Meizu MX3 Emerges Leaked Photos Shows Edge-To-Edge Screen

Chinese mobile phone maker Meizu has been long rumored to be working on the release of a new device in its popular MX series, namely the Meizu MX3, and new allegedly leaked photos with the device appear meant to confirm its existence.

The handset is expected to arrive on shelves with a 5.5-inch Full HD touchscreen, one that would stretch from edge to edge, as said photos show, mobileaks.nl notes. Furthermore, the mobile phone is said to pack an Exynos 5410 processor inside, as well as a 13-megapixel photo snapper on the back.

Furthermore, the upcoming mobile phone is said to run under Google’s Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean operating system, with the company’s own Flyme 3.0 loaded on top. No official confirmation on the smartphone has emerged until now, but Meizu is expected to officially unveil the MX3 on July 9, so stay tuned for more on this.

Meizu MX3
Image credits to weibo via mobileaks.nl

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Android 4.3 to Arrive with New Notification Service

Android 4.3, the next flavor of Google’s mobile operating system, expected to arrive on devices as part of the Jelly Bean branch, is said to sport a variety of new features and enhancements, including a new notification system.

According to Android Police, the Android 4.3 code coming from a leaked Galaxy S4 Google Edition port shows that applications will be able to read notifications, dismiss them, and even activate action buttons in notifications.  “[…] will be able to read all notifications posted by the system or any installed app, which may include personal information such as contact names and the text of messages sent to you. It will also be able to dismiss these notifications or touch action buttons within them,” said code reportedly shows.

Apps that will take advantage of this will be some sort of “notification listeners,” yet it appears that they will receive higher permissions than third-party apps have today. It remains to be seen how exactly it will affect users’ experience with the OS.

Android 4.3 Jelly Bean packs a new Notifications Service
Image credits to Google

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Xiaomi Preparing 7-Inch Tablet

Chinese mobile phone maker Xiaomi is reportedly getting ready for making a debut in the tablet market, and is already testing a device for that.

The slate is said to sport a 7-inch touchscreen display, and might make an official appearance on August 16, alongside other new devices from Xiaomi. The first prototypes of the yet unannounced slate are currently undergoing testing at Foxconn, it seems, which raises questions regarding the emergence of a final flavor on the aforementioned date.

According to GizChina, the upcoming device should run a version of MIUI, and might be priced at only 999 Yuan (around $162 / €125). August 16 might also bring to the spotlight a new flagship smartphone from the handset vendor, none other than the long-rumored Xiaomi Mi3, along with other new products, such as a Smart TV.

Xiaomi Mi Pad slate
Image credits to GizChina

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Android 4.3 Comes with Always-On Wi-Fi, Updated Roboto Typeface

Android 4.3, the next flavor of Google’s mobile operating system, hasn’t been officially unveiled as of now, but more and more info on what it is bound to bring along is now available, courtesy of a leaked build that emerged earlier this week for the Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone.

Among the changes included in the upcoming OS release, still part of the Jelly Bean branch, the guys over at Android Police discovered new Wi-Fi power settings. The most important change there would be the fact that applications will be allowed to search for a WiFi connection even if WiFi was turned off. "To improve location accuracy and for other purposes, Google and other apps may scan for nearby networks, even when Wi-Fi is off. If you don't want this to happen, go to Advanced > Scanning always available," code string in Android 4.3 reads. As can be seen, users will be provided with the option to completely turn off WiFi, should they not agree with this kind of behavior from apps on their devices.

Additionally, the leaked Android 4.3 build that said news site took for a spin also showed an updated Roboto typeface. Apparently, the Roboto files in the ROM were much bigger than those in Android 4.2.2, up 30 percent, which is easily explained by the presence of no less than 15 extra glyphs in it. But this is not all, as Roboto also got a facelift in Android 4.3, with a wide range of changes included into it, making the typeface more refined, balanced, and dynamic than before, Android Police unveils. Apparently, both Roboto Regular and Roboto Thin were modified in the new operating system flavor, accompanied by punctuation marks as well, it seems. After bring launched in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Roboto appears set to become smoother and more balanced in the new platform release, and might see more changes in future OS flavors.

Android 4.3 Jelly Bean packs a redesigned Roboto typeface
Image credits to Google

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Sony Xperia i1 Honami Spotted in Leaked Official Press Shots

Sony Xperia i1 Honami, the long rumored flagship smartphone from the Japanese handset vendor Sony, has made another appearance online, this time in a set of leaked press photos, it seems.

The photos, spotted over at the XDA-Developers, show the device with an aluminum frame wrapped around its body, as well as with a dedicated camera button, something that was spotted in previously leaked shots with the device as well. Furthermore, the mobile phone is said to pack a 20-megapixel photo snapper on the back, capable of recording 4k videos, something that no other handset available on the market at the moment can. For the time being, however, there’s no telling on whether the leaked shots are indeed real, so we’ll take them with a grain of salt until an official announcement is made on the matter. Apparently, said leaked photos show the International flavor of the device, though there is also a Japanese flavor of Sony Honami set to arrive on shelves, with one photo allegedly confirming that as well.

Expected to arrive on shelves as Xperia i1, the smartphone is said to include a 5-inch full HD touchscreen display, along with a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor inside, and 2GB of RAM. As Techkiddy notes, the upcoming handset might be launched in 16GB and 32GB flavors, with a microSD memory card slot also included, for storage expansion. The specifications list of the new device is also said to include dust, water and shock resistance, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and LTE support, a metal and glass body, and a 3000mAh battery. Sony’s Xperia i1 might hit shelves running under Google’s Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean operating system loaded, as well as with the mobile phone maker’s own user interface loaded on top.

Rumor has it that Sony will officially announce the smartphone on July 4, during a press event announced for France, so stay tuned to learn more on the matter.

Sony Xperia i1 Honami
Images credits to XDA-Developers via techkiddy

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Samsung Galaxy Note III to Sport an LCD Screen in Some Markets

Samsung Galaxy Note III, the long rumored large smartphone that South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung will make official in its popular Galaxy Note series later this summer, is now rumored to arrive on shelves in some markets with an IPS LCD screen. 

According to a recent article on ETNews, Samsung is working on the release of two different flavors of the device, one with an AMOLED screen, and the other packing LCD, due to the high demand in OLED panels, which could lead to shortages. The news site also notes that Samsung might plan on purchasing the LCD screens from Japanese companies such as Sharp, yet nothing has been confirmed.

As SammyHub notes, the Galaxy Note III might be launched with a 5.7-inch display and a Snapdragon 800 processor packed inside. It might also include LTE-Advanced capabilities.

Samsung logo
Image credits to Samsung

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Source Code Available for HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition

Soon after the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One arrived in the Google Play Store with the stock Android platform loaded on top, the source code for them was also made available for download.

However, although some might have expected for the kernel to arrive via Google, the code was actually published on the developer websites of HTC and Samsung, respectively. This clearly shows that the new devices, which are set to provide their users with a “Nexus experience,” are not seen as Nexus handsets on their own, despite the pure Android platform they run under.

Furthermore, it seems that updates for both of them will arrive from their manufacturers, rather than from Google themselves, which further distinguishes them from the popular series of Google-branded devices.  Those interested in having a closer look at the software for the two should head over to the Samsung Open Source Release Center (and search for GT-I9505G there), or to the HTCDev website.

Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Edition
Image credits to Pocketnow

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Android 4.3 Camera App Now Available for Download

One of the features that the newly launched Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Edition smartphones arrived on shelves with was a new interface for the camera application, and it seems that more users can now take advantage of it.

The application was previously spotted on a Nexus 4 with Android 4.3 packed inside, and might be released to the world as part of that platform version, yet those who would like to grab it before that can already do so, unofficially. The software’s .APK file was made available for download through various sharing sites and, while it appears mostly safe to install, it might cause some issues on certain devices.

According to Pocketnow, for example, it will replace the current camera app on Nexus handsets, while being installed alongside the existing one on other smartphones. Fonearena notes that there are a series of improvements made to photosphere and film strip view, and that only Android 4.0 and newer devices can install the app.

Android 4.3 camera app
Image credits to Pocketnow

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New Camera App Included in Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Edition

The newly released Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Edition smartphones will provide users with more than just the stock Android experience, despite featuring no custom software on top of the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean platform version.

Apparently, both these devices sport a new Camera app interface, different from what Android 4.2.2-based Nexus phones can offer at the moment, but similar to what a previously leaked Android 4.3 video had to show. The new flavors of the Galaxy S4 and HTC One will offer five options to users when pressing and holding the screen in the camera app, displayed in a new curved line, a recent article on AnandTech explains. Also, the volume buttons can be used as shutter triggers, it seems. Through these settings, users will receive fast access to HDR mode, exposure adjustments, flash mode, and front and rear camera switching, and a More Options feature. Hitting “More Options” will offer access to a new menu, with features disposed in a semicircle as well, offering the possibility to opt in or out of location data for their photos, to adjust the image size and color temperature, select scene mode, and activate the countdown timer.

The camera app will provide mostly the same functionality as it did before, but the interface has been updated, most probably hinting at what’s set to arrive on other stock Android devices as well. Apparently, some other changes have been included in the two devices as well, such as a new Sun Beam live wallpaper, a modified flavor of the Phase Beam live wallpaper that has been available inside Android for a while now.  At the same time, the two handsets sport the new Google Keep note-taking service pre-loaded right from the start, and also come with modified boot animations. Users interested in grabbing the Galaxy S4 or the HTC One with stock Android loaded on top can find them available in the Google Play Store today, though only in select markets.

Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Edition
Image credits to The Verge

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Motorola to Launch Droid RAZR Ultra, RAZR M Ultra on Verizon

Mobile phone maker Motorola might soon make official some new devices in its Android series, such as the Droid RAZR Ultra and RAZR M Ultra, rumored to become available for purchase in the United States on the network of Verizon Wireless.

The two companies have launched some successful phones in the DROID lineup, including last year’s RAZR handsets, and it would not come as a surprise if new products were added to the series, that’s for sure.  Provided that the info that emerged courtesy of @evleaks pans out, it won't be too long before Motorola unveils some additional details on this. A certain DROID Ultra Maxx phone will be launched as well, Droid-life claims.

No confirmation on this has surfaced, but the new “Ultra” family of smartphones could prove to be Verizon’s exclusive version of the long rumored Motorola X phones (already said to land on shelves at other carriers in the US).

Motorola RAZR HD
Image credits to droid-life

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