News & Reviews:   smartphone

The Nexus program is Google’s take on setting benchmarks for Android-powered smartphones. Even so, it seems Google is not satisfied with the output of the program, and may be producing their own Google-designed phones by the end of the year.

One of the biggest smartphone makers in the world may soon find themselves considering to wean off the dependence on Google's OS and instead turn to their own home brand. Samsung's Tizen is not new – with their Samsung Z model available in select market, and their smartwatches running on their own OS. The fact that they may just turn away from Android could be a game changer. 

While we may have great sensor sizes in modern phones, mobile photography is stymied by one thing – physics. The megapixel number may be high, but physically the camera module is small, that the lens size is limited by the space available on the phone itself. A new breakthrough in material design may just do away with this problem – and it involves putting metal on your phone cam

Qualcomm has just announced its new Mobile Development Platform Smartphone (MDPS) which features the latest 64-bit Snapdragon 810 processor. Along with this super-fast SoC, you get other ready-to-ship technologies developed by the chip maker. The Snapdragon 810 64 bit Octa Core processor inside is made up of four Cortex A57 and Cortex A53 cores built on a 20nm process. As a result, even with a 50% increase in the processing power, the chip should be power efficient. The device comes with an Adreno 430 GPU, which is 30% faster than the previous generation along with 4GB LP-DDR4 RAM. The device also comes with many more features as listed below but unfortunately, these technologies don't come cheap, and anyone interested can purchase the device from Qualcomm for $800 (about RM2682).

On the back, there's a 13MP camera sensor with OIS capable of recording 4K videos at 30 fps. While on the front, there is a 4MP auto focus camera which can take 1080p videos. Other notable features include USB 3.0, a fingerprint sensor, 11.1 surround sound with Dolby and DTS, Bluetooth 4.1, Snapdragon StudioAccess technology and SecureMSM digital rights management. There are a number of sensors onboard too, like an ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, pressure sensor, temperature and humidity sensor, UV sensor, Mobeam sensor, 3 axis gyro and 3 axis accelerometer. Obviously, there are no Malaysia release dates or pricing for the Qualcomm MDPS but it does give an indication as to what new features are coming in smartphones for 2015.

Smartphones have various sensors that let them detect gravity, speed and a whole bunch of other things, but a new type of sensor may soon allow our smartphones to sniff out smells. The sensor is based on a MEMS vacuum pump which is many times smaller than previous versions and works on the basis of spectrometers. It is being developed by Honeywell ACS Labs and involves the creation of many mini turbines on a circular platform smaller than the size of a penny or 1-cent coin. Developers are using it to detect chemical reactions for toxins in the air, allowing it to effectively smell dangerous substances or situations which we might not be aware of.

While initially Microsoft was rumoured to have approached HTC about loading Windows Phone on Android, it appears that HTC wasn't the only one Microsoft talked to. According to reports, Microsoft have also approached Samsung and Huawei with Windows Phone OS for smartphones and Windows RT for tablet for free as an incentive. They have also supposedly added on compensation for the required adaptation costs. While none of the above parties have really confirmed anything, a rumoured 12.1-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab which can dual-boot between Windows RT and Android is supposedly on the way. Tech specs for this device include very high pixel resolutions, a super thin plastic chassis made to look like metal (probably a chrome finish) and is supposedly very fast. Most of this info comes from Russion blogger Eldar Murtazin, who has mostly been accurate when it comes to Nokia - Microsoft related rumours. However, he was wrong about Tizen so take this rumour again with a pinch of salt. No Malaysia release dates or pricing just yet though.

Now this is by no means a new rumour, as rumours about a metal body Samsung smartphone have been around since before the Samsung Galaxy S4. What is new, is that the source seems to be coming from mostly South Korean Media who suggest that Samsung may finally be making this move with a premium Project F series of smartphones. These F series smartphones would have metal chassis, feature the latest 64-bit Samsung Exynos chipsets and have the latest Samsung technology such as the ISOCELL mobile camera technology. Tech specs for the smartphones include 4.5-inch to 5.5-inch screen sizes that may see flexible displays and 16MP cameras with optical image stabilization. So far, no other features or information such as Malaysia release dates or pricing are available but rumours indicate that we could see the Samsung Project F smartphones make an appearance in March 2014 which coincides with CES 2014.

Nissan is entering the smartwatch fray with their Nismo Watch, designed to complement users of their performance Nismo cars. While it isn't an actual product just yet, it is a concept complete with a mock-up which certainly sounds intriguing. The smartwatch connects to the smartphone via Bluetooth while the smartphone is connected to the car via a dashboard insert. It will then get driving information such as speed, fuel performance and other stats along with your heartrate and other biometrics so you can stay frosty while taking that hairpin turn at 120km per hour. So far, the designs seem to show that this smartphone will be an Apple iPhone, but it doesn't say for sure if it will be iOS exclusive. The design of the watch is futuristic to say the least, and rather than watch, looks more like a bracelet. It could be using a flexible display but since it doesn't show it actually bending or anything we'll wait for more information. Check out the video and interview regarding the Nissan Nismo Watch here.

Panasonic recently made an announcement that they would be officially withdrawing from the consumer smartphone market. $15 billion worth of losses is nothing to sneeze at and is probably the main reason why Panasonic are doing so. While they tried to expand in Europe last year from March 2012, the attempt didn't come out as planned. Kazuhiro Tsuga, President of Panasonic had this to say:

"it's not acceptable for the company to be bleeding red ink like this, so we have to think about ways to develop assets that we do have in a more effective direction."

Panasonic will continue to sell consumer handsets in emerging markets (like Malaysia) but won't be making the devices themselves. Rather, the brand will be Panasonic but the manufacturers will be different. In related news, Panasonic may still be developing a Toughphone like their now famous Toughbook line of notebook computers, which may or may not see the light of day. No news on Malaysia release dates or pricing just yet but we will keep you posted.

When we first covered the early rumours about a wireless lens, WVIL or the Wireless Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens came up way before the now upcoming Sony Smart Shot wireless lens. Released way back in 2011, the WVIL system isn't a real wireless lens but actually a concept exploring the possibilities of the wireless lens. Put up by the Artefact Group, it offered a look into what they thought would be the natural progression of digital photography with smartphones. While the Sony Smart Shot wireless lens could have come from a different source, the Artefact Group has explored the concept of a wireless lens so fully that there are even concept renders of possible accessories and even an easier to use camera app. We're practically days away from the unveiling of the Sony Smart Shot but if you'd like a possible view at the future of wireless lens check out the pics and videos here.