Meizu MX3 Emerges in Leaked Official Photo

Chinese mobile phone maker Meizu is getting ready for the launch of a new smartphone running under Google’s Android operating system, and what appears to be an official photo with it has already emerged online, courtesy of Mobile3G.

The handset is expected to become official as Meizu MX3 as soon as the next week, and should pack a 5.1-inch Full HD display, as UnwiredView notes in a recent article. Furthermore, the device is reportedly headed to the market with the Flyme 3.0 OS loaded on top (based on Android Jelly Bean), and with an Exynos 5 Octa processor packed inside.

The specifications list of the new mobile phone should also include 2GB of RAM and a 13-megapixel photo snapper on the back, with full HD video recording capabilities. The new handset is expected to become official on September 2 and might arrive on the market with a price tag of 1,999 Yuan (around $330 / €250) attached to it.

Meizu MX3
Image credits to Mobile3G via UnwiredView

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HTC’s 4.3-Inch 301e Smartphone Spotted in China

Taiwanese mobile phone maker HTC Corporation is reportedly getting ready for the launch of a new mid-range smartphone in China, and the device has already emerged in the country with model number 301e attached to it.

The handset was spotted at the country’s TENAA telephone certification center with dual-SIM capabilities packed inside and with a 4.3-inch touchscreen display capable of delivering a 480 x 800 pixel resolution. Furthermore, the yet unannounced smartphone features a 1GHz dual-core processor inside, 512MB of RAM, 8GB of internal memory, and a microSD memory card slot with support for up to 64GB of additional storage space.

The specifications list of the device is also said to include WCDMA 3G connectivity and a 5-megapixel photo snapper. As Engadget notes, the handset features the same front design as the HTC One. A handset with similar looks appears to have emerged in live photos over at Weibo. According to UnwiredView, the phone might cost around $210 (€160).

New HTC smartphone emerges in China
Image credits to Weibo via UnwiredView

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Sony Xperia Honami New Leaked Photos

A new set of leaked photos with the Sony Xperia Honami smartphone is now available for your viewing pleasure, only days before the device is set to become official at the IFA 2013 trade fair in Berlin.

Available courtesy of 365Dian, the new photos sport a much better resolution when compared to other leaked images that emerged with the device, as XperiaBlog notes, and offer a glimpse at all of the phone’s design elements. Codenamed Honami, the Android smartphone is expected to become official on September 4 as Sony Xperia Z1, though the Japanese mobile phone maker has yet to confirm specifics on the matter.

Xperia Z1 is rumored to arrive on the market with a 5-inch full HD touchscreen display, a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor inside, 2GB of RAM, and with a 20.7-megapixel photo snapper on the back, with G Lens technology.

Sony Xperia Z1 Honami
Images credits to 365Dian via XperiaBlog

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Samsung Galaxy Note III’s Front Panel Next To Galaxy Note II's

Earlier this week, a series of leaked photos emerged online offering a glimpse at what the front panel of Galaxy Note III would look like, and a new photo with it is now available, showing us the main differences that it will sport when compared to that of Galaxy Note.

As it turns out, the upcoming handset will not be much bigger than last year’s smartphone, and the newly released photo (available courtesy of rbmen) confirms that. Although the new Galaxy Note III will arrive on shelves with a larger display, it will also feature a smaller bezel, which allows it to keep about the same dimensions as last year’s large device.

It should also be noted that the new handset will have more squared corners when compared to Galaxy Note II, provided, of course, that the front panel in this photo is indeed showing the Galaxy Note III, as SamMobile notes.

Galaxy Note III's front panel next to Galaxy Note II's
Image credits to rbmen via SamMobile

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HTC to Launch Its Own Mobile OS in China [WSJ]

Taiwanese mobile phone maker HTC Corporation is working on its own mobile operating system, which is set to be officially launched in China and which should be exclusive for the market, a recent article on the Wall Street Journal reads.

Apparently, HTC is focused on integrated Chinese-specific apps and services into this mobile OS, including Weibo, the Twitter-like microblog. Expected to become official before the end of this year, the platform would be part of Chinese government’s effort to broaden the spectrum of homegrown software, which would allow it to detach from US companies.

No specific info on what the upcoming OS would be like has been provided as of now, and it remains to be seen whether it will be based on Android, the same as platforms used by various phone makers in China are at the moment.

HTC to build its own mobile OS for China
Image credits to HTC

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MSI Releases GeForce GTX 780 Lightning

Micro-Star International has finally made the official introduction of a graphics adapter which has been on our radar for a few good weeks, with the latest update on it having been made just six days ago.

We are, of course, referring to the GeForce GTX 780 Lightning, the video controller that, like all other GTX 780 cards, regardless of factory overclocking (or lack thereof), stands just one level below the GeForce GTX Titan. Normally, the GeForce GTX 780 runs the GK110 graphics processing unit (GPU) at 863 MHz, unless the GPU Boost technology kicks in. In that case, the clock speed jumps to 902 MHz. Not that large a leap, but still better than nothing. Obviously, MSI wasn't about to name a card “Lightning” without making it better than the original. Thus, is was that the product ended up with a core base speed of 980 MHz and a GPU Boost maximum setting of 1033 MHz. Clearly, those numbers are in a different league.

To ensure stability even at those settings, MSI gave the GTX 780 Lightning a 16+3 phase VRM, an additional GPU Reactor module (filters out electrical noise), high-grade chokes, PowIRstage driver-MOSFETs, and DirectFETs from International Rectifier, plus tantalum capacitors. That way, all that power brought through the two 8-pin PCI Express connectors is put to good use, instead of being wasted or overwhelming the circuitry. All the while, the 3 GB of GDDR5 VRAM work at 6 GHz over the 384-bit interface. Here, at least, there was no tweaking involved. As for the cooler, the TriFrozr merges the benefits of a large aluminum fin stack with those of several 8 mm heatpipes and three fans (each with its own 4-pin PCB connection). MSI's Afterburner utility is enough to individually control the rotary speeds of each fan. MSI's GeForce GTX 780 Lightning bears a price of $749.99 / €749.99. That's $100 / €100 more than the reference tag.

MSI GeForce GTX 780 Lightning
Image credits to MSI

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Samsung Galaxy Note III 5.68-Inch Screen Front Panel Leaked

Next week, Samsung should officially introduce its next member of the Galaxy Note family of large smartphones, one that should pack a 5.7-inch touchscreen display, the latest reports on the matter suggest.

The handset, supposedly called Galaxy Note III, was rumored before to arrive on the market with such a display on the front, but no official confirmation on it has been provided as of now, and some even suggested that it could feature a 6-inch screen. However, what appears to be the handset’s front panel has emerged online in a series of leaked photos over at Sonny Dickson, suggesting that Samsung might have indeed packed it with a 5.68-inch screen.

The phone might sport a design similar to the one present on Galaxy S4, which does not come too much as a surprise, though it should feature a slimmer border, at only 2.2 mm, as mobilesyrup notes.

Samsung Galaxy Note III front panel
Images credits to Sonny Dickson

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Sony to Confirms Honami’s Xperia Z1 Name

On September 4, Japanese mobile phone maker Sony Mobile is expected to make official a new smartphone in the popular Xperia lineup, one that has been long rumored to feature the codename of Honami, and which might be called Xperia Z1 in the end.

The name has emerged online a few times before, and it appears to have been confirmed by a post on the company’s official blog, which features the headline of “3…2…what comes next?” “Think you know what a smartphone can do? It’s time to think again. Something new, something extraordinary is on the way from Sony. #Sept4 #bestofSony,” the blog post reads.

Furthermore, it links to the video teaser that Sony Mobile has published for the upcoming mobile phone not long ago, which provided us with a better look at some of the design elements that the new device will sport when launched.

Sony Honami teaser
Image credits to Youtube

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Microsoft Changes the RTM Concept for Windows 8.1

Just as rumored, Microsoft is set to continue work on Windows 8.1 even though the operating system has reached RTM, in an attempt to provide a greatly improved experience to early adopters.

Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc has confirmed in a short tweet that new updates will be delivered to partners, while the company is working on a new set of updates to be delivered to end users ahead of the October launch. “RTM is different now as we ship updates faster for Windows, meant for partners while we refine for customers for GA,” he said on Twitter.

According to some previous reports, Microsoft wants to deliver the latest Windows 8.1 updates to end users three days before general availability via the built-in Windows Update feature. The public launch of the OS update will take place on October 18, while Windows 8 users will be allowed to download it free of charge from the Store one day earlier.

The Start button is back, but it only gets users to the Start screen
Image credits to Microsoft

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Microsoft Officially Announces Windows 8.1 RTM

Redmond has finally confirmed that Windows 8.1 reached RTM, revealing that OEMs are getting the operating system as we speak.

Windows 8.1 is projected to be officially unveiled on October 18, while Windows 8 adopters will be allowed to download it free of charge from the Store. MSDN and TechNet subscribers will get it on October 18 as well. The operating system is set to bring lots of changes to the rather disappointing Windows 8, including a Start button that’s supposed to make the whole platform a lot more familiar for users migrating from an older platform, such as Windows XP, Vista, or 7. Even though it’s back, the Start button does not launch a Start Menu, but instead it launches the Start screen that has often been criticized by Windows 8 adopters. Microsoft claims that the Start screen is a very helpful replacement for the standard menu, pretty much because it shows all the apps on the screen and lets you initiate a search by simply starting typing.

At the same time, Microsoft is also expecting Windows 8.1 to spawn a completely new wave of touchscreen devices, including hybrids, tablets, and notebooks, all of which are supposed to bring the key features of the operating system in the spotlight. Word is that the company is even working on the second-generation Surface tablet that could be unveiled in October, together with the operating system. “Windows 8.1 continues the vision we began with Windows 8 and is an example of our commitment to continuous innovation and improvement for our customers,” Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc said in a public announcement in mid-August. Windows RT will also be improved as part of the 8.1 update cycle, so tablets running the operating system will get new Start screen customization options, better touch support, new live tile sizes and enhanced performance in portrait mode, a feature specifically aimed at tablets equipped with smaller screens.

The Start button is back, but it only gets users to the Start screen
Image credits to Microsoft

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