Apple to begin shipping two new iPhones in September: Report

Apple has asked its Taiwan-based supplier to begin shipping two new versions of the iPhone next month, including a lower-cost model, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

The Journal, citing unnamed sources, said Taiwan-based Hon Hai Precision, the parent company of Foxconn in China, was readying both a standard iPhone with new upgrades and a less expensive model with fewer features.

Last week, the news site AllThingsD, part of the same company as The Journal, said Apple had scheduled a September 10 event to unveil the new smartphones as part of an effort to regain momentum.

An Apple spokesman declined to comment.

Apple's move comes with its chief rival Samsung reportedly set to unveil its own smartphones and other devices, including a smart watch.

Speculation has centred around whether Apple will shift its strategy to include a lower-cost handset to appeal to more consumers, especially in emerging markets.

A survey released by Gartner last week said Apple's share of the smartphone market worldwide fell to 14.2 percent in the second quarter, while Samsung's share rose to 31.7 percent.

Gartner said the Google Android operating system was used on 79 percent of smartphones sold in the period.

Nokia Lumia 625 with 4.7-inch display up for pre-orders at Rs. 19,499

The Nokia Lumia 625 is now available for pre-orders in India for Rs. 19,499 through online retailer Flipkart.

The retailer notes that the estimated release date for the Nokia Lumia 625 is the fifth week of August.

Nokia announced the launch of the Lumia 625 sporting a 4.7-inch LCD screen, its biggest on a smartphone yet, last month. The specifications of the Nokia Lumia 625 include a 1.2GHz dual-core processor alongside 512MB RAM and 8GB internal storage that can be expanded up to 64GB via microSD card. It comes with a 5-megapixel rear camera and a VGA front-facing shooter. The 4.7-inch screen sports a 480x800 pixel resolution. The device runs Windows Phone 8.

Flipkart is also highlighting some promotional offers available with every pre-booking of Lumia 625. This includes 11 free ebooks from the Flipkart store. Users can download these ebooks up to three months from the date of purchase. Also include is a Nokia music subscription which will be valid for 6 months, Nokia movies subscription via movies app on the Lumia smartphone valid for three months. Also included is free 3G data for 3 months or 2G data for 6 months via Tata Docomo.

It has been raining Lumia smartphones of late, with the Lumia 925, Lumia 1020 and Lumia 625 hitting the global markets in quick succession.

Earlier, we saw the Nokia Lumia 925 being listed on company's official website and now joining it is the Lumia 625. The company's official website still has Lumia 625 listed with a 'coming soon' tag. However, that may change soon.

With the Nokia Lumia 925 and Nokia Lumia 625 now finally being rolled out for the Indian market, the wait for the 41-megapixel Nokia Lumia 1020 continues.

Nokia Lumia 625 key specifications

• 4.7-inch 480x800 resolution
• 1.2GHz dual-core processor
• 512MB RAM
• 8GB internal storage, expandable by up to 64GB
• 5-megapixel rear camera
• VGA front camera
• 2,000mAh battery
• Windows Phone 8 with Amber update

Nokia 'Bandit' Windows Phone with 6-inch full-HD display, 20-megapixel camera in the works: Report

Nokia seems to be bitten by the phablet bug and is reportedly working on a 6-inch phablet.

The Verge has claimed that the Finnish handset manufacturer is currently testing a 6-inch device running an updated version of Windows Phone. The site further claims that the company has code-named the device as 'Bandit' and it is expected to include a full-HD (1080p) display and will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor.

However, the device may not be unveiled before Microsoft rolls out the GDR3 update to Windows Phone. Microsoft is expected to release the GDR3 update for Windows Phone 8 soon which will enable support for quad-core processors and full-HD displays on the Windows Phone platform.

The report also notes that the Nokia Bandit phablet will ship with a 20-megapixel rear camera and also suggests that the device may borrow the rear panel features of the Nokia Lumia 925 to accommodate the camera. It also asserts that the Lumia phablet will be sleek and light in weight and would come with a polycarbonate body.

Microsoft's GDR3 update is due for launch later this year and is expected to improve some of the features already present in Windows Phone. The Verge lists some changes that are expected with the roll out of the GDR3 update. In addition to the features listed above, Windows Phone GDR3 update is expected to bring an additional column of Live Tiles on the Start screen, rotation lock, minor UI tweaks and a new Driving Mode option, the report notes.

Previously, purported picture of Nokia Lumia phablet's front panel was leaked online. However, not much was known about the device in terms of specifications. With the first set of specifications leaking out, we can expect to hear more on the device soon.

PlayStation 4 has received over a million pre-orders, reveals Sony

Sony has had more than 1 million preorders worldwide for its new PlayStation 4 console, the head of its SCE computer entertainment division said on Tuesday.

SCE Chief Executive Andrew House added that the console will be available from November 15 in North America and will hit stores in Europe from November 29.

"The response we have received is nothing short of incredible," he said at a news conference on the sidelines of Gamescom, Europe's biggest videogames fair.

He added the console will be available in 32 countries worldwide during the holiday season.

Microsoft Corp has said it will start selling its latest console at some point in November, intensifying competition ahead of the year-end holidays and gift-giving season.

(Also see: Xbox One launch in 8 European countries pushed to 2014)

Sony has priced the PS4, $100 lower than the new Xbox One by Microsoft at $399.

Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One in May, its first new gaming console in eight years, marking its strongest push so far to dominate consumers' living rooms with an array of exclusive media content.

Microsoft Europe's Vice President of Interactive Entertainment Chris Lewis said on Tuesday preorders for the Xbox One were "unprecedented" but declined to give more details.

Sony said it would also cut the retail price for its PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita devices to $199 in the United States and 199 euros in Europe.

Previously the Vita was 249 euros and the PlayStation 3 was 229 euros.

iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C pictured alongside iPhone 5 in leaked images

iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, the next-generation iPhone and the much-rumoured low-cost iPhone respectively, have made yet another appearance in a series of images shared on Chinese micro-blogging site Weibo.

The images, picked up by GSMArena.com via SimOnlyRadar.nl, give an idea of how the two new iPhone models will look compared to the existing iPhone 5. As the site notes, the iPhone 5S (left in the picture above) and iPhone 5C (centre in the picture above) are actually dummy devices, but the image highlights the differences (or lack thereof) in the size and physical appearance of the devices.

In addition to the image posted above, the site has also posted a series of other images that show the new devices from various angles.

There's nothing new to note in terms of the appearance of the phones, with the iPhone 5C sporting a White plastic body and the iPhone 5S bearing a metallic finish similar to the iPhone 5. Looking at the images, there's no way to ascertain the absence of presence of a fingerprint scanner in the iPhone 5S, as has been rumoured.

There's no fresh information in terms of specifications of either phones, to confirm or deny what we've heard earlier.

While there's no official word yet, Apple is expected to unveil the next generation iPhone and a lower-cost iPhone at a special event on September 10. A new report suggests that Apple may begin shipping both iPhones soon thereafter.

Samsung Galaxy Golden Android flip phone with dual-screens launched

Not too long ago, Samsung launched its first Android-based dual screen flip phone, the Samsung W789 in the Chinese market. Now, we get to hear that Samsung's second flip phone, the Galaxy Golden SHV-E400 has also been officially unveiled in Korea. Like the Samsung W789, the Samsung Galaxy Golden also features a dual screen with dual-touch display.

The Samsung Galaxy Golden sports two 3.7-inch Super AMOLED displays, on the inside and the outside. The phone is powered by a 1.7GHz dual-core processor with 2GB of RAM and runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The phone also includes FM Radio and will come in Champagne Gold colour. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth. It comes with a 8-megapixel camera. The onboard storage and other specifications of the phone are not clear at this stage.

The Galaxy Golden comes with plethora of apps like S Health, Business card app which recognises contact details when clicking a photo of a business card, WatchOn app which offers TV program guide, and S Translator App that can translate 12 languages, either spoken or in text, including emails or sign boards as well.

The Samsung Galaxy Golden has been launched through Korean telecoms SKT and KT. For now it seems the handset will be available only in Korea and there is no word about it being launched in other markets.

Samsung Galaxy Golden key specifications

• 2 x 3.7-inch Super AMOLED displays
• 1.7GHz dual-core processor
• 2GB RAM
• 8-megapixel camera
• Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS
• Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)

iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C to go on sale on September 20 in Japan and Greece: Reports

After emergence of September 10 as the date when Apple will host a special event, and reports of Apple asking its suppliers to begin shipping two new versions of the iPhone shortly thereafter, it appears that the Cupertino giant will indeed launch its new iPhones soon, if two new reports are to be believed.

A report in Nikkei mentions that Apple's next generation iPhone, the iPhone 5S and the low-cost iPhone 5C would launch on September 20, ten days after the phones are announced at an even in San Francisco.

Greece-based website, Techmaniacs also confirms that the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C will launch on September 20, while it also claims that Apple will release the final version of iOS 7 on September 16.

Just a few days back, image of a purported Gold coloured iPhone 5S had appeared online. The phone was pictured from various angles and sports a form factor similar to the current generation iPhone. This is in line with what we've heard earlier since the physical dimensions of the next-generation iPhone - expected to be called iPhone 5S - are believed to be identical to the iPhone 5.

The usually reliable KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also said that Apple is planning to introduce a 128GB storage variant of the next-generation iPhone, in line with company's move to introduce a 128GB fourth-generation iPad, earlier this year. The analyst also predicted that the next-generation iPhone will come with a brand new Apple chip, the A7, alongside 1GB of LPDDR3 RAM. 

Kou also believes that iPhone 5S will come with larger f2.0 aperture compared to the iPhone 5, that comes with f2.4 aperture.The analyst also reiterated that the iPhone 5S will come with a dual LED flash and fingerprint reader.

The low-cost iPhone or iPhone 5C has leaked several times. Alleged pictures of the iPhone 5C have revealed a plastic polycarbonate body back panel in White, Blue, Red, Yellow and Green colours, a round camera lens and LED flash, Apple logo and iPhone branding. However, we've not heard much about the specifications of the phone till now.