Saturday, May 16, 2015
Qualcomm Exec Soft Fired After Calling 64 Bit A7 Chip A “Gimmick”
Last month, Qualcomm representative Anand Chandrasekher called Apple’s new 64-bit A7 chip a “gimmick.” It was a hugely stupid thing to say, leading to Qualcomm actually correcting Chandrasekher’s remarks. But it also might have killed Chandrasekher’s career, at least in part, as the former chief marketing officer seems to have been sent into exile within the company.
In a statement to CNET, a Qualcomm representative said: “Anand Chandrasekher, is moving to a new role leading our exploration of certain enterprise related initiatives…Anand will continue to report to Steve Mollenkopf, COO and President of Qualcomm. This will be effective immediately.”
This is corporate speak. Essentially, what Qualomm is saying is that Chandrasekher would have been fired for his remarks, but they can’t, so they’ve demoted him to some shitty position within the company until he resigns.
Why is Qualcomm getting so bent out of shape about Chandrasekher’s comments? Essentially, because he threw his own company under the bus. 64-bit is the future of mobile ARM-based chips, and Qualcomm is going to start making the very type of chip that Chandrasekher just called a gimmick, probably within the next year. The former chief marketing officer had described the very technology Qualcomm’s future business would depend upon as not worth taking seriously.
Chandrasekher’s job was to promote Qualcomm. Saying Qualcomm’s future chips are a “gimmick” is just completely inept. Qualcomm’s right: the guy should be fired.
Data source: via CultofMac (ByJohn Brownlee) [Cnet]
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
A Closer Look at Apples A7 Chip from the iPhone 5s
The firm has now had a chance to look at the A7s transistor die photo in detail and make a preliminary effort at identifying the various components of the chip. Chipworks stresses that the identifications are still tentative pending full circuit analysis, but that most of the identifications appear to make sense.
We publish this with the caveat that these are best guesses – we have not done any real circuit extraction to confirm them. The dual-core CPU and cache make up ~17% of the die area, and the quad-core GPU and shared logic about 22%. The CPU itself is not packed the same way as the A6 (see below), it looks much more like a conventional automated layout; although Linley Gwennap thinks that it’s still Apple designed, not the first ARM A53/57 usage.
The analysis identifies the CPU portion of the chip as being at the lower left of the image, with the quad-core graphics located at lower right. Previous work by AnandTech has identified the graphics as Imagination Technologies PowerVR G6430 configuration, a member of the new "Rogue" series of GPUs from the company.
Also of interest is a large block of static RAM (SRAM) located along the right edge of the chip just above the graphics cores. Chipworks says that based on its size it represents approximately 3 MB of storage and that it could be the "secure enclave" used to house data associated with the Touch ID fingerprint sensor found on the iPhone 5s. No equivalent SRAM block is included on the previous-generation A6 chip from Apple.
The A7 is otherwise a fairly standard chip compared to Apples previous designs, measuring only slightly larger than the A6 but offering significantly greater performance.
Data source: via MacRumors (By Eric Slivka)
Saturday, April 4, 2015
BlackBerry Rio towards a launch in April
The new smartphone without physical keyboard would be planned in BlackBerry could also be announced at MWC.
BlackBerry has the intention to launch a new smartphone without physical keyboard in the coming months. This is certainly a rumor running for some time and that has been reinforced by the appearance of a document listing the compatible accessories for smartphones called “Rio”.
N4BB the site that published this list of accessories, also contacted the features that would be available this BlackBerry Rio. It has a 5-inch HD screen with a resolution of 1280 x 780 pixels and a dual core processor MSM 8960 1.5GHz accompanied by 2 GB RAM and a memory 16 GB (expandable via a MicroSD port). Connectivity side, we should find the 4G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n, Bluetooth 4.0, DLNA and Miracast. The BlackBerry Rio embarks a camera of 8 megapixel rear and another 2 megapixel front. It would have also a battery of 2800 mAh non-removable. As for its price, it should be around $ 300.
A smartphone reserved for Brazil?
As we said late 2014, BlackBerry Rio could bear the official name of Z20. We could also compare the BlackBerry Z3 launched in early 2014. This smartphone, which was codenamed Jakarta before formalization, was produced by Foxconn and marketed initially in Indonesia before being reserved for emerging markets. The BlackBerry Rio could then be booking a similar fate, and judging by its code name, and could be marketed initially in the Brazilian market.
The output of this Z20 prove in this case that despite the arrival of John Chen in command of the Canadian manufacturer and its commitment to the physical keyboard at the heart of the manufacturer’s business strategy, BlackBerry would not have so far put aside models called “all-touch”.
BlackBerry Rio: towards a launch in April?
Friday, April 3, 2015
Eizo is preparing to release a professional 31 inch 4K monitor ColorEdge CG318 4K
The Japanese company Eizo Nanao Corporation, a well-known professional manufacturer of computer displays, plans to start retail sales from April next year, its new 31-inch model ColorEdge CG318-4K.
The novelty is addressed to professionals working in the areas where increased requirements to the highest color accuracy (processing photos and video, graphic design, etc.), has built a calibrator which automatically calibrates Scheduled screen.
Monitor allows you to display a color palette of 99% Adobe RGB, based on IPS-matrix supported resolution is 4096 x 2160 pixels (size 4K), static contrast ratio is 1500: 1, the maximum brightness – 350 cd / m2, response time – 7.7 ms, the viewing angles are vertical and horizontal – 178 ° / 178 °. ColorEdge CG318-4K is equipped with the following video outputs: DisplayPort, HDMI and DVI, as well as two incoming and two outgoing ports USB 2.0.
Stand new monitor provides a change in the angle range of 30 ° (5 to 30 °), the rotation – in the range 344 °, the height adjustment within 149 mm screen and transfer into a vertical orientation.
On the rear panel of the monitor to place three USB ports and one port USB Upstream, two HDMI ports and two DisplayPort. The latter can support the resolution 4096 x 2160 pixels, while keeping the frequency of 60 Hz, and HDMI only at 30 Hz. It is also worth noting that the buttons, handles for carrying the rear wall, cable holders have stylish lighting.
About EIZO ColorEdge CG318-4K value is not reported. ColorEdge CG318-4K monitor has a five year warranty from the manufacturer.
Eizo is preparing to release a professional 31-inch 4K-monitor ColorEdge CG318-4K
MaKey MaKey Turns Anything Into A Computer Key
Maybe youve never thought about playing piano on a bunch of bananas or turning Grandma into a space bar, but once I saw this cool new gadget that lets you turn (almost) anything into a computer key.
Think of it as one Fathers Day gift that will bring your family a whole lot more fun than a tie. Unless you also turn that tie into controls to play Pacman.
Working on the principle that ordinary objects can still conduct electricity, the MaKey MaKey Invention Kit allows you to connect things like play dough, food, or even a pet to the little MaKey MaKey board.
With that board plugged into your computer, you basically "trick" your computer into thinking the objects are your keys or mouse.
It is so cool, I watched the demo video with my mouth hanging open. One warning: Unless you dont mind hearing your kids beg, dont watch it with them in the room.
Created by two graduate students at MIT Media Lab, MaKey MaKey is one of those computer gadgets that someone with very little by way of super technical computer smarts (i.e. me) can figure out. And if youve got a real techie in the house, theyll love exploring all the many capabilities, like the area for using the expanded keyboard ports and Arudino mode compatibility.
[source: coolmomtech]
Finally BlackBerry For Android Gets a Released Date
Since the day that CEO of BlackBerry announced that BBM for android and iOS Would be available, the anticipation to have the app running on said devices have grown strongly.
This was made even more obvious when a fake BBM app was released on the Google play store with 100,000 downloads within minutes.
In an interview yesterday, one of Blackberry official spoke: Sunil Lalvani, managing director for BlackBerry India, apparently confirmed in an interview with IBN Live that BlackBerry Messenger will launch in the next two months.
When asked of the release date he said that BBM for Android would be ready before the end of summer which is before the end of September.
This he said affirming strongly that Blackberry intends to release first for the Android platform and then later for iOS.
This means that our wait time is almost over and we soon have the BBM for android in our hands in less than two months.
Until then, stay glued and follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook to be among the first to know when it becomes available and speedily download before the servers jams.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
The Lumia 930 enjoys a lot of purrs in its latest ad
Announced earlier this month, the new Moto G succeeds the most successful smartphone in Motorola’s history. The first generation of the stylish, budget-friendly handset is solely responsible for bringing the manufacturer back in contention in a number of key markets globally
Nokia Asha 503 review One step at a time
Introduction
Asha phones. They take you a long way, but yet make you always want more. In this case, more would mean something with Windows Phone inside. Looks like the right thing for Nokia to do - keep customers in the Lumia waiting room, and away from Android temptation. That said, the Ashas have been putting the smart in dumbphones for a while now, so a cheap droid isnt the only option that users shopping for a touch phone with apps, games and fast data can afford.The Nokia Asha 501 did well to demonstrate the platforms new look and feel, ticking some right boxes for a smartphone wannabe: touchscreen, Wi-Fi, fresh and reasonably fluid OS, and an app store. The Asha 502 and Asha 503 followed it up - the first one adding to the camera, while the one we are looking at now is the lineups top spot, the 3G-enabled Asha 503.
The Nokia Asha 503 is obviously the most feature-rich of the new Asha generation, with a Gorilla Glass-covered 3" QVGA capacitive display, a 5MP camera with LED flash, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, optional dual-SIM support, plus expandable memory and the latest Asha Software Platform v1.2.
Nokia Asha 503 official pictures
Sticking to a proven recipe, the new Asha 503 is available in six different flavors: yellow, black, green, red, blue and white. Nokia has those eye-catching paintjobs coated in an extra layer of icing, a nice and easy way to jazz up the looks. And its a phone that looks fresh on the inside too - the swipe-driven UI with Fastlane, the ability to run a handful of popular apps and games, a proper app store, social services, good organizing skills and internet connectivity.
Key features
- Quad-band GSM, GPRS, EDGE
- Dual-band 3G with HSPA
- Optional dual-SIM support, dual standby, hot-swappable secondary microSIM
- Nokia Asha software platform 1.2
- 3" QVGA capacitive touchscreen, ~133 ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 2
- Proximity sensor
- Accelerometer, display auto-rotation
- 64MB RAM, 128MB ROM, 40MB internal storage
- Data-efficient Nokia Xpress browser
- Nokia Store and 40 EA games for free
- 5.0 MP camera, VGA video recording @19fps, LED flash
- microSD card support (up to 32 GB) and 4 GB microSD card in the box
- Wi-Fi b/g/n connectivity
- FM radio with RDS
- Bluetooth v3.0
- Standard microUSB port, charging
- 1200 mAh Li-Ion battery
- Excellent loudspeaker performance
- Solid codec support
Main disadvantages
- Low-resolution screen
- Fixed-focus camera
- No smart dialing
Nokia Asha 503 at ours
You obviously cant have everything and then demand the best of it for this kind of cash. The inevitable compromises aside, the Asha 503 is promising to keep you up-to-date, connected and entertained - and itll give it a decent try. Now, is it enough or is that short step to entry-level smartphones worth it? Lets see. Our hardware checkup follows right after the break.
Nokia Asha 503 retail package
There isnt much room in the Asha 503s retail package except for the basics - a microUSB Nokia charger is supplied, as well as a single piece pink headset.Nokia is also throwing a complimentary 4GB microSD card. No need to search for it in the box though, it is already inserted in the phones memory slot.
Nokia Asha 503 retail box
Whats missing in the Asha 503s box is a data cable. If you want to use the Mass Storage or do some synching with your computer, youll have to provide your own.
Nokia Asha 503 360-degree spin
The Nokia Asha 503 is very compact and pocket-friendly handset. At 102.6 x 60.6 x 12.7mm, its a mere 3mm taller and 2mm wider than the Asha 501. It weighs in at 110g, 12g more than Asha 501 that is. Both the extra width and weight go down to the icing - the transparent layer the phone is wrapped in.Design and handling
Long story short, the Asha 503 design is just an Asha 501 body in an ice-cube - the transparent coating is pretty much overcooked hyperglaze, but it doesnt look as bad as it sounds. Perhaps the bright yellow of our test unit looks like a splash of paint underneath, liquid, almost milky.We still cant quite decide whether this is a very smart idea or a total waste of material, but we kinda like the look. Not so sure about the feel though. The outer coating tends to get greasy like no other finish weve handled. Fingerprints arent as prominent as on some glossy plastic handsets weve encountered, but theyre definitely there and quite hard to clean too.
The 3" capacitive QVGA display has more than ample bezels, but with a good reason - most of the UI swipes start off the screen. Still, on a phone this size everything is well within comfortable reach and the capacitive display is pleasingly responsive.
The hardware Back button is gone, replaced by a capacitive control. It is still the only means of UI navigation - taps and swipes do all the rest. We feared a capacitive control would stand in the way of swipes starting off the bottom of the screen but that was never the case.
Nokia Asha 503 up front
As usual, the earpiece is above the screen, along with a hidden proximity sensor. There is no light sensor for automatic brightness adjustment, though.
At the back we find the 5.0MP fixed-focus camera lens, the small single-LED flash and a nub at the bottom to push the phone out of the case.
On the back - the 5MP cam and the nub youll use to open the Asha 503
We like how the Nokia Asha 503 looks. It is certainly a bit odd at first with the new transparent layer that can make you think the phone has been put into a case. It is definitely not a feature everyone will be crazy about, especially considering the compromised grip. The Asha 501 is clearly the safer choice in terms of aesthetics but the looks of the 503 can and will be appreciated too.
The Nokia Asha 503 is compact, portable and no hassle to operate single-handedly. Additional battery covers are sold separately so you can freshen up your phone anytime you like.
The Nokia Asha 503 in the hand
Display
The display on the Nokia Asha 503 is a 3" TFT unit of QVGA (240 x 320) resolution, which boils down to around 133ppi - the same as the one we saw on the Asha 501. It is of the capacitive variety with multi-touch support, and this time around it even boasts Gorilla Glass 2.Colors arent too great and contrast is limited, but you cant expect much better in this price range. The screen is reasonably bright for an LCD, though its viewing angles are less than stellar. Size may be an issue, as well as resolution, but the response to user input is great.
The display
Our test confirmed the mediocre contrast levels at both full brightness and 50%.
| Display test | 50% brightness | 100% brightness | ||||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | |||
| Nokia Asha 503 | 0.28 | 178 | 647 | 0.56 | 358 | 635 |
| Nokia Lumia 520 | - | - | - | 0.51 | 422 | 834 |
| Sony Xperia E | 0.19 | 157 | 813 | 0.50 | 433 | 875 |
| Sony Xperia E dual | 0.21 | 181 | 844 | 0.54 | 473 | 870 |
| Sony Xperia tipo | - | - | - | 0.75 | 561 | 751 |
| Samsung S7500 Galaxy Ace Plus | 0.27 | 239 | 873 | 0.6 | 528 | 888 |
| Apple iPhone 5 | 0.13 | 200 | 1490 | 0.48 | 640 | 1320 |
| Motorola Moto G | 0.35 | 315 | 906 | 0.57 | 550 | 967 |
| Sony Xperia C | 0.18 | 151 | 842 | 0.66 | 639 | 962 |
Sunlight contrast ratio
- Nokia 808 PureView 4.698
- Sony Xperia M 1.473
- Oppo N1 1.470
- Nokia Lumia 610 1.432
- Gigabyte GSmart G1355 1.361
- HTC Desire C 1.300
- Nokia Asha 503 1.281
- Nokia Asha 501 1.270
- LG Optimus L7 1.269
- LG Optimus L9 1.227
- Meizu MX 1.221
- Sony Xperia E dual 1.203
- Samsung Galaxy mini 2 1.114
Nokia Asha 503 display matrix next to Asha 501s
Controls
All hardware controls of the Nokia Asha 503 are on the right side. There you can find the power/lock key and the volume rocker. Both are made of nice matte plastic, offer great tactile feedback and are very easy to locate by touch.
The right side of the Asha 503
There is nothing on the left side of the Nokia Asha 503.
The left side of the Asha 503
At the top theres the microUSB port for charging and data connections. The 3.5 mm headphones jack is also around. Unlike the Asha 501, Nokia has decided not to use the old-gen charging port here.
On the top of the Asha 503
The bottom features the microphone pinhole only.
The bottom has the mic
Removing the back cover is easy - a push on the nub at the bottom will make the phones bottom part pop out of the shell. Not as easy as on the Asha 501 though - the slippery surface wont allow a secure hold, so a little extra caution is in order.
You can then go on and take the phone out. Once the battery cover is gone you can access the 1200 mAh Li-Ion battery and the SIM slot beneath. The hot-swappable microSD is on the side.
Removing the back cover to access the battery, the SIM card and the microSD slot
The battery life of the Asha 503 is quoted at 840 hours of stand-by and 12 hours of calls over 2G networks or just 4 hours and 30 minutes in a 3G network.
Fastlane is where everything happens
Since it went full touch Nokias Asha Software Platform has always had a lot in common with the abandoned MeeGo - the app drawer/homescreen, the multi-tasking, some icons, even the notification area. The Asha 503 runs on the latest 1.2 version of the software, which brings WhatsApp support and better Fastlane UI with social updates.The Asha platform relies on a single capacitive Back key, and it is only really needed when you need to go a level up from a submenu. For everything else, swipes and taps will do. A double tap will wake the phone up, swiping an app off the screen will close it. We told you - the whole thing is modeled after MeeGo.
The OnePlus Two might get a second screen
Although at first launch is not exactly close, the fact is that in recent times the news concerning the OnePlus Two arrive nonstop. The last one is also pretty spectacular as it states that this smartphone could get a second screen. How would it be and what would it do?
A second electronic ink display
Chances are that the OnePlus Two is now in a phase of their development season quite as often happens in such cases, the news that are coming to us it must be taken with certain precautions. In fact, nothing beats it shows that two reports that have begun to circulate with little time difference seem to point in two very different directions.
Only a couple of days we told that the first speculation about the future characteristics of OnePlus Two pointed basically to have a significant continuity with the first generation, and today, however, we hear that invite to think that the company is considering far more innovative approaches, such as the inclusion of a second screen.
What would it mean exactly what I mounted a second screen? As explained our fellow Android Help it would be a second screen digital ink to be located on the back cover. What is this second screen? Well mainly to increase their autonomy, as this second screen is not recommended for certain activities, but adapts well to another and their consumption is much lower.
There is an OnePlus own idea in any case, it is a concept that has been in the air long enough and in fact has recently been realized with the Yotaphone 2. The difference is that, yes, the Yotaphone 2 is a device that sells for 700 euros, while the OnePlus Two waited a half price or less.
Will have to wait in any case, to see if they further information to confirm this possibility . As always, we will keep you informed.
The OnePlus Two might get a second screen
LG G Pad 8 3 gets a price cut to £199 99 in the UK
UK retailer Expansys has cut the price of the extremely capable LG G Pad 8.3 tablet to £199.99.
The price comes just a few months after its initial release, and is likely done in anticipation of Samsung’s imminent release of their new Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4.
The WiFi-only LG tablet impressed us when we reviewed it last October with its robust 1920 x 1200 pixel display, 1.7GHz quad-core Krait CPU, 2GB of RAM and 4,600 mAh battery. With a great array of connectivity features including an IR-port, it’s one of the best living room tablets around.
Now, with the the latest price cut (for the 16GB model, naturally), the cost of a G Pad 8.3 comes almost to the level of a Google Nexus 7.