The First Official Galaxy Note 3 Wallpaper Has Now Been Leaked [Download]

If you were to only pay attention to the leaks coming out of Apple and its suppliers right now you’d think that the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C were the only two phones that we are waiting on announcements for, but you’d be wrong. Samsung is also on the verge of bringing a new smartphone to market, and it’s a big one.

Of course, when we say that we don’t just mean that it’s a big release. The Galaxy Note 3 is quite literally a big phone, dwarfing everything that anyone would reasonably want to call a phone. It seems that Samsung’s oversized devices are hugely popular though, and following on from successful Note and Note II releases, the third generation is almost destined to be just as warmly received.

As is now becoming custom for so many of Samsung’s big releases though, we’ve had a new leak that pertains to the latest phone to come out of one of the world’s largest consumer electronics makers. The leak, provided by the prolific @evleaks Twitter account, offers up the first sight of a wallpaper that will ship as standard on the Galaxy Note 3.

Weighing in at a huge 7MB, the download file sits at a resolution of 1920×1920, which points to a Note 3 screen resolution of 1080×1920, something that will no doubt come as no surprise to people that have been following the Note 3 rumors for any length of time.

The file is available to download now thanks to the folks behind @evleaks, so grab it whilst it’s hot if you’re the kinds of person that likes brightly colored, high resolution wallpaper art for their smartphone. We’re not sure it’s our particular brand of gaudy, but we’re sure someone somewhere will like it.

We expect to hear more about Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 at the upcoming Samsung Unpacked 2013 event at IFA, so we’ll keep our ears to the ground for something a little more technical than a wallpaper.

We’ll let you know when we hear something!

You may also like to check out:

• Galaxy Note 3 Will Record Videos In 4K Resolution [Report]
• Galaxy Note 3 Specs Confirmed By Samsung’s Website

Apple Blocking Support Personnel From Taking Time Off Around Suspect iPhone And iOS 7 Release Date

It may not have been officially announced yet, but at this point it’s generally accepted that Apple will be holding an iPhone and iOS 7 event on September 10th. With that in mind, speculation has pegged a release date for the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C smartphones around the 20th of September, a date that makes sense based on past timescales from announcement of devices to their release.

To back up the thought that the 20th is to be new iPhone day, a document has appeared online on AppleInsider in which Apple is blocking its support staff from taking vacation time from September 15 through the 29th. In addition, T-Mobile has also told its own employees that the weekend of the 20th is off limits when it comes to booking time off work, something that would also suggest that we may now know just when we will all be lining up outside our local Apple Store.

The move of stopping its teams from taking time away from work during large retail events is nothing new for Apple, and its carrier partners have been known to do similar things during what they hope will be busy periods for the companies involved. As anyone who has tried to get hold of a new iPhone on or near its release date will attest, retail stores are always extremely busy and can often struggle to cope even when fully staffed. Allowing people to take time off could potentially be commercial suicide.

Apple has yet to send any invites out for an announcement event on the 10th, but with that being just over a week away it’s almost guaranteed that invites will begin arriving within the next couple of days. At this point the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C are almost nailed on to be announced, along with final version of iOS 7.

Apple’s iOS 7 in its current beta 6 iteration, released well over two weeks now, is quite stable. Introduced first at the WWDC in June, iOS 7 is expected to go gold at the September 10th event, and if previous release schedules are anything to go by, will be available for download to public around September 18th.

If that is indeed true, then expect stores to be even busier as people try to get their hands on the latest, shiniest technology from Apple.

It’s going to be a busy few weeks folks.

You may also like to check out:

• How To Download iOS 7 Beta 6

How To Get Android Notifications On External Bluetooth Hardware

Driving comes with enough possible distractions without throwing a smartphone into the equation, but unless you turn the thing off then there’s a pretty good possibility that you’ll get a few alerts through when you’re driving. With Twitter, Facebook and other apps constantly pushing alerts to us alongside good old fashioned text messages and phone calls, there’s never any shortage of things trying to grab our attention. When you’re behind the wheel though, it’s not the kind of thing you want!

If your smartphone of choice happens to sport a recent version of Android – 4.3 only – then you might want to give Botifier a whirl. It’s free, and if you have the required hardware to make it work, then it’s possibly one of the coolest ideas we’ve seen in a while.

Dubbed as push notifications for Bluetooth devices, Botifier will send notifications from your smartphone to a device that supports AVRCP 1.3, such as a Bluetooth-enabled car sound system. The result is notifications being pushed to that system with the app name showing as the artist, the summary as the album name and the notification text being displayed as the track title. That text can also be split across multiple track names, too.

Users can control the notifications using their sound system’s next/previous track controls to navigate through notifications as well as the play/pause buttons to remove them.

The app, created by XDA-Developer forum member Grimpy is completely free and, importantly, open source. If anyone has the means or the interest to fork Botifier they can do so via Grimpy’s Github page.

Little apps like this are the kind of thing that Android is known for, and it’s certainly not an app that would, or indeed could be made to work on iOS. That is, unless we’re talking about jailbroken devices, that is.

Still, if you fulfill the requirements of running the app – Android 4.3 in particular – and supporting hardware, then it’s highly recommended that you give the app a shot. Face it, it’s never any harm to try out free software, now is it? There really isn’t, so head over to the source link below and get started!

(Source: XDA-Developers forum thread)

Make sure to check out our Android Apps gallery to explore more apps for your Android device.

Sony QX Smart Shot Camera Accessory Will Have A iPhone 5S-Like Champagne Color Option [IMAGES]

We’re inching closer and closer to the impending announcement of the supposed iPhone 5Sand 5C, and while it may just be a speed bump of the existing iPhone 5, the 5S is currently the one that everyone is shouting about thanks to that rumored champagne colored option.

If Apple is indeed set to bring a silvery-gold iPhone to market after its September 10th announcement then it will have some company if reports of a similarly colored camera attachment from Sony prove to be accurate.

Dubbed the Sony QX Smart Shot, the camera lens will apparently be available in three colors for both the iPhone and Android devices. Those three colors are white, black and, you guessed it, champagne.

The camera itself will support lens stabilization as well as making it possible to record 1080p video even in situations where a lack of light would potentially be an issue normally. The device will also allow the controlling of zoom, exposure, white balance and focus on your choice of device, with the camera accessory apparently connecting to the smartphone via either Wi-Fi or NFC, depending on what phone you happen to be using.

Sony is expected to make the Smart Shot official at the IFA event on September 4th, at which point we will also get an idea as to how much we will need to hand over in order to get our hands on one. We’ll be keeping an eye on IFA anyway, but Sony just got hold of our attention even more than it already had.

While the news that Sony will be announcing a champagne colored accessory certainly doesn’t confirm a similarly colored iPhone is on the cards, it does add fuel to the fire that there will be more than just a black and white offering this year. We’ll find out inside two weeks though, so all the speculation isn’t too far away from ending!

It would be also interesting to see whether if this accessory gets any sort of limelight from Apple at their event. Think about it, a big name attached to a launch of a flagship device, sounds like a match made in heaven.

But our gut feeling tells us otherwise. Apple would want the stage to itself to flaunt the image snapping capabilities of its newest device, not Sony!

(Source: SonyAlphaRumors)

You may also like to check out:

• iPhone 5S And iPhone 5C Release Date Set For September 10th Announcement

How To Enhance Display Quality Of Nexus 4 [VIDEO]

Despite being relatively old when compared to many devices currently on the market, the LG-made Google Nexus 4 continues to sell in strong numbers. Moreover, the recent price-drop, which saw significant amounts slashed from the cost of the Big G’s already cheap-and-cheerful device, will have done its popularity no harm at all. But due to its age, the technology is not quite as fledgling as this time last year, and if you’ve checked the displays of devices like the Galaxy S4 or the HTC One, you’ll know that the Nexus 4′s screen looks a little washy by comparison. Thanks to the work of the guys over at XDA-Developers, notably memberfranciscofranco, you can inject a little much-needed life into your Nexus 4′s display.

The root-only app, which is appropriately entitled Nexus 4 Display Control, lets you tweak such elements as gamma and color, helping you bring a healthy glow back to what is looking an increasingly tired panel. Of course, it’s not going to bring the crisp liveliness offered by the aforementioned, but as far as helping you continue to love your Nexus 4 without looking too longingly at some of its more recent competitors, it does a good job.

At I/O this year, the search giant unveiled the all-new Nexus 7, which once again delivers on the Nexus ethos to bring strong features, a pure Android experience, and a reasonable price. But a mention of the Nexus 4′s successor never came, and while rumors of a “Nexus 5″ have been aplenty, there’s still no sign of the device. Thus, Nexus 4 owners will simply have to make do with their current side-kick, and while the likes of Nexus 4 Display Control are still available, the wait for the next edition mightn’t seem so tantalizing.

While the app costs a cent shy of two bucks over at the Google Play Store, it can be had from the XDA-Developers forums free of charge, for a limited time only. So if your Nexus 4′s display is in need of a little lift, be sure to hit up the source link below and give it a try.

Please remember, however, that you will need root access in order to proceed.

(Download: Nexus 4 Display Control for Android on the Play Store)

Make sure to check out our Android Apps gallery to explore more apps for your Android device.

Mophie Juice Pack Plus For iPhone 5: A Protective Case With A Stellar 2100mAh Battery

Mophie, the king of additional power packs and fancy cases with batteries built into them, has announced another new product today, swelling its iPhone lineup.

Built for the iPhone 5, the Mophie Juice Pack Plus is for people who mean business when out and about with their smartphone. Similar to Mophie’s other Juice Packs such as the Helium Battery Case and the Air Case, the Plus is a case that also houses an additional battery with the aim of not just powering an iPhone, but also protecting it from all manner of bumps and scrapes when it goes through our every day routine. It’s a great idea, that means you’ve always got the extra juice with you should you need it, and your new smartphone’s kept nice and safe in the process. Genius.

The Juice Pack Plus is the Big Daddy of Juice Packs, with a whopping 2100mAh battery pack doubling an iPhone 5′s battery life in one fell swoop. If you really need an iPhone 5 which would last the entire weekend without any additional power going into it, then this is for you.

Stats wise, the Juice Pack Plus will give users an additional 12 hours of Wi-Fi internet use, or 10 hours of 3G talk time. If you just need the phone to sit in standby, then it may never actually die! Well, maybe not, but you get the picture.

Mophie is shipping the Juice Pack Plus in three colors; black, white and Product (Red) and it will cost punters $120. The black version is shipping now, with the white one following next week. If the Product (Red) model is more your particular bag though, you’ll need to wait until the end of the month to pick one up. Face it, good and striking colors have always made the last entry into the scene.

We’re fans of Mophie’s products here at Redmond Pie and if you’re a heavy iPhone user then we suspect you are too. The biggest name in cases that are also battery packs, Mophie’s done it all. They know what they’re talking about when it comes to making a smartphone last longer, so if you’re in the market for a case that also gives your iPhone 5 some additional oomph, then look no further than the Mophie Juice Pack Plus.

Mophie Juice Pack Helium Spectrum Collection For iPhone 5 Adds Vibrancy To An Already Awesome Accessory [VIDEO]

Mophie has added a new range of colorful battery extending iPhone 5 cases to its growing collection of gorgeous ways to both protect and improve the longevity of your Apple smartphone.

Dubbed the Juice Pack Helium Spectrum Collection, and possibly possessing the world’s longest product name, the range of five differently colored cases add a touch of panache to any iPhone 5 while also improving its battery life by 80% – it wouldn’t be a a Mohpie case otherwise now, would it?

Available in blue, red, green, purple and pink, the case packs a 1500mAh battery that almost doubles the battery life of the device that it protects, which after all is probably the main reason anyone would go out and buy a Mophie case in the first place. The case itself is apparently 13% thinner than previous models and we’re told that we just won’t believe how good it feels in the hand. We’re intrigued by such a claim, and if the final release of iOS 7 doesn’t improve on the betas, we have a feeling that we’ll all be jumping at anything that can make our iPhone’s battery last longer than half a day.

Mophie is currently taking orders for its new Spectrum Collection of Juice Pack Air cases and you’ll need to hand over $80 in order to get your hands on one. Select colors will also be available to purchase direct from the Apple Store, too.

Mophie has long been the defacto standard when it comes to both protecting and powering iOS devices while managing to look good in the process. The new lineup sure looks like it’s going to carry on Mophie’s history of hitting home-runs. While it’s true that releasing a new case on the eve of Apple announcing a new device may seem odd, we can’t help but expect that Mophie has some ideas up its sleeve for when the new iPhone is announced, and considering the iPhone 5S is likely to look the same as the iPhone 5, case makers should be good to go regardless.

Of course, the iPhone 5C is an entirely new matter at this point.

You may also like to check out:

•  Mophie Juice Pack Plus For iPhone 5: A Protective Case With A Stellar 2100mAh Battery