HTC One M8 Eye Quietly Launched in China, but It Won’t Be Released Worldwide

Yesterday HTC came forward with two new devices aimed at camera lovers, the HTC Desire Eye and the RE camera, both of which will be available for purchase this month.

However, we expected the Taiwanese company to launch at least two new smartphones, the HTC Desire Eye and the One M8 Eye, but only the former was officially introduced during the “Double Exposure” event. Well, it appears that the reason for which the HTC One M8 Eye hasn’t been unveiled yesterday is the fact that it won’t be available worldwide. The smartphone has been recently spotted over at HTC China website, Slashgear reports. If you happen to live in China, you can now pre-order the HTC One M8 Eye for 3,999 yuan outright, which is about $650 or €510. According to HTC China, the smartphone should effectively go on sale on October 15.

Word is HTC One M8 Eye will only be released in China and India, which is bad news for HTC fans who wanted a Desire Eye in metal-clad. Speaking of which, the One M8 Eye is not a metal version of the Desire Eye. Although the former boasts a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera instead of the 4-UltraPixel photo snapper, it only sports a 5-megapixel front-facing camera (no LED flash included), just like the standard HTC One M8. Apart from that, HTC One M8 Eye seems to have the same specs as the original One M8 model. This means the device comes with a 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory.

In addition, the smartphone packs microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 128GB), as well as a 2600 mAh Li-Polymer non-removable battery.

It comes with a free DotView case in the sales package

HTC One M8 Eye sports a 5-inch Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution and features Corning Gorilla Glass 3 coating for extra protection. Connectivity-wise, there aren’t any differences between the One M8 Eye and the other two HTC smartphones, so users will be offered a lot of option, including LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack and NFC (Near Field Communication). Those who absolutely need to have this version of the One M8 will be pleased to know the smartphone comes with a free DotView case in the sales package as well. Let’s hope sales of the One M8 Eye will be good enough to justify a launch in additional territories.

HTC One M8 Eye
Image credits to HTC China

Read more »

Nexus 6 Benchmark Confirms 2.7GHz Snapdragon 805 CPU, QHD Display

Motorola Shamu, also known as Nexus 6 or Nexus X has been spotted in another benchmark, along with some of its specs. This is not the first time and most likely won’t be the last that we see the Nexus 6 being benchmarked by those who received prototype units.

By the time Google decides to go official with its next flagship smartphone, we might as well learn all the features the Nexus 6 has to offer. The only thing that’s unclear is whether or not Google will go with only one Nexus 6 model or there will be two variations customers will be able to choose from. Even though initial rumors pointed to a 5.2-inch Nexus 6 smartphone, it looks like Google will in fact launch a much larger 5.9-inch version, which might not appeal to all those Nexus fans. Nevertheless, word is Motorola will be taking care of all those who prefer a smaller version of Nexus 6, as the company is rumored to launch a 5.2-inch Motorola smartphone that will be part of the Android Silver series. Anyway, these are just speculations coming from different sources close to the matter, but Google and Motorola may decide otherwise at any time, so it’s impossible to tell for sure what Google’s plans are for the moment.

The benchmark indicates Nexus 6 might pack a 5.2-inch display after all

Until Nexus 6 goes official, let’s see what the smartphone might look like on the inside. As we mentioned earlier, this is not the first time we find the device at a benchmark site, but as we’re getting closer to Nexus 6’s unveiling, it’s getting clearer that Google will launch a 5.9-inch phablet. Redditor @r0fl published a few screenshots taken from CPU-Z benchmark where Motorola Shamu aka Nexus 6 is listed with a powerful 2.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor inside. The phone’s powerful chipset features an Adreno 420 graphics processing unit and no less than 3GB of RAM. The benchmark also confirms the Nexus 6’s display will support QHD (2560 x 1440 pixels) resolution and an amazing 560ppi (pixel per density). As expected, Nexus 6 will pack 32GB of internal memory, but only 24GB will be available for users. It’s unclear whether or not Google will add a microSD card slot for memory expansion, but previous versions did not come with one, so we doubt the search giant will make an exception in this case.

It remains to be seen if the Nexus 6 will include a 5.2- or 5.9-inch display, as this will be a major influence on its sales.

CPU-Z benchmark results for Motorola Shamu aka Nexus 6
Image credits to @rofl

Read more »

Auros X7 Pro Gaming Laptop Has 17.3-Inch FHD Display, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M in SLI

The battle to slim down the weight of gaming notebooks to the maximum has been intensifying in recent times. Back at Computex, Gigabyte introduced the Auros X3 which was touted the world’s most powerful and lightest gaming laptop in its class.

The laptop weighed 4.12 lbs / 1.8 kg so it was a tad lighter than the Razer Blade with its 4.47 lbs / 2.02. But since the advent of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M / 970M GPUs, most gaming solution manufacturers have announced updated models or completely new iterations based on the new architecture. So Auros is following the trend with the launch of the X7 Pro gaming notebook which comes equipped with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M.

Auros X7 Pro offers SLI options

While this is not the top-of-line GPU of the lineup, Auros is offering the laptop in SLI configuration. This dual-graphic card set-up will apparently be able to provide 30% performance improvements and substantial drop in power consumption even when compared to the GeForce GTX 980M (as seen at Notebook Check). The X7 Pro follows the tradition of sleek gaming gear and is quite portable by itself. The lappy is 3 kg / 6.6 lbs while its dimensions are 428 x 305 x 22.9 mm / 16.8 x 12 x 0.9 inches. The laptop will ship out with a spacious 17.3-inch IPS display with 1080p and Auros hasn’t said anything about a QHD option (sadly). However, the laptop can output up to three monitors at the same time thanks to the NVIDIA Surround technology.

Inside rests a 4th-gen Intel Core i7-4870HQ processor fitted with up to 8GB of RAM. In the storage department, there are four slots reserved to accommodate three mSATA up to 512GB and one 2.5-inch SATA III. As for connectivity, the laptop offers Killer LAN, 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, three USB 3.0, two USB 2.0, HDMI, mini-Display Port, surround port, d-sub, SD card reader, mic-in and SPDIF. The press release does leave out some interesting details, like for example, how long the battery lasts. Given that NVIDIA’s new GPUs are designed to offer more hours of gaming on the go, future users of the new Auros laptop should be seeing improved times, but this remains to be seen as the laptop makes its way to customers.

The Auros X7 Pro is expected to arrive towards the end of the month with a price tag of $2,599 / €2,040. Sadly, the Auros laptop doesn’t offer advanced options such as a 4K display with 3,840 x 2,160 pixels or up to 32GB of RAM onboard. If you like these options, you’d best reorient yourself toward other products such as the Eurocom M5 Pro.

Auros X7 Pro offers NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M in SLI
Images credits to Auros

Read more »

HTC Periscope-Looking RE Camera Launches, Is Very Simple, Cute and Portable

As expected for the past few weeks, HTC unveiled during the “Double Exposure” event in New York its own take at GoPro action cams, coming in the form of the RE camera.

The company already teased the device a while ago, so we knew the little gizmo looks like a PVC pipe (or maybe a periscope or asthma inhaler) so users can grip it easier.

The RE camera is small and colorful

The RE comes with IP57 rating, so it can be used while you’re having a fun day at the beach. The camera arrives with a 16MP 1/ 2.3-inch sensor with ultra-wide 146-degree lens. The camera can shoot 1080p video and capture 16MP photos but comes equipped with a bunch of extra features such as slow-motion video capture and time-lapse recording. On top of that, HTC promises that a future software update will bestow the capacity to stream recorded videos live over the Internet. The camera lacks a viewfinder but can be connected up with an Android or iPhone wirelessly, so you can automatically send your photos/videos directly on your mobile device. The dedicated app on your phone can also act as a viewfinder if you really need to see what you’re capturing.

RE takes advantage of an inbuilt grip sensor, so as soon as the user picks it up, the device starts by itself. The surface of the device isn't home to many buttons but one that is used for taking pictures and recording video by virtue of a long pressing it.

HTC RE can be used pretty much as a GoPro

HTC says the RE camera’s main focus is not action photography, but if users want to mount it up in the style of the GoPro camera, they can very well do that by clipping it to a backpack, necklace, bike, surf board and so on. HTC mentioned the little shooter relies on a 820mAh battery which translates into you being able to snap about 1200 photographs and recording more than 100 minutes of full HD video. The RE camera weighs a tiny 65.5 g / 0.14 lbs (so it’s very portable) and is equipped with Bluetooth, microUSB and Wi-Fi. On the inside, HTC has nestled 8GB of internal storage that can be expanded to 128GB if you need it.

The HTC Re camera should arrive on retail shelves in time for the holiday season with a price tag of $199 / €156. The device maker will also release a few accessories for the little periscope. Expect the HTC Re to arrive with re-sellers such as Amazon, Best Buy and carriers like Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobie. You can pre-order the camera starting today from the Re-Camera website.

HTC RE camera goes official
Images credits to RE Camera

Read more »