Microsoft outs the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2

The successor to Microsoft's first generation Surface tablets that runs on their very own Windows platform has finally been made official. The software giant from Redmond unveiled them last week, I believe. So, the first tablet is the Surface 2 (left) is, like all upgrades, has specs better than the tablet it precedes, the Surface RT. On the right is the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 which comes with a Haswell Intel Atom processor. Surface 2 will be available starting October 22 for $449 but you can pre-orders yours today.

Oppo N1 Android smartphone with CyanogenMod and a 13MP rotating camera

Oppo, a new phonemaker here on TechPump, recently announced a smartphone that runs on an mobile OS that, according to GSMArena, is based on Android. That is actually the first time I have heard or will be posting about a smartphone that its OS is only based on Android and not actually Android (so they say). You might have read news about CyanogenMod becoming a full-time company. They aim to be the world's 3rd largest mobile OS, as a matter of fact, which I believe they can achieve. Anyway, the Oppo N1 sports a 13MP camera that is both rear facing and front facing. Yup, the camera can be twisted 206 degrees so that it can be a rear or a front shooter. Talk about high quality selfies. The N1 also sports a huge 5.9" display and is being powered by a 1.7GHz quad-core processor. In terms of availability, the N1 is scheduled to be available in China come October the rest of the world will be getting it by December.

LG announced the LG Vu 3 in South Korea

LG has announced rather quietly their 2013 phablet challenger. Yup it's the LG Vu 3. LG announced the device in South Korea and will become available in the country come September 27th via all the South Korean carriers. The Vu 3 stays as Vu as it can be boasting its 4:3 aspect ratio. The Vu 3 sports a 5.2" HD display and is being powered by a 2.26GHz quad-core processor. It has 2GB of RAM and runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

nVidia makes the Tegra Note platform official

I am a bit confused with this but let's start with the things that are simple. First, nVidia has officially made the Tegra Note official. Second, nVidia is not selling this as Android Community explains the whole thing better. Third, the Tegra Note is a platform that nVidia has been cooking up with around their Tegra 4 processor. I really do not want to say anything here that will lead to a confused reader. So, even if I really don't want anybody to stop reading this post and head on clicking that link above, I'd have to suggest your read the article on Android Community.

Nokia set to announce something come October 22, 2013

Rumors have been circulating about Nokia's next device to be unveiled. According to them it will be the Lumia 1520, the Finnish phonemaker's first phablet or so they say. Anyway, Nokia has made an event official by tweeting about it over their Twitter account. On this "teaser", it says that something is coming on October 22, 2013. No time and no indication of where this will be happening but at least we know something will be unveiled during that day. I will have to guess that this will happen in London that is pretty much where most of Nokia's events are held, traditionally.

BlackBerry announces its biggest smartphone to date! The BlackBerry Z30 running on BB 10.2

BlackBerry has quietly unveiled their biggest smartphone to date! Dubbed as the BlackBerry Z30, it sports a 5" display worthy to be part of the phablet category. Other blogs actually call it a phablet but let's just call it a smartphone since BlackBerry calls it as one. This is BlackBerry's most powerful mobile to date too which boasts a 1.7GHz dual-core processor with 2GB of RAM. In addition, the Canadian phonemaker says that the BB Z30 can last up to 25hrs on a single charge with its huge battery rated at 2880 mAh (I think this is the biggest battery in any smartphone). With regards to the device's imminent launching, BlackBerry will launch the smartphone in the UK and in the Middle East next week. Expect this device to arrive at your country in time for the Holidays.

The Asus FonePad Note 6

Remember this? That is the Asus FonePad Note 6, as what they call it right now. Asus actually announced this device back in June and dubbed it as the Asus FonePad Note FDH6. So basically, the two devices are the same. Only this post will now contain the specs of the device. The FonePad Note 6 was reannounced or probably was on display during the IFA 2013. It still sports a 6" Full HD display and an Intel Atom processor.

The next-generation Asus Fonepad 7

Asus unveiled two FonePads during IFA 2013, first is the Next-Generation Asus FonePad 7. So what will happen to the first FonePad that was unveiled during MWC 2013? Anyway, the FonePad 7 has a change of design a bit and runs on Android 4.2. It sports a 7" HD display and has all the phone capabilities you would experience from a smartphone only that this device gives you that much screen real estate. The CPU on this device gets a boost too. Instead of a single-core Intel Atom CPU the FonePad 7 is being powered by a dual-core Intel Atom CPU. No word on availability, though.

The Asus Transformer Pad TF701T with a 2560x1600 display

There will be a couple of Asus related post coming up. I totally forgot about these devices that the Taiwanese announced at IFA 2013. Anyway, first we have the Asus Transformer Pad TF701T. Ever since the first Transformer Pad Asus has unveiled like 2 or 3 years ago, this line of devices has stayed true to its name being a tablet than can be transformed into a laptop, if you may. The device runs on Android 4.2 Jelly been and sports a 10.1" display that boasts a 2560x1600 screen resolution. Anyway, this device right here is exactly the same with the Transformer Pad Infinity Asus announced back at Computex 2013, you can read about that here. 

The Apple iPhone 5S - "The Most Forward-Thinking Smartphone in the World"

And here is Apple's 2013 flagship smartphone, the iPhone 5S. Apparently, it is the iPhone 5 but with 3 new things added into it, aside from the obvious iOS 7. The iPhone 5S still has a 8MP rear shooter, but according to Apple, the sensor is improved and still takes great photos but now with bigger pixels. Another cool technology or feature included in the iPhone 5S is Touch ID. If you look at the other photos of the iPhone 5S on this post, you can see that the home button is different compared to the other iPhones even with that of the iPhone 5C. The thing that makes it different is the fingerprint scanner incorporated into it. With Touch ID purchasing apps on iTunes will be much easier, no need for passwords and whatnots just scan your fingerprint and viola. The next thing that is new on this device is the Apple A7 64-bit processor. Now that is a first in the mobile industry. which is best explained by other techblogs who have deeper knowledge on the 64-bit of it all. The A7 chip comes with a dedicated motion processor named as the M7. The iPhone 5S will be available starting September 20th in the US and pricing starts at $199 for the 16GB version with a 2-year contract with either AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint.

The Apple iPhone 5C - "The most colorful iPhone yet"

Apple, yesterday, unveiled two new iPhones into their portfolio of smartphones. First was the iPhone 5C a smartphone built for the colorful and as expected for those who wants to own an iPhone but is on a budget. Yes it is plastic but is made with quality known from Apple. The things that are different on this device compared to last year's iPhone 5 is the camera (still at 8MP but with an improved sensor) and the plastic that surrounds the device. Everything else, is almost the same, I think. As for availability and pricing, the iPhone 5C will be available on pre-order starting September 13th and will be available on September 20th. As for price, the iPhone 5C's SRP is pegged at just $99 for the 16GB and with a 2-year contract all available over at Sprint, Verizon and AT&T. The 32GB is priced at $199 with a 2-year contract.

The Lenovo S5000 Android tablet

Here's another Lenovo device and this time its a tablet dubbed as the Lenovo S5000. According to Android Community, this tablet is set to challenge the Nexus 7 and might give it a good fight it seems. Anyway, the S5000 runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and sports a 7" display and is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor. There is no news on when the tablet will make it to stores in any country but expect this tablet to be available before Christmas somewhere. Just like Lenovo's Vibe X, the specs sheet of the S5000 is incomplete. And I hate it because of that.

Lenovo unveiled the Vibe X 5-incher Android smartphone

Lenovo is not going empty in IFA 2013, they have unveiled a stunning Android smartphone that is due to be launched in China by October the other markets will have to wait for December until they can get their hands of the Lenovo Vibe X. The Vibe X is a 5" smartphone with Full HD resolution. It runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and is being powered by a an MTK quad-core processor. The smartphone is, apparently, Lenovo's latest flagship smartphone and sports a polycarbonate body. 

Acer announced the Liquid S2 and the Iconia A3 Android smartphone and tablet

Acer, prior to IFA 2013, has unveiled two new Android devices to be added into their growing portfolio of mobile devices. The first is the Acer Liquid S2 Android smartphone. The phone is said to be launched in Europe come October and is marketed for those who wants to own an Android smartphone but is on a budget. It runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and sports a 6" Full HD display. The other device they announced is the Acer Iconia A3, apparently, an Android tablet also running on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. It sports a 10.1" display and is scheduled to be launched in Europe in October too.

IFA 2013: Sony officially unveils the Sony Xperia Z1 with a 20.7MP shooter

A few hours before Samsung had their share of the spotlight, Sony had their event to unveil their newest flagship Android smartphone, dubbed as the Sony Xperia Z1. The Z1 is probably luring those photo lovers out there to buy it since it almost focused on the camera. Of course, this is still a smartphone so it also has those amazing Sony technology has to offer from their LCD screens to even the way the phone is manufactured. The Z1 is a smartphone and is waterproof and can take photos underwater. The Z1 runs on the latest available version of Android, 4.3 Jelly Bean, and sports a 5" Full HD display. 

Google officially announces the next name, version, and mascot of Android - Android 4.4 KitKat

Google has officially unveiled the next icon, name, and version of the world's most popular mobile operating system. The photo above is real, it was taken by one of the people over at Google Developers and uploaded it to Google Plus making everything official. I do not think Google has the version of the OS in detailed announcement yet only that the next version will be named KitKat. After this photo, Android's official Google Plus profile has shared the unveiling of the statue with a video but it is set to private which is a total bummer. Anyway, the good thing is we now know that the next major version of Android is not Android 5.0 and is not named as Key Lime Pie, which was the rumored name of the OS but it is Android 4.4 KitKat.

LG officially outs the LG G Pad 8.3

LG, days prior to IFA 2013, has announced the world's first 8-inch tablet that boasts a Full HD display. Dubbed as the LG G Pad 8.3, the device runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and will sport an apparent 8.3" inch display that boasts WUXGA (1920x1200_ screen resolution. According to LG's press release, they will be showcasing this tablet at the event in Berlin, Germany and will eventually be rolled out to markets later on. Other things include a 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, a 5MP rear shooter, a 1.3MP front, and a 4,600 mAh battery.