-Sik, president of Network Business Operations at SK Telecom.

The company plans to use the new network to launch a group video-calling service for up to four users which it claims will boast 12 times better video quality and audio quality twice as clear than any existing service.

One of the most wired countries on earth, South Korea already has around 20 million 4G users.

In May, researchers at Samsung Electronics said they had successfully tested super-fast 5G wireless technology that would eventually allow users to download an entire movie in one second.

The South Korean giant said the test had witnessed data transmission of more than one gigabyte per second over a distance of two kilometres.

However, the new technology will not be ready for the commercial market before 2020 at the earliest.

Sony launches SmartWatch 2, a 'second screen' for Android smartphones

Sony has officially launched SmartWatch 2, the successor to its SmartWatch.
Sony SmartWatch 2 comes with a bigger 1.6-inch screen with higher resolution 220x176 pixels resolution, compared to the 1.3-inch screen 128x128 display on its predecessor. Sony is positioning the watch as a second-screen for your Android smartphones, letting you receive notifications from the phone as well as control its functionality.
SmartWatch 2 makes it possible to access notifications from your wrist such as messages, calls, email, Facebook or Twitter, Calendar, or use it as a remote for your Walkman or other digital media player. The SmartWatch 2 comes with a bunch of pre-installed apps, with an option to load other apps as well.
Other things you can do with the SmartWatch 2 include:

• Take a photo remotely from your SmartWatch, using a smart camera app.
• Control your presentations remotely using Presentation Pal.
• Taking a run or on the bike? Select a mapping app on SmartWatch to check your route with a quick glance at your wrist.
• Read previously downloaded e-mails when not connected to your phone.
• Use lifestyle apps like Runtastic to map and instantly track your fitness activities on the go.
• Quickly adjust the tracks and volume on your music player.

Sony SmartWatch 2 comes with NFC connectivity and can be charged via a standard Micro-USB cable. It is water-resistant (IP57) and users can customise it by using any standard 24mm strap.
Sony has fired the first salvo in what is expected to be the year of the smart watch, with companies like Apple, Google, Samsung, Microsoft, and LG, all said to be working on bringing their own smart watch-like devices to the market.
Sony SmartWatch 2 is expected to be available 'worldwide' this September, with no word yet on pricing.
Sony SmartWatch 2 technical specifications

• Works as an NFC watch with all smartphones using Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and later
• Battery time - Low usage 7 days, Normal usage, 3-4 days (Watch always on)
• Bluetooth 3.0
• Android release: 4.0 and later
• Charging with micro USB
• Transflective LCD 1.6", pixels: 220x176
• Languages: English master, Chinese (Trad), Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Portuguese, Czech, Russian, Polish, Spanish & Swedish.
• Apps/plugins ready-to-go: App recommender, Facebook, Twitter, SMS, MMS, Missed call notification, Calendar notification, Email, Google+, New events - aggregator, Missed call, RSS, Gmail, Viewfinder (remote camera shutter), Phonebook, Music player, Find phone, Call log, Weather, Time, date

Nokia Lumia phones might get the Windows Phone Amber update in August

Nokia's new Amber update for its Lumia Windows Phone 8 based phones will release in August, if a tweet by Nokia Spain's Twitter account is to be believed.

The Amber update was unveiled at the time of the launch of Nokia Lumia 925. The update, which is part of the Lumia 925's firmware already, will bring a slew of camera features including a new Nokia Smart Camera mode that allows users to create high quality images, offering the ability to take ten shots at once and then edit them afterwards with tools and effects like Best Shot, Action Shot and Motion Focus. The update is also expected to bring 'double tap to wake up' lock screen gesture to some Lumia phones.

In addition to these Lumia-only features, the update will also bring features like FM radio and add CalDAV and CardDav support, which will extend support for Gmail and other Google services. It will activate FM radio in handsets that feature capable hardware. It's interesting to note that Windows Phone 7.x supported FM radio while Windows Phone 8 did not have this feature until this update. Nokia's new lineup of smartphones (barring the Lumia 620) sport FM hardware that will become functional after the update.

It's worth pointing out that Twitter accounts do not have a very good record of dispensing accurate information, but we expect the update to be delivered before end of July, as the sunset date for Google Sync services for new users is July 31. This would mean that Windows Phone users won't have been able to setup their Google account on the OS beyond this date using Google's implementation of the ActiveSync protocol called Google Sync.

The Windows Phone 8 Amber update will bring support for the protocols CalDAV (for Calendars) and CardDAV (for Contacts), which, when combined with IMAP (for Email, already in Windows Phone 8) will be able to fully replace the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync protocol, to synchronise email, contacts, and calendar with Google and other services that support these protocols.

The update will also bring some changes to Xbox Music making it easier to select, download, and pin tunes in Xbox Music and improve the accuracy of song information and other metadata. It will also extend the Data Sense feature of Windows Phone 8 to more telecom operators.

Micromax A92 Canvas Lite with 5-inch display, Android 4.1 launched for Rs. 8,499

The Indian smartphone maker, Micromax has launched Canvas Lite A92 in the market. The smartphone carries a price tag of Rs. 8,499. We had reported a couple of days back that this smartphone has been listed online for the same price.Micromax Canvas Lite A92 comes with 5-inch TFT capacitive touch screen display with a resolution of 480X854 pixels and a pixel density of 196 ppi. It is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor alongside 512MB of RAM.
The smartphone has 4GB of internal storage, of which 0.94 GB is user accessible. The storage can be further expanded by up to 32GB via microSD card. It is a dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) smartphone with dual standby. Other connectivity options include 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth and GPS.
There is a 5-megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash. The camera is also capable of recording videos at 30 fps. There is no front camera on this smartphone.
Micromax Canvas Lite A92 has G-Sensor, light sensor and proximity sensor. It runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean).
Measuring 77x147x10.8 mm Micromax A92 Canvas Lite packs in a 2,000mAh battery which, as per the company's claims, gives 6 hours of talk time and 240 hours of standby time on 2G network.
The Micromax Canvas Lite A92 will be competing head on with Lava Iris 458q, Intex Aqua Flash, Karbonn A9+ and Samsung Galaxy Ace duos.

Mobiles launched in June 2013
Micromax Canvas Lite A92 key specifications

• 5-inch TFT capacitive touch screen IPS display with 480X854 pixel resolution and 196 ppi
• 1 GHz dual-core processor
• 512MB RAM
• 4GB internal memory, 0.94GB user accessible), expandable by up to 32GB with microSD
• 5-megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash
• Dual-SIM (GSM + GSM) with dual-standby
• 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS
• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) OS
• 2000 mAh battery
• 77X147X10.8 mm

First Firefox OS-based smartphone launched in Europe

Spain's Telefonica is offering the world's first smartphone with the Firefox operating system to compete with devices running Google Android and Apple iOS.

The ZTE Open smartphone goes on sale in Spain this week for 69 euros (about $90) and will soon be available in several Latin American countries.

The device is aimed at the youth market and at people who are new to smartphones, Telefonica's chief of product development, Carlos Domingo, said during a Madrid press conference where he was joined by executives from Mozilla and telephone-maker ZTE.

Equipped with a 3.5-inch 320x480-pixel touchscreen, the ZTE Open includes a 3.2-megapixel camera, 256MB RAM and 512MB flash storage enhanced with a 4GB microSD card that comes as part of the package.

The purchase price includes 30 euros ($39) of pay-as-you-go credit.

The ZTE Open is fully integrated with Facebook and the Spain-based social network Tuenti and talks are on about incorporating the WhatsApp instant-messaging service, Telefonica said.

Commenting on the launch, Luis Miguel Gilperez, CEO of Telefonica Espana, said, "We believe that smartphones need to be more open and that the web is the platform for making this possible. Consumers should not be locked to any one system but have the choice to consume the content they want and the flexibility to be able to take it with them when they change devices. This first open web device marks a significant milestone in making this possible. This is just the beginning as we plan to bring a wide range of Firefox OS devices to our customers."

The ZTE Open is the first of a number of Firefox OS devices that will be launched by Telefonica this year, offering the benefits of this new open operating system across a range of different price points. Other device manufacturers supporting Firefox OS include Alcatel OneTouch, LG, Huawei and Sony.

Mozilla executives said the ZTE Open is the "first chapter" in what they expect to be a long project, one that is already attracting interest from many other telecommunications companies

New pictures of purported low-cost iPhone's back shell show a Blue variant

New higher quality images of the purported back case of the low-cost iPhone have surfaced online, adding a Blue colour shell.

The images that appeared on French website, Nowhereelse.fr reveal back shells that sport a glossy finish and include metal contacts/ attachment points for connecting components.

It appears that they're final production units as evident from the plastic covering they're wrapped in. However, the images do not reveal any new details and match the ones that surfaced a few days back barring that they also feature a new Blue shell in addition to the Red, Green and Yellow shells depicted in the previous image.

As apparent, the back shells sports a black Apple logo, a round hole for the camera lens, another one for the flash and a hole for the noise cancellation microphone. As previously noted, the internal panel sports contacts/ attachment points that can connect to components such as the motherboard and Lightning connector port at almost exactly the same points where they're positioned on the iPhone 5.

Another picture of the rear shell that appeared in April, shared by case manufacturer Tactus, matches these shells in terms of the overall design, including the position of the camera lens, microphone and flash holes, though it was White in colour. The case maker had said that the cheaper iPhone would be available in Black, White, Blue, Red and Yellow colours, citing the 'factory producing this secretive project' as a source. Tactus had informed that the actual phone might be around 9mm thick, 120mm in height and around 62-65mm in width, making it both taller and wider than the iPhone 4 and 4S.

Apple focused Japanese blog Macotakara had also suggested that the new low-cost iPhone will come in multiple colours. It cited two sources that suggested different colours for the purported budget iPhone. While one source mentioned that it would come in Navy, Gold Orange, White, and Grey colours, the second one suggested White, Pink, Green, Blue, and Yellow-Orange  colours. The mockup offered by the site also featured the same design elements and positioning of components, though the colours were a bit different.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had also confirmed in one of his research reports a plastic shell for the budget iPhone and had said that Apple was finding it difficult to keep the plastic shell of the low-cost iPhone as thin as it would like