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Sony can’t market Xperia Z1 as “waterproof” in South Africa

The Sony Xperia Z1 isn’t fully waterproof. This is according to a woman in South Africa who complained that her phone stopped working after using it in water. She said the ports were closed so no water could go inside the phone but unfortunately it stopped working. This despite Sony’s claims that phone is waterproof.



The woman brought her phone to a Sony repair center but they wouldn’t repair even under warranty. The carrier also refused to repair the phone because the phone is only “water resistant” as opposed to the “waterproof” claims by Sony. It’s a big problem for the woman so the $800 she spent on the handset is gone—just like that, no thanks to Sony’s false claims.


Because of this, the Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa (ASASA) made a ruling that the smartphone in question can’t be marketed as “waterproof”. Sony still insists that the phone isn’t only water-resistant as mentioned by the mobile carrier. Still, ASASA is saying there is a difference between “water resistant” and “waterproof” so Sony should be more careful next time not to mislead people, at least, in South Africa.


Sony should take note of that especially since the latest Xperia Z3 phone boasts of its high level of water- and dust-resistance. The phone is IP68 certified so it should be tough and ready for all rough use.


I totally understand this ASASA ruling in South Africa. Sony should respect the agency and comply with the rules. But seriously, why would you use your phone while in the water? Seriously?!


VIA: Xperia Blog





Google Play Movies now allows pre-ordering of new titles

Are you one of those movie buffs that are constantly checking on when the film that you recently watched will finally be available online so you can watch it all over again? Well, you don't need to go to IMDB or Metacritic or whatever site you use just to see if they're already available digitally. You can now pre-order them from Google Play Movies, even while they are still showing in movie theaters, and once they're released online, you get the film "delivered" to your linked smartphone or tablet.



As of now, there are 15 movies available for pre-ordering in the Google Play Movies store, including the current box-office champ Gone Girl directed by David Fincher and based on the best-selling book by Gillian Flynn. Other films that you can pre-order and look forward to watching when they're released are: summer champs Guardians of the Galaxy, another YA adaptation The Maze Runner, Denzel Washington's remake of the TV show The Equalizer, and the equally successful sequel, How To Train Your Dragon 2.



Google-Play-Movies-Preorder-list-640x322



The process is simple enough. Just choose which movie you want to pre-order. If it's the first time you've used Google Play for any purchase, you'll be asked to give your credit card details. But you will not be charged for the movie until it has been released and delivered to you. You'll just see an icon on your My Movies that you've pre-ordered it, along with the official digital release date. In case you forget the release date, you will receive an email that it is finally available and will be automatically delivered to you.


Unfortunately, if you live outside of the US, you will not be able to pre-order movies yet, as the feature is limited to the US region only. But if you are living in the country, then you can start pre-ordering right away on Google Play Movies.


SOURCE: +GooglePlay





Remember how Samsung announced it was getting Nokia's Here navigation software for its Android devic

Remember how Samsung announced it was getting Nokia's Here navigation software for its Android devices? Well, the app has just gone live on Samsung's Galaxy app store so now you can try it out for yourself (if you have a Samsung Galaxy device).


Read more...
















HTC won’t launch a smartwatch today, not yet

We know HTC is having an event today and will launch three new products. We have no idea what the devices are but we’re guessing a new tablet, the HTC Desire Eye, and a possible GoPro rival. There could also be a smartwatch to finally join the bandwagon but according to HTC America CEO Jason Mackenzie, there won’t be any HTC smartwatch at today’s launch.



HTC isn’t ready to release a smartwatch yet. The company could easily if it wants to but the wearable isn’t good to go, at least, HTC wants it to be not just another smartwatch. HTC wants to make sure that theirs is something people would be compelled to strap on their wrists.


There are a lot of smartwatches available in the market today from different manufacturers but not one is really impressive. They function basically the same. HTC want’s to be different this time by working on something that is one-of-a-kind.


Drew Bamford, HTC Creative Labs head, said:



“We’ve seen a lot of general purpose wearables come to market. There’s not a strong reason to wear one every day. When we come to market with our product we want to make sure the product has a strong point of view and there is a really compelling reason to strap it on your wrist.


We think the strategy we were working on will get us there, but we want to take our time and get it right. We honestly don’t think anyone has gotten it right.”



The arrival of the Apple Watch may have excited a lot of geeks but it’s still the same. People who will buy any of the the smartwatches available today will do so not because it’s a need but it’s a want.


What could HTC be making? How could the company improve on the wearables? We’re curious and excited as to what an HTC smartwatch can do. Let’s just hope HTC doesn’t disappoint.


VIA: Slashgear


SOURCE: Re/code





Samsung Galaxy A7 now rumored to have Full HD screen

Perhaps you've already had your fill of reports surrounding the premium-looking yet not so premium Samsung Galaxy A family the past few weeks. That said, however, most of the attention has been lavished only on the A3 (A300) and A5 (A500) models of the devices. This round, on the other hand, is dedicated to the still mysterious Galaxy A7, if only but a little. But worry not, because we still have one more rumor about the Galaxy A5 to go with it for good measure.



Thanks to TENAA certifications, we've gotten a more or less solid idea of what the Galaxy A3 and Galaxy A5 would look like, at least in terms of specs. The leaked photos and videos earlier this week even gave us a second-hand view of the actual devices in the flesh, so to speak. The Galaxy A7 has oddly been left out of the spotlight though, and it remains to be so, aside for one minor new update.


While the Galaxy A5 is now largely believed to have a 5-inch screen, the name of the A7 seemed to suggest something larger, though not necessarily 7 inches (since the A3 isn't 3 inches but is 4.5 inches). In reality, at least based on the rumors, the Galaxy A7 would have the same 5 inches as the A5. Later on that number was changed to 5.5 inches. This new information doesn't change that size one bit, but it does tweak the resolution considerably. Instead of the earlier rumored 720p resolution, same as the Galaxy A5, the Galaxy A7 is now said to sport 1080p Full HD, a more fitting number for a larger model. That said, the rest of the smartphone's specs remain shrouded in mystery, leading us to speculate it wold be mostly the same with the Galaxy A5's.


As for the latter, its arrival on the market might actually happen quite soon. The latest word is that the Galaxy A5 would launch in November, implying that a formal reveal will take place soon. As for the price tag, it is naturally lower than that of the more premium Galaxy Alpha but not exactly cheap either, ranging from $400 to $450 according to sources. Now all that's left to see if there will be much takers of this rather strange and new Samsung line.


VIA: SamMobile





Verizon to offer entry-level HTC Desire 612 this October

Verizon will be offering to its subscribers HTC's entry level device, the Desire 612. The name might sound familiar, as it is just a slightly redesigned version of the HTC Desire 610, as per request of the US carrier from the Taiwanese OEM. But while the smartphone is being positioned as a mid-level device, its features are not that bad and may serve you as a value for money device.



There are only very slight differences between the Desire 612 and the 610, the latter of which is being offered by Verizon's competitor, AT&T. The only major difference is that the Desire 612 has a 720p HD resolution to go along with its 4.7-inch display, as compared to the Desire 610's 540x960 qHD. Other than that, the specifications are the same and are pretty decent for the kind of smartphone positioning that it has. It will of course run on Android 4.4 Kitkat and has a 1.2 Ghz quad-core processor. It has 1MB RAM and 8GB internal memory that can be expanded with a 128GB microSD card. If that isn't enough, Verizon's More Everything subscribers get 25GB of cloud storage on Verizon Cloud.


For mobile photography enthusiasts, the Desire 612 has an 8-megapixel main camera and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing one. It also has dual front-facing speakers so that when you're watching a video on your device, the sound from the BoomSound speakers is directed at you. The smartphone also comes with other HTC specific features and apps like the BlinkFeed, their personalized and customizable news feed (which includes your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds).


HTC Desire 612 will be offered for free for any new two-year contract with Verizon, starting October 9. If you wish to avail of it in the Verizon EDGE installment plan, you can also do so as long as you meet the eligibility requirements.


SOURCE: Verizon





Microsoft Research’s FingerShadow to reduce battery consumption

As smartphones and tablets continue to be more and more "sophisticated", one problem remains constant among all of them (yes, even you Samsung): battery life isn't all it's cracked up to be. The more you use your device, the more you need either a battery extender or to hug the wall socket. Microsoft has recently conducted a research that might lessen gadgets' battery consumption, at least for those that use OLED screens, and they're calling the project Fingershadow.



The basic idea is this: the parts of the display on the smartphone or tablet that are being covered by your fingers when you're swiping through the screen should be dimmed or even turned off temporarily in order to save energy. Users will hardly (hopefully) notice the difference since their fingers would be on those areas anyway. The dimming should also help with improving the focus of the users since the dimming will also lessen shadows and reflections on the screen.


To facilitate the study, they observed 10 users using the Samsung Galaxy S5. They used sensors to detect their finger positions at a height of 1.5 cm where they do not touch their phones' display. For the initial tests, they were able to save from 5%-22% of the device's energy consumption. But as mentioned earlier, this would only work on those that have OLED displays because it can control pixels individually, unlike with a TFT or LCD display where the whole screen is lit up when using.


So far, there are no plans yet to introduce FingerShadow to the market, but in case they do find a way to apply it to mobile devices, it would be great for those having battery problems. That is, if the technology itself would not require extra energy. It might also encourage more devices to adapt the OLED display, following in the footsteps of several Samsung and LG devices. If you want to read the full study, you can go to the Microsoft Research site.


SOURCE: Microsoft


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