Sharp Aquos Crystal smartphones, premium portable players, a Chinese smartphone that lasts a week on a single charge, unusual camera phones Lenovo and Oppo, Google self-driving cars and much more
As a child, my friends and I were madly enchanted by the kaleidoscope. It looked like this:
If suddenly someone does not know, a kaleidoscope is such a child's toy in the form of a tube. Inside it is divided into several sectors with mirrored walls, between which colored glass is scattered. Thanks to the many reflections, the image always looks like a beautiful symmetrical pattern that gradually changes as the toy rotates.
They say that cheap kaleidoscopes were completely sealed, but we were more fortunate – the cap at the end of the tube could be unscrewed, adding new glass and changing the pattern to your taste. The most interesting thing is that even one single tiny glass radically changed the whole picture, literally making it shine with new colors.
Well, the time has come to honestly admit that since then my tastes have not changed too much, mirror reflections and bright, dissimilar paintings from a scattering of colored fragments still fascinate me. Only the dimensions of the kaleidoscope have changed. And I no longer need a special mirror tube with fragments of colored glass for this. Indeed, in fact, just such a giant kaleidoscope is the world of mobile technology, where bright ideas are reflected in many mirrors, creating a unique and unlike anything else picture. Add literally one new idea, and its many reflections will immediately change the whole familiar picture. And before the tube of the kaleidoscope has time to complete even half a turn, how to understand where the old pattern ends and the new one begins, and what part of the pattern came from will be impossible.
The most curious thing is that it is almost impossible to predict how this or that idea will affect the overall picture. Even the most experienced analysts sometimes get into a mess, not paying attention to a mere trifle, which will then be reflected a hundredfold in the mirrored walls of the kaleidoscope, eclipsing the usual pattern with its radiance. Or, on the contrary, they attach too much importance to the general color scheme of the current picture, not always having time to realize that all these are just reflections of one single tiny fragment, which will be lost forever at the next turn of the pipe.
Interesting news
One of the brightest ideas of recent times can be considered the frameless design of devices in the style of Sharp Aquos Crystal. The idea clearly appealed to both users and manufacturing companies, and gradually variations on the same theme began to appear on the market. So far, these are only the first sketches, by no means striking the imagination in themselves. But I am sure that all the fun is yet to come – you just need to give the manufacturers time to get used to the new idea.
As for Sharp itself, it is not going to stand still either. Recently, this manufacturer has presented several devices at once in its corporate design.
First of all, we are talking about the flagship device Aquos Xx. It should correct the main flaw of the original Aquos Crystal – the average specifications.
Aquos Xx specifications:
- S-Pure LCD 5.7-inch display, resolution – 1920×1080 (386ppi);
- Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor with 64-bit architecture;
- Graphics accelerator Adreno 430
- 3 GB of RAM;
- 32 GB of internal memory, microSD slot;
- Main camera 13 MP
- Front camera 2 MP;
- OS Android 5.0 Lollipop;
- Other: Supports LTE, dust and splash proof.
True, it can only claim silver in this category, because the flagship ZTE Nubia Z9 became the first frameless smartphone on Snapdragon 810.
As usual, the novelty will be sold exclusively in Japan, which is very sad.
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For those who do not pursue top-end characteristics, but pay attention primarily to design, Sharp has prepared a mid-range smartphone called Aquos Crystal 2. It differs from its sensational predecessor, first of all, by the body color and the presence of splash protection.
Specifications Aquos Crystal 2:
- S-Pure LCD 5.7-inch display, resolution – 1280×720;
- Snapdragon 400 processor;
- Graphics accelerator Adreno 306
- 2 GB of RAM;
- 16 GB of internal memory, microSD slot;
- Main camera 8 MP
- Front camera 2 MP;
- OS Android 5.0 Lollipop;
- Other: Supports LTE, dust and splash proof.
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Apart from the aforementioned smartphones, a tablet called Aquos Pad SH-0 5G was also introduced. Like Aquos Xx, it gets an honorable second place, becoming the world's second tablet on Snapdragon 810. True, its design is much less striking, because although the corporate identity is clearly traced here, the look of the tablet does not cause any 'wow'.
The device received a seven-inch display with Full HD resolution, a Snapdragon 810 processor, 2 GB of RAM and a 3,900 mAh battery.
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Don't assume that only Japanese companies can surprise you. Their Chinese competitors are also doing quite well, although they usually rely on other things.
For example, it is worth noting the announcement of the smartphone Bluboo X550. Although it is far from Sharp in terms of design, it also follows fashion and has rather thin bezels around the display.
But the main feature Bluboo of the X550 is a 5350 mAh battery, which will allow the smartphone to work up to 30 days in standby mode. In any case, the manufacturer is trying to convince us of this.
The price of the device is also important, which will be only $ 169.99. At the same time, the characteristics of the device are quite decent:
- 5.5-inch screen (resolution unknown, HD expected)
- Quad-core processor Mediatek MT6735 with 64-bit architecture;
- 2 GB of RAM;
- 16 GB of internal memory;
- OS Android 5.1.
For those who are not ready to pay for the long-lasting novelty of $ 169.99, its cheap variation costing only $ 99.99 will be presented soon. The screen of this smartphone will be reduced to 5 inches, and the processor will remain the same – Mediatek MT6735.
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A Chinese company Lenovo is also preparing to say its weighty word. Until now, few ordinary buyers outside of China know that this company ranks 3rd among all smartphone suppliers, behind only Apple and Samsung. Apparently, the Chinese are tired of this state of affairs and they are preparing several bright new products, after which everyone will start talking about Lenovo.
For example, there are rumors on the net about a smartphone called Coco-F, which will differ from all existing models with 'curved 3D glass'. What exactly this means is not yet clear, but it sounds intriguing. The main thing is that it does not become a copy of the Galaxy Edge – and this company loves and knows how to release clones.
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The second news concerns the smartphone Lenovo Vibe Shot, which was announced at MWC. Let me remind you that we are talking about a camera phone with a metal body and stylish design. The novelty went on sale at a very attractive price, which is about $ 290. True, it is sold only in China so far.
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MWC 2015. Lenovo Vibe Shot and other new items |
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Oppo, which officially announced the Oppo R7 and R7 Plus smartphones, is not lagging behind its colleagues in the workshop. The most interesting is the R7 Plus, which is a kind of compromise between Lenovo Vibe Shot and Sharp Aquos Crystal – here both the emphasis on the camera and the frameless six-inch screen. Judging by the renders, the smartphone looks very cool.
Oppo R7 will receive a 5-inch display and looks noticeably simpler. Although thanks to the special curved glass on the sides, it can turn out much more interesting in life than in photographs.
Both models are based on an eight-core 64-bit Qualcomm 615 processor and have 3 GB of RAM each. But their cameras differ – although both 13 MP modules with an aperture of f / 2.2 are used, the camera of the R7 smartphone has phase detection autofocus and an LED flash, and the R7 Plus has laser autofocus and a dual LED flash. The manufacturer specifically emphasizes that the RGBW sensor in the R7 Plus smartphone can reduce the noise level by 78% compared to the 'regular' models of competitors. Not bad in words, let's see how it will be in practice.
Other specifications OPPO R7:
- Support for communication standards: (depending on the operator and market) 4G TD / FDD LTE; 3G WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100 MHz, CDMA2000 800 MHz, TD-SCDMA 1900/2000 MHz; CDMA 800 MHz, GSM
- GPRS / EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz; two slots for SIM cards
- Dimensions: 143x71x6.3 mm
- Weight: 148g
- Processor: 1.7 GHz (MT6752) or 1.5 GHz (Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939), eight cores
- Platform: ColorOS 2.1 (Android 4.4)
- Display: 5-inch, AMOLED, resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels
- Camera: 13 MP with LED backlight
- Front camera: 8 MP
- Memory: 3 GB of RAM, 16 GB of built-in, support for microSD memory cards up to 128 GB (shared with the second SIM card slot)
- Communications: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, 3.5 mm audio jack
- Battery: 2320 mAh
- Other: Accelerometer, Proximity and lighting sensors, Electronic compass
OPPO R7 is priced at 2499 Chinese Yuan (~ $ 403).
Other specifications OPPO R7 Plus:
- Support for communication standards: (depending on the operator and market) 4G TD / FDD LTE; 3G WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100 MHz, CDMA2000 800 MHz, TD-SCDMA 1900/2000 MHz; CDMA 800 MHz, GSM GPRS / EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz; two slots for SIM cards
- Dimensions: 158×82.3×7.75 mm
- Weight: 195g
- Processor: 2 GHz (MT6795) or 1.5 GHz (Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939), eight-core
- Platform: ColorOS 2.1 (Android 5.0)
- Display: 6-inch, Super AMOLED, resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels
- Camera: 13 MP with LED backlight
- Front camera: 8 MP
- Memory: 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of built-in, support for microSD memory cards up to 128 GB (shared with the second SIM card slot)
- Communications: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, 3.5 mm audio jack
- Battery: 4100 mAh
- Other: Accelerometer, Proximity and lighting sensors, Electronic compass
OPPO R7 Plus is priced at 2999 Chinese Yuan (~ $ 484).
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Players
Players are not frequent guests of our news digest. Firstly, due to the widespread use of smartphones, these devices are now going through hard times. Secondly, the main thing in the player is the sound quality, and then writing something is useless – you need to listen. And it’s not for me to talk about such things with my ears that have suffered from the bear.
However, some devices are worth writing about. Например, плеер Astell&Kern AK380 нельзя обойти вниманием уже хотя бы из-за его дизайна.
The body of the device is made of aviation duralumin and has physical playback control keys. Among the supported formats, the manufacturer notes WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF and DSF, the amount of built-in memory is 256 GB. The player is working on a revised version Android.
I can't say anything about the sound, but they say that this is a dream of many music lovers … alas, a pipe dream – the device costs $ 4,700.
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Those who are not yet ready to buy a player at the price of a car should pay attention to the solution from the Korean company Cowon – a new portable Hi-Fi player PLENUE M, which is the 'younger brother' of the PLENUE 1 player.
The new product has excellent performance for listening to music in HD format, the manufacturer notes: the signal-to-noise ratio is 120 dB, total harmonic distortion + noise is 0.0007% and the output signal is 2 Vrms. These features, combined with the high-performance Burr-Brown PCM 1795 DAC and the dual-core ARM Cortex processor, enable the player to deliver clear and realistic sound. Cowon PLENUE M supports audio formats such as DXD and DSD, and also plays audio at 24-bit / 192kHz. The built-in 64GB memory allows you to store many high-definition songs, the memory can be expanded with a microSD card up to 128GB. The body of the player is made of high-quality aluminum and has been diamond-treated to obtain seamless edges, and the additional anodizing procedure reliably protects it from scratches. For 'blind' control, there are buttons on the side of the device, and there is also a touchscreen display with a diagonal of 3.7 inches.
Жаль только, что дешевым плеер может считаться исключительно по сравнению с Astell&Kern AK380, ведь его стоимость составит около 43 000 рублей.
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Own operating systems
A kaleidoscope has only one problem – it reflects everything at once, without dividing the glass into beautiful and ugly. It is so arranged that any object caught between the mirrors will immediately be repeatedly reflected and woven into the pattern of the pattern.
In the world of mobile technology, exactly the same thing happens. If some stupid idea managed to wander among interesting finds and useful inventions, then it will not be possible to get rid of it just like that. Before you have time to look back, a bunch of different manufacturers will pick it up, and everyone will sincerely believe that it was he who invented it. Individually, these cases seem to be isolated and unrelated to each other, but if you look at the whole picture, it turns out that this is a real epidemic.
There are a lot of examples. Take the same ubiquitous rejection of the physical camera button on smartphones. Who came up with this first? What was the point in that? How is it that this strange fleeting fashion suddenly became the accepted standard?
Another example of such a controversial idea is the massive epidemic of proprietary operating systems. Just the other day, Eldar wrote about another attempt by some of our high-ranking compatriots to quickly assemble a 'national' mobile OS. Well, the news is more political than technical. It happens. Let's write it down with 'Russian iPhone' and 'Russian Windows' and put it in the back drawer of the table.
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Sofa Analytics No. 33. Russian national operating system 'Black Hole' |
At the recent SAS 2015 forum, one of the Samsung representatives once again stated that Tizen is serious and for a long time. In principle, Samsung's throwing from side to side in this matter is also not news for a long time. And we hear such statements with enviable regularity. All this has already been discussed a hundred times, so is it worth paying attention to them?
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But only a couple of days pass, and leaks appear on the network about its own mobile OS from the company Huawei, which has the code name Kirin OS. Moreover, it is assumed that it will be officially announced on June 2, and not in its home market, but in the United States.
I wonder how many similar news we still have in the next six months or a year? And what caused this epidemic of independence? No one will do such things without a reason, the pleasure is expensive.
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Anything different
At the end of the issue there is another scattering of beautiful colored glass, some of which will soon become an integral part of the new picture, and some will be lost without a trace.
Not so long ago, there was a separate article about 'smart' self-driving cars on the pages of AMR. It also mentioned Google's plans to launch a network of miniature unmanned taxis.
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Offtopic: 'Smart' cars |
When it will turn out to put this idea into practice is still unclear, but the wait is not at all as long as it might seem at first glance. The company is confidently moving forward and clearly does not intend to slow down. So, the next step on the way to the cherished goal will be the beginning of open testing of unmanned vehicles in Mountain View, where 50 similar cars will appear on the city's roads this summer. True, at first they will ride under the supervision of a live operator, and the maximum speed will be limited to 25 miles (40 km) per hour.
It should be noted that at the moment, according to the laws of the state of California, the movement of an unmanned vehicle can only take place under the control of the driver, but Google hopes to persuade the authorities to relax these requirements.
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Another Google invention is an algorithm for automatically creating Time-lapse videos from photos published on the Internet. People from all over the world are constantly taking photographs of various landmarks and then sharing the photos on services such as Flickr or Picasa. Google software automatically selected 86 million geotagged photos of them, then analyzed the result, sorted them by shooting time and corrected the color gamut, turning them into video frames.
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Do you want to see how the glacier melts, the landscape of the area changes over the years, skyscrapers are built and cities change? It couldn't be easier.
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Finally, a little news about trays with Bluetooth – keyboards from KFC restaurants.
Remember how Steve Jobs said that there is no point in stylus, since every person has ten such 'stylus' on their hands? All this is true, but the trouble is that when these 'styluses' are smeared with fat from french fries and chicken wings, you somehow do not want to use them at all.
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KFC offered a rather original way out of this situation – a thin Bluetooth – keyboard, which is placed right on the food trays. Details in the video.
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