Microsoft brings home automation app and devices to the Windows Store

Unlike Google with its new $3.2 billion Nest, Microsoft doesn't have a lot of home automation products yet despite some interesting research. Redmond has now made a move to stock its shelves, albeit indirectly, via a partnership with home automation specialist Insteon. The pair just announced that an enhanced Insteon app will soon be available on Windows and Windows Phone 8.1 devices. It'll feature multiple, full-screen video feeds, device control, a visitor mode to give limited control to others and Live Tile integration for status updates. In addition, Insteon will sell standalone devices in the Windows Store including a leak sensor, LED bulb and WiFi camera for $30 - $80, with kits starting at $200. Unlike Nest Products or the Philips Hue, Insteon's system uses RF frequency and your home's existing wiring (PowerLine) to communicate with devices. The app will arrive on June 1st, with the devices hitting Windows Stores in July, complete with educational demos and displays.

Windows Phone 8.1 to drop on June 24

Microsoft will begin officially rolling out Windows Phone 8.1 on June 24th. This should coincide with the launch of the Lumia 930, Nokia's upcoming flagship.

Just like other iterations of Windows Phone software, 8.1 will feature the typical 3 years of software support and updates.

Microsoft will make updates available for the Operating System, including security updates, for a minimum of 36 months after the lifecycle start date. These updates will be incremental, with each update built on the update that preceded it. Customers need to install each update in order to remain supported. The distribution of these incremental updates may be controlled by the mobile operator or the phone manufacturer from which you purchased your phone, and installation will require that your phone have any prior updates. Update availability will also vary by country, region, and hardware capabilities.

Windows Phone 8.1 brings a host of new features and seems primed to make Microsoft's mobile OS a much more intriguing option for consumers.

Exclusive: Samsung AMOLED and 13.3" LCD tablets detailed

Our inside contact that's involved with developing Kid's mode has sent us some more info on Samsung's upcoming devices. Last times it was the S5 Prime and S5 mini, this time it's tablets. We counted three new devices, two of which are the rumored tablets with Super AMOLED screens.

All three come in 3G and Wi-Fi versions. Note that "3G" may refer to 3G + LTE, though LTE model numbers typically end in 5. They all have WQXGA resolution (2,560 x 1,600), but thee different screen sizes.

First up is the Samsung T801/T800 "Chagall", likely to be called Galaxy Tab S. The Super AMOLED screen is listed as 10.x" but from earlier leaks we know it will be 10.5" big. Then there's the Samsung T701/T700 or "Klimt", the 8.x" Super AMOLED model. Again, going on old leaks the exact size will be 8.4".

These two have made the rounds at AnTuTu, which revealed an Exynos 5 chipset with four Cortex-A15 cores (1.9GHz) and four Cortex-A7 cores (1.3GHz). A hexa-core Mali-T628 GPU handles graphics, while a 32-bit dual-channel 933MHz LPDDR3e RAM ensures trouble-free multitasking.

They had 8MP main cameras and 2MP front-facing cameras, fingerprint reader too.

Finally, there's the Samsung T911/T910 "Warhol", a whopping 13.3" tablet. Being a T model means the Warhol is a Tab, likely the new top of the line Galaxy Tab Pro model. Little else is known about it though, but it will run the same software as the Galaxy Tab S models – Android 4.4 KitKat with Samsung's latest customizations.

This one will most likely pack an LCD screen rather than an AMOLED, but will have the same 2,560 x 1,600 pixel resolution.

Apple iPhone 6 leaks via case maker, suggests familiar design

Yet another Apple iPhone 6 leak came in today, courtesy of a case maker who works with the major UK retailer Mobilefun. The interesting bit here is that the design of the smartphone stays quite close to that of the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s, rather going for the iPod touch look evidenced by previous leaks.

Now case makers get information about the size of the upcoming iPhone 6 and the position of its buttons and sensors so they can get their products ready in time, so there is a chance that this leak holds some water. However, the very different design certainly rises a few questions about its legitimacy.

   

Apple iPhone 6

One possible explanation is that Apple is actually going to use two different designs for the two iPhone 6 versions that the rumor mill often sees. Another theory is that what was allegedly an iPod-like iPhone, could simply turn out to be the next-gen iPod Touch, with the smartphone staying close to its current design.

There's also the option that case makers, who only have dimensions and sketches to rely on have to do a great amount of guessing about the actual look of the upcoming smartphone and that all we have seen so far are just shots in the dark.

Smart money is certainly on that last explanation, but we can't help but hope that there's more to those leaks. It's just that the curious geeks inside us refuse to settle for anything less.

Update makes Galaxy S5 camera even faster

The international Samsung Galaxy S5 is receiving a new update as we speak which promises to improve the camera startup speed, gallery responsiveness and fingerprint recognition time.

The update is currently live in the UK and is expected to roll out gradually across all devices. According to Sammobile which have the update installed on a unit the camera is now faster to open, which can also be said about the gallery (which was a tad slow prior to the update).

The source also reports the fingerprint scanner is more accurate even with one-handed use.

Finally the update is said to bring a general performance boost and improved RAM management - a common side effect of firmware updates.

The software version remains at Android 4.4.2 and the update carries the version G900FXXU1ANE2. It's currently only available through Samsung's Kies software, but you can manually download and install if you know how.

Nokia Lumia 630 goes on sale in Asia, EU and US to follow

Today Nokia announced that the Nokia Lumia 630 and Lumia 630 dual-SIM go on sale in Asia this week. European markets and the US await for the phone's sale to commence shortly after.

The Nokia Lumia 630 is the company's first ever phone to run Windows Phone 8.1 (check out our awesome review) out of the box. The updated OS brings the Cortana personal assistant, Action Center and broader customization options. New cool apps such as Data Sense, Wi-Fi Sense and Storage Sense are also making their way into the latest OS version.

On the hardware side, the Lumia 630 features a 4.5" FWVGA ClearBlack IPS LCD display covered with a protective layer of Gorilla Glass 3. Under the hood, there's a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SoC with 1.2GHz quad-core CPU, 512MB of RAM, 8GB of built-in memory, and microSD card slot.

The Nokia Lumia 630 and Lumia 630 dual-SIM cost €119 and €129 before taxes and subsidies, respectively. The retail price in Europe will be close to €150. The color options include bright orange, bright green, bright yellow, as well as black and white.

Analysts think iPhone 6 sales will be 20% higher than 5s

Analysts at Morgan Stanley believe that the sales of iPhone 6 will be 20% higher than that of the 5s, partly because the production process has been running smoothly and there aren’t any foreseeable issues that Apple will encounter in procuring components for continued production of their upcoming flagship.

This is a significant contrast to the iPhone 5s, which only helped Apple to secure a 6.7% increase in profits (in Q4 2013) from the previous year. The rate of growth was much less than what Apple had originally anticipated.

Another factor that is thought to contribute to a projected boon in iPhone 6 sales is the increased screen size of the device. It will be the first iPhone that will compete with Android flagships with larger screens. All of the hulabaloo of Apple finally deciding to up the ante with their screens may captivate the attention, and wallets, of consumers.

Analyst Katy Huberty at Morgan Stanley did point out, however, that the bill of materials for the iPhone 6 were most likely going to be $20-$30 more per unit than the current-gen iPhone 5s. The updated camera and larger screen account for the majority of the price increase.

Huberty had also this to say regarding the increased price of production for the iPhone 6:

"However, we don't detect any abnormal component pricing pressure from Apple suggesting lower inventory, deprecation, and warranty costs along with the potential for a modest price increase and/or NAND mix change may help digest the higher (bill of materials),"

Even though predictions for the iPhone 6 are positive, the tablet market’s outlook doesn’t as promising. The same Morgan Stanley analyst believes that shipments of the iPad will see a 1% decrease starting from Q3 2014 and into 2015.