Vertu Signature Touch goes official with high specs and price

The manufacturer of luxury smartphones Vertu took the wraps off its latest creation, the Signature Touch. The Android KitKat device packs high-end specs and the usual whopping price tag which kicks off at a cool £6,750 (about $11,300)

Vertu Signature Touch sports Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC with 2.3GHz quad-core CPU, 2GB of RAM, and 64GB of memory. The handset’s display is a 4.7” 1080p unit covered by sapphire glass.

The camera department of the handset is where things get really interesting. The device features a 13MP camera unit with dual-LED flash, tuned by the photography powerhouse Hasselblad. The front-facing snapper is a 2.1MP unit.

Hasselblad is not the only co-branding partner in the Vertu Signature Touch. The smartphone’s audio is tuned by Bang & Olufsen. The audio products’ manufacturer also supplies an ultra-premium over-ear headset and wireless speaker as additional accessories.

Connectivity options of the device include LTE in addition to the standard high-end smartphone fare. The device is powered by a 2,275 mAh battery and supports Qi wireless charging.

Out of the box, the Vertu Signature Touch will boot Android 4.4 KitKat. Naturally, Vertu’s exclusive Concierge service will also be on board.

Vertu released a promo video for its latest creation. See it below.

The Signature Touch will be available to order this month. Each handset will be made and signed by a single craftsman in England. The choice of materials includes Grade 5 titanium and a slew of exotic leather options.

Full List Of iOS 8 Fmprovement and Features

Apple iOS 8 went official yesterday at the company's WWDC opening keynote. Several interesting features were announced and demoed on during the event, but a lot more were left out of the spotlight. Luckily, Apple at least listed those on its iOS 8 conclusion presentation slide.

So, Apple iOS 8 is another game changer for the company, but this time it's not the design Apple is focusing on. It's the third-party access to core system functionality and developer APIs.

Here is what we saw yesterday:

• Refined UI in multi-tasking, Mail, Messages, third-party sharing options among other system apps.
• Safari plugin support, bird-eye tab view for iPad
• iCloud Drive with 5GB free storage
• Third-party keyboards, adaptive default one
• Family Share - share and control the content across Apple IDs using the same credit card, children app purchase requests
• Handoff support with Mac OS X Yosemite - continuity from any iOS 8 iDevice to Mac OS X, instant automatic hotspot, SMS/MMS/iMessages and voice calls transition supported
• New Photos with smart editing, search, third-party filters
• Health pack
• Better Spotlight with automatic internet suggestions from popular services such as Wikipedia, Maps, IMDb
• Enterprise easy setup
• Better Siri with voice activation, Shazam integration, 24 new dictation languages
• Third-party widgets in Notification Center
• Updated App Store with category browsing, Beta apps, Bundles
• China gets lunar calendar, turn-by-turn navigation, better weather data

And here is what Apple listed, but didn't bother to detail:

• Safari Private Browsing per tab
• Camera: Instant Burst Mode, Timer, separate focus and exposure, Panorama for iPad
• Integrated iBooks with auto night mode, Book Series support
• Battery usage per app statistics
• Tips app
• Rich Text Editing in Notes
• RSS Feeds in Shared Links
• Wi-Fi calling support
• Travel time notifications
• FaceTime call waiting
• Improved accessibility, In Case of Emergency card, TouchID to exit Guided Access, Braille keyboard
• Flyover city tours
• New keyboards, dictation languages and dictionaries

This is what we know so far about the new iOS 8. While the iOS 7 brought the massive UI overhaul, the iOS 8 focuses on extensibility. It comes this Fall for iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPod Touch 5, iPad mini, iPad mini 2, iPad 2, 3, and 4 as well as the iPad Air

Alleged official image of Amazon’s phone emerges

Purported official image of the upcoming Amazon smartphone made an appearance. The image is reportedly the work of graphic designers at Amazon and has been verified as the real deal.

At a quick glance, the yet to be annoucned Amazon phone looks like a mashup of design elements from Apple iPhone (particularly the iPhone 5c) and the Samsung Galaxy S family (per that button below the display). The image reveals all sides of the device, except for its top. Unsurprisingly, the handset looks decidedly understated, much like the Kindle Fire of tablets.

This is not the first time the Amazon smartphone leaks.The positioning of the buttons, the SIM slot, as well as the look of the earpiece from those photos fall right in line with today’s image.

The Amazon smartphone is tipped to feature a 4.7” 720p display, Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC with quad-core CPU, 2GB of RAM, and six camera modules for 3D UI effects. The OS will be a highly modified Android build as seen in the Kindle Fire tablets and will only utilize the Amazon app store.

Amazon is tipped to launch its first smartphone at some point in Q3. AT&T is expected to be an exclusive partner. It will offer the device with a special monthly Prime Data package.

HTC One (M8) mini to be called HTC One mini 2

We already know that HTC is working on a mini variant of its flagship smartphone, the HTC One (M8). Today we learn that the upcoming smartphone and the successor of the HTC One mini will be called HTC One mini 2, according to the popular tipster @evleaks.

M8 mini = HTC One mini 2 [comments: http://t.co/XvFgRppiFI]

— @evleaks (@evleaks) May 1, 2014

The HTC One mini 2 is rumored to sport a 4.5-inch 720p display, Snapdragon 400 chipset with quad-core Cortex A7 CPU clocked at 1.4 GHz, 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory, expandable via a microSD card. There's also a 13 megapixel rear camera, 5 megapixel front-facing shooter, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 and Android 4.4.2 KitKat with Sense 6.0 UI on top.

The leakster had earlier revealed that Verizon will carry the upcoming One mini 2, but it remains to be seen if the carrier is going to exclusively offer the phone. And, outside the United States, we know that Swedish carrier Telia will be offering the smartphone after it accidentally listed the One mini 2 on its website.

If the rumors are to be trusted, the HTC One mini 2 will go on sale this month, but there is no official word at the moment.

Samsung Galaxy S5 mini support page spotted on official site

The Samsung Galaxy S5 mini has been rumored for a long time and we’ve encountered its SM-G800 model number a few times. This time it’s right on Samsung’s official web site (the Finnish portal in particular).

Unfortunately, the web page appears to be just a placeholder at the moment with no additional info. The Galaxy S5 mini is rumored to come with a 4.5” 720p screen, Snapdragon 400 chipset and an 8MP camera.The Galaxy S5 mini will be water-resistant with an IP67 rating, just like it's bigger sibling.There’s also an SM-G750 in the works, currently known under the Galaxy S5 Neo moniker. This one seems to be a higher end model - a 5.1” 720p phone with a 2.3GHz CPU - despite the lower model number.

LG G3 hits the assembly line, shooting for 10 million sales

The LG G3 doesn't have a specific launch date yet, but many believe that it will drop sometime near the end of May.

And LG must be a a little busy bee, as the Korean manufacturer is aiming to sell 10 million units of the smartphone at its release.

What further gives credence to these rumors is that LG has announced that it will be throwing an event on May 27th, San Francisco, New York, and London. The following day, the same event will take place in Singapore, Seoul, and Istanbul.

So what will be headlining the event? Why not the company's upcoming flagship smartphone? It seems like a safe bet that the LG G3 will be the star of the show.

Apple initiates an iPhone 5 power button replacement program

Apple has initiated the iPhone 5 sleep/wake button replacement program for those with a malfunctioning button. Under this program, if you have an eligible iPhone 5, Apple will replace the button free of cost.

Apple has determined that the sleep/wake button mechanism on a small percentage of iPhone 5 models may stop working or work intermittently. iPhone 5 models manufactured through March 2013 may be affected by this issue.

Apple will replace the sleep/wake button mechanism, free of charge, on iPhone 5 models that exhibit this issue and have a qualifying serial number.

Apple has setup a website where you can check if your iPhone 5 is eligible for a replacement. Not all iPhone 5 phones have this issue but if you think yours does then this is the time to get it fixed.

Oppo Joy goes official with 4” screen and a dual-core CPU

The entry-level Oppo Joy quietly got unveiled in Indonesia. The dual-SIM Android smartphone will go on sale in the country in the near future for about $138 in black or white color scheme.

Oppo Joy features a MediaTek SoC with 1.3GHz dual-core Cortex-A7 CPU, Mali 400 GPU, 4” WVGA display, and 512MB of RAM. There’s 4GB of built-in memory on board and a microSD card slot for further expansion. The handset boots Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with Color OS UI.

The camera department of the Oppo Joy consists of a 3MP main snapper and 0.3MP front-facing unit. Connectivity options include HSPA+, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and microUSB port.

The measures of the smartphone are 124 x 63 x 9.9mm, while its weight tips the scale at 125 grams. It is powered by a 1,700mAh battery.

There is no word on availability of the Oppo Joy outside of Indonesia. We wouldn’t be surprised to see the handset appear in more developing markets.

No carrier will sell Xperia Z2 in the US but Sony will

Sony recently announced that its flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z2 will be available in the US this summer. However, if you were planning to pick the device on a lower price with a contract, then we have some bad news for you.

According to a new report, Sony has confirmed that neither the Xperia Z2 nor the Xperia Z1 Compact will be available in the US stores in the nearest future. Sony will have its flagship smartphone for sale only on its online store in the US. And, if you are planning to get your hands on the Xperia Z1 Compact, then getting it from overseas is your only option.If you are a Sony or Xperia fan in the US, then all you got at this point of time is the Xperia Z2 tablet, which will hit the shelves on May 4.

Scott Croyle, HTC’s SVP of design is leaving the company

HTC’s Senior Vice President of Design, Scott Croyle is leaving the Taiwanese company. Since joining the company's ranks in 2008 as head of industrial design and user experience, Mr. Croyle has been the man behind the eye-grabbing designs of the company’s smartphone flagships, including M7 and M8.

During a lengthy period of transition, Croyle will remain involved with HTC product development as s consultant. He will fulfill this role until he hands off all of his responsibilities, including the design of the next HTC flagship device.

Jonah Becker, the right hand of Mr. Croyle, is expected to fill in the vacancy and lead the HTC design studio in San Francisco.

HTC confirmed Mr. Croyle’s plans in a short statement. See it below.

"HTC remains at the forefront of smartphone innovation. Scott Croyle will be focusing on special projects and dedicated on next generation developments."

In a move which is likely related to Mr. Croyle’s future plans’ announcement, HTC promoted Drew Bamford, the man responsible for the Sense user experience, to head of HTC software and services. See the official statement below.

"Drew Bamford is an experienced and talented leader at HTC with solid track records in leading and building our user experience team. Effective immediately, in addition to his current duties in product development and user experience, Drew will lead HTC Creative Labs and focus on innovative new products and user experience strategies."

Mr. Bamford will report directly to Peter Chou, the CEO of HTC. The latter scaled back its corporate involvement a few months back in order to focus deeper on product design and development.

Considering the industry-wide accolades which HTC has enjoyed for its industrial design, there is little doubt about that the successor of Scott Croyle will have big shoes to fill. Here’s hoping that the company will weather the transition with no hiccups.

Oppo R1S outed with LTE and faster chipset

Oppo has announced Oppo R1S - an upgraded version of the recently launched Oppo R1 with a faster chipset and a better camera.

  Oppo R1S

The Oppo R1S looks absolutely identical to its R1 predecessor, it even has the same footprint and weight. The 5" 720p IPS display also remains intact, but the chipset has been upgraded.

The Oppo R1 runs on MediaTek's MT6582 chipset with a quad-core 1.3GHz Cortex-A7 processor and Mali-400MP2 GPU, while the newly introduced Oppo R1S is powered by the Qualcomm's Snapdragon 400 with a quad-core 1.6GHz Cortex-A7 CPU and faster Adreno 305 GPU. The RAM stays the same at 1GB.

Due to the new chipset the Oppo R1S is LTE-capable, but it drops the dual-SIM support. Oppo R1S offers a more capable camera than its predecessor - it features a 13MP sensor instead of 8MP. Its extra features stay the same though - HDR stills, panorama shots, 1080p video recording.

Oppo R1S runs on Oppo's Color OS based on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. It will become available on pre-order for €290 (CNY 2,498) starting tomorrow. You will be able to choose between white and blue flavors

Major Asha update hits now with Mix Radio and new camera

Just as promised Nokia is issuing the second major update to its Asha lineup. The update brings Mix Radio, an improved camera with audible selfie assistance, Panorama, OneDrive support, Facebook likes, Twitter re-tweets and birthdays in Fastlane and built-in parental controls.

The update is being pushed over the air as we speak and should appear as a push notification but you can also do a manual check. The new firmware is meant for the single and dual-SIM versions of the Asha 500, 501, 502, 503 and 230.

Among the more notable features is the new camera with the addition of Panorama mode. In the event of taking a selfie with the back camera the phone will give you voice instructions so that your face is at center when you take the shot.

Microsoft's OneDrive is now available on the Asha lineup and can handle automatic uploads.

Finally parental controls will allow you to request a PIN code or password for browser and Store access.

LAVA introduces midrange Iris Pro 20 smartphone

New Delhi's LAVA has just outed its new Iris Pro 20 smartphone, which fits a 4.7" screen in a slender 7.7mm body that weighs in at just 112 grams.

The Iris Pro 20 comes in behind the company's recently-launched Iris Pro 30 flagship, which sports largely the same specs with the notable difference that its 4.7-inch screen sports 720p resolution, while the Iris Pro 20 manages just qHD (960x540 pixels).

Otherwise, the Pro 20 is virtually the same device: a quad-core 1.2GHz processor, 4GB of internal storage, 1GB RAM, 2,000mAh battery, and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. It even comes with the same dual-SIM support as its elder.

Unfortunately, the front-facing camera has been downgraded to VGA - likely to cut down on costs - but the 8MP primary camera still comes with dual-LED flash, and should provide largely the same quality.

We got a look at the Iris Pro 30 last month, not long after its release, and the device impressed us with its design with the exception of the fingerprint-prone back panel. The software had its share of bugs, and the performance was laggy at times.The Iris Pro 20 should provide largely the same impressions, except for the inferior screen resolution.

Pricing is likely what the Iris Pro 20 will live or die by, and its currently set to launch "soon" for INR13,999 ($250).

Oppo Find 7a is now on pre-order for €399

Oppo has put the Find 7a with a full HD display for a pre-order on its website. Available internationally, the phone can be yours for €399.

Oppo is feeling quite generous and for every Find 7a pre-order, it will throw in a free Easy-Cover in Navy Blue, a spare 2,800mAh battery as well as a free 32GB microSD card.

Oppo will commence the Find 7a shipping as soon as it stocks the first batch of phones. It expects this to happen before the end of the month.

The Oppo Find 7a packs a 5.5" full HD display, a Qualcomm MSM8974AB Snapdragon 801 chip with a quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400 CPU and 2GB of RAM. At the back, the phone features a 13MP camera with daul LED flash and 2160p video recording.

Samsung Galaxy S5 hit Korea todayto preempt sales ban

South Korean regulators caught the country's carriers violating laws that impose the maximum subsidy for a phone. The resulting 45 day ban of acquiring new customers that starts on April 5 would interfere with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S5 on April 11. The Galaxy S5 is going to be one of the hottest sellers for both Samsung and the carriers, so SK Telecom "strongly asked" Samsung to launch the flagship earlier. Starting today,SK Telecom stores and website willbe offering the Galaxy S5 at KWR 866,800 ($810) off contract.The other two major carriers – KT and LG Uplus – will also be able to sell the Galaxy S5 under some restrictions. Samsung is "very puzzled" by SK's decision to move up the launch. The phone maker adds that the international launch of the device remains on April 11. Even if the company doesn’t entirely agree with the carrier's decision, investors are obviously quite happy as its stock went up 3.7%.

Galaxy S5 could launch before April5 in South Korea due to ban oncarriers

The Galaxy S5 will have one of thebiggest simultaneous smartphoneblaunch in history when it hits 150markets on April 11, but inSamsung’s home country, an upcoming ban on local network operators
could result in the Galaxy S5 launching considerably earlier. The ban will stop all carriers from selling
smartphones for a 45-day period, which has prompted Samsung to aim for a pre-April 5 launch in South
Korea, according to a source speaking to The Korean Herald . Why April 5? Because that’s the day the
ban goes into effect for the country’s largest carrier, South Korea Telecom, which would be a serious setback for the launch of Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone. If the Galaxy S5 launches on its scheduled date, only South Korea’s smallest carrier, LG U+, will be able to sell the device as it doesn’t have to stop selling phones until April 27.

Nokia Lumia 930 and 630 may be unveiled at the Build conference

The Windows Phone 8.1 update is expected to arrive at the Microsoft BUILD conference, which starts on April 2. According to rumors it won't come alone – the Lumia 930 (Martini) and Lumia 630 (Moneypenny) may be unveiled at the same conference.

The Nokia Lumia 930 is meant to be a GSM version of the Lumia Icon. There will be differences though, the screen is said to be 4.5" instead of 5". There might be other changes too, similar to how the Lumia 925 differed from Verizon's 928.

T-Mobile and US Cellular detail Samsung Galaxy S5 pre-orders

A few hours ago AT&T announced it will be offering the Samsung Galaxy S5 for $199.99 with a two-year agreement with pre-orders starting today. Understandably, the rest of the carriers are rushing to show that AT&T isn't your only option and have published the pricing and availability details for the Samsung flagship on their networks.

T-Mobile US and US Cellular have also jumped on the Galaxy S5 pre-order bandwagon. T-Mobile will give you the Galaxy S5 for $0 down payment and 24 months of $27.50 (total of $660). No additional contract required if you already have one with T-Mobile. If you are a user coming from another carrier T-Mobile offers to cover all of your early termination fees if you choose to switch.

Oppo Find 7 50MP Camera Samples Leak

Oppo's upcoming flagship device, the Find 7, boasts a 50MP super zoom feature.

There have been some questions as to whether or not the super zoom is akin to zooming in on a picture using computer software, but after taking a look at the samples, it is clear that this not the case.

 Now don't go thinking that the Find 7 has a 50MP sensor, it packs a “proper” 13MP unit, but with the super zoom feature, Oppo claims that the phone can take photographs that are on-par with true, 50MP sensors.

After taking a look at the samples, do you think that Oppo's claims hold weight? Or is it just smoke and mirrors from the manufacturer? Are you more excited for this phone now? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks to Hwgeek for the tip!

AT&T announces pricing and availability for Galaxy S5

AT&T has just announced the pricing and availability of the Samsung Galaxy S5 on its network. The flagship is going to cost $199.99 with a 2-year contract or $649.99 without an agreement. You can also opt for the AT&T Next plans - in that case the Galaxy S5 comes at $25 per month on AT&T Next 18 or $32.5/month with AT&T Next 12.