Gareth and Matt enjoy a warm and fuzzy recollection of days gone by in this the latest instalment of the Retro Tech Addicts podcast.
This week we talk about the NeXT computer, NASA’s first launch, the Sega Dreamcast and the Atari 2600
Looks like LG are back in with a new and exciting tablet. Having made only a small dent with a number of unmemorable tablets in the past LG look to be pushing aggressively with their G Pad 8.3. With the specs quoted and a nice price point this looks like a very serious contender for your Christmas gifting list.
LG RE-ENTERS THE UK TABLET MARKET WITH THE LG G PAD 8.3
Hotly anticipated tablet launches in the UK
UK, 15 October 2013—LG Mobile today announced that its highly-awaited LG G Pad 8.3 tablet will be rolled out across the UK and Ireland in the run-up to Christmas. The impressive tablet is the first of its size to offer Full HD display and is the latest ground-breaking addition to LG’s G Series line-up of premium mobile devices. This follows the successful launch of the G2 smartphone in October.
The LG G Pad 8.3 will be available in the UK market via an exclusive partnership between LG and IT distributor Micro P, at an SRP of £259.99. Harvey Norman will also exclusively offer the device in the Irish market from the end of October through its retail and online stores. This forms part of the global roll-out of the G Pad 8.3, which will also go on sale in over 30 other key markets by the end of 2013.
“The introduction of the LG G Pad 8.3 is another great step in design and technology from LG and shows that the G Series is going from strength to strength,” said Andy Coughlin, Head of Mobile for LG UK. “Just like the LG G2, the G Pad 8.3 delivers cutting-edge technology in a slim and sleek form, and is just the product for our re-entry into the UK tablet market.”
Powerful yet portable
The LG G Pad 8.3 was unveiled at the IFA 2013 trade show in Berlin in September where it received praise for its intelligent design and industry leading technology. Despite its large display and powerful 4600mAh battery, the G Pad 8.3 is comfortable to hold in one hand and as light as a newspaper at just 338g.
First full HD display tablet in 8-inch class
The LG G Pad 8.3 is the first 8-inch class tablet to offer a Full HD display, just like its G Series cousins the G Pro and G2 smartphones. The G Pad 8.3 is equipped with a 1920 x 1200 WUXGA (Widescreen Ultra Extended Graphics Array) display capable of delivering picture quality with even higher resolution than a standard Full HD display. The Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 600 Processor with 1.7GHz Quad-Core CPU enhances the viewing experience with powerful performance as users will be able to enjoy Full HD content without any compromise.
The G Pad 8.3 meets the challenge of the convergence age by improving connectivity between multiple devices. The unique QPair app allows users to receive smartphone calls and messages through their G Pad and to send simple replies.
Key Specifications:
- Processor: 1.7GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 600 Processor
- Display: 8.3-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200 pixels / 273 ppi)
- Memory: 16GB eMMC
- RAM: 2GB LPDDR2
- Camera: Rear 5.0MP / Front 1.3MP
- Battery: 4,600mAh
- Operating System: Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2
- Size: 216.8 x 126.5 x 8.3mm
- Weight: 338g
- Colours: Black / White
This afternoon Apple announced a press event to be held on the 22nd October in San Francisco. Press invitations have already been sent out to the event in which we’re expecting to see the new iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 unveiled but the tag line in the invitation “We still have a lot to cover” possibly suggests that there may be more in the line up for the day.
Certainly the smart money is pointing to the two new iPad models both of which are expected to have the Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint sensor introduced in the iPhone 5S as well as a version of the 64-bit A7 chip.
The hope from us is that the iPad mini 2 will have a retina display but there have been many rumours about this over the past few weeks that seem to equally say yay and nay, all will be revealed next week.
Other possible attractions at the event are OS X Mavericks that went GM earlier this month and the Mac Pro which has been teasing us for several months.
We’ll be coving the event from 6PM BST on the 22nd October.
Further to my HTC One Unboxing video and HTC One demo video, here’s a gallery of hi-res images of the HTC One Max for you to take a look at.
Several photos have the HTC One included to offer a size comparison.
There are a couple of things worth pointing out from the images below.
So after those weeks of further speculation and rumour, the HTC One Max becomes official today.
Since the launch of the HTC One the ‘One’ brand has become one of the most recognised in HTC history and by adding the HTC One Max to the existing line-up HTC hope to provide consumers with even greater choice.
The HTC One Max brings with it the a new version of HTC Sense, this time we have 5.5 which builds upon version 5 found on the One and One Mini. Sense 5.5 adds new Blinkfeed features with the ability to now add RSS feeds and a variety of other services. There’s also the ability to read feeds off-line thanks to a caching mode.
The Gallery app has been updated with new ‘view by event’ and added Zoe capability, being able to share Zoe moments with non-HTC devices. There’s a GIF editor and new video highlight options.
In terms of hardware the most obvious thing is the 5.9 inch full-HD display which is glorious! As with the HTC One, there’s a Quad-Core 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 CPU, 2GB RAM and either 16 or 32GB of storage. In a change from the HTC One, the Max has a microSD card slot under the removable back over and supports up to 64GB memory cards.
On the back you’ll find the same 4MP Ultrapixel camera as seen on other One models, which is a good thing.
Below the camera, and settling the speculation, you’ll find a square panel which is a capacitive fingerprint reader. The nice feature here is that you can enrol multiple fingers on the device and allows you to set a specific finger to launch straight into a specific application. Handy.
Powers is supplied by a sizeable 3300MAh battery which can be further supplemented by a 1100MAh battery in the dedicated HTC One Max cast that HTC have developed.
The HTC One Max will go on sale later this week and should be in Vodafone stores first. No word on the price as yet but expect the networks to be making announcements later today too.
There’s plenty to talk about with the HTC One Max so I’m starting off with the unboxing and hands-on video below. It’s pretty lengthy so be sure to make yourself comfortable. I also have another demo video coming up later where I’ll cover some of the other features and there’s a gallery of hi-res images for you to enjoy too.
Oh and there’s a benchmark of the HTC One Max in here too! 🙂
Following weeks of speculation (what’s new!?) HTC have today announced the HTC One Max. Building upon the successes of the HTC One and HTC One Mini, the One Max provides a larger form-factor as well as introducing to new and unique features as well as HTC Sense 5.5.
Here we have the official press release and full specification but also, don’t forget to check out our HTC One Max unboxing video, HTC One Max Demo Video and HTC One Max photo gallery.
THE HTC ONE® GETS SUPERSIZED WITH THE HTC ONE MAX
World’s best smartphone now in 5.9” with new and improved HTC Sense 5.5 ® experience
London, October 14, 2013 — HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, today announced the HTC One max, a super-sized smartphone that brings the award-winning design, functionality and performance of the HTC One to fans of larger handsets. A new Fingerprint Scan feature takes convenience to a new level while acclaimed features including HTC BlinkFeed™, HTC Zoe™ and HTC BoomSound™, combined with the new HTC Sense 5.5, which are all enhanced to continue to deliver the best overall smartphone experience, now on a larger screen.
“The addition of the HTC One max means that we now have an HTC One phone for everyone. The family has been built on quality and game-changing innovations and the HTC One max is certainly no exception,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “The upgrade to HTC Sense 5.5 will provide our most amazing mobile experience yet, with the HTC One max delivering the size and power required to do everything you want, and more, without compromise.”
Big and powerful
The HTC One max’s 5.9” full HD1080p display is perfect for enjoying photos, videos and movies on the go. Smooth and efficient performance comes courtesy of a quad-core Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 600 processor featuring a quad-core 1.7 GHz CPU enabling jaw-dropping performance, ultra vivid videos and booming sound. Whether you’re watching videos in stunning HD, playing games or checking out what’s hot online, the HTC One max sounds amazing, looks sharp and keeps working when you need it.
The 16GB or 32GB onboard memory can be expanded thanks to a microSD™ card slot, with a massive 50GB of additional free Google Drive online storage being offered exclusively to HTC One max owners.
The large 3300mAh embedded battery means that this level of performance will last and last. Even the most intensive users will find the HTC One max is up to the challenge thanks to the optional HTC Power Flip Case, a stylish 1150mAh battery expansion for your HTC One max which offers both protection and extra juice when you need it most.
Maximum convenience at your fingertips
The average person checks their phone multiple times a day, so the HTC One max welcomes a new era of convenience and advanced functionality thanks to a built-in Fingerprint Scan feature. Located on the back of the device, the fingerprint scanner allows users to lock or unlock the screen and quickly launch up to three favourite applications by assigning an individual finger to each.
More content than ever before
The HTC One max’s Sense 5.5 upgrade comes with a more social, personalised HTC BlinkFeed that can be further refined by customisable topic categories and new integration with premium content providers including Instagram and Google+. Up to 120 articles can also be downloaded for offline viewing, making BlinkFeed even better for snacking on information wherever and whenever you are.
Ultimate imaging
Featuring HTC’s UltraPixel camera technology, HTC Zoe mode, that brings your photos to life, and a 2.1MP front-facing camera, the HTC One max will capture stunning photos and full HD 1080p videos whether you’re the photographer, the subject or both. Dual Capture means you can now snap memorable moments and your reaction to them in one extraordinary photo or video by simultaneously shooting with the front and rear cameras.
Improved imaging is also introduced through Video Highlights, which combines your photos and videos to create a mini movie complete with the soundtrack and visual theme of your choice. And with the HTC One max, your Video Highlights can now be any length you want.
Design at its Best
Available in Glacial Silver, the HTC One max shares the same premium design credentials as the rest of the HTC One family, providing an all round exceptional experience.
Global Availability
The HTC One max will begin rolling out across the globe from mid – end October.
This appears to be of week the Chromebook. Acer has announced new C720 Chromebook alongside the HP’s Chromebook 11 at the even lower price of $249.99. Sticking with Intel’s x86 chips rather than the ARM-based processor in HP’s machine, the Acer C720 introduces the Haswell-generation Celeron 2955U for better performance and battery life. Also boasting the promise of up to 8.5hrs of runtime despite being 30-percent thinner in your bag.
Acer have chosen to remove the hard-drive seen in their previous Chromebook and replace it with an SSD with options starting at 16GB and 4GB of memory. Connectivity includes WiFi a/b/g/n, an HDMI output, a USB 3.0, and USB 2.0. Unlike the HP you get an SD card reader. The screen has an 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 display.
Altogether this looks to be a tidier package than the HP 11 however it does not seem to possess the good looks of the HP.
One of the best ways to test a video camera is to take it out at dusk. At dusk the light levels vary greatly as you have light sunlight, car headlights, shadowed areas and, for the most part, ideal lighting conditions. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is taken for a drive in to see just how well the video deals with many of the different elements that the phone will have to deal in it’s lifetime. Check below for the video.
The drive gives the anti shake mechanism a workout, auto focus is constantly being pushed thanks to a bit of dirt on the windscreen and the microphone isn’t terribly distorted by the mighty 3.0ltr engine. For the most part the video camera performs rather well.
In Phablet news a 6.3-inch device called the Xplay from Motorola is actually prepping their own large-sized phablet device, which will be called the Xplay. Supposedly it will be sporting a 6.3-inch display at a full HD 1080p and will launch in 2014. That’s not all we have though. It has been indicated that Motorola is also already working on the next progeny of the Droid Ultra. This one will be called the Droid Quantum and is scheduled for sometime in 2014 as well.
Not a single other relevant piece of information was shared on this subject, but we will keep an eye out for it now. Perhaps we will see something pop up at one of the first trade shows of next year like CES in January.
Apple are set to hold their new iPad event on October 22nd, according to various sources on the interwebs. Later than the October 17th date that had previously been touted, the event date now looks to be more definite.
It’s likely that the event will see various announcements, certainly we anticipate the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2, but then there’s the matter of OS X Mavericks that went Gold just recently too.
Furthermore, Apple have been teasing us with images and video of their new Mac Pro, so could we see this new beast released at the same time? Certainly the hopes are that each of these new products will be available pre-Christmas.
As we near the launch date several new high-quality images of the iPad 5 have surfaced. These clearly show the reduced bezel size on the new iPad which is now similar to the iPad mini in that respect. Furthermore, it seems increasingly likely that both the iPad 5 and the iPad mini 2 will have the fingerprint unlock technology from the iPhone 5s and a suggestion that the iPad 5 will have an A7X chip, slightly different from the A7 chip existing in the iPhone 5s.
Via: Slashgear
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