UK budget leaked on Twitter as government re-states 4G vow

The UK budget was leaked on Twitter today, granting politically minded surfers a sneak peek at George Osborne's number-crunching ahead of time.

The key aspects of the chancellor's new measures emerged early when London's Evening Standard newspaper tweeted its front page, which detailed the most crucial aspects of the annual ploy to make the UK more economically healthy.

The Standard posted an apology on its site, with editor Sarah Sands saying, "An investigation is immediately under way into how this front page was made public." The person who sent the tweet has been suspended while that investigation happens, the newspaper boss says.

As for the budget itself, there was little for tech and gadget fiends to get excited about (though we can all rally around 1p off a pint of beer). Mr Osborne did take the opportunity to re-iterate hisplans for the UK's Internet speeds, saying, "We're giving Britain the fastest broadband and mobile telephony in Europe."

That doesn't quite jive with Ofcom's report on the UK's broadband progress from earlier this month, which places the UK third for superfast broadband take-up, for example.

The UK will get faster mobile data this year, as operators have just walked away from a big spectrum auction with slices of bandwidth to use in 4G networks. That auction raised £2.34bn for the UK, but fell short of the £3.5bn Mr Osborne had already factored into the nation's budget.

[Source: CNET]

Galaxy S4 most pre-registered phone ever, UK retailer boasts

The Samsung Galaxy S4 has seen the highest number of pre-registrations ever, according to phone retailer Carphone Warehouse.

A tingling sensation in our spines told us that the Samsung Galaxy S4 would prove popular, but Carphone Warehouse's claims of a record-shattering pre-registration period lend credence to our vertebral intuition.

Pre-registration means sticking your details into Carphone Warehouse's online form, which puts you on a list to receive news on when the Galaxy S4 becomes available to order. The high-street phone-flogger says the Galaxy S4 has received four times as many registrations as theGalaxy S3 did last year -- a 446 per cent increase.

Registrations were counted in the four days following the S4's official unveiling. I've asked for specific numbers, and how those figures compare with pre-release interest in last year's iPhone 5, and I'll update this story if I hear anything.

The Galaxy S4 has a 5-inch, 1080p display and a thinner, lighter casing than its predecessor. It's jam-packed with new software features, though its similarity to the Galaxy S3 hasn't been well received by everyone. You can see exactly how the S4 compares with its forebear in the video embedded below, and be sure to check out our S4 comparison, featuring rival phones from Apple, Nokia, HTC and Google.

[Source: CNET]

Sony Mobile adds two new Xperia smartphones to its Spring line up

Sony Mobile Communications (“Sony Mobile”) today announced two new Xperia smartphone models to join its 2013 line up - the Xperia SP and Xperia L. The Xperia SP delivers 4G LTE performance and an exceptional viewing experience, with a razor sharp HD screen housed in a beautiful design. The Xperia L provides class leading camera technology with HDR for both photos and videos complemented by a high quality screen.

Both the Xperia SP and Xperia L offer the best of Sony with stunning premium designs and a range of technologies including a high quality screen for the ultimate viewing experience; the latest camera features for impressive pictures and videos; NFC connectivity for One-touch function; Battery STAMINA Mode for extended battery life; and Sony’s signature media apps for enjoying photos, music, movies and games on the go.      

“Xperia SP and Xperia L are ideally suited for those seeking stylish class-leading smartphones that don’t compromise on features”, said Calum MacDougall, Director of Xperia Marketing at Sony Mobile Communications. “Both of our new models benefit from Sony’s proven innovation and engineering expertise – whether you want to enjoy premium HD quality entertainment over 4G LTE on our mid-range Xperia SP or capture every moment in perfect detail with our more affordable Xperia L.”

Xperia SP – High Definition brilliance in a premium design

The Xperia SP utilises expertise from Sony’s BRAVIA® TV engineers to create its stunning 4.6” HD Reality Display for razor sharp pictures and superior brightness. The latest Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2 delivers an even better viewing experience by analysing your content type and adjusting the image automatically, making it one of the most intelligent smartphone screens around. The engine will make the adjustment by adding new real-time contrast optimisation to the sharpness enhancement, high-quality colour management and noise reduction.  

As well as delivering brilliant experiences, the Xperia SP looks beautiful too with a precision-crafted co-moulded aluminium frame, for a seamless look that is both sleek and solid. Adding to the unique design innovation is the colour-changing ‘transparent element’ with customisable illuminations which you can personalise to alert you of incoming calls and text messages. And you can even set the illuminations to pulse to the beat of your favourite music.

Key features for Xperia SP

• Precision crafted co-moulded aluminium frame
• Super-bright 4.6” 720p HD Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2
• One-touch functions with NFC to display content on your TV or to share music and photos between devices
• 4G LTE for superfast entertainment and browsing
• Unique ‘transparent element’ can be personalised to change colour when notifying you of all your incoming messages and calls. Or simply set it to pulse to the beat of your music to stand out from the crowd.
• 8MP fast-capture camera with “Exmor RS for mobile”, HDR and Superior Auto for the best photos, even at night or against a strong backlight
• Battery STAMINA Mode for optimum battery life
• Available in white, red and black colour variations

Xperia L – the perfect smartphone camera experience

The stylish and functional Xperia L features an 8 megapixel camera with Sony’s unique “Exmor RS for mobile” sensor technology for vivid colours and stunning clarity. HDR (High Dynamic Range) ensures that both your photos and videos are captured clearly, even at night or against a strong backlight. And with the dedicated camera key that goes from sleep to snap in just over a second even from a locked screen, this fast-capturecamera phone will ensure that you’ll never miss another moment. Get the most out of your viewing experience with the high quality 4.3” FWVGA screen that is ideally suited to enjoy all of your content. 

Key features for Xperia L

• 8 megapixel fast-capture camera takes sharp pictures in any light
• Enjoy all your content on the generous 4.3” FWVGA display
• One-touch functions with NFC to display content on your TV or to share music and photos between devices
• Fast performance with dual-core processor
• Battery STAMINA Mode for optimum battery life
• Available in white, red and black colour variations

Sony entertainment on the go 

Both Xperia SP and Xperia L benefit from Sony’s media applications offering a consistent entertainment experience across the range. The “WALKMAN”, “Album” and “Movies” apps, provide online and offline content through a single access point with new ways to enjoy and share that content. The “WALKMAN” application provides access to all your downloaded music, plus Music Unlimited* with over 18 million songs to explore from, and Facebook social integration. The “Movies” application gives consumers access to over 100,000 movies and TV series from Video Unlimited* while the “Album” application enables easy access to Facebook friends’ photos as well as browsing photos by location. 

One-touch functions for easy content sharin

Also featured on both models are Sony’s One-touch functions, allowing you to easily and instantly enjoy music and photos across an array of devices, such as Sony’s SRS-BTV5 portable speaker and latest range of NFC-enabled BRAVIA TVs, with just a single touch. It’s sharing made easy with no wires, cables, or fiddling with settings necessary.

The new Xperia SP and Xperia L from Sony Mobile will both be available worldwide from Q2 2013.

LG Optimus L9 gets updated to Jelly Bean across Europe

LG's Optimus L9 is getting the jump to Android Jelly Bean. The phone launched last year, running Ice Cream Sandwich. Jelly Bean will mean anyone using an L9 can take advantage of features like Google Now and Google's Advanced Voice Search.

According to the XDA Developers Forum, the update is available now in Australia, Thailand, Germany, the Baltic countries, Spain, Italy, France, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Greece and Hungary. The UK isn't mentioned, but given how many European countries are, I reckon we Brits should have the update imminently.

If you're using an L9, hit the update button and let me know if anything happens.

The L9 leaked over the summer, but didn't go on sale until near the end of the year. It's good to see LG not leaving its more affordable devices out of updates, as Jelly Bean will give the device a new lease of life. It'll also save you upgrading to a phone that runs the latest version of Android out of the box.

The L9 is the flagship of LG's budget L range, sitting above the L7, L5 and L3. It's powered by a dual-core 1GHz processor, with 1GB of RAM and a 2,150mAh battery. It also totes a 4.7-inch screen.

Keen to steal Samsung's thunder, LG announced some new eye-tracking smart phone tech this week, though it won't come to the L9. This pauses videos when you look away, and starts them playing again when it detects you're watching, much like on the Galaxy S4. Pretty nifty. The feature is called Smart Video, and will debut on the super-sized LG Optimus G Pro.

LG also employed some other techniques to try and steal some of Samsung's limelight this week.

[Source: CNET]

Sony Xperia L: a budget Android device with a focus on imaging and style

The days of the new Sony Mobile are now long past. Two years in, and the company appears to have hit a stride with its smartphone portfolio, churning out new Xperias on a consistent basis. And today is no different with the unveiling of the Xperia L, a mid- to low-end effort that places a heavy emphasis on the camera experience. Carrying on the Arc's legacy, this 4.3-inch handset packs an FWVGA display, dual-core 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4, 1,700mAh battery, 8GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD), NFC and an 8-megapixel rear shooter with Exmor RS sensor into a conspicuously curved body rounded off with that signature Xperia power key.

Though it lacks the greater resolution and screen size of its 720p sibling the SP, this more budget-friendly device does enjoy an exclusive perk: HDR stills andvideo. A feature Sony's included to make the L an attractive point-and-shoot option for budget-minded consumers concerned with style points and not LTE or raw performance. Unsurprisingly, it comes pre-loaded with a trio of Sony's own media apps -- Walkman, Movies and Album -- a precedent it set at IFA last year.

[Source: Engadget]

Is this the Nexus 5?

Pinch of salt time: a render of what purports to be the Nexus 5 has surfaced online, along with a spec list. There are plenty of reasons to think it's fake, but a few that hint it could be the real deal too.

An anonymous source claiming to work for Google sent the image and specs to Android and Me. They say the Nexus 5 is due for release around October, and Google is currently evaluating several prototypes from different manufacturers. This one is from LG and is codenamed "Megalodon". Sound real? Or bent as a nine bob note?

The spec list does sound too good to be true. The Nexus 5 is said to be packing a 5.2-inch OLED display with 1,920x1,080 resolution. Inside is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, clocked at 2.3GHz, along with a ridiculous 3GB of RAM. Storage is said to go up to 64GB (dwarfing the Nexus 4's 16GB), and a 16-megapixel camera is capable of capturing 4K video. Like I say, sounds too good to be true.

Some of the tech isn't found even in devices yet, like Qualcomm's chip, though it should be by October. It also seems a bit early to be seeing renders, but then this could be more of an artist's impression. We've also heard previously that a successor to the Nexus 4 was already on the cards.

Adding fuel to the fire, the very reliable Twitter account @evleaks tweeted: "LG Nexus 5 looks pretty hot, if that was just it…" It followed this up with: "I had to beg to say even that much :P"

The Nexus 4 has been wildly popular, but Google has had trouble meeting demand, with the device being in and out of stock at Google Play since its debut in November. That price tag of £239 will have helped, no doubt. Buy it elsewhere, and you'll have to shell out way more than that.

[Source: CNET]

HP and Samsung offer setup-free printing on the Galaxy S 4, with others to follow

As ubiquitous as wireless printing has become, there remains the occasional hoop to jump through for printing from mobile devices if you don't happen to have either a special app or iOS gear that supports AirPrint. HP and Samsung are teaming up to remove many of the headaches for the Galaxy S 4: when the phone launches in April, it should have setup-free WiFi printing to almost 200 HP inkjets and LaserJets, as long as any given printer is either on the same network or is otherwise accessible through direct printing. Don't expect ubiquitous support, though. Beyond being limited to the one phone, you'll have to stick to some of its preloaded apps, including the browser, contacts, email client, photo gallery, Polaris Office and S Note. It's far from a truly universal solution, then, but the two partners are at least promising zero-setup printing on both the Galaxy S III and the Galaxy Note II through firmware updates coming later in 2013. We'll take the approach if it saves time snagging an old-fashioned boarding pass or someconcert tickets.

[Source: Engadget]

Samsung Galaxy S4 cases launched

Gadget accessories company, Proporta, has released its collection of cases for the newly launched Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone. Adopting its wealth of experience in protective, fashionable accessories for the latest technology innovations, the line-up of Galaxy S4 cases includes signature Proporta favourites, fashion brands and fresh designs.

Leather Case with Aluminium Lining - £29.95 Leather Style Flip Case - £24.95

Lynnette Prigmore, Head of Product at Proporta, expressed her delight at the announcement of the new S4 and commented on the accompanying cases: "In the world of Smartphone tennis it would appear that Samsung has had the first serve for 2013 and, in some areas, raised the bar for mobile technology with a new S4 rammed full of features. For the industry and Proporta, where we continue to manufacture our own branded, British designed accessories as well as producing cases and sleeves for a number of global fashion and lifestyle brands, this makes for a very exciting time. As with any new device launch, it's a race against the clock for the accessories market; our design team will once again have initial designs ready for pre-order first thing - with many more designer cases to follow in the next few weeks."

Union Jack Case - £14.95 Screen Protector - £4.95

Quiksilver Hard Shells - £19.95 each 'Redemption', 'Blue Checks', 'Black' and 'Echo Beach'

Samsung Galaxy S4 Announced

In the Android landscape, Samsung is an unrivaled titan, sitting atop the highest possible perch of smartphone glory and supremacy. Over the past few years, the company has gone from tepid challenger to olympic gold medalist. The Samsung Galaxy S sparked a revolution back in March 2010, and four iterations later, the Korean company is releasing its biggest Galaxy product ever—probably its biggest gadget across every product lineup it offers—the Galaxy S 4. Finally, at last, it’s here.

Samsung describes its new super phone as one that will get you close to what matters in life, designed in a way to heighten the user experience. It’s not a thing you only hold and look at and occasionally make calls on; the S 4 is, according to Samsung, something that understands the value in relationships… believes in the importance of an effortless user experience… empowers your life, helping take care of your well-being.

The overarching theme, you see, isn’t a focus on specs—they are decidedly next-gen, as expected—but how software and technology can improve your experience in a positive way. So there are features like Dual Camera, Dual Video Call, Story Album; Group Play, Share Music, S Translator, Smart Pause, Air View, Air Gesture, Smart Scroll, S Voice Drive, Optical Reader, WatchON; S Health, Adapt Display and Adapt Sound. That’s an enormously overwhelming laundry list of new features, all designed to make everyday use seem more natural and painless.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Samsung Galaxy S4 second teaser video lands

Squee-bloop wheee-eee! Parp the Samsung Galaxy 4 teaser bagpipes, because there's a new official video heralding the coming of the year's most eagerly awaited new smart phone.

Continuing on from the first teaser, there's no sign of the phone itself, as a moppet bafflingly chosen to see the phone first attempts to hide it from prying eyes.

In the first episode, mop-topped Richie Rich-type rich kid Jeremy Maxwell was inexplicably handed the S4, peeking into a box that glowed with an eerie light.

Heading home, Jezzer encounters a curious ladychild and hides in his room for a closer look at the new device. "It's my favourite colour... it's unreal. Totally amazing!" coos the precocious phone-fondler. Are the Oreos a clue that the phone will come in black and white, as rumoured?

[Source: CNET - Click here to read more]

Samsung Galaxy S4 revealed in first official image

This is it, folks: the first actual, official, honest-to-goodness glimpse of theSamsung Galaxy S4 -- albeit in tantalising moody backlighting.

This is the first teaser to actually show the phone, after a series of videos featured only ablonde-mopped tyke and a glowing box. And it seems the leaked photos spotted yesterday could be closer to reality than we thought, as the teaser shows the S4 sporting curved corners and a slim bezel. It would be fair to say that it looks almost identical to the S3 -- from what we can see at least.

"The countdown for #TheNextBigThing has begun," declares Samsung from its US Twitter account. "Who's ready for the Global Unpacked Event on March 14?"

Unpacked takes place late on Thursday in UK time, and there's no UK press event. Coupled with the use of the American Twitter account, the S4 launch is clearly focused on the US market -- which suggests our colonial cousins will be the first to get the new phone. Fingers crossed we won't have to wait too long for the S4 to cross the pond.

Fortunately, we're not going to let a little thing like an ocean come between us and the hottest phone of the year, so we've dispatched our buddies at CNET's American starbase to the New York launch event. Keep it CNET.com for the first news, previews and videos of the Galaxy S4.

[Source: CNET]

Is this the Samsung Galaxy S IV or is it in disguise again?

Mere days before Samsung unveils its newest phone, a Chinese forum post has offered some purported shots of the Galaxy S IV. Now it's worth mentioning from the outset that Samsung plays a good game of subterfuge. It masked the Galaxy S III ahead of its reveal last year in a blockier plastic frame and it could be that this phone, with a very Note-esque face and outline, is also a filler ahead of the final reveal. It could also be yet another phone that will slot in elsewhere in Samsung'sever-expanding Galaxy family, or even a Shenzhen knock-off that's jumped the gun -- we spotted that the front-facing camera hole doesn't quite align properly.

However, with that said, there's still plenty here to muse on. The shots appear to be taken in a phone unlocking shop somewhere in China, with this GT-i9502 model apparently bound for carrier China Unicom. Interestingly (at least for a flagship), it appears to be a dual-SIM version, with the mono-SIM version apparently picking up model number GT-i9500 -- a number that would fit in with the series so far. According to the leak, it's running a fresh version of Android (4.2.1) with a 1080p display (no word on dimensions just yet), 2GB of RAM and a 13-megapixel camera on the back. The mention of a "5410" CPU suggests it's Samsung's Exynos Octa chip powering it and while AnTuTu might only recognize that as a quad-core chip, we noted during our hands-on with the new chipset that only four cores were being used at a time. We're still hoping Samsung's final design pushes the envelope a little further than a repositioned camera sensor and a new glossy texture -- we've added a shot of this after the break. Rest assured,Jeremy will be letting us in on the big secret later this week.

[Source: Engadget]