Definitely good news for subscribers looking to upgrade to a new smartphone, Sprint is rolling out 4G coverage in more areas around the United States.
Announced on the official Sprint Community blog earlier today, the wireless service provider has expanded 4G LTE service into eleven new areas around the country today. This brings Sprint’s 4G LTE expansion into a total of forty three markets and the company plans to offer 4G LTE service in more than eighty additional markets in the future. Areas included in the most recent expansion include Anderson, Muncie, and South Bend / Mishawaka, Indiana; Salina, Kansas; Peabody, Massachusetts Harrisburg, Carlisle, and Hershey, Pennsylvania; Hagerstown, Maryland; Winchester, Harrisonburg, Clarke County and Shenandoah County, Virginia; Martinsburg and Jefferson County, West Virginia.
Regarding the launch of 4G LTE service in these new areas, senior vice president Bob Azzi stated ”We are pleased to deliver our new 4G LTE network to more Sprint customers. Whether someone uses 4G LTE for personal or professional needs, they will find that Sprint’s new 4G LTE network is performing extremely well. Customers should find it consistent, reliable and fast.”
According to Sprint, the upgrade to 4G LTE should provide customers with a reduced amount of dropped calls, significantly improved coverage within buildings as well as increased signal strength around the city when accessing wireless data.
Earlier this month, Sprint also expanded 4G LTE service in areas such as Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota as well as Oakland, California and Key West, Florida. Getting a late start during July 2012, Sprint’s rollout of 4G LTE service is currently lagging behind both AT&T and Verizon in regards to nationwide coverage.
According to AT&T, the company recently surpassed 100 cities within the United States and plans to reach approximately 300 million people by the end of 2014. However, Verizon is currently leading the pack with an aggressive push into 440 markets already. Since Verizon started pushing out 4G LTE service during late 2010, the company expects to finish up the entire 4G LTE expansion by mid-2013.
Ever since Google got its hands on Motorola Mobility, it was always destined to sharpen its axe and trim off some of those unnecessary bits that were holding the phone company back.
This week, some of the company's international websites have been given the chop. Sites from Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Hong Kong and Taiwan have all been shuttered, with a short message explaining the situation for anyone who arrives.
"We are streamlining our business and support systems, and unfortunately, we'll no longer have a dedicated website for [region]. Your local support sites… will remain open, well into the future, and we'll continue to provide support for our products."
Continued support, handset availability
Despite the website closures, Motorola is determined to continue supporting its products throughout the affected regions.
It also doesn't restrict the availability of handsets, although having a wider region-based website means it needs the sites to include a footnote that not all handsets will be available in each region.
But the closures are hardly a surprising step for Google to take. Despite launching some nice handsets since the Google acquisition like the RAZR M and RAZR i, the company hasn't made any significant strides in market share.
This is what Apple 'under-performing' looks like. Scary. (credit: Statista)
New statistics have put Apple's astonishing financial performance over the last twelve months into perspective.
Despite missing lofty Wall Street expectations for two quarters in a row, Apple still racked up incredible profits of $41.9 billion (UK£26.2, AUD$39.9) over the course of the last four quarters.
According to figures from Statista, that's around $7 billion (UK£4.3, AUD$6.7) more than the combined net profit of Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Yahoo and eBay.
More telling still; Apple's tally is more than double the combined $19.4 billion (UK£12.1, AUD$18.5) earned by computing giants Intel, IBM, Lenovo, Acer, Asus, HP and Dell.
In basic terms, that makes Apple twice as profitable as the entire PC industry.
Mobile masters
When Statista, which gained its information from official company filings, compares Apple with some of its key smartphone and tablet rivals, the difference is starker still.
Samsung has enjoyed a barnstorming last twelve months, but when its profits are combined with fellow mobile companies RIM, HTC, and Nokia, the total is just over a quarter of Apple's yearly earnings - $12.8 billion (UK£8, AUD$12.2).
The remarkable figures come amid much negativity around Apple's performance in the stock market over the last couple of months, mainly due to it not selling quite as many iPads as Wall Street expected.
After the HTC Droid DNA made its debut, Europe and the rest of the world watched on with patience. The Droid DNA packs a 5-inch 1080p display that makes all other screens seem small and dull.
When a Facebook fan could not wait any longer, he posted a link to an article about the HTC Deluxe on HTC DATCH’s (HTC Germany’s) Facebook page. The reply that would follow set the story straight:
“Das Deluxe wird leider nicht nach Europa kommen.”
Or in English:
“The Deluxe will unfortunately not come to Europe.”
Despite this direct and straightforward comment, it is not the official word. HTC failed to comment and social networking has not been the most reliable in the past.
As for the phone itself, the HTC Deluxe’s specs are near perfect. For starters, the 5 inch display measures at 1080 x 1920 pixels and 441 pixels per inch. Covering that master piece is Corning Gorilla Glass 2. Moving to the inside, the Deluxe comes standard with a not so Deluxe 11 GB of available storage. The beast runs off of a quad-core 1.5 GHz CPU, Adreno 320 GPU, 2 GB of RAM, Android 4.1 (upgradeable to 4.2), HTC sense 4+, and an 8 MP rear-shooter. Backing all of this power up is a 2020 mAh battery and LTE.
You can expect to see the HTC Deluxe drop somewhere in the world by early 2013. At the latest, it is rumored to come out in Q2 of 2013. Were you looking forward to the HTC Deluxe launch in Europe?
Nintendo's next generation Wii U system was greeted with mixed reviews. It’s a capable machine that meets the standards of modern console gaming and doesn't feel like it’s pocked with omissions, the second-screen feature looks promising, and it offers a pretty decent launch lineup of in-house and third-party games. But at the same time many questions remain up in the air regarding the console’s online capabilities and developer support in the long run, not to mention reports of bricked units following a large firmware update on day one.
Well, it doesn’t seem like any of that is affecting the company’s ability to sell the Wii U. According Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, more than 400,000 units have been sold since November 18, a number that was reportedly capped by the company's ability to get units to store shelves.
"Wii U is essentially sold out of retail and we are doing our best to continually replenish stock," Fils-Aime recently told Cnet. "Retailers are also doing their best to get the product to store shelves. But as soon as product hits retail, they're selling out immediately."
Fils-Aime was also asked about Nintendo’s decision to launch the Wii U a year before Microsoft and Sony are rumored to have new, more capable systems on the market. But the executive seemed confident that the second-screen approach is the "next innovation" in gaming and early sales will prove this point.
While the Wii U is off to a solid start, the 400,000 figure is a bit short of the Wii's first week numbers, which reached more than 600,000 six years ago. The Wii U launched at $300 for an 8GB basic model and $350 for a 32GB deluxe version. By comparison, the original Wii launched in late 2006 with a single SKU for $250.
The next Windows Phone 8 update is reportedly codenamed Apollo Plus and will bring about new features to convince Microsoft mobile device holdouts to reconsider.
Chief among the features is Virtual Private Network (VPN) support, according to The Verge.
This would allow users to connect to private work or school networks via the internet.
VPN is a welcomed feature for businesses, as Microsoft has been touting its entire Windows 8 line as the ideal "productivity" solution.
Apollo Plus OTA updates, bug fixes
Once Windows Phone 8 users update to Apollo Plus, they shouldn't be required to plug their device into a PC. Over the air updates are supposed to be part of the package.
Apollo Plus may also deliver a Wi-Fi connection fix to let connections always remain on, according to the unnamed sources cited by The Verge.
Rounding out the reported Windows Phone 8 updates, audio tweaks are said to be part of this Apollo patch.
Apollo Plus unveiling in February?
Apollo Plus may take center stage at the Mobile World Congress in February.
However, this update isn't intended to be the next major version of Windows Phone. Instead, it's supposed to patch features missing from the Windows Phone 8 debut last month.
Closing the gap in the meantime, owners of Microsoft's older Windows 7.x handsets - which aren't upgradeable to WP8 - can look forward to an update of their own - a Windows Phone 7.8 update is expected to arrive this week.
The clock is ticking for Windows XP. Prepare for some serious confusion in about a year and a half.
Windows XP, Microsoft’s longest-running OS, will officially be put out to pasture on April 8, 2014, according to Computerworld. On that date, Microsoft will end support for the system after 12 years and five months. The time has clearly come for XP now that Microsoft is pushing harder than ever to get Windows 8 to take off.
However, Windows XP is still a popular system. Data from Net Applications shows that the OS powered 40.7 percent of desktop and notebook personal computers that went online worldwide last month. In fact, Net Applications has projected that by the XP end date, the OS will be powering between 27 percent and 29 percent of the world’s computers. That popularity means that some user confusion is inevitable as people make the switch or if they miss the memo about the company support ending. Microsoft has released a countdown clock that marks the days until the transition, but it only runs on Windows 7, which seems to be adding insult to injury.
Microsoft has actually been pushing to kill the OS for years. It first ordered manufacturers to stop pre-installing XP on new computers back in October 2010. The company then launched another campaign in 2011 to encourage both enterprise businesses and home users to upgrade from XP. Despite all that, Windows 7 didn’t overtake Windows XP in popularity until just a few months ago. With the highly mixed response Microsoft has had to Windows 8, it’s tough to say how long-time users will respond to the approaching deadline.
We round up the best Samsung Galaxy Note 2 cases on the market right now to keep your oversized smartphone, or tiny tablet, as pristine and pretty as the day it was shipped.
Is it a phone? Is it a tablet? No it’s a phablet. The original Galaxy Note from Samsung was something of a surprise hit and the follow up is performing even better. That mammoth 5.5-inch screen and Samsung’s S-Pen stylus are flying off the shelves of all the major U.S. carriers. If you’ve just picked yours up then you may be considering a decent Galaxy Note 2 case. You’re in luck because we’ve just uncovered a veritable feast of the very best Samsung Galaxy Note 2 cases for your delectation.
For reliable and reassuring protection you can always turn to OtterBox. The Galaxy Note 2 Defender case is a serious bit of kit. You’ll benefit from a mixture of polycarbonate and silicone, along with port covers and a screen protector. There’s a swiveling belt clip as well. This case will safeguard your Note 2 from bumps, drops, scuffs, dust, and anything else life throws at you. The drawback is that it adds bulk to an already large device, but you could always opt for the slightly slimmer Commuter case.
This is a synthetic leather case that flips open like a book. There’s a tough polycarbonate frame which locks the device in place and a soft leather texture on the cover that wraps around it. By folding the cover back you can actually use it as a stand for the Note 2. You’ll also find an internal pocket for storing cards so there’s no need to carry a separate wallet. The textured exterior is comfortable to hold and it provides some grip. This case comes in an unusual range of colors including sky blue and azalea pink.
Here’s a solid case with a handy metal kickstand that flips out for movie viewing or a clock display in landscape orientation. The kickstand fits neatly away when not in use and since it’s magnetic it stays in place. The case itself offers good protection and doesn’t block access to features or ports. It slides on easily and the soft touch finish makes it comfortable to hold.
If you want to keep as slim a profile as possible then the svelte Barely There case is worth a look. It features an impact resistant hard shell on the outside and a shock absorbent silicone liner. You’ll enjoy uninterrupted access to your Note 2. The minimalist design doesn’t cover up too much, but thanks to the bezel it does offer protection, even if you place your phone face down. We recommend the understated white rather than the lipstick pink.
You’ll appreciate the solid protection this two-piece Ballistic case offers. There’s a shock absorbent polymer on the inside with silicone corners and then a tough polycarbonate shell to wrap around the outside. The extra focus on those corners protects the phone if you should ever drop it and the textured backing gives you some grip. It’s quite a bulky case, but it will keep your Note 2 safe and sound.
The Elago G6 is slim and sexy with a special coating that repels dirt and reduces the risk of scratching. It manages the tricky feat of being easy to slide in and out of pockets and bags while still providing some grip. You can get that metallic sheen in a range of colors and the case ships with an HD Professional Extreme Clear film to protect the display. If you want something affordable that offers basic protection and doesn’t spoil the look of the device, then this could be it.
A combination design like this could tick all of your boxes. You’ve got a basic shell case which is polycarbonate with a rubber finish and all of the usual cut outs. With the Shellster you’ve also got a holster with a soft lining and a belt clip so you can slot your Note 2 away when you aren’t using it. If you want to watch a movie or something, you can slide the Note 2 into the holster with the screen facing out and the belt clip doubles up as a stand which supports portrait or landscape view.
There are no worries about the case being a perfect fit when you buy Samsung’s own offering. This flip cover combines soft felt with plastic to keep your Note 2 safe from scratches and bumps. The plastic back cover matches the color of the textile screen cover and it carries the Samsung and Note 2 branding so it’s matched perfectly with the device inside.
If you’ve blown all your cash getting the Note 2 in the first place, don’t worry because you can always pick up a cheap TPU case like this one. It’s slim, it has all the cut outs you need, and it will guard against scratches and bumps. It’s a simple, plain black case at a low price.
Now this case is a real wallet or purse replacement. It is made from Italian synthetic leather and hand stitched. It has a clasp to keep it securely closed when you’re not using your Note 2 and when you open it you’ll see a series of pockets and a handy compartment for cash. In addition to the chocolate color shown here, you can also get it in orange or grey.
Any more suggestions for good Samsung Galaxy Note 2 cases or covers? Post away.
Nintendo TVii is still targeted for a US release sometime in December, but new Wii U owners across Europe and Australia will have to wait until next year to try the service.
Nintendo Wii U is off to a decent start, with 400,000 consoles sold in the US over its first week. On Friday, Wii U will branch out to the rest of the world, releasing across the European Union as well as in Australia. Much like with the consoles US release, some of the Wii U’s most anticipated features won’t be available out of the box, but it looks like European Wii U owners will have to wait even longer for those apps, particularly Nintendo TVii.
While Nintendo TVii has been promised to hit the US in December, Nintendo confirmed via a post on its official UK homepage that the service won’t be available abroad until 2013. The careful wording also implies that Nintendo TVii won’t be ubiquitously available throughout Europe as it will only release in “selected regions.”
Of all the Wii U’s non-gaming apps, Nintendo TVii is the one with the most raw potential, giving the console functionality not offered by its competitors. Microsoft has worked overtime to identify the Xbox 360 as a video entertainment portal. It was the first to offer Netflix streaming, the first to host devoted apps like ESPN Xbox, but it also doesn’t interact with your live television service like Nintendo TVii is supposed to. At this point, though, it’s impossible to tell what Nintendo TVii actually is. Until it’s actually on the market, it’s impossible for Nintendo to use the service as a selling point for Wii U. With this delay for the European market, it looks as though the hill Nintendo TVii has to climb is steeper than expected.
Even though it is largely being overshadowed by its Google Nexus 4 offspring, the flagship LG Optimus G smartphone is a pretty great piece of hardware. Not satisfied with sitting on its laurels, LG is reportedly already working on a successor to the Optimus G and it will–appropriately enough–be called the Optimus G2. And it could be even more beastly.
Chalk this up to unconfirmed rumors for now, but word out of Korea is that the LG Optimus G2 will come with an impressive 5-inch 1080p display. This would follow in the footsteps of the HTC J Butterfly (Droid DNA), plus the rumored 5-incher on the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4. This isn’t the first time that LG has gone to this size–you might remember the LG Vu–but this is the first 1080p smartphone from the Korean manufacturer.
Under the hood, we’re hearing that the Optimus G will come powered by a 2GHz Qualcomm chipset, though it’s unclear how many cores it will have. We’d guess that it’ll have 2GB of RAM and a hell of a camera, but I hope that they do improve the battery life over what we have now in the Optimus G.
According to MK Business News of Korea, the LG Optimus G2 will be ready for launch as early as May 2013. Given that timeline, it would not be all that far-fetched to at least see an announcement at CES in January.
Damian Dinning, one of the men directly responsible for some of Nokia's best camera phones, has announced he is leaving the company at the end of the month.
The name Damian Dinning may not be instantly recognizable to everyone, but when you learn he has spent the last nine years working on Nokia’s Nseries smartphones, ending up as the Lead Program Manager for Nokia’s Imaging Experience division, it’ll give you an idea of his contribution to the mobile industry.
This weekend, Dinning announced that he is parting ways with Nokia, after the company began to transfer its executive team from the UK to its headquarters in Finland — a move which Dinning and his family decided not to undertake.
Dinning has played an instrumental part in creating Nokia’s industry leading camera phone technology, having worked on the now-legendary Nokia N8 and more recently, the stunning 808 PureView and the Lumia 920. While there is a whole team at work on these and future devices, there’s no doubt Dinning’s passion for photography will be missed.
He told PureViewClub.com that he always wanted to take photography and make it “a part of everyday life,” and working for Nokia “gave [him] exactly that opportunity.” He’s upbeat about the company’s future plans too, saying “I feel confident you’re going to really love what they’re working on,” and stating that he has been “directly involved” with the mystery products.
We’ll probably never know whether his decision to leave is entirely down to Nokia’s restructuring, or if the company’s poor performance, or even the Lumia 920’s launch debacle played a part. It’s interesting however, that Dinning isn’t joining a rival smartphone team, and is instead heading to Jaguar Land Rover, where he’ll be working on its Connected Car project.
This means he’ll be working in part on tighter integration between the car and the smartphone, right down to individual apps. Apparently his passion for cars is the same as that for photography, so we could see great things from future in-car entertainment systems in Jaguars and Range Rovers.
He’ll leave Nokia on November 30, and will join Jaguar Land Rover on December 10.
Samsung has released a video showing how it tests phones like the Samsung Galaxy S3 for durability – and any smartphone fans of a sensitive disposition may want to avert their eyes.
The video reveals some of Samsung's own gadgets, like the special machine for mashing the menu button 200,000 times at various weights and a tumble dryer full of some kind of sharp corn type things that scratch the handsets up both on show.
Our favourite has to be the creepy disembodied posterior, sensitively clad in the seat of a pair of blue jeans as it sits on a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 – you know, to protect everyone's dignity.
It's all in the jeans
We defy anyone not to wince when the microUSB connector is ever-so-slightly bent out of shape by another of Samsung's torture implements.
That's the point at which we were fighting the urge to tell Samsung everything we know about Apple's secret plans (nothing), just please please stop bending that connector.
It's always sobering to remember the sacrifices that some phone make for the rest of us.
The video is entirely in Korean but the visuals are pretty self explanatory - we advise you to watch it with the lights on.
Samsung has now sold five million Galaxy Note 2 smartphone/tablet hybrid devices, which is two million more than it had sold at the beginning of the month. However, could the Droid DNA be about to take some of its sales?
Not a month has passed since Samsung last got its sales trumpet out, but this morning it has practiced its embouchure for a second time during November and like before, it’s celebrating another Galaxy Note 2 sales record.
A short post on Samsung’s Korean website has confirmed the Galaxy Note 2 has racked up five million sales since its release in September, beating the original Galaxy Note to the figure by three months.
The news follows analysts voicing their expectations for the company during the final three months of the year, with UBS number-crunchers suggesting it’s on its way to reaching sales of 61.5 million Galaxy devices before the calendar flips to 2013. It also expects Samsung to add another two million Galaxy Note 2 sales to its tally, bringing the total to seven million.
Last time out, we questioned when the Galaxy Note 2 would receive some meaningful competition, and the fact it has sold another two million in-between then and now only emphasizes how little choice there is in this expanding mobile industry niche. In the U.S., the Note 2 may not hog all the 5-inch-plus device sales from now on though, as Verizon and HTC have released the Droid DNA.
The Droid DNA’s 5-inch 1080p screen is the first of its kind to go on sale in the U.S., and despite perhaps unwarranted concerns over the battery performance, the exciting new phone could soon start to take some of the attention away from the Note 2. Sadly, its chance to do the same internationally has taken a hit this week, and for it to slow the Note 2’s stampede it’s going to need a wider release.
We can expect another rousing blast from Samsung’s trumpet sometime before the end of the year, depending on which milestone it chooses to share next.
Who said there was no market for a supersized phablet? There’s a reason why every other cell phone company seems to be jumping onto the 5+ inch bandwagon, because Samsung has just announced that the Galaxy Note 2 has exceeded five million units in worldwide sales.
Remember that the 5.5-inch successor to the original Galaxy Note only launched a mere two months ago. In its first month, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 broke the three million mark in sales and, less than a month later, it has added another two million to that count. Maybe people really do like that S Pen, it seems. It also helps that the Note 2 is available in everywhere from Korea to Europe, Middle East to Latin America. The device also has solid specs overall and reasonably attractive styling.
To be fair, while selling five million units is no small feat, it still pales in comparison to the flagship Galaxy S3. Yes, the Galaxy S3 has been out for longer, but earlier this month, that Android superphone broke the 30 million mark. Whatever the case, the trend is clearly moving toward larger Android smartphones. We’ve got the HTC Deluxe (Droid DNA with Verizon) on the way, after all, and it certainly won’t be alone moving forward.
Do you prefer a larger phone like the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 or do you prefer something with a slightly smaller display and overall size?
How can you get the best internet phone experience?
Only a few years ago, phone-based internet browsing was a basic, and frankly horrific, experience.
While the original iPhone brought proof that the mobile web didn't have to be a stuttering, monochrome experience, today's offerings highlight just how far things have come.
It's 2012 and that once sparse mobile web has drastically changed. See you later, stripped down sites; hello sites in their full desktop glory, on massive HD screens backed up with quad-core innards.
The modern web is no longer just for PCs; it's a cross-platform convergent media space. The developments in web technologies such as WebM and HTML5, as well as better battery life in handsets, mean that smartphone internet browsing is now a real alternative to turning on a computer.
This shift in perception has really enabled the mobile web to shine, and has inspired some of the well-travelled mobile sites we now have at our disposal. It has also given rise to a new breed of mobile browsers.
Safari, on the iPhone, gave rise to mobile versions of some of the biggest and best known browsers. Microsoft brought along Internet Explorer, Mozilla (eventually) mobilised Firefox and Opera has had its own mobile browsers for a while.
Where does this leave us? We all know not every handset is created equally. Some handsets are far better at carrying out your Internet dreams than others, and finding the best internet experience among the smorgasbord of smartphones can be nigh-on impossible.
We've tested and used every handset out there; finding which mobiles deliver the web wrapped in all its shiny HD glory, and which ones delivered it in little more than a paper bag.
So here's our list of the best internet phones for the four most popular operating systems (including skinned and un-skinned Android), as well as four of the best alternative browsers available should you want a super-charged internet experience.
Diehard Minecraft fans may want to circle January 2013 on their calendars as this is when we are told that the 1.5 update will arrive for the PC. Known as the Redstone Update, this will be the first of several that focuses on single-feature revisions, themes or fixes, according to a recent post from Gamespot.
Details about the new update and subsequent releases were laid out during the recent Minecon convention. Redstone, for those of you unfamiliar, is a type of ore used in the game to build machines and contraptions. The update will essentially make Redstone more consistent and predictable by modifying some of its attributes.
The ore will be given a variable signal strength called analogue in addition to adding a new capacitor block that works like a repeater. This block will have one input and one output although it will only generate maximum output when the input level is powerful enough.
Mojang studio lead Jens Bergensten said such a device could be used to make weighted pressure plates. These plates could change their output signal depending on how much pressure is applied. This would, for example, allow for a detector rail to have a stronger output when a minecart is full versus an empty cart.
There will also be updates to the minecarts themselves, special tracks to use them on, a daylight detector that can be used to built a solar-panel device and even fireworks. The well-known south-east bug will also be rectified, which could cause some complications in the event you are taking advantage of it currently.
Redstone was originally supposed to be released during this holiday season (hence the inclusion of fireworks for New Year's Eve) but those plans didn’t pan out. We can now expect to see the update in the first month of 2013. Subsequent updates will be released every two months or so.
Doubt has been cast over the leaked HTC Deluxe being the European version of the Droid DNA/HTC J Butterfly, after a spokesperson on HTC's German Facebook page said it wouldn't be released there.
The news comes after an HTC spokesperson responded to a new round of leaked images of the Deluxe, saying — after a little translation — “the Deluxe unfortunately will not come to Europe.” How annoying.
A series of press-style images of the Deluxe, this time named the HTC Deluxe DLX, an amalgamation of several potential names, appeared late last week, showing the phone in black, white and brown color schemes. The source told GSMarena.com that we would find out more on December 6, but didn’t elaborate further on the situation.
Prior to this, a leaked picture of the phone appeared on Twitter using the HTC Deluxe name, along with a short description saying it was a “global edition.” Since then, we’ve been eagerly awaiting some news from HTC itself, and in traditional be careful what you wish for terms, now some has arrived it’s not quite what we expected.
What’s going on?
There are several possible scenarios here. The first is the J Butterfly/Droid DNA won’t be coming to Europe at all, the second is that it just won’t be doing so under the Deluxe name, and third, the HTC spokesperson has got it all wrong and we’ll hear good news on December 6.
It’s difficult to understand why HTC wouldn’t bring a re-branded Droid DNA to Europe, as it’ll never reach former heights by releasing cool phones in fewer markets. The wording of the Facebook post suggests the Deluxe does exist, which could mean it’s off to parts of Russia, Australia or other Eastern countries, and Europe will get the HTC DLX or the HTC One X5 — two other names linked with the phone.
The one slight concern is the handling of previous Droid international releases, and not only by HTC. The original Droid phone came out in October 2009, and was renamed the Motorola Milestone for the rest of the world. It took several months before it arrived in Europe and even when it did, its availability was limited to an online retailer, where it sold out almost immediately. Other subsequent Droid phones have met with a similar fate.
Despite the doom and gloom, it just seems so unlikely that HTC would not take advantage of its position as the first manufacturer to offer a smartphone/tablet hybrid with a 1080p screen in the UK and Europe, particularly as there is plenty of competition on the horizon.
Although the dream has taken a hit this weekend, it’s still alive, and a more positive statement from HTC headquarters is all that’s needed to see it back on its feet. Could that come on December 6?
Multiple sources are suggesting the Windows Phone 7.8 update may land on the current crop of WP 7 handsets this week.
WMPoweruser received a tip that the update would arrive on Wednesday, although it's unclear how reliable its source is.
Meanwhile, Chinese site WPDang has also got wind of the November 28 release date for the upgrade, adding a bit more weight to the rumour, but we still remain sceptical as we've heard nothing on this from official sources with only a couple of days to go.
However instead of completely shunning these legacy handsets, Microsoft is furnishing them with a less feature-packed update, which will see the new live titles move onto the older phones.
If you're not sure what difference Windows Phone 7.8 will make to your handset, a handy little video has popped up online apparently showing the software upgrade running on a Nokia Lumia 510.
The new screen is a lovely thing, but its extra height isn't ideal for smaller hands
It seems that for many people, the iPhone 5 is a disappointment - so what's missing? We asked for your suggestions and scoured the online reviews, and the results are below. It's your ultimate iPhone 6 (or iPhone 5S, if Apple's next iPhone is so named) wishlist.
Blogger Ed Valdez cites six reasons why we can expect an iPhone 6 announcement by June 2013 - a mere nine months after the iPhone 5. But it's still likely there will be an iPhone 5S instead.
iPhone 6: design
Many of you weren't sold on the iPhone 5's design. For some of you the taller screen was odd - it "looks strange at best," said nebulaoperator - and for others it simply wasn't big enough.
Lions87a reckons even 4.5 inches would be too little: "popular phones like the Galaxy S2 and S3 have shown that people are pretty happy nowadays to accept bigger than what the iPhone 5 is currently offering."
Writing in the Chicago Sun-Times, influential tech journalist Andy Ihnatko suggests that taller isn't necessarily better. "The benefit of bigger screens is almost entirely in their increased width, not their length," he writes.
"A wider keyboard is easier to type on. Books, web pages, and emails will have wider margins and they'll be more comfortable to read."
John Gruber of Daring Fireball agrees that bigger isn't always better, but he's not a fan of wider, either: while he says that "navigating the full screen while holding the iPhone in one hand is worse," rivals' wider screens mean it "really is far more difficult to do anything on them one-handed, including typing."
A new set of patents filed by Apple, that we outlined on 15 October 2012, suggest that the iPhone 6 design might hide external-facing components such as the camera and flash from view using a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal window which can change opacity on demand.
The question at the moment is whether Apple's next-generation iPhone will be beaten to the punch by the new Samsung Galaxy S4 which could even debut at Mobile World Congress in February.
iPhone 6: processor
No surprises here: we had plenty of people telling us that rival firms' processors have more cores. However, as Lions87a pointed out, "If the iPhone 5 or Nokia 920 can run their OS without any lag or delay, and delivers a flawless experience, and the Galaxy S3 does the same with a quad-core, then the number of cores, and the speed of the cores is irrelevant. The argument turns into 'which operating system is best?'"
Did someone say operating system?
iPhone 6: operating system
iOS has been around for a while, and for many it's getting stale. "I don't think anyone can deny that the
UI needs a refresh when you see widgets and live tiles on competitors' phones," says Vincennes, while Tubemonkey2000 says that "the current [UI] is so tired and old it makes it seem really basic, sort of like a kids' toy."
Our own Gareth Beavis agrees, arguing that "there are so many tweaks Apple could make to its OS to turn it into more of a powerhouse – icons that update with information, or extending the widgets in the notification bar beyond weather and stocks... Apple is taking things very slowly on this front."
iPhone 6: price
iPhones have never been cheap, but in a world of credible - and cheaper - competition they look pricier than ever. Or maybe it's because the iPhone's price has gone up. Saltire is "surprised no-one has mentioned the price increase for the 16GB model", while Gareth Beavis says that "we simply cannot see how a 16GB model can cost £529 / $199, but to double the memory will cost an extra £70/ $100 with no other changes to the design."
There's no doubt that you pay more for the materials, fit and finish of an iPhone than you do for, say, a plasticky Android handset, and not everyone thinks that's worth it.
"£529 for a phone that is no better than my six month old Android shows the arrogance of Apple," Alastairmack says, while Beavis points out that when you consider contracts, "it's far and away the most expensive in the shop, and most of the time you don't even get unlimited data."
iPhone 6: features
NFC has, possibly unfairly, been dubbed "Not For Commerce" (or more saltily, "No Effing Customers"), but for many it's the most obvious omission from the iPhone 5 - "not because of the technology itself," says Fmartins, "but to really give the critical mass contactless payments need. Plus, I would love to use the phone as my Oyster card."
For Fmartins, that would be good for everyone: while s/he isn't an iPhone fan, "it would have been nice seeing Apple push the envelope again so that I could benefit on [a] Lumia down the line." Gareth Beavis agrees. "It's not quite there yet in terms of market penetration for payments, but the world's largest network of accessories could definitely have made use of it for making ever cooler docks and cases," he says.
Other suggestions included more LTE bands, which we're sure we'll get next year when other UK 4G networks launch; expandable storage - not something we imagine Apple doing when it can flog you iTunes Match and/or get you to pay a small fortune for the 32GB model over the 16GB - and brighter, more saturated screens, although given the improvements to the iPhone 5's screen that one's largely a personal preference. Oh, and of course you'd like Apple to fix Maps too.
Maps has the potential to be a superb and very useful app, but it needs some work
iPhone 6: reception
No, not antennas - they seem fine this time - but the critical reception. As Lusky79 says, even without cock-ups such as Maps, any new iPhone is going to be disappointing: "Even if Apple had all the suggestions [here], it would still seem mediocre because the revolution was the original iPhone and the other, similar, smartphones that followed." As Nenslo put it: "What the iPhone really needs is Steve Jobs."
Anything else?
Hit the comments to add your wishes for the next iPhone.
Nokia has announced two new additions to its Asha range of affordable mobile phones, the Asha 205 and Asha 206. Both available in either single or dual-SIM configurations, they also introduce Nokia Slam, a fast media sharing app that also works with Android phones.
It was at the beginning of the year that Nokia announced it had sold 1.5 billion phones running its S40 operating system, which has evolved over recent years to become a sub-smartphone OS for the company to sell in markets where Windows Phone isn’t relevant yet.
Today, Nokia has added another two Asha phones to its range, the Asha 205 and Asha 206. As you’d expected from such lowly model numbers, the pair won’t even be troubling the likes of the 308 for supremacy, but they do bring with them the introduction of Nokia Slam, a new way of sharing content with friends.
Let’s take a look at that before the phones. Nokia Slam works in a similar way to Bump, where media can be shared with friends nearby, but without the hassle of pairing Bluetooth, or even the receiving party having a Slam application. Nokia says it’s faster than Bluetooth, although it does use it to transfer files, and that it’s also compatible with Android phones — a handy bonus for potential owners — but strangely, not with Windows Phone 8 devices, an embarrassing problem given Nokia’s dedication to Microsoft’s OS.
Nokia Slam comes as standard on both the new phones, which are available as either a single-SIM or dual-SIM handsets. The Asha 205 is a QWERTY phone with a 2.4-inch,240 x 320 pixel screen, a 0.3-megapixel camera — which seems hardly worth including — while the Asha 206 is a candybar phone with the same size and resolution screen, but a 1.3-megapixel camera instead.
Facebook users will appreciate little tweaks made to each phone too, as the Asha 206 has a dedicated Facebook button for quick and easy status updates, while the Asha 205 — equipped with the better camera, remember — optimizes its photos using some clever software before they’re uploaded to the social network.
Despite these differences, deep down, they’re both almost identical. Standard features on each include FM radios, 2G connectivity, a microSD card slot to take the memory to 32GB, a 3.5mm headphone socket and a 40-game Electronic Arts package. Nokia’s usual range of social apps and its data-sipping Xpress Web browser are also part of the deal, plus in the case of the 206, a battery which provides up to 47 days standby.
Both will be available in some very bright colors, including cyan, magenta and either orange or yellow depending on which model you purchase. They’re expected to go on sale before the end of the year, and prices have been set at $62 each.
The ZTE Apache could touch down as the first eight-core smartphone next year, if rumours are to be believed.
According to Chinese site China Times, ZTE has teamed up with MediaTek to launch a flagship, octo-core device, currently going by the military name Apache.
On top of that ridiculous processor, the report also suggests the phone will sport a full HD display, snappy 13MP camera and 4G connectivity.
In a spin
Last week we heard that Samsung was planning on unveiling its own octo-core processor early next year, which could potentially land in its flagship devices later on – Samsung Galaxy S4 or Samsung Galaxy Note 3 anyone?
If this latest report is true, then ZTE is about to steal Samsung's limelight by beating the Korean firm to it with the aforementioned Apache – although China Times is a pretty hit and miss source of hardware rumours and hasn't explicitly stated where it got its Apache-based intel, so we're not holding out a huge amount of hope at the moment.
We'll be keeping an eye out for the ridiculously over-powered handset at CES 2013 and MWC 2013, just in case it makes a sneak appearance.
We're waiting to hear back from ZTE regarding the Apache handset, although the Chinese firm is unlikely to comment on speculation.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 has sold more than 5 million units worldwide, selling 2 million in the last month.
At the beginning of this month, the Korean mobile maker announced the device had sold 3 million units. The Note 2 has been on sale for five months, and originally hit UK shelves on October 1. It only made its way stateside a month ago, which might well account for the recent sales spike.
This doesn't mean 5 million people are using the Galaxy Note 2, though. Rather, Samsung is counting sales to retailers. In other words, more than 5 million devices have shipped to go on sale, with some of them sold, some of them still on the shelves. But still, it shows the demand is there.
Eclipsed by the S3
While 5 million is impressive, it's a fraction of the 30 million sales the Galaxy S3 has notched up. But then the S3 has been on sale longer, and has a smaller screen (4.8-inches to the Note 2's 5.5-inches).
Indeed, many thought the original Note wouldn't sell, being too big to be a phone, and too small to use as a tablet. Instead, it's spearheaded a whole new category of device, known as the 'phablet'. HTC is rumoured to be readying a UK equivalent of its 5-inch J Butterfly (as it's known in Japan) and Droid DNA (as it's called in the USA) to compete with the Note 2.
HTC has announced on its Facebook page that the HTC Deluxe won't come to Europe.
Before everyone gets up in arms about the supposed cancellation though, it is most likely the handset will arrive on these shores, just under a different name.
The Deluxe is the handset that's leaked a few times now. It's said to be the European name for the HTC J Butterfly (in Japan) and the HTC Droid DNA (in the USA). So whichever name it goes under, it should have a 5-inch 1080p screen, 2GB of RAM, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. A rose by any other name…
HTC was responding to a fan who posted a link to Friday's leak that saw pictures of the Deluxe in three colour variants.
The response translates as: "the Deluxe unfortunately will not come to Europe."
Deluxe denial
It's unusual for HTC to make an outright denial like this. Usually - like most companies - it would just say it doesn't comment on rumour or speculation. So maybe it wants to let us know the Deluxe definitely isn't what the handset will be called.
The Deluxe looks like a real challenger to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. It's slightly smaller than the Note 2, with a 5-inch screen, but will easily dwarf the likes of the iPhone 5.
When these pictures leaked on Friday, we heard an official announcement was scheduled for December 6. So hopefully we should know for certain then.
What do you think the Deluxe will be called? Let us know.
