iPhone 6 cases are already available in the Philippines

Just one of the many signs that Apple’s next smartphone, the iPhone 6, is already around the corner is this case that’s already available in Manila. The case seems to be for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 model as it’s only a tad bigger than the iPhone 5s.

The case is remarkable slimmer, and bears the same rounded edges found on the iPod touch and iPad. The lock button has been moved to the right side so as to not make it hard for users to reach the button when locking and unlocking the phone. The bottom has lost the symmetrical pair of speaker grilles.

If all of the leaks turn out to be true, then we might see a very slim, and bigger iPhone this September 9.

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Here are the specs of the next Google Nexus phone

For the Google’s next Nexus smartphone, when it leaks, it floods. In a very apparent leak, an ‘internal-only’ service manual gives us a peek on what’s the successor to the Nexus 4 going to be like.

First off, it is confirmed to be sporting a 4.95-inch 1080p full HD display, an IPS one at that, 16 or 32GB storage variants, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 chipset clocked at 2.3GHz, and 2GB of RAM. Its camera also gets an upgrade — though not in the megapixel number — and is said to have an OIS (optical image stabilization). The battery is rated at 2300mAh with wireless charging support. The upcoming Nexus phone finally comes with 4G LTE support (finally).

4.95" 1080p display (IPS TFT for those interested)
32GB internal storage (other capacities not specified)
2GB RAM
MSM8974 aka Snapdragon 800 at 2.3GHz
8MP OIS rear camera, 1.3MP front camera
2300mAh battery
Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Proximity/Ambient Light, Pressure
Slimport compatibility
Micro SIM slot
Notification light
Wireless charging
NFC
Bluetooth 3.0 (assumed to be an error)
UMTS/GSM/CDMA/LTE compatibility

The next Nexus smartphone from Google is expected to debut this Q4 along with Android 4.4 KitKat. Check out Android Police on the source link below for more coverage.

Source: Android Police

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Is the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 too large? Note 3 display panel compared with the Note 2’s

What’s in the photo above is allegedly the display panel of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 3. According to the latest leaks, the Note 3 will have a screen size of 5.68-inch — just a tad larger than that of the Note 2. But if you’ll just look solely at the photo, it looks like as if it is huge… like Mega 6.3 huge. So how big is the Note 3 really going to be like?

Thanks to another photo, we now have a clear view and size comparison of the Galaxy Note 3. In the photo below, the display panel of the Note 3 is placed next to the Note 2’s.

Now, it is finally clear to us how big the Galaxy Note 3 is. It’s just taller than the Note 2 by a hair, and it looks like it’s a little narrower too, if not the same. That’s a nice assurance to some, as not all people like to carry a bigger phone. You may remember that on the Galaxy S4, Samsung took the body of the S3 and shrunk the bezel to fit a larger 5-inch display, and it seems like they did exactly the same strategy again with the Galaxy Note 3.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is rumored to have a 1080p full HD Super AMOLED display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage with a microSD slot, 13 megapixel camera, LTE, a 3200mAh battery, and Android 4.3 on board. Samsung is announcing it at IFA 2013 on September 4 in Berlin.

Source: ETrade Supply

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Apple’s alleged budget iPhone appears in high-resolution photos and video

What are you seeing above is Apple’s alleged budget plastic iPhone. News and rumors has been circulating around for a few months already and it looks like it is really happening.

A company called Techdy claims to have got hold of what seems to be a shell for the plastic iPhone. They even went further and fit a ‘display assembly into the new budget iPhone’s rear shell’. They note that the display fits just fine with the shell of the plastic iPhone.

“As can be seen from the images above, all the rumors about the low-cost plastic iPhone seem to be true. The budget iPhone will be made substantially from plastic (we can feel it’s actually polycarbonate material). It will have a 4” screen, like the iPhone 5, and interestingly, the budget iPhone actually has a shape that’s similar to Apple’s original iPod. When we hold the budget iPhone in our hands, the plastic chassis does not feel cheap at all. Unlike the plastic build quality of the Samsung Galaxy phones, the plastic material used on the budget iPhone feels more sturdy.”

The plastic iPhone has also appeared in leaked photos in the past few days and comes in several colors like red, green, yellow, blue, and white.

Sources: Nowhereelse.fr (1) (2), Techdy

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HTC Butterfly Sense 5 and Android 4.2.2 OTA update leaks out

Owners of older HTC smartphones like the Butterfly, Droid DNA, and One X may have been feeling a little bit left out since all of HTC’s attention is now aimed at their new flagship, the HTC One.

Apparently, that isn’t entirely true. Today, we have managed to snag a copy of the pre-release update that will bring Sense 5 and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean goodies to the HTC Butterfly. The update brings the refashioned interface which now looks flatter and more easy to the eye.

The HTC BlinkFeed, one of the features the manufacturer are heavily promoting, is also present here. Now I remember when the HTC One reviews came, most of the reviewers said that the BlinkFeed cannot be disabled in its entirety. In this Sense 5 build, it looks like they added an option to switch to the traditional home screen style which only displays widgets and shortcuts alike. I am not sure if the reviewers just missed that option as it is buried deep inside the Settings app. Either way, this is a good news particularly for those who don’t use BlinkFeed at all.

Another major feature, but from Android 4.2.2 this time, that comes with the update is the quick shortcuts and toggles in the notification center. This feature in specific is really hand as it allows the users to activate some settings and actions without the need to leave the app or screen they are on. As opposed to stock Android, tapping on a toggle on Sense 5 will activate that said, well, toggle, whereas on stock Android it will only take you to the page of that toggle in the Settings app. Quick shortcuts and toggles can be accessed by swiping your two fingers down from the top edge of the screen or by tapping the icon in the notification center.

Unfortunately, the HTC Zoe seems to be not coming to other devices aside from the One, as the feature is nowhere to be found in this build. It could be that or HTC hasn’t just really added Zoe in this pre-release version. I hope it’s the latter.

The overall smoothness and performance of this update is really good, with some minor quirks like the crashing of the Sense 5 launcher. But other than that, it seems that the update is almost ready for release. Insiders say HTC will release it this Month.

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Samsung teases the Galaxy S 4, also caught leaked in a video and photos

Yesterday, Samsung posted and teased on its social media accounts an image of what could be the much-awaited Galaxy S 4. There’s little to be seen on the image although it shows that the next flagship Galaxy smartphone could have the same design as the Galaxy S III.

A day before Samsung posted the images, a couple of images showing the dual-SIM version of the yet-to-be-announced smartphone surfaced online. The images show a device bearing the same design as the Galaxy S III, and again, the one on the teaser Samsung posted the day after.

The alleged device appears to be slightly taller than the Galaxy S III and is expected to have a 5-inch screen with 1080p resolution and thinner bezels around. It looks like Samsung has stayed with the tradition of including a physical home button sandwiched between the menu and back capacitive buttons.

The device (at least the dual-SIM version) appears to have a somewhat thicker chrome (or faux-chrome) side than expected. Besides that, there’s the hyper glazed removable plastic covering on the back along with the repositioned LED flash, which can now be seen below the camera.

Aside from those images, a video uploaded at YouTube also shows yet the same device. The Samsung Galaxy S 4 is expected to pack a 5-inch 1080p screen, Android 4.2.1, the Exynos 5410 processor, 2GB of RAM, a PowerVR SGX 544MP GPU, and a 2,600mAh battery.

Ultimately, the possibility that these photos and video are only a decoy by Samsung is still there.

Sources: Samsung, 52 Samsung, Istevencom
Via: The Verge (2)

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Instagram coming to Windows Phone 8?

Rumors broke out a few days ago suggesting that Instagram might really launch on Windows Phone. It started when the Instagram icon was spotted plastered on the screen on a carrier promotion banner at Portugal. The icon could just be erroneously Photoshopped on the render, as with many other cases.

But today, another news surfaced from Chinese website WPDang, which has been somewhat accurate in the past, which claims that they have been tipped by an anonymous source that says Instagram for Windows Phone is currently under development and is indeed ‘landing shortly’. Perhaps to spice it up, there will be an extra filter than the iOS and Android versions that will be exclusive to the Windows Phone version.

Lastly, the site further says that Instagram will be initially exclusive to Nokia Lumia devices and will be only available to Windows Phone 8.

Sources: WPCentral, WPDang

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That Samsung Galaxy S IV image circulating on the Internet is fake

You may have seen an article or two about an alleged leaked photo of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S IV today. The so-called ‘leaked photos’ comes from the ever infamous Twitter user @evleaks, which has been accurate most of the time before.

But before you judge the photo and say anything, good or bad, about the device, I just want to let you know that those images are fake. Twitter user Stefan Constantine asked Expansys, an online electronics retailer, about the image. And truth be told, the company said that the images were just a render made by their web designers and that @evleaks stole and added a watermark on it.

If you are interested, check out Expansys’ placeholder webpage for the Galaxy S IV. The webpage states that the info and images are “not official and is subject to change after the official release of the device.”

@whatthebitour webdesigner made them !!! Evleaks stole them and added his logo :S

— eXpansysFR (@eXpansysFR) March 5, 2013

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Nokia Lumia 720 and Lumia 520 revealed in leaked photos

What you see above is the Nokia Lumia 720, a mid-range smartphone from Nokia, which was revealed for the first time in a series of leaked photos. Along with it is the Lumia 520, Nokia’s new low-end Windows Phone 8 device.

The Lumia 720 is expected to have a 4.3-inch display of yet unknown resolution, a 1GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 8GB internal storage and a microSD card slot. On the other hand, the Lumia 520 is said to have a 1GHz dual-core processor and 512MB of RAM too, along with a smaller 4-inch display, 5 Megapixels camera, and 4GB internal storage. Both devices will run on Windows Phone 8.

The Nokia Lumia 720 and Lumia 520 is expected to be announced tomorrow at MWC.

Source: evleaks (1), (2)
Via: The Verge

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Globe to offer DSL and Fiber connections at lower prices? P1,299 for 20Mbps?

YugaTech got hold of a confidential document from Globe which details the new proposed DSL and Fiber pricing. An anonymous source has told them that Globe Telecom is finalizing deals and negotiations with local media companies to bundle Internet TV services too.

The new alleged pricing for the Tattoo@Home plans seems to have gotten a nose dive, with the entry-level 1Mbps plan only costing P299 per month. Some existing plans got huge bumps in the connection speed too. Take the Plan 1299 as an example, which now has speeds of up to 20Mbps from 2Mbps today.

The Internet and TV plans start at P2,099 per month for 40Mbps and costs as much as P4,099 for 100Mbps. it will supposedly have up to 70 channels.

Of course, take this with a grain of salt. The price adjustments are too significant for Globe to offer, though not exactly extra-ordinary. ISP’s in the other countries offer home internet connections for low monthly prices already. For instance, British Telecommunications (BT) in the UK charges £26/month (~P1,700) for its 76Mbps Infinity 2 service and £35/month (~P2,300) for it's 100Mbps Infinity service.

However, if this is true, Globe will definitely give PLDT a run for its money. At the present, Globe offers Fiber, through it's Tattoo Torque brand, for P4,299 for 10Mbps, P6,299 for 15Mbps, P14,999 for 50Mbps, and P19,999 for the 100Mbps plan. On the other hand, PLDT Fibr has monthly charges of P3,500 for 8Mbps, P5,800 for 20Mbps, P8,800 for 50Mbps, and P20,000 for 100Mbps.

UPDATE: These plans are not true, according to a representative from Globe.

Source: YugaTech

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First image of the HTC M7 leaks out

UnwiredView, thru the infamous @evleaks, got hold of an allegedly render of HTC’s flagship smartphone for 2013, the HTC M7.

The image you see above is the front (I initially thought it’s the back part) face of the device, with the earpiece on the top, and the front-facing camera and other sensors on its opposite sides. The loudspeaker seems to have been moved to the front of the device, which should alleviate the muffling of the sound that’s plaguing other devices with the loudspeakers on the back.

The image reportedly came from an internal instructional video for SIM card installation, thus the missing branding and other details. The HTC M7 is expected to pack a 4.7-inch 1080p full HD screen and a 1.7GHz quad-core processor, supposedly the S4 Pro from Qualcomm. UnwiredView also says HTC added an IR port on the top of the device just beside the power button.

The HTC M7 is expected to be announced at the Mobile Word Congress (MWC) in Barcelona this February. It will reportedly come with a price tag just upwards of $600.

Is it just me or it looks like the back face of the iPhone 5?

Source: UnwiredView

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Is this the Samsung GALAXY S IV?

The guys at SamMobile claims they received the press render of Samsung’s upcoming flagship, the GALAXY S IV. The design looks similar to that of the Note II, albeit a little taller. The bezel are also thinner on the sides, and the home button is gone.

The GALAXY S IV is supposed to have a 5-inch 1080p full HD screen, an Exynos 5450 processor, 2GB of RAM, 13 Megapixels camera, and will ship with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.

If this is real, what I can say is it’s too early as the GALAXY S III was just announced back in May. Or perhaps, this is one of their upcoming Tizen devices. What do you think?

Source: SamMobile

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Sony’s full HD flagship, the Xperia Z and Xperia ZL shows its glory in a leaked press shot (update)

The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2013 is only just one more week away from now. As it has always been, the leaks are now starting to, well, leak out.

One of the anticipated devices to be unveiled is Sony Mobile’s flagship for this year, which is said to pack a full HD 1080p screen, is the Xperia Z. It will join the likes of the HTC Droid DNA in the elusive 1080p club.

The other details that are available for now include Android Jelly Bean as it’s OS, a quad-core processor, and a 13 Megapixels camera. The remaining specs of the device remain unknown. But guess what? We’re only 7 days away from it’s official unveiling. So stay tuned!

UPDATE: Engadget has published a fresh pair of press shots for the Xperia Z and its twin, the Xperia ZL. The latter one is quite a looker due to the thinner bezel at the top and bottom.

Source: UnwiredView

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These are the Globe iPhone 5 plans (update)

This post has been updated to reflect the final Globe iPhone 5 plans and pricing details.

Globe Telecom has finally revealed their iPhone 5 plans and pricing today. You pay the cashout fee with a credit card for 24 months, so if we’ll take the Plan 1799 as an example, then you're going to pay P1,999 (P1,799 MSF + P200 cashout/month) monthly. You will also get 4 months subscription worth P1,596 for their new phone insurance program called Gadget Care. It allows you to get a new phone in a case of theft and damage at a discounted price. Aside from that, you also get a 1 year subscription of the Globe GCash American Express virtual card, and 50% off on iPhone 5 accessories.

iPhone 5 16GB
Plan 999 – P19,200 cashout
Plan 1799 – P4,800 cashout
Plan 2499 – FREE
Plan 3799 – FREE
Plan 5000 – FREE

iPhone 5 32GB
Plan 999 – P23,976 cashout 
Plan 1799 – P10,800 cashout
Plan 2499 – P4,800 cashout
Plan 3799 – FREE
Plan 5000 – FREE

iPhone 5 64GB
Plan 999 – P30,000 cashout 
Plan 1799 – P15,096 cashout
Plan 2499 – P10,080 cashout
Plan 3799 – P4,800 cashout
Plan 5000 – FREE

No contract pricing (Prepaid)
iPhone 5 16GB – P35,400
iPhone 5 32GB – P40,800
iPhone 5 64GB – P46,300

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Part deux: Alleged iPad mini pricing for the Philippines surfaces again

Five days after we published the alleged pricing of the iPad mini for the Philippines, the same tipster has sent us another photo again.

The tipster went ahead and took a photo, this time, of the Philippine online Apple Store showing the same selection page as before. The alleged pricing is still the same, which starts at P16,990 for the 16GB Wi-FI model and goes for as much as P32,990 for the 64GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model. It still says it will start shipping on November. I tried accessing the link showed on the photo but it only redirected me to the iPad landing page of the online store and did not gave a ‘Page not found’ error, hinting that the URL is in fact real and not just live yet.

So, people, if the iPad mini is really going to be priced this way, would you still get one?

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Alleged iPad mini pricing for the Philippines leaks

Take this thing with a truck of salts — what you’re looking at is Apple’s alleged pricing of the upcoming iPad mini for the Philippines.

The leak came in the form of a screenshot of the Philippine online Apple Store showing the selection page for the iPad mini.

The pricing starts at P16,990 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model and ends up at P32,990 for the 64GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model. It is worth mentioning that the page mentions a 4G LTE inclusion on the cellular model, just like that of the iPhone 5. The iPhone 5 supports the LTE bands 1, 3, and 5.

Finally, the screenshot says the iPad mini is set to ship on November, which is very unlikely.

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Microsoft setting up Xbox Live services for the Philippines

Microsoft seems to be gearing up for an expansion of it’s Xbox Live entertainment services as the launch of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 nears.

A rather blank homepage is already live at the company’s servers but the contents are not yet there and some links are broken. The lack of Xbox Live services in the country has been faced with complaints as some Windows Phone customers who have their Windows Live IDs registered in the country are not able to purchase Xbox Live games at the Marketplace, but this could change soon.

Microsoft is expected to unveil the Windows Phone 8 features this September and some OEMs have already committed to the new iteration of the Redmond-based software company, among them are Nokia, Samsung, HTC, and ZTE.

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Leaked NTT DoCoMo roadmap suggests more than one Nexus devices are coming

A leaked roadmap of Japan’s NTT DoCoMo suggests that there may be many Nexus devices this year as Google celebrates the 5th year of its Android operating system.

The three devices – a Sony Xperia Nexus (SO-04E), an LG Optimus Nexus (L-08E), and finally, a Samsung GALAXY Nexus II (SC-02E) – will all reportedly run on the carrier’s Xi LTE network. Since Smart’s new 4G LTE network operates on the same 2100MHz Band 1 as NTT’s, I somehow expect that there’s a chance that at least one of those Nexuses will make its way in the country too.

Several other Xi LTE devices are also included in the roadmap. Hit up the source link and check it out.

Source: Android Noodles
Via: Xperia Blog

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Is the Samsung SGH-i687 the first Windows Phone 8 device by Samsung?

When Microsoft previewed the Windows Phone 8 back in June, they listed 4 OEMs that will be part of it. Among those 4 is Samsung. And, what we have here is what seems to be their first Windows Phone 8 device.

That is the Samsung SGH-i687. It was revealed on Samsung’s UAProf webpage a few days ago. The UAProf mentions a few specs of the said device. First is that it will have a screen with a WVGA (800x480) resolution, so maybe we are looking at a low-end or mid-tier smartphone here. It will also have Internet Explorer 10 on board – it clearly runs on Windows Phone 8. It will support both HSPA+ and LTE, 2-in-1 4G anyone? And to end this, Object Push on its Bluetooth profiles. Yes, that is simply file transfer.

I can’t wait to see what Samsung and Microsoft has to offer on Windows Phone 8!

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Someone at Nokia has leaked the Lumia 801

This is just a quick post. Apparently, someone at the Nokia Support Discussions forum 'leaked' the supposed successor to the Lumia 800, the Lumia 801. The leak was revealed in a post for the announcement of the Nokia Network Setup app for Windows Phone.



This is just not a simple typo error as it explicitly lists 5 Lumia devices when there are only 4 right now.

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