As many of the public who is up to date with smartphone technology may already know, Samsung has been known to release a new smartphone every year. This time, Samsung plans to release S5 as a direct competitor to the Apple’s iPhone. In an interview with Bloomberg, it’s been stated that the S5 will be paired with a new wearable device that will be an evolution of the Galaxy Gear smart-watch by Lee Young Hee the executive vice president of the company’s mobile business. Samsung said they will also solve the bulky design of its flagship phones that have been prevalent over the previous years.
On the hardware side of things, Samsung has made it no secret that it intends to introduce Iris technology to compete with Apple’s new fingerprint technology on the iPhone 5S. There are indications that Samsung will not stick with plastic this time and instead go for something more premium in a effort to compete with competitors such as HTC. There is even talk of three sided displays, the type of displays you see on 3D renders floating around the internet.
An example of a three sided display
Samsung is even venturing with revamping the prior software land and reportedly experimenting with new ideas. In order to compete with other smartphone companies, it’s important to feature technologies that normal people would like to use. It’s actually quite a good idea Samsung pioneered multiple services on their platforms, the majority of the services may not have been perfect, but it gives them somewhere to improve on in order to enhance the experience.
In a effort to reclaim lost momentum from the launch of the S3, Samsung has it’s work cut out for them and must continue to innovate to thrive in this business.
Sony has finally released the next in line to the Android throne and its called the Xperia Z1. Equipped with the Qualcomm’s 800 Quad Core processor, this phone comes fully armed with performance perks and utilizes a camera that is designed to take on the Lumia 1020 and PureView. The main selling point of this phone is the camera that it comes equipped with a camera that is designed to wow the masses with amazing clarity and exemplary low-light shots. Nokia has long held the crown when it comes to camera shots with Samsung and Apple pushing the boat out with mobile phone technology as well. Sony has upcoming competition with the iPhone 5S, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the BlackBerry Z30 which are being released in the coming days.
The Sony Xperia Z1 shares the same dust-proof and waterproof technology as it’s predecessors and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean which should be upgraded to Android 4.3 in due time. The Z1 also boasts a five inch 1080p display with the Full HD Triluminos Display technology to improve on the washed out images which were experienced on the Xperia Z, it’s clear that Sony is using it’s display technology that it has developed and acquired from their TV sector. Sony and online retailers such as Clove have begun offering the device SIM free for a price of £599.00, a hefty amount for a smartphone but not unusual since the device has just been released.
Good news for Android enthusiasts who have been waiting for something worthy to be shown at Google I/O 2013. Although this has been a rather disappointing year, it only means that we can get more and more excited for what Google is cooking. Plus it gives more time to mature the Android ecosystem, something that was touted to be an issue with Android phones. Under the moniker of the Google S4, Samsung has agreed to Google running its stock software on the highly sought after smartphone which effectively expands the lineup of available Nexus devices with a relatively cheap price of $649 compared to other devices on the Market.
For those of you in the UK who have been waiting for the Surface Pro to come out this year have finally been attended to, by Microsoft announcing a release date of the end of May. Among it’s Specs is the notable i5 3317U Ivy Bridge processor optimized for…
For those of you in the UK who have been waiting for the Surface Pro to come out this year have finally been attended to, by Microsoft announcing a release date of the end of May. Among it’s Specs is the notable i5 3317U Ivy Bridge processor optimized for low power consumption which makes it the ideal candidate for work in any form of transportation and light usage at Home. Among recent news of this device is the fact that the operating system takes up a staggering amount of space leaving less storage available for the user. It is important to note that the Storage of such devices will be low, because of the footprint that the OS will have on the device which is also a problem shared with the MacBook Air. Howver the solution to this impossible situation my friends, is merely moving the recovery partition to a USB Flash Drive thus reducing the amount of space used by the OS.
Windows Blue 8.1
Microsoft are getting set to release an update of the mildly successful Windows 8 and are prepared to make some concessions regarding the usability of the operating system. A starting point that most people will enjoy is the alleged re-introduction of the Start button to satisfy a portion of the fan base who were not entirely happy with’s removal. The update is set to introduce optimizations into the OS enabling it to cater to 7 & 9 inch tablets and Microsoft sets to expand into the realm of enhanced usability, a growing market that has seen some success with Android and Apple’s latest tablet offerings.
I plan to post something along the lines of software development. For this post, Twitter will be the subject of scrutiny for a rather interesting take with the UI on their Android App which has been given an overhaul in terms of its
look event though they attempt to follow the holo Android style guidelines as it goes native.
If you were to take my word for it, Twitter has made a minimal overall change in the effectiveness in the app in regards in performance, although it provides a rather fresh look to the app such as being able to swipe across the screen to access different parts of the app. Hopefully we will be able to see some major UI changes which affect the mechanics of the App more deeply and perhaps be more useful. In the iOS version, cards seem to be implemented which was announced on Tuesday.
HTC has been trying to recover from its most recent slumps in the marketplace with an array of different devices, the HTC One represents their latest effort for control of the Android world, right now it’s about to be released in the UK and is expected to cost £520 if you want to buy it on pay-as-you-go, Phones-4-u is getting a head-start in showcasing the device to the British public and they are also waiting in line for the black version to show up in its stores, HTC’s supply issues are certainly not helping the situation but good things come to those who wait, right?
At first glance, the HTC One looks absolutely beautiful compared to some of its competitors such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 although some may prefer plastic’s benefits for their phone. The HTC One comes in Black and Silver and my personal opinion deems it to look better in Black but the Silver version is just as good as well, a minimalist approach was undertaken when designing the device and we can see some evidence of this in the phone’s choice of buttons. Gorilla Glass is boasted as the armour protecting the phone’s screen and aluminium surrounds the device to give it a premium feel.
It’s impossible to access the battery by conventional means and there is no microSD slot on the device as well, which is a bit of a let down considering the fact that these or some of Samsung’s unique selling points when it comes to marketing their smartphones. The screen boasts a 1080p resolution display with Super LCD 3 technology to augment the experience, it has a PPI of 468 which is way ahead of what other competitors can offer their customers. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 Series processor is also included in the phone as well which puts it in a comfortable lead in front of the competition in terms of benchmarks and will be put under further investigation in a thorough review between the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One. HTC has also provided a 2300mAh battery to power this beastly phone and should suffice to put the phone throughout the whole day with regular use.
Sense has seen an overhaul unlike the kind that any Android manufacturer has ever seen and stimulates what is left of innovation in the smartphone industry. Sense 5.0 introduces a new feature called Blinkfeed which uses widgets to give social updates to the user in a tile like experience, something that may be familiar with Windows devices. The device runs on top of Android 4.1.2 but HTC says it will soon be updated to 4.2 to keep with the rest of the pack. What remains to be seen is whether Samsung can compete with what HTC and Sony has to offer, the phrase that actions speak louder than words is ever so present in this situation although one might substitute the choice of “actions” with “sales” since this is the phone that is supposed to put HTC back on the Android map.
Samsung is planning to release the latest release in their Galaxy line up today in New York at 7PM EST which is 11PM in the UK. The Galaxy S4 is supposed to challenge Apple’s dominance around the globe and is expected to feature a 1080p display, advanced eye tracking features and an 8 core processor.
Samsung will also have a live stream page for Unpacked 2013, which features a live-updating comments system and Instagram feed. There has been some concern that the Galaxy S VI is practically the same as the S3 with a few technical enhancements, having a 8 core processor is quite good but many people including myself would Samsung to take a more adventurous approach with the design of the phone, this is a area where many people agree Samsung needs to work on.
Come back to this post to have an embedded video link to the event and have to look at regular updates as the event progresses!
Forgive me for being one day late for this glorious event as I was occupied with other things but so far numerous manufacturers have begun making headway of presenting their products that are due to be sold to the masses most likely in the year. We expect to see heavyweight titans such as the HTC One and for those who are hoping to see Samsung’s latest offerings may be a bit disappointed to find out that Samsung are planning to hold their own event later on in the year. It has been noted that there is a lack of excitement being unveiled for the event with the devices on display already being announced last year which wasn’t the case last year with the HTC One X racking up heavy anticipation. Alas, there are still good things to come from the conference and I can provide you a list on what has been unveiled so far.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0
With a notable absence in the tablet arena, Samsung has launched its latest offering that compares with the iPad mini in terms of the designs. The screen topples the iPad Mini with its 1280 x 800 resolution screen and it weighs 338g which means it’s incredibly light and it has a slim dimension of 8mm so anyone in favor of travelling with a productive electronic device then this may be for me you. Samsung includes its arsenal with the S Pen which has been given praise for its authentic writing experience with a another upgrade in regards to the pressure sensitivity.
With an added optional 3G and microSD functionality, this device provides more opportunities for entertainment and wireless connectivity although unfortunately the device doesn’t make sense of LTE 4G technology which would have probably been a deal breaker among consumers. Just like it’s predecessor, the Note 8.0 utilizes a quad-core A9 which is more specifically the Samsung Exynos 4412 processor. With additional features such as a 5MP camera is slapped onto the back and a 1.3MP camera onto the front, the tablet makes use of NFC and S-Beam.
Intel debuts its new Clover Trail processor
The successor to the Medfield line adds a second CPU core to the chip which improves the graphics and performance to the capabilities of the chip and will be released as three new SKUs – the 2.0Ghz Z2580, the 1.6Ghz Z2560 and the 1.2Ghz Z2520. The processor will also include the PowerVR SGX 544MP2 GPUs which should contribute to the performance of these chips, battery life improvements are also supposed to be implemented as well. Clover Trail also allows for more hardware improvements as well, such as the support for two cameras(primary lens 16MP, secondary camera 2MP), improvements in HDR pictures due to rewritten firmware and the GPU will provide support for screen resolutions up to 1920 x 1200 which is something that will be required for the upcoming higher tier tablets as well as smartphones.
HTC One
The HTC One is the newest release from the troubled firm on the block HTC. Despite vouching for a similar name to last years HTC One X, HTC seek to change their fortunes and they seem to think of this as a means to do it. The HTC One makes use of a all-aluminum body and a 1080p screen, which is something that many would like to see in their pockets in a few months time. One of the things that is easily noticeable is how it feels in the hand, the device weighs 143g and is 13g heavier than the One X but according to various sources it may as well be a completely different device.
The device makes use of the Super LCD 3 screen which offers incredible viewing angle and detail, with the contrast ratio up to par with the very best smartphones out there. The HTC One is also an attempt of moving away from the traditional Android layout and is completely replaced with a new service called BlinkFeed. Many will see this change as a sign of simplification of the Android UI but we have yet to see how consumers will respond to it. If you want to see more, take a look at the YouTube video below!
In conclusion, there was more devices unveiled but among those, these were the particular things that caught my eye. Sooner or later you can expect to see more posts on what has been unveiled in MWC and my opinion on them.
The newest smartphone Sony is set to be released, aims to increase their fortunes within the smartphone market and meet success that matches the likes of Samsung. It is water resistant, super-skim and has a cutting-edge camera, something that leaves nothing to be desired and is easily one of the most coveted smartphones in the Android world to date. Sony tried to leave their own mark with the Xperia S & T and is now placing their bets on the Xperia Z, with specs to match the superb design language that the phone has quickly become known for.
The Sony Xperia’s Waterproof abilities
The processor this phone debuts with is a 1.5Ghz Snapdragon Krait processor, a 13MP Camera, 16GB Storage which is (expandable for those of you who care), 2GB of RAM and a highly touted feature of being water and dust resistant. The screen picks up the 1080p screen trend which is occurring within the new smartphones on the block with Sony’s own Bravia Engine adding it’s own touches, although the phone makes use of TFT technology thus making the colours look washed out but with a pixel density of 441ppi which is something that will make your eyes pop out. Initial reviews indicate that the phone may not have exceptional viewing angles possibly as a consequence of the TFT technology but it shouldn’t be a huge issue because people usually look directly at the phone not at a angle, which would be weird.
The phone has a great screen to phone size ration of 77% which means that the phone will won’t be as large as Galaxy Note 2 but will have a pretty good screen which is something that will be easy to go with smaller hands, something that we all know has Apple’s excuse for a smaller screen. The only disadvantage is that the phone will have a non-removable back so you won’t be able to replace the battery, probably a noteworthy sacrifice due to phones slim nature.
The ports are spread out across the device with the headphone jack on the top and the SIM slot and buttons to adjust the volume situated on the right and on the left of the phone is where the microSD and charging ports is located. The price goes on sale for £529 which certainly does not make it a cheap handset, it costs even more then the Samsung Galaxy S3 at the time of launch albeit only at £20. So until the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One arrive on the scene, this is probably the most advanced Android smartphone out there.
Orion 