OnePlus has a budget handset on the way, and just this morning, Pete Lau, the company’s co-founder, came out on Weibo to tease the device. We don’t know much about the phone yet, but we do know that OnePlus has an announcement to make in India on October 12th. We’ll probably see the company’s third phone announced at this event, and if these FCC images are to be believed as credible, we might now have our first look at the device in the flesh… Expand Expanding Close
The HTC One M8 Mini — talk about a mouthful — is rumored to be on its way to Verizon, if @evleaks on Twitter is to be believed. The HTC One M8 recently launched to a very warm reception, though some critiques did state that the device is difficult to hold due to its large size and slick metallic back.
Essentially no other details are known about the HTC One M8 Mini, though it’s a good bet that it could match its larger counterpart on almost every point. The screen will likely come in at about 4.3″, and may have a 720p display as such. Other than that, it’s it’s likely the Mini will retain the same design, camera, speakers, and internal specs as the One M8.
There have been a lot of rumors in recent weeks about an LG G2 mini coming in the near future, and today what appears to be an official teaser image from LG confirmed the device will finally get official on February 24. The image (above) was posted to the company’s Facebook page with only the tagline “Experience the MINI. Mobile World Congress” and the Feb. 24 date mentioned above. It’s clear a mini version of LG’s flagship G2 is on the way, but we still don’t have any solid details on specs or availability of the device. We still don’t know if the rumors of a 4.7-inch display will pan out (the original G2 has a 5.2-inch display), but we’ll be bringing you all the official details on specs and availability when announced later this month at Mobile World Congress.
Verizon announced today that it is releasing new mini variants of Samsung’s flagship Galaxy devices. One is the Galaxy S4 mini, the latest mid-tier version of Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S4. However, Verizon is oddly also launching last year’s model today, the Galaxy S III mini.
Despite the fact that the S4 mini is the newer device, the S III mini might be the better option for those on a budget as it will cost customers just $50 on a two-year contract after a $50 mail-in rebate. The S4 mini will come in at $99 with the same rebate. You’ll also be able to grab a month-to-month plan if you drop $249 or $399 for the S4 mini or S III mini, and $10 and $16 a month offers are available through Verizon Edge.
There has been much talk of Motorola’s upcoming Moto G smartphone in recent weeks, the rumored “mini” follow up to its Moto X flagship launched earlier this year. After making a brief appearance on Motorola’s website, the company started teasing a November 13th live online announcement for the device, and now we get what look to be official specs from a German retailer already listing the Moto G.
The Phone House, a german retailer, today quickly posted and then removed a listing for the Moto G that was caught by The Unwired. On top of listing what we assume are official specs (below), it also quoted a price of £149 (approximately $235 US). That seems a little pricey to be the on-contract price for what many assume will be a budget version of the Moto X, so it could very well be the off-contract price, which compares to the $499 Motorola and carriers charge for the Moto X without a two-year contract. The Moto X currently sells for $99 on contract.
Earlier this month, our sister site 9to5Mac reported on a new technology from BlueStacks called “Looking Glass” that brought iOS games to your big screen via a subscription-based console. On Friday, however, the company announced another new console with that technology, but the big selling point here is that it is free and incredibly small. In fact, the company says it is about the size of a pack of gum. Just like with the company’s other Cube console (which isn’t yet released), the BlueStacks Mini does require a subscription commitment, which will run you $7 a month for a year.
It’s worth noting that the BlueStacks Cube is also free with a subscription, but that offer expires on July 1st. The company says that its goal is to always offer a gaming console for free.
“We have always planned on having a free console option,” said BlueStacks CEO, Rosen Sharma. “The biggest value of the GamePop service is its content – not the box. Hardware costs have come down so fast that we’re able to undercut the rest of the market. With the free promotion we’ve been doing in June we’re already seeing a ton of adoption. That volume then attracts more developers and therefore more and better content. It’s building momentum.”
