Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini goes official

After being rumoured, the Galaxy S3 Mini has now been officially announced. The handset is essentially a budget version of the infamous Galaxy S3. The device features the same design, weighs 114.5g and is 9.85mm thick.

Specs wise, the device packs a 4-inch SuperAMOLED with 480x800 rsolution, Android 4.1 is onboard the device which runs on a ST-Ericsson dual-core processor clocked at 1GHz with 1GB of RAM. Camera's include a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and a VGA resolution front-facing camera for video calls. 8/16GB of internal storage is available and can be expanded by MicroSD card (up to 32GB).

The Galaxy S3 Mini is expected to be available sometime next month for a price of around £300. At that price point the device seems very expensive baring in mind the ZTE Grand X is available for £200 from Virgin Mobile.

Android 4.2 and LG Optimus G Nexus.. (rumours)

According to an anonymous tipster on Android and Me, Google will unveil a new version of Android being 4.2 bringing with it bug fixes and maybe new features (maybe multiple users on tablets) but will still be named "Jelly Bean".

Not only that but LG will then go on to announce the Optimus G Nexus or announce the Optimus G as a Nexus device. I'll explain, Google may not be releasing an independent Nexus device like the Nexus One, Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus were but they are instead allowing companies to make a Nexus device but only if they follow certain requirements.

So for example, Samsung could make the Galaxy S4 device a Nexus phone (doubtful) by fulfilling the requirements that Google set. This would also mean that the devices that do get this certification get updates direct from Google, which is a lot faster than most if not all manufacturers/carriers.

BlackBerry 10 running "Aristo" specs leaks...

After yesterdays leak of the BlackBerry "Laguna" comes another specs leak of another BlackBerry 10 device. This time named the Aristo which is part of the A-Series devices and looks to be a global device and not for any specific carrier (like the Laguna). The specs of this bad boy are nothing to frown about.

Specs include a 4.65-inch OLED display with a resolution of 720x1280, powered by Qualcomm's S4 Pro quad-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz with 1GB of RAM. Camera's include a 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and 2-megapixel front-facing camera for video calls. 16GB of internal storage is on offer but that can abe expanded by means of a MicroSD card.

Battery capacity is at 2,800mAh which should really make sure the device gets through a day or two. As I've said with the Laguna, there is only specs at the moment which would make me estimate that the device may be on sale within the next 6 months (I may be wrong).

Asus PadFone successor to come with quad-core and 2GB of RAM?

Remember that phone that turned into a tablet that turned into a netbook? Yes, the Asus PadFone! Well, it's successor may already be in development. Benchmarks have shown up sporting the "PadFone 2" name along with some specs including a quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM running Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich".

The details are very credible since the last PadFone sported a dual-core Qualcomm processor therefore a quad-core processor would be an obvious upgrade to the device. Bare in mind, the actual device is yet to be announced so don't rely on these details delivering. 

Oppo to make 5-inch 1080p smartphone...

Oppo -the same company who made the incredibly thin Finder, is looking to make a 5-inch smartphone, altbough the screen size is crazy and this was evident in reviews of the infamous 1st generation of Galaxy Note. The display will be packing a 1080p resolution making pixel density a whopping 441PPI beating the iPhone 5's 326PPI by a long shot.

Not only is the screen crazy, the phone will feature Qualcomm's quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor a.k.a the same processor that blew away the competition with crazy benchmarks when it was revealed, this processor will run Android 4.1 out of the box very well.

Until the device is official unveiled, we can only dream and wait but just imagine if you could have the thinness of the Finder as well as all of these specs? It'd dominate the smartphone industry.

LG teases Optimus G...

Even though the Optimus G has been formerly announced, it hasn't stopped LG from teasing us with it's behemoth of quad-core power. Of course we're talking about the behemoth power of Qualcomm's quad-core processor that blew benchmarks away when it was unveiled. Anyway, here's the video:

Samsung Galaxy SII Plus leaked...

After being rumoured last Feburary, looks like Samsung will release a Plus version of the Galaxy S2 according to leaks from SamMobile, like the Galaxy S Plus to the Galaxy S, it will include a minor upgrade on hardware. I would say this is the last version to be released of it, but it may later be offered with Dual-sim compatibility at a later date. Design wise, the device is looking thicker than the original and will include four capacitive buttons instead of Samsung's usual button arrangement.

The spec list includes a 4.5-inch screen, powered by a dual-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz (up from 1.2GHz) with 1GB of RAM. The main camera will be the original devices 8-megapixel rear-facing camera but the front-facing camera may see an update to 1.9-megapixel (same as the Galaxy S3's). Internal storage will be at 16GB with the chance to expand it by up to 32GB with MicroSD card, battery capacity may be higher than the original but no official value has been leaked yet and the Galaxy S2 Plus will run Android 4.0 out of the box.

Samsung outs teaser for Unpacked event...

Samsung has just released a teaser for their upcoming Unpacked event in Berlin on August 29th. The Korean company is due to showcase a sequel to the Galaxy Note, in this video we hear about the uses Wim Wenders had for the device, we see the S-Pen and some drawing action.

However, there was very little sight of the device itself so, it's back to the leaks or the event itself which is only 9 days away. Until then, watch this video over and over until you get so excited that you run around the room 5 times.

Huawei D Quad and D Quad XL to launch late August...

After countless delays, Huawei's D Quad and D Quad XL android smartphones are finally going to officially launch later this month. Having trouble spotting differences? The D Quad XL sports a larger 2600mAh battery and is thicker than the D Quad.

Besides the difference in battery, both pack a 4.5-inch display with 720p HD resolution (720x1280), powered by Huawei's own K3V2 quad-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz with 1GB of RAM. Camera's on both devices include a 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and on the front a 1.3-megapixel camera for video calling. Internal memory is at 8GB but can be expanded by using a MicroSD card, the battery capacity is 1800mAh in the D Quad and 2600mAh in the D Quad XL, however both phones run Android 4.0.

Galaxy Note 2 picture leaked... again.

After yesterdays leak, another leak of the Galaxy Note 2 has been brought before us from KnowYourMobile. The picture looks trustworthy but we'll have to see at Samsung's pre-IFA show to see if this is the real deal.

The handset featured in the picture looks quite credible to the specs and look that we're rumoured. What seems odd to me is the extended bezel at the top and bottom but this could be to keep it in style with the Galaxy Note 10.1 which has just recently been released.

Galaxy Note 10.1 advert shows off stylus goodness...

Samsung has outed an advert for the much anticipated and waited for (due to revisions) Galaxy Note 10.1, this could be an indication that the device will be making it's way to store shelves very soon. This is great news for people waiting for this device. Here is the advert:



The advert shows a guy following this guy with a Galaxy Note 10.1 and he is literally loving every second of it. It shows off a dual-screen view and pie chart making. All in all, a great advert.

Samsung Galaxy S3... 10 million and strong!

Samsung has now officially beaten there goal of 10 million Galaxy S3's sold, they originally said they wanted to have shipped 10 million by August but the mark has been reached early and the device is predicted to ship at least 40 million units this year! This comes after two months since the device has actually been on store shelves. Giving you an idea of how popular the Galaxy S3 is.

Benchmarks reveal details about Galaxy Note II...

Benchmarks for the eagerly awaited Galaxy Note II (N7100) have shown up on GLBenchmark (they have now been pulled), the benchmarks shows a quad-core processor with a higher clock speed than the S3 and a 720p 16:9 aspect ratio screen.

As expected the Galaxy Note will use a quad-core processor, but at 200MHz higher than the S3 (totalling 1.6GHz) similarly done with the S2 and original Note. The display will instead use a 16:9 aspect ratio and a 720x1280 resolution, the same as the S3. On a 5.5-inch screen that'd make a pixel density of 267PPI which is above average.

Powerful HTC smartphone on the horizon...

A new HTC smartphone is in the works, this has been revealed by a benchmark done on the device via. GLBenchmark. The device is Verizon bound with 4G LTE radios on board and is looking to be a successor to Verizon's HTC Rezound based on the model number the device is showing.

One thing about this device is that it is packing a 1080p (1080x1794) screen, that's right a full HD display on a smartphone, another interesting spec is the device's quad-core Snapdragon processor paired with an Adreno 320 GPU clocked at 1.5GHz. This device is going to take the market by storm but all that grunt under the hood will mainly be used to control that dense screen.

Motorola Atrix HD for AT&T official...

The Motorola codenamed smartphone "Dinara" has now officially been revealed as the AT&T bound Motorola Atrix HD, the smartphone packs a 4.5-inch 720p display, dual-core processor and LTE compatibility. The display being one of the highest resolution on the market currently, no word has been said as to whether the Atrix HD will be made available in the UK but it is highly unlikely.

The exact specs include a 4.5-inch 720p display powered by a dual-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz with 1GB of RAM. Cameras include a 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video calling. There is 8GB of internal storage with the added benefit of expansion by MicroSD card up 32GB. The Atrix HD takes advantage of Android 4.0 with on-screen soft keys instead of capacitive/physical buttons.

You should consider this tablet...

Okay, so we have the Kindle Fire, Nexus 7 and may other tablets that float around the $200 price mark, but can you get any thing that is actually good quality for less, say $179.90. Might sound like a very big ask from a company, but Ainol have made such thing. This July they are set to bring fourth the Novo 7 Flame to the market for that exact price I mentioned. The specs are fairly good as well and it could be a alternative to the Nexus 7 that was announced.

The tablet has a 7-inch IPS screen with a resolution of 800x1280, it is powered by a dual-core AMLogic processor clocked at 1.5GHz with 1GB of RAM, it doesn't have 12 cores of GPU and instead has 2, however from watching videos of game play, it is still relatively smooth. Other specs include a 2MP front-facing camera, 16GB of internal storage that is expandable and Android 4.0, It is unconfirmed as to whether it will be updated to Android 4.1, we'll just have to wait and see. This tablet can be made to be 3G/4G compatible by a dongle which is nice if your on the move.

Nevertheless, if this tablet does get Android 4.1, it will be one of the best sub-$200 tablets out there. Of course if you pick this over the Nexus 7 your missing out on NFC and faster updates, but if you can do without them then this is the tablet you want to get.

Lenovo LePhone K860 leaked...

Today, A Japanese blog has leaked a new Lenovo phone named the LePhone K860. Along with it are some interesting specs including an Exynos quad-core chip set, 5-inch screen and Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box which will undoubtedly be upgraded to Jelly Bean in time.

The exact specs include a 5-inch 720p Display and powered by a quad-core Exynos processor clocked at 1.4GHz with 1GB of RAM, snappers include a 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera for video calling. The device has 4GB of internal storage but no word has been said as to whether it will be expandable.

The phone is due to hit China at the beginning of August, there is no confirmation as to whether it will or won't be available over seas yet so we can only hope for now.

Nexus 7 tablet specs leaked...

With this Wednesday being the day that Google's developer I/O conference starts, more speculation has been made about the Nexus 7 tab thats is supposed to be unveiled at the conference than ever before. Interestingly enough Gizmodo Australia has uncovered what is to be a training document for the device with all of it's specs. The specs seem to support most claims so far made about the tab.

The Nexus 7 will come with a 7-inch IPS display with a resolution of 800x1280, the tablet is said to be powered by Nvidia's Kai Tegra 3 quad-core processor clocked at 1.3GHz with 1GB of RAM, there isn't a rear-facing camera but there is said to be a 1.2MP front-facing camera for video calling. The tablet is said to have a 9 hour battery life, NFC and the newest Android 4.1 namely, Jelly Bean.

The device is believed to be retailing for $199 for 8GB and $249 for 16GB respectively. In comparison to the recently unveiled Acer Iconia A110, the Nexus 7's advantages lies with it's 800x1280 IPS display which the Acer A110 only has 600x1024.

Acer Iconia 700 up for pre-order...

Acer has announced that it's Iconia A700 tablet will be up for pre-order from today, the tablet went on pre-order for a price of $450 and is available in either black or silver. For that price, the tablet offers a 1080p display, Nvidia's Tegra 3 processor and 32GBs of internal storage.

The Iconia A700 packs a 10.1-inch display with a resolution of 1200x1920 meaning the tablet has a full HD display. The tablet runs on Nvidia's quad-core Tegra 3 processor running at 1.3GHz with 1GB of RAM. The tablet has two cameras, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and a front-facing camera for video calling. The tablet is available with 16, 32 or even 64GB of internal storage which can also be expanded using a MicroSD card.

LG Optimus 4X HD available in Europe...

After we first saw the LG Optimus 4X HD at Mobile World Congress, the company has now released their new quad-core powered flagship device in Europe, hitting Germany for 505 Euro's and will be hitting more in the coming month.

The device packs a 4.7-inch HD-IPS display and runs on a quad-core Cortex A9 processor with 1GB of RAM, It runs Android 4.0 out of the box. The device sports a 8 megapixel rear-facing camera with a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera for video calling. The device has 16GB of Storage with the option to expand it using the MicroSD slot.

This phone is one of many top-tier quad-core phones being released this year. After the Optimus 2X's ferocious battle with the Galaxy S2, will the 4X be the winner this time round with Samsung's Galaxy S3?