BlackBerry has another unusual device in the works

Hot on the heels of last week's BlackBerry Passport launch, a word got out that the company plans to introduce more devices with unconventional design going forward. The head of BlackBerry's Devices unit, Ron Louks delivered the news in an interview with Reuters. According to Mr. Louks, the trimming of BlackBerry's losses allows it to take more risks and introduce more unconventional smartphones in the future. The company will be looking to introduce at least one unconventional device every year. Furthermore, the high-level BlackBerry executive hinted that the company has a new unconventional device in the works already. Wireless carrier partners have reportedly given positive feedback on the new project. Despite its quirky design and questionable ergonomics, BlackBerry Passport has so far been well received by the public - it sold out within hours of its retail launch in many outlets and raked in more than 200,000 sales in three days. Source...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_has_another_unconventional_device_in_the_works-news-9791.php

OnePlus 2 coming in Q2 or Q3 of 2015, may be smaller

While being an interesting exercise in making high-end smartphones more affordable, the OnePlus One has had its fair share of issues this year - most of them having to do with how hard it's been to get your hands on one. Regardless, OnePlus the company is growing and apparently it's already planned its next release. This will be the OnePlus 2, and it should be out either in the second or the third quarter of 2015. So we're talking a rough time frame spanning from April to September. The information comes straight from company execs who did an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session over on Reddit today. Furthermore, OnePlus is seriously thinking about the possibility of making a smaller device. The message for people who have asked them for just such a thing is: "we hear you". It's unclear however if the OnePlus 2 may be smaller than its predecessor, or if the company will launch a different handset alongside it, in order to appeal to the phablet-hating crowd. Interestingly though, the much-hated invite system will probably be used for the OnePlus 2 as well, at least at the beginning, for a short period of time - after that we should see pre-orders getting under way (hopefully faster than this year). Source |...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/oneplus_2_coming_in_q2_or_q3_of_2015_may_be_smaller-news-9790.php

Apple is already working on iOS 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3

Apple has gotten us used to one big iOS release per year, followed by a ".1" update a few months later. The big one is tied to the company's new mobile device launches - like, for example, iOS 8 debuted this year alongside the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Things, however, may be changing. According to an unnamed iOS developer, as well as analytics data for an Apple-focused website, iOS 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3 are already in development. In the past, after the ".1" release, there would only be bug fix iterations of Apple's mobile OS until the next big version hit. But this won't be the case for iOS 8. Although sources say we should expect all of the three aforementioned versions to hit the streets at some point in the future, it's still unclear what this all means. It could be that Apple won't tie its iOS releases to hardware launches anymore. This will hopefully lead to less situations where the big new iOS version that comes alongside new devices is quite buggy at first. In this case, we may not see an iOS 9 next year, just these incremental updates. One of them might even be tailor made for an upcoming 13-inch iPad. On the other hand, the company may simply be speeding up software development. If this is true, then there will be an iOS 9 next fall, and 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3 will all be out before then. Earlier leaks about iOS 8 talked about it sporting big improvements for the Maps app, but those never came. Maybe they'll be part of one of these updates, which could also bring support for the Apple Watch when that goes on sale, as well as a new split-screen mode for iPads (which has been rumored before). Finally, there's also a possibility that Apple has simply decided to stop incrementing the number in each iOS release, emulating what it's been doing with Mac OS - which has been at 10.x for years. If this pans out, then there will never be an iOS 9, just many more 8.x...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_is_already_working_on_ios_81_82_and_83-news-9789.php

Motorola Droid Turbo has specs detailed via benchmark

Motorola's next high-end Droid-branded handset for Verizon will apparently be called Droid Turbo. A few days ago we saw the first picture of its back, and today a comprehensive list of its specs has leaked. This happened because someone put the Droid Turbo through the paces of the GFXBench benchmark, which helpfully has a publicly available list of specs for each device that runs it. Hence, the Droid Turbo shall come with a 5.2-inch touchscreen with QHD (2,560X1,440) resolution, 3GB of RAM, a 20 MP rear camera, and a 2 MP front snapper. The smartphone will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset with a 2.65 GHz quad-core CPU and an Adreno 420 GPU. Internal storage is probably going to be 32GB, and the handset should also sport Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, a gyroscope, and a compass. It will run Android 4.4.4 KitKat. That's all we know for now, but it's plenty to realize that this will be one top of the line device. It's still unclear when it will launch, but given all the recent leaks that has to happen sooner rather than later. Source |...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_droid_turbo_has_specs_detailed_via_benchmark-news-9788.php

Samsung Galaxy A3 shows its face in TENAA photos

The Samsung Galaxy A series of smartphones is coming closer to launch and the latest evidence to prove this is the Galaxy A3 hitting the Chinese TENAA. Additionally, we get to see the first photos of the phone showing it in its full glory. The metal frame of the phone is going to be the the main characterizing aesthetic of the Galaxy A-series with both the Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A7 sporting it. In terms of specs, the Galaxy A3 is pretty much set in stone. It's going to sport a 4.52-inch AMOLED display with 540x960 pixel resolution and Qualcomm's 64-bit Snapdragon 410 chipset. It is featuring a 1.2 GHz quad-core CPU, aided by 1GB of RAM. Internal memory is 8GB expandable via microSD cards. The phone's dimensions, previously reported at 130.1 x 65.5 x 6.9 mm, are confirmed by TENAA, too, as is the weight of the phone - 112 grams. It runs Android 4.4.4 KitKat, which will most likely be updated to Android L. At the back, the 8MP camera coupled with LED flash will be capable of recording full HD video. The 5MP selfie unit at the front will be also welcome, we're sure. Samsung hasn't hinted a time frame for the Galaxy A series smartphones announcement yet, but with leaks so intense, we guess it's going to be sooner rather than later. Source |...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a3_shows_its_face_in_tenaa_photos-news-9787.php

First Samsung Galaxy Note 4 units plagued by build issues

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 went earlier on sale than originally planned in order to compete with the iPhone 6 Plus. However, it seems that Samsung's rush has resulted in some defective Galaxy Note 4 units, a report from South Korea suggests. As you can see, there's a gap between the Galaxy Note 4's 5.7" QHD Super AMOLED display and the metal casing next to it. The report suggests, the gap is wide enough to fit 2 sheets of A4 paper or a business card. There's no official comment from Samsung regarding the mishap of the number of affected Galaxy Note 4 customers. We guess if there are more such cases, we'll be hearing from the company sooner than later. In South Korea a SIM-free Galaxy Note 4 will run you at approximately $920, which is the cheapest of any Note phablet so far. Pre-orders of the Galaxy Note 4 are already underway in the US. There, the phone is confirmed to launch on AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile on October 14. Source |...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/first_samsung_galaxy_note_4_units_plagued_by_build_issues-news-9786.php