6-inch
Latest
Samsung's mid-range Galaxy A7 has a triple camera setup
Triple-camera smartphones are officially the new normal. Samsung has unveiled the mid-range Galaxy A7 with three cameras at the rear: an 8-megapixel shooter with an ultra-wide 120 degree lens, a 24-megapixel main camera, and a "depth" lens to give you out-of-focus bokeh effects. The cameras use Samsung's Intelligent Scene Optimizer, which figures out what you're shooting and adjusts the contrast, brightness and color to optimize image quality.
LG V30 leak shows a refined, almost bezel-free phone
We already knew that LG's incoming V30 smartphone would have one of the best cameras on the market, face and voice unlocking, a 6-inch, 18:9 OLED screen and high-end specs. Now we can see the exact design, thanks to a new image from leaking champ Evan Blass. The phone looks frankly quite handsome, with a near-bezel-free front like the Galaxy S8. Unlike that model, though, it has better rear layout, placing the fingerprint sensor below, not beside the camera. The camera is also better integrated, rather than sticking out like a lump as it does on the V20.
Sony grows its Xperia line by two with the 6-inch T2 Ultra and Walkman-centric E1
You'd think a company that very recently announced two new flagship smartphones at CES would slow its roll and hold off on the product announcements for a bit. But no, Sony's introducing two more handsets to the mix with the Xperia T2 Ultra and Xperia E1, albeit for very specific markets. Neither the T2 Ultra, which gains its 'Ultra' distinction by virtue of a 6-inch, 720p display, nor the diminutive 4-inch E1, with its 100Db speaker and focus on music, are going after the early adopter crowd. Instead, Sony's crafted these devices for those with less champagne tastes; the T2 Ultra's aimed at "emerging markets", while the E1's a mid-tier take on Sony's Walkman legacy. And both arrive with dual SIM variants.
Nokia's 6-inch Lumia 1520 arrives on AT&T November 22nd for $200, pre-orders open now
After an early leak on Microsoft's store, we've finally got the official launch info for Nokia's Lumia 1520. The first Windows Phone 8 device with a 6-inch, 1080p display goes on sale November 22nd, and costs $200 on contract for AT&T customers. If you're ready to dive into its new three-column start screen, quad-core Snapdragon 800 CPU, 16GB of built-in storage (expandable via microSD and a 32GB edition is coming in the "near future," but you'll still live without the international version's wireless charging) and other high end specs, Microsoft and AT&T are both offering a few specials for pre-orders. The Microsoft store teases $70 worth of app store credit, free flip cover and a free copy of Halo: Spartan Assault, while AT&T's offer packs in $20 of app store credit, the game, and 50GB of cloud storage in AT&T's locker service. The black, red and white versions will be available at launch, with yellow due "later this year."
Verizon survey reveals FiOS Companion Android tablet, aka the Motorola Corvair
While it hasn't actually started to roll out yet, one of our readers sent in pics of a Verizon FiOS survey gauging reactions to a new device that "may be available in the future" as the FiOS Companion tablet. As described in the survey, it's a WiFi-connected Android slate that not only runs the usual apps, but also works as universal remote control and streams "select" TV channels (probably the same ones as the Xbox 360 app) directly to its screen. The sole picture included confirms we're looking at the Motorola Corvair 6-inch Android 2.3 tablet that surfaced late last year with all of those features, home automation tie-ins and a 4000mAh battery. The survey questions don't reveal much else about its capabilities or potential pricing other than asking users if they would be interested in customizing their own home screen, and how. We'd hope the software has seen some updates since its original leak, but knowing this market that seems unlikely. All we can do now is help Verizon / Motorola with that customer research they were hoping to perform so let them know -- is this something you'd be interested in? [Thanks, anonymous]
Toshiba shows off 6-inch tablet display with 498ppi resolution
Toshiba showed off a 4-inch display for cellphones with a 367ppi resolution earlier this year, and it's now back with an even higher pixel density for its new 6.1-inch display for tablets (or possibly phones, at the rate things are going). This one comes in at an impressive 498ppi, which translates to a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 -- or more than enough for some "photo-realistic" images, according to Toshiba. As for the other key specs, it boasts a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 16.7 million colors, and 61 percent coverage of the NTSC color gamut -- plus viewing angles of 176 degrees both horizontally and vertically. What's more, Toshiba is even suggesting that the display could also be used for glasses-free 3D, which would cut the resolution in half but still be higher than other comparable displays. Unfortunately, there's no word on when it might actually hit some tablets, 3D or otherwise. Head on past the break for an up-close look at those pixels.
Amazon discounts 'original' 6-inch Kindle Keyboard: now starting at $99
Ready for another new Kindle moniker to remember? Here it comes! "Kindle Keyboard." That's the name that was bestowed upon the tried-and-true 6-incher today after Bezos unwrapped a touchscreen model and a low-cost variant that tout no physical QWERTY keys whatsoever. Now, the WiFi-only Kindle is going for as low as $99 with ads (down from $114), while the non-ads edition can be had for $139. Meanwhile, the 3G + WiFi Special Offers edition has fallen from $164 to $139, and the ad-free brother is going for $189. Naturally, all four of 'em are in stock and shipping today if the new blood just didn't do much for ya.
iriver Story HD e-reader preview (video)
Our trailer was just visited by an iriver rep bearing his company's Kindle killer in waiting, the Story HD. This 6-inch e-reader touts a bodacious 1024 x 768 resolution, which contributes to an even better contrast ratio than on Amazon's E Ink slate, while software optimizations between now and release are expected to make the Story HD the fastest-refreshing device of its kind. The display itself is built by LG Display and is accompanied by a Freescale Cortex A8 CPU, 2GB of onboard storage, and an SDHC card-reading slot. Sun rays are, as expected, absolutely no problem and we have to admit that on first sight we thought the device had a sticker affixed to its front -- its that good at reproducing printed materials. Physically, it seems to have been constructed with the third-gen Kindle as its dimensional blueprint, albeit with quite a different control scheme. The hand-built proto unit we played with wasn't really ready to have its ergonomics judged properly, but iriver has plenty of time until the expected May launch to iron out any kinks. Content distribution partnerships have already been sewn up for the US, so now it's just a matter of patience until we get our e-reading on in gorgeous XGA resolution. Video hands-on after the break. %Gallery-113350% %Gallery-113351%
Beijing Gorld combines sub-par cellphone with lackluster e-reader
Alongside the Get Smart shoe phone, Beijing Gorld's 600TW e-reader / cellphone has to be one of the less useful combos we can imagine. As an E Ink device, it's pretty straightforward -- 6-inch display and a battery life of approximately 6,000 page turns. And there's no denying that the plethora of connectivity options (including SMS messaging, GSM, GPRS, and EDGE, WiFi, and Bluetooth) is a pretty sweet deal. All the same, we can't really picture this thing providing a satisfying handset experience at all. Available in China for 2,880 yuan (about $420).
Cube's 6-inch capacitive touchscreen e-reader is a Windows Mobile 6.5 fantasyland
If you're a sucker for immaculate specs at a discount price then the Cube e-book reader might be the device for you. The Chinese outfit is said to be working on a 6-inch, E Ink reader built around the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system with baked-in WiFi (sorry, no mention of 3G data) for "remote server synchronization." And as declared in the image above, the Cube e-reader features a capacitive touchscreen just "like the iPhone." Apparently, it'll do more than just display e-books though, with a touted ability to make VoIP calls, browse the web, send and receive email, and download music and photos -- all this for just 999 Chinese Yuan or about $146. Sure, go ahead and build it Cube, but until we see a product render at least forgive us for being skeptical.
Kindle 2.3 software update available, generation 1 owners need not apply
We gadget nerds have to endure unspeakable atrocities in order to slake that early adoption jones: first-run gear shipped DOA, buggy pre-release software, and months of waiting after a product leaks only to be greeted by a jacked-up price premium at launch. So we feel your pain, original Kindle owners, after Amazon announced a major firmware update that brings native PDF support to the 6-inch Kindle 2 and DX readers with the promise of a staggering 85% increase in battery life to all Kindle 2 devices -- if you haven't already received it OTA, the 2.3 software update is now available for download and installation via USB tethering. At least owners of "some earlier versions of Kindle" (quote from the press release) will receive native PDF support whenever the 1st generation firmware update (currently at version 1.2) is released. It's worth noting that Amazon's PDF reader lacks a zoom function which makes many PDFs entirely unreadable on the device. Good thing Amazon's store is chock full of easily zoomable books in a proprietary format then, huh?
LG's Solar Cell e-Book goes an extra day for every 5 hours of sunlight
Funny thing going on in the marketplace right now: reading for pleasure is on a rapid decline yet the choice of e-reader devices grows weekly. That's good news for those of us not spending our down-time in front of a television, mouth agape -- awkward for manufacturers testing the waters of this unproven niche. LG's showing off its Solar Cell e-Book reader anyway, in a bid to flex its thin-film solar muscle. The prototype features an energy conversion efficiency of about 9.6 percent giving it an extra day's worth of power for that 6-inch TFT-LCD after about four to five hours in the sun. LG is working towards boosting its thin-film solar cell energy conversion efficiency rate to 12% by 2010 on up to 14% by 2012. We say bring it LG, if you can. [Via OLED-Display]
