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Samsung’s Galaxy Core Advance goes on sale for $390 this week, starting in Korea

Feb17
by on February 17, 2014 at 4:19 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Asia, Korea, Mobile, samsung

2 520x245 Samsungs Galaxy Core Advance goes on sale for $390 this week, starting in Korea

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Core Advance in December of last year and, true to its word, the company is launching the budget 3G device this week. The phone goes on sale in Korea tomorrow (February 18) priced at 410,300 won, which is just under $390 — there’s no word on when it will make it overseas.

Update: Samsung tells us that the device “will be released in Europe and the U.S. in the coming months,” but the company hasn’t provided more specific details.

To recap the high-end points, the Galaxy Core sports a 4.7-inch screen and comes with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and physical keys. As we wrote when it was first announced, there’s not an awful lot to get excited about here — it is very much a lower-end version of the Galaxy S3, complete with a cheaper price tag.

Given that there is no support for LTE networks — an absolute must in Korea, let alone the West — we expect it to be focused very much on emerging market consumers; we’ve reached out to Samsung for details of when it will go on sale outside of Korea, and at what price. Either way, with Mobile World Congress next week, you’d do better to wait on new devices being announced and discounts for older models than buy this phone.

11 730x570 Samsungs Galaxy Core Advance goes on sale for $390 this week, starting in Korea

To recap, the Galaxy Core advance is powered by a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor and comes with 1GB RAM, 8GB of internal memory, and a microSD card slot that can accommodate up to 64GB more storage.

The rear-facing camera clocks in at five megapixels, with a 2,000 mAh battery keeping things going. The usual Samsung services are on tap, including S Voice, S Translator, Sound & Shot, Group Play and Easy Mode — while there’s support for NFC (S Beam), Bluetooth 4.0, GPS with GLONASS, and three physical keys.

Galaxy Core Advance W 1 horz 730x601 Samsungs Galaxy Core Advance goes on sale for $390 this week, starting in Korea

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Mobile messaging app Kakao Talk is now available for Nokia Asha phones

Feb17
by on February 17, 2014 at 3:47 am
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Asia, kakao, kakao tal, kakao talk, Korea

unnamed1 Mobile messaging app Kakao Talk is now available for Nokia Asha phonesKakao Talk, the voice and text chat app from Korea with over 100 million registered users, has increased its focus on emerging markets with the launch of an app for Nokia Asha range of phones.

Asha isn’t a big deal in Korea or Western markets, but the smartphone-cum-feature-phones are designed for ‘the next billion’ smartphone owners and is said to have traction in markets like India, Latin America and Africa. Emerging markets are increasingly becoming a focus for chat apps, Line launched an app for the ‘affordable’ Firefox OS in Latin America and Europe earlier this month, for example.

Initially available for Nokia’s 500, 501, 502 and 503 devices, Kakao says the service will launch for other devices in the Asha range soon. Rival services WhatsApp, Line and WeChat are already available for the Nokia platform, giving users plenty of choice when it comes to chat apps.

➤ Kakao Talk for Asha

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NSA leak suggests Australia had wide-scale access to Indonesia’s telecoms network

Feb16
by on February 16, 2014 at 8:02 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Asia, Australia, Snowden

A new leak from NSA documents obtained by whisteblower Edward Snowden have cast light on Australia’s national security agency — the Australian Signals Directorate — and its access to Indonesia’s telecoms network.

The New York Times reports that the agency obtained nearly 1.8 million encrypted master keys from Indonesian operator Telkomsel. The agency was apparently able to decrypt almost all of the keys, giving it access to the private communications data that they protect.

Access was apparently used to monitor government communication, and, in particular, contact with an American legal firm that represented Indonesia in trade disputes with the US. Australia’s Prime Minister previously stated that the country did not collect information “to the detriment of other countries” — an NSA leak last year suggested Australia tapped phones belonging to Indonesia’s Prime Minister and other top politicians.

➤ Spying by N.S.A. Ally Entangled U.S. Law Firm [New York Times] | Via Sydney Morning Herald

Image via BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images

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LG announces the L Series III, mid-range smartphones with Android KitKat and smart covers

Feb16
by on February 16, 2014 at 7:31 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, kitkat, lg, Mobile, mobile world congresss, mwc2014

lg1 520x245 LG announces the L Series III, mid range smartphones with Android KitKat and smart covers

LG is again the first smartphone-maker to get out of the blocks ahead of Mobile World Congress, the mobile industry’s biggest annual event, in Spain later this month. Fresh from announcing the G Pro 2 last week, the Korean firm has unveiled the third generation of its affordable L Series range.

The L40, L70 and L90 are three smartphones based on Android 4.4 KitKat. Sized between 4.5 and 4.7 inches, each is powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, coming with up to 1GB RAM and 4GB/8GB memory. The trio will ship with LG’s smart covers — Quick Window — which, aside from offering protect from bumps and bashes, sports a translucent window to enable users to glimpse information on screen without having to open the cover.

Price and retail launch information are yet to be revealed, but the phones are of interest because they are the first mid- / low-end devices to ship with KitKat. Motorola aside, the latest flavor of Android is still to really roll out to the global Android user base.

lg2 730x452 LG announces the L Series III, mid range smartphones with Android KitKat and smart covers

Here’s the spec sheet for each device — they are primarily designed for emerging markets, hence the lack of support for LTE:

L90

  • Processor: 1.2 GHz Quad-Core
  • Display: 4.7-inch IPS (960 x 540) qHD
  • Memory: 8GB / 1GB RAM
  • Camera: 8.0MP / 1.3MP
  • Battery: 2,540mAh (removable)
  • Operating System: Android 4.4 KitKat
  • Size: 131.6 x 66.0 x 9.7mm
  • Network: 3G (HSPA+21Mbps)

L70

  • Processor: 1.2 GHz Dual-Core
  • Display: 4.5-inch IPS (800 x 400)
  • Memory: 4GB / 1GB RAM
  • Camera: 8.0MP or 5.0MP / VGA (depending on market)
  • Battery: 2,100mAh (removable)
  • Operating System: Android 4.4 KitKat
  • Size: 127.2 x 66.8 x 9.5mm
  • Network: 3G (HSPA+21Mbps)

L40

  • Processor: 1.2 GHz Dual-Core
  • Display: 3.5-inch (480 x 320)
  • Memory: 4GB / 512MB RAM
  • Camera: 3.0MP
  • Battery: 1,700mAh or 1,540mAh (removable / depending on market)
  • Operating System: Android 4.4 KitKat
  • Size: 109.4 x 59.0 x 11.9mm
  • Network: 3G (HSDPA+14.4Mbps)

If you still want more, LG has further images of the devices in this video of the design story:

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‘@DrawnYourTweet’ just became one of our favorite accounts on Twitter

Feb16
by on February 16, 2014 at 6:22 pm
Posted In: @drawnyourtweet, Around the Web

Twitter isn’t just about breaking news and serious stuff, there’s plenty of fun and other light-hearted activities to be found (see: 10 brilliant and barmy Twitter accounts you should know about), and also — on some occasions — examples of real creativity.

@DrawnYourTweet is one that falls into the latter basket. It does exactly what the handle suggests, tweeting drawings that characterize thoughts from a few (lucky) people whose tweets have been selected.

Despite just sending just 19 tweets, it has picked up nearly 4,000 followers at the time of writing, here are a few reasons why:

How we all feel sometimes:

And probably my favorite so far:

Thumbnail image via Nicholas Kamm / Getty Images

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