Hasta La Gadget!

Another day, another new smartphone from Sony is in the works – this time around, we are talking about the Sony C2015 which was spotted in GLBenchmark, where a bunch of interesting details were revealed to the masses. First of all, from the model number C2105, one is able to deduce that this will in all probability be a mid-range device, where it will share the same kind of pulling power like the Xperia E (C150X) and the Xperia E Dual (C160X). Apart from that, we wager that the C2105 will come with a FWVGA screen resolution, albeit accompanied by on-screen virtual buttons which can be found in current Xperia GX/T/TX/V models – sporting 480 x 791 pixels.

The processor is nothing much to shout about though, as we are looking at a 1GHz single-core chipset, although there is the remote possibility of a dual-core chipset like the NovaThor U8500. Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean will be part of the equation, and chances are the Sony C2105 is shaping up to be the 2013 variant of the Xperia J – or at least something in a similar class.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Sony NEX-7 looks set for 2013 successor, Sony Xperia Odin spotted again in leaked render,

Americans who were eying Motorola’s Droid RAZR M and just weren’t keen on Verizon’s typically overt branding now have at least one alternative. US Cellular is giving the big-screened, small-sized smartphone a slight respin as the Electrify M, with a subtler (if less Kevlar-laden) design wrapping around the same 4.3-inch screen, 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 and LTE that we’ve come to know. The carrier applies a light touch to the Android 4.0 build as well. Those who want to take advantage of US Cellular’s giant LTE expansion this month won’t have to wait long between the widened coverage and a new device to use with it: the Electrify M goes on sale online as of November 8th, and retail a day later, at the same $100 post-discount price as its Verizon counterpart.

Continue reading US Cellular intros Motorola Electrify M, gets a slice of the Droid RAZR M on November 8th for $100

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google

US Cellular intros Motorola Electrify M, gets a slice of the Droid RAZR M on November 8th for $100 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Nov 2012 13:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The U.S. Government will now be looking into solutions for provisioning iOS and Android devices in addition to those featuring RIM’s BlackBerry OS, according to a new report from Reuters. That means RIM will no longer have the exclusive contract for smartphone devices at the U.S. Defense Department, though it will remain another option.

A posting for the Defense Information Systems Agency is looking for companies to submit applications detailing how they can provide software to monitor and enforce strict security measures required for sensitive defense-related operations. The potential size of any arrangement with the Defense Department is huge: it could span 8 million devices all told. But the DOD doesn’t mean RIM is left out in the cold; in fact, BlackBerry’s Mobile Fusion cross-platform, mobile device management solution is among the software solutions that could theoretically meet the needs of the DOD.

RIM said in an interview with Reuters that it will be offering Fusion as a potential solution for consideration. And while other organizations like the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have announced they’ll switch entirely to iPhone, BlackBerry still probably won’t be kicked out of the Pentagon altogether, at least in the immediate future. So while this is a blow, it isn’t a knock-out punch quite yet.

Ultimately, we’ll see how the contract gets awarded sometime in April, according to Reuters. That may give RIM a chance to sway decision-makers with new BlackBerry 10 devices, but it’s also possible Apple or Android could sway the DOD with their large, mature app ecosystems, which is apparently a key criteria for the U.S. government body.

Since we do know that the hotly anticipated GTA 5 title will be heading our way sometime in Q1 of 2013, here we are with more information on the title, thanks to Take-Two CEO’s Strauss Zelnick loose lips, pointing out that Rockstar has “a lot of interesting stuff” in store for the GTA 5 DLC. The thing is, he also mentioned in the same conversation that it is “way too early” to discuss just what kind of interesting stuff that the GTA 5 DLC will carry.

Zelnick shared, “I think you can safely assume that Rockstar, as the label that led the charge in downloadable content with Grand Theft Auto 4, I think you’d have every reason to believe, purely because of the ground-breaking nature of the title itself and the multiplayer in the title, that there’s going to be a lot of interesting stuff. But I’ll leave that to Rockstar to announce.”

Well, we do hope to hear more about GTA 5 from next week onwards, but chances are there will not be anything mentioned or shared about Rockstar’s plans for the DLC. So far, Take-Two confirmed that GTA 5 will arrive in April next year, which means it is slightly late for the Q1 time window which closes in March.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: GTA 5 sees spring 2013 release date, Rockstar unveils first official Grand Theft Auto 5 artwork,

Sony is shipping a new version of its PlayStation 4 development kit, insiders claim, codenamed “Orbis” and  based on AMD’s A10 Accelerated Processing Units. Described as “a modified PC” by VG247‘s sources, the APUs at the heart of the console-analog is supposedly a “derivative” of the A10 combined CPU and GPU Trinity chips AMD launched back in March, and is paired with “either 8GB or 16GB of RAM.”

There’s also set to be Blu-ray, in the final console at least, along with a 256GB drive “as standard.” The developers briefed by Sony this week did not say whether that would be an HDD or SDD, but it’s worth noting that 256GB as a capacity is more typically associated with solid-state drives.

Connectivity includes both WiFi and ethernet, along with an HDMI output, and in general there’s no difference in ports between Orbis and the existing PS3. Sony supposedly told developers that the goal was a machine that would be capable of satisfying “today and tomorrow’s market,” such as running 1080p60 games in 3D, but while still being “very affordable”; that challenging balance could well explain the apparent use of closer to off-the-shelf components than the Core chips at the heart of the current-gen console.

The latest machine is apparently the second in what’s expected to be a four system roll-out for developers with early access to Sony’s hardware. The first model was “essentially just a graphics card” while this second-gen version dresses that up in a PC. A third machine, expected in January, will supposedly be near to the final PS4 specifications, followed by the final version due “next summer.”

In addition to the introduction to new hardware, Sony is also using the Orbis developer system to demo the PS4′s updated interface, it’s claimed. “They’re trying to make it as fluid as possible” it’s said of the new UI, with the ability to jump out mid-game and use any other feature before returning, such as to leap into the PS Store and buy extra game content before heading back into play to actually use it. Sony expects the PS4 to be perpetually left in standby, with (optional) downloads in the background.

Orbis, as Sony is insisting on calling the PS4 in these early briefings, is expected to be announced just prior to E3 2013.

[Image credit: Tai Chiem]

Sony PS4 “Orbis” based on tweaked AMD A10 tip devs is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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