Thread: Anandtech News

Just ahead of IFA in Berlin, HTC is dropping news of two new phones and a speaker accessory. The two new phones are the Desire 601 and 301, which round out the midrange tiers of HTC's 2013 smartphone portfolio, and a "vivid blue" variant of the HTC One and One mini. Finally HTC is announcing a new accessory dubbed BoomBass which accompanies the HTC BoomSound experience with lows that the HTC One's dual front facing speakers can't quite produce.

Desire 601

The first is the Desire 601 which looks it takes industrial design cues from something of a cross between the HTC One S and One X. The 601 looks to include relatively modest specs, and includes a 4.5-inch qHD display, 1.4 GHz Snapdragon 400 (MSM8930) SoC, and 5 MP rear facing camera with aperture and focal length that mirror the One system from the previous year's lineup. The 601 also continues the use of stereo front-facing speakers.

Desire 300

The Desire 300 is a rung below the 601, with an older Snapdragon S4 SoC (maybe MSM8x27) at 1.0 GHz and 4.3 inch WVGA display. Camera moves down to 5 MP with F/2.8 aperture and 34mm equivalent (35mm equiv) focal length.

	HTC Desire 601	HTC Desire 300
SoC	1.4 GHz Snapdragon 400 (MSM8930)	1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4
Display	4.5-inch qHD	4.3 inch WVGA
RAM	1 GB LPDDR2	512 MB
WiFi	802.11b/g/n	802.11b/g/n
Storage	8 GB, microSD Expansion (up to 64 GB)	4 GB, microSD Expansion (64GB)
I/O	3.5mm headphone, microUSB	3.5 mm headphone, microUSB
OS	Android with HTC Sense (4.2.2)	Android with HTC Sense (4.1.2)
Battery	2100 mAh	1650 mAh
Size / Mass	134.5 x 66.7 x 9.88mm, 140g	131.78 x 66.23 x 10.12mm, 120g
Camera	5 MP rear facing, 1.4µm pixels, 1/4" size, F/2.0, 28mm	5 MP rear facing, F/2.8, 34 mm
Price	? October 2013	? October 2013

The HTC Desire 601 runs Android 4.2.2, the Desire 300 runs Android 4.1.2 probably because of the older SoC inside. I've made a table based on the specifications that HTC has made public for the two new devices. Availability is given as being in October 2013, with no specific word on pricing.
Next up is a bluetooth accessory for HTC phones, a discrete compact subwoofer with dedicated amplifier designed to accompany the BoomSound experience on smartphones, called BoomBass. There's no supplied photograph of the BoomBass, but hopefully it's small and compact. Supplying a discrete subwoofer and nothing more is a bit interesting, since HTC already has the Beats Pill accessory which works well. The BoomBass apparently is designed to fill the bass frequency response lacking from the BoomSound speakers on HTC's phones.

HTC is also announcing a "Vivid Blue" variant of the HTC One and One mini, which will arrive in some markets Q4 2013. That variant looks pretty striking, but there's no word on what that translates to for the USA operator landscape.
Source: HTC Desire 601, Desire 300



More...

Twenty two months ago Intel launched its LGA-2011 platform and Sandy Bridge E aimed at the high-end desktop enthusiast. The platform brought more cores, more PCIe lanes and more memory bandwidth to those users who needed more than what had become of Intel's performance desktop offerings. It was an acknowledgement of a high end market that seems to have lost importance over the past few years. On the surface, Sandy Bridge E was a very good gesture on Intel's part. Unfortunately, the fact that it's been nearly two years since we first met LGA-2011 without a single architecture update, despite seeing the arrival of both Ivy Bridge and Haswell, doesn't send a great message to the users willing to part with hard earned money to buy into the platform.
Today we see that long awaited update. LGA-2011 remains unchanged, but the processor you plug into the socket moves to 22nm. This is Ivy Bridge Extreme.


More...

In July 2012, we saw Western Digital tackle the burgeoning NAS market with the 3.5" Red hard drive lineup. They specifically catered to units having 1-5 bays. The firmware was tuned for 24x7 operation in SOHO and consumer NAS units. 1 TB, 2 TB and 3 TB versions were made available at launch. Earlier this year, Seagate also jumped into the fray with a hard drive series carrying similar firmware features. Their differentiating aspect was the availability of a 4 TB version.
For a few months now, Seagate has held the crown for the NAS-specific drive with the largest capacity. Today, Western Digital is updating their Red lineup to achieve parity in that aspect. The 4 TB Red drive being launched today (WD40EFRX) now holds the joint record with the Seagate NAS HDD 4 TB version (ST4000VN000). The new drive also brings with it the NASWare 2.0 firmware platform, with updated features such as better error correction. Fortunately, the firmware on older Red drives can also be upgraded.
Western Digital is also trying to kickstart a new range of NAS units for the SOHO market with the introduction of 2.5" Red models. Coming in 1 TB and 750 GB capacities, they may end up making small form factor NAS units with multiple bays attractive for consumers. As a NAS user, I am always torn between moving to fewer number of high-capacity drives or retain a large number of lower capacity drives. While space and power concerns may make the latter choice appear foolish, the prolonged risky rebuild and expansion times with higher capacity disks may also represent a legitimate concern. Under these circumstances, it might be really interesting to see small form factor NAS units which support 2.5" drives only. The following table summarizes the various models available in the WD Red lineup after today's launch.

We had covered the launch of the WD Se hard drives for data centers and high end NAS units in May. One of the advertised aspects was the 180 TB/yr workload capacity. Western Digital is unable to commit to a workload capacity for the WD Red lineup because of the varying environmental conditions under which consumer NAS units operate. That said, WD expects (unofficially) the Red drives to be able to handle workloads between 120 and 150 TB/year.
A few months after the WD Red got introduced into the market last year, I began to spy lots of forum reports indicating incompatibility with certain motherboards. It was refreshing to see WD's social media / tech support team actually reach out to these users (even in the absence of an official support ticket) and gather the necessary information to improve the compatibility of the WD Red drives (not only with NAS units, but, also with standard off-the-shelf PC motherboards). Samples of the WD Red 4 TB version are in-house and you can expect a detailed review to come up later tonight.



More...

Today at IFA in Berlin, Germany, Lenovo announced updates to their T, X, and S series Ultrabooks, with thinner form factors, a variety of panel options, larger trackpads, and improve battery life. As expected, Intel’s Haswell processors (4^th Generation Intel Core Processors) make an appearance, and the new ThinkPad Ultrabooks will be able to offer as much as 17 hours of battery life – with an optional external battery. Here’s a quick overview of the various new products announced today.
ThinkPad T440/T440s
Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad T440 and T440s


The T440 and T440s are both 14-inch laptops, but the T440s is slightly lighter and has more compact dimensions and is available with a slightly faster CPU and GPU. The T440s also uses a carbon fiber to keep the weight down without compromising on durability. Both notebooks also feature NFC (Near Field Communication) capability, up to 17 hours of battery life with a high capacity battery, and optional touchscreens. Models with the GeForce GT 720M/730M apparently won’t be available in North America but will be in other regions of the world. The T440s is obviously the more potent and exciting of the two, but cost will be higher. Availability is scheduled for the end of October, with the T440s starting at $1149 and the T440 starting at $889.

ThinkPad T440 and T440s Specifications
Model	T440	T440s
CPU	Up to 4th Generation Core i5	Up to 4th Generation Core i7
GPU	Intel HD 4400 Optional GeForce GT 720M	Intel HD 4400 Optional GeForce GT 730M
LCD	14” HD 14” HD+ Touchscreen	14” HD+ 14” Full HD 14” Full HD Touchscreen
Storage	Up to 1TB HDD or 512GB SSD	Up to 1TB HDD or 512GB SSD
RAM	Up to 12GB DDR3L	Up to 12GB DDR3L
Connectivity	Mini-DisplayPort VGA 2 x USB 3.0 (one powered) SD card reader	Mini-DisplayPort VGA 3 x USB 3.0 (one powered) SD card reader
Networking	Intel WP2 + Bluetooth 4G LTE and 3G WWAN Gigabit Ethernet	Intel WP2 + Bluetooth 4G LTE and 3G WWAN Gigabit Ethernet
Battery	3-cell 23.5Wh 6-cell 48Wh 6-cell 72Wh Up to 17 Hours	3-cell 23.5Wh 6-cell 48Wh 6-cell 72Wh Up to 17 Hours
Weight	4.0 lbs. (1.82kg)	3.5 lbs. (1.59kg)
Dimensions	13.35”x9.15”x0.83” (339mm x 232.5mm x 21mm)	13.03”x8.90”x0.81” (331mm x 226mm x 20.45mm)
Extras	Up to 5-year warranty 2x larger touchpad HD webcam Optional smart card reader	Up to 5-year warranty HD webcam
Pricing	Starting at $899	Starting at $1149
Availability	Late October, 2013	Late October, 2013

ThinkPad X240
Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad X240


The X240 is a 12.5-inch laptop designed to be the ultimate road warrior. Like the T440/T440s, it includes NFC capability and optional touchscreens. It loses out on a few extras relative to the 14-inch models but it comes in a more portable and lighter package. The X240 also features Lenovo’s new Power Bridge functionality, which allows users to swap out the removable battery for the 6-cell travel battery without powering down. (It appears some models will have an optional 3-cell internal battery with the standard “travel battery” being user replaceable/swappable to support this.) Availability is scheduled for the end of October, with the X240 starting at $1099.

ThinkPad X240 Specifications
Model	X240
CPU	Up to 4th Generation Core i7
GPU	Intel HD 4400
LCD	12.5” HD 12.5” HD Widescreen 12.5” HD Widescreen Touchscreen 12.5” Full HD 12.5” Full HD Touchscreen
Storage	Up to 1TB HDD; SSDs available
RAM	Up to 8GB single SO-DIMM
Connectivity	HDMI VGA 2 x USB 3.0 SD/MMC card reader
Networking	WiFi + Bluetooth 4G LTE and 3G WWAN Gigabit Ethernet
Battery	3-cell internal (optional) 3-cell travel 6-cell travel Up to 10+ Hours
Weight	2.94 lbs. (1.34kg)
Dimensions	12.0”x8.21”x0.79” (305.5mm x 208.8mm x 20.3mm)
Extras	Up to 5-year warranty HD webcam
Pricing	Starting at $1149
Availability	Late October, 2013

ThinkPad S440/S540
Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad S440 and S540


The S440/S540 will be available in select markets, which does not include North America. The S440 is a 14-inch laptop while the S540 is a 15.6” design; both support up to Core i7 CPUs with optional HD 8670M graphics from AMD (presumably Enduro enabled). The S series is designed for “business or pleasure”, with more multimedia friendly features like voice control, and they support Lenovo’s OneLink technology to allow docking of sorts with USB 3.0, video, power, and Gigabit Ethernet over a single cable. Availability is scheduled for September on the S440 and October for the S540 in Europe, with the S440 starting at €699 and the S540 starting at €649.

ThinkPad S440 and S540 Specifications
Model	S440	S540
CPU	Up to 4th Generation Core i5	Up to 4th Generation Core i7
GPU	Intel HD 4400 Optional Radeon HD 8670M	Intel HD 4400 Optional Radeon HD 8670M
LCD	14” Up to HD+ Anti-Glare Optional Touchscreen	15.6” Up to Full HD Anti-Glare Optional Touchscreen
Storage	Up to 500GB HDD or 256GB SSD	Up to 1TB HDD or 256GB SSD
RAM	Up to 8GB (1 x SO-DIMM)	Up to 16GB (2 x SO-DIMM)
Connectivity	OneLink 2 x USB 3.0 (one powered) SD card reader	Mini-DisplayPort VGA 3 x USB 3.0 (one powered) SD card reader
Networking	WiFi + Bluetooth Gigabit Ethernet	WiFi + Bluetooth Gigabit Ethernet Optional 4G LTE and 3G WWAN
Battery	Up to 6 Hours	Up to 9 Hours
Weight	3.92 lbs. (1.78kg) 4.23 lbs. (1.92kg) Touch	4.65 lbs. (2.11kg) 5.2 lbs. (2.36kg) Touch
Dimensions	13.11”x8.85”x0.80” (0.88” Touch) (333mm x 225mm x 20.5mm, 22.5mm Touch)	14.9”x9.96”x0.81” Touch (379mm x 253mm x 20.7mm Touch)
Extras	HD webcam	HD webcam
Pricing	Starting at €699	Starting at €649
Availability	September, 2013	October, 2013

More...

Along with their new ThinkPad Ultrabooks, Lenovo also announced their new LT2934z panoramic display today at IFA in Berlin, Germany. This is a 29” 21:9 aspect ratio display similar to the LG 29EA93 monitor we looked at earlier this year, only with the stand and other features designed and packaged by Lenovo. While Chris wasn’t particularly impressed with the initial LG display, the updated firmware solved every major complaint and turned it into a very compelling product. Lenovo’s LT2934z will hopefully keep all of the good aspects and merely add to it.
Core features include an AH-IPS panel, full HD webcam, dual array microphone, and stereo speakers. It also has picture-in-picture functionality. The backlight is rated at 100% sRGB gamut, so perhaps not ideal for professionals but great for “the rest of us”. The native resolution is 2560x1080, with the normal 178 degree viewing angles that IPS provides. Adjustment options include tilt (-5°/+25°) and swivel (+/-45°), as well as 110mm of height adjustment (if I’m reading the spec sheet properly – it says “110mm Lift”). Video connectivity consists of VGA, HDMI 1.4, MHL, DL-DVI, and DisplayPort 1.2. The LT2934z also includes two USB 3.0 ports (one with BatteryCharge 1.2, so it’s always powered) and two additional USB 2.0 ports. The display weight 18.3 lbs. (8.3kg) and measures 26.5”x11.2” (673mm x 284mm). Also included are dedicated VoIP keys for mute, pick up/drop call, and volume.
The LT2934z is scheduled for availability starting in October 2013, with pricing starting at $799. That’s $100 more than the LG 29EA93, but hopefully with the extra features making it a worthwhile upgrade.
Gallery: Lenovo Announces New ThinkVision LT2934z Panoramic Display





More...

The SMB / SOHO / consumer NAS market is expected to experience good growth over the next few years. With declining PC sales and increase in affordability of SSDs, hard drive vendors have scrambled to make up for the deficit and increase revenue by targeting the NAS market. Hard drive models specifically catering to 1-5 bay consumer NAS units have been introduced by both Western Digital and Seagate. With the launch of the second generation WD Red models yesterday, both have 4 TB versions. How do these models fare against each other? What makes enterprise drive models (such as the WD Re and WD Se) targeting higher-end NAS units different? Read on to find out.


More...

The connected camera space is going through an interesting period, we’ve seen a few device makers take steps towards building cameras that run Android (Nikon’s S800C, Galaxy Camera, Galaxy S4 Zoom, Galaxy NX, PureView 808 and Lumia 1020 all arguably sit in this category), and the notion that the best camera is the one you have on you at all times seems almost universal at this point. The problem is that while mobile devices continue including better and better cameras, there’s still a size and thickness tradeoff that device makers have to make when crafting handsets. There’s now recognition that being able to instantly share and do something with photos makes them valuable almost regardless of the photo’s technical quality, now it’s just a matter of increasing that technical quality.

Sony is taking an interesting approach with their newest connected camera accessory. I say accessory since Sony’s vision is really that the camera ends up being a modular component that attaches and detaches from a mobile device, and uses the smartphone as a viewport for live preview and sharing. The ISP and camera processing is all done on the camera accessory, the smartphone becomes the interface for it. Sony is dubbing this form factor a “lens-style camera” as it looks literally like a lens barrel you’d find on a point and shoot camera with nothing more. Pair the camera to your phone using NFC if it has it, and then the smartphone works with the camera over WiFi like a remote. Sony’s PlayMemories Mobile application (essentially the remote for the QX series) works with iOS and Android.
The camera has its own memory card slot (microSDXC and Memory Stick Micro), shutter release and controls, and rechargeable battery, so they can be operated handheld, standalone, on a tripod screw mount, or clipped to a smartphone. Photos get stored on the camera, and also on the smartphone when paired.

The spring loaded clip allows the module to be attached to the smartphone and basically emulate a point and shoot form factor, or at leas that’s the goal. There’s also a case for the Xperia Z designed to accommodate the module.

There are two different modules in Sony’s new Cyber-shot QX series, the DSC-QX100 and DSC-QX10. The QX100 includes a larger 1/1.0“ Exmor R CMOS sensor with 20 MP resolution and carl zeiss branded optical system with 35mm effective focal length from 30–108mm aperture from F/1.8 to 4.9 over that range. The QX100 is the decidedly higher end model. The QX10 includes a smaller 1/2.3” Exmor R CMOS sensor with 19 MP and Sony G optics with effective focal length between 25–250mm and F/3.3 to 5.9 over that range, although this is clearly the lower end model it does stretch out a bit further with that longer focal length. Both devices include optical image stabilization as well. The QX100 will be available late September for $500 and the QX10 will come in at the same time at $250.

Camera Emphasized Smartphone Comparison
	Nikon Coolpix S800c	Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom	Samsung Galaxy NX Camera	Sony DSC-QX100	Sony DSC-QX10
CMOS Resolution	16.0 MP	16.3 MP	20.3 MP	20.2 MP	18.2 MP
CMOS Format	1/2.3", 1.34µm pixels	1/2.3", 1.34µm pixels	APS-C, 4.25µm pixels	1/1.0", 2.4µm	1/2.3", 1.3µm
CMOS Size	6.17mm x 4.55mm	6.17mm x 4.55mm	23.5mm x 15.7mm	13.2mm x 8.8mm	6.2 x 4.6 mm (approx)
Lens Details	4.5 - 45.0mm (25-250 35mm equiv) F/3.2-5.8	4.3 - 43mm (24-240 mm 35mm equiv) F/3.1-F/6.3 OIS	NX Mount ILC, shown with 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6	10.4-37.1 mm (30-108mm equiv), F/1.8-4.9	4.45-44.5 mm (25-250 mm equiv) F/3.3-5.9
Display	854 x 480 (3.5" diagonal)	960 x 540 (4.3-inch)	1280 x 720 (4.8-inch) LCD	N/A	N/A
SoC	ARM Cortex A5(?)	1.5 GHz Exynos 4212	1.6 GHz Quad Core (Exynos 4412?)	Bionz ISP	Bionz ISP
Storage	1.7 GB + microSDHC	8 GB + microSDHC	16 GB + microSDXC	microSDXC, Memory Stick Micro	microSDXC, Memory Stick Micro
Video Recording	1080p30	1080p30	1080p25	1440x1080p30	1440x1080p30
OS	Android 2.3.6	Android 4.2	Android 4.2.2	iOS/Android	iOS/Android
Connectivity	No cellular, WiFi 802.11b/g/n(?), GPS	Quad band WCDMA 21.1, 4G LTE SKUs, 802.11a/b/g/n with 40 MHz channels, BT 4.0, GNSS	Quad band WCDMA 42 4G LTE SKUs, 802.11a/b/g/n, BT 4.0, GNSS	NFC, WiFi(?)+BT(?)	NFC, WiFi(?)+BT(?)

I haven’t had a chance to play with either cameras or the interface, but the form factor is unique enough to be interesting, and if nothing else it’s fascinating watching everyone come up with their own way around the mobile device problem. Like Samsung, Sony having a P&S business makes their mobile approach interesting, and they also have considerable CMOS sensor leadership to take advantage of. Sony’s approach seems to be this accessory model, which although unique still means you’ll need another pocket or pouch to hold the camera when not using it. I’m not sure that the long term solution for the camera bump problem is to make the bump discrete and pocketable, but the higher end QX100’s specs might make it worth carrying around.
Gallery: Sony Announces Smartphone Camera Accessories - Cyber-Shot QX100 and QX10





More...

Intel's lone ranger and Principle Engineer, Francois Piednoël, published one of the first semi-official Baytrail benchmarks on his Twitter feed earlier today. The score is for the unannounced Atom Z3770, a quad-core Silvermont based (4C/4T) Baytrail implementation running at a nominal frequency of 1.47GHz (with I assume a > 2GHz max turbo). Francois was careful to only run the multithreaded Cinebench 11.5 test, tossing out a score of 1.47.
To put this score in perspective we need to dig into some of our own reviews. AMD's A4-5000, a quad-core Kabini based SoC running at 1.5GHz, manages a score of 1.5 in the same test. This is also roughly 86% of the performance of a dual-core Sandy Bridge based Pentium processor running at 2.2GHz. Compared to a dual-core Atom Z2760 (Clovertrail) the Atom Z3770 delivers nearly 3x the performance. Finally, this Baytrail SKU delivers similar performance to a mid-2GHz mobile Penryn based Core 2 Duo (it's also faster than a 2010 Macbook Air...but in a part that can go into a tablet). The quad-core Silvermont vs. dual-core Penryn comparisons are a little unfair as there tends to be no replacement for extra cores in these thread heavy benchmarks.

Single threaded performance typically scales down quite linearly in Cinebench, but that's assuming that single core turbo frequencies aren't insane. Regardless it's probably safe to assume a single threaded Cinebench 11.5 score somewhere north of a 1.5GHz Jaguar. We are also only looking at FP performance here, which is less important for most consumer uses than integer based workloads.
It's interesting to note that the test system (likely a tablet) seems to be running a 32-bit version of Windows. As there are no connected standby enabled versions of 64-bit Windows, that's likely why we're seeing the 32-bit version used here.
Obviously the big unknown here is power consumption. As Baytrail is destined for tablets, I'd expect lower average power than pretty much all of our comparison targets in the graph above. The big question I have is whether or not this is finally performance that is good enough. Although Clovertrail could run legacy Windows applications, it wasn't fast enough to actually run heavy legacy apps well. Paired with a decent IO subsystem (something I'm doubtful most OEMs will deploy), I feel like Baytrail could be on the cusp of delivering performance that's good enough. Part of the problem here is that we're only looking at multithreaded performance, which obviously looks pretty reasonable on a quad-core part. How well Intel is able to deliver good single threaded performance will really determine whether or not Baytrail makes for a great platform.
With IDF 2013 next week I'm guessing we'll see a lot more of Baytrail's performance soon enough.



More...

Today at IFA in Berlin, Germany, ASUS held a press conference to cover a variety of new products. One of the more exciting products is the new Transformer tablet. We knew it was coming, and we’ve discussed a few of the specs in the past, but we finally have an official name: the ASUS Transformer Pad TF701T.
As discussed previously, the TF701T will sport a 10.1” 2560x1600 IPS display. Powering the new Transformer is an NVIDIA Tegra 4 T40X quad-core SoC, which has four Cortex-A15 cores running at up to 1.9GHz and a 72-core GeForce GPU – the same SoC used in NVIDIA’s SHIELD. The new Transformer will initially launch in two models, both with 2GB DDR3L RAM: one has 32GB onboard storage and one has 64GB onboard storage (and both with microSDXC slots). Dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0 are included, and Miracast WiFi video streaming is also supported; the included HDMI connection can even drive a 4K display (presumably at 24p). Cameras are the usual, consisting of a 1.2MP front-facing camera and a 5MP rear-facing camera that can also shoot 1080p video.
Besides the above features, the TF701T naturally continues the Transformer heritage and includes a keyboard dock that extends battery life and includes a USB 3.0 port and an SDXC slot. With tablet SoCs making rapid strides in performance, not to mention the quality of the displays, the use cases are ever expanding. At the time the original ASUS Transformer launched, we felt it was an interesting idea but performance and the app ecosystem wasn’t enough for most people to replace their regular Windows laptop. Fast forward a couple years and such a thing is definitely possible. Android 4.2 is a big improvement from the old Honeycomb days, build quality is improved, battery life is also better, and performance should be 4x (perhaps even more) what we had just two years ago.
Rounding out the features and specs, the tablet comes with a 31Wh battery rated at up to 13 hours battery life, while the dock has a 16Wh battery that can add up to 4 hours of battery life. The tablet measures 263mm x 180xmm x 8.9mm and weights 585g, and the dock is 263mm x 180.8mm x 7mm and weighs 570g. ASUS hasn’t finalized pricing or availability yet, but we should have that information in the next month or two.



More...

If you’re keeping track, I’m almost half-way through the ASUS IFA announcements from this morning. Up next we have two new Fonepad devices, the Fonepad Note 6E and the Fonepad 7E. As you might guess from the name, these are hybrid smartphone and tablet devices, or if you prefer: really big phones. (Maybe we can get back to holding cell phones the size of a large brick to our faces in the next few years?)

Starting with the Fonepad Note 6E, ASUS has a 6” 1080p Super IPS+ display with up to 450 nits brightness and 10-point capacitive touch. The “Note” aspect reflects the inclusion of a stylus, though ASUS doesn’t indicate who makes the stylus or whether it’s an active or passive stylus (I’m guessing passive). The basic idea is that the Fonepad is designed for people that want the larger screen a tablet offers and they don’t want to carry around a smartphone; paired with a Bluetooth headset, all you need is a purse, briefcase, or a large pocket and you can have your proverbial cake and eat it to (sort of). The Fonepad 6E measures 164.8mm x 88.8mm x 10.3mm and weighs 210g, so about 3cm longer and 1.5cm wider than the Galaxy S4, and just slightly thicker and 50% heavier. ASUS notes that they have several custom apps designed for stylus input as well.
The core hardware in the Fonepad 6E is an Intel Atom Z2580 Clover Trail SoC, which is a dual-core + Hyper-Threading CPU that runs Android 4.2 at up to 2.0GHz with a 400MHz GPU. Battery life from the 3200mAh battery is rated at up to 23 hours 3G talk time and 6.5 hours of video playback. The 6E includes a 1.2MP front-facing camera and an 8MP rear-facing camera, 2GB RAM with 16/32GB onboard storage and a microSDHC slot, 2.4GHz 802.11n with Bluetooth 3.0, and micro-USB, micro-SIM, and 3.5mm headphone/microphone jacks. Cellular connectivity consists of UMTS 850, 900, 1900, 2100MHz (Europe & US), GSM/EDGE 850, 900, 1900, 2100MHz (Europe & US), and HSPA+ with 42Mbit/s DL & 5.76Mbit/s UL. A-GPS with GLONASS is also present. Pricing and availability are still pending, but the Fonepad 6E is planned in white and black versions.

For the big brother Fonepad 7E, ASUS moves up to a 7” IPS display but drops the resolution to 1280x800. The 7E should be priced lower than the 6E based on the features and specifications, as it comes with a slightly slower Atom Z2560 (dual-core + Hyper-Threading at up to 1.6GHz) SoC, 1GB RAM, 8/16/32GB onboard storage (with microSDHC slot available for more), 5MP rear/1.2MP front cameras, and no stylus. Basically, everything is cut down from the 6E, except for the size and battery. The Fonepad 7E measures 196.8mm x 120mm x 10.5mm and weighs 340g, and the 3950mAh battery is rated at up to 10 hours of battery life for 720p video playback. The included ports are the same as the 6E (micro-USB, micro-SIM, and 3.5mm headphone/microphone jacks), and WiFi support is also 2.4GHz 802.11n with Bluetooth 3.0. Cellular connectivity is nearly the same as the 6E, with the only difference being the lack of 2100MHz GSM/EDGE support. We’re again waiting for information on pricing and availability, but the Fonepad 7E will launch in sapphire black and diamond white versions.



More...