Will the Xperia Z4 be rebranded as the Z3+ for international markets?
Could this device be released as the Xperia Z3+ when and if it sees international release?
When Sony announced the Xperia Z4 last week, it was met with disdain from almost everyone, some of our staff included. While the device arguably makes perfect sense for the Japanese market it’s intended for, the international community has been in a heightened state of agitation. The Z4, as it stands now, has some minor internal updates over its predecessor (namely the Snapdragon 810) but uses the exact same camera sensor as the Z3 along with a design that many feel is rehashed despite (admittedly subtle) changes.
Sony has yet to announce the Z4 for an international release yet, and if a new leak proves to be accurate, it seemingly won’t be for some time yet. Take a look:
The above picture allegedly comes from one of the packaging inserts contained with an official accessory for the Z4, the SCR30 Style Cover Window. As can be seen at the top, an “Xperia Z3+” is listed. Provided this leak is accurate, it would suggest that Sony is planning to rebrand the Z4 when it hits international markets.
The name change actually makes perfect sense, as fans have been hearing that the company is planning to make a major move with its next mainstay flagship, as well as reduce the release cycle to an annual basis. Just last week, we took a look at what such a “premium” flagship might look like when we asked readers to design it themselves.
Still, many will be quick to argue that this new naming nomenclature will create confusion within the company and its home country: what happens if the “real” Z4 releases in a few weeks or months? The solution is quite simple, really: All Sony has to do is rebrand the product in Japan. It could be called the “Xperia Z Neo” or “Xperia Z DX” and, assuming it’s the radically redesigned product so many are hoping for, the new name might be the perfect way to distance itself from the “Z” of old. The reverse might also be true: perhaps there will be no Z4 at all overseas and the new product will have a totally new name.
While many Sony fans are no doubt still a bit sour with the latest and greatest, assuming the name change is the real deal, would it reduce some of the resentment?
Hugo Barra guides us through the inside of a Mi 4i
Last week, Xiaomi’s Hugo Barra took to the stage in New Delhi to unveil the new Mi 4i smartphone, a compact and even more budget friendly version of the company’s flagship Mi 4. Somewhat uncharacteristic of a company vice president, Barra recently picked up a screwdriver to teardown the Mi 4i and talk us through a number of key design points.
Barra offers an interesting perspective on some of the engineering decisions taken with the Mi 4i. Such as making room for the rather large 3,120 mAh battery, avoiding compromises on the position of key components, and how the company stops the rear camera from protruding from the phone’s back.
The compact nature of the motherboard and accommodating dual-SIM slots explains why the Mi 4i doesn’t feature a microSD card expansion port. Barra also clarified that the 16GB internal memory leaves 10.9GB available for user apps and media. The company is also looking at user feedback to see if there’s demand for a 64GB model in the future. The phone also doesn’t feature Gorilla Glass 3, but has a custom glass solution designed by Corning for equal scratch resistance, but perhaps not quite the same strength, given its thin depth.
You can catch the teardown and talk in the video below.
SwiftKey’s new keyboard corrects whole phrases
SwiftKey has a new Android keyboard that will autocorrect entire phrases. Named Clarity Keyboard Beta, it aims to constantly scan the last few words typed in order to offer better corrections than rival apps. Like other SwiftKey keyboards, it’ll also learn from your typing style, picking up on your most-used words and phrases.
As its name suggests, Clarity Keyboard Beta is still a work in progress. It’s the first product of a new initiative SwiftKey is calling Greenhouse, which should see a lot more experimental apps come from the company. We gave it a quick test and weren’t particularly wowed by its corrections, although that’s perhaps to be expected given the time it takes to learn your writing style.Despite SwiftKey launching on iOS last year, this beta is Android only for now. There are already some reported problems, such as compatibility issues with certain Samsung and LG devices, but SwiftKey is looking for feedback on the work in progress. It’s available as a free download from Google Play, so you haven’t got much to lose by giving it a spin.
Filed under: Software, Mobile, Google
Via: Slashgear
Source: SwiftKey, (Google Play)
Yes, these tiny robots can (autonomously) move a car
A swarm of small robots developed by a team of European scientists can carefully extract and transport vehicles up to two tons in weight. These tiny machines and their larger deployment unit are collectively called Avert, short for “Autonomous Multi-Robot System for Vehicle Extraction and Transportation.” As the name implies, the system needs very little human input: it can scan the area and look for potential obstacles to plan its safest route. The deployment unit will then release the small robots, which attach themselves to the vehicle that needs extraction. As much as we’d love for Avert to rescue us from bad parking situations, though, it was specifically developed for use by law enforcement.
According to its website, Avert can help the police extract suspicious vehicles from within buildings and other tight places, or transport cars they suspect are rigged with explosives to a safer location. The team has been developing the system since 2012 and believes production can start as soon as 2016. For now, its members are busy showcasing the system in various conferences, including the upcoming International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA2015) on May 26th to 30th in Seattle. You can watch Avert in action above, but folks who don’t mind parsing scientific lingo can know more by reading its paper.
Filed under: Robots
Source: Group of Robotics and Cognitive Systems, Avert Project, Angelos Amanatiadis
This is what the LG G4’s box is going to look like
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Can’t wait for the LG G4 to be announced? Do you need some juicy info to tide you over the next few hours? Well, you’re in luck, because we get to take a sneak peek at what the LG G4’s box is going to look like. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the box is relatively unassuming with only a sticker on the top of it to denote it as a box for LG‘s latest flagship device. If we take a look at the rear of the box, we get a look at some of the hardware that we have been expecting, like a Snapdragon processor, the 8MP front camera, 16MP rear camera and a 3,000mAh battery. Check out the leaked photos below:
As far as leaks go, it’s not all that informative, as we basically know everything there is to know about the LG G4 already, but as its announcement event bears down on us (4 and a half hours and counting), we wouldn’t be surprised to see a few more tidbits before the fireworks start. Make sure you tune in to the livestream here at 15:00 GMT.
What do you think about the LG G4’s box? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: underkg.kr via Phone Arena
The post This is what the LG G4’s box is going to look like appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge come with exclusive apps and premium content via the Galaxy Gifts app
As is customary with every new flagship smartphone that Samsung releases, Galaxy S6 (reviewed here) and S6 Edge owners can look forward to getting their hands on some premium apps, services and content free-of-charge courtesy of its Galaxy Gifts app. We have the full list after the break.
The list of free apps and content range from a free Kindle book every month to an extra 100GB of storage via Microsoft’s OneDrive service as detailed below.
- Audible – Three months of Audible membership
- Dragons of Atlantis: Heirs of the Dragon – “Samsung Resource Pack” valued at 5,000 gold
- The Economist – Six months of digital subscription
- Endomondo – Six months of Endomondo Premium
- Evernote – Three months of Evernote Premium
- Fleksy Keyboard – Fleksy Keyboard and Modern premium themes
- Hancom Office 2014 – Office editor download for an unlimited period from Galaxy Apps
- The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle Earth – “Samsung Resource Pack” valued at 100 Mithril
- Keepy – Six month Keepy Unlimited to save your kids art, school work, and mementos
- Kindle for Samsung – One eBook every month
- LastPass – Three months of Premium for U.S. customers and six monthsPremium for international
- Life360 – Six months premium service subscription
- Magisto – Three months of Magisto Pro HD
- NY Times Breaking News – Three months with a subscription
- OneDrive – An extra 100 GB of OneDrive storage for two years* Offer valid only on devices where OneDrive is preloaded
- PAC-MAN Friends – Samsung customers receive 30 cherries (plays)
- Parallels Access – Six month subscription
- Pocket – Six-month subscription to Pocket Premium
- Shazam Encore – Special ad-free version
- VSCO Cam – Download The Minimalist Collection, which includes 10 VSCOCam® presets
- Workout Trainer – Six months of Workout Trainer Pro+
Naturally, some of the free content is region restricted or dependant on whether an app was pre-installed in the case of the extra 100GB of OneDrive storage. All-in-all, the range of Galaxy Gifts has a market value of more than $500. If you have a Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge, there’s a pretty good chance that you’ll find something useful in the package, all you have to do is open up the Galaxy Gifts app and check what offers are available to you.
Source: Samsung Tomorrow
Come comment on this article: Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge come with exclusive apps and premium content via the Galaxy Gifts app
Here’s what’s inside the Galaxy S6 digital gift bag
Samsung is known for offering digital freebies to customers who purchase its premium devices, and the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are no exception. For the metal and glass devices, Samsung is offering free subscriptions and premium services that are worth $500 in total.
The selection of digital gifts includes subscriptions for publications like the New York Times and the Economist, in-game currency packs for games like The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle Earth, and subscriptions for the premium tier of a variety of apps, including Evernote, Endomondo, LastPass, OneDrive, Pocket, Fleksy, and Audible.
You can check the full list here, along a description of each service. All the apps and services are available for download from the Play Store or Samsung’s Galaxy Apps store, meaning you won’t have to deal with anything you may consider bloatware.
Let us know if there’s anything on the list you find particularly interesting.
HTC to launch a mid-range phone designed for India in Q3
You’ve probably noticed that India has quickly risen to focus in the smartphone industry this year. The nation’s appetite for feature rich mid-range smartphones has already drawn in the cut throat Chinese manufacturers and the fact hasn’t escaped household brands either. HTC’s president of global sales, Chia-Lin Chang, has announced that the company will be introducing a new smartphone specifically designed for the Indian market later in the third quarter of 2015.
“We have a third-quarter plan for our global launch in India to introduce a device which is specifically designed for the Indian consumer,”
Speaking with ET Telecom, Chang stated that the Indian market is critical for HTC. HTC’s new mid-range smartphone will be priced at Rs 15,000-20,000, pitting the handset against the likes of Xiaomi’s popular Mi4 and the Asus Zenfone 2, and making it more expensive than the new Mi 4i, Moto G 2nd Gen and Huawei’s Honor range. The company may also be planning a sub-Rs 10,000 smartphone for the future, but it will take longer to reach the market.
“For Rs 10,000 and below segment, we will be going slightly slower because we want to ensure better experience,”
Chang also stated that HTC is looking into manufacturing operations in the country, but won’t make a decision until four to five months’ time. Interestingly, HTC currently holds a 6 percent smartphone share in the Indian market, which grows to a 19 percent share if you look at only 4G LTE devices. This new smartphone could help HTC break into the country’s top five manufacturers.
Less than a week ago, Xiaomi went to India to unveil its Mi 4i smartphone and yesterday Sony announced that it is looking to grab some share of the Rs 8,000-10,000 budget price bracket. India has quickly become one of the most competitive regions to do business, with manufacturers all looking to carve out a share of one of the next big mobile markets.
Korea report: Samsung trials new glass display production for the Galaxy S6 Edge
Various reports in the past week or so have pointed to growing demand for Samsung’s newly released Galaxy S6 Edge. However, the handset’s curved display is an expensive and difficult component to produce, which has led to some production shortages. Yesterday, the company was said to have opened up another production facility to help pump out the displays and Korea’s ET News now reports that Samsung is trialling a new glass production method to help increase yields and reduce costs.
According to the source, Samsung’s current production technique results in low yields and high costs, due to micro wrinkles that appear when the glass is heated, which is required to bend it around the curved display. Samsung has apparently changed glass cover production over to a new method at a factory in Vietnam. The new technique only heats up one side of the glass and therefore reduces the imperfections and saves on expensive polishing costs.
Turning to an IHS report released last month, the Galaxy S6 Edge’s display is by far the most expensive component in the smartphone, costing Samsung around $85 to produce. The new process is said to cut costs in half and could increase production capacity by somewhere between 60 and 70 percent. This could save Samsung a considerable cost per unit and should help reduce the current supply shortage.
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At this point, it isn’t known when Samsung will be switching over to the new production method at its other factories or if these savings will result in a lower S6 Edge price for consumers.
Air Force uses its secretive space drone to test futuristic propulsion system
Ask someone in the street what they know about the Air Force’s top-secret space plane and you’ll probably wind up getting pinched by the NSA. Nobody can claim to know much about the X-37B, beyond the fact that it’s the force’s long-term space vehicle, capable of staying in orbit for more than a year at a time. In the run up to the craft’s next jaunt around the planet, however, someone has let slip the details of an experiment that it’ll be carrying out. According to Spaceflight Now, Air Force officials have revealed that the autonomous drone will be used as the test-bed for a new type of Hall effect thruster.
Now, the biggest problem with spaceflight is that the more fuel a craft carries, the heavier it is to launch. Since it costs roughly $3,000 per pound to put objects above the atmosphere, equipping a shuttle or satellite with enough gas to get around is prohibitively expensive. A Hall thruster lets small craft scrimp on the fuel costs by electrically charging super-light Xenon particles. This mix can then produce a weak but constant source of propulsion, perfect for making small adjustments to your trajectory in space. The trade-off, of course, is that the mix isn’t strong, so the thruster has to burn for longer in order to do the same job. Imagine it a bit like trying to push a gondola with a twig: it’s lighter in your hand than a pole, but it’ll take you a lot longer to get somewhere.
If the X-37B is testing a top-secret, souped-up version of this technology, then it’s easy to speculate that the Air Force is working on a spacecraft that can stay in orbit for longer and cost significantly less to launch. That same hardware would also be invaluable for scientific and commercial satellites, each one struggling to balance out the competing needs of cost, weight and fuel efficiency. Now, don’t go telling any of your friends this, or you might find yourself being snatched from your bed at night by shadowy operatives in dark suits.
Filed under: Transportation, Science
Source: Spaceflight Now
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