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.