iPad Pro 9.7 alternative? Chuwi HiBook might be the one!

Chuwi’s HiBook tablet specifications have been confirmed today detailing a Cherry Trail powered 10.1-inch convertible tablet.

If Apple’s mini iPad Pro didn’t get your juices flowing yesterday, then what about something a little more versatile and affordable from China?

Tablet maker Chuwi have confirmed the detailed specifications of their smaller convertible tablet. The device called the HiBook will feature a 10.1-inch 1920 x 1200 display running an Intel Cherry Trail Atom-x5 Z8300 CPU (no details on RAM or memory yet).

The device is said to run either Windows 10 or Android 5.1 and will come with 2 x full size USB, 1 x USB Type C, 2 mega-pixel front camera, 5 mega-pixel rear and 6600mAh battery.

For those of you wanting to get some typing in on the tablet, an optional keyboard will be available separately.

Pricing will be $239 with tablets launching on the 28th March.

Source: gizchina.com

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First official photos of Huawei P9, launch event on 6th of April

Photos of the much hyped Huawei P9 are up, thanks to the company that decided to give us a peek a bit before the phone’s launch.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, we must realise these are close-up pictures that show a component or two and not much else.

The pictures were put up on the company’s teaser page for the Huawei P9. The page is complete with these pictures and also a timer to remind you about the impending launch.

The dual camera set up is confirmed by the first picture in this series of three. What it also confirms is the meaning behind the hashtag #OO that Huawei has been using to tease the P9.

Apart from that, a rounded-square fingerprint scanner, which should be on the rear of the phone, is seen along with an edge of the device that depicts a glossy yet textured rear.

Multiple versions of this phone are expected to show up at the launch event, which is scheduled for 6th of April.

Source: gizchina.com

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OnePlus 3 leak shows Snapdragon 820

We’ve already seen a couple Chinese phone makers in Xiaomi and Letv (LeEco) dish out Snapdragon 820 phones, and OnePlus might just be the next with the OnePlus 3.

However, a much larger section of the international audience should be able to get their hands on the OnePlus 3 as compared to the Xiaomi Mi 5 or the Le Max Pro.

Coming to the subject of this article: OnePlus 3 specifications, which leaked thanks to AnTuTu (which is a popular benchmarking app, if you aren’t aware). Here’s what the listing has to tell us about the phone: a 1920 x 1080p display, Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB RAM, 16 mega-pixel rear camera, 8 mega-pixel front facing camera, 32GB ROM and a model number A3000.

Some might be disappointed to see only a 1080p display on the OnePlus 3, as suggested by the leaks. OnePlus have been known to use OPPO’s designs, and it is likely that the OnePlus 3 and the OPPO Find 9 share a bit in common. This could also explain the 1080p screen; OPPO’s versions could come with higher res ones (as in the case of the OnePlus One/Find 7).

OnePlus have traditionally attacked their competitors with super aggressive pricing. Expect the OnePlus 3 to attempt to pull off something similar.

Source: gizchina.com

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Best cases for Samsung Galaxy S7

OtterBox Commuter case

OtterBox is normally the case manufacturer you think of when protective smartphone cases come to mind. These cases consistently provide plenty of protection while still being stylish, which isn’t all that common in the case world. The OtterBox Commuter series pretty much offers the best of both worlds. The Commuter for the Galaxy S7 features a thin, lightweight 2-piece design that will protect against drops, bumps and shock. The case will still slide in and out of your pockets with ease, and also features rubberized port covers to block dust and debris from entering your phone. This case comes with a screen protector and a 1-year warranty from the manufacturer. What more could you want?

These cases can be yours in a variety of pre-selected color options, and OtterBox even has a “pick your own colors” option on its official website. The OtterBox Commuter is available from Amazon and through OtterBox’s website starting at $34.95.

UAG Composite case

Urban Armor Gear (UAG) is a case company that’s notorious for their slim and protective cases, and the company’s Composite case for the Galaxy S7 is no exception. It’s light and grippy, and gives you easy access to all the phone’s ports and buttons. And just because this case is thin doesn’t mean it can’t hold its own — this Composite case meets military drop-test standards (MIL STD 810G 516.6), so your phone will likely survive a drop here and there.

The Composite case for the Galaxy S7 is available in seven color options for $34.95 from UAG’s website.

LifeProof FRĒ case

If you’re looking for a case that will offer drop, dirt, snow and water protection, you should buy the LifeProof FRĒ case for your new Galaxy S7. This is a very slim case that doesn’t add on too much bulk, and it’s extremely grippy, too. Your S7 will be fully sealed inside with a built-in screen protector, which will help keep that beautiful Quad HD display from getting scratched.

The LifeProof FRĒ is a little pricey, but we’re sure you’ll be very satisfied with it. You can pre-order it in six different color options from LifeProof’s website for $79.99.

Speck CandyShell Grip case

Speck is another manufacturer that comes to mind when talking about smartphone cases, and for good reason. The CandyShell Grip case for the Galaxy S7 is designed with both impact and fashion in mind. It’s not too bulky or slippery, and you’ll still have access to all the ports and buttons. The bezels are small around the sides of the display, and they’re also raised so you can put your phone down screen-first on the table without it getting scratched.

Speck’s CandyShell Grip case is available from Amazon and Speck’s website in four color combinations starting at $34.95.

Spigen Rugged Armor Resilient case

It wouldn’t be a case roundup post without Spigen. This company has a number of different high-quality cases available on Amazon for just over $10. The first of which is the Rugged Armor Resilient case. It comes with a glossy accents and carbon fiber textures on the back and provides plenty of protection thanks to its flexible TPU material. It has a raised lip of 1.2mm above the display so you can set your phone down screen-first. It also has a unique Air Cushion technology built in for an added method of absorbing shock. It’s sleek, sexy and inexpensive, which we don’t see too often.

The Spigen Rugged Armor Resilient case for the Galaxy S7 is available on Amazon for $12.99.

POETIC Revolution Premium Rugged case

POETIC’s Revolution Rugged case is super protective. It’s made of premium polycarbonate and TPU materials, and comes with a built-in screen protector with water resistance capabilities. It also features unique corner protection with raised TPU support that will help protect it from extreme shock and impact. The buttons are still very easy to press down, and there are flaps over each of the ports to help keep dust and other things out. All of these unique features are packed into a slim design that will keep your device protected from just about everything you throw at it.

The POETIC Revolution Rugged case will be available soon on Amazon for just $14.95.

SUPCASE Unicorn Beetle PRO case

The SUPCASE Unicorn Beetle PRO case for the S7 is protective, lightweight and thin. It’s made of premium soft TPU and PC materials with port covers to block dust and debris, and also includes a 360-degree swiveling belt clip holster for your carrying convenience. The sporty design will help it stand out from the rest, too.

This case will be available soon from Amazon for only $9.99.

Spigen Neo Hybrid case

Next up is Spigen’s Neo Hybrid Galaxy S7 case. It comes with a newly-designed TPU pattern that will help add lots of grip without building up dust. The case is comprised of a shock-absorbing TPU casing with a polycarbonate bumper that will help keep it grippy, durable and sleek. The buttons are made of TPU as well, so they’ll definitely be easy to press. This is personally one of my favorite cases on the market, and its definitely worth the money.

Really, though, you won’t need to shell out an arm and a leg for this one. The Spigen Neo Hybrid is available on Amazon in three different color options starting at just $16.99.

Ringke Fusion Crystal Clear Bumper case

The Ringke Fusion case for the S7 is perfect if you don’t want to cover up the beautiful design of your brand new phone. It doesn’t add too much bulk, and its slim transparent TPU bumper with Active Touch Technology allows for easy access to all the essential ports and buttons. It also includes attached dust caps so dust and debris won’t easily sneak in the ports. What’s more, it also comes with a free DIY template so you can customize the case!

The Ringke Fusion case is available now on Amazon in three different colors starting at just $10.99.

VRS Design Layered Dandy Wallet case

Lastly we have VRS Design’s Layered Dandy Wallet case. If you’re tired of taking your wallet everywhere and want an easier solution, you should give this case a shot. It’s beautiful, protective and houses up to three credit cards. It features a TPU lip to keep the screen from getting scratched, and also comes with a magnetic clip for quick fastening and access without any hassle.

VRS Design’s Layered Dandy Wallet case for the Galaxy S7 is available on Amazon in three color options starting at only $21.99.

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The best microSD cards (March 2016)

Looking to expand the storage on your new Smartphone? Here are the best options:

Kingston Digital 64GB microSDXC Card

This Class 10, UHS-I microSDXC card from Kingston features a 64GB capacity and advertises a read speed of 90MB per second and write speed of 45MB per second. Included is an SD adapter which the microSDXC card slides into when using on a computer or other standard SD device. The Kingston Digital 64GB microSDXC card is currently available for $35.

See at Amazon

SanDisk Extreme PLUS 64GB microSDXC Card

SanDisk's Extreme Plus UHS-1/U3 microSDXC card boasts transfer speeds of 95MB per second, capable of full HD and 4K video recording. This card comes with its own SD adapter to use with laptops and notebooks, and is capable of reading and writing to microSD, microSDHC, and microSDXC cards. You snag the 64GB Extreme Plus microSDXC card for around $50.

See at Amazon

PNY U3 Turbo 64GB microSDXC Card

This UHS-1 (Ultra High Speed) U3 microSDXC card from PNY is capable of 90MB/sec transfer speeds, making it ideal for continuous full HD video recording, even in 4K. It's built with durability in mind, providing a waterproof design that can handle high temperatures and accidental drops. This PNY microSD card is backed by a lifetime limited warranty and its largest 64GB option goes for just $24.99.

See at Amazon

Samsung EVO Plus 64GB microSDXC Card

Last up is Samsung's EVO Plus 64GB microSDXC card, which can transfer data up to 80MB per second, record full HD video, and comes with its own SD adapter. This Class 10 storage card is built to handle high temperatures and is currently priced at $28.

See at Amazon

SanDisk Ultra 200GB microSDXC Card

Perfect for the Galaxy S7 owner after serious storage space, this 200GB microSDXC card from SanDisk provides transfer speeds of up to 90MB per second and can record full HD video. Announced just last year, this beefy card is ideal for video recording or for storing plenty of movies and music on your Galaxy S7. We've seen the prices drop as low as $79 on these cards at Amazon.

See at Amazon

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Teclast TBook 16 - 11.6-inch screen and dual-boot

Apple made one-handed tablet use possible with the iPad mini a few years back. However, most makers in China still seem to believe in the ‘bigger, the better’ mantra.

Teclast has a few smaller tablets in the offering, but the new TBook 16 is definitely not one of them. It comes with a rather large 11.6-inch display.

Unlike other dual-booting devices we’ve been witnessing, the TBook 16 isn’t a laptop/netbook, but a standalone tablet. You can, of course, pair it with a keyboard. But it doesn’t come with one attached to its body.

As for the specifications, the TBook 16 comes with the 64-bit, quad-core Intel Cherry Trail Z8300 that has also been found inside a lot of other new tablets. With that, the device has 4GB RAM, 64GB on-board storage and 2 mega-pixel cameras on the front and rear.

The 11.6-inch panel of the TBook 16 has a resolution of 1920 x 1080p, aka Full HD. The tablet comes with an 8000mAh battery, and is priced $237 shipped.

Regarding its capability to dual boot, the tablet can boot into either Android 5.1 Lollipop or Windows 10 right out of the box.

Source: gizchina

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Mediatek next 10 core - Helio X30

Mediatek have really pulled their finger out over the past year or so with some really solid chip launches, but it’s the Helio X30 that the company hopes will really take on the top guns.

The past 12 months has seen some really interesting chipsets from Mediatek. The MT6752 really kicked it all off being a solid performer at a good price. The MT6752 didn’t last long though as Mediatek pushed their Helio range out starting with the X10 (which powers LeTV, Meizu and Xiaomi phones) and followed by the Helio X20 (so far only seen in the Zopo Speed 8 and Doogee F7).

COO of Mediatek, Zhu Shangzu, has been speaking highly of his company’s next flagship processor, and says that the X30 will be the chip that could topple premium SoC’s from rivals Qualcomm and Samsung.

Apparently the Mediatek Helio X30 will be another 10 core chipset this time built on a 16nm architecture. The 10 cores will be split between 2 x 1.0Ghz Cortex A53 cores, 2 x 1.5Ghz A53, after those cores are used the chip will go in to turbo mode switching to 2 x 2Ghz A72 cores and then a possible 4 x 2.5Ghz A72 cores.

What will really be interesting though is if Mediatek can do better on the graphical side of things with the Helio X30. Mediatek chips generally do well on the CPU side, but are largely let down in the graphics departments. Can Mediatek get a better balance next time around?

Source: gizchina

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Looking for outdoor tablet? No.1 X5 is the answer!

Following on from their popular range of rugged smartphones, No.1 have taken their rugged know how and used it to make a 7-inch rugged tablet.

Rugged Android tablets are few and far between, and are generally marketed at the professional looking to keep connected while in extreme conditions. The No.1 X5 aims to bring those same rugged features, and connectivity to a larger audience.

Off the bat there are features on the tablet that make this device perfect for outdoor use. The X5 uses a 1.3Ghz quad-core MT8732VC chipset offering LTE support for bands 1/3/7 (WCDMA support include 1/2/3/8). In addition to LTE there is GPS support too, perfect for using maps while in the wilds.

The rubber finished body measures a huge 18.9mm giving the tablet plenty of room for NFC, a Class K loud-speaker, 3 axis gyro, micro SD support, and a massive 10,000mAh battery.

Screen specs are modest with the 7-inch panel having a a resolution of 1280 x 800. Other specs included a 13 mega-pixel rear camera, 2 mega-pixel front, 2GB RAM and 16GB internal memory. The tablet also obviously runs Android, but from the official No.1 Specifications there is no mention of which version of the OS is used.

As for the rugged protection the rubber body is IP67 water and dustproof. The chassis is designed to withstand crushing forces and shocks, plus the display is a toughened scratchproof panel.

Source: gizchina

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HTC 10 latest leaks

HTC’s next big flagship smartphone just doesn’t seem to want to stay hidden from the public. We’ve seen everything from press renders to blurrycam shots over the past couple weeks, and today we’re getting yet another pair of photos of the HTC 10 in the wild.

Today’s leak comes from Twitter user @tanalibera. Thankfully the shots attached below are relatively clear, and are pretty much in line with the other leaked photos and renders we’ve seen thus far.

Starting with the photo on the left, it looks like HTC took the One M7’s camera module and pasted it on the back of the 10. There’s a slightly bigger flash to the right of the sensor as well. According to previous rumors, the device will sport a 12MP rear camera with laser autofocus, as well as a 5MP UltraPixel shooter on the front. As far as the design of the device is concerned, HTC doesn’t seem to be straying too far away from past One flagships. The HTC 10, though, appears to have a pretty sizable chamfer that extends around the entire device.

Source: androidauthority

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Cubot revealing new models: Z100, S500 and S550

Cubot spent much of MWC announcing their smartphone in collaboration with app maker Cheetah, saving a couple more phone launches for after the huge expo.

Cubot didn’t show all their cards at MWC, keeping three new phones a secret for after the event. The two devices are the Cubot Z100 and Cubot S500 smartphones.

The Z100 is the model aimed at budget phone shoppers. Parameters for the phone include 1GB RAM, quad-core MT6735P chipset, LTE, 5-inch HD display and 8 mega-pixel rear camera (capable of shooting at 13 mega-pixels).

The Cubot S500 gets a slight upgrade with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal memory, 13 mega-pixel F2.0 rear camera, measuring at 7mm thick with a 5-inch display. The S550 is slightly larger with a 5.5-inch OGS panel and larger 3000mAh battery (compared to the S500’s 2700mAh battery). Pricing for the S500 will start at $129.99, it’s not clear at this time if the S550 will have the same pricing.

All three phones have dual sim support, room for a micro SD card, and run Android 5.1 Lollipop from the box.

Source: gizchina.com

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Samsung S7 Edge unboxing + specs

The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are finally here, and as we work through all of the gritty details of both phones it's worth laying out the basics — the simple spec sheet with all of the line items we need to know. We don't know every single tiny spec here, but the biggest ones are covered.Feast your eyes on this spec sheet.

Category	Galaxy S7	Galaxy S7 edge
Operating System	Android 6.0 Marshmallow	Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Display	5.1-inch 2560x1440 Super AMOLED	5.5-inch 2560x1440 Super AMOLED Dual edge screen
Processor	Quad-core Snapdragon 820 or Octa-core Samsung Exynos 8	Quad-core Snapdragon 820 or Octa-core Samsung Exynos 8
Storage	32GB	32GB
Expandable	microSD up to 200GB	microSD up to 200GB
RAM	4GB	4GB
Rear Camera	12MP f/1.7 1.4-micron pixels OIS	12MP f/1.7 1.4-micron pixels OIS
Front Camera	5MP f/1.7	5MP f/1.7
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 ac MIMO Bluetooth v4.2 LE ANT+, USB 2.0, NFC	Wi-Fi 802.11 ac MIMO Bluetooth v4.2 LE ANT+, USB 2.0, NFC
Charging	micro-USB Fast charging Qi wireless Powermat wireless	micro-USB Fast charging Qi wireless Powermat wireless
Battery	3000 mAh	3600 mAh
Water resistance	IP68 rating	IP68 rating
Security	One-touch fingerprint sensor Samsung KNOX	One-touch fingerprint sensor Samsung KNOX
Dimensions	142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9 mm	150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7 mm
Weight	152g	157g

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16 million pre-orders for Xiaomi Mi 5

The Xiaomi Mi 5 has been pre-ordered by more than 16 million people according to an announcement on the company's official forum. The smartphone is set to launch in China on March 1, and with more than 16 million pre-orders it's turning out to be quite the popular choice.

Priced from just $300, the regular model has 32GB or 64GB of internal storage, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with Adreno 530 GPU, 3GB of RAM and a 5.15-inch 1080p display. It's a remarkable device for the price tag.

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Huawei P9 specs and camera details leaked

It is widely believed that the Huawei P9 will ship from 2888 Yuan in China with 5.2-inch 1080 FHD display, 2.5Ghz Kirin 955 processor, USB Type C, fast charger, 2900mAh battery and dual 12 mega-pixel rear cameras.

That rear camera set up is quite distinctive with its dual lenses, dual LED flash and laser autofocus, and it has just happened to show up on a device in a leaked photo today. The photography focuses on the rear of the phone where the hardware is on show along with a touch fingerprint scanner. The body however is obscured by a protective case.

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Samsung’s Dual Edge display available for Huawei, Xiaomi and Vivo?

Samsung Display looks to expand its AMOLED customers for 2016 with Xiaomi, Huawei and Vivo mentioned as possible curved display customers.

Korean media are reporting that Xiaomi and Huawei could be joining Vivo as customers of Samsung Display’s curved glass panels. The Super AMOLED curved panels have already been found on the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S7, and are set to be shown off on the latest Vivo phone tomorrow.

In addition to Vivo, Huawei is rumoured to be pricing up the new tech and Xiaomi are labeled as a possible customer too.

The fact that Xiaomi are mentioned suggests to us that the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 could be inline for the curved display treatment as this is the only premium Xiaomi phone left to launch for 2016.

Source: gizchina.com, androidauthority.com

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Xiaomi Mi 5 unboxing

The video comes courtesy of someone in China (iVankr? Umm, okay), and is reuploaded by the folks at Geekbuying who have the phone listed in its Mi 5 Pro variant as well as the 32GB and 64GB versions.

To remind you of its specifications, the Mi 5 comes with a 5.15-inch 1920 x 1080p display, a Snapdragon 820 processor, 3/4GB RAM, 32/64/128GB ROM, 16 mega-pixel rear camera, IR blaster, and more. 

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Android Weekly #1 - HTC Leak, Swatch's Smartwatch, Game of Thrones ep.2 and more!

Android Weekly #1

(31.1.15 - 6.2.15)

Gionee launch the world’s thinnest phone, HTC leaked specs for Desiere device, Swatch's smartwatch without charging, Game of Thrones ep.2 arrived, Gionee Elife 7 on sale, 100 000 of Meizu M1 preordered in 1min, More Galaxy Tab tablets coming in 2015, Sony mobile division drowning

Gionee launch the world’s thinnest phone

Last year Gionee held the title for the world’s thinnest phone with the Gionee S5.1 longer than any other company, and at MWC they hope to take the title back. Currently Vivo have the thinnest phone on the market with the Vivo X5 Max, however IVVI will have announced a thinner 4.7mm phone which will go on sale very soon. In third place it is the Oppo R5, and 4th the Gionee S5.1, and Gionee are hot to take the title back.

HTC leaked specs for Desiere device
Purported leaked specification details of the HTC A55 claim it isn’t a flagship, but the hardware certainly looks the part. According to the details the new HTC model will boast a 5.5-inch 2K display, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal memory, 20 mega-pixel front camera and either a 13 mega-pixel or ultrapixel front camera. The phone will run a powerful Mediatek MT6795 octacore processor, a 64bit model with Mediates CorePilot, and ClearMotion technologies for a faster and smoother experience.

Swatch's smartwatch without charging

Swiss watchmaker Swatch has been toying with the idea of a smartwatch for some time, and now CEO Nick Hayek is saying that we can expect in in the next three months. What's most interesting, , is Hayek's claim of a smartwatch that doesn't have to be charged.

There are two potential paths to take for a watch that doesn't have to be charged. The first is an "automatic" watch with an generator spun by the motion of an eccentric-weighted rotor (itself moved by the motion of the wearer's arm). The other approach would be using a watch cell battery, which would offer a much longer battery life than a rechargeable lithium-based battery. Swatch makes watches in both cell batteries and automatic quartz varieties.

Game of Thrones ep.2 arrived

Last week we learned that Games of Thrones Episode 2 was coming to Android on February 5th. As scheduled, “The Lost Lords” has arrived as an in-app purchase for the Game of Thrones app, priced at $4.99. For those that didn’t play the original, the game is based on the HBO series of the same name (and the books by George R. R. Martin, of course) and let’s you make decisions in the role of House Forrester and House Stark. Like with other Telltale series, you control various characters and the action is of the “choose your own adventure” type.

Gionee Elife 7 on sale

The flagship Gionee Elife E7 is now on sale at an amazing sub $200 price tag! Is this Snapdragon 800 phone still worth a shot? Last year Gionee launched their flagship Gionee Elife E7. The launch was a big shock to Chinese phone follows as not only did Gionee ditch Mediatek for Qualcomm, but they also packed their then new phone with an amazing 16 mega-pixel rear camera.

100 000 of Meizu M1 preordered in 1min

Since the dawn of low-cost Chinese phones we have come accustom to seeing huge numbers of devices sold out in just a few minutes and the release of the Meizu m1 was no different. Meizu did shockingly well with 100,000 of the m1 pre-ordered in only 1 minute after the sale began! It’s a great success for the Meizu as a company, but many fans have been left disappointed by the sale and will have to wait for the next batch of phones to arrive before they can have another chance.

More Galaxy Tab tablets coming in 2015

Although some analysts had predicted (and recommended) Samsung reducing its breadth of devices available to the consumer this year, it seems that Samsung still has some surprises up its sleeve. According to GalaxyClub, Samsung has applied for three new trademarks with the Korean IPO: the Samsung Galaxy Tabs A, E and J. These are obviously names for new tablets, which will most likely join the ranks of the Galaxy Tab and Galaxy Tab S in the coming tech release season.

Sony mobile division drowning

Sony revised its forecast for the fiscal year ending March 31 and revealed partial results for the last three months of 2014. Strong console and camera sensors sales have helped offset weak performance in other areas, including mobile. Starting with the mobile unit, Sony sold around 11.9 million smartphones in FQ3, which resulted in an operating profit of around $80 million. Sales volume is up 27 percent compared to the same quarter last year. However, due to the massive impairment charge that Sony booked in September, the company estimates a total loss of around $1.83 billion for the mobile unit in the fiscal year ending March 31. Furthermore, Sony announced more job cuts, with another 1,100 workers to be laid off over the next year, in addition to the 1,000 already announced.

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What iOS has that Android needs

With Google I/O right around the corner and the possibility that we could see an update to the Android operating system, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to see how Google’s devs could look to iOS, their biggest competitor, for inspiration. Having spent a few weeks with iOS 6 and the iPhone 5, I figured numerous items would jump out at me as novel or potentially interesting additions to Android. The problem is, I’m having trouble pinpointing any.

I think it’s safe to say in terms of software functionality Android has surpassed iOS. Google’s operating system allows users to simply do more with what they have. Now, that’s no knock to iOS, necessarily. The iPhone operating system works great for how it is purposed on its hardware, and it definitely operates in a more intuitive manner than Android. Yes, Android allows greater customization and deeper control, but this functionality is not always transparent.

For instance, take a long-standing iOS feature that Android users have clamored for in the past: lockscreen notifications. This is one of the iPhone’s greatest advantages. New messages, app interactions, and alerts compile directly on the lockscreen. Swiping across a notification bounces the user directly into the app of origin.
In comparison, Android doesn’t offer lockscreen notifications out of the box. Some OEMs have attempted to address the issue with UI skins while apps are available to mimic the effect, but it’s not baked into the core of the Android software. In the green guy’s defense, Android’s notification pane is far superior to Apple’s offering, particularly in the latest Jelly Bean releases. Rich, interactive notifications trump the iPhone’s pull-down Notification Center any day.

But what else does iOS offer that you can’t accomplish in one way or another with Android? For a moment I thought I would mention iOS’ Photo Stream feature as a real bonus to the operating system. The feature, which allows you to share a photo album from your phone for others to access, is — again — intuitive and easy, incorporating directly into your iPhone gallery, but it’s far from unique. Consider Google+ auto photo uploads and Android can more or less achieve the same results (with added social networking functionality), though it might not be immediately obvious to users.

Another item to consider is Apple’s messaging app. Based on device and network, messages are smartly toggled between a standard SMS and an iMessage. Google has yet to implement a similar function in their stock messaging app, a service that seems continually neglected in Android updates. However, it sounds like Google is working toward a solution with Babel, an integrated messaging platform that would span several Google services such as Talk and Gmail.

One thing I do admire about iOS is the Settings menu. Android’s Settings menu is a bit cluttered and not always obvious. While the same can be said for certain aspects of Apple’s Settings, one superior feature is consolidated notification settings. On Android, you would need to enter each app individually, navigate to that apps settings, and adjust notifications and alerts there. For iOS, most apps will populate in the main Settings menu allowing you to adjust notifications for all in one central location.

Otherwise, it’s less about what one operating system has that the other needs and more about how each handles the same tasks in different manners. Multi-tasking, uninstalling apps, searching on device and on the web — both platforms do these things, though in their own way. It’s hard to say which is intrinsically better, only that iOS and Android are as different as they are the same, and I like it that way. It will be exciting to see the new functions and features both camps introduce at their upcoming developer conferences.

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