The latest rumors coming from Korea suggest Samsung is trying to lower the cost of the Galaxy Note III phablet for the emerging markets by replacing some internals with cheaper components. To achieve a price cut, the Galaxy Note III will lose the Super AMOLED screen in favor of a regular LCD unit plus the camera will be downgraded to an 8MP one.
Thanks to those sacrifices, Samsung will be able to launch the Galaxy Note III phablet at a cheaper price point in the emerging markets.According to the etnews report, those new LCD/8MP Galaxy Note III phablets are 30% of the entire first batch of Notes III that is currently manufacturing in Samsung's factories. We admire Samsung putting efforts to make the Note III available to more customers, though we hope if indeed true, Samsung would still launch the top-shelf model in those countries too so people have a choice. Samsung will unveil the Galaxy Note III on September 4 in Berlin and we'll be there to cover the event as it unfolds.
GSM Galaxy provides information and latest news about Mobile phone around the world.
Phones with QWERTY keyboards have always been the strong suite of BlackBerry. Which is why when the company revamped their product portfolio with BB10 and the Z10, they decided to not forgo QWERTY phones altogether and launched the Q10 (and consequently the Q5). Well, it seems that strategy isn't working out so well. According to The Wall Street Journal, who talked to retailers in the US and Canada, the Q10 is an unmitigated failure. There is no demand for the device and the retailers have had to return their stock.
One Canadian retailer even went as far as saying "I think we'd all say that the Q10, the one we all thought was going to be the savior, just hit the ground and died." And this is BlackBerry's home country we are talking about. While this doesn't mean the all-touch Z10 are flying off the shelves things are looking particularly bleak for the keyboard based BlackBerries. Clearly the market for these devices has dwindled in the past and few would now want to waste precious space for a physical keyboard when they could have a large display instead. BlackBerry now needs to rethink their strategy and assess if people really want to buy QWERTY BlackBerries anymore. Or simply BlackBerries, for that matter.
GSM Galaxy provides information and latest news about Mobile phone around the world.
The Samsung Galaxy Note III is a device that we're looking forward to, as Samsung has managed to prove that there's market for phablets - you just have to do (market) it right. The company has also re-convinced many people that there's still use for a stylus, if done (marketed) properly, and that's no small feat. For a couple of months or so now, we've been gathering all kinds of intriguing details about the upcoming Note III, which is to be unveiled at IFA 2013.
The the device's official unveiling drawing closer and closer, how about we go through all the info we've collected? Of course, there's not much point in mentioning each and every detail, which is why we've chosen only the most important ones here. Browse through the gallery below to discover what the Note III is (probably) going to be, and be sure to let us know what you think of it in the comments below!
GSM Galaxy provides information and latest news about Mobile phone around the world.
Nokia Lumia 1520, previously known as Bandit, is rumored to feature a 6" 1080p display and run on the latest Snapdragon 800 chipset. Other alleged specs include a 20MP camera on the back, wireless charging support, a polycarbonate body and Windows Phone 8 GDR3. Today we get to see what is allegedly a live photo of the phablet. How we know it's indeed the 6" Lumia 1520? Well, the phones next to it is the recently launched Lumia 1020 and it's easily dwarfed by the Lumia 1520.
Last month we saw a picture of the front glass of a 6" Lumia phablet and it looks the Lumia 1520 is using the same panel. So we guess the Lumia 1520 existence is pretty certain at this point and all we have to wait for is for Nokia to announce it officially. Yesterday's Nokia press event in Moscow turned out to be about the Nokia 515 not the Lumia 1520. We guess the official premiere will happen about the same time all other phablets are going to war - sometime in September.
GSM Galaxy provides information and latest news about Mobile phone around the world.
HTC is developing a mobile operating system specifically for the Chinese market, reports The Wall Street Journal. The operating system is expected to have deep ties to web services and apps that are popular in China, such as Weibo. HTC is undertaking the effort, according to the Journal, to improve its market position in China. HTC began selling devices under its own brand name in China only as recently as 2010. The move is meant to help HTC improve its ties with the Chinese government and Chinese businesses as much as it is to sell more handsets to Chinese consumers. It is not clear whether the OS is something HTC built entirely from scratch or if it is based on an existing platform, such as Android or BrewMP. Prototypes of the OS are already being tested. The OS, which has been under development for about two years, is expected to launch by the end of the year. HTC did not comment on the Journal's article. HTC is not alone in developing its own operating system. Samsung, for example, worked on both Bada and Tizen.
GSM Galaxy provides information and latest news about Mobile phone around the world.
Back in March, the Goophone i5S was released in China for $150, powered by a dual-core 1GHz MediaTek SoC with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of native storage. This was the manufacturer's knock off of the Apple iPhone 5S. Goophone now plans on bringing its knock off of the Apple iPhone 5C to the market next month with the Goophone i5C. This model has not been introduced, but leaked specs call for the device to feature a 4 inch screen with resolution of 540 x 960 and a dual-core 1.2GHz MediaTek MTK6572 processor on board. 1GB of RAM is along for the ride along with 4GB of native storage. The back and front-facing cameras will be 8MP and 2MP respectively. The Goophone i5C supports quad-band GSM with 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity. The 2000mAh battery allows up to 5 hours of talk time. Android 4.2 is pre-installed and the phone is going to be priced at $99. Since this model has not yet been unwrapped, the picture of the phone that accompanies this article is a mockup.
GSM Galaxy provides information and latest news about Mobile phone around the world.
AT&T is the first carrier to offer the Motorola's Moto X on August 23, but it won't take long before the handset pops up on Verizon's website. Verizon has just announced it will start selling the Motorola Moto X online on August 29, while the retail stores will get it in the following weeks. The 16GB model is going to cost $199.99 with a two-year contract. Unfortunately the 32GB version and the Moto Maker customizations won't be available on the Big Red initially.
Ready to #MeetMotoX with Verizon #4G LTE? Available online 8/29 & in stores in the coming weeks. $199.99 on contract pic.twitter.com/LyFZjvYVYE — Verizon Wireless (@VZWnews) August 26, 2013
In case you are still considering whether or not the Motorola Moto X is worth your cash, we strongly suggest you check out our review.
GSM Galaxy provides information and latest news about Mobile phone around the world.
As we get closer to the September 4th introduction of Sony's two interchangeable camera lens for the Apple iPhone and Android, there also is the little matter of that new camera-centric phone that the Japanese OEM is expected to introduce on that very same day. For what seems like forever, we have heard this model referred to as the Sony i1 Honami, That is, until recently when various leaks have revealed the true name of the device to be the Sony Xperia Z1. That name is confirmed in a photograph showing mockups of Sony's three flagship models. We have the current Android flagship, the Sony Xperia Z, the 6.4 inch phablet called the Sony Xperia Z Ultra, and the third model looks like the phone we called the Sony i1 Honami, except that is has a different name on the screen, the Sony Xperia Z1. T-Mobile currently offers the Sony Xperia Z in the U.S. It should be interesting to see if sales of that model are strong enough for the mobile operator to consider bringing a carrier branded Sony Xperia Z1 to the states, if given the opportunity. As it stands, the Sony Xperia Z1 could be in for some competition in Asia from Oppo as the quirky Chinese manufacturer is expected to launch its own camera-centric Oppo N1 on September 23rd. With a 20.7 MP rear-facing camera on the Xperia Z1, Sony will be looking to compete against the Nokia Lumia 1020 and the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom.
GSM Galaxy provides information and latest news about Mobile phone around the world.
The
gold / champagne colored iPhone 5S has been getting a lot of attention
from the rumor mill, but there might be a fourth color option on the
way. A grey SIM card tray popped up in a repair shop in Japan and it
looks just like the leaked iPhone 5S trays. The image above compares it
to the gold iPhone 5S nanoSIM tray and the white iPhone 5 tray. Even if
Apple is indeed testing a fourth color, there's no guarantee we'll see
them all at the iPhone unveiling (which is allegedly scheduled for
September 10). Companies usually try different prototypes before
settling on a final design. The gray SIM tray is too dark for the white
iPhone and too light for the black iPhone. It's possible that Apple will
tweak one of the two standard flavors of its next iPhone but it's also
possible that the company is trying out a fourth color.
Sony
is continuing its #bestOfSony teasers of the Xperia Z1 / Honami with a
look at the camera. A G logo next to it indicates the upcoming
cameraphone will be using Sony's G lens, which is Sony's line of lenses
for DSLRs and digicams. There's an LED flash next to the camera –
single-LED and no xenon as early rumors indicated. We guess the Xperia
Z1 will rely on its relatively big 1/2.3" sensor for low-light
photography. It's about 70% bigger than most smartphone camera sensors
used at the moment. And at 20.7MP resolution, the pixels will still be
bigger than the ones in current 13MP phones. We've seen early camera
samples – one full resolution and a few 8MP ones. Other known specs on
the Sony Xperia Z1 include a 5" 1080p screen, Snapdragon 800 chipset, a
3,000mAh battery and waterproofing. The smartphone will be unveiled on
September 4 and we'll be there to cover it.
The
iPad mini 2, the second generation 7.9-inch Apple tablet, is expected
to get officially unveiled soon, and now the rear aluminum shell of the
device has leaked out once again in a high-res photo shoot revealing the
tiniest of detail. There is not much new in the iPad mini 2, or whatever
Apple calls its second generation iPad mini.
The rear housing looks
virtually the same and we’re looking at an iPad mini with cellular
connectivity here as you have the top of the rear shell of the device
covered with a strip plastic, a feature designed to allow better signal
throughput. Speaking of unchanged design, we are not seeing anything
new. The separate volume buttons, the rear camera location, the stereo
speakers on the bottom and the new Lightning port are all where they
were in the original iPad mini. The leak looks credible and we don’t
expect Apple to change the design of the new iPad mini this year. There
should be other important changes, though. With Google upping the ante
with the affordable Nexus 7 offering a stunning high-res display, Apple
is now basically forced to put a ‘Retina’ display in the iPad mini as it
just won’t look competitive, so that’s one huge improvement we expect
to see. The usual hardware upgrade should also be there. What else do
you expect of the 2013 iPad mini?
Here's something that got slipped under the door this morning, courtesy of a loyal reader of ours. We're being informed that the iPhone display sections at some Sprint retail stores are to be altered in the coming weeks. Changes include the installation of new counters, which must be in place by September 16. How is this newsworthy? Well, Sprint outlets do not modify their iPhone displays unless there's a new phone coming, as our tipster notes. Perhaps the changes are being made in preparation of the new iPhones' arrival, which, if true, would mean that the iPhone 5S and/or iPhone 5C may be on Sprint's shelves on or around the aforementioned date.
We must note, however, that iPhones have always been launched in the US on a Friday, while September 16 is a Monday. That's why September 20 seems like a much more likely launch date for the new iPhone models. All the leaks we've come across so far point at a mid-September launch for the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C. The smartphones are expected to be announced on September 10 and then to go on sale soon after, if rumors are to be trusted. But as is the case with all leaks like these, nothing is certain until it comes straight from the horse's mouth.
The press image of the Verizon bound LG Enact was leaked a couple of days ago and now, the Android powered slide-out QWERTY smartphone has been officially announced. The entry-level LG Enact comes with a 4-inch display of WVGA resolution. The slide-out smartphone features a 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor, 5 megapixel rear camera with LED flash, front-facing VGA camera and 8 GB of internal memory that can be expanded via microSD card slot.
LG Enact also supports LTE connectivity and runs on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. The 2,460mAh battery should keep the smartphone going for quite a while. The device comes pre-loaded with a few software goodies from LG such as VuTalk, Quick Translator, QSlide 2.0, QuickMemo and Smart Screen. The Verizon's LG Enact will cost you $19.99 on a two-year contract, while the unlocked version is priced at $349.99. Unfortunately, it's unlikely that the smartphone will ever hit other regions.
The rumors that Apple will break its black and white only color scheme for the iPhone 5S are heating up with more and more photos hitting the web. The 128GB option that analysts think will happen with the upcoming iPhone generation became more tangible too, thanks to an alleged photo of the iPhone 5S box.
The Gold (or Champagne) colored iPhone 5S chassis posed next to the Black and White versions. The plastic panels on the top and bottom of the back are missing, but they will probably have a slightly different color like on the other versions. The front is also not shown in the photos. The back of the Apple iPhone 5S box shows a 128GB label and lists some connectivity options – quad-band 3G with DC-HSPA, CDMA and LTE (bands 1/3/5/13/25). The iPhone 4 came with 32GB storage max, the 4S doubled that to 64GB and the iPhone 5 kept it at 64GB, so maybe it really is time for another step up.
Sony's frequently leaked cameraphone codenamed Honami could be officially named Xperia Z1. The rumor comes from a recognized XDA-Developers user, who has provided some leaks regarding past Xperia devices. Additionally, a few press shots of the Xperia Z1 popped in today, but they are sadly rather low in resolution. The renders reveal that the phone is going to be available in three colors - white, black and purple.
The other thing they portrays is the glass back of the phone, reminiscent of the original Xperia Z. The Sony Xperia Z1 (or Sony Xperia Z One) was previously referred to as the Xperia i1 Honami, but should these rumors turn out correct we finally get to learn its official name. To refresh your memory, the Xperia Z1 (Honami) packs the powerful Snapdragon 800 chipset with Adreno 330 GPU and quad-core Krait 400 CPU. It runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with Sony's Xperia UI on top. As with many of the Sony high-end smartphones for 2013, the Xperia Z1 (Honami) is also expected to be water resistant. The smartphone's key selling point is its 20.7MP camera, rumored to support 4K video recording and backed up by a Xenon and LED flash combo. Yesterday a number of camera samples taken with the Xperia Z1 (Honami) were released in the wild, and we learned a mini version of the phone could be in the works as well. The Sony Xperia Z1 will debut on September 4 at a pre-IFA event in Berlin.
Earlier this month, AllthingsD received a tip saying Apple is going to hold their big iPhone event on September 10. Although the information hasn't been officially confirmed in any way, another rumor has popped up suggesting the iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S will go on sale on September 20. The information comes courtesy of Greek blog Techmaniacs, which also points out that Apple is going to start rolling out the final version of iOS 7 on September 16. This sounds plausible, as the Apple iOS 7 Golden Master release is tipped to be out on September 5. Previously, the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C were rumored to begin shipping on October 25. However, this date is most probably concerning only the second or third waves of countries that'll get the new iPhone lineup. Meanwhile, according to the same source, the company is preparing for a second media event that will take place in October. There, Apple will announce the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2. Both are expected to go on sale on October 25. The Apple iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S have a hard time staying off the radar recently with their parts and shells getting constantly exposed. We expect more and more leaks to start coming in as Apple's rumored September 10 event approaches.
As the anticipated early fall announcement nears, the leaks of the (still rumored) iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S devices from Apple continue to pop up. The latest from China's variant of Twitter - Weibo - shows the two new models next to the iPhone 5. The devices in question are obviously dummy devices without a working display, but it gives us a good idea of their general dimensions.
It's been speculated that the new budget 5C model and the 5S will feature larger displays to appease customer demands, but judging by these images the screen will remain at the same size. Hopefully we'll find out for certain soon enough as less than a month remains until the expected September 10 announcement date. However, it may be longer still until actual device shipment, as some sources say we might see the new devices as late as October.
HTC has just launched an Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update with its Sense 5 user interface for the HTC One X. For now, only the unlocked European version of the smartphone can benefit from the update, but the rest of the One X owners should get it in the coming weeks. With Android 4.2.2 and Sense 5 UI, the HTC One X gets features like Blinkfeed, Lockscreen widgets, as well as the Quick settings panel. The latter brings access to 12 different settings with a single swipe. Another user interface enhancement, albeit minor, is the battery level percent indicator next to the battery icon in the status bar.
The gallery app has been also overhauled with video highlights, which come with 12 different themes. There's also auto exposure and autofocus lock available in the camera app. Lastly, the music app enjoys the got visualization with live lyrics. The Android 4.2.2 update for the HTC One X weighs at 380 megabytes and brings the software version of the device to 4.18.401.2.
HTC has been launching quite a lot of updates for its Android smartphones this summer. Just the week before, the company issued the very same update for the HTC One X+. In July, the company started seeding Android 4.2.2 for its flagship HTC One, and just a day after that the Butterfly got the Android 4.2.2 treatment.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT APPLE'S UPCOMING IOS 7, INCLUDING A COMPLETELY NEW DESIGN LANGUAGE, NEW MULTITASKING, NEW CONTROLS, NEW APPS, AND MORE!
Apple will be announcing the next-generation iPhone(s) on Tuesday, September 10, and their next-generation mobile operating system, iOS 7 won't be far behind. If the last two years are any indicator, iOS 7 could ship as soon as Wednesday, September 18. Code-named Innsbruck, iOS 7 was introduced by Apple during the WWDC 2013keynote back on June 10. A radical visual departure from previous generations of iOS, it focuses on clarity by removing all but the most essential interface elements and shifting from buttons to tinted text, deference by getting out of the way of content and apps, and depth by building the entire experience around a physics and particle engine that moves, blurs, parallaxes, and layers in virtual 3D. It touches every app, every pixel, and likely very nearly every bit of the system. It ships this fall, and here's everything you need to know about it.
Note: This preview is based on information Apple has made publicly available, and our own analysis based on that information. In other words, no NDAs were broken during the course of this writing. It also means minor changes, cosmetic and functional, might have occurred in subsequent betas. We'll address those in a future update.
iOS 7 compared to previous iOS tent-poles
iOS 7 design gets objectified, gamified, dynamic
The iOS 7 design discussion has been distracted by Home screen icons, glyph weighting, and typeface choices, and it's a shame because, while absolutely important, it's also superficial and the real changes, the real break-through of iOS 7 is all below the surface. Apple has built a physics and particle engine to power iOS 7, they've turned interface elements into objects and increased the already stellar support for direct manipulation. They've gamified huge swathes of the experience, so that interactions can be even more easily discovered by play, and even more delightful in use. They've made it dynamic so it's no longer dead pixels stuck under glass, but it angles, collides, and bounces. It moves. It breathes. It's alive. So much so I think, for the first time in a long time, the future of human interface is starting to become clear.
We also discussed iOS 7 with some of the best mobile designers on the planet to talk on the Iterate podcast, including Marc Edwards, Loren Brichter, Sebastiaan de With, Dave Wiskus, Louie Mantia, Brad Ellis, Chris Clark, and Neven Mrgan.
Lock screen gains access to notifications, controls, some confusion
The Lock screen exists in some between-space, where your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad are no longer off or asleep, but nor are they fully awake and functional yet. With iOS 7, however, Apple has greatly increased the Lock screen's functionality, mainly by giving it access to Notification Center and the new Control Center, while retaining its own notifications and fast Camera access.
iOS 7 continues Apple's long history of gesture-based controls, some system-wide like the new swipe up from the bottom bezel to open Control Center, and some app (or multi-app) specific, like the new swipe right from the left bezel to travel back to the list views in Mail or Messages. Gesture controls can be tricky, however. If not direct they can be hard to discover, if not consistent they can be hard to habituate, and if not carefully considered they can collide and conflict with each other, both system-wide and app specific.
Control Center promises quick access to all your most common toggles
Quick access to system-level toggles has been one of the most constant, consistent power-user feature requests -- nay, demands -- for years now. Everything from jailbreak apps like SBSettings to iOS 6's brief flirtation with URL Schemes for Settings made it a must-have on every geek list, come every Apple iOS keynote. And now, with iOS 7 and Control Center, it's finally a reality.
Notification Center gets new Today screen, predictive traffic info, and more
Notification Center debuted in iOS 5 as way to quickly, easily see all your system and push alerts in one, unified place. Far less obtrusive than the original, modal iOS alert system, better looking if not as feature-rich as the Android or webOS notification centers that preceded it, Notification Center was a first step towards Apple better handling all the alerts all of us now get all day. With iOS 7, Apple has taken another... half step forward.
Multitasking for every app, coalesced and just-in-time
iOS 7 finally brings multitasking to everyone on the iPhone, iPod, and iPad. And by everyone, I mean every app, at practically any time. Of course, iOS has always had fantastic multitasking. From the very first demo of the very first iPhone by Steve Jobs in 2007, its ability to fade music out, take a phone call, grab a picture and email it, then return to the phone call, hang up, and fade right back into the music seemed miraculous to the crash-prone competition of the time. Thanks to some system-side smarts, however, it looks like iOS 7 will make good on the multitasking promise while at the same time protect battery life and performance. If they can do it, they'll be the first to really nail multitasking on mobile.
The Camera app has gotten the same design makeover as the rest of iOS 7, but Apple also managed to sneak in a few new features as well. First is, um,Square mode. The second is Filters. The bigger news, however, is what was taken away, including the signature shutter animation and button treatments are gone.
Photos automagically filters your life into collections, moments, and more
Just like its partner, the Camera app, the iOS 7 Photos app is newly redesigned, including not only all the new filters, but a newer, smarter way to organize all the photos that previously clogged up our Camera Roll - years, collections, and moments. Add to that a far more social version of Photo Stream, and things are fast approaching picture perfect.
AirDrop lets you easily share your stuff, no bumping needed
With iOS 7, Apple's peer-to-peer, ad-hoc Wi-Fi file transfer protocol, AirDrop comes to the iPhone, iPod, and iPad. Originally introduced on the Mac with OS X 10.7 Lion, and attached to the Finder to allow anyone to beam any file or folder to anyone else with in range, the iOS version doesn't have a user-facing filesystem to work such universal wonders with, but it does have a great-looking interface, and incredibly easy point of access thanks to Control Center and Share sheets.
Safari amps up search, tabs, sharing, reading, security and more!
Safari is one of the most important apps on iOS, and so it's not surprising it gets one of the biggest redesigns in iOS 7. The gateway to the web on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, Apple finally gives it a unified search bar, along with some slick new social features, a better reading list, and an all-new, all awesome new tab interface that really shows off the new design language of iOS 7. Also added is an incredibly important set of new features - the ability to generate, store, and fill passwords.
Siri gets a new look, access to settings, more services, still no predictive results
Apple introduced Siri, their personal digital assistant, in iOS 5 as a secondary, natural language interface for the iPhone, and later iPad, and iPod touch. With iOS 7, Apple has continued to add new partner-based services, but also given Siri its first redesign. Gone is the linen and beautifully rendered sports, movie, and other widgets, and in their places is the starker design language and feel that permeates the rest of system.
App Store gets location-based popularity, goes kid-friendly
The App Store debuted with iOS 2 (iPhone OS 2), and over the years added genius recommendations, card-based search, and more. Now, in addition to a complete visual make-over in iOS 7, it's also getting in on the location game with Apps Near Me, and finally - yes, finally - adding a kids category for children of all ages.
Find my iPhone activation lock aims to keep out the crooks
Find my iPhone - also referred to as Find my iPod or Find my iPad on those devices - has always been a great way to help you find your phone or tablet under a sofa, in another room, or even at a restaurant, coffee shop, theater, or similar public place. It's been great for lost devices. Stolen devices, not so much. Now, with iOS 7, Apple is addressing theft with what they hope is a powerful new deterrent - activation lock.
FaceTime audio for when you want to be heard but not seen
Apple's FaceTime is a built-in way for anyone on a recent iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or Mac to quickly, easily make and receive video calls. It's been a boon to long distance families and relationships, traveling lovers and parents, and those who use sign language alike. Sometimes, however, you're just not dressed, styled, or simply in the mood to be seen. While there's always been a workaround to kill the FaceTime camera, with iOS 7 Apple is, at long last, making FaceTime Audio its own, proper thing.
Phone, FaceTime, and Messages blocking promises to put an end to annoying contacts
With iOS 7 Apple is adding the ability to block people from reaching - especially disturbing or otherwise harassing - you via the phone, FaceTime, and Messages. One of the downsides of the constant connectivity we enjoy on the iPhone is constant availability, and while it's annoying when people we know expect us to respond 2/47, it's even more annoying when wrong numbers or malicious people can reach us all day, every day.
iOS in the Car hints at the future of iOS everywhere
iOS in the Car isn't arriving this year with the rest of iOS 7. It's currently scheduled to arrive in 2014 instead, and that's because it requires the support of car companies, who have to enable the ability to receive it into their in-dash display systems. Traditionally Apple hasn't done as well when they have to depend on other companies, but the potential of iOS in the Car seems to go further than just the car. Indeed, it could provide our first hints of iOS everywhere, and that's incredibly exciting for 2014, and beyond. However, Apple touts 95% of car makers already include some form of iPod/iOS device integration, so what better place to start?
iOS 7 continues Apple's tradition of consistently improving and extending Enterprise support for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Previous years introduced such basic, core functionality as Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, and hardware encryptions.This year offers more specific additions that, never-the-less, might make a big difference to big business, both those who manage devices in IT, and who use them, in corporations and SMB alike.
Accessory support for iBeacons, game controllers, and more!
iOS 7 will bring not only an entirely new design language to the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, along with powerful new APIs for app developers. But accessory makes are getting some great new features as well, and that means, presuming they take them and run with them, we'll be getting great new accessories that tie into our location, that let us get our game on, and that make our existing speakers, keyboards, and more work better than ever.
Inter-App Audio isn't contracts or intents, but is a start
While full-on inter-app communications -- similar to Android's intents or Windows Phone's contracts -- were high up on many geek's iOS 7 must-have list, nothing of the sort was announced by Apple at WWDC 2013. Well, almost nothing. Apple has added inter-app communications to iPhone and iPad, they've just restricted to one very specific type: Inter-App Audio.
Sprite Kit and UIKit dynamics promise easier games, game-like apps
I've written a lot already about how Apple is changing the interface game by making iOS 7 not only objectified but gamified. It almost feels like you play it as much as you use it. The original iPhone's interface required good enough OpenGL support that it eventually birthed a mobile gaming empire. iOS 7's physics and particle engine -- rumored to have been built by a first-class gaming engineer who's work you've likely enjoyed, a lot -- seems poised to take all of this not only to the next level, but to the next generation. The reason for that is as simple as it is spectacular -- Apple's taken a lot of the new stuff behind their physical new interface, and bundled it together for developers as Sprite Kit.
Dozens of articles, hours of podcasts, and thousands of words later and we've still only scratched the surface of iOS 7, or more specifically, what Apple has shown off of iOS 7 so far. There's more to it. Much more, both currently covered by the developer NDA (non-disclosure agreement) which prevents public discussion of it, and no doubt new things we'll see this fall to go along with the new iPhone and iPad hardware Apple is almost certainly going to release.
Yet one thing remains clear - this is the biggest, most important iOS update ever, and our coverage of it is just beginning!
Editor-in-Chief of iMore, co-host of Iterate, Debug, ZEN and TECH, MacBreak Weekly. Cook, grappler, photon wrangler. Follow him on Twitter, App.net, Google+.
The latest rumors coming from Korea suggest Samsung is trying to lower the cost of the Galaxy Note III phablet for the emerging markets by replacing some internals with cheaper components. To achieve a price cut, the Galaxy Note III will lose the Super AMOLED screen in favor of a regular LCD unit plus the camera will be downgraded to an 8MP one.
Phones with QWERTY keyboards have always been the strong suite of BlackBerry. Which is why when the company revamped their product portfolio with BB10 and the Z10, they decided to not forgo QWERTY phones altogether and launched the Q10 (and consequently the Q5). Well, it seems that strategy isn't working out so well. According to The Wall Street Journal, who talked to retailers in the US and Canada, the Q10 is an unmitigated failure. There is no demand for the device and the retailers have had to return their stock. 
The Samsung Galaxy Note III is a device that we're looking forward to, as Samsung has managed to prove that there's market for phablets - you just have to do (market) it right. The company has also re-convinced many people that there's still use for a stylus, if done (marketed) properly, and that's no small feat. For a couple of months or so now, we've been gathering all kinds of intriguing details about the upcoming Note III, which is to be unveiled at IFA 2013. 
HTC is developing a mobile operating system specifically for the Chinese market, reports The Wall Street Journal. The operating system is expected to have deep ties to web services and apps that are popular in China, such as Weibo. HTC is undertaking the effort, according to the Journal, to improve its market position in China. HTC began selling devices under its own brand name in China only as recently as 2010. The move is meant to help HTC improve its ties with the Chinese government and Chinese businesses as much as it is to sell more handsets to Chinese consumers. It is not clear whether the OS is something HTC built entirely from scratch or if it is based on an existing platform, such as Android or BrewMP. Prototypes of the OS are already being tested. The OS, which has been under development for about two years, is expected to launch by the end of the year. HTC did not comment on the Journal's article. HTC is not alone in developing its own operating system. Samsung, for example, worked on both Bada and Tizen.
+camera.jpg)
The
iPad mini 2, the second generation 7.9-inch Apple tablet, is expected
to get officially unveiled soon, and now the rear aluminum shell of the
device has leaked out once again in a high-res photo shoot revealing the
tiniest of detail. There is not much new in the iPad mini 2, or whatever
Apple calls its second generation iPad mini.
The press image of the Verizon bound LG Enact was leaked a couple of days ago and now, the Android powered slide-out QWERTY smartphone has been officially announced. The entry-level LG Enact comes with a 4-inch display of WVGA resolution. The slide-out smartphone features a 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor, 5 megapixel rear camera with LED flash, front-facing VGA camera and 8 GB of internal memory that can be expanded via microSD card slot. 
The rumors that Apple will break its black and white only color scheme for the iPhone 5S are heating up with more and more photos hitting the web. The 128GB option that analysts think will happen with the upcoming iPhone generation became more tangible too, thanks to an alleged photo of the iPhone 5S box. 
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