Samsung’s Tizen Smartphones Delayed to Q4

Not long ago, South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics confirmed plans to bring its first Tizen OS-based smartphones to shelves during summer, but it seems that it might have delayed their release.

According to the latest reports on the matter, the company might not have these handsets ready for launch before October or November this year, a good two-three months later than initially expected. The main reason for the push back is said to be the lack of applications for the platform, although an official confirmation on this has yet to emerge.

As Techkiddy notes, the first smartphone running under Tizen should be the Samsung GT-I8800/GT-I8805, which was rumored with a quad-core Exynos 4412 processor inside, and with a 720p display. Based on HTML5, Samsung’s Tizen OS should also offer support for the company’s S-Voice feature.

Alleged Tizen OS-based Samsung GT-I8800/GT-I8805
Image credits to tizen.gr via techkiddy

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MediaTek to Launch MT6592 8-Core Mobile CPU in This Month

Chip maker MediaTek is expected to enter the 8-core mobile processors market before the end of this month, with an upcoming MT6592 CPU.

The company was rumored to plan the launch of an 8-core CPU ever since last year, but no official confirmation on the matter has been provided as of now. However, GizChina cites sources from Taiwan claiming that the company’s new chip will be ready for unveiling before the end of this month, and that it will be based on 8 Cortex-A7, 28nm processors.

The CPU should be able to clock it at up to 2GHz and to deliver impressive performance levels, reaching 30,000 points in AnTuTu. While manufacturers will receive access to the first batch of processors later this month, the mass production is expected to kick off only in November, with the first devices powered by MT6592 set to hit shelves a few months later.

MediaTek to launch 8-core processor in July
Image credits to Engadget

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Samsung Galaxy Note III (SGH-N075) Emerges on Its Website

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung is reportedly getting ready for the launch of the third smartphone in its popular Galaxy Note series, and the model number that it might sport when launched at NTT DOCOMO in Japan appears to have leaked on the company’s official website.

A certain Samsung SGH-N075 device was spotted on the handset vendor’s website, and the guys over at techkiddy suggest that this might be the upcoming Galaxy Note III variant set to hit shelves at said Japanese wireless carrier. Yet unconfirmed, the Galaxy Note III is expected to be officially announced on September 4, a few days before the IFA tradeshow in Berlin, with a large 5.9-inch touchscreen display.

The mobile phone is also said to feature a Snapdragon 800 processor inside, along with a 13-megapixel photo snapper on the back.

Samsung Galaxy Note III (SGH-N075) spotted at Samsung
Image credits to Samsung via techkiddy

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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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