Sony debuts Xperia Smartwear
Sony is officially in the game of wearable tech with the debut of the Xperia Smartwear which records your activities throughout the day. Now I said “activities” because this is much more than just another fitness band that counts steps and calorie output. However, it’s not quite a smart watch such as the Qualcomm Toq.
Smartwear gently vibrates on your wrist when you receive a notification or a call, but the really cool feature is the bookmark feature. With the simple press of a button on the wristband, Smartwear will record everything that is happening at that moment. For example, you’re out with friends at a restaurant or you hear something on Pandora, it will record that moment in time for future reference. It also comes in a plethora of colors to choose from!
There is no set price or date of availability, but Sony promises something soon!
Features of Sony SmartBand
- Lifelog app can see if you’ve been walking, running, cycling or travelling by train – and how you’ve slept.
- Look ahead in time to see just how much more you need to cycle to achieve your daily activity goal.
- Helps to track weather and alert the user
- Bookmark your special moments by pressing the Life Bookmark key.
- Press the Life Bookmark key on your SmartBand and everything going on at that moment will be caught and remembered forever.
- Waterproof
- Removable Core unit and a stylish and comfortable wrist band
- Sony fastening button and LEDs
- Vibrates when a call, message or other notification comes in
- Play, pause and skip tracks using your SmartBand
- Battery performance of up to 5 days.
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Audi and NVIDIA debut 10.2-inch dockable tablet
Audi and NVIDIA have teamed up to create the Audi Smart Display, which is a dockable tablet able to withstand temperatures varying from 176 degrees to -40 degrees fahrenheit and it is also shock resistant, just in case you find yourself in a pickle, your tablet will be safe.
The greatest thing about the tablet is that it’s powered by our favorite OS, Android! Featuring the latest version, KitKat, it has full access to Google’s host of apps! This is great news so when you’re on those long car rides and the passengers won’t settle down, just play a movie or listen to your favorite music! The tablet is powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra 4 and connects via in-car WiFi.
The device will first appear on the 2015 Audi TT sports coupe.
Source: NVIDIA
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Gartner forecasts 1 billion Android shipments in 2014
Android is poised to have its largest year ever with 2014, perhaps to the tune of 1.1B device shipments. At least that’s what research firm Gartner predicts for the platform in the coming twelve months. Accounting for nearly half of all device shipments in 2014, Android is expected to be far and away the most popular platform.
Thanks to increasingly lower price points in smartphones and entry into new and emerging markets, Android is well on its way to crossing the 2 billion threshold. As desktop and laptop shipments slide, smartphones and tablet adoption will rise. And, with 1.1 billion of the expected 1.9 billion, there’s no question that Android is the prefered operating system of the moment.
There is no doubt that there is a volume versus value equation, with Android users also purchasing lower-cost devices compared to Apple users. Android holds the largest number of installed-base devices, with 1.9 billion in use in 2014, compared with 682 million iOS/Mac OS installed-base devices,
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ZTE Iconic Phablet: a ridiculous name for large-screen fans on a budget (hands-on)
Regardless of what feelings you may have towards the term “phablet,” as soon as it officially becomes part of the name of a device, you know that word isn’t going away any time soon. It’s just double the trouble when the phone in question is actually called the Iconic Phablet. As the name implies, the Phablet is a large smartphone with a 5.7-inch 720p display, but it doesn’t seem that much different from the Grand S II, which is just two tenths of an inch bigger. It actually feels pretty comfortable to hold, despite the fact that it’s slightly larger, taller and thicker, but the lackluster display is a bit of a disappointment unless it’s marketed at a low price point.
The feature we found most interesting on the phone was ZTE’s version of Multi-Window, which the company threw into its half-stock, half-skinned version of Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. We’ve seen this feature in the Galaxy Note series for a long time now, but ZTE’s option doesn’t require a developer kit, which means any third-party or native app will work just fine no matter what. The Phablet has a three-segmented back, with a standard grey plastic matte build on top and bottom and solid sheet of plastic sandwiched in between. You’ll get an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and a 1MP camera on the front, as well as a 3,200mAh battery, dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, 1GB RAM, Bluetooth 4.0+LE and a groan-worthy 8GB internal storage. Finally, the back features a trio of wireless charging pins that will work as long as you get the supported case that clips onto the phone (sold separately, of course).
Curiously, ZTE tells us that the Iconic Phablet will offer a radio with LTE, CDMA and EVDO support, while GSM/EDGE and HSPA+ are nowhere to be found. We’re told that there’s a very good chance that this device will eventually be sold in the US, which means that it’ll land on a CDMA carrier — that is, unless ZTE comes out with a special version that makes it compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile. As with the company’s other CES products, availability and pricing aren’t known just set. We got a few minutes with the device and have uploaded it into our image gallery, and we hope to have a video of the device up soon.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
Biz Stone’s Jelly answers your questions through photos and social networks (video)
Twitter co-founder Biz Stone’s Jelly project has been shrouded in mystery for months. Is it a social network? A distributed computing hivemind? As it turns out, Jelly isn’t anything quite so special — but it’s worth checking out all the same. The newly unveiled service expands on Quora’s basic concept, drawing on the collective wisdom of Facebook, Twitter and Jelly itself to both answer questions and identify objects in photos. If you’re stumped, you can forward questions to just about anyone. Jelly’s Android and iOS apps are available today, so it won’t take much to learn whether or not it’s worth the wait.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile
Source: Jelly, App Store, Google Play
Fitbit compatibility branches out to 12 more Android devices
Fitbit is a great way to track your exercising habits. But if you’re one of the many that doesn’t have a compatible device, today might be your day.
With the company’s announcement at CES and a new update to the Fitbit app, 12 more Android devices will be compatible. Here’s the list of the newly added devices: DROID MINI, DROID ULTRA, DROID MAXX, DROID RAZR M, DROID RAZR HD, DROID RAZR HD MAXX, HTC One, LG G2, Moto X, Nexus 4, Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 (2013). These phones join the ranks of the others that were already compatible, bringing the total Android devices to 17.
James Park, CEO and Co-Founder of Fitbit, states, “Our goal is to add support for even more devices this year so customers can choose the smartphone they want to use to reach their health and fitness goals.”
So, things are looking up for Android and Fitbit this year, and I’d say we’re off to a pretty good start.
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Lenovo ThinkVision 28 Android powered 4K Smart Display
The Lenovo ThinkVision is an impressive beast with a 4K multi-touch display, but the coolest feature is that it doubles as an Android device running KitKat. This is not your typical display and the price isn’t either, reigning in at $1,199. However, alot cheaper than other 4k displays currently available.
The monitor is completely adjustable to lay parallel to the surface it is on and boast an impressive list of specs. It is no bargain, however given the high resolution display and Android capabilities, its worth a look!
Specs:
- Android 4.4 KitKat
- 28-inch 3840×2160p 4K display
- 2 5-watt speakers
- NVIDIA Tegra processor
- 2GB RAM
- 32GB Internal Storage, expandable MicroSD
- 2.1 MP camera
- WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC
- 2 noise cancelling microphones
- DisplayPort, 3 HDMI, USB 3.0, Ethernet
Price: $1,199
Source: CNET
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OnePlus revealed as Cyanogen’s new partner, OnePlus One coming “first half of 2014″
The first smartphone to officially ship with CyanogenMod may have only come out at the end of the 2013, but Cyanogen Inc. has bigger plans and will be shipping its first smartphone in the first half of this year.
Early this morning, and coming after months of speculation, Cyanogen’s new hardware partner for its upcoming phone was revealed to be OnePlus, the new company of Ex-Oppo exec Pete Lau.
On OnePlus’ blog, it said that their first phone will ship with a specially designed version of CyanogenMod “with exciting new elements and features.”
Hopefully we’ll be seeing this device come to the U.S. and with support for LTE, unlike the Oppo N1 that only had HSPA+ support. No other information was given about the upcoming device at this time, except that Cyanogen and OnePlus will be launching it in select markets and then eventually expanding globally.
via OnePlus
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Philips launching Android Smart TVs in 2014
Philips has announced that its new lineup of Ambilight TVs will be powered by Android with a release date scheduled for June 2014.
The TVs will also have access to Google Play and Philips Smart TV apps, which in turn would give access to Google applications such as Play Music, Youtube, and possibly Google Now. This is another move from Google to get into your living room and I think it opens up many possibilities for the future of TVs powered by Android.
The TVs are also packing a “powerful quad-core chip” which Philips suggest that it will be able to handle even the most graphic intense Android games.
There are no official models, specs, or pricing, however we hope to hear more soon!
Source: T3
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Here’s a closer look at that dual-boot Android / Windows 8.1 tablet
Remember that combo Android / Windows 8.1 tablet that we spoke about briefly, earlier today? Well, it’s just dual-booted its way into our hearts here at CES. Those initial pictures weren’t really all that much to look at, and honestly, we didn’t have the highest expectations in the world, given Micromax’s track record of producing budget handsets. But after playing around with it for a bit, we’ve got to admit, this is a pretty solidly built machine at first glance, complete with a classy brushed aluminum back and a decent snap on keyboard. That said, the boot speed on the tablet leads a bit to be desired, particularly when logging into Android. Those aching for something new can pick up a LapTap next month.
Filed under: Tablets
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