Samsung Galaxy s4

Samsung is following in the footsteps of Sony by producing a water resistant version of its high end Android handset, according to info and images published by GSMArena.

The Galaxy S4 Active will feature most of the same components as the standard model, including a quad core processor and a full 1080p HD five inch display. The only aspect which is slightly less capable is the eight megapixel camera, which will be a little bit less stunning than the 13 megapixel unit found on the less durable Galaxy S4.

Samsung has yet to officially unveil the Galaxy S4 Active, although leaked images suggest it will come with a flashy red finish on the rear, as well as some clever design elements intended to prevent water and dust from penetrating the chassis.

This will give it the opportunity to fight back against the Sony Xperia Z, which has boasted the most durable design of any high end handset for the past few months.

Consumers are clearly attracted to hard wearing handsets, particularly if they are able to disguise their rugged capabilities beneath stylish exteriors, which is certainly the case with the Xperia Z and the Galaxy S4 Active.

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However, new reports from BGR, suggest that the iPhone 5S might come in a wider array of hues than any of its predecessors.

One sneakily snagged SIM card tray for the next iPhone is apparently endowed with a dull gold colour, which might mean that Apple is working on a slightly gaudier edition of its next handset.

It is also being rumoured that the iPhone 5S will feature a built in fingerprint scanner, making it much more secure than most other smartphones and allowing only legitimate users the opportunity to access its features and private data.

The finger print scanner rumour has surfaced in the past, most recently as part of a speech given by PayPal executive, Michael Barrett. As well as unlocking the phone, the scanner could be used to validate transactions carried out through the iPhone, which would make mobile shopping sprees all the more secure.

Hopefully, we will be getting official information on the next iPhone from Apple in the next few months, as it could still be on for a summer launch.

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BlackBerry Q5

This week BlackBerry gave the world’s media a first look at the brand new Q5 smartphone, which is set to go on sale in the UK during July and will act as a budget alternative to the Q10 and Z10.

The Q5 is a little chunkier and longer than the Q10 and while its 3.1 inch screen shares the same 720×720 resolution as its costlier sibling, it uses an LCD panel, as opposed to Super AMOLED.

Aside from these minor differences, the two handsets look largely identical on paper, since the Q5 has the same 1.2GHz dual core processor and 2GB of RAM combo that should give it enough power to run the BB 10 operating system with ease.

You also get a full QWERTY keypad for quick and accurate typing, along with a touchscreen interface, which is a real improvement over previous BlackBerry operating systems.

What remains a mystery at the moment is the potential pricing of the Q5, which should definitely be cheaper than the Q10 and Z10. Ho

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Samsung 5G

In the UK, we may only just be experiencing the beginnings of 4G networking, but South Korean mobile manufacturer, Samsung, has this week revealed that it is already well on the way to perfecting 5G technology.

With 4G data speeds at the moment you can achieve between 10Mbps and 20Mbps downloads when you are out and about, but 5G completely blows this out of the water, at least in lab tests.

Samsung told the Wall Street Journal, that its 5G connectivity will be able to deliver data speeds of 10Gbps, or gigabits per second.

This means you could easily stream a 4K Ultra HD movie direct to your handset without any need for buffering, at least in ideal circumstances.

Samsung even suggests that this could be used for the distribution of remote medical services in the future.

We will not be seeing 5G connectivity available commercially until the end of the decade, so there is still quite a way to go before consumers can actually use it. But by this point, the big increase in download speeds will be a boon.

For now, smartphone fans will have to make do with 4G-ready devices like the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S4.

The post Samsung develops 5G mobile networking appeared first on Mobile Checker.

The latest will be the Ascend P2, which is the most powerful device currently produced by the firm and could trouble class-topping competitors like the Samsung Galaxy S4.

It sports a 4.7 inch high-def display, a quad core processor clocked at 1.5GHz and even an impressive 13 megapixel camera.

Huawei is keen to keep its smartphones running for longer, so the Ascend P2 has a 2420mAh battery, all of which is packed into a chassis that measures just 8.4 millimetres thick.

The good points keep on coming, since the Ascend P2 is compatible with 4G networking and is likely to be a little cheaper than many of its contemporaries when it is released in the UK in June, according to TechRadar.

It is good to see new manufacturers emerging to shake up the mobile market and keep dominant firms like Samsung and Apple on their toes. The value-oriented nature of Huawei’s products should also make it a hit with consumers.

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HTC First

The HTC First was unveiled last month and made headlines because it was set to be the flagship phone introducing the Facebook Home interface.

However, it seems that the deep social networking integration has not been all that attractive to consumers across the pond, since US network providers are now dropping the cost of the device to almost nothing for those who are willing to commit to a 24 month contract.

The handset itself is equipped with middle of the road hardware and runs Android Jelly Bean, although the Facebook Home interface is of course the main selling point.

A spokesperson for network provider, AT&T, said that customers were giving the HTC First the cold shoulder not just because of its Facebook ties, but as a result of the range of far more appealing devices that are on sale at the moment, including HTC‘s own flagship device, the One.

Various people expressed concerns over privacy when the First was launched, since it offers far more personal information from Facebook on the lock and homescreen, than most other smartphones.

In reality, the First is probably just going to be a device that tests the water for Facebook, letting it work out whether it should enter the mobile market with greater vigour in the future.

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Nokia Lumia 925

Industry reports suggest that the Nokia Lumia 925 will be making its first appearance at an event to be held on the 14th of May, with London being the host city for the initial unveiling.

According to Hot Hardware, the Lumia 925 follows in the footsteps of the Lumia 920 and will run Windows Phone 8, along with a host of powerful hardware components.

This includes a 4.5 inch HD display, a dual core processor and a gigabyte of RAM. On the rear is an 8.7 megapixel camera and the main difference between this model and its predecessor, is the shape of the chassis.

Hopefully, the Lumia 925 will be a bit thinner and lighter than the 920, since Nokia’s phone is definitely chunkier than rivals like the HTC One and the Apple iPhone 5.

This is just a rumour at the moment, but Nokia is known to be developing a number of new Windows Phone handsets for launch in the coming weeks, so it seems like fairly solid information.

Nokia’s gradual revival has started to pick up pace and with more Lumia phones on the way, it could put itself in an even better position.

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Motorola XT1055

Google-owned Motorola has been relatively quiet over the past few months, allowing its rivals to gain traction, while it bides its time and develops new handsets.

Now a benchmark, which appeared on Japanese site Rbmen, appears to reveal that the next Motorola smartphone will be the XT1055.

Equipped with a quad core processor clocked at 1.7GHz, the XT1055 will definitely have the muscle to keep up with its closest competitors.

It will also be running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, although by the time it actually gets to market, there could well be a newer iteration of Google’s operating system onboard.

Ever since Google took over Motorola there has been speculation about what the newly forged relationship between the two companies might achieve, with various sources stating that a device, known only as the X Phone, was being built.

The XT1055 could well be this mysterious handset, although with limited information to go on, it is difficult to work out what other hardware components and features it will offer.

We are just a few weeks away from Google’s IO conference, which is often the venue for big product announcements. Could the Motorola XT1005 be unveiled there?

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Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg’s social networking service, Facebook, may be falling out of favour with younger audiences, as parents and grandparents flock to the site, but it seems that there is still plenty of room for its user base to grow, based on the latest figures revealed to its investors.

Facebook made  937 million in revenue over the first quarter of 2013 and its active user numbers increased by a quarter to 665 million.

However, the mobile usage of the site was even stronger, with 751 million people choosing to access it through apps and browsers on their smartphones, which is a yearly increase of 51 per cent.

The number of monthly active users on Facebook is not only a good indication of how the service is fairing, but how many people own smartphones, full stop.

Most modern devices like the iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S4, have built in social networking features that allow people to get notifications and updates from Facebook and other platforms, direct to their handset.

This type of technology keeps people engaged and probably accounts for the fact that Facebook’s mobile user base has grown so significantly and persistently in the past 12 months.

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Samsung Galaxy s4

The Galaxy S4 is still to be released in the UK but it is already shaping up to be one of the biggest selling handsets of the year.

Now TechView reports that Samsung is developing a new version of the Galaxy S4, which will apparently be far sturdier and more resilient than its flagship sibling.

Amongst its various durable attributes, this device will be waterproof and dust proof, which is good news for those who have had unlucky experiences with their phones in the past.

Of course, these features are also a key part of the Sony Xperia Z, which is one of the Galaxy S4′s main rivals, indicating that Samsung might well be worried about how its own handset will perform.

The Xperia Z may be rugged, but it is also very thin and seriously stylish, showing you can have the best of both worlds.

If Samsung is able to emulate this trick, then it would definitely be good to see a hard wearing Galaxy S4 hit the market. Sources state that it could be launched in the next few weeks, perhaps even appearing before anyone has even been able to play with the standard Galaxy S4.

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