Waterproof LG Optimus GJ Arriving in Taiwan on May 22

Following Samsung’s business model, LG plans to launch a rugged version of its flagship smartphone. It appears that LG Optimus G will soon have a twin brother that won’t have any troubles functioning under water.

UnwiredView reports that a certain LG Optimus GJ will be introduced in Taiwan next week. Local media has already received invitations for a launch event, which is set for May 22. LG Optimus GJ is the rugged version of Optimus G and it’s said to be waterproof (IPX7 certified). The rest of the phone’s specs will be similar to the standard model, though we will know for certain when the device goes official.

For the time being, there’s no telling whether or not LG plans to introduce the Optimus GJ in other countries as well, but stay tuned for more info on this one.

LG Optimus G
Image credits to UnwiredView

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Samsung Galaxy Grand Quattro Goes on Sale in India for $310/€240

Android enthusiasts in India rejoice, as Samsung has just introduced the Galaxy Win in the country, but this one comes with dual-SIM capability.

Samsung Galaxy Win has been recently launched in Europe, but it does not feature dual-SIM. However, Indian customers have been offered the opportunity to grab this smartphone for not so high a price.  According to fonearena, the Galaxy Win is now available for purchase in Black Mist and Frost White for only Rs 16,900 outright, which is about $310 or €240. Check it out here. Keep in mind though that the dual-SIM version of Galaxy Win has been renamed for marketing purposes and is selling in India as Samsung Galaxy Grand Quattro. As the name suggests, the smartphone comes equipped with a 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor, which is complemented by 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory. Users will be able to further expand storage up to 32GB via microSD memory card. Another selling point of the phone is the large 4.7-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports 480 x 800 pixels resolution.

According to Samsung, the Galaxy Grand Quattro ships with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system out of the box, but it won’t come as a surprise if the company offers an Android 4.2 upgrade in the not so distant future. On the back, the smartphone packs a 5-megapixel photo snapper with LED flash, autofocus and HD (720p) video recording. There’s also a secondary VGA front-facing camera for video calls. Other highlights of the Galaxy Grand Quattro include: HSDPA (7.2Mbps) and HSUPA (5.76Mbps) support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, as well as GPS with A-GPS support and 2000 mAh battery that has yet to be rated by the manufacturer. For the time being, the device is only available for purchase via Samsung India online store, but we suspect that other major retailers across the country will offer the Galaxy Grand Quattro soon.

Samsung Galaxy Grand Quattro
Image credits to Samsung India

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ZTE Grand X2 In (Intel-Based) Official with Jelly Bean and 4.5-Inch Display

Chinese handset maker ZTE has just announced the upcoming availability of the Intel-powered Grand X2 In Android smartphone.

According to ZTE, the recently introduced device will be available for purchase in Europe beginning Q3 2013. No word on pricing options yet, but stay tuned for more info on this one. “We are proud to announce the ZTE Grand X2 In smartphone pursuing our multi-year strategic collaboration with Intel. The ZTE Grand X2 In is set to build on the success of the ZTE Grand X In, our first flagship smartphone in Europe to feature Intel Inside, and further increase ZTE’s growth in the high-performance smartphone market segment,” said William Chhao, terminal director at ZTE France. ZTE Grand X2 In features an Intel Atom Z2580 chipset that accommodates a 2GHz single-core processor and 1GB of RAM. The smartphone also packs 8GB of internal memory, which can be further expanded up to 32GB via microSD memory card.

Even though ZTE has confirmed that the Grand X2 In will ship with Jelly Bean operating system onboard, it has yet to state what version it will run out of the box. It is also worth mentioning that ZTE’s mid-range Android smartphone boasts an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash, autofocus and video recording. A secondary 1-megapixel front-facing camera for video calls will be available as well. The Grand X2 In sports a large 4.5 inch HD (1280 x 720 pixels) capacitive touchscreen display optimized by ZTE’s My-Pop function for easy-to-use one-handed operation and IPS technology that prevents screen picture distortion. “We are excited to extend our collaboration with ZTE on their latest innovative platform, the new Grand X2 In. Our teams have worked together to harness the power of the Intel Atom processor Z2580 to create a high performance smartphone with market-leading features and long battery life,” said Helmut Vogler, vice president and general manager of mobile and wireless sales at Intel.

ZTE Grand X2 In
Image credits to ZTE

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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Benchmark Result is 20% Better than GTX 680

This is yet another instance of the newest high-end NVIDIA graphics card making the news. Not that I can blame it after this.

And by “this” I don't mean the teaser trailer for EVGA's custom-made GeForce GTX 700 series cooler, though that one was a nice find too. After all, it means that the GTX 780 will be the first GK110-based card that NVIDIA's partners will be allowed to customize from the get-go. Instead, I am talking about the first benchmarks published of the GeForce GTX 780 video adapter. They were posted on the Chiphell forums and clearly show the GeForce GTX 780 overpowering the GeForce GTX 680 by 20%.

For those who want a short lowdown of the specs, the GeForce GTX 780 has a GK110-300-A2 GPU with 2,304 CUDA cores and 320/384-bit memory interface. 3 GB of GDDR5 back it up. The GPU clock is of 837 / 876 MHz, while the VRAm works at 6 GHz. Sales will start on May 23 for $500 / €500.

NVIDIA GTX 780 performance
Image credits to ChipHell

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Sprint ZTE Quantum Coming with 1.5 GHz Dual-Core CPU and 5-Inch HD Display

It appears that Sprint and ZTE have teamed up once again to offer Android fans another high-end smartphone, the Quantum.

According to AndroidPolice, Sprint is currently testing the ZTE Quantum and is expected to announce the smartphone in the coming weeks. ZTE Quantum is a mid- to high-end smartphone powered by Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean operating system. The device is said to come equipped with a dual-core Qualcomm MSM896 Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.5 GHz. Other hardware specs leaked online suggest that ZTE Quantum packs 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal memory, which can be further expanded up to 32GB via microSD memory card. On the back, the smartphone sports an impressive 13-megapixel photo snapper with LED flash, autofocus and full HD (1080p) video recording. There’s also a secondary 1-megapixel camera in the front for video calls. Aside from the dual-core processor that is complemented by an Adreno 225 graphics processing unit, ZTE Quantum is also said to boast a large 5-inch HD capacitive touchscreen display that supports 720 x 1280 pixels resolution.

When it comes to connectivity, ZTE Quantum is an all-rounder. The smartphone is fully compatible with Sprint’s 4G LTE network and offers NFC (Near Field Communication) and dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity.  It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but ZTE Quantum could be a global phone. It is common knowledge that Sprint usually releases LTE handsets with embedded SIMs, but this one has its own SIM slot. ZTE Quantum has leaked recently as N8910, but no additional details on its availability were known until today. The N8910 has received its Wi-Fi and DLNA certifications recently, so there’s no doubt the device is real.

Unfortunately, there is no info on when exactly the smartphone will arrive at Sprint or for what price it will go on sale. Stay tuned for more updates on the matter.

ZTE Quantum for Sprint
Image credits to AndroidPolice

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Eurocom Panther Now Use AMD Radeon HD 8970M

Eurocom's Panther notebook has such powerful hardware that the company went as far as to say that it was the most powerful laptop in the world.

I'll leave it to it and its various challengers to decide if that's really true, through whatever means they choose. Provided they bother staging a competition. Right now, it's more important to note the new upgrade that Eurocom made to the laptop: the discrete graphics card has been switched for the new AMD Radeon HD 8970M, the GPU that was unleashed just days ago. It's not all that clear how much more expensive the Panther will be getting after this.

Then again, when the starting price is of $3,120 / €2,692, buyers aren't likely to flinch at some extra cost anyway. “The EUROCOM Panther was already the most powerful laptop in the world and is now even more powerful with the introduction of dual AMD Radeon HD 8970M graphics processors to accompany the Intel Core i7-3970X processor, 32 GB of available memory and up to 4 storage drives,” said Mark Bialic, Eurocom president.

Eurocom Panther 4.0
Image credits to Eurocom

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Oppo Find 5 Gets Enhancements in New Software Update

Owners of an Oppo Find 5 smartphone will be happy to learn that a nice range of enhancements is currently headed their way through a software update, one that arrives as version X909EN_13_130514.

The firmware refresh is being delivered to users both over the air and on the web, so that they could update their devices in the manner they consider best fitted for them. In fact, Oppo has already published specific info on the update and on the manner in which users can install it on their devices, all available on this page on its support website. Following the installation of this software, users will be able to take advantage of 1080p icons for common third-party apps, while also enjoying display optimizations on their devices, it seems. According to the available release notes, the display has been optimized in the Storage Download information section, and there are also a series of improvements related to the Weather Screen Locker.

Additionally, the update brings along a variety of fixes for various issues that were found to affect users’ experience with the smartphone, and which were included in the release based on feedback received from those who already purchased the device. As fonearena notes, some of the fixes available for Oppo Find 5 include:

• Fixed an issue where Gmail and some other apps didn’t sync when screen was off. 
• Fixed an issue that caused the incorrect carrier name to be displayed. 
• Fixed an issue that changed the default APN settings. 
• Fixed an issue that caused the screen to automatically turn off when using Weather Screen Locker. 
• Fixed an issue where the weather application wouldn’t update when refreshing manually.
• Fixed a rare issue where apps in folders would be unreachable. 
• Fixed a time zone issue for Coeur D’Alene, Idaho in the Clock app. 
• Fixed an issue where Calendar widget would indicate “upcoming events” for past dates. 
• Fixed an issue that caused the SMS app to sometimes show random numbers instead of the contact names.

Other such enhancements were included in the new software as well, all of them detailed in the aforementioned post on the company's support website.

Oppo releases software update for Find 5
Image credits to FoneArena

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Samsung Galaxy Note III to Have Plastic Body and No Flexible Display

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung is expected to stick to a plastic case for its upcoming Galaxy Note III smartphone, the same as it did with the Galaxy S4, the latest reports on the matter suggest.

Previously, the smartphone was rumored to arrive on shelves with a metallic body, but it seems that this won’t happen, a recent article on SamMobile claims. Furthermore, the news site claims that there will be no flexible display present on the device, although some of the previous rumors suggested that Samsung might pack such a panel on the upcoming smartphone.

Galaxy Note III hasn’t been officially confirmed as of now, but Samsung is expected to announce it in fall this year with an eight-core processor, 5.99” Full HD AMOLED display, 13-megapixel camera on the back, 2MP front camera, and the latest Android flavor on top.

Samsung logo
Image credits to Samsung

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Windows Phone Now Third Mobile OS, BlackBerry Fourth

Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system has managed to climb to the third position in the smartphone operating systems segment, a recent report from IDC shows.

According to data coming from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, the platform registered the largest year-over-year increase when compared to rival platforms, and managed to leave BlackBerry behind. Furthermore, said report unveils that Nokia’s Lumia smartphones were the main growth driver for Microsoft’s OS, accounting for over 79 percent of all Windows Phone shipments in the timeframe. “Since Nokia began shipping Windows Phone devices, the company has shipped a total of 20.3 million units and grown the footprint worldwide to include address multiple market segments,” IDC notes. “Meanwhile, other vendors continue to offer Windows Phone devices, but mainly as an alternative to their signature Android devices. Still, the gains made by Windows Phone demonstrate both end-user demand and OEM support.”

However, Google’s Android operating system is still leading the smartphone OS market, with a 75 percent market share. Samsung accounted for 41.1 percent of Android shipments in Q1, IDC reports. Apple’s iOS platform ended the first quarter of the year on the second position with 17.3 percent share and with 37.4 million devices sold, the research firm unveiled. Canadian mobile phone maker BlackBerry saw its market share shrink to only 2.9 percent in the aforementioned timeframe, with only 6.3 million devices shipped. Interestingly enough, shipments of Symbian devices are expected to continue not only this year but also in the next, although the platform has seen a drastic drop in market share when compared to the first quarter of the last year, IDC reports.

“Windows Phone claiming the third spot is a first and helps validate the direction taken by Microsoft and key partner Nokia,” said Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. “Given the relatively low volume generated, the Windows Phone camp will need to show further gains to solidify its status as an alternative to Android or iOS.”

Lumia 925, the latest Windows Phone 8 device from Nokia
Image credits to Nokia

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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Picture Surfaces

The GeForce GTX 780 has been more or less fully detailed at this point, even though official information continues to be held back on.

There were a few photos too, but none that NVIDIA made itself. Now we can finally check out one such photo, thanks to the folks at VideoCardz that nabbed it, somehow. It shows it from the side, and highlights the two-power connectors in particular. One of them is of 8 pins and one is a 6-pin input.

We've detailed the GeForce GTX 780 before, so we won't do it again. Go here to read the specifications and see a box photo, albeit not of the reference adapter. As before, all signs point towards a price of €500 / $500. It makes one wonder how many will buy it when the GTX 770 is also coming.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780
Image credits to VideoCardz

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