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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

[News] Blackberry 10 announcements and recap *UPDATED*

Well folks - its finally here.  Its January 30th, and the new generation of Blackberry devices have been announced.  There's a lot of news about everything, and I'm trying to bring as much as I can, as concise as I can, in a relatively short and easy to read article.  I'll give it a whirl, but if you have specific questions, or are looking for live coverage of the event, give the folks over at BGR a click, as they are live at the event.  But for those of you that want a pretty solid overview of what's happening with Blackberry, read on.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

[Rumor] Google to launch new Nexus 7 tablet

If you've read my review of the Nexus 7, you'll know I surely love it and think it likely the best Android tablet on the market.  It's been a very good seller for Asus (the maker) and Google as well...and it looks like its about to get a refresh.  The latest rumor from DigiTimes is that Asus is partnering with Google again to give us an updated Nexus 7, with perhaps an HD panel display, smaller side bezels, and an "upgraded version of Google's Jelly Bean operating system" - whatever that means.

Plunkett called this in one of his Fearless Predictions...it will be interesting to see if it comes true.  I'm sure we will know by May, in time for Google's I/O event.  Carry on Google and Asus!

*Source:  Droid-Life

[News] HTC hosting event on Feb 19th

What's HTC got up their sleeve?  We're not sure...but as noted here, we think it might be a new superphone they want to announce to the world.  That's just a guess, but it looks like HTC is going to host an event on 02/19/2013 to announce something, and the M7 (or whatever its final real name is to be) is probably going to make its debut then.  We've seen all kinds of rumors on this thing (see this and this to get caught up) and I for one am a little excited to see the "next gen" crop of phones that will likely start with the unveiling of this device.

*Source:  Droid-Life

Friday, January 25, 2013

[News] Apple no longer world's most valuable company

In what has been a reversal of fortune for one of the largest tech companies, Apple has lost the title of "World's Most Valuable Company" after falling stock prices reduced its market cap to below $414 billion - slightly under Exxon's market cap of approximately $417 billion.  Shares of Apple were trading under $450/share at the time of this writing, a huge tumble from the over $700/share price it saw around the time of the launch of the iPhone 5 last year.  This represents a drop of about 36%, just since September.

The stock plummet comes as market researchers and analysts are wondering where Apple goes from here in terms of product innovation.  So much of Apple's edge has been built on staying ahead of their competition...but now that Android handsets and tablets are seen as viable (and in some instances more cost effective) alternatives to iPhones and iPads, the profit margins for the Cupertino tech giant are not what they once were, even a few short years ago.  With new device launches possibly coming as early as March, it remains to be seen if Apple can return to its status as "top dog" anytime soon.

*Source:  USA Today

[News] Samsung reports $8 billion profit in Q4 2012

Looks like Apple isn't the only one making it rain stacks of cash.  A day after Apple announced giant profits and revenues, Samsung is doing the same - showing a gigantic $8 billion profit in the 4th quarter of 2012.  The reason:  the incredible sales of the Galaxy S3 smartphone and the Galaxy Note 2 smartphablet.  The profit alone represents a 10% quarter over quarter growth for Samsung's mobile products division.  Include the fact that Sammy is now shipping more smartphones than Apple and Nokia combined, its no wonder the company is enjoying record success.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

[Rumor] Galaxy S4 coming in 2nd quarter 2013

Samsung's Galaxy S3
As we move forward into this new year, we are likely to see a slew (maybe even 2 slews) of "mega" smartphones unveiled - the first to come could very well be Samsung's Galaxy S4.  The latest rumor is that a big reveal might be coming in March, with the go-live sale date coming shortly thereafter in April.  This would be a fast launch by Samsung's standards, and would be great news in light of a somewhat disappointing CES earlier this year.

Friday, January 18, 2013

[Rumor] Galaxy S4 to sport Exynos 5 octa core chip

Recently, an AnTuTu benchmark showed up on the web for the Samsung Galaxy S4, and the microprocessor driving the whole show is the fabled "Octa-core" Exynos 5 (which features 4 high powered cores, and 4 lower powered cores, making 8 or octuple cores total).  As this processor was only previously reported to be in the Galaxy Note 3, this is excellent news for those looking into purchasing the next version of Samsung's already wildly popular Galaxy S series.

The full bench mark indicates the processor is clocked at 1.8Ghz along with the 8 cores (with only 4 being in operation at any one time).  This is some serious power folks.

*Source:  Droid-Life

Thursday, January 17, 2013

[Rumor] Blackberry Z10 device specs leak out

In more Blackberry 10 related news, slides of the training manual for the Z10 have presented more details of the specs of the device, including a 4.2 inch HD display (1280x768), Snapdragon processor, LTE & NFC, as well as 16GB of internal storage.  Other goodies include 2MB of RAM, a 2MP front facing camera, and 8MP rear camera with a whopping 5x optical zoom.  A reported 1800mAh battery powers it all, and (as any who used the old school Blackberry knows) it should easily get the average power user through a couple days of usage.


The official RIM press conference is still scheduled for 01/30/2013.  A non-official photo of the all touch screen device is below.  Enjoy!

BB Z10 - courtesy of BGR
*Source:  BGR

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

[Rumor] Could this be the HTC M7?


Its early in 2013, and the rumors are now starting to flow like wine at a Bacchan revel - the latest is a supposed photo of HTC's new flagship smartphone, the M7.  Sporting a look that could mildly remind one of the earlier iPhone iterations, the latest pic from @evleaks shows some very interesting things about the new device.


[Rumor]Nexus 5 smartphone and Nexus 7.7 tablet to be announced at Google I/O?

Leaks this morning indicate LG and Google will announce a Nexus 5 smartphone and an upgraded Nexus 7.7 tablet at Google I/O in May.

The Nexus 5 is pegged to have a 5" 1080p screen, a Tegra 4 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 3MP front and 13MP rear camera, and 8GB or 16GB of memory.  How much will this set you back you might ask?  The leak indicates the price will continue to start at a mere $299 just like the Nexus 4.


The Nexus 7.7 is said to have a 1920 x 1200 HD screen (294ppi), a Tegra 4 processor, 2GB of RAM, and at least 8GB of memory.  Again, price is rumored to start at the same $199 price point as the current Nexus 7.

The leaks sound plausible and may help explain some of the comments made by LG Senior Vice President James Fisher last week.  If you recall, Fisher said "Through our collaboration with Google, we launched the LG Nexus 4 smartphone. This is the first of many devices to come from our growing partnership with this very selective company."  Considering LG can't even keep the Nexus 4 in stock, it seemed odd to already be talking about future products, but hopefully Fisher was referring to the Nexus 5 and 7.7.

Google is also rumored to announce Android 5.0 (Key Lime Pie) at Google I/O.  Who knows, maybe we'll get an upgraded Nexus 10 with the Exynos 5 octa-core inside too?  All I know for sure is May suddenly can't get here fast enough!

Monday, January 14, 2013

[Rumor] Canadian carrier reports strong BB10 pre-orders

With the end of the month rapidly approaching, and with it the BB10 device and software announcement, early feedback from Rogers Wireless in Canada is encouraging for the embattled company from Waterloo.  According to the report from Rogers, reservations began in mid-December for folks interested in purchasing the new Blackberry handset - and the registration numbers appear to be "strong" in Rogers opinion.  And more registrations continue daily.  Since no specific numbers for these pre-orders were given, it doesn't mean much.  But it should be encouraging to RIM fans.

Early reviews of the new BB10 operating system have been mixed, with some positives and some disappointments.  But for my money, I'm pretty intrigued, and would very much like to see if Verizon gets a new BB device.  And if I'd consider purchasing one, I'm sure that lots more Blackberry fans would too.  January 30th is the scheduled date of the RIM announcement...it can't get here fast enough!

*Source:  BGR

[News] Samsung reports over 100 million Galaxy S phones sold

FTW

Well...if anyone needed any more proof that Samsung is on top of the heap of global smartphone sales, here it is:  Sammy has reported that over 100 million Galaxy phones (Galaxy S, S2, and S3 included) have been sold to date.  Considering the original phone was solid, and the GS2 and GS3 have only improved upon this design, this probably shouldn't come as a shock to anyone.  The Galaxy S3 was a huge success, and by huge  I mean over 40 million sold in 7 months.

With the Galaxy S4 likely to launch here in the 2nd quarter of 2013, these numbers probably will continue to rise.  Could Samsung sell a billion of the Galaxy series phones?  Only time will tell.

*Source: Droid-Life

Sunday, January 6, 2013

[Review] iPod touch (5th Gen)

Santa was very generous this year, and delivered down my chimney the black 64GB 5th generation iPod touch.  I have long desired the thinner, taller version of my old 3rd generation iPod touch, and this year the jolly guy in the red suit came through for me.  Well...it was actually my wife who came through for me, but I'm sure you get the idea.  As I mentioned in our Best of Tech 2012 article, the design elements of the new iPod touch are simply beautiful.  I got the very sinister black and grey colorway, and I'll delve a little deeper into some of the pros and cons of Apple's latest generation music player below.

Friday, January 4, 2013

[Rumor] More HTC M7 news


As we roll on towards CES, more and more info is coming fast and furious about the new HTC "superphone" - currently codenamed the M7.  As of now, contrary to earlier reports, the device will NOT have an aluminum unibody chassis, but will instead have a matte black one piece construction, similar to the current HTC Droid DNA look.  While a mildly disappointing (but probably Apple lawsuit avoiding) decision, its not nearly as disappointing as the other rumor - that the M7 will still feature dedicated softkey buttons.  Seriously HTC?  Since the debut of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) on the Galaxy Nexus, the operating system has supported on screen buttons.  Not only does this increase functionality, but it allows for even more of the precious screen real estate to be dedicated to the screen itself.

Early versions of handsets that were already likely in production when ICS was released can be forgiven for still retaining these "legacy" buttons...but with the subsequent release of Jelly Bean after ICS (and the numerous updates since even that) there really isn't any logical reason for a smartphone maker to include dedicated buttons any longer.

More details as they emerge!

*Source:  Droid-Life

Thursday, January 3, 2013

[Rumor] Could the next iPhone come in color?

Apple's iPod touch
Much like their iPod touch line, the latest rumors swirling about the interweb have it that the next generation of the iPhone (the so-called 5S) will come in multiple colors - not just black and white - for the first time ever.  Presumably the anodized aluminum chassis that debuted in the iPhone 5S will allow for the process to be ported from the iPod to iPhone line, perhaps even with different colors than are currently offered in the iPod by Apple.  We should know on or about June of 2013.  Who's excited for a shiny blue iPhone 5S?

*Source:  BGR

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

[Rumor] More HTC M7 info coming soon?

Now that its a brand new year, more rumors are starting to fly around about our favorite tech toys...most notably this new "M7" device from HTC.  The latest rumors have it that HTC might spit some game on their new device as early as the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) which will be held very soon.  As we'd covered in earlier rumors here this device could be HTC's next "superphone" boasting very cutting edge specs.  The only downer could be whether or not it hits the US and which carriers.  Stay tuned...

*Source:  Droid-Life