U-dessert is code name of Android 14's anyone could think of

 

Android 13 is very much still in development (as we wait not-so-patiently for Beta 1 to finally land) but even with its stable release still months off, pieces are already starting to fall into place for further-out Android versions. One question we've been kicking around for a while now concerns which dessert beginning with the letter U might be chosen as the development code name for Android 14 — and it's not like there are a ton of obvious U-names to choose from. Today we finally get our answer, with Android 14 set to go by the code name Upside Down Cake.

Google formally clarifies the code name in some recent notes added to the AOSP (spotted by 9to5Google). Honestly, that's the first U-dessert we thought of, mentioning it as a likely option back when confirmation arrived for Android 13's Tiramisu name. Even getting our U from “upside-down” feels like a bit of a cheat, but it's not like there were a ton of other obvious options. If we start going international with our dessert menu, that could start opening things up a little, but ultimately it's not at all surprising to see Google go in this direction.

Dessert names used to be a much more prominent part of new Android releases, and you'll still hear long-time users affectionately reference past versions like Lollipop or ICS. Even when we weren't talking about the dessert itself, it was still common to refer to its letter: Android M, or Android Q. But for the launch of Android 10 in 2019, Google took a step back from this association, instead embracing the numerical version as the preferred way to talk about Android.

That shift did make a whole lot of sense — it's clean, it's accessible, and really is just a lot more professional-sounding — but for those of us who long for the days when there was just a little more “fun” in Android development, at least the desserts live on as internal code names.

Android 15 is a long way off, but does anyone want to make any bets as to what our V-name might be? Vanilla-something could be obvious, or will Google take us in a new direction? Your guess is as good as ours.

 

 

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Download now KitKat-based Paranoid Android AOSPA4+ ROM

On Christmas Eve, the Paranoid Android team took the wraps off their very first release of its AOSPA4+ ROM, which of course features Android 4.4 KitKat onboard.

The ROM itself seems to work very well, but keep in mind that this is an early release and therefore is missing quite a few PA features such as Halo, Pie and the Hybrid engine. Of course we can expect these features to be added back into the mix in future ROM releases.

Here’s a full change-log of all the features contained in the current ROM release:

Initial Release – AOSPA 4.0 Beta <2013-12-24>

• Built-in SuperSu
• Advanced Power Menu
• Enhanced Volume Buttons
• Enhanced Volume Controls
• Global Immersive Mode Toggle
• Notification LED Light Controls
• Actionable Status Bar Date/Time
• Keyguard Quick Unlock [standard]
• Disable full screen keyboard [standard]
• Basic file browser (Documents <from Omni>)
• Exposed Google’s Native App Privacy Controls
• Recent/Clear All Button Combo (context aware)
• Screenshot Delete Added to Screenshot Notification
• Optional Lock Screen Transparency (blur effect WIP)
• Optional Status Bar Battery Icons (mirrored in quick settings)
• Quick Settings 2.0 (edit tiles from within the pull down panel)

As for device support, the ROM will work with the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7 (2012/2013) and the Nexus 10. The PA team plans to release a build for the Oppo N1 in the near future as well.

For more details on the latest PA ROM, you’ll want to head here. To download the ROM for yourself, be sure to head to their official download portal.

Well it's good news for android developer..

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Oppo Find 7 with a resolution of 1440×2560

Just like we saw with the Oppo N1, Oppo has begun the process of slowly releasing new information about its upcoming Find 7 handset via a series of teasers meant to bring both attention and improved international brand recognition to the still relatively unknown manufacturer.

In an earlier teaser, Oppo revealed the Find 7 would be one of the world’s first handsets with a 1440×2560 (aka 2k) resolution. Now the company has unveiled the device’s screen size: it will be 5.5-inches with a ppi of 538.

The teaser also says the handset will be a 5.5-inch handset with the “feel” of a device with a 5-inch display, which may indicate that Oppo is following LG’s example with the G2 and moving things around so they can put a bigger display in less space — though keep in mind that’s just speculation on our part.

Aside from the screen size and resolution, we know very little else about the handset. Turning to the rumor mill however, the Find 7 could reportedly feature a 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 CPU, 3GB RAM, a 13MP shooter, an Adreno 450 GPU and a 4000 mAh battery. Of course these specs have yet to be confirmed, so take them with a grain of salt.

As for when we’ll see the Oppo Find 7 officially announced, that’s harder to say. More than likely though, Oppo will continue the teasing for at least a few more weeks, and will take the wraps off the FInd 7 completely sometime in early-2014.

With $599, Oppo N1 CyanogenMod Edition ready to market

As expected the Cyanogenmod-powered Oppo N1 has arrived, available for the same $599 price tag as the standard N1, but featuring custom packaging, a CyanogenMod phone case, the O-Click remote shutter, some Cyanogenmod stickers and – of course – CyanogenMod 10.2! If that’s not enough for you, the shipping is also included for free.

Aside from the unique packaging and default installation of CM10.2, there’s not much difference between the standard N1 and the CM Edition. Spec-wise we are still looking at a 5.9-inch 1080p display, a Snapdragon 600 CPU and 2GB of RAM. Other specs include 16GB storage, rear touch panel, a rotating 13MP camera and a 3600mAh battery.

As an extra bonus for those that like to tinker, CyanogenMod Inc has also released the source code and factory images for the Oppo N1 CM Edition.

So should you pick up the CM Edition or the regular version of the handset? Honestly, it really depends on what type of experience you’re looking for out of the box.

If you’re a fan of Cyanogenmod and looking for a pre-installed experience with a few extras, you can’t go wrong here. Then again, if you’re more of the DIY-type, you could always snag the standard Oppo N1 and flash the upcoming official Oppo N1 CyanogenMod ROM.

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5.25-inch Galaxy S5 with 2560 x 1440 AMOLED display rumor

A new report from South Korea says that Samsung has started mass-producing 5.25-inch displays for the upcoming Galaxy S5 flagship smartphone.

DDaily says that the Galaxy S5 will have a 5.25-inch AMOLED display that will pack an impressive WQHD resolution, or 2560 x 1440, for a pixel per inch density of 560 – a previous rumor also saidhinted that Samsung’s next-gen smartphone will have a 2560 x 1440 display. According to the publication, the Galaxy S5 display will be similar to the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3 when it comes to pixel arrangement, as Samsung will keep in place the diamond pixel arrangement seen in its 2013 flagship handsets.

However, Samsung is yet to confirm Galaxy S5 development plans, and while this WQHD mass-production report is based on interviews with unnamed industry sources from South Korea, we’ll remind you that this is still just a rumor. In case you’re shopping for devices with 2560 x 1440 resolution, you can always check out the Vivo XPlay 3S.

As we approach the busy CES 2014 and MWC 2014, we’ll remind you that various reports have claimed that Samsung will unveil and launch the Galaxy S5 early next year – or at least earlier than initially anticipated – as the company may be in a hurry to make up for the lower than anticipated Galaxy S4 sales with a new high-end device. However, these reports are also yet to be confirmed.

Samsung’s competitors are similarly rumored to be working on new flagship devices including HTC, Sony and LG.

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Review and Spec of Samsung Galaxy Round

The Samsung Galaxy Round launched on October 10 as the first smartphone with a curved display, a title that Samsung narrowly snagged from bitter local rival LG.

It’s safe to say that the Round was not what most of us expected from flexible display technology, after Samsung teased it for years as a game changing feature. That’s because the Round is more of a proof of concept than a real attempt to make curved smartphones a mass-market success. It’s a first milestone on a road that we’ll eventually take us to new form factors, that are, for now, on a distant horizon.

But even if the Round is not the game-changer we’ve been hoping for, it’s still a really interesting device. It comes with top of the line specs and all of Samsung’s software features, but also with a price tag to match. Should you buy it, provided you can get your hands on one? Is the Round worth the investment, curved screen aside? Join us as we find out in our Samsung Galaxy Round review.

Design and build quality

While the Round lacks the S Pen that would make it a member of the Note family, it’s still obviously inspired by the Galaxy Note 3, which is visible in its size and design. The device is as tall and wide as the Note 3, and just a little thinner, though you probably won’t feel the 0.4 millimeters difference. What you may notice is that the Round is 14 grams lighter than the Note 3, possibly thanks to the plastic substrate of the display, which is lighter than Note’s conventional glass.

You get the classic Samsung layout on the Galaxy Round: a physical home button flanked by capacitive menu and back keys on the front, the power button on the right, and the volume rocker on the left. The removable back plate is made of the textured plastic that Samsung introduced on the Note 3, which gives it great grip and a nice feel in hand. While the faux stitching is probably an unnecessary embellishment, we like the leathery texture of the Round, and it’s definitely a welcome step away from the glossy plastic that marked Samsung’s high-end devices in the past couple of years.

The soft, comfortable texture of the faux leather is enhanced by the device’s signature curved profile. The phone just feels nice in hand following the contour of your palm, even if it’s such a large device. The sides of the phone are slightly thinner than the center, and much of the weight of the Round is concentrated in its middle. That makes it self-balancing, which is important for the tilt-actioned software features that Samsung equipped the phone with.

Overall, the curvature of the Galaxy Round doesn’t change the user experience in a significant way. This feels like a “normal” phone, more so than the rival LG G Flex, which is curved from top to bottom. Especially if you know the Note 3, you will feel right at home on the Round.

Display

Samsung managed to equip the Galaxy Round with a Full HD display, which is notable because the LG G Flex comes with a 720p screen, even if it’s larger. The 5.7-inch AMOLED panel on the Round is as good as anything that Samsung has put on the market so far – we noticed no differences between the glass-based Note 3 and the plastic-based Round, which is a major achievement for Samsung.

Being so subtle, the curvature of the display doesn’t distort images in any way, and, once you turn the phone on, you will quickly forget that the screen is curved. Look at it directly, and the Round looks exactly like any regular flat design. The only time you might notice a difference is when you see reflections on the screen, which are distorted and made smaller by the concave sheet of glass.

Watching movies and playing games is a pleasure on this beautiful 386 ppi screen. Like any modern AMOLED device, the Round is bright, has beautiful colors, and deep blacks. If you are put off by the oversaturate colors, you can set the phone to a more realistic color profile from the phone’s settings.

In terms of usability, the curved display does make it somehow easier to reach the screen with your thumb, but do keep in mind that this is a large phone that’s designed primarily for two-hand use.

Performance and hardware

We have to give Samsung credit for not making any compromises when it comes to the Galaxy Round’s specifications. At the core of the phone, there’s a powerful Snapdragon 800 system on a chip from Qualcomm, comprising of four Krait 400 CPU cores clocked at 2.3GHz and an Adreno 330 GPU. The Round is one of the select few devices to feature 3GB of RAM, along with Samsung’s Note 3 and the Note 10.1 (2014).

This combination of hardware makes the phone fly through the user interface, though we feel it would be even faster with a simpler OS instead of TouchWiz. That extra RAM comes in handy when using Samsung’s signature MultiWindow multitasking mode, as well as when loading games and large media files.

There’s 32GB of storage by default, and you can extend that with the microSD card slot found underneath the removable back plate. You also get the bells and whistles that Samsung launched on the S4 and carried over on the Note 3, including air gestures, an IR blaster, and sensors for temperature and atmospheric pressure. You might not need all of these features, but you’ll appreciate having at least some of them. All things considered, the lack of the S Pen is the only difference between the Round and the Note 3.

We had no qualms over the call quality and the phone’s speakers are adequately loud, though fidelity goes down as you pump up the volume.

The battery inside the Round is elongated, to accommodate the phone’s curvature, but it’s still a conventional removable unit. At 2,800 mAh, it’s smaller than the Note 3, but we think most users won’t be affected by it. On average, the Round should be good for two days of light usage, and, even if you are a heavy user, your phone will not shut down before the end of your workday. Even better, the unit we reviewed came with an extra battery and a special charger for it.

Camera

The Galaxy Round comes with the same camera module that Samsung uses on the Galaxy S4 and the Note 3. In other words, it’s a competent, high-quality camera loaded with software features, but lacking optical image stabilization or other special technologies.

The app is fast and the shutter is responsive, which is good for the moments when you whip out your smartphone in a hurry to capture a passing moment. If you’re willing to spend a little more time navigating the settings and various camera modes, you get a wealth of features that you can use creatively, such as dual shot, shot and sound, burst mode, drama mode, and erase mode.

Even if you’re not into Samsung’s little software features, the Round still provides a great camera experience. Images are crisp and color reproduction is excellent in most cases, though you might encounter problems in lower light or with fast moving subjects.

Software

Just like with hardware, in terms of software the Galaxy Round is a consummate Samsung flagship. TouchWiz may be getting long in the tooth for some, but no one can deny that’s a feature rich implementation of Android. Samsung’s unique additions include touchless controls and the Premium Suite, including a nice multiwindow multitasking feature that takes advantage of that expansive screen. Just like with the hardware, you might not need all the stuff that Samsung threw in there, but you may find some feature or another very useful; even if you don’t, you can blissfully ignore everything that is non-essential.

The Round comes with a couple of unique software features that take advantage of its curved shape. When placed on a flat surface, you can tilt the device to a side to see any notifications or to skip tracks when you are listening to music. It’s a neat little trick, but in most cases, it’s simpler and faster to use air controls for the same task. We covered the tilt features of the Galaxy Round in more detail here.

Pricing and final thoughts

The Galaxy Round is a very limited release, and Samsung has expressed no intention to make it available outside South Korea. You can get it unlocked from specialized retailers though, if you’re willing to pay a premium for the privilege of owning such a rare piece of kit.

As with the LG G Flex, it’s definitely not worth buying the Galaxy Round for its shape alone, because the curved screen doesn’t really change the way you use the phone. Yes, it has a nice wow factor, but that tends to wear off after a while, or even turn into an annoyance. However, even if you ignore the curve, the Round is a great phone – you get high-end hardware, a beautiful screen, long battery life, and an excellent camera, just to name its biggest qualities.

Watch the video:

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HP launch new Smartphones before the end of 2013

HP is reportedly working on some new smartphones for the end of this year, though they might not be the phones we’d hope for.

According to The Information HP is working on some low-end Android phones for emerging markets like China, India, and the Philippines by the end of this year. The phones will probably be 6-inch and 7-inch devices that will cost about $200 to $250 without a contract. At those prices in those markets, the new HP phones would be strictly low-end, though it’s hard to imagine them being as great as the low-end Moto G.

Rumors about HP making smartphones aren’t exactly new. Neither is the idea of the company making Android devices. HP released the Slate 7 Android tablet earlier this year, which is also a relatively cheap device. More Android tablets are on the way, though HP has never publicly made any announcement about smartphones, only talking about them as “long term” prospects.

The current rumors don’t give HP much time to announce the new smartphones. There’s only eight days left of 2013 in which to announce the devices if the rumor is true. If HP doesn’t announce the phones within the next week, however, there is always a chance for a 2014 announcement of the phones. Even if an announcement is made in the next few days, a 2014 shipping date would seem likely.

The last smartphone HP ever released was the HP Veer back in 2011. That phone was the last WebOS smartphone released, though the company also had the Pre 3 ready to go and was working on an all-touchscreen WebOS device. It’s not clear if any of the former Palm design team is left at HP, or if they worked on these rumored devices. It’s nice to dream about a Palm Pre-inspired Android phone, however unlikely it may seem.

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Samsung VS Apple: with Q4 iPhone wins on 2012 in USA, Galaxy handsets take the year

The smartphone business is largely dominated by Android and iOS, and we have more and more reports detailing the supremacy of these two rivaling mobile platforms in the recently ended quarter.

Today we’re looking at smartphone shippments in the USA for Q4 2012, or the busy Christmas shopping-spree season, courtesy of Strategy Analytics. Android and iOS are again found to be the winners, although when it comes to sales it’s Apple and Samsung that are taking most of the profits, with Google not (yet?) able to compete with either of them.

The research company reveals that it’s Apple that took the number one position in the fourth quarter of the past year, shipping 17.7 million iPhones during the period. Samsung came in second with 16.8 million smartphones (we assume most of them were running Android), followed from the distance by LG with 4.7 million sales. It’s worth mentioning that both Apple and Samsung increased their respective smartphone shipments for the period compared with Q4 2011, while LG shipped 2.2 million less than the previous year.

However, when looking at the whole year, it’s Samsung’s Galaxy smartphone sales that take the number one position with 53 million smartphone shipments, with the iPhone falling behind in second position, with 43.7 million. LG is third at 20.5 million for the same period, while everyone else accounts for 12.8 million in Q4 2012 and 49.7 million for the year. Again, we’ll notice that overall, Samsung and Apple increased the total number of smartphone sold during the Christmas season compared to Q4 2011 – with the latter showing a major increase compared to Samsung’s – while LG sold 10 million smartphone less than in the previous year. “Others” have also sold a lot less handsets in 2012 than in the previous year (74.3 million).

Looking at mobile phone marketshare for the same region, Strategy Analytics found Apple topping the charts with 34%, followed by Samsung (32.3%) and LG (9%). For the whole year Samsung is again the winner with 31.8% market share, with Apple in second place (26.2%) and LG in third position (12.3%).

Compared to Q4 2011, the U.S. smartphone market has grown 3.6% in Q4 2012, but dropped 10.7% for the whole year.

Download Now, T-Mobile Galaxy S3 Jelly Bean OTA update

T-Mobile Galaxy S3 owners, we have good news for you today. After so many leaks, it looks like the official Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean update you have been waiting for so long is finally available to download over-the-air (OTA), although you should be able to upgrade your phone’s firmware via KIES as well.

As you can see in these images, we’re looking at a 334.19MB download for the SGH-T999 Galaxy S3 version, with the update expected to take around 10 minutes to complete. As always, make sure you have a dependable Internet connection and enough battery juice to get you through the process.

In case you were wondering, we’re looking at firmware version J3O03L.T999UVDLJA for T-Mobile’s Galaxy S3 version, so go ahead, check your devices to see whether you have received the update notification.

Our tipster says that his Galaxy S3 was updated at 1:00 PST time  today (November 14) and that he updated it by checking for updates on the handset.

Thanks, Kristopher Q!

Now, Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean is available for the Samsung Galaxy S3

We mentioned that Jelly Bean had begun rolling out for T-Mobile Galaxy S3 users earlier this morning. And well, it looks like those details have since been confirmed by T-Mobile. The carrier has posted the official support page, noting that;

“Beginning November 14, the Samsung Galaxy S III will have an optional software update to Android version 4.1.1/ Baseband version T999UVLJA via Over The Air (OTA) and Samsung Kies.”

The update is, of course, bringing Jelly Bean which means goodies such as Google Now and Project Butter. This update will bring an updated Settings menu and the new Notifications bar as well as improvements with the keyboard and camera. Additionally, T-Mobile users will also see some improvements for Wi-Fi calling.

Bottom line, this is the update that Galaxy S3 users have been waiting for. We now have seen Sprint and T-Mobile offer the update, we only hope the remaining US carriers will follow sooner rather than later. That being said, T-Mobile users now have a 344MB file download ready and waiting and it seems the only real question that remains is whether you want to grab this update over-the-air or using Kies. Of course, if we had to offer a suggestion, we would go over-the-air.

DROID RAZR M and RAZR HD official is leaked

Motorola’s big press event is about to start, and that means plenty of exciting new Android-related announcements are on their way. One of the devices expected to see the light of day today is a rumored smartphone with edge-to-edge screen.

Based on what we’ve seen so far, we have no evidence that proves that the claim of an edge-to-edge smarpthone is anything more than a rumor. The leak really gave us little to go by, just indicating that it would have no bezel and that it would likely debut under the name RAZR M.

With that in mind, we now have a press shot of two upcoming Motorola smartphones, the Droid RAZR M and the Droid RAZR HD.

As you can see, both of these devices have their bezels intact. The Razr M’s face is taken up mostly by its screen, but it’s still far from the claimed “edge-to-edge” rumor.

What do we know about the two new rumored members of the RAZR family?

The RAZR M is a mid-range device, at least based on the recently leaked hardware specs. The device is powered by a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor with 1GB of RAM. As for the display, it has a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display, Gorilla Glass 2 protection, and a 960 x 540 resolution. The phone also has 8GB of internal storage, microSD expansion, an 8MP front cam, 3MP rear cam, NFC, 4G LTE and runs on Android 4.0 ICS.

The details are a little foggier for the Droid RAZR HD, but we do know it is powered by a Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor. The device is also said to feature a 4.6-inch HD display, microSD and will run Android 4.0 ICS out of the box.

Photos Leaked, T-Mobile Galaxy Note Release in July

AT&T’s Galaxy Note exclusivity may soon come to an end as T-Mobile is apparently getting ready to launch Samsung’s best-selling phablet at some point in the near future. The press photos of the T-Mobile Galaxy Note have been apparently leaked, and as you can see in the images below, the carrier’s branding is more than obvious.

This isn’t the first time we hear T-Mobile will have its own Galaxy Note flavor in stock, and CellPhone Signal today reports that T-Mo’s version will come with AWS and HSPA+ support (850MHz and 1900MHz bands), which means it will be compatible with AT&T’s network if unlocked. More importantly, the phone will have Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich pre-installed.

The T-Mobile Galaxy Note is reportedly launching on July 11, although pricing details are not available at this time. AT&T sells the phablet for $249.99 when purchased with a new two-year contract, while Amazon has the GSM Galaxy Note version in store for $199.99 (on contract with AT&T) or $599.99 (unlocked).

We’ll be back with more T-Mobile Galaxy Note release details once the mobile operator makes them available. So far the carrier has not made any announcement related to this Galaxy device, although it is selling another hot Galaxy device that you could be interested in.

Portal 2 Wheatley Live Wallpaper App for Android Available in GooglePlay

That’s right, Portal 2 fans and Android handset owners, you heard it right, Portal 2’s Wheatley robot is now available for purchase in Google Play for just $1 as a live wallpaper app. All you have to do is head on to Google’s app store and get it.

Once you install it on your Android handset, you’ll have the robot’s omnipresent eye following your every (finger) move on the device, although that’s pretty much all that Space Robot LiveWallpaper has to offer (that’s actually the name of the app in Google Play). Fret not though, as more features are promised by the developer for future updates.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus handset owners should make sure they follow these instructions after purchasing the live wallpaper in order for it to work properly:

It’s known that most live wallpapers will be slow on stock launcher (on some version of the galaxy nexus). The quick solution now will be using other launchers and turn on the Force GPU in developer mode.

 

In case Wheatley doesn’t mean much to you then it means you haven’t really played Portal 2, one of the best first-person puzzle computer games out there, where Wheatley the funny robot likes to hang out most of the time. Nevertheless, the live wallpaper app may be an interesting choice even for those Android users that have not experienced the Portal universe yet.

Nike+Running app Now come to Android

It took them long enough, but Nike has finally made its popular running app available on the Android platform. The Nike+ Running app can now be downloaded for free on Google Play.

Using the app, runners will not only be able to track their progress, but they can also share and compare their runs with over 7 million runners on Nike+ community website. The Android version of Nike+ Running app is optimized to run on the platform and comes with an intuitive user interface. With a seamless and simple in-run navigation, runners can easily check their stats, in-progress GPS maps, change songs to fit with the mood and more – all without losing their pace. There’s also an in-run audio feedback that tells the distance as they run.

Here are other features of Nike+ Running app:

• Run Summary — makes it easy to view your route and track how you felt, the terrain you tackled, and the weather you endured.
• Rotate your phone while viewing the Run Summary to see the breakdown of your run into mile splits.
• See how your last run stacks up against your previous seven, and get fresh insights based on your latest activity every time you come back to the app.
• Swipe upwards on the Home Screen to view your next moves.
• Visualize all your runs side-by-side and see your progress in a bar graph history view.
• Syncing your run to the Nikeplus.com website allows you to view your maps on a larger screen, set a new goal, and find Nike+ Top Routes in your area.
• Shoe tagging — type in the name of your running shoes to track the distance they’re logging and see when it’s time to lace up a new pair.
• Add a widget to your phone’s home screen to show when you ran last, display your total mileage, and for even quicker access into a run.

As we are about to enter the third quarter of the year, there’s still time to meet those New Year’s resolutions. Though Google Play isn’t short on running apps, the Nike+ Running app will be a fine addition to the list that can help keep track of your progress and even provide motivation.

Galaxy Note 2 Tweeted by Samsung Mobile Arabia, cheered by big-handed folks

As tech geeks move along to the next big thing from Samsung, all bespectacled eyes are now on the upcoming Galaxy Note 2 — the eagerly anticipated sequel to the phone and tablet hybrid that hasn’t even been announced yet by the company, but has already been causing some big waves on the blogging scene.

Fortunately, Samsung Mobile Arabia let loose on its Twitter account and almost confirmed the existence of Galaxy Note 2 in less than 140 characters.

Okay, so there may not be enough information to deduct from the tweet to get really excited about – but it’s as close to an official confirmation as we can get of the Galaxy Note 2 for now from a legitimate source.

Rumors and speculations often come from dubious places on the Internet, but we don’t think Samsung Mobile Arabia is one of them. If you remember a while back, the Gulf region was one of the first to be selling Samsung Galaxy S3 way ahead from the official launch date. So we can assume that the highly-guarded information somehow already traveled west from the bunker where the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is being secretly developed in South Korea.

In case you missed the rumored specs, the Galaxy Note 2 is expected to come with an unbreakable 5.3-inch display (possibly larger), quad-core processor, bigger battery, Android 4.1 Jellybean, and an October release date.

LG Optimus L3 E405 with Dual-SIM unveiled, Go to Europe and Asia in July

LG unveiled the Optimus L trio of smartphones back in February at the MWC, but what the Koreans forgot to mention at the time was they were planning to bring not just three handhelds to the market, but (at least) five.

The middle device of the series, the Optimus L5, has already gotten a dual-SIM version announced a few days ago and now the low-end L3 has itself been served with a “doppelganger”. The Optimus L3 E405 is the full name of this new smartphone, which looks exactly the same as the original L3 E400, comes with pretty much the same tech specs and features, but adds dual-SIM capabilities.

As you might suspect, we’re not expecting the Optimus L3 E405 Dual to come to the United States very soon (dual-SIM is not that hot in the US), but it might pop up all over Europe and Asia in a matter of weeks.

The very first market to receive it will be, a bit bizarrely, Ukraine, where it will be made available at a yet to be specified date in July for 1,500 UAH (around $186, at today’s conversion rates). Afterwards, the L3 Dual will land in Russia (LG Russia’s listing confirms it), and, while there’s no official confirmation, we’re also expecting to see it in the rest of Europe and at least parts of Asia.

Unfortunately, although dual-SIM is a feature some of you might be interested in, you should know that the LG Optimus L3 E405 doesn’t come with dual-SIM standby or active dual-SIM. Instead, you get a “convenient button to instantly change the active SIM-card to make calls”. In other words, you can fit two SIM cards under the phone’s hood, but only use one at a time.

If this inconvenience doesn’t bug you and you’re still interested in the phone, let’s quickly recap its tech specs and features. Sporting a 3.2-inch touchscreen with 320 x 240 pixels resolution, the L3 E405 is powered by an 800 MHz MSM7225A processor with Adreno 200 GPU and runs Android Gingerbread 2.3.6 out of the box.

There’s no Ice Cream Sandwich update scheduled for the 3.2-incher just yet, while the rest of the tech specs are themselves rather modest and include 384 MB of RAM, 1 GB of internal memory, a 3.15 MP rear-facing camera, a microSD card slot, WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity.

The phone’s design is not half bad and the 110 grams (3.9 ounces) weight is actually decent, so all in all the quality-price ratio could be called fair. Do you guys agree? Will you be looking for the LG Optimus L3 E405 when it’ll start selling? Would you want to see it made available in the US as well? Let us know with a comment below.

Review Video of how ICS runs on Droid Razr and Droid Razr Maxx

Haven’t gotten Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich update yet on your Motorola Droid Razr and Razr Maxx? The update has been  made available starting June 22 to a select number of users, with a wider roll out can be expected for the coming days – so give it a bit more time. Although by now you’ve probably learnt by heart what to expect from ICS on your Razr devices, here’s a demo video that Motorola just posted to get your heart racing once more.

Feast your eyes on all of the bells and whistles that come with the latest OS. From the new lock screen that lets you jump straight to making calls, taking pictures and more, to face unlock, data usage monitor, real-time voice typing, as well as some Motorola-specific apps like Smartactions and Webtop – they’re all shown off in the video.

  

Along with the new ICS operating system, the upgrade will also turn your Droid Razr and Razr Maxx global ready, which is a first for Verizon. This means you can take your Droid Razr and Razr Maxx out of the country and use voice and data service in over 220 countries. Naturally, you’ll have to subscribe to an international plan with the Big Red.

So, any signs of ICS yet on the horizon? For folks who have received the cold treat, how do you like the new look and feel of your Droid Razr and Droid Razr Maxx?

Firefox come to Android with something BIG next week

Mozilla Firefox was for a long while the best alternative to Microsoft’s once-ubiquitous Internet Explorer. But those times have longed passed, and now Google’s Chrome is leading the assault against the IE fortress. Nevertheless, Firefox still has a huge user base and a dedicated community behind it, that has worked hard in the recent months to make up the ground that Firefox lost to Chrome.

These days, the fiercest battles are fought on the mobile front, where Chrome has gained a solid foothold as soon as it became available on ICS devices. In addition, Firefox has found some worthy opponents in mobile- only browsers, such as Dolphin, which is apparently, the highest performing HTML5 mobile browser.

Although Firefox is late at the mobile browser game, Mozilla will not give up without a fight. And apparently, something BIG (capitalization not mine) is coming as soon as next week for Firefox on Android. Check out this tweet from Mozilla itself:

Hmm… Fast, smart, safe. Pretty much all we want from a browser. Mozilla might be preparing a major update to Firefox for Android, or they might surprise us with something completely new. We can’t help notice that Google I/O is also taking place next week. Could the two events be related in any way?

Thats great news from Frirefox, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Bell Galaxy S3 Launch in market of june 27

Just like American carriers, which have delayed their Galaxy S3 launch thanks to an overwhelming response from consumers, Canadian mobile operators have also pushed back the launch date of Samsung phone. But it looks like at least Bell has started to receive Galaxy S3 shipments, which is good news for consumers.

MobileSyrup reports that the phone started to arrive “at Bell locations across Canada – both in Pebble Blue and Marble White.” Therefore, we expect all other Canadian carriers to receive their own Galaxy S3 units, although we have no similar confirmation mentioning other mobile operators in the region.

The Galaxy S3 is supposed to start selling on June 27 in the country, with Bell employees being forbidden to make the phone available to the crowds anytime sooner.

Galaxy S3 buyers should also know that the phone is again available for pre-order from Best Buy Canada, although only in-store pre-orders that require a $50 down payment are taken at this time. The pre-order period expires on June 26, a day ahead of the local Galaxy S3 launch.

Are you buying a Bell Galaxy S3 or will you get the smartphone from a different carrier?

On End of June AT&T’s Galaxy S2 available for just $9.99

Gearing up to buy Sprint’s Samsung Epic 4G Touch, the carrier’s own take on the Galaxy S2, for just $99.99 on June 21? Not so fast, because AT&T has an even better deal for you! And it’s already live and set to run for 48 hours!

AT&T’s Galaxy S2 currently goes for $9.99 with a new two-year carrier agreement, which is basically the lowest price we’ve ever seen the 2011 Android flagship go for. It’s true, the S2 is not the snappiest or most fashionable smartphone around (not anymore, at least). But it still performs decently enough to take on most of today’s mid-rangers and even a couple of high-end devices.

Powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core Exynos processor, AT&T’s S2 has been stuck for a while with the $99.99 price tag and will probably get back to it after the current offer expires. That’s on June 17, which is only two days away, so if you’re planning to take advantage of this deal, you should do it right away.

The great thing with AT&T’s Galaxy S2 special offer is that there aren’t any mail-in rebates or other “technicalities” that require you to pay for the phone upfront more than it’s advertised. The S2’s price is $9.99 and you are expected to only pay ten bucks and sign a new two-year agreement. You even have free shipping included, so all in all, this is a deal not to be missed!

As a quick refresher, AT&T’s Galaxy S2 sports a Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen with 800 x 480 pixels resolution, runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread (with ICS coming “soon”)   and features 1 GB of RAM, dual 8 MP/2 MP cameras, 16 GB of internal memory and a microSD card slot.

What are you guys waiting for? Go on over to AT&T now and order your own bargain S2! Or will you go for the discounted AT&T Galaxy S3?