Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Samsung Galaxy S5 to launch on March 27 in Malaysia


Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S5 during the MWC in Barcelona last month. The flagship is going to become available internationally on April 11. As it turns out though some markets may be getting the Galaxy S5 even earlier.
The three biggest carriers in Malaysia have already confirmed they will be offering the Samsung Galaxy S5 on contract once it becomes officially available. It seems the date has been just recently cleared out as well - March 27. Or at least that's what the latest teaser picture suggest.
There is no info on whether March 27 is the date the carriers will begin taking pre-orders for the April 11 launch, or it is the actual release date for the Malaysian market. Without additional details we'll have to believe it is the official premiere date for Malaysia.
If March 27 launch is indeed true, then maybe other countries will be getting the Galaxy S5 ahead of the international launch as well. We'll be following closely this case and report immediately after new information on the subject gets out.




HTC One (M8) review: One and only


ntroduction

To say there are great expectations of the freshly announced HTC One (M8) would be a massive understatement. This is, after all, one of flagships to shape the entire season. But a predecessor that failed to turn warm reception into good sales is adding more weight on its shoulders. The Taiwanese manufacturer's confidence may've been shaken but the new one cannot afford to show it.
HTC One M8 HTC One M8 HTC One M8
HTC One (M8) official photos
At a quick glance, the HTC One (M8) appears to be a solid upgrade to what was already a highly-acclaimed smartphone. Perfecting the instantly recognizable, gorgeous design of the first generation, HTC has improved the latest flagship in several key areas.
The good looks of the HTC One (M8) are backed by the most powerful hardware available on the market today, while the screen has grown at the expense of the capacitive keys thus keeping the body size in check. The software has received a boost too - the new HTC One runs the latest Android version, dressed in a brand new edition of Sense UI.

Key features

  • Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support; 42Mbps HSPA+; LTE connectivity
  • 5" 1080p capacitive touchscreen with 441pi pixel density; Corning Gorilla Glass 3
  • 2.3GHz quad-core Krait 400 CPU; 2GB of RAM; Adreno 330 GPU; Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset
  • Android 4.4.2 KitKat with HTC Sense 6
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5 GHz); DLNA
  • Dual 4MP AF "UltraPixel" (2µm pixel size) camera with 1/3" sensor; 28mm f/2.0 lens; dual-LED flash; HTC ImageChip 2
  • 1080p video capture with HDR
  • HTC Zoe
  • 5MP front-facing camera with BSI sensor; wide-angle f/2.0 lens; HDR; 1080p video recording
  • 16/32GB of built-in memory
  • microSD card slot; 50GB of free Google Drive storage for 2 years
  • GPS with A-GPS; GLONASS
  • MHL-enabled microUSB 2.0 port
  • Bluetooth 4.0; NFC
  • IR remote control
  • Accelerometer; gyro and proximity sensor; ambient light sensor; barometer
  • Best audio output on the market
  • Fitbit fitness tracker app
  • Active noise cancellation with a dedicated microphone
  • Front-facing stereo speakers with BoomSound and built-in amplifiers
  • Gorgeous metal unibody with superb finish and tactile feel
  • 2,600mAh battery; Extreme Power Saving Mode

Main disadvantages

  • 4MP camera can't match higher-resolution rivals
  • No 4K video recording or OIS
  • Non user-replaceable battery
The second generation HTC One addresses most of his predecessor's major shortcomings. The chipset upgrade is hardly a surprise, but the fact that HTC has shown enough flexibility to include a microSD card slot is great news and the improved ergonomics come as a welcome bonus.
Much like with the original, the biggest question mark in the new HTC One (M8) is hanging over the camera. HTC insists on the 4MP sensor and has chosen to teach it cool new tricks rather than up the pixel count - that's the same questionable move that got it into trouble with the last generation.
This time, there is a second camera unit to collect distance data, which enables some really nice effects in post processing. However, we are yet to see if that will be enough at a time when the competition is moving to larger sensors and 5 times the resolution of the One (M8).
HTC One M8 HTC One M8 HTC One M8
HTC One (M8) live photos
We will not waste any more time introducing the HTC One (M8) and we'll get down to testing instead. As always, we will begin our in-depth review with an unboxing, followed by a design and build quality inspection.

2.5GHz Asian HTC One (M8) meets 2.3GHz US version in AnTuTu


Benchmarks of the HTC One (M8) have surfaced out of China, and have revealed a bit more about the performance of the Asian HTC One (M8). Running on the AC variant of the MSM8974 Snapdragon 801 processor, the Asian model comes with a 200MHz faster processor, but initial results are very similar performance to the AB model which is available in the US and EMEA regions.


Our own testing gave us a result of 37009 on the AnTutu benchmark, which is very close to the numbers given out of China, despite the higher CPU clock speeds (2.5GHz vs. 2.3GHz). Here's how they stack up to the top devices currently available.

AnTuTu 4

Higher is better
  • HTC One (M8)- US/EMEA37009
  • HTC One (M8) - Asia35964
  • LG G Flex35831
  • LG G235444
  • Sony Xperia Z1 Compact34527
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo32162
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 331109
  • Sony Xperia Z130850
  • LG G Pro 229603
  • Sony Xperia Z Ultra29185
  • Samsung Galaxy S427613
  • HTC One26389
  • LG Nexus 525097
  • LG Optimus G Pro20056
One plausible explanation could be a non-final testing unit used in Asia, while yet another could be the different type of RAM and storage used (usually not specified by manufacturers), which could be inferior in the Asian model. Either way, the jury's still out regarding which model is better, but chances are there won't be much between them.

HTC One (M8) goes official with Duo Camera, 5-inch screen


The HTC One (M8) is now official and most of the rumors we've seen so far came out true. The smartphone sports a unibody made of 90% metal as opposed to 70% for its predecessor giving it an even sleeker look.


The One (M8) screen has been bumped from a 4.7" unit to a 5", while retaining the 1080p resolution. Side bezels have been slimmed down and hardware keys have been replaced by on-screen ones so the difference in size compared to the original One is minial.
The front-facing BoomSound stereo speakers that we so enjoyed on the original One are back for another round with the M8. This year's HTC flagship is said to be 25% louder, too.
As far as processing power goes, the HTC One (M8) offers a Snapdragon 801 chipset with a 2.3 GHz Krait 400 processor for the US, Europe, Middle East and Africa and a higher-clocked 2.5 GHz Krait 400 CPU for Asia, Adreno 330 GPU and 2 GB of RAM. The storage options are 16 GB and 32 GB but the M8 will allow expansion by up to 128 GB through the microSD card slot.
   
HTC One (M8)
The Android version is 4.4 KitKat with Sense 6 on top. One of the coolest new features brought by the updated package is Motion Launch, which lets you quickly open the camera or unlock the phone while the screen is off. Picking up the One (M8) in landscape mode and pressing the volume button will launch the camera. There's double tap or slide up from the bottom to wake the phone. While locked you can pick up the phone in portrait mode and swipe left on its screen to launch the widget panel or right for BlinkFeed.
A newly introduced extreme Power Saving Mode promises to give you up to 30 hours of running by using just 10% of the One (M8)'s 2,600 mAh battery. Zoe has also been updated and can take 20 full-res stills coupled with video in just three seconds. The Sense 6 launcher itself has been moved to the Play Storein an attempt to streamline the update process.
The camera department of the HTC One (M8) features a 4MP camera with 1/3" sensor, 2 micron-sized pixels and f/2.0 aperture plus a second camera located above it meant to gather depth information. HTC calls this Duo Camera. It mimics the stereoscopic abilities of the human eye - two independent lenses able to calculate the relative distance of the subjects in an image. HTC's dual camera setup enables cool effects such as selective focus (shallow depth of field) and post-shot refocusing.
The front-facing camera is a wide-angle 5 MP unit making it a huge jump from last year's 2.1 MP.
Unfortunately, the optical image stabilization of the original One is now gone, and the One (M8) will rely solely on digital stabilization to do its magic. Similarly to Apple, HTC has improved the flash of the smartphone by using a two toned one - one cold and one warm LED, which can help the smartphone produce more accurate color tones in low-light conditions.
Finally there's faster focus. HTC claims the One (M8) can focus in just 0.3s.
The HTC One comes with a variety of accessories like the Flip Case, Double Dip case (each in three colors), Dot View case (showing you alarms, events, calls, battery, weather and more in a colorful dotted way) and more.
Coming in Gunmetal Gray, Glacial Silver and Amber Gold the HTC One (M8) will be available in select markets starting today. It will roll out across 230 carriers in Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, China, Africa and the Middle East.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Samsung unveils Galaxy Note 3 in red and rose gold


Samsung Argentina has unveiled two new colors of the Galaxy Note 3 flagship. Currently the phablet is selling in black, white and pink, but it seems Samsung will be adding more options to the pallete.
The red Galaxy Note 3 is rumored to hit the shelves in the first week of January, while the rose gold edition will launch two weeks later. Both version will be available globally, but some carriers and retails may get some exclusivity deals for a month or two.
Here are some official images of the new flavor










There is still no official info on when those new colors will be hitting Argentina and the rest of the world.

Friday, August 30, 2013

Spigen posts a Samsung Galaxy Note III render on its website

A samsung Galaxy Note III teaser with a rendered image of the device has been posted on Spigen's website. Spigen, in case you haven't heard the name, is a company that manufactures cases for a huge variety of smartphones.
So, out of the blue Spigen has published a teaser image of the upcoming Galaxy Note III phablet that is going to be unveiled on September 4. The render definitely looks plausible and while there's no way to know if it's the real deal, it probably bears quite a lot of resemblance to the final product.

The Galaxy Note III is rumored to pack a 5.7" 1080p Super AMOLED display and run on Snapdragon 800 or Exynos 5420 chipset depending on your region. It will offer 3GB of RAM, a 13MP sharpshooter, expandable 16/32/64GB storage and LTE connectivity. A huge 3200 mAh battery will power the monster and, naturally, you can expect an integrated S-Pen.
The third generation Samsung Galaxy Note will go official next month, on September 4 in Berlin. We will be live at the unveiling, so be sure to tune in for the full scoop on the phablet

Samsung may ditch plastic panels next year in favor of metal ones


NEWS
Samsung may ditch plastic panels next year in favor of metal ones
29 August, 2013 | Comments (167) | Post your comment
Tags: Samsung, Android, Rumors

The Samsung Galaxy lineup has taken the smartphone world by storm, but for the past two years the Koreans have been subjected to heavy criticism over their preference of plastic panels. If latest rumors are to be believed, though, this might change next year.
According to the latest reports coming from Samsung's homeland, the manufacturer is planning on changing the Galaxies design and switch from plastic to metal. There were some earlier rumors about Samsung showing interest in carbon fiber too.
The most likely candidates to replace the plastic are aluminum and magnesium. The new design and premium shells will premiere with the top of the line devices and then carry over to cheaper models. This means the new design language will probably debut with the Galaxy S5 next spring.
It is also rumored that Samsung is already working on new designs and is testing new materials in its factories in South Korea, but also exporting some of the work to Vietnam.
We hope those rumors turn out the correct, because it is really the time Samsung brought its design to the level its software and hardware has reached. Still at this point you would do weel to take all of these rumors with a healthy pinch of salt until we get some actual confirmation.
Source (in Korean) | Via