Alcatel One Touch D820 with QHD screen benchmarked

Guess who's next in line to release a handset with a QHD (2560x1440) touchscreen? You may be surprised to learn that it's Alcatel, and not some bigger name.The smartphone maker that's owned by Chinese company TCL is apparently following in the footsteps of Vivo (which was the one that started this madness with the Xplay 3S), Oppo (with the Find 7), and LG's G3.An Alcatel One Touch D820 ran GFXBench recently, and because of that a rough listing of its specs has become public.

The phone running Android 4.4 KitKat is said to come with a 4.6-inch display with that insane QHD resolution, along with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage.At the helm should be MediaTek's upcoming MT6595 chipset, that comes with an octa-core CPU that sports a combination of Cortex-A17 and Cortex-A7 cores. It has support for LTE and the processor can be clocked at up to 2.2 GHz.The benchmark goes on to list a pair of cameras capable of 4K video recording, one on the front and one on the back of the Alcatel D820. The device should have all the sensors you'd expect, aside from NFC for whatever reason.There are multiple issues with the data above though. First off, you should know that GFXBench usually underestimates the camera resolution in phones - so that 7MP is clearly at least 8MP in reality.The size of the display seems to be wrong too, for QHD screens still have a long way to go to reach such small sizes. By the way, if it is actually going to be 4.6", it will come with a pixel density of 638 ppi.Finally, since so many details are rather untrustworthy, we're a bit wary of believing the claim that the front-facing camera would be capable of recording 4K video. It may as well be an 8MP unit though since it's selfie season everywhere nowadays.For now, do take every one of these specs with a grain of salt. That said, it's quite clear that we should expect a very high-end Alcatel offering in the near future

Micromax unveils the Canvas Win W092 and W121 Windows Phones

Micromax is among the latest manufacturers to become a Microsoft OEM partner. Windows Phone OS has become a very attractive choice since Microsoft made Windows OS free for devices under 9".So, after we saw Blu, Prestigio and Yezz showcasing Windows Phone handsets, now it's Micromax turn to do the same. Micromax is very popular with its affordable Android smartphones across India and soon in Russia and as of today it is reaching out to the Windows Phone fans as well.The newly announced Canvas Win duo is super cheap and runs on the latest Windows Phone 8.1 OS out of the box.The Micromax Canvas Win W092 packs a 4" WVGA IPS display, runs on Snapdragon 200 chipset (quad-core 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM), and comes with a 5MP rear cam, a VGA front snapper, 8GB expandable storage and dual-SIM capabilities.The Canvas Win W092 will become available in July and at Rs 6,500 (€80) it's probably the cheapest Windows Phone to date.

Micromax Canvas Win W121 • Micromax Canvas Win W092

The Micromax Canvas Win 121 is also powered by the same Snapdragon 200 chip, but relies on a bigger 5" IPS display of 720p resolution and has an 8MP rear camera, a 2MP front snapper, and 8GB expandable storage. It will also launch in July and will set you back Rs 9.500 (€115).Micromax is planning to release even more Windows Phone smartphones. In fact, another one is supposedly already in the works and we'll see it official later this year

Samsung planning two Galaxy Note 4 variants, Google Glass competitor for IFA

Samsung is reportedly planning to launch theGalaxy Note 4 in two variants; a standard flat-screened model and a high-end version with a curved display. Both phones are expected to arrive at IFA in September, alongside a competitor to Google's Glass wearable.According to a report from The Korea Times, the curved Galaxy Note 4 would closely resemble the Galaxy Round curved smartphone released in Korea last year, with its curve running along the length of the device rather than through the horizontal axis like theLG G Flex. It would be unlikely to see a global release, with a "senior executive at one of Samsung's top local suppliers" saying it would instead be a niche device for smaller markets. The standard, flat Galaxy Note 4 should see a wider launch, however.Both variants are expected to arrive with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, a 5.7in QHD 2,560x1,440 resolution AMOLED display and 16-megapixel ISOCELL camera with optical image stabilisation - putting them on par with the rumouredGalaxy F handset.Little else is known about the proposed wearable, apart from the rumoured "Gear Glass" codename. Samsung refused to comment on either rumour, but with IFA fast approaching we only have a few months to wait to see what the company has in store.

Android 5.0 set to be unveiled in two weeks

Google could be about to reveal Android 5.0, the latest version of its smartphone and tablet operating system after releasing a screenshot showing new World Cup features in Google Now.In a Twitter post, the company showed off new features in its Google Now software that provide quick access to World Cup scores. Eagle-eyed fans on Reddit were quick to spot that the clock in the screenshots is set to 5:00.If Google is sticking to its usual technique of revealing version numbers this could reveal that Android 5.0 will soon be released. When Google launches a new Nexus device is normally teases a new operating system by setting the time to the version number.

When the company unveiled Android 4.4 KitKat, it did so with screenshots that had the clock set to 4:40; Android 4.2 Jelly Bean had its clock set to 4:20 in screenshots and even Android 2.3 Gingerbread had the clock reading 2:30.Assuming that the time matching the pattern of previous releases is not a coincidence, Google I/O 2014 will see the launch of Android 5.0.With Google having kept its plans a secret up to now, little is known about this next-generation version of Android - although it will include a dessert-themed codename beginning with L, following on from the Nestlé-sponsored KitKat codename of its predecessor.

LG LAB540W Sound Plate review - hands on

Sound bars have been growing in popularity for the past year or so, but their days may already be numbered; LG's LAB540W Sound Plate is one of several speaker systems designed to sit underneath your TV, rather than in front of it, taking up no extra space but significantly increasing the audio capabilities of your set. We got to put the LAB540W through its paces yesterday at the company's InnoFest European trade show to bring you some first impressions.

More than just speaker drivers in a flat box, the LAB540W has an integrated Blu-ray optical drive which means it can replace your standalone Blu-ray player as well as upgrade your sound. The slot-loading drive sits in the centre of the unit, next to a single line LCD display which reads out basic details such as play time or chapter selections.The sleek metallic silver finish gives the Sound Plate a striking yet minimal appearance that manages to sit underneath a TV without drawing too much attention. Naturally it will fit under a TV from any manufacturer, up to a maximum of 55in, as long as the TV stand is centrally mounted, but it is clearly intended to slide between the easel-like feet of LG's upcoming range of 2014 TVs.

The accompanying wireless subwoofer matches the Sound Plate in terms of build quality, but is compact enough that it should comfortably slip behind a sofa. In LG's demo room it was impossible to tell whether there was any delay between Sound Plate and subwoofer, so the sub should easily be able to sit on the other side of a large room and provide bass without having to worry about cables.

To test the LAB540W's sound abilities we were shown the hectic forest scene from Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - the exploding howitzer shells produced surprisingly powerful bass, with the subwoofer kicking out a rumble that we could feel from several feet away. Positional audio was great too, with clear separation between the left and right channels.Volume was very high for such a small unit; paired with the single subwoofer driver, the 4 speaker drivers produce a combined power output of 310w - enough that at high levels you might start to annoy the neighbours. We could hear subtle details in the mix, even with other journalists and staff around us - we had no trouble hearing speech even when trees were exploding around Holmes and Watson. We weren't able to test music playback, however, so can only comment on how films sounded.

Unlike some sound bars, which opt for a simple audio-only connection, the Blu-ray equipped LAB540W is naturally built with video in mind. It connects to a TV via HDMI, adding the same smart TV features found in LG's other home cinema systems. The hardware on display was designed for the European market so UK-centric services like BBC iPlayer weren't installed, but we were told to expect YouTube and on-demand video apps when the LAB540W arrives in Britain. A single HDMI input will let you connect a set-top box or games console. There's also a digital optical audio input, along with USB port for playing multimedia files from a flash drive or external hard disk.There are plenty of wireless options too, with integrated Bluetooth streaming from a smartphone or tablet and Wi-Fi for playing files from a DLNA media server. It will also connect to certain LG TVs wirelessly too, meaning you would just need a power cable to give your TV a sound boost.We were impressed with the LAB540W's clarity and smart TV features, and will be interested to see how it performs in a small living room rather than a trade show floor; we can't wait to give one a full review as soon as we get it into the lab. Hopefully we won't keep you waiting too long, as the LAB540W Sound Plate should be on sale in the very near future. UK pricing has yet to be revealed. 

Sony STR-DN1050: hands-on with Sony's 2014 hi-resolution home cinema receiver

Sony's mainstream high-end AVR for 2014 has all the features you would expect from a home cinema amplifier, but also carries on the hi-resolution audio legacy started by the HAP-Z1ESlast year. For £500, the STR-DN1050 represents the best value AVR in Sony's line-up, but is hi-resolution support a reason enough to buy one? We were the first UK publication to experience the system first hand in order to bring you some first impressions.

Essentially picking up where last year's STR-DN1040 left off, the STR-DN1050 might appear to be an upgrade over the existing model but is in fact so much more. According to Eric Kingdon, Sony's home cinema guru in charge of the company's entire AVR output, "It was hard to improve on the outgoing model." but that didn't stop Sony's engineers from building on existing technologies for 2014: every amplifier component now has its own voltage regulation circuitry. The overall noise level (i.e. interference from internal components) is now lower, with timing errors and jitter reduced across the board thanks to a digital timing circuit - taken from the high-end AVRs for the first time in the Sony range.This means that when fed with a high-end source, the DN1050 is capable of superb sound reproduction. Not only can it cope with high resolution DSD files (the digital version of Sony's own Super Audio CD format) from a connected hard disk player, but it can also handle remastered 2xDSD when ripped from a CD and played through a compatible source. We were sat down in front of a selection of genres, including classical, contemporary jazz and modern dance, courtesy of Daft Punk. As 24bit 88.2KHz, Get Lucky certainly sounded clearer, punchier and more detailed than we'd experienced the same mix at MP3 quality or below - suggesting that if you have the equipment, hi-resolution audio can indeed make the difference.

Unfortunately Sony's Hi-res audio streaming service has yet to arrive, but in the meantime STR-DN1050 owners will be able to take advantage of Spotify, Deezer and Sony Entertanment Network (SEN) streaming on top of the usual selection of digital and analogue inputs, including 4K-ready HDMI connections. 24-bit 192 FLAC playback is possible over any network or USB connection. The unit includes both LAN and wireless inputs, and will happily play from DLNA sources or support Airplay speakers as well.

As Sony's mainstream high-end model, the STR-DN1050 also supports second zone outputs. That means you'll be able to stream from analogue or HDMI, Ethernet, USB or Bluetooth to a second channel output, in either fixed or variable bitrate at regular or Hi-Resolution quality, so you don't have to limit yourself to one room for high-quality audio. There are also two MHL inputs on the front of the system, meaning you could connect a Google Chromecast and still have room to connect a smartphone or tablet directly to the AVR.

AptX bluetooth is also included for the best possible wireless streaming from a smartphone, which should take nothing more than a tap thanks to near field communication (NFC) support. You'll also be able to control the AVR from anAndroid smartphone or tablet using the Sony Songpal app, eliminating the need for a traditional remote control.

It would be a shame to give up the regular remote altogether, however, as Sony has dumbed it down considerably for 2014. With around 50% fewer buttons than last year, the new remote is far easier to navigate and makes it much simpler to find your way around the UI. The user interface has borrowed much from last year's ES- amplifier range, meaning it's much easier to navigate than previous efforts, with icon-based menus and a visual scheme that borrows much from Sony'sPlayStation 3.Having listened to a selection of tracks, including classics from Linda Ronstadt and some acoustic guitar, side-by-side with DTS Master Audio 7.1 soundtracks from Life of Pi, Oblivion and Nine (9) down-mixed to 5.1, we can safely say that the STR-DN1050 sounds fantastic when paired with the right set of speakers. We'll have to wait until we get a review unit into the office to judge it fully, but based on what we've heard the AVR sounds like fantastic value. Not only is it 4K-ready for Ultra High Definition video, but it has all the hardware needed for Sony's High Resolution Audio push too. If you're keen to future-proof your home cinema setup, the 1050 could be a great choice.The STR-NR1050 will be going on sale for around £500 here in the UK from this month onwards, with more details available from the Official Sony website.

HTC One Max receives Sense 6 update in Malaysia

HTC is now seeding Android 4.4 KitKat software update with Sense 6 user interface for the One Max. Users in Malaysia are currently enjoying the update, which weighs a nudge over 560MB, but more countries in the region should follow suit soon.

Just like it did for the HTC One (M7) and Butterfly S, the update brings a revamped user interface in addition to the Extreme Power Saving mode, different themes and personalized font styles.

The Camera and Gallery apps also have a new coat of paint on them, as well as BlinkFeed. Many One Max owners would be happy with the new option to schedule when the Do not disturb mode turns on.

Naturally, there are a lot of new things under the hood, too. They should make the One Max use its battery in a more frugal manner and be more stable. The update carries a build number 3.14.707.3 and you should apply it over Wi-Fi.