July, 2013

• 17 July

  Google event next week could usher Android update

  

  An event next Wednesday in San Francisco could prove the perfect opportunity for Google to trot out a new Android update and Nexus devices to go with it. Related stories: What could be Andy Rubin’s next moonshot at Google? Is Android fragmentation over with Jelly Bean’s rise? Nope Some Samsung phones could skip to Android …

  Read More »
• 17 July

  Acer may refresh new Windows 8 tablet to fix key problems

  

  Is Acer’s brand-new Windows 8 tablet getting the heave-ho in favor of a new and improved version? A successor to the Iconia W3 is already in the works, Acer spokesperson Sterre Swank reportedly told Dutch Web site Tweakers. Due to reach consumers in September, the new model would be thinner and lighter than the current Iconia W3 and offer a …

  Read More »
• 17 July

  Nokia Lumia 625 ‘Max’ leaks, has great big low

  

  Nokia’s planning its biggest phone yet — and it could be one of the cheapest too. The Lumia 625 has appeared on the website of China’s official government telecoms equipment certifier Tenaa. A real back-to-basics Windows Phone after the excitement of the Lumia 1020 launch, the 625 reportedly has a hefty 4.7-inch display — the same size as the HTC …

  Read More »
• 17 July

  iPhone electrocutes bride

  

  A couple of recent incidents have seen phones catching fire or delivering electrical shocks while in a pocket or charging, injuring a Swiss teenager and killing a 23-year-old Chinese iPhone owner. In Abu Dhabi, Sarah Shurrub, the owner of a Samsung Galaxy S4, awoke in the small hours to look after her toddler and found the charging phone burning, Emirates …

  Read More »
• 17 July

  LG dumps Optimus smartphone brand, opting for simply ‘G2’

  

  LG Electronics’ next flagship handset will officially be known as the G2, a move that marks the retirement of the Optimus brand for its premium line of smartphones, the electronics maker confirmed late Wednesday. The smartphone, which is widely expected to be unveiled during a press event in New York on August 7, will also mark the debut LG’s new …

  Read More »
• 17 July

  iPhone 5S rumoured 4.3

  

  Here’s a juicy morsel of semiconductor industry gossip (not a phrase I’ve ever written before) — Apple is planning a larger screen for its next-generation iPhone 5S, and the switch could lead to the flagship phone being delayed until the end of the year. Apple’s release schedule for its major gadgets is usually regular as clockwork, with a fresh new …

  Read More »
• 17 July

  BlackBerry halves Z10 and Q10 production

  

  BlackBerry has slashed production of the BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 by half because of disappointing BB10 sales, according to an industry expert. Jefferies & Co analyst Peter Misek reports that production of both models has been reduced to a combined total of just 1m phones per month. The Z10 and Q10 were the first phones showing off the new …

  Read More »
• 17 July

  Logitech launches UE Boom

  

  The UE Boom from Logitech is a small, 360-degree speaker designed for outdoor use. (Credit: Logitech) Just 18cm tall and around 540g in weight, the speaker has a stain- and water-resistant coating on the fabric cover. Logitech claims a 15-hour battery life for the device. The Boom uses Bluetooth to pair, and can actually pair with two separate devices simultaneously, …

  Read More »
• 17 July

  New smartphone users reach 583,000 per week, says analyst

  

  Smartphone adoption is heating up in the United States. Around 583,000 people in the U.S. per week are buying smartphones, Asymco analyst Horace Dediu said in a blog posted on Wednesday. That figure is up from the average 572,000 per week witnessed over the past 41 months. Assuming Dediu’s estimates are accurate, that means the mobile industry will snare more …

  Read More »
• 17 July

  WhatsApp to charge iPhone users annual subscription

  

  iPhone owners who use WhatsApp for their instant messaging needs will now have to pay 99 cents a year for the privilege. Following a new version of WhatsApp for iPhone released on Tuesday, the developer unveiled the new pricing scheme. Previously, iPhone users made a one-time payment of 99 cents for WhatsApp with no annual charge. Folks on Android and …

  Read More »