| IFA 2013: Lenovo Vibe X's 5MP front camera makes it perfect for taking selfies Sep 5th 2013, 13:00, by Kate Solomon 
Lenovo's bringing all the vibes all the time with a new smartphone that is very, um, Lenovo despite its 'youthful' product name, Lenovo Vibe X. Let's be fair, it's quite slim ("as thin as a pencil!" claims Lenovo) and it weighs 121g ("five AA batteries!") which is a fair bit lighter than, say, the Samsung Galaxy S4. Its cameras vibe hard, with the front-facing camera rocking a 5MP sensor - the same as some handsets' main snappers - while the back-mounted one comes in at 13MP. Lenovo's press release genuinely says that the front-facing camera with its wide-angle lens "effortlessly captures high-quality self-portraits". Hashtag selfie. PoutOther features of note include the Android 4.2 operating system, quad-core 1.5GHz MTK 6589T processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage. But really mainly the selfie thing. Unfortunately, it's only launching in China and seems unlikely to make it to the US, Europe or Australia. Sorry hipsters. Also announced today are a slim new full HD tablet in the form of the Lenovo S5000 and an update to the Lenovo K900 smartphone - mainly new colours (orange!) and storage options (16GB! 32GB!). - More from IFA 2013 - all the latest news from Berlin in one handy place
       |  | Sony Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z Ultra headed to Australia September 9 Sep 5th 2013, 04:49, by Farrha Khan 
Sony announced today that its premium Sony Xperia Z1 smartphone and Xperia Z Ultra will be available in Australia from September 9. Pre-orders for the Xperia Z Ultra start from today through Dick Smith and Harvey Norman, while both handsets will be available for purchase through Sony's online store from September 9. Optus will have both the Xperia Z1 available for pre-order from September 16, while you can register you're interest with Telstra now. There's been no confirmations from Vodafone as yet. Virgin Mobile pre-orders for the Xperia Z1 begins from tomorrow and will be available on its $60 plan with $0 monthly repayments over 24 (minimum total cost $1440). The Xperia Z1 will RRP for $779, while the Ultra will cost $795. Taking a shotComing up against the Nokia Lumia 1020 camera, Sony's Xperia Z1 comes with a 20.7MP G Lens camera with detachable DSLR lens. To add to this, Sony is also releasing two lens-style cameras for smartphones from mid-October – the QX10 and QX100. The QX10 will RRP for $279 and the QX100 will RRP for $599, and Sony will have a special dedicated camera attachment case for the Xperia Z1, though the lenses will also work on Android and iOS devices connecting through either Wi-Fi or NFC. Among other accessories for the handsets in releasing in Australia, there will be the Sony Smartwatch 2, and coming in October, the Sony CP12 protective cover with a 3000mAh battery will be available for an RRP of $249.99. - Sony officially announced these earlier today at IFA 2013, and there are a lot more news coming out from Berlin. To keep up to date on all the gadgets, check out our handy roundup of announcements from IFA 2013.
Check out our Xperia Z1 hands on below: FutTv : T79JRp4Jl0vz0       | | Galaxy Note 3 coming to all the Aussie telcos 'soon' Sep 5th 2013, 01:47, by Farrha Khan 
Samsung finally unveiled its new Galaxy devices at its Unpacked event at IFA 2013 in Berlin overnight, revealing the Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) and Galaxy Gear. While we don't have any confirmed dates or pricing yet for any of the three products, Samsung Australia confirmed that they will all be turning up on Aussie shores "soon". Samsung said that global launches will begin from September 25 and through October for the Note 3 and Galaxy Gear, but only gave a vague "in Q3" launch time for the Note 10.1 (2014). Where to take NoteAll major telcos in Australia have confirmed that they will have the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 available, including Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and Virgin Mobile, though Telstra was the only one to also confirm that it will be carrying the Galaxy Gear watch as well. "Telstra is excited to announce it will range the new Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear when it comes to Australia," Telstra said. With Telstra and Vodafone vying for Cat 4 devices, and the Galaxy Note 3 coming in both a 2.3GHz quad-core LTE model (which has Cat 4 capabilities) and a 1.9GHz octa-core 3G model, it will interesting to see exactly which variant will hit Aussie shores - if not both. However, Vodafone has hinted that it will have the LTE model, saying: "Vodafone is committed to delivering its customers innovative new products to play with on their lightning-fast 4G network and is delighted to announce it will be offering the new Samsung Galaxy Note 3." In any case, it is highly likely that Australia will be one of the 149 countries to get the Note 3 and Galaxy Gear by October, so we'll have further pricing and availability details once we know more.        | | November pain? BlackBerry reportedly chasing a quick and easy sale Sep 4th 2013, 23:00, by Chris Smith 
BlackBerry looks like it may be the next former smartphone kingpin to admit defeat in its battle to rejoin the mobile elite, with the ailing Canadian company reportedly looking for a quick and painless sale. Just days removed from Nokia's sale to Microsoft, the Wall Street Journal claimed BlackBerry has courted potential suitors with a view to handing over the keys, potentially as soon as November 2013. Last month, with new handsets failing to light the fire of consumers, BlackBerry announced a strategic review was underway, with an outright sale just one of the options being explored. The paper said preliminary discussions have already taken place with interested parties regarding taking on all or part of the company. Final throwThe BB10 experiment was widely seen as BlackBerry's final throw of the dice, but despite some respectable reviews for the Q10 QWERTY handset and Z10 all-touchscreen affair, both handsets fell flat commercially. The company does have more phones in the pipeline, with the rumoured Z30 expected to arrive before the year is out. BlackBerry is also preparing to launch its BBM messaging software for Android and iOS devices, but it might be too little too late. The next question is: Who would want to buy BlackBerry in its current state?        | | Android 4.3 for Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4 should arrive next month Sep 4th 2013, 20:55, by Matt Swider 
The Galaxy Gear smartwatch and Galaxy Note 3 may have gotten most of the attention today, but there is good news on the way for owners of older Samsung products. The battery-friendly Android 4.3 update is reportedly being prepped for Samsung Galaxy smartphones. The Android 4.3 release date for the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S3 is set for October, according to Samsung at its IFA Unpacked event. The newer Jelly Bean update is said to add Galaxy Gear functionality to the Galaxy S4. TechRadar asked Samsung if the Galaxy Note 2 would share in the Android 4.3 download fun this October or a future release date. We'll update this story when we hear back. Better battery over BluetoothIt sounds like Samsung wants to take advantage of Android 4.3 features like fully activated Bluetooth 4.0, which would help keep the battery of the company's new smartwatch ticking all day long. Considering the Galaxy Gear is touting a battery life of just "more than a day," the low-powered Bluetooth connection found in Android 4.3 would be a major benefit for both the phone and the smartwatch. Right now, the Samsung smartwatch is only compatible with its newly unveiled Galaxy Note 3 phablet and Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 tablet, both of which run Android 4.3 with Bluetooth 4.0. Look for the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S3 Android 4.3 updates in October, if your carrier permits it, of course.        | | Qualcomm wants to give you a 'digital sixth sense' Sep 4th 2013, 20:47, by John McCann 
Qualcomm loves mobile. And let's be honest, who doesn't? But now it's looking to add to your touch, sight, smell, taste and hearing with something it's calling the "digital sixth sense". While that sounds pretty brazen there is a deeper meaning behind the showy name, with Qualcomm aiming to connect all our devices and have them interact with others located in your current environment. Predictions suggest that there will be 25 billion connected devices by 2020 and over half of those won't be a mobile phone, with things such as TVs, cars and wearable technology so Qualcomm is looking at ways to make all these work in unison. It's not just the simple link of devices talking to each other either. Qualcomm is working on technology to allow your mobile phone to react to your preferences and your current location by providing useful, relevant and timely information. Not so natural sensesThere are a number of offerings Qualcomm has developed to push towards this extension of our natural senses, keeping the smartphone at the centre of everything we do, but requiring us to use it less. First up there's Gimbal, a context aware system which can communicate with Bluetooth beacons and push things such as notifications and offers to your smartphone - we've already tried out the system at the conference. Then there's the AllJoyn and AllPlay services, the former providing a secure framework for joining various devices together and the latter building on top of that with a music streaming service allowing you to play music from your smartphone or tablet to enabled speakers. It's a similar sort of deal to Sonos, but Qualcomm is offering the SDK for AllPlay to developers, allowing them to build the functionality directly into their applications. Lastly is Qualcomm Vuforia, an augmented reality engine which allows you to interact with objects which aren't connected - such as magazines. Nothing really new here then. 
What is new is something Qualcomm is calling Smart Terrain which uses Vuforia and it can turn every day objects into a virtual world which can then be used as a platform for game play. The example we were shown during the conference was a coffee tablet being turned into a game world, with a unique 3D mapper slapped on the back of a Sony Xperia Tablet Z creating a mesh of the surface and the objects on it and then building the world on top. It was certainly impressive, but we're not completely sold on the concept of people holding their smartphone or tablet up to their coffee table just to play a game, when sitting back on the sofa is a far more appealing option.        | | Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs. Galaxy Note 2 Sep 4th 2013, 20:12, by Marc Flores
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 was unveiled at Samsung Unpacked on September 4, and it didn't throw any real surprises at us. The massive smartphone or phablet--a word we still refuse to accept into the English language despite what the Oxford Dictionary says--is an incremental upgrade to its predecessor, the Galaxy Note 2. Galaxy Note 3 vs. Galaxy Note 2: sizeSamsung's latest smartphone is bigger and better than the last generation model, if only by just a little bit. Physically, it has a bigger display than the Note 2, yet it's slimmer and lighter than the older version. Depending on your market, it also has a more powerful CPU. Galaxy Note 3 vs. Galaxy Note 2: battery, CPU, cameraBattery capacity has been upped, along with the camera resolution, which was to be expected since the Galaxy S4 is rocking a 13MP shooter, too. The Galaxy Note 3 has up to a 2.3GHz quad-core CPU depending on your market, whereas the Note 2 had only a 1.6GHz Cortex-A9 unit. Samsung also added a few extra software goodies to the latest Note smartphone, but we're left wondering whether you good folks will find use for them, or if they're just another array of gimmicks. But we guess it's better to have all the Note apps and not need them, than to need them and not have them? Galaxy Note 3 vs. Galaxy Note 2: designOne nice change is the faux-leather back with stitching. When it comes to Samsung's build quality and choice of materials, the chief complaint is that its hardware is made of mostly plastic, and it feels cheap. With the added touch of fake leather and possibly fake stitching, the Galaxy Note 3 will at least have a somewhat premium feel. Take a quick look at the short comparison sheet below, and you'll find that the differences aren't very drastic. Though the Galaxy Note 3 isn't a radical overhaul of its predecessor, it's nice to have a new version with some bumped up specs. Whether you think it's worth upgrading is entirely up to you and your needs, but if I were to give a little advice for those that want it, I'd say go for it only if you can afford to throw away some cash. Galaxy Note 3 vs. Galaxy Note 2 specs table
       | | Gary Marshall: Why the Samsung Galaxy Gear is a blast from the past Sep 4th 2013, 18:39, by Gary Marshall 
Here's what's wrong with the Samsung Galaxy Gear. It's a horse. It's a good horse, I'm sure. But it's still a horse. I should probably explain. The Galaxy Gear is a wrist-mounted phone that Samsung hopes will be a fashion icon. It has a touch screen, Bluetooth, email, texting and apps. So did the Samsung S9110, which came out in 2009. The Gear is better in almost every respect, but the underlying philosophy is identical. Henry Ford famously said that he didn't ask people what they wanted, because they would have asked for faster horses. The Galaxy Gear is a faster horse. Where's the wow?The S9110 was a fine piece of engineering, but it wasn't a paradigm-shifting, world-changing, envelope-pushing, category-defining sensation, which is why you almost certainly aren't wearing one on your wrist right now. Neither is the Gear, which does much the same but with slightly better tech. Where's the wow? There's nothing wrong with the Galaxy Gear. It's a decent and decently priced smartphone/tablet accessory. But where's the killer app? Maybe there isn't one. Maybe the tech press is so desperate for a Next Big Thing story that it's blown the smartwatch idea out of all proportion, putting a Saviour Of The World label on something that's going to be as important to our lives as iPod Socks. Or maybe it's that Samsung, for all its talents, just doesn't have the vision thing. And neither does Sony, or Pebble, or Google, or LG, or anybody else working on a smartwatch project. Does Apple? It's easy to assume Apple has some kind of magical powers, but over the years it has excelled at one particular thing: spotting what everybody else is doing wrong, and finding a way to do it right. Music players existed before the iPod, smartphones before the iPhone, tablets before the iPad. Maybe it's going to do the same with the smartwatch. What's frustrating for me is that I can't see how. I can see what's wrong with the Galaxy Gear, but I can't see how to do it right: I can't work out the smartwatch killer app, the must-have feature, the thing that'll make me spend money I can't afford on a product I can't need. Can you?   | | IFA 2013: Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch officially unveiled Sep 4th 2013, 17:13, by Kate Solomon
Samsung's new smartwatch, the Galaxy Gear, has been revealed at IFA 2013 - but it will only work with the also-announced Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition for now. The Android-running wrist-warmer allows you to make voice-controlled hands-free calls through your phone, and hopes to get a headstart on the long-rumoured Apple iWatch while also the recently-announced Sony Smartwatch 2 a run for its money. The 73.8g Gear comes with a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen that will display notifications, and there's a 1.9MP camera on the strap which allows you to record video in Full HD. YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqXUXDJzZycThere are also two microphones for noise cancellation, and a speaker squeezed into the watch strap's clasp. To answer a call, you raise your arm to your face and start chatting. Apparently that's "natural". As for the battery, it's a 315mAh cell which you recharge using a microUSB charger and charging cradle combination. Samsung reckons you'll get "more than a day" from a single full charge, but we'll just see about that. RainbowIt was revealed with a jaunty orange strap (sorry, we mean "Wild Orange") with "Jet Black" (black), "Mocha Gray" (gray), "Oatmeal Beige" (beige), "Rose Gold" (yellow) and "Lime Green" (green) also available, although they are not interchangeable. 
It will connect to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 using a combination of Bluetooth and a dedicated app, plus connect to the new Note 10.1. Further device support will come with a later update. The camera uses AR so you can use it to, for instance, translate road signs in foreign languages as well as take photos and shoot video. The watch comes with 4GB of internal storage. "I believe it will become a new fashion icon around the world," said JK Shin, Samsung's CEO, ambitiously. As for app support, the Galaxy Gear can brag 70 apps, including Path, Pocket and RunKeeper. The Samsung Galaxy Gear release date is Sept. 25 in over 100 countries, with more to follow in October 2013. For pricing we're looking at a $299/£299/about AU$326.        | | IFA 2013: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 strides on to the scene Sep 4th 2013, 17:10, by Michelle Fitzsimmons
Samsung's latest is-it-a-phone-or-is-it-a-tablet identity crisis has landed in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Announced over at IFA 2013, the handset comes packing the latest version of Jelly Bean, Android 4.3 and a 5.7-inch Full HD Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. JK Shin, head of mobile at Samsung, introduced the phone - calling it lighter, slimmer, larger, faster and longer lasting than previous generations. The Note 3 will start launching Sept. 25 globally, with a roll out to 149 countries complete in October. The U.S. and Japan won't see the next Note until October, though the device will be available across the U.S.'s major carriers. As expected, the Galaxy Gear smartwatch Samsung wrapped around our collective wrists today will connect to the Note 3 via Bluetooth and a dedicated app, among other Galaxy devices. YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5-oP-1gznYGalaxy Note 3 specsSammy made much of the fact that this Note is slim at 8.3mm, light in a 168g form and packed with an enduring 3200mAh battery, toppling the Note 2 by offering more in the way of internals while maintaining a sleek shape. Like the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition, the Galaxy Note 3 carries an impressive 3GB of RAM. It will be available in 16GB and 32GB variants, though microSD support can bump it up to 64GB. On Note 3's rear, a camera flexes 13MP and it's equipped with UHD recording capabilities, able to shoot 60fps at 1080p. Depending on the model, users can record 4K video, too. To the front is a 2MP camera that can record Full HD at 30fps. A CRI LED flash should make for improved low-light shots. As for its proceesor, the Note 3 follows the Galaxy S4's route in that it will feature a 2.3GHz quad-core chip in the LTE model and a 1.9GHz octa-core for the 3G variant. The Note 3 features a textured, leather-like back, and of course the S Pen is within pinchable reach. According to Samsung, the S Pen is all-new, featuring a fancy bit of tech that makes the pen the key to unlocking and manipulating your Note. The company introduced a number of controls accessible via the S Pen as well as a suite of Note apps. An applause-inducing introduction of the Note 3's take on the Multi Task app. It was just one of the many, many software features Samsung seems hellbent on stuffing its devices with. Others included Air Command (a wheel that steers users through different applications and features), Scrapbook and S finder. The device will be available in three colors - jet black, classic white and blush pink. The company's Knox BYOD security system comes pre-loaded. Shin said the Note 3 supports multiple bands of LTE, including Category 4, offering faster and more seamless connectivity. Users will also find a new S View Cover (in a prism of colors) that let users manipulate their Note 3 using the S Pen while the cover is on.        | | IFA 2013: Sony Xperia Z1 packs mad camera skills into a waterproof package Sep 4th 2013, 14:37, by Kate Solomon 
Sony has gone big on camera tech in its new flagship Xperia Z1, with the handset packing a 20.7MP G Lens camera with detachable DSLR lens. The handset's 5-inch screen takes the best of Bravia tech and rams it into smartphone stylings, with the Triluminous display also rocking X-Reality processing analyses the picture and delivers what Sony calls "super sharp videos". Under the stylish aluminium casing we're looking at a 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor - that's the most advanced mobile processor around - backed up by 2GB of RAM and up to 16GB of on-board memory. Happily, there's also a microSD slot that can handle up to 64GB so you won't be wanting for storage space. Speed demonThe handset is 4G/LTE ready and as waterproof as its predecessor - this time with the added bonus of an uncovered headphone jack. But what about that camera? The 20.7MP snapper comes replete with Exmor RS sensor which means it should be a dab hand at lowlight image capture, while the 27mm wide-angle lens, fast autofocus and BIOS image processor round out the photographical goody bag. It rocks some nifty software features too, including the ability to stream video straight to your Facebook wall, if that's the kind of thing you think you might want to do, while the TimeShift feature lets you scroll through the 61 frames captured in a second to choose the best, sharpest action shot. The 2MP camera on the front of the handset is able to shoot 1080p video too. There's also the optional extra QX100 Smart Lens that offers 10x optical zoom, image stabilisation and doesn't even need to be attached to the phone to take photos. Although Sony Xperia Z1 pricing is yet to be revealed, it will go on sale in September 2013 in black, white and purple varieties.        | |
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