BlackBerry Z10 Tear Down, Shows High-End Hardware

BlackBerry Z10, the first smartphone that landed on shelves with the new BlackBerry 10 operating system loaded on top, has been already torn to pieces, showing appealing hardware packed inside.

The smartphone, the first in the new generation that Canadian mobile phone maker BlackBerry has launched on January 30, packs internals similar with high-end smartphones out there, such as Galaxy S III LTE and others. The guys over at TechInsights were those curious enough to tear the phone down to have a look inside it, and they have already shared their findings with the world. BlackBerry Z10 arrives on shelves with a Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 baseband / applications processor, paired with Samsung K3PE0E000A 2 GB Mobile DDR2 SDRAM and Samsung KLMAG2GE4A 16 GB MLC NAND Flash.

Furthermore, the handset features Qualcomm WCD9310 Audio Codec and Qualcomm PM8921 power management chip, along with a Qualcomm RTR8600 GSM / CDMA / W-CDMA / LTE RxD Transceiver + GPS. There’s also a Texas Instruments WL1273L single-chip for 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN, Bluetooth, and FM Radio, along with a TriQuint TQP6M9017 dual-band WLAN Module. Other chips inside the new BlackBerry 10 handset include: Avago ACPM-5017 LTE Band XVII Power Amplifier, Avago ACPM-7051 Quad-Band GSM / W-CDMA Bands I & V Power Amplifier, and RF Micro Devices RF7252 and RF Micro Devices RF7303 CDMA and LTE amplifiers.

BlackBerry also packed the smartphone with a Sony CXM3582UR SP10T Antenna Switch, Inside Secure SECUREAD IC5C633I4 NFC Solution Module, STMicroelectronics LIS3DH MEMS Accelerometer, STMicroelectronics LSM330DLC for 3D Accelerometer and 3D Gyroscope, and Synaptics Clearpad 3203 Touchscreen Controller. As CrackBerry notes, there are other key components inside the new smartphone as well. Those who would like to see the BlackBerry Z10 torn to pieces and to learn some more info on the components found inside it should have a look at this post on ubmtechinsights.

Here's The Key Component Listing

Samsung K3PE0E000A - Multichip Memory - 2 GB Mobile DDR2 SDRAM
Samsung KLMAG2GE4A - Multichip Memory - 16 GB MLC NAND Flash, Controller
Qualcomm MSM8960 - Snapdragon S4 Baseband / Applications Processor
Qualcomm WCD9310 - Audio Codec
Qualcomm PM8921 - Power Management IC
Qualcomm RTR8600 - GSM / CDMA / W-CDMA / LTE RxD Transceiver + GPS
Texas Instruments WL1273L - Single-Chip 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN, Bluetooth, and FM
TriQuint TQP6M9017 - Dual-Band WLAN Module
RF Micro Devices RF7252 - CDMA/WCDMA BAND 2 Linear Power Amplifier Module
RF Micro Devices RF7303 - LTE/UMTS/CDMA BAND 3 Linear Power Amplifier Module
Inside Secure SECUREAD IC5C633I4- NFC Solution Module
Avago ACPM-5017 - LTE Band XVII Power Amplifier
Avago ACPM-7051 - Quad-Band GSM / W-CDMA Bands I & V Power Amplifier
Sony CXM3582UR - SP10T Antenna Switch
ST Microelectronics LIS3DH - MEMS Accelerometer
ST Microelectronics LSM330DLC - 3D Accelerometer & 3D Gyroscope
Synaptics Clearpad 3203 - Capacitive Touchscreen Controller

BlackBerry Z10
Image credits to RIM

a closer look at the Qualcomm MSM8960
Image credits to TechInsights

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Samsung Galaxy S IV (SHV-E300S) Spotted in GLBenchmark

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung has been long rumored to plan the launch of a Galaxy S IV smartphone, a successor for last year’s Galaxy S III, which was already spotted online as the SHV-E300S, and which made an appearance in GLBenchmark.

The Samsung SHV-E300S is said to be a South Korean flavor of the smartphone, set to become available for purchase in the country on the network of wireless carrier SK Telecom. According to the aforementioned listing on GLBenchmark, the device will arrive on shelves with a 1.9GHz processor packed inside (supposedly a quad-core one), as well as with an Adreno320 GPU. Furthermore, the smartphone is said to feature an FHD (1920 x 1080 pixel) display, while running under Google’s Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean operating system. Featuring the codename of JF (which points at its launch at SK Telecom, Ameblo says), the handset is said to be running the JOP40D Jelly Bean build at the moment, though it might arrive on shelves with a newer flavor of the operating system loaded on top.

The handset was spotted before with LTE / WCDMA / GSM connectivity inside, yet it remains to be seen what frequencies it will support when released. On the international market, the smartphone is expected to sport the model number of GT-I9500, at least this is what previous reports on this have suggested. For the time being, however, no official confirmation on the existence of the Galaxy S IV has been provided, though more and more info spotted online suggests that it might be announced sooner rather than later. Rumor has it that Samsung would be set to make the phone official during March, while aiming at bringing it to shelves in various markets around the world starting with the April-May timeframe. More info on the matter should emerge soon, so stay tuned.

Samsung Galaxy S IV spotted in GLBenchmark
Image credits to GLBenchmark

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Nokia Shows Windows 8 Tablet in Pakistan

Today, Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia launched its Windows Phone 8-based Lumia 620 in Pakistan, where it also showcased a Windows 8 tablet next to the phone, presumably the long rumored slate that it would bring to shelves with Microsoft’s operating system loaded on top.

Featuring a thin bezel and rounded sides, the device appears to sport similarities with Nokia’s Lumia series, although there’s no telling on whether it is indeed the much expected device. After all, it is possible that Nokia was presenting the syncing capabilities of its Windows Phone 8 handsets with Windows 8-based products, and that the slate in this photo, available courtesy of Nokia Gadgets, was nothing more than a placeholder.

As MyNokiaBlog notes, with MWC 2013 just around the corner, it should not be too long before specific details on Nokia’s plans for the tablet market are unveiled, so stay tuned to learn the news.

Nokia Shows Windows 8 Tablet
Image credits to Nokia Gadgets

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Samsung Galaxy S IV Project J Involves More Devices

Samsung has been recently said to plan the launch of Galaxy S IV as part of its Project J initiative, but it seems that other devices might be released along with this high-end smartphone as well.

According to a recent article on SamMobile, Project J will include at least three handsets, with Altius being the GT-I9500 Galaxy S IV. Furthermore, there’s also a Project J Mini, codenamed Serrano, which might turn out to be a Galaxy S IV mini, along with Project J Active, codenamed Fortius.

Each of these devices would arrive on shelves with its own set of accessories, with Fortius expected to be accompanied by some strange ones, such as Arm Band, Bike Mount and Pouch. For the time being, however, Samsung hasn’t confirmed specific details on the upcoming Galaxy S IV, and we should take the above with a grain of salt.

Samsung logo
Image credits to Samsung

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Lava XOLO A1000, 5-Inch Display and Jelly Bean Coming to India

The unannounce Lava XOLO A1000 smartphone, recently been spotted in India. Will ship this February 18 in India

The folks over at FoneArena were lucky enough to get their hands on this high-end Android smartphone and they’ve already published some pictures showing the device. First of all, XOLO A1000 is not an Intel-based smartphone as we have originally thought. The handset is equipped with a 1.2 GHz dual-core Mediatek MT6577 processor, as well as 1GB of RAM. Another selling point of the phone is the large 5-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports HD (720p) resolution.

On the back, XOLO A1000 boasts an impressive 8-megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash, while in the front there’s a secondary VGA camera for video calls. It also comes with dual-SIM connectivity and a pretty decent 2100 mAh Li-Ion battery. According to NDTV, Lava will ship the XOLO A1000 with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean of the box, as soon as February 18.

Lava XOLO A1000
Image credits to FoneArena

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LG Optimus L5 II and Optimus L7 II Emerge in GLBenchmarks

South Korean mobile phone maker LG Electronics is reportedly gearing up for the launch of new Android-based devices before the end of this month, and some more info on the capabilities of two of these smartphones is now available.

Both handsets have been spotted in the GLBenchmark database recently, as LG E455 and LG P715, while expected to arrive on shelves as Optimus L5 II and Optimus L7 II, respectively. The LG Optimus L7 II, supposedly the high-end smartphone in the series, has managed to top 475 Frames (4.2 Fps) in the benchmark, while LG Optimus L5 II has reached only 275 Frames (2.4 Fps).

As PhoneArena notes, while the successor of Optimus L7 will land on shelves with an Adreno 203 GPU inside, the Optimus L5 II will be powered by PowerVR SGX 531 graphics. LG has yet to officially confirm such details on them.

LG Optimus L5 II

LG Optimus L7 II
Images credits to GLBenchmark

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Download iOS 6.1.1 Official Release Now

Apple has released iOS 6.1.1 Software Update, a bug-fix release targeted at “cellular performance and reliability for iPhone 4S.”

After Vodafone’s mass text message warning against iOS 6.1 and AOL’s restrictive move to disable calendar functions, Apple has promptly addressed the bugs affecting wireless connectivity on iPhone 4S handsets. Available via OTA (over-the-air), iOS 6.1.1 Software Update “fixes an issue that could impact cellular performance and reliability for iPhone 4S,” reads a technical note posted minutes ago on Apple’s Support site.

The update is available for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad. iOS 6.1.1 contains all the new features delivered in iOS 6.1. Hackers have recently confirmed that iOS 6.1.1 doesn’t patch the jailbreak exploits in evasi0n.

iOS 6.1.1 Software Update
Image credits to Apple

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New Huawei Ascend P2 Hands-On Photo

One of the highly appealing smartphones that Chinese mobile phone maker Huawei is expected to bring to the market in the not too distant future is the Ascend P2, which is currently rumored to make an official appearance at the MWC 2013 show in Barcelona later this month.

A new photo allegedly depicting the yet unannounced Android-based smartphone is now available for your viewing pleasure, courtesy of cnbeta. Just as previously rumored, the smartphone is expected to land on shelves with waterproof capabilities, while also sporting dustproof features, in line with the IP54 standards, gizchina notes in a recent article.

Ascend P2 is expected to be launched as the next flagship Android-based smartphone from Huawei, at least for the P series. The company has already launched highly appealing Android smartphones this year, including the Ascend D2 and the Ascend Mate.

Huawei Ascend P2
Image credits to cnbeta via GizChina

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HighPoint RocketU 1144CM RAID Card

Portable storage devices come in handy often, so it might help to have a means to connect them to a PC without crowding the motherboard's USB ports.

The new RAID hos bus adapter from HighPoint, called RocketU 1144CM, does that and more. It has four USB 3.0 ports, each one capable of handling any external SSD, HDD or drive enclosure. Each port has its own USB 3.0 controller though, which means that the fastest SATA performance possible over USB is available to all drives connected, instead of splitting the bandwidth. There is also the matter of RAID support, which turns four connected drives into a single partition.

The four 5 Gbps links become a single 20 Mbps connection in such situations. HighPoint made the RocketU 1144CM USB 3.0 RAID HBA for Apple's Mac OS X 10.8x Mountain Lion, so Mac owners can rejoice. RAID 0, 1 and JBOD levels are selectable. The price is of $149.99 / 112.10 Euro.

HighPoint RocketU 1144CM RAID Card
Image credits to HighPoint

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ASUS GeForce Titan: GK110 GPU, Same Clocks as GTX 690, 512-Bit Interface

NVIDIA may have a tight lid on its GeForce Titan graphics card, but its OEMs don't seem to. ASUS, at least, has leaked quite a bit of information on it.

In all fairness, though, it isn't ASUS so much, but online retailers and random forum visitors. Last week we got a tentative description of the performance, but now we have new information, some of which contradicts previous reports. While no one is denying that the Titan will have 6 GB of GDDR5 VRAm and GPU boost technology, new online listings say the memory interface will not be of 384 bits, but of 512 bits.

Then we have the completely new information about the clock speed of the GK110 GPU: 915 MHz base clock, 1019 MHz boost (6 GHz for the RAM). Quite a bit above the previously reported 732 MHz. This is all that bears mentioning at this time. We will keep an ear to the ground for more data.

GeForce GTX Titan initial picture
Image credits to WCCFtech

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