Sharp unveils “edge-to-edge display” of Aquos Crystal

When Sharp announced that their upcoming Aquos Crystal phone would have “edge-to-edge display”, people’s expectations of what it would look like were heightened. As they have now unveiled the actual phones, it would seem to have met those expectations, as the front panel of the smartphone has super-thin bezels, giving justice to the original description.

The Aquos Crystal is a 5-inch, 1280x720 pixel full HD phone with that will be running on Android 4.4 KitKat. But what has really caught the attention of people is the almost bezel-less front display of the smartphone. In the photos and videos from Buzzup in Japan, the phone is being shown off in all its edge to edge display glory.The previously released Droid Razr M from Motorola was the closest that we came to that kind of display, but compared to this one from Sharp, the borders now seem too big.

But aside from the beautiful display, the Aquos Crystal also has some relatively good specs to offer. It will run on a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.2HGz processor with 1.5GB RAM and 8GB of internal memory. It will have an 8 megapixel main camera and a 1.2MP one for the front-facing camera. It will come out in white, black, pink and blue colors. There is a more powerful version of the Aquos Crystal called the Aquos Crystal X, with a 1920x1080 display running on Snapdragon 801 and having 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal memory. However this version will only be released for now in Japan and will have red, white and black colors.

Softbank will be releasing the Aquos Crystal in the US by the end of this month while the Crystal X will come out in Japan by end of this year. There is still no announced standard retail price for the smartphone, but here’s hoping we don’t have to break a bank to own this one.

VIA: SlashGear

SOURCE: SoftBank (1, 2)

Story Timeline

• Sharp's new AQUOS TAB SHT21 IGZO tablet gets hands-on demo


• Sharp AQUOS 206SH rocks a five-inch screen and two-day battery life


• Sharp AQUOS 304SH boasts slim bezels on 5.2-inch display

Flappy Bird creator to come out with new game: Swing Copters

Looks like the guys at Touch Arcade got a first look at Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen’s new game called “Swing Copters”. If you feel a bit slighted that some people got to try the new game ahead of you, don’t worry – from the looks of it, those guys will not go far, as the game is heck difficult.

Swing Copters follows in Nguyen’s patented game style – which is cruel and unrewarding, not to mention being frustratingly difficult. These elements are what made that darned bird game so addictive in the first place, and we see the same touches of that in Swing Copters.

The idea is that your dude – complete with spinning propeller on the head – gets airborne and is wildly flying in one direction, where your tapping coaxes him to the opposite side to balance out the flight. That’s difficult enough, but now you have to steer him through swinging gates. The more gates you pass, the more points. But don’t get your hopes up – as with Flappy Bird, one small touch on an obstacle and it all ends in misery.

The game is not out yet, so it is relegated to the “watch this space” category for now. But we fear for all of you casual gamers out there, Dong Nguyen is out for your happiness. In any case that you would want to tip the man for this game, the one “in-app” purchase is to get rid of the ads – unobtrusive enough that you don’t really have to – but just as a pat on the back for the game developer.

VIA: Touch Arcade

Story Timeline

• Flappy Bird developer considering possible return


• Flappy Bird is returning, and it's all your fault


• Flappy Bird is back with more obstacles, multiplayer fun

Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact named in user manual

It looks like Sony has an unexpected compact surprise coming soon. While we have been mostly distracted by rumors of the Xperia Z3 and its Xperia Z3 Compact incarnation expected to arrive this IFA 2014, we certainly didn't see an Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact coming. But this won't be an ordinary Xperia tablet as it is clearly marked to be a smaller than usual one.

The revelation comes via the user manual for a Sony Bluetooth Speaker with Magnetic Charging Pad. That charging pad is compatible with many Xperia devices but would require a special attachment for different devices. Under the BSC10A attachment, supported devices include the Xperia Z Ultra, the Xperia Z2 Tablet, and a certain Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact.

Given the unexpected appearance of this mobile device, the rumor mill is still at a loss as to the size of this "compact" tablet. The current titleholder, the Xperia Z2 Tablet, measures 10.1 inches. Naturally the upcoming one would be smaller, but how much smaller? Sony hasn't unveiled a small tablet in a long time but it has quite a number of gigantic smartphones, with the Xperia Z Ultra being the largest at 6.4 inches. This Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact could very well be a 7-inch device, though an 8.9-inch tablet is not yet out of the question.

As to the specs, that part is even more up in the air. But if we use current trends as a basis, we can expect this to sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, 2 to 3 GB of RAM, and a 1080p screen resolution. We will most likely see the real deal at IFA in Berlin next month, when Sony will be unveiling its new generation of Xperia devices.

VIA: Techtastic

Story Timeline

• Possible first look at Sony Xperia Z3 and Z3 compact


• Sony IFA schedule set, mysterious Xperia device leaked


• Sony Xperia Z3 opens its flaps for a photo shoot leak


• Sony D2203 shown to be a low-spec budget 6.1-inch giant

Sony Xperia M2 Aqua takes waterproofing to budget level

Sony is announcing a new smartphone. Actually, it's partly a rehash of an existing smartphone. The Xperia M2 Aqua is everything that its name suggests: a variant of a mid-tier device that was announced early this year, blessed with Sony's popular dust and water proof ratings.

In all aspects save one, this is the same Xperia M2, meaning that you really get what you pay for. It doesn't boast of high-end specs but just has enough power, with a 1.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 and 1 GB of RAM, to get you through the day. The Exmor RS-toting 8 megapixel camera might be decent for taking pictures and videos, but viewing the same from the 4.8-inch qHD, meaning 960x540, screen might not be an equally pleasant experience. Still, the 2,300 mAh battery is sure to last you longer than most high-end devices, especially considering the lower specs. The Xperia M2 itself just started getting is Android KitKat update, but luckily this one comes with Android 4.4 right out of the box.

Of course, the selling point of this model is the new waterproof features. Sony boasts of a score of IP65/IP68, claiming it to be the highest found on a smartphone. Definitely the highest for a consumer-grade one. And Sony definitely takes waterproofing seriously. Just last week, an Xperia Z2, which has an even lower IP rating, was rescued from its watery grave after spending 6 weeks on the seabed and was still miraculously alive. Imagine how much more torture the Xperia M2 Aqua can take. Or you don't have to imagine. Just play one of these underwater games if you ever get a chance to get your hands on one and find out for yourself.

The Sony Xperia M2 Aqua will be available in black and white color options. No pricing detail has been disclosed yet, but availability will start from Autumn this year. Target markets include Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Europe, with no mention of any plans to bring the device to the US.

SOURCE: Sony

Story Timeline

• Sony goes mid-range: Announcing the Xperia M2


• Xperia Z2 in seabed for 6 weeks, still works after "rescue"


• Sony Underwater apps lets you play with your phone in water


• Sony Xperia M2 Kitkat update now rolling out

HTC Butterfly 2 officially announced, but limited availability

As what we have seen in the last rumor, HTC has officially announced that it is bringing the J Butterfly HTL23 to other regions as Butterfly 2. The Butterfly 2 and the Japan edition are the same in specs, except there won’t be WiMAX2+ or LTE Advance support in the Butterfly 2.

Available in Rouge, Canvas and Indigo color, the HTC Butterfly 2 features a Duo Camera system, and HTC BoomSound with dual front speakers – boosted with JBL LiveStage digital signal processing. According to the official specifications, the Duo Camera is using a 13MP f/2.0 camera sensor as primary camera, additional depth information is recorded simultaneously by a separate camera sensor on top. THe secondary camera sensor should be a 2MP camera sensor, if it is the same as the J Butterfly HTL23.

The additional depth information allows you to have more post-photo editing fun, which includes changing the picture focal point (UFocus) or applying special effects with the built in Foregrounder tool. There is also a dual tone flash LED, plus another 5 megapixel front facing camera. The front facing camera is not only good for selfies with higher resolution, but it is also able to capture Full HD video and HDR photos.

Other hardware specs remain the same. The Butterfly 2 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.5GHz quad core processor (MSM8974AC), comes with 5-inch Full HD S-LCD3 display, IPX5/IPX7 waterproof, IP5X dust proof, 2GB RAM, 32GB internal storage and microSDXC card slot. It is nice to see the microUSB port and headphone jack are designed without using a water resistant cover to achieve the IP57 protection.

HTC Butterfly 2 specifications:

- OS: Android 4.4.x KitKat

- Size: 145.4 x 70.2 x 9.99 mm

- Weight: 151g

- Display: 5" Full HD SLCD 3

- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.5GHz quad core

- RAM: 2GB

- Internal Storage: 16/32GB, MicroSDXC card slot

- Camera: 13MP f/2.0 + 2MP Duo camera, 5MP front facing camera

- Dual tone flash LED

- Connectivity: WiFi a/b/g/n/ac / Bluetooth 4.0 / NFC

- Battery: 2700 mAh

- Talk time: Up to 23.9 hours for 3G

- Standby time: Up to 643 hours for 3G

- Others: Barometer sensor, 4G LTE, Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0

Unfortunately, HTC has decided to ship the Butterfly 2 in selected countries. It will be launched first in Taiwan on September 2nd, and then in Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Pricing for Butterfly 2, including the J Butterfly HTL23 is not revealed yet.

Asus to reportedly launch unusual-sized tablets

With the tablet market growing and getting too crowded as OEMs launch new ones almost every quarter, it takes something a bit unusual to get people to pay attention to it. Based on listings that were reportedly seen on the GFXBench database, Taiwanese brand Asus may just be launching two new tablets that are not the usual size that we’ve gotten used to with a lot of those in the market.

The listings on the site show tablets called Asus K01E, a 9.4-inch tablet and an Asus K01B, a much bigger device at 14.2 inches. The smaller one could either be part of their MemoPad lineup or the Asus Transformer Pad family. It runs on Android 4.4 KitKat and 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processors and Adreno 320 graphics, same as the 2013 Google Nexus 7 which was also designed by Asus. The specs also indicate that it has 1GB RAM, 16GB of internal storage and has a display of 1280x800 pixels. The rear camera is at 2MP and the front-facing one is at 0.3MP, which is not really impressive for tablets.

The 14.2-inch is unusually large for a tablet so we can assume that just like the others in the Transformer Pad family, it will work with a keyboard dock so that you can turn it into a notebook. But if there is no keyboard option, then it just might also be just a really large tablet. It has the same processor and graphics card, but has slightly better specs than the K01E. It has a 1920x1200 pixel display with 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage. The camera is 5MP for the main and 1.2MP for the front (we said just slightly better). Unlike the smaller model, the K01B has ambient light sensor so that the brightness can adjust automatically.

There is still no confirmation whether these tablets are real. But we’ll probably find out by the first week of September during the IFA in Berlin and if there is more to these Android tablets than what is shown in their spec sheets.

VIA: Liliputing

Story Timeline

• ASUS Transformer Book V 3-in-1 can be used in five ways


• ASUS MeMO Pad 7 and 8 continue tradition of bang for your buck

Amazon Fire Phone has improved battery life in new update

While Amazon’s first smartphone, the Fire Phone, may have underwhelmed those who were expecting something at par with its competitors in the market, it is considered a work in progress and may yet find its stride in later versions. An update the software of the current phone promises better battery life (a must for all devices now) as well as a slew of other new features that should please the early adaptors who already have gotten themselves the Fire Phone.

Fire OS 3.5.1 brings with it dozens of system upgrades that would enable your smartphone to have longer battery life. It also now allows you to quickly switch between apps and close running apps just by double pressing the home button, not the long press which is how other Android phones usually do it. You can also now make app grid collections, which are folders to house or group certain apps or certain content from the grid itself. If you have too many apps already, you can now pin the ones you use the most to the home carousel so that it would be easier to find them.

In terms of multi-media functions, there are also slight improvements with this update. You can now use 11 images to create lenticular photos instead of the previous 3. You can also share higher-resolution videos to your friends through MMS (may have additional charges with your carrier) or through email. In terms of email, if you receive notification of an email that you don’t want to read, you can delete it directly from the home screen so that your inbox will not be clogged with unwanted email.

Given how Amazon Kindle Fire has slowly grown on tablet users (especially those who use it primarily as a reading device), the Fire Phone (or at least its later versions) may still surprise the smartphone market later on. For now, users might be pleased with the continued rollout of improvements on the software side at least. You can update your phone directly through the settings or manually download the updated Fire OS from Amazon.

SOURCE: Amazon

Story Timeline

• Amazon Fire Phone coming July 25, will be AT&T exclusive


• Amazon Fire Phone: All you need to know


• Amazon Fire Phone iFixit teardown: unsurprisingly tedious