ipad 6 case: 十二月 2013

2013年12月15日星期日

Samsung Galaxy Express

Samsung Galaxy Express, Galaxy Rugby Pro, and Galaxy Note II for AT&T hands-on

We encountered AT&T’s freshly announced LTE trio of Samsung Android smartphones at an event in New York City. Headed by the Samsung Galaxy Note II, the bunch also includes the brand new Galaxy Express mid-ranger, and the rugged Galaxy Rugby Pro.

We’ll begin with the Android 4.0 ICS booting Samsung Galaxy Express. The smartphone sports a 4.5″ Super AMOLED Plus display, which is taken directly from the US crop of Galaxy S II devices. We are yet to find out if the handset sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 or S4 chipset. A 5MP camera and 2000mAh battery are also part of its spec sheet.

Samsung Galaxy Express live photos

Overall the Samsung Galaxy Express felt a lot like a stripped out Galaxy S III. The build quality of the handset is practically identical with the flagship’s, and so is most of the software experience.

The Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro on the other hand, is a successor to the Rugby Smart, which we reviewed earlier this year. The Android ICS smartphone brings slightly updated internals and LTE connectivity compared to its predecessor, while keeping the same MIL-STD-810G certified body.

Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro live photos

Much like the original Samsung Rugby Smart, the newcomer is rugged not only on paper. The Galaxy Rugby Pro is a seriously tough guy and looks the part. We surely look forward to testing its credentials out soon more thoroughly.

The AT&T branded Samsung Galaxy Note II was present as well. It was sporting a flip cover, but we still managed to catch a glimpse of its AT&T branded back.

AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note II live photos

The specifications of the AT&T Galaxy Note II are the same as the ones of the international version, save for the presence of LTE connectivity. You can check out our thorough review of the N7100 over here.

The trio of smartphones is bound to appear on the carrier’s shelves in the nearest future. The Galaxy Note II is certain to be formally announced on 24th this month at an event in New York City.

Google Now updated with public alerts

Google Now updated with public alerts, movie showtimes, real time sport results

With the IFA going at full swing we almost missed the new update for Google Now. Today, all Jelly Bean got a cool new version of their virtual assistant, packing several cool new features.

Google Now is capable of displaying various public alerts as well as real time sport results. But wait, there is more!

In addition to those, Google Now can track movie showtimes for you and give you notifications when you are close to a cinema or it’s a weekend/a day off work.

Finally, Google Now extended its support to include South Korea. If you have a Jelly Bean device feel free to share your impressions of the updated Google Now service in the comments section below.

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2013年12月13日星期五

Chinese officials start seizing iPads from retailers after Apple loses lawsuit

Chinese officials started confiscating iPad slates from retailers, following the defeat in the naming rights lawsuit for the Cupertino-based company. Many retailers have had their stores visited by employees of Administrations of Industry and Commerce and their in-stock iPads taken away.

The campaign comes despite the appeal lawsuit that is still going in the Chinese court. There’s no saying when it will be over, but Apple will obviously have trouble selling its tablet in the world’s most populous country until then.

Meanwhile Proview, the company that won the iPad trademark rights, demanded an official apology and a compensation of $38 million from Apple.

It was always certain that Apple will pay whatever needs to be paid to get itself out of trouble. However, given this most recent turn of event, Apple may be forced to act before the court case is over, as suspension of sales might be more damaging to its financial results than a few millions in compensation.

Source | Via

2013年12月6日星期五

LG announces world's first FullHD smartphone display with a pixel density of 440ppi

LG has created a new display for the ever evolving smartphone that involves packing in 1920 x 1080 pixels in just 5-inches of display space. This is the world’s first FullHD smartphone display and has a pixel density of an astonishing 440ppi, way ahead of what we currently have in our phones.

The panel used in the display is an Advanced High Performance In-Plane Switching or AH-IPS LCD. This is the same technology that LG used in one of its panels last year for which they also won an award. Compared to standard IPS panels, AH-IPS panels have greater color accuracy, wider viewing angles and greater light transmission which leads to lower power consumption.

This 5-inch FullHD panel will be released in the second half of this year and should hopefully be the norm in next year’s high-end smartphones.

2013年12月3日星期二

FCC leaks Sony's upcoming VAIO Chromebook

The FCC database revealed a number of elements pertaining to a new member of Sony’s VAIO laptop family this week in the form of the VCC111.

Sony's yet to be released VAIO Chromebook

It would seem that manufactures are still happy to follow through on support for Google’s web connected OS and Sony are shaping up to provide the next Chromebook in the lineup.

The VCC111 can be seen in fairly comprehensive detail, dispelling any confusions over this laptop as an ultrabook, rather than a Chromebook, which was one initial speculation. The 111 is a well connected device, with two USB ports alongside an SD card reader, an HDMI port on the opposing side and what looks like a removable battery.

Sony's yet to be released VAIO Chromebook
Right side, left side and front views of the VCC111.

Based on the various files referenced on the FCC’s site, a specs list has been pieced together, but there are still uncertainties over some of the hardware under the VCC111′s hood.

For starters it utilizes an 11.6″ Samsung-made display. Internals are rumored to include an Nvidia Tegra 250 T25 1.2GHz ARM based CPU, backed up by 2GB of RAM and internal storage in the form of an SSD with a 16GB capacity. There’s also the essential inclusion of WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and of course Bluetooth.

Going by the patterns seen on previous Chromebooks, the VCC111 should cost in the vicinity of $299-$400 and going by its appearance on the FCC database we could see it arrive on the market in a matter of weeks.

Does Sony stepping into the Chromebook ring change the stakes? With an established sub-brand like VAIO in the Chrome OS-running family, will there be greater potential for adoption by new users with existing Sony loyalties? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Source | Via