If there is a screen-size arms race going on, then Samsung dropped the equivalent of a hydrogen bomb at CES when it announced a 12-inch tablet. We recently got a chance to go hands-on with this imposing piece of Android hardware.At this year’s CES, Samsung surprised everyone with the announcement of its new Galaxy Pro series of tablets, with the Galaxy NotePro 12.2 being the star of the show. This 12-inch slateis one of the biggest Android tablets currently available - only Toshiba’s older Excite 13 is bigger. With the addition of the Pro series tablets (which also come in 8.4- and 10.1-inches), Samsung now has a total of eleven tablets in its current line-up, which if you ask us is a little insane. However, when we met with Samsung last week, one of its executives said that he believes in the idea of ‘Device Democracy’ - he wants customers to have the freedom to be able to buy a device in any size they want. Of course, not everyone knows what size they need, so we do think that perhaps Samsung’s tablet selection is a little overwhelming for the average user.
Showing posts with label phone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label phone. Show all posts
Friday, February 21, 2014
Just in time for Mobile World Congress, budget phone and tablet maker Archos has a collection of new 4G/3G devices for those looking for something a bit more affordable.The new line of devices include three budget smartphones, and one budget tablet that is the least expensive in its category. All four of the devices will be shown at Mobile World Congress, but Archos is announcing them now, presumably so they don’t get lost in the wake of the Samsung Galaxy S5next week.To start with the unique device in the lineup, the Archos 80 Helium 4G is, Archos claims, the first 8-inch tablet with 4G connectivity to cost less than $250 (it actually costs $249). That’s less than $250 before any subsidies which is ridiculously low, though not unexpected from Archos. The Helium 4G uses a quad-core processor, has a 1024×768 resolution, and runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.
Next up is the most interesting smartphone oft he lineup: the Archos 50c Oxygen, which will cost $199. The 50c Oxygen is notable because it sports a 5-inch 720p IPS display, and a 1.7GHz octa-core MediaTek processor. It’s a flagship phone for Archos, which shows just how low-end the rest of the line is. The phone runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and comes with just 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. It does have a two SIM card slots, though, which is a nice feature for some users.
Next up is the 6.4-inch Archos 64 Xenon, because every lineup has to include a phablet of some sort. The 64 Xenon will also cost $199, and also has a 720p resolution display. Unlike the 50c Oxygen, though, the 64 Xenon has a quad-core processor. The giant phone has 1GB of RAM, 4GB of storage, an 8MP rear-facing camera, and a 2MP front-facing camera.
Finally, there’s the $199 Archos 40b Titanium. The 40b Titanium has a 4-inch, 800×480 display, and has a platy 512MB of RAM with 4GB of storage. There s no doubt that this is a low-end samrtphone.The new lineup of Archos devices will likely be exciting to fans of the company, but to use they seem a bit wanting on paper. In a post-Moto G market with phones like Asus’ Zenfone line and the newAcer Liquid E3, these low-end phones just aren’t as appealing.For less than the price of the Archos 50c Oxygen you can get a Moto G, the younger sibling of one of the best Android phones on the market. That’s impossible to ignore, and Archos might have to step up its game if this trend of worthwhile low-price smartphones persists. Can you find any reason to buy any of these new Archos devices over the Moto G or a Zenfone?
Russian internet search engine Yandex has developed firmware for Android devices launching in Russia. The Yandex.Kit software can be installed on smartphones by manufacturers in order to offer a range of local services. This includes Yandex Search, Yandex.Mail, Yandex.Maps, a 3D launcher based on Yandex.Shell, as well as a mobile browser and the Yandex.Store app store with 100,000 apps. Yandex is also integrated into some of the phone's functions, such as the dialer's use of the Yandex Business Directory to identify unknown callers.
The first smartphones with Yandex.Kit pre-installed are from Huawei and Explay and will go on sale in March. Yandex.Kit is offered free, and the company said the software is optimised to run on the "not-so-powerful devices popular in Russia and the CIS". It can also provide further customisation of the software for manufacturers and operators. Yandex.Kit will be on display at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on the Huawei Honor 3 Yandex and Explay Flame phones.
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