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Saturday, November 29, 2014

Samsung SM-E700F joins the upcoming E series

Just a few days ago a Samsung SM-E500F was spotted entering India for testing purposes by an import tracking website.
And now it's been joined by the Samsung SM-E700F, and in this case we're even graced with a couple of specs for the device. The E700 will apparently come with a 5.5-inch touchscreen, as well as dual-SIM support, though no other details about it are known at this time.

Still, this is more than we know about the previously mentioned SM-E500F. These handsets could very well be two members of a new Galaxy E series of devices from Samsung. The Korean company has been rumored to adopt more and more letter-based lineups, following the first one which was the A series. That was recently made official with the announcement of the Galaxy A3 and Galaxy A5, and a Galaxy A7 should join those two pretty soon, as it's just been given the go-ahead at the FCC.
Since the A3 and A5 have the model numbers SM-A300 and SM-A500 respectively, you can see why we'd assume the SM-E500 and SM-E700 will be sold as the Galaxy E5 and Galaxy E7. If that happens (which is by no means a given), then expect the E5 to be smaller and perhaps a bit lesser-specced than the E7.

Friday, November 28, 2014

WP8.1 update now on over half, Lumia 63x on the rise

This month Windows Phone reached an important milestone - the latest version (WP8.1) now powers over half of all devices. Added together with devices still on WP8.0 (which could be updated to 8.1), that leaves about one seventh as legacy devices (WP7.x, which cannot be updated).

There's more good news too, new devices are climbing up in market share. There's a bit of bad news to go along with that too, it's the Lumia 63x that is seeing the biggest gains.

The Other group keeps growing - this month by 2% - which suggests there is some diversification going on in Windows Phone land, but the market is still heavily skewed towards the entry-level devices.

"Other" grew when it comes to manufacturers too, but Nokia - that is Microsoft - still has 95% of the market. That will change soon, but only because Microsoft has retired the "Nokia" brand in favor of its own.
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Thursday, November 27, 2014

IDC: India is fastest growing Asia Pacific smartphone market

DC put out a new report, stating that India continues to be the fastest growing Asia Pacific market for smartphones. The Q3 smartphone sales saw a growth of 82% over the same period of 2013.
The data also mentions a quarter-on-quarter growth of 27%. This exponential growth has largely been boosted by the festive demands.

There are also a number of other reasons that have played a crucial part in forming the favorable statistics that exceed every other market in the Asian Pacific region in terms of growth. Karan Thakkar, senior market analyst at IDC India, puts a lot of emphasis on positive customer attitude toward the market and mostly the existing low levels of inflation.
He believes, that these are the needed ingredients to ensure a fast paced and quickly refreshing device market. When the intensifying push towards 4G is added to the mix, Karan predicts an even greater spike in demand, reaching upwards of 80 million units in 2015.

Another peculiar trend, identified by the same researcher is a possible rise in interest towards phablet devices, which the IDC defines as having a screen size between 5.5 and 6.99 inches. At current their overall market share in India is pretty low and constant at 6%. Consumers still regard smartphones with screens between 4.5 and 5.5 inches as the ideal everyday device. Karan, however believes that richer media content and faster data connection will bring about a need for higher resolution and bigger screens and definitely sees this type of hardware making a return.

The Galaxy Note 4 with Exynos chipset has an ISOCELL camera

Samsung was strangely vague about the image sensor in the Galaxy Note 4. It bragged about its in-house ISOCELL sensor in the Galaxy S5, but not a peep about who made the Note's sensor. The deal was resolved with the simplest solution – an eyes on test, which found a Sony IMX240 sensor.
Or was it? New evidence suggests there's more than a difference in chipsets between the two Galaxy Note 4 versions – the Snapdragon 805 one and the Exynos 5433 one. Using a hidden service menu the camera firmware version was checked to find that the two different models report two different things.

The Exynos-based Note 4 version string is very similar to what the Galaxy S5 reports, while the Snapdragon variation just outputs SONY_IMX240.
You can check your Note 4 phablet by opening the dialer and typing *#34971539# and hitting the ISP Ver Check button.
Anyway, this raises the question – does the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (Exynos) camera support phase-detection autofocus? The sensor does and it is used in the Galaxy S5. Samsung tries to equalize performance between the Snapdragon/Exynos versions but the ISP version does differ from that of the S5.

Microsoft to detail Windows 10 for phones, tablets in January

There's already a Technical Preview of Windows 10 out, which you can download and install if you're so inclined, but that's only for computers. When Microsoft first introduced its next version of Windows back in September, it mainly presented the new developer-focused features of the OS, along with just a few consumer-oriented tidbits.
Ever since that point, Microsoft has been promising a consumer announcement of Windows 10 which should come in the future, and now a rumor claims that will happen in January.

Although Microsoft will be present at CES in early January, that's not the avenue it will use for the Windows 10 intro. Apparently the company will hold a separate conference towards the end of the month, and it could be a more comprehensive one compared to the one from September.
Alongside making all the consumer-facing features of Windows 10 known, during the same late January gathering Microsoft will also unveil Windows 10 for phones and tablets. This will thus be the first time we'll get a glimpse at the mobile version of the new OS.
Windows 10 is designed to run across multiple devices, such as PCs, tablets, phones, and the Xbox One. The exact date of the event in January is expected to be made official by the end of this year.

Friday, November 21, 2014

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 gets a stability-oriented update

Following a firmware update focused on improving battery life, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 owners are now treated with another one targeting performance and stability. Users in Germany and Greece are reporting their smartphones are prompted to install the latest Galaxy Note 4 firmware with build number N910FXXU1ANK4, which weighs 137MB.
The update is built on November 17 and Samsung hasn't revealed more details regarding the effects of the update besides that it improves the overall performance. The underlying Android version is still 4.4.4 KitKat.
If you haven't received the update, it should be rolling out gradually over the course of the upcoming days so fret not.
Samsung is hard at work on the Android 5.0 Lollipop update for its flagship devices. A short preview of the firmware update for the Galaxy S5 was shown last early last month. Check it out to get a glimpse on what to expect for your Galaxy Note 4 once the Lollipop update is finished.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Microsoft accepts Opera Mobile Store as default for Nokia phones

Microsoft and Opera have signed a contract, which will make the Opera Mobile Store the default app store for Nokia feature phones, those running Symbian as well as Nokia X devices. The change will happen in the beginning of 2015 and people who are still using Series 40, Series 60, Symbian, Asha and Nokia X devices will be redirected from the Nokia Store to the Opera Mobile Store.

According to Microsoft, the change enables millions of people using classic Nokia phones to continue having a "trusted source for apps, games and content."
Because the process includes changing the default app store of so many users, both companies estimate the change will take place over the good part of the first half of 2015. Then, the Nokia Store will close its doors.
"We continue to sell and support classic Nokia devices, which remain popular in many parts of the world," said Rich Bernardo, Vice President, Phones, Microsoft. "We're delighted to partner with Opera Software and continue to provide a reliable app store experience for consumers and developers alike."
Once the transition ends, the Opera Mobile Store will become the third largest app store in terms of downloads. Currently, the store boasts close to 300,000 apps and games with support for more than 7,500 devices ranging from feature phones to smartphones. 40,000 developers from around the world have contributed to the store's range of app offerings.

Samsung and Apple reach a chip manufacturing agreement

Apple and Samsung have reached a chip manufacturing agreement. Worth billions of dollars, the deal will make Samsung the primary supplier of application processors for Apple from 2016 onwards.

The deal will see the Korean giant manufacture 80% of the application processors needed by Apple. The remainder of the production will be handled by the Taiwan-based TSMC. The latter handles most of Cupertino’s chip manufacturing at the moment.
The agreement arrives shortly after Samsung and Apple agreed to drop all lawsuits against each other in outside the United States. Unsurprisingly, Apple will continue to design its processors. Samsung will handle the production of the 14nm chips in partnership with the California-based semiconductor manufacturer GlobalFoundries.
Application processors are significantly more profitable to manufacture than flash memory - another Samsung staple in demand from Apple. The revenue stream will allow the Korean company to make up for the declining profits from its smartphone operations.

Nokia Z Launcher lands on the Play Store

Nokia’s custom Z Launcher is ready to graduate from beta – it lands in the Play Store today and it even works out of the box on the new Nokia N1 tablet.

The tablet is similar to Aviate – it learns from your usage and picks up contextual cues (e.g. whether it’s morning or evening), but the feature that sets it apart is scribbling.

Instead of having to hunt down the right shortcut though an alphabetized list, you just your finger to write the first letter and the Z Launcher will display matching apps sorted by how much you use each one of them.

The Z Launcher on the Lollipop-running Nokia N1 tablet is an exclusive version, but a generic version can be had from the Play Store for a small taste of the experience engineered by Nokia.

Nokia launches N1 Android Tablet running Lollipop

In a rather surprising move, Nokia has launched a new Android tablet. Called the Nokia N1, the device is 7.9-inch tablet running Android 5.0 Lollipop and Nokia Z Launcher on top.

Here are the complete specs of the device:
7.9-inch, 2048x1536 (4:3) IPS LCD with Gorilla Glass 3 and fully laminated zero air gap display
64-bit 2.3GHz Intel Atom Z3580 processor, PowerVR G6430 GPU with 2GB RAM
32GB built-in memory (non-expandable)
8 megapixel rear camera, 5 megapixel front camera
Dual channel 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi with MIMO, Bluetooth 4.0
Micro-USB 2.0 with a Type-C reversible connector
Stereo speakers
5300mAh battery
Unibody aluminum design; available in Natural Aluminum or Lava Gray colors

The Nokia N1 will be launched in China first in Q1 2015 for an estimated price of $249 (without taxes) and in other markets at a later date

Monday, November 17, 2014

Sony IMX230 sensor features 192-point autofocus, Z4 bound

Sony just unveiled its latest mobile IMX230 EXMOR RS camera sensor, which might very well be the star on the back of the future Xperia Z4. The sensor shoots at 21MP resolution, just like the IMX135 it replaces, and uses stacked design. Sony says this makes the CMOS imaging sensor smaller and outputs higher image quality and improved functionality.
The size of the IMX230 image sensor is 1/2.4" and the pixel size is 1.12μm. The sensor will be joined later by a 16MP stacked CMOS image sensor. In the photo below, you can see how the new IMX230 sensor fares against its predecessor in HDR shooting.

The sensor is the first CMOS one to feature an onboard image plane phase detection AF signal processing function. This helps it achieve superior focus tracking of fast-moving objects, compared to the old generation image sensor. In fact, the IMX230 sports 192-point autofocus, which is impressive considering its predecessor packs 172 AF points. On top, the HDR capabilities now support higher resolution still images and 4K video recording.
The Sony IMX230 will start shipping to the company's partners in April 2015 with a listed price of $18 (CNY 2,100). We have very little doubt that the Xperia Z4 will be packing this sensor in its camera, but the phone is far away from launch to make any conclusions so early on.

OmniVision outs two sensors with phase-detection autofocus

It's a day for sensors it seems – first Sony and now OmniVision has chimed in with two new sensors. Like Sony's sensor, the OmniVision sensors use a stacked design (with a brand name of PureCel-S). Both sensors measure about the same and one is 23.8MP, the other 21.4MP and both record the same video.
The two sensors feature phase-detection autofocus in addition to the regular contrast autofocus. The modules measure 10.5x10.5mm and are about 6mm tall, the higher res module is slightly taller at 6.3mm.
The OmniVision OV23850 is a 1/2.3" sensor with 23.8MP resolution. It can output 5,632 x 4,224px photos at 24fps. The other sensor, OmniVision OV21840, is 1/2.4" big and outputs 21.8MP (5,344 x 4,016px) photos at 27fps.
The two have the same video recording skills – QHD at 30fps or 1080p at up to 90fps. For an even higher frame rate there's 720p@120fps. The 23.8MP sensor is also capable of 4.5MP video at 60fps, which is slightly above QHD but nowhere near the 8.3MP that is 2160p video.
Samples of the two sensors are currently available for sampling with mass production expected to start in the first three months of next year.

Nokia is done with phones but has new product coming up

Nokia won't be returning to the handset industry - this was confirmed by Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri at a recent analyst meeting in London. He said that Nokia isn't "looking to a direct consumer return to handsets". He did add that Nokia "will return to the consumer world" though.
And the former biggest phonemaker in the world could get its return as soon as tomorrow - Nokia just teased that it has been working on something. It will show it off or talk about it at the Slush 14 startup and entrepreneur meetup that starts tomorrow in Helsinki and is said to gather some 10 thousand people.

The teaser itself shows a new device but we can only guess what it is - a HTPC, a TV, home automation tech? Hopefully we're going to know all about it tomorrow.
Slush 14 will also be the venue for Finish maker Jolla's "something BIG" event.
It's hard to imagine Nokia not making any smartphones or phones in general but we'd wager a guess that it's not all over for the company, despite what its CEO reassures us of now. CEOs change and so do plans in the tech world and Nokia is only forbidden to make Nokia phones until December 31 of 2015.
For now Nokia will focus on its Networking, Technologies and Here maps divisions and whatever it has in store for us tomorrow.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Why Android phones need 3GB of RAM and iOS gets by with 1GB of the stuff

One of the great mysteries of life, right up there with Stonehenge and the JFK Assassination, is how an iPhone can run so smoothly on 1GB of RAM while Android handsets need at least 2GB, or 3GB of the sweet stuff, to run just as smoothly. According to Quora, a website that answers your questions, the difference has to with the fact that Android apps use Java.

Along with the use of Java comes a process called garbage collection. Once an Android user closes an app, the garbage collection process recycles the memory. The problem is that the garbage collectors require four to eight times the memory that it is using in order for the job to be done quickly. If the required amount of memory is not available, things slow down. Because iOS does not use these garbage collectors, Apple can get away with putting 1GB of RAM in the iPhone, and match or surpass the performance of Android phones. 

So this should clear up one of those mysteries that have you scratching your head every now and then. And just in case you are curious, the answer was posted on Quora by a Glyn Williams, who received 2700 upvotes for his response.

Friday, November 14, 2014

iPhone 6 is selling three times better than iPhone 6 Plus

Although it's been selling a lot of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus units, Apple doesn't like to break down the numbers by model. So effectively we have no way of telling how many of those millions of units moved are iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus.
Not an official way, at least, because now Consumer Intelligence Research Partners has produced a report which attempts to estimate just that - what percentage of iPhones sold are the smaller iPhone 6, and the bigger 6 Plus.

And it turns out that, at least in the US, the 4.7" handset is winning in terms of sales. For the first 30 days of availability of the two new devices, the iPhone 6 accounted for 68% of all iPhone sales, while the iPhone 6 Plus had to make do with a share of just 23 to 24%.
Together, the new iPhones made up around 91% of all iPhone sales in that month, with the additional 9% represented by the older iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C.
Last year, those two - which were then the new kids on the block - represented 84% of total iPhone sales after their first month of availability. So it looks like people are more interested in the iPhone 6 models than they were in the 5S and 5C in 2013, which makes sense considering how they're both bigger than all of their predecessors.
The researchers also looked at the average storage capacity of the iPhone 6 models sold in the first month, and found it to be 48GB. That's almost doubled since last year, undoubtedly aided by Apple's dropping of the 32GB models, and offering the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in 16, 64, and 128GB iterations only.

HTC One Google Play Editions to get Lollipop next week

Now that the Android 5.0 Lollipop updates for older devices have started in earnest, you may be wondering how long you still need to wait for the new bits if you own an HTC One Google Play Edition device. These, of course, are supposed to be on the fast track for OS updates - just like Nexus handsets.
If you are wondering that, know that you aren't alone. Some other people were curious too, and they decided to ask Mo Versi, HTC's VP of Product Management, about the situation.
And on Twitter, he responded saying that his company is targeting an "early next week" rollout of the Lollipop updates for the HTC One Google Play Edition. Unfortunately, it's still unclear whether he meant both the One (M8)'s GPE and that of the original One, or just the former.
Either way, if there aren't going to be any delays, we should find out for sure in just a few days.

Jolla to announce something big on November 19

Jolla may not be huge in the smartphone market but does attract a serious amount of attention because it's made up of former Nokia employees and uses Nokia and Intel's old lovechild MeeGo OS in the form of its Sailfish OS.
It has just one product so far - the midrange Jolla - but has just teased on Twitter and its website that "Something BIG is about to begin" November 19.

The teaser has a counter leading up to the date and what looks like the edge of some device which we can only guess will be either a new Jolla smartphone or, judging by the BIG in the teaser, a phablet or tablet running Sailfish OS.
We can't tell much by the teaser but we can conclude that the hardware design will be different.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge now available in the US

The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge has curved its way into the stores of three US retailers. You can get it off contract, on-contract and with the carrier's respective upgrade early plan. You might want to sit down before we get to the pricing though.
AT&T
AT&T has put a $946 price tag on the Galaxy Note Edge for those who don't want a contract. And it's something you might want to consider, since signing a 2-year commitment brings down the price to $400. For comparison a Galaxy Note 4 is $826 off contract and $300 with a contract.
AT&T Next starts at $31.54 a month for 30 months, the middle stage is $39.42 for 24 months and the quickest option is $47.30 for 20 months. All these options total $946 at the end, of course.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile's Uncarrier strategy means there's no subsidy but you can get a Samsung Galaxy Note Edge for $870 or space them out to $36.25 a month for 24 months.
A Galaxy Note 4 is $750 or $31.24 for two years.

Sprint
Sprint has priced the Galaxy Note Edge the cheapest - $840 – but the two-year contract has you paying the most - $430 up front. The other option is 24 monthly payments of $35.
Again for comparison, a Galaxy Note 4 sets you back $720 off contract, $300 up front with a two-year Sprint contract or 24 payments of $30.
Verizon
Verizon isn't selling the Galaxy Note Edge yet but you can pre-register for it. There's no price yet.
US Cellular should offer the Note Edge as well, but there isn't a pre-register page just yet.

Windows 10 will be released to all WP8 Lumia phones

We have some wonderful news to all Lumia owners around the world. Today Microsoft announced via its Twitter account that all Windows Phone 8-based Lumia smartphones will be treated to the upcoming Windows 10 OS next year.

The next iteration of Windows was announced recently and it will unify the Windows OS and make it compatible to phones, tablets and PCs with just one installation. Windows 10 is coming sometime next year and it is currently in development.
It's really good news to see Microsoft updating even three-year old phones with less RAM to the latest Windows OS. We know Microsoft's decision to ditch all WP7 phones when switching to WP8 was a huge blow to the fans and the Windows Phone OS popularity itself. But apparently Microsoft has learned a valuable lesson since then and won't make the same mistake again.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Samsung sues Nvidia overa false benchmark results

Samsung has undertaken court action to sue Nvidia accusing it of false advertising as it presumably faked some benchmark results, which compare the Exynos 5433 to the Tegra K1. The false advertising claim concerns the Galaxy Note 4, which Nvidia compared to the Shield Tablet not too long ago. Nvidia claims the Tegra K1 residing in it is the "world's fastest mobile processor" and Samsung isn't too happy with this, as it considers the Exynos 5433 chip to be the fastest one available.
The lawsuit also includes claims of infringement eight patents - Nvidia would be violating six of them, while Velocity Micro (an Nvidia client) is accused of violating two.
In a response to Samsung's accusations, Nvidia posted a clarification online explaining they ran the benchmarks on the out-of-the-box units of the Galaxy Note 4 and the Shield tablet.

Samsung's lawsuit comes a couple of months after Nvidia took action against the Korean company and Qualcomm for infringing its own patents. Nvidia wants the ITC to block shipments of the Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets utilizing the Qualcomm Adreno, ARM Mali and Imagination PowerVR graphics chips. The company says a total of seven patents are infringed by these GPUs and it's the first time the it is initiating a patent lawsuit in its 21 years of history.
Nvidia brushed on its ongoing patent lawsuit with Samsung saying that they weren't surprised by the counter lawsuit but they are convinced their initial patent infringement case is moving forward and that it's "a far more serious problem" for Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy S6 to pack next-gen UFS memory

Korean newspaper ETNews has outed a report citing a Samsung insider, who claims the company is going to use a next-gen NAND flash storage in the upcoming Galaxy S6. The storage technology in question is called UFS 2.0, which stands for Universal Flash Storage.

UFS can reach SSD-like transfer speeds, but is cheap to manufacture like eMMC memory chips. In fact, it's three times faster than eMMC memory with a transfer speed of up to 1.2GB/s. Power consumption is lower than eMMC storage, which won't lead to battery drains or overheating. Recent UFS 2.0 technology development has lead to half the power consumption of eMMC 5.0, the source says.
The standard is established under the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) initiative by Samsung, Nokia and Micron in 2007. Toshiba and SK Hynix are also involved in the development of the UFS 2.0 memory. Samsung is expected to start mass producing the new NAND flash storage in the coming weeks.
However, Samsung isn't alone doing this. Xiaomi is also reported to use UFS 2.0 NAND memory in its upcoming products. Samsung is very conscious of the advancements its Chinese rival is making. The company is now third behind Samsung and Apple is market share as per IDC's Q3 2014 report though that has reportedly changed now that Lenovo finally formally acquired Motorola.
Samsung is also going to slowly replace its SD and microSD cards with UFS tech inside in addition to smartphones. The first of them is very likely to be the Galaxy S6 followed by the Galaxy Note 5.
"UFS is an important element for our smart phone business next year. We will start the application centering on flagship smart phones,” the source inside Samsung shares. "However, we cannot disclose any details because the time of a new smart phone release next year and specifications of this new model have not been finalized."

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

LG unveils the Aka - a smartphone that has an eye on you

Sure, Siri can crack a joke, but can it really look at you? Of course it can't, silly, it doesn't have eyes – not like the LG Aka. Supposedly pronounced "aw-kuh", this Android-powered phone has eyes, which peek out from its case, and tries to establish an emotional connection with you.
There are four Akas, which more or less follow the color scheme of Pacman's ghosts and just like them have their own names and personalities. Eggy is yellow and easily falls in love, Wooky is white and is a bit of a bully, YoYo is pink and has difficulties sticking to its diet (so its weight yo-yo's) and Soul comes in Black and is a music lover. There's a backstory about the Akas, which involves an alien invasion.

The phone itself is a mid-ranger with ties to the LG G series. It features a 5" 720p screen, runs Android 4.4 KitKat on a 1.2GHz quad-core processor with 1.5GB RAM, an 8MP camera, 16GB of storage, a microSD card slot, LTE connectivity and a 2,610mAh battery.
The camera has the laser-assisted focus and the volume rocker and power button are placed on the back, which is the G series trademark. There's a 2MP front-facing camera, which can be used to snap selfies with your Aka (in lieu of real friends).
 
LG Aka: meet Eggy, Wooky, Soul and YoYo
The LG Aka's eyes react to you and serve as sort of notifications. They get dizzy when you shake the phone, they look down when you need to take the phone out of the case (i.e. there's a notification) and so on. Eye color changes from red to green to indicate different emotions.
You can buy different color cases, which lets you switch between Aka personalities. There's a point system associated with buying new accessories for your Aka, an interesting (if a bit questionable) monetization strategy from LG.

If you miss your Tamagotchi or Sims family – and live in South Korea – you can grab an LG Aka for KRW 500,000 ($455). It's not clear if it will be launched outside its home country.

Microsoft Lumia 535 goes official with 5” qHD display

The first Windows Phone smartphone to carry the Microsoft name is now a fact. The already leaked, entry-level Microsoft Lumia 535 will being rolling out to key markets this month in single or dual-SIM variants.

Microsoft Lumia 535 features Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 chipset with 1.2GHz quad-core CPU. There’s 1GB of RAM and 8GB of built-in memory, which can be further expanded via a microSD card slot.

The display of the handset is a 5” IPS unit with qHD resolution(960 x 540 pixels), enhanced sunlight readability, and Corning Gorilla Glass 3. A duo of 5MP cameras grace the front and the back of the Lumia 535. Combined with the 5” screen, they give the device a “5x5x5 smartphone package” moniker.

The physical measures of Microsoft Lumia 535 are 140.2 x 72.4 x 8.8mm, while its weight tips the scale at 146 grams. A 1,905mAh battery powers the smartphone.

The handset boots Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim. Naturally, it offers free access to the usual plethora of Microsoft services for free.
Microsoft Lumia 535 will be available in a plethora of characterful colors on its exchangeable back cover. It will cost around €110 before any taxes and subsidies.

Leak details where the Galaxy Note Edge will be sold

The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge may be a niche device, but it's one that's gotten a lot of people interested in it. On the other hand, Samsung's only confirmed its release in the US, Japan, and its home country of South Korea.
Yet if you were wondering where else the Note Edge will be sold, the latest rumor on the matter wants to deliver. We have, in fact, a full list of countries and territories in which to expect the Note Edge to be on store shelves at some point.

Here they are: Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, France, the Nordic countries, Austria, Portugal, Russia, Kazakhstan, India, Australia, Singapore, and Nepal.
Those are all the places where the Note Edge will be seen, according to this particular leak. Of course Samsung may expand this phablet's reach after a few months, but remember that the company said this would be a "limited edition concept". So for now, if you want one and aren't in the aforementioned countries, you're out of luck.
In Europe, you should expect to pay around €899 for the Note Edge, and its release date for Denmark has been set at December 12. It might become available around the same time in other European countries too, but nothing's certain just yet.

Monday, November 10, 2014

LG G3 will begin receiving Android 5.0 this week

LG G3 will begin receiving update to Android 5.0 Lollipop this week. The Korean manufacturer announced its OS upgrade plans shortly after an Android 5.0 ROM for its flagship leaked out.

The rollout of Android 5.0 to the handset will begin in Poland. More key markets will follow shortly.
The Korean giant is the first major smartphone manufacturer to deliver the latest Android build to its halo smartphone. LG will subsequently announce Android 5.0 upgrade schedule for the rest of its lineup of mobile devices.
As expected, Android 5.0 Lollipop will bring a host of improvements to the LG G3. They include new UI design language, new security features, as well as a brand new Android ART runtime.

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 likely to feature a 4K 6-inch AMOLED

Samsung has been teasing its development of a 4K AMOLED display for a long time now, but now a new piece of information suggests the first phone to brag with it is the Galaxy Note 5. According to a tip sent to PhoneArena, Samsung 4K AMOLED screen is 6" in diagonal and packs a pixel density of 743ppi.

Take this information with a pinch of salt, of course, but it's very likely for Samsung to be considering this. The Galaxy Note family of smartphones grow ever so larger in terms of display, so a 6" would be a logical evolutionary step for the Galaxy Note 5.
Moreover, a recent set of rumors suggest the Galaxy S6 will be powered by an Exynos 7420 chipset, which would have four Cortex-A57 cores and four Cortex-A53. We wouldn't be surprised to see this configuration in the Galaxy Note 5 as well.
Traditionally, Samsung launches a new Galaxy Note smartphone in the fall at IFA consumer show in Berlin, Germany. There's a lot of time until September 2015 and the Galaxy S6 is the first of Samsung's flagships to be anticipated.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

WhatsApp update brings read reports to the messaging platform

Going forward you will know when people have read your WhatsApp messages. An stealthy update to the popular messenger brought the nifty feature onboard.

The new trick is as simple as its gets. When the recipient has read your message, the usual duo of grey check marks next to it turn blue.

The new functionality does not require you to update your app. It works on group messages too – the check marks turn blue when all participants have read the message.

Have you experienced the new WhatsApp feature yet? Tell us how you like it in the comments below.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Samsung Galaxy S6 gets first round of rumored specs

Sure, the Galaxy Note 4 might be doing pretty well in terms of sales (at least in some places), but that doesn't mean Samsung isn't already working on its next top of the line device. As you may have guessed, we're talking about the successor to the Galaxy S5 (pictured to the left).
The Galaxy S6 apparently has the codename Project Zero, and some unnamed "insiders" have allegedly come forward and shared a few of its specs.
The screen resolution will be QHD (2,560x1,440), just like that of the Note 4, which is hardly a surprise. The exact display size is still a mystery, though, possibly because Samsung execs haven't yet decided on it.
The rear camera will apparently be borrowed from the Galaxy Note 4 too, thus being a Sony-made IMX240. What's still up for debate over at Samsung HQ is whether to go for a 16 MP module or a 20 MP one. In either case, hopefully it will come with optical image stabilization.
The selfie snapper at the front will be bumped to 5 MP, matching the sensors in the recently unveiled Galaxy A series. Storage-wise, Samsung seems ready to move to 32GB as the new base level - so no more 16GB model. Handsets with 64 or 128GB of built-in storage will also be offered, and we assume the microSD expansion will stick around too.
In terms of chipset, the Galaxy S6 will be powered by an Exynos 7420, which is on track to be the company's first SoC with active 64-bit support. The Exynos 5433 in the Galaxy Note 4 is also technically 64-bit, but Samsung has only enabled 32-bit support for it until now. That might have something to do with the fact that Android will only work with 64-bit chipsets starting with version 5.0 (Lollipop).
Anyway, the Exynos 7420 should sport four Cortex-A57 cores and four Cortex-A53. It will get a new in-house developed modem, the Exynos Modem 333 (model SS333). This will replace the Intel modem found in older Exynos chips. Broadcom's BCM4773 will be inside too, and this combines Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS on the same chip, allowing for lower power consumption compared to devices on the market today.
The Galaxy S6 will also have a version powered by a Qualcomm SoC, as has been the tradition for many years now. The part used will be the Snapdragon 810, Qualcomm's first 64-bit high-end chipset.
Finally, we have the S6's model number to speak of. This will be SM-G920 or SM-G925, depending on carrier and local version. Since all of this comes from one source, don't forget your grain of salt. Now that the floodgates (of Galaxy S6-related rumors and leaks) have opened, we're sure we'll find out more pretty soon.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Galaxy Note 4 sales outpace the Note 3 in North America and EU

Samsung's Senior Vice President, Kim Hyun-joon, revealed that the Galaxy Note 4 sales in North America and Western Europe are doing great. In fact, in those regions the Note 4 is outpacing the sales of its predecessor, the Galaxy Note 3, from last year.

The senior exec added that Samsung expects Galaxy Note 4 sales to improve further in the following months. The holiday shopping season as well as the expanded availability of the phablet are all in the company's favor.
The Galaxy Note 4 hit the 4.5 million sales mark in a month after its September 26 launch, but that is 500,000 short of what its predecessor managed for the same period. Nevertheless, the jump in sales in the developed western markets is certainly making Samsung happy, as those regions traditionally have high concentrations of iPhones.
Samsung's Senior Vice President shared that in the short term the company will focus on maintaining stable double-digit margins. No more specifics were given, but we're yet to see the official Galaxy Note 4 sale numbers in the company's Q4 financial report.

Microsoft rebranding Nokia apps, memories.nokia.com to shut down

Microsoft is discontinuing the Nokia brand for its smartphones and is in the process of renaming Nokia-branded apps to “Lumia”. Some apps have already been rebadged but for some it’s a little harder – Nokia Cinemagraph used to host shared images on memories.nokia.com, but that’s shutting down and “memories” will be deleted come January.

Cinemagraphs stored on your phone will not be affected but if you have any on the Nokia site you’ll have to manually download a copy.

Microsoft is making sharing easier – a cinemagraph can be uploaded to OneDrive or shared on a social network like Facebook using the new app. It would have been nice to provide an automated transfer solution though.

The Nokia Camera app got rebranded Lumia Camera and an update will add Moment Capture and Rich Capture functionality. This update will be distributed to the Lumia 830, Lumia 930, Lumia Icon and Lumia 1520 along with the Lumia Denim update. Denim should roll out by the end of the year.

Microsoft details Lumia Denim update, coming this year

Microsoft has detailed the Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 plus Lumia Denim upcoming firmware release. It is going to roll out by the end of this year and will be available to all Windows Phone 8-running Lumia phones.

The Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 brings these new features:
Cortana: Updated in the US; Beta in the UK and China; Alpha in Australia, Canada and India.
Folders on the Start screen.
Apps Corner mode - very similar to Kid's mode - a separate and secure Start screen with customized access.
SMS merge and forwarding.
Consumer VPN.
Faster Internet Explorer.
Naturally all of these enhancements will be available to all Windows Phone 8-based smartphones, not just the Lumia range.
The Lumia Denim update is exclusive to Lumia devices though and also brings lots of new features:
Better and faster Lumia Camera app.
Faster photo snapping (not available on Lumia 1020, Lumia 920 and Lumia 925).
Moment Capture feature shooting 4K@24fps videos (sensor-dependent, may be limited to 1080p).
Rich Capture - Auto HDR and Dynamic Flash.
Improved image processing for even better photos.
"Hey Cortana" - voice activation (Lumia 930, Lumia Icon, Lumia 1520).
Better Glance Screen with Bing Weather, Bing Health & Fitness.
So, Lumia Denim running on top of the Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 will be coming before the end of the year. Not all features from Denim will make it to all devices, but at least Microsoft is doing its best to keep everything up to date. Are you excited about the new update?

5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy Grand 3 benchmarked with 64-bit CPU

The Samsung Galaxy Grand will grow into its name with a 5.5" version, which left its footsteps in the GFXBench database. The phone was dubbed "Galaxy Grand 3" by the rumor mill and features a bigger, 5.5" screen – up 0.25" on the Grand 2.
The new large-screened mid-ranger has been upgraded from head to toe. The 5.5" screen has 720p resolution (unlike the recent Galaxy Grand Prime) and is powered by a 64-bit processor inside the Snapdragon 410 chipset – quad Cortex-A53 at 1.2GHz, 1.5GB of RAM and Adreno 306 GPU. The phone ran Android 4.4.4 KitKat for the benchmark.

The Galaxy Grand 3 retains the 5MP selfie camera of the Grand Prime but upgrades the main camera to 13MP stills. Both cameras can record 1080p video. There was 12GB user-available storage, with 4GB going to Android and TouchWiz.
There's no info on when the Samsung SM-G7200 - that's the model number of the Galaxy Grand 3 - will launch (rumors say in a few weeks), but it has already been certified for Bluetooth 4.0 compliance.

Android in October: KitKat distribution share edges past 30%

Google released the Android distribution report for the month of October. Unsurprisingly, Android 4.4 KitKat continued its march towards bigger distribution share - it now boots on more than 30% of all devices out there.

Android 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3 Jelly Bean is still the most dominant OS version with 50.9% share. However, it is down almost 3% from the month of September.
The three-year old Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is still booting on 8.5% of all devices. Android 2.3 Gingerbread on the other hand saw its distribution share drop into single digits to 9.8%.
The latest Android 5.0 Lollipop will likely appear on the map during next month’s distribution report.

HTC to update One M8 and M7 to Lollipop within 90 days

HTC has announced that it will be updating the HTC One M8 and M7 to Android 5.0 Lollipop within 90 days from now. The company claims to have received the source code from Google and is working on the update.

It's rather odd that HTC is receiving the source code now, considering Google is supposed to provide the source code to OEMs in advance as they had promised earlier. Also, HTC made the Nexus 9, so they clearly had access to Lollipop source code before this.
Anyway, if you have an M7 or an M8, expect to hear from HTC soon regarding the update. No word on when the other phones will be getting the update.

Monday, November 3, 2014

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge kicks off in the USA on Nov 7

Samsung has just announced the availability of the Galaxy Note Edge for the United States. The smartphone will become available as early as this week and major operators will be carrying it.
Samsung Galaxy Note Edge was announced back at IFA expo in September, but later Samsung specified it will be a limited availability device. NTT DoCoMo and KDDI in Japan were the first to offer the Note Edge, but now its reach is expanding beyond Asia.

All major carriers - AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular - will be getting the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge by the end of this week. It will be available with a two-year agreement or SIM-free. Aside from the carriers, you will be able to get the unique phablet from the Samsung Experience Shop in Best Buy and some other unspecified retailers.
AT&T was the first to detail the Galaxy Note Edge availability - it will go on sale urchase on November 7. As expected the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is quite a pricy device - it costs $399.99 with a two-year contract or $945.99 if you go contract-free. Naturally AT&T Next lease options are available as well.
We guess the other carriers will offer similar pricing to AT&T's and the release date should be around the same time.
Just a quick reminder - the SIM-enables Samsung Gear S smartwatch is also set to launch on November 7 in the USA, so you might want to pair your new Note with the powerful Gear S.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge kicks off in the USA on Nov 7

Samsung has just announced the availability of the Galaxy Note Edge for the United States. The smartphone will become available as early as this week and major operators will be carrying it.
Samsung Galaxy Note Edge was announced back at IFA expo in September, but later Samsung specified it will be a limited availability device. NTT DoCoMo and KDDI in Japan were the first to offer the Note Edge, but now its reach is expanding beyond Asia.

All major carriers - AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular - will be getting the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge by the end of this week. It will be available with a two-year agreement or SIM-free. Aside from the carriers, you will be able to get the unique phablet from the Samsung Experience Shop in Best Buy and some other unspecified retailers.
AT&T was the first to detail the Galaxy Note Edge availability - it will go on sale urchase on November 7. As expected the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is quite a pricy device - it costs $399.99 with a two-year contract or $945.99 if you go contract-free. Naturally AT&T Next lease options are available as well.
We guess the other carriers will offer similar pricing to AT&T's and the release date should be around the same time.
Just a quick reminder - the SIM-enables Samsung Gear S smartwatch is also set to launch on November 7 in the USA, so you might want to pair your new Note with the powerful Gear S.

Lumia RM-1090 appears with Microsoft branding

The Lumia RM-1090 has been spotted at the Chinese TENAA certification website. There, the phone sports Microsoft logo above the display and on the back cover, and just as expected, a Nokia logo is nowhere to be seen.

In October, the phone also payed a visit to the FCC in the US. Back then, we got a glimpse at the phone's specs and today they're confirmed. The Microsoft RM-1090 is listed to sport a 5" display of qHD resolution(960 x 540 pixels). The battery is 1,900 mAh and the phone measures 140.2 x 72.4 x 9.3mm.
Connectivity is limited to GSM and 3G with HSPA, but the RM-1090 comes with dual-SIM card slots. Windows Phone 8.1 is running on the phone and the camera at the back is joined by a LED flash, but there aren't more details at this point.

The Microsoft RM-1090 looks to be the company's answer to the ultra affordable Android One line-up. With specs like these, we expect Microsoft to price the phone quite aggressively.

Samsung I9500 Galaxy S4 to get Lollipop early next year

The current Samsung flagship, the Galaxy S5, will be getting Android 5.0 Lollipop, it was even demoed on video. Last year's flagship will not be left out, sources claim the Galaxy S4 will be updated too. The question then is "which S4?" since there are plenty of versions.
The sources point to the Exynos-based Galaxy S4 with model number I9500 will be first. This should be early next year, barring any extra-long delays from carriers.

The Snapdragon 600 version (I9505) should be getting it sometime later on, the Galaxy S4 Active (I9295) should be getting at the same time since the internals are basically the same. There are also Snapdragon 800 versions – the Galaxy S4 LTE-A (I9506 and some local versions) and the Galaxy S4 Active LTE-A. Those are essentially based on the Galaxy Note 3 with S800 platform (the Note 3 with Exynos uses a different chipset than the I9500).
We'd love to see an official update calendar by Samsung for its recent flagships, instead of getting hearsay for each of the dozens of models and variations the company offers.

Apple Watch coming spring 2015, says Apple Retail SVP

Apple Watch was introduced last September alongside the new Apple iPhone 6 duet. The long awaited smartwatch was demonstrated extensively but its release date was mentioned as just "early 2015". Well, as it seems the Apple Watch might not be coming as early in 2015 as we hoped.

The Senior Vice President of Apple Retail and Online Stores addressed the Apple's employees in a video message highlighting the upcoming holiday season, the following Chinese New Year, and then the spring release of the Apple Watch. Here is the important part of the video transcript.

As you can see Angela Ahrendts, the SVP of Apple Retail, is clearly pointing the spring season for the release of the Apple Watch. This means the gadget will kick off in late March or April in 2015.
So, if you hoped for an early release of the Apple Watch, we have to disappoint you. The cheapest version of the Watch will set you back $350, so at least you'll have some extra time to save some money for the model that suits you best.

Apple iPhone 6 to get a $100 price cut with upcoming promo

The holiday season and Black Friday are upon us, kicking off November 28 this year. The retailers are already working on their promo offers and the Sam's Club one is particularly interesting. It seems iPhone 6 will be one of its hot promotions this year - it will offer it on half the price if you opt to get in on contract.
A leaked flyer for the upcoming promotion reveals Sam's Club will offer the Apple iPhone 6 for $99 for the 16GB flavor with a two-year contract. The 64GB and 128GB models will be available for purchase as well for $199 and $299 respectively.

The offer applies until December 31, but the numbers each store will have in stock are rather limited - 40-50 per club.
The first generation Apple iPad Air will be also on-sale in Sam's Club, as in many other retailers at $100 down the official price.
We guess other stores will be getting similar discounts for the latest Apple flagship. Do you plan of getting one for yourself this holiday season?

SEL outs a 3-fold 8.7-inch OLED touch display

At the Display Innovation 2014 trade show in Yokohoma City, Japan, Semiconductor Energy Laboratory (SEL) introduced an 8.7" Super AMOLED display, which can fold in three. It sports 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution resulting in a pixel density of 254ppi.

SEL introduced a smaller version of the same display measuring 5.9" in diagonal, but it sported 720p resolution and didn't support touch. Now, that's changed an the company uses a c-axis aligned semiconductor for the backplane. The company is debuting a technology combining a top emission type and a capacitive touch panel for the first time.
The 3-fold 8.7" SEL display can be bent more than 100,000 times and the curvature bent it supports is of 2mm and 4mm radius.

There's no information just yet when we can see the display in an actual product. The possibilities are endless and we can see it in future e-readers as well as tablets. An interesting project would be to cover an entire staircase with this type of display, but you'll have to have an extraordinary large amount of cash to burn to pull this off.

Samsung refuses to pay licenses to Microsoft after Nokia buyout

Samsung has issued a court filing regarding its collaboration with Microsoft on Windows Phone and states that it refuses to fulfill its end of the deal as it now sees the software giant as a direct competitor. The business collaboration agreement between the two companies sees Samsung pay Microsoft north of $1 billion in patent royalties and $6.9 million interest due to payment delays. Microsoft took action in early August in an attempt to collect the cash.

However, that's unlikely to happen if the New York federal court, where the filing is made, decides in favor of Samsung. The company says that because of the Nokia acquisition, Microsoft violated its 2011 deal with Samsung. According to the deal, Samsung had to pay Microsoft royalties in exchange for a patent license on its Android smartphones.
Because Samsung is also making Windows Phone devices and shares confidential business information with Microsoft, the Redmont company agreed to reduce the royalty payments. Acquiring Nokia has made Microsoft a direct hardware competitor to Samsung and the South Koreans claim this will create problems with US antitrust laws for the software giant.
"The agreements, now between competitors, invite charges of collusion," Samsung said in the filing. However, Microsoft won't give up and is "confident" in the strength of its case. We'll continue to cover the development of the court case between the two companies and inform you if Microsoft will get its patent licensing fees or if Samsung will save $1 billion.

Saturday, November 1, 2014

BBM gets Timed Messages and Message Retraction across platforms

BlackBerry’s Messenger app has received an update today, which brings with it two new features. Timed Messages allows you to set a timer when sending a message. When that expires, the message you sent will disappear from the BBM chat.

With Message Retraction, you can ‘take back’ something you sent – after the fact. The message disappears from the chat for the person you sent it to as soon as you retract it.

A quicker sticker picker has been added too, along with support for “HD” picture transfers, and the ability for you to discover what music your contacts are listening to in BBM Feeds.

The big new features are obviously Timed Messages and Message Retraction. You do need to remember, however, that people can still capture screenshots of what you send them before you retract anything (or before a Timed Message expires). They can also make copies of messages, which naturally won’t disappear once you use the Retraction feature.

Interestingly, Timed Messages and Message Retraction will only be offered for free and without restrictions for three months. After that, they will become part of a paid “broader bundle of features” that will require a subscription.

While the updated BBM will make it to iOS, Android, as well as BlackBerry, keep in mind that depending on your region or software platform it may take up to 24 hours for it to show up for you.

BlackBerry Passport gets the gold-plating treatment

Early last month we came across photos of a gold-plated BlackBerry Passport, but details were scarce. This might be the source of these photos - Vietnamese company Mavang is doing custom gold plating of Passports.
The square-screened business smartphone features a forged stainless steel plate for durability, but is also visible on the outside as a metal rim.
     
BlackBerry Passport with 24K gold plating
It's exactly that rim that is gold-plated with 24K gold in a process that takes between three and four hours, including time for disassembly.
The price varies between VND 8,000,000 and 10,000,00 ($375-$470) depending on customizations required by the customer - carving a message or a business logo.

Tizen-running dual-SIM Samsung phone spotted at the FCC

Samsung's been theoretically launching Tizen smartphones left and right for years. Actually though, we've yet to see one shipping product running the mobile OS that was once seriously thought to be able to take on Android.
For the umpteenth time, we might be close to the release of the first Samsung Tizen device. This won't be high-end like the "indefinitely delayed" Samsung Z, rather a low-end offering that might be headed to India as soon as next month.

The SM-Z130H model number was first spotted in a few import listings for accessories on an Indian tracker back in July. And now it's been certified for sale by the FCC.
The Commission's documents don't shine much light on the phone's specs, except that it will have dual-SIM support, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. According to a different import listing from India, it will come with a 4-inch touchscreen.
As such a low-end device, the SM-Z130 will have to be very cheap in order to sell, given that the software platform it will come with hasn't been proven yet.

New Lollipop build for Samsung Galaxy S5 gets showcased

A few weeks ago we brought you images and video showing what an early build of Android L for the Samsung Galaxy S5 looked like.
Since that point, the Korean company's engineers have been hard at work tweaking things and integrating the TouchWiz UI with the new version of Android. And today it's the turn of a newer build of Android 5.0 for the Galaxy S5 to get showcased in all its glory.
  
Android 5.0 Lollipop on Samsung Galaxy S5
Samsung has refined many design bits, as you can see in the first two screenshots above. The device information page still doesn't say the word Lollipop, but the Android version is now listed as 5.0, instead of the "L" we saw last time.
The new leaked build has mostly UI enhancements compared to the old one. A fingerprint lock screen like the one in the Galaxy Note 4 is present, there's a new system font, new animations, a Google Search bar in the Recents menu, the brightness slider in the notification area has a new color, "Interruptions" has been removed from Sound settings, the Gallery has new filters, Contacts has a new search box, and stock apps with Material Design get the colored status bar.

The green elements in Google's Lollipop theme have been replaced with Samsung's blue, Settings has new icons, there's a new UI for setting the wallpaper, and better spacing between items in the power off dialog. The Music, Clock, and Calculator apps all come with improved designs now too.
Clearly Samsung Galaxy S5 owners across the world are eagerly awaiting this update, and it definitely looks like it's progressing nicely. Android 5.0 Lollipop might hit the Galaxy S5 before the end of this year, according to past mumblings.

Samsung Ativ S gets updated to Windows Phone 8.1

The Samsung Ativ S is now ready to enter the Windows Phone 8.1 club. Lagging behind several Nokia handsets, the smartphone launched two years ago is finally starting to receive an over-the-air update to Windows Phone 8.1.
Owners of the Ativ S in both Italy and Germany have reported getting asked to perform the update. Furthermore, Samsung confirmed the rollout for unbranded units sold in Italy, so other European countries should see it pretty soon, we assume.

As is usually the case with such things, the rollout might take a while, so perhaps don't lose sight of your patience just yet.
The update comes with a few new features, such as the Action Center for notifications and shortcuts, the ability to use a background image for the tiled home screen, a swipe-enabled keyboard, an optional third row of tiles, improved Bing search, separate volume levels for ringtones and notifications and for media files and apps, a new layout for the Camera app, live folders, and a screen sharing option (that works only via USB).
Music and Videos are now two separate apps. The dialer, calendar, task manager, and Internet Explorer have been updated too, sporting better performance and graphics.