Technology Observatory November 3-9
This week's Technology Observatory will cover the following news items:
● Nexus 9 is now available in Spain: prices and availability of models
● Flexible screens make a comeback: this OLED touchscreen folds in three
● The fast HTC charger will arrive soon
● Apple is already looking for its Apple Watch "evangelists"
● Samsung Galaxy Note Edge will be presented in the United States on November 14th
● Kindle Unlimited, the flat reading rate arrives to Spain
● LG G Watch R and its round face reach the Spanish market
● The Android 5.0 Lollipop OTA for the Nexus is delayed until November 12th
● Google and LG agree to share their patents for ten years
● Microsoft will present us its first Lumia on November 11th
It has already arrived. As of November 3th, the Nexus 9 is already available in Spain through Amazon and Google Play, priced from €389 for the most basic model up to €569 for the superior model. The model with LTE connectivity will only be available in the 32 GB version, and we'll have to wait for its arrival in December. The sand color model, on another hand, will not be available, at least during the rollout: only the white and black models will be marketed.
● Nexus 9 Wi-Fi 16 GB: 389 euros
● Nexus 9 Wi-Fi 32 GB: 489 euros
● Nexus 9 Wi-Fi + LTE 32 GB: 569 euros
It comes equipped with some accessories for leisure as well as productivity. On one hand, a magnetic case somewhat reminiscent of origami, as it folds to act as a support in some positions. It is magnetic along all of its edges, therefore not requiring beveling like Apple's Smart Cover or other similar devices. Price: 39 euros. The other case also offers several positions for supporting the Nexus 9, but comes with a built-in keyboard. According to HTC, its keys are further spaced apart than is the norm for keyboards embedded in a case to provide a better feel and certainty that we have typed. Price: 129 euros. Both accessories will reach the market at the end of November. Let's cover this tablet's specifications, Android's first with a 64 bit processor and one of the few with a 4:3 display ratio:
● Screen: LCD IPS - 2048 x 1440 pixels
● SoC: Nvidia Tegra K1 64bit
● CPU: Quad-core 2.5 GHz Cortex-A15
● GPU: ULP GeForce Kepler
● Camera: 8MP / 1.6MP front
● RAM: 2 GB
● Storage: 16 / 32 GB
● Measurements: 226.3 x 151.9 x 7.9 mm
● Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, LTE cat 4
● Battery: 6700 mAh
● Operating system: Android 5.0 (L)
● Sound: Stereo speakers and 3.5 jack for headphones
● Colors: Black / White / Sand
During the Display Innovation 2014 event which took place in Yokohama, Japan, the Semiconductor Energy Laboratory (SEL) company displayed a flexible OLED screen that could be folded into three, similar to a traditional letter. The company already presented a similar solution in June with a 5.9 inch screen, but in this model the size has increased to 8.7 inches, the resolution is 1.920 x 1.080 pixels (254 ppp) and, furthermore, the screen has a multi-touch support. Screen thickness is merely 100 micrometers while weighing just 6 grams. The screen combines color filters with white OLED, and in its manufacturing SEL used the same technique as Samsung and LG when displaying their flexible devices, replacing glass substrates with a plastic substrate providing this flexibility. This concept test could be applied to, for example, devices such as tablets that could be folded for simple transportation, but also for screens that change shape and adapt to certain sizes, depending on their use. For the time being, the first Samsung LG devices with flexible screens have had a very discrete acceptance, but it is evident that manufacturers are willing to continue to bet on these types of solutions.
Some manufacturers have already offered their fast-charging technologies for some of the newest smartphones, while others appear to be willing to include this option very soon. HTC, for example, has already announced in its official website the existence of its HTC Rapid Charger 2.0. This device benefits from the advantage of Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 technology and allows for charging some of the newest HTC phones about 40% faster than a conventional charger, entailing a more than considerable time savings. The charger using this technology will permit charging the battery of compatible smartphones between 0% and 60% in just 30 minutes. Compatible devices are HTC devices based on Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 or newer versions. Models currently capable of using this support are HTC One M8, HTC One E8, HTC One Remix and HTC Desire EYE. At the moment, HTC Rapid Charger 2.0 has no date or estimated price, but its availability appears to be very close. Some devices already have the Quick Charge 2.0 technology presented by Qualcomm last year, and we finally begin to see how these types of improvements at least shorten the process considerably.
Apple has published a job in its employment website revealing that the company continues to focus on preparing the launch of its watch: it's looking for Apple Watch "Evangelists", people to talk to the developers to convince them that the step to be taken after its applications for iOS is to get into its users' wrists. Furthermore, convincing them requires more than good speaking skills: one must be experienced with Objective-C and the use of Xcode in addition to being capable of fast problem-solving. Notice is given, even, that the person to land this job will design sessions for the upcoming WWDC. We can sum it up by saying that Apple continues to know that the key to the success of the Apple Watch resides in the ecosystem of its applications. With the iPhone, everything was new in that no one knew what to download from the App Store, but now that everyone is familiar with the most popular applications, they'll want to have them in the Apple watch. These evangelists will be those who, by helping all third-party developers (whether individual programmers or large companies), will assure that the Apple Watch will have an App Store full of attractive programs as of the first day of Spring 2015. Though apparently not, it's one of the most important jobs for a new product category to get off to a good start.
With the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 recently landed on the Spanish market, watchful eyes looking at this Korean giant again turn toward the Unpacked 2014 Episode 2, where we also met the innovative brother of the successful Samsung phablet. Obviously, we're talking about a Galaxy Note Edge already launched in South Korea at an exorbitant price, but which despite being a device with a limited edition, it will continue its international expansion toward the United States. It will reach the North American market in just two weeks - next November 14th - where it will be available through several retailers at a price of US$945.99, the equivalent to about €760. The Note Edge is the twin brother phablet of the Note 4 presented together with it, with a packed list of specifications that includes, in addition, an OLED screen that curves rightward, with software functions and extended menus. The utmost statement of intentions as regards flexible displays, as well as an exercise of innovation with, for the time being, an unknown official arrival to Spain. We'll have to continue waiting for Samsung's confirmation.
Kindle also offers a flat rate, and one of the most popular digital reading systems renovates itself with Kindle Unlimited, a monthly subscription service that places no limits on the books one reads, without needing to purchase them. This offer is already available, with all of the advantages offered by Kindle. Amongst other things, Kindle Unlimited offers up to 700,000 books, of which about 25,000 are in Spanish, for about €10 per month, an offer which any avid reader can appreciate. Kindle Unlimited offers some of the popular best sellers, exclusive Kindle books in addition to all-time classics and publications by emerging authors. However, we do miss independent authorships, at least with regards to books in Spanish. Regardless of this, the catalog is sufficiently broad and interesting. We can enjoy Kindle Unlimited from any device. But Kindle Unlimited doesn't just offer a good catalog. Another of the service’s features is its simplicity, not only in using Kindle Unlimited in your device, but also because it allows you read using other devices with the free Kindle applications, making Kindle Unlimited reach almost any platform and its synchronization with all of them. We can also use the rest of the typical Kindle functions such as dictionaries, reader opinions and others. No doubt, if you like to read and read more than one book per month, surely Kindle Unlimited is a service you'll take advantage of, even if just for the amount of titles you have available for only €10/month, in addition to all of the other conveniences the system offers. Once you subscribe, it's as simple as searching the catalog for the Kindle Unlimited logo and the symbol "Read for €0" and selecting the book, that simple.
After discovering the proposal presented by Motorola, everyone expected another major manufacturer to also set out to conquer our wrists using round faces. The brave adventurer was LG, the company which at the end of August pleased us with the announcement of its attractive G Watch R. After its debut, we saw it presented at IFA, and now know that it will finally be available in the Spanish market, ready to become your inseparable friend. The G Watch R hosts a round dial P-OLED (Plastic OLED) of 1.3 inches with a resolution of 320 x 320 pixels. Its Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, 1.2 GHz processor, accompanied by 512 MB of RAM comes with 4 GB of internal storage and a 410 mAh battery. The smartwatch with Android Wear is made of stainless steel and aluminum, showing off a robust design very similar to a conventional watch, compatible with any 22 mm wristband. It has a step counter, built-in heart-rate monitor and IP67 protection so that it may withstand water immersion for half an hour at a depth of one meter, and is dust-resistant. The G Watch R by LG should already be fashionably dressed in Spanish shop windows next to a price tag of 279 euros.
Since yesterday, November 3rd, we've been awaiting the publication of factory images of the Android 5.0 as well as the OTA upgrades for Nexus devices. On the 3rd the AOSP versions for all devices were published and on the 4th the uploading of files in Google Git were completed for the “lollipop-release“. Including the entire Nexus range, except for tablets with 3G/LTE connectivity and the already dismissed Galaxy Nexus. Apparently, we'll have to keep waiting for the Android 5.0 upgrade for our devices. This might have occurred because some bugs have been reported in the final version which obviously must be resolved prior to its launch. The upcoming date being talked about for the launch of the Android Lollipop is November 12th, according to sources accessible by Artem of Android Police.
Coincidentally, November 12th is the sale date for the Nexus 6 in the United States, though only for operators. No trace of the open version (where the Google Play stock appeared and disappeared) and far from knowing of its arrival to Europe, though it is expected on November 18th. We'll see if it's true and there are no delays, as is the case now. Though perhaps there will be problems with the stock. For now, only the Lollipop version for the Nexus Player and the Nexus 9 is available. Obviously this is because this is factory-installed and will be more refined than this version for other devices. Definitely, if we wanted our dose of Android candy we'll have to wait until November 12th to see more movements in Google as to factory images and the OTA. If the OTA are delayed, then most likely so will the factory images. A great deal of expectation has been generated! But, once again we must be patient. Lollipop is worth it.
As can be read in the official LG website news page, this company has reached an agreement with Google thanks to which both companies will share their patents over the coming 10 years. Despite the omission of the specific patents covered by this agreement, surely these cover a wide range of products and technologies of both electronic giants. Through it, both Google and LG expect to focus on creating important consumer products and services. An agreement of this nature makes all the sense in the world, as we cannot overlook the fact that Google and LG have had a close relationship recently. In fact, when Google announced the Open Automotive Alliance, the initiative to implement Android in motor vehicles, LG expressed its interest in participating and, furthermore, LG is currently the manufacturer of the newest Nexus models, Google's mobile devices. The aforementioned agreement will allow for sharing both already existing patents as well as those to be created over the coming ten years. The establishment of alliances and different agreements across companies is already common in the technology sector. Recall that at the start of the year, Google also reached an agreement with Samsung, and later, Apple and Samsung in turn agreed to forget about their disagreements outside the United States.
Last Friday Microsoft announced in social networks of the extinct Nokia, later in Nokia Conversations, that it has a new Lumia phone to present to us on November 11th, just around the corner. As we can conclude, it will be the first to officially wear Microsoft logos on both of its faces, granting the Lumia surname continuity. The information provided is merely #MoreLumia and the front right corner of a phone, on which its front camera is visible. The orange color is in tune with the image they used to tell us that Microsoft was replacing Nokia. They promised us that the first Microsoft Mobile would arrive soon, and since then we can't stop relating this phone with the RM-1090 that's been spotted in China. If it is this Lumia - possibly the 535 -, we'd be talking about a mid-level device as regards accessibility, with a 5-inch display and HD resolution, with Snapdragon 200 hardware with 1GB of RAM. The list of expected colors includes orange, the one used in the teaser.