Samsung Explains ARM "big.LITTLE Technology" for Exynos 5 Octa

In early January, Samsung unveiled to the world the first eight-core processor aimed at smartphones, namely the Exynos 5 Octa, which is based on the big.LITTLE technology from ARM.

The SoC will arrive on devices with two quad-core processors packed inside, one aimed for high performance, a Cortex-A15 CPU, and another for low-demand operations, namely a Cortex-A7 processor.   According to Samsung, the new SoC should provide users both with increased performance capabilities on upcoming smartphones, and with increased battery life, since tasks will be assigned to a different processor depending on their needs.

To show more on what the new chip can offer, the company came up with a video demo, which can be seen embedded above. “This video provides an overview of ARM big.LITTLE technology and shows an operating demonstration, based on a Cortex-A15 and Cortex-A7 processor in a big.LITTLE configuration can provide optimum performance and reduce energy consumption,” Samsung notes.

This video provides an overview of ARM big.LITTLE technology and shows an operating demonstration, based on a Cortex-A15 and Cortex-A7 processor in a big.LITTLE configuration can provide optimum performance and reduce energy consumption.
This video was originally posted by ARM, Ltd. Please visit ARMFlix (http://www.youtube.com/armflix) for more ARM & Samsung Exynos-based videos.
 For more information about Samsung Exynos processor, visit
http://www.samsung.com/exynos or http://twitter.com/samsungexynos
Video credits to SamsungSemi1

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Sony Xperia ZL Offers The Highest Screen-Size to Phone-Size Ratio in The World

Today, Sony Mobile officially announced the upcoming availability of its Xperia ZL smartphone in Canada in April on the networks of multiple wireless carriers there, and it also unveiled some interesting facts about the device.

According to the company, its Android-based smartphone offers the highest screen size to phone size ratio in the world, which makes Xperia ZL a rather unique device. “As of January 2013, the Sony Xperia ZL smartphone offers the highest screen size to phone size ratio (75.84%) of any phone ever announced,” the company notes in a press release, XperiaBlog has found.

Furthermore, the handset vendor explains that the statement is based on the analysis of hardware specifications of 884 smartphones. “Screen area is calculated based on display size and aspect ratio; device area is calculated as height multiplied by width,” the company also explains.

Sony Xperia ZL
Image credits to Sony

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Samsung Galaxy Altius SmartWatch Leaks

Word that Apple plans to release an iWatch emerged a while ago and it appears that competition is already taking it serious.

A similar device manufactured by Samsung has just been spotted recently by the folks over at Techkiddy on Korean forums. Although the devices hasn't been caught on camera yet, there are a bunch of screenshots that suggest this Samsung Galaxy Altius is a smartwatch. In fact it's more than a smartwatch as the device comes with support for GSM network communication.

It is also worth mentioning is powered by the so-called Altius operating system and allows users to view email and listen to music. The leaked screenshots also indicate the smartwatch is working with South Korean carrier SK Telecom. For the time being, there's no telling if these images are real or just another hoax, so stay tuned for more updates on the matter.

Samsung Galaxy Altius screenshot
Images credits to Ruliweb

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Samsung Galaxy S IV Mini to Arrive in May

Samsung’s upcoming flagship Android-based Galaxy S IV smartphone is expected to be launched alongside a mini flavor, which might arrive on shelves starting with May, it seems.

No official info on the matter has emerged so far, but the guys over at SamMobile have it under good authority that the smartphone will be brought to shelves starting with week 21. The handset is said to have been included in Samsung’s project J under the codename of Fortius, though specific details on it are not available for the time being.

Chances are, however, that Samsung would announce the device at the same Unpacked Event as Galaxy S IV, or soon after. It also remains to be seen whether it will indeed be called Galaxy S IV mini (as Galaxy S III’s smaller flavor), or if Samsung will adopt an entirely new name for it.

Samsung Galaxy S IV mini rumored for a May launch
Image credits to SAMMobile

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Report: Samsung to Sell 100 Million Galaxy S IV Units

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung has yet to officially confirm plans to bring to the market a successor of its last year flagship Android-based Galaxy S III smartphone, but estimates on its market performance have already started to emerge.

Apparently, the company might be able to sell no less than 100 million Galaxy S IV units, at least this is said to be the planned number of devices to be built. The info comes from Jefferies & Company analyst Peter Misek, who wrote in a recent research note that manufacturers will have to shift their focus to this device, while leaving other clients aside. “The enormous 100 million S4 build plan (we estimate the S3 sold 60M) is leading some suppliers to say that they will reallocate resources away from Apple,” Misek wrote in his research note, BGR reports. This will further help Samsung place itself in a better position than Apple, as the Galaxy S IV component and manufacturing needs will put pressure on the development of new iPhone models. In fact, Apple has already been rumored to be working on the release of at least two new flavors of its iconic handset, one set to arrive later this year as the successor of iPhone 5, and another to arrive next year with a 5-inch or larger touchscreen display.

Samsung’s current flagship Android device, the aforementioned Galaxy S III, which was officially launched in April last year, is estimated to be sold in over 60 million units until it falls into oblivion. Samsung has already confirmed over 40 million Galaxy S III units to have been sold until January this year. As mentioned above, nothing has been officially unveiled on Galaxy S IV until now, but Samsung is expected to make a formal announcement on it sometime in March, while planning on pushing it to shelves starting with April, this year.

Alleged Samsung Galaxy S IV leaked photo
Image credits to SAMMobile

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iOS 6.1 Security Bug Opens Camera Roll to Curious Eyes [Video]

Apple has a serious issue with the security of its iDevices, even when customers set a passcode lock. Apparently, after patching at least two such bugs in previous iOS versions, Apple still can’t keep curious eyes out of passcode-locked devices on iOS 6.1.

Demonstrated by a YouTube user, the flaw involves some messing around with the Emergency Call function. The previous flaws looked pretty much the same, giving us the impression that Apple never pays much attention to this aspect of the iOS. The bug allows anyone with physical access to the iPhone to bypass the password lock and access the phone application, as well as the contacts. From there, a user can attempt to change a contact’s profile picture and the phone opens up access to the camera roll, the holy grail for amateur hackers peeking into their friends’ handsets.

The person who manages to get the trick done – as there are several steps to be followed before bypassing the security feature – can also modify contacts, check voicemail, etc. The good thing is that Apple is currently working on a new iOS update to patch some other issues. Now they have a new one to address.

Here is how to..... please, subscribe!
 First part:
  -Go to emergency call, push down the power button and tap cancel.
  -Dial 112 and tap green and inmediately red.
  -Go to lock screen.
Ok...ready for second part:
  -Go to passcode screen.
  -Keep pushing down the power button ...1...2...3...seconds and before showing the slider "turn off"...tap the emergency call button and ...voilá!
 -Then without releasing the power button press the home button and ready...
Video credits to videosdebarraquito

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Sony Flat Battery, Has Triple Capacity, 10-Minute Recharge Time

Researchers at the University of Southern California have finished one of their latest projects, which will supplement the energy efficiency of hardware today even further than anyone may have dared hope for.

Batteries are one of the essential components of all consumer electronics devices, or other tech products, that are cable-free. Most of them are small and possible to carry around in a pocket or bag, but some are larger, like field packs and such. Either way, what they all have in common is a reliance on battery power.  The most common used in PCs and all other devices today, from phones to mobile routers, are lithium-ion batteries. Researchers at the University of Southern California have managed to triple the energy capacity of such batteries, even as they cut the recharge time from several hours to 10 minutes. Their solution involved disposing of the thin sheets of carbon graphite located at each electrode, or the lithium-silicon cells in newer batteries (silicon replacing toxic cobalt as the battery's anode), which degrade and crack over time.

A study reports that fields of porous silicon nano-tubes can be used to move electrons around without losing capacity or degrading. They are less than 100 nano-meters across and just a few microns long. With silicon sheets no longer an issue, and the breakdown potential eliminated, the researchers were able to achieve the improvements mentioned above. The team was led by Viterbi School of Engineering professor Chongwu Zhou and believes that it will take as little as three years for the invention to become practically applicable. And since the batteries will supposedly not cost much more to make than normal, there will be no cause to dissuade their promotion. "It's an exciting research. It opens the door for the design of the next generation lithium-ion batteries," said Chongwu Zhou.

Sony flat battery, a portable power pack
Image credits to Sony

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MSI GeForce GTX 680 Lightning-L Graphics Card

Micro-Star International, like so many other IT companies, often launches hardware products in Japan without doing the same anywhere else.

The new GeForce GTX 680 Lightning-L graphics card is one item so far only up for sale in that country. It is a cheaper version of the GeForce GTX 680 Lightning, with a clock speed of 1,019 MHz / 1,084 MHz GPU Boost. That makes it faster than the reference adapter (1,006 MHz / 1,058 MHz) but slower than the original Lightning (1,110 MHz / 1,176 MHz).

As for the rest, the adapter has a dual-fan cooler and four display outputs (dual-DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort). No price is known yet. Overall, the card could be a nice consolation prize for whomever can't afford or won't be lucky enough to score one of the few GeForce Titan boards on February 18.

MSI GeForce GTX 680-L
Image credits to MSI

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