Xiaomi Phone 2 announced - the first with quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro tops Quadrant, is just $310

UPDATE: Sample shots from the 8MP rear camera added in the slideshow below, Xiaomi claims they haven't been modified in any way.

Xiaomi Phone 2 finally launched with great fanfare and amidst great anticipation, as it is intended to show that China can not only make cheap and cheerful knockoff Androids, but issue groundbreaking handsets that won't make you raid your kid's college fund. too.

The specs are literally breathtaking, as the Xiaomi Phone 2 indeed utilizes the rumored quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 chipset, which is so powerful, that it is actually intended for tablet use. The guys didn't stop here, though - they slapped a 720p 4.3" IPS-LCD display for 342ppi pixel density, and added 2GB of RAM to ensure Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with a MIUI overlay is running smooth with many apps loaded in the background. As for wireless, the handset supports 850/1900/2100 MHz UMTS and has a 42Mbps HSPA+ radio, which means T-Mobile is left out of the downloading party should someone import it.

There is a back-illuminated camera sensor on the rear, seemingly the same 5-element lens that is in the iPhone 4S and Galaxy S III, but the stock battery seems somewhat wimpy at 2000mAh for all that might. This can be easily remedied, since the company will sell a version of the Xiaomi Phone 2 with 3000mAh juicer that will add 2mm to the thickness of the device, not exactly a dealbreaker, although it will bring the device to 12mm, which is on the chubby side these days. The slim 3.9mm side bezel is also touted in the slideshow below, comparing it as the thinnest from the flagships on the market.

Posted on 4:38 PM / 1 komentar / Read More

"Delta" smart updates now working in Google Play

One of the smaller announcements from Google I/O this year was that Google was going to start allowing apps to be smarter about how they push updates through the Play Store. So far, if you were updating an app, you'd have to download the entire APK again. That idea wasn't so bad at first, but since Google upped the size limit of apps to 4GB, the idea became somewhat less palatable. 

We noticed a couple days ago that the new "delta" smart app updates had been enabled when updating The Dark Knight Rises, which would have been a 1.8GB download under the old system. However, this time around the update was just 20MB or so. This will not only help users save data, but in this case it turns an update which would have had to be done on WiFi to one that could easily be done on mobile data. 

Game makers are no doubt going to be the first developers to adopt the new update package options, but we're hoping to see it more with all apps, because a few MB here and there can make a difference when you're on a limited data plan.

Posted on 4:35 PM / 0 komentar / Read More

Sprint's Kyocera Rise is an Android 4.0 smartphone for $19.99

Sprint has announced the price and upcoming availability of the extremely cheap Kyocera Rise smartphone (here's our hands-on). The handset will be available starting August 19 through all Sprint channels at the tempting price of $19.99 after your signature on a two-year contract. Virgin Mobile will also have the device in its catalog. Customers who like it pre-paid will be able to purchase it for $99.99 excluding taxes, beginning August 31.

Besides its affordable price-tag, the handset stands out with its slide-out QWERTY keyboard and Android 4.0 OS.

Sprint sees the Kyocera Rise as a great entry-level smartphone for first-time smartphone users, teens, tweens, or simply anyone who seeks a feature-rich phone at an affordable price. In addition to the QWERTY keyboard, with the Rise, users are also getting a 3.5" IPS LCD with the low resolution of 320x480 pixels. The device is powered by a 1GHz single-core processor, which is nowhere near today's quad-core beasts, but you can't expect cutting edge technology from a device this cheap.

We guess you can't wait for Sunday to come, eh?

Posted on 9:21 AM / 0 komentar / Read More

Nokia's Jo Harlow talks PureView, Windows Phone, and Asha against the low-end Androids

In case you needed more evidence Nokia's PureView That technology is coming to Windows Phone Lumia powered smartphones, look no further than this interview with the company's executive VP of smart devices, Jo Harlow. While speaking with BGR, she Mentioned That Nokia is Heavily investing in Bringing the "technology to the Windows Phone platform".

In fact, she did point out That Nokia is Aiming at delivering aspects "That quality imaging consumers have not seen yet", so it seems a like the best out of the Finnish manufacturer's camera department has yet to come. Some issues That Nokia's imaging gurus are Trying to resolve include "taking the blurriness out of photos" so That even images taken with a single hand Their best look. Another area where improvement has to be done is taking photos under low-light conditions.

During the interview, Jo Harlow also talks about the Nokia Asha lineup and whether these low-cost feature phones are still relevant on the market. A good point, we have to admit, for Android smartphones are getting cheaper and cheaper, Thus Spake endangering the existence of the feature phone kind. Still, Harlow says That Nokia will keep on investing in its series Asha and Ensure That They are competitive to cheapo Android handsets. The Nokia Lumia lineup, however, is not Likely to go That low in terms of pricing, although the company will try to take its Windows Phone handsets to a price point as low as That is possible.

The entire interview is embedded below, so in case you are interested, check it out and tell us what you think by dropping a comment below.

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Leaked document shows Apple will match Sprint's $149.99 contract price for Apple iPhone 4S

With Apple iPhone fans waiting for the 6th generation of the device, which almost certainly will come with a larger screen, it is not a shock to see the current model get sliced in price in an attempt to move as much inventory as possible before the new unit hits the market. That could come as soon as September 21st after an introduction of the new model on September 12th.

Leaked document shows Apple Store price match on Sprint's Apple iPhone 4S

First to blink was Sprint, which cut $50 off the price of the Apple iPhone 4S to $149.99 with your John Hancock on a 2-year pact. Additionally, the carrier also decided to waive the $36 activation fee, bringing your total savings to $86. If a leaked document is legit, Apple has decided to match the price at Apple Stores. There is one small caveat: you need to ask the rep to match Sprint's price. This has the advantage of allowing Apple to keep advertising the old $199.99 contract price while still allowing those in the know (like Phone Arena readers) to grab the discount.

Besides the 16GB model, Apple Store visitors can ask for price matching on the 32GB unit ($249.99) and the 64GB version ($349.99) That is a savings of $49.01 from the listed price for each model. And since the price matching applies only to Sprint at the moment, the discount will be only for the Sprint branded variant of the Apple iPhone 4S.

Posted on 3:37 PM / 0 komentar / Read More

As court drama heats up, Apple remains Samsung's biggest client; companies closely tied on components

Apple might be vigorously suing Samsung over copying the iPhone, but at the same time the companies have grown to be weirdly hugely dependent on each other. Apple is Samsung’s biggest client, accounting for 8.8% of Samsung’s revenue, according to Bloomberg. On the other hand, Apple needs a proven supplier like Samsung to meet the huge demand for its devices.

To further put this into context, Apple is estimated to spend $7.5 billion on Samsung chips in 2012, a jump of nearly 60% over last year, according to Gartner.

Apple and Samsung have signed a deal under which Samsung is the sole provider of Apple’s A chips (like the A5 and A5X in the iPhone and iPad). The A series of chips alone might cost Apple $2.1 billion in 2012. And about 20% of the iPhone’s internals come from Samsung, a nice illustration of the interdependence of the two.

In Samsung’s hierarchy of clients, Apple’s 8.8% look hugely important in a fragmented portfolio where the second-biggest client is Hewlett-Packard accounting for only 3.2% of the revenue of the Korean company.

“As much as these companies go head to head, there’s a definite intertwining there that makes it a real ugly divorce if it were to take place,” IHS market researcher Len Jelinek said. “Apple cannot, under any circumstances, be caught in a capacity-crunch situation.”
It’s clear that with so much momentum for both companies, a capacity shortage at Apple would quickly be used by Samsung to grow its share.

Samsung and Apple are the two most profitable companies in the phone market, an industry estimated at $320.4 billion in 2011.

Posted on 4:43 PM / 0 komentar / Read More

Pictures show BBM running on Android

Is RIM about to offer the BlackBerry Messenger service to Android users? The answer is a resounding yes if you believe the set of pictures that were obtained by TechnoBuffalo. In addition to the pictures, the site received a statement from a tipster who not only claims to be the source of the photos, but also alleges that he works for RIM.

The tipster said that he ran the BBM for Android app on a BlackBerry Android Dev phone which he says is very cheap and unstable. He says that the front 4 Android navigation buttons were stuck on and it is his belief that this phone will not be offered to the public. Earlier this week, other pictures were discovered of the BBM for Android app including one that showed a contact profile for someone named Nicole. The source said in his correspondence that Nicole is the default account for BBM testing. The tipster says that the app could be launched during DevCon in San Francisco from October 18th through the 20th.

RIM has denied having an Android flavored version of BlackBerry Messenger prepared and you should be skeptical about the pictures. Still, BBM is considered one of the best applications available to BlackBerry users. Any Android users out there hoping that this is for real?

Posted on 4:41 PM / 0 komentar / Read More

Nikon to expand Android OS to cameras

What do you do if you are a camera company and your point and shout cameras are coming under fire from camera-equipped smartphones? If you are Nikon you apparently decide to fight fire with fire, and release a camera with a mobile operating system. According to the website Nikon Rumors, the upcoming Coolpix s800 will come running stock Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) complete with Google Play access, allowing you to get through a couple more levels of Angry Birds Space in those downtimes on your next photo shoot.

The full list of rumored specs include:

• 25-250 mm lens
• 3.5" OLED screen
• The camera runs all Google Play apps
• The camera will probably run Android 2.3
• Built-in GPS
• Built-in Wi-Fi
• Possible announcement: August 22, 2012

The lack of a cell radio means that these cameras won’t truly be mobile devices, but with built in Wi-Fi and a full-fledged mobile operating system it’s not hard to imagine that offloading picture to the cloud and direct posting to social media could be popular features for the point and shoot crowd. It’s not hard to imagine this sort of feature creeping up into the prosumer digital SLR cameras if they find success with the initial model.

What about you guys? Do you want a camera with a mobile OS running on it, or are you satisfied with the not-so-smart cameras? Or heck, have you already eschewed cameras altogether in favor of the phone camera that is always in your pocket?

Posted on 4:38 PM / 0 komentar / Read More

Here is what an iPad mini might look like

If the multitude of rumors are to be trusted, there is an iPad mini announcement coming up next month. Even the New York Times reported that a smaller iPad model is being worked on, meaning that the chances of Apple entering the 7-inch tablet market seem pretty high at this time.

But what might an iPad mini look like? Well, it will surely be smaller than its 9.7-inch cousin, hence the name. Other than that, however, we can only speculate as to how such a device would be designed. Yet with a fair dose of skill, Nickolay Lamm created this series of iPad mini renders. Of course, he took into account the rumored diagonal size of its display, namely 7.85 inches, and retained the current model's aspect ratio of 4:3. The original's industrial, minimalist design has also been left unchanged, and the rumored mini dock connector has been used in his concept drawings. 

Of course, the iPad mini will likely have a design different from what we see in the renderings, but we doubt that the difference would be too substantial. We should know more in about a month's time - on September 12, to be exact, when Apple will supposedly unveil a smaller iPad model, alongside the iPhone 5.

Posted on 3:42 PM / 0 komentar / Read More

The iPhone 5 might look like this when held

Even if you have not been following the news closely, you might have heard that the next iPhone will likely have a bigger screen, probably measuring 4 inches in diagonal. Rumors from numerous sources suggest that the new model's screen will be as wide as the one on the iPhone 4S, yet taller, bringing the display's aspect ratio to 16:9. We've seen plenty of images allegedly exposing the device's taller front panel, and just recently, evidence inside iOS 6 beta 4 showed that the interface can host an additional row of home screen icons.

So yeah, chances are that the iPhone 5 will be taller than the current model, but how exactly will it look like when you're holding it? Well, here are several renders of the next iPhone that can answer that question with decent accuracy, as long as the device's rumored design and dimensions turn out to be true. Hopefully, using the next iPhone with a single hand will be as easy as it is on the iPhone 4S despite the increase in height, just like analysts expect it to.

So what do you, guys and girls, think? Would you find the new iPhone pretty even if it looks like this in the palm of your hand? Share your thoughts with us by dropping a comment below.

Posted on 3:37 PM / 0 komentar / Read More