Oppo N1 official camera samples emerge

Oppo turned a few heads today at its unveiling in China of the new Oppo N1, where it introduced a 13MP camera capable of rotating 206-degrees from front to back.

This means that your front-facing images should theoretically be just as good as your rear-facing ones - it is one and the same camera after all.

The images are processed by Oppo's new Pure Image algorithm, which they claim offers realistic and vivid image quality, as well as better white balance, exposure and focus. The lens itself is made up of six physical lenses of f/2.0 aperture. There's also a dual LED flash in the back, one each for normal light and diffused light, and an unprecedented 8 second long exposure time.

While we don't want to get too into analyzing images published officially by the manufacturer for obvious reasons, we must say that while the colors seem accurate, the dynamic range could use some work - particularly in the flower images, where some highlights and more than a few shadows are clipped.

We can't wait to get our hands on a unit to see how it performs in our own tests. Meanwhile, be sure to check out our dedicated hands-on of the Oppo N1 - we have our own camera samples, but at very poor lighting conditions.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/oppo_n1_official_camera_samples_emerge-news-6844.php

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iPhone 5S and 5C sales hit 9 million in three days

iPhones strangely popular

Apple has announced that its latest iPhone launch is the most popular yet, with 9 million new iPhones sold in just three days.

According to Apple, the launch of the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C was a record breaker for the company and downloads of iOS 7 have been impressive too, clocking in at 200 million.

To compare, the iPhone 5 in the same time span last year managed a mere 5 million sales.

Speaking about the popularity of the new iPhones, Tim Cook said: "This is our best iPhone launch yet - more than nine million new iPhones sold - a new record for first weekend sales.

"The demand for the new iPhones has been incredible, and while we've sold out of our initial supply of iPhone 5S, stores continue to receive new iPhone shipments regularly. We appreciate everyone's patience and are working hard to build enough new iPhones for everyone."

Touchy subject

While Apple hasn't announced what the split is between iPhone 5S and 5C sales, asking around the networks in the UK, TechRadar found that the demand for the iPhone 5C wasn't anywhere near as strong as for the more powerful and somewhat less colourful iPhone 5S.

News of a successful iPhone launch for Apple couldn't have come at a better time. The company is currently battling a spot of negativity over its Touch ID technology which is said to have been infiltrated by hackers - although the outrage may be getting just a little over the top.

That said, it seems other manufacturers are still getting involved with biometrics on their phones, and it hasn't stopped Apple topping the sales charts worldwide.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/iphone-5s-and-5c-sales-hit-9-million-in-three-days-1183193

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Apple sells 9 million iPhone 5s and 5c units in first weekend

Apple prides itself on its opening weekend sales each year and there's always that word record somewhere to be found. This year Apple boasts 9 million sold iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c units in the first weekend.

Apple didn't provide specifics on which iPhone sold how many, but the two new iPhones combined for a significantly larger win over last year's 5 million iPhone units opening weekend.

Also iOS 7 is now running on more than 200 million devices, making it one of the fastest updates in history. The updated OS launched just two days before the new iPhones.

Apple is reporting low supply for the new iPhone 5s flagship, with many online orders expecting to be shipped in the coming weeks.

Be sure to check back with us soon for a detailed look at the iPhone 5s and 5c.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_sells_9_million_iphone_5s_and_5c_in_first_weekend-news-6842.php

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Oppo N1 is official with 5.9-inch fullHD display and Color OS

Oppo has just announced its latest smartphone in a special event in Beijing, China. It's called the Oppo N1 and runs the latest version of the company's home-brewed Color OS.

The Oppo N1 is built around a 5.9" display of full HD resolution, which equals out to a pixel density of 373 pixels per inch.

Below the display there are 3 capacitive Android keys - back, home and menu.

The back of the Oppo N1 is especially interesting. Firstly, there sits the camera with CMOS sensor and Oppo's specially-designed Owl imaging processor. The whole camera module rotates 180 degrees allowing it to act as a front-facing camera as well.

Depending on which version you pick (more on that in a minute), the camera would support either 15x or 10x optical zoom. Oppo has also created special plug lens. Not to be confused with Sony's QX100 and QX10 camera modules, Oppo's lens are like usual plug-in lenses that attach to the phone.

Secondly, the area below the camera is touch sensitive. The feature is called O-Touch and depending on the gesture that you make, the phone is can either play next song, browse the web or do a custom action. For example you can long touch the back of the phone while the camera app is on and it'll take a shot with the front facing camera. The supported gestures are long press, sliding and double tapping.

Right below the camera there's an LED flash, while on top of the phone you'll find a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Developing...

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/oppo_n1_is_official-news-6841.php

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LG's warped-looking Vu 3 is officially official

Well, she's happy with it anyway

After unveiling its new animation-friendly cases last week, LG has now given the Vu 3 the official nod with its 4:3 stylings set for release by 27 September.

Not in the UK, US or Australia, mind you - the Vu 3 seems set for a limited release with the company focusing its efforts on its home turf.

So we'll be missing out on the 5.2-inch screen with a 4:3 "textbook" style aspect ratio, which LG describes as "monolithic", with a stylus coming as standard.

Textbook

There's a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 on board, with LTE 4G connectivity and a 13MP camera rounding out the specs.

We've already seen the see-through QuickView smart cases that display animated notifications when the phone is encased within.

LG's not letting much more slip in its announcement release, however, so we're in the dark as to what version of Android it launches with and other details.

• We were underwhelmed by the LG Vu 2; will the new generation fare any better?

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/lg-s-warped-looking-vu-3-is-officially-official-1183099

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LG unveils Vu 3 with 4:3 screen, stylus and Snapdragon 800 chipset

LG had a phablet before the Optimus G Pro, the LG Optimus Vu, and two generations of it, at that. Now the company has put out its third iteration, and following its new naming convention it's just LG Vu 3 (no "Optimus").

The Vu 3 drops the squarish looks of the first two iterations and goes for a more rounded look that is similar to the Optimus G Pro (but not the LG G2 - there are hardware buttons below the screen). The Vu family has always had 4:3 screens and this one is no exception.

This time around it's got a 5.2" IPS LCD screen of 1,280 x 960 resoluiton which results in 307ppi pixel density. LG claims this aspect is better for reading text (both documents and web pages). Like previous Vu's, this one works with a stylus with a rubber tip, and there's no additional digitizer for it.

Despite the lower screen resolution, the LG Vu 3 uses the same chipset as the G2 – a powerful Snapdragon 800 with four Krait 400 CPU cores and Adreno 330 GPU.

LG Vu 3 • the translucent QuickView cover

It has a 13MP camera too, though the press release makes no mention of optical image stabilization. The LG Vu 3 still borrows a few things from its G2 counterpart, including LTE-Advanced (up to 150Mbps downlink), KnockOn (wake device by double-tapping the screen), Guest mode and QLink (send notifications between the device and a tablet).

The LG Vu 3 also works with QuickView covers, but unlike the covers for the LG G2 there's no window. Instead the whole cover is translucent and the screen contents shines through.

The squarish phablet will be released in Q4 (if we're reading the Google Translated press release right), but there are no details regarding availability.

Source (Korean) | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_unveils_vu_3_with_43_screen_a_stylus_and_snapdragon_800_chipset-news-6840.php

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iPhone's TouchID fingerprint reader hacked by German group in just days

Hackers get touchy.

With the weekend only just winding up across the globe, the iPhone 5S with Apple's new Touch ID fingerprint reader has been available for only a couple of days since its release last Friday.

Which is apparently all the time that was needed for German group Chaos Computer Club (CCC) to hack the new iPhone's fingerprint reader.

"A fingerprint of the phone user, photographed from a glass surface, was enough to create a fake finger that could unlock an iPhone 5s secured with Touch ID," the group wrote in a blog post on September 21 at 10pm.

The post then suggests that the hack, discovered by CCC member Starbug, can be done using household materials.

The method

Described in just a paragraph on CCC's blog, the first step is photographing the enrolled users fingerprint in 2,400 dpi resolution.

The image then needs to inverted and laser printed on to a transparent sheet in 1,200 dpi resolution and thick toner setting. This is apparently where the difficult part ends.

Latex milk or white wood-glue can be used to create a mould by spreading it onto the transparent sheet and letting it dry. Then you breathe on the mould for moisture and place it on the sensor to unlock the phone.

Here's a video of the latex in action:

Fingerprint caution

Although you'll still need to have a good quality photo of the fingerprint first to be able to use CCC's method, there are those that argue that while passcodes can be kept secret or changed, fingerprints are public and cannot be changed.

"We hope that this finally puts to rest the illusions people have about fingerprint biometrics," said CCC spokesperson Frank Rieger.

"It is plain stupid to use something that you can´t change and that you leave everywhere every day as a security token," he added.

Of course, the counter argument is that passcodes can be hacked as well or someone can simply look over your shoulder, and Apple has spoken about Touch ID security concerns, saying it has everything under control.

Also, a Control Centre bug was revealed last week on the newly released iOS 7, which could leave open the iPhone 5S despite the fingerprint scanner, though Apple is working on a fix.

• Here's our review of the iPhone 5S, including what we think of the Touch ID.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/iphone-s-touchid-fingerprint-reader-hacked-by-german-group-in-just-days-1183053

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