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Microsoft recently sent out invites to their upcoming event at the IFA 2014 in September. The invite clearly shows a PureView sensor, hinting that a device with a PureView camera will be revealed at the event. The most obvious device could be the Lumia 830 which while a midrange device, could come with a 20.1MP PureView camera. Other rumoured tech specs for the Lumia 830 includes a 4.5-inch display with 720p pixel resolution. Another device said to be coming at the event could be the Lumia 730 or Lumia Superman, which has been dubbed as the company's Selfie smartphone, perhaps due to the rumoured 5MP front camera. Other tech specs and features for the Lumia 730 include a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB of RAM and a 4.7-inch display with 720p pixel resolution. The Microsoft event is set for 4 September 2014 and while this rumour could be true, do take it with good pinch of salt. It could just as likely be the reveal for the next device to hold the 41MP PureView sensor said to be going out with the Lumia 1020. Stay tuned for more developments.

Sony started the whole water-proof smartphone trend with their Xperia Z smartphone, but truth be told, you can't really do much except take videos and pictures underwater. Well, now you can do something else as Sony release their new Underwater Apps for the Sony Xperia Z and Xperia Z1 smartphones, and even then, they must be from the US region. Most of the apps don't do much except to showcase your waterproof smartphone but the Goldie, Photo Lab, Plantimal, Sink Sunk, Rainy-oke and Tiny Umbrella do let you show it off a bit more. The only functional app to us would be the Sink Sunk app for those of you who'd like to play a game while scuba diving. As it is, Sony has opened it up to developers so we might see some useful underwater apps in the near future. No news when non-US Xperia Z and Xperia Z1 smartphones may get access but we'll let you know as soon as we find out.

The successor to the Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Galaxy Mega 6.3 has appeared with the Samsung Galaxy Mega 2. The 5.98-inch phablet was recently spotted at China's Tenaa revealing pics and tech specs. These tech specs and features include a 64-bit 1.2GHz Qualcomm snapdragon 410 processor, 2GB RAM, 8GB storage with support for microSD flash memory, a 5.98-inch display with 120 x 1280 pixel resolution, 13MP rear camera with LED flash, 5MP front camera and Android 4.4 KitKat. Since it is coming out for China it supports TD-LTE which is the 4G LTE version in China. The phablet measures in at 163.6 x 84.9 x 8.6mm which is quite large despite having fairly thin bezels and an artifical leather backside. No specific Malaysia release dates or pricing yet, but if it is already out in China, it should be here in Malaysia soon.

Microsoft recently launched their new Nokia Lumia 530 Dual-SIM smartphone for the masses here in Malaysia. Priced at RM355.00,  the Nokia Lumia 530 has been designed to deliver a connected experience for everyone and at that price should be affordable enough for everyone as well. According to Microsoft, it is their most affordable Windows Phone at the moment and will be available here in Malaysia on 16 August 2014. In terms of design, the Nokia Lumia 530 retains more or less the same colourful polycarbonate backside as other Nokia Lumia smartphones but fits nicely in the hand. The successor for the original value Windows Phone,  the Lumia 520, the Nokia Lumia 530 packs in a number of tech specs which include:

• 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor
• 512MB RAM
• 4GB storage + up to 128GB microSD support
• 4-inch display (FWVGA / 854 x 480 pixels)
• 5MP rear camera (no LED flash, no front camera)
• Features HSPA+, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB, Nokia Mixradio, HERE Drive+
• 1430 mAh battery
• Windows Phone 8.1 + Lumia Cyan

It appears that even the RM509 Xiaomi Redmi Note is being pirated with fake Xiaomi Redmi Note smartphones. This comes from a fellow Malaysian buyer who got ripped off from what appeared to be a third-party seller (scalper) who sold the fake Xiaomi Redmi Note he bought at RM639. When he got the fake phone he discovered that the tech specs and features didn't match, and the smartphone that he got could not take very good pictures (the original Xiaomi Redmi Note packs in a very good 13MP rear camera) and even could not upgrade to the latest version of Facebook. He went on to buy an original Xiaomi Redmi Note (again from a third-party seller at RM699) to make a video comparison between the two.

Most of the differences can't be tested for unless you download and run certain benchmark programs like AnTuTu X where the fake smartphone will score around 9000+ while the original will go for around 26000+. We'd recommend that you check out his detailed comparison (in Malay) but if you're faced with the actual device the easiest way to check would be to try out the camera and record 1080p full HD video, then play it back. If it is the real Xiaomi Redmi Note the playback should be smooth while the fake one will lag. Xiaomi Malaysia generally sell all of their products on their own website and do not have any authorized third-party sellers or distributors in Malaysia so buyers should beware of this when buying through other sources. In the meantime, do check out the comparison video.

While the Huawei Honor 3C already has a prime spot on the value smartphone market at just RM499, this is still not entry-level pricing. As such, Huawei have since come out with teaser images of their upcoming Huawei Honor 3C Playpriced at a very low price of CNY599 (RM312). Tech specs for the Honor 3C Play are quite good and include a 1g.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6583 processor, 1GB RAM, 4GB storage, 5-inch display with 720p pixel resolution, 8MP rear camera and Android 4.2.2. We suspect that the front camera will probably be a 2MP version and the rear camera won't have any LED flash but we assume it will come packing with Emotion UI 2.3 and offer an Apple iPhone like design based on the Apple logo image in one of the teasers. No news yet on actual Malaysia release dates or pricing but we expect it to come out soon in August 2014 or it may risk having to battle it out with the next Apple iPhone, Galaxy Note and Xperia Z smartphones in September 2014. Check out the teaser images for yourself.

It isn't a big secret that mobile devices are jumping onto the 64-bit bandwagon. We've already seen any number of 64-bit tablets but it appears that the first 64-bit smartphone from HTC may well be a model going by the codename of HTC A11. Reports indicate that it could be under the Desire branding and midrange tech specs that include:

• 1.4GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410
• 4.7-inch display (480 x 854 pixel resolution)
• 5MP rear camera (no LED flash) + VGA front camera. 
• Android 4.4.2

For quite some time now, Samsung has been rumoured to be making a smartphone with a wrap-around display. This comes from it's flexible YOUM display and patents of such a wrap-around device which technically would make it an edge-to-edge smartphone with no bezels. According to reports from Korea, Samsung has begun testing such a device thanks to news from component suppliers. The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has been rumoured to be this smartphone, however, do take such a rumour with a good pinch of salt as it seems like too much of a big change for the phablet. Instead it would be more likely to be the Samsung Galaxy Round 2 based off of the previous curved screen device, the Samsung Galaxy Round. The timing does coincide with previously leaked roadmaps for flexible displays though so we're still hopeful somewhat. In the meantime, check out the previous wrap-around patent images on how the next flexible display smartphone from Samsung could look like.

The super-thin Huawei Ascend P7 is currently the company's main flagship smartphone but in terms of screen protection it usually uses a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass. Huawei CEO, Richard Yu recently showed off a Huawei Ascend P7 with a sapphire crystal display even to the point of daring journalists to scratch it with a knife. He also went on to say that more 'Shocking products' will be coming from  Huawei soon. We have no idea what sort of tech specs these 'shocking' devices may have but Huawei has been on a roll recently, revealing the Huawei Honor 6 and other devices. A metal body Huawei Ascend D3 is rumoured to be coming soon at the upcoming IFA 2014 in September where it, the Sapphire crystal display Huawei Ascend P7 and other 'shocking' devices could appear. Still no details on Malaysia release dates, tech specs, features or pricing but we'll be waiting for more good stuff from Huawei Malaysia so stay tuned. In the meantime, do check out our review of the Huawei Ascend P7 as the tech specs for a Sapphire crystal display version probably wouldn't be much different from the original.

The rumoured Nokia Superman smartphone has been leaked as the Nokia Lumia 730, successor to the Nokia Lumia 720. On top of that, pictures of the smartphone have recently leaked. Looking to be a slim and narrow smartphone for the midrange, the Lumia 730 should have similar midrange tech specs. These Lumia 730 tech specs could include a 1.2GHZ quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB storage, 4.7-inch display with 720p resolution, 6.5MP rear camera with LED flash and 2000 mAh battery. The leaked pictures don't reveal much else except that it could be running an update to Windows Phone called the Lumia Debian Red but this could be an exclusive skin rather than a full Windows Phone update like the recent Windows Phone Cyan update. No details on Malaysia release dates or pricing just yet but it should be coming soon.