ZTE's 57inch, 8mmthick Grand Memo teased ahead of MWC, we go handson

Huawei may have its 6.1-inch Ascend Mate for the convenience of hiding your face, but ZTE's also prepping its very own tabletphone to go head to head with its main rival. Dubbed the Grand Memo (V9815), this 5.7-inch 720p device made a surprise appearance at a ZTE event in Hong Kong today, and we got to snap some photos of it. The device looks identical to the P945 leaked earlier this month but packs some slightly different specs: 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro (same as the more premium Grand S), 13-megapixel camera, 8mm-thick body and Android 4.1.2.

While the specs aren't too shabby, our colleague Stone Ip said the choice of finish on the body didn't feel as nice as the Grand S', and the silver bezel made the Grand Memo look worse, but in ZTE's defense it was a prototype and the design may improve in the retail version. On a more positive note, the new phone does include a microSD slot despite its slimness, and it comes with a "one-hand" T9 keyboard that can stick to either side of the screen for better single-handed typing, just too bad we were asked not to take a video of the device at the time. That said, the Grand Memo will be officially unveiled at MWC next month, so stay tuned for more.

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Nexus 4 trots out in white, sets unicorn fans aflutter

We're pretty fond of unicorns white phones here at Engadget, especially rare ones like the white Nokia N9. So you can imagine our excitement when we came across this photo of a white Nexus 4 over at Phone Arena. While rumors of a white Nexus 4 have been swirling around the intertubes for some time, a picture speaks a thousand words, right? We took a long, eagle-eyed look at this image and didn't see any signs of trickery. Obviously this doesn't mean a white Nexus 4 is on the way -- it could just be a dummy handset and / or a one-off prototype. Still, if last year's white Galaxy Nexus is any indication, there's a chance this is the real deal. We've reached out to Google and LG for comment, so stay tuned -- it sure would be lovely to add this beast to our stable.

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BlackBerry World storefront goes live with music, TV shows and movies

Heads up, content lovers: you can now get your fix over at BlackBerry World, which has been updated with music, movies and TV shows for your perusal. As expected, prices are in line with industry norms, ranging from $8 to $12 for albums, and between $0.99 and $1.49 for individual tracks. Meanwhile, television episodes can be had for $1.99 a pop -- perfect if you happened to miss the awkward season premiere of Archer -- and there's variable pricing for movies, depending on whether you rent or buy. You'll find previews of all music tracks, but movies are limited to the trailers and TV shows lack free samples. Nonetheless, if you're feeling bold and live within one of the supported regions, take a moment to check out the overhauled BlackBerry World. It's certainly a nice appetizer of what's to come.

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LG's Q4 earnings show a narrow yearly net profit of $8075 million, improved income for all divisions

The latest company to release its quarterly and year-end earnings report is LG, and the good news is that unlike last year's losses, it has managed to eke out a net profit of $80.75 million. Revenues overall were down six percent from last year, but its operating profit moved way up to $1.01 billion from $342.06 million for 2011. Its TV division also reported record sales and a full year profit of over $480 million, while the cellphone division's revenue for Q4 was the highest of the year as it shipped 8.6 million smartphones. So what's on deck for 2013? As you may have heard, Ultra HD and OLED to push the extreme high end of HDTVs along with ever more 3D and connected models for the mass market. For phones, we can expect successors to the Optimus G (more than the Optimus G Pro?) and L-Series, plus LTE phones for the masses in the F-Series as high speed data continues to spread throughout Europe and emerging markets. There's a few more numbers in the press release after the break if you're interested, hit the source link to check out the presentation slides.

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Judge Koh finds Samsung infringement of Apple patents was not willful, won't triple damages

Judge Lucy Koh has decided on several post-trial motions from Samsung and Apple in their long running patent case, overturning one key element of the jury's ruling while upholding several others. What was overturned was the jury's ruling that Samsung's acts of patent infringement were willful, which meant Judge Koh could have tripled some parts of the $1 billion+ in damages granted to Apple. On the other hand, she also rejected Samsung's request for a new trial, and invalidated two claims a wireless patent it holds. AppleInsider posted the decision to Scribd, which you can find embedded after the break, hit the source links for a few other looks at the ruling and what this means going forward. Naturally of course, it's not over yet (it's never over) as each company can still appeal elements of the ruling, and other appeals in the case are already ongoing.

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Nokia Lumia 900 on AT&T may get Windows Phone 78 on January 30th

There's been hints of a Windows Phone 7.8 update looming for the AT&T-spec Lumia 900, but little sign of a real timetable. As it turns out, owners hoping to move beyond 7.5 might be satisfied very quickly. Engadget has obtained an AT&T memo that claims the upgrade is rolling out on January 30th -- as in, tomorrow. We don't see any tweaks mentioned beyond what Microsoft itself said last year, although any update would most likely include Nokia-specific extras on top of the official package. We've reached out to AT&T, Microsoft and Nokia, and we'll let you know if they provide tangible details. Whatever their answers, we'll know the truth before long.

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Sony Music Unlimited on multiple devices

Higher quality audio is a staple of the experience for a growing number of streaming music services, most notably Spotify. Sony won't let itself become the exception to the rule: Music Unlimited now has an option for a much more detailed 320Kbps bitrate. The quality upgrade is staggered and is initially active on Android devices, the PlayStation 3 and the web player, while desktops, iOS, the PlayStation Vita and home theater gear will get improved tunes later on in the year. Music Unlimited won't appease those who want a consistent experience in the near term, then -- still, it might be enough for listeners whose Xperia serves as a primary jukebox.

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Estimate Android claimed 70 percent of world smartphone share in Q4 2012

Maybe it's easier being green than we thought. We suspected Android would do well in smartphone market share when Strategy Analytics had Samsung surging ahead in the fourth quarter of 2012, but the firm's newer breakdown of estimated share by OS shows an even larger jump for Google's overall platform -- from 51.3 percent in fall 2011 to 70.1 percent one year later. Apple was knocked down slightly to 22 percent, although it's mostly other platforms that took the bruising. Collectively, BlackBerry, Symbian, Windows Phone and other platforms sank from 25.1 percent of the smartphone space in late 2011 to just 7.9 points as 2012 drew to a close. When just two companies' platforms make up 92 percent of smartphones, it's safe to call the result a duopoly, like Strategy Analytics does -- even if others aren't so content with the idea.

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Unreal Engine 3's Epic Citadel demo now available on Android with special features, iOS version updated

Epic Games' first internal initiative to produce an Unreal Engine 3 project on Android is complete, nearly three years after a similar initiative produced the Epic Citadel demo. That same demo is being employed on Android, albeit with one shiny new feature: benchmarking. The new mode enables users to test framerate, quality settings, and resolution details -- it's an exclusive for the Android version. The iOS version also saw an update today across its various iterations, enabling support for higher-res displays (the original app launched in September 2010 and has seen little in the update department since).

While Epic's Unreal Engine 3 has supported Android for some time, the release of the internal app means, "we've invested in plenty of QA testing against a wide range of devices, and we've executed the necessary profiling required for shipping Android games," an Epic Games rep tells us. Moreover, that investment carries over to Unreal Engine 3 licensees. To snag the Epic Citadel demo (for free) on your Android device of choice, head to Google's Play store or Amazon's App Store. And for a taste of games currently on Android based in Unreal Engine 3, check out the incredible trailer for Horn just beyond the break.

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It appears that Dish wasn't the only one who wants the FCC to put the brakes on Softbank's merger with Sprint. Bloomberg reports that the US Justice Department has just requested that the FCC delay the deal as well. No word on why governmental lawyers are making the request, but we'll update this post as soon as more information is available.

Update: While the DOJ has recommended that the FCC delay its approval of the deal due to national security concerns, it turns out that Dish has decided not to stand against the merger, after all. So, Sprint and Softbank have exchanged a private sector problem for a governmental one. The DOJ's scrutiny certainly provides a significant hurdle for the deal to clear, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the two telcos can never be together. We'll have to wait and see whether Uncle Sam gives the merger its final stamp of approval.

Update 2: Sprint has issued a statement on the matter: 'This is a routine request when working with the CFIUS agencies regarding national security." So, it seems that the folks in Overland Park aren't overly concerned with the DOJ's snooping.

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Amazon adds Windows Phone 8 support to Kindle app, keeps the Live Tiles going

Amazon's been doing a pretty decent job at blanketing those Android and iOS Kindle applications with the latest and greatest, but the same couldn't exactly be said about its Windows Phone counterpart. Today there's great news for users of Redmond's mobile OS, however, as the Fire maker has announced an update that brings some much-needed support for Windows Phone 8 to the app, which should pair well with the company's Whispersync tech and the extensive e-book repertoire it has to offer. There might be one caveat, though: early adopters of the refreshed Kindle app have said it's facing some crashing issues and, in some cases, even having trouble launching -- a few folks, meanwhile, have mentioned that it's best to do a clean install rather than update the previous version in order to avoid any woes. The link to grab the application is down below, and do use the comments section to let us know how the process turned out for you.

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Foursquare gives business owners their own app to manage specials, track customer visits

Foursquare just recently tweaked its privacy policy to share more user information with local businesses, and it looks like it's already putting some of that data to use in a new app now that the policy has gone into effect. Launched today for the iPhone and iPod touch, Foursquare for Business is just that -- an app designed for business owners instead of customers. In addition to letting managers upload new photos and refresh their specials regularly, it'll also give them a peek into customer activity at their business (or businesses), including information on check-ins and the ability to keep an eye on their top customers. As Foursquare notes in its privacy policy, though, you can opt out of having that check-in information visible to businesses in the app's privacy settings.

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HTC to hold press events on February 19th, will show off 'what's next'

It looks like some of the hottest MWC action won't take place in the same country -- or even in the same week, for that matter. HTC has confirmed that it will be holding a press event in New York on the 19th of February, which is a few days before the majority of MWC companies hold their press conferences. At the time of this post, we believe this will be the company's new flagship phone (currently rumored to be called the M7). We've also received official confirmation that an event will be held in London as well. Regardless of where they're held, we'll be there to get you the info on the latest and greatest from HTC!

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The BlackBerry Experience is almost ready to begin. In 24 hours RIM will deliver upon us a wholly new operating system, the QNX-based phone OS that 'Berry fans have been awaiting for years. And, if that weren't enough, we're expecting two totally new smartphones to run it, one being the frequently leaked Z10, the other a somewhat more mysterious QWERTY model. Are you ready to see them for real? Set your browsers to our liveblog page right here and join us at the time listed below.

January 30, 2013 10:00 AM EST

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The Engadget Interview Daniel Graf talks Google Maps for iOS

"It has been a wonderful success for us," says Daniel Graf about Google Maps for iOS. Originally from Switzerland, Graf worked for Leica and Philips, and went on to co-found video service Kyte before landing at Google in 2011. There, he ran the mobile apps lab before taking the role of director of Google Maps for mobile, where he oversees the Android and iOS versions of the iconic mapping app. We recently got the chance to spend a few minutes with Graf at Google's Mountain View headquarters to discuss the iOS app, which launched last December. He's clearly passionate and proud of his work: "It has been an interesting project, because we got the opportunity to start from scratch." Graf explains that the Android version "is actually seven years of history, seven years of product, [...] seven years of user experience. On iOS, we didn't have those seven years so that gave us a chance to take a step back and say. 'Hey, what would be the next-generation mobile mapping experience?'" Read on after the break.

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