Google Chromecast scored 10 million sales in 2014

It’s not surprising that Google’s Chromecast HDMI streaming stick has been quite successful. After all it’s cheap and relatively easy to use, and it can instantly make your TV smarter than it was. Today though we get the first glimpse of just how successful the Chromecast was, at least during last year.

That’s because for the first time ever Google has shared some sales numbers with the media. According to a report out of South Korea, the search giant’s arm in that country has revealed that 10 million Chromecasts were sold globally in 2014.

Nokia N1′s second batch had 32,000 units, was sold out in 7 minutes

When the Nokia N1 went on sale in China earlier last month, the initial batch of 20,000 units was sold out in just four minutes and two seconds. The second batch went on sale a week later, and it too sold out in minutes, although there was no information on the number of units that were up for grabs, the time the batch lasted, and the number of interested buyers.

But it is now being reported that the second batch saw 666,594 interested buyers against 32,000 units of the N1 that were sold out in just 7 minutes and 47 seconds.

Instagram update brings along Vine-like endlessly looping videos

Instagram has updated its video feature, ensuring that video clips shared to the service now loop continuously, meaning they’ll start automatically and repeat continuously until you scroll past them.

Apparently, the feature is designed to please advertisers, who are always keen to get as many views for their ads as possible. As for the users, they probably won’t be happy given that the feature cannot be disabled altogether. For those who are fearing high data bills, the company has explicitly said that the feature won’t affect how much data the app uses.

The update, which comes just a few months after the Facebook-owned service started rolling out video ads, is currently rolling out to iOS and Web users, with Android expected to follow later.

Windows 10 double-height live tiles accidentally revealed by a Microsoft employee

While there have been numerous reports about double height live tiles in the recent past, we never got a real-world glimpse of the feature in action, but that was until now.

A Microsoft employee by the name of Vesku Paananen tweeted a picture (see above) showing a variety of systems running Windows 10. Apparently, he didn’t realize that the image also contained a phone with a double height live tile.

Although the image, which was first spotted by the Finnish blog Bestmobileblog, has since been deleted, it does show that Windows 10 for phones might still have some surprises in store.

Samsung Galaxy S6 gets portrayed in renders based on the most recent rumors

On March 1 Samsung is set to unveil its next flagship smartphone, which it will probably call the Galaxy S6. This is obviously one of the most hotly anticipated devices of the year, and because of that we’ve heard a lot of rumors about it recently. Some of them have even brought us pictures of such things as the phone’s metal frame. And now someone has decided to use all the information in the most recent rumors and leaks to create a few renders of what the Galaxy S6 might end up looking like.

So do keep in mind that these aren’t leaked images actually depicting the handset. Instead, they are renders that were created to give us an idea about its design, assuming of course that the rumors would pan out.

Sony Xperia Z4 to sport slim bezels and new speaker design

The Sony Xperia Z4 is one of the less likely announcements expected to be seen at the MWC a few weeks from now, judging by the lack of tangible info on the device. A recent leak on Chinese social network Weibo, however, might force us to rethink that position.

A couple of front panels have appeared in live images revealing interesting facts about the upcoming flagship, and suggesting its nearing launch. Revolutionary changes are out of the question obviously, but a few design tweaks are observed.

Most noticeably, the front camera and ambient light/proximity sensors have swapped positions. The bezels appear marginally slimmer than the ones on the previous generation, but if Sony's design language is to be followed, the outer frame will add a few more millimeters to the footprint.

Leaked doc points to QHD screen on the LG G4

There are two rumors about the LG G4 – one claims a 3K display, another claims a QHD one (what some might call 2.5K). A third piece of evidence swings the vote in favor of QHD, this comes from a leaked XML file extracted from a Lollipop ROM.

The file lists the LG F500 as "G4 (QHD)." It has three versions (S, K and L), which correspond to the three major carriers in South Korea. The LG G3 is F400 with the same three versions. To clear up initialism "QHD" stands for 1,440 x 2,560px while "3K" is 1,62 x 2,880px.

This entry is surrounded by the LG F490 (LG G3 Screen) and LG F510 (LG G Flex 2), both with FullHD resolution, which corresponds to the official specs.

Samsung loses its position as India’s top smartphone vendor

Just a few days after market research firm Counterpoint noted that Samsung actually lost its title of the world’s leading smartphone vendor in Q4, 2014, it is being reported that the South Korean company has been dethroned in the Indian smartphone market, too.

According to a report from market research firm Canalys, with 22% of the market share in Q4 last year, local budget brand Micromax has now become the top smartphone vendor in the country, ahead of Samsung at 20%. The Indian company already overtook the South Korean firm as the leading brand in all types of mobile phones last year.

Desire 626's existence confirmed, specifications revealed

Just a couple of weeks after leakster @upleaks provided information on HTC’s yet-to-be-announcedDesire 626 smartphone, the device has been approved by China's Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center, effectively confirming its existence.

The agency also published some images of the mid-range handset (one shown above), along with a complete set of specifications: the device is powered by a Mediatek chipset with an octa-core CPU, clocked at 1.7GHz, and features a 5-inch display of 1280x720 pixel resolution. It comes with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of storage space (expandable via microSD).

The Desire 626 sports a 13 MP rear camera with flash, a 5 MP front-facing camera, and a 2,000 mAh battery. Weighing in at 135 grams and measuring 146.9 x 70.9 x 8.19 mm, the LTE-enabled smartphone runs Android 4.4 KitKat.

72% of Apple devices running iOS8 already

This month's numbers for iOS distribution are in and the current iOS8 claims 72%, Apple reports. The information is based on App Store access statistics and is current as of February 2.

iOS8 is up a notch from last month's 68% while iOS7 surrenders 4% of its share and is at 25% this month. iOS6 and earlier versions retain their marginal 3% of market share. Even so, the iOS8 rate of adoption falls behind the iOS7 from a year ago, which commanded an 80% percent adoption in the same period.

The latest 8.1.3 update featured stability improvements and the perceived maturity iOS8 has reached after initial issues has provided enough incentive for users to upgrade.

Either way, the number of devices, booting the latest version of iOS is massive, compared to its Android counterpart. As we reported, Lollipop only just made it to the distribution chart, with the huge variety of devices by numerous manufacturers being the culprit.

Samsung Galaxy S6 metal frame revealed in photos

The first photos of the Samsung Galaxy S6 metal frame have surfaced. Moreover, the new photos portray the frame from all angles and show the layout of its ports and buttons.

Leaked schematics of the phone suggest it'll measure just 7.2mm thick and the sides look have a carved design. At the top, there are plastic cutouts for the antennas, a secondary microphone and what looks to be a cutout for an IR blaster. The left side holds the volume rocker, while on the right there's the Power/Lock button and a SIM tray.

     
Samsung Galaxy S6 metal frame

The bottom is quite busy with a microUSB port, 3.5mm headphone jack, main mic and a single speaker grille. The camera is rumored to be 20MP and take a large place at the back and next to it is the LED flash and heart rate sensor.

In terms of specs, we expect the phone to pack a 5" Super AMOLED display of QHD resolution, Exynos 7420 chipset with an octa-core CPU and 3GB of RAM. The 20MP camera is coupled with a 5MP front-facing one and the phone will feature a non-swipe fingerprint sensor on the home button.

Finally, the source of the photos confirms the pricing scheme of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S Edge,which leaked yesterday. The base Galaxy S6 will sport 32GB memory and will cost 749€ SIM-free, while the 64GB and 128GB will sale for 849€ and 949€, respectively. The Galaxy S Edge will start from 849€ for the 32GB version. The 64GB will go for 949€ and 128GB one for 1049€.

The Galaxy S6 will be offered in dark blue, blue-green, gold, and white. We'll know everything about the phone from the company's March 1 Galaxy Unpacked event in Barcelona.

Xiaomi schedules event for February 12 in San Francisco

Xiaomi may be the world's third-biggest smartphone maker, but most of its products never leave China. The company is reportedly looking to open up shop in India, but now the company is taking a trip to the US.

There, in San Francisco specifically, the company will hold an event on February 12. It's not clear what the topic will be though – opening a store, recruiting employees or just visiting? The company has already unveiled two new devices this year – Redmi 2 and Mi Note (with a Mi Note Pro version), so it's probably soon for a new announcement

Whatever the reason, the event is a big deal – San Francisco is the home of many startups and tech giants are a stone's throw away, with both Apple and Google campuses not far from there (Xiaomi's VP of International Hugo Barra is a former Googler). The location can't be a coincidence and sends clear message, especially to the former giants that Xiaomi leapfrogged to get into the Top 3.

Oppo R5 is now available for pre-order in the UK

Oppo's brief world record holder for thinnest smartphone has shown up on Amazon's UK site and is now available for pre-order. The precious units are set to start shipping as early as February 20.

The Oppo R5 is a stylish midrange offering, packing a 5.2-inch FullHD display in a slender 4.85mm body. That wasn't thin enough, the competition deemed, and the R5 is now in third place behind the Ivvi K1 Mini and the Vivo X5Max. That shouldn't make it any less desireable, though, as the two-tone aluminum body is a true stunner.

The rest of the Oppo R5 specs are not too shabby either. A Snapdragon 615 chipset is on board, featuring an octa-core processor, Adreno 405 GPU and 2GB of RAM. Where the R5 falls short is battery capacity, which at 2000mAh proves barely adequate for the screen size, but that's the trade-off for the super-thin profile.

The SIM-free Oppo R5 is listed at £296.99 but you can also claim a free Oppo powerbank with it to address the battery capacity issue.

iOS overtakes Android in the US in Q4 2014, report says

If you needed more proof about how successful Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have been, especially in the US market, then this is going to be it.

According to the analysts at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, iOS has managed to take the lead from Android in the US smartphone market in the fourth quarter of 2014 (so between October and December).

Granted, Apple's managed to sell only slightly more iOS devices than all Android makers combined - the difference is just 0.1%. Still, it's interesting because the last time something like this happened was in Q4 of 2012.

For the last three months of last year, Kantar says 47.7% of smartphones sold in the US were iPhones, while 47.6% ran Android. Windows Phone accounted for 3.8% of the market, while BlackBerry had to make do with just 0.3%.

Apple to put 'command' center where glass maker operated

Apple Inc. will establish a command center for its global operations in Mesa, Ariz., promising a $2 billion investment over the next 30 years, state officials announced Monday.

The facility will be housed in the location recently occupied by GT Advanced Technologies, the maker of highly durable sapphire glass that filed for bankruptcy in the fall after Apple used rival Corning glass for its new iPhone 6 devices.

Tablet Numbers Are Bad For Apple But Worse For Samsung

SAN FRANCISCO — The tablet computer market isn't what it used to be, and it ain't for growth investors.

Fourth-quarter and year-end tablet shipment figures from market researcher IDC show that growth has nearly evaporated for the iPad, the iPad Mini, and competing devices from Samsung and others.

Shipments from all tablet makers rose just 4.4% for the full year and suffered their first-ever year-over-year decline in the fourth quarter, slipping just over 3%, the report said.