HTC Desire 516 enters Euro budget phone market

HTC has officially announced that the dual-sim budget smartphone HTC Desire 516 will now be made available in certain European markets, with the company expanding its reach in the budget device strata. The most notable element – or should we say absence – of this launch is that HTC has decided that the new budget smartphone will not be containing Android 4.4 Kitkat.

The HTC Desire 516 is a dual-sim smartphone powered by a quadcore Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor. The fairly modest spec sheet shows that it will roll out with 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage that is expandable with a microSD card. It will have a 5-inch qHD (540 x 960) screen, complemented by a 5MP main camera and a 2MP front-facing camera.

The big absence is Android Kitkat, with the manufacturers choosing instead to launch the device with Android 4.1 Jellybean out of the box. This implies that users should not expect HTC’s pretty Sense 6.0 UI involved in any form, which is a bit of a drag, really. Perhaps HTC was trying to rationalize the low cost nature of the phone. But at 199 euros (around USD$270), one could make a sound argument that Android 4.4 should at least be included, especially as Samsung has already expanded its budget line Galaxy phones with Android 4.4 Kitkat versions.

The phone will enter the European markets in Austria and Switzerland late in August, announcing its availability right after making available a dual-sim version of the premium One M8 smartphone this week. The HTC Desire 516 was first launched in China in March and has also been made available in India. There have been no indications from the company on whether the phone will be launched in other markets.

VIA: Phone Arena

Story Timeline

• HTC Desire 816 brings premium features to the mid-tier


• HTC Desire 816: hands-on with a mid-range flagship


• HTC One M8 Dual SIM will have limited launch next week

11 Dumb and Awesome Tricks Your Android Wear Watch Can Already Do

The smartwatches are here! Pre-orders of the first Android Wear watches from LG and Samsung ship today. But what can you do with your new toy when it actually shows up? You can get notifications on your wrist(!) sure, but there's more where that came from. Here are some of the highlights.

Read more...

Photos of Xperia C3 “Selfie” phone from Sony, leaked

While some studies have already said that taking a lot of “self portraits” may be connected to a psychological disorder like body dimorphic disorder or narcissism, we have to accept the fact that the selfie is still alive and kicking. If rumours are to be believed, Japanese OEM Sony is said to be announcing Xperia C3 that will be “selfie oriented” and several leaked photos are purportedly supporting this news.

Sony will be launching the Xperia Z2a in Taiwan on Tuesday, July 8, and it is rumoured that they will also be making the big announcement about this new gadget. Some leaked photos are reportedly the very first pictures shown of the “selfie” special phone. There’s a sticker with the name Gina on the front, so it’s either the name of the person who owns the phone (who may be a selfie addict) or it’s the code name for the device. (which is a bit far from the previous codenames Aries, Leo and Pegasus)

The photo shows what may be a LED flash for its front camera, which is an essential for any phone that will be marketing itself to the selfie crowd. But other than that, there is not much information leaked about the selfie-centric device. Sony is not the first brand to try to appeal to consumers who love to take photos of themselves or with their friends, wherever they may be. The N1 smartphone from OPPO has a 13MP main camera which can be rotated to face the other side, the perfect angle for the selfie takers. Another Chinese brand, Meitu, had 13MP lenses for both their main and front facing cameras in their Meitu 2 smartphone.

While people would probably not buy a smartphone for the sake of its selfie capability (at least we hope not), if the rumored phone is reasonably priced, then maybe it can be under consideration as a second phone for this selfie crowd. We only have one more day to find out whether this is a sign that camera phones are about to be revolutionised or rather, selfie-fied.

SOURCE: Esato, ePrice

VIA: G for Games

LG launches LG G Pad 10.1, biggest tablet in the series

Fresh from the success of the highly-regarded LG G3, the Korean OEM is finally rolling out its G Pad 10.1, the biggest tablet in their G Pad series, to the global market. Positioning itself as the middle ground between entry level and high-end tablets, it basically has the same features that the LG G3 is being praised for, but of course with some additions because of the larger screen and tablet functions.

However, as a mid-level tablet, based on the specifications and the lack of an official SRP as of now, it’s not something people will be jumping for joy about. Understandably, the specs aren’t that advanced compared to other more premium ones in the market, since LG is trying to market it as a budget tablet. But since we still don’t have a price yet, we can’t necessarily judge if it’s worth your money yet. The resolution is 1280x800, which barely makes it HD, but still better than nothing. It also has a 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and just 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, which isn’t that much if you want to make it into a gaming pad or even a multi-media tablet.

If you like taking pictures with your 10-inch tablet (which really is awkward, to be honest) the G Pad 10.1 comes with several pre-loaded features based on the G3, which includes the Touch and Shoot feature which allows you to tap anywhere on the screen to focus and take the actual picture. And since this is apparently the generation of the selfies, the gesture shot feature will come in handy. If you put your clenched fist in the shot frame, it will start a three-second countdown and then take your picture (supposedly blur-free).

In terms of software, it already has Android 4.4.2, which is decent for a budget tablet. It also has some LG-exlusive features, like the Q-Pair where you can sync your messages and notifications between your smartphone and G Pad, the security feature Knock Code which lets family members register their own knock patterns so you can share a tablet at home. The G Pad 10.1 is now available in North America, and later this month in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

SoulCraft 2: League of Angels now out for Android

It would be an understatement for us to say that MobileBits’ first SoulCraft game was a success in terms of showing mobile platform gamers what was actually possible in terms of graphics and gameplay for Android and casual games. But don’t look now, MobileBits is out with its second RPG/Action game in SoulCraft 2: League of Angels, which serves as the logical sequel to the impressive first SoulCraft game.

When we talk about RPGs and action-based games on the mobile platform, it is quite unfair to expect deep storylines and surprising twists to games like we have all expected from desktop-based RPGs. That is not to say that SoulCraft 2 is devoid of any storyline – you get to “continue your quest to save the world from the demons of the apocalypse,” as MobileBits candidly puts it. The storyline seems to develop from the game’s predecessor, but it is quite possible for casual gamers to jump directly into SoulCraft 2 as well.

There are new bits to the game, though sadly not the game logo, which suspiciously looks like Blizzard’s StarCraft 2 logo, doesn’t it? New features to the game include being able to choose your class now – there are seven types of heroes ranging from melee fighters or spell-casting mages. In the earlier version of SoulCraft, one played as an angel without hero classes. Lastly, SoulCraft 2 also has a new multiplayer element, where you can pit your character against all other players.

Admittedly, MobileBits has created a Diablo-type game that has more personality and verve than its competitors, namely Dungeon Hunter or Dark Avenger. The gameplay on this new version has enough bells and whistles to while away the few minutes or hours of your time that you can commit to casual gaming, and the features are fun enough to keep you coming back to it. The game is a convenient 200MB download from the Google Play Store, though you may want to acquire it within range of a WiFi connection. Download it via the source link.

SOURCE: Google Play Store

Story Timeline

• SoulCraft breaks out of the Tegra Zone, available for free on Google Play


• Gameloft's Dungeon Hunter 4 now available for Android


• Supercell tests out Boom Beach in Germany, Finland


• Telltale Games 'The Wolf Among US' arrives for Android through Amazon

Commandr uses Note to Self to make Google Now do things

Google Now might be fun and even useful for a few things, particularly those that use the Internet, but controlling your device completely by voice isn't exactly one of them. That somewhat changes when you install Commandr, which will let you use Google Now to toggle a few switches, at the price of three extra words: Note to self.

Google Now doesn't really have any provisions for injecting third party apps, even something like Tasker. From a security and stability standpoint, Google might not choose to do so and instead implement the functionality we see here right within Google Now, with very little options for customization or configuration. To circumvent this limitation, Commandr practically hijacks Google Now's note taking voice prompt by setting the app as the default Note app for the trigger. Whatever you say to Google Now after "note to self" gets piped to Commandr, which is then interpreted as a command.

So by saying "Ok, Google. Note to self turn off WiFi", you can effectively turn off, or on, your WiFi without having to touch your phone. Presuming, of course, it's in a state where Google Now can be triggered by voice. Sure, Google Now actually does have a turn on/off voice trigger, but that will only open up the WiFi settings and you'll still have to tap something to take action. Other commands including toggling the flashlight (presuming you have an LED flash), toggling Bluetooth, and controlling the media player. In case you're wondering what to do if you want a real note to be made, you'll have to say "Ok Google, Note to self note" and then your note's contents. Important note when setting up Commandr for the first time: you will reach a part when it asks you for the command to pause the media player. It is sort of a test whether you're paying attention and you should just enter "note to self pause music". It's quite confusing and undocumented and the developer plans on making that clearer in an update.

Admittedly, it might be a tad more work, at least vocally, for things you can do with a single tap using widgets and whatnot, but Commandr is quite useful for those times when you can't. Not to mention that it's a bit fun, too. The set of commands right now are quite limited but the developer already has plans to add more and even has a built-in voting system for popular requests. And then there's also Tasker integration, which opens up the app to a whole new world of possibilities, limited only by your device and whether it is rooted or not.

Download: Commandr on Google Play Store

Xiaomi Mi4 assembly line images leak with spec rumors

Rumors about Xiaomi’s new smartphone are coming in thick and fast, this time coming seemingly straight from the assembly line of the Chinese smartphone manufacturer. What we’ve had recently were some blurry monochrome pics of the front panel and a nondescript white back panel. So there is a bit more to share now.

To take a look at what we already know about what we assume will be Xiaomi’s fourth flagship phone which we think will be called the Mi4 – although interestingly, the Chinese blog sources are still thinking if this new phone will be called the Mi “3S” with the naming convention a la Apple. Much has been made about its rumored premium metal frame, and one of the new leaked photos will certainly point to that direction.

The source also mentions at the very least a 1080p resolution 5-inch screen (as seen in the photos), powered by a yet unnamed quadcore processor, although the choices seem to be either NVIDIA or Qualcomm – hopefully the latter’s spanking new Snapdragon 805s. The source also mentions a probable 13MP camera and 4G network capability. And if the pictures are anything to go by, it looks like Xiaomi is retaining the three physical buttons below the screen.

There were past rumors that the launch of the new flagship smartphone would likely coincide with IFA 2014 in September, but this source says that the unveiling could actually happen this month in July, judging from the advanced assembly line progress as seen in the new pictures. The sooner we get a look at this admittedly nice looking smartphone, the better it will be for all of us.

VIA: Weibo (1) (2)

Story Timeline

• Xiaomi talks plans for US push


• Xiaomi Mi4 tipped to sport metal frame


• Xiaomi Mi4 blurry pic shows thin bezels, round corners