LG G2 to go on sale in August, the US gets it in September

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The LG G2 has leaked numerous times already. This is why we mostly have a handle on the specs it will have ? 5.2" 1080p display, Snapdragon 800 chipset with 2GB RAM, Android 4.2.2, 13MP camera and 2,540mAh battery.

We even saw several teaser videos that don't really give away anything but the taglines "To me, you are perfect" and "Learning from you" and show a short glimpse of the characteristic back with two buttons next to the camera.

Now there are a couple of new leaked images of the LG G2, which show a potential change in design. The curved back covered in glossy plastic can be seen in four different color versions ? Black, Blue, Red and Purple. That's a departure from the clean glass look of the Optimus G and G Pro.

Leaked images show different colors

At the same time, the teaser site is available in two color versions ? White and Black. Clicking between the two nothing but the background changes. Is this a slight hint that the G2 will stick to the black and white colors of its predecessor? Those could be snap-on back panels as one observant reader points out. We'll find out for sure on August 7.

The good news is the event will be livestreamed, so you can watch the unveiling live. We'll put up the video when the time comes and we'll have people on the ground to bring you live photos and first-hand impressions.

Korean publication Khan throws in some more info ? the LG G2 will reportedly launch in early August in South Korea, not long after the announcement, then in the US in September. Europe and the rest of the world will get the smartphone in October.

Source 1 | Via ? Source 2 (in Korean) | Via

Live photos and hands-on video of BlackBerry A10 surface

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The BlackBerry A10 is a bigger screen replacement of the current Z10 flagship. Specs that leaked earlier this month tell us it will pack a 5" AMOLED display with 720p resolution and a dual-core Krait processor at 1.7GHz (up from 1.5GHz, but it's the same chipset). The battery has seen a massive 1,000mAh bump to 2,800mAh, but other than that it's mostly the same as the Z10.

BlackBerry A10

A new video (again from Taiwan) plus a whole bunch of photos give a quick hardware tour of a working BlackBerry A10. As can be expected, it's taller and wider than a Z10 (which has a 4.2" screen). The back panel seems to made of Motorola RAZR-like Kevlar material and is removable.

While the battery is not accessible, there are some helpful labels under there, which confirm the specs from the leaked slide. The A10 is 9.4mm thick, a hair thicker than the Z10, and has a metal frame under the back cover.

BlackBerry A10 compared to the Z10

The BlackBerry A10 was running BB OS 10.2, but there are no immediately noticeable changes to the UI over 10.1. The unit bears an AT&T logo on its back.

Unfortunately, there's still no info on when the BlackBerry A10 will launch.

Source (in Vietnamese)

Another budget iPhone photo leaks, this time with FCC labels

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So far we?ve been pretty skeptical of the budget iPhone leaks as they bear a very strong resemblance to a certain China-built Android phone. This, however, could be the money shot - the plastic budget iPhone with FCC labels on the back.

None of the other leaks we?ve seen (and there have been plenty) had such labels. The labels could, of course, be faked quite easily (especially in a blurry shot like this). Still, we?re on the lookout for official FCC docs - a non-blurry shot with the FCC ID clearly visible would be a great start.

Anyway, the rumor mill also says that this budget iPhone will be unveiled on September 6. There are other rumors that contradict this date so we'll see. For what it?s worth, the iPhone 5 was announced September 12.

Source | Via

Two new LG G2 live photos leak, confirm battery capacity

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The LG G2 just can't stay off camera these days, and its latest batch of photos not only shows the device, but also confirms the capacity of its battery. LG has fitted the G2 with a 2,610mAh juice pack that is user-removable. This means you'll be able to carry a spare and keep on using the device for those extra long spells away from chargers.

The 5.2" 1080p display shown in one of the photos certainly look the part. The company has ditched hardware keys in favor of software ones, which will have a transparent background. LG has given the status bar the same treatment.

The LG G2 is expected to be powered by the Snapdragon 800 chipset with a 2.3 GHz quad-core Krait 400 processor and 2GB of RAM. At the back, you can spot the 13MP optically stabilized camera with LED flash and the volume rocker around it. It'll be interesting to experience how the unique volume rocker placement would feel once we get some personal time with the device.

The company just posted the second teaser for its upcoming flagship and the New York event where it'll be announced. Be sure to tune in on August 7 to find out the full LG G2 details.

Source | Via

BlackBerry Q5 review: The apprentice

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Smartphone makers believe in trickle-down economics. They build their portfolios top to bottom, looking to get as much bang out of the flagship as they can and, after the hype around it has settled, they bring out the more affordable packages to keep the cash rolling in. The big question - always - is how much of the flagship specs will trickle down the ranks.

Having delivered the latest BlackBerry 10 OS in a classic messenger form factor, a midrange package combining touchscreen with the iconic hardware keyboard was next on the Canadians' to-do list. The Q10 came at a price not a lot of people can afford, so the Q5 promises to deliver the same experience without sweeping the fluff out of your pocket.

BlackBerry Q5 official photos

At first glance, the Q5 has all the important checkboxes ticked. You get a dual-core Krait chipset, a 3.1" display of the same 720 x 720 pixel resolution and a four-row QWERTY keyboard for that serious texting and emailing.

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, tri/quad-band UMTS/HSPA, 100 Mbps LTE3.1" 16M-color 720p (720 x 720 pixels) IPS LCD capacitive touchscreenFour-row hardware QWERTY keyboardDual-core 1.2 GHz Krait, 2GB RAM, Adreno 225 BlackBerry 10.1 OS; Office document editorBlackBerry Hub is a unified inbox of all your communication and social networking accounts BBM with video chat and screen sharing5 MP auto-focus camera with face detection and Time Shift; LED flashFull HD (1080p) video recording at 30fps; 720p on the front-facing camera2MP front facing camera16GB of storage, microSD card slot; Dropbox and Box.NET integrationWi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot; Wi-Fi syncBluetooth 4.0NFCstandard microUSB port, microHDMI3.5mm audio jackGPS receiver with A-GPSBlackBerry World is still missing key appsScreen size is somewhat small by today's standards and the 1:1 aspect is awkward for video watchingQWERTY keyboard could be betterBlackBerry Maps may be even worse than Apple MapsNo FM radio

The screen is no longer AMOLED, the camera has been downgraded from 8MP to 5MP and the CPU has been downclocked by 300 MHz. These are things, which sure make the Q10 the more desirable package, but not the kind that will dramatically change the user experience. It looks like the BlackBerry Q5 is much closer to the BlackBerry Q10 than its name suggests.

BlackBerry Q5 at ours

That, and the more affordable price tag, may actually help the Q5 convince more users than its bigger and more advanced sibling. We are about to see how much of that potential translates in real-life performance. Join us on the next page, where the Q5 gets unboxed and handled.

Press render of BlackBerry 9720 Samoa leaks

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BlackBerry recently announced that the company will be coming up with a new BlackBerry 7 smartphone. The handset carrying the now obsolete platform is targeted at consumers in the emerging markets and we now have a press render showing what it looks like.

The BlackBerry 9720 Samoa has been leaked, courtesy of evleaks. The image confirms that the phone packs a QWERTY keypad and an optical trackpad with send, menu, end and back keys alongside it.

It looks like the BlackBerry 9720 will come out with few dedicated buttons placed on the sides of the smartphone. The upcoming BB 7 device is rumored to sport a 480 x 360 pixel display, but info on its other specs is scarce at the moment.

Unfortunately, there is no word on the launch date of the smartphone, but with the press renders ready, we expect it to happen pretty soon enough.

Source

IDC: Apple and Samsung lose market share in Q2

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According to the latest figures from Internation Data Corporation (IDC) market analysis, Apple and Samsung continue to dominate the smartphone market. However, the companies have seen their shares slip in Q2 of this year compared to what they had last year.

Of the estimated total of 237.9 million smartphones shipped this past quarter, Samsung accounted for some 72.4 million units, or 30.4%. Despite shipping more units in Q2 than for the same period of last year, Samsung's market share dropped from 32.2% due to seasonal sales rates and lost market share to up-and-comers like LG and Lenovo.

LG was able to ship 12.1 million units in Q2, giving it a 5.1% market share, while Lenovo sold 11.3 million units, or 4.7%. Those two saw their shipments increase by 108.6% and 130.6% YoY, respectively.

Apple, meanwhile saw its market share drop by almost a quarter to 13.1% in Q2. The (highly) rumored release of a budget iPhone model alongside the iPhone 5S should hopefully bring things back for the Cupertino-based company, but the effects of those will only be properly felt in Q4.

The lost market share is likely of little concern to either Apple or Samsung, as both are raking in huge profits from their smartphone offerings. Particularly Samsung, who is celebrating a record $8.5 billion profit for Q2.

Source | Via

6" Nokia Lumia phablet front panel pictured

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We've heard rumors of a phablet in the works from Nokia for a while now. Back in May we even saw a (blurry) glimpse of what appeared to be a large-screened Nokia device, expected to see the light of day as the Lumia 1030.

This latest leak which supposedly comes from a factory floor in China brings the phablet one step closer to reality. It measures 6-inches in diagonal and is supposedly already being mass-produced by Nokia.

As you can tell from the image, it has a very thin bezel and looks to also feature a slot for a front-facing camera. Unfortunately there's nothing else that we can make out from it and the source didn't provide any additional specs either.

It's possible Nokia may be readying this device for the anticipated Windows Phone GDR3 update. The new release is set to start seeding by the end of the year and will add support for 1080p resolution to the Windows Phone 8 platform as well as an additional column of tiles - perfect for larger, phablet-esque displays.

Source | Via

Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 get Android 4.3 today

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Google officially announced the latest version of Android operating system, 4.3, at its event today. The newest version of Android is a minor upgrade over the currently present Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS and brings restricted profiles, a few other minor features along with a bunch of performance enhancements.

As one can expect, the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS will be first available on Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10. What might come as a slightly surprise is that you won't even have to wait a day - the update will start rolling today.

After the roll-out to the Nexus line-up, the latest Android release will be seeded to the Google Play Editions of Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One. We got no time frame for that, but we were promised it will be happening soon.

The Android 4.3 Jelly Bean software update will be available over-the-air (OTA) so keep an eye for that notification.

Sony Honami gets pictured side-by-side with Xperia Z

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Up until now, all we've seen of the Xperia i1 Honami from Sony is pretty much everything. From high res captures to alleged press images to specs, there's even a system dump that revealed a new camera UI for its 20MP shooter.

One thing we haven?t seen yet is it pictured next to the flagship it's set to succeed, the Sony Xperia Z. Judging by how similar the design strategy looks to be and seeing as how the Honami is set to also have a 5" 1080p display, it's a pretty safe bet that the devices should look very similar.

The first two shots indicate that the Honami is slightly longer and just a hair wider than the Xperia Z.

Also included are some shots of the new camera UI. Although we've already seen this interface via the earlier leaked camera app, this time they're in English, so we get a better idea of what it is about.

By all accounts, the Honami is expected to be revealed at Sony's dedicated press event at IFA in Berlin on September 4. Be sure to check back with us then for full coverage!

Source

Watch Google's Android 4.3 and Nexus 7 event live here

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Exactly a week ago, Google announced its Android event in San Francisco, inviting us all to have breakfast with Sundar Pichai. Now, the day has come and in a traditional Google fashion, the event will be streamed live on YouTube for your viewing pleasure.

And just like we always do in these kind of situations, you can watch it right here without the need to leave your favorite site.

Sundar Pichai is most certainly going to talk about the leaked Android 4.3 and reveal the rest of its features. You can see what we know so far by watching our Google Play Store Samsung Galaxy S4 edition hands-on and by reading its review.

The second-generation ASUS Nexus 7 is also going to debut at the show. It has leaked numerous times and is even available for pre-order at Best Buy. Even though it won't be able to offer much in terms of surprises, it'll be interesting to see the new Nexus 7 in the flesh running the latest version of Android.

Here's the livestream video for you to enjoy.

Update: The event is now over - head to our homepage to learn everything about the announcements that took place there.

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Sony announces Android 4.3 update whitelist

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Sony has just published the list of devices that will be getting the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update that was announced yesterday. On the smartphone side, the company will be bringing the latest Jelly Bean version to the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia SP and Xperia Z Ultra. The only tablet that is confirmed to get treated to the latest Android release at this point is the Xperia Tablet Z.

Sony is currently seeding the Jelly Bean 4.2 update for the Xperia Z and Xperia ZL. Starting from early August, the Xperia ZR and Xperia Tablet Z will get Android 4.2 as well.

Some older Xperia phones running Android 4.1 are still under examination. There's a possibility that at least some of them will be updated straight to Android 4.3, but no names have been confirmed yet.

Additionally, Sony acknowledges that its updates haven't been "as succinct or as timely as you might?ve expected." The company's developers have now changed their workflow to assure that future updates arrive faster. The whole procedure is detailed in a lengthy and educational blog post, in case you are interested.

Source

Samsung Galaxy S4 in Purple Mirage pictured

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Samsung recently announced a few new colors for its flagship smartphone. The Galaxy S4 was initially launched in two color options - Black and White, but the new announce meant it will also be getting Blue Arctic, Purple Mirage, Red Aurora, Brown Autumn and Pink Twilight versions.

We have already seen the fourth generation Galaxy S smartphone in Red Aurora and Brown Autumn, courtesy of some leaked press renders. Now, the live images of Purple Mirage variant of the Galaxy S4 have surfaced.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Purple Mirage is said to be an Exynos Octa variant and the availability of the version will be restricted to only a few regions.

Unfortunately, there is no word on the launch date of the new paint job, but it shouldn't be far away now.

Source | Via

LG Q2 2013 report is out, sales and profit up from Q1

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LG has just published its financial report for Q2 of the year and it shows an increase in both sales and profit over the previous quarter.

Overall sales for the period were $13.58 billion, up 8% quarter-over-quarter and 110.1% year-over-year. Profit stood at $426.92 million, which compares favorably to the $113.86 million for Q1 of 2013, but falls $43.1 million short over the same period of 2012.

The Mobile Communications division of the company has posted a profit of $54.77 million from $2.78 billion in sales. That's a 2.7% fall quarter-over-quarter, but a huge 34.5% jump from Q2 2012.

LG sold a total of 12.1 million smartphones - over two times more than it managed to sell for the same period last year and 17% more than the last quarter. The boost was helped by strong sales of L-series II and F-series smartphones.

However, it's not all good news for the Koreans, as demand in their domestic market has weakened. The average sale price of the smartphones has declined too, due to the "intensified competition" as well as the increase of marketing expenses.

Nevertheless, LG is optimistic about its Q3 2013 performance and expects to extend its smartphone market share boosted by its LTE handsets. In order to stay full of fight, the company has posted its plan to strengthen its product competitiveness in the premium segment with the launch of the G2, while maintaining the great sales of the mass-aimed L-series II and F-series.

Source

Specs of Samsung Galaxy Note III leak, 5.7-inch display confirmed

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The upcoming Galaxy Note phablet has been doing the rounds in the rumorland for quite a while now. The specifications of the third generation Galaxy Note have appeared several times and now we have an official confirmation from a Samsung insider, in front of Business Daily.

Samsung Galaxy Note III is confirmed to feature a 5.7-inch display, 3 GB of RAM and Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. Furthermore, the alleged spec sheet of Galaxy Note III reveals that the device will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset with the latest 4G LTE-A support.

We will know more about the Galaxy Note III, when Samsung unveils its next generation Galaxy phablet on September 4 in Berlin.

Source | Via

Samsung announces record $8.5B profit for Q2

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Samsung announced a record $8.5 billion in operating profit, beating the $8.3 billion guidance it released early this month. That's up from the $7.9 billion from the previous quarter and $5.8 billion from the year ago quarter. Net profit was $6.99 billion.

We were a little wary of reports that Samsung had beaten Apple in profitability, but the Cupertino company (and Samsung's main smartphone rival) posted a net profit of $6.9 billion, coming a narrow second this time.

Sales are up across the board for the Samsung divisions, but mobile division actually marked a decrease in operating profit quarter on quarter (it's up YoY), despite the launch of the Galaxy S4 flagship, which has been selling quite well (but not as well as some analysts expected).

Analysts say that while Samsung and Apple dominate the high-end smartphone market, that market has been saturated and the action is now in the mid- and low-end segments. Samsung has carved out a 30.4% market share (down from 32.2%) despite sales rising 43.9% (Apple's sales rose 20%).

Apple doesn?t compete in the low-end just yet, but Samsung does. However, companies like LG and Lenovo saw their sales double and stronger competition from HTC, Sony and Nokia have made things more difficult for Samsung, while the increased spending on R&D and marketing didn?t help either.

Regional growth in sales in America and China is largely due to the launch of the Galaxy S4, which lead sales overall. Smartphone demand increased slightly, despite the weak seasonality. Samsung expect next quarter to see continued growth with LTE driving it in developed markets and emerging markets like China to gobble up mass-market smartphones.

Samsung's tablets were on the rise in emerging markets, but went down in developed markets. Samsung expects high growth in both markets next quarter despite stiffer competition.

Samsung's semiconductor business is seeing low desktop demand but strong mobile and server sales, with growing demand for NAND memory for SSD and phone/tablet storage. DRAM shipments increased and will only go up thanks to demand for graphics memory for the new consoles (Xbox One and PS4).

Samsung's TV and panel business is on the rise too, with increasing average selling price thanks to demand large TVs (60+ inches) and the new UHD panels.

You can get more numbers on Samsung's various divisions in the press release (PDF).

Source (PDF) | Via

Android 4.3 unveiled with improved multi-user support

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Android 4.3 has officially been announced ? it's been in the wild on Google Play Edition devices for a while, but the unveiling was put off for today. So, what's new? Well, 4.3 is a minor upgrade so it brings minor improvements and refines the user experience, rather than delivering game-changing features.

Multi-user support was introduced in 4.2 and it's updated in 4.3 with the new restricted profiles. A restricted profile can limit what content and apps can be used ? even limit in-app stuff like what levels of a game can be played.

The suite of stock apps has been updated - Hangouts now officially replaces Talk and Keep is available out of the box. The Drive, Chrome and Maps applications have been revamped too.

The way Android handles notifications has been changed too. For one, you can view your notification history. Also, third party apps have access to notifications, which will help smart watches and apps that sync notifications across devices.

There are plenty of changes under the hood too. OpenGL ES 3.0 is now supported (Google presented impressive improvements in 3D game graphics) and the graphics stack should be faster overall. For games, Google unveiled the Google Play Games app, which lets you keep track of what your friends are playing and a leader board of achievements in the game.

The "master key" exploit patch has been incorporated into Android 4.3, of course.

Bluetooth 4.0 with Low Energy mode (low power usage and longer range for low-bandwidth accessories like those fitness tracking gadgets) is now supported in stock Android. Before, each maker had to roll its own drivers. Also for Bluetooth, AVRCP 1.3 is supported, meaning the phone can stream metadata about the currently playing song to the wireless speakers (or your car's stereo).

Wi-Fi can be kept on at all times to determine your position, even when you toggle it off.

A new hardware-based encryption for DRM has been added so content providers will be more willing to stream high-quality content. A new Netflix app is among the first to make use of this and streams 1080p video (it's now available in the Play Store).

An Android 4.3 update will be available on Nexus devices from the Galaxy Nexus up (4, 7, 10, you name it). Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Play Edition will get the update soon, too.

T-Mobile US slashes all upfront phone prices to $0, iPhone 5, too

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T-Mobile has dropped the upfront cost of all phones available in the carrier's stores to $0, including flagships like the Apple iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S4, Sony Xperia Z and Nokia Lumia 925.

There's a catch though ? you still have to pay for the phone, you just do it in monthly installments on top of your regular monthly payments. Starting tomorrow, customers can grab a new phone on T-Mobile's Simple Choice Plan (starts at $50 for unlimited talk and text plus 500MB high-speed data).

Here's a table that shows the monthly payments for some of the most popular devices. We've added a third column, which is the total cost of the device over 24 months (which T-Mobile conveniently neglected).

Monthly Payments
24 equal monthly payments for
0% APR on approved credit1

Note that this is a limited time offer and T-Mobile didn?t say when it ends. You can also sign up for the JUMP! upgrade program that costs $10 a month and adds insurance and the option to sign a new contract (and get a new phone) every six months. It's similar AT&T Next (which goes live today) and Verizon's Edge.

Source | Via

New Nexus 7 brings WUXGA screen, quad-core Krait CPU

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The Google event brought the new Nexus 7 2. It's a 7" tablet running pure Android 4.3 and improves the screen and chipset over the first generation Nexus tablet. The base price is set at $230, a little higher than the $200 that the first Nexus 7 costs (both prices are for the respective 16GB model).

So, what do you get for the extra $30? A 1920 x 1200 screen with 320ppi pixel density (50% more than the first Nexus 7 and more than even the Nexus 10) for one. It's the highest resolution 7" display on a tablet. The screen also promises a 30% wider color gamut.

You also get the chipset from the Nexus 4 ? Snapdragon S4 Pro with quad-core Krait processor at 1.5GHz, 2GB RAM and Adreno 320, a sizable update over the Tegra 3 chipset.

While the display size was kept the same, the new Nexus 7 is smaller. Google and Asus shaved off 1.8mm off the thickness, 2.8mm of the bezels on either sides and reduced the weight by 50g. Google kept well-liked the soft touch back.

There's also a back-facing camera ? a 5MP shooter that can also record 1080p video joins the 1.2MP front-facing camera of the first Nexus 7. Other changes include an LED notification light on the front and SlimPort, which means you can get HD video out of the microUSB port.

Other connectivity features are dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 (Android 4.3 adds native support for 4.0 + LE) and NFC. Wireless charging is also supported.

Google announced the Wi-Fi and 4G LTE models of the Nexus 7 from the get go this time around. One device will be able to use 4G from AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, no different versions required.

For storage, there's 16GB for the base model, $230, and 32GB for $270. Those prices are for the Wi-Fi only model, the 4G LTE model comes in 32GB only and costs $350.

The Nexus 7 2 will be available starting Tuesday (July 30) through the Google Play store and a number of retailers including Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart, Staples, Amazon.com.

In the coming weeks, Google will expand availability for the Nexus 7 2 to Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Australia, Japan and South Korea.

Geeksphone Peak+ with 1GB RAM goes on pre-order for �150

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Geeksphone has started taking pre-orders for the Peak+ Firefox-powered phone. Geeksphone typically makes phones targeted at devs or tech savvy enthusiast, but says the Peak+ is also ready for consumers.

It's a small upgrade over the regular Peak ? the RAM has been doubled to 1GB and the material used for the exterior has been changed to make it feel better to the touch. The phone will come with Firefox OS 1.1 out of the box, the same version the other two (Peak and Keon) recently got.

Other than that, you're still getting a Snapdragon 8225 S4 Play chipset (dual-core Cortex-A5 at 1.2GHz, Adreno 203 GPU), 4.3" IPS screen qHD (540 x 960) resolution, 4GB storage plus microSD cards slot and a 1,800mAh battery.

The Geeksphone Peak+ pre-order is at a promo price of ?150 ($200), the same as the original Peak. This price will go up slightly after the initial batch of units is sold out (there's no indication what the standard price will be). The original Peak sold out fairly quickly.

If you pre-order now, Geeksphone will ship your Peak+ in mid-September.

Source

HTC One mini lands in Germany and Austria in August for �450

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The HTC One mini availability and pricing info for Europe is trickling in ? first the UK, now Germany and Austria. The phone will cost ?450 off-contract when it starts shipping in August.

Phone House lists the Stealth Black color version as available on August 12, while the Glacial Silver version will have to wait until September. Cyberport will deliver both on September 19 at the same price, ?449.

On contract with O2, the One mini starts at ?90 with ?15 a month monthly fee for two years or ?30 for one year. Vodafone will have it in early August and charge ?30 a month on contract. T-Mobile is expected to carry the phone too, but there's nothing on the site just yet.

In Austria, A1 will offer the HTC One mini for free on contract, ?28 a month, in 4-6 weeks.

The SIM-free price is the same as it Germany - ?455 in September for the both color version from Cyberport and Fonmarkt. If you want it earlier, Alternate will it for ?480 in August.

Nokia to announce something BIG tomorrow

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Nokia has a big, BIG announcement for tomorrow and is giving us pretty short notice. Whatever it is, it will be unveiled tomorrow morning in London (9am UK time, 8am UTC). There's still plenty of time to guess, except all we have to go on is an orange ("sunset orange", according to an online color chart) back with the Nokia logo engraved.

Nokia can be pretty sneaky with these things, like the solid yellow background with black oval that turned out to be the loudspeaker of the Asha 501.

So, is this an Asha? Maybe, but not if "big" refers to physical size ? Asha phones are generally small.

Stephen Elop, Nokia CEO, did talk about phablets in early May, and the defining characteristic of phablets is "big".

This would, however, require the device to run the elusive GDR3 update, which will finally enable 1080p resolution as WXGA (1280 x 768) can only be stretched so far. The update will also add quad-core support and other features, except the latest info is that it's slated for next year.

Then again, the Nokia Lumia 625 is pretty big - 4.7" screen - with only WVGA resolution.

Join us tomorrow and find out what this BIG thing really is.

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Analyst: Apple iPhone sales to hit 62 million in Q4

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Apple will be reporting its second-quarters results on Tuesday and the Cupertino giants are predicted to have sold 26 million units, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster.

The analyst also estimates the iPhone sales to be just 24 million for the third-quarter, which is less than the 26.9 million sold over the Q3, 2013. Surprisingly, that number also includes the sales of the upcoming iPhone 5S, which will probably hit the shelves before the next quarter runs out.

However, the Apple iPhone sales are expected to get a huge boost by the much-anticipated budget iPhone, during the holiday season. According to the analyst, Apple might sell 62 million iPhones during the fourth quarter with the budget iPhone accounting for no less than 12 million units.

Wall Street also expects Apple to reach the 50 million mark in the last quarter, but the general consensus is significantly lower than Gene Munster's predicitions.

Via

Nokia Lumia 925 review: Take Five

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AppId is over the quota

The Nokia Lumia 925 is a subtle but meaningful update of what was - literally until a few days ago - the company's top smartphone offering. While designers and engineers were busy fixing the Lumia 920, the guys next door produced a louder bang with the Lumia 1020.

Still, the Lumia 920 was in many ways the flagship that really showed the company with its best foot forward. And the Lumia 925 is a very welcome facelift, sporting a lighter, thinner aluminum frame instead of the all-polycarbonate bulk of its predecessor.

Nokia Lumia 925 official photos

The screen is of the same size and resolution, except this time around it's an AMOLED panel, which works great with the mostly black WP8 interface. It's the AMOLED screen too that takes credit for the fat loss. Other small highlights are the inclusion of an FM radio and some minor software improvements, but those will also be seeded to the Lumia 920 with a software update.

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support Quad-band 3G with 42 Mbps HSDPA and 5.7 Mbps HSUPA support 4.5" 16M-color PureMotionHD+ AMOLED capacitive touchscreen of 1280 x 768 pixels8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, 1080p@30fps video recordingOptical Image stabilization with floating lens technology 1.3MP front-facing camera Windows Phone 8 OS 1.5GHz dual-core Krait CPU, Adreno 225 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8960 chipset, 1GB of RAM Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band GPS receiver with A-GPS and GLONASS support Free lifetime voice-guided navigation 32GB of inbuilt storageStylish aluminum frame results in a thinner and lighter profile than the Lumia 920Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic Wireless charging with optional accessoriesBuilt-in accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor Standard 3.5 mm audio jack microUSB port Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP and file transfers SNS integration Xbox Live integration and Xbox management NFC support Digital compass Nokia Music FM radioNo microSD cardNo system-wide file manager No lockscreen shortcuts Mono sound for video recording

When it comes to the updated chassis, the Lumia 925 refresh can be likened to BMW's M-Series - they're very similar to their non-M-powered brethren when it comes to design, but the updated body is a definite improvement over the original. In terms of what goes under the hood though, these are two different schools of thought. Because the 925 is basically the same package as the the Lumia 920.

The Lumia 925 is all about the looks and feel - the updated body is a definite improvement, and there's a few extra features thrown in to sweeten the pot as well. Although it may be minor, the inclusion of the thinner and, more importantly, lighter frame takes care of two of the disadvantages we listed for the Lumia 920.

The Nokia Lumia 925 studio pics

The chipset is the same as before and while it's not a benchmark blaster, but WP devices have consistently demonstrated they don't need too much horsepower to give a smooth ride through the UI. Of course, heavier apps may tend to load a bit slower, but lags and system freeze should be pretty much out of the question.

Up next, we'll be taking a closer look at the redesigned body in our unboxing and hardware inspection.

Some analysts expect HTC One sales to slump by 40% in Q3

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AppId is over the quota

The HTC One sold well, despite some supply issues, and fairly quickly became a best-seller. The company was riding the wave of Ones, it was turning its fortunes around with revenues rising from March (when the One launched) through May. Then revenues slipped at the very end of Q2 and Australia's analyst firm Macquarie Securities expects things to get even worse in Q3.

The firm estimates around 3-3.5 million HTC Ones were sold in Q2, with 1.5 million selling in May (others claim 1.2 million) and 1 million in June. The July-September period will see a sharp 40% drop to 600,000-700,000 units per month, say the analysts.

This would be bad for HTC as the One made up an estimated 40% of the total units that the Taiwanese company shipped and 60% of the revenues (it's priced higher than most other HTC phones), which would lead to a drop of 15-20% in sales for Q3.

Wall Street analysts are predicting a flat growth quarter on quarter instead.

HTC is already bolstering its lineup with the bigger HTC Butterfly S and the more compact HTC One mini. Both of those share most of the premium features of the One, like UltraPixel camera and BoomSound stereo speakers. Whether they will be enough to prop up falling HTC One sales remains to be seen.

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Motorola X appears in white through a new press image

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AppId is over the quota

We already know that, Motorola X will be officially unveiled on August 1 in New York. The press image and specifications of the upcoming device from Motorola has already been leaked and we now have another press render, which shows the smartphone in a white paintjob.

Additionally, a new image from evleaks shows the side profile of the Moto X and reveals the presence of power button and the volume rocker there.

Meanwhile, the Motorola Moto X is rumored to sport a 4.7-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels and the smartphone is said to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960DT chipset with a dual-core processor clocked at 1.7 GHz and 2 GB of RAM. There's going to be a 10.5 megapixel rear camera, 2.1 megapixel front camera and 16 GB of inbuilt memory.

The upcoming smartphone from Google owned company will run on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and the juice for the device will be provided by a 2,200mAh non-removable battery.

We will be bringing you all the latest news from the Motorola event live, so do check back with us for more information on the Moto X.

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