Apple Beat: WWDC 2014 is about extending the ecosystems

Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla 

Today’s WWDC Keynote, the 25^th of a series, saw Apple going back to its roots as one of the most innovative software companies in the business. The event was a frills-free, hardware-free ode to the developer community and it celebrated the coming of age of iOS as well as the ascension of OS X as one of the best designed and most interoperable desktop operating systems in the market today.

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Samsung debuts first Tizen-based smartphone

After years of getting used to seeing the Galaxy brand on a Samsung device, the Korean company wants you to get used to its new naming convention. Samsung has unveiled its first Tizen-powered smartphone, the Samsung Z. The phone is powered by an unnamed 2.3GHz quad-core processor, Tizen 2.2.1, 2GB RAM, and 16GB or 32GB of storage with microSD card expansion up to 64GB. It has a 4.8-inch 720p display; 8-megapixel rear and 2.1-megapixel front cameras; sensors like accelerometer, fingerprint scanner, heart rate sensor, and gyroscope; as well as LTE connectivity.

The Z has a 2600mAh battery and features the familiar faux-leather back. It is yet to be seen how much of an impact a Tizen device will make on an iOS and Android dominated market. This device will first launch in Russia and Samsung is trying to entice developers to create apps for the OS with local app challenges in the country. It will be available in the third quarter there in either black or gold. There will be a wider release later but there is no word when this will be. Price for the device hasn’t been announced yet either.

Source: Gizmag

HP introduces SlateBook, an NVIDIA-powered Android notebook

HP’s new SlateBook brings NVIDIA’s quad-core Tegra 4 processor and Android operating system to a laptop. This new touch-based device features a 14-inch Full HD display and an “ultra slim” and light profile with its 16mm body and 3.71 lbs. It is said to feature a slightly modified version of Android and will have access to HP’s apps, Google Play Store, and NVIDIA TegraZone for games. It will be available on the market starting August and will retail for US$399. It will come in one colour HP calls Sweet Yellow.

Source: Slash Gear

Acer unveils octa-core smartphone offering

Acer is bringing a new octa-core device into the market with the Liquid X1. The device will reportedly carry a 1.7GHz octa-core processor, quad-core CPU, 2GB RAM, Category 4 LTE, 5.7-inch display, and 13-megapixel rear camera with fast autofocus. It comes built with Acer’s Android Skin UI that has apps like Zoom Fit to shrink the screen to four inches for one-handed use and AcerFLOAT that lets you float multi-tasking windows on top of the UI. Taking cues from LG, the Liquid X1 also has a RAPID quick-launch button at the rear of the device to launch apps or the camera quickly. There is no word on the pricing yet but expect the Liquid X1 to be out on the market by the third quarter of this year.

Source: Gizmodo Australia