PEBBLE SMARTWATCH ANNOUNCED; IT’S A $150 SMARTPHONE COMPANION

Back in April 2012, a Kickstarter crowdfunding program was launched for a smart watch that pairs with a smartphone via Bluetooth that remotely streams music and pushes notifications from the smartphone to the watch – a concept similar to Sony’s SmartWatch…only smarter. Called the Pebble smartwatch, it was one of Kickstarter’s success stories. Nine months later at CES 2013 this morning, the Pebble smartwatch is now officially announced.

Featuring a 144 x 168 e-ink display that does not consume any power when not backlit, the Pebble smartwatch has three buttons on the left, and one on the right side of the watch, which are used for simple navigations (up, down, back, select). It also manages an impressive 7+ days of battery life. The battery itself can be charged via a MagSafe-like USB charger. Despite the relatively long battery life, this water resistant watch is constantly paired via Bluetooth to an iOS or Android device, so whenever your phone is away from you (within Bluetooth pairing distance), the Pebble smartwatch will notify users of any notifications, such as incoming calls, emails, calendar alert as well as other social networking notifications (including Gtalk and iMessage). Also, it can access the user’s music stored in their smartphones and even remotely command the smartphone to play them.

The 38.2g watch has a polycarbonate body with a scratch and shatter-resistant glass with an anti-glare optical coating. The built-in three-axis accelerometer also means software developers can make apps for the Pebble, such as running and cycling tracker apps, or even a sleep monitoring app. In addition, there’s also a vibration motor and compass for more flexibility for developers to utilise the SDK.

Now that the Pebble smartwatch is official, the company will be producing around 15000 units a week and those who pledged on Kickstarter will be receiving their units from January 23 within six to eight weeks, with retail orders to follow next. The Pebble smartwatch will be available in black, grey, red, orange and white colourways and can be pre-ordered for $150 here.

HELLO KITTY…BECAUSE NO CES IS COMPLETE WITHOUT SOME PINK INVASION

Every year in CES, Hello Kitty must make an appearance to spice up the geeky floors of an electronic show with some pink action, and this year isn’t any different. While the pink cat may display some things that we’ve seen before last year, they do have some new kitty-branded appliances and accessories like dust-proof plugs for your 3.5mm audio jack, toasters, Bluetooth speakers and such. No innovative new technologies and such, just hit the break for some pink galore or visit our source links for even more.

CES 2013: A RECAP OF EVERYTHING SO FAR!

As you know, we’ve been following the CES 2013 news online since the press day started yesterday and boy is there a lot of amazing (and not so amazing) news that is coming from Vegas this year. While Vegas is 16 hours behind KL, we’ll try to bring you the most updated news we can, when we can! For those who aren’t night owls, hit the jump for summary of what we’ve written from CES so far:

NVIDIA

NVIDIA GEFORCE EXPERIENCE, A CLOUD-BASED GAME SETTINGS OPITIMIZER
PROJECT SHIELD, NVIDIA’S OWN ANDROID-BASED HANDHELD GAMING SYSTEM
NVIDIA GRID GAMING SYSTEM, THE COMPANY’S FIRST FULLY INTEGRATED PRODUCT
NVIDIA TEGRA 4 IS NOW OFFICIAL

Lenovo

LENOVO ANNOUNCES THE THINKPAD HELIX: IT’S AN OVERCLOCKING HYBRID. LITERALLY.
LENOVO ANNOUNCES NEW TOUCH IDEAPADS, THINKPADS AND THINKCENTRES AT CES 2013
LENOVO’S ANNOUNCES THE IDEACENTRE HORIZON: A “TABLE PC” FOR THE FAMILY
LENOVO ANNOUNCES K900 SMARTPHONE, POWERED BY INTEL “MEDFIELD+” PROCESSOR

ASUS

ASUS ANNOUNCES ROG ARES II; DUAL AMD RADEON HD 7970 CARD WITH 1050MHZ CLOCK SPEED
ASUS TRANSFORMER AIO HAS WINDOWS 8 AND ANDROID, INTEL CORE AND TEGRA PROCESSOR…BECAUSE IT SERIOUSLY CAN

Sony

SONY MOBILE XPERIA Z SPOTTED ON SHOW FLOOR
SONY ANNOUNCES 5 NEW CYBER-SHOT CAMERAS – ADVANCE FEATURES WITH AFFORDABLE PRICE
SONY ANNOUNCES WORLD’S FIRST 4K OLED TV
SONY ANNOUNCES NEW HANDYCAM CAMCORDERS; ENTRY-LEVEL, MID-RANGE AND HIGH-END MODELS
SONY OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCES XPERIA Z AND ZL

Toshiba

TOSHIBA UNVEILS ITS BUDGET ULTRABOOK – SATELLITE U845T AT USD$800

Alcatel

ALCATEL MAKES A COMEBACK TO THE MOBILE SCENE
ALCATEL ANNOUNCES NEW ONE TOUCH TAB AND EVO 7 TABLETS
ALCATEL ANNOUNCES WORLD’S SLIMMEST SMARTPHONE AND YET ANOTHER 5IN FULL HD ENTRY

HP

HP ANNOUNCES 11 MONITORS – BIG, SMALL, EXPENSIVE, CHEAP AND EVEN A USB-POWERED ONE

ZTE

ZTE ANNOUNCES THE GRAND S – YET ANOTHER FIVE INCH SMARTPHONE

Intel

INTEL INTRODUCES ATOM Z2420 ‘LEXINGTON’ PROCESSOR, DESIGNED FOR ANDROID SMARTPHONES IN EMERGING MARKETS

AMD

AMD REVEALS PRODUCT RANGE FOR 2013

Samsung

SAMSUNG ANNOUNCES WORLD’S LARGEST 4K TV, POSSIBLY THE COOLEST-LOOKING ONE TOO
SAMSUNG ANNOUNCES WORLD’S FIRST CURVED OLED
SAMSUNG LAUNCHES POINT & SHOOT CAMERAS FOR EVERY WHIM… BECAUSE THEY CAN
SAMSUNG ANNOUNCES EIGHT-CORE EXYNOS 5 OCTA PROCESSOR…BECAUSE THEY CAN
SAMSUNG SHOWS OFF CURVED OLED PHONE…BECAUSE THEY CAN

Pebble

PEBBLE SMARTWATCH ANNOUNCED; IT’S A $150 SMARTPHONE COMPANION

ROCCAT

ROCCAT PUTS DUAL ARM PROCESSORS INTO RYOS MK PRO MECHANICAL KEYBOARD…BECAUSE THEY CAN

Polaroid

POLAROID SHOWS OFF ITS INTERCHANGEABLE LENS CAMERA AT CES

Nikon

NIKON PUSHES THE ENVELOPE IN THE MIRRORLESS CAMERA SPECS RACE

Steel Series

STEELSERIES ANNOUNCES NEW APEX GAMING KEYBOARDS

Canon

CANON POWERSHOT N HAS NO UP, DOWN, LEFT OR RIGHT, ALLOWS YOU TO SHOOT IN ANY ORIENTATION…BECAUSE IT CAN
CANON ANNOUNCES HIGH END POINT AND SHOOT WITH WI-FI AND 2 MID-RANGE POWERSHOTS

LG

LG INTRODUCES “WORLD’S FIRST” CURVED 3D OLED TV…BECAUSE THEY CAN, TOO.

Qualcomm

QUALCOMM REBRANDS SNAPDRAGON TIERS TO 800, 600, 400 AND 200
QUALCOMM ANNOUNCES SNAPDRAGON 800 AND 600 SERIES PROCESSORS, COMING LATER THIS YEAR

Acer

ACER OFFICIALLY REVEALS ICONIA B1 TABLET, PRICED AT UNDER RM 500

Huawei

HUAWEI OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES ITS FIRST WINDOWS PHONE 8 DEVICE, THE ASCEND W1
HUAWEI COMES OUT WITH THEIR 6.1INCH PHONEABLET THE ASCEND MATE… BECAUSE THEY CAN
HUAWEI ANNOUNCES ASCEND D2 – ITS ENTRY TO THE 5 INCH CROWD

Razer

PROJECT FIONA IS NOW THE MULTI-FORM 10-INCH RAZER EDGE GAMING TABLET

Panasonic

PANASONIC BLOWS THE RESOLUTION RACE WITH 20-INCH 4K WINDOWS 8 TABLET…BECAUSE THEY CAN
PANASONIC ANNOUNCES TWO TOUGHPADS, ANDROID AND WINDOWS 8

MISC

PARROT AR.DRONE 2.0 TO GET A BLACK BOX AND UPDATED APP
USB 3.0 DATA TRANSFER SPEED TO BE DOUBLED SOON, UP TO 10GBPS
KINGSTON ANNOUNCES 1TB FLASH DRIVE – BECAUSE IT CAN
DACOR ANNOUNCES ANDROID OVEN WITH BMW-DESIGNED UI…BECAUSE THEY CAN

Nokia’s Windows RT Tablet to Have Surface-esque Unique Cover?

Microsoft’s first foray into hardware manufacturing, the Surface tablet, brought about a novel idea of a tablet with a cover that also doubles as a keyboard. It was the first of its kind, and deservedly received praise for the ingenuity of Microsoft’s engineers. While there has been some questions over its durability, there is no doubt that many manufacturers will be inspired by the design.

Enter Nokia. The Finnish company has toyed with the idea of a tablet long before it was mainstream, and in March the company’s head of design, Marko Ahtisaari stated that he spends a third of his time at work is used for working on the company’s upcoming tablet. Some days back, rumours began circulating that the company will be announcing a tablet running Windows RT in next year’s Mobile World Congress – and now, there appears to be more leaks for the device that’s making us quite excited to see it.

According to The Verge, Nokia is focusing on refining a special cover for the tablet that “envelopes it like a book”. While incorporating a keyboard and kickstand just like the Surface tablet, Nokia is also adding a secondary battery that kicks into gear once the main tablet’s battery is low. In addition, the cover will also have two USB ports for added connectivity.

As for the tablet itself, the ARM-based Nokia Windows RT tablet will sport a 10.1-inch screen with HDMI and USB ports, as well as cellular connectivity from the get go. Also, the built-in battery for the tablet is slated for 10 hours of use, and will have a fast charge feature capable of charging the battery to 50% “in a short period of time”.

ZTE Launches Nubia Z5; It’s Possibly the Best 5 Inch Smartphone Right Now

As was previously reported earlier this month, ZTE’s flagship Nubia Z5 has been launched in China late last night with specs that rival most Android flagships currently in the market. Boasting similar specs as the other 5-inch Full HD smartphones in the market such as HTC’s Butterfly or the Oppo Find 5, ZTE manages to add more features that puts the Nubia Z5 one step above the competition.

To recap, the Nubia Z5 has a 5-inch Full HD screen, and is powered by the same 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor that is found in the HTC Butterfly and Oppo Find 5. There’s also 2GB of RAM, a large 2300mAh battery as well as 32GB of internal flash storage encased in a super slim 7.6mm aluminium body. In addition, ZTE also fitted the Nubia Z5 with a f2.2 13MP camera whose optics are made by Konica Minolta, and a 2MP front-facing one. Also, the Nubiz Z5 doesn’t just have Dolby Digital Plus audio enhancements – users can also choose to use enhancements by Yamaha as well.

Not only that, but ZTE has also mentioned that the Nubia Z5 was designed by Italian designer Stefano Giovannoni, who also designs for Alessi and Herman Miller. Besides the January release of the standard aluminium edition of the Nubia Z5, there will also be a premium titanium edition – with retail prices for both set at a fun ¥3456 and ¥7890 (RM1700 and RM3882) respectively. Also, those who decide to purchase the Nubia Z5 can pay upon delivery of the device, and there’s also have a 7-day no-questions-asked return policy. Finally, ZTE will send a replacement unit if users send theirs for repairs.

Although currently only available in matte black or glossy white for the Chinese market, it may actually be used internationally due to Qualcomm’s modem module – although it may not support Malaysia’s LTE radio frequency. Nevertheless, ZTE’s going down an interesting path with the Nubia Z5, and depending on international interest just like Oppo’s Find 5, we may just be seeing it soon.

Malaysia’s Nokia Lumia 920 and 820: Truly Global Phones

Here’s a little bit of news that should delight Lumia 920 owners craving for faster Internet speeds: the Lumia 920 released for the Malaysian market not only supports quad-band GSM (2G) and pentaband WCDMA (3G), but also has support for nine 4G LTE frequencies, including the 2600MHz spectrum that will be used in Malaysia. In comparison, the US variant only supports three LTE bands, and five for the UK version.

This comes about after My Nokia Blog revealed that India’s variant of the Lumia 920 also supports the same amount of LTE bands as ours. More pertinently, Nokia Malaysia’s webpage for the Lumia 820 also shows that this smartphone also supports the same nine LTE bands, which makes them two of only three smartphones (the other being the ASUS Padfone 2) in Malaysia that are LTE-ready. The numerous supported frequencies also mean that they can be used basically on any network in every country in the world.

In comparison, Apple’s iPhone 5 does have an LTE radio installed, but it does not support our 2600MHz spectrum, which looks to be ready sometime next year. Samsung’s Galaxy SIII and Galaxy Note II for the Malaysian market, on the other hand, do not have LTE radios at all – in contrast to Singapore’s LTE-friendly versions. Speaking of which, Singapore’s LTE spectrum is the same as ours, meaning that Malaysian Lumia 920/820 owners can theoretically use their locally-purchased Lumia in Singapore on their LTE networks. Theoretically, because the LTE radios on the Lumia 920 and 820 are currently disabled – probably until the LTE infrastructure in Malaysia is in place. Once that is ready, we may well see a patch for the Lumia phones that will enable the LTE radio.

This piece of information was earlier revealed by our friends at SoyaCincau shortly after the local launch for the Lumia 920 and 820. Almost one week after these phones are available, we are still very surprised that Nokia Malaysia have not come out and market their new Lumia phones as being LTE-ready for Malaysia, especially when there is growing interest in LTE as the local infrastructure nears completion.

Acer To Launch USD 99 Iconia B1 In 2013, Adds Budget Intel-Based Win 8 Tablet While At It

While low-priced tablets are nothing new in the market, they are consisted of non-branded or also known as white box tablets that usually originated from China. Apparently, Acer is planning to change that early next year with its upcoming Android-based Acer Iconia B1 tablet which will be priced at RM 303 (USD 99).

According to a recent report by The Wall Street Journal which cited an anonymous industry source (as usual), the tablet will be powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and features a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1024×600. The source has also confirms the authenticity of Acer Iconia B1’s pictures that were leaked into the net recently.

If you already felt allured by Acer Iconia B1’s rather affordable price tag, hold your horses – the report also pointed out that the tablet’s actual pricing will be determined on country-by-country basis. In addition to that, WSJ also reported that Acer is also planning to release a low-priced Intel-based Windows 8 tablet at around the same time but didn’t elaborate much on it.

It is hard to say much until we actually see the real thing but if Acer is able offer Iconia B1 tablet at around the same price range here in Malaysia, it is needless to say that the tablet will surely grab some attention from local consumers.