AH - New ELECTRONIC and GADGETS

Production of iPhone 5 is poised to start and sample devices have already been released; the eagerly awaited follow up to iPhone 4S is expected to become available this summer, according to a new report. The report by 9to5mac.com is based on a reliable source at Foxconn in Taiwan. According to the source, the sample devices have minor differences but each has a display that is 4-in, or larger; and a symmetrical form factor that is longer and wider. Reports last summer talked of a tear-drop shape. According to the report, the final form factor has yet to be decided. The contention of the 9to5mac.com source that Apple sample devices are longer and wider is drawing skepticism from industry watchers who say that while it is likely Apple's next generation iPhone will feature a larger display, it is unlikely to be larger sized, because the current size feels just right. A summer launch for the iPhone 5 is being predicted based on the pattern observed with iPhone 4S; fir...

Sony announced on January 23, 2012 that it had developed the next generation Back-Illuminated CMOS Image Sensor that is more compact, consumes less power and has higher processing speed. In conventional image sensors, the back illuminated pixel section and the analog circuits for signal processing are placed on a single chip which is stacked on top of supporting substrate, as shown in the figure above. In Sony's new sensor, the back illuminated pixel section is stacked over a chip containing the analog circuits section for signal processing that also acts as the supporting substrate. Image sensor research has so far focused on achieving higher pixel numbers, improved image quality and faster processing speeds. Sony's new sensor additionally strives for more compact sensor size. Sony's new stacking arrangement facilitates the use of large-scale circuits while keeping overall chip size small. Independent mounting on two different chips enables the pixel sectio...

Among the most useful devices exhibited at the Consumer Electronics Show can well be counted the EcoATM – an incomparable gadget designed to deal with all other gadgets. It doesn’t only take care of your gadgets that are past repair – it can bring in cash for worn and dated electronics when properly used. As soon as one of your aged gadgets comes up for disposal, instead of chucking it into a garbage bin you’d do well to delegate it to the EcoATM’s special area where it will perform photographing and scanning and come up with a solution for the gadget’s future. The EcoATM gets a circuit check done and apprise the level of the functioning, after which it will use a network of all available electronics-recycling companies to see how much they can stump up for it – so you will have a fairly accurate idea what sum you can get for recycling. There’s the choice of disposing it to the EcoATM, in which case the device will offer exchange facilities.

Vegas’s Consumer Electronics Show was certainly a great draw for all electronic minded males, but ladies that wandered in were also rewarded for their visit with new laptops from ASUS . Something to look forward to, ASUS’s two female design ZENBOOK laptops , Hot Pink and Rose Gold, combine wow! looks with the latest word in features. The zenbooks are 0.35-inch thick at the rear dwindling to 0.11 inch at the front and the first Ultrabooks with the curved edge design. Their performance is enhanced with the ASUS’s Super Hybrid Engine II technology bettering other existing Ultrabooks by 25% extra battery life which spells two-week-long standby time or more than two months in sleep/hibernate mode. Battery lifespan can be checked with PowerWiz utility. The beautiful pink and gold laptops turn on instantly, working on the latest Intel Core i7 processors; they also feature Bluetooth V4.0 and USB 3.0. ASUS’s SonicMaster technology provides excellent sound.

The most outstanding feature of the G1 X is its massive sensor; at 18.7 x 14mm it is nearly the same size as the APS-C (22.3 x 14.9mm) sensor fitted on most DSLR cameras, including Canon's EOS series. Canon says it developed the new sensor with the aim of offering APS-C sensor equivalent pixel size and sensitivity in the compact camera, giving users shallow depth-of-field and high dynamic range typically associated with DSLRs. The camera utilize on-chip noise reduction technology and has 4 channel read-out for high speed. The surface area of the PowerShot G1 X's sensor is 6.3 times larger than the sensor in the PowerShot G12, and its light-gathering ability 4.5 times greater, offering users dramatically improved image quality and facilitating low light photography. The PowerShot G1 X offers a maximum full-resolution ISO range of 100 to 12800, perfect for shooting in a wide range of lighting conditions. The camera allows users to specify how it controls ISO to ...

Acer on Sunday, January 8, stole a march over rival PC makers by unveiling its Aspire S5, 13.3-in ultrabook powered by an Intel Ivy Bridge processor ahead of the start of CES 2012 on January 10. The Aspire S5, claimed to be the thinnest laptop in the world, will be available in the market by May or June. According to past reports, Intel will officially release Ivy Bridge processors to the market in April, with the launch of as many as 25 variants aimed at desktops, laptops and netbooks. According to Acer, Intel's Ivy Bridge processors feature a 20 percent boost in performance over Sandy Bridge processors, with 30 percent better graphics performance. The S5 laptop will feature 8 hrs of "uncompromised" battery life, USB 3.0 and Intel's latest Thunderbolt connectivity technology. Ivy Bridge architecture, built using 22nm process, is the successor to the 32nm process Sandy Bridge architecture. The Ivy Bridge platform will be the first to feature Intel'...

Fujifilm's first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, Fujifilm X-Pro1, announced on Monday, January 9, lived up to expectations fanned by Fujifilm's earlier products, such as FinePix X100 and FinePix F300EXR. The X-Pro1's headlining features are: a 16 megapixel APS-C X-Trans CMOS sensor, Hybrid Multi Viewfinder and a brand new X lens mount. Fujifilm also announced the release of three X-mount prime lenses. X-Trans CMOS Sensor The most outstanding feature of the X-Pro1 is its newly developed X-Trans CMOS sensor which Fujifilm says delivers resolution matching that of a full frame sensor! The sensor uses a 6x6 pixel color filter array, instead of the traditional 2x2, which reduces moiré and false color, eliminating the need of an optical low pass filter, which degrades resolution. Fujifilm says the new color filter array is inspired by the random arrangement of fine film grain. RGB pixels are arranged randomly in each 6x6 pixel set, eliminating moiré and...

Acer and Lenovo are planning to launch Windows 8 tablets powered by Intel's Clover Trail – W processors in the third quarter of 2012, sources tell Digitimes.com. In the first half of 2012, Intel plans to start shipping its Medfield processor targeting Android 4.0 smartphones and tablet PCs. While Medfield processors face an uphill task competing against ARM-based processors in the Android market, tablet PC manufacturers are more optimistic about Intel's Clover Trail – W processors as the enterprise market is likely to see a lot of value in tablets that can run Microsoft applications that their users are already familiar with. Both Medfield and Clover Trail processors are built to the Cedar Trail architecture based on Intel's 32nm process (Sandy Bridge) technology. The architecture puts the CPU and GPU on the same silicon chip and features improvements in graphics capabilities including Blu-ray 2.0 support, a dedicated media engine for full 1080p playback a...

Nikon on January 6, 2012 announced the release of the Nikon D4, a full frame (FX format, 36.0 x 23.9 mm) camera. The D4 supersedes the Nikon D3S, released in 2009, as Nikon's flagship DSLR camera. Nikon D4 will be displayed at the 2012 International CES, from Tuesday, January 10 through Friday, January 13 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The camera features a new 16.2 MP sensor with a breathtaking ISO sensitivity range - from ISO 50 to ISO 204800. For low light photography, the camera also features illuminated controls. An auxiliary 91K-pixel RGB sensor supports the Advanced Scene Recognition System, which is able to recognize human faces even when images are framed using the optical viewfinder. In addition, the Advanced Scene Recognition System offers significant improvements in AF, AE, i-TTL flash control, and auto white balance (AWB) control accuracy. The 51 focus point AF system facilitates faster autofocusing and is able to detect and focus on subjects in low light. I...

iPad 3 will ensure Apple continued supremacy in the tablet market till October, when the killer iPad 4 arrives to demolish the challenge posed by Windows 8 tablets powered by Intel Clover Trail-W processors. Sources amidst Taiwanese component manufacturers tell Digitimes that the iPad 3, to be launched in March, will feature a QXGA (1,536x2,048 pixels) display and longer battery life. Past reports have talked of a 14,000 mAh battery to be supplied by Simplo Technology and Dynapack International Technology. Following the launch of iPad 3, Apple will reduce the price of iPad 2 to undercut competition from vendors such as Sony, Motorola Mobility and Samsung Electronics, who have products priced around the $359 mark. Perceiving a more credible threat from Windows 8 tablets powered by Intel's Clover Trail-W chipsets that support Windows applications such as Microsoft Office, Apple will launch the 9.7-inch iPad 4 with souped up hardware and integrated application suite in ...