Sony Xperia Tablet S officially revealed

Sony has finally revealed the its first Xperia branded tablet, the Xperia Tablet S at IFA. This is the replacement of its current Sony Tablet S and it maintains the unique sloping design.
The Xperia Tablet S runs on a 1.4GHz Quad Core Tegra 3 processor and has a 9.4″ IPS display with anti-finger print and anti-friction coating. The back of the Xperia Tablet S is made of aluminium for a durable feel. In addition, the tablet is now splash proof which allows it to be used in more damp situations such as in the kitchen with up to 10 litres/minute for 5 minutes.
In terms of expansion, the Xperia Tablet S supports a full size SD card which is accessible on the sides. Over at the front, there’s a HD capable 1MP camera and there’s a 8MP camera at the rear. Both cameras are back-illuminated CMOS censors that should provide decent shots in low light conditions. The tablet is 8.8mm thick on the thinnest point to 11.85mm at the thickest point. It comes with a 6,000 mAh battery and weighs 570g for WiFi and 585g for 3G version.
Out of the box, it runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. In the software department, Sony has added a couple of features including Small apps which lets you run selected apps as an overlay over existing screen. There’s also multi-user mode where you can have separate profile/modes for each user and there’s even a guest mode as well.
The Xperia Tablet S will be commercially available September onwards and it also comes with a wide variety of accessories such as speaker docks, covers and stands. Visit Sony’s Xperia Tablet S product page for the full details.

Huawei takes RM300 off the Ascend P1. Introductory Price RM999

In conjunction with the official launch of the Ascend P1, Huawei Device Malaysia will be offering its flagship dual-core smartphone at a special introductory price of RM999, some RM300 off the recommended retail price of RM1299, as a special introductory offer.
The Ascend P1 will go on sale starting September 6 and you can get the specially-priced units on the day itself at Level 6, Sentral Ballroom A, KL Hilton from 10.00am to 12.00pm.
In addition, five lucky purchasers of the Ascend P1 stand the chance to buy a second unit for just RM99 or the Huawei E560 Mobile WiFi at only RM9.90.
The Huawei Ascend P1 features a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED 960×540 resolution (256ppi) display with Gorilla Glass. Huawei says the Ascend P1 “provides the fastest multi-tasking, video replay and gaming experience in its class” with a dual-core 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4460 Cortext-A9 processor with 1GB of RAM, micro SD support and a 1670mAh battery.
In the imaging department, you get a back-lit 8MP rear camera with 1080p video and a front facing 1.3MP unit. Other features include Dolby Mobile 3.0 + 5.1 surround sound technology.
The Huawei Ascend P1 will be available in metallic black and ceramic white.
Full details on the introductory offer here.

Has Apple Really Ever Invented Anything?

The guys from Tek Syndicate bring up some very interesting points.

The Samsung Galaxy Camera Revealed

More details on the Galaxy Camera — The lens is wide-angle 21x optical zoom lens. The 16-megapixel sensor is a BSI CMOS unit that is larger than most camera phones but run of the mill for point and shooters. The 4.8-inch display is a HD SLCD unit. Processing is via a 1.4GHz quad-core chip that’s likely a Samsung-made Exynos. You get 8GB of on-board storage and microSD expansion. A rather small 1,650mAh battery provides juice. The device runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
After much rumours and a lot of uncertainty, we’ve finally gotten confirmation that the Samsung’s Android-powered camera is indeed real.
Just like the Nikon Coolpix S800c, the Galaxy Camera ushers in a new stage in the evolution of Android devices – full-fledged cameras powered by the most used mobile operating system in the world at the moment.
Initial details reveal that the Galaxy Camera features a 4.8-inch touchscreen display and what looks to be Android 4.0 running on it. Just like any Android powered device, you can download apps right from the Google Play market and use it like you would on any other Android device. In terms of imaging, you get a 16MP sensor but we can’t tell at the moment what size sensor that is. Though considering the Galaxy Camera is actually a camera and not a phone with a camera bolted onto it, we expect the device to have a larger sensor than typically seen in smartphone.
In terms of camera functionality, you get virtually identical features as you do on the Galaxy S III like face recognition and Easy Share. Text and MMS messaging is also possible but it doesn’t look like you can make calls with the device or use it like you would a normal smartphone.
We’re expecting Samsung to reveal full details of the Galaxy Camera a little later, so stay with us for updates. As it is, we’re liking what we see, these Android powered cameras looks interesting. What do you think?

Remote Control Car like JAMESBOND-By China's BYD

BYD Auto has released a new iteration of its F3 sedan, one of the best-selling compacts in China, on to its home market. Called the F3 Su Rui, prices begin from a meagre 65,900RMB (RM32,300) for the basic 109 hp naturally aspirated 1.5 litre variant.
But it’s the range-topper that intrigues us most, for it features remote driving – without actually being in the car, one can drive it from a distance of up to 10 metres away, enabling things like parking in super tight spaces and getting it to pick you up on your doorstep on a rainy day. Before you entertain ideas of silly stunts in a deserted car park, we have to tell you that top speed is limited to 2 km/h in remote-controlled mode. Take a gander at the rather cheery commercial below:

All-new Mazda 6 revealed

The next-generation Mazda 6 has made its world debut at the Moscow Motor Show, and we now have full details of Mazda’s D-segment challenger, which is the second car after the CX-5 to marry the carmaker’s Kodo design language with Skyactiv tech. This is an important model – Mazda calls it the flagship model of a new generation of vehicles.
The focus is on driving pleasure. Program Manager Hiroshi Kajiyama describes the new 6 as “a car that handles so well it seems to respond directly to the driver’s intentions rather than the physical manipulations of steering, braking and accelerating.”

“In short, the new Mazda 6 offers the ‘joy of driving’ that people have come to expect from Mazda, but the experience starts even before you get behind the wheel and lingers long after the drive is over. I can’t wait to see the look on the faces of people getting out of the car after their first time behind the wheel of the new Mazda 6,” he adds.
The 6 was never the biggest car around, but this one is spacious. The front wheels have been moved forward by 100 mm in relation to the A-pillars, and a 2,830 mm wheelbase (30 mm longer than current Accord) delivers good cabin space.
At the back, knee clearance is 43 mm better than the previous model, while leg room, at 984 mm, is 37 mm up on the old car. The length of the rear seat cushion has been increased by 20 mm and the seat back length by 33 mm. Overall length is 4,865 mm.

Up front, the driver gets an i-Drive style “multi commander” to control various functions via the five-inch colour centre display. Trip management information is displayed on a 3.5-inch multi-info display in the meter cluster, which has a classic three-dial layout. There’s no colourful illumination like in previous Mazdas – this one is more classy and serious.
Underneath, the Mazda 6 sits on a Skyactiv chassis that comprises front struts and rear multi-links, tuned for “agile driving performance in the low to mid-speed ranges and stability during high-speed driving.”
The Skyactiv body structure makes wider use of ultra-high tensile steel, reducing weight while at the same time improving torsional rigidity by about 30%. The car’s slippery shape and optimised underbody contribute to a class-leading coefficient of drag (CD) of 0.26.

Two Skyactiv-G petrol engines have been announced, a 2.0 and a 2.5, both chain-driven, direct injection four-cylinder units. The smaller unit is the one with the higher compression ratio (14:0 compared to 13:0 for the 2.5) and it makes 150 PS and 210 Nm at 4,000 rpm. The 2.5L does 192 PS and class leading 256 Nm of torque at a rather low 3,250 rpm, which is a good thing. Six-speed transmissions are available – one has a choice of manual or auto for the 2.0, but the 2.5 is auto-only.
There’s more. The new 6 debuts i-ELOOP, Mazda’s brake energy regeneration system which begins charging a capacitor (a unique method) the moment the driver takes his foot off the accelerator. Electricity stored in the capacitor can then be used to power electric components throughout the car. This lessens burden on the engine and improves fuel economy. Mazda’s i-stop start-stop system, with a class leading engine restart time of 0.35 seconds, is also present.

By the way, claimed combined fuel consumption is 6.1 litres per 100 km for the 2.0 auto with i-stop and 6.4L per 100 km for the 2.5 auto with i-ELOOP and i-stop. Kerb weight for the family ranges from 1,340 kg to 1,410 kg.
Available safety kit include High-Beam Control System, Adaptive Front-Lighting System, Hill Launch Assist, Emergency Stop Signal (hazard lights rapidly flicker in the event of panic braking), Rear Vehicle Monitoring, Lane Departure Warning and the infrared Smart City Brake Support. The latter auto brakes the car below 30 km/h to prevent or reduce impact.