Four million shipped in first four days, Korean press reports

With strong brand recognition, an colossal marketing budget and plenty of anticipation among smartphone buyers, it was almost inevitable that Samsung was going to see enormous demand for its new Galaxy S4 handset. According to an unnamed Samsung executive quoted by Korea's Chosun

...

Four million shipped in first four days, Korean press reports

With strong brand recognition, an colossal marketing budget and plenty of anticipation among smartphone buyers, it was almost inevitable that Samsung was going to see enormous demand for its new Galaxy S4 handset. According to an unnamed Samsung executive quoted by Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper, the company shipped four million Galaxy S4s between Apr. 26 and Apr. 30, and as of May 10, shipment numbers stood at 6 million.

Of course, a unit shipped isn't necessarily a unit sold to a customer, but the shipment figures do show a strong appetite for Samsung's latest handset among its carrier and retail partners. The Galaxy S4 has benefited from a smoother global roll-out than its predecessor, with Europe, North America and parts of Asia, including Samsung's native South Korea, getting the phone in late April.

If previous Galaxy handsets are any indication, this isn't the last story we'll be writing about shipment and sales milestones for the Galaxy S4. Samsung itself is hoping to hit the 10 million shipped mark by the end of May, the Chosun Ilbo reports.

Source: Chosun Ilbo; via: UnwiredView

Read more http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/1FzddB0RKM4/story01.htm

Above: Juha (right) with Smart Camera chief David Fredh at the Lumia 925 launch event.

“The Nokia Lumia 9

Above: Juha (right) with Smart Camera chief David Fredh at the Lumia 925 launch event.

“The Nokia Lumia 925 is the fruit of all the imaging experience we’ve had at Nokia over the years,” says Juha. “We introduced a lot of new technologies and algorithms with the Lumia 920, and now we have made huge improvements to the whole imaging system. The algorithms and hardware are perfectly tailored to work together.”

There are four main areas that benefit from the software updates.

Natural details

Nobody wants grainy photographs with artefacts. The new camera algorithms have much more advanced processing for fine details and noise and you can see the effect immediately both in day and night photos. The best part is that even though the algorithms carry out very advanced processing, the end result is very natural. Keeping the images as natural as possible has been one of our key drivers in the new software. “Perfect algorithms can be very powerful but leaves no sign of the processing itself… like a gentleman,” says Juha with a smile on his face.

Low light performance

The lowlight performance on the Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 928 is already great with unique optical image stabilizer and f2.0 optics. Now, with updates first seen on the Nokia Lumia 925, it gets even better. The effective maximum ISO on our high-end Nokia Lumia cameras moves from 800 to 3200 – four times higher. Juha says that the ambition is that, “Your smartphone camera should be able to capture everything you can see with your own eyes.”

Colour reproduction

At Nokia, we strive to create pictures that are true to life with natural colours, and never were they more true than in the latest camera software. This one is hard to give an example of, since, “You would need to have seen the original scene with your own eyes to know which is the truer representation.” Take our word for it: it’s better.

Advanced brightness control

Keep the light behind you, they say. But sometimes that’s not easy and you end up with silhouettes. The latest camera software makes considerable advances in recognising what it is you want to focus on, and making sure it’s illuminated.

There are many further improvements to many different parts of the camera system, but they’re a little more technical to describe.

“Having set new standards for smartphone photography back in September with the Nokia Lumia 920, especially in low light, we’ve really been able to make the results even better with this update. Although the most significant results will be seen with the Nokia Lumia 920, Lumia 925 and Lumia 928 – improvements in photo quality will be seen across the range.”

The updated Nokia Smart Camera and imaging experience will be shipping pre-loaded on the Nokia Lumia 925, and start rolling out across the Nokia Lumia range both preloaded and as an over-the-air  update this summer. More information will be shared following testing and approvals.

Juha concludes: “Finally I would also like to thank all the users who have sent us feedback, and all the interesting discussions that I have had with users and journalists. The amazing detailed comments and questions I have received have helped us a lot. I hope you like the results!”

So tell us which is the most important improvement to our imaging package for your photography needs?

NB: The sample images in this post are available at higher resolutions on Nokia’s press site.

Read more http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NokiaConversations-Posts/~3/AoxHzna9-4Y/

720p display, 13MP rear camera, LTE and Android 4.2, though we may never see 'it' outside of Japan

Japanese carrier NTT Docomo has unleashed their annual summer lineup, and dropping nicely into it is this offering from LG, the unusually named Optimus it. But, while the name may amuse, the rest of the device is serious business, headlined

...

720p display, 13MP rear camera, LTE and Android 4.2, though we may never see 'it' outside of Japan

Japanese carrier NTT Docomo has unleashed their annual summer lineup, and dropping nicely into it is this offering from LG, the unusually named Optimus it. But, while the name may amuse, the rest of the device is serious business, headlined by carrying Android 4.2.

While Android 4.2 may well be underneath, it looks very much like LG has gone right over the top of that with their own custom UI. Hardware wise we're looking at a 4.5-inch 1280x720 IPS display, a quad-core 1.7GHz processor, a 13MP rear camera and a 2100mAh battery. Pretty tasty, then. NTT Docomo customers can look forward to picking up the Optimus it at the end of June.

Sadly, if this one is anything like the Japanese version of the Optimus G Pro, there's a strong chance we'll never see this outside of Japan. Ever. Shame.

Source: NTT Docomo (1), (2)

Read more http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/GCXKVv4YpiM/story01.htm

Japan's NTT Docomo will start selling the Samsung Galaxy S4 from next Thursday, May 23 -- and as per the pre-announcement rumors, it'll be getting a "blue arctic" color option in addition to "white frost" and "black mist." The Docomo version will also support digital

New color option for Japanese Galaxy S4

Japan's NTT Docomo will start selling the Samsung Galaxy S4 from next Thursday, May 23 -- and as per the pre-announcement rumors, it'll be getting a "blue arctic" color option in addition to "white frost" and "black mist." The Docomo version will also support digital terrestrial TV broadcasts through a pull-out antenna, and FeliCa NFC payment capabilities.

Besides that (and some branding changes) it's pretty much the same old Galaxy S4 we've come to know over the past few weeks. In case you were wondering, Japan's getting the quad-core Snapdragon 600 version most other countries are selling, as opposed to the rarer "octa-core" Exynos version.

YouTuber mappan777 has posted a quick side-by-side comparison between the new blue version and the better-known black model, which we've embedded past the break. (Quick spoiler: you're going to have a hard time telling these two colors apart.)

More: Samsung Galaxy S4 review

Source: NTT Docomo, Video via SamMobile

read more

Read more http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/uNB8_CHHYbo/story01.htm

Mid to high-end handset looks like an Xperia ZR for Japan

As rumored, Japanese carrier NTT Docomo has announced a new handset from Sony today. The Xperia A looks set to fit in Docomo's range somewhere below the Xperia Z -- despite sharing many design features with Sony's 5-incher, the Xperia A is a smaller handset with a little less

...

Mid to high-end handset looks like an Xperia ZR for Japan

As rumored, Japanese carrier NTT Docomo has announced a new handset from Sony today. The Xperia A looks set to fit in Docomo's range somewhere below the Xperia Z -- despite sharing many design features with Sony's 5-incher, the Xperia A is a smaller handset with a little less going on under the hood. In fact, the specs and design are all but identical to the Xperia ZR, a device announced globally just a couple of days ago.

That means you're dealing with a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU, a 4.6-inch 720p display on the front and a 13-megapixel Sony Exmor RS shooter around the back. Like the ZR it's also waterproof, and rated IP55/58. You'll also get some Japan-specific features like digital terrestrial TV capabilities and FeliCa mobile payment support. On the software side, it's still Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and the Sony Xperia UI running the show.

The Sony Xperia A on NTT Docomo will go on sale this Friday, May 17 in white, black, pink and "mint" colors.

Source: NTT Docomo; via: Engadget

Read more http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/_OHjEPTOnOo/story01.htm

The bottom line specs are that it’s a 4.5-inch screen with a r

The bottom line specs are that it’s a 4.5-inch screen with a resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels, a combination that brings a very high pixel density without compromising the usability of the phone. Gorilla Glass® keeps it safe, so it won’t scratch easily if you’re moderately careful.

Underneath, though, there’s plenty that’s new.

“With the Nokia Lumia 925, we’re using a new laminated AMOLED display technology, which brings a lot of advantages,” says Kenneth.

“For one thing, AMOLED allows us to remove an air gap between the screen and the display,” adds Hannu. This has a couple of benefits. First of all, the display ‘stack’ becomes thinner, which has clear implications for the thickness of the whole phone. Second, it reduces the reflectiveness of the display, improving on the already excellent performance of Nokia’s ClearBlack technology.

Bright and colourful

AMOLED is also prized for offering more saturated and vivid colours. Blacks are blacker and the engineers have pushed the maximum brightness up to 600 Nits for the Lumia 925, brighter than any other OLED display in the market. Naturally, though, the light sensor will adjust the brightness for you (unless you don’t want it to) so that the actual brightness is always tuned to how much ambient light is available.

The Nokia Lumia 925 is also a great phone for sharing photos and videos, thanks to the extremely wide viewing-angle of the display. This is measured from 0-90 degrees. At 0 degrees, you’d only be able to see the screen from directly above. At 90 degrees, you’d be looking at the side of the phone. The Lumia 925’s screen is visible from any angle, apart from 90, of course.

Also included is the sunlight readability enhancement feature, which improves outdoor visibility even further, in addition to the high brightness and wide viewing angles.

The display is Super Sensitive and boasts new generation touch detection feature. It’s a capability first introduced with earlier products with improved performance on the Lumia 925.

The Nokia Lumia 925 also offers the new Lumia Colour Profiling app as part of the display settings. “Some people prefer more natural colours on their screen. Others want to make it more vivid,” explains Kenneth. “The new app offers a slider allowing 11 degrees of vividness.” There’s also a separate slider offering cool, neutral and warm options.

“We’re very proud of what we have been able to achieve with the display on the Nokia Lumia 925,” concludes Hannu, “and we’re confident that you will be too.”

Read more http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NokiaConversations-Posts/~3/7ZtCzE7gJxI/

Not only does the Slatebook x2 offer that full laptop-like experience, but just like ASUS it doubles as additional battery for the slate. HP’s Slate 7 isn’t extremely

The folks from ASUS might have revolutionized the way we use and enjoy tablets, mainly Android tablets, but today HP is the first to offer it with NVIDIA‘s brand new and impressive quad-core Tegra 4 mobile processor. Just like the popular Transformer series, the HP Slatebook x2 will be an Android tablet that docks into a keyboard for that full laptop experience.

Not only does the Slatebook x2 offer that full laptop-like experience, but just like ASUS it doubles as additional battery for the slate. HP’s Slate 7 isn’t extremely popular, but this new Slatebook might better suite your tastes. Why, because it offers top-tier specs across the board all for a fairly decent price.

The HP Slatebook x2 comes with a 10.1-inch display and keyboard dock, but it’s what’s under the hood that matters. Being one of the first devices announced (and to market) with the NVIDIA Tegra 4 quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. That isn’t all either. You’ll be enjoying Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean as well. Well done HP! How much you ask? All of this will be just $479. So not as cheap as some recent Transformers, but then again we do get the Tegra 4.

That 10-inch screen rocks a 1920 x 1200 resolution IPS display, you’ll enjoy 16GB of internal storage and micro-SD to add as much as you need. Then being a laptop-like device that keyboard dock supports USB 2.0, full size SD card, HDMI-out, and more. We don’t have exact details on the additional battery inside the keyboard, or battery life estimates, but we’ll be finding out more details soon.

The HP Slatebook x2 will be the first detachable Android device to market with NVIDIA’s quad-core Tegra 4 mobile processor, and will support all those Tegra-optimized games. Again it will be priced around $479, and should hit the market around August. Sounds like a pretty quality Android “laptop”. What do you guys think?

Read more http://androidcommunity.com/hp-slatebook-x2-delivers-tegra-4-and-android-4-2-jelly-bean-20130514/

Google just redesigned the Play Store last month, but today we’re getting a few new changes already. The improved 6 button layout has been revamped and looks a little better, with some UI tweaks to

...

With Google I/O officially kicking off tomorrow, Google released a few surprises a bit early this evening. A brand new Google Play Store has just started rolling out that brings a few much needed changes to the latest redesign, as well as tons of other features in the Google Play Services framework. Read on for the full details and download links.

Google just redesigned the Play Store last month, but today we’re getting a few new changes already. The improved 6 button layout has been revamped and looks a little better, with some UI tweaks to the buttons. The colors have been spruced up a bit, as well as other changes. The new Play Store is listed as version 4.1.6 vs 4.0.27 before, but there’s lots of little changes.

The menu text is a little more consistent, the install/uninstall buttons have been changed, and they increased the space between them too. Many complained about that, so that’s nice. Now you won’t accidentally hit uninstall when you mean to hit update. Oh and don’t worry if you do, if you head into your Google account sync options, there’s now an option for app data sync. Yes, this means Google will sync and save all your application data to the cloud.

We’ll be leaning more about this tomorrow, but most likely this means app settings, and of course game saves. Probably between devices too. Google’s rumored “Play Games” will use this to backup game data to the cloud. Yes! Then the Play Store has other various UI changes. The wishlists have been improved, the “redeem giftcard” popup is different, and the settings page went back to white. I preferred the black settings menu more myself.

There is tons of other various minor changes, but you’ll see them yourself once the app updates tonight or tomorrow morning, or just get the download link below. Then in settings under Google Sync it will also now sync People details, whatever that means. We’ll update with all the details live tomorrow. So stay tuned!

Download: Play Store 4.1.6

SOURCE: Android Police

Read more http://androidcommunity.com/google-updates-the-play-store-and-adds-app-data-sync-20130514/

First and foremost here, the offer. This one appears to be in the simpler side. Those interested will be able to score a

Talk of the Verizon HTC One seems to have been a fairly popular topic over the recent weeks. Verizon hasn’t offered any announcement and HTC Director of PR Tom Harlin recently said the Droid DNA would continue to serve as the “HTC hero smartphone at Verizon.” Putting that aside, Verizon Wireless has recently announced a special offer on the Droid DNA and it has once again brought back chatter about the HTC One.

First and foremost here, the offer. This one appears to be in the simpler side. Those interested will be able to score a free Droid DNA with Verizon. A two-year agreement is required and the offer will expire on May 21, 2013. The offer is broken down into a few steps and begins with you submitting your email address in exchange for a promo code. Once the promo code is received it can be used to claim your free Droid DNA. You only need to enter the code during the checkout process.

Moving away from the special offer on the Droid DNA and into the chatter about the HTC One. The question here is why Verizon would be offering the current HTC hero device for free. The speculation suggests that this may be a way of clearing inventory ahead of a new HTC hero device coming to the lineup. That new hero device could be the One. But again, Verizon has yet to make any announcement that states the HTC One is coming.

That brings the next question; Would it be wise to move to a Droid DNA right now? Well, while individual opinions will vary, we will offer this — it is hard to argue with free. Keeping in mind that the Droid DNA is not the newest phone on the market and the HTC One has gotten solid reviews, this could still be a good move for some. If you are the person that needs the latest and greatest at all times, the answer is likely no.

On the flip side though, the Droid DNA retains a solid set of specs. The handset is running Jelly Bean and sporting a 5-inch 1080p display with Gorilla Glass 2. The handset also features a quad-core 1.5GHz processor with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, 2020 mAh battery, an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera and 4G LTE connectivity. All that being said, those looking for a bit more on the Droid DNA may benefit from our review, which can be read here and seen in the video sitting above.

SOURCE: Verizon Wireless

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Display

• Screen Size: 5 Inch
• Resolution: 1920x1080
• Screen Type : S-LCD 3

Dimension & Weight

• Height: 5.55 Inch
• Width: 2.77 Inch
• Depth: 0.38 Inch
• Weight: 138 Grams

Battery & Power

• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity: 2020 mAh
• Talk Time: NA
• Stand By Time: 353 hours

Software

• 4.1.x

• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MID
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

• h.263
• h.264 / AVC
• 3GP
• MPEG-4 (MP4)
• WMV

• SMS
• MMS
• IM

Hardware

• Auto focus
• Flash
• 1080p Video Recording

• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

Cellular Network

• GSM
• CDMA

• 850
• 900
• 1800
• 1900

• 800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

• 802.11a
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

• A2DP
• Bluetooth 4.0

• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

Read more http://androidcommunity.com/droid-dna-offer-brings-verizon-htc-one-speculation-20130514/