Asus considering acquisition of struggling HTC

Just days after HTC's stock tanked following the company's revised outlook for Q2 2015, Reuters is reporting that Asus is considering purchasing the struggling Taiwanese company.

"Our chairman has chatted about the topic internally," said Asustek's Chief Financial Officer David Chang. "Still, the chances of an actual takeover are not big as Asustek is a company that has depended on organic growth."

As you might already know, HTC's latest One M9 flagship Android smartphone has failed to impress the customers – last month, there were reports that the company is cutting component orders for the device by 30%. In damage control mode, HTC has now promised to out a new "hero product" later this…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1cPpdHH
via IFTTT

Motorola clears the air on Droid Turbo Lollipop update

Last month, rumours were afloat that the Android Lollipop update for the Motorola Droid Turbo would arrive in mid-June, and just last week there were reports that the device would start receiving it on June 10. However, that did not happen. Now, Motorola has finally given a heads up on where they are with the update.

"We are still in the lab test cycle and things are looking good," said David Schuster, Senior Director of Software Product Management at Motorola, in a Google+ post. He also added that the launch date of the update isn't fixed yet.

For those who aren't aware, the device, which currently runs Android 4.4.4, will be updated directly with Android 5.1…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1MNR7AR
via IFTTT

BlackBerry reportedly considering launching an Android smartphone

Blackberry, whose latest handsets reportedly aren't selling well, is planning to launch an Android smartphone this fall, according to a report from Recode.

As per the report, the slider phone (see image above) which BlackBerry showed off at this year's Mobile World Congress (MWC) would be the company's first Android smartphone.

The report notes that the move is aimed at promoting the company's cross-platform Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solution dubbed BES12. It would send a signal that BlackBerry is "confident that the BES12 system can not only manage, but also secure smartphones and tablets powered by rival operating systems," the report said.

The news comes less than a month after the Canadian company announced worldwide job…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1e7A8Ov
via IFTTT

HTC unveils One M9 INK limited edition inspired by body art

While sales of the 'vanilla' One M9 aren't going at all as well as HTC had hoped, the Taiwanese company is keeping itself busy by launching various limited edition versions of its flagship smartphone. Not long ago we saw a 24ct gold model in celebration of the UEFA Champions League football tournament, and today the One M9 INK has been made official.

This is a model that's inspired by body art, and was made in cooperation with British tattooist Cally-Jo and British fashion model Jourdan Dunn.

Cally-Jo has created the design of the tattoo-like engraving that's featured on the back of this limited edition release, while Jourdan Dunn will head the promotional campaign for it.

The 'tattoo' is made up of a few symbols: an eye (because it represents "strength and sincerity"), a hand (for "protection and positivity"), leaves (which apparently "show a blossom of creativity"), and the sun and moon (which represent "balance and harmony").

Unfortunately no pricing has been announced yet for the HTC One M9 INK limited edition. It's also unclear whether its release and associated promo campaign will be restricted to the UK or not. If you want to register your interest for the device, make sure you head to the Source link…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1B5Vi9V
via IFTTT

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 to feature a USB Type-C port

Right on schedule to counter Sony's choice to steer clear of the emerging USB Type-C trend for the time being, reports have surfaced stating that Samsung is to implement the new interface in the upcoming Galaxy Note 5. It's worth noting that it will support USB 3.1, which may have become synonymous with the Type-C designation, but is in fact a distinct standard.

The obvious convenience of the reversible plug aside, having USB 3.1 Type-C on your phone means transfer speeds up to 10Gbps with compatible devices. The pair of standards also brings support for 1.5A and 3A currents for improved power delivery.

Industry insiders have also revealed additional key specs of the future high-end phablet. Screen size will be increased to 5.89 inches, though the rumored jump to 4K resolution is not going to happen, the sources claim. The increase in display diagonal comes with a decrease in thickness, and the new model is tipped to be 7.9mm thick, compared to the current Galaxy Note 4's 8.5mm profile.

Battery capacity has been quoted at 4,100mAh, a significant upgrade over the 3,220mAh of the existing model. A further improved version of the S-pen stylus will make it to the Note 5, though it's unlikely someone has expected that a headline feature of the lineup would be retired. Android 5.1.1 is the OS version the phone in development is currently running.

So far the consensus is that the smartphone will be powered by an Exynos 7422 chip, a modified version of the 7420 found in the current Galaxy S6. The speedy UFS 2.0 memory of the flagship will also be carried over to the larger model.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is more than likely going to become official at the IFA in Berlin this September. Plausible as all of the above may seem, there's plenty of time for things to change.

Source 1 Source 2 (both in Korean) |…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1B8PI6f
via IFTTT

Blu Life One (2015) and Live 8 XL unveiled in the US

Blu introduced two new smartphones to the US market – the Life One (2015 Edition) and the Life 8 XL. We met the Life One (2015) at CES in January, while the Life 8 XL is an entirely new handset.

Blu Life One (2015 Edition) packs a 5" 720p IPS display and runs on the Snapdragon 410 chip with 1GB of RAM. It offers a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP selfie shooter, 8 gigs of expandable storage and a 2,820 mAh battery. The Life One (2015) is dual-SIM enabled and supports LTE Cat.4 connectivity.

Blue Life One (2015 Edition)

Amazon.com is already having the Blu Life One (2015) on pre-order for $99. It will begin shipping on June 19, just a week from today.

Blu Life 8 XL has a bigger 5.5" 720p IPS display and packs more horsepower under the hood thanks to a MT6592M chip with an octa-core Cortex-A7 processor. There is an 8MP rear and a 2MP front snappers, while it also offers 1GB of RAM, 8GB of expandable storage, dual-SIM connectivity (but no LTE), and a beefy 2,920 mAh battery.

Blu Life 8 XL

Blu Life 8 XL is also available for pre-order at Amazon US – it costs $129 and will be released on July 1.

Both Blu Life One (2015) and Life 8 XL run on Android KitKat, but they will be updated to Lollipop later this year. Hopefully Blu releases those updates soon, as Android M is already upon…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1FUVGUi
via IFTTT

Meizu m2 tipped to come with a 4.6″ display and MT6753 SoC

The successor to the popular affordable Meizu m1 is apparently in the works, and by the looks of it, the m2 might be announced as soon as the end of this month. Publications in Chinese tech sites reveal that invitations have been sent out for a launch event, though no date has been specified, nor the product to be launched.

Meanwhile, a photo has surfaced, portraying the alleged back panel of the Meizu m2, or rather a whole box of them. The panel is a glossy plastic affair similar to the previous model, so no surprises there.

Aside from the photo, sources have revealed some info on the innards of the Meizu m2, which may become official less than 6 months after the m1 was announced. Oddly enough, the new model is tipped to come with a 4.6-inch display, a step back from the 5 inches of the predecessor. It will still reportedly have FullHD resolution though.

A Mediatek MT6753 chipset is said to power the phone, which is one of the Chinese manufacturer's midrange offerings, and offers global LTE support. It features an octa-core Cortex-A53 processor and Mali-T720GPU, joined by 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.

We'll have to wait and see what the event later this month will bring. If we're lucky it may be the new Meizu MX5 instead, which has already gone the established road and passed Chinese regulatory certification.

Source 1 (in Chinese) Source 2 |…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1I3xMXX
via IFTTT