The Samsung Galaxy S4 will be available for pre-order at AT&T from 16th April ... it will cost you $250 with a 24 month contract.

"Just two days ago, T-Mobile's potty-mouthed CEO John Legere gave us a tentative May 1st launch date for Samsung's Galaxy S 4 on that network. And now, AT&T's making its S 4 plans public, opening up pre-orders for the device on April 16th. Subscribers that sign-up for a two-year plan will be able to snag the 5-inch 1080p GS 4 for $250.

As to when it'll actually ship, well, that bit's still up in the air and we expect AT&T to elaborate in the weeks to come. But you can bet it won't be long before Samsung rushes to get its next big Galaxy thing into eager hands."

Sourcve: Engadget

A massive 6.1-inch screen ... Wow! This smartphone from Huawei has one of the largest screens on the market, boasting  a 6.1-inch HD IPS+ 1280 x 720 LCD touchscreen with Corning Gorilla glass!

"Huawei has unveiled its 6.1-inch Acend Mater smartphone. It runs on Android 4.1 and 1.5GHz quad-core Hi-Silicon K3V2 + Intel XMM6260.

The new smartphone is equipped with a 6.1-inch HD IPS+ 1280 x 720 LCD touchscreen with Corning Gorilla glass. Its Magic Touch allows users to operate its touch functions wearing gloves in cold winter.

Ascend Mate features a 4050 mAh battery. With QPC and ADRX smart power-saving technology, the smartphone provides up to two days of ordinary usage on a single charge, the vendor said."

Source: Digitimes

Manufacturers have started production of components and parts for Apple's new iPhone 6 (or possibly iPhone 5S) ... so expect to see leaks around May or June.

"Components for the next-generation iPhone will start shipping at the end of May with the new smartphone to have a chance of showing up in the third quarter, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

The new iPhone will not receive a major upgrade and may just be a slightly enhanced version of iPhone 5 (iPhone 5S), the sources said citing their latest specification data. Meanwhile, there are also rumors stating that Apple also plans to release an iPhone model using plastic chassis to push its global smartphone market share, the sources added."

Source: Digitimes

According to Digitimes, the total cost for Samsung's new Galaxy S4 will come to around US $236 (give or take a few dollars). Which makes me wonder how much profit does Samsung make per phone ... really?

"The HSPA+ version of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S4 smartphone carries a US$236 bill of materials (BOM), up significantly from the Galaxy S3, due to major upgrades in the display, sensors and application processor, and supporting memory, according to IHS iSuppli.

The HSPA+ S4 with 16GB of NAND flash memory costs US$244 when the US$8.50 manufacturing cost is added in, said IHS. The BOM of the HSPA+ version of the S4 is US$30.40 higher than for the equivalent version of the Galaxy S3, a 15% increase.

"Although its hardware is not radically different from the Galaxy S III introduced in April of 2012, the Samsung Galaxy S4 includes some critical component updates that enhance its functionality as well as its BOM cost," said Vincent Leung, senior analyst for cost benchmarking at IHS. "Among the upgrades are a larger, full high-definition (HD) display; a beefed-up Samsung processor; and a wealth of new sensors that set a record high for the number of such devices in a smartphone design. And despite the larger display and other changes, the Galaxy S4 has roughly the same width and the same ease of handling as the Galaxy S III."

Source: Digitimes

Mid-range smartphones for the comsumers of all ages ...

"The last big announcement we heard from Sony on the smartphone front was during CES 2013 when it showed off the Xperia Z smartphone. Sony is back this week with the announcement of two mid-range, Android-powered smartphones that fit into the Xperia line: the Xperia SP and the Xperia L.

The Xperia SP uses a high quality 4.6-inch HD Reality Display featuring technology from the company's Bravia TV line. The smartphone also uses the Bravia Engine 2 for a better viewing experience allowing it to automatically adjust the image on the screen for optimal quality.

The Xperia SP also features one-touch functions using NFC technology for displaying content on the TV or sharing with other devices. The device supports 4G LTE connectivity and has a "transparent element" that allows the user to personalize changing colors on the phone notifying of incoming calls or messages. That "transparent element" can also pulse to the beat of the music."

Source: Sony via Dailytech

It seems there's more profit in making smartphones than tablets and laptops. Asus have decided to produced an Intel-based smartphone ready to launch in June of this year. They've already produce a wide range of Android based phones and tablets ... adding an Intel-based smartphone would complete their catalogue I guess.

"In addition to its entry-level Fonepad, Asustek Computer is set to launch a new smartphone featuring Intel Atom Z2580 processor (Clover Trail+), targeting the mainstream market segment in June at the earliest, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

The smartphone is expected to adopt a 5- to 5.5-inch display, similar to that of Lenovo's K900 smartphone, which also uses the Atom Z2580 and will be available in China in April, the sources said."

Source: Digitimes

My dream phone is finally launched ... The Samsung Galaxy S4. It may not be as glossy as Apple's iPhone launch events ... but it's definitely the biggest launch of the year so far in 2013 ... I will definitely start saving my pennies for this phone.

Specifications:

• 1.6Ghz (eight-core) OR 1.9Ghz (quad-core)
• Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
• 2GB onboard ram
• 5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED (440 ppi touch screen)
• 1920x1080 resolution (1080p)
• 13 Mega pixel rear facing camera
• 2 Mega pixel front facing camera
• 3G, 4G, LTE

Source: Samsung

Don't you just love rumors ... especially fake ones! LOL ... just take a standard S3 and change its plastic cover to make it look like an S4. Nice one!

" ... The shots appear to be taken in a phone unlocking shop somewhere in China, with this GT-i9502 model apparently bound for carrier China Unicom. Interestingly (at least for a flagship), it appears to be a dual-SIM version, with the mono-SIM version apparently picking up model number GT-i9500 -- a number that would fit in with the series so far. According to the leak, it's running a fresh version of Android (4.2.1) with a 1080p display (no word on dimensions just yet), 2GB of RAM and a 13-megapixel camera on the back."

Source: Engadget