Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Is this the first decent look at the rumoured HTC One Mini?

We've heard rumours, read about leaked specs and potential release dates, but now it appears that the HTC One Mini handset may be in front of our very eyes.


Engadget has posted a pic from a "trusted source," claiming to show the shrunken 4.3-inch device up against the flagship 4.7-inch counterpart.

If the picture is genuine, the smaller iteration of the device will maintain the aluminium unibody that was such a massive hit on the original HTC One.

According to the photographer who provided the leak, the phone will pack a scaled back 1.4GHz  dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, compared to the original's quad-core offering.

As of right now, the source claimed the device is packing the Android 4.2.2 the latest version of Jelly Bean, as well as Sense 5.0, with HTC's new Blinkfeed feature.

As to whether the UltraPixel camera tech will make its way onto the smaller handset, well that remains unclear, but full HD video is apparently on board.

The report didn't commit on screen resolution either, although previous leaks have suggested that a 720p display will be in play rather than the spectacular full HD offering on the original.

Engadget's report said to expect an announcement this "fall" whereas Bloomberg's report yesterday had suggested an August release was on the horizon.

Only official word from HTC will settle the matter which, at the moment, we don't have.

EXCLUSIVE: Huawei Ascend P6 full specs leak via internal doc

The Huawei Ascend P6, although still listed as rumored in our database, is all but officially announced after its latest specs leak. With last month's official render and not-so-official pricing of the device, followed by leaked benchmark results and live photos, we'd almost expect to be able to walk into a store and see it on shelves, even though Huawei's "mysterious" launch event is still a week away.


The latest leak involves internal documents, which were sent to us by one of our readers who chose to remain anonymous for obvious reasons. While we can't share the actual documents with you, we can reveal their contents, which give us the full nitty-gritty on the device.

We got to learn that the Ascend P6 will be powered by a 2000 mAh Li-Po 2000 battery and will have a 5MP front-facing camera capable of 720p video recording. The Bluetooth specification turned out to be v3.0 rather than v4.0, and the wireless 802.11a standard isn't supported, which probably points to the lack of dual-band Wi-Fi.

There's also confirmation of a temperature sensor and the exact measurements, which come in at 132.7 x 65.5 x 6.5mm, with a weight of 120g.

The detailed specs sheet also proves that many of the previous rumors were correct - the smartphone will be powered by a a quad-core 1.5 GHz K3V2+ Huawei chipset with 1.5GHz quad-core CPU and an Intel XMM6260 modem. The Huawei Ascend P6 will also offer 8MP camera capable of 1080p video recording, 8GB of expandable internal storage with 2GB of RAM, a 4.7-inch 16M color screen of 720p resolution - all running on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

Sony Xperia M gets priced in the UK and Germany

The single SIM variant of the handset is available for preorder in Germany from Cyberport.de for €239, while the dual-SIM version is listed at notebooksbilliger.de for €299. The difference seems a bit too big so we assume the latter price is slightly off, though.


In the UK, Handtec has the single-SIM model for £227.99, but it is currently listed as out of stock. Meanwhile, Carphone Warehouse has the M pegged for an August 2013, which coincides with the Q3 launch frame given by Sony on announcement.

The Sony Xperia M was revealed last week by Sony. Besides offering dual-SIM and single-SIM models, is a midrange handset with a 4-inch display of FWVGA resolution, dual-core 1 GHz Krait processor, 4 GB of expandable storage and 1 GB of RAM. It'll run Android 4.1 out of box, and it also has a slew of connectivity features which include NFC, and a 5MP shooter with front-facer.

Apple to release licensed gamepad controller for iPad and iPhone this year

Apple is said to be releasing a licensed controller compatible with the new iOS 7 mobile platform on iPhone and iPad devices later this year.


The Cupertino company will release a game pad for iOS devices later this year via a third party manufacturer, but an actual design has not yet been revealed.

According to information contained within the Apple WWDC 2013 keynote, leaked data on the Apple Developers site and PocketGamer sources, the iOS 7 game pad is already in production and will be available later this year, in line with the “autumn” iOS 7 release date.

The iOS 7 game controller will either be a wraparound device that transforms the iPhone or iPad into a handheld gaming console like the PS Vita or Nintendo 3DS, or a wireless standalone controller connecting via Bluetooth.

Apple must ensure that its licensed gamepad conforms to a number of industry standards, undergoing a certification process that ensures all controllers meet the necessary requirements.

This certification will make sure that the controller has the correct button layout, analogue stick dead zone, an ergonomic build and will test button response time as well.

Of course, if Apple does produce a licensed gamepad controller for its iOS 7 devices at least mobile gamers can be sure that it is compatible with all games with controller support held within the vast Apple App Store.

Developers will also be pleased as they will automatically know their game is compatible with a licensed Apple controller, rather than having to configure and test their titles for other unofficial iOS gamepads.

According to the sources, Logitech and MOGA, who already make Android game controllers, will have officially licensed game pads for iOS 7 devices like the iPhone 5 or iPad mini by the autumn months.

HTC One Mini leaked again

The HTC One Mini has leaked online again, with the reduced size and spec HTC One smartphone released sometime this summer.


According to “two people familiar with the matter”, HTC is looking to release the HTC One Mini sometime this summer as a Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini competitor.

Reducing the HTC One’s 4.7-inch Full 1080p HD display to a 4.3-inch 720p HD affair, the HTC One Mini will go on sale in August, if the information from the Bloomberg sources is correct. This August release date has been tipped before, so the HTC One Mini release date rumours seem strong in this respect.

The handset will also pack a less powerful Qualcomm processor, potentially dual-core, rather than the quad-core 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 offered in the One.

From the leaked HTC One Mini pictures that appeared online last week, the reduced-spec handset seems to continue the brushed aluminium finish seen on the HTC One.

Latest rumours also suggest the HTC One Mini will have 16GB of internal storage and 2GB of RAM to support that smaller processor.

The HTC One Mini should retain the Ultrapixel camera technology introduced in the HTC One with the HTC Zoe photography software.

Unfortunately, the HTC One Mini may be slightly chunkier than its bigger brother, but this is due in part to an effort to reduce the price of the smartphone, angling for the mid-range market.

Originally codenamed the HTC M4, the HTC One Mini could have a 1,700mAh battery and still offer 4G LTE, Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Tipped to pack Android 4.2 Jelly Bean too, expect to see the HTC One’s Sense 5.0 UI over the top complete with the HTC BlinkFeed news aggregator home screen.

A larger HTC One Max was leaked online recently as well, so HTC could be releasing a miniature and super-sized version of its HTC One.
//PART 2