Gionee Elife E6 with Quad-Core CPU and 5-Inch Full HD Display Coming Soon to India

Chinese company Gionee is about to launch a new high-end Android smartphone in India, the Elife E6. The handset will be officially unveiled on October 3 during a press event in New Delhi, but will go on sale several days later.

According to AndroidOS, Gionee Elife E6 will be available for purchase several days after the official launch for around Rs 22,000 outright, which is about $350 or €260. The Elife E6 is already listed at some major retailers in India, including Snapdeal, but they claim that the smartphone will start shipping in about ten days. Hardware-wise, Gionee’s high-end smartphone looks pretty buffed, so the only way to make it stand out from other devices with a similar specs sheet would be pricing. For the time being, the price listed by Snapdeal has yet to be confirmed by Gionee, but we can safely assume that it will be in the same range.

Hardware-wise, Gionee Elife E6 should come equipped with a powerful 1.5 GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. No word if the smartphone packs a Qualcomm chipset or a much cheaper MediaTek CPU, but we will know more later on this week. Furthermore, the smartphone is expected to boast an impressive 5-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution. In addition, it should offer users an enhanced 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with autofocus, LED flash and full HD (1080p) video recording. The 5-megapixel front-facing camera is capable of capturing 720p videos and is perfect for video calls and self-portraits. The Elife E6 seems to have the same cameras as the recently launched Lenovo Vibe X and Vibe Z, which will arrive in India next month.

Last but not least, Gionee Elife E6 will ship with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system out of the box and no less than 32GB of internal memory.

Gionee Elife E6
Image credits to AndroidOS

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Nexus 5 to Sport Nano-SIM, Android 4.4 to Impose It on All Handsets

Nexus 5, the yet unannounced smartphone in the popular series of Google phones out there, might arrive on shelves with a nano SIM card inside, the latest reports on the matter suggest.

In fact, rumor has it that the smartphone could be only the first Android 4.4 KitKat device out there to sport the smallest SIM card. Apparently, one of the requirements for having the upcoming operating system version installed on a mobile phone would be to pack it with a nano-SIM card, PhoneArena notes.

The news site claims that Nexus 5 has been confirmed to arrive with a nano-SIM inside at Ukrainian wireless carrier Life :), the same as iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, and Android 4.4 smartphones will. It still remains to be seen whether the aforementioned info was posted on the operator’s website by mistake or not, so stay tuned to learn more on the matter.

Nexus 5 expected to feature a nano-SIM card slot
Image credits to milannoartworks.deviantart via AndroidAndMe

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BlackBerry: 100% Committed to BBM for Android and iOS but No Release Date Yet

Today, Canadian mobile phone maker BlackBerry reaffirmed its commitment to the release of BBM for Android and iOS devices, though it still hasn’t provided a specific launch date for it.

In a recent post on Twitter, the company said that its BlackBerry Messenger was still coming to said platforms, and that more info on when it will land would be offered to those who sign up at BBM.com for it. “Still 100% committed to bringing #BBM to Android and iPhone. Sign up at http://www.BBM.com to know when #BBM4All,” the company said. 

BBM was set to arrive on Android on September 21, while being planned for iOS devices for September 22. However, due to the fact that it leaked on Android hours before the official launch, BlackBerry’s servers got cluttered with requests, and the company decided to pull the plug on the release. Hopefully, it will manage to make the service available for both Android and iOS this week, so that enthusiasts won’t have to wait longer for it to arrive.

BBM still coming to Android and iOS, BlackBerry says
Image credits to tech2.in.com

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Nexus 5 Running Android 4.4 KitKat Spotted

Google has already announced the next major Android upgrade is called KitKat, but details on the new platform's features have yet to be unveiled.

According to the latest hearsay, Google is likely to release Android 4.4 KitKat sometime next month, along with the next smarpthone in the Nexus series. Blog site Myce has just spotted a log file of what appears to be Android Key Lime Pie (also known Android 4.4 KitKat) running on the Nexus 5. The log file is about 10MB in size and includes more than 133,000 lines that show some of the features packed in the software.

From the screenshots published we can see the Nexus 5 will come with Google Babel (Hangouts) and Google Authenticator. Lots of other stuff has been revealed like a complete list with all Nexus 5 sensors (Magnetometer, Gyroscope, Barometer, Game Rotation Vector, Motion detector, Step detector). Moreover, evidence of Wireless charging has been found as well, along with camera sensors settings and references to a Sprint hidden menu. Check out the gallery below and Myce's blog site for more details. Here are image screenshot gallery below, click for larger images.

Android 4.4 KitKat screenshot
Image credits to Myce.com

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Meizu MX3 Now Available in China

Starting today, mobile phone users in China can purchase Meizu MX3, the latest flagship smartphone from the Chinese mobile phone maker.

The handset becomes available through Meizu’s own online portal, as well as through various popular E-commerce sites and at official dealers around the country, GizChina reports. The smartphone was announced in early September in four flavors, though only the WCDMA model arrives on shelves today. 

 The device features a price tag of 2499 Yuan for the 16GB version, 2699 Yuan for the 32GB variant, and 3099 Yuan for the 64GB model. 

 For those out of the loop, we should note that the smartphone packs a 5.1-inch full HD touchscreen display, as well as a Samsung Exynos 5410 octa-core processor. It also sports 2GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel camera on the back, and Flyme OS 3.0 (based on Android 4.2.1).

Meizu MX3
Image credits to Meizu

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AMD FX-9370 and FX-9590 8-Core 5 GHz CPUs Now Selling

We've waited a long time for this, but patience is finally being rewarded: Advanced Micro Devices has finally put the top-of-the-range FX-9370 and FX-9590 4.7/5 GHz CPUs up for sale.

Not that they were out of reach before, mind you, but their availability was rather restricted, to pre-configured desktops. That meant that only those willing to pay for an already configured, high-end gaming personal computer could get it, from the likes of Origin PC, iBuyPower, Maingear, etc. It was actually one of the main, and only, quibbles that people had with the formal launch of the new CPUs. Fortunately, the Sunnyvale, California-based company is now selling the two, though not for a pittance, not at all. The AMD AMD FX-9370 bears a price of $249 / €249 and the FX-9590 carries a tag of $399 / €399. They should be found on North America-based online stores like Amazon, Newegg, NCIX and TigerDirect.

AMD FX-9000-series code-named “Centurion” are the best CPUs from Advanced Micro Devices, with 8 cores each. The FX-9590 is the best, with a base clock frequency of 4.7 GHz, a Turbo Core setting of 5 GHz, 16 MB cache memory, and TDP (thermal design power) of 220W. The FX-9370 has a base frequency of 4.4 GHz and a top performance of 4.7 GHz, but the otherwise same technical traits. Online stores also offer retail bundles. See, the FX CPUs aren't compatible with all AM3+ motherboards and coolers, given their high TDP, so getting a motherboard+CPU+cooler +(optional) memory makes sense.

One example of a retail bundle involves AMD FX-9590 processor, Asus Sabertooth 990FX mainboard, G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB DDR3 (2 x 4GB) memory and Corsair Hydro H60 cooler, all for $590 / €590. AMD did not comment on the new story, but it didn't really need to, when the online stores we have mentioned left no room for doubt.

AMD FX-9000 CPUs now in retail

Image credits to AMD

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Sailfish UI Short Walkthrough

Finnish company Jolla opened up pre-order for its first Sailfish-based smartphone a few weeks ago, but did not mention when exactly the device will hit shelves.

Those who wish to pre-order the smartphone can do so via Jolla's website for €100 ($135) upfront, but they will have to pay the rest of the amount when the handset is shipped. Shortly after opening pre-sales of its first mobile phone, Marc Dillon, one of the company's founders came up with a very brief Sailfish UI demo.

However, Finnish blog site Esphoneblog recently found another short demo of Sailfish UI and this time we can see a bit more of the gestures used to handle a smartphone powered by the new operating system. Jolla's Sailfish smarpthone is expected to arrive by the end of the year and from the official announcement we already know it will come with a 4.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display, 1.4GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor and 1GB of RAM.

Video credits to Jolla

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Intex Aqua HD and Aqua i4 Officially Introduced in India

Intex has just announced the upcoming availability of Aqua HD and Aqua i4 Android smartphones in India. Both will be available for decent prices in the coming days.

According to AndroidOS, the best-featured of the two is the Intex Aqua HD, which will be available on the market for Rs 15,900 outright ($255 / €190). The second smartphone introduced by Intex, the Aqua i4 has been confirmed to hit shelves soon for only Rs 9,490 off contract, which is about $150 or €110. Hardware-wise, Intex Aqua HD is better equipped than the Aqua i4, as we have already pointed out earlier. It comes packed with a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 4 GB of internal memory, which can be further expanded up to 32GB via microSD memory card. In addition, the smartphone boasts a large 4.7-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display that supports HD (720p) resolution. It also sports an impressive 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with autofocus and LED flash, as well as a secondary 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

The budget-friendly Intex Aqua i4 features a slightly larger 5-inch FWVGA capacitive touchscreen display, but packs a less powerful 1.2 GHz dual-core processor. There’s no word on the amount of RAM and storage, but Intex states that the Aqua i4 will come with an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with autofocus and LED flash, as well as a secondary 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video calls. The Aqua i4 is powered by a high-capacity 2000 mAh Li-Ion battery, which has yet to be rated by the manufacturer, and packs microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 32GB). Last but not least, both Intex smartphones coming soon to India will ship with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system out of the box and dual-SIM support. “With festive season around the corner, we are planning to sell 3 lakh smartphones in the month of October, 2013.” said Sanjay Kumar Kalirona, business head, mobile, Intex Technologies.

Intex Aqua HD
Image credits to AndroidOS

Intex Aqua i4
Image credits to AndroidOS

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Verizon’s BlackBerry Z30 New Leaked Photo Emerges Online

Mobile phone carrier Verizon Wireless has already confirmed plans to add the BlackBerry Z30 smartphone to its offering, and a leaked image with the device is now available for your viewing pleasure.

Said photo, available via BerryReview and embedded above, shows the mobile phone with the Verizon logo placed at the top of its screen. It matches the official press photo that Verizon published last week. No other details on the handset are available as of now, but the fact that this image made it online suggests that Verizon might have already started testing the device.

According to CrackBerry, we could expect for Big Red to announce some more info on its plans for the launch of this smartphone within a few weeks, despite of the lack of details. Stay tuned for more on the matter.

Verizon's BlackBerry Z30
Image credits to BerryReview

Verizon's BlackBerry Z30
Image credits to @Verizon on Twitter

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TCL N3 Emerges with 6-Inch Screen and 1.5GHz Quad-Core CPU

Soon, mobile phone users in China will be able to purchase a new smartphone from local phone maker TCL, namely the TCL N3.

The smartphone has been spotted online a few times before, yet now it popped up on the web in a teaser image coming from its maker itself, which makes it as good as officially unveiled. The handset will land on the market with a large 6-inch touchscreen display capable of delivering a full HD resolution, while also featuring a very small bezel around it. This is visible in the photo attached to this article, available courtesy of mydrivers. The smartphone is said to pack a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor inside (none other than the MediaTek MT6589T CPU), along with 2GB of RAM.

Furthermore, a recent post on UnwiredView notes that TCL N3 features a 13-megapixel camera on the back, most probably capable of offering support for full HD video recording. There is also a 5MP front camera included in the package, enabling users to make video calls in high-definition. The specs list of the new device is also said to include a 3400mAh battery, as well as the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system loaded on top. The usual set of connectivity options should also be included in the package. As it usually happens, this TCL smartphone is expected to arrive on shelves internationally under the Alcatel brand, yet no official info on the matter has been provided as of now.

However, the specs list that this smartphone is said to arrive on the market will match those of Alcatel One Touch Hero, which was announced not long ago. Featuring a 6-inch full HD IPS touchscreen display, the smartphone was unveiled with a small bezel as well, as can be seen in the hands-on photos we had the chance to snap at the IFA 2013 conference in Berlin. No specific info on when the TCL N3 will arrive on the market has been provided as of now, or on the price tag that it might feature when released, so stay tuned to learn more on this.

TCL N3
Image credits to mydrivers

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