Android 4.4.1 KitKat update improves the Nexus 5 camera

Google's Director of Engineering for Android David Burke has told in an interview for The Verge that Android 4.4.1 KitKat update is coming and it's bringing several improvement for the Nexus 5 camera.

He confirmed that the smartphone's camera will now focus faster and will aim to select faster shutter speeds, not relying as heavily on its OIS as it does now.

This means that post-update images produced with the Nexus 5 will have less motion blur and camera shake, but will probably be noisier than they are now. The white balance and exposure algorithms have also reportedly been improved. Check out a comparison shot showing the same photo taken before and after the update.

Besides the improved image quality, the camera app itself will launch quicker, too. In fact, it does so a full second quicker than prior to the update. The app packs a new progress indicator in HDR+ mode, which shows you how the photo processing progresses.

Burke says the update took his team 5 weeks to complete and in that time they've managed to pull off a lot of work. Check out some more comparison shots below. To see more images taken with the new Android 4.4.1 software update for the Nexus 5, check out the source link below.

  
Comparison shots taken with the Nexus 5 camera

The update is also fixing the face unlock bug of the Nexus 5. Currently, using facial recognition occasionally causes a bug with the camera app, which requires a reboot in order to start running normally.

 -Source

Samsung announces Galaxy Win Pro mid-ranger

Having gone unannounced until now, the Samsung Galaxy Win Pro has popped up on the Korean manufacturer's China web portal today.

   

The Win Pro retains the midrange pedigree of its predecessor, the Galaxy Win, but to a lesser degree thanks to its 4.5-inch qHD display. This is a marked step up from the 4.7" WVGA display of the Galaxy Win.The phone is not new or has been improved for good it has about the same specs as former: a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, 5MP camera, and optional dual-SIM support. The battery has been bumped up by 100mAh to 2,100 mAh, and while there's no word on internal storage or RAM size, we assume they'll be in the same 8GB/1GB neighborhood as the Win.Also, contrary to what the name may lead you to believe, the Galaxy Win Pro will run Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

NVIDIA Shield pre-orders start on May 20 for $349

NVIDIA Shield (previously known as Project Shield) is inching closer to the official release. According to a press release issued by the company, Shield pre-orders will begin on May 20 at shield.nvidia.com. The consumers, who had earlier registered on the Shield website, will be able to pre-order this handheld game console today itself.

According to NVIDIA, Shield has been priced at $349 and will also be sold at Newegg, GameStop, Micro Center and Canada Computers apart from the official website. The shipping will begin in June 2013.

For those of unaware of NVIDIA Shield, it is a portable gaming console with Tegra 4 at core. It supports not only the Tegra optimised games as well as regular Android games along with Android applications. The company however notes that some applications, which don’t work in landscape mode, might not be supported on the device.

“SHIELD is the one device that taps into the planet’s largest ecosystem of games — spanning NVIDIA TegraZone, Google Play and Steam. Rediscover your Android games with the mobility, control and performance of SHIELD. Connect to your Google Play account to enjoy your favorite movies, music and apps,” noted NVIDIA in the press release.

Here are the key features of NVIDIA Shield

• NVIDIA Tegra 4 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM


• Console-grade controller – dual analog joysticks, a full-sized D-Pad, left and right analog triggers, full-sized bumpers and A/B/X/Y buttons


• 5-inch, 720p multi-touch display


• Integrated speakers, Wi-Fi 802.11n 2X2 MIMO, Stock Android 4.2.1


• 16 GB memory, GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, a mini-HDMI output, micro-USB 2.0, a microSD storage slot, a 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack


• 579 grams, 158mm (w) x 135mm (D) x 57mm (H)


• Pre-loaded Google Play, TegraZone, Sonic 4 Episode II THD, Expendable: Rearmed, Hulu Plus, TwitchTV

CyanogenMod 10.1 officially coming to HTC One

Good news, HTC One users – the official CyanogenMod 10.1 (Android 4.2 Jelly Bean based) will soon become available on your smartphones.

The CyanogenMod 10.1 will support the GSM version of the metallic beauty along with the Sprint variant of the device. The ROMs are still in the alpha stage and the Nightly builds will be ready for download very soon.

The CyanogenMod 10.1 brings few new options, which include system settings, themes settings, lock screen settings, launcher settings and of course the Super-user settings. This comes along with the goodness of latest Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

Meanwhile, you can have a sneak peak at the features of CyanogenMod 10.1 for HTC One in the below video:

Next-gen Oppo Find rumored to sport Snapdragon 800 CPU

Rumors are floating around of the next-generation Oppo Find smartphone, predictably dubbed the Find 6. According to "trusted sources over in China", Oppo's next smartphone is going to pack the nerdgasmic quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and 2GB of RAM.

Other features that are speculated at this stage are a screen that matches the one of Oppo 5 (5" unit of 1080p resolution) and a 13MP camera. Interestingly, the sources claim that the company is testing out an 8MP front-facing camera.

The rumors also mention NFC functionality but don't say anything about microSD card support and removable battery - two things the Find 5 misses.Reportedly, we should expect the Oppo Find 6 to make its debut this fall, but a specific time frame or a price haven't been talked about just yet.Oppo made quite a splash and definitely placed its name on many people's watchlist with its Find 5 smartphone, which sadly is taking too long to make its international debut

Nokia Lumia 928-bringing PureView to Verizon

You’ve waited…you’ve been asking for it…here it is! We’re happy to introduce the Nokia Lumia 928, the newest expression of the world’s most innovative smartphone exclusively for Verizon Wireless.

The Nokia Lumia 928 is the latest installment of the Nokia’s Windows Phone 8 line-up and comes equipped with everything you need to capture summer memories as they unfold.

Imaging is king

The Nokia Lumia 928 features Nokia’s powerful PureView imaging technology, including Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), which makes it easy to capture blur-free pictures and videos every time, even in low-light. Along with OIS, the Nokia Lumia 928 features a Carl Zeiss lens – and photo buffs will love that a xenon flash is on board.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRuXQk8g250?enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&fs=0&rel=0&wmode=window]

With a camera like this on the Nokia Lumia 928, you can leave your digital SLR at home this summer as you head out and about.

Make a lot of noise

To go along with the stunning imaging capabilities of the Nokia Lumia 928, we’ve built in three high-audio-amplitude-capture microphones to make sure you can capture high-end, distortion-free audio even in the noisiest environments.

It doesn’t matter if you’re at a monster truck rally, rock concert or summer party, you’ll have the best audio possible on a mobile with the Nokia Lumia 928 thanks to these high-performance microphones that record sound naturally and distortion-free, up to 140db.

Stunning design

This phone was built to perform, but it’s also is a joy to hold. The front of the Nokia Lumia 928 is dominated by a 4.5-inch OLED display covered by Gorilla Glass that extends all the way to the edge of the phone, bringing a quality feel. This phone is perfect for summer because the screen is easily readable, even in bright sunlight and the touchscreen works even if your fingertips are covered up.

For added convenience, the Nokia Lumia 928 features wireless charging built-in. Simply place your phone on the Nokia Wireless Charging Pillow by Fatboy, JBL PlayUp or one of our other wireless charging accessories and power up.

Nokia exclusive experiences built-in

The software and services that make the Nokia Lumia unique are included out of the box with the Nokia Lumia 928. First of all, the HERE Suite brings intuitive location services that ensure you’re never lost or wondering what to do when in a new city. You can count on HERE Maps, HERE Drive+ and HERE City Lens to help you navigate your environment each and every day.

Looking for some tunes to get your groove on? Nokia Music features unlimited streaming of free music playlists that you can even take offline.

To extend the functionality of the Nokia Lumia 928, you can count on the 145,000 apps in the Windows Phone store. Getting things done on-the-go is easy with Internet Explorer 10 for faster, safer browsing and Microsoft Office mobile integration.

We’re excited to bring these stunning features accompanied by Windows Phone 8 to Verizon’s ubiquitous 4G LTE network, the largest in the United States.

The Nokia Lumia 928 will be available on May 16th atVerizonWireless.com and at your local Verizon Wireless Store for a price of $99 after a $50 mail in rebate. Also, a new 2-year service agreement is required.

As a sweet bonus – for a limited time – buyers of the Nokia Lumia 928 will get a $25 credit for Windows Phone apps and games with the purchase of the phone.

Samsung Galaxy S Advance Android 4.1 update now available

Samsung India has finally started rolling out Jelly Bean update for Galaxy S Advance smartphone in India. The update is now available via Kies app on PC and Mac, the OTA roll-out should begin in a few days.

Similar to all Samsung software updates, it is also being released in batches, so not everyone will get it right-away, but it should reach your device in the matter of days.

Samsung Galaxy S Advance is a pretty popular mid-range smartphone and it was originally launched with Android 2.3 on-board, with this update, Galaxy S Advance users will have access to Google Now and a host of new features.

Some of the changes that you can expect to see in this update are user interface improvements, enhanced notifications, better widget support, project butter performance improvements and a lot more.

Once you have updated your Galaxy S Advance, do let us know about your experience in comments.

In related news, Samsung Galaxy S Advanced had seen a price-cut recently, which makes the phone even more enticing. The phone is currently being sold for around INR 14,500 and with Jelly Bean, it is surely worth considering.

Next version of Android to be 4.3,will retain Jelly Bean name

Google I/O 2013 is less than a month away and if history is any indication, we are in for a new version of Android. But those waiting for Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie just might be in for a bit of disappointment.

According to some damning evidence from Android Police, Google is working on the next version of Android, but it's Android 4.3, not 5.0. Also, the build number is JWR23B, which suggests the update will continue to use the Jelly Bean moniker (the first letter of the build corresponds to the name of the update).

This particular update has reportedly shown up in server logs and was successfully traced back to Google employees. It has also shown up in comments in the Chromium bug tracker by a Chromium developer.

There is no evidence that suggests that Key Lime Pie won't be announced during this year's I/O but so far it hasn't shown up anywhere yet. On the other hand, 4.3 has made numerous appearances and the fact that it has a build number suggests that it is close to release. That Google would release a new version of Android this close to I/O and it not be the main highlight of the event would be strange, as would announcing two versions of Android simultaneously.

This leads us to believe that Key Lime Pie might be a bit further away than we imagined. Hopefully, it should be sometime this year, if not at this I/O.

You can find more information about this in the source link below::

Source

Samsung India eStore teaser says Galaxy S4 will be available tomorrow!

Samsung is not just hosting the Galaxy S 4 launch event in Delhi tomorrow but it seems it will be possible for users to buy the smartphone tomorrow itself. While Reliance Digital is taking pre-orders hosting its own launch event on April 27, Samsung India’s eStore is now showing the Galaxy S 4 will be available there from tomorrow itself. This is a big deal considering HTC, which announced the One in India as early as April 8 but it is still not available in stores.

Our sources in the unorganized trade are also claiming they will have retail units of the Galaxy S 4 as early as Saturday or latest by Monday. Add to this Samsung’s marketing muscle and it seems to be headed for another best-selling phone. HTC, despite having a brilliant product (read our review here) will lose out on all the great work they have done with the One by not bringing it to market sooner. Once people get the Galaxy S 4, with word of mouth and aggressive marketing across media, it will be difficult for HTC to sell in numbers worthy of the One.

Lenovo K900 benchmark scores surface, competes with Samsung Galaxy S4

Lenovo K900, the 5.5″ phablet with dual core Intel processor, was launched at CES 2013 and has been the talk of the town among tech enthusiasts for its impressive hardware specifications. The first benchmark score of the latest flagship smartphone from Lenovo has surfaced and surprisingly, the device rubs its shoulders with the recently launched Samsung Galaxy S4.

Before we get to the benchmark scores, Lenovo K900 comes with a 1080 x 1920 resolution with a pixel density of 400 ppi. The smartphone packs a punch with the latest Intel Atom Clover Trail+ processor, which has its two cores clocked at 2 GHz. The device also features 2 GB of RAM, 13 megapixel Sony Exmor BSI camera at the back and a 2 megapixel shooter at the front.

The benchmark test of the Lenovo K900 reveals that the smartphone is a touch ahead of Samsung Galaxy S4 and the K900 is surely one of the fastest smartphone in the current market. The benchmark test also confirms that the smartphone will feature a 2GHz Quad-Core processor and not a dual-core processor as rumored before.

Here are the images of the Lenovo K900:

Meanwhile, the guys from Hi-Tech Mail have managed to get their hands on the latest flagship smartphone from Lenovo. Check out the source link below for a detailed preview of the device.

Source

UMI X2 brings 1080p screen, quad-core CPU for unbelievable Rs 14,000

Blown away by the Micromax Canvas HD? Wait till you hear about this one. Chinese smartphone maker UMI has launched its flagship, the X2 in India, available online for Rs 14,000. The X2 is a follow-up to UMI's first smartphone, the X1.

That itself won’t grab your attention, so why don’t you take a look at the specs? For starters, the UMI X2 brings a quad-core MediaTek MT6589 processor, the same as the one in the Micromax Canvas HD. It also has a 5-inch IPS display just like the Micromax smartphone, but where the Canvas HD has a 720p display, the UMI X2 brings a full HD resolution. That adds up to 441 pixels per inch.

The UMI X2 has a 1080p display and a quad-core CPU

The UMI X2, you will remember, is one of many Chinese smartphones that are taking the world by storm, chiefly by packing in high-end specifications but at a low price tag. The high-end specifications are not limited to only the processor and the display. The 1.2GHz quad-core processor is coupled with 2GB of RAM and a PowerVR SGX544 GPU. We reckon that should be enough for any task you can think of. Well, maybe not for playing Crysis 3, but you get a fair idea. 

The UMI X2 runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box. We think there will be a few customisations, but looking at the images on the company’s site, it seems the handset is running an almost-stock version of Jelly Bean. The company says it will be upgraded to 4.2 Jelly Bean by April. It is a dual-SIM handset and supports a 3G connection on one SIM, which is pretty standard. Internal storage is capped off at 32GB and UMI has also allowed for a microSD card slot, which supports cards up to 32GB.

On the rear is a 13 megapixel autofocussing camera with LED flash. The camera supports HDR mode as well as 1080p video recording. The front-facing snapper is a cool 3 megapixel unit. The back of the handset is removable, so you can replace the 2500 mAh battery, if need be. All this is packed inside a 8.9 mm thin body. UMI has gone with capacitive Android navigation keys under the display instead of on-screen buttons, but it looks like the company has kept the recent apps button instead of the legacy menu button.

Here’s another look at the key specifications of the device

• 5-inch IPS LCD with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and 441 pixels per inch


• Dual-SIM, HSPA on WCDMA, GPRS/EDGE on GSM


• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g with Wi-Fi hotspot


• Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP


• GPS with A-GPS


• Accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, magnetic sensor


• 13 megapixel primary camera with LED flash and 3 megapixel front facing cam


• 32GB internal memory, with microSD card slot for further expansion up to 32GB

However, we have to admit that the handset looks like a result of something nasty the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Nexus did when no one was looking. Of course, in light of other rip-offs coming to us from China, this is a relatively original-looking handset.

Samsung Galaxy S4 goes official

Samsung just released its latest flagship - the Galaxy S 4. It packs a new 4.99" Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, which adds up to a pixel density of 441ppi. The screen still a new PenTile matrix, though it probably won't matter much at this kind of density.

      
Samsung Galaxy S 4 in White Frost

 

The international version of the Samsung Galaxy S IV is going to be powered by the Exynos 5 Octa chipset, which features four Cortex-A15 cores clocked at 1.8GHz, four Cortex-A7 cores running at 1.2GHz and the PowerVR SGX 544MP3 GPU. There will be a second version for some markets, which will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 chipset with its 4 Krait 300 cores and Adreno 320 GPU. Both versions will offer LTE connectivity and 2GB of RAM.

      
Samsung Galaxy S 4 in Misty Black

 

At the back, the Samsung Galaxy S IV will feature a 13 MP sharpshooter, while on the front a 2.1MP camera will take care of video chats and a host of new features that involve eye-tracking and hand-tracking.

The Samsung Galaxy S IV is slimmer than the Galaxy S III at 7.9 mm and even though its screen has grown it's actually narrower than its predecessor thanks to the slimmer bezels. The smartphone features a similar hyperglaze finish to its predecessor, though it has a different pattern on the back. At 130g the Galaxy S IV is also lighter than the Galaxy S III, despite featuring an ampler 2600mAh battery.

The new Samsung flagship will have three options for its internal storage (16GB, 32GB and 64GB) and they will all feature a microSD card for further expansion.

Just like the HTC One the Galaxy S 4 incorporates an IR blaster so you can use it as a remote control with your TV and various other home appliances.

   
Samsung Galaxy S 4 live photos

Samsung Galaxy S 4 runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and has several cool new software features to go with. There's Sound and Shot, which captures 9 second clips with sound (similar to the HTC Zoe), Drama Shot, which captures a burst of photos and combines them into a single image. Cinema Photo mimics Nokia's Cinemagraph and lets you shoot a video and then select which part to be animated and which static, resulting in a GIF image.

You can erase objects from a picture and record video simultaneously from the front and back camera (1080p).

Samsung has included S Translator, which works with email and ChatON. It can translate all major languages at launch with further ones coming later on.

Smart Pause pauses the video you're watching if it detects that your eyes are away from the screen, while Smart Scroll can scroll a web page if you tilt the device while looking at it.

Health and Wellness is part of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 improved TouchWiz package too. The S Health app can measure steps, calories and even the confort of your surroundings - temperature, humidity, etc. These features require the S Band and Heart Rate monitor accessories.

The Samsung Galaxy S 4 will hit shelves in April in two colors - White Frost and Black Mist. Pricing is yet to be confirmed.

Samsung to ditch Exynos & AMOLED for Snapdragon 600 & SoLux display in S4

Samsung Galaxy S IV has become one big mystery. As we get to closer the rumoured official announcement on March 14, more and more new details about the Galaxy S IV smartphone are coming out. Not sure if all of these are accurate, but the latest one is particularly interesting.

SamMobile is reporting that Galaxy S IV will be packing the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor in all Galaxy S IV variants instead of the rumoured Exynos 5 Octa in GSM versions. Samsung has traditionally used self-made Exynos processors in Galaxy S series smartphones as it is able to control the supply and does not have to be dependent on other manufacturers to provide it chips for such an important smartphone in its portfolio.

SamMobile notes that the Korean manufacturer has found heating issues with Exynos 5 Octa processor forcing it to move to Snapdragon 600. The Qualcomm chip is a great performer and we have seen that in the benchmarks of HTC One smartphone, which also packs the same SoC.

If this rumour is indeed true then it makes sense for Samsung to switch to Qualcomm processor rather than having a faulty chip in its flagship smartphone.

Another interesting piece of information coming out today indicates that Samsung is also ditching AMOLED for LCD in Galaxy S IV. It is even more surprising but for this decision SamMobile blames the problems Samsung is having with the production of full HD AMOLED panels. According to the publication, Samsung is using 1080p SoLux display in S4, which was also previously rumoured to appear in HTC One, but that did not happen. We know nothing about the SoLux display, but chances are that it is some form of LCD.

There is no way to verify these rumours, but SamMobile has a pretty neat record with Samsung related reports, making the current rumours worth reporting, but we would still wait for the March 14 to believe them.

In related news, Galaxy S IV is also expected to come with 13MP camera, aluminium frame, and removable battery.

To recap, the latest rumoured indicate the following specs for Galaxy S IV:

• 1.9GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor


• 4.99-inch 1080p SoLux display


• 2 GB RAM


• 16/ 32/ 64 GB internal storage


• 13MP camera


• 140.1 x 71.8 x 7.7mm, 138 grams