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Samsung, LG and HTC rumored to have flagships in the works primed for Fall launch

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by Roy Alugbue on

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Despite the existence of the topnotch flagships Samsung Galaxy S 4, HTC One and LG Optimus G Pro smartphones for the first half of this year, it’s looking like the smartphone battle is going to heat up even further for the second half of 2013 by introducing a new wave of big heavy-duty devices. According to DigiTimes, the 3 manufacturers are keen on going head-on against the upcoming iPhone (iPhone 5S?) that’s due for arrival later in the year. Here’s a quick rundown of the expected devices and their alleged features:

Much of this we’ve already heard before, but it’s always exciting to get added follow-up confirmation from additional sources. All that’s left to do now for the masses is to simply play the waiting game and wait for inevitably more deets to leak out…

source: DigiTimes

5-inch Sony Xperia A drops by the FCC with a removable battery

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by Jared Peters on
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2013 is shaping up to be a great year for Sony’s mobile division. The Xperia A has slid through the FCC, and it appears to be a cousin of the Xperia Z, except for one key difference; a removable battery. Aside from that, the rest of the device looks the same, including the five inch screen and the sturdy power button, as well as most of the internal specs, including the 13 megapixel shooter and 16 GB internal storage. It’s obviously a bit thicker to allow that removable battery, but close enough. One thing that wasn’t mentioned, however, was the processor. I’d be a little surprised to see Sony launch a flagship variant like this with the Xperia Z’s S4 Pro, especially if they’re trying to compete with Samsung, HTC, and LG. Regardless, as soon as anything shows up on the radar, we’ll be sure to let you know.

source: FCC

via: Engadget

TalkAndroid Daily Dose for May 8, 2013

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by Robert Nazarian on
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With hectic schedules, it can be hard to keep track of everything in your news feed. That’s why we created the TalkAndroid Daily Dose. This is where we recap the day’s hottest stories so you can get yourself up to speed in quick fashion. Happy reading!!

Reviews

Boulder Dash XL [Brain & Puzzle]

Apps

Rovio updates Bad Piggies with 15 new levels, 2 new items

WeatherBug gets a new update that brings redesigned user interface, hourly forecasts, and more

Google Earth for Android receives update, adds Street View

Google I/O Android app updated with new features for 2013

Carriers

AT&T adds more LTE markets, on pace to reach 250 million Americans by end of year

T-Mobile revenues dip, but customer base growing

Verizon offering “Red Hot Deal Days” until May 12 on select devices for Mother’s Day

Google Glass

Google Glass sensors revealed, expect a lot of augmented reality apps soon

Phones

AT&T offers the HTC First smartphone for under a buck

ImaGination Begins on May 30 at LG event

New color of the DROID RAZR M and DROID RAZR HD on the way to Verizon stores

Release dates for Galaxy Mega, Galaxy S 4 Mini, Galaxy S 4 Zoom, and Galaxy S 4 Activ Leaked

Sharp unveils AQUOS Phone Xx SoftBank 206SH with 5-inch 1080p CG-Silicon display and two-days of battery life

5-inch Sony Xperia A drops by the FCC with a removable battery

Vivo announces high-end, pricey phablet coming in late May

ROMs

Release candidates for CyanogenMod 10.1.0 start making their way to select devices

Updates

New build of Sense 5.1 surfaces for HTC Butterfly smartphone, tries to give a little taste of Android 4.2.2 in the process

Miscellaneous

Ouya console gets high ratings from iFixit, easily disassembled and repaired

Apple wants source code records in Samsung trial and looks in Google’s direction in the process

Samsung sitting on over $28 billion in cash at the end of March

Samsung sitting on over $28 billion in cash at the end of March

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by Jared Peters on
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According to the Wall Street Journal, Samsung has run into a problem at the end of March; they almost have too much money. Samsung’s net profit rose 42% in March 2013, and after calculating debt and everything, they’re left with about $28.5 billion. That is an extremely large pile of money. That figure has tripled in the past year. Samsung’s mobile division accounted for about 74% of that rise in profit, which is a pretty staggering statistic when you consider all the televisions, components, and appliances Samsung makes.

Analysts expect Samsung to put that money into investing in different areas of its businesses, and possibly give shareholders higher returns. Samsung has stated that they will make ”investments sustainable for areas like facilities, R&D, and marketing that will help the company solidify or boost competitiveness,” which I think is a pretty typical, safe answer. Rest assured, I think we can all say Samsung is likely going to beef up it’s Galaxy line of mobile devices, as it’s the biggest cash cow for the company right now.

source: Wall Street Journal

Release candidates for CyanogenMod 10.1.0 start making their way to select devices

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by Spencer McClendon on
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CyanogenMod has announced they have release candidates ready for a few select devices. OK so the word few isn’t really accurate,  40 is the actual number and the list is impressive. For those of you who don’t know what CyanogenMod or CM 10.1 is, it is a custom ROM for select Android devices, CM 10.1 is the latest from the CyanogenMod crew and it is based on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean source code.

The devices listed for rc1 consideration is a who’s-who of current and former top end devices. The current lineup of Nexus phones and tablets are there, as well as the Nexus Q for those who happen to own one. The international HTC One X is there as well, and a few U.S. variants of the Samsung Galaxy S III.

The list is too big for me to run through all of them, so click on the source and see if your device is listed. If not, be patient it may make the list sooner or later.

Source: CyanogenMod

Apple wants source code records in Samsung trial and looks in Google’s direction in the process

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by Spencer McClendon on
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Apple is trying to bring Google into their lawsuit with Samsung in a roundabout way. Apple wants a judge to ask Google to turn over documents related to the Android OS. Apple argues that by having a judge force Google to turn over the documents, it will help prove their case of Samsung’s alleged infringement. Android runs in all of Samsung’s devices that Apple has a problem with and Apple argues that Android “provides much of the accused functionality“.

A lawyer for Apple claims that Google is not doing a full search for said documents, but the lawyer representing Samsung in this case and who also represents Google as well, said that this was part of Apple’s “strategic decision… to keep Google off the complaint” in this case. By not listing Google as part of the complaint, Google is not entitled to the same reciprocal discovery process as Apple and Samsung. If a judge orders this evidence to be turned over Apple, they could possibly be handed something they could use to try and come after Google, that they would not have got without a judges order.

This is the second trial for Samsung and Apple. The first one didn’t go as well as Samsung had hopped, having received a judgment of $1.05 billion which was later reduced to $639.4 million by the same judge, who also order a new trial. As always we will keep an eye on any developments in this case and bring them to you as soon as we hear them.

Source: Bloomberg

Release dates for Galaxy Mega, Galaxy S 4 Mini, Galaxy S 4 Zoom, and Galaxy S 4 Activ Leaked

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by Aditya Thawardas on
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Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S 4 is expected to be released in a range of different models internationally. We brought news that the Galaxy Mega was officially announced by Samsung last month, while the Mini, Zoom, and Activ are expected to be announced by Samsung by the end of this month. Tentative release dates have been leaked for these phones.

Black and white versions of the Galaxy S 4 Mini, which as its name suggests is a smaller version of the Galaxy S 4, is expected to be released in Week 29 of this year, which falls between July 15 and July 21.

The Galaxy Mega features a larger display for the budget-minded consumer, and will come in variants of 6.3- inches and 5.8- inches. It’s expected to be released in Europe and Russia between now and June 23. The black 6.3 inch version should come this week, followed by the white 5.8 inch version next week. The white 6.3 inch Mega will come the week of May 20, and the black 5.8 inch version will arrive the week of June 17.

» Read the rest

Vivo announces high-end, pricey phablet coming in late May

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by Harrison Kaminsky on
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As the size of smartphones continues to increase, so does the demand for phablets. Vivo, a Chinese manufacturer, announced yesterday that it plans to release the Vivo Play, a phablet with a 5.7-inch screen and a 1080p display. It’ll also be fully loaded with a quad-core Snapdragon 600 chipset; but unlike many of Vivo’s competitors, the asking price for one of these phones is likely to be 2,998 yuan— that’s $490 USD.

It’s pretty expensive, but it just might be worth it considering what you’re getting for your money. The Vivo Play’s Snapdragon 600 chipset is the same one that’s in the HTC One, clocked at 1.7GHz with 2GB of RAM. It’ll also feature “Fun-touch” UI rather than leave the job to stock Android. This UI has been said to be similar to the flat-structure of iOS. The 13MP back-facing camera has an F/2.2 aperture lens, and the 5MP front-facing camera has an 88° FoV. At 7.99mm thick, the Vivo Play weights 187g and is packed with a 3,400mAh battery. According to rumors, the phone will also feature some sensing capabilities similar to the Galaxy S 4.

The phablet will go on sale later this month in two colors: black and white, along with two options for built-in memory: 16GB or 32GB. It’ll only be available in China, but you should be able to grab one on eBay if you’re willing to pay the price.

 

Source: VR-Zone 

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8.0 to receive new color option

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by Jared Peters on
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Like the Galaxy Note 8.0, but not really fond of that white color? Samsung is reportedly prepping a “Brown Black” version of the device for a mid-June release. Unfortunately, they didn’t release any sort of pictures, and Brown Black is a pretty ambiguous name for a color, especially since Samsung made both a brown and black version of the Galaxy S III. Either way, more options is always a good thing. We’ll be sure to keep an eye out for any leaks of the new color for the tablet.

source: SamMobile

Samsung to release Galaxy Tab 3 in in Eastern Europe in June

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by Jared Peters on
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According to SamMobile, Samsung will be releasing their newly unveiled Galaxy Tab 3 this week in Eastern Europe. The 3G/WiFi model can be expected around June 10th. The 8.0 and 10.1 models of the Galaxy Tab 3 are expected to drop around June 3rd, with the 3G models of those just a few weeks after that.

These aren’t the high end tablets Samsung is expected to bring to market this year, but the Galaxy Tab line has always been a mid-range series of tabs, which isn’t a bad thing. No word on American availability, but I’m sure it won’t take too much longer. Anybody planning on picking up one of these tablets?

source: SamMobile

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