News
So here’s the news that everyone seems to have been waiting for, Samsung have just now officially announced the new Samsung Galaxy S5 at MWC in Barcelona.
Possibly to go down as one of the worst kept secrets of the year, the Samsung S5 specs read pretty much as per the rumours that have been circulating for quite some time. Among the headlines are the 4K capable 16MP camera, which Samsung claim will be the best in the business. There’s the 5.1″ Full HD screen, 2GB RAM and cutting edge 2.5GHz quad-core CPU. Following in the footsteps of the competing Sony Xperia devices, there’s also IP67 dust and water resistance rating.
The images, which you’ll see below, also look pretty awesome!
Samsung Galaxy S5 Specification:
- Size: 142 x 72.5 x 8.1
- Weight: 145g
- 5.1-inch FHD Super AMOLED display (1920 x 1080 resolution)
- 2.5GHz quad-core processor
- 2GB of RAM
- 16/32GB of memory
- microSD support up to 64GB
- 16-megapixel camera with UHD 4K video recording at 30fps and various software features
- 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera
- LTE Cat 4 (150/50Mbps) support
- 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac HT80 MIMO (2×2) Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 4.0 BLE/ANT_
- USB 3.0
- NFC
- IR Remote
- 2800mAh battery
- IP67 Dust and Water Resistant
- Fingerprint scanner
- Heart rate sensor
- Android 4.4.2 KitKat with various software features on top including Ultra Power Saving Mode, Download Booster, S Health 3.0, Quick Connect, Private Mode, Kids Mode
Whilst we’re all eagerly awaiting news of HTC new HTC M8 aka ‘The All New HTC One’, in a smaller scale announcement today at MWC in Barcelona, HTC have just revealed two new mid-tier smartphones in their Desire range.
The HTC Desire 816 and HTC Desire 610 form part of the 2014 smartphone portfolio and will see their launch in March and May respectively.
HTC has become aware that the latest users of smartphones are content creators, not curators, so these devices have been built to provide consumers the perfect selfie machine for all their SnapChat, WhatsApp and social networking needs.
Two powerful cameras make the HTC Desire 816 ideal for photography lovers. A 13MP rear-facing camera complete with HTC Zoe™ and automatic highlight videos, as well as a 5MP front-facing camera, make it the perfect device for capturing both portraits and stunning landscapes in amazing quality.
The HTC Desire 610 has also been created as a great value, compact entertainment hub. The handset comes packed with a host of features for an incredible mobile audio and visual experience.
Both the 610 and 810 are recognisable HTC phones with front facing BoomSound speakers, beautiful design and similar software features to the leading One range including Zoe, BlinkFeed and Video Highlights.
Full press releases follow…
With Mobile World Congress underway in Barcelona, Sony have used the event to officially announce their latest flagship device, the Xperia Z2.
Aiming to build upon the successes of the Xperia Z1, the Z2 will come with a 5.2″ Display, just 0.2in larger than the existing Xperia Z1 but in a thinner and lighter package. At just 8.2mm thick, Sony has now chosen to follow HTC in using an aluminium frame construction.
There had been much speculation about the Z2, particularly with regards the screen and many expected that it would be among the first phones to launch with a 2K display. However, the Z2 sticks with a 1920×1080 Full HD screen bust also includes the X-reality picture engine and Triluminos display technology, rather than a straight focus on pixel count.
The Xperia Z2 maintains the IP55 and IP58 dust and waterproofing that we’ve now come to expect from Sony but perhaps one of the best boast-worthy features of the Z2 is that 4K video capable 20.7 megapixel camera which has a 1/2.3-type Exmor RS for mobile CMOS image sensor and a Sony G Lens.
The full press release follows…
Leaker @evleaks was bang on the money the other day as we have now seen Samsung announce the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and the Galaxy Gear Neo. The first point folks will be looking at on these wearables are the price as the first was launched with a rather hefty price tag. This dropped rapidly as the devices were not flying off the shelves. No prices were announced unfortunately but it is a safe bet the Neo will be cheaper than the Gear 2.
The most important factor of these watches are that Samsung chosen platform is no longer based on Android, but Tizen. You can pretty much forget about using this with you Motorola, Nexus, HTC or any non Galaxy device. One can’t help but wonder about the wealth of apps that are currently out for the original Android flavoured Gear… oh wait… there are only about 10.
Samsung Galaxy Gear 2
While gaudy processor and RAM specs don’t quite have the same importance for smart watches as they do phones, it’s still important. The Galaxy Gear 2 slightly improves on the original with the following suite of silicon:
- 1.63-inch 320 x 320 AMOLED display
- 1GHz dual-core processor
- 512MB of RAM
- 4GB of internal storage
- 2 megapixel camera
- Pedometer, heart rate sensor, sleep cycle monitor and more
- Bluetooth 4.0 LE
- irLED
- Accelerometer and gyroscope
- 300mAh battery good for about 2-3 days of “typical” usage
Samsung Galaxy Gear Neo
This is the same as the Gear 2 aside from the camera, it’s gone. Samsung are bragging a bunch of not so silly colours. The Neo should be available in Charcoal Black, Mocha Gray, and Wild Orange.
Google’s Project Tango are working on a phone that is able to scan the world around it and, over time, create maps out of it. The primary purpose of this will be for Google’s obsession with mapping and navigation. We have seen Google Maps implement as Street View focus on interiors of certain land marks and this has the potential to create interiors of almost any building anywhere on the planet.
Augmented Reality like they’re proposing isn’t new – there are primitive forms of it available on everything from current phones to the 3DS – but this phone could turn your entire world into a game stage, and let you simply add new content just by visiting new areas. Throw in the touch screen and motion controls and you’ve got a completely new way to play video games.
If you’re looking for a new retro-gamer-friendly application to add to your mobile phone then look no further. A licensed Philips Videopac / Magnavox Odyssey² Emulator has hit the Google Play Store coming pre-loaded with over 40 classics, everything you could possibly need to rekindle yourself with the 35 year old console.
Whilst the likes of Sega Mega Drive, Nintendo NES and Sony PlayStation emulators are going to be much more popular, this trip down memory lane for a select few is something you really don’t want to miss out on. Not only does VpacApp come pre-loaded with just about every iconic Videopac title to date, but the original box art is also present along with scans of the game manuals too.
Although this game packed app sounds like a lucrative download, VpacApp is actually available for free on the Google Play Store. The games might be tricky to control on a touchscreen, but nevertheless it’s great seeing these vintage titles once more on modern devices.
The Videopac G7000 was actually Matt’s first games console as a kid so I’m sure he’ll be downloading this one!
Google Play link: VpacApp
ARCHOS, a pioneer in Android™ devices, unveils its lineup of cutting-edge tablets and smartphones for the first half of 2014 during Mobile World Congress, including the ARCHOS 80 Helium 4G, the industry’s first 8-inch 4G tablet under £229.99 and the ARCHOS 50c Oxygen smartphone with its Octa Core CPU.
“ARCHOS’ new lineup of products highlights the company’s commitment to innovation and confirms its position in the 3G/4G market,” says Loic Poirier, CEO of ARCHOS. “Our new product offerings continue to push the boundaries of technology, blending superior design, cutting-edge technology and impressive affordability,”
ARCHOS 80 Helium 4G
Adding to the Helium 4G range, unveiled in January at CES, comes the ARCHOS 80 Helium 4G,the world’s first 8-inch 4G tablet under £229.99 blazing fast speeds through a Quad Core A7 processor, Android 4.3 “Jelly Bean” platform and 4G/LTE Cat 4 connectivity for faster surfing, streaming and downloading. The state-of-the-art device comes equipped with outstanding features such as high resolution screen, Bluetooth Smart technology and full access to the Google Play store.
ARCHOS 50c Oxygen
The ARCHOS 50c Oxygen wraps an HD IPS Screen (1280 x 720), Bluetooth Smart technology and a MediaTek Octa-Core processor into a super sleek (6.7mm) deep black smartphone. At less than £200, the ARCHOS 50c Oxygen, flagship of the ARCHOS smartphone range, is a Dual SIM device running Android 4.3 “Jelly Bean”.
“MediaTek is very pleased to see its portfolio of dual-, quad-, and octa-core “Systems-on-a- Chip” well represented across ARCHOS’ breaking new smartphone line-up. This is another proof-point of MediaTek’s commitment in making rich multimedia features, leading edge multi-processing and multi-mode connectivity available to everyone at affordable price levels”, said Siegmund Redl, MediaTek’s VP and GM of Corporate Marketing in Europe.
ARCHOS 64 Xenon
With its 6.4-inch HD IPS screen (1280 x 720), the ARCHOS 64 Xenon gives users the screen real estate they need for their applications, videos and games in comfort while on the go. Combined with the ARCHOS multimedia applications the ARCHOS 64 Xenon is a multimedia lover’s dream, this unlocked phablet utilises a Quad-Core CPU for superb processing speed and is available for under £199.99
ARCHOS 40b Titanium
ARCHOS transforms the smartphone into a mobile music lover’s dream with the ARCHOS 40b Titanium. The smartphone makes listening to great music possible with its enhanced audio system and dual front facing speakers that deliver crystal clear and pure stereo sound. The £99.99 ARCHOS 40b is powered by a Dual-Core CPU, has a 4.0-inch IPS Panel, dual cameras and has full access to Google Play store with more than 1 million apps.
At Mobile World Congress 2014 ARCHOS will also showcase its entire selection of 3G and 4G smartphones, 3G and HD tablets, and ARCHOS’ Connected Objects range (originally unveiled at CES in January 2014), the industry’s most comprehensive ecosystem of connected objects for the home and self.
From February 24th to the 27th at ARCHOS’ booth – Hall 1 booth 1F20, attendees can experience the benefits of interconnectivity as well as the latest in mobile technology.
Product Specifications
|
|
ARCHOS 80 Helium 4G |
ARCHOS 50c Oxygen |
ARCHOS 64 Xenon |
ARCHOS 40b Titanium |
|
OS |
Android 4.3 “Jelly Bean” |
Android 4.2 “Jelly Bean” |
Android 4.2 “Jelly Bean” |
Android 4.2 “Jelly Bean” |
|
CPU |
Qualcomm MSM8926 / Quad Core @1.2Ghz Cortex A7 |
Mediatek MT6592 / Octa-Core @1.7 Ghz Cortex A7 |
Mediatek MT6582 / Quad core 1.3 GHz A7 |
Mediatek MT6572 / Dual Core 1.3 GHz A7 |
|
GPU |
Adreno 305 |
Mali 450MP4 |
Mali 400MP2 |
Mali 400 |
|
Screen |
8” 1024×768 Screen with IPS technology |
5” 1280 x 720 Screen with IPS technology |
6.4” 1280 x 720 pixels with IPS technology |
4” 800 x 480 pixels IPS |
|
RAM |
1GB |
1GB |
1GB |
512MB |
|
Storage |
8GB |
8GB |
4GB |
4GB |
|
Expandable |
Micro SD |
|||
|
Camera |
5MP- Autofocus with LED Flash |
8MP- Autofocus with LED Flash |
8MP- Autofocus with LED Flash |
5MP- Autofocus with LED Flash |
|
Front Camera – 2MP |
Front Camera – 2MP |
Front Camera – 2MP |
Front Camera – VGA |
|
|
1080p Video encoding |
1080p Video encoding |
1080p Video encoding |
720p video encoding |
|
|
BSI sensor |
||||
|
Network & |
GSM/GPRS/EDGE : 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz |
|||
|
UMTS/WCDMA/3G: 900 / 1800 / 2100 MHz |
||||
|
4G/LTE: 800 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600 Mhz |
HSPA+ 21Mbps / 5.76Mbps |
HSPA+ 21Mbps / 5.76Mbps |
HSPA+ 21Mbps / 5.76Mbps |
|
|
Bluetooth: 4.0 + A2DP + HFP + EDR |
Bluetooth : 4.0 + A2DP + HFP + EDR |
Bluetooth: 3.0 + A2DP + HFP + EDR |
Bluetooth: 3.0 + A2DP + HFP + EDR |
|
|
Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Hotspot |
||||
|
A-GPS |
||||
|
Micro USB 2.0 Sync and Charge |
||||
|
|
POP/IMAP/Exchange Active Sync/SMTP/PushMail |
|||
|
Battery |
Li-on 3500mAh |
Li-on 2000mAh |
Li-on 2800mAh |
Li-on 1400mAh |
|
Size |
213*155*10.5mm |
145*69.8*7.64mm |
90.6*170.7*9.3mm |
125*61*8.5mm |
|
Price |
£229.99 |
£199.99 |
£199.99 |
£99.99
|
The LG Nexus 5 and LG G2 have proven to be a great success for LG and today the Korean company has just announced a smaller followup for the G2; the LG G2 Mini.
This is LG’s first foray in to the ‘mini version’ market and, based upon the specification sheet you can see below, promises to be another popular device for them.
Google has just announced this year’s Google IO dates! Get ready and set your calendars for June 25-26, 2014. Senior Vice President of Google Sundar Pichai has just broken the news and we can’t be more excited to see what Google has in store for us this year.
For those who don’t know, Google IO is the Search Giant’s biggest event. It takes place yearly, in San Francisco. The main focus of the event is to educate and prepare developers to adopt and improve on Google apps and services, but Google has turned it into more than that.
We do not really know what is on the agenda right now, but Google IO is always big. We can definitely expect some big news related to Chromecast, Chrome OS and Chromebooks. These are growing at insane rates, so we are sure Google will have some good news for Chromies at Google IO.
Of course, we will also see news related to pretty much everything Google has to offer. Android, Chrome, Google+, Google Maps and Google Drive are a few of the big ones.
More leaked pictures of HTC’s new flagship devices have surfaced and have been shared by Google+ user M. Helal. The user claims that the images are of the anticipated HTC M8 but most believe it to be, most likely, the HTC M8 Mini as the proportions seem to be inconsistent with the M8, particularly if you use the camera for scale.
So we believe that the image does indeed reveal a very shiny and sexy looking HTC M8 Mini and further reveals that intriguing dual rear-facing camera that we heard about last week.
Previous info suggest that the M8 Mini will have a 4.5-inch display with buttons on-screen, rather than capacitive buttons as on the 4.3-inch existing HTC One Mini.
The flagship HTC M8 is currently tipped for a late-March unveiling in New York, according to EvLeaks and we’d expect to see the HTC One Mini launched, most likely, a little after that and hopes that an HTC M8 Max would also be revealed at some point.
HTC M8 mini quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, expandable microSD card memory, Bluetooth 4.0, KitKat Android 4.4.2, and Sense 6.0 software.
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