The Google Nexus 5 with Android 4.4 KitKat

Finally! One of the most waited devices for this year, the Google Nexus 5! Officially made official by Google, of  course, the LG-made Nexus 5 is the first and currently the only smartphone to run on Android 4.4 KitKat. The Nexus 5 is also Google's first smartphone to sport a Full HD display which will go head to head with most, if not all, other flagship Android smartphones currently selling in the market. For the first time, I believe, Google has made something that will truly compete, specs-wise, in the Android world unlike the other Nexus smartphones prior to this which had not-so-at-par specs when put beside a competing flagship smartphone from a different OEM. 

Google announces Android 4.4 KitKat

Google timed it for Halloween! They have at least two treats for all of us. One is what you see above, yup! Android 4.4 KitKat is now officially official. It has been but today we now know what the latest version of Android has to offer. If Android Jelly Bean is about a smooth platform, Android KitKat is all about memory optimization. That means that KitKat is expected and is built to run on a hardware with just 512MB of RAM. But it is not just that. We all know what Googlers can give us right? They stuffed Android KitKat with as much features as they can like Wallpapers are now in fullscreen which means that your wallpapers will extend through the notification bar and system buttons and whatnot.

The iPad Mini with Retina display

Together with the iPad Air, Apple has also upgraded its very successful iPad Mini. The tablet you see at the right of the photo above is the new iPad Mini now packing a 7.9" Retina display. And since this is an upgrade from the predecessor, the new iPad Mini (iPad Mini 2) sports the same A7 processor the iPhone 5S and the iPad Air sports. The iPad Mini 2 will be available in the US starting late November (no exact date) starting from $399 for the 16GB (WiFi only) up to $699 (WiFi only) for the 128GB variant. I will be posting a price list below for the other versions of the tablet.

The iPad Air

Apple has unveiled the upgrades of their tablets! First we have the iPad Air which will apparently take over the throne from its predecessor and will be the 5th iPad in Apple's portfolio (excluding the Mini). The iPad Air will still sport a 9.7" IPS Retina display but will have a pumped up CPU which is now the Apple A7 with M7 motion processor. The iPad Air, as what the name itself would suggest is lighter than the 4th gen iPad. According to Apple, the iPad Air is 28% lighter and is 20% thinner. With regards to its availability, the iPad Air will be available in the US starting November 1 for $499 (16GB - WiFi Only) and up to $799 (128GB -WiFi only). 

Nokia enters the tablet market too with the Lumia 2520

Aside from the two phablets, the Lumia 1520 and 1320, that Nokia has announced they also announced their first tablet dubbed as the Lumia 2520. So, finally, Nokia decided it is time for them to release a tablet a few months before the name "Nokia" disappears from the market. Anyway, like every recent Nokia smartphone, this device will be running on Windows, Windows 8 that is. It sports a 10.1" Full HD IPS LCD display and is expected to be launched in Q4 of this year. Let's see how this device will do in the market that does not really admire the tablet versions of the Windows 8 taking note how Microsoft is doing with their Surface line.

The Nokia Lumia 1320

Together with the Lumia 1520, Nokia also introduced their second phablet dubbed as the Nokia Lumia 1320. It does not follow, apparently, the usual high-end Lumia aesthetics which will then give itself away as a lowered-speced phablet offering from the Finnish phonemaker. But taking that notion away, the 1320 still packs a punch and like the 1520, it sports a huge 6-inch IPS LCD display but instead of a full HD resolution this baby has 720p of display resolution. No word yet on where and when this device is going.

Nokia enters the Phablet market with the Lumia 1520

Nokia, yesterday, announced a slew of devices in an event. They announced an update, I believe, to their Asha line of devices and three devices that mark their entrance to these devices' category. First is the Nokia Lumia 1520, one of two phablets Nokia announced which will apparently mark their first and entrance into the already crowding Phablet market. The Nokia Lumia 1520 follows an almost exact design with most flagship Lumias and runs on Windows Phone 8. The phablet is huge with a 6-inch HD display probably following what Sony with their Xperia Z Ultra. Anyway, the Lumia 1520 does not have a launch date yet.

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.

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. 

Motorola unveils the Droid Mini

So, I welcome back Motorola to the game! The now Google owned smartphone maker (Motorola Mobility) has finally, after months of not announcing one, unveiled three new smartphones to the market. First stop is the Droid Mini. It might have the "Mini" name on it but don't judge a phone by its name. It runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and is powered by a 1.7GHz dual-core processor with a 4.3" display. The device has a whopping 2GB RAM. Like all of these new Droids, the Droid Mini will be exclusively sold in the US via Verizon (but I might be wrong on this). For those who wants the Droid Mini, Verizon is now accepting pre-orders of the smartphone for $99.99 with a 2-year contract. Verizon and Motorola is expected to start shipping the Droid Mini in August 29. By the way, Motorola Mobility has their own SoCs now which are called Motorola MX8

The HTC One Mini made official

HTC has made the HTC One Mini official via emailed press release to publications (excluding TechPump). Anyway, the device, as the name would suggest, is a smaller version of the company's Android flagship smartphone, the HTC One. Unlike Samsung's take on their SGS 4's little brother the SGS 4 Mini, the HTC One Mini is not really a leap smaller than that of its bigger brother. The HTC One Mini sports a, still big, 4.3" display which is only 0.40" smaller than that of the HTC One. The design on the Mini us exactly copied from the HTC One which is a plus because that is what it should be. Also the HTC One Mini runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. HTC is expected to ship the device come August in Europe and then the rest of the world will get it too. 

Nokia beats the hell out of the Galaxy S IV Zoom with the Nokia Lumia 1020

You can actually start forgetting the Samsung Galaxy S IV Zoom because Nokia has officially announced the monster that has stolen the crown from that smartphone. Nokia, in an event in New York, announced a smartphone that sports the best camera, the Nokia Lumia 1020. With that announcement, the Finnish phone maker also announced their newest flagship smartphone that will carry the flag of Nokia. The Lumia 1020 sports a brilliant 41MP rear camera that is stuffed with all the neat and cool camera technology you cannot find anywhere else. I was able to watch the event and apparently, Nokia did take a blow from Samsung's offering and made it look like it was a phone born 10years ago. That is when we talk about these phones' camera. The fact that they both run on different OS-es is an argument already. But this is Nokia's time to shine. And shine they did! With a bang!

HTC announced the HTC Desire 200 a low-end Android smartphone

HTC has made the Desire 200 official. This little, HTC's smallest smartphone to date, has been circling the rumor mill for weeks. Now they have made it official after they announced the HTC Desire 600. Unfortunately though, we do not know what version of Android this smartphone is running on. HTC did not disclose it on their website and on their announcement. With regards to when the device will be available is yet to be known and how much is still a mystery.

BlackBerry announced the BlackBerry Q5 with BB OS 10

BlackBerry announced, quite a while now, the BlackBerry Q5 smartphone that still runs on their latest OS, BB OS 10. The device is targeted for the emerging markets of the world and that means that this BB device will be sold at very affordable prices. According to UV, the Q5 seems to be the successor of the BlackBerry Curve line of smartphones from the Canadian phonemaker. Come July, the BB Q5 will be available in the European, African, Asian, and the Latin American markets. For the specs, head over the break.

The Nokia Lumia 925

Nokia, at an event in London, announced the Nokia Lumia 925. Yet again, Nokia brings out what it is best in dong, bringing the best designed-smartphones ever. The Lumia 925 is an all-metal smartphone which was announced in the UK and will be available via Vodafone. According to Nokia's presser, the device will be available in whole of Europe and I hope that they will launch it globally. Anyway,  as with any other Nokia Lumias this device runs on Windows Phone 8. Also they said that it won't be exclusive to Vodafone other operators will also be getting the said device and for that we will have to wait for those operators to announce their launching of the phone.

 

Sony Xperia SP

Sorry if I posted this way too late but anyway, this is the second of the two Xperia smartphones that Sony Mobile announced. Together with the Xperia L, the Xperia SP is clearly the higher-end of the two. You will see that when I list down the device's specs. Both of these devices will be available globally in Q2 of 2013. 

MWC 2013: ZTE Grand Memo

ZTE has officially unveiled their own phablet (I think this ain't their first) at MWC 2013, the ZTE Grand Memo. The device is on display at their booth back in MWC 2013 but as for its full detailed specs? Everybody seems to be unsure about it. Anyway, the device is expected to be launched in Q2 of 2013. The phablet runs on Android 4.1 and sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 or the 800 CPU. As for its display, the phablet is huge having a 5.7" 720p display.

MWC 2013: Sony Xperia Tablet Z

Sony announced, probably the sexiest tablet ever, at MWC 2013 the Sony Xperia Tablet Z. This tablet follows the aesthetics of their Xperia Z smartphone, which I think is great because you know a phonemaker and a tablet maker should have that "line" of devices that actually looks a like and would work great with each other. The Xperia Tablet Z is being tagged by Sony as the world's slimmest and lightest Android tablet you can ever find. Well it definitely looks like it is. The device is expected to be launched globally in Q2 of 2013.

MWC 2013: Asus FonePad

Aside from HTC announcing their Galaxy Note killer, Asus at MWC 2013 also introduced their's. Dubbed as the Asus FonePad, rightfully, is almost the biggest smartphone their is (the Galaxy Note 8 is still bigger). The FonePad sports a 7" display and has all the things your phone can do and even more. There was no exact date when it will become available anywhere but at least the Taiwanese-based tech company said it will be available starting March of 2013.

MWC 2013: Mozilla introduces Firefox OS

So, finally, Mozilla has announced their very own mobile OS dubbed as the Firefox OS. This, together with Ubuntu will make the smartphone world more wonderful for consumers. Wonderful because competition keeps everything in check. Anyway, the first smartphones to sport the said OS from Mozilla will be ZTE's Open (photo above) and Alcatel's OneTouch Fire (photo below). I have specs for the ZTE device but nothing from the Alcatel. You can check out The Verge's hands on video of these two device and check out the OS itself.