Some savvy Bitcoin investors have a solution to cyber-thieves and instability shaking online exchanges: they print out their virtual savings and hide them in the real world.

The shuttering this week of Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox and fears that hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the virtual currency have been lost or stolen are pushing investors to tighten their security.

Touted by advocates as a new, digital type of money that could one day replace real-world cash, Bitcoins can also be stored like traditional currencies, locked up in a safe, or hidden in a shoe box.

Enthusiasts around the world use online exchanges to conveniently buy and sell Bitcoins but Bitcoin savings can also be kept closer to home.

Every virtual wallets used to hold Bitcoins has a unique, private number. Recording that number on a piece of paper or a thumb drive, for instance, keeps a wallet's contents out of reach of anyone online, criminal or not.

Canadian mortgage broker and Bitcoin enthusiast Chung Cheong writes out his secret number by hand and puts it in a safety deposit box.

"The only way to ever access that address and those Bitcoins is that piece of paper," said Cheong. "I pray that there isn't a big fire and the bank burns down. Because if that happens, I'm out of luck."

Jacob Dienelt helps run Lazzerbee, a company that lets people create novelty paper wallets containing small amounts of Bitcoins as birthday gifts or for other special occasions.

He said he keeps about three quarters of his own Bitcoins locked away far from the Internet, with the rest on devices ready to trade. Locking away all Bitcoins offline won't help the currency go mainstream, though, he said.

"You have to be able to spend Bitcoins," he said.

Bitcoin relies on a network of computers that solve complex mathematical problems as part of a process that verifies and permanently records the details of every Bitcoin transaction that is made.

Mt. Gox was once the largest Bitcoin exchange, making its collapse particularly notable, but online robbery has been a persistent problem for the virtual currency, which began circulating in 2009.

 

A U.S. judge on Thursday said some plaintiffs accusing Google of improperly scanning their email faced a significant hurdle in their attempt to move forward with the lawsuit as a class action.

Litigation brought by nine plaintiffs, some Gmail users, some not, was consolidated before U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, last year. The plaintiffs maintain Google violated several laws, including federal anti-wiretapping statutes by systematically crossing the "creepy line" to read private email messages in order to profit, according to court documents.

The case is being closely watched as it could alter how tech companies provide email service.

Koh must decide whether the lawsuit can proceed as a class action, which would allow the plaintiffs to sue as a group and give them more leverage to extract a larger settlement. However, at a hearing on Thursday, Koh said plaintiff attorneys faced a "huge hurdle" to show that non-Gmail users were entitled to class action status.

Google argues in court papers that the identity of impacted non-Gmail users can only be ascertained by sending an email notice to all non-Gmail users whose addresses are on file in Google's systems, and then sifting through the responses. That kind of procedure would be unprecedented and unworkable, Google argued.

Boeing Co on Wednesday unveiled a smartphone that appears to come straight from a James Bond spy movie.

In addition to encrypting calls, any attempt to open the casing of the Boeing Black Smartphone deletes all data and renders the device inoperable.

The secure phone marks an extension of the communications arm of the Chicago-based aerospace and defense contractor, which is best known for jetliners and fighter planes.

Such a phone might have prevented damage to Washington's diplomacy in Ukraine from a leaked telephone call. A senior U.S. State Department officer and the ambassador to Ukraine apparently used unencrypted cellphones for a call about political developments in Ukraine that became public.

Boeing's tamper-proof phone is aimed at government agencies and contractors who need to keep communication and data secure, according to Boeing and filings with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.

Made in the United States, the phone runs on Google Inc's Android operating system. The handset is slightly larger than an iPhone, uses dual SIM cards to enable it to access multiple cell networks instead of a single network like a normal cellphone.

Due to the phone's security features, Boeing is releasing few details about the wireless network operators or manufacturer it is working with, and has not provided a price or date by which the phone might be widely available, but said it has begun offering the phone to potential customers.

Boeing's website says the phone can be configured to connect with biometric sensors or satellites. Other attachments can extend battery life or use solar power.

The phone can operate on the WCDMA, GSM and LTE frequency bands and offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

The company has been developing the phone for 36 months, said Boeing spokeswoman Rebecca Yeamans.

"We saw a need for our customers in a certain market space" that Boeing could meet with its technology expertise, she said.

Micromax has listed two new mid-range smartphones - the Canvas Blaze HD and Canvas Duet II - on its official site without pricing or availability details.

Notably, the Micromax Canvas Blaze HD (EG 116) is the successor to the Canvas Blaze which was launched in partnership with telecom service provider MTS in December last year. As of now, there is no word whether the Canvas Blaze HD smartphone is also under the same partnership with MTS.

The Micromax Canvas Duet II, on the other hand, was available via an e-commerce website earlier in February at Rs. 15,790. However, we are yet to see an official pricing of the device

The Micromax Canvas Blaze HD, like its predecessor the Canvas Blaze, supports dual-SIM functionality with support for GSM and CDMA networks. The Canvas Blaze HD runs Android 4.1 out-of-the-box. It features a 5-inch IPS display with a 720x1280 pixels resolution. The smartphone is powered by a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 (MSM8625Q) processor alongside 1GB of RAM. It comes with 4GB of inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 32GB via microSD card. The Canvas Blaze HD sports an 8-megapixel rear camera and also houses a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It is backed by a 2000mAh battery, which according to the official listing an deliver up to 5 hours of talk time and up to 150 hours of standby time.

• KEY SPECS
• 
  

Display

5.30-inch

Processor

1.2GHz

Front Camera

2-megapixel

Resolution

720x1280 pixels

RAM

1GB

OS

Android 4.1

Storage

4GB

Rear Camera

8-megapixel

Battery capacity

2300mAh

BlackBerry Ltd unveiled a new, cheaper touchscreen smartphone and a "classic" model with a keyboard on Tuesday, as it tries to stem losses and win back a once devoted following by security-conscious business and government users.

The Z3 smart phone, which is to be priced at under $200, is being built under a partnership deal with FIH Mobile Ltd - the Hong Kong-listed unit of Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn.

Code named Jakarta, it will go on sale in April in Indonesia, where BlackBerry's BBM messaging service is proving very popular, said John Chen, the group's new chief executive who took over late last year.

"It's going to be under $200 on retail price," he said at the annual Mobile World Congress trade fair in Barcelona.

"It's a 3G phone, and we have a plan to expand the phone to different parts of southeast Asia after Indonesia, and in addition we have a plan to go global with an LTE (high speed 4G) version of it some time in the future."

BlackBerry, once a must-have device for every business executive and government official because of its pioneering secure email service, has haemorrhaged market share to Apple's iPhone and rival devices running on Google's Android software.

Opening up its BBM messaging service to be available on other operating systems - with Windows Phone the latest addition - has further hit device sales, particularly in emerging markets.

LG has announced a new LTE-enabled smartphone, dubbed LG F70, at MWC 2014 in Barcelona. Unfortunately, the company has not revealed any details of the availability or pricing of the new LG F70smartphone. The company's new smartphone runs Android 4.4 KitKat out-of-the-box. The South Korean giant is targeting the LTE consumers worldwide with its new LG F70 smartphone.

The LG F70 comes with a 4.5-inch WVGA (480x800 pixels) IPS display and offers a pixel density of 207ppi. The LG F70 is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor (unspecified chipset) alongside 1GB of RAM. It bears 4GB of inbuilt storage, which can be expanded up to 32GB via microSD card. The LG F70 sports a 5-megapixel rear camera and also packs a VGA front-facing camera. The smartphone runs on a 2440mAh (removable) battery and measures 127.2x66.4x10mm.

The new LG F70 also comes preloaded with the company's new advanced UX feature, Knock Code, which is an upgrade to the KnockON feature that was introduced in the flagship 2013 smartphone, the LG G2. The Knock Code feature allows users to both power on and unlock the LG (http://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/lg-phones ) smartphone by tapping a personalized pattern on the phone's screen. According to the company, the new Knock Code feature offers greater security as the pattern is entered on a blank screen using anywhere from two to eight taps, allowing for more than 80,000 possible combinations.

Commenting on the announcement, Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company said, "Not only does the LG F70 offer the best of LTE technology, its hardware and UX are also best-in-class. Utilizing our expertise in the field of 4G technology, we plan to strengthen our leadership in the global market."

• KEY SPECS
• 
  

Display

4.50-inch

Processor

1.2GHz

Front Camera

0.3-megapixel

Resolution

480x800 pixels

RAM

1GB

OS

Android 4.4

Storage

4GB

Rear Camera

5-megapixel

Battery capacity

2440mAh

Samsung is banking on people shaping up this spring.

The company on Monday unveiled its new Galaxy S5 smartphone, which is set to go on sale in April, along with a pair of fitness-themed watches. And many of the features included on the devices focus on fitness.

Considering America's continued fascination with fitness and fitness products, this is probably a good idea. What Samsung has attempted to do is combine the best attributes of the top-of-the-line fitness trackers currently on the market with those of its own phones and smartwatches.

The S5 and the watches were unveiled at an event at the Mobile World Congress wireless show in Barcelona, Spain. I had a chance to briefly test out all three products in New York on Monday.

The Galaxy S5 (Pictures) includes a built-in heart rate monitor, pedometer and fitness tracker, though I'm not sure how useful they actually are. For instance, to check your heart rate, you hold your finger over a sensor on the back of the phone - something I can't imagine doing in the middle of a jog.

True fitness buffs will probably head straight for Samsung's Gear Fit smartwatch, which also does all of those things, but in a much more user-friendly way. Want to check your heart rate? Just open up the app for that and it gives you a reading within seconds.

Samsung's new Gear 2 watch also comes with basic fitness features including the heart rate monitor and pedometer. While it's still too chunky for me, it is significantly lighter and thinner than the original version. Unlike the Fit, you can still place calls from it and shoot pictures and video from its camera.

And unlike Samsung's first smartwatch, the new ones pair with a host of Samsung phones, giving consumers more options for their primary device.

Samsung also plans to introduce a slightly cheaper version called the Gear 2 Neo, which won't have a camera or come in as many colors. The company has yet to announce pricing for any of the new products.

Samsung sought Monday to frame its new Galaxy S5 smartphone as a lifestyle product, as it emphasized a built-in heart-rate sensor and improved camera features over its slightly larger size.

One of the main appeals of Samsung phones has been their size. The screen has steadily increased since the 4-inches (10.2 cm) on the original S from 2010, while the iPhone made that jump to 4-inches only in 2012 and has stayed that way since.

But the S5 pushes the screen to only 5.1-inches (13 cm), measured diagonally, from 5-inches (12.7 cm) in last year's model. Instead of size, Samsung touted the new phone's ability to adapt its screen to changing external conditions and to dim it to avoid disturbing others nearby.

Samsung's Galaxy S series has emerged as one of the strongest challengers to Apple's iPhones and has helped the Korean company surpass Apple as the world's largest smartphone maker. According to Gartner, Samsung's smartphones had a worldwide market share of 31 percent last year, compared with 16 percent for Apple's iPhones.

• KEY SPECS
• 
  

Display

5.10-inch

Processor

2.5GHz

Front Camera

2.1-megapixel

Resolution

1080x1920 pixels

RAM

2GB

OS

Android 4.4.2

Storage

16GB

Rear Camera

16-megapixel

Battery capacity

2800mAh

Within hours of the phone's launch, the official Samsung Tomorrow site posted an infographic that showed the evolution of specifications in the Galaxy S family. Notably, the infographic revealed that the Galaxy S5, much like its predecessor, will come in two chipset variants- one powered by a 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC) processor, while the variant is backed by an octa-core chipset. Unfortunately, the infographic shared by the South Korean giant did not specify the chipset, though we can presume it is Exynos-branded

On Monday, the Korean manufacturer also announced that the Galaxy S5 would launch in 150 countries, starting from 11 April 2014.

The biggest new features being touted on the Galaxy S5 by Samsung include a fingerprint scanner on the home button, a heart rate sensor placed near the 16-megapixel camera, and the IP67 certification that makes it dust and water-resistant. The smartphone also features a new design in terms of the back panel now being perforated, and available with four colours at launch, and optional designer back panels.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat out-of-the-box. It features a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with a 1080x1920 pixel full-HD resolution. It comes with 2GB of RAM and will be available in 16GB and 32GB inbuilt storage models, with microSD card expandability up to 64GB. The Galaxy S5 sports a 16-megapixel rear camera with HDR (for video as well), and a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera.

Connectivity options include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac with MIMO functionality, ANT+, Bluetooth 4.0, USB3.0, NFC, and Infrared remote functionality. It features a 2800mAh battery, rated to deliver 21 hours of talktime, and 390 hours of standby time.

The recently announced tablet by Sony, the Xperia Z2 Tablet, is now available for pre-order a number of Sony's regional websites. When the company first announced the Xperia Z2 Tablet at MWC 2014, it hadn't revealed pricing, only a March 2014 global release.

The Sony UK website put up for pre-order the Xperia Z2 Tablet's LTE 16GB version, Wi-Fi only 16GB version and Wi-Fi only 32GB version for GBP 499 (Rs. 51,000 approximately), GBP 399 (Rs. 41,000 approximately) and GBP 449 (Rs. 46,000 approximately) respectively. No availability has been detailed.

In Germany, the Xperia Z2 Tablet starts at EUR 650 (Rs. 55,000 approximately). The Z2 Tablet is also said to start with EUR 630 (Rs. 53,000 approximately) in France and the Netherlands, EUR 670 (Rs. 57,000 approximately) in Sweden, EUR 700 (Rs. 59,000 approximately) in Spain, and PLN 2899 (Rs. 59,000 approximately) in Poland.

It has been speculated that since these prices are official, the devices might arrive with a comparatively lower price at other online retailers, with GSMArena reporting a stark difference of EUR 150 in Germany.

The Xperia Z2 Tablet features a 10.1-inch full-HD Triluminos display for mobile with Live Colour LED powered by X-Reality. The tablet also features digital noise cancelling technology and is touted to be the 'world's slimmest' 10.1-inch tablet at 6.4mm, and lightest at 426 grams. The Xperia Z2 Tablet runs Android 4.4 KitKat out-of-the-box. The Xperia Z2 Tablet is powered by a 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor alongside 3GB of RAM. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, DLNA, Bluetooth, and GLONASS. The tablet sports an 8.1-megapixel rear camera and also includes 2.2-megapixel front-facing camera. It comes with 16GB inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 64GB via microSD card.

Wickedleak has expanded its Passion smartphone series and introduced the Wammy Passion X for the Indian market at Rs. 22,500. The company is touting the Wammy Passion X as 'water-resistant', and claims that the AquaProtect technology used in the smartphone makes it 'super hydrophobic', offering protection for components, if the phone is exposed up to 30 minutes in water and any water-based liquid. Note that this is not the same as IP57-certified waterproof smartphones from Sony and Samsung, which offer greater protection from water-related damage.

In addition, the Wammy Passion X is the company's first octa-core smartphone and is powered by a MediaTek (MTK6592) processor clocked at 1.7GHz. The smartphone runs on Android 4.2 out-of-the-box, with no word on an Android 4.4 KitKat upgrade. Notably, the company announced the Android 4.4 KitKat update for its Wammy Passion Z+ smartphone in December last year.

The Wammy Passion X offers dual-SIM (GSM-GSM) support with dual standby. The new Android smartphone from Wickedleak features a 5-inch full-HD IPS display with a 1080x1920 pixel resolution, translating to a pixel density of 443ppi, and boasts One Glass Solution (OGS). It comes with 2GB of RAM and includes 16GB of inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 64GB via microSD card.

The Wammy Passion X sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and BSI sensor, while there is a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The Wammy Passion X supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, AGPS, EDGE, GPRS and 3G connectivity options. It is backed by a 2500mAh battery. The Wammy Passion X measures 141x69x8.95mm and weighs 150 grams.

• KEY SPECS

Display

5.00-inch

Processor

1.7GHz

Front Camera

5-megapixel

Resolution

1080x1920 pixels

RAM

2GB

OS

Android 4.2

Storage

16GB

Rear Camera

13-megapixel

Battery capacity

2500mAh

After the success of Google Nexus 5, it’s expected that Google will launch the Nexus 6 handset this year. The dip in prices of Moto X has raised our hopes of hearing something about a Nexus 6 as soon as middle of this year.

We today are seeing fresh (concept) pics of the upcoming Nexus 6 handset in a curved LG G Flex kind profile. The new concept expects the handset to come designed around the curved LG G Flex.

Another concept phone designed by Bob Freking posted by Concept-phones shows a flat profile looking similar to the Nexus 5 but a metallic body. “The device uses an aluminum case, atypical for a handset from Google and it also incorporates a 13 megapixel Ultrapixel camera with optical stabilization,” says the news report. By ‘6’ in the Nexus phone, the designer means 6-core CPU, 6 core GPU and 6 GB RAM.

What is interesting is that the two handset might feature a new OS Lollypop according to this news report. This OS version might sport a version number 4.5 or 5.0. We will bring you more this new Android OS from Google (which might be called Lollypop) as things happen.

Earlier in February, we'd reported that Facebook had granted a grieving father his wish to see his recently deceased son's Look Back video. At the time, a Facebook statement had indicated the company would be working on ways to help "celebrate and commemorate the lives of people they have lost", and that it would be have "more to share in the coming weeks and months."

The social networking giant has on Friday announced via a post in its newsroom, titled 'Remembering our loved ones', that it has made changes to the manner in which it preserves its users' legacies:

Up to now, when a person's account was memorialized, we restricted its visibility to friends-only. This meant that people could no longer see the account or any of its content unless they were Facebook friends with the person who passed away. Starting today, we will maintain the visibility of a person's content as-is. This will allow people to see memorialized profiles in a manner consistent with the deceased person's expectations of privacy. We are respecting the choices a person made in life while giving their extended community of family and friends ongoing visibility to the same content they could always see.

The company also announced it would now accept requests to share the Look Back videos of deceased loved ones, and provided a link where the requests can be made. "Today, we're also glad to begin offering a way for anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one to see that person's "Look Back" video."

Google is working on a smartwatch of its own that could be revealed within the first half of this year.

Popular phone tipster @evleaks has claimed that Google's rumoured smartwatch is being manufactured by LG, which has been the OEM partner for Nexus smartphones (Nexus 4 and Nexus 5) for two consecutive years. He also claimed that the smartwatch will debut at Google's I/O event in June. The tweet by @evleaks said, "Apparently Google's smartwatch is being made by LG, and will launch at I/O." Unfortunately, the tipster did not offer any more details.

Earlier, TechCrunch claimed that the alleged Google smartwatch is for real and might begin shipping in mid to late-March. However, the report cites some smartwatch team members in Google believe that the release date might be pushed back to June in order to ship with all the intended features, putting the release date in line with what @evleaks had tweeted.

The TechCrunch report further claims that Google's smartwatch will come with a plastic band and will sport a colour display. The search engine giant was reportedly working on many concepts for the alleged smartwatch, but the rumoured Google smartwatch prototype is now in lockdown at Google's Mountain View headquarters under high security. An early Google smartwatch prototype had a metal band, square look and a colourful digital screen much like the one on the Pebble Steel, according to people familiar with the matter.

The report also suggests that Google smartwatch supports notifications via Bluetooth low energy pairing with an Android smartphone, and gesture-based interactions.

Notably, device makers like Samsung and Sony have already launched their smartwatches globally, theGalaxy Gear and Smartwatch 2 respectively. Samsung is also set to unveil its smartwatch sequel dubbedGear 2 and Gear 2 Neo at MWC 2014 which will be powered by Tizen instead of Android.

The online auction website and marketplace, eBay, on Thursday announced that it had acquired PhiSix, a computer graphics company that creates 3D models of clothing from photos, pattern files and other sources to simulate the behaviour and fitting of garments. Tapping into an interesting segment and working towards finding an viable solution, eBay has gone and purchased the PhiSix Fashion Labs. It is important to note that when customers are shopping for clothes online, there is always a sense of lingering doubt about the fitting, here is where PhiSix creates their designs so that people can have a virtual try out of their clothes on virtual avatars.

On their official site the team from PhiSix released a statement regarding the purchase. Clearly happy at the purchase, the team put up a thank you note for all the people who made it possible. While the financials of the deal remained undisclosed, Steve Yankovich, vice president of Innovation and New Ventures of eBay Inc said, "PhiSix's technology enables consumers to understand the fit and movement of clothes in an online shopping environment. Consumers can experience the merchandise in a more efficient and impactful way, which we believe will drive sales for retailers and create a delightful experience for shoppers."

PhiSix was founded in 2012, by Jonathan Su, a former Intel research scientist who also has a background in special effects and worked with the likes of ILM and DreamWorks. Su will join eBay Inc.'s Innovation and New Ventures team as part of the acquisition along with his team of three members. Su said, "This is an exciting opportunity for us to bring PhiSix's expertise to one of the world's leading commerce platforms. We believe today's acquisition will help us better scale our expertise and meet the needs of digitally-minded shoppers and create new customer experiences for the eBay Inc. portfolio." 

The team at PhiSix feels its technology can help solve one of the common problems online shoppers face - fit and look. The virtual fitting room can determine fit with physically accurate simulations of the garments. It then recommends a size for the user's body, based on basic measurement inputs. All of this according to PhiSix will reduce returns and enhance the overall shopping experience. The technology according to Su could be integrated across the entire eBay line. In fact the 3D fitting allows the person to view the clothes in various scenarios, like walking down a street or hitting a golf club.

Gionee, a Chinese smartphone maker, has introduced its slimmest smartphone, dubbed Gionee Elife S5.5. At just 5.5mm thick, the smartphone may just be the slimmest smartphone in the world. The device has been listed for pre-order on the company's China page, at roughly $370 (translating to about Rs. 23,000).

At its thickness, the Gionee Elife S5.5 surpasses the Vivo X3 smartphone, which is 5.75mm thick, and is way thinner than the Xperia Z Ultra which is 6.5mm thick.

The smartphone will runs the company's Amigo UI on top of Android. The Gionee Elife S5.5 features a 5-inch display with no word on its resolution and display quality. The Elife S5.5 is powered by a 1.7GHz quad-core CPU paired with 2GB of RAM. The camera options of the handset include a 13-megapixel rear shooter and a 5-megapixel front camera for video calls.

Maintaining its slim profile, the Gionee Elife S5.5 manages to pack in the same battery as seen in the firm's flagship, Elife E7 - 2300mAh that can run for a whole day in a single charge.

The 3G model of Elife S5.5 is up for pre-order in China, and will be launched in 40 more countries globally. Engadget reports the LTE version of the Elife S5.5 will arrive in June.

Gionee on Monday launched two new Android smartphones in India. The Gionee M2 and the Gionee Gpad G4have been are priced at Rs. 10,999 and Rs. 18,999 respectively, as per their listing on the company's India page. Both the dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) smartphones run on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and are now officially available for purchase.

• KEY SPECS

Display

5.00-inch

Processor

1.7GHz

Front Camera

5-megapixel

Resolution

RAM

2GB

OS

Android

Storage

Rear Camera

13-megapixel

Battery capacity

2300mAh

ony Xperia T2 Ultra is now available online in India at Rs. 32,000. The new phablet from Sony is now listed at an e-commerce website and will be available starting February 26.

Sony launched the Xperia T2 Ultra alongside its dual-SIM variant the Xperia T2 Ultra Dual and other two mid-range smartphones, the Xperia E1 and Sony Xperia E1 dual in January. Notably, Sony's latest phablet is yet-to-be-launched officially by the company.

It's worth pointing out that the online retailer, Saholic has only listed the Xperia T2 Ultra single-SIM version, while there is no word on the dual-SIM variant of the device.

The Sony Xperia T2 Ultra runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box. It comes with a 6-inch HD Triluminos display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 and offers a resolution of 720x1280 pixels.The phablet is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core Snapdragon (Qualcomm MSM8928) processor with 1GB of RAM. It comes with 8GB of inbuilt storage, which can be further expandable up to 32GB via microSD card.

The phablet sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with Exmor RS for mobile and also houses a 1.1-megapixel front-facing camera with an Exmor R sensor. The rear camera supports various functions like portrait retouch, collage, background defocus, Timeshift burst, and Sweep Panorama. The Xperia T2 Ultra packs a 3000mAh battery with battery STAMINA Mode, which according to the retailer's listing delivers up to 1056 hours of standby time and up to 14 hours of talktime on 2G network.

• KEY SPECS
• 
  

Display

6.00-inch

Processor

1.4GHz

Front Camera

1.1-megapixel

Resolution

720x1080 pixels

RAM

1GB

OS

Android 4.3

Storage

8GB

Rear Camera

13-megapixel

Battery capacity

3000mAh

Google announced a new research project Thursday aimed at bringing 3D technology to smartphones, for potential applications such as indoor mapping, gaming and helping blind people navigate.

The California tech giant said its "Project Tango" would provide prototypes of its new smartphone to outside developers to encourage the writing of new applications.

Project leader Johnny Lee said the goal of the project, which incorporates robotics and vision-processing technology, is "to give mobile devices a human-scale understanding of space and motion."

"What if you could capture the dimensions of your home simply by walking around with your phone before you went furniture shopping?" Google said on its Project Tango web page.

"What if directions to a new location didn't stop at the street address? What if you never again found yourself lost in a new building? What if the visually impaired could navigate unassisted in unfamiliar indoor places? What if you could search for a product and see where the exact shelf is located in a super-store?"

The technology could also be used for "playing hide-and-seek in your house with your favorite game character, or transforming the hallways into a tree-lined path."

Smartphones are equipped with sensors which make over 1.4 million measurements per second, updating the positon and rotation of the phone.

Partners in the project include researchers from the University of Minnesota, George Washington University, German tech firm Bosch and the Open Source Robotics Foundation, among others.

Another partner is California-based Movidius, which makes vision-processor technology for mobile and portable devices and will provide the processor platform.

Movidius said in a statement the goal was "to mirror human vision with a newfound level of depth, clarity and realism on mobile and portable connected devices."

"Google has paved the future direction for smart mobile vision systems and we're excited to be working with a company that shares our vision to usher in the next wave of applications that fundamentally alter how a mobile device is used to experience the world around us," said Remi El-Ouazzane, chief executive of Movidius.

While Samsung's recently dropped the prices of its Galaxy Gear Smartwatch, which had received mixed reviews, it is now being reported that Samsung will be launching the next iteration of the smartwatch with Tizen on it, at their upcoming unPacked 5 MWC 2014 event in the coming week, where the Galaxy S5 is also highly anticipated for a launch, and new Galaxy tablets.

According to the sources cited by USA Today, the Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch will feature an HTML version of the OS, which is understandable, given that Samsung would want more application developers to create apps for the platform. Samsung's showcasing of Tizen devices at MWC, is also in-line with previousrumours.

The report states that Samsung's shift to the Tizen OS is a move to counter Google's dominance over the Android OS.

Tizen was launched by Samsung last year, with the Samsung NX300M camera the first consumer device to run it, but it has had run into problems on the smartphone front since then. The fact that Samsung is still pushing forward, after announcing new partners, shows that it is aggressively trying to develop the platform for their smartphones and other connected devices.

The actual problem is smartphone developers on the Android ecosystem is that are majorly dependent on it volume to generate their revenue, via the relatively healthy app ecosystem. Smartphone and tablet manufacturers, apart from Apple, have not had success in developing their own OSes and services. Samsung is, understandably, looking at changing this with the Tizen platform, despite the problems faced by it last year. It is not surprising that Samsung too wants a larger chunk of the pie, as it is looking to launch the smartphone with a HTML-based OS, for developers, so that it may generate revenue from their wearable technology division and from the OS and services provided by it.