Alleged details on the camera sensor of Sony Honami emerge

Hot on the heels of the leak from a couple of days back, more alleged details on the upcoming Sony Honami flagship emerged. This time around, the rumor mill brings information on the camera tech of the upcoming Sony smartphone flagship.

Sony Honami will reportedly pack a Sony 1/1.6" Exmor RS stacked sensor and Cybershot G glass lens. A 1/1.6" sized camera sensor will be larger than any of its competitors', save for the one in the Nokia 808 Pureview. You can see how it stacks up against the current establishment in the graphic below.

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.