Samsung Galaxy S4 launch delayed on both T-Mobile and Sprint

Bad news Galaxy S4 fans as both Sprint and T-Mobile today has announced that the launch of the Samsung's upcoming Android flagship has been delayed.

Both carriers have issued statements confirming the delay.

Sprint:

"Sprint is excited to launch the new Samsung Galaxy 4. We had planned to launch this next generation of the award-winning Samsung Galaxy line-up on Saturday, April 27. Unfortunately, due to unexpected inventory challenges from Samsung, we will be slightly delayed with our full product launch. Sprint is one of Samsung’s largest partners and we are working closely with them to launch in all Sprint channels as soon as possible. We expect to make Galaxy S 4 available at www.sprint.com and Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1) as planned on Saturday with Sprint retail stores and other channels receiving devices as inventory becomes available."

T-Mobile:

"We know customers are really looking forward to getting their new Samsung Galaxy S 4 soon. However, due to an unexpected delay with inventory deliveries, the Galaxy S 4 will not be available on www.T-Mobile.com as planned on Wednesday, April 24. Instead, online availability is expected to begin on Monday, April 29. We apologize for any inconvenience and are working with Samsung to deliver the device to T-Mobile customers as soon as possible."

Software update for Symbian Belle FP1 and FP2 smartphones rolling, brings new homescreen widgets

Nokia has rolled-out a new software update for the Nokia 808 PureView and other Symbian Belle Feature Pack 1 and FP2 smartphones that bring some great new homscreen widgets.

• Webview widget (as featured most recently here, during its Beta Labs outing), showing a window onto any live web site of your choice. And yes, you can have multiple Webview widgets on multiple pages, if needed - they refresh whenever that homescreen is viewed. The version here is just one minor build on from the last beta version, by the way (21.00 build 35)
• Mirror widget, designed for people to check their faces (etc.), effectively a shortcut to an embedded 'front camera' utility, with QVGA 'capture' (yes, yes, low. The hardware supports VGA on most devices, but for some reason software for the front camera only has access to the lower resolution). Note that this doesn't work on the Nokia 700, as it doesn't have a front facing camera...
• Toggle Flashlight - as it sounds, turns the LED flash light on as a torch - presumably for those who haven't discovered the keylock toggle long press shortcut for this - or who want to get the torch on NOW and not in five seconds time 
• Stopwatch - as it sounds, a quick and useful 'instant stopwatch', with just pause and stop controls
• Contacts Communication - a one-touch way to phone or message a favourite contact - tapping on the body of the thumbnail brings up the contact record in the usual way

Did you update your Symbian Belle smartphone? To get the .sis files visit our Symbian^3 Firmware Discussion forum.

Thanks @Allstar12345

Andrew over at MobileBurn reviews the latest Android flagship by Samsung, the Galaxy S4. Check the in-depth video review after the break.

You can read the full writen review at MobileBurn website.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 comes with a 5-inch Super AMOLED display protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass 3 that offer 40% reduction in the number of visible scratches. Will it survive three types of knives, keys and pennies? Check the video after the break.

The Galaxy S4 survived! Great work Corning and Samsung.

iPad 5 rear shell leaked

A couple of weeks ago we saw the front panel of the upcoming iPad 5 and today a photo showing the rear shell hit the web.

From the leaked parts we can say that the next iPad will follow the form factor of the iPad mini. It will have a 9.7-inch display with thinner bezel, it is expected to be powered by an A7X chip, 8-megapixel camera and will come in 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB variants.

Tactus speculates that the iPad 5 will be thinner than its predecessor thanks to the IGZO display that use up to 90% less power than previous generation iPad displays. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo the 5th-gen iPad will be 25 percent lighter and 15 percent thinner than the previous model.

Sprint launches 4G LTE in 21 new markets including Los Angeles, Charlotte and Memphis

Starting today Sprints 4G LTE network is available in 21 new markets, including Los Angeles, Contra Costa County, Calif., Charlotte, N.C., Norfolk, Va., and Memphis, Tenn.

Here is the full list:

• Albemarle, N.C.
• Bloomington, Ind.
• Charlotte, N.C.
• Contra Costa County, Calif.
• Denison, Texas
• Greeneville, Tenn.
• Joplin, Mo.
• Kerrville, Texas
• Lafayette, Ind.
• Lincolnton, N.C.
• Los Angeles
• Mankato/North Mankato, Minn.
• Memphis, Tenn.
• Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Newport News, Va.
• Palm Bay, Fla.
• Port St. Lucie, Fla.
• Rochelle, Ill.
• Salisbury, N.C.
• Shelby, N.C.
• Tullahoma, Tenn.
• West Palm Beach, Fla.

Bob Azzi, senior vice president-Network at Sprint said:

"Today more Americans are using smartphones and tablets to consume entertainment, GPS and applications than ever before. In fact, in 2012, Sprint achieved annual smartphone sales of nearly 20 million. All this requires improved network reliability and speed. Sprint’s customers will experience immediate benefits on the 4G LTE network when they stream videos, socialize, play games and interact with thousands of apps using our unlimited data plans."

Sprint has also added 34 new markets to the list of more than 170 where LTE will be available in the coming months.

• Fargo, N.D.
• Orlando, Fla.
• Portland, Ore.
• Spokane, Wash.
• Tallahassee, Fla.
• Albertville, Ala.
• Centralia, Wash.
• Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
• Durant, Okla.
• El Paso, Texas
• Enid, Okla.
• Enterprise/Ozark, Ala.
• Eugene/Springfield, Ore.
• Faribault/Northfield, Minn.
• Greenville, Miss.
• Hattiesburg, Miss.
• Jacksonville, Texas
• Kennewick/Pasco/Richland, Wash.
• LaGrange, Ga.
• Longview, Texas
• Longview, Wash.
• Milledgeville, Ga.
• Moses Lake, Wash.
• Paducah, Ky.
• Picayune, Miss.
• Poplar Bluff, Mo.
• Russellville, Ark.
• Seaford, Del.
• Sterling, Ill.
• Talladega/Sylacauga, Ala.
• Tulsa, Okla.
• Valdosta, Ga.
• Wenatchee/East Wenatchee, Wash.
• Yakima, Wash.

We've heard a lot of rumors about the upcoming budget iPhone and after the leaked parts from last week we have another one allegedly showing the rear shell of the handset.

According to the case manufacturer Tactus, we are looking at the polycarbonate rear shell of the cheaper iPhone. Tactus reports that the handset will have a 3.5-inch retina display, 5-megapixel main camera, will be powered by an A5 processor and will be taller, thicker and wider than the iPhone 4/4S measuring 9mm in thickness, 120mm in height and around 62-65mm in width.

The device is expected to come in Black, White, Blue, Red and Yellow and will launch on October 15 and be priced at $300.
What do you say about this leak (rumor)?

Archos announces its first Android smartphones, super affordable

After yesterday's leaks and rumors, Archos officially has unveiled its line of Android smartphones.

The Archos 35 Carbon features a 3.5-inch (320x48) display, Qualcomm 7225A Cortex A5 processor clocked at 1GHz, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage expandable via microSD card, VGA cameras on the back and front, 1300mAh battery and Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Platinum 50 and the Platinum 53 share more or less the same specs, the only difference is the screen size and the battery. The Platinum 50 features a 5-inch (960 x 540) display and 2000 mAh battery, while the Platinum 53 have a 5.3-inch (960 x 540) display and 2800 mAh battery. They are both powered by a Qualcomm 8225Q Quad Core cortex-A5clocked at 1,2 GHz, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage expandable via microSD card, 8-megapixel  camera on the back and run Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.

What about the price? The SIM-free Archos 35 Carbon is priced at $99.99, the Platinum 50 at $219 while the Platinum 53 will cost $249.99. They all support dualSIM, run un-skinned stock Android and will hit the stores in Europe at the end of May.

Verizon's Samsung Galaxy S4 to launch sometime in May

All big US carriers except Verizon already announced the availability and pricing of the Galaxy S4, but today Big Red on Twitter shared some info regarding availability of the upcoming Android flagship by Samsung.

Verizon has announced that the Samsung Galaxy S4 will be available sometime in May. Unfortunately they didn't shared additional info like exact date, capacities and the most important, the price, however, more details from the carrier are expected soon.

Google Glasses Specs Released

For those of you out there who were wondering exactly how much power Google could have possibly packed into their Google Glasses now you have your answer. Which is not much...

• 5-megapixel camera
• 720p video
• a bone conduction transducer for audio
• 802.11b/g Wi-Fi networks
• 16GB of flash storage
• Bluetooth
• microUSB charging port

Now while the "bone conduction transducer" sound impressive it has been used in other products before for Bluetooth headsets. There will also be features like GPS and SMS messaging however this will require the Glasses to be tethered to your Android device VIA a special app that must be running on your cell phone.

I am of two minds on these glasses. One side says it's the first pair they ever made lower specs, need to connect to smartphone is ok. These glasses are cool and it will only get better. The other side a says $1500!?!? For $1500 it should be able to read my mind! What are your thoughts on these specs?

Is This the New Samsung Design Going Foward?

There has been a lot of talk about Samsung changing it's design language recently and if these leaks are true from @evleaks (and they normally are) this is what you can expect from the mobile giant in the near future. Gone is the tapered back to be replaced with a more industrial square look.

While there is very little proof these pics are the real deal the source is a credible one and there is the volume rocker on the left hand side. (a Samsung hallmark alone) However the www.shopAnd on the screen in the first picture makes me think that it is not.

What are your thoughts on this? Real or fake?

First Jolla device to be announced in May

It looks like Jolla will unveil its first highly anticipated Sailfish device next month.

Finish DigiToday reports that the first Jolla device will be available for pre-order from mid-May. What is interesting is that Jolla has a plan to start with pre-orders in Kickstarter-style, so early adopters will have a chance to customize their handset and have a unique smartphone.

Jolla Chairman, Antti Saarnio said:

"We want Jolla to be a movement. We want to involve fans already in early phases. Fans make sure that phone will be available and fans will be first ones to get their phones".

According to Saarnio, the handset will come with "modern Scandinavian design" and knowing the background of Jolla employees we can expect some Nokia influence in that department too.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 vs. Apple iPad Mini – Video Comparison

Taylor over at PocketNow compares the iPad mini and its direct competitor from Samsung, the Galaxy Note 8.0. Check the comparison video after the break.

The Galaxy Note 8.0 costs $70 more than the iPad mini. Is the Note 8.0 worth the extra cash? Which one would you choose?

According to this leaked road map that Engadget got a copy of it looks like AT&T will be the first out of the gate with the new Samsung Galaxy S4 on April 26th with T-Mobile hot on their heals on May 1st and Verizon May 30th.

While there were rumblings of the AT&T launch date before posted by AT&T themselves sadly all links that I found are now dead. One thing that is known for sure is that by the time you read this you will be able to pre-order the device. According to this sheet it can be pre-ordered today April 15th! Sadly there are no mentions of price on any of these documents but it is expected that AT&T's prices will be as follow 16GB $199 and 32GB $249 respectively, with a two-year contract.

Twitter music app to launch this weekend, Twitter music web page is up

According to sources close to Twitter, the microblogging service is going to release a standalone music app this weekend (or maybe even today).

AllThingsD reports that the app will suggest artists and tracks to users based on certain info including the Twitter accounts of artists they follow and artists followed by their followers.

Users will be able to listen to clips of music from inside the app, using third-party services like iTunes, Soundcloud; they will also be able to watch music videos provided by Vevo, the music video service owned by Universal Music and Sony.

This morning a web page music.twitter.com with a #music hashtag and a sign-in has appeared which means that the app is going live soon.

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival starts today and it will be a great place for Twitter to introduce its new service.

What do you say about Twitter #music?

1080p Display Windows Phone 8 Coming This Year! Phablets too?

According to sources this will be the year that  Microsoft will go "high end" with Windows Phone devices in many ways. There will be an update coming out this year General Distribution Release 3 ( No worries I am sure they will give it some cool nickname that ends in O ) that will bring with it a few features the main one being support for 1080p screens.

What would be the main reason to bring 1080p to Windows Phone? Well according to the same sources Microsoft has done this so OEM's can release five inch plus devices. That's right there should finally be a Windows Phone phablet device! Also to come in this release is support for Qualcomm processors and while that doesn't sound like much on the surface it allows for Quad Core processors in new Windows Phone devices.

While there is no specific information on handset manufacturers that would take advantage of these new spec bumps my guess is that Nokia will have a quad core phablet device out this holiday season. Also it wouldn't shock me if Samsung doesn't take the Note II or III and rework it to run Windows Phone 8. Does anyone else already know what they want Santa to leave for them under the tree this year?

How Much Personal Information Are You Giving to Facebook With the Facebook Phone?

The "Facebook Phone" is finally here after years of rumors and oddly enough it turned out simply to be a Facebook launcher that you can install on any Android device. While there is no doubt some people will buy this device (or download the launcher) the first question they have to ask is exactly how much personal information am I giving Facebook?

I mean lets face it Facebook is a service that you pay nothing for and they are their to make money. So if you are not paying for Facebook that means that some else is. That person is advertisers and you are the product they are selling to the advertisers. This phone on the surface seems like the perfect thing to get even more product personal information to give to the advertisers right?

So what information will Facebook be collecting here?

• Facebook Home collects information on all Facebook activity, location, messages, and what apps you've launched. This information is kept for 90 days.
• Incoming text messages are intercepted by Facebook to place on the Home interface before you see them. It is unclear right now what Facebook does (if anything with this information.)
• If Home comes pre-installed Facebook will access to all of the above, plus third-party notifications.
• Facebook Home can't see what you do on other Play store apps that you downloaded.

Here is what Facebook has to say on this subject:

Facebook Home doesn't use location in any way that's different from the Facebook app you already have on your Android phone. You can learn about how location works across Facebook in our Data Use Policy and Help Center.

It's almost the same information they collect now on an Android mobile device except that now you have to look at Facebook every-time you open your phone. I prefer to keep Facebook out of my business personally and use an app called TinFoil (which stops personal info from being collected) however downloading the Facebook Launcher doesn't really seem to give Facebook any more power over your personal information as they had before.

First Impressions: The BlackBerry Z10

One of the best parts of about writing mobile tech is the chance to test new products all the time and when the I saw the FedEx package the other day I was super excited because I knew it was the BlackBerry Z10. I have been waiting eagerly for this device to come to AT&T so I could give it test run and now it finally has. I have been using it for a few days and I wanted to give you my first thoughts on this device.

Lets get the specs out of the way:

• 4.2-inch screen
• 1280 ×768-pixel, 356ppi display
• 2GB of RAM
• 16GB internal
• 1.5GHz dual-core processor
• 8MP rear camera
• 1080p video recording
• 2MP front camera
• NFC
•  LTE 4G and UMTS / HSDPA networks.

My first thought when I got it out of the box was simply how good this device felt in my hand at 137.5 g it is not the lightest device out there but this extra weight makes the devices feel solid and not cheap like other devices out there. Also the grippy rubber textured back is a nice touch.

Let's dive right into the new BlackBerry 10 operating system because that is what is really on display here. The good: You can be up and running in under ten minutes and starting to use the device. The bad: You can be up and running in under ten minutes and starting to use the device. Seriously you sign in on all your accounts and that's pretty much it. This OS makes iOS customizations look like like Android device with a different launcher that changes every half hour. It took me longer to create a BlackBerry account than it did set up this phone.

BB10 is smooth and fluid, simple, perfect for business (Perhaps not so much for personal use?) It reminds me of Nokia's MeeGo but locked down and not as polished. You have three main features the "hub" where all your notification go, your last used screen where it holds your last eight apps, and your app screens which is simply all your apps in grid fashion for as many pages as it takes.

The Hub is a great feature! Everything you need to know in one very usable space with your calendar always up top. Last/open apps is great also very easy to use and practical. The app pages while clean is not so great you. You can't "folder" apps so you have look at page after page after page looking for an app if you don't know the name of it.

What I love about this device:

• Universal search
• Quality build
• Simple Easy to Use OS
• Keyboard predictive text is OUTSTANDING
• AT 356ppi the screen is one of the I have ever tested

What is bugging me about this device:

• No swipe gesture to close apps
• No way to mass delete emails
• Lock button on top of device
• Voice command button hard to access

I have A LOT more to say about this device but I want to make sure I experience it fully before sharing. Right now it simply feels like to me a promising young OS that will improve with time. If anyone has any tips for on how to get the most out of this device please leave them in the comments or feel free to send me a tweet directly.  I would love to hear them and make the most of this device test.

Samsung Galaxy Win will not be China exclusive

After last week's leak and announcement for Chinese market, Samsung and officially introduced the Galaxy Win.

The Samsung Galaxy Win features a 4.7-inch (800x480) LCD display, 1.2 GHz Quad-Core Snapdragon 200 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal storage expandable via microSD card, 5-megapixel back camera, VGA front-facing camera, 2000 mAh battery and run Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean with Samsung's TouchWiz on top.

It will come in two color options, Ceramic White and Titan Gray and depending on the market it will be available as Single and Dual SIM. No news regarding availability and pricing.

Are you getting the Galaxy Win?

Facebook Home announced, new Facebook experience for Android

Source: Daily Mobile - April 26th, 2013
Today Facebook and officially announced the Facebook Home for Android.

Facebook Home will bring all the notifications, full screen images, status updates and messages on your home screen.

Facebook home app will be available in the Google Play Store starting April 12 for select devices: HTC One X, HTC One X+, Samsung Galaxy SIII, Galaxy Note II and HTC One and the Galaxy S4 when released. Tablet version is in works and it will be available in "several months".

It will also come preloaded on some devices. The first that was announced was the HTC First. The HTC First will come in four colors black, white, blue and red and will be exclusively available on AT&T for $99,99. It's up for pre-order starting today and will hit the stores on April 12.

Other partners who have signed up with Facebook include Samsung, EE, Qualcomm, Sony, Huawei, Alcatel One Touch, Lenovo, ZTE, and Orange.

What do you heavy Facebook (Android) users say about the Facebook Home?