Archive for 2014
In a USPTO application filed in 2012 under the title ‘Wearable Personal Information System’, Microsoft shows off their idea for the latest craze in health focused mobile technology, the smartwatch. The patent outlines how their device would feature a small detachable screen built that can be attached to fitness-related equipment. The device can also be used as a music player and alarm clock, as well as for messaging and telephone purposes. A watch from Microsoft is likely to feature its own operating system based on the Windows OS for desktop and Windows Phone.
The success of its Hudl tablet over Christmas has been confirmed by the that Tesco is set to launch not one but two new devices. A Hudl branded smartphone alongside an evolutionary update to the Hudl tablet from last year.
The smartphone is not expected to appear until the end of the year however it will keep the Hudl branding. Oddly, the BBC reports that the phone will run Android and be of a comparable specification to the Samsung Galaxy S5. Much like the Hudl tablet this phone will come preloaded with Tesco services, including Blinkbox video streaming and Tesco shopping apps. The addition of these bundled apps will allow Tesco to “aggressively priced” a higher-end smartphones.
In addition, Tesco also confirmed that the Hudl 2 could arrive as early as September. The first incarnation of the low priced, Archos built, 7-inch tablet sold around 550,000 units since launch before Christmas and was not only applauded for it’s low cost and higher than expected specifications but the ability to pay with Clubcard points helps many families justify having one.
No specifications or prices for either the Hudl phone or Hudl 2 Tablet have been confirmed at this point.
ZTE have been busy recently and today have announced that their latest ZTE Blade L2 will be available in across Europe later this year. No word on an exact date as yet but the Blade L2 looks like a great mid-tier device. The handset is the latest and most stylish handset to come from the affordable and highly popular Blade series that has already received millions of global sales.
Today, ZTE celebrates the introduction of its latest mobile phone, ZTE Blade L2, in Europe. The ZTE Blade L2 is already ranged in countries including Spain, Greece, Germany, Slovakia and the UK and will be rolled out globally later in 2014. The ZTE Blade L2 is the latest and most stylish handset to come from the affordable and highly popular Blade series that has already received millions of global sales.
Featuring an elegant design with a 5” touch screen and white exterior finish, the Blade L2 not only delivers on style but also packs a powerful performance with its 1.3GHz Quad-Core processor. Thanks to its narrow frame design, the ZTE Blade L2 looks and feels even slimmer than its 8.9mm effective thickness.
Like its popular predecessors in the Blade series, the Blade L2 offers a superior photo experience, boasting a 5MP camera which includes a number of different settings from continuous shot and panorama to anti-flickering as well as a multi angle view that can easily be turned into 3D animation. To make sure that users get the perfect photo, the camera functions also include autofocus, flash, self-timer, face detection and ZTE’s Smile Shot. The ZTE Blade L2 also includes a 0.3MP front camera for self-portraits and video-calling.
Mr. AO Wen, General Manager of ZTE Handset European Operation Office, said, “At ZTE, it’s no secret that we pride ourselves on the affordability of our smartphone handsets that makes smartphone technology available to everyone. We’ve had huge success with our Blade series to date in Europe, and we’re excited to introduce the latest edition. We’re confident that the ZTE Blade L2 will offer our ever-more discerning customers across Europe a stylish and high performance device at the right price.”
The 5” large screen offers a superior experience for browsing, watching movies and previewing photos taken with the 5MP camera. Preinstalled with Evernote, Dropbox, Facebook and Twitter, the ZTE Blade L2 enables people to easily share their memories with friends and family at just the touch of a button.
Acer has announced a large amount of new devices in New York this past week. Another tablet on their roadmap is the Acer Iconia Tab 7, a familiar looking tablet with many stylings borrowed from other tablets already on the market.
Running on Android 4.4 the Acer Iconia Tab 7 improves of some of the spercs of the Acer Iconia One 7, launched the same day. A Media Tek MT8382 Quad Core 1.3Ghz runs the show with 1GB of RAM. A 7″ IPS HD 1280×800 display looks great with 8gb and 16gb variants available. A 5MP rear camera and 0.3MP fornt facing camera round out an attractively styled budget offering.
Acer unveiled the Acer Iconia Tab 7(¹) at its “A Touch More Connected” launch event in New York. Equipped with phone functionality and 3G connectivity, the Iconia Tab 7 is the marriage of the two most used consumer devices — a tablet and phone — together in a super portable, premium-looking design with a vibrant 7-inch screen. Users can use 3G to browse, keep in touch, stay current on news, events and social networks, as well as enjoy voice calls.
A slim design with premium look and feel
The slim Acer Iconia Tab 7 has a premium look and feel with a clean and simple design of anodized silver. The 0.89 cm (0.35 inches) thin body, narrow 11.6 cm (4.6 inches) width and light 298 g (0.66 lb) weight makes the Iconia Tab 7 extremely comfortable to hold and use with a single hand for phone calls and browsing, yet it’s large enough for reading text and enjoying video.Impressive media performance and imaging
Available with two screen options(¹), the vibrant 7-inch screen delivers crisp visuals with up to 1280×800 HD resolution and IPS(²) technology for sharp, truly vivid colors from wide viewing angles. Plus, customers can do even more with their Iconia Tab 7 thanks to its powerful quad-core processor. Dual cameras ensure users can capture all the most important moments, and it features Android 4.4 (KitKat) and up to 6 hours(3) of battery life.
Tap, swipe and pinch with fewer fingerprints
With all those taps, swipes and pinches, screens can get dirty quickly, but not with the Iconia Tab 7. Equipped with an anti-fingerprint coating, messy fingerprints and smudges are reduced while also making it much easier to clean.
The Iconia Tab 7 is equipped with a MicroSD™ card slot for extended storage and easy sharing. For further storage expansion, users can take advantage of AcerCloud™ (4) and enjoy seamless sharing of videos, photos, music and documents across multiple devices.
Pricing and availability
The Acer Iconia Tab 7 will be available in Latin American markets at the end of June with prices starting at $1,990 MX Peso; in Europe, Middle East and Africa middle of May with prices starting at €149.
According to some new intel which popped up this morning, Samsung is gearing up to launch a new line of Galaxy Tab S tablets later this year. These new Android tablets will supposedly feature higher end specs than current models, including features like:
Galaxy Tab S line specification:
- 2560×1600 AMOLED displays (for the 8.4-inch and 10.5-inch models)
- Fingerprint Sensors
- An octa-core Exynos 5 (5420) SoC, including four Cortex A15 cores, four Cortex A9 cores and a Mali T628 GPU
- 3GB of RAM
- 8MP rear camera
- LTE connectivity (when/where applicable)
- IR blaster
Of course, as we have seen in the past, a high-end tablet doesn’t necessarily translate into sales or success for Android. For the most part, it’s the cheaper alternatives which have flourished in Android tablet-land. Everything depends on how aggressively Samsung prices these gadgets.
Recently, in New York, Acer announced a few new devices. Amongst them was this low end, wallet friendly slab. The Acer Iconia One 7 is a reasonably priced and stylish alternative for the budget market. Combining an attractive display with a grippy rubberised rear. Priced competitively the One 7 looks like it will be able to handle the rougher lifestyle as the user will have increased grip with the rubber covering alongside a little more protection if dropped.
Whilst the specifications are hardly anything to write home about, there is enough to keep this tablet as a contender. An Intel Atom based Z2560 Dual-core processor running at 1.6ghz should keep most happy along with a modest 1gb of RAM. Both 8gb and 16gb models will be available allowing more storage by way of microSD card expansion. The 7″ IPS display 1280×800 provides a bright front end. However, two cameras, a 2MP rear shooter and 0.3MP front faced, seem quite underwhelming. No details of the battery size have been revealed however 7 hours have been quoted, this will hopefully change one Android 4.4 makes it’s way onto the tablet as it is currently running 4.2.
On April 29, 2014 Acer unveiled the Acer Iconia One 7 at its “A Touch More Connected” launch event in New York. The incredibly portable 7-inch tablet, with Intel® dual-core processor, is the ultimate device for anyone who wants to enjoy mobile entertainment in a stylish device with multiple color options. The affordable price makes it even more compelling for families and anyone on a budget.
“Since the beginning, Acer’s mission has been to break down the barriers between people and technology and make the latest technologies accessible to all people,” said Maverick Shih, president of Acer’s BYOC and Tablet Business Group. “The new Iconia One 7 is a great example of how we continue this heritage by offering mobile devices with great functionality, unique designs and excellent value.”
“Congratulations to Acer on delivering the Intel Atom-powered Acer Iconia One 7 to market. It offers superb gaming and entertainment performance, long battery life and a sleek form factor,” said Hermann Eul, vice president and general manager of Intel’s Mobile and Communications Group. “We look forward to continuing our close work with Acer to bring additional innovative mobile devices to market that meet the ever-increasing demands of today’s consumers.”Smooth motion and true-to-life visuals
Games and video run smoothly on the Acer Iconia One 7 thanks to the Intel® Atom™ Z2560 processor. The 7-inch LED-backlit display has 1280×800 HD resolution and IPS(1) technology to ensure games, websites, e-books and all visuals are clear and vibrant. The 16:10 display is the ideal format for video, and users can enjoy up to 7 hours battery life(3) when viewing 720p video. It runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean), upgradeable to Android 4.4 (KitKat).Design to be seen
The Acer Iconia One 7 comes in a wide-array of delightful color options(2) to suit any lifestyle including, but not limited to, red, white, black, blue and pink. The rear case features a sophisticated textured pattern that gives it a unique look and feel while also providing anti-slip properties for a comfortable and reliable grip. The slim profile of the Iconia One 7 not only makes it stylish, but also easy to use on-the-go with a single hand. It measures just 8.9 mm (0.35 inches) thin and is a lightweight mobile companion that is fun to use and share.
The Iconia One 7 is also equipped with front and rear cameras for capturing all the most important moments, two speakers for clearer audio, and MicroSD™ card slot that allows for extended storage and easy sharing. For further storage expansion, users can take advantage of AcerCloud™ and enjoy seamless sharing of videos, photos, music and documents across multiple devices.Pricing and availability
The Acer Iconia One 7 will be available in Pan American markets at the end of June with prices starting at US$129.99; in Europe, Middle East and Africa middle of May with prices starting at €139.
Gareth is back with another round of news from the UK mobile phone and tablet scene. This week Acer debuts new devices in New York, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is unboxed, the LG G3 leaks and the first image of the Amazon phone arrives.
It may look like an iPad Mini however the Archos 79 Xenon falls at the other end of the price spectrum. At £170 the Archos 79 Xenon is a good looking, good feeling Android tablet with a few eyebrow-raising specs.
This is one tablet to check out if you are looking for a cheap second option, one for the kids or family member who isn’t terribly fussy.
Archos 79 Xenon review specification:
Processor
- A7 Quad-Core 1.2GHz
Memory
- 1GB DDR3 RAM
- 8GB Flash
- Expandable to 64GB
Software
- Operating system: Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
- Google Maps,
- Google Maps Navigation (beta)
Display
- 7.85″ IPS TFT Multi Touch
- Resolution: 1024 x 768
Multimedia
- Supported Digital Video Formats: MPEG-4,AVI,H.264
- Audio: Microphone, stereo speakers
- Supported Digital Audio Formats: MP3,WAV,OGG,FLAC,Vorbis,PCM,ADPCM
Networking
- Cellular Technology 3G
- Cellular Protocols HSPA
- Wireless Connectivity Bluetooth,Wi-Fi
Power Supply
- Lithium polymer Battery
Dimensions
- Width 13.4 cm
- Depth 0.8 cm
- Height 20 cm
- Weight 320 g
Interfaces
- 1 x microSD
- 1 x SIM card
- 1 x headphones
- 1 x Micro-USB
Archos 79 Xenon review video:
Go online anywhere with the ARCHOS 79 Xenon – specially designed for an on-the-go experience with both 3G and WiFi. Un-Sim-locked it accepts any 3G Sim card and has no provider restrictions.
The ARCHOS 79 Xenon features a powerful Quad-core processor and runs Android Jelly Bean with complete access to Google Play and all the Google Mobile Applications.
NB: This Archos 79 Xenon review is the first of our new video-review format. There’s a bit of work to be done yet but let us know what you think!
Windows Phone is joining the Smartwatch mob. Wellograph are releasing a Windows Phone 8.1 compatible smartwatch with a sapphire crystal display. The Wellograph watch features a heart rate monitor, activity tracker, and running watch.
The official app will be optimized for Windows Phone 8.1, and syncs directly to the Wellograph watch, transferring all data over Bluetooth. The Windows Phone app will utilise the operating system’s most unique feature Live Tiles, allowing users to see information such as total steps and exercise score directly on the phone’s Start screen. The company will make an official Wellograph app for Windows Phone 8.1 available alongside both an iOS and Android app.
Nick Warnock, president of Wellograph, Inc says
We’re excited to be bringing Wellograph to the millions of users who love and enjoy their Windows Phones. Wellograph represents the first fitness tracking device dedicated to Windows Phone users and we’re committed to supporting our customers using the growing platform.
Although it’s quite a controversial topic, then benchmark performance of new devices always attracts a lot of interest.
At the moment, the two top Android phones are the HTC One (M8) and the Samsung Galaxy S5. In theory, the Galaxy S5 should be ahead of the M8, in terms of performance at least. The S5 has a 2.5GHz quad-core CPU whereas the M8 has a 2.3GHz quad-core CPU. Both run the Qualcomm 801 chipset and have 2GB RAM but the extra clock speed that the S5 has should definitely give it the edge.
There have been lots of Tweets and blog posts elsewhere questioning the performance of the Galaxy S5 and comments like “What’s up with the Galaxy S5 performance ?” seem not to be uncommon.
In the video below you can see me running a benchmark test on the Galaxy S5, side-by-side with the HTC One (M8). The results may surprise you…!
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