Apple working on cheaper iPhone – report

Apple Inc is working on a cheaper version of its popular iPhone that could be released this year, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.

The device could resemble the existing iPhone, but might use less expensive materials, such as a shell made of polycarbonate plastic, according to the report, which cited anonymous sources.

Apple could decide not to move forward with the lower-end iPhone, the report noted.

The product would represent the first time Apple has diversified its line of smartphones with significantly different models since launching the original iPhone in 2007. The company faces pressure from rival smartphone-makers such as Samsung Electronics Co LTD whose products use Google Inc‘s Android operating system.

Apple declined to comment on the report.

Shares of Apple, which closed Tuesday’s regular trading session at $525.31, are down 25.5 percent from their 52-week high of $705.07 in September.

Nokia to launch Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 in India on January 10

After much delay, Nokia is finally set to launch its Windows 8 flagship devices, Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 in India. The company has already sent out invites for a January 10 event. Additionally the Finnish handset maker is also running small teaser television ads featuring a yellow Nokia Lumia 920 with a yellow wireless charger to help create buzz around the smartphones.

Nokia introduced Lumia 920 and Lumia 820at a gala event in September 2012. Nokia Lumia 920 is a Windows 8 smartphone, which features a 4.5-inch PureMotion HD display. It is powered by dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 CPU with 1GB of RAM. It has 32 GB of internal storage, 8.7-megapixel rear camera and a 1.2-megapixel front shooter. Nokia Lumia 920 has a 2000mAh battery and supports wireless charging.

Nokia Lumia 820 on the other hand is a mid-range smartphone. It features a 4.3-inch Clearblack display and is powered by 1.5GHz Qualcomm S4 dual-core processor. It comes with a 8-megapixel rear shooter and a VGA front camera. Nokia Lumia comes with 8GB of internal storage and runs on Windows 8. The India price for both these smartphones is not known so far.

Nokia Lumia 920 first started shipping to markets like France and UK markets in October, and it was earlier speculated that Nokia Lumia 920 will be launched in India by November. However, that did not happen, perhaps because the device was in short supply in some markets.

The smartphone has received a warm response in United States mostly due to the aggressive pricing strategy adopted by Nokia in this market. Even in a price sensitive market like India, Nokia will have to price the smartphone attractively to make sure that it generates keen interest amongst Indian consumers.

BlackBerry 10 leaks keep on coming, reveal purported price and specs

Research in Motion (RIM) seems to be having a tough time keeping its forthcoming BlackBerry 10 smartphones away from the camera. Pictures and videos of the full-touch BlackBerry 10 smartphone, which is touted to be launched as BlackBerry Z10 have been around for a while.

Adding to that list of leaks is the ones received by Business Insider, which reveal that this smartphone will be available through two major US telecom operators – Verizon and AT&T. Verizon is the largest telecom operator in the United States of America and was one of the first operators in the world to offer BlackBerry smartphone when they were launched.

The current set of leaked pictures placed iPhone 4S in between two BlackBerry Z10 smartphone to help compare both these devices. Business Insider claims that the build quality of BlackBerry Z10 is really nice. Its back cover feels rubbery and snaps pretty much like the back cover of Samsung Galaxy S III. However, these leaks do not give any indications on by when will these smartphones will start retailing.

Furthermore, a new video of the BlackBerry Z10 has been leaded by ETradeSupply.com, whichallegedly details the internal parts of this smartphone. According to this video, the full-touch BlackBerry 10 will be 10 millimetres thick.

The video features two 4.3-inch screens of what they claim to be BlackBerry Z10 smartphone. Both these screens seem to have a different layout of camera and sensor. Only one of the screens in the video seems to have BlackBerry logo, which makes the website speculate that this may perhaps be the final version of the display, while the other might be a prototype of a forthcoming BlackBerry 10 device.

RIM has already sent out invites for the January 30 event, where it will be launching its much awaited BlackBerry 10 operating system. It is expected that RIM will be launching two new devices at the launch, the all-touch BlackBerry Z10 and a QWERTY smartphone that is rumoured to be dubbed BlackBerry X10. Certain operators around the world have already started taking pre-orders for these smartphones.

The latest to join this bandwagon is the Canadian telecom operator Bell. The operator is also running a contest on its site, and promises to give away five new BlackBerry 10 devices to users who pre-register for updates.

As per Mobilenapps.com, the terms and conditions of this contest hints that the new BlackBerry 10 smartphone may carry a price tag of 700 Canadian dollars. Though it is not certain whether this price is for the full-touch smartphone or the QWERTY one.

Spice launches 4.5-inch Stellar Virtuoso Mi 495 and 10.1-inch Stellar Pad tablet

S Mobility has added another feather in its Stellar series with the Stellar Virtuoso Mi 495. Apart from this Spice has also unveiled its Android tablet – Spice Stellar Pad Mi-1010.

 

Stellar Virtuoso is only 9.4mm thick and is being touted by the company as the slimmest smartphone by any of the Indian handset market. Priced at Rs. 10,499, Spice Virtuoso Mi 495 is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor with 512MB RAM and runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). It has 4.5-inch qHD screen, a 8.0 megapixel auto focus rear camera with flash and a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera. Spice Virtuoso Mi 495 is a dual-SIM smartphone that comes with 1700 mAh battery. There is 4GB internal storage on-board, which can be expanded up to 32GB.

 

To sweeten the deal, Spice is offering a free leather cover and a screen guard, worth Rs. 1,000 along with this smartphone. Spice currently claims that it commands 5 percent of the smartphone market in India and is hoping that with the launch of this smartphone, it will be able to increase its market share in 2013.

 

Spice Stellar Pad Mi-1010 is a 10.1-inch HD tablet with IPS display and comes with 1.5 GHz dual-Core Processor with 1GB DDR3 RAM. This tablet runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and will be available in the market for Rs. 12,999. It comes with 16GB internal memory that can be expanded up to 32GB through microSD card. Spice Stellar Pad Mi-1010 comes with a 7600 mAh Lithium ion polymer battery, which the company claims will play video for 6 hours and has a standby of 15 days.

 

The Spice Stellar Pad Mi-1010 comes with a 3-megapixel rear camera and a VGA front camera on-board. Spice is offering a leather cover worth Rs. 2,000 and a USB on-the-go cable free with the purchase of Spice Stellar Pad Mi-1010.

 

Commenting on the launch, Dilip Modi, Co-Founder & Group COO, Spice Group said: “The launch reflects our belief in constant innovation and customer delight. Having created the fast evolving segment of Dual-SIM phones in the country, we are glad to offer these technologically advanced and stylish smartphones to our customers, thereby expanding our 3G devices portfolio.”

 

T M Ramakrishnan, CEO – Devices, S Mobility said, “We have priced our handsets affordably to ensure rapid uptake by both – 2G users wishing to upgrade to 3G, and existing 3G users – especially in the metros which are traditional strongholds of Spice. Our focus on consumer experience has been compulsive and keeping in line with the same, we have brought in the dual-core processor with quad-core graphics in the tablet segment and the smart & sleekly designed Virtuoso smartphone.”

 

Key specifications of Stellar Virtuoso Mi 495

• 4.5-inch qHD screen
• 1 GHz dual-core processor
• 4GB internal storage + 512 MB RAM
• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• 8-megapixel auto focus camera and 1.3-megapixel
• Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi/Wi-Fi Tethering
• 1700 mAh Battery
• G-Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor
• Expandable Memory up to 32 GB

 

Key specifications of Spice Stellar Pad Mi-1010

 

• 10.1-inch HD TFT screen with HD Resolution 1280×800
• 1.5 GHz dual-core [rocessor with quad-core GPU
• 16GB internal storage
• 1GB DDR3 RAM
• Expandable storage up to 32 GB
• Wi-Fi support
• 3D G-Sensor
• HDMI & OTG
• 3MP + VGA camera
• 7600mAh Li-ion Polymer Battery
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Huawei's Ascend D2, Ascend Mate and W1 press photos leak ahead of CES launch

CES is almost here, and so are the inevitable leaks. Huawei, the Chinese smartphone equipment giant, is gearing up to showcase its new devices at the upcoming CES 2013, and the infamous @evleaks has  posted what are reportedly press shots of three of these mobiles.

First one is the Ascend Mate. This Android device was previously showcased by the company’s executive at a retail store in China. It is evident from the Press photo that this one is going to be a giant smartphone (or a phablet, if you will) with a 6.1-inch HD screen. The phone is powered by Huawei’s own 1.8GHz HISilicon K3V3 quad-core chip, and packs in a 4,000 mAh battery.

Next in the line of leaks is the Ascend D2. This is a “smaller” smartphone that boasts a 5-inch HD touchscreen. Under the hood, there is a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor. The D2 runs on Android (version not confirmed) with company’s own Emotion UI on top of it.

Last one is the Huawei W1. This one is a Windows Phone 8 device, which we’ve heard about multipletimes before. What is clear from the leaked image is that it will come in four different colour options. @evleaks mentions that the phone is powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and will pack in a 2,000 mAh battery.

Huawei was mentioned as one of the  original Windows Phone 8 partners by Microsoft, and looks like their plans are finally coming to fruition. It will be interesting to see what other major OEMs showcase as far as their Windows Phone offerings are concerned.

All these devices are expected to debut at the upcoming  CES.

Samsung to launch first Tizen-based smartphone in 2013: Report

Samsung is said to be working in collaboration with NTT DoCoMo to launch a Tizen-based smartphone, according to reports in Yomiuri Shimbun. This smartphone is expected to see the light of the day by sometime next year.

For people who may not be aware,Tizen is a linux-based open source operating system announced after the demise of MeeGo. Nokia had launched two MeeGo-based smartphones Nokia N9 and Nokia N950. However, it later decided to partner with Microsoft, leaving a foundation backed by Samsung, Intel and others to take over the development of the operating system, which became Tizen. Tizen is seen as an alternative operating system to iOS and Android. It is touted to be more open Android and HTML5-friendly by its makers. In May 2012, Tizen had released  its 1.0 Larkspur SDK and source code.

Apart from NTT DoCoMo, CNET reports that there are other UK-based carriers such as Vodaphone and France Telecom, which are interested in this Tizen-based smartphone.

Samsung has always maintained that it is happy to look beyond Android and had even tried to push its own operating system Bada, which failed to garner much attention beyond the company itself.

There are also murmers doing the rounds that Samsung is looking at merging its Bada OS with Tizen. Given that in there has been absolutely no interest or momentum on the Bada platform, this could be a possibility. However, there is no official confirmation available on this front as of now.

Earlier in 2012, we had also seen another off shoot of MeeGo being spun into operating system dubbed as Sailfish OS, which too is expected to debut in 2013. So overall, it looks like we might get some freshness in terms of operating system in the new year.

Samsung Galaxy S IV rumoured to launch with S-Pen stylus in April

The next iteration of Samsung‘s flagship device, the Galaxy S IV is rumoured to come with the famed S-Pen stylus as seen in it’s 5-inch phablets the  Galaxy Note and  Note II

Phone Arena reports via Korean site  eNuri that the Galaxy S IV is the first smartphone in the series to feature the stylus as the Korean manufacturer seeks to “unite its Note series with the flagship Galaxy S IV”, allegedly confirmed by a quote from a Samsung official.

According to  latest rumours from SamMobile, the Samsung Galaxy S IV is being developed under the codename ‘Project J’ and is likely to be launched in April next year.

Reports have indicated that the Galaxy S IV will indeed come with a 4.99-inch Super AMOLED display with 1920×1080 resolution, giving it a pixel density of 441ppi. That report is in line with other rumours which suggested that Samsung and LG are working on smartphones with full-HD display, which may be released in first-half of 2013.

Additionally, murmurs are that the new Samsung Android flagship will run on Jelly Bean and feature a 2 GHz quad-core Exynos processor and an 8-core GPU. It is also rumoured that the smartphone will use ARM big.LITTLE architecture featuring a combination of an energy-efficient A7 processor and an A15 one for simple and heavy task processing.

There’s more buzz about the device being equipped with a 13-megapixel camera rear auto-focus camera and slightly thicker, 9.2mm body.

Other rumours suggest that the device will come with an unbreakable screen that could be a great attraction for the smartphone in terms of sales. Samsung, however, has not officially made any statement in this regard.

Samsung reportedly ready to launch two Galaxy S II Plus variants in Jan 2013

2012 witnessed the launch of plenty of interesting Near Field Communication (NFC) smartphones and looks like 2013 is going to be no different in this regards. About  fortnight ago we had reported that Samsung is working on Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos and Galaxy S II Plus.

According to  Unwired, Samsung is expected to launch two variants of Samsung Galaxy S II Plus – GT-i9105, and GT-i9105P. The only difference between these two Samsung devices will be that GT-i9105P will support NFC while GT-i9105 will not.

Samsung has launched Samsung Galaxy S Plus in August 2011 as an upgrade to Samsung Galaxy S. However, this time around Samsung Galaxy S Plus II does not seem to be much of an upgrade. Reason being Samsung Galaxy S Plus II is speculated to have the same 4.3-inch screen with 480X800 pixel resolution like Samsung Galaxy S. Moreover, instead of 1.2GHz processor, Samsung Galaxy S Plus II is expected to have just a 1GHz processor.

On the positive side, Samsung Galaxy S Plus II will most likely be running on Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)

It is being speculated that Samsung Galaxy S II Plus will be launched in January 2013 and  Sam Mobile claims that it will be available in two colour options – Chic White and Dark Blue. However, there is no information available in regards to what could be the price of this smartphone

There are also speculations that Samsung will be launching an upgraded version of Samsung Galaxy Pocket, which will be dubbed Samsung Galaxy Pocket Plus S5301

BlackBerry 10 QWERTY device spotted online

There have plenty of leaked photos and videos available for the touchscreen BlackBerry 10 smartphone and now the QWERTY BlackBerry 10 smartphone has surfaced online. Two blurry photos of what appears to be the N-Series BlackBerry 10 smartphone have been posted on the Chines website cnbeta.com.

From the leaked images it appears that the QWERTY BlackBerry 10 smartphone will have curved corners and will not be radically different from the current range of QWERTY handsets being offered by the Canadian handset maker.

The major difference seems to be that the company has done away with navigation and menu buttons, which means that there is a possibility that there will be no trackpad on the N-Series BlackBerry 10 smartphones. Also, it appears that these devices will have a slightly larger screen than what is currently being offered to BlackBerry users.

Just a few days back, the grapevine was abuzz with the fact that this N-Series smartphone might be called BlackBerry X10.

Research In Motion (RIM) has already announced that they will be launching their new BlackBerry 10 operating system and touchscreen device running on this platform on January 30, 2013. According tovarious leaks it seems, RIM plans to ditch 4 digit names (like BlackBerry Curve 9300) and call the forthcoming full-touch BlackBerry 10 smartphone the ‘BlackBerry Z10’.

We’ve also seen the BlackBerry 10 OS being demoed across various official and unofficial videos. The BlackBerry 10 operating system has been designed afresh from the ground-up, with an interface optimised for touch-screen devices. At the heart of BlackBerry 10 is the BlackBerry Hub, which is the focal point of the new operating system. BlackBerry Hub is the one-stop place to access all your messages – from social networking to work and personal emails, from BBM to text-messaging and voice calls. BlackBerry 10 comes with a new soft-keyboard that learns user habits and gets better at predicting input over time.

ZTE's 5-inch, full-HD Grand S press shot leaked ahead of CES launch

ZTE’s much talked about 5-inch smartphone, ZTE Grand S has made another appearance online.Engadget has now posted a press shot of this new smartphone, which they managed to get their hands on through an anonymous tipster.

It is being touted that ZTE will be unveiling its new flagship smartphone at CES 2013 in Las Vegas on January 8. We had reported a few days back about ZTE mulling to launch its Grand S smartphone soon.

So far there are very little details available about ZTE Grand S apart from that it may have a unibody design and a full-HD display. Also, this smartphone will be very thin.

The only full-HD smartphone out there in the market right now is from HTC. The smartphone is available under the names HTC J Butterfly, HTC Droid DNA and HTC Butterfly across various markets. However, as mentioned earlier, 2013 is set to be the year of full-HD phones, with flagships from Samsung and LG expected to feature big displays with 1080p resolution.

The LG Optimus G2 is expected to feature a 5.5-inch full-HD display, quad-core 2.0/ 2.5GHz Krait processor, at least 2GB of RAM, 13-megapixel camera and 3rd generation LTE radio. The Galaxy S IV is rumoured to have a 4.99-inch full-HD display alongside a 13-megapixel camera, a significant upgrade over the Galaxy S III’s 8-megapixel rear shooter. There’s also buzz about the Galaxy S IV featuring a 2 GHz quad-core Exynos processor and an 8-core GPU.

It is expected that Sony, Lenovo, Sharp and Huawei may join the brigade soon.