The Sony Xperia SP is very similar in design to the Xperia ZL, but touts specs that are more of the mid-range ilk than its bigger brother. The Xperia SP touts a 4.6 inch 1280 x 720p display, a 1.7 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 8 GB of storage, 1GB of RAM and an 8 MP rear camera. There’s also a VGA front-facing camera, NFC, and the device runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

If you love the design of Sony’s Xperia Z but don’t want to fork over too much dough, the Xperia SP could be the smartphone for you. Head over to Sony’s website and plop down your pre-order to ensure that you receive this awesome device when it ships on May 20th.

[Via: Phonedog]

Samsung is introducing TecTile 2, an update to the original TecTile NFC programmable tags, which will be available in the coming weeks. TecTile 2 will use the current NFC technology on the market, allowing Samsung customers to further incorporate NFC into their daily lives and to use with the latest Samsung Mobile products and services, including the Galaxy S 4.

As industry standards continue to evolve, Samsung remains committed to meeting those standards and adapting its technologies if necessary. Samsung customers can also fully utilize TecTiles 2 with existing Samsung Mobile NFC-enabled Android smartphones currently in market.

NFC tags are still not widely used but we’re expecting this market to boom in the years to come, eventually making everyday mundane tasks a snap…

Last year, Apple acquired a security firm, AuthenTech. Apple’s $356 million purchase of the company was focused on AuthenTech’s “Smart Sensor” technology, a fingerprint scanner that can scan 500 pixels per inch. Apple began acquiring components for the iPhone 5S during the second quarter of 2013, and the device is believed to launch in mid to late 2013.

Apple seems to have done most of the grunt work when it comes to a mobile payment system with Passbook, which now just needs the hardware to turn it into the beast of a system that it could be.

Monday’s details are concurrent with previous rumors by analyst Ming-chi Juo of KGI Securites, who has provided pertinent information to Apple’s releases in the past. According to Kuo, the iPhone 5S will launch in June or July, with the same design aesthetic as the iPhone 5 but with a built-in fingerprint sensor, a beefed up A7 processor and an improved camera.

Kuo also claims that the fingerprint sensor will be placed underneath the home button on the device, which will allow for identity verification when transferring files, making mobile payments and more.

As this is all still rumor, we will have to wait and see what Apple has in store for us when it releases the iPhone 5S.

Check out the photo below  for a look at how the fingerprint sensor technology functions.

[Via: Apple Insider ]