Mobile rumours: Brand new features for Motorola’s Skip, Another Nokia 830 leak, Microsoft’s streaming dongle?
The world of mobile news is scary and complicated, with rumours flying about all over the place about what the many different companies are planning on doing. If you don’t know what you’re looking for then chances are you won’t get very far, so to ease your burden here are some of today’s biggest mobile rumours.
1. Could Microsoft have a Chromecast-style streaming device up its sleeve?
Google’s Chromecast is a remarkable piece of kit, especially for the low lo price of £30, so it’s hardly surprising that Microsoft wants to get in on that business itself by releasing it’s own streaming Dongle. At this stage all we know is that it will be based on Miracast, which will allow it to mirror screens from computers, phones, and tablets, onto a big screen. Chromecast, on the other hand, pulls its data from cloud servers. This has an obvious disadvantage in that it all relies on how good the connection between the two devices is to get good quality, but it also means it’s possible to have true screen mirroring — something Chromecast still struggles to do.
As a for a release date, we still don’t know. According to Into Mobile Microsoft has got permission from the Wi-Fi Alliance and the FCC to release a dongle, so it could come any day now. Honestly, the sooner the better. [The Verge via Into Mobile]
2. More images of the Nokia Lumia 830 leak
We’ve already seen a small leak of the Nokia Lumia 830 a few weeks ago, and it didn’t really look all that different from other recent Lumia handsets. Well we’ve seen it again, and it looks… basically the same. I suppose that’s a bit of confirmation that Nokia is sticking with the tried and tested design, especially since the previous images didn’t look particularly convincing. The only new feature is that the 830 apparently features a removeable black plate. This could mean that Microsoft will be letting people remove and replace the battery, or it might just be a feature that allows you to change the base colour of the phone — similar to the Alcatel OneTouch Pop S3, who knows.
Presumably we’ll be seeing this phone unveiled at IFA next month, but until then there are bound to be numerous leaks for us to keep you up to date with. [WP Central via Ubergizmo]
3. Motorola might be adding a host of new features to its upcoming ‘Skip’ device
When the Moto X was released Motorola included a small device called ‘Skip’ a miniature fob that lets you bypass the phone’s screen lock by waving the fob in front of it. Well now the company is apparently planning on releasing a new version, one that won’t be a forgotten accessory nobody paid much attention to. According to document filed to the FCC in the US, the updated version will also be able to unlock phones, but can also be used to activate your phones ringer so that it can be found more easily with the opposite scenario also being true. No more lost phones or keys for you!
The best part is that the new Skip will be powered by a watch battery, meaning it should last up to a year before you have to replace it. It also means that you don’t have to remember to plug it in every day to avoid losing functionality. There’s no word on a release date, but the new Skip will reportedly cost $20 (£12) by itself and is expected to be one of the things Motorola is showing off at IFA next month. [Droid Life via The Verge]
