PSA: Olympus OM-D E-M5 shipping date delayed until April 23 in the UK

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  • April 2, 2012 at 3:01 pm

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Olympus OM-D E-M5 wet - water drops dripping off

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is already shipping in Asia and we’ve seen the first unboxing photos here. We had high hopes that the rest of the world would be receiving their new Micro Four Thirds wonders soon as Amazon UK had been listing the E-M5’s shipping date as April 1st.

Well, April 1st is now history and Amazon UK has been sending emails to early pre-orderers letting them know that the new shipping date is now April 23rd — unfortunately that’s no April Fool’s. We’ve received the below email from Amazon:
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Fujifilm X-S1 26x superzoom bridge camera takes on a Canon DSLR (video)

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  • February 18, 2012 at 1:07 pm

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Fujifilm X-S1 vs. Canon T3 (1100D) shootout

We’ll admit that we are generally pretty harsh when it comes to superzoom bridge cameras. These are cameras that look like DSLRs but have fixed zoom lenses and sensors much smaller than APS-C. This means that you can’t change lenses, e.g. use any fast and sharp prime lenses, and bridge camera have worse low-light performance than DSLRs.

When we first had a look at Fujifilm’s latest 12-megapixel 26x superzoom X-S1 bridge camera we weren’t too intrigued, especially because of the hefty $800 price point. For the price of the Fujifilm X-S1 you can get an entry DSLR, which has some undisputed benefits, like the bigger sensor and optical viewfinder.
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Full image of the Olympus OM-D E-M5, Amazon Japan listing points to March 30th release date

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  • February 4, 2012 at 3:17 pm

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Olympus OM-D E-M5 front with optional battery grip

So we finally have full images of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Micro Four Thirds (MFT) camera. You can enjoy the camera in its entire front and back glory, together with a detachable grip and optional battery grip. Each of the grips comes its unique shutter button.

One can see the articulated rear 3-inch OLED display, integrated EVF and the large bulge at the top, which we would guess hosts a pop-up flash. Olympus is truly pushing the pro camera theme with the detachable grip, which gives the camera an SLR-style format. Panasonic has the G and GH MFT series cameras with SLR-style grips while Olympus is only producing rangefinder-style bodies.
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PSA: Yes the Droid Razr Maxx is still confirmed for January 26th and $299 on Verizon

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  • January 24, 2012 at 1:04 pm

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Motorola Droid Razr Maxx Android smartphone

We first saw the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx during this year’s CES in Las Vegas. The updated version of the skinny Droid Rarz has a bumped up the battery of 3,300mAh battery from 1,780mAh, while staying just 8.9mm thick from the original’s 7.1mm.

You can check out our initial coverage here and here. To recap, it’s a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED qHD (960 x 540) screened device with a 1.2Ghz dual-core processor, 8-megapixel rear and 1.3-megapixel front cameras. It has some rugged credentials, bearing to a Kevlar back and splashproof coating.
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Rumor: Apple preparing for an iPad 3 and iOS 5.1 event in February? What to expect

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  • January 17, 2012 at 12:30 pm

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Apple iBooks on iPad

One of most anticipated hardware launches of the year is none other than the third iteration of the world’s most successful tablet. The iPad, which made tablets relevant, has transformed the way we consume content on the go, and even how we create it. The iPad 2 and iOS 4.3 were announced at a special Apple event on March 2nd 2011 and released on March 11th.

Betting on Apple’s one year update cycle, we would expect the iPad 3 to be announced around the same period this year. But what do we know about the iPad 3? Well, Apple devices have generally been going in one direction. With each iteration, they usually get faster, thinner, with better battery life and a better screen. It’s almost certain that the iPad 3 will feature a faster chipset, probably an Apple A6 quad-core processor and better graphics. One of the longest standing rumors has been that the next generation iPad will have a high resolution display; most rumors point to a 2048 x 1536, which is effectively double that of the current iPad 2 on each axis. The improved A6 graphic processing unit (GPU) is claimed to be able to handle the quadruple pixels.
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The Motorola Droid Razr Maxx is a smartphone with staying power, coming January 26

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  • January 13, 2012 at 7:20 pm

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Motorola Droid Razr Maxx - all views

We like the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx, no, we really like the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx for one specific reason, it comes with an immense 3,300mAh battery and it remains ‘razr’ thin. As we saw when we initially covered the Razr Maxx, the smartphone is pretty much the same as the standard Droid Razr, with a bigger battery.

Thanks to Motorola, we now know that it’s coming on January 26th on Verizon for $299 with a two-year contract. To recap, you get a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED qHD (540 x 960) display, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 8-megapixel rear camera, 1.3-megapixel front camera, 16 GB internal storage with an additional 16 GB microSD card pre-installed, it has Kevlar backing and splash-proof coating. The 3,300mAh battery give the Razr Maxx over 21 hours of talk time, and makes us grin in bliss. The extra battery adds a bit of girth to the device, the original Razr measures 7mm thick, the Razr Maxx is still just 8.9mm.
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Sony Xperia S Android handset gets UK pricing and March 5 release date

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  • January 13, 2012 at 8:22 am

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Sony Xperia S camera landscape

Sony announced its latest Xperia S Android handset at CES this week and we now have UK pricing and availability. The Xperia S (a.k.a. Nozomi) will be released on March 5th in the UK for £468 ($719 and €560) for the 32GB version, at least according to mobile device online retailer Clove.

The Xperia S has a 4.3-inch 1280 x 720 gap-less optically laminated display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and a impressive 12-megapixel Exmor back-lit sensor rear camera.

It will be sold in both white and black, though initially the white Xperia S will be a Phones4U UK exclusive. The Xperia S includes NFC, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and HDMI, together with GPS and GLONASS navigation support. There is no external microSD card slot — so it would probably mean no mass storage support — and it will ship with Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Sony however promised that it will be updated to Ice Cream Sandwich in the second quarter of the year. Did we mentioned it’s also PlayStation certified.

The iPhone 4S getting a warm reception in China despite freezing temperatures

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  • January 12, 2012 at 4:51 pm

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Beijing Apple Store iPhone 4S launch queues

China is quickly becoming a very important market for Apple. The most populous country in the world has a burgeoning middle-class hungry for technology and of course Apple is carving out a nice piece of the pie for itself. In fact, China contributed to roughly 13.3 percent of Apple’s third-quarter revenue.

Friday 13th of January marks the day when the iPhone 4S goes on sale in 26 new countries, including China. Well as is typical of big Apple product launches, people had already started lining up the night before outside Apple’s two Beijing and three Shanghai stores. Despite the freezing temperatures, hundreds lined-up outside the five official Apple Stores.
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Canon PowerShot G1 X announced: 14.3-megapixel sensor, larger than Micro Four Thirds, and 4x optical zoom lens for $800

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  • January 9, 2012 at 12:05 pm

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Canon Powershot G1 X digital camera articulating LCD

Canon will not enter the mirrorless interchangeable lens camera space, instead the camera maker has announced a new large sensor bridge camera in its PowerShot G series. The PowerShot G1 X will become the flagship model in the series ahead of the G12. What’s special about the G1 X is the new 1.5-inch 14.3 megapixel CMOS sensor which is slightly larger than a Micro Four Thirds sensor. The new sensor measures 18.7 x 14 mm compared to a Micro Four Thirds sensor which is 17.3 x 13mm. In fact the G1 X’s sensor is 6.3 times larger than the sensor inside the PowerShot G12.

We would imagine that such a large sensor will allow the G1 X some pretty respectable low-light performance, while the camera can shoot up to ISO 12,800. The lens offers an 4x optical zoom from 28-112m with aperture ranging from f/2.8 to f/16. Combined with the large sensor it should offer some pretty nice shallow depth of field. The G1 X has EOS-like features, like 14bit RAW shooting and is compatible with various accessories including Speedlite hot-shoe flash units. The camera comes with a 3-inch 922,000 dot articulating LCD screen and it’s capable of 1080p HD video shooting.
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Nikon D4 full-frame DSLR officially announced, hands-on video galore

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  • January 6, 2012 at 5:13 pm

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Nikon D4 full-frame DSLR front and back

We brought you the full details on the Nikon D4, the company’s new full-frame flagship camera, yesterday. Nikon has today officially announced the D4 and all the leaked specs have been confirmed. The camera will be on sale this February for $6,000 in the US, £4,800 in the UK, and €5,658 in Europe.

The D4 is equipped with a new 16.2-megapixel FX-format full-frame CMOS sensor (imaging size of 36.0 x 23.9 mm) and EXPEED 3, Nikon’s latest image processing engine. The body is made of magnesium alloy weighing a respectable 1340 g (2.95 lb / 47.27 oz). As one would expect from a $6,000 full-frame shooter, the D4 has some cutting edge features. You get a 3.2-inch LCD, standard ISO of 200 to 12,800 expandable to 204,800, 91,000-pixel RGB metering sensor, 51 point autofocus, 10fps continuous shooting in full resolution, 1080p30, 1080p24, and 720p60 video, and even an ethernet port.

You can also attach the new WT-5 wireless accessory, which allows you to transmit images wirelessly or control the camera remotely. Nikon is developing native applications for iOS and Android that would allow you to control the camera from your mobile device, however for now you can already control the camera through its own web interface.
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Nikon D4 details leaked, full-frame 16.2-megapixel DSLR coming in February for $6,000

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  • January 5, 2012 at 4:04 am

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Nikon D4 full-frame DSLR leak

No need to speculate any further on Nikon’s new flagship full-frame DSLR, the D4. The successor to the D3 and the D3s, has just been leaked in a wire that was set to be released on January 10. The hotly anticipated D4 will be made available starting this February for a $6,000 suggest retail price. The latest full-frame camera by Nikon brings a host of new features and spec improvements over the previous models.

You get a new 16.2-megapixel full-format CMOS sensor capable of up to 10fps at full resolution and a native ISO range from 100 to 12,800 with improved low-light performance; though can be expanded to 50 and 204,800. You also get an improved 51-point autofocus system with 9 cross-type points, 91,000-pixel RGB metering sensor and the ability to shoot full HD 1080p30 and 1080p24 video with contrast detect AF and H.264 compression support.

The Nikon D4, will come with an 100 perfect field of view pentaprism viewfinder and illuminated function buttons. The camera will be one of the first to support the new XQD Compact Flash memory cards and also offers a secondary card slot for conventional CF cards. There are also other niceties like face detection and aperture control while shooting video.
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Apple iPhone 4S coming to China and 26 other markets from 13th of January

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  • January 4, 2012 at 11:47 am

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Apple iPhone 4S white - left side

Apple will soon be further tapping the incredible expanse that is the Chinese market with its iPhone 4S smartphone. China Unicom, the country’s third-largest mobile carrier, has been the sole iPhone provider in China thus far, though it’s uncertain whether the iPhone 4S will now also be taken up by other carriers in the country. Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that response for Apple’s products in China has been off the charts. China contributed to roughly 13.3 percent of Apple’s total third-quarter revenue of $28.57 billion.

In addition to China, the iPhone 4S will be made available in 26 other countries beginning Friday, January 13: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guam, Guinea Conakry, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Senegal, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos and Uganda.
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Panasonic GH3 (GH2 successor) could be announced at CES in January 2012

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  • January 1, 2012 at 6:48 am

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Panasonic GH3 rumor

We have to foreword our report by saying that it’s mere speculation based on information we’ve received. What we’ve been hearing from a couple of European retail sources, is that the current Panasonic GH2 has come to an end-of-life (EOL) and brick-and-mortar stock has dried up in anticipation of a successor.

The Panasonic GH2 Micro Four Thirds (MFT) mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC) was announced in September 2010 at Photokina in Germany. It’s Panasonic’s higher-end MFT shooter with a 16.05-megapixel sensor, built-in EVF, advanced manual controls, articulated touchscreen and amazing video capabilities. In fact it has become an incredible creative tool for aspiring videographers. We’ve covered how the GH2 has been hacked into recording video at an insane 176Mbps and 12,800 ISO.

Though there were hopes for one, there was no successor to the GH2 in 2011; Panasonic debunked any rumors in September. However, the company also indicated, through the mouth of Ichiro Kitao, the head of Panasonic’s camera division, that the GH line had become their flagship and that they would certainly be looking for a 2012 refresh.
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Samsung Galaxy S III could launch at MWC in Barcelona this February

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  • December 29, 2011 at 10:17 am

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Samsung Galaxy S III concept render

Samsung Mobile has had a good year, mostly because of the success of the Galaxy S II, the biggest selling Android smartphone to date. Samsung was also a launch partner for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, as the manufacturer for the Galaxy Nexus (read our complete review here), while even the company’s mammoth 5.3-inch Galaxy Note has managed to ship one million units in two months.

Running on a potent Samsung Exynos chip, the Galaxy S II, still is the fastest smartphone out there, at least according to benchmarks. It makes sense that the company would want to maintain a good tradition, and of course sales figures, with a successor. Word on the street is that we will soon be seeing the Samsung Galaxy S III (SGS3) at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, which opens its doors on February 27, 2012. Note, the image above is just a fan concept render, and not the actual Galaxy S III.
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