Who needs a projector on the fly? I know students do. People who need to present to über-busy clients, in a 5 to 20-minute sliver of time that may be given to them, do so also. Seminars held in a paradise nestled deep into the mountainous boondocks where lugging a 3-lb laptop isn't exactly a happy thought, employees needing to commute from one branch to the other who need to travel light, these are the potential consumers of a portable projector.
With technology moving to pack greater functionality in smaller packages, handy projectors are now available for anyone wanting to snap them up. In fact, one may be able to buy one off of CDR-King. But who'd want one of those things, still clunky by all means, when one can have a projector right on their phones?
Yup. Someone thought about sticking a projector into a Samsung Galaxy. Enter the Samsung Galaxy Beam. One of PC Mag's picks for MWC 2012's 5 Best Phones.
Aside from the projector, here are the specs at a glance:
- 8GB Internal Storage
- 768MB RAM
- 1 GHz CPU Speed, Dual-Core Cortex-A9
- 5MP Cam, autofocus, LED Flash
Not super-stellar, given that the trend now leans towards Quad-Core, but not shoddy by any means, either. These could possibly qualify as mid-range specs, now that everything is bigger and faster in Android gadget hardware.
But when you think about the fact that you have a projector ready in your pockets, the relatively lower specs may be a good enough concession.
What do you think? Would you snap up one of these babies?
And by the way, this isn't the first time that Samsung gave a shot at creating a projector phone.
In-Depth Reviews Here:
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There's just so many exciting things on the Android front, that I don't know where to start. I was starting to apologize for dropping off at our MWC 2012 notes, when I lost the draft.
First time it ever happened, and I blame using too many tabs, 2 windows and Yahoo Messenger on this Windows machine. Makes me want to think about those machines that I heard now come with Android.
But enough of that, here is a bit of a braindump, to get my thoughts on the Android out of the way. Prepare to link-hop:
Seems like we'll be getting more and more functionality on our phones this year and beyond. I won't be surprised if someday we'll have phones that can microwave as well as freeze food. :p
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With thanks to the Philippine Android Community for some discussion threads that inspired this, namely:
Again, thank you. :)
So we continue our Android Alliance Ph MWC coverage this week. Last night, as we published the latest update at around 8:30 PM, it was around 1:30 PM in Barcelona, Spain. And around that time, the MWC was in full swing, with Keynote #2: The Connected Consumer.
Here are the highlights of the MWC so far. This may look like an HTC-Centric post, because it is. Apparently, for the past 2 days, HTC became the darling of the MWC, despite Nokia and Windows 8's major moves. Pardon us if the spotlight is on HTC, for today.
HTC, as we've hinted at yesterday, is drumming up the buzz for its new One Series. While Techcrunch is on the money that the "One" branding is definitely confusing, the hardware under the brand isn't something to be trifled with.
We already linked to the things that HTC is planning to do for their phones. In case you didn't have the time to click through the links yesterday, here are the innovative boosts that HTC cameras are getting:
- ImageSense is what HTC branded the technology that is targeted to rival traditional digital cameras.
- ImageSense allows image capture to be much quicker, with autofocus clocking in at 0.2 seconds, and image capture at 0.7 seconds.
- The continuous shots function will be given a boost: holding down the shutter button will allow the user to take unlimited shots successively.
- The HDR Algorithm will allow an HTC phone camera to still capture awesome photos, even in adverse lighting conditions.
- ImageSense will also be able to gauge the distance of the subject and adjust the LED flash's brightness for optimal image quality.
What is more is that the new HTC One phones will boast of:
- 1.5 GHz Tegra 3 QUAD CORE for One X
- 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S4 Dual Core for One S
- 1GB RAM for both
- Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for both
- HTC Sense 4.0 for both
Just as a guide, HTC's One Series is composed of:
- HTC One X: the premium HTC One phone. Premium hardware (this is the Quad Core phone) with a 4.7" screen, in a polycarbonate chassis.
- HTC One S: the mid-range HTC One, this one has an aluminum unibody design.
- HTC One V: the entry-level HTC One, it comes with a 3.7-inch screen, and is powered by a 1GHz single core processor. Just like the other two HTC One's, it still runs Android and HTC Sense 4.0. As for the camera, it carries an adequate 5.0 MP cam.
With that, there is no doubt that HTC is gearing to edge in on the Samsung-dominated Android device market. Seems like 2012 may bode well for the Taiwanese gadget giant.
Tune in later for more snippets of the MWC!
Btw, in order to give way to the MWC's updates, we're going to publish the post on sustainable/solar-charged smartphones maybe Saturday or next week. See ya in a few!
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The second month of 2012 is ending and you're probably wondering where the Android is headed. These are exciting times, as Apple is still maintaining its dictatorial stance, while the Android is still moving forward, with fast turnarounds for upgrades in the core OS.
Fast upgrades have been the mark of Linux distributions, namely Ubuntu Linux. Seemingly, Android is adopting that as its own upgrade paradigm. Barely has the Ice Cream Sandwich been implemented, that it is now rumored to release the Android 5.0 OS, Jellybean, reportedly in Q2 2012. That's something to look forward to.
In other news, HTC seems to be moving towards making their Androids the ONE-stop device with the HTC One line of Smartphones.
Rebranding the whole lineup to fall under HTC ONE, HTC is working towards great audio, a great camera, on top of a great OS, the Android.
After partnering with Beats Electronics LLC for the Beats-branded line of HTC phones, HTC is now moving to create phone camera technology which will rival or even supplant a point and shoot camera. A wise, strategic move, given that HTC CEO Peter Chou pointed out that next to making calls, one of the most-used functions for the smartphone is as a digital camera. More than that, HTC is looking to add juicier innovations.
Is HTC veering away from the iPhone copycat bandwagon the whole smartphone market seems to be getting onto, just as the guys at TechCrunch are saying? Or are they really just looking to corner the market by finding a way to make their phones stand out, and stand out really well?
Another big development for the Android industry is the rush towards Quad Core. No longer content with Gigahertz-fast DUAL Cores, now, Androids are going to be shipped with QUAD Cores. What's better than killing dem pigs in Angry Birds at lightning-fast speeds, ey?
More than any of these developments, do you guys realize that it's the MWC?
What's that?
It's the Mobile World Congress, the major gathering of mobile service providers and gadget makers. It is the equivalent of CES or WWDC for GSM/Mobile Telphony.
This year's 2012 MWC is held in Barcelona Spain, and will be held in Barcelona up until 2018.
All this mad rush about Android developments are currently going down at the MWC: From HTC's newest innovations, up to the Quad Core craze, and even for Samsung Galaxy SIII's no-show and Windows 8's unveiling. expect that we're going to give you updates and newsbites from the MWC from today up to March 1.
Enjoy the rest of Monday!
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