Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve been hearing about a certain 5-inch HTC phablet for Verizon since July, but it looks like its Japanese counterpart may actually hit the market first. Unveiled by KDDI as the HTC J Butterfly (HTL21), this Android 4.1 device is the first announced phone to feature a 5-inch, 440ppi full-HD “Super LCD 3” panel, and it’s fittingly complemented by a 1.5GHz quad-core APQ8064 underneath, making this the latest member in the small family of Snapdragon S4 Pro phones. There’s an eight-megapixel camera that naturally handles 1080p video at the back, accompanied by a 2.1-megapixel front-facing imager. Other details include 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, microSDHC expansion, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 (LE), NFC, LTE and CDMA/GSM/UMTS/GPRS radios — that’s right, it’s a global device. Not bad for a 140g package, and it’s waterproof as well, rated at IPX5. But the question is how well will the 2,020mAh battery last under that super dense LCD and high-end processor? Only time will tell — even KDDI has yet to finalize this part of the specs. Folks on the KDDI network can grab hold of this powerful phone in early December, with a choice of red, white or black.

Update: HTC confirmed to us that this phablet will use panels supplied by Sharp and JDI.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC

KDDI unveils HTC J Butterfly (HTL21), the first phone with 5-inch 1080p display originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 01:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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[CEATEC 2012] In 2011, KDDI showed off the world’s first speaker-less smartphone – a device which made use of Smart Sonic Receiver technology to allow users to have phone calls even in noisy locations. For those not in the know, the Smart Sonic Receiver (which will be built into phones) converts sounds into vibration – not unlike bone-conduction audio devices. Well, it looks like this year KDDI has decided to upgrade it. Keeping the elderly and other folks with hearing problems in mind, KDDI has implemented support for users who wear hearing aids as well. As we mentioned in our hands-on last year, the audio wasn’t too loud even though it was audible but this time around, KDDI has improved it by introducing a frequency equalizer. The Smart Sonic Receiver’s equalizer allows users to adjust the frequency of the vibration emitted from the device. Users can increase or lower the frequency until it’s in a range that is easier for them to hear (i.e. older folks usually have trouble listening to high frequency sounds).

With this technology, phones won’t need conventional speakers to function which can lead to slimmer and even better waterproof devices. Not to mention, phones do look a lot sleeker without the speaker slot we’re so used to seeing in nowadays. However we’ll just have to wait and see if this technology will catch on in the future. What do you think?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: KDDI palm authentication app , KDDI iida concept smartphone features a manually wound clock,

KDDI’s booth was rather uneventful this year and has not much to show, unless maybe this very cool new palm authentication app for Smartphones. Unlike Fujitsu Palm Reader technology, KDDI’s palm authentication app will actually read your “palm” and take a picture of your palm and its lines and memories it for future use. Thanks to today’s Hi-resolution sensors, Cameras embedded on smartphones can take pretty accurate details of objects and in our case every …

Add another future Sony Xperia model to a rapidly growing pool. The LT25i Tsubasa (not to be confused with the ST25i/Xperia U) has been caught by Tencent in AnTuTu and NenaMark2 tests, seemingly running the same mix of a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4, a 720p screen and Android 4.0 that we’ve seen in the upcoming Xperia T (LT30p). So what’s different? There’s rumors of in-cell touch to keep the display thin and vivid, but even the unverified source isn’t certain that it will become a reality. The crew at Xperia Blog also claims that there will be international LTE and HSPA+ models along with China- and Japan-specific editions. Assuming the details are at all consistent with the truth, having the Tsubasa arrive on the scene mostly hints that Sony might be readying a broader speed-up of its roster than we first thought.

Filed under: Cellphones

Sony LT25i Tsubasa pops up in benchmarks, may swell the high-speed Xperia ranks originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 18:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Tencent (translated), Xperia Blog  |  AnTuTu (translated), NenaMark2  | Email this | Comments

KDDI has introduced this morning in Japan its latest set-top box (STB) with the Smart TV Box. Offering you the possibility to stream Videos and access to several VOD Japanese services as well as SKY Perfect! HD, the Smart TV Box comes with the usual W Digital Tuner capable to record two channels, WiFi, USB HDD Recording at once but come for the first time with Android 4.0 and DLNA.
Not only the Smart TV Box can be used to surf the web and Watch YouTube, this little STB is also compatible with …