Leaked specs, pics of Sony's upcoming Xperia i1 smartphone surface

A Taiwanese website has leaked what they claim are photos and specifications for Sony’s upcoming flagship smartphone, the Xperia i1. According to rumors, the handset – codenamed Honami – will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 processor operating at a blazing 2.2GHz alongside 2GB of RAM and 16GB of flash storage.

The Android-based smartphone will ship with a 5-inch, 1080p display but perhaps the most interesting feature of the i1 is the rear camera. It allegedly consists of a high-end 20.7-megapixel ExmorRS sensor that uses Sony’s Bionz image processing technology.

There’s also the mention of something called Sony Lens G which is said to incorporate unique optical design technology and quality control for exceptional optical performance on par with the best lenses in the industry.

A handset of this caliber would be a monster, or at least it is on paper. Truth is, Sony hasn’t even confirmed they are working on such a device but it’s worth pointing out that these specs match those that surfaced back in April and May. I for one would be interested in comparing the camera on the i1 with the one in Nokia’s new Lumia 1020which boasts a 41-megapixel shooter.

Most expect the Xperia i1 to officially surface at this year’s IFA Expo in Berlin which starts on September 6 and runs through September 11. As always, however, it’s advisable to take this rumor with a healthy dose of salt.

LG unveils world's thinnest Full HD LCD smartphone panel

LG Display is working on what it says is the world's slimmest smartphone panel.

(Credit: LG Display)

As companies search for ways to make mobile devices ever-sleeker and lighter, LG Display announced Wednesday that it is coming out with what it claims to be the "world's slimmest full HD LCD panel for smartphones."

The panel is 5.2 inches long and only 2.2 mm thick. LG says that it is the narrowest full HD LCD panel to hit the mobile market. Using touch technology, dual flexible printed circuits, and a direct bonding system, LG says that the number of lines on the panel have been reduced by 30 percent and that this also allows for greater brightness.

LG is known for pushing the envelope when it comes to smartphone and tablet display technology. Last month, the company announced it was beginning the mass production of flexible and unbreakable smartphone display panels. The technology used in these bendable display screens is apparently also thinner and lighter than conventional LCD displays."Today's introduction of the world's slimmest full HD LCD panel represents an exciting advancement for the high-end smartphone segment, and is possible due to our world-class expertise in IPS and touch technologies," LG Display's IT and Mobile Development Group's vice president Byeong-Koo Kim said in a statement. "LG Display will continue its commitment to developing products that maximize consumer value as well as opening new doors for the mobile and tablet PC industry."

However, LG isn't the only company working on high-tech displays. Samsung, Nokia, and Apple have been working on flexible smartphone and tablet screens for years. Nokia is also working on the development of graphene for mobile devices, which is the strongest, lightest, and thinnest material on Earth.

Customize Android's Home button shortcut

For an operating system touted as being highly customizable, its a mystery why more manufacturers don't let you program the (physical) Home button. Of course, one tap always takes you to the home screen, but long-pressing and double-tapping are often programmed to take you to places like the multitasker or a voice assistant.

Unless, of course, you use a workaround.

For many phones with a physical Home button, you can customize its shortcuts with the free Home2 Shortcut app.

Step 1. Download Home2 Shortcut from the Google Play store on your Android device. Immediately after it's installed, launch it from the Play download page. It's a pretty bare-bones app, but it does the job.

Step 2. Conveniently enough, the app breaks down the process of programming your Home button into steps. In Step 1, tap "Choose application," then "Installed applications" to choose which application gets
launched with a double-tap.

Step 3. In the next step, you have the choice to change the double-tap interval. For example, choosing a slower setting will prompt your phone to react to a double-tap with a longer interval. Right now, keep it at normal.

Step 4. Choose your launcher. If you have a third-party launcher like Apex or Go Launcherinstalled, select it here. But, if you don't have a launcher, or have no idea what all this gibberish is about, choose the default option.

Step 5. Hit the Home button, and you'll be asked to choose a launcher. Choose Home2 Shortcut then hit "Always."

Now take it for a test-drive! Double-tap the Home button, and you should be taken to your shortcut. If you have a Galaxy S4, and it's still prompting S Voice, go to S Voice > Menu > Settings, and uncheck the second option to launch with the Home button.

If you like the idea of Home button-based shortcuts, check out the other combos Home2 has to offer. For example, you can set shortcuts for Home-Search and Home-back. Likewise, if your phone has a camera button, you can reprogram that, too. Just choose "Other key settings" in Step 1 of the app.

Windows Phone 8 one step closer to 1080p support -- report

The operating system will soon support the higher resolution, if files within Visual Studio 2013 are any indication.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 operating system might soon support 1080p resolution, leaked file information in Visual Studio 2013 suggests.

Former Nokia and Microsoft engineer Justin Angel tweeted out on Monday an image of Visual Studio 2013. The image showed Windows Phone 8 emulator files containing 1080p resolution of 1,920 x 1,080.

Microsoft's mobile operating system supports 720p resolution, as well as WVGA and WXGA. Full 1080p support, however, has been sorely lacking from the operating system. The resolution is available on several Android handsets.

For its part, Microsoft hasn't confirmed that 1080p support is coming to Windows Phone 8. Still, it seems like a safe bet, considering the company's platform is behind on the resolution front.

Record silent Instagram videos

The severed end of a TRRS headset cable.

Well, that trick did work for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 I had handy, and it may work for other Android devices as well. It did not, however, work with my iPhone.

It turns out that Apple hardware requires a specific resistance in the headphone components in order for the device to sanction the connected headset. By cutting out the mic from the cable (as well as the surrounding circuit board of tiny resistors and diodes), I stripped out the very thing I needed for the trick to work. My iPhone knew I was up to no good and it resorted to using its internal microphone instead.

Not one to give up easily, I tried a number of different TRRS jack adapters, such as the weird USB charging adapter from the iPod Shuffle, and even a VGA A/V cord. No dice.

16 companies that beat Instagram to video clips

1-2 of 17

Scroll LeftScroll Right

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Finally, I hit on a solution. I have at my desk a guitar cable adapter made for iOS devices called AmpliTube iRig. The adapter runs around $40 new and comes with a great app for playing and recording your guitar. But assuming you're just using this to disable your iPhone's internal mic,inexpensive alternatives can be found for around $10 (though I make no guarantees on their compatibility). Just plug it into your headphone jack and leave the instrument input empty, and you've got an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad with a bypassed microphone, capable of creating silent videos for Instagram or Vine.

Convenient? Not really. But until either company sees fit to include a simple microphone mute button (if they ever come to their senses) at least this is a workable solution for silent video purists.