Samsung's rumoured Galaxy Note 3 Neo could be the first hexa-core phone

Samsung's rumoured Galaxy Note 3 Neo could be the first hexa-core phone

Half Note 2, Half Note 3? The Note 3 Neo could be along the way

Samsung's been popping out Pro devices like a rain-soaked silicon Mogwi this week, but the company be about to switch focus to its second tier options, judging by alleged leaked internal documents.

GSM Arena claims to have gotten its hands on Samsung literature showing full specs for the rumoured Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo, with one particularly interesting nuance.

According to the documents the scaled back Note 3 Neo will contain a 1.7GHz dual-core and a 1.3GHz quad-core processor. If true, it'd make the as-yet-unofficial device, the "industry's first" hexa-core phone.

As with the grown-up version of the Galaxy Note 3, the processor would appear to be built on the ARM-based big.LITTLE tech, with the tasks split between the more and less powerful cores to boost efficiency.

Note 2 with more cores?

As far as other specs are concerned, the leaked documents peg the Note 3 Neo with a 5.5-inch 720p AMOLED screen, similar to the one nestling within 2012's Samsung Galaxy Note 2 handset.

That's not where the similarities end, the literature also suggests the device will have 2GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel camera, and a 3,100 mAh battery.

The Note 3 Neo will borrow the faux-leather rear casing from its namesake, as well as the Android 4.3 operating system, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, and HSPA+ 42mbps.

If the documents turn out to be genuine, we wouldn't be at all surprised to see this handset arrive at Mobile World Congress next month, where the Galaxy S5 handset is also rumoured to be making its bow.


Source : techradar[dot]com

Vodafone promising to deliver Moto G on contract complete with Android KitKat

Vodafone promising to deliver Moto G on contract complete with Android KitKat

Dear Moto G, thanks for not costing much money. Love, us.

For the SIM-free price of £130, the Moto G represents perhaps the best value ever offered by a smartphone manufacturer in the UK, but Vodafone still reckons it can snare some buyers on contracts.

The company has announced it'll be stocking the upper-mid-range handset in the near future (no firm release date yet), and may have an ace up its sleeve in the form of the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update.

Moto is reportedly testing KitKat for those who bought the device outright but is yet to roll it out, so if Vodafone can steal a march, it may enjoy some success by serving up the latest Android update first.

However, it's perhaps more likely that the KitKat bump will be available to all Moto G users imminently with Vodafone set to piggyback in for its version of the device.

OS parity?

If there's OS parity between the SIM-free and Vodafone marketed devices, it may work out cheaper for consumers to buy the device outright and select cheaper SIM-only deals, than accept a network subsidy.

Regardless, the Moto G represents great value for the smartphone buyer, with a 4.5-inch 720p display and a quad-core processor. Add the latest version of Android into the mix and it may just be the best tech deal on the market right now.

In a recent TechRadar review, the device earned a rare 4.5 stars out of a potential five, not just for the value on offer, but for the performance and functionality of the handset.

Will you be snapping up a Moto G on contract? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.


Source : techradar[dot]com

Is this the Nokia Normandy Android phone we've been hearing about?

Is this the Nokia Normandy Android phone we've been hearing about?

Wrong phone, right screens? (credit: @evleaks)

Will it? Won't it? We simply don't know if Nokia has plans to launch its own Android smartphone, with rumours suggesting either outcome is possible - but a fresh leak has given the "it will" camp a little more fire power.

The regular (and normally accurate) @evleaks is at the centre of things again, posting an image which appears to resemble the Nokia Asha 503 - but with three rather different screens.

A simple message accompanied the tweeted picture, reading "Android on Nokia ( -virtual buttons)" - hardly giving much away, but the sentiment is clear.

Wait a minute

After closer inspection of the image we're a little dubious about its authenticity - there's some artifacting between the display and the handset's body, while the icons in the notification bar look a little too close to the top of the screen.

What are we saying? Well these are warning flags for a Photoshop job, leading us to believe that these aren't official press shots nabbed from Nokia of its rumoured "Normandy" Android handset.

That's not to say the screenshots themselves are not real - @evleaks has a strong track record of being on the money, so we're still taking the leak pretty seriously.

If Nokia does finally go to market with an Android device it looks set to sport a modified user interface - oh, and those lockscreen widget notifications look cool.


Source : techradar[dot]com

Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo escapes ahead of MWC 2014

Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo escapes ahead of MWC 2014

Its not even here yet and the Galaxy Grand 2 is on a diet (credit: SamMobile)

CES 2014 may be in full swing but that hasn't stopped MWC 2014 news from reaching our ears, with a leak of the Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo hitting the web.

The Galaxy Grand branding hasn't reached UK shores yet, although there have been hints that that Galaxy Grand 2 is likely to reach us later this year.

GSM Arena claims to have seen an internal Samsung document, which reveals that the Galaxy Grand Neo is set to come in with lower specs than the Galaxy Grand 2, with a smaller and lower resolution 5-inch 480 x 800 display.

Behind this sits a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, backed up with 1GB RAM, to keep Android 4.2 Jelly Bean running smoothly.

Galaxy Grand Lite?

For those looking to take those all important selfies, a VGA camera is fitted to the front with a 5MP sensor and LED flash rooted to the rear of the Grand Neo.

Other key specs include a 2100mAh battery pack, Bluetooth 4.0, HSPA+ (no LTE here), Wi-Fi b/g/n, GPS and GLONASS all wrapped in a frame measuring 143.7 x 77.1 x 9.6mm.

For all this, Samsung will apparently be asking for €299 (around £250) of your hard earned money.

You may think that this all sounds a bit familiar, and you'd be right as the specs match those we saw mooted last month for the Galaxy Grand Lite.

We'll have to wait for MWC 2014 next month just what Samsung has in store for us, so keep your eyes glued here as we'll be sending our crack team of investigators to dig out all the best news for you.


Source : techradar[dot]com

Can renewed focus on physical keyboards save BlackBerry?

Can renewed focus on physical keyboards save BlackBerry?

The Q10 may just be the start of a new dawn

Touchscreen smartphones might be all the rage but it seems that the humble QWERTY keyboard still has a place, in Canada at least.

Bloomberg quotes new BlackBerry CEO John Chen at CES 2014 saying "I personally love the keyboards", adding that that future BB devices will "predominantly" use physical keyboards.

Perhaps in a move to underline just how important keyboards are to BlackBerry's future, the Canadian firm is suing the creator of iPhone QWERTY snap-on Typo, an accessory that looks suspiciously like the BlackBerry Q10 keyboard.

This could help BlackBerry re-establish themselves as a major smartphone player, following some less than impressive forays into the touchscreen market with the BlackBerry Storm and the more recent BlackBerry Z10 and Z30.

It would also help gain back the business sectors that made the BlackBerry brand the mobile giant in the first place, the same sectors that are prolific with emails and rely upon physical buttons for easy typing.

It makes sense then, that BlackBerry is set to focus on these markets over the next 18 months.

I need a dollar

With all this focus on physical keyboards, you'd be wrong in thinking that this means the Canadian firm is set to abandon the consumer market completely.

"Since I showed up there has been a lot of speculation that we're retreating from the phone business or the consumer business. This could not be further from the truth" said Chen.

2014 may herald a BlackBerry resurgence, and maybe one day we'll see BlackBerry return to being the device of choice amongst teens and young adults.

Don't expect that to be anytime soon though, with Chen adding "if there's a dollar I need to spend between the consumer space and the enterprise space I'll spend it on the enterprise space for now".


Source : techradar[dot]com

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