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Jan 08

ZTE Grand S unveiled: at 6.9mm, it’s the ‘world’s thinnest’ 5-inch, 1080p phone

There’s no point in feigning surprise. We knew this one was coming. Still, it’s hard to deny the importance surrounding the Grand S, which ZTE just made official. Just as quickly, the Chinese outfit secured its title as manufacturer of the world’s thinnest full HD smartphone — a ballsy move for a company that’s historically associated with the bargain bin, at least in the US. The Grand S now stands as ZTE’s flagship handset, and there’s little doubt that the company’s looking to stake its claim in the high end market. As you’d expect, the phone carries a spec sheet that’s designed to grab a lot of attention.

For starters, yes, we’re looking at a 5-inch HD (1,920 x 1,080) display. The Grand S is powered by a 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro and will debut this quarter in China with Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). It’s accompanied by a 13-megapixel auto-focus camera on the rear and a 2-megapixel camera on the front. Both shooters are capable of recording video in 1080p. The Grand S boasts 2GB of RAM, 16GB of built-in storage, and despite its super thin 6.9mm enclosure, it features a microSD card slot — something the Droid DNA can’t match.

If anything, it appears that ZTE sacrificed battery capacity to meet the size constraints of the Grand S, as a somewhat meager 1,780mAh cell is sealed within the phone’s unibody enclosure. As for connectivity, ZTE has revealed that its svelte beast includes LTE, but the company has yet to disclose which bands are supported. To learn more, be sure to check our hands-on.

Continue reading ZTE Grand S unveiled: at 6.9mm, it’s the ‘world’s thinnest’ 5-inch, 1080p phone

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Jan 08

Why 4K Phones Aren’t Such a Bad Idea

Posted in: Today's Chili

Moments ago, at a small press event, Raj Talluri, Qualcomm’s VP of Product Management dropped this little nugget. “You are just starting to see 1080p display phones. I think that will go even higher.” My brain instantly exploded. More »

Jan 08

ZTE Grand S hands-on (video)

Posted in: Today's Chili

ZTE didn’t wait for its official press event to take the official wraps off its latest flagship release, the Grand S: the company is previewing it in its booth. And in a rare match of marketing garble and specs, this grandiose moniker actually befits the hardware to which it’s attached. For starters, the handset’s decked out with a 5-inch 1080p display, quad-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU, 13MP rear-facing camera and 2MP front-facing cam, 2GB RAM and Android Jelly Bean 4.1 pre-installed. But, its signature claim to mobile fame is its 6.9mm thickness — a slim silhouette the company’s billing as a “world’s first.” If you find that last bit hard to swallow, take note, that self-appointed distinction refers to its place in the 1080p smartphone space. We had a chance to spend some quality time with the device, so follow along after the break for our initial impressions, and check out some photos of the new phone below.

Gallery: ZTE Grand S hands-on

Continue reading ZTE Grand S hands-on (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

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Jan 08

LG’s 13.3-inch Windows 8 Ultrabook Z360 hands-on

Posted in: Today's Chili

By now, you should be familiar with all the Windows 8 options flooding the market and here on the CES 2013 show floor, LG’s showing off its latest Ultrabook entry: the Z360. The thin and light device measures just 13.6mm and weighs in at 1.15kg making it easily openable with just one finger. Of course, since the Z360’s 13.3-inch 1080p IPS panel doesn’t support touch input, there’s an array of dedicated “Metro” hot keys along the left edge of the keyboard. Inside, you’re getting a fourth-generation Intel Core i5 processor (alternate Core i3 and i7 configurations are also possible) which allows for the device to cold boot in just eight seconds. On the Z360’s bottom right, you’ll find two slots for microSD slightly hidden, as well as HDMI and wired ethernet ports around the device. LG hasn’t made its pricing or release details known at this time, so stay tuned for those additional details.

Gallery: LG Z360 Ultrabook hands-on

Continue reading LG’s 13.3-inch Windows 8 Ultrabook Z360 hands-on

Filed under: Laptops, LG

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Jan 07

Sony Xperia ZL hands-on: an alternate 5-inch 1080p, quad-core take on ‘premium’

Posted in: Today's Chili

You can’t fault Sony for trying. After announcing its renewed focus on mobile back in 2012, the company’s consistently issued thoughtful hardware for the global marketplace. But its collective efforts have yet to spark the “emotional” storm company CEO Kaz Hirai seems to be striving for. Well, if the smiles on our faces are any indication, Sony may have a bonafide hit on its hands with the Xperia ZL. Introduced officially at its CES 2013 event, the 5-inch Android Jelly Bean handset bears nigh identical specs to its larger, more “premium” big brother: the Xperia Z. With a scratch-resistant 1080p TFT Reality Display powered by Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro and 13-megapixel rear camera with Exmor RS sensor, the ZL sits comfortably in the high-end range. We spent a bit of time exploring the device and gauging its ability to evoke kando — that Japanese term for an emotional reaction spurred by quality experiences — so join us after the break to see how it fares and meter our level of excitement.

Gallery: Sony Xperia ZL hands-on

Continue reading Sony Xperia ZL hands-on: an alternate 5-inch 1080p, quad-core take on ‘premium’

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Sony

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Jan 07

Huawei announces the Ascend D2 with a 5-inch 1080p display, we go Hands-on

Posted in: Today's Chili

Huawei has just unveiled both of their latest and greatest Android smartphones today at CES 2013 here in Viva Las Vegas. First up was the larger than usual Ascend Mate with a 6.1-inch display, but what we have below is their flagship device. The Ascend D2 follows up on its successor with a 5.0-inch 1920 x 1080p true HD display, Jelly Bean and more. Read on for full details.

Screen Shot 2013-01-07 at 2.31.57 PM

Just like everything from Huawei this week, the Ascend D2 smartphone has seen its fair share of leaks too. Today however the folks from Huawei confirmed all the details themselves right up on stage. Huawei Chairman Richard Yu described it as a “dream phone” and we’d have to agree — at least according to specs. Imagine everything we loved about the DROID DNA but with a much bigger battery. Let us elaborate.

The Huawei Ascend D2 comes in with a size of 140 mm x 71 mm x 9.4 mm and only 170 grams. And will be available in Crystal Blue or Pearl White. Those “dream phone” specs include a 5.0-inch 1920 x 1080p Full HD 443 ppi “super retina LCD” Huawei’s own 1.5 GHz quad-core Hi-Silicon K3V2 + Balong V7R1 processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage and much more.

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Then the other important specs that make this a tier above their Ascend Mate phablet are the fact that they tossed in a 13 megapixel rear camera that has a f/2.2 aperture, and a hybrid IR filter. Not to mention full HDR, burst mode, and of course LED flash. Then just like the original Ascend D they’ve tossed in a large battery so we won’t be begging for an outlet. The Ascend D2 rocks a large 3,000 mAh battery under the hood.

Again the Ascend D2 rocks Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, and is heavily skinned with their own UI as expected. For an idea on what to expect with software have a look at our Ascend D Quad Review from last year. The new Ascend D quad has a similar design language, although clearly is a bit larger and the screen is amazingly crisp and vibrant. Aside from the shiny new plastic design the aluminum edges feel great in the hand. More details will follow shortly with our hands-on video. Stay tuned. The device will be available next month but pricing and details were not yet available.

Huawei announces the Ascend D2 with a 5-inch 1080p display, we go Hands-on is written by Cory Gunther & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Jan 07

Huawei Ascend D2 official: 5-inch 1080p display, 1.5GHz quad-core CPU, Android Jelly Bean

Posted in: Today's Chili

Huawei Ascend D2 official 5inch 1080p display, 15GHz quadcore CPU, Android Jelly Bean

Huawei’s daring to dream big — at least, that’s what prior leaks regarding its latest Android lineup have seemed to indicate. And here at CES 2013, the company’s finally formally introduced the Ascend D2, referred to by company Chairman Richard Yu as the “dream phone.” Its top shelf specs — 5-inch 1080p display, quad-core 1.5GHz K3V3 CPU, Android Jelly Bean, 13-megapixel rear camera and 3,000mAh battery — certainly merit that distinction, but as pie in the sky smartphone ambitions go, its 6.1-inch stablemate, the Ascend Mate, takes the cake.

The Ascend 2 has a 443 ppi 5-inch display panel which is 1,080 x 1,920. As for the camera, the 13-megapixel shooter has an f/2.2 aperture, a 5P lens and a hybrid IR filter. Audio-wise, super hands free will allow you to talk to the device (and hear the conversation) up to 2 meters away. It has a whopping 3,000 mAH battery in it, and is both dustproof and waterproof.

Developing…

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

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Jan 06

Dell’s XPS 13 Ultrabook getting a 1080p screen option later this month

Posted in: Today's Chili

Dell’s had a fairly minimal presence here at CES 2013 but it does have this bit of news to share: its XPS 13 Ultrabook is getting a 1080p screen later this month, according to a company spokesperson. In general, it’s encouraging to see PC makers step it up on the resolution front, but it’s particularly good news here, as the XPS 13’s mediocre 1,366 x 768 screen was one of the few things we criticized in our review. Now that the weak display is getting taken care of and the trackpad drivers have been fine-tuned, that leaves just one lingering flaw: no SD card reader. Perhaps we can’t have it all, but it does sound like this will be a stronger choice than it had been. No word yet on how much that upgrade will cost or when, exactly, it will become available, but we’ll keep you posted.

Filed under: Laptops, Dell

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Jan 06

Liquid Image Ego Mini 1080p HD WiFi action camera hands-on

Posted in: Today's Chili

Today at CES 2013 the folks from Liquid Image, known for their popular 1080p HD camera options, have announced an all new HD sports camera. Their Ego Mini is one of the lightest, thinnest, and most versatile 1080p HD WiFi-enabled action-cameras available. For more details and a quick video rundown check it out after the break.

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We’ve seen plenty of video camera options from Liquid Image, but the new Ego Mini is nearly half the size of the original LI Ego (link below), which is one of the smallest WiFi enabled full Hd cameras available today. There’s many awesome choices like the GoPro, but none are small enough to go where the new Ego Mini can.

Coming in at just 1.6″ long by 2.0 inches high and less than an inch thick, it truly is one of the smallest HD cams around. From mountainbike frames, Paintball guns, inside of helmet, chest mounts and more Liquid Image has every situation covered and we’ll show a few of many in our video below. Check it out.

Being a WiFi enabled HD camera you can upload videos instantly, or even enjoy watching them in real time on your favorite smartphone or tablet. Shown off here today by Liquid Image was full HD streaming on Android with the Samsung Nexus 10 tablet as seen below. Their app doesn’t as a remote control function for those hard to access cameras mounted under cars, or outside during those fast-paced activities. With more than 4 hours of continuous video capture you’ll be enjoying HD video for hours. IT features a multi-colored LED for recording notification, micro-SD for expanded storage, and charges via mini-USB.

In addition to WiFi and HD video, the Ego Mini features a 12 megapixel camera as well as 60 fps 72op video capture. More details are coming soon so stay tuned.

Dec 26

Nubia Z5 unveiled in China with quad-core chip, 5-inch 1080p display and 7.6mm thickness

Posted in: Today's Chili

Much like many Chinese smartphone brands these days, ZTE sub-brand Nubia had prematurely given away the main selling points of its Z5 ahead of its Beijing launch today, but there were still some surprises. As you probably already know, here’s yet another five-inch 1080p Android phone featuring Qualcomm’s 1.5GHz quad-core APQ8064, 2GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage, along with a 13-megapixel F2.2 main camera (with five-element optics by Konica Minolta, plus separate touch focus and touch exposure in the app) and a two-megapixel front-facing camera. For multimedia consumption, the Z5 supports WiFi Display and MHL output should you wish to beam content to a larger screen; whereas on the audio side you are spoiled with either Yamaha or Dolby Digital Plus. But wait, there’s more!

Gallery: Nubia Z5 hands-on