XDA-Devs find way to install Windows 10 on any Lumia

The Windows 10 Technical Preview was released this Thursday, but only for select phones. Now thanks to an XDA-Developers hack you can install it on just about any Lumia that you are not using.

That last bit is important since this can brick your device. People have reported success with various phones, including the Lumia 720, which has just 512MB RAM. The update is officially available for 512MB phones, though there's a possibility they won't get all features in the final build.

Anyway, the update has worked on a Lumia 930 and a Lumia 1320 bought from different carriers, though some are reporting issues on Lumia 920 and 520.

You can read the step-by-step guide for the update in this thread, plus reports on how others fared and some troubleshooting. The process is fairl involved and not for the faint of heart and once again it could brick your device.

Nokia Lumia 520 now available for just $29 on eBay

The Nokia Lumia 520, which is the most popular Windows Phone device out there, is now available for just $29 on eBay. This translates into a discount of around 70% given the device's original price of $99.99.

The online retailer is claiming that close to 8,500 units of the smartphone, which connects to AT&T's GoPhone pre-paid service, have been sold, and stock is limited.

Specifications-wise, the device is powered by Qualcomm MSM8227 chipset with a 1 GHz dual core processor and Adreno 305 GPU, and sports a 4 inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, rendering 480 x 800 pixels resolution. It comes with 512MB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory (which can be extended up to 64 GB via a microSD card), and runs Windows Phone 8.1.

In terms of camera, the Lumia 520 features only a 5MP rear shooter, and packs in a 1430 mAh battery.

Counterclockwise: Sony Xperia Z, HTC Legend, Samsung Blue Earth

Counterclockwise is all about the history of mobile devices and this week we look at two noble bloodlines – the Xperia Z and HTC Legend. Also, health apps and smart bands and so on are very popular right now, but sporty phones have been around for years. Some even went green with solar power. Also, we look at the humble history of the SIM card and its attempt to stay relevant.

The birth of the Z dynasty

Sony unveiled the Xperia Z flagship at CES in January 2013, but the handset did not go on sale until early February. And then only in Japan for NTT DoCoMo, which quickly shipped units to everyone who pre-ordered the device.

The flagship sold 140,000 units in its home country in about 10 days before it reached Europe. There it and quickly sold out in France and a few days later became available in the UK, Germany and Russia. Sony France was promising more units coming in a week.

That's a positive launch for Sony's new flagship line that also began the design language still in use today, namely OmniBalance. It was easily recognizable by its metal frame, exposed around the sides of the device with the trademark round, aluminum Power button.

The Xperia Z also embraced the waterproof design that Sony has been toying with – the Xperia active we talked about last week, but also the Xperia V (aka the Bond phone). Ever since the Z series, which grew to encompass tablets and phablets, has been waterproof.

With the next iteration that came half a year later Sony added the other defining feature of an Xperia Z flagship phone, the whopping 20.7MP camera with a 1/2.3" sensor. The Xperia Z1 was replaced by the Z2, which added stereo speakers and 2160p video capture.

The Xperia Z2 came out at the MWC in February, not CES because the January event was taken up by the Xperia Z1 Compact – the first Android super mini and one of the best-loved minis to date. Again, half a year later the Xperia Z3 came out and this time the Compact version shared the spotlight.

The Z3 family had a third member, the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact, which joined the Xperia Z2 Tablet from the MWC earlier that year. Both had metal frames and waterproof bodies, stereo speakers too.

 
Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet

That's a lot of history for just 2 years and we're already expecting the Xperia Z4 family to show up, if not at the MWC in March then not too long after.

Legends of metal

The metal frame of the Xperia Zs is one of their best features, but if they are dukes then metal unibodies are kings. The HTC One family has a rich history just like the Zs above, but it all started with a Legend.

The HTC Legend came to succeed the HTC Hero and had a body made out of a single block of aluminum. It still had a removable battery (take note, One designers) and packed a 3.2" AMOLED display with 320 x 480px resolution, pretty sweet for the time.

 
HTC Legend live shots

The phone kept the characteristic chin that HTC devices had back then and officially came out soon after it leaked in February 2010.

The epic naming scheme died off in favor of the Desire line, which launched at the same time and was the basis for the first Nexus, which also happens to be the first HTC device named "One". A Sensation line appeared for a short time, while the Desire was relegated to the mid-range as the HTC One family took over the flagship position.

Sun and health

In February 2009 Samsung decided to marry two popular movements – going green and the touchscreen. The Samsung Blue Earth name was a bit on the nose, but it had a solar cell on its back to provide additional charging.

  
Samsung Blue Earth

The phone itself was made from recycled plastic from water bottles and was free from harmful materials. The box that it came in was made of recycled paper.

The Blue Earth had green software features too, based on the step counter (a rarity back then, on practically every phone now). The software calculated how much CO2 was not released into the atmosphere because you walked instead of driving. Instead of CO2 volumes, the numbers were given in trees saved.

A year later in February another touchscreen feature phone with a solar panel on its back appeared. Not official yet, but the PUMA PHONE combined solar power and exercise features.

   
Meet the PUMA PHONE

Taking the step counter from the Blue Earth a step further (sorry), the PUMA PHONE featured a GPS receiver and a sailing compass. It could track your run or work as a bike speedometer. It had a music player and stopwatch, making it a complete workout package.

21st century SIM

SIM cards are handy – they make is so easy to switch between phones. Back in the day they also carried your phonebook and your text messages with you, but as phones got more advanced they stopped using the SIM card as storage.

There were still problems to be solved though, Wi-Fi tethering wasn’t always so easy. In February 2010 the SIMFi card promised to bring tethering to all phones. It had a built-in Wi-Fi router that can share the 3G connection with other devices as well as the phone that the card is in.

Another attempt to make the SIM card more than just a physical representation your mobile number was the GPP SIM. In February 2012 it could unlock an iPhone 4S that was normally tied to AT&T without the need for a jailbreak.

In 2010 SK Telecom even showed off a SIM card prototype that ran Android – not worked on Android phones, ran Android on its own CPU, RAM and 1GB of storage. It would not only carry over your contacts but also your entire OS. That didn’t work out, it turns out cloud syncing is too convenient.

Recently the WhatSim offered to make WhatsApp chats free worldwide.

Successors for Samsung's Galaxy Tab S line are coming

According to a new rumor, Samsung is already busy working on developing successors to the Galaxy Tab S 8.4(pictured to the left) and Galaxy Tab S 10.5 tablets that it launched last year. The main standout feature for the existing Galaxy Tab S models is the fact that they both employ Super AMOLED touchscreens, something that had previously been missing from the mobile world for a few years.

The upcoming tablets will obviously keep the AMOLED technology of their predecessors' displays. The new models will be SM-T710 and SM-T810 (the originals are SM-T700 and SM-T800, respectively).

While no other details about the new devices are known at this time, it's safe to assume that they won't get some earth-shattering hardware upgrades. We might see them ship with a new chipset, perhaps Samsung's Exynos 7420 which is expected to make its debut in the Galaxy S6 on March 1.

That may help the new Tab S generation perform better than the original tablets. We apparently shouldn't expect to see the new Tab S line unveiled at MWC alongside the Galaxy S6, since work on them isn't that advanced yet. They will be announced later, perhaps towards the middle of the year.

Week 7 in review: One (M9), Galaxy S6, Galaxy Note updates

Another week has passed and it's only natural that we take a quick glance at the past few days and see what happened in the mobile world. With MWC 2015 right around the corner all eyes seem to be on the major mobile players and their future device lineups. The Hype is all-encompassing, but Samsung seems to be stealing the spotlight with its highly-anticipated Galaxy S6.

The future flagship device and its curved sibling have been stirring up a lot of controversy. Leaks have departed slightly from last week's multitude of case photos and are now gravitating around actual and supposedly precise 3D renders of the device and talks of a possible glass back to facilitate wireless charging.

We have been hearing more and more on the guts of the Galaxy S6 flagship with rumors pointing to a 20MP OIS main camera as well as beastly performance from the Exynos 7420 SoC and Mali-T760 GPU. HTC's next flagship - the One (M9) is also exciting fans with word of an equally impressive 20MP Toshiba-made camera.

Sony might be skipping the formal press event at the Barcelona venue, but hype is still gathering around the Xperia Z4. The handset will most-likely not be unveiled at the show, but its alleged Snapdragon 810 SoC made an appearance in GeekBench scores this weeks. The Japanese tech giant also expanded its mid-range lineup with a duo of new Xperia E4 models.

In other news Android update fever is still strong, especially on the Samsung front. The Galaxy Note 4and Note 3 are finally getting the Lollipop treatment and the Korean giant also made it clear that theGalaxy Note 2 will not miss out on the new OS version.

If you think you might have missed anything from the past week here is a quick rundown of the post popular news articles in no particular order.

HTC One (M8) $150 off this weekend, Re camera 25% off

HTC says happy President's Day with price cuts to select products, including the outgoing HTC One (M8) flagship and the Re camera. You can grab the One (M8) straight from HTC's online store in the US at $500, $150 off its usual price.

The deal is valid only this weekend, President's Day commemorates George Washington's birthday and is celebrated on the third Monday of February (this year it falls on the 16th).

Anyway, you could get the One (M8) in any color you like and for any carrier (including Sprint'sHarman/Kardon version), an unlocked phone or a developer phone. Note that the HTC One (M9) is less than a month away, we should see it at the MWC starting in March. So, $150 off sounds like a good deal but you may want to skip it.

We haven't seen leaks about a next-gen Re camera (which is no guarantee it won't be replaced). You can snag one for $150, 25% off its usual price. That's $50 less than the GoPro Hero 3 White, but $20 more than the base Hero.

The promo also includes select cases at half price - the Dot View Premium case ($25), the Flip case ($15) and the Double Dip case ($12.50).

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 boards the Lollipop train in Europe

Samsung's latest phablet flagship is finally getting the Lollipop treatment. The version to go first is the SM-N910F, which is the European Snapdragon version of the handset. The update saw some delay due to problems with Gear VR support.

However Android 5.0 for the Exynos-powered variant of the phablet is already well under way and isavailable in its native South Korean market and also as a soak test in Poland. This is the first time we are seeing an official Lollipop ROM for the Snapdragon-powered Note 4, which is the most widely-spread one.

Today's update comes along with a Lollipop build for the Galaxy Note 4's extremely popular predecessor - the Galaxy Note 3. Interestingly enough the two updates are starting to seed simultaneously which might hint that Samsung intentionally held back the Galaxy Note 3 package to avoid the inevitable backlash when an older device is updated before the new one.

Despite the chaotic update schedule Samsung seems to mean well enough when it comes to delivering Lollipop. The rather odd Samsung Galaxy S4 support is also complimented by an equally impressive news that the Korean tech giant intends to bring Android 5.0 to the rather aging, but still capable Galaxy Note II as well.

So if you are on a Snapdragon Note 4 be sure to check for that update package regularly as the Lollipop goodness is here.

New rumors state Galaxy S6 will offer wireless charging

The rumors about Samsung's next highly-anticipated flagship phone just keep pouring in. Controversy is at an all-time high and it seems that leaks are starting to contradict themselves more and more. One of the more widely spread opinions on the tech scene is that the Galaxy S6 will keep with current design trends and spout a full-metal unibody.

However this might turn out to be not entirely true as two separate industry sources are now reporting that the Galaxy S6 will come with built-in wireless charging capability. The couple of reports come from DDaily and News 1 Korea and both hint at magnetic induction wireless charging in the smartphone. This is all fine, but magnetic induction can simply not function with an all-metal body. The material is a formidable barrier for electro-magnetic waves, making the whole process all but impossible due to losses and even quite dangerous.

If the Galaxy S6 does indeed come with wireless charging that must mean that its back will not be 100% metal. One option would be for it to have carefully placed plastic inserts, but that seems kind of unlikely. The other variant, which one of the aforementioned sources goes into detail about is that the back will be made of glass, or plastic with a glass effect, which would allow for the charging technology to work properly.

According to other rumors the Galaxy S6 will not offer a removable battery so wireless charging might be there to offer at least some kind of compensation to Samsung fans. But considering a metal unibody along with electro-magnetic charging is only feasible in the way it is achieved with the all-metal HTC One (M8) - with an external charging adapter.

This is definitely a new curve ball in the Galaxy S6 story, leaving even more room for speculation and doubt. And we are bound to get a few more of those before the official launch event on March 1.

Galaxy S6 case leak confirm a double-edged S Edge exists

With MWC 2015 right around the corner the hype is on for new handset releases all over the place. Naturally Samsung is in the spotlight and the rumor mill has been overflowing with bits and pieces of the new Galaxy S6 flagship.

Stories have been ranging all the way from hardware specs, like a supposed withdraw form Snapdragon SoCs and optional 4GB of RAM all the way to quirky concepts like advanced case designs and Gear VR compatibility.

Perhaps the most prominent debate about the new device has been centered around its screen and Edge variant. Today comes with another leaked render that seems to showcase a double-edged variant of the device, supposedly called the Galaxy S Edge. The shot is said to be one of many, but Cnet Koreahas provided only a single teaser to protect the identity of the source.

The fact of the matter is that judging from the big Versus logo the render might just be of another round of cases for the eagerly anticipated design. We have been seeing quite a few of these in the past few days and while it is possible that they do represent the Galaxy S6 fairly accurately they are usually based on preliminary information about dimensions and nothing is really certain until Samsung showcases the device.

Looking into the picture we can definitely differentiate two variants of the smartphone. On the far left we see what looks like a traditional handset with a protruding camera and metal frame. This, along with the position of the shooter and flash coincide with alleged frame pictures that surfaced earlier this week.

The second and third device look to be the same, just with different cases on top. The final two renders on the far right are what is truly interesting in the image. While seeing Versus cases for the future device is nothing new, analyzing the image reveals that both of its sides are actually curved.

Samsung will clear the smoke on all the details and versions of the future flagship on March 1 at its Barcelona MWC event.

Microsoft acquires Sunrise Calendar for $100 million

Microsoft has acquired the popular Sunrise Calendar application for a reported amount of $100 million dollars.

Sunrise is a free calendar application for iOS and Android. It featured an attractive interface design and synced with a wide variety of services such as Google calendar, iCloud, Microsoft Exchange and even Facebook for your events. The app also has other clever features, such as LinkedIn integration, weather forecast for your location, built-in Google Maps navigation for going to events, and timezone support.

It remains to be seen what Microsoft does with its latest acquisition as neither companies have announced their plans yet.

Samsung Gear VR to be available Best Buy stores starting February 8

Samsung will be selling the Galaxy VR headset through 100 Best Buy outlets across America. This will be the first time the Gear VR is sold offline, which was until now only sold through Samsung, AT&T, and Best Buy online stores.

Best Buy stores will also be getting demo units so people can try out the device before purchasing them. Other than that, it also lets the company get feedback on the product, and if it gets enough positive response it will expand it to more Best Buy stores, and vice-versa.

The 3-minute demos include being able to watch a movie or video clip, a game, and 360 photos in virtual reality. Powering the Gear VR will be the Galaxy Note 4 as usual, since the device does not have a display of its own.

The Gear VR will be available for $199 but as mentioned, you will also need the Galaxy Note 4 to make use of it.

Samsung’s SUHD TVs launching in South Korea this month, pricing starts at $5,000

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Nearly a month after unveiling it at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Samsung has announced that it will be launching its SUHD TV series in South Korea this month. The premium range of Tizen-powered TVs will be available in four sizes – 55-inches, 65-inches, 78-inches, and 88-inches – with prices ranging from $5,000 to $7,250.

The curved TVs support 4K UHD resolution, and feature quantum-dot technology for improved color, as well as improved picture quality, something which Samsung claims it has achieved with an “intelligent re-mastering picture engine”. The South Korean company says that it has also worked with 20th Century Fox on the best way to optimize video content for the TVs.

The SUHD series supports the Quick Connect feature, allowing you to connect the TVs to Samsung’s Galaxy phones and tablets.

Lollipop update for Xperia Z2 and Z3 coming soon

Sony has regularly been criticized for its support policies, leaving behind mid-range models and taking its time with flagship updates. The entire Xperia Z lineup has been promised the Lollipop update, though, and the company is slowly delivering.

Vodafone Australia has confirmed that the Android 5.0 update for the Xperia Z3 and Z2 is nearing, with the carrier awaiting the software for testing later this month. That would likely push the actual release to March for Vodafone branded devices. Stock firmware Xperias should receive the update somewhat earlier.

The HTC One (M8) update, mentioned in the Vodafone document, is no headline news to us, as we've already witnessed it seeding in India and Europe among other countries. Still, Aussie folks should expect it anytime soon, as it's already in the testing phase.

Android 5.0 has finally worked its way to the OS distribution chart this month, and with more manufacturers catching up, we should see it climb up the ranks in following releases of the chart.

Nokia N1′s second batch had 32,000 units, was sold out in 7 minutes

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When the Nokia N1 went on sale in China earlier last month, the initial batch of 20,000 units was sold out in just four minutes and two seconds. The second batch went on sale a week later, and it too sold out in minutes, although there was no information on the number of units that were up for grabs, the time the batch lasted, and the number of interested buyers.

But it is now being reported that the second batch saw 666,594 interested buyers against 32,000 units of the N1 that were sold out in just 7 minutes and 47 seconds.

For those who are not in the know, the third and the fourth batches also sold out (no information on quantities yet) recently, and the next sale is planned for February 26.

The N1 sports a 7.9-inch 2,048×1,536 pixel touchscreen display and is powered by Intel’s Atom Z3580 SoC, which comes with a 2.3 GHz quad-core CPU. It features an 8 MP main camera, a 5 MP secondary snapper, and packs in a 5,300 mAh battery. The tablet comes with 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and runs Android 5.0 Lollipop with Nokia’s custom launcher on top.

Samsung Galaxy S6 to debut a new payment system

A report in the Korean media suggests that Samsung is preparing to launch a new payment system alongside the Galaxy S6. Samsung has lured in Visa as one of its main partners for the new payment system.

The Apple Pay competitor is going to be based on the LoopPay technology, which enables customers to pay at sale terminals by touching LoopPay-enabled cards. However, Samsung's way of paying with utilize the new Galaxy S6 fingerprint sensor. According to the latest round of rumors, the company's upcoming flagship will sport a non-swipe fingerprint sensor.

The sensor will still offer the extensive TouchWiz functionality, including Private mode, Pay with PayPal, as well as signing into Samsung Account and supported websites.

Furthermore, LoopPay is said to be preparing touch-enabled payment cases for the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4 as part of the Samsung deal. We'll know more about Samsung's new payment system on March 1, when the Galaxy Unpacked event is taking place.

72% of Apple devices running iOS8 already

 

This month's numbers for iOS distribution are in and the current iOS8 claims 72%, Apple reports. The information is based on App Store access statistics and is current as of February 2.

iOS8 is up a notch from last month's 68% while iOS7 surrenders 4% of its share and is at 25% this month. iOS6 and earlier versions retain their marginal 3% of market share. Even so, the iOS8 rate of adoption falls behind the iOS7 from a year ago, which commanded an 80% percent adoption in the same period.

The latest 8.1.3 update featured stability improvements and the perceived maturity iOS8 has reached after initial issues has provided enough incentive for users to upgrade.

Either way, the number of devices, booting the latest version of iOS is massive, compared to its Android counterpart. As we reported, Lollipop only just made it to the distribution chart, with the huge variety of devices by numerous manufacturers being the culprit.

630,000 Galaxy Note Edge units have been sold since launch

 Last September, Samsung unveiled two phablet flagships: the Galaxy Note 4 and the Galaxy Note Edge. Since the only major difference between the two was the screen - the latter, as you’d probably know, features a distinctive curved display on one of its edges - it was a bit difficult to predict how well the Note Edge would sell.

But now, it is being reported that Samsung has sold around 630,000 Galaxy Note Edge smartphones since the device’s launch. Agreed, that’s even no where near the 4.5 million Galaxy Note 4 units sold in the very first month of its availability, but the number isn’t as bad as some would have suggested, especially considering the fact that the device comes with an even higher price tag.

In fact, that’s good news for Samsung, which is expected to unveil its next flagship, the Galaxy S6, as well as its curved screen cousin, the Galaxy S Edge, at Mobile World Congress next month. In case you aren’t aware, the company has already sent out invites for its Galaxy Unpacked 2015 event, and has also confirmed that there will be no US-based Unpacked event this year.