Half of Android devices are powered by Jelly Bean

The latest figures are out and they reveal that more than half of all Android devices are powered by the Jelly Bean build of the OS; this includes Android 4.1.x to Android 4.3. The entire range of Jelly Bean flavored Android models now makes up 52.1% of the platform's population. Gingerbread, which covers Android 2.3.3 to 2.3.7, is next with a 26.3%...

Some Nexus 5 orders will face weeks-long delay

Just when you thought that the Nexus 5 launch had gone as smoothly as possible, the proverbial fly in the ointment comes around to mess things up; Google posted a brief message on the Google support site that order processing might take several weeks longer than expected. The message refers you to the "My Orders" page to check on your specific order...Source:...

New Samsung W2014 flip phone runs Snapdragon 800 processor

After the Galaxy Golden, Samsung has announced a new high-end Android-based flip phone, called the W2014. Samsung has partnered with China Telecom to make this handset for the 'Heart of the World' charity concert. The W2014 is the fastest Samsung flip phone (and possibly the fastest flip phone, in general), with a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor...

Samsung Z9005 Redwood appears in a hands-on video

After getting spotted in live photos last month, the Tizen booting Samsung Z9005 made another appearance. This time around, the smartphone showed up in an extensive hands-on video. The video is close to ten minutes in length. It gives us a good glimpse of the device's OS, including the settings and notifications menu, as well as the camera UI. See...

Android in October 2013: Jelly Bean crosses the 50% mark

Google detailed the state of Android OS versions in October and it's has shown that Jelly Bean has passed the 50% adoption rate mark. The three JB releases have all gained ground at the expense of the outdated versions. 2.3 Gingerbread still powers 26.3% of all droids, having fallen more than two percentage points since last month. It's still the...

Meizu MX3 review: Eastern connection

The name should definitely ring a bell to our loyal readers and those who didn't miss the Meizu MX and the MX 4-core will know what to expect. But even if Meizu somehow slipped under your radar, we'll fill in the blanks for you.The Meizu MX3 is closely related to the the original MX and the MX 4-core...Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/meizu_mx3-re...

Counterpoint: Nokia climbs to 4th place in US smartphone market

Nokia has struggled to get into the US market for years now, but it seems that its hard work is finally starting to pay off. Counterpoint Research reports that in Q3 of this year Nokia leapfrogged several makers to reach the fourth spot among smartphone vendors in the US. This sounds less impressive when you look at the numbers - Nokia holds a smidgen...

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs Sony Xperia Z Ultra

At IFA 2013 in Berlin Samsung announced their Samsung Galaxy Note 3 which is the third iteration of their Galaxy Note series while Sony had announced the Xperia Z Ultra, their first phablet sometime in July. Sony Xperia Z Ultra was the first smartphone to feature a Snapdragon 800 SoC and now the LTE variant of Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has the Snapdragon...

Instagram starts running its first ad

After wondering for a little more than a year how Facebook would monetize Instagram, the picture sharing social network starting running its first ads on Friday; late last month, Instagram showed users what an ad would look like so it can be distinguished from a regular Instagram photo. An ad will have a special icon in the upper right corner with...

Boost Mobile prices the Apple iPhone 5s and Apple iPhone 5c

Pre-paid carrier Boost Mobile has priced the Apple iPhone 5s and the Apple iPhone 5C; the pair will be available November 8th for customers of the Sprint owned pre-paid carrier. Boost will offer the 16GB Apple iPhone5s for $549, 32GB for $649 and 64GB for $749. Those prices represent a $100 haircut from the usual off-contract pricing for the phone...Source:...

Microsoft wants to sell 16 million Windows tablets this holiday season

With the holiday season coming up, Microsoft has set a pretty lofty goal; the Redmond based tech giant says that it wants to sell 16 million tablets during the quarter. If we were to look at sales of Microsoft Surface tablets alone, this would be a pretty tough task. But spread it out among all manufacturers selling tablets flavored by Microsoft's...

3rd party Google Voice apps dying and support is coming to Hangouts "early next year"

Android 4.4 KitKat is bringing an update to Google Hangouts that adds SMS support as well as a number of other improvements to the app. We're guessing that the update will likely roll out to other Android handsets sometime about the same time as KitKat hits other Nexus devices, because both are on the timetable of a few weeks. But, there is another...

Differences between the two Nexus 5 models, D820 and D821

Just like with most handsets, the Nexus 5 actually has two models; there is one version for North America and another for the rest of the world. Both models look the same, and share many of the same specs. The buttons, colors, cameras are the same. The differences are in connectivity, something that you don't see. The radios in each phone are a little...

Leaked Motorola Moto G promo card confirms specs

A leaked promo card for the Motorola Moto G confirms some of the specs that have recently been bandied about in relation to the phone; on Thursday, a tweet from evleaks said that this phone would be offered by carriers for free with a signed two-year contract. The device looks like a Motorola Moto X that was left in your pants pocket and went through...

KitKat dialer could show ads

Inside the new KitKat dialer APK is some code that suggests that ads are coming to the dialer; there is nothing in the code that tells us if we are talking about huge picture ads, or smaller ads comprised only of text. Luckily, the code also suggests that there will be a way to disable the ads. The dialer in Android 4.4 is getting some love for the...

Target to discount Apple iPhone 5s, Apple iPhone 5c and other models

A loyal Phone Arena reader has sent us some information about an upcoming sale that will take place shortly at Target; our tipster didn't tell us when the discounted prices will take effect or how long they will be good for. But let's start with the Apple iPhone 5s. The new flagship iPhone will be reduced to $179.99 regardless of carrier branding...

Samsung Galaxy Note with 12.2 inch screen interacts with the FCC

Just the other day, we mentioned how a potential 12.2 inch Samsung Galaxy Note tablet had taken a run through the AnTuTu benchmark test; based on the information gleaned from the test, the tablet's screen offered resolution of 2560 x 1600 and was powered by a quad-core 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with 3GB of RAM inside. 32GB of native...

Apple and Best Buy will price match Walmart on the Apple iPad Air in their physical stores

With the Apple iPad Air launching today, Walmart continued its new tradition by chopping $20 off the price of the 9.7 inch tablet; the new price of $479 is for the 16GB variant of the tablet and the $20 discount applies to both online sales, and sales at its brick and mortar stores. The rest of the iPad Air line will not be discounted with the 32GB...

Did the BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9982 just visit the FCC?

Back in August, we showed you some Hi-Res shots of a new Porsche Design handset expected to be launched in the middle of 2014 by BlackBerry; you might recall that the original Porsche Design model featured a futuristic looking QWERTY keyboard and looked like a BlackBerry Bold 9930 from the future. The stainless steel frame and the leather back conveyed...

Motorola Moto G specs and pricing confirmed

Motorola's upcoming midrange Moto G smartphone has been hinted at several times over the past few days, first as a phantom reference on Motorola's homepage next to the Moto X, then last night from @evleaks. Now, we've got a fresh promo card from our own tipster, purportedly destined for a Phones4u store. As you can tell from the image, the device...

Best new Android, iPhone and Windows Phone apps for October 2013

October has come and gone and we can already smell the approach of the Holiday season. And you know what this means, right?…Source: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Best-new-Android-iPhone-and-Windows-Phone-apps-for-October-2013_id489...

Software update needed to set up your Nexus 5

Let's assume that you have your new Nexus 5 in your hand and are setting it up; an internal LG document reveals that during the set-up process, there is a software update needed that without which, your new pride and joy will not work. Apparently, to avoid a repeat of last year's chronic shortages with the Nexus 4, LG built initial batches of the...

SEL demos the most bendable mobile display that can wrap around phone sides (video)

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory (SEL), the guys that developed the groundbreaking IGZO screen tech together with Sharp, have done it again, this time one-upping Samsung with their new flexible OLED displays. Not only has the 5.4" panel high, 302ppi pixel density, but it can also bend to the record 4mm diameter, and is the only such panel that can...

First ported Android 4.4 KitKat ROMs are already available for the Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 (2013)

Given the growth in the Android dev space, not to mention the amount of hype surrounding the new Andoird 4.4 KitKat...Source: http://www.phonearena.com/news/First-ported-Android-4.4-KitKat-ROMs-are-already-available-for-the-Nexus-4-and-Nexus-7-2013_id489...

Here we go again: Microsoft and Apple-owned company is suing Google, Samsung, HTC, LG and others

Just when we though things were getting too quiet on the patent front, we have a new development that is threatening to obliterate anything we've seen this far in terms of its scale...Source: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Here-we-go-again-Microsoft-and-Apple-owned-company-is-suing-Google-Samsung-HTC-LG-and-others_id489...

Apple iPad Air torn down, gets 2/10 repairability score

The demolition folks from iFixit went Down Under on the red-eye again to put their grubby mitts on the elegant new iPad Air, and dissect it on a Halloween night for our viewing pleasure...Source: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Apple-iPad-Air-torn-down-gets-210-repairability-score_id489...

The evolution of Nexus: 5 years of change

Google has taken us on quite the journey with its Nexus smartphones in the past five years. It all started in January 2010…Source: http://www.phonearena.com/news/The-evolution-of-Nexus-5-years-of-change_id489...

How to install the new Google launcher and apps from Android 4.4 KitKat (keyboard, Hangouts, camera, wallpapers)

The new Google Experience Launcher in Android 4.4 KitKat comes with a bunch of improvements over the previous stock version. There is a new color scheme, new icons, new default apps and new functionalities like the ability to evoke Google Now with a simply swipe gesture on the homescreen. Wallpapers go full screen now, and if you sport something like...

Flygrip hands-on

One-handed operation is a real and present danger with those big screen smartphones of late. This is precisely why the Flygrip accessory comes to the rescue - it is a a way to steadily hold your handset, leaving room for your digits to operate the screen with one hand. When adhered to the back of your handset with the tough 3M adhesive, it represents...

Huawei Ascend W2 is a budget WP8 handset

In case you forgot Huawei is a Windows Phone partner. And the Chinese brought the first non-Nokia WP8 launch in a while, the Huawei Ascend W2 (the successor of the Ascend W1). The phone goes after the Nokia Lumia 520 by targeting "value-savvy" consumers. It has a 4.3" IPS LCD screen with WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixels, 217ppi). It also features...

How to install the Google Experience Launcher and new apps from Android 4.4 KitKat

The new Google Experience Launcher in Android 4.4 KitKat comes with a bunch of improvements over the previous stock version. There is a new color scheme, new icons, new default apps and new functionalities like the ability to evoke Google Now with a simply swipe gesture on the homescreen. Wallpapers go full screen now, and if you sport something like...

SA: Android takes a 81% slice of the Q3 smartphone pie

The analysts over at Strategy Analytics has posted a report on the global smartphone shipments for Q3 2013. For the period, over 251 million smartphones have been shipped worldwide. This marks a significant growth of 45% on an annual basis - Q3 2012 saw the shipment of 172.8 million smartphones. The main force behind the growth is "robust demand"...

Nexus 5 camera samples appear (compared with iPhone 5s)

Now, we have the first real camera samples from the Nexus 5 and you can explore them pixel by pixel…Source: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Nexus-5-camera-samples-appear-compared-with-iPhone-5s_id489...

Android 4.4 KitKat official wallpapers available for download here

The Nexus 5 and Android 4.4 KitKat are here and bring new artwork with them. You can now download all the new official Android 4.4 wallpapers…Source: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Android-4.4-KitKat-official-wallpapers-available-for-download-here_id489...

Nokia wants the HTC One and other HTC devices banned from the UK

Nokia has secured yet another win in its latest round of patent disputes with HTC...Source: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Nokia-wants-the-HTC-One-and-other-HTC-devices-banned-from-the-UK_id489...

The Vivo Xplay 3S shows us exactly how sharp a 1440x2560 resolution is

A sort of a fixation on display resolution has taken a grip of the smartphone world, and it won't loosen for the life of it (or us)...Source: http://www.phonearena.com/news/The-Vivo-Xplay-3S-shows-us-exactly-how-sharp-a-1440x2560-resolution-is_id489...

Apple iPad Air goes on sale today in 42 countries, basic price goes from $498 in Canada to $659 in Germany

Apple's stylish new iPad Air is up for grabs, starting today, in 42 countries around the globe. The 7.5mm thin and super light slate can be ordered for $499 in the US with the lowest memory configuration of 16 GB and Wi-Fi connectivity only...Source: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Apple-iPad-Air-goes-on-sale-today-in-42-countries-basic-price-goes...

Nexus 4 is no longer sold on Google Play

The Google Nexus 5 has finally arrived yesterday, on the very day of Halloween, but what some of you might not have realized is that along with its appearance on the Google Play store…Source: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Nexus-4-is-no-longer-sold-on-Google-Play_id489...

The Vivo Xplay 3S shows us exactly how dense a 1440x2560 resolution is

A sort of a fixation on display resolution has taken a grip of the smartphone world, and it won't loosen for the life of it (or us)...Source: http://www.phonearena.com/news/The-Vivo-Xplay-3S-shows-us-exactly-how-dense-a-1440x2560-resolution-is_id489...

Black Nexus 5 16GB out of stock, others ship with delays

The Google Play Store was out of Nexus 5 16GB stock a couple of hours after the device was officially announced. The 16GB units are still out of stock in the US Play Store. There are 32GB units available - both Black and White - but the bad news is if you haven't pre-ordered one already you're in for a wait. The Nexus 5 32GB in the US Play Store comes...

Intex Aqua i7 Unboxing

The Intex Aqua i7 is here and we are unboxing it for you. Launched way back in September, with a price tag of Rs. 21,900, the phone has been prominently featured in a lot of advertisements. The device had not hit the retail market at that time but the company has finally caught up and released it, and yes, we have received our unit too. The unit...