HTC One Max has October 17th release date?

The HTC One Max is one of the most eagerly awaited Android models expected to launch before the end of the year. The phablet resembles a giant HTC One and pictures of the device have revealed that a fingerprint scanner is on board A published report out of China on Friday says that the HTC One Max will finally be launched on October 17th. The HTC One Max will feature a 5.9 inch screen with 1080 x 1920 resolution. Unlike the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600, which powers the normal sized HTC One, the phablet brings little more speed with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 powering the phablet. Or is it a 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with 2GB of RAM that will be on board? One person who tested the phone found a new UI for the camera and also reported that the fingerprint scanner was flawless. The "recognition rate is very high, there was no awkward situation [with using it]," said the tester.  We expect the camera to offer HDR video recording, three levels of blemish correction and a beauty mode. For details...

Toshiba's new dual camera module brings 'deep focus' imaging to smartphones

 Toshiba is bringing dual camera with technology that you're much more likely to use. Its new module uses two 5-megapixel cameras to record depth and images at the same time, producing a "deep focus" picture where everything is sharp. The technique offers a Lytro-like ability to refocus, even after you've taken the shot; it also provides gesture control and very fast digital autofocusing. You'll have to wait a while before you're snapping deep focus vacation photos, though. Toshiba doesn't expect to mass produce the sensors until April, and finished products will likely come later. Read more…

EA's free-to-play FIFA 14 arrives on iOS and Android

Whether you refer to it as fútbol, football or soccer, there's no denying that the FIFA franchise is one of the sports' best options for gaming across the various existing platforms. Now, following in the footsteps of its relative Madden 25, FIFA 14 is available for iOS as well as Android. As with its sporting game sibling, the renowned title's latest mobile edition can be downloaded at no cost, with EA hoping to bring in revenue by way of in-app purchases -- which includes anything from Ultimate Team points to the unlocking of additional game modes (such as Manager and Tournament). Be prepared to make some room for FIFA 14 on your device though, since the app's size is a little more than 1GB in both the App Store and Google Play.

Next Vivo phone might come with a 1/1.7'', 20.2MP sensor and a Nikon SLR chip

In a world where words such as Samsung and Apple have become synonymous for a smartphone, it's a rough life for the many no-name brands that may not be particularly bad or even at all. In a growing number of instances, that seems to have a fair bit to do with the companies' lack of marketing “chops” (= money), when compared to that of the big guys. Especially in the Western hemisphere.This same situation is quite different in the East, however, which, most agree, will stage the next clash for superiority in the industry. Relatively unknown brands such as Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, Meizu and others are just getting their names heard, and it will probably be a longer while still, until you start spotting them in the mainstream. At the same time, those very brands are generating waves in their home markets, and are already readying quite a surprise for their behemoth, but laggard rivals.

One such brand is BBK. You've probably never heard of it, though you may have heard of Oppo and, recently, Vivo – currently holding the world's thinnest smartphone title with the X3. Oppo, along with Vivo, are both the brainchildren of BBK. And though it might take a not-too shabby nudge to get most to see quality under a name different than the prior-mentioned giants of technology, phones like the about-to-be-unveiled Oppo N1 have been proving why they deserve attention. Read more...

Oppo announces its update Color OS running on the new Oppo N1

Oppo, at its Beijing event for the camera-centric N1, showed the latest update to its latest Android OS overlay which it calls Color OS. As before, the proprietary UI follows the basics of Android but has a deeply overhauled look – from icons to its heavily gesture-based functionality. According to Oppo the OS was developed with lots of research from users and is accompanied by some 43 patents.

Some features include getting the weather info for whoever you’re dialing, opening the camera from just about everywhere with a three finger gesture, and more.

iPhone 5 touchscreen found to be over twice as fast as its Android-based rivals

Touchscreen latency is the time lag between an input on the screen and the device reacting to it. It affects the user experience directly and a high latency is what causes the perception of lag on devices.In a test conducted by a company called Agawi, we get to see how some of the current smartphones on the market fare when put in front of a high speed camera shooting at 240fps and a custom built measurement device called Touchscope. They compared the iPhone 5, the iPhone 4, the Galaxy S4, the Lumia 928, the HTC One and the Moto X. The result, Apple’s devices being way ahead of the rest.

As you can see in the graph above, the iPhone 5 (not the new 5s, mind you, but the last year’s model) is way ahead of its Android based competition. It’s nearest competitor is the iPhone 4, released in 2010, and the nearest Android based rival being the Galaxy S4, with over twice the latency.

This is one of those things that is never mentioned in spec sheets but has a real impact in everyday performance. It’s also why in subjective tests the iOS devices feel much smoother and responsive than Android devices. And now you have actual data to back up these subjective tests.

Chaos Computer Club says it's beaten Apple's Touch ID fingerprint reader

Already feeling secure about using just your fingerprint to unlock the new iPhone 5S? European hacker association Chaos Computer Club claims it can be circumvented with "easy everyday means." According to CCC hacker "Starbug", tactics laid out in a how-to from 2004 are all that are required, with just a higher res fake needed to beat the Touch ID reader. The process, requires a 2400 DPI photograph of someone's fingerprint from a glass surface, which is then laser printed at 1200 DPI and used to create a thin latex sheet that serves as the fake. Simple, right? It's a bit more labor intensive than the old way (just watching someone input their passcode or pattern) but users may want to consider fingerprint access as a measure intended more for convenience than security.

LG Vu 3 official: 5.2-inch 4:3 display, Snapdragon 800, 13MP camera, LTE-A

Considering LG's G2 was leaked many times before it became official, we're a little surprised that the company managed to keep the Vu 3 under wraps before today. The Korean firm's latest Android smartphone drops the Optimus tag of its predecessor, but keeps the Vu series' signature 4:3 aspect ratio for its 5.2-inch IPS display (1,280 x 960 resolution). Specs include a Snapdragon 800 processor, 13-megapixel camera and LTE-A radio. Aside from the stylus, translucent QuickView cases and a couple of LG software titles we recognize (like guest mode and KnockON), there's not much else to glean from the Korean press release. If your linguistic skills (or Google Translate translation skills) are better than ours, however, the source awaits you.