| Unlocked Sony Xperia Z1 and Z Ultra now available in the US, SmartWatch 2 coming soon Oct 15th 2013, 21:17, by Dima Aryeh We don’t get many Sony smartphones here in the US, and when we do, they’re late to the market. Part of this can be attributed to weak demand, part of it to carriers, and part of it to Sony’s poor global strategy. However, it looks like Sony decided to take things into their own hands this time around and release their newest line of devices without a carrier’s help. The Sony Xperia Z1 has a 5-inch full HD display, a Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage with a microSD slot, a 20.7MP camera capable of HDR video, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and a 3,000 mAh battery. All this is in a IP55/IP58 waterproof and dust resistant body. It retails for $669.99 for the HSPA+ model in black, white, or purple and is available now at Sony’s online store. The Xperia Z Ultra has a massive 6.4-inch full HD display, a Snapdragon 800, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage with a microSD slot, an 8MP camera, 4.2 Jelly Bean, and a 3,050 mAh battery. Likewise, the Z Ultra is also IP55/IP58 waterproof and dust resistant. The HSPA+ model retails for $649.99 and the LTE model retails for $679.99. Both are now available in black, white, or purple at Sony’s online store. The Sony SmartWatch 2 is an intriguing product. It has a 1.6-inch 220×176 pixel transflective display, 3-4 day battery life, NFC, and a metal, water resistant body. It sounds comparable to the Galaxy Gear, but it has a few perks. It has over 80 apps optimized for it, with over two hundred more compatible from older SmartWatches, full compatibility with any smartphone running Android 4.0 or later, and costs a third less than the Galaxy Gear at $199.95. It isn’t out in the US yet, but it will be available on the Sony online store sometime soon. If you’re interested in buying full price GSM phones for yourself, the Xperia Z1 and Z Ultra are good options, though very pricey ones. Not many people buy phones outright in the US, so it’s hard to see how they’ll be successful. But the SmartWatch 2 genuinely sounds like a great device, and it undercuts the Galaxy Gear in price significantly. Would you get a Sony SmartWatch 2?  |  | HTC rumored to build three Amazon phones in 2014 Oct 15th 2013, 20:08, by Nick Gray Amazon phone rumors have been floating around for quite some time, but today is the first time that a rumor has suggested that HTC will be building the devices for Amazon. According to the Financial Times, one phone is already in an “advanced stage of development,” with a total of three devices scheduled for launch in 2014. No information has been released regarding hardware specifications, but previous Amazon phone rumors suggest that one of the phones may be equipped with a holographic display. While Amazon has succeeded in carving out a good chunk of the Android tablet market by selling its Kindle Fire devices at or near cost, it’s unclear if the strategy can be replicated in the smartphone space since most consumers in the Unites States purchase subsidized smartphone through service providers. Do you think an Amazon phone made by HTC will have an impact on the global smartphone market?  | | HTC One max fingerprint scanner data stored locally, HTC has no access Oct 15th 2013, 19:59, by Dima Aryeh With the huge concerns over the lack of privacy these days, we try to relish every bit of privacy we can hold on it. Being spied on is absolutely no fun, so our gadgets should be made more and more secure, even from the prying eye of our own government. When the iPhone 5S was announced, people were worried about the Touch ID fingerprint scanner sharing your fingerprint data with Apple, and in extension, the government. Now, I don’t quite see the worry in this because the government probably has your fingerprint already, but it’s still not a good thing for companies to share that information. Luckily, Apple confirmed that the data is local and it cannot be used/sold by Apple. But what about the HTC One max and its new fingerprint scanner? HTC had a very similar thing to say, that the fingerprint data is stored in the system partition and encrypted, cutting off access to HTC or any other third parties. Also, the fingerprint scanner does not store a direct image of your fingerprint, but “fingerprint characteristics that have been identified by a proprietary algorithm.” There you have it. Your precious fingerprint is safe with your device, as long as it isn’t stolen. Use that fingerprint scanner without fear, if it’s even useful at all. Everything else, however, is not safe on the internet.  | |
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