Microsoft just announced their new sucessor to the Xbox 360, and it is not called the Xbox 720. It's called the Xbox One and it absolutely blew us away! From the fantastic specs to the rich and amazing feature-set, this new Xbox One is poised to take the home entertainment world by storm. The Xbox One will hit retail shelves later on this year and just might transform the way we think about games, movies, music, Skype video calling and more.

We are so excited we just had to start a new forum for this white hot device! We wanted to share it with you guys to give you an opportunity to join in on the discussions just begninning. Please check it out at the Xbox One Forums!

One of the hot things to come out of Google I/O last week was the news that a Pure Android Google Edition of the Samsung Galaxy S4 would be coming. Afterwards, speculation ran rampant that HTC should/could launch their own version of a stock Android version of their flagship the HTC One. Unfortunately, late last week, HTC themselves stated they would not be offering a stock Android version of their device.

Of course, sometimes companies say one thing, then do the opposite, and today there are new rumors that HTC may have reconsidered their position. Here's a quote with the details,

There’s a wonderful rumor floating around this evening — one that will either have you leaping for joy, or reaching for the bottle. It all started last week after an HTC rep seemingly hinted at the possibility of a stock Android AOSP version of the the HTC One, similar to the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition announced at Google I/O. The cryptic tweet said, “So you can pay $649 for a piece of plastic running stock or… You can wait #IO13″ This, as it turns out, was tweeted from her personal Twitter account and although she never revealed the meaning behind it, some blogs ran with the story. This caused HTC rep Jeff Gordon (not that Jeff Gordon) to chime in, flat out denying these rumors altogether.

Fast forward to today where infamous ROM leaker @LlabTooFeR is, once again, adding fuel to these stock One rumors, tweeting some very confident words that an HTC One is coming fast down the pipeline and “without Sense 5.” According to Llabtoofer, he expects the device to be released as early as this summer and if you’re curious on exactly how sure he feels on the subject, he went as far as saying it was a “fact.”

Of course, it's important to point out that HTC does already offer a bootloader unlocked developer edition of their HTC One flagship for $650. This basically means anyone can get the HTC One and throw a custom ROM, or just a vanilla version of Android on the device, so we are still skeptical of this rumor. It almost doesn't make sense for HTC to offer this, other than as a marketing gimmick, and/or as a pure Android option to those folks out there who don't like to tinker with the OS of their device. What do you guys think? Should HTC sell a Pure Android HTC One on the Google Play Store alongside Samsung?

Source: Phandroid

The first Jolla Sailfish equipped phone was just announced a couple days ago. It is called the Jolla, named after the company itself. We fully admit that this phone is obviously not Android, and in fact is an alternative to our favorite little green robot. Still, we were curious about this unique new entrant to the mobile world, and were even more curious to gauge your interest in this device. It has some intriguing features worth mentioning beyond the average specs. First, here are the specs,

• 4.5-inch display and heavily gesture-centric UI
• 4G connectivity
• 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash
• 16GB of internal storage
• A microSD card slot

It also has some unique functionality. For example, the battery is user accessible, and the back cover can be swapped out to a different color. Even more interesting is that the phone can recognize which colored backplate you snap on the device and it dynamically changes the UI theme to match. Obviously, this is more of an aesthetic gimmick than truly useful, but sometimes the most fun thing to do on a phone is personalize it. Jolla calls this functionality “the Other Half” and will offer a number of different case options. One other interesting feature of the device is that it is also fully compatible with most Android apps. Obviously Jolla wants developers to jump on board and develop apps specifically for their Sailfish OS, but it's still a smart play to make all those Android apps available in the mean-time.

Interestingly, Several aspects of this device were borrowed from the MeeGo operating system. Here's a quote with a few more of the details,

Jolla isn’t the only company to take elements of MeeGo and reuse them of late. Nokia, for instance, borrowed elements of the UI and the swiping-gesture system for its Asha Platform, debuting on the Asha 501; although not as flexible or powerful as the MeeGo-powered N9, the 501 does have the advantage of being significantly cheaper.

Jolla’s first phone will arrive by the end of the year, the company says, assuming all goes to plan. It’ll be priced at €399 ($513) SIM-free and unlocked.

What do you guys think? Will this device be a decent competitor to the other big alternatives in the global mobile world right now?

Source: SlashGear

Last week we shared a disheartening rumor with you guys regarding what may be the new Motorola X Phone. An AT&T device with the model name XFON and the model number XT1058 (which had been previously identified as the possible model number of the X Phone), passed through the FCC with some pretty lackluster specs and a GSM radio. A new report suggests a CDMA version of the device exists with the model number XT1060, and will also come with just a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset. This basically means a Verizon and/or Sprint version of this device will also come with the same mediocre specs as the AT&T version.

This info was gleaned from an .ini file obtained from some leaked USB drivers. Here's a quote with the info,

////////////////////////////
This is for RSD app to create correct phone model class
[MODEL]
WIFI = f100,mz604,xoom,mz615,mz615-16,mz615-32,mz615-64,mz607,mz607-16,mz607-32,mz602
STEUMTS = mb865,me865
MSM6X55UMTS = mb632,xt605,xt626,xt621
MSM6X55CDMA = xt603
MSM8960CDMA = xt926,xt897,xt907,xt901,xt1060
MSM8960UMTS = mb886,xt923,xt925,xt905,201m,xt1058
IMC6260UMTS = xt890
////////////////////////////

We are crossing our fingers that all of these rumors are wrong and simply refer to some other device, but the signs are definitely looking grim.

Source: AndroidAuthority

The newest hot Android tablet from Samsung might be coming pretty soon. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 just got its press pic leaked. We also have some intel on specs for the device. Here's the industry speculation at the moment,

• Wi-Fi, 3G and LTE versions
• Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
• 8-inch 1280 x 800 pixels display (could be better at time of launch)
• 1.3MP front-facing camera
• 5MP rear camera
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Dual-core 1.5GHz processor
• 1.5GB of RAM
• 16GB of internal memory
• MicroSD card support (up to 64GB)
• 4,450 mAh battery

As you can see, the specs aren't spectacular, but perhaps the price will be competitive because of that. If they can price it below certain point it could put the squeeze on the Apple iPad Mini. We will keep you apprised if something more concrete comes out.

Source: UnWiredView

For a few weeks, numerous rumors (including leaked pics) have suggested we will soon see several new variants of the Samsung Galaxy S4, including the SGS4 Mini and SGS4 Active. A new slip-up directly from Samsung’s WatchON TV control service has unofficially confirmed these rumors, and confirmed the existence of a previously unknown device, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mega. The Samsung WatchOn TV service/app recently got an update, and lo-and-behold, all three of these previously unconfirmed devices were mentioned as being supported by the service.

We have already heard about the S4 Mini and the S4 Active, but the the S4 Mega is new. The Mega device name isn't new for Sammy, since they already released the Mega 5.8 and Mega 6.3 in select markets; however, a Galaxy specific Mega has not been previously mentioned. Considering this leak comes from a flub directly out of Samsung, we suspect these device will be announced very shortly.

Source: PhoneArena

According to HTC's North Asian president, Jack Tong, the new HTC One will need to have its production run doubled due to "strong demand." This must come as a huge relief to the company which has seen its profits decline rapidly over the past year and a half. It's also a good sign that they have finally worked out all of their supply part problems. Here's a quote with a few more details,

Taipei, May 16 (CNA) Taiwan’s HTC Corp. said Thursday that its production capacity for its new HTC One flagship phone is rising sharply month by month as its component supply issues continue to improve.

Jack Tong, president of HTC North Asia, said the company’s production capacity for its newest smartphone, a 4.7-inch model that was unveiled Feb. 19, will double in May from the previous month and will rise further in June in order to meet strong demand.

“Our capacity is expected to rise significantly starting from mid-May,” he said at a news conference at which the company announced its sponsorship of Cirque du Soleil’s new show. “We are optimistic about our high-end sales during April and June.”

Perhaps this is the start of an upward trend for HTC, but at the very least it is great to see them pull out of their death spiral.

Source: FocusTaiwan

Several new variants of the Samsung Galaxy S4 series have been rumored for sometime now. One of these is the Galaxy S4 Active. It will supposedly be designed for the "active" lifestyle and will include dust, impact and water resistant features. Today we have some leaked pics of the "rumored" device. Here's a tentative spec-list below to go with the pics,

• Quad-core 1.9GHz processor with Adreno 320 GPU - likely the Snapdragon 600 chipset
• Same display as the Galaxy S4 - 5.0-inch 1080p and possibly Super AMOLED (although its pixel density is supposedly 480ppi which would be odd)
• 8MP rear camera (instead of the 13MP sensor of the vanilla Galaxy S4)

Although Samsung hasn't officially announced this device, there has been quite a bit of intel lately, and with these leaked pics, we suspect an announcement will come soon.

Source: GSMArena

If this new leaked build of Android 4.2.2/Jelly Bean for the Samsung Galaxy S III is any indication, owners of the former flagship device will be quite pleased. Several of some of the hot new software features that are in the new Galaxy S4 will show up in the SGS3 after this update. This includes handy features like lockscreen widgets, actionable notifications, tabbed settings, a brand new S Voice and more. The official version of this is expected in June, but in the mean-time for those who like to experiment, here is more info and a download link below,

New enhancements in Android 4.2.2 update
- Android 4.2.2 – Build ID: JDQ39
- New S4 Lockscreen: Multiple Widgets, two Unlock effects (Ripple and Light), improved ripple effect than Android 4.1.2, ability to change clock size and set a personal message
- New Screen modes (From S4): Adapt Display and Professional Photo
- Daydream
- Driving mode
- Actionable notifications
- New Additions in Notification Center
- Completely revamped Settings UI (Tabbed interface – Exactly like the S4)
- Addition of Voice controls (Let’s you control various parts of the phone using voice commands – Galaxy S4 feature)
- Gallery modes have white background (When changing gallery modes to 3D the background changes to white)
- Full screen Samsung apps
- New S-Voice (from S4)
- New smart switch widget
- Found more? Tell us about them in the comments below!

WARNINGS
- This firmware will increase your binary counter but the current binary and system status will remain official.
- We have re-packaged this firmware from dump files.
- There is no modem in this firmware, so the Modem you will be using before flashing this firmware will remain the same.
- This is a pre-release firmware and not official from Samsung.
- We have fully tested this firmware and this firmware works perfectly as any other official firmware.

Firmware Details
Android Version: 4.2.2 – JDQ39 (Jelly Bean)
PDA: I9300XXUFME3
CSC: I9300OJKFME1
MODEM: N/A
Region: Middle East
Carrier: Branded
Changelist: 611730
Build Date: 8 May 2013
Download: I9300XXUFME3_I9300OJKFME1_ILO.zip

Flashing Instructions
- Unzip the file
- Open Odin 3.04 (already included in the firmware package)
- Restart phone in download mode (Press and hold Home + Power + Volume down buttons)
- Connect phone and wait until you get a blue sign in Odin
- Add I9300XXUFME3_I9300OJKFME1_HOME.tar.md5 to PDA
- Make sure re-partition is NOT ticked
- Start flash, sit back and wait a few minutes.
- If you encounter any issues with the firmware (Any FC, Bootloop etc)
- Boot into recovery mode (Home+power+vol up)
- Choose to wipe/factory reset. (THIS WILL ERASE ALL OF YOUR DATA INCLUDING YOUR INTERNAL SD CARD!)
- Then choose reboot and you should be good to go!

Source: ... [Read More]

The LG flexible OLED display reveal is going to happen a great deal sooner than expected. In fact, according to a press release directly from LG, they will be debuting the technology later this week at the The Society for Information Display annual show in Vancouver, Canada. LG plans to debut a 5-inch unbreakable flexible OLED display at the event.

Samsung has been developing their own version of this remarkable new tech as well, but they have run into some development snags. It will be a remarkable achievement if LG's version of the tech actually beats Samsung to market so quickly. Here's LG's official press release,

Seoul, Korea (May 20, 2013) – LG Display [NYSE: LPL, KRX: 034220], a leading innovator of display technologies, will showcase the latest TV, mobile, and other products representing the future of display technology at the Society for Information Display’s (SID) Display Week 2013. Underscoring its leadership in OLED technology, the company will introduce both a curved 55-inch OLED TV and a 5-inch plastic OLED panel. Also exhibited will be mobile panels applied with Oxide Thin Film Transistor (TFT) which is viewed as the next generation TFT technology.
“Recent trends indicate that the small- and medium-sized display market is moving towards high resolution and low power consumption, and the large panel market to OLED and Ultra HD,” said Dr. Sang-Deok Yeo, CTO and Executive Vice President of LG Display. “With the resulting rapid need for new display advancements, LG Display, at the forefront of these trends, is well positioned to lead the market with its differentiated and cutting-edge technologies.”

Industry Leadership in OLED

LG Display will demonstrate its industry leadership in OLED technology by showcasing a curved 55-inch OLED TV, as well as its award-winning standard 55-inch OLED TV at SID 2013. Based on the same WRGB OLED technology as the standard set, now widely adopted as the most effective OLED application for large-sized panels, the new curved 55-inch OLED TV offers a glimpse into the future of TV design.

In addition, for the first time to the public, the company will unveil an unbreakable and flexible 5- inch plastic OLED panel for mobile devices. The development comes at a crucial time when smart devices are being used more than ever and at increased risk for damage from drops, hits, and other accidents.

Next Generation TFT LCD Method

LG Display will also introduce 5-inch and 7-inch HD LCD panels based on Oxide TFT, seen as the next generation TFT technology as it offers high investment efficiency in producing thin, high transparency, and low power consumption displays. LG Display, which utilized this technology in its large-sized OLED displays for the first time in the world, will expand its expertise to LCD panel development thereby leading the market.
The 5-inch HD panel will feature 1.0mm bezel allowing production of borderless smartphones that are lightweight and emit significantly less heat. The 7-inch HD LCD panel is equipped with touch function-embedded technology enabling superior touch functionality in thin and lightweight mobile products.

Superior High Resolution for Monitors and Tablets

LG Display, which was first to introduce an 84-inch Ultra HD TV, now

... [Read More]

If you are unfamiliar with Samsung TecTiles, allow us to introduce you to these cool programmable tiles. TecTiles are small, programmable tiles that can be programmed via your smartphone to perform a variety of simple tasks, from turning on your WiFi to making sure your phone’s alarm goes off. You can even stick them on the back of your business card, so that you can easily easily transfer your contact information onto a colleague's or friends Samsung NFC-enabled device.

So what can you expect from this new version? Much the same stuff that you could find with the original, with some additional tasks. You can now program tiles to change your phone’s settings such as brightening your screen or turning up/down the volume of your handset among others. This can be helpful if you have specific modes you want for your phone in various situations. You may want the ringer on vibrate while at work, you may want it to be on full volume at home. When in the car, you’ll want it paired with your Bluetooth earpiece. Instead of rifling through the various settings each time, just hover over a tile and you’re good to go.

Restaurants and Hotels can also take advantage of TecTiles by placing them at the hostess stand, or the front desk, and guests can just wave their phone over it to check-in, whether on Foursquare or Facebook. Following a business on Twitter was never easier either. TecTiles are available in packs of five for about $15 each, and are currently only available on Samsung.com. The tiles will roll out to other retailers starting next month.

Via: Samsung

Not only is Samsung gobbling up 95 percent of the global profits from Android, they are well on their way to setting an all time high sales record with their Galaxy S4. Despite having been on sale for less than a month, CEO JK Shin reports that the handset will reach the 10 million mark very soon. Speaking at a conference in Seoul, South Korea, Shin told reporters, “We are confident that we will pass more than 10 million sales of the S4 next week. It is selling much faster than the Galaxy S3." This is quite astounding seeing that it took the Galaxy S3 two (2) months to reach 10 million sales (which is very impressive), and the Galaxy S2 took almost five (5) months to do the same.

A report earlier this year showed Samsung had ordered enough components to build 10 million Galaxy S4 phones per month. Perhaps they may have knew a thing or two about the popularity of this device before it hit consumers hands , or it just all may be coincidence. Regardless, the early success is quite a feat. Congratulations Samsung on a job well done.

Via: Digital Trends