Purported specifications and image of LG Optimus L9 II leaks

LG is busy with the global roll out of its latest flagship smartphone, the LG G2 which was launched earlier this month. However, the company is also working on the mid-range LG Optimus L9 II, if rumours are to be believed.

The Unlockr has revealed the specifications and image of the yet to be announced LG Optimus L9 II. The leaked image of the alleged Optimus L9 II reveals the design of the device which is quiet similar to its predecessor. However, in Optimus L9 II the physical home button present on the Optimus L9 has been replaced with three capacitive buttons beneath the screen for Back, Home and Settings.

As far as the specifications go, the LG Optimus L9 II is rumoured to be powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 MSM8320 processor with Adreno 305 GPU. It is also likely to include 8GB of internal storage with expandable storage and 1GB of RAM. The device will sport an 8-megapixel rear camera with backside sensor illumination (BSI) feature and 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. It could pack a 2150mAh battery. The Optimus L9 II is said to run on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.

The South Korean handset major is working on successors to the Optimus L series of mid-range smartphones, with the LG Optimus L7 II, LG Optimus L5 II and LG Optimus L3 II already official. The LG Optimus L9 is the only device in the L range that does not have a successor, though this might change soon.

So far there is no word on the expected price and availability of the alleged LG Optimus L9 II but the site is pegging at launch within this month.

Purported images of Sony Xperia Honami mini pictured alongside BlackBerry Q10 surface online

Not too long ago, we reported about Sony working on a downsized version of the upcoming flagship smartphone which is scheduled for a September 4 launch.

It appears that the device has made its first appearance and has been pictured alongside the BlackBerry Q10. A post by XDA-developer member, Xleaky reveals blurred images of an unnamed Sony device that has been clicked next to the BlackBerry Q10 QWERTY phone. The post further notes, "You didn't see this from me... but 4th of Sep is gonna be exciting! Thats all I'm saying!"

The post was first spotted by Xperia Blog that notes that the images could be false.

Moreover, the post does not reveal a lot of details related to the unnamed Sony handset except some indications about its expected size. In the pictures, the alleged Sony Xperia Honami mini looks smaller than the BlackBerry Q10 which measures 119.6x66.8mm.

Earlier, a forum post at Esato.com revealed the specifications of the alleged Sony Honami mini which also suggested that the device is code-named Ray 3. According to the post, the Xperia Honami mini will sport a 4.3-inch Triluminos 720p display. It is rumoured to be powered by a 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, which also powers the Xperia Honami. It is likely to come with 2GB RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a 2400mAh battery and support for microSD card.

The post also claimed that the Xperia Honami mini will again feature the 20.7-megapixel camera which is the major highlight of the yet to be announced Xperia Honami aka Xperia Z1 device. As per the post, the alleged mini version will feature the same Sony G lens, f/2.0 aperture and the same 1/2.3" sensor which is being expected in the original device.

iPhone 5S to be powered by Apple's A7 chip that runs 31 percent faster

iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, the next-generation iPhone and cheaper iPhone respectively, are expected to be unveiled by Apple at a special event on September 10. As we approach closer to that very day, new leaks and rumours keep sprouting up on the Internet.

After a series of leaks related to the form factor and exterior shells of the next generation iPhone, a new rumour suggests that the A7 processor powering the iPhone 5S is running much faster compared to the iPhone 5's A6 chip.

According to a tweet by Fox News anchor Clayton Morris, the new iPhone's A7 chip is running at about 31 percent faster than the A6. He cites sources as the basis for his claim.

In line with previous launches, Apple's next generation iPhone or iPhone 5S is expected to sport almost the same form factor as that of the iPhone 5, but similar to other 'S' iterations, is likely to boast of a hardware upgrade that should include a faster processor and perhaps, maybe more RAM and better a better graphics chip. So, this doesn't really come as a major surprise.

Morris also tweeted that the iPhone 5S will include a new dedicated chip for motion tracking, speculating that this would be part of a camera upgrade.

Apple focused site 9to5Mac also reports that some internal prototypes of the iPhone 5S were running 64-bit processors. This indicates that Apple's been testing 64-bit processors internally. The site suggests that use of 64-bit processors would help the phone render animations, transparencies, and other iOS 7 graphical effects more smoothly compared to existing iOS devices.

The website also reports that the rumoured fingerprint sensor of the iPhone 5S would need the user to hold down on the Home button for authentication.

It's also been previously reported that the new iPhone will be powered by a new A7 chip. The usually reliable KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had predicted that the iPhone 5S will come with a brand new Apple chip, the A7, alongside 1GB of LPDDR3 RAM. According to the Kou, the latest chip is expected to be based on the ARMv8 architecture, and Apple's new design may provide improved efficiencies of up to 20 percent. Kou also believes that iPhone 5S will come with larger f2.0 aperture compared to the iPhone 5, that comes with f2.4 aperture.

He had also said that Apple was planning to introduce a 128GB storage variant of the next-generation iPhone, in line with company's move to introduce a 128GB fourth-generation iPad earlier this year.The phone is also likely to sport a fingerprint reader. Besides these, the iPhone 5S is also expected to come in a new Gold colour variant.

LG G Pad tablet to launch by end of September, to come with Snapdragon 600 processor

It has been rumoured for a while now that LG is working on a tablet which will be based on Android. Last week, an LG official also confirmed that the company was indeed working on a tablet, though nothing was revealed about the launch plans of the device.

A new report now claims that LG's long-time rumoured tablet will be showcased at IFA 2013 in Berlin next month, and will hit the market by end of September.

According to Korean website Newstomato report, LG is planning to showcase the tablet dubbed as LG G Pad, next month at the IFA. The site notes that the tablet will come in two variants LTE and Wi-Fi. The report also claims that the Wi-Fi version of the tablet will head to the Korean market while the LTE variant will be sold by Verizon in the US. The alleged LG G Pad is likely to be powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor and feature an 8.3-inch WXUGA display with a 1920x1200 pixels resolution. The report claims that the news has been confirmed by some LG sources. However, the company has not revealed any plans related to its tablet line-up, yet.

Previously, an LG branded tablet was spotted in a Bluetooth SIG (special interest group) certification filing with model numbers LG-V500/LG-V507L. The two different model numbers listed on the Bluetooth listing hinted at two variants of the tablet, a Wi-Fi variant and a 3G or LTE enabled variant.

The device description of the Bluetooth certification filing revealed the rumoured tablet to be an 'LG Mobile device' whereas generally when an LG mobile phone clears the Bluetooth certification, the description usually mentions it as 'LG 3G Mobile Phone' or 'LG GSM Mobile Phone' or 'LG LTE Mobile Phone'.

Indian school kids to design Android apps

School students in the age group of 10-13 years will design mobile applications on Android platform in a countrywide contest.

"Students from schools across the country will participate in the first all-India Android mobile applications (app) design competition," Global Discovery Academy's chief product officer Vipul Redey said Bangalore Saturday.

"The contest has been designed to develop the thought process of students by exploring and generating their own unique concepts," Redey said.

The students will also compete in creating problem-solving applications in the areas of social concerns like environment, education, health, nutrition and civic amenities.

The criterion to participate is knowledge of computers and internet applications. The academy will provide training on mobile phone programming.

"We believe in leveraging technology as a tool to enhance conventional teaching and encourage students to ideate, explore and learn through exposure than rote-learning," Redey asserted.

In the three-stage contest, a participant has to describe to the academy by Sep 1 the app he/she will design and develop to serve a specific social cause, its functionality and user engagement.

In the second stage, a student has to submit a prototype of the mobile app to the academy for programme.

"Selected finalists will present the app idea and prototype at a special event in New Delhi and winners will be decided by a panel of judges on basis of creativity, effectiveness of the app and ease of its use," Redey added.