Meizu inWatch π hands on, the heat of steel and glass (Pictures)
When speaking of smartwatch, everybody will think of the the first round Android Wear smartwatch MOTO 360. But now the first round smartwatch in China is inWatch π. With its traditional design of wrist watch, inWatch π is also the first smartwatch which will extend its battery lifetime to six months.
It was planned to ship its products on today (September 30th), but its producer Yingqu Technology published an apology yesterday, said that new products have to delay its shipment till on October 10th because of the client issue. But its engineering machine has been leaked, now let’s take a look to unveil its face.
Meizu MX4 Pro to use sapphire fingerprint scanner and Exynos 5430
A few days ago, the specs of the upcoming Meizu MX4 Pro were leaked online. Supposedly, it sports a 5.4-inch 2560 x 1536 display screen, uses a smart octa-core chip from Samsung (Exynos 5430), and has support for Hi-Fi audio. It is also supposed to have a fingerprint scanner on the front, the first cellphone to do so in China, and cost 2499 RMB (406.53 USD).
Related: Meizu MX4 Pro to be launched on October 28 along with another product
It turns out that this was all a lie as Meizu vice-CEO Li Nan denied these reports saying that the specs are too powerful, the price is too cheap, and that the release date is too soon.
Now, new information was released by an analyst, @孙昌旭, that seems to be more accurate. Both the price and specs are said to be more reasonable and Li Nan has yet to deny them.
Furthemore, @孙昌旭 said that the Meizu MX4 would use a 5-mode baseband (GSM, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, TD-LTE, LTE FDD) from Marvell and that it would sport a sapphire fingerprint sensor created by Shenzhen Huiding Co.
Video: Vivo X5（YAMAHA YSS-205） Song recording test
With build-in chip Yamaha YSS205, VIVO X5 is maximized its sound effect massively. Now let’s look at below functions of the legend chip Yamaha YSS205.
1. Real time sound-back-to-ear
When you are singing, your sound will be back to the earphone, the singer can adjust his/her status by their own sounds so that it can prevent the singer singing out of tune. As we can see in many concerns, singers would have a pair of earphone which is fitted in their ears. Actually, iPhone also has this function which is achieved by apps, and it would be delay when dealing with up-tempo songs, while VIVO X5 has solved this problem perfectly with build-in YAMAHA YSS205, you could almost ignore the time lag.
2. The reverberation sound effect
We know that the voice of amateur singers are a litter bit dull, so the sound effect of reverberation is very important for them. If you want the sound effect just like that you are in KTV, YAMAHA YSS205 could help you to achieve that effect. Though we can make it by visual functions of some softwares, but only VIVO X5 can integrate it by YAMAHA hardware. Therefore, its sounds are more clear and better.
Meizu MX4 Pro will be featured Ubuntu Touch OS?
When we are still enjoying our national holidays, the Ubuntu team ( @ubuntu ) has released its latest news about Meizu MX4 Pro. I believe that many people could guess what it is. Yes, Meizu is going to release its new product with Ubuntu Touch OS.
We have been heard many news about the cooperation of Meizu and Ubuntu since it released the last flagship product Meizu MX4, but after that both of them don’t have any moves. In fact, I am still can not confirm the reality of the source from Weibo. But the hardware parameters of leaked Meizu MX4 Pro could be truthful.
Koobee Max 3 hands on Photos
The Koobee Max 3 comes with a 5.5-inch screen with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, with very clear graphics and no grain whatsoever. It also has a built-in MediaTek MT6592 octa-core chipset with a frequency of 1.7GHz, as well as 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM. This processor was made using 28nm architecture and uses an octa-core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU. The Max 3 also has support for TD-LTE, FDD-LTE, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, and GSM networks. As a matter of fact, you can see the word “TD-LTE” at the back. Take note that you can only access FDD-LTE and WCDMA networks in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, and abroad.
Related: Koobee Max 3 unboxing
Having said that, here are photos of the Koobee Max 3. Enjoy!
Meizu leaked its Meizu MX4 Pro, square-shaped Home button
We have found several special pictures in the instruction book of Meizu MX4, which will probably be the coming released model Meizu MX4 Pro. As the pictures shown, the model is using square-shaped home button instead of circle-shaped as usual. The top of the model is equipped with sensor and front-facing camera, it seems that this model has two more holes than Meizu MX4.
Meizu had claimed earlier that MX4 Pro will featuring a fingerprint scanner. Generally speaking, the fingerprint scanner will probably be integrated in the home button just like the design of Sangsung Galaxy 5 and iPhone 5S. We can’t deny the design influence of Meizu M8, Meizu M9 and Samgsung 9100.
Meizu MX4 Pro to be launched on October 28 along with another product
Although it seems that pre-orders for the Meizu MX4 have soared, it does not look like MX4 has been able to produce as much phones as anticipated. Still, today, the launch date of the upcoming Pro version has been announced. The MX4 Pro is set to be launched on October 28. According to insiders, another new product from Meizu will also be introduced at the launch.
Insiders guess that Meizu’s new heavy-hitter may cost less than 2500 RMB (407.28 USD), possibly around 2399 RMB (390.83 USD). As for its specifications, its predicted to be an octa-core chipset from Samsung and also have a fingerprint sensor like the Mate 7. Stay tuned for updates.
ZTE Nubia Z7 will be on sale very soon
Three months after its launch, the ZTE Nubia Z7 has finally received its network license(which allows to be sold in China) from the Ministry of Industry and Information of China, and it looks like we’ll be seeing it soon. Priced at 3456 RMB (562.96 USD), the Z7 supports TD-LTE, LTE FDD, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, cdma2000, CDMA 1X, and GSM networks as well as dual-SIM.
Hardware includes a 5.5-inch display screen with 2560 x 1440 resolution with RAM auto-refresh, the Snapdragon 801, 5mp/13mp dual-camera, 3000mAh unchangeable battery, 3GB RAM, and 32GB ROM. It also has support for 2-4G networks. The Z7’s 13mp rear-facing camera comes with a F2.0 aperture and OIS sensor.
Update: Oppomart accept pre-order now, here is the link: nubia z7
DOSS Alonso A5 BlueTooth Speaker review
Yesterday, DOSS Alonso released a multi-colored Blue Tooth speaker called the DOSS Alonso A5. Let’s take a look at it.
The design of this cone-shaped device is based on the re-entry capsule of the famous Shenzhou 7 spacecraft. The speaker is covered by black wires making it almost hard to imagine that this is a Blue Tooth speaker. 
Even though this is a “hornless speaker,” it has two 1.5-inch NdFeB magnetic components and a big low-frequency diaphragm. The Alonso A5 also has 72 LED lights that shine when turned on. 
The buttons are all located at the bottom side of the speaker. These include the power button and light switch. There are no volume or pause buttons. To adjust the volume, just swipe your hand on the logo at the top side of the cone. You can also pause the device if you press your hand on the logo. 
The speaker comes with 72 LED lights in three colors that can make a beautiful image. One LED light is equivalent to 1 pixel. 
The DOSS Alonso A5 can be connected to many current smartphones such as Apple’s, Android’s, and Windows’ by Blue Tooth. Once you turn on the speaker, it will search for the nearest smartphone which you can, then, connect it to. 
Next, we tested the sound quality by playing some music. The drumbeat is vivid and clear. Overall, it’s very good. There are no breaks or cracks in the sound. 
Meizu MX4 Pro leaked and to be released on October 28
It has been a big week for Meizu as more information has been released regarding the upcoming Pro version of the MX4. According to insiders, the MX4 will see its launch on October 28 and it will be Meizu’s last release of the year along with what is purportedly Meizu’s smart router. Hardware is said to include a 5.4-inch 2K screen, the Samsung’s Octa-Core Exynos 5430 chipset, 3GB RAM, a 20.7 megapixel camera, as well as a fingerprint sensor.
Coolpad Dashen F2 Tear Down review
Coolpad Dashen F2 is the pro version of Dashen F1 Powered with the latest 4G LTE version of Mt6592, and priced at just RMB999 yuan($162.7) in China.
Meizu MX4 vs. Vivo Xshot: Camera comparison
Vivo is designed as a camera phone, but Meizu MX4 got the latest Sony imx220, which cellphone has the better camera, the MX4 (20.7mp) or the Vivo Xshot (F1.8 aperture)? Let’s take a look at the following pictures.
Sample 1: Nankai University badge, Automatic mode
Meizu MX4
Vivo Xshot
These shots are of the school emblem of Nankai Univeristy which was founded in 1919. Back then, it was called the “Nankai Private School.” Premier Zhou Enlai was one of its alumni but only studied there for a short time.
The pixilation in both photos are both very good. The carving and rails are all very clear. However, the Vivo Xshot’s shot is slightly brighter than the MX4’s due to its larger aperture.
Sample 2: A statue of Mr. Yang Shixian, automatic mode
MX4
Xshot
There is more of a difference here than the last two photos. The MX4’s photo is a bit reddish but the Xshot has a more natural color. For me, the latter did a better job in capturing the image of the stature.
Sample 3: One corner of the school’s flower bed, automatic
MX4
Xshot
The picture taken by the MX4 looks really nice. The coloring looks more natural and the entire photo is very clear. In the Xshot’s photo, the yellow flower looks a bit dimmer, probably because of the aperture. It seems that having a big light aperture does not always help.
Sample 4: Tianjian University’s public bikes, automatic
MX4
Xshot
From Nankai University, we head straight north to Tianjin University’s grounds. Near the buildings are two rows of bicycles that the University loans to students. I did not see any problems with both photos. Both of them look very clear and natural.
Sample 5: Tianjin Water Park, maximum zoom
MX4
Xshot
These two photos were taken after doing a full zoom on both phones. Personally, I think the MX4’s shot looks better than the Xshot’s especially since the characters for “Water Park” look much more natural in the former.
Sample 6: The Zhou Enlai and Deng Ying Chao Memorial (Zhou Enlai’s plane), automatic
MX4
Xshot
The plane in these photos is Zhou Enlai’s personal plane that was given to him by the Soviets. He used this plane many times to travel to countries such as Vietnam and India.
There does not seem to be much of a difference between both photos. However, the MX4’s photo shows more of the plane than the Xshot’s. The size of the Xshot’s photo could be smaller. If you want to take full scenic photos, the MX4’s probably is probably your best choice.
The Zhou Enlai and Deng Ying Chao Memorial (a car given by the Soviets), automatic
MX4
Xshot
This is where the Vivo Xshot’s F1.8 aperture’s advantage shows. After taking in more light, it takes a bright and clear shot of the car. The MX4’s photo has a few dark spots in it, but does not have any noise.
Sample 7: Guestbook, macro mode
MX4
Xshot
I’ll just leave it up to you to say which one is better.
Sample 8: Haihe Square, automatic
MX4
Xshot
Conclusion: Meizu MX4 and the Vivo Xshot take pretty high-quality photos based on these shots. The MX4’s camera has improved a lot since being upgraded from having an 8mp lens in the MX3 to 20.7mp. Because of its F1.8 aperture, the quality of shots taken using the Xshot’s camera are bright and clear regardless of whether you are taking night shots or panoramic shots. Both are good and are worth buying.
Colorfly’s new pocket hifi C4pro leaked
One day before the end of September, a series of photos of a mysterious device were posted online, getting the attention of Pocket HiFi enthusiasts. There’s a strong possibility that these photos are Colorfly’s new Pocket HiFi in 2014.
Considering the size of the display it most likely to carry an OS for a smart device, probably Android. And colorfly used metal material on it, a sure sign of high end device of colorfly. Therefore, it has to be something more powerful than the Android. The device will carry a 4.7-5.2 inches touch screen, the gold metal design is totally different from the black or grey design in the mrket. 
These photos were leaked from a factory in Guandong which has strong ties with Colorfly which produced the first pocket hifi in China, the colorfy C4.
PiPO T8 camera shots review
A good camera phone requires good lens that can satisfy everyone who wants to take photos. Take the PIPO T8 phablet for example. Its camera is covered with a lens kit. Today, we are going to review the camera by taking photos with the lense kit.
I took shot outside the window for a start. As a 13 megapixel the picture quality is really good .
Then, I put the wide-angle lens on the camera and set a short focal length, creating a wider field of view. Compared to the original photo, the depth of focus is longer and the field of view is wider. It’s also still as clear.
To test the T8’s lens more professionally, we put on the fisheye lens which is considered to be an “extreme wide angle lens” since it has a very wide visual angle. Compared with the original, the photos taken with the fisheye lens are a bit more shaky. It has a longer depth of field and angular field of view.
Overall, the T8’s 13mp camera lens is excellent. These pictures prove exactly what its outer lens can do.
Meizu MX4 vs. MX3: head-to-head review
The Meizu MX4 has been one of the biggest hits this season since its launch on September 2 with its higher screen-to-body ratio, new Flyme upgrade, and excellent design. So what improvements have been made from the MX3? Here’s our comparison.
The MX4 looks bigger than the MX3 based on their measurements. The former’s are 144 x 75.2 x 8.99mm while the latter’s are 139.0 x 71.9 x 9.1mm. The MX4 also seems to be thicker than the MX3. The former’s screen makes up 80% of its front cover while the latter’s only makes up 74%.
The Meizu MX4 has kept Meizu’s classic small round circle home button except it’s bigger. Another difference is that while you can swipe your finger upwards on the MX3’s home button to unlock it, you have to double click the MX4’s screen to wake it up.
The design of the bottom sides of both phones are almost the same except that instead of using the MX3’s classic “panda” design (black front/white back), the MX4 uses a grey/black design.
The top sides for both phones are almost exactly the same except that the MX4’s antenna is more visible. Its signal is also stronger.
The MX4 sports a new 2mp front-facing camera with wide-angle lens, giving it a wider viewing range. Even though the MX3’s camera is also 2mp, they do not have a wide-angle lens. As a result, the quality of photos taken using the MX4 is much better than the MX3.
The MX4 sports a rear-facing 20.7mp Sony IMX 220 camera with an F/2.2 aperture. It also has dual-LED flash. On the other hand, the MX3 sports an 8mp camera with F/2.0 aperture and single LED flash.
The MX4 (8.9mm thickness) is only .2mm thinner than the MX3 (9.1mm).
You need a tool to open the MX3’s rear case. MX3’s back cover is much more difficult to take off. The batteries are not removable though.
MX4 uses the latest Flyme OS version — the Flyme 4.0 while the MX3 still uses the Flyme 3.8.
Pioneer K88L tear-down
The Pioneer K88L phone, which costs 1799 RMB (293.04 USD), is one of the few 5-mode/13-frequency devices to use a processor from MediaTek. It also comes with an NFC function and Dolby Audio. It sports a 5.5-inch HD display screen, an octa-core processor, and 13mp camera.
Having said that, let us take a look at what this phone is made of. Behold! The Pioneer K88L tear-down!
This phone boasts a unibody design and you will need a tool to unscrew the rear case. Furthermore, the rear case and the phone’s body by a strong glue that makes it hard to separate them.
On the rear-case is a thermal graphite sheet which can temper the phone’s battery heat.
Here’s the NFC wire wrapped in a coil glued above the battery.
After unscrewing many bolts, you can take out the phone’s mid-frame.
The motherboard is located at the upper half of the phone where the battery takes up the most space.
The antennas are located on two corners of the phone.
Do you like to take nice scenic shots? Use the Pioneer K88L’s 13mp rear-facing wide angle camera (left). If you are vain and like to take selfies, use the 5mp front-facing camera (right).
Here’s the front side of the motherboard where most of the chips are hidden under a shielding case.
After taking off the shielding case, you can see the MT6169V chip in the middle.
At the upper part of the phone are the sensor and IC display chip.
The K88L supports Dolby Sound, and it’s all thanks to this.
And here’s all the components, from the motherboard and its chips to the cameras and cases.
Overall, just as you would expect from a Chinese cellphone company, Pioneer never forgets to add NFC chips and many others as well as producing such a sturdy phone.
What do you think?
Lenovo A936 leaked with 6-inch octa-core and 1GB RAM
Releasing so many cellphones is something to be expected from Lenovo. In China’s 4G Age, it’s no different. Soon, in partnership with China Unicom, they will release a dual-4G LTE cellphone that supports TD-LTE, FDD-LTE, and WCDMA/GSM networks.
Under the model number Lenovo A936, this new phone has already been listed in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s website. The phone’s design is neat and clean. It is mainly white but also has a silver frame. Its measurements are 163.9 x 83.6 x 8.7mm.
The Lenovo A936 sports a 6-inch IPS screen with HD resolution. It has the biggest screen out of Lenovo’s 4G phones since the Z2 Pro. Its processor is a 1.7GHz octa-core chipset which is most likely the MT6592. It also has 1GB RAM and 8GB ROM and sports a 5mp/13mp dual-camera. Its operating system is the Android 4.44. It also supports WCDMA, TD-LTE, and GSM networks.
Is Xiaomi going to form an alliance with Mozilla?
Recently, Twitter user, John Bernard, called Xiaomi the “fifth largest smartphone vender in Q2 2014” and that “three of the top nine” manufacturers “are now Firefox OS partners.”
Related: Mozilla is ready to release $25 USD Firefox OS smartphone
But who is John Bernard? It turns out that he is the Global Director of marketing at Mozilla and is in charge of promoting devices that use the Firefox OS around the world. Even though he did not directly say that Xiaomi will also use the Firefox OX, why did he bring them up? Could it be that Xiaomi and Firefox have already formed a partnership?
Right now, Xiaomi’s star products are the Mi phone and Red Mi. If they managed to attract WP and Firefox OS, then they could expand their product line.
