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Firefox OS Keon and Peak get priced, €91 and €149 respectively

GeeksPhone Keon and Peak, the first generation smartphones that runs on the HTML 5-based Firefox OS were announced a while back and the company has now revealed info on the availability and the pricing of the smartphone.

GeeksPhone has officially confirmed the price tags of both smartphones and those are among the lowest on the market. GeekPhone Keon will cost you €91 (about $120) and the Peak is priced at €149 (about $195). Neither price includes taxes so, depending on your country, the final price will probably be higher.

The Keon and Peak will be available from the GeeksPhone's online shop, starting from next week and the smartphones will be shipped worldwide.

Nokia working on a phablet, 41MP Lumia and an updated 920?

Nokia has covered the entire range with its Windows Phone-powered Lumias – from entry level to high-end. Now, The Financial Times says the Finnish company is looking to expand beyond the phone market with a phablet.

FT sources claim the Nokia phablet will be similar in size to the Samsung Galaxy Note, but more advanced. It’s not clear if those sources are comparing against the Note II or its upcoming successor, but either way the 1080p screen and quad-core CPU support for Windows Phone 8 will be vital. The update also supports devices with 5” and more screens, making it just right for a phablet.

The sources also brought up the Nokia EOS – the mythical Windows Phone handset with 41MP PureView sensor, a true WP8-powered Nokia 808 successor. Rumor has it this device will pack a quad-core processor too, inside a Snapdragon 800 chipset.

Nokia is also planning a lighter, more advanced version of the Nokia Lumia 920, say FT’s sources. This could well be the Nokia Catwalk. A more affordable version of the 920 is also reportedly in the works.

BlackBerry 10.1 update preview reveals HDR camera and other neat tricks

BlackBerry 10 has been around for a few months now and while it's had a couple of minor updates we're starting to learn what the first major upgrade will bring.

The folks over at CrackBerry have been doing some digging in the BlackBerry 10.1 SDK and have managed to uncover some juicy morsels of information on what the update has in store for us.

First up the camera app will be getting some love with the inclusion of a HDR mode, allowing you to take better snaps with your BlackBerry Z10 or BlackBerry Q10.

A World of change

BlackBerry World is also getting a small refresh, with an easier way to check for app updates - which really is a welcome addition as it's a real pain at the moment - plus the inclusion of a voucher code box, suggesting BlackBerry will go down the Apple and Google route of offering coupons in stores.

Pin-to-Pin messaging has also been added to the BlackBerry Hub, allowing you to easily send encrypted missives to your fellow BlackBerry buddies.

A number of smaller cosmetic and functional additions and tweaks will also be included in the update, such as the ability to paste a number into the dialler and new help demos when someone boots up their device for the first time.

More new features will likely surface as the BlackBerry 10.1 update approaches a release - although that date is currently unknown.

With iOS 7 and Android Key Lime Pie both expected to arrive later this year BlackBerry needs to make sure its BB 10 platform can keep pace with the dominant forces in the mobile market.

LG's curved OLED TVs primed for release in second half of 2013

LG has confirmed it plans to release its gorgeous curved OLED televisions later this year.

The 55-inch set, which wowed onlookers when it was unleashed at CES 2013, will be ready for release "soon" according to one LG official, while another promised curved sets are coming later in 2013.

Hung W.K. Shin, of LG's Home Electronics Product Communication team, told TrustedReviews: "I can't give you an exact time, but I think we will see the first curved TV devices on the market soon."

He also claimed bigger versions of the display are on the way, adding: "We are preparing various types of curved TV, not only 55-inch models but larger as well. Consumers will be most strongly immersed with this curve."

When and where?

Hung Shin's comments were joined by those from LG Europe's Vice President of Home Entertainment Thomas Lee, who claimed curved TVs will be another "major trend" with sets "coming in the second half of this year."

Neither of the spokespeople offered any indication of where LG plans to launch the sets, but TrustedReviews' first-hand report from South Korea intimates the UK (and, by proxy, the US) is among them.

Despite the positive reception the curved OLED sets received at CES, a widespread commercial launch had seemed unlikely.

The equally-gorgeous, but massively expensive flatscreen 55-inch OLED set, unveiled 15 months ago at CES 2012, still hasn't gone on sale outside of Korea, despite a scheduled UK release in Q1 2013.

TechRadar has reached out to LG for clarification and will update this story if the company is able to offer more information on its global launch plans.

Samsung flexible screens reportedly warbled by delay

There's been a lot of hubbub surrounding flexible displays this past year, but now it looks like one of the technology's main advocates may have hit a snag.

According to the Korean site etnews, Samsung Display's efforts to get flexible displays out to market have been stalled by problems with the displays' encapsulation technology.

Encapsulation technology helps protect displays from damage from moisture and air, but the encapsulation process patent that Samsung purchased from a company called Vitex Systems in 2011 reportedly takes too long in the manufacturing stage.

Samsung is looking to replace the technology with a more efficient process, etnews said this week, which means it could still be a while before flexible displays take off commercially.

Flexible displays: the future?

According to the Korean site, Samsung's biggest flexible screen obstacle previously was related to its plastic substrate technology, but that problem is a thing of the past.

The encapsulation manufacturing problem is an unforeseen complication, though, and Samsung is looking to replace its current Vitex Systems technology, according to this week's report.

Samsung began pushing its flexible phone agenda in earnest this year,introducing its Youm brand flexible OLED displays at CES in January.

Since then, rumors have emerged that Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 will be thefirst commercial flexible smartphone, though more recent leaks could contradict that.

Oddly, etnews published a statement from Samsung Display that appears to contradict its own report: "As we have accumulated expertise in this field, progress is being made in substrates as well as encapsulation technology. We have developed a new technology than [sic] can shorten the encapsulation process to less than 2 minutes by using the Vitex System-developed encapsulation technology."

We've asked Samsung to clarify that statement, but so far we haven't heard back.

Nokia could be working on a big-screen Galaxy Note rival

Super-sized smartphones are all the rage these days with the Huawei Ascend Mate, ZTE Grand Memo and the ridiculously big Galaxy Mega following in the footsteps of the Samsung Galaxy Note - and Nokia is apparently next in line to get in on the action.

According to sources talking to the Finanical Times, the Finnish firm is cooking up a large-screened handset of its own.

This phone-tablet crossover device is said to be a similar size to the Galaxy Note, but will be technically more advanced - however, there were no details on specs, release date or even a name.

More where that came from

There's more than just a super-sized smartphone on the cards over at Nokia though, with people "familiar with Nokia's plans" claiming it's readying several high-end flagship products for 2013.

Only yesterday did we hear further rumours surrounding the Nokia EOS and it's 41MP PureView camera and these reports have been reinforced by the sources who reckon we could see the handset arrive in July.

Caught on the Catwalk

There have also been murmurings surrounding another Nokia device, dubbed Catwalk, which is thought to be a leaner Lumia 920 - something which is mentioned in the FT report.

Over on Sina Weibo - China's version of Twitter - the Nokia Catwalk has apparently appeared in a number of snaps, revealing that it is indeed both lighter (by 50g) and slimmer (by 2.3mm) than the Lumia 920.

According to the report the Lumia Catwalk will feature a 4.5-inch display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 16GB of internal storage, 2000mAh battery and an 8.7MP camera.

WPCentral claim these details have been "confirmed" by one of its own sources, but we're staying cautious on all these rumours - although it does seem Nokia is working on some big things.

HTC First review

Call Facebook ubiquitous and you're understating your case. Unlock any random smartphone and you're guaranteed to find a little blue F icon waiting on the home screen.

Facebook is so big, so everywhere, so omnipresent that it's already on everyone's phone, but apparently that's not enough for the sharing mogul. Now Facebook has decided to completely take over devices with Facebook Home, and has collaborated with HTC to create the HTC First, a phone meant to show just what that experience can be.

The First moniker comes from being the first phone with Facebook Home preloaded. It's a well built, unassuming little handset, nowhere near as big, flashy or as fast as the quad-core HTC One.

It's so subdued, you could almost mistake it for an iPhone 5 secured in a rubber case. It's a 5-inch dual-core handset that's currently exclusive to AT&T's 4G LTE network, going for $99 with two-year agreement. It comes in black, red, white, pale blue or red, and will cost you $450 at full price.

Once you dive into the software, however, the First resembles nothing else. Thanks to the Facebook Home overlay, it takes some digging to realize the HTC First is running Android 4.1: Jelly Bean with no manufacturer or carrier tweaking.

There's actually an excellent stock Android experience to be had here, one with solid battery life thanks to a small screen and restrained dual-core processor. There's also fast data service, provided by LTE coverage from AT&T. That's something you can't get on the other best stock Android experience in town, the Nexus 4.

This comes once you've disabled Facebook Home, however. With it enabled, all the basic smartphone functionality is there, it's just been buried by layer upon layer of whatever stuff your Facebook friends are posting. Posts are there right from the lock screen, using friends' cover photos as backgrounds.

Even SMS text messaging, that old standby of the smartphone, has gotten all Facebooked. On the HTC First it's been baked into the social network's own Messenger app, and displayed with floating Chat Heads icons.

So does total Facebook integration add or detract from the Android experience, or is it a whole different beast altogether? Is this a natural evolution, or has the premier service for liking cat videos and posting pics of meals growing cold finally gotten too big for it's britches? Read on for our take.

Design

Physically, the HTC First has a very manageable design. It's just 5-inches tall, like an iPhone 5. That makes it perfect for users who find large handsets, such as the Galaxy S3 and the upcoming Galaxy S4, too big.

It nestles nicely in the palm, and has a rubberized body with rounded corners like the HTC 8X. Unlike aluminum bodied phones such as the HTC One and the iPhone 5, it won't scuff easily, and doesn't need a case to prevent unsightly scratches.

At 4.37 ounces, it's a very balanced weight. There's enough there to be substantial, but it's light enough to toss in a pocket or purse and forget about.

HTC phones, even cheaper ones, usually have nice screens, and the First is no exception. The display is 4.3-inches and with a resolution of 1280 x 720, we're in 720p HD territory.

As is also the case with HTC phones, the color saturation is well tuned. Colors are true to life, and videos and pictures look quite good. You'd have to hold the First next to the best screens around, the HTC One, iPhone 5 or Galaxy S3, to realize it's less than premium.

Continuing with the HTC traditions, the First has a sealed body design. There's no opening it up to remove the battery or add storage, but this also gives it a very solid build quality. It doesn't feel like a phone that costs a lot of money, but it doesn't feel as cheap as, say, the HTC One VX, either.

Below the screen you'll find three capacitive buttons that light up when the First is active. Other than their looks, this is typical Android stuff. The back button is an arrow pointing left, home is a circle and the option button is a line or dash.

These symbols don't correspond to any Facebook features that we're aware of, so we're not sure why HTC stepped away from the typical Android design language. Maybe just to give the first Facebook phone a unique look?

On the back things get normal again. There you'll also find the lens for a 5-megapixel camera and an LED flash.

The First is also surprisingly restrained when it comes to branding. For the device meant to introduce the world to Facebook Home, it only has one little F logo on the back, next to HTC and AT&T's marks. We applaud everyone's restraint here.

On the right there's a SIM card tray, which pops out when the included SIM tool or a paper clip is inserted. Above that is the standard mini USB charging port, which struck us as odd placement. It'll only be annoying if you frequently use your phone while it's charging.

Usually the charging port is found on the bottom, below the screen, but instead that's where the First's speaker grill resides. This is the only speaker on the phone, and we sometimes had to take care not muffle it when watching videos, so it's not optimal placement.

On the upper left side you'll find a run-of-the-mill volume rocker. It's easy enough to find and press without looking at your phone.

At the top you'll find a headphone jack and lock button. As with the iPhone 5, it's easy to reach the lock button since the phone is just 5-inches. Tall handsets with hard to reach lock buttons on the top, like the HTC One, tend to annoy us.

One thing that strikes us as missing is a dedicated camera button. If there's actually someone out there who would like a phone built around Facebook, they would surely be obsessed with picture taking and Instagram. The lack of quick shutter snapping access is a major design fail.

Overall though, the HTC First is pleasant, if unremarkable to hold. The functional but milquetoast design of this phone, as well as the fact that Facebook Home buries the best Android functionality, reveals the sort of audience the First is chasing. This phone is for someone who wants to forget about their phone when they're not using it, and only wants to do basic things like text, share pictures and check Facebook when they are using it.

Furthermore, the immense pleasure we felt at having a Jelly Bean phone of a reigned in size speaks to oversaturation of too-large handsets in the Android market. Won't someone please make a reasonably sized quad-core LTE phone and let it run stock Android? Help us, Google Nexus 5, you're our only hope!