Hisense’s monster 6.8-inch X1 Android smartphone due in Q2
The line between smartphone and tablet may have been blurred with devices like the Samsung Galaxy Note, but Hisense unveiled something crazy at CES this week, basically a smartphone in a tablet body.
Launching in China before the U.S. this summer, the Hisense X1 features a 6.8-inch 1080p IPS display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 13 MP back-facing camera, 3,900mAh battery and a light skin on top of Android 4.4 KitKat. One downside to the smartphone is that it only supports HSPA+, but an LTE model, the X3, will be coming out as well.
Engadget, who got to spend some time with the device, said that ”the overall user experience zips along smoothly and briskly,” the viewing angles are excellent and the matte plastic back feels great in hand, well two hands.
Hisense is shooting for a late Q2 release for the U.S. market and will release the X1 under the Sliver brand, “primarily for unlocked availability,” but the company is in talks with two U.S. carriers, so there could be a subsidized model.
All that being said, someone had to be crazy enough to launch a smartphone this big. Are you interested or is 6.8-inchs way too much smartphone?
via Engadget
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The 6.8-inch Hisense X1 smartphone is basically a tablet and it’s coming to the US this summer
There’s big, there’s b-i-g and then there’s “oh my god, are you [redacted] kidding me this is [redacted] BIG!” That’s pretty much how we felt when we first laid our eyes and outstretched hand on Hisense’s X1, a 6.8-inch Android smartphone first introduced at this year’s CES. You wouldn’t be wrong for thinking it’s a tablet — it pretty much unofficially is and depending on your taste and needs, that could be a good thing. The X1, which is slated to launch in China before the US, comes outfitted with what we’d expect from a high-end smartphone: Snapdragon 800, 13-megapixel camera, 1080p IPS display, 3,900mAh battery and Android 4.4 KitKat. So the performance and shine is there, but its dimensions stop it just short of being practical in daily use.
With Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 powering the X1, the overall user experience zips along smoothly and briskly. There’s hardly any hesitation when effecting input actions, accessing the app drawer or launching applications. And viewing angles are also excellent, owing to that IPS display. As you can see from our gallery (demo video to come soon), the X1′s also running a light skin atop Android, but it’s not so cluttered as to make the phone confusing and nearly unusable a la Samsung’s TouchWiz. Though the X1 model we previewed was on running 4.3 Jelly Bean, Hisense reps assured us it will ship with KitKat onboard.
As for its materials and build, the all-plastic X1 isn’t quite a stunner nor does it aim to occupy the premium smartphone niche. Hisense is positioning this as more of a mid-range device despite its spec load and we’re told the price will reflect that strategy. That said, the X1′s matte plastic back fit snugly into the full breadth of our palm and all hardware buttons are relegated to the right side of the device so you won’t have to fuss with it much. Make no mistake, though, this is a two-hander — you won’t be able to get much done otherwise.
Hisense is currently aiming for a late Q2 launch for the US market and will release the X1 under the Sliver brand, but that’s primarily for unlocked availability. The company is apparently also in talks with two US operators, so we could eventually see a subsidized model hit the states sometime soon. The only other thing you need to know about the X1 is that it’s not LTE-capable; it’s HSPA+ only. Hisense does have an LTE-capable model for the US market, the X3, but it wasn’t shown off at the company’s booth.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
DEAL: Woot selling factory refurbished Nexus 7 2013 today only for $189 and $219
If you missed all the recent discounts on the newest model of the Nexus 7, today Woot has the flagship 7-inch tablet at a discounted price.
The devices Woot has for sale today are the black 16 and 32 GB models and are “factory refurbished for $189 and $219 respectively. These aren’t brand new, but they’re as good as new since you usually can’t tell the different with a refurbished device.
Coming with a 90 day warranty from ASUS, this is a pretty good deal for $60 and $50 off the price of a new Nexus 7 (2013) from Google that has a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2 GB of RAM and runs Android 4.4 KitKat.
via Woot
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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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KitKat-based CyanogenMod 11 M2 Snapshot builds now available for numerous devices
CES 2014 is almost upon us where there will be lots of new tech toys unveiled, including Android phones and tablets, but that doesn’t mean you should give up on your current device just get.
If you were hoping to breath some new life into your device with the latest version of Android 4.4 KitKat, but your device hasn’t received an update yet, or may never get it, you may be in luck with one of the best aftermarket firmwares, CyanogenMod.
While it’s been about a month since the CM team released its first “Snapshot” builds of KitKat for Nexus devices, now the M2 Snapshot builds or second “Snapshot” builds are available, but also for a multitude of other devices as well.
As I’ve mentioned before, if you’re not familiar with the M releases, they’re builds done roughly once a month that have had some testing to make sure things are mostly working and they’re the first builds that allow official bug reports on the project manager site. M builds are a step above nighties and are basically safe to use as your “daily driver.”
Officially joining the ranks of the Nexus devices, are the Galaxy S3 and S4, HTC One, Kindle Fire, LG G2, Motorola Droid Razr and the aged Samsung Galaxy Nexus, among many, many others.
Check out the download page to see if your device has a CM 11 M2 Snapshot build available and check out the official Gapps page for the most up to date Google apps.
Downloads via CyanogenMod
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Nearly full set of specs detailed for HTC One+ (M8)
It seems that a day can’t go by without even more details about the successor to the HTC One coming out.
The latest in the rumors suggest that the new flagship, supposedly called the HTC One+, will feature a: 5-inch 1080p display covered by Gorilla Glass 3, a Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 805 processor, 6 MP or 8 MP rear-facing camera with UltraPixel™ technology and double lens, 2.1 MP front-facing camera, 2 GB of RAM, NFC, 2900mAh battery and a micro-SIM.
Two other rumored features that make this a very interesting device is that HTC may be going with on-screen navigation buttons and it will run Android 4.4 KitKat with HTC Sense™ 6.0.
We previously reported that it’s widely expected to launch sometime in Q1 of 2014, but we may even see this at CES 2014, who knows. If that’s the case, you will see any info here once it’s available.
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Polaroid’s Q-series Android tablets offer a taste of KitKat starting at $129
Polaroid isn’t known as a technology vanguard, but it’s showing a little forward thinking today with the launch of three budget tablets. The 7-inch Q7 (pictured below), 8-inch Q8 (above) and 10.1-inch Q10 all run Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box, giving them a slight edge over more advanced devices that are still running older software. Not that they’ll be especially noteworthy otherwise. All three ship with unnamed (but likely low-end) quad-core processors, and HDMI video is the only real standout feature. You may forgive the modest specs when you see the pricing, however. The Q series will sell at prices between $129 and $179 when it ships in the spring, which makes it one of the cheapest ways to try Google’s latest mobile OS.
Filed under: Tablets
Source: Polaroid
Android 4.4.2 update for HTC One, One Max, One Mini expected by February
The HTC One, One Max and One Mini are expected to pick up Android 4.4.2 KitKat updates later this month or in next month. At least so says reputable Twitter source @LlabTooFeR. Also in the cards, the same update for the HTC One DualSIM variant.
All new devices such as One,One DualSIM, One max, One mini will get 4.4.2 update in time frame January-February…
— LlabTooFeR (@LlabTooFeR) January 2, 2014
In addition to the newest release of Android, the update is expected to deliver HTC’s Sense 5.5 UI. As for the 6.0 release, that could be a few months further off. Other mentions from the source suggest we might wait until “late Autumn” for that particular feature.
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Android 4.4 Comes to the LG G2. Sony Updates More Xperia Devices to Android 4.3. – Device Updates
Time to see if your device is getting a shiny new update. Don’t really have much for this past week, which you can imagine is due to the holidays. The LG G2 is going to see some Android 4.4, but sadly, it is only happening in Korea at the moment. Hopefully it’ll start making the rounds soon.
Device Updates
Android 4.4 for LG G2 in Korea
Sony updates more Xperia devices to Android 4.3
Tegra 7 tablet gets Android 4.3
Moto G gets KitKat, improved camera features in the US
Given that Motorola’s budget-friendly Moto G launched just last month, you would have figured the mid-range smartphone would have packed some KitKat. Sadly, it did not, but Mountain View’s hardware arm began rolling out Android 4.4.2 to select owners today. If you purchased your Moto G from Amazon or on Motorola.com in the US, it’s time to snag that update. Devices sold through carriers and in other regions will get some love “soon.” The company’s also offering up the same camera update that hit Moto X devices last week, enabling tap to focus and expose, locked exposure for panoramas and support for additional languages. Those camera enhancements will also be making their way to Droid Mini, Maxx and Ultra.
Filed under: Cellphones, Google
Source: Motorola
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