Samsung announces Exynos 5 Octa, an A15 and A7 hybrid SoC

 

Samsung isn't done with CES 2013. We just got the company's latest and without a doubt most exiting announcement yet - the Exynos 5 Octa chipset.

It brings 8 processor cores, which distribute the work load among each other. Four Cortex-A15 cores ensure incredible performance while the other four are low-power Cortex-A7s that kick in for the less demanding tasks and save battery power.

The chipset is based on ARM's big.LITTLE tech, which ensures that you will always get enough performance without having to deal with terrible battery life.

Samsung promises up to 70% lower power consumption compared to the Exynos 5 Dual, which is powering the Google Nexus 10 tablet and the latest Chromebook by Samsung.

The Exynos 5 Octa could posses as much as twice the 3D rendering prowess of the Exynos 4 Quad, which is found in the Galaxy Note II and Galaxy S III.

There's no official word yet on which devices are going to use the new Exynos 5 Octa or when but we suppose the next Galaxy S and Note devices are a safe guess.

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Nintendo Announces 'Pokémon X' And 'Pokémon Y' For The 3DS

You can look for two new 3DS-exclusive "Pokémon" titles this October with a simultaneous release across all territories.

Sure, deep in our hearts we hoped that Nintendo would be talking up something Pokémon-related for the Wii U, but alas dreams of some kind of next-level "Pokémon Snap" will have to remain just that. Instead, we'll have to content ourselves with a pair of "Pokémon" games getting a simultaneous release across all major territories when "Pokémon X" and "Pokémon Y" are released for the 3DS in October.

Opening with a look back at "Pokémon Red" and "Green" for the original Gameboy, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata talked about the concept of evolution early in the series as well as Pokémon trading across handhelds via link cable. Continuing with the series' history, he discussed some of the legendary characters features in later iterations of the series, from Gameboy, to GBA, and onward along with the rise in popularity for the series. One point he touched on repeatedly was the gap in between the initial Japanese releases and later localization/programming for other territories.

It was overall a look at the progress of the series, the technical advancements across Nintendo's handheld platforms, before diving into a quick trailer for "Pokémon X" and "Y." Of course, we'll be seeing some new Pokémon, with three featured newbies--Chespin, the fox-like Fennekin, and the frog-like Froakie--taking the spotlight. You can check out screens and the first video from the new titles below.

Related posts:

Nintendo President Says Wii U Is 'Selling Steadily'
NVIDIA Reveals 'Project Shield' Android And PC Gaming Handheld

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Tags nintendo, Pokémon X, Pokémon Y, Satoru Iwata

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Samsung announces a beefed up Galaxy S III for Japan

Today NTT DoCoMo announced the upcoming availability of a few smartphones including Samsung?s Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II.

You?ve probably heard all there is to know about those two, but NTT DoCoMo?s version of the Galaxy S III, called Alpha, will be slightly different. Its chipset is pretty much the same as the international version of the Galaxy Note II - with the quad-core processor has been clocked on 1.6GHz instead of 1.4GHz and 2GB of RAM.

The faster CPU speed should help turn an already impressively fast smartphone into a real beast. What's even better, the Japanese Galaxy S III will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean at launch.

Samsung Galaxy S III Alpha will be sold in Titanium Gray and Sapphire Black and will launch in December.

Source | Via

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LG announces Jelly Bean update schedule for Korea

 

LG is not exactly known for releasing timely Android updates for its smartphones, but as it seems, its Korea-only phones will get Jelly Bean treatment on time.

The first handset go get Android 4.1 is the Optimus LTE II in November. Next is Optimus G in December, followed by Optimus Vu and Vu II in the first quarter of 2013.

The updates will bring the new LG UI we saw for the first time in the ICS-running Optimus G to all of the mentioned phones along with some LG exclusive apps.

There is no word on the fate of the non-Korean devices though. And just don't get us started with the yet-to-come-or-not-to-come long overdue Ice Cream Sandwich updates.

Source | Via

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LG announces dual-SIM version of Optimus L3 for some regions

 

LG has come up with a dual-SIM version of their entry-level L-Style droid, the Optimus L3. It's model number is E405 (the single SIM one is E400).

The Optimus L3 E405 features a new set of keys below the screen. The hardware button is gone - there are four capacitive keys in its place. The first three are the standard Menu, Home and Back keys, while the fourth one toggles the active SIM. The L3 E405 is a single-SIM-standby device.

The other features of the phone are virtually the same - Android 2.3 Gingerbread running on a Qualcomm MSM7225A chipset (Cortex-A5 CPU @ 800MHz, 384MB RAM, Adreno 200 GPU), 3.2" QVGA TFT screen, HSDPA, 3MP camera with VGA video, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and 1,540mAh battery.

The LG Optimus L3 E405 will be available in the Ukraine in July, priced around UAH1,500 ($185, ?150). The phone is also available on LG's Russian and Chinese sites, but there's no launch date or pricing for those markets.

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Vertu announces the new Constellation Candy phones

As things go with Vertu, when they announce a new collection of phones, it usually means they are only releasing a new trim or, as is the case this time around, new colors.

Today Vertu is introducing some fresh new colors to liven up the established line-up.

The collection comprises of three colors, all combined under the Candy moniker. There's the Candy Raspberry, the Candy Mint Green, and finally, the Candy Tangerine.

Vertu claims these are "this summer's must-have colours" and they all come adorned with highest quality alligator skin and natural gem stones.

The Constellation series is not new, it was announced back in 2006. Around that time touchscreens were not as popular and the phones relied on the dated (yes, even back then) S40 user interface and it was all looks, no wits.

In October 2011 Vertu lift the curtain of their revamped Constellation series. The phones came complete with a full touch display and a smart OS. It's Symbian, if you've gotta ask. Unfortunately, the mobile OS was again, already dead in the water, even at launch. We guess prospective owners of the ultra-expensive phones didn't mind.

Actually, it's not a secret that the touch-enabled Constellation series is based on the popular Nokia C7. The phones share the 3.5-inch AMOLED screen, the 32GB of built-in storage, the 8 megapixel fixed focus camera with enhanced depth of field and the 720p video recording.

Vertu Constellation Candy collection

All fashionistas that shell out the cash for one of these exquisite mobiles will also get invitations to the most influential Fashion week shows. Of course, each phone comes with Vertu's customary services such as (and we're quoting) Vertu Concierge, Vertu Concierge Live, Vertu Club Access, Vertu Select, Vertu City Brief and Vertu.Me, all designed to make the owner's travel and social life a bit easier.

The Constellation Candy phone collection is available in the UAE, China, EU, Hong Kong, India, Macau, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Ukraine, and Vietnam.

Whatever the color, one thing is for sure, the chances of any of us buying a Vertu phone are as slim as it gets. Nevertheless, the luxurious segment represents a small, but entertaining part of this business, which seems to be ruled by 4+ inch big slabs of phones. We hope those rumors about the company being prepared for selling are not true.

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