Microsoft Looking to License Nokia Brand for Phones, Surface Brand to Be Replaced by Lumia

It's only been a few weeks since various documents leaked online confirmed Microsoft's plan of dropping Nokia brand and replace it with another of its own.

The information was leaked earlier this month by @evleaks, so most of us assumed it's accurate enough especially that the information provided in these documents were in line with Stephen Elop's previous statement in which he confirms Microsoft plans to replace the Nokia name for its Windows Phone handsets. Well, not so fast. Fast forward a few weeks after the said leak and we now have new details on Microsoft's plans regarding its lineup of Windows smartphones and tablets. According to the same @evleaks, Microsoft is now in the final stages of licensing the Nokia brand, which will be used for its Windows Phone handsets. The Redmond-based company will be calling its smartphones “Nokia by Microsoft” and is likely to remove the Lumia name from its handsets.

The removal of the Lumia brand from all the upcoming Windows Phone handset is not without reason. The same @evleaks claims Microsoft will be replacing the Surface brand with Lumia, which means it will be launching Lumia tablets in the not so distant future. Even though Microsoft invested so much in the Surface brand, it looks like the company is willing to replace it with another brand, Lumia, which according to the Internet, is more searched by users. Obviously, we suggest our readers to take this information with a grain of salt, given the fact that no other sources confirmed that Microsoft plans to make radical changes to its branding policy. For those out of the loop, Microsoft confirmed a few months ago it has purchased the right to use the Nokia brand for its Lumia smartphones for 18 months since the moment acquired the Finnish company's mobile division.

The Redmond also stated it will retain the use of Nokia brand for feature phones for a much longer time (probably 10 years), while Asha lineup will have lose its Nokia name by the end of 2015. We have already reached out to Microsoft for an official statement on these rumors, but the only answer we expect to get is “no comment.” There are lots of variations in the matter so it's hard to assume anything at this moment, but if the rumors are true some of the details of the licensing deals should emerge online more or less official. We can only hope that this will happen sooner rather than later. What do you thinks about these unconfirmed rumors? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.

Nokia Lumia smartphones
Image credits to Microsoft

Read more »

Lenovo A805e an 5.5-Inch 64-Bit Prepared by Lenovo

Chinese mobile phone maker Lenovo is getting ready for the release of a new large smartphone, one that has already emerged online in the form of Lenovo A805e, and which was reportedly mentioned at the 2014 Tianyi Fair, sponsored by China Telecom.

Apparently, Lenovo is planning on making the new handset official sometime in mid-July, and will release it with a price tag of less than $200 (€147) attached to it. However, despite its affordable cost, the new mobile phone will still have a nice range of features and hardware capabilities to offer to its users, at least this is what VR-Zone reports. That would include the aforementioned 5.5-inch screen that can deliver a 540 x 960 pixels resolution, along with a 64-bit 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor, which is complemented by 1GB of RAM. Moreover, the handset should arrive on shelves with 8GB of internal memory, as well as with an 8-megapixel camera on the back. The upcoming Lenovo A805e should also include 4G LTE connectivity, along with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC. At the same time, it is said to sport a 2500mAh battery inside.

Apparently, Lenovo will release the new smartphone in three color flavors, including black, white or champagne gold. One thing that is certain on this phone is that it will prove highly appealing at launch, provided, of course, that all the info above is accurate.

Lenovo A805e
Images credits to VR-Zone

Read more »

OnePlus One 64GB Now Up for Pre-Order in Australia for $530

One of the hottest Android smartphones these days, the OnePlus One is still a hard to come buy device although it was theoretically released on the market earlier this month.

Mostly given to customers via invitations, the OnePlus One will soon be available for purchase in Australia. In fact, the smartphone is already available for pre-purchase at major retailer Mobicity for only $530 (€365) off contract. The good news is the smartphone can be ordered by customers who don't necessarily live in Australia, but you will have to pay for shipping. Customers in Australia will not be charged for shipping at all. Moreover, Mobicity is selling the 64GB version of the OnePlus One, not the 16GB model. Given the fact that the smartphone lacks microSD card slot for memory expansion, the 64GB OnePlus One seems the right choice. Another strong point would be the fact that it's armed with a powerful 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, an Adreno 330 graphics processing unit and 3GB of RAM.

As expected, the OnePlus One will ship with Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system out of the box (CyanogenMod 11S), which might appease fans even more than other bloated version of the OS. Suddenly the $530 (€365) outright price doesn't seem too high for such a powerful handset. This is probably one of the reasons the OnePlus One is so hard to find on the market. Connectivity-wise, the smartphone supports LTE 700 / 1700 / 1800 / 2100 / 2300 / 2600 networks and HSUPA (5.8Mbps). The OnePlus One also features Bluetooth 4.1 with A2DP, Wi-Fi, NFC (Near Field Communication) and GPS with A-GPS support. But the good things don't stop here. OnePlus One boasts an incredible 5.5-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 coating.

On the back, the high-end smartphone packs an impressive 13-megapixel photo snapper with autofocus, dual-LED flash and 4K video recording, while in the front there's a no less impressive 5-megapixel camera that can capture full HD (1080p) video and would be perfect for selfies. It's also worth mentioning the OnePlus One is powered by a high-capacity 3100 mAh, which has yet to be rated by the manufacturer. If you live in one of the countries where OnePlus One has been launched but you don't have an invitation, which is required for purchasing the phone, you can place your order at Mobicity Australia.

OnePlus One
Image credits to Mobicity

Read more »