Sony announces Android 4.3 update whitelist

Sony has just published the list of devices that will be getting the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update that was announced yesterday. On the smartphone side, the company will be bringing the latest Jelly Bean version to the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia SP and Xperia Z Ultra. The only tablet that is confirmed to get treated to the latest Android release at this point is the Xperia Tablet Z.

Sony is currently seeding the Jelly Bean 4.2 update for the Xperia Z and Xperia ZL. Starting from early August, the Xperia ZR and Xperia Tablet Z will get Android 4.2 as well.

Some older Xperia phones running Android 4.1 are still under examination. There's a possibility that at least some of them will be updated straight to Android 4.3, but no names have been confirmed yet.

Additionally, Sony acknowledges that its updates haven't been "as succinct or as timely as you might’ve expected." The company's developers have now changed their workflow to assure that future updates arrive faster. The whole procedure is detailed in a lengthy and educational blog post, in case you are interested.

20MP camera rocking Sony Xperia Honami pictured again

With alleged press shots, headlining 20MP camera and purported specifications now out in the wild, the Sony Xperia Honami has been leaked yet again in a bunch of a live photos. Those look to be the real deal, aligning nicely with previous live shots.

Anyway, the Xperia Honami has kept a lot of the charm of the Xperia Z it is said to succeed at the company's smartphone flagship throne. With a glass covered back and sharp edges all around, it's definitely a looker. The photos confirm the large loudspeaker grill, that is a slight departure from the current OmniBalance design.

Furthermore, the dedicated camera key on the right hand side underlines the cameraphone status of the smartphone. It's said to be a 20 megapixel Exmor RS unit, which will feature the Sony G-lens and BIONZ image processor, but its sensor will measure 1/2.3" rather than the previously rumored 1/1.6".

According to the person, who took the photos, the camera software isn't close to its final version. Since the resolution settings in the camera app were missing, too, he couldn't confirm if the phone packs a 20MP camera.

The specs sheet goes on with a flagship-worthy 5" 1080p display, 2.2GHz quad-core Krait 400 CPU and 2GB of RAM on a Snapdragon 800 chipset. The battery, while still non-removable, will be bumped to 3,000mAh, from the 2,330mAh on the Xperia Z.

Just like the Xperia Z, the Sony Xperia Honami is said to be IP57 certified, which it is completely dust-protected and will withstand a meter of water for 30 minutes.

Sony is expected to announce the Xperia Honami at a dedicated press event on September 4 in Berlin.

Sony Honami gets pictured side-by-side with Xperia Z

Up until now, all we've seen of the Xperia i1 Honami from Sony is pretty much everything. From high res captures to alleged press images to specs, there's even a system dump that revealed a new camera UI for its 20MP shooter.

One thing we haven’t seen yet is it pictured next to the flagship it's set to succeed, the Sony Xperia Z. Judging by how similar the design strategy looks to be and seeing as how the Honami is set to also have a 5" 1080p display, it's a pretty safe bet that the devices should look very similar.

The first two shots indicate that the Honami is slightly longer and just a hair wider than the Xperia Z.

Also included are some shots of the new camera UI. Although we've already seen this interface via the earlier leaked camera app, this time they're in English, so we get a better idea of what it is about.

By all accounts, the Honami is expected to be revealed at Sony's dedicated press event at IFA in Berlin on September 4. Be sure to check back with us then for full coverage!

Specs of Samsung Galaxy Note III leak, 5.7-inch display confirmed

The upcoming Galaxy Note phablet has been doing the rounds in the rumorland for quite a while now. The specifications of the third generation Galaxy Note have appeared several times and now we have an official confirmation from a Samsung insider, in front of Business Daily.

amsung Galaxy Note III is confirmed to feature a 5.7-inch display, 3 GB of RAM and Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. Furthermore, the alleged spec sheet of Galaxy Note III reveals that the device will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset with the latest 4G LTE-A support.

We will know more about the Galaxy Note III, when Samsung unveils its next generation Galaxy phablet on September 4 in Berlin.

IDC: Apple and Samsung lose market share in Q2

According to the latest figures from Internation Data Corporation (IDC) market analysis, Apple and Samsung continue to dominate the smartphone market. However, the companies have seen their shares slip in Q2 of this year compared to what they had last year.

Of the estimated total of 237.9 million smartphones shipped this past quarter, Samsung accounted for some 72.4 million units, or 30.4%. Despite shipping more units in Q2 than for the same period of last year, Samsung's market share dropped from 32.2% due to seasonal sales rates and lost market share to up-and-comers like LG and Lenovo.

LG was able to ship 12.1 million units in Q2, giving it a 5.1% market share, while Lenovo sold 11.3 million units, or 4.7%. Those two saw their shipments increase by 108.6% and 130.6% YoY, respectively.

Apple, meanwhile saw its market share drop by almost a quarter to 13.1% in Q2. The (highly) rumored release of a budget iPhone model alongside the iPhone 5S should hopefully bring things back for the Cupertino-based company, but the effects of those will only be properly felt in Q4.

The lost market share is likely of little concern to either Apple or Samsung, as both are raking in huge profits from their smartphone offerings. Particularly Samsung, who is celebrating a record $8.5 billion profit for Q2.

Another budget iPhone photo leaks, this time with FCC labels

So far we’ve been pretty skeptical of the budget iPhone leaks as they bear a very strong resemblance to a certain China-built Android phone. This, however, could be the money shot - the plastic budget iPhone with FCC labels on the back.

None of the other leaks we’ve seen (and there have been plenty) had such labels. The labels could, of course, be faked quite easily (especially in a blurry shot like this). Still, we’re on the lookout for official FCC docs - a non-blurry shot with the FCC ID clearly visible would be a great start.

Anyway, the rumor mill also says that this budget iPhone will be unveiled on September 6. There are other rumors that contradict this date so we'll see. For what it’s worth, the iPhone 5 was announcedSeptember 12.

Sony lunches updatesoftware for xperia series

Link to Sony PC Companion, the sotware you need and the one that will check if you have the latest firmware version:

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

now you can up date your xperia any time by ur self