Opera Mini coming to Windows Phone soon

You might remember when Opera Mobile was a great browser on a few Windows Mobile powered handsets including the ageless HTC HD2. But Opera has been a no show for Windows Phone and that is getting some Windows Phone users nostalgic for the old days. But there is hope. It could be that Opera is actually working on a version of Opera Mini for Microsoft's mobile OS.

The Opera Mini team recently responded to an inquiry about a version of the browser for Windows Phone and sent back an intriguing message saying that the engineering team has Windows Phone on their list and will make an announcement as soon as it is ready. That sure sounds to our ears like the app is being worked on as we speak. As of February, there were 300 million people using Opera Mini and you might see that number grow nicely if a Windows Phone app is added. Last October, Opera did confirm an interest in porting Opera Mobile and Opera Mini to the Windows Phone platform.

"We are aware that a lot of Windows phone users like you would like to have an Opera browser on their phones. The engineering team at Opera has this on their list.We will announce it as soon as it is ready"-Opera's reply to inquiry

Opera gives Windows Phone users some hope

source: WP-Hub via WMPoweruser

Beats by Dre seeks to buy back HTC's 25% stake in the company

Headphone manufacturer Beats by Dre is looking to buy back the stake in the company held by HTC as it seeks a new partner willing to put some fresh cash in the business. Only a couple of months ago, market conditions forced the company to discard a $700 million debt offering that seemingly was a win-win for the company and its owners. It would have provided the company with a war chest of hundreds of millions of dollars for acquisitions and would have paid off the founders of the company (Jimmy Iovine and Dr.Dre) with a handsome dividend without forcing them to give up control of the company. But fears of rising interest rates and the company's low credit rating put a kibosh on the offering in June. 

Beats would like to buy out the 25% stake in the company owned by Taiwan based handset manufacturer HTC. Originally, when HTC purchased the investment, it started including a special pair of Beats earbuds in the box with its new Android flavored smartphones, a practice that HTC eventually stopped due to the cost. But Beats has seen its revenue rise from $200 million in 2010 to $1 billion last year, partly on the success of its audio products for smartphones. Beats positions its line as having better sound that the earbuds offered by Apple.

HTC, which also includes audio enhancing software from Beats on most models, originally purchased 50.1% of the company in 2011 for $300 million only to cut that stake in half by selling it back to Beats a year later for $150 million. Considering the strong growth that Beats had achieved in that time span, HTC was giving the audio company a huge break on the price. Furthermore, HTC loaned Beats $225 million last year, backed by all of the company's assets. The loan is due sometime this year. If Beats is successful in buying back HTC's stake in the company, it is unknown if  the latter would continue to include the Beats Audio software on future handset models.

source: WSJ

Sony planning board member give us a hint about the Sony Honami mini

A member of Sony's board, Kurozumi Yoshiro, is involved in the planning of Xperia devices. Yoshiro told a Japanese business publication on Monday that while it is impossible to meet the demands for every device user, Sony is going to concentrate on certain screen-sizes. The Japanese OEM will release 4 and 5 inch smartphones and 10 inch tablets. The executive adds that these sizes are where the demand is.

We're not sure if this instantly makes the 6.4 inch Sony Xperia Z Ultra an only child, but Yoshiro said that the screen on that unit was too big and that some users find it too embarrassing to put up to their ear to use as a phone. The comment about a 4 inch device means that we could see that 4.3 inch Sony Honami mini that speculation has started up about. On Sunday, we passed along some rumored specs on the Honami minithat showed only two changes from the full-sized model. The only differences were in the screen size and resolution (5 inch, 1080 x 1920 to 4.3 inch, 720 x 1280) and with the battery (from 3200mAh to 2400mAh). Of course this is all very much in grain of salt territory since the Sony i1 Honami hasn't even been unveiled.

The comment about a 10 inch tablet is interesting as it could be hinting about a new model to replace theSony Xperia Tablet Z. That slate was released earlier this year and carries a 10.1 inch screen, a quad-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and 2GB of RAM. 

Despite the comments from the Sony board member it could be some time before either device makes it way to the market.

Thanks, Anonymous Tipster!

source: Nikkei (translated) via TechKiddy

MediaTek besieged by heavy demand, rushes to get orders out in September

MediaTek has become the go to chip provider for low-end smartphone manufacturers. With that niche of the smartphone market surging, the company has been working hard to get orders out on time. Thanks to strong sales in China and other emerging markets of the dual-core MT6572, the company had its second best month ever in terms of revenues last month.

Talk of shortages for the MT6572 as well as for its quad-core MT6589T and MT6582 has led MediaTek's customers to order even more chips to make sure that they are not shut out. Apparently, silicon withdrawal is bad for handset manufacturers' business. According to industry sources, September looks like it will be a record month for MediaTek with revenue poised to hit $14-15 billion NT ($468 million-$502 million). July's near record take was $13.22 billion NT ($440 million USD) which was a 35.5% gain from June and a 43% gain year-over-year. The company is pushing hard to make sure that follow-up orders placed by customers are shipped no later than next month.

Because of the low price of its chips, MediaTek finds itself in such models as the Xiaomi Red Rice. That model is powered by MediaTek's MT6589T and offers quad-core goodness for a price equivalent to $130 USD. But last month MediaTek announced the world's first true octa-core chip, the MT6592. All eight cores can be used at one time without overheating. That compares with the Samsung Exynos 5 octa-core processor that can only use one group of four cores at a time. The MT6592 could give another boost to MediaTek's revenues when mass production begins this November.

source: DigiTimes

Apple iPhone 5S: 7 new features of the seventh generation iPhone

It’s that time of the year - the new iPhone is coming in less than a month on September 10th, and rumors and leaks are pouring on us from all sides. What should you believe and what not? One thing is clear - the Apple iPhone 5S will be better and more powerful than the current iPhone 5, so you’d better save your money and wait for it.

First, let’s make it clear that the new iPhone 5S will look just like the current iPhone 5. Traditionally, Apple is changing the design of iPhones once every two years, so a redesign is due only next year. Most changes will thus happen under the hood. We have summarized them all right below, take a look.

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Fingerprint scanner built inside new ‘sapphire’ home key

A new camera and processor are more or less usual upgrades, but the most radical new feature in the iPhone 5S might turn out to be a fingerprint scanner built right into the home button. The main use of the scanner would be to easily unlock your device, but Apple might also use this as authentication for a future iPhone wallet app.

The new home key would allegedly be covered in sapphire instead of usual protected glass as sapphire is said to be even more secure. What’s interesting that some rumors even say the new home button might be convex, bulging outward.

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New Apple A7 chip with 1GB of RAM

The new iPhone 5S is expected to come with a brand new chip inside - the Apple A7, an upgrade over the A6 chip on the iPhone 5. 

The A7 is a dual-core 32nm chip manufactured by Samsung using the Higk-K Metal Gate technology. It features a higher clock speed of 1.5GHz, with better, quad-core PowerVR SGX 544MP4 graphics and the same 1GB amount of RAM. The type of RAM however has allegedly changed and Apple is using the now standard LPDDR3-1333 RAM rather than last year’s 1GB LPDDR2-1066. This means emory bandwidth is higher, going up from 8.5GB/s to 10.7GB/s.

Interestingly, rumors also claim that the next iPad will actually use a modified version of the A7 chip. That modified chip will be called Apple A7X and will come supporting higher processor frequencies and four graphic cores.

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12-megapixel camera with dual LED flash

The other big upgrade will come in the camera department. The consensus is that the new iPhone 5S camera will have dual LED flash and a wider f/2.0 aperture for better low-light performance. Dual LED flash will allow for more even lighting and the lower the aperture, the more light gets into the sensor. That’s why the f/2.0 rumored aperture would be such a great asset for low-light photography compared to the f/2.4 one on the current iPhone 5.

Chances are Apple will bump the camera unit to a 12-megapixel one, but here rumors are split and some say Cupertino might decide that an 8-megapixel camera is sufficient.

Most certainly, it will come with built-in improved HDR shooting modes. That would definitely make sense if Apple goes for a 12-megapixel camera where the HDR mode would compensate for the smaller sized pixels with improved dynamic range in the highlights and shadows. 

Interestingly, Apple might also include slow motion video recording at 120 frames per second. That would make possible some fun Matrix-style shooting possible. Cool.

Additionally, the iPhone 5S is said to get a better front facing camera than the current 1.2-megapixel one on the iPhone 5. There are no further details, but our guess is that Apple could go for a 2-megapixel shooter.

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iPhone 5S in... gold

For years we have been used to just two color options for the iPhone - black and white, but this year the iPhone 5S might finally introduce a third one and that’s gold. Gold here refers to just the color, mind you, there is no actual gold in the device. And it won’t be an aggressive, lush color color - instead imagine a more aristocratic, champagne-like tonality.

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Maybe a 128GB version

The iPhone is currently offered in three versions - 16GB, 32GB and 64GB ones. The iPhone 5S might get a fourth one with a whopping 128GB of internal storage. Great news for those who use a lot of storage on their phone, but also good news for Apple. The company’s profit margins goes astronomically high for larger capacity models, and with a 128GB one it would make Apple even more profitable.

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NFC

Near-field communications, or NFC, is a technology mostly associated with phone wallets and cashless payments. Often said to be a technology of a future where you use your phone to pay for things, it was adopted by most phone makers except for Apple. This could also change in the iPhone 5S as it might become the first iPhone with NFC on board.

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Price

Finally, the iPhone 5S price. We have no reason to believe Apple will change its pricing. The basic model is likely to cost around $650 off contract, or $199 on a two-year plan. The iPhone 5S release date will probably be in late September in the United States, and October for tens of other markets worldwide.

Is this the first image of the Google Nexus 5

Though they are still to get some mainstream prominence, the Nexus devices by Google hold great appeal for tech-savvy users who enjoy the clean Android experience and immediate software support. That is why we're covering the news about every new Nexus smartphone or tablet with great excitement, and today we're especially pleased to report that the very first image of the Nexus 5 by LG might have leaked, courtesy of an unnamed LG tester.

According to Dutch publication TechTastic, the above image reveals the back of the Google Nexus 5. As you know, most unofficial sources claim that the Nexus 5 will be based on LG's new flagship, the G2. While it doesn't show us much, this photo fits nicely with the rumors that the G2's rear buttons will be moved to their usual place on the left hand side of the Nexus 5. Interestingly, there seems to be a smaller button above the volume rocker of the Nexus 5, which might serve as a power/lock key, or why not even a mute switch similar to the one on the iPhone.

The source also provides some intriguing facts about the specs sheet of the handset, claiming that the G2's Snapdragon 800 will make way for the Snapdragon 600, while the 13MP camera of LG's upcoming flagship is said to be scaled down to 10 megapixels, all of which is supposed to allow Google to keep the price of the Nexus 5 as close as possible to the level of affordability presented by last-year's Nexus 4.

What's even more interesting is that the Nexus 5 is said to introduce the next major Android update - 5.0 Key Lime Pie. Of course, details about what Google's new mobile OS is going to offer are pretty much nonexistent for the moment, which means this is as much as we can give you right now, but fear not - we're sure that it won't be long before we know more about the Nexus 5 and Android Key lime Pie.

source: TechTastic (translated)

HTC One Max phablet poses for a family portrait, flashes a fingerprint sensor

By now it's clear that HTC will make an entrance in the phablet arena by the end of the year with the so-called HTC One Max handset, adding a third screen size to its One portfolio.

The handset is expected to show some of that same aluminum unibody design prowess, wrapping a monster 5.9" Full HD display, Snapdragon 800, an UltraPixel camera, and, thankfully, HTC might have found a spot for a microSD slot, or so say the rumors.

What we didn't know so far is how exactly is HTC planning to differentiate its first phablet from the competition that is getting stronger in this area with phones like the Xperia Z Ultra, and the expected Note 3.

If a leaked picture of the One trio is to be believed, one of the new features is said to be a fingerprint sensor on the back. It can be used for authentication, mobile payment authorizations and so on, while Apple is heavily rumored to include one with the iPhone 5S, too. On the picture we can also see a dock connector or electrical contacts of sorts, so there might be plenty of surprises to look forward to with the One Max, other than the "first HTC phablet" factoid.

iPhone 5C said to cost $400-500 and be a 5 replacement

As tends to be the case with the rumor mill, only about 25% of what we hear is accurate, and the other 75% is based on incorrect assumptions generated from trying to fit together all of the misinformation. The idea that Apple would be coming out with a truly budget device always seemed a bit too pie-in-the-sky for us, and if a new report is to be believed, the iPhone 5C won't be so budget after all, and may actually be a replacement for the iPhone 5.

The idea that Apple would release a $200 budget iPhone was one that started because one man (and notorious Apple fanalyst) Gene Munster simply repeated the rumor as many times as he could. The prediction was based on the worst possible idea that Apple needed to have a budget device, so Apple would create said budget device, despite there being little to no evidence that it was going to happen. 

Once we heard about the iPhone 5C, people started connecting the dots with Munster's claims, and here we are. But now, a much more reliable source: KGI's Mingchi Kuo is giving a much more believable story. Kuo says that the iPhone 5C is designed to replace the iPhone 5 on store shelves and in the price lineup, saying:

iPhone 5C to replace iPhone 5, while iPhone 4S goes on. We’ve learned that the iPhone 5 line will be terminated from 4Q13, while the iPhone 4S line will carry on. From this, we infer that iPhone 5C is launched to replace iPhone 5. In other words, the 5C model will be positioned as midrange. We forecast its retail price to be US$400-500. We expect iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 will fall into the price ranges of US$600-700, US$400-500, US$300-400 and US$200-300, respectively, in the new product cycle. Since iPhone 4’s specs may not be adequate to run on iOS7, we think this line may be terminated.

Additionally, Kuo is saying that we may actually see the iPhone 5C earlier than we thought, because an TDD-LTE version of the device may be headed for China in time for the country's October Golden Holiday, assuming the deal with China's largest carrier, China Mobile, do reach a deal. The iPhone 5C would still launch in Q4 in the U.S. and the rest of the world. 

This new scenario sounds much more plausible to us, because it allows Apple to continue to control its supply chain and costs, while not directly pandering to the low-end (something Apple hates to do), and it allows for a bit of differentiation in devices. With this plan, the three devices that Apple would sell: the iPhone 5S, 5C, and 4S, would all look different, instead of the top two looking exactly the same. And, no doubt Apple can build the 5C more cheaply than the iPhone 5, which helps boost profit margins. 

source: 9to5Mac

ASUS working on Tegra 4 powered slate with a Retina display-like screen

An unknown ASUS Eee Pad has recently shown up at the GFX Benchmark site with a bullish nickname of Taurus. Including on-screen buttons, resolution on the 10 inch screen is 2560 x 1600 which brings the pixel density count to a Retina display topping 299ppi. This beats the 264ppi count for the 9.7 inch glass on the fourth generation of the Apple iPad. Under the hood will be a quad-core 1.9GHz Tegra 4 CPU.

Not much more information can be gleaned from the trip through the GFX site. We can add that the slate will be running Android 4.2.2 and there is a good possibility that we will see this tablet at the IFA show in Berlin next month. Besides the tablet seen on the GFX site, there is talk that ASUS might end up being the brand behind a refreshed version of the Google Nexus 10, taking over for Samsung.

By the way, for those who don't know the story, you might wonder how Apple could call the fourth-generation iPad a Retina display with a pixel density less than the 300ppi requirement that Apple came up with. Remember, this is Apple's own term. The answer is that the Apple iPhone is typically held 12 inches to 15 inches away from your face while the iPad is held further back at an average of 15 inches to 18 inches. This difference allowed Apple to reduce the requirements for tablets to 240ppi. Thus, the 264ppi found on that version of the iPad qualifies it as a Retina display.

Unknown ASUS slate goes through the GFX Benchmark site

Thanks, Anonymous Tipster!

source: GFXBench via TheDroidGuy

iPhone 5, 5S and 5C sit for a family portrait, alleged pricing also leaks out

The Chinese Twitter-equivalent, Weibo, has been a gold mine of intel on a plethora of smart devices so far, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down. That's not surprising in the slightest, considering that many smartphone OEMs have been taking advantage of China's lower overall labor and production costs, allowing for a number of plant workers to get their hands on the new goodies prior to an official launch.

Of course, whether the above is the story of today's leak is unknown. That being said, a family photo has been outed on Weibo, giving us yet another peek at what's to come fairly soon, if reports are to be trusted. Showcasing the iPhone 5 and 5S, the author of the snaps hasn't forgotten to include the last sibling – the iPhone 5C.

The upcoming iPhone 5S is seen compared directly with the iPhone 5, and you'll probably notice the alleged dual-LED flash and the slight redesign it has commanded up top.

Almost simultaneously, regular leakster CTech has outed the expected initial pricing of both the iPhone 5S and 5C referring to a report by the Chinese Ministry of Audit. The price of the flagship iPhone 5S has been pegged at 5599 yuan, or about $915. Similarly steep is the tag that price-conscious Chinese consumers will find attached to the iPhone 5C – 3399 yuan, or about $555. Alongside pricing, a bunch of specs for the iPhone 5S have also been seemingly confirmed:

• A 12-megapixel camera; f/2.0 aperture
• Improved, but unspecified front shooter
• Fingerprint sensor doubles up as a Home button
• NFC
• Rumored golden color variant confirmed once again

As always, be advised that while a resourceful corner of the web, information posted on Weibo is by no means on the money, much less official.

Researchers tricked Apple into approving an app loaded with malware

Researchers at Georgia Tech managed to get an app approved by Apple and posted on the Apple App Store. But unlike other apps, this one was a ticking time bomb. Inside the app, researchers placed fragments of code that were programmed to come together and assemble itself into malware. The program, aptly code named Jekyll, could send emails, tweets and texts under the radar while at the same time it could grab a device's ID number, steal personal information, take pictures and attack other apps. And it could even send mobile Safari to a page containing even more malware. In other words, this app could have been an iPhone user's worst nightmare.

The good news is that the researchers quickly took down the listing after it was posted for just a few minutes back in March. No innocent iPhone installed the app. The Georgia Tech team, on the other hand, downloaded the program and infected their own device. The researchers were able to tell that Apple ran the program for only a few seconds before giving it a stamp of approval. Unless it ran the app for a longer period of time, Apple would never know about the malware because the bad code was hidden in separate small "code gadgets" hidden by a legitimate app. Once the app was approved, the code was designed to stitch together to form the troublesome malware that could wreak havoc on an iPhone.

Apple's review process is not doing enough to safeguard the App Store. That is the message that researchers are broadcasting following the ruse. Long Lu, a member of the research team says, "The message we want to deliver is that right now, the Apple review process is mostly doing a static analysis of the app, which we say is not sufficient because dynamically generated logic cannot be very easily seen." Lu adds that it is possible that some apps on the App Store are malware and have just not yet been detected.

source: MITTechnologyReview via GIGaom

Rumored Sony Honami mini won't downsize the specs

The latest trend with handset manufacturers is to make a"mini" version of their flagship phone. Samsung, HTC and even Motorola has done this. Now, there is speculation that Japanese based OEM Sony will do the same with its upcoming new flagship model. The Sony i1 Honami is expected to be the first of Sony's new camera-centric phones and isscheduled to be introduced September 4th in Berlin. Even though the full-sized phone has not even been introduced by Sony, already specs for the Honami mini have leaked. If true, Sony is going to be the first to truly keep flagship type specs in a mini version of their flagship phone.

According to a tipster on the Esato.com forums with a great track record, the Sony Honami mini will pack a 4.3 inch Triluminos display with resolution of 720 x 1280 (Ok, so its not perfectly the same), with a 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 under the hood, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. A microSD slot will be available and a 2400mAh battery will be keeping the lights on. But the most important news is that the 20.7MP camera won't be touched with at all. The same Sony G lens, f/2.0 aperture and the same 1/2.3″ sensor will be on the Honami mini. So to recap, the only changes to the full-sized version of the phone is with the screen (from 5 inch 1080 x 1920 to 4.3 inch 720 x 1280), and the battery (from 3050mAh to 2400mAh).

The Sony Honami mini has a code name of Ray3. Despite all of this information, we caution you to take this with the proverbial grain of salt. After all, we are still days away from the unveiling of the full-sized model.

source: EsatoForum via gforgames

Jobs movie is a rotten apple at the box office, movie grosses under $7 million on its debut weekend

Failing worse than the Newton handheld PDA, the biopic Jobs opened this weekend on 2381 screens, bringing in an estimated $6.7 million. The movie's distributor, Open Road Films, was hoping to sell $8 million to $9 million in tickets for the opening weekend. But with Steve Wozniakcriticizing the truthfulness of the story, it would seem that even Apple fans stayed away from the movie.

Starring Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs and Josh Gad as the Woz, Jobsgarnered a aggregate score of 25% from the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. But even with the poor turnout at the theaters, Jobs still could turn a profit since the budget for the movie came in at $12 million. After DVD sales and television rights, the movie should surpass its budget.

Another movie about the late Apple co-founder is in the works, written by Aaron Sorkin and produced by Sony. This film is expected to be in three acts with each act showing Jobs backstage before the introduction of an Apple product including the Apple iPod. Loosely based on the Jobs biography penned by Walter Isaacson, casting has not been announced.

Wozniak's major complaint with the movie seems to be the portrayal of "early" Steve Jobs as having the personality and skills of the later Jobs who apparently was much different during the era that spawned the Apple iPod, Apple iPhone and Apple iPad. Woz has said that he wished that the Jobs of the past was more like the man he was in the last few years leading up to his passing.

Jobs pulled in less than $7 million for its opening weekend

source: BoxOfficeMojo via AppleInsider

Audi Introduces the Future of Vehicle Owner’s Manuals

Augmented reality apps, where the camera and a smartphone are used to overlay important information on top of real images, is a concept that has been around for awhile. Audi, never missing an opportunity to promote the advancement of technology, has unveiled their app that is designed to replace the owner’s manual in their vehicles. It will provide the driver with information about warning lights and diagnostic codes, as well as helping identify unknown parts of the vehicle. This should bring a little less confusion to maintaining a complex automobile.

Audi is not the first company to provide an owner’s manual electronically (the Hyundai Equus has already done it), but it is the first to feature full augmented reality. If the driver is unsure of what a particular button does, he or she can take a picture of it and the app will identify what it is. Full owner’s manual information will be available on the phone’s screen for the driver to process.

Audi is the first manufacturer to ditch the owner’s manual for an augmented reality app.

If a warning light illuminates on the instrument cluster, the driver can take a picture of that warning light with the app. It will identify what the warning light is and inform the driver. In addition, if the warning light is related to a fluid like coolant, the driver can open the hood of the vehicle and the phone will direct the driver to the right area of the engine bay to put in the fluid. The driver simply holds the camera up to the engine compartment, and the app will show an arrow over top of the area that he or she needs.

Regular preventative maintenance, like checking fluid levels and tire pressure, is important to having a reliable and safe vehicle. As vehicles become more and more complex, even basic maintenance may seem like a daunting task. Introducing augmented reality as a training tool should make the experience less stressful and also make vehicles safer.

Rumored Honami Mini Brings Sony’s Biggest Features to a Smaller Package

ven before the slated arrival of Sony’s rumoredi 1 Honami unveiling at the IFA trade show early next month in Berlin, there are now rumors that Sony may be working on a smaller-sized sibling to the Honami called the Honami Mini. The phone is said to be based off of the design and specs of the Honami, and like the HTC One Mini and the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, the Honami Mini will be packing a mean punch for its smaller size.

Like the larger Honami, we’ll be seeing the same quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2 GB RAM, and 16 GB of built-in storage. The Mini will be using a 4.3-inch 720p Triluminos display rather than the rumored 5-inch 1080p full HD panel of the Honami.

The Honami name is likely an internal code name. The phone may launch under Sony’s Xperia line as the successor to the current Xperia Z flagship.

Additionally, for mobile phone photographers, the same larger point-and-shoot-sized camera sensor will also be appearing on the Mini with the same 20.7-megapixel resolution. The optical system will be branded with the Sony G lens, which is a pro-grade lens in the Sony camera lineup, though a step below the more expensive Zeiss-branded lenses. Still, on a smartphone, Zeiss lenses have only been seen on Nokia’s smartphones. The lens will have an f/2.0 aperture.

Pictured: Leaked image of the Honami with its own 20.7-megapixel Sony G camera lens and optional interchangeable lens system that communicates with the camera via NFC and WiFi connection.

Likely, the Honami Mini will be able to take advantage of the rumored QX10 and QX100 lens accessories that will debut alongside the Honami in September. The interchangeable lens systemwill allow Xperia phone users to take their photography to a new level and could challenge Nikon’s and Canon’s position in the DSLR world.

The Honami Mini is said to have the code name of Ray 3 according to a leak found on Esato Forum and published on Phone Arena.

And while the Honami is believed to make its public debut on September 4th at a Sony press event ahead of the September 6th start date for the IFA trade show, it’s still unclear when and if Sony would introduce the Honami Mini.