Samsung Gear S // Samsung Gear S launches on T-Mobile US on November 9

Samsung Gear S is the first smartwatch that is capable of existing even without a smartphone companion. Gear S features a nano-SIM slot and supports voice telephony and data connections, so you don't need to communicate with any other kind of device (you still can if you want to though).

Samsung designed the Gear S not to be a full time replacement for your smartphone, but to be perfectly capable to do so when you need the most - like while you are traveling or when you are out partying. The manufacturer announced it was partnering with major carriers for creating suitable plans for Gear S and now T-Mobile US seems to be the first to announce such tariffs.

T-Mobile US detailed the pricing and availability of the Samsung Gear S - you will be able to buy the smartwatch for $0 upfront and 24 equal payments of $14.58 (or a total of $349.95). The release date is November 9, where you will be able to order the Samsung Gear S online or get it from some of the selected T-Mobile retail stores.

Naturally, you'll have to sing a 2-year contract with the Gear S. The monthly plan will cost you just $5/month and gives you unlimited talk, text and data (500MB of maximum speed). The tariff also includes unlimited music streaming and unlimited data and text via Simple Global.

You can check the full specs of the Gear S as well as our hands-on from the IFA expo.

We guess now that T-Mobile has announced its Samsung Gear S pricing, other carriers will follow suit shortly.

GENERAL	2G Network	GSM 900 / 1800
		GSM 850 / 1900
	3G Network	HSDPA 900 / 2100
		HSDPA 850 / 1900
	SIM	Yes
	Announced	2014, August
	Status	Coming soon. Exp. release 2014, October

BODY	Dimensions	39.8 x 58.3 x 12.5 mm (1.57 x 2.30 x 0.49 in)
	Weight	-
		- IP67 certified - dust and water resistant - Water resistant up to 1 meter and 30 minutes

DISPLAY	Type	Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	360 x 480 pixels, 2.0 inches (~300 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes

SOUND	Alert types	Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes

MEMORY	Card slot	No
	Internal	4 GB, 512 MB RAM

DATA	GPRS	Yes
	EDGE	Yes
	Speed	HSDPA
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
	Bluetooth	v4.1
	USB	microUSB v2.0

CAMERA		No

FEATURES	OS	Tizen-based wearable platform
	CPU	Dual-core 1.0 GHz
	Sensors	Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, heart rate, barometer, UV light
	Messaging	SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM
	Browser	HTML5
	Radio	No
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS
	Java
	Colors	Black, White
		- S Health, Nike+ Running - SNS integration - MP3/M4A/eAAC+/OGG player - Organizer - Photo/video viewer - Voice memo/dial/commands

BATTERY		Li-Ion 300 mAh battery

IDC: Xiaomi third largest manufacturer in Q3

IDC has shared its report for the global smartphone shipments in the third quarter of 2014. The numbers tell a familiar story with one big change - Xiaomi. Last year's Q3 saw Xiaomi somewhere in the Others tab under Huawei, Lenovo and LG but this year the Chinese maker sits proudly at third spot, all without leaving Asia.

Showing a 211.3% growth over last year's Q3 Xiaomi has shipped 17.3 million smartphones compared to the 5.6 million for the same period of last year.

Samsung remains at the first spot with a close to double lead over Apple but has actually seen a decline year over year. Samsung grabbed the first spot with 78.1 million smartphones shipped while Apple managed 39.3 million. However while Apple shipped 5.5 million iPhones more than last year during the same period, Samsung shipped 6.9 million less.

Top Five Smartphone Vendors, Shipments, and Market Share, Q3 2014 (Units in Millions)

Vendor	3Q14 Unit Shipments	3Q14 Market Share	3Q13 Unit Shipments	3Q13 Market Share	Year-over-year Change
Samsung	78.1	23.8%	85.0	32.5%	-8.2%
Apple	39.3	12.0%	33.8	12.9%	16.1%
Xiaomi	17.3	5.3%	5.6	2.1%	211.3%
Lenovo	16.9	5.2%	12.3	4.7%	38.0%
LG	12.0	4.6%	7.0	3.8%	71.4%
Others	159.2	48.6%	113.0	43.2%	40.8%
Total	327.6	100.0%	261.7	100.0%	25.2%

Lenovo also outdid its last year self with 4.6 million units shipped more. LG shipped 4.8 million units more and overall this year's Q3 saw 65.9 million smartphones more, shipped than last year.

Earlier today we learned that despite its huge lead, the drop in sales really impacted Samsung's profits

Lenovo completes Motorola acquisition from Google

Today, Lenovo announced that its acquisition of Motorola from Google is complete. The deal cost the Chinese company $2.91 billion and was announced in late January. Motorola remains headquartered in Chicago and it's brand is intact, but it's now a "Lenovo company".

Lenovo will operate Motorola as a wholly-owned subsidiary. It owns the brand and the company's portfolio, including current products like the Moto X (2014), Moto G (2014) and the Moto 360.

"Today we achieved a historic milestone for Lenovo and for Motorola – and together we are ready to compete, grow and win in the global smartphone market. By building a strong number three and a credible challenger to the top two in smartphones, we will give the market something it has needed: choice, competition and a new spark of innovation," said Yang Yuanqing, chairman and CEO, Lenovo.

Motorola has nearly 3,500 employees around the world, 2,800 of them are based in the US. As for the company's patents, Google will maintain ownership of the majority of them with Motorola having a license to use them. Motorola does retain 2,000 patents, however.

Huawei Honor 4X goes official with Snapdragon 410 chipset

Huawei announced the mid-range Honer 4X smartphone. The previously leaked, dual-SIM handset is available for pre-order in China for CNY 1,299 ($212). Shipments are set to begin next week, on November 6.

Huawei Honor 4X features 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 chipset and 2GB of RAM. There’s 8GB of built-in memory, which can be further expanded via microSD card slot.

The device’s display is a 5.5” unit with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. A 13MP Sony-made main camera, 5MP front-facing unit, and 3,000 mAh battery are also among the highlights of the device’s spec sheet. The battery is advertised as being capable of providing up to 72 hours of use.

Huawei Honor 4X runs Android 4.4 KitKat, dressed in the company’s EMUI 3.0. Its body is 7.9mm thin.

We don’t know if the newly announced smartphone will make it outside of its home market just yet.

Huawei Honor 6 hits Europe tomorrow at under €300

Huawei announced the Honor 6 back in the summer, but it's only now that the phone enters in the European market. Starting tomorrow, the phone will launch in the UK and select European markets.

Amazon UK will offer the phone for £229, while in continental Europe it will cost €269. That's a lot less than the phone's main competitors from Samsung, LG and Apple. The specs of the phone are also impressive.

The Honor 6 is just 7.5mm thin and sports a 5" 1080p display and a 3000mAh battery. The phone is powered by the company's home-brewed Kirin 920 chipset with four Cortex-A15 cores and four Cortex-A7 cores, plus Mali-T624. The Kirin 920 supports LTE Cat. 6 for up to 300Mbps downlink speeds. The new chipset runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat with Emotion UI 2.3.

The Huawei Honor 6 packs a 13MP camera with a Sony IMX214 sensor and f/2.0 aperture. The front-facing camera is a 5MP shooter with 1.4µm pixels, 88° FoV and f/2.4 aperture. The back camera has a dual-LED flash.

A global version of Motorola Droid Turbo to be unveiled in Brazil

The new Motorola Droid Turbo garnered great interest but as a Verizon-exclusive it felt out of reach. Now Motorola is sending out invites for a November 5 event to announce a global rollout. The invite doesn't call out the device by name but the corner of the back shows Droid Turbo's characteristic Ballistic Nylon back.

Rumors are for a name change to Moto Maxx, resurrecting the Maxx brand, which is associated with some of the most long-lasting batteries in the smartphone history.

It's a fitting name too, the Droid Turbo packs a 3,900mAh battery, which can soak up 8 hours' worth of battery life in just 15 minutes thanks to the Turbo Charger. Other specs include one of the sharpest displays yet, a 5.2" QHD AMOLED, a Snapdragon 805 chipset and a 21MP/2160p camera. Check outour hands-on for more details.

Motorola has already filed for a "Moto Maxx" trademark in the US and is planning a Brazil announcement, so the phone should see a proper global rollout, including alternative US carriers.