MediaTek announces first true octa-core processor

MediaTek has officially announced the world's first true octa-core processor. The latest SoCs allows all the eight cores to run simultaneously, unlike the Samsung implementation, which can activate up to half of its CPU cores at once. The true octa-core processors offer you enhanced performance, power efficiency and improved user experience.

The MediaTek true octa-core processor allocates processing power to different cores on per-application and per-task basis that gives the ultimate multi-tasking experience. The newest addition to the MediaTek SoCs comes with advanced web browsing feature that has the unique ability to allocate individual browser tabs to CPU cores.
The processor also has the ability to delegate user input to individual cores and renders 3D effects more smoothly and enhances the user interface. The multi-threaded programming in the processor enables improved video framerate processing, which gives superior gaming experiences.
Lastly, the octa processor has an efficient video playback feature that reduces that battery used for decoding HEVC FHD video by up to 18% when compared to the current quad-core processors. The octa-core solution also provides 20% more frames while on display mode.
Unfortunately, there is no word on the specifications and the launch date of the true octa-core processors.

 

IDC: Apple and Samsung lose market share in Q2

According to the latest figures from Internation Data Corporation (IDC) market analysis, Apple and Samsung continue to dominate the smartphone market. However, the companies have seen their shares slip in Q2 of this year compared to what they had last year.
Of the estimated total of 237.9 million smartphones shipped this past quarter, Samsung accounted for some 72.4 million units, or 30.4%. Despite shipping more units in Q2 than for the same period of last year, Samsung's market share dropped from 32.2% due to seasonal sales rates and lost market share to up-and-comers like LG and Lenovo.


LG was able to ship 12.1 million units in Q2, giving it a 5.1% market share, while Lenovo sold 11.3 million units, or 4.7%. Those two saw their shipments increase by 108.6% and 130.6% YoY, respectively.

Apple, meanwhile saw its market share drop by almost a quarter to 13.1% in Q2. The (highly) rumored release of a budget iPhone model alongside the iPhone 5S should hopefully bring things back for the Cupertino-based company, but the effects of those will only be properly felt in Q4.

iCharts

The lost market share is likely of little concern to either Apple or Samsung, as both are raking in huge profits from their smartphone offerings. Particularly Samsung, who is celebrating a record $8.5 billion profit for Q2.

Specs of Samsung Galaxy Note III leak, 5.7-inch display confirmed

The upcoming Galaxy Note phablet has been doing the rounds in the rumorland for quite a while now. The specifications of the third generation Galaxy Note have appeared several times and now we have an official confirmation from a Samsung insider, in front of Business Daily.

Samsung Galaxy Note III is confirmed to feature a 5.7-inch display, 3 GB of RAM and Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. Furthermore, the alleged spec sheet of Galaxy Note III reveals that the device will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset with the latest 4G LTE-A support.
We will know more about the Galaxy Note III, when Samsung unveils its next generation Galaxy phablet on September 4 in Berlin.

Press render of BlackBerry 9720 Samoa leaks

BlackBerry recently announced that the company will be coming up with a new BlackBerry 7 smartphone. The handset carrying the now obsolete platform is targeted at consumers in the emerging markets and we now have a press render showing what it looks like.

The BlackBerry 9720 Samoa has been leaked, courtesy of evleaks. The image confirms that the phone packs a QWERTY keypad and an optical trackpad with send, menu, end and back keys alongside it.
It looks like the BlackBerry 9720 will come out with few dedicated buttons placed on the sides of the smartphone. The upcoming BB 7 device is rumored to sport a 480 x 360 pixel display, but info on its other specs is scarce at the moment.
Unfortunately, there is no word on the launch date of the smartphone, but with the press renders ready, we expect it to happen pretty soon enough.

Samsung announces record $8.5B profit for Q2

Samsung announced a record $8.5 billion in operating profit, beating the $8.3 billion guidance it released early this month. That's up from the $7.9 billion from the previous quarter and $5.8 billion from the year ago quarter. Net profit was $6.99 billion.
We were a little wary of reports that Samsung had beaten Apple in profitability, but the Cupertino company (and Samsung's main smartphone rival) posted a net profit of $6.9 billion, coming a narrow second this time.
Sales are up across the board for the Samsung divisions, but mobile division actually marked a decrease in operating profit quarter on quarter (it's up YoY), despite the launch of the Galaxy S4 flagship, which has been selling quite well (but not as well as some analysts expected).


Analysts say that while Samsung and Apple dominate the high-end smartphone market, that market has been saturated and the action is now in the mid- and low-end segments. Samsung has carved out a 30.4% market share (down from 32.2%) despite sales rising 43.9% (Apple's sales rose 20%).
Apple doesn’t compete in the low-end just yet, but Samsung does. However, companies like LG and Lenovo saw their sales double and stronger competition from HTC, Sony and Nokia have made things more difficult for Samsung, while the increased spending on R&D and marketing didn’t help either.
Regional growth in sales in America and China is largely due to the launch of the Galaxy S4, which lead sales overall. Smartphone demand increased slightly, despite the weak seasonality. Samsung expect next quarter to see continued growth with LTE driving it in developed markets and emerging markets like China to gobble up mass-market smartphones.
Samsung's tablets were on the rise in emerging markets, but went down in developed markets. Samsung expects high growth in both markets next quarter despite stiffer competition.
Samsung's semiconductor business is seeing low desktop demand but strong mobile and server sales, with growing demand for NAND memory for SSD and phone/tablet storage. DRAM shipments increased and will only go up thanks to demand for graphics memory for the new consoles (Xbox One and PS4).
Samsung's TV and panel business is on the rise too, with increasing average selling price thanks to demand large TVs (60+ inches) and the new UHD panels.

Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 get Android 4.3 today

Google officially announced the latest version of Android operating system, 4.3, at its event today. The newest version of Android is a minor upgrade over the currently present Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS and brings restricted profiles, a few other minor features along with a bunch of performance enhancements.

As one can expect, the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS will be first available on Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10. What might come as a slightly surprise is that you won't even have to wait a day - the update will start rolling today. After the roll-out to the Nexus line-up, the latest Android release will be seeded to the Google Play Editions of Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One. We got no time frame for that, but we were promised it will be happening soon.
The Android 4.3 Jelly Bean software update will be available over-the-air (OTA) so keep an eye for that notification.

LG G2 to go on sale in August, the US gets it in September

The LG G2 has leaked numerous times already. This is why we mostly have a handle on the specs it will have – 5.2" 1080p display, Snapdragon 800 chipset with 2GB RAM, Android 4.2.2, 13MP camera and 2,540mAh battery.
We even saw several teaser videos that don't really give away anything but the taglines "To me, you are perfect" and "Learning from you" and show a short glimpse of the characteristic back with two buttons next to the camera.
Now there are a couple of new leaked images of the LG G2, which show a potential change in design. The curved back covered in glossy plastic can be seen in four different color versions – Black, Blue, Red and Purple. That's a departure from the clean glass look of the Optimus G and G Pro.

Leaked images show different colors
At the same time, the teaser site is available in two color versions – White and Black. Clicking between the two nothing but the background changes. Is this a slight hint that the G2 will stick to the black and white colors of its predecessor? Those could be snap-on back panels as one observant reader points out. We'll find out for sure on August 7.
The good news is the event will be livestreamed, so you can watch the unveiling live. We'll put up the video when the time comes and we'll have people on the ground to bring you live photos and first-hand impressions.
Korean publication Khan throws in some more info – the LG G2 will reportedly launch in early August in South Korea, not long after the announcement, then in the US in September. Europe and the rest of the world will get the smartphone in October.

6" Nokia Lumia phablet front panel pictured

We've heard rumors of a phablet in the works from Nokia for a while now. Back in May we even saw a (blurry) glimpse of what appeared to be a large-screened Nokia device, expected to see the light of day as the Lumia 1030.
This latest leak which supposedly comes from a factory floor in China brings the phablet one step closer to reality. It measures 6-inches in diagonal and is supposedly already being mass-produced by Nokia.

As you can tell from the image, it has a very thin bezel and looks to also feature a slot for a front-facing camera. Unfortunately there's nothing else that we can make out from it and the source didn't provide any additional specs either.

It's possible Nokia may be readying this device for the anticipated Windows Phone GDR3 update. The new release is set to start seeding by the end of the year and will add support for 1080p resolution to the Windows Phone 8 platform as well as an additional column of tiles - perfect for larger, phablet-esque displays.

Geeksphone Peak+ with 1GB RAM goes on pre-order for €150

Geeksphone has started taking pre-orders for the Peak+ Firefox-powered phone. Geeksphone typically makes phones targeted at devs or tech savvy enthusiast, but says the Peak+ is also ready for consumers.

It's a small upgrade over the regular Peak – the RAM has been doubled to 1GB and the material used for the exterior has been changed to make it feel better to the touch. The phone will come with Firefox OS 1.1 out of the box, the same version the other two (Peak and Keon) recently got.

Other than that, you're still getting a Snapdragon 8225 S4 Play chipset (dual-core Cortex-A5 at 1.2GHz, Adreno 203 GPU), 4.3" IPS screen qHD (540 x 960) resolution, 4GB storage plus microSD cards slot and a 1,800mAh battery.
The Geeksphone Peak+ pre-order is at a promo price of €150 ($200), the same as the original Peak. This price will go up slightly after the initial batch of units is sold out (there's no indication what the standard price will be). The original Peak sold out fairly quickly.
If you pre-order now, Geeksphone will ship your Peak+ in mid-September.

First Nokia Lumia 1020 units now in hands of AT&T customers

 

The first Nokia Lumia 1020 customers, who've pre-ordered the smartphone, have started to receive their units today. The Lumia 1020 turned out to be extremely popular for the carrier, which sold out all available unitsin the second day of its pre-order campaign.

While the WP8 cameraphone is exclusively sold by AT&T in the US, people living in Europe have a wider choice of carriers. In Germany, Vodafone will give you the Lumia 1020 only for €29.90 if you opt for a two-year contract with a €70/month tariff (calls and data). T-Mobile's cheapest offer, on the other hand, has the Lumia 1020 listed at €149.90 with a 2-year contract and €80/month plan.
Pricing in the rest of the EU should be pretty similar. The Nokia Lumia 1020 will go on sale in Europe in September though, so you will have to be patient.

 

Apple iPhone 5S, budget iPhone and gold iPhone appear again

Apple's iPhone 5S and the budget iPhone in the making has been the talk of the town for a while now even if their announcement is at least a month and a half away. Apple is expected to launch both the devices this fall and we have already lost count on the number leaks we had till now.
Now, a new set of images have appeared, showing the alleged Apple iPhone 5S and budget iPhone along with the rumored gold version. The latest leak also reveals that all the three smartphones from Apple are pretty much the same size.

If the rumors are to be trusted, then there will be two versions of the alleged budget iPhone - a Zenenvo with dual-core H5P processor along with 1 GB of RAM, Bluetooth 4.0 and LTE radio and a Zagato/Bertone variant that is powered by a H6P processor.
Unfortunately, there is no official confirmation from Apple just yet. Even worse, Apple has repeatedly denied that it's working on a more affordable iPhone, so you better keep your expectations low.

 

20MP camera rocking Sony Xperia Honami pictured again

With alleged press shots, headlining 20MP camera and purported specifications now out in the wild, the Sony Xperia Honami has been leaked yet again in a bunch of a live photos. Those look to be the real deal, aligning nicely with previous live shots.

Anyway, the Xperia Honami has kept a lot of the charm of the Xperia Z it is said to succeed at the company's smartphone flagship throne. With a glass covered back and sharp edges all around, it's definitely a looker. The photos confirm the large loudspeaker grill, that is a slight departure from the current OmniBalance design.
Furthermore, the dedicated camera key on the right hand side underlines the cameraphone status of the smartphone. It's said to be a 20 megapixel Exmor RS unit, which will feature the Sony G-lens and BIONZ image processor, but its sensor will measure 1/2.3" rather than the previously rumored 1/1.6".

According to the person, who took the photos, the camera software isn't close to its final version. Since the resolution settings in the camera app were missing, too, he couldn't confirm if the phone packs a 20MP camera.
The specs sheet goes on with a flagship-worthy 5" 1080p display, 2.2GHz quad-core Krait 400 CPU and 2GB of RAM on a Snapdragon 800 chipset. The battery, while still non-removable, will be bumped to 3,000mAh, from the 2,330mAh on the Xperia Z.
Just like the Xperia Z, the Sony Xperia Honami is said to be IP57 certified, which it is completely dust-protected and will withstand a meter of water for 30 minutes.

Sony is expected to announce the Xperia Honami at a dedicated press event on September 4 in Berlin.

Nokia Lumia 625 brings a 4.7" screen, LTE to the masses

Nokia's teaser from yesterday promised something big for today and it delivered, sort of. The Nokia Lumia 625 is an entry-level Windows Phone 8 handset with a rather big (for the class) screen – 4.7".
That's not groundbreaking, though as the WP7-powered HTC Titan had a 4.7" screen back in 2011. The Lumia 625 is mostly a stretched out 620 with some additional extras.


The Nokia Lumia 625 has a 4.7" IPS LCD with WVGA resolution (480 x 800, 201ppi) and "2.25D" curved Gorilla Glass 2 ("2.5D" has curved edges, we guess "2.25D" means less curvy"). The screen packs Nokia's proprietary image tuning options that let you change the color profile. It has super sensitive touch too, meaning it works with gloves and fingernails.
The phone measures 133.3 x 72.3 x 9.3mm and weighs 159g, roughly the dimensions of the One X, but 29g heavier.
The Nokia Lumia 625 continues the WP tradition of having entry-level phones with fairly high specs (compared to Android's entry level). It packs a dual-core Krait processor at 1.2GHz, 512MB RAM and 8GB of built-in storage, expandable with a microSD card slot.
There's HSPA+ and 4G LTE connectivity, along with Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 + LE and GPS + GLONASS for positioning. Nokia's HERE mapping suit is on board with HERE Drive beta (it gives you free offline GPS navigation for one country).
The main camera is a 5MP shooter that can capture 1080p video and the front-facing camera has VGA resolution. There's an LED flash and one HD mic. Other goodies include Smart Camera and FM radio, meaning the Lumia 625 comes with the Amber update. Free Nokia Music subscription is also included.


The Nokia Lumia 625 will launch in China, Europe, Asia Pacific, India, Middle East, Africa and Latin America in Q3 2013 in a variety of colors (orange, yellow, bright green, white and black), with exchangeable semitransparent shells to easily switch colors (just like the 620).
In the UK, the Lumia 625 is expected in September for £200 though EE, Vodafone and O2 as well as retailers Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U. Elsewhere the price will be €220 before taxes and subsidies.

Google sets an event for July 24, next Android release coming

Google has just sent out press invites for its Android event that'll be happening on July 24 at 19:00 GMT in San Francisco. The photo that the company attached simply reads "Please join us for breakfast with Sundar Pichai."

Pichai, the VP of Android and Chrome, sure has some cool news to share regarding the next version of Google's mobile OS. Android 4.3 Jelly Bean has been out for a while now for the Google Play Store edition Samsung Galaxy S4. We took if for a spin, but, didn't find too much new stuff inside, so we are hoping it wasn't the final build. Hopefully, at the event happening next Wednesday, Google will unveil more changes to Android.

Android 4.3 is said to still carry the Jelly Bean name. It seems that Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie will be unwrapped at the next Google I/O.
Additionally, the second-generation Nexus 7 tablet is expected to be announced. It's been heavily rumored to pack a 7" display of full HD resolution and a Snapdragon 600 CPU. ASUS is said to be responsible for building the next Nexus tablet.

Nokia officially announces the 207, 208 and 208 dual SIM

Nokia hast just officially took the wraps off three new affordable handsets - the Nokia 207, Nokia 208 and 208 dual-SIM.

The trio of candybars is done in Nokia's bold colors that we're used to seeing and are almost identical to one another. Built around a 2.4" QVGA display and phone keypad, the only difference between the 207 and 208 is the 1.3MP camera at the back.
The 207 and 208 measure 114.2 x 50.9 x 12.8mm and weigh 89.6 grams and 90.5 grams, respectively (the extra gram is due to the camera). They all share a 1020mAh battery which doesn't sound much, but Nokia boasts the phones can go more than a month on stand-by without needing a recharge, while the talk time is estimated to be up to 12 hours on 2G.
Quad-band 2G and tri-band 3G mean that the 207 and 208 will work on most places. Connectivity is covered with Bluetooth 3.0, which supports Slam sharing, 3.5mm AV port and microUSB port for PC sync and charging. The both models support Nokia's data-compressing Xpress Browser, YouTube video streaming as well as popular social networks and services like Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp (will be available for the 208 initially). Mail for Exchange is supported for calendar and contacts sync, while the lack of a camera on 207 means that it can be used in workplaces which forbid cameras on sight, according to Nokia. There's a microSD card slot too, for storage up to 32GB.


Nokia says the phones are splash proof thanks to the lack of gaps between the keys. They're tough as well, due to the 'cup'-style design, reminiscent to Asha 501 and Lumia 620. This also means you can change the back shell with another and completely change the look of the phone.
Expect to phones to start shipping some time in Q3 this year with all three phones available in red, cyan, white and black. The Nokia 207, 208 and 208 dual SIM will cost around $68 / €52 each before local taxes and operator subsidies.

Skype for Android gets a major update, UI overhaul

Skype for Android has received a huge update to version 4.0, alongside a bevy of new interface changes and optimizations.

The new Skype for Android 4.0 takes many design cues from Windows 8′s Modern UI.
Derek Snyder, head of mobile marketing at Skype, said that the new Skype will be aimed at addressing the needs of mobile users first and foremost. Messaging will be brought to the forefront, and it will supposedly be more power efficient.

Canon launches EOS 70D

Canon has launched a new mid-range DSLR called the EOS 70D. The highlight feature of this new camera is the 20.2 megapixel, APS-C CMOS sensor with dual-pixel CMOS AF technology, which is the first of its kind.

Unlike traditional cameras, the sensor on the 70D has not one but two photodiodes per pixel and uses the additional diode to perform on-chip phase detection auto-focus. This, along with the 14-bit DIGIC 5+ processor and 19-point all cross-type AF System, helps in improving the auto-focus speed during still image capture and provides smoother and more reliable auto-focusing while recording videos.

Other features on the 7D include ISO 100-12800 range, 98 per cent frame coverage and 0.95x magnification for the viewfinder, 7fps burst mode in full resolution (up to 65 JPEG or 16 RAW images), 1080p video recording in 30, 25 and 24fps, 3.0-inch, 1040k fully articulated display with capacitive touchscreen and built-in Wi-Fi.
The Canon EOS 70D will is priced at $1,199 / €1,099 (body-only) and $1,349 / €1,249 with the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens and $1549 / €1499 with the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens.

Latest Google Glass update adds web browser, handsfree functionality

Ever since the Google Glass shipped to developers, Google has been steadily improving it with new updates released every month. In the latest update, Google has introduced several new features which makes the device a lot more usable.

The biggest addition in this update is the presence of a full web browser. Now you can do web search and also open the links in the built-in web browser. To scroll through page, just swipe your finger on the side. You can zoom into the page by sliding using two fingers and if you want to pan around, just hold down using two fingers and turn your head around and the focus would move accordingly on the page.
The other inclusion is handsfree functionality. Now you can read messages on your phone or answer calls using just your voice, by saying “Okay Glass, read aloud.” or “Okay Glass, answer call.” respectively. You can also share photos to a specific contact by saying the name.
Lastly, Google Glass now gives you access to your entire Google contact list instead of just the ten people you could previously contact.
The update has started rolling out now and should be available on your Google Glass Explorer edition shortly, if you’re lucky enough to have one.

Apple and SKT negotiate over LTE-A version 5Sof iPhone

An SK Telecom executive, who preferred to stay anonymous, confirmed the carrier has approached Apple to negotiate an LTE-Advanced capable version of the next iPhone.
According to the unnamed executive "SK Telecom is approaching Apple to put our LTE-A technology on the upcoming iPhone 5S. We are in the middle of negotiations". This means the South Koreans might be getting an LTE-A enabled iPhone 5S in a few months.

Samsung has already launched a faster LTE-Advanced version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 in South Korea. Naturally, some users were left disappointed with the too quick upgrade, but Samsung has simply made sure the Galaxy S4 stay on top of the competition and Apple may have no choice but to follow suit.

The SKT executive suggest Apple might use Qualcomm technology for the LTE-Advanced capable iPhone 5S. We doubt Apple will drop its own chips in favor of Snapdragon 800, but the Cupertino company might use one of Qualcomm's modems

Nokia should look to Android to stay afloat, analyst says

Many attribute Nokia's decline in recent years to its exclusive reliance on Microsoft's Windows Phone platform as its only outlet into the world of smartphones. Now one analyst argues that if Nokia has any hope of righting the ship, it must begin manufacturing Android smartphones.

Pierre Ferragu of Bernstein Research urges that Nokia must "take the pill before one cannot afford to do so anymore… its exposure to the disappearing feature phone market and the lack of traction of Windows phones could cost Nokia a lot of cash in the near term, in restructuring, marketing/distribution support, and operational losses, which means it could be too late to address the problem in a couple of years."
Nokia's partnership with Microsoft has been anything but what either company was hoping for, even if recent signs are encouraging. The Finnish phone maker and the Windows Phone operating system found on many of its devices are struggling to make the smartphone the three-horse race Elop was talking about when unveiling the new strategy.

Nokia continues to rely heavily on its feature phone sales to keep finances in check, as evidenced by its most recent ad campaign for the S40-powered Nokia Asha 501. But the featurephone market, once a pillar of Nokia's dominance, is also starting to crumble. Even in the conservative Western European smartphone market, where Nokia's total shipments have dropped by 30% year-over-year.

It's unclear what would it cost for Nokia to dip its toe into the Android pool, though. On one hand Microsoft has given licenses to Samsung, HTC and Huawei to make WP-powered devices of their own despite all of those also having Android smartphones. On the other ever since day one and Microsoft Nokia made it clear that their partnership is different to that between Microsoft and the other WP OEMs.