The Xperia ZR can be submerged up to depth of five feet and can stay underwater for up to 30 minutes. Hardware specs include a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core 1.5 GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, microSD expansion slot, a 4.6-inch HD Reality screen sporting 1280×720 resolution with Sony’s Mobile Bravia Engine 2 technology, 2300 mAh battery and LTE connectivity.  It runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean that will most likely get future updates. The Sony Xperia ZR sports a 13-megapixel camera that uses an Exmor RS for mobile image sensor with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for both photographs and videos.

The Sony Xperia ZR is scheduled for release around the world including the Philippines starting this quarter.  The retail price for the Xperia ZR is yet to be announced.

Sony Xperia ZR Specs

• 4.6-inch display with 1280×720 resolution
• 1.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor
• 2GB RAM
• 8GB internal storage
• microSD expansion slot up to 32GB
• 13-megapixel camera
• LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• 2300 mAh battery
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean 

Here’s a video featuring the Sony Xperia ZR:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDuYUlHc1r4

Meanwhile, Microsoft just unveiled the next iteration of the Xbox gaming console which the strongest rival of Sony’s PlayStation. The new Microsoft console is named Xbox One and it will be available at the end of the year. The price tag is still a mystery but we will surely know how much the rig costs before it becomes available commercially.

Compared to the previous Xbox, the Xbox One has a rather boxy design that reminds me of old DVD players. It has a two-tone finish and features both matte and glossy surfaces.  In terms of hardware specs, the Xbox One features an octa-core CPU from AMD, a 500GB hard-drive and 8GB of RAM.  Connectivity features include USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI in and out and WiFi Direct. The device has a BLU-ray/DVD combo drive, and is capable of producing 1080p or 4K video with 7.1 surround sound.

Apart the Xbox One, Microsoft also unveiled a redesigned game controller and a new Kinect motion camera. The new Microsoft Kinect has a 1080p motion-sensing camera with voice commands and air gestures. The new game controller, on the other hand, features vibrating trigger buttons and a redesigned d-pad and thumbsticks.

The Microsoft Xbox One will come with new games like Call of Duty: Ghosts, Forza Motorsport 5, FIFA, NBA Live, Madden and UFC.

In Hangouts, conversations are similar to a chat room, each with its own name.  These can then be separated by images or Google’s new emoji. Messages can be sent even if users are not connected since conversations are stored in the cloud. Hangouts can be accessed on any device since it syncs everywhere through Google’s cloud service.  The app has a video call feature that accommodates up to ten friends.  Hangouts also has a “watermark” feature that shows when someone else is typing and also shows how far others have read in a conversation.

The massive popularity of mobile devices and the rising importance of instant messaging apps have lead Google to finally develop a unified messaging service that’s available on almost all platforms.  Hangouts will slug it out in the instant messaging realm and compete against the likes of WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and the newly expanded BBM from BlackBerry.  Features like cloud syncing and group video chat makes Hangouts a compelling alternative but the lack of voice calling at this point makes it weaker than Facebook Messenger and the popular free calling app Viber.

Here is a video featuring the new Hangouts service from Google:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahy3uRzRG9w

BBM will be compatible with iOS6 and Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or higher but this is still subject to approval by the Apple App Store and Google Play.  The BBM app will be available as a free download in the Apple App Store and Google Play store.

With BBM, iOS and Android users will be able to use BBM chat, including multi-person chats, as well as the ability to share photos and voice notes.  Users can also create BBM Groups, which allows BBM users to create groups of up to 30 people.  BlackBerry will add voice and video chatting for iOS and Android later this year.  iOS and Android users will have the ability to add contacts through PIN, email, SMS or QR code scan.  Users may also use NFC connectivity to add contacts in compatible Android devices.

Apart from announcing the availability of BBM on iOS and Android, BlackBerry also announced BBM Channels, a new platform within BBM that will lets users connect with businesses, brands, celebrities and groups.

The question for BlackBerry is the timing of the launch of BBM on iOS and Android.  There was a lot of demand for the app to be available on platforms outside of BlackBerry but for a time, it looked like BBM would remain a BlackBerry exclusive.  Its availability on other platforms is a welcome development but it may be too late since instant messaging apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Viber, Voxer and even iMessages on iOS devices have since become popular.

Apart from Cebuano, the recent Google Translate update added Bosnian, Hmong, Javanese, and Marathi.  That brings the number of supported languages to more than 70.  Most of the new languages supported are in the early stages of development so translations may not be perfect at this point. The added new languages are spoken by over 183 million people in the world according to Google.  Here are the profiles of the new languages added on Google Translate:

• Bosnian is an official language in Bosnia and Herzegovina that’s also spoken in regions of neighboring countries and by diaspora communities around the world.
• Cebuano is one of the languages spoken in the Philippines, predominantly in the middle (Visayas) and southern (Mindanao) regions of the nation.
• You can hear the Hmong language spoken in many countries across the world, including China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and throughout the United States.
• Javanese is the second most-spoken language in Indonesia (behind Indonesian), with 83 million native speakers.
• Marathi is spoken in India and has 73 million native speakers. Google Translate already supports several other Indian languages: Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.

Google Translate can be accessed via the web at https://translate.google.com.  It is also available on Android and iOS devices and via Google Chrome and on Gmail.

This new Lumia is different from the other phones in Lumia range.  It does not have a full polycarbonate body and instead, it has an aluminum casing. The design is sleek and beautiful, the same way the iPhone and the HTC One are. The phone is not all aluminum though.  Only the outer frame is made of aluminum since the rear is still made of polycarbonate.  The polycarbonate back comes in white, grey or black. If you want something colorful, you can use the wireless charging cover which can be clipped onto the back of the phone.  The covers come in white, black, yellow, and red.

Nokia’s focus is obviously the weight and thickness of the device as the Lumia 925 is much thinner and much lighter than the Lumia 920, even if in most respects, both devices are the same. The Lumia 925 comes in at only 8.5mm thick and weighs only 139 grams. On the other hand, the Lumia 920 is 10.7mm thick and weighs 185 grams.

Apart from changing the design of the Lumia 920, Nokia also introduced improvements to the Lumia 925’s camera.  The phone brings improvements when it comes to taking low light images. It also offers the new Nokia Smart Camera mode which is a way of capturing ten images at once with editing options like Best Shot, Action Shot, and Motion Focus.  It also has Hipstamatic’s new app called Oggl.

The hardware for the Lumia 925 is practically the same as that of the Lumia 920.  The Lumia 925 features a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, 1GB of RAM, 8.7-megapixel rear camera, 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera and 2000mAh battery.  The screen is now a 4.5-inch AMOLED WXGA display with 1280×768 resolution and the internal storage is lower at only 16GB.

The Nokia Lumia 925 will first be available in Europe and will thereafter be available in the U.S., China and other markets. The Nokia Lumia 925 will be priced around 469 EUR (about Php25,000) before taxes and subsidies.

Nokia Lumia 925 Specs and Price

Viber for desktops lets users send free messages, make free calls to other Viber users, make video calls and start group conversations on any device and network in any country.  As long as Viber is on a device, it can be used to make and receive messages and calls, for free.

With Viber, all you need is a mobile phone number since it acts as your user ID.  Viber will sync contacts, messages and call history with your mobile device.  You can even transfer ongoing calls between devices.

To start using Viber for Windows and Mac, all you need to do is download Viber and enter your phone number.  The mobile version was recently updated to Version 3.0 where enhancements like video messages, enhanced photo support, new voice engine, and support for some 20 languages are included.

Here’s a video featuring Viber for Windows and Mac.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEqS5W-KfRw

The BlackBerry Q5 has a 3.1-inch HD LCD (720×720 relosution) touch screen which reminds me of the HTC ChaCha.  The keyboard on this phone uses discrete keys that have been designed to help users type fast, accurately and with the least amount of effort.

The BlackBerry Q5 will carry an affordable price tag if we are to base the pricing on the handset’s main specs.  The Q5 runs on a 1.2GHz CPU and features a 2-megapixel front camera and a 5-megapixel rear camera.  For storage, the Q5 features 8GB of internal memory expandable via microSD slot.  The phone is powered by a 2,100mAh battery.

The phone offers software features like BlackBerry Time Shift mode, BlackBerry Story Maker, BlackBerry Messenger, BBM Video, BlackBerry Hub and screen share.

The new BlackBerry Q5 smartphone will be available in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America starting July.  The handset will be available in the Philippines around the same time it’s made available in other countries.  It will be available in white, pink, red and black colors.

BlackBerry Q5 Specs

The Acer Iconia A1 will run on a quad-core CPU with storage options of 8GB and 16GB.  For the 8GB version, the retail price is pegged at $170 while for the 16GB version, it’s at $200.  There’s a microSD slot available for storage expansion.

The Acer Iconia A1’s display is an LED IPS type which sports a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels and a 4:3 aspect ratio similar to that of the iPad mini’s. It’s therefore more logical to assume that this tablet is geared towards the iPad mini crowd and that it is being offered as an Android alternative to Apple’s tablet.

The Acer Iconia A1 will pack a 5-megapixel rear camera, with a front camera in charge for video calls.  The tablet will also have a microHDMI port and 3G connectivity, which means that mobile internet will not be a problem.

The Acer Iconia A1 will be available starting June.  Hopefully this tablet arrives in the Philippines at the same time it is released in the US.

Acer Iconia A1 Specs and Price

• Abenson
• A. Shop
• Avant
• Beyond the Box
• Digital Arena
• Digital Hub
• Digital Walker
• Electroworld
• E-Central
• Futureworld
• Gadgets In Style
• iBook
• iCenter
• iGig
• iStore
• iShop
• iStudio
• Liteware
• Mobile 1
• Powerhub
• Senco Link
• Silicon Valley
• Switch
• Technoholics
• TechSavvy
• The Inbox Store

For more updates on promos, check out these Facebook and Twitter links from Digits Trading

http://facebook.com/digitstrading

https://twitter.com/digitstrading

Microsoft has a huge problem of convincing users that there are currently many available Windows Phone apps and that most likely, your favorite Android app has something similar on Windows Phone 8.  An app like Switch to Windows Phone is something unusual to say the least, but Microsoft has been known to make unusual decisions in an effort to promote Windows Phone over other platforms, especially Android.   Statistically, there are more apps on Android compared to Windows Phone 8, and there are even more apps on the iOS platform.  However, most of these apps are seldom used and Microsoft has a point when it claims that most of the essential apps are also on Windows Phone.

To pump up its campaign of urging users to switch to Windows Phone 8, Microsoft even recently launched an ad which criticizes users of the iPhone and Android phones and suggests that a Windows Phone device is better.  The ad showcases the Nokia Lumia 920.  See the ad below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19vR1GldRI

The social features of Angry Birds Friends lets users compete with their friends, publish their scores, and earn gold, silver, and bronze crowns if they become top scorers.  On Facebook, users can give their friends mystery gifts like power-ups and others.  Power ups vary in forms and abilities.  Users can earn power-ups by playing the game, receiving them as a mystery gift from a friend, or purchasing them.

The mobile version of Angry Birds Friends will allow players to top their own scores in order for them to accumulate points which will then let them qualify for the next level of the game.  The game also gives users the chance to challenge other players in tournaments and win medals in the process.

By making the game Angry Birds Friends available on Android and iOS devices, it is bringing the social feature of the game to mobile devices.  This will certainly expand the user base of the game and bring it beyond desktops.  According to Rovio, the game will launch on May 2 on both platforms but pricing is still unknown.  Hopefully the game will be offered for free.

Here’s the official launch trailer of Angry Birds Friends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPWSIb6o7zM

Now, iOS users no longer need to feel envious of Android users as Google Now is now available to them, although not all features are on the iOS version.  Google Now for iPhone and iPad is an update on the Google Search app, so you first need to download and install the search app on your iPhone and iPad and then update the same with Google Now features.

The overall look and feel is the same as the Android version, although admittedly, the iOS version looks and feels a little better, with the cards being presented in a view that resembles Cover Flow.  In terms of functions and features, however, the Android version is still better.  The iOS version does not allow interaction with the user like placing a call, drafting a text message or setting up of an alarm.  And unlike the Android version, Google Now for iOS does not speak.  The basic functions are still available, though, like giving users updates on the weather, traffic situations, news and reminders.  It also offers local information like events, restaurants and movies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTo-lLl7FaM

Google Now for iOS may never feel as complete as the Android counterpart, but it’s still good news to iOS users.

The Cherry Mobile Hyper features a 5-inch display, a 1.2GHz a dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB internal storage expandable via microSD, 5-megapixel rear camera, VGA front camera and 2,000mAh battery.  Please note that the 5-inch display only has 800×480 resolution so at this size, you will almost see individual pixels, but if it’s not an issue, go ahead and check out the Hyper.

The Cherry Mobile Hyper will run on on Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich.  There’s no word if a Jelly Bean update is available in the future.

Cherry Mobile Hyper Specs, Price

• Dual SIM / Dual Standby
• 5-inch capacitive display
• 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• 512MB of RAM 
• 4GB of internal storage 
• microSD support up to 32GB
• 5MP camera 
• VGA front camera
• 3G/HSDPA 
• Bluetooth 
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n / Wi-Fi hotspot
• FM Radio / Multimedia Player
• 2,000mAh battery
• Price: P4,999

The Cherry Mobile Hyper will be available in black and white colors.  Are you getting a Hyper?

If you have wanted to try LTE but you didn’t want to get a postpaid plan, Smart is now offering LTE service on prepaid basis.  This brings Smart closer to its ‘LTE for All’ promise.  To avail of prepaid LTE, you can either purchase a Smart LTE SIM card, a Smart LTE Plug It or a Smart LTE Pocket Wi-Fi.

The SIM-only kit is priced at P350 and it already comes with free LTE 299 package which is good for 7 days of unlimited LTE use.  You can use the SIM card on LTE capable handsets.  Smart is offering a Nano SIM or a dual-cut SIM for LTE devices that require micro or regular SIMs.

If you want LTE on your laptop or computer, you can purchase the Smart LTE Plug-It for P5,995 or the Smart LTE Pocket WiFi device for P6,995.  These are also pre-loaded with an LTE 299 package which is good for 7 days of unlimited LTE use.

For bucket pricing, LTE can be available for P50 valid for 1 day, P299 valid for 7 days and 995 valid for 30 days.  Just send the appropriate key word to 2200 (e.g. LTE 50 send to 2200) to load.

Smart LTE is also available on postpaid at LTE Broadband Plans 1299, 1749, and 3500.