IFA 2013 |

Vivid blue HTC One launching on September 15 at Best Buy

The HTC One may be a few months old but it is still one of the favourite smartphones on the block and the new vivid blue color only adds to the growing range of choice on the HTC One, alongside black, silver and red.

News on the release date for this new smartphone has been confirmed, it will be a Best Buy launch exclusive offered on September 15. It will be offer on Verizon Wireless, Sprint and AT&T with 4G LTE.

Best Buy will be stocking the vivid blue HTC One in 1400 Best Buy stores across the US and it will be available the Best Buy website, along with carrier options. Best Buy did not announce any pricing for on or off contract, with the launch a week away, we expect this news to come out soon.

The vivid blue HTC One has been on quite a journey, from the factory floor leak to the news that Verizon Wireless would pick this up as an exclusive color to combat Sprint picking up the red version of the smartphone, to HTC announcing the vivid blue HTC One at IFA a few days ago.

Specs-junkies that claim the HTC One is already outdated are wrong, the smartphone still has a lot to offer and HTC is expected to rollout Android 4.3 with a new version of Sense 5 in a few weeks, this rollout will include the US, Asia and Europe.

Inside the HTC One is a Snapdragon 600 CPU, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, 4 Ultrapixel camera, BoomSound front facing speakers and the gorgeous 1080p display.

Prices on the HTC One have dropped down below the iPhone 5 price and it is easy to pick up an off contract smartphone on eBay and other websites. We would say if you are in the market for a high-end Android smartphone, the HTC One is a cheap and delightful package.

Sony reveals Xperia Z1, Smart Lens and Smartwatch 2 release date at IFA 2013

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Sony has revealed a ton of new electronics, with multiple different cameras, audio systems and 4K devices released at IFA. The three main features were the Xperia Z1, Smart Lens accessories and Smartwatch 2.

Starting with the main item, the Xperia Z1 – it is the new Sony flagship for the rest of the year. The Xperia Z1 takes a lot from its predecessor, the Xperia Z, with a full waterproof design and 5-inch full HD screen.

Packed into the Xperia Z1 is a powerful Snapdragon 800 CPU, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage and the insane 20.7MP camera with Exmor RS sensor, G Lens, f/2.0 aperture, x3 optical zoom and BIONZ image processing.

This is a big upgrade but sticks to the Xperia design, it looks almost identical to the previous Xperia Z, but with an aluminium side shell to hold everything together. The Xperia Z1 is a powerful upgrade with little design changes here and there, polish to an already incredible device.

Onto the Smart Lens, Sony revealed two different lenses that connect to a smartphone through WiFi or NFC. The device will then take photos and the image will automatically come onto the smartphone. Sony showed the QX100 with the Xperia Z1, quite impressive.

Sony also revealed some new VAIO tablets they will have coming in the next few months, these include the VAIO Flip PC, allowing the user to turn the screen in different ways, similar to the Lenovo Yoga. Specs on the VAIO Flip PC include a 1080p screen, core i7 CPU and optional discrete graphics.

The VAIO Tap 11 is Sony’s take on the Surface but with Windows 8 instead of Windows RT. The specs on the VAIO Tap 11 are the same as the VAIO Flip PC, the form factor is the major difference between the two.

Last is the VAIO Tap 21, this is a larger tablet/PC with the same form factor as the Tab 11. Sony has not set a release date for the three devices, but they will be coming sometime late this year, alongside the rest of the products revealed at IFA.

First high quality press images of Sony Xperia Z1 leak

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The Xperia Z1 has been on a trip of leaks since we first heard about it, back when we called it the Sony Honami and believed it was a new brand of smartphone from the Japanese manufacturer with a focus on megapixels.

Since then, the name has changed to the Xperia Z1 and it looks like Sony will be bringing a new replacement flagship to the market, with an improved camera, internals and some little design changes from the Xperia Z1.

With two days to go until the release at IFA, it is almost time for Sony to reveal the Xperia Z1, but with the amount of leaks and photos, the only real thing Sony will show is the features the leakers got wrong.

These new photo leaks are the first high-quality press images of the Xperia Z1, leaked by credible site Xperia Blog, they show the four different angles of the Xperia Z1 and have given us a great look at the external view of the new smartphone.

One notable feature returning to the Xperia Z1 is the closed flap ports, allowing users to take the phone underwater for a short time. Last time, this made the display a lot worse than competitors, hopefully Sony has fixed this problem to make the 1080p screen look incredible.

The camera looks to be one of the best on the market when it arrives, with a 20.7MP sensor, f/2.0 aperture and the possibility of OIS and optical zoom, it looks like Sony is packing all its best camera features on the Xperia Z1.

No price or release date has been noted, but we expect with this being the new Sony flagship it will come at a premium price tag, similar to what the Xperia Z sold for at launch. It has been noted Sony will launch the smartphone sometime in October, with at least two US carriers on board.

Acer Liquid S2 officially announced with 6-inch screen

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Acer has prematurely announced the new Liquid S2 a few days before its arrival at IFA 2013. The new smartphone will be a top-end Android device to try and push Acer into the mobile zone, as their PC division starts to decay.

With a rather exciting specs sheet, the Acer Liquid S2 starts with a gigantic 6-inch 1080p IPS display, pushing the boundaries of phablet and tablet. We have seen the Galaxy Mega and Xperia Z Ultra really overstretch the mark, the Liquid S2 does not go that far.

Inside the Liquid S2 is a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 CPU, 2GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage. On the back is a 13MP rear camera, capable of capturing 4K video, the phone also has a 2MP front facing camera and Dolby Digital Plus stereo speakers.

The 4K video capturing is a little odd, the only way to watch 4K content is on an extremely expensive TV and the size of a 5 minute video shot on 4K could take up the whole 16GB of internal storage. This may be a move in the future for Acer, but it is a little short with the lack of storage.

Other specs include a generous 3300mAh battery, WiFi, 4G LTE and Bluetooth. No word on NFC and wireless charging, we assume Acer will add the NFC chip and adopt the Qi standard of wireless charging, but we may be wrong.

Android 4.2.2 will come on the Liquid S2 and Acer will add its hit-and-miss UI we have seen before, hopefully with some changes to make it run a little faster and without the childish animations.

No price has been announced right yet but the release date is set for late October. We will hear more about the Liquid S2 at IFA in two days, where Acer will have it on preview. Acer has been known for cheap products, perhaps we will see a dip in price to grab the attention of consumers.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 white front panel leaked

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Samsung had done a grand job of keeping the design of the Galaxy Note 3 a secret, sending out test units with unfinished rectangular design, even though we expect the Galaxy Note 3 to be the typical shell design Samsung has brought to almost all Android devices.

This new leak shows the Galaxy Note 3 front panel again, this time in white. The front panel is not an image, but a leak render grabbed internally, showing the same type of design as the Galaxy S4.

The Galaxy Note 3 will come with the large home button and two capacitive keys, as we have seen on the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series previously. The front facing camera will be on the smartphone as we expect, it will probably pack a 2MP sensor.

The leak doesn’t show us much we couldn’t guess, it is nice to see some confirmation on the design of the smartphone, although a radical redesign of the Galaxy Note 3 was never really suspected, considering the similarity on all smartphone designs from Samsung.

Inside the Galaxy Note 3 is where things get interesting, the phone is going to ship with the Snapdragon 800 CPU, 3GB of RAM, 32GB/64GB and 128GB storage options, microSD storage option, 3540mAh battery, WiFi a/b/g/n/ac, LTE, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC.

As for the camera, Samsung will add a 13MP sensor with no optical image stabilisation. According to sources, Samsung could not get enough stock for the Galaxy Note 3 launch and decided to drop OIS, instead of having product shortages.

The Galaxy Note 3 will be coming to IFA 2013, this has been confirmed by a Samsung executive in an interview.

Samsung Galaxy Gear coming in multiple colours

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IFA is getting closer by the day and as more companies announce their plans and teasers for the conference in Berlin, Samsung still seems to be the most exciting show, with the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear both hitting the floor on September 4.

Almost all the news has been on the Galaxy Note 3, we already know it will pack a Snapdragon 800/Exynos 5 processor (depending on region), 3GB of RAM, 32 or 64GB of storage, 3540mAh battery and the main show point, the 5.6-inch 1080p screen.

Recently a leaked specs report showed the Galaxy Gear specs and functionality, it seems like Samsung will deck the smartwatch out with sensors to understand what the user is doing and will work to add functionality at certain times, like when jogging or driving.

Today we have a reveal on the different Galaxy Gear colours coming out, Samsung will officially release five different colours, four on week 39, around late-September and one on week 40, the start of October.

These colours will be:

– Week 39 – White, Orange, Gray, Black
– Week 40 – White Gold

Being Samsung, we doubt the white, orange, gray and black will be the colour names. With royal blue and the like, Samsung will probably put some fresh name on the colour to make it more appealing.

Nobody knows the current plan for Samsung, whether they are making this a mass market launch or just something they will dip their feet into. If it is a competitor to the iWatch, set to come out next year, it may be a mass produced product that could fail.

Samsung, Sony and other hardware manufacturers have failed to gain any traction in the smartwatch market in the past, with products falling flat on their face. Now, with Pebble reinvigorating the smartwatch, we are hearing reports on Microsoft, Apple, Samsung and others getting in on the smartwatch.

The question is can these big tech companies have as much success as the Pebble Kickstarter or will they fall flat on their face, again.