Sony intros the Xperia Z5 family, including the Z5 Premium with 3840×2160 display

Sony’s Xperia Z5 isn’t the only new device the company took the wraps off at IFA this year, as it introduced three new handsets within the refreshed lineup.

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First up is the Xperia Z5 proper, which is now technically the middle of the family. The Z5 features a 5.2-inch 1080p HD display with an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor under the hood and 3GB of RAM. It boasts 32GB of built-in storage and a microSD card slot for when that gets too tight. On the back there’s a 23-megapixel camera with an f/2.0 G Lens, which also features Sony’s Intelligent Active Mode and SteadyShot. What’s more, the camera can apparently focus within 0.03 seconds, which is certainly noteworthy if it works like that every time.

On the front, there’s a 5-megapixel shooter, and the battery is measured in at 2900mAh.

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The little brother of the family is the Xperia Z5 Compact, which has a roughly the same specs as the Xperia Z5, but with some major tweaks. Those include a smaller 4.6-inch 1280×720 display and 2GB of RAM. The battery, too, has been reduced, going down to 2700mAh. Otherwise, it still has the aforementioned 23MP rear camera and the 5MP front-facing shooter, same processor under the hood, and also offers a microSD card slot.

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Finally, the Xperia Z5 Premium has a 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 3840×2160. Yes, a 4K display. Otherwise, it’s the same phone internally as the Xperia Z5, with the same processor, same storage and microSD card slot, same RAM and the same camera systems. However, the battery has been bumped up to 3430mAh. Sony says it can last “up to 2 days” on a single charge, but obviously there has to be some testing done in the real world to find out if that’s the case or not.

Pricing wasn’t revealed, but Sony says that the Xperia Z5 and Xperia Z5 Compact will launch in October, while the Xperia Z5 will begin rolling out in November.

What do you think of Sony’s newest smartphones?

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Huawei announces the Mate S flagship, gives details on the Huawei Watch

Huawei is a fast-growing company and more than ever, it seems like it’s is on the verge of a huge breakout. At IFA 2015, Huawei just announced its latest flagship, the Huawei Mate S. The company is touting the phone as the first phone to feature Force Touch, even beating Apple to the game. Force Touch allows the display of the phone to recognize how hard you’re pressing on the glass. The technology is so new that it doesn’t have much for use at the moment, but that should quickly change.

As for specs, you’ll find a 5.5-inch 1080p display covered in 2.5D Gorilla Glass with curved edges, an octa-core Kirin 935 processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, 13-megapixel rear camera with OIS and an RGBW sensor, 8-megapixel front-facing camera, 2700mAh battery and Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with Huawei’s EMUI 3.1 overlay, which reportedly offers loads of customization. Other things of note include a fingerprint sensor that is 100% faster than the one found on last year’s Honor 7, as well as four color options of gold, grey, silver and pink.

Huawei will open pre-orders for the Mate S on September 15, with ordering available through its Vmall online store.

Huawei Watch

Huawei also took IFA 2015 as the perfect time to announce details on its much-anticipated Huawei Watch, which is an Android Wear smartwatch designed with class in mind. The company has packed the Huawei Watch with a 1.4-inch circular 400×400 AMOLED display that’s covered with sapphire crystal, for stronger scratch protection. It also brings in a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 processor, 512MB RAM, over 40 pre-installed watch faces and a heart rate sensor which Huawei is calling the “world’s most advanced”.

The company is selling three different models of the Huawei Watch with different design materials and pricing. The starting model is a gorgeous 316L stainless steel watch case with a leather band and it will sell for $349. The next up is a ceramic black watch case with a metal link bracelet that’s priced at $449. The final and most expensive model features a stainless steel case plated with rose gold and paired with a metal strap made of similar materials. That model will sell for $799. As a note, all of the bands are a standard 18mm size, so they can easily be swapped out.

Pre-orders are now open for the Huawei Watch, with standard orders opening on September 17.


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Show Press Release

[BERLIN, Germany – September 2, 2015]: Today at Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin, the Huawei Consumer Business Group unveiled the Huawei Mate S smartphone, the new flagship product in Huawei’s Mate series of mobile devices. Its ergonomic, luxurious design and innovative technology deliver a premium Android experience that surpasses industry expectations once again.

“Our goal in designing the Huawei Mate S was to develop a smartphone that offers a personalized experience, rather than a commoditized one,” said Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer BG. “The Huawei Mate S is based on insights we gathered about human interaction – most notably that touch is a natural action we take to understand our world. The Huawei Mate S redefines how we incorporate touch technology into our smartphones, breaking through the conventional way of touch screen control and ushering in new imagination for human-machine interaction.”

The beauty of a curved surface: innovative design from inside out

The Huawei Mate S’ touch screen control technology offers an unconventional design that strikes a balance between the phone’s brilliant capabilities and its stunning visual appearance.

Building on the revolutionary Huawei Mate 7 smartphone, the Huawei Mate S features a 2.5D floating screen lens and a 5.5 inches screen. It is 7.2 millimeters thick, with side edges that are just 2.65 millimeters. The arched back fits perfectly into the palm of a hand, while its curved surface features solid pressure and weight, making the phone less likely to be dropped. With the AMOLED screen, Huawei Mate S presents a perfect curve.

The curved unibody of the Huawei Mate S encapsulates a laminated ladder battery and a staggered height printer circuit board layout design. Nanometer technology is being used to seamlessly connect the phone’s antenna and metal, resulting in a smooth feel. Additional cutting-edge technology, including diamond cutting, CNC carving, nanotechnology and a camera with a sapphire lens are part of the phone’s seamless metal body.

Revolutionary controls redefining user experience

Touch is a core of the Huawei Mate S, creating a new experience for users that enhances their interaction with the device.

The phone is equipped with Fingerprint 2.0, an upgraded version of the advanced chip level security and one-key unlock technology in the Huawei Mate 7. Fingerprint 2.0 improves recognition speeds by 100 percent, with more accurate self-learning functions. It can also be used to control the notification bar, double-click to erase unread notifications, slide to preview pictures, and hold and take phone calls. All of these options improve the one hand operation of the phone.

Knuckle Control 2.0 – first introduced in the Huawei P8 – simplifies how users switch between app operations and take screenshots. The feature offers users a new way to interact with their phone: drawing a “C” with their knuckle activates a camera, while double-clicking the screen with a knuckle records the screen in the form of a video. With these options, every type of touch provides an opportunity to be innovative.

A camera designed for beginners and professionals

The Huawei Mate S is equipped with a camera that considers users’ needs in everyday life: a professional camera and settings that incorporate contrast, texture, and distinctive tonality. The 13 mega pixel rear camera features a RGBW sensor, optical image stabilizer, Dual color-temp LED flash lights, and an independent image signal processor camera unit, which combine to capture higher quality pictures faster. The Huawei Mate S takes camera capabilities one step further by offering an 8 mega pixel front camera with soft front light to improve selfies. This algorithm ensures users capture the clearest, most beautifying images possible.

The professional camera mode allows manual adjustment for ISO, exposure compensation, exposure time, white balance and focusing, and functions such as the grid, and flash-assisted focusing. The real time black and white filter mode provides multiple levels of density and real-time intensity adjustment.

Technology that adapts to every environment

The Huawei Mate S takes regular recording functions to the next level by creatively implanting three microphones that support Huawei’s smart direction algorithm. The Huawei Mate S’ beam-forming algorithm allows all three mics to focus on the sounds coming from where the phone is facing, enabling a clear recording with minimal background noises.

For consumers on the go, the Huawei Mate S also supports Mopria printing general protocol, which includes 700 printer types across 29 leading brands.

Today Huawei also introduced its new Huawei G8, which is equipped with a 5.5 inch FHD screen and 3000mAh battery compatible for super low-light photo taking.

Availability

Additional to other distribution channels, the HUAWEI Mate S will also be sold via the company’s own online sales channel Vmall, starting in Western Europe. As of September 15, the phone will be available for pre-order at http://www.vmall.eu.

Via: Engadget

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Acer has announced a gaming tablet and deca-core gaming phone

IFA is in full swing and Acer has a couple of announcements regarding mobile devices. The first of them is the Predator 8 gaming tablet that, as you might guess, is designed for gaming on the go. Acer has stated that the Predator 8 uses an Intel Atom x7 processor for power and packs in 32GB of storage, which is pleasantly expandable via microSD. The Predator 8 also has an 8-inch 1920×1200 display and a rather unique design that includes four front-facing speakers for virtual surround sound.

Acer has also announced/teased a new gaming phone, the Predator 6. As you might guess, it packs a 6-inch HD display (no specifics on resolution) and also brings in a deca-core (10 cores!) MediaTek processor to keep things humming along. Information is scarce on the Predator 6, but we do know that it runs Android, has a 21-megapixel rear camera and also has the unique addition of dual-haptic feedback motors for rumbles, much like console controllers.

There’s no word on price or release date for the Predator 6, but the Predator 8 will arrive on November 6 in the US and sometime in October for Europe. Pricing is set at $300 USD and €349 for European customers.

Acer Predator 6

Via: Engadget, (2)

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CyanogenMod updated to Android 5.1, Stagefright patch included

CyanogenMod has finally been updated to Android 5.1! The latest versions of the ROM are based on the latest versions of Android, which should make those running CyanogenMod happy. You can update now if your device is supported by CyanogenMod 12.1.

The update also includes the Stagefright patch, which addresses one of the bigger security holes found in Android. And don’t worry, older versions of the CyanogenMod are getting the patch too, so it’s not exclusive to the 5.1-based ROMs.

Head to the source link for more info, or go to the downloads center to get the new version of your CyanogenMod ROM!

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Moto 360′s flat tire isn’t nearly as bad as it seems

People have long complained about the Moto 360′s “flat tire” look. For those of you that haven’t heard of it, it’s the little flat spot at the bottom of the screen keeping it from being perfectly round. The new Moto 360 will also allegedly have the flat tire, and it’s got people talking.

However, the flat tire isn’t as big of a deal as many people make it out to be. As you can see, the bezel is absolutely tiny on the Moto 360 compared to other smart watches. This applies to many others not on the chart. The display-to-body ratio is a fantastic 71.7 percent for the Moto 360, and that makes it look quite sleek and sexy.

But there’s another reason for the flat tire, and that’s the ambient light sensor. It’s a feature missing from all the other featured watches and many more, and it’s a really important one. Auto brightness means it’ll never blind you at night and it’ll be visible during the day. I don’t know about most people, but a smartwatch without a light sensor is incomplete to me.

What do you think about Motorola repeating the flat tire on the second gen Moto 360? What are your thoughts on the ambient light sensor?

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HTC teases new device on Weibo, to launch Sept. 6

HTC has teased a new device on Sina Weibo, a Chinese social network/microblogging site. The device, due to launch on September 6, is a mystery. There is no detail in the photo that could tell us what the device is, other than the words” Meng Yao,” which mean “superior handsomeness.”

The device could the HTC A9, or HTC Aero, that we’ve seen once before. The similarities to the iPhone are apparent, though the bands across the back of the device were used for years by HTC. This looks similar to a flat HTC M9, with the camera moved up to the top.

We may not be getting this phone, but it should be a pretty decent device. It is rumored to feature a 5.2-inch QHD display, a 10-core MediaTek processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 3500mAh battery. These specs seem pretty amazing, but we’ll have to wait to see if the rumors are right.

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Case for unreleased Huawei Nexus leaked

We’ve gotten quite a bit of information about the next LG Nexus, so it’s time for the rumored Huawei Nexus to get some love. Some photos of a case made for the upcoming device have leaked, confirming the device we’re expecting.

We’ve seen the Huawei Nexus in leaks before, and this case confirms the design. The giant hump for the camera looks to be a sure thing, and I’m sure people will be very split about it. But hopefully it means a good camera will be included.

The Huawei Nexus 6 is rumored to have a 5.7-inch QHD display, a Snapdragon 820 processor, and a fingerprint reader, though all that could change anytime. Are you excited to see this device launch? Leave a comment!

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Pre-orders for the Moto X Pure Edition kick off in the U.S. on September 2

In August, Motorola said that the Moto X Pure Edition would be available beginning September 3, but then quickly removed any mention of that. Turns out that Motorola was apparently only kind of teasing potential Moto X Pure Edition owners.

Motorola just tweeted out earlier today that the Mot X Pure Edition will begin pre-orders on Wednesday, September 2. Unfortunately, Motorola wasn’t kind enough to give an exact launch date just yet, but it’s been suggested by P3Droid — who has a longstanding track record with providing information regarding Motorola — that the Moto X Pure Edition will start shipping the week of September 13.

Hopefully Motorola doesn’t change its mind on pricing for the Moto X Pure Edition, which is said to start at $399. There will be customization options through Moto Maker as well. It will be sold unlocked, and Motorola says that you’ll be able to use it on any of the major four wireless carriers in the United States.

As a quick refresher, the Moto X Pure Edition features a 5.7-inch display with a resolution of 2560×1440. There’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor under the hood with 3GB of RAM, and it comes in either 16GB/32GB/64GB variants. There’s a 21-megapixel camera on the back, with a 5MP front-facing shooter on the other side. The battery is measured in at 3000mAh.

Do you plan on picking up the Moto X Pure Edition?

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Google has a new logo and brand identity

Google, its logo and the icons associated with it have become mainstays of not just the Internet or a browser window on your desktop, but your smartphone, your tablet, your watch and your car. Google wants its logo and brand identity to reflect this. Until now, Google has been introducing new icons and animations that build off its original logo from back in the late 90s. Today, that changes.

Announced on the official Google blog, Google is “introducing a new logo and identity family” to better fit its modern image and widespread use. The colors are still the same — blue, red, yellow and green — but the logo is now a cleaner sans serif font. Gone is the little “g” icon that was used in things like search bars, replaced by a colorful “G”. Even the mic logo is changing to feature Google’s signature colors, to stand out more and call your attention to elements that are voice-action enabled.

The new logo and icons are already showing up all over online, and will continue to spread in the coming weeks. What do you think of Google’s new logo? Let us know in the comments below.

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Nextbit introduces the Robin, its unique first Android phone

There are no shortage of mid-range Android phones in the $400 price bracket these days. So manufacturers are starting to look for ways to set themselves apart. Nextbit, a company founded by former Google Android employees, is doing just that with the Robin, a phone that aims to never runs out of internal storage and whose looks will have people turning their heads.

The species of the Robin might look familiar, if not a little better, for a mid-range handset:

  • Processor: Snapdragon 808
  • Memory: 3GB RAM / 32 GB onboard / 100 GB online
  • Screen: 5.2” IPS LCD 1080p
  • Rear Camera: 13MP with phase detection autofocus, dual tone flash
  • Front camera: 5MP
  • Battery: 2680 mAh
  • Dual front facing stereo speakers
  • Fingerprint sensor
  • NFC
  • Quick charging
  • Bluetooth 4.0 LE
  • WiFi A/B/G/N/AC
  • GSM 850/900/1800/1900
  • WCDMA 850/900/1800/1900/2100
  • LTE Bands 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/20/28

However, with the Robin, specs only tell a part of the story. The big draw to Robin is how it utilizes cloud storage. Robin will learn from your usage what to store in the cloud and what to keep on your phone so that you never run out of physical storage. You can manually manage apps and media, but letting Robin do its thing is when users will get the most out of the phone.

Software-wise, Robin is running Lollipop right now, and should launch with Marshmallow. Design wise, Robin is a looker. Nextbit recruited former HTC designer Scott Croyle, who led the teams behind the M7 and M8. Croyle was able to go nuts with Robin, and the results are stunning. Robin looks like something right out of Google’s Material Design playbook. It’s brightly colored, angled, and features lots of bold circles that mesh well with the UI of the device. It really doesn’t look like anything else available right now.

Robin is launching this January for $399, but the Kickstarter is live where users can get a discount on the device if they buy in early. Early backers can get a Robin for $299, while standard backers can get one for $349. Act fast though, because they are selling out quickly.


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