A mini Galaxy S4 planned this summer

This is not really a surprise, there's a mini Galaxy S4. After the first information and a picture published by SamMobile, a formal reference to the product has been sighted on part SAV of the Samsung site.

There are in all four versions including a double model SIM card, another with a SoC quad-core, dual-core, and a model 4 G/LTE. This mini S4 will be equipped with a screen 4.3-inch Super amoled display, offering a density of 256 points per inch with Android as an OS 4.2.2, surmounted by the TouchWiz 2.0 interface. Marketing would be scheduled between June and July. (Eureka press)

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BlackBerry could take over the concept of the Padfone

Will BlackBerry follow in the footsteps of Motorola with its Lapdock and Asus with the Padfone? This may well believe the allusions made by Thorsten Heins, President and CEO of the Canadian firm. In an interview with the ABC string on the occasion of the launch of the Z10 to the United States, it revealed that tests are currently underway to turn notebook PCs and tablets with a smartphone BB10 as engine.

Instead of having several terminals that synchronize their content via the cloud, Heins envisages the smartphone like the heart of a platform uniting all devices. Questioned on whether if the concept is akin to a laptop or a tablet which would shelter the smartphone, he said that BlackBerry is working on several options.

«We will talk about some of these concepts in the BlackBerry World» added Thorstens Heins; the annual conference will be held next May. (Eureka press)

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Aptina unleashes 1080p and 4K mobile sensors, entire point-and-shoot segment cringes

Hear that? That's the sound of the entire point-and-shoot camera industry bracing for yet another blow. As smartphone cameras mature, it's becoming ever more difficult to convince consumers to use anything other than their phone outside of special occasions where ILCs or DSLRs are necessary. Aptina has a lot to do with that. Here at Mobile World Congress, the sensor outfit has announced its 12 megapixel and 13 megapixel mobile image sensors, aimed squarely at next-gen flagship phones that ought to be coming out in Q2 or Q3 this year. The smaller 1.1-micron pixel construction is the standout feature, with the AR1230 capable of capturing 4K video at 30fps as well as 1080p video at up to 96fps. The AR1330 throws in electronic image stabilization support at 1080p, while snagging 4K UHD and 4K Cinema formats at 30fps.

Over on the tablet PC / TV front, the AR0261 is a new 1080p-capable sensor that's destined to redefine what a front-facing camera can accomplish. It relies on a 1.4-micron pixel, and should have no issues capturing faces at up to 60fps when using its 720p mode. Furthermore, Aptina promises that this guy can work with applications involving gesture recognition and 3D video capture, but sadly, no OEMs are coming forward just yet with concrete plans to include it.

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Sailfish SDK released

With the beginning of MWC 2013, Jolla released their Salfish SDK along with a revamped sailfish.org website. Currently those developer tools are available to Linux users - Mac and Windows users need to have some more patience. The new website contains a lot of information about Jolla's mobile system, it's design & navigation principles and vision behind the project.

"We believe there is a clear need for a modern and independent mobile OS that enables free competition and innovation, without predominant control by a single player." - sailfish.org

Sailfish OS will be a system which focuses on the interaction between user and device. Instead of many small buttons, Jolla's main focus is on gestures and feedback in form of vibrations, pictures and sound. Fans of MeeGo Harmattan multitasking won't miss out: Sailfish OS comes with true multitasking allowing the user to interact with running applications even when they aren't in the foreground. Similar to the N9, Jolla phones will have a system with many inbuilt services. Therefore developers can create plugins instead of independent applications for every single service as known on iOS.

A difference to MeeGo Harmattan is the arrangement of Lockscreen, Application-launcher and Multitasking view. Those are arranged vertically instead of horizontally. Swiping the screen upwards displays Events screen, a swipe down closes applications.

A great innovation by Jolla is the so called "Pully Menu". Within an application you have a visual glow on top of the screen which indicated that you can pull down a menu list. Option are selected by releasing your finger from the screen once the desired option is chosen.

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Apple airs a new TV ad

Apple aired a new TV ad called “Hollywood,” which debuted during The Oscars, but just recently was uploaded to its YouTube channel. It follows the same theme of its previous iPad TV ads, focusing on the App Store’s 300,000+ apps.

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Surface not delayed and should be expected on October 26th

A lot of theories have been laid out regarding those delayed shipping notices for those who pre-ordered the Surface RT.
Customers have received an email noting that their order should not be expected to be fulfilled until November 2nd, obviously putting a damper on pre-ordering. Turns out of all the thought out reasons for the delay, none took into account the simplest: it was an error.

The official Twitter account for Surface (@Surface) just tweeted that “An incorrect email was sent to several customers who preordered #Surface. Customers should expect their devices by the original date given.” That should be a relief for those few who did receive an email, though we wonder if Microsoft will contact them directly (not everyone see Tweets or reads tech sites).

So, there’s no shortage of supplies or import delays or other shenanigans, just a simple erroneously sent email.

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Nexus 7: UK’s Best Selling tablet

Google launched Nexus 7 in 2012 at Google IO. Due to its cheapness, quality and Jelly Bean it sold like cakes. oh, sorry selling like cakes. After Kindle Fire its the most sold Android Tablet and still getting good response from users and buyers. This trust, cheapness and quality has made it best-selling tablet in UK.

The Nexus 7 tablet went on sale on July 27th in the UK by Carphone Warehouse and today it achieved best-selling tablet in UK title according to Carphone Warehouse, UK’s largest mobile retailer. Carphone Carphone didn’t reveal stats sheet. SO now it’s trending more than Apple’s iPad.

It has been estimated that Google could sell as many as 8 million Nexus 7 tablets by the end of year. The Mountain View-based company previously said that it hoped to sell 3 million tablets in 2012.

Source

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