Samsung Galaxy S6 Release Date, Rumours, News, Specs and Price

Everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S6

The Samsung Galaxy S6 release date could be with us sooner than expected as a raft of Samsung Galaxy S6 rumours start to circulate.Although tradition would suggest the Galaxy S6 will not be unveiled until February next year, latest reports have suggested a huge drop in profits have forced Samsung to push the Galaxy S6 release date forward. The phone could pair this early arrival with an all new look, too.

With the Samsung Galaxy Alpha and Galaxy Note 4 having both been unveiled recently, it is now widely expected that next year's Galaxy S6 release will echo its siblings and adopt a metal design of its own.

Given the Samsung Galaxy S5 was as a strong, albeit slightly iterative update on the Galaxy S4, we expect the Samsung Galaxy S6 to be a more serious refresh which includes a higher resolution, QHD display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 or 810 chipset and even, according to some, a flexible body.

With Galaxy S5 sales reportedly falling well short of the Korean manufacturer's expectations, it appears the company is set to put its full force behind the Galaxy S6, bestowing the handset with a bevy of high-end hardware and software features.

Watch our video on what to expect from the Galaxy S6

While some reports are farfetched and others more likely, what is almost certain is that the Samsung Galaxy S6 will launch in early 2015 as a direct rival to the iPhone 6, remaining consistent with previous launches.

Given that the LG G3 has been unveiled with a 2560 x 1440p QHD display, a feature also bestowed on the Note 4, it is a fair prediction that the Samsung Galaxy S6 will also make the jump to a QHD panel.

We will be updating this page with all the latest Samsung Galaxy S6 release date details, leaks, news and rumours as new information emerges. Bookmark it now to ensure you are kept in the loop on all things S6.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Release Date

As you would expect, Samsung has yet to offer any official details on the distant Samsung Galaxy S6 release date. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t have an idea as to when the phone will launch.

Like Apple, Samsung has become a creature of habit, with the company’s annual product cycles bringing a level of expectation to certain points in the year. For example, September and the Berlin-based IFA conference means a new Note.

Since the Samsung Galaxy S2, the Korean manufacturer’s flagship phone line has been reserved for unveiling during – or within weeks of – the Barcelona-based Mobile Word Congress conference in February. As such there is no reason to believe this will be different for the S6.

With MWC 2015 to be held between March 2 and 5, we would anticipate that the Samsung Galaxy S6 release date could be confirmed during the manufacturer’s dedicated press conference on either Sunday 1 or Monday 2 March.

This tradition could be thrown off by falling profits, however. With Samsung predicting a 60 per cent fall in annual profits, analysts have suggested the S6 release could be pushed forward in order to stem the rot.

“Samsung’s profits in the mobile division will continue to deteriorate during this period of changing their line of smartphones,” Lee Min-hee, an analyst at IM Investment and Securities, told The New York Times.

Speaking with Bloomberg, Claire Kim, an analyst with Daishin Securities Co in Samsung's native Korea added: “We all know Samsung’s third-quarter earnings will be pretty ugly. The earlier release of its new phones could be reflected in its third-quarter earnings, it could give them a slight boost.”

We will of course update this post as soon as more concrete Samsung Galaxy S6 release date details are available.

You may also like:

• Android 5.0 Release Date, Name, Features, Update and News


• iOS 8 Release Date, Rumours, Features, Apps and News


• Samsung Galaxy S5 vs HTC One M8

Samsung Galaxy S6 News

Although the company has remained quiet on confirmed details, Samsung has already teased aspects of its future smartphones, a list expected to include the Samsung Galaxy S6.

Making the announcement during its annual Analyst Day in Korea last November, Samsung revealed that in late 2014 its first phones to run a 2560 x 1440 pixel WQHD displays will land. This timeline came to fruition with the Note 4.

Although not the company's first device to feature such a screen, the Samsung Galaxy S6 looks set to make the jump beyond the S5’s 1080p Full HD offering.

Despite being the company’s flagship phone, it appears that the Galaxy S6 will fall between Samsung’s technology cycles.

Although Samsung has confirmed it will bring 3,840 x 2,160 pixel UHD displays to its smartphone offerings during 2015, it is believed the Samsung Galaxy S6 will arrive too early to benefit from this next-gen panel. Instead, however, the S6 looks likely to mimic the rumoured LG G3 with a QHD display.

Offering a further insight into the Samsung Galaxy S6’s screen, Samsung’s promise to continue its push into AMOLED displays leaves little doubt in the technology within the phone’s panel. As such deep blacks and reasonable kindness to the battery can be expected.

Lower than expected S5 sales have reportedly forced Samsung to reassess its smartphone efforts, with the company said to be ready to put more emphasis on high-end design and premium materials.

"They made one mistake, one product that didn't hold up to expectations and they are paying the price," Counterpoint analyst Tom Kang said speaking on the slow S5 sales recently. "They will have to move forward and leave behind what has failed and focus on the next product."

It's not just analysts predicting a renewed smartphone effort from the Apple and HTC rival, Samsung itself has pledged to improve its handsets moving forward.

"We will strengthen our product competitiveness by reinforcing our premium brand reputation, powerful product line-up, and cutting-edge technology," an official Samsung spokesperson stated.

Now, claimed insiders have told Chinese media that the Samsung Galaxy S6 will be bestowed with a premium, metal design, much like the new Samsung Galaxy Alpha. The metal S6 body has been tipped by 'sources within Samsung’s supply chain’.

If moving to a new, metal form, Samsung will hope to avoid to construction issues which have troubled the release of the Galaxy Note 4.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Rumours

As with the S5 before it, there have already been suggestions that the Samsung Galaxy S6 will feature a curved, flexible display. With Samsung having already announced handsets with curved displayed - we're looking at the Samsung Galaxy Round and Samsung Galaxy Note Edge here - we can’t see the manufacturer risking its flagship brand with this novel technology. As such the flexible phone will be a separate handset in its own right and the S6 will be a more traditional offering.

With size being almost as important to Samsung as image quality, it has again been rumoured that the Galaxy S6 will feature a larger display than its predecessors. With the Samsung Galaxy S range having risen from 4-inches to 5.1-inches in just five generations, we can see the S6 topping off somewhere around the 5.2 or 5.3-inches. With the S5 still featuring quite a sizeable bezel, there is certainly room for Samsung to squeeze a larger display into a similar sized frame in 2015.

Another Samsung Galaxy S6 rumour that has already started to rumble – and will likely follow the phone to launch – is claims of Samsung finally ditching its fascination with plastic in favour of a more premium build quality. It has even been suggested that the S6 could utilise graphene in elements of its design as Samsung makes progress with the material.

Following a recent graphene development by Samsung, industry experts praised the potential implications.

"This is one of the most significant breakthroughs in graphene research in history," SAIT Lab leaders said. "We expect this discovery to accelerate the commercialisation of graphene, which could unlock the next era of consumer electronic technology."

Although there has been much talk about the first Tizen phones, Android will remain the OS of choice for the Samsung Galaxy S6, a feature seemingly confirmed by the manufacturer. Yoon Han-kil recently stated that Android "still needs to be out main business," despite the continued push of Tizen.

Depending on Google's plans, it's likely the Galaxy S6 will run either Android 4.5 or Android 5.0.

A selection of Samsung Galaxy S6 concept designs have also surfaced, though they're little more than fan 'visions' that offer little in terms of a reliable insight into the phone. One feature we'd like to see, however, is forward-facing stereo speakers similar to the HTC One M8.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Specs

The Samsung Galaxy S6 specs sheet will feature a number of cross over features from the S5, with a wealth of new offerings thrown into the mix. Given the focus Samsung has heaped on the S5’s water resistant coating, fingerprint scanner incorporating home button and rear-mounted heart rate sensor, you can all but guarantee that both will make another appearance next year and hopefully in improved form as well.

In terms of power, however, things are all change, and the chipset likely to feature within the Samsung Galaxy S5 has already been unveiled. In early April, processing giant Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon 808 and Snapdragon 810 CPUs. These chips are set to appear in their first handsets during "early 2015," a window that fits the expected Samsung Galaxy S6 release date.

With the Samsung Galaxy S5 running a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 chipset following the S4’s own Snapdragon 600 internals, the Samsung Galaxy S6 looks set to run either the 808 or 810 units.

Knowing what processor the handset will run has seen a number of further Samsung Galaxy S6 specs teased.

According to Qualcomm, the processing units will allow for everything from UHD 4K displays to be supported to the introduction of Cat 6 LTE connections and the option to run up to 55-megapixel camera sensors.

At present the 64-bit, six-core Snapdragon 808 processor is looking the more likely to feature, with support for display resolutions up to 2560 x 1600 pixels fitting with claims of a WQHD S6 screen. The 808 will also introduce LPDDR3 memory, a range of battery management improvements and an Adreno 418 GPU that will boost graphical performances by a reported 20 per cent.

There is currently no word on the phone's camera, although we would be surprised if the S6 didn't improve on the S5's existing 16-megapixel snapper.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Price

The Samsung Galaxy S6 price is one area where there are currently few details available. Given the flagship nature of the ‘Galaxy S’ range, however, there is no point holding out for a wallet-friendly fee.

At launch the Samsung Galaxy S5 cost £579 on a SIM-free basis. As such, we can’t see the Samsung Galaxy S6 price starting off much lower than the £600 marker.

For all the latest Samsung Galaxy S6 rumours, including details on the phone’s specs and release date, bookmark this page now as it will continue to evolve as new information emerges.

Share your thoughts on what you would like to see included in the Samsung Galaxy S6 in the comments boxes below.

readmore »»  

Atari Lynx at 25: 5 Games that defined the first full-colour handheld

The handheld heavyweight that fell to the Game Boy

The Atari Lynx is 25 years old today. This quirky handheld console may have been thoroughly trounced by the Game Boy in terms of sales and enduring appeal, but it had more than a few tricks up its sleeve.

When it first launched in 1989, the Atari Lynx was extremely advanced. Featuring the first full-colour screen in a handheld (the Sega Game Gear followed in 1990) and driven by a tasty 16-bit processor (both the Game Boy and Game Gear were only 8-bit), this was a true pocket powerhouse.

Well, we say pocket. The truth is that no pocket could comfortably take this bulky machine until combat trousers became acceptable to wear in the mid '90s - by which point the Lynx was all but dead.

However, it would take until the Game Boy Advance in 2001 for a handheld to supersede its capabilities.

The Lynx also had the ability to be flipped around and played 'left handed,' which was an unusual - but thoughtful - touch. It also had the ability to be linked to up to 17 other Lynx systems for multiplayer shenanigans, although finding another Lynx owner in your county was challenge enough.

The one thing the Lynx really lacked was games, but that doesn't mean that there weren't any good ones. Far from it. Let's take a moment to celebrate five of the games that defined the Atari Lynx.

California Games

Perhaps the game that became synonymous with the Atari Lynx above all others (particularly in advertising) was this slick extreme sports mini-game compendium.

Though it launched originally on the Apple II and Commodore 64, California Games was developed by the company that designed the Lynx itself, Epyx (which actually made most of the games on this list). That ensured that it really ran like a dream on the Lynx, showing everyone what the little machine could do while simultaneously selling the handheld's flashy all-American image.

Califonia Games itself was great fun, with six arcadey delights based on skateboarding, footbag, surfing, roller skating, frisbee, and BMX.

Blue Lightning

This launch title essentially ripped off Sega's Afterburner - and with considerable aplomb at that.

It was an over-the-shoulder (or rather, wing) arcade shooter where you took control of an agile jet fighter (these were the years of Top Gun, remember). What it lacked in originality it made up for in graphical chops.

The sheer number of smoothly scaling sprites it chucked around the screen showed up the consoles of the time for the technical underachievers they were.

Todd's Adventures in Slime World

Todd's Adventures in Slime World was a hugely ambitious adventure-platformer that saw your protagonist exploring a vast subterranean network of tunnels.

While it was special enough in single player, Todd's Adventures in Slime World was most notable for its showcasing of the Lynx's link-up capabilities.

Up to eight players could hook up and share a single gaming universe with relative ease - a massive deal in those pre-internet days.

Chip's Challenge

Another Epyx gem, unlike the previous games on this list Chip's Challenge isn't notable for any kind of technical wizardry. It's notable because it was really good fun to play.

A simple top-down puzzle game, Chip's Challenge had you navigating through 148 levels, pushing switches, evading enemies, and collecting enough chips to progress.

Chip's Challenge was so good that it flourished well beyond the limited confines of the Atari Lynx, being ported to various platforms and ultimately licensed by Microsoft to run on DOS and Windows.

Klax

Though Klax was originally developed for the arcade by Atari, and subsequently found its way to pretty much every early nineties platform under the sun, the Lynx version was one of the best.

Klax on the Atari Lynx featured extremely smooth pseudo-3D block-matching gameplay that, once again, topped the experience of playing the game on most home consoles, computers, and of course rival handhelds of the time.

Think of Klax as the Atari Lynx's Tetris, only more colourful and less popular. Which kind of sums up the whole Atari Lynx vs Nintendo Game Boy story, really.

Screenshots courtesy of Atariage

MORE: Best games to buy in 2014

Did you own the Atari Lynx? Whether you had good or bad memories, you can share your comments below.

readmore »»  

Apple may axe Bose products from stores after Beats-NFL spat

Apple and Bose are now competitors thanks to Beats

Apple may be about to end its long retail alliance with Bose, the maker of high-end audio equipment, according to reports on Friday.

A MacRumors source says Apple will soon remove all Bose products from stores next week, instead choosing to focus on its own Beats Audio brand.

The decision may or may not be down to a spat in the United States in which San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick was fined $10,000 by the NFL for wearing Beats headphones after the league signed a sponsorship agreement with Bose.

The rumoured move from Apple could be a retaliation from the firm, although there’s also the issue of a lawsuit filed by Bose against Beats which alleges the latter stole the former’s innovations in noise cancelling technology.

That lawsuit dropped practically before the ink was dry on the $3 billion Apple/Beats contract, so its not like Apple needed any more motivation.

With Bose now a direct competitor to its Beats brand, it’s also no surprise to see Apple axe the QC3 headphones and other Bose items from its physical stores. It remains unclear whether Apple will continue to sell them online.

Read more: Forget design, Apple needs to improve Beats Audio quality


Via: SlashGear

readmore »»  

Snapchat users at risk as hackers claim haul of 200,000 nude photos

Users of the ephemeral photo and video sharing service Snapchat face the embarrassment of their photos being posted online, after hackers threatened to out 200,000 explicit personal images.

Following the iCloud nude celebrity photo scandal, users of the 4Chan message board have now claimed a seized haul of images will be sent out across the web on October 12.

The leak is believed to have hit Snapchat users who employ the third-party Snapsave to store photos and videos that would otherwise disappear from the device if using the official Snapchat app.

Snapchat claims its servers were not hacked a part of the leak and claims users have been “victimised” by the use of third party apps. Basically, the company said that by using prohibited apps, the users are at fault for the leaks.

A statement from the company read: “"We can confirm that Snapchat's servers were never breached and were not the source of these leaks. Snapchatters were victimised by their use of third-party apps to send and receive Snaps, a practice that we expressly prohibit in our Terms of Use precisely because they compromise our users' security. We vigilantly monitor the App Store and Google Play for illegal third-party apps and have succeeded in getting many of these removed."

According to reports on Friday, the haul of images has already been uploaded to the internet, with a download link shared online. The link has now gone offline.

The fear for Snapchat and its users is the large volume of children who use the app to exchange messages. More than half of the firm’s users are aged between 13 and 17. The potential ramifications do not bear thinking about here. Some online users are claiming the 4Chan claim is a hoax. Most folks will be hoping they are correct.

It's not the first time Snapchat has been the subject of a dangerous security breach. At the start of 2014, 4.6m users personal details were placed online.

Read more: Apple to up iCloud security following nude photo leak

Via: BBC

readmore »»  

Lenovo Yoga Pro 3 Laptop Review

First Impressions: Lenovo shows the imitators how it’s done, again

Lenovo Yoga Pro 3 Release Date: End of October, prices start at €1,599, UK prices to be confirmed.

Lenovo’s Yoga concept is one of the most imitated in tech, but it’s rarely copied well. The Lenovo Yoga Pro 3 is its latest update and I wager the imitators will find it even tougher to copy the idea now.

As with the Yoga Pro 2, the Yoga Pro 3 has a 13-inch screen and a hinge that rotates 360 degrees. This gives it the unique flexibility that makes the Yoga series one of the few to truly master the hybrid idea. In the Yoga Pro 3, however, Lenovo seems to have fine-tuned the concept to the nth degree.

The key is a radical new hinge that Lenovo refers to as the ‘watchband’ hinge. You understand why when you see it as the hinge is made of lots of metal elements (more than 800 pieces of steel and aluminium) that link together to form bands that look very much like a strap from a watch.

This new hinge is vital because it has allowed Lenovo to make the Yoga Pro 3 considerably thinner and lighter than before. It weighs just 1.19kg and is a mere 12.8mm thick — it’s comfortably thinner and lighter than a MacBook Air. It’s hugely impressive.

Vitally, the new hinge feels solid, smooth and reliable. It isn’t, I have to say, the most attractive addition, but the fact it keeps the Yoga Pro 3 this thin and light makes that easy to forgive.

Another impressive feat is how the build quality doesn’t seem to suffer for making the Yoga Pro 3 so thin and light. The Yoga Pro 3 has a solidity that’s very reassuring and the keyboard, which is backlit, has a nice, robust feel to it.

Unsurprisingly, the Yoga Pro 3 uses one of Intel’s new Core M processors to help achieve all this. They’re cooler and more efficient, which allows for the extraordinary thinness. Other core specs are good, too. There’s 8GB RAM as standard, support for up to 512GB SSDs and you get the latest, fastest version of Wi-Fi, 802.11ac. This is a top spec laptop in every sense of the word.

That includes the screen. The Lenovo Yoga Pro 3 ships with a stunning 3,200 x 1,800 resolution screen that’s protected by Gorilla Glass. I only had a short time with the Yoga Pro 3, but it’s hard to imagine anyone having complaints with this screen.

The one area I have doubts over is battery life. Lenovo claims up to nine hours of battery life thanks to a 44Whr Li-Polymer battery, but the basis for this claim is quite vague. Lenovo states it used the industry standard MobileMark 2012 benchmark with the display at 150nits, but MobileMark isn’t an especially demanding benchmark. I don't doubt it can reach nine hours, but it says 'up to' for a reason.

That caveat aside, the Lenovo Yoga Pro 3 looks like a great laptop. It builds on the concept of a ‘four mode’ laptop, an idea Lenovo has pioneered, making it so much thinner and lighter that it makes me wonder what else it could achieve with smaller version. For now, though, we have this 13-inch version and it looks stunning.

readmore »»  

Driverless Tube trains coming to London from 2020

Transport for London (TfL) has revealed its future plans for the Tube, and they include driverless trains, more air-conditioning, and onboard Wi-Fi.

The trains will be "designed and built to be capable of fully automatic operation", according to TfL. They will have an operator onboard at first, and would only become fully automated following "extensive engagement with our customers, stakeholders, staff and trade unions".

In other words, there's a lot of talking to be done before the trains drive themselves.

The trains are expected to increase capacity by up to 60 per cent on some lines (that's up to 19,000 more customers per hour) thanks to walk-through carriages. They feature air-cooled carriages as part of a more energy-efficient system to manage tunnel temperatures.

They will start rolling out in 2020 on the Piccadilly line, and will also come to the Central, Bakerloo and Waterloo & City lines. The rollout should be complete by the mid-2020s, with the trains expected to last for at least 40 years.

The trains feature a new look, as you can see, created by design consultancy Priestmangoode. They will also do away with paper advertising onboard in favour of dynamic digital screens that update with line statuses and real-time travel alerts. And adverts, of course.

Double doors will be standard – so no more single doors – and TfL will introduce platform edge doors (as seen on parts of the Jubilee line) where possible. These will decrease the chance of anyone falling onto the tracks, and stop litter or any other objects obstructing the trains.

Last month, the Tube gained contactless payments, letting you pay for your journey using your contactless cash card.

Read more: London Tube strike: Apps to help you get around town

readmore »»  

iOS 8.1 beta files suggest higher-resolution iPad incoming

A sharper screen than ever?

We know Apple is holding an event next week, where it's likely to show off a new iPad. But could it have a higher-resolution screen than the current model?

One developer thinks so. Hamza Sood has uncovered image files in the iOS 8.1 beta that are 3x versions of the iPad's UI, Ubergizmo reports. The iPhone 6 Plus used triple-sized elements to keep its Retina status, which suggests we could be in for a higher-resolution iPad next week.

Of course, Apple could have used these elements only for testing purposes, so we're not betting the house on it yet.

Rumours have suggested Apple will unveil a 12.9-inch iPad Pro next week. But these rumours have been doing the rounds for a while now.

Whether or not we see a higher-resolution iPad next week, it's highly likely Apple will lift the lid on some new models of its bestselling slate PC. Odds are we'll see a new iPad Air, with 2GB of RAM – up from 1GB on the current model – and TouchID, so it can play nice with Apple Pay.

We could also see a new iPad mini.

Apple's invite doesn't give much away. It reads: "It's been way too long." The iPad Air was announced almost exactly a year ago, which is pretty standard in terms of upgrade schedules.

We'll be on hand at the launch a week today, so stay tuned for more.

Read more: iPad Air 2 Features: What we want to see

readmore »»  

Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 on sale 17 October

The Ace up Samsung's sleeve?

The Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 will go on sale next Friday, Samsung has announced.

The handset is just one of Samsung's devices to launch around Christmas. The Galaxy Note 4 hits the shelves tomorrow, while the Galaxy Alpha – Samsung's first with a metal frame – went on sale last month.

The Galaxy Ace 4 is decidedly more mid-range than these other two devices, however. It sports a 4.3-inch screen – tiny by today's standards – with a resolution of 800x400 pixels. Which isn't going to win any awards.

On the back is a 5-megapixel camera, while the front-facer is a VGA affair. So in terms of selfies, HTC's new Desire EYE doesn't have anything to fear.

It can record video in HD, either at 720p or 1080p at 30fps.

Software-wise, it's bang up to date, running Android 4.4.4 KitKat. And 4G is on board for superfast browsing. Both of which are nice additions to an otherwise slightly middle-of-the-road device.

There's not that much power under the bonnet, but it should be enough for basic tasks like emailing and playing games. 1GB of RAM buddies up with a quad-core 1.2GHz processor.

8GB of memory comes as standard, but it can take microSD cards up to 64GB too.

Spec-wise, it looks similar to the Motorola Moto G, though it's doubtful Samsung will be able to match that handset's low price. We'll find out next Friday, when it goes on sale through Samsung Experience Stores, and retailers including EE.

Read more: Samsung Galaxy Alpha A5 release date rumoured for November

readmore »»  

Xbox One to get screenshots and dashboard customisation in future update

Microsoft is working on adding the ability to take screenshots on your Xbox One, as well as to customise the dashboard with themes and background pictures.

Speaking on the Inner Circle podcast, Microsoft's Phil Spencer opted to share some of the features the company was working on for future Xbox One software updates.

"Themes and background pics are something that we are working on, and screenshots," he said. He made reference to that fact that fans had been giving him a particularly hard time over the lack of a screenshot function.

Spencer was unable to give an estimated release date for these new features, but he did suggest that they would arrive as part of the company's continuing monthly update efforts. "The team's done a great job with the monthly updates," he said.

While the Xbox One has had a tumultuous time of it since its launch - particularly in comparison to its great rival, the PS4 - the company has excelled at adding new functionality through regular updates.

In recent times we've seen a media player with impressively wide format support, external hard drive support, deeper SmartGlass integration, and more - all delivered in regular and (generally) timely intervals.

Read More: Best Xbox One games 2014

Via: The Verge

readmore »»  

Fitbit runs away from Apple Health

Fitbit has no plans to offer support for Apple's Health app, it's been revealed.

The company is arguably the largest fitness-tracking wearable maker in the business, so you'd can be sure that Apple would have loved to have it come onboard when it launched Health with iOS 8 last month.

Fitbit's name did crop up when Apple first unveiled Health back in June, but it all went quiet come the iOS 8 launch event itself. What's more, no such statement of support has been forthcoming from the company itself.

Indeed, the company appears to be turning its back on Apple's all-inclusive health data love-in. Through various responses in the Fitbit forums, it's clear that the company has no intention to play ball.

These brief proclamations include the fact that the company doesn't "currently have plans" to opt in to Apple Health.

There's also the rather more neutral "It is an interesting new platform and we will watch as it matures, looking for opportunities to improve the Fitbit experience," and "At the moment, we're working on other exciting projects that we think will be valuable to users."

Some of Fitbit's data can make its way to Apple Health through its integration with other fitness-related apps, such as MyFitnessPal and RunKeeper. But there's no direct link from the top player in fitness tracking, and that's got to bother Apple.

Read More: iPhone 6 review

Via: Engadget

readmore »»  

Motorola Droid Turbo manual leaks

A manual seemingly for a device called the Motorola Droid Turbo has leaked onto the internet, spilling the high-end smartphone's specs in the process.

Motorola appears to be on a bit of a run at the moment, with last year's surprise Moto X and Moto G success being followed up by this year's excellent Moto X 2 2014 and Moto G 2 follow-ups.

What's more, the company is looking likely to be behind Google's next Nexus flagship phone, which is being referred to as the Nexus 6.

There could be yet another high-end Motorola smartphone in the works: The Motorola Droid Turbo.

MotoFirmware has uncovered an extensive 73-page user guide for the aforementioned phone. Among the many regular functions of the phone, it also offers a glance at some of its key specs.

From the manual, we learn that the Droid Turbo will boast a 5.2-inch ultra high definition (or QHD) display, as well as a 21-megapixel camera.

It also seems as if the Motorola Droid Turbo will come bundled with the Motorola Turbo Charger for super-fast charging.

Admittedly, most of the information here is pretty standard (and thus uninteresting) guidance for actually using the phone, but the main thing here is the manual's existence. It's almost certain to be the real deal, so it looks like we can look forward to a Moto X 2014-topper in the near future.

Read More: Best Mobile Phones 2014

Via: Gizmodo

readmore »»  

Apple reportedly now fifth largest PC maker in the world

Apple has climbed to fifth in rankings of PC manufacturers, according to one research firm.


The ongoing popularity of the Mac range has seen Apple displace Asus as the fifth largest computer maker in the world. It now sits behind traditional PC heavyweights Lenovo, HP, Dell, and Acer.

That's the state of affairs according to the latest quarterly report from research company IDC.

If you're surprised that Apple is that low down, remember that the Mac brand is still extremely limited in terms of range and affordability compared to the broad spread of offerings from Apple's rivals.

It's also worth noting that if we were discussing profits on that PC hardware, Apple would walk away in clear first place.

Overall, the report found that the PC business had shrunk in the second half of 2014 so far, though not by much as predicted - 1.7 percent rather than 4.1 percent. This seems to reflect a wider trend of better-than-expected performance, suggesting that the troubled PC business might be stabilising after a period of decline.

Indeed, all of those top five PC manufacturers reported shipment increases of between 5 and 12 percent from this time last year. The rest of the industry didn't fare so well, however, with a 17.9 percent drop outside of the top five.

Apple's Mac figures should be boosted considerably in the next few quarters as rumours suggest that the range is set to receive a major overhaul. It's expected that a Retina display-equipped iMac will be launched at Apple's October 16 event, while rumours of a 12-inch MacBook Air with Retina display also refuse to die.

Read More: MacBook Pro vs MacBook Air: Which should you buy?

Via: The Verge

readmore »»  

HTC to bring selfie-centric ‘EYE Experience’ to other handsets

After launching the HTC Desire EYE selfie phone at a special event on Wednesday night, the Taiwanese firm announced it is bringing some of the same software to existing handsets.

The firm is planning to launch an updated version of the HTC Sense 6 user interface, featuring a camera app with what what it is calling the ‘Eye Experience.’

The new app will bring new tools like the Split Capture, Crop-Me-In, Photo Booth, Auto Selfie, Voice Selfie and Live Make-Up to older handsets.

Split Capture is an app that allows users to take a photo with the front and rear cameras at the same time. Crop-Me-In enables users to add themselves to the scene being shot with the rear camera.

Photo Booth takes four selfies in quick succession while the Auto and Voice Selfie modes enable photos to be taken without hitting the shutter. Rather shamelessly, the Live Make up mode adds a certain sheen to the faces of users in the process of taking a selfie.

The Eye Experience will arrive in the next few months on the HTC One (M8), HTC One (M7), HTC One Mini, HTC One Mini 2, HTC One Max, HTC One E8, HTC Butterfly, HTC Desire 816 and HTC Butterfly.

Also during the Double Exposure event on Wednesday, which also saw the launch of the HTC RE camera, the company confirmed that its video collaboration app Zoe will be made available on Android and iOS devices.

Read more: Hands-on with the HTC Desire EYE

readmore »»  

HTC Zoe 1.0 coming to Android and iOS devices

HTC has confirmed that the new HTC Zoe 1.0 collaborative video editing app is coming to Android and iOS devices later this year.

Improving on the HTC Zoe software introduced with the original HTC One, Zoe 1.0 will launch for devices outside of the HTC smartphone family.

What’s different about HTC Zoe 1.0 is that it’s a collaborative video editing app. Like its predecessor, it allows your to remix your photos and videos into highlights reels with themes and soundtracks. But, now those highlight reels can be shared within the Zoe community, allowing your friends to remix their content with yours.

Zoe 1.0 also allows you to create different size highlight reels. You can choose to make shorter ones with just a couple of still images, or longer ones with a series of video clips with interspersed photos.

HTC Zoe 1.0 was introduced with the new HTC Desire EYE and HTC RE camera at a special event, highlighting HTC’s camera expertise.

Zoe 1.0 is integrated fully in the RE camera, which means the device automatically generates Zoe video highlight reels that are ready to share after your holiday or day’s adventures.

They can be uploaded directly from the RE too, meaning you don’t need to sync the camera to your PC first.

There’s no official release date for the arrival of Zoe 1.0 and its related community, but we’ll keep you posted.



Read more: Best smartphones 2014

readmore »»  

HomeKit-ready hardware expected as Apple finalises MFi specs

Hardware manufacturers are now totally free to create smart home gadgets that play nice with Apple’s HomeKit platform in iOS 8.

On Wednesday, Apple published the final technical specifications for the platform under its Made for iPhone (MFi) licensing platform.

The specs had previously been available in beta mode to Apple’s MFi program partners, but publishing the finalised specs could open the floodgates for OEMs to press ahead on HomeKit projects.

9to5Mac reports Apple has included the specifications for pairing devices via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and the security settings required to safeguard those connections between HomeKit accessories.

“The HomeKit Accessory Protocol currently includes accessory profiles for controlling a specific set of home automation products including fans, garage doors, lightbulbs, locks, power outlets, binary switches, and thermostats,” the report states.

Apple has a MFi conference in China next month, where we could see the first crop of HomeKit enabled devices announced.

Just yesterday we brought word that the latest Apple TV software beta had enabled HomeKit on the set-top box, prompting speculation the set-top box could eventually become a key command centre for the connected home.

Read more: Apple to launch own HomeKit hardware?

readmore »»  

HTC Desire EYE announced: the selfie phone

At a launch event in New York today HTC announced the HTC Desire EYE, a phone aimed at people who love to take pictures of themselves.

The Desire EYE is a high spec phone and comes with two 13 megapixel cameras, one on the front and one on the back, as well as two dual-LED flashes – one for each camera. The top specs don’t stop there. It’s powered by a Snapdragon 801 with 2GB RAM and has a 5.2-inch full-HD screen, microSD and 4G – similar specs to the flagship HTC One M8.

Unlike the M8, though, the HTC Desire EYE has a plastic unibody design that allows it to be IPX7 water-resistant. It will come in two versions – a two-tone blue and a red and white version.

The focus is on those dual cameras, though, and HTC has provided a number of software enhancements to add plenty of functionality to your selfies.

The Desire EYE can track up to four faces during video calling and zoom into them ensuring you’re always in frame and you can even screen share. These tricks can be used on any video calling app like Skype.

The dual cameras also allow for simultaneous photos and videos to be shot in split screen mode so equal footing is given to both. The Crop-Me-In feature, on the other hand, lets you add yourself to whatever you’re shooting using the rear camera.



Read more about the HTC Desire EYE in our hands on review

readmore »»  

HTC Desire EYE Phone Review

First Impressions: The selfie obsession continues

If you think selfies are a blight on society then hide your face with your hand paparazzi style – this isn’t the phone for you. HTC’s Desire EYE is a selfie photographer’s dream. It comes with not one but two 13 megapixel cameras – one at the front and one at the rear. And these are traditional cameras, not the low-megapixel/large pixel affairs that HTC has packed into the HTC One and newer HTC One M8.

We’ll dive into the cameras, and all their clever tricks, in a moment but let’s focus on the phone first.



Launched next to the HTC RE camera, the HTC Desire EYE is at the top of Desire range and as such the specs match some of the best Android phones on the market as opposed to the mid-range ones the Desire name typically signifies.

The 5.2-inch screen has full-HD resolution and looks good in use. Such a large high-res screen needs some decent power behind it and HTC has obliged by packing a Snapdragon 801 quad-core 2.3GHz and 2GB RAM in the Desire EYE. That’s the same processor as the HTC One M8 has and means that the EYE will be a phone powerful enough to run smoothly and play the most demanding of 3D games. The Desire EYE is a high-spec phone.

And the high quality components continue with the inclusion of stereo Boomsound speakers that aim to provide the impressive sound quality found on the One M8. We’re not sure whether these are the exact same speakers, but they should provide some decent sound.



It doesn’t have a metal chassis, though. Instead, the HTC Desire EYE has a tasteful two-tone polycarbonate body – dark blue with light blue trim or white with red. HTC has used a single piece of plastic to form the body, which feels solid and grippy. Like the Samsung Galaxy S5 it’s also water-resistant, but the Desire EYE does not compromise good design to achieve its IPX7 certification. There’s none of the annoying flaps you’ll find on the Samsung or the Sony Xperia Z3, but you still get protection from submersion in up to 1m of water for 30 minutes.

I like both the heft and the size of the Desire EYE. It’s a big phone but it’s thin at 8.5mm and easy enough to handle while feeling like it can survive a knock or two.



In terms of connectivity the HTC Desire EYE comes laden with 4G, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n), NFC, DNLA and HTC Connect. You also get 16GB of on-board storage with the option to expand that by a further 128GB using a microSD card. Battery life should be decent if not outstanding. The 2,400mAh battery is a little smaller than the one on the M8, which is one of the better phones for stamina.

Now back to those 13-megapixel cameras. Both have dual-LED flashes and both shoot full-HD video. But they’re not identical in every respect. The rear camera has an f/2.0 28mm lens while the front uses an f/2.2 22mm lens.

The wider focal length on the front camera makes sense since you’ll generally be taking these shots from around an arm’s length away. The wider angle this allows means you can get more in the image from a short distance. The smaller aperture also helps with selfies as it offers faster shots, which reduces the likelihood of a blurry image when you’re taking unsteady one-handed shots.



In practice both cameras work well, although we only viewed our resulting pictures on the phone itself. We’ll need more time to figure out quite how good these cameras are.

Next, there’s video calling. Most people prefer to use a laptop because it’s a bit easier to keep in frame, but prop the Desire EYE up and you can move around while you’re on a Skype call. Face tracking zooms onto your head and follows you around, making sure you’re always in frame.

In fact, up to four faces can be tracked so that if you’re calling as a family everyone is visible. This works on every video calling app and so does screen sharing. The Desire EYE can flip the feed from the camera to the screen so the person on the other end can see what you are seeing. This is a feature Skype has on its desktop app but not its mobile one. Useful stuff.



We’ve seen front and rear cameras being used to provide image-in-image shots and videos before, but you get a small thumbnail of the front camera imposed on the larger back image. HTC has given equal footing to the cameras on the Desire EYE, allowing them to shoot in 50/50 split screen mode.

The selfie cam can even crop you and place you into a shot you’re taking using the rear camera. Spotted Jay-Z and Beyonce out at lunch? Then just wedge yourself between them. If you don’t live in New York it’s also a great way of getting yourself in a picture with all your mates if there’s no-one else around to take the shot.

Most phones these days allow for a hands-free activation of the selfie camera, but the HTC Desire EYE also lets you activate video, using your voice, by shouting out “action” or “rolling”. In addition, you get FaceFusion which launched with the HTC Desire 820 and allows you to create unholy blends of two faces. The burn-it-with-fire results can be truly terrifying when the only people in the room are technology journalists.



There’s no definitive HTC Desire EYE release date or price yet but it will be available from early November and we expect it to cost more than the Desire 816 which retails for around £250/$299.

Next read: Best Phones of 2014

readmore »»  

HTC launches its first compact camera: the RE

HTC today announced it has entered the camera market with the strange little HTC RE camera.

Announced next to the HTC Desire EYE, a phone aimed at the selfie obsessed, the RE is small, simple to use and shaped a bit like a periscope. The reason for this is that HTC want it to be easy to handle so that you always stay in the moment.

Peter Chou, CEO of the HTC Corporation, explains “HTC is reinventing the way we think about imaging. We are taking you out from behind the viewfinder and putting you back where you belong, at the heart of the action.”

The RE features a 16 megapixel sensor that enables full-HD video recording using a 146 degree wide-angle lens. It can connect to your phone using RE app so you can use your phone as a viewfinder but it’s not exclusive to HTC phones. In fact iOS and Android apps will be available from launch, there’s no news on whether a Windows Phone app is in the pipeline yet.

With just two buttons on it the RE is designed with ease of use in mind. Press the main shutter button once and a picture is taken, keep it pressed for two seconds and video starts rolling, press a smaller button at the front first and 120FPS 720p video kicks in. It even lacks a power button, it relies instead on a sensor in the grip to know when it’s needed.

The HTC RE camera will be available from November and will cost less than £200/$300.

Next read the hands on review of the HTC RE camera

readmore »»  

Google Now beats Siri and Cortana in voice search tests

Google Now vs Siri vs Cortana

Google Now edged out rivals like Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana in a recent comparison test.

A digital marketing firm claims Google Now returned more search results ‘enhanced with custom content’ than Siri and Cortana combined.

Consultants Stone Temple made 3086 queries in total to all three voice assistances. Google Now yielded a score of 1795 results with enhanced content, while Siri scored 908 and Cortana returned 630 ‘knowledge panels’

The queries were designed to answer specific questions rather than offer web results, according to Android Central, reporting on the comparison tests.

Google Now also scored highest for accuracy with 88 percent of questions properly addressed, while Siri and Cortana were correct 53 per cent and 40 per cent of the time respectively.

The study did not take into account how the respective assistants performed when it comes to making appointments via the app, or dictating words, only bringing the answers to specific questions.

Given Google’s status as global search overlord, we’d expect Google Now to come out on top in this department. While the tests are far from definitive, it still offers an interesting look at slice of a much larger pie.

Elsewhere today, Google Now got an update that’ll inform users when their bills are overdue. Thanks for nothing Google Now!



Read more: Android 5.0 L features: What's new

readmore »»  

Google Play may offer trials of Android apps

Google is reportedly planning to offer portions of paid applications for free in order to encourage Android users to part with cash on the Google Play Store.

The company is considering a trial program, which would offer ‘micro apps,’ for free, so users can see what they’re getting for their cash before committing to buying the full app.

The scheme, reported by The Information website, would be akin to a console game demo, or the limited amount of articles often offered by a website before the paywall kicks in.

Wednesday’s report comes as Google continues its attempts to replicate the success of iTunes and the App Store on its Android platform.

Although Google has surpassed Apple in terms of operating system market share, that dominance hasn’t been replicated in sales of apps, movies, music and more.

Apple leads the way in what it pays out to developers (and thus leads the way in the cut it pockets) and also does a roaring trade in in-app purchases. Android users tend to prefer their free apps.

The goal of the try-before-you-buy scheme would be to give users enough of a taste they’ll then commit to buying.

The trial would also users to save their data allowance by only downloading a portion of an app rather than the full fat version.

Would such a trial, that enabled you to fall in love with a slice of an app, convince you to open up your wallet more often on the Google Play Store? Let us know below.

Read more: Best Android camera apps 2014

Via: Engadget

readmore »»  

iPad Air 2 Features: What we want to see

An Apple event has been set for October 16th and it won't surprise anyone if the iPad Air 2 along with a host of other new Apple goodies is unveiled. It's going to happen, and it's about that time when we like to speculate about what we want to see in the new full-sized tablet.

While iPad shipments appear to have faltered in recent times, it's still easily the best and most popular tablet range around.

There may be Android smartphones that can take the fight to Apple's iPhone, but nothing really comes close to challenging the iPad - and certainly not the iPad Air in the 10-inch category.

That leaves us in a curious position when considering the iPad Air 2. The Air is still pretty close to a perfect tablet, so what can we reasonably demand of the follow-up?

Let's take a look. Not all of these wishes are likely to come true, but that doesn't stop us wishing them.

A8X processor

Both the iPad 3 and the iPad 4 had 'X' processors - that is, souped-up versions of the contemporary iPhone models' CPUs. It made sense, given the increased number of pixels that each was being asked to push around, and the desire to keep more intensive tasks flowing smoothly on the larger form factor.

That mini-trend ended with the iPad Air, so capable was the 64-bit A7 chip that made its way over from the iPhone 5S.

Now, does that mean that the iPad Air 2 will simply come with the same A8 as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus? It seems that way.

However, it's worth noting that even the super-sharp 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus display is pushing around far fewer pixels than the iPad Air. We're talking 1334 x 750 versus 2048 x 1536.

All of which is a round-about way of saying that we'd quite like some extra power on tap for the new tablet. We want an A8X for the iPad Air 2. Are we being greedy?

Touch ID

This is kind of where 'what we want' briefly crosses over with 'what we're going to get.' We'd be very surprised indeed if the iPad Air 2 didn't ship with Touch ID.

After a limited start with the iPhone 5S, and a complete no-show with the subsequent iPad Air, Apple's fingerprint recognition system is finally ready to take the training wheels off. Apple Pay and online payments will soon be making full use of this clever piece of technology.

That means that Apple's next flagship tablet simply has to have Touch ID. We want it, and we're probably going to get it.

4K display

From what we're almost certain to get, to what we're probably not going to get. We'd really like to see the iPad Air 2 to come with a sharper, 4K-equivalent display, though we're not holding out much hope.

There are already rival smartphones around with similar resolutions to Apple's largest iOS device. The LG G3 has a QHD or 2K (2560 x 1440) resolution, as does the imminent Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

While it could be argued whether the benefits at this sub-6-inch size outweigh the drawbacks to battery life, the fact remains that such a resolution bump is attainable, and the difference to Full HD is noticeable even at this size.

Imagine how much of an improvement, then, a 4K (or 4K-equivalent, given Apple's unique approach to resolution standards) screen would have on a 9.7-inch display.

Haptic touch display

Rumours of an iPad with a haptic touch display have been going around for years, but something's changed in recent months to make us really start considering it anew. The Apple Watch.

Apple hasn't supplied anything like all of the details for its new smartwatch, but we do know that it incorporates sophisticated haptic feedback to provide discrete and highly nuanced notifications.

On a much larger tablet format, such finely controlled vibrations could attribute varying textures to different screen elements, making for a more immersive, tactile, and instinctive experience.

It could also represent a notable step forward for the iPad range as a productivity tool, as proper physical feedback (or the impression of such) would improve things like typing and drawing

on the iPad considerably.

Improved front-facing camera

Stuff the iPad's rear camera. As we all know, taking pictures with a tablet, especially in a public environment, is wrong.

We'd like to see Apple halting work on the iPad Air 2's main camera - it's already in a more-than-good-enough state - and really address the front-facing camera.

After all, the iPad range is great for video conferencing, thanks to that large and sharp display. With an improved processor and (as is rumoured) 2GB of RAM, the iPad Air 2 should be even better suited to feeding through multiple video sources.

So, we'd like to see a vastly improved front-facing camera with a much larger image sensor to let more light in.

Next, read our round-up of the best tablets to buy

What do you want to see from the new iPad? Let us know in the comments below.

readmore »»  

iPad launch 2014 confirmed for October 16

Apple has confirmed it will hold a special event on October 16 in Berlin, most likely to be for the iPad mini 3 and iPad Air 2.

The Cupertino company has issued press invites for a Berlin-based event on October 16, reinforcing previous rumours Apple will launch its new iPad models on that date.

Although the rather pain invite doesn't actually mention iPads at all - baring on the tagline "It's been way too long" - the event follows the launch pattern for an iPad refresh.

It may well be that there is something to read into that tagline though. Apple hasn't launched an Apple TV set top box for a number of years, so is now the time Apple lifts the lid on its Amazon Fire TV rival?

Apple may also be preparing to launch a 6th generation iPod Touch, as we haven't had a new one of those for a while either. Plus, we're still mourning the loss of the iPod Classic.

TrustedReviews will be on hand to bring you all the latest from the Apple event next week, so stay tuned.

Read more: Best tablets 2014

readmore »»  

Samsung Galaxy A5 release date rumoured to sit in November

The Samsung Galaxy A5, the next ‘premium design’ Android phone after the Galaxy Alpha, could be released as soon as November.

Next month we’ll see the blueprint for Samsung’s 2015 phones, in the shape of the Samsung Galaxy A5, which will be released in November according to SamMobile.

The site cited unspecified sources for the rumour, alongside suggestions that its big brother, the Galaxy A7, will use a 1080p resolution screen instead of the reported 720p one.

These A-series phone mark a move away from the design style used in phones like the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4. They use aluminium where previously we’d have seen chrome-effect plastic.

The Samsung Galaxy A5 is here to class-up Samsung’s design reputation, in other words.

News of the Galaxy A5’s November release date and the A7’s Full HD screen only refer to what’s expected in China, though. It’s no guarantee we’ll see the Galaxy A5 this year in the UK, or that the European version of the Alpha A7 won’t use a 720p display.



The turnaround

Both are mid-range phones that act as a test run of Samsung’s new design style before it brings out the big guns with the Galaxy S6 next year.

Despite being the biggest name in Android phones, there’s a perception that Samsung needs to ‘turn things around’ after recent financial results.

Yesterday, 7 October, Samsung announced that its Q3 profits are expected to be disappointing, the company planning for a 60 per cent year-on-year drop.

The blame has been laid at the feet of the Samsung Galaxy S5’s sales figures, and that the Galaxy Note 4 was not released in time to make up the difference.



Read more: Best mobile phones

readmore »»