Pebble smartwatch

You may already be acquainted with the Pebble smartwatch. One of the best and most successful ideas to have come out of Kickstarter, the watch was an instant hit with a lot of smartphone owners for being able to pair with your phone and display important information on its e-paper display.

Now, after some delays, the watch is finally ready and will be shipping out to the Kickstarter backers starting January 23.

In case you don’t know much about the Pebble, it is a Bluetooth-based smartwatch that pairs with your smartphone and shows messages and calls directly on its screen as they arrive. It even lets you control the music playback on your phone without you having to take it out of your pocket. The watch can also interact with any third-party app you may have on your smartphone, if the app allows this functionality.

The Pebble has an e-paper display which saves power compared to an LCD and has a backlight for seeing it in the dark. It comes with multiple clock faces and you can use the SDK to create more. It has a simple interface that can be accessed from the four buttons on the side and there is a MagSafe-style magnetic charging port as well. The Pebble watch is said to receive regular updates in the future, which will be pushed wirelessly to it through the companion app on your iOS or Android smartphone.

Panasonic Toughpad JT-B1 Android tablet

Panasonic is all business and no play at CES this year. The company made a splash with a Windows 8 Pro slate and an ICS-powered 7″ tablet that goes by the name Toughbook JT-B1

Being mobile-loving as we are we decided to have a closer look at the JT-B1 and we’ve got the hands-on below.

As suggested by those official images and the specs sheet the thing is built like a tank and feels every bit as rugged as you would expect from just such a device.

The screen isn’t anything special, though, and we did notice that it’s not as responsive as we would have liked. It could be due to the pre-release status of the units available at the Panasonic booth, but we suspect the extra tough glass protection has something to do with that too.

The Panasonic JT-B1 up front

The whole tablet feels much larger than your typical 7-incher and is very thick, but that’s hardly shocking news. The weight is also pretty badly affected by the added armor, making this one of the hardest to wield 7-inchers.

Archos 97

Built around a 9.7" IPS display, pushing an iPad-eqsue resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels (264 PPI), the Archos 97 Platinum packs a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM, which help the slate run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean very decently.

And if the quad-core processor and Retina-like display didn't sound great already, the Archos 97 Platinum is going to retail for the very un-Apple-like $329. Sounds like a great deal indeed.

With such price, however, you have to sacrifice something and in the 97 Platinum's case that's the build quality. The slate doesn't feel too bad in your hands, but the lock/power and volume rocker buttons feel really cheap.

   
The Archos 97 Platinum

There are two 2MP camera at the front and back of the slate. We think Archos could have saved the trouble of placing a main camera at the back and slash the price even further. Built-in storage is quite limited at 8GB, but luckily it's expandable via the microSD slot.

ZTE Firefox OS smartphone

ZTE and Mozilla are on track to reveal a collaboration effort that would be debuting in Brazil and later come to Europe. The two companies are working to bring the first Firefox OS-powered smartphone and are in talks with an unknown European carrier.

The information comes directly from Cheng Lixin, Chief Executive Officer of ZTE USA. He also shared that ZTE could unveil a Firefox OS smartphone in the US, depending on the demand and interest. “If that is ready and if consumer studies support that data, then we may launch one in U.S. also this year.”, he said.

Jay Sullivan, Vice President of products at Mozilla, shared that the software company is working with China-based manufacturer TCL (which owns the Alcatel One Touch brand), ZTE and Qualcomm on making devices with Firefox OS. Chairman of TCL, Tomson Li Dongsheng confirmed that the company is in business with Mozilla. These reports align with what we previously heard.

Firefox OS will first launch entry-level smartphones with the intent on tackling the dominance of Android in that market. We've already seen promising early shots of the OS and its app Marketplace.

Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra

Move over RAZR, there is a new ultra-thin Android smartphone entering the stage.  The Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra measures in at a slim 6.45mm thin (not including the camera hump).

What else do you get with a thin form factor?  Well, we find a 1.2GHz dual-core MediaTek processor which manages Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.  That little hump which protrudes from the thin profile is an 8MP camera.  On the front, is a 1.3MP camera with 720p recording capability and a 4.7-inch HD AMOLED display.

The Idol Ultra has 13.3GB of storage and does not have any microSD support.  This is a quad-band GSM device with HSPA support on 850/1900MHz, which would make it work nicely on AT&T's network, but there was no carrier announcement.  Not only was there no carrier announcement, there was no release date or price point revealed either, such was the trend for all the devices Alcatel had on display at CES 2013.

Alcatel One Touch Scribe X

The Alcatel One Touch Scribe X is the manufacturer's premium handset, featuring a quad-core processor, HD display and a stylus, just like its Scribe HD cousin.

What separates the Scribe X from the Scribe HD?  The MediaTek CPU has a small bump in specs, measuring at 1.4GHz.  The camera has a bump as well, coming in at 12MP versus the HD's 8MP shooter.  There is a nice sized battery on board at 2,500mAh which should provide adequate power to navigate through the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean which is on board.

The form factor and build quality is apparent when holding the Scribe X.  It joins other high-end Android devices in the 5-inch display realm.  Unfortunately, Alcatel had no dates, prices or carriers to link to this nice looking device.  PhoneArena.com is on the list to get word about any pending release of the Scribe X, or any of the other One Touch smartphones coming from Alcatel.

HTC One SV Review

We have nothing bad to say about the way the earpiece performs. In fact, calls taken with the HTC One SV sound great – loud and natural, without any traces of noise or static. The microphone, however, could have been a bit better than that. On the other side of the line, voices are distinguishable, yet slightly muffled, probably due to the presence of a secondary microphone, which filters a fair amount of the background noise. 

There's a 1,800mAh removable battery powering the HTC One SV, but the maker has not published any official information as to how long it should last on a single charge. That mostly depends on your usage habits, as well as on whether LTE connectivity is being actively used. Judging by what we got out of it during our testing, you should expect it to last at least one single day, as long as you don't push it too much.

Not bad, HTC, not bad. The smarthpone that you've crafted may be a bit rough around the edges, but it is still a very solid Android offering, and the presence of LTE connectivity is, of course, more than welcome. Whoever picks the HTC One SV up will be pleased by the excellent performance driving it and delighted by its outstanding appearance.

Yet let us not forget that the HTC One SV belongs to the mid-range category, although one might assume it is a high-end handset prior to actually using it. In other words, there are some compromises that an One SV owner should learn to live with, among which are the relatively low-res display and the not-so-amazing 5-megapixel camera.

PROS

• LTE connectivity
• Slim, light, good-looking smartphone
• Excellent performance

CONS

• Camera leaves room for improvement
• Unimpressive screen resolution of 800 by 480 pixels

 

ZTE Nubia Z7

Ready for a rumor that is as wild as a bobcat? Well, you better have a salt shaker nearby. GizChina reports that ZTE is already working on a new flagship Android smartphone called the Nubia Z7. As a side note, the ZTE Nubia Z5 is currently among the best that the company has to offer, packing a 5-inch 1080p display, 13MP camera, and a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro system-on-a-chip. So, what could possibly make the ZTE Nubia Z7 even better? Well, let's start with its sheer size.

According to the sources of today's rumor, the ZTE Nubia Z7 will have a 6.3-inch display with a jaw-dropping resolution of 2560 by 1440 pixels. Only weeks ago, a handset of this size would have seemed ridiculous, but since Huawei already has the 6.1-inch Ascend Mate on display, the existence of a smartphone with a screen a fifth of an inch bigger doesn't seem all that unlikely. But the list of mind-blowing (yet far from confirmed) specs does not end here. It is speculated that ZTE will equip the Nubia Z7 with an 8-core processor running at 1.4GHz. Interestingly, this isn't the first time we hear about the possibility of an 8-core CPU landing inside a ZTE smartphone, so the rumor might be onto something. The tipster also mentions the presence of a Mali-T658 GPU, 16MP camera, 4,000mAh battery, 128GB of storage and LTE radio. Supposedly, the ZTE Nubia Z7 will come running Android 5.0.

All of this seems way too good to be true, so we'll label this rumor as highly dubious. Even if this ZTE Nubia Z7 is real, albeit only on a conceptual level, it would be extremely unlikely for it to materialize anytime soon given the fact that it is supposed to run Android 5.0. 

BlackBerry Z10 specs

While the Z10 name and many of the specs are still not 100% confirmed, a couple specifications appear to be a certainty. If you have seen any of the specifications from the Dev Alpha devices, many of these are not too different. 

The countdown winds down, we have plenty to look forward to, RIM claims there will be 70,000 apps available at launch, we know the screen will be 1280x768 and 4.2-inches along with LTE connectivity. We also know it will have a removable battery. Here is how the rest of the specs are going to possibly shake out:

• Processor: Dual Core 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4470; Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 (US and Canada)
• Radio: Quad Band HSPA+ / UMTS (850/900/1700/1900/2100MHz); Quad Band GSM / GPRS (850/900/1800MHz); Quad Band LTE Bands 2,4,5,13,17 (700, 850,1700, 1900MHz)
• Display: 4.2-inch; 1280x768; 356PPI; 24 Bit Color; 15:9 ratio
• Camera: 8MP Auto Focus; 2MP Front Facing; Flash; 1080p Video Recording
• Memory: 2GB RAM; 16GB Internal Storage; Hot Swappable microSD Slot
• WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n; 2.4 & 5GHz
• GPS: Autonomous; A-GPS
• Battery: 1800mAh Removable
• Sensors: Ambient Light Detector; Accelerometer; Magnetometer; Gyroscope; Face Detect for phone calls
• Connectivity: NFC; microUSB; microHDMI-Out; Bluetooth 4.0 LE (low energy)

Today, it was apparently confirmed that the device will have 2GB of RAM though BBIN.in is stating that everything is confirmed except the processors.  At the rate information is leaking out about the new BlackBerry 10 devices, we are sure to know more of the story before things are unveiled on January 30th. 

Samsung Galaxy S IV Rumour

The Samsung Galaxy S IV will not make an official debut at the Consumer Electronics Show that kicks off in just a couple of days in Las Vegas. That’s no surprise as Samsung is widely expected to announce its new Android flagship around April this year, but what could be a slight surprise is that early models of the Galaxy S IV will be at the show, but under tight supervision and behind closed doors for only a few top executives to see, according to South Korean website MT.

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jay Lee is allegedly the person who will be at CES and the one to show the upcoming Galaxy S IV to carriers and other high-profile partners.

Moreover, the report goes on to once again say the Samsung Galaxy S IV will indeed have a 5-inch 1080p display and run on Samsung’s Exynos 5440, a quad-core ARM Cortex A15-based chip.

This might sound a bit strange to you, but what the Samsung executive will be showing is likely a non-final prototype of the S IV to partners that will need some information about that device before they decide how much of it they would want, and so on. All of this is ordinary, and is going behind the scenes, without the end-user hearing much. At least we know that Samsung is ready with some kind of a prototype to show off, and that’s already something.

What’s more interesting, is that we even saw a leaked picture of the Galaxy S IV, stripped off the physical buttons. That could be an interesting decision to keep the device at around the same dimensions and relatively comfortable for one-handed use despite the larger screen.

Sony Xperia Z vs HTC Droid DNA vs Samsung Galaxy S III specs comparison

DESIGN
	Samsung Galaxy S III	Sony Xperia Z	HTC Droid DNA
OS	Android (4.1.2, 4.1.1, 4.0.4) TouchWiz UX UI	Android (4.1.2)	Android (4.1.1) Sense 4+ UI
Dimensions	5.38 x 2.78 x 0.34 inches (136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm)	5.47 x 2.80 x 0.31 inches (139 x 71 x 7.9 mm)	5.55 x 2.78 x 0.38 inches (141 x 70.5 x 9.73 mm)
Weight	4.69 oz (133 g) the average is 4.3 oz (124 g)	5.15 oz (146 g) the average is 4.3 oz (124 g)	4.87 oz (138 g) the average is 4.3 oz (124 g)
Side Keys	Left: Volume control Right: Lock/Unlock key		Right: Volume control
Rugged		Water (Water), Dust proof
IP certified		IP 57
Colors	Black, Brown, Pink, Blue, Red, White, Gray

DISPLAY
Physical size	4.80 inches	5 inches	5 inches
Resolution	720 x 1280 pixels	1080 x 1920 pixels	1080 x 1920 pixels
Pixel density	306 ppi	441 ppi	441 ppi
Technology	Super AMOLED	TFT	S-LCD 3
Colors	16 777 216	16 777 216	16 777 216
Touchscreen	Capacitive, Multi-touch	Capacitive, Multi-touch	Capacitive, Multi-touch
Features	Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Scratch-resistant glass	Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Scratch-resistant glass	Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Scratch-resistant glass

BATTERY
Talk time	22.50 hours the average is 9 h (554 min)	11.00 hours the average is 9 h (554 min)	12.80 hours the average is 9 h (554 min)
Stand-by time	34.6 days (830 hours) the average is 19 days (464 h)	22.9 days (550 hours) the average is 19 days (464 h)	14.7 days (353 hours) the average is 19 days (464 h)
Talk time (3G)	11.60 hours the average is 8 h (483 min)
Stand-by time (3G)	32.1 days (770 hours) the average is 19 days (467 h)
Capacity	2100 mAh	2330 mAh	2020 mAh

HARDWARE
System chip	Samsung Exynos 4 (4412)	Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064	Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064
Processor	Quad core, 1400 MHz, ARM Cortex-A9	Quad core, 1500 MHz, Krait	Quad core, 1500 MHz, Krait
Graphics processor	ARM Mali-400/MP4	Adreno 320	Adreno 320
System memory	1024 MB RAM (Dual-channel) / LPDDR2	2048 MB RAM (Dual-channel)	2048 MB RAM (Dual-channel, 533 MHz) / DDR2
Built-in storage	32 GB	16 GB	16 GB
Storage expansion	microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC up to 64 GB	microSD, microSDHC up to 32 GB

CAMERA
Camera	8 megapixels, Immobile	13.1 megapixels, Immobile	8 megapixels, Immobile
Flash	LED	LED	LED
Aperture size	F2.6		F2.0
Focal length (35mm equivalent)			28mm
Features	Back-illuminated sensor (BSI), CMOS image sensor, Auto focus, Face detection, Exposure compensation, ISO control, White balance presets, Burst mode, Geo tagging, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Panorama, Scenes, Effects, Self-timer	Back-illuminated sensor (BSI), Auto focus, Touch to focus, Digital image stabilization, Face detection, Geo tagging, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Panorama, Scenes, Effects, Self-timer	Back-illuminated sensor (BSI), Auto focus, Face detection, Exposure compensation, White balance presets, Burst mode, Digital zoom, Geo tagging, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Panorama, Scenes
Camcorder	1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps)	1920x1080 (1080p HD)	1920x1080 (1080p HD)
Features	Video calling, Digital image stabilization	Video calling	Video calling
Front-facing camera	1.9 megapixels	2.2 megapixels	2.1 megapixels
Video capture	1920x1080 (1080p HD)	1920x1080 (1080p HD)	1920x1080 (1080p HD)

TECHNOLOGY
CDMA			800, 1900 MHz
GSM	850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz	850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz	850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
UMTS	850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz	850, 900, 2100 MHz	850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz
LTE		800 MHz, 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2600 MHz	700 MHz Class 17
Data	HSDPA+ (4G) 21.1 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS	LTE, HSPA (unspecified), UMTS, EDGE, GPRS	LTE Cat3 Downlink 100 Mbit/s, LTE Cat3/4 Uplink 50 Mbit/s, HSPA (unspecified), UMTS, EDGE, GPRS, EV-DO Rev.A
Micro SIM	Yes		Yes
Global Roaming	Yes	Yes
Positioning	GPS, A-GPS, Glonass	GPS, A-GPS, Glonass	GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, E911
Navigation	Turn-by-turn navigation, Voice navigation, Points of interest (POI)	Yes	Turn-by-turn navigation