Rumors surrounding Samsung's Galaxy S4 smartphone have become more and more frequent the past few weeks, giving some credence to the idea an announcement of on some sort of SIV front is forthcoming.
Of course, reports on the successor to the incredibly popularGalaxy S3 have been making the rounds since that device hit the market, so maybe we're just in an upswell right now.
Today's look at the S4 comes from benchmarking site Antutu Benchmarks, revealing a little bit more about the highly anticipated handset's specs.
It would appear that not only will the S4 run Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean, but there could even be an eight-core processor providing all the horsepower.
Taking it Octa notch
Though it was originally believed the Exynos 5440 quad-core processor would find its way into the Galaxy S4, the new specs tell a slightly different story.
The processor inside might still be an Exynos, but based on the benchmarking, it would appear the new Octa 5 eight-core processor is running the show.
The Exynos Octa 5 was clocked at 1.8GHz, meaning the S4 should have plenty of juice to make the most of the rumored 4.99-inch Super AMOLED HD screen with 440 ppi.
To make things even better, the processor was supposedly identified in both the Korean and international versions of the Galaxy S4.
There's still no precise date or timeframe for the Galaxy S4's release, and even though Samsung hasn't technically announced the phone's existence yet, the company did say it wouldn't be out before May 2013.
If this benchmarking ends up being on point, Samsung could have quite the beast of a smartphone on the horizon, and one that both Google and Apple will be taking note of before releasing either companies' latest devices.
Has LG solved the home cinema conundrum? A good few years after its last attempt – a wall-mounted projector designed to bust clutter – the latest innovation from the LG labs is this Laser Diode illumination system-powered model.
This time it's all about short-throw, with the device able to project a 100-inch Full HD image onto a wall from just 56cm.
That tiny distance is a huge achievement – and it produces passive Cinema 3D, too. LG calls it HECTO, and it's massive, about the same size as a high-end projector, or about three Blu-ray players piled on top of each other. Around the back of it are three HDMI inputs and a set of component video inputs, while the laser-driven light itself projects images onto a supplied screen. HECTO, which has typical gloss-black styling, also has its own stereo speakers. They're rated at 10W each, so about the same power as a regular flat TV.
It does seem a missed opportunity to develop a totally built-in home cinema. A powerful Yamaha-style soundbar combined with HECTO would have blown socks off, but it gets even more complicated since under HECTO's screen at CES was a long and slender soundbar that appears to have been custom-built for the job. There's a subwoofer nearby, too, and together they create possibly the most impactful part of the HECTO demo. Naturally, they cost extra, though we weren't able to find out how much.
Furthermore, HECTO is a two-piece affair, which jacks up the cost. LG's booth attendants assured us that the 100-inch passive screen, which has a border akin to a slim-bezel LED TV, has a specially reflective layer that's about the same thickness as four or five credit cards. It comes as a two-part kit, something that will probably stop high-end home cinema owners from upgrading to HECTO. With the screen needing to be specially positioned, it's probably destined for a custom installation future – or possibly in a boardroom – since it all seems rather fiddly.
HECTO plays nicely with a Magic Remote's pointer-style cursor for navigation and has the full Smart TV interface on board – including voice navigation – and that's probably as good a reason to invest as any other.
It's hard to judge a projector like this in a convention center, but images from HECTO were a mixed bag on the CES show floor. There were no direct lights near the screen, though it's not the blackout that we missed most, but detail. The laser diode unit delivers surprisingly bright images with middling contrast (though it's quoted at 10,000,000 :1), but as well as some washed-out and imprecise colours, the image is far from the most detailed we've seen this week. There's a reason why 85-inch+ TVs are now using Ultra HD.
"It has Full HD quality with all the features of a smart TV," said Dr Skott Ahn, Global President and Chief Technology Officer at HECTO's launch. "And you don't get messy cables everywhere. This is not a prototype and not a demo – we've made it a reality. It will be available in Korea in January and in the USA in March."
In theory the HECTO makes it possible to have a home cinema without needing to position components at the rear of the room where the projector must be, though that slight convenience comes at a whopping price. It's due to go on sale in March for US$10,000, which is more than the company's OLED TV.
Granted, that's only 55-inches in diameter, but we're pretty sure that most TV companies will have 'budget' giant screen TVs by this time next year for less than $10,000.
Rumors surrounding Samsung's Galaxy S4 smartphone have been more and more frequent the past few weeks, giving some credence to the idea an announcement of some sort is forthcoming.
Of course, reports on the successor to the incredibly popularGalaxy S3 have been making the rounds since that device hit the market.
Now the supposed Galaxy S4 has appeared on benchmarking site Antutu Benchmarks, revealing a little bit more about the specs.
It would appear that not only will the S4 run Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean, but there could even be an actual eight core processor providing all the horsepower.
Taking it Octa notch
Though it was originally believed the Exynos 5440 quad-core processor would find its way into the Galaxy S4, the new specs tell a slightly different story.
The processor inside might still be an Exynos, but based on the benchmarking, it would appear the new Octa 5 eight-core processor is running the show.
The Exynos Octa 5 was clocked at 1.8GHz, meaning the S4 should have plenty of juice to make the most of the rumored 4.99-inch Super AMOLED HD screen with 440PPI.
To make things even better, the processor was supposedly identified in both the Korean and international versions of the Galaxy S4.
There's still no precise date or timeframe for the Galaxy S4's release, and even though Samsung hasn't technically announced the phone's existence yet, the company did say it wouldn't be out before May 2013.
If this benchmarking ends up being on point, Samsung could have quite the beast of a smartphone on the horizon, and one that both Google and Apple will be taking note of before releasing their latest devices.
Samsung hopes to reveal an 8-inch version of its successful Galaxy Note line at next month's Mobile World Congress, according to reports.
SamMobile claims to have a confirmed spec sheet for the so-called Galaxy Note 8.0, which it said will come packing the latest version of Android Jelly Bean (4.2).
The device is also said to have a high-res 1280 x 800 Super Clear LCD display, come with 3G and Wi-Fi flavours and, of course, tout the trademark S-Pen stylus.
The purported spec sheet also lists a 5-megapixel rear camera, 2GB RAM, up to 32 GB of storage (plus microSD), and a 4600mAh battery.
Gunning for the iPad mini?
Although Samsung already has the Galaxy Tab 7.0 and Galaxy Tab 7.7 on the market, it may be that the company chooses to position any Galaxy Note 8.0 release directly against Apple's 7.9-inch iPad mini.
Just yesterday, we brought news suggesting the Galaxy Note 3 may be incoming later this year, with a 6.3-inch display and the next-generation Samsung Exynox Octa eight-core processor.
Thursday's report makes no mention of the processing unit housed within the Galaxy Note 8.0, but an eight-core processor would certainly give it an edge over other mid-sized tablets.
TechRadar will be live and in living colour at MWC 2013 in Barcelona to bring you the first news of any Samsung announcements, so strap yourselves in starting February 25.
Nokia has published the files necessary for people to 3D print their own Nokia Lumia 820 cases.
Harking back to the days of the 3310, when interchangeable fascias were the height of cool and the Baha Men were stumped over who allowed some canines to escape, the files allow you to design your own case for the Windows Phone phone.
The files come as part of a 3D-printing Development Kit (3DK), with added advice on what materials work best and design tips.
Cost effective?
Since you're unlikely to have a 3D printer kicking about at home, you may want to try a 3D printing service - however, neither option really comes cheap.
Still, it's a nice little bonus if you have the cash and the know-how to design your own case; and it's certainly not difficult to foresee a future where phone accessories are printed at home instead of bought from questionable little booths in shopping centres.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 will be unveiled at MWC 2013 at the end of February, S-Pen and all according to reports.
SamMobile has apparently got hold of details for the latest tablet from the Korean firm, although the source is unknown so we're not getting carried away just yet.
The source reckons the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 will sport an 8-inch 1280x800 Super Clear LCD display, 2GB of RAM, rear-facing 5MP camera, 1.3MP front snapper, 4,600mAh battery and will run Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
Variety is the spice of life
There will be a couple of spec options for you to choose from with the Galaxy Note 8.0 coming in 16GB and 32GB flavours along with the option to have 3G connectivity built in.
Also going by the moniker GT-N5100 (or GT-N5110 for the Wi-Fi only model) the Galaxy Note 8.0 will apparently tip the scales at 330g, which is slightly heavier than the 7.9-inch iPad mini.
Samsung hasn't offered any information on any future tablets, but we wouldn't be surprised if the Galaxy Note 8.0 did make an appearance at MWC 2013 in Barcelona.
TechRadar will be in attendance at the show to bring you all the latest from the Samsung booth and any new tablets which may turn up.
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