Huawei Mate 8 now available to buy in China?

Towards the end of November, Huawei lifted the lid on currently its most powerful device – the Huawei Mate 8. Initially, it was believed that the device would be available in Q1 2016. It seems, however, that Huawei has other plans, as an exec has announced that the device is now available in China. Available to buy in China? This is according to Chinese-speaking MyDrivers. It reports that Huawei’s smartphone chief, He Gang, announced the Huawei Mate 8 has been launched on the 9th of December in China. He added that 1 million units of the device will be rolling out of the assembly line every month. Unfamiliar with the Huawei Mate 8? The device  sports a 6-inch IPS LCD screen with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. This works out to a pixel density of 367 ppi. Under the hood is Huawei’s HiSilicon Kirin 950 SoC, which is an octa-core processor with four Cortex A72s cores clocked at 2.3 GHz, four Cortex A53s clocked at 1.8 GHz, and an ARM Mali-T880 GPU to handle graphics
http://blog.phoneslimited.co.uk/chinese-can-now-buy-huawei-mate-8/

BlackBerry pushes back Priv shipping to November 30

Have you pre-ordered the BlackBerry Priv? If you have, you may be wondering why the device hasn t arrived on your doorstep, since it was initially listed to ship on the 9th of November. Apparently, the high demand for the high-end Android-powered slider has forced the Canadian phone maker to push back the device s shipping date to the 30th of November. Will ship starting on the 30th of November BlackBerry UK now says that the buyers who pre-ordered the Priv will start getting their hands on the device starting on the 30th of November. The Priv was said to be the last device BlackBerry makes if it turns out to be a flop. We re guessing, since the demand for the device turned out to be high, BlackBerry will continue to manufacture devices. To recap, the BlackBerry Priv rocks a 5.4-inch screen with a resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels (Quad HD). This works out to a pixel density of 540 ppi. Just like BlackBerry devices of old, a physical QWERTY keyboard slides out. A virtual keyboard i
http://blog.phoneslimited.co.uk/blackberry-priv-shipping-date-pushed-back-to-nov-30-instead-of-nov-9/

BlackBerry Priv shipments pushed to November 30

It looks like the BlackBerry Priv turned out to be a success as the Canadian phone maker has pushed back the smartphone s shipping date. Ships on the 30th of November Earlier, BlackBerry UK said that the Priv would ship to buyers who pre-ordered the device starting on the 9th of November. It seems, however, that buyers around the world were eager to get their hands on the high-end Android-powered slider, as Blackberry UK now says that the smartphone will start shipping to buyers starting on the 30th of November. If it s only now that you re hearing about the BlackBerry Priv, the smartphone rocks a 5.4-inch screen with a resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels (Quad HD). This works out to a pixel density of 540 ppi. Underneath the keyboard slides out a physical QWERTY keyboard. If you prefer a virtual keyboard, the Priv offers this too. Under the hood is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 64-bit hexa-core processor (two cores clocked at 1.8 GHz, four cores clocked at 1.44 GHz, and an Adreno 418
http://news.phonesltd.co.uk/blackberry-2/blackberry-priv-delayed-until-nov-30/

Entry-level BlackBerry Z3 now available in the UK

Back in November of 2013, John Chen replaced Thorsten Heins as BlackBerry s CEO. The first smartphone to come out of Chen s leadership is the BlackBerry Z3, an entry-level device put together by Foxconn (chain of factories known for putting Apple devices together) with BlackBerry providing the software. The handset was first launched in Indonesia in May of last year followed by India, Malaysia, Singapore, and then to other Asian countries. Initially we thought that the Z3 would not be available outside of Asia, but it seems the device has made it to the UK via retailer Clove. Clove is asking £160.99 £163.99 for the SIM free device. This is inclusive of shipping and VAT. To recap, the BlackBerry Z3 sports a 5-inch screen with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 1.1-megapixel front-facing camera, 8 GB of internal storage, support for as much as 32 GB from a microSD card, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 dual-core processor with each core clocked at 1.2 GHz,
http://news.phonesltd.co.uk/blackberry-2/entry-level-blackberry-z3-now-available-in-the-uk/

Lollipop update coming to the Nexus 4, 5, 7, and 10 on November 12

The Android 5.0 (Lollipop) update was expected to roll out to previous Nexus devices (Nexus 4 smartphone, Nexus 5 smartphone, Nexus 7 tablet, and Nexus 10 tablet) this week, but the week is about to end and still no Lollipop treatment for the devices. According to a post on Google+, the update was pushed a week back  and will be rolled out to the said devices on the 12th of November. Disappointed? Don t be. It s actually a good thing. Google is reportedly making sure that it has ironed out the bugs before it rolls out the update to the Nexus 4, 5, 7, and 10. It s also possible that the search giant wants the rollout of the update to coincide with the launch of the Nexus 6, its new phablet manufactured by Motorola, which is scheduled to launch in the US next week. Why? Google wants Lollipop users to make fun of owners of devices running an outdated version of Android. So, if you own a Nexus 4 and come across a friend who owns a Nexus 6, you re sure you won t won t be made fun of. Look
http://news.phonesltd.co.uk/google/lollipop-update-coming-to-the-nexus-4-5-7-and-10-on-november-12/

HTC Eye to be launched in the US on November 7 as an AT&T exclusive – coming to the UK in mid- to late-November

US network operator AT&T has announced that it will exclusively offer the HTC Eye, the Taiwanese phone maker s selfie-centric smartphone on the 7th of November. The press release reads: Get the Desire EYE and RE by HTC in time for the holidays. AT&T1 today confirmed that the HTC Desire EYE and RE will be available for purchase beginning Nov. 7 at http://www.att.com and in AT&T retail stores. Purchase the HTC Desire EYE in Coral Reef (white) for $0 down on an AT&T Next plan for $22.92 per month on AT&T Next 182 or $27.50 per month on AT&T Next 12.2 You can also get the smartphone for $149.99 with a two-year agreement3 or at no annual commitment for $549.99.4 Additionally, customers can save $50 on a RE by HTC, a 16MP point and shoot camera, when they purchase the HTC Desire EYE on an AT&T Next plan or a two-year agreement.5 “Optimized for taking selfies, HTC Desire EYE is AT&T’s first smartphone with a 13MP front-facing camera and a dual LED flash,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice presi
http://news.phonesltd.co.uk/phones/htc/htc-eye-to-be-launched-in-the-us-on-november-7-as-an-att-exclusive-coming-to-the-uk-in-mid-to-late-november/

Samsung Gear S coming to the US on November 7

Samsung has announced that the Gear S, the Korean tech giant s new smartwatch that sports a SIM card allowing it to make and receive calls without pairing with a smartphone, will be available in the US on the 7th of November. Press release: Samsung Continues to Define Wearables Market, Brings Gear S to U.S. Next Week October  30, 2014 DALLAS- Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC (Samsung) announced today that the Samsung Gear S™ will be available in the U.S. beginning next Friday, November 7. Samsung’s next-generation wearable extends the smartphone experience to users’ wrists through connectivity and convenience. “Samsung continues to shape the wearable category with advanced technology and new experiences,” said Gregory Lee, president and CEO of Samsung Telecommunications America and Samsung Electronics North America Headquarters. “A growing developer ecosystem will further expand the capabilities of the Gear S with fitness tracking services like Nike+ Running and o
http://news.phonesltd.co.uk/phones/samsung/samsung-gear-s-coming-to-the-us-on-november-7/

Wi-Fi Google Nexus 7 to get Lollipop first on November 3?

According to Android Police s source, the Wi-Fi Google Nexus 7 will be the first Nexus device to get Android 5.0 (Lollipop) on the 3rd of November. The update will roll out to the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 later that month. Presumably an email from the source reads, Starting later this week, we will make the SDK and system images for Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 of Android 5.0 Lollipop available on developer.android.com. On November 3, we will begin rolling out Android 5.0 Lollipop to Nexus 7 (Wifi) and Nexus 10 via an OTA, and will continue to roll out to Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7 (LTE) later that month. Sadly, we can t confirm if this is accurate, so take it with a pinch of salt. All Google said when it revealed Lollipop was that the update would start rolling out to devices in the coming weeks. Note that the latest version of Android first roll out to Nexus devices and Google Play devices, since they run Android in vanilla form. Android devices that run custom UIs by manufacturers tend to get upd
http://blog.phoneslimited.co.uk/wi-fi-google-nexus-7-to-get-lollipop-first-on-november-3/

ASUS ZenWatch to be launched first in Taiwan in November – only 300 units for initial run?

ASUS has announced that its Android Wear-powered smartwatch the ZenWatch will first be available in Taiwan in November. However, a report is now saying that only 300 units will be available during the wearable s initial run. The news comes to us courtesy of Chinese-speaking VR Zone. It is yet to be determined why the ZenWatch s inititial stock will be limited. If true, this would mean that the smartwatch will not be seen in other markets at the same time it hits Taiwan. Of course, since this is anything but official, take it with a pinch of salt. Bummed you may not get your hands on the ASUS ZenWatch? Let us know through a comment on our Phones LTD Facebook page.
http://blog.phoneslimited.co.uk/asus-zenwatch-to-be-launched-first-in-taiwan-in-november-only-300-units-for-initial-run/

Samsung Developers Conference kicking off on November 11

At the Moscone Center in San Francisco, Apple held WWDC 2014. Google also held Google I/O at the venue. On the 11th of November, Samsung will also hold its Samsung Developers Conference at the Moscone Center. On Samsung Tomorrow, the Korean tech giant announced: Last October, Samsung held its first annual Samsung Developers Conference (SDC) in San Francisco. Numbers of Samsung SDKs were introduced and discussed at the SDC, including Mobile SDK, Smart TV SDK 5.0 Multiscreen Gaming SDK, Multiscreen SDK, KNOX Enterprise SDK beta. Since then, Samsung announced its plans to release the improved Samsung Mobile SDK with Samsung Galaxy S5 and introduced the first S Health SDK powered by Samsung health platform in MWC2014. Samsung also introduced both of the Tizen SDK for Wearable and Samsung Accessory SDK powered by Samsung Gear series. There is absolutely no doubt Samsung has not been shy about getting closer to the developer community. Now, here comes next phase. The date for this year
http://news.phonesltd.co.uk/phones/samsung/samsung-developers-conference-kicking-off-on-november-11/