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As reported earlier here at Mobile Mega Mall, some Sony Xperia Z owners have been affected by a sudden shut down bug, causing their Sony Xperia Z smartphones to shut down randomly for no reason. The fix for this bug has just been released by Sony with the first-time update of the Sony Xperia Z.

Users affected by it can download the update over-the-air or through the PC Companion App but according to Sony the update will be released in stages for now (so don't be too impatient).

Recently, Sony Malaysia launched two new additions to their digital camera range in the form of the A58 and the NEX-3N. Launched in tandem with the Sony Alpha Experience 2013 in Malaysia, the two new digital cameras are intended to add more options for their respective mid-range markets. The A58 digital SLT (in the picture above) is part of the A-Series range of Sony digital cameras and offers the following features:

• 20.1MP Exmore APS HD CMOS Sensor
• BIONZ image processing engine
• ISO range 100 to 16000
• SteadyShot INSIDE (slower shutter speeds)
• Tilt-angle LCD
• OLED Tru-Finder
• 15-point autofocus + Lock-on Autofocus
• Burst mode (eight frames per second)
• Auto Object Framing

Our search through the US Patents today have been rather fruitful as it reveals that Sony has also recently filed a patent for wearable glasses that may rival Google's Glass project. What sets it apart from Google's Glass project is that Sony's patent describes glasses with HUD monitors for both eyes instead of just the one on the Google Glass glasses. Earbuds mounted near the ears show a more multimedia like device than Google's Glass project which isn't surprising given that Sony's angle is more based on entertainment than Google's Augmented Reality (AR) plans.

US Patents filed in 2011 and 2000 show that Google have also been working on smart watch devices. While the more recent patent (see drawing above) talks about a dual screen device with touchscreen capabilities, the older patent (see drawing below) shows a smart watch design much along the same lines as the current Pebble watch. Apparently Google's Smart Watch has been under development just as long as Samsung's Smart watch as well, just that we haven't seen any actual hardware come to light.

DSLR cameras are not usually known for their small size or light weight, but Canon's recently released EOS 100D or otherwise known as the Rebel SL1 changes all this by being one of the smallest and lightest DSLR cameras in the world. Weighing in at a mere 400g the DSLR is just a little heavier than a standard 7-inch tablet or paperback book and yet manages to avoid the "like a toy"  feeling you get with too lightweight devices. This is probably due to the solid plastic body and ergonomic design. Other features include:

• 18MP sensor
• Hybrid CMOS AF II system
• 80% viewfinder coverage
• 3 - inch capacitive screen
• 9 point AF system

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini Malaysia News:

Updated: 23-March-2013

Samsung also unveils the Galaxy S4 Mini just after the company announced the Galaxy S4 last week in New York. According to the sources, the Galaxy S4 Mini will be released to the market worldwide in coming summer this year - 2013.

While many know that the Samsung Galaxy S4 is coming, few know that it is coming in two flavours. Like what some of our readers at the Mobile Mega Mall Facebook page have noted, the I9500 is powered by the 8-core Exynos processor but doesn't have any LTE capabilities while the I9505 model will be powered by the 4-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor and have LTE capabilities.

Thankfully, Malaysia is one of the few countries that will be getting both models (which may lead to an I9500 vs I9505 comparison later on ;) ). The full list is below but not completely accurate (as in some countries might be missing).

Apple has always been about patents but this is probably one of the more useful sounding ones so far. Instead of a patent for a rounded edges, this patent is about a "Protective Mechanism for an Electronic Device" that allows an electronic device to shift the weight of a falling device in such a way that it would always fall on it's back. This means if your smartphone had this feature and it fell, you wouldn't have to deal with a cracked screen (Corning Gorilla Glass still cracks due to falls).

The way it works is that when the device is falling the phone detects free fall using position sensors, imaging sensors and accelerometers. Then it sends a signal to the protective mechanism, allowing it to land on the strongest part of the chassis (usually the back part), minimizing the possibility of cracks or damage to the device and the screen of the device.

Despite being waterproof, scratch-proof and dust-proof, the new Sony Xperia Z isn't completely proofed from every threat as some owners are finding out. These owners are reporting that their Sony Xperia Z smartphones are shutting down for no reason and then not turning back on again. Some have reported success at bringing them back online by doing a hard reset (through a combination button press of the power and volume buttons) but some have not been successful. So far there have been no indications as to a common reason why something like this could have happened.

In a move that would likely make the Samsung Galaxy S4 even more attractive, Samsung and HP have teamed up to make it almost effortless for Samsung Galaxy S4 owners to print wirelessly using HP printers. Covering almost 200 HP Inkjets and Laserjets, the move makes wireless printing from your phone, in this case the Samsung Galaxy S4, even easier than before.

Previously, printing wirelessly from your phone required a number of applications to be set up both on the phone as well as on the connecting PC or computer hooked up to the printer. However, with this feature, users looking to do a lot of wireless printing have just one more reason to buy the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4.