Hi-Tech Daily News: December 2012

December 28, 2012

Meizu Outs Flyme Updates for MX and MX II

Just ahead of New Year's, Meizu rolled out updates to the Flyme system software and UI extension for its MX and MX II flagship smartphones. The original MX retains Flyme 1.1, which is updated to version 1.1.6, whereas the Flyme 2.0 running the MX II is updated to version 2.0.3. Flyme is a UI extension build over Android, it's similar to HTC's Sense.

BLU has given its Vivo 4.3 a boost to the Vivo 4.65 HD, an unlocked smartphone with decent specs and a lowish price tag. The handset includes a handful of improvements over the Vivo 4.3, and boasts a 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display after which the phone gets its name. The phone is slated to begin shipping in January, and is priced at $300.

Apple isn’t the only company to bear a grudge against Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1: LG Display has filed an injunction for a ban on the stylus-equipped tablet in Korea, as well as nearly $1m in damages for every day Samsung keeps it on sale. The latest phase of an ongoing patent dispute between LG Display and Samsung Display, Dow Jones reports, the suit alleges that the screen used in the Note 10.1 infringes its technologies in the way it boosts viewing angles.

ZTE has announced that it will unveil its ultra-thin 5-inch phablet, the Grand S, at CES 2013, the upcoming mega tech event. The Grand S is only 6.9mm thick, making it the thinnest phablet to (eventually) hit the market. This comes shortly after it announced its other high-end phablet, the Nubia Z5, a sleek device that is unlike the Chinese company’s typically lower-end devices.

The latest generation of Samsung devices is already enjoying the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update. Samsung is working hard to update the Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note for quite some time and as it seems the Note update is just around the corner.

LG is bringing a bag full of high-resolution displays to CES for the geeks who were good this year. Practically every size is covered - from 4.7" phone screens to 84" TVs - and they bet on thin bezels and high resolutions.

Toshiba Outs New 20-Megapixel BSI CMOS Image Sensor

Toshiba launched its next-generation 20-megapixel CMOS still camera sensor, the TCM5115CL. Designed for mainstream point-and-shoots and entry-level DSLRs, the sensor features back-side illumination (BSI), a 1/2.3-inch optical format, and a pixel size of just 1.2 micrometers, which is smaller than the 1.34-micrometer pixel size of the company's previous generation 16 megapixel sensor.

A company called Cool Invent has announced the latest version of an iPad and iPhone stand it offers called the Versi Stand. The new version of the stand is designed with the new Apple Lightning connector integrated allowing it to charge the iPhone 5 or iPad mini. The stand is also compatible with other Apple devices that use the standard 30-pin connector.

Toshiba is readying a Lytro-style camera that could allow photos taken on smartphones and tablets to be refocused after they’re captured, with a complex lens assembly creating data-dense adjustable images. The camera, which is expected to be commercialized in late 2013, grabs 500,000 pictures in one take, The Asahi Shimbum reports, thanks to an identical number of lenses in front of the sensor, each taking a shot with slightly different focus settings.

Canon has launched its uber-expensive EOS-1D C in Japan, and will be following it up with a launch in the United States rumored to take place in the next couple days. The 1D is priced at $11,999 and offers 18 megapixels in addition to a host of other features. For now, Japanese photographers can pick it up from Canon.jp. You can check out a video shot by the 1D after the jump.

We have yet to see any announcement from T-Mobile, however this recently discovered FCC filing leaves little mystery as to where this handset is heading. In short, it is looking like T-Mobile is going to be bringing the ZTE Grand X to the US market. That said, we have the specs but nothing in terms of when the handset may come available.

Wireless services provider T-Mobile USA is offering the Windows Phone 8-based Nokia Lumia 810 smartphone for free with the signing of a contract agreement, but only for users who make the purchase online.

AMD started selling its FX-8300 eight-core processor, which has been in the news since early-November.

Team Announces Colorful C126 USB Flash Drives

Team Group Inc. launches its colorful and dazzling series of new flash drive, the Team C126 USB 2.0, a design to shatter dull lifestyle and create a fantastic philosophy of life! Team C126 is the extension of Team Group's consumer friendly design concept. It features lightweight and high portability, the spin and retractable design eliminates the worry of losing the top cap.

As LG continues its slew of CES 2013 pre-announcements, the latest is a new display technology it's bringing to the projection arena, an ultra short throw laser projector. Capable of creating a 100-inch screen from just 22 inches (56cm) away, the "Hecto" Laser TV a 1080p shooter that can change the way owners design their home theater.

LG is in the midst of a whirlwind tour of its 2013 CES introductions, and the next stop is its AV catalog. The running theme this year is NFC: both the BH9430PW 9.1-channel home theater and the BP730 Blu-ray player include the short-range wireless format to simplify mirroring content from your Optimus G (and, most likely, other NFC phones).

Samsung's HDTV-based Smart Hub is set to land a major refresh at CES, according to a trio of images and a product description that appeared on Flickr this evening.

If you have been looking forward to the Oppo Find 5, you will be glad to know that the company has now announced a new 32GB model, which will be priced at $569 (the 16GB is priced at $499).

Sony’s Yuga C660X Confirmed as Xperia Z L36i/L36h/L36a

Japanese mobile phone maker Sony has reportedly confirmed that its previously leaked Yuga C660X flagship handset will be officially launched at CES 2013 in January as Xperia Z L36i/L36h/L36a (the letter in the model number will change depending on market).

MSI Starts Shipping Slidebook S20; Hybrid Ultrabook With $1,099 Price

MSI Slidebook S20 with sliding cover hits market.

Are you in the market for both a stylishly light ultrabook to crank up work efficiency as well as a tablet computer that won't weigh you down? Introducing the MSI Slidebook S20--guaranteed to meet all your work and leisure needs.

LG Electronics plans to make 2013 the year of the Google TV, in a market revolution akin to that of Android. It revealed plans of new 42-, 50-, and 60-inch SmartTV models that feature zero-bezels (which actually live up to its name this time), and a unique two-piece stand design.

Nokia has officially announced it’s extending the market availability the Lumia 920, Lumia 820 and Lumia 620 in the UK. Throughout January and February next year, the trio of Windows Phone 8 devices will be reaching most major UK carriers and retailers.

Lumia 920 Will Arrive at Three UK

Lumia 920, the flagship Windows Phone 8 smartphone that the Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia has brought to the market a few months ago, will arrive on shelves at wireless carrier Three UK as well.

French company Archos has officially unveiled a new tablet called Archos 97 Titanium HD.

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 Starts Selling

Lenovo's elusive ThinkPad Tablet 2 is now up for orders on the company website, which Lenovo will ship at the earliest, by the second week of 2013. The 10.1-inch Windows 8 tablet was originally slated for availability in October, but has been facing delays.

Sceptre Unveils Its 2013 Lineup Before CES

Complete selection of HDTVs, including the new Rimless Series featuring MHL technology showcased during CES 2013 at the Bellagio.

BenQ announced the GW2760HS, a new 27-inch IPS LCD monitor that takes advantage of W-LED backlit illumination, which minimizes micro-flickering. Conventional LED-backlit displays use PWM (pulse-width modulation), in which brightness is increased or decreased by adjusting the time interval in which pulses of energy is sent to the diodes. The monitor uses other, more analogue methods of voltage control, resulting in flicker-free illumination. The GW2760HS is also characterized by a slim bezel.

Genius today is pleased to announce the SP-U115, a pair of USB powered speakers in stylish color options. These affordable and compact USB speakers can be connected to your desktop or laptop in a matter of seconds, giving you the volume boost needed when listening to music or watching movies.

A new 5-inch phablet is now official, coming from ZTE on the trail of Samsung’s recently announced Galaxy Grand handset, namely the ZTE U887.

Japanese peripherals maker Logitec announced the LHR-DS05EU3 line of 3.5-inch external HDD enclosures.

Samsung is preparing to showcase a 5.5-inch flexible display for cellphones at next month’s CES.

Samsung Display, a spin-off from Samsung Electronics, will show off a pair of bendable screens at CES that could one day appear in a radically new smartphone or TV design, according to company representatives.

Attendees will get to see a 5.5-inch flexible screen intended for smartphone use, with a 1,280x720-pixel HD resolution and a 267 pixel density. In addition, the team will also show off a television-size 55-inch screen.

A flexible display offers deign freedom, Samsung Display, noting that although its demo screens curve without rending, they don't yet roll up.

In addition to creating the material that becomes the main substance of the screen, the display company's labs must also develop the touch panel and cover lens, both components that make a screen a screen.

Samsung has been developing curving screens for some time, showing off smaller display demos, like the 4.5-inch WVGA screen with about a 200 pixel density. With this demo's increased resolution and screen size, Samsung is clearly keeping pace with today's smartphone expectations.

Source: Cnet.com

ADATA XPG DRAM Modules Receive a Facelift

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash storage application products, today announces a facelift of the company's popular XPG line of DRAM modules that gives PC enthusiasts a choice of easily distinguishable performance options in three different stylish heat spreader colors.

Motorola RAZR i, the Intel-based smartphone that was made official a few months ago with Google’s Android OS loaded on top, has been launched in the UK all dressed up in white.

It’s Official: Nokia Lumia 920 Coming to Vodafone UK

Everything Everywhere (EE) is the exclusive seller for Nokia Lumia 920 in the UK. However, as we reported a few weeks ago, the exclusivity period is expected to end this year.

January 30, 2013 is a date that BlackBerry carriers are eagerly waiting to arrive, as Research In Motion is set to make its next-generation BlackBerry 10 operating system official on that day.

Next year Fractal Design will debut the Define XL R2, a new PC case promising to offer 'superb cooling and ventilation capabilities with exceptional expandability, in a sleek and stylish Scandinavian form'. Coming in two color versions - Black Pearl and Titanium Grey, this chassis measures 232 (W) x 559 (H) x 560 (D) mm, it weights 16.4 kg and has support for mini ITX, micro ATX, ATX, E-ATX and XL-ATX motherboards.

LG Electronics (LG) today announced an all-new Magic Remote for its CINEMA 3D Smart TV lineup prior to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Huawei quietly introduced the Ascend D2 in China a few weeks ago, and now the first press image of the device leaked.

The new PSU line is called CX Series Modular. Not the most dramatic of names, but Corsair's business has been doing fine, which means that its dry naming scheme works just fine.

Announced at the end of August, and showcased at IFA 2012, LG's 27EA83 WHQD monitor has started to be listed by European stores, as a pre-order item.

Evercool Intros New Cooler for AMD and Intel CPUs

Taiwanese company Evercool will soon be rolling out a new CPU cooler, a model called Venti (aka HPQ-12025) which offers support for Intel LGA775/1366/1156/1155/2011and AMD AM2/AM2 + / AM3/FM1 processors.

Samsung has an impressive track record with big-screen LED TVs, and the current 75-inch flagship UN75ES9000 aims to maintain that legacy. Packaging the smart TV functionality from the ES8000 with a few of the picture processing features best loved from 2011's D8000, all in a slim, rose gold frame, the ES9000 promises plenty; then again, so it should with a $ 10,000 price tag.

Samsung GALAXY S2 I9100 users are patiently waiting for the Jelly Bean update, we saw the pre-released of the S2 Jelly Bean 4.1.2 a while ago and it was good and very stable but not yet ready. Samsung scheduled the update for a Mid-November release but it was sadly postponed. Now we are getting reports that the Galaxy S2 Jelly bean 4.1.2 update will start rolling-out by January, 2013 as a late Christmas present for the S2 users.

A leaked slide purportedly detailing NVIDIA's next-gen "Wayne" Tegra chipset has emerged, tipping a significant increase in graphics cores as well as a boost in mobile security provisions. The slide, shared on Chinese forum Chiphell, suggests the quadcore chipset will use NVIDIA's 4-PLUS-1 architecture as on the Tegra 3, paired with 72 GPU cores and support for 2560 x 1600 displays.

NEC Japan rolled out the world's thinnest Ultrabook, the 15.6-inch LaVie X (model: LX850/JS).

In addition to the LaVie Z, NEC also announced its MultiSync EA244WMi line of 24-inch desktop monitors.

An audio dock from Samsung has been leaked over at SamMobile, where a fuzzy image and precious few specs have been posted. Rumor has it we'll see the device next month at CES, although nothing official has been stated by its Korean maker. The audio dock supports various smartphones, including the mega-popular Galaxy S III.

Sony's Yuga smartphone has been rumored for awhile now, and we've seen it pop up on various parts of the Internet, including on the German website Android Schweiz on November 2. Now the smartphone has surfaced again, this time on the Russian website Mobile Review, which claims to have a prototype of the handset, which it reviews in detail. You can check out its images and specs after the jump.

In case the Galaxy Note II, Galaxy S3, or any of the other recently launched Samsung phones aren't to your liking, the Korean company has just announced the upcoming Galaxy Grand, a handset that appears similar to an updated, tweaked Galaxy S3 with slightly better features and a very similar design. The handset is said to launch in both dual and single-sim varieties, but there's no word on when we can expect them.

Matrox DS1 Series Thunderbolt Docking Stations Now Available

Matrox today announced worldwide availability of the Matrox DS1 series of Thunderbolt docking stations that brings all the productivity benefits of a desktop computer to MacBook Pro and MacBook Air users.

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