Samsung debuts 7-inch Galaxy W device in South Korea

We’re not quite sure why the model for the Samsung Galaxy W is holding up the device to his ear. Perhaps, Samsung is trying to market its new 7-inch device as a phone but we’d like to think this screen size has crossed over to tablet territory already. The Galaxy W is known by some as the Galaxy Mega 7.0. It, unfortunately, only has a 720p HD display but it has other good features working for it including a quad-core 1.2GHz processor, 1.5GB RAM, 16GB internal storage with expansion via microSD, and an 8-megapixel rear camera. We’re not sure why Samsung opted to put Android 4.3 Jelly Bean though instead of Android 4.4 KitKat. It also comes with a massive 3500mAh battery. But we think this will just be adequate for the rather large display.

The Galaxy W is available in South Korea for around US$490. We’re not yet sure if or when this device will make its way to our shores though.

Source: Ubergizmo

Sony introduces the Xperia T3, ‘world’s slimmest’ 5.3-inch smartphone

While it is a rather specific category, Sony touts its newest Xperia T3 as the “world’s slimmest 5.3-inch smartphone. Aside from being slim though, the device is said to be made durable thanks to steel frame and matte back cover. This device has a high-resolution HD TriLuminos IPS display, 1.4GHz quad-core processor, 4G connectivity, and a 2500mAh battery. The T3 has an 8-megapixel shooter integrated with Cyber-shot features and HDR for videos.

The T3 will be available globally in July and will come in black, white, and purple. Sony did not say how much the device will cost though.

Source: The Next Web

PayPal awards first winners of Battle Hack in Toronto

The winning developer team of Maya Kenedy, Alex Christodoulou, Christopher Larsen, and Ernst Riemer from Pivotal Labs took home the coveted Viking axe trophies and a paid trip to the Battle Hack World Finals later this year.

PayPal just announced the winners of its inaugural Battle Hack competition in Toronto. Local developers were tasked to develop mobile apps that incorporate PayPal’s application programming interface or Braintree or Venmo Software Development Kits to solve community issues. Team Angry Kittens won the Toronto competition and has secured a spot at the PayPal Battle Hack World Finals in San Jose, California in November. They will compete with winners from 13 other cities including Berlin, Boston, Chicago, Istanbul, London, Miami, Mexico City, Moscow, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Tel Aviv, and Warsaw. The winner of that global competition will take home US$100,000 and be named the “Ultimate Hackers for Good.”

Team Angry Kittens created the Security Blanket mobile app with the use of Beacon, Bluetooth Low Energy technology, and Twilio to help parents track missing children. PayPal is used to have people donate to help locate the children or supply sensors to help find them. The team also hopes to use the app to monitor the whereabouts of Alzheimer’s patients and even pets.

Intel debuts next-gen chip in a new mobile device

Intel has brought its next-generation Broadwell chip to Computex in a new mobile device they call Llama Mountain. Intel President Renée James introduced Broadwell as the “world’s first 14 [nanometer] fanless mobile PC reference design. Broadwell is said to be a 14-nanometer “shrink,” which means its transistor geometries have been reduced. This will enable manufacturers to create more compact devices.

The Llama Mountain uses Broadwell Y series silicon, which the company intends to brand as “Core M” processor. Intel says it will be the company’s most energy efficient processor to date. The Llama Mountain is 12.5-inch device with a detachable keyboard. It is said to demo the future of devices that will run on this new processors. According to Intel, the new designs that will use Broadwell are expected to be fanless. This will help create “lightning-fast” tablets and “razor-thin” laptops.

Source: CNET