Both Samsung Galaxy Note 4 versions visit AnTuTu

With the IFA approaching the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 inches closer to reality. Both versions of the new flagship hit AnTuTu – that's the Snapdragon 805 and Exynos 5433 versions.The new Galaxy S5 LTE-A is the first device with Qualcomm Snapdragon 805. The new chipset updates the processor and graphics found in the 80x range to a quad-core Krait 450 @ 2.5GHz and Adreno 420, which promises to outperform the Adreno 330 by 40%.The Exynos 5433 chipset is based on the 64-bit Cortex-A5x family by ARM. It packs four low-power Cortex-A53 cores @ 1.3GHz, plus four Cortex-A57 cores at unknown frequency. The chipset also includes ARM's new GPU design, Mali-T760.

  

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 AnTuTu scores: SM-N910S (S805) • SM-N910C (E5433)

Both versions of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will have 5.7" Super AMOLED screens with QHD resolution. They ran Android 4.4.3 at the time of the test and pack 3GB of RAM and 32GB of built-in storage. The two different chipsets both support LTE Cat. 6.The camera department boasts a 16MP main camera, presumably same as the Galaxy S5 (though we've heard talk of OIS) and a 3.68MP front-facing camera. That is the exact resolution of the QHD screen, so any selfie you snap with the Galaxy Note 4 it will fit at 100% on the screen.IFA is the traditional home to the announcements of the next generation of Galaxy Note's and this year it starts on September 5.

HTC lets you win a One made of solid 24 carat gold

Looking to get a smartphone with a little extra bling? Now you can thanks to a giveaway organized by HTC over its Twitter account. The UK branch of the company will let you win a special limited edition of its former flagship, the One, made of 24 carat gold.

To participate you need to follow HTC UK’s Twitter account and retweet the status below. You will then get your name included in the random draw and get a chance to win the grand prize. You can sign up from now until June 29, but you are only eligible for winning the prize if you are a UK resident.

Here are the complete terms and conditions of the promotion. You can also check out our hands-on to know what you are playing for.

To celebrate the #HTCOne winning 'Best Phone of 2013' we are giving away one in 24ct REAL Gold. FOLLOW and RT to win pic.twitter.com/KnQXnaguGk

— HTC UK (@HTC_UK) June 21, 2014

It’s rather puzzling though that HTC chose to hold a giveaway with its former flagship, rather than its current one. With the company’s future very much depending on the market success of the One (M8), one would think that it’s the new smartphone that the Taiwanese would want to keep in the public eye. Anyway, we wouldn’t mind having that One (pardon the pun) either, so if you’ll excuse we have some retweeting to do.

Sony Xperia Z2a full specs are out, sounds like a Z2 compact

Today we get the detailed rundown of the specs of the recently announced Sony Xperia Z2a. For all we know, a name such as Xperia Z2 compact would suit it just fine.A week ago we saw the Sony Xperia Z2a go official in Taiwan, but at the time we didn't have many of the specs of the smartphone.Now that we have them, it turns out this one is absolutely identical to the Sony Xperia ZL2, which was announced back in May for the Japanese market but with half the storage (only 16GB).

The Xperia Z2a is a more compact version of the Xperia Z2 flagship, with a .2" smaller display, all-plastic rear design, 200mAh smaller battery capacity. The rest of the specs - camera, chipset, etc - are pretty much identical with the Sony Xperia Z2.

So, the Xperia Z2a comes with a 5" IPS 1080p display, it utilizes a Snapdragon 801 chipset with 3GB RAM and packs the same 20.7MP camera as the Xperia Z2. Its storage is still expandable, the connectivity options are the same as on the Z2 with only the 3G/LTE bands being more different.

Finally, the Xperia Z2a also runs on Android KitKat. You can easily compare the Xperia Z2 and Z2as specs to see the differences yourself.

Even though the Xperia Z2a replaces the rear glass with a plastic panel, it is still water and dust resistant. It will hit Taiwan next month, though its availability will most probably be limited to Asian markets only.

Blackberry Passport to drop in September

Blackberry's upcoming phone, the Passport, is slated for a September release. BB purists will be happy to know that the phone will sport a portrait, hardware QWERTY keyboard that has become the manufacturers trademark design.Not really much else is known about the technical specs of the Passport, aka Windermere (which is the codename for the device). We'll see if the phone can generate enough interest in BlackBerry, because they will need all the help they can get. The company's numbers have dwindled significantly compared to last year. For example, this past quarter the Canadian manufacturer only sold 1.6 million phones, which is a huge decrease from the 6.8 million units they managed to move in the same quarter last year.

BlackBerry managed to increase the profit margins on their handsets by outsourcing some of its manufacturing operations. This is a new cost-cutting strategy implemented by CEO John Chen, who helped to organize a deal with Foxconn, who will produce all upcoming BlackBerry devices.

Chen was made CEO in November and was handed a raw deal: halt the downward spiral that BlackBerry had fallen into. Chen is having BlackBerry focus on the enterprise market and software development. The company has also found success in emerging markets, especially with its Z3 smartphone in Indonesia. Chen said that the affordable, touch-screen BlackBerry will be making its way to other Asian regions, like India and Vietnam. We will see if these strategies will pay off for BlackBerry and if the Passport may be an intriguing enough device for consumers to pick up and actually use.

Google starts rolling out Android 4.4.4 update

It's been barely a month since Android 4.4.3 started rolling out for Nexus devices and Google has already started rolling out the 4.4.4 update. But while this may not be as big an update as its predecessor (which itself wasn't especially big) it does take care of a major security issue.

According to the change log posted by Sprint, this update just brings a security fix. According to Android Police, it contains a patch for an OpenSSL bug, which would have allowed a man-in-the-middle attack. This is similar to the Heartbleed bug that was addressed in 4.4.3 update.

The OTA update is just rolling out for the Nexus 5 for now but Google has provided factory images on its website for the Nexus 4, 5, 7 and 10. If you used Towelroot to root your device then it will remain unaffected.

BlackBerry CEO shows off new Passport and Classic phones

BlackBerry unveiled an odd new device – the Passport. It has a square 4.5" screen with 1,440 x 1,440 resolution, essentially a QHD screen cropped to 1:1. Below the unusual screen is a rare sight these days, a three-row QWERTY keyboard.

The BlackBerry Passport will be a wide device, the screen alone is about 81mm wide. For comparison a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with 5.7" display with 16:9 aspect ratio is just under 80mm wide.

Additional specs of the new device are unclear though it's said to have a much more advanced chipset than the old Snapdragon S4 Pro in the BlackBerry Z30, a Snapdragon 800 say the rumors.

 
BlackBerry Passport

There's another new device too, the BlackBerry Classic. It's a successor to the current Q-line and has a hardware QWERTY keyboard too. It will have a more manageable screen – 3.5" in diagonal, also square (the resolution is unknown). The Classic will also see the return of the familiar optical trackpad.

   
BlackBerry Classic

The new Passport and Classic were proudly shown off by John Chen, who took over as Blackberry's CEO last November. Chen said early this year that new BlackBerrys will "predominantly" have QWERTY keyboards.

The Passport will launch in September, while the Classic is expected in Novembe

Nokia's Z Launcher is an alternative home screen for Android

Nokia has announced Z Launcher, an alternative home screen for Android phones. Nokia says it's "the fastest way to access everything on your phone", claiming that everything from apps, contacts and websites will be just one second away.It's a radical redesign of the traditional Android home screen, with a clock and calendar occupying the top of the screen while six app icons and their respective names are listed below. Four shortcut icons and the app tray are still visible at the bottom of the screen, but the apps on the main display will change depending on what you've used in the past. It will even vary from morning and evening as well. The more you use it, says Nokia, the smarter and better it gets. 

You'll also be able to scribble letters on the screen to search for apps, contacts and phone settings. For example, draw a U anywhere onscreen and everything that begins with that letter will be populated on the phone's home page. "We are creating a more personalized and contextual mobile experience," said Nokia. "By working hand-in-hand with you, your devices, apps, features and content, we’re making your phone more useful for real life."If you end up prefering your old home screen, switching back is simple. Nokia says all you need to do is tap the gear icon in the top right, go to preferences and select "Reset the default home screen launcher". Z Launcher isn't available for the mass market just yet, but Nokia is currently offering a limited beta of the app that can be downloaded direct from the Z Launcher home page. It's currently optimised for more popular devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S5,Google Nexus 5, Motorola Moto X, HTC One and Sony Xperia Z1, but Nokia says it's working to support a greater number of devices in the future. It's not yet optimised for tablets either.