Serial numbers suggest that only 375,000 Nexus 4's have been made!
The Nexus 4 has been a widely popular device since it launched because of the ridiculously low retail price which Google sells it for in the Play Store. The only problem is is that you probably won't be able to get hold of the Nexus 4 unless you purchase it from a carrier, seemingly they have been getting priority over Play Store sales. So with that in mind we are not that surprised to see some number crunchers over on XDA work out that a mere 375,000 Nexus 4's have actually been made!
The way this has been worked out is by using the Nexus 4 serial codes which a user on XDA noticed. How it works is that each device starts with three numbers and a letter, for example 212K. In this example the first number is the year, 2012, the second and third digits relate to the month the device was made and finally the letter, K in this case, is where the device is made, so K would be Korea, C would be China and so on.
This has allowed us to work out a very precise figure for the amount of devices which have actually been produced. So in October LG produced 70,000 Nexus 4 devices, in November there were 90,000 made and then in December production finally improved with 210,000 made. Now this is not a reflection of sales or indeed demand, but it's a good approximation of production and it explains why the Play Store is out of stock a lot of the time! We'll have to wait and see how many LG churn out in January, but hearing things like this will undoubtedly leave users annoyed.
XDA Via TheVerge.
Samsung confirm Tizen phones will be coming and probably more than one of them!
Samsung has confirmed to Bloomberg that they plan to release multiple Tizen powered devices this year, something which Bloomberg says is because Motorola is now in the hands of Google!
One of Samsung's spokespeople said:
“We plan to release new, competitive Tizen devices within this year and will keep expanding the line-up depending on market conditions.”This doesn't mean that Samsung will be stepping away from Android; their Galaxy range is insanely popular, the way we see it is that Samsung is looking to diversify their options. Tizen is a great option to run with in this regard because it's development is backed by both Intel, NTT DoCoMo and Vodafone so Samsung automatically has launch partners and some support should they need it.
On the device front NTT DoCoMo has supposedly agreed a deal to launch a Tizen smartphone in the near future if you believe the Japanese newspaper rumours. The other advantages of running Tizen powered phones is that Samsung will not have to update their Android devices as Google releases new software, instead they can work in the same way Microsoft, Apple and Amazon do and issue software updates when they're ready, rather than when Google dictates they should.
What do you think? Are you interested in a Tizen phone?
Bloomberg Via Phandroid.
Is this the Blackberry Z10?
The image above is reportedly a picture of the upcoming Blackberry Z10 posing next to a iPhone. The device on the left is reportedly the Verizon version and if you look very closely you can see the branding in the top left of the device and the one on the right is the AT&T version.
Business Insiders' source also offered up their opinions on the new device saying:
- The build quality is really nice. The back cover feels rubbery and snaps on sort of like the back cover on Samsung's Galaxy S III.
- The screen looks great.
- The web browser is very quick, just as fast as a desktop browser. It also supports Flash.
- You can set up separate profiles for work and personal use. This is good for people who want to use one phone for business and play.
- It integrates with Evernote.
- The new AppWorld store looks a lot like the Google Play store for Android apps.
- It only takes one minute to boot up.
We're certainly intrigued by the look of the new device, but we have a feeling Apple might have something to say about the similarities between it and their iPhone. The addition of a removable battery is a very nice touch and is great for business and heavy users, the only thing to do now is wait until the end of the month for the full details!
Via Business Insider.
In other news:
- Apple have issued a statement about the 'Do Not Disturb' bug. Apple said that "After January 1, do not disturb mode stays on past its scheduled end time. The do not disturb scheduling feature will resume normal functionality after January 7 2013. Before this date, you should manually turn the do not disturb feature on or off." So that's four more days before the feature will be back working, which is a rather large pain if you use it all the time! Sorry guys!
Via MSN.
- The Verge has heard from their sources that Nokia is planning an aluminium clad successor to the Nokia Lumia 920. Something which would make new devices considerably lighter and thinner than the current crop of Lumia devices which use a polycarbonate outer layer.
Via The Verge.
- Sony has launched a new piece of software for people who switch from the iPhone to a Sony Android device called “Xperia Transfer”. This is not a dedicated piece of software but it's part of PC Companion or Sony Bridge for Mac, depending on which computer operating system you use. The point of the software is to transfer data to your new the Xperia T, Xperia TL, Xperia TX, Xperia V or Xperia VC with ease.
Via Xperia Blog.
- TSMC is reportedly having a trial run of Apple's A6X processor production for a couple of months as Apple is seeking to transfer production to TSMC from Samsung.
Via Hothardware.
- The latest update to Skype for Windows Phone has made devices unstable so Microsoft has taken the decision to temporarily disable the integration with the People hub, which alleviates the problem. Hopefully the functionality will be back with the next update!
Via IntoMobile.
- Asus and Leap have partnered to bring the latter's motion-control software to the formers upcoming computer range. There's not currently any word on how much these computers could cost but we have a feeling they're not going to be a budget option!
Via Slashgear.
And finally, O2 is having a bit of a Winter sale at the moment and they have some relatively cheap deals by their standards. For example you can pick up a 24 month contract with Unlimited Texts and Minutes and a whole gigabit of data for £26 a month. With that you can have your choice of Sony Xperia T for free or a Samsung Galaxy S3 for £99. There's also discounts on other things such as Sony Xperia J, Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 and the HTC Desire X. Head over to the O2 website for full details. Although if you're interested in the Xperia T we recommend getting 2000 minutes and unlimited texts and internet from T-Mobile instead for £26 a month!
