Rumors Archives

Android 4.3 and the next Nexus 7 are rumored for July

Are you disappointed that there was no announcement about a second-generation Nexus 7 or Android 4.3? Personally, I was expecting I/O to be an exciting event sans such announcements, and my expectations have already been fulfilled, even though there is still another day remaining. Nevertheless, rumors persist about the next version of Android and a successor to the venerable Nexus 7, this time indicating that they will be announced in July.

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Galaxy S IV Google Edition to be unveiled at Google I/O?

According to a widely-respected writer in tech news circles, Samsung and Google will announce a Galaxy S IV Google Edition tomorrow at I/O - basically, a Galaxy S IV running stock Android rather than TouchWiz. It will not be a Nexus device, in that Google isn't exerting any influence over the hardware design (after all, it's a Galaxy S IV hardware-wise). The device is said to be compatible with T-Mobile bands - no information is available at this time about compatibility with other carriers.

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Securities analyst: 2013 Nexus 7 should have a Snapdragon S4 Pro, Full HD display and rear camera for $199

Remember last month's rumor about the Nexus 7 running a Snapdragon processor? A memo by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo indicates that the Snapdragon of choice will be the APQ8064 - the Snapdragon S4 Pro. Oh, and it's also rumored to have a 1920x1200 display, Qi wireless charging support, Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, a (cough cough) a rear camera and a $199 price tag.

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2013 Nexus 7 rumored to run on Snapdragon - but which one?

The Android blogosphere has been lit up today with stories based on a report from Reuters that this year's version of the Nexus 7 will feature a 1080p display, ship "around July" and run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor instead of its predecessor's NVIDIA Tegra chipset. Most of the focus has been on the display, the shipping date, and NVIDIA losing out to Qualcomm (incidentally, this particular tidbit has been mentioned before), but I'm going to focus on the absence of a particular detail: which Snapdragon will the new tablet use?

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"Galaxy Note 2" Facebook Page Claims Impending 4.2.2 Updates for Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S 3

A Facebook page dedicated to the Galaxy Note 2 today claimed that the Note 2 as well as the S3 will be receiving an update to Jelly Bean 4.2.2 by the end of May.

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Yet another rumor surfaces of LG making the next Nexus phone

There have, of course, been many rumors over the last few months that LG would once again be tapped to manufacture a Nexus phone. The latest comes from the well-known rumor magnet Korea Times, which simply says that "the consumer electronics arm of LG Group is working with Internet-giant Google to make another Nexus-branded Google Android smartphone," which implies an agreement has been reached between the two companies.

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Android 4.3 Jelly Bean is the next upgrade - buzzkill?

Speculation has run rampant about the next version of Android, many expecting 5.0 Key Lime Pie to be announced at Google I/O. However, Android Police has posted some strong evidence indicating that the next version of Android will still be called Jelly Bean and adorn the version number 4.3. This might seem like a major buzzkill to some of you, but I would like to point out that Android 4.2 was very buggy and actually introduced some major new features, so a stability-based incremental update should not be terribly surprising.

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Monocle brings Google Glass to the hipsters among us

Hipsters no longer need fear being left out of the game changing Google Glass announcement. An inside source at Google France confirmed a later release called Google Glass Monocle. The Monocle will feature many of the same functions that we have seen in prior releases, but with a few extras tailored to our ultramodern friends.

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Guy Kawasaki Hints at Personalized Phones From Motorola

Rumors began last week that Motorola would be allowing buyers to customize their phones upon order, and a Google+ post by the recently hired Guy Kawasaki seems to be pointing in that direction. What customizations are actually feasible, as well as the downsides to customization are another question entirely.

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The Galaxy S IV looks into your eyes - to scroll

Another day, another Galaxy S IV rumor (actually, you should expect more of these as next Thursday's unveiling approaches ). The latest rumor has the Galaxy S IV possibly giving you the creeps and making your significant other jealous - according to the New York Times, the next Samsung superphone will scroll up and down by following the movements of your eyes.

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Google Music May Soon Include Streaming

According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is in talks with several record labels to implement a music streaming service into Google Music that would be very similar to Spotify & Slacker. The rumor alone makes this very exciting and it seems very plausible.

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Will the next Nexus 7 be powered by a Snapdragon S4 Pro?

According to a report on ZDNet, the next Nexus 7 could be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064) instead of NVIDIA's next-generation ARM-15-based Tegra 4. While NVIDIA's Tegra 3 made a big splash last year, appearing in flagship phones by HTC and LG in addition to various high-profile tablets such as the Nexus 7, Acer Iconia a700 and Asus Transformer Pad Infinity, NVIDIA has struggled to line up customers for the Tegra 4. If this report is true, NVIDIA could face a huge uphill battle this year in finding customers willing to include its newest chipset in their phones and tablets.

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Is another HTC flagship phone coming already?

HTC's best phone series yet has been out for just over a month or two, but there is already talk of a successor to the J Butterfly/Droid DNA/Butterfly (global) series. This one might take a page from the Samsung Galaxy S series playbook, however, arriving on every carrier as under the same name, which is currently pegged as the M7 (though I expect HTC will have a different name for it whenever they do announce it).

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Prepare for the 2013 Sony Xperience (at CES?)

In one of the worst-kept secrets since the Death Star's blueprints, Sony is expected to unveil the next wave of Xperia phones starting at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show this week. This new generation of Xperia phones is expected to begin with two phones, codenamed the Yuga and the Odin, which are part of a coming flood of "me too" devices featuring the quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro and a 5-inch 1080p display. This article will compare them with each other and with the competition.

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Rumor Report Card: Galaxy Note 7.7

Several months after Samsung released the first full-tablet version of the Galaxy Note, rumors are circulating that Samsung may be preparing a 7-9 inch version of the marquee tablet. Once again, I have collected various rumors from various tech blogs and evaluated their reliability. This report card examines the most prominent rumors and grades their likelihood of becoming reality.

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Rumor Report Card: Galaxy Note III

Hot on the heels of the Galaxy Note 2, rumors are circulating about a possible successor to Samsung's secondary flagship phone, which could blur the line between phone and tablet as never before. Once again, I have collected the most prominent (and, for entertainment, some of the most outrageous) rumors and have graded them according to their likelihood of becoming reality.

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Rumor Report Card: The Samsung Galaxy S IV

About half a year after the release of the Galaxy S III, a number of rumors have begun to surface about the Samsung Galaxy S4, and I have prepared another report card for your entertainment (some of these rumors actually are wild enough to be entertaining ).

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Samsung and Google to make 2560x1600 Nexus 10 tab?

After collaborating with Asus to produce the wildly successful Nexus 7, Google is rumored to be teaming up with Samsung to produce another game-changing Nexus tablet. Anticipated to flaunt an unprecedented 2560x1600 resolution display, the tablet will allegedly be announced on October 29 as the Nexus 10.

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Verizon may be getting a Deluxe treat from HTC

Rumors and announcements abound during the Fall smartphone/tablet season, including Nexus rumors, the quad-core Exynos 4412-powered Galaxy Note 2 (U.S. versions also have the Exynos 4412 for a change), and a new generation of devices powered by the quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro. Officially announced Snapdragon S4 Pro phones include the Xiaomi Mi-Two MIUI phone, the LG Optimus G, the Asus Padfone 2, and the HTC J Butterfly exclusive to Japan. Now, you can (probably) add the 5-inch HTC DLX, which brings a 1920x1080 SLCD3 display (like that in the J Butterfly) to the Snapdragon S4 Pro party.

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Google's Nexus Program That Wasn't

As I pointed out over 5 months ago, there is tremendous pressure on Android blogs to publish semi-credible rumors before everyone else, which comes with the risk of being completely duped. This is especially true during the time of year when Android enthusiasts are thirsty for rumors about the next Nexus. This is what apparently happened to Android and Me, as well as every Android site that repeated the rumors leaked by them. A user who calls himself "Hoaxer" (original, right?) and also assumed a cover identity named "Peter," posted last night that many of the rumors about huge changes to Google's Nexus program were planted by him.

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Google Looks at Changes to its Nexus Program

According to a recent report on the website Android and Me, Google is going to host an event with LG in November to announce an LG developed Nexus (a variant of the Optimus G) and Android 4.2. Supposedly, Android 4.2 will be a small update which will address power management, include some small UI changes, a new version of the Google Play Store and lay the ground work for Android 5.0.

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Shocker: Verizon allegedly strikes again, has Samsung lock Galaxy Note 2 bootloaders

Shockingly, Verizon has (allegedly) once again prevailed upon Samsung to lock the bootloaders of its latest flagship phone for Big Red, the Galaxy Note 2. Sarcasm aside, it's hardly surprising that Verizon has made this decision again, though Big Red's Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note 2 are now the only Samsung phones on any carrier that have locked bootloaders. Readers of Android development forums such as Rootzwiki obviously take issue with this policy, and our numbers have grown large enough to motivate Samsung to announce a Developer Edition of the Galaxy S III, and perhaps they will for the Galaxy Note 2 as well (one can only hope).

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HTC rumored to release a 5-inch superphone this Fall (the One XXL?)

Big and tall HTC users should get ready to open their wallets, while those of you with small hands might want to pass on this device - DigiTimes just leaked a rumor that HTC is planning to release its own 5-inch superphone this Fall.

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Move Over Nexus 7, Make Room for the 10

Rumors have cropped up over the last few days that a big brother to the Nexus 7 is already in the works, which will presumably be called the Nexus 10. In addition to rumors that one of the manufacturers responsible for the Nexus 7 screens is also making 10-inch screens for Google, a Chinese website called MyDrivers.com claims to have some specs for the device, rumored for release this Fall.

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HTC One XXL Outed by Leaked Screenshot?

If rumors spawned by a leaked screenshot from the German site SmartDroid turn out to be true, North Americans may finally get to have their quad-core cake and eat LTE, too. HTC is rumored to be making a new Android superphone with a name that sounds like it came from a clothing store: the One XXL. The rather suspect screenshot indicates a 4.7-inch screen, a 1.6 Ghz quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor with LTE support, 2GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel rear camera, and a 1.8-megapixel front-facing camera.

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