This week the folks at Adorama have revealed their first listings for the next generation of Samsung tablet, both the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0, 8.0, and 10.1. These two devices take on the form of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 (pictured below) and GALAXY S 4, but take away the Note’s pen and modify their shape just a bit. This is the first time the devices have appeared available from a retailer in the United States, while the tablets are just hitting shelves internationally.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 works with a 7-inch display while the 8.0 works with 8 inches, 10.1 with 10.1, and so forth. The Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 will be available in White as well as in Brown, both of these in a 16GB internal storage iteration for $349.99 USD. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 will be available in a “Gold-Brown” (which we assume will be the same tone as the “Brown” listing” as well as in white, both of these for $329.99 USD.
The Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 is listed at $199.99 and will also be coming in Gold-Brown. At the moment there is no White iteration of the device being shown at Adorama, but we must also assume that one is on the way. This release comes with 8GB of internal storage.
What’s interesting about this release of the 7-inch tablet is the knocking off of $25 from the price of the previous tablet of that size from Samsung – there’s a Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 up on Adorama right this minute for $224.99 USD. Because that machine was released so recently, it also comes with the same version of Android inside: 4.1 Jelly Bean.
The Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 comes with a slimmer body than the 2, working with 111.1 x 188 x 9.9mm and accommodating essentially the same display as its predecessor: 1024 x 600 LCD TFT. This machine works with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor of unknown origin – the Galaxy Tab 2 worked with a 1GHz dual-core processor from Texas Instruments. The same battery size exists within, and a collection of GALAXY S 4-like abilities will be appearing here as well.
So how did the price go down by $50? We’re in the process of asking Samsung right this minute – stay tuned!
On May 8, we reported that SlashGear was getting multiple hits from a device running Android Jelly Bean 4.3, indicating that the operating system is being tested somewhere out in Googleland and that we’ll likely be seeing it in the near future. It has been a couple weeks, and now we might have gotten our first look at the mobile operating system via a video purported to be of the next update’s new camera interface.
The video, which was uploaded on YouTube earlier today by user Ivan Brčić, is said to have been taken at the Thailand Mobile Expo and to feature Android Jelly Bean 4.3. While there’s a brief run through a couple system menus, they’re only seen in passing as the user zeroes in on the camera, which reveals a new user interface. The change isn’t surprising, and is only one of many updates and alterations we’re expecting to see.
Although many had hoped Google would show off Android 4.3 at its 2013 I/O event earlier this month, that alas was not the case, and we still have no official word from the Internet giant about what its plans include in the update from Jelly Bean 4.2 to 4.3. As such, this video is a nice look into what the near future holds for Android users, even if it does focus on only the camera.
While the current Jelly Bean camera interface is certainly usable, the one featured in the video looks altogether more intuitive, with dragging to enable the various options that you can check out in the video for yourself. We get a brief look at HDR info, some new icons, and a new timer feature, as well as a few others. This builds on the current tap for settings and hold for a circle of options.
Likewise, some pictures were also released earlier today of the alleged operating system running on a Nexus 4. It is the same handset shown in the attached video, but gives a short look at aspects of the mobile OS other than the camera interface. Included in the images is a shot of the “About Phone” screen, which confirms both phone mode and Android version. The images were released over on XDA.
With the Sony XPERIA ZL, the company took a double-tiered approach to a hero smartphone release – unlike what Samsung and HTC have done with their HTC One and GALAXY S 4, Sony has created a machine that’s got the same innards as the XPERIA Z, but with a body that’s almost like an alternate reality iteration. Here with the XPERIA ZL, Sony has taken the display, the software, the processor, and the camera technology from the XPERIA Z, putting it in a body that’s both more rugged and thinner than the hero.
Hardware
The XPERIA ZL works with a body that’s less wide than the ZPERIA Z, complete with a smaller bezel and rubbery back panel that makes it a bit less prone to busting on a violent drop. Here the device is much easier to grip, but no longer works with the waterproofing provided in the Z. You’ll also notice there’s no massive barrage of port covers, either.
This smartphone works with a 5-inch 1080 x 1920 pixel full HD Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, easily the nicest display brought to the market by Sony on a smartphone. While it’s still not exactly a display you’ll be using in direct sunlight on the regular, it’s still one of the best on the market.
Around the edges you’ll find a power button – a little above the center on the right side of the phone – as well as a camera shutter button and a volume bar. Each of these buttons rest on the right side of the phone, while the back has a rather large flap that pulls down and out to reveal slots for both a microSD card and a microSIM.
The back-facing camera on this device has a large metal rim around its lens, this allowing for some protection of the lens, but also adds a bit of difficulty to cleaning said lens without a miniature tool. Around the ring you’ll find this device’s external speakers and a single LED flash as well.
Software
Inside an XPERIA device you’re going to be working with some apps you’re not going to see anywhere else in the Android universe. You’ve got apps like WALKMAN, Sony Album, Movies, and Sony Select. Each of these apps makes the case for you staying inside a strictly Sony environment, and makes it comfortable for you to be there if you’re willing. Xperia Link also makes a similar case with a Sony-specific connection to your desktop-based files.
You’ll also see Smart Connect – similar to Xperia Link, as well as Wisepilot for XPERIA. While we were surprised by the amount of apps built-in to this system back when it was first shown, the launch of the Samsung GALAXY S 4 has taught us a valuable lesson: the average consumer doesn’t count a cleaner system amongst their must-have items in a popular smartphone – it does not seem to be an issue, as 10 million unit sales in the GALAXY S 4′s first month can attest.
Apps like “Remote Control”, on the other hand, are extremely useful and add to the value of the smartphone. The Sony XPERIA ZL has an IR-Blaster for control of your television, stereo, or home entertainment system set, and with the simple Remote Control app, it’s quite easy to implement. A couple taps through the system to find the device you want to control, a test run, and you’re off.
Beyond that, Sony’s implementation of their own user interface has proven itself to be swift and responsive as it should be, doing the processor under the hood justice. This Qualcomm SoC also lends itself to a long battery life: more info on that below.
Camera
The camera here is 13 megapixels strong, and it shows. The Sony-made custom camera interface here brings a “Superior Auto” system that calls upon the many modes available outside it – this means that if sensors on the device notice it’s dark where you’re about to take a photo, the system’s night compensation switches on. There are also customizations to your user interface here in the camera app that allow you to make the experience your own.
Battery
This machine works with a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, meaning you’ll be seeing some optimization of the system with regard to battery life specifically. Because of this, you’ll be rolling with at least a full day of up-time just so long as you’re not a heavy user. If you’re thinking about testing this device’s ability to keep its display on while you’re downloading files and streaming video at the same time, you can expect something more like a few hours of battery life.
Bringing down the brightness on this device’s extremely bright display will do wonders for conserving battery life, while blasting the light all night will knock it out.
Wrap-up
The Sony XPERIA ZL takes what the Sony XPERIA Z was good at – and remains good at – and puts it in a slightly more hand-friendly form factor. If you’d like your handset to have a massive amount of glass, you’ll want the Z. If instead you want a slightly less pretty machine that’s better for an accident here or there, go ZL.
Both the Sony XPERIA Z and the Sony XPERIA ZL are available in the United States today, though you’ll not find them attached to any one unique carrier. This unit works with AT&T and T-Mobile microSIM cards: you’ll also not find any Verizon 4G LTE attaching itself to this set. Consider that, but consider this too: here Sony puts forth its greatest effort to date. If you’ve enjoyed Sony smartphones in the past, you’ll certainly have an impressive time here.
The Verizon version of the Samsung GALAXY S 4 has arrived – and it’s surprisingly clean. While the Samsung Galaxy Note II came with a strangely placed Verizon logo on its home button, this device keeps with the common look on its outsides. On the other hand, inside, there’s a slightly different situation going on.
The Samsung GALAXY S 4 works with a 5-inch 1080 x 1920 pixels Super AMOLED display, that coming in at 441 PPI. This machine is 5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 inches and weighs in at 4.59 oz, coming with a hard plastic back and a pane of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 up front.
On this smartphone’s right side you’ll find a power button in the upper 1/3rd region, while on the left side in the same place you’ll find the volume rocker. The front works with capacitive back and menu buttons and a physical home button, while the back works with a 13-megapixel camera and a single LED flash.
This iteration of the device has a collection of style differences inside compared to the version on other carriers. Little bits and pieces, like moving the toggle for Blocking Mode from the notifications icons collection and pushing it to “My Device” in settings. Apps have been taken away and added too, of course, most of them coming directly from the carrier itself.
Some other apps that are missing from the Verizon version – for whatever reason – are ChatON, Samsung Apps, and the Samsung Optical Reader. It would seem that Verizon has told Samsung that they’ll need to keep their app store out of the mix in favor of Verizon’s, while it’s unclear why the Optical Reader has been axed. ChatON is anybody’s guess.
Below the fold you’ll notice some of the changes that do take place on many Verizon phones vs AT&T, starting with a long press on the device’s Home button. Holding down the GALAXY S 4′s Home button will bring up a selection of apps being used for easy switching – this being a standard since Android 4.0 Jelly Bean. Below this, though, Verizon has opted to use text to signify Task Manager, Google, and Close All, where AT&T’s model – and others – show icons instead.
Stick around while we review this device and its Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor as well as its dual-recording abilities with front-facing 2 megapixel camera. For those of you that can’t wait, have a peek at SlashGear’s Samsung GALAXY S 4 Review from its initial release earlier this year – April to be more precise.
There’s chatter of a brand new iteration of the Google Nexus 7 appearing this afternoon alongside talk of not just a new version of Android, but another “Google Edition” smartphone as well. While Android 4.3 continues to appear in our very own traffic logs here on SlashGear, so too has it been tipped that this update will upgrade features like the system’s camera software. In the tablet universe, it’s a reissue of the Nexus 7 that’s popping up as a possible reality for as soon as next month.
According to a report from DigiTimes, shipments of a brand new upgraded Nexus 7 have already begun. This version of the device will have a lovely new 1920 x 1200 display on its front along with a new set of innards – retaining the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor too, we must expect.
This same tip suggests that this new display is a low-temperature poly-silicon (LTPS) panel that, again, sits at 7-inches diagonally. This means that this device will have 323.45 PPI, that being significantly sharper than the “Retina” panel on the standard 9.7-inch iPad. Meanwhile the sharpest display on a mobile smart device on the market today remains 468.7 PPI, that coming from the HTC One.
The new Google Nexus 7 will continue to be made by ASUS, of course, and the same source as mentioned above have said AU Optronics are the team behind this generation’s displays thus far. Future users can expect this device to be appearing right around June 10th – though there’s been no official confirmation of this from Google thus far.
If you’re wondering what the big deal is with this device, look no further than this Conduit HD review. Or if you want to look a little further anyway, have a peek at this Real Boxing review, it and the other game having been demonstrated on the Nexus 7, nearly a year after its initial release – still kickin!
This week has certainly been one for unofficial HTC One announcements – today’s comes in at 5-inches or more with a smaller cousin in the works as well. While earlier today the HTC One was suggested to be coming in a so-called “Google Edition” with exclusive aim for Verizon, this afternoon there’s word that two MORE HTC One relatives are in the mix. The first of these is the HTC One’s larger relative, while the second is one we’ve heard of before: the HTC M4.
The larger of these two devices is said by people familiar with the matter speaking with Pocket Lint to be an HTC One clone, made by HTC, with a slightly larger display. It’s suggested that this device will be a response to the Samsung GALAXY S 4 and its own 5-inch display in a chassis similar in size to the Galaxy S III.
This larger HTC One model will likely have a body that’s similar in thickness to the HTC One standard model with height and width closer to that of the HTC J Butterfly – aka the DROID DNA. This would also be a good candidate for which device will eventually make its way to Verizon in their eventual replacement of the DROID DNA amongst their HTC smartphone ranks.
The second tip is a renewed interest by HTC in releasing what would essentially be a boosted-power HTC First. This device is said to be code-named HTC M4 and will have camera and speaker technology similar to that of the HTC One, but in a 4.3-inch display form factor.
Sound like a couple of beasts you might be up for checking out? Is it a good idea for HTC to spread the HTC One brand once again, or do you think they should stick to One, as it were?
This week the Samsung GALAXY S 4 Developer Edition has been announced by the company for Verizon and AT&T, here opening the door to a more “pure” Android experience for those wishing to hack and port. While the Google Edition of the Samsung GALAXY S 4 is being delivered with stock Android next month, here the Developer edition merely gives you the keys to the locks that are Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface and custom build.
With the Developer Edition of the Samsung GALAXY S 4, the device’s bootloader is unlocked and S-Off is fully initiated. Developers will be able to open up the device, so to speak, and work at as base a level in its software as possible. Other than these locks being flipped, the device is the same as the standard edition of the GALAXY S 4.
The Samsung GALAXY S 4 works with a 5-inch Super AMOLED display at 1080p, with a 13 megapixel camera on the back and all of its features in-tact as they’ve ever been. Of course if the developer working with this device decides they’d like to completely wipe out the software on this device provided by Samsung, a few abilities that Samsung has been pushing the device with thus far will be out the window.
Air Gesture and Air View will be gone, while a full Samsung Galaxy S 4 Nexus phone will be at your fingertips. Both the Verizon and the AT&T versions of this Developer Edition of the GALAXY S 4 are up through Samsung – and yes, you’ll be able to work with T-Mobile’s microSIM cards with the AT&T version as well.
Pricing has not yet been released for this device, but it’s a good bet that it’ll cost right around $649 USD, just as the Google Edition of the device does. That’s without a contract, mind you, and open to all manner of cards as the user sees fit.
Hisense, a company known for making budget Chinese tablets, will soon be releasing their Android tablets stateside. Late last month a new Hisense Sero 7 tablet was spotted clearing the FCC here in the US, and today we have all the details. Their first official Google Play certified Android tablet to go on sale stateside is pretty impressive. It has more to offer than the Nexus 7, and only comes in at $99. Read on for more details on this exclusive first look.
Thanks to an eagle-eyed reader we’re getting the first official details, specs, and pictures of what is called the Hisense Sero 7 Pro. This tablet aims to deliver Nexus 7 like performance to the masses for only $99, and will be hitting retailers like Walmart shortly. According to our tipster, it’s already for sale extremely early at some select Walmart stores.
The Hisense Sero 7 Pro is a pretty impressive tablet in every sense of the word, especially given the price. You’ll be enjoying a 7-inch 1280 x 800 IPS HD display, and quad-core power thanks to NVIDIA‘s Tegra 3 clocked at 1.3 GHz. The same as the Nexus 7. You’ll enjoy 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, but hey, unlike the Nexus 7 this has a micro-SD slot. Oh and it also sports a mini-HDMI out port as well. Two things sorely missing from ASUS and Google’s Nexus 7.
That isn’t all this has going for it either. The Hisense Sero 7 Pro not only runs on Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean, but it also rocks two cameras. A 5 megapixel rear (with LED flash) and 2 megapixel front facing camera. You’ll enjoy the usual WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and sensors, as well as NFC and a 4,000 mAh battery. So basically everything you’ll get from the Nexus 7, plus 4 or 5 things we wish it had like cameras and micro-SD, all for only $99.
Hisense has been popular in China with their well-rounded tablets, and it looks like the same is about to be true here in the US. The company, Hisense, sells some TVs and other things here in the states but this is their first tablet to officially go on sale. According to our reader, who has the tablet in hand after purchasing it from a local Walmart, said the link to their US tablet site doesn’t even work. Claiming it says www.hisense-usa.com/tablets on the box, which at the time of writing isn’t an active page. Their new slate just cleared the FCC in late April, and shouldn’t be available for sell yet, but we’d recommend you run down to your nearest Walmart and try to snag on up before they sell out.
With those specs, that design and build quality, all for $99 we expect this tablet to do quite well. Running the latest version of Android and having full access to the Google Play Store doesn’t hurt either.
This week we were treated to a rather unexpected surprise: Google’s one and only I/O 2013 keynote address revealed a faux-Nexus edition of the Samsung GALAXY S 4. As luck would have it, we caught up with Google’s Vice President of Android Product Management Hugo Barra last night – and he happened to have one of these devices in his pocket. Being the friendly fellow that he is, he have us a brief once-over with the device to show how Nexus-like it really was.
This device is, more or less, the equivalent of a hacked Samsung GALAXY S 4 for AT&T/T-Mobile. Inside you’ll find an unlocked system displaying Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean without any additions from any carrier or Samsung itself, coming only with the basics issued by Google.
In this device we’re seeing a unique new chapter in Google history. Where previous to this week, any release of a device with as stripped-down and pure as this one pushed by Google was labeled with a Nexus brand name. Here with the Samsung GALAXY S 4, the company has made clear their acceptance of the dominance of Samsung in the Android device-sphere, keeping the GALAXY branding (as they did with the Galaxy Nexus), this time kicking out the Nexus name altogether.
Barra had presented this device on-stage earlier in the day with the following words:
“We continue to be blown away by the hardware that’s coming out of our partners — the HTC One, and the Samsung Galaxy S4. Like this Galaxy S4. There’s something unique about this S4, that’s not available elsewhere. Take a look at my homescreen.
This version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 will be available directly through Google Play, unlocked for both ATT and T-Mobile with LTE support, 16GB internal storage, bootloader unlocked, and it’ll receive prompt system updates with every new release.” – Hugo Barra
What we’ve seen up close is a pure Google experience that’s as swift or swifter than the original GALAXY S 4 with Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface. Barra’s device is likely an early build, but we’re expecting the final product to be essentially the same: home button, 1080p display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor and all.
And for those of you wondering: no, he doesn’t use any magical super-secret Google-only apps that only the bosses get. Unless, of course, he was using super-secret Android powers to hide them.
You never know!
The device will be available on June 26th for $649 USD without a contract, compatible with T-Mobile USA and AT&T micro SIM cards, 4G LTE and all. Sound like a value proposition to you? This is one of those situations where we’re guessing developers will find the build to be best – it’s going to be difficult for this device, no matter how neat – to compete with the Nexus 4 already up for $299, also without a contract. That’s hard to argue with.
This week Hugo Barra spoke up at Google I/O 2013 on the devices that make Android a unique and powerful system, including the HTC One and the Samsung GALAXY S 4. This introduction moved quickly to a Google Edition of the Samsung GALAXY S 4. This version of the device will be working on AT&T and T-Mobile 4G LTE with a 16GB internal storage and a vanilla flavoring of Android. This will be sold through the Google Play and will receive updates straight from the company.
This device will be sold straight through Google Play, this implying an unlocked bit of greatness – and indeed that is what it is. The Google Edition of the Samsung GALAXY S 4 will cost users a cool $649 USD and will be coming up on the web starting on June 26th. It should be made clear that this device is not branded with the word Nexus, but is essentially that: unlocked, basic Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, and updated by Google.
This device works with the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor that the normal edition does, and it’ll be coming with essentially the same set of hardware from top to bottom that the normal edition has. This release marks the point at which Google begins selling 3rd-party hardware for Android on their website. Of course you’re able to purchase Chromebooks made by Samsung and Acer direct from Google Play, but this is the first Android to come without Nexus in its name.
Stay tuned as we see how well a relatively expensive device such as this does on the Google Play online store. While the Nexus 4 and the Nexus 7 – and the Nexus 10 to a lesser degree – have been successful in Google Play due to their relatively high value and low price, this GALAXY S 4 might see not quite so easy a time at a price that’s double the Nexus 4. We shall see!
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