1 million Samsung Galaxy Note devices shipped, US release in 2012

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  • December 29, 2011 at 5:16 am

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Samsung Galaxy Note event

Samsung has had a lot of success shipping its Android devices en masse. The Samsung Galaxy S II has broken all kinds of sales records and we are pretty sure the Galaxy Nexus is flying off the shelves now too. An unlikely win for the company, however, is the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note which falls somewhere between the being a smartphone and tablet.

It seems that the mantra ‘bigger is better’ is working out for Samsung, which has shipped over one million Galaxy Notes since its release in late October. Sales have been going well and are on the rise in Europe and Asia. US consumers have been importing the Galaxy Note from other markets but the announcement mentions that the device will launch officially on the other side of the Atlantic in 2012. No mention yet if it bring support for LTE however.
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Leica V-Lux 3 superzoom announced, a Panasonic Lumix FZ150 with a red dot

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  • December 10, 2011 at 6:46 am

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Leica V-Lux 3 -- rebranded Panasonic FZ150

The Leica and Panasonic partnership has been a long-standing one and has resulted in some fantastic products — especially some incredibly sharp Micro Four Thirds Lenses. We are also used to Leica taking one of Panasonic’s compact shooters, adding an optimized firmware and releasing it as a Leica branded version. Of course the red dot always demands a premium and this is what has happened with the Panasonic Lumix FZ150.

Leica has announced the V-Lux 3 superzoom bridge camera, which is a rebranded FZ150 with a few cosmetic changes. The two cameras share the same 12.1-megapixel CMOS sensor and 24x zoom Leica DC Vario-Elmarit 4.5-108mm f/2.8-5-2 (25-600mm 35mm equivalent) lens. It can shoot up to 12 frames per second at full resolution and is capable of full HD 1080p60 video in AVCHD format. The V-Lux 3 has a 3-inch fully articulating 460,000 dot LCD display

It will start shipping in January 2012 for $949, a $450 premium over the Panasonic FZ150. In order to at least give some grounds for the hefty premium demanded, Leica is packaging the V-Lux 3 with Adobe’s Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements software and a two year warranty.
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Sony NEX-7 will begin shipping this month

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  • December 8, 2011 at 1:22 pm

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Sony NEX-7 tilt LCD

The Sony NEX-7 is the most anticipated compact mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC). Although Sony’s current NEX shooters offer amazing image quality, as a result of their large sized APS-C sensor, their interface is better geared towards beginners. The NEX-7 changes this by offering a set of dials with a new control user interface and an amazing high-resolution OLED electronic viewfinder. It also pushes the megapixel envelope for MILCs, with a new 24-megapixel sensor, also found in the larger Alpha A77 and A65 single lens translucent cameras.

After some delay in actually releasing the camera, Sony USA has now confirmed that the NEX-7 will ship this month in limited quantities to early pre-orders. We had reported that Sony resumed production of the camera last month after the catastrophic floods in Thailand had halted production.

You might want to check out our opinion on the OLED EVF here, and our comparison of the NEX-7 against the best of the competition e.g. the Panasonic GX1, Fujifilm X100, Olympus E-P3 in our comparison here.
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Fujifilm X-S1 26x superzoom bridge camera announced (pictures, video)

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  • November 24, 2011 at 1:37 am

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Fujifilm has just announced a companion camera to its X10 high-end compact, the Fufilm X-S1. It features the same 2/3 EXR CMOS sensor and a 24-624mm (35mm equivalent) lens with a f/2.8 maximum aperture at the wide-angle setting. Although many will lament the use of a small-sized sensor, Fujifilm more than makes up for it with the optics. The lens is made up of 17 glass elements, including four aspherical and two ED lenses. The lens offers and equivalent 26x zoom and can focus down to an incredible 1cm in super macro mode.

As is usual now for a Fujifilm X-series shooter, the X-S1 bridge camera features controls aplenty. There is a mode dial, of course, and a new command dial. The camera has a rubberized coating, but both dials are metallic. You also get a large variety of button controls, donning the top and the back of the camera, while the lens offers manual focus and zoom rings.
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Sony resumes NEX-7 and Alpha A65 production, NEX-7 release date edging closer

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  • November 17, 2011 at 3:26 pm

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Sony NEX-7 front dramatic

We had reported about a month ago that Sony postponed the release of its NEX-7 high-end compact mirrorless camera as a result of the devastating flooding in Thailand. Production of the Alpha A65 together with some lens kits was also affected. Sony operates three plants in the country and has now moved production of the NEX and DSLT cameras from its affected Ayutthaya facility to a plant in Chonburi.

A spokesman from Sony USA has confirmed that production of the NEX-7 and the Alpha A65 has now resumed. The Sony NEX-7 was scheduled to be released this month, before it was postponed indefinitely. We are not sure yet when the official release will happen, but we hope that the high-end compact will arrive before the holidays. Note that the Sony Alpha A65 has already appeared at retailers but with limited availability.

The NEX-7 shares the same 24.3-megapixel APS-C sensor and the incredible 2359k dot OLED electronic viewfinder with Sony’s larger DSLT duo, the A77 and A65. You might want to check out our initial hands-on with the A65, for our impressions on the sensor and the OLED EVF.
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Ice Cream Sandwich and the Galaxy Nexus arrive in the UK, first handset is a dud

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  • November 17, 2011 at 9:36 am

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Samsung Galaxy Nexus in box on UK launch

It’s the 17th of November and that means the official release of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the first device to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. As expected, the phone has launched in the UK first, unfortunately the release is not as far-reaching as we would have hoped, as Phones4U managed to get a few days of exclusivity. The Galaxy Nexus has been on sale from the UK retailer since 8am this morning, and you can grab one with a new contract or unlocked for £530. Phones4U has been celebrating the launch by offering, what else, ice cream sandwiches.

The Galaxy Nexus will be arriving directly from three UK mobile carriers, O2, Three and Vodafone, in the coming days. Those who would rather get their phone sim-free from an online retailer, should also be treated to some frozen dessert next week as well.

Just a reminder for anyone that hasn’t been paying attention, that the Galaxy Nexus has a 4.65-inch 720p Super AMOLED (PenTile) display, dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 5-megapixel rear and 1.3-megapixel front-facing cameras.
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Samsung Galaxy Nexus release date slips past the 21st of November in the UK and Europe?

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  • November 10, 2011 at 7:35 am

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Android Ice Cream Sandwich Galaxy Nexus

There’s a lot of anticipation for the release of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and that is no small part because it will be the first smartphone to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich — you might want check out our guide of what ICS has to offer.

Samsung confirmed the 17th of November as the official release date of the Galaxy Nexus in the UK and Europe two weeks ago during their Galaxy Note promotional event in London. It seems that this date has now been pushed forward to the 21st. Handtec, an online UK mobile device retailer, has posted on its blog that it has received confirmation from Samsung distribution that the Galaxy Nexus will arrive to retailers in the week commencing 21st of November, here is their original post:
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Motorola Xoom 2 10.1-inch and Xoom 2 Media Edition 8.2-inch Android tablets announced with UK and Ireland mid-November release date (specs, pictures, video)

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  • November 3, 2011 at 10:30 am

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Motorola XOOM 2 10.1-inch Android tablet - Home screen, front

Motorola has officially announced the Xoom 2 and Xoom 2 Media Edition Android tablets. We can’t say we are surprised here, as the two tablets have been long-rumored. The Motorola Xoom 2 is a business-centric 10.1-inch HD display tablet running Android 3.2 Honeycomb (obviously no Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich at launch as this is a Galaxy Nexus exclusive). It measures 253.9 mm x 173.6 mm x 8.8 mm and weights 599g (1.32lbs) – 100g lighter than the original Xoom.

The Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition, shrinks down to an 8.2-inch HD panel measuring 39mm x 216mm x 8.99 mm and weighing 386g (0.85lbs). Otherwise, in terms of specifications the two tablets are similar. Both run on 1.2GHz dual-core processors with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. They have a Gorilla Glass displays and a splash-guard coating, something we’ve recently seen on the Motorola RAZR, to protect them against accidental spills.

Motorola claims that the Xoom 2 Media Edition will be easier to hold because of the smaller footprint, while it has a wide 178-degree viewing angle. Graphics performance is also mentioned to be 20% better than the original Xoom. The Xoom 2 also comes with a host of business centric applications and Motorola will be offering a stylus as an accessory.

There is no word yet on U.S. availability, but the two tablets will be available in the UK and Ireland mid-November. The Xoom 2 with initially retail for £325+VAT ($520) and £299+VAT ($480) for the Xoom 2 Media Edition. Motorola has confirmed that the two tablets will eventually be getting Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich shortly after Google provides the code to Motorola.

Full specs, pictures and video after the break.
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Samsung confirms November 17 release date for Galaxy Nexus in the UK and Europe

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  • October 27, 2011 at 4:04 pm

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Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Galaxy Nexus event

Samsung has officially confirmed, at its Galaxy Note event in London, that the Android 4.0 bearing Galaxy Nexus will be available in the UK and the rest of Europe come Thursday November 17.

Amazon UK already has the Galaxy Nexus up for pre-order for £549 without a commitment, and as we’ve found in these cases, it’s good to get ahead in line. As far as UK carriers go the Galaxy Nexus is expected to be available on Vodafone, O2 and Three, but you might want to check directly with them for availability.

Note that in the U.S., Verizon has already has confirmed that it will carry the smartphone and has put up a registration page, where you can ask to be notified when the Galaxy Nexus becomes available. Other carriers have yet confirm availability.

Sony HMZ-T1 OLED 3D head-mounted display lands at Harrods, London

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  • October 23, 2011 at 11:48 am

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Sony HMZ-T1 3D headset lands at Harrods, London

If you’re passing by the UK this month, you might want to make a visit to London’s luxury department store, Harrods. The UK retailer managed to snap an exclusive on Sony’s new HMZ-T1 OLED 3D head-mounted display until it goes on general sale in the UK at the end of the month. You can get your disorientating hand-ons experience in-store and pre-order one now, if you so please, for £800 (around $1,265) with an end of October release date.

The US release is planned for November and it has been priced at $800 stateside. You might want to check-out our initial coverage, with some tasty info and product shots.
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Global release of Sony NEX-7 camera delayed indefinitely due to Thai floods, Alpha A65 and lens production also affected

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  • October 20, 2011 at 6:06 am

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Sony NEX-7 front dramatic

Bad news for anyone waiting on Sony’s compact mirrorless high-end shooter. The global launch of the Sony NEX-7, which was due to be released in November, just in time to entice holiday buyers, is now being delayed indefinitely.

Months of heavy monsoon rains in Thailand have caused widespread floods and have affected operations in two of Sony’s three production facilities in the country.

Production of the new Alpha A65 translucent mirror camera has also been affected. We reported that some A65 cameras were already shipping, but availability was scarce. Sony is delaying the Japanese launch of the A65, while we would expect general availability to be affected.

A Sony spokesperson has said that the company is considering shifting production to an unaffected production facility. Besides the two cameras, production of lens kits and headphone products has also been affected.
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Sony Alpha A65 shipping now for early pre-orders

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  • October 16, 2011 at 9:36 am

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Sony A65 digital camera shipping now from Amazon to early pre-orders

We had reported that the release date for the Sony Alpha A65 digital camera was pushed to November. Well it seems that this is not exactly the case, as some lucky early pre-orders are already shipping out.

We’ve received the screen capture above (from which we’ve removed any sensitive info), which shows that a lucky individual will be receiving a brand new, latest technology, SLT camera at his doorstep very soon.

Note that the order was placed way back in August, when the camera was announced. The announced delay from Sony could just mean that the company is finding it difficult to meat initial demand, but the camera might still be slowly trickling out. Have you also received a similar notification? Let us know in your comments.

Fujifilm X10 digital camera November release date and price revealed

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  • October 8, 2011 at 7:46 am

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Fujifilm FinePix X10 side with lens extended

The X10, Fujifilm’s new high-end point-and-shoot camera, was announced in September with a possible October or November release date and unknown pricing. Well, we now have some more concrete information for you. The X10 will be priced at $600 in the US, with an early November release date — both B&H and Adorama agree on the date and pricing. The price is quite steep if you consider that the Canon S95 and the Panasonic LX5 now retail for around $350-380. Nevertheless the X10 is quite unique as it features an optical viewfinder, 7 blade aperture system, a host of manual controls and shares the X100‘s retro looks and build quality (real world review of the X100 here).

The UK release date is more specific, with Amazon UK listing the X10 to ship on November 11th for £500.

If you are pondering on adding Fuji’s new compact to you camera arsenal, check out this 16 minute video and our initial coverage of the Fujifilm X10.
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Sony Alpha A65 release date pushed to November, A77 might also be facing delays

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  • October 6, 2011 at 3:46 pm

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Sony's new Alpha cameras: SLT-A65 and SLT-A77

Sony has announced today that it’s pushing the release date of the Alpha A65 digital camera to November, instead of the previously announced October date. The A65 is Sony’s next generation mid-range single-lens translucent (SLT) camera sporting a newly developed high-resolution OLED electronic viewfinder. The delay is related to production of the camera and will affect all versions of the A65, i.e. single and double-zoom lens kits.

Also, according to Sony Alpha Rumors, the higher-end A77 SLT camera might also be facing delays, as shipping dates on various official Sony online stores have been removed. We’ve done our own little investigation; several shoppers have already been able to get hold of the A77 from Hong Kong. Sony Hong Kong is still selling the A77 body for HK$9,990, although the lens kit is out of stock. If you are in a hurry to get hold of Sony’s latest camera you can try ordering it over eBay from Hong Kong. Note that both cameras are still available for pre-order on Amazon.com: A77 and A65.

UPDATE: Some early pre-orders are already shipping out, very limited availability still possible.