Microsoft: Nokia deal won’t affect other Windows Phone partners

Really?

Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia will not affect other mobile makers’ Windows Phone plans. That’s according to Big M executive vice president of operating systems, Terry Myerson, who says the tie-up will help build the third place OS’s market share.
In a post on the Official Windows Blog, Myerson writes, “Today’s announcement doesn’t change [our approach] – acquiring Nokia’s Devices group will help make the market for all Windows Phones, from Microsoft or our OEM partners.”
“We have exciting ideas, and so do our OEM partners. Our partners bring innovation, diversity and scale to Windows.”

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Android exec Hugo Barra quits for Chinese mobile maker

Moving to Xiaomi.

One of Android’s leading execs has quit his post and is heading to China to work for one of the country’s mobile manufacturers. Hugo Barra, Android’s vice-president of product management who has worked at Google for five and a half years, is set to join Xiaomi, working on developing their Android portfolio.
In a post on Google+, Barra said, “In a few weeks, I'll be joining the Xiaomi team in China to help them expand their incredible product portfolio and business globally — as Vice President, Xiaomi Global.
“I'm really looking forward to this new challenge, and am particularly excited about the opportunity to continue to help drive the Android ecosystem.”
Barra’s departure follows that of Andy Rubin, Android’s creator, who left the Android team to work on other Google projects.

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4G UK: which next-gen network is the best?

With the UK’s 4G revolution in full swing, which network has the best proposition for you?

With Three's official confirmation that it will be offering 4G for free to existing customers when it launches its next-gen network in December, we now have a clear idea of every network’s LTE plans. O2 and Vodafone have both recently launched their offerings, with EE’s service now almost one year old.
So, how does each service break down and which one should you go for? Read on to get the lowdown.

O2

Launched this week in London, Leeds and Bradford, O2’s 4G packages offer basic deals, with charges varying depending on the device you decide to buy. As with Vodafone, O2 isn’t offering the iPhone 5 on 4G. That’s because in the 4G network, neither network won coverage in the 2600MHz range, the only LTE that Apple’s device supports. You can bet though, that the iPhone 5S will change all that. In terms of deals, O2’s prices start at £22 a month for 1GB data and unlimited calls and texts on its O2 Refresh deal. That’s before you’ve paid your monthly fee for your handset and runs over two years. Sign up before October 31st and you can get more data on its £27 and £32 month deals. Have a read here.

For SIM-only fiends, prices start at £26 for 1GB of data, rising to £36 for 8GB. Be aware that that 8GB offer drops to 5GB after October 31st. In terms of perks, O2 has a special Priority Sports channel, O2 4G Tracks for free access to Top 40 music and music videos and Gameloft games that can be played without eating into data allowances. There’s also free Wi-Fi access at 9,000 points across the UK. PAYG 4G deals are expected by the end of the year.

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Samsung Galaxy Gear: New screens confirm specs

App unveiled.

Samsung’s Galaxy Gear is all set for its official unveiling on September 4th. But the chaps at @evleaks are still unearthing the goods about Sammy’s forthcoming new smart watch, this time revealing screen shots of the device’s smartphone control app.
The pair of screens confirm a string of info which has already leaked about the timepiece. NFC is mentioned, with a diagram showing a Samsung phone and a Galaxy Gear pairing via touch.

A ‘My Apps’ tab supports rumours that the Galaxy Gear will have its own suite of dedicated add-ons. And, interestingly, there’s a ‘Find My Watch’ function mentioned too.
How this works is as yet unclear, but we’d be willing to bet it could be a potential flashpoint with Apple, whose ‘Find My iPhone’ feature is hugely popular.

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iPhone 5S: champagne and graphite models star in new videos

Golden future.

Apple’s forthcoming champagne and graphite iPhones have starred in a pair of new videos, as their planned September 10th launch date edges ever closer.
The champagne iPhone 5S, filmed by the guys at TLD, highlights the differences with the current iPhone 5. Aside from the colour options, the video also looks at the internal changes, with greater space for the battery, suggesting Apple might have at last cracked its power woes.
In a separate video, the graphite iPhone 5S is shown alongside the current black and white editions of the iPhone 5. But with initial iPhone 5 prototypes having come in this colour, it’s been suggested in some quarters that this version may not go on sale later next month.

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Wozniak’s note of caution is a rare slice of common sense

Is the Woz-man right to urge more patience with Apple's pace of innovation? Joe Minihane gives his two cents.

The pace at which the world of smartphones and tablets moves today means that the demands from hardcore fans, hungry for bleeding edge updates, are relentless. If a new phone doesn’t cram in a game-changing feature, then it’s instantly dismissed as irrelevant, despite the fact its software may be spanking new and a game-changer in and of itself.
That’s why this week’s words from Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak are so refreshing. In an interview with the BBC, Wozniak essentially put demanding fans in their place. “Everybody says, ‘oh my gosh, two years have passed and we need something really new and great from Apple’,” he said. “Well yeah, great advances for mankind don't happen every year.”
Wozniak was answering a question about whether Apple had lost its innovative edge since Tim Cook took over the helm at Cupertino. But his remarks are telling and show how ludicrous things have got that a wholly rejigged iPhone 5S, albeit with a similar design, is dismissed outright as iterative and unexciting in some quarters.
In the past seven years, Apple has released two products that have completely reshaped tech as we know it. The iPhone and iPad were both trailblazers and updates to those devices are only ever going to offer a minor jump on the last year’s model. Cumulatively, that can add up to a huge difference, as is being seen with the move to iOS 7 and a bulging App Store, full of stunning native and third party add-ons.

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BlackBerry boss: We can survive as niche company

Not over yet.

BlackBerry can continue to exist as a niche company and will not be completely killed off once it’s been bought out. That’s the opinion of Bert Nordberg, who sits on the ailing mobile maker’s board.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Wall Street Journal, Nordberg said, “I think BlackBerry is able to survive as a niche company.
"But being a niche company means deciding to be a niche company. Historically, BlackBerry has had larger ambitions. But battling giants like Apple, Google, and Samsung is tough."
Nordberg said that BlackBerry’s products did still have something to offer. “BlackBerry's unique assets make it stand apart from other phone makers.
“BlackBerry is strong on the enterprise business, its products are NSA-proof in the sense that you can't intercept their communication, its handsets' keyboards have many fans around the globe, and the company has a leading worldwide data network.”

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iPhone 5C: New manual and package images leaked

One week to go.

Just eight days before Tim Cook is due to reveal the iPhone 5C, new images purporting to show the device’s packaging and manual have appeared online.
The most intriguing is a snap of the red version of the budget handset. The packaging is consistent with previously leaked pics of the phone, with the same design and a mocked up screen of iOS 7.
Users on Chinese site Weibo have also been treated to shots of the iPhone 5C’s one card manual, as well as a photo of the classic Apple SIM ejection tool bundled with the blower.

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Samsung Galaxy Gear photos leak, fitness monitor highlighted

Not much of a looker. And pretty huge at 3-inches too.

Images purportedly showing a prototype of the soon-to-land Samsung Galaxy Gear have leaked online, ahead of the device’s launch tomorrow.
Sourced by VentureBeat, the work-in-progress smartwatch appears to blend industrial design aesthetics with the, um, practical, unshowy looks of Garmin’s sportswatches and packs a whopping three-inch screen that has seen it termed unappealingly bulky in some quarters.
But while it’s indisputably not much of a looker, it may yet emerge that what we’re looking at is unrecognisable from the finished product. That's certainly been the case with Samsung Galaxy smartphone prototypes, with the square-looking test models bearing little resemblance to the curved kits that eventually emerged into the spotlight at launch.

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iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S dropping Sept 20th, network leak reveals

Carrier cancels holiday, sparks release-date chatter.

Speculation that the next-generation iPhone and its cheaper stablemate will go on sale on September 20th got a good deal more credible today, amid rumours that one of the largest US networks has cancelled holiday for staff for the period.
Talk of the handsets tipping up on the 20th has been abroad for months now. The date was initially mooted after some keen-minded deduction on the part of the editor of the International Business Times, who based his prediction on Apple’s previous form.
His claim got fresh legs over the weekend when mysterious sources told TmoNews that T-Mobile employees over The Pond have been barred from taking holiday between September 20th and 22nd. This is so that the carrier is able to cope with the huge swell in demand that marks the release of new Apple smartphones.
AT&T is also reported to have issued a blanket ban on holidays over that weekend. However, seemingly anticipating even greater demand than its rival, T-Mo’s competitor is forbidding staff from taking holidays for all remaining days in September too.
Demand for the low-cost iPhone 5C, which features a money-saving plastic shell, is expected to be buoyed by a price point of around £250. This will arguably make the iPhone a viable pay as you go handset for the first time ever.

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iPhone 5C working model crops up on video

First time we’ve seen iOS 7 and plastic shell in tandem.

With shells in multiple colours, buttons, screens and mock-up devices appearing online in recent months, the iPhone 5C could well be Apple’s most-leaked phone ever. But there’s been no sign of a working model. Until now, that is.
A lo-fi, grainy clip has surfaced on Chinese tech site C Technology showing the phone fully assembled, running the forthcoming iOS 7 version of Apple’s operating system and working well enough to enable the user to conduct a web search.
Judging by the footage, the iPhone 5C and its proprietary Safari browser zip along at a fair old lick for what’s being touted as a cheap phone, which could corroborate claims that the handset will offer 4G support.
Some tech scribes suggested the low-cost iPhone might be restricted to last-gen 3G networks, helping to differentiate it from the top-end iPhone 5S.
However, before you get too excited it’s worth noting that the clip is pretty low-grade, making it hard to tell what we’re seeing.
And given that the user doesn’t see fit to show us the tell-tale product info that Apple secretes at the rear of phones, there’s even more reason to remain somewhat incredulous that we’re looking at the real deal.

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Microsoft buys Nokia phones business for £4.6 billion

Nokia sold.

Microsoft is to buy Nokia’s phones division in a deal worth £4.6 billion. The news, announced overnight, will see Microsoft take ownership of Nokia’s Devices and Services, as well as licensing its HERE maps and patents.
While the Big M will own the Lumia and Asha brands, the Nokia name will be licensed for ten years and used to brand ‘current Nokia mobile phone products’ according to a statement from Microsoft.
Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, along with a number of other senior executives, will now work for Microsoft, with Risto Siilasmaa, Chairman of the Nokia Board of Directors, stepping up to act as Interim CEO.

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HTC Zara: new mid-range smartphone leaked

Plastic model incoming.

HTC is working on a new plastic handset, dubbed the Zara, with a release date pegged for late 2013.
The device was leaked by evleaks, which is developing a solid-gold reputation for getting the inside line on new mobiles.

With HTC unleashing aluminium handsets earlier this year, with the One and One Mini leading the line, a plastic device makes sense in light of the impending release of Apple’s iPhone 5C.
The Zara is said to pack a 4.5-inch qHD display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 plus processor and 1GB of RAM.
Beats Audio and an ample eight-megapixel camera complete the package. A Q4 release date is expected.

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Sony Xperia Z1: Official Honami name revealed

Z successor.

Sony’s much-touted Honami handset will be officially dubbed the Xperia Z1 when it’s unleashed at a press event on September 4th.
That’s according to an XDA developers forum member, who claims to have the inside line on the device.

The new phone, which has appeared in a series of newly leaked press renders, is said to rock a 5-inch display, with Full HD smarts, as well as 2GB of RAM and Qualcomm’s now-ubiquitous Snapdragon 800 processor.
What’s more, it’s expected to supersede Sony’s Xperia Z, which was first revealed back in January of this year.
The camera is also set to wow users, with a 20.7-megapixel sensor. That should put it right up against Nokia’s new Lumia 1020 and Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Zoom.

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Samsung Galaxy Gear colour options revealed, on sale late September

Smartwatch taking shape.

The Samsung Galaxy Gear will come in a suite of colourways, it has emerged, as details of the smartwatch seep out with weeks to go before it makes its anticipated debut in Berlin.
Sam Mobile, citing an insider who’d understandably prefer to remain anonymous, today reports that the Galaxy Gear will come in white, orange, grey and black and will start shipping the week commencing September 23rd.

A white and gold variant will apparently ship a week later and is tipped to be exclusive to some regions and/or networks.
The device's retail date is set to be around late-September or early-October, with Samsung purportedly open to releasing more colour options in future.
Colour-scheme details for the Gear come hard on the heels of yesterday’s spec-sheet leak that gave us some idea of what we can expect under the bonnet.
Alongside a 2.5-inch screen, the smartwatch is expected to pack a dual-core processor, the S-Health fitness monitoring app and the same eyeball-tracking technology as the Galaxy S4.
It’s also set to feature NFC support for contactless payments and transferring content when bumped against other NFC-enabled kit and will connect and pair with users’ smartphones via Bluetooth 4.0.
What it won’t do is make or take calls, disappointing anyone holding out hope of acting out their Dick Tracy watchphone fantasies.

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iPhone 5C video reveals scratch resistant plastic surface

The end to scrapes from car-keys?

The plastic cover of the low-cost iPhone 5C is a lot more robust than some snatched spyshots might suggest, a leaked video of the handset reveals.
Much-leaked online in recent weeks, the polycarbonate shell for Apple’s budget handset has been derided in some quarters as cheap and flimsy-looking. Even less kind comments compared the back cover to something tatty you might find a street market.
However, a clip doing the rounds online, which comes to us from Chinese site Apple Daily, proves that appearances can be deceptive.

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iPhone 5S gold edition shell snapped alongside iPhone 5, design unchanged

‘Old’ meet ‘gold’.

Photos of the back plate for the next-gen iPhone in gold have cropped up online alongside the current edition, giving us a glimpse at how the fresh colourway will look.
Snapped alongside black and white models of the iPhone 5, the photo suggest that rather than the gaudy gold colourway of some tech-scribes’ imaginations, the handset will feature a subtler shade, probably best described as ‘champagne’.
And there’s scant sign of radical changes elsewhere too. As earlier leaks have shown, the new photos indicate that the placement and design of the iPhone 5S’s fixtures and fittings (SIM try, buttons, volume rocker) will remain unchanged.
Earlier this month, reports surfaced claiming that the golden edition of the iPhone 5S could come in a super-deluxe 128GB edition and will be aimed principally at the bling-fancying middle-classes in China.

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Samsung Galaxy Gear: Five key rumours you need to know

With the Watch seemingly months away, all eyes are on Samsung's smartwatch.

Samsung’s iWatch-bashing Galaxy Gear is all set to officially break cover in the next few weeks.
But like all good top-end mobile kit, Sammy’s new slice of wearable tech has been the subject of a slew of rumours.
From colour schemes to flexible screens, there’s a heap of gossip about the futuristic timepiece. Here’s our pick of the five key rumours you need to know.

1 It’ll be revealed on September 4th

Samsung is holding its much-anticipated Unpacked event on September 4th in Berlin, ahead of the annual IFA gadget show in the German capital.
The Galaxy Gear is expected to be the headline-grabbing device at the event, gazumping the new Galaxy Note 3, which will also be unveiled at the same time.
A release date is expected at the end of September or beginning of October.

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Sony teases Xperia Z1 on Twitter

Phablet update primed.

After a whole heap of rumours, Sony itself has begun teasing its forthcoming Xperia Z1. The company has taken to Twitter, posting a cropped image of the device, with the missive, “It’s the smartphone everyone’s been talking about…Not long now #bestofSony.”
While the Xperia Z1 has undoubtedly been the subject of intense gossip, Sony’s pushing it somewhat to say it’s the phone everyone’s been talking about. That title falls to Apple’s forthcoming iPhones, surely.

That said, the Z1 certainly promises to mix things up. A step up from January’s Xperia Z, it’s said to rock a Full HD 5-inch display, 2GB of RAM and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor.
The big news, though, will doubtless be the handset’s 20.7-megapixel camera. Sony will be desperate to wrest back the initiative from Nokia’s new Lumia 1020 and reassert itself as the premium camera phone brand.

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One in ten British kids own a mobile phone by the age of five

The age gap in mobile ownership and spend in Blighty is shrinking.

More than a million British children get their first mobile phone by the time they are just five years old, uSwitch research reveals.
According to the study, the typical British child gets their first handset by the age of 12, costing just £125 on average, which is a little more than half of what parents spend on their own mobile devices.
Young ‘uns also spend about £11 per month on mobile bills, compared to £19 by their parents. However, more than one in ten (11%) children end up with bigger outlays than their old folks.
In something of a shocking revelation, 42 per cent of mums and dads admit they seldom check how much their children are spending on mobile phones, with just a quarter of parents bothering to place caps on their kids’ contacts.

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Exclusive: iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C parts revealed in new leaked photos

Fourth iPhone 5S colour spied.

New images of the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, shared with uSwitch Tech, appear to show a fourth iPhone 5S colour option, as well as a string of new angles of both of Apple’s forthcoming handsets.
The graphite grey iPhone 5S appears alongside the now seemingly nailed-on 'champagne gold' edition of the device. The images suggest it’ll have a slate-coloured central panel, with black panelling along the top and bottom.
Once again, the gold iPhone 5S looks as if it won’t come in a gaudy bullion-colour, but rather a more mute champagne tone.
Other images, from insiders close to Apple’s supply chain, show the iPhone 5C’s plastic shell in a rather natty red/orange colour.
Both the budget iPhone 5C and top-end iPhone 5S are due to be launched on September 10th, with a number of sources close to Apple confirming that date for a special event. The phones will then go on sale on September 20th, according to reports last week.
As those dates near, expect to see plenty more snapshots of the devices leaking out across the web.

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Blue HTC One seen in the wild

Blue for you.

HTC is priming an amped-up phablet edition of its flagship One smartphone. But while we wait for the so-called One Max, another version of the One is also said to be edging closer to launch.
A blue-coloured HTC One has been spotted in the wild and papped by a worker at one of the Taiwanese giant’s factories. The device was seen earlier this month in a leaked press shot.
While the colour is different, there’s little to suggest the internals of the device will not be the same. That means the latest version of Android, layered with HTC Sense and the company’s ace Ultra Pixel camera round the back.

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IFA 2013: Five key gadgets you should be excited for

We list five mouthwatering kits you should be looking forward to this year's tech expo in Berlin.

Berlin’s annual gadget bash, IFA, is just over a week away. And while trade shows have become less of a draw in recent years, with the biggest players preferring to reveal products at their own specially organised events, this year the German capital is set to see some pretty major launches.
Some of late 2013’s key phones, tablets and, yes, smart watches, are going to be unveiled. Here are five key products you need to know about.
Samsung Galaxy Gear
Samsung has done a purposefully poor job of keeping a lid on leaks about its forthcoming Galaxy Gear smart watch. Details of the iWatch rival have been leaked extensively over the summer, even if spy shots have so far proved hard to come by.

The timepiece is expected to rock a 2.5-inch flexible touchscreen display, use the same eye-tracking tech as the Galaxy S4 and pack in a string of fitness-focused features. Expect this to be the most talked about product at the show.
**Samsung Galaxy Note 3 **
Of course, Samsung will also be wanting to tout a new device to work with the Galaxy Gear. And that’s where the Galaxy Note 3 comes in. Hyped all year, this new phablet is believed to pack a 5.7-inch Full HD display, Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 800 processor, 3GB of RAM and Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 3: new components leaked

Phablet fantastic.

Gossip about Samsung’s forthcoming Galaxy Note 3 has gone quiet in the past couple of weeks. But the all-new phablet has burst back into the headlines this morning, after a screen component was snapped by mobile leakster Sonny Dickson.

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Dickson says he snagged the images from ‘a trusted source in China’. They appear to show a brushed metal design, with the usual Samsung branding and home button placed at the bottom of the device.
The images add little to what we already know about the spec sheet. The screen is believed to measure 5.7-inches. However, they do clearly suggest the bezel has been shaved down, with other reports claiming it’ll come in at just 2.2mm.
Other Galaxy Note 3 features are believed to include a 13 megapixel snapper and Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.

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Steve Wozniak dismisses Apple critics

Don’t expect greatness every year, says co-founder.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has said the company’s critics have got to understand that the company can’t release revolutionary kit year after year.
In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC, Wozniak said, “Everybody says, ‘oh my gosh, two years have passed and we need something really new and great from Apple’.” Well yeah, great advances for mankind don't happen every year.”
Launching a staunch defence of Tim Cook’s tenure as Apple CEO, Wozniak said the current boss was hand-picked for the role by his predecessor. “Steve Jobs had very strong feelings about what makes a company great, what makes products great. He more-or-less chose Tim Cook to be in that role, in that position.”
Wozniak also said he welcomed the challenge from Samsung, saying the Korean giant was able to lead thanks to its penetration in markets where Apple had no presence until just a few years ago.
He also suggested that Steve Ballmer’s time at Microsoft had not gone as well as Bill Gates’s, saying the Big M was losing its value and that it was resting on its laurels.

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Nokia Lumia 625 review

Is the Lumia 625 the mid-range smartphone you've been waiting for? Joe Minihane spills all.

The Nokia 625 bids to take on the seemingly unstoppable juggernaut that is Android, with a spec sheet that is better than most mid-range kits out there and a price tag that's even more unbelievable. Could this be the best-value smartphone currently in the market. Read on to find out.

First impressions

Nokia’s all-new budget blower is a colossus. Measuring in at 4.7-inches and with the look and feel of a top-end smartphone, it doesn’t have the air of a budget device. It blasts into life quickly and feels nippy when flicking through Windows Phone’s various native apps, as well as the various Nokia add-ons. It’s hard to believe that this is a sub-£200 handset.

8/10

Design

Much like other Nokia Lumia phones, the 625 is a plastic device with real heft. That’s a plus point, as it feels as if it can withstand any nasty drops and scrapes. Its size is comparable to Google’s Nexus 4, while its curved rear design means its sits comfortably in the hand.

The buttons along the right hand side of the handset aren’t obtrusive, while our white model didn’t appear to pick up any nasty fingerprints on its rear shell. There aren’t many cheap smartphones that can match the Lumia 625 in the design department.
8/10

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