Hasta La Gadget!

Samsung and LG have already embraced the tiny-tablet form factor. It only makes sense that HTC would want to carve out a niche of this niche for themselves. Rumors of a five-inch HTC device have been circulating for some time, but now a report from DigiTimes is lending some credence to those murmurings, and a mysterious handset from the Taiwanese manufacturer has popped up over at GLBenchmark. According to unnamed sources the company has been working on a flagship level (One XXL?) device with a stunning 1,794 x 1,080 display, due to be released in either September or October. If you’re taking that claim with a grain of salt, we don’t blame you. But, an entry for the HTC 6435LVW that just popped up at GLBenchmark.com seems to fit the bill pretty nicely. It has the same listed resolution, which we assume is actually a 1,920 x 1,080 panel with room set aside for Android’s soft keys. The device info has it running ICS, version 4.0.4 to be specific, on a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 — which should make it quite the powerful piece of hardware. The software build also singles it out as a Verizon handset, which means it’ll be packing an LTE radio as well. Whether the rumored stylus is included, a la the Flyer, remains to be seen, but, we shouldn’t have to wait much longer to find out for sure.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablet PCs

Rumored HTC Verizon phablet may land soon, with 1080p screen and 1.5GHz Snapdragon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 17:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Current reports indicate that the next iPhone is due to be unveiled on September 12th, and will ship into customers hands roughly 9 days later. Various case parts and specifications for the handset have emerged over the past few months, with new pictures showing off an alleged SIM card tray for the phone. As has been alluded to in the past, the new SIM card tray will make use of the recently approved nano-SIM standard, with comparison pictures showing the new tray next to the tray used for the iPhone 4S courtesy of nowhereelse.fr.

Apple’s motives for using a small SIM card standard are simple: the company is trying to save as much space possible inside the device. That can lead to additional components, or more room for a larger battery. The ETSI approved Apple’s nano-SIM card standard at the end of May, leading to speculation that the reduced size SIM would be used in the next iPhone. Rumors have also indicated that Apple had already designed the next iPhone around its own nano-SIM standard despite it not yet being finalized, shedding new light on the standards competition between itself and companies like Motorola, RIM, and Nokia.

More recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that European carriers were beginning to stockpile nano-SIM supplies ahead of the next iPhone launch, with BGR confirming with other carrier sources that nano-SIMs would definitely be used for the next iPhone. Nano-SIMs are said to be around 40% smaller than current micro-SIMs. It may not seem like a lot at that scale, but companies are always trying to find a way to cram new technologies into today’s smartphones without compromising on thickness and battery life: every little bit really does help.

As for the next iPhone, reports have suggested that Apple will increase the screen size to 4-inches, up from 3.5-inches. The resolution of the screen will see a bump to 1136×640, also changing the aspect ratio of the display to 16:9. Leaked case parts have suggested a two-tone aluminium back for the next iPhone, along with a repositioned 3.5mm headphone jack and machined drilled speaker and microphone holes. A new 19-pin has also been tipped to replace the standard 30-pin dock connector, but more recent reports have suggested that the smaller connector will in fact be 8-pins.

[via 9to5mac]

Next iPhone’s nano-SIM tray poses for its closeup is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The question on every smartphone owners lips when a new version of Android is released is always, “When is my device going to get it?” Manufacturers are often cautious in giving out exact timelines as phones and tablets need to be extensively tested before updates can be approved and rolled out. Sam Mobile has some information regarding Jelly Bean updates for the Galaxy S III, Galaxy S II, and the Galaxy Note, with Samsung seemingly busy behind the scenes testing each device.

According to Sam Mobile, test Jelly Bean firmwares for the Galaxy S III have passed the necessary tests, with Samsung currently working on a public version of the update. At this point Samsung is simply trying to finish the Jelly Bean update before getting the final approval from Google to release it out into the wild.

The Galaxy S II, meanwhile, is still being tested for compatibility with Jelly Bean. The initial tests are apparently “looking fine,” and Samsung is more than likely moving ahead with the update thanks to the strong sales of the Galaxy S II and large installed customer base. Sam Mobile adds that if Samsung decides not to update the device to Jelly Bean, owners will receive a “Value Pack”, not unlike what happened with the Galaxy S and Ice Cream Sandwich. The situation is said to be the same with the Galaxy Note.

As for when you can expect the updates to roll out, the Galaxy S III should see the Jelly Bean upgrade at the end of the third quarter or the beginning of the fourth. The Galaxy S II and the Galaxy Note will see updates during the fourth quarter, assuming Samsung gives the devices the go ahead. And what about the rumored Galaxy Note II? Sam Mobile has heard from a source that the device is still being tested on Ice Cream Sandwich, and that it’s unclear if the device will launch with ICS or Jelly Bean. If it does land with just Android 4.0, then a 4.1 update will be available a few months later in Q4.

[via Phone Arena]

Samsung’s smartphone Jelly Bean update plans detailed is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Nokia’s first Windows Phone 8 smartphones could be revealed as early as September, sources claim, as the Finnish company attempts to beat Apple to the next-gen handset unveil. One or more new phones running Microsoft’s latest smartphone OS are set to be announced next month, Bloomberg‘s insider says, though availability is only pegged as in time for the holiday shopping season. In contrast, while Apple isn’t expected to confirm the iPhone 5 until midway through September, the company is likely to have the much-anticipated handset up for grabs within a month of that.

Nokia itself has declined to comment on the rumors, though the company has already confirmed it will be holding at least one event in early September. Rather than the sizable Nokia World of previous years, for 2012 the company plans a series of smaller, “more intimate” events more akin to SXSW in tone.

The first of those to be publicly announced is for carrier and channel partners, and will be held in the first week of September in Finland. The expectation, though, is that a similarly-timed launch for press is also on the cards.

Exactly what the new Nokia devices will look like is unclear, but the company will probably stick to its polycarbonate unibody style – as on the Lumia 800 and Lumia 900 – for at least some of the models. A new flagship is also more than likely, pre-emptively challenging the new iPhone and other high-spec Android devices, while it’s possible that Nokia could use some of the advanced camera technology from the 808 PureView for a photo-centric model.

That’s something Nokia has been whispering about for some time now, though the eventual production model is unlikely to pack the same 41-megapixel sensor as in the Symbian-based 808. Instead, Nokia is expected to balance bulk with camera abilities, with a more conservative sensor that still punches above its weight for cameraphone photography.

Nokia Windows Phone 8 reveal in early September tips insider is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Well this is interesting: as we’re being inundated with rumors that Apple is set to reveal an iPad Mini, pictures of what appear to be the rear shell of such a device have surfaced on the Internet. The photos you see below were originally posted by Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo and later picked up by Apple.pro, and even though they do seem rather questionable (to say the least), the shell also does seem to posses the quality Apple is known for. Have a look for yourself.

What’s interesting about this shell is that it’s completely solid – there isn’t any hole for a rear-facing camera. That isn’t all that uncommon in smaller-sized tablets these days, as the Google Nexus 7 gets along just fine without a rear-facing camera. All in all though, this metal case looks similar to the rear shell of its full-sized brother, only in a smaller form.

MacRumors points out that the person who leaked these photos doesn’t have a history of Apple leaks, so it’s hard to establish credibility in this case. That fact alone makes us hesitant to say these photos are the real deal, and indeed, it’s always a good idea to approach rumors and leaks with a healthy amount of skepticism. The truth is that we don’t even know if Apple is planning to release an iPad Mini – though the evidence seems to lean in that direction – so nothing is confirmed until Apple makes an announcement.

Still, this is pretty intiguing stuff, especially with all of the hubbub about an incoming iPad Mini reveal. Current rumors claim that Apple will be announcing the iPad Mini alongside the iPhone 5 at an event in September, so we may not have that much longer to wait before we find out if these are legitimate or fake. Despite all the mystery, one thing is for sure: this whole thing about Apple planning an iPad Mini just got a lot more interesting. Stay tuned.

iPad Mini rear shell spotted in the wild is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.