The HTC One Mini: specs and release date

July 18th, 2013, 22:02 Posted By: wraggster

It's the HTC One, except mini.
The HTC One Mini is like a tiny twin brother to the HTC One, sharing the same style and material - everything really, except the size.
The stat? unveil comes just after HTC released an infographic on some amazing small facts, indicating that we were soon to be seeing its ikkle phone.
The new model has a 4.3-inch display and a slimmer body, but still contains the dual front-facing speakers and built-in amps enhancing the sound, and is lovingly wrapped in the sleek metal jacket.
The smaller screen has been built especially for single-handed operation, making it a more convenient handheld device compared to some of its larger counterparts, and perfect for those of us with itty-bitty mitties.
The HTC Blinkfeed, aka 'homepage' of the phone, updates automatically every time you wake your device up. The home screen can be customised so it brings up the news you want to see first whether that be pictures from Facebook, the news, sport or blogs.
HTC Zoe brings your photo album to life, by choosing what it thinks are the highlights of a series of photos and pulling them together in a 30-second show, playing your desired soundtrack over the top.
It has been rumoured that the HTC One Mini will be released around August but an official date is yet to be announced. Either way, it will be interesting to see if it affects sales of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...se-date/021921

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Galaxy Note 2 gets three and a half months of standby time

July 18th, 2013, 00:01 Posted By: wraggster


In the quest for the ultimate Android device, [白い熊] on the XDA developers forum created an awe-inspiring monstrosity that gives his Galaxy Note II 288 Gigs of storage and enough battery to theoretically last three and a half months.
First, the storage: the phone can now store movies, videos, apps, and music on an incredibly capacious 256 Gig SD card. Yes, this card currently sells for about $500, but having that much storage space effectively turns the Note into a portable hard drive running Android.
The battery comes direct from an eBay listing that advertises 8500 mAh inside a huge Li-ion battery. It’s extremely doubtful this battery will live up to the stated rating, but even if the new battery has twice the capacity as the stock battery [白い熊] is looking at about 10 weeks of standby time.
Yes, it’s just parts bought online and thrown together, but you really have to admire the sheer ostentatiousness of this phone.

http://hackaday.com/2013/07/12/galax...-standby-time/

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Apple in talks to buy Kinect sensor manufacturer Primesense

July 17th, 2013, 23:46 Posted By: wraggster

The technology company that provided Microsoft with the original Kinect sensor is reportedly being courted by a pair of rival companies.
VentureBeat translates a report from Israeli outlet Cacalist, which states Apple, Sony and Samsung have met with manufacturer PrimeSense regarding the acquisition of tech similar to that of the Kinect.
Apple specifically paid a visit to the Tel Aviv headquarters for a tour – the firm already owns a trio of Israel-based R&D facilities.
Neither Apple nor Sony has commented on the report at this point, while a PrimeSense rep gave the ‘no comment’ comment to Mashable:
"We can't comment on what any of our partners, customers or potential customers are doing and we’re not commenting on rumors."
Microsoft itself has moved on from PrimeSense in regards to the latest in its Kinect line, working with a new tech manufacturer for the Xbox One model.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/repor...esense/0118663

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BitMonster reveals Gunner Z, its next iOS exclusive

July 17th, 2013, 22:28 Posted By: wraggster

BitMonster has unveiled its next iOS game Gunner Z, a new shooter that’s a definite change in tone from its debut mobile game, Lili.Gunner Z will ask players to create and customise their own fleet of AC-HMV Gun Trucks in order to take on an army of undead antagonists. It is built in Epic’s Unreal Engine 3 – the tech is described by BitMonster as “a natural fit and allows the creation of console quality games on mobile devices.�The studio was formed by six former Epic Games developers last year, and its debut release, family-friendly adventure Lili, was an App Store hit.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/bitm...ios-exclusive/

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Apple Renews Contract With Samsung Over A-Series Processors

July 17th, 2013, 22:22 Posted By: wraggster

In an interesting move since Apple decided to partner with TSMC a few weeks ago, the Korea Economic Daily is reporting thatApple has re-signed a contract with Samsung to produce the A-series chips Apple uses to power its iPads, iPhones and iPods. TSMC is still to produce chips for Apple, though Samsung is poised to take over from 2015.

http://apple.slashdot.org/story/13/0...ies-processors

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Students, Start-Up Team To Create Android 'Master Key' Patch App

July 17th, 2013, 22:13 Posted By: wraggster

The saga of the application-signing flaw affecting Google's Android mobile phones took another turn Tuesday when a Silicon Valley startup teamed with graduate students from Northeastern University in Boston to offer their own fix-it tool for hundreds of millions of Android phones that have been left without access to Google's official patch. Duo Security announced the availability of an Android utility dubbed 'ReKey' on Tuesday. The tool allows users to patch the so-called 'Master Key' vulnerability on Android devices, even in the absence of a security update from Android handset makers and carriers who service the phones, according to a post on the Duo Security blog. Jon Oberheide, the CTO of Duo Security, said that ReKey provides an in-memory patch for the master key vulnerability, dynamically instrumenting the Dalvik bytecode routines where the vulnerability originates, patching it in-memory. Oberheide said that ReKey will also 'hook' (or monitor) those routines to notify you if any malicious applications attempt to exploit the vulnerability. Despite the availability of a patch since March, many Android users remain vulnerable to attacks that take advantage of the application signing flaw. That is because Android handset makers have been slow to issue updates for their handsets. For platforms (HTC and Samsung) that have been patched, carriers delayed the rollout to customers further. 'The security of Android devices worldwide is paralyzed by the slow patching practices of mobile carriers and other parties in the Android ecosystem,' said Oberheide. However, the fragmentation of the Android ecosystem is significant enough that it is no longer feasible for Google to take over responsibility for distributing patches. Third parties may need to step in to fill the void."A related article makes the case that the release of the Master Key vulnerability started an important conversation within the open source community.

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/13/07...-key-patch-app

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Rovio confirms Angry Birds Star Wars II for September 19th

July 17th, 2013, 21:57 Posted By: wraggster

Continues Hasbro marketing partnership to make gameplay more interactive with real world toys that connect to the game.
Rovio's November 2012-released Angry Birds Star Warsclimbed its way to the top of the App Store in a record two and half hours, and has gone on to smash past 100 million total downloads.
Looking to build on the success, Rovio has confirmedAngry Birds Star Wars II today (July 15th), and expectant fans can diarise September 19th as the release date.
Star Wars II will follow the story of the original three prequel Star Wars films, which means brand new characters and the option to 'Join the Pork Side' and play as the evil pigs.
Rovio recently pledged to continue working with Hasbro on consumer products and has integrated the toy maker's Telepods technology into the game.
Players will be able to collect 30 Telepod figures and scan the characters from the physical world and into the digital world via the mobile device's camera.
Jami Laes, EVP of games at Rovio Entertainment, said: "Angry Birds Star Wars was a blockbuster hit for us and Lucasfilm with over 100 million downloads since its release. Some of the most amazing character additions are versions of young Anakin, Mace Windu and Darth Maul."
Hasbro is no stranger to mobile games and purchased a 70 per cent share of Backflip Studios for $112m last week.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...er-19th/021897

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Windows Phone mobile web traffic nosedives

July 17th, 2013, 21:56 Posted By: wraggster

Microsoft OS loses steam in Australia, but picks up in the UK.
Windows Phone-powered devices initially proved to be very popular in the down under market, but sales have drastically dropped over the last year and a half. Meanwhile the UK seems to be slowly warming to Microsoft handsets, seeing an increase to 1.31 per cent of all UK mobile web traffic, according to 51Degrees.mobi.
The OS makes up around seven per cent of UK sales from the last three months compared to 4.3 per cent during the same period in 2012.
US sales of Windows smartphones has also experienced a respectable 0.9 per cent growth.
At the beginning of 2012, mobile web traffic from Windows Phones in Australia was at around 1.2 per cent compared to below one per cent in the UK. It continued to rise at a rapid rate in the land of Oz to reach 1.4 per cent, and 1.2 per cent in Blighty.
Then around April 2012, interest in its devices seemed to go walkabout levelling with the UK in June at about 1.5 per cent and continually decreasing to about 0.6 per cent in June this year.
The UK, however, saw Windows Phone mobile web traffic grow and grow to hit an impressive 1.3 per cent in June 2013.

Have a look at 51Degrees data to see how the results panned out over the year.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...sedives/021898

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Designer creates transforming smartphone-cum-smart watch concept

July 17th, 2013, 16:51 Posted By: wraggster

Limbo project offers a 'new lifestyle' as an extension of the smartphone.
Apple's iWatch is rumoured to be experiencing engineering problems, which may prompt Tim Cook to scrap the device entirely.
And with wrist phones quite the hot topic, a concept for a new flexible 6mm-thick smartphone that transforms it into a smart watch has been unveiled.
The recently designed 'Limbo' phone would be made up of materials with elastic properties and would be powered by Android.
Three powerful magnets on the back of the device would connect it to the wrist cradle, which is designed to not put any pressure on the wrist by using similar materials to the device.
The gadget would contain an 8MP camera on the back and a 1.3MP on the front and would be wi-fi, Bluetooth and 5G-enabled. It would also charge wirelessly, similar to the Nokia Lumia.
The general concept of the phone appears to focus on offering ways to live a healthier lifestyle - as it reads blood pressure, and contains a motion sensor that would be activated when mounted onto the wrist, presumably acting as a pedometer.
Not only that, the Smart Healthcare feature reads all the information collected from the blood pressure reader, and - if we're reading the pictures correctly - contacts a hospital if it thinks your health is in danger.
Even though these plans may never come into fruition, the Limbo has still offered a more exciting smart watch concept to compete with the Androidly than Apple or any of its counterparts have, so kudos for that.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...concept/021906

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iPhone 6 release date, rumours, news

July 17th, 2013, 16:49 Posted By: wraggster

Apple makes a point of not giving away a single drop of info prior to launching products – which tends to further prod the rumour dragon, which periodically belches out potential fiery clues as to what the next gizmo will be. If you’ll pardon the unpleasant imagery.
Now, some of these turn out to be duff leads of course – but often, as was with the iPhone 5, a lot of the technical specifications do end up leaking ahead of the launch. So those eager to find out what Apple has up its sleeve for the iPhone 6 may well find the answer in the glut of speculation and technical clues fluttering around the web.
The iPhone 6 isn’t to be confused with the iPhone 5S – which again is a totally unconfirmed smartphone, and which solidify the rumblings that perhaps Apple will make a cheaper iPhone. This may also be called the iPod Nano. Or quite possibly it never has or will exist – but hey ho, that’s the fuzzy world of tech rumours.
We’ve gathered together what we think are the most likely iPhone 6 rumours, and we’ll keep this updated as more clues emerge.
iPhone 6 release date
Apple has already held an event showing off its next mobile operating system iOS 7, featuring a brand new look and a bunch of new features. The release date has been set for the fall (that’s Autumn for UK readers), and as several nose tappers have pointed out it would seem to make logical sense for this to emerge alongside the iPhone 6.
Unfortunately ‘fall’ is a fairly vague term, occupying a quarter of the annual calendar as it does.
Rumours of a more specific date are out there, however. Most of them point to early either September 10^th or 20^th – quite possibly an announcement taking the former date and the physical launch happening on the latter.
This is largely based on past Apple launch schedules which is a fair enough extrapolation – though we won’t know anything concrete until Apple sends out one of its cryptic invites to the press. And even then, we won’t know exactly what the event is in aid of until Tim Cook pops out out on stage.
iPhone 6 specs
It’s worth pointing out when pouring over tech specs for gadgets, despite their huge popularity Apple iPhones are often not the most advanced on the market when it comes to hardware, often surpassed by Samsung’s Galaxy S range, to name one.
That said, a number or rumours surrounding what components will make up the iPhone 6 have been doing the rounds.
A quad core processor is widely expected in order to keep up with the competition – some versions of the Samsung Galaxy S4 have eight cores.

Some musings put the specific processor at 1.2GHz, alongside 2GB of RAM. But

You could even see some of the powerful iPad hardware, like the graphics components, turning up in the iPhone 6.
Usually iPhones come in 16, 32 and 64 GB versions – however the last iPad had a 128GB version, which could be replicated in the iPhone 6.
In terms of connectivity, 4G LTE seems inevitable.
iPhone 6 casing
There is talk of the iPhone 6 (or iPhone 5S) coming in different colours this time round, breaking with iPhone design traditions. Perhaps in line with the iPod Nano range, which come in a variety of colours.
We’d say this is veering towards the less likely end of the rumour scale, but you never know. Nokia seemed to push the coloured chassis as a leading USP of its recent 920 and 820 smartphones, so perhaps Apple took note.
Some rumours even point the phone have a translucent case – which we’d place even further towards the less likely end.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...-design/031415

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BlackBerry A10 specs leaked; 5-inch display, 8MP camera, big battery

July 17th, 2013, 16:47 Posted By: wraggster

The BackBerry A10’s specs have been leaked, showing it will have a bigger battery and a faster processor than the Z10.
A member of CrackBerry’s forum posted a screen grab which appears to be taken from a confidential BlackBerry document. It shows most of the A10’s specs including 1.7GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, 5-inch OLED 1280x720 display, 8MP rear camera, 2MP front camera, and a 2800mAh battery.
In comparison, the Z10 has a 4.2-inch display, 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor and a 1800mAh battery.
Last month, Sprint Nextel executive Lois Eichelberger ***an told CNET that the A10 will be coming to the carrier ‘during the holidays’.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...battery/031420

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Apple offers students discounts for iPhone, iPad and Mac

July 17th, 2013, 16:45 Posted By: wraggster

Apple is running a series of summer promotions for students looking to buy a device before they head to university.
Those who buy an iPhone or iPad for university before September 6th will receive a £35 App Store Gift Card, while customers who purchase a new Mac will receive a £70 gift card.
Plus, Apple says consumers can save up to £183 with "education pricing" on new Macs.
Online orders placed for iPhones, iPads or Macs will include free shipping, as will 'study essentials' including organisers, bags and carry cases.
To qualify for the discounts, the customer must be a university student, a student accepted to a university, a parent buying for a university student or a faculty or staff member.
Apple is also targeting students directly in the offer.
"You can use your iPhone to revise for exams, take notes and stay organised," read a statement. "Using Pages, Numbers and Keynote, you can have anytime access to your projects and presentations. And when it’s time to kick back, you can tweet, play games and even order a pizza."

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...and-mac/031427

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Google Maps app launches on iPad

July 17th, 2013, 16:41 Posted By: wraggster

The latest version of the Google Maps app includes full support for iPad, plus developers can now add Street View and indoor floor plans to their own creations.
Google Maps now works with all devices running iOS 6 - the iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPad. It sports a cleaner look and feel, plus search results display red icons for locations you're looking for.
New Info Sheets let users access specific information on each location including reviews and pictures, while the Explore feature lists nearby places of interest such as restaurants and shopping centres.
Dynamic Map Rerouting is not yet available on the iOS version, although it is on the Android version, reports Wired. This uses the latest traffic information to reroute users around busy areas. Google says it is "coming soon" to iOS. The iOS version is also getting directions for bicycles, too.
Version 1.4 of the developer kit for iOS maps also lets app makers add Street View imagery and indoor floor plans to their creations.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...on-ipad/031429

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Microsoft Surface smart watch to rival iWatch in 2014?

July 17th, 2013, 16:40 Posted By: wraggster

Microsoft is the latest tech giant rumoured to be developing a smart watch product - which could arrive next year.
It joins the likes of Apple which is reportedly producing an iWatch product, while the Sony SmartWatch 2 will hit UK shelves later this year and a Samsung smart watch is also in development.
Microsoft placed orders for 1.5-inch screens a few weeks ago and the product is already in the prototype stage, reports AmongTech. The watch will allegedly be available in a range of colours including blue, red, yellow, black, white and gray, with removable wrist bands.
It's said to be made from a type of Oxynitride aluminium which is 80 per cent transparent but around three or four times tougher than glass. Current manufacturing costs are said to be around $20,000 (£13,000) per square metre.
It could have its own version of Windows 8, 4G technology and 6GB of storage, and be able to communicate with smartphones.
Reports suggest the team behind Microsoft's Surface tablets are working on the Microsoft smart watch.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...in-2014/031431

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Nokia Lumia 625 images and specs leaked

July 17th, 2013, 16:40 Posted By: wraggster

Images and specs of Nokia’s Lumia 625 Windows Phone 8 smartphone have surfaced in China.
Details spotted on Tenaa reveal that the Lumia 625 will have a 4.7-inch display with a resolution of just 800x480.
It will allegedly come with a 1.2GHz Snapdragon dual-core processor, 512MB or RAM and a 5MP camera.
The Nokia Lumia 625 is expected to launch in China first and come in a range of different colours.
Nokia recently unveiled its latest flagship smartphone, the Lumia 1020, which comes with a 41MP camera and a 4.5-inch 1280x768 display.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...-leaked/031434

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John GBA v1.13 for Android

July 1st, 2013, 00:55 Posted By: wraggster

via http://www.emucr.com/

John GBA v1.13 for Android is released. John GBA is a GBA emulator for android 2.2+.

This app does not work without your own game files.

Please try John GBA lite before purchasing.

Features:
- Original GBA engine
- Cheats (Raw/GameShark/CodeBreaker)
- High quality rendering
- Search game files in SDCard & Internal Storage
- Virtual On-screen keypad
- Zipped file support
- Save States (with previews)
- Customizable keys
- Turbo buttons
- Screenshot
- Honeycomb tablet UI
- X2 Speed play
- No ADs
- No internet connection

John GBA v1.13 for Android Changelog:
-fixed cheat bug (GameShark/CodeBreaker)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...lators.johngba

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nds4droid 37

July 1st, 2013, 00:43 Posted By: wraggster

via http://emu-russia.net/en/

Nintendo DS emulator for Android has been updated. Changes:
- Fixed a bug where the touch sensing would be inaccurate when only the touch screen was being shown;
- Minor performance enhancements.
File: Download
News source: http://sourceforge.net

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Jnes 1.2.23

July 1st, 2013, 00:42 Posted By: wraggster

via http://emu-russia.net/en/

NES emulator for Android has been updated. Changes:
- added 2-player support;
- added download option for pic.
News source: https://play.google.com

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ePSXe for Android 1.9.4

July 1st, 2013, 00:42 Posted By: wraggster

via http://emu-russia.net/en/

Sony Playstation emulator for Android has been updated. Changes:
- minor fixes.
News source: http://play.google.com

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RetroArch Android 0.9.9.3

July 1st, 2013, 00:41 Posted By: wraggster

via http://emu-russia.net/en/

Multisystem emulator for Android has been updated. Changes:
* [Android] Input autodetection expanded -
- Xperia Play controls fixed once and for all (thanks to littleguy77)
- JC U912F gamepad
* [GENERAL] Should fix GPU screenshots if last frame was duped
* [PCSX ReARMed] Add core option to switch between Dual Shock and regular
gamepad modes
* [TyrQuake] Add core option so that you can change the internal screen
resolution (note that TyrQuake uses the software renderer - it is slow -
an OpenGL ES option will be added in the future for mobile devices and
others)
* [TyrQuake] For RetroArch ports that support RETRO_KEYBOARD and RETRO_MOUSE -
mouse/keyboard controls should work now
* [Genesis Plus GX] Updated to the latest version - 1.7.4 -
- fixed SRAM incompatibilities between BIG ENDIAN & LITTLE ENDIAN platforms
for libretro (note: this breaks old .srm files with LITTLE ENDIAN platform ports -
which includes iOS, Android, PC)
- A lot of compatibility/maintenance fixes by ekeeke (main author) - see
this for more - https://github.com/libretro/Genesis-Plu … 3d52f19c75
* [MAME 2003] 'game might not run correctly. Press any key to continue' games can be run
now - such as Tekken 2
* [MAME 2003] Correct resolutions for Namco System 11 games
* [MAME 2003] Some minor optimizations (very slight though)
News source: https://play.google.com

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