It’s been a busy week in the tech world, including everything from detachable phone cameras, smart watches, phablets and reveal dates for reveal dates. Let’s get to it.
1. Apple confirms Sept. 10 event
Surprising no one, Apple confirmed the date for its probable iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C reveal on Tuesday.
The invite, which usually offers some kind of hint toward what will be announced, is rather bland.
Several brightly-colored transparent circles are on a white background with the text, “This should brighten everyone’s day” and the Apple logo.
I can’t think of anything else that invite reveals other than more color options for the iPhone, which would point to the iPhone 5C (the ‘c’ is for color, see what they did there?)
Of course, there’s also the chance those circles mean absolutely nothing, and the media is overanalyzing everything Apple does in a desperate attempt to put out content and get clicks.
But it’s probably the new iPhone.
2. Samsung unveils the Note III, other devices at IFA 2013
If the Galaxy Note previously struck you as a device that was too small, you’re in luck.
At Berlin’s IFA trade show today, Samsung revealed the newest version of the Note with a whopping 5.7-inch AMOLED display.
And the screen isn’t the only thing with an increase in size — there’s 3GB of RAM and a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor, as well as a 13-megapixel camera.
Though the device is surprisingly thin and light, coming in at 8.3mm thick and weighing only 168g.
The “Samsung Gimmick,” which has unfortunately become a trend starting with the Galaxy S III, is Air Command, which brings the menu up whenever the S Pen (yes, these are all real things) is removed from its holder and also appears when the stylus is hovered over the screen and its button is pressed.
Unfortunately, the next topic needs its own header.
3. Samsung reveals the Galaxy Gear, a $300 smart watch no one asked for
Why, why oh why are smart watches a thing?
Samsung unveiled its heavily-leaked watch the Galaxy Gear at IFA on Wednesday. This isn’t the Pebble Watch. Not even close.
Instead of a low-energy, e-ink display, there’s a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED display coupled with a 800MHz processor and a 1.2-megapixel camera mounted on the wristband. So now you can be super creepy when using Snapchat.
It’s got more than 70 different apps that can be downloaded (for now) to the device via bluetooth pairing to a Galaxy phone.
But wait — that phone that you have to have to use your watch, doesn’t it do everything this supposedly “smart” watch is supposed to do?
Not to mention, doesn’t it cost the same, if not $100 cheaper than the Gear? But with a bigger screen, better processor, more apps and an overall more useful nature?
Smart watches are not a product of the market. No one is asking for them. Or at the least, a very small group is.
This is a device that the media wants.
The tech journalism world has been so starved for the “next big thing,” that rumors of anything slightly different drove it to indadvertedly create a product no one is asking for right now.
Have watch sales declined to a point where drastic reinvention is needed? The global watch market is expected to reach $46.65 billion by 2017.
So no, it wouldn’t appear so.
Very, very few people will pay $299 for this smart watch. That’s just my prediction.
The Galaxy Gear will be available in October in the U.S.
Okay, now that I’m off my soapbox…
4. Sony announces SmartWatch 2, snap-on camera, new phone at IFA
Oh yeah. Sony announced one too.
The Sony SmartWatch 2 will have a 1.6-inch display with an aluminum body, but doesn’t have a camera, mic or speakers. It’s slightly cheaper at $262 and ships in September.
But it also revealed the QX Smart Lens, a camera that attaches to your phone.
The attachment, which looks pretty ridiculous, includes a lens, image sensor, battery, stereo microphones and memory card slots, all of which awkwardly hangs off the back of your device.
The camera communicates with iOS and Android via Wi-Fi or NFC and Sony’s PlayMemories app.
It’s rather expensive at $499 for the 20-megapixel QX100, but there is a more reasonably priced model for $250, though image and lens quality take a hit.
Sony also announced a new Android phone, the Xperia Z1. It’s completely waterproof with a 5-inch screen and a whopping 20.7-megapixel rear-facing camera. On the interior, it has a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor that powers a beautiful 1080p display. However, the phone ships with an older version of Android (4.2.2).
The phone goes on sale in October.
5. Google Key Lime Pie Kit Kat
Surprisingly the oddest news of the week, Google’s next version of Android, 4.4, will be called Kit Kat.
Yes, that’s it’s real name.
Though the details are scarce, the blurb on the Android website reads, “It’s our goal with Android Kit Kat to make an amazing Android experience available for everyone.”
Whether or not that means Android will be put on even more devices or simply be made more user-friendly is unknown.
What is known, is that Google produced a hilarious Apple spoof video about Android Kit Kat:
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Sorry this post was a bit late! But make sure to check back next week for a recap of Apple’s iPhone event, as well as any other news of the day. I’ll be tweeting the event too, so follow me @taybalkom.
And as always, come back for the latest and greatest in tech.