Saturday, March 8, 2014

More alleged 50MP Oppo Find 7 camera samples emerge

A number of 50MP camera samples allegedly captured by the upcoming Oppo Find 7 made the rounds online. The photos arrive hot on the heels of a leaked sample from earlier this week, which got us thinking about the upcoming device’s camera tech.


Oppo Find 7 alleged camera samples (click to enlarge)

Like in the case of the previous leak, the new images’ EXIF data suggests that they have been captured with an Oppo Find 7. Additionally, the data shows that the device’s camera has a wide f/2.0 aperture.

We will reserve any judgments about the quality of the photos for after the phone’s debut. In the meantime, we can’t help but be excited about what’s coming our way in terms of imaging performance with the Oppo Find 7.

Oppo Find 7 has already appeared in press images. We also know that the handset will come in two versions with different screen resolution.

Oppo Find 7 will debut later this month, on March 19 in Beijing. Be sure to tune in for the full scoop on the smartphone.

Source (in Italian)


Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/more_alleged_50mp_oppo_find_7_camera_samples_emerge-news-7988.php

New HTC One smart cover purportedly leaked, but this story is full of holes

New HTC One smart cover purportedly leaked, but this story is full of holes
Holy holes!

A new press image showing the forthcoming HTC One sequel has surfaced, showing a neat new smart case that displays information through perforations in the surface.

The case appears to be covered with small holes, allowing users to see the time, weather conditions and almost certainly other notifications, without opening the cover or waking the device.

The photo comes courtesy of @evleaks (who else?), who tweeted it alongside the caption" "Holes. Time. Colours."

The case makes the device look a little like an LED scoreboard, roadsign or, as The Verge points out, a modern interpretation of Hasbro's Lite Brite toy!

In recent times there have been plenty of smart cases showing vital info through cut out sections, but this would represent a welcome new approach from the Taiwanese firm.

Pure Android coming too

As well as the image, @evleaks also informed users to expect a Google Play Edition of the device, running pure Android, rather than HTC's like-it-or-loathe it Sense UI.

HTC plans to officially announce the phone on March 25 at a media event although, thanks to innumerable leaks, it looks like there'll be little left to announce.


Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/new-htc-one-smart-cover-purportedly-leaked-but-this-story-is-full-of-holes-1232182

Oppo's Find 7 shows up in official shots, but no sign of that 50-megapixel snapper

Oppo's Find 7 shows up in official shots, but no sign of that 50-megapixel snapper
An Oppo-tunity for an early look at the Find 7

The launch of Oppo's eagerly-anticipated Find 7 smartphone isn't until March 19, but the first official shots of the device have apparently shown up prematurely on a design awards website.

A press render of the Oppo 7 appeared (since removed) on the Red Dot 21 website showing the device in all its glory and seemingly confirming some of the headline specs.

Within the product description, the site lists the 2650 x 1440 (2K!) display we already knew about, the presence of a 13-megapixel camera, 4G LTE connectivity and a Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor.

If that turns out to be the case, some folks may be a little disappointed following reports Oppo planned to stick a Nokia Pureview-smashing 50 megapixel sensor in there.

Breath light

The page also claims the phone has a ridge-less, seamless design with metal sides and glass on the front and rear. It also speaks of a "breath light" at the bottom of the phone for notifications.

As well as the 2K version, Oppo this week confirmed the Find 7 will have a 1080p cousin. With that in mind it's possible that 50-megapixel camera could show up in an alternate version.

We'll find out for sure when the device is officially revealed later this month.


Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/oppo-s-find-7-shows-up-in-official-shots-but-no-sign-of-that-50-megapixel-snapper-1232179

HTC All New One official flip cover leaks out on Twitter

The latest leaked press image of HTC’s upcoming All New One shows the device wearing a nicely-looking flip cover case. The photo appeared on Twitter, courtesy of @evleaks.

As you can see above, the flip cover will allow users to neatly view relevant information such as time and current weather while closed. We have seen similar setup from LG and Alcatel recently.

The leaked flip cover is not the only official case for the device to leak out. A couple of weeks back, @evleaks posted an press photo of the smartphone wearing a rugged case.

Alongside the image, the famous tipster claims that the upcoming HTC M8 will arrive in a Google Play Edition guise as well. This is hardly a surprise as the original HTC One was among the first devices to get such treatment.

The All New HTC One will be officially revealed this month, on March 25. The handset has made a number of unscheduled appearances which include press images in different colors and carrier branding, hands-on video, and benchmarks.

Source


Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_all_new_one_official_flip_cover_leaks_out_on_twitter-news-7987.php

10 best Android launchers: amazing ways to supercharge your phone

10 best Android launchers: amazing ways to supercharge your phone
Get yourself an alternative Android launcher

Spend more than three minutes with any Android fanboy, and you'll quickly learn that the real beauty of Google's operating system lies in the potential to customise it.

Any problem can be solved by downloading enough apps. Nowhere is that more true than for Android's homescreen – so we've rounded up the best alternative Android launchers for your modding pleasure.

On an Android phone, the launcher is the app responsible for the home screen, the app 'grid', and launching the aforementioned apps. Phones generally come with either the stock Google launcher, or more commonly, a launcher whacked on top by a hardware manufacturer like Samsung.

But, if you don't get on with your phone's default launcher, installing a new one just takes a quick visit to the Google Play Store.

1. Google Now Launcher

Google Now Launcher

Google's very own stock Android launcher is now up for grabs – but just because it's the Android standard, doesn't mean it's boring. For your money (well, actually, it's free), you get easy access to Google Now, button-free voice controls, and enough transparent window-bars to make you think you're back in Windows Vista.

It's compatible straight out of the box with all Nexus and Google Play Edition devices, and two minutes with a computer will get it running on all Android 4.x handsets. Just be careful what you say around it – the Big G's always listening, probably.

2. Nova Launcher

Nova Launcher

Nova and Apex (below) are the two standout Android launchers – both strike an excellent balance between having enough features to customise things, without bogging you down with unfeasibly long options lists and 17 levels of sub-menu hell.

Nova's arguably the better of the two, with a few more options available in the free version (there is also a Prime version), and slightly better performance – but really, we're splitting tiny Android hairs trying to find a difference between the two.

3. Apex

Apex Launcher

Apex Launcher, just like Nova, blends smooth performance and ease-of-use with a good level of customisation to create a genuinely appealing alternative to most standard Android launchers.

Standout features on Apex include a superb tablet mode (finally allowing Nexus 7 owners to rotate the home screen); and the Pro version has the fantastic Apex Notifier service, which pushes notifications to a widget on your home screen. (Although, Notifier requires running an extra app in the background, which is a small drain on battery life.) Once again, the Pro version does cost money, so it's worth downloading the free version first.

4. Launcher Pro

Launcher Pro

Launcher Pro is aimed at users with phones that are yet to taste the frozen goodness of Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, and are still stuck with Gingerbread.

Although it lacks some of the bells and whistles of its more advanced stablemates, Launcher Pro is a solid upgrade from the stock launcher, with much faster scrolling and more customisation options, and even some sleek tricks like unlimited widget resizing in the full-fat, paid-for version.

5. Buzz Launcher

Buzz Launcher

Buzz Launcher packs the standard set of customisation options, but with a killer advantage: a user-created library of thousands of themes and widgets you can browse, download and tinker with. Whereas other launchers feel like masterpieces of efficiency – trying to find you the app you want, with minimum hassle – Buzz is all about the aesthetics.

There are certainly more powerful launchers out there, but if you're all about matching the colour of your shoelaces to your cravat (and don't have an iPhone), then this is probably the launcher for you.

6. Action Launcher Pro

YouTube : www.youtube.com/embed/_Aj-PRdU7xA

Action Launcher has some nifty, unique features – stuff like a quick-access set of shortcuts (all customisable, of course), special gestures for launching apps from within folders, and a cool one-touch method of creating widgets from apps.


Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/10-best-android-launchers-amazing-ways-to-supercharge-your-phone-1231553

Oppo Find 7 leaks through Red Dot website

Oppo will be announcing its Find 7 smartphone on March 19 but the Red Dot website already leaked the final design. The page has since been removed but not before we got a glimpse at the design.



The Find 7 has a much more elegant and simple design compared to its predecessor. The front has a glass panel with a metal frame around it. On the bottom edge is a crescent-shaped blue LED light for notifications.

The phone was described as having a 5.5-inch, 2560 x 1440 resolution display, as we have been hearing until now. However, the recently leaked 50 megapixel camera was nowhere to be found and in its place was a decidedly more pedestrian 13 megapixel unit.



We still have a few more days left before official announcement before we find out for sure what Oppo has in store for us.

Source


Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/oppo_find_7_leaks_through_red_dot_website_-news-7986.php

Counterclockwise: Nokia 808 and Retina iPad appear, Android rises

With the Mobile World Congress over, it's time to go back to Counterclockwise – our weekly article that looks back in time at what happened in the last few years. Few as in five or less, but as we'll see this small period of time is a millennium in tech terms.



Say "cheese"!

HTC had just announced the One X and One S at the MWC 2012 and was showing off the new ImageSense technology. Back then HTC used regular 8MP sensor, the time of the UltraPixel came only the following year.



Meanwhile, Nokia had launched its 41MP beast but that ran Symbian rather than the company's new OS of choice, Windows Phone. Of course, rumors had already begun of a PureView Lumia device. It wasn’t until the middle of last year when the Lumia 1020 made that happen though.



Still, both companies went in very different directions – HTC chose to step down from 8MP to 4MP but bump up pixel size, while Nokia committed to large, high-resolution sensors. Granted, the sensor in the Lumia 1020 is smaller than the one in the 808 PureView (1/1.5" vs. 1/1.2") and the new standard is even smaller, 1/2.5" at 20MP.

It's worth noting that Sony has joined Nokia in the pursuit of imaging excellence through large sensors – the Xperia Z2, Xperia Z1 and Z1 Compact all have 1/2.3" 20.7MP sensors, though no optical stabilization like Nokia or HTC.

That's in the past now, still resolution is no longer the battleground of mobile cameras – it's video resolution. Two years before MWC 2012 Sony Ericsson had released an update for its Satio cameraphone to enable WVGA (854 x 480) video capture.



For reference, that's only 20% of the pixels of 1080p video. Compared to the new 2160p standard for flagships, it's twenty times fewer pixels. See just how much difference four years made?

Android picks up speed

We still feel like 2013 was yesterday, but a look back at Android OS version charts quickly dispels that illusion. Jelly Bean was still the latest version of Android in March 2013 and we're talking 4.2, 4.3 wasn’t unveiled yet.



Back then, 2.3 Gingerbread powered nearly half of all Android devices and the OS was really showing its age (it was announced in early 2011).

Android was a force to be reckoned with even before Gingerbread – in March 2011 ComScore ran the numbers and found that Google's operating system had just surpassed the dominant BlackBerry OS. BB OS still enjoyed huge popularity back then and kept iOS in third place.

Another major milestone came in March 2012. Google announced that the Android Market is no more – Google Play Store would take its place and add music, videos and books on its virtual shelves. Amazon had already launched the Kindle Fire tablets, which served to push Amazon content to consumers quicker and this was Google's response.



iOS leaps ahead too

While Android was still trying to shrug off Gingerbread and companies were trying to figure out phone cameras, Apple unveiled a new iPad tablet. The 2012 iPad, or as it became known "iPad with Retina display" had the biggest screen resolution we had ever seen.



Following the jaw-dropping sharpness of the iPhone 4 display (which came in 2010), Apple's tablet had the quote-unquote "mind-blowing resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels." To this day iPads have some of the most beautiful displays around, but Android's thirst for big numbers helped it catch up and surpass the resolution quickly.

Just before the MWC we were hearing that this or that 5.x inch smartphone will have a QHD display, but that didn’t pan out. Still, the first QHD devices are a reality with several 5.5" phablets. Again, putting pixel counts in perspective QHD (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) is over two and a half more pixels than the iPad Retina screen. Even Android tablets stick to 2,560 x 1,600 pixels.

Meanwhile, iOS 5.1 started rolling out. It was a relatively minor update, bringing Japanese support to Siri and refining Photo Stream in iCloud. Much like the Gingerbread days, iOS was still running the now outdated skewmorphic UI rather than the hot, new flat design.



Galactic rumor mill

If you were following the pre-MWC rumors this year you witnessed the barrage "Galaxy S5 this, Galaxy S5 that" rumors first-hand. Last year it wasn’t much different, except it was the Galaxy S4 that was in the spotlight.

The chatter from early 2013 suggested odd things like Samsung using two different chipsets and some sort of futuristic (or gimmicky?) way to scroll with your eyesight.

Both things are now a reality and in fact standard – Samsung uses Qualcomm Snapdragons for LTE devices and its own Exynos chips for Wi-Fi only or 3G/Wi-Fi devices. Smart Scroll and its other Smart Screen companions are found on a wide range of Galaxy devices too.



Going on sale

We've talked about them before here on Counterclockwise – the Toshiba TG01 and HTC Magic. Both devices will have a great impact on the smartphone industry and launch details for the two became available in early 2009.

The Toshiba TG01 was the first slim, powerful, large-screened smartphone, it's the phone that started the trend. Anyway, O2 had scored exclusivity on the "uber-smartphone" but unfortunately sales never quite pushed Toshiba to where Samsung and HTC are now.



Speaking of, HTC was just starting its Android adventure – the T-Mobile G1 was already out, but Vodafone was just announcing the launch date of the HTC Magic (another exclusive deal). It was only the second HTC Android device to carry the company's name and dropped the hardware QWERTY of the G1.



Hardware keyboards sprouted a few more times in Android's history, but growing screen sizes and touch sensor accuracy meant better and better on-screen keyboards. Eventually, it became unavoidable – hardware keyboards became extinct, but it's surprising to see the trend start so early in Android's history.


Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/counterclockwise_counting_pixels_os_competition_heats_up-news-7985.php