Rumoured Nokia Lumia 1520 leaks again, pictured alongside Apple iPhone 4S

Images of Nokia’s much-anticipated phablet, the Lumia 1520 have once again surfaced online.

WMPowereuser has posted a couple of images of alleged Nokia Lumia 1520 once again confirming that the upcoming phablet would offer extra columns and rows for apps, very much in-line with previous reports.

The leaked images show the alleged Nokia Lumia 1520 pictured alongside the Apple’s iPhone 4S and a Lumia sibling. The leaked image did not reveal any details about the yet to be officially announced Lumia 1520 phone expect indicating its expected size.

Additionally, the site suggest that the alleged Lumia 1520 will borrow the rear panel features of the Nokia Lumia 925 to accommodate the camera and also to sport the 6 element OIS (optical image stabilizer) lens assembly.

Rumoured specifications of Nokia Lumia 1520 include a 6-inch full-HD display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of built-in storage, a nano-SIM and a microSD card slot. The device has also been expected to ship with a 20-megapixel rear camera.

Meanwhile, Nokia is expected to unveil six new devices at its October 22 event, due to hold at Nokia World in Abu Dhabi, according to a recent report.

The report further suggested that Nokia might unveil the long-rumoured Lumia 1520 phablet along with company’s first Windows RT tablet, the Lumia 2520.

Other Nokia devices expected to be unveiled at Nokia World include the Lumia 525, which is said to be the successor to the Lumia 520; Nokia Asha 502, the successor to the popular Asha 501 and treasure Tag, likely to work with Bluetooth 4.0 and Bluetooth low energy standards. 

Samsung Galaxy Round curved display smartphone

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd on Wednesday launched the world’s first samrtphone with a curved display, a variant of the Galaxy Note which moves the Asia giant a step closer to achieving wearable devices with flexible – even unbreakable – screens.

Curved displays are on the frontlines of Samsung’s innovation war with rivals such as Apple Inc and LG Electronics Inc, as the South Korean firm seeks to exits lead in the slowing market for high-end smartphones.

“It’s a step forward for having unbreakable gadgets and flexible devices eventually. But for now, the new phone is more of a symbolic product, “said Hana DAetoo Securities analyst Nam Dae-jong, adding that Samsung did not yet have capacity for large-scale production of curved touch-screen for the new Galaxy Round.

The Galaxy Round is Samsung’s attempt to gauge consumer appetite for curved phones although its lack of other eye-catching features means it is likely to be a hit, he said. “I don’t think it’ll be massively compelling enough for gadget buyers as the curved display doesn’t come with my unique features,” he said.

The Galaxy Round’s 5.7-inch (14.4-centimeter) display has a slight horizontal curve and weighs less than the Galaxy Note 3, allowing a more comfortable grip than other flat-screen models on the market, Samsung said in a statement.

Its key features include a tilt function which allows users to check information such as missed calla and battery life, even when the home screen is off. Users can also scroll through media files by pressing the screen’s right or left, the company said. The phone initially would be available only in South Korea and no decision had been made about releasing it in other market.

Design Challenges

Curved displays open up possibilities for blended designs that could eventually transform the high-end smartphone market, where growth has slowed amid competition from low-end producers.

Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch released last month has a flat screen, but the company is hoping to have the technology to make more attractive and wearable devices in what is shaping as a key battleground for consumer electronics companies.

Technology firms have yet to figure out how to cheap mass produce the parts and come up with display panels that can be thin and heat-resistant. Batteries also have to take new forms to support flexible screens that can be rolled out, attached to uneven surfaces or even stretched. The battery in the Galaxy Round is not curved, Samsung said.

Competition is heating up with Samsung’s cross-town rival LG Electronics planning to introduce a samrtphone with a vertically curved display in the first week of November, a source familiar with the matter said this week.

Its components affiliate, LG Chem Ltd, said on Tuesday it had started commercial production of a curved battery for use I the device.

The firm also said it has developed a battery in cable form, suitable for wearable devices, and expected to start commercial production within the next couples of years.

Technology analysts and media reports say Apple is working on a smartwatch, potentially with a curved screen, but there has been no word from the California-based company about its plans.

Samsung’s new curved-screen phone, available through South Korea’s biggest mobile carrier SK Telecom Co Ltd, costs 1.089 million won. 

Rumoured Xperia Z1 mini gets leaked in images revealing colour variants

Some new images revealing the Sony Xperia Z1 mini, a.k.a ‘Xperia Z1 f’ has leaked again. The new leaked images suggest that the rumoured Xperia Z1 mini will come in multiple colours, Black, Lime, Pink and White, unlike the original Xperia Z1 which comes in Black, Purple and White colours.

RBMen has published handful images of the rumored Xperia Z1 mini from leaked brochure documents from NTT DoCoMo Japan. According to the site, the NTT DoCoMo, a Japanese operator, will be introducing its all new winter smartphone line-up on October 10 and that the line-up also includes the yet to be officially unveiled Xperia Z1 mini.

There’s no new information about the alleged device, but as more rumours fly across the Web, it seems quite plausible that Sony may be planning to release the alleged mini variant of the Xperia Z1 soon, which will be an affordable alternative to the flagship smartphone.

Earlier this month, the ‘Xperia Z1’ with model number SO-02F was leaked alongside the Xperia Z1 (SO-01F), which was launched last month at IFA 2013. The former was believed to be the yet-to-be-announced Xperia Z1 mini.

Rumoured specifications of the Sony Xperia Z1 mini includes a quad-core 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, the same as we have seen on the Xperia Z1; a 4.3-inch TRILUMINOS display with 720x1280 pixels resolution; 16GB of inbuilt storage ; 2GB of RAM, apart from a 2300mAh battery. It supposedly also boasts of IP55/IP58 certification (dust and water resistant), just like the Xperia Z, Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z Ultra.

Interestingly, the alleged Xperia Z1 mini is said to ship with the same 20.7-megapixel camera as the Xperia Z1, one of the recently unveiled flagship’s biggest highlights. Additionally, the Xperia Z1 mini is said to feature the same Sony G lens, f/2.0 aperture and the same ½.3” sensor which has been seen on the Xperia Z1. 

Purported Nexus 5 service manual leaks, reveals complete specifications

Fresh purported evidence about the rumoured Nexus 4 successor has been spilled out, thanks to a leaked service manual that is said to reveal its specifications.

Android Police has published a service manual for the LG-D821 variant which was formerly believed to be the LG G2’s CDMA-variant. The leaked manual reveals complete specifications of the alleged Nexus 5 along with diagrams, images, and flowcharts of the device.

The specifications revealed by the alleged leaked manual include a 4.95-inch full-HD (1080p) IPS LCD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor clocked at 2.3GHz, 2GB RAM, 8-meagapixel rear camera with OIS and a 1.3-megapixel front facing camera. It is also evident by the alleged manual that the rumored Nexus 5 will come with 16GB and 32GB storage onboard as the company seems to shift to larger inbuilt storage on the device. However, the manual reveals noting about expandable storage.

The Nexus 5 is also rumored to include a host of sensors like ambient light, proximity, pressure as well as accelerometer, compass, notification LED and gyroscope. Connectivity features expected on the device include NFC, Bluetooth, A-GPS and WI-Fi. It is also suggested by the leaked manual that the device will come with 2300mAh battery and also support wireless charging. One of the images in the manual show the alleged Nexus 5 with large camera sensor as seen in at the back, which was first spotted in the Android 4.4 Kitkat announcement video.

There’s not much more that can be leaked out about the Nexus 5, expect for the device itself to actually be officially announced. A recent report had indicated an October release for the Nexus 5 while the device would ship in the last week of October.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with dual-SIM support surfaces online

Samsung has yet to announce a dual-SIM variant of the new Galaxy Note 3 phablet, through a report claims that the South Korean maker has made the device official in China.

According to a Vietnamese media report, the South Korean has introduced the Galaxy Note 3 with dual-SIM support for the Chinese market. The handset has been priced at 735 Euros (Rs. 61,300 approximately) in Asia, claims the report. The alleged Samsung Galax Note 3 dual-SIM is said to be carrier unlocked, unlike many Galaxy smartphones. However, the company has not released any official press note or possible availability details of the device, yet.

The alleged Galaxy Note 3 dual-SIM is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor much like the N9005 version of the device. Other specifications of the device are expected to be similar to the single-SIM variant of the Galaxy Note 3, expect the dual-SIM support features.

The South Korean major officially unveiled the Galaxy Note 3 phablet at the sidelines of IFA 2013 in Berlin. It comes with a 5.7-inch full-HD Super AMOLED display. The Galaxy Note 3 includes a 3GB of RAM and a 13-megapixel rear camera alongside 2-megapixel front camera. It is powered by 3,200mAh battery and runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. The Galaxy Note 3 is available in 32 GB and 64GB variants. Both variants come with support for up to 64GB of additional external storage.

Recently, it was reported that Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 and other high-end smartphones were region-locked. Following widespread outrage, Samsung later issued a statement and said that the company is SIM-locking new device including the Galaxy S III, Galaxy S II, Galaxy S4, Galaxy S4 Mini, and Galaxy Note 3 device produced after the end of July 2013.

Samsung also clarified that all these devices will sport a sticker indicating the same and that the region lock could be removed free of charges through a Samsung service partner if the device is used outside the region it’s meant for and had not been used with a local SIM of that region. 

iPhone 5s motion sensors delivering inaccurate readings: Report

The motion sensors on Apple's iPhone 5s are not working properly and delivering inaccurate results, if a new report is to be believed.

The various sensors of the phone, including the Level, Gyroscope, Compass, and Accelerometer, were put to test by Gizmodo, and the site found out that the readings were way off compared to the ones taken by the iPhone 5's sensor. Both the phones were running iOS 7, which implies that it's not a software problem and cannot be fixed through an update.

The site found a major difference between the iPhone 5s' internal inclinometer/ level readings and a real measurement of inclination. Compared to a Stanley spirit level, the iPhone 5s level's reading in iOS 7 compass software was 2-3 degrees off. The reading was accurate on the iPhone 5. The results were similar even on a third party app. Same was the case with the Gyroscope impacting gameplay on the phone.

Testing the Compass, Gizmodo found out that there was a difference of 8-10 degrees between the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5. Compared to a real compass both the phones' readings were off but iPhone 5's reading was more accurate. This issue could affect mapping and navigation apps leading to differences in location detection.

The iPhone 5s' Accelerometer registered more latent motion than the iPhone 5's Accelerometer. This would again impact gaming and motion tracking-based fitness apps.

It's also possible that the iOS 7 software is not accurately calibrating the iPhone 5s' sensors for which a firmware update bringing a fix could be released. However, different users are reporting different levels of discrepancies on forums. It's also possible that the sensors have not been calibrated properly in the factory, as the report notes. 

HTC posts first-ever quarterly losses as troubles multiply

Taiwan’s HTC Corp slid into the red for the first time in the third quarter, with sales hit hard by fierce competition in the smartphone market, supply chain constraints and internal turmoil.

Underscoring a dramatic decline for a company which boast award-winning smartphones but has failed to develop a durable brand of handsets, it posted an operating loss of T$3.5 billion as sales for the quarter tumbled by a third from the same period a year earlier.

At a net level, it booked a loss of T$2.97 billion, bigger than an expected loss of T$1.8 billion, according to Thomson Reuters Smart Estimates. That compares with a net profit of T$3.9 billion in the same quarter last year.

Its shares were down 2.3 percent in early trade.

HTC lacks the scale of bigger rivals Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and its troubles this year have only multiplied.

In Addition to internal feuding and executive exits, sources have said that it is facing casing shortage for its HTC One Mini. It has also lost some patent cases and media have reported that three of its design executives have been arrested on suspicion of leaking trade secrets.

HTC’s share of the global smartphone market has plummeted from a peak of 1.9 percent in 2011 to 2.6 percent in the most recent quarter, according to research firm Gartner and analysts have said it needs a wholesales reevaluation of its strategy in order to survive.