HTC alleged working on Android tablet based on Nexus 9

After making the Nexus 9 for Google, HTC is allegedly working on its own branded tablet, which will be based on the Nexus 9.

According to upleaks, the tablet will have similar dimensions as the Nexus 9, meaning a 9-inch display, probably with the same 4:3 aspect ratio. However, the hardware specifications will be different.

The tablet is also not expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2015.

HTC hasn’t had the best track record when it comes to tablets. The first tablet, the HTC Flyer, came at a time when Android tablets were trying to get a foothold in the market, and didn’t quite fly with the customers. The second one, the HTC Jetstream, was such a colossal failure most people don’t even know it exists. The Nexus 9 is by far the most successful HTC tablet, which isn’t saying much.

Big, expensive Android tablets are still trying to be relevant in the market, and Samsung seems to be the only one who has had some luck with them. Hopefully, HTC will make a better effort with its upcoming tablet, as the Nexus 9 surely didn’t feel like a premium tablet, despite its price.

Price cuts as Moto E goes on sale in India

Motorola’s entry-level Android smartphone Moto E has received a price cut in India. Originally costing at INR 6,999 ($112), the entry-level Android device is now available at INR 5,999 ($96).

Motorola has launched many other offers too. For example, you can exchange your old phones (select models only) and get discounts of up to INR 4,000 ($64) and INR 6,000 ($96) on the purchase of the second generation Moto G and Moto X respectively.

The company is also offering the Moto Deck Bluetooth speaker worth INR 8,990 ($145) for free with every purchase of the 2nd-gen Moto X. Google’s Nexus 10 tablet is also available with an exchange offer of up to INR 10,000 ($160).

Motorola is celebrating the completion of one year by Moto devices in the Indian market. The offers are valid from February 9 to 15.

Amazons valentine offer on kindle

Amazon, being the symbol of consumerism that it is, has some strange ideas of what constitutes an appropriate – never mind good – gift for Valentine’s Day. 

Jokes aside, the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 (64GB, Wi-Fi) has been slashed from its normal price of $480 to just $300. That’s not a bad deal for an 8.9″ 2,560 x 1,600px display, Snapdragon 805 and a free Amazon Prime subscription.

Windows 10 update for 512MB phones in the works

Microsoft promised that the Windows 10 update is coming to "most" of the Lumia phones, but that meant some are not getting it. One suggestion was that it will be phones with 512MB RAM that will get the axe as even the lowly Lumia 435 has 1GB of RAM.

But no – Joe Belfiore (VP of Operating Systems) confirmed on Twitter that Microsoft is working on an update for those phones. Note that "working on" is not the same as "will certainly release." Also, Belfiore says that "features may vary," the timing of the update is variable as well.

The Lumia 520 alone makes up 23.8% of the Windows Phone devices worldwide, but most of the others in the Top 10 are also 512MB devices. In short, if 512MB devices miss out on Windows 10 it would have been a major blow to the platform.

It's sill not clear which features will be cut. In fact it's not particularly clear what new features Windows 10 will add to phones, beyond the universal app platform. Limiting features is not a new practice, Apple has been doing it with iOS and older iPhones for years.

This month Microsoft will be releasing the first test build of Windows 10 for phones to the Insiders community that is helping with the beta testing. This will give us a better idea of what the new phone OS will be like.

HTC Desire 626 officially launches in Taiwan And it costs $190

 The HTC Desire 626 is finally official in Taiwan.

The HTC Desire 626 sports a 5" 720p display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chipset with a 1.2GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU and 1GB of RAM. Internal storage is 16GB and is expandable through the microSD card slot. At the back, there's a 13MP camera with a BSI sensor and f/2.2 aperture that records 1080p video. A 5MP selfie camera is at the front and it also records 1080p.

The 2,000mAh battery is non-removable and can handle up to 30 hours of 3G talk time and 760 hours of stand-by. Connectivity is handled by Bluetooth 4.0 and single-band Wi-Fi 802.11n with DLNA. The phone supports LTE bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 28.

The HTC Desire 626 is already available for purchase in Taiwan and costs $190 (NT$5990). Color options include dark blue and white.

Samsung Z1 costs USD $90 upon launch in Bangladesh

A few days ago we reported that the Tizen-based Samsung Z1 has just launched in Malaysia, but back then it wasn't clear exactly how much it costs.

New information came through today suggesting the Samsung Z1 is priced at 6,900 Bangladeshi Taka or about USD $90.

The Samsung Z1 recently launched in India too and was off to a flying start there. Pricing is similar, being INR 5,700 or again, around $90.

The Samsung Z1 comes with a 4" WVGA display and runs on a dual-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 processor with 768MB RAM. It also offers a 3MP rear camera, dual-SIM connectivity with 3G support, FM radio plus a 1,500 mAh battery.

Large investments made by Alibaba Group in miezu

Alibaba Group announced that it will invest $590 million in the smartphone manufacturer Meizu. The Chinese online behemoth will become a minority owner of Meizu Technology Limited.

Meizu and Alibaba “ will collaborate at both strategic and business levels to achieve a deeper integration of Meizu’s hardware and Alibaba Group’s mobile operating system.” Alibaba has its own YunOS smartphone platform, based on Android. A version of Meizu MX 4 with the OS has been available for some time now.

With market value of $213 billion, Alibaba will surely be a welcome partner for Meizu. The latter will help the retail giant promote its mobile OS and will benefit from its vast network of online stores and users.

Alibaba didn’t disclose how much equity it acquired in Meizu for its investment.

Update for Blackberry OS 10.3.1 coming this February 19

BlackBerry OS 10.3.1 update is coming on February 19 for all of the company's current smartphone line-up that's not featuring the latest OS version. Currently, the BlackBerry Classic is the only one to run BlackBerry OS 10.3.1.

The information is unconfirmed by BlackBerry and originates from N4BB.com, who claim to have it from a source within the company. Regardless, the update will be available for the BlackBerry Passport,BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9983, BlackBerry Z30, BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10.

The latest BlackBerry OS version will come with an updated virtual assistant that will bring BlackBerry closer to the likes of Siri and Google Now. Additionally, version 10.3.1 will come with notification profiles, enhanced calendar reminder dialogs, task recurrence, mark pictures and videos as hidden. Other novelties include a battery saving mode and the option to restrict apps to run while minimized.

LG Y70 shows up on Zauba

Indian import tracking website Zauba have showed that LG Y70 has entered the country. Actually, LG has imported 22 units on February 5. The phone sports a 4.7" display and runs Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box. Upon deeper investigation, MyLGPhones.com reports that the model number of the phone is LG-H422 and that the display is likely to pack 720p resolution screen.

The LG Y70 is believed to be the successor to the LG L70 and as such is a substantial upgrade over its 4.5" WVGA display. Sadly, additional specifications of the phone aren't available at this time.

However, the model names of the phone's market variations are out, too. The phone will be available in Mexico, Brazil and Europe. There's no information if the phone will make it to the US, but Asia is a likely market for the Y70, in spite of not being leaked yet.

official support pages appear for Galaxy s6 and SEdge

It is no secret that everybody seems to be waiting for Samsung's next big flagship device. The highly-anticipated Galaxy S6.

 We today we've got one of those rare occurrences where the Koreans didn't successfully keep their next flagship under wraps.

Samsung said personal information could be scooped up by the Smart TV

Samsung is warning customers to avoid discussing personal information in front of their smart television set.

The warning applies to TV viewers who control their Samsung Smart TV using its voice activation feature.

Such TV sets 'listen' to every conversation held in front of them and may share any details they hear with Samsung or third parties, it said.