Motorola Luge is now available with Verizon

Motorola Luge is shaping to be a rebranded version of the DROID RAZR M, which was released almost exactly two years ago. Aside from software that is closer to stock, you won't be finding any differences. From rundown for the device and it looks to be the exact same device as the RAZR M: 4.3-inch 540x960 (qHD) display, Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960 clocked at 1.5GHz, 1GB of RAM, 8-megapixel rear camera, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, and a 2000mAh non-removable battery. The only differences we see are that the Luge has a better front camera (0.9-megapixels vs 0.3), compatibility for Verizon's XLTE, and the upgrade to Android 4.4.4 with Motorola's new suite of apps like Assist and the mysterious Moto Aware. There is also a chance that the Luge features Gorilla Glass 3, but that isn't confirmed yet.

Xiaomi's Android handsets resemble Windows Phone's Start screeen with Lite Mode

Xiaomi's Android phones run using the manufacturer's MIUI UI. For Xiaomi customers who find Android to be confusing, there is the Lite Mode that offers a "simplified Home screen and menus." If the Lite Mode look seems familiar, that is because it somewhat resembles the Windows Phone Start screen. To enable Lite Mode on your Xiaomi device, go to Settings > Lite Mode. Tap the Lite Mode switch to turn it on, and agree to reboot the phone.



The Lite Mode allows you to add an app to the main screen, a feature available with the Start screen on Windows Phone. You can change the font size and ...

Windows Phone users also drink coffee; MyBucks is a Starbucks app for the platform

Back in 2013, Starbucks said it would not support a Windows Phone app. But if we are not mistaken, Windows Phone users also drink coffee, and many of them actually consume the stuff at Starbucks. That is why Windows Phone developer Elliot Forde has come up with MyBucks. This is a Starbucks client for Windows Phone handsets, that will do everything but drink your cup of Joe for you.



For example, the app will help you find a Starbucks near your current location. It also will let you check the status of your Starbucks card and Starbucks Rewards account. At participating stores, you can scan ...

72% of mobile network users expect their carrier to provide good performance constantly

Smartphone and tablet users might be asking too much from their mobile operators. According to a survey conducted by traffic management vendor Vasona Networks, 72% of mobile data users expect their carrier to be on top of their game all of the time, providing good data performance 24/7. Consumers are also quicker to blame their carrier when things go awry. Last year, 64% of mobile device users said that they expected their mobile carrier to be problem-free all of the time.



The survey shows that 55% of smartphone and tablet users blame their mobile network providers if an application does ...

Best Buy takes $50 off the price of the LG G Watch

With the LG G Watch R bringing a round face to the manufacturer's Android Wear powered smartwatch lineup, Best Buy has decided to cut the price of the original LG G Watch. The big box retailer has sliced $50 off the price of the original LG timepiece. That brings the price of the rectangular wearable, available in black or white, down to $179.99.



The smartwatch space is becoming increasingly crowded. The other day, Samsung introduced the Samsung Gear S smartwatch that features 3G connectivity. This allows the watch to make or take phone calls, without having to be paired to a smartwatch. ...

Apple reportedly teaming up with Amex, Visa and MasterCard for iPhone Wallet

Your next Apple iPhone will double as a wallet, if speculation about partnerships between Apple and a trio of well known credit card companies is true. On Sunday, rumors starting spreading that Apple was going to announce partnerships between itself and American Express, Visa and MasterCard. The partnerships are expected to be announced during the same September 9th event that will finally out the Apple iPhone 6, said an anonymous source who wished to remain unknown because the talks are private.



This rumor ties in with other speculation. Just the other day, we passed along a rumor that ...

Photos reveal images of Nokia's "selfie" models

From China comes a pair of pictures that allegedly show the image of both the Nokia Lumia 730 and Nokia Lumia 735. The former is a Dual SIM model with 3G connectivity. The latter is the same phone with 4G LTE support. This is Nokia's "Superman" phone and is also known as the manufacturer's "selfie" model because of the 5MP front-facing camera on board.



The Nokia Lumia 730 features a 4.7 inch clear black screen with resolution of 720 x 1280, which works out to a decent 312ppi pixel density. A quad-core Snapdragon 400 is driving the phone, which will include 1GB of RAM and 8GB of native storage. ...

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 rumor round-up: specs, features, price, release date, and all we know so far

Image above is of a Samsung Galaxy Note 3

It has been about two and a half years since the very first Samsung Galaxy Note came out and single-handedly defined the phablet category. Since then, we've witnessed the launch of two highly-acclaimed successors, the Galaxy Note II and the Galaxy Note 3, and the attempts on Samsung competitors' side to deliver a worthy alternative appear to have had little impact on the momentum that Galaxy Note handsets have built up. In fact, we're only weeks away from greeting the Samsung Galaxy Note ...

IFA 2014: here's what to expect from Samsung, Sony, Huawei, Microsoft, and Asus

In just a couple of days, geeks and journalists from all over the world will gather in Berlin for one of the year's largest tech events – the Internationale Funkausstellung, also known as IFA. As usual, it is going to be an event of massive proportions, and many of the top tech companies will take advantage of the hype by announcing their latest products. Here's a look at the gadgets that we're expecting to see there.

Samsung

Excited about the newest range of Samsung printers? We aren't either. What we're actually looking ...

User Agent Profile confirms 1440 x 2560 QHD resolution for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 screen

A User Agent Profile found on the Samsung Mobile site, confirms the 1440 x 2560 resolution screen on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. The eagerly awaited phablet is expected to be introduced on Wednesday during a Samsung UNPACKED event. The UAProf shows that the latest iteration of Sammy's phablet line will have a model number of SM-N920T.



We expect the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 to offer a 5.7 inch screen, powered by the Snapdragon 805 CPU in certain regions, and an octa-core Exynos processor in other regions. 3GB of RAM is said to be inside and the phablet has been tipped to arrive with the same ...

Sony SmartWatch 3 and SmartBand Talk renders appear, as clear as the Hudson River

Sony is expected to introduce the Sony Xperia Z3, Sony Xperia Z3 Compact and the Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact this coming week at IFA in Berlin. In addition, it appears that Sony will be introducing a pair of new wearable devices at the same time. Fuzzy looking renders of both the Sony SmartWatch 3 and the Sony SmartBand Talk have appeared, sparking talk that both will also be unveiled at the Sony event on September 4th.



The Sony SmartWatch 3 is powered by Android Wear and will feature a 1.68 inch screen with a 320 x 320 resolution. The timepiece has an IP58 certification, which means that ...

9 ex-flagships that you can now buy as great mid-range smartphones

Have you noticed that it’s easier to find a perfect mid-range smartphone than a high-end one? That’s because, alongside all the new mid-range devices, you also have the option of buying a former flagship that’s old enough to be downgraded to the mid-range category. There are plenty of ex-flagships that can still provide a great user experience - assuming that you don’t necessarily need the very latest CPUs, or crazy screen resolutions that were unimaginable some years ago.



Of course, in addition to having more options to choose from, getting a mid-range smartphone also saves you money (though, ...

Microsoft snubs court order, says it will not release customer email to authorities

Last month, the US District Court upheld a lower court ruling that Microsoft was required to adhere to a federal warrant for the software company to hand over a customer’s email messages which are stored in a data center that is physically in Ireland.



At the time, Microsoft said it would appeal the ruling, which was suspended temporarily due to a deluge of complaints from other international companies about the legality of search warrants in an international environment.



The judge, Loretta Preska, lifted the suspension on Friday on the premise that prosecutors convinced her that her ...

Report: Update after launch could give BlackBerry Passport 4K video capture

A report published Saturday, states that BlackBerry is testing out 4K video capture for the BlackBerry Passport. But don't expect to see the feature on the phone when the eagerly awaited model is unveiled later next month. Instead, if the company is happy with the results of the test, it will add the 4K video capture to the phone with the BlackBerry 10.3.1 update.



Like the rest of the phone, the Passport's rear camera offers some delectable specs. We are talking about a 13MP snapper with Auto Focus, Optical Image Stabilization, and an f/2.0 aperture which should allow for quality pictures ...

Motorola Shamu splashes down in India; not a Sea World in sight

If you're a regular PhoneArena reader, you've seen us discuss an unreleased phone from Motorola code named Shamu. This could be the Nexus 6, or it could be an Android Silver device. No matter how you slice it, the specs point to a top-shelf model with a 1440 x 2560 display, a quad-core Snapdragon 805 CPU and an Adreno 420 handling the graphics. The phone apparently will sport a pair of stereo speakers on front, a 13MP rear camera and a 2.1MP front-facing shooter. Some of the specs from various leaks don't match up, which makes us anxious for some more solid information.



What we have ...

Here are Samsung's plans for future KitKat updates

If you're wondering about when your Samsung device might receive Android 4.4.2, 4.4.3 or 4.4.4, we just might have the answer for you. First, let's take a look at a pair of high profile phones that Samsung will be releasing soon. The Samsung Galaxy Alpha is a metal clad handset that is the manufacturer's challenger to the Apple iPhone 6. This model is expected to launch shortly and come out of the box with Android 4.4.4 pre-installed. The eagerly awaited Samsung Galaxy Note 4, which will be unveiled on Wednesday, should be released with Android 4.4.3 running the show.



What if you own the ...

WhatsApp brings Android Wear support out of beta

It was less than a month ago that WhatsApp brought on support for Android Wear via a side-loaded beta update direct from the company’s website.



Now, the app, as it resides in Google Play, has been updated with the usual “bug fixes and improvements,” messaging reliability, and official Android Wear support.



WhatsApp’s functionality with Android Wear is not outside of what we have already experienced with other messaging features on Android Wear devices like the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live. You can tap to view full message contents, navigate among stacked messages, and dismiss ...

Is Lenovo mocking Apple with this invitation to its Vibe X2 launch event?

Apple earlier this week sent out invitations to its September 9 press event, where the company is almost certainly going to announce the iPhone 6, and possibly also its very first wearable device.



Apple’s invitation shows the date of the event, and reads: “Wish we could say more.” Not long after Apple, Lenovo also revealed an invitation that’s styled similar to the iPhone maker’s one, while reading: “We can’t say anything either.” It looks like Lenovo is trying to mock Apple’s announcement, though it’s doing it in a way that eludes us. In any case, Lenovo’s invitation is for the official ...

Apple planning multiple wearables at prices that may be up to $400

There have been a number of reports to come through already that have explained that we shouldn't be expecting a single iWatch when Apple does finally enter the wearable market. Now, that idea is being confirmed once again in a report from Re/code, which says Apple is working on multiple wearables and have even discussed the possibility of pricing the high-end option at $400.

So, it does seem that we should expect a number of Apple wearables, but the pricing may not be sorted out anytime soon. The general thinking has become that Apple will announce wearables at the September ...

Another teaser for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 shows the phablet in silhouette

For the last week, Samsung has been bombarding us with video teasers for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. The next iteration of the manufacturer's phablet line is expected to be unveiled on September 3rd, which is this coming Wednesday. With the days before the unveiling dwindling down, Samsung has once again produced a video to tease the Galaxy Note 4. And once again, Samsung chose the S Pen as the focus of the teaser.



Similar to one of the first videos that we saw from Samsung for the Galaxy Note 4, this teaser talks about the history of the pen, and shows how the writing instrument is a tool ...

IDC lowers forecast of tablet sales for 2014

With laptop prices dropping, smartphone screens rising, and replacement cycles getting longer, tablet sales have been trending lower. The drop-off in sales is noticeable enough for IDC to cut its 2014 sales projections. The researcher now expects to see 233.1 million slates sold this year, down from a forecast made in May, which called for sales of 245.4 million tablets. And that estimate was lower from one made earlier in the year that called for 260.9 million tablets to be sold this year.



This is a trend that IDC spotted since the beginning of the year. The research firm expects tablet ...

Sony Xperia Z3 image and specs revealed as part of its certification in China

On Friday, we told you that there was speculation about a deal between SoftBank and Sony, that will lead to Sprint offering the Sony Xperia Z3 in the states. The phone would be made available in time for the 2014 holiday shopping season. On Saturday, Sony's next flagship handset was spotted receiving TENNA certification. TENNA is China's equivalent to the FCC. As usual with the agency, the specs of the phone being certified are revealed.



Unfortunately, rumors that Sony would pass on the Snapdragon 805 for its new flagship, appear to be true. The Sony Xperia Z3 is said to be driven by a quad-core ...

Do you see those little dots and “resuming” when switching apps in Windows Phone often? It’s not you or your phone

Windows Phone has come a long way in a very short period of time. One area it has gained the most ground is in the so called “app gap.” While the gap has narrowed, the challenge still remains to bring the quality of those apps up to par with their Android and iOS counterparts.



Taking the general performance of some of those apps aside for the moment, one of the hindrances that existed was speed with which these apps would operate within the operating environment itself.



If you have ever owned or used a Windows Phone, one of the common occurrences was some applications would have ...

Moto X+1 with leather back caught on camera

We found out recently that one of the new options coming to the Moto Maker customizations is a leather backing for the Moto X+1. It is possible that denim is in the works as well, but that has not yet been confirmed. Now, we're getting our first look at what looks like an X+1 with a leather backing.

You can see the texture of the leather in the image, and it also looks like it has been scuffed a bit, which could mean you would eventually have a worn leather look, which would be quite cool. Obviously, the leather back is more something you get for the feel, but it still looks ...

Japan’s NTT is establishing new foothold in the US

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, the parent of Japan’s largest mobile carrier, NTT DoCoMo, and the world’s largest telephone company by revenue has been baring the burden of some ill-fated overseas investments over the years.



Most recently, the company announced it was divesting its stake in Indian carrier, Tata DoCoMo, of which NTT owned about 26% as the result of an initial investment of over $2.5 billion. Given the poor financial performance of Tata DoCoMo, it was not expected that NTT would recoup its investment.



NTT has been a player in the United States in the past, having invested ...

Update to Google Translate app adds phonetic support for more languages

The Google Translate app has received an update that improves its capabilities while offline. It also adds phonetic support for more languages such as Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu. The use of the phonetic input helps translate words from a foreign language into English even if that language has characters you won't find on a QWERTY keyboard. Simply enter how a word sounds, and the app will handle the translation for you.



The update to Google Translate also includes something well known in all languages: minor bug fixes that enhance the performance ...

Apple iPhone 5 battery replacement program expands worldwide

Last week, we told you that Apple was willing to replace the battery on certain Apple iPhone 5 models. Units sold between September 2012 and January 2013 are involved. If the purchase of your iPhone 5 falls in that range, click on the sourcelink and you will find yourself at Apple's official iPhone 5 battery replacement page. Punch in your phone's serial number, and you will see whether or not you are entitled to a free cell replacement from Apple.



If you live in the U.S. or China, Apple started the replacement process last week. Yesterday, Apple expanded it to other countries including ...

Intel poaches Qualcomm talent to recharge mobile

For the second time in as many months, Qualcomm is losing an executive. Unlike the last time, where Peggy Johnson took a position at Microsoft, this time Qualcomm is losing this leader to a direct competitor.



Amir Faintuch, is former president of Qualcomm Atheros, which is a subsidiary that develops networking and connectivity technology and products. Qualcomm Atheros builds some of the underlying technology found in Wi-Fi MIMO, widely used in mobile products and around the home.



At Intel, Faintuch will be named Senior Vice President and Co-general Manager of the Platform Engineering ...

Do you see those little dots and “resuming” when switching apps in Windows Phone often? It’s not your or your phone

Windows Phone has come a long way in a very short period of time. One area it has gained the most ground is in the so called “app gap.” While the gap has narrowed, the challenge still remains to bring the quality of those apps up to par with their Android and iOS counterparts.



Taking the general performance of some of those apps aside for the moment, one of the hindrances that existed was speed with which these apps would operate within the operating environment itself.



If you have ever owned or used a Windows Phone, one of the common occurrences was some applications would have ...

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 leaks in photo, once again in disguise

The other day, we showed you a 15 second video of what allegedly was the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. The phablet was wearing a case to disguise it, and to keep the design secret until its September 3rd unveiling. Today, we have a photograph of that very same handset that was featured in the video, wearing the same exact case.



The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will be introduced on September 3rd at the Samsung UNPACKED event in Berlin. The festivities start at 2pm Berlin time. More than ever, Samsung is relying on its top-shelf phablet to help it reverse course financially. The company has had a couple ...

Sony suggests that one of its upcoming Xperias will be 6.4mm-thin

Not long after unveiling its official IFA 2014 teaser video, Sony followed with a teaser image that wants us to guess the dimensions of a mysterious device. The image suggests that we’re talking about a 6.4mm-thin product, also revealing another dimension: 124 mm. The third dimension is missing, so we don’t know what kind of device we’re dealing with here. If the missing dimension is smaller than 124 mm, the device should be a smartphone. If the dimension is greater than 124 mm, it’s probably a tablet.



Sony made it pretty clear that it’s going to announce three new devices at IFA, and we’re ...

ZTE coming to NYC for event on September 16th

ZTE USA turned to Vine to announce an event that will take place on September 16th, at the Glasshouses in New York City. The manufacturer's invitation hints that whatever we are being shown is "the next hot thing". The event will include a performance from "this summer's hottest breakout artist," whoever that is.



Unfortunately, ZTE didn't leave us a clue about this new device. We have no idea if we are talking about a smartphone or a tablet. Recently, the company released its highly spec'd ZTE nubia Z7, which matches up specs-wise against any Android flagship, but that model isn't expected ...

HTC One (E8) now available at Sprint as a cheaper One (M8) alternative

Earlier this month, Sprint announced that it would offer the HTC One (E8), without saying exactly when. Well, the handset is available to buy starting today, being offered in two color versions: polar white, and misty grey.



Essentially a cheaper version of the One (M8), the One (E8) has a body that’s made out of plastic, not metal - though it retains the overall design of the One (M8). Sprint is selling the new smartphone for $99.99 on contract, or $499.99 off contract. Customers can also choose Sprint’s Easy Pay plan ($0.00 down, and $20.84 monthly payments for two years). As you may know, ...

College students face cellphone addiction

With many college students living on their own for the first time, some start drinking socially, and before you know it, they are alcoholics. And college students often find themselves taking drugs, with some becoming addicts. But a report from Baylor University warns of another addiction that could soon be affecting some of today's college students: cellphone addiction.



Published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions, Baylor's report says that female students are spending ten hours a day staring at their handsets, two hours more than male students use their phones. The researcher behind ...

Microsoft's selfie phone photographed again, two versions expected: Lumia 730 and Lumia 735

Microsoft is getting ready to announce a “selfie phone” at IFA 2014 next week. Initially known as Nokia Superman, the handset reportedly has two versions: Lumia 730, and Lumia 735.



According to new info coming out of China, the Lumia 735 has LTE connectivity, while the 730 doesn’t, instead offering support for two SIM cards. That aside, the devices appear to be identical, as several new photos that allegedly present them next to each other seem to confirm. Both the 735 and 730 should feature 5 MP front-facing cameras, 4.7-inch displays with 720 x 1280 pixels, 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal ...

Apple iWatch could be unveiled September 9th, but might miss the holiday shopping season

A few days ago, we told you that Apple's rumored wearable device just might join the Apple iPhone 6, at the company's September 9th event. On Friday, Re/code's John Paczkowski said that his sources have told him that even if the device is unveiled a week from Tuesday, "it’s going to be a while before anyone is actually wearing it." He added that the wearable (which interestingly he refuses to call the iWatch), won't be on anyone's wrist for months.



Paczkowsi added that the device won't be made available to retail buyers until after the holiday shopping season. "Think early 2015," he says. ...

Sony Xperia Z3 coming to Sprint?

Many smartphone fanatics in the U.S.have been questioning Sony's strategy. The Sony Xperia Z received a lot of notice at CES 2013 for the way Sony showed off the phone's ability to withstand a dunking into a container of water. But in the U.S., only T-Mobile offered the device. The Sony Xperia Z1 was once again limited to T-Mobile in the states, marketed as the Sony Xperia Z1S with some cosmetic changes. Despite rumors that the Sony Xperia Z2 would be headed to Verizon, it turned out that it was the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet that found shelf space with Big Red. The Xperia Z2 can only be found at Sony's ...

Cyanogen being targeted by Amazon, Microsoft, Samsung and Yahoo?

Cyanogen could end up being purchased by a big tech company. Known for its custom Android ROMs, Cyanogen was in the news earlier this week when it announced that it was teaming up with start-up Nextbit to introduce a "really cool" mobile product. Now, it is apparently being looked at as a possible acquisition or partner, for companies like Samsung, Microsoft, Amazon, and Yahoo.



The rumored companies all have something in common. They are interested in developing a version of Android outside of Google's watchful eyes. Amazon has been using its own FireOS, a forked version of Android., on ...

Alleged HTC Desire 820 specs leaked, plus details on two HTC smartwatches

HTC is getting ready to announce a new 64-bit-capable smartphone, seemingly called Desire 820, at IFA 2014 next week. We recently heard that the new Desire would be powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor, but that may not be the case. According to Chinese leaker @upleaks (which provided reliable info in the past), the Desire 820 will feature an MSM-8916 chipset - which is the quad-core Snapdragon 410. Nevertheless, that’s still a 64-bit processor.



@upleaks further says that the Desire 820 will offer a 5.5-inch display with 720 x 1280 pixels, 8 MP front-facing ...

Apple iWatch rumor round-up: specs, features, price and release date

First came the iPhone. In 2007, Steve Jobs took the stage months before the launch of a revolutionary new device, one that combines the function of the iPod, the phone, and the mobile Internet communicator. With expectations to send huge shockwaves around the industry, Jobs wanted to show the device to the world before it was ready and before anyone had seen it - a change of course for Apple who usually unveils devices shortly before their commercial roll-out.



Then came the iPad. In 2010, Jobs did the same thing. The iPad was a brand new category of devices, it ...

How to unlock the screen of the Galaxy S5 without touching it

Imagine this - you are halfway through a chicken wings bucket, and you get a message on your Galaxy S5 that's laying on the other end of the table, then the screen goes off before you glimpsed who it is.



This certainly can be counted as a situation You are in a pickle now, as you want to see if it's something important, but you are too lazy to go and wipe or wash your hands.



Yet another scenario - you simply want to check what time it is, with the phone lying flat next to you, but, again, you are elbow-deep in chicken wings with a barbeque sauce. Well, you catch our drift, but frustrate ...

Samsung takes the Apple fight to the streets with new Galaxy Tab S vs iPad advert

Samsung has taken its fight with Apple to the streets. The latest Galaxy Tab S advert shows how random passersby are presented an iPad Air and a Galaxy Tab S and are asked for their opinion - which one's better. Of course, Samsung is showing only those responses that praise their product and portray it as better than Apple's. Everyone has their taste, of course, and we think that Samsung's new Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and 10.5 tablets are fantastic Android competitors to the iPad.



It makes sense for Samsung to be more aggressive than ever with its advertisements, as that time of the year when the ...

ESPN for Android and iOS get updates that sports fans will love

Are you a dyed-in-the-wool sports fan? Do you know who leads the NL in Home Runs and RBI at this moment? (if you said Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins, give yourself a pat on the back). If your love for sports is only surpassed by your love for mobile devices, you might want to checkout the newly updated ESPN SportsCenter app for iOS and Android.



Both versions of the app now feature your favorite teams at the top of Sports Center scores. Speaking of scores, they now load faster. In fact, you should notice that the whole app is zippier these days. If you're a football fan, either at ...

25% of Windows Phone devices run WP 8.1, Microsoft undisputed monopolist in terms of hardware

Windows Phone 8.1 has been generally available for a little over a month, and although we know that the platform itself is apparently stalling at the moment, it's pretty interesting to see how the latest iteration of Redmond's OS has been adopted across the user base.



Fortunately, the guys over at AdDuplex have provided data about the stats we are interested in, and from the looks of it, the spread of Windows Phone 8.1 now spans to 24.4% of all Windows Phone devices, whereas its predecessor, Windows Phone 8 still makes 56.5% of all devices click and tick. The earlier versions of Windows ...

Galaxy Note 4 design leaks and concepts: last chance to fantasize before the announcement

Samsung has pretty much confirmed that the next-generation Galaxy Note will be unveiled at IFA 2014, on September 3. There are still a few days until then, so we thought it's maybe a good idea to take a look at the various leaked designs and concepts of the Galaxy Note 4, because this would practically be our last chance to dream and fantasize about the upcoming Galaxy Note 4.

Some of the pictures below can go into the "leaks" category - images that might indeed be revealing the real deal, or some of its prototypes. We'll put those first in the gallery. After that, what follows ...

Google Now vs Siri vs Cortana: it's time for a showdown

Ah, virtual assistants! Nobody really knows where these are headed, but by now it should be obvious that the big three mobile platforms are intent on pushing the frontier forward in what is shaping up to be yet another battlefield. Quite frankly, however, while the industry as a whole has been checking up with Google Now and Apple's Siri every now and then to see how each is doing and how they compare against each other, it's only now that Microsoft has finally entered the race that we are starting to feel duty-bound to go in-depth with them and see what's what. But ...

Alleged Apple iPhone 6 system chip, the Apple A8, leaks out in picture

The system chip that is expected to power the new Apple iPhone 6, a piece of silicon often referred to as the Apple A8, has leaked out in an image obtained by French publication NoWhereElse.



The Apple A8 is pictured alongside the dated Apple A5, and one can clearly see how much larger the new chip is in comparison.



Apart from that, there is little one can tell by just looking at the picture. We do, however, know that Apple has started making its own custom processors with the iPhone 5 (that featured the Cyclone processor), improved on it in the iPhone 5s (with the Swift processor), ...

Lenovo Vibe X2 leaks out: premium metal and first phone with a 'layered' design

Lenovo has picked up the pace recently opening up to new markets and hoping for even bigger growth as it completes the Motorola acquisitions, and one of the first devices to push its plans for the future is the Lenovo Vibe X2. The device is expected to get an official unveiling at IFA 2014 in Berlin in just a few days, but it has already leaked out on Chinese microblog Weibo.



What’s evident is that - unlike some (cough, Samsung) - Lenovo takes design seriously with the Vibe X2 and this latest leak shows it wearing clothes all out of metal, and a unique, ‘layered’ design. You can see ...

OnePlus to get rid of the infamous invite system this October, a pre-order one to take its place

The manufacturer behind the so-called “flagship killer” of 2014, OnePlus, just held an AMA (ask me anything) session on Reddit, in which revealed that it will be getting rid of its invite system for the OnePlus One sometime in October, 2014. It will be replaced with a pre-order system. Initially, the manufacturer had intended to do the switch in September, but yet again, an unfortunate series of unknown events has delayed the launch of the pre-order modus operandi. However, by the time the invite system is gone, there will be far more formidable rivals on the top-end Android market, which might ...

Nokia finally brings HERE Maps to Android, will be exclusively available for Samsung Galaxy smartphones

Yesterday, we told you that HERE Maps, the mapping service that is still under Nokia's wing, will arrive on Samsung's Gear family of devices. It will feature turn-by-turn navigation for pedestrians and a few other functionalities of the HERE goodness. But it seems that Nokia won't get satisfied with smartwatches alone, as it was just announced that HERE Maps will be exclusively-available on Samsung Galaxy smartphones for free.



Some of the strongest and most notable features of Nokia's HERE Maps is that it supports offline navigation thanks to your device's in-built GPS. This allows ...