HTC One M8 Prime rumoured for September release with Snapdragon 805, Quad HD Display
While we’ve heard of one Prime device, the Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime, that may be released very soon with an upgraded display which is capable of 2K resolutions, there may be another Prime device also on the distant horizon. That other device could be the HTC One M8 which was launched earlier this year with “only” a 1080p resolution display (the other being of course the Galaxy S5), but rumours are saying that HTC is also planning a HTC One M8 Prime which will update the device with a Quad HD, 2K display sometime in September.
Not only would HTC be updating the display of the device, the M8 Prime would also have an updated processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805, which is likely to be available in September as well as an update of the pairing of the Duo camera to 18MP and 5MP (UltraPixel). While the details do appear to be a bit hazy, it wouldn’t be that unusual to see a second flagship device from HTC appear in September given that most other Android manufacturers have migrated to a biannual flagship cycle i.e. Sony, and likely LG. But as always with these rumours, we’ll have to wait and see.
What do you think about the existence of a HTC One M8 Prime? Would you like to get a device like this? Let us know what your thoughts are.
Source: HTCSoku via Phone Arena
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Rising Sapphire Display Cost May Limit Production of 5.5-Inch iPhone 6
A new post on Weibo citing supply chain sources (Google Translate, via GforGames) claims Apple’s 5.5-inch iPhone may see a limited production volume due to the use of high quality sapphire as a display material. According to the report, the high cost of producing the sapphire may hinder Apple’s ability to include the scratch-resistant material in a large number of its smartphone models.
The report notes that Apple’s sapphire display may cost 1743 yuan (or $280) in materials, which is a significant jump over the $44 estimated for the 4-inch Retina display used in the iPhone 5s. This extra expense could increase the retail price of the next generation iPhone by approximately 50 percent, which may price the smartphone beyond the affordability point for most consumers.
These latest reports suggest that the sapphire screen costs around 1743 yuan (or $280), which would raise the final cost of the device to about 8000 yuan (or $1285) – at least in China. At the moment, the 16 GB iPhone 5S costs 5288 yuan in China ($850), whereas the beefier 64 GB variant is retailed at the price of 6888 yuan (or $1106)
This rumor corresponds with an earlier report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who suggested that supply constraints may force Apple to reserve the sapphire display for premium iPhone models such as the 64GB version of the 5.5-inch iPhone 6.
Though Apple still buys sapphire from third-party suppliers, the company is starting to produce the material in small quantities at its Arizona facility. The sapphire production plant, which is financed by Apple and operated by GT Advanced, is expected to produce between 100 and 200 million sapphire displays, enough for an entire line of devices when it reaches full operating capacity.
MLB At Bat ’14 free for T-Mobile subscribers
T-Mobile is once again offering MLB At Bat free for T-Mobile subscribers. All you have to do is download the app, available on both Android and iOS.
MLB At Bat allows you to track and get updates of your favorite MLB teams. Normally the cost for a yearly subscription is 20 bucks, but for being a T-Mobile subscribe it is free.
For all you baseball fans, just head over to your respective app store and pick up your free subscription to MLB At Bat.
Source: TmoNews
The post MLB At Bat ’14 free for T-Mobile subscribers appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google Stars leak reveals a new way to share and search your bookmarks
Google+ expert Florian Kiersch recently revealed that Google’s testing a bookmarking app called “Stars,” and he’s just posted a video (embedded below) showing how it might work. The initial leak exposed how you could star web pages from Chrome’s address bar, organize them by folders, and search content within those pages. Those searches would use suggestions and auto-complete like Chrome, displaying the results in an “image-rich grid.” Now, a splash screen (above) has confirmed much of that, and his demo shows how your favorites can be organized from a primary screen and set to private or public visibility. That’s how you’d automatically share links with the public or keep them confined to your Google+ circles. Stars may arrive in the future as an app or extension on Chrome and would probably be embedded in other Google apps too — assuming it survives the beta.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Google
Via: TNW
Source: Florian Kiersch (Google+)
CleverPet makes every dog Pavlov’s dog
Psychologist Ivan Pavlov conditioned dogs to salivate by ringing a bell, but maybe he should have made them play Simon instead. That’s the idea behind CleverPet, a device that plans to train your dog to solve simple problems while you’re at work. When it begins, all the pooch has to do is push a button to get food, with subsequent puzzles growing in difficulty until it’s playing whack-a-mole with the light-up pads. It’s the second smart pet device we’ve seen on Kickstarter in the last few weeks, with Kittyo offering a similar piece of kit for cat owners. CleverPet is currently half-way toward its $100,000 goal, but you can save $100 off the retail price if you make an early pledge of $160. Just be warned that it won’t launch until February 2015, so best make sure your dog will still be in the “young and able to be taught tricks” bracket by then.
Via: CNET
Source: Kickstarter
Gold, Platinum, or Rose Gold HTC One M8 available from Goldgenie for those with deep Pockets
We’ve previously heard of plans to bring out a 24 carat gold version of the HTC One M8, and even seen one gifted to T-Mobile CEO, John Legere. Gold-plating business Goldgenie, however, has their own plans in mind and now have available for purchase either a gold, platinum, or rose gold HTC One M8. And that’s 24 carat gold, of course. This isn’t the first time that Goldgenie has thought to modify HTC phones with precious metals having previously worked with last year’s HTC One and the HTC One Mini.
Naturally, these modified M8 devices are not cheap: the “cheapest” of the three, the gold HTC One M8, comes in at $2560.95 USD and the platinum one will set you back $2,830.95 USD. While that might seem a bit steep, you do get the bonus inclusion of a cherry oak finished box to store your M8 and its accessories, which seems entirely worth it. While the phone may be different on the outside, there have been no modifications to the hardware itself and the phones are fully unlocked so they can be used anywhere in the world.
To be honest, it doesn’t seem like there’s that much difference between the default chrome finish of the M8 and the platinum version, but that might just be my wallet talking. Let us know what you think about these Goldgenie plated devices.
Source: Goldgenie via Phandroid
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Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime with Quad HD display rumoured to arrive in June to counter LG G3 Release
We’ve suspected for some time now that Samsung will be bringing out a slightly updated version of its Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone with a higher resolution screen and slightly updated hardware specs. This so-called Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime with Quad HD display is rumoured to be Samsung’s answer to the LG G3 which is expected to be announced as soon as LG’s event on May 27th, and will include the elusive 2K resolution display that was absent from the Galaxy S5 that launched in early April.
While we had almost believed that Samsung had perhaps sensibly decided that 1080p displays are as detailed as smartphone screens need to be, the reason, according to the Korea Herald, is actually that Samsung found that producing AMOLED displays with 2560×1440 pixels in large enough quantities to meet the demand for the global launch for the Galaxy S5 was just too expensive. To counter this supply issue, Samsung resolved to release a second device, this Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime, at higher cost and with the 2K resolution display which would undoubtably sell fewer devices than the flagship Galaxy S5. Whether the rest of the hardware in this Galxy S5 Prime would be different from the original remains to be seen, but we may find out sooner than later with June just around the corner.
What do you think about a 2K device like the Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime? Would you get this over the original Galaxy S5? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
Source: Korea Herald via Phone Arena
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Virgin Media bundles mobile, landline, TV and broadband into new ‘quad-play’ packages
Virgin Media has operated as a virtual mobile operator for some time now, but had never combined smartphone plans into the cost of its TV, phone and broadband deals. That’s all about to change, however, after the company confirmed today it will launch a new range of bundles that will form the first true ‘quad-play’ packages in the UK. The packages will start at £35 with a mobile SIM (also excluding line rental) and are marketed under names like Big Kahuna and Big Bang. You’ll get unlimited calls and texts but not data — that’s only applicable to VIP Tariffs, which do not come as part of the new bundles. Before today, it looked like BT was going to become the first provider to go all in, after it signed a deal with EE to provide connectivity for its own-brand 4G network. While the telecommunications giant is expected to roll out consumer packages later this year (returning to the mobile industry after it sold Cellnet back in 2001), it will now come to market some time after one of its major rivals. It could even be pipped to the post by Sky, which is rumoured to be exploring a deal with Vodafone. Virgin’s quad-play packages are now available to existing customers and will roll out to the rest of the UK in June.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless
Source: Virgin Media
Dropbox cuts access to shared documents that were accidentally exposed to the web
If you’ve shared a Dropbox document recently, but your intended recipients are complaining that the link is bust, then here’s the likely reason: The cloud storage service has been forced to sever many shared links after realizing, perhaps a bit late in the day, that they contained an inherent security flaw that could potentially expose documents to the wrong people. Specifically, an authorized user who opens a shared document and clicks on any hyperlink within its text could unwittingly expose the entirety of that document to the webmaster of the hyperlinked site.
Sound complicated? It really isn’t. It’s just a simple byproduct of the internet’s standard “referer headers” that allow webmasters to see who is referring traffic to their site. If the referer happens to be a Dropbox file, then a curious webmaster is going to have no trouble accessing that file just as if he was an authorized recipient. Fortunately, there are no reported instances of this happening, and Dropbox says it has already fixed the issue for all newly created documents. As for older files, however, they’ve been automatically de-shared “until further notice” — so you might want to follow these steps to create new links for them.
Filed under: Storage, Internet
Source: Dropbox
John Lewis’ own-brand smart TVs with webOS launching today from £1,399
The TV section of John Lewis stores, where customers and voyeurs alike come to gawk at the latest sets, will be joined by three new models today that also happen to bear the retailer’s name. Its first own-brand TVs, known as the JL9000 series, have been made by LG especially, and thus run the manufacturer’s webOS smart TV platform. Self-branded products tend to be at the lower-end of their category, but trust John Lewis to deck out its TVs with 1080p LED IPS panels, integrated 2.2-channel soundbars with extra subwoofers, passive 3D and 8-megapixel webcams. Those bells and whistles come at a cost, of course, so the 49-, 55- and 60-inch models will set you back £1,399, £1,699 and £2,199, respectively (still, a little cheaper than when the range was first teased). In typical John Lewis style, each one comes with a five-year guarantee, meaning you can chase the store directly if something goes wrong — not that you’d be happy about it when laying down that kind of dosh.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, LG
Source: John Lewis
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