Android in March: going from 4.2 JB straight to 4.4 KitKat

Another month, another Android platform distribution update by Google. The big news is that in March this year Android 4.4 KitKat has crossed the 5% mark, while everything pre-4.1 declined.

Some vestigial Froyo devices still hang around at 1%, Gingerbread now holds under 20%, while Ice Cream Sandwich and 4.1 Jelly Bean declined.

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean rose a bit and is now well ahead of ICS. That's interesting because version 4.3 stayed in place since January, suggesting that makers are leapfrogging 4.3 and going straight to 4.4 (LG for one is doing this).

With KitKat on the rise and Jelly Bean mostly staying in place, OpenGL ES 2.0 support actually declined a bit, while OpenGL ES 3.0 inched forward. This is important for game devs who might be considering using the more advanced graphics features - they can now reach 10.5% of all Android

Samsung officially announces Galaxy Tab 4 7.0, 8.0 and 10.1

Samsung was expected to unveil its Galaxy Tab 4 series at the MWC 2014, but it didn't happen. Now, however the company has taken care of that and has officially announced its new thinner and lighter Galaxy Tab 4 series consisting of three devices - Galaxy Tab 4 7.0, Galaxy Tab 4 8.0 and Galaxy Tab 4 10.1.

Samsung has changed the design substantially from its Galaxy Tab 3 series with the new slates featuring thinner bezels and lower weight.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 7.0

As the name suggests, the Galaxy Tab 4 7.0 comes out with a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. The slate is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor along with 1.5 GB of RAM. The smallest Galaxy Tab 4 model features 3 megapixel rear camera, 1.3 megapixel front facing sensor and 8 or 16 GB of internal memory with the ability to expand it via microSD card.

   

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 7.0 will be available in LTE and Wi-Fi-only variants and will run on Android 4.4 KitKat. The tablet measures 107.9x186.9x9mm and weighs 276g. Unfortunately, there is no word on the battery capacity of the slate.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 8.0

The second device in the Galaxy Tab 4 series is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 8.0. The slate sports an 8-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. Just like the Galaxy Tab 4 7.0, it features a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, 1.5 GB of RAM, 3 megapixel rear facing camera, 1.3 megapixel front camera and 16 GB of inbuilt storage that can be expanded up to 64GB via the microSD card slot.

   

Connectivity options for the slate include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0. The slate will be up for grabs in Wi-Fi / 3G or LTE option. Samsung's latest addition runs on Android 4.4 KitKat and packs a 4,450mAh battery. The Galaxy Tab 4 8.0 measures 124 x 210 x 7.95mm and weighs 320 grams.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1

The Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 is the biggest among the three with a 10.1-inch display, but retains the same 1280 x 800 pixel resolution. It is also powered by a similar 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and 1.5 GB of RAM. The camera sensors too remain identical to the other two versions.

   

There is 16 GB of internal memory in the Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 and you can expand it up to 64 GB via the microSD card. The slate runs on Android 4.4 KitKat and the juice for it is provided by a 6,800mAh battery. You can choose from the Wi-Fi/3G and LTE options. The Tab 4 10.1 measures 243.4 x 176.4 x 7.95mm and weighs about 487 grams.

The new Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 lineup will be available across the globe in Black and White color option, starting in Q2 this year. There's no information on their pricing, though.

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Samsung officially announces Galaxy Tab 4 7.0, 8.0 and 10.1

Samsung was expected to unveil its Galaxy Tab 4 series at the MWC 2014, but it didn't happen. Now, however the company has taken care of that and has officially announced its new thinner and lighter Galaxy Tab 4 series consisting of three devices - Galaxy Tab 4 7.0, Galaxy Tab 4 8.0 and Galaxy Tab 4 10.1.

Samsung has changed the design substantially from its Galaxy Tab 3 series with the new slates featuring thinner bezels and lower weight.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 7.0

As the name suggests, the Galaxy Tab 4 7.0 comes out with a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. The slate is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor along with 1.5 GB of RAM. The smallest Galaxy Tab 4 model features 3 megapixel rear camera, 1.3 megapixel front facing sensor and 8 or 16 GB of internal memory with the ability to expand it via microSD card.

   

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 7.0 will be available in LTE and Wi-Fi-only variants and will run on Android 4.4 KitKat. The tablet measures 107.9x186.9x9mm and weighs 276g. Unfortunately, there is no word on the battery capacity of the slate.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 8.0

The second device in the Galaxy Tab 4 series is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 8.0. The slate sports an 8-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. Just like the Galaxy Tab 4 7.0, it features a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, 1.5 GB of RAM, 3 megapixel rear facing camera, 1.3 megapixel front camera and 16 GB of inbuilt storage that can be expanded up to 64GB via the microSD card slot.

   

Connectivity options for the slate include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0. The slate will be up for grabs in Wi-Fi / 3G or LTE option. Samsung's latest addition runs on Android 4.4 KitKat and packs a 4,450mAh battery. The Galaxy Tab 4 8.0 measures 124 x 210 x 7.95mm and weighs 320 grams.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1

The Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 is the biggest among the three with a 10.1-inch display, but retains the same 1280 x 800 pixel resolution. It is also powered by a similar 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and 1.5 GB of RAM. The camera sensors too remain identical to the other two versions.

   

There is 16 GB of internal memory in the Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 and you can expand it up to 64 GB via the microSD card. The slate runs on Android 4.4 KitKat and the juice for it is provided by a 6,800mAh battery. You can choose from the Wi-Fi/3G and LTE options. The Tab 4 10.1 measures 243.4 x 176.4 x 7.95mm and weighs about 487 grams.

The new Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 lineup will be available across the globe in Black and White color option, starting in Q2 this year. There's no information on their pricing, though.

Android in March: going from 4.2 JB straight to 4.4 KitKat

Another month, another Android platform distribution update by Google. The big news is that in March this year Android 4.4 KitKat has crossed the 5% mark, while everything pre-4.1 declined.

Some vestigial Froyo devices still hang around at 1%, Gingerbread now holds under 20%, while Ice Cream Sandwich and 4.1 Jelly Bean declined.

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean rose a bit and is now well ahead of ICS. That's interesting because version 4.3 stayed in place since January, suggesting that makers are leapfrogging 4.3 and going straight to 4.4 (LG for one is doing this).

With KitKat on the rise and Jelly Bean mostly staying in place, OpenGL ES 2.0 support actually declined a bit, while OpenGL ES 3.0 inched forward. This is important for game devs who might be considering using the more advanced graphics features - they can now reach 10.5% of all Androids.

Samsung Galaxy S5 sells well in Korea ahead of impending ban

The Samsung Galaxy S5 went on sale last week despite the Korean manufacturer's wishes. The local carriers' hands were however forced due to a sales ban imposed for violating laws that regulate phone subsidies. The 45 day ban starts on April 5, so the carrier was trying to get out as many units as it can.

The Samsung Galaxy S5, which was originally scheduled to hit Korean outlets on April 11, is selling at the rate of 7,000 units a day. At first glance the number is quite low compared to the 8,000 daily units sold for the previous S4 flagship, and 10,000 for the S4 LTE edition released back in December.

However, you should consider that only SK Telecom is offering the Galaxy S5 to all customers at the moment; KT and LG U+ can only sell to upgrading customers and those who have misplaced their device. Also the global promo campaign of the company is quite far from reaching full speed yet - that should happen by the time of the originally planned release.

So with that in mind, the S5 flagship is selling really well, early launch and all. Samsung is even further sweetening the pot by offering the S5 for 866,800 KRW ($820) - cheaper than the 899,000 KRW ($850), which was the original asking price of the Galaxy S4.

Global availability of the Galaxy S5 flagship across numerous markets is coming on April 11.

Samsung Galaxy S5 mini to have 4.5" 720p display, 8MP camera

We all know Samsung is going to release mini and Zoom versions of its Galaxy S5 flagship, just like it did for the Galaxy S4 last year. There is even a rumor Samsung is prepping an Active version, but this is yet to be confirmed.

The Galaxy S5 mini has leaked recently via a case maker, but today we got some info on its specs. As the rumor has it the Samsung SM-G800 Galaxy S5 mini will pack a 4.5" 720p Super AMOLED display and will run on a Snapdragon 400 chipset with quad-core CPU.

Other leaked specs suggest the Galaxy S5 mini will come with 1.5GB RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, 8MP rear and 2MP front camera, IR blaster and a 2,100 mAh battery. Android 4.4 KitKat skinned with TouchWiz should come pre-installed out of the box.

There is no info on whether the mini flavor of the Galaxy S5 will be dust and water proof or not. There is nothing on the heart rate sensor too. We hope Samsung doesn't drop the water/dust protection, because it is certainly a handy feature.

Nokia Lumia 930 official photo leaks, reveals four color options

Hot off the evleaks leak wagon, comes the first official photo of the Nokia Lumia 930. The Lumia 930 is rumored to be the global version of the Verizon-exclusive Lumia Icon and its design comes to support that. As the photo reveals, the back holds a 20MP PureView. The metal frame of the Lumia Icon is also to be spotted.

The photo reveals the Lumia 930 will be available in green, orange, black and white. Further specifications and availability are still not available.

According to recent reports, the Lumia 930 would miss today's BUILD conference and have its announcement on April 19. We'll cover every bit of the event, so stay tuned to find out everything new in the world of Windows Phone.