Samsung Galaxy View online listing spills all the details
The Samsung Galaxy View has been teased and leaked a number of times over the past couple of months and the rather large 18.4-inch tablet has now been listed up for pre-order over at Adorama. The listing gives us a full run down of the hardware specifications, along with another look at the tablet.
The hardware matches up with a number of previous rumors. The Galaxy View features an 18.4-inch display with a FullHD (1920×1080) resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 120 PPI. This should be more than crisp enough for the typical viewing distances that you’re likely to use such a large tablet for and should be passable at close range too. The website is light on software features, but does mention touch and voice interfaces, meaning that the device can be operated at a distance.
The tablet is powered by Samsung’s own 1.6GHz octa-core Exynos 7580 SoC, which is dubbed Carmen2 according to the spec sheet. There’s also 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot for an extra 128GB of memory, should you need it.
Samsung is clearly positioning the Galaxy View somewhere between a regular tablet and a TV.
Other hardware specs include a 2.1 megapixel front facing camera, which should make do for video calls. There’s no mention of a camera on the back, but you would have to be mad to lug this beast around to take pictures with anyway. The Galaxy View comes with a 5,700mAh battery, which Samsung says offers 8.5 hours of continual video playback.
The Samsung Galaxy View also comes with 3G and Category 6 LTE support, should you want to make use of mobile data. A Wi-Fi only model is also available, and both versions support Bluetooth 4.1 and GPS connectivity.
The other big give away with this listing is the price. The Galaxy View can be pre-ordered for $599, although Samsung has not officially announced price or availability details yet. What do you think?
The Steve Jobs movie flopped at the box office
The internet was full of talk about the accuracy of Steve Jobs, but it turned out that the general public just didn’t care about the film at all. The Danny Boyle / Aaron Sorkin biopic of the late Apple co-founder went on wide release this weekend, but only made a paltry $7.3 million at the box office. That put it in 7th place, behind films like The Martian, The Last Witch Hunter and Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension. Unfortunately analysts had predicted that it would do double that figure, and it looks like Steve Jobs may now never make the studio that made it a profit.
Via: CNN
Source: Box Office Mojo, Variety
London Mayor calls for UK to legalise hoverboards
Even though they can’t actually levitate, “hoverboard” self-balancing scooters have become a huge hit. Celebrities are jumping on the two-wheeled bandwagon, either signing deals to promote the next big brand or attaching their name to one of their own. That’s helped boost sales of the popular toy in the UK, but the law actually dictates that they can’t be ridden in a public space.
The Crown Prosecution Service says that the Highway Act 1835 limits hoverboard use on pavements, while various vehicle registration agencies won’t licence or register them for road use. Riders can be fined up to £500 if caught doing so, but London Mayor Boris Johnson is making it his mission to legalise their use based on “intergenerational fairness.”
Source: The Telegraph
Picobrew takes a stab at automated counter-top homebrew beer
PicoBrew is hoping to do for homebrewed beer what Keurig has done for coffee. It tried previously with the Zymatic, but the $2,000 price tag, intimidating size and complexity limited its appeal. Really the Zymatic ended up being for professional brewers to experiment on and for people with deep pockets looking to dip their toe into homebrewing with the least amount of effort possible. The company’s new machine, the Pico attempts to address some of those hurdles. First, off, it’s dropped the price dramatically. If you move quickly to pick it up through the Kickstarter campaign launching today it will only cost you $500, though it will climb to $1,000 at retail. Second the Pico is roughly half the size of the Zymatic, and can actually fit on an average counter-top. Though, does still take up a significant amount of space and probably wouldn’t find a permanent home next to your coffee machine.
AuraVisor takes on Gear VR, no phone required
Most current virtual reality headsets fall broadly into one of two categories: high-end options (Vive, Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR etc.) that connect to a console or PC, and glorified phone holders (Samsung Gear VR, Google Cardboard et al). AuraVisor offers a third way: the freedom of an untethered headset, but you leave your phone in your pocket — everything is built-in to the visor. It’s a fairly logical solution to the fast-growing problem of family-friendly VR. Using your phone in a headset is quick and dirty, but it comes with compromises on compatibility and comfort. Not to mention the ever-present risk of your fun being interrupted by all the other things your phone does (email, calendars and myriad other notifications). AuraVisor put VR into a single, Android-based device that could provide a Gear VR-like solution to everyone, minus the anxieties of using a phone.
Source: AuraVisor (Kickstarter)
LG’s V10 goes up against a Barret sniper rifle, gets blown away
LG demonstrated the durability of its V10 flagship in its “In-Between Moments” advert, with the handset being shown to fall from a table onto a hard surface without suffering any damage. The V10 has, however, been pitted against a deadlier foe than a mere hard surface, namely a .50 cal Barret sniper rifle wielded by FullMag’s Richard Ryan. As you can imagine, the rifle that can crack engine blocks makes short work of the V10, with impressive results.
The first shot in the video skids off the V10’s display, leaving a trace of its copper jacket on the screen while the second (and last) shot simply obliterates the handset. Bits fly off everywhere in slow-motion glory. Which isn’t surprising considering the .50 cal projectile speeds along at around 2,800 feet-per-second. Tak a look for yourself in the video below.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Source: FullMag (YouTube)
Come comment on this article: LG’s V10 goes up against a Barret sniper rifle, gets blown away
Oppo announces Snapdragon-powered Neo 7
Earlier today, Oppo took the wraps off its latest budget-friendly smartphone, the Neo 7. The handset, which incidentally is the successor to the company’s extremely popular Neo 5, will be launched in India on Wednesday, October 28, with an International release following closely thereafter.
Priced at just $200, the Neo 7 certainly delivers a lot of bang for your buck, with its 5-inch Full HD display, a Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, an 8MP rear-facing camera, a 5MP front-facing shooter and a 2,420mAh non-removable battery.
The device will run the latest build of Android 5.1.1 Lollipop straight out of the box, skinned with Oppo’s very own ColorOS 2.1 custom user interface, which provides users with easy access to a variety of customization options, including themes and icon packs.
The full press release can be seen below:
The OPPO Neo 7, a new successor to the popular mirror-backed Neo 5, is set to dazzle consumers around 17 markets in the world, including South East Asia, South Asia, MENA and Mexico, starting Oct. 28 with a premiere in India.
The Neo 7 will carry forward the unique design feature that set apart the Neo 5, a sleek and reflective rear surface, while adding a wide range of performance upgrades and an attractive streamlined arc edge. The Neo 7’s generously proportioned 5-inch screen, improved front camera and 16GB ROM, along with its powerful battery, make it a heavy hitter in the price range below $200. It has 3G and 4G versions.
Shining mirror surface, streamlined arc design
Inspired by Chinese bronze mirrors, the designer strove to incorporate an ancient aesthetic into the Neo 7’s state-of-the-art technology.
The OPPO Neo 7’s mirror surface is removable and uses industry-leading optical coating technology and fiber glass materials. The back is made with 13 layers of coating refined through a series of 40 processes to increase strength, giving the surface an impressive thinness of only 0.56 mm. Special laminating processes make the Neo 7’s back look smooth and clear, and cause it to reflect light like a mirror. Users can choose between two color options, white and black.
Streamlined-arc Frame Makes for a Perfect One-handed Use Experience
The eye-catching frame comes with two colors, golden and silver, adding a sense of morderness to the mirror surface. Its flowing edges together with the 5.0-inch screen give the phone a shape that conforms comfortably to the palm.
A high-strength magnesium-aluminum alloy is used in the Neo 7’s interior. This high-quality alloy allows the phone to maintain an attractively light weight, all the while providing impressive durability and superb heat dissipation.
Improved camera performance to enjoy life on the go
The OPPO Neo 7 uses an 8-megapixel back-illuminated sensor with a photosensitive area of up to 1/4 inch, a wide f/2.0 aperture, and lets you create stunning images in all conditions. An upgraded 5-megapixel front camera with high light-sensitivity and frame rate effectively reduces noise to take clear pictures and videos.
Equipped with the PureImage 2.0+ imaging platform, the new device contains a wide range of plug-ins for customized camera functionality.
Further setting the camera apart is a light-senstive sensor that can adjust the screen brightness perfectly to a user’s face, and the screen itself can be converted into a flash to brighten selfies in low light. There are 11 filters and 3 beautify modes available, and the Neo 7 can easily edit images without downloading additional apps. Special functions like Double Exposure, which allows users to take two separate photos and overlap them to create a single image, result in unique and fun photographs.
As a special addition to the 4G edition, Ultra HD shoots six photos consecutively and combines the best parts of each to create a 24-megapixel ultra HD image, which has four times the clarity of ordinary photos. The Colorful Night Mode uses a smart multi-frame optimization and synthesis algorithm to effectively remove noise and improve brightness and clarity. This mode can bring out the true colors of the gorgeous night.
Powerful specs give it an edge
The OPPO Neo 7 uses a Quad-core CPU, which brings users an extrodinarily smooth gaming experience. The Neo 7 sports 1GB RAM and 16GB ROM. Meanwhile, its 2420 mAh battery capacity satisfies the demand of cruising for a whole day. Neo 7 is configured with two SIM card slots to make switching between business and private use easy. The independent microSD card slot supports memory expansion of up to 32 GB for 3G versions, and up to 128GB for 4G versions.
The Neo 7 uses OPPO’s in-house ColorOS 2.1, based on Andriod 5.1. It has been thoroughly upgraded, with smoother performance, optimized power use, and a host of new features, including Floating Window, a feature that will allow users to chat with their friends while they watch a video in the background.
Dirac Effect gives pure audio enjoyment
Along with the powerful specs and upgraded ColorOS 2.1, the Neo 7 also offers endless possibilities in entertainment. The new Locksreen Magazine feature will automatically update lockscreen photos once a week with more than 20 beautiful photos curated by OPPO, so that every time you switch your phone on, you’ll be introduced to a new surprise. The Neo 7 also inherits the excellent sound performance of OPPO devices. The Dirac Sound achieves superb effects through a unique adjustment of the phase of the sound signal and frequency amplitude.
Come comment on this article: Oppo announces Snapdragon-powered Neo 7
The Xiaomi Mi5 could be the first Android-powered smartphone to feature a Force Touch display
According to a report hailing from China, Xiaomi’s upcoming flagship smartphone of 2015, the Mi5, could be the first Android-powered device to feature a pressure-sensitive Force Touch display, which is pretty similar to the technology offered by Apple on its iPhone 6s’ 3D Touch panel.
We’ve known for a while now that manufacturers are working their hardest to introduce this functionality to Android users, but it comes as no surprise to hear that Xiaomi may be the first company to perfect it seeing as its Mi5 is rumored to feature an ultrasonic high-speed fingerprint scanner.
Other purported specifications for the handset include a 5.3-inch qHD display, a Snapdragon 820 octa-core processor, an Adreno 530 GPU, 4GB of RAM and a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera equipped with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS).
Overall, the Mi5 is destined to be an extremely impressive high-end smartphone, and we’re hoping to see Force Touch on board when it’s unveiled later this year.
Source: Weibo
Come comment on this article: The Xiaomi Mi5 could be the first Android-powered smartphone to feature a Force Touch display
Possible price of OnePlus X revealed in leaked ad
The OnePlus X launches just a few days from now on October 29, and new leaks about the ‘mini‘ handset are still appearing. Today’s leak coming courtesy of the Chinese social media site, Weibo, consisting of an advertisement for the upcoming 5-inch OnePlus X, showing both the device and its alleged price tag.
While the device shown in the ad is allegedly the OnePlus X, there isn’t too much we can take from the image itself, other than it will definitely support 4G, it has a power button on one side with volume buttons on the opposite side, with a camera sensor and speaker residing in the top bezel, much like most other modern smartphones.
The main takeaway is that the advert says that the price tag of the OnePlus X is 1,699 Yuan, which comes in at around $267. Previous leaks had pointed towards the OnePlus X carrying a $249 sticker price, so this advert implies the handset is almost $20 more expensive.
According to the leaks, the OnePlus X features a Full HD 5-inch display, the venerable Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, MicroSD card support, a 13MP rear camera, an 8MP selfie camera, and a 2,450mAh battery. Is 1,699 Yuan ($267) a fair price for the OnePlus X and its level of alleged specifications?
Come comment on this article: Possible price of OnePlus X revealed in leaked ad
Nexus 6P now available to purchase in Australia
Starting today, residents in Australia can purchase the brand new Nexus 6P from the Google Store. The handset comes in a couple of flavors — one with 32GB of internal storage, priced at $899, and the other with 64GB of memory, retailing for $999.
Just in case you need a refresher on the Nexus 6P’s specifications, it packs a stunning 5.7-inch qHD display, a Snapdragon 810 processor, an Adreno 430 GPU, 3GB of RAM, a 12MP rear-facing camera, an 8MP selfie shooter, a fingerprint scanner and a 3,450mAh battery.
The device is expected to start shipping from Google’s warehouse on Monday, November 2. Although, some customers have received an email notifying them that they may have to wait until Sunday, November 6, for their order to be despatched.
Source: Google Store
Come comment on this article: Nexus 6P now available to purchase in Australia
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