Samsung Galaxy NX brings Android to interchangeable lens cameras

The recently announced Samsung Galaxy NX is the world's first interchangeable lens mirrorless camera to run on Android. Unlike previous Android-powered shooters, the NX boasts some serious photographic credentials, including a 20.3-megapixel APS-C format sensor and a hybrid autofocus system. It also features 3G/4G LTE and Wi-Fi technology for instant sharing.

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The arrival of an Android-totting mirrorless camera or DSLR has been almost inevitable since the release of point-and-shoots running Google's mobile OS, like the Nikon Coolpix S800c. Indeed, given how impressed we were with the Samsung Galaxy Camera (despite it not having the best photographic capabilities), it's no surprise that a Samsung is first to take this title.

From the front, the Samsung Galaxy NX looks like any other SLR-styled mirrorless camera. However, its rear is almost entirely taken up by a massive 4.8 inch HD LCD screen and the striking absence of buttons makes it clear that this isn't your typical shooter. The camera is built around Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and its giant touchscreen is integral to its operation.

As with the Samsung Galaxy Camera, the Galaxy NX runs Android just like a very capable smartphone, though again without the ability to actually make phone calls. It has everything needed to make sure apps run as smoothly as you'd expect, including a 1.6 GHz Pega-Q quad-core processor, 2 GB of RAM, and sensors such as an accelerometer, geomagnetic, proximity and gyro. There's 16 GB of internal memory and a microSD slot that supports capacities up to 64 GB.

In camera mode, the gigantic touchscreen is used to navigate general settings and its Smart Mode, which makes it easy to get the right set-up without knowing what you're doing. Manual controls can be accessed by either the same virtual lens barrel interface as the Galaxy Camera, or using the iFunction button on Samsung lenses and the dial on the top of the camera. A built-in SVGA electronic viewfinder means users don't have to compose shots using the rear LCD screen.

Once photographs are taken, they can be edited in-camera by any number of apps, though it's worth remembering that many output images in much lower resolutions than the camera is capable of. The wireless options of the NX also mean images can be shared instantly via Wi-Fi or 3G/4G LTE connections. Yes, that means you could post direct to Instagram, if you are so inclined. GPS is also included for geo-tagging images.

The new device should be capable of producing better images than any other Android-powered camera thanks to the photographic pedigree of theNX series. This is not just because the Galaxy NX is compatible with the growing arsenal of Samsung lenses, but also because it features a large 20.3 megapixel APS-C format (23.5 x 15.7 mm) CMOS sensor.

Capable of shooting RAW and JPEG images, a DRIMe IV image signal processor means the camera has a continuous burst shooting speed of 8.6 fps and an ISO range of 100 to 25,600. An advanced hybrid autofocus system uses contrast and phase detection to provide fast and reliable focusing. The Galaxy NX is no slouch when it comes to shutter speed either, it's capable of shooting at an impressive 1/6000 sec. Full HD video recording is also present at 1080p 30 fps.

Measuring 136 x 101 x 56 mm (5.4 x 4 x 2.2 in) and weighing 495 g (17.5 oz) the camera is one of the larger mirrorless offerings and, because of that massive screen, it is bigger than other NX cameras like the NX300.

It's not clear when you'll be able to get your hands on the Samsung Galaxy NX as no release date or price have been revealed.

samsung developing contact lens computer to compete google glass

Multiple research organizations, including two Samsung departments, have reportedly been developing a new nano-material which could be used to create smart contact-lenses.

Project leader Jang-Ung Park, a chemical engineer at the Ulsan National Institute, said “Our goal is to make a wearable contact-lens display that can do all the things Google Glass can do.”

The team successfully fixed a light-emitting diode onto a soft contact lens that can be purchased right off the shelf. They then attached the diode using a combination of graphene and silver nanoware. The technology was tested on rabbits, who have eyes similar to that of humans. No negative reactions were recorded.

The technology is still a long, long way from hitting the market, as only one pixel was attached to each lens— Google need not worry about any competitors in the near future, but in time, it will definitely be something they need to prepare for.

While we now have two special edition Nexus style handsets due to arrive later this month with the HTC One and Galaxy S4, there are still a lot of Android fans that are looking forward to the next Nexus device, and today we have the stunning Nexus 5 idea with a snapdragon 800 power plant.

We often bring you different concept phone ideas that are the work of some creative designers and today’s offering is no different. The render you can see on this page is the work of Andreas Lossau and features a Nexus 5 design that uses a 5.3-inch Full HD Sharp IGZO touchscreen display.

Under the hood is a custom version of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor that is clocked at between 58MHz and 2352MHz with support for 4K UHD decoding, and taking care of the graphics is an Adreno 425G GPU.

There is also 2GB of LPDDR3 RAM along with an ultra low powered DSP core and a Qualcomm modem, and fitted to the back there is a 13-megapixel shooter that uses Pelican Imaging technology that is capable of 4K UHD video capture as well as Full HD.

The three dual membrane microphones will provide stereo sound recording with enhanced noise cancellation, and up front there is a 2.1-megapixel camera with a wide angle lens. Supplying the power to this beast is a massive 6,900 mAh battery that is also removable, which uses nanowire anodes in place of silicon ones.

All this tech is fitted into an aluminium body that houses the antennas behind some polycarbonate strips in a stunning looking design. While this is only a concept idea we can still dream that these types of features will soon be found on our smartphones as manufacturers continue to push the technology behind them forward.

Before the world was treated to the new BlackBerry 10 operating system one of the major things that still pulled users to a BlackBerry handset was its messenger service, now though the BBM for Android and iOS release date looks set.

Last month BlackBerry announced that it would be making its popular BlackBerry Messengerservice available for both the Android and iOS platforms, but unfortunately at the time the company didn’t reveal when this would be coming.

Now it looks to have been confirmed that BBM will be available to Android and iOS users from the 27th of this month following a tweet from BlackBerry Worldwide. The tweet that appeared revealing the date also showed the service on an AT&T iPhone so those that still think there is a need for the service only have a few more weeks to wait for it to arrive.

It is not thought that all of the BBM features will be available straight away but things such as BlackBerry Groups, multi person chat, and voice note sharing should be available at launch. There is some that believe this move by BlackBerry makes perfect business sense but until the service has been available for a number of months will we have more of an idea if this is the case.

Are you looking forward to BBM on your Android or iOS device?

Lenovo K900 price in india

The Lenovo K900 has now launched and we can reveal the price point in India, the 5.5-inch smartphone was supposed to release on May 25th so not too bad considering we are only on June 5th.

This Lenovo smartphone is the first to house the dual-core Intel CloverTrail+ chipset, instead of the normal ARM architecture.

The specs on the Lenovo K900 includes 5.5-inch IPS display with 1920×1080 pixels at 401ppi, 2GB of RAM, 2GHz CloverTrail+ dual core CPU, 13-megapixel camera, 1080p video, 2-megapixel front facing camera and a 2500-mAh battery.

It also features a great internal storage at 16GB and runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system, it is only 162 grams in weight and 6.9mm thin.

The price in India for the Lenovo K900 is set at Rs 32,999 and will be available at Lenovo outlets starting in July.

The camera is said to be fantastic on the Lenovo K900 thanks to its Sony Exmor BSI sensor and f1.8 focal length lens on the 13MP cam, the front-camera has also been widened to 880-viewing angle.

Even though the Lenovo K900 comes with a unibody construction with polycarbonate and stainless steel casing, it has been questioned if this is better than the Samsung Galaxy S4.

The 12 hardest games ever made

• GHOSTS'N GOBLINS (1985)

• MEGA MAN (1987) 

• CONTRA (1987) 

• TREASURE ISLAND DIZZY (1988)
•  SHADOW OF THE BEAST II (1990)  
• BATTLETOADS (1991)

• DISCWORLD (1995)

• IKARUGA (2001)

• F-ZERO GX (2003)

• NINJA GAIDEN (2004)

• DEVIL MAY CRY 3 (2005)

• I WANNA BE THE GUY (2007)

ZTE TO RELEASE SUCCESSOR TO GRAND S WITH BIGGER BATTERY

In January, ZTE released the world’s thinnest smartphone in the 5-inch Grand S, only 6.9mm thick. However, some consumers found that the phone’s non-removable (and weak) 1,780 mAh battery paired with its quad-core processor and full-HD screen was not a good combination. ZTE has decided to fix this issue by announcing an upgraded Grand S Come comment on this article: ZTE to release successor to Grand S with bigger battery, to be called the Grand S Flex Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more.

most anticipated devices in the latter half of 2013

Tomorrow marks the beginning of June, and also the beginning of the second half of the year. This first half we’ve seen some pretty awesome devices come out: the Samsung Galaxy S 4, the HTC One, the BlackBerry Z10 and Q10, the LG Optimus G Pro, and more. But now that the first half is done and out of the way, we’ve got a lot to look forward to in the coming months ahead of us.

I wanted to start my weekend on a positive note, and what better way to do that than to talk about devices that we are interested in seeing released during this last half of the year? We know of several, but there are certain key devices that interest me more than any others (whether they’re rumors or not). On that note, let’s dive in and talk about some of these devices!

Nokia Lumia 925

The Lumia 925 is probably the phone that I’ve done the most research on the past few weeks, and likely my next personal device. The Nokia Lumia 925 is the third to follow the design of its progenitor, the Nokia Lumia 920. The body of the Nokia Lumia 925 is what makes it stand out from both the Lumia 920 and the 928; it sports a toned-down polycarbonate backing but has an aluminum trim, giving it a touch of class compared to its vibrantly colored counterparts. While in the past I’ve praised the Nokia Lumia line for offering more colors than your standard black and white, offering a more professional looking Lumia like the 925 doesn’t seem like a bad idea. Aside from the housing, the only other notable difference is that the camera on the 925 has been slightly improved by adding a sixth camera lens and Nokia’s ‘Amber’ update, which adds new camera algorithms and also improves the phone’s low-light shots (presumably that can compare and surpass that of the praised HTC One).

Moto X

Motorola’s Moto X seems like a decent enough device, but mostly I’m just glad to see that Motorola is still in the game, despite being criticized by Google earlier in the year. Honestly, seeing that criticism made me think that we couldn’t expect much from Motorola in the near future, so this phone comes as both a surprise and a pleasure. I like Motorola Android devices because the skin isn’t that much different from stock Android itself, so it doesn’t take up a whole lot of space with a lot of extra unnecessary features. Well, at least it didn’t used to; the way Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside described the Moto X was a little sketchy, basically saying that the phone would be all-knowing of its surroundings. I’m not entirely sure how to process that given such vague details, but none-the-less Motorola’s new addition to the smartphone market is definitely one of the models that I will be keeping my eye on for the next several weeks – especially given that it’s said to compete with the Galaxy and the iPhone line of devices. Speaking of iPhones…

iPhone 5S/6

While previous releases of the iPhone would lead us to believe that the next device would inevitably be called the iPhone 5S and not feature anything more than a slightly updated hardware and the eloquently described ‘flat’ iOS 7, I’m still wondering if perhaps Apple has something else up its sleeve. Although almost right after my article where I predicted that maybe Apple really was going to start changing things up, the call for a flatter, simpler iOS7 was discussed by Jony Ive and led me back into believing that the iPhone won’t change – and maybe it won’t. Regardless, I’m still very interested to see what Apple will produce for us this year and whether they happen to come out with the iPhone 5S, the iPhone 6, or perhaps different iterations of the iPhone altogether I’m sure I’ll have something to say about it afterwards.

Although it’s only three phones in a lineup of many, I’m interested to hear what phones you, the reader, are interested in seeing come out for this second half of the year. Are you hoping to pick up a new Nexus? What about a new Galaxy Note? Have you already settled on a device that came out during the first half of 2013? Tell me about your most anticipated devices in the comments!