With Mobile World Congress already on the horizon, it’s hardly a shock to see a new batch of smartphone leaks and rumors starting to make the rounds. HTC never fares well when it comes to keeping their new devices a secret, and today may be no different — the ever-listening Evleaks seems to have come through with new details on HTC’s forthcoming flagship, the Jelly Bean-powered M7.
Contrary to an earlier report from HTC Source, the M7 could sport a smaller 4.7-inch “SoLux” display instead of the 5-inch Super LCD2 panel that debuted on the J Butterfly and its U.S. cousin the Droid DNA. HTC doesn’t seem to be shying away from full HD though — the M7’s screen is still said to run at 1080p, which makes for an astonishing pixel density of 468ppi (the iPhone 5’s display comes in at 326ppi, while the Droid DNA’s 440ppi screen slips to second place).
Of course, pixel density isn’t all that goes into making a truly great display — the DNA had a mostly wonderful screen, but it sadly fell short when it came to overall brightness. Thankfully, Evleaks also notes that the so-called M7’s SoLux display also bolsters “viewing angles, outdoor visibility, and color accuracy,” which could go a long way in making the M7 the Android phone to own (for a while, at least). Meanwhile, a 1.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm chipset is said to be running the show, along with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage — there’s no word on expandable memory yet, though I’ve got my fingers crossed that carriers won’t step in and make any questionable decisions.
Speaking of carriers, the juiciest new tidbit is also the most curious. Evleaks notes that the M7 will eventually find its way onto Verizon and Sprint’s store shelves after its international release (said to take place in Q1, remember?), and alludes to the possibility that the handset will be the first HTC device to be offered by each of the Big 4 U.S. wireless carriers in a long time. That may well be the case (I certainly hope it is), but some of these carriers tend to impose more dramatic changes of design than others, and the end result could be a device that falls short of the standard set by the international model and its all its inevitable variants.
We’re just days away from the grand unveiling of Windows Phone 8, and it appears that a previously unannounced feature has been revealed. Nokia Innovation has posted an image of what is described as a Live Wallpaper lock screen feature for Windows Phone 8. It appears to show wallpapers that automatically update with live information from first- and third-party apps for Windows Phone’s lock screen.
Bing, ESPN, and USA Today appear to support the feature, with current news displayed on the USA Today version. Unfortunately there’s not a lot of detail on exactly how this feature works in Windows Phone 8. Microsoft is holding an event in San Francisco on Monday, where the company will detail all of the new Windows Phone 8 features. The Verge…
Considering the sheer volume of leaks and information floating around right now, it’s becoming more and more clear that the so-called LG Nexus 4 is the real deal. In case you didn’t already have enough to ponder though, the folks behind the infamous @evleaks Twitter account have gotten their hands on yet another photo of the unreleased device and a few new particulars about its size and weight.
But first, the photo. In fairness, it’s far from the best Nexus 4 image I’ve seen out there — that distinction goes to the rather artsy photoset shot (see below) by TechOnliner.ru — but it matches up nicely with earlier leaks. Speaking of matching up, the device’s purported spec sheet (quad-core 1.5GHz APQ8064 chipset, 8-megapixel rear camera, 2GB of RAM, and a 4.7-inch display running at 1280×768) is pretty much a direct translation of the components found in LG’s flagship Optimus G smartphone, again keeping with people’s prevailing notions about the device.
As has been pointed out more than a few times since the first Nexus 4 photos leaked, the device bears a striking resemblance to Samsung’s older Galaxy Nexus. Should @evleaks’ info hold true though, LG’s device will be just a hair heftier than its Nexus predecessor: it weighs in at 139g and sports a 9.1mm waistline.
Naturally, neither LG or Google are willing to confirm the device’s existence just yet (hopefully someone in the process goofs the way printer RR Donnelly did the other day), but that could all change very shortly. Google has already sent out invitations to an Android event on October 29 that joyfully declares “the playground is open” — coupled with earlier reports that the next Nexus device (or devices; playgrounds can be pretty boring if you’re by yourself) would be unveiled before the end of October, it seems like Google is gearing up to steal Microsoft’s thunder with some hardware announcements of its own.
While some tablet makers have suggested that Windows RT devices could be priced as low as $ 300, a leaked slide from ZDNet shows that Asus isn’t aiming to compete at that end of the market. If the rumored prices are real, the Tegra 3-powered Asus Vivo Tab RT that we saw at Computex will start at $ 599 (with a $ 199 dock), while the Vivo Tab with an Intel Atom chip will start at $ 799. The leak also says that the 11.6-inch Asus Taichi, a dual-display Windows 8 laptop / tablet hybrid, will start at $ 1,299. While we still don’t have a complete picture of pricing for Windows 8 tablets and laptops, Asus’ lineup seems pricey in theory: in the least, they’re on the upper-end of what Steve Ballmer called the “sweet spot” for PC pricing.
Early last week, a screenshot of an internal T-Mobile document revealed the existence of a device perplexingly called the “HTC Era 42,” which promptly caused some T-Mobile fans to drool uncontrollably.
Some speculated that it would be the latest in T-Mobile’s G-series of Android devices and would sport a physical keyboard because of HTC’s track record with the carrier, but now TmoNews is calling it slightly differently. Instead of a brand new, keyboard-toting handset, editor David Beren has managed to confirm “with a small level of certainty” that the device is actually a tweaked version of the HTC One X called the One X+.
Exactly what that plus refers to is still a mystery, but that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from doing its usual thing. In this case, the cause for that additional + may be the inclusion of NVIDIA’s quad-core Tegra 3, a detail anonymous sources passed on to AndroidAndMe earlier this year. What’s more, the rumor also alleged that the device in question would run a stock version of Ice Cream Sandwich instead of HTC’s Sense-ified take on the OS — something that should please all those avid Android tweakers surfing T-Mobile’s spectrum.
That T-Mobile’s version of the device would get the Tegra treatment doesn’t seem like much of stretch either, considering the issues that manufacturers have had getting quad-core chipsets to play nicely with LTE radios. That issue seems to be clearing up (take a look at Samsung’s quad-core LTE Galaxy S III), but T-Mobile won’t have to worry about that network technicality until next year anyway.
There are still more questions than answers at this point, but we may not have much longer to wait. The leaked screenshot pegs the Era 42 with a September 26 release date, and if there’s actually something to it, HTC will probably come knocking with invitations soon.
Following last year’s launch of its potent, price-savvy Android smartphone, Xiaomi is already purportedly crafting its even more powerful successor. Alongside a bundle of blurry cam images, leaks from within factories making the next iteration say that it’ll pack a 720p screen, one of Qualcomm’s quad-core processors and a dual-flash setup alongside the camera. There’s still the curious absence of a front-facing camera, but this should to help ensure the phone lands with a price tag just as attractive as Xiaomi’s last device. While rival manufacturer Meizu priced its latest quad-core phone at around $ 480, the Foxconn-based moles reckon this next-generation (likely MIUI-powered) slab could land at just over of $ 300. If all these rumors (and that price) have piqued your interest, you can head on the source for a handful of extra images.
Filed under: Cellphones
Next-generation Xiaomi Phone rumored to house quad-core processor, 720p display originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 07:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Microsoft has remained fairly tight lipped on Windows Phone 8 availability and features so far. The software maker unveiled the latest mobile operating system during a special Windows Phone Summit in late June, but refused to say when devices would hit the market aside from “this fall.” ZDNet‘s Mary Jo Foley has some rumored dates from one source that suggest Windows Phone 8 may Release to Manufacturing (RTM) during September, with devices on shelves in November.
Foley says the dates are just a rumor from one particular source, so they could be incorrect, but if they’re accurate then they indicate that Microsoft may not be planning a combined launch of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 in October after all. Nokia CEO Stephen Elop is…
Following rumors from USA Today that Microsoft was preparing to announce Office 15 today, the company has just scheduled a news conference and corresponding live webcast with CEO Steve Ballmer for 12pm PDT this afternoon. While there are absolutely no details or hints on what this news conference might entail, it obviously fits right in with the rumored timing for an Office 15 announcement — and the company’s launch of its Office Next blog last week certainly fuels the fire as well. Keep your eyes right here, as we’ll be reporting the new from Microsoft’s conference as it happens.
Rumors swirling around Microsoft’s mystery event on Monday have repeatedly centered on a tablet, but if TechCrunch sources are right, Microsoft may only play a partial role in the project. The unveiling, according to the claims, may instead be a tablet, e-reader or a crossover of the two built in teamwork with Barnes & Noble — a company that just recently established a vague partnership with Microsoft after many months of legal wrangling over Android and the Nook. The slate may not include Windows 8 RT at all, despite earlier assertions, but that’s not to say that Microsoft wouldn’t be breaking ground in other areas. One of the reported insiders believes it could be the first device without the Microsoft badge to get Xbox Live video streaming, which might explain Redmond’s eagerness to turn Xbox into a general media brand at its E3 keynote. It’s still very much unknown if there will be any hardware at all, although decisions to host the event in the media capital of Los Angeles and detach the invitation from any existing Microsoft division provide at least indirect support for the notion. Whatever happens, we’ll be there tomorrow to give you the lowdown.
Microsoft’s rumored tablet may be a Barnes & Noble collaboration with Xbox Live video streaming originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Jun 2012 18:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If you were hoping that Facebook’s buyout of Instagram would wrap up quickly and let you directly integrate your heavily filtered photos into Timeline, you might be disappointed. Citing the ever-present “people familiar with the matter,” the FT believes the Federal Trade Commission is orchestrating a competition probe. These kinds of investigations are common for most deals over $ 66 million — we suspect the $ 1 billion Instagram pact qualifies — but could add six months to a year to Facebook’s originally planned spring closure date. The deal is still expected to go through, and you can keep tilt-shifting your photos to death in the meantime; just don’t expect those shots to blanket friends’ Facebook walls anytime soon.
Rumored FTC probe could delay Facebook / Instagram deal, Toaster filter will have to wait originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 15:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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