New BlackBerry Z10 and X10 leaks show off the goods in photos and video

Images and video of two new BlackBerry devices have reportedly appeared online just a couple weeks ahead of the Jan. 30 BlackBerry 10 launch.

First, two photos of the QWERTY BlackBerry X10 (or N-Series) popped up on the social photo-sharing site Instagram on Monday, if a source on the Crackberry forums is to be believed.

Then, on Tuesday, the Austrian site Telekom-Presse posted the first hands-on video with the BlackBerry Z10 (aka the L-Series), the touchscreen-only counterpart to the X10.

Neither leak really shows off much that wasn't already known or suspected about either device, but it's interesting to see them both pop up more and more as the BB10 launch approaches.

BlackBerry X10 N-Series

Crackberry forum user "antheauxny" posted the two images of the BB10 X10 on Monday night after reportedly searching Instagram for the #BlackBerry hashtag.

The keyboard-equipped phone appeared with its power cord plugged in and again in someone's hand.

Despite the physical QWERTY keyboard, some traditional BlackBerry buttons are missing, but those functions will no doubt be replicated on the touchscreen in BlackBerry 10.

BlackBerry Z10 L-Series

The video featuring the BB Z10 is a little more revealing, though, giving an in-depth seven-minute look at the phone's hardware, as well as the BlackBerry 10 OS itself.

The previous rumors of a 4.3-inch screen now seem just shy of the actual 4.2-inch mark, according to the video's German-language narrator, as reported by Engadget.

The site also reported on Tuesday that the narrator lists a 1.5GHz dual-core ARM Cortex A9 processor, 2GB of memory, and 16GB of storage on the Z10.

15,000 BlackBerry 10 apps

On Monday, it was reported that 15,000 BlackBerry 10 apps had been submitted in less than two days during a Research in Motion-sponsored "port-a-thon" for developers.

That's good news for those looking to jump in bed with BB10 on day one, though doubtless not all of those apps will be approved.

Last week, RIM's chief marketing officer reportedly revealed that BlackBerry 10 devices will cover all price points, ideally leaving no consumers behind.

Via Crackberry, Telekom-Presse

Sony Xperia Tablet Z leaked specs reveal 10-inch, full HD device

Sony's new Xperia Z impressed at CES 2013, leaving little question Sony was ready to start competing with the big boys on the smartphone market.

Based on some new reports, it seems the company is also taking some steps to make just as big a splash in the battle for tablet supremacy.

Specifications for the rumored Xperia Tablet Z have surfaced, and echo some of the main features the Xperia Z boasted about at CES.

Though Sony has yet to make any official announcement about the Xperia Tablet Z, if these specs end up panning out, consumers looking for a powerful Android tablet will have a tough choice ahead of them.

Sony's double-down

The Xperia Tablet Z doesn't just share a very similar name with its little smartphone brother, it also shares some of the same DNA.

According to the leaked specs, the Xperia Tablet Z will be waterproof, dustproof, and will sport a similarly thin stature as the Xperia Z.

The 10.1-inch screen will include a full 1920 x 1080 HD display, powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor and 2GB RAM.

There's no indication as to whether or not the Xperia Tablet Z will use the same Bravia Engine technology behind the Xperia Z's sharp screen, but there's little reason for Sony not to use it again here given the positive response to the engine in its latest smartphone.

Along with that nice screen will reportedly come 32GB of memory, and an 8.1 megapixel rear camera and a 2.2MP front-facing camera.

The Xperia Tablet Z is also believed to include Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, as well as compatibility for LTE networks, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, and NFC abilities.

There's no indication as to when or where Sony will debut the new tablet, but reports point to a launch during the second-half of 2013.

By that time, Apple, Google, Samsung, and more competitors may have new tablets ready to tackle such a potentially formidable foe.

Via SlashGear

Sony Xperia Tablet Z leaked specs reveal 10-inch, full HD device

Sony's new Xperia Z impressed at CES 2013, leaving little question Sony was ready to start competing with the big boys on the smartphone market.

Based on some new reports, it seems the company is also taking some steps to make just as big a splash in the battle for tablet supremacy.

Specifications for the rumored Xperia Tablet Z have surfaced, and echo some of the main features the Xperia Z boasted about at CES.

Though Sony has yet to make any official announcement about the Xperia Tablet Z, if these specs end up panning out, consumers looking for a powerful Android tablet will have a tough choice ahead of them.

Sony's double-down

The Xperia Tablet Z doesn't just share a very similar name with its little smartphone brother, it also shares some of the same DNA.

According to the leaked specs, the Xperia Tablet Z will be waterproof, dustproof, and will sport a similarly thin stature as the Xperia Z.

The 10.1-inch screen will include a full 1920 x 1080 HD display, powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor and 2GB RAM.

There's no indication as to whether or not the Xperia Tablet Z will use the same Bravia Engine technology behind the Xperia Z's sharp screen, but there's little reason for Sony not to use it again here given the positive response to the engine in its latest smartphone.

Along with that nice screen will reportedly come 32GB of memory, and an 8.1 megapixel rear camera and a 2.2MP front-facing camera.

The Xperia Tablet Z is also believed to include Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, as well as compatibility for LTE networks, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, and NFC abilities.

There's no indication as to when or where Sony will debut the new tablet, but reports point to a launch during the second-half of 2013.

By that time, Apple, Google, Samsung, and more competitors may have new tablets ready to tackle such a potentially formidable foe.

Via SlashGear

Sony Xperia Tablet Z leaked specs reveal 10 inch, full HD device

Sony's new Xperia Z impressed at CES 2013, leaving little question Sony was ready to start competing with the big boys on the smartphone market.

Based on some new reports, it seems the company is also taking some steps to make just as big a splash in the battle for tablet supremacy.

Specifications for the rumored Xperia Tablet Z have surfaced, and echo some of the main features the Xperia Z boasted about at CES.

Though Sony has yet to make any official announcement about the Xperia Tablet Z, if these specs end up panning out, consumers looking for a powerful Android tablet will have a tough choice ahead of them.

Sony's double-down

The Xperia Tablet Z doesn't just share a very similar name with its little smartphone brother, it also shares some of the same DNA.

According to the leaked specs, the Xperia Tablet Z will be waterproof, dustproof, and will sport a similarly thin stature as the Xperia Z.

The 10.1-inch screen will include a full 1920 x 1080 HD display, powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor and 2GB RAM.

There's no indication as to whether or not the Xperia Tablet Z will use the same Bravia Engine technology behind the Xperia Z's sharp screen, but there's little reason for Sony not to use it again here given the positive response to the engine in its latest smartphone.

Along with that nice screen will reportedly come 32GB of memory, and an 8.1 megapixel rear camera and a 2.2MP front-facing camera.

The Xperia Tablet Z is also believed to include Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, as well as compatibility for LTE networks, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, and NFC abilities.

There's no indication as to when or where Sony will debut the new tablet, but reports point to a launch during the second-half of 2013.

By that time, Apple, Google, Samsung, and more competitors may have new tablets ready to tackle such a potentially formidable foe.

Via SlashGear

Asus goes for a stealth post-CES MeMo Pad launch

Despite a perfect opportunity last week to announce its new device, Asus waited until right after CES to reveal and launch an Android tablet going by the name MeMo Pad.

The MeMo Pad features a 7-inch display with 1024 x 600 resolution, running on a VIA WM8950 1GHz Mali 400 CPU and Android 4.1: Jelly Bean.

If those specs sound familiar, that's because the MeMo Pad is a dead ringer for the Asus ME-172V that appeared in benchmarking tests late last year.

Now under the MeMo Pad name, the tablet includes 1GB of RAM, either 8GB or 16GB of storage, an SD card slot, a 1-megapixel front-facing camera, and a 4270mAh battery that Asus claims can survive for seven hours.

Asus challenges Kindle Fire

When it comes to specs, the MeMo Pad doesn't quite live up to other tablets from Asus like the Google Nexus 7.

However, Asus has given the MeMo Pad a unique advantage when it comes to price, with the tablet launching for $149.

The MeMo Pad will start shipping later in January at that budget-friendly price "in select markets." Asus didn't provide an exact date or which markets it selected, but the U.S. pricing indicates that at least North America is on the list.

The MeMo Pad seems poised to take on the Kindle Fire when it comes to size and price, though the stealth launch is likely not doing it any favors.

Asus is not taking pre-orders on the MeMo Pad, so interested buyers will have to keep a keen eye out for when the tablet goes on sale in the coming weeks.

LG shies away from Google Nexus 5 speculation

LG has played down reports that suggest the Korean manufacturer has been lined up to produce the Google Nexus 5 smartphone.

Branding the claims as "unfounded", an unnamed LG spokesperson spoke to Korean site Chosun Biz about the firm's dealings with Google and the Nexus line of products.

This isn't a huge surprise after Google blamed LG for the delay in shipping Nexus 4 stock. Besides, the search engine likes to share the Nexus spoils among manufacturers, with HTC, Samsung and LG all getting a bite of the apple so far.

Nexus 4 supply issues not LG's fault

The LG spokesperson also defend the firm when quizzed on the supply issues surrounding the Nexus 4, claiming that no such delays existed at the LG's end.

This switches the blame back onto Google who some have accused of purposely throttling the number of units available in an attempt to increase hype and demand around the product.

It's unlikely that we'll ever get the real reason behind the Nexus 4 shortage with both Google and LG seemingly happy to pass the buck.

The NexTus tablet

According to the folks over at Mobile PC Online the Google Nexus 5 will arrive with a quad-core processor and 1080p display before the end of the year alongside a new tablet currently being dubbed the Google Nexus 7.7.

As the name suggests the new Nexus tablet will apparently feature a 7.7-inch display which the Chinese site claims will be full HD, alongside a Tegra 4 quad-core chip and 2GB of RAM.

While the suggestion of a new Nexus smartphone and tablet is hardly groundbreaking stuff, we're a little more reserved when it comes to the exact specifications of the devices with the sources of this information unknown, so don't get too excited just yet.

From Mobile PC Online and Chosun Biz via The Verge

LG shies away from Google Nexus 5 speculation

LG has played down reports that suggest the Korean manufacturer has been lined up to produce the Google Nexus 5 smartphone.

Branding the claims as "unfounded", an unnamed LG spokesperson spoke to Korean site Chosun Biz about the firm's dealings with Google and the Nexus line of products.

This isn't a huge surprise after Google blamed LG for the delay in shipping Nexus 4 stock. Besides, the search engine likes to share the Nexus spoils among manufacturers, with HTC, Samsung and LG all getting a bite of the apple so far.

Nexus 4 supply issues not LG's fault

The LG spokesperson also defend the firm when quizzed on the supply issues surrounding the Nexus 4, claiming that no such delays existed at the LG's end.

This switches the blame back onto Google who some have accused of purposely throttling the number of units available in an attempt to increase hype and demand around the product.

It's unlikely that we'll ever get the real reason behind the Nexus 4 shortage with both Google and LG seemingly happy to pass the buck.

The NexTus tablet

According to the folks over at Mobile PC Online the Google Nexus 5 will arrive with a quad-core processor and 1080p display before the end of the year alongside a new tablet currently being dubbed the Google Nexus 7.7.

As the name suggests the new Nexus tablet will apparently feature a 7.7-inch display which the Chinese site claims will be full HD, alongside a Tegra 4 quad-core chip and 2GB of RAM.

While the suggestion of a new Nexus smartphone and tablet is hardly groundbreaking stuff, we're a little more reserved when it comes to the exact specifications of the devices with the sources of this information unknown, so don't get too excited just yet.

From Mobile PC Online and Chosun Biz via The Verge

iPhone 5, Galaxy S3 leading data uptake over tablets

Big data is being consumed by small packages like the iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S3, according to a study released today, and now smartphone data usage trumped tablets for the first time.

This surprise analysis, by network optimization solutions firm Arieso, flies in the face of the spike in tablets sales, devices that one might assume would be the more data-hungry.

"This is pretty counterintuitive, but it seems the capabilities of the newest smartphones - not tablets - are unleashing even greater user demand," said Arieso Chief Technical Officer Michael Flanagan in a press release.

"Once you move away from raw consumption statistics, the most remarkable finding is the way in which people use smartphones and tablets."

Hungry, hungry hip phones

The iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3 split the top spot when it comes to downloads and uploads, according to the Arieso report that studied 125 devices.

iPhone 5 users downloaded twice as much data as those with an iPhone 4S, and they quadrupled the amount of data consumed by iPhone 3G owners.

However, the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note II generated so many uploads of things like photos and videos, they knocked the iPhone 5 back to third place on uplink data usage chart.

Data pads

Tablets did rank in this study, but placed fourth, fifth and ninth, when the original iPad and iPad 2 had dominated the second and third spots just twelve months ago.

So it's even more surprising to see that data usage among Samsung Tab 2 10.1 users is No. 1, and has outpaced iPad users by as much as 20 percent in the last year.

This study, which comes on the same day that Apple reportedly cut its iPhone 5 screen orders in half, concludes that "for the first time in three years, [Apple's] dominance is being challenged."

This may be just another sign of more Apple highs and lows to come in 2013.