Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 was one of the major announcements during this year’s IFA show in Berlin. The new smartphone sports a fanatically durable design with a metal frame that gives it a very premium look. Overall, this is the phablet to buy in 2014, but how does it compare to its predecessor? Let’s find out in our Galaxy Note 4 vs Galaxy Note 3 spec comparison…
Along with the announcement of the Galaxy Note 4 and Note 4 Edge, Samsung unveiled the long-rumored Gear VR headset. This headset provides an immersive virtual reality experience, without most of the complexities that come with an Oculus Rift. Oddly enough, Samsung’s Gear VR was created through a partnership between Facebook owned Oculus and Samsung…
Toshiba upped its already solid Chromebook game today with the aptly-named Chromebook 2 laptop. With an optional 1920×1080 pixel display, Haswell processor, 4GB of RAM, HDMI AV out and AC/Bluetooth 4 wireless, it ticks most of the boxes on what you’d want on a high end laptop. It even claims 11.5 hour battery life and new forward facing speakers designed with help from Skullcandy.
It comes in starting at $249 for the 720P 16 Model and is set for release on Oct. 5
Spec sheet follows:
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Acer may not be one the hottest brand names when it comes to Android tablets, but they’ve taken the stage alongside Samsung and Sony this morning at IFA 2014 to introduce some new tablets: Iconia Tab 10, and Iconia One 8. As you might expect, the numbers in their names represent the screen sizes they have, so we’re looking at a 10-inch device and an 8-inch device, respectively.
Alongside new smartphones, tablets, and wearables, Sony has also today announced a refresh for its lineup of lens-style cameras with two new models: QX1 and QX30. The devices are made to be able to work on their own or clip onto the back of a smartphone, and if you go with the latter option, they’re able to connect via NFC or Wi-Fi and have their display via the Sony PlayMemories Mobile app.
Taking stage at IFA 2014, Sony is showing off its latest Xperia gadgets with the new Z3, Z3 Compact, and E3 smartphones. The flagship Z3 is a 5.2-inch “dust-tight and waterproof” aluminum framed device that ships in black, copper, silver green, and white. Included is a feature called PS4 Remote Play allowing you to game on the device with the PS4 controller.
Next up is the Compact Z3, a 4.6-inch device (compact, huh?) that’s also dust-tight and water proof with options in black, green, orange, and white. The Xperia Compacy Z3 also enjoys PS4 Remote Play support (as does the tablet version). Last is the Xperia E3, a 4.5-inch device with a 5 megapixel camera available in black, copper, lime, and white. (Oh, and there were also wearables, of course.) Press releases for each follows…
In addition to announcing new Xperia smartphones and its new Android-Wear powered SmartWatch wearable, Sony today announced a new 8-inch “Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact”. Sony said it’s the world’s slimmest and lightest compact tablet (compact meaning its under 7-inches) with the device coming in at 6.4mm and 270g.
Perhaps the most notable new feature for the device and other smartphones announced by the company today is a new PS4 Remote Play feature that lets the device dock into a PlayStation 4 controller and act as a remote gaming experience for the PS4 console (pictured below with Xperia smartphone):
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Following Samsung’s event earlier today, it’s now Sony’s turn to take the stage at IFA in Berlin and to kick things off the company just announced its brand new Android Wear-powered SmartWatch 3 and a new “SmartBand Talk” with a “curved, always-on- e paper display”:
With GPS and 4GB storage memory built in, SmartWatch 3 supports Android Wear by Google to not only deliver useful information and services based on the user’s latest activities, but also enable communication and entertainment including music to be enjoyed remotely, even when the user is away from their smartphone. Meanwhile, SmartBand Talk is equipped with a curved, always-on e-paper display, to enable hands free calls and voice commands. Its intuitive voice controls enable users to instantly check their Lifelog status with just a glance of their wrist.
This will be Sony’s first Android Wear device following Google’s introduction of the platform earlier this year, and the hardware also gets a bit of an upgrade with a new 1.6-inch 320×320 transflective display. The SmartBand Talk, on the other hand, is more of a life/fitness tracker than a full-fledged smart watch, but also includes a mic and speaker for voice commands and calling. The new wearables will also work with a new Lifelog app:
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Rounding out its IFA announcements in Berlin today, Samsung demoed its new Gear VR headset powered by Oculus technology (with a plug from Oculus’s John Carmack). Similar to Google’s Cardboard, the Samsung Gear VR is a virtual reality headset made for the new Galaxy Note 4 also introduced today to create an “immersive new dimension of mobile life” through virtual reality. Pricing and availability seem scarce at this point and it doesn’t seem to be compatible with the curved display Note Edge shown off today, but the Note 4 is launching sometime next month. Full press release below:
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At its Unpacked event today, Samsung presented a brand new device, the Galaxy Note Edge. The Note Edge is based off of the iconic large-screen Note design, but adds a sharp curve to the side edge of the device. The screen wraps around as well. This makes a ‘screen lip’ which Samsung describes as a unique way of to access information. This curved section displays notifications, quick access buttons to apps and more ancillary features — completely separate from the main phone screen.
Samsung just announced the Galaxy Note 4 in White, Black, and a Zune Gold and Hello Kitty Pink. Color taste aside, the update looks to be a solid one across the board.
Quick notes on standout features:
Quad HD 2560×1440 display
Snap note expands on Note’s bility to take notes, this time with a camera and some smart software.
The Galaxy Note 4 also offers an improved Fingerprint Scanner, to secure personal data and the world’s first UV sensor in a mobile device.
Our Galaxy Note 4 hands-on video:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVdljRoD8ME]
Hit the Press release below for full details
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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRLy0QQI6xU]
ASUS has officially launched its much-teased ZenWatch at IFA in Berlin, revealing that the rectangular smartwatch has a curved face, a brushed stainless steel body and a leather strap – but is pricier than expected.
Specs are pretty much as expected and in line with the Samsung Gear Live and LG G Watch: an Android Wear device with 1.63-inch 320×320 AMOLED display, 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 chip, 512MB RAM, 4GB storage and a fitness functions. The watch is waterproofed to a relatively weak IP55 standard, defined as resistant to water jets but not full immersion …
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As reported by Taiwanese publication Focus Taiwan, the CEO of Asus Jerry Shen has reportedly said in a media briefing that the company’s upcoming ZenWatch Android Wear-powered smartwatch will indeed be shipping at a price point below $200. Shen also mentioned that—as expected considering the device runs Android Wear—we’ll be seeing English-enabled voice recognition when the device goes on sale in October.
Renderings of Sony’s new SmartWatch 3 and SmartBand Talk
IFA 2014 is right around the corner and we’re expecting to see quite a bit of tech launched during the show. Sony is in attendance this year and their official press event is scheduled to happen on on Sept. 4th, 2014. Sources familiar with Sony’s plans have informed us that we can expect two new wearables to launch next week at IFA 2014…
IFA 2014 is almost here and we’ll be out in Berlin bringing you full coverage of the show. If you’ve never heard of IFA, it’s a Berlin based trade show that’s similar to CES. IFA is up there as one of the largest trade shows of the year which normally brings a handful of exciting announcements in all areas of technology. While September may be a fruit company’s only time to shine, the rest of the major tech giants are busy finishing out the year with a bang…
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is expected to be unveiled next week at IFA 2014 in Berlin, but as we inch closer to its official unveiling, more and more details continue to surface. Today, we’re hearing (via SamMobile) that the device will sport Synaptics’ Natural ID, which happens to be the same technology found on the Galaxy S5 and expected to be part of the Galaxy Alpha. Not only that, but the Note 4 will apparently also ship with some new software features as well.
Whether or not it was truly an accident is up for debate, but it appears that Sony has just shown off a couple of new devices in some promotional materials posted to the company’s Facebook page. As you might expect, the photo has of course already been pulled (which means there’s almost surely something here we shouldn’t know about yet).
Samsung has just sent out invitations for an upcoming event on September 3, 2014. The main event will take place in Berlin, with additional remote events in New York City and Beijing, likely for the unveiling of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 smartphone.
Samsung has a history of announcing its latest Galaxy Note devices during IFA, so it’s no surprise that the company is reportedly planning to debut its next king size smartphone in Berlin. The real kicker here is that the device could ship with two different variants. While the South Korean electronics maker’s smartphones have featured various processors in different markets, in the case of the forthcoming Galaxy Note 4, it’s rumored that this handset will ship with two different display types.
