A9
Latest
Amazon's search could push customers toward in-house products
Amazon reportedly tweaked its product-search algorithm to favor products that are more profitable to the company. People who worked on the algorithm say the change could give Amazon's own brands a boost, The Wall Street Journal reports. If Amazon is intentionally using search to promote its own goods, it will likely draw more criticism from antitrust regulators.
Sony's mic-ready RX100 VII is a vlogger's dream
Don't let its size fool you -- Sony's latest point and shoot is meant to be a powerhouse. The RX100 VII, unveiled today, is equipped with advanced tracking and autofocus features we previously saw in the full-frame, mirrorless A9 camera. In many ways, the seventh variant of the RX100 is a different species. It comes with an external mic port and a "Single Burst Driving Shooting Mode" that can take up to seven still photos with one shutter press, both new to the RX100 line.
Sony's 135mm f/1.8 G Master full-frame lens is all about bokeh
Last year at Photokina 2018, Sony said it had big plans to keep growing its E-mount lens portfolio. The company revealed back then it was working on 12 new lenses for its Alpha mirrorless cameras, which would increase the number of native glass for those shooters from 48 to 60. And Sony is staying true to its word: It has announced the FE 135mm f/1.8 GM lens, the latest addition to its G Master lineup for full-frame mirrorless cameras. This telephoto prime is intended to be a beast for shooting portraits, offering a fast, accurate and quiet autofocus, as well as shallow depth of field for intense bokeh effect. Sony says that the FE 135mm f/1.8 GM's control and ergonomics are designed for both still photography and movie shooting, and it promises "superior performance plus mobility and reliability" compared to any other 135mm full-frame lens on the market. If you're interested, Sony's FE 135mm f/1.8 GM is set to arrive in April for $1,900. Until then, see below for some sample images taken with the lens mounted on an A9 full-frame mirrorless, which turned out to be super sharp and bokeh-laden. To view our sample images in full resolution, click here.
LG starts teasing 2019's OLED TVs
It must be close to CES time, because once again LG is talking about next year's TVs. In a post touting the Alpha processors that drive its various displays, it revealed that in 2019 its high-end OLED screens will include the Alpha 9 (α9 Gen 2), the sequel to last year's A9 CPU. It mentioned a four-step noise reduction process and support for high frame rate 120fps video (HFR). The only issue? They listed the same features last year. What we'd be really interested to find out is if these new TVs will have any support for the HDMI 2.1 standard. If they do, then it would be possible to input HFR video via HDMI -- last year's sets could only do it via a USB drive. Another big addition last year was support for AI like Google Assistant, and we'll need to see if that gets any upgrades in the new sets as well.
German soccer team puts players on your iPhone for AR selfies
Sports teams and broadcasters have been going all-in on high-tech initiatives lately. The NFL was an early adopter, with AR features appearing on Fox Sports broadcasts. The NBA just released an augmented reality mobile hoops game, Samsung has put MLB and the UFC on its Gear VR and ESPN is streaming X Games content to VR headsets as well. German soccer team, FC Bayern Munich, is taking its first AR steps, too, with a new feature in its iOS app that brings team captain Manuel Neuer or forward Arjen Robben into your iPhone for celebrity selfies.
24 hours with Sony's A9 full-frame mirrorless camera
Sony has one clear goal with its A9 full-frame flagship camera: to make professional photographers forget about their DSLRs. These are high expectations, sure, but the company's new mirrorless shooter seems to tick all the right boxes in terms of specs. The A9 focuses on speed, not so much resolution, which makes sense, considering that Sony's going after people who do sports photography in particular. You'll find a 24.2-megapixel 35mm sensor, 20fps continuous shooting, 1/32,000 shutter speed and a ridiculous 693-point phase detection autofocus that covers 93 percent of your frame. None of this would work without the latest Bionz X processor, though, which Sony claims handles data 20 times faster than previous models.
Sony hopes its full-frame A9 makes pros forget about DSLRs
Sony held an event in New York City today, where it unveiled its new flagship full-frame camera, the A9. This mirrorless shooter, which the company is pegging as a DSLR killer, is geared toward professional photographers -- especially those who shoot sports and other fast-paced environments. The A9 features a 24.2-megapixel 35mm sensor, a new Bionz X processor, an insane AF system with 693 phase detection points (93 percent frame coverage) and built-in 5 axis image stabilization. Given its target audience, the A9 is naturally all about speed, so you'll find a blackout-free, 20fps continuous shooting mode and 1/32,000 shutter speed. Sony says it is its fastest digital camera to date.
Sony's A9 is a powerhouse full-frame flagship camera
Sony has just launched its most impressive, and most expensive mirrorless camera yet, the 24.2-megapixel Alpha A9. Equipped with the first ever full-frame stacked CMOS sensor, it's all about speed, not resolution. The pixel count isn't that high compared to the 42.4-megapixel Alpha 7R II, but it can shoot up to 241 RAW, full-frame images at a scorching 20 fps, thanks to a processing speed 20 times faster than previous models. It also has an ultra-dense 693-point focal plane phase detection autofocus that can do 60 AF/AE tracking calculations per second.
HTC burned another $101 million in the last three months
Much as we'd like to sugarcoat it, the unfortunate truth is that HTC is in trouble, and the situation is only getting worse. The phone maker has posted a third consecutive loss-making quarter, eating around $101 million (£69.6 million) in the last three months. A side-by-side comparison of the same period last year is even more doom-laden, since when it was generating a profit, it was only squeaking a meager $5.6 million. Last year, we asked if HTC was going to be the first really big Android manufacturer to slide into the sea. On this evidence, there's very little that's going to change our mind.
The new 4-inch iPhone may pack a speedy A9 chip
That rumored new 4-inch iPhone, the iPhone 5se, may not just be an iPhone 6 in a smaller case. In a follow-up rumor, 9to5Mac's sources claim that the compact phone is "more likely" to include a version of Apple's A9 processor (and its companion M9 chip), as previously hinted, than the A8. And while it'd still ship with 16GB of baseline storage, you'd have the option of 64GB. Between this and earlier talk of support for Apple Pay and Live Photos, about the only things you'd really miss from the iPhone 6s are the larger display (if you like that), 3D Touch and the higher-resolution camera.
Samsung's Galaxy A9 comes with a gigantic 6-inch display
If you're looking for a phone that can double as a serving tray you're in luck. At its Galaxy A Party 2016 event in China, Samsung announced the high-end Galaxy A9 with a six-inch 1080p super AMOLED display. Never again will you have to squint to see the tiny text on lesser phones like the relatively diminutive Nexus 6P (5.7 inches), iPhone 6s Plus (5.5 inches) or Galaxy Note 5 (5.7 inches). Just be sure to invest in some cargo pants because your jean pockets probably won't cut it.
Rumor: Apple has an updated 4-inch iPhone due early next year
Want a handset with Apple's fancy new A9 processor, a colorful metal case and a slightly smaller display? GHI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo says you're going to get one. According to the analyst's latest research, Apple is on track to launch a 4-inch Apple 5 successor in early 2016 -- painting the picture of a device with the same A9 processor as the iPhone 6s, NFC support for Apple Pay, a metal case with multiple color options and a $400-500 off-contract price tag aimed at the budget market.
HTC won't talk about its own future any more
A few months ago, we suggested that HTC could be the first really big Android manufacturer to go to the wall. In the wake of the firm's most recent update on its financial health, we're not really able to say anything different. The firm has posted a $138.6 million loss for the last three months, which is better than the $265 million it ate in the previous quarter, but still a loss. That may not, however, be the most troubling issue for the firm since, during its investors call, it announced that it would no longer publish guidance on its future performance.
HTC One A9 review: Not the winner this company needs
After the year HTC has had, you almost can't help but feel bad for them. Don't. The Taiwanese phone maker can't take your pity to the bank, so it sequestered itself behind closed doors and tried to build a new smartphone that would excite people the way the last-gen One M9 simply couldn't. The end result is the One A9, a "flagship" smartphone that traded some of the One series' signature features for a divisive design and a seemingly mid-range brain. If this were any other company, I'd have written it off already. The thing is, HTC jumped straight into the big leagues with the One M7 two years ago and I so want it to make a comeback with another brilliant smartphone. Sadly, though, the One A9 seems not to be that device.
HTC's unlocked One A9 will get 'every' Android update soon after Nexus
HTC has a lot riding on the success of its new One A9, so it's no surprise it's busy trying to sweeten the deal. To that end, HTC US president chimed in at the end of the phone's live unveiling to mention that the unlocked version of the A9 will get the "every" Android update "within 15 days" of when it first gets pushed to Google's own Nexus devices. Sounds great, right? Still, we're still left wondering about a few things.
HTC is trying to flip its fortunes with the flagship One A9
HTC has been keeping its brave face on, but 2015 hasn't been very kind. After releasing its high-end One M9 to mixed reviews, the Taiwanese phone maker crept along to the point where its market value was worth less than the amount of money it had in its coffers. Long story short, it's been a tough year for HTC fans (and employees, for that matter). That's why HTC's been working on something new -- the One A9 -- behind some not-so-closed doors. Pre-orders for the unlocked version of this new hero device start today for $399/£429 ahead of a launch in the first week of November, but what is the company actually bringing to the fight?
iPhone 6s battery life may vary slightly depending who made the processor
A few days ago, it was revealed that the A9 chip in Apple's new iPhone 6s is manufactured by two different companies, Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC). More notably, reports started circulating that the battery life in the Samsung A9 devices was notably worse than that of the TSMC iPhones. Some tests have revealed that the TSMC chips last as much as two hours longer than the phones with Samsung silicon inside. Now, Apple has issued an official response that downplays the difference as only a matter of a few percentage points.
HTC's first Android Marshmallow device due on October 20th
Even though HTC isn't a maker of the new Nexus devices with Marshmallow, it'll definitely be one of the first to release its own phone running on the latest Android build. According to the company's announcement, its upcoming product will be launched on October 20th, and you can tune in to the live-stream (12:00 noon ET / 5:00 pm UK) on its website. There's no indication as to whether we can expect this to be the leaky "Aero" aka "A9," but we'd like to think that the coal on HTC's flyer is hinting at the model's "carbon gray" color option. Guess we'll find out in three weeks' time.
HTC 'Aero' leak shows iPhone-like colors, mid-range power
We now know just about everything about HTC's upcoming One A9 'Aero' smartphone, thanks to phone leaker Evan Blass, aka @evleaks. If he's right, it's not the high-end, 10-core model we were expecting, but rather a mid-ranger aimed at style-conscious types, with no less than six color options. The skeptical among us might notice that it vaguely resembles an iPhone 6s, and in fact has three color choices that are nigh-on identical to Apple's latest handsets (rose gold, carbon gray and silver). But it's otherwise a pale imitation of that phone (and other HTC One devices), with a middling Snapdragon 617 CPU, 2GB of RAM and a 1080p screen.
Apple unveils speedy A9 and A9X processors
New iOS devices usually mean new processors, and sure enough, Apple has taken the wraps off of some fresh silicon. The A9X in the iPad Pro is a doozy, packing up to 80 percent better performance than the A8X from the iPad Air 2. It's a champ beyond raw computational power, too, with twice the graphics and storage performance as well as double the memory bandwidth. Supposedly, the A9X is more powerful than 80 percent of portable PCs released in the past year -- that's a bold claim that we'll want to verify for ourselves, but it's certainly promising.
