Hasta La Gadget!

If you were paying attention to the late summer leaks, then the BlackBerry above won’t strike you as a surprise. That’s because it’s the newly announced BlackBerry Z30, the official successor to the all-touch Z10, and it matches up quite closely to what we’ve already seen. The Z30 is the company’s first smartphone to ship with version 10.2 of the BB 10 OS (yes, the naming scheme is a bit confusing) and arrives with a larger 5-inch, 1,280 x 720 Super AMOLED display. The device’s pixel density of 295ppi may pale in comparison to the more diminutive Z10’s 356ppi, but its internals are a different matter.

The Z30 takes a modest spec step up with a dual-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro (paired with 2GB RAM) and Adreno 320 GPU, which should put it somewhat on par with the Nexus 4 and Moto X (sans the X8). There’s also a beefier 2,880mAh battery inside, which the company claims is a first for its product line and, this time around, it’s integrated (read: non-removable). In terms of dimensions, the Z30 comes in with nearly the same silhouette as its predecessor (9.4mm vs 9.3mm), but is substantially taller and wider at 140.7mm x 72mm owing to that 5-inch display. Internal storage remains at 16GB, but users will have the option of augmenting that via microSD. And, as for radios, the Z30 will support 4G LTE (exact bands haven’t been specified), dual-band WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC. The Z30’s camera setup appears mostly similar to the Z10’s, with a 2-megapixel front facer capable of 720p video and an 8-megapixel rear module with an f2.2 lens that captures video in 1080p. %Gallery-slideshow85069%

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Blackberry

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Looks like Sprint really is prepping a 5-inch Android flagship of its own: the Vital. Thanks to an anonymous source, Engadget’s received a motherlode of details on the upcoming, white-labeled device, giving us a glimpse at everything from renders to a slickly produced promo video. Based on the information at hand, the ZTE-made Vital should rep an HD display (resolution unspecified) of the 5-inch variety, an unnamed dual-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz and paired with 1GB RAM, 13-megapixel rear camera, 8GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD), NFC and a healthy 2,500mAh battery. As you can see from the image above, the Vital will also be running what appears to be an unskinned version of Android Jelly Bean — version 4.1, according to the documents — and will run on Sprint’s 4G LTE network. We’re not so sure the Vital’s going to sway consumer interest away from its more bold-faced rivals (i.e., HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4). But competition’s always a good thing and if Sprint can price this one right, it might even have a fighting chance. Hit the break for the promo video.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Sprint

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Source: Honeystreet

With the sudden rush of 5-inch (and larger) smartphones hitting the market — to varying degrees of success — one may wonder if Apple plans to introduce one of its own. In response to a question on today’s Q2 earnings call, CEO Tim Cook maintained his stance against such a move because of necessary tradeoffs in areas like resolution, white balance, quality, app compatibility and more. He stated specifically that Apple would not ship a larger phone “while such trade-offs exist,” leaving just enough wiggle room for a future announcement where it can claim all those issues have been eradicated. Apple shipped the iPhone 5 with extended screen area and introduced a smaller iPad mini after Steve Jobs criticized other company’s products in those categories — we wouldn’t be surprised if Cook is readying a similar move himself.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple

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AU Optronics will soon join Samsung at an exclusive table for two making 5-inch, full-HD OLED smartphone displays. It’ll show off the technology at the China Optoelectronics Display expo starting tomorrow, promising 443 ppi, lower power consumption, fast response times and wide viewing angles. While others build 1,080 x 1,920 LCD screens for models like HTC’s One, currently Samsung has a monopoly on OLEDs of that size and resolution. However, it likely wants to set those aside for its soon-to-ship 5-inch, 1080p Galaxy S 4 — so, AU’s announcement could be good news for other handset makers seeking something punchier than LCD for that form factor.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Via: Android Beat

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.

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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