Over the years we’ve come across many hydrophobic coating technologies aimed at electronics, but sadly, none of those were made directly available to consumers. The closest one was Nokia’s nanocoating demonstration we saw last October, though the company recently said to us that it’s still “currently a research project,” and it never mentioned plans to offer a service to treat existing devices. On the other hand, Californian startup Liquipel recently opened its first Hong Kong retail store, making it the second Liquipel service center globally after the one located at the Santa Ana headquarters. Folks in the area can simply call up to make an appointment, and then head over with their phones or tablets to get the nanocoating treatment. So how does this funky technology work? How does it cover both the inside and the outside of gadgets? And is Liquipel’s offering any better than its rivals? Read on to find out.
Though we wont be able to have a peek at AT&T’s 4G LTE version of the tablet until later this year, Amazon has allowed us a quick touchy-feely experience with the 8.9-inch version of the Kindle Fire HD before its software is finalized. What we’re seeing here is the slightly larger version of the Kindle Fire HD 7, that being essentially the same size as the standard Kindle Fire which also got a refresh this week. The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is the company’s new flagship device, we would say, with an 8.9-inch display made to compete directly with Apple’s iPad.
This device has a back that’s slightly rubbery with a single ribbon of shine on the bottom half, there showing the device’s brand. The device is relatively light and certainly thin, and though its chassis don’t tell much about how it’s forward-thinking here in 2012, the software features and display construction certainly do. One of the more important elements sits right up front and center with the display being closer to the glass panel than Amazon’s previous efforts, this resulting in a much clearer, crisper, and less glare-prone solution.
The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is indeed going to be coming with essentially the same software build as the Kindle Fire HD 7, with a user interface that’s been upgraded from the original Kindle Fire as well. Here we’re seeing nearly buttery-smooth action and next-level response time thus far – we’ll need more time with the finalized device to know for sure.
With a relatively standard non-intrusive and certainly quiet-seeming bit of hardware to surround it, Amazon appears to have once again created what may be a winner for the 2012 holiday season for hardware. How it’ll work to ramp up sales in all sectors when they’ve now got not two, but three tablets with quite similar specifications and three very different prices though, we’re not sure. Check out the timeline below for additional information on the releases that’ve occurred this week with Amazon and plan on getting a Kindle this winter – this 8.9 tablet wont be out until November.
Amazon made a ton of major announcements during its press event today, wowing the crowd with the reveal multiple new Kindle Fires including an HD variant. While the Kindle Fire HD is certainly something to get excited about, so is the Kindle Paperwhite, Amazon’s latest iteration in its line of Kindle eReaders. Don’t be fooled by your expectations for eReaders, though, because the Kindle Paperwhite brings a number of innovations to the table.
The first is obviously that gorgeous “Paperwhite” display. Amazon has upped the resolution of the screen over previous versions of the Kindle, and as a result, the text you see on screen is sharper than what you’ll get with other eReader displays. That’s helped along by the fact that you can change the font and its size with the Kindle Paperwhite, which is definitely an appreciated addition. Then we have the backlight, which is one of the more predictable features, but still nice to have along nonetheless. You can adjust the backlight strength depending on your surroundings, so you can always have the perfect amount of light to make sure that what’s on screen is easily readable.
One of the most exciting announcements Amazon made in relation to the Kindle Paperwhite is that its battery can last up to 8 weeks. That’s with the backlight kept on the entire time, which is absolutely nuts. There are few key features that come packed with the Kindle Paperwhite too, including X-Ray, “Time to Read” and Whispersync. X-Ray implementation in the Kindle Paperwhite serves as something as an on-demand glossary, giving you information on the characters in your story with a simple touch. Time to Read displays the amount of time you have left in your book at the bottom of the page you’re currently on, and the Whispersync feature syncs your audiobooks to your text books, allowing you to listen to the narrator as you read along.
There are two versions of the Kindle Paperwhite. The standard version is $119, while there’s a version with free 3G for $179. Like most eReaders, the Kindle Paperwhite is very lightweight, coming in at only 7.5 ounces and 9.1mm thick. The Kindle Paperwhite looks great, and with that bump to resolution – Amazon is touting 212 PPI – it sounds like the company has a winner on its hands.
So there you have it – even though a lot of attention will be on the Kindle Fire HD, the Kindle Paperwhite is by no means a slouch. It’s definitely one of the most impressive eReaders we’ve seen, and at $119 for the standard version, Amazon will have no problem winning over the eReader crowd. Both are available starting October 1 and are up for pre-order today, so if you want one, you won’t be left waiting long. Expect to hear more from the Kindle Paperwhite in the very near future.
This week we’ve had the opportunity to take a peek at the next generation of media tablets by the name of Amazon Kindle Fire HD. There are two new devices, one of them being a 7-inch tablet, the other a 8.9-inch tablet, and both of them will be released alongside a slight upgrade to the original Kindle Fire which has also had a price cut to compete with the Google Nexus 7. The Kindle Fire HD in its 8.9-inch display edition has a 1920 x 1200 display (or 254 ppi) display while the smaller device has not yet had its entire set of specifications released – rest assured though, they’ll be a bit of a bump over the refreshed standard edition.
The Kindle Fire HD lineup has a OMAP 4470 processor from Texas Instruments, Bluetooth connectivity on the inside as well, and an HD webcam on the front. The smaller edition of both the 7 and 8.9-inch devices have 16GB of internal storage while the larger edition of the 8.9 tablet has 32GB of internal storage as well as 4G LTE connectivity. The 7-inch version of the tablet you see here will be shipping on September 14th and for $199 while the original Kindle Fire (refreshed) will be popping up for just $159 – the 4G LTE version comes in November.
The Kindle Fire 7 has a body that’s had its predecessor’s square-edges taken out, so to speak, with a bit more flare on the back to boot. You’ve got a stripe of shine across the back while the majority of the device’s backing is made of a slightly grippier bit of rubbery plastic. The software we’re seeing here is an upgraded user interface compared to the original Kindle Fire, but for the most part you’re working through the same set of media in a very similar way. That said, a lovely collection of software updates that you can find in our Amazon tag portal today – as well as in the timeline of today’s events below.
Note also that the 7-inch version of the device appears to be closer to final form than the 8.9-inch version of the device, the latter being held to the side by none other than Amazon’s own Peter Larsen a this week’s event. Don’t worry though, the biggest difference between the 7 and the 8.9 is the display size – stay tuned to SlashGear for more on the development of these tablets as it occurs!
We had an extended look at the Nokia Lumia 920 this week courtesy of Nokia and Microsoft, complete with a brief glance at the difference between standard and PureView photography technology. What you’re about to see is a look at the unibody-like design of the hardware first, then a vision of what it means to work with Windows Phone 8 with Nokia-specific additions like Nokia City Lens and wireless charging right out of the box. And of course you’ll have Microsoft’s full suite of Office apps to back you up as well, SkyDrive included!
Have a peek first at how Nokia presents an updated vision for their Lumia line with a lovely 4.5-inch display and a body that’s 10.7mm thick, 70.8mm wide, and 130.3mm tall. You’ll be seeing a bit of a “smile” at the top and bottom of the device as the front stays flat under the pillow of the display glass and the back curves to the contour of your hand. This device is available in yellow, red, white, gray, and black, and will be available to actually own later this year – price and release dates have not yet been revealed, mind you.
Inside you’ve got a dual-core Snapdragon S4 Processor, inside you’ve got NFC capabilities as well as wireless charging abilities right out of the box, and the whole shebang will be available eventually with GSM, WCDMA, and 4G LTE connectivity as well! This device works with a microSIM card, has 1GB RAM and 32GB internal storage – with 7GB cloud storage free via SkyDrive.
Of course one of the most fabulous elements in this device is its Carl Zeiss Tessar lens working with 8.7 megapixels of power with PureView technology. You’ve got a glorious bit of technology under the hood here, folks, ready for image stabilization, lightening of dark environments, and such vibrant scenes as you’ve never seen before. Have a peek at our hands-on photos and video above and below and don’t forget to hit the timeline below as well for more key points from the Nokia event – and stay tuned for more Lumia and Windows 8!
It’s time to have a bit longer look at a video showing off Nokia’s brand new Lumia 820, the smaller of the two smartphones revealed this week with a fully functional version of Windows Phone 8 onboard. This device has many of the same powerful attributes as the Nokia Lumia 920, but has a bit smaller profile and brings in rounded edges and an interchangeable backplate that doesn’t have NFC embedded right out of the box. What we got to see yesterday was not just the special NFC-toting backplate that you can purchase separate from the 820, but the device working live with Nokia City Lens and Nokia Transport as well.
If you’ll head back to our original hands-on with City Lens drive suite you’ll see how this software has been in the works for Nokia devices for quite a while now. With the launch of the new Windows Phone 8 line of Nokia Lumia devices, this GPS-centered world-expanding set of apps is able to show you how unique the Nokia vision can be. The video you’re about to see includes another peek at City Lens as it applies to New York City – full of locations for whatever activity you so choose: perhaps you’d like to head to a local pizza joint?
You’ll also see our Nokia host show us through Nokia Transport which on the Lumia 820 demonstrates how long a journey from your current location to a chosen location would take on the train and on foot. This app is able to not only tell you how long it would take if you started right at the minute you found the info, but in the future as well. If you’re starting in 10 minutes, your journey might take a whole lot different amount of time depending on traffic – Nokia knows.
And of course there’s the NFC action you’ll also be seeing in our hands-on with the Nokia-related accessories shown off this week as well. Here the Nokia Lumia 820 can take part in the fun with its own NFC backplate – or battery cover, whatever you want to call it – if you do so choose to partake. Having this separate option for NFC allows Nokia to offer the device at a lower cost if the user doesn’t need the technology – fun stuff!
Have a peek at the rest of our Nokia action this week in our Nokia tag portal and check the timeline below for some key points from the event and subsequent hands-on opportunities!
The Motorola DROID RAZR HD and RAZR MAXX HD may have been the biggest talking points during Motorola’s press event today, but the DROID RAZR M kind of stole the show in its own little way. Motorola has made a big deal about the RAZR M’s edge-to-edge screen, which is something we didn’t expect to see in a budget-priced handset. That’s the thing, too: despite its rather noteworthy features, the RAZR M will be available from Verizon for just 99 smackers.
In comparison to the original DROID RAZR, the RAZR M is a bit smaller while keeping the same dimensions on the screen. The 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced Display will undoubtedly be turning some heads as it spans almost the entire width of the device. The DROID RAZR M will come running Ice Cream Sandwich at first, but Motorola was promising Jelly Bean updates during its press conference, so it stands to reason that we can expect an update to the elusive Android 4.1 at some point in the near future. Additionally, the RAZR M is one of the first devices from Motorola that comes with Google Chrome pre-installed.
On the inside, we have a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, just the like the leaks before today claimed. There is also 1GB of RAM to work with, along with 8GB of internal storage – a nice boost considering that most budget-handsets only come with 4GB. The 8-megapixel camera is capable of shooting video in 1080p, and with Kevlar backing and Gorilla Glass on the front, the RAZR M should be able to stand up to a few tumbles, just like we would expect from present-day Motorola devices. To top it all off, this device comes complete with NFC and 4G LTE functionality, with Motorola looking to take advantage of Verizon’s 4G LTE network.
All in all, it seems like the DROID RAZR M isn’t a bad handset for the budget-minded consumer, especially if you like the fact that the screen takes up most of the front. It’s available for pre-order today from Verizon and it will be launching next week, so you don’t have to wait that long to get your hands on one. Keep it right here to SlashGear for more news on the Motorola DROID RAZR M!
Earlier today Motorola took the stage and announced the next stage of their DROID lineup. That being primarily the Motorola DROID RAZR HD complete with a beautiful 4.7-inch HD display, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and all day battery life. Then they surprised us all by announcing a RAZR MAXX HD too. The MAXX of course featuring a massive 3,300 mAh battery offering unparalleled battery life. Check out our hands-on pictures.
The details have finally been confirmed and basically revealing very little we didn’t already know. The all new Motorola DROID RAZR HD and RAZR MAXX HD are in many many ways extremely similar to last years model, while getting a boost in a few much needed areas. You’ll get the same awesome hardware, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and Kevlar coating all around — but this time the screen and processor received some much needed attention.
The new RAZRs will be the first smartphones to ship with Google’s own Chrome browser preinstalled, but the star of the show is that 4.7-inch HD display, 4G LTE from Verizon, and the Qualcomm 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor under the hood. For those wondering this is the same CPU powering the new Lumia 920, the Galaxy S III, and AT&T’s HTC One X. There’s not much to differentiate the performance here aside from Motorola’s own user interface changes. The RAZR HD and MAXX HD also come complete with 1GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, 8 megapixel rear camera, 1.3 VGA front for video chat, and offer micro-SD support for expanded storage.
The difference here between the two is the RAZR HD finds a perfect middle ground offering a 2,530 mAh battery, while the awesome RAZR MAXX HD comes with a 3,300 mAh battery life that promises 21 hours of talk time, 13 hours of video playback or eight hours of web browsing. Pretty impressive right? So far the styling is extremely similar to what we’ve already seen from the RAZR. There’s nothing different here really worth noting. This time around the Kevlar coating on back wraps around the entirety of the device instead of just in the middle. Oh and they’ll be offering both White and Black models although pricing and release date wasn’t yet revealed.
So far our initial impressions are favorable with the build quality, but we knew that coming in. The hardware is similar but the new Kevlar does feel better in the hand. Then of course, the RAZR HD is extremely thin being just 8.4mm thick. The all new Motorola DROID RAZR HD and MAXX HD will be available later this year although exact details weren’t release. They will ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich although models we are enjoying hands-on with today have 4.1 Jelly Bean — so the update should arrive soon.
Nokia‘s just announced its latest stable of Windows Phone handsets, including the new Lumia 820 and we were lucky enough to get our hands on it for a few moments. After countless leaks this budget smartphone is finally official. Not to be overshadowed by the larger brother in the Lumia 920, the 820 has plenty going for it — like Windows Phone 8 — so lets take a look.
First off you instantly can both see and feel the difference compared to the larger Lumia 920. While the design is similar the newer rounded edges make it feel much more familiar and less severe in the hands. Nokia’s usual attention to detail combined with the new Windows Phone 8 makes for a refreshing new smartphone that has a familiar touch at the same time.
Again, compared to the larger brother the Lumia 820 offers an overall solid package coming in slightly smaller at 4.3-inches while not compromising on power and performance. You won’t have an HD display, or the new PureView camera technology here but the Lumia 820 is aiming for a more budget friendly crowd. Complete with a crisp and vivid 4.3-inch WVGA 480 x 800 resolution display it certainly isn’t the biggest, but feels right at home with their previous launches.
Unlike the 800 and new Lumia 920 this version doesn’t enjoy the sleek and curved edges to the glass. Instead you are greeted with a plain-Jane flat panel but that doesn’t hinder the experience so far from our initial first impressions. Other specs include the same 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor as its bigger brother, 1GB of RAM, 8 megapixel camera and 4G LTE will be available in supported locations too. Nokia will offer a wide array of color options as the polycarbonate back is removable. This will give you different color options for any occasion, as well as support for their new wireless charging standard.
Speaking of the back. Nokia’s previous matte colors were always a favorite of ours but the new Lumia 920 and 820 have a slightly different look to them. Adding a bit of glare and polish to their colors we can certainly see fingerprints being more of an issue than previous models — but that is just nit picking.
Now regarding Windows Phone 8 which is running wonderfully here, Microsoft says it still isn’t quite ready for prime-time but after a few quick minutes we instantly noticed the improvements. The user interface is extremely fluid and polished, and animations were butter smooth. Google snagged the use of “butter” when describing Jelly Bean, but Windows Phone 8 certainly has some buttery smooth performance here.
Nokia’s exclusive apps helps round out the Windows Phone experience but with the combination of their improvements to the new and improved Windows Phone 8 the platform is really starting to come together. My only gripe with the Lumia 820 could have to be the display. While it is 4.3-inches the lower resolution is a let down. We don’t have IPS or Samsung’s AMOLED here so it’s pretty generic compared to most from Nokia. The Lumia 820 and 920 have been announced but no specific dates or pricing was revealed at this time. We’ll know more on pricing and official details later which will give us a better idea of where to stack this against the competition.
Looks like Russia isn’t the only place with an appetite for overly expensive gadgets. Following the original launch last month, two of the four latest Tonino Lamborghini devices have made their way over to Hong Kong. Pictured above is the L2800 tablet which has since been upgraded from Android 2.3 to 4.0.3, but the hardware remains the same: a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm chip, 9.7-inch 1,024 x 768 display, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and microSD expansion, along with 3G connectivity, two- and five-megapixel cameras front and back, four obviously redundant capacitive buttons, 7,500mAh battery and, sadly, a proprietary dock connector. All of this plus the nicely crafted titanium chassis weigh 850g, and it’ll cost you just HK$13,800 or about US$1,780. Hey, quit moaning — it’s a massive reduction from the US$2,320 price tag in Russia.
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