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- Sony’s Xperia Tablet Z goes up for pre-order in Finland for €799
- LG Optimus G Pro release date set for March in South Korea, Japan to follow
- Nexus 4 coming to Korea after all, SK Telecom and Korea Telecom to carry it
- Bell Canada cuts Galaxy Nexus outright price down to $350, is the Nexus 4 coming at last?
- Galaxy S4 pre-launch sales estimates: Samsung to move 10 million units a month?
- Remember the GooPhone i5 iPhone 5 clone? Here’s a review
- Facebook surpasses Google Maps as the most popular mobile app in the U.S.
- Temple Run 2 is out now on Google Play
- Finger Army 1942 is a fun whack-a-mole Android game
- Chinese handset makers say quad core phones will drop to sub $100 this year
| Sony’s Xperia Tablet Z goes up for pre-order in Finland for €799 Posted: 24 Jan 2013 02:50 AM PST
The Xperia Tablet Z was officially unveiled in Japan last Sunday. It sports a design that has left many in awe, particularly due to its 6.9 mm thick body, which is just about as thin as it gets for a 10.1-inch tablet. Although Sony is still keeping mum about the Tablet Z's international release, one Finnish retailer has begun taking pre-order of the water- and dust-proof tablet on its website, where it's offered for €799.
Now, we’re not an expert in the language, but assuming you can stomach the price, we don’t think you should expect to get your mitts on the Tablet Z so soon. Given that the tablet is only due to hit stores in Japan this spring, it’s not surprising to see that the delivery date is still missing. If you're intrigued by the slim chassis of the Sony Xperia Tablet Z and its specs –10.1-inch display with 1,920 x 1200 resolution, a quad-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, microSD slot, 8MP rear camera, NFC, LTE, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean – don't miss the hands-on video of the tablet right here. Do you think Sony will do the right thing and release the Xperia Tablet Z worldwide? How much are you willing you to spend to get one? Related Posts |
| LG Optimus G Pro release date set for March in South Korea, Japan to follow Posted: 24 Jan 2013 02:41 AM PST
While LG did not announce any new mobile device at the recently ended CES 2013 in Las Vegas, USA, the company unveiled a new smartphone in its high-end G family just a few days ago, the Optimus G Pro. A new report sheds light on initial availability dates for the new LG smartphone, with South Korea and Japan being unsurprisingly mentioned as the first two markets to receive the device. The Optimus G Pro will apparently start selling in South Korea in March, while Japanese Android fans will be able to purchase the handset a month later, in April, from NTT DoCoMo. The handset will feature a 5-inch touchscreen display with Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution, 1.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon Pro processor, 2GB of RAM, 13-megapixel camera, 3000mAh battery and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean under the hood. Curiously though, KBench's report says that the Japanese model will come with a larger 5.5-inch display despite the fact that we have already heard that the Japanese NTT DoCoMo Optimus G Pro will feature a 5-inch panel. Pricing details for these first two markets have not been announced yet, and we don't have launch dates for other regions of the world at this time, although we'd expect the phone to be available in a variety of countries later this year. Are you buying the Optimus G Pro this year? Related Posts |
| Nexus 4 coming to Korea after all, SK Telecom and Korea Telecom to carry it Posted: 24 Jan 2013 02:36 AM PST
The Nexus 4 is the most talked Android device of the moment, even if it's not always for the good reasons. Availability issues have plagued the device from day one, but the supply crunch is slowly easing, enough for Google and LG to begin selling the Nexus 4 in new markets such as Australia (from February 1 at Harvey Norman) and now South Korea. The Nexus 4 was not supposed to sell in South Korea, but apparently, LG had a change of mind after customers voiced their frustration over the decision. According to the Chosun Ilbo, a major Korean newspaper, some local customers have even accused Google, LG, and carriers of deliberately holding back the Nexus 4 because of its disruptive price. The National Radio Research Agency (RRA), the Korean equivalent of the FCC, has recently tested and approved the Nexus 4 for sale in South Korea. The smartphone is expected to start selling in the following two months (Q1 2013). The carriers that will range the Nexus 4 in South Korea are SK Telecom and Korea Telecom. As a reminder, according to an LG France executive the availability issues with the Nexus 4 were caused by Google’s gross underestimation of the demand for the device. The Korean company is now working to satisfy demand, and we should see availability improving soon. For more about the Nexus 4, check out our full review. Related Posts |
| Bell Canada cuts Galaxy Nexus outright price down to $350, is the Nexus 4 coming at last? Posted: 24 Jan 2013 02:06 AM PST
With Bell giving out the "end of life" sentence to the Galaxy Nexus way back in October, we wouldn't have expected a lot of stock to remain unfinished going in 2013. Still, the Canadian carrier seems to have had trouble moving the last gadgets around, as it has now taken another drastic measure to get rid of them. The remaining Galaxy Nexuses will be sold for $350 outright, which is a whopping 300 bucks discount off the original list price. To be honest, we would have never recommended getting the one and a half year-old for the initial off contract price and we're a little hesitant about the new one as well. It's true, the GNex is and will remain a true classic, with its high-res 1,280 x 720 4.65-inch display, fast and furious dual-core 1.2 GHz TI OMAP 4460 CPU, 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of on-board storage. But, compared to the $309 8 GB Nexus 4 or the $359 16 GB model, it can't really hope to come out on top from any standpoint, be it hardware, software support or design.
Of course, scoring the Nexus 4 for those prices can be a true challenge, with Canada's Google Play suffering from the same critical supply issues as all other regional subsidiaries that have dared to announce the phone's launch. So, all things considered, what should you do? Probably wait for Bell's next move. The carrier isn't just getting rid of old GNex stock because the phone is out of fashion and is probably smoothing things over for its own N4 launch. We don't expect Bell's pricing structure to challenge the one in Google Play, but if the Nexus 4 were to start at, say, $400 or $450, it would be awfully difficult to say no, wouldn't it? Related Posts |
| Galaxy S4 pre-launch sales estimates: Samsung to move 10 million units a month? Posted: 24 Jan 2013 02:02 AM PST
The Galaxy S4 rumor has been picking up quite a lot of steam lately, with the device featured in a variety of pre-launch reports. Earlier this week we learned that the Galaxy S4 will not be unveiled at MWC 2013 next month in Spain, but that it will arrive at a special media event that could take place in the U.S. in March. A few weeks after that, around April 15, the handset could hit stores, although these details are yet to be confirmed. Now, South Korean publication Money Today suggests that Samsung is preparing to move as many as 10 million Galaxy S4 units per month, which will make the handset the most popular Android device ever. Its predecessors, especially the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S2 models, enjoyed great sales to date, although incomparable with iPhone sales during the same periods of time. Nevertheless, no other Android device out there is able to boast similar sales numbers: the Galaxy S3 passed 40 million sales recently, while the Galaxy S2 also topped 40 million units, but in a much longer period of time. So how does Money Today know in advanced how many Galaxy S4 handsets Samsung wants to sell each month? Apparently the publication has learned that the giant corporation has ordered each of its subcontractors to provide 10 million components per month, but don't expect any of them to confirm such numbers. Overall, Samsung wants to sell over 500 million phones this year, with 350 million of them being smartphones. Moreover, the company plans to launch a variety of tablets in 2013 when it comes to screen size: 7-, 8-, 10-, 12- and 14-inch models are rumored, although it's likely that not all of them will be running Android. Are you buying the Galaxy S4 when it comes out this spring? Related Posts |
| Remember the GooPhone i5 iPhone 5 clone? Here’s a review Posted: 24 Jan 2013 01:23 AM PST
While we can't really claim secrets are better kept in the Android décor than in Apple's world, especially now, we can't help but laugh our behinds off whenever iPhone clones looking exactly like the originals come out before the authentic devices. But iPhone 5's launch was even more special and amusing than usual. And not just because we saw Apple stoop to one of its lowest levels ever by calling the new device a major upgrade for simply featuring a bigger display and "groundbreaking" 4G LTE speeds. No, the thing that made the release special was the preceding unveiling of the GooPhone i5 and the threats that came with it. For a second there we even thought GooPhone would go through with it and sue Apple for copying. Of course, that never happened, but that doesn't mean GooPhone can't still be a worthy adversary for Apple, if not in a court of law then on the actual market. Because guess what, the i5 is out and about, and, according to a GizChina review, it looks pretty awesome.
But before getting down to the actual review, let's have a quick rundown of the specs:
Okay, so that's definitely not an ideal set of features, right? The processor is very last year, the display's resolution is so far off today's greats that makes even the original iPhone 5 look good, the battery is measly at best and not even the cameras are awfully special.
But hold your horses now, because the GooPhone i5 is anything but another cheap Shanzhai knock-off. In fact, the design makes our good friend Andi Sykes call this bad boy a "masterpiece". The feel is identical to that of the iPhone 5, the build quality looks flawless at a first sight, while the weight reaches a mere 108 grams (4 grams less than Cupertino's flagship). Of course, it's not all about the looks. In fact, one of the things that are often more disturbing at Chinese clones than cheap build quality is clunky software. But that's not the case at all here, because GooPhone apparently manages to come up with "the ultimate Android/iOS mash-up". That's definitely not a good thing if you're a hardcore Android fan that aches at seeing his precious tainted, but if you can appreciate iOS 6's ease of use and sleekness you'll love this fellow. There's even a lost twin of Siri's that has apparently grown up in a Chinese household.
Moving on to the display, performance and cameras, we'll find a number of things off with GooPhone's i5, which considerably bring down the device's overall value. Then again, this is a Chinese clone after all, so if you're looking for perfection you'll have to knock on other doors. We however are in a good mood and we'd rather focus on the good things. Like the fact that the i5 is unlikely to cripple sales of genuine Android devices and will instead grab the attention of Apple fanboys looking to save some dough while still feeling good about themselves. Ah, the little joys of life! Related Posts |
| Facebook surpasses Google Maps as the most popular mobile app in the U.S. Posted: 24 Jan 2013 01:16 AM PST
Facebook has really been stepping up its mobile game lately by adding more and more features geared specifically to mobile users. This is undoubtedly in response to the pressure from Wall Street after going public last year. It seems the hard work has finally paid off, as Facebook has overtaken Google Maps, becoming the top mobile app in the United States. According to ComScore, Facebook's numbers have shot well above Google Maps'. To be fair, this most likely has a lot to do with Apple removing Google Maps from iOS 6. However, as we have seen, Google's new iOS app is becoming incredibly popular due to the huge Apple Maps flop. Nevertheless, Facebook's engineers still deserve some credit, as their efforts are certainly commendable.
ComScore provides additional app statistics and show that five out of the top six mobile apps are produced by Google. This leads us to believe that Google will probably make a comeback in the coming months. However, ComScore provided another interesting piece of information: how much time users actually spend using apps. Ultimately, users have always spent more time using Facebook's app as opposed to using Google Maps. Facebook accounts for 23% of time spent on mobile apps while Google accounts for 10% with all of its apps combined.
The fact that this didn't happen sooner is absolutely astonishing. It is incredibly difficult to find a person who isn't on Facebook nowadays (while not impossible). Why has such an enormously popular service failed to be the number one app for so long? The answer was simply that the interface and features offered by the official app left a lot to be desired. No longer is this the case, as users have apparently decided that Facebook's latest additions are worth getting the app. We will have to wait and see if Facebook's new features are enough to keep them ahead of the competition. Related Posts |
| Temple Run 2 is out now on Google Play Posted: 24 Jan 2013 12:44 AM PST
Whoa, look what Imangi Studios has decided to roll out to the Play Store. The sequel to one of Android's hottest games is now available to download, install, and play hours on end. We're talking about Temple Run 2! Temple Run 2 was released last week on iOS, while the Android version was promised to come not long after. Well, we're pleased to let you know that it's here now, still in its freemium outfit, but with a lot of tweaks and changes in the gameplay and graphics departments. Here's the official changelog:
What the above has failed to mention is that Guy Dangerous now looks a lot like George Clooney. Other available characters to play include Scarlett Fox, Barry Bones, and Karma Lee. Can't wait to dive in? We suggest you hit the Google Play link below to remotely install Temple Run 2 to your device, as the game doesn't seem to show up yet in search results. Excited? Let us know in the comments below. Related Posts |
| Finger Army 1942 is a fun whack-a-mole Android game Posted: 23 Jan 2013 11:41 PM PST
Want to relive those heady whack-a-mole days at the arcade? Developer Tin Planet hears your plea as it unleashes the Finger Army 1942 on Google Play. Gone are the plastic moles, mallet, and the need to waste those precious quarters. The premise of the Finger Army 1942 is as simple as its spiritual predecessor. You'll be fighting an army of fingers with – you've guessed it – your finger(s). You have to whack 'em as fast as you can, as they will eventually fight back. Just make sure to avoid the medics and finger soldiers that are waving white flags.
As you make your way through the levels, you'll encounter different types of enemy fingers, such as the helmet-wearing soldiers that need more than a single whacking. The game will also speed up considerably, leaving you to trust your reflex alone to hammer them down. That being said, it never gets too crazy difficult. The Finger Army 1942 costs less than a buck to download from Google Play. Hit the link below if you have the itch for some finger tapping fun. Related Posts |
| Chinese handset makers say quad core phones will drop to sub $100 this year Posted: 23 Jan 2013 10:12 PM PST
Remember when LG announced the Optimus 4X HD, the “world’s first” quad core smartphone? That was back in February 2012 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Over the next few months we saw several other quad core devices get unveiled, namely HTC’s One X, Samsung’s Galaxy S3, the second generation Note, and so on and so forth. Those phones are all considered “high end”, meaning they cost over 500 EUR. According to a report on DigiTimes, next month, during the Chinese New Year, we’re going to see a ton of quad core phones that cost less than $250 hit the market. The piece goes on to say that by the end of this year, several Chinese handset makers are predicting that quad core phones will cost less than $100. What kind of chips will be powering these budget quad core devices? A majority of them will be using MediaTek’s MT6589. That chip in particular uses four ARM Cortex A7 cores. We’ve already seen a few benchmarks, courtesy of Engadget, and it looks like MediaTek’s quad core solution is barely faster than a dual core Snapdragon S4. Is that such a bad thing though? People will see the word “quad core” on the box and think they’re getting something high end, but in reality they’ll be buying a device that’s about as fast as some of the best phones from the past 12 months. The American HTC One X for example, that had a dual core S4. Will these kind of devices ever land on American shores? We’ll just be blunt and say no. The American market depends on subsidies to work. In other words, most people really think that their $199 iPhone 5 is really just $199 when it’s actually more than triple the cost. There’s no room for “budget” phones. That being said, maybe these devices will hit Europe? The prepaid market is strong there. Related Posts |
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