PeAkGAru

Wednesday, 5 March 2014

Apple's next iPhone, which is expected to debut this year, has been purportedly leaked in an image showing only the front panel of the smartphone, sporting almost no bezels. Another leak indicates just what the iPhone 6's camera hardware might be.

The image has been leaked by a French publication which purportedly shows the front bezels of three iPhone devices, specifically, the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 or iPhone 5s, and what is alleged to be the iPhone 6, showing the progressively thinner bezels. The right most (pictured above) in the leaked image is believed to be the iPhone 6.

As of now, there is no official word on whether the alleged iPhone 6 will pack a larger display than the iPhone 5s, or will once again sport a 4-inch display.

In addition, another report cites an Apple insider who claims that the iPhone 6 will pack a larger 8-megapixel camera sensor, and will sport an aperture size of f/2.0, as compared to the iPhone 5's f/2.4 and iPhone 5s' f/2.2.

The rumoured f/2.0 aperture in the alleged iPhone 6 is said to allow the device to take better low-light shots.

Further, according to GforGames who cited the insider, the alleged iPhone 6 will sport OIS (optical image stabilisation) and a CMOS sensor manufactured by Sony.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co has started producing chips to be used in Apple's next iPhone, reports said Wednesday, as speculation swirls that US firm could be offloading rival Samsung as a supplier.

The world's leading contract microchip maker started producing the A8 Apple's latest of the line of processors tipped to power the expected iPhone 6 last month, the Taipei-based Commercial Times reported, citing supply chain sources.

The reports said TSMC had swept most of the manufacturing orders for logic and power management integrated chips that would be installed on the handset. The Commercial Times forecast the new phone, which will likely have a 4.7-inch screen, to hit shelves early in the third quarter.

TSMC declined to comment on the report, but the firm's shares closed up 2.33 percent at Tw$110.0 Wednesday.

The news has fed rumours that Apple is reducing its reliance for parts on South Korean giant Samsung, its main competitor in the mobile phone market and a bitter rival with which it is contesting several copyright court battles globally.

he Chinese manufacturer on Tuesday posted two different teaser images to Facebook and Sina Weibo, mentioning the two different resolutions for the Oppo Find 7. Both posts reveal that the company will launch a Oppo Find 7 variant with a Quad-HD (1440x2560 pixel) display, and another with a full-HD (1080x1920 pixel) display. "Two models of the Find 7 are coming on March 19. #Find7 #AlwaysImprove", the Facebook postsays.

Few confirmed specifications for Oppo Find 7 Quad-HD variant, from previous teasers, are that, include a 5.5-inch display at 538ppi, and 4G LTE connectivity. The company will also debut a new 'Touch On Lens' feature with their upcoming flagship. The storage capacity on the device is unknown but it is confirmed to have an expandable storage.

Apart from these official details, several rumours have indicated other specifications of the Oppo Find 7. The wildest rumour of these is about the 50-megapixel camera, which might only be on the premium Quad-HD variant of the device. Oppo published a 6120x8160 pixel (9.7MB) sample image on its Chinese social media account, and the resolution of the image does match a 50-megapixel camera image.

Other rumours about the specifications of the Quad-HD variant of the Oppo Find 7 are related to the processor. A report by PhoneArena suggests it to have a Snapdragon 801 SoC processor. However the other variant is speculated to have a Snapdragon 800 chipset, but there are no other details available for the variant as yet.

Micromax has launched its first octa-core smartphone, the Canvas Knight, in India at Rs. 19,999.

The popular domestic handset maker has announced that the Canvas Knight smartphone will be exclusively available via company's online store starting Wednesday.

The highlight of the Micromax Canvas Knight is its octa-core MediaTek (MT6592T) processor clocked at 2GHz, coupled with 2GB of RAM.

The Canvas Knight offers dual-SIM (both Micro-SIMs) support and runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box. It comes with a 5-inch (1080x1920 pixels) full-HD IPS display with a pixel density of 443ppi.

The Canvas Knight comes with 32GB of inbuilt storage, which is non-expandable. It sports a 16-megapixel rear camera with OmniVision CameraChip sensor and M8 Largan Lens, while there is a secondary 8-megapixel front-facing camera.

On the connectivity front, the Canvas Knight includes 3G, Wi-Fi, Micro-USB, and Bluetooth. The new smartphone from Micromax packs a 2350mAh battery, which is rated to deliver up to 7.5 hours of talk time and up to 175 hours of standby time.

The Micromax Canvas Knight comes preloaded with apps such as BBM, Hike, GetIt, Truecaller, Spuul, Kingsoft Office Suite, Opera Mini, M!Live, M!Vault, M!Security and Games (RealSteel WRB, Where's My Perry and Where's My Water).

The smartphone will be available in three colour variants: Black, Black and Gold, and White and Gold.

Commenting on the launch, Rahul Sharma, Co-Founder, Micromax said, "Canvas Knight is another milestone for Micromax to bring the best combination of technology, style and affordability for the masses." He further added, "With the launch of Canvas Knight, our first octa-core smartphone, we have yet again raised the bar of affordable innovation in the country".

Dr. Finbarr Moynihan, General Manager, International Sales & Marketing, MediaTek Inc, said, "The MT6592T enables consumers to experience premium gaming performance and enhanced web browsing. With MediaTek's tru octa-core MT6592T, users can enjoy heavy web downloading, hardcore gaming, high-quality premium video viewing or other types of rigorous multitasking without experiencing lag times or excessive battery consumption."

KEY SPECS

Display

5.00-inch

Processor

2GHz

Front Camera

8-megapixel

Resolution

1080x1920 pixels

RAM

2GB

OS

Android 4.2.2

Storage

32GB

Rear Camera

16-megapixel

Battery capacity

2350mAh

Nokia's first Android smartphone, the Nokia X, is now listed at an online retailer in India, with a price of Rs. 8,500. The retailer claims the Nokia X smartphone will be available from 15 March 2014.

The Finnish manufacturer had soon after its MWC 2014 event, listed the Nokia X, Nokia X+ and Nokia XLdual-SIM variants on its India site, without pricing or availability details. At the MWC 2014 launch, the company had said the Nokia X would go on sale 'immediately' in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, India, Latin America, and the Middle East.

The Nokia X has been listed on the Mobile Store and was first spotted by Maktech blog. The Nokia X is available in its Black, Green, Cyan, Yellow, Red, and White colour variants. Of course since this is a third-party store, one cannot be certain if this will be the official launch price, whenever the phone is unveiled in India.

The recently unveiled Samsung Galaxy S5 handset has now been listed at two online retailers in Europe, with pricing, giving us a rough indication of how much the South Korean giant's latest flagship smartphone will cost when it hits other markets, including India.

The Galaxy S5 is listed for pre-order on Clove UK, and for registration for notification on Amazon Spain. The Clove UK price for the Galaxy S5 is GBP 550 (approximately Rs. 56,900), though the retailer has specified the price could change by launch. This is the price for the 16GB variant, and available in White, Blue, Black and Golden.

On Amazon Spain, the Samsung Galaxy S5 has been given a price tag of EUR 729 (Rs. 62,200 approximately), however, users will only be able to register for further notification, and not place an order yet. The price given is for the 16GB built-in storage variant, and available in all four-colour variants.

According to previous reports, the Samsung Galaxy S5 will arrive at a price tag cheaper than its predecessor, Samsung Galaxy S4, at launch. According to a Korean publication, it has been claimed that Samsung is also considering pricing its latest 2014 flagship lower than the competition, such as the Sony Xperia Z2.

Notably, the Xperia Z2 was on Monday listed for pre-order in several European nations, on official country-specific Sony pages. For the Xperia Z2, prices were lowest in Germany, where Sony had listed it at EUR 599 (roughly Rs. 51,000).

We'd first heard of the rumoured lower pricing of the Galaxy S5 in a report earlier in February that suggested that Samsung would price its latest smartphone lower than the previous Galaxy S flagships. As per the report, the lower pricing suggestion for the Galaxy S5 has been recommended by wireless carriers. However, the reports did not indicate what the actual pricing of the Galaxy S5 will be for any market.

Some savvy Bitcoin investors have a solution to cyber-thieves and instability shaking online exchanges: they print out their virtual savings and hide them in the real world.

The shuttering this week of Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox and fears that hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the virtual currency have been lost or stolen are pushing investors to tighten their security.

Touted by advocates as a new, digital type of money that could one day replace real-world cash, Bitcoins can also be stored like traditional currencies, locked up in a safe, or hidden in a shoe box.

Enthusiasts around the world use online exchanges to conveniently buy and sell Bitcoins but Bitcoin savings can also be kept closer to home.

Every virtual wallets used to hold Bitcoins has a unique, private number. Recording that number on a piece of paper or a thumb drive, for instance, keeps a wallet's contents out of reach of anyone online, criminal or not.

Canadian mortgage broker and Bitcoin enthusiast Chung Cheong writes out his secret number by hand and puts it in a safety deposit box.

"The only way to ever access that address and those Bitcoins is that piece of paper," said Cheong. "I pray that there isn't a big fire and the bank burns down. Because if that happens, I'm out of luck."

Jacob Dienelt helps run Lazzerbee, a company that lets people create novelty paper wallets containing small amounts of Bitcoins as birthday gifts or for other special occasions.

He said he keeps about three quarters of his own Bitcoins locked away far from the Internet, with the rest on devices ready to trade. Locking away all Bitcoins offline won't help the currency go mainstream, though, he said.

"You have to be able to spend Bitcoins," he said.

Bitcoin relies on a network of computers that solve complex mathematical problems as part of a process that verifies and permanently records the details of every Bitcoin transaction that is made.

Mt. Gox was once the largest Bitcoin exchange, making its collapse particularly notable, but online robbery has been a persistent problem for the virtual currency, which began circulating in 2009.

A U.S. judge on Thursday said some plaintiffs accusing Google of improperly scanning their email faced a significant hurdle in their attempt to move forward with the lawsuit as a class action.

Litigation brought by nine plaintiffs, some Gmail users, some not, was consolidated before U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, last year. The plaintiffs maintain Google violated several laws, including federal anti-wiretapping statutes by systematically crossing the "creepy line" to read private email messages in order to profit, according to court documents.

The case is being closely watched as it could alter how tech companies provide email service.

Koh must decide whether the lawsuit can proceed as a class action, which would allow the plaintiffs to sue as a group and give them more leverage to extract a larger settlement. However, at a hearing on Thursday, Koh said plaintiff attorneys faced a "huge hurdle" to show that non-Gmail users were entitled to class action status.

Google argues in court papers that the identity of impacted non-Gmail users can only be ascertained by sending an email notice to all non-Gmail users whose addresses are on file in Google's systems, and then sifting through the responses. That kind of procedure would be unprecedented and unworkable, Google argued.

Boeing Co on Wednesday unveiled a smartphone that appears to come straight from a James Bond spy movie.

In addition to encrypting calls, any attempt to open the casing of the Boeing Black Smartphone deletes all data and renders the device inoperable.

The secure phone marks an extension of the communications arm of the Chicago-based aerospace and defense contractor, which is best known for jetliners and fighter planes.

Such a phone might have prevented damage to Washington's diplomacy in Ukraine from a leaked telephone call. A senior U.S. State Department officer and the ambassador to Ukraine apparently used unencrypted cellphones for a call about political developments in Ukraine that became public.

Boeing's tamper-proof phone is aimed at government agencies and contractors who need to keep communication and data secure, according to Boeing and filings with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.

Made in the United States, the phone runs on Google Inc's Android operating system. The handset is slightly larger than an iPhone, uses dual SIM cards to enable it to access multiple cell networks instead of a single network like a normal cellphone.

Due to the phone's security features, Boeing is releasing few details about the wireless network operators or manufacturer it is working with, and has not provided a price or date by which the phone might be widely available, but said it has begun offering the phone to potential customers.

Boeing's website says the phone can be configured to connect with biometric sensors or satellites. Other attachments can extend battery life or use solar power.

The phone can operate on the WCDMA, GSM and LTE frequency bands and offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

The company has been developing the phone for 36 months, said Boeing spokeswoman Rebecca Yeamans.

"We saw a need for our customers in a certain market space" that Boeing could meet with its technology expertise, she said.

Micromax has listed two new mid-range smartphones - the Canvas Blaze HD and Canvas Duet II - on its official site without pricing or availability details.

Notably, the Micromax Canvas Blaze HD (EG 116) is the successor to the Canvas Blaze which was launched in partnership with telecom service provider MTS in December last year. As of now, there is no word whether the Canvas Blaze HD smartphone is also under the same partnership with MTS.

The Micromax Canvas Duet II, on the other hand, was available via an e-commerce website earlier in February at Rs. 15,790. However, we are yet to see an official pricing of the device

The Micromax Canvas Blaze HD, like its predecessor the Canvas Blaze, supports dual-SIM functionality with support for GSM and CDMA networks. The Canvas Blaze HD runs Android 4.1 out-of-the-box. It features a 5-inch IPS display with a 720x1280 pixels resolution. The smartphone is powered by a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 (MSM8625Q) processor alongside 1GB of RAM. It comes with 4GB of inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 32GB via microSD card. The Canvas Blaze HD sports an 8-megapixel rear camera and also houses a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It is backed by a 2000mAh battery, which according to the official listing an deliver up to 5 hours of talk time and up to 150 hours of standby time.

KEY SPECS