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The Microsoft Lumia 435 recently paid a visit to the FCC in the US. Judging from its name, the phone could be the new entry-level model for Microsoft's smartphone lineup, replacing the Nokia Lumia 530. The website has listed out five different variants of the device which include the RM-1070, RM-1071, RM-1034, RM-1068 and the RM-1032, of which the last two are the dual SIM models. The Lumia 435 features entry-level tech specs which include a Snapdragon 200 processor, 4-inch WVGA screen with 800 x 480 pixel resolution and a 5MP rear facing camera. Both the leaked report as well as the images confirm that there is no front facing camera. Other important tech specs like RAM capacity, internal storage and battery capacity have not yet been revealed. The Lumia 435 measures 118.1mm x 64.7mm, which makes it slightly smaller than the Lumia 520 which measures 119.9mm x 64mm and bigger than the Lumia 530. The phone will reportedly be powered by a BV-5J battery unlike other Lumia devices which could solve the rather low battery life of the Lumia 530. The same battery was imported in India last month, which could suggest that the phone is already being tested in India. Microsoft unveiled the Lumia 535 in Malaysia recently at RM429. For the Lumia 435, we expect the Malaysia pricing to be a little lower than this figure although there are still no details on actual Malaysia release dates just yet.

While the world continues to march on with newer digital devices and smartphones, billions of people still use a pen, pencil and paper to write notes. For these people, there is the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, a stylus driven beast of a smartphone that packs in tons of features and topnotch tech specs in a single 5.5-inch display sized phablet. If you're one of these people or an artist or a doodler or someone who likes powerful smartphones, then you'll definitely want to check out our in-depth review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 below (large portions of this review were written and created using the S pen, heck, this entire paragraph was written by hand despite my horrible handwriting).

Xolo, the budget smartphone manufacturer has announced a new phone in the market called the Xolo Q900s Plus. This new device is the upgraded version of the Xolo Q900s which was launched back in July. The company claims that the Q900s Plus is the lightest Android smartphone available today, but at 100 grams, it has the same weight as the older model. Notable upgraded tech specs include a HD 4.7-inch display instead of qHD resolution and Android 4.4 KitKat OS out of the box instead of Android 4.3. Xolo has listed the device on it'swebsite for $133 (RM465) but has not revealed any details about its availability of any possible Malaysia release date. The full tech specs and features of the device are given below. 

• 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor with Adreno 302 GPU
• 1GB RAM
• 8GB internal memory + expandable storage via MicroSD card
• 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 pixel resolution OGS IPS display with Dragon Trail Glass protection
• 135.8 x 67.2 x 7.2 mm |100 grams
• 8MP rear camera with LED flash + 2MP front camera
• Dual SIM Support, 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi, GPRS/ EDGE, GPS/ A-GPS, Micro-USB
• Android 4.4 KitKat OS
• 1800 mAh battery

Samsung's next iteration of the Galaxy Grand series was spotted on the Chinese TENAA website, revealing important tech specs and details about the device. The current vesion, the Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 was announced back in November 2013 and has been quite popular among mid-range phablet users. So, it is about time we see the next generation of this device. According to the website, the Samsung Galaxy Grand 3 (SM-G7200) will feature a 64-bit 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor which will be mated with 1.5GB RAM and 16GB internal storage, further expandable up to 128GB via MicroSD. Instead of the rumored 5.5-inch screen up front, you get the same 5.25-inch 1280 x 720 pixel resolution display like its current generation. Samsung has managed to reduce the weight on this new device by almost 20 grams as compared to the earlier version, making the Galaxy Grand 3 weigh just 140 grams. It's even slimmer by almost 1 inch at 7.95 inches. There is a 13MP camera at the back and a 5MP camera on the front. The device features Android 4.4.4 KitKat OS. Samsung is yet to officially announce the Galaxy Grand 3, but expect more details like Malaysia pricing and release dates in the coming few weeks.  

Highscreen has announced a new phone in the market called the Highscreen ICE 2 which features dual displays, much like the Yotaphone models. Although the brand is not famous internationally, it is owned by a well-known German company called Vobis Computers and has been operating in Russia for the past 5 years selling products like tablets, notebooks and other accessories. Unlike the Yotaphone 2, the ICE 2 features a tiny secondary display beside the rear camera which can deliver small pieces of information like incoming calls, text messages, notifications, weather updates and the time. Another highlight of the device is the notification light on the home button which can be configured with up to seven different colors for each app notification. Other tech specs include a 1.7 GHz octa-core Mediatek MT6592 processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage with MicroSD expansion, 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 pixel HD display, 13MP Sony rear camera and 2MP front camera. The device runs on Android 4.4 KitKat OS and comes with a 2550 mAh capacity battery onboard. The Highscreen ICE 2 dual screen smartphone will go on sale in Russia for $250 (RM962) in three colors – white, blue and grey. No details about Malaysia release dates or pricing so far.

A possible successor to the Xiaomi Redmi 1S was spotted at China's TENAA certification agency this Wednesday. TheXiaomi Redmi 2 may feature a 4.7-inch screen as well as a similar design profile like the existing Redmi 1S. The pictures listed on the website reveals three red-colored capacitive buttons below the display. On the right side lies the power and volume buttons while the left side is totally clean. The back features a camera sensor, LED flash, speaker grill as well as the Mi branding. Inside, there is a 64-bit quad-core processor (most likely the Snapdragon 410) with 1GB RAM and 8GB of expandable storage. Other tech specs include a 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 pixel resolution display, 8MP rear camera, 2MP front camera and 2220 mAh battery. The phone runs on Android 4.4.4 Kitkat OS and weighs just 134 grams. According to TENAA, it also supports 4G LTE networks such as TD LTE and FD LTE along with WCDMA. The Xiaomi Redmi 2 will reportedly be available in 8 colors – white, black, yellow, orange, red, blue, green and purple at around $100 (RM350). No Malaysia release or pricing just yet, but the existing Xiaomi Redmi 1S smartphone retails for RM419 in the country.  

Huawei recently announced a special edition of the existing Ascend Mate 7 called the Huawei Ascend Mate 7 Monarch Edition. This special version retains the same design as the original phone but brings in a lot of other upgrades to justify the name. The Monarch version replaces the Gorilla Glass on its 6 inch 1080p display with a much more scratch resistant Sapphire glass. The company has also increased the internal storage from 32GB to 64GB of which 54GB is available to the user. This additional storage coupled with the expandable memory slot, which takes MicroSD cards up to 128GB increases the total storage to 182GB. The phone comes in gold color and its owners get a special VIP card which will give them 1 hour quick repair facility for any kind of problems with the device. Other tech specs are the same as the original model, which includes an octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 925 processor, 3GB RAM, 13MP rear camera, 5MP secondary camera, 4G LTE support and a fingerprint sensor. The device runs on Android 4.4.2 Kikat OS with Emotion UI 3.0 and comes with a large 4100 mAh battery. Huawei has priced the Mate 7 Monarch edition at $710 (RM2480). No details about a Malaysia release or pricing yet, but the original Ascend Mate 7 is available to purchase in the country for RM1799.  You can also check out our product demo of the original model as well. 

Microsoft Malaysia and GSC have organized the "1314 - Forever Love" promotion where anyone who buys a GSC movie ticket from 13 December 2014 to 14 December 2014 could win a free Microsoft Lumia 535 smartphone. Participating GSC Outlets include Tropicana City Mall, Cheras Leisure Mall, IOI Puchong, Paradigm Mall and Setia City Mall. Five lucky winners will be chosen every day at each participating GSC outlet. Check out the steps to participate below:

• Customers must purchase a movie ticket for a movie on 13 and 14 December from GSC
• Lumia owners who show their Lumia device with the GSC app will receive a pair of free GSC movie tickets
• At 5:35pm the lucky draw for the Lumia 535 will begin.

Our collaboration with KL Gadget Guy and Nasi Lemak Tech continues with episode 5 of our Tech Kakis discussion group. This time around we talk about the Internet of Things which basically means every device is connected to the Internet. While this may seem like a fad, it does mean that eventually you would be able to remote control your everything or in turn get notified of everything. For example your Internet linked refrigerator could let you know if the stuff you bought has expired or what stuff you may have in cooler. We talk about other connected devices like the Samsung Gear S, the Philips smart LED light bulb and so forth. Check out the full video below:

The Samsung Galaxy Alpha and Galaxy Note 4 will reportedly be the first smartphones in the market to feature Corning Gorilla Glass 4. The latest generation of Gorilla Glass will be 2x times drop resistant as compared to the previous versions which means it can withstand drops around 80% of the time. Corning's experts studied over hundreds of broken devices to understand why the glass breaks after a fall. The results of the study indicate that over 70 percent of breakage occurs due to the surface contact with glass. In order to avoid this, the company made its latest Gorilla Glass 4 almost two times tougher. At the same time, the company managed to reduce the glass's thickness as compared to its previous generations. With this extra thin protective glass, Samsung managed to reduce the thickness of its Galaxy Alpha smartphone to just 7mm. The metal build coupled with the Gorilla Glass 4 protection makes the device sturdy and durable in spite of its thin profile. As for the tech specs, it features Samsung's Exynos 5 chipset with 4G LTE support, 4.7 inch Super AMOLED display, 13MP rear camera, 2.1MP secondary camera and 1860mAh battery. The Samsung Galaxy Alpha is available for purchase in Malaysia for RM1899 while the Galaxy Note 4 is going for RM2499.