Sony Xperia ZR, Waterproof IP58 Android Smartphone with 4.6" 720p Display

Sony has announced the younger sibling to the Xperia Z: the Xperia ZR. The Xperia ZR includes many of the Z's features in a smaller, more compact design.

Just like the Xperia Z, the Xperia ZR is waterproof and dust-resistant. This time, Sony is not just advertising the fact that the Xperia ZR can survive underwater but that you can actually use it there, particularly for taking 13 megapixel pictures and full HD videos with the camera and dedicated shutter button.

The Xperia ZR has a 4.55-inch, 1280 x 720 resolution LCD. Sony is using its BRAVIA Engine 2, along with something called OptiContrast panel. This basically gets rid of the extra touchscreen layer by integrating the touch sensor on the panel itself, which improves image quality and makes the display assembly thinner.
Other features include a 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8064, 2GB RAM, 8GB internal memory with microSD card slot and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

The Sony Xperia ZR is expected to go on sale around the world in Q2, 2013.

via GSMArena.com

Panasonic Eluga P Specs Revealed, IP57-certified with 4.7" 1080p Display

Panasonic unveiled an HTC One competitor in Japan – it's called Eluga P P-03E and it's for DoCoMo. The Panasonic Eluga P is an Android 4.2 phone with a 4.7" 1080p screen, which is optimized for one-handed operation.

The screen can detect a hovering finger for a feature called Touch assist that is very similar to Samsung's Air Gestures. The phone also features gestures to improve usability with one hand (a zoom slider in the browser, an upward swipe to bring content from the top of the screen into reach, etc.).

The Panasonic Eluga P P-03E is powered by a Snapdragon 600 chipset with a quad-core Krait 300 CPU at 1.7GHz. It also packs a 13.4MP camera and a 2,600mAh battery.

The Eluga P a bit thicker than the HTC One – it measures 132 x 65 x 10.9 – but weighs about the same, 146g. Better still, it has an IP57 certification making it water resistant (up to 1m for 30 minute).
The Eluga P supports NFC, Miracast, MHL, it has a barometer and an IR blaster, plus Japan-specific features like FeliCa and Seg.

The Panasonic Eluga P P-03E will launch on NTT DoCoMo in late June. It's not clear if this phone will have an international version.

via GSMArena

Here's the Cheapest BlackBerry 10, Q5

The start of the BlackBerry Live 2013 annual conference today in Orlando, USA, saw the announcement of the BlackBerry Q5 - a QWERTY device for emerging markets.

The Blackberry Q5 revolves around a 3.1-inch touchscreen and one of BlackBerry's classic physical QWERTY keyboards, which they are so proud of. The screen has an unusual resolution of 720 x 720px - the same as on the Q10, but this time it's an LCD unit. Inside the BlackBerry Q5 there's a dual-core 1.2Ghz CPU and 8 gigs worth of storage. There's a microSD slot to expand that, but the battery is not removable.

The new BlackBerry Q5 will be available in selected markets in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia (including the Asia Pacific region), and Latin America, with availability beginning in July. The smartphone will be offered in black, white, red and pink.

Another announcement that came from the today's keynote is that the BlackBerry 10.1 update is now ready to seed to the BlackBerry Z10 (later this month in the US). Not only that, but starting today, Skype will be available to all users who update their Z10s to v10.1.

BlackBerry Q5 Specs:

• GENERAL 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
• 3G Network HSDPA
• SIM Yes
• Announced 2013, May
• Status Coming soon. Exp. release 2013, July
• BODY Dimensions -
• Weight -
• Keyboard QWERTY
• DISPLAY Type TFT capacitive touchscreen
• Size 720 x 720 pixels, 3.1 inches (~328 ppi pixel density)
• Multitouch Yes
• SOUND Alert types Vibration, MP3 ringtones
• Loudspeaker Yes
• 3.5mm jack Yes
• MEMORY Card slot microSD
• Internal 8 GB
• DATA GPRS Yes
• EDGE Yes
• Speed HSDPA, HSUPA
• WLAN Yes
• Bluetooth Yes
• NFC Yes
• USB Yes, microUSB v2.0
• CAMERA Primary 5 MP, 2592х1944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
• Features Yes
• Video Yes
• Secondary Yes, 2 MP
• FEATURES OS BlackBerry 10 OS
• Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon
• CPU Dual-core 1.2 GHz
• Sensors Accelerometer, proximity
• Messaging SMS, MMS, Email, Push Email, IM, BBM 6
• Browser HTML5
• Radio TBD
• GPS TBD
• Java Yes, MIDP 2.1
• Colors Black, White, Red
• - SNS integration
• - BlackBerry maps
• - Organizer
• - Document viewer
• - Photo viewer
• - MP3/WMA/WAV/eAAC+ player
• - MP4/WMV/H.263/H.264 player
• - Voice memo/dial
• - Predictive text input
• BATTERY Non-removable Li-Ion 2100 mAh battery

via GSMArena 

HTC allegedly working on R7 and R12 Windows RT Blue tablets

HTC is allegedly working on a couple Windows RT Blue powered tablets, which are codenamed R7 and R12. The “R” in the title indicates that the slates will be running on the latest Windows RT Blue edition.

The HTC R7 is rumored to sport a 7″ full HD display and a 2.3 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor along with 2GB of RAM. The slate will also feature a 13 megapixel auto focus rear camera and will come out with a 16 GB of internal memory and supports expansion up to 32 GB via microSD card.

The 7-inch tablet is said to feature an LTE radio and a range of connectivity options, which include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0.

On the other hand, the HTC R12 will debut with a 12-inch 2048 x 1536 pixel screen. The larger tablet is said to have the same chipset as the R7, but even better connectivity.

Unfortunately, there is no word on the pricing and availability details of the tablets, but the new slates are rumored to be launched on October 13.

via GSMArena 

Acer Iconia A1 is Affordable Price Tag with Interesting Specs

Acer took the wraps off the Iconia A1 Android Jelly Bean slate. The 7.9″ tablet sports a quad-core CPU and a starting price tag of $169.99 which is bound to stir things up in the market for entry-level tablets.

The Acer Iconia A1 is powered by a quad-core CPU whose type is yet to be known. The display is a 7.9″ LED IPS unit with an iPad Mini like resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels and a 4:3 aspect ratio. There is a 5MP camera on the back of the device, capable of recording 1080p videos, as well as a front-facing unit for video calls.

The Iconia A1 features a rich connectivity suite which includes microHDMI port and 3G connectivity on top of the usual fare. Two versions with 8 or 16GB of memory will be available, which can be further expanded via microSD card slot. The slate is 0.44″ thick and weighs a tad below one pound.

Software-wise, the A1 boots Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. Acer have added a couple of clever, gesture-based tricks as well.

The Acer Iconia A1 will hit the shelves in June. It will be priced at $169.99 for the 8GB version, and $199.99 for the 16GB one.

via  GSMArena 

Nokia Lumia 928 hands-on video : Shows is Interesting Camera Features

The Nokia Lumia 928 just went official and the Finns wasted no time releasing its official hands-on video.

Ifi Majid of Nokia is handling the latest Verizon-exclusive WP8 smartphone and uses the video to highlight some of the phone’s main features. Naturally, one of them is the 8.7MP PureView camera, a first for the platform.

Majid also shares that the Finnish company has put a lot of attention not only to the camera, which packs a Xenon flash, but also to the sound recording capabilities of the phone. As a result, the Lumia 928 packs 3 wide dynamic range microphones to record really great audio.

Check out the video below.

via GSMArena