Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones News - Page 294

MWC 2013 - Samsung have used Mobile World Congress to let the skinny slip on their latest device, HomeSync. It's not a smartphone, it's not a tablet, but rather a TV-connected device running the same type of specs that we see in our mobile devices.

This means we're greeted with a 1.7GHz dual-core processor, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of flash, a 1TB HDD for storage, Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11n 2.4 and 5GHz Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, optical audio and finally, HDMI 1.4. Samsung's HomeSync even supports up to eight individual password-protected and encrypted user accounts, which can each individually sync content from other devices, and share it through various accounts.

HomeSync is mostly a media hub capable of pushing out your content at 1080p, as well as streaming it from local Galaxy-branded devices. There's no news on whether this is anything to do with Google TV, but it does have the ability to grab content from the Play Store, as well as run its own apps. Another nifty feature is the ability to use your smartphone as a remote control with HomeSync.

MWC 2013 - Samsung have unveiled a new member of their Galaxy family of devices, the Galaxy Note 8.0. We've had a hands-on experience with it a little while ago, but now we have some more details to report on Samsung's latest device.

The new Galaxy Note 8.0 slides between the 5.5-inch Galaxy Note II smartphone and the 10-inch Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet, but has some nice abilities for a middle child. We're looking at Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean as the OS, an 8-inch 1280x800 display with a pixel density of 189ppi. This makes the Galaxy Note 8.0's screen slightly better than Apple's iPad mini which features a 7.9-inch 163ppi display.

Cranking along inside the device we have a 1.6GHz quad-core processor, Samsung's own Exynos 4 - backing this up we have 2GB of RAM and either 32GB or 64GB of internal storage. There will be LTE-capable Note 8.0's in the wild, but at first there will be 3G connectivity on offer through HSPA+. Thanks to being part of the Note family of devices, we will have the S Pen stylus, which is really useful for the included apps from Samsung.

You might not have even heard about Sony's Xperia Z, or you haven't had the time to grab one, or it's not available in your country yet - whatever the situation, the latest and greatest handset from Sony has already been rooted.

The XDA Developers forum is at it again, with the device being rooted already - how was it done? Modifying the code of a Nexus 4 root, while leveraging Teamviewer to remotely test it on a real-world device. Others have come in saying that the trick used isn't just a one-time occurrence, but should be repeatable. The hack, like most, is risky and currently lacks a recovery tool.

You can read more on it, and even try it right here.

During this morning's press conference, HTC didn't really touch on the hardware specifications of its new flagship the HTC One, and that lead some of us to believe that it may not pack the punch we were hoping for. The HTC One's webpage just went live and "wow" did they deliver on performance.

The HTC One features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor running at 1.7GHz, 2GB of RAM, 32GB or 64GB of internal storage and built-in NFC capabilities. The display is a 4.7-inch Full HD 1080p, 468 PPI density LCD that is the company's brightest, sharpest and most vibrant display to date.

Other notable features include GPS, Digital Compass, Gyro, Accelerometer, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi, DLNA and an IR blaster that lets your phone function as a remote control for all your home theater devices. It also features a completely redesigned camera that is built on HTC's exclusive Ultrapixel technology. The camera is set at f/2.0 with a 28mm lens, is capable of full HD 1080p video capture as well. A front facing 2MP camera with an 88 degree field of view is also placed on the phone.

During this morning's launch event, HTC design lead Jonah Becker, walked us through the new and exciting design specifications of the new HTC One. It appears that HTC has beaten Apple to the punch when it comes to an all-aluminum uni-body smartphone.

Before we get into the body though, let's talk about some exciting new hardware featured in the HTC One. First off, the new flagship phone was given an entirely new design with front facing speakers, which HTC is calling BoomSound. The speakers are said to offer a much more rich and vibrant sound than previously seen on other HTC devices. HTC has also included an IR blaster into the phone for full home media control.

Up next is a completely re-imagined camera, that bucks the trend of packing more pixels into a smaller package. "The new HTC One makes the camera experience better", Becker said. "I saw an opportunity to shake things up with the camera experience. It starts with a new approach about camera technology, it's not about megapixel count, but pixel size." he continued.

At this morning's launch event, HTC president Jason MacKenzie, said the company has been on an "amazing ride" over the last few years. He said that smartphone users "snack" on information from their phones in 10, 20 and 30 second intervals.

MacKenzie said that HTC "saw a massive opportunity to bring some excitement back to phones" and that "this isn't a set of incremental improvements I'm talking about a bold step forward for something new and fresh".

MacKenzie then introduced the HTC One, the company's latest flagship smartphone. "The HTC One improves every part of the smartphone experience," he said. "It has a complete visual redesign so it looks cleaner and more modern. No matter your age, we all rely on our smartphones, and rely on the constant flow of content".

If you thought Corning's Gorilla Glass was strong, it can still lead to cracked displays, which means there's always room for someone to make improvements here and there. This is exactly what two students from Cambridge University have done.

The students' product supposedly boosts the impact resistance of Gorilla Glass by up to five times, their product is called Rhino Shield, and is a new screen protector you install on top of your smartphone's display. Rhino Shield features a specific blend of patent-pending polymer, which gives your device more protection from shock, scratches and fingerprints.

There are countless other screen protectors on the market, but the developers assert that Rhino Shield is unique thanks to its impart dispersion and dampening layers that help diffuse blows against the device.

If you've been wondering why your Nexus 4 charges really quickly, well, it could be because of something Qualcomm have very quietly introduced - Quick Charge 1.0. This technology is baked into some of their Snapdragon-based chipsets.

Quick Charge is a physical circuit built into the chipset that talks to the USB connector, so it's not some form of software addition. Qualcomm acquired the technology when they purchased Summit Microelectronics last June. Qualcomm claims that Quick Charge 1.0 allows your smartphone to charge up to 40% faster than a device without Quick Charge. There are already devices in the wild sporting the quick charging technology, including:

There are many devices running the technology, which you can take a look at the list of right here. Qualcomm aren't finished with Quick Charge just yet, as they've promised "exciting news on the newest advancement in fast charging technology" next week - which should hopefully arrive as Quick Charge 2.0.

With the success of Apple's iPad mini, and Google's Nexus 7, it is only a matter of time before Microsoft jumps into the small tablet market. During the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet conference on Wednesday, Microsoft CFO Peter Klein, said that the company is open to and willing to bring a wide range of new form factors to the mobile device market.

Not only is the company considering a small form factor Surface Pro, but they alluded to being able to produce devices as large as 27 inches. "We're set up for that," Klein said "The notion of flexibility and scalability of the operating system is intrinsic to our strategy."

Klein went on to say:

I've said it previously, but I think we're going to see LG really crank up their quality moving into 2013 and it looks like this is happening. Today we have the unveiling of the South Korean-based company's Optimus G Pro.

LG's Optimus G Pro features a 5.5-inch display, and a curved glass design available in both black and white which LG says produces a "2.5D effect". The aforementioned 5.5-inch display ushers in 1920x1080 pixels, a quad-core processor that we should expect to arrive as Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 Pro.

We should expect a launch later this month, but LG haven't stated whether this would be locked to just South Korea or not. We should hear more later this month at Mobile World Congress.