Available in late February, the company showed off models for the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III, and said that more products in the category are coming.

Unlike its Defender series, which is enormously bulky and not worth the gruelling effort it takes to insert and remove, Armor uses a latch system that better protects the phone inside while allowing for each placement.  The port covers are incredibly secure, and the o-ring seal keeps out water, dust and debris, and protects the phone in any orientation from two tonnes of pressure. In other words, it’s incredibly difficult to damage a phone while inside an Armor case.

Initially coming to the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 in Februrary, the company is boasting a Galaxy S III version for March with all of the same benefits. All Armor models include a screen cover that allows for 1:1 movement, which we confirmed when running it through out rigorous tests. We dropped it in water, stomped on it, played catch with it and throughout it all were unsuccessful in causing a lick of damage to the phone.

The Armor does indeed add a significant footprint to your phone, but it’s still easily pocketable. It also slides in and out more easily than the Defender because backing is flat, and Otterbox has thankfully done away with the belt clip as a result.

While it won’t be for everyone, we can see the Armor series replacing the aging Defender in Otterbox’s lineup. All models will be available in multiple colours, and come in at $99.95 USD. We can’t wait to get our review samples, and will do a full teardown of the case when we get one.

The company also showed off its latest cases for the Nokia Lumia 920 and LG Optimus G. They are part of the Commuter family and, as always, provide great protection with minimal bulk. We asked a representative about cases for the Nexus 4 but were met with “no plans at this time,” which was disappointing.

Overall it’s a nice looking device – probably the best ZTE device in history. I captured some pics and probably the most hilarious, but unfortunate, hands-on demo I’ve ever experienced. It’s worth the 2 minutes…

“Spike” is a Kickstarter project (see here) that has received full funding and is expected to be available within the next few weeks. There’s a couple versions in production, one for the iPhone 4/4S and the other for the iPhone 5. The design of the keyboard looks incredibly similar to a BlackBerry keyboard and also has the same feel. It’s tucked away nicely in the back, then swivels on top of the iPhone when you want to use it for email/texting/notes. The case is made out of polyurethane and will add a bit of weight – plus clutter the design – of your iPhone, but will get the job done and is responsive.

As for the future, Spike will be heading towards tablets and will make a huge physical keyboard for the iPad. In addition, Samsung’s Galaxy S III users might eventually see Spike on their device. The price of the iPhone 4 and 4S will be between $40 – $50 and available sometime in February, iPhone 5 will follow at some unknown date. Video below.

Pebble will be launching to its Kickstarter backers on January 23rd. Because of the limited 15,000-per-week manufacturing run, the entire allotment will take roughly 6-8 weeks to ship to backers.

It supports standard 22mm watch bands, but its band has been custom created for the watch face. Its screen is not e-ink, but is a variant of an LCD that has a refresh rate of 30fps. This allows it to actually render images and scrolling text smoothly. Because it has been created with sports in mind, it is light and extremely durable, made out of polycarbonate. This also applies to its water resistance, which is rated for 5 Atmospheres.

It will have a magnetic cable that prevents any unwieldy charging methods. It also has an ambient light sensor and magnetometer (for compass applications), both of which are not functional at the time of shipping, but it will be activated via an OTA software update. That is has Bluetooth 4.0 integration makes Pebble extremely future-proof, as most phones don’t even come with support for the low-power standard yet.

Pebble supports Android 2.3.3 and up, as well as iOS 5 and up. It does work better on Android 4.0+ and iOS 6+, but its backwards compatibility is appreciated.

There is a Cloud service, much like Facebook Connect. There will be a “Log In with Pebble” button available for webmasters to integrate with the push notification service.

Pebble’s interface has been optimized as much as possible for its black-and-white colour scheme. There are many watch faces available by default, but developers have been creating custom faces based on popular ones over time.

One of the coolest pieces of integration with Pebble is web service IFTTT (If This Then That), which can be customized to a very fine degree. You can also interface with the mobile app and download new watch faces as well as other apps that have been integrated with the device.

The company is committing to update Pebble every two to three weeks — “It’s an ongoing project,” says Eric Migicovsky — such as RunKeeper integration, which will come in the first or second update.

Developing…

There is no word on whether the device is coming to Canada, since it lacks LTE compatibility in this version and only support UMTS 850/900/2100 MHz for Asian markets. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the phone eventually come to WIND or Mobilicity to take on Samsung’s top-range products at an affordable price point, but Huawei wouldn’t hint as to whether that will happen.

We were also a bit disappointed to see no CPU upgrade over the previous Ascend D1 Quad XL, though the same quad-core K3V2 chip has seen a slight speed bump to 1.5Ghz. The 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage also work in its favour, but we’re worried the 3000mAh cell would be better served by a 28nm chip; the K3V2 is a 40nm Cortex-A9, very similar to the Tegra 3.

We were really impressed by the build quality and heft of the D2. It feels more substantial than any device the company has previously made, and the aluminum frame will help protect the phone against damage was falls and scrapes. The device is also water resistant, something that cannot be said for the majority of Android smartphones on the market today.

More than anything, though, it looks like Huawei really cares about the Ascend D2, and has fashioned a thoughtful, austere device that can and will compete against others hundreds of dollars more expensive.

Next up is the Ascend Mate, a giant 6.1-inch device that intends to take on the Galaxy Note in some ways, but lacks the specs, the build quality or the vision to do so. Not to say the Mate is a bad device, but its specs are a little disappointing after playing with the sublime Ascend D2.

The phone comes with a 6.1-inch 1280×720 display, for a mediocre 240ppi pixel density. The screen, while well saturated, has disappointing viewing angles and mediocre maximum brightness. It shares the same quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM as the Ascend D2, but its 8MP camera produced muddy indoor shots.

Both devices incorporate some thoughtful UI changes to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, such as a bottom navigation bar that can be hidden with a swipe. The company has incorporated some interesting technology into the Ascend Mate, including an excellent one-handed “tablet” keyboard and screen tech that responds while wearing gloves. Smart Reading, a feature exclusive to the Mate, allows you to define, search for keywords and access Wikipedia inside an app. There are also pop-up apps that allow you to use utilities such as a calculator, notes, messages and videos from within an app.

Despite being 6.1-inches, you can still make calls on the Ascend D1, though you will look ridiculous doing so. As you can see from the examples above, it towers over the Nexus 4 and almost dwarfs the Galaxy Note II.

We’ll bring you all the details of any upcoming releases of these devices when we have them.

At CES 2013 I stopped by their booth for a quick demo of this in action as it’s reportedly three times stronger, has “Native Damage Resistance” which offers a 40% reduction in the number of scratches that you’ll be able to see. As you’ll see in the video GG3 takes on a 135 gram steel ball a couple times, then survives a serious amount of pressure. It would be cool if they created the same glass display experience on the front of the device to the back of the device – think how indestructible the Nexus 4 would be.

David Velasquez, Corning’s Director of Marketing and Commercial Operations, stated they are currently testing Gorilla Glass 3 with manufacturers and will be in-market sometime mid-2013. Finally, I asked about their flexible “Willow Glass” product and this is also in testing with unknown partners, but not yet scheduled to be available for some time.

Update: According to Sony Canada we’ll be getting hold of the Sony Xperia ZL. Launch is still expected to be sometime in Q1.

Sony has introduced its new flagship device, the Sony Xperia Z. It has a 5-inch 1920×1080 pixel display, a 1.5Ghz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC, 2GB of RAM, 16GB internal storage with expandable storage via microSD. It is IP55 and IP57 specified for water and dust resistance. Its body is 7.9mm thin and the glass that surrounds the chassis has anti-shatter film on the front and the back. The Xperia Z support LTE and incorporates the Bravia Engine 2. It has a 2330mAh non-removable battery, something that will surely irk some users. But the sleek device necessitates an embedded battery.

It will ship with Android 4.1, upgradeable to Android 4.2 in the future.

The device is incredibly sleek and much flatter than any of its previous high-end phones. It completely retools Sony’s mobile design ethic — no more curved contours like the Xperia T, nor the think-as-a-brick mentality of the Xperia S and ion.

The Xperia Z comes in three colours — black, white and a tasteful purple — but we’re sure there are plenty of secrets still to be uncovered.

The phone will be available in North America in Q1 2013.

Check back after 5pm for all the details of Sony’s 2013 mobile lineup.

These CES speeches are carefully crafted and Fishler stated something interesting about the Nexus lineup, noting that it’s “The first in our growing partnership.” Nothing more was explained, but perhaps they’ll be on tap for another pure Google smartphone, possibly a tablet… maybe a TV.

CES 2013 is right around the corner, and LG has released a video that hints at what they’ll be bringing to Las Vegas. We only get a brief look at the two devices featured, but they look to be both the LG Optimus G (above) and a phone that’s docked in what could be a larger printer. Could we be seeing some kind of photo sharing/printing combination from the tech giant?

Either way, we’ll be able to find out once we arrive at the convention and we’ll make sure to keep you all informed. What do you think the video hints at? Check it out below and let us know in the comments.

Source: LG
Via: Android Central

There’s no indication yet on the manufacturers Corning has enrolled into using Gorilla Glass 3, but we’ll bring you a demo from the CES floor. Also, no word on where “Willow Glass” is. Corning recently noted that “We are excited about the development of Corning Willow Glass, an ultra-slim flexible glass that we believe could revolutionize the shape and form of next-generation consumer electronics technologies.” Perhaps this will launch next year. Below is a demo from CES 2012 of Gorilla Glass 2.

Source: Engadget
Via: Twitter