android | New Smartphones and Cell Phones

HTC Unveils its HTC One Mini 2 Smartphone: No More Ultrapixels

The new Android Smartphone “HTC One Mini 2” has created enough buzz in the market and is now finally available for the sale.

After a series of leaks and rumors, HTC has officially announced its new flagship Smartphone ‘HTC One Mini 2’ – the compact variant of the HTC one M8. HTC is undoubtedly hoping its new flagship Smartphone can put together a better showing than what we saw last year. This new Android handset features a dual LED flash, 13 MP rear facing camera, 5MP front facing camera, 1GB RAM, Android KitKat 4.4 operating system, 16 GB internal memory, and a MicroSD card slot.

Almost everyone is familiar with the fact that the major part of the current Smartphone marketplace is dominated by Samsung, Apple, and Nokia. But, it’s quite good to see that HTC has not let its hopes go down. If you are planning to buy a new Smartphone, then the HTC One Mini 2 may be the one meant for you. We’ve got all the nitty-gritty on HTC One Mini 2, so keep on reading for a rundown on the specs, design, color, camera, display and more.

Display

Visually, there are no big surprises. The HTC One Mini 2 has a 4.5 inch screen, and its looks are pretty much copied from its big brother “HTC One M8”. This mobile phone is expected to hit the market in a wide range of colors such as Gunmetal Gray, Glacial Silver, and Amber Gold.

Camera

If we talk of buying a new Android phone, the camera is a major factor we consider on a new mobile phone. This time, the front facing snapper is definitely an improvement, as it’s been shifted from 1.6MP to 5MP, making it a perfect fit for our selfie obsessed culture.

Battery & Storage

The HTC One Mini 2 comes with the latest version of the Android OS. It’s sleek, smooth, intuitive design looks good. Plus, it gives BlinkFeed, so the user can get all their news and updates in one place. From storage, you get 16GB of built-in memory plus a MicroSD card slot so you can boost that by up to 128GB.

Four Important Things You Need To Know About Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini (Dx)

This year, Samsung is expected to release a new Smartphone called the “Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini”, inspired from the full-fledged and recently launched Samsung Galaxy S5 and SGS4 Mini. Doing a quick recap, last year’s smartphone, Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, featured a 4.3 inch super AMOLED display with a resolution of 540 x 960, a snapdragon 400 dual-core processor clocked at 1.7 GHz, and an Andreno 306 graphics chip. Unsurprisingly, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini comes with a MicroSD card slot which can read cards of up to 64 GB. Moving on to the upcoming new Smartphone SGS5 Mini, numerous rumors have suggested that it will boast a slightly larger display, measuring 4.5 inches diagonally.

Design & Display

Rumors have it that the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini closely resembles the design of the Galaxy S5. One of the most amazing features of this Smartphone is its overall weight of only 107 grams, making it one of the lightest smartphones in the mobile market.

Sound Quality

Samsung has decided to focus more on hardware power instead of keeping the display in the first row. The sound quality of the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini is expected to be robust and clear, but the device is best used with headphones.

Catch the vision

The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini features an amazing 8 megapixel camera, packed with various features including HDR that let you capture the precious moments of your life in amazing quality. Its video recording capability is quite impressive as well. The device also has a 1.9 MP secondary camera facing front, making video conferencing possible.

Battery Life

The Smartphone overall has a decent battery life. It is able to maintain about 12 hours of talk time in a 3G network.

For more information, visit @ http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/galaxy-s5-mini-dx-news/#!NE2y0

LG Plans To Launch a New Flagship Smartphone ‘G3’ This Month

Every year, Samsung, Apple, and Nokia launch new Smartphones with amazing specifications and features. This year, if you don’t want to spend your money on these tech gadgets, then there’s another Android flagship Smartphone that is waiting for you and it’s the LG G3. This new LG G3 Smartphone is expected to be launched world-wide on May 28^th, 2014.

LG has sent out invitations to the industry’s influential for the G3 launch event which will take place on May 28th. According to LG sources, “LG will be hosting an event in London at the end of May to unveil their next big global device after G2.” LG Inc.has high expectations for its new flagship Smartphone “LG G3”.

LG G3 and LG G2 comparison

LG G3
1. OS- Android 4.4.2
2. Physical Size – 5.5 inches
3. Camera – 16 Mega Pixel
4. Front Facing Camera – 2.1 Megapixel
5. System Chip – Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 8974-AA
6. Built-in Storage – 32 GB
7. System Memory – 3072 MB RAM

LG G2
1. OS- Android 4.2.2, 4.4.2
2. Physical Size – 5.2 inches
3. Camera – 13 Mega Pixel
4. Front Facing Camera – 2.1 Megapixel
5. System Chip – Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974
6. Built-in Storage – 32 GB
7. System Memory – 2048 MB RAM

LG G3 – The Dream Smartphone

We can’t talk about the design of G3 without mentioning its display. Rumor has it that LG is aiming to offer the best ever G3 display and is likely to be the first manufacturer to offer a “Quad-HD” 2560 x 1440 resolution Smartphone. Its new Flagship Smartphone with a 2560 x 14405.5 inch screen is expected to be stunning and sleek.

There are also a few small rumors about the LG G3 Smarphone that it will have the same IP67 dust and water resistance certification as the Galaxy S5, but that’s yet to be confirmed. So what are you expecting from the LG G3? LG has confirmed that the G3 launch event will be the biggest launch in history for LG Mobile. It will be arriving on AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and US Cellular.

For more information about this new LG’s flagship Smartphone, visit http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/lg-g3-1231645

Super-Smartphone Xperia Z2 is replacing the Xperia Z1

Recently, Sony announced the launch of its super-Smartphone Xperia Z2, a successor to the Xperia Z1 that was launched last year. This new phone keeps the same aluminum-edge design, sleek glass front and back, full HD display, quad-core processor and stunning 20.7 megapixel camera. The Xperia Z2 has a slightly larger 5.2 inch display, a faster 2.3GHz Qualcomm processor, the latest Android 4.4.2 KitKat Operating system and camera capable of capturing 4K video. This smart and sleek device will soon be available in the UK and Europe at the price of £600 (€700).

Capture the unforgettable moments

High-resolution display

The Sony Xperia Z2 has a slightly bigger display than its predecessor at 5.2 inches. This super-phone clearly shows an improved display with better viewing angles over the Xperia Z1. It has a pixel density of 423ppi compared to the Xperia Z1’s 440ppi.
Sound quality

The Xperia Z2 has special audio features such as stereo speakers and built-in digital noise cancellation. This device is capable of making full use of the MDR-NC31EM, as the power source required for the noise-cancelling microphones located in the earphone connectors. Its digital noise cancellation feature gives you a better experience while watching movies or while playing games.
Water-resistant

Sometimes, you face unpleasant situations where your cell phone falls into the pool or into a bucket of water. Usually, that would mean some steep repair expenses. Sony’s new Smartphone, Xperia Z2, overcomes this problem – it’s waterproof! This new powerhouse super-Smartphone is dust-resistant and waterproo, which blends beautifully with its other design and hardware features.

Long-lasting battery

The Xperia Z2 has a 3200mAh battery while the Xperia Z1 comes with a 3000mAh battery. It is expected that Xperia Users will get a bit more juice out of this new model. In terms of connectivity, there is no change. Both devices offer the usual Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC connectivity options.

This is a safe purchase. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/1lIf4QA

Google’s Nexus 5 with Android ‘KITKAT’ OS

This year – “Android KITKAT in Your Pocket”

Recently, Google unveiled a slim, light and fast smartphone (Nexus 5) with an intelligent and impressive design, KitKat operating system, and an astonishing 5” HD display. This new smartphone is pretty close in size to last year’s Nexus 4 flagship. The N5’s display is vivid with even more brilliant colors and sharper graphics. With its amazing camera, you can capture each and every moment in the fresh new ways.

Time to migrate your OS from Jellybean 4.3 to KitKat 4.4

Camera: With N5’s optical image stabilization feature, you can stop worrying about blurry pictures. Its advanced new lens allows you to capture more light for brighter night shots. So, if anything that convinces you to upgrade, the screen display would be probably that.

Superfast processor: With 4G/LTE and ultra-fast Wi-Fi, Google’s new smartphone keeps you connected at a blazing speed. After experiencing Nexus 4’s hardware specifications, now it is time to experience Nexus5’s Snapdragon 800 quad-core 2.3 GHz processor, an Adreno 330 GPU and 2 GB of RAM, and wireless charging feature.

Memory versions: Google’s Nexus 5 is available in two memory versions – 16 GB and 32 GB.

This new smartphone has a cut-out earpiece centered above the display and a camera lens to the left of that. Its bottom holds a multicolored LED indicator that lights up to alert you of missed calls, new messages and other such notifications.

KitKat shows a lot of promise, even for a habitual iOS user like myself. It’s not nearly as huge a leap as Apple took from iOS 6 to iOS 7, and your mileage will certainly vary depending on your smartphone. (A new API aims to serve up different versions of apps depending on what phone you’re using, so you may experience significant speed improvements on your favorite apps no matter what). For more information visit http://mashable.com/2013/10/31/android-kitkat-hands-on/

LG Unveiled Its Latest Flagship Smartphone ‘G2’

At a large launch event at Lincoln Center in NY City, LG unveiled its new Android Flagship smartphone, the LG G2. The device boasts a large 5.2-inch full HD display with 1080-by-1920 pixel resolution. According to LG, the G2 will be rolling out in more than 130 countries, starting in South Korea and followed by Europe. It will be the first Smartphone to use the Snapdragon 800 processor.

Features:

Big Screen: The G2 is much closer in size to the Samsung Galaxy S4 rather than the Optimum G Pro. The device is only 1mm wider than the Galaxy S4. It is a good move because it gives users the benefits of a bigger screen.

Rear Buttons: LG made an interesting decision regarding button placement. The volume and power buttons are right below the camera. A quick tap on the buttons will allow users to move the volume up or down and a long press of the On button will launch the Quick Memo shortcut and the Camera.

Camera: The G2 has a 13-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization. While zooming in at 4X on a vibrating object, the LG’s latest flagship smartphone G2 maintained a much more stable image.

“Like HTC and Samsung, LG has its own Android skin. Atop Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, LG has added features it thinks will make life easier for users. Most of these features we have seen on the previous LG Optimus G and the Optimus G Pro — but they now appear more refined and better thought out. Features such as “knock to turn on” for the screen and “hold to the ear to answer” — are similar to features we have seen from Samsung and Motorola. LG has much less experience skinning Android and its results are mixed at best.” Read more http://mashable.com/2013/08/08/lg-g2-hands-on/

Avoid the Hassle – Convert Your Phone or Smartphone into a Burner Phone

Recently a person (Sam) listed his Nokia Lumia phone for sale online. After making a plan to meet a buyer, he visited an AT&T store to wipe his phone clean of personal data. But unfortunately, the process killed his phone. He then let the buyer know what had happened who, apparently angered by the cancelled deal, began sending absurd messages to his personal number. What did he do to eliminate this problem? He used the Burner, an effective app that lets people create disposable numbers that they can give out in place of their actual number. Burner released an app for Android phones and a major update for the iPhone.

Burner offers similar secrecy without the need for another phone. Instead of tossing the phone, you delete the phone number the app has generated. In fact, anonymous numbers come in handy for a variety of actions, such as getting quotes on a service when you don’t want follow-up calls, or maybe first dates when you’re actually not sure if there will be a second one.

Burner numbers aren’t free, but they’re flexible. For instance, $1.99 will buy a Mini Burner, a number that will last for seven days, 20 talk minutes or 60 texts, whichever comes first. A burner can be extended by buying additional in-app credits before it expires. Those who need a number that lasts longer and handles more traffic can spend $4.99 for a 60-day number or a 30-day number that can be used for 90 minutes or 270 texts. You can “burn” a number at any time, which will delete it straight away and take it out of service. The Burner app includes voicemail and an inbox that works a lot like those in your regular service. You’ll see a list of recent calls and a list of all calls. You can favorite calls by tapping a star icon and you can record a voicemail messages that callers hear when they dial your Burner numbers. For more information visit http://on.mash.to/Zjkhxw

T- Mobile Introduces New Pricing Plans in the U.S.

T- mobile has come up with a new marketing strategy to lure potential customers to purchase cell phones with newly revamped pricing plans. T-mobile is a relatively new to experimenting with new ideas to grab the attention of buyers. The aim is to keep ahead in the race of Mobile service providers. Lets see the vital changes that T-mobile has made in its plans and how does it fair against the other Mobile service providers such as AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Sprint.

The most noteworthy modification that T-mobile has made is tha it has broken down the main price of the cell phone from the monthly service fee. The company has come with an installment plan strategy to sell the phone at a larger scale and capture maximum market. They have planned to stop their 2- year service contracts and changed it with a 2- year financing contract. For example, now if you have to buy an iPhone 5 from T-mobile, you would have to pay an initial down payment of $100 and the rest of the phone payment would be in small monthly installments of $20 for a period of 2 years.

The service fees are exclusive of this installment plan. An iPhone buyer has to pay another $50 per month installment for talk time, SMS and 500 MB of Internet data. For additional internet data, a customer has to pay an extra $10 for 2 GB increase. For unlimited data, a customer has to pay $20 only. The only catch is, if a customer leaves the service of T-mobile within the 2 year contract, he/she have to continue paying $20 per month, until the time period of the contract finishes.

Let’s see some Good and Bad points of T-mobile new market plans:

GOOD – Plans are generally cheaper than the other service providers. There is an option of early payment, if you don’t want to opt for the monthly installment plan. You get an unlimited data plan with just $20 and faster “4G” services.

BAD – Data coverage is poor in rural areas and its LTE doesn’t have access to low frequencies as compared to AT&T and Verizon Wireless.

Final verdict – This seems to be a great initiative by T-mobile as people with minimum wage can now afford a high end SmartPhone at reasonable monthly installment plans. Still, it’s too early to comment on this new market strategy from T-mobile and how it will influence the competition. Don’t worry, we will keep you posted.

Android – Leading the Smartphone App. World

In the recently conducted 4-day Mobile World Congress 2013, it was clear to all the Smartphone developing industries that this is going to be a highly competitive year for them. With almost every Smartphone being technically flawless, the pressure falls to the application developers. The latest ABI Research predicts that Smartphone app downloads would reach around 56 billion in 2013. According to the research data:

‘Android’ leads with its 58 percent share in the app world.
In second place, there is ‘iOS’ which has a share of 33 percent.
Windows phone has secured around a 4 percent share.
And finally, BlackBerry is at 3 percent.

ABI also predicts a growing number of Smartphone-focused developers will adopt an Android-first strategy within the year due to the platform’s “vast installed base and the generally improved conditions in app building.” This is something that has been widely trumpeted for a while now but has yet to surface given Google’s fragmentation problem.

We can assume that Google will actually benefit from Android being the front runner in app development. Android’s open design and easily re-programmable firmware has prompted the app developers to work more extensively towards customized apps. It has provided the developers an open ground to work on. They can make their customers a more user friendly interface which can be restructured and upgraded any time. This kind of flexibility from Android has attracted a large number of people. Thus, making the Android powered Smartphone a success.

HTC One – The New Flagship Smartphone

The Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer has made a brave effort to introduce the HTC One’s new flagship Smartphone just ahead of Mobile World Congress which is going to take place in Barcelona, Spain on 25th Feb 2013. This came as a big surprise to the impatiently waiting consumers when they were introduced to this new handset at two simultaneous press events in New York and in London.

The new HTC One is heavily loaded with first-class features and technology and includes the latest processing chip from Qualcomm. Apart from the latest technology, the handset’s aluminum build is exquisite and breathtaking. Another thing to notice is the front facing stereo speakers, especially designed to enhance your music and movie experience. It has Google’s latest OS, Android Jelly Bean. It also flaunts a magnificent looking 4.7-inch HD screen.

HTC One’s new features:

An ultra-pixel camera – With just a 4 megapixel resolution, the focus remains on the new image sensor system that claims to capture 300 percent more light than the other handsets in its class.
Blinkfeed – Also being referred to as Generation feed, it is designed to give you instant updates and news feeds at any time of the day or night.
HTC Zoe – A new image sense system that captures a 3 second picture to give the feel of an animated picture.

The other area HTC has upgraded in a big way is the music experience, and in two relatively large ways. The first is the music player itself, which now comes with lyrics where available, and an all-new visualizer to let you play the music on a desk or dock. For information visit http://bit.ly/VFbAlv

With HTC One, the company has come up with a unique design and numerous upgrades to give fierce competition to its rivals like Iphone5 and Sony’s Xperia Z. It is praiseworthy that HTC has still managed to bring new innovations in things like user interface and camera functionality. HTC One – the new flagship smartphone is definitely going to create an interest for itself in this competitive smartphone market.