Real Technology Info

Sony Xperia Z1 - The much-awaited smartphone

2013-10-06T20:41:00.001+05:30

The Japanese giant has been going all strong in the market for a while now. They launched the powerful and durable Xperia Z and ZR a while back and now they have come up with even better devices. As soon as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 came out, they launched the Xperia Z Ultra. It was a large phablet with 6.44 inch display. This new device, the Xperia Z1 is a powerful mobile device with an amazing camera. This device has been long rumored because it was going to improve upon the already very potent Xperia Z.

This device might be confused for the previous flagship Xperia Z but they have made significant design changes. It retains the waterproof and dustproof properties of the Z and makes some new additions. It is priced close to the recently launched LG G2 and it has got a superb camera to lure enthusiast photographers. We give you a better idea of what this new Sony flagship is like.

Design

It looks largely like the Xperia Z which isn’t a bad thing at all. The Z is a great looking device and this one is similar with that sharp rectangular design. The material used gives it a premium feel and it is comfortable to hold. There are a few visible differences though. The Z1 is slightly fatter but many would fail to notice that. What you would notice is the aluminum stripe that runs around the device. It looks great and helps with handling of the device.

You will also notice the large silver power key on the right spine of this device like some other Xperia devices. There is a physical camera key too which would make life easier for many. The device is comfortable to hold but unless you have got really large hands, one handed operations are still tough. While the device is waterproof and dustproof like the Xperia Z, they have made another change to improve upon that. Here they have used a waterproof headphone jack. That means you don’t have to uncover the jack every time you want to plug in your headphones. The device can survive in fresh water for 30 minutes upto a depth of 1.5 meters.

Display

This phone has got a 5 inch full HD TFT display. It is essentially the same display we saw on the Xperia Z with minor tweaks. It has a superb pixel density of 441 ppi. It is a surprise though that they haven’t gone for IPS or AMOLED display as the competition is using them and they are considerably better. It uses Sony’s Triluminous tech which uses ‘quantum dots’ to reproduce colours better. Though the gamma is not very good and some details are lost because the highlights are bright. The brightness is decent for using the device outdoors but viewing angles are not good at all. You might complain about the contrast ratios if you are used to AMOLED displays, otherwise it is good. Overall the display is decent except for the viewing angles.

Hardware

The device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 which is the most powerful chipset we have seen on mobiles yet. It has got a quad core processor that can reach maximum clock speed of 2.2 GHz. It is complemented by an Adreno 330 GPU and 2 GB of RAM. It can handle any app or game with ease and you would never feel that you need a powerful device, well at least for another year. App launches have a sense of urgency and they open really fast. Everything about this phone is immediate and there is no way you can slow this device down. It gets all the connectivity options you find on any other high end device and it is powered by a 3000 mAh battery. It easily outperforms Samsung Galaxy S4; let it be performance scores or actual app performance.

Software/ Interface

It runs the Jelly Bean 4.2.2 which has been around for a while now. Though it doesn’t come with the latest version, we aren’t worried because the differences are minor and there is no way Sony won’t update their flagship device. Sooner or later you will be running a newer version of android on this device for sure. The interface is heavily modified and they have made changes to quite a number of apps. The app launcher is highly customizable and has a lot more features over the stock android launcher. The stock apps like gallery, music player and camera have been replaced to put in Sony’s own version of these apps.

Camera

Apart from the powerful processor, this is the highlight of this phone. It gets a 20.7 megapixel camera with large 1/2.3 inch sensor. A 27 mm f/2.0 G wide angle lens is used to allow light onto the processor. It gets the Bionz image processor to minimize noise when used in low light. And the results are just superb. Low light photos are way better than much point and shoot cameras.

The camera app has also been modified and you can load third party camera apps directly into it. This allows you to access them faster and you don’t have to switch apps like you used to. There is another smart feature which you might use when you go to live music shows. This phone can stream live video to your Facebook account for your friends to watch.

Verdict

Sony Xperia Z1 is really a great device and it stands strong against the competition. It is priced close to most of its rivals while carrying some features to edge them out. The display is a bit dull but that is the only drawback with this device. It is waterproof, dustproof and has a superb camera to make it a better buy than the competition.

About the author

The article has been written by Kundan Kumar, who is passionate about technology and how its changing everyone's life by making it easier. He's working at 91mobiles.com and writes about the latest in the tech domain, right from devices to innovations.

Latest technological trends

2013-08-29T01:54:00.001+05:30

Every new advancement and trend in technology is taken as a breakthrough and adds to the list of ‘next big things’. But it is also important to remember that not every emerging technology can alter the business or a social landscape. However, some do have the potential to alter the way people live and work. It is therefore critical for every individual,business and policy leader to realize that which technology will be affecting them positively. Given below are some recent trends in technology that may influence our life patterns.

Emotion watch

Tokyo Flash launched the 'Emotion Watch' to measure your emotions while you're on the go. This concept watch has a stethoscope and thermometer to look at the emotions that you're experiencing. It also has a panel on the right portion of the watch to gauge how much love you're experiencing while the left panel lets you know the time.

It can also determine how much love you're experiencing by measuring your pulse and temperature. When your pulse and temperature increase, i

t increases the love score on the watch as well. As a result you never have to be clueless about your emotions again.

Electric Mop:

This remote controlled electric mop is ideal for lazy people who don't want to clean as this Mop will clean dust while you sit back. For anyone whose mother ever told them to get off the couch and do their chores, it is definitely a sneaky side step around that request.

This electric mop is powered by four AA batteries and the transmitting device requires additional two AA batteries. The yellow duster has a white handle on top so that it cleans without using the radio controller. It’s control is in black colour with an antenna and is fairly self-evident to use.

The 'Peek' App for Eye Ailments:

The 'Peek' app works to allow users to do eye exams by using smartphone technology developed by the researchers at the London School of hygiene and Tropical Medicine to help people in developing areas keeping their eyes healthy and named it the Portable Eye Examination Kit or Peek.

The Peek is able to scan the eye to check for diseases as well as other problems. It works to look for visual acuity, color vision, visual field and contrast sensitivity. The app does most of its testing through the smartphone's camera and the diseases are checked for by using a bright light to scan the eye.

Bluetooth location tracker to find lost items:

Not being able to find your keys when running out the door is a nuissance that may make you late but the Stick-N-Find Bluetooth Location Tracker can resolve this issue. This Stick-N-Find Bluetooth Location Tracker can be affixed to just about anything to track it up to 100 feet of your position with two remote sensors in the kit and an access to the sophisticated locator app.

This device is not only just great for keys but can also be placed in wallets or even on a child as its Virtual Leash function can send you an alert when the locator has moved beyond a certain distance.

Tiny Telescope for Phone Cameras:

The DCKINA telescope for phone cameras enables you to zoom up to 9 times closer and is ideal for capturing moments at concerts or sports games.
The Telephoto Lens is like a miniature elongated DSLR lens protruding from your phone. There is a manual focus ring that it has which allows you to adjust accordingly for the clearest shot. If you're an artistic photographer ,having this toy is surely a fun for your smartphone.

It is undoubtedly true that the potential benefits of the technologies discussed here are tremendous but so are the challenges of preparing for their impact.

About The Author:

Curtis Taylor is aspiring to be the lead public technical
advisor throughout the world for all things in personal electronics. He loves gaming, his dog Ralph, and playing pranks on his co-workers. Curtis’s desire to uncover and understand the technical aspects of devices is shown through his projects sited on every major tech site on the web. Curtis is head of research and development for RepairLabs, an electronics
repair facility and an influential tech blog. Repairlabs is on a mission to
change the world through its charitable program Operation Hero (help each
repair overcome). Follow him @repair_Labs

Gadgets to keep an eye out for this summer

2013-06-18T13:53:00.000+05:30

Over the last 2-3 years the world has become and entirely different place, long gone are the days when people used to eagerly await for the release of the most anticipated movie of the summer! People now wait for the latest gadget to hit the market, the most eagerly anticipated being smartphones and tablets.

In this article I would be taking a look at the some of the most hyped smartphones and tablets.

HTC One:

The HTC One is the HTC’s flagship phone for summer 2013 and in my view the phone to beat ! Elegantly designed, sleek and smart, this phone runs on Android 4.1.2 jelly bean along with a Snapdragon 600 quad core CPU, these two features makes it the fastest smartphone out there in the market. It’s exuberant 4.7” LCD provides an impressive display. The phone has 4G LTE, dual band WiFi (including support for 802.11ac), Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, a GPS with GLONASS, a consumer IR port for AV gear control, USB OTG host. The most impressive and innovate spec of this phone is its 4MP camera, you may think that this is where HTC One comes short well here you are mistaken, because this is an ultramega pixel camera, producing great results. Another fature which makes this phone special is its boomsound speakers, usually phone speakers are not that great, but these babies are off the chart!

The next smartphone I would be discussing is none other than HTC One’s nemisis, yes you got that right I am talking about none other than Samsung Galaxy S4.

Samsung Galaxy S4

This bad boy here is the flagship phone for Samsung, one of the most powerful and fast mobiles out there. Although I have a few reservations about its design, an all plastic body is not elegant nor does it resonate power although a pinch of metal does break the plastic monotony, still its not as beautifully designed as the HTC One. Still it’s a nice looking phone and its specs make up for the design. It has Android 4.2.2, a magnificent camera with an amazing result, a powerful quad-core processor, The list just goes on, it can even work as a TV/DVR remote along with a user-replaceable battery, and a microSD storage slot.

Its wide range of applications and features would require time to truly master, this facet of its is what would keep users interested in this gadget and would last a long time aswell. Although I had a few issues with the camera specially during the night, still it takes a far better picture than most camera phones out there in the market.

These were the only two phones worth mentioning this summer, so now lets move on to the Tablets that are coming out this summer. To the surprise of many reading this article, I will not be reviewing the iPad, because with the release of the Tegra 3 the quad core Android tablets have become monsters and trust me when I say this people at Apple are afraid!

Google Nexus 7:

Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 12 core GPU, 8GB and 16GB internal storage and 7-inch 1280 x 800 screen, makes this bad boy a power house, brilliant beautifully designed, easy to handle and AFFORDABLE. Its two closest rivals the Kindle Fire and the iPad mini have nothing against this tablet. Its beautiful design coupled with functionality and affordability is what makes this gadget the top tablet in my books.

Asus Transformer Pad Infinity

Had it not been for its price, this tablet would surely have been my favorite. Like the name, the gadget itself is really cool. Very elegantly designed, the tablet has all the features that a high end tablet should! Speed, apps, functionality but what really makes this tablet a treat to have is its out of this world display. If you have a wallet fat with cash, than I suggest you get this tablet and enjoy the amazing display and its standard dock keyboard.

About The Author: Curtis Taylor is aspiring to be the lead public technical advisor throughout the world for all things in personal electronics. He has a passion for gaming, his dog Ralph, and playing pranks on his co-workers. Curtis’s desire to uncover and understand the technical aspects of devices is shown through his projects sited on every major tech site on the web. Curtis is head of research and development for RepairLabs. which is a device repair facility and an influential tech blog. Repairlabs is on a mission to change the world through its charitable program Operation Hero (help each repair over come). Follow him @repair_Labs