Verizon's Nokia Lumia 928 to have Super AMOLED display?

According to previous rumors the Nokia Lumia 928 was expected to be mostly similar to AT&T’s 920, but with a couple of extras – an aluminum frame and a xenon flash (in addition to the LED flash). But now a new tidbit promises a Samsung-made 4.5" Super AMOLED display to replace the PureMotion HD+ LCD.

The info comes from parts supplier ETradeSupply. The display panel carries Verizon branding and is reportedly thinner and lighter than the 920 display, but is also 5mm taller. Another difference is that the mic has been moved and is now below the screen (rather than at the bottom of the phone).

The Lumia 928 display is again guarded by Gorilla Glass. The part is priced $211.40. The resolution is unknown but by the looks of the photos it will be 768 x 1280 again.

Here’s hoping we get to see a camera sample too, a xenon flash would improve low-light performance of an already pretty good shooter.

More details on WP8 Nokia EOS surface, 41MP sensor confirmed

More info about the specs of the upcoming Nokia cameraphone flagship, dubbed EOS, have surfaced. The device is set to carry the torch for the 808 PureView in the Windows Phone 8 era.

A report by MyNokiaBlog citing a source inside Nokia suggests the Finns are currently testing out two different versions of the EOS - with dual-core and a quad-core chipsets, respectively. In fact, the quad-core one is none other than Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800, but is said to be ditched in favor of the dual-core alternative due to unsatisfactory battery performance.

Speaking of battery, the source of the rumors has mentioned that the Nokia EOS would feature a 2000mAh unit - the same size as the one in the Lumia 920. However, the gist of the report is the camera itself. It is rumored to sport a sensor similar to the 41MP unit of the 808 PureView, optical image stabilization and variable aperture lens.

Naturally, the sensor itself will be updated as will be the camera interface. Xenon and LED flash units will both be present and there are tests with 2K or 4K video recording, although it seems unlikely to make it to the final product.

The Nokia EOS would feature a display of the AMOLED variety with the same resolution as the Lumia 920 (1280 x 768 pixels). Display size remains unknown at this point, though. FM radio, microSD card slot and micro HDMI out port are also rumored to be part of the Nokia EOS arsenal.

As far as its launch date goes, nothing is set in stone, but there's information the EOS might be exclusively released for AT&T. International launch would follow 1-3 months later.

Next Apple iPhone will reportedly feature a 12MP camera

The anticipated next iPhone, although itself still not fully emigrated from rumorland, is expected to feature an improved camera sensor compared to the one found on the current Apple flagship.

The iPhone 5 features an 8MP camera sensor with an f/2.4 aperture, hybrid IR filter, and backside illumination. A source working for Wonderful Saigon Electrics, the manufacturer that makes Apple's camera modules, alleges that the next iPhone (which is referred to as iPhone 5S) will come with an updated 12MP camera, complete with improved shooting under low-light conditions and HDR support.

Apple is under increased pressure as of late with recent Android flagships like the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 expected to quickly steal marketshare from its iOS platform. The Cupertino giant needs to produce a device that will really raise some eyebrows, and an updated camera sensor may be one of the ingredients it needs.

Windows Blue could bring boot-to-desktop back

Windows 8.1 may come with the option to load straight to the desktop layout instead of making users go via the Windows 8 Start Screen.

Some code supposedly from the update, also known as Windows Blue, includes an option that disables the start screen so users would jump straight to the desktop layout - as suggested by the code "CanSuppressStartScreen".

That's according to WinBeta, who has it from a Russian website which has since taken down the page relating to the Windows 8.1 code findings.

Build it up, buttercup

Does that sort-of confirm that the code is legit? Or perhaps it means it's been disproven - we have no way of knowing so we'd recommend you not take this as gospel.

The absence of a straight-to-desktop mode was one feature that caused heartache among die-hard Windows desktop fans and while workarounds do exist, to simply be able to switch the option on or off as desired from within Windows would be welcome to many.

Windows Blue is expected to enter a limited public preview at Microsoft's Build conference in June before hitting all Windows 8 computers and tablets later this year.