A mysterious Google Play page that goes nowhere shows the Nexus 5 sitting next to the new Nexus 7 and Nexus 10.

The heavily leaked but still unofficial new Nexus phone is listed as starting at $349 (presumably a 16GB model). That converts to £215/AU$362. The Nexus 4 16GB sold for $349 (£279, AU$399), too.

"Capture the everyday and the epic in fresh new ways," its description read.

Click on phone and a perpetual loading arrow spins with the message that an unexpected error occured. "Please try again later."

Nexus 5 knowns

Search for the Nexus 5 in the Play Store and you're out of luck too.

Seems Google is content just to tease us for now.

While the phone, now all but officially confirmed by Mountain View, has been heavily leaked, expected specs for the handset include a Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM and of course, Android 4.4 KitKat.

Source : techradar[dot]com

Apple's Touch ID fingerprint sensor could extend its reach beyond the iPhone 5S and into future iPad and MacBook computers, according to a newly published patent.

The company's filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office includes language that opens the door to adding the biometric technology to its tablets, computers and "beyond," discovered Patently Apple.

So far, Touch ID verification has been helpful in allowing iPhone 5S users to quickly unlock their smartphones and download iTunes content without having to enter a passcode.

However, the technology hasn't been made available to third-party developers to help eliminate other all password barriers just yet.

Touch ID iPads next Tuesday?

Less than a week from now, Apple is expected to launch two new iPad models, the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 with a Retina display.

In addition to possibly adorning the iPhone 5S gold and space gray colors as part of their rear shell, the forthcoming tablets are rumored to contain a fingerprint sensor.

That is further backed up by the language used in today's patent, pointing to at least one or both new iPads including the specialized home button.

Another interesting discovery by Patently Apple is that Touch ID's verification method allows it to scan fingerprint at a much higher resolution than other sensors of the market without the need to electrically shocking the finger.

That's a relief.

• Read how Apple's iPhone 5C sales might be a bit rotten

Source : techradar[dot]com

We often picture the Star Wars scene where Luke and the gang see Princess Leia's hologram plea, "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope," when thinking about BlackBerry.

Today, whispers of a new hope for the crashing tech firm have arisen in the form Lenovo. "Hope" may not be exactly the right word as the Wall Street Journal reports the Chinese hardware maker is looking for an all-or-nothing BlackBerry buyout.

According to the publication, Lenovo is actively mulling purchasing the Canadian company behind BlackBerry 10. It's even entered into a "nondisclosure" agreement so it can peak the Berry's books, the Journal reported.

If a deal goes through, it would be one of the largest and most high-profile pickups of a Western company by a Chinese firm, in or out of the tech industry. While government scrutiny is part and parcel of deals like this, it would likely be subject to even more rigorous study since both the Canadian and US governments make frequent use of BlackBerry hardware.

Relations between Chinese tech firms and the US government haven't been particularly friendly.

This sounds familiar

If you have a feeling Lenovo's name has been tossed about in relation to buying BlackBerry before, don't worry. You didn't dream it.

It was in March that we reported on Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing's comments that purchasing BlackBerry "could possibly make sense." He wasn't bullish about a buy, but Lenovo hasn't made a secret of its desire to move more deeply into mobile.

Yang's admission came 2 months after another Lenovo exec said the company was looking for opportunities to expand its mobile business. BlackBerry (then still known as RIM) was called out by name as of those opportunities.

Now, it looks like Lenovo has sniffed out the opportune time to strike.

If the Journal's report is accurate, it faces competition not only from Fairfax Financial, the first company to go public with its bid, but also BlackBerry co-founder Mike Lazaridis and other bidders.

• If you've been living under a rock, you need to get caught up on the iPad mini 2 release date, news and rumors.

Source : techradar[dot]com

With the runaway success of Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet - the media-happy device owns over half the Android tablet market - it seems only natural that the company would turn to smartphones next.

Amazon's strategy of putting all its media content directly into consumers' hands has worked out well so far, so wouldn't the Seattle company take the next logical step?

Like the Kindle Fire, an Amazon smartphone would be a veritable home-shopping network - replete with Kindle books, Android apps and Amazon Prime video - only as a phone, so it would be the only device users would really need.

Given the anticipation that's built up around a product that's not even certain to exist, we figured it wise to compile all the rumors and speculation in one place.

Will HTC make Amazon's phone?

Will Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC lend Amazon a hand with its upcoming phone? That's the latest speculation to hit the streets.

It's the kind of job HTC has been up for in the past, crafting the HTC First for Facebook. While that phone was a fizzle, HTC know how and Amazon clout could be a killer combo. This rumor has us intrigued.

Get this: Amazon will give the phone away for free

Update: no it won't. In an unusually concise statement, Amazon has said that it has no plans to release a phone this year, and if it does make a phone, it "would not be free." Sorry cheapskates.

We've heard of free shipping and low-priced phones on a two-year contract, but this is ridiculous. The latest rumor says Amazon will give its handset away for free.

Could it be true? Well, possibly. Amazon has a history of pricing its hardware dirt cheap, expecting to clean up on apps rather than the initial investment. It's not a bad plan, especially if the retail behemoth can get people signed up for Amazon Prime using the deal.

Amazon working on two phones, one of them 3D

We've debated whether it will be called the Kindle phone, Amazon phone or something else, but now it seems that Amazon is working on more than one device. That's the latest rumor coming in over the wire.

Beyond that, apparently one of the handsets will have 3D projection capabilities, sans glasses. That sort of technology has been a success for the Nintendo 3DS, but remember the LG Optimus 3D and HTC Evo 3D? We hardly do either, which makes us wonder what the online retail giant is planning.

Evi to be the Amazon Phone's Siri?

Back in January, Amazon acquired the startup behind a natural voice search engine similar to the Apple's Siri. Now the scent on the wind is that Amazon will be putting a chat-to app called Evi on its Amazon Phone .

It sounds logical, because Amazon would need this technology to be competitive, and it would be great on Kindle devices, too. Imagine yelling at those lock screen ads that you don't want Fifty Shades of Grey.

Amazon hires Windows Phone 7 head honcho

Amazon has added Microsoft's ex-Windows Phone General Manager to its stable of talent. Could this be a big name hire for developing the Amazon Kindle phone?

The former Microsoft man is named Kindel, Charlie Kindel, so we'd say he has the proper pedigree to help Amazon break into the market with an Amazon Phone or Kindle Phone, whatever the name ends up being. And despite the naming coincidence and the news breaking on April 1, we're confident there's nothing phony about this story.

"I'm building a new team going after a totally new area for Amazon. I'm hiring cloud and mobile developers and testers, program managers, and product managers," Kindel commented, immediately sending the internet into a flurry of rumors and sidelong interpretations.

Amazon phone to hedge its bets with a reasonable 4.7-inch display

According to Digitimes, so called "industry supply chain sources" have put a ruler to the Amazon Phone. They say the handset will have a 4.7-inch display, which would put it in between an iPhone 5 and a Galaxy S4 when it comes to visual real estate.

This supposed fact, combined with a rumored low asking price, suggests that Amazon is going for the casual smartphone user, one who does not want to spend a fortune and would like to be able to carry the phone in their pocket with ease.

Amazon phone will miss rumored Q2 2013 release date, still looking like a Foxconn product

It's all still the stuff of rumors, but previous rumblings pegged the Amazon Phone (or maybe Kindle Phone) as arriving in the second quarter of 2013. Now it looks as though that deadline will make a delightful whooshing noise as it blows past.

Somewhat infamous manufacturing mogul Foxconn is said to be on deck to produce the dirt cheap device. Its subsidiary Ensky Tech made the original Kindle Fire and now produces the Kindle Fire HD and the Kindle Paperwhite, so it would be no shock at all to see the two collaborate on the project.

As far as what's causing the delay, a report at Digitimes blames the "engineering verification test period due to issues related to its mobile platform," saying that the process, "has not been as smooth as expected."

This is surprising, given the great deal of experience Foxconn and its partners have in this field. It has us wondering what Amazon could have up its sleeve that's making the phone such a bother. As always, rumors are like cheap takeout; they just leaving you hungry for more.

Foxconn to manufacture Amazon phone for summer 2013 release date

This might be the most concrete rumor yet regarding the Amazon phone. Supposedly the online retail giant has inked a deal with Foxconn to manufacture its first smartphone. Industry insiders also expect a summer 2013 release.

According to the reports, the phone may also have a dirt-cheap asking price of $100-200 (around £60-120/AU$95-190). This would fall in step with Amazon's strategy with its Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Paperwhite line, devices sold at highly competitive prices in order to get customers investing in Amazon's media library.

While the involvement of Foxconn is not surprising, since the company has become a prolific manufacturer of all things electronic, it is somewhat troubling given its reputation for overworked, striking employees. Maybe the Amazon phone will be one of the first devices assembled in American Foxconn factories?

Amazon Phone rumors catch fire

Rumors of an Amazon Phone started to catch on in late 2011, when analysts began predicting the Amazon Phone's existence, despite a lack of hard evidence.

That hard evidence, by the way, still hasn't made an appearance, but that hasn't stopped the rumor mill from churning away.

Kicking things off, analyst firm CitiGroup reported that it discovered the existence of the then-unheard of Amazon Phone through its "supply chain channel checks in Asia."

Analyst Mark Mahaney led the Amazon Phone charge, proclaiming that the bookseller was in cahoots with infamous Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn to build the device.

Other analysts agreed: "A smartphone would be a logical next step for Amazon," ABI Research's Aapo Markkanen told Wired in May.

"The lock-in effect of a great content ecosystem shouldn't be under-estimated," he continued.

Bloomberg fed more fuel to the Amazon Phone fire in July, when its anonymous sources ("people with knowledge of the matter") confirmed that Amazon and Foxconn remained hard at work on the smartphone.

Further, the same report claimed that Amazon is busy hoarding as many wireless patents as possible to defend itself from the inevitable infringement suits that follow any modicum of success in the market.

Windows Phone executives board the good ship Amazon

The summer heat must have helped the Amazon Phone fires spread, as July gave birth to yet another bout of speculation when two Windows Phone vets joined Amazon.

First Brandon Watson left the Windows Phone team to become Amazon's director of Kindle cross platform, then Robert Williams, previously Windows Phone's senior director of business development, joined Amazon as its app store director.

Of course, the mere fact that the two previously worked on Windows Phone in no way proved that Amazon had brought them on to work on its own phone - but then again, it's not that far of a stretch, is it?

To further stoke the flames, it appeared toward the end of July that Amazon's innovation center - Lab 126 - had been hiring workers to develop new mobile devices that would run on wireless carriers' networks.

In other words: an Amazon Phone. Imagine that.

Amazon Phone release date

In CitiGroup's original 2011 report, the firm predicted that the Amazon Phone release date would fall in Q4 2012, though that's looking less and less likely the more time passes without a peep from Amazon.

That doesn't mean it's not going to happen, of course, but other rumors since then have been somewhat less optimistic about the Amazon Phone release date.

Less than a week after Bloomberg's report that Amazon and Foxconn still had their collective noses to the grindstone, another source (this one from Amazon's component suppliers) told the Wall Street Journal that the bookseller was already testing Amazon Phone prototypes.

That report claimed that the device could go into production during the second half of 2012, and that the Amazon phone release could fall in late 2012 or early 2013.

Amazon Phone price

From the beginning, speculators foretold that an Amazon Phone would hit the low end of the price spectrum.

In part, it's assumed that Amazon would sell the device wholesale (or maybe even at a loss) in order to further expand its digital content distribution.

Every pair of hands holding an Amazon Phone comes with eyes, ears and a wallet, after all.

CitiGroup analyst Kevin Chang said in 2011, "For a normal brand like HTC, they need to price the product at $243 to make 30 percent gross margin. If Amazon is actually willing to lose some money on the device, the price gap could be even bigger."

That means the Amazon Phone price could sink as low as $170 or even $150, though Amazon would surely make up the difference somehow - just like it does with the Kindle Fire.

Amazon Phone specs

There's been little speculation about the Amazon Phone's specific hardware features, considering there's yet to be any official word - or even a measly leaked prototype image - to go off of.

But the WSJ's source claimed that the Amazon Phone's screen size would fall somewhere between 4 inches and 5 inches, placing it right in line with top Android phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S3 andHTC One X.

The Amazon Phone would at least need to perform well enough to reliably stream content and be integrated with Amazon's various media and cloud services, and the better the resolution, the more attractive the device would be for streaming video.

Battery life will be another important factor, as nothing will turn the average consumer off faster than being interrupted in the middle of "Real Housewives" by a pesky low power warning.

Will the Amazon Phone run Android?

An Amazon Phone is almost dead certain to run on some variation of Android, as Google and Amazon, despite occasionally finding themselves at one another's throats, can just as often be found sitting snugly in one another's pockets.

According to some reports, the retail giant has even considered stocking Google tablets like the Nexus 7 in its stores, indicating that their rivalry can't really be all that heated.

Besides, Windows Phone is sat firmly in Nokia's camp, at least for the lifespan of Windows Phone 8 - Microsoft's not about to throw away years of build-up just to hop in bed with Amazon.

That leaves BlackBerry maker Research in Motion, who - to be fair - is rumored to be shopping the BlackBerry 10 OS around for a licensing deal.

But there's a chance BB10 will be more or less dead on arrival, and either way, an OS swap at this point would just be too risky for Amazon, who'll already be tossing the dice with a smartphone gambit in the first place.

Furthermore, Citigroup's initial Amazon Phone report from 2011 claimed that the bookseller would have to pay royalties to Microsoft, all but spelling out that the phone would be another Android device.

Source : techradar[dot]com

Sky TV customers are jumping on its online and mobile offerings at an ever-increasing rate, the broadcaster announced on Thursday.

In its latest financial report, it revealed that Sky Go users on the web, mobile apps and Xbox 360, have now reached an impressive 3.3 million, with a four-fold increase in total on-demand usage.

This year, the live streaming portal has been supplemented by the Sky Go Extra service, which gives users the opportunity to download shows to watch offline at their own convenience.

That service is an extra £5 a month for Sky subscribers, but users haven't baulked at the extra expenditure with 219,000 new sign-ups in the last three months, bringing the total to 385,000.

Connected

Elsewhere the company also announced its up to 5 million broadband customers, largely thanks to the 292,000 O2 customers who were brought over following the buyout earlier this year.

The company is also pretty chuffed about the number of internet-connected television set-top boxes now in use. There are 3.351m Sky HD+ boxes hooked up to the internet, compared with 1.255m this time last year.

Source : techradar[dot]com

The Nexus 5, currently vying with the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 for the worst-kept secret in tech, has been spotted yet again, this time in what may be our first glimpse at press shots.

Thanks to a set of snaps picked up by Mobile Syrup, we potentially have a look at the new Nexus phone in all its "buy me" glory.

The phone is clearly marked for Canadian telecom Telus, indicating that yes, Google and LG's next collaboration will make it to carriers and not just retail on Google Play.

Observers will also notice a new set of icons on the Nexus 5's homescreen. Android Police has it that this is a new launcher called Google Experience that will arrive with Android 4.4 KitKat. Not only is there a bubble where users can access things like Gmail, Google+ and Maps (according to the Telus leak), but transparent navigation and menu bars are supposedly part of the Experience package.

New spots

As for how this leak compares to others we've seen, it's actually freakishly close in some regards.

The camera icon, for one, is reminiscent of an icon spotted in another Android 4.4-on-a-Nexus-5 leak from last week. The icons aren't identical, but do look cut from the same design cloth.

The phone icon does match the icon spotted in the earlier leak.

Unlike the other leak, the Telus' image has Hangouts replacing Messenger as one of default apps in the core-feature dock.

Look for the Nexus 5 to launch later this month as its release date has been pegged for October 30.

• We're already looking ahead to Android 5.0. Won't you join us?

Source : techradar[dot]com

Samsung made waves recently when it was reported that up to 30% of the company's Galaxy S4 handsets had faulty batteries over in Germany. Users there spoke of extremely fast drain and, in some cases, even battery swelling.

For its part Samsung has now offered all affected users a free replacement battery, but despite claiming that it remains "committed to providing the best possible user experience for our customers" the issue is bound to have negatively affected perceptions of the company.

Don't be too hard on Samsung though, as it won't be the last smartphone manufacturer to have hardware issues and nor was it the first, as these examples attest.

1. Antennagate

Apple experienced perhaps the most high profile phone fault ever in what became known as 'Antennagate'.

When Apple released the iPhone 4 it was received with much fanfare but it quickly became apparent that holding the phone in your left hand could lead you to bridge the gap between the two antenna segments, causing signal problems and even leading to dropped calls.

Apple's response? "Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone.

"If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases."

In other words, you're holding it wrong. Apple then went on to point out other phones that supposedly suffered from similar issues, as if that made it all okay.

Ultimately Apple did the right thing and gave any customer who wanted one a free bumper which solved the issue. But that didn't stop a class action lawsuit, which, almost three years later, resulted in measly $15 payouts for those affected and even then only for US customers.

2. Bricked BlackBerry's

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 was an impressive phone when it launched in 2011, but it seems that some handsets worked a lot better than others.

Numerous users reported that their Bold 9900 (and 9930) handsets wouldn't turn on after being left to charge overnight or for similarly long periods of time.

BlackBerry responded that "A limited number of customers have reported an issue where their device does not power on" and that the company is "actively working on a software update to resolve this issue".

While we don't know exactly how many people were affected it seems like it was probably rather higher than BlackBerry's statement suggested, as mobilenewscwp reported at the time that some retailers had as many as a third of all BlackBerry Bold 9900 handsets returned to them as a result of faults.

3. N8's not starting

The N8 was an important phone for Nokia. It came at a time when the company was losing its dominance in the smartphone market and by launching the N8 as its next flagship the Finnish company had a lot riding on it.

Unfortunately the launch wasn't as smooth as it could have been, as many users reported that the phone would power down on its own and in some cases not power back up again.

Nokia claimed that the issue was to do with power management and went on to say: "As product quality is a top priority for Nokia, we have taken immediate actions to address this. As with any product performance issue, this is covered by Nokia's warranty."

It's unlikely that the issue had too much of an impact on sales, but it was still the last thing Nokia needed, particularly when going up against the iPhone 4 at the time.

4. Xperia S display problems

The Xperia S was the first Sony phone following its split from Ericsson. It was a fantastic handset with a top flight screen and an impressive camera, but it emerged that if it got too hot (above 40 degrees Celsius) the screen risked developing an ugly yellow tint.

In response to the issue Sony stated that "This is limited to a small number of units and the cause of this has been corrected. Any consumer observing this slight yellow tint on the display of their Xperia S is welcome to contact their local customer service centre and Sony Mobile Communications will resolve this at no cost to the consumer."

While the issue was unfortunate the Xperia S continued to sell well, so we doubt it's something Sony's dwelled on.

5. PlayBook's problematic operating system

It's one problem after another for BlackBerry. Not only has the company had problems with its Bold 9900 and Bold 9930 handsets (not to mention signal outages and ongoing financial issues), but it also found that around 1000 of its PlayBook tablets shipped with an OS build which was unable to properly load software upon initial setup, rendering them useless.

RIM, as the company was then called, responded in the manner you'd expect, stating that it's working to replace affected devices and that anyone experiencing problems should contact RIM for assistance.

Being limited to around 1000 devices this was a fairly small scale problem, but it got a lot of press and can't have helped the PlayBook's sales which initially weren't great.

Still, it's a happier ending for BlackBerry's little tablet that could, as during Christmas 2012 it was one of the most popular tablets available, shifting 160,000 units. Then again, there weren't that many tablets available...

• After a phone that works? You could do worse than checking out our list of the top 20 smartphones available.

Source : techradar[dot]com

Swiftkey has launched its latest version, 4.3, as a beta that you can now download to your many and varied Android devices.

The update is intended to improve how you use your keyboard: you can choose between various layouts that you can then resize and move to any part of a device screen.

There are three presets: 'compact' for large-screened phones so you can type with one hand, 'full' for large screens when you have two hands available and 'thumb' that splits the keyboard into to thumbable halves.

That means that you can choose a specialised layout for a specific situation, then switch back to a regular layout when you have more elbow-space.

Beta band

Cunningly calling it a beta means that you may encounter bugs and problems that you can report to Swiftkey and the team there can say, "Hey, it's a beta! What're you gonna do?"

And hopefully also "Thanks" and "we'll get that fixed for the full software roll out, don't you worry about a thing."

If you fancy giving it a go, you can now download the Layouts for Living beta from Swiftkey's beta website.

• Get your productivity on: here are 10 apps for working on the go with Android

Source : techradar[dot]com

Samsung has packed a whole lot of tech into its flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone but it seems to have let some battery issues slip through the cracks.

Following reports of widespread battery problems, which seemed to particularly affect German Galaxy S4 users with as many as 30% experiencing issues according to German site MobiFlip, Samsung has announced that it will replace faulty batteries free of charge.

The issues range from a fast-draining power pack to the lithium-ion units actually swelling up and pushing against the case of the phone, something we've seen BlackBerry devices do in the past.

The statement was made to TrustedReviews and ends by assuring customers that Samsung remains "committed to providing the best possible user experience for our customers."

Old for new

The full statement reads: "We are aware of this issue, which has affected a limited number of customers.

"We ask all affected customers to please visit their nearest Samsung Electronics service centre, where they can receive a replacement battery for free of charge. We remain committed to providing the best possible user experience for our customers."

If you find that your Samsung Galaxy S4 battery is playing up, Samsung urges you to bring it in to your nearest Samsung Electronics service centre, where a replacement battery will be provided.

Whether the new batteries will be any more reliable is unclear, but at least you can always go back and get it replaced again if you're unlucky enough to have two faulty batteries.

• Even with a functional battery you can still run out of juice. Stay charged for longer with these power-user battery-saving tips.

Source : techradar[dot]com

HMV has announced that its latest app will allow MP3 downloads through iOS – the first to do this since, well, iTunes.

According to Gizmodo UK, which has already had some time with the app, HMV has managed to break through Apple's famously walled garden to offer up a native app experience for downloads, with no sending users to the web or getting them to jump through other hoops.

As with many a music service, HMV app's backend is powered by 7 Digital and downloads will be MP3 flavoured at 320Kbps.

The app also seems to be a bit of a Shazam contender as well with its ability to recognise snippets of music (courtesy of Soundhound integration) and you can take a picture of an album sleeve and get the download of that album wherever you are.

Better engagement

Speaking about the app, Paul McGowan, chairman of HMV, said: "HMV's position at the heart of entertainment retail demands that we enable customers to buy their music from HMV in the way that best suits them and to engage more closely with the music, video and gaming worlds."

HMV has had a rough time of it of late, going into administration and closing half of its stores. But it is fighting back, with a new focus on actually selling music and not pesky tech products and the new app is part of this.

The HMV app is set to be launched next week, alongside a refreshed website and digital music store. It will be available for iOS and Android. Windows Phone and BlackBerry users will have to use a HTML5 optimised version of the site.

• Prefer streaming to downloading? Then check these services out

Source : techradar[dot]com

We're just weeks/days/hours (delete as appropriate) away from the Android 4.4 KitKat launch (probably) and it appears that the Google Play store may be in for some cosmetic updates too.

Screenshots have popped up online claiming to be taken from a device running the upcoming version of the Play store (which is coincidently also 4.4), although Android Police notes the screen and APK it's got its hands on is still a work in progress.

The main change appears to be a new, slide-out-from-the-left menu system which features home, wishlist and redeem options as well as an option tailored to the section you're currently viewing. There's no word on a release date, but we wouldn't be surprised if we saw this rock up alongside Android 4.4 KitKat.

More blips!

As a reward for patiently waiting for the next Android update, here are some more excellent blips.

• Forget the special features on DVDs, Netflix is adding extras soon
• Apple spaceship campus ready to launch around 2016
• Spotify has 20 million songs, but 20% have never been played

Source : techradar[dot]com