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Samsung's Gear S smartwatch doesn't need a phone to get online or make calls
Samsung is taking the wraps off of yet another new smartwatch, but the Gear S (not Solo) has a twist: there's a 3G modem inside. While it may not be especially fast, that means that even when outside the range of a Bluetooth-connected phone or WiFi, it can still send and receive messages or make calls. It has a 2-inch AMOLED screen plus a dual-core 1GHz CPU inside along with GPS, heart rate and motion sensors, all powered by a 300mAh battery Samsung says can last up to two days. It runs Tizen instead of Android Wear, with pedestrian navigation available from from Nokia's HERE and support for Facebook. In the run up to IFA next week Samsung is also bringing the Gear Circle headset (yes, we also figured they'd save that name for a round watch) that pairs with a phone over Bluetooth, letting users hear notifications, use voice commands or listen to music through the earbuds.
Imagination Technologies will give its 'Raspberry Pi on steroids' away for free
Grab someone in the street and ask them about Imagination Technologies and they're more likely to run away than tell you that it's the company that designs the graphics chips for Apple's mobile devices. The company is more than just the home of PowerVR, however, and bought MIPS in order to become a direct rival to ARM, its more famous UK chip-design neighbor. Now, the company has decided to produce a Raspberry Pi-style development board in the hope of taking MIPS mainstream, describing it as "Raspberry Pi on steroids." Aside from the differences in hardware and chip architecture between the two devices, there's one big change in approach: Imagination Technologies is giving its board away for free.
Kobo's Aura H20 lets you read in the bath
With Barnes and Noble reduced to borrowing Samsung tablets and Sony giving up altogether, only Kobo stands in the way of Amazon's total e-book domination. Now, the company is hoping to steal a march on its rival by introducing the first waterproof e-reader, the Aura H2O (assuming you don't count Waterfi, and we aren't). It's the first such device that's IP67 certified, meaning that it'll last under a meter of water for up to half an hour if the port cover is closed. The display is the same size as the Aura HD, offering a 6.8-inch touch-enabled e-ink display with ComfortLight tech, offering a resolution of 1,430 x 1,080 and a pixel density of 265 dpi. Like its brethren, it does come with Pocket integration, enabling you to read long form web content away from your tablet or smartphone. There's 4GB of on-board storage and a microSD slot if you want to add in a 32GB card, as well as a battery that's rated for two months of use -- if you only use it for 30 minutes a day, of course. The Kobo Aura H2O will be available on October 1st, priced at $180 in the US/Canada, £140 in the UK and €180 in Spain, Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands.
LG unveils a cheaper G3 that comes with a Galaxy Note-baiting stylus
Have we reached complete, utter, smartphone product launch saturation? Nah. Here's another one. LG's latest (and not unexpected) announcement has some charm of its own, fusing a G3-esque body and UI with a 5.5-inch screen and a new stylus that looks like it'll slide into the phone. (LG's prior stylus models sometimes had the pen accessory float around separately -- it wasn't a good thing.) It won't house the same incredible screen as the G3 flagship, unfortunately. In fact, the display is a less-than-mediocre 960 x 540 resolution, yeesh. LG's pegging the giant phone at a keener price-point -- one it hasn't shared in the announcement -- which could make an interesting option for those pining for sketching skills sans flagship prices. There's a quad-core processor, and a 13-megapixel camera without the laser-beam focus to round out the notable hardware points and it'll first land in Brazil, before rolling out across Asia and Europe. Oh and it will be making an appearance at IFA -- as will we. We'll let you know how it fares in the flesh.
LG's first 4K OLED TV is ready to kill LCDs once and for all
LG only just brought its 55-inch 1080p OLED to a $3,500 price that's within the limits of mainstream credit cards, and it's already back with something better. The curved 4K OLED TV we saw at CES is about to go on sale in Korea, and will arrive soon everywhere else, meaning well-heeled buyers don't have to choose between Ultra HD resolution and the sweet black levels offered by this newer display technology. We don't have an official US price for the TV yet, but HDGuru's usually reliable retail sources say the 65-inch 4K model (there's also a 77-inch version) will arrive for about $7,000 next month, while the 77-inch version has a £20,000 price tag in the UK. In Korea it will cost 12,000,000 won ($11,738), however US prices are usually much lower. LG exec Hyun-hwoi Ha isn't mincing words either, calling the new display "the pinnacle of technological achievement" and saying the tech will overcome LCDs in sales in just a few years. Can OLED pull off what plasma couldn't? LG is betting it will -- meanwhile Samsung seems convinced that OLED isn't quite ready for prime time.
ASUS teases smartwatch for September 3rd event
If we're honest, it's reasonable to assume that ASUS will announce a smartwatch on September 3rd. After all, if the rumors saying that the company's working on an Android Wear device aren't enough, then the pretty obvious teaser image should be. According to those pesky rumor-mongers, the unit will be priced between $99 and $149, making it the cheapest Google-approved wearable on the market. We've also heard, thanks to our own sources on the grapevine, that despite the lower price, the watch will use similar hardware to both the Gear Live and G Watch. The only concession apparently being in the battery life department, which will linger somewhere between the 300mAh on the Gear Live and the 400mAh found on the G Watch. Still, whatever the truth, there's only a fortnight to go before we'll find out for ourselves.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 leak suggests huge QHD display and improved camera
If there's one thing that you're guaranteed to see at IFA, it's Samsung showing off the fourth version of the Galaxy Note. Unfortunately, any surprise factor the company might have been relying on has been lost if this credible-looking spec list is true. Indonesian retailer Erafone is claiming that the new flagship will arrive with a 5.7-inch 1,440 x 2,560 (515 ppi) Super AMOLED display and a 16-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization. Like other Samsung units, the device will come in two variants, one packing a quad-core Snapdragon 805 (SM-N910S) and an octa-core version running an Exynos 5433 (SM-N910C) that we assume will remain in Korea. Rounding out the notable specs are 4GB RAM, up to 128GB of microSD card storage and Android KitKat 4.4.3. According to the retailer, the device is priced at IDR 9,499,000, which roughly converts to $812, but either way, September 3rd simply cannot come fast enough.
Here's what Samsung's VR headset looks like in real life
Sure, you've seen a 3D render of Samsung's widely leaked virtual reality headset, but what's it like in the real world? Well, you may be looking at it right now -- The Verge has posted what it says is a photo of the Oculus-backed eyewear. It's not quite as sleek as the earlier imagery, but the basic formula lines up with what we've heard; a faceplate at the front lets you plug your phone in and use it as a screen for VR games and other apps. The biggest change from the early image is the presence of a focus dial that helps you see clearly. There's no certainty that this is exactly what Samsung will unveil at next month's IFA show, assuming it's authentic in the first place, but it wouldn't surprise us in the least to see this wearable display on stage.
Microsoft teases new camera-focused Windows Phones on September 4th
You won't have to wait long if you're hoping for a new round of Windows Phones with powerful cameras. Microsoft has just sent out a save-the-date notice that asks the media if it's ready for "more face time" at a Berlin event on September 4th, just ahead of the IFA technology show. There's a Lumia 1020-style camera module not-so-subtly woven into the text, too. While there are no dead giveaways in the teaser, it's not hard to figure out the references. Our hunch is that "face time" is an allusion to "Superman" (aka the Lumia 730), the selfie-oriented Windows Phone that leaked just a few days ago. The module is slightly more cryptic, but it might be hinting at the aluminum-clad, 13-megapixel "Tesla" (Lumia 830) that reportedly surfaced last month. We're headed to IFA, so you should expect to hear much, much more about any new Lumias within a few weeks.