First Project Ara Modules Appear: Innolux Displays and Sennheiser Audio

The first modular smartphone kit to arrive under the Project Ara banner should be launched later this year. While we wait on the big occasion, we thought you’d like to know that developers are working on the modules that will actually let you achieve device customization. And the first parts are in. Display maker Innolux has already unveiled a 4.5-inch, 1280 x 720 pixel Ltps display with 600 cd/m2 brightness plus a 1 mm / 0.03 inch border panel. The module is resistant against scratches and such, thanks to Corning’s Gorilla Glass technology. Innolux also plans to start manufacturing 3D and E-Ink displays for Project Ara. Moreover, German audio specialist Sennheiser has started preparations for designing high-end audio modules. The...

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Canonical Reveals the Hardware Specs of the Ubuntu Aquarius E4.5 Phone

Canonical has revealed the specs for the Aquarius E4.5 phone that will launch with Ubuntu Touch, although they were not exactly a state secret. Information about the launch of the Ubuntu-powered Bq Aquarius E4.5 phone in February was made public only a month ago, so it's not really a secret what phones will be used by the Spanish partners at Canonical. Meizu, the partners from China, have been much more secretive and it's likely that they will wait until the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona scheduled to start on March 2. In the meantime, even if Meizu was the first company to confirm the release of an Ubuntu phone, it looks like Bq beat them to the punch, although they are aiming at different users. The specs detailed by Canonical...

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Google Project Ara Modules Will Be Compatible with BLOCKS Modular Smartwatch

A while ago we talked about the BLOCKS modular smartwatch platform, which is built according to rules similar to Google’s Project Ara, an initiative that aims to build a smartphone made out of swappable modules. At first, these two endeavors seemed like separate projects, but it turns out that at some point in the future they will be intertwined. That translates into the fact that some Project Ara modules will be made compatible BLOCKS’ modular smartwatch. According to a member from the BLOCKS team, they have already met with Project Ara’s team to discuss the further implementation of the idea. So in the near future you’ll probably be able to swap out a camera, battery, sensor, secondary notification display or microphone from your...

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Sapphire Radeon R9 290X with 8 GB Memory Launched

Overclocked graphics cards are the name of the game immediately after every new video board release, but today we aren't looking at yet another NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960. Instead, the AMD crowd is retaliating, so to speak. Perhaps that is not altogether appropriate to say, since the board that Sapphire has just released is in no way meant to compete with NVIDIA's newest Maxwell model. Which is not to mean that it is weaker. Quite the opposite, Sapphire has launched one of the best single-GPU cards yet, the Radeon R9 290X Tri-X 8GB. This video card is an incarnation of the Radeon R9 290X single-GPU top-tier adapter from AMD, only with 8 GB instead of “only” four. The Sapphire R9 290X Tri-X 8GB The GPU, known in most circles as the...

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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960: DX12, 9.3 GHz Memory and 21W Power Consumption

We have been following the approach of the new Maxwell-based graphics card from NVIDIA closely, and now we can finally say that the video board is ready to sell, for only $199 / €199. Early rumors said that we may as well expect something like four hundred dollars / euro or more, but considering what card the GTX 960 will replace, that turned out to be too high. The GTX 960 was made as a replacement for the GeForce GTX 660. And GTX 760, but mostly the GTX 660 because people who bought a GTX 760 last year aren't as likely to want an upgrade so soon after spending that money. More importantly, the performance gain would not be worth it. Even NVIDIA's reps said as much during the conference call of a few days ago. Indeed, while the GTX...

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Despite Constant Denial, Samsung Wants to Buy BlackBerry, Leaked Document Shows

Last week the entire world turned its eyes on Samsung and BlackBerry, as a rumor popped up online saying that the Korean tech giant is looking to purchase the Canadian company. Since then both BlackBerry and Samsung have stepped forward and denied the allegations. Samsung was more specific and explained it was not looking to acquire BlackBerry, but it was still interested in continuing and strengthening their ongoing partnership. But could it be that the two companies prefer to keep quiet until some papers are signed and the deal is sealed off? It turns out the Samsung-BlackBerry acquisition is still on the table It’s a big possibility, especially since the Financial Post dug up a document dated to Q4 2014, written by investment...

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Oppo Find 9 Leaks with Snapdragon 810 and 4GB of RAM

Just yesterday Oppo introduced a kooky new phone called the U3, which arrives in the wild with a pretty big 5.9-inch display, octa-core processor and a slightly disturbing bunny-tale case. Well, it seems like Oppo is not planning to take a break from unveiling phones anytime soon. Newly uncovered information coming to us via Giz China reveals that Oppo is working towards bringing out a new model from the Find series. You might remember that, when it launched, the Find 7 was one of the first smartphones to arrive with a Quad HD display, so we’re expecting good things from the Oppo Find 9. Oppo Find 9 is going to be a big phone A few screenshots showcasing the device already popped out in China, and as you can very well see, we’re...

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Qualcomm Remaining 2015 Roadmap Leaks, Snapdragon 820 Ready to Rock

While we are still waiting for Qualcomm to start shipping out batches of its high-end Snapdragon 810 chip to device manufacturers like Xiaomi and LG, the chip-makers roadmap for the second half of 2015 has already leaked. Twitter account @leaksfly has managed to get ahold of information that reveals what we can expect from Qualcomm throughout this year. For starters, the successor of the “current” Snapdragon 810 will be the Snapdragon 820. Its purported specifications reveal two major differences. Traditionally, Snapdragon chips are based on Krait CP cores, but the transition into 64-bit territory happened to come at the same time with the end of life for Krait. So the Snapdragon 810 was released without its own custom core. But the...

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Oppo R1C Is Here with Sapphire Display, Snapdragon 615 and $400 Price

Just like we were telling you a few days ago, today Oppo took the opportunity to unveil the new R1C smartphone, which is basically a refresh of the Oppo R1S. The most appealing feature of the handset is that it is offered with a sapphire glass display. While major tech players in the industry like Apple have yet to offer products taking advantage of the indestructible technology, Asian companies have gotten a head start in this department. Yesterday we talked about one of Apple’s suppliers, Desay which recently unveiled the Magical Mirror X5, a handset which offers a sapphire display for a budget price tag. Oppo R1C boasts sapphire glass Anyway, going back to the Oppo R1C, the handset makes a debut into the wild with a 5-inch...

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DDR4 Memory Record Set by G.Skill DDR4 RAM

The DDR4 memory technology is relatively young at the moment, with only a select few ultra high-end workstation motherboards even having support for them. Those powered by the X99 chipset from Intel. This does, however, mean that all the tools needed to perform great overclocking feats are already available. Which is to say, a powerful chipset (the X99 we already mentioned), good mainboards based on them (in this case the ASUS Rampage V Extreme), and a mighty central processing unit (the Intel Core i7-5960X). All these things came together recently and enabled G.Skill to set the new record in terms of DDR4 performance, leading the clock of its best Ripjaws to 4,255 MHz while latencies were of CL 18-18-18. The CPU-Z validation has...

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Oppo’s Upcoming R1C Handset Could Feature Sapphire Glass, Snapdragon 615 SoC

Just a day before Xiaomi’s big event where we expect to see the handset maker launch its latest flagship, the Mi5, Oppo will be doing some unveiling of its own. The device maker also has a new smartphone to show us, which goes by the name of U3 and its most important feature is that it comes with a 4x optical zoom on the rear 13MP camera. However, Oppo might have another model in the pipeline. It’s called the R1C, and according to Gizmo China, it could come boasting a stylish crystal glass on the back. For the time being, word on the street claims that the device will arrive with a 5-inch 720p display and take advantage of an octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor fitted with 2GB of RAM, but we can't be sure just yet that all is accurate. Other...

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