The new Nexus 7 vs the competition, how does it stack up?

The new Nexus 7 was announced today and the Internet has been ablaze with the information all day. It’s a pretty impressive device and one that all Android fans have the potential to enjoy. It has amazing specs, a cheap price point, and best of all, it’ll be available on July 30. While it’s pretty much the common sentiment that the new Nexus 7 will be the best 7-inch tablet on the market when it gets released, we have to ask ourselves if it really is that much better.

With that in mind, here is a direct comparison with some of the more popular 7-inch tablets in the industry. For a full list of the new Nexus 7 specs, check out Andrew Grush’s earlier post detailing the official specs. For this comparison, we’ll take a look at the 5 major specs that people care about. Those are the screen, the CPU, the battery, the RAM, the storage, and the connectivity...

Read the full story here. Source: Android Authority

For Facebook, it still comes down to making money on mobile

When Facebook checks in with Wall Street for its quarterly review on Wednesday, it will hand in results for mobile advertising for just the fourth time and reveal its first full-year report card on revenue from mobile ads.

By most accounts, Facebook is expected to do well on the mobile front and make close to one-third of its advertising revenue from mobile placements, according to analysts' consensus. It would be a remarkable achievement, one that comes just in the nick of time to save Facebook from a decaying desktop business.

From zero to last-minute hero

RBC Capital Markets is particularly bullish on the subject and expects Facebook to pull in $487 million from mobile, which would be good enough for 34 percent of the firm's projected $1.43 billion second-quarter ad revenue estimate. Goldman Sachs holds a more conservative perspective and is predicting that Facebook will make $425 million in mobile ad revenue.

Whatever the number Facebook reports, it will be a marked improvement from the infinitesimal amount that Facebook made from mobile advertising at this time last year. Then, Facebook said it was bringing in $500,000 per day from mobile ads. Now, Facebook's mobile revenue may come in as high as $5.4 million a day, or up 980 percent from the year ago quarter...

Read the full story here. Source: CNET

Mysterious HTC Zara to arrive alongside HTC One Max?

As Samsung prepares for the release of its Note 3, HTC is also getting ready to unleash two new devices of its own. The first of the handsets is known as the HTC One Max and is designed to compete directly against the Note series. The second is a previously unheard of handset by the name of Zara.

We’ll start by talking about the One Max, which we already know a great deal about.

For starters, the phone will feature a premium metal-body design similar to the HTC One. The handset is also said to have a 5.9-inch FullHD display, a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 CPU, UltraPixel camera and Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.

What about the HTC Zara? The latest report from China Times suggests that the handset will arrive in September alongside the One Max. Unlike the One Max, the HTC Zara trades in the premium metal body for a plastic design that is probably more akin to Samsung devices.

Unfortunately, beyond its plastic shell, next to nothing is known about the Zara. We can’t say what markets it is being aimed at, its pricing or even what kind of hardware or screen size the phone might possess.

What we do know is that September is shaping up to be an interesting month. Not only will we see Samsung’s latest Note, but now we have two interesting HTC devices to look forward to as well.

With HTC’s push towards higher-end metal bodies, would you still consider a plastic-bodied HTC handset if the specs were right for the money?

Source: Android Authority

‘Evolved’ Samsung Exynos 5 Octa teased, launching next week

Move over original Exynos 5 Octa, after such a short time on the market, you’re already being replaced by something better! Earlier today, Samsung took to Twitter to announced it will be launching a “more powerful, enhanced” version of the Exynos 5 Octa sometime next week.

Any other details?  No, but we can certainly speculate a little.

As you might already know, the current Exynos 5 Octa doesn’t technically run on eight cores. Instead, the Octa has a 1.6GHz quad-core A15 processor for high-intensity tasks and can switch to a lower-powered 1.2GHz quad-core A7 for situations where less power is needed.

For the next Exynos 5 Octa, the change could be as simple as boosting up the clockspeeds provided by the SoC. Then again, it could also have to do with improving integrated features such as adding advanced LTE, or really anything under the sun.

As for the first device to run the processor? If the rumor mill proves correct, it will likely be in at least one version of the Note 3, though don’t expect Samsung to show off their big-screen phone next week. More than likely the announcement will simply be a release a few new technical details about the upcoming SoC.

Regardless of what Samsung is planning, we only have to wait a week to find out. In the meantime the Korean giant is giving fans a chance to win some brand new Exynos-powered devices through their #ExynosEvolved Giveaway.

Source: Android Authority

Rumor: Android 4.3 coming to Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2, not Android 4.2.2

A new report says that Samsung is already working on the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update for some of its top devices, with the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 said to make the jump directly to Android 4.3 and skip Android 4.2.2.

We will remind you that this is just a rumor at this point, so don’t get too excited about it at this time, as we can’t confirm the news just yet. Temefy has it from sources close to Samsung India that the company is working on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update for the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note, but also on the Android 4.3 update for the same devices.

Android 4.2.2 was already leaked for the Galaxy S3, but so was an Android 4.3 build for the Galaxy S4 Google Play edition.

Since Google is expected to launch Android 4.3 in the near future, it would make sense to see some devices skip a Jelly Bean version in order to run the latest Android OS available. But that doesn’t mean that Samsung will necessarily choose this route.

The report also says that an Android 4.2.2 for the Galaxy S3 and Note 2 would arrive in November instead of July, as initially expected. If true, that would be another reason to have the handsets move directly to Android 4.3 instead.

Finally, the publication says that the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Note 2 will all be further upgradeable to the next major Android version – supposedly Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie – but not all of them will receive it at the same time.

We’ll be back with more details about software updates for these particular handsets once we have them.

Source: Android Authority

iPhone 5S Production Will Reportedly Begin Later This Month

According to AllThingsD, a production ramp up of the next generation iPhone should begin around the end of this month, confirming a recent report from Jefferies' Peter Misek.

Misek believes that Apple started small batch production of the iPhone 5S last month, but with the company now gearing up for mass production, it appears to be making final preparations for a launch later this year.

A report from earlier today suggested that iPhone 5S supplies will be constrained at launch, as it is with many new Apple product releases, perhaps because of low yields on a new fingerprint sensor that is expected in the device. 

Some iPhone 5S prototypes have previously leaked, showcasing features such as a dual-LED flash and a slightly larger battery, as well as an A7 chip. Misek, for his part, believes that the 5S production ramp is in addition to one that's in progress for the rumored lower-cost iPhone. From AllThingsD:

 Interestingly, Misek says that iPhone production ramp up will follow one that’s already under way for Apple’s long-rumored lower-cost iPhone, a device he figures the company will price somewhere between $300 and $400 — without a subsidy. He estimates production plans at 25 million to 30 million units, split pretty much evenly across the 5s and its new lower-cost sibling. And he says the new entry probably won’t be competitive with the truly low-end handsets popular in emerging markets.

Last year, at roughly this same point in the July, we saw similar reports of increased production ahead of the release of the iPhone 5.

Source: Mac Rumours

T-Mobile on AT&T Next: You're paying twice for that phone

The claws are out now.

T-Mobile executive Andrew Sherrard fired back at AT&T's new early upgrade plan, calling it a "poor imitation" that actually costs the customers more than they think.

Earlier Tuesday, AT&T introduced its AT&T Next plan, which lets people pay for their mobile devices in 20 monthly installments and allows them to upgrade each year. But the new plan doesn't include a key component -- a lower-cost service plan -- which T-Mobile said is its crucial standout feature in its early upgrade plan, Jump. As a result, T-Mobile claims AT&T Next is actually more expensive than ever.

"They're charging you twice on the same phone and calling that a good deal," Sherrard told CNET on Tuesday.

In addition to paying the full price of the phone over the monthly installments, AT&T Next customers also pay the same service plan rate they had been paying -- a rate that was designed to work with subsidized phones. When T-Mobile introduced its no-contract monthly installment plan, it cut the rate of its plan to reflect the lack of a subsidy.

An AT&T representative told CNET that Next represents a a new offer and different choice for customers.

"We're not taking away anything," he said. "We're just giving people choice by removing the upfront cost and allowing them to upgrade their phone."

AT&T wouldn't discuss the direct comparisons between Next and Jump, but noted that it offers a larger 4G LTE network.

"As people dig into this, they'll find it's a much better deal to go with Jump," T-Mobile's Sherrard said. He added that Jump includes insurance, which AT&T Next does not.

Verizon Wireless is expected to introduce a similar plan to that of AT&T, and Sherrard said he felt equally good about how Jump stacks up against the reported Verizon Edge plan.

Sherrard said he was happy that the industry was reacting to T-Mobile's moves. He called the competitors' moves "a response, not a strategy."

Sherrard said that as the challenger in the industry with the lowest market share among the big four U.S. carriers, T-Mobile can afford to be more aggressive to pursue growth. The big two companies can't follow because they have higher profit margins to protect.

"We're glad to change the game a little bit," he said.

Source: CNET

Moto X through Glass: Motorola exec filmed using the Moto X by Robert Scoble

We’re really psyched about the Moto X here at AA, so when a rumor spread that the device would be shown off to a select group of journalists on July 11, we were pretty curious to learn more.

Naturally, the event hosted by Motorola adviser Guy Kawasaki was private, but that didn’t stop one of the guests from posting a video of singer Daria Musk giving an impromptu performance for the gathering. The guest is Robert Scoble, whom you may know as an uber-geek and a noted fan of Google’s wearable computer Glass, which he used to record the video.

What’s interesting about the video, which Scoble posted on his Google Plus profile, is that the Moto X, the phone that the entire tech community eagerly awaits, makes a surprise appearance in the hands of a Motorola executive...

Read the full story here. Source: Android Authority

Lumia 1020: A flash point for Nokia?

Nokia hopes its comeback story comes into focus with a little help from its 41-megapixel camera-packing Lumia 1020.

The former Finnish mobile devices giant was at it again on Thursday with the debut of its latest smartphone, which rocks the souped-up zoom-lens camera that impressed critics a year ago at Mobile World Congress. For some, this is the real PureView camera that should have been bolted on to last year's Lumia 920 flagship phone.

Even as the Lumia 1020 comes packed to the gills with features and advanced hardware, it's unclear whether this will be the smartphone to finally reverse Nokia's fortunes. Its continued struggles despite a drastically improved line-up of products underscore the broader difficulties facing all of the vendors in getting support from carriers and interest from consumers. More specifically, there remains a lot of work to revitalize Nokia's brand and educate consumers on Windows Phone...

Read the full story here. Source: CNET

HTC One is actually easy to open with a special tool, says HTC lead designer

Back in March, iFixit went to work on taking the HTC One apart to give us all a better look at the phone’s insides and determine how easy (or hard) the phone would be to repair. The verdict? Just 1/10 – with 1 being ultra hard and 10 being easy as pie.

The reason for the low score is that the HTC One is very hard to open without damaging the rear case. The good news is that the phone might be hard for everyday users to take apart, but HTC does have a special method for prying open the handset in the event that the phone needs servicing under warranty.

According to HTC’s senior manager of the One design team, Justin Huang:

“During the development [of the One], there was another team inside HTC who looked at the repair process.“ “So every phone sent to HTC, they have a special tool to disassemble the back cover, to let us have the ability to access all the components inside.”

In other words, you might not be able to self-repair or send it in to a third party for cheap and easy repairs, but at least you can rest assured that you can send it in directly to HTC. Unfortunately for those looking to get their phones repaired cheaply, this isn’t exactly great news.

On the plus side, if a tool like this really does exist, it is probably just a matter of time before a Chinese knock-off tool becomes available online. What do you think, does the HTC One’s low repairability score matter to you or not?

Source: Android Authority

T-Mobile announces Jump, an early upgrade program

NEW YORK -- T-Mobile announced a new device upgrade program for its no-contract customers Wednesday. The program allows these customers to get their hands on the latest and greatest phones at subsidized prices.

The upgrade program, called Jump, makes it easier for people to upgrade to new devices and pay a lower price instead of replacing their current devices at full price. To participate in the early upgrade program, customers will pay $10 a month. Customers can get their first upgrade after being enrolled in the program for six months. The company will then credit the remaining cost of the device. Enrollment will start this Sunday.

"Two years is too long to be locked into a phone," said T-Mobile's CEO John Legere."You should decide when you upgrade, not your wireless company."

The program also works as device insurance and includes protection against malfunction, damage, or theft. Legere said that given that device insurance already costs between $8 and $12 a month, so he said the upgrade program is virtually free if you think of it that way.

Legere went on to say that the Jump program will finally allow people to upgrade when their device screen cracks or they drop their phone in the toilet.

"If your phone malfunctions or it becomes possessed," he said. "If it's stolen or you drop it in the toilet or run it over with the car. Or if you just don't like it anymore, you are covered."

Legere pointed out that the company's competitors AT&T and Verizon Wireless are actually lengthening their upgrade cycles to 24 months.

That's not what customers want," he said.

Earlier this year, T-Mobile announced new no-contract plans that require customers to buy devices at full price. Customers also can pay for devices in monthly installments. But if they leave the T-Mobile service, they must pay the full price of the device.

Some consumers complained that buying devices at full price made it more difficult to get newer devices. CNET first learned of this concept in March, when CEO John Legere said it was still an idea that the carrier was tossing around.

Source: CNET

The Budget iPhone

With many photos surfacing on Apples budget iPhone for 2013, could this video actually show the beast, or errrrrr bear, in its entirety ??? Check out the video & let us know what you think. You might be in for a surprise at the end of the video when you see what makes an appearance ;D