Galaxy S4 Zoom vs Galaxy Camera vs iPhone 5 vs Nokia 808 hardware photos leak

It would appear that someone in China has gotten their hands on the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom, a smartphone/camera hybrid unveiled earlier this month and set to be shown to the press in full on the 20th of this month. What they’ve done – like any good tech reporter with every single phone in the world in their drawer would – is to take a few comparison photos of the Galaxy S4 Zoom alongside some of the most notable photo-taking pocketables of the day: the Samsung Galaxy Camera (original), Nokia 808 PureView, and the iPhone 5.

With the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom, the user will be getting a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display on the back alongside a home button, menu button, and back button and top earphone grille that, all together, make this amalgamation look strikingly similar to the Samsung Galaxy S 4. Up front is a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor and a 24-240mm 10x optical zoom, with an F3.1-F6.3 lens.

As you’ll see in the photos above and below, this machine is quite similar in size to the Nokia 808 PureView – a smartphone that was made to show off the possibilities in smartphone camera technology with its own 41-megapixel sensor.

The Galaxy S4 Zoom is shown to be reminiscent in style to the Samsung Galaxy Camera, but is clearly meant to be a slightly more pocket-friendly device with a slimming of all the edges with an ever-so-slightly thinner short end as well.

Compared to the iPhone 5 from Apple… well… there’s not really much of a comparison to make other than the obvious bits and pieces. They’re both white, their screen sizes are similar, but not the same (that’s an optical illusion you’re seeing, the iPhone 5′s display is 4-inches, not 4.3 as the Galaxy S4 Zoom comes in with), and they’re both able to take photos as well as act as phones.

Microsoft is paying developers up to $100,000 or more for select Windows Phone apps

BusinessInsider reports that they have heard from multiple sources that Microsoft is paying companies up to $100,000 for bringing their app to Windows Phone.

This is on top of offers to pay $100 per app, up to $2000, if developers publish an app before the end of this month.

The two different price points reflect two different goals– the so call  breadth and depth strategies.

Breath would be efforts to increase the absolute number of apps in the Windows Phone store. With Windows Phone having 145,000 apps and experiencing a significant slow-down recently in submissions, such incentives are necessary to convince developers to create apps for the 30+ million odd Windows Phone users, rather than the 600 million iOS users or billion Android users.

At the same time the depth strategy is to ensure important high profile apps such as Instagram comes to the platform.  Microsoft often provides direct assistance to some companies and develop apps using their own 3rd party developer, and merely require companies to provide APIs and resources.

Of course even with that level of assistance some companies are still resistant – Google for example has, despite approaches, for strategic reasons not supported Windows Phone, and Instagram has so far proven reluctant.

While some may argue bribing developers is cheating, this is exactly the level of support I expect Microsoft to provide for the ecosystem, and of course Google and Blackberry both used the same strategy in their early years.

In fact we hope Microsoft is even more liberal with the money and hire some companies to create exclusive, high profile games for Windows Phone, with the recent Halo game a good example of what the platform needs.

Apple’s iPad Mini 2 and new, cheap iPhone could start shipping in August

Although Apple may consider launching 4.7 inch and 5.7 inch iPhones, that will certainly not happen this year. Instead, the Cupertino company will most likely introduce a new and cheap iPhone model, alongside a successor to the iPhone 5 – which should be called iPhone 5S, or iPhone 6.

DigiTimes reports that the cheap iPhone will be manufactured by Pegatron, which plans to start shipping it in August. According to previous rumors, this iPhone has a plastic-made case, and could be sold for $99.99 in the US (on contract). Other details – like screen size and resolution, processor, or internal memory – remain unknown for the moment.

It’s said that Pegatron has also landed orders for Apple’s second-generation iPad Mini, which might start shipping in August, too. Unlike the current iPad Mini, which sports a 7.9 inch screen with 1024 x 768 pixels, the new one should feature a 7.9 inch Retina Display with 2048 x 1536 pixels.

Whenever they hit the market, the cheaper iPhone and the iPad Mini 2 will come with iOS7 – which is a significant upgrade from iOS6, both in terms of looks, and features.

As for the successor to the 9.7 inch iPad, this might not be introduced in 2013, but in early 2014. This will not be manufactured by Pegatron, but by Foxconn – a traditional Apple partner.

LG Optimus L4 II with Android Jelly Bean now official

LG has officially announced the Optimus L4 II (model number E440) – a brand new Android handset that was first seen at the end of May.

The L4 II runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and is an entry-level device. Its features include a 3.8 inch HVGA (480 x 320) IPS display, a Home button with LED notification light, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, 3MP rear camera with Flash, single-core 1GHz MediaTek processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory, and MicroSD card support. The handset weighs 125 grams, measures 112.5 x 64.7 x 11.9 mm, and comes with a 1,700 mAh battery.

The Optimus L4 II should be available as of now in Rusia and Ukraine, in two color versions: black and white. It costs 5,490 RUB in Russia, meaning about €129, or $172.

A dual SIM edition of the new Optimus, called LG Optimus L4 II Dual, should be released pretty soon, too. Both editions will probably be launched in other European and Asian markets later this year.

Via Mobile-review

HTC One Mini has an HD display, UA Profile confirms

While HTC has yet to announce its One Mini(also known as HTC M4), we know quite a lot about it, as we’ve seen it several times in leaked photos. What wasn’t clear was the handset’s screen resolution. But now this mystery has been solved: the One Mini will have a 4.3 inch HD (1280 x 720) display – as confirmed by its UA Profile page (XML file).

That aside, the new smartphone should come with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, Sense UI 5, an aluminum case (just like the larger HTC One), UltraPixel rear camera, Boom Sound speakers, Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal memory.

HTC could launch the One Mini in August. By then, Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Mini will be already on sale, as this is expected to hit shelves in July. It remains to be seen which of the two new handsets will be more expensive.

The Galaxy S4 Mini also runs Jelly Bean on a 4.3 inch display, but its resolution is only 960 x 540 (qHD).

Huawei Ascend P6′s new Emotion UI leaks

The ever-savvy EVleaks has managed to do it again, this time spilling the beans on the soon-to-be-launched Huawei Ascend P6.

We know it will be one super-slim device with a body that’s just 6.18 mm thin. Moreover, we’ve heard it will pack a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 4.7-inch 720p screen and an 8-megapixel BSI camera on the back. What we didn’t know is that its front-facing camera will rock a 5-megapixel sensor and a face-enhancing software to appeal to the ladies (or so we think). We’ve already seen few similardevices in China hinting us this is something select users want on their phones.

Mysterious HTC Fetch product certification through the NCC

NCC certification HTC today a very mysterious product called HTC Fetch, model BL A100. With the adoption of NCC certification, which means it is a wireless connection capabilities with hardware products to model point of view there may be parts, but we can never heard of it, never seen, or even to be found on the network , only to find HTC in February when the application of the "HTC Fetch" word mark, so for what it is like accessory is not very understanding. However, in this trademark application page, in the "Products and Services" in this section refer to it as "portable multifunction electronic tracking devices that can help locate mobile phones" ( Portable Multifunction Electronic Tracking device for assistance in locating Mobile PHONES ), so Xiaobian very curious about it would be like products. Guess we have to do?  HTC Fetch verified through the NCC. HTC Fetch apply for a U.S. trademark information

New Nexus 7 Shows Its Face In Bluetooth Filing Photo, FCC Filings Confirm Identity

We have all been anxiously awaiting news of a successor to the Nexus 7, which is now a year old. Google I/O came and went with no announcement, leaving everyone a bit deflated. Now some regulatory filings appear to offer the first peek at what Google and Asus have up theirs sleeves for a new Nexus 7.

The Bluetooth SIG includes a small image of what is apparently the new Asus-made N7, but from the front it's just a generic black rectangle. The product description is interesting, though.

This tablet features a 7” LED-backlit capacitive multitouch screen for easy carrying and fantastic multi-media experience everywhere. It is enpowered by Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 600 Quad-core CPU with the highest performance. Wireless networking ensures simple connection to the Internet without wires.

The Bluetooth filing lists K009 as the model number, which is the same identifier used in an FCC filing also floating around this morning. This has a little more data, but not all of it matches. We clearly see the Nexus branding used as a marketing name, so it's fairly certain this is not simply a random Asus tablet. Strangely, the FCC filing lists the APQ-8064 as the ARM variant in the device. That is a Snapdragon S4 Pro, not the 600 indicated by the Bluetooth SIG. It's not clear what this inconsistency could point to. Also in the FCC document we see both front and back cameras, a 4000mAh battery, and probably LTE support.

We might be getting close, folks. Fingers crossed.

[Liliputing, Bluetooth SIG, Thanks, Adam Lange]

Acer Liquid ZX: Acer's incoming 3.5-inch Android smartphone

"We believe that we will capture small screen smartphone and large screen smartphone," said Liew. "A lot of people have started abandoning 3.5 inch. No, we are going to persist on 3.5 inch and we are going to make a 3.5 inch suitable for a segment of people that treasure smaller screen devices."

The mention of "large screen" was in reference to the company's new phablet, the Acer Liquid S1, which measures in at 5.7-inches. Earlier in the interview when talking about industrial design, Liew had asked EMEA vice president of smartphone Allen Burnes if he had "the ZX".

"I can't show you, Allen [Burnes] stopped me from showing it to you," said Liew with a chuckle, before telling us the some of the plans anyway. "We are going to announce a 3.5-inch device pretty soon which is proud to be small."

Acer also told us that its emphasis for smartphones was on enabling the hardware and creating a user experience without over-engineering elements unnecessarily.

We don't have an exact date for launch other than "pretty soon", or any other specs, but Acer is certainly excited about its 3.5-inch handset.

Acer: We are looking at wearable, coming in 2014

Acer has affirmed that it is researching wearable innovation, letting us know that we can hope to see some manifestation of wearable tech from the association in 2014.

The remarks originated from St Liew, president of the cell phone business amass at Acer, in a meeting with Pocket-build up.

"We are taking a gander at wearable, I suppose each purchaser association ought to be taking a gander at wearable. Wearable isn't new ... it simply hasn't blasted in the way that it might as well. However the chance's for billions of dollars worth of industry," demonstrated Liew when inquired as to whether Acer was recognizing wearable tech.

The issue, demonstrated Liew, is less about how to do it actually, than discovering the right result that has purchaser advance.

"I suppose the trap is making the right exchange off, so you put the right bundle of what individuals are wanting into a wearable. Is a day electric cell enough? It may be, if the charging system is simple. You take off your watch during the evening, toss it as an afterthought and it inductively charges," Liew said.

"So it is safe to say that we are supposing along those lines? Yes, completely. You might as well want something to that effect from us also one year from now."

In the same meeting, Acer additionally point by point its system behind cell phone outline incorporating the new Liquid S1 phablet, and in addition uncovering it might be starting a 3.5-inch cell phone called the Liquid Zx exceptionally soon.