Tuesday Toys

Life

LG Nexus 5

1 September 2015

Samsung Gear S2

The Gear S2 and Gear S2 Classic mark Samsung’s latest play in the smartwatch space. Both have circular screens 1.2″ in diameter, making them stand out from Samsung’s previous wearable efforts. The interface takes advantage of the round screen, including an app launcher that lets users tap on round targets to switch applications.
The watches have a ring around the face that rotates to control functions, and they have new fitness capabilities, including a 24-hour activity log that users can check to see at a glance how active they’ve been.
The Gear S2 Classic will have a black stainless steel case and a black leather band, while the Gear S2 will come in a dark gray case with a dark gray band or a silver case with a white band. According to Samsung, the watches will run for 2-3 days depending on how people use them. Unlike their predecessor, both the Gear S2 and S2 Classic will be available without a 3G modem, though they will have reduced functionality when not in range of a paired Samsung smartphone.
The watches run Samsung’s Tizen operating system, which Samsung uses to power many of its smartwatches. That means it won’t be contributing to or getting apps from Google’s Android Wear ecosystem.

LG Nexus 5

The next handset to be used as an Android test bed looks like making an appearance soon. According to the report in Android Police, the LG-built Nexus 5 (though it may not end up being called that) will have a 5.2″ screen with a 1080p resolution, a Snapdragon 808 processor, 3Gb of RAM, a USB Type-C port, 2,700mAh battery and 12.3MP and 5MP rear and front cameras.
Historically, Nexus devices have specs a step below top-of-the-line, but with lower prices to match. Word is we won’t know for sure until the end of September.

Sony Xperia Z5

Sony may be charging ahead with packing in a ridiculous 4K resolution into one of its upcoming smartphones.
A leaked video posted, and later disappearing from, French site Clubic (you can still find it on Xperia Blog) features a Sony marketing director describing a 5.5″ Z5 Premium, with a 4K screen that crams in 800 pixels per inch with a 3840×2160 resolution.
Sony’s also packing in a 23MP camera with a .03 second autofocus and 5X digital zoom.
The phone also continues Sony’s dive into water resistance, with a claim the micro-USB connection will also be waterproof.
The Z5 Premium will be part of a family of devices, including the Z5 Compact and Z5. All three phones will have a fingerprint sensor on the power button and share the same camera specs and claimed two days of battery life. However, that last claim looks rather dubious given the 4K resolution in the premium model.