Sony has just announced at IFA 2014 the mid-range Xperia E3 smartphone; Xperia Z3, Z3 Compact phablets & Z3 Tablet Compact tablet; as well as its new SmartWear gadgets – SmartBand Talk and SmartWatch 3.
Update (16 September, 2014):
The slew of products announced during IFA 2014 were showcased at the Xperia Z3 SEA launch event in Singapore.
Local pricing and availability below.
Model / RRP
Availability
Xperia Z3
$998
Pre-order on week of 22 September 2014.
Launch on 4 October 2014
Xperia Z3 Compact
S$798
Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact
S$TBA
Price and availability to be announced closer to launch date.
Xperia E3
S$298
SmartBand Talk
S$228
End Oct 2014
SmartWatch 3
S$298
The Sony Xperia Z3 series and SmartWear devices. (The Xperia E3 is not shown above – see below).
Sony has rolled out a slew of new gadgets – from premium flagships to novel SmartWear devices, whilst keeping an eye on the budget conscious mid-range.
Xperia Z3 series phablets/tablet
All three new members of the Xperia Z3 series run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with 2.5 GHz quad-core CPUs and 3G RAM, with fully integrated Qualcomm Adreno 330 GPU.
The Xperia Z3 is 7.3mm thick and is available in white, black, copper or silver green. The Xperia Z3 Compact is 8.6mm thick and weighs 129g, and is available in orange, green, white or black. The Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact (not shown here) is available in white or black.
They are waterproof and dust-tight (IP 65/68)
The Xperia Z3 flagship phablet comes only six months after its Xperia Z2 predecessor.
The screen is of similar size to the Z2 at 5.2 inches, but the Z3 is smaller, thinner and lighter.
Together with the Xperia Z3 Compact, the Z3 has a 20.7-megapixel camera with 1/2.3-inch “Exmor RS for mobile” image sensor, new 25mm “G Lens” and ISO 12800 sensitivity.
A dual SIM variant is also on offer in select markets.
The Xperia Z3 Compact phablet is a smaller version of the Xperia Z3 but with the same CPU and graphics chip.
It is a replacement for the Xperia Z1 Compact. Its 4.6-inch screen is larger than the 4.3 inches in the Z1 Compact.
Sony claims that the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact tablet is the world’s slimmest and lightest compact tablet, at 6.4mm thick and 270g weight.
It features an 8-inch Full HD TRILUMINOS.
Xperia E3 mid-range smartphone
The Xperia E3 sports a 4.5-inch 480 x 854 IPS display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core 1.2GHz processor, and Adreno 305 graphics, with 1GB of RAM, and 4GB of internal storage.
Samsung has announced the new Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge smartphone, the Gear VR mobile VR headset, as well as the Gear S smartwatch and Gear Circle earphones at the Unpacked Episode 2 press conference in Berlin, Germany.
Samsung showcased in Singapore today most of the new devices it unveiled during IFA 2014 in a media preview.
It also displayed accessories that Montblanc has specially designed for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.
The Galaxy Note 4 will be available in “Charcoal Black,” “Frost White,” “Bronze Gold,” and “Blossom Pink” in global markets starting in October.
The Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge are the latest additions to the Galaxy Note family.
Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge Android smartphones
The Galaxy Note 4 has a 5.7-inch Quad HD (2560×1440) Super AMOLED display and sports the Multi Window feature for multi-tasking.
Samsung Galaxy Note Edge
It ships with a 16-megapixel rear camera with Smart Optical Image Stabilizer, and a 3.7-megapixel front camera with f1.9 lens with 120 degrees wide angle.
The Note 4 also has a Fingerprint Scanner and a UV sensor.
The Galaxy Note Edge has a 5.6-inch screen that wraps around the right side of the device.
The Galaxy Note Edge will be available in “Charcoal Black” and “Frost White” in select markets through Samsung’s retail channels, e-commerce and carriers later this year.
Gear VR mobile headset
Samsung and Oculus has collaborated to create the mobile VR headset optimised for the Galaxy Note 4.
The highly-affordable 5-inch Android 4.4 smartphone will be priced at S$249 (1GB RAM, 8GB memory), S$269 (2GB RAM, 8GB memory) and S$299 (2GB RAM, 16GB memory).
The ZenFone 5 LTE will be available in Charcoal Black, Pearl White, Cherry Red and Champagne Gold colours (Champagne Gold will be available for only 16GB model). The purple colour shown above is not available in Singapore.
ASUS officially launched its ZenFone 5 LTE in Singapore today at Suntec Convention Centre.
The ZenFone 5 LTE will be available at all ASUS brand stores, Best Denki, Challenger and Newstead stores on 30 August.
It will also be available at the ASUS Official Online Store and Lazada.
All three major mobile operators – M1, SingTel and StarHub – will offer the ZenFone 5 LTE with their respective LTE data plans.
What catches the attention is the affordable price tag. ASUS boasts that the sub-S$300 phone gives consumers the best value-for-money market.
And I can believe that.
Shipping with the latest Android 4.4 KitKat, the phone is smooth and responsive, and more than enough for what most people use their smartphones for – making calls, sending messages, taking photos, checking social media status, and surfing the Web.
Guvera has officially launched in Singapore offering users free, unlimited access to millions of tracks from local and international artists. Guvera’s app is available for both iOS and Android devices, as well as on its website via a browser.
Guvera is now officially launched in Singapore, alongside competitors Spotify and Deezer.
Users can search and discover music on Guvera, as well as manage and share their own playlists.
It also has integrated social features that allow users to follow friends and celebrities and access their playlists.
The TomTom Multi-Sport Cardio GPS Sport Watch comes with built-in Heart Rate Monitor. The watch works for running/treadmill, cycling and swimming activities.
The TomTom Cardio GPS Sport Watch comes in Runner or Multi-Sport versions.
The built-in Heart Rate Monitor is in the base of the watch, and measures your heart rate the moment you put on the watch.
Purchase any TomTom GPS Watch from the TomTom Booth on the Harvey Stand and receive a Bonus Travel Case valued at S$34.95.
While stocks last.
This means you do not need to wear a separate chest strap or place a finger on a separate heart rate monitor (say on a smartphone) every time you want to take a reading.
You can vary the heart rate zones and vary the intensity of training depending on the goals you want to reach.
The embedded GPS receiver provides real-time exercise information at a glance, tracking your distance, time, pace, speed and calories burnt as you run, cycle or swim.
After the activity, users can view their routes and other key stats on TomTom MySports and other popular sites, such as, RunKeeper, MapMyFitness, TrainingPeaks and Strava so that they can monitor their progress over an extended period of time.
313@somerset is the first mall in Singapore to road test the mobile technology to help connect customers to relevant content and promotions in real-time at participating retailers in the shopping mall.
Screenshots of the Tring 313 mobile app when the user receives a notification, and the promotion on offer.
313@somerset has its eyes set on Beacon-based Indoor Positioning,the latest in retail innovation that enable shoppers to receive hyper-targeted messages, deals and other content based on their proximity to the offering retailer inside the mall.
Staying on the forefront of technology
Following the road tests to gather feedback on the technology, the beacon-based feature may be rolled out within the next 3-6 months.
New iBeacon capabilities expected on the upcoming iOS 8 in September will probably be incorporated into the implementation to make sure the rollout taps in the latest that technology has to offer.
As a forerunner in the adoption of new and emerging technologies, 313@somerset is set to pave the way by being the first commercial outlet in Singapore to test out the potential of Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) Beacons for retailers, including messaging targeted at specific mall and store locations, analytics and potentially payments.
In partnership with technology partner Sprooki, the mall conducted test trials in the form of short experiential tours around the mall and exclusive test groups were invited to take part in the trials.
The Samsung GALAXY Tab 4 (7”) LTE will be available from 9 August in Classic White at an RRP of S$368.
Designed with the family in mind, the Samsung GALAXY Tab 4 (7.0”) LTE offers entertainment options for the family in a sleek and lightweight package.
The Samsung GALAXY Tab 4 (7.0”) LTE now comes with Samsung Kids Mode, a safe service that makes learning fun for children.
Kids Mode is purely designed for not only building a safe, fun and educational experience for children but also giving parents the information and control they wanted.
The Pebble Steel is now available in Singapore for S$359. First 500 Pebble Steel units sold here will come with a custom-made pouch and silicone sports strap.
From Palo Alto, California, Pebble was brought to life by 85,000 people through Kickstarter, setting a record on the crowdfunding platform and quickly becoming one of the best-selling smartwatches in the world. To date, there are over 400,000 Pebbles on wrists worldwide and thousands of apps available.
The premium version takes everything users love about Pebble – the e-paper display, week-long battery life, and app ecosystem – and wraps it into a sleek design, available in either brushed stainless steel or matte black.
Retail locations for Pebble Steel
Challenger *
Courts *
Digital Style *
DG Lifestyle
EpiCentre
EpiLife *
Harvey Norman
NuBox
Newstead Technologies *
Singtel Stores
* Selected stores
Pebble Steel combines modern technology with classic timepiece design to give users a smartwatch fit for modern urbanites during work and play.
Steel’s e-paper display is protected by a durable Corning Gorilla Glass lens with an oleophobic, anti-fingerprint coating.
The improved housing also comes with subtle RGB LED lights to indicate charging status.
Pebble’s appstore has flourished since its launch earlier this year with big name brands such as Mercedes-Benz, iControl, GoPro, Misfit, Pandora and Evernote jumping on board.
During the launch of the Pebble Steel in Singapore, the company announced that Divian Nair, local Deejay turned Actor-Director, has been appointed as its Pebble evangelist.
The 5-inch Android HTC One (E8) will be available in Singapore from Saturday, 26 July with SingTel, StarHub, M1 and selected retailers. RRP for 16GB HTC One (E8): S$658.
The HTC One (E8) will be available in Polar White, Electric Crimson and Misty Gray.
The HTC Dot View case for the HTC One (E8) will be available in Grey at S$59.
The HTC One (E8) weighs 145g and measures 146.42 x 70.67 x 9.85 mm.
It is essentially the plastic version of HTC’s flagship HTC One (M8), with a different rear camera and other slight differences.
The smartphone ships with Motion Launch, HTC BoomSound, 5-megapixel front camera and 13MP rear camera. Both cameras support full 1080p HD video recording.
Powered by a 2,600mAh battery, the HTC One (E8) has 2GB RAM and 16GB onboard memory with expandable microSD storage capacity up to 128GB..
