CES 2012

Now, here’s a show that everyone would love to go to, it’s CES (Consumer Electronics Show) time again. It’s the biggest tech show everyone’s looking forward to every year – I’m one of them, but I could not afford to go there. So for those gadget freaks out there, here’s a list of new technologies introduced during the CES 2012:

Phones


1.    Huawei’s Ascend

Ascend P1 and P1 S

       Named P1 and P1 S, are believed to be the world’s thinnest smartphones as of now. These two handsets are equipped with the newest Android version, the Ice Cream Sandwich or Android 4.0, and powered by a dual core 1.5 Ghz processor. The P1 S has an 8 megapixel camera with 1080p video capture, accompanied by a 1.3 megapixel front camera for video calls. The handsets will be released in April.

      2.    Xpal Power’s SpareOne

SpareOne

         A handset that could hold its charge for 15 years if not used. Well it’s not near a smartphone capability, but it can be used for emergencies, which a smartphone could not do with only 4 hours of battery life.

      3.    Sony Xperia S

         A nice looking smartphone, unfortunately powered by Android 2.3 Gingerbred (but will be upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich in late 2012), comes with a dual-core 1.5 Ghz processor. Its noted features are: it includes a HDMI port, Bravia Sync, PlayStation capable, Sony’s Exmor R technology – 1.5 seconds of capture speed with its 12 megapixel camera.

“The Sony Xperia S may not be the smartest smartphone we have seen, but it is a decent Android handset.” – techradar

      4.    LG Spectrum

LG Spectrum

       LG humbles itself in creating its latest smartphone, which they said that could win over iPhone’s screen quality. The LG Spectrum comes with a 4.5 inch screen display, a HD IPS display – which makes its pixel density greater than of the iPhone. It has a 1.5 Ghz dual core processor, Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread (with ICS upgrade), 8 megapixel camera and a 1.3 megapixel front camera. Testers said that quality of LG Spectrum is great, no lags, and no buffering during video playbacks.

      5.    Nokia Lumia 900

Nokia Lumia 900

         It’s the first smartphone built for North America, and will be exclusively available for AT&T. The Nokia Lumia 900 is packed with 1.4 Ghz processor, a front and rear cameras – all cameras are made with Carl Zeiss optics 28mm focal length, which means it will give users a clearer image. And of course Nokia Lumia 900 is powered with Microsoft Windows.

      6.    HTC Titan 2

HTC Titan 2

      If Sony Xperia S wows you with its 12 megapixel camera, wait until you see the HTC Titan 2. This smartphone comes with a 16 megapixel camera, with two LED flash. Now, that would top other point shoot cameras, eh? Along with that, it is powered with a single core 1.5 Ghz Snapdragon S2 chip and 720p HD video recording. However, no luck for Android fans, because this phone comes with Microsoft Phone Mango 7.5.

      7.    Motorola Motoluxe

Motorola Motoluxe

        The company announced its new budget smartphone, the Motorola Motoluxe. There’s not much about the smartphone since it’s just an 800 Mhz powered processor, unlike other smartphones introduced during the show. It comes with Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, 8 MP camera and a VGA front –facing camera. The phone is good enough for those budget conscious users who wanted to change their old phones into smartphones.

      8.    Motorola Defy Mini

Motorola Defy Mini

       The handset is also a dust and water resistant phone, just like the Motorola Defy. It is a 3.2 inch touchscreen phone with Gorilla Glass, has a 3 MP camera with LED flash, accompanied by a front facing camera.

      9.    Lenovo S2

Lenovo S2

    Lenovo creates its own smartphone, with an approach not similar to other companies. While other smartphones boasts their looks and UI design, Lenovo focused on the advanced security functionality of their smartphone, especially on phishing attacks. That promising feature along with a dual core 1.4 Ghz Snapdragon processor, 8 MP camera and vga front facing camera, with a 3.8 inch screen display with 800x480 resolution, and either 512 MB or 1 GB  RAM.

Tablets


1.    Lenovo IdeaTab S2

IdeaTab S2

       A tablet that comes with a keyboard dock. The Lenovo IdeaTab S2 runs Android 4.0 ICS, with a 1.5 Ghz dual core Snapdragon. The tablet alone can operate up to 10 hrs, but if snapped with its keyboard dock; it doubles its battery life of up to 20 hrs. The dock also comes with USB ports for plugin devices, which makes the device look like a net book.

      2.    Lenovo IdeaTab K2

IdeaTab K2

     The tablet also runs Android 4.0 ICS but is equipped with a much faster processor of a quad core Nvidia Tegra 3. Other notable features are the fingerprint reader and built-in speakers at the back of the tablet. The amazing part is that it has an IPS high screen resolution of 1,920 x 1,200. 

"It looks absolutely pin sharp." – techradar

      3.    Acer Iconia Tab A700

Iconia Tab A700

        Another Android 4.0 ICS device, the tablet did not appeal the audience with its usual Acer look. However, the device looks pretty fast with its 1.3 Ghz quad core Tegra 3 processor, and has a nice screen display similar to that of the Lenovo IdeaTab K2, but is not an IPS display which Acer announced, but is using a similar technology.

Television


1.    LG 55 inch OLED TV

LG 55" OLED TV

          LG is proud to announce its thinnest television – around 4mm thick, which is thinner than a smartphone.

      2.    Lenovo TV

Lenovo Android TV

         LG may have introduced the thinnest, but Lenovo has introduced the first Android 4.0 ICS television to the world, and it’s no joke, it’s the ultimate Google TV.

Laptops


1.    Intel Nikiski

          It’s all in the looks, it’s Intel’s see through notebook. The see through portion serves as the trackpad when the notebook is opened, but it becomes a small touch screen display when the notebook is closed.

      2.    Ultrabooks

Lenovo U310

       I would summarize the ultrabooks in just one bullet since for me they only show one thing – a Mac-like look. Lenovo introduced its own ultrabooks, the IdeaPad U310 and U410. On the other hand, HP announced its ultrabook, the HP Envy 14, it’s an ultrabook but has a weight onto it – introduced as the heaviest ultrabook. Acer might as well show their own version of ultrabook, the Acer Aspire S5. There’s not much to say in this ultrabook war, they all look alike, and with similar processors and functionalities, the only difference would be the prices.

Acer Aspire S

HP Envy 14

Others



1.    Parrot AR.Drone 2.0

Parrot AR.Drone 2.0

          As always, the makers of AR.Drone stole the attention of the people during the CES 2012. With its upgrade, the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0, a quadricopter. The greatest upgrade is that the device can be controlled with an IOS device, like the iPhone. This is a neat addition to your phone accessory. An additional feature enables users to create the path where the device will go through, and it will film its flight. I would love to have this!

         To sum up everything about the CES this year? Smartphones and Ultrabooks war! There’s nothing much new about the introduced gadgets this year. I think they should create new technologies more than relying on what’s already there. >:) But I guess, the perspective of those who attended is different from mine. The actual show must have been great.

Samsung wins, HTC loses

Samsung phone sales increased to 73 percent from its 2010 sales, while HTC decreased to 26 percent. Now, that’s a big leap from Samsung, considering HTC smartphones were a trend, following Apple’s iPhone, just a year ago. But thanks to Samsung’s Galaxy S smartphone and Galaxy Tab, the company is now having an increased profit and definitely higher sales this year. (source here)

This only proves that users change their preferences; from a more good looking phone to a more usable phone. HTC phones are better known for their great phone designs, and touch sense UI, which users prefer first before looking into the actual features of a phone. On the other hand, Samsung phones prefer not to focus more on the phone design – just a black and silver combination with some buttons, but more on to the usability – from speed to simple UI design.  

Whether design or usability, still both companies create top notch smartphones that can compete with Apple’s iPhone. Maybe HTC should have fix underlying issues with their smartphones (as I have searched through forums, some users complain about their HTC handsets), in order to win over Samsung this year. 

Crysis 2

Trailer:



Gameplay:

2012 Gadgets and more!

2011 ended just a few hours ago, and here I am, thinking of a topic to blog. Then, I thought of searching for upcoming gadgets this 2012. Gadgets come and go, but still we buy them – for bragging purposes perhaps? We’re not getting tired of spending too much money to buy new stuff. We don’t get satisfied with just one device, we want them all! So here’s a list of gadgets to look forward to this 2012:

1. Apple Devices

The company looks forward to create their own television from its Apple TV, which is a streaming device. They are engaging strategies on how to apply the technology from their successful devices into an actual television; perhaps a voice-command tv?
After the success of the Ipads and Iphones, the company is planning to have an upgrade (yet again). The upgrade would probably involve a larger screen, faster processor (quad core), lighter weight, and 4G capacity.

2. Wii U


The motion-controlled console game Wii will upgrade its motion controller into a small handheld-console like controller. It includes a touch screen display, with its usual Wii control buttons – which looks like a tablet with buttons. With this, you can play a game, even without the TV display. The upgrade also includes HD and 3D support.

3. Playstation Vita

The franchise has revealed their new addition during Sony’s E3 2011 press conference, the Playstation Vita, which is formerly named NGP (Next Generation Portable). The new console comes with a 5-inch multi touch screen, 2 analog sticks, touch-sensitive pads – which works like a laptop track pad, Bluetooth support, and social networking support – Facebook, Twitter, etc. They’ve also updated the processor into a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 MP Core processor, and RAM of 512 MB. The camera will have face detection. There are a lot of new features to the new console, but will it be successful than the first PS?

4. Windows 8

Yes! We’ll be experiencing a new Windows OS this 2012, the Windows 8. Because of the demand for apps these days, Windows will launch its own app store – but I bet it will still be the same with what Apple has. Another thing, Windows will add its security features and a change in the user interface. They will also have a USB reboot feature called ‘Windows To Go’, which allows the user to reboot the OS from a USB device. (click here for details)

5. Android 4.0


Android will have a lot of promising updates with its Android 4.0 or Android Ice Cream Sandwich. That is from the user interface to the camera. There’s too much to say about the changes so I’ll just give you a link here.

6. Ultra Thin Netbooks and Laptops

Computer companies are now planning to have their own MacBook Air like laptops – that is the ultrathin feature. Hope these attempts would not fail. :D

That’s about it! I know there are still a lot of updates to the recent gadgets that we have now, but there are certain similarities to these ‘updates’ or ‘upgrades’. Similarities include having a quad-core processor, HD and 3D capabilities, simple yet vivid user interfaces, light weighed, thinner devices, more user friendly experiences – voice prompts, multi-touch, apps and MORE APPS! Let's just wait for the release!

Are you Mr. Android?

So, are you a typical Android User? :D

Going Android!

Yes! I’m going Android next month, but first I have to buy an Android phone (lol). I was never into the Android craze before, because I’m satisfied with my Ipod Touch (which is not an Android powered device). But I’m getting tired of jailbreaks; it makes me nervous every time I have to do so with my Ipod Touch, just to enjoy all of the apps – that’s just half the effort right? Android devices do not need jailbreaks, you just have to wait for upgrades of your device and you can have apps similar to Apple apps (some of them are free).

Another thing, I just want to have one device for all of my entertainment needs – music, apps, games and messaging. And buying an Iphone would probably satisfy these needs, but definitely won’t satisfy my pocket. So an Android phone will – there are a lot of these that are just right for the budget. And the last reason? My phone is too big and heavy, I want to get rid of it! >:)

So, Hello Android! Bye Nokia Symbian!

Logitech K750: Solar Powered Keyboard

Solar powered devices are getting popular these days, from cellphone chargers to vehicles. This idea is well accepted as we are now facing energy consumption problems. The thing is, companies from all over the world find ways in order to facilitate change in energy consumption but still having the same quality.

Recently, Logitech released its Solar Powered Keyboard, Logitech K750. What’s new about this keyboard? Well, as the name suggests, it is solar powered, meaning it stores solar energy and uses it as a source of battery energy. The good this is, it still works in dark and closed rooms, you don’t have to charge the batteries every now and then. The battery lasts for about three months. With a device such as this, you’ll have no more battery worries ever!

Besides having a solar powered feature, the Logitech K750 is also thinner than other keyboards, it is only 1/3 three inch thick. With that, you’re as if using a thick folder while typing, comfortable and fast typing capabilities. Along with this, the keyboard also uses an advanced 2.4GHz wireless feature; it supports long range wireless capacity.

So, if you are interested with this keyboard, buy this for only $80, supplies will be shipped this November and December in some countries.

Turkey: "The end of Youtube Ban"

Youtube serves as the top video streaming website all over the world. Every one of us, especially those who are fond of making videos, find the website as a way of sharing thoughts through videos of course. However, some people violate this privilege of sharing videos by uploading inappropriate things, such as violence, false news reports and the like. As a result, some countries banned the website for such improper use. These countries are Iran, UAE, Morocco, Thailand, Turkey, and many more. See list of countries that banned Youtube.

In May 2008, Turkey banned the access to Youtube because some videos insulted their founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, which was against their law. After which the government have been communicating with Google (owner of Youtube), to make amends for those uploaded videos. Google then made such changes, and the said videos were removed. Now, after two years of banning Youtube, Turkey finally decided to end the prohibition to access Youtube to their country.

What have we learned from this? There’s always freedom to express yourself, through any means you wanted. However, there are limits to where such expression goes.