MasHD Blog

Boeing has announced a new Android smartphone called the Boeing Black with security and modular design in mind. The hardware and the software on the phone is built from the grounds up for securely storing and transmitting data especially for the US defense and security community. You get features like disk encryption, hardware root of trust, hardware crpto engine, embedded secure components, trusted platform modules and secure boot to safeguard your data. The phone will even go as far as to delete the data if it detects some is trying to br eak open the casing of the device. The design is also modular to some extent, so you can remove the back cover and attach various modules such as extended battery, satellite transceivers, advanced location tracking sensors, etc. On the specification side, the Boeing Black has a 4.3-inch, qHD display, 1.2GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU, microSD card slot, dual SIM support, Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR, 1590mAh battery and an unspecified version of Andro...

The GSM Association organizes the annual Mobile World Congress and along with it the traditional Global Mobile Awards (its 19th edition this year). More than 175 independent analysts, journalists, academics and subject matter experts throughout the world participated in the judging process. The entry deadline was November 29, 2013, so it's generally last year's products that get awarded every February. There's a multitude of categories, some of which may sound pretty obscure unless you are in the telco business, so we've shortlisted the few categories that we think would matter most to mobile phone enthusiasts (such as ourselves). The HTC One was named the Best Smartphone in the past year. The other nominees, which were considered, were the Apple iPhone 5S, the LG G2, the Lumia 1020 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Last year's winner was the Samsung Galaxy SIII. "The HTC One remained one of the most advanced smartphones throughout 2013. Its great design...

Nikon has finally announced its latest flagship DSLR, the D4S. The camera was shown off a while back at CES while it was still in development but it is now finally official launched. With the D4S, Nikon has taken a page out of Apple’s book by taking their current flagship camera, the D4, and making it faster and adding an S to the name instead of making any dramatic changes. Speed has been given a priority and everything on the D4S is now faster. The autofocus is improved so that the camera now focuses faster. There is now a faster EXPEED 4 processor inside, which means time to process images is 30% shorter and you can also take more shots per second in burst mode, 11 fps to be precise, with autofocus and autoexposure. The faster processor also allows the D4S to shoot 1080p videos at 60 fps. Another improvement is with the ISO range, which now goes up to 409,600, twice that of the D4. While you don’t necessarily have to shoot at that ISO, you will see the benefits of the highe...

The security-heavy Blackphone which was officially announced last month is now available for pre-order with a price tag of $629. Orders of the device will begin shipping in June. Developed by Silent Circle and Geeksphone, the Blackphone runs a heavily modified Android build called PrivatOS. The OS allows users to take full control of their communications’ privacy and security. A quick look at the listed specs of the Blackphone reveals that its pricing carries a notable premium for the added privacy and security features. They include 4.7” HD IPS display, 2GHz quad-core CPU, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of built-in storage, and 8MP camera. Connectivity options include LTE, HSPA+, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS. GSMArena

BlackBerry has rolled out a new smartphone at MWC 2014 called the Q20. The device is the latest to run the BlackBerry 10 operating system. The Q20 promises the classic button layout and QWERTY experience that BlackBerry fans remember and prefer. BlackBerry says that the Q20 smartphone has the familiar menu, back, send, and end buttons. The smartphone also has an integrated trackpad to enable fast and efficient navigation. The smartphone is also designed for one hand use. The buttons and trackpad are an integral part of the device and promise natural workflow. The QWERTY keyboard will use sculpted keys that are designed for the best typing experience possible. The smartphone will also have access to the BlackBerry Hub. The screen of the Q20 will be a 3.5-inch touchscreen. That is the largest screen used so far on a BlackBerry with a physical QWERTY keyboard. BlackBerry isn't offering up all the details on the device, we don’t know how large the battery is or how fast the pro...

BlackBerry has shown off a couple smartphones at MWC 2014 including the Q20 that we talked about earlier. Along with the QWERTY keyboard Q20, BlackBerry is also unveiling an all-touch device called the Z3 smartphone. The Z3 has a 5-inch screen and no physical keyboard. The Z3 will run the BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.2.1. The phone will have access to the BlackBerry Hub, BBM, BlackBerry Keyboard, and more. The smartphone has an integrated FM tuner. The camera of the smartphone features Time Shift and Story maker functions to let you get the best photos possible. The Z3 is the first smartphone to come from the strategic partnership that BlackBerry made with Foxconn. That partnership was announced in December 2013. BlackBerry is withholding the hard specifications for the Z3. We have no idea what sort of processor it will use or how much it will cost. The Z3 will land with Indonesian carriers in April. It's unclear if the Z3 will come to other countries at this time. SlashGea...

Panasonic is adding a new rugged mobile device to its toughpad line. The new device is called the Panasonic 5. It features a 5-inch screen and aims directly at workers in the field that need a device that can survive the rough work environments and the outdoors. Panasonic is aiming the new 5-inch handheld device at emergency services, public safety, and for use in industrial and factory environments. The 5-inch toughpad will run Windows Embedded 8 Handheld for the operating system and will be able to run Android as well. Panasonic says that the 5" toughpad will provide a market leading battery life and the battery will have hot swap capability. The 5-inch screen can be used while wearing gloves and is designed to be readable in direct sunlight. Accessories and peripherals can be added to the device using external fixing screws or an internal USB port. Versions with voice and data options will be available and the voice version will use Panasonic noise cancellation tech. Th...

Apple has released a patch for its iOS mobile operating system, which runs on iPhones and iPads, after security researchers uncovered a major vulnerability that could allow hackers to intercept encrypted emails and other communications. The flaw, which was first identified by security firm Crowdstrike, meant that critical checks on the validity of a website’s security (SSL) certificate were overlooked when users tried to establish a secure connection. This meant that a hacker could potentially masquerade as a trusted site, such as Gmail or Facebook, and intercept encrypted traffic or modify the data in transit, in addition to breaching financial data or finding other sensitive information. "It's as bad as you could imagine, that's all I can say," Johns Hopkins University cryptography professor Matthew Green told Reuters. In a statement on its support website, Apple admitted that the software "failed to validate the authenticity of the connection". The ...

Lots of new devices are being unveiled today at MWC 2014 in Spain. One of those new devices is the next generation YotaPhone. The original YotaPhone landed last December and brought with it a device with a normal display on one side and an always-on electronic paper display on the other. The idea is that the electronic paper screen will make it easy to read documents while reducing battery consumption. Yota Devices has pulled the wraps off its next generation YotaPhone that has some nice improvements over the original. The new device has full touch control for the always-on electronic paper display. The new device also promises a number of new hardware and software features. The new YotaPhone lets users open and respond to notifications shown on the electronic paper display without having to activate the color screen on the other side. Using the electronic paper screen, the user can answer emails, texts, and respond to social media. The always-on EPD screen is a 4.7-inch unit in th...

Meet the rest of the Nokia X lineup Nokia X and X+ Related - Nokia 220 Nokia Asha 230 Nokia XL is the third smartphone in the new Nokia X lineup ,When stacked up to its Siblings , the main difference you will Notice at first is the display , which measures in at a massive 5 inches compared  to the much smaller 4 inch ones found on the N okia X and X+ but sadly the display , though being slightly larger offers basically the same 480x800 resolution of the before mentioned models , so don't expect it to be stellar in any way .The Nokia XL also offers a front facing camera which is of the 720p variant and a rear 5 megapixel camera with rear flash which puts it ahead of 3 mp ones found on its lesser siblings . The phone has a Dual core 1Ghz Snapdragon S4 Play processor and has 768mb ram , Micro SD storage and it has a much bigger 2000 mAh battery to keep you running ,although it is not perfect and the specifications make it look like something from 2010 , the low 109 eur...

Related - Nokia X and X+ Nokia XL Nokia 220 Nokia keeps hacking away at the so-called next billion mobile users, and now the Finnish company wants to get them hooked up to the cloud with the new Asha 230 and Nokia 220. Fresh to MWC 2014, the Asha 230 brings features familiar from the existing Asha touchscreen line to an even lower point of entry, price-wise, while the Nokia 220 has a more traditional form-factor but is also the company's cheapest ever device to include cellular data. The Asha 230 (and its dual-SIM version) are billed as "My First Asha", a €45 ($62) pre-tax and pre-subsidy stepping stone into Nokia's touchscreen range that goes on sale from today. It has all the apps of the Asha 500-series devices, but tops out at 2G data (i.e. GPRS) and lacks WiFi. Still, you get quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900) and Bluetooth 3.0, a 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen, microUSB port, and a 1.3-megapixel camera. Nokia also preloads Facebook, Twitter, LINE, WhatsA...

Related - Nokia X and X+ Nokia XL Nokia Asha 230 According to Nokia, the 220 (pictured above) is the most affordable data product the company has ever made, at €29 (or roughly $39.70). It’s a small rectangular bar of a phone, with a 2.4-inch screen. It has a traditional high-quality Nokia finish, with a bright color palette across the entire device, including the keypad. Though it’s still a low-cost feature phone, Nokia wants to bring some data to the experience, preinstalling apps for both Facebook and Twitter. It also comes with Nokia’s Xpress web browser, capable of compressing data by up to 90 percent, which is a huge deal for anyone watching their data usage. The phone’s search engine is automatically tuned to Microsoft’s Bing in the countries in which it is available. The rear side houses a 2MP camera, and the removable battery is rated for 40 days standby Time. The phone will be available in single and dual sim variants as well  GIGAOm

This morning we’re to understand that NVIDIA has paired up with their first partner for the NVIDIA Tegra 4i smartphone chip for the first time. The group that’ll be rolling with this chip first is the international brand Wiko, and the smartphone’s name is WAX. This smartphone is going to be very, very powerful. Like the NVIDIA SHIELD handheld gaming system, this Wiko WAX system is going to be released with a 720p display. This will be a 4.7-inch 720 display on top of a smartphone that’ll be running with LTE as well as HSPA+ support in Europe starting this April. The device will be released in France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy, Belgium, and the UK as well. If you’ve never heard of Wiko before - you’re not alone. They’re a quickly growing smartphone group that’s gained a footing in France with a cool 2-million users and more, with this device aiming to be one of their biggest international releases to date. With the NVIDIA Tegra 4i, the company will be pushing a smartphone wi...

There’s just one day left until the Nokia X is shown to the world, and Nokia is letting the world know. How? With the latest in their Green Duck teaser series which has been popping up on Vine. In the newest video, we see the line of ducks all speeding down a river. Where are they headed? The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where Nokia’s first Android-powered smartphone, the X, will debut. All of our questions will be answered tomorrow, so stay tuned. Until then, enjoy the duck Vine. GSMArena

In addition to the ProPad 600 introduced today, HP has rolled out the red carpet for its 'total business solution' slate, the HP ElitePad 1000 G2. With the ElitePad 1000 comes a svelte design at 9.2mm thin and 1.5lbs, as well as Windows 8.1 Pro and options for enterprise users. The HP ElitePad 1000 features a 10.1-inch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio and resolution of 1920 x 1200. Under the hood lies an Intel Atom Bay Trail-T Z3795 quad-core 1.6GHz processor and integrated Intel HD Graphics, all of it accompanied by 4GB of memory and either 64GB or 128GB of storage. The tablet features extensive wireless connectivity, including 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4 + LE. There's support for the HP ElitePad Docking Station, a 2-cell/30WHr HP Long Life battery (battery run time not specified), and an expansion slot for SDXC cards up to 2TB. A variety of accessories will also be available for the ElitePad, such as an expansion jacket with battery. Rounding it all out is high-...

This week HP has revealed the HP Pavilion x360, a convertible tablet PC that allows the user to work with a variety of use-case abilities. This device works with an 11.6-inch high-definition display with SVA technology and 10-point touchscreen capabilities. You’ll have Intel Pentium processor architecture under the hood and an HP TrueVision HD webcam up front for chat as well. Inside you’ve got HP DataPass for 3G+ or 4G mobile broadband. This service allows the user to immediately connect to the internet with two years of free internet service powered by Fogg Mobile. Users will have up to 250mb of data for free with this service with additional data available for a fee - with no contract, mind you. "The HP Pavilion x360 is perfect for today’s busy lifestyles. Its 360-degree hinge allows multitaskers to easily transition from laptop to tent to tablet. It’s the laptop that doesn’t make you miss your tablet and the tablet that doesn’t make you miss your laptop—all at a price tha...

On the cusp of Mobile World Congress 2014, HP has introduced two new business tablets, the first of which is the HP ProPad 600 G1. With this slate comes fairly robust hardware and Windows 8.1/Pro, which runs on the device's 64-bit Intel Atom quad-core processor. The HP ProPad 600 will be made available with two processor options: the aforementioned 64-bit Atom option, or a 32-bit Intel Atom Z3775 1.46GHz quad-core offering. The display measures in at 10.1-inches with a 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution, and there's the common Corning Gorilla Glass in place with anti-smudging. Users will have their choice of either Windows 8.1 or Windows 8.1 Pro, as well as either 32GB of internal storage space or 64GB of storage. There will be 2GB or 4GB of memory, depending on model, as well as a micro SD expansion slot that supports SDXC cards. The slate itself is graphite in color with Soft Touch paint. Connectivity is as you'd expect: Bluetooth 4.0 + Low Energy, and 802.11 a/b/g/n wi...

Lenovo has announced its latest Yoga offering, the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+, a three-mode device that builds upon the maker's original Yoga Tablet foundation. With this latest model comes the familiar three-mode structure, with the addition of spec'd-up hardware and five of Lenovo's DOit apps. The tablet was announced today at the 2014 Mobile World Congress, and with it comes a 10.1-inch 20/20 Vision Full HD 1920 x 1200 pixel display, which adjusts automatically to the user's ambient lighting conditions. Beyond the improved screen, the Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ offers a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor under the hood. Beyond this, the latest Yoga offering features Dolby Audio, a micro USB port, an 8-megapixel rear camera, and runs Android 4.3. The battery holds steady at the Yoga Tablet 10's 18 hour battery life, and as mentioned, it features the Hold/Tilt/Stand options. Rounding it all out is the inclusion of Lenovo's DOit apps, which we detailed today...

 Samsung Gear 2 Samsung has brought some big changes with the latest additions of its Gear smartwatch lineup. Not only will the new devices be thinner and lighter than the original, but will also feature a special wearable version of Samsung’s Tizen OS rather than Android. The new Samsung Gear 2 (no more Galaxy in the name as it’s no longer an Android device) comes with the same 1.63" Super AMOLED display of 320 x 320 screen resolution, but with a processor beefed up from a dual-core 800 MHz to 1GHz. The new gears bring a better set of health sensors including heart rate monitor, and an Infrared port for remote control of your home appliances. The internal storage and RAM remain limited like the last edition, and the battery has been downgraded to 300mAh (from 315mAh), which is a bit worrisome as battery life was one of the major drawbacks of the Galaxy Gear. Hopefully, Samsung has optimized Tizen OS to be more battery efficient than Android. Gear 2 Neo The new ...

Acer Liquid E3 The Acer Liquid E3 packs a 4.7" 720p IPS display and runs on a quad-core 1.2GHz processor coupled with 1GB of RAM. There is no info on the CPU architecture, but Cortex-A7 seems like a safe bet. The rest of the specs include 4GB of expandable storage, Wi-Fi and GPS. There is also this Acer RAPID key at the back of the device, which can answer calls, launch the camera or unlock the phone with just one press. The Liquid E3 has very interesting camera department. Acer has equipped the device with a 13MP main snapper at the back and a LED flash. The manufacturer promises "ultra-fast" focus time. The front snapper is 2MP, also accompanied by a LED flash for better selfies. Now that's a first! The smartphone is running on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, but Acer promises an update to KitKat shortly after launch. Acer Liquid E3 is scheduled to hit the shelves in Europe this April on €199. Acer Liquid Z4 The Acer Liquid Z4 is an entry-level droid featur...

The Huawei Talkband B1 has a trick up its sleeve.In addition to being a smartwatch, it also supports wireless calling. Hidden inside the smartwatch is an earpiece that can be popped out so you can make calls hands-free. The Talkband B1 comes in a variety of colors and sports a Nike, fuel band-esque design. It packs a 1.4 flexible OLED display, a 90mAh battery that takes two hours to charge, but Huawei says will offer up to 6 days of use, and is 14.6mm thick. The Talkband also has the usual slew of fitness goodies, such as the ability to calculate how many calories you’ve burned and how many steps you’ve taken. What’s more is that Huawei has tossed in a sleep pattern monitor into the mix, which utilizes a “smart alarm” function that picks the optimal time to wake you up based on how you rest your weary eyes. Huawei hasn’t given a price for the Talkband, but knowing the brand, don’t expect it to break the bank. It’ll be coming out in China next month, and will hit Western Europ...

MediaTek announced MT6732 – a 64-bit chipset with category 4 (150Mb/s download) LTE connectivity. In addition to the new SoC, the semiconductor company unveiled MT6630 five-in-one combo connectivity SoC as well as Pump Express fast charging tech for mobile devices. The MediaTek MT6732 64-bit chipset features 1.5GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 processor and next-generation Mali-T670 GPU. The graphics chip supports Open GL ES 3.0 and Open CL 1.2 APIs for high-end graphics. Additional feature of the SoC include support for low-power 1080p video playback with H.265 and H.264 codecs, as well as 1080p@30fps video recording. The chipset supports 13MP camera image signal processor. In addition to LTE, connectivity options of the MT6732 include HSPA+ (42Mb/s download), TD-SCDMA, and EDGE. Dual-band WI-Fi with Miracast and Bluetooth 4.0 are also present. MediaTek MT6630 on the other hand, is the world’s first five-in one combo wireless SoC. It supports dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, advan...

Alcatel has announced three new smartphones: the Idol 2, the Idol 2 Mini and the OneTouch Pop Fit. The Alcatel Idol 2 has a 5.0-inch 720p IPS display, 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 8 megapixel rear camera, 1.3 megapixel front camera, NFC, LTE and Android 4.3 (upgradable to 4.4) in a 7.3mm body. The Idol 2 is priced at €199 and €249 for the 3G and 4G models, respectively. The Alcatel Idol 2 Mini has a 4.5-inch qHD display, 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 8 megapixel rear camera, 2 megapixel front camera, NFC, LTE and Android 4.3 (upgradable to 4.4) in a 8.5mm body. The Idol 2 Mini is priced at €169 and €209 for the 3G and 4G models, respectively. Lastly, there is the absurdly named OneTouch Pop Fit wearable smartphone. It has a 2.8-inch QVGA display, 1GHz dual-core MediaTek processor, 512MB RAM, 16/32GB internal memory and a 1,000mAh battery. The phone comes bundled with five back covers in black, blue, pink, yellow and red, semi-transparent flip cover, armband case and JBL earphon...

Nokia continues the green duck teasing of their X Android smartphone. This time, we see a wall of cell phones barely able to hold back a flood. It’s worth noting that the X will not be a top-tier Android device: it will retail for under $115, according to the leak. The interface of the X hardly seems like Android, it looks more like a Windows Phone device, so even if Nokia is experimenting with a new mobile OS, it looks as if they are trying to keep a consistent feel for their users. Expect the full reveal to occur during Mobile World Congress, which starts on February 24th in Barcelona. As always, we’ll be providing up to-the-minute information on the event and all of its news and releases. (CLICK THE MWC 2014 TAG BELOW FOR THE LATEST)(Click nokiax or #greenduck for related news) GSMArena , Vine/NOKIA

Samsung has released a promo video for the Unpacked 5 event in Barcelona next Monday. An emotional montage of cool images and text sets the scene, and mood, for the Galaxy S5′s arrival. Speed, fit, courage, social, selfies are just some of the buzzwords to give the fans a taste of what to expect from the flagship. Check out the video below. Rumors about Samsung’s next flagship suggest 3GB of RAM, Snapdragon 800 or 805 chipset, with a quad-core Krait CPU clocked at 2.5 GHz, 16 or 21 MP camera, 5.25″ QHD (2560 x 1440) display. We’ll know if it’s a bezel-free screen soon enough. GSMArena

So you want a beast of a gaming tablet, but don’t want to sacrifice data connectivity? Well then Nvidia has something that’s right up your alley. They just announced that they will be releasing the Tegra Note 7 LTE. The slate packs an i500 LTE chip, and a cellular radio that will be compatible with Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Orange, Vodafone, and O2 in Europe. Nvidia promises that the antenna will also support other “popular carriers across the world.” The Tegra Note 7 LTE won’t be hitting stores until Q2 2014, but it will be packing Android 4.4.2 Kit Kat out of the box when it makes its debut. If you own the WiFi only model of the tablet, you can go ahead and update it right now with the most recent OTA update. In addition to sporting 4.4.2 and all of its features, Nvidia has packed in a port of their Shield’s Gamepad Mapper application. GSMArena

Samsung's US team released a list of devices that are getting the Android 4.4 KitKat update, putting their users' minds at ease. What about the international versions of the phones though? A blogger in Poland got in touch with a local Samsung representative and found out. Here's the list: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Samsung Galaxy S4 Samsung Galaxy S4 Active Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom Samsung Galaxy Note II Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 Samsung Galaxy Grand Samsung Galaxy Express 2 The Samsung Galaxy S III is conspicuously missing from the list, even though its phablet counterpart – the Note II – is on it. Reportedly, the reason is the amount of RAM, the Galaxy S III has "only" 1GB. That can't be the real reason though – the Galaxy Grand has 1GB R...

Part 2 of Nokia’s #GreenDuck teasers is out and the paddling of ducks hits an obstacle – a dam of discarded phones (there’s a traffic light there too, for some unknown reason). Nokia also put up a Green Duck page on its web site. The page just lists the two teaser vines but its design is more interesting – it looks just like the custom interface on the Nokia X A110 in the spy shots from earlier today. What’s with this teaser campaign anyway? First monkeys and pirate maps, then aliens and puppies and then there’s the ducks. The dam of discarded phones and constant emphasis on “green” does make us think of Nokia’s recycling efforts. GSMArena

For a company that purposefully steered away from Android, Nokia sure is making a lot of fuss about its upcoming Android phone. The device in question, the Nokia X A110, was caught in China. It's supposed to join the Asha line and it looks the part – it has a single back button below the screen. That's because the A110 will run a customized version of Android. The UI certainly looks quite different – obviously inspired by Windows Phone's live tiles. The Store shortcut will lead to an separate app repository (not the Play Store) but so far little is known about it. Nokia will also be replacing Google's Maps with its own HERE suite and the Nokia X A110 will come with a free navigation license for one country. Nokia also has its own music service, so we'll probably be seeing that too. Anyway, this is clearly the dual-SIM version of the phone, but there will be a single-SIM option too. The price target is under CNY 700 ($115 / €85), and there should be a minimal p...

Rumors are circulating that smartphone maker HTC plans to show off a new smartwatch at MWC 2014 in Spain next week. The rumors come from a source that claims to be familiar with HTCs plans. This is tipped to be the first of three HTC wearables in the works. The HTC smartwatch is said to be a prototype based on the Qualcomm Toq. HTC will reportedly be showing the watch off to carriers at the show with no plans to show it to the public at this time. Rumors also suggest that HTC will be developing a watch using the Google Now service. The third wearable is rumored to be an electronic bracelet that plays music. The source of the rumor says that the last two smart wearables may not be displayed at the show. HTC has been struggling to compete on the smartphone market as Samsung and Apple command the lion's share of the market for smartphones and tablets. Samsung has its Galaxy Gear smartwatch, which has seen limited success. Apple has been rumored to be working on its own smartwa...

Nokia’s Vine account joined in on the teasing of Nokia’s upcoming Mobile World Congress event. After yesterday’s teaser images from Weibo , today’s vine isn’t all that revealing but it uses the characteristic green that has become associated with the Nokia X A110 (Normandy). Yesterday it was monkeys, today ducks. Where’s Nokia going with all the cartoony animals? The same video has been uploaded to Nokia’s YouTube account, where it’s titled Nokia #GreenDuck (Part 1), so we can expect more shorts like this. GsmArena

There aren’t many details about the release or any features, but if you pre-order Wolfenstein: The New Order, you’ll have access to the beta. Just when the beta is going to be available is unclear, however. All Bethesda is saying is that the only way access to the beta is ensured, is by pre-ordering the upcoming Wolfenstein game. What we do know is that it’s not being called, “Doom 4”. There hasn’t been a new Doom game since Doom 3, which was released in 2004 and enjoyed both critical and commercial success on multiple platforms. We don’t know which platforms the Doom game will be available on, but there’s a good chance that it be cross-platform, given the brand recognition of the franchise, and that Wolfenstein: The New Order will be available on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC on May 20. GsmArena

Facebook will acquire messaging company WhatsApp for $19 billion, according to an SEC filing Wednesday. The purchase price includes roughly $4 billion in cash and $12 billion in Facebook stock. An additional $3 billion in restricted stock could be paid out over four years to WhatsApp employees. This is the largest acquisition the social media company has made to date, nearly 16 times as much as the company paid for Instagram in April 2012. In a blog post , Facebook pointed to some numbers to help illustrate its decision to acquire WhatsApp. The app has 450 million active users, 70 percent of whom are active in a given day, and is adding over a million new registered users each day. And messaging volume within the app is approaching levels equal to SMS messaging globally. That level of adoption seems to be the clincher for Facebook, which said, “The acquisition supports Facebook and WhatsApp’s shared mission to bring more connectivity and utility to the world by delivering core in...

Another alleged image of HTC M8 made the rounds on Twitter, courtesy of @evleaks. This time around HTC’s upcoming Android flagship appeared wearing a rugged protective case. The image you see above is not the first on of HTC M8 in a protective case. Recently, the smartphone appeared in a spy photo tucked into a flip cover. Protective case aside, the press image reveals the front of the HTC One’s successor. In line with previous leaks, the photo showcases the smartphone in a black color scheme. HTC M8 will be officially unveiled next month, on March 25. GSMArena

An asteroid roughly the size of three football pitches that was expected to hurtle past Earth last night has been lost by astronomers, after attempts to track 2000 EM26 during its 27,000 mph fly-by were scuppered by frozen telescopes. The space rock was on course to pass Earth at a distance of around 1.62 million miles, close enough to earn it the classification of "Near Earth Object" (NEO) though not, NASA and researchers were keen to point out, any sort of suggestion that our planet might be in danger. Unfortunately, now they can't find it again. Astronomers at Slooh had planned to live-stream 2000 EM26's passing last night, using a robotic telescope sited at Mount Teide in the Canary Islands. Unfortunately weather problems at the observatory left the telescope frozen up and unable to move; now, in fact, there's only one known still image of what's believed to be the asteroid shooting past us. That was taken by the Dubai Astronomy Group, SpaceTravelFou...

LG announced the L Series III trio of entry-level and mid-range 3G smartphones. LG L90, L70, and L40 will be showcased during MWC in Barcelona with customized Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box. eading the way is the LG L90. The handset features 1.2GHz quad-core CPU, a gig of RAM, and 8GB of built-in memory. The rest of the spec sheet’s highlights include 4.7” qHD (960 x 540 pixels) IPS display, 8MP main camera, and 1.3MP front-facing unit. Measures of the L90 are 131.6 x 66.0 x 9.7mm. It is powered by a 2,540mAh removable battery. Next in the lineup is the LG L70. It packs a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU and 4.5” WVGA (800 x 400 pixels) IPS display. The rest of the L70’s revealed specs include 1GB of RAM, 4GB of built-in memory, and 8MP or 5MP main camera depending on the market the handset is sold. Measures of the LG L70 are 127.2 x 66.8 x 9.5mm. It packs a 2,100mAh removable battery. LG L40 will be the most affordable member of the trio. Its specs include 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, 3.5” di...

A new Sony Xperia model number has just appeared in GFXBench. The Sony D5103 will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8226 chipset judging by the listing. The max frequency is listed as 1.4GHz, so we could be seeing a 1.4GHz quad-core processor and Adreno 305 graphics. The benchmark also outs the display resolution as 720 x 1280 pixels. Other information shows the handset running Android 4.4.1 KitKat with firmware build number 18.1.A.0.11. This particular model number suggests it will be a LTE model for the European and Asian markets. If this turns out to be true, the Sony D5103 will come to the market with the same specs as the Motorola Moto G (MSM8226 with 1.2GHz quad-core, 4.5-inch 720p display). Whether it will offer the same bang for the buck remains to be seen. XperiaBlog

The Sony D6503 ‘Sirius’ leaks continue and this time we have the first video of the device in action. What you see below is not a hardware tour of the device, but a quick look at Sony’s Android KitKat skin. You’ll see the new unlock screen effect at the very start of the video. There is also a look at the Walkman lock screen and how you can progress through a particular song. Other features in the video are Xperia Themes, quick-starting the camera from the lock screen and a quick look at Sony’s camera apps. Check out the video below. Xperiablog

Live photos showing the alleged casing of the upcoming Apple iPhone 6 made the rounds on the web. The images give us a possible glimpse of Apple’s much awaited large-screen iPhone model. As you can see in the photos above, the iPhone 6 will feature similar design to the iPad Air with a sleek, all-metal body and almost bezel-free display and thin profile. In short, if the pictures turn out to be the real deal, the iPhone 6 is going to be quite a looker. A couple of reports have suggested that Apple will reveal two iPhone models – one with 4.7” display and one with a screen larger than 5" in size. We doubt we are going to see either one before this fall. GSMArena