Author Archive: Gareth

The Chromebook Pixel

For the last few years the Chomebooks have been simple and cheap solutions for those wanting an internet experience, instead of all the trimmings of a Windows based laptop. Google has recently unveiled their Chromebook Pixel, a high end Chomebook that combines stellar screen technology with the cloud centric operating system based around the popular Chrome browser. It’s an attractive chuck of technology and something of an experiment when you consider the competition out there.

Google have stated they are not interesting in seeing this machine fly off the shelves, instead they want to raise the bar of what a Chromebook can be considered to be. The Pixel has some decent specs, maybe not as much as you would expect considering the price tag of £1,049.00 however it does compare more to the Macbook Air than a more traditional laptop.

Archos to enter the phone market

It looks like Archos will be jumping into the Android smartphone game. Some new intel and pictures have come out that solidify these rumours with some very detailed info. Here’s a quote,

The most interesting one is a Galaxy S III look-alike, the Archos 48 Platinum, a flagship device with a 4.8-inch IPS display with a 800 x 1,280-pixel resolution and the popular MediaTek MT6589 chipset with a 1.7GHz quad-core processor. The best thing about the Archos 48 Platinum is its price – it will only cost 249 euro (around $335) at launch, which is slightly more than a third of other flagship devices. The device will run on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
Of course, the quad-core MT6589 is not quite on par with the Exynos 4412, but nonetheless its a pretty impressive chip for its price. Performance is expected to be around 50% to 60% of that of the Samsung device. The flagship Archos 48 Platinum will go on sale in May.
Next on the list is the Archos 52 Titanium, a 5.2-inch Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich-based smartphone. It will obviously be an even more affordable solution given its 480 x 800-pixel display and dual-core 1.2GHz processor with 512MB of RAM. There is no info on its price yet though.
Finally, Archos will also ship a purely low-end device in the form of the Archos 35 Carbon. This smartphone will feature a 3.5-inch 320 x 480-pixel screen, a single-core 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, and 512MB of internal storage (expandable via microSD cards). The Archos 35 Carbon will run on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and cost only 90 euro (around $120) at launch.

As you can see, Archos is not leaving its "budget-friendly" ideals behind. Still, the phones could be a relative bargain and it will be nice to see some upward-moving market pressure on pricing. If more of these inexpensive devices can start to make a dent, then the big dogs will have to get a bit more competitive with their pricing as well.

Posted by: Gareth

8 Inch Samsung Galaxy Note to hit soon

Just last week a couple of stories broke detailing the possibility of a Samsung Galaxy Note 8-inch Android tablet arriving at MWC in February. As it turns out the possibility is now a reality. JK Shin himself reportedly confirmed the new 8-inch variant of the popular Galaxy Note tablet is real and will show up as soon as the MWC show next month. No other details were shared, but at least it’s far more concrete than what we had before.

An 8-inch tablet might be just the right ticket for some folks, walking that middle road between the 7-inch and a full 10-inch.

Posted by: Gareth

Sony Xperia Z confirmed

We received hints of the Sony Xperia Z 10.1-inch Android tablet just last week, but now Sony has officially unveiled it! Their new flagship tablet boasts a rather impressive array of features whilst being ultra-thin. Here’s a breakdown:

• Android 4.1
• Qualcomm 1.5GHz quad-core APQ8064 processor
• 2GB RAM
• 32GB storage
• 10.1-inch 1,920 x 1,200 screen (with Mobile Bravia Engine 2)
• 8.1-megapixel Exmor R camera
• NFC
• LTE (MDM9215M radio)
• A microSD expansion
• Sony’s "S-Force" virtual surround sound technology
• 6.9mm-thin
• 495g
• Water & Dust-Resistant
• 6,000mAh battery

Sadly, Sony did not unveil price or availability details as yet. Of course, we will keep you informed.

Posted by: Gareth