Dual-SIM Motorola Moto G now getting KitKat too

Motorola is now seeding the official Android 4.4 KitKat firmware update to the dual-SIM version of Moto G. It is available over the air and weighs about 230MB.

Currently the update is seeding in Malaysia, but we expect other markets to get it very soon.

Just as on the other Moto G versions, the update brings Android 4.4.2 KitKat with Project Svelte optimizations, new Dialer app, updated Hangouts with SMMS supS/Mport, updated Google Now and the latest version of Google's Photo gallery with Auto Awesome feature, if not installed already.

The standard model of Motorola Moto G has been already brought to the KitKat bandwagon, while thenewly released dual-SIM Moto G is getting it just two weeks after its launch. It's nice to see Motorola is working hard to support its smartphones. Hopefully it will continue to do so once it becomes part of Lenovo.

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact review: a good thing in a small(ish) package

Last year, Sony finally reached the end of the alphabet with its Xperia Z. It wasn't just that the company ran out of letters, though: With the Xperia Z, we saw Sony streamline its scattered phone strategy, piping all its attention into a single high-end device. Then, it followed up with the Z1, which brought a massive 20.7-megapixel camera.

Today, we once again have a new phone to talk about, except it's perhaps not the device you might have been expecting. Nope, this isn't a Z2, and no it doesn't bring an even higher-resolution camera. Instead, Sony's joining the small-flagship club, with the Xperia Z1 Compact. Interestingly, unlike some of its rivals, Sony is promising that you won't have to compromise on features for the sake of a more pocket-friendly handset. At £440 SIM-free in the UK, that apparently includes a no-compromise price, too. By the looks of it, though, Sony has worked hard to stick with the same specs as the original -- bar, of course, the screen size. So, is this finally proof that "mini" doesn't have to mean mediocre? We put it to the test to find out.

At first glance the original Z1 and the Compact are nearly identical -- apart from the physical dimensions, of course. Look a little closer, however, and you'll spot a few small differences. For example, the Z1 Compact now has all the connections and ports on the left side, complete with the usual protective flaps. The microSD slot and micro-USB port sit up top, with the (micro) SIM slot hanging out on the bottom edge. (To jog your memory, the Xperia Z1's SIM port is over on the top-right edge.) Other differences: The headphone jack is ever so slightly farther inset on the top edge, and the camera flash now sits beside, not below, the lens. As you can see, we're already scraping around for significant differences. It's also worth noting that the build materials once again include glass and aluminum, so you won't have to suffer any plastic downgrade here (we're looking at you, HTC).

With the Compact, Sony stuck with its so-called OmniBalance design, which means for now, at least, it's passing on the chance to reimagine its phones. Instead, the company has been making subtle tweaks with each new device. And that's OK, too. After all, we've found little fault with the build quality and design on the Z and Z1, so why change it? As you can imagine, then, the Compact feels just as premium as the other Z-series phones, and possibly more so, given how dense it is. It's so dense, in fact, that at 137 grams, it's even heavier than some bigger flagships, like the Nexus 5.

Of course, this well-trodden design path brings many of the same trade-offs. Inour Z1 review, we noted that it was something of a fluff-magnet; every time you retrieved it from your pocket, it would bring with it a renewed collection of lint. Unfortunately, that's just as true of the Compact. It's impressive to see how efficiently it extracts the finest fibers from your pocket every time you remove it. If you ever need to take photos of this phone -- say, for a review -- you'll definitely need canned air, a lint-free cloth and an abundance of patience.

Another unfortunate carryover is the speaker placement, along the bottom edge of the phone. When we were testing the original Z1, we found that holding the phone in landscape to watch a movie meant one of your hands inevitably obscured the speaker, muffling the audio. Nothing has changed this time around, which means if you're watching something in landscape, you'll want to make sure you have some headphones on hand. Granted, this is a common location for the speaker, but for some reason -- perhaps the slight recess -- it's particularly noticeable on the Compact.

On a more positive note, Sony decided to break away from its normal black, white and purple color choices. The Compact does come in black and white, but also a zesty lime hue and a fairly wild pink option. Our review unit was the lime one (though it's a very yellowish lime), and we quite like how bold it is -- a treatment we hope Sony decides to keep giving its phones. Another nice touch is that the metal edges match, or complement, the body color. On the lime one, for example, the aluminum sections are a light gold, or "champagne" tone, and it definitely gives the overall design a coherent feel. Be warned, though, that after barely three days with the Compact, we noticed a small part of the champagne finish had chipped off, revealing the true metal color beneath.

As with the exterior design, talking about the Compact's specs is an exercise in repetition. It's like-for-like with the original Z1, for the most part. For those of you who don't keep track of such things (that's most of you, we'd hope), the two phones share a quad-core 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, a 20.7-megapixel camera (1/2.3-inch sensor) and 16GB of onboard storage (expandable by 64GB via microSD). Additionally, it packs 2GB of RAM, Bluetooth 4.0 (with aptX support), ANT+, GPS/GLONASS and NFC. Our global (D5503) model supports LTE Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 20 -- this covers almost all European networks. While there's no word on a US release, it's compatible with T-Mobile and AT&T, and potentially some areas on Verizon too. There's a bevy of media options as well, with support for Miracast, DLNA and MHL. As has become a bit of a Sony trademark, the Compact is also IP58 waterproof and dust proof, meaning it'll happily take a dunk in a bath, toilet or drink. There's no wireless charging, though, which is a shame. As usual, the battery is locked inside, so you can't swap it out and pop in a spare.

The key things to note are that the display is now 4.3 inches in size with "only" 720p resolution (the Z1 measures five inches on the nose and boasts 1080p). That sees the pixel density drop slightly from 441 pixels per inch to around the 340-ppi mark, but that's still pretty decent. Similarly, the battery now has a capacity of 2,300mAh, down from 3,000mAh in the original. The positive spin there is that a smaller display sucks less juice, so in theory, it's a technical, not functional trade-off. Given that the main difference is the size, Sony's done a fine job of shoehorning all that technology into a smaller package. We already mentioned that the Compact definitely feels denser, but it's a smidge fatter too -- about one millimeter thicker.

If you're used to using a larger phone, the Compact might not initially feel as small as you'd expect, especially with the decent-sized bezel at the top and bottom. Overall, it's probably right to call this mid-sized, rather than small or mini. (In all fairness to Sony's marketing team, "compact" is a more appropriate word.) It actually has a similar footprint to the iPhone -- which is unsurprising, given that Sony is probably going after Apple customers here. In short, Sony's managed to create something that's very easy to use one-handed, without feeling particularly small or slight.

	SONY XPERIA Z1 COMPACT
Dimensions	127 x 64.9 x 9.5 mm
Weight	137g
Screen size	4.3 inches
Screen resolution	1,280 x 720
Screen type	Triluminos LCD with 16 million colors
Battery	2,300mAh Li-ion (non-removable)
Internal storage	16GB (12GB free)
External storage	microSDXC, up to 64GB
Rear camera	20.7MP (1/2.3-inch sensor, f/2.0 lens with 27mm equiv. focal length)
Front-facing cam	2MP stills, 1080p video
Video capture	1080p
NFC	Yes
Radios	HSPA+ (850/900/1700/1900/2100); GSM GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900); LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 20)
Bluetooth	v4.0
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974)
CPU	2.2GHz quad-core Krait 400
GPU	Adreno 330
RAM	2GB
Entertainment	MHL, Miracast, WiFi Direct, DLNA
WiFi	Dual-band, 802.11a/ac/b/g/n
Wireless Charging	No
Operating system	Android 4.3 (Sony-specific UI)

WSJ: NSA collects data from less than one-fifth of all cellphone records

The National Security Agency might be busy collecting your Angry Birds high scores, but our previous notions that the government is collecting all of our phone data may be over-exaggerated, according to the Wall Street Journal. The publication reported this morning that in reality, the agency actually collects less than 20 percent of all call data. So what's going on? There appear to be a few factors that have formed a bit of a roadblock for the NSA's collection efforts: The rapid growth of phone use has made it hard for it to keep pace, and it's also struggled to find ways to remove location data (which is illegal to collect) from phone records; this information contradicts December reports that the NSA collects 5 billion phone location records per day.Lastly, the NSA's orders to US operators don't cover a vast majority of the cellphone records available, and its collection efforts have also been slowed down due to demands on the agency to respond to criticisms from US courts. If these sources are to be believed, apparently the NSA's collection program isn't as widespread as we originally thought. Of course, this might be one reason why it's resorting to World of Warcraft to get information.

Apple iOS 7.1 update release date looking closer

Apple is apparently preparing to release iOS 7.1, the latest version of its mobile operating system. It is a long-awaited launch, which Apple customers will be hoping fix some of the underlying problems of iOS 7.Pre-installed on the iPhone 5s and iPad Air, and available to download for older phones, tablets and iPod Touch MP3 players, iOS 7 introduced considerable changes to Apple's mobile OS including a brand-new visual style. Sadly, while it brought many improvements it also introduced a number of issues, ranging from security holes in the new fingerprint-based TouchID authentication system to slowness and even outright system crashes that would reset the device without provocation. We've had many readers get in contact to complain their device is affected by a reboot bug, which was originally believed to just affect the iPhone 5s but it actually more widespread.The next release, iOS 7.1, is largely a bug-fix version, although it does aim to make the OS feel more polished with the elimination of a few more visual styles that no longer fit in with the operating system's theme. The software has been in testing for some time, but only to those registered for Apple's developer programme. Now sources speaking to BGR suggest that the betas have stopped appearing, indicating that Apple is preparing the software for launch.From here, Apple will take the last beta and make it the Gold Master edition. After final internal testing, this Gold Master will become the final release and be made available to all iOS users with compatible devices. As with previous releases, the update will be free of charge.Apple has not, however, offered a formal launch date for the new software version. Based on prior form, it could be weeks or even months before customers get their hands on the 7.1 update.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Black edition announced with Note 3-style leather effect back

Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy S4 Black Edition and Galaxy S4 Mini Black Edition, two "new" smartphones with black colour schemes and Galaxy Note 3-inspired faux leather backs.

The Galaxy S4 Black Edition is based on the original Galaxy S4, albeit with a black finish and plastic, faux-stitched back panel. The internals stay the same, meaning a 4.99in, 1080p resolution AMOLED display, quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor running at 1.9GHz, 2GB of RAM, and a 13-megapixel rear camera.

The Galaxy S4 Mini Black Edition, meanwhile, drops the screen size to 4.3in, resolution to 960x540, CPU to a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 running at 1.7GHz and rear camera to an 8-megapixel sensor. Essentially, it's a Galaxy S4 Mini in black.

Both models will ship with black power adapters, data cables, and in-ear headphones, as opposed to the white versions that are included with the standard version of each handset. Samsung will also be pre-loading handsets with eight new wallpapers and a selection of new ringtones - hardly anything for existing S4 or S4 mini owners to lose sleep over.

It's unclear whether Samsung will be selling the faux leather back panels separately, for Galaxy S4 or S4 Mini owners to give their phones a bit of a facelift, although with only black models announced it would be no help to owners of white handsets.

Samsung has yet to announce pricing or set firm dates, but the UK is confirmed as one of the countries to receive the new models.

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact review 2014

Most of the big phone manufacturers release smaller versions of their flagship handsets. They're ideal for those who prefer more compact handsets, but they often sacrifice a top-end specification in order to hit a more acceptable price. Key examples include the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and HTC One Mini. Now Sony has released its Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, but it's actually very different to its apparent competition.

The new phone is indeed a smaller version of the flagship Sony Xperia Z1. However, Sony has taken a stance that a smaller handset shouldn't necessarily be cut-back one and so has, where appropriate, matched the specifications of its larger sibling, so you get all the power in a smaller package.

The Z1 Compact comes in four different colours, one of which should appeal

The Xperia Z1 Compact measures a fairly svelte 127x65x9.5mm and weighs 140g. It's much smaller than the recent crop of superphones, it fits easily in your hand or even the smallest pockets. Admittedly, it's 1mm thicker than the full-sized Z1 but that's still pretty impressive given everything has to be packed in behind its smaller 4.3in display - 26% smaller than the Z1 and most other flagship phones.

The display's resolution has been reduced from 1,920x1,080 resolution to just 1,280x720, but that still works out to an impressive 342 pixels-per-inch (PPI). That's more detail than you get from the iPhone 5S, it matches the resolution on the HTC One Mini and is superior to that on the Galaxy S4 Mini.

The screen itself is an IPS type and is very impressive. Colours are nicely saturated, looking richer than those on say the Nexus 5. It's bright, with a peak brightness of 502.06cd/m2 according to our testing kit. Whites are pure too, with no colour cast perceivable. Again the Z1 Compact shows its flagship pedigree here, with an all-round, great-looking display.

SONY XPERIA Z1 COMPACT BENCHMARKS

The Xperia Z1 Compact does have the same quad-core SnapDragon 800 chipset as its big brother, which is running at the same 2.2GHz clock speed. That'll make it far faster than anything its size that's running Android. It blazed through our various benchmarks, with a SunSpider JavaScript benchmark of just 833ms.

Its 3D rendering is just impressive. In 3DMark's Ice Storm test it 'maxed out' the normal and Extreme settings and scored 19,193 in the Unlimited. All of this was groundbreaking when first saw the Z1, and though SnapDragon 800 is now more common it's still the best Android chipset around.

We like Sony's take on Android, it's largely stock with a few useful tweaks

Android 4.3 ran very smoothly with no hint of hesitation as we switched between apps. We like the custom icons (for a change) and the restrained pallet. There's quite a few apps trying to sell you Sony content but they're easy enough to remove. You get around 12GB of free memory out of the 16GB provided, and you can add up to 64GB thanks to a microSD slot.

SONY XPERIA Z1 COMPACT BATTERY LIFE

The battery is smaller than the Z1's, just 2,300mAh versus 3,000mAh as a larger one would have been hard to fit behind the smaller display. However, that smaller screen has a smaller power draw and the results therefore are impressive, with 12 hours and 32 minutes in our video playback test. Again it's a bigger battery than its competitors have managed to pack into their Mini handsets - the HTC One Mini has only an 1,800mAh battery, which lasted for just eight hours and 38 minutes.

SONY XPERIA Z1 COMPACT WATERPROOF

The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact comes in four different colours, with lime-green and pink models joining the usual sombre black and silver/white ones. The handset has the same design as its bigger sibling, with the attractive and sturdy metal frame.

It's waterproofed too, like the original, so it will survive a big splash or even a quick dunk, but this does mean that the ports all have to hidden behind flaps. It makes the handset look smart during the day, but popping open a flap every time we wanted to charge it was a nuisance. Overall, it's a small faff we're happy to live with for the benefits.

We're not sure if it's due to the waterproofing or just a matter of styling, but we didn't particularly like the small round power button, which is the only way to wake up the handset from standby. It's well positioned, for us with either hand, half-way down the right-hand side but you have to press it pretty hard. The small volume rocker is just below this, though we'd have liked it just above to fit our large hands.

SONY XPERIA Z1 COMPACT CAMERA

Below these controls is a dedicated camera shutter button. This won't activate the camera from standby but it will shortcut to it from anywhere else. It has a dual-action press, just like a proper camera, with a half-press focusing and locking the exposure, you can then frame your shot and press fully to activate the shutter. The camera interface is excellent to, with clearly laid-out options and explanations for the various shooting modes.

The camera interface is obviously influenced by Sony's camera range and is excellent for it

The camera is identical to the Z1's, using the same sensor with a monstrous 20.7-megapixel resolution, it also has the same optics and the same image processing. We weren't that keen on the Z1's image processing, by default it takes super-sampled 8-megapixel images, trading in resolution for noise reduction. However, even then it struggled to take good-looking images in our low-light tests. Flick to manual mode and you can get the full resolution, but here we reckon there are just too many pixels packed onto its sensor, and in anything less than good conditions, it suffers badly from speckled noise. In bright outdoors conditions it performs far better admittedly, but the detail in the photos still doesn't stand up to that headline figure.

Taken using the default Superior Auto mode, the top image shows how capable the camera is at balancing exposures and producing vibrant colour, however, the bottom image is a 1:1 pixel grab and here there's a distinct lack of detail

SONY XPERIA Z1 COMPACT VERDICT

The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact's specification is unrivalled at this screen size - on an Android handset at least. If you want a compact, top-end smartphone before then your only other choice is an iPhone 5S. The price certainly reflects that, with the Z1 Compact rivalling other flagship handsets at around £30 a month on contract.

It's fast, splashproof, has a great screen and a long battery life. The camera is the weak point here from our perspective, as it was on the Z1, and it's here that the iPhone 5S surpasses it. However, if you're looking for a top-end Android smartphone and don't want a pocket monster, this is the handset to buy.

Details
Part Code	D5503
Review Date	7 Feb 2014
Price	£399
Rating

Hardware
Main display size	4.3in
Native resolution	1,280x720
CCD effective megapixels	20.7-megapixel
GPS
Internal memory	16384MB
Memory card support	microSD
Memory card included	0MB
Operating frequencies	GSM 850/900/1800/1900, 3G 850/900/1700/1900/2100, 4G 800/850/900/1700/1800/2100/2600
Wireless data	GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA, LTE
Size	127x65x9.5mm
Weight	137g

Features
Operating system	Android 4.3
Microsoft Office compatibility	N/A
FM Radio
Accessories	headphones, USB charger
Talk time	18 hours
Standby time	670 days

Buying Information
SIM-free price	£399
Price on contract	£27 per month contract
Prepay price	£480
SIM-free supplier	www.clove.co.uk
Contract/prepay supplier	www.tmobile.com
Details	www.sony.co.uk

LG G Pro 2 announcement scheduled for February 13

The LG G Pro 2 was initially expected to come at the MWC at the end of February, but it now appears that the Korean phablet will be debuting sooner. LG has sent out invitations for an event in Korea that will take place on February 13 and its second gen phablet is the most likely star of the show.

Given that LG has no other high profile products expected to debut this month, it will be a surprise if the G Pro 2 isn't the reason behind this. The successor of the Optimus G Pro has already appeared in a couple of live photos, showing its back-mounted keys and what the rumor mill says is a 6" 1080p screen.

Back when it was announced in early 2013, the Optimus G Pro was the best phablet on the market, but LG took way too long bringing it to the market and the device never reached its full potential. Hopefully the Koreans have learned their lesson this time and there will be no hiccups.