Hasta La Gadget!

How do you build a powerful, attractive 11.6-inch tablet that retails for $349? Well, you cut some corners when it comes to build quality, as we discovered when handling Archos’ 8 and 9.7-inch Platinum models last month at CES. The company’s latest slab features an identical quad-core 1.2GHz processor, eight-core GPU, 2 gigs of RAM, Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), front and rear cameras, along with microSD and HDMI connectivity. The 116 Platinum, however, packs a larger 11.6-inch, 1920×1080-pixel widescreen IPS display, boosting the price tag to $349, compared to $299 for the 9.7-inch model and $199 for the 8 incher. Archos has promised some hands-on time at CeBIT next month in Germany, but you can get a fairly solid idea of how it’ll look and feel by checking out the smaller Platinums in our CES vid after the break.

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Source: Archos (PDF)

Today a collection of screenshots have been revealed of what appears very much to be a Samsung “smartwatch” with the name GALAXY ALtius attached to it. The images shown here come from a Korean messageboard where the main topic of conversation is how well the watch will fit in with the rest of the market rather than if the mysterious device exists. Given the recent fervor created by the idea of an Apple iWatch, could the Samsung smartwatch, indeed, be far behind?

This series of screen-grabs includes the name GALAXY Altius, one that we’ve heard in a set of rumors very recently attached to what was thought to be the Galaxy S IV – another device rumored to be revealed soon. This device has SKT and SKTelecom on several shots, this indicating that it will be carried with a data plan on that particular South Korean mobile service. Though the software here does appear to have an Android-type look to it, it could just as easily be a basic Java-based interface not unlike what we’re seeing with today’s reveal of the REX series from Samsung.

In the upper right-hand corner of a couple of the shots, you’ll see the “Samsung-GA7″ code name – this indicative of the LCD display. You’ll find that the software version is AltiusOS beta2, this either meaning that the software was built specifically for this device, or that it’s a version of Android (or some Samsung-specific OS) fitted for this device. You’ll also find that 1.5% of the full 235MB of internal storage space is being used up – this makes the case for a rather symbiotic device rather than a stand-along model.

The final screenshot shows a series of tiles that each have their own purpose – the first is a music player, the second a clock, another a connection to your email with a little “2″ in the corner to show how many messages you’ve got left to read. The fact that the last two tiles are off to the right of the display while a bar at the bottom shows a bit of a “slider” situation shows that this device will quite likely have a touchscreen display.

Each shot here is 500 x 500 pixels, this possibly indicating that the display is working with 500 x 500 pixel resolution – we don’t know for certain because the original delivery here isn’t verified as straight from the device. That said, such a resolution is quite possible given the current standards for smart devices – especially Samsung-made Galaxy devices.

It’s also worth noting that the name Samsung Galaxy Altius was sent to SamMobile on the 22nd of January as a Samsung flagship device. Though they’ve separately confirmed the Samsung Galaxy S IV to be working with the name GT-I9500, the connection to the name Altius could just as easily be assigned to the Samsung smartwatch Altius. It’s also possible – however unlikely – that both the Galaxy S IV and the Samsung smartwatch are working with the name Altius as a sort of “family name” for this next generation of smart device releases.

Have a peek at the timeline below covering the full gamut of recent Samsung next-generation tips and suggestions and stay tuned for more action on SlashGear in the Samsung tag portal as well! Click any of the images in the gallery below for larger more close-up versions of the images you see above.

Samsung GALAXY Altius Smartwatch leaked is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The launch of the iPhone 5 not only brought an iPhone with a larger screen, but it also introduced the Lightning connector. Since then, Apple’s new Lightning connector has made it to the iPad Mini and fourth generation iPad, which means accessory makers have been scrambling to provide updated accessories to help support the new connector.

Scosche is one accessory maker that has yet to provide official Lightning connector compatible cables, but starting today, that will change as the company is announcing its line of Lightning connector cables. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple Plans To Fix iOS 6.1 Passcode Lock Bypass Exploit, New Zealand Frontline Police To Receive iPhones And iPads,

Qualcomm has posted about its Quick Charge 1.0 power management initiative, and as its name indicates, this technology is designed to charge smartphones “up to 40%” faster. Qualcomm acquired this last year when it  bought Summit Microelectronics in June 2012. There is no question that battery capacity is not going to improve radically from a strcutural stand point, and while handset do get bigger batteries, they can only do so as long as the handset themselves get bigger. Fast charging is therefore the most likely path to real battery progress, and Qualcomm understands  that perfectly. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Mysterious Nokia Lumia Device Spotted In Lumia 920 Ad, Google Launches Nexus 4 Store Locator,

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, patents have proved to be a powerful bargaining chip among companies in recent times, and the more patents a company owns, the better. Sony was seen to have filed for a patent recently for what they described as an “Input device, system and method,” which is otherwise known as the “EyePad”. Yes sir, what sounds pretty ordinary in its description actually has far more than meets the eye, where the flat device that resembles a tablet is said to come with six-axis motion sensors, joystick controls, and illuminated edges which “provide a similar functionality to that of the illuminated ball of the Playstation Move.”

Hmmm, deciphering that would mean it ought to function as a physical surface with touch sensor capability in addition to featuring a motion tracking device to work alongside the EyeToy. Not only that, the patent application also comes with its fair share of references to a pair of stereoscopic cameras “of a type typically found in mobile phones and other compact devices”, where these are located at each end of the touch surface so that one can use the EyePad to create “depth maps”. Will this arrive as a peripheral for the PS3, or perhaps the much anticipated PS4? Time will tell.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Angry Birds Cartoon Series Coming In Spring, Says Rovio , Wedding Entertainment System – wedding invitation like a boss!,