Syed Sofian Rabbani, Author at AndroidHeadlines.com |

My involvement with Android - as a fan and user - started in 2009-10 when I had dual-booted Android 2.2 Froyo on my SE Xperia X1. I have been following the rapid (and much deserved) rise of Android since then and have been rooting and flashing every android phone I could get my hands on. A self-proclaimed tech expert, in my free time I catch up on my reading and play with my one-year-old daughter.

Next Gen USB 3.1 Type-C Connectors Could Grace Your Next Smartphone or PC

Xiaomi Makes Cloud Messaging Optional After Privacy Concerns Raised by F-Secure

LG Aims to Capture Major Chunk in Chinese Market on the Strengths of the LG G3

Xiaomi Announces a 4G Toting Redmi Note for $162

LG is expected to Sell 60 Million Smartphones this Year

Samsung’s Profit from Mobile Devices Sees a 15% Drop in Q2 2014

Next Gen USB 3.1 Type-C Connectors Could Grace Your Next Sma...

If you own a gadget, and chances are you’d be having loads of them stocked all over the place, you would be most familiar with the USB cable that came along with it to charge the device or for data transfer. For the uninitiated, the USB standard – specifically the USB 3.0 standard – is […]

Xiaomi Makes Cloud Messaging Optional After Privacy Concerns...

Xiaomi has been recently been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Despite having a great product line – be it the sales-success of the Redmi Note, or the spectacular offerings of the Xiaomi Mi 4 – for the manufacturer to have its root in the mainland in a point of concern for several […]

LG Aims to Capture Major Chunk in Chinese Market on the Stre...

The latest flagship device from the Korean manufacturer, LG Electronics, has been receiving rave reviews from users and critics alike. LG Electronics was a late incumbent into the smartphone arena, when they finally arrived on the scene in 2010. Since then the Korean manufacturer has witnessed steady growth in their smartphone device sales. However, […]

Xiaomi Announces a 4G Toting Redmi Note for $162

Xiaomi has been in the news recently for (mostly) good reasons – whether it was the recent success of selling 15000 Mi 3 devices in a couple of seconds or the fact that Xiaomi has now beaten Samsung to the number one spot in China, as of Q2 this year. A lot of this success, […]

LG is expected to Sell 60 Million Smartphones this Year

LG Electronics was a late incumbent into the smartphone arena, when they finally arrived on the scene in 2010. Since then the Korean manufacturer has witnessed steady growth in their smartphone device sales. In the fiscal 2011-2012, LG had shipped an estimated 20 million to 26 million smartphone devices. The number of shipments more than […]

Samsung’s Profit from Mobile Devices Sees a 15% Drop in Q2 2...

When it comes to mobile devices, Samsung has no competitor when it comes to the sheer number of devices the Korean manufacturer manages to sell. However, volumes may not always make for an excellent financial story. We saw this recently when Samsung declared a less than stellar financial profit for the second quarter running. The […]

HTC Launches the HTC J Butterfly for Japan – a Water-Proof H...

The Japanese market for electronics has such a voracious appetite that several devices are released and consumed within Japan itself. HTC has recently added to this list of Japan-specific devices with the launch announcement of their HTC J Butterfly smartphone. The device will be available from the Japanese carrier KDDI and offers a hardware which […]

Trend Micro Backs Off Bogus “Malware-in-Google-Play-Apps” Cl...

Trend Micro is a big name in the anti-malware industry and hence a claim from which the company needs to back-track becomes news. Some time ago, Trend Micro had released a research white paper titled “Fake Apps – Feigning Legitimacy” in which the company had made some serious and damaging allegations against Android apps in […]

Hugo Barra Defends Xiaomi Against ‘Copy Cat’ Labels, Claims...

A huge ripple was created in tech circles when Google’s then VP for Product Management for Android – Hugo Barra – was successfully poached by China’s Xiaomi last year. Barra’s acquisition has been a god-send for Xiaomi which is currently battling a negative perception and image issues with the media labelling the Chinese manufacturer a […]

Google Voice adds Web-based Calls using Hangouts, Without a...

Google Voice has always been a service which is admired by most, but only available to a select lucky few. In its current avatar Google Voice provides PC to Phone free calling facility to US and Canada users. Google Voice also allows users to make cheap or low cost international calls – either PC-to-Phone or […]

LG Launches ‘Puppy Pop’; the First Game for LG’s QuickCircle...

The LG G3 is undeniably an excellent device. The efforts that LG took with it are evident in the fact that LG had managed to rectify almost all perceived issues with the G3s older sibling the LG G2, which includes a removable battery, a MicroSD slot, metallic frame and a new, mature interface. However, that […]

Amazon Launches Its Own Wallet App to Compete With Google an...

Amazon is a name synonymous with online retail, however the recent forays the company has been making into other domains – especially the highly competitive mobile devices arena – shows that the company is now aiming to expand their horizons. In a similar push, Amazon has quietly launched a Wallet app on the Amazon […]

Gionee to Introduce 5mm Thick Smartphone

Gaining a foothold outside of their bastion is the dream of all Chinese manufacturers, be it the likes of well-known Xiaomi and OPPO, or the upper comer Gionee. Speaking of the latter, Gionee had created waves when it had surprised the global markets with their ultra slim smartphone concept – the Gionee Elife S5.5, which […]

US Judge Issues Warrant for a Gmail Users’ Emails, Sparks of...

An international debate on user data privacy and the authority that governments have for conducting rampant large-scale surveillance was sparked off in June 2013 when the then government contractor for the US Governments National Security Agency, Edward Snowden, had leaked confidential information to the media which outlined the Governments’ massive data collection and surveillance program. […]

Nokia’s Trust with Android to End, Nokia X Will Flaunt Windo...

As an experiment, Nokia’s X series married Nokia’s hardware to the ease of Android in an attempt to catch up sales in the highly lucrative low-tier mobile devices segment. The success or failure of the program aside, Nokia will be moving away from Android and focus on Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform by allowing “select Nokia […]

The Chinese are Adventurous, Fake iPhone 6 Running Modified...

If you need a fake made, chances are you would find someone in the eastern part of the world to make it for you – and make it fantastic as well. At least that seems to be the information that one can derive from the latest news bit coming from China. French blog, NoWhereElse claims […]

LG G3’s ‘Mini Me’ Gets Leaked, Will be Called the LG G3 S in...

The latest flagship from LG’s stables is definitely going to follow the trend of bringing along its ‘mini me’ version. The news is confirmed in a leaked manual which belongs to an LG handset which goes by the nomenclature – LG G3 S – and has a model number LG-D722v. Earlier we had caught a […]

Is the Moto 360 Smartwatch Exorbitantly Costly? Chinese List...

Google’s upcoming OS platform for wearable devices – Android Wear – will be coming into the hands of users thanks to OEMs LG, Samsung and Motorola. The three manufacturers have lined up their own wearable devices – LG has the G Watch, Samsung is offering up the Gear Live, while Motorola has announced the Moto […]

Solar Powered ‘Smart Benches’ will now Charge your Phones ac...

If you’re a resident of Boston, you have something new to look forward to when you visit that park in your neighborhood. A new initiative is now bringing smart benches to Boston city parks, which would work as a spot for charging your cellphones in the outdoors. These new smart benches have been invented by […]

Did HTC Just Troll Us with a HTC Nexus 9 Render at Google I/...

Google is one great company, with an even greater sense of humor. If you don’t believe us, check out some of the Easter eggs they’ve stuffed into Search and Google Now. The second day of the annual Mecca for developers is currently ongoing at San Francisco, however we are still reeling from the information overload […]

Google Takes a Second Foray into the Living Room with Androi...

If there is one place where Google hasn’t managed too much success – so far – that has to be our living rooms. Google’s first foray into the television segment was the ill-fated Google TV which was launched at a Google I/O event four years ago. However, the platform did not pick off the way […]

Android Leads OS World Domination with 1 Billion Active Mont...

If you’ve been living under a rock, then let us remind you that the most awaited event in all of techdom is going on right now. We are definitely talking about Google’s annual developer conference – Google I/O 2014. The Key Note address kicked off some time ago, with Head of Android and Chrome, Sundar […]

Mysterious Motorola Phone with Dual Front Speakers for Veriz...

Motorola, under the able leadership of Google, had taken the tech world by storm and practically risen from the dead with their flagship device – the Moto X. The innovation of an always-on listening feature coupled with Google’s much awarded innovation – Google Now, in conjunction with an affordable price tag resulted in the […]

Google may add a kill-switch to the next Android version

The ease of access to the Internet and belonging content on smartphones has enslaved us and ‘Smartphone addiction‘ is now actually a well-known term in psychiatric medical circles. You may be as careful as they come when it comes to your beloved smartphone. However, we’re all only human, a little carelessness could lead your smartphone in to […]

OPPO Releases the Find 7 on Pre-Order, Ships in Early July

One of the most hotly anticipated devices, bearing the fabled quad-HD or ‘2K’ resolution, is now available for pre-order. Chinese manufacturer OPPO has announced that the quad-HD variant of their premium Find 7 is available on pre-order for certain countries, which includes the United States. For our US readers, the device can be pre-ordered from […]

LG Reveals New Smartphone Displays with Lower Power Consumpt...

For most people LG is synonymous with smartphones and tablets as well as being Google’s preferred partner for their Nexus line of smartphone. Some people are also aware that LG manufactures home appliances like TVs (including smart TVs), refrigerators, microwaves etc. However, very few would know that the Korean manufacturer also invests in research and […]

LG G3 Mini Leaks on Indian Export Website, Reveals Some Spec...

The season for Mini-me editions of flagship devices is still not over. Almost every big-name manufacturer has released smaller and albeit slightly less powerful variants of their flagships to appeal to a niche market segment which prefers sacrificing a little bit of size and power in lieu of a lesser price point. Personal preferences […]

QuickCircle Case for the LG G3 Unveiled Before the Phone’s O...

LG is getting impatient, but then again, that is a good thing for us. The upcoming iteration of LG’s last years’ flagship – the LG G2 – is much anticipated in tech circles, especially since this device would be what the Google Nexus 6 is expected to be based off – that is if LG […]

New Images Show off LG G3’s Dimensions amid a New Case

The leaks have turned into torrents for the impending LG G3. The device has seen leaks almost at the same levels as those of Samsung’s current flagship – the Samsung Galaxy S5. This time around we have a very clear pic – almost like a press render – which shows off the device, a new […]

Bigertech – Meizu’s Sub-Brand for Marketing is launching wit...

It seems that there is a new trend in tech circles, we’re talking about launching sub-brands. We heard this one first from the OnePlus and OPPO relationship, where it was specifically stressed that OnePlus only handles the marketing bit for OPPO. In the latest news flowing in, we get to hear that Chinese manufacturer Meizu […]

You Can Now Download Just About All Of The OnePlus One APK F...

Tech startup OnePlus has a universally acclaimed winner on their hands, the OnePlus One is definitely worthy as a flagship device with a price which is much less than that commanded by the current flagships from Samsung, Sony and HTC. Once the long-awaited OnePlus One was announced, the fact that the device would run CyanogenMod […]

Huawei Will Release a Cat-6 LTE Smartphone by the Second-Hal...

The excitement at the Chinese manufacturer Huawei has not died down since the announcement of the Huawei Ascend P7. In latest news, Huawei has announced the impending launch of a Cat 6 LTE smartphone during the second half of this year. It must be noted that the Ascend P7 is a Cat 4 LTE […]

Samsung Galaxy S5 Coming to Virgin Mobile on May 19th

The most anticipated device of this year – the Samsung Galaxy S5 – will be ultimately coming over to Virgin Mobile. The trend so far has been that Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) like Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile are usually the last in line to receive any new flagship, rather they would have to […]

Leak: Motorola Moto E Detailed Specs and Images

The Moto E has been keeping us awake even before an official announcement, after offerings like the Moto X and Moto G, anything that comes from the Motorola camp will definitely be closely scrutinized. Motorola has a press event planned in London on 13th May, where it is expected that the company would officially announce […]

Samsung Will Not Launch New Products at the May 28th Health...

Samsung is a mammoth organization, whose labyrinthine bowels include several divisions and departments which are focused on a myriad of subjects. We had reported earlier that Samsung would hold an all about health event on the 28th May at San Francisco and were speculating that a new S Band would be announced. The S Band […]

Sony Xperia Z2 Launches in India for INR 49,900, Offers Free...

One of the hottest smartphones on the market as of now is Sony’s latest offering – the Sony Xperia Z2. A device which has managed to turn heads, not only on the basis of its design principles, but also on the laundry list of high-end specifications it offers. Official confirmation from Sony states that the […]

Fake or Not: Purported Image of Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime Surf...

The Samsung Galaxy S5 has undeniably been the most anticipated device for this year and had a large amount of rumors swirling around it. Some of those rumors did come to fruition, however there were many such as a quad-HD display, a metal body and a powerful Snapdragon 805 chipset – which got dumped down […]

OPPO R1S Available for $400 Online, Find 5 Gets a Price Cut

Chinese manufacturer OPPO had officially announced the OPPO R1S, which is an upgraded variant of the popular OPPO R1 on 25th of last month. In the latest news trickling in from the Chinese manufacturer, the device can now be purchased from OPPO’s web-store right now. The OPPO R1S shares its specifications with the R1 which was unveiled […]

More Purported Low Quality Images of the Xiaomi Mi3S Leak

Quite a few rumors and leaks have popped up in regards to the Xiaomi Mi3S, however we have yet to see any clear leaked image which shows off the complete device. In a previous leak coming over from China via Weibo, we had three images pertaining to the upcoming flagship. One of these is an […]

Xiaomi Mi3S Bares All in Alleged Leaked Images

It seems that the opportune moment has come for Xiaomi to put the successful Mi3 through an upgrade cycle. We see this trend with other manufacturers wherein they release upgrades to their flagship devices every year. Quite a few rumors and leaks have popped up in regards to the Xiaomi Mi3S, however we have yet […]

Google Releases Android Distribution Numbers for April 2014,...

It is that time of the month when as a monthly ritual, Google releases Android distribution numbers which tell developers which versions of Android are in circulation and what percentage they hold vis- -vis the total pie. The details also provide insights into the problem of Android fragmentation. However, this time as well the numbers are not beyond […]

Stephen Elop Says Nokia Will Make More Android Phones, Even...

One of the biggest and most major news items in recent history has been Nokia’s mobile devices division sale to Microsoft. Prior to this, the struggling Finnish manufacturer had an exclusive agreement with Microsoft to produce smartphone devices based on the Redmond-based software giant’s Windows Phone OS – which was in competition to Google’s Android […]

Sony Plans to ‘Gamify’ Android for Newbies, But Will it Work...

Let’s take you back to the first time you held that expensive smartphone in your hand, when you took oh-so-much care not to do anything that could potentially damage the device in any which way. As a first timer – and that if you were never too technical to begin with – were you overwhelmed […]

LG G3’s Back Buttons Revealed Up-Close and Personal

The upcoming iteration of LG’s flagship device has been creating quite a stir in Android enthusiasts worldwide. A lot of this enthusiasm is also because of the fact that the next gen Nexus smartphone – possibly the last of the Nexus line – would be based off the LG flagship. We saw this relationship in […]

Huawei Ascend P7 Leaks Again, Before Official May 7th Launch

Huawei has been creating waves in their home base where the Chinese manufacturer has been giving Samsung a tough time. A few days ago we saw reputed leakster @Evleaks give us some tantalizing details pertaining to the upcoming flagship from Huawei – the Ascend P7. In today’s new, French website NoWhereElse.fr has leaked some official […]

Entry-level OPPO Joy Announced With 4-Inch WVGA Display And...

Chinese manufacturer OPPO has officially announced the OPPO Joy for Indonesia, which is a low to mid-range device aimed at the entry level market. OPPO has made its mark in the western world by offering premium-end specifications coupled with gorgeous design. We saw this strategy work out very well for the OPPO Find 5 and […]

HP Slatebook 14 Spotted Running Android With Full-HD Touchsc...

HP it seems is now banking big on Android, if the latest news coming in over from Italy is true (and we have no reason to doubt it much), HP is readying its first ‘Androidbook’ – a standard notebook computer which runs on Android. The HP Slatebook 14 is unique in that, unlike the Slatebook […]

Sony Xperia Z2 Shuns US Carriers, Will Retail Exclusively fr...

This is indeed an indicator of the really sad state of affairs for the Japanese giant Sony. If you have been waiting to pick up the latest and greatest Sony flagship devices – the Sony Xperia Z2 (and for that matter the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact) – on contract from your friendly neighborhood carrier, we’ll […]

LG G3 Shows Off a Cool Back in Leaked Images – Back Buttons...

Since LG got off their first Nexus device off the manufacturing line, the company has upped the ante for their other offerings as well. Last years’ LG flagship – the LG G2 – introduced an innovative concept, back mounted volume rockers and power button, and obviously not to miss the ‘knock-on’ feature wherein a couple […]

OPPO R1S Announced With 4G LTE, Better Cameras and Faster Pr...

Chinese manufacturer OPPO has officially announced the OPPO R1S, which is an upgraded variant of the popular OPPO R1 in line with earlier reports that had suggested OPPO would officially launch the device for China on April 25th at 10:00 AM Beijing time. The OPPO R1S shares its specifications with the R1 which was unveiled during the […]

Xiaomi Mi3S Screenshot Shows 3GB RAM and Android 4.4.2 Kit K...

Xiaomi has been creating waves with its device offerings, with such a huge amount of success and ©lan that the Chinese manufacturer has been accorded the title – ‘China’s Apple’ – a title that the company has acquired by successfully managing to create an aura of premium-ness around their offerings. Competition in the home base […]

Huawei Ascend P7 Leaked, Offers A 5 inch 1080p Display And 1...

Reputed leakster @evleaks is at it again, doing what he does best – providing us juicy bits on upcoming goodies in the Android world. In the latest snoop, the leakster has tweeted about the next iteration to Huawei’s Ascend P6, unoriginally named the Huawei Ascend P7. The Chinese manufacturer Huawei has been trying to make […]

According to Launch Weekend Sales Figures, the Galaxy S5 Out...

The title of the most awaited smartphone of the year undeniably belongs to the latest Samsung flagship – the Samsung Galaxy S5. The device had seen a global release after very strong pre-release registrations (the T-Mobile variant crossed 100K pre-registrations). It comes as no surprise then that the Samsung Galaxy S5 is selling like hot […]

Xiaomi’s First Tablet Could Feature a Retina Display for an...

Chinese smartphone manufacturers have to face tough competition in their home markets, however their competition is tougher when it comes to gaining a toe-hold in the highly lucrative markets of US and Europe. To establish their image and to depict a major differentiator for such incumbents, it is necessary to either provide premium specs, or […]

HTC One (M8) Gets Launched in India for a Whopping $827 (INR...

HTC’s India fans will definitely rejoice. HTC has launched their much awaited flagship device – the HTC One (M8) for the Indian sub-continent. For the uninitiated, the HTC One (M8) is the upgraded iteration to last years’ iconic HTC One (M7) and is the current flagship device for the Taiwanese manufacturer. In an earlier gaffe, it […]

Philips W6618 Announced with Massive 5,300 mAh Battery in To...

Smartphone users across the globe have rejoiced in the revolution brought about in display quality and screen size, so much so, that the full-HD 1080p resolution is now a standard for premium handsets, with the fabled ‘2K’ resolution being expected in upcoming flagships. However, one aspect of smartphone use still remains as the pet peeve of […]

LG Isai FL for Japan Leaks in Pink with Specs in Tow

The next big announcement that the Android tech world is awaiting is the Google Nexus 6, which will again be made by LG (so far). However if one needs to get pointers as to what an LG-made Nexus device has to offer, one needs to look no further than the latest LG G series smartphone. […]

OPPO R1S Release Date and Images Get Revealed

The Chinese manufacturer OPPO has created waves in the western world with their fabulously specced and designed offering – the OPPO Find 5 and the latest OPPO Find 7. However another OPPO device is making huge splashes in the news world – the OPPO R1S, which is an upgraded variant of the popular OPPO R1. […]

Google Says Google I/O 2014 Will Focus More On Design

Google’s annual developer conference – Google I/O – is the Mecca of the tech world, with developers and tech enthusiasts flocking to the event in ever increasing numbers. Google I/O’s tagline has always been “Design, Develop, Distribute”, however Google has always focused more towards the “Develop” and “Distribute” during the conference. Google’s Jon Wiley says […]

The OPPO R1S 4G LTE Shows off, Will Ditch the Mediatek Proce...

The Chinese manufacturer OPPO has managed to establish as a contender in the tough Android smartphone domain. The offerings from OPPO have so far been impressive, both, in terms of high-end premium specifications along with stunning design. The latest revelations of the OPPO R1S 4G LTE also stand testimony to OPPO’s focus on design. Check […]