Showing posts with label ifa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ifa. Show all posts
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Smartwatch bonanza hottest smartwatches at IFA compared
IFA used to be dominated by smartphone announcements, then tablets moved in and now wearables are the new hotness. Many companies have various smartbands but we’re only interested in proper smartwatches – ones with big screens for notifications and with a proper OS to run apps.
This cuts the number of contestants down somewhat but not enough, it can still take you a while to wade through specs and price not to mention looks. There’s a battle shaping up versus practical square watches and aesthetically pleasing round watches. Here are all the specs in one place to make things a little easier.
Samsung Gear S | Motorola Moto 360 | LG G Watch R | Sony SmartWatch 3 | Asus ZenWatch | |
Screen size | 2″ | 1.56″ | 1.3″ | 1.6″ | 1.63″ |
Screen res | 360 x 480 | 320 x 290 | 320 x 320 | 320 x 320 | 320 x 320 |
PPI | 300ppi | 205ppi | 245ppi | 282ppi | 278ppi |
Screen type | Super AMOLED | LCD | P-OLED | Transflective TFT | AMOLED |
OS | Tizen | Android Wear | Android Wear | Android Wear | Android Wear |
CPU | Dual-core 1GHz | ? (OMAP3) | Quad-core 1.2Ghz | Quad-core 1.2GHz | Quad-core 1.2GHz |
RAM | 512MB | 512MB | 512MB | 512MB | 512MB |
Storage | 4GB | 4GB | 4GB | 4GB | 4GB |
3G | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Battery | 300mAh | 320mAh | 410mAh | 420mAh | 369mAh |
IP | IP67 | IP67 | IP67 | IP68 | IP55 |
Other | GPS with SatNav, IR, heart rate | heart rate | heart rate | GPS | - |
Price | ? | €249 | ? | €229 | €199 |
The table mostly speaks for itself but it does need some clarifications. For one, Android Wear recently added support for GPS but it’s not clear if all devices have a built-in receiver. Sony has confirmed the SmartWatch 3 does have GPS and the Samsung Gear S has GPS and standalone navigation courtesy of Nokia
The Gear S is the only Tizen-running watch in this comparison but it’s also the most independent – with a SIM card slot and 3G connectivity it can be used without being connected to a phone. The Gear S also has an IR blaster, which the others lack.
The same Android Wear update allowed some freedom for the watches – they can talk to accessories, like Bluetooth headphones. This means you can go on a run and listen to music from the watch, which is where the built-in storage comes in.
Here’s a quick refresher on IP ratings as that’s much more important for a watch than a phone. The first digit signifies dust tightness – 5 means dust can only cause cosmetic damage, 6 means the device is completely dust tight. The second digit is water resistance – 5 means water jet resistance, 7 means submersion up to 1m of water for half an hour and 8 goes beyond that (generally up to 3m but may vary).
So, which one is your favorite smartwatch of this IFA?
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Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Asus reported to announce its Android Wear Smartwatch during IFA
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Asus $99 smartwatch is slated to go official during the IFA 2014 Screengrab/YouTube |
Googles Android Wear platform for Wearables, which was showcased at the companys I/O Developers Conference earlier in the year, has been the cynosure of all eyes since its launch.
Major technology players such as Samsung, LG, HTC, and Google itself have all caught up with the Wearables trend and are engrossed in developing/releasing Smartwatch-like Wearables running Android Wear.
Jerry Shin, CEO of Asustek, mentioned at a conference for investors that the company is more or less likely to launch its first Wearable in the IFA conference. He also said that the Taiwan-based companys smartwatch-like Wearable was well-received by Google, which has a tie-up with Asus under its Android Wear initiative.
"Were dreaming big about the future of wearable devices, but the dream will not come true this year or in the first half of next year because the market demand has not picked up," Shen said at the investors conference.
the gadget will incorporate an AMOLED display, and the smartwatch is likely to pack in gesture and voice control functionality as Jonney Shin, chairman of Asus, had hinted early this year. The chairman had said that his company was looking at launching wearable devices featuring movement controls.
Android wear smartwatch price comparisson :
Samsung Gear Live $199
LG G Watch $299
Asus Smartwatch $99 (prediction)
Monday, March 30, 2015
IFA 2014 Day One Announcements Roundup

Samsung and other electronics companies used the IFA trade show in Berlin to showcase their holiday lineups.
New smartphones, computerized wristwatches and a virtual-reality headset were among the gadgets announced Wednesday.
Samsung Electronics
The Korean electronics company says it will start selling two new smartphones and a virtual-reality headset in October. The Galaxy Note 4 will have a 5.7-inch screen, while the Galaxy Note Edges will be 5.6 inches.
The Edge will be notable in having a side display for quick access to the flashlight, Twitter, news and frequently used apps. While the main screen remains flat, the right edge extends and curves until it reaches the back.
Weather and time can be seen from the side when the phone is laid on a table or nightstand. The phones camera functions more like a stand-alone, point-and-shoot camera, as the shutter button and other functions appear on top when the phone is held horizontally.
The side display also provides one-tap access to such tools as the flashlight and stopwatch, akin to what Apple offers in the iPhones Control Center with a swipe up from the bottom.
Samsung will look to app developers to find new ways to use the feature.
Samsung didnt announce prices. In the U.S., last years Galaxy Note 3 went for about $700 without a contract, or $300 with one. Prices are likely to be similar for the Note 4 and higher for the Edge.
Both models will have a 16 megapixel rear camera and 3.7 megapixels on the front. The front camera will be able to take sharper selfies than the typical camera phone. It will also have a wide-angle feature to fit more people into selfies by stitching multiple images together.
Meanwhile, Samsung will sell a $200 Gear VR headset as a companion to the Note 4. It wont work with the Edge or other phones. The Note 4 attaches to the headset, which has sensors to gauge the heads position and tells the phone which part of a 360-degree image to display. It can be used to give people an immersive experience with concerts, aerial footage and games, though more content will have to be created for it.
The VR was developed with Oculus, which Facebook bought this year.
Sony
Sony unveiled three devices with its signature waterproof capabilities: The 5.2-inchXperia Z3 smartphone, the 4.6-inch Xperia Z3 Compact and the 8-inch Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact. All three are expected this fall, with prices yet to be announced.
For the first time, one of the phones will be available in the U.S. at about the same time as the rest of the world, rather than months later. T-Mobile will carry the Xperia Z3 phone.
Sony also unveiled a cheaper, 4.5-inch phone, the Xperia E3, without waterproof capabilities.
Also coming from the Japanese company is a new SmartBand fitness device. Unlike its predecessor, it will have a small display so you can see the status of various activities.
Meanwhile, Sonys SmartWatch 3 will have GPS capabilities built in, allowing for more accurate tracking of outdoor fitness activities.
(Also see: Sony Launches SmartBand Talk and SmartWatch 3 Wearables at IFA)
Acer
Despite releasing three new tablets in Berlin, the Taiwanese PC maker insisted that keyboard computering isnt dead.
Acer unveiled several convertible notebooks with screens that can be flipped, swiveled or even detached completely. It also released the Revo One, a PC that functions as a home entertainment hub.
Acer also showed off its Liquid Z500 smartphone, claiming its the smallest and lightest 5-inch device around. It announced plans to release a 50-euro smartphone ($66) next year.
Asustek Computer
Fellow Taiwanese manufacturer Asus showcased its ZenWatch wearable device.
The smartwatch can be paired with newer Android phones to display information and monitor the wearers activity. The watch can be used to find a phone, something Samsung has done with some of its watches - as long as the phone is also from Samsung.
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