Rumor: Apple's 'iWatch' to have 'slightly rectangular' 2.5" display, wireless charging

A fresh set of rumors about Apple's anticipated "iWatch" were supplied on Thursday by mainstream media outlet, which was told by an unnamed source that the device will boast wireless charging capabilities, and will sport a slightly rectangular watch face.

 "iWatch" concept by Martin Hajek.

The face of the watch will measure about 2.5 inches diagonally, according to Reuters, which cited a person familiar with the unannounced product. That face is expected to protrude slightly from the band and create an arch shape.

The display of the watch is expected to be a touchscreen supplied by LG Display, and Taiwan-based Quanta Computer Inc. is said to be planning to start production of the device in July.

The source also claimed that the device will include a heart rate monitor from Heptagon that will track the wearer's pulse. That aligns with rumors from over a year ago that said the device is expected to focus on biometrics for health and fitness feedback.

The so-called "iWtach" also expected to feature wireless charging — something The New York Times also claimed earlier this year.

Apple is said to be planning a media event for this October where it's expected to introduce the company's "first wearable device," which is widely believed to be a wrist-worn connected device. The "iWatch" is believed to tap into the new HealthKit tools for developers that Apple will include in the forthcoming iOS 8 mobile operating system, which is currently available in beta for testing.

Other recent reports have suggested the device will sport a flexible OLED touchscreen. Such technology could allow Apple to introduce unique designs not possible with traditional LCD panels. 

Samsung Launches Terrain Home Android Launcher With Google Now-Like Features

Samsung has released a new home screen app dubbed Terrain Home: Sidebar and Search on Google Play, a launcher that brings some features that are similar to the Google Now launcher.

The beta version of the Terrain Home app comes from a Samsung-backed startup, Terrain, which is funded by Samsung Accelerator. The Terrain Home app brings three main feature according to the Google Play listing, namely - sidebar, search, and apps drawer. The app essentially lets users swipe in different directions to access the sidebar (right), search (up), and apps drawer (left).

The Terrain Home sidebar is where users can organize their favourite apps, tools, contacts and news content. Users can pick content from the library and add them in the form of cards.

The apps drawer on Terrain Home is meant for quick navigation, with a search function and alphabetical indexing.

The Terrain Home search feature functions as a local phone search, enabling users to find content such as contacts or apps on their phone quickly.

"Search with Android is Web first," stated Dwipal Desai, founder and CEO of Terrain to Recode. "We wanted search that is phone first."

The Next Web notes that the Terrain Home cards, like Google Now cards, can be stacked in any order. It has been also noted that developers who want to add a card to Terrain, can sign-up now for an SDK, which is said to arrive in coming few weeks.

Developers will continue work on the Terrain Home screen app after it gets a decent fan base. Desai further added that in order to reach out to more users, Samsung might make distribution deals to ensure the app doesn't remain unknown. The beta version of Terrain Home application is sized at 7.4MB and requires Android 4.1 and later OS versions to run.

Samsung Galaxy S III Neo With Android 4.4 KitKat Listed on Company's Site

Samsung has listed the Android 4.4 KitKat-based Galaxy S III Neo with model number GT-I9301I on its German website without price and availability.

The Galaxy S III Neo (GT-I9301I) is different from the Galaxy S3 Neo (GT-I9300I) launched in Indiaearlier this year at Rs. 26,200, featuring single-SIM support, and a slightly faster quad-core SoC (1.4GHz instead of the Galaxy S3 Neo's 1.2GHz quad-core SoC) instead.

Back in January, Samsung had also launched the Galaxy S III Neo+ smartphone for the Chinese market.

Notably, Samsung Galaxy S III Neo is a 'lite' variant of the company's 2012 flagship smartphone, theGalaxy S III. The smartphone looks similar in design to the Galaxy S III; however, the specifications are different.

The Samsung Galaxy S III Neo (GT-I9301I) features a 4.8-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) Super AMOLED display. The Galaxy S III Neo comes with 1.5GB of RAM and supports expandable storage up to 64GB, while featuring built-in storage of 16GB. It sports an 8-megapixel rear camera accompanied by an LED flash and features CMOS sensor, while there is a 1.9-megapixel front-camera also onboard.

Connectivity options on the Galaxy S III Neo include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS/ A-GPS, Micro-USB and 3G. The smartphone measures 136.6x70.7x8.6mm and weighs about 132 grams. The Galaxy S III Neo packs a 2100mAh battery.

Nokia Lumia 930 will be equipped with5.1 Dolby Digital Plus audio recording

Hi The Nokia Lumia 930 was introduced recently. The new Windows Phone flagship model is similar to the Nokia Lumia Icon, which is an exclusive to Verizon. There are a few differences of note between the two models. One is the various color options that buyers of the Lumia 930 will have.

The second is that the Lumia 930 will feature 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus audio recording. Nokia says that the Lumia 930 will be the first smartphone to offer this feature. The same HAAC (high-amplitude audio recording) microphones found on the Nokia Lumia 1520 and the Nokia Lumia Icon, are found on the Nokia Lumia 930. 

The difference is in the firmware and Nokia has hinted that a future update to the Lumia 1520 and Lumia Icon will add the 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus technology to those two models. Currently, the 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus audio recording feature is still in development, and can only be found on a few units of the Lumia 930 kept internally by Nokia. 

The Finnish manufacturer hopes to finish off the feature in the weeks before the phone is launched in June. The option will be found in the Camera settings under Video. Nokia already prides itself on the quality of the sound reproduction on video captured by the rear camera on its high-end models. The 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus technology on the Nokia Lumia 930 takes the audio to another level.

"Combining Dolby Surround Sound Capturing with Nokia Rich Recording, all of your videos will document exactly what you hear. Play it back and you’ll experience true surround sound in 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus format." -Nokia source: WPCentral