BlackBerry Passport; yay or ney?

First of all, I would like to say that I didn't give any expectation on this phone's launch before I attend this event. With the fact that BlackBerry has obstacles to shines among other OS's phone in the pas 2-3 years, and the whopping price tag of RM 2,399, I did not see how lauching a new phone would help Blackberry to gain back it's market share.

However, when I learn more about this phone, I starts to see a bit of light and purpose of this phone and Blackberry's existence. Instead of trying to be a hippie and extend their market to a younger age market by introducing touch screen and social media inprovements, Blackberry Passport go back to what they do best, which is focus on productivity-driven business professionals.

Inspired by the actual passport, Blackberry passport's large square touch screen has 1:1 Aspect Ratio with QWERTY touch-enabled keyboard, optimized for viewing an creating content. The Corning Gorilla Glass 3 does elevate the touch and feel of the phone's physcical appearance. THey also claimed that BLackberry Passport's new QWERTY keyboard is almost4 times more accurate than Blackberry 10 virtual keyboard with average 74% lower error rate.

What impressed me the most is the OS (Blackberry 10.3). Since OS 10, the OS allows you to have multiple login account to navigate your personal and business needs, a great way for work life balance achieve in a single device. Also, I am please that Blackberry has listen to the user about the limitation of Blackberry World. Other than improving their market, balancing between choice and quality, Blackberry now supports Android apps, downloadable from Amazon Appstore or any .apk file that has originally cater for Android.

Another highlight from Blackberry is their Blackberry Blend (www.BlackBerry.com/Blend). Working across various OS such as Mac OS X 10.7 +, Window 7 + and ANdroid tabled 4.4 +, Blend connect your phone to your larger screen device through cellular network, USB or Wi-Fi, enables you to get instant message notifications, read and respond to your work and personal email, BBM or test messages, and access your documents, calendar, contacts and media in real time. 

The Blackberry Passport will be available through Blackberry's authorized carrier, Celcom from 10th Oct 2014 and though other partners ranging the product from 1st Nov 2014.


Blackberry Passport Product Specification as below:

Size (L x W x D)	128mm x 90.3mm x 9.3mm
Weight	196g
Display	453 PPI, 4.5", In-cell IPS LCD Touch Display, 1440 x 1440 resolution
Keyboard	3 row Touch-enabled QWERTY (recognizes touch gestures)
Memory	3 GB RAM, 32 GB Flash, Hot Swappable microSD slot supports up to 128 GB
Processor	2.2 GHz Quad Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801
Cameras	13MP rear facing camera, Auto Focus, LED Flash, Images & Video Stabilization, 5x digital zoom, 1080p HD video recording up to 60fps. 2MP (720p) front facing camera, Image & Video Stabilization, 3x digital zoom 720p HD video recording
GPS	Assisted , Autonomous , and Simultaneous GPS
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy
NFC	NFC-enabled to support mobile payments and file exchange
Ports	Multi-function Port (support USB and microHDMI out)
Advanced Sensors	Accelerometer, Magnetometer, Time of FLight (ToF), Gyroscope, Ambient Light, Proximity
Wi-Fi	2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n, 5Ghz a/n + ac, Mobile Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct, Miracast, DLNA Server
Network Connectivity	FD-LTE, support for global roaming
Battery*	3450 mAh (integrated); up to 30 hours of mixed use *Many factors affect battery life, including network connectivity, application usage, feature configuration and battery age. Actual results may vary.
Talk Time	GSM up to 18 hours; UMTS up to 23 hours
Standby Time	GSM up to 18 days; UMTS up to 18.5 days
Audio Playback	up to 84 hours
Video Playback	up to 12 hours

HTC Malaysia launches the new One M8

This evening, HTC Malaysia officially launches the long awaiting One M8. It is a replacement for the One M7 and the new facelit promises alot to consumer.

HTC One M8 Key Specification :

• 5.0 inches Super LCD 3 screen with 1080 x 1920 of resolution
• 2.5 GHz quad core Qualcomm MSM8974AB Snapdragon 801 processor with Krait 400
• Andreno 330 GPU
• 2GB RAM
• 16 GB internal memory with microSD slot
• Dual 4 MP Ultrapixel camera with dual-LED (dual tone) flash
• 5MP front facing camera
• 2600 mAh battery
• Android 4.4.2 Kit Kat with Sense 6
• 146.4 x 70.6 x 9.4 mm
• 160 g

Like most company flagship phone, the One M8 is upgrade of One M7. Bigger screen, faster processor, microSD slot and camera as well. Of course, the new design now is much better than the predecessor. It is more metal now, rounded edge and feel slimmer. Personally, it is one of the beautiful crafted phone that I'll appreciate it. The HTC One M8 also come with new Sense 6 which bring alot improvement. One of the coolest new features brought by the updated package is Motion Launch, which lets you quickly open the camera or unlock the phone while the screen is off. Picking up the One (M8) in landscape mode and pressing the volume button will launch the camera. There's double tap or slide up from the bottom to wake the phone. While locked you can pick up the phone in portrait mode and swipe left on its screen to launch the widget panel or right for BlinkFeed.

Check out my quick hands on video on the HTC One M8 that focused most on the new camera features.

Eventhough it is still the same 4MP Ultrapixel camera, HTC introduces the secondary camera at the back which uses to capture depth information. HTC calls this Duo Camera. It mimics the stereoscopic abilities of the human eye - two independent lenses able to calculate the relative distance of the subjects in an image. HTC's dual camera setup enables cool effects such as selective focus (shallow depth of field) and post-shot refocusing. Unfortunately the editing has limitation where only auto mode and without flash images taken by the camera can proceed the editing. The optical image stabilization of the original One is now gone, and the One (M8) will rely solely on digital stabilization. Similarly to Apple, HTC has improved the flash of the smartphone by using a two toned one - one cold and one warm LED, which can help the smartphone produce more accurate color tones in low-light conditions. HTC also claims the One (M8) can focus in just 0.3s. If that's not enough for you, HTC is generous enough to packed the front facing camera with 5 Megapixel for selfie lover.

As I mentioned earlier, I love the design and material used in the HTC One M8. Personally, I still prefer the rough surface on One M7 since the One M8 surface pretty smooth as if it feel like plastic. It is no surprise that the UI and animation transition everything is smooth since Sense UI has been tone down since Sense 5. I still hate the fact the camera still 4MP since I am very much a pixel peep guy. However, I can assured that HTC One M8 camera works as advertise. It is quick in focus, great for low light capture as well and a tones of fun processing mode to be use. Overall, it is really a beauty plus functionality phone, one of the kind phone at the moment and it is for people who dare to change, to try and to explore the possibility using this phone. So once again, HTC did it!

The HTC One comes with a variety of accessories like the Flip Case, Double Dip case (each in three colors), Dot View case (showing you alarms, events, calls, battery, weather and more in a colorful dotted way) and more. The HTC One is available today with RRP RM 2,399.

Sony announces the Xperia ZL2 in Japan

Surprise! The Sony Xperia ZL2 is now official in Japan. Just like the first one, it's a version of the current flagship with much slimmer bezels and smaller footprint.

Sony Xperia ZL2 Key Specification :

• 5" with 1080p display Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 and X-Reality engine
• 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AB chipset
• 3GB RAM
• 32GB internal memory with microSD slot
• 20.7 MP back facing camera (1/2.3" sensor, G Lens, optical image stabilization, autofocus, LED flash)
• 2MP front-facing
• 3000mAh
• Android 4.4 KitKat with Sony's Xperia UI
• 167 gram
• 137 x 72 x 10.8mm

The Xperia ZL2 is available in the standard black and white colors as well as a turquoise one, if you want to stand up from the crowd. The phone will soon launch in Japan, and we presume a worldwide premiere isn't too far away. Other than that, nothing much exciting on the ZL2.

[SOURCE]

Samsung announces NX3000 mirrorless camera

The NX3000 is Samsung's latest addition to its NX mirrorless camera line. Along with the 3" flip-up display for self-portraits, it has a 20MP APS-C CMOS sensor and can shoot at 5fps. The NX3000 also comes with Wi-Fi and NFC 'Tag & Go' connectivity options. The NX3000 will ship with Samsung’s new compact 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 power zoom ED OIS lens.

Samsung NX3000 Key Specification :

• 20 megapixels
• APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) CMOS sensor
• ISO 100 - 25600
• 35 Number of focus points
• 3″ tilting LCD screen with 460,800 screen dots
• 5 fps Continuous drive
• 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720, 640 x 480, 320 x 240 video recording
• Built-In Wireless and NFC
• B740 lithium-ion battery
• 117 x 66 x 39 mm

The camera will be available in black, white or brown and sell for $529 with the 16-50mm OIS power zoom lens and SEF-8 flash. A second kit with 20-50mm lens and SEF-8 flash will sell for $479. International pricing has not been announced.

[SOURCE]

Oppo Malaysia officially launches Oppo Find 7 & Find 7a

OPPO Electronics Corp today announced the Malaysian debut of its flagship phone of the Find series, the FInd 7 - The first 4G/LTE device from OPPO that also supports Quad HD resolution. The phone made its global entry to the markey back in March in Beijing.

Oppo Find 7 Key specification :

• 5.5 inches IPS LCD display with 1440 x 2560 pixels resolution
• 2.5 GHz Quad-core Qualcomm MSM8974AC Snapdragon 801 Krait 400
• Adreno 330
• 3 GB RAM
• 32GB internal memory with microSD slot
• 13 MP back facing camera with dual-LED flash
• 5 MP front facing camera
• 171 gram
• 152.6 x 75 x 9.2 mm
• Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean)
• 3000 mAh

Oppo Find 7a Key specification :

• 5.5 inches IPS LCD display with 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution
• 2.3 GHz Quad-core Qualcomm MSM8974AB Snapdragon 801 Krait 400
• Adreno 330
• 2 GB RAM
• 16GB internal memory with microSD slot
• 13 MP back facing camera with dual-LED flash
• 5 MP front facing camera
• 170 gram
• 152.6 x 75 x 9.2 mm
• Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean)
• 2800 mAh

* From left : Find 7 and Find 7a *

* Back design for both Find 7 and 7a *

Obviously there are nothing changes in terms of physical design and also measurement in between Find 7 and Find 7a. The only difference would be the screen resolution, processor speed, RAM, internal memory and also smaller battery capacity. I guess it is a great alternate for those who those who felt the higher spec abit overkill for them. Personally, I can't tell the difference in QHD and FHD display. You seriously need a superhuman eye to distinguish it.

* Chen Lu - Brand Manager Oppo Malaysia *

* Candice Liu, Assistant CEO Oppo Malaysia *

* William Fang, CEO Oppo *

Check out my hands on video!

Like most latest smartphone in current market, Oppo Find 7/7a packed with latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor together with Andreno 330 GPU. Pair with 3GB or 2GB RAM, your experiences with the phone and multitasking will be smooth sail. Not to mention, the chipset supported LTE.

Both Find 7 also equipped with the Pure Image 2.0, an image processing that enchances images taken by the 13 megapixel camera. The back facing camera is built with six physical lenses, the latest Sony Stacked CMOS IMX214 sensor and f/2 aperture which obviously good for lowlight. I am surprise Oppo Find 7 and 7a included RAW file option as well. Pure RAW shooter gonna be enjoy! One of the worth mentioned camera features in both Find 7 is the "Ultra-HD" mode. Ultra-HD mode combine ten photos at the back end with just one press of a buttonto create images perfect for high quality print. In other words, it created a 50 megapixel image! It is pretty cool if you ask me!

Here are some sample photos taken by the camera using back facing camera and also the Ultra HD mode. Click the link for full res ya!

Ultra HD Mode

Also the 4K Ultra HD video recording!

One of the innovation worth praising on Oppo find 7 is the newly developed VOOC fast charging technology that easily shortens charging time, boosting the phone's battery life to 75% within 30 minutes. If you're worried the charging rate is too fast and it might damage the phone, don't worry! This rapid charging tech has a safety feature made up of five layers of thermal protective coating that prevents overheating while charging. So it is safe!

Oppo also partnered with MaxxAudio's in their latest Find 7 to enchant the dynamic range and frequency of the phone speakers. I am not sure how well it does if against big player such as HTC One M8 and also Sony Xperia Z2, but for me Oppo Find 7/7a speaker is loud enough and clear.

The Find 7a is officially available at all outlet at price RM 1598 while the Find 7 will be selling at price RM 1998 and will be available in Malaysia nationwide end of June.

Personally I love what Oppo did on their Find 7/7a. Nothing wow on the physical design but I love black most for sure since it has Carbon Fibre pattern design on it. 5.5 inch might sound too big but it actually fit my palm since it share the similar width with my Xperia Z1. Nice IPS display by providing most natural color but the QHD display seem unnecessary for me. The 13 megapixel back facing camera are capable to delivered what it should and Ultra HD mode is interesting too. I wouldn't hesitate using that mode or landscape shooting. Not to mentioned, with RAW I can do more wonder in photography using Find 7/7a! The only things I dislike is the ColorOS UI itself. It is too cartoonish and coloful to my liking. Of course, there are theme store provided by Oppo itself. I guess I can live with it or I'll just use other launcher :P

Hopefully I can request a review unit and able to provide full review. Who know, it might change my mind on the ColorOS UI and grow love on it?

Vivo Xshot goes official in China with 13MP f/1.8 camera

Camera in phone is getting more and more competitive. The Chinese manufacturer Vivo officially took the wraps off the camera-centric Xshot smartphone that come with f 1.8 aperture. There will be two difference model for Vivo Xshot.

Vivo Xshot Key Specification :

• 5.2 inch with 1080p display
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC / Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset
• 3GB RAM / 2GB RAM
• 16/32 GB internal memory
• 13 MP back facing camera with f/1.8 and OIS
• 8 MP front facing camera with LED flash
• 2,600mAh
• Android 4.4 KitKat with Funtouch UI

Pricing of the Vivo Xshot will kick off at $480 for the Snapdragon 800 model. Its better-equipped sibling will cost about $560 in local currency.

[SOURCE]

Huawei unveiled Ascend P7 - Smartphone for Selfie

It is not surprise Huawei did it again with the brand new Ascend P7 - stylish in terms on design and focused on selfie as well. Compared to its predecessor, the Ascend P6, the new flagship brings a much better screen as well as major upgrades in the design and camera departments.

Huawei Ascend P7 Key Specification :

• 5" with 1080p resolution
• 1.8GHz quad-core HiSilicon Krin 910T chipset Cortex-A9 CPU
• Mali 450 GPU
• 2GB RAM
• 16 GB internal memory with microSD slot
• 13 MP back facing camera with a Sony BSI sensor and f/2.0 aperture
• 8 MP front facing camera with BSI sensor and 5-pieces lens coupled with IMAGESmart 2.0 software
• 2,500mAh
• Android 4.4 KitKat with Emotion 2.3 UI
• 124 grams
• 139.8 x 68.8 x 6.5mm

Huawei has focused on boosting the photography capabilities of the Ascend P7, namely taking selfies. The front-facing camera features an 8MP BSI sensor and 5-pieces lens coupled with IMAGESmart 2.0 software that boasts 10 level auto-facial enhancement and wide-angle photo function. On top of it all, there's a special shooting mode for taking panoramic group selfies - Huawei calls it "groufie."

The phone will be available from May in black, white and pink color options. The recommended retail price of Huawei Ascend P7 is €449 and it will be available in China, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Serbia, Greece, Norway, Hungary, Denmark, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates with other markets to follow.

The company will also be releasing accessories including the TalkBand B1 smart wearable, colorful protective cases, clamshell protective screen covers, and portable batteries.

[SOURCE]

Samsung announces the Galaxy K zoom camera phone

As a successor of Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom, Samsung today officially unveiled Galaxy K zoom. Like its predecessor, the Galaxy K zoom combines a regular smartphone with the hardware of a point and shoot camera.

Samsung Galaxy K zoom Key Specification :

• 4.8-inch with 1280x720 resolution Super AMOLED display
• Exynos 5 Hexa SoC with six CPU cores comprising of four 1.3GHz ARM Cortex A7 and two 1.7GHz ARM Cortex A15
• Mali-T624 GPU
• 2GB RAM
• 8GB internal memory with microSD slot
• 20.7 megapixel back camera 1/2.3 BSI CMOS sensor
• 24-240mm F3.1-6.3 with optical image stabilization (OIS)
• 2MP front camera
• LTE
• 2,430mAh battery
• Android 4.4 KitKat
• 200 g
• 137.5 X 70.8 X 16.6 mm

The Galaxy K zoom will be available in black, white and blue. Price still unknown.

[SOURCE]

Sonic Gear AirDock Review

It is not surprise looking the marking are expending speakers or dock for smartphone or tablet. Sonic Gear recently brought AirDock to the market, a Bluetooth docking station for smartphones and tablets of various sizes. The powerful Bluetooth 4.0 also ensures a strong and reliable connection to your device while you roam within the recommended range. Not to mention, you can use it to answer call!

Key specifications:-

• Total System Power : 5W
• Full-Range Driver : 2"Frequency Response : 30Hz - 20kHz
• Built-in latest renowned CSR Bluetooth 4.0 chipset
• Built-in noise-cancellation microphone for speaker-phone
• Ultra-slim docking for smart phones and 7" tablets
• Recharges all smart phones and tablets

Design & look

No doubt the dock actually look very nice and solid for me. The slot is big enough to fin into an iPad mini on portrait mode. The control button are very well positioned and straightforward on left side while the right size features 2 inch driver that promised delivered good audio result. The back of the dock features 5V DC-Out to charge your smartphone or tablet.

User Experience and Performance

It is a good alternative bluetooth speaker other than the three Pandora speakers we reviewed earlier on. Thought it is not wireless speaker, however the sound deliver by the speaker via bluetooth or AUX-in mode are top notch!

Pairing the speaker with your devices are pretty simple and straight forward. By switching to mode to bluetooth and it'll automatically connected to your device with bluetooth turned on. The pairing range for both devices are no longer than 8 meters which is good enough.

While I love the sound quality from the speakers, the only things disappointed me is the control. While in AUX-in mode, the buttons on the speakers are totally unusable especially when I wanna decrease or increase the volume. However, using it via bluetooth work perfectly fine.

Conclusion

Overall, Sonic Gear AirDock is definitely one of the value buy speakers for those who are looking for stylish dock yet portable. The AirDock cost RM109 RRP and available in store now.

Sonic Gear Airphone V review

Recently. Sonic Gear has brought to the market their latest offering, a Bluetooth on-ear headset known as Airphone V. Aimed at the youngster and hip lifestyler, the bluetooth headset is definitely portable yet it doesn't cost your arm and leg.

Key specifications:-

• Driver size: 40mm
• Frequency response: 20-20KHz
• Impedance: 32 OHM +-15%
• Sensitivity: 120dB/nW+-15%
• Maximum input power: 20MW
• Bluetooth: v3.0+EDR, supports HSP,HFP,A2DP, and AVRCP
• Battery Life: Music playback up to 10 hours and phone call up to 11 hours, 250 hours standby
• Voice instructions on power and pairing status

Main Features :

• Great audio clarity and wearing comfort
• Built-in lithium ion battery support up to 10 hours play time
• On full charge, battery supports more than 10 days stand by time
• Built-in voice instruction to inform you of operational mode change
• Convenient push button for Talk,Volume +/- and next & previous control
• Battery level indicator for iPhone and iPad (support iOS 5 and 6)

Design & look

Sonicgear made a decent looking pair of headphone but no surprise, the Airphone V do look alike beat headset with the missing B. It was built by plastic which I believe it is easily scratch. However the extension bit of the headset has a brushed aluminum which actually great and avoid it easily break. Earpad is normal and nothing to shout about. Overall it does look like a solid headphone. All the control buttons was located on the left side of the headphone which easy for music control. Of you'll need to memorize the buttons position.

User Experience and Performance

As much as I like the headphone, I am actually disappointed on it. The clamping was a little bit force on the hard side and it is not comfortable for prolonged wear. Not to mention some user might find it frustrated to unable to fit in their head due to limited extended length. Not to mentioned, the earcups position was pretty fix and unable to move much might be an issue for peculiar pair of ears.

As for performance, do not expect it on par with any other headphone. The sound quality was pretty bad even for my ordinary taste. It has low clarity, muddy with heavy bass that is loose and not tight. It also features typical Sonic Gear sound signature which emphasis on bass. Vocal are pretty poor.

Connecting to the headphone was a little bit pain in ass and it actually does kill my patient. It required three second to turn it on and also five second to turn it off by pressing the main button.

Conclusion

Overall, Sonic Gear Airphone V is a decent and value buy headset for those who looking for portable and wireless headset. The Sonic Gear Airphone V cost RM169 in RRP and available in store now.

OnePlus One is official, 2014 Flagship Killer

After more than a month teasing, the OnePlus company has officially unveiled their first and only smartphone, One.

OnePlus One Key Specification :

• 5.5" with 1920p resolution HD JDI IPS
• Quad-core 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (8974AC) 400 CPU
• 3GB RAM
• 13 MP back facing camera with Sony IMX214 Sensor with 6 Lenses and f/2.0 Aperture
• 5 MP front facing camera
• dual stereo speakers from JBL
• 3,100mAh
• 162 g
• 152.9 x 75.9 x 8.9mm
• Android 4.4 Kit Kat with CyanogenMod 11S ROM

The back cover of the OnePlus One is removable and the company is also launching special StyleSwap covers. Available in bamboo, wood, denim and kevlar, the StyleSwap covers add a dash of personality to the One similarly to the Moto X.

Available in Sandstone Black and Silk White, the unlocked 16GB OnePlus One will retail for $299 (€269 in Europe) and the 64GB model will cost you $350 (€299 in Europe). In the UK, the phone will sell for £229 and £269 for the 16GB and 64GB model respectively.

[SOURCE]

HTC One (M8) goes official with Duo Camera, 5-inch screen

After several of video teaser, leaked and so on, HTC One (M8) finally goes official with improvement on hardware and even software. The smartphone sports a unibody made of 90% metal as opposed to 70% for its predecessor giving it an even sleeker look. The One (M8) screen has been bumped from a 4.7" unit to a 5", while retaining the 1080p resolution. Side bezels have been slimmed down and hardware keys have been replaced by on-screen ones so the difference in size compared to the original One is minimal.

HTC One (M8) Key Specification :

• 5.0 inches Super LCD 3 screen with 1080 x 1920 of resolution
• 2.5 GHz quad core Qualcomm MSM8974AB Snapdragon 801 processor with Krait 400
• Andreno 330 GPU
• 2GB RAM
• 16/32 GB internal memory with microSD slot
• Dual 4 MP Ultrapixel camera with dual-LED (dual tone) flash
• 5MP front facing camera
• 2600 mAh battery
• Android 4.4.2 Kit Kat with Sense 6
• 146.4 x 70.6 x 9.4 mm
• 160 g

The Android version is 4.4 KitKat with Sense 6 on top. One of the coolest new features brought by the updated package is Motion Launch, which lets you quickly open the camera or unlock the phone while the screen is off. Picking up the One (M8) in landscape mode and pressing the volume button will launch the camera. There's double tap or slide up from the bottom to wake the phone. While locked you can pick up the phone in portrait mode and swipe left on its screen to launch the widget panel or right for BlinkFeed.

A newly introduced extreme Power Saving Mode promises to give you up to 30 hours of running by using just 10% of the One (M8)'s 2,600 mAh battery. Zoe has also been updated and can take 20 full-res stills coupled with video in just three seconds.

The HTC One (M8) still features the same 4MP camera with 1/3" sensor, 2 micron-sized pixels and f/2.0 aperture plus a second camera located above it meant to gather depth information. HTC calls this Duo Camera. It mimics the stereoscopic abilities of the human eye - two independent lenses able to calculate the relative distance of the subjects in an image. HTC's dual camera setup enables cool effects such as selective focus (shallow depth of field) and post-shot refocusing. Unfortunately, the optical image stabilization of the original One is now gone, and the One (M8) will rely solely on digital stabilization. Similarly to Apple, HTC has improved the flash of the smartphone by using a two toned one - one cold and one warm LED, which can help the smartphone produce more accurate color tones in low-light conditions. HTC also claims the One (M8) can focus in just 0.3s.

The HTC One comes with a variety of accessories like the Flip Case, Double Dip case (each in three colors), Dot View case (showing you alarms, events, calls, battery, weather and more in a colorful dotted way) and more.

Coming in Gunmetal Gray, Glacial Silver and Amber Gold the HTC One (M8) will be available in select markets starting today. It will roll out across 230 carriers in Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, China, Africa and the Middle East.

[SOURCE]

Nikon announces flagship D4s professional DSLR

We knew this is coming since last year. Gentlemen, the Nikon D4s is ready! While not a major upgrade to the camera (hence the 's' in the name) from Nikon D4, the D4s packs more processing power, a refined autofocus system, faster continuous shooting, and more video features (including 1080/60p support). Two other items pros will appreciate are a 'small' Raw size and a noticeable improvement in battery life compared to the D4.

Nikon D4s Key Specification :

• 16 megapixels
• Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm) CMOS Sensor
• Expeed 4 Image Processing
• ISO 100 - 25600 (expands to 50-409600)
• 51 Number of focus points
• 3.2″ fixed LCD with 921,000 screen dots
• 11 fps Continuous drive
• 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps), 640 x 424 (30, 25 fps)
• Water and dust resistant
• Lithium-Ion EN-EL18a rechargeable battery
• 160 x 157 x 91 mm
• 1350 g

The camera will be available in early March for $6499.95 / £5,199.99.

[SOURCE]

HTC unleashes Desire 816 and Desire 610 in the mid-range

Though HTC are saving their flagship phone announcement next month, the company does pulled the curtain on two new midrange smartphones named Desire 816 and Desire 610. Both phone look identical and the Desire 816 will be taking charge of the company’s updated midrange lineup, with the latter serving as the more compact alternative.

HTC Desire 816 Key Specification :

• 5.5 inch with 720 x 1280 resolution
• 1.6GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor
• Adreno 305
• 1.5GB RAM
• 8GB internal memory with microSD slot
• 13MP back facing camera
• 5MP front facing camera
• 2,600mAh
• 156.6 x 78.7 x 7.99 mm
• 165g
• Color : black, white, orange, mild green, dark blue, grey

HTC Desire 610 Key Specification :

• 4.7 inch with 540 x 960 resolution
• 1.2GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor
• Adreno 305
• 1GB RAM
• 8GB internal memory with microSD slot
• 8MP back facing camera
• 1.3MP front facing camera
• 2040mAh
• 143.1 x 70.5 x 9.6 mm
• 143.5g
• Color : black, white, orange, mild green, dark blue, grey

Both phone come with LTE support and the Desire 816 will be available by April while Desire 610 by May across Europe. Pricing still unknown.

[SOURCE]