Sony Xperia E4 on pre-order in mainland Europe for €130

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BY Unknown 02:21 0

Sony Xperia E4 on pre-order in mainland Europe for €130

Last week the new Sony Xperia E4 went on pre-order in the UK, since then it has expanded to mainland Europe. It's still a bit difficult to find but we managed to find it in a few stores at €130, practically on par with the £100 pre-order price in the UK.

The shipping date is set for 2-3 weeks from now, but nothing more concrete than that.

The Xperia E4 has a 5" IPS screen with qHD resolution (220ppi) and will launch with Android 4.4 KitKat, though it's on the waiting list for 5.0 Lollipop. It's powered by a MediaTek chipset (quad Cortex-A7) with 1GB of RAM. It has a 5MP/1080p main camera and a 2MP/720p selfie camera.

And more importantly, it costs less than the Moto G (2014), which is already on Lollipop and has a sharper, 720p screen. No 1080p video capture though.

Anyway, there's still no sign of the Sony Xperia E4 Dual, so it's price is unknown.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 boards the Lollipop train in Europe

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BY Unknown 01:30 0

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 boards the Lollipop train in Europe

Samsung's latest phablet flagship is finally getting the Lollipop treatment. The version to go first is the SM-N910F, which is the European Snapdragon version of the handset. The update saw some delay due to problems with Gear VR support.

However Android 5.0 for the Exynos-powered variant of the phablet is already well under way and isavailable in its native South Korean market and also as a soak test in Poland. This is the first time we are seeing an official Lollipop ROM for the Snapdragon-powered Note 4, which is the most widely-spread one.

Today's update comes along with a Lollipop build for the Galaxy Note 4's extremely popular predecessor - the Galaxy Note 3. Interestingly enough the two updates are starting to seed simultaneously which might hint that Samsung intentionally held back the Galaxy Note 3 package to avoid the inevitable backlash when an older device is updated before the new one.

Despite the chaotic update schedule Samsung seems to mean well enough when it comes to delivering Lollipop. The rather odd Samsung Galaxy S4 support is also complimented by an equally impressive news that the Korean tech giant intends to bring Android 5.0 to the rather aging, but still capable Galaxy Note II as well.

So if you are on a Snapdragon Note 4 be sure to check for that update package regularly as the Lollipop goodness is here.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 N9005 receiving Lollipop OTA in Europe

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BY Unknown 11:00 0

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 N9005 receiving Lollipop OTA in Europe

Samsung's last generation phablet flagship finally received the much anticipated Lollipop treatment it was promised. And before the comment section goes up in flames about the on-going soak test in Russia the new ROM is intended for the most wide-spread Snapdragon 800-based version of the device (N9005) and not the Exynos one.

The Galaxy Note 3 was supposed to be first in line for Android 5.0 after the current generation Galaxy S5 and Note 4, but interestingly enough it was overtook by the Galaxy S4 LTE-A (I9506).

It seems that with recent developments around Samsung and their own in-house Exynos SoC taking center stage in future devices instead of Qualcomm chips the Korean tech giant is naturally focusing on their own architecture and pushing updates along much faster on Exynos devices. This might just be a marketing trick but it is still a fact that Samsung seems to be taking care of that limited line of devices first and then moving on to Snapdragon.

Regardless is seems the long wait is finally over for Note 3 users as the package is already available on major carriers in the UK, Austria, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Hungary and a few other countries. You can keep a close eye on the OTA seeding progress here.

So if you are on a Snapdragon Note 3 be sure to check for that update package regularly as the Lollipop goodness is here.

Lumia 1020 and 925 get Denim update in Europe

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BY Unknown 08:00 0

Lumia 1020 and 925 get Denim update in Europe

The Lumia 1020 and 925 are finally getting the long-awaited Denim update in select European markets. Today Microsoft confirmed that the roll-out has officially begun but as usual it might take some time to reach every device out there. Different carrier update schedules can affect availability just as much as geographical location.

One of our readers from Hungary has already provided us with a screenshot of the OTA and everything seems to check out. So if you own a Lumia 1020 or Lumia 925 be sure to check regularly over the next few days for the update package and report back with any interesting findings.

News has already surfaced that O2 in the UK will start updating their units today, but things can get a little messy when searching for availability. The US Lumia 1020 for instance is available exclusively through AT&T and they are yet to share any information on update plans.

In case you find it hard to make sense of it all, Microsoft is providing nicely organized version tables for their smartphones, that let users see if the handset they own is eligible for the Denim update and if not what is the latest Windows Phone package they can get. The lists can be accessed according to region from the links below:

Africa
Asia Pacific
Europe
Latin America
Middle East
North America 

Microsoft has also provided a concise change log of update. Cortana is of course center stage, but there are also a lot of little improvements in the two device's behavior.

Latest software release for Nokia Lumia 925 is Lumia Denim (3051.50009.1451.10xx/8.10.14226.359)

• Cortana, the most personal digital assistant, is now available also in the UK and China. New features for Cortana include improved natural language, car kit integration for contacts using Bluetooth, snooze reminders, and calendar improvements. Cortana even does character impersonations upon request.
• Organise and further personalise your start screen easily. Group apps into a folder on the start screen, rename the folder, and rearrange tiles inside the folder for greater personalisation.
• Improved Glance screen with Bing Weather or Bing Health & Fitness data, in addition to time and date, notifications, and app data.
• Updates to the Lumia Storyteller and Lumia Selfie apps. Available from Store.
• Connect and browse even faster with improved download speeds on mobile websites.
• Install phone updates more easily by scheduling them for a time that works best for you.
• Additional improvements to stability, battery performance, push notifications, WiFi connectivity, consumer VPN support, Apps Corner, merging and forwarding text messages, custom snooze times in the Alarms app, Store Live Tile (available in the US only), and more.

Latest software release for Nokia Lumia 1020 is Lumia Denim (3051.50009.1451.1xxx/8.10.14226.359)

• Cortana, the most personal digital assistant, is now available also in the UK and China. New features for Cortana include improved natural language, car kit integration for contacts using Bluetooth, snooze reminders, and calendar improvements. Cortana even does character impersonations upon request.
• Organise and further personalise your start screen easily. Group apps into a folder on the start screen, rename the folder, and rearrange tiles inside the folder for greater personalisation.
• Improved Glance screen with Bing Weather or Bing Health & Fitness data, in addition to time and date, notifications, and app data.
• Updates to the Lumia Storyteller and Lumia Selfie apps. Available from Store.
• Connect and browse even faster with improved download speeds on mobile websites.
• Install phone updates more easily by scheduling them for a time that works best for you.
• Additional improvements to stability, battery performance, push notifications, WiFi connectivity, consumer VPN support, Apps Corner, merging and forwarding text messages, custom snooze times in the Alarms app, Store Live Tile (available in the US only), and more.

Android 5.0 Lollipop now available on LG G Pro 2 in EU and Asia

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BY Unknown 03:09 0

Android 5.0 Lollipop now available on LG G Pro 2 in EU and Asia

LG G Pro 2 in South Korea got the official Android 5.0 Lollipop update ten days ago. It brought features like Material Design, rich notifications, better security, and improved performance.

As of today LG G Pro 2 is getting Android Lollipop in Europe as well. Hungary is the first country to get the update, but other markets will follow suit shortly. It is now available over the air and weighs about 640MB, while its build date is February 2.

The change log includes text-to-speech, new apps and, of course, Android 5.0 Lollipop.

We also got a tip that the Taiwanese LG G Pro 2 is also getting updated right now, which means other Asian countries will be getting it very soon, too.

Alleged European pricing for both Galaxy S6 and S Edge revealed

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BY Unknown 01:11 0

Alleged European pricing for both Galaxy S6 and S Edge revealed

Samsung has already announced that it is holding its Galaxy Unpacked 2015 event on March 1, and it’s all but confirmed that the South Korean company will use it to announce both the Galaxy S6 flagship as well as its curved screen cousin, the Galaxy S Edge.

While the countdown for their official unveiling has begun, alleged European pricing details for the devices have been published by AndroidPit. According to the website, the Galaxy S6 will come in three variants depending upon internal storage: 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB, and will be priced at €749, €849, and €949, respectively.

Similarly, the Galaxy S Edge will also come in 32, 64, and 128GB variants, and will be priced at €849, €949, and €1049, respectively. Needless to say, these prices aren’t officially confirmed, so take them with a pinch of salt.

LG G3 receives a newer version of Lollipop update in Europe

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BY Unknown 15:38 0

LG G3 receives a newer version of Lollipop update in Europe

The LG G3 is already rocking Android 5.0 Lollipop, as its initial update has spread across Europe since December.

Now though, the Korean smartphone maker is in the process of pushing an additional firmware upgrade for the G3, at least it's doing so in Italy. So presumably other European countries will follow.

This is still Lollipop, mind you, but it's a smaller update that's primarily meant to polish things around, making the experience better than before.

The update comes in at around 90 MB. After applying it, you'll be running software version V20h, whereas the initial Lollipop update took that to V20e.

The new version brings with it unnamed bug fixes and improvements, along with some new icons for the software-rendered Android keys, as well as smoother animations all-round.

Lollipop update for HTC One (M8) gets in Europe

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BY Unknown 02:26 0

Lollipop update for HTC One (M8) gets in Europe

The HTC One (M8) is taking the Android 5.0 Lollipop update around the world and today it has disembarked on the Old Continent. The news comes from Senior Global Online Communications Manager, Jeff Gordon, who posted it on Twitter.

Updates from users started in from users – Germany, France and Nordic gave the thumbs up, but the update is rolling out in waves so it may not be available in your region right this minute (about an hour ago there was a negative report from the UK).

HTC One (M8) Lollipop update

The update spruces up the interface with a new lock screen and a new app switcher, but Sense 6.0 remains largely unchanged. The update is heftier than in other regions, weighing in at 780MB and brings the ROM version up to 4.16.401.10. Versions of the update for other regions were 580MB and 650MB.

 HTC One (M8) runnin Android 5.0.1

You can go to the Settings menu to check if the update is available. Make sure you're on Wi-Fi though, that's a rather large download.