NOKIA LUMIA 1520V MINI RUMOURED

SMALLER VERSION OF LUMIA 1520 COULD OFFER SIMILAR POWER AND FEATURES

We reviewed the original Nokia Lumia 1520 late last year and generally, we had a good opinion of it, despite its rather bulky build. Would a shrunk-down version work equally as well? Not too sure about that.

But that seems to be what Nokia is planning. According to an anonymous tip off to the WPBar site, Nokia is looking at bringing out a smaller version of the phablet, said to have a 4.3-inch screen rather than the previous 6 inches. That should at least head off the 'bulky' criticism.

Outside of that, it seems like most of the features are still intact, hinting at a phone rather like the Sony Xperia Z1 compact, which was effectively a similarly-powered version of the larger Z1. For the Nokia Lumia 1520V, that should mean the same quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor as the 1520, a 1920 x 1080 resolution display, 2GB RAM and 32GB or storage, although the camera will take a hit, down to a 14-megapixel sensor. There will also be a 3000mAh battery and there is talk of Windows Phone 8.1 for the OS.

Another candidate for MWC next month, but far from certain. All will be revealed in just over a month.

TIPSTER REVEALS SAMSUNG GALAXY S5 SPECIFICATION

IRIS SENSOR SHOULD BE INCLUDED, BUT PHONE WILL STILL HAVE A PLASTIC BODY

Another week, another Samsung Galaxy S5 rumour. But this particular one pretty much nails down the specification of Samsung's next flagship smartphone if true.

The source, speaking to the Phone Arena site, claims the Galaxy S5 will come equipped with a 2K QHD display, a 2900 mAh battery (slightly down on some of the rumours) and a 20-megapixel rear camera (up from the rumoured 16-megapixel snapper) which might come with OIS functionality and 4K video recording, along with the option to take stills whilst shooting video.

The tipster also claims that the phone will have a 'state of the art iris sensor and wide range of health accessories', the former being rumoured, the latter sounding more than a little creepy. Finally, he or she claims that the phone will retain a plastic construction.

That last point isn't what we wanted to hear, but with previous rumours pointing to metal and plastic options, the tip off might just be relating to the plastic model. That's what we're hoping anyway.

The iris recognition technology is something long rumoured, but is far from certain. Indeed, a rival report out of Korea hints at Samsung using a fingerprint sensor rather than iris recognition, with a sensor for your fingerprint under the display panel, catching your print just as you 'swipe' the phone to unlock.

So at least one point not clear, but a pattern certainly emerging. There's an outside chance of a MWC launch, but a slightly later March launch is more likely.

APPLE'S IPHONE 6 LAUNCH TIPPED FOR JUNE

BIG SCREEN VERSION COULD ALSO FOLLOW IN THE AUTUMN, CLAIMS ANALYST

It's just an opinion right now, but the idea that the iPhone 6 could be launched by Apple in June does come from a source with a decent track record in the mobile industry.

The world seems to be expecting the new iPhone model to launch around September, with two new modelsrumoured for 2014 in the past. The difference this time is talk of two different-sized models, both with curved glass screens.

However, Chinese analyst Sun Chyang Xu, who pretty much plotted the launch of the Motorola Moto X from day one, claims there will be two separate launches in 2014. Hos view is that Apple will showcase a 4.7-inch iPhone 6 this summer perhaps as early June. That will be followed by a larger 5.7-inch version of iPhone 6 in the autumn, presumably the usual time of the year we see a new iPhone.

Sun Chyang Xu believes Apple may start the trial production of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 as early as next month, with full scale mass production in May. An announcement about the new hardware could be at the Apple WWDC conference on 10 June 10. That phone will keep the 1136 × 640 pixel screen resolution of its predecessor, with the higher resolution reserved for the larger phone later in the year.

Why would Apple do that? Essentially, because its avenues for expansion are now pretty limited. The world has the iPhone, so Apple needs you to buy more. That could mean two big launches per year instead of one, which will certainly keep the money men happy.

Very much rumour right now, but a rumour from a man who knows the business and suppliers. So don't dismiss it too lightly.

Today Latest Mobile News - Samsung Mobile

Samsung Galaxy S5 not launching at MWC 

 It seems there is no end to the speculations surrounding the Samsung's highly-anticipated 2014 flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5.
Now, another Samsung executive has revealed that the company will not launch the alleged Galaxy S5 at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2014. ZDNet Korea in a report has cited a Samsung executive confirming that there will be no flagship smartphone unveiling at the MWC. Further, the unnamed executive revealed that the alleged Galaxy S5 can be expected to be launched in March at a New York event.

The new reported statement by Samsung executive denying the MWC 2014 launch contradicts an earlier claim by another company executive, who suggested that the MWC 2014 launch for the Samsung Galaxy S5 was about right.

Another recent report quoted Samsung mobile executive Lee Young-hee to say that a March-April launch for the Galaxy S5 was what the company was aiming for.

Other reports have detailed the launch venue, claiming that the South Korean handset maker would be holding a global event in London scheduled around mid-March.

Earlier on Tuesday, Samsung Galaxy S5 was leaked with price and specifications of both metal and plastic models of the device. The report suggested that the alleged Galaxy S5's metal variant would be priced at 800 euros (approximately Rs. 67,000), and the plastic variant at 650 euros (approximately Rs. 54,500).

The report also revealed some of the specifications of the yet-to-be-announced flagship smartphone, which include a QHD (1440x2560 pixel) Super AMOLED display, Exynos 6 (believed to be the successor of the Exynos 5 chipsets) or Snapdragon 805 processors; a 16-megapixel rear camera, and Android 4.4 KitKat. The alleged Samsung Galaxy S5 has been widely expected to come with iris recognition or eye-scanning technology for unlocking the phone.

A recent report has also suggested that Samsung has filed a new patent that tracks gestures via head tracking gesture controls. The patent described things like a nod of head and a wink of eyes being used to carry out a specific functions. Further, the report speculated that Samsung filed the patent in July last year and that the new feature would probably be featured in the alleged Galaxy S5.