List of Android Phones getting Android 4.4 KitKat Firmware Update

The Android 4.4 KitKat version was recently announced and it is soon to be officially launched by Google when they would be coming up with the next version of Nexus, the Nexus 5 device. But it would always be a guessing game for the users, to see whether the 4.4 update would be coming to their device or not. With most of the high-end devices that were launched recently, one can easily expect that they would be receiving the KitKat update, but for the earlier devices, you will have to wait to see whether the manufacturer is deciding to send the update and whether the device hardware would be able to support it.

For now, check the list below to know which devices are going to get the next big version of Android OS.

Samsung Phones to get Android 4.4 Update

Samsung has not given any confirmation regarding the devices to be released with Android 4.4 update. However, anyone with a Samsung Galaxy Nexus won't be getting KitKat at all — Google has said the handset is too old to get the OS. Samsung UK will announce the rollout plans for Android 4.4 in due course. For now, a few devices which may be going to get the Android 4.4 update are as follows:

• Samsung Galaxy S4

• Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom

• Samsung Galaxy S4 Active

• Samsung Galaxy Note 3

• Samsung Galaxy Mega (no confirmation whether the 5.8, 6.3 or both)

• Samsung Galaxy S3

• Samsung Galaxy Note II

• Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini

• Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 & Tab 2

The Galaxy S3 and Note II have been facing a few regional lock issues and that is what is prompting Samsung to come up with a major update on these devices, as confirmed by one of the Samsung representatives. But again, the document mentions it is the S3 which has 2GB of RAM, and that is the U.S. version which might be getting the update, and the International users might have to wait and watch if Samsung has made it ready for their devices too or not.

Sony Phones to get Android 4.4 Update

Sony has officially updated the list of the Android smartphones in the Xperia range which are going to receive the Android 4.4 KitKat update, and these mostly include the recent smartphones. The exact dates are not mentioned and the company has advised Xperia owners to keep an eye out on its @SonyMobileNews Twitter account for the specific timing of the release. Here are the smartphones which would receive the KitKat update sooner or later:

• Sony Xperia Z1

• Sony Xperia Z

• Sony Xperia Z Ultra

• Sony Xperia ZL

• Sony Xperia Tablet Z

However, most of those devices will get Jelly Bean first: Sony said it will also begin rolling out Android 4.3 over the next month to the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia SP, Xperia Z Ultra and Xperia Z1. But, that may vary by market or carrier.This directs us to a point that these devices aren’t going to receive the KitKat update any time soon. The Xperia T, Xperia TX and Xperia V are the ones which would get the Android 4.3 update directly from Android 4.1 JB.

HTC Phones to get Android 4.4 Update

The HTC One Max is to be announced very soon, and that should be anyways getting the update after the launch, but the devices which are expected to get the Android 4.4 KitKat update after its launch, includes HTC One. HTC hasn't provided an update on the timing and version of Android for the HTC One max and the HTC One mini, but details will follow. Meanwhile, HTC US this week confirmed it will push KitKat to HTC One owners in the same timeframe as the UK. 

HTC has officially named a few devices on its Twitter account, and these are the smartphones which would be getting the Android 4.4 KitKat update:

HTC One (Verizon Wireless) – end of Jan 2014

HTC Droid DNA – around the end of Quarter 1, 2014 after the approval from the carrier

The other phones where the update is still expected, but with no official update from HTC, include:

• HTC One

• HTC One X+

• HTC One X

• New Desire series phones launched in 2013

• HTC Droid DNA

• HTC J

• HTC Butterfly

LG Phones to get Android 4.4 Update

We did hear that the LG Optimus G Pro might be receiving the update a little later, but the LG G2, latest smartphone from the company is sure to get the KitKat version of Android very soon after the launch.

The company hasn't released a schedule for when its own Android devices, such as the G Pad tablet, and Optimus range, will get KitKat. This is just the initial list of the devices may get the update but it could change anytime:

• LG G2

• LG Nexus 4

• LG Optimus L7, L5, L3

• LG Optimus G

• LG Optimus G Pro

• LG Optimus VU

This page will be updated whenever there will be some actual confirmation or leak from the sources.

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Sony's Hybrid Pen drives

Sony has launched new pen drives that are compatible with smartphones and tablets. The flash drives are 2-in-1 devices with both USB 2.0 and microUSB connectors. So, buyers can connect them to phones and tablets as well as laptops and desktops. These new drives combine convenience, peace of mind and performance and are perfect for mobile multi-tasking.This isn’t the first time that we’ve seen such a pen drive, earlier this year iBall had introduced a similar hybrid drive with both USB and microUSB connectors. 

The new drives offer USB OTG (on-the-go) functionality. They are compatible with Android (Ice Cream Sandwich to Jelly Bean) operating systems. Sony says that it is working on making them compatible with the latest version of Android 4.4 (KitKat) operating system. Apart from copying data between devices, these drives can be used to as additional or temporary storage for smartphones and tablets. 

Their locking caps (available in three colours) will protect the connectors from damage, dust and debris. The metal body of the flash drives is durable enough to withstand everyday mobile use.

The pen drives by Sony for smartphones are priced at $19.99 for 8GB, $29.99 for 16GB and $62.99 for 32GB capacities. These pen drives are expected to release globally in January 2014.

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Samsung Galaxy NOTE 3

“The Next Galaxy Is Coming”   Haven’t we heard this phrase quite a lot times now? Yes there’s been an overdose of the Galaxy devices lately, but when a Samsung Galaxy Note’s successor is being announced, the craze is quite a few folds higher. The same is with the announcement by Samsung at the Samsung Unpacked 2013 event at Tempodrom, Berlin, as they unveil the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is already out all around, and finally the Indian users will get an idea whether to purchase the device or not, as the pricing has been revealed, with Samsung listing it at Rs. 49,900.

The device is available in three color options Black, White and Pink.

While LG, SONY and HTC are already in the market with their new range of phablets, here comes last but not the least an all new Galaxy Note 3 phablet which comes with awesome looks clubbed with the best battery life and build quality. 

The Note 3 is coming with a new S Pen, textured touch backing and a beautiful design and a powerful multitasking. There’s Android 4.3 under the hood in the phablet. Coming to the actual details about the device, the Galaxy Note 3 comes with the faux leather back, and it’s a 5.7-inch screen and the device weighs 168g, making it still lighter than the Note II, although there’s not much change in the thickness There is a volume rocker placed on one side and a power key on another. Looking at the device, it clearly suggests that Samsung has reduced the bezel drastically and looks very futuristic along with slim nature.

The 5.7-inch screen has got a full HD Super-AMOLED display, with the 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution. It comes with a new multi-window, where you can work on two apps at the same time. There’s 3GB of RAM, so you are finally getting to use a laptop (not literally!) in your hands.

Black, White and Blush Pink are the colors in which the phablet is coming. But the back cover is coming in 9 colors – Metallic Luster, Mocha Gray, Mint Blue, Jet Black, Classic White, Oatmeal Beige, Blush Pink and Mustard Yellow.

The S View Cover in the Note 3 is a bit different from that in the earlier versions, where you can have a larger area to use the S Pen directly with the cover not lifted.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Camera

The 13-megapixel camera on the Galaxy Note 3 comes with a 1080p video recording at 60 fps, and there’s a 4k video recording. It comes with the higher-powered LED flash. On the performance bit, to the surprise it resulted in some good photos even in the low lighting conditions of the closed hall.

Galaxy Note 3 Processor

The LTE version of the Galaxy Note 3 is coming with the 2.3GHz quad-core chip, while the international version would have a 1.9 GHz Octa-core processor.

Air Command Feature

The Air Command on the screen activates with the click of the button on the S Pen, and it has got 5 features -

·         Action Memo:  It links the memos to actions. Scribble a phone number, and you can directly save it for a contact

·         Scrapbook: Simply draw a circle around the content you want to save, and then you can save it to a category of your choice.

·         S Finder: This one lets you search for the items in the entire device using some keywords

·         Pen Window: Just select the text, and if you wanted to add the various numbers mentioned, open the calculator for the selected text and it adds up

·         Multi-window, as mentioned above

The redesigned S Pen is tough to use. It is small and thin, making it hard to grip. Not surprisingly, the button on the stylus was quite small, too.The notes can be shared to the different devices, and the syncing can be done with the PCs. It syncs with Evernote, and the premium Evernote would be available for the Note 3 users for a year for all the syncing.

Multi Vision Feature

The multivision feature is what takes the Group Play to the next level, where you can now add up the screens and not just the music. Add 2 or more Note 3 devices and it would divide the content and show it together when the Note 3s are placed side by side.

       

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Official Specifications

      ·         Display: 5.7inch Full HD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080)

      ·         OS: Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean)

      ·         Processor: LTE 2.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor

      ·         3G 1.9 GHz Octa Core  Processor ( A15 1.9 GHz ＋ A7 1.3 GHz)

      ·         Rear Camera: 13 Mega-pixel BSI Sensor, 1080p Video recording at 60 fps, 4k Video Recording

      ·         Front Camera: 2 Mega-pixel BSI, 1080p Video recording at 30 fps

      ·         Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (HT80), GPS / GLONASS, NFC,  Bluetooth® v 4.0 (LE), IR

      ·         RAM: 3GB

      ·         Dimensions: 151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3mm, 168g

      ·         Battery: 3200 mAh

      ·         Storage: 32/ 64 GB User memory, Expandable to 64GB in the 32GB variant

So, the Galaxy Note 3 breaks all the shackles with some excellent features, the always available S Pen with advancements and a lot more. Once you will hold the Note 3 and flip it around, you can feel the difference. However, the pricing could be a bit disappointing for those who were not really hoping to take almost half a lac out of their pocket to own this device.

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APPLE iPHONE 5C

Apple's iPhones have always been loved and hated but price has always been a strong factor in the hate department. Every year tech world used to come up with a dream of cheaper iPhone but this year it looked more like a reality than a dream. After all the buzzing in the rumour mill and such a long string of speculations, Apple has finally done it. Apple has made iPhone 5C an official thing.


It has the same Apple A6 processing unit and 4" retina display as iPhone 5 had and has the same 8 megapixel camera as well but Apple has increased the size of each pixel to 1.9 micron which should result in better low light photos. Also the front camera has FaceTime HD now. Also for the first time, iPhone 5C now also supports 5 GHz Wi-Fi frequency apart from the normal 2.4 GHz one. It comes with BlueTooth 4.0 on board but Apple is yet to incorporate NFC in any of its devices. It has new LTE chips with additional bands then iPhone 5 which supports almost every band being used by carriers all around the world and supports speeds of upto 100 mbps.

 iPhone 5C Full Specs 

      

       ·         Nano-SIM

       ·         LED-backlit IPS LCD Display, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors

       ·         4-inch Retina display

       ·         Corning Gorilla Glass, Multitouch

       ·         Internal 16/32/64 GB storage, 1 GB RAM

       ·         WLAN  Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot

       ·         Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP

       ·         USB v2.0

       ·         8 MP BSI iSight camera, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash

       ·         1.2 MP Secondary camera, face detection, FaceTime over Wi-Fi or Cellular

       ·         OS iOS 6, upgradable to iOS 6.1.4,  planned upgrade to iOS 7.0

       ·         Apple A6 Chipset  

       ·         Dual-core 1.3 GHz Processor

       ·         GPS with A-GPS support and GLONASS

       ·         Available in Black/Slate, White/Silver Colors

-          AirDrop file sharing

-          Siri natural language commands and dictation

-          iCloud cloud service

-          Twitter and Facebook integration

       ·         Non-removable Li-Po 1440 mAh battery (5.45 Wh)

The biggest thing that Apple has introduced with iPhone 5C is the choice of colors and thanks to god that Apple hasn't used any cheesy names for the colors. They have kept it simple - White, Blue, Green, Yellow and Pink. Also, because it is not a normal plastic but a poly-carbonate one (like Nokia used to have in their top of the line Lumia phones), its strength shouldn't be of an issue and it takes care of the problem of the iPhones looking cheap as well. iPhone 5C is also supposed to have a better battery life then iPhone 5 on which it is based.

iPhone 5C will retail at 99$ for the 16 GB version and 199$ for the 32 GB version with a 2-year contract. Apple will start taking pre-orders along with the carriers from 13 September and a week later, on 20 September, iPhone 5C will be released in the retail outfits as well. In the first wave of availability, USA, U.K., Japan, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany and Hong Kong will be the ones getting it but Apple is targeting more than 100 countries by the end of this calendar year.

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