Good news for those with the HTC One X, One X+ and One S. HTC posted a note on Facebook that they plan on bringing the new Sense 5.0 to the devices. Timing is unknown and so are the specific Sense 5.0 features. HTC also stated that some of the features will appear, but not all. Most likely we’ll see BlinkFeed appear and hopefully parts of the new Zoe camera feature but not all, as the HTC One has upgraded camera technology onboard to support them.
[quote] HTC will be offering upgrades to some of its existing devices in the next few months, including global variants of HTC One X, One X+, One S and the HTC Butterfly. Also, note that some features enabled by the new HTC One hardware will not be available in the software updates.[/quote]
HTC recently introduced the revamped Sense interface in the form of Sense 5.0 along with HTC One smartphone. The interface is much lighter and cleaner than company’s previous Sense iterations.
We’ll bring you more details as soon as we get them.
HTC Sense 5.0 key features:
HTC Blinkfeed
Minimalist layout
Integration of TV control (won’t be coming to One X, X+, or Butterfly as there is no IR Blaster)
The Samsung Galaxy S IV could use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 600 in the United States, and a Samsung Exynos 5 Octa in Europe and other places of the world where LTE is not that widespread, according to a recent JPMorgan note.
When Samsung unveiled the eight-core Exynos 5 Octa at CES, it was widely expected that the Samsung Galaxy S IV would feature Samsung’s latest innovation. However, according to an earlier report from SamMobile, Samsung seems to have run into some overheating issues with the processor, and Samsung believes the problem will not be fixed in time for the Galaxy S IV launch.
The Exynos 5 Octa is a an 8 core processor from Samsung, running 1.8 GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A15 and 1.2 GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 along with Tricore PoverVR GPU. The Snapdragon 600 on the other hand runs a quad-core Krait 300 CPU clocking at 1.9 GHz along with the Adreno 320 GPU. Qualcomm claims that the new SoC delivers 40% better performance than the existing S4 Pro chips.
It must be noted that Samsung utilized the same Mali-400 GPU in both its international Galaxy S II and Galaxy S III models, the latter clocked significantly higher, to little ill effect. And the Snapdragon 600 SoC is significantly faster than the dual-core S4 Plus offered in the North American Galaxy S III. It’s also likely the included Adreno 320 GPU would be clocked faster than in previous devices.
Various reports also suggest that Galaxy S4 will sport an improved 13 Megapixel camera with Orb camera technology that will be capable of taking 1080p videos. Other expected features include a 2 megapixel front-facing camera, a removable battery, an Adreno 320 GPU, TouchWiz UI and Wireless charging.
A teaser released by samsung shouts out ‘Be Ready 4 The Next Galaxy’, and mentions Times Square (New York, USA) as the venue and 14 March 2013, 7PM EST, as the date and time for the Samsung Unpacked 2013 event. The event would also have a webcast as the teaser mentions a live stream link.
Aircel today launched the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone powered by BlackBerry 10 in India. BlackBerry introduced its new Z10 smartphone in India with a price tag of Rs. 43,490, aimed at competing with Apple and Samsung in the lucrative smartphone market.
Aircel is offering a new range of exciting usage plans for both prepaid and postpaid subscribers. Aircel’s subscribers will enjoy integrated service bundle of data (1GB data), voice (250 minutes Aircel to Aircel / month) and SMS (250 Aircel to Aircel / month) for 3 months at a recharge of Rs. 153.
BlackBerry phones, unlike any other smartphone, require operator services (who offer it with special plans) to perform all communication related functions. You can’t access mail, chat (BBM) etc on a normal data plan. However, BlackBerry 10 operating system based devices do not require any specific data plan for emails, browsing or BBM. A regular Internet plan will work on the new smartphone.
[quote]Mr. Anupam Vasudev – Chief Marketing Officer, Aircel said, “Aircel is a young brand and has positioned itself as a data led telecom player. This new exciting partnership with BlackBerry reiterates our commitment to offer our valuable customers with innovative products and services as we believe that a good smartphone is paramount to bringing the best consumer experience. There is an inherent growth in Internet consumption due to the high level of penetration of smartphones and we are happy to offer exciting usage plans to compliment the new BlackBerry Z10.”[/quote]
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Aircel Launches the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone powered by BlackBerry 10 in India
Announces range of exciting usage plans for both prepaid and postpaid customers
Delhi, February 27th, 2013: – Aircel, one of India’s leading telecom players, today launched the new BlackBerry® Z10 smartphone powered by BlackBerry® 10 in the country. The new BlackBerry Z10 is the first smartphone to launch with the re-designed, re-engineered and re-invented BlackBerry 10 platform, giving customers a powerful and unique new mobile computing experience. The BlackBerry Z10 smartphone is the fastest and most advanced BlackBerry smartphone yet, and offers a smarter experience that continuously adapts to a customer’s needs.
Mr. Anupam Vasudev – Chief Marketing Officer, Aircel said, “Aircel is a young brand and has positioned itself as a data led telecom player. This new exciting partnership with BlackBerry reiterates our commitment to offer our valuable customers with innovative products and services as we believe that a good smartphone is paramount to bringing the best consumer experience. There is an inherent growth in Internet consumption due to the high level of penetration of smartphones and we are happy to offer exciting usage plans to compliment the new BlackBerry Z10.”
Sunil Dutt, Managing Director for India at BlackBerry said, “We are pleased to work with Aircel to bring customers in India the powerful new BlackBerry Z10 smartphone. Backed by Aircel’s network and service plans, BlackBerry Z10 customers will be delighted with a re-invented communication experience, seamless multitasking, and easy access to multiple social networks.”
Aircel is offering a new range of exciting usage plans for both prepaid and postpaid subscribers. Aircel’s subscribers will enjoy integrated service bundle of data (1GB data), voice (250 minutes Aircel to Aircel / month) and SMS (250 Aircel to Aircel / month) for 3 months at a recharge of Rs. 153. With BlackBerry 10 every feature, every gesture, and every detail is designed to keep customers moving and includes advancements such as:
• Peek and Flow into the BlackBerry Hub – A new mobile computing paradigm where what matters to customers is always only one swipe away • Keyboard– Understands and adapts to customers, so they can type faster and more accurately • BBM™(BlackBerry® Messenger) – Allows customers to share things with the people that matter to them in an instant • BlackBerry® Balance™ technology – Protects what is important to customers and the businesses they work for
About Aircel Aircel is one of India’s leading pan India operators. It won 3G spectrum in 13 circles and BWA spectrum in 8 circles and has successfully launched 3G services which is the fastest 3G roll out ever in the Indian Telecom Space. Aircel has been constantly innovating products and services and is credited with making 3G affordable to masses by launching Pocket Internet Smart which offers best value 3G packs. Aircel Pocket Internet Smart gave a boost to 3G adoption in the country as it is a true value for money product that allows consumers to access unlimited 3G data at extremely affordable prices. Aircel has positioned itself as a data led telecom player and has addressed the multi-functionality of a mobile phone in many innovative ways which are Industry firsts, be it the Aircel Pocket Internet, Pocket Internet Games and Facebook Voice Updates on Aircel. Aircel is also a preferred telecom network to launch Apple iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and iPhone 5. For more information, please log on to www.aircel.com.
BlackBerry and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In Motion Limited. BlackBerry is not responsible for any third-party products or services.
Adobe has this week launched a new version of its Adobe Photoshop Touch application which has been designed to specifically for smartphone devices.
To date, owners of Apple’s smartphones have had to be content with Photoshop Express, since the company’s Touch product had been limited to tablets, but now that’s all changed. Adobe Photoshop Touch is available right away for devices running iOS 6.0 and up, or Android 4.0 and up. There’s one notable caveat, support for the iPhone only stretches back to the iPhone 4S, though the fifth-generation iPod touch is covered.
Adobe is offering Photoshop Touch for the iPhone for $4.99. It includes the same features found in the iPad version of the app, including layers, selection tools, adjustments, and filters. The app also comes bundled with access to Adobe Creative Cloud and 2GB of free storage. The Android variant is also priced at $4.99.
Adobe Photoshop Touch’s features are virtually identical features as Touch for tablets, yet shrunken down to pant pocket size. It can edit images as large as 12MP with layers.
There’s also a phone optimized version of Scribble Select that allows for precise selections and cropping even with a finger.
The Camera Fill feature lets users blend layers in real time using their camera as well as add textures.
According to a fresh leak, HTC plans to expand its Windows Phone 8 lineup with a new handset, which is bound to sit between the Windows Phone 8X and the Windows Phone 8S when it comes into being. Dubbed internally as HTC Tiara, the smartphone will be one of the first to the market with Windows Phone 8 GDR2 – the second major overhaul of the OS after the recent “Portico” update.
Listed along with “Windows Phone 8 GDR2” as the OS are additional leaked specifications dug up by Unwired View and EVLeaks that put this phone in the mid-range category.
Components include a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, 4.3-inch Super WVGA LCD2 display, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage and a 1800mAh battery.
These rumored HTC Tiara specifications line up almost perfectly with the company’s mid-range, Android-powered HTC One SV smartphone. The only exception is that the WP8 version has a slightly superior 8MP rear-facing camera over the One SV’s 5MP camera.
No word on what the device will look like, but UnwiredView claims it will be similar in style and features to the HTC One SV.
Details on Windows Phone 8 GDR2 are scarce, but it is believed to be a pretty big refinement over the first version. The HTC Tiara is expected to land in mid-May.
EvLeaks has proved to a solid source for mobile leaks. It has most recently pinned the launch and specs of the HTC One and new Lumia handsets correctly.
Currently, the Taiwanese manufacturer is working hard to promote the HTC One Android flagship.
Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover today launched luxury sedan Jaguar XJ Ultimate Edition, priced up to Rs 1.88 crore (ex-showroom, Mumbai).
The XJ Ultimate, imported in India through completely built unit (CBU) route, will be available with Jaguar’s existing 5.0-litre V8 petrol supercharged engine and 3.0-litre V6 turbocharged diesel engine, all driving the rear wheels via an eight-speed transmission.
[quote]“The Jaguar XJ Ultimate is our most luxurious vehicle and offers unrivalled levels of opulence and comfort for rear-seat passengers,” Del Sehmar, JLR India spokesperson told Financial Chronicle.[/quote]
According to the car manufacturer, the Jaguar XJ Ultimate Edition can only be ordered in the long wheelbase version of the model, the XJ-L, and it’s coming with some interesting exterior changes, such as the air intakes or the wheels, 20-inch in size, with a dual-tone color scheme. New oval exhaust pipes have also been added to the model, finished in polished stainless steel.
The Jaguar XJ Ultimate Edition is also coming with massage and ventilated seats, a full length leather trimmed central console, Meridian 20-speaker surround sound in-car entertainment system, a bespoke champagne chiller mounted between the two rear seats, two third-gen iPads with wireless keyboards in the rear, wireless headphones for the rear passengers and much more, which will definitely be appreciated by future owners of the model.
The diesel 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 diesel version producing 275bhp and 600Nm torque is priced at Rs 1,78,84,481; while the 5.0-litre petrol V8 producing 385bhp and 515Nm torque costs Rs 1,87,96,544. (All prices ex-showroom Mumbai).
Instagram has officially announced it’s hit the 100 million active users mark.
The social photo sharing app remains the most prevalent network for sharing images worldwide. Launched in October 2010, the platform has seen exponential growth since. The app actually reached the 100 million registered users mark by September 2012, according to Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, which purchased Instagram at a $1 billion pricetag in April of last year. Today’s 100 million users number refers to those who post images via the app on a monthly basis.
[quote]”It’s easy to see this as an accomplishment for a company,” co-founder Kevin Systrom wrote in a blog post, “but I think the truth is that it’s an accomplishment for our community.”[/quote]
Even after the whole controversy a few months ago where many misread a change in Instagram’s terms of service as saying user photos would be used in advertisements, the network continues to grow like crazy.
Instagram is only available on two platforms, iOS and Android, with a third possibly coming in the form of BlackBerry 10. Whether it will be as a port of the Android version (more likely) or as a native app (far less likely) remains to be seen. There is no sign of Instagram for Windows Phone, nor has the company alluded to it.
LG is definitely one of the most active companies at this year’s Mobile World Congress, having already shown several new smartphones and announcing it has acquired webOS from HP.
After showcasing its Optimus series of smartphones, LG has now unveiled the WCP-300 wireless charger that also happens to be the “world’s smallest” in the industry. South Korea will see the hardware arrive this week with a 65,000 won (roughly $60 or Rs 3200) price tag, but the charger is scheduled for a worldwide roll out soon.
The WCP-300 charger is just 6.9cm in diameter, and is entirely compliant with Qi wireless charging standard. Despite being smaller, the WCP-300?s charging area is said to be 1.7 times wider than LG’s previous generation wireless charger, meaning it won’t be any harder to find that contact point between the two devices. LG’s employing a full-power feed to the device using a standard microUSB connection.
The Nexus 4 has feature built-in support for wireless charging right out of the box, eliminating the need to purchase separate covers. LG believes that built-in support for upcoming smartphones will be the most critical development in making wireless charging the industry standard going forward.
Hope they start bundling these with their new devices in the future!
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LG INTRODUCES WORLD’S SMALLEST WIRELESS CHARGER LG’s Thin and Sleek Wireless Charger Delivers Maximum Charging Performance and User Convenience
BARCELONA, Feb. 26, 2013 – LG Electronics (LG) today introduced the world’s smallest wireless charger at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. At only 6.9cm in diameter, the WCP-300 is designed with portability in mind. Despite its di-minutive size, the charging area is 1.7 times wider than that of LG’s previous generation wireless charger. The new model is compatible with a standard 5-pin micro-USB charger, providing the highest level of charging performance and user convenience.
The WCP-300 employs electromagnetic induction technology and is Qi certified by the Wireless Power Consortium. Electromagnetic induction produces a magnetic field that in turn generates an electric current to charge the batteries in devices placed on the charging pad. Certification ensures that the WCP-300 is compatible with all smart-phones that support the Qi standard.
“Wireless charging is the holy grail of smartphone user convenience,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “With the WCP-300, LG was able to deliver both portability with top-class charging capabilities in a device no larger than a typical beverage coaster.”
In the US market, both the LG Spectrum 2 and Nexus 4 feature built-in support for wireless charging right out of the box, eliminating the need to purchase separate covers. LG believes that built-in support for upcoming smartphones will be the most critical development in making wireless charging the industry standard going forward.
LG is committed to offering consumers a better mobile user experience by introducing smartphones with more advanced wireless charging technologies in the global market.
About LG Electronics, Inc. LG Electronics, Inc. (KSE: 066570.KS) is a global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics, mobile communications and home appliances, employing more than 93,000 people working in over 120 operations around the world. With 2012 global sales of USD 45.22 billion (KRW 50.96 trillion), LG comprises four business units – Home Entertainment, Mobile Communications, Home Appliance, and Air Conditioning & Energy Solution – and is one of the world’s leading producers of flat panel TVs, mobile devices, air conditioners, washing machines and refrigerators. LG Electronics is a 2012 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year. For more news and information on LG Electronics, please visit www.LGnewsroom.com.
About LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company The LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company is a global leader and innovator in mobile communications. With its breakthrough technologies and innovative designs, LG continues to establish a number of benchmarks in the smartphone market, while also helping create a better lifestyle for consumers by delivering a wholly enhanced smart-phone experience. As a leader in 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, LG continues its commitment to de-veloping groundbreaking LTE technologies and fulfilling consumer demands with differentiated LTE devices of the highest quality, all of which are based on the company’s wealth of LTE patents and technical knowledge. For more information, please visit www.lg.com.
Back in December of 2012, it was revealed that WhatsApp had no immediate plans to release an app for Blackberry 10. This was kind of a bummer because BBM only allowed for texting between Blackberry devices, while WhatsApp allowed for communication between multiple platforms.
Now the good news is that according to a tweet by Neeraj Arora regarding WhatsApp, it looks like there will be a native Blackberry 10 app and it will be arriving in March which is next week.
It is very clear that BlackBerry aims at no less than an attempt to fairly command a premium price for its flagship device, the BlackBerry Z10. But for that to succeed, the application platform still needs to be worked on. BlackBerry had proudly played up the fact that it had 70,000 apps ready at the time of the BB10 launch, but quite a few popular apps are still missing in action.
BlackBerry recently launched its Z10 smartphone in India for Rs. 43, 990 and has been facing a lot of flak due to the steep price for their flagship device.
WhatsApp, is a cross platform instant messaging app, and is very popular with a wide demographic of users. The network reported that 10 billion messages were sent on its network in one day, back in August 2012. The application is currently available on Android, iOS, Windows Phone, BlackBerry OS7 and prior, Symbian and even on Nokia S40 Asha phones.
Mozilla announced that it will be bringing its Firefox OS to carrier-sold devices in 2014. But a fundamental part of that ecosystem is the performance of its mobile browser, which is likely why the company is working so hard to perfect the underlying architecture of its Android version.
Private Browsing is perhaps the biggest part of the Firefox Beta update, but not the only one. The Monday announcement also detailed several more updates that users will likely find interesting.
First the big news though. Prior introduced “Firefox for Android Beta comes with new per tab private browsing, allowing you to switch between private and standard tabs within the same browsing session”. While this mode has been called by other, less-savory, names it has many legitimate uses. For instance, you may want to shop for your spouse’s birthday present without her accidentally stumbling across the evidence. Of course, you can erase history, but Private Browsing has your back in case you forget.
Second, Mozilla has a new and updated version of the Home screen. The latest Firefox beta allows users to customize the shortcuts. Users can completely change the images on the home screen to their favorite or most frequently visited sites. To do this, simply tap and hold a site to pin it to the Home page.
Also, the latest version introduces compatibility with much more ARMv6 hardware; “Firefox for Android Beta is now available to phones with minimum requirements of 600MHz, 384MB, QVGA. New devices supported include: Samsung Galaxy Next (GT-S5570, GT-S5578), HTC Aria (S31HT), HTC Legend (A6363), Samsung Dart (SGH-T499), Samsung Galaxy Pop (SCH-i559), Samsung Galaxy Q (SGH-T589).”
Mozilla is going in the opposite direction of Opera, which is adapting itself to the high-performance WebKit engine; Firefox started with high-end devices and is now expanding down, promising good performance on two- and three-year-old hardware.
Microsoft announced some new Windows Phone app statistics today as part of its Mobile World Congress press push. One of those stats concerns the total number of apps worldwide. Microsoft now says there are 130,000 apps available for download in the Windows Phone Store.
Making the announcement on behalf of Microsoft, manufacturer Nokia, which utilises the Windows Phone 8 platform for its flagship Lumia range, including the newly unveiled Nokia Lumia 720 and Nokia Lumia 520, confirmed the Windows Phone 8 app milestone during its MWC 2013 press conference.
[quote]“Today we are proud to announce that we have achieved the level of 130,000 Windows Phone applications,” Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said. “That’s 130,000 applications tailor made for the Windows Phone experience.”[/quote]
Microsoft said that the number of downloads of its Windows Phone 8 SDK has now exceeded 500,000 since its launch nearly four months ago. It added that Windows Phone developer registrations were up by over 40,000 users, 90 days after the Windows Phone 8 launch.
Microsoft is also launching its new Dev Center app, which allows app developers to see how their apps are performing.
Microsoft is still a long way behind rivals such as Android and Apple in the apps market, both boasting over half a million apps.
Nevertheless, the rise will be welcomed by those at Microsoft and used as evidence that while it has been slow to enter the mobile market it’s moving fast to catch up with its rivals, with most high-profile apps now available for the operating system, such as Spotify.
Asus has announced a new version of their Padfone, the Asus Padfone Infinity, which is a 5 inch smartphone and 10 inch tablet device that can be docked together to form one device.
The successor to the company’s hybrid tablet/smartphone has a redesign with an aluminum back and edge-to-edge glass display, a 5-inch display with 1920 x 1080 resolution and 441 PPI.
The PadFone Infinity runs Android 4.2, the latest version of the OS, and is powered by a 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor, and an Adreno 320 Graphics processor. It has 2GB RAM and offers 32GB/64GB of internal storage. The PadFone also supports LTE connectivity and NFC.
The Padfone Infinity packs a 13MP F/2.0 main camera which has a dedicated image signal-processor to enhance low-light image quality and to enable PadFone Infinity to capture up to 100 sequential photos at 8 frames-per-second, while simultaneously recording 1080p full-HD video.The PadFone Infinity can also record 1080p full-HD video via its micro-USB-compatible MyDP interface. There’s also a front-facing camera – 2MP, F/2.0.
The phone itself has a unibody design and is made of aero-space grade aluminum alloy, with brushed finish.
The Asus Padfone Infinity also features a 2,400 mAh battery with up to 19 hours of talk time over 3G and up to 40 hours when it is docked with the tablet, it will launch in Europe in April.
It sounds as though Asus is looking to ship the latest PadFone for around £875 (around Rs 72,000, $1325, €999 or AU$1287) so if you like the sound of it, you’d better get saving. The PadFone Infinity release date has been set for April.
Asus has unveiled its latest handset at MWC 2013 – the Asus FonePad, which it describes as ‘a phone that’s also a tablet’.
The company has obviously seen that, hey, that Samsung Galaxy Note’s doing quite well, and decided it wants a piece of the ‘phablet’ action.
It’s a 7” tablet with an IPS screen of 1280 x 800 resolution and sports full phone functionality with 3G HSPA+ connectivity. Of course there’s also WiFi (B/G/N) and Bluetooth 3.0.
Hardware-wise, the ASUS FonePad is one if the slowly rising number of Android devices with an Intel processor. It is powered by an Intel Atom Z2420 at 1.2GHz which has an integrated PowerVR SGX540 graphics processor (GPU). There is 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (+32GB microSD max).
There are two versions of the Asus Fonepad. In Europe, the tablet will come with 16GB of built-in storage and a 1.2MP front-facing camera. It will launch in April for €220.
For the APAC region, the Fonepad will have only 8GB of built-in storage but it grows a 3MP camera on the back. This one will launch in March for $250. Both have microSD card slots and 5GB of lifetime Asus WebStorage.
The rear camera will capture only 720p video, but there’s enough power on tap to playback 1080p video you might have imported to the device.
Sony Mobile Communications chief Kunimasa Suzuki took the stage at MWC Barcelona today to confirm that the company’s Xperia Tablet Z would begin to rollout globally starting in Q2 of this year.
In the United States, the 16GB model of the Xperia Tablet Z is slated to retail for $499 (Rs 27,500), while a larger 32 GB model will sell for $599 (Rs 33,000).
The tablet has been hailed as Sony’s first serious contender in the tablet market, following the launch of the Sony S and Sony P tablets last year.
The Xperia Tablet Z aims to support Sony’s One Sony strategy which aims to provide a suite of converged products and services across Sony smartphones, tablets, laptops and TVs.
The Xperia Tablet Z is one of a number of high-end Android devices powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core chip, in this instance, clocked at 1.5GHz. It is paired with 2GB of RAM, while its up to 64GB of internal storage can be supplemented by its built-in microSD slot. Even though the tablet is just 6.9mm thin, it also packs in 6,000mAh battery as well as a high-spec 8.1-megapixel Exmor R camera for better low light performance. The Xperia Tablet Z ships with Android 4.1 ‘Jelly Bean’ but will be upgradeable to Android 4.2 ‘Jelly Bean’ soon after launch.
Sony’s S-Force Front Surround 3D, guarantees high quality audio performance alongside Sony’s Clear Audio+ mode and the innovative use of two in-built speakers with four ‘speaker halls’ on the left and right corners which guarantees sound whichever way it is held.
When it ships, the Xperia Tablet Z will launch with a number of accessories including a charging cradle, an LCD Screen Protector and Leather Carrying Cover that comes in black, white or red. These will be available from Sony stores or registered retailers.
Key features for Xperia Tablet Z
10.1″ HD 1920x1200p WUXGA Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2
S-Force Front Surround 3D
The world’s slimmest* design at 6.9 mm and lightest** at 495g for 10.1″ water resistant tablet
Dust and water resistant (IP55 & IP57) with a durable glass front display
Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with 1.5GHz asynchronous quad CPUs and 2GB RAM
One-touch connectivity with Near Field Communication (NFC)
A unique OmniBalance design with subtly rounded edges and smooth reflective surfaces
8 MP rear camera featuring “Exmor R for mobile” and Superior Auto plus 2MP HD front camera
Battery STAMINA mode further improves the standby time.
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Sony Announces Global Availability of Xperia™ Tablet Z – The World’s Slimmest and Lightest Tablet
At Mobile World Congress, Sony Mobile Communications (“Sony Mobile”) today announced that Xperia Tablet Z – the slimmest* and lightest** 10.1″ water resistant tablet available – will launch globally in Q2 calendar 2013. Additionally, Sony’s flagship smartphone, Xperia Z will roll out in stores worldwide from today.
Since it was announced in January, Xperia Z has won 13 awards and received the widest ranging of any Sony smartphone to date with 140 sales channels in 60 markets across the globe. Both products combine premium specifications with the best of Sony technology, entertainment, design and connectivity.
Premium Tablet Design
Xperia Tablet Z is the most premium, high performance 10.1″ Android tablet available. Built from quality materials and featuring the same stunning OmniBalance design as its smartphone sibling, Xperia Tablet Z is also incredibly slim and lightweight at 6.9mm and 495g. Available in black or white and in LTE and WiFi versions, it is the first tablet to run on Qualcomm®Snapdragon™ S4 Pro asynchronous quad core processor and has the highest levels of water resistance (IP55 & IP57) ever delivered in a tablet, making it immune to accidental spills and splashes.***
“Xperia Tablet Z sets new standards in entertainment by matching premium specifications and Sony technology with cross-device connectivity and a consistent user-experience,” said Kaz Tajima, Corporate Vice President, Head of UX Creative Design and Planning, at Sony Mobile Communications. “Xperia Tablet Z reinforces our intention to be a leading player in the premium Android device market, by building on the principles established by Xperia Z and perfectly optimising them for the tablet form factor.”
Integrated Sony Technology
Xperia Tablet Z includes the very best of Sony technology. With a 10.1″ HD WUXGA Display, powered by Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, it delivers enhanced colour reproduction for a brilliant TV-like viewing experience. It also draws upon Sony’s camera expertise with an 8MP rear camera featuring “Exmor R for mobile” as well as a 2MP HD front-facing camera for capturing the best images in any condition. Sony’s S-Force Front Surround 3D, guarantees soul-shaking audio performance alongside Sony’s Clear Audio+ mode and the innovative use of two in-built speakers with four ‘speaker halls’ on the left and right corners delivers amazing sound no matter how it is held. Xperia Tablet Z also includes Battery STAMINA mode, Sony’s unique battery management technology that can significantly improve standby time. The WiFi variant also offers up to 64GB of storage with an optional mircoSD card.
Seamless One-touch Connectivity
Xperia Tablet Z includes more connectivity options than any other tablet. It also includes Sony’s One-Touch functions that let users transfer content seamlessly from HD tablet to TV, tablet to speaker or phone to tablet just by touching them together. One-touch functions are a key component of Sony’s device range this year and no other consumer electronics company is bringing as many NFC-enabled products to market. The tablet’s Universal IR Remote allows users to control the TV and other Sony devices – as well as products from other manufacturers – directly from the tablet placing the device at the heart of the home. TV SideView is a new application that gives users an entirely new way to interact with the TV.****
Sony’s media applications
Sony’s signature media applications – “WALKMAN”, Movies and Album – allow users to enjoy, control and view content regardless of their device. The Sony Entertainment Network can also be accessed from these applications and includes Music Unlimited with more than 18 million songs and Facebook social integration as well as Video Unlimited with access to over 100,000 movies and TV series.*****
Xperia Tablet Z Accessories
Xperia Tablet Z will launch with a number of accessories including a charging cradle, an LCD Screen Protector and Leather Carrying Cover that comes in Black, White or Red. These will be available from Sony stores or registered retailers.
Xperia Tablet Z will launch on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and is upgradable to 4.2 after launch for the latest Android user experience.
Key features for Xperia Tablet Z
10.1″ HD 1920x1200p WUXGA Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2
S-Force Front Surround 3D
The world’s slimmest* design at 6.9 mm and lightest** at 495g for 10.1″ water resistant tablet
Dust and water resistant (IP55 & IP57) with a durable glass front display
Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with 1.5GHz asynchronous quad CPUs and 2GB RAM
One-touch connectivity with Near Field Communication (NFC)
A unique OmniBalance design with subtly rounded edges and smooth reflective surfaces
8 MP rear camera featuring “Exmor R for mobile” and Superior Auto plus 2MP HD front camera
Battery STAMINA mode further improves the standby time.
* Verified in 10″ tabletclassattime ofannouncement.
** Verified in 10“tablet class with water resistance at the time of announcement.
***In compliance with IP55 and IP57, Xperia Z is protected against the ingress of dust and is water resistant. Provided that all ports and covers are firmly closed, the phone is (i) protected against low pressure jets of water from all practicable directions in compliance with IP55; and/or (ii) can be kept under 1 meter of freshwater for up to 30 minutes in compliance with IP57.
****TV SideView – can be downloaded from Google Play – service depends on country availability
*****Sony Entertainment Network services are subject to availabilityby region, please see http://www.sonyentertainmentnetwork.comfor more details.
About Sony Mobile Communications
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Samsung Mobile has confirmed a major launch event in New York next month, expected to involve the new Galaxy S4 flagship smartphone.
The invites, issued at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, ask members of the press to “come and see the next Galaxy” at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on March 14 at 7pm local time.
The Mobile Unpacked invite does not specifically mention the rumoured Galaxy S4, but it does bear the telling line, “Ready 4 the Show”. The New York event will also be live streamed on Samsung Mobile’s YouTube channel.
After the blockbuster success of the Galaxy S3, anticipation has surged for the successor to the Galaxy S franchise. The Galaxy S3 last year emerged as a true rival to Apple’s iPhone, even seeing accelerating sales after the iPhone 5 launched late last year.
According to Android Geeks, a software engineer working in the team that develops the new Samsung Galaxy S4 has confirmed that the highly-anticipated smartphone will come with a new camera feature called Samsung Orb, which will work in a way similar to the Photo Sphere that was integrated in Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
Reports are indicating that Samsung Galaxy S4 will come with the company’s proprietary Exynos 5 Octa processor with octo-core processor and tri-core PowerVR SGX544MP3 GPU, so the powerful hardware platform will help the smartphone render Orb photos with ease.
