Sony Xperia Z1 with 5.0-inch full-HD display, 20.7-megapixel camera launched

Sony finally took the wraps off its latest flagship Smartphone, the Xperia Z1.

The Sony Xperia Z1 comes with 5-inch full-HD TRILUMINOS display powered by Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2. The highlight of the Xperia Z1 is the 20.7-megapixel Exmor RS sensor alongside the BIONZ image processing engine and pulsed LED flash. It also includes a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.

The device is powered by 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm MSM8974 processor along with 2GB of RAM. There is 16GB of internal storage which can be further expanded up to 64GB via MicroSD card. The Sony Xperia Z1 runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The device comes with 3000mAh battery.

It is waterproof (IPX5 and IPX8 certified) and dust-proof (IP5X certified) device. Connectivity options on the Xperia Z1 includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, Xperia Link and 3G. It will ship in three colors Black, Purple and White. The Sony Xperia Z1 will hit the markets later this month, but there's no word yet on which markets will see the device first.

The camera on the Sony Xperia Z1 comes with a host of new features that include Social live which can broadcast images to social platforms, and Info-eye, a visual search function that provides related information on landmarks and on items such as books or wine simply by capturing them with the camera. Also present is Timeshift burst mode that can capture 61 images in 2 seconds with a second before and after pressing the shutter, as well as AR effect that gives a selection of customisable animations to create pictures using Sony's Smarter augmented reality technology.

Commenting on the launch, Kunimasa Suzuki, President and CEO, Sony Mobile Communications said, "Xperia Z1 represents a significant milestone for Sony in our continued efforts to deliver unforgettable experiences to our consumers."

IFA 2013 Berlin

Sony Xperia Z1 key specifications

• 5-inch full-HD (1080x1920) TRILUMINOS display powered by Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2
• 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm MSM8974 processor
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB internal storage, expandable up to 64GB via microSD card
• 20.7-megapixel Exmor RS for mobile image sensor with pulsed LED flash
• 2-megapixel front-facing camera
• 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

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Tags: Android, Sony, Sony Xperia Z1, Sony Xperia Z1 launch, Sony Xperia Z1 specifications, Sony mobiles,mobiles

Xbox One release date announced, setting up brawl with Sony's PS4

After years of skirmishes, Microsoft's Xbox is finally set to go head-to-head with Sony's Playstation on one of the biggest days in a gaming console's life: its release date.

Microsoft this morning announced that the Xbox One, its latest iteration of its highly successful gaming system, will hit store shelves (albeit briefly) on Nov. 22.

That's a week after Sony's Playstation 4 is released, on Nov. 15.

Such a tight release schedule — particularly before the crucial Black Friday kick-off to the holiday shopping season — bodes for an intense battle between the tech giants for consumer dollars this year.

In the past, the companies have kept their release dates apart by a year or more. But more recently they faced pressure to keep consumers interested in buying bulky and costly systems that are tethered to their TVs at a time when gamers have flocked to inexpensive mobile offerings like "Angry Birds" for Apple's iPhone or Samsung's Galaxy devices.

Microsoft's announcement today is the latest in a series of headline grabbers that started with chief executive Steve Ballmer's announcement that he will retire and continued with Tuesday's news that the PC maker is buying mobile phone maker Nokia for $7.2 billion.

The Xbox One is set to retail at $499 and will be available in 13 countries, including the U.S., on Nov. 22. The Playstation 4 will cost $399 when it launches in the U.S. on Nov. 15. It will then bow in European countries in Nov. 29.

Still, good luck finding either machine come launch date. Retailers are reporting that they have sold-out of their allotted pre-orders for Xbox One, although Microsoft says it has responded by ramping up production of the devices, Bloomberg News reports.

Did Google Accidentally Reveal The Nexus 5? And Is It LG-Made? Signs Point to Maybe

Sections: Communications, Google, Mobile, Smartphones

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It’s no secret anymore, Google joined hands with its unlikeliest partner ever, Nestle, and took the wraps off the next version of Android, dubbed 4.4 “KitKat”. De-li-cious, though, you know, I’m more of a Snickers guy myself.

Anyways, what Big G “forgot” to announce was exactly what this KitKat brings to the table and how much better, smoother and cooler it is compared with 4.3, 4.2 or 4.1 Jelly Bean. Also, if a Nexus 5 is to be expected anytime soon and whose labs will it emerge from, Motorola’s or LG’s.

Well, brace yourselves, dear readers, as you’re in for a hell of a ride. Apparently, Google made an incredible gaffe earlier today when uploading a YouTube video. The clip starred the statue of Android 4.4 on its way to the Mountain View lawn where everybody from Cupcake to Jelly Bean lives, but also… the Nexus 5.

Wait, what? I know, I’m as dazzled as you all, but, as hard as it might be to believe, it appears a couple of frames focusing on a mysterious Google employee using an equally as mysterious phone evaded the editing room and ended up in the final clip.

Not at all surprising, the official video was made private soon after its uploading, but the harm was already done and you can still check the film out via a number of other YouTube channels. Now, how sure are we the mystery phone is the N5?

Well, it can’t be anything else, as it rocks a big-ass Nexus “tattoo” on its back and looks nothing like anything we’ve seen before. There’s also clear proof it’s made by LG, not Motorola, namely a smaller, barely intelligible LG logo, so there you have it. All that’s left to be revealed is a list of features. And a price tag. And release date.

<Source: 9to5Google>

TAGS: Android 4.4, Android 4.4 KitKat, android smartphones, google, google nexus, Google Nexus 5, Google smartphones, lg nexus, LG Nexus 5, Nexus 5, Nexus smartphones

New iWatch Concept with Flexible Display, IOS 7 in News

Ciccarese Design has posted a new gorgeous iWatch concept featuring flexible touchscreen display and is 7 UI design.

Federico’s iWatch concept is more realistic with flexible display and running IOS 7. Take a look inside for iWatch concept photos & video.

iWatch Photos

iWatch Video

Last Year, Google Made An Acquisition That Could Help It Rival Apple's iWatch

If you thought Google’s foray into wearable technology starts and ends with Glass, think again. Because it’s just been discovered that in the summer of 2012, the Mountain View, Calif. The company made an acquisition that could help it develop a product to rival Apple’s anticipated iWatch.

The company Google bought was WIMM Labs: an early entrant into the smart watch arena, who in 2011 made an Android-powered smart watch, WIMM One, which didn’t do well. This product did, however, capture Google’s attention, and in the summer of last year, WIMM closed its doors, stopped sales, and announced that it had signed an “exclusive” partnership deal with an unknown company.

WIMM One.

GigaOM has now revealed that this “unknown company” was, in fact, Google, and explains:

At Google, WIMM’s employees are working with the Android team, which may seem natural since WIMM’s platform was based on Android, but it is actually a pretty good indicator of the role this acquisition is playing for Google. The company chose not to turn its smartwatch efforts into a Google X moonshot project that may take years to see the light of day, but instead brought it to the division that is making the world’s most popular Smartphone operating system. In other words: In the nascent world of smartwatches, Google means business.

As a reminder, Apple is said to have been working on its own wearable smart watch product, nicknamed “iWatch,” for some time, and recent analysis indicates that the Cupertino, Calif. The company could launch the product as early as 2014. That being said, long-time Apple rival Samsung is rumored to be announcing its own 2.5-inch, OLED smart watch next week, suggesting that Apple could be behind the times before the iWatch even hits Apple Store shelves.

Let’s just hope Google, too, doesn’t beat the iWatch to the punch.

In the meantime, see: Kitty Cat High Five: UK Carrier 3 To Launch Less Expensive 4G LTE This Year, Cydia Tweak: Celeste 2 Launches For Jailbroken iDevices, and Hacker Claims To Have Untether Binary For iOS 6.1.3.

Apple iWatch Rumors: $149 Starting Price, Could Replace iPod

New projections from an analyst suggest that the iWatch could hit stores in the second half of 2014 for between $149 and $229. This would mean that the iWatch may be released an entire year after Samsung’s Galaxy Gear watch.

The analyst with CIMB Group says that consumers will purchase the iWatch largely to replace their iPods, at least according to Digitimes. The Taiwanese website has a mixed track record when it comes to predicting product launches, was been correct when reporting that the iPhone 5 would begin shipping in September 2012.

The alleged price points for Apple’s iWatch do align with the analyst’s predictions that the smartwatch could serve as an  iPod replacement. Apple’s current generation iPod Nano costs $149, while the fifth-generation iPod Touch costs $229.

If Digitmes’ source is accurate, we wouldn’t be surprised to see something along the lines of a wearable iPod Nano, although Apple’s wearable tech patent details a device that sounds different. In the company’s patent for a “bi-stable spring with flexible display,” the document’s language describes a snap-bracelet gadget with a flexible display that would make it seem like the display runs seamlessly around one’s wrist.

Apple has yet to confirm or deny that it has a smartwatch in its pipeline, but CEO Tim Cook did say that wearable tech is “ripe for exploration” at this year’s D11 conference in May. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company also recently filed a patent for the term “iWatch” in multiple countries, although we’ll have to wait for an official announcement to find out more.

• 10 Killer Features for Apple’s iWatch
• Smartwatches: Why Their Time Has Finally Come
• 25 Best iPhone 5 Apps

Tags: Apple, iWatch, smartwatches, iPod, wearable tech

iWatch: what you need to know while you are waiting!!

Apple already deployed new talents to work exclusively on smart watch and repeatedly, it is on an aggressive path towards their most speculated product called watches.

Apple deployed between 50 and 100 designers working on the watch between them and designer of fashion house Yves Saint Laurent. Besides the look of the smart watch there are many engineering problems which are yet to be solved. iWatch can easily be a double edged sword. On one hand, it has to compete in a market with existing similar products like Nike FuelBand or Kickstarter funded smartwatch by Pebble, On the other hand, keeping the Apple tradition going it has to be the best in the market. If iWatch fails to show better quality, different and better functionality it will fail to impress the mass. This may leave the market wide open to be captured by its formidable competitors like Samsung.

 

Apple recently launched a campaign to protect the name iWatch in many prospective markets. Among them, Mexico, Taiwan, Japan and Russia are the ones which confirmed rumors that smart watch from Apple is arriving in the near future. According to earlier reports, Apple’s designers working on watch are trying to ensure that the watch will run and support IOS platform and it will be able to perform the same tasks that made the iPhone and the iPad as undisputed market leaders. You can make calls and let sensors run applications for fitness or health monitoring (sensors to measure steps and monitor the pulse rate. ). This, along with GPS functionality, can easily track speed and position providing you a complete exercise regimen, option and monitoring.

Although initial assumptions were that the watch will come in 2016, Apple is gearing up for a faster release sometime during 2014.

Analysts say that the smart watch is a more logical step towards conquering new markets for large companies (Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung). Today, Smartphones market is either saturated or getting saturated fats. Taking advantage of high Smartphone density, smart watches can be positioned as an additional smart phone accessory. It is estimated that there exists a huge unexplored market of smart watches worth around 60 billion dollars in terms of annual sales.

 

Apple’s philosophy is to combine fashion and functionality. Probably this is the secret of Apple is doing a huge business all over the world. Benefiting from the same strategy, Apple watch can increase its business at least three fold in a year or two. They can lure all people having smart phones to go out and buy another value adding yet portable device in the form of a smart watch.

There is a high probability that Apple is planning a smart watch will be made of new technology curved glasses demonstrated mainly by LG.  According to some other school of thought Apple smart watch will be made of  curved glass which will be more like new Corning’s bendable Willow Glass from the creators of Gorilla Glass. Corning, who is still not prepared to release the glass commercially, has announced that this class will mainly be used for smart phones, watches and other smart devices. Whatever it is, the bottom line is that the device still has to work on IOS platform,

Interestingly, studies suggest that the market of existing smart watches is still far from perfect. If you look at the smart watches available today, they are still not good enough. The battery is weak to sustain continuous Bluetooth connections and limitations of smaller screens cannot be wished away. Knowing that current technology is not yet good enough, Apple is in the process of plugging all these loopholes and preparing a smart watch which will be a solid performer and a quality product.

Although iWatch is currently only an experiment, it's a matter of time when Apple  will present their smart watch. Be assured that  it will NOT be just a phone or tablet, but something that is always connected to the internet and highly portable and wearable in nature. Once it is there, it will be no less attractive than the current wearable technology Sensation Google Glass.

While we have to wait for iWatch to be available in future real Apple fans may watch this video rounding up the rumors related to iWatch to keep themselves ready:

Guest Author: Dejan Fidanovski