Author: chris eilers

In Febuary 2014, Sony made a decision to leave the PC business and want to  “concentrate mobile business on smartphones and tablets”.  Then, the first Vaio brand smartphone was announced by VAIO – Japan Communications (JCI).

This frist midrange device called Vaio Phone (VA 10), comes with Android 5.0 Lollipop pre-installed . It sports 5-inch HD display with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. The handset is powered by  1.2GHz quad-core processor.

The very first VAIO Smartphone

It has 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, 13 mega-pixel main camera, along with 5 mega-pixel front-facing camera.

The Vaio smartphone is said to be single-SIM and equiped with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity options.The attractive glass covers the back of the phone is the reminiscence of Nexus 4.

According to Blog of Mobile, this handset is almost have the same specs and resemble to ULUGA U2, another midrange smartphone produced by Quanta Computer and launched in Taiwan

It will cost $US420 without a contract. It’s unlikely for the products to be sold in Western markers. For retail, Vaio reported to sell those handset through Japan Communication’s sales channels.

With the effort to keep the smartphone business success, we hope that Sony will create a positive result on its decision.

It has been more than one year since OnePlus released OnePlus One in 2014. Though they just produced and promoted only one product, they did receive a lot of success due to their high-end flagship but with a mid-range price. So, because OnePlus One was so famous, phone consumers are really looking forward to the next generation: OnePlus Two.

Announcing that OnePlus Two launch date is going to be July 27, 2015, OnePlus team has also kept fans and people engaged by releasing some promo programs such as “Photo Mania” and “Your OnePlus Story” and updating OnePlus 2’s details. Some of them make us feel excited; some make us worried.

Anyhow, since we have already received a lot of info about this upcoming smartphone, we would like to make a summary of essential things you need to know about OnePlus Two.

ONEPLUS TWO ROUND-UP:

12. Dual SIM support:

Another teaser shows two SIM cards with a WIFI logo between them, and this informs us that the Two will support dual SIM. With the space for dual SIM, we guess that there could also be space for an SD card, too.

11. 13MP laser-focus enabled camera:

Marques Brownlee, the man behind the MKBHD YouTube channel, posted a camera review, yet the special thing is that the main character was a OnePlus Two. As we mentioned, OP 2 will boast a 13MP laser-focus enabled camera with fast focus speed. Besides, the video shows that the camera has an aperture of f/2.0, a bit disappointing according to some people, for many phones on the shelves are now shipped with larger aperture lenses such as f/1.8. Do you think that OnePlus Two shooter will be convincing enough?

10. Metal body:

Recently, OnePlus’s CEO, Pete Lau, has posted a short comment on Weibo asking people how to define “full metal”. This is considered as a teaser that the OnePlus 2 will have a metal build instead of the Sandstone Black and Silk White StyleSwap covers of OPO (OnePlus One). This can be a remarkable change but also kind of risky since there may be a great number of people who still love the One’s “swappable” back cover.

9. OnePlus Two Price:

OnePlus CEO mentioned that the OnePlus Two price will be set under $450 (about RM1,714), obviously higher than its predecessor OnePlus One. Some may think that is reasonable, for it contains many upgraded specs while others see that it is not an affordable price tag. We predict that the price will range from $400 to $449.

8. “Swappable” rear covers:

It means that OnePlus Two will come with five or more different “swappable” covers at launch, perhaps including the popular Bamboo and Wooden.

7. THREE Different Versions depending on regions:

Despite being a Chinese product, OP 2 will be available in many international markets as the company id developing more and more. They confirmed that there would be 3 different versions aiming at specific regions: China, North America and Europe/Asia. Besides, information about the supported bands has been also announced:

US:

GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900MHz

WCDMA: Bands: 1/2/4/5/8

FDD-LTE: Bands: 1/2/4/5/7/8/12/17

Europe:

GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900MHz

WCDMA: Bands: 1/2/5/8

FDD-LTE: Bands: 1/3/5/7/8/20

6. USB Type-C Port:

In addition, another new feature is USB Type-C port, which has gained good comments for being reversible and more powerful. However, we don’t know exactly if it will be the USB 2.0, 3.0 or the 3.1 like ZUK Z1.

5. Fingerprint Sensor:

Physical Fingerprint Sensor is considered as a new feature on the Two, but in general, it is not surprising. All the major flagships now have come with fingerprint scanners. By claiming that the Two’s fingerprint sensor will be one of the fastest one on a smartphone, OnePlus makes us curious. It could be a new tech or an upgrade one.

4. Battery:

Reportedly, OP 2 will be powered by a 3,300mAh, a bit larger than the 3,100mAh cell of the One. That is not really a huge batt when there are a lot of phones capable of up to 6,000mAh and even above on the market nowadays. Nonetheless, if it can work well with the whole handset, it is not going to be a big issue.

3. Size:

This is not officially claimed by the manufacturer but the overall size of the machine seems smaller than the OnePlus One. It is based on what OnePlus said when they started an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit for those who had questions about the upcoming OnePlus 2. There was one picture with the saying “I can only tell you that under this OnePlus One there is a OnePlus Two.”

We think that maybe OnePlus is trying to create a device that can fit comfortably in people’s hands. So, let’s wait to see if we will still see the 5.5″ or smaller screen in OP Two.

2. RAM:

OnePLus One has 3GB RAM, so the Two is expected to sport the powerful 4GB RAM. And finally, OnePlus has made it come true. OnePlus 2 will come with 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM. It would be one of the key selling points for this device.

1. Processor:

The new OnePlus flagship will come with Snapdragon 810 v2.1 (third generation) chip. Once the info was spread, many people seemed kind of  disappointed because SN810 has been known for causing overheating problem. Though, the company promised that the third version of SN810 will not be hot any more, yet we still need to see it to believe it.

There are still a lot of things like storage, microSD card slot, camera, screen size and resolution, cover’s material, etc. pending further clarification.

Ten more days to complete the picture of OnePlus Two, so stay tuned!

Months ago, it was announced that Lenovo would introduce to market the new brand smartphone Lenovo Vibe P1, Vibe S1, Vibe P1 Pro, and also Vibe X3. Recently, latest report told that Lenovo Vibe P1 has been spotted by TENNA, which means it will soon officially launch in public.

The latest Lenovo smartphones in the mid-range category achieve the a good sell. So it can be predicted that Vibe P1 will be well sold in India, China, and some countries that Lenovo plans to launche the handset.

Lenovo Vibe P1 certified by TENAA, 4,000 mAh Battery, Quad-Core CPU

Some phone specs will express the details of this coming phone. Lenovo Vibe P1 will come with 5-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports HD (720p) resolution. It is equipped with 64-bit 1.3GHz  quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor, an Adreno 306 graphics processing unit.

It is powered by Android 5.1 Lollipop, and supported LTE band, 2GB of RAM, 16GB internal storage that can be expanded via microSD card slot up to 64GB. The handset has 8MP main camera with LED flash and full HD (1080p) video recording, along with 5MP with the front – facing camera.

Especially, the special main feature of Lenovo Vibe P1 is massive battery capacity. It is up to 4,000mAh cell inside, complete with fast charging capability. Then, the smartphone physical measures 143 x 72 x 9.35mm with the weight of 148g.

Even though we haven’t know the exact date when Lenovo Vibe P1 will be made official, it has already received TENAA certification means it will be present in the near future.

The LG G Pro series is going to welcome the new member called LG G Pro 3. Some latest leaks have mentioned LG G Pro 3 will sport top specs that we have known so far, which will probably make LG G Pro 3 a strong competitor in the phablet battle.

Will LG G Pro 3 look like LG G Pro 2???

The high-end new phablet from LG will own a 6-inch 2K display, powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chip paired with 4GB RAM. It is also said to feature multi-window multitasking. Other LG G Pro 3 specs include 32GB of expandable storage, a 20.7MP main camera which is rumored to get a bit of a Sony vibe or the 10:7 Toshiba sensor, and an 8MP secondary shooter that will satisfy most selfie takers. Besides, some say that the machine will boast a fingerprint sensor while some others believe that LG G Pro 3 will just jump to straight to iris recognition to make the phone really outstanding.

About the LG G Pro 3 launch date, it is expected to happen at the end of the year, a perfect period of time when consumers are buying and purchasing more. However, the LG G Pro 3 price can make it hard to attract people. It is rumored to be priced at $790 (around RM3,000). Though G Pro 3 specs are really great, but with such a hefty price, whether LG G Pro 3 can beat other affordable 6-inch phablets when going on sale in Malaysia?

Stay tuned! We will update you more on the G Pro 3 details of its features and price!

A new mid-range device from Xolo has been seen recently through some pictures and a funny clip. It seems glossy and premium in a black chassis.

https://youtu.be/vExBbLQEF6w

Specifically, the Xolo Black will be equipped with a Snapdragon 615 SoC octa-core processor, 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage. One of the key features as well as the selling points is its dual camera on the back, including a 13MP and a 2MP sensor. Besides, Xolo Black is also said to be the only phone in its range to offer such a special feature. Furthermore, Xolo Black’s dual-rear shooter can focus in just 0.15 second and the front snapper is capable of 5MP, still good for your selfies!

Other Xolo Black specs are a 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080p display, 4G LTE support and a 3,200mAh battery. If you want a more general information about the phablet Xolo Black, let’s take a look at the following table:

Xolo Black Specs:

Xolo Black Price: $205 (around RM780)

According to our news sources, the affordable Xolo Black with dual rear cam will go on sale in India on 13 July. Hopefully it will come to Malaysia for under RM750. What do you think about that case?

An unannounced HTC D728w mid-ranger visits  TENAA China. The smartphone likely to be known as HTC Desire 728. It is expected that the handset is yet to come.

As the leaked information, HTC D728 display will be 5.5 – inch IPS with 1280 x 720 pixels resolution. It is powered by a 1.3 GHz 64-bit MediaTek octa-core processor. The handset supports 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage ROM and expandable with MicroSD Card Slot  up to 128GB.

The phone specs is rumored its dimensions of 157 x 77.8 x 7.87 mm and weighs 149.62 Grams. It will supports GSM, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, LTE, TD-LTE bands.
HTC D728w has 13 mega-pixel main camera, along with 5 mega-pixel front – facing camera. The phone will run on Android 5.1 Lollipop OS out of the box with HTC Sense UI.
As usual, connectivity options like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, MicroUSB, 3.5mm Audio Jack will be available.

In term of battery, there is no exact info about it yet. However, some rumors said it can be 2800 mAh. For variety choices, HTC D728w will appear in multiple color of Black, White, Red, Grey, Gold, and Orange.

In the year 2013, when Microsoft acquired Nokia, it let 18,000 employees quit their jobs. Recently, a bad news was announced by Satya Nadella – Microsoft‘s CEO. Microsoft lays off 7,800 jobs, especially in term of the company’s phone business. The job cuts amount is more than 6% of this company work force.

Some 2,300 of the 7,800 Microsoft lay offs announced in the memo will be in Finland, where Nokia is based.

“The loss of so many jobs is very sad for the whole society and for the individuals affected,” the government in Helsinki said, according to the BBC.

Besides, it writes off nearly all of the value of Nokia acquisition.  Microsoft would take approximately $7.6 billion accounting charge associated to the acquisition of Nokia Devices and Services. The company said it would also take a cash restructuring charge of $750 million to $850 million related to the layoffs.

Mr. Nadella said that there will be a move “from a strategy to grow a standalone phone business to a strategy to grow and create a vibrant Windows ecosystem that includes our first-party device family”. In the coming stage, Microsoft Windows and Devices will mostly focus on three customer segments :  businesses, value phone buyers, and Windows fans.

Hope that after releasing Windows 10, Microsoft can make the income value of Lumia smartphone running Windows Phone be more positive.

While cutting the losses regarded of Nokia, Mr.Nadella has expanded its Office applications for Android and iOS. Those have made a spotlight for its broader mobile busniess and created a hit with reviewers and users.

Recently, we have been informed of the Kirin 950 2.4GHz processor launch date to be in November, 2015, and then we received another news saying that Huawei Mate 8 would be the first device to be equipped with this very new chip. According to many people, Kirin 950 performance and heating are better than the upcoming Snapdragon generation processor – Snapdragon 820. That even makes Huawei Mate 8 more appealing!

Huawei Mate 8 is coming with Kirin 950???

Lately, there has been a leaked picture which is considered as Huawei Mate 8 render. Looking at the pic, the machine seems quite simple and similar to Huawei Mate 7. The Huawei logo on the front surface disappears and while the fingerprint scanner is still placed on the back. The whole handset appears to be made of metal material which gives it a premium look.

The leak also mentioned that Huawei Mate 8 would be equipped with 6.0-inch 2K display, dual SIM and a combo of 8.0MP front and 20.7MP rear camera. There would be 2 versions to be on sale: 3GB RAM plus 32GB ROM and 4GB RAM plus 64GB ROM. Besides, the LTE band is said to be upgraded to Cat 10 level, bringing up to 450Mbps network downloading speed.

However, the leak has been not confirmed yet though some insider revealed that Huawei manufacturer is having some plan for a new Mate device which is claimed to be very stunning with top technology. It could be Huawei Mate 7 Plus, Mate 7S or the rumored Huawei Mate 8. Let’s wait and see!

Well, if Huawei Mate 8 Malaysia will be going on sale, what would you say for the Mate 8 price in Malaysia?

Since ASUS Zenfone Selfie 2015 was introduced in Taiwan months ago, there still has been no confirmation of its price as well as international launch date. That is really a special smartphone from ASUS for phone consumers in general and those who love taking selfies in particular due to its super cool front-facing camera, 13MP camera with dual LED flash to be specific.

Some other ASUS ZenFone Selfie Specs that can be named are the Snapdragon 615 processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB of storage, and 3,000mAh battery. In terms of design, ASUS ZenFone Selfie dresses pastel color rear cover such as Pure White, Aqua Blue and Chic Pink, which makes it look really sweet. And the most essential selling point for this new ASUS phone is its camera combo, especially the selfie shooter. Both cams are coming with 13MP and dual LED flash.

If you are waiting for this device, you may feel happy when knowing that ZenFone Selfie has appeared on the TENAA website lately. However, there are some small differences between the spotted version with the one revealed at the event in Taiwan. Specifically, there are less RAM and ROM capacity than the original, and no fun pastel colors, which helps make ASUS ZenFone Selfie outstanding.

ASUS ZenFone Selfie 2015 spotted on TENAA

Some people assume that that could be a Chinese exclusive version and hope that the original ASUS ZenFone Selfie 2015 would be coming soon. How about you? Which one do you prefer? The one that got spotted on TENAA also with 13MP selfie snapper or the one that was announced in June in Taiwan?

ASUS ZenFone Selfie Price: To be confirmed

ASUS ZenFone Selfie Specs (original ver):

Xiaomi’s upcoming the Redmi Note 2 recently received certification from China’s TENAA. Some pictures of the phablet were revealed, it looks like the predecessor. The front side is the same, but it has thinner and less battery capacity than the predecessor.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 Specs

The device measures 152.05 x 76.2 x 8.05mm, compare to the Redmi Note 154 x 78.7 x 9.45mm. It is slightly smaller than the previous generation.

The display will be the same 5.5-nches (1920×1080 pixels) as the Redmi Note. However, according to the the rumored information, the phone will more likely sport Snapdragon 615 SoC or 64-bit MediaTek MTK6795 chipset, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory expandable via SD card. All will be contained in mental case.

The device may run Android Lollipop based MIUI 6, has 13-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It can be appeared in different colors (red, yellow, green, etc.)

The TENAA certification reveals that the battery capacity of this phablet is a 3020mAh, surprisingly less than the first – gen version 3100 mAh. Moreover, the machine is reported for the fast charging.

In addition, Redmi Note 2 could appear with 4G by default across all models — not having LTE support. Maybe there will come out two versions for Chinese market. The first should probably represent the version China Unicom, the second that China Mobile.

Mstar is planning for a debut of their new flagship, Mstar S700 Pro, in October this year. Its chassis will be made of  CNC zinc alloy, which is said to be inspired by OPPO R7.

Besides, Mstar S700 Pro specs will include the upcoming Snapdragon 820 64-bit quad-core 3.0GHz processor. This will probably make it one of the first smartphones to carry that totally new Qualcomm’s chip in the H2 of 2015. Moreover, coming along with SN820, the new Ultrasonic Sense fingerprint sensor will also be built in the handset.

Other Mstar S700 Pro specs are the powerful 4GB RAM, 32GB ROM (expandable up to 128GB), 5.5-inch 2K screen protected by 2.5D Gorilla Glass 3, Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, USB-C port and 3,500mAh battery. As for the camera combo, there will be a 21MP rear and an up to 11MP front-facing camera, which would make selfie lovers unable to ignore this beast.

So, the last thing but also the most important one to add in the selling points of the Mstar S700 Pro is its price. Maybe the company has been known for producing cheap devices, but with such top specs of their coming flagship, they have to make Mstar S700 Pro Price higher at $479.99 (about RM1,822 for Mstar S700 Pro Price in Malaysia).

In general, this could be a competitive price when Mstar Pro is on sale, competing with other flagships from famous brands. Nonetheless, the fact that people do not know much about the Mstar manufacturer as well as its product’ quality could be an obstacle for Mstar in the flagship race.

Well, if Mstar S700 Pro comes to Malaysia, would you be willing to pay around RM1,822 for a phone boasting 2K display, 4GB RAM, SN820, 21MP main and 11MP selfie snapper? Share with us your opinion!

LG Electronics (LG) officially unveiled the latest handset, which is considered as its flagship. The LG G4 Beat has many best specs with high functions of the LG G4.

It supports a 5.2-inch Full HD IPS Display (1920 × 1080 pixels), which is clearer, sharper and more responsive , 1.5GB of RAM, 8GB of expandable storage. The handset boots Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with LG UX 4.0.
It comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor running eight cores at 1.5GHz, 4G LTE support along with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, and GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS, 2,3000mAh removable battery.

For the photograph, it has an 8 megapixel camera on the back, supported by LG’s exclusive Color Spectrum Sensor and Laser Auto Focus. Manual Mode, special features of the LG G4, allows full creative control over every detail in each capture. Then, a 5-Megapixel front-facing shooter with Gesture Interval Shot.
It measures 142.7 x 72.6 x 9.85 mm and 139 grams in weight. The handset available in Metallic Silver, Ceramic White and Shiny Gold colors.
LG G4 Beat will be sold first in Europe, Latin America. Afterwards, the smartphone will come to Canada, India, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey and other markets.
For the LG G4 Beat price, LG company said that it will be announced at the launch time.