Nokia X Rooted; Gains Access to Google Play Store & Services
The inevitable happened. Google apps got installed on the freshly announced Nokia X after a crafty member of XDA Developers rooted the Android handset.
The root was achieved via the Framaroot app. The bootloader of the device is unsurprisingly locked, so instead of flashing a single zip file, users need to copy the apk files for Google apps via a root explorer application.
Kashamalaga’s guide is quite simple. First, you acquire root access using the Galdalf Exploit in Framaroot. From there, you install a root-capable file manager. Then, you copy a Nokia X-specific Gapps package by Kashamalaga to your /system/app folder, and give it the appropriate permissions. After a reboot and a few more application installs, you are then able to access the Google Play Store, various Google Apps, and the Google Experience Launcher.
Acer will make a Windows Phone after the OS hits 15% in EU
Acer's smartphone strategy is currently focused solely on making Android smartphones but that may change if Windows Phone reaches 15% market share in Europe. The company's VP of Smartphones Allen Burnes said in an interview that Acer wants to see more demand from consumers on WP before they take risks with Microsoft's OS.
The Acer Allegro
is the only WP smartphone the company has made so far. Now, almost
three years from its launch, the company still hasn't made a second one,
but that may change sooner than you think.According to a recent report by ABI Research, WP sales have more than doubled in a year. Reports from Strategy Analytics and Kantar World Panel also share similar data.
Not everyone shares Acer's vision on Windows Phone, though. Sony has been rumored to be currently in talks with Microsoft to make a Windows Phone under the Vaio brand. An official photo of an upcoming Samsung WPhone has also leaked just yesterday. Outside of Nokia, Microsoft has not been getting much love from OEMs
Asus announces KitKat update schedule for the PadFone lineup
So, the compatible PadFones to get KitKat + Zen UI are Padfone Infinity (also known as PadFone A80), PadFone Infinity 2 and PadFone 2. There is no word on other PadFone devices, but we hope Asus will consider updating the mini PadFones as well.
The Android 4.4 KitKat update is currently in development for all three gadgets. It will launch in Q2 for the PadFone 2 and PadFone Infinity, while the PadFone Infinity 2 will get it in Q3.
Google announces Project Ara conference on April 15-16
Google is keenly working on Project Ara, a new endeavor to build a modular smartphone, which was started while Motorola was part of the company, and Google has scheduled an Ara Developers' Conference on April 15-16.
The event will take place in Mountain View, California, and will be streamed online to the whole world. In fact, Google claims that Project Ara is designed for 6 billion people. This indicates that Android maker may be working on a highly affordable modular phone for the masses.
However, everything surrounding Ara has been kept under strict secrecy and nothing has leaked so far.
Google reveals that it has its focus on releasing an alpha version of the Ara Module Developers' Kit (MDK), which will hit the web as a free and open platform specification reference. It will guide and contain developers through everything that's necessary to get them familiar on how to develop an Ara module.
The company wants developers and companies of "all shapes and sizes" to give project Ara a whirl. We'll see what Google has got in store for its modular phone concept in mid-April.
iPhone 6 to have Sapphire coating but no May release
Apple and Gorilla Glass will be parting ways with the release of their iPhone 6, as the Cupertino-based tech giant will be switching to sapphire screen-coating for their next line of smartphones.Sapphire coating has been used in high-end watches for a while due to its high-durability and scratch-resistance.
Currently, sapphire coating has only been used on iPhone camera lenses and the iPhone 5s fingerprint sensor. The upcoming iWatch will supposedly enjoy sapphire coating as well.
And the company behind Apple's sapphire coating, GT Advanced, stands to make a pretty penny from their deal. They are looking at $500-$700 Million for the first six months, since coating a display with sapphire costs 3-4 times more than coating it with Gorilla Glass (which only costs $3 per screen).
Although the specific number of displays GT Advanced will be producing isn't known, we do know they haven't produced enough to make a May shipment date of the iPhone 6. Analysts believe that, based on GT Advanced's shipments, that the iPhone 6 will be ready for sale come September 2014.
Anyone excited to see how the sapphire displays will hold up on the iPhone 6?
Mediatek to launch its own hexa-core chipset - MT6591
Beside working on two Cortex-A53-based chipsets and on the reportedly super-fast octa-core Mediatek MT6595, the company obviously has a hexa-core chipset in the pipeline, too. Yup, that's a six-core chipset, much like the just announced Samsung's Exynos 5260 Hexa.The new chip is called the Mediatek MT6591 and it should already be in production, unlike the previous chipsets that we mentioned. The roadmap reveals that these would enter into production no earlier than the second half of the year.
The roadmap was leaked on the Chinese social network Weibo. It's unclear whether this hexa-core chipset will be using ARM's big.LITTLE architecture like the Samsung Exynos Hexa, but most likely it won't.
Nokia X series phones won't reach the US, Canada, Korea, or Japan
Jussi Nevanlinna, VP for Mobile Phone marketing, officially confirmed for Nokia Conversations that the three devices, which make up Nokia's X series, won't be available in the US, Canada, Korea, and Japan.
Jussi Nevanlinna, VP for Mobile Phone marketing at the Global Mobile Awards 2014 (Photo: GSMA)
When they announced the Nokia X series back the other day, Nokia's official press materials only mentioned launch dates for the Asia-Pacific, Europe, India, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. So up until now it wasn't clear whether the devices will reach other key markets such as the US.
Well, they won't. In Nevanlinna's words, "These are global products, which will be available pretty much everywhere except North America, Korea and Japan."
Then again, perhaps those markets are too developed for low-cost smartphones to make a dent on the grand picture. On the other hand, we're sure that a 5-inch Android smartphone that cheap and made by one of the world's most renowned manufacturers would not go unnoticed no matter the country. As a reminder, the Nokia X will costs €89, the Nokia X+ will sell for €99 and the Nokia XL - for €109.
But that's not all we learn today. Jussi Nevanlinna also says we should expect even more Nokia X smartphones later this year. These will push the price points even further down.
Samsung announces Exynos 5422 Octa and Exynos 5260 Hexa
Samsung has unveiled its new Exynos 5 Octa chip, 5422 and its first Hexa-Core chip, Exynos 5 Hexa 5260 at the Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona. These chips are based on ARM big.LITTLE technology, similar to the Exynos 5410 and 5420 chips unveiled the last year, these also include Heterogeneous Multi-Processing that can run combination of up to eight or six cores, respectively, to provide optimum performance.
The Exynos Octa 5422 also has adaptive hibernation technology for low power consumption and Mobile Image Compression (MIC), where the display data is compressed into half to minimize memory bandwidth requirement and uses only four MIPI lanes. It has four Cortex A15 chips clocked at 2.1 GHz and four Cortex A7 chips running at 1.5 GHz. This deliver up to 34 percent higher performance than in previous Exynos Octa models, says Samsung.
The Exynos 5410 was introduced with the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 had the Exynos 5420 chip. The new Exynos 5422 might be used in a variant of the Galaxy S5, as it was accidentally leaked on the official blog. It uses the same ARM Mali T628 MP6 GPU from last year’s Exynos 5420.
This one is also based on 28nm High K Metal Gate Process technology. It supports WQHD (2560 x 1440) and WQXGA (2560 x 1600). It has Multi Format Codec (MFC) that supports 4K UHD resolution.
The Samsung Exynos 5 Hexa 5260 is the world’s first ARM based six core mobile CPU, with 28nm HKMG process technology. It has two Cortex-A15 cores clocked at 1.7 GHz per core and four power efficient Cortex-A7 cores clocked at 1.3 GHz per core. It is also based on ARM’s big.LITTLE architecture and has Heterogeneous Multi-Processing (HMP). It also has an ARM Mali T628 GPU.
It has Display Port (eDP) interface, memory bandwidth supporting up to 12.8GB/s, support for up to WQXGA (2560 x 1600) display resolution, Full HD (1080p) playback at up to 60 frames-per-second (fps), H.264, MPEG4 and VP8. The Exynos 5260 is currently in mass production and is used in the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo that was launched in India recently.
The new Exynos 5422 Octa is currently in sampling stage and the mass-production is expected in the first quarter of 2014.
Nokia says 75% of all Android apps are compatible with Nokia X
Nokia X, X+ and XL all went official yesterday and Nokia is already trying to attract developers to its latest platform. The trio is running on a stripped-down version of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean missing on all Google Services.
Nokia has modified the entire user interface to mimic Asha's Fastlane plus it has created a proprietary application store. There is also a dedicated SDK and porting tools, which basically will make all incompatible Android apps compatible for the platform. Those apps requiring Google Services or linking to such, will be redirected to their Nokia/Microsoft analogues.
So, now that all documentation and tools are out, Nokia wants developers to submit their apk files to the Nokia Store. Nokia claims a good 75% of all Android apps currently available require no modification, while the rest should undergo a little retouch. The porting process should not take more than 8 hours though, according to Nokia.
There is even a tool, which will determine if your app is compatible with Nokia X or not, so you don't have to worry about doing all the test process by yourself.
Fight fire with fire: Nokia uses Android against Google, Microsoft opens the gates
With the announcement of the Nokia X, Nokia X+ and Nokia XL, Nokia and Microsoft have just turned the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) on its ear. Yes, on its ear. This is the kitchen sink
being thrown at Google and it will feel the pinch. Microsoft also
loosened the reigns just a bit on Windows Phone when it announced a slew
of new manufacturers joining the gang.
In Microsoft’s case, it will basically allow manufacturers to use existing architecture and hardware design in the Windows Phone dynamic. That means the dedicated camera button is not going to be mandatory. Windows Phone 8.1 and its on-screen buttons further the “openness” of sorts. The trade-off is that Windows Phone arguably loses a bit of differentiation in the hardware, but gains attractiveness for manufacturers like Lenovo, based in China, and LG, a company with an ever growing and impressive war chest of ideas and talent. Certainly Foxconn, who builds anything for anybody, will capitalize on this opportunity.
For Nokia, this is not a case of, “if you can’t beat them, join them” when it comes to these forked Android devices. This is all about Microsoft, Microsoft, Microsoft. Yeah, the Nokia X, et al, are built on AOSP, but that was merely a formality for Stephen Elop as he made his presentation. It was all about Skype, OneDrive, Outlook, Nokia Mix Radio, Skype, Outlook, OneDrive, “popular Microsoft services”…did I mention he talked about Skype and OneDrive? Google? Who’s that? Elop said it himself at the Nokia event at MWC, “…the next billion people to Microsoft.” Does anyone have any doubt that Microsoft does not have the stones or money to pull this off?
The new Nokia X family of devices are certainly not the absolute cheapest to hit the market, but they will get the job done. In an interview with Re/code, Mr. Elop specifically mentioned markets like Indonesia (a weakening BlackBerry stronghold), Vietnam and Russia as “growth” markets. At under €100 to get started (and that price curve will most definitely drop, look at the Nokia Lumia 520), Nokia forked Android, splashed Microsoft services throughout and rubbed it in Google’s eye. The Nokia X is a great way to grow people into Windows without the total change in user experience.
 |
Starting
at €89 for the Nokia X and topping out at €109 for the Nokia XL this
new line of phones will succeed in their intended "growth" markets
|
Moreover, Microsoft has momentum on its side since //Build/ is coming in April, more than two months ahead of Google I/O. That is not to say Google is going to take any of this lying down, it’s just I cannot help but wonder if Google is not quietly wondering if it should have held on to Motorola so it could peddle an even more affordable Moto G-type device and have more direct control over its vision.
Instead, the market will soon see Android devices running a host of apps and services that are outstanding in their own right (HERE Maps, OneDrive, Skype, etc.), look a lot like Windows Phone, which looks a lot like that inexpensive laptop or tablet, which looks a lot like that computer at work. This serves Microsoft’s mantra of “one place for everything in your life.” Android delivers an experience like that only in its dreams.
The growth and adoption rate of Android around the world is nothing short of stunning, there is no denying that success. Even with best sellers like the Lumia 520, Nokia took the fearless step to make its tent big enough for just about everyone. The Nokia X gives people more choices for their given device and it fights Google at its own game. When you consider that just about any Android app can be side-loaded on to an X, and it is a Nokia (brand loyalty), this adds an interesting ingredient to the mix. That mix is the “next billion
Allwinner UltraOcta A80 Octa-Core SoC with 64-core PowerVR G6230 GPU announced
It is the world’s first ARM big.LITTLE octa-core heterogeneous SoC design to include a PowerVR Series6 GPU, claims Allwinner. It is aimed at tablets, OTT media players, notebook PCs, all-in-ones, smart TVs and more.
The PowerVR G6230 GPU from Imagination has OpenGL 3.0 support, dual-cluster designthat has a total of 64 FP32 ALU cores, each cluster contains 16 pipelines and each pipeline has 2 FP32 ALUs. This offers superior processing power and improved precision for better image quality.
The UltraOcta A80 processor would ship to OEMs in Q1 2014 and the devices featuring this chip are expected in the next few months.
MediaTek MT6752 Octa-Core 64-bit SoC with LTE announced
MediaTek unveiled its quad-core 64-bit LTE SOC, MT6732 earlier this week, today the company has announced MT6752, the company’s latest Octa-Core LTE SoC at the Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona. It is pin compatible with the quad-core MT6732 chip. It has eight 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 Cores and Mali-T760 GPU and is aimed at Super-mid market.
MediaTek recently announced MT6595 Octa-Core chip with 4 ARM Cortex-A17 and 4 Cortex-A7 CPUs targeted at high-end segment. Both the MT6752 and the MT6732 would compete with the Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 and Snapdragon 610 chips.
Highlights of MediaTek MT6752 Octa-Core SoC
- 2 GHz ARM quad-core Cortex-A53 64-bit CPUs
- Mali-T760 GPU with support for the Open GL ES 3.0 and Open CL 1.2 APIs
- 1080p, 30fps video playback, H.265 and legacy H.264
- 1080p, 30fps H.264 video recording
- Up to 16MP camera image signal processor (ISP)
- MediaTek ClearMotion technology for smooth video playback at 60fps on mobile devices
- MediaTek MiraVision technology for DTV-grade picture quality
- Integrated Multi-mode 4G LTE Modem – Rel. 9, Category 4 FDD and TDD LTE (150 Mb/s downlink, 50 Mb/s uplink)
- 3GPP Rel. 8, DC-HSPA+ (42 Mb/s downlink, 11 Mb/s uplink), TD-SCDMA and EDGE are supported for legacy 2G/3G networks
BlackBerry Q20 with 3.5-inch touch screen, QWERTY keyboard announced
BlackBerry has also announced the BlackBerry Q20, the company’s latest BlackBerry 10 smartphone with a QWERTY keyboard. It has hardware keys for Menu, Back, Send and End and a Trackpad, similar to the BlackBerry Q10. It has a 3.5-inch touch screen display, that is the largest display ever on a QWERTY BlackBerry smartphone.
Commenting on the new phone John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO at BlackBerry, said
Today, we’re delighted to announce the new BlackBerry Q20 smartphone, which is designed to give you the distinct experience that every BlackBerry QWERTY loyalist and high-productivity business customer absolutely loves. With the BlackBerry Q20 smartphone, you’ll get the familiar hard buttons and trackpad that you want, along with the best email service, the best keyboard experience and the best battery life possible.The phone has all the BlackBerry 10 features such as BlackBerry Hub, enterprise connectivity with BES10. It has a large battery for superior battery life, says the company, We don’t have any other specifications or an image of the phone yet.
The BlackBerry Q20 smartphone would go on sale in the second half of 2014. No word on pricing or launch date yet.
BlackBerry Z3 with 5-inch display, BlackBerry 10 OS announced
BlackBerry has just announced the BlackBerry Z3, the company’s latest affordable full-touch smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. This is the first smartphone made by Foxconn, after their strategic partnership back in December. It has a 5-inch display, powered by a dual-core processor and runs on the latest BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.2.1.
You have all the BlackBerry 10 features such as BlackBerry Hub, BBM and lots more. It also has FM Radio. We still don’t have the complete specifications of the smartphone. According to earlier rumors, it is said to come with a It has a 5-megapixel auto focus rear camera with LED flash, 1.1-megapixel front-facing camera and a 2650 mAh battery.
The BlackBerry Z3 smartphone would be available through carriers and retailers in Indonesia from April. It would priced below $200 (~Rs. 12400 approx.) No word on global roll out yet.
Nikon announces D4S flagship DSLR
Nikon has finally announced its latest flagship DSLR, the D4S. The camera was shown off a while back at CES while it was still in development but it is now finally official launched.
With the D4S, Nikon has taken a page out of Apple’s book by taking their current flagship camera, the D4, and making it faster and adding an S to the name instead of making any dramatic changes.
Speed has been given a priority and everything on the D4S is now faster. The autofocus is improved so that the camera now focuses faster. There is now a faster EXPEED 4 processor inside, which means time to process images is 30% shorter and you can also take more shots per second in burst mode, 11 fps to be precise, with autofocus and autoexposure. The faster processor also allows the D4S to shoot 1080p videos at 60 fps.
Another improvement is with the ISO range, which now goes up to 409,600, twice that of the D4. While you don’t necessarily have to shoot at that ISO, you will see the benefits of the higher sensitivity even at lower ISO levels, with the D4S being able to give more usable results at lower ISO levels that the D4.
Other than that the D4S has a new 16.2 megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor that maintains the resolution of the previous D4. On top of that is a 51-point autofocus system and 15 cross-type sensors in the center to detect contrast data in both vertical and horizontal planes.
Nikon has introduced a new RAW SIze S setting that allows shooting in 12-bit uncompressed Nikon NEF files that are roughly half the size of traditional RAW files, thereby speeding file processing and saving time even further. The D4S also supports Gigabit Ethernet for faster file transfers,
The D4S can output 1080p60 uncompressed videos through the HDMI out for broadcast or recording to an outboard digital video recorder. It can also simultaneously output via HDMI and record videos to the internal dual CF/XQD card slots so you don’t have to choose one over the other. Lastly, a bigger battery and more power efficiency means the D4S also lasts much longer than the D4.
Overall, there are quite a few changes to the D4S across the board. Probably not enough to justify upgrading if you already bought the D4 but if you’re looking for a new high-end professional DSLR then the D4S seems like a solid option.
The Nikon D4S will be available starting March 6, 2014 for $6499.95 (body-only).
Samsung Galaxy S5 also comes in 2.1 GHz Octa-Core variant
Samsung unveiled the most expected Galaxy S5 smartphone at the MWC 2014 few hours back. The Samsung Galaxy S5 (SM-G900F) is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC) processor clocked at 2.45 GHz. A new infographic, comparing all the Galaxy S series devices on the Samsung blog reveals that the Galaxy S5 would also come in a Octa-Core variant clocked at 2.1GHz. This might be the Exynos Infinity processor that is expected to be unveiled during the MWC 2014 later this week.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 has a 5.1-inch full HD (1920×1080 pixels) Super AMOLED display and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat) with new Samsung UI on top. It also has Finger scanner, Heart rate sensor and more unique features. The Galaxy S5 also has LTE Category 4 support.
The chart compares the Korean variants of the Galaxy S Series devices, so it might launch in Korea first. The chart doesn’t mention the model number for the Korean variant of the S5. Since the global roll out begins only in April, the Octa-Core variant might be announced later. The Samsung Galaxy S5 would go on sale globally in 150 countries starting April 11th.
Broadcom introduces BCM4354, the first 5G WiFi 2×2 MIMO SoC for smartphones
Broadcom Corporation has announced BCM4354, the first 5G WiFi (802.11ac) 2×2 Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) system-on-a-chip (SoC) for smartphones at the MWC 2014 in Barcelona. This offer better Wi-Fi performance, up to 25% power compared to the 1×1 MIMO devices used in smartphones, says Broadcom. This offers faster uploads and downloads even in crowded places.
It has Broadcom’s Transmit Beamforming (TxBF) technology to improve rate over range performance in congested environments for data-intense applications. A variant of the Broadcom’s BCM4354 SoC supports Rezence wireless power technology, developed by the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP).
Highlights of Broadcom BCM4354 SoC
- Dual-band combo chip for smartphones and tablet
- Supports 5G Wi-Fi 2×2 MIMO
- Bluetooth (BT) 4.1/BLE
- Rezence wireless charging support and FM radio receiver
- 867 Mbps PHY rate/80MHz channel bandwidth
- SDIO 3.0 and low-power PCIe host interfaces for WLAN; UART and USB for BT
- Android, Windows and Chrome-based operating systems support
Samsung announces Gear Fit, a fitness band to help you be fit
The Samsung Gear Fit is different from the Samsung Gear 2 and Samsung Gear Neo in terms of dimensions and usability. The Gear Fit is relatively slimmer and comes with a curved Super AMOLED display. The Gear Fit comes with a 1.84inch display sporting a resolution of 432×128 pixels. The fitness band is a IP67 certified dust and water resistant device. It weighs just 27g and measures 23.4 x 57.4 x 11.95 mm.
There is a 210mAh battery which is expected to make the device last for 3-4 days of typical usage. The Gear Fit comes with various sensors like Accelerometer, Gyro, Heart Rate to keep track of your fitness. The Gear Fit can also be used as a stand alone device unlike the original Galaxy Gear smartwatch.
Speaking at launch, JK Shin, CEO and President of IT & Mobile Division, Samsung Electronics said “Samsung understands that the next generation of wearable mobile solutions must directly reflect of the diverse interests and needs of consumers. In response, our Gear product portfolio continues to expand with unique devices for a wide range of lifestyles, including the new Gear Fit designed to help those consumers striving to live more fit and active lives without sacrificing their own personal style or their ability to stay connected on the go.”
Samsung Gear Fit will come with changeable straps in Black, Orange and Mocha Grey. There is no information on pricing yet and the device is expected to be available by April.
Samsung Galaxy S5 with 5.1-inch 1080p display, 16MP camera, Finger Scanner announced
Samsung has just announced the most expected Galaxy S5 smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It has a 5.1-inch full HD (1920×1080 pixels) Super AMOLED display, powered by a 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat) with Samsung own UI on top. It has a 16-megapixel rear camera with LED Flash, 4K video recording, HDR (Rich tone), Selective Focus, Virtual Tour Shot and more new features and a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera. Samsung claims that the phone has world’s fastest auto focus speed up to 0.3 seconds. It has IP67 ratings for Dust and water Resistance.
It has Finger Scanner for a secure, biometric screen locking feature and mobile payments. It has S Health 3.0 with additional tools including a pedometer, diet and exercise records, and a new, built-in heart rate monitor. It has 2800 mAh battery with Ultra Power Saving Mode that turns the display to black and white, and shuts down all unnecessary features to minimize the battery consumption.
It has Download Booster, an innovative Wi-Fi technology which uses both Wi-Fi and LTE simultaneously to improve the download speeds.
Samsung Galaxy S5 Specifications
- 5.1-inch full HD (1920×1080 pixels) Super AMOLED display
- 2.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor
- Android 4.4.2 (KitKat)
- 16MP rear camera with LED Flash, BSI and 4Kvideo recording
- 2.1MP front-facing camera
- IP67 ratings for Dust and water Resistance.
- 8.1 mm thick and weighs 145 grams
- 2GB RAM, 16GB / 32GB internal memory, expandable up to 64GB with microSD
- Infrared LED for smart TV remote
- S Health 3.0, Heart rate sensor
- 4G LTE-A, Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2X2 MIMO), Bluetooth v4.0 LE, GPS, USB 3.0 and NFC
- 2800 mAh Battery
AMD Announces Its First ARM Based Server SoC, 64-bit/8-core Opteron A1100
Around 15 months ago, AMD announced that it would be building 64-bit
ARM based SoCs for servers in 2014. Less than a month into 2014, AMD
made good on its promise and officially announced the Opteron A1100: a
64-bit ARM Cortex A57 based SoC.
The Opteron A1100 features either 4 or 8 AMD Cortex A57 cores. There's only a single die mask so we're talking about harvested die to make up the quad-core configuration. My guess is over time we'll see that go away entirely, but since we're at very early stages of talking about the A1100 there's likely some hedging of bets going on. Each core will run at a frequency somewhere north of 2GHz. The SoC is built on a 28nm process at Global Foundries.
Each pair of cores shares a 1MB L2 cache, for a total of up to 4MB of L2 cache for the chip. All cores share a unified L3 cache of up to 8MB in size. AMD designed a new memory controller for the Opteron A1100 that's capable of supporting both DDR3 or DDR4. The memory interface is 128-bits wide and supports up to 4 SODIMMs, UDIMMs or RDIMMs. AMD will be shipping a reference platform capable of supporting up to 128GB of Registered DDR3 DIMMs off of a single SoC.
Also on-die is an 8-lane PCIe 3.0 controller (1 x8 or 2 x4 slot configurations supported) and an 8-port 6Gbps SATA controller. AMD assured me that the on-chip fabric is capable of sustaining full bandwidth to all 8 SATA ports. The SoC features support for 2 x 10GbE ports and ARM's TrustZone technology.
AMD will be making a reference board available to interested parties
starting in March, with server and OEM announcements to come in Q4 of
this year.
It's still too early to talk about performance or TDPs, but AMD did indicate better overall performance than its Opteron X2150 (4-core 1.9GHz Jaguar) at a comparable TDP:
AMD alluded to substantial cost savings over competing Intel solutions
with support for similar memory capacities. AMD tells me we should
expect a total "solution" price somewhere around 1/10th that of a
competing high-end Xeon box, but it isn't offering specifics beyond that
just yet. Given the Opteron X2150 performance/TDP comparison, I'm
guessing we're looking at a similar ~$100 price point for the SoC.
There's also no word on whether or not the SoC will leverage any of
AMD's graphics IP.
The Opteron A1100 is aimed squarely at those applications that either need a lot of low power compute or tons of memory/storage. AMD sees huge demand in the memcached space, cold storage servers and Apache web front ends. The offer is pretty simple: take cost savings on the CPU front and pour it into more DRAM.
Early attempts at ARM based server designs were problematic given the
lack of a 64-bit ARM ISA. With ARMv8 and the Cortex A53/A57 CPUs, that's
all changed. I don't suspect solutions like the Opteron A1100 to be a
knockout success immediately, but this is definitely the beginning of
something very new. Of all of the players in the ARM enterprise space,
AMD looks like one of the most credible threats. It's also a great way
for AMD to rebuild its enterprise marketshare with a targeted strike in
new/growing segments.
AMD's Andrew Feldman included one of his trademark reality check slides in his Opteron A1100 presentation today:
Lower cost, high volume CPUs have always won. That's how Intel took the
server market to begin with. The implication here is that ARM will do
the same to Intel. Predicting 25% of the server market by 2019 may be
feasible, but I'm not fond of making predictions for what the world will
look like 5 years from now.
The real question is what architecture(s) AMD plans to use to get to a
leadership position among ARM CPUs and a substantial share of the x86
CPU market. We get the first hint with the third bullet above: "smaller
more efficient x86 CPUs will be dominant in the x86 segment".
The Opteron A1100 features either 4 or 8 AMD Cortex A57 cores. There's only a single die mask so we're talking about harvested die to make up the quad-core configuration. My guess is over time we'll see that go away entirely, but since we're at very early stages of talking about the A1100 there's likely some hedging of bets going on. Each core will run at a frequency somewhere north of 2GHz. The SoC is built on a 28nm process at Global Foundries.
Each pair of cores shares a 1MB L2 cache, for a total of up to 4MB of L2 cache for the chip. All cores share a unified L3 cache of up to 8MB in size. AMD designed a new memory controller for the Opteron A1100 that's capable of supporting both DDR3 or DDR4. The memory interface is 128-bits wide and supports up to 4 SODIMMs, UDIMMs or RDIMMs. AMD will be shipping a reference platform capable of supporting up to 128GB of Registered DDR3 DIMMs off of a single SoC.
Also on-die is an 8-lane PCIe 3.0 controller (1 x8 or 2 x4 slot configurations supported) and an 8-port 6Gbps SATA controller. AMD assured me that the on-chip fabric is capable of sustaining full bandwidth to all 8 SATA ports. The SoC features support for 2 x 10GbE ports and ARM's TrustZone technology.
It's still too early to talk about performance or TDPs, but AMD did indicate better overall performance than its Opteron X2150 (4-core 1.9GHz Jaguar) at a comparable TDP:
| AMD Opteron A1100 vs. X2150 | |||||||||
| CPU Core Configuration | CPU Frequency | SPECint_rate Estimate | SPECint per Core | Estimated TDP | |||||
| AMD Opteron A1100 | 8 x ARM Cortex A57 | >= 2GHz | 80 | 10 | 25W | ||||
| AMD Opteron X2150 | 4 x AMD Jaguar | 1.9GHz | 28.1 | 7 | 22W | ||||
The Opteron A1100 is aimed squarely at those applications that either need a lot of low power compute or tons of memory/storage. AMD sees huge demand in the memcached space, cold storage servers and Apache web front ends. The offer is pretty simple: take cost savings on the CPU front and pour it into more DRAM.
AMD's Andrew Feldman included one of his trademark reality check slides in his Opteron A1100 presentation today:
HP adds two new Windows 8.1 tablets to its business tablets portfolio
HP is present at the Mobile World Congress 2014 event in Barcelona and has just announced a couple of Windows 8.1 tablets – HP ElitePad 1000 and HP ProPad 600. Both the tablets – HP ElitePad 1000 and HP ProPad 600 come with a 10.1inch WUXGA display.
HP ElitePad 1000 Specifications
- Windows 8.1 64bit
- 9.2mm thick
- 1.5pounds
- Gorilla Glass 3 for protection of 10.1WUXGA display
- Intel Atom processor
- 4GB RAM
- 64/128GB internal storage
- 8MP rear camera with 2.1MP front facing camera with 1080p video recording
- microSD Card support
- Optional 4G connectivity
- Windows 8.1 64bit/32bit
- 9.9mm thick
- 1.4pounds
- Gorilla Glass 3 for protection of 10.1WUXGA display
- Intel Atom processor - Intel Atom™ Z3775 Processor(32bit)/Intel Atom™ Z3795 Processor(64bit)
- 2/4GB RAM(32/64bit)
- 32/64GB internal storage
- 8MP rear camera with 2.1MP front facing camera with 1080p video recording
- microSD Card support
- Optional 4G connectivity
The two tablets are expected to arrive in the market very soon – HP ElitePad 1000 will be available by March while HP ProPad 600 will be available during April.
In terms of pricing, the HP ElitePad 1000 will start at $739 and move upwards. The pricing of the HP ProPad 600 will be announced when it launch date comes closer.
Panasonic Toughpad FZ-E1 and FZ-X1 rugged smartphones unveiled
These are Water and Dust proof and is IP65/IP68 certified. It also has bar-code reader.
Panasonic Toughpad FZ-E1 and FZ-X1 Specifications
- 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels ) touch screen with 500 cd/m2 brightness to avoid sunlight reflection
- 2.3 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974AB) processor / 1.7 GHz Qualcomm S4 Pro (APQ8064T) processor.
- Windows Embedded 8 Handheld / Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
- Water and Dust proof, IP65/IP58 certified
- 8MP camera with flash
- 1.3MP front-facing camera
- 2GB RAM, 32GB Internal memory
- Dedicated Security core – FIPS 140-2 Level 2 compliant
- Drop resistant from a height of 3 meters, MIL-STD 810G compliant
- 4G LTE/ 3G (HSPA+ 21 Mbps), WiFi 802.11 a/b / g/n/ac Bluetooth 4.0, Satellite GPS, micro HDMI
- 6,200mAh hot-swappable with up to 14 hours talk time and up to 1000 hours standby
SanDisk Ultra 128GB microSDXC memory card announced for smartphones and tablets
SanDisk Corporation has announced the company’s new 128GB SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-I (Class 10) memory card for smartphones and tablets at the MWC 2014. This is the world’s largest capacity microSD card for smart devices. The first 128MB micro SD card was launched in 2004, it took just 10 years to bring memory capacity of 128GB.
Highlights of 128GB SanDisk Ultra microSDXC memory card
- Performance/speed: Up to 30MB/s read speed
- Dimensions: 15 mm x 11 mm x 1.0 mm
- Easily view, access, and backup all of their files with SanDisk Memory Zone App
- 16 memory die are vertically stacked, each are thinner than a strand of hair.
- Compatibility: Compatible with microSDHC and microSDXC supporting host devices
The new SanDisk Ultra microSDXC card again demonstrates how SanDisk continues to expand the possibilities of storage so that consumers can benefit from our latest technology advancements. With 128GB of removable storage, consumers will enjoy the freedom to capture and save whatever they want on a smartphone or tablet, without worrying about running out of storage space.The SanDisk Memory Zone in the SanDisk Memory Zone App also has OptiMem, a new feature to enhance their phone’s internal memory by automatically transferring old photos and videos to microSD card and also warns when the internal memory falls below a pre-defined threshold. The card comes in capacities ranging from 8GB to 128GB with MSRPs of $29.99 to $199.99..
HTC Desire 610 with 4.7-inch qHD display, Snapdragon 400 processor announced
HTC has unveiled the Desire 610, the company’s latest mid-range smartphone along with the Desire 816 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It has a 4.7-inch (960 x 540 pixels) display, powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and runs on Android Jelly Bean with HTC Sense 6.0 on top. It has a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera.
It also has dual-front-facing BoomSound speakers, similar to the Desire 816 and comes with dual SIM support.
HTC Desire 610 specifications
- 4.7-inch (960 x 540 pixels) display
- 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
- Android Jelly Bean with Sense UI
- Dual SIM
- 8MP rear camera with LED Flash
- 1.3MP front-facing camera
- 3.5 mm headset jack
- HTC BoomSound, Dual frontal stereo speakers
- Dimensions: Dimensions of 143.1 x 70.5 x 9.6 mm; Weigts: 143.5 grams
- 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, expandable memory with micro SD
- 3G, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX, GPS with a-GPS
- 2040 mAh battery
HTC Desire 816 with 5.5-inch HD display, 13MP camera announced
HTC has unveiled the Desire 816, the company’s latest phablet at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It has a 5.5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) display, powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and runs on Android with HTC Sense 6.0 on top. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
It has dual-front-facing BoomSound speakers and comes in single SIM and dual SIM variants. It uses a nano SIM.
HTC Desire 816 specifications
- 5.5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) display
- 1.6 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor
- Android with HTC Sense 5.5
- Dual SIM (optional)
- 13MP rear camera with LED Flash, f/2.2, 1080p HD recording
- 5 MP front-facing camera, f/2.8 720p HD recording
- 3.5 mm headset jack
- 7.99mm-thick and weighs 165 grams
- HTC BoomSound, Dual frontal stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers
- 1.5GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, expandable memory with micro SD
- 4G LTE / 3G, WiFi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX, GPS with a-GPS
- 2600 mAh battery
Intel unveils Z3480 64-bit Atom processor for smartphones and tablets
Intel has unveiled the company’s latest 64-bit Intel Atom Processor Z3480 (formerly Merrifield) for smartphones and tablets and has also detailed their 64-bit 2.3GHz quad-core Atom Z3580 processor for Android devices, code-namedMoorefield. The Intel Z3480 is a dual-core chip based on 22nm process technology. The Atom Z3480 has PowerVR G6400 GPU and is optimized for Intel XMM 7160 LTE Modem.
The Atom Z3580 is optimized for Intel’s XMM 7260 LTE platform that offered category 6 LTE speeds and support for TDD LTE and TD-SCDMA.
Highlights of Intel Z3480 Merrifield SoC
- 2.13 GHz dual-core 64-bit-ready SoC
- Intel’s 22nm process technology on Silvermont microarchitecture
- 13 MP support hardware-capable; 8 MP enabled on Form Factor Device (FFD)
- LPDDR3 memory, 2×32 bit, up to 4 GB; 8.5 GB/s
- USB 3.0; eMMC 4.5
- Android 4.4.2 OS support
- 1080p 60 fps video recording and playback
- H.265 (HEVC) and VP9 support
- Imagination PowerVR G6400 GPU
- Intel Mobile Wireless Display (Intel WiDi)
- Intel XMM 7160 LTE Modem for 4G, 3G and 2G
- Bluetooth 4.0 low energy, Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n/ac)
- Digital Rights Management (DRM) support
- HDCP 2.x for premium content over HDMI
BBM coming for Windows Phone and Nokia X platform
BBM made a lot of waves when it became a cross platform messaging service and arrived on iOS and Android smartphones. At that time, the only envious users who couldn’t get their hands on BBM were Windows Phone owners and now, looks like things are changing. BlackBerry Messaging service used to be a very popular service when BlackBerry was a popular smartphone OS and now, with Android and iOS leading the smartphone battle, the messaging apps have gathered in huge numbers.
BBM is still a trusted name and its availability on Windows Phone devices will definitely expand its reach. BlackBerry has confirmed that it is indeed working on a Windows Phone version and the app is expected to hit the market during his summer. In addition to that, BBM have confirmed that BBM will also be available on Nokia’s forked Android platform – Nokia X platform when it launches. During launch of Nokia X series, BBM was one of the featured apps in the App store screenshots during the launch presentation.
At launch, John Sims, President, Global Enterprise Solutions at BlackBerry said “BBM continues to grow in popularity as millions of people use our mobile platform for chatting and connecting with friends or colleagues, and we are very excited that we will soon welcome Windows Phone and Nokia X users to the BBM community. ”The features that will be making their way to the Windows Phone and Nokia X platform are BBM Chat, Personalization, BBM Groups, BBM Channels, BBM Voice, One Click sharing and new range of emoticons.
ZTE Grand Memo II LTE with 6-inch HD display, quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor announced
ZTE has unveiled the Grand Memo II LTE, the successor of last year’s Grand Memo at the MWC 2014 in Barcelona. It has a 6-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD display, powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat) with ZTE’s own MiFavor 2.3 UI on top. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
It has a 7.2mm ultra-slim frame. It has a range of features such as notebook, calendar, weather forecast, alarm clock, Internet, and music. The 3200mAh battery with ZTE’s unique battery-saving tech promises 16 hours of continuous HD video playback and 72 hours of music playback.
- 6-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD capacitive touchscreen display
- quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor
- Android 4.4 (KitKat) with ZTE MiFavor 2.3 UI
- 13MP auto focus camera with LED Flash, F2.2, Sony BSI sensor
- 5MP fixed-focus front-facing camera, F2.2
- 3.5mm audio jack
- Infrared remote control
- Dimensions: 161.5x83x7.2mm
- Accelerometer, Proximity, Ambient Light, Compass, Gyro
- LTE/3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, DLNA, WIFI Display, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS / aGPS
- 2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable memory with micro SD
- 3200 mAh battery
Next generation dual-screen YotaPhone with 5-inch 1080p AMOLED and 4.7-inch qHD e-Ink screens unveiled
Yota Devices launched the YotaPhone back in December, next generation YotaPhone today at Mobile World Congress (MWC). As rumored, the new YotaPhone has a full-touch control on its always-on electronic paper display (EPD). It also has a 5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) AMOLED display, powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat).
In the next generation YotaPhone, users can open and respond to notifications, with just one touch, without activating the color display. The full-touch E Paper screen offers up to 50 hours of battery life when reading on the always-on display, says the company. It also has wireless charging, near-field communications (NFC), advanced anti-theft protection and high-performance integrated hands-free audio (IHF). The company has also unveiled YotaPhone SDK to third-party developers.
Next generation YotaPhone specifications
- 5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) AMOLED multi touch main display
- 4.7-inch (960 × 540 pixels) EPD full touch rear screen
- Android 4.4 (KitKat)
- 2.3 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor
- 8MP auto focus rear camera with LED flash, 1080p full HD video recording
- 2MP front-facing camera
- Dimensions – 144 x 69.5 x 8.9 mm; Weight - 140g
- 2GB RAM, 32GB Internal memory
- 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
- 4G LTE / 3G, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n /ac, Bluetoooth v4.0, GPS w/A-GPS + GLONASS
- Black and white
- 2550 mAh battery with wireless charging
Nokia Asha 230 and Asha 230 Dual SIM most affordable touch enabled Asha devices announced
Nokia has unveiled the Asha 230 and Asha 230 Dual SIM, the company’s most affordable Asha device at the Under the Tree event at the MWC 2014. It has a 2.8-inch QVGA touch screen, 1.3-megapixel rear camera, Bluetooth 3.0 with Slam sharing feature, micro USB, expansion slot that supports cards up to 32GB and packs a 1020 mAh battery. It runs on the new Nokia Asha software platform v1.1.1 with new Nokia Fastlane features, Nokia Xpress Browser.
The Nokia Asha 230 and Asha 230 Dual SIM come in Bright Red, Yellow, Bright Green, White, Black and Cyan colors. These are priced at 45 Euros ( Rs. 3840 approx) and would go on sale soon across Asia-Pacific, Europe, India, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.5 GHz quad-core SoC unveiled
Qualcomm Technologies, today unveiled the Snapdragon 801 processor (MSM8974AC) with slight enhancements to its predecessor, the Snapdragon 800 SoC. It has support larger, faster camera sensors and improved image post-processing, better, faster GPU,, higher speed SD card memory, dedicated hardware for dual-SIM/dual active (DSDA) service in China, and enhanced overall performance.
Qualcomm unveiled their first 64-bit Octa-Core SoC, the Snapdragon 615 along with the quad-core Snapdragon 610 SoC earlier today.
Highlights of Qualcomm Snapdragon 801
- Up to 2.5 GHz quad-core 32-bit Krait 400 quad-core CPU
- 578MHz Adreno 330 GPU
- Integrated 4G LTE Cat 4 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi for seamless connectivity
- dual-SIM/dual active (DSDA) service in China
- eMMC Interface 5.0 for speeds up to 400MBps
- UltraHD 4K video support DTS-HD, Dolby Digital Plus and 7.1 surround sound
- Dual Image Signal Processors (ISPs)
Nokia X series to have free SwiftKey X keyboard
Nokia has just announced its first series of Android powered smartphones, but with a heavy layer of customization. Nokia are using just the Android and instead of using Google’s cloud service, Nokia are using Microsoft’s cloud service. In addition to that, they are also heavily customizing the UI which looks like a mix of Asha’s Fastlane UI and Microsoft Windows Phone 8 UI.
SwiftKey, one of the popular Android keyboard replacement applications, has just announced that it will offer its SwiftKey X keyboard on the Nokia X series of smartphones for free. This information comes courtesy of Cnet. SwiftKey is definitely one of the best keyboard replacements in the Android market and it is currently available for Rs. 99 or US$3.99 in the Google Play Store for Android users. Nokia seems to have tied up with the makers of SwiftKey to release their application for free on the Nokia app market for the Nokia X series of devices.
SwiftKey X will be available on the Nokia X devices along with cloud support and hence users need not worry about backup of their most frequently used words. Nokia X does come with Nokia’s own keyboard, but the fact that SwiftKey X has been made available for free on their market ensures that users won’t be left without choice.
Sony Xperia M2 and M2 Dual with 4.8-inch qHD display, quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor announced
Sony Mobile just announced the Xperia M2 and M2 Dual at the MWC 2014. These phones have a 4.8-inch (960 x 540 pixels) capacitive touch screen display, powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 and runs on Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean). It has a a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a front-facing camera. It also has NFC support and also comes in LTE variants.
Sony Xperia M2 and M2 Dual specifications
- 4.8-inch (960 x 540 pixels) capacitive touch screen display
- 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon (MSM8928 for LTE and MSM8226 for 3G) processor with Adreno 305 GPU
- Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean)
- 8MP rear camera with LED flash, 1080p video recording
- front-facing camera
- 8.64mm thick and weighs 148 grams
- 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio with RDS
- 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, Upto 32GB expandable memory up to 32GB via microSD card
- LTE (Optional) / 3G HSPA+, WiFi 820.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, NFC
- 2300mAh Battery
Nokia XL – a 5inch Android Nokia smartphone unveiled at MWC 2014
Nokia was rumored to announce a Nokia Android budget smartphone at the MWC 2014 and they haven’t disappointed. Nokia has announced, not one, not two, but three Android powered smartphones at the MWC 2014 Under The Tree event. Among the three Nokia Android smartphones, the Nokia XL is the biggest of the lot. It competes with the 5inch mid-range Android smartphones in the Indian market.
Nokia XL runs on AOSP code overlaid by Nokia’s unique Lumia tile based experience compete with Asha’s Fastlane experience. The specifications on Nokia XL are as follows
- 5inch WVGA display ( 480×800 pixels)
- 1GHz dualcore Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Play
- 768MB RAM
- microSD card support up to 32GB
- 5MP auto focus camera with Flash and 2MP front camera
- 2000mAh battery
- OneDrive support
- Uses Microsoft’s Cloud instead of Google Cloud for app data
- Unique Nokia fastlane experience
- Dual SIM
- 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS with A-GPS
- Here Maps
The Nokia XL is priced at 109Euros(approx Rs. 9500) and is expected to be available in Q2, 2014 across the globe.
Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet with 10.1-inch full HD display, 3GB RAM, 6.4 mm slim body announced
Sony has just announced the Xperia Z2 Tablet at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona 2014, as expected. It has a 10.1-inch Full HD (1920 x 1200 pixels) WUXGA Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, powered by a 2.3 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor with Adreno 330 GPU and runs on Android Android 4.4 (KitKat). It has IP55/IP58 ratings for dust and water resistance.
It packs a 8.1-megapixel rear camera with with Exmor RS sensor and a 2.2-megapixel front-facing camera. It has Sony’s Front Surround audio technology. It comes in both LTE and WiFi variants.
Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet rumored specifications
- 10.1-inch Full HD (1920 x 1200 pixels) WUXGA TRILUMINOS Display for mobile with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2
- 2.3 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor with Adreno 330 GPU
- Android 4.4 (KitKat)
- Dust and water resistant (IP55 & IP57) with a durable glass front display
- Dimensions: 266 x 172 x 6.4 mm; Weight: 426g Wifi, 439g LTE
- Dust and water resistant (P55/IP58)
- 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio with RDS
- 8 MP rear camera with Exmor R for mobile sensor
- 2.2MP 1080p front-facing camera
- 3GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable memory with microSD
- LTE / 3G HSPA+ (Optional), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, MHL 3.0, GPS / GLONASS and NFC
- 6000 mAh battery
Nokia X+ announced at MWC 2014
We knew Nokia Android smartphones were coming, but we din’t expect three of them. As expected Nokia announced the Nokia X which was masquerading the rumorlands as Nokia Normandy for quite some and we are also having an interesting upgraded Nokia X in the form Nokia X+. Though Nokia wasn’t exactly specific about the specifications, it is clear from the naming convention that Nokia X+ will be a slightly better version of the Nokia X.
Nokia X is a family of Android running smartphones that is expected to sell below the price point of Nokia’s Lumia range. Nokia X series is mainly focussed on the affordable smartphone market and the specifications of the device clearly prove this point. Despite using Android’s Open Source code, Nokia have cleverly used Microsoft’s Cloud for app data instead of Google’s cloud and that opens up Microsoft to a whole new group of consumers.
The specifications of the Nokia X+ are
- 4inch WVGA display ( 480×800 pixels)
- 1GHz dualcore Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Play
- 768MB RAM
- 4GB internal storage with microSD card support up to 32GB
- 3MP fixed focus camera
- 1500mAh battery
- OneDrive support
- Uses Microsoft’s Cloud instead of Google Cloud for app data
- Unique Nokia fastlane experience
- Dual SIM
- 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS with A-GPS
- Here Maps
Nokia X – Nokia’s Android smartphone announced
At the MWC 2014, Nokia has just announced its first Android powered smartphone in the form of Nokia X. Nokia X was long rumored and it had been going around the rumor mill as Nokia Normandy. Nokia X’s software platform is built over AOSP with Microsoft’s Cloud services along with Nokia experience. Nokia X is one of the three Android powered smartphones that Nokia has announced today. Nokia X serves as the entry range option for the Nokia X series of AOSP powered devices.
The specifications of the Nokia X are quite entry range and you can check them out right below
- 4inch WVGA display ( 480×800 pixels)
- 1GHz dualcore Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Play
- 512MB RAM
- microSD card support up to 32GB
- 3MP fixed focus camera
- 1500mAh battery
- OneDrive support
- Uses Microsoft’s Cloud instead of Google Cloud for app data
- Unique Nokia fastlane experience
- Dual SIM
- 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS with A-GPS
- Here Maps
Nokia X will be available immediately and is priced at 89Euros(approx Rs. 7,500). It would be available in a range of colors – Green, Cyan, White, Black, Red.
Sony Xperia Z2 with 5.2-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 801, 3GB RAM, 4K video recording announced
Sony mobile has just announced the Xperia Z2, the company’s latest flagship at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It has a a 5.2-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Triluminos Display with Live Colour LED powered by X-Reality, powered by 2.3 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor with Adreno 330 GPU and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat). It has a 20.7-megapixel rear camera with Sony G lens with a 27mm wide angle f/2.0 aperture custom 1/2.3″ Sony Exmor RS image sensor, BIONZ image processing engine, 4K video video recording and a 2.2-megapixel 1080p front-facing camera.
It has IP55 / IP58 rating for dust and water resistance, Sony’s digital noise cancelling technology that helps reduce up to 98% of ambient noise.
Sony Xperia Z2 specifications
- 5.2-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Triluminos Display with Live Colour LED powered by X-Reality engine
- 2.3 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with Adreno 330 GPU
- Android 4.4 (KitKat)
- 20.7MP Primary Camera with Exmos RS sensor, 4K video recording.
- 2.2MP front-facing camera with 1080p video recording
- 8.2mm thick and weighs 158 grams
- IP55 / IP58 rating for dust and water resistance
- 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio with RDS
- 3GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, Upto 64GB expandable memory via microSD card
- LTE /3G HSPA+, WiFi 820.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 with APT-X, GPS/ GLONASS, MHL 3.0, NFC
- 3200 mAh Battery with STAMINA mode
Nokia 220 and Nokia 220 Dual SIM announced, starts at 29 Euros
It has Nokia Xpress Browser and integrated Microsoft Bing search. It comes pre-loaded with Facebook, Twitter and Yahoo Messenger and has 6 preloaded Gameloft games. It also comes with microSDcard expansion slot.
The Nokia 220 and Nokia 220 Dual SIM comes in Red, Black, White, Yellow and Cyan colors. Both these phones would go on sale soon in Asia-Pacific, Europe, India, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core and Snapdragon 610 quad-core 64-bit SoCs with LTE announced
Qualcomm has just announced the Snapdragon 610 and 615 Chipsets in their Snapdragon 600 lineup. Both these chips have LTE support,including LTE Dual SIM Dual Active (DSDA) capabilities and are based on ARM Cortex A53 cores and 64-bit ARMv8 CPU support. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 is an octa-core chip with 8 ARM Cortex A53 and the Snapdragon 610 is a quad-core chip. Both these have Adreno 405 GPU, unlike the Snapdragon 410 that has a Adreno 305 GPU.
Highlights of Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 and Snapdragon 610 SoCs
- Octa-Core (Snapdragon 615) and Quad-Core (Snapdragon 610) ARM Cortex A53 CPUs
- Based on ARMv8 architecture
- Built on 28nm LP process
- 3rd Generation LTE modem with LTE-Broadcast and LTE Dual SIM Dual Active (DSDA)
- Qualcomm Technologies’ RF360 Front End solution for single 5-mode global LTE SKU
- 3G HSPA+ (up to 42Mbps), CDMA, and TD-SCDMA.
- Adreno 405 GPU with DirectX 11.2 and Open GL ES3.0
- Supports up to Quad High Definition (2560×1600) displays
- Miracast support for wireless streaming of multimedia content
- Embedded H.265 hardware decoder
- Integrated Qualcomm VIVE 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1 solutions.
Lenovo S660 with 4.7-inch qHD display, 3000 mAh battery announced
Lenovo has announced the S660 at the Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona along with the S860 abs the S850. It has a 4.7-inch (960 x 540 pixels) capacitive touch screen display, powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) with Lenovo’s custom UI on top. It has a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 0.3-megapixel (VGA) front-facing camera. It comes with dual SIM support and is 9.95mm thick.
It has brushed metal design, similar tothe S860. It packs 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory and a 3000 mAh battery.
Lenovo S660 Specifications
- 4.7-inch (960 x 540 pixels) HD capactive touch screen display
- 1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582m processor
- Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
- Dual SIM (GSM + GSM)
- 8MP rear camera with LED Flash
- 0.3MP (VGA) front-facing camera
- 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with micro SD
- 3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS/A-GPS
- 3000 mAh battery with up to 10 hours talk time on 2G
Lenovo S850 with 5-inch HD display, 13MP camera announced
Lenovo has announced the S850, along with the S860 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It has a 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) capacitive touch screen display, powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) with Lenovo’s custom UI on top. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel fixed-focus front-facing camera. It comes with dual SIM support and is just 8.2 mm thick.
The S860 had a brushed-metal exterior, but this one come with all-glass exterior. It packs 1GB RAM, 16GB internal storage and FM Radio. It has gesture and motion-based enhancements to user interface for better one-handed usage.
Lenovo S850 Specifications
- 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD capactive touch screen display
- 1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582 processor with PowerVR SGX544 GPU
- Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
- 8.2 mm thick
- Dual SIM (GSM + GSM)
- 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
- 13MP rear camera with LED Flash
- 5MP front-facing camera
- 1GB RAM, 16GB internal memory
- 3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS/A-GPS
- 2000 mAh battery
Lenovo S860 with 5.3-inch HD display, 2GB RAM and 4000 mAh battery announced
It has Two speakers and has brushed-metal exterior that is resistant to scratches and fingerprints. It packs 2GB RAM and a 4000 mAh battery that would offer up to 40 days standby and up to 24 hours talk time on 3G connections. You can also charge other devices on-the-go using the included micro USB cable.
Lenovo S860 Specifications
- 5.3-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD capactive touch screen display
- 1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582 processor
- Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
- Dual SIM (GSM + GSM)
- 8MP rear camera with LED Flash
- 1.5MP front-facing camera
- 2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory
- 3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS/A-GPS
- 4000 mAh battery
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ with 10.1-inch full HD display, Snapdragon 400 processor, Android 4.3 announced
Lenovo has just announced new Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+, its new multimode Android tablet and the successor of the Yoga Tablet 10, at the Mobile World Congress 2014. Lenovo Yoga allows the users to experience the tablet in three modes – hold, tilt and stand mode. It has a 10-inch (1920×1200 pixels) Full HD display, powered by a 1.6 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8228 processor (3G) / APQ8028 (WiFi-only) and runs on Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) with upgradable option to KitKat.
It packs 2GB of RAM and 9000 mAh battery that promises up to 18 hours of battery life. It has Dual Front-Facing Speakers and Dolby Digital Plus
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ specifications
- 10-inch (1920×1200 pixels) Lenovo 20/20 Vision Full HD display with multi-touch & 178-degree wide viewing angle,
- 1.6 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8228 processor (3G) / APQ8028 (WiFi-only) processor
- Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to KitKat
- 8MP auto focus rear camera
- 1.6MP HD front-facing camera
- Dual Front-Facing Speakers, Dolby Digital Plus
- 3.0-8.mm thick and weighs 615 grams
- 2GB DDR2 RAM, 16GB / 32GB internal memory, expandable up to 64 GB
- 3G (via micro SIM slot), Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS / aGPS, Micro USB (Support OTG)
- 3.5 mm audio jack, Microphone with noise reduction
- 9000 mAh battery
ZTE Open C, Open II, Huawei Y300, Alcatel smartphones and Fire 7 tablet with Firefox OS announced
Mozilla has just announced new Firefox OS smartphones developed by its partners ALCATEL ONETOUCH, Huawei, LG and ZTE running on Firefox OS. These smartphones are powered by Snapdragon processors and are targeted at different segments. These devices include, ZTE Open C and Open II, Huawei Y300, Alcatel OneTouch Fire C, Fire E, Fire S and Fire 7 tablet.
The Huawei Ascend Y300 has a 4-inch WVGA display, powered by a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon 8225 processor, 512MB RAM and packs a 1,950mAh battery. It has a 5 megapixel rear camera and a VGA front-facing camera.
The ZTE Open C has a 4-inch WVGA display, powered by a 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 200 processor and runs on Firefox OS 1.3. It packs 512MB of RAM and 1200 mAh battery. The ZTE Open II has a 3.5-inch HVGA display, powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 2-megapixel camera, 256MB of RAM, 2GB internal storage and packs a 1,150mAh battery.
All these smartphones are expected to roll out sometime in Q2 2014.
MediaTek MT6732 quad-core SoC with LTE, 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 CPU announced
MediaTek has just announced the 64-bit LTE SOC MT6732 at the Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona, as rumored. It has a 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 CPU and Mali-T760 GPU for powerful LED smartphone aimed at mid-range segment. The company unveiled the MT6595 Octa-Core chip with built-in 4G LTE earlier this month.
Highlights of MediaTek MT6732 SoC
- 1.5 GHz ARM quad-core Cortex-A53 64-bit CPUs
- Mali-T760 GPU with support for the Open GL ES 3.0 and Open CL 1.2 APIs
- 1080p, 30fps video playback, H.265 and legacy H.264
- 1080p, 30fps H.264 video recording
- 13MP camera image signal processor with PIP (Picture-in-Picture), VIV (Video in Video) and Video Face Beautifier
- MediaTek ClearMotion technology for smooth video playback at 60fps on mobile devices
- MediaTek MiraVision technology for DTV-grade picture quality
- Integrated Multi-mode 4G LTE Modem - Rel. 9, Category 4 FDD and TDD LTE (150 Mb/s downlink, 50 Mb/s uplink)
- 3GPP Rel. 8, DC-HSPA+ (42 Mb/s downlink, 11 Mb/s uplink), TD-SCDMA and EDGE are supported for legacy 2G/3G networks
- dual-band Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 4.0 LE
Mozilla announces Firefox OS reference smartphone, tablets from Foxconn and VIA
Mozilla has annonuced new developer reference smartphone and tablets at the Mobile World Congress. These include a 4.5″ dual-core reference phone called Firefox OS Flame, 7-inch VIA Vixen tablet and a 10-inch Foxconn InFocus tablet. It has also announced new Firefox OS PhoneGap mobile application development framework integration, that lets PhoneGap developers to port their existing apps to Firefox OS in a matter of hours. It also launched new developer tools, that lets OEMs and operators to easily customize Firefox OS.
Developers looking to target their apps for specific Firefox OS phones can also alter RAM from 1GB to 256MB, to see how their apps would perform on lower-end phones. Foxconn and VIA tablets for developers would help Mozilla community complete the build of Firefox OS for tablets, says Mozilla.
Firefox OS Flame reference device specifications
- 4.5″ screen (FWVGA 854×480 pixels)
- Qualcomm MSM8210 Snapdragon, 1.2GHZ Dual core processor
- Dual SIM
- 5MP rear camera
- 2MP front-facing camera
- 256MB -1GB RAM (adjustable by developers), 8GB Internal storage
- 3G, WiFi: 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, Micro USB aGPS, NFC
- 1800 mAh battery
- 7′ (1024×600 pixels) LCD display
- 1.2 GHz Dual Core Cortex-A9 processor with Mali-400 GPU
- 2MP rear camera
- 0.3MP front-facing camera
- 1GB RAM, 8GB storage
- Wifi: 802.11 b/g/n
- 10-inch (1280 x 800 pixels, 24-bit color) screen
- 1 GHz quad-core ARM Cortex A7 Allwinner A31 processor with PowerVR SGX544MP2 GPU
- 5MP rear camera
- 2MP front-facing camera
- 2GB RAM, 16GB storage
- WiFi: 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, Micro USB, A-GPS
- 7,000 mAh battery
LG announces LG F70 and LG F90, midrange LTE smartphones
LG is having a busy day at MWC 2014 and have just announced the LG F70 and LG F90, entry range smartphones with LTE connectivity. LG has announced its latest flagship LG G Pro 2 as well LG G2 Mini at the event and it is also targeting the entry range LTE market with the LG F70 and LG F90.
LG F70 is a modestly speced LTE smartphone with a 4.5inch WVGA display and a quad-core processor from Qualcomm. It will be coming with Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box and have LTE connectivity. The specifications of the LG F70 are
- 4.5inch WVGA(480×800 pixels) display
- Quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor
- 512MB RAM
- 4GB internal storage and microSD card slot
- LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS
- 5MP rear camera and VGA front camera
- 2440mAh battery
- Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box
- 4.7inch qHD(540×960 pixels) display
- Quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor
- 512MB RAM
- 4GB internal storage and microSD card slot
- LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS
- 8MP rear camera and VGA front camera
- 3000mAh battery
- Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box
Both the LG F70 and F90 will come with LG’s software suite that includes Q-Slide apps and other multi-tasking gimmicks. They will share the same design language as the LG L series with rounded corners and a physical home button.
Huawei MediaPad X1 with 7-inch full HD display, 7.18mm aluminum alloy body announced
Huawei has just announced the MediaPad X1, the company’s latest phablet with LTE support at the Mobile World Congress 2014. It has a 7-inch (1920 x 1200 pixels) IPS display, powered by a 1.6 GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) with Huawei’s own Emotion UI on top. It has category 4 LTE support that offers speeds up to 150 Mbps.
It has a 13-megapixel rear camera Sony Exmor R BSI sensor and LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with 10-level auto-facial enhancement and voice-activated hands-free capture. Since this is a phablet, you have voice calling as well.
Huawei MediaPad X1 specifications
- 7-inch (1920 x 1200 pixels) IPS display
- 1.6 GHz quad-core HiSilicon Kirin910 processor with Mali 450 GPU
- Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) with Emotion UI 2.0
- 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, BSI sensor
- 5-megapixel front-facing camera
- 7.18mm thick and weighs 239 grams
- 2GB RAM, 16,GB Internal storage, microSD card slot
- 4G LTE / 3G HSPA+, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS
- 5000 mAh battery
Huawei announces TalkBand B1, ‘Talk and Track’ Companion
Huawei is announcing a lot of products at the MWC 2014 event and one among them is the new and innovative Huawei TalkBand B1. Huawei’s TalkBand B1 is a smart watch that comes with a flexible display and comes with wireless calling facilities. Before the official launch, popular Twitter account @evleaks had tweeted about a possible smartwatch from Huawei and here it is.
TalkBand B1 comes with sensors that help you
to track activity time and progress(fitness tracking), including steps
taken, miles covered and calories burned wirelessly. The smartwatch
records sleep duration and quality of sleep and comes with smart alarm
and nap functions to help you rest better.
In terms of dimensions, the TalkBand B1
measures 14.6mm thin and comes at 26g along with bendable design.
TalkBand B1 comes with a removable 9.4g earpiece. There is a 90mAh
battery that can be charged via USB connector and is expected to last
for 6 days.
HUAWEI TalkBand B1 plans to release the device
in China during March 2014, and it will be available in Japan,
the Middle East, Russia and Western Europefrom during Q2 2014.
Huawei Ascend G6 with 4.5-inch qHD display, LTE support announced
Huawei has just announced the Ascend G6 smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. As rumored, most of the specifications are bang on. It has a 4.5-inch (960 x 540 pixels )IPS display, powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and runs on Android 4.3 with Huawei’s own Emotion UI 2.0 on top. It has a 8-megapixel rear camera with BSI sensor, LED flash, Sony IMX134 sensor and blue glass infrared filter or sharp, clear images. It has a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with four plastic element (4P) lens and 88 degree wide-angle.
It comes in both 3G and 4G variants. The Category 4 LTE offers speeds up to 150 Mbps.
Huawei Ascend G6 specifications
- 4.5-inch (960 x 540 pixels) IPS display
- 1.2 GHz quad-core processor
- Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean)
- 8MP auto focus rear camera with LED Flash, BSI sensor
- 5 front-facing camera
- 7.85mm thick and weighs 115g, 7.5mm for the 3G variant
- 3.5mm audio jack
- 1GB RAM, 4GB Internal memory, expandable memory with MicroSD
- 4G LTE/3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC
- 2000 mAh battery.
Microsoft: Windows Phone 8.1 update will arrive in spring
Microsoft partners with 9 more manufacturers for more Windows Phones
After Satya Nadella took over, looks like Microsoft are serious about their smartphone OS – Windows Phone and at MWC 2014, they have announced that they are tying up with 9 more manufacturers to expand the reach of Windows Phone. The list of manufacturers are as follows
- Lenovo
- LG
- ZTE
- Xolo
- Karbonn
- Gionee
- JSR
- Longcheer
- Foxconn
The list also includes three names from the Indian mid-range Android manufactures – Karbonn, Xolo and Gionee. It is surprising that Micromax has been left out, but we can surely say that we can expect more Windows Phone in 2014 thanks to the new partnerships.
If you din’t know already, Microsoft had just announced support for dual SIM smartphones and that, combined with new manufacturers, is probably a step in the right direction for a company that once dominated the PC industry and now struggling in the mobile front.
Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2, Idol 2 Mini and Pop Fit smartphones announced
Alcatel One Touch has announced the Idol 2, Idol 2 Mini and Pop Fit Android smartphones at the Mobile World Congress 2014. The Idol 2 has a 5-inch HD screen and is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor. It has a 8-megapixel camera with LED flash a 1.3-megapixel front facing camera. The Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 Mini has a 4.5-inch qHD screen and is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor. It has a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash similar to the Idol 2, but it comes with a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
The Alcatel OneTouch Pop Fit has a 2.8-inch QVGA screen and comes with a range of accessories such as semi-transparent flip cover and an armband case, JBL in-ear headphones and more. This is a splashproof device, aimed at fitness also comes pre-loaded with RunKeeper GPS tracking app, DoubleTwist music player and Flesky Keyboard. It is powered by a 1 GHz dual-core MediaTek processor, runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and has a 512 MB RAM. It packs a 1000 mAh battery.
The Idol 2 will sell for 199 Euros and 249 Euros, respectively for the 3G and 4G variants and Idol 2 Mini will sell for 169 Euros and 209 Euros for the 3G and 4G models, respectively. These are expected in April or May. The Alcatel OneTouch Pop Fit is priced at 89 Euros and is expected in April.
Samsung Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo smartwatches with Tizen OS to go on sale in April
It wasn’t too long ago that Samsung announced its first generation Galaxy Gear smartwatch. Aimed at competing with the likes of Pebble and anticipated competition from Apple, the original Galaxy Gear was a relative failure because of its high price point, poor battery life and limited compatibility. Fast forward five months and Samsung is all set to show off its next gen Gear 2 smartwatch that eschews Android for the Korean company’s homegrown Tizen OS.
The new smartwatch will retail in two
variants ie the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo. The Galaxy branding has been
dropped because of the transition from Android to Tizen. Specifications
of the watch remain largely the same and include a 1GHz dual core
processor, 4GB storage, 512MB RAM and a 1.63 inch (320 x 320
pixels) Super AMOLED touch screen. The watch also incorporates S Voice, a
heart rate monitor, pedometer for health related applications. It also
has IP67 certification for water, dust resistance.
The Gear 2 will have a 2MP camera that can
shoot 720p video. Thankfully compared to the first gen model, the camera
module has been moved from the strap to the top of the watch itself
where it is placed next to an iR Blaster. The Gear Neo on the other hand
lacks a camera altogether. The battery on both is rated for 300 mAh but
Samsung says that the new watches should last 2-3 days depending on
usage.
The Gear 2 weighs in at 68 grams and will
be available starting April in a range of colors including charcoal
black, gold brown and wild orange. The Gear Neo on the other hand weighs
a lighter 55 grams and also comes with a Mocha Grey hue. We’re
reporting live from the Mobile World Congress where Samsung will be
showing its new products shortly, keep an eye out for our coverage from
MWC where we’ll have hands on coverage with the new Gear 2 as well as
all other freshly announced products.
