Hasta La Gadget!

Sony‘s next-gen interchangeable lens cameras, the NEX-5R and NEX-6, will include WiFi connectivity a listing at an Indonesian test agency has revealed. The detail spill came courtesy of POSTEL and was swiftly yanked, but not before Sony Alpha Rumors could snatch a screenshot. Although there was no further detail in either filing, the WiFi tech is expected to be used for wirelessly transferring shots from the camera to nearby computers and cloud galleries, among other things.

That could mean no longer having to plug in a USB cable or pull out the memory card to offload photos and video from your camera, as well as automatically uploading one or more shots to Flick, Facebook or other gallery services. However, it’s possible that Sony could also enable remote control of the new NEX cameras.

For instance, Samsung offers a free Android app for its NX1000 camera, itself WiFi-enabled, that allows the phone to be used as a wireless preview display. Sony could opt to do the same; meanwhile, the WiFi link could also be used to geotag photos using the handset’s own location services.

Other specifications are similarly the source of rumor. The NEX-5R is tipped to have a 180-degree flip screen along with a 16-megapixel sensor, while the NEX-6 has been said to have an integrated electronic viewfinder (though lower resolution than on the more expensive NEX-7).

Both cameras are believed to be headed to Photokina in September, along with a trio of new lenses including a prime, an 11-18mm pancake, and a 16-50mm pancake.

[via Engadget]

Sony NEX-5R and NEX-7 WiFi cameras leak is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you’ve seen most of Microsoft’s design language for nearly three years, there’s only one word that sums it up: Metro. In spite of that urban look being the underpinning of Windows Phone, Windows 8 and even the Zune HD, Microsoft now claims to ZDNet and others that it’s no longer fond of the Metro badge. Instead, it’s supposedly phasing out the name as part of a “transition from industry dialog to a broad consumer dialog” while it starts shipping related products — a funny statement for a company that’s been shipping some of those products for quite awhile. Digging a little deeper, there’s murmurs that the shift might not be voluntary. Both Ars Technica and The Verge hear from unverified sources that German retailer Metro AG might waving its legal guns and forcing Microsoft to quiet down over a potential (if questionable) trademark dispute. Metro AG itself won’t comment other than to say that these are “market rumors,” which doesn’t exactly calm any frayed nerves over in Redmond. Should there be any truth to the story, we hope Microsoft chooses an equally catchy name for those tiles later on; Windows Street Sign Interface Windows 8-style UI just wouldn’t have the same ring to it.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Microsoft downplays Metro design name, might face a lawsuit over all that street lingo originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 17:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumors of the next-generation iPhone continue to surface. One of the latest rumors is that Apple will have a press event on September 12 to unveil the next-generation iPhone. That event is still firmly in rumor land at this point, and it will be weeks before any press invites go out confirming the September 12 event. Typically invites to Apple events show up about seven days before the event is held.

Sharp’s new President, Takashi Okuda, has added more with fuel to the rumor fire recently with a statement at a press briefing in Tokyo today about the iPhone as the company talked about its latest quarterly earnings. Okuda stated during the talk that shipments of screens for the next-generation iPhone would begin in August. Production ramping up in August does support the rumor of the September 12 unveil event.

I suspect Sharp will be backpedaling on Okuda’s statement soon in a method similar to what Foxconn had to do when its CEO confirmed in the Apple HDTV back in May. Okuda’s statement was short and simple, “Shipments will start in August,” he said. He declined to offer any more specifics for iPhone shipments past that date.

Sharp has been one of three suppliers of iPhone screens to Apple. The other suppliers include LG Display Co and Japan Display. Reuters cites sources claiming that the new screen panels will be four-inches corner to corner making them 30% larger than current iPhone screens. Rumors have also pointed to the screens being longer, but no wider than the current iPhone and the next-generation iPhone is said to be thinner than current devices.

[via Reuters]

Shipments of iPhone 5 screens will start in August tips Sharp is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple‘s new Dock Connector, expected to debut on the iPhone 5, could use MagSafe-style design for increased flexibility, new sources claim, while iOS 6 is tipped to include better inter-device communication support. The new port for iOS devices will be an 8-pin design, so iLounge‘s insiders say, rather than 16- or 19-pins as rumored, and may well be accompanied by a change of name for the connection.

As for the MagSafe-style tweak, that could include the ability to plug in the connection in either orientation, reducing the number of “which way is up” confusion that can prove annoying with existing Dock Connector cables or, indeed, microUSB.

Bluetooth 4 Link is arguably more interesting – and in keeping with Apple’s attempts to vanquish wires altogether – with suggestions that the company is planning to take advantage of the new, low-power wireless link to push messages, notifications and updates between iOS devices. Believed to be an as-yet unreported part of iOS 6, the system would allow, for instance, an iMessage to be flagged up on an iPod nano display, or calls on an iPhone to be triggered via an iPad.

That’s reminiscent of the Bluetooth functionality between the HP TouchPad and the Pre3, but according to the source Apple’s system goes further than what webOS could achieve.

iLounge’s insiders say that the new Dock Connector has not, in fact, been seen in leaked photos or video so far. The most recent leak showed what was tipped to be the external housing of the iPhone 5, though didn’t actually include the connector itself but merely the cut-out for it.

iPhone 5 MagSafe-style Dock Connector and TouchPad-style Bluetooth 4 tech tipped is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Sony’s next Android slate, the Sony Xperia Tablet, has been spotted in a set of leaked presentation slides, a slimline and splashproof Tegra 3 model with a 9.4-inch 1280 x 800 display. The Xperia Tablet SGPT1211 keeps the folded-paper profile of its Tablet S predecessor but trims it down to 11.85mm at its thickest according to mobiFlip‘s premature documentation; overall, it’s 42-percent thinner, Sony claims, and made of aluminum rather than plastic.

Inside there’s NVIDIA’s latest quadcore chipset, a choice of 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage, and a 6,000 mAh battery good for up to 10hrs of WiFi browsing, double what Sony promised from the Tablet S. Connectivity includes WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and (likely optional) 3G, along with an SD card slot and headphone socket. The 3G models have A-GPS, while the WiFi-only models get S-GPS. Both have ambient light sensors, gyroscopes, a digital compass and an accelerometer.

Unsurprisingly, Sony is pushing multimedia and gaming for the new Xperia Tablet. There’s no integrated HDMI output – instead you get an optional HDMI dongle that plugs into a special expansion port – but there is DLNA streaming and PlayStation Certification for games, along with a clever docking station with integrated speakers.

The 8-megapixel main camera is joined by a 1-megapixel front facing camera, and there’s also a docking stand with three USB ports and an HDMI connection. Sony also throws in a clever Guest Mode, which allows for a separate interface – with limited access to apps and other data – for visitor use of the tablet, while keeping full Ice Cream Sandwich functionality locked away.

Other accessories include a regular carrying case and a keyboard case, which both props up the Xperia Tablet and offers easier text entry. A USB Host cable will allow external devices – such as full-sized keyboards – to be plugged in.

According to the presentation, the Sony Xperia Tablet will go on sale from $449.99 for the 16GB model, rising to $549.99 for the $32GB, and $649.99 for the 64GB. The carrying cover will be $59.99 ($20 more for the leather version) and the keyboard cover will be $99.99.

As for docks, the Dock Speaker will be $119.99, the Docking Stand $99.99, and the Cradle $39.99. A Simple Stand – propping the tablet up at a choice of three angles – will be $24.99. The HDMI cable will be $29.99 and the USB Host cable $19.99.

[via The Verge]

Sony Xperia Tablet revealed is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.