Mobile Devices

Microsoft Refreshes Surface Lineup

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Microsoft presents what it claims is "the broadest Surface lineup ever"-- one featuring revamped laptop and tablet offerings, as well as accessories and a dual-screen tablet, the Surface Neo.

Surface refreshAvailable in 13.5- and 15-inch options with new colours and finishes, the Surface Laptop 3 ships with either a 10th gen Intel Core processor or, in case of the 15-inch model, the AMD Ryzen Surface Edition processor. The result of a co-engineering effort between Microsoft and AMD, the processor promises the "fastest graphics performance" of any 15-inch laptop.

In further details, the Surface Laptop 3 features a full-size keyboard with 1.33mm key travel with the choice of either Alcantara fabric or an aluminium all-metal finish. The trackpad is 20% larger, while connectivity comes through both USB-A and USB-C ports. Microsoft says conferencing is also catered for, since the laptop features improved front-facing cameras, OmniSonic speakers and dual far-field studio microphones.

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HMD Global Brings Back Nokia 2720 at IFA 2019

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HMD Global continues to tap further into the nostalgia for the Nokia phones of old(ish) with the IFA 2019 announcement of the Nokia 2720 Flip, a comeback of the Nokia 2720 flip-phone released around a decade ago.

Nokia 2720 FlipWith the Nokia 2720 Flip, HMD promises a simple and reliable device within the much loved flip form factor. Built out of tough polycarbonate, it features big hardware buttons paired with a 2.8-inch internal display and a 1.3-inch external display. Operation is just like it used to be. The external display shows call details and various notifications, and one can answer calls by opening the phone. Once ready, the user simply snaps the phone shut.

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Samsung Presents 108MP Smartphone Image Sensor

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Samsung sets to further push smartphone photography with the 108MP ISOCELL Bright HMX-- an image sensor the company claims is the first to go beyond 100 million pixels, a resolution equivalent ot a high-end DSLR camera.

Samsung sensorDeveloped in collaboration with Xiaomi, the sensor promises "extremely sharp photographs rich in detail," even in extreme lighting conditions. It comes in a large 1/1.33-inch size, allowing it to absorb more light in low-lit settings, while pixel-merging Tetracell technology allows the sensor to imitate big-pixel sensor. The result, Samsung says, is brighter 27MP images.

A Smart-ISO mechanism sets the level of amplifier gains according to illumination levels, and switches to a low ISO in case of bright conditions and to high ISO in darker settings to reduce noise. The sensor also supports video recording at resolutions up to 60K (6016 x 3384) at 30fps.

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Microsoft Working on Foldable Surface?

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IHS Markit claims Microsoft has plans to release a "small foldable Surface" sometime in H1 2020-- a device featuring two 9-inch displays in a 4:3 aspect ratio running on Windows 10.

Foldable surfaceThe information comes from a Forbes story citing IHS Markit associate director, consumer electronics, Jeff Lin. According to "supply chain info," the foldable Surface device will feature the Lakefield Intel 10nm system-on-chip with always-on mobile connectivity (LTE or 5G) and the ability to run Android apps and iCloud service on Windows 10. As for the OS, it is technically WCOS (Windows Core OS) with dual-display UI.

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Apple Updates... iPod Touch

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Apple makes something of a surprise announcement with an update on the iPod-- a first in 4 years, the latest iPod touch carries an A10 Fusion chip, making the venerable portable music player the equivalent of the iPhone 7.

iPod TouchAccording to the company, the chip upgrade allows the iPod touch to handle AR experiences and Group FaceTime chats, as well as allow for improved game performance. The device offers 256GB of storage, while Apple Music provides a catalog of over 50 million songs, thousands of playlists and Beats 1 Radio access.

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