Sony launches new Vaio Flip hybrid laptops in 13 14 and 15 inch sizes

Sony has introduced its new Vaio Flip line of hybrid convertible laptops with a unique new hinge design that lets users flip the screen around and use them as tablets. Prices start at Rs. 94,990 for the Flip 14, while the Flip 13 starts at Rs. 99,990 and the Flip 15 starts at Rs. 1,04,990.

As manufacturers race to design ever-slimmer laptops that can also be used comfortably as tablets over the past year, 2-in-1 designs featuring detachable halves and double hinges have proliferated. Sonys latest hinge design allows the screen to be flipped over backwards and then folded back down over the keyboard. The company promises that users will enjoy a variety of new ways to use the Vaio Flip mobile PCs, and enjoy the comfort and functionality of a traditional clamshell laptop.

The Vaio Flip devices can be used as normal laptops, but with the screen flipped over, a user can share what he or she is working on with another person. While the user can work on any productivity task in laptop mode, he or she can make a quick presentation in viewer mode, and then close the lid with the screen outside to watch a movie or browse the Web using touch interaction alone.

Vaio Flip is available in three sizes with 13-, 14- and 15-inch screens to suit a variety of users and scenarios. All three models run on 4th generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. While the smallest model uses a fast solid-state drive, the two bigger ones use a hybrid drive design for both speed and storage capacity. All three models use full HD screens with Sonys Triluminous Display technology for image enhancement.

Sony also claims to have used several proprietary techniques to enhance sound quality. The devices also have high-quality cameras that can be used to take high-resolution images of documents.

The Vaio Flip 13 weighs 1.31kg and has a rated battery life of 7.5 hours. All three models come in silver, while the F13 is also available in black. The Flip 15 features dedicated Nvidia graphics processors. All three models come with backlit keyboards.

All Vaio Flip models have a one-year accidental damage protection warranty and buyers can add a two-year extended warranty for Rs. 999. As a limited-time introductory offer, Sony is giving away a pair of MDR-XB910A headphones fee with every Vaio Flip device. Buyers also get three months of free music downloads from Sony Music.

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Apple gets reprieve from e book monitors oversight

A U.S. appeals court gave Apple Inc a reprieve from an external monitor appointed to oversee its compliance with antitrust laws after the company had been found liable last July for conspiring to raise e-book prices.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York on Tuesday granted Apple a hearing on whether to stop the monitor, Michael Bromwich, from doing his job while the company pursues a formal appeal, which could last several months.

(Also see: Judge chides Apple for blocking court-appointed monitor in ebooks case)

In granting an "administrative stay," the 2nd Circuit said a three-judge panel would hear Apples motion for a stay pending appeal as soon as possible.

The U.S. Department of Justice did not oppose the short stay but will fight Apples effort to get rid of the monitor or else disqualify Bromwich. It has until January 24 to file opposition papers.

Apple has complained that Bromwich has been too intrusive, including by seeking interviews with top executives and board members, and has been charging an inflated $1,100 per hour for his services to rack up high fees.

(Also see: Apple seeks removal of monitor appointed in ebooks case)

The Cupertino, California-based maker of the iPad, iPod and iPhone has said Bromwichs activities could interfere with its ability to develop new products.

Courts often appoint monitors in litigation to ensure that companies comply with the law.

But Apple has said U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan, who in a nonjury trial found the company liable for a price-fixing conspiracy with five major publishers, improperly granted Bromwich too much power.

(Also see: Apple conspired to raise prices of ebooks, rules judge)

"The monitorship should never have been imposed in the first place, and the burden and intrusion the monitor is imposing on Apple cannot be remedied after the fact if the company prevails on appeal," Apple said in a filing on Friday.

Bromwich, a former Justice Department inspector general, denied in a December 30 court filing that he was conducting a "broad and amorphous inquisition."

He said Apple had given him only "limited" access and that a senior antitrust executive had told him he would "see a lot of anger about the case that still existed within the company."

In a decision on Thursday, Cote defended appointing a monitor, writing: "If anything, Apples reaction to the existence of a monitorship underscores the wisdom of its imposition."

The cases are U.S. v. Apple Inc, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 14-60; and U.S. v. Apple Inc, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 12-02826.

© Thomson Reuters 2014

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Google sells Motorola unit to Lenovo for 3B

PC maker Lenovo, which has struggled to replicate its smartphone success outside China, gets an established global smartphone brand with Motorola, while Google unloads a burden on its balance sheet and source of tension.

 

The Droid Ultra is one of Motorolas key franchises in the US.

(Credit: CNET) 
 
Google is unloading Motorola onto Chinese PC maker Lenovo.

Google confirmed on its site that it has sold Motorola for $2.91 billion, consisting of $660 million in cash and $750 million in Lenovo shares, with the remaining $1.5 billion paid in the form of a three-year promissory note. Reuters earlier reported on the deal.

Lenovo gets the Motorola brand, as well as its portfolio of devices, including the Moto X and Moto G. In addition, it will also receive more than 2,000 patent assets, while Google will retain control of a majority of the patents it originally obtained from the Motorola deal.

A deal instantly gives Lenovo, which has a thriving smartphone business in China, but few other places, an established global brand. Google, meanwhile, will shed a business that has continually dragged down its profits.

The deal marks one of the worst investments in Googles history. In 2012, Google completed its acquisition of Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. At the time, it was thought that the primary reason for the acquisition was the treasure trove of Motorola patents that would help Google defend it and its partners against Apple.
The patents, however, have proven to be less than effective in warding off lawsuits, and much of the legal fighting as gone on between Apple and Samsung, with Google only tangentially related. Google and Samsung recently signed their own cross-licensing pact.
 
Troubled handset business
The handset side of Motorola, however, has always been a stress point between Google and its partners. While Google said it maintained a division between its Android group and the Motorola unit, other vendors have privately expressed irritation that a partner was also a competitor.

Google did legitimately try to revive the once vaunted Motorola brand with unique products, including the Moto X, which was built in the US and could be tweaked with different colors and covers, as well as the ultra-low-cost Moto G, geared toward emerging markets and lower-income consumers looking for a competitive smartphone.

The custom back of the Moto X.

(Credit: Motorola) 

 

Throughout the last year or so, Motorola has continually posted losses. In the most-recent reported quarter, Motorola posted an operating loss of $248 million, wider than the year-earlier period. Google reports its latest results Thursday.

Still, the move is a surprising one given that Google has been moving toward becoming more of a hardware company. Beyond smartphones, the company is pushing its Google Glass headset and its Chromecast media dongle. It just purchased Nest for $3.2 billion to get into the smart thermostats and smoke detectors.

"This would be at odds with its recent push to hardware," said NPD analyst Stephen Baker. "Everybody was thinking they would get more hardware-oriented. This may signal a reversal."
 
Gaining a global brand
 
Lenovo, meanwhile, could conceivably jump-start its smartphone ambitions with the purchase of Motorola. As the inventor of the cell phone, Motorola has a rich legacy and a still well-known brand that Lenovo could exploit.

"The acquisition of such an iconic brand, innovative product portfolio and incredibly talented global team will immediately make Lenovo a strong global competitor in smartphones," Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing said in a statement.

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Tecno Smartphone Naming System

It is not news any longer on how well Tecno phones are faring in the Nigerian market. 

One of the things that have helped in securing a strong footing is the price tag and of course the hard work of the marketing department.

One thing that have come to my notice is the naming system of their devices that Tecno is employing.

As of today, we know that Tecno now has High, Medium and Low end devices and have been clasified in a way that is easily placed by using numbers.

The classes of Tecno devices for now include the 7, 1 & 5, 3, and 9.

Class 7 : High End

This represents high end devices in the smartphone category. This we saw when Tecno N7 and F7 were released earlier this year. These devices were highly successful in market sales and were most expensive, with the N7 selling between 29 - 30,000 Naira, while the newest Tecno Phantom F7 is being sold for 34 - 36,000 Naira.

Class 1 & Class 5: Medium End

This class represents the medium end smartphone category. Even though touch screen is the order of the day now, some people still love their devices to have physical keyboards and I strongly believe that Tecno intends to keep devices in this category to have both physical keyboards and touchscreens. This you would notice in the Q1 and D5 smartphones. Example is in the Q1 smartphone with physical keyboard and Tecno D5 with just touchscreen design. 

Both devices are meant to serve the medium end market to meet both the physical keyboard persons and those that want full touchscreen devices.

Class 3: Low End

This class was the entry level smartphone that Tecno released into the market. It was widely accepted due to its pricing. Of course, its a low end device that is suppose to appeal to those with little budget. Examples are Tecno N3 andP.

Class 9

This is quite new and was debut by the first tablet released last month by Tecno. This tablet was called the Phantom N9 Pad. Its a 8" Pad with quad core processor running inside.

Going by the price of this pad, its around the high end range and there is possibility of another Pad coming out soon maybe to called F9 and would improve on the specs of the N9 Pad.

Whether this naming and categorizing system by Tecno as deduced by me is true or not, future product release would be the deciding factor.

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