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by Published on February 27th, 2012 22:33- Categories:
- Android News
Chinese budget Android phonemaker ZTE is the latest to launch a high-end smartphone based on Nvidia's Tegra 3 chipset but the ZTE Era opts for a smaller 4.3-inch display.
While the rest of the market has stampeded towards massive 4.7-inch and up phones with 1280 x 720 pixels, ZTE's new Era opts for 4.3-inchs with 970 x 640 pixels. The quad-core Tegra 3 mated with Android 4.0 and an 8-megapixel camera capable of shooting 1080p video, as is in vogue with the latest crop of Android announcements at MWC 2012.
ZTE has a little more pedigree than fellow China mainland rival Huawei in higher end Android phones, typically making phones rebranded for carriers. However both manufacturers have since declared for the high-end with announcements of large quad core Android 4.0 phones destined for the world market.
The ZTE Era, being slightly smaller, slightly lower resolution and with a 1.3GHz Tegra 3 versus the 1.5GHz of top-shelf rivals, will very likely come with some aggressive pricing to boot. Nevertheless it still manages a positively svelte 7.8mm-thick profile.
It looks like ZTE is also dipping their toes into software development with an Android 4.0 customised front-end called Miflavor although this wasn't demonstrated at the show. Demo models were running Gingerbread.
There's no clue on pricing but the device is scheduled to appear somewhat later than other rivals, some time during the third quarter.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...3-phone/028003 ...by Published on February 27th, 2012 22:32- Categories:
- Android News
HTC has unveiled a batch of new Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich smartphones at the Mobile World Congress tradeshow in Barcelona including the flagship HTC One X armed with Nvidia's Tegra 3 chipset.
The new handsets are the first since the mobile giant's stated shift in strategy to focus on fewer 'hero' products rather than the confusing array of phones the company has produced over the last couple of years.
The HTC One X follows the recent trend of massive 4.7-inch phones, opting for the same resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels but using Sony's SLCD rather than Samsung's OLED.
Armed with the quad-core plus 'companion core' Tegra 3 and 8 megapixel camera, the HTC One X has virtually identical specifications with the recently announced LG Optimus 4X HD. Spec watchers will, however, take note that HTC is going with a smaller 1,800mAH battery compared to the LG's heftier 2,150mAH cell.
The mid-range HTC One S opts for more sane but still large 4.3-inch screen, this time opting for AMOLED, and the last generation dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 1.5GHz processor.
The lowest end of HTC's One range is the 3.7-inch HTC One V with a 1GHz processor and 5 megapixel camera. Despite the lower spec, the One V will still ship with the latest Android 4.0.
The HTC One X will cost a shade under £600 bought outright, the One S about £100 less and the no pricing was announced for the One V yet. Like all HTC phones, the new Android 4.0 devices ship with an updated HTC Sense OS customisation. HTC have also saved one last party trick for the One X and S with a planned 'Media Link' wireless HDMI dongle that will teleport the screen onto any HDMI-equipped display. Nifty.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...-phones/027996 ...by Published on February 27th, 2012 22:29- Categories:
- DCEmu
Nokia unveiled a camera with an astonishingly high resolution camera sensor at MCW 2012 with the Nokia PureView 808 boasting a 41-megapixel camera.
Quite why you'd want to take an insanely high resolution photo on a phone is another matter but that hasn't deterred the Finnish phonemaker. The PureView 808 is apparently the product of some years of development which explains why the device is still running the aging Symbian OS rather than Windows Phone.
Nokia had to come up with a new fancy image compression scheme to get the 41-megapixel images down to a mere 10MB in size. Not really the sort of images one might upload to Facebook. That said the point seems to be to take wide angle images of such quality it's possible to massively zoom in to crop out a section of the image later.
This is probably like the phone equivalent of those implausible crime shows where a savvy chin-scratching investigator asks that their resident boffin zoom up on some detail and 'enhance', revealing the identity of the murderer in the reflection of a name badge from several kilometres away.
To be fair, Nokia is rather sensibly using the massive pixels of the 1/1.2-inch oversized sensor to create better quality standard resolution shots, including the ability to deliver superior low light performance. Even so, the PureView 808 is fitted with both a LED 'flash' for video recording and a Xenon flash for still photos.
Pricing is said to be under the £300 mark ex contract when the device appears in the second quarter. It doesn't seem much of a stretch to suggest that Nokia will port the fancy Symbian camera app to Windows Phone and ship the overachieving image sensor in a Microsoft based phone later in the year.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...erphone/028002 ...by Published on February 27th, 2012 22:28- Categories:
- DCEmu
51 per cent of smartphone users say they would be lost without texts.
Although instant messaging apps such as WhatsApp and BBM are hugely popular, mobile messaging firm Acision says 95 per cent of UK consumers actively use SMS messaging, while 93 per cent of smartphone users with access to IM services still send texts.
74 per cent of smartphone owners say they 'need' SMS, while 51 per cent of that number went as far as to say they would be lost without it.
Additionally, Facebook Chat, Skype, Twitter, BBM and WhatsApp are the five most popular IM platforms on the market.
42 per cent of smartphone users claim they prefer SMS because of its reach, another 42 per cent cited reliability, 38 per cent said price, while 37 per cent said speed of delivery, according to the report.
In comparison, just four per cent of smartphone users said IM is more reliable than text messaging.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...-use-it/017190 ...by Published on February 27th, 2012 22:26- Categories:
- Windows Phone
Selected Nokia, HTC and Samsung devices offer best performance.
It has been a long time coming, but Microsoft has finally made use of its $8.5 billion Skype takeover, which closed in Q3 2011, and developed a beta app for Windows Phone.
Skype for WinPho Beta supports all of the usual Skype functions and has been integrated with a "clean and simple" Metro user interface.
Users can make video calls over 3G, 4G and wi-fi connections, and Skype says its "tested and certified devices for best performances" include:
* Nokia Lumia 710
* Nokia Lumia 800
* HTC Titan
* HTC Radar
* Samsung Focus S
* Samsung Focus Flash
The beta version is available from the Windows Phone Marketplace, while the 'gold version' is set for an April launch.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...eta-app/017192 ...by Published on February 27th, 2012 22:22- Categories:
- PC News
Ten-inch hi-def MediaPad device "excels in all entertainment capabilities."
Continuing its assault on the high-end market, China's Huawei has unveiled what it claims to be the 'world's first quad-core tablet'.
The Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD runs off of K3 quad-core 1.5GHz processors and Android Ice Cream Sandwich, boasting a 10-inch IPS HD screen.
Additionally, the device includes wireless connectivity up to 84Mbps, LTE support, an 8MP rear-facing camera and 1.3MP front-facing camera with in-built memory of 2GB.
Richard Yu, chairman of Huawei Device says: "We have created the Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD to excel in all of the entertainment capabilities including speed, power, web-browsing, high definition display and audio, and packaging it all in a compact and portable body."
The MediaPad 10 follows Huawei's S7, S7 Slim and MediaPad tablets, and is expected to be released in Q2 2012 along with fellow quad-core device, the Huawei Ascend D quad smartphone.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...-tablet/017194 ...by Published on February 26th, 2012 22:00- Categories:
- Xbox 360 News
"But wait," you might be thinking. "The original Xbox launched on November 15, 2001. The tenth anniversary was last year, why come out with a 10-year anniversary bundle now? What's the deal? Oh my God, can you hear this? Quit listening to my thoughts! Get out of my head!!"
Whoa, chill dude! The American launch was in 2001, but the console's European debut didn't happen until three months later in 2002, hence the 10-year anniversary bundle showing up on Amazon France in 2012. The €280.00 ($375.50) package comes with a 250-gb Xbox 360, two wireless controllers, a boxed copy of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, digital versions of Halo: Reach, Gears of War 2 and Fable 3, as well as a 3-month Xbox Live Gold membership card.
The bundle is set to ship on March 9, and while we appreciate the sentiment and everything, we can't help but feel like a 360 reproduction of this might have been a more touching tribute. Make it happen, Microsoft. We'll give you money.
http://www.amazon.fr/Console-Manette...938960&sr=1-19 ...by Published on February 26th, 2012 21:57- Categories:
- Xbox 360 News
We'll wait while you click these links -- Xbox720.com and PlayStation4.com -- to see that they do indeed redirect to random technology-news pages. We'll even wait a little longer as you open a new tab, type both of those addresses in and see that we weren't lying, and they really do redirect to unofficial sites. Now we'll take a few seconds to get over the fact that you didn't trust us. Without trust there is no love; remember that.
Yesterday Xbox720.com redirected to the US PlayStation website, but it appears the domain owner has used the attention gained from that to open his own blog, Fusible reports. Xbox720.com now redirects to a tech-news aggregation site and was previously monetized via Google's Adsense program; before that it hosted random sites dating back to 2006 at least. In November 2011, the site was registered to Jeremiah Germany, but that information is now protected through Whois Privacy.
PlayStation4.com redirects to a PlayStation news and cheat site.
It appears the redirections aren't as vindictive as the ModernWarfare3.comdebacle, in which a Battlefield fan used the domain to convert Call of Duty players to his shooter of choice. We don't even know what the next Xbox will be called -- considering the first Xbox wasn't called "180," it's not set in stone that the third iteration will follow in the 360's footsteps. However, Microsoft'sXbox360.com redirects to the main Xbox site, and Sony's PlayStation3.comheads to the US PlayStation page, so it follows that they would want similar sites to do the same.
http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/24/de...-by-microsoft/ ...by Published on February 26th, 2012 21:33- Categories:
- DCEmu
“There's no margin to be made on new releases anymore.” MCV hears this more and more from specialist stores every week.
Once upon a time boxed games would be sold very close to their RRP on release day. But this hasn’t been the trend for years.
Earlier this month we revealed the average cost of a boxed game drops by 23.5 per cent after one month on sale, 30.8 per cent after two, and 39 per cent after three. On day one the average cost to the consumer can be lower than the trade price.
Online retailers and supermarkets are the drivers here. This has put extra pressure on the traditional High Street specialists who can’t compete.
Konami’s UK general manager Pete Stone explains: “Discounting by UK retailers has been ferocious during the past few years. Major retailers justified their discounting by using phrases such as ‘driving volume’ but the reality has been the opposite: it has been a downward spiral.
“In the long-term we are moving towards a new era in gaming, but UK pricing has probably devalued the perception of boxed games and is leading to retailers no longer finding the category profitable.”
Major chains like GAME and HMV had a very difficult trading period last year, as well as indies who are feeling the pinch more than ever. This is due in no small part to the lack of margin on new titles.
“The discounting is serious and suicidal,” says a leading indie, who wishes to remain anonymous. “The £37.49 average launch price for FIFA 12 was already £5.71 below our cost price.
“I wonder what will happen to publishers when the retailers stop funding the discounted prices for them. Surely at some point the goodwill will run out, and would the consumer really pay £54.99 for FIFA 13? Or £24.99 for a new Blu-ray?”
It’s now such a problem, says HMV, that consumers and retailers could miss out in the long-term as price-cutting distorts the market.
“Such a high level of RRP discounting is not likely to be in the best long-term interests of the market or even the consumer, who may find it will ultimately result in reduced choice,” the retailer’s head of communications Gennaro Castaldo tells MCV.
“But when you have supermarkets and internet giants using content to drive traffic and share as part of a wider business agenda, it’s hard to stand back if you want to remain competitive.”
Some online retailers have reacted to maintain profit. ShopTo says it ‘sells closer to the RRP than ever’.
“ShopTo has changed its strategy over the past six months,” says purchasing director James Rowson. “We no longer want to be involved in the price war to chase orders at a loss.”
Gameseek’s MD Stephen Staley adds: “We stock new releases to drum up interest in our site but we’re not bothered if we sell any. There’s no point having a big market share on something that makes you a loss.”
There are ways for specialist retailers to make decent money on new goods.
“I have been encouraging indies to diversify into other lines and products, like mobile phone accessories, and hi-tech toys and gadgets,” says The Game Guide’s Chris Ratcliff. “Of course, it isn’t commercial suicide if you can subsidise the losses on new games sales with a healthy pre-owned business model, but even that has been ‘invaded’ by the nationals.”
Online indie Xbite believes a change at the supplier level would help solve the problem.
MD Nick Whitehead tells MCV: “If the publishers under supplied the market just by five per cent, it would actually ensure a more stable retail price point in the market.”
ShopTo says the answer is not so simple.
“If all games prices go up then the publishers will see a drop in units and may struggle to cover their ever-growing development costs, so the whole strategy needs a review,” Rowson adds.
But with such a competitive UK retail market, there’ll always be those who go low on new releases. The outlets willing to diversify could be the ones which really prosper.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/featu...-prices/091771 ...by Published on February 26th, 2012 21:26- Categories:
- DCEmu
One of the most successful Japanese console game developers has predicted that the console market will continue to shrink and in its place will rise a stronger, dominant portable games market.
“Consoles – PS3, PS4, Xbox 360-2 – the market for those will get smaller, and the main market will become portable games,” Super Monkey Ball and Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi told PSM3, as reported by CVG.
“I don’t think consoles will disappear, but more and more people will use home PCs for gaming, and a long time in the future it will just be PCs and mobile phones, and eventually mobiles will become just as powerful as games consoles.”
And of course, as a games developer Nagoshi is keen to stress that from his perspective the biggest change this represents is one of interaction and control.
“Right now, that means either buttons or touchscreens – those are the only two interfaces we have,” he argued. “So I think the next big evolution will be the introduction of a new type of interface.
“Sure, we have voice input, but voice will never become the main input. So I think that whoever can figure out that new type will be victorious.
“It’s strange the number of buttons has increased and never decreased. So that means we need to reset things, somehow. I think your hands will always be directly involved. That will never change. It’ll be something you can touch.”
http://www.mcvuk.com/index.php/news/...smaller/091773 ...
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