If the only thing holding you back from buying the awesome and super-affordable Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 is the color choices (or lack thereof), you’ll be glad to know the company is releasing a more colorful range. The Idol 3C is identical to the Idol 3 in almost every way, except you can kit it out with an interchangeable rear shell in a choice of five “juicy” colors.
If Motorola and OnePlus thought they could have the leather and wooden customization options to themselves, they were wrong. This morning, Alcatel OneTouch, makers of the popular Idol 3 handset, have announced a new range of affordable and highly customizable smartphones. The POP STAR range was announced alongside the rugged and sporty GO PLAY range and an enormous tablet that’s so big, we probably shouldn’t call it a tablet.
Samsung’s answer to Apple’s HomeKit, SmartThings got some valuable stage time at IFA in Berlin this morning, with the announcement of a brand new SmartThings Hub. The hardware has been revamped, and no longer needs a connection to the cloud in order to work. What’s more, it’s got a built in backup battery capable of giving you 10 hours use in the event that you have a power cut. The new Hub is available to order today and was launched alongside a handful of complimentary sensors for tracking water leaks and motion among other things.
Whether you have two smart devices or 200, all you need is one Hub to create a smart home. Like a live-in translator, the Hub communicates with all of your different connected products—regardless of their wireless protocol—so that you can easily monitor and control them from the SmartThings app.
Samsung’s new SmartThings hub has a more powerful processor enabling it to handle video streaming and sensor monitoring tasks without the cloud. With this feature in mind, Sammy also introduced its new Smart Home Monitor which lets users access a continuous vide live-stream and can trigger video recording when something unexpected happens. Only important video is saved for viewing, and early detection enables it to capture the footage before the event.
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As well as new hardware, Samsung has released a new app for Android from today. You can organize and control your connected devices by room, view live streaming from cameras and manage the routines right from the app.
SmartThings is compatible with nearly 200 products, including the Amazon Echo, and devices from manufacturers like Bose, D-Link and Honeywell. The SmartThings hub is available to buy from today for $99 from SmartThings.com or Amazon, with sensors priced between $30-$55.
Lenovo is one of the busiest companies at IFA this year. Not only has it had its Motorola smartphones and smartwatches to deal with, but also its own-brand devices. As well as announcing its new budget Chromebook, Lenovo has taken the wraps off new Android-powered smartphones: The PHAB and the Vibe series’.
After weeks of speculation and leaks, Huawei has finally announced the Ascend Mate S, what many see as a direct competitor to the likes of the iPhone 6 Plus and HTC One. It has a bunch of flagship staple features as well as a couple of unique selling points which will get you talking, if nothing else.
Huawei has finally confirmed officially where and when we can get our hands on its Android Wear smartwatch. The Huawei Watch was originally shown off at MWC in Barcelona, back in February. Now, at long last, you can pre-order it with prices ranging from $349 to $799. Huawei confirmed in a press release this morning that its devices are going on pre-order today. Customers in the US can purchase them from Amazon, Google Store and Best Buy.
Huawei Watch will come in stainless steel, black and rose gold-plated case options. The smartwatch features a 42mm metal case with standard 18mm lugs and a round face. What’s more, the physical button (much like the upcoming Moto 360) is placed at the 2 o’clock position. It’s built from 316L stainless steel and the 1.4-inch, 400×400 AMOLED display is coated in sapphire crystal.
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ASUS gave us an early sneak peak at its next generation ZenWatch a couple of months back, and today at IFA in Berlin, the company officially announced pricing and availability details. ASUS has stated that the ZenWatch 2 will be available in two sizes from October, with pricing in Europe starting at roughly €149 (approx $170) for the large 49mm model while the smaller, 42mm model will seemingly cost more at €169 (around $190). Screen sizes are 1.6-inches and 1.45-inches respectively and they’ll be available to buy from October.
Although different in size, both 49mm and 43mm watches will feature the same resolution 320×320 AMOLED display with a pixel density of 277ppi. What’s more, they both ship with Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi support, a Snapdragon 400 processor, 512MB RAM and 4GB storage. It also ships with a redesigned magnetic charger in the packaging and could last up to two days on a single charge.
You get a choice of three metallic colors: rose gold, gunmetal gray or silver, and the cases are compatible with standard watch straps, meaning you’ll be able to attach standard 22mm watch straps to the large and 18mm watch straps to the small model. We don’t know US-specific pricing yet, but will update once it’s available to buy in the States.
Both Acer and Lenovo have updated their Chromebook lineups at IFA 2015 in Berlin today, and both are looking to offer decent products at attractive price points. Acer announced the new R11 Chromebook in a bid to compete with the convertible ASUS Chromebook Flip, while Lenovo unveiled the budget-friendly Chromebook 100S.
Ahead of IFA in Berlin this September—the event where Samsung, Sony, and just about every other Android device maker unveils their latest products each year—a select group of companies have been giving a taste of what’s to come for the last 5 days at IFA’s Global Press Conference.
So what can you expect? Android-powered TV sets, app connected appliances, and drones are just a few product categories you can expect to see grow at this year’s show.
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