Huawei Ascend P7 sapphire edition

The next new thing among smartphone makers will be to thrust a sapphire screen onto the face. Among the 17 million rumors regarding the next iPhone is that it will feature such a display -- the camera and Touch ID components already feature sapphire.
Until Apple reveals the truth about its next smartphone, other manufacturers, like Huawei, are jostling for sapphire-embossed market share. The new version of the Ascend P7 (pictured below) will give Huawei the first sapphire-screen smartphone, though it'll be more expensive than previous iterations.
Scratch-proof screens are all well and good, but they're far down on my list of smartphone priorities. I'd gladly take a set of keys to my phone's screen if it meant having a battery that could last all day no matter which features I was using.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha is now available in Malaysia

The Galaxy Alpha gets a compact sized 4.7″ Super AMOLED display that does 1280×720 pixels resolution and it runs on their very own Exynos Octa-Core processor (4 cores at 1.8GHz / 4 cores at 1.3GHz). You’ll get also 2GB of RAM and there’s 32GB of on-board storage which isn’t expandable. The rest of the specs include 12MP + 2MP cameras, heart rate sensor, finger print scanner and 4G LTE connectivity. 

The Galaxy Alpha is the thinnest Galaxy smart phone yet at only 6.7mm and it weighs just 115 grams with its 1,860mAh capacity battery on-board. Retailing at RM1,999, the Galaxy Alpha is priced lower than its current Galaxy S5 flagship that’s priced at RM2,149.

57 years of independence. Selamat Hari Merdeka 2014

It’s 57-57 (double 57) for the celebration of the anniversary of our country’s independence this year. We first achieved independence on 31st August 1957. And today, it is 31st August 2014….2014 minus 1957….so it’s Malaysia’s 57th independence day.

To celebration of the anniversary of our country’s Google added to the celebration with a Doodle on their Malaysia search page. 

Mi 4 -The next big thing from Xiaomi

The phone has specs that rival top-tier phones like Samsung’s Galaxy S5 and the iPhone 5S. It has a 5-inch screen and runs a special modified version of Android that Xiaomi uses in all of its phones.
Xiaomi is the buzziest smartphone maker at the moment. It only sells phones in China and a few other emerging markets, but it’s right up there with Apple and Samsung in terms of popularity. In fact, it sold more phones than Apple in China. Last quarter, the company said it sold 15 million smartphones. It hopes to sell 100 million phones in 2015.
And a lot of its success, like Samsung’s, comes from copying Apple’s playbook page by page. The company’s CEO, Lei Jun, wears blue jeans and black shirts during product launches and demos, just like Steve Jobs did. At first glance, its products look exactly like Apple’s gadgets.
Here’s a better look at the Mi4:

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Will Include Fingerprint Sensor

Berlin’s annual IFA consumer electronics fair is all geared up to be a great event in this year’s technology calendar. When the trade show descends on Germany’s capital city it will play home to more than 1,200 exhibitors from 32 different countries, each one eager to show off its advancements in its own particular field. Samsung regularly introduces something new and shiny during IFA, with this year being no different as the company prepares to unveil the latest edition to its family of “phablets”, the Galaxy Note 4.
Much of the mobile-based attention has been focused on Apple’s iPhone 6 over the last few months, but as we draw closer to Samsung’s official unveiling it’s worth reigning things in and remembering that the Galaxy Note 4 hasn’t managed to entirely slip through the radar.

According to SamMobile, a number of “credible sources” are suggesting that the Galaxy Note 4 will come equipped with the same Synaptic Natural ID technology that powers the fingerprint recognition system on the extremely popular Galaxy S5. That same biometrics tech is also rumored to be shipping as part of the internal DNA of the recently announced Galaxy Alpha.
It’s hardly surprising that the next iteration of the Galaxy Note will ship with this on board. The introduction of Apple’s iPhone 5s with Touch ID last year has all but ensured that flagship handsets will ship with some kind of biometric recognition system built-in. As part of that, it makes perfect sense that Samsung would want to keep costs to a minimum as well as simplify the manufacturing process by using the same component across as many ranges as possible. In addition to the inclusion of the Synaptic LiveFlex sensor, the same report is suggesting that Samsung has some impressive advancements in store from a software perspective.

It’s likely that a lot of the Natural ID software functionality that we’ve previously seen bundled into the Galaxy S5 will make the transition across to the fourth-generation Note. In an effort to take things to the next level it also looks likely that some additional features will ship with the Note 4, including the ability to launch installed apps and various system functions directly from the lock screen of the device. It’s also speculated that a new Web sign-in feature is also on the cards, with biometric authentication being the underlying verification system behind it all.
We don’t have to wait long until this year’s IFA in Berlin to find out actually what Samsung has in store, but let’s just say if this all turns out to be credible then the future definitely looks bright for Sammy’s legion of loyal  customers.

Moto G2 Specs Leaked, Along With Photos Of The Device Itself

Motorola, which Google is currently in the process of selling on to Lenovo, has continued to churn out cheap, high-quality smartphones over the past few years, and joining the roster shortly will be the Moto G2. We’ve already heard a great deal about this handset during the past couple of weeks and months, and along with some new sightings of the device today, we now also have confirmation on the tech specs.
The Moto G, for those who somehow missed it, is a budget smartphone with mid-range specs, and the G2, while not exactly high-end, is a marked improvement on its would-be predecessor. The display, for example, will be finally be a high-definition affair, and although the 5-inch 720p resolution – clocking in at 1280 x 720 – is nothing to write home about, it’s sharper than that of the original Moto G.

The rear-facing 5-megapixel snapper has been bumped to an 8-megapixel, and while point-and-shoot fans will surely get a better experience elsewhere, they definitely won’t for the money.
Elsewhere, the Moto G2 will include a microSD slot as standard for added storage space, and with front-facing speakers, your audio content should pack a real punch. For a device that pumps out decent sound, you’d ordinarily need to pay big bucks for something like the HTC One M8, but if you want some solid features without the sizeable price tag, be sure to keep the Moto G2 on your radar.

Buying iPhone 6 ? Both iPhone 6 And iPhone 6L Will Cost More Than Previous iPhone 5s

Although most of the rumors we’ll be hearing over the next couple of weeks will likely tread on old ground, the fact that we’ve official confirmation of the iPhone 6 event places renewed emphasis on whatever is divulged. For example, it has long since been suggested that Apple’s next-gen iPhone will be pricier than the current-generation iPhone 5s, but with carriers now coming through with figures for the retail run of the fruit company’s impending handset, we perhaps didn’t realize just how much more it will be costing.
As per a report over at MovilZona, Telefonica has slipped that the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will sell for 750 Euros, while the more sizeable, 5.5-inch model will start at a whopping 950 euros. It’s quite an investment, in spite of what we’re hearing about the increase in real estate, bumped processor and all of the other features, and given that the base-level iPhone 5s is priced at $649 in the U.S. (albeit sans tax), it appears that the next big thing out of Cupertino will be a very expensive acquisition.

Earlier today, one analyst suggested that a lower-end variant of the iPhone 6 will include a Gorilla Glass panel as opposed to the sapphire glass we’ve heard about continually, although it is unclear to which version Telefonica’s numbers relate. Nevertheless, the take-home message seems to be that the iPhone 6 won’t only be the arguably the best we’ve seen to date, but also, by some margin, the priciest.
Given that Telefonica is still in discussion with Apple, there are certainly no guarantees associated with this report, but for those hoping to grab the upgraded model at the same cost as the current iPhone 5s, it’s a bit of a downer.
As well as the small matter of the two new smartphones, Apple will apparently roll out its first major wearable in the form of the iWatch, although like the 5.5-inch iPhone 6, general availability is not anticipated until at least October.

Waiting Long enought for iWatch? Apple Will Announce iWatch On September 9

The announcement yesterday that the iPhone 6 event would indeed be held on September 9th was preceded by numerous reports that the iWatch would also be making an appearance on the very same date. But while it was initially suggested that the company’s very first smartwatch would be released in October, it is now being reported that we’ll only be getting a mere preview of the device, and that it won’t, in fact, hit retail outlets until next year.
This is a significant blow not only to those who were hoping to see the iWatch this side of the holiday, but also to Apple, since it will allow the impressive-looking efforts from LG, Motorola and others to beat the Apple device to the draw. This updated information arrives courtesy of the folks Re/code, who were first to pin a definite date on the iPhone 6 event in the first place.

It was also Re/code that first suggested that the iWatch would be a topic of discussion at said keynote, with most insiders suggesting that we wouldn’t see it until the fall, so with Re/code now coming back and clarifying that the wearable won’t ship until next year, we’re more than inclined to believe it.
The idea of the iPhone 6 and iWatch releasing alongside each other was certainly plausible, although it did also throw up one or two concerns from a retail point of view. After all, the iPhone 6 looks set for a dramatic price hike over the current flagship model, and with the iWatch poised for a share of the sapphire glass display upgrades, it’s not exactly going to be cheap, either. So while it will certainly dismay certain quarters of the on-looking tech world to see but not touch the iWatch – or iBand as some are also dubbing it – spreading the shipment periods out does give consumers time to save.

Photos: iPhone 6 Logic Board Leak Confirms A8 Processor And NFC Chip

Apple’s iPhone 6 is well on the way. Set to be announced at the Flint Center on Apple’s Cupertino campus in just 12 days’ time, we now know quite a bit about the forthcoming handset. For example, we’re aware that it will pack a vastly improved (albeit still dual-core) A8 processor and Near-Field Communication (or NFC) – something that Apple has stood back and allowed Android / Windows Phone vendors to indulge in unchallenged. A new leak today offers some high-quality snaps purported to depict the iPhone 6′s logic board, and therein, we get a glimpse of the new A8 SoC as well as the NFC component.

This leak has emerged via the folks at Feld & Volk, who’ve actually been fairly busy in their reporting of the iPhone 6. Shared by Sonny Dickson, a fairly reliable whistle-blower, the shots you see before you are apparently of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6′s interior components.

Of course, with the announcement now official and Apple having begun preparations for the venue in a fortnight’s time, the leaks aren’t likely to be at a premium from here on in, and so while these internals do appear legit, there’s also a substantial chance that they have indeed been faked.
Still, putting any doubts to one side, the leak once again suggests that the NFC module, labeled ‘NSD425′, will be supplied by NXP. The company is behind most of the NFC modules found within a number of high-end Android smartphones, and with Apple now finally hopping aboard the NFC bandwagon, we could see a spike in mobile-processed payments moving forward.
The leak also offers a side-by-side look at the iPhone 6′s logic board against that of the iPhone 5s. As you’ll notice, there are a fair amount of similarities, but given that the outer profile of these intricate components don’t tend to reveal much with regards to performance, we have a fairly rough idea of what Apple’s A8 will be capable of.