Hasta La Gadget!

Think 150Mbps LTE-Advanced data is quick? KDDI could offer far more bandwidth next year. Nikkei claims that the Japanese carrier plans to upgrade its cellular network to 220 Mbps data as soon as summer 2014. Service would reportedly launch with an Android smartphone, and rely on new wireless technology; it’s not clear whether this entails a faster LTE-A variant or something new. KDDI hasn’t confirmed the rumor, so we wouldn’t consider moving to Japan just yet. If there’s any truth to the claims, however, even NTT DoCoMo’s upgraded LTE could soon feel downright pokey.

[Image credit: TAKA@P.P.R.S, Flickr]

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

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Source: Nikkei (subscription required)

At today’s 2013 summer new collection press conference, au announced the new “AQUOS PHONE SERIE” smartphone, to be released after late July.

One of the highlights of the “AQUOS PHONE SERIE” is that it’s a smartphone that allows you to use it for 3 days straight without recharging because of the energy-saving IGZO LCD and large capacity 3,080mAh built-in.

Also, its camera needs only 0.4 seconds to be ready to take a photo, which is the quickest among smartphones. Since the top of class F1.9 bright lens is featured, you can take natural looking photos without the flash in mostly dark places.

Its handleability has increased and it has some interesting functions like “Shake Off” that turns off the display by shaking the smartphone, “Bright Keep” that keeps the display light while you hold it, and “Finger Step & Voice Awake” that activates an app by tapping the smartphone and you can activate the app you want to use by saying its name.

Model: AQUOS PHONE SERIE SHL22
Release date: After late July
OS: Android 4.2
Size: 70 x 142 x 9.9mm
Weight: 155g
Display: 4.9 inch IGZO HD
Battery: 3,080mAh
Color: White, Blue, Black
Compliant with: Bluetooth, One-seg, Wi-Fi, Tethering, au Smart Pass, Wallet phone, 4G LTE, NFC, Infrared data communication, Waterproof, Dustproof

Popular young actress Ayame Goriki and current world-wide famous Japanese pop singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu joined the event, brightening up the venue…

The au 2013 summer new collection press conference took place at Shibuya Excel (Cerulean) Tokyu Hotel in Shibuya, Tokyo.

At today’s 2013 summer new collection press conference, au announced the new “XPERIA UL” smartphone, to be released May 25.

According to CEO Takashi Tanaka, “XPERIA UL” is a smartphone that they especially focused on because of its ease of hold and were meticulous about the design to the last millimeter. Although XPERIA smartphones that are out from other companies have a more square design, Sony changed the “XPERIA UL” design only for au to make it fit more comfortably in users’ hands.

“XPERIA UL” has a large 5 inch high-resolution display with Direct Touch (for better touch accurately) built-in. Its camera features Sony’s CMOS image sensor “Exmor RS for mobile” and is 13 million pixels. One of the notable camera functions is “Continuous Shooting Mode” that enables you to take 15 photos per second without any limit (within memory capacity).

Model: Xperia UL SOL22
Release date: May 25
OS: Android 4.1
Size: 71 x 135 x 10.5mm
Weight: 145g
Display: 5 inch Reality Display LCD FHD
Battery: 2,300mAh
Color: White, Pink, Black
Compliant with: Bluetooth, One-seg, Wi-Fi, Tethering, au Smart Pass, Wallet phone, 4G LTE, NFC, Infrared data communication, Waterproof, Dustproof

Popular young actress Ayame Goriki and current world-wide famous Japanese pop singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu joined the event, brightening up the venue…

The au 2013 summer new collection press conference took place at Shibuya Excel (Cerulean) Tokyu Hotel in Shibuya, Tokyo.

The FCC may have spoiled the surprise, but Sony’s now gone official with yet another smartphone and this one’s for its native Japan. The Xperia UL appears to be a slightly thicker riff on the Xperia Z, matching the display of the company’s early-2013 flagship, with a quad-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064) ticking behind the 5-inch 1080p screen. It’s worth noting that it’s a substantial resolution bump from the similar-looking 720p NTT DoCoMo Xperia A. Although it’s not the Snapdragon 600 rumored, Qualcomm’s S4 Pro flexes its muscle through Exmor RS 13-megapixel camera sensor, offering up the ability to capture 15 frames in a second. NFC, naturally, is already in attendance as well as the Felica wireless payment system. You’ll also get the benefits of both a physical camera button and water (IPX5/8) and dust resistance (IP5X) — two features in tandem that should help separate it from Sony’s pair of existing 5-inch 1080p smartphones. The Xperia UL will launch on KDDI’s au network in white, black and hot pink colors on May 25th. Check out the obligatory close-up ad after the break.

Update: The Xperia UL runs on an S4 Pro processor, not the Snapdragon 600 initially stated.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony

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Source: Sony (Japanese)

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