Boot Animation of Moto X [Video]

Mobile phone maker Motorola appears set to make a difference with the upcoming Moto X smartphone, and the boot sequence for the device, which can be seen in the video embedded above, shows exactly that.

Moto X, a smartphone expected to become official on August 1 and to land on shelves later that month, has already been teased by Motorola with increased personalization capabilities, although it will pack only mid-range hardware inside. The boot sequence spotted by Android Police on Moto X is completely different from what has been seen on other handsets from the company lately, and suggests worldwide availability.

For the time being, Motorola did not confirm specific details on when or where the smartphone will be released, but previous rumors did suggest that it will land in the United States at least at AT&T and Verizon. Stay tuned for more on this.

This is Moto X's awesome boot animation.
Love it or hate it?
Video credits to AndroidPolice

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Android 4.3 Factory Images (AOSP) Now Available for Download

Google has just gone official with Android 4.3 and those who already own one of the newer Nexus device will be happy to know the search giant immediately released the corresponding factory images.

Starting today, owners of Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Nexus 10 and Galaxy Nexus (GSM model) can download and flash the latest Android 4.3 operating system in case they need it. All the binary image files provided by Google are to be used for restoring Nexus device's original factory firmware. Keep mind that in order to be able to use any of these files you will be to have the “fastboot” tool in the PATH of your device.

The device need to be in fastboot mode and the booloader need sot be unlocked. All Android 4.3 factory images for Nexus devices are now available for download via AOSP (Android Open Source Project) website.

Android 4.3 Jelly Bean logo
Image credits to Google

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High-Quality Video Shows 2013 Plastic iPhone Shell in All Its Glory

The plastic iPhone Apple has prepared for us this year seems all but confirmed, as leak after leak shows the same form factor and design, and even the same set of colors.

The latest video from DetroitBORG up on YouTube doesn’t bring many new details to the table, but it does show the plastic 2013 iPhone shell in all its glory, complete with a very comprehensive commentary on behalf of the narrator, who takes us through the technicalities. Design-wise, it seems the phone is a combination of the iPhone 3GS and the newest iPod touch models. As for the tech specs, they’ll probably be on par with the iPhone 5.

Sonny Dickson in Melbourne, Australia is said to be the source of this leak, so I’m giving him the proper credit here as well. Hit the play button above and enjoy.

This is an early look at what appears to be the casing of the lower cost Apple iPhone, presumably intended to slot below the iPhone 5 and 5S and replace the 4/4S.  This phone and the 5S is expected to debut around September 2013. 
Thanks to Sonny Dickson for making this sneak peak possible!
www.twitter.com/SonnyDickson
www.SonnyDickson.com
Video credits to DetroitBORG

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Canonical's Ubuntu Edge Phone Will Run Windows Office Apps

Canonical has announced its next generation phone, Ubuntu Edge, and users now have a general understanding of the product, but one feature has been grossly overlooked.

Ubuntu Edge will be the first product to achieve true convergence between PC and a mobile device, if the crowd-funding project presided by Canonical succeeds. Beyond the great technical specifications and the dual-boot option between Android and Ubuntu OS, another interesting feature has gone relatively unnoticed.

“For enterprise users who are already running their desktop in the cloud, here’s something amazing. Ubuntu for Android even supports thin-client access to cloud-hosted Windows applications like Microsoft Office,” stated Leann Ogasaware, the leader of the Ubuntu kernel team for Canonical. If this features manages to garner enough support, it might inspire other companies to follow their lead and realize more than a simple convergence.

Ubuntu for Android
Image credits to Canonical

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Oppo Find 7 Now on Pre-Order, Cost $699 (€530)

Chinese mobile phone maker Oppo appears set to make the long-rumored Oppo Find 7 smartphone official in the not-too-distant future, and the device has already emerged on a retailer’s website as available for pre-order.

The smartphone can be seen on this page at $699 (€530), contract free, and rumor has it that this might be the actual price tag that the device will sport when made available for purchase. Oppo Find 7 is listed there with a 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor packed inside, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory, a 4000mAh battery inside, and Google’s Android 4.2 Jelly Bean platform loaded on top.

The smartphone is also said to pack a 5-inch touchscreen display capable of delivering a full HD resolution, as well as with a 13-megapixel photo snapper on the back, paired with an 8MP front camera.

Oppo Find 7 now listed on pre-order
Image credits to OppoMart

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Motorola Moto X to Cost $299 (€227), Contract-Free

Moto X, the upcoming new Android-based smartphone from Motorola, is expected to arrive on shelves in the not too distant future with a price tag of only $299 (€227) attached to it, contract-free.

This is the cost that the 16GB flavor of the device will sport, while the 32GB model is expected to be priced at $349 (€265), a recent article on PhoneArena notes. However, it seems that the handset will be a bit more expensive in Europe, as its pricing will start at €299 ($394) there, with the 32GB version costing €349 ($460).

Motorola’s new mobile phone should be launched officially on August 1, while expected to become available for purchase in the United States later that month. Moto X might arrive in other markets around the world a bit later.

Moto X
Image credits to @evleaks

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New Leaked Photos of BlackBerry A10 Emerge

Before the end of this year, Canadian mobile phone maker BlackBerry should bring to the market a new flagship smartphone running under the BlackBerry 10 operating system.

The device might land on the market as BlackBerry A10, and it can be admired in a new set of leaked photos. Available courtesy of Twitter user @nvthanh1994, said leaked images provide us with a clear look at both the front and the back of the smartphone, enabling us to make a good idea of what BlackBerry will offer to their users next.

As CrackBerry notes, the upcoming device appears to feature a back plate rounded to the sides, and not flat, as previously suggested. Furthermore, the smartphone’s bottom and top bezels appear to be rounded at the corners, with a silver bottom and a black top. No specific info on when the new device might become official has emerged until now, but BlackBerry should unveil it in a matter of months, so stay tuned.

BlackBerry A10
Images credits to @nvthanh1994

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Motorola to Pack DROID MAXX with a 3500mAh Battery

Mobile phone maker Motorola has been rumored lately to plan the release of new handsets in Verizon’s popular DROID series, including the DROID MAXX, DROID Ultra, and DROID Mini.

Some more details on these devices are now available. According to info that emerged over at Android Police, the DROID MAXX will hit shelves with a large, 3500mAh battery packed inside, which should result in long usage times. The DROID Ultra is expected to sport a 2130mAh battery, while the DROID Mini will include a 2000mAh battery. Furthermore, FCC documents confirmed that all three handsets will arrive on the market with Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n connectivity, as well as with NFC capabilities.

Apparently, all three handsets should become official in less than a day, so stay tuned for further details on their capabilities.

Motorola's DROID MAXX to pack a 3500mAh battery
Image credits to Motorola

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Nokia Explains the Lumia 1020 Build and Materials

Lumia 1020, the latest Windows Phone 8 device from Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia, is the first in the company’s Lumia series to arrive on shelves with a 41-megapixel photo snapper on the back, but it packs more than just camera capabilities, the company claims.

In a recent post on Nokia Conversations, the handset vendor took its time to talk about the build of the device, while also detailing the materials used for it, and the color options that users will enjoy. The handset will arrive on shelves in three different color variants, namely yellow, white, and black, options that represent a reflection of the people who could find the imaging capabilities of the device appealing, Nokia says. “We wanted to keep it as a focused selection of colours. It’s an approach that will appeal to camera enthusiasts who are, perhaps, used to a black, but open to a rich color like yellow,” says Jaana Beidler from Nokia Design.

In Nokia’s vision, the yellow color should prove a highly appealing choice for young users who are also interested in cutting edge technologies. “For them, the yellow is a little more energetic and expressive; it’s a unique Nokia character,” Jaana Beidler continued. Nokia also notes that all three color flavors come with a matte finish, due to the character and the quality feel that it is capable of offering over the gloss finish. The handset was also improved to be anti-fingerprint and dirt-resistant. “We looked at and tested both matt and gloss finishes. However, the matt looked and lent itself very well to the three colors,” says Jaana.

Nokia also notes that Lumia 1020 was never meant to pack the metallic stripe that Lumia 925 was launched with, although the feature was welcomed on the already available smartphone. Furthermore, the phone maker notes that the color runs through the whole polycarbonate, and is not applied after the production process, which ensures that the color doesn’t show scratches. Lumia 1020 also comes with an aluminum camera detail, with a black matte finish, while also packing Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection over the touchscreen display, which is curved at the edges so as to fit the industrial design of the device. The keys on the side are also aluminum. “The overall feel is that the Lumia 1020 is comfortable and luxurious to hold in your hand. However, it’s also designed to be tough and resistant to everyday use and abuse,” said blog post concludes.

Nokia Lumia 1020
Image credits to Nokia

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Samsung Galaxy S III Seen Running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean

Samsung Galaxy S III, last year’s flagship smartphone from South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics, has been rumored not long ago to be getting a taste of the Android 4.3 OS later this year, skipping the Android 4.2.2 version, and a newly leaked photo to prove that is now available.

Apparently, Samsung has already started testing the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system flavor on its smartphone, and the photo shows the Galaxy S III unit of a Samsung employee working at the company’s R&D center in India, as temefy reports. Rumor has it that Samsung is also hard at work with the building of the Android 4.3 update for the Galaxy Note II smartphone.

The handset vendor is expected to make the new platform release available for the owners of its newer Android smartphones as well, including the Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy Note III (Galaxy Mega, Galaxy S4 Zoom, Active, and mini might also receive it).

Samsung Galaxy S III running Android 4.3
Image credits to temefy

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