Android 4.3 Sports Hidden App Ops Feature

Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, the latest mobile operating system flavor from Google, arrives on devices with some appealing new features packed inside, including one that expands the control that users have over the permissions that applications benefit from.

Called App Ops, the option has been found to be hidden by default, but to be easily enabled via a third-party app called Permission Manager and already available for download, a recent article on Android Police notes. Through it, users will be able to fine tune the apps’ permissions to read contacts, access location, read call logs, post notifications, and the like.

App Ops doesn’t appear to be ready for widespread use as of now, and no specific info on when it could be activated has been provided, but it certainly looks like Google is preparing some enhancements to Android’s security capabilities.

Download Permission Manager for Android 4.3 (Google Play Store link)

Permissions Manager for Android 4.3
Image credits to Google Play Store

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BlackBerry 10.2 to Bring Separate BBM Groups Notifications

The upcoming BlackBerry 10.2 operating system will bring along some appealing new features to BBM enthusiasts, including support for separate notifications for BBM Groups, the latest reports on the matter suggest.

According to CrackBerry, the info comes from Michael Clewley, who posted it on his BBM channel, although he did not offer further info on the matter. However, chances are that the availability of this feature will translate into two types of notifications in the BlackBerry Hub, as well as into individual settings for both BBM and BBM Groups. It should also allow users to keep things better organized.

Unfortunately, no specific info on when BlackBerry 10.2 will be released to users has been provided as of now, though the Canadian mobile phone maker is known to be already hard at work with its development.

BlackBerry 10
Image credits to Blackberry

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CyanogenMod Focal, New Camera App From CyanogenMod

Today, CyanogenMod announced a new application for devices running under its custom Android software, namely CyanogenMod Focal, the first new feature to arrive on devices as part of the recently teased Nemesis.

The new camera application comes with a feel similar to that of the stock Android camera, though it does have a variety of customizations on top. The software packs features that Android users should already be accustomed with, including photosphere (called Picsphere) and panorama, as well as the option to snap photos while shooting a video. CyanogenMod Focal comes with a radial menu, offering fast access to options such as Front-Facing camera, Picsphere, Video, Panorama, and Photo, as Android Police reports. However, these are only some of the options that users will find available for them in Focal’s menu, as there are also a variety of other features listed there.

Some of them include Flash mode (Torch, On, Off, Auto), White Balance (Cloudy Outside, Daylight, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Auto), Color Effects (Neon, Sketch, Emboss, Aqua, Whiteboard, Blackboard, Posterize, Sepia, Polarize, Negative, Black and White, Disabled), and Exposure. Additionally, there are options such as Scene Mode (Theater, Sunset, Steady, Sports, Snow, Portrait, Party, Night Portrait, Night, Landscape, HDR, Flowers, Fireworks, Candlelight, Beach, Backlight, Best Shot, Augmented Reality, Auto), ISO Sensitivity, Burst Mode, Timer, and Color Enhancements. CyanogenMod Focal also offers Exposure Measure Mode, and settings such as Widgets Chooser, Auto-Enhancement, Exposure Ring, and Image Size.

Users will be able to easily learn what each option is by long pressing on it, a move that will bring its name up on the screen. For the time being, however, the new mobile application is available only in a beta flavor, and still packs a series of bugs that affect users’ experience with it. However, the CyanogenMod team is said to be working hard on patching issues and adding enhancements to it. Apparently, the team is set to include the new CyanogenMod Focal camera app in nightly builds as soon as this weekend, so that users could enjoy its features and test it intensively. Stay tuned for more on this.

CyanogenMod Focal
Images credits to Android Police

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Samsung Galaxy Note III Emerges Again with 5.7’’ Screen

Galaxy Note III, the upcoming large smartphone from Samsung, has made yet another appearance online, with its hardware specifications allegedly confirmed by a source from the handset vendor itself.

The upcoming member of the popular Galaxy Note family is expected to make an official appearance on September 4 at IFA in Berlin, and should pack a 5.7-inch touchscreen. Previously, the smartphone was rumored to have been designed with a 5.99-inch display, and it seems that Samsung has indeed tested such as model, though it eventually opted for a smaller design. According to Korea’s Business Daily, the Galaxy Note III will also hit shelves with a Snapdragon 800 processor packed inside, and with support for LTE-Advanced connectivity.

Furthermore, the smartphone will include 3GB of RAM, being among the first handsets in the world to feature such a large amount of memory. The upcoming device will also feature a small bezel, which should allow it to keep roughly the same size as last year’s Galaxy Note II, which was launched with a 5.5-inch touchscreen display. At the same time, it is said to sport an outer design similar to that of Galaxy S4, including the metallic stripe around its body. Supposedly running under Google’s Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system, the Galaxy Note III should prove to be one of the fastest and most powerful such smartphones on the market (LG’s G2, set to be unveiled on August 7, should also pack a Snapdragon 800 CPU and 3GB of RAM).

As mentioned above, Samsung should make the handset official at the IFA 2013 trade show in Berlin in early September, which means that official details on specs and features will be unveiled only at that time. Until then, however, you can have a look at some more leaked photos with the Galaxy Note III, available courtesy of TechKiddy.

Alleged Galaxy Note III photo
Images credits to techkiddy

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Lenovo K6 Emerges with Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Processor

Chinese mobile phone maker Lenovo is reportedly getting ready for the launch of its own smartphone powered by the powerful Snapdragon 800 processor, and the device has already leaked online under the codename of K6.

The handset, reportedly set to arrive on shelves with dual-SIM capabilities (and also known as X910, it seems), has been spotted on Lenovo’s Chinese forum, and can be admired the photos attached to this post. As Engadget notes, one of the leaked images with the yet unannounced device show it as packing a MSM8974 chip inside, with Adreno 330 GPU, as well as a 1920 x 1080-pixel display, which might be a 5-inch screen.

No other details on the smartphone have been provided for the time being, and its availability timeframe is still unknown, though chances are that we won’t see it released outside China.

Lenovo K6
Images credits to bbs.lenovomobile.com

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Nokia’s 6-Inch Handset Screen Leaked, Alleged Specs Also Unveiled

Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia has been long rumored to plan the launch of a large Windows Phone 8 smartphone before the end of this year, and some more details on the handset are now available, complemented by a leaked photo that allegedly shows the device’s screen.

The leaked photo, available courtesy of Weibo user @ictech, shows that the smartphone will arrive on shelves with a very thin bezel, and also confirms that it will be a Windows Phone handset, given the usual buttons placed beneath the screen. As WMPoweruser notes, the photo shows a production-ready pane, and chances are that Nokia is already working on having some prototype units up and running while planning the phone’s launch for the end of the year. According to a recent post on This Is Nokia, the hardware specs of the smartphone also leaked online, though we’ll take them with a big chunk of salt for the time being, as we’re waiting for more solid details on the matter to arrive.

Nokia will reportedly pack the handset with a full HD screen, and will also include a Snapdragon 800 processor inside, with Adreno 330 GPU. Furthermore, the 6-inch smartphone is expected to sport at least 32GB of internal memory, as well as 3000mAh battery. The back camera might be either a 13-megapixel one or a 41MP PureView sensor, featuring full HD video recording capabilities, or even 4K video shooting features, should the Snapdragon 800 processor make it inside it. Supposedly set to land in the United States exclusively on the network of Verizon Wireless, the smartphone might also be waterproof, while featuring a very slim design, maybe even thinner than the Lumia 925.

Most probably, the upcoming 6-inch Nokia smartphone will run under Windows Phone 8 GRD3, which has already been said to bring along support for larger, higher-resolution screens, and for more powerful processors. However, don’t get your hopes too high on this device, at least not until its specs are confirmed.

Alleged photo of Nokia 6-inch phone's screen
Image credits to Weibo via WMPowerUser

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AMD A10-6800K Makes New World Record, Overclocked to 8.2 GHz

“The Stilt” is the name of a Finnish group of Overclockers. Remember it because they've just set a new world record.

Naturally, I'm talking about the world record for CPU overclocking. Using an AMD A10-6800K accelerated processing unit, they managed to push the frequency all the way up to 8.2 GHz. They achieved the result (8203.01 MHz) by setting the bus clock at 130.21 MHz and the multiplier at 63x. The lower core voltage was at 1.968 volts the entire time.

Furthermore, thanks to an x87 patch, the A10-6800K managed to post better SuperPi scores. Seeing as how The Stilt previously scored a record 8000.48 MHz with a bus clock of 126.99 MHz and applying 2.008 volts to the CPU, this later feat is quite the jump. Check out the filing on HWBot.org for more.

New overclocking world record
Images credits to HWBOT

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Boot Animation of Moto X [Video]

Mobile phone maker Motorola appears set to make a difference with the upcoming Moto X smartphone, and the boot sequence for the device, which can be seen in the video embedded above, shows exactly that.

Moto X, a smartphone expected to become official on August 1 and to land on shelves later that month, has already been teased by Motorola with increased personalization capabilities, although it will pack only mid-range hardware inside. The boot sequence spotted by Android Police on Moto X is completely different from what has been seen on other handsets from the company lately, and suggests worldwide availability.

For the time being, Motorola did not confirm specific details on when or where the smartphone will be released, but previous rumors did suggest that it will land in the United States at least at AT&T and Verizon. Stay tuned for more on this.

This is Moto X's awesome boot animation.
Love it or hate it?
Video credits to AndroidPolice

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Android 4.3 Factory Images (AOSP) Now Available for Download

Google has just gone official with Android 4.3 and those who already own one of the newer Nexus device will be happy to know the search giant immediately released the corresponding factory images.

Starting today, owners of Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Nexus 10 and Galaxy Nexus (GSM model) can download and flash the latest Android 4.3 operating system in case they need it. All the binary image files provided by Google are to be used for restoring Nexus device's original factory firmware. Keep mind that in order to be able to use any of these files you will be to have the “fastboot” tool in the PATH of your device.

The device need to be in fastboot mode and the booloader need sot be unlocked. All Android 4.3 factory images for Nexus devices are now available for download via AOSP (Android Open Source Project) website.

Android 4.3 Jelly Bean logo
Image credits to Google

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High-Quality Video Shows 2013 Plastic iPhone Shell in All Its Glory

The plastic iPhone Apple has prepared for us this year seems all but confirmed, as leak after leak shows the same form factor and design, and even the same set of colors.

The latest video from DetroitBORG up on YouTube doesn’t bring many new details to the table, but it does show the plastic 2013 iPhone shell in all its glory, complete with a very comprehensive commentary on behalf of the narrator, who takes us through the technicalities. Design-wise, it seems the phone is a combination of the iPhone 3GS and the newest iPod touch models. As for the tech specs, they’ll probably be on par with the iPhone 5.

Sonny Dickson in Melbourne, Australia is said to be the source of this leak, so I’m giving him the proper credit here as well. Hit the play button above and enjoy.

This is an early look at what appears to be the casing of the lower cost Apple iPhone, presumably intended to slot below the iPhone 5 and 5S and replace the 4/4S.  This phone and the 5S is expected to debut around September 2013. 
Thanks to Sonny Dickson for making this sneak peak possible!
www.twitter.com/SonnyDickson
www.SonnyDickson.com
Video credits to DetroitBORG

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