Sony’s new flagship phone on Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 records 4K video, has a 5.2″ FHD improved Triluminous Bravia LCD, possibly the best LCD yet in the world, features Live Color LED, red and green phosphor with blue LEDs and customized color filters to produce a brighter and more uniform light creating richer colors on the screen without over-saturation like on some AMOLED. Then there’s also the latest psychovisual algorithmic Sony X-Reality picture engine, which analyzes each image to optimize colors, sharpness and contrast while also reducing noise. The latest Exmore camera does impressive 4K video record and the phone also has MHL 3.0 to output the 4K videos to a 4K TV.
Category: OS
360° video panorama technology, a new experience! presented by Finwe.fi
Posted by – February 28, 2014
This is 360 video, presented by Finwe Ltd CEO Juha Kela. 360 video is a special video production technology that utilizes multiple cameras to produce a full spherical 360×180 degree video experience. Video from multiple sources is synchronized, fine tuned and stitched together with a software called Autopano Video and Autopano Giga by Kolor. Kolor also delivers solutions for 360 video hosting and playback on a PC and web browser. Web player is based on html5.
Finwe ltd has developed a movement and touch controlled 360 video player for mobile devices, called 360 VideoBall. In collaboration with Kolor, they also just released a pre-version of free Kolor Eyes Android player. Beyond that, mobile player can also be used with Kickstarter funded goggles vrAse. This cool gadget has lenses and a special frame that holds mobile phones inside. The mobile phone is then used as a movement controlled display device, producing a separate image for both eyes. There is now an equipment based on 6 GoPro’s in a 360×180 formation to shoot 360 3D videos, which was used as a demonstration in MWC. The experience is really stunning and the image quality is very good thanks to the high quality and resolution of mobile devices.
Finwe CEO Juha Kela also demonstrated a special custom technology that enables 6k 360 video playback on a mobile phone. Current devices support only 4k resolution, but with the special technology they developed devices can play back videos even with 8k resolution! With this solution, user can zoom into the video without losing the quality.
To be able to provide a full turn key solution for 360 video production and to support the marketing of the mobile 360 video player technology Juha Kela founded a company called FinCloud Ltd. FinCloud has already done number of multi camera productions and one of their productions, a 360 music video for Finnish band Apulanta is currently nominated in Spotify “Innovator of the Year” category in Emma Gaala. Emma Gaala is an annual event, which rewards the most significant players in the industry during a year.
Example 360 videos:
Power Park theme park Finland:
http://eyes.kolor.com/en/v/f54450160b3cbad2f20bcc9037ae7f9f
There is now an equipment based on 6 GoPro’s in a 360×180 formation to shoot 360 3D videos, which was used as a demonstration in MWC. Special camera rigs are manufactured by Freedom360 and 360 Heros. The experience is really stunning and the image quality is very good thanks to the high quality and resolution of mobile devices.
360 camera rigs:
– Freedom360: http://www.freedom360.us/
– 360 Heros: http://www.360heros.com/
Kolor Eyes video wall:
http://eyes.kolor.com
Mobile 360 video solutions:
Finwe Ltd http://www.finwe.fi
juha.kela@finwe.fi
360 Video and Panorama stitching solutions and 360 video HW:
http://www.kolor.com
360 video production services:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fincloud-Ltd/1452416898325253
FInCloud Ltd: juha.kela@finwe.fi
http://instagram.com/fincloud
juha.kela@finwe.fi
vrAse immersive media frame for mobile phone
http://www.vrase.com
Free 360 Video apps for iOS:
360 VideoBall:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fi.finwe.panoramavideo
Kolor Eyes:
http://itunes.apple.com/app/kolor-eyes-360-video-player/id551037018?mt=8
Free 360 VideoBall app for Android:
360 VideoBall:
https://itunes.apple.com/fi/app/id667843311?mt=8&affId=1860684
Kolor Eyes: Join Google+ group for a pre-release access:
https://plus.google.com/communities/108362026537279322932
Software developers Kolor and Finwe announce the launch of their new 360-degree video player for Android devices, named Kolor Eyes, featuring pixel-perfect 4k 360 video playback, multiple projections, and image effects. Press release: http://www.kolor.com/images/stories/press/press-releases/2014/20140225-kolor-eyes-android-beta-version.pdf
MHL for Productivity, Acer Extend, MediaTek MT6592 MHL Optimizations and Dell/Roku MHL HDMI Sticks
Posted by – February 28, 2014
One of the most interesting aspects of MHL in my opinion is that MHL enables your Smartphone to run your PC/Desktop/Laptop experience. Now Acer is showing their Acer Extend prototype where it’s an “empty” good looking laptop shell as stylish as an Ultrabook, which only contains the display, battery, keyboard, mousepad and basic MHL support electronics, thus potentially being sold at a very cheap price, then you power that Laptop Dock with your Phone, in the similar way to the Motorola LapDock system of a couple of years ago. MediaTek is showing some Android software optimizations that they are doing to run this setup on their Octa Core MT6592 processor, thus switching the Android UI to a more Laptop-friendly orientation and configuration when the MHL connectivity to the Laptop Dock is triggered. Hopefully that Android 5 will feature optimized MHL functionality also, perhaps even enabling to instantly switch to a full Chrome OS like productivity state when the MHL to Laptop Dock is detected. MHL also demonstrates a couple of important HDMI sticks from Dell and from Roku which feature MHL support, making HDMI Sticks easy to use and clutter-free, automatically powered by the TV itself and running the full Productivity Suite or the Entertainment Functions directly on the HDMI Stick. Now with MHL 3.0, MHL supports up to 600mbit/s on the USB Host direction, something that I have been looking forward to since I started video-blogging about MHL in 2011. The potential here is to accelerate the adoption of ARM Devices for powering productivity.
Firefox OS on new phones by Alcatel One Touch, LG, ZTE and Huawei
Posted by – February 27, 2014
Mozilla Principal Evangelist Tristan Nitot shows the latest Firefox OS devices that were launched at Mobile World Congress with Alcatel One Touch, LG, ZTE and Huawei. They even show a $25 phone running on the entry-level ARM Cortex-A5 smartphone SoC from Spreadtrum.
110€ Archos 40B Titanium, MT6572 4″ IPS dual frontal speakers
Posted by – February 26, 2014
Archos presents their entry-level music enthusiasts phone, powered by the Mediatek MT6572 dual-core 1.3GHz ARM Cortex-A7 processor. 4-inch IPS display with a 800x480pixel resolution, 4GB of internal storage plus a microSD card slot, Wi-Fi, HSPA+, Bluetooth 3.0, and a 1400mAh battery. This phone is released now for 110€ in Europe. You can find out more about it here: http://www.archos.com/gb/products/smartphones/titanium/archos_40btitanium/index.html
Fluendo Oneplay Cross Platform Multimedia
Posted by – February 26, 2014
Fluendo is New York based provider of multimedia solutions and they have been in business for ten years. Fluendo oneplay can add multimedia support to any application on a variety of platforms. Fluendo oneplay is both an engine and an end user product. Fluendo oneplay enables you to use the same multimedia framework on a variety of platforms without using the different apis on each platform. Fluendo oneplay currently works on Android, iOS, Mac OS, Linux, and Windows. Fluendo oneplay is also hardware accelerated. Fluendo partners with large companies and can therefore use the technology and patents owned by those large companies. Fluendo’s solution is available for both developers and distributors with an unannounced price.
Company Website: www.fluendo.com
Litepoint NFC Testing
Posted by – February 26, 2014
Litepoint is a provider of wireless testing technologies that ensure wireless protocols in devices work. Litepoint is a San Jose, CA and Boston, MA based company. Litepoint offers NFC testing that goes beyond the pass/no pass testing systems to better ensure that NFC works. Litepoint sells their testing technologies to manufacturers of devices such as Foxconn. Litepoint technology is meant to be a production test as well as a performance test.
Website: http://www.litepoint.com/
P2i Waterproof Nanocoating
Posted by – February 26, 2014
P2i is a maker of liquid repelling coating for electronic devices. P2i’s nanocoating doesn’t absorb water but rather it repells water and makes whatever it is covering feel dry. P2i’s nanocoating is 1,000 times thinner then human hair. P2i’s nanocoating is based upon military technology. P2i offers coatings that protect against submersion and splashes. P2i will begin launching their technology later in 2014. P2i’s coating could in theory add only 1 dollar in cost to whatever device it is being added to.
Website: www.p2i.com
OAXIS InkCase Lite, ultra-thin E Ink back-cover for Smartphones
Posted by – February 26, 2014
Interchangeable into different back-cases and front-cases for a range of phones, OAXIS presents their InkCase Lite that gets its data from any smartphone over Bluetooth. OAXIS develops an SDK for Android apps to send data from the main LCD or AMOLED display to the secondary OAXIS E Ink display. You can for example read the web articles on your Smartphone’s E Ink back-cover, read an E-book on the E Ink, read your RSS feeds on E Ink and more.
YotaPhone 2, 4.7″ curved Touch E Ink and 5″ AMOLED and Snapdragon 800
Posted by – February 26, 2014
Yota Devices shows their next generation YotaPhone 2 with the Snapdragon 800 LTE and a 5″ AMOLED screen and a 960×540 curved touch-screen E Ink display covering the back case. They upgrade their YotaPhone SDK to enable Android apps to send data to the back-screen with one touch. Battery life when using the backside only can be measured in days and sunlight readability is full.
Bluetooth Smart 4.0/4.1 Low Energy
Posted by – February 26, 2014
Mark Powell, Executive Director of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, answers my questions on Bluetooth LE (also known as BLE, also known as Bluetooth 4.0 and 4.1). Bluetooth Smart is Bluetooth LE with an application framework making it easy for applications developers to add support for the more advanced Bluetooth features. Bluetooth.com says it as “Bluetooth Smart products represent a quantum leap for Bluetooth technology, allowing billions of previously disconnected devices to join the connected world.” at http://www.bluetooth.com/Pages/Bluetooth-Smart-Devices.aspx
Archos Touchscreen E Ink Smartwatch
Posted by – February 25, 2014
This summer, Archos will release this Touchscreen E Ink Smartwatch, running an E Ink optimized UI to display your smart notifications through the upcoming Archos Smartwatch App for Bluetooth 4/3 Smartphones on Android and iOS. Sunlight readability, always-on and battery life should be great. Archos also will release their non-touch E Ink Smartwatch for $129 a couple or so months before this one.
Qualcomm 610 and 615 ARMv8 64bit ARM Cortex-A53 quad/octa core, 801 and 805/Adreno420 demos
Posted by – February 25, 2014
Qualcomm presents their latest ARM 64bit ARMv8 Snadragon 610 and 615 based on the ARM Cortex-A53 quad and octa core. These new include the Qualcomm Gobi 9X30’s LTE Advanced Category 6 capability with up to 300Mbps 4G LTE modem, 3G HSPA+, CDMA, and 802.11ac Wi-Fi all in one chip. Enhanced ISP for imaging and camcorder quality and Adreno 405. Qualcomm Snapdragon 610 and 615 are pin compatible with the cheaper 64bit Snapdragon 410 enabling faster time to market. Qualcomm also shows their upcoming Snapdragon 805 with amazingly fast 4K video upscaling, 4K video gaming.
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Nokia Android Phone: Nokia X series launched starting at 89€
Posted by – February 24, 2014
As I have been Google+’ing for the past 3-4 years, this is it, Nokia is finally releasing their low cost ultra nice Android phone. Selling worldwide starting today for around 89€. This is totally amazing and congratulations to the Nokia team for an awesome first step in the right direction!!
I would also like to see a few more improvements to this:
– Nokia Home be a home replacement on Google Play (to turn any other Android device into a Nokia Home Experience device (including switching over to Nokia Store, Nokia Maps and everything else that ships with a Nokia X)
– Bring Windows Phone apps to Android. Tweak the Android AOSP software to add Windows Phone apps support. (same in the other direction, support Android apps on Windows Phone platform).
– Announce that Nokia and Microsoft would not be against Google authorizing them to pre-install and support the official installation of Google Apps like Google Play, Google Maps, Gmail, and etc. If Google won’t allow it, simply put public pressure so that media forces Google to open up how their Google Apps may or may not ship with modified Android devices. I think every device must be able to ship with any app and I think multiple app stores on a device is the best way.
– Nokia Store should include unlimited free apps for a very low monthly subscription price. Something like $5/month for unlimited games and apps. Start signing up as many paid app/games developers and of course include all the free ones anyway. Subscribers can have advertising disabled on ad-supported apps. For developing countries the monthly cost can be much lower, perhaps even for free in certain countries where the GDP per capita is very low. App/games developers can for example agree that their apps and games are to be free in certain regions of the world where people don’t make a lot of salary.
$234/189€/£162 MySaga M2, MT6589T 5″FHD reviewed by my 12-year old cousin Henry
Posted by – February 17, 2014
ValueBasket.com provided me with a review sample of their MySaga M2 branded MediaTek MT6589T 1.5Ghz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 phone with a SGX544MP GPU running at 357MHz, running Android 4.2 smoothly with 1GB RAM and 16GB Flash. The quite impressive 5.0″ 1920×1080 441PPI 16Million color display is manufactured by LG, back-camera is 13.0MP CMOS Sensor , F2.0 Aperture, 6P Precision Lens, with LED lights and front camera is 8.0MP BSI CMOS Sensor, F2.2 Aperture, 5P Precision Lens. My 12-year old cousin Henry with his YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/techtothepeoplevideo shows here the device in his video review. I have been using this phone as my main phone during these past 3 weeks and I can tell you it shows MT6589T runs 1080p 5″ phones smoothly. With a 2100mAh battery the battery life is decent enough. Bluetooth 3, Wi-Fi, GPS, Dual-SIM HSPA+ all seems to work great. I don’t know if MT6589T phones can be upgraded officially to Android 4.4 yet, but it can be rooted quite easily. At $234/189€/162£ retail price from http://www.valuebasket.com/en_US/mainproduct/view/15102-AA-WH including free shipping (you can see the different prices by changing the country in the bottom right corner of the page), this phone is quite good value for money.
MT6582 and MT6572 phones from Shenzhen Go East Electronics
Posted by – February 14, 2014
Go East Electronics from Shenzhen shows their 2014 range of phones. Go East sells around 20,000 phones per week and 80,000 per month. Go east has a factory that employs around 300 people. Go east has a 6″ WVGA (800×480) android phone with a MTK 6582 processor for 30 USD. Go East has another model with a a 5.3″ screen and MTK 6582 processor for an unspecified price. GO east has a 4″ WVGA with a MTK 6572 processor for 52 USD.
$88 7.85″ IPS A31S, 7″ A31S, $80 10.1″ TN from Shenzhen Ployer
Posted by – February 9, 2014
The latest range of tablets from Shenzhen Ployer.
Here’s the contact information for Ployer (please tell them you saw the video):
Company Name: Shenzhen Ployer Electronics Co., Ltd.
Address: Building 8, Yusheng Industrial Park, Gushu, Xixiang, Bao’an District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Zip Code: 518102
International Business Contact
Telephone: 0086-755-82660733
Fax: 0086-755-82660533
Email: info@ployer.com.cn
Vuzix M100 Smart Glass now shipping for $1000
Posted by – February 8, 2014
Vuzix is showing their $1000 Smart Glass headmounted computer solution uses a compact WQVGA 16:9, 1Ghz OMAP4430 Powered, White Pearl display module and ultra-low-power driver IC from Kopin Corporation, 16GB Flash, 32GB MicroSD support, head-tracking sensors are 3 axis Gyro, 3 axis Accelerometer and 3 axis Magnetometer. 600mAh battery offering 1-2 hours of display usage but much more can be achieved with an external 3800mAh battery pack. Camera does 5megapixel photos and 1080p video. Mounting options include over head, Safety Glasses and can be used on either left or right eye. They have an SDK for further Android development for it links up using Bluetooth 4.0 to Android or iOS host device. You can read more about it here: http://www.vuzix.com/consumer/products_m100/
Shenzhen Coolyida Kuyida $130 MT6589 Phone, $35 Tablet, $17 Power bank speaker
Posted by – February 8, 2014
Category: Tablets, Smartphones, Speakers, Power Banks, Exclusive videos, Rockchip, MediaTek, CES, Android
Showing their latest tablets. RK3026 for $35, the best they have is 1280×800 $105 MediaTek powered tablet. They also have a $17 NFC power bank that doubles as a speaker. MT6589 5″ 1920×1080 for $130.
$120 MT6572 Smartwatch from Shenzhen Kep ($110 2G version)
Posted by – February 8, 2014
MediaTek MT6572 powered Smartwatch with 512MB, 4GB Flash, Camera, SIM card support. $37 RK3026 7″ tablet. Also a more-than-$200 Intel reference tablet.
