The World is Mine

Limited Edition Gold Porsche Design BlackBerry P'9981 Goes Official

2013-05-22T19:45:00.001-07:00

Porsche Design’s BlackBerry P'9981 smartphone was already an appealing device, but it seems that the company felt there was room for more, so a new flavor of the handset is set to arrive on shelves in July, all dressed up in gold.

The new flavor of the device is said to be made out of a stainless steel case with a gold-colored titanium coating, while also featuring a 24-carat gold layer on top, and a 24-carat gold camera cover. The device will arrive on the market in a very small number of units, as only 25 such devices will become available for purchase worldwide through certain Porsche Design stores.

However, as CrackBerry notes, no changes will be made to the hardware specifications of the mobile phone, which means that the gold P'9981 will be identical with the other models.

Gold Porsche Design BlackBerry P'9981
Image credits to Crackberry

Top Z87 ATX Motherboards from Gigabyte

2013-05-22T19:32:00.000-07:00

Gigabyte isn't going to pull any punches at Computex 2013. The trade show in early June, taking place in Taipei, Taiwan, will play host to quite a few motherboards, as well as other products.

We've already seen one of the mainboards that Gigabyte will bring to the trade show: the very small but very thorough Z87N-WiFi, which happens to be the world's first mini-ITX Z87 platform ever. Not that it's saying all that much. After all, it's not like there are so many Z87 motherboards up for sale at this time, and small ones are rarer than the rest. But we digress. We are here to talk about the other two platforms that Gigabyte managed to leak through LegitReviews website. They are called Z87X-UD4H and Z87X-UD5H and have the full ATX form factor. If we're reading things right, they will be the top-tier models in the LGA 1150 series. Z87X-UD4H has three PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots (for graphics cards, electrical x16/x8/x4), a PCI Express 2.0 x1 slot, a legacy PCI slot, eight internal SATA 6 Gbps ports and two eSATA 6 Gbps ports. Thus, the bases are all covered, and then some. The ten USB 3.0 ports (six back panels, four headers) and the multiple video ports only reinforce that impression.

Speaking of video ports, the list is made up of DisplayPort, DVI, D-Sub, HDMI. All of them will be rather superfluous when an add-in video board is installed, but it's the thought that counts. Other specifications include a 16-phase power supply, 8-channel HD audio, a hot-rod red+silver+black color-scheme, and Ultra Durable 5 components. As for the Z87X-UD5H, it is colored gold+silver+black, has two DVI ports instead of just one (lacks D-Sub though), uses Dual Gigabit Ethernet LAN, has ten internal SATA 6 Gbps ports, and gets FireWire. The prices will be of over $150 / €150, for both.

Gigabyte Z87X-UD4H
Image credits to LegitReviews

Gigabyte Z87X-UD5H
Image credits to LegitReviews

Gigabyte Z87N-WiFi, First Mini-ITX Z87 Motherboard

2013-05-22T19:17:00.001-07:00

One would think that the high-end chipset meant to support Intel's Haswell CPUs would only be found on ATX motherboards and larger, and maybe the occasional micro-ATX, but this is not the case.

Gigabyte hasn't released the press shots yet, but the folks over at LegitReviews have managed to snag a few photographs of one Z87N-WiFi motherboard when it was unveiled the other day. The main trait of the motherboard is that it is smaller than most other PC platforms, featuring the mini-ITX form factor. It is the first Z87-based mini-ITX mainboard, albeit probably not the last. Given the ease with which a PC can be made powerful even without large mainboards, we don't doubt that Gigabyte's competitors will unveil similar inventions. At any rate, the Z87N-WiFi gets its name from the Lynx Point chipset we've already named, and the 802.11ac WLAN technology. The Z87 chipset brings with it the LGA 1150 socket which, in turn, ensures compatibility with the Haswell central processing units bound for June release.

4-phase power supply delivers energy to the CPU socket, as well as the two DDR3 DIMM memory slots (dual-channel supported). A lone PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot is present, but that makes sure top-tier video boards are supported. Sure, in the end, the chassis will determine which video cards will fit, but that's not the Z87N-WiFi's fault. Moving on, the reason the WiFi is part of the name is that wireless support isn't integrated in the mainboard. Instead, it is delivered by an add-in card slotted into the mini PCI Express slot.

Other specs include four SATA 6 Gbps ports, a pair of HDMI connectors, dual-link DVI, six USB 3.0 ports, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, and 8-channel HD audio. Everything gets energy from the PSU via a combination of 24-pin and 4-pin ATX connectors.

Gigabyte Z87N-WiFi Mini-ITX Motherboard
Images credits to LegitReviews

XOLO Q1000 Spotted Online with 5-Inch HD Screen and Android 4.2

2013-05-21T21:05:00.000-07:00

Mobile phone maker XOLO is gearing up for the launch of a new Android-based smartphone in India, namely the XOLO Q1000, which has already made an appearance online.

The handset was spotted over at Flipkart, and should become official in the near future with a 5-inch HD screen, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor inside, and Google’s Android 4.2 Jelly Bean platform loaded on top, as Fonearena notes. Furthermore, the new mobile phone sports an 8-megapixel photo snapper on the back, with full HD video recording capabilities, along with a front camera for making video calls.

The handset’s specs list also includes 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory, a microSD memory card lot for expansion purposes, 3G capabilities, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, GPS receiver, Dual SIM (GSM + GSM), and a 2100 mAh battery to power them all.

XOLO Q1000
Image credits to Flipkart

Samsung Galaxy Note III GT-N7200 Spotted in AnTuTu with Android 4.3

2013-05-21T20:52:00.000-07:00

Following the launch of Galaxy S 4 earlier this year, Samsung Electronics is expected to make official a new handset in its Galaxy Note lineup later this year, and rumor has it that this device has just emerged in the AnTuTu benchmark.

The device, supposedly called Galaxy Note III, should feature model number GT-N7200 when released, and has made it to the headlines quite a few times lately. According to a post on GSMInsider, the Galaxy Note III GT-N7200 scored over 27,000 points in said benchmarking application, yet it remains to be seen if the results are legit.

Expected to become official in September, the smartphone is said run Android 4.3 and to pack the same plastic casing as Galaxy S4 before it, though it will lack the flexible display that users have been long dreaming of. Stay tuned for more on this.

Samsung Galaxy Note III benchmarks
Image credits to mydrivers via GSMInsider

AMD Drops to Fourth Place on Processor Market

2013-05-21T20:40:00.002-07:00

Market analyst firm IC Insight has finished its study of the year 2012, and discovered a surprising thing about the top rankings in terms of total semiconductor sales throughout the 12-month period.

Long story short, AMD came up short compared to three other companies. While Intel came first, as expected, Advanced Micro Devices did not make second spot, or even third. Those positions went to Qualcomm and Samsung, respectively, as shown in the table above. Thus, AMD is on fourth place, after suffering a 21% drop in microprocessor sales.

Speaking of which, Intel also lost, 1% on-year, while Qualcomm's sales grew 28% and Samsung's shipments soared 78%. Samsung has definitely managed to sell lots of mobile chips. In 2013, things aren't looking up for AMD. Already, Q1 has showed the steepest decline ever in a single quarter.

AMD on fourth spot in terms of processor sales
Image credits to AMD

HTC One (Japanese Version) Comes with MicroSD Slot

2013-05-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

Good news for Android users in Japan, as major carrier KDDI has just released its own version of the HTC One.

Dubbed HTC J One, the smartphone comes with microSD slot for memory expansion, a feature that the international and US variants lack. According to Engadget, HTC J One supports microSD memory cards up to 64GB. Unfortunately, this HTC One variant is limited to Japan and will not be available in other countries anytime soon. Keep in mind that KDDI’s HTC J One supports 64GB microSD memory cards in addition to the 32GB storage that comes embedded in the phone.

The international HTC One comes with 32GB of internal memory and 25GB of free cloud storage via Dropbox. It does not feature microSD slot, but HTC has also launched a 64GB model, which is more expensive and harder to find.

「HTC J One HTL22」製品ページへ
http://www.au.kddi.com/mobile/product/smartphone/htl22/feature/
Video credits to aubyKDDIofficial

Samsung Galaxy S4 Active Live Pictures

2013-05-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

Rumors on the rugged Samsung Galaxy S 4 emerged a few weeks ago, but Samsung is still mum on the upcoming device.

However, the folks over at GSMArena have just got their hands on the first live pictures showing the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active. It appears that the smartphone was recently showcased in Croatia, which points to an imminent announcement in the next few days. The Galaxy S4 Active is powered by a 1.9 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor, which is complemented by an Adreno 320 graphics processing unit and 2GB of RAM. It boasts a 5-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution. No word on the number of megapixels of the rear-facing camera, but there’s a high chance it will come with the same 13-megapixel photo snapper.

The pictures leaked confirm that the phone’s main camera features LED flash for night pictures, but we can expect that it will also come with autofocus and full HD (1080p) video recording. Although the hardware specs seem to be similar to the standard model, the rugged Galaxy S4 Active’s design is nothing like the original Galaxy S4 version. The phone’s chassis is made of metallic alloy with bolts on the back. In addition, the rugged Galaxy S4 features three hardware buttons, while the original model comes with one hardware button and two touch sensitive keys. Although it has yet to be confirmed, we suspect that Samsung Galaxy S 4 Active will be water and dust-proof and will have some other features specific to rugged devices.

According to a previous leak, Samsung Galaxy S 4 Active will ship with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean operating system out of the box, so there aren’t any differences in comparison with the standard model. There are no details on pricing options and availability yet, but we expect that Samsung will go official with the rugged Galaxy S4 Active in the next few days. Stay tuned for more updates on the matter.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Active
Image credits to GSMArena

LG Introducing 5-Inch Flexible OLED Display, Along with Other Screens

2013-05-20T19:44:00.001-07:00

It's amazing how many flexible, foldable and rollable displays get launched every other month, but almost no flexible gadgets exist even now.

Anyway, LG has just launched the latest flexible OLED screen, a 5-inch sheet of plastic with organic light emitting diodes on it. It supposedly flexes more than others, all the while being more rugged. This is good in case of accidents, hits, drops, etc. No clue on the resolution though, sadly. Besides the 5-inch OLED screen, LG is making a 5-inch screen with 1mm bezel (borderless smartphones inbound) and a 7-inch version of it too, with embedded touch even.

Other things set to be shown off at the Society for Information Displays (SID) Display Week 2013 are a 23.8-inch UHD monitor, a 14-inch 2560 x 1440 resolution laptop panel , and a 7-inch Full HD screen, the first in the world. via Efytimes

LG OLED flexible display
Image credits to Shiny Plastic

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 Tablet Benchmarked

2013-05-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

Despite Samsung not having said anything about it, the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 tablet is very well known already, at least in certain circles.

That is because of leaks, like the ones perpetrated by GLBenchmark (1), (2). GLBenchmark has posted the slate on its servers. Or should I say slates. There are two after all, Wi-Fi-only (GT-P5200) and 3G (GT-P5210). According to the leak, the tablet is powered by the Atom Z2560 CPU (dual-core at 1.6 GHz, Hyper-Threading supported) and boasts the PowerVR SGX 544 MP2 graphics processor too (400 MHz).

The 10.1-inch screen has a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. Needless to say, Google's Android operating system is installed on the device (Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean). All in all, it's not bad for a tablet, provided the price turns out to be reasonable.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 benchmarked
Image credits to GLBenchmark

XOLO X910 with Intel Medfield CPU Goes on Sale in India

2013-05-18T20:03:00.000-07:00

The X910 is the fourth XOLO smartphone powered by an Intel processor to go on sale in India. Android enthusiasts and fans of the XOLO brand will now be able to purchase the X910 via authorized third-party sellers.

For the time being, Snapdeal is one of the few Indian retailers that offer the XOLO X910, but other retailers may start selling the smartphone in the coming weeks. Currently, XOLO X910 is available for purchase for only Rs 9,999 outright, which is about $180 or €140. Check it out here. As Snapdeal points out, the smartphone is offered with 1-year warranty, but it might not be available in all parts of India. The good news is XOLO X910 comes with dual-SIM capability, which is one of the most requested features by Indian customers. Unfortunately, the fact that the device ships with Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system out of the box might not appeal too many customers. There are lots of smartphones selling in India for under $200/€155, which come packed with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean platform onboard.

However, those who prefer Intel processors to older software will probably find the XOLO X910 well worth its price. The smartphone is equipped with a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Z2460 processor, which is complemented by a 400 MHz PowerVR SGX 540 graphics processing unit and 1GB of RAM. On the inside, the X910 packs 4GB of storage which can be further expanded up to 32GB via microSD memory card. There's also a 5-megapixel main camera on the back, which features LED flash, autofocus, and video recording, as well as a VGA front-facing camera for video calls.

Last but not least, XOLO X910 sports a decent 4.3-inch IPS capacitive touchscreen display that supports a 540 x 960 pixels resolution and 256 ppi pixel density.

XOLO X910
Image credits to Snapdeal

Lenovo K900 Arrives in China, International Version This Summer

2013-05-18T19:50:00.002-07:00

Lenovo has finally launched its flagship Android smartphone, the K900, in China. The device was officially introduced earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show 2013 and was slated for a Q2 release in China.

According to the Chinese handset maker, the K900 is available for purchase in the Mainland for 3,300 yuan outright, which is about $535 or €415. The good news is Lenovo also confirmed the K900 will hit additional international markets throughout the summer, so Android enthusiasts should stay tuned for more updates on this one. “Smartphones are a critical component of Lenovo's PC+ strategy and the Lenovo K900 is an example of this strategy in action. With its cutting-edge design and intuitive, optimized user experience, K900 offers China's smartphone users a fresh, new option,” said Liu Jun, senior vice president, and president of the Lenovo Business Group. One of the slimmest smartphones available on the market, Lenovo K900 is only 6.9mm thick and features a unibody chassis with a stainless steel frame. Lenovo K900 is the world's first smartphone to come equipped with an Intel Atom Z2580 processor. It also sports a dual-core chip, which runs up to 2.0 GHz and utilizes Intel Hyper-Threading technology in order to boost performance efficiency.

Intel's chipset also accommodates an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator engine running a PowerVR SGX 544MP2 GPU, which is said to triple graphics performance over the previous generation, and 2GB of RAM. The smartphone boasts a stunning 5.5-inch full HD (1080p) capacitive touchscreen display, as well an impressive 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with Sony Exmor BSI. “Intel and Lenovo have raised the bar for smartphones with the K900. Our teams got together and worked closely to innovate around a number of important features and capabilities that our customers care most about such as power consumption, application switching and camera functionality. We are proud to be teaming with Lenovo to bring these innovations to market,” said Ian Yang, president, Intel China.

Lenovo K900
Image credits to Lenovo China

Waterproof LG Optimus GJ Arriving in Taiwan on May 22

2013-05-17T21:14:00.000-07:00

Following Samsung’s business model, LG plans to launch a rugged version of its flagship smartphone. It appears that LG Optimus G will soon have a twin brother that won’t have any troubles functioning under water.

UnwiredView reports that a certain LG Optimus GJ will be introduced in Taiwan next week. Local media has already received invitations for a launch event, which is set for May 22. LG Optimus GJ is the rugged version of Optimus G and it’s said to be waterproof (IPX7 certified). The rest of the phone’s specs will be similar to the standard model, though we will know for certain when the device goes official.

For the time being, there’s no telling whether or not LG plans to introduce the Optimus GJ in other countries as well, but stay tuned for more info on this one.

LG Optimus G
Image credits to UnwiredView

Samsung Galaxy Grand Quattro Goes on Sale in India for $310/€240

2013-05-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

Android enthusiasts in India rejoice, as Samsung has just introduced the Galaxy Win in the country, but this one comes with dual-SIM capability.

Samsung Galaxy Win has been recently launched in Europe, but it does not feature dual-SIM. However, Indian customers have been offered the opportunity to grab this smartphone for not so high a price. According to fonearena, the Galaxy Win is now available for purchase in Black Mist and Frost White for only Rs 16,900 outright, which is about $310 or €240. Check it out here. Keep in mind though that the dual-SIM version of Galaxy Win has been renamed for marketing purposes and is selling in India as Samsung Galaxy Grand Quattro. As the name suggests, the smartphone comes equipped with a 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor, which is complemented by 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory. Users will be able to further expand storage up to 32GB via microSD memory card. Another selling point of the phone is the large 4.7-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports 480 x 800 pixels resolution.

According to Samsung, the Galaxy Grand Quattro ships with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system out of the box, but it won’t come as a surprise if the company offers an Android 4.2 upgrade in the not so distant future. On the back, the smartphone packs a 5-megapixel photo snapper with LED flash, autofocus and HD (720p) video recording. There’s also a secondary VGA front-facing camera for video calls. Other highlights of the Galaxy Grand Quattro include: HSDPA (7.2Mbps) and HSUPA (5.76Mbps) support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, as well as GPS with A-GPS support and 2000 mAh battery that has yet to be rated by the manufacturer. For the time being, the device is only available for purchase via Samsung India online store, but we suspect that other major retailers across the country will offer the Galaxy Grand Quattro soon.

Samsung Galaxy Grand Quattro
Image credits to Samsung India

ZTE Grand X2 In (Intel-Based) Official with Jelly Bean and 4.5-Inch Display

2013-05-17T20:50:00.000-07:00

Chinese handset maker ZTE has just announced the upcoming availability of the Intel-powered Grand X2 In Android smartphone.

According to ZTE, the recently introduced device will be available for purchase in Europe beginning Q3 2013. No word on pricing options yet, but stay tuned for more info on this one. “We are proud to announce the ZTE Grand X2 In smartphone pursuing our multi-year strategic collaboration with Intel. The ZTE Grand X2 In is set to build on the success of the ZTE Grand X In, our first flagship smartphone in Europe to feature Intel Inside, and further increase ZTE’s growth in the high-performance smartphone market segment,” said William Chhao, terminal director at ZTE France. ZTE Grand X2 In features an Intel Atom Z2580 chipset that accommodates a 2GHz single-core processor and 1GB of RAM. The smartphone also packs 8GB of internal memory, which can be further expanded up to 32GB via microSD memory card.

Even though ZTE has confirmed that the Grand X2 In will ship with Jelly Bean operating system onboard, it has yet to state what version it will run out of the box. It is also worth mentioning that ZTE’s mid-range Android smartphone boasts an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash, autofocus and video recording. A secondary 1-megapixel front-facing camera for video calls will be available as well. The Grand X2 In sports a large 4.5 inch HD (1280 x 720 pixels) capacitive touchscreen display optimized by ZTE’s My-Pop function for easy-to-use one-handed operation and IPS technology that prevents screen picture distortion. “We are excited to extend our collaboration with ZTE on their latest innovative platform, the new Grand X2 In. Our teams have worked together to harness the power of the Intel Atom processor Z2580 to create a high performance smartphone with market-leading features and long battery life,” said Helmut Vogler, vice president and general manager of mobile and wireless sales at Intel.

ZTE Grand X2 In
Image credits to ZTE

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Benchmark Result is 20% Better than GTX 680

2013-05-17T20:39:00.000-07:00

This is yet another instance of the newest high-end NVIDIA graphics card making the news. Not that I can blame it after this.

And by “this” I don't mean the teaser trailer for EVGA's custom-made GeForce GTX 700 series cooler, though that one was a nice find too. After all, it means that the GTX 780 will be the first GK110-based card that NVIDIA's partners will be allowed to customize from the get-go. Instead, I am talking about the first benchmarks published of the GeForce GTX 780 video adapter. They were posted on the Chiphell forums and clearly show the GeForce GTX 780 overpowering the GeForce GTX 680 by 20%.

For those who want a short lowdown of the specs, the GeForce GTX 780 has a GK110-300-A2 GPU with 2,304 CUDA cores and 320/384-bit memory interface. 3 GB of GDDR5 back it up. The GPU clock is of 837 / 876 MHz, while the VRAm works at 6 GHz. Sales will start on May 23 for $500 / €500.

NVIDIA GTX 780 performance
Image credits to ChipHell

Sprint ZTE Quantum Coming with 1.5 GHz Dual-Core CPU and 5-Inch HD Display

2013-05-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

It appears that Sprint and ZTE have teamed up once again to offer Android fans another high-end smartphone, the Quantum.

According to AndroidPolice, Sprint is currently testing the ZTE Quantum and is expected to announce the smartphone in the coming weeks. ZTE Quantum is a mid- to high-end smartphone powered by Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean operating system. The device is said to come equipped with a dual-core Qualcomm MSM896 Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.5 GHz. Other hardware specs leaked online suggest that ZTE Quantum packs 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal memory, which can be further expanded up to 32GB via microSD memory card. On the back, the smartphone sports an impressive 13-megapixel photo snapper with LED flash, autofocus and full HD (1080p) video recording. There’s also a secondary 1-megapixel camera in the front for video calls. Aside from the dual-core processor that is complemented by an Adreno 225 graphics processing unit, ZTE Quantum is also said to boast a large 5-inch HD capacitive touchscreen display that supports 720 x 1280 pixels resolution.

When it comes to connectivity, ZTE Quantum is an all-rounder. The smartphone is fully compatible with Sprint’s 4G LTE network and offers NFC (Near Field Communication) and dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity. It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but ZTE Quantum could be a global phone. It is common knowledge that Sprint usually releases LTE handsets with embedded SIMs, but this one has its own SIM slot. ZTE Quantum has leaked recently as N8910, but no additional details on its availability were known until today. The N8910 has received its Wi-Fi and DLNA certifications recently, so there’s no doubt the device is real.

Unfortunately, there is no info on when exactly the smartphone will arrive at Sprint or for what price it will go on sale. Stay tuned for more updates on the matter.

ZTE Quantum for Sprint
Image credits to AndroidPolice

Eurocom Panther Now Use AMD Radeon HD 8970M

2013-05-17T20:14:00.001-07:00

Eurocom's Panther notebook has such powerful hardware that the company went as far as to say that it was the most powerful laptop in the world.

I'll leave it to it and its various challengers to decide if that's really true, through whatever means they choose. Provided they bother staging a competition. Right now, it's more important to note the new upgrade that Eurocom made to the laptop: the discrete graphics card has been switched for the new AMD Radeon HD 8970M, the GPU that was unleashed just days ago. It's not all that clear how much more expensive the Panther will be getting after this.

Then again, when the starting price is of $3,120 / €2,692, buyers aren't likely to flinch at some extra cost anyway. “The EUROCOM Panther was already the most powerful laptop in the world and is now even more powerful with the introduction of dual AMD Radeon HD 8970M graphics processors to accompany the Intel Core i7-3970X processor, 32 GB of available memory and up to 4 storage drives,” said Mark Bialic, Eurocom president.

Eurocom Panther 4.0
Image credits to Eurocom

Oppo Find 5 Gets Enhancements in New Software Update

2013-05-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

Owners of an Oppo Find 5 smartphone will be happy to learn that a nice range of enhancements is currently headed their way through a software update, one that arrives as version X909EN_13_130514.

The firmware refresh is being delivered to users both over the air and on the web, so that they could update their devices in the manner they consider best fitted for them. In fact, Oppo has already published specific info on the update and on the manner in which users can install it on their devices, all available on this page on its support website. Following the installation of this software, users will be able to take advantage of 1080p icons for common third-party apps, while also enjoying display optimizations on their devices, it seems. According to the available release notes, the display has been optimized in the Storage Download information section, and there are also a series of improvements related to the Weather Screen Locker.

Additionally, the update brings along a variety of fixes for various issues that were found to affect users’ experience with the smartphone, and which were included in the release based on feedback received from those who already purchased the device. As fonearena notes, some of the fixes available for Oppo Find 5 include:

Fixed an issue where Gmail and some other apps didn’t sync when screen was off.
Fixed an issue that caused the incorrect carrier name to be displayed.
Fixed an issue that changed the default APN settings.
Fixed an issue that caused the screen to automatically turn off when using Weather Screen Locker.
Fixed an issue where the weather application wouldn’t update when refreshing manually.
Fixed a rare issue where apps in folders would be unreachable.
Fixed a time zone issue for Coeur D’Alene, Idaho in the Clock app.
Fixed an issue where Calendar widget would indicate “upcoming events” for past dates.
Fixed an issue that caused the SMS app to sometimes show random numbers instead of the contact names.

Other such enhancements were included in the new software as well, all of them detailed in the aforementioned post on the company's support website.

Oppo releases software update for Find 5
Image credits to FoneArena

Samsung Galaxy Note III to Have Plastic Body and No Flexible Display

2013-05-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung is expected to stick to a plastic case for its upcoming Galaxy Note III smartphone, the same as it did with the Galaxy S4, the latest reports on the matter suggest.

Previously, the smartphone was rumored to arrive on shelves with a metallic body, but it seems that this won’t happen, a recent article on SamMobile claims. Furthermore, the news site claims that there will be no flexible display present on the device, although some of the previous rumors suggested that Samsung might pack such a panel on the upcoming smartphone.

Galaxy Note III hasn’t been officially confirmed as of now, but Samsung is expected to announce it in fall this year with an eight-core processor, 5.99” Full HD AMOLED display, 13-megapixel camera on the back, 2MP front camera, and the latest Android flavor on top.

Samsung logo
Image credits to Samsung

Windows Phone Now Third Mobile OS, BlackBerry Fourth

2013-05-16T19:11:00.000-07:00

Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system has managed to climb to the third position in the smartphone operating systems segment, a recent report from IDC shows.

According to data coming from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, the platform registered the largest year-over-year increase when compared to rival platforms, and managed to leave BlackBerry behind. Furthermore, said report unveils that Nokia’s Lumia smartphones were the main growth driver for Microsoft’s OS, accounting for over 79 percent of all Windows Phone shipments in the timeframe. “Since Nokia began shipping Windows Phone devices, the company has shipped a total of 20.3 million units and grown the footprint worldwide to include address multiple market segments,” IDC notes. “Meanwhile, other vendors continue to offer Windows Phone devices, but mainly as an alternative to their signature Android devices. Still, the gains made by Windows Phone demonstrate both end-user demand and OEM support.”

However, Google’s Android operating system is still leading the smartphone OS market, with a 75 percent market share. Samsung accounted for 41.1 percent of Android shipments in Q1, IDC reports. Apple’s iOS platform ended the first quarter of the year on the second position with 17.3 percent share and with 37.4 million devices sold, the research firm unveiled. Canadian mobile phone maker BlackBerry saw its market share shrink to only 2.9 percent in the aforementioned timeframe, with only 6.3 million devices shipped. Interestingly enough, shipments of Symbian devices are expected to continue not only this year but also in the next, although the platform has seen a drastic drop in market share when compared to the first quarter of the last year, IDC reports.

“Windows Phone claiming the third spot is a first and helps validate the direction taken by Microsoft and key partner Nokia,” said Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. “Given the relatively low volume generated, the Windows Phone camp will need to show further gains to solidify its status as an alternative to Android or iOS.”

Lumia 925, the latest Windows Phone 8 device from Nokia
Image credits to Nokia

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Picture Surfaces

2013-05-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

The GeForce GTX 780 has been more or less fully detailed at this point, even though official information continues to be held back on.

There were a few photos too, but none that NVIDIA made itself. Now we can finally check out one such photo, thanks to the folks at VideoCardz that nabbed it, somehow. It shows it from the side, and highlights the two-power connectors in particular. One of them is of 8 pins and one is a 6-pin input.

We've detailed the GeForce GTX 780 before, so we won't do it again. Go here to read the specifications and see a box photo, albeit not of the reference adapter. As before, all signs point towards a price of €500 / $500. It makes one wonder how many will buy it when the GTX 770 is also coming.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780
Image credits to VideoCardz

ASUS Z87 ROG Motherboard Lineup

2013-05-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

Having already become acquainted with the “Classic” series of Z87 chipset-based motherboards from ASUS, some might be tempted to think the company only has those five to promote, but that would be false.

As it turns out, those are definitely not the only motherboards, and not even the strongest, something that some may have surmised from the lack of ROG in the names. Republic of Gamers continues to be the brand that ASUS uses for its best pieces of hardware, be they mainboards, graphics cards or whatever else. The new Z87 models are called ROG Maximus VI Extreme, Maximus VI Hero, and Maximus VI GeneZ. All of them are bundled with the OC Panel (directly shows readings on the on-board display, also allows for hotwiring VGA, VGA SMB, 4 x 4 pins, etc.) and OC Hot Key. Maximus VI GeneZ is the small one in the group, with a micro-ATX form factor, a pair of PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots, eight SATA 3 ports, a bunch of I/O options, THX audio, and an mPCIe Combo III slot near the I/O panel (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth module ship with the board).

It is a full-ATX motherboard with three PCI Express x16 slots, just as many x1 slots, 8 SATA III ports, and a single 8-pin CPU power plug. ASUS also tossed in some overclocking assets like Voltage measurement points and On/Off and Clear CMOS switches. Finally, the ASUS Maximus VI Extreme uses an 8+4 pin CPU connector, an extra 6-pin plug for PCI Express GPUs, five PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots, a PCI Express 3.0 x4 slot, the mini PCI Express combo slot specified before, and 10 SATA III ports for storage. A large heatsink covers the Lynx Point PCH. Buyers will have to decide themselves which LGA 1150 Haswell CPU they want to pair with either of these potential purchases (prices unknown for now).

ASUS Z87 Maximus motherboards
Image credits to VR-Zone

Report: Windows 8.1 Stable to Be Launched in October

2013-05-16T18:36:00.002-07:00

Even though it was initially believed that Windows 8.1 would be released sometime this summer, it appears that Microsoft has picked a different launch date.

A report by Digitimes claims that Windows 8.1 is very likely to see daylight in October. Citing unnamed “sources from related ODMs,” PC manufacturers will start the production of Windows 8.1 notebooks in mid-September, just to make sure their devices are ready when the new OS goes live the next month. Previous speculation pointed to an August or September launch event, at approximately two months after the public beta is unveiled at the BUILD developer conference.

Microsoft has already confirmed that Windows 8 users would be provided with a preview version of the OS on June 26, with the public unveiling to take place at the BUILD developer conference. Windows 8.1 will be available via the Windows Store and will be offered with a freeware license.

Windows 8.1 will be free of charge for all Windows 8 users
Image credits to Microsoft

Windows 8.1 Stable to Be Launched in Time for Holidays

2013-05-15T18:56:00.000-07:00

Even though it was initially believed that Microsoft would launch Windows 8.1 in August, it might seem like the company is planning to launch the OS update in time for the holiday season.

According to Tami Reller, the Windows CFO who recently talked at the JP Morgan conference, Windows 8.1 could hit the market in a few months, just to make sure that users would be allowed to choose from a wide variety of products running the new software. "We’ve said later this year. Obviously, we're very sensitive to the timing of holidays, and what that means for getting an update out, and making sure that there will be a lineup of hardware that comes preloaded with Windows 8.1," she said.

"But even for the hardware at holiday that has Windows 8, we designed it so that's not an issue at all for customers. They can buy any Windows 8 device with confidence and know that they can get Windows 8.1. So we understand when the holidays are. Let me just underscore that," Reller explained. The good news, on the other hand, is that a preview version of 8.1 is set to go live next month at BUILD, so Windows 8 users will be allowed to get a taste of the new OS a lot sooner.

The stable build of Windows 8.1 will go live in a few months
Image credits to Microsoft