Xiaomi Mi3S makes appearance at GFXBench, specs showed

A device tagged as the Xiaomi Mi3S showed up at the databases of benchmarking app GFXBench, and it has included specs of the supposed device. This is in light of Xioami’s upcoming event on July 22 where they will be expected to launch a new handset – and most people are still not sure if it will be the Mi3S, or the Xiaomi Mi4, the latter also backed by numerous leaks.

But to the point at hand, GFXBench shows a device with a 5-inch display at 1920x1080 native resolution. The spec list also but confirms the leaks that the Mi3S will be coming out with the more powerful Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor with the Adreno 330 GPU, also boasting of a generous 3GB helping of RAM.

There’s a bit of a mix-up with the cameras, with the GFXBench data putting the cameras at 12MP and 7MP, rear and front-facing respectively. The earlier leaks said that the cameras will be at 13MP and 8MP. The data also puts internal storage at 12GB, with whole device running Android 4.4.3 Kitkat.

With Xiaomi’s event coming up in two days, we are really not sure if they will be launching the Mi3S or the Mi4 – or both, for that matter. But we can see the general trending of the smaller China-based manufacturers trying to challenge the big boys in terms of specs and price range. The Mi3S is touted to arrive at around USD$300.

SOURCE: GFXBench

Story Timeline

• Xiaomi Mi3S leak tips improved design and Snapdragon 801


• Xiaomi Mi4 tipped to sport metal frame


• Xiaomi Mi4 assembly line images leak with spec rumors


• Xiaomi Mi4 likely to be revealed in July 22 event

Parrot FreeFlight 3 controls two MiniDrones in one app

Drone-loving Android users can now play around with Parrot's new MiniDrone toys. With the FreeFlight 3 control app now available on Google Play Store, owners of Parrot's new Jumping Sumo and Rolling Spider drones can now direct them to roll, jump, fly, and do all kinds of stunts and mayhem right from their smartphone or tablet.

Parrot's latest MiniDrones defy conventional ideas of what drones are. The Jumping Sumo, for one, cannot fly at all. It is a mischievous-looking drone that rolls on the floor instead. Do not make the mistake of underestimating this devilish drone however, as it can catapult itself in to the air with no small amount of force. The Rolling Spider, on the other hand, mixes both the conventional and the unconventional. Like the Jumping Sumo, it rolls on large but thin wheels that could indeed remind you of arachnids. But it also has a special ability. It can shed off those wheels and take flight like a regular drone too.

These two rather interesting drones are set to go on sale in the US this August, with the Jumping Sumo starting pre-orders this month. And just in time, Parrot is releasing the Android app that will drive, literally, these two. The same app can be used to control both drones and can intelligently determine which of the two you are using, in case you decide to buy both. Just turn on the drone and then start the app to pair the two. Parrot notes that the Rolling Spider specifically uses Bluetooth LE, which, on Android, has only been supported starting Android 4.3. Aside from making the drones do acrobatic stunts, FreeFlight 3 can also give users a glimpse of what the drone is seeing. For the Jumping Sumo, the app can record photos and videos directly to a micro USB stick (sold separately) while on the Rolling Spider, the vertical camera can be made to take snapshots. And lastly, again for the Jumping Sumo, the app can be used to program the drone's itinerary, letting the rolling devil to drive off on its own, based on your nefarious planning, of course.

FreeFlight 3 is free of charge but, of course, you'll need one, or maybe even both, of these drones to make it worthwhile. The Jumping Sumo carries a price tag of $159 while the the Rolling Spider cost $99 only. Very curious, and only mildly expensive, toys that might be worth getting your hands on, especially if you're very much into the personal drone scene.

Download: FreeFlight 3 on Google Play Store

VIA: Android Police

Story Timeline

• Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 gets extended battery and improved app


• Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 “Power Edition” offers custom colors and longer flight


• Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 Elite Edition brings sand, snow and jungle camouflage

Moto G2 image leaked, some probable specs mentioned

The Moto G was an experiment in niche marketing that went very well for Motorola – and by extension Google – as it has been known to be one of, if not the best performing Android phone you buy under USD$200 unlocked. And Motorola is – in our opinion – rightly pursuing this path by developing a second generation Moto G, with improved specs and a rumored cheaper price (yes!).

It looks like Motorola will be staying with the 720p screen that made the Moto G pleasant to look at – it will still be a 1280x720 display (320 dpi), but no word on whether it will still be a 4.5-inch screen. In a world awash with 1080p and QHD screens, the Moto G’s 720p screen is… well, not bad at all, especially at the price you’re getting it.

The Moto G2 is expected to have a more muscular engine though, with a quad-core ARM V7 (VFPv4 NEON) processor and an Adreno 305 graphics processor. Still no word on RAM allocation, internal storage, and battery size (in mAh), but it’s still early days for the G2. The source confirms that it will have an 8MP rear shooter, and will have dual-sim capabilities. As for physical design and aesthetics, all we have to go on will be this single frontal image of what is supposed to be the Moto G2. Not much detail to discuss here, except maybe that it still looks sleek and premium – you wouldn’t be ashamed of pulling one out of your pocket in this day and age.

The original Moto G was a stand-out at USD$179. With rumors indicating that the Moto G2 will cost even less – Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside being quoted rhetorically asking, “Why can’t these devices be $50?” – we may see the Moto G2 closer to USD$100, and at that price, we’d definitely get one. Launch date for the Moto G2 is said to be either late in the holiday season of 2014 or early 2015.

VIA: Android Headlines

Story Timeline

• Moto G hands-on and first-impressions


• Moto G review


• Moto G gets Android 4.4.3 update with Moto Alert in tow


• Moto G 4G LTE now available from Motorola and Amazon

Hisense Sero 7+ tablet takes one small step forward

Hisense may have just unveiled a more or less decent entry-level Sero 8 tablet last month, but it seems the company is too much in love with its Sero 7 series to completely bury it in the past. Introducing the Hisene Sero 7+, the third or fourth sibling that looks a lot like last year's Sero 7 LT except for a change of heart.

Hisense focuses on trying to fill its shelves in the US market with budget Android tablets, so the specs of the Sero 7 line shouldn't really be much of a surprise. The Sero 7 LT was already the lowest of the low, to be brutally honest, when compared to the Sero 7 Pro, which, as you might imagine, carries a bit more weight. The Sero 7 LT sported a 7-inch 1024x600 screen, 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of storage, and a Rockchip processor.

This time around, the Sero 7+ gets a bit of an upgrade, but still retains much of the low-budget specs of the older tablet, including the same low-res display. A Rockchip still makes up its beating heart, but now upgraded to a RK3168, a dual-core CPU running at 1.2 GHz. While RAM is still the same, internal storage has been doubled, now at 8 GB, plus a microSD slot for additional 32 GB of storage. There is now also a rear camera, though don't expect quality shots, as it only reaches 2 megapixels. Understandably, there is no 3G connectivity here, with WiFi being the only Internet option.

Hisense hasn't yet revealed the price of the Sero 7+, but the Sero 7 LT's $79 tag last year might give a bit of an idea. That said, if you're in the budget tablet market and have a few more bucks to spare, you might also try considering the Sero 8 as well, which will give you a 1280x800 HD screen, a quad-core 1.4 GHz CPU, and 16 GB of storage, of course for a higher $129 price.

VIA: Liliputing

Story Timeline

• Hisense Sero 7 Pro and Sero 7 LT tablets get a drop in price


• Hisense H6 Smart TV and Pulse PRO set top box run Google Service for TV


• Hisense X1 hands-on with a tablet-sized smartphone


• Hisense Sero 8 mixes HD screen, KitKat and budget price

Sony Xperia Z2 now available in US market

Months after Sony announced its newest smartphone and months after it went on sale in other regions, the Xperia Z2 is finally available in the US market. However, it is still currently available only off contract through the Sony online store and they are offering their newest flagship at a $50 discount, bringing the price down to $699.99 from $749.99.

That’s a pretty steep price, even for the specifications the smartphone carries, as most of its rival OEMs that have almost similar specs, can be bought under $600. The Xperia Z2 boasts of a 5.2-inch screen with a display of 1920x1080 pixels, and still using the TRILUMINOS branding that Sony has been using for its mobile displays. It also has a 2.3GHZz, quad-core Snapdragon 801, Adreno 330 GPU, but what’s most important is the 3GB RAM, which should make it one of the smoothest running smartphones in the market. The internal storage however remains at 16GB, with a microSD card slot that can carry up to 128GB of storage.

For those concerned with the phone’s camera and video features, the Z2 improves upon its predecessor, the Xperia Z1, by maintaining the very impressive 20.7MP rear-facing camera, but adding several features to it. It can shoot video in 4K and has a new Timeshift feature that enables the slow-mo effect as you shoot. It’s also the first smartphone camera to have a digital noise cancelling feature. Some would say that this device’s purpose is more of a camera than just a phone.

There is still no word when the top US carriers will be offering the Xperia Z2 to its subscribers, though Sony very rarely makes such partnerships. That said, the phone is LTE ready and unlocked to, in theory, you can use it with your carrier or choice. Also, the Sony online store does not indicate when they will start shipping the devices, just that it’s on backorder.

SOURCE: Sony

Story Timeline

• Sony unveils the Xperia Z2, a natural update to the Xperia Z1


• Sony Xperia Z2 to heat up the US this summer


• Sony shows how to make the Xperia Z2 camera more fun

Callistics app keeps track of your phone’s calls and messages

If you’re the type of person who wants to keep track of all the calls and messages that you make, sometimes your smartphone’s built-in tracker just is not enough. Callistics - Call Statistics just might be the solution for you as it promises to be the ultimate tool for giving you an efficient way of keeping tabs on how many calls and messages you’ve made and to make sure that you don’t overspend on your mobile carrier plans.

Unlike the native call and message log of your phone, Callistics offers more than just letting you know how many minutes you’ve logged in or how many messages you’ve sent. It can show you your message and calls statistics for a specific period of actual time, to give you a basic idea of what are your usage patterns. Aside from your personal need to know, you can also use this for company purposes, if you want to monitor your or your employees’ business line usage.

The app can also give you metrics per contact, showing you which among the people in your phonebook you call or message constantly. This can be handy if you have too many people in your phone book, and you’d like to favourite those whom you keep in touch with the most. If you’d like to receive notifications if you’re nearing your set number of hours for calls or your allocated free messages, you can also set the app to notify you if you’ve already reached the threshold. You can set the billing period as well as the details of your mobile carrier plan.

While all of this seems pretty neat (if you’re into that sort of thing), you might think this will be another app that can affect your phone’s battery life. But it won’t really run in the background the entire time so it will not be a drain on your battery. The app supports most major mobile providers around the world including Vodafone, Orange and US carriers T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon, among others.

Dowload Callistics - Call Statistics from the Google Play Store.

Xperia Z2 gets update from Sony, with enhanced call quality

The Sony Xperia Z2 got an update which is in the process of being rolled out to carriers and regions as of today, but will be available for all Xperia Z2 variants regardless of region. According to Sony, the major thing to look out for in this update will be the “enhanced call quality” that should be a major improvement to the already impressive handset.

As per usual, the update – official firmware tag is 17.1.2.A.0.314 – is being rolled out in a staggered manner, and Sony cannot give exact dates as to when the update will be pushed to a user’s Xperia Z2. It does, however, support updating directly via PC with your Xperia Z2 connected by data cable.

The folks at Reddit – where the news of the update was spotted – are already expressing their relative pleasure at the enhanced call quality. Some have even said that the “tap to wake” feature has been greatly improved by the update – as Sony did list improvements for touch features as part of this update.

Another feature of the update that should be useful is “improved charging while battery is low”, which should mean that battery charging when in this situation would be faster and more efficient. The update will of course be available only to Xperia Z2 units with Android 4.4 Kitkat operating systems running, although the firmware installation will not bump up the version of the OS installed. Grab the update at the Sony Xperia 2 update page here.

VIA: Reddit

Story Timeline

• Sony Xperia Z2 starts getting CyanogenMod 11 nightlies


• Xperia Z2 can be rooted with bootloader still locked


• Sony Xperia Z2 tablet coming July 17, exclusive to Verizon


• Upcoming Xperia Z2 tablet now getting CyanogenMod 11 builds