Huawei Ascend P6 leaks in official imagery, may show on June 18th

Huawei's upcoming Ascend P6 must be as slim as we've heard, because it just keeps slipping out -- this time, in an official rendering obtained by @evleaks. The imagery appears to validate what we've previously seen in photos, including the wafer-like 6.2mm thick body, a metal chassis and an iteration of the Emotion UI layer that we just saw on the Ascend Mate. And in case there's any lingering doubts, we've even received a possible launch window from the company itself. In a quickly deleted Sina Weibo post, Huawei Device Chairman Richard Yu told his followers that the leaked device is indeed part of the P series, and should be revealed at the company's June 18th event in London. At this rate, all that's left for the company is to walk on stage and make its skinniest Ascend official.

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Huawei Ascend Mate review a supersized phone with supreme battery life

When Huawei revealed the Ascend Mate at CES this year, it felt like smartphones had reached an end point -- they surely couldn't get any larger. We've since been proven wrong by Samsung's Galaxy Mega 6.3, but the 6.1-inch Ascend Mate has gone on sale first, and it's every bit as intimidating as it was in January. The question is whether or not Huawei has more than just size on its side. Is this nearly tablet-sized device worth putting in our pockets, and can it fend off the suddenly tiny-looking Galaxy Note II and Optimus G Pro? Read on past the break, and you'll find out.

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Rhapsody announces new iOS app, redesigned from the ground up

Not to be outdone by some of its music-streaming counterparts, Rhapsody's releasing a revamped version of its iOS app today. Taking on a newly minted look, the service promises this version will make it simpler for subscribers to access and manage their tunes within the application. Rhapsody added features such as a "personalized" organization that, as you'd expect, organizes your jams under the My Music section and splits them into two different categories: Library and Downloads.

Much like on the Android flavor of the app, Rhapsody also updated the Album and Artist pages to display more useful info and tools, including reviews and additional music controls. In theory, these should pair nicely with the all-new fullscreen player and a pop-up menu that allows you to easily add songs to the download queue. Rhapsody tells us the update will be hitting the iOS devices soon, so keep an eye on the App Store if you'd like to be one of the First! first to test out the goods.

Update: It's live now, and we've added the link below to help you get started with the download.

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AT&T to carry Samsung Galaxy S 4 in Aurora Red on June 14th

Looks like there are more smartphone-loving vampires than we first thought. Following Samsung's plans to offer the Galaxy S 4 in multiple new colors, AT&T has scored a US exclusive for the smartphone in a very distinctive Aurora Red. The crimson-hued Life Companion will be available for pre-order on May 24th, with retail stores getting their supply on June 14th. The lone disappointment is the capacity: AT&T is only offering red for the 16GB, $200 model. Still, we're happy that we won't have to wait for the Galaxy S 4 Active just to get a Samsung flagship in a livelier color.

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BlackBerry 10.2 update sees the return of emoji, level 1 notifications and alarm features

You might still be getting your thumbs around that Q10, or the waiting for that BlackBerry 10.1 update, but already some future tidbits for the platform have come to light. Michael Clewley, product manager at the firm, let slip that version 10.2 of the OS brings with it support for standard unicode emojis, multiple alarms and level 1 notifications (for email). With the 10.2 SDK said to be coming in June, you can expect the update to follow later in the year. Weren't sure what to do with BlackBerry Channels, yet? If you had added Clewley's (PIN C00014277) you'd have got the reveal straight from the man himself.

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Facebook won't bring HTC First to the UK after all

After a series of rumors about the HTC First not selling too well in the States, we've now heard that the customized Facebook / Android handset won't be coming to the UK. Mobile News initially reported that UK pre-orders will be cancelled and we've just confirmed this with our own sources, who said that it was Facebook itself who made the decision, rather than HTC or either of the European carrier partners (EE and Orange). We've reached out to HTC and EE for confirmation and will update if we get a response.

Update: We've just heard back from EE, who confirmed the rumor and attributed Facebook's decision to "customer feedback" that resulted in a need to improve the Facebook Home interface before spreading it to further markets:

"Following customer feedback, Facebook has decided to focus on adding new customization features to Facebook Home over the coming months. While they are working to make a better Facebook Home experience, they have recommended holding off launching the HTC First in the UK, and so we will shortly be contacting those who registered their interest with us to let them know of this decision. Rest assured, we remain committed to bringing our customers the latest mobile experiences, and we will continue to build on our strong relationship with Facebook so as to offer customers new opportunities in the future."

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Shazam

If you've ever sighed in frustration at not being able to leap straight from discovering a song to playing it ad-nauseum on Spotify or Rdio, here's a heads-up. Shazam's iPad-focused iOS update integrates both streaming services with its discovery software in addition to a new look home screen and an auto-tagging mode that'll passively observe any music in the background. The mapping service has also been tweaked, letting you search and see what songs are being tagged in your neighborhood (or anyone else's, for that matter) and if you'd like to see it in action, head on past the break.

Update: Shazam's been in touch to clarify that Rdio is available for all users, but if you want Spotify integration, you'll have to upgrade to the paid version.

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MediaFire promises streaming of stored music and video on its iOS and Android apps

MediaFire says its cloud storage service now has 30 million users, but it seems that only a minority of those are using its Android or iOS interfaces -- so far, the former has seen less than 500,000 downloads. One extra feature that might boost the utility of these is the forthcoming addition of media streaming, to help MediaFire compete with likes of Amazon Cloud Player -- and with the added draw of 50GB free lifetime storage (or a time-limited offer of $24.99 annually for 100GB). There's no sign of the app update on either platform just yet, but it'll get there when it gets there.

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HTC Desire 608t shows up on Chinese eshop early

While taking a look around HTC China's online store after the Desire 600 (aka Desire 606w in China) announcement, we also stumbled upon this Desire 608t that was first outed by TENAA in late April. With the exception of the One SV-like design and the TD-SCDMA radio for China Mobile, this model is otherwise identical to its 606w sibling, especially with the Sense 5-enhanced Android 4.1, BoomSound front stereo speakers, dual SIM and even the CN¥2,499 ($410) unsubsidized price tag. Other specs include: 4.5-inch 960 x 540 Super LCD 2, 1.2GHz quad-core chip by Qualcomm, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage (with up to 64GB expansion via microSD), 8-megapixel imager (with f/2.0 aperture and 720p video capture), 1.6-megapixel front camera, 1,860mAh battery and NFC. Interestingly, the 608t is also listed with Zoe camera feature, yet the 606w isn't, so hopefully it's just a mistake for the latter instead of the former.

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Square brings its mobile payments service to Japan

Jack Dorsey's little card reader that could TM has made its first journey beyond continental North America, and is now available in Japan. In order to make the leap, Square has teamed up with Sumitomo Mitsui Card Corporation, the business that introduced Visa to the country. The transaction rate for the service is 3.25 percent, up half a percent from the 2.75 percent payable in North America and Canada. It's been a long time coming, considering that PayPal Here arrived in Japan over a year ago -- but hopefully now the pair can slug it out in the streets of Tokyo, Super Sentai style.

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HTC Desire 600 announced quadcore processor, dualSIM and BlinkFeed

It didn't take long for HTC to go official with the Desire 600. Interestingly, it picks up on several of the new Sense 5 features revealed alongside the HTC One, including its fingertip-baiting BlinkFeed for social network and news updates. BoomSound and the ability to craft video highlights from your photos and clips also make the transition, although apparently not the burst-capture Zoe mode. Hardware-wise, there's a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 200 quad-core processor, with a 4.5-inch Super LCD2 display (at 960 x 540 resolution), an 8-megapixel primary camera capable of up to 720p video capture and a front-facing 1.6-megapixel shooter. The Desire 600 picks up the same dual front-facing speaker setup of the One, although rather than a global appearance, it's currently headed to Russia, Ukraine and the Middle-East for now, landing early this June in white and black options. However, we've already spotted a China-bound version for China Unicom's WCDMA network, the Desire 606w, and if we're honest, we'd probably be happier to see the rumored M4 make an official showing. Now, where's that Desire 200?

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dnp  HTC Desire 200 and Desire 600 turn up in leaked certification page, benchmark results

HTC's Desire line of mid-range Android smartphones have typically used the alphabet to denote different models, but the company is now switching to numerals. At least according to a Taiwanese certification page, we can expect a Desire 200. Some leaked benchmark results also indicate that a Desire 600 will head to market.

We don't know much about the Desire 200 apart from its name. It's listed as the HTC 102e on the certification page, and there's plenty of speculation that this handset is the G2 we heard about earlier this year. It's a different story for the Desire 600: the benchmark results indicate this device sports a 960 x 540 (qHD) display with an unspecified 1.2GHz chip. The benchmark sheet also reveals this is a dual-SIM model destined for Europe. That's it for now, but more details are sure to follow shortly.

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LG invites you to splash around with the Optimus GJ, a waterresistant phone for Taiwan

Come next month, NTT DoCoMo users won't be the only ones to benefit from a water-resistant version of the Optimus G. Similar to the L-01E for Japan, LG has introduced the Optimus GJ for Taiwan, which carries IPX7 certification that allows for worry-free immersion in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. The Optimus GJ also carries IPX5 certification for protection against dust particles. Dubbed the E975W, the smartphone is by and large a thicker version of the Optimus G (E975). This means you'll find a 4.7-inch, 1,280 x 720 True HD IPS display, a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro, a 13MP primary / 1.3MP front-facing camera setup, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage and Android 4.1.2. Unlike the original Optimus G, the Optimus GJ wields a larger 2,280mAh battery and a red backing, but also lacks NFC functionality. You can expect it to hit the market next month in Taiwan, where it'll sell for NT$17,990 ($600). Hit up the source link to find additional views of the of the Optimus G -- it seems that LG has thrown a bit of a pool party to celebrate its announcement.

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Just as CEO JK Shin predicted, Samsung has announced its new Galaxy S 4 topped 10 million units sold in record time. That beats the 50 days it took the Galaxy S III to sell that many, a mark it took 5 months for the Galaxy S II to pass and 7 months for the original Galaxy S. Samsung has been able to crank up production and speed up worldwide rollouts for its increasingly popular flagship models, contributing to the rapidly increasing pace of sales. To help keep the sales channels flowing, Samsung also announced a few new colors on the way. Joining the existing White Mist and Black Forest models this summer are Blue Arctic and Red Aurora, followed later by Purple Mirage and Brown Autumn editions. Of course, the model many will covet is the one with stock Android announced at Google I/O, but that may depend on whether you want your customizations inside or outside.

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eTrak GPS melds WiFi, cellular and GPS tracking, launches at CTIA 2013

We've come across a number of GPS-based tracking devices over the years but most are rather bulky and difficult to setup. eTrak's attempting to remedy this here at CTIA 2013 with GPS+, a fob-like product that combines WiFi, cellular and GPS tracking in a small, light and easy-to-use package. The device, which is about the size and weight of a box of licorice-flavored Tic Tacs, features a panic button, multicolor status LED and charging contacts. It's meant to be attached to a keyring, and comes with a matching charging base which includes a standard micro-USB connector. Battery life is about 5 days per charge -- not too shabby for a product that packs WiFi, cellular and GPS radios. Speaking of which, eTrak's partnering with Verizon Wireless for CDMA-based network positioning. The company provides a web-based interface which supports geo-fencing with SMS and email notifications, along with iOS and Android-compatible apps. GPS+ will retail for $129 and be available soon (production's been under way since May 1st). Two plans will be available: $10 per month with a one-year subscription and $15 per month commitment-free. Want to know more? Don't miss our gallery below and follow the source link for more info.

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