Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 revealed, images & specs leak

Samsung’s rumoured Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 has been leaked in detail. The tablet will be joining the company’s recently announced Galaxy Tab 3 7-inch in Samsung’s 2013 tablet portfolio.
According to a report in SamMobile, Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 is going to be available next month. As per the leaked specifications, the tablet will come with Android 4.2.2, 8-inch 1280x800p resolution display and 1.5GHz dual-core processor. You can check out the full set of leaked specifications later in the post.
From the looks of it, the tablet sports the same design as Galaxy Tab 3 7-inch, but it will have a thinner bezel and the tablet itself will be just 6.95mm thick.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 leaked specifications

• Available in both 3G & Wi-Fi variants
• Model numbers: SM-T310 (3G) and SM-T311 (Wi-Fi)
• Android 4.2.2
• 8.0-inch 1280×800p TFT display
• 1.5 GHz dual-core processor
• 1.5 GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, MicroSD card support up to 64GB
• 1.3-megapixel front, 5-megapixel rear cameras
• MicroUSB port, 3.5 mm audio jack, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, A-GPS
• 4450 mAh battery
• 209.3 x 122.2 x 6.95 mm

HTC to double HTC One production capacity, but is it already too late?

Despite announcing an impressive smartphone, HTC has not been able to get it in the consumer hands because of production issues. Now, the company has announced that production of HTC One is rising sharply and it will double in May from previous month, but the question arises whether it is already late.
Probably yes, because the companies no longer have years to sell their smartphones, new technologies arrive every month and we see new flagships every six months. Since announcing the phone in February, the company has already wasted over two months and Samsung Galaxy S4, the main competitor to HTC One, is close to 10 million shipments

“Our capacity is expected to rise significantly starting from mid-May,” Jack Tong, president of HTC North Asia, said at a news conference in Taipei. “We are optimistic about our high-end sales during April and June.”
In related news, HTC One might be very close to India debut as one online retailer has started taking the orders and we are hearing from brick and mortar stores that first stocks should land around May 20. Already facing a delay of around a month, the prospects of HTC One in the Indian market don’t really looks good.

HTC to bring Sense 5.0 & Blinkfeed to Butterfly via software update

HTC North Asia chief Jack Tong has revealed that his company plans to push a software update to HTC Butterfly by May-end to bring the new Sense 5.0 interface. This might not be unexpected but it is the first official confirmation about the update from this Taiwanese manufacturer.

To remind you, HTC Sense 5.0 was first introduced with the company’s HTC One smartphone and it brings several features like Blinkfeed and HTC Zoe. Tong has confirmed that both Blinkfeed and Zoe will be coming to Butterfly, but we will not see features like Sense TV, which are hardware dependent.
Tong has also stated that Butterfly is going to help the company in its second quarter earnings as it is selling pretty well in Japan.
Originally launched last year, HTC Butterfly was the first smartphone with full HD display and the company is already preparing a successor to it. This rumoured successor will be released in second half of 2013 and will most likely be the company’s flagship for H2.

Samsung announces TecTiles 2 NFC tags for Galaxy S4

Given the fact that Samsung Galaxy S4 does not support the original TecTiles NFC tag, we all were waiting for their successor, which have arrived today. According to Samsung, the TecTiles 2 NFC tags are perfectly compatible with Galaxy S4 and are now available for $14.99 in a pack for five at Samsung.com. The tags will also be available at other stores next month.

Compatible with NFC chips that support MIFARE technology, Samsung’s new TecTiles 2 can be programed to do a lot of actions on your Galaxy S4 including the following:

• Change Phones settings
• Switch phone profiles
• Launch an app
• Show a message
• Play a track
• Make a call

These are just some of the many actions that can be programed, you can find out the full list here. Samsung has also revealed that TacTiles 2 work with Galaxy S III as well as other NFC compatible smartphones from the company.
How do TecTiles work:
TecTile tags use a small NFC receiver that trigger your smartphone into completing the pre-defined tasks when you tap them

Mystery Google media player appears at FCC

Is Google working on another Nexus Q like media streamer? The evidence seems to suggest that. As a mystery Google hardware device marked as a media player has appeared on FCC for certification.

At any given point of time, Google is tinkering with multiple hardware devices, which are not necessarily meant for full release, so this is in no way a confirmation of the impending arrival of Google Nexus Q successor, but we won’t be surprised if it indeed turns out to be a real deal.
Details are scarce at this moment. The FCC listing shows the device carrying product name – H840 device, which doesn’t really reveal anything. In other details, the model number is listed at H2G2-42, a reference of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which too does mean anything.

The FCC listing does show this media player featuring Wi-Fi a/b/g/n connectivity and a USB port. Apart from that we are still in dark.
To remind you, the company’s first attempt at a media streamer – Nexus Q, turned out to be a failure. While, the device looked beautiful and had a nice build quality but it lacked in features. It also carried a hefty price tag, which really didn’t justify anything. After keeping it on pre-order for some time, the company removed the listing, saying it is going to improve it. So, the question arises whether H840 device is an improved version of Nexus Q or just a hardware experiment from Google.
We hope to know more in the coming days.

Sony Xperia UL spotted in the wild, packs quad-core Snapdragon 600

Sony is really expanding its smartphone portfolio this year. The company has already announced as many as six smartphones and have more incoming. One of these incoming smartphones just showed up for a photo shoot in China for us to take a look.

Dubbed as Xperia UL, the smartphone has been talked about earlier in the rumours, but this is the first time that we are looking at its images.
As per the previous information, the phone will pack a 5-inch 1080p display as the company flagship Xperia Z and images seem to confirm the size of the display. Other rumoured specs of the phone include quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of on-board storage and 2300 mAh battery.
There is still no word when we are going to see an official announcement but previous report suggests that it might reach Japan first.

XOLO X910 goes on sale for INR 9,999

XOLO’s Intel Atom-powered Android smartphone X910 is now available in India. The phone is a stripped-down version of the company’s earlier launched X900 smartphone and will replace the phone in the country.
Compared to X900, the specifications of X910 are slightly on the lower-side. The XOLO X910 comes with a 4.3-inch qHD display and is powered by 1.6GHz Intel AtomZ2460 processor, which is same as X900.
Other features of X910 include 1GB of RAM, 5MP rear camera, front camera, 4GB of internal storage, dual-SIM support and microSD card slot.
The phone has been priced at INR 9,999 and can be purchased from Snapdeal.com; other retailers like Flipkart have also listed the smartphone but are yet to receive the stocks.
XOLO X910 is the fourth Intel powered phone from XOLO, as the company continues to expand its smartphone line-up in the country.
As per recent reports, XOLO is also planning to release few more Android phones like XOLO Play T1000 and XOLO Q2000.

XOLO X910 key specifications

• 4.3-inch display qHD capacitive display
• Android 4.0.4
• Dual-SIM support
• 1GB of RAM, 4GB of storage, microSD card slot
• Intel Atom Processor Z2460 single core
• 5MP rear camera, VGA front camera
• FM Radio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, 3.5mm audio jack

LG Google TVs to get Android 4.2.2 update in Q3

After Google announced that it is updating the Google TV platform to Android 4.2.2 and bringing it in sync with the normal Android release, LG has now confirmed that its Google TVs will get the update in third quarter.

The company was not any more specific than Q3, so we will just have to wait and watch. The Korean manufacturer has however shared some details on this update, which were surprisingly missing from the Google’s little note about the update on Google+.
According to LG, with Android 4.2.2 update, Google TVs will support more applications, including games that provide a greater level of interactivity and advanced graphics.
As, Google revealed in a Google TV session at I/O, Google TV platform will no longer be a fork of Android and will be like normal Android release. LG has confirmed the same this in its press note, which states that the latest Jelly Bean update for Google TV supports the Android Native Development Kit (NDK) so Google TV owners can have the widest, most diverse selection of apps to choose from. Smartphone apps designed using the NDK will run on Google TV with little to no modifications. With NDK compatibility, users can now play more games on a bigger LG Google TV screen.
In simpler words, from now on any apps developed using the Android NDK will work just fine on Google TV devices, no longer the need for dedicated apps for Google TV; developers have to just keep in mind that their apps look decent on a 32-inch or 54-inch television screen.
Coming to LG specific Google TV update, according to LG, the upcoming update will also bring LG’s patented 3D Game Changer to its Google TVs. “Changer produces a fully immersive effect by displaying 2D games in enhanced 3D mode, for an effect previously available only in movies filmed with 3D equipment,” LG noted in a press release.
Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update will be released as an over-the-air (OTA) download for existing LG Google TVs. It will reach USA in Q3, as we noted above.

Samsung to use Intel Atom processor in new 10-inch tablet

Intel seems to have finally got hold of the bigger fish – Samsung. As per the latest benchmark results that have surfaced in GFXbench database, Samsung is using the Intel Atom Z2560 Clover Trail+ dual-core processor in its new 10-inch tablet.

Carrying the model number GT-P5200, the tablet has been code-named Santos, the same codename that we had heard in the past associated with Samsung’s rumoured 10-inch tablet.
The benchmark listing also reveals the processor will be clocked at 1.6GHz and will come with PowerVR SGX 544 MP2 GPU. Other features of the tablet will include 10.1-inch WXGA (1280×800) display and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.
Apart from the GT-P5200 listing, a benchmark listing for GT-P5210 has also been spotted, which is going to be the Wi-Fi only version of the tablet.
Other details were not confirmed in these benchmark listings but a previous report had suggested that this tablet will come with 5MP rear camera and 16/ 32GB of internal storage.
Apart from the obvious tablet details leak, the presence of an Intel Atom processor in Samsung’s Android tablet is the more important news here. Intel has been struggling to get bigger manufacturers use its silicon in their Android products, however we recently saw Asus use Atom processor in Fonepad and now Samsung – seems like Intel’s smartphone/ tablet dream might finally come true.

XOLO to launch dual-core A500+ with Android 4.2 in June for INR 6,500

XOLO is getting ready with a successor to the company’s previously launched A500 smartphone in the form of A500+. The upcoming smartphone will keep the display size to 4-inch, but replace the processor to MediaTek from Qualcomm in the predecessor.

According to a report in Android Nova, the XOLO A500+ is expected to be launched in June (next month) for around INR 6,500.
The smartphone will run on Android 4.2, which is a positive as it is the latest version of Android available right now, not sure if it will be the case when A500+ goes on sale in June. Among other specs, the phone will reportedly pack a 5MP rear camera, VGA front camera, dual-SIM support and 2,000 mAh battery.
A500+ also packs 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot. At the reported pricing, the features do seem decent but it will be the real life performance that will matter the most.
In related news, XOLO’s leaked X910+ smartphone is already on sale, and the XOLO will soon announce Play T1000 and Q2000 smartphones.
XOLO has been expanding its smartphone portfolio at a very swift face in the recent few weeks. Thanks to the presence of Intel-powered phones, XOLO’s portfolio isn’t as monotonous as other home-grown companies that are just launching Chinese re-branded products, although it is important to point out here that XOLO does sell some re-branded products, and A500+ seems to be one of those.