Perhaps, given today’s leaked high-resolution photos of the alleged Apple smartphone, the “C” in iPhone 5C stands for “candid.”
That’s how the cheap iPhone appears in a whopping 58 photos uploaded today by teenage Apple product leaker Sonny Dickson.
Like a lot of previously leaked photos we’ve seen, this white iPhone 5C model is missing the internals as well as the all-important screen and digitizer.
But you can see the every last nut and bolt in the back of the supposed iPhone 5S - literally.
‘I see a red phone and I want to paint it black’
The iPhone 5C colors are expected to be blue, red, yellow, and green in addition to the aforementioned white iPhone.
The red version of the phone is adding to today’s overexposed collection of iPhone 5C pics courtsey of China’s C Technology.
These colors are a little more gaudy than white and black scheme of full-priced models like the current iPhone 5.
The iPhone 5S is expected to continue the trend of more muted colors.
Of course, many consumers are likely to put a case on their smartphone, even if it’s the louder cheap iPhone 5C that looks to be made of plastic instead of aluminum.
Google's All Access music streaming app lands on the UK Google Play store today.
You may remember Google Play Music All Access from such launches as that time it launched at Google I/O back in May as a US-only music streaming service.
But it is available in Britain on Android from today, with a free month for all and an early bird deal to boot.
The streamer works in a similar way to Spotify - there's a vast library of songs from major labels and indies available to either stream online or cache to your Android phone or tablet so you can listen without an internet connection.
You can also sync your music library up to the service - as long as you don't have more than 20,000 songs to store online and then stream to your phones and tablets.
Stream team
Google's also pushing its interactive 'radio stations' that build playlists based around songs you like so that you can discover exciting new bands and artists - at least, that's the plan. If Spotify's engine is anything to go by, this might need some time to "bed in" before it really becomes useful.
Announcing the UK launch, Paul Joyce, product manager for Google Play, admits that Play hopes to become "your ultimate digital entertainment destination".
If you sign up before August 31, you'll get a month free and then pay £7.99 a month for All Access after that. If you wait until September or beyond, you'll still get a free month but your monthly cost will be £9.99 once that's up.
No word on an iOS app for the UK yet - but given that Google said it would land on iOS in the US "in a couple of weeks" back in May and it's yet to arrive, we won't be holding our breath.
Thanks Android, we can finally find that lost Nexus 4
Update: OK folks. You can start losing your Androids.
Google turned the switch on for Android Device Manager on Aug. 7. After a simple activation process, our Android phone was locked down.
It appears to only be activated for phones at the moment, but if you lose your handset you can have Google ring it for five minutes, and Google Maps can pinpoint your phone's location.
Should either of these methods fail in finding your phone, users can wipe their handsets. To enable Erase Device, users will have to enable factory reset, achievable through the Google Settings app.
Original article from Aug. 2 ....
Absent-minded Android owners will be happy to hear that Google is finally creating an app that functions almost exactly like Apple's popular Find My iPhone application.
Android Device Manager, set to release in the Google Play store this month, will help users track down, ring and wipe their Android-based smartphones and tablets.
"If you ended up dropping your phone between those couch cushions, Android Device Manager lets you quickly ring your phone at maximum volume so you can find it," wrote Android Product Manager Benjamin Poiesz in an official blog post.
Like the Find My iPhone app for iPhone, iPad and Mac computers, the Android version will ring even if the device is silenced, according to Poiesz.
"And in the event that your phone or tablet is out of earshot (say, at that restaurant you left it at last night), you can locate it on a map in real time."
Don't forget to wipe
In a worst case scenario, this Find My Android app allows users to wipe their smartphone and tablet data remotely from a browser or another device.
"While losing your phone can be stressful, Android Device Manager can help you keep your data from ending up in the wrong hands," reassured Poiesz.
"If your phone can't be recovered, or has been stolen, you can quickly and securely erase all of the data on your device."
Android Device Manager vs Find My iPhone
Android Device Manager is very similar to Find My iPhone, which is nothing but bad news for thieves on the prowl for expensive technology.
However, Google's announcement today doesn't include information about remotely locking an Android device - an in-between step that could protect data while attempting to track down a potentially stolen device.
Coming to grips with wiping an entire smartphone does take time.
But Android Device Manager does have one perk - it'll use Google Maps to track down an Android smartphone or tablet, not iOS's still imperfect Apple Maps program.
It will require signing into your Google account and Android 2.2 Froyo or above, which shouldn't be a problem considering a majority of Google device owners run Gingerbread or Jelly Bean and above.
Android and iOS are still the two mobile operating systems to beat, but Microsoft has finally earned some bragging rights of its own when it comes to Windows Phone 8.
According to IDC, over the past quarter, no other smartphone OS showed as much growth in shipments year-over-year as Windows Phone, giving Microsoft an even better grasp on third place in the market.
During the second quarter of 2012, Microsoft moved a respectable 4.9 million devices, but really made waves these past three months by pushing 8.7 million phones.
That 77.6 percent increase generated enough momentum to more than triple Apple's growth, and surpass Android by a narrow margin, and provided Windows Phone 8 even more distance between fourth place BlackBerry.
Android's robot-like consistency
Only Android was able to keep pace with the outrageous yearly growth Windows Phone 8 posted this past quarter, earning a 73.5 percent increase in shipments.
More phones shipped clearly translated to an increased market presence, as both Android (79.3 percent) and Windows Phone (3.7 percent) outpaced numbers from earlier this year (75 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively).
With Android and Windows Phone posting better numbers, somebody had to take the hit, and like the quarter before, Apple saw its stake in the overall marketplace dip from 17.3 percent to 13.2 percent in just a few months.
Apple was already feeling the sting of diminishing returns, as during the second quarter last year, it held strong to a 16.6 percent share, and was only able to improve its shipments by 20 percent over 2012's numbers.
"The iOS decline in the second quarter aligns with the cyclicality of iPhone," said Ramon Llamas, research manager with IDC's Mobile Phone team, in a statement.
"Without a new product launch since the debut of the iPhone 5 nearly a year ago, Apple's market share was vulnerable to product launches from the competition. But with a new iPhone and revamped iOS coming out later this year, Apple is well-positioned to re-capture market share."
Nokia benefits
Though 187.4 million Android phones were shipped during the last quarter, that success was spread out through multiple manufacturers.
Samsung moved the lion's share with 73.3 million (39.9 percent), largely on the success of the Galaxy S4, but LG (12.1M), Lenovo (11.4M), Huawei (10.2M), and ZTE (10.2M) also posted double-digit shipments.
By contrast, Nokia's 7.1 million Windows Phone 8 devices accounted for 81.6 percent of all shipments, giving the Finnish company's Lumia line a much needed boost of confidence at retail.
"Nokia has clearly been the driving force behind the Windows Phone platform and we expect that to continue," Ryan Reith, program manager with IDC's Mobility Tracker programs, said in a statement.
"However, as more and more vendors enter the smartphone market using the Android platform, we expect Windows Phone to become a more attractive differentiator in this very competitive market segment."
Worst of the rest
If you were wondering just how rapidly BlackBerry was fading, the dip from 4.9 percent marketshare to a 2.9 percent stake should give you some indication.
Oddly enough, BlackBerry's 2.9 percent is identical to where it was just last quarter, even though year-over-year, the Canadian manufacturer moved 11.7 percent less devices.
Linux (0.8 percent) and Symbian (0.2 percent) have become virtual non-factors at this point in the game, and it's not all that shocking to see the shipments dwindling for either platform.
Given Nokia's proclivity for Windows Phone 8, it's a wonder there are even more Symbian devices still out there to be sold.
Together, the three fledgling operating systems managed to account for just 9.1 million of the 236.4 million devices shipped last quarter.
Even with BlackBerry continuing to scratch and claw its way to fourth place, the market is extremely top heavy, and the bottom is bound to give out at some point. It's just a matter of when.
Today saw the unveiling of the LG G2 in New York and if you think we missed an 'Optimus' in there, we didn't. LG has decided to drop the Optimus branding and keep things simple with just a letter and a number.
The LG G2 is the South Korean company's latest and hopefully greatest phone. With a 2.26GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM, it's got enough power under the hood to give the competition pause, but the real focus seems to be on making a device that learns from the user and one that's intuitive and easy to use, even with just one hand.
Design
The LG G2 isn't likely to win any design awards. It has a plastic body rather reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and, well, it doesn't look amazing for it. Its 2.7-inch wide body is at least quite sleek, due in large part to the placement of the buttons on the back, leaving nothing to break the lines when viewed front or side on.
Life in plastic, it's fantastic
Ultimately the LG G2 can probably give the Samsung Galaxy S4 a run for its money in the design stakes, but that's not saying much and in comparison to the premium metal builds of the HTC One or the iPhone 5 it just can't compete.
Screen
The LG G2 has an impressively large Full HD 5.2-inch IPS edge-to-edge screen, which LG claims is the largest size the average person can comfortably hold with one hand. Not only is it big but based on our time with the phone, it provides clear images.
LG has some competition on the screen front though as the Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One and iPhone 5 all also provide top-flight displays. The Samsung Galaxy S4 has a 5-inch Super AMOLED display, the HTC One has a 4.7-inch Super LCD3 display and the iPhone 5 has a 4-inch IPS display. They're all tremendous quality but the LG G2 scores points for squeezing such a big screen in without making the handset unwieldy, thanks in no small part to its ultra-slim 0.1-inch bezel.
Headline feature
One of the biggest and most noticeable features of the LG G2 is that the volume rocker and power button are both on the back. That arguably makes the back a little cluttered and ugly, but it frees up the sides of the phone, as those are the only buttons on the LG G2. So nothing breaks the lines when viewed front or side on, which is how most people will view the phone most of the time.
Thar she blows!
The button placement isn't just about aesthetics though; it's also about ease of use and comfort. LG have concluded that people naturally hold their phones in such a way that their index finger is resting on the back - right about where LG has placed the buttons. Which means that by having the buttons on the back you can comfortably press them without adjusting your grip, both making it more comfortable and hopefully making you less likely to drop the phone when fiddling with the volume.
The headline feature of the HTC One on the other hand is probably its 4 Ultrapixel camera. However, the fact that it's crafted from a single piece of aluminium and that it has high quality front-facing speakers are both major selling points too.
The iPhone 5's headline feature is arguably its widescreen design and the bump in screen size over previous models. While the Samsung Galaxy S4 really doesn't have one stand out feature, instead aiming to be a jack-of-all-trades packed with many different ones.
We're not sure the button placement on the LG G2 is really that exciting though or that it was even really a problem that needed solving. Perhaps we'll be converted once we've spent more time with the phone, but right now it doesn't seem that much more convenient having the buttons on the back than on the sides, so we can't help but feel that it's a feature that falls a little flat, particularly in comparison to its rivals.
OS/UI
The LG G2 ships with Android 4.2.2, which is a bit of a shame since we're up to 4.3 now. On the interface front it puts a lot of focus on ease of use and has a bunch of features to support that, such as 'Answer Me' mode, which allows users to answer the phone simply by putting it to their ear, or 'Plug & Pop' which appears whenever you plug headphones in, making it easier to access the apps and features that you're likely to want to use. Alone some of these features would be quite intuitive, but with so many different ones built in it could take a while to get used to.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One both also have Android 4.2.2 and like LG the companies have skinned the interface in individual ways. The Galaxy S4 is fairly easy to navigate, but like the LG G2 it has a bunch of supplementary features such as 'Air Gesture' which lets you swipe the air in front of the screen rather than the screen itself in order to interact with the phone, or eye-tracking features which ensure the screen never turns off while you're looking at it.
LG G2 party time
The HTC One feels rather bare-bones in comparison but that's not necessarily a criticism. It's highly intuitive and easy to setup, with only BlinkFeed (an aggregated news feed which you can't turn off) serving as a potential annoyance.
The iPhone 5 is the odd one out here as it's the only handset in this comparison not running Android, but being an iPhone it's all about intuitiveness and while some may lament the lack of flexibility in Apple's OS, it makes it very easy to learn and for the most part it's very slick to use.
Camera
As increases in processor speeds and screen resolutions become increasingly meaningless the camera seems to be the new smartphone battleground, with competitors vying to out-megapixel each other, provide the best low light shots or just include a bunch of different shooting modes.
The LG G2 doesn't cower from this battle, packing a 13-megapixel camera complete with optical image stabilisation. That optical image stabilisation should minimise camera shake and in so doing also allow for good low light shots as the shutter can stay open for longer without blurring the image. LG tells us it's the first time that optical image stabilisation has been implemented into a 13-megapixel smartphone camera and they've achieved it without adding much bulk.
Snap attack
The Samsung Galaxy S4 also boasts a 13-megapixel sensor but it doesn't have optical image stabilisation, so the LG G2 will almost certainly out-perform it in low light.
The HTC One is all about low light shots, but with just a 4-megapixel sensor its pictures are unlikely to offer the same quality as the LG G2. Finally the iPhone 5 has an 8-megapixel camera which is starting to look a bit old hat. We'll reserve final judgement till we've had a chance to properly put the LG G2 through its paces, but based on just the specs the camera should easily be able to hold its own.
Media playback
The LG G2 should be a brilliant little device for media. Not only does it have a large 5.2-inch screen but the actual quality of the picture is above-average, so it should work well for videos. It also promises top-flight sound quality, so music should be good too. With up to 32GB of built in storage coupled with a microSD card slot, there should be no shortage of space. Then there's the battery which at 3000mAh should allow the LG G2 to keep you entertained for an extended period.
Power up
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is similarly equipped to serve media fans, thanks to an almost-as-big 5-inch screen, up to 64GB of built in storage, a microSD card slot and solid battery life provided by a 2600mAh battery.
The HTC One has a great screen too, though with no microSD card slot your storage is limited to the 32GB that comes with the phone. It has brilliant speakers and reasonable battery life provided by a 2300mAh battery.
The iPhone 5 has a smaller 4-inch screen, so it's not as ideal for movies, but it's still a high quality picture and it provides true 16:9 widescreen. It has up to 64GB of storage, but like the HTC One there's no microSD card slot.
In other words all of these phones are great for media, but going on first impressions the LG G2 looks like it might actually be able to trump the competition as it promises the complete package of a great screen, great sound, long battery life and loads of storage.
Price
For many people the choice of phone will in large part come down to the price and while we'd hoped we'd be able to do a comparison on that, we unfortunately don't know what the LG G2 will retail for. However being a flagship device with specs to match we'd hazard a guess that it will be in the £450-£500 range at launch. That amounts to $620-$775 in the U.S. (off contract, of course) and AU$690-AU$863. That would put it roughly on a par with the Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One and iPhone 5.
Conclusion
So far we have mixed feelings about the LG G2. The screen was good in the less-than-ideal conditions where we toyed around with the phone, the camera promises a lot and it's an enormously powerful handset. But LG seems to have placed a lot of focus on the user experience by putting the buttons on the back and adding a bunch of software features aimed at making life easier.
There's nothing wrong with that, but we're not convinced by how successful those will end up becoming. If anything, LG seems to be trying to solve a button problem that was never really there. The plastic build is also a little disappointing, particularly in comparison to the HTC One and iPhone 5.
Right now as an overall device we're not sure it's any better than the iPhone 5, HTC One or Samsung Galaxy S4 and LG is likely to have a hard time convincing consumers on these shores that they should buy it over any of the aforementioned devices.
LG has doubled down and gone spec-heavy in its bid to take on the iPhone, S4 and HTC One.
It's a phone that, once again, bears the most resemblance to the latest Samsung flagship, with a plastic chassis encasing a huge 5.2-inch screen… although once again it's been pushed to the edges of the phone in a bid to make it all look a little bit more amazing.
LG has recently been clinging on in the smartphone race, and there's a feeling that a phone like this could be the make-or-break device if it's to accelerate away from the chasing pack.
So with a spec list that includes a Full HD display, a 13MP camera with optical image stabilisation, a 3000mAh battery and a completely redesigned sound system that promises 'proper' Hi-Fi audio, there's a lot to love from the spec-fiend's point of view.
The design of the phone, even with a number of design enhancements to make it sleeker and slimmer, is surprisingly large for a flagship handset. It's around the same thickness of the HTC One, but the plastic back can't hold a candle to the aluminium casing that adorns the Taiwanese rival device.
The main design feature is the fact the volume and power button are not on the rear of the phone, directly below the camera. This a new idea from the South Korean brand and it's at least innovative – however, in real testing it didn't really feel like the keys were spaced far enough apart to warrant the design change.
However, the upside of such an option is the screen can be pushed closer to the edges of the chassis, with only 2.65mm separating the two. Combined with the sumptuously clear Full HD 5.2-inch display, LG has definitely taken the lead when it comes to getting the most out of what you can use in your hand.
The lack of buttonry allows extends to the home and menu keys, as these are all now digital options that appear at the bottom of the screen. At least LG has seen fit to alter these somewhat, giving the user total control over the elements that live there.
Actually, that's another point for which LG should be applauded: its detail in the UI. Whether it's being able to change the on screen buttons, alter the minutiae of the LED notification light or enhancing the Quick Remote infra red functionality to learn any other remote you're thinking of replacing with a smartphone.
What's more, the overall look and feel is rather intuitive once you get used to it. You can double tap on the screen to unlock the phone, and double tap in an unused part of the display (or the notifications bar) to relock it once more.
It's actually a rather neat way of doing things, and within a few minutes it had become second nature to us. Similarly the notion of being able to use one unlocking pattern to open the phone and another for guest mode makes it much easier to give the phone to a child or show a friend how your new gadget works.
But that's really where the intuition ends. We've been critical of LG's UI in the past, and sadly it doesn't look like much has changed. There's just so much going on that it's very difficult to pick out what's happening at first pass.
For the advanced user, this is a compliment rather than a criticism, as you can pretty much do anything you want with this hyper-advanced smartphone. Want to change the font? Have little floating widgets that you can vary in transparency? Want to have a pervasive remote control in the notification bar? All possible if you want to spend some time digging through the settings menu.
But for the more casual user, the person on the street who doesn't know much about one OS compared to another but simply wants the best phone that won't see them horrendously outdated in a few months, then it's a complicated mess.
Compare this to the HTC One or the iPhone 5 (even with iOS 7 on board) and there's no contest – your less smartphone-savvy friend will go for one of these options every time.
Early verdict
LG so desperately needs a phone that allows it to capture the same kind of audience as Samsung and Apple, but with the G2 it's just played it safe again.
That's a hard thing to really criticise, as LG has once again done what it does best: make a smartphone with arguably the best specs in the world.
The screen is so stunning when watching Full HD content that it's hard not to instantly fall in love - and the processor, RAM and general speed of the phone is top notch.
However, the design is middling, the implementation of Android 4.2 only so-so, and there's nothing here that really will claim the headlines when it's splashed across billboards and taxis around the world that people haven't already seen before.
We really like the LG G2, but we can't see it being the critical hit that the company wants (and really deserves, given the amount of effort that goes into pushing the envelope in terms of smartphone technology).
The unit we used was definitely a pre-production sample, such was the speed of certain apps, so when we publish our full LG G2 review, things might have got a little better.
The LG G2 has officially touched down, offering up a new flagship for the South Korean company - and a successor to last year's Optimus G.
The handset houses a 2.26GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB of RAM and a choice of either 16GB or 32GB of internal storage.
Screen-wise, there's a full HD-boarding 5.2-inch display, which should nicely show off the pictures you take with the rear 13 MP camera.
G force
However, those of you hoping the phone would arrive with the new Jelly Bean 4.3, the bad news is that this is still running Android 4.2.2.
There was plenty of emphasis on the Qualcomm snapdragon processor being used, but perhaps even more so on the design, which puts the volume rocker on the back of the handset. Shock horror!
UK CEO Guy Laurence doesn't see the need for unlimited
Having announced its 4G plans today, Vodafone has gone on to fill in a few more of the details of its ultrafast vision.
Speaking in a conference call with TechRadar, Vodafone UK CEO Guy Laurence emphasised that Vodafone's weapon for success over the likes of O2 is its entertainment partnerships.
"4G finally has a reason and that is entertainment," he said. "We need to get people used to using entertainment on their phones."
But despite the fact that Vodafone is offering unlimited data for the first three months, Laurence told us that unlimited plans aren't on Vodafone's horizon.
"There's not a need for unlimited in my view," said Laurence, drawing on the example of US networks that have struggled with unlimited 4G.
"We won't be going unlimited in the near future. In fact I'm not sure it will go unlimited at all"
Consume, consume, consume
Vodafone is convinced that its current offering should suffice, and if people need more then they can throw additional packages on top.
"If you look at some of the tariffs out there, they have very low amounts of data," said Guy Laurence.
Laurence declined to say whether the deals with Spotify and Sky were exclusive. He was also hesitant to give any sort of figure in terms of expectations of consumer interest, saying that he didn't want to start "an arms race in terms of customers".
Vodafone's 4G network will launch on the same day at O2's, and in the footsteps of EE.
Customer will be able to order 4G packages from August 12, while those on current 3G Red price plans will be able to get immediate access to the Spotify and Sky Sports services for an extra £5 a month from that date. They'll then be able to upgrade to 4G come the rollout.
Vodafone has announced that its ultrafast 4G service will be hitting the UK on August 29, and will arrive in 12 more cities before the year is out.
Vodafone's range of 12- and 24-month Red 4G plans start at £26 a month and all include unlimited minutes and texts, while data limits will vary. However, the company is offering unlimited data for the first three months to rope you in.
London will be the first city getting the new service and you'll be able to order in store or over the phone from August 12.
As for customers already with a 4G ready device on a Vodafone Red plan, you'll be able to upgrade to 4G for an extra £5 a month.
Speed it up
As part of the launch, Vodafone is also bundling either a Spotify Premium or Sky Sports Mobile TV subscription to tempt users over.
Edinburgh, Leeds and Birmingham, Coventry, Bradford, Glasgow, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and Nottingham make up the other 12 that will be getting the service in the coming months.
With Vodafone now joining the ranks, and O2 also arriving on August 29, we'll hopefully be seeing some better 4G competition for Brits in the coming year.
The HTC Desire 500 will make its intrepid journey to the UK and will be available this month, after recently making an appearance in Asia.
The mid-ranger features a 4.3-inch screen with a 800 x 480 resolution, 1.2GHz quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM. Meanwhile there's an 8-megapixel rear camera capable of shooting video in 720p and a 1.6 megapixel rear snapper.
The handset also has a microSD slot with support for cards up to 64GB, and a 1800mAh battery providing the juicepower. Dual-SIM and NFC versions will be available in some European countries.
A big feature being pushed on the handset is Blinkfeed, HTC's tile-based, updating homescreen. Of course, those who aren't so keen on this function should probably note that it's not something you can switch off.
Blink and you'll miss it
For those of you expecting the HTC One Max, or a slightly better-spec phone, sorry to disappoint. But as the Taiwanese company says, this is designed for those looking for an affordable HTC experience.
The Desire will be available in 'Lacquer' black and 'Glacier' blue, which sound much fancier than regular black and blue.
HTC has told us that the phone will be available in August, although it's told us to hold tight for a specific date for the diary.
iOS 7 beta 5 is (on the left) is much, much beta (credit: 9to5Mac)
Apple released the iOS 7 beta 5 download to developers today, putting the latest preview version of its refreshed operating system in their hands through an over-the-air update.
iOS 7 beta 5 brings about minor changes, as explored by 9to5Mac, including tweaked icons and an additional control center setting.
The most noticeable graphics update occurs in the settings menu. More colorful icons replace the all-blue images of the previous four betas.
Another highlight among the user interface changes is that the new "slide to power off" design is no longer edge-to-edge.
"Slide to power off" does, however, still have that reddish-orange tint to it. No change there. It still looks much louder than the prior silver and black scheme of iOS 6 and below.
Control center updates
Control center, one of the more anticipated features of iOS 7, also received a minor revision.
It's now possible to disable this swipe-from-the-bottom menu layer while in apps. The reason for this is likely because certain apps like games could use screen swiping controls that interfere with the new gesture.
Everything else about the long-overdue control center menu remains intact. It offers quick access to toggle buttons like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and airplane mode without requiring users to exit an app and dig into the settings menu.
It's exactly what jailbreakers have been doing with Cydia's SBSettings since the early days of iOS. It only took Apple about five years to catch up.
Not long now
Apple is pushing out regular iOS 7 beta updates with minor changes, which means we should see the launch of its fall-bound mobile operating system very soon.
iOS 7 is expected to make the developer-to-average user transition at the same time a new generation of Apple smartphones is introduced, as per usual.
