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Bloomberg is confirming what we already knew. According to “two people familiar with the matter,” HTC will release a smaller version of their popular HTC One flagship phone. The report indicates that the One mini will have a 4.3-inch display and “will probably have a less-powerful Qualcomm Inc. processor and lower-resolution screen than the flagship.”

When the images of the One mini leaked online a couple weeks ago the resolution was confirmed to be 720p with a dual-core processor, 16GB internal storage, 2GB of RAM and the trademarked 4MP UltraPixel camera. No insight into what version of Android, probably 4.2 Jelly Bean. Bloomberg’s sources, “who asked not to be identified because details aren’t public,” stated the smaller version of the flagship One “will go on sale by August.” The price is expected to be around $550 (€400).

The One Mini will go head-to-head with Samsung’s Galaxy S4 mini, which has been tipped to arrive in Canada.

Update: Engadget has received some more info about the HTC One Mini, plus the image above. They note that the display is in fact 4.3-inches, comes with a 1.4GHz dual-core processor and has the similar aluminum unibody that the original HTC One features, but the front of the device has been outfitted with plastic. The One Mini comes with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with Sense, BlinkFeed, Zoe share, Beats Audio, but lacks the IR blaster.

Source: Bloomberg, Engadget
Via: TrustedReviews

Samsung has continued the expansion of the Galaxy S4 family of devices and announced the Galaxy S4 Zoom today. This cameraphone will potentially be loved by the picture-taking crowd with its 16MP CMOS sensor, 10x optical zoom lens and a Xenon flash. Other key specs of the Zoom have it sporting a 4.3-inch QHD DISPLAY (960×540 resolution), runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, powered by a 1.5GHZ dual-core processor, Wi-Fi and LTE connectivity, 1.5GB of RAM with 8GB of internal storage (expandable storage up to 64GB) and a 2330mAh battery.

One of the new features that Samsung has included in this category of device is called “Zoom Ring.” This is part of a “revolutionary new interface” that allows you to quickly share while on a phone call. Samsung notes that you do “a quick twist of the Zoom Ring will activate the In-Call Photo Share feature, letting you capture and send an image directly via MMS to whoever you are talking to simply.”

No word on Canadian availability or pricing, but this would be a welcome addition to any Canadian carriers lineup. It would be interesting to see if TELUS has an exclusive on this with their Blacks photography retail outlet. Samsung will be showing this off during the big ‘Premier’ event on June 20th.

Virgin Mobile will be releasing some “smokin’ hot updates” to their “Rockstar rate plans” tomorrow. According to the internal doc we received, which is listed below for your viewing pleasure, Virgin’s simplified Silver, Gold, and Platinum rate plans has it “goin’ on in all the right places.” Most, not all, of the plans have received a slight addition, such as 6PM evenings, more minutes and data. There’s lots of emphasis on BYOP (Bring Your Own Phone) this month, plus it seems like the smartphone bundle add-on has been reduced by a buck.

Check them all out below…

In the last few weeks we’ve covered Google Glass from two different perspectives: as a blogger and as a developer. Both instances left us eager to see more in terms of functionality and usability. The only downside we found from our quick hands-on with the wearable tech was the overall lack of apps to choose from. This bareness, however, has not stopped design-focused shopping experience “Fancy” from creating its own GlassWare for the Android-based platform.

The app is available now and offers three core experiences: exploring, simple purchasing, and of course, matching. The Fancy app, as one would expect, is beautiful, with a strong focus on a clean UI and easy to navigate interface. With a simple tap of Glass, you’re able to see what is new and and purchase with a simple tap of your temple.

If you’re one of the lucky ones who have Glass, download Fancy from Glasshead and let us know what you think.

Facebook for BlackBerry 10 has slowly been creeping up to feature parity with its iOS and Android counterparts. When Microsoft collaborated with the social networking giant in April to bring a Modern UI-friendly redesign to Facebook for Windows Phone, it was BlackBerry 10 left as the virtual pariah.

With version 10.2, BlackBerry 10 users now have the ability to upload photo albums, add photos to uploaded albums, tag their friends and family members, in addition to a number of other usability tweaks.

There’s also an updated newsfeed design that adheres more closely with the rest of the platforms; expect wider photos (plus) and more ads (minus).

If you’re a Facebook user on the BlackBerry Z10 or Q10, get downloading.

Via: BlackBerry Blog

Apple’s simplification of iOS 7′s design from previous versions was a welcome and necessary change. While developers have been working with the revamped OS for about a day now, the general public will have to wait until the fall to download.

There’s a slew of “design enhancements” and some of the most manifest are the home screen icons. For now, this has divided some Apple enthusiasts, as it’s an uncomfortable shift away from what they’re used to. Most of your favourite apps will be seeing a new icon, but what about the basics? Below is a side-by-side comparison of the icons in iOS 6 vs iOS 7.

During a Lumia 925 briefing in the UK – which we’ve been told the new flagship has no imminent plans on coming to Canada – Nokia revealed that they’ve tightened its ever-growing bond with Redmond-based Microsoft, makers of the Windows 8 (mobile and desktop) platform. Nokia UK’s Ray Haddow stated that the Finnish company has been “working even closer” with Microsoft and we can expect to see new collaborative efforts in the near future.

Nokia and Microsoft first entered into a “broad strategic partnership” that made Windows Phone OS its “primary smartphone strategy,” but there have been rumours of Nokia coming to market with a tablet for years now. Could this mean that Nokia might be ready to enter the Windows-powered tablet space?

Source: Engadget

A few weeks ago we let you know that PC Mobile was going to revamp their wireless plans and offering. Their postpaid wireless launch date was supposed to go live on June 5th, but we’ve been informed that they’ll now go live on June 12th (tomorrow).

PC will offer several devices under their brand in both no-term and contract (1-year, 1.5-year or 2-year contract lengths), specifically the Samsung Galaxy S4 in Black ($625 outright ); BlackBerry Q10 in Black ($625); LG Nexus 4 ($400); Samsung Galaxy SII X in Black ($300); Samsung Galaxy Ace IIx in Black ($180) and the Nokia Lumia 520 ($180). As for the monthly rate plans, here’s what you can expect:

Yesterday the internet was abuzz about all things Apple; the new Mac Pro, Mac OS X Maverick and of course, the long-awaited update to their mobile platform, iOS 7. One aspect of the keynote that went a bit overlooked was the intro video called “Intention” about perfection, and how hard it is to attain it. The vid describes Apple’s lead designer, Sir Jony Ive’s pursuit of “purity and simplicity in design” and that “true simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absences of clutter or ornamentation… It’s about bringing order to complexity.” Apple, according to the video, first seeks how a product make people “feel.”

For iOS 7 Ive cleaned up the look and brought some needed changes, but it’s interesting how Apple uses a rhetorical question – “how can anyone perfect anything?” – to stifle the doubters who claim they lack innovation and that they now copy and enhance various features that have existed within Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry for years.

Check it out below, let us know what you think!

Rumours have been circulating for a few weeks now that popular community-based navigation app Waze would be snatched up by either Apple, Facebook or Google for over $1 billion. Facebook and Apple outwardly declared their lack on interest, but Google officially announced today that they’ve purchased Waze.

On their company blog, Google’s Brian McClendon said they are “excited to announce we’ve closed the acquisition of Waze.” The final price was not disclosed, probably around $1.3 billion. Google noted that the millions of Waze users – who are part of a “fast-growing community of traffic-obsessed drivers” work together “to find the best routes from home to work, every day.” Waze is a free app that’s available on Android, BlackBerry and iOS.

Google said the Waze product development team will stay in Israel and “operate separately for now,” but they’ll eventually bring some of the traffic update features to Google Maps and also enhance Waze with Google’s search capabilities.

Source: Google