Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 to land at CES, hints official blog

Can they get it right this time, though?

Tech-site chatter that a sequel to the Galaxy Gear could land from Samsung at this month’s CES tech expo looks a bit more credible today, after the gadget-maker’s official blog dropped some heavy hints about its plans for the event.
In a heads-up post about CES to the Samsung faithful, the phone-maker initially alludes to the Galaxy Gear smartwatch’s arrival at IFA in Berlin late last year.

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Orange and T-Mobile won’t offer 4G service

EE to soak up next-gen network customers.

T-Mobile and Orange customers who want to sign up for a 4G service will have to transfer their custom to EE, it has emerged, as the process of shifting subscribers to the relatively new brand begins in earnest.
EE, which operates the UK's sole 4G network, is owned by the same Deutsche Telekom and France Télécom joint venture that owns T-Mobile and Orange.

It had been thought in some quarters that T-Mobile and Orange planned to use EE’s 4G infrastructure as a platform to launch a next-gen mobile internet service of their own, most likely later this year.
However, EE yesterday told our sister site Omio that it is reserving 4G for the EE brand and that T-Mobile and Orange will continue to offer 3G only.
An EE spokesperson said: “Orange and T-Mobile are 3G brands only so customers would need to move to EE if they would like to use 4G.
“There are no plans to launch 4G on Orange and T-Mobile. As below, EE is our 4G brand.”
Whether Orange and T-Mobile will survive as brands in the long term isn’t yet clear. But we’d say that the sheer strength of Orange's brand gives it a much better chance of lasting the distance than T-Mobile.
EE last week announced it is doubling data allowances on 4G plans as part of a limited-period promo. The sweetener is intended to soak up early adopters ahead of the launch of rival 4G services from Three and O2 later this year.

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Amazon Kindle Fire: Three new models coming this year Get fired up.

Amazon Kindle Fire: Three new models coming this year

Get fired up.

Amazon is readying itself for the release of three new versions of its hugely popular Kindle Fire tablets.
That’s the word from ‘trusted sources’, who have served up a slew of juicy information to the guys at Boy Genius Report (BGR).

It appears Amazon is keen to boost the screen resolution of its entire lineup.
The new, entry-level Kindle Fire will rock a 1280 x 800 pixel panel, matching the current Kindle Fire HD.
The latter will be boosted to 1920 x 1200 pixels. That’s a massive jump from its current incarnation.
Each of these new versions of the Kindle Fire will measure seven inches.
Plans are also afoot for a new edition of the Kindle Fire HD 8.9”, with a Retina Display–smashing 2560 x 1600 display.
That’s bound to give Apple something to think about considering its iPad Mini still lacks Retina Display smarts.
Each model will apparently pack a new button configuration and won’t be as hefty on the scales as the current editions either.
BGR’s insiders also claimed that Amazon is keen to leave each device at its current price point.
That would mean £129 for a Kindle Fire, £150 for a Kindle Fire HD and £229 for a Kindle Fire HD 8.9”.
Amazon refused to offer any comment. However, it is said that the online retailer will reveal the new set of slates at a special event in September.

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BlackBerry PlayBook: Five things that killed world’s biggest tablet flop

BlackBerry's slate is dead. Joe Minihane carries out the post-mortem.

And so the game is up for the BlackBerry PlayBook.
Nearly three years after its launch, the Canadian company last week confirmed that the tablet would not be getting a taste of its ace new BlackBerry 10 software, effectively consigning the device to the history books.
From the off, the slate was a disaster, beset by problems and a focal point for the hubristic last days of the former BlackBerry exec team.
Here are five things that helped ensure the PlayBook would never compete with the iPad

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iPhone 5S cheap plastic model photos leak, features 3 colours

Red handset looks to be the pick.

More photos seemingly showing the much-rumoured, low-cost iPhone are doing the rounds online, as chatter around Apple’s plans continues to build in the run-up to the anticipated unveiling of new ‘product’ in the autumn.
Snaffled from serial Chinese leakers Wei Phone by French site Nowhereelsefr, the snaps show the rear shell and interior frame of a green, red and yellow editions of the handset, chiming with rumours that the lower-priced iPhone will be available in a range of iPod-style colour options.

Very much in evidence too is a plastic shell, marking a major departure from the premium materials (think: aluminium and glass) that Apple has favoured for earlier iPhones.
The change is aimed at keeping the phone’s asking price down and making it more viable in Android-dominated markets in the emerging world.
Otherwise, the iPhone 5S doesn't look much altered from previous iterations in the design stakes, with a shape that adheres pretty strictly to the look that Apple has favoured since the iPhone 4 saw it drop the more rounded look of the iPhone 3GS in favour of a squarer form factor.
After years of speculation, the Cupertino company is expected to officially showcase its debut low-cost smartphone alongside a refreshed version of its full-price model in September. 

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Android malware: Five ways to fix Google’s big problem

Joe Minihane dons his sheriff’s hat and cleans up Android

New research by Juniper has revealed that 92 per cent of mobile malware occurs on Android phones.
What’s more, mobile malware is up by an unbelievable 600 per cent in the last year, as more and more of us share personal data on our smartphones.
The question is, how can Google take this and make its platform as secure as iOS? Here are five ways we think the Big G could grasp the nettle.

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iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 concept packs 4.5" screen and 12MP camera

Just a hint of the HTC One in the looks department too.

Yet another render of the next iPhone is doing the rounds today, based on what we think we know about Apple's next handset.
Worked up by Giorgi Tedoradze and highlighted by Phones Review, the concept handset sticks fairly closely to the iPhone 5 template in the design stakes with just a tiny suggestion of HTC's unibody dream, the HTC One.
However, in place of the four-inch screen that features on Apple's current-gen kit, there's a 4.5-inch Retina display that means the handset veers into phablet territory.
To make space for the larger display, which has been rumoured for some time among tech-watchers, there's also a thinner bezel around the screen.
Under the bonnet, the slimmer phone (dimensions are 130mm x 60mm x 7mm) is home to a 12-megapixel iSight camera, with a more powerful A7 processor to keep things ticking over.
As purported component leaks in recent weeks appear to indicate, Tedoradze imagines the iPhone 6 coming in a host of colour options, including white, black, grey, black, blue, purple, red, yellow, green and brown.

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Can HTC really capitalise on Samsung Galaxy S4 criticisms?

Great reviews mean little if you don't have much marketing muscle.

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