Samsung Galaxy S4 on Sprint gets its first OTA update

Samsung's latest flagship smartphone is now available across the globe and the smartphone is now up for grabs in the US after the initial delay. The good news for all the Galaxy S4 consumers on Sprint is that the device is now getting its first OTA update today.

The over-the-air update is about 24 MB in size and brings the software version to build L720VPUAMDL. Unfortunately, there is no change log available for the update, but we assume the update to be a last minute patch for the device's software.

A notification of the software update will pop up on your smartphones, but in case you missed it, you can update your device by going to Settings > More > System Update.

Micromax A115 Canvas 3D goes official in India, priced at INR9,999

Images of Micromax A115 Canvas 3D leaked earlier and now, the company has officially launched the smartphone in India.

The first 3D smartphone from the firm will sport a 5" stereoscopic 3D display and features a 1 GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 5 megapixel rear camera and a 0.3 megapixel front shooter. The built-in storage is 4GB and is expandable by up to 32GB via the microSD slot.

Micromax A115 Canvas 3D runs on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and is powered by a 2,000mAh battery. The dual-SIM smartphone comes with pre-loaded 3D games along with the company's 3D space app, which gives access to the 3D video player.

The A115 Canvas 3D is priced at INR9,999 (about $192) and the 3D smartphone will be available from the first week of May.

Samsung announces Galaxy Tab 3 7.0, with new S4-like design

Samsung announced a brand new 7" Android tablet, dubbed Galaxy Tab 3 7.0. It brings the now familiar S4 styling (just like its 8" cousin) and comes in Wi-Fi and 3G versions, with the 3G one being fully voice call capable. It even adds a proximity sensor, you know, if you want to put up the tablet up to your head.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 is also noticeably more compact and lighter (188.0 x 111.1 x 9.9mm, 306g) than the Tab 2 7.0 (193.7 x 122.4 x 10.5 mm, 345g) and Tab 7.0 Plus (193.7 x 122.4 x 9.9 mm, 345g).

Other than that it’s very hard to tell what’s changed – the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 still uses a 7” WSVGA (600 x 1024) TFT screen, a dual-core 1.2HGz processor with 1GB of RAM, has 8/16GB of built-in storage (expandable via the microSD card slot), dual-band Wi-F a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and a 4,000mAh battery

Yes, the Tab 3 7.0 does launch with a newer version of Android, but it’s 4.1, so not even catching up to the Galaxy Megas.

Anyway, Samsung will begin to gradually roll out the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 globally in the beginning of May for the Wi-Fi version and in June for the 3G version.

Samsung announces Galaxy Tab 3 7.0, with new S4-like design

Samsung announced a brand new 7" Android tablet, dubbed Galaxy Tab 3 7.0. It brings the now familiar S4 styling (just like its 8" cousin) and comes in Wi-Fi and 3G versions, with the 3G one being fully voice call capable. It even adds a proximity sensor, you know, if you want to put up the tablet up to your head.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 is also noticeably more compact and lighter (188.0 x 111.1 x 9.9mm, 306g) than the Tab 2 7.0 (193.7 x 122.4 x 10.5 mm, 345g) and Tab 7.0 Plus (193.7 x 122.4 x 9.9 mm, 345g).

Other than that it’s very hard to tell what’s changed – the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 still uses a 7” WSVGA (600 x 1024) TFT screen, a dual-core 1.2HGz processor with 1GB of RAM, has 8/16GB of built-in storage (expandable via the microSD card slot), dual-band Wi-F a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and a 4,000mAh battery

Yes, the Tab 3 7.0 does launch with a newer version of Android, but it’s 4.1, so not even catching up to the Galaxy Megas.

Anyway, Samsung will begin to gradually roll out the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 globally in the beginning of May for the Wi-Fi version and in June for the 3G version.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Hits AT&T On May 10th… Wait That’s An LG?!

If you are on the lookout for a new phablet you might want to take a look at the LG Optimus G Pro. The handsets looks very much like one of the most popular devices on the market at the moment, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. You could even be forgiven for thinking that it what the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 may be.

We mentioned the LG Optimus G Pro last year when the handset came out in Japan. We said how it looked like the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 but with similar hardware that you would expect from its successor, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. This is said to be making its way out very soon. However things have gotten much better for the device as it will get an update which will bring it many features of the Samsung Galaxy S4. That’s right, you read that right.

This update is for LG Optimus G Pro owners in South Korea and it comes by the name of the Value Pack. You can check this out in the video below. When the LG Optimus G Pro makes its way out next month in the US it will of course arrive with this update right out of the box.

Alleged image of Samsung Galaxy Note III appears online

The rumors of the next generation Samsung Galaxy Note phablet are growing thick and fast. An alleged image of the Galaxy Note III phablet has appeared online, sporting a 5.9-inch display.

According to a report from MyDrivers, the upcoming Galaxy Note phablet will feature a Full HD display and packs a punch with the company's own Exynos 5410 Octa processor, with the four powerful Cortex A15 chips clocked at 2.0 GHz, and the remaining four power-saving Cortex A7 chips running at 1.7 GHz.
Samsung Galaxy Note III is said to come with 3 GB of RAM and will run on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Furthermore, the phablet is rumored to be unveiled during IFA 2013

HTC One to get new mics after the current stock is exhausted

HTC has clarified that the injunction filed by Nokia for the dual-membrane microphone in its flagship smartphone in The Netherlands is against STMicroelectronics (a supplier of components to HTC) and not against the Taiwanese company itself.

According to the statement for the preliminary injunction, the microphone in the HTC One will be manufactured exclusively for the Nokia smartphones for a limited time, but HTC believes that this won't affect the sales of its latest flagship.
In an official press release, HTC confirms that Nokia's attempt to obtain a recall of microphones already sold to the company has failed, since there was no way for the Taiwanese to know about the Nokia and ST Microelectronics agreement. That's why the ruling against the STM states that HTC can continue to use the microphones that in its inventory.
HTC will be working on an improved microphone designs and will make sure to get another supplier for when its inventory of STM microphones is exhausted.

News Next version of Android to be 4.3, will retain Jelly Bean name

Google I/O 2013 is less than a month away and if history is any indication, we are in for a new version of Android. But those waiting for Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie just might be in for a bit of disappointment.

According to some damning evidence from Android Police, Google is working on the next version of Android, but it's Android 4.3, not 5.0. Also, the build number is JWR23B, which suggests the update will continue to use the Jelly Bean moniker (the first letter of the build corresponds to the name of the update).
This particular update has reportedly shown up in server logs and was successfully traced back to Google employees. It has also shown up in comments in the Chromium bug tracker by a Chromium developer.
There is no evidence that suggests that Key Lime Pie won't be announced during this year's I/O but so far it hasn't shown up anywhere yet. On the other hand, 4.3 has made numerous appearances and the fact that it has a build number suggests that it is close to release. That Google would release a new version of Android this close to I/O and it not be the main highlight of the event would be strange, as would announcing two versions of Android simultaneously.
This leads us to believe that Key Lime Pie might be a bit further away than we imagined. Hopefully, it should be sometime this year, if not at this I/O.
You can find more information about this in the source link below

More Samsung Galaxy S4 Exynos 5 Octa benchmarks surface

The fourth generation Galaxy S smartphone was launched with two different processor variants, one with Snapdragon 600 chipset on board and the other with the company’s own Exynos 5 Octa platform. The folks at FoneArena have got their hands on the Exynos 5 variant of the device and put the smartphone through quite a few synthetic benchmark tests.

As the name suggests, the Octa-core variant of Galaxy S4 has eight processing cores, with the four powerful Cortex A15 chips clocked at 1.6 GHz and the four power-saving Cortex A7 chips running at 1.2 GHz.
The benchmark tests involved Quadrant, AnTuTu, Vellamo and GLBenchmark, which covers pretty much every component of the device.
The Exynos 5 powered Samsung Galaxy S4 is right at the top of the Quadrant benchmark and has a huge lead over its other competitors which include HTC One and Sony Xperia Z.

Ferguson backs Liverpool over Suarez ban

 
London: Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson believes Liverpool were right not to take disciplinary action against striker Luis Suarez before he was handed a 10-match ban by the Football Association for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic.
Ferguson said the incident reminded him of the treatment United received from the FA after French striker Eric Cantona launched a kung-fu kick at a Crystal Palace fan in 1995.
Ferguson claims the FA assured the club they would not take further action if United punished the player, but although United suspended him for four months, English football's governing body subsequently increased the ban to eight months.
As a result, Ferguson said he understood Liverpool's decision not to take pre-emptive action against Suarez.
"I bet they are glad they didn't. It didn't work for us," he said. "David Davies (then the FA spokesman) promised us if we did it there would be no more action taken.
"Think about that -- a nine-month ban. It is quite incredible. I still can't get my head round it."
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has also expressed surprise at the severity of Suarez's punishment.
"He made a mistake, he said sorry to everyone," said the Italian, who said Suarez was his player of the season. "Do you want to kill him? He has got his punishment. It's finished."
Suarez bit Ivanovic on the arm during the 2-2 Premier League draw between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield last weekend.
He subsequently apologised for his behaviour, but was handed a 10-match suspension by the FA on Wednesday, ruling him out of action until next season.

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Sony Xperia ZL review: Off the bench

Introduction

Having finally scored a homerun, and a desperately needed one at that, Sony is keen to bring another hitter off the bench. And they sure hope it's the Cadillac-driving kind. The Japanese mean business - and the Xperia Z did its best to get that point across. The Xperia ZL now has plenty of momentum to build on but a certain weight of expectations too.

The double-backup is something Samsung has been doing for a couple of years now with a Galaxy S flagship in the spring followed by a Note phablet at the end of summer. Sony's going for what looks more like a one-two punch with the glass-clad, water-proof Xperia Z and the more compact, less extravagant, but just as premium Xperia ZL. The timeframe for their arrival to market has been shortened too - pretty much a must, considering that chipset is only getting older.

   
Sony Xperia ZL

Sony needs users to like the ZL, because the Z probably won't make it on its own. On paper, the Xperia ZL has all the trimmings of its sibling save for the IP57 certification. And it should be just as capable as most other flagships of the latest generation. Here go the specs.

DisplayMate tests Galaxy S4 screen, gives it the thumbs up

DisplayMate is known for detailed, highly technical reviews of displays – including smartphone displays. The latest review showcases the Samsung’s progress with Super AMOLED and the Samsung Galaxy S4.

The 5” 1080p display has a 441ppi pixel density, but since it’s a PenTile matrix the density for subpixels of different color is different. There are as many Green sub-pixels as there are Red and Blue subpixels combined. Even so, there are 312 Red and Blue subpixels per inch, almost matching the 326ppi Retina display density of the iPhone 5.

As for color accuracy, AMOLEDs are notorious for their oversaturated colors. Samsung offers several screen modes, of which Movie was found to be the most accurate, close to the sRGB/Rec.709 spec, but not as close as the iPhone 5 (the green is a bit too saturated). The Professional Photo Mode is fairly close to the Adobe RGB standard.

Then comes the brightness – it turns out that if you leave the phone in automatic brightness mode, the screen can go as much as 34% brighter compared to the maximum of manual mode. That’s 68% brighter than the maximum of the Galaxy S III (the Galaxy S4 in manual is 25% brighter than its predecessor).

Even better, Samsung has achieved this while improving power efficiency. DisplayMate says that if the S III and S4 screens were the same size and set at the same brightness, the Galaxy S4 will use 20% less power.

At an angle, the Galaxy S4 screen experiences less brightness decrease than the Galaxy S III and the iPhone, though the Apple smartphone has less color shift when viewed at an angle. The Galaxy S4 screen is a touch less reflective than the iPhone’s.

Compared to the iPhone 5, the Galaxy S4 has a bigger screen, higher resolution, deeper blacks and better screen uniformity, while the iPhone is brighter, a bit more power-efficient and shows more accurate colors.

Asus PadFone Infinity goes on sale in the US

Asus announced the Padfone Infinity back in February at the MWC and it was supposed to hit the shelves in April for €999. It seems everything is going as planned so far and Asus is already shipping the first stock of Padfone Infinity.

An US retailer is already offering the Asus Padfone Infinity smartphone for $950 (€730). Asus didn't mention anything about selling the Padfone Infinity without the tablet dock, but obviously it will be doing that.

Anyway, we expect now that the first shipments of the Padfone Infinity are out, other markets to get it very soon. It should cost €999 overseas with the tablet dock at launch, though the price might settle to lower levels once supply catches up with demand.

You can check the Padfone Infinity specs here and find our hands-on impressions right here. Make sure to drop us a line if you spot the hybrid device in your local market.

Dual-SIM Samsung Galaxy S4 goes official, Exynos 5 Octa in tow

We’ve known that there will be a dual-SIM version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 since before the smartphone was even official. Now Samsung has officially unveiled the I9502 Galaxy S4 with two SIM slots.

It has almost the exact same specs as the I9500, the Exynos 5 Octa version of the Galaxy S4. That means the same 5" 1080p Super AMOLED screen, 13MP main camera, Android 4.2 with TouchWiz magic and even the same dimensions (the I9502 is 2 grams heavier, but we doubt anyone will notice).

The Samsung I9502 Galaxy S4 is for China only for now, it’s not clear if the company will launch this model worldwide.

There’s another Chinese model, the I9508, which is a single-SIM Galaxy S4 with a Snapdragon 600 chipset. This one is China specific and differs from the I9505 in its TD-SCDMA support (the 3G tech in China).

If you’ll recall, the rumored Galaxy S4 mini also has model numbers ending on these digits, 0 for the base version, 2 for dual-SIM, 5 for LTE (it’s possible that 0 and 5 will use Exynos and Snapdragon chipsets respectively) and 8 for the Chinese version.

As you might know the rumor mill expects yet another version of the Galaxy S4, a water-resistant one, so Samsung may not be done with the major announcement just yet.

Water and dust resistant Sony Xperia ZR is in the works

Xperiablog got some information that Sony will soon announce and launch the Xperia ZR smartphone with a 720p display, a quad-core processor and a 13MP camera.

The Sony Xperia ZR will share lots of features with the Xperia Z flagship - a quad-core 1.5GHz processor (Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset), 2GB of RAM and a 13MP Exmor RS camera. Impressively, the Xperia ZR will be and even better protected, featuring IP58 rating for resistance under 1.5 meters of water for prolonged time. It will be dust proof too.

The Sony Xperia ZR 720p screen will reportedly measure 4.6" in diagonal, its internal memory will be 8GB, while the battery will have 2300mAh capacity. The Xperia ZR is rumored to be 10mm thick and to weigh 140 grams. Also we can expect the shell to be similar to theXperia ZL one rather than the dual-glass Xperia Z body.

Samsung Galaxy S4 launched in India for Rs. 41,500

Just as we reported earlier, Samsung has launched its flagship Android smartphone - the Galaxy S4 - in India today. The Galaxy S4 is priced at Rs. 41,500 ($765) and will go on sale as early as tomorrow.

The pricing and availability comes as a pleasant surprise as Samsung has managed to impress on both fronts. In comparison, the Galaxy S4's main rival HTC One is priced at Rs. 42,990 ($792) and is yet to go on sale despite being announced earlier this month. Even the iPhone 5 is currently priced at Rs. 45,500 ($838) for the 16GB model (although dealers are selling it for a bit less). The Rs. 41,500 price is the MRP, so expect it to be a bit lower in stores.

The model sold in India is the I9500 model that runs on the Samsung Exynos 5 Octa 5410 SoC, with four 1.6GHz Cortex A15 cores and four 1.2GHz Cortex A7 cores packed on a single chip. Along with that it also has the PowerVR SGX 544MP3 GPU, 2GB of RAM, 16GB internal memory with microSD card slot, 5.0-inch, 1920 x 1080 resolution Super AMOLED display, 13 megapixel camera with 1080p video recording, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, 2,600mAh battery and every other bell and whistle you can imagine.

Iron Man 3: The Official Game - Launch Trailer

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Sony Xperia E review: E-lementary

Introduction

Well, this sounds like an apt title really. The Sony Xperia E is among the cheapest packages on offer from Sony, second to only the Tipo. From the design theme of the first generation of Sony smartphones, to the familiar internals, the Sony Xperia E has little to no surprises. Especially that we've actually seen its twin already.

The Sony Xperia E and Xperia E dual are nearly identical, with the number of SIM slots the only notable hardware difference. It boils down to what makes more sense to you as a user - dual-SIM support or the more recent Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean.

  
Sony Xperia E official pictures

When talking entry-level smartphones, a single-SIM package usually has to try harder to make itself noticed. Dual-SIM versions are usually regarded as niche devices but they have the benefit of a clearly defined target audience. There's a lot of competition in Sony Xperia E's price bracket, and not just droids either. Yet, Jelly Bean right out of the box gives it a good enough start. Let's take a closer look at what else it has to offer:

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and -band UMTS support
• 7.2 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
• 3.5" 256K-color capacitive TFT touchscreen of HVGA resolution (320 x 480)
• Android OS v4.1.1 Jelly Bean
• 1 GHz Cortex-A5 CPU, Adreno 200 GPU, Qualcomm MSM7227A chipset
• 512 MB of RAM
• 2GB of user-accessible built-in storage (4GB total)
• microSD slot (32GB supported)
• 3.15 MP fixed-focus camera, geo-tagging
• VGA video @ 30fps
• Wi-Fi b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
• GPS with A-GPS
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1
• User-accessible battery, Li-Ion 1530 mAh

Main disadvantages

• Feeble chipset and uninspiring performance
• Mediocre screen quality
• Fixed-focus camera, No LED flash
• Video recording No front-facing camera

The Sony Xperia E is yet another Qualcomm-powered 3.5-incher for Sony in the entry level market. It's got the upper hand over the likes of the Tipo and Miro (clocked at 800MHz), and probably even the Xperia J which is has the exact same 1GHz chipset but a bigger and more pixel-rich FWVGA screen. Bottom line, no record-breaking speed is to be expected here but the Xperia E will most likely get the job done for first-time smartphone users.

LG aims to unveil a phone with a flexible screen later this year

We just got a new report that along with the increased smartphone sales LG has made another interesting announcement the other day. The company's vice president of mobile, Yoon Bu-hyun, shared at the conference call that the company is working closely with LG display to create a phone with a flexible OLED screen by the end of the year.

We are not too sure whether flexible phones is the future. In fact, making the whole phone bendable might take more than a few years as it would require manufacturers to design flexible chipsets and batteries and that's not coming anytime soon. However, it is certain that flexible screens at least are in the pipeline and they might allow manufacturers to create wrap-around displays, maximizing the screen to footprint ratio.

Almost all big phone makers are already working on phones with flexible OLED screens. We've seenSamsung and LG demo the technology, Nokia even had a prototype back in the 2011.

HTC One update brings further improvements to the camera

The HTC One is yet to go on sale in many parts of the world but that hasn't stopped HTC from constantly releasing a stream of updates for the device. After the recent update that improved camera performance we have another one that improves things further.

Version number 1.29.401.13 mostly features improvement to the camera, with changes such as:

• Improvement to sound capture with Zoe
• Noise reduction in slow motion movie capture
• Improved color reproduction and dynamic range (reduced over-exposure in non-HDR images) in certain conditions
• Fix to display correct ISO in EXIF information when ISO settings are manually changed by the user
• Improved system performance and stability

If you are one of the lucky few to have the One in your possession, you should check to see if the update is available for your device.

HTC Butterfly to launch in the Netherlands this May

The HTC Butterfly has the distinction of being the first phone with a 1080p screen to hit the global market. The story after that is less glamorous – it was only launched in a few countries before attention shifted to the HTC One. The HTC Butterfly was promised to get a European launch too (despite early reports that it will not).

Fast forward a few months and it is almost ready for launch (to be fair it is available in a few places). Reports of this are coming from – wait for it – the Netherlands. If HTC and the Netherlands sparks some association in your head it’s probably the recent short-lived ban on HTC’s other flagship, the One.

The Butterfly packs a 5” 1080p screen, a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset and a traditional 8MP camera. It also has a microSD card slot.

The HTC Butterfly will cost &eruo;589 when in launches in May, which is cheaper than what the HTC One currently costs in the Netherlands (about €670). There’s no information whether the Butterfly will launch in the rest of Europe and when.

Apple announces Q1 2013 results, revenue rises, but profits fall

Apple has just announced its Q1 2013 results. Technically, these are its Q2 results as the US financial year does not coincide with the calendar year. But no matter how you call the quarter, it's still interesting to see how Apple has been doing business-wise in the first three months of this year. Especially, after the not-so-positive projections.

The good news is that the company is still going strong, a year and a half since Steve Jobs passed away. The company has scored some $43.6 billion in revenue, which was even better than the projected $41-43 billion. Compared to the same quarter last year, the company is experiencing its slowest growth in the US and China, while the Asia Pacific has been most receptive of Apple's products.

Unfortunately, the global net profit is down to $9.5 billion, down from $11.6 billion from the year-ago quarter. This has resulted in $10.09 earnings per dilluted share, as opposed to $12.30 a year ago.

The reason for the lowered profits is the plummeting of the gross margin to 37.5 percent, down from 47.4 percent in the same quarter last year.

If it's any consolation, most of this was already projected last quarter, so there are no nasty surprises here.

Apple sold 37.4 million iPhones in the quarter, which is more than a year ago (35.1 million iPhones). Apple also sold 19.5 million iPads (up from 11.8 million in the year-ago quarter).

However, the Mac sales are down to just under 4 million compared to 4 million back in the year-ago quarter. The iPods are continuing their steady decline - Apple sold 5.6 million (down from 7.6 million in the year-ago quarter).

Apple also shared their projections for the next quarter - the one ending in June. The company expects revenue of around $33.5-35.5 billion and a gross margin of 36-37 percent.

QWERTY-packing Nokia Asha 210 goes official

Today Nokia unveiled the latest addition to its Asha lineup. The QWERTY-packing Nokia Asha 210featurephone comes in both single SIM and dual-SIM flavors and brings entry level functionality at an extremely attractive price point.

Nokia Asha 210 single SIM version

Combining a 2.4" LCD screen of QVGA resolution (320 x 240 pixels) with a four-row full QWERTY keyboard, the Nokia Asha 210 is targeted at younger users that do lots of texting and have a limited budget.

Nokia Asha 210 is the first handset to feature a dedicated WhatsApp button, which gives you quick access to the instant messing app that comes preinstalled.

The Asha 210 comes with Wi-Fi connectivity and a dedicated Wi-Fi on/off hardware toggle. Sadly the feature phone lacks any fast cellular network support like 3G or LTE, settling for dual-band GPRS/EDGE. Local connectivity is covered by microUSB and Bluetooth.

The Nokia Asha 210 offers a 2 megapixel camera at the back, but there's no front-facing snapper. The handset has a 3.5mm audio jack and while its internal memory is limited to just 64MB, there's a microSD card slot for expanding it by up to 32GB.

Nokia Asha 210 dual SIM version

The dual-SIM version will also come with support for Easy Swap, meaning you can exchange the secondary SIM without powering off the handset.

The Nokia Asha 210 is going to be available in yellow, cyan, black, magenta, and white when it goes on sale (sometime in this quarter). The estimated retail price for the Nokia Asha 210 is around $72.

Sony Xperia ZL review: Off the bench

Introduction

Having finally scored a homerun, and a desperately needed one at that, Sony is keen to bring another hitter off the bench. And they sure hope it's the Cadillac-driving kind. The Japanese mean business - and the Xperia Z did its best to get that point across. The Xperia ZL now has plenty of momentum to build on but a certain weight of expectations too.

The double-backup is something Samsung has been doing for a couple of years now with a Galaxy S flagship in the spring followed by a Note phablet at the end of summer. Sony's going for what looks more like a one-two punch with the glass-clad, water-proof Xperia Z and the more compact, less extravagant, but just as premium Xperia ZL. The timeframe for their arrival to market has been shortened too - pretty much a must, considering that chipset is only getting older.

Sony Xperia ZL

Sony needs users to like the ZL, because the Z probably won't make it on its own. On paper, the Xperia ZL has all the trimmings of its sibling save for the IP57 certification. And it should be just as capable as most other flagships of the latest generation. Here go the specs.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support; 3G with HSPA; LTE
• 5" 16M-color 1080p capacitive touchscreen of 441ppi, Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2
• Android OS v4.1.1 Jelly Bean with custom UI
• Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait CPU, 2 GB of RAM, Adreno 320 GPU; Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset
• 13 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and geotagging, HDR
• 1080p video recording @ 30fps with HDR mode, continuous autofocus and stereo sound
• 2 MP front camera, 1080p video recording
• Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct and DLNA; Wireless TV out
• GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS
• 16GB of built-in storage; microSD card slot
• MHL-enabled microUSB port
• Bluetooth v4.0
• NFC
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
• Shorter footprint than most 5” smartphones

Main disadvantage

• Non user-replaceable battery
• Uninspiring camera performance
• Notably thicker than Xperia Z
• Dubious back panel build quality and aesthetics

If you're after a FullHD five-incher the Xperia ZL is the most compact handset that fits the bill. The difference, of course, is by no means huge but having a smaller footprint than the Samsung Galaxy S4 is a great achievement. On the other hand, a 10 mm thick body is nothing to brag about. Yet, if that's the price for getting a proper shutter key and an Infrared port, it should be fine for most people.

Anyway, Sony opted for two distinct versions of a 2013 flagship and then had to sit down and think about how to make them... distinct. Having a more compact option of what's virtually the same package as the flagship makes every bit of sense. But is it worth the extra millimeters around the waistline?

It was probably important to Sony to send a clear message that what's on offer is essentially the same package - the difference boils down to size, choice of finish and waterproofing or not. A sensible plastic case doesn't look half as good as glass but has its advantages. Water resistance is a great asset but not everyone needs it. Plus... a proper shutter key, half press and all, is something we always welcome in a cameraphone.

 
Sony Xperia ZL at HQ

But will Sony's two-flagship strategy pay off? Can the Xperia ZL coexist with its better-looking, and ultimately more prominent, sibling or is it better off as a regional option? What kind of users do these two have in mind? It's the kind of questions we'll be trying to answer, while we explore the Sony Xperia ZL. Let's get going.

iPhone 5S delay caused by fingerprint scanner?

iPhone 5S rumor suggests that a demand for fingerprint-scanning tech could push back the device's launch date

As we move a day closer to the proposed Apple iPhone 5S release date a little more light has supposedly been shed on what could be responsible for the device’s delay.

Yesterday it was reported that personnel issues within Apple’s manufacturing partners were likely responsible for the delay of the iPhone 6 and, potentially, the iPhone 5S, but today a new source has suggested that any delays on the 5S are likely to be caused by Apple’s desire to include new fingerprint sensing technology within the device.

The iPhone 5S had been pencilled in for a summer 2013 release but there have been myriad rumors regarding setbacks for the device and others planned by Apple for the next 12 months. It is now suggested that the incremental update to the iPhone 5 may be facing a delay to the autumn at the very earliest.

The device is due to feature a number of upgrades, including a newer, more power-sensitive processor, updated camera and improved software in the form of iOS 7 – if it’s ready in time – but the addition of a fingerprint scanner with which to secure customers data would be a real coup for Apple, a company that has been lambasted for its lack of innovation in recent years.

Recently the Cupertino, Calif.-based company has been placed under the microscope after its stock fell more than 40 percent, and there is concern that the company’s latest earnings figures will be unexceptional. This means any delays to upcoming hardware could prove to be a major blow to the world’s favorite tech company.

The problems aren’t limited to the boardroom, either. It has been revealed that industry sources in the Far East have taken to referring to the company as ‘Poison Apple’ due to its high demands and expectations.

Whatever the issue is with current manufacturers and suppliers, Apple is going to have to pull its collective thumb out to get the iPhone 5S to market before a rapidly cooling fan base decides to take its loyal dollars and cents elsewhere.

How To Get FREE Unlimited Glu Games Credits!

Glu Mobile is the largest freemium game provider for Android. They have some awesome games like Dragon Slayers, Contract Killer, Death Doom, Contract Killer Zombies, Blood & Glory etc.


Those are free to download & play. But after playing some stages you will find it very difficult to complete the mission. Because you don't have the right equipments to finish the enemies. In that point you will have to buy Glu credits to Equip the perfect Sword or Armor!
In that case you will be hopeless and cursing the games! Well! Dont do that! Because I have a perfect solution for you!

I will show you how to get Unlimited Glu credits!

Just follow the process:

How to get Unlimited Glu Credits:
1) Download this file
2) Extract and Put the folder 'com.glu.android.gwallet' to sdcard/Android/data/...
3) Now Launch the game and you will see 180000 Glu Credits!
4) Buy or Equip with necessary things!

Important:
* Don't equip with the most powerful tools. The game will get boring because you will kill your enemies with one attack!!! Be careful!!! So, only take What you need to fight.  
* If you have enough money to buy Glu Credits. Please buy from their store.



via Lycandroid & Andropalace

The Dark Knight Rises v1.1.3 APK+SD DATA Files

The Dark Knight Rises v1.1.3 APK+SD DATA Files
Requirements: Android 2.2 and up

Size: 7 MB + 740 MB Cache file

Rating: 3.7/5
Type: Brain & Puzzle

Game Review:

The epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy arrives on Android in the exclusive video game inspired by the movie.
THE EXCLUSIVE GAME INSPIRED BY THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
After being gone for eight years, Bruce Wayne gets back into action as Batman. Waiting for him are the mysterious Selina Kyle and Bane, a lethal adversary on a crusade to tear apart Batman’s legacy piece by piece.
Meet all of Batman’s allies and regain your strength to protect Gotham City from Bane.
Become completely immersed in the story thanks to likenesses of all the movie’s main characters like Catwoman, Lucius Fox and Commissioner Gordon.
AN EPIC GAMING EXPERIENCE
Dozens of missions plus random events will make you feel all the thrills of being a superhero. Deal with hostage situations, bomb squads, jailbreaks and car chases to prove that you’re the true protector of Gotham.
A thrilling fighting system that puts you right in the heart of the action thanks to many different moves and
cinematic effects.
Collect items hidden within the city to unlock upgrades and new fighting skills for Batman.
PLAY AS THE DARK KNIGHT
Access Batman’s complete arsenal and learn how to take full advantage of each tool. Use the Grapnel to cross the city or to defeat foes, throw the Batarang to knock out your enemies or to hit a distant button; the possibilities are infinite.
When kicks and gadgets are of no use, The Dark Knight relies on his vehicles to get the job done. Drive the Bat-Pod for special vigilante missions or pilot The Bat for fast travel across the city.
EXPERIENCE GOTHAM AS YOU NEVER HAVE BEFORE
Explore the entire city of Gotham and its different districts spread across a huge map and enjoy stunning graphics

for total immersion in the dark universe of Batman.

What’s new in this version:
New in this update:
Improved performance
Gameplay tweaks
Optimized game size compared to previous version
New permission required: Kill background processes.
The game uses this permission to ensure better stability and performance.

Screenshots (click to enlarge)

Download Links:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gameloft.android.ANMP.GloftKRHM

APK:
Mediafire
Zippyshare
Sendspace
Sharebeast
Putlocker

OBB SD DATA: (interchangeable links)
Mediafire
Part1 | Part2 | Part3 | Part4
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Zippyshare
Part1 | Part2 | Part3 | Part4 
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Sendspace
Part1 | Part2 | Part3 | Part4 
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Sharebeast
Part1 | Part2 | Part3 | Part4
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Putlocker
Part1 | Part2 | Part3 | Part4
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=