Why your phone's killing the consumer electronic kings
Another day, another firm gets the hell out of the consumer
electronics business: Philips has decided it wants to spend more time
with its colour changing lightbulbs, and it's ditched its home entertainment division.
As The Proclaimers almost put it: Blu-Rays no moar! Headphones no moar! Speakers no moar! Gadgets no moar!The name will live on, but the company's mind is elsewhere: in medical devices, personal grooming and kitchen appliances.The reason? With the exception of LG, Samsung and Apple, most CE firms are losing astonishing amounts of money.
As EE Times reported
last year, the world's best-known firms are bleeding money in the
consumer electronics business. In the financial year ending March 2012,
Panasonic lost 772 billion yen (about $9.2 billion), Sony 457 billion
($5.5 billion) and Sharp 376 billion ($4.5 billion).
BlackBerry Z10 and Nokia N9 MeeGo Swipe UI similarities with BB10
When we first some glimpses of the new BB10 OS, we saw it had a lot
of similarities to Nokia’s revolutionary Swipe UI in the MeeGo-Harmattan
OS. BB10 seems to be a collection of different OSes into one, and the
Swipe UI homage might find some new fans for the z10.Previously from Nokia Experts, concentrating on ZDNet, Matthew Miller notes the following similarities.
- Tap/swipe the screen with no button press to turn on and unlock device
- Swipe up from bottom to return to “home”
- Display of applications and folders, one with multitasking tiles that are live, and one with recent comms (BlackBerry Hub)
- Swipe down to reveal upper menu
- Slowly move finger across the screen to see elements behind active one
- Deep multi-service integration.
Intel planning to show off more dual-core Android handsets at MWC
Intel has been slowly pushing its way into the smartphone market. It began last September with the Motorola RAZR i, and has been moving quicker since CES this year, unveiling the Lenovo K900, and more recently the Yolo, and the Acer Liquid C1. Now, word has it that Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona will feature even more dual-core Android handsets powered by Intel.
Supposedly,
Intel will use MWC to show off Android handsets powered by a new dual
core, dual graphics platform, as well as handsets based on the company’s
new Intel Atom Z2420 platform targeted at emerging markets. So, this
means that the smartphones at MWC will be showing off the low-end Lexington Atom Z2420 processor that we saw at CES, and not the high-end Bay Trail quad-core chip.
Out
of the Intel devices that we've already seen, it seems that MWC will be
bringing more devices similar to the Yolo, which is based on Intel’s
own smartphone reference design for the Z2420, and just launched last
week in Kenya.
Mystery Nokia RM-860 will party in the USA
An unfamiliar Nokia device
has appeared in the database of gamer site Occasional Gamer. The model
is called "Nokia RM-860", and while we know nothing of such a model, it
could easily be a new Lumia device for the United States. Why are we so
sure? Well, the full title of the entry is actually "NOKIA
RM-860_nam_usa_100, where "nam" obviously means "North America" and
"usa" means... Yeah.The good news is that a device with the same
"RM-860" model has also been spotted in Nokia's NaviFirm database, kind
of confirming its existence. Honestly speaking, this might be many
things. It could be the rumored Nokia Catwalk (a PureView Phase II device like the Lumia 920), the Nokia EOS (a WP handset with a larger sensor like the 808),
or a completely new device. (Not that the Catwalk or EOS are "old"
devices.) Overall, most speculating sources reason that this might end
up being a Verizon handset, but it may also be destined for AT&T, as
that is where the EOS is expected to appearWhatever this RM-860 is, we'll probably know for sure at Nokia's event scheduled for February 25th.
HTC M7 to go on sale from March 8, new color option revealed
HTC will be holding two press conferences simultaneously in New York and London on February 19. According to numerous leaks the Taiwanese company will reveal its latest M7 flagship smartphone at those.Now a new rumor has it that the HTC M7 is expected to go on sale starting from March 8. Unfortunately, there are no confirmations on which carriers will have the device up for grabs. Earlier we heard the smartphone will be available in UK and the rest of Europe before it reaches the US.
The launch date aligns well with the earlier leaks and HTC is allegedly working on manufacturing about 4-5 million units of M7 in the Q1 of 2013.
If this new info comes out correct the M7 will be made available in Black and Silver/White color variants.
Trio of New Gigabyte Server Motherboards Announced
We recently reviewed a dual processor setup using the Gigabyte GA-7PESH1 and a pair of socket 2011 Xeons, with varied reactions from the point of view of a need for ultimate throughput with a simple to intermediate knowledge of NUMA programming. Today Gigabyte has announced the successors to the GA-7PESH1 and GA-7PESH2 in the form of the 4-way GPU supporting GA-7PESH3 and GA-7PESH4, along with a 3-way 1P model, the GA-6PXSV4.The main feature Gigabyte wish to promote is the improved memory compatibility; specifically noting that they are the only manufacturer to support a system fully populated with DDR3-1600MHz 16GB RDIMM 1.35V modules.
The GA-7PESH3 looks more like a normal 2P motherboard in terms of orientation, with each CPU supporting one module per channel and the PCIe layout designed for multi-PCI devices (think 3-way or 4-way dual slot GPUs, or 7-way single slot). The motherboard also contains an LSI controller for support up to eight SAS 6 Gbps drives, a full 7.1 audio solution and USB 3.0 functionality.
NVIDIA GeForce R313.95 Beta Drivers Available
| Recent Driver Releases | |||
| NVIDIA Version | Release Date | AMD Version | Release Date |
| 313.95 Beta | 28-Jan-2013 | 13.2 Beta 3 (12.100.0) | 29-Jan-2013 |
| 310.90 WHQL | 5-Jan-2013 | 13.1 WHQL (9.012.0) | 17-Jan-2013 |
| 310.70 WHQL | 17-Dec-2012 | 12.11 Beta11 (9.010.8) | 4-Dec-2012 |
| 310.70 Beta | 4-Dec-2012 | 12.11 Beta7 (9.010.8) | 12-Nov-2012 |
| 310.64 Beta | 28-Nov-2012 | 12.10 WHQL (9.002.0) | 23-Oct-2012 |
| 310.61 Beta | 20-Nov-2012 | 12.9 Beta (9.001.0) | 26-Sep-2012 |
| 310.54 Beta | 12-Nov-2012 | 12.8 WHQL (8.982.0) | 14-Sep-2012 |
| 310.33 Beta | 23-Oct-2012 | 12.6 WHQL (8.980.0) | 30-Jun-2012 |
| 306.97 WHQL | 10-Oct-2012 | 12.7 Official Beta (8.981.2.1) | 27-Jun-2012 |
| 306.23 WHQL | 13-Sep-2012 | 12.7 Beta (8.981.2) | 12-Jun-2012 |
| 306.02 Beta | 27-Aug-2012 | 12.x (9.00) | 12-Jun-2012 |
| 304.79 Beta | 3-Jul-2012 | 12.x (8.980.0) | 4-Jun-2012 |
| 304.48 Beta | 18-Jun-2012 | Win8 Release Preview (8.972.4) | 2-Jun-2012 |
NVIDIA's latest update primarily looks to address performance issues with Crysis 3, though there are a few other recent titles like Assassin's Creed III, Black Ops II, and Far Cry 3 that may also see performance improvements. NVIDIA's release notes claim improvements of up to 65% in Crysis 3 and 24% in Assassin's Creed III, though that's with the ultra-high-end GTX 690 desktop GPU so those with lower class GPUs should temper their expectations accordingly. Interestingly, we're still seeing potential performance improvements (albeit minor) in some older titles like Civilization V, DiRT 3, Far Cry 2, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution. You can read the full release notes on NVIDIA's site, with the following downloads currently available (and yes, Windows XP is supported as well, but I figure few enough gamers are running that with high-end hardware)
AMD Catalyst 13.2 Beta 3 Drivers Released
The latest beta makes a couple of additions that will be of particular interest to hardcore gamers. On the application support side, like NVIDIA’s beta release yesterday these are the first drivers that specifically target Crysis 3, itself having just been released in beta form as a multiplayer beta. AMD is citing up to a 15% performance improvement here in scenarios with high degrees of MSAA, while promising further improvements as the game and the drivers both march towards a final state.
Meanwhile these drivers are also the first driver set from AMD to address some of the frame latency issues Tech Report’s Scott Wasson has turned up over the last couple of months. His own testing of an earlier version of these drivers found that frame latency was significantly reduced in a few different games he tested, including Skyrim, Borderlands 2, and Guild Wars 2.
As always, these latest drivers are available directly from AMD’s site.
WSJ: Yes, Sony Will Announce the PlayStation 4 on February 20th
The WSJ is confirming what we all saw in Sony's slick video teaser for its upcoming February 20th event: Sony will be announcing the PlayStation 4. Citing the ol' reliable 'people familiar with the matter', the WSJ says that the PS4 will be announced on February 20th and be released later this year.The WSJ also reports that Sony will try to throw in more "social gaming aspects" in the PS4, focusing more on how people "interact with the machine" than the sheer hardware power of the system. Sony had considered ditching the disk drive and using game downloads but decided that video game file sizes would be too large and Internet connections may be too slow to handle the load. Which means we can still expect the ol' disk bay to be in the PS4. The announcement of the PS4 will beat Microsoft's Xbox 360 successor to the punch, it's unclear if the actual next generation system will too. Both are expected to launch by this holiday season.
Fujifilm Unveils Five New Point and Shoot Cameras, Due Out in March
We’ve stopped believing in coincidences a long time ago, so after seeing Nikon and Olympus intro an array of new digital cameras one after the other, we were certain other big guys in the industry will also make some moves soon.
First off, we have the 16 MP F900EXR and F850EXR travel zooms. The two fellows are slim and stylish, but at the same time powerful and capable of great things. Besides the high-quality sensors, both cams come with 20x optical zoom lenses and 3-inch LCD screens. The F900 is the more feature-packed of the two and will cost $399.95. Meanwhile, the F850 will go for 100 bucks less.
Next up, the S6800 and S4800 bridge cams. These aren’t exactly slim, but are packed with 16 MP sensors and 30x optical zoom. The S6800’s sensor is backside-illuminated CMOS, while the S4800 comes with a CCD one. The price difference, however, is not going to be major, so while the first will cost $249.95, the second will go for $229.95.
The last camera unveiled by Fujifilm today is more for novice photographers and is dubbed JX680. This is as slim and compact as cams get nowadays, but is also packed with a 16 MP CCD sensor and a 5x optical zoom. Priced at $99.95, the little fellow will go on sale in March.
BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 unveiled, first BB10 smartphones
RIM (well, BlackBerry now) has
opened a new chapter in the history of its platform with the release of
its first to BB10 OS devices, the BlackBerry Z10 and Q10.The new OS is
centered around touch gestures, even the Q10, which has a hardware
QWERTY.
The BlackBerry Z10, however, joins the ranks of the touch-only army with a 4.2” WXGA screen (1,280 x 768, 356ppi pixel density). A dual-core Krait CPU at 1.5GHz has been enlisted to run the new OS and there’s 2 gigs of RAM to make sure there’s room for multitasking, which plays a huge part of the new experience.
BlackBerry Z10 • the on-screen keyboard
The company also made sure the Z10 is capable in terms of multimedia with an 8MP main camera that has TimeShift (Scalado-powered tech) and shoots 1080p video and an HDMI port. The phone packs 16GB of storage and you can throw in a microSD card (up to 32GB) to expand it.
On the connectivity side, there's LTE (market dependent), Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC.
The Z10 boasts an advanced touchscreen keyboard, which should completely make up for the lack of hardware keyboard.
And if you still need a physical keyboard, the BlackBerry Q10 is the one you should be looking for. The smartphone keeps the trademark hardware QWERTY keyboard. It has a touchscreen too - it's a bit unorthodox, a 3.1" square AMOLED screen with 720 x 720 resolution and 330ppi pixel density.
BlackBerry Q10
The BlackBerry Q10 has a stainless steel frame and an "edge-to-edge" glass on the front. The chipset of the Q10 is the same as the one on the Z10.
The BlackBerry Z10 will launch in UK first (tomorrow!) from all the major carriers and retailers, with a choice between getting it on contract or pre-paid. It goes to Canada on February 5 for $150 (with three-year contract). US consumers will have to wait until March though. Then they'd be able to snag it for $200 from AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint(with a two-year contract).
The BlackBerry Q10 is expected to hit carriers globally in April.
The raffle doc states that all the prize winners will be given a Samsung Galaxy S IV smartphone. The raffle ends on April 9, so we imagine the prizes should be delivered shortly after.
If the raffle details are to be trusted, Samsung's latest smartphone will be launched in the month of April. This aligns nicely with previous rumors pointing to an announcement in March and launch in the third week of April.
Since Samsung won't be bringing the Galaxy S IV to the upcoming MWC such a strategy would make sense so the company doesn't lag behind its rivals, who will all have 1080p smartphones by April. Then again the Galaxy S III is still selling pretty well, so maybe there's no point in Samsung rushing things up
Windows Phone 7.8 brings a host of upgrades to the table. They
include a brand new homescreen with more customization options, camera
extras, and a host of performance enhancements for the first members of
the Nokia Lumia lineup.
The Windows Phone 7.8 upgrade will be seeding through February. Its exact availability around the world will be carrier dependent.
The first rumored Vertu phone to be running on Android is the
Constellation Ti. The phone has a 800 x 480 resolution display, 1.5GHz
Snapdragon MSM8260A SoC, Android 4.0.4 and a rather minuscule 1,250mAh
battery. The specs aren't much but then again, Vertu devices have never
been about specs but more about the quality of the materials used in
their construction and the sheer snob value of owning one of these
über-expensive devices.
There are supposedly four versions of the Constellation Ti: Titanium
Black PVD black leather, Titanium Black Alligator, Red Gold Mixed Metal
and Titanium Black Leather. Each uses a different material and color
finish for the body. The Red Gold Mixed Metal interestingly has a
different key layout below the display compared to the others, as seen
above, but it could be just an older version of the design.
The device hasn't been confirmed yet but according to The Verge, Vertu is set to announce a new phone next month so it's likely this could be the one
The regular Back / Home / Menu keys are joined by a SIM switch key for easy toggling between the two SIM cards.
The Optimus L7 II Dual keeps the 4.3” IPS LCD screen of the original but bumps up the CPU spec to 1GHz dual-core (of unknown architecture) and adds a better camera that shoots 8MP stills and 720p videos. The phone will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box and comes with LG's home-brewed QSlide, QuickMemo and QuickTranslator software.
The battery has gotten a nice upgrade too – it has 2,460mAh capacity, which should last for two days according to LG.
The LG Optimus L7 II Dual will launch in the second half of February in Russia for 12,990 rubles ($430, but note that phones in Russia are usually pricier than in most other European countries). The phone will come in black and white.
The Acer Liquid C1 is not a high-end model but it's still decently equipped. At the front there's a 4.3-inch IPS screen of qHD resolution (960x540 pixels). On the back there is an 8MP auto focus camera.
The Intel Atom Z2420m chipset (codenamed Lexington) has a main x86 processor, running at 1.2GHz. It's a single-core CPU with support for Hyper-Threading. It's meant to deliver reasonable performance at a tempting price point - great for emerging smartphone markets.
The chipset supports hardware-accelerated 1080p encoding and decoding plus it enables the Liquid C1 camera to snap 5 still images in a second.
The Intel-powered Acer Liquid C1
Unfortunately, the smartphone comes with only Android ICS preinstalled. There is no word on plans for future updates to more recent versions of Android, but we haven't seen a proper press release from Acer either, so there's still hope.
The Acer Liquid C1 should launch this February - initially in Thailand, and later on in other South Asian countries. It will be priced around 9,990 baht, which makes for around USD$335.
Sony C530X HuaShan spy shots
The C530X HuaShan uses the same design language as the Xperia Z – rectangular with slightly rounded corners and the trademark metallic grey Power/Lock key. Results from GLBenchmark point to a 720p screen, while another leak (a photo uploaded to Picasa) revealed the camera to have a 5MP sensor.
A look at the Android OS version and dialer of the C530X HuaShan
The benchmark scores list the chipset as Qualcomm MSM8960T, which has a dual-core Krait CPU @ 1.7GHz and Adreno 320 GPU, along with support for LTE connectivity.
There’s still a lot we don’t know about the Sony C530X HuaShan, but there’s a good chance we’ll see it (in official capacity) at the MWC in about a month.
According to Rockstar, the studio needs some more time to polish the game and it’s release will be pushed back to the Fall.
Luckily, Rockstar pinpointed a release date – September 17, 2013. Just as planned, the game will launch on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. There is still no word on the PC version, but I guess it will come out in 2014.
Microsoft Surface Pro 64GB comes with only 23GB of available storage space
Microsoft’s 64GB Surface Pro
tablet ships with about a third of its advertised storage capacity when
it goes on sale February 9. While it's common for tablets to have less
storage space available because of preinstalled software, the Surface
Pro is one of the worst offenders compared to the identical issue faced
by Apple's iPad, Amazon's Kindle Fire HD, and Surface RT.
Microsoft confirmed the $899 64GB model of the Surface Pro will only have 23GB available for use out of the box – that’s just under 36 percent of the advertised capacity. The rest is taken up by the full Windows 8 Pro install, preinstalled apps and a recovery partition, which make up for the 41GB occupied. The 128GB model of the Surface Pro comes with 65 percent of its advertised storage capacity available, 83GB.
This is not the first time the Surface tablets from Microsoft are in the spotlight due to how little storage space is available for users out of the box. When the Surface RT tablets were introduced in October, the 32GB Surface RT actually came with 16GB free to use (50 percent of advertised capacity), while the 64GB version has 45GB free, which is around 70 percent of the storage advertised on sale.
In comparison with other tablets, Microsoft appears to offer the least available storage space. iOS on an 16GB Apple iPad takes no more than 4GB of space, leaving some 75 percent of the advertised capacity for use. So, for example, the new 128GB iPad actually has some 124GB of available storage, with the OS taking just over 3 percent of the space. For the 128GB Surface Pro, Windows 8 Pro takes 35 percent of the storage capacity – over 10 times more than the iOS.
Amazon also leaves more than 78 percent of the 16GB Kindle Fire HD storage available to users, while the 32GB model comes with almost 27GB free. Similarly, the 16GB Barnes and Noble Nook HD+ comes with 13GB user accessible storage, while the 32GB model has 28GB free.
Having a full Windows 8 Pro install on a tablet-sized device has its trade-offs. You can install and run a full desktop version of Word or Photoshop, but your tablet will only have a limited amount of built-in storage available to use, and half the battery life of normal tablets . However, the Surface Pro allows you to extend your storage capacity via a full-size USB 3.0 port and a MicroSD slot, while on the iPad you are stuck with the built-in storage.
ZTE has quietly announced a number of devices these days, including the 8" V81 tablet, affordable Blade C smartphone, the Grand Memo phablet, and now the ZTE Mozilla
smartphone. To tell you the truth, the last one isn't really announced,
but the folks from ZTE gave us two hashtags to follow for their MWC
2013 event: #ZTEGrandMemo and #ZTEMozilla. Given the recent news that ZTE wants to launch a Firefox OS device, it is only logical to assume that the Chinese company will do so at MWC 2013, and that the device may be called ZTE Mozilla.
Specs lovers should stop drooling right this instant, because according to previous information, Firefox OS will be mainly used for entry-level smartphones, at least initially. We don't know what ZTE's Mozilla phone will be like, but at least we now know that this is soon going to change
The BlackBerry Z10, however, joins the ranks of the touch-only army with a 4.2” WXGA screen (1,280 x 768, 356ppi pixel density). A dual-core Krait CPU at 1.5GHz has been enlisted to run the new OS and there’s 2 gigs of RAM to make sure there’s room for multitasking, which plays a huge part of the new experience.
BlackBerry Z10 • the on-screen keyboard
The company also made sure the Z10 is capable in terms of multimedia with an 8MP main camera that has TimeShift (Scalado-powered tech) and shoots 1080p video and an HDMI port. The phone packs 16GB of storage and you can throw in a microSD card (up to 32GB) to expand it.
On the connectivity side, there's LTE (market dependent), Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC.
The Z10 boasts an advanced touchscreen keyboard, which should completely make up for the lack of hardware keyboard.
And if you still need a physical keyboard, the BlackBerry Q10 is the one you should be looking for. The smartphone keeps the trademark hardware QWERTY keyboard. It has a touchscreen too - it's a bit unorthodox, a 3.1" square AMOLED screen with 720 x 720 resolution and 330ppi pixel density.
BlackBerry Q10
The BlackBerry Q10 has a stainless steel frame and an "edge-to-edge" glass on the front. The chipset of the Q10 is the same as the one on the Z10.
The BlackBerry Z10 will launch in UK first (tomorrow!) from all the major carriers and retailers, with a choice between getting it on contract or pre-paid. It goes to Canada on February 5 for $150 (with three-year contract). US consumers will have to wait until March though. Then they'd be able to snag it for $200 from AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint(with a two-year contract).
The BlackBerry Q10 is expected to hit carriers globally in April.
Samsung Galaxy S IV might launch in April
Samsung Galaxy IV, the rumored next flagship of the South Korean giant might actually launch in the month of April according to a couple of images from an internal raffle doc at a New Zealand mobile retailer.The raffle doc states that all the prize winners will be given a Samsung Galaxy S IV smartphone. The raffle ends on April 9, so we imagine the prizes should be delivered shortly after.
If the raffle details are to be trusted, Samsung's latest smartphone will be launched in the month of April. This aligns nicely with previous rumors pointing to an announcement in March and launch in the third week of April.
Since Samsung won't be bringing the Galaxy S IV to the upcoming MWC such a strategy would make sense so the company doesn't lag behind its rivals, who will all have 1080p smartphones by April. Then again the Galaxy S III is still selling pretty well, so maybe there's no point in Samsung rushing things up
Nokia Lumia Windows Phone 7.8 update starts rolling out
The long awaited, highly anticipated Windows Phone 7.8 update has made its way to the first generation Nokia Lumia smartphones. Users of the aforementioned devices should be receiving notification for the new OS version's availability in the coming weeks. The update will be installed via Microsoft Zune desktop software.The Windows Phone 7.8 upgrade will be seeding through February. Its exact availability around the world will be carrier dependent.
Upcoming Vertu Constellation Ti running Android gets leaked
Looks like luxury brand Vertu is shifting to a new operating system for its phones, with the new OS in question being Android. After separating from Nokia, Vertu is now also distancing itself from the now outdated Symbian and towards greener pastures.The device hasn't been confirmed yet but according to The Verge, Vertu is set to announce a new phone next month so it's likely this could be the one
LG Optimus L7 II Dual unveiled, a dual-SIM dual-core droid
The LG Optimus L7 is getting a sequel with improved specs and dual-SIM capabilities to boot. The LG Optimus L7 II Dual updates the design a bit, going for a less angular look and has moved to capacitive keys only.The regular Back / Home / Menu keys are joined by a SIM switch key for easy toggling between the two SIM cards.
The Optimus L7 II Dual keeps the 4.3” IPS LCD screen of the original but bumps up the CPU spec to 1GHz dual-core (of unknown architecture) and adds a better camera that shoots 8MP stills and 720p videos. The phone will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box and comes with LG's home-brewed QSlide, QuickMemo and QuickTranslator software.
The battery has gotten a nice upgrade too – it has 2,460mAh capacity, which should last for two days according to LG.
The LG Optimus L7 II Dual will launch in the second half of February in Russia for 12,990 rubles ($430, but note that phones in Russia are usually pricier than in most other European countries). The phone will come in black and white.
Acer and Intel announce the Atom-powered Liquid C1
At an event in Thailand, Intel and Acer presented a new Android smartphone. The Acer Liquid C1 makes use of the latest mobile Intel Atom Z2420 chipset, which was only recently announced - back at CES earlier this month actually.The Acer Liquid C1 is not a high-end model but it's still decently equipped. At the front there's a 4.3-inch IPS screen of qHD resolution (960x540 pixels). On the back there is an 8MP auto focus camera.
The Intel Atom Z2420m chipset (codenamed Lexington) has a main x86 processor, running at 1.2GHz. It's a single-core CPU with support for Hyper-Threading. It's meant to deliver reasonable performance at a tempting price point - great for emerging smartphone markets.
The chipset supports hardware-accelerated 1080p encoding and decoding plus it enables the Liquid C1 camera to snap 5 still images in a second.
The Intel-powered Acer Liquid C1
Unfortunately, the smartphone comes with only Android ICS preinstalled. There is no word on plans for future updates to more recent versions of Android, but we haven't seen a proper press release from Acer either, so there's still hope.
The Acer Liquid C1 should launch this February - initially in Thailand, and later on in other South Asian countries. It will be priced around 9,990 baht, which makes for around USD$335.
Mid-range Sony C530X HuaShan stars in spy photoshoot
The Sony C530X HuaShan has leaked a couple of times before, but this is the first time it has been caught on camera. A photo of the Android software info screen puts the OS version at 4.1.2 Jelly Bean (which is what the Xperia Z will launch with).Sony C530X HuaShan spy shots
The C530X HuaShan uses the same design language as the Xperia Z – rectangular with slightly rounded corners and the trademark metallic grey Power/Lock key. Results from GLBenchmark point to a 720p screen, while another leak (a photo uploaded to Picasa) revealed the camera to have a 5MP sensor.
A look at the Android OS version and dialer of the C530X HuaShan
The benchmark scores list the chipset as Qualcomm MSM8960T, which has a dual-core Krait CPU @ 1.7GHz and Adreno 320 GPU, along with support for LTE connectivity.
There’s still a lot we don’t know about the Sony C530X HuaShan, but there’s a good chance we’ll see it (in official capacity) at the MWC in about a month.
Rockstar announced a release date for GTA 5, it’s not coming anytime soon
Last autumn Rockstar announced its plans to release the Grand Theft Auto 5 this spring on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Unfortunately, the game has been delayed.According to Rockstar, the studio needs some more time to polish the game and it’s release will be pushed back to the Fall.
Luckily, Rockstar pinpointed a release date – September 17, 2013. Just as planned, the game will launch on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. There is still no word on the PC version, but I guess it will come out in 2014.
Microsoft Surface Pro 64GB comes with only 23GB of available storage space
Microsoft’s 64GB Surface Pro
tablet ships with about a third of its advertised storage capacity when
it goes on sale February 9. While it's common for tablets to have less
storage space available because of preinstalled software, the Surface
Pro is one of the worst offenders compared to the identical issue faced
by Apple's iPad, Amazon's Kindle Fire HD, and Surface RT.
Microsoft confirmed the $899 64GB model of the Surface Pro will only have 23GB available for use out of the box – that’s just under 36 percent of the advertised capacity. The rest is taken up by the full Windows 8 Pro install, preinstalled apps and a recovery partition, which make up for the 41GB occupied. The 128GB model of the Surface Pro comes with 65 percent of its advertised storage capacity available, 83GB.
This is not the first time the Surface tablets from Microsoft are in the spotlight due to how little storage space is available for users out of the box. When the Surface RT tablets were introduced in October, the 32GB Surface RT actually came with 16GB free to use (50 percent of advertised capacity), while the 64GB version has 45GB free, which is around 70 percent of the storage advertised on sale.
In comparison with other tablets, Microsoft appears to offer the least available storage space. iOS on an 16GB Apple iPad takes no more than 4GB of space, leaving some 75 percent of the advertised capacity for use. So, for example, the new 128GB iPad actually has some 124GB of available storage, with the OS taking just over 3 percent of the space. For the 128GB Surface Pro, Windows 8 Pro takes 35 percent of the storage capacity – over 10 times more than the iOS.
Amazon also leaves more than 78 percent of the 16GB Kindle Fire HD storage available to users, while the 32GB model comes with almost 27GB free. Similarly, the 16GB Barnes and Noble Nook HD+ comes with 13GB user accessible storage, while the 32GB model has 28GB free.
Having a full Windows 8 Pro install on a tablet-sized device has its trade-offs. You can install and run a full desktop version of Word or Photoshop, but your tablet will only have a limited amount of built-in storage available to use, and half the battery life of normal tablets . However, the Surface Pro allows you to extend your storage capacity via a full-size USB 3.0 port and a MicroSD slot, while on the iPad you are stuck with the built-in storage.
ZTE Mozilla may be the first Firefox OS phone, to be announced at MWC
Specs lovers should stop drooling right this instant, because according to previous information, Firefox OS will be mainly used for entry-level smartphones, at least initially. We don't know what ZTE's Mozilla phone will be like, but at least we now know that this is soon going to change
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