The VAIO brand, which Sony all but parted with, keeping a tiny 5% share, is set to make a move on the lucrative smartphone market. The parent company, Japanese Industrial Partners, will unveil its pioneering model at a dedicated event two days from now, on March 12.

Apparently, the smartphone will not be limited to the Asian markets, as previously suspected. Information revealed by Techblog.gr suggests that the VAIO smartphone will also be made available in Europe.

We reported a while back on the alleged specs of the device and they put it firmly in the midrange. A 64-bit Snapdragon 410 chipset will be coupled with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in storage. The 5-inch screen will sport 720p resolution and a 13MP/5MP camera combo will be there to meet photography needs.

We also showed you the packaging of the smartphone, stylish and understated as VAIO traditions call for.

Sadly, no live images of a device have been spotted so far, so we need to make do with the interpretation presented above, based on the current Xperia Z3.

With Sony considering pulling out of the smartphone market, VAIO may end up being the place of rescue for hardcore brand fans of the past.

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A few hours ago Google officially launched version 5.1 of its Android OS. The new release seems to come out of the blue, but it is already a fact with builds available for Nexus 5, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10. It is the next natural step in the development of the OS and, unlike Android 5.0.1 and 5.0.2, which were more or less bug fixes and patches for various non-Nexus devices, the new build brings improvements and features to the table.

With Android 5.1 Google addresses a lot of irritations that users had with the initial Lollipop 5.0 build. One of these is the return of silent mode – the toggle which deals away with all sound and vibration that users really missed having in Lollipop. Another major improvement is the added ability to manage Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections straight from the Quick Settings area, without entering another menu.

Multiple SIM support is also a novelty. Although many manufacturers offer dual-SIM devices, the software to power that was not natively present within Android. Now, with Android 5.1 users will be able to switch between SIM cards, if their device is equipped with more than one. High definition voice calling is also build straight into the new version.

Google has also introduced a small, but significant upgrade to the platform's security. Devices running Android 5.1 will no longer be susceptible to factory restarts, without the owners' knowledge, so to say. Performing a factory restart will still require you to sign into your Google account to continue normal operation. This should, at least in theory, hinder phone theft. The new security feature will initially be available on Nexus 6 and 9 only, but Google plans to extend support to a lot more future devices, running Android 5.1.

There are also lots of little touches here and there to delight the user. The volume slider now features a shortcut to access the notifications volume, visible while playing music. This allows you to adjust it, without fiddling with your music, or having to browse menus. Heads up notifications no longer get cleared when swiping up and various other small goodies. Xposed framework is still not available though and is still on API level 21, but it should be updated shortly.

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Since its announcement a few days ago at MWC, the Galaxy S6 has rapidly gained popularity, like nothing we have ever seen. Preorders are flooding in and the interest for the device is almost ridiculous. But the Galaxy S6 edge is the device that is truly turning heads.

The double-edged flagship is enjoying an amazing amount of attention both from the press and Samsung fans. If you have you heart set on the curvy device, now it is available for preorder in the UK on ebay. The official release date for the handset is April 10, so naturally, that is when the unit will ship.

The ebay vendor actually has four device listings, including the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge in black or white. All of the devices are unlocked for any network and are priced as follows – £549.99 for a 32GB Galaxy S6 and £649 for the 64GB S6 edge, regardless of color.

This is not the only UK vendor that currently accepts preorders, for the device, but definitely seems to one of the best deals around. MobileFun.co.uk has the 64GB S6 edge for £700, but also offers a 32GB version for £649. The 32GB S6 goes for £579 at this vendor. This is a little pricier, but all three variants can also be pre-ordered in Gold color. Both phones are also listed on unclockemobiles.com – £649.98 for the Galaxy S6 edge and £549.89 for the regular model, but the site does not mention anything about storage or color options.

Of course the phones will soon be available on contract in the UK, as well. EE, O2, Three, Vodafone and Virgin mobile have all hinted that the devices are coming, but this will probably happened after the April 10 release date. So if you are really eager to get your hands on one, the aforementioned retailers might be your best bet for now.

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