Gionee Elife E7 mini launched with Oppo-like swivel camera, octa-core CPU
Chinese phone maker Gionee has just released the Elife E7 mini version of its mega-spec’d 5.5-inch, 1080p Elife E7 phone, but it resembles its larger sibling in name only. First off, the 13-megapizel camera and flash are on a swivel at the top, Oppo N1-style, a feature the full-sized handset lacks. The specs are also a step down, starting with the 4.7-inch, 720p screen and continuing with the 1.7GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592 CPU (instead of a 2.5GHz Snapdragon 800) and 1GB of RAM in lieu of 3GB. It also sports 16GB of storage, dual-SIM 3G capability and Android 4.2. Still, the folks at FoneArena who got their hands on one during its launch in India said it feels as premium as the Elife E7 and it looks to have skipped the fingerprint-prone glossy finish of that model. Though it likely won’t arrive in the US, selfie self-portrait lovers in India will be able to grab it for 18,999 (about $310). For more pics, hit the source.
[Image credit: FoneArena]
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Via: GSM Arena
Source: FoneArena
Google seeks judgment protecting Android from ‘Rockstar’ group’s patent lawsuits
Google isn’t about to remain idle while the Apple- and Microsoft-led “Rockstar” patent group sues numerous Android partners. The search giant has quietly filed a declaratory judgment complaint asking a San Jose court to rule that the company (and therefore, the Android ecosystem) doesn’t infringe seven of Rockstar’s patents. As GigaOM notes, Google isn’t mincing words — the firm accuses Rockstar of “placing a cloud” over Android and harassing a large part of the technology industry. The legal action doesn’t necessarily amount to fighting fire with fire, though. Declaratory judgment complaints frequently represent attempts to score an early victory, rather than the first line of defense; Google likely has more up its sleeve if this tactic doesn’t work.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Blackberry
Source: GigaOM
MTV app arrives on Android, brings full TV episodes along — if you have cable
Android users don’t have to look blankly at their iPad- and Xbox-using friends whenever they talk about Catfish anymore, now that the MTV app has arrived on Google Play. It offers on-demand streaming of recent episodes from select series, but only for subscribers of participating cable providers. The list of cable companies is quite lengthy (it includes AT&T U-Verse, Time Warner and Verizon FiOS, among others) but it’s missing some notable ones like DISH, at least for now. Unlucky folks who can’t access full episodes can always watch trailers and look at companion content for MTV Shows, including polls and behind-the-scene tidbits. Or, you know, they can look for their video fix elsewhere instead — some of those other sources even come with actual music videos.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, HD, Mobile
Via: Android Community
Source: Google Play
Softbank Reportedly in Final Talks to Acquire T-Mobile USA
The saga of T-Mobile continues. SoftBank, the majority holder in Sprint, is being reported to be in the final talks stage to pick up T-Mobile USA from parent company Deutsche Telekom. They are said to be aiming at concluding the deal to the tune of $19 billion and having Sprint buy the majority of T-Mobile shares. The original talks were aimed at a stock swap but now we are hearing that SoftBank is talking to various banks to borrow the funds to make a cash offer instead. Primarily because DT prefers a cash deal so the story goes.
A merger with Sprint is nothing new. It has been talked about and rumored for years. The combined efforts of Sprint and T-Mobile would certainly give them a bigger play at Verizon and AT&T, but I often wonder at what cost. It isn’t surprising that DT wants cold hard cash. They laid down some pretty great fallout plans when AT&T tried to buy T-Mobile USA. I have no doubt in my mind that they are preparing the same sort of fallback win if the powers that be decide to not approve the purchase.
In the end, it is all about money and how they plan to execute the purchase. DT is prepared to sell if they get a good offer. If things go smoothly we should start to hear about the changes and what is ultimately going to happen some time in the spring of 2014. Let’s not forget that Dish Network is in the mix as well. They have been considering picking up T-Mobile as well and could attempt to edge out Softbank in the end. It is going to be an exciting first half of the year for T-Mobile regardless of who bids or if/when they are acquired. We know John Legere has some pig plans coming at CES with the 4th step of the Uncarriers plans.
Via: AndroidHeadlines
Canonical Releases Ubuntu and Android Dual Boot Developer Preview
Ho ho ho Android and Linux developers, Christmas is here for you. Yesterday Canonical released the Unbuntu and Android dual boot dev preview just for you. “We are thrilled to announce a preview of a new feature for developers: Ubuntu on mobile devices can now run alongside Android on a single handset.” Regular users should be very aware that this is strictly a developer build and intended for developer use only. Canonical says:
Dual boot is not a feature suitable for regular users. It is recommended to be installed only by developers who are comfortable with flashing devices and with their partition layout. Dual boot rewrites the Android recovery partition and those installing it should be intimately familiar with re-flashing it in case something goes wrong.
Multiple Android flavours are supported (AOSP or stock, CyanogenMod) and installation of Ubuntu can be done for all versions available in the phablet-flash channels.
The biggest feature of this release is the one tap switch, which will allow you to switch from Ubuntu to Android with a tap of an app. There’s some really cool things happening here and as a user I am stoked to see where this goes. If I was a developer I would have this installed right now, but since I am not (and I don’t want to brick my device) I will wait for the dev teams to sort it all out and bring us a stable working OS. Hit the link for source.
Source: Ubuntu Developer
Check out Alex at Techaeris.com
Supposed 5.25-inch 2560 x 1440 screens in Production for Galaxy S5
One more year is almost over and that means that the next flagship devices will start to make their appearances. Well, at least the rumored specs and leaked confirmations. There is no doubt in any ones mind that Samsung will make a Galaxy S5. There will also be a Note 4 and probably a slew of new Note tablets and a Tab4. It is what Samsung does. So what is the Galaxy S5 going to be? A little bigger, a little better and a little more, well, Samsungy.
If Samsung keeps up with the trend they started with the Note 2 – Note 3 and the Galaxy SIII – Galaxy S4 we can expect a slight screen size bump with a smaller bezel and staying fairly close to the same size as the current Galaxy S4. That brings in the recent report that Samsung is in mass production of a new 5.25-inch 2560 x 1440 display that will likely be used for the Galaxy S5. Which follows up a previous report based on benchmark findings that that is the screen size that will be used.
This all follows up with other reports that the Galaxy S5 will be pulling in a 64-bit version of their quad-core octa-core processor, mostly for the international devices we bet. While the US will probably see a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800. Anything is possible though. There has also been talks of 3GB of RAM and a 13MP camera. However, as Gotta Be Mobile has pointed out, there is also suggestions that Samsung has been testing out a 16MP camera that could find its way into the device. Not to mention some version of Android 4.4 and speculation of an eye scanner for unlocking the device.
Samsung should be pulling out all the stops with the Galaxy S5, with that much power and that larger of screen with that resolution, they better be packing in one heck of a battery.
What do you guys think of all of this? Are you of the variety that Samsung needs to quite trying to push the screen tech and focus more on software and updates, or are you ready to pull out the credit card for a 2k res phone?
Sources: Phandroid – Gotta Be Mobile
SoftBank reportedly closing in on purchase of T-Mobile
Watch out, AT&T and Verizon: Japanese telecom SoftBank could soon a close deal to buy T-Mobile, according to the Nikkei news service. SoftBank apparently hopes to acquire a majority of T-Mobile’s shares via its own US subsidiary, Sprint, as soon as next spring. The estimated price tag? More than two trillion yen, or some $19 billion. Of course, there will be several legal hoops to jump through, including approval from the FCC and the Department of Justice. If the deal gets the green light, though, the top four mobile carriers in the US will shrink to three, with the combined might of Sprint and T-Mobile posing a bigger threat to heavyweights AT&T and Verizon Wireless. Stay tuned!
Filed under: Networking, Mobile, T-Mobile
Source: Nikkei
Cydia update courts iOS 7 jailbreakers with a new interface (video)
The availability of an iOS 7 jailbreak may have caught the Cydia team off-guard, but not for long. Jay Freeman and fellow developers have just updated their unofficial app platform to match Apple’s minimalist look. It’s more than just a cosmetic upgrade, too, as it includes iOS 7′s swipe-based navigation and appears to run faster. Individual app writers will still have to update their code for everything to run smoothly, but jailbreak users who’ve just been waiting for an OS-native Cydia will want to check for the update today.
[Image credit: iOS Hacker]
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Apple
Via: iOS Hacker, 9to5 Mac
Source: Jay Freeman (Twitter)
First Mac Pros Begin Arriving Ahead of Christmas
Yesterday, Apple began shipping its Mac Pros to waiting customers, with many shipments carrying an estimated delivery date of December 30. As it turns out, Mac Pros are shipping early and are already making it into the hands of customers, with one MacRumors forum user receiving his Mac Pro today.
The 6-core stock Mac Pro was ordered on the West Coast with Next Day Shipping and had a listed delivery date of December 26, but it was delivered early, just ahead of tomorrow’s Christmas holiday.
With Mac Pros already reaching customers just a few days after orders initially began, Apple has successfully met its promised December release date for the professional desktop computer.
It appears that all Mac Pros shipped thus far have been the stock configurations, as customized Mac Pros ordered on the computer’s release date carried a non-specific “January” shipping estimate.
According to Apple, demand for the new Mac Pro has been “great” and the company expects that “it will take time before supply catches up with demand.” Mac Pros ordered today, both stock and custom, have an estimated ship date of February.
Apple’s Mac Pro starts at $2,999 for the low-end model, but can be customized with a wide variety of upgrades including additional memory, flash storage, enhanced graphics, and an improved CPU.
A fully loaded 12-core Mac Pro with 64GB of RAM, dual AMD FirePro D700 GPUs and 1TB of PCI-e based flash storage retails for $9599 in the United States.
(Thanks, Tom!)
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New website launched by Plex, direct casting to Chromecast Supported
Ples certainly has responded pretty quickly when it comes to updating apps and services to play nicer with the things we buy. Not long ago their Plex Pass app updated giving everyone with a Plex Pass account the ability to cast to their Chromecast devices. It had an issue, but they quickly jumped in resolved it with a media server update. Now they have gone and launched a brand new website that not only looks dramatically better than the previous interface, but also offers in direct casting as well.
The new design also comes with a new domain. You will definitely want to bookmark www.plex.tv . It loads much faster than the old online version. The sidebar lists out the various servers you have been granted access to by your friends and family and lists the titles of what is shared. Once inside it will have a very familiar look if you have a Google TV. With all the menu options hidden just off screen. You will also find a slick little “cast” button up at the top right.
A great new site design and one that was a little overdue really. While I adore my Chromecast and Plex partnership, being locked in with my phone wasn’t always ideal. I am very happy to see the web version get a big revamp. If you have Plex, again, be sure to check out the new site at www.plex.tv.
Via: Derek Ross
AIVAnet 