First Windows Phone 8.1 Notification Center Screenshots Leak

This is not the first time screenshots taken from Windows Phone 8.1's Notification Center leak online, but it's the first time multiple source confirm they are genuine.

The first legit images showing the upcoming Windows Phone 8.1 Notification Center have been published via blog site Winphollowers. Another screenshot was leaked by The Verge and all three seem to be legit, though we won't have Microsoft's confirmation until Windows Phone 8.1 goes official in a few months. The screenshots published by Winphollowers are coming from a confidential email sent between Microsoft employees, in which some of Windows Phone 8.1 are detailed, including the Action and Notification Center. Even though the said email contains more screenshots detailing other new features that will be included in the Windows Phone 8.1, only two of these showing the Notification Center have been leaked online.

As WPCentral points out, the main highlights of these screenhosts are the various options to enable / display multiple connections, such as Driving More, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Airplane Mode. For the time being, Windows Phone does not allow users to enable / disable connectivity options via some sort of quick bar, but with introduction of Windows Phone 8.1, also known as Blue, this issue will be fixed. Aside from the option to enable / disable various connections, users will also have access to Settings directly from within the Notification Center, and they will also be able to clear the notification list with the touch of a button. To the left of these screenshots, Microsoft states the “apps can intelligently manage notifications (silently add, update, and delete notifications).”

Another minor new features confirmed in these screenshots is the fact that users will be able to display the battery's percentage. Windows Phone 8.1 is expected to be officially unveiled in early April during Microsoft's Build conference, but we suspect more details on its features will continue to leak online so stay tuned for more updates.

Windows Phone 8.1 Notification Center
Image credits to The Verge

Windows Phone 8.1 Notification Center
Image credits to WinPholowers

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Dual-SIM Nokia X and Nokia Lumia 635 Intensively Tested in India

We expected several important announcement from Nokia later this month during Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2014. However, we're not sure if both Nokia X and Nokia Lumia 635 will go official at the trade fair.

According to the latest hearsay, Nokia X, also known as Normandy, will be officially introduced sometime in March, while the Lumia 635 might be part of the new Lumia series of phones launched by Nokia in the first half of 2014. Both Nokia X and Lumia 635 will be launched in two versions: single-SIM and dual-SIM. The dual-SIM models will be released in emerging markets, such as India, China and other Asian countries.

The information seems to have been confirmed as GadgetToUse reports both dual-SIM versions of Nokia X and Lumia 635 are now going under intensive testing at Nokia India. No additional details have been unveiled yet and Nokia (obviously) is still mum on the subject, but will we will keep an eye out for more info so stay tuned.

Nokia X
Image credits to evleaks

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BlackBerry to Launch Octa-Core 64-Bit Handsets by 2015

Canadian mobile phone maker BlackBerry is reportedly planning the launch of smartphones with the latest mobile processors packed inside, including a handset powered by an octa-core 64-bit CPU.

Previously, the vendor said that it would focus mainly on the mid-range and entry-level segments of the market, but it seems that high-end devices haven’t been removed from its roadmap either. In fact, the company was recently found to be working on a device codenamed BlackBerry Ontario, which might hit shelves with a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 processor. According to a recent article on N4BB, BlackBerry also plans to bring to shelves two new handset lineups, namely the W-series (QWERTY device) and the B-series (All-touch), and it will use the MSM8974 inside these devices as well. However, the company won’t stop here, it seems. At least one of the vendor’s upcoming smartphones will be powered by a Snapdragon MSM8994 processor, the news site notes.

This chipset sports an octa-core 64-bit architecture, while being built using the 20 nm HKMG process. It can top clock speeds of up to 2.5GHz, with each core enjoying 4MB L2 cache. On top of that, the chip promises 1600MHz 4GB RAM LPDDR3 PoP and Adreno 430 500 MHz graphics, along with features such as Pixel fill Rate 6Gpix/s, Vertex 500Mtri/s, OpenGL ES3.0, direct x11.1, and OpenCL1.2. Apparently, despite the fact that BlackBerry has seen a new management reshuffle recently, the company hasn’t canceled devices in its roadmap. 

However, there’s no specific info available on when the handset might be officially launched, nor on when it should become available for purchase. Rumor has it that the Canadian vendor will launch it by 2015, yet an official confirmation hasn’t been provided. Should the speculation above pan out, it might not be too long before some very powerful BlackBerry phones land on shelves, that’s for sure, so stay tuned to learn more on them.

BlackBerry to launch quad-core and octa-core smartphones soon
Image credits to BlackBerry

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BlackBerry Ontario Emerges in Geekbench App, Specs Unveiled

One of the smartphones that Canadian mobile phone maker BlackBerry might make official in the not too distant future is codenamed BlackBerry Ontario, and it seems that the device has just made an appearance in a benchmarking application.

According to the leaked info on the smartphone, users might see it launched with a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor packed inside, as well as with 2GB of RAM. Moreover, it seems that the handset will land on the market with the BlackBerry OS 10.3 platform loaded on top.

According to N4BB, chances are that this phone will arrive as a high-end device, despite BlackBerry’s focus on the entry- and mid-range segment of the market. However, there’s no telling on whether the info on BlackBerry Ontario is indeed real or not, so we’ll take it with a grain of salt for the time being.

BlackBerry Ontario emerges in benchmark
Image credits to Primatelabs

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Xperia Z1 Compact Now Shipping in France, Italy, and Spain

Xperia Z1 Compact, the latest Android-based smartphone from Japanese mobile phone maker Sony Mobile, is currently shipping in more markets in Europe, including France, Italy, and Spain, it seems.

The handset emerged in Sony’s online store in these countries not long ago, and devices are currently being delivered to users, a recent post on XperiaGuide reads. Xperia Z1 Compact was launched in France with a price tag of €499 ($677) attached to it, in all of the announced colors, namely Black, Pink, Lime, and White.

In Italy, the mobile phone can be seen on Sony’s online portal with a price tag of €489 ($663), in three colors, with Pink out of stock at the moment. Users in Spain, however, will be able to purchase the phone for €539 ($731), but only in Black and Pink.

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
Image credits to Sony France

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D-Link and Chinese Info Security Provider Launch Smart WLAN Router

The Chinese can be really possessive and controlling of what is sold in their stores, which means that companies from other countries, in this case D-Link, sometimes need to collaborate with them and make joint products.

So here we are, beholding the Taipei, Taiwan-based D-Link 360Mini, a smart router that has antivirus software developed by Qihoo 360. For those unaware, Qihoo 360 Technology is a China-based information security software solution provider. In addition to WLAN wireless networking and antivirus capabilities, the product also boasts cloud software developed by D-Link itself.

The performance of wireless transmissions is 150 Mbps, as permitted by the 802.11n protocol. China is still a fairly lucrative market for pretty much every tech company, so D-Link must want this new product to sell well there. I suppose we'll find out how things went at the end of the year.

D-Link 360 Mini
Image credits to Yesky

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Samsung Unveils Galaxy Fame Lite, Trend and Core LaFleur Editions

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung has been long rumored to plan the launch of LaFleur editions of many of its smartphones, and it appears that the company has decided to officially unveil these handsets in Russia.

Starting today, users in this country can head over to the company’s website to have a closer look at LaFleur editions of Galaxy Fame Lite, Galaxy Trend and Galaxy Core smartphones, it seems. Previously, the company was confirmed to release similar versions of the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S4 mini (both single- and dual-SIM variants) handsets, and they are listed online in Russia as well.

All smartphones feature the same specs as their original models, but feature a redesigned outer case. Unfortunately, as SamMobile notes, no specific info on whether these phones will be released in more markets out there has been provided until now. here are images gallery, click for larger image.

Samsung Galaxy Trend LaFleur Edition
Images credits to Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Core LaFleur Edition
Images credits to Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Fame Lite LaFleur Edition
Images credits to Samsung

Samsung releases LaFleur versions of various devices
Image credits to Samsung

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Jolla Releases Software Update 1.0.3.8 for Its Sailfish OS Smartphone

Today, Jolla has announced a new software release for the owners of its Sailfish OS-based devices, namely version 1.0.3.8.

Users should receive a notification on their devices as soon as the new OS version is available, but they will need a working Jolla account for that. However, those who have already purchased Jolla’s phone can also manually check on the availability of the new software version, by going to Settings > System Settings > About Product, pull down the pulley menu and select “Check for update.” The new release brings along a nice range of enhancements, including support for landscape mode for Browser, gestures and notifications, as well as pinch-to-zoom support in Camera viewfinder.

The release notes for the new update also include:

• SMS support in Android runtime environment
• Clearly distinguish Android apps from native apps in Store
• Settings to disable/enable Quick call support in Phone app (from Settings->Apps->Phone)
• 'Clear clipboard' functionality
• Delete all contacts in one go ( via pulley menu option in People app settings)
• Improved recovery mode functionality introducing new features such as bootloader unlocking, shell and filesystem recovery options
• Exchange ActiveSync policies introduced ('DevicePasswordEnabled' only)
• Event location support to calendar events

According to Jolla, Sailfish OS users will see that Android applications will start with a certain delay, all depending on the number of such apps that have been installed. “Wait for a bit before you attempt to launch them. If the environment has not been fully loaded, you will experience apps closing on startup,” the company notes on its support website. Following the update, users will also see a variety of other improvements loaded on their devices, Jolla claims. Those who would like to learn more on what the new software release will bring along should head over to the aforementioned page on the company’s website for a full list of changes.

Jolla pushes out new Sailfish OS update
Image credits to Jolla

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Lenovo Won’t Change Motorola’s 2014 / 2015 Device Roadmap

Soon, Motorola will cease to be a Google company, and will become part of Lenovo, the Chinese vendor that confirmed earlier this week plans to purchase the handset maker.

One of the main questions that emerged after the announcement was what would happen to the handsets that Motorola might have already had under development. Apparently, Lenovo won’t change the current device roadmap that Motorola has established for this year and the next, though things should be different starting with 2016 onwards.

Little is known on what Motorola might have in store for its users in the coming months, but the good news is that Lenovo will allow it to launch the handsets it wants to. Hopefully, upgraded versions of Moto X and Moto G will hit shelves in the not too distant future. For the next year, the vendor is rumored to plan the launch of a 6-inch smartphone, one that TalkAndroid suggests might be called Xplay.

Lenovo won't change Motorola's current device roadmap
Image credits to Motorola

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BBM for Gingerbread Leaked Available Ahead of Official Launch

BlackBerry has already confirmed plans to bring the BlackBerry Messenger to Android devices out there running under the Gingerbread version of the platform, and it seems that users can now get a taste of the application before its official release.

The app will be officially pushed to the owners of Gingerbread phones and tablets starting with the next month, but a leaked build of the software is now up for grabs online, courtesy of N4BB. The BBM for Android beta APK aimed at said devices comes with a series of interface changes, with the top bar now being black (it is grey in the BBM for Android app already available for download). Moreover, the software features a “Find Friends on BBM” option, which has already been included in the BBM for Android 2.0 beta variant. However, N4BB notes that the leaked application build does not come with BBM Channels inside. The feature was recently said to arrive on Android and iOS devices in February, alongside BBM Voice.

Moreover, it appears that BlackBerry IDs are not whitelisted in this app version, which means that anyone will be able to log in without issues. BBM for Gingerbread seems to be running fairly smoothly on Android smartphones, showing that BlackBerry has been focused on ensuring great performance with it. However, it appears that users won’t be able to install the leaked app on a PlayBook device, and that converting it to a BAR resulted in force closes. At the moment, Gingerbread powers around 21 percent of all Android-based devices out there, which means that there are millions of users who will be able to download and install BBM soon.

Those who would like to try it before the official software is made available next month should head over to N4BB for a download link. Just keep in mind that it is a leaked build, and that it is also a beta version.

BBM logo
Image credits to BlackBerry

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