Samsung has officially revealed the Galaxy S4 Zoom, bulking out its Galaxy S 4 flagship with a 16-megapixel sensor, a 10x optical zoom, and a Xenon flash. The new smartphone-camera hybrid is part of the Korean company’s mission to make “an industry-leading smartphone, and a high-end compact camera” in one device, which started with the
Coming in just after a Russian site managed to review the device, Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy S4 zoom. Combining a fully featured Android 4.2.2 Galaxy phone (basically a Galaxy S4 Mini) with a 16MP point-and-shoot, it brings a 10x optical zoom lens to bear — the first phone to do so. On the phone side, it sports a 4.3-inch qHD display, 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 1.5GB RAM, 8GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD slot) and a 1.9MP front facing camera. The camera includes optical image stabilization and a Xenon flash, along with a special “Zoom Ring.” That ring surrounds the camera, and when twisted (even while on a call) it can launch in-call photo sharing, or go straight to other camera modes. Extra software features are also on hand to advantage of the combo device’s capabilities including Photo Suggest that shows great pics taken by others in the area, Smart Mode auto settings and more.
President and CEO JK Shin is pleased by the union, calling it “truly the best of both worlds, without compromise,” for people who want to capture high quality images and share them, but don’t want to carry two devices. We’re told it will arrive in the UK this summer but have not been able to confirm a pricetag, while its early Russian reviewers mentioned a July release and local pricing of around $618, converted. Intrigued, horrified, or just want to compare it to Nokia’s latest efforts? A press release, pictures and detailed spec sheet await you below.
Update: Samsung indicates to us that the Galaxy S4 zoom will come to the US and the rest of Europe as well, at some point in Q4.
Gallery: Galaxy S4 Zoom
Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile, Samsung
Source: Samsung
The most brutal week of the competition was under way this week on “So You Think You Can Dance.” It was Vegas Week, and that meant exhausted dancers, frayed nerves and temper tantrums. And for one dancer, it almost meant the end of the competition.
During last-minute rehearsals, Malece Miller took a hard fall while working with her partner Armen Way. During an upside-down hold, he dropped her straight on her head. Malece was off to the hospital, with her future on the show in jeopardy.
Thankfully, she was given the clear to perform, while Armen was given a stern lecture about caring for the safety of his partner. Malece fought with a vengeance and both dancers sailed their way through the rest of the week. But perhaps the drop was still haunting the judges’ image of Armen. He was a part of the final cuts of the week.
If previous leaks had us fairly convinced Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Zoom cameraphone was a real device, this latest one has us certain. A Russian website has published what can only be described as a full review of the Zoom, before it’s even been made official. The main camera hosts a 16-megapixel sensor and is capable of 10x optical zoom, performed by rotating a ring that runs around the lens; this ring is also used to launch the camera mode. A piece of glass sits flush with the end of the lens for dust protection, and a xenon flash will give you extra light when you need it.
Inside, the Zoom is similar to the S4 Mini, running a dual-core 1.5GHz Exynos processor, 1.5GB of RAM and eight gigs of internal storage (naturally, there’s a microSD slot for boosting that). Facing you is a 4.3-inch qHD (960 x 540) display showing Android 4.2.2 (with a TouchWiz coating, of course), a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera, and powering the whole thing is a huge 2,330mAh removable battery. For connection and communication, you’ve got WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and the increasingly popular IR blaster, but it appears the Russian model doesn’t have an LTE radio. From the raft of sample pictures available, image quality looks pretty good on the whole. hi-tech.mail.ru reports that the Zoom is scheduled to launch in Russia in July at a cost of 19,990 rubles, or around $618 by conversion.
Update: Samsung’s gone and announced the thing, but it’s still worth heading to the source for all the hardware shots, sample pictures and first impressions. If you’re in a rush, we’ve put a profile shot of the cameraphone and our favorite sample image from the review after the break.
[Thanks, Max]
Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile, Samsung
Source: hi-tech.mail.ru
If you’ve been sitting around not clocking up the miles with your Basis Band, we imagine it’s because you were waiting for that long-delayed mobile app. Well, it might not be Q1 as promised, but it’s finally time to lace up those sneakers. It’s team Android that gets out of the blocks first, with the app debuting on the Google-flavored OS. Features include automatic sync, the ability to see your current progress towards your activity (aka habits,) plus, of course, lots of historical data. Think you set your goals too high? Too low? No problem — you can edit said habits direct from the app, drill down to show more detail, and get notifications or reminders about how well you’re (not?) doing. The app is free, and while Android might have the head start, we’re told the iOS version isn’t far behind, so iPhone owners might want to start limbering up now. In the meantime, those with green stripes can head to the source for the goods.
Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Mobile
Via: PopSci
Source: Google Play
The Miami Heat got what they deserved, according to their coach
After San Antonio’s 113-77 beat down on Tuesday night in Game 3 of the NBA finals, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra started his press conference by saying “we got what we deserved tonight.” It wasn’t the last time he said that.
“We got what we deserved. They got into an incredible rhythm, even in the first quarter. Every shot they wanted to get, they got. We did not disrupt them.” Spoelstra said. “We got what we deserved. They got into an incredible rhythm and we were playing from behind virtually from the start.”
Home cleaning robot “COCOROBO (RX-V90)” will be out from Sharp in late June.
“COCOROBO” measures the dimensions of a room with an ultrasonic sensor, and it’s able to boost the suction power up when detecting an area with lots of dust and trash. It can run for a maximum of 100 minutes straight and clean up to a 3LDK sized (3 bedrooms, 1 living room, 1 dining area and kitchen) – roughly 43-tatami mat room/62㎡ room.
There are 2 other features that make “COCOROBO” become something more life-like: an artificial intelligence “COCORO Engine” that changes its feeling according to the size of a room or cleaning situation making it change its action, its lights and the words it says, and “Voice-recognition capability” that enables you to control it by voice.
Price: Open price
Model: RX-V90
Size: 304 x 304 x 99mm
Weight: 2.6kg
Charging time: 4 hours
Accessories: Remote control, charging stand, cleaning brush, replacement side brush 1 set (2 brushes), bumper cushion
Chris Messina dropped by “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and talked about how he may have taken on more than he could handle a little while back. While still filming Season 1 of “The Mindy Project,” he also had work on Season 2 of “The Newsroom” and was prepping to direct his first feature film. Something had to give.
Apparently, that something was his appearance on the season finale of “The Newsroom.” He said he asked if they could “take it easy” on him with the lines, but this is an Aaron Sorkin show. So he had an entire speech he had to memorize in two days. How did it go?
Messina said he bombed hard. Making it worse, he did it in front of Jane Fonda, Sam Waterston and Marcia Gay Harden. Thankfully, they were very supportive.
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EE’s 4G may grab the headlines, but the company’s also offering land line phone and internet services with a (Kevin) Bacony-twist. Now, the network is coaxing existing customers away from rival ISPs like Virgin and BT with six new unlimited broadband and call packages. The £5-per-month basic tier will give you unlimited ADSL and weekend calls, while bluer bloods can fork out £29 a month to get unlimited fiber (up to speeds of 76 Mbps), unlimited calls to landlines and 1,000 free mobile minutes each week. We’ve added a chart for comparison after the break, assuming you don’t reach for your wallet every time you see a product pitched by the guy from Footloose.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker is scheduled to have an MRI on a tight hamstring on Wednesday, leaving his availability for Game 4 of the NBA Finals very much up in the air.
Parker was injured early in the second half of Game 3 against Miami on Tuesday night. He tried to play through it, but left the game early in the fourth quarter with the Spurs pulling away to an eventual 113-77 victory.
Parker had just six points and eight assists in 27 minutes, and now Spurs fans will have to hold their breath to see if their star point guard will be ready for the next game on Thursday.
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