Nexus 5 Leaks: 5.3-inch Full HD Display

With the Samsung Galaxy S4 now unveiled and getting ready to be shipped next month, the rival companies are trying a counterattack by launching rumors about devices that might be strong competitors for the South Korean latest flagship smartphone. Most of the rumors are involving the mysterious Motorola X Phone, which is reportedly going to be available as a customizable device. However, the X Phone is not the only rumored phone that will come carrying the Google brand, because it turns out that the Nexus 5 will also be launched in the near future.

So, the story goes like this: tech website Android and Me has received a leaked photo from an anonymous source that is allegedly featuring the new LG Nexus 5. It seems that the new smartphone has the codename LG Megalodon and it includes some very impressive specs, that seems way to good to be true.

Anyway, according to the mentioned publication, the Google Nexus 5 will sport a 5.2-inch OLED screen with a pixel resolution of 1920 x 1080. The phablet-like handset will be powered by the best Qualcomm-made processor namely the Snapdragon 800 clocked at 2.3 Ghz. The Nexus 5 will be available in three distinct variants depending on the amount of on-board storage namely the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. It will also come with a more than impressive 16 MP primary camera which it seems to be capable to record full HD video at 60FPS and that will feature optical image stabilization, BSI 2.0 and Real Time HDR & HDR video recording.

The Nexus 5 will also include 3 GB of LPDDR3 RAM and a secondary shooter located in the front that will have 2.1 megapixels and will be able to record 1080p video. The battery of the LG Nexus 5 is going to be outstanding as well, being a 3300 mAh one. In terms of connectivity, the smartphone will come with the new Qualcomm RF360 (LTE 150 Mbps & HSPA+) and an integrated DVB_T / ATSC-antenna. Among other features, the Nexus 5 will also include front located stereo speakers and Gesture like controls (navigation, zoom).

The report doesn’t say what iteration of Android OS will the Nexus 5 run, but we expect that the new Google flagship to come running Android 5.0 Key Like Pie right out of the box.

If the Nexus 5 does come out in this form, it will be the most spectacular smartphone on the market, but since the rumor can’t be verified in any way, this probably is a fake leak. Yes, these specs are dreamy at all levels and they represent what any user would want on its smartphone, but the thing is that some of the hardware pieces aren’t included in none of the existing devices. Other are expected to ship in the second half of the year. For instance, Qualcomm has stated that its best CPU, the Snapdragon 800, will be boasted by a smartphone sometime before the end of 2013, as well as the RFf360.

Even though the reports is most likely cooked, it’s worth mentioning it because some of the specs might actually be a part of the next Nexus phone. And a so-called Nexus 5 is probably going to exist as the partnership between LG and Google has been a very successful one in spite of the problematic launch of the Nexus 4. So, why not go forward with something that was very appealing to the public?

The conclusion is even if today’s news is fake, this doesn’t mean that we won’t see the Nexus 5 soon. With the Google I/O event being held in May, when the internet giant is expected to reveal the new Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie, I don’t see why the company wouldn’t launch a new smartphone as well.

There have been plenty of rumors saying that there is friction between Google and Samsung because of the Korean’s company having more and more influence in the Android world. If indeed has a problem with Samsung, it surely the next move would be to come up with a device that could stop the Galaxy S4 hysteria. The only question is whether the company will launch the Nexus 5 or the Xphone.

If more rumors concerning either of the phones appear, we will immediately let you know.

Samsung keynote for Galaxy S 4 Today!

Samsung will unveil a Galaxy S 4 Thursday, March 14, during an evening event at New York City's Radio City Music Hall. While rival Apple's strategy has been to acknowledge nothing until an executive is standing on a stage ready to hold up something, Samsung has instead been trying to walk a line between revealing and concealing.
It's not an easy line to walk, when seemingly highly guarded secrets continue to leak out.
On March 12 @SamsungMobileUS Tweeted an almost entirely dark image that showed one corner of the rounded-edged Galaxy S 4 in silhouette. The company asked, "Who's ready for the Global Unpacked Event on March 14?"
From the little one can tell, the Galaxy S 4 will bear a strong resemblance to the Galaxy S 3—a suggestion also made by photos posted this week to Chinese user forum 52 Samsung and said to be the Galaxy S 4. The photos show a phone generally shaped like the S III, though larger, and with a pattern or perhaps texture in the back paint.
An odd disconnect—Samsung used Roman numerals with the S III, but in advertisements in conspicuous areas of New York, London and beyond, it's been using a 4. Also odd—a series of videos featuring a rather wanting child actor as the keeper of a box said to contain Samsung's (sunshine-bright) next big thing.
A March 3 leak from an Android developer suggested the S 4 will feature a 5-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080p HD, run Android 4.2, known as "Jelly Bean," have an 8-core processor, up to 64GB of storage, 2GB of RAM and a 13-megapixel camera.
Three days later, Boy Genius Report posted screenshots from GSM Israel and SamMobile, said to be from the Galaxy S 4. They detail features including Smart Scroll, which, by watching the user's eyes, automatically scrolls the display when a user gets to the bottom of the screen. It's an advancement on the technology in the Galaxy S III that prevents the screen from dimming, when the phone knows the user is reading.
"The screen will start to scroll automatically if the device detects that you are looking at the screen," explains the screenshot in the image.
The latest leak is that the Galaxy S 4 will feature a 3D camera.
Samsung filed a trademark request March 5 that hints at a 3D feature, Patently Apple reported March 11. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a Samsung-filed logo, in its online paperwork, that shows a 2D-to-3D "Movie & Still" logo that matches the "Unpacked" branding—a three-dimensional white box with two sides showing—that Samsung has used to promote the Galaxy S 4's unveiling.
Research firm Strategy Analytics says that it's also expecting the next Galaxy to have better touch capabilities, a better battery, "jazzier maps," more Hubs, such as a Reader's Hub, and iPhone-like pricing.
Regardless of what's being revealed, concealed or leaked, what's for certain is that Samsung needs the S 4 to continue the momentum created by the S III.
Samsung introduced the S III last May, and enjoyed an entire summer of sales without a new iPhone to slow it down. Analysts have suggested that Apple has smartened up, and will introduce its next iPhone much earlier in the year than its last. Though clearly Samsung, too, has adjusted its timeline.
During the third quarter of 2012, the Galaxy S III unseated the iPhone and became the world's top-selling smartphone. It was a short-lived accolade—the iPhone 5 look the title during the fourth quarter—but a very telling one.
The most important thing for Samsung to do now is "not to do or say anything 'bad,'" Strategy Analytics Executive Director Neil Mawston wrote in a March 12 blog post. "Apple lost heartshare when it mislaunched Maps alongside the iPhone 5 last year. Samsung must not replicate Apple's strategic misstep."

"HiddenApps" app short lived.

An app that hides the standard apps on the iPhone like Stocks or Newsstand has evaded Apple's App Store approval process.

'HiddenApps', a free download on the App Store, lets users hide Apple's stock applications, disable iAds, and access the hidden Field Test mode, according to iDownloadBlog. It is likely that the app will be removed from the App Store very quickly, as other apps that have broken App Store rules have disappeared quite quickly in the past.

HiddenApps is available for all non-jailbroken iOS devices.

iTunes release notes cleverly bill it as “a simple and easy app that shows you tips and tricks about your iDevice,” but the developer, of course, mentions at his web site the iAd and app hiding features.

Hiding stock apps normally requires a jailbroken device, so this program should come in handy for all non-jailbroken people other there.

Better hurry up, though, and download HiddenApps while you can because I’d bet my shirt that it won’t be available on the App Store for much time.

HiddenApps is a free download from the App Store, while AppAdvice has an explanation of how to actually use the app. [Direct Link]

Update: Apple has removed HiddenApps from the App Store.