Samsung showcases flexible OLED displays

We have been hearing rumors of these for a while now but Samsung has finally come clean with their YOUM flexible OLED displays at CES this year.

Although no actual product using these displays have been announced so far, Samsung did showcase three applications of it. One of them had the design of a regular smartphone, with just the right edge being bent downwards. This bent strip displayed content in landscape mode, so that even if you have the phone in a case, you can see notifications and such from the side at a glance.


The other two designs included a device that couple be folded up in the middle and another one where the display could be rolled up and retracted.

Thanks to the flexibility of the display, we might finally start seeing some disruption in the design of smartphones, which have turned into boring slabs over the past years. The flexibility also means that these displays are a lot more shock resistant. It remains to be seen what product Samsung would choose to put it in first.

Google Maps accessible once again on Windows Phone browser

Last week we reported that the mobile web version of Google Maps service was no longer accessible through the Internet Explorer browser on Windows Phone devices. Although the service wasn’t officially supported because Internet Explorer does not run on the WebKit engine that the site is optimized for, it did used to work somehow until Google pulled the plug, citing incompatibility reasons.

Now, one week and lots of outrage later, the Google Maps website is once again accessible through Internet Explorer on Windows Phone. Admittedly, it won’t run as flawlessly as it does on iOS or Android devices because it’s still optimized for WebKit but at least you can use it now.

No reason has been given this time as to why this functionality was suddenly restored.

Has the countdown to Xbox 720 just begun?

Xbox Live’s head Larry Hyrb otherwise known as Major Nelson, posted a countdown on its blog to E3 2013. It counts the days until June 11 this year when the expo kicks off and the text says: And it’s on…

Since the Xbox 360 is nearing the end of its cycle it just make sense we see the next generation announced this year.

Nintendo already announced and launched its next-gen console – the Wii U. Sony has also spilled the beans on PlayStation 4, although we can only expect it to launch next year.

Unlike previous years, Microsoft seems to push the PR for E3 quite early and I bet we’ll be seeing even more within the next few months. There is one more thing – unlike most past shows, this upcoming one isn’t expected to bring some hot sequels or smashing new IPs to Xbox 360. Halo 4 is out, Gears of War and Mass Effect Trilogies are over, and there are just few announced games that seems to deserve the gamers’ attention. Oh, and none of them is an Xbox 360 exclusive. A new Xbox should definitely be on the cards then.

The rumors from last year also suggested the next Xbox will arrive in time for the holiday season in 2013, which adds more credibility to the current one.

I just have one wish – Microsoft, please don’t name this one Xbox 720, because I don’t want to wait another 8 years just to see how you’ll call the one to follow.

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First picture of galaxy S4 is appeared

The first picture of the Samsung Galaxy S IV has appeared.

This phone is probably the most anticipated piece of phone tech at the moment. Its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S III, was the most successful smartphone of 2012.

The photo was released by Sammobile. The design looks very similar to that of the Galaxy S III, however the screen is bigger. On the other hand the edge is narrower than that of the S III, making the phone barely a bit bigger overall.

On top of that, Samsung has stated on Facebook that the Galaxy S IV will not hit the stores before May. The reason for this release date is not clear. The Galaxy S III has been available since May 29, 2012.

There are also rumoured specs:

-Exynos 5450 Quad-Core CPU 2.0GHz
-Mali-T658 GPU
-2 GB RAM
-4.99" SuperAMOLED FULL HD (1080x1920) display
-13 MP Rear Facing Camera
-2 MP Front Facing Camera
-Android 4.2.1 (May be updated as newer releases become available)

 Keep in mind these specs are rumoured.

Samsung announces Series 7 touchscreen monitor for Windows 8

Samsung has announced the Series 7 SC770 touch monitor, the first of its kind by Samsung. The monitor has been designed with Windows 8 in mind and has a multi-touch display that supports up to 10 touch points at a time.



The monitor also has a adjustable stand that allows you to tilt the display up to 60 degrees, making it easier to use the touchscreen. The 24-inch panel has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 with a viewing angle of 178 degrees.



Other than that Samsung also announced a non-touch monitor – the Series 7 SC750 – which has a 27-inch, FullHD panel. This one does not tilt back like the SC770 but lets you rotate it sideways 90 degrees to be used in portrait mode for viewing documents and such.

Both models are expected to go on sale in the first quarter of 2013 but no prices have been provided so far.

Acer will launch a $99 Android tablet and lower-priced Windows 8 slates in 2013

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Acer will launch a $99 Android tablet in 2013. The sub-$100 slate will go head to head with the numerous low-cost Chinese tablets which are offered in developing countries under a plethora of different brands.

The budget-friendly Acer Iconia Tab B1 will sport a dual-core 1.2GHz CPU (likely a Mediatek unit), a 7″ display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, and 512MB of RAM. Built-in memory is reported at 8GB with a microSD card slot available as well. The OS on tap will be Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. The above press image of the upcoming tablet has been confirmed as the real deal by the WSJ sources.

Curiously, ASUS has told the WSJ that it will not be threading into the sub-$100 tablet category, which is in line with recent rumors. The manufacturer is apparently satisfied with the Nexus 7 success and doesn’t feel the need to enter significantly lower price points.

Acer will also introduce lower-priced Windows 8 tablets next year. The tech giant has conceded that its current Windows 8 tablet lineup is a tad pricey.

Samsung Galaxy Tabs 2 7.0, 2 10.1 and Note 10.1 in Garnet Red

Samsung seems to be preparing new colors for its latest slates – the Tabs 2 7.0 and 10.1 as well as for the Note 10.1.

The new colors is called Garnet Red – if it sounds familiar it’s because the Galaxy S III is already available in it.


The Garnet Red editions of the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and Galaxy Note 10.1 will arrive in time for Valentine’s Day next year. Unfortunately only the 3G+Wi-Fi slates will get the new paintjob.

Pricing is yet to be confirmed, but likely the red units will cost the same as their black and white siblings.

Dell abandons its smartphone business

In a rather unexpected move, Dell announced it is quitting the smartphone market altogether as of next year.

The news was delivered by Jeff Clarke, Dell’s head of consumer business at the Dell World Conference. The reason behind the decision is that “It needs a lot of investments to really be successful”.

So, what’s Dell’s mobile strategy from now on, then? The simple answer is – Windows tablets. The company’s XPS10, XPS 12 and Latitude 10 are now the headline runners for the consumer’s heart, all running Windows 8 or Windows 8 RT.

In an interview with Forbes, Clarke added.

"It’s a content play with Android. Amazon is selling books and Google is making it up with search. So far we couldn’t find a way to build a business on Android."

Acer C7 Chromebook is now available, for $300

In a rather unexpected move, Acer has outed a second version of its C7 Chromebook bringing a decent bump in specs.

Carrying the C710-2605 model name, the new Acer C7 Chromebook sports the same 1.1GHz dual-core Intel Celeron B835 processor as its predecessor, but now the RAM is doubled to 4GB and the storage is 500GB instead of 320GB.

The first iteration of the C7 Chromebook didn’t have the best battery life, and Acer has addressed the issue by doubling the battery’s capacity from 2,500mAh to 5,000mAh resulting in a total run time of 6 hours.

The new C7 Chromebook hasn’t yet hit the shelves, but we expect it to make its debut on time for late Christmas shoppers.

ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch with Windows 8

Lenovo has announced a touchscreen version of their ThinkPad X1 Carbon, called the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch. We reported in the past about it when it had briefly been spotted on Lenovo’s website but it wasn’t officially announced back then.

The 14-inch Ultrabook has been optimized for use with Windows 8 and supports all the basic gestures. The X1 Carbon Touch has a 14.4-inch, ‘HD+’ display, weighs 3.4 pounds and is 20.8mm thick. In fact, Lenovo calls it the world’s thinnest 14-inch touchscreen Ultrabook.

On the hardware side, the machine comes with the option of Intel’s Core i5 or i7 processors, although no other specifics have been mentioned. It also has Dolby Home Theater v4, MS Lync, HD face tracking camera and dual-array microphones. As with the X1 Carbon, the Carbon Touch is also made from carbon fiber.

The Lenovo X1 Carbon Touch prices start at $1,399 upwards and is on sale right now.

Android YouTube app updated

Google has released an update to the YouTube app for Android, bringing a refreshed user interface for the 10″ tablets.

The update comes soon after YouTube launched its newly redesigned website, and makes better use of the ample screen estate 10″ tablets provide. Apart from the redesign, the app also comes with several minor bugfixes on all devices.

So, if you have a 10-inch Android tablet, make sure to head over to the Play Store and update the YouTube app.
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Samsung releases a teaser video for CES 2013, leaves us wondering what to expect

Samsung loves to release teaser videos before major announcement events, and CES 2013 is no different. The company has launched an 18-second trailer entitled “Get Ready”, which aims to get you excited about what’ll be in store for you.

The event will take place from January 8 through 13 in Las Vegas and will be a playground for all major companies to show their latest tech to the world.

Here’s the teaser in question, which sadly, isn’t as exciting as you’d hope for.



We can speculate all day what Sammy may be up to, from flexible OLED displays to a whole new line-up of Smart TVs. I guess we’ll have to just patiently wait and see. Naturally, we’ll be on site bringing you timely updates on whatever Samsung decides to throw our way.