Forget the Galaxy S5, a QHD Samsung phone has leaked

Could the S5 be about to get a QHD sibling?

With the Samsung Galaxy S5 release date just days away, a new Samsung handset with a QHD display has leaked online.

Although the Samsung Galaxy S5 had been repeatedly tipped to land with a 2K display, the next-gen panel failed to materialise, with the unconfirmed Samsung SM-G906S now appearing courtesy of a GFXBench listing with a QHD screen in tow.

While further details on the phone are still shrouded in mystery, the benchmark test has suggested that the Samsung SM-G906S – which will presumably land under some form of Samsung Galaxy branding – will run a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution display.

Despite the phone’s resolution being leaked, the handset’s screen size is still unclear. There is also no work on an expected Samsung SM-G906S release date.

With a 2K display hosting Windows Phone handset having made a premature appearance yesterday, April 2, the latest Samsung leak offers yet another indication that smartphone displays are set for an imminent overhaul.

As the first wave of 2014 flagship smartphones start to hit retailers, with the HTC One M8, Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony Xperia Z2 all boasting 1080p Full HD displays, it is not expected that the first 2K or QHD handsets will be unveiled until the second half of the year.

Read More: HTC One M8 vs Samsung Galaxy S5

Via: SamMobile

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Microsoft teases the return of Windows Start Menu during Build

Microsoft has teased that we could see the return of the Windows 7 Start Menu during the Build Developers’ conference.

The Build keynote last night was used to not only launch the new Windows Phone 8.1 mobile OS, but also the first Windows 8.1 Update making it easier to use with a traditional mouse and keyboard.

Windows 8.1 Update 1 will be available as a free download on April 8 and seems to be admission from Microsoft that not everyone has gone keyboard free for Windows 8.1.

However, it looks like Microsoft could also be introducing some other dramatic changes to its latest desktop OS in the future.

During the Build Conference, Executive VP of Microsoft’s OS group Terry Myerson hinted that some key Windows 7 features could be coming with a future update.

“I’m not here to announce the next version of Windows,” said Myerson during the Build Keynote. “But I am going to share that we are going all-in with this desktop experience, to make sure you applications can be accessed and loved by people that love the Windows desktop.”

Among the upcoming Window 8.1 features was the ability to launch Metro-style Windows Store apps alongside other on-screen windows. You will also be able to resize, minimise and stack these Metro-style applications, just as you would traditional desktop apps.

He also added that Microsoft has plans to “enable your users to find, discover, and run your Windows applications within your Start Menu”, and used the rather exciting slide pictured above to outline his point.

That screen gave us a first look at the potential Windows 8.1/Windows 7 hybrid Start Menu with Windows 8 Live Tiles stacked up the right hand side and the standard launcher icons down the left hand side.

These traditional icons include Windows Store apps and the normal desktop applications like Calculator and Paint.

There’s no word when this feature will become available to consumers, but Myerson said the company “will be making this available to all Windows 8.1 users as an update.”

Read more: Windows Phone 8.1 Features

Via: The Register

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2014 FIFA World Cup to be shot in 4K thanks to Sony

Sony will shoot three World Cup games in 4K

The 4K content push has gained another serious backer as Sony and FIFA join forces to record the 2014 FIFA World Cup in 4K.

With sporting tournaments having repeatedly acted as a test platform for emerging broadcast technologies, Sony and FIFA have confirmed that this summer’s showpiece football event down in Brazil will see a range of matches, including the final, captured in 4K.

Set to be held across the South American nation between June 12 and July 13, three full matches from the 2014 FIFA World Cup will be recorded in Ultra HD, with the resulting footage being used to produce the Official 2014 FIFA World Cup Film in 4K Ultra HD following the tournament.

Although the 4K content will not be broadcast live, with national broadcasters yet to trial their own 4K services, the official film will be released through FIFA’s 4K online platforms after the final. Those looking to retrospectively enjoy the action in 4K will need a 4K monitor or TV.

“We are very excited to offer an entirely new viewing experience at the greatest sport event in the world, the FIFA World Cup,” Soichi Kawachi, VP in charge of FIFA Partnership at Sony said.

He added: “By leveraging our cutting-edge 4K technology and our premier products and solutions through our partnership with FIFA, we will deliver a unique and totally compelling entertainment experience conveying the excitement of the matches in Brazil with the depth and vividness that the ultra-high definition of 4K delivers.”

FIFA’s Director of TV Niclas Ericson added: “FIFA has a proud track record in embracing innovation at our flagship competition, to make sure that football fans around the world receive the very best in match coverage and experience.

“We are excited by the prospect of working with Sony to incorporate 4K technology in our production plans. 4K will propel fans around the globe into a whole new viewing dimension and it marks the dawning of a new era in the broadcasting of sport.”

During the last FIFA World Cup, 3D technologies were put to use, although the extra-dimensional offerings continue to fail in grabbing consumers’ attentions.

For those fortunate enough to be out in Brazil during competition time, Sony has confirmed its fan zones will offer glimpses of the 4K action.

Read More: Best 4K TVs 2014

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Amazon hires Portal and Far Cry designers to work on Fire TV gaming

Amazon Fire TV control pad

Amazon has hired the creative minds behind Portal and Far Cry 2 to work on the gaming side of the new Amazon Fire TV set-top-box.

The Amazon Fire TV was finally unveiled last night as the online shopping giant’s much-anticipated entry into the living room entertainment space.

As well as enabling you to stream videos and music to your TV, Amazon is also pushing the Fire TV’s gaming credentials - as evidenced by the availability of a dedicated game controller.

Beyond that, Amazon has been on a recruitment drive for game development talent, which has already seen the acquisition of Killer Instinct and Strider developer Double Helix.

Now it’s emerged that one of the creators of the seminal Portal series has also been snapped up by Amazon.

Kim Swift led development on the first Portal at Valve, having come up with the concept along with a group of fellow DigiPen students. Swift also assisted in the development of Valve’s Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 multiplayer shooters.

Now she’s working as a 'Senior Designer at Amazon,' according to her LinkedIn profile.

Following the announcement of the Amazon Fire TV, Swift tweeted confirmation of her new role: "Thanks for the congrats, folks! It’s been killing me to say NOOOOOOTHING."

It won’t be Swift’s first experience with an Android-powered console. Her Airtight Games studio produced Soul Fjord for the Kickstarter-funded Ouya console.

It’s also emerged that Amazon has hired designer Clint Hocking, who was the the lead on Far Cry 2 and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory for Ubisoft.

It seems as if Amazon is keen for the Fire TV to be much more than a way to play Android games on your telly.

Read More: Best games of 2014

Via: Kotaku

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New Gmail app lets you snooze and pin emails

Google appears to be working on a revamped Gmail app for mobile that will add several new features, including the ability to 'snooze' and 'pin' messages.

What looks to be a legitimate test version of Google’s ubiquitous email app has been snapped running by Geek.

The new Gmail appears to offer additional tabs for breaking your reams of messages down even further. At present you get automated tabs for Social, Promotions, Forums, and Updates. Next up, it seems, will be the addition of Travel, Purchases, and Finance tabs.

More interesting, perhaps, is the new Gmail app’s pinned feature. This lets you keep important emails floating at the top of your Gmail page, irrespective of the emails that come in afterwards.

There’s a clear toggle switch at the top of the page that lets you activate these pinned messages and bring them to the top, or return them to their natural position in the email order. The report notes that the current star system doesn’t appear to feature in this new Gmail app, which suggests that pinning will replace it.

The other interesting new feature in this test version of Gmail is the ability to snooze messages. This means that you can mark messages as read temporarily. When a certain time limit expires (it could be a couple of hours or a couple of weeks), like an alarm clock, these messages will effectively become unread and alert you of their presence once again.

You can snooze messages repeatedly, which should help with those important-but-not-immediately-relevant emails that tend to get forgotten.

It’s noted that this version of Gmail is unlikely to be a final version. Rather, it appears to show Gmail throwing a bunch of new features at the wall and seeing what sticks. At the very least, though, it’s an interesting indication of where Google thinks email should be going.

Read More: Best mobile phones 2014

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Nokia Lumia 635 and Lumia 630 announced as budget smartphones

The Nokia Lumia 635 and the Lumia 630 have been launched as the budget Windows Phone 8.1 devices.

Nokia announced the duo of budget Lumias to complement the high-end Nokia Lumia 930, also announced at the Microsoft Build Developers’ Conference.

Both smartphones come with Windows Phone 8.1 pre-installed, offering the new features like voice assistant Cortana and the notifications Action Centre hub.

Windows Phone 8.1 runs on the 4.5-inch FWVGA display with Gorilla Glass 3 on a 1830mAh battery.

They feature fitness tracking features via an integrated low-power chip called SensorCore, which works with the Bing Health and Fitness to provide real-time monitoring for data like steps taken, calories burnt and miles walked.

In the rear is a 5-megapixel camera and the Lumia 635 and Lumia 630 both run on a quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 with 512MB of RAM.

Both will be available in three colours (bright green, orange or yellow) with interchangeable shells and either a matte or gloss finish.

The Lumia 635 is a 4G LTE budget blower, while the Lumia 360 is 3G or 3G dual-SIM compatible.

if you want to purchase of these new Lumia smartphones, the single-SIM Lumia 630 will cost around $159 (£95) and the 4G Lumia 635 will sell for around $189 (about £115).

Read more: Windows Phone 8.1 Features

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Windows Phone 8.1 lets Microsoft developers create multi-format apps

Microsoft has announced that Windows developers can now create universal apps that work on tablets, smartphones and desktop platforms.

Windows Phone 8.1 has allowed Microsoft to let developers create universal apps that work across all form factors and can be optimised for all three levels.

One single API can be used to create a single app that looks beautiful on all Windows platforms, whether that be Windows Phone 8.1 or Windows 8.1 on your desktop.

This should bolster the app offering with Windows Phone 8.1, something which has always been a negative point for the mobile platform when compared with the vast offerings available with Android's Google Play Store and the iOS App Store.

At last count in December 2013, the Windows Phone store offered 200,000 apps for Microsoft's mobile users.

“The current holiday shopping season and all the great promotions are just underway, and we’re already seeing momentum build with the Store surpassing 12 million transactions per day and Windows Phone Store surpassing 200,000 apps,” read the Windows Blog at the time. “The best news is that we’re just getting started.”

Microsoft seems to be making it easier for developers to infuse all the Microsoft app stores with content, but still making sure they can be mobile optimised from the off.

Developers will be able to tune their app according to the platform, even adding smartphone or tablet specific features without having to create a separate app.



Read more: Nokia Lumia 1020 review

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