Android Authority

---

• Lenovo smartphones could land on US within the year
• Rumor: New Gmail UI launching on Wednesday
• Galaxy S4 mini mistakenly confirmed, Brown Galaxy Note 8.0 spotted
• Weekly News Roundup #6 – India
• Microsoft, Samsung keen on doing glasses, prices to range from $200 to $500
• White Nexus 4 press images hit the web, release date still not available

Lenovo smartphones could land on US within the year Posted: 27 May 2013 02:32 AM PDT We’ve had our eyes on Lenovo‘s Android-powered smartphones for quite some time now, and if you’re always on the lookout for the best of the best, then the same thing could probably be said about you as well. Last month, we even told you about the possibility of there being a Lenovo Think-branded phone in the works (as in the ThinkPad). In other words, Lenovo’s work in the smartphone space can be quite exciting. Lenovo has been consistently pushing out attractive, impressive, and inexpensive handsets with the Android operating system (although sometimes one or more of those superlatives may be lacking in certain units). But the catch is that these phones are limited in availability — and can only be bought in China and other emerging markets. Prospective owners from other parts of the world — from the US in particular — can do nothing more than wish they could get a chance to paw at these handsets someday. Well, what if we told you that Lenovo smartphones will finally be landing officially in the US very soon? That’s right. Based on comments made by Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing in a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, there are plans to market Lenovo-branded smartphones with Android in the US some time in the next 12 months. If you’ve been waiting for a chance to buy some of these Lenovo phones for yourself, then this is certainly good news. Over in China, it is said that Lenovo already has quite a strong presence in the smartphone market, trailing next to overall market leader Samsung in terms of market share. Still, it has very limited reach outside of China and emerging markets in Asia which include India and the Philippines. Evidently, Lenovo wants a bigger piece of the world smartphone pie and its CEO has made it part of the company’s current 12-month plan to battle it out with others in the US and other developed markets. It has already made headway with its Android-powered tablets, but it will take more than that to really establish itself as a world-class Android OEM. There’s currently very little information on what kind of handsets Lenovo plans to release in the next 12 months, so it’s hard to say which of these exactly will be arriving in the US. The only thing that the Lenovo CEO promised is that there will be a huge marketing push as part of its sales effort, as the smartphone market “is more like the fashion industry,” which benefits from strengthened marketing plans. How will a US presence affect Lenovo’s chances of selling you your next Android smartphone? If they do end up offering a Think-branded handset, would that be enough to convince you to give them your money? Let us know what you think by posting a comment.

Rumor: New Gmail UI launching on Wednesday Posted: 26 May 2013 05:36 PM PDT Google is reportedly going to unveil the new Gmail user interface on Wednesday, with the new UI expected to include some of the features seen in previous reports. Earlier this week we found out that potential Gmail UI changes were revealed at Google I/O and then we saw a bunch of screenshots allegedly depicting the new desktop user interface for Gmail and the matching app menu.   According to Android Police, the redesigned Gmail will be unveiled on Wednesday by Google via its Gmail blog. The images are pretty much in line with those published by The Next Web the other day, but they are of better quality. That report revealed that the new desktop Gmail version would include various tabs that would automatically sort incoming email according to certain parameters, and display incoming messages in their appropriate tab. There are several categories listed so far including Primary, Social, Promotions, Updates and Forums. The Android and iOS Gmail apps would show a new menu that would help users find their emails listed in the same categories as in the desktop version. The publication also reminds us that this new Gmail desktop feature is similar to the "SmartLabels" feature that's currently available in Labs, speculating that Google may be graduating it from Labs. Interestingly, Android Police also took a rather critical look at one Gmail mobile app screenshot that will reportedly be part of the Gmail update announcement finding several mistakes and inconsistencies (check out the image below). Giving further credence to this rumored Gmail update is Ryan Socio. The guy who revealed ahead of the Google I/O event that the unified messaging app dubbed as Babel was in fact called Hangouts – and Hangouts was indeed unveiled at Google I/O –  is now saying that the new Gmail UI changes are coming. Here’s what he said in a new post on The Verge‘s forums: So, the tabbed interface that was reported by the Verge a couple of days back is definitely happening. There will be five categories of tabs, 1. Primary 2. Social 3. Promotions 4. Updates 5. Forums Google does the sorting on its own and this will also be part of the new Gmail app, swipe from the left will give you access to the categories. I remember someone asked if the swipe to archive would still work on the app, I can confirm that it still works. Come Wednesday, we'll see whether these Gmail reports detailing new UI changes were accurate or not. But we'll have to add that this isn't the first time we've heard Gmail is getting new features. Since before I/O we were told that Google's email will be updated, but the company did not unveil the new features at its developer event.

Galaxy S4 mini mistakenly confirmed, Brown Galaxy Note 8.0 spotted Posted: 26 May 2013 03:34 PM PDT Two Samsung Android devices that are yet to become official have been spotted, one on Samsung's own website, with a picture of another appearing on a Twitter account well-known for mobile-related leaks. We're talking about the Galaxy S4 mini, which is yet to be made official by Samsung, and the Brown model for the Galaxy Note 8.0, which is also unofficial. Galaxy S4 mini At this point, the Galaxy S4 mini is confirmed as the white version of the handset has been found on Samsung's own Apps site in two versions, the GT-I9195 and the SGH-I257. Interestingly, that second model number seems to indicate that we could be looking at an AT&T version of the handset.   UA Profiles for the two devices reveal that the GT-I9195 will offer a display with 960 x 540 resolutions while the SGH-I257 will reportedly pack a 1280 x 720 screen. Despite being (mistakenly) published on the website, the Galaxy S4 mini has not been properly introduced, but it could be soon made official. After all, it's not like we weren't expecting this particular Galaxy S4 model to hit stores at some point this summer. Brown Black Galaxy Note 8.0 A while ago we reported on a rumor that said the Galaxy Note 8.0 would be available in the future in a strangely-named color, "Brown Black". Now @evleaks has posted an image of the a Brown Galaxy Note 8, which you can see below. The Twitter account has been pretty accurate when posting press image of unannounced devices, so chances are the image is legit, although we'll still tell you to treat it as a rumor, while we wait for Samsung to make it official. At the same time, Samsung has been known to release various Android devices in a variety of colors, so we're not exactly surprised to hear that the Galaxy Note 8.0 will receive a similar treatment. However, the Twitter account does not mention the color name of this particular brown tablet yet.

Weekly News Roundup #6 – India Posted: 26 May 2013 10:12 AM PDT In a weekly segment, I'll be doing a roundup of the mobile technology news in India, including new device announcements and releases from Indian manufacturers, network carrier news, and anything else that captures the pulse of  the Android scene in India. In today’s “Weekly News Roundup – India,” the Indian Android smartphone world saw Micromax continuing to add to its budget-friendly quad-core smartphone portfolio, a new smartphone from Xolo showing up online, and Chinese company Gionee aggressively marketing its latest smartphone in India. In the Android tablet market, the Sony Xperia Tablet Z gets a price and goes up for pre-order, and iBall introduces a great budget-friendly quad-core tablet. As you can see, there’s a lot to talk about. Let’s get started! Android Smartphones Micromax A110Q Canvas 2 Plus Early this year, Micromax announced plans to launch over 30 new Android smartphones, and the local manufacturer is certainly on track to do so, with another new smartphone being launched this week. The company started the trend of budget-friendly quad-core smartphones in India, and the competition has taken notice and released amazing rival devices. That being said, Micromax continues to increase the pressure, this week, with the Micromax A110Q Canvas 2 Plus. The specifications of the Micromax A110Q Canvas 2 Plus include - 5-inch display with 854×480 resolution 1.2Ghz quad-core MediaTek MT6589 processor 1GB RAM 4GB internal storage (1.4GB available to user), expandable via microSD up to 32GB 8MP rear camera, 2MP front camera 2,000 mAh battery dual-SIM support Android 4.2 Jelly Bean The low resolution of the 5-inch display is slightly disappointing, since Micromax was one of the first companies to introduce budget-friendly smartphones with HD displays. The specifications don’t hold any surprises and is what can be found from various similarly priced smartphones from other local OEMs, even though the availability of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean is definitely impressive. The Micromax A110Q Canvas 2 Plus is available for Rs 12,100 (~$228) from the Micromax eStore here. Source – Micromax  Xolo Q1000 Xolo, a sub-brand of Lava International, became popular as one of the first companies to release an Android smartphone powered by an Intel processor. Xolo has continued to expand and diversify its portfolio, with non-Intel smartphones as well, and joining its growing list of quad-core smartphones is the Xolo Q1000, which has been listed by online retailers Flipkart. The Xolo Q1000 is primed to take on the various other budget-friendly quad-core smartphones currently flooding the Indian market, and boasts some great specifications, which include - 5-inch display with 1280×720 resolution 1.2Ghz quad-core processor PowerVR SGX544 GPU 1GB RAM 4GB internal storage, expandable via microSD up to 32GB 8MP rear camera, 1.2MP front camera 2,100 mAh battery Android 4.2 Jelly Bean The pricing of the Xolo Q1000 isn’t official yet, but one of the listings on Flipkart shows a price point of Rs 14,999 (~$283). Still tagged as “Coming Soon,” you can find the listing here. Source – NDTV Gadgets Gionee ELife E3 Gionee, a Chinese manufacturer, has been aggressively marketing its products in India, and following up the GPad-G2, the company has now announced its new ELife series, starting with the Gionee ELife E3. Gionee has been releasing smartphones that can effectively compete against similarly-priced devices from local manufacturers, and the ELife E3 is no different. The specifications of the Gionee ELife E3 include - 4.7-inch IPS display with 1280×720 resolution 1.2Ghz quad-core processor PowerVR Series5XT GPU 1GB RAM 16GB internal storage, expandable via microSD up to 32GB 8MP rear camera, 2MP front camera 1,800 mAh battery dual-SIM support Android 4.2 Jelly Bean In addition to the impressive specifications, the Gionee ELife E3 comes with an in-built Digital Theatre System (DTS) Sound, for an improved multimedia experience. Compared to other budget-friendly quad-core smartphones, the ELife E3 features a much higher internal storage availability, and even though the device already comes with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, the company promises timely software updates. The Gionee ELife E3 will be available for Rs 14,999 (~$283) from retail stores around the country by the end of the month. You can find out more about the smartphone here. Source – IBTimes Android Tablets Sony Xperia Tablet Z The Sony Xperia Tablet Z was first announced back in February at MWC 2013, and has finally made its way to India, with the high-end tablet now up for pre-order for various online retailers.  The Sony Xperia Tablet Z borrows a lot of features and specifications from its smartphone counterpart, the Xperia Z, including being completely dust and waterproof. Here’s a quick recap of the specifications of the Sony Xperia Tablet Z - 10.1-inch display with 1920×1200 resolution 1.5 Ghz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro 2GB RAM 32GB internal storage, expandable via microSD 8.1MP rear camera, 2.2MP front camera 6,000 mAh battery Android 4.1 Jelly Bean The specifications of the tablet are definitely impressive, although the display resolution falls short of the 10-inch Nexus tablet. I would have also liked to see Android 4.2 on-board a high-end device launched in 2013, but Sony does promise quick software upgrades. Complementing the specifications a beautiful and sleek form factor, at only 6.9mm thick, and weighing just 495 grams. The Sony Xperia Tablet Z is currently up for pre-order from online retailers such as Flipkart and Infibeam, with a first week of June availability, and is priced at a whopping Rs 44,990 (~$848), which includes a leather case worth Rs 3000 for free. If you’re not sure of the tablet is worth the price, take a look at our hands-on video of the Sony Xperia Tablet Z below - Source – Fone Arena iBall Slide Q9703 Indian device manufacturer iBall has launched another great budget-friendly tablet offering which could prove to be a very viable alternative to the far more expensive high-end tablets. The iBall Slide Q9703 boasts a Retina display and support for 4K Ultra HD videos. Specifications of the iBall Slide Q9703 include - 9.7-inch display with 2048×1536 resolution 1.2 Ghz quad-core processor SGX544 MP2 GPU 2GB RAM 16GB internal storage, expandable via microSD up to 32GB 5MP rear camera, 2MP front camera 3G support via USB dongle 8,000 mAh battery Android 4.1 Jelly Bean The specifications of the iBall Slide Q9703 is very similar to the Zync Quad 9.7, and is comparatively inexpensive alternative to the iPad and other high-end Android tablets. The iBall Slide Q9703 will be available from various iBall retail stores around the country, priced at Rs 15,999 (~$301). You can find out more about the tablet here. Source – Tech Tree What are your thoughts? What do you think of the new additions to the growing number of budget-friendly quad-core smartphones? How impressive is the iBall Slide Q9703? Is the high price of the Sony Xperia Tablet Z worth it? Will you be picking up any of the devices mentioned above? Let us know in the comments section below.

Microsoft, Samsung keen on doing glasses, prices to range from $200 to $500 Posted: 26 May 2013 09:10 AM PDT Watch out, Google. Even with a headstart in developing wearable computing devices through Glass, there are two major competitors possibly on the horizon, waiting for the right opportunity to pounce. Reports indicate that Microsoft and Samsung are both keenly interested in competing against Google in its Glass efforts. Even as Google is already testing the waters with its initial batch of beta Glass units seeded out to 800 users, sources close to Samsung and Microsoft say that the two companies see wearable tech as the future of computing. The two are expected to come up with their own glasses-like product in six months’ time. According to another source, Microsoft actually has had dealings with Vuzix, which we earlier cited to have a Glass-like device underway. A platform for wearable tech Let’s take things into perspective, particularly with how each company attacks the market. Samsung is today’s biggest smartphone manufacturer, thanks to its use of Google’s own mobile platform, Android. If Google were to go with the same model with Glass being its reference device for an open wearable tech platform, then Samsung might have the chance of likewise dominating the space for glasses-mounted wearable tech. Consider that Samsung will supply components for Glass. It should not be difficult for the Korean conglomerate to build web-enabled glasses themselves. Sources report that Samsung has actually ordered lenses from Israel-based Lumus. Meanwhile, Microsoft is not exactly a leader in smartphones and tablets today, but it does have partnerships with hardware manufacturers, OEMs and big brands. Microsoft is reportedly interested in not only producing web-enabled glasses, but also in creating the platform for wearable tech itself. Microsoft is keen on both developing glasses for its Xbox gaming platform, plus making software to run other manufacturers’ hardware, much like how Windows and Windows Phone runs on a variety of brands. Niche product today, selling like hotcakes tomorrow? Wearable computing in the form of glasses might seem like a niche product at this time — something that’s more identifiable with the sci-fi community rather than mainstream. However, the same can be said with many of the devices and technologies we are enjoying today, including our smartphones, tablet computers and even speech recognition. Google may be receiving the most buzz with Glass today, but it certainly cannot rest on its laurels. If augmented reality glasses and other wearable tech will take center stage in the future like how smartphones and tablets are dominating today, then Google will have to get the execution right and keep the momentum going. They wouldn’t want to be overtaken unsuspectingly, like Nokia, BlackBerry and even Apple in the recent years. And the winner is … Even with Samsung possibly taking the lead in web-enabled glasses, it shouldn’t be a bad thing for Google if it were to own the platform like Android. If Samsung could distribute tens of millions of glasses, then Google and the Android ecosystem would benefit in the end. What’s better news for consumers is that we can expect AR glasses to be much cheaper than the $1,500 price tag for Google Glass today. Lumus director of business development Ari Grobman says glasses could retail from $200 to $500 once they gain mass market appeal, which sets it similar to the price range of midrange smartphones and tablets today. Good enough news for those planning to nerd up with AR glasses?

White Nexus 4 press images hit the web, release date still not available Posted: 26 May 2013 05:12 AM PDT The first press images for the white Nexus 4 have apparently hit the web, but a launch date is not yet in sight. A tipster sent Android Police these press images, revealing that the white Nexus 4 won't arrive in a 32GB capacity. Instead the white handset will be available in either 8GB or 16GB versions. The white version apparently has model number E960W, while the current model has model number E960. All other specs "remain the same, including Android 4.2," so it looks like Android 4.3 can't be confirmed at this time. The white Nexus 4 has been spotted in the wild just before Google I/O, prompting speculation that Google would announce the device during the keynote. However, that didn't happen, as Google only announced a Nexus experience Galaxy S4 at the event. The white Nexus 4 was seen at the event, albeit not in an official manner. Considering that the press renders for the white Nexus 4 have already appeared, it would make sense to assume that a launch could be just around the corner. At Google I/O we heard that the white Nexus 4 running Android 4.3 would arrive on June 10, but that potential launch date is yet to be confirmed.

You are subscribed to email updates from Android Authority To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610