This week we’ve gotten our first opportunity to have a peek at the high-end Nokia Lumia 928 for Verizon, a device that takes Nokia’s unique angle on Windows Phone 8 and brings it to the big red 4G LTE carrier. This machine works with 4G LTE / CDMA as well as HSPA+, this device prepared for global travel as Verizon devices are apt to do – more and more as the trend catches on, that is. This device is largely similar to the Nokia Lumia 920 released with AT&T earlier this year and has some distinct similarities with the other Nokia smartphone revealed in full this week: the Lumia 925.
This Lumia device works with a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor that powers a 4.5-inch display with 1280 x 768 pixel resolution. This display differs ever-so-slightly from the Nokia norm with OLED and PureMotion HD+ technology – we’ll be comparing with the Lumia 920 soon. This device is also slightly thinner than the Lumia 920, otherwise retaining most of its abilities.
You’ll find a 2,000 mAh battery inside, NFC as well as wireless charging right out of the box, and a couple of relatively decent cameras. Up front is a 1.2-megapixel camera while the back employs an 8.7 megapixel camera with Nokia’s PureView camera promise. This doesn’t necessarily mean your photos are going to be PureView 808-quality, but it does mean Nokia means business.
Below you’ll see a set of photos taken with the Lumia 928 both inside and outside on a rather bright and sunny day. And dear readers: Let us know if you’re in need of any specific place or setting for additional sample photos and we’ll make it happen for the final review.
The front of this device works with three capacitive buttons, those being a Windows Phone home button, back, and magnifying glass. The magnifying glass can bring you to Bing or it can explore an app that’s had its abilities built into it. Either way, this is the button Android axed.
You’ll be working with this device with a microSIM card from Verizon right out of the box. This device has a small – but telling – change from past Nokia devices. The SIM card slot is not one you need to jam a pin into – instead it’s a drawer – easy!
Have a peek at the timeline below for more information on the Nokia Lumia 928 and stay tuned as we give this device a full run-down in a review coming up soon!
It’s day zero at Google I/O 2013, the company’s developer event made for and by developer groups and Google to strengthen their world of software, services, and everything in-between. SlashGear has gotten the opportunity to step behind-the-scenes at this event on registration day – that is, the day before everything begins. Here we’ll begin to explore what’s actually at the event with the hard evidence that only comes from on-site investigation right in the midst of the big setup.
The Moscone Center once again plays host to Google I/O with an experience on the first of three floors that’s quite similar to 2012. This year attendees are given their official badges and T-shirts in a center console where Google employees are charged with scanning QR-codes and making sure everyone is who they say they are.
A massive Google I/O sign rests against the main wall of the center with a color-changing I and O, cycling through blues and pinks in a comforting haze. We’re wondering where these massive 3D letters go once the week is over – perhaps a special giveaway on a letter-by-letter basis?
The ground level also holds a pop-up Google Store where attendees can purchase various Google-branded oddities. Bags, clothing, cases, and toys are in effect. This store encourages – as it did in 2012 – users to utilize their Google Wallet to purchase the goods.
On the second floor (or first floor, if you’re German), you’ll find a massive Google+ presence where users are encouraged to sign-in with the social network. A deck with Office Hours is set up for developers to learn how they might integrate Google+ into their own software. This area has a series of live hang-out portals which we’re sure will be popping up this week.
This level is dedicated to several Google services and Google partners, each of them set up to present to any developer – or press member, or anyone else in attendance – that wishes to learn more.
BONUS FIND: here you’ll see an unopened box of special-edition Android collectable figures from Dead Zebra. We promise we didn’t peek!
Google Glass has its own section on level 2, users able to have a peek at the current iteration of the device as well as participate in talks on the future of the device. We’re expecting more information on the future of the headset in the main keynote address in the morning as well as in more than one chat later in the week.
You’ll find Glass being set aside in a massive section all its own on this level, mind you, while items like Google Maps are part of a series of towers up the center of the room. The amount of space Glass gets here says a lot about how important the device is to the company.
Up on the top level of the center, Google has made a massive show of both Android and Chrome. To one side, attendees are greeted by flying Androids and their floor-bound kin in a display not unlike what we saw at Mobile World Congress 2012 and 2011. It seems that this location has become the heart of the Android press event presentation – and perhaps rightfully so.
Turn around 360 degrees and you’ll find a fabulous display – not yet turned on, as it were – of Chrome. One setup shows the highest-end Chrome OS hardware to date in an array that’ll certainly be a sight to behold once it’s turned on.
Three large semi-transparent displays show Chrome in an impressive display that’ll certainly play host to some shows of power for both the web browser and the operating system.
Androids large and small – but mostly large – litter the top level in both complete and nearly complete states. A massive pair of black-framed glasses remain wet with paint less than a day before the main event is set to begin. An eye-bursting array of pink and blue squares blasts in a checkerboard grid above the fray. It’s here that the fun will begin soon – and very soon.
Have a peek at SlashGear’s Google I/O tag portal for more information on this array of Google action taking place Wednesday the 15th of May, 2013, till Friday. If you’re pumped up about any specific session or event, send us a note – we’d be glad to have a peek at it and report back to you, our valued readers!
Pay close attention starting tomorrow morning at 8AM PST in-particular – the big keynote event will be covered piece-by-piece right here on SlashGear!
BONUS: We’re on-site with and through Glass as well. Have a peek at a couple videos filmed by Vincent Nguyen with Google’s headset here and let us know what you think of the method and the quality.
Above you’ll find a general layout look at the first level of Google I/O 2013 and below you’ll hear a bit of information from the BBC’s own Rory Cellan-Jones. He’ll let you know exactly what he thinks about the gadget world and how important Glass is to it – stay tuned – #throughglass!
Nokia can afford to put tablets and even phablets on the back-burner, relying instead on Microsoft’s broader ecosystem to fill in the gaps in the Finnish firm’s range, the company’s top execs argue, though they concede both firms need to do better in explaining why that ecosystem is so special. Speaking to SlashGear at the launch of the Lumia 925 in London today, EVP of smart devices Jo Harlow and EVP of sales and marketing Chris Weber refused to be drawn on what big-screen smartphone and tablet plans Nokia might have on the drawing board right now, but each admitted that the next stage in the firm’s recovery was explaining exactly how it was differentiated from rival phones. That includes clearing up the misconception that Windows Phone is closed while Android is open, Harlow says.
Nokia is no stranger to the tablet question: even back in April 2011, CEO Stephen Elop was telling slate-hungry press that the company would only wade into the segment when it could bring something “uniquely Nokia” to the form-factor. However, while all has been quiet on that front in the intervening period – not to mention Nokia’s phones topping out at 4.5-inches at most, rather than following the 5+ phablet trend – Weber argues that it doesn’t necessarily mean Nokia hasn’t had a foot in that ecosystem.
““We can participate, whether we have a tablet or not””
“What we said, on the tablet side, is it’s a space we’re eyeing” he explained to us. “I think the reason we bet on Microsoft and Windows is becuase they have a broad ecosystem, across phones, tablets, PCs, even TV, with the same look and feel, same infrastructure, and we believe we can play in that. Whether we have a tablet or not, we can still play in that ecosystem because Windows is the unifying piece of that. So, we’re really excited about what they’re doing on Windows 8, there are some fantastic touch devices coming out … so the ecosystem that Microsoft has allows us to participate, whether we have a tablet or not.”
Still, it looks more than likely that a tablet will be in Nokia’s near future, no matter how coy the company is on admitting that. If the first step to reinvention has been developing a complete, core smartphone range, then fleshing it out with other form-factors and accessories – such as the bluntly-teased ambitions in wearables Harlow and others hinted at back at Mobile World Congress – is the inevitable next step. The important factor, Harlow says, is how usability as it is on Lumia devices today extends to a broader line-up.
“I think the word is experiences. Because as we are investing in experiences in our smartphone range, it’s logical to think that those experiences we would look to take into other types of form-factors, and make them compatible with each other” the smart devices head says. “Obviously what we would want in any portfolio is that there would be some consistency in the experience that consumers have with a Nokia product.”
An outsider might contend that Nokia now has a broad range of phones, a solid portfolio of apps and services, and differentiating hardware features like PureView, and question why scenes like those at the recent Annual General Meeting – at which Elop was harangued for refusing to consider ditching Windows Phone in favor of Android – continue to take place. According to Harlow, that reluctance for people to accept that the Windows Phone strategy was – and is – the best one for Nokia comes down to a broad-strokes misunderstanding about exactly how “open” Android really is.
““To a certain degree, Android is open””
“[Android] is led by Samsung, and I think you can see the difficulty that others have in standing out from Samsung, even when they have really good devices,” Harlow suggests. “I think first of all it comes down to partnership, and the partnership that we’ve had with Microsoft in terms of bringing new experiences to the platform as well as differentiating experiences, we did not believe we could have that level of partnership with Android. And that’s the key difference.”
As the smart devices chief sees it, Android’s openness is only really beneficial if you’re one company: Samsung. “To a certain degree [Android is open]” she told us. “I think I would characterize the competition in Android as more of a spec race than anything else. And so, there is one partner who is the development partner for any new release of Android, and everyone else comes sometime later. So, it’s open, but that doesn’t make you first, and that doesn’t make you necessarily the most competitive.”
It’s that more granular attitude toward OS – not just the nature of the platform, but how individual roles and relationships within the ecosystem as a whole affect what benefits the platform offers – which Harlow says makes the Microsoft-Nokia deal the best fit. “Partnership and collaboration requires two partners who are motivated to make the partnership work” she concluded. “And that is what we have with Microsoft.”
If there’s a gap remaining, it’s in how Nokia (and its partner) explains those advantages in collaboration, not to mention the fruits for users they engender, against the onslaught of iPhone and Samsung marketing. Both execs acknowledged that Nokia needs to do better at demonstrating its achievements or, as Weber puts it, getting the message right. “We believe in our investment choice on Microsoft,” he points out, “for the simple reason is that they give us the chance to differentiate, to really be able to differentiate.”
““Microsoft has the most assets to pull together”
Where Apple has elevated the marketing of its iTunes/App Store ecosystem to a fine art, and Google has strength of numbers across flourishing Android installations, Nokia hasn’t quite got the tone right yet. “A lot of these imaging things takes deep partnership with Microsoft,” Weber says. “The second thing is this broad ecosystem: there’s no-one who covers the phone, the tablet, the PC, Xbox, and then what I call these “digital lifestyle services” – search, gaming, mapping, that we bring, all the cloud services – they have the most assets to pull together.”
“So then we say, how do we do that? We have to, one, have a broad portfolo, so this is the first time we’ve really had a portfolio from the low end, to the high end, and everything in between,” Weber listed off. “And then we have to do a great job executing: that’s, how do we work with Microsoft to tell that marketing message above the line; how do we execute at retail, so people see, and touch, and feel the differences between devices?”
That execution will include things like the Nokia low-light boxes, which allow direct comparisons between phone cameras in settings such as retail stores. The pyramidal boxes can adjust the amount of light inside, with a peep hole for your smartphone to snap an image, and be compared to the performance of the PureView alternative, without demanding that retailers physically dim the lights in-store. Nokia is also working on smaller versions, complete with carrier branding, Weber revealed, and says that early indications are that point-of-sale staff are far more likely to recommend Lumia handsets after a small amount of familiarization with the platform and the value-add.
“And so I feel wonderful on the portfolio, I feel really good about our partnerships with operators and customers” he summarized. “Now, it’s how do we go tell that story – how we evangelize the message; how we get people to see, touch, feel the device, the difference – and it’s all the nitty-gritty details. It’s called execution. And it’s really easy to say, and it’s hard to do, but those are the things that are going to matter.”
This week NVIDIA’s Project SHIELD was revealed all over again, this time renamed simply: SHIELD, arriving as both the company’s first handheld gaming device and hardware sold direct to end users, all at once. It is here that NVIDIA starts its journey in converging the worlds of mobile and desktop gaming with the Tegra 4 mobile processor on one end and GeForce graphics on the other. NVIDIA has announced today that SHIELD will not only be available in the US and Canadian markets starting in June, but that it’ll be up for pre-order (for some) starting today.
If you’ve been following email updates about Project SHIELD straight from NVIDIA before today, you’re in luck. Those signed up with the company as a gamer interested in the product as an early adopter will be given the first shot at the device.
A shot at ordering SHIELD as a pre-order, that is. The device itself will be the same, but these earliest pre-orders will be filled first – of that you can be sure.
Hardware
At the head of this device is the NVIDIA Tegra 4 quad-core A15 CPU with custom 72 code GeForce GPU. That’s a mouthful, and we’re certainly not going to try to explain the full ins and outs of it here. Instead you’ll want to head over to the SlashGear 101: NVIDIA Tegra 4 in detail post we’ve prepared for an occasion just like this. In short: it’s got so much graphics power it’ll be good to go for years to come.
SHIELD works with a 5-inch 720p multi-touch display which flips-up from its hardware controller body. In this shell-opening form-factor, this device allows the user a gaming experience only otherwise given in part by 3rd-party accessories attached to smartphones. With NVIDIA’s solution, the display is made specifically for this setup, while the controls, sound system, and form factor are all made with one final single product in mind.
With SHIELD, users will be working with integrated speakers – both a left and a right – along with two tuned ports for high-end bass response. Each time we’ve handled this machine thus far, the sound has been full and deep, with the ability to get loud enough that it’s necessary to pull the volume back. Don’t want to wake up the upstairs neighbors, after all.
NVIDIA has let it be known that the device has seen a few – not many, but some – changes between its reveal and its final form, that being the one we’re having another look at here today. The device has had a tiny bit of weight added since CES 2013 several months ago – welcome, in this case, as this adjustment allows the device to feel the correct amount of substantial in a user’s hands. The device remains largely plastic, but certainly looks and feels like a high-end product, as it should.
SHIELD will be available for a retail price of $349 USD right out of the gate. This price remains the same no matter how or through whom you’ll be ordering it. Orders will be done through NVIDIA’s own website and through NewEgg and Micro Center here in the USA. Canadian gamers will be able to pick the device up at Canada Computers as well.
Android / TegraZone Games
The device will be delivered with a couple games installed, NVIDIA’s own game portal TegraZone – and that’s it. This delivery essentially counts as a vanilla build of Android Jelly Bean, allowing users to work with as simple and recognizable – and customizable – an experience as possible.
Five new games have been promised for SHIELD and its high-powered processor backing up Android, each of them coming to Android here for the first time. Double Fine will be bringing the games Broken Age and Costume Quest. Broken Age is an epic fantasy tale set in the clouds with flying ships, computers, and oddities galore. Costume Quest is a game that’s appeared on Windows PCs, PlayStation 3, OS X, Linux, and the Xbox in the past, coming to Android for the first time here to show the power of NVIDIA’s Tegra 4 processor.
Above: SHIELD at CES 2013 hands-on with Android gaming (Hawken, specifically).
Flyhunter: Origins is a new Android game coming to SHIELD from the developers at Steel Wool Games. This game will deliver not only a strange miniature storyline, but high-class art as well – NVIDIA has specifically pointed out the lovely artistic abilities of the development group behind this game – bright and pretty!
Dedalord Games will be bringing Skiing Fred with a full free-movement system that will be entirely unique to SHIELD. Don’t get caught in the drift! Developers at Niffler will be bringing Chuck’s Challenge to life on SHIELD as a 3D puzzle game that allows users to create their own levels and share with friends.
Two high-powered Android games will be installed on the device out of the box: Sonic 4 Episode II and Expendable: Rearmed. We’ve had our own hands-on look at Sonic 4 Episode II back a few months ago in all its full super-speed glory while Expandable: Rearmed makes with the massive amounts of firepower.
PC Connectivity with GeForce game streaming / Steam
Valve has joined the party as well for this device’s PC connection. As SHIELD is made to bridge the gap between PC and mobile gaming on Android, Valve’s own Steam gaming experience will be in play. Though GeForce game streaming will be launching as a beta feature, we’ve seen it in action more than once, and it looks pretty rad.
Users will need their own compatible PC and a WiFi network they can connect with to make any and all desktop gaming a reality on SHIELD, Steam included. Once this connection is made, Steam’s Big Picture Mode is the user interface that SHIELD will use. With a healthy handful of PC games (20 games at first, we’re told) optimized and prepared for this cross-device compatibility at launch, user’s should have no problem finding a good title for which to game from their couch.
Controls for these games will be automatically fitted to SHIELD’s own, allowing gamers to, for example, break into Borderlands 2 the first time they open it with the device. This set of games is not a limit for the device, of course, as SHIELD’s controls are able to be fit to any game that’d otherwise be able to work with a controller connecting to your PC with, for example, a USB or Bluetooth connection.
Development
NVIDIA’s SHIELD device will have more details revealed over the next few weeks, and of course the GeForce game streaming bit of this amalgamation will see mighty changes in the near future, but the main bulk of the device and its features are here. This device is a market-ready machine, and in it we’ll be seeing the NVIDIA Tegra 4 in action out in the wild for the first time.
Have a peek at the brief timeline of SHIELD items we’ve collected in the recent past and hit SlashGear’s Tegra hub for more information on NVIDIA’s mobile universe. SlashGear’s Project SHIELD tag portal will also serve to give you an exploratory look at the demonstrations and details that have emerged prior to today, as well.
The Nokia Lumia 925 bottom line is simple: it’s the best looking, best feeling Windows Phone 8 handset Nokia has given us to-date, and while it may not be PureView as the 808 outlined it, Nokia is aiming big with claims that it offers the best low-light performance of any smartphone on the market. Officially announced today, we caught up with the Lumia 925 to see whether it truly lives up to its premium billing, and whether – as Nokia insists – it can live alongside the Lumia 920 and 928, rather than just muddy the waters. Read on for our first impressions.
There’s something about metal which makes a phone feel great. Apple knew that with the iPhone 5; HTC realized it with the One; and now Nokia has succumbed with the Lumia 925 (previously known as the Nokia “Catwalk”). Specifically, the 127.5 x 70.5 x 8.5 mm, 139g chassis is constructed around a frame of anodized aluminum, which tapers to tactile, curved edges on all four sides. The metal also serves an important purpose beyond rigidity and feel, however; it’s the antenna for the Lumia 925′s pentaband 4G LTE radio (as well as the GSM/UMTS bands), saving space by making it a constituent part of the phone.
On the front there’s a slice of toughened Gorilla 2 Glass, while on the back there’s Nokia’s favorite polycarbonate. Plastic meets metal in a gentle curve at the edge of the phone, neatly dovetailing in a way that feels great nestled into your hand; that polycarbonate also swells – Nokia says “pillows” – to accommodate the camera lens, atop the dual-LED flash. A row of contact points for the optional wireless charging shell are below.
In terms of hand-feel, Nokia is onto a winner out of the gate. Gone is the heft of the Lumia 920, and its slightly toy-like glossy plastic, replaced with premium-feel materials and a more refined design. A 3.5mm headphone jack and a SIM slot punctuate the top edge, along with microUSB connectivity, while the usual volume rocker, power/lock key, and camera shortcut run along the right edge.
Nokia Lumia 925 hands-on:
Up front is another improvement, the 4.5-inch OLED ClearBlack display that debuted on Friday on the Lumia 928. Just as on the Verizon phone, it supports a high-brightness mode for outdoor readability, and super-sensitivity for use while wearing gloves. It’s also stunning to look at: colors are vivid, blacks inky, and the broad viewing angles mean you can glance almost entirely askance at the Lumia 925 and still make out graphics without aberrations. The 1280 x 768 resolution may not be the Full HD we’ve seen on some recent Android devices, but it’s certainly sufficient for text and the like on a 4.5-inch phone to be smooth.
Nokia’s emphasis with its recent Windows Phones has been on their photographic abilities, and the Lumia 925 is no different. Like the 920 and 928, it bears the coveted PureView branding, and in fact it packs the same 8.7-megapixel sensor as they do. The optical image stabilization system – which physically moves the entire camera assembly to match shake and judder – is also the same, as is the dual-LED flash system from the 920.
What’s different is the lens, and here Nokia and Carl Zeiss have cooked up a World’s First on a smartphone: the first 6-part lens. Where the Lumia 920/928 have 5-part lenses, combining five different plastic components, the new Lumia adds a sixth, glass lens, which Nokia claims will improve sharpness and low-light performance.
In fact, Nokia says the Lumia 925 is capable of the “best low light images without a flash” of any current smartphone, with its f/2.0 lens, OIS, and exclusive Zeiss optics. It also uses the 925 to debut Nokia Smart Camera, a suite of effects and post-processing that can replace the default camera app should the owner see fit.
Smart Camera approaches things much in the same way as HTC and Samsung have on the One and Galaxy S 4, respectively: with the assumption that having more photo data to choose from is A Good Thing. In the Lumia 925′s case, that means firing off a burst of 10 frames over the course of 2.5 seconds when you hit the shutter-release, elements from each of which can then be combined or generally modified in different ways.
In the gallery, Smart Camera clusters of shots show up with a single thumbnail, but when you open them (and tap the “Smart Camera” legend) the editing potential is unlocked. First up is Best Shot, which analyzes each of the ten frames and picks out whichever it decides is the best based on sharpness and other details. Swiping left and right allows for a manual override. Swipe down, meanwhile, and you go through the other options: Motion Focus, Object Removal, Action Shot, and Group Shot.
Motion Focus tries to inject some more vigor into your stills. Smart Camera automatically identifies the subject of the frame – you can swipe left and right, and see white outlines of each of the potential subjects that can be used – and then applies one of two degrees of blurring to the background. A similar editing system is implemented in the Object Removal system, with the Lumia 925 identifying potentially unwanted people or objects moving through the frame, and then combining elements from the ten different shots to get rid of them.
Nokia Lumia 925 Smart Camera demo:
Group Shot is the face-combining system we’ve already seen on previous Lumia devices, based on the same Scalado tech as BlackBerry 10 has used on the Z10 and Q10. Nokia tells us its version in Smart Camera is actually newer than what we’ve seen before, another exclusive for the Lumia line-up.
Finally, and perhaps most impressive, is Action Shot. This works best when there’s a moving object passing through a still frame: then, just as with Motion Focus, the Lumia 925 identifies the moving subject and allows you to combine multiple versions of it on top of a single background. A row of straightforward buttons along the bottom allows you to toggle content from each frame on or off, while a fade button blurs out details from all but a single, user-selected frame.
They’re ambitious effects (and Nokia says more are on the way), but they’re also system-intensive. Smart Camera shoots and saves the cluster of ten images swiftly, which is good since we hate missing a great image because of a sluggish phone, but actually using the editing tools demands some patience.
We clocked the Lumia 925 in at 15 seconds just to analyze the frames initially, when we tapped into them from the gallery. That process needs to be completed each and every time you open the same set of ten stills: there’s no caching of the analysis, for instance. Tweaking things like the combinations of Action Shot frames happens instantly, but there’s another delay involved when you export the final result, with it taking around 14 seconds to spit the still into the gallery.
Now, it’s worth remembering that Nokia still has some time to finesse the software – the Lumia 925 isn’t expected to hit shelves until June, after all – but it does take away some of the immediacy of the tweaking process. There’s also no way to just look at all ten frames without jumping straight into the editing suite, which can make browsing through photos a stop-start affair.
It’s a shame, because generally the phone runs smooth and fast. With the same dualcore processor and RAM as the Lumia 920 and 928, the Lumia 925 had no problems running through the browser and other apps that we could find. There’s also Nokia’s own HERE Maps and HERE Drive+, with offline turn-by-turn navigation among other things, and the full array of Windows Store apps to choose from. Nokia Music for free streaming and offline playlists is also included.
If we had to compare the Lumia 925 to the rest of Nokia’s current range, it’s probably best described as the specifications of the 928 with the sleek design of the 720, only with build quality that’s a step above anything we’ve seen from Nokia in recent months. Photos simply don’t do the Lumia 925 justice: you have to pick it up and feel how its careful curves fit into your hand.
True, there have been some compromises along the way – Nokia’s decision not to integrate wireless charging is perhaps acceptable given the dimensions of the phone, and the company’s supposed goal of “meaningful thinness”, but it also should be ashamed that there isn’t a snap-on wireless charging shell included in the box – but overall it’s the most compelling Windows Phone Nokia has made so far.
The full judgment will have to wait until we can spend some more time with the Lumia 925 and see how it – and its camera abilities – fit into our daily lives. That should happen closer to the smartphone’s June 2013 release, with it landing in the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, and China initially, followed by the US and other countries.
Google Glass isn’t solely about photography, but that’s inevitably the first thing you try out – and the first thing you demonstrate to people when they inevitably ask you questions. Right now there seem to be two approaches to wearables like Glass, either aiming to make the headset blend in, and not cause waves by avoiding being noticed in the first place, or by facing the privacy and photography concerns people have face-on, and opening up a dialog about how bodyworn tech is going to change things. Maybe the fact I picked Google’s tangerine-finish Glass Explorer Edition is an indicator, but I’m all for challenging the status-quo rather than hoping it will merely blend in.
I picked up Glass a little less than a week ago, and it’s already become a must-grab gadget when I leave the house. A big part of that is how closely it weaves multimedia into your daily life, not just in how you record them, but how you can then instantly share them in a way that doesn’t take you away from the moment.
The quality of the footage Glass produces is actually pretty good. The camera snaps stills at 5-megapixels and up to 720p HD video, and while low-light performance pales in comparison to the more adept smartphones, it’s still good enough to make our your subject in the resulting clip. What takes more getting used to is the actual process of filming clips, which only serves to highlight quite how much movement we make without realizing it.
Usually, with a smartphone camera, we’re pretty adept at keeping it still during filming. When the camera is mounted on your head, though, you suddenly realize that we seldom keep our heads still, nodding and turning around and generally doing things completely at odds with capturing a stable clip. It also took a little time before I learned to plan movements with my eyes before turning my head: otherwise, you dash the frame all around. That also means no nodding when in conversations with people, no looking off to the side to make sure the dog hasn’t run off, and no glancing down at your watch unless you want everybody to look at it too.
If there are compromises to be made, though, then there are advantages to Glass-style filming too. The ability to go hands-free when you’re playing with your kids, or to quickly snap off a photo when a friend is doing something goofy, without having to dig into your pocket first and unlock your phone. It’s also surprisingly useful for documenting things as you do them, from the user’s eye view. Okay, not everybody is going to be running through opening up and applying a screen protector, like I did with Glass and this Galaxy S 4 kit, but giving remote tech support to a distant relative, or sitting in as someone shows you their favorite recipe, or piggy-backing into a meeting when you can’t be there in person.
What would make Glass better? I can’t help but imagine what an UltraPixel sensor as in HTC’s One could do for low-light shots. In fact, HTC’s Zoe system, pulling together a brief video clip (3.5s versus Glass’ default 10s) and a cluster of stills, seems like an ideal match for a wearable like Glass. That way you’d have more likelihood of picking out the best-framed image of the bunch, and with fewer headaches about low-light conditions.
That HTC also manages to fit in optical image stabilization is also tempting, since that might help iron out some of the judders we can’t help but make when wearing Glass. Most of all, though, I’d like to see more battery life: right now, with mixed use, I’m seeing around four hours before Glass is demanding I plug it in, though it’s worth pointing out that it does recharge relatively quickly.
I’m also excited about the camera potential when Glass spreads. Right now, it’s a one-way thing, since most people don’t have Explorer Edition units yet. But, when that changes – and I do believe it will, despite the Glass naysayers – it’ll mean we can effectively split ourselves between multiple places, switching between physical and virtual presence as we jump in and out of other Glass-wearers’ headsets.
Still, as I said, there’s more to Glass than its camera. Next up I’ll be looking at the practicalities of slinging an Android computer to your head, and whether wearable tech really does offer more than just a capable smartphone. Meanwhile, if you have any Glass questions, ask them in the comments!
We were rather surprised by Zopo’s C2 (aka Xiaohei) when it was announced last month, and fortunately, it didn’t disappoint us when we spotted the real thing at GMIC Beijing. For those who are just catching up, this Aliyun OS 2.0 phone packs some surprisingly good specs for its ¥1,399 ($230) price tag: a 5-inch 1080p LTPS display, a 13-megapixel main camera, a 5-megapixel front imager, a removable 2,000mAh battery and dual WCDMA 850/2100 SIM slots — one for a standard SIM and one for a micro-SIM.
During our brief hands-on, the software ran well on top of the 1.2GHz quad-core MT6589 SoC with 1GB RAM, though the built-in 4GB storage will definitely need some microSD love, as we kept seeing a warning message about low storage space. Industrial design-wise, the C2 is quite well-built, and while it’s not the most exciting-looking phone in the world, we’re just glad that Zopo is finally no longer ripping off designs from the likes of Samsung, HTC and LG. Hands-on video after the break.
Quad-core smart TVs? Move over, Samsung and Haier, because another company’s now joining the party. At a press event in Beijing yesterday, Chinese video content provider LeTV announced its first TV series dubbed “Super TV.” Despite the cheesy name, there are a handful of big names behind it: Kai-Fu Lee’s Innovation Works, Qualcomm, Foxconn and Sharp. The last two aren’t surprising considering Foxconn’s parent company, Hon Hai, is an investor of Sharp as well as LeTV. It’s also worth noting, though, that Hon Hai already has a deal with RadioShack to make and sell a 60-inch TV, the RS60-V1, in China since January.
The flagship X60 (pictured above at GMIC Beijing) features an aluminum alloy body that encases Sharp’s 10th-generation 60-inch 1080p panel — as featured on the RadioShack TV — with 120Hz 3D, on top of a 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Prime MPQ8064 (with 2GB of RAM and Adreno 320 graphics), dual-band WiFi and S/PDIF optical output. You can also add an optional 2.4GHz gyroscopic remote control and a PrimeSense motion sensor just for giggles. But most importantly, LeTV now streams over 2,000 TV apps as well as some 90,000 TV episodes and 5,000 movies for free (LeTV claims to own the rights to 95 percent of the video content). So, the ¥6,999 or $1,140 price tag seems a steal for the X60. There will also be a 39-inch 1080p (likely 2D only), dual-core S40 model priced at ¥1,999 or about $330, and both TVs will be available by the end of June.
The accessory company RokForm has been releasing accessories since 2010, coming up here in 2013 with a family of components that allow a smartphone – one of several models – to be attached to essentially any hard surface you’ve got near you. Though the group continues to keep the use cases for their accessories wide open, we’d like to suggest one that’s proven itself to be pretty neat right here at home: dish washing.
Of course RokForm accessories aren’t made for washing dishes, they’re made for holding and protecting your smartphone. But what we’ve got here in a combination of elements is a way to hold, in this case, a Samsung Galaxy S III aloft above a sink full of dirty dishes playing Netflix while we go about our business. So we’ve got Beavis and Butthead playing on loop while the cups and pans are run through the hands-on action.
With the RokForm v3 Suction Mount we’ve got one piece of the puzzle, and with the Rokbed v3 S3 Case we’ve got the other. RokForm is expanding their line of compatible components with this v3 set, working with devices like the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4S right this minute with plans for devices like the GALAXY S 4 on the list. In addition to the Suction Mount, there’s also a friendly list of components that attach with the same multi-clip attachment point you see here.
You’ll be able to attach with a Bike Mount, an Extended Tripod Adapter, Sport Clip, and magnets – amongst others coming up, too. With the Rokbed v3 S3 Case on its own, you’ve got an injection molded polycarbonate frame, “thermoplastic elastomer non-slip grip insert”, a magnet kit, a Rokguard screen protector, and a Remote Mounting System for moist mount – these are basically heavy-duty sticker-backed units that lock in to the back of the case like the Suction Mount does.
So you’ve got the case – you’ll buy that for right around $40 or $45 USD depending on the device you’re working with. Then you’ll want the Suction Mount which will run you another $49 USD. This mount, like the case, is heavy duty. Made with polycarbonate and die cast zinc construction with two angles for movement – 360 degrees of rotation as well as a 210 degree tilt. All we need is one, the one which allows the phone to sit horizontal for superior television show viewing.
This mount has sat attached to a tile above the sink for over a week straight with no end in sight. Of course that’ll happen when you’ve got a 3.4-inch suction cup holding up a device that’s much, much lighter than its full weight capacity. Sound like a winning combination to you? Let us know!
Quite frankly, Huawei’s 6.18mm-thick P6-U06 is quickly becoming the company’s worst leak in this half of 2013. Following yesterday’s spy shots of said phone in black, today we received three new ones courtesy of an anonymous tipster, and this time we have a close-up of the brushed metallic back of the phone. Interestingly, the camera looks different than the one — what appears to be a dual-SIM model — in the TENAA filing, and we also noticed that the volume rocker is on the left side of the phone this time, while the headphone jack is now located at the top left side instead of at the bottom left. The overall shape of the device matches what we’ve seen before, though.
On a related note, we’ve also been notified of an upcoming Huawei launch event in London on June 18th (Huawei Device chairman Richard Yu told us he’s attending), and we wouldn’t be surprised to see this slim phone popping up there — hopefully alongside the mysterious Edge that was leaked in March. Two more shots of the P6-U06 after the break.
Update: Meixcan blog Circular got hold of a couple of photos — embedded after the break — of the P6-U06 lit up. One of the shots reveal that the phone features a 1.5GHz quad-core chip, 2GB RAM and 8GB of storage space, along with Emotion UI 1.6 running on top of Android. We’re not sure if the “No SD card found” message is an indication of microSD expansion, though.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
