iPhone 5S - 5C - 4S Comparison, Photos, Videos & Review

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Would you buy an iPhone if it ran CyanogenMod? [POLL]

The CyanogenMod team caused quite a stir when they announced that they’d be taking their hobby of providing custom Android ROMs to the community, and going full time as Cyanogen Inc.. This was all made possible by Cyanogen and his cohorts raising a whopping $7 million in funding from investors, and revealing plans to introduce a user-friendly installer for the PC that would help streamline the normally difficult installation process.

This sounded like an awful lot of money for a group of developers making custom software for Android devices. We know the “official story” but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there could be more to the story.

Pre-Cyanogen Inc, the team was teasing a project known as “Nemesis.” At first, no one knew exactly what they planned to unveil, but CM further hyped up the project in a teaser video dropping hints like, “Nothing can be perfect,” “A new challenger appears,” and even, “Something wicked this way comes.” It was extremely mysterious (almost a little spooky) and again, we figured it would be something big. Whisperings of CyanogenMod coming to the iPhone could be found in the teaser’s comment section, but sounded too far fetched to be taken seriously. In a Google+ post, Cyanogen’s Steve Kondik talked more about Nemesis saying,

“My goal for CM has always been to break open these mostly proprietary mobile devices so we can turn them into the product we really want.”

Project Nemesis and CM Installer

As we now know, the Nemesis project — part 1 of it anyway — as eventually revealed and many were surprised to find that it was little more than Focal, a 3rd party camera app (later removed from CyanogenMod). Cyanogen promised even bigger things to come and during the Cyanogen Inc. announcement, CM n’ friends revealed their upcoming installer, used to streamline the entire process of taking a phone’s stock software and throwing AOSP-based CyanogenMod onto it. This would finally make installing custom ROM on Android devices as easy as…. well, easy as jailbreaking an iPhone.

A worthy 4-inch Android phone

In my travels around the net I’ve seen countless conversations between friends and acquaintances about the shear lack of higher-end, premium Android devices packing a smaller 4-inch form factor. Overall, it’s a market filled with low-end, bargain bin Android hardware. In many ways the Moto X was able to successfully target this market but it’s lackluster camera and limited storage left us wanting. Now picture this: a new challenger appears featuring premium build quality, extremely pocketable size, and high-end specs — the iPhone would stand alone

I know, “Boo! Hiss! Apple? Gross!” — all the things that come with mentioning the phone on our site. But I know there are some of you who have been enticed by the iPhone 5s and its hardware, the only thing holding you back is Apple’s severely limited iOS software. Let’s play a game. Let’s pretend CyanogenMod was able to pull a magic iPhone from their top hat and it’s running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. Better yet, how about Android 4.4 KitKat? Would you, or wouldn’t you consider picking up an iPhone? The (completely anonymous) polls are open.

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root lava iris 402 & many other devices just one click

ROOT YOUR ANDROID PHONE WITH SINGLE CLICk

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Compatibility for Qualcomm devices (Gandalf exploit only) :
Asus Padfone 1/2
Asus Padfone Infinity
Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700KL
BW T18+ (Fortis Evo)
Cloudfone Thrill 430x
Disgo 8400g
DNS S4504/S4503/S4502
FAEA F1
Gigabyte GSmart G1315 Skate
Gigabyte GSmart Rio R1
Google Nexus 4
Highscreen Spark/OMEGA Q/Blast/Strike/Boost
HTC One S
Huawei Honor Pro (U8950-1)
Huawei U8815/U8816 Ascend G300/G301
Huawei U8825D Ascend G330D
Karbonn Titanium S5
Kyocera Torque
Lenovo S870E
LG Nitro HD
LG L7 II P710/P714/P715
LG Optimus F5 (P875)
LG Optimus G E970/E975
LG Optimus L3 II E425
LG Optimus L5 E610/612/615
LG Optimus L7 II P710/P713/ P714/P715
LG Optimus L7 P700/Р705
LG Optimus LTE 2
MEDION LIFE P4013
Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle
Oppo Find 5
Orange Nivo
Pantech Discover
Pantech IM-A840S Vega S5
Samsung Galaxy Win I8552
Sharp Aquos Phone SH930W
Sony Xperia E C1505/Dual C1605
Sony Xperia L C210X
teXet TM-3204R
teXet TM-4677
Xiaomi Mi-2S
ZTE V880G/ZTE V955
Waiting feedbacks ...

Compatibility for MTK devices (Boromir exploit only) :
Alcatel OT 4030D S'POP
Alcatel OT 8008D Scribe HD
Alcatel OT 997D
Alcatel OT Idol 6030X/6030D/6030H
Amoi N828
ASUS Memo Pad HD 7
Chinese Star S7589
DAXIAN XY100S
Explay HD Quad
Explay infinity II
Explay Polo
Explay Surfer 7.32 3G
Explay Surfer 8.31 3G
Fly IQ440 Energie
Fly IQ441 Radiance
Fly IQ442 Miracle
Fly IQ443 Trend
Fly IQ446 Magic
Fly IQ450 Quattro Horizon 2
Fly IQ451
GoClever Fone 570Q
Haipai I9389
Highscreen Alpha GTX
HKC Q79 3G
Huawei U8836D G500 Pro
IconBIT NetTAB Space 3G Duo
iOcean X7
Jiayu G2
Jiayu G3S
Jiayu G4
KENEKSI Beta
Lava iris 405
Lenovo IdeaPhone P700i
Lenovo IdeaPhone S720
Lenovo IdeaTab A3000-H
Lenovo IdeaTab S6000-H
Lenovo P770
Lenovo S820, S920, A390
Micromax Canvas HD
Motorola RAZR D3
Newman N1
Oppo findway U7015
OUMEI X5
Philips W536
Philips W736
Prestigio MultiPhone 4055
Prestigio MultiPhone PAP 4505DUO
Sharp AQUOS SH837W
Star S5 Butterfly
TeXet NaviPad TM-7055HD
Texet TM-5277
THL V12
THL W100 (130711)
THL W200
ZOPO C2 Platinum
ZOPO ZP 910
ZOPO ZP300+
ZOPO ZP900 Leader
ZTE V880G/H
ZTE V987 Grand X Quad
Waiting feedbacks ...

Compatibility for Huawei K3V2 devices (Pippin exploit only) :
Waiting feedbacks ...

Compatibility for Samsung devices (Legolas and Aragorn exploits only) :
Samsung Galaxy Core GT-I8262
Samsung Galaxy Proclaim S720C
Samsung Galaxy Young GT-S6312/GT-S6310
Samsung Lightray SCH-R940
Waiting feedbacks ...

Compatibility for Exynos devices (Sam, Frodo, Legolas and Aragorn exploits only) :
AT&T Galaxy Note 2 SGH-I317
Highscreen Explosion
Hyundai T7s
Impression 9702 (Exynos 4412)
Lenovo K860/К860i
Newman N2
Meizu MX2
Samsung Galaxy Camera EK-GC100
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 GT-N8000, GT-N8010, GT-N8013, GT-N8020
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 GT-N7100
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 LTE GT-N7105
Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0
Samsung Galaxy Note GT-N7000
Samsung Galaxy S GT-i9000
Samsung Galaxy S2 AT&T SGH-I777
Samsung Galaxy S2 Epic 4G Touch - SPH-D710
Samsung Galaxy S2 GT-I9100
Samsung Galaxy S3 GT-I9300
Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE GT-I9305
Samsung Galaxy Tab Plus GT-P6200/GT-P6210
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 GT-P6800/GT-P6810
Samsung SGH-i997 Infuse 4G
T-Mobile Galaxy Note 2 T-889
Verizon Galaxy Note 2 SCH-I605
iBerry Auxus CoreX2 3G and CoreX4 3G

Compatibility for Omap36XX devices (Gimli exploit only) :
Archos Gen8
Cliq 2 MB611
Coolpad Quattro 4G
Droid 2 (a955)
Droid 2 Global (a956)
Droid X (MB810)
LG Marquee LS855
LG P970 Optimus Black
Motorola DEFY+ (MB525 / MB526)
Motorola Droid PRO
Motorola Droid X
Motorola XPRT
Parrot ASTEROID Smart
R2D2 (a957)

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Nexus 5 Rumors Confirmed: LG D820 Almost Certainly New Google Device, Android Fans Rejoice [REPORT]

Nexus 5 Rumors Confirmed: LG D820 Almost Certainly New Google Device, Android Fans Rejoice [REPORT]

Credit: Nexus 5 concept art

Nexus 5 rumors were finally confirmed by @evleaks, who had earlier shot down the FCC leak that showed that the LG D820 was the Nexus 5. Earlier we had reported an FCC leak that showed an LG device in an FCC filing. The LG-D820 bore specs very similar to the rumored specs of the Nexus 5, in particular it had a 5-inch screen (4.96-inches), Snapdragon 800 processor and Android 4.4 KitKat (called Key Lime Pie in the posting). Evleaks quickly jumped in and suggested that the LG D820 wasn't the Nexus 5 that Android fans were hoping for:

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Sorry Nexus fans: LG D820 is just a CDMA G2 variant.
— @evleaks (@evleaks) September 9, 2013

LG D821 pic.twitter.com/EjTnuRG5YO
— @evleaks (@evleaks) September 9, 2013

Happy to say it looks like I was wrong about the LG D820/D821...
— @evleaks (@evleaks) September 11, 2013

Nexus 5 rumors were confirmed, this time when @evleaks walked back from his earlier comments and reported that the LG D820 is the Nexus 5. This confirms the many rumors from various sources that the Nexus 5 is being made by LG and will boast the latest Snapdragon 800 processor. This is welcome news for many users who have been awaiting the upgraded Nexus device with a larger 5.0-inch screen. Android 4.4 KitKat is expected to be released the same time as the new Nexus 5 and Nexus 10 second generation refresh. The Nexus 5 release date could be as soon as October or November. Based off precedent that has generally been when the Nexus devices have been released.

Credit: Google

Nexus 5 rumors confirmed this year include a strange one from Taylor Wimberly that Motorola is making a Nexus device that is not the Moto X Google Play Edition. Yet we have confirmation that LG is making the Nexus 5, so what Nexus device is Motorola making? We speculated that it could be a 6-inch phablet (Nexus 6?). Gottabemobile suggests something similar:
Rumors suggest that Motorola could be making a Nexus smartphone as well with whispers suggesting a device that will be different than the Moto X and will be arriving sometime in the fourth quarter meaning between October and December. Rumors suggest the Nexus 5 will be touching down in October so it could be that we see an LG Nexus 5 and a Motorola Nexus 5.
Nexus 5 rumors came with a video from Google which showed an employee using what looked very much like a Nexus 5, right next to a woman using a Nexus 4. Nexus 5 rumors have been accompanied by some really good looking concept art which shows what the Nexus 5 will look like. We also have a pretty through idea of the specs, "According to rumors the upcoming Nexus 5 could feature a 5-inch full HD screen, an eight-core 2.3GHz processor, 3GB of ram, a 13-megapixel rear camera, 33oomAh battery and the latest version of Google's Android operating system. And it's rumored to support 4G/LTE and come in three internal storage variants: 16GB, 32GB and 64GB."
At this point Nexus 5 rumors seem to make it clear that this is not just another LG G2 variant. The buzz around the Android community now is that what we are looking at is definitely the Nexus 5 and that we can probably expect it in the next month or two. We will keep you posted when we hear more.

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iPhone 5S Vs. 5C Vs. 4S: Which Apple iOS 7 Device Gives You The Best Bang For Your Buck? [REPORT]

iPhone 5S Vs. 5C Vs. 4S: Which Apple iOS 7 Device Gives You The Best Bang For Your Buck? [REPORT]

The iPhone 5S vs 5C vs 4S debate is an important one to make before buying a smartphone. Find out which device is for you! (Photo: Apple)

The iPhone 5S vs 5C vs 4S debates have quickly kicked up with Apple finally announcing their new smartphone lineup. The recently announced iPhone 5S brings enhancements like the Touch ID features and new camera capabilities. The iPhone 5C comes along with a new plastic design and a cheaper price tag. The 4S is unchanged, but the new free on contract entry price is nothing to scoff at. While the iPhone 5S vs 5C vs 4S is a personal choice depending on many variables, there are some constants we can use to help you decide. Read on to find out how each phone stacks up in this iPhone 5S vs 5C vs 4S comparison.

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Design
The new design of the iPhone 5S is essentially the same as the 5 released last year, but with new colors. The gold and silver models will be available for those that want a white iPhone and "space gray" for those that want black. The space gray provides a graphite look as opposed to the blue color that came with the previous black iPhone 5.
When it comes to an all new design however, in terms of the iPhone 5S vs 5C vs 4S debate, the plastic budget model wins out. Not to say the design is better, but the most drastically changed. Available in white, pink, yellow, blue and green, the iPhone 5C gives users the most options in terms of customization. It may not be as fast as the S iPhone model, but for $100 cheaper that may not mean much to you.
If our iPhone 4S running iOS 7 is any indication of how the gold master version of the iOS will run, the newest software will certainly be slower than new models. Though at the low low price of free, you may feel it's worth it to just bite the bullet.

The iPhone 5S will come with Touch ID and new colors (Photo: Apple)

Camera
The camera tech for the 4S and 5C is great as you expect, but many new improvements have been included in the 5S model. In terms of iPhone 5S vs 5C vs 4S, you get what you pay for in the camera department. Many notable new features of the 5S camera include slo-mo video capture, bigger pixels within the camera, and new burst mode features. The auto-stabilization features and two-tone flash (providing more accurate colors in photos using flash) abilities are all useful improvements as well. If photo-taking is important to you, the iPhone 5S model is definitely the way to go.

Battery Life
The iPhone 5S vs 5C vs 4S debate becomes a little more straightforward when it comes to battery life. According to Apple, the iPhone 5S will give you 10 hours of talk time on 3G with a standby time of 250 hours. The 5C allows is estimated to last the same amount of time. The iPhone 4S, however, will last only 8 hours of talk time and standby for around 200 hours. In this case newer means better.

The iPhone 5c will come in new colors such as bright green (Photo: Apple)

Price
The iPhone 4S will obviously keep your wallet the fattest. Though one thing to consider when weighing the iPhone 5S vs 5C vs 4S is longevity. As your phone, you'll be using it early and often for about two years. While the iPhone 4S is free and the 5C cheap, they will undoubtedly become less usable quicker than the 5S. Then again if you only plan on using your device for simple tasks then this may not make a difference to you. The choice is yours.

Miscellaneous
One of the newest iPhone features introduced are the new Touch ID abilities. With the fingerprint sensor on the 5S, users can unlock their phones using their fingerprint as the password. Something else to consider are data speeds: while the 5C and 5S support LTE, the 4S does not -- meaning you'll need to rely on relatively slow data speeds.

Conclusion
Buying a new phone is not to be taken lightly. When considering the iPhone 5S vs 5C vs 4S, or any phone for that matter, the device you choose will generally be yours for the next two years. With the amount we rely on smartphones these days it's an important choice. Ultimately it's on you to decide whether or not the souped up iPhone 5S is worth it or if you can get by with the free iPhone of yesterday. If you prefer the middle ground between a

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Android 4.4 KitKat Release Date: Rumors Suggest That New OS Update Will Come With Nexus 5 And Nexus 10 2 Refresh [REPORT]

Android 4.4 KitKat Release Date: Rumors Suggest That New OS Update Will Come With Nexus 5 And Nexus 10 2 Refresh [REPORT]

In Line For OS Update

By AJ on September 9, 2013 12:55 PM EDT 4 Comments

Credit: Google

Android 4.4 KitKat release date is likely to coincide with the Nexus 5 and Nexus 10 2 next-gen refresh. The two new Nexus devices are likely to be the first to run Android 4.4 KitKat. Android 4.4 KitKat has been preceded by Android 4.3 Jelly Bean in late July that came with the Nexus 7 2013 refresh. The Android 4.3 Jelly Bean wasn't a major upgrade and it didn't bring many changes aside from Restricted profiles and the camera app. Android 4.4 KitKat is expected to be a much larger overhaul.

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Android 4.4 KitKat release date is being preceded by a larger promotional campaign by Hershey and Nestle, with 50 million KitKats shipped to stores as part of a special Android 4.4 promotion where consumers can get a free Nexus 7 device or $25 worth of Google Play Store credit or a bag of KitKat minis with promo codes found on the wrapper. We can expect the promotion to last for at least the rest of this month at a minimum. The previously rumored Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie was anticipated to be released in October along with the Nexus 5. We haven't seen any reason to expect that a similar release date wouldn't hold true for the Android 4.4 KitKat.

Credit: Hershey

Android 4.4 KitKat release date is almost certainly going to coincide with the release of a new or refreshed Nexus device. As Gottabemobile points out, "In the past, we've seen Google release new Android updates with brand new pieces of Nexus hardware. We saw it with Android 4.1 and the Nexus 7, with Android 4.2 and the Nexus 4 and with Android 4.3 and the Nexus 7 2." The Galaxy Nexus was similarly released in Q4, in December while the Nexus 4 was released in November after being launched in October. Based on this we can expected to see Android 4.4 released in October or November when the Nexus 5 is launched and released. A launch event in New York City together with the Android 4.4 KitKat, Nexus 5 and Nexus 10 2 revamp would be what we can anticipate from Google. At this point, we are fairly certain that a Nexus 5 is coming (though depending on how Google goes for the naming system it may be still known as a Nexus 4 2 refresh).
Android 4.4 release date for people who don't use Nexus or Google Play Edition devices is likely to be several months later. It is hard to say just how long users of devices like the HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4, LG G2 and Sony Xperia Z1 might have to wait to get the Android 4.4 KitKat update. The newer flagships will have more dedicated support and HTC, Samsung, Sony, LG and others will likely work hard to get the updates out. Android 4.3 Jelly Bean is currently being worked on or rolling out for most of these devices. Several of them are skipping the Android 4.2 update and going straight to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. Usually those with older devices don't get the Android OS update for many months or perhaps not at all if support has been suspended entirely.
Android 4.4 KitKat release date could be different for users with older devices. Rumors suggest that the specs requirements for Android 4.4 KitKat have been lowered so significantly that even old device users may get it. Google has stated that its "goal with Android KitKat to make an amazing Android experience available for everybody." Some have speculated that this means that even the two year old Galaxy Nexus could get the Android 4.4 KitKat update because of how optimized the new OS update will be. Gottabemobile suggests the following will be true for Android 4.4 KitKat.

Credit: Jinesh Shah Concept Art

People that use devices other than phones: gaming systems, watches, refrigerators, etc.

• People that don't want or need the top-of-the-line smartphones but want a great software experience. (Think iOS 7 on the iPhone 5C.)
• Google wants everyone, or most everyone, on the same version of Android.

By lowering the spec requirements, Google can put Android 4.4 KitKat inside a ton of different form factors including smartphones and tablets. It will also lower the costs that companies endure and it will ensure fluid experiences across all devices.
Android 4.4 release date may come to some of the old devices, eventually. It seems unlikely that devices running Android Donut will get it. But users that have lower-end smartphones like the HTC One V or other more recent entry level smartphones that are running Ice Cream Sandwich could see the Android 4.4 KitKat update provided that the companies involved are willing to provide support. IB Times suggests that the Samsung Galaxy S2, Samsung Galaxy Ace and Samsung Galaxy Mini will likely receive the Android 4.4 Kit Kat update. The Samsung Galaxy Ace doesn't seem likely since it runs Android Froyo, we would say that a device would need to run at least Android Ice Cream Sandwich or Honeycomb or Gingerbread at a minimum to qualify for an update. Anything older than Android Gingerbread isn't worth considering since the majority of Android users have Gingerbread, Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean.
Android 4.4 KitKat release date might also coincide with a Nexus smartwatch or phablet release. Rumors came from Tyler Wimberly that Motorola was working on a Nexus device that was not the Moto X Google Play Edition. Given that the Nexus 5 will be an LG device and the Nexus 10 refresh is an Asus device, then Motorola could be working on a Nexus 4 2 refresh or it could be an entirely new Nexus product. Google responds to market trends so perhaps  a Nexus 6 phablet device might be in the works or even a Nexus smartwatch if the trend of wearable devices takes off. We will have to wait and see what happens and what it means for Android 4.4 KitKat.

 

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Gallery: Concept for gorgeous new car expo center in China

 

 

Design firm Marques & Jordy won a contest to design a bunch of car showrooms around China. The first exhibition center takes its style cues from sports cars with red, ribbon-like flourishes. It's going up in the Longquan district of Chengdu, China, and will have roughly 200,000-square-feet of expo space. The building will have three different parallel sections that Marques & Jordy liken to the "curvy and sexy lines of cars and movement."

Architect Yu Jordy Fu explains the design concept further:

With the Oasis Expo Centres, we are transforming the love for sports cars into sensational architecture. It's commonly believed that China has no creativity and all buildings look the same, as copies of each other. This couldn't be further from the truth. China's cities are an inspirational burst of creativity and engineering.

Construction on the project is slated to begin this September. See the gallery for a sneak peek of this unique red building. 

 

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